Selected quad for the lemma: ground_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
ground_n	bring_v	fruit_n	word_n	3,570	5	4.8691	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A29182	A cry for labourers in Gods harvest being a sermon preached upon the sad occasion of the late funeral of that eminent servant of Christ, Mr. Ralph Venning, who departed this life, March 10, 1673/4 / by Robert Bragge ...	Bragge, Robert, 1627-1704.	1674 (1674)	Wing B4202; ESTC R20229	19,240	42

doth so often make use of such kind of comparisons and similitudes as these are The Lords People they are sometimes compared to a Garden sometimes to a Vineyard or as here to a Tilled and Harvest-field So that our Souls they are Gods Field and Harvest What doth that imply It implys these two things 1. It shews us what we are by Nature When the Gospel doth first come unto us that we are as an untilled Field as a barren Desart or as an unfruitful Wilderness In Gen. 3. and about the 18th you read there upon mans sin that God had Cursed the Earth therefore Thorns and Thistles shall it bring forth There was the like Curse upon the heart of man from that time it brought forth nothing but Thorns and Thistles So that as it is with persons that are travelling through some Desart places over high Mountains through rocky and stony waies where there is no husbandry used there grows nothing but Bryars and Thorns and unfruitful Trees such as are fit for the fire Such are the hearts and lives of all the children of men by Nature like the Ground the Apostle speaks of in the sixth of the Hebrews that brings forth nothing but Thorns and Nettles which is nigh unto cursing whose end is to be burned As for those fruits of the Flesh which the Apostle speaks of in Gal. 5.19 Adultery Fornication Uncleanness Lasciviousness Idolatry Witchcraft Hatred Variance Emulations Wrath Strife Seditions Heresies Envyings Murders and the like these fruits abound every where But as for those fruits of the Spirit which he mentions in the following verse which is Love and Joy and Peace Long-suffering Gentleness Goodness Paith Meekness and the like These fruits grow not in Natures Garden One asking a Gardiner what the reason was that Weeds did spring so naturally out of the Ground when it was so hard a thing to make good Plants and Flowers grow in it He answered Because the Earth was as a Natural Mother to the Weeds but was become as a Step-mother to the Plants Thus it is with all our hearts by nature the things of Grace and Godliness they are not only above our corrupt natures but contrary to them In a word my Brethren What were all those Churches you read of in the New Testament the Roman Corinthian and the rest of them before the Gospel was Preached to them They were all but as a noisome Dunghill or barren Wilderness to God till the Apostles came to Preach amongst them and to Plant them and then indeed the Wilderness was turned into a fruitful Garden then was fulfilled that of the Prophet Instead of the Bryar came up the Fir-tree c. Then 2. As this shews us what we are by Nature so it evidences Secondly What we should be when the Gospel comes to us As the Ground receives in the Plow and the Seed that it may bring forth the Harvest so should we be willing to hear the Word and to receive the Gospel that we may be gathered in unto Christ by Faith and Repentance As the Prophet Jer. 4.3 He bids us Plow up the fallow ground for thus saith the Lord to the men of Judah and Jerusalem Break up the fallow ground and sow not among Thorns The Husbandman doth not use to cast his Seed among the Thorns without first breaking up the fallow Ground without first loosening the root of the Thorns and cleansing it from the Weeds and when the fallow Ground is broken up many times it needs to be Plowed not only once but twice or three times before it is fit to receive the Seed Thus it is with our hearts by Nature we need to be Plowed by the Word over and over and to be Harrowed by Afflictions again and again before we are fit to receive the Seed and to bring forth fruit to God Break up the fallow Ground and sow not among Thorns For persons to sow their Seed without Plowing the Ground that were a preposterous course And so it is with many people when they are convinced that they have lived wickedly they think they will now mend their waies and do better and perform some good actions that God approves of and then they hope all will be well I but that is to sow without Plowing God will never have a good Crop here Ungodliness will never be rooted out nor Godliness truly implanted in the soul except our hearts be first Plowed and broken up Therefore as the Plow you know doth enter into the bowels and heart of the Earth doth rend it open and break it to pieces so there are some truths of the Word which are like the Plow-share to enter into our hearts and to rend them and break them to pieces such as the knowledge of the purity and exactness of Gods Law and of the evil of sin and that dreadful curse we have brought upon our selves by it and of the sinfulness of our Natures how all our faculties are full of this sin And therefore we should joyn in with God in those things that are revealed to us concerning our lost and undone condition by Nature we should labour clearly to understand what is delivered in the Word concerning our lost estate and to work those truths upon our hearts that we may be sinsible of them and to beg of the Lord that he would set them home upon us that we may be truly sensible of them For Ministers they can only sow the Truths in your Ears and your Heads you must take them and labour to sow them in your Hearts and when the Truths come close to you at any time as a Sword piercing through your lusts and dividing between the Marrow and the Joynts Joh. 2. you should bid it welcom The Psalmist complains that the Plowers made deep furrows on their backs but I may say blessed are those Men and Women on whose hearts and consciences the Word doth make deep furrows For the great reason why so much of the Seed in the Parable of the Sower miscarryed was because it wanted Root So much for the first what is meant by the Harvest 2. Who are these Labourers in this Harvest There is no doubt of it but Christ thereby means the Prophets of the Old Testament and the Apostles of the New Testament and the faithful Ministers of Christ in every Generation who are to labour in the Preaching of the Gospel and the salvation of souls And though this be the most blessed and glorious work that any Man or Angel can possibly be employed in to be recovering and reducing lost man to God his first cause and principle yet this shews us the nature of the work namely that the calling of a Minister is a laborious Calling and so the Apostle in 1 Tim. 5.7 Let the elders that rule well be accounted worthy of double honour they that labour in the Word and Doctrine the word signifies not only Labour but Pains or painful labour such wherein men do spend their strength and

