Secondly, And then to supply it with Dung; to dig about it, and dung it. Lord, let it alone this Year also, until I shall dig about it. I doubt it is too much ground-bound, The Love of this World, and the deceitfulness of Riches (Luke 14.) lie too close to the Roots of the Heart of this Professor. The love of Riches, the Love of Honours, the Love of Pleasures, are the Thorns that choke the Word; 1 Joh. 2. 15, 16. For all that is in the World, the Lusts of the Flesh, the Lusts of the Eyes, and the Pride ⟨p. 67⟩of Life, are not of the Father, but enmity to God); how then (where these things bind up the Heart) can there be Fruit brought forth to God? Barren Fig-tree, see how the Lord Jesus, by these very words, suggesteth the cause of thy fruitlessness of Soul. The things of this World lie too close to thy Heart; the Earth with its things have bound up thy Roots. Thou art an Earth-bound Soul, thou art wrapped up in thick Clay. If any Man love the World, the Love of the Father is not in him: how then can he be fruitful in the Vineyard? This kept Judas from the Fruit of caring for the poor, Joh. 12. 6. This kept Demas from the Fruit of Self-denial, 2 Tim. 4. 10. And this kept Ananias and Sapphira his Wife, from the goodly Fruit of Sincerity and Truth, Act. 5. 5, 10. What shall I say, These are foolish and hurtful Lusts, which drown Men in Destruction and Perdition; for the love of Money is the root of all Evil, 1 Tim. 6. 9, 10. How then can good Fruit grow from such a Root, the Root of all Evil; Which while some covet after, they have erred from the Faith, and pierced themselves through with many Sorrows. It is an evil Root, nay it is the Root of all Evil: how the• ⟨p. 68⟩can the Professor that hath such a Root, or a Root wrapped up in such earthly things, as the Lusts, and Pleasures, and Vanities of this World, bring forth Fruit to God!
Secondly, And then to supply it with Dung; to dig about it, and dung it. Lord, let it alone this Year also, until I shall dig about it. I doubt it is too much ground-bound, The Love of this World, and the deceitfulness of Riches (Luke 14.) lie too close to the Roots of the Heart of this Professor. The love of Riches, the Love of Honours, the Love of Pleasures, are the Thorns that choak the Word; 1 Joh. 2. 15, 16. For all that is in the World, the Lusts of the Flesh, the Lusts of the Eyes, and the Pride ⟨p. 67⟩of Life, are not of the Father, but enmity to God); how then (where these things bind up the Heart) can there be Fruit brought forth to God? Barren Fig-tree, see how the Lord Jesus, by these very words, suggesteth the cause of thy fruitlesness of Soul. The things of this World lie too close to thy Heart; the Earth with its things have bound up thy Roots. Thou art an Earth-bound Soul, thou art wrapt up in thick Clay. If any Man love the World, the Love of the Father is not in him: how then can he be fruitful in the Vineyard? This kept Judas from the Fruit of caring for the poor, Joh. 12. 6. This kept Demas from the Fruit of Self-denial, 2 Tim. 4. 10. And this kept Ananias and Saphirah his Wife, from the goodly Fruit of Sincerity and Truth, Act. 5. 5, 10. What shall I say, These are foolish and hurtful Lusts, which drown Men in Destruction and Perdition; for the love of Mony is the root of all Evil, 1 Tim. 6. 9, 10. How then can good Fruit grow from such a Root, the Root of all Evil; Which while some covet after, they have erred from the Faith, and pierced themselves through with many Sorrows. It is an evil Root, nay it is the Root of all Evil: how the• ⟨p. 68⟩can the Professor that hath such a Root, or a Root wrap'd up in such earthly things, as the Lusts, and Pleasures, and Vanities of this World, bring forth Fruit to God!
