Second Part — Chapter 3
When Trees are shak'd, but little fruit remains;
Iust such a remnant to be Lord pertains.
OBSERVATION.
IT is a pleasant sight in Autumn, to see the fruitful branches hanging full of clusters, which weigh the boughs to the ground.
Aspice curvatos pomorum pondere ramos
Vt sua quod peperit vix ferat arbor onus.
Which I may thus English,
O what a pleasant sight it is to see,
The fruit[•]ul clusters bowing down the tree.
But these laden branches are soon eased of their burden, for as soon as they are ripe, the Husbandman ascends the tree, and shaking the limbs with all his might, causes a fruitful shower to fall like hailstones upon the ground below, which being gather'd to a heap, are carried to the pound, broken all to pieces in the trough; and squeez'd to a dry lump in the press, from where all their juice and moisture runs into the Fat. How few escape thi[•] Fat, of all those multitudes that grew in the Orchard? If you now look upon the Trees, you may possibly see here one, and there another, two or three upon the outmost branches, but nothing in comparison to the vast numbers that are thus used.
APPLICATION.
THis small remains of fruit, which are either left upon the tree, or gather'd in for an hoard, do well resemble that small number of Gods elect in the world, which free grace has reserved out of the general ruine of mankind. Four things are excellently shadowed forth to us by this similitude.
You see in a fruitful Autumn, the trees even opprest and overladen with the weight of their own fruits before the shaking time come, and then they are eased of their burden. Thus the whole creation groans under the weight of their sins who inhabit it, Rom. 8. 22. the creatures are in bondage, and by an elegant Prosopopeia, are said, both to groan and wait for deliverance. The original sin of man brought an original curse, which burdens the creature, Gen. 3. 17. Cursed is the ground for your sake; and the actual sin of man brings actual curses upon the creature, Psal. 107. 34. Thus the inhabitants of the world load and burden it, as the limbs of a tree are burdened, and sometimes broken with the weight of their own fruit.
You may observe it in your Orchards every year, what abundance of fruits daily fall, either by storms; or of their own accord; but when the shaking time comes, then the ground is covered all over with fruit. Thus it is with the world, that mystical tree, with respect to men, that inhabit it; there is not a year, day or hour, in which some drop not, as it were, of their own accord by a natural death; and sometimes wars and Epidemical plagues blow down thousands together into their graves, these are as high winds in a fruitful Orchard, but when the shaking time, the Autumn of the world comes; then all its inhabitants shall be shaken down together, either by death, or a translation equivolent thereunto.
When fruits are shaken down from their trees; then the Husbandman separates them; the far greatest part for the pound, and some few he reserves for an hoard, which are brought to his table, and eaten with pleasure. This excellently shadows forth that great separation, which Christ will make in the end of the world; when some shall be cast into the wine-press of the Almighties wrath, and others preserved for glory.
Those fruits which are preserved on the tree, or in the hoard, are comparatively but an handful to those that are broken in the pound. Alas! 'tis scarce one of a thousand, and such a small remnant of Elected souls has God reserved for glory.
I look upon the World as a great Tree, consisting of four large limbs or branches; this branch or division of it on which we grow, has doubtless a greater number of Gods elect upon it, than the other three; and yet when I look with a serious and considering eye upon this fruitful European branch, and see how much rotten and withered fruit there grows upon it, it makes me say as Chrysostom did of his populous Antioch, Ah, how small a remnant has Iesus Christ among these vast numbers! Many indeed are called, but, ah, how few are chosen! Mat. 20. 16. Alas! they are but as the gleanings when the vintage is done; here and there one upon its outmost branches. To allude to that, Isa. 17. 6. it was a sad Observation which that searching Scholar (Mr. Brierwood) long since made upon the world, that dividing it into thirty equal parts, he found no less than nineteen of them wholly overspread with Idolatry and Heathenish darkness! and of the eleven remaining parts, no less than six are Mahumetans; so that there remain but five of thirty, which profess the Christian Religion at large; and the far greater part of these remaining five, are invellop'd and drowned in Popish darkness; so that you see the reformed Protestant Religion is confined to a small spot of ground indeed. Now, if from these we substract all the grosly ignorant, openly profane, meerly civil, and secretly hypocritical; judge then in your selves, how small a scantling of the world falls to Christs share!
