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X.-UPON STONES IN THE GARDEN.

OBSERVING in the garden many stones mixed with other soil, and considering how fruitless and unprofitable they were; that though they had the same husbandry bestowed upon them, the same sun to shine upon them, and were watered with the same showers, yet they were in no degree better, softer, or more pliable; still they remained stones, fruitless and unprofitable: yea, though I broke them in pieces, I could not mollify them, or make them fruitful; neither axe nor hammer, fire nor water, could change their nature; neither fair means nor foul, the summer's sun nor winter's frost, could change them; they were still the same. This observation led me to the ensuing meditation. It brought to my mind the nature of an unrenewed heart. Oh how strikingly does a stone represent this to us! The unrenewed heart is of the nature of a stone: mercies cannot melt it, judgments cannot break it; good seed sown in it brings nothing to perfection, neither can it take any deep root, as we see in the parable of the stony ground. This ground, though ever so carefully husbanded, even by Christ himself, the wisest Husbandman, yet brings no fruit to maturity. I have sometimes wondered how wicked men could sit under the powerful means of grace and ministry of the word,

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UPON STONES IN THE GARDEN.

and listen to the terrors of the Lord, and yet never startle. The sins which their consciences know they are deeply guilty of, are again and again condemned to hell, and it is proved that those who live in such sins shall never go to heaven; even the chapters and verses are alleged, where God doth sentence such sinners to hell, and exclude them out of heaven; yet they remain as insensible as the seats they sit on. On the other side, the melting promises of the gospel, and the offer of God, and Christ, and heaven, and everlasting glory and happiness, make not so deep an impression upon a man as would the offer of one shilling, nay of one penny. Does not this plainly prove, that these men's hearts are senseless stones? Now as it is the nature of some stones that fire will not melt them, water will not soften them, nothing will mollify them; so it is of wicked men, neither mercies nor judgments will work upon them. Pharaoh was such a stone; nothing would work upon him after all the judgments executed on him, his heart continued obdurate still.

O my soul, this was thy case, this was thy condition by nature; out of the same rock wast thou hewn, and out of the same hole of the pit wast thou digged. Thy heart was as hard as the nether mill-stone, and resembled the flinty rock, that could neither bend nor bow, and was as insensible to spiritual things as the stones in the street: much water has been spilt upon this rock, which could not be gathered up again; many a melting sermon thou hast heard, and hast remained stone still. How is the case at present

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with thee? What is thy present condition? Has God melted thee in his furnace? has he changed thy nature? has he fashioned thee anew, and moulded thee into a better shape, and given thee a better form? has he taken away the heart of stone, and given thee a heart of flesh? has he fitted thee for his own work; and hewn and squared thee for his own building, to be united to Jesus Christ the chief Corner-stone? If so, bless God for it, for it was his own work. But if thou retain still thy old inflexible nature, as hard and senseless as ever, as rough and craggy, notwithstanding all the pains God has bestowed upon thee, well mayest thou fear thou wilt be cast out, as unfit for God's use, and reserved for the fire of hell.

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O my God, great pains and cost thou hast been at with me, but I have not answered thy pains, nor thy cost; I remain still rough and hard, notwithstanding all the blows of thy workmen. But, Lord, if thou wouldst blow the fire, should melt; if thou wouldst lay thy hand upon the workman's axe, I should be squared and fitted for the work. Lord, rather lay great blows upon me, than suffer me to be unpolished or cast out; take away the heart of stone, give me a heart of flesh, that I may melt at thy mercies, and tremble at thy judgments.

God is able of stones to raise up children unto Abraham, Matt. iii. 9.

To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, Heb. iii. 15.

XI. UPON A NEST OF ANTS.

FINDING in the garden a heap of ants at the root of a tree, which I looked upon as no friends, but enemies to an orchard, I disturbed them with my foot, and they soon took the alarm. I then took notice how these industrious creatures behaved themselves when thus disturbed : they were all in confusion; some ran this way, and some that, and no one knew where, or how to settle; and yet I observed every one laying hold of something, and getting some burden upon his back, though it knew not where to bear it.

The confused stir which thus happened among these little insects, represented to me the confusion which is abroad in the world, wherein are millions of men; every one driving on some particular design, though they go various ways to work some pursue after riches, some honours, and some pleasures, and yet agree not on the means to attain their end. Those that aim at riches, tread not all in the same steps. Some go a more plain way than others do, and by laborious toiling, care, and pains, seek to acquire; these are no one's foes but their own, which they become by spending so much time on their temporal interests, that they neglect their greater concerns. Others, by more subtle but less honest expedients, labour to overreach their neighbours;

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they make haste to be rich, but cannot be innocent; these ofttimes, bring a coal with them, which fires their own nests: ill gotten goods seldom prosper, and the third heir seldom enjoys them. Some in the pursuit of honour take the way of virtue, and seek distinction by desert; but these are few the greater number endeavour to ascend the steps of promotion by fawning, and flattery, and such indirect courses; but though these are the most numerous, yet ofttimes they fall ere they come to the top of the ladder, and are always treading in slippery places: the former way, though most painful, is the surest and safest; for honour follows virtue, as the shadow doth the substance. Others that pursue pleasure differ also; some seek after more innocent delights; others esteem no fruit worth enjoying, but what is forbidden, and desperately pursue such pleasures as perish in the using; "and the end of that mirth is heaviness," Prov. xiv. 13. In a word, some are building castles in the air, and never live to finish them; others are getting goods, and know not who shall enjoy them: some are gathering together by means lawful and unlawful; and others are scattering abroad what is thus gathered, and soon spend all: some are promising themselves content if they had a lordship, others if they had a dukedom, and some if they had a kingdom; all which, if attained, brings them no nearer satisfaction than before. And thus there is a confused tumult in the world, every man driving on his own designs, and God all the while tacitly carrying on his, perhaps quite contrary to theirs.

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