The Church Compared to a Garden

    THE CHURCH COMPARED TO A GARDEN

    "A Garden enclosed is my sister, my spouse" &c. "Awake, O north wind; and come thou south wind, and blow upon my Garden" &c., Song 4:12,16.

    "I am come into my Garden, my sister, my spouse" Song 5:1.

    The Church of Christ is or may fitly be compared to a Garden.

    METAPHOR

    I. A Garden is a piece taken out of common or waste ground, appropriated to more special use than the rest.

    PARALLEL

    I. The Church of God, and every believer, or member thereof, is taken out of the common mass of mankind, to be a chosen and select people to Christ.

    METAPHOR

    II. The ground of a Garden before it be planted, is as barren, and as unprofitable, as the rest out of which it was taken.

    PARALLEL

    II. The people of God, and soul of every believer, naturally were as barren, blind, sinful, enemies to God, and every way as vile and rebellious as any other sinners in the world. "And were by nature the children of wrath, as well as others," Eph 2:3. "Who hath made thee to differ from another?" &c.

    METAPHOR

    III. In a Garden no choice or rare thing cometh up naturally of itself, until it be sown or planted therein.

    PARALLEL

    III. So no spiritual good thing can grow or spring up in our hearts, until the seed of grace be sown in us, or a divine principle of life be implanted.

    METAPHOR

    IV. A Garden, before it be sown or planted, must be digged, purged, and well prepared.

    PARALLEL

    IV. So must our hearts, like fallow ground, be digged up with powerful convictions of the Word and Spirit, that so grace may the better take root in us. Hence it is said of God's vineyard, when he was resolved to bring judgment upon it, "It shall not be pruned, nor digged," Isa 5:6. Hence God calleth upon them to plough up their fallow ground, and "Sow not among thorns," Jer 4:3.

    METAPHOR

    V. A choice Garden is walled or well fenced about, for its security, from danger and spoil.

    PARALLEL

    V. So the Church of God, or every Christian, is hedged or walled in. "Hast thou not made a hedge about him, and about all he hath, on every side?" &c., Job 1:10. God is said to be a "Wall of fire round about Jerusalem." See vineyard. Ec 2:5.

    METAPHOR

    VI. A choice Garden hath in it many plants, herbs, and flowers, of great worth and value, both for pleasure and profit.

    PARALLEL

    VI. So in the Church are many choice, pleasant, and profitable plants, of God's own right hand planting: "It is sown with holy right seed, ye men of Israel are his pleasant plants," Jer 2:21. All choice and saving graces, and gifts of the Spirit, are found in God's Garden.

    METAPHOR

    VII. A Garden must have much cost bestowed upon it, and much pains taken with it, or it will soon decay.

    PARALLEL.

    VII. So must the Church of God have much pains bestowed upon it, it must be kept diligently; Pr 4:23. As God spares for no cost and pains, so should his servants be industrious, or else the Church will soon decay.

    METAPHOR

    VIII. A Garden hath some weeds in it, which must as they appear, be plucked up, or they will spoil and hinder the growth of the precious flowers and herbs that grow therein.

    PARALLEL

    VIII. The Church is not without some corrupt members in it, which injure it, like as thorns and nettles do a Garden, which as they are discovered, are plucked up, and cast out. And also in the hearts of the best Christians, weeds are apt to spring up, from that root of bitterness that naturally is within them, whereby many are troubled and defiled, which if not pulled up, will hinder their growth in grace.

    METAPHOR

    IX. A choice and fruitful Garden is valued highly by the owner thereof; he esteems it above an hundred times so much fruitless land. One acre made into a curious Garden, is prized above many acres of common barren ground.

    PARALLEL

    IX. The Church of God, though it be as it were but a little spot, a small remnant, in comparison of the world, is highly prized by Jesus Christ; he esteems of his own people above all the people of the earth. Hence he calleth them, his inheritance, his jewels, his peculiar ones, 1Pe 2:9. "I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Æthiopia and Seba for thee. Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable, and I have loved thee: therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life," Isa 43:3-4. Wicked men are like barren mountains; they are the King's waste, such whom he sets but little by.

    METAPHOR

    X. A rare and fruitful Garden will afford fruit to plant others; many Gardens upon this account have, as it were, sprung out of one.

    PARALLEL

    X. So from the Church of God that was first planted in Judea, many blessed Churches proceeded in a little time. By means of the fruitfulness of that one spiritual Garden, seven Gardens more were planted in, Asia, viz., Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamus, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea, besides many others, which we read of, &c., Re 1:11.

    METAPHOR

    XI. A Garden must be often watered, or else it will soon fade, and the fruit thereof wither away, and the choice flowers will hang down their heads.

    PARALLEL

    XI. God's Garden must be often watered by the divine rain, or dew of heaven, viz., the Word and Spirit of God: "My doctrine shall drop as the rain," De 32:1-2. And without these waterings from above, the fruit of the Church will soon fail; all our growth and greenness is continued by the means of the word and ordinances.

    METAPHOR

    XII. A Garden must have the door carefully kept and looked after, lest thieves and other spoilers should get in and ruin it.

    PARALLEL

    XII. So the door of the Church must be carefully kept by such as have the charge of it, viz., the ministers or pastors thereof, or the danger is great; it behoveth them to take care who they let in. Christ's Garden should be as a Garden inclosed, and fountain sealed to all unbelievers. But yet let them be ever so careful, some deceivers or hypocrites will, as in former times, creep in; it was so when the chief Gardener himself was upon the earth, there was a Judas among the twelve apostles.