Well might Christ say, Mat. 7. 14. Narrow is the way, and strait is the gate, that leadeth to life, and few there be that find it. And again, Luke 12. 32. Fear not, little, little flock. The large piece goes to the devil, a little remnant is Christs, Rom. 9. 27. Saints in Scripture are called jewels, Mal. 3. 17. Precious pearls and diamonds, which the Latines call Uniones. Quia nulli duo simul reperiuntur (says Pliny) because nature gives them not by pairs, but one by one. How many pebbles to one pearl? Sutable to this notion, is that complaint of the Prophet, Mich. 7. 1, 2. W[•] is me; for I am as when they have gathered the Summer fruits, as the grape gleanings of the vintage, there is no cluster to eat; my soul desired the first ripe fruits; the good man is perished out of the earth, and there is none, (i. e. none comparatively) upright among men. The Prophet alludes to a poor hungry man, that after the gathering time is past, comes into an Orchard, desiring some choice fruits to eat, but alas! he finds none; there is no cluster; possibly here and there a single Saint, like a single apple, here and there one after the shaking time. True Saints are the worlds rarities.
REFLECTIONS.
WHat then will be my lot, when that great shaking time shall come, who have followed the multitude, and gone with the tyde of the world? how even when I have been pressed to strictness and singular diligence in the matters of salvation, and told what a narrow way the way of life is, have I put it off with this; If it be so, then wo to thousands. Ah foolish heart! thousands and ten thousands shall be woful and miserable indeed, to all eternity. Will it be any mitigation to my misery, that I shall have thousands of miserable companions with me in hell? or will it be admitted for a good plea at the Iudgment-seat, Lord, I did as the generality of my neighbours in the world did; except it were here and there a more precise person, I saw none, but lived as I lived. Ah, foolish [•]inner! Is it not better go to heaven alone, than to hell with company? the worst courses, have alwayes the most imitators, and the road to destruction is thronged with passengers.
And how little better is my condition? who have often fathered the wickedness of my own heart, upon the incouragements of mercy. Thus has my heart pleaded against strictness and duty. God is a merciful God, and will not be so severe with the world to damn so many thousands as are in my condition: Deluded soul, if God had damned the whole race of Adam, he had done them no wrong; yea, there is more mercy in saving but one man, than there is of severity and rigour in damning all: how many drunkards and adulterers have lived and dyed with your plea in their mouths? God is a merciful God; but yet his word expresly says, Be not deceived, such shall not inherit the Kingdom of God, 1 Cor. 6. 9. God indeed, is a God of infinite mercy; but he will never exercise his mercy to the prejudice of his truth.
O, what rich grace is here! that in a general Shipwrack mercy should cast forth a line or plank to save me! that when millions perish, I with a few more should escape that perdition. Was it the Fathers good pleasure to bestow the kingdom upon a little flock, and to make me one of that number? What singular obligations has mercy put upon my soul! the fewer are saved, the more cause have they that are, to admire their Saviour! If but one of a thousand had been damned, yet my salvation would have been an act of infinite grace; but when scarce one of a thousand are saved, what shall I call that grace, that cast my lot among them!
The Poem.
HE that with spiritual eyes in Autumn sees
The heaps of fruit which fall from shaken trees,
Like storms of hailstones; and can hardly find
One of a thousand that remains behind.
Methinks this Meditation should awake
His soul; and make it like those trees to shake.
Of all the clusters which so lately grew
Upon these trees, how few can they now shew?
Here one and there another; two or three
Upon the outmost branches of the tree.
The greatest numbers to the pound are born,
Squeez'd in the trough; and all to pieces torn:
This little handful's left, to shadow forth
To me Gods remnant in this peopl'd earth.
If o're the whole terrestrial globe I look,
The Gospel visits but a little nook.
The rest with horrid darkness overspread,
Are fast asleep; yea, in transgressions dead,
Whole droves to hell, the devil daily drives;
Not one among them once resists or strives.
And in this little heaven-inlightned spot,
How vast an interest has Satan got?
But few of holiness profession make,
And if from those that do prosess I take
The self-deluding hypocrites, I fear
To think how few remain that are sincere.
O tax not mercy that it saves so few,
But rather wonder that the Lord should shew
Mercy to any; quarrel not with grace,
But for they self Gods gracious terms embrace.
When all were Shipwrackt, you shouldst wonder more
To find your self so strangely cast ashore
And there to meet with any that can tell
How narrowly they also scap'd from hell.
The smaller numbers mercy saves, the higher
Ingagements lye on you still to admire.
Had the whole species perish'd in their sin,
And not one individual saved bin;
Yet every tongue before him must be mute,
Confess his righteousness; but not dispute.
Or had the hand of mercy which is free
Taken another, and pass'd over me;
I still must justifie him, and my tongue
Confess my maker had done me no wrong.
But if my name he please to let me see
Enroll'd among those few that saved be,
What admiration should such mercy move!
What thanks, and praise, and everlasting love!
