The Husbandmans Companion, Meditation 42
Upon clean ſeed ſown, yet brings forth chaff.
42. Med.
WHen I beheld how the ſeed that laſt year I had ſo carefully winnowed, purged, fanned, and purified from all weeds, and ſeeds, chaff, and rubbiſh, which adhered to it, and ſown in my garden that which was clean, pure and good, yet when it came to maturity it was not only cumbred with weeds and other annoiances, which the ground naturally caſt up, but had as much ſtalk, chaff, and other rubbiſh as it had the year before, which grew up with it, and adhered to it, and was naturally produced by the ſeed, and it had as much need of weeding, threſhing, winnowing, and purging, as it had the year before, to make it fit for uſe, or market; this minded me, that thus it was with poor ſouls, ſince the fall, for as the earth caſteth out weeds of its own accord, and a fountain ſends forth water, ſo doth the heart bubble forth corruption of its own accord; a gracious man that hath taken a great deal of pains with his heart to weed out corruption, and to mortifie his ſin, and hath been threſht, and fanned, and purged and purified, and it hath been the work of many years to do it, and hath coſt him much labour, pains, and diligence, and many a prayer and tear, yet he cannot beget a godly childe, but chaff and corruption adheres to them alſo, nay inheres in them, and they have as much need of refining as ever the father had; for though a ſinful man beget a ſinful childe, yet cannot a gracious man beget a gracious childe, for he begets him as he is a man, and of the ſinful off-ſpring of fallen Adam, and not as he is gracious; and though God do more uſually make choiſe of his people out of ſuch families, the covenant being with them and their ſeed, and he hath reſpect to their prayers, and gives a bleſſing to their education and exhortations, yet this is not always ſo, neither are they born thus; for they are the children of wrath as well as others; and though ſin be hereditary, grace is not; Ah ſin! what woful work haſt thou made in the world, the moſt of men periſh eternally by thee, and thoſe that eſcape are ſaved, as by fire, with a very great deal of pains and difficulty: holy David begat a laſcivious Amnon and a rebellious Abſolom, good Ely begat bad ſons, and holy Iſaac a prophane Eſau; yea, faithfull Abraham a ſcoffing Iſhmael: for as a learned man cannot beget a learned childe, for learning is not a birth-priviledge but an acquired qualification, ſo grace is not born with, but freely given to them that God thinks fit to beſtow it upon: A rich mans childe comes into the world as naked, deſtitute, and miſerably impotent and helpleſs as any other; This as it may minde us of our miſerable condition by the fall, ſo alſo of our duty to our children, that as we are carefull of their bodies, ſo ſhould we be much more carefull of their ſouls, and as we are carefull that they get learning, ſo ſhould we be much more that they get grace: an eſtate is not ſo needfull as an intereſt in Chriſt: we ſhould endeavour by inſtruction, correction, and good education, to train them up in the fear of God, and when we can do no more, to go to him that is able to give it, to beg grace for them; for as we were inſtrumental in their ruine, ſo we ſhould endeavour their recovery. But too many train them up no otherwiſe then they do their horſes, teach them to drudge, and think they have done well, eſpecially if they can leave them an eſtate behinde them, which oftentimes is ſo badly gotten, that they entail alſo a curſe upon them, and their poſterity; and God doth in a viſible manner puniſh their children to the third and fourth generation. Oh my ſoul, how ſtands the caſe with thee? thou art a childe of wrath by nature, as well as others, is thy relation to thy God changed? of an enemy art thou an adopted ſon? tis well: thou hadſt droſs, is that conſumed, and the ſoul refined? thou hadſt chaff is that blown away? haſt thou the marks of adoption now upon thee, that formerly hadſt the marks of an enemy? doſt thou reſemble thy father? doſt bear his image? God hath no children but what have ſome reſemblance to him, he never adopts any but he changeth their nature, and diſpoſition, as well as their relation; he hath no unnatural children: hath he made good that promiſe to thee, 2 Cor. 6.18. I will be a father to them, and they ſhall be my ſons and daughters, ſaith the Lord almighty: hath he performed the duty of a father, in thy new birth, in maintaining thee, and giving the heavenly allowance? in inſtructing and correcting thee? and haſt thou the nature, diſpoſition, and priviledge of children? haſt thou communion with him? doth he feed thee with bread from heaven? cloath thee with the robes of righteouſneſs, and adorn thee with the jewels of his grace? is there a through change wrought in thee, and a new nature put into thee? haſt thou given up thy heart as well as thy name to Chriſt? if it be ſo, it is well: if thou haſt this priviledge for thy ſelf, ſeek it for thy children alſo; as thou haſt dedicated them to God, do thy endeavour to make them Gods, and that the work of grace may be timely wrought in their ſouls; curb corruption while they are young, a green twig, will eaſily be bended, but when old and dry the work is difficult: many like the ape kill their young ones with embracing, and they come to break their parents heart, who thought a rod too heavy for them; withhold not correction nor inſtruction, and go to God for a bleſſing upon both; Oh my God, am I wilde by nature, and haſt thou planted me into the true olive? haſt thou taken me off my own ſtock, and planted me into the true vine? Lord, what ſhall I render to thee for this? Lord, help me to give up my heart, as well as my name to thee, and live thanks as well as ſpeak thanks: haſt thou made me a ſon? Lord, give me a ſon-like diſpoſition; and let me honour my God, by a holy life and converſation: And O that my children might live before thee; Lord, purge out the droſs, blow away their chaff, make them thy ſons and thy daughters.