Gods Husbandry, Sermon 2 · Chapter 11
CHAP. XI. Containing the third poynt of doctrine, that God will prune the fruitfull branches: that is, helpe true Chriſtians against their corruptions.
ANd that you may the better inioy, and not abuſe this comfort, proceed we now to the third of thoſe foure poynts which wee propounded to ſpeake of: viz. Gods goodneſſe in purging his ſeruants. This pruning muſt needs import ſome act of God, which is the ſame to the ſoule of a Chriſtian man, that cutting off the ſuperfluities of the Vine-branches is to them; and this can be nothing elſe but the helping of them againſt their corruptions. For looke what ſuperfluity of leaues, twigs, or the like is to a branch, the ſame are corruptions of all ſorts to the Chriſtian man: and therefore pruning is the taking away, remouing, ſtrengthening them againſt theſe corruptions.
Know then for a ſurety, that as a good and husbandly Gardener wil take away from the Vine all out-ſhooting and ouer growing things, that might make it yeeld him leſſe increaſe of Grapes: Doct. 3 ſo the Lord will leſſen, weaken, redreſſe the diſorders of all ſorts that are in his ſeruants,The Lord will more and more weaken the corruptions of his people. euen their ignorance, their blindneſſe, their pride, their paſſion, their ſelfe-louelove, their worldly-mindedneſſe, and the like. The Lord is very carefull and ready to helpe his ſeruants againſt the ſinnes of their hearts and liues, and againſt all the euill of their corrupted nature. The moſt High is a partner with a Chriſtian in his combate againſt his luſts; yea the chiefe workman in this buſineſſe of reforming what is amiſſe in him. He will beſtow dreſſing on his ſheepe, whiting on his linnen, weeding on his garden, and on his field. Thoſe ſinnes that are in the people of God, not raigning with their good liking, but vſurping without their allowance, hauehave Gods holy eyes bent vponupon them indeed, to obſerue and take notice of them, not to hate the perſon in whom they be, (for he lookes vponupon the perſon through Chriſt; and as Paul ſaith, It is no longer they, but ſinne in them:) but to helpe and aſſiſt the perſon againſt them, euen as a good and louing father obſerues the ſpots of his childs face, to make him waſh them off, and his ſcabs or itch, to prouide him a medicine: or as a kind Chirurgion lookes on a ſore, to ſearch, and dreſſe, and heale it, not to kill the man for it. As he that meeteth with an Apple rotten at core, though it look ſoundly on the outſide, caſts it away from him to the dunghill: ſo the Lord, meeting with thoſe in whom ſinne hath dominion, cuts them off, and reiects them vtterly: but as a man meeting with an Apple a little ſpecked heere or there, pickes out that is naught, and pares and eates it: ſo the Lord finding men in whom ſinne is dwelling in ſome degree, but is not predominant, pickes out that ſinne, and preſerues them for the vſe of his glory. The Apoſtle ſaith, that God will tread Satan vnderunder our feet ſhortly; and it is out of queſtion, that Satan can neuer be troden vnderunder foot, if ſinne be not: yea ſinne (ſaith the ſame Apoſtle) ſhall not hauehave dominion ouer your mortall bodies. Can wee deſire a more expreſſe promiſe? The ſame thing we may note in the words of the Prophet: I will take away the heart of ſtone out of your bodies, and giuegive you an heart of fleſh. And againe, I will deliuer you from all your vncleanneſſes. We ſee the Lords intention plaine enough, hee will helpe his ſeruants not alone againſt one or two, but againſt all their filthineſſes. So doth the Prophet Iſaiah foretell, ſaying, The Lord ſhall waſh away the filth of the daughter of Sion, and purge the blood of Ieruſalem from the middeſt thereof, with the ſpirit of iudgement, and the ſpirit of burning. All theſe places put the truth of the poynt out of doubt; and the reaſons of it are as cleere as can be, not onelyonly from the truth and power of God, (who is able abundantly to mortifie our ſinnes, and hath told vsus that hee is faithfull and true to forgiue vsus our ſinnes, and to cleanſe vsus from all vnrighteouſneſſe) but alſo from two other pertinent conſiderations; namely, firſt, that their need requireth it: ſecondly, that it ſtandeth vponupon his honour to performe it.
For firſt, Reaſon 1 if the Lord their God ſhould not vndertake the purging and cleanſing of them,Becauſe elſe they ſhould periſh by the preuailing of ſinne. their ſinnes would totally and finally preuaile againſt them, and they could not poſſibly but periſh. If a Garden be not timely weeded, it will quickly be ſo ouer-runne with weeds, that there will bee no place left for good and wholeſome herbes and flowers to grow therein. If a dangerous fote bee not plaiſtered with conuenient ſalues, it will feſter and rankle, and rot the ioynt, and bring death to the body wherein it bred: euen ſo would ſinne alſo preuaile againſt the beſt of Gods ſeruants to their vtter deſtruction, if hee himſelfe did not ioyne to helpe them againſt it. For in truth, all their power, without the perpetuall aſſiſtance of his ſpeciall grace, would bee to little purpoſe for the ſubduing thereof. Either therefore the Lord muſt purge his people, or ſee them dye for euer, for want of purging. This latter, his tender pity and fatherly compaſſion, his eternall, infinite, vnſpeakable, free, and vnchangeable louelove can neuer indure to ſee; wherefore his wiſedome, power and goodneſſe will ſet themſelues on worke to effect the former, euen to purge them that they may be ſaued. And that the rather, becauſe in the ſecond place, Reaſon 2 it much importeth his owne honour ſo to doe.It is for Gods honour to perfect the worke be hath begun in them.
For this is one of thoſe wayes whereby hee is made glorious in all his Saints, for that his working in them is ſo miraculouſly effectuall, as to change blindneſſe into ſight, lameneſſe into ſoundneſſe, weakneſſe into ſtrength, and death into life. For as a Phyſiciā hauing vndertaken the cure of ſome deſperat diſeaſe, wil not (for his credit) leaue it off bunglingly in the middeſt, halfe whole, halfe ill, but muſt perfectly conſummate & accōpliſh it, to the totall ſtrength of the member ill-affected, and perſon diſeaſed, becauſe the glory of a Phyſiciā doth ſtand in the multitude of thoſe whom he hath perfectly healed of grieuous maladies: So the Lord of heauen and earth, hauing begun to heale the ſicke, yea deſperately ſicke) ſoules of his poore afflicted and ſinfull ſeruants, muſt euen goe thorow with that hard worke, for his glory ſake, that it may not be ſaid, he laid the foundation, and was either ſo weak, that he could not, or ſo vnconſtant, that he would not ſet vp the roofe, and he muſt winne to himſelfe the glory of infinite power and skill in making them eueryevery whit ſound, as our Sauiour ſpeaketh of one whom himſelfe had reſtored to bodily health. It is his honour to ſhew himſelfe ſtrong in their weakneſſe, true in their falſhood, wiſe in their folly, good in their badneſſe, and fuller of excellent ability to redreſſe their euils, then they can be of euils that may need redreſſing; and the glory of glories that hee affecteth to hauehave in his Church, is this, that hee turneth Lions into Lambs, Woolues into Sheepe, and Beares into Kine, and Serpents into Sucklings, fooles into wiſe men, and ſinners into Saints, ſo taking away the moſt miſchieuous, violent, ouerbearing, and but by his ſtrength vnſubduable corruptions of their nature, whom he ſanctifieth by grace, as that he worketh the quite contrary vertuous qualities in them.