Grapes Among Thorns, Title page – License 2
ESHCOL, OR Grapes (among) Thorns.
As they were delivered IN A Thankſgiving Sermon, to the Honourable Houſe of COMMONS.
BY JOHN BOND, Mr. of the Savoy.
PSAL. 76. ver. 10.
Surely the wrath of man ſhall praiſe thee: the remainder of wrath ſhalt thou reſtraine.
Nam de eo quid dicam, qui in murmure & impatientiâ obſtinato perdurat animo, aut quem poenitet adhaeſiſſe deo, & contra mortem, & contra rationem, bonum factum poenitentiâ comitatur, qui ſine dubio miſerationibus Dei non modò non habet gratiam, ſed contumeliam reddit? &c.
Bern. de Sept. miſericord: Serm. 2.
Quicunque Gratos eſſe docet, & hominum cauſſam agit, & deorum. Senec. 2. de Benef. c. 30.
LONDON, Printed by M. F. for Samuell Gellibrand, at the Brazen Serpent in St. Pauls CHURCH-Yard. 1648.
TO The Honourable Houſe of COMMONS, Now Aſſembled in PARLIAMENT.
Honourable Senate;
I Doe at laſt preſent you with that Cluſter of Grapes, which have beene longer in the Preſſe then your Order doth ſeeme to permit: they are called the aNum. 13. & 14.Grapes of Eſchol, becauſe that Cluſter was both a taſt, and pledge of Canaan, to the few beleeving ſpies; but to the reſt, and to all other murmurers, they proved Grapes of gall, and bitter Cluſters, as bDeut. 32. v. 33.Moſes ſaith afterward. That Hiſtory of Eſchol would be ſeriouſly read by us all, in this juncture of time, for we may there fully find our preſent conditions and diviſions, and gueſſe at our future eſtate. If you would bee in the ſame ſide and caſe with Caleb and Ioſhua, I have two leſſons to commend unto you. 1. Yee muſt be men of cNum. 13. v. 24.another ſpirit, and muſt follow the Lord fully: an hard taske at ſuch a time; but you may be excellently directed in it by that dBurroughs Gracious ſpirit, ad loc.holy man now with God. 2. You had need to plead ſtrongly with all murmurers, both for God, and for their advance into the promiſed reſt, yea, though they bid eNumb. 14. v. 10. v. 12.ſtone you with ſtones; leſt the Lord ſmite us all with peſtilence, and diſinherite us. For mine owne part, I know that there are not onelyonly a ſort of fierce enemies, which like the Turkiſh Ianizaries will bee ready to ſtave, and breake the cask, becauſe they are not to ſhare in this wine; and to theſe I ſay, as he in the Epigram—Rode caper vites—; But there are alſo many voluntary fJerem. 35.Rechabites amongſt our friends, which will not touch with theſe cluſters, becauſe they like not (perhaps) the vine on which they grow. Alas! is there no way yet to make us all of a diet at our neceſſary food? Surely, hunger and thirſt will bring us to it. In our Hiſtory of Eſhcol, I find two grand cauſes of that murmuring.
1. Baſe carnall feare of the enemies ſtrength. bNum. 13. v. 27, 28.Surely the land floweth with milke and hony, and this is the fruit of it, nevertheleſſe the people be ſtrong that dwell in the land, &c. The work is like to be long and bloudy. But what, ſhall we on that pretence cNumb. 14. v. 1, 2, 3, 4. v. 91. Repent of our coming out of Aegypt, and make us Captaines to returne thither againe? Or, 2. Shall we beleeve Caleb and Ioſhua, that ſay; Feare them not, for they are bread for us? And will any man diſlike a loafe of bread for its bigneſſe?
2. Cauſe was jealouſie againſt, non-confiding in, the Cluſter-bearers. The Lord remove all ſtumbling blockes, and heart-diviſions, now that we are upon the borders of Eſhcol, or of Hormah. Num. 14. v. 45.They are Satans laſt make againſt us, hee could not beate us by a common enemy, and therfore would now break us by one another; as that Iuno in the dSen: Her. Fur. Quaeris Alcidae parem? nemo eſt niſi ipſe.Tragedy, dealt with Hercules when hee had conquered Hell, and was returned ſafe from all his labours. She concludes, none can conquer Hercules, but Alcides. None can conquer the conquering party but themſelves. No Arrow can wound us unleſſe it bee made with our own feathers. Melanctthonis dictum.There are now but theſe foure choyſes left to us; either to continue ſtill in the wilderneſſe, or to returne back again to Aegypt, or to ſubmit to the Canaanites, or to truſt God and one another, and ſo enter into that good reſt. And tis notable, that theſe very Iſraelites which firſt murmured and recoiled becauſe of difficulties, they could, would, did endeavour and adventure upon the worke at laſt, when their unbeliefe and murmuring had ſhut the dore, but then it was too late; then Eſhcol was turned to aCap. 14. v. 41, 42, 43.Hormah, even diſcomfiture and deſolation. Surely, there are common enemies and dangers enough, Gen. 13.9.there is work and wages enough in earth, or heaven, to imploy us all, wee need not to bMic. 7. v. 2.hunt one another with a net.
But I forget that I am writing an Epiſtle, and that to a Parliament. Pardon I beſeech you my neceſſary zeale at ſuch a time, ſome men (they ſay) reade nothing of Sermons but the Epiſtles; and I would faine be ſome kind of (poore) reall Ligature to this broken bone. Now the mighty God, the wonderfull Counſeller, the Prince of peace, ſtrengthen, direct you, to Land the great intereſts of our Religion, and Rights, without wracke or waſte. So prayeth continually,
Savoy, Aug. 12. 1648. The unworthieſt of Your Servants, JOHN BOND.
Die Iovis 20. Julii, 1648.
ORdered by the Commons Aſſembled in Parliament, That Maſter Hill doe give thanks to Maſter Bond, that preached before the Houſe of Commons at the Thankſgiving yeſterday, and that his Sermon bee forthwith printed and publiſhed, and that he have the like priviledge in printing his Sermon, as others in the like kinde uſually have had.
Hen: Elſynge Cler: Parl. D. Com.
I appoint Samuel Gellibrand to print this Sermon.
IOHN BOND.