The spirituall use of an orchard, or garden of fruit-trees. Set forth in divers similitudes betweene naturall and spirituall fruit-trees, in their natures, and ordering, according to Scripture and experience. The second impression; with the addition of many similitudes. By Ra: Austen, author of the first part. By Ra: Austen, author of the first part.

The sixty sixt Observation in Nature.

WHen the husbandman dresseth up his Orchard or Garden, and removes such trees, and plants as are barren, and unfruitfull, or that bear naughty fruits, and plants others in their roomes, that are choice and speciall trees, and gathers out the stones, weeds, rubbish, and whatsoever is offensive, and bestowes much time, cost and labour, in preparing and ordering all things in his Garden for his profit, and delight, men may judg (by all these things) that he intends to come settle himselfe, and dwell there.

This shadowes out unto us, That

When God doth purg a Nation, or place from persons, and things

that are offensive to him, and brings in his owne people, and worship in stead thereof, this is an evident taken that God intends to dwell there.

God is infinite, and is not included in one place more than another; The Heaven of heavens cannot containe him, 2 Chro. 6.18. yet he is said to dwell in some places rather than in others, by speciall manifestations of his love and goodnesse there, more than in other places: When God purposed to make the Land of Canaan his dwelling place, he cast out the inhabitants of the Land, and planted his own people, and his worship there: as we see at large in the History. This Moses foretold. Exod. 15.17. Thou shalt bring them in, and plant them, in the mountaine of thine inheri∣tance, in the place O Lord which thou hast made for thee to dwell in: and Exod: 29.45. I will dwell amongst the children of Issrael, and will be their God.

When God had Mercy on Israel (after a long time of trouble, and desolation) and comes to dwell among them againe, then he brings downe, and casts out their enemies, and oppressors, and gives his owne people authority, and power over them, as we see Esay. 14.2. They shall take them Captives whose Captives they were, and they shall rule over their oppressors. It is God that putteth down one, and setteth up another, Psal. 75.7. I the Lord have brought down the high tree, and exalted the low tree, have dryed up the green tree, and made the dry tree to flourish, I the Lord have spoken it, and have done it, Ezek. 17.20. when God roots up, or cuts down high, green, flourishing trees, but barren of good fruits, and plants choice trees in their stead, though low, and despised in the eyes of the world, this is, that he may dwell among them and walke among them 2 Cor. 6.16. he sets his Tabernacle there, Levit. 23.12. and takes pleasure in them, Ps. 149 4. for the Lord hath chosen Zion, he hath desired it for his habitation: and saith, This is my rest for ever, here will I dwel, for I have a delight therein, Ps. 132.13, 14. [Ʋse. 1]

This being so, that when God beginnes to reforme a Nati∣on, or place, its a signe he intends to dwell there, this is a ground of great consolation to the people of God in England, and other parts, where God hath begun his great worke of Reformation (notwith∣standing many things are yet amisse) but especially to some par∣ticular places, where more remarkable evidences of his presence are

manifest in removing fruitlesse, & unprofitable Trees, and planting in their stead many fruitful trees, not only in a private capacity, but also in a Publique, many godly Magistrates, for the execution of Justice, and taking part with those that fear God, in stead of curbing, and discouraging of them in well doing.

And also in respect of many faithfull ministers of the Gospell, who preach Jesus Christ, and declare the glorious mysteries of the Gospell in stead of blockish ignorance, or els doubing with untempered morter: Though all are not thus through the Nation, yet it may be so said of many more now than in former times.

Are not such as are put in Authority, and Power in the Nation, of the best men? is not the Magistracy of the Land of choice Persons, (such as are most fit and capable) of the godly party? at least, it is the endeavour of those in supream power, that it may be so. And as for the Ministry of the Nation, though it have beene (in the generall) very corrupt, & is so st ll in many place; yet hath there not been in this a great reformation of late yeares, which is still going on among us?

And as the Magistracy, and Ministry of the Land, are much changed, and reformed, so also are Military men; heretofore in corrupt times, the souldiery were of the worst of men, the most notorious, desperatly wicked men under the sun: whereas now they are of the best: men fearing God, very many of them: not only Commanders, and Offi∣cers, but also common souldiers have been, and are men of saith, & prayer, as well as courage: such as the good souldier the Centurion was, mentioned Matt 8.5. whom Christ himself commended: and as Cornelius, another Centurion of a band, of whom it is said, that he was a devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, Act. 10.2.

And as the Magistracy, Ministry, & Souldiery are very much re∣formed, & good men amongst them all are set up, & encouraged, and evill men removed, & discouraged; so also persons fearing God of all rank••, and conditions are countenanced by the Authority of the Nation: having liberty, & freedome in the worke of the Lord, whereby the Gospell, & the kingdome of Christ, is enlarged, notwith∣standing all opposition, or any thing that is yet amisse among us.

Are not all these things evidences of Gods presence among us,

that he is a coming neerer to us, that the husbandman intends to dwell, and delight himselfe in his Garden, where he is thus at worke so remarkably? Rejoice therefore, and let all the Trees of the field clap their hands: for in stead of the Thorne is come up the firetree, and in stead of the Brier is come up the Mirtle tree, Esay. 55.12.13. Solomon saies: When the righteous are in Authority the people rejoice, Prov. 29.2. Certainly such as feare God do so. And this by the way) may serve for a tryall, and touchstone of mens spirituall estates; whether they are in the flesh, or in the spirit. [Ob.]

But it may be Objected: Do we not see rather signes of Gods de∣parture from us, than of his coming neerer to us? for do we not see Errors, Heresies, and Blasphemies abound among us, divisions and contentions in every place?

