The Husbandmans Companion, Meditation 26
Upon hearbs withering in a dry ſeaſon.
26. Med.
WHen I beheld the hearbs and flowers, yea, the graſs of the field alſo, in a dry ſeaſon, how they fainted and flag'd, and hang'd the head, for lack of moiſture, the earth being not able to give them a ſupply without further aſſiſtance; It brought to my minde how neceſſary a bleſſing from heaven was to our enjoyments upon earth, and how vain theſe things would prove, if God did but blow upon them, and how fooliſh thoſe men were that depended upon their own induſtry, and promiſed themſelves great matters, like the fool in the Goſpel, Luk. 12.16. when they often finde ſuch reckoning is without their hoſt; he, we finde in the midſt of his jolity like a Jay, was pruning himſelf in the boughs, and came tumbling down with the arrow in his ſide, his glaſs was run (as one ſaith) when he thought it was but new turned; he was ſhot with the boult, when he gazed on the bow, this was he that truſted in his riches and was not rich to God: he had indeed abundance, but it ſignified little to him; but many men promiſe themſelves plenty, and never come to enjoy it; how neceſſary is our dependance upon God for our dayly bread, the greateſt of us have no aſſurance of it, neither is any exempted from ſeeking it daily at the hands of God, I ſaw then that that promiſe was not in vain, which God had made, Hoſe. 2.21, 22. I will hear the heavens, and the heavens ſhall hear the earth, and the earth ſhall hear the corn, and the wine, and the oyl, and they ſhall hear Jezreel; for though the people ſhould cry to the corn, and to the wine, for relief, and the corn and wine ſhould cry to the earth for nouriſhment, and the earth ſhould cry to the heavens for ſhowers, and the heavens ſhould cry to God for a commiſſion, if God ſhould deny that petition, all the prayers of the other would ſignify nothing; the creatures have no more then what God puts into them; If God give not rain, the creatures muſt languiſh, and the earth fail, the earth muſt be refreſht either by the clouds immediately, or from the fountains by mans induſtry, or it cannot bring forth; but if God deny proviſion, whence ſhall man have it? they may ſay, as the king Ahab did, 2 King. 6.26. if the Lord do not help thee, whence ſhall I help thee, out of the barn-floor, or out of the wine-preſs? he is the fountain that muſt ſupply the ciſtern; he it is that maketh the ſprings to run among the hills, and fills our fountains out of his treaſury; Can any of the vanities of the gentiles give rain? no they cannot, and all the men on earth, and devils in hell, nay, all the angels of heaven, cannot do it, if he deny it, let men ſay what they pleaſe to the contrary: and without water neither man nor beaſt, fiſh nor foul, hearb nor plant, can long ſubſiſt; this raiſed my Meditation a little higher; I conſidered as it was in naturals, ſo much more in ſpirituals; where neither Paul nor Apollos can do the work, or make the ſoul fruitful, without God; we have indeed many pipes, but they are all ſupplyed by one common fountain; if God withhold the water of conſolation, we may ſuck long enough before we be ſatisfied: This minded me of a twofold errour in men, one in the exceſs, the other in the defect, ſome, they ſuck at the pipe, and neglect the fountain, theſe may ſuck long enough before they are ſatisfied; the other thinking to be ſupplyed immediately by the fountain, neglect the pipe; theſe fail on the other hand, in not uſing the means God hath appointed them; ſome truſt in the ordinances, and think them ſufficient, and idolize the Miniſters, theſe many times ſuck at dry breaſts; the pipe can give no more then it receives from the fountain: the other think themſelves above ordinances, and neglect them, the ordinary way appointed by God for their ſupply; and theſe ofttimes argue themſelves out of their Religion: though the dug be not that which feeds the childe, yet the childe muſt ſuck milk through the dug, from the breaſt, or otherwiſe is not like to have it; though the pipe cannot ſupply, it is the uſuall means of bringing the water: the Miniſtry of the word is uſually honoured with the converſion of ſouls, though God can, and no doubt ſometimes doth work converſion without them, yet it is rare; Cornelius you finde was directed by an Angel, to Peter, Act. 10.4, 5. though the angel certifyeth him, that his alms and his prayers were accepted, yet he reads not to him the doctrine of redemption, though no doubt he could better have done it then Peter, had God given him a commiſſion; but the office of preaching is given to the Miniſters not to angels; We finde Paul, when he was ſtrucken down in the way, as he journeyed towards Damaſcus. Chriſt did not teach him himſelf, but ſends him to Ananias, Act. 9.6. &c. and hereby graceth his own ordinance: ſo Philip by the ſpirit of God, was ſent to inſtruct the Eunuch, Acts. 8.29. now either Chriſt himſelf, immediately, or the angel, or the ſpirit, might have done the work, had not God intended to have honoured his Meſſengers with the work of mans converſion, and alſo to leave it as a ſtanding ordinance to the world, for the bringing in, and building up thoſe that ſhall be ſaved; and therefore 'tis not ſafe to contemn it: Oh my ſoul, ſall not out with the pipe, for this is the appointed way to bring water from the fountain; fall not in love with it, for of it ſelf it can give no ſatisfaction; uſe it thou muſt, but idolize it thou muſt not; truſt not in men, nor means, food nor phyſick, though thou muſt make uſe of them; Curſed is the man that truſteth in man, and maketh fleſh his arm, and whoſe heart departeth from the living God: all other are phyſitians of no value; clouds without water, broken ciſterns that can hold no water: It was Aſa's failing, (and no doubt a groſs one) to ſeek to the phyſitians in the neglect of God: think it not ſufficient for the body to make uſe of the ableſt phyſitian, nor for the ſoul to live under the ableſt Miniſter, for many bodyes and ſouls periſh under ſuch; if God help thee not, whence ſhall they help thee? the ſun in a clear day may be ſeen in a pail of water, but if it be clouded, all the water in the world cannot ſhew it; the ordinance is the uſual place where God may be ſeen, but till God open mens eyes, there is none can ſee him there, yet muſt not the ordinances be deſpiſed, for uſually God makes diſcoveries of himſelf there, he could have ſed Elijah himſelf, or by an Angel, yet ſends him food by a raven, he could have taught Paul as well as ſtruck him down, as is before-noted, yet ſends him to Ananias; he ſeldom works otherwiſe where the means of grace is to be had; he could have healed Hezekiah with a word, yet uſeth a bunch of figs; no matter what is the diſeaſe, or what is the receipt, if God bleſs it: Oh my God, afford me the means of grace, the Miniſtry of thy word, and leave me not up to a famine of thy word, nor leave me not to the teaching of man, but follow home every truth, and ſet it home by thy holy ſpirit: let me not ſuck an empty dug, then ſhall I draw nothing but winde: let me not draw at an empty pipe, then ſhall I ſuck and not be ſatisfied: ſupply the dug from a full breaſt, and the pipe from a full fountain, then ſhall I be fat and flouriſhing.