An exposition with practical observations continued upon the eighth, ninth, & tenth chapters of…

Pliny in his 17. Book and 22. Chapter,¹ saith of Vines, that it is fit (at least for two years together after their planting) that they should be cut down to the very ground, that they may not sprout out in leaves, and so to lose their juice and strength at the root.² And truly this is that that hath lost the hopeful beginnings of many young people in these times, they have presently sprouted out into leaves; for never was there a more hopeful time of young people than at the beginning of this Parliament, and no greater encouragement was there than from them at that time, (I will not say it is wholly lost,) but Oh! how many of them that began to understand the ways of God, hath let out all their strength in leaves, and contests, and disputes, and wranglings, and strange kind of opinions, and little fruit is come of any thing? Nay, there is little savour at all in their spirits; Oh! how happy had it been if so be that God had kept them down in a work of humiliation to the very ground for a year or two together?³ Now that's a thing that is altogether laid aside, any work of humiliation, but presently they sprout out into leaves. My Brethren, whatsoever may be said, or whatsoever heretofore hath seemed to be preached [to the contrary] yet certainly if rightly understood hath been but the same things that must of necessity be acknowledged; we do not press Humiliation as the Condition of the Covenant of Grace, we look not at it so,⁴ but Humiliation keeps the spirits of men low, and empties them of themselves, and keeps them down, (I say) this is that which would have made them a great deal more fruitful, and they could not have run up as mere leaves, and their strength spent: and so, how many of them are fallen off again, not only to be slight and vain, but to be wicked and ungodly, and quite naught, because they were not kept down low for a while, but God ordering things that they should live in times of liberty, Oh! how luxurious ⟨p. 309⟩have they grown that way?⁵