Second Part — Chapter 2
When ere you bud or graft, therein you see;
How Christ, and souls must here united be.
OBSERVATION.
WHen the Husbandman has prepared his graffs in the season of the year, he carries them, with the tools that are necessary for that work, to the tree or stock he intends to ingraft; and having cut off the top of the limb, in some strait smooth part, he cleaves it with his knife or chissel, a little beside the pith; knocks in his wedge to keep it open, then (having prepared the graff, he carefully sets it into the cleft joyning the inner side of the barks, of graff and stock together (there being the main current of the sap) then pulls out his wedge, binds both together (as in barking) and clayes it up, to defend the tender graff and wounded stock, from the injuries of the Sun and rain.
These tender cyences quickly take hold of the stock, and having immediate coalition with it, drink in its sap, concoct it into their own nourishment, thrive better, and bear more and better fruits than ever they would have done upon their natural root, yea, the smallest bud, being carefully inocculated and bound close to the stock, will in short time become a flourishing and fruitful limb.
APPLICATION.
THis carries a most sweet and lively resemblance, of the souls union with Christ by faith; and indeed there is nothing in nature that shadows forth this great Gospel-mystery like it: 'Tis a thousand pities, that any who are imployed about, or are but spectators of such an action, should terminate their thoughts (as too many do) in that natural object, and not raise up their hearts to these heavenly meditations, which it so fairly offers them.
When a twig is to be ingraffed, or a bud inocculated, it's first cut off by a keen knife from the Tree on which it naturally grew.
And when the Lord intends to graft a soul into Christ, the first work about it is cutting work, Acts 2. 37. their hearts were cut by conviction and deep compunction; no cyence is ingraffed without cutting, no soul united with Christ without a cutting sense of sin and misery, Iohn 16. 8, 9.
When the tender shoot is cut off from the Tree, there are (ordinarily) many more left behind upon the same Tree, as promising and vigorous as that which is taken; but it pleaseth the Husbandman to chuse this, and leave them.
Even so it is in the removing or transplanting of a soul by conversion, it leaves many behind it in the state of nature, as likely and promising as it self, but so it pleaseth God to take this soul, and leave many others; yea, often such as grew upon the same root; I mean, the immediate parent, Mal. 1. 2. was not Esau, Iacob's brother (says the Lord) yet I loved Iacob, and I hated Esau.
When the graffs are cut off, in order to this work, 'tis a critical season with them; if they lye too long before they are ingraffed, or take not with the stock, they dye, and are never more to be recovered; they may stand in the stock a while, but are no part of the Tree.
So when souls are under a work of conviction, it is a critical time with them; many a one have I known then to miscarry, and never recovered again; they have indeed for a time stood like dead graffs in the stock, by an external dead hearted profession, but never came to any thing; and as such dead graffs, either fall off from the stock, or moulder away upon it, so do these, 1 Iohn 2. 19.
The Husbandman when he has cut off graffs, or tender buds, makes all the convenient speed he can to close them with the stock; the sooner that's done, the better; they get no good by remaining as they are. And truly it concerns the servants of the Lord, who are imployed in this work, of ingraffing souls into Christ, to make all the haste they can, to bring the convicted sinner to a closure with Christ. As soon as ever the trembling Iaylor cryed out, What shall I do to be saved? Paul and Silas immediately direct him to Christ, Act. 16. 30, 31. They do not say, it's too soon for you to act faith on Christ, you art not yet humbled enough, but believe in the Lord Iesus Christ, and you shalt be saved.
There must be an incision made in the stock before any bud can be inocculated, or the stock must be cut and cleaved, before the cyence can be ingraffed according to that in the Poet. Venerit insitio, fac ramum ramus adoptet. (i. e.)To graffs, no living sap the stocks impart; Unless you wound, and cut them neer the heart.
Such an incision or wound was made upon Christ, in order to our ingraffing into him, Iohn 19. 34. the opening of that deadly wound gives life to the souls of believers.
The graff is intimately united, and closly conjoyned with the stock, the conjunction is so closs, that they become one Tree.
There is also a most closs and intimate union between Christ, and the soul that believeth in him. It is emphatically expressed by the Apostle, 1 Cor. 6. 17. He that is joyned to the Lord, is one spirit. The word imports, the nearest, clossest and strictest union. Christ and the soul cleave together in a blessed oneness, as those things do that are glewed one to another; so that, look as the graff is really in the stock, and the spirit or sap of the stock is really in the graff, so a believer is really (though mystically) in Christ; and the Spirit of Christ is really communicated to a believer. I live, says Paul, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me, Gal. 2. 20. He that dwelleth in love, dwelleth in God, and God in him, 1 Ioh. 4. 16.
