Chapter 10: Navigation Stores One Place from Another — Communion Helps Each Other

By Navigation one place stores another; And by Communion we must help each other.

OBSERVATION.

THE most wise God has so dispenced his Bounty to the several Nations of the World, that one standing in need of anothers Commodities, there might be a sociable Commerce and Traffick maintaintain'd among them all, and all combining in a common League, may, by the help of Navigation, exhibit mutual succours to each other. The Staple-Commodities proper to each Country, I find thus expressed by the Poet, Bart. Coll.

Hence come our Sugars from Canary Isles, From Candy Currans, Muskadels, and Oyls; From the Moluccoes, Spices; Balsamum From Egypt; Odours from Arabia come; From India Gums, rich Drugs and Ivory; From Syria Mummy; Black, Red Ebony From burning Chus; from Peru, Pearl and Gold; From Russia Furs, to keep the Rich from Cold. From Florence Silks; from Spain Fruit, Saffron, Sacks; From Denmark Amber, Cordage, Firs, and Flax; From Holland Hops; [•]orse from the Banks of Rhine; From England Vvool: all Lands, as God distributes, To the Vvorld's Treasure pay their sundry Tributes.

APPLICATION.

Thus has God distributed the more rich and precious Gifts and Graces of his Spirit among his People: Some excelling in one Grace, some in another, though every Grace, in some degree, be in them all; even as in Nature, though there be all the Faculties in all, yet some Faculties are in some more lively and vigorous than in others; some have a more vigorous eye▪ others a more ready ear, others a more voluable tongue; so it's in Spirituals. Abraham excell'd in Faith, [•]ob in Patience, John in Love. These were their peculiar excellencies. All the elect Vessels are not of one quantity; yet even those that excel others in some particular Grace, come short in other respects of those they so excelled in the former, and may be much improved by converse with such as in some respects are much below them. The solid, wise, and judicious Christian may want that liveliness of affections, and tenderness of heart, that appears in the weak; and one that excels in gifts and utterance, may learn Humility from the very Babes in Christ.

And one principal Reason of this different distribution, is to maintain fellowship among them all, 1 Corinthians 12:21. The Head cannot say to the Feet I have no need of you. As in a Family, where there is much business to be done, even the little Children bear a part, according to their strength, Jeremiah 7:18. The children gather wood, the fathers kindle the fire, the women knead the dough. So in the Family of Christ, the weakest Christian is serviceable to the strong.

There be precious Treasures in these Earthen Vessels, for which we should trade by mutual communion. The preciousness of the Treasure, should draw out our desires and endeavours after it; and the consideration of the brittleness of those Vessels in which they are kept, should cause us to be the more expeditious in our trading with them, and make the quicker Returns: For when those Vessels (I mean the Bodies of the Saints) are broken by Death, there is no more to be gotten out of them. That Treasure of Grace which made them such profitable, pleasant. and desirable companions on Earth, then Ascends with them into Heaven, where every Grace receives its adolescence and perfection: And then, though they be Ten thousand times more excellent and delightful than ever they were on Earth, yet we can have no more communion with them, till we come to Glory our selves. Now therefore it behoves us to be enriching our selves by communication of what God has dropt into us, and improvement of them; as one well Notes.

We should do by Saints, as we use to do by some choice Book lent us for a few days, we should fix in our Memories, or transcribe all the choice. Notions we meet with in it, that they may be our own when the Book is called for, and we can have it no longer by us.

REFLECTION.

Lord, How short do I come of my Duty in communicating to, or receiving good by others! My Soul is either empty and barren, or if there be any Treasure in it, yet it is but as a Treasure locked up in some Chest, whose Key is lost, when it should be open'd for the use of others. Ah Lord! I have sinned greatly, not only by vain words, but sinful silence. I have been of little use in the World.

How little also have I gotten by communion with others? Some, it may be, that are of my own size, or judgment, or that I am otherwise obliged to, I can delight to converse with: But O, where is that largeness of heart, and general delight I should have to, and in all your People? How many of my old dear Acquaintance are now in Heaven, whose Tongues were as Choice silver, while they were here, Proverbs 10:20. And, blessed Souls, how communicative were they of what you gavest them? O what an improvement had I made of my Talent this way, had I been diligent! Lord pardon my neglect of those sweet and blessed advantages. O let all my delight be in your Saints, who are the excellent of the earth. Let me never go out of their company, without an heart more warmed, quickned, and enlarged, than when I came among them.

THE POEM.

To several Nations God does so distribute

His bounty, that each one must pay a tribute

Vnto each other. Europe cannot vaunt,

And say, Of Africa I have no want.

America and Asia need not strive,

Which of it self can best subsist and live.

Each Countries want, in something, does maintain

Commerce between them all. Such is the aim

And end of God, who does dispense and give

More Grace to some, their Brethren to relieve.

This makes the Sun Ten thousand times more bright,

Because it is diffusive of its Light,

Its Beams are gilded gloriously; but then

This property does gild them o're agen.

Should Sun, Moon, Stars, impropriate all their light,

What dismal darkness would the World benight?

On this account Men hate the Vermine brood,

Because they take in much, but do no good.

What harm, if I at yours my Candle light?

Except thereby I make your Room more bright.

He that, by Pumping, sucks and draws the Spring,

New streams, and sweeter, to that Well does bring.

Grace is a Treasure in an Earthen Pot;

When Death has dasht it, no more can be got

Out of that Vessel: Then while it is whole,

Get out the Treasure to enrich your Soul.