The spiritual bee, or, A miscellany of scriptural, historical, natural observations and occasional occurencyes applyed in divine meditations by an university pen
About this Item
Title
The spiritual bee, or, A miscellany of scriptural, historical, natural observations and occasional occurencyes applyed in divine meditations by an university pen
Author
University pen.
Publication
Oxford :: Printed by A. & L. Lichfield for Edw. & Joh. Forrest,
1662.
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Subject terms
Meditations.
Link to this Item
http://name.umdl.umich.edu/A44560.0001.001
Cite this Item
"The spiritual bee, or, A miscellany of scriptural, historical, natural observations and occasional occurencyes applyed in divine meditations by an university pen." In the digital collection Early English Books Online. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/A44560.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed June 3, 2024.
Pages
III.
A Vine which is one of the
most fruitfull of Trees,
(made use of by God to com∣pare
the Christian unto) if it
be left to its naturall excre∣scencies,
unregarded and un∣pruned,
shootes forth into
many superfluous branches
and stemmes, and spendeth
its most g••nerous strength that
way, and so becometh weak
and fruitlesse. If God should
leave the best Christian to the
vitious exorbitances of his
own heart and affections, and
not curb and prune them, and
retrench the extravagancy of
descriptionPage 8
his desires, his strength would
be spent on that which profi∣teth
not, and he would soon
grow barren and uselesse.
There is need that both by his
restraining grace he reduce and
limit our desires, and by the
sharpnesse of afflictions he cut
short and check their excre∣scencies.
Jonah grew fond of
his Gourd, and God smote it,
and therein nipt and restraind
the unrulinesse of his Spirit,
which would have spent his
love and delight on a silly
plant. Hezekia's pride was
grown to such a height, that
he must needs vent it by boa∣sting
of his treasure; but God
blasteth it by sending the Chal∣daeans
to plunder him. When
mine heart doth irregularly
descriptionPage 9
run out after vanity, let the
smart of thine hand correct
my wandrings, and tame the
wildnesse of my affections.
Better I should bleed by thy
pruning hook, then be cut down
by thy Axe as withered and
fruitlesse, and cast into the
burning.
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