Gods Husbandry, Sermon 2 · Chapter 13
CHAP. XIII. The firſt vſe of the poynt, to ſhew their miſery that are not pruned.
FIrſt, Vſe 1 this poynt doth euidently difcouer the wretchedneſſe of thoſe men that finde no pruning,The miſery of thoſe whoſe ſins doe not abate, but rather increaſe. no growth of mortification at all, none abatement of their corruptions, no diminiſhing of their carnall luſts and diſordered affections: but after much hearing of the Word of God, and a long formality of Religion, they remaine ſtill as wrathfull and impatient, as luſtfull and vncleane, as worldly and vniuſt, as voluptuous as vaine glorious, and in other things as much diſordered as euer they were. The Lord hath come neere them in his Word, it hath not purged them; he hath come neere them in afflictions, and loe, their droſſe will not bee melted from them: nay, their ſinnes ſeeme to waxe ſtronger and ſtronger, and their corruptions grow eueryevery day more heady and violent then other, and yet they ſee not this impairing of their ſoules, with griefe and ſhame of heart, but reſt themſelues well ſatisfied in ſo miſerable an eſtate.
Brethren, there are not a few people inhabiting vnderunder the roofe of Gods Houſe the Church, with whom it fareth directly in this manner that I hauehave deſcribed, to whom wee hauehave a diſmall tidings to deliuer, and that is this; that they bee not fruitfull branches in Chriſt, becauſe they want that which our Sauiour Chriſt affirmes, that eueryevery true branch obtaineth. Whatſoeuer perſon he is, that liueth a reputed member of the Church, frequenteth the ordinances of God, meeteth with diuers ſorrowes and calamities, and thus hath a long while continued, and yet ſeeth no more ſinne in himſelfe then before, is no more troubled at his ſinne then at firſt, gets no more power againſt his ſinne then at the beginning, but goes along ſtill in a kind of ſettled ciuility of liuing to men-ward, and there reſteth himſelfe, neither perceiuing, nor greatly caring to perceiue any healing of priuie pride, of ſecret guile, of deadneſſe and coldneſſe of ſpirit, of vnbeliefe, of the louelove of earthly things, of wrath, of reuengefulneſſe, of other naughty luſts of his euill heart: let this man come hither, and out of this text of Scripture truly interpreted, truly applyed, collect and gather a moſt fearefull concluſion againſt his owne ſoule, in this wiſe: EueryEvery fruitfull branch in the Vine, that is, eueryevery true member of Chriſt, eueryevery ſound-hearted Chriſtian is purged, that is, healed and cleanſed of the ſinfulneſſe and corruptions of his heart and life: but I, though I hauehave beene trained vp in the boſome of the Church, and inioyed all Gods ordinances, and hauehave alſo taſted of ſome ſowreneſſe too in my dayes, which ſhould hauehave helped to my reformation, hauehave found no purging nor cleanſing, am no whit helped againſt my ſinnes of all ſorts; wherefore I am not a fruitfull branch, I am not a true member of Chriſt, I am no ſound-hearted Chriſtian. Is not this a ſound, certaine, and infallible concluſion, that is ſo directly, plainly and truly inferred out of the words of our Sauiour? And how then can you flatter your ſelues in vaine, O all yee that are not cleanſed of your iniquities? How can you make your ſelues beleeue you are good Chriſtians? how can you promiſe to your ſelues remiſſion of ſinnes and ſaluation, and all other priuiledges of true Chriſtians, and inioy a kind of falſe content in a falſe hope of finding fauour with God? Doubtleſſe it is true that Salomon ſaith, There is a generation that are cleane in their owne eyes, and yet are not purged from their filthineſſe. Theſe perſons that hauehave no pruning, feele no need of pruning, and are moſt apt to brag of cleanneſſe, by how much they are more vnclenſed. But miſerable is that man, whoſe beſt remedy againſt miſery is this, that he will not ſee it. I pray you therefore, if you bee branches deſtitute of pruning, that you would not ſuffer your ſelfe-louelove to hinder you from taking notice of your vncleanſedneſſe, nor from a ſerious conſideration of your miſery following thence, in that it is moſt certainly concluded from this Scripture, that you be but Hypocrites at the beſt. And yet let not my weak Chriſtian miſconceiue this poynt to his owne needleſſe and cauſeleſſe vexation, concluding againſt himſelfe, that if that be no true branch which wanteth pruning, then himſelfe is doubtleſſe in an hard caſe: for alacke, diuers of his corruptions are ſo far from being purged from him, that they doe rather gather ſtrength, and preuaile more and more within him. For doubtleſſe it may befall euen a true ſanctified man,Some one or other corruption may grow more ſtrong in a true Chriſtian: to hauehave ſome ſinnes more violent and headſtrong in him, after that hee hath a long time continued in the profeſſion of Chriſtian Religion, then they were at the firſt, and the corruptions of his heart in ſome kind may diſcouer themſelues by much and often breaking foorth, which informer time he was better able to keep, as wee know it by record of holy writ, to hauehave falne out to Dauid, Aſa, and other of Gods faithfull children.
Farre be it therefore from the heart of a Chriſtian, to conclude he hath no ſoundneſſe, becauſe hee findes ſome one or other diſorder rather grow more mighty in him. This may be, and yet he inioy the benefit of pruning, which God performeth to all true branches: if hee ſee and feele the working of this corruption whatſoeuer, if he lament it, if he continue to ſtriue againſt, and become vile in his owne eyes becauſe of it, this ſin doth not rule in him; and this is the very pruning promiſed, which ſhall at length ſo far preuaile, till that he himſelfe doe perceiue a very ſenſible conqueſt ouer this luſt.
So long then as ſinnes in generall doe decay,But ſinne in generall doth decay, and that ſinne is ſeene and lamented, and becomes matter of humiliation. and that one ſinne that lifteth vp it ſelfe more then before, is ſeene, lamented, reſiſted, a man may, and muſt account himſelfe a liuing branch. But the men whom I condemned as Hypocrites and dry branches, are thoſe, which ſatisfying themſelues in a formall performance of outward exerciſes of piety, are quite deſtitute of the efficacy of them, for the ſubduing of ſinne, ſo that further then credit and naturall reſpects do ſway with them, they follow any ſinfull luſt of their hearts, and yet feele not their miſery in that behalfe, but applaud themſelues in their eſtate, all the while that they are free from ſuch groſſe practices as would caſt them into reproch and obloquie amongſt men. A man profeſſing Religion, and being thus vncleanſed of his filthineſſe, is ſure no better then a withering branch, which yet theſe kind of men will ſcarce euer be made to confeſſe. Wherefore leauing them, wee will make a ſecond vſe of the poynt, to comfort all Gods Saints, that if they will not deny the good worke of Gods grace in them, muſt needs confeſſe, that the Lord hath mercifully vouchſafed to prune them.