    METAPHOR

    XIII. The chief owner of a Garden loves to take his walks in it, to see how the plants and precious fruits do flourish.

    PARALLEL

    XIII. So the Lord Jesus, who is the Owner and only Proprietor of his Church, loves to take his walks in it: "I am come into my Garden, my sister, my spouse," Song 5:1. He is said to "walk in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks." "Let us get up early to the vineyards, let us see whether the vines flourish, whether the tender grapes appear, and the pomegranates bud forth; there will I give thee my loves," Song 7:12.

    METAPHOR

    XIV. In a Garden, as it is found by experience, worms do much hurt, especially when they get to the root of plants or flowers. They may seem very green and flourishing, when there are some devouring worms gnawing at the roots, by which means in a little time they die, are pulled up, and cast away.

    PARALLEL

    XIV. So in the Church, sin, which may be compared to a worm, or hurtful vermin, doth exceeding much detriment. ' A Christian seemeth very green, amiable, and fair to the eye, like some plants full of leaves; but there is some cursed worm, some secret lust, that mars his root, and in time he withers, and dies, and is plucked up, and cast away. This may be a caution to all to take heed.

    METAPHOR

    XV. In a Garden, whatsoever choice flower the owner of it seeth is fully ripe, if he hath a mind to it, he crops it off, and takes it to himself.

    PARALLEL

    XV. So in the Church, those flowers or precious saints Jesus Christ seeth are fully ripe for heaven, he crops off by death, and taketh them to himself. A godly man dies when he is ready and ripe for death. When a holy man dies, saith Mr. Caryl, it is harvest-time with him. Though in a natural capacity, he may be cut down whilst he is green, or cropped in the bud or blossom; yet in his spiritual capacity he never dies before he is ripe: God ripens his speedily, when he intends to take them out of the world speedily.

    METAPHOR

    XVI. A Garden flourisheth best, that hath the sweet, warm, and resplendent rays of the sun shining upon it. How sweet do the flowers and precious herbs smell, when the rain distils, the south wind blows, and the sun sweetly breaks forth upon it?

    PARALLEL

    XVI. So the Church never thrives, nor flourisheth, but when the Sun of Righteousness shineth in a gracious manner upon it; when the rain or spiritual dew descends, the south wind of the Spirit bloweth, and the Sun of Righteousness sweetly shineth, what a fragrant scent doth the Church of God, and gracious ones then send forth! hence Christ calleth for the "South wind to blow upon his Garden, that the spices thereof may flow forth," Song 4:16.

    METAPHOR

    XVII. A Garden is attended with several seasons, winter as well as summer. And though in the winter many flowers seem decayed, and their glory gone; yet a winter's sharp frosts, and cold north winds, are as necessary as the summer, for the killing of the weeds and worms, which otherwise would abound.

    PARALLEL

    XVII. The Church hath its winter as well as its spring and summer-season; nay, and the nipping frosts, and north winds of temptations and afflictions, are as profitable to the saints, as the summer of comfort, peace, and prosperity; for God seeth need of the one, as well as the other, to destroy those weeds of corruption, or indwelling sin, that is in our hearts. "If need be, ye are in heaviness, through manifold temptations," 1Pe 1:6.

    DISPARITY.

    There are divers disparities: Christ's Garden excelleth all other Gardens. They are the plantations of men; this is planted by Christ: their fruit is temporal and fading; this is spiritual and lasting: they that plant other Gardens, cannot make them grow; but Christ can. And many others might be minded, which I here omit.

    INFERENCES.

    I. THIS shows what a vast difference there is between the Church, and the World. What is a howling and barren wilderness, to a choice and lovely Garden?

    II. Bless God that this precious Garden is not spoiled, and its hedge of divine providence not removed, nor plucked up.

    III. Let us pray, though it be surrounded about at this day with cruel enemies, that it may never be moved, taken, and trodden down, by Romish wolves, or other ravenous beasts of prey.

    IV. Let the adversaries tremble, whose evil intent is fully discovered, how they proceed in their designs against God's Church, Christ's spiritual Garden, since it is so prized by him, and his own proper inheritance, he alone being the proprietor thereof. How often doth he say, "My Garden, my vineyard?" It appears it is his.

    1. In that he bought the ground with the price of his precious blood, to make a Garden of it.

    2. He hath at his own charge planted and sown it.

    3. He keeps it, and waters it, and watcheth over it night and day, Isa 27:2-3.

    4. It is he only who gathereth the fruit of it. Woe therefore to them that adventure to crop, and pull up, and destroy any of its choice flowers! They that touch God's people, Christ's lilies, touch the apple of his eye.

    V. Let the saints of Christ also learn from hence to be fruitful, Christ hath been at great cost and pains in order thereunto. And that you may be so.

    1. See that you be plants of his own planting, otherwise you will be plucked up.

    2. See that you be well-rooted: such bring forth most fruit.

    3. Take heed of the worm at the root.

    4. Take heed whom ye choose for Garden-dressers, and look to your hedge or wall of Church discipline. You must know your bounds, the Garden of Christ must not be opened into other men's fields. Keep your communion entire; remember, you are bounded by Christ's laws and institutions; take heed you do not, with Ephraim, mix yourselves with other people.