snare, a gin, and a trap for their souls. Like beasts, they mind only what is before them, but do not at all understand the tendency and end of these their sensual delights. 5. Though the husbandman keeps his store-cattle in short commons, yet he intends to preserve them: these shall remain with him, when the others are driven to the slaughter. Such a design of preservation is carried on in all those outward straits, wants, and hardships which the Lord exposes his people to. I confess, such dispensations, for the present, are very stumbling and puzzling things even to gracious and wise persons. To see wicked men, not only exempted from their troubles, but even oppressed with prosperity; to see a godly man in wants and straits, and a wicked man have more than his heart can wish, is a case that puzzles the wisest Christian, till he considers the designs and issues of both those providences, and then he acquiesces in the wisdom of God. Reflections.-Doth my prosperity, let the worldling say, prepare me for the day of slaughter? Little cause have I then to glory in it. What are all my pleasures, but so many rattles to quiet my soul, whilst its damnation steals insensibly upon it? What are all my businesses and employments in the world, but so many diversions from the business of life? O that I had never known prosperity! If I were taken captive by cruel cannibals, and fed with the richest fare, but at the same time understood, that the design, of it was to fatten me up like a beast for them to feed upon, how little stomach should I have to their dainties! O my soul, it were much better for thee to have a sanctified poverty, which is the portion of many saints, than an ensnaring prosperity to ruin thee for ever. The wisdom of my God has allotted me but a small portion here, says the poor Christian; his providence feeds me but from hand to mouth; but I am, and well may be, contented with my present state. How much better is a morsel of bread and a draught of water here, with an expectation of glory hereafter, than a fat pasture and a ripening for the wrath to come! Since the case stands thus, blessed be God for my present lot! Though I have but a little in hand, I have much in hope. My present troubles will serve to sweeten my future joys; and the next. sorrows of this life will give a lustre to the glory of the That which is now hard to suffer, will then be sweet to remember. My songs will then be louder than my groans are now. CHAPTER V. On the Husbandman's Care for Posterity. Observation.-PROVIDENT and careful husbandmen do labor not only to supply their own necessities while living, but to lay up something for their posterity when they are gone. None but bad husbandmen and spendthrifts are of the same mind with that heathen emperor Tiberius, who would often say, "When I am dead, let heaven and earth mingle; if the world will but hold my time, let it break when I am gone." But provident men look beyond their own time, and very much concern themselves in the good or evil of their posterity. Application. What careful husbandmen do, with respect to the provisions they make for their children, that all prudent Christians are bound to do, with respect to the truths committed to them, and by them to be transmitted to succeeding saints. In the first ages of the world, even till the law was given, faithful men were instead of books and records; by oral tradition, they conveyed the truths of God to posterity but since the sacred truth has been consigned to writing, no such tradition, except fully consentient with the written word, is to be received as authentic; but the truths therein delivered to the saints, are, by verbal declarations, open confessions, and constant sufferings, to be preserved and delivered from age to age. This was the constant care of the whole cloud of witnesses, both ancient and modern, who kept the word of God's patience, and would not accept their own lives, liberties, or estates, no, nor the whole world, in exchange for that invaluable treasure of truth. They carefully practised Solomon's counsel, "Buy the truth, but sell it not;" they would not alienate that fair inheritance for all the inheritances on earth. For the same reasons that you refuse to part with your estates, Christians also refuse to part with the truth of God. 1. You will not waste or alienate your inheritance, because it is precious, and of great value in your eyes; but much more precious are God's truths to his people. Luther professed, he would not take the whole world for one leaf of his Bible. Though some profane persons may say with Pilate, "What is truth?" yet know, that any one truth of the gospel is worth more than all the inheritances upon earth. They are the great things of God's law; and he that sells them for the greatest things in this world, makes a soul-undoing bargain. 