of God much less doth a Minister preach a Sermon but there is a providence in it When God sends a Minister to a Congregation he doth lett out a piece of Land or bids him husband that for me Levit. 27.26 You read there how God would have them to value their Land dedicated to God to be worth more or less according to the Seed of it as it was capable of receiving much or less seed so the Minister should value his Land according to his opportunity he hath to sow Seed there 4. It is the Lord of the Harvest that must give success to these Labourers or else all their Preaching and labouring will be but as Plowing and Sowing among the Rocks You must not think Preaching of the Gospel doth work upon souls by any inherent vertue in the Word as Fire warms and Food nourishes and Physick heals If the Spirit of the Lord doth not go along with the Word it will be but as Musick to the Deaf c. 1 Cor. 3. Paul may plant Apollos may water but God gives the increase Now if the husbandman cannot command Seed to grow out of the Ground how much less can Ministers create Grace in Souls If in Natural things it is God that makes the Grass to spring how much more in spiritual things It is he makes the Soul to fructifie Alas it is not the parts and Eloquence of the Minister can beget Grace that must be the work of Gods Spirit 3. Here is our Duty or work in order to the obtaining this Gift that is to Pray the Lord of the Harvest that he would send forth more Labourers into his Harvest Prayers you know that is the prevailing course for the removing any evil that lies upon us or obtaining any good we stand in need of Psal 50.15 Call upon me in the day of trouble and I will hear you Such and such things God promises to do for his People But for this I will be sought unto saith the Lord. God will do good things for his Church and People but he will do things in his own order Here I might shew you the great power the Prayers of Gods People have with him The fervent effectual Prayer of the righteous prevaileth much Acts 12. You read there how Herod had put to death one of the Apostles And Peter was likewise taken up too and the Church go to Prayer what was the issue Peter was delivered Likewise what became of Herod He was smitten of God As one said Wo be to the Birds of prey when Gods Turtles begin to cry and mourn before him O that we were perswaded of this that there is such a great deal of power and prevalency in Prayer how should we be more exercised in this Duty both in publick and private and to be representing the state of the Church to God as they did of Lazarus to Christ He whom thou lovest is dead so should we say He whom thou lovest thy Church is sick and languishing ready to give up the Ghost I would come to the last thing There are only two or three Uses I would make of it Use 1. If it be the duty of every good Christian Man and Woman thus to pray and cry to God for the sending more Labourers into his Harvest then it shews us 1. The necessity of a Gospel Ministry What do you think of the Husbandmans Calling is that a necessary Calling to Plow and sow the Land that ye may have Bread to eat What would your Houses and Families do without Bread No more can a Church of God subsist in this world without the Ministry of the Word I know there are some ready to say What need is there of mens Preaching what need of the Ministry of Man cannot God do it alone Yea we have Christ and the teaching of the Spirit what need is there of mans teaching is not the Spirit above man is not Christ above Ministers I grant there is no necessity of Preaching the Word with respect to God he is able to save men and women without the Preaching of the Word as well as with it he doth not need the gifts and parts and tongue of any man for bringing souls home to himself As Israel in the Wilderness when they had no Plowing yet God could feed them he could bring them Bread from Heaven But yet as Gods ordinary way of maintaining and feeding your Bodies it is by Plowing and sowing the Field so it is the ordinary way God hath set in his Church for feeding your souls It pleased him 1 Cor. 1.21 by the foolishness of Preaching to save them that believe and God will keep close to his own Ordinance and honour his own Institution As Acts 9. when Paul was converted it was in an extraordinary way It is true Christ did speak to him out of the Clouds Saul Saul why persecutest c. and he said Who art thou Lord Christ you know Preached himself to Paul and he trembled and was astonished and said Lord what wouldst thou have me to do and Christ said Arise and go into the City and it shall be told thee what thou must do Could not Christ have as well told him his own work and business See how Christ begins the work but would have Paul to wait upon him in his own way therefore Ananias must be sent to Paul The like instance you have in the next Chapter there you read of Cornelius a devout man yet knew little of Christ and God sent an Angel to him Thy Prayer is heard and thine Alms are had in remembrance in the sight of God send therefore to Joppa and call Simon whose Surname is Peter and he shall speak unto thee What was not the Angel as well able to have taught Cornelius as Peter yea doubtless but as if he had said That is none of my Commission therefore send for such a person he shall speak to thee Here I might spend time to shew you the necessity of the Ministry of the Word 1. In order to Conversion Regeneration and bringing sinners to Christ Faith comes by hearing Who is Paul c. but Ministers by whom ye believed Do you look for seed-time without Plowing the Ground No more must you expect Grace without hearing the Word 2. I might shew you the necessity hereof for the building up of those that are Converted When we are in Christ when we are Believers we are not now above the Ministry of the Word above Ordinances No my Brethren this Ministry of the Word and Ordinances must continue in the Church as long as there is one soul to be saved as long as one soul is out of Heaven it must continue till the coming of Christ Again 2. If the sending forth of Labourers into the Harvest be such a desirable mercy then it shews us how much we should prize a faithful Ministry If God hath sent us faithful Ministers we should look upon it as a great and wonderful blessing It is the