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

I found Israel like grapes in the Wilderness.

That's thus;¹ look as a man that hath been travelling ⟨p. 211⟩in the parched wilderness, and is dry, and weary, and faint, he doth come to a place in the Wilderness unexpectedly and finds clusters of Grapes, from whence he hath abundance of refreshment to cool and moisten him, and Oh how refreshed is this poor man when he is parched in the dry Wilderness and beyond all expectation comes and finds a Vine full of clusters of Grapes? this would be the most pleasing thing to such a man that could be; thus saith God, Such kind of delight had I in your forefathers. He names Grapes and Figs here because they are the most delightful fruit of all kind of fruit to weary travellers: Now if this be so that God hath such delight in his people as a man would have in Grapes thus in the Wilderness, Oh! how should God be our delight when we are in the Wilderness?² If we being his people are so delightful to him in the Wilderness, surely then God himself should be delightful to us in our wilderness, Oh! let God in his Ordinances be to us in our troubles and afflictions as Grapes to a traveller in his Wilderness; surely if God will account us to himself so delightful, there's great reason that we should account him to us as delightful: Some of Gods Servants have been forced to fly into the Wilderness, and though they have not had such outward refreshments as we have had here that have set under our own Vines, and Fig-trees, yet God hath made them to find Grapes in the Wilderness, they have sit under Gods Protection and his Ordinances, as a man in the Wilderness should sit under a Vine of Grapes and refresh himself with them.