Graffs are bound to the stock, by bonds made of hay or flags; these keep it steddy, else the wind would loose it out of the stock.
The believing soul is also fastened to Christ, by bands which will secure it from all danger of being loosed off from him any more. There are two bonds of this union; the Spirit on God's part, this is the firm bond of union, without which we could never be made one with Christ, Rom. 8. 9. If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his; and faith on our part, Eph. 3. 17. That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith. These hold strongly.
Though the stock be one and the same, yet all graffs do not thrive and flourish alike in it, some out-grow the rest; and those that grow not so well as the others do, the fault is in them, and not in the stock: So it is with souls really united to Christ; all do not flourish alike in him, the faith of some grows exceedingly, 2. Thes. 1. 3. the things that be in others are ready to die, Rev. 3. 2. and such souls must charge the fault upon themselves. Christ sends up living sap enough, not only to make all that are in him living, but fruitful branches.
REFLECTIONS.
IS it so indeed between Christ and my soul, as it is between the ingraffed cyence and the stock? what honour and glory then has Christ conferred upon me, a poor unworthy creature? What! to be made one with him, to be a living branch of him, to be joyned thus to the Lord. Oh! what a preferment is this! it is but a little while since I was a wild and cursed plant, growing in the wilderness among them that shall shortly be cut down and faggotted up for hell, for me to be taken from among them, and planted into Christ, O my soul! fall down and kiss the feet of free grace, that moved so freely towards so vile a creature! the dignities and honours of the Kings and Nobles of the earth, are nothing to mine; 'twas truly confessed by one of them, that it is a greater honour to be a member of Christ, than the head of an Empire. Do I say, a greater honour than is put upon the Kings of the Earth? I might have said, it's a greater honour than is put upon the Angels of heaven? for to which of them said Christ at any time, you art bone of my bone, and flesh of my flesh? Behold! what manner of love is this! 1 Ioh. 3. 1.
Look again upon the ingraffed cyences, O my soul! and you shalt find, that when once they have taken hold of the stock, they live as long as there is any sap in the root; and because he liveth, I shall live also, for my life is hid with Christ in God, Col. 3. 3. The graff is preserved in the stock, and my soul is even so, preserved in Christ Iesus, Iude 1.
Am I joyned to the Lord as mystical part, or branch of him; how dear art you then, O my soul, to the God and father of my Lord Iesus Christ? What! a branch of his dear Son! What can God with-hold from one so ingrafted? Eph. 1. 6. All is yours (says my God) for you are Christs, and Christ is Gods, 1 Cor. 3. 23.
Once more, draw matter of instruction, as well as comfort from this sweet observation. Seeing God has put all this honour upon you, by this most intimate union with his Christ, look to it (my soul) that you live and walk as becomes a soul, thus one with the Lord; be you tender over his glory does not that which strikes at the root, strike at the very life of the graff? and shall not that which strikes at the very glory of Christ, tenderly touch and affect you? yea, be you tenderly affected with all the reproaches that fall upon him from abroad, but especially with those which redound to him from your own unfruitfulness. O, disgrace not the root that bears you; let it never be said, that any evil fruit shall be found upon a branch that lives and is fed by such a root.
The Poem.
OH what considering serious man can see The close conjunction of the graff and tree; And while he contemplates he does not find, This meditation graffed on his mind?
I am the branch, and Christ the vine thy gracious hand did pluck Me from that native stock of mine, that I his sap might suck.
The bloudy spear did in his heart a deep incision make, That grace to me he might impart, And I thereof partake.
The spirit and faith is that firm band, which binds us fast together; Thus we are clasped hand in hand; and nothing us can sever.
Bless'd be that hand which did remove, me from my native place, This was the wonder of your love; the triumph of your grace.
That I a wild and cursed plant, should thus preferred be; Who all those ornaments do want, thou may'st in others [•]ee.
As long as e're the root does live, the branches are not dry; Whilst Christ has grace, and life to give; my soul can never dye.
O blessed Saviour! never could a graff cleave to the tree, More closs than your poor creature would united be with you.
My soul, dishonour not your root, 'twill be a shame for you; To want the choicest sorts of fruit, and yet thus graffed be.
Thus you may shake from graffs before they blow, More precious fruit than e're on trees did grow.
