The Husbandmans Companion, Meditation 6
Upon a Buſh of thorns.
6 Med.
OBſerving a buſh of thorns ſpringing up in a place where I expected better fruit, I cauſed them to be ſtockt up and put into a gap, where a fence was wanting, for the ſecuring the garden, and the preſerving herbs, and flowers from damage and detriment; this occaſioned this following Meditation; As theſe being a fruit of the curſe, ſpring up of their own accord without labour or toil, ſo ſin and corruption, a fruit of the fall, do naturally ſpring up in the ſoul, without any pains; and as the earth own theſe, ſo doth the heart own ſin, as its own proper product; God curſed the earth for mans ſake, Gen. 3.18. and thorns and thiſtles it hath ſince brought forth: This made me conſider, how faithful God is in the execution of his threats as well as of his promiſes; and of how dangerous a nature ſin is, that produceth ſuch effects; how happy we had been if we had not ſinned, and how miſerable by reaſon of ſin; Had not man fallen, the earth had not been curſed, but would have yeilded her encreaſe, probably, without labour and pain, and man might have ſolaced himſelf in the contemplation of God, and held communion with his Creator, and have had nothing to break his peace with his God; My contemplation upon this occaſion went further, I conſidered how fitly the Holy Ghoſt had compared wicked men to thorns, Micha. 7.4. the beſt of them is as a briar and the moſt upright of them is as a thorny hedge, 2 Sam. 23.6. the ſons of Beliall ſhall be all of them as thorns thruſt away, becauſe they cannot be taken with hands, but the man that ſhall touch them muſt be fenced with iron, and the ſtaff of a ſpear, and they ſhall be utterly burnt with fire in the ſame place. Thorns as they choak the good ſeed, and nothing can proſper that grows near them; ſo 'tis with wicked men, a godly man ſhall not live by them, but he ſhall be moleſted, if not infected by them; yea, wicked Magiſtrates themſelves, and thoſe that ſit on the place of Judicature, may fitly be reſembled to a thorn; when the poor ſheep comes for ſhelter, he is ſure to leave ſome of his coat if not of his skin behinde him; I conſidered, this alſo was the fruit of the fall, otherwiſe man had not been endued with ſuch noxious qualities: whereas now wicked men like the Amorites are as pricks in the eyes, and thorns in the ſides of every true Iſraelite: Theſe alſo are the tares, which the devil ſows amongſt Gods wheat, to moleſt it, and theſe are like to grow together till the harveſt: I conſidered alſo, that as ſome uſe was made of thorns, for the defence of better fruit, ſo the wiſe God doth make ſome uſe of wicked men for the good of his people, ſometimes he makes them his skullions to ſcoure off their ruſt, and make them brighter, whereby they fully themſelves, and when their work is done they ſhall be turned off; Sometimes they ar… his rod to afflict his Saints, Iſa. 10.5. Oh Aſſyrian the rod of my anger, &c. but when the childe is reformed, the rod ſhall be burnt; and ſometimes he hath made them a defence for his Church, Revel. 12.15, 16. The earth helpt the woman, and ſwallowed up the floud, which the dragon caſt out of his mouth after her; an example of this we have in David, when he was in great diſtreſſe, compaſſed about by Saul, on this ſide the mountain, and on that ſide the mountain, in eminent danger, ready like a trembling partridge to have fallen into the hands of the greedy falcon; a meſſenger came to Saul, ſaying, the Philiſtines do invade the land, and he withdrew his army, and departed, 1 Sam. 23.26. theſe Philiſtines were but thorns, yet were they a defence to David and his followers, and God at laſt will deal with wicked men as with thorns, reſerve them for the fire, for what good they do to the godly is for ends of their own, and not for their ſakes: the Philiſtines minded not Davids good, nor the King of Aſſiria Gods peoples reformation, nor Haman Mordecai's and the Jews advancement: O my ſoul! can God turn a curſe into a bleſſing, and can he bring good out of evil, and of theſe thorns make a fence for better fruit? admire his wiſdome, and bleſs his name: hath he done thee good by theſe thorns, whoſe nature were to do hurt, bleſs him for it he might have made thee the thorn, and for the preſent have ſtopt a gap with thee, and reſerved thee to everlaſting burning; if he hath grafted thee into a better ſtock, and thou bringeth forth better fruit, no thanks to thee: and if thou ſeeſt any, as yet retaining their old natures, deſire not preſently their burning, though they trouble thee; God may make better uſe of them; a perſecuting Saul may become a preaching Paul; and a wicked Manaſſeth a true convert or he may make them otherwiſe ſerviceable to his people; Be not therefore like the diſciples that would preſently call for fire from heaven, upon the inhoſpitable Samaritans; if they periſh, their miſery will come ſoon enough; they may ſay to thee, as ſometime a Souldier did to ſome that upbraided him, grudge me not my grapes, I am like to pay dear enough for them; ſeeing I muſt die for ſtealing them; 'tis thy wiſdome rather to ſee thou be not of that number, or otherwiſe thou wilt be reſerved for the ſame condemnation: O my God! ſuch as theſe I was, and ſuch I had been hadſt thou not made the difference, and too much of that nature remains in me to this day; Oh that thou wouldſt throughly change me! plant me into that noble Vine, that I may bring forth better fruit; yea, purge me that I may bring forth more fruit.