2. You will not waste or part with your inheritance, because you know your posterity will be much wronged by it. They that drink away an estate, drink the tears of their sad widows, and the very blood of their impoverished children. The people of God also consider, how much the generations to come are concerned in the preservation of the truths of God for them. It cuts them to the heart, to think that their children should be brought up in ignorance of God. 3. You are loth to part with your estates, because you know it is hard to recover an estate again when once you have lost it. Christians also know how difficult it will be for the people of God, in times to come, to recover the light of the gospel again, if once it be extinguished. There is no truth of God recovered out of Antichrist's hands, without great wrestlings and much blood. The church may call every point of reformed doctrine and discipline so recovered, her Naphtalies; for with great wrestlings she hath wrestled for them, "earnestly contending for the faith once delivered to them." 4. Rather than part with your estates, you will suffer many wants and hardships all your lives; you will fare hard to preserve what you have for your posterity: but the people of God have put themselves upon far greater hardships then these to preserve truth? They have chosen to suffer reproaches, poverty, prisons, death, and the most cruel torments, rather than the loss of God's truth. They have boldly told their enemies, that they might pluck their hearts out of their bodies, but that they should never pluck the truth out of their hearts. -- Reflections. A reflection for the cowardly and fainthearted. Base unbelieving heart! How have I flinched and sunk from truth, when it has been in danger! Cowardly soul, that durst not make a stand for the truth! yea, rather, bold and daring soul, that would rather venture to look a wrathful God, than an angry man, in the face! I would not own and preserve the truth, and the God of truth will not own me; "If we deny him, he will deny us." A reflection for such as suffer for truth. Lord, unto me hast thou committed the precious treasure of truth; and as I received it, so do I desire to deliver it to the generations to come, that "the people which are yet unborn may praise the Lord." God forbid that I should ever part with so fair an inheritance, and thereby beggar my own, and thousands of souls! "Thou hast given me thy truth, and the world hates me." I well know what is the ground of the quarrel. Would I but throw truth over the walls, how soon would a retreat be sounded by all persecutors! But, Lord, thy truth is invaluably precious. What a vile thing is my blood, compared with the least of all thy truths? Thou hast charged me not to sell it; and, in thy strength, I resolve never to part with it. My friends may go, my liberty may go, my blood may go; but as for thee, precious truth, thou shalt never go. A reflection for such as are in quiet possession of truth. How dear has this inheritance of truth cost some Christians! How little has it cost us! We are entered into their labors; we reap in peace what they sowed in tears, yea, in blood. O the grievous sufferings that they chose to endure! Rather than to deprive us of such an inheritance, those noble souls, warmed with the love of Christ, made many bold and brave adventures for it; and yet at what a low rate do we value what cost them so dear! Like young heirs who never knew the getting of an estate, we spend it freely. Lord, help us thankfully and diligently to improve thy truths, while we are in quiet possession of them. CHAPTER VI. On the Husbandman's Care to prove and Deeds. preserve his Observation.-WE generally find that men are not more careful in trying gold or in keeping it, than they are in examining their deeds and preserving them; these are virtually their whole estate, and therefore it concerns them to be careful of them. If they suspect a flaw in their lease or deed, they repair to the ablest counsellor, submit it to his judgment, make the worst of their cause, and inquire about all the probable danger with him. If he tells them that their case is suspicious and hazardous, how much are they perplexed and troubled! Application. These cares and fears with which you are perplexed in such cases, may give you a little glimpse of those troubles of soul, with which the people of God are perplexed about their eternal condition; I say, a little glimpse;" and indeed it is no more than a glimpse; for, as the loss of an earthly, though fair inheritance, is but a trifle to the loss of God and the soul, so you cannot but imagine, that the cares, fears, and solicitudes of souls about these things, are much, very much, beyond yours. Let us compare the cases, and see how they answer to each other. 1. You have evidences for your estate, and by them you hold what you have in the world. They also have evidences for their estate in Christ, and glory to come; they hold all by virtue of their union with Jesus Christ. You have their tenure in that one scripture, "All is yours, for ye are Christ's, and Christ is God's." Faith unites them to him, and after they believe, they are sealed by the Spirit of promise. They can lay claim to no promise upon any other ground; this is their title to all that they own as theirs. 2. It often falls out, that after the sealing and executing of your deeds or leases, an adversary finds some dubious clause in them, and thereupon commences a suit at law with you. Thus it frequently falls out with |