It is answered: [Answ.] do we not also see the Truths of the Gospell more fully, and generally manifested and known, than they have been formerly? the Kingdome of Christ is enlarged, and growes daily. There are more Professors of Religion in these daies, than in for∣mer times; Not only Professors in Hypocrisy, but also in truth, and sincerity. And as Errors, and Heresies are more awakened, so also are the Truths of God more cleared; and its certaine, Truth will at length prevaile, & silence Error: Truth will suppresse Errors, & devoure them, as Aarons Rod did the Rods of the Magicians of Egypt, Exo. 7.12.

And as for divisions and contentions among us, let none think [Ʋse. 2] that strange; for where Christ comes to take possession of a Nation, or City, or Family, where he was not before, there will certainly be divisions; Matth. 10.34.35. Think not that I am come to send peace on the earth: I came not to send peace but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daugh∣ter against her Mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law &c. Flesh, and spirit, even in, and amongst the people of God, will oppose each other; there will be divisions amongst God own people upon this accompt (they seeing but in part, and with dif∣ferent degrees of light) as well as between them, and carnall persons. Where the spirit of God in any of his people strikes at the Corruptions of others, in any respect; where their Names, interests, and concernments are toucht, this occasions divisions, and contenti∣ons: All which, God will by his wisdome, power, and goodnesse, over rule, and order for the good of his people, making them

to sift, and try things more throughly, that so thereby both truth, and Error, may be more manifest.

Also many things which some godly men have heretofore caled Errors, they afterwards (upon examination, and a more full discovery of them) imbraced for Truths, and many ••hings which good men in former ages never saw, not understood, are now made manifest, and evident to be the Truths of God: the Spirit of God in these Gospell daies: being (according to his promise) powred out more abundantly, light is more cleare than heretofore, and conse∣quently things hid in darknesse, mysteries of the Gospell, are more discovered: Though the day, as yet, as to many things, is not cleare, nor dark but it shall come to passe that at evening it shall be light, Zech. 14.6, 7. And the light of the Moon shall be as the light of the sunne, and the light of the sun shall be seaven fold, Esay. 30.26.

And further; In answere to the former Objection: Though some among us have feares and doubts of Gods departure from us, yet if they do but consider all things well (weighing one thing against another, and looke upon them with a spirituall eye, not dimmed with selfish, worldly interests, they shall then see many more, and more evident tokens of Gods drawing neerer to us in these Nations, and of his abiding with us, than of his departing from us: which ought to be observed, and thankfully acknowledged by all, as it is by many of his choicest servants. For certainly, were there the contrary to what we see, and have of late yeares seene, among us, then we should, and we might indeed accompt them fatall signes of Gods departing from us: should we see wicked men governe, and have the supream power in those Nations; to be chosen, and Commissionated in all the great affaires, and concernments among the peoples should we see the people of God discounte∣nanced, curbed and restrained in every place, and the wicked en∣couraged and upheld, should we see the choicest ministers of the Gospell, and the most eminent holy men of all ranks, imprisoned and persecuted by all the powers of the Nation, as they have been heretofore; should we see and behold all the dispensations of God towards us, to be a weakning the hands of his people, and giving strength, and rule into the hands of evill men, then indeed we might have cause to feare, that God had surely a great con∣troversy with us, and a departing from us; but now while we

behold the contrary to all these things, why may we not conclude, and expect the contrary?

We should make such a conclusion as Manoahs wife did, when she had seene, and observed many evidences of Gods favour to∣wards her her husband, and her selfe (when he, who should have taught her, had groundlesse feares, Judges 13.23. If the Lord would have destroyed us, he would not have done all these things for us.

So; though we are indeed a sinfull people, worthy to be de∣stroyed, yet God having given us so many, so great, and so wonder∣full evidences of his grace, and favour, and of his comming to dwell among us, we ought to observe them, and thankfully to acknow∣ledge them, with a full confidence that God will abide with us, and no more depart from us.

There is a time, and that at hand, when the Church of God shall be so free from the power of Antichrist, as never to be any more subject to him: God will make his Church an eternall ex∣cellency, and the daies of her mourning shall be ended. Esay 60.15, 20. and Esay 62 4. According to the Prophesy in Dan. 7.22. The time came that the Saints possessed the Kingdome: and Rev. 5.10. We shall raign on the earth. God hath begun to fulfill this word, which shall go on to the ends of the earth: his Name is ingaged in it, and he will do great things for his people, though they are unworthy, yet for his own great Names sake. The two Witnesses being now arising, as it is the Judgment of many pretious Saints that they are, the Church will be more, and more glorious, notwith∣standing all opposition.

Seeing it is a signe that God is comming neerer to us, and that he will dwell among us, when he supplants carnall men, and carnall things, and sets his owne people, and worship in their stead, then [Ʋse. 2] those whom God hath set and planted in the rooms of others, in highest places for the government of the Nations, in the Ʋniversities, and all the Land over, these persons have a speciall Obligation upon them to bring forth better fruits than their Predecessors upon severall accompts; first, that the Husbandman, who planted them; may have the honour of his worke. Secondly, for their own sakes, and those with whom they lives for in case they bring forth as bad fruits, as those trees in whose roome they grow, it will pro∣voke God against them; but when God likes of, and delights in

the fruits of his people, he will then continue his presence with them, which is their life, happinesse, and glory; he will then delight to walke in his garden, and eat his pleasant fruits, Cant. 4.16. and say, this is my resting place, here will I dwell for I have a delight therein, Psal. 132.13.14.

Notes

• Proposition shadowed.
• Universities and some other places.
• By whom God hath wrought of late yeares, even wonders in these three Nations; Not to be paraleld in any Histories of former ages, un∣lesse by the Wars of Canaan. God hath eminently, & most remarkably appeared for us, and that in a course & scries of his providences, not only in the sight of his people, but even the enemies themselves being Judges.