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Spiritual Melody

Containing near Three Hundred Sacred Hymns. By Benjamin Keach
  
  

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10

HYMN 4.

[Rich Husbandmen have House and Land]

Joh. 15. 1. God compared to a Husbandman.

[The First Part.]

Rich Husbandmen have House and Land
Both moist and also dry,
God o're the Earth hath the Command,
And true propriety.
The beasts of th'field and fowls of th'Air,
With Silver, and the Gold
Is all the Lords, yea, and what else
Our Eyes can here behold.
He may give it to whom he will,
And then take it away:
He makes men rich, and makes them poor,
And none dare him gain-say.
Some ground he plows and sows it then
With choice and precious seeds;
Whilst other ground does barren lie,
Eat up and spoil'd with Weeds.
And who shall say what doest thou,
He may do what he will;
All are thine own, what e're thou dost,
Yet thou art righteous still.

The second Part.

A Husbandman knows very well,
His ground will barren be,

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Unless it is well manured,
No profit he can see.
Even so unless the fallow ground
Of thy base wicked heart
Be broken up, it will be found
That thou most barren art.
A Husbandman does spare no cost,
Nor grudge at his great pains,
That so he may his ground make good,
When he his end obtains.
So God likewise thinks nought too much
Who does great cost bestow
On Souls of men, when they prove such
Who forth his Glory show.
A Husbandman his Trees doth prune,
More fruitful them to make,
But branches that unfruitful be,
Such off the Trees does take.
And thus doth God by all those men
Who by profession are
In Jesus Christ, who barren prove,
Them long he will not spare.
But such that fruitful Branches be,
He purges every one,
And abundantly shall they bring forth,
Before that he has done.

12

As God doth sow, so he likewise
Doth cause the rain to fall,
That so his Vineyard flourish may,
And's Trees be fruitful all.
Which other Husbandmen can't do,
Nor can they change the soyl;
But God can make Mens hearts most good
Which naturally were vile.
All praise to him therefore let's give,
And set his glory forth,
And fruitfully unto him live,
Whilst we do live on earth.