The Husbandmans Companion, Meditation 21
Upon the ſpringing up of the ſeed.
21. Med.
WHen I had digged the garden, and ſowed the ſeed, in convenient time, I obſerved the ſpringing of them up, and after a while I obſerved how freſh and fragrant that looked, that a little before ſeemed dead, and rotten, among the clods; this minded me of the mighty power of God, that could of a ſmall ſeed, ſeemingly dead, and buried, and rotten in the earth, raiſe up ſo great, ſo flouriſhing an hearb or flower, indewed with ſuch beauty, and excellent vertue, yea ſo great, ſo mighty a tree: I conſidered how ſmall a matter I did or could confer to them; I only diſpoſed them where I would have them grow, but no skill, nor art, nor labour, nor induſtry of mine could make them grow; the earth hath a natural propenſity to receive them, the heavens powred out their influence upon them, which through Gods bleſſing cooperating became effectuall, 'tis God alone muſt do the work, or it will not be done, 'tis he that gives to every ſeed his own body, and put life into that which hath no life, all the skill, induſtry, and pains which the husbandman can uſe, cannot make one ſeed fructify, or one corn grow, if God ſucceed not their endeavour: oh the madneſs, ſtupidity, and egregious folly of Athieſts, that deny a diety, and yet cannot make a fly or flea, or the leaf of a tree, without pre-exiſtent matter, nor put life into it when it is made, nor know how it is done; but many of them, their lives are ſo debaucht, that to ſtill and quiet their inraged conſcience, they would fain race out, and obliterate this principle imprinted in the ſoul by God himſelf, viz. that there is a God, but that there is no God they rather wiſh then believe; but to return, it is God that doth this work, Mark. 4.26. The Kingdom of heaven, is as if a man ſhould caſt ſeed into the ground, and ſhould ſleep, and riſe night and day, and the ſeed ſhould ſpring up, and grow up he knows not how; for the earth bringeth forth fruit of her ſelf, firſt the blade, then the ear, afterwards the full corn in the ear, &c. when we have done our duties, we muſt rely upon God for the ſucceſs, and depend upon Gods providence; if we cannot do it, leave it to him that can; let us do our part of the work, and leave his part to him to do; we cannot do his, and he will not do ours; it is our part to plow, and ſow, and manure, and till the ground out of which we were taken, Gen. 2.15. but it is God that cauſeth it to fructifie and encreaſe; he giveth us rain from heaven, and fruitfull ſeaſons, filling our hearts with food and gladneſs, Acts. 14.17. Diligence is our duty, as the bleſſing upon it is his gift; God placed no man upon the earth, as he did Leviathan in the ſea, only to play therein, but we are to work, either with hand or head, the thing that is good, and in the ſweat of our brow or brain we ſhould eat our bread: but when we have done all we muſt look higher for a bleſſing, Deut. 28.12. the Lord ſhall open to thee his good treaſure, the heaven to give the rain unto the land in his ſeaſon, and to bleſs all the work of thy hand. The ſtars are Gods ſtore-houſes, which he opens for our profit, and cauſeth them to pour out their influences upon the earth, and thereby he ſcatters his riches to the world: If we will cark and care about the event of things, when we have done our endeavour, no wonder if we faint under the burden; if we take his part of the work upon us alſo, no wonder if we truckle under it. Now if his bleſſing be ſo neceſſary in temporals, it is much more neceſſary in ſpirituals, for none can make the ſoul fruitful but God: do we not oft ſee the ſeed ſown by the ſame hand, and that it is watered by the ſame word; yet it thrives in one field, and not in another; in one heart, and not another; why? God cauſeth it to rain upon one field, and not another; and the field it raineth not on, withered; Amos. 4.7. thoſe that live under the ſame Miniſtry, ſit in the ſame ſeat, and have the ſame husbandry, one remains barren, the other fruitfull, what is the cauſe? but the north-wind, and the ſouth-wind; the pleaſant gales of the ſpirit blow upon one garden, and not upon the other, Cant. 4.16. when Chriſt was the preacher, that which workt upon Peter workt not upon Judas, not being made effectuall by God. The ſpringing of the ſeed alſo put me in minde of the reſurrection; the Apoſtle we finde illuſtrateth that point by this ſimilitude, 1 Cor. 15.35, 36, 37. but ſome will ſay, how are the dead raiſed up? and with what body do they come? thou fool, that which thou ſoweſt, is not quickned, except it die; and that which thou ſoweſt, thou ſoweſt not that body that ſhall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of ſome other grain, but God hath given it a body as it hath pleaſed him, to every ſeed his own body: the rotting of the body, is but as the rotting of the ſeed in the ground, that it may ſpring forth again with more vigour: if God can ſay to this dead ſeed, as ſometime to the dry bones, live, why can he not ſay ſo to our dead bodies? Is any thing too hard for the Almighty? he that made them at the firſt of nothing, can we imagine he cannot gather again together our ſcattered aſhes, and make it again into a body? ſhall we think that to be impoſſible to God, that ſeems hard to us? if he ſay, it ſhall be done, ſhall we conclude it cannot be done; Oh my ſoul, uſe diligence, both in thy general and particular calling, but when thou haſt done thy endeavour, leave the ſucceſs to God, and not carkingly care, nor doubtingly trouble thy ſelf about the event; and diſquiet not thy ſelf, at what thou canſt not help, take not h…s work in hand, leſt thou canſt not finiſh it: leave not thy work undone, for he will not do it, diligence is thy duty, yet promiſe not ſucceſs to thy endeavours, but depend upon him for a bleſſing; if he give it bleſs him for it, and let it more engage thy heart in his ſervice: if he deny it, murmure not, but wiſely ſearch out what was the cauſe, ſome ſin or other is pointed at in the ſuffering: if thou finde it out, remove the Achan, and bleſs God for the providence, it is better have a reformed heart, then a full barn, and as for ſpiritualls uſe diligence in the duties required, but reſt not in the work done, if a bleſſing ſucceed, let the Lord have his homage paid; if that thou ſtand at a ſtay it is a ſigne ſome obſtruction is between the head and heart that hinders the work, reſt not till it be removed; if thou meet God in his ordinance, bleſs his name for it; if he abſent himſelf, let no duty pleaſe thee; reſt not till thou haſt recovered ſight of him: as for the reſurrection, call not that to queſtion, which is ſo clearly held forth in his word, heaven and earth ſhall paſs, but his word ſhall not paſs, till it be fulfilled: what is too hard for an omnipotent arm? he that made all things of nothing, and he that every year raiſeth a crop from dead ſeed, why ſhould we think it impoſſible for him to gather together our aſhes, however ſcattered, and raiſe again our dead bodies to life? it is thy great concern to live holily, that thou mayſt die happily, and live with God eternally. Oh my God, enable me to commit all my concerns for ſoul and for body to thee; and let me not murmure under any dark diſpenſation of providence; however thou deal with me in reference to the body, or theſe worldly enjoyments, yet deal well with me in reference to my ſoul, and in reference to eternity; let the ſeed of grace grow and flouriſh, let the weeds of ſin be rooted out, and let my ſoul, like the good ground, bring forth an hundred fold, then ſhall I glorify thee when I bring forth much fruit.