The Epistle Dedicatory
MEDITATIONS UPON TREES
MEDITATIONS UPON A GARDEN
THE EPISTLE DEDICATORY
To the Worshipful ROBERT SAVERY, and WILLIAM SAVERY, of Slade, Esquires.
Honoured Friends, IT hath been long since observed, that the world below is a glass to discover the world above; Seculum est speculum: and although I am not of their opinion, that say, the Heathens may spell Christ out of the sun, moon, and stars; yet this I know, that the irrational and inanimate, as well as rational creatures, have a language; and though not by articulate speech, yet in a metaphorical sense, they preach unto man the wisdom, power, and goodness of God, Rom. 1:20
"There is (saith the Psalmist, Psalm 19:3) no speech, nor language, "where their voice is not heard." Or (as Junius renders it) there is no speech, nor words, yet without these, their voice is understood, and their line (i.e. saith Diodate) their writing in gross and plain draughts, is gone out through all the earth.
As man is compounded of a fleshly and spiritual substance, so God hath endowed the creatures with a spiritual, as well as fleshly usefulness, they have not only a natural use in alimental and physical respects, but also a spiritual use, as they bear the figures and similitudes of many sublime and heavenly mysteries. Believe me
(saith contemplative Bernard) thou shalt find more in the woods, than in a corner; stones and trees will teach thee what thou shalt not hear from learned doctors. By a skilful and industrious improvement of the creatures (saith Mr. Baxter excellently) we might have a fuller taste of Christ and heaven, in every bit of bread that we eat, and in every draught of beer that we drink, than most men have in the use of the sacrament.
And as the creatures teach divine and excellent things, so they teach them in a perspicuous and taking manner: Duo illa nos maxime movent, similitudo et exemplum, saith the orator*. These two things, similitude, and example, do especially move us. Notions are more easily conveyed to the understanding, by being first clothed in some apt similitude, and so represented to the sense. And therefore Jesus
Christ the great Prophet, delighted much in teaching by parables: and the prophets were much in this way also, Hos. 12:10. "I have used similitudes by the ministry of the prophets." Those that can retain little of a sermon, yet ordinarily retain an apt similitude.
I confess it is an humbling consideration, That man, who at first was led by the knowledge of God to the knowledge of the creature, must now by the creatures learn to know God. That the creatures, (as one saith) like Balaam's ass, should teach their master. But though this be the unhappiness of poor man in his collapsed state, yet it is now his wisdom to improve such helps: and whilst others, by the abuse of the creatures, are furthering their perdition, to be, by the spiritual improvement of them, promoting his own salvation.
It is an excellent art to discourse with birds, beasts, and fishes, about sublime and spiritual subjects, and make them answer to your questions; and this may be done, Job 12:7, 8. "Ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee, and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee; or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee, and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee." That is (saith neat and accurate †
Caryl) the creatures teach us when we think of them: 'They teach us, though not formally, yet virtually; they answer and resolve the question put to them, though not explicitly to the ear, yet convincingly to the conscience. So then, we ask the creatures, when we diligently consider them, when we search out the perfections and virtues that God hath put into, or stampt upon them. To set our mind thus upon the creature, is to discourse 'with the creature; the questions which man asks of a beast, are only his own meditations.
Again, the creatures teach us, when we in meditation make our collections and draw down a demonstration of the power, wisdom, and goodness of God in making them, or the frailty of man in needing them: such conclusions and inferences are the teachings of the creatures.'
Common objects (saith‡ another) may be improved two ways; viz. In an argumentative, and in a representative way; by reasoning from them, and by viewing the resemblance that is betwixt them and spiritual matters.
First, In meditation argue thus, as in the present case and similitude of the apostle. If an husbandman upon the ordinary principles of reason can wait for the harvest, shall not I wait for the coming of the Lord, the day of refreshing? the corn is precious to him, and so is the coming of Christ to me. Shall he be so patient, and endure so much for a little corn? and shall not I for the kingdom of heaven! He is willing to stay till all causes have had their operations, till he hath
received the former and the latter rain; and shall not I, till the Divine decrees be accomplished.
Secondly, In meditation, make the resemblance, and discourse thus within yourselves: This is my seed-time, heaven is my harvest; here I must labour and toil and there rest. I see the husbandman's life is a great toil: no excellent thing can be obtained without labour, and an obstinate patience. I see the seed must be hidden in the furrows, rotten and corrupted, ere it can spring forth with any increase. Our hopes are hidden, light is sown for the righteous; all our comforts are buried under the clods, and after all this there must be long waiting, we cannot sow and reap in a day; effects cannot follow till all necessary causes have first wrought. It is not in the power of husbandmen to ripen fruits at pleasure, our times are in the hands of God, therefore it is good to wait; a long-suffering patience will reap the desired fruit. Thus you have some hints of this heavenly art of improving the creatures.
The motives inducing me to this undertaking, were the Lord's owning with some success, my labours of a like nature*, together with the desire and inclination (stirred up in me, I hope by the Spirit of the Lord) to devote my vacant hours to his service in this kind. I considered, that if the Pharisees, in a blind zeal to a faction, could compass sea and land, to proselyte men to their party, though thereby they made them sevenfold more the children of the devil than before; how much more was I obliged, by true love to God, and zeal to the everlasting happiness of souls, to use my utmost endeavours both with seamen and husbandmen, to win them to Christ, and thereby make them more than seventy-seven fold happier than before? Not to mention other encouragements to this work, which I received from the earnest desires of some reverend and
worthy brethren inviting thereunto; all which I hope the event will manifest to be a call from God to this work.
I confess I met with some discouragement in my first attempt, from my unacquaintedness with rural affairs; and because I was to travel in a path (to me) untrodden; but having once engaged in it, those discouragements were soon overcome: and being now brought to what you here see, I offer to your hands these first fruits of my spare hours.
I presume you will account it no disparagement that I dedicate a book of husbandry to gentlemen of your quality. This is spiritual husbandry, which here is taught you; and yet I tell you, that great persons have accounted that civil employment (which is much inferior to this) no disparagement to them. "The king himself is served "by the field," Eccles. 5:9. Or, as Montanus renders the Hebrew text, Rex agro fit scrvus; The king himself is a servant to the field. And of king Uzziah it is written, 2 Chron. 26:10. "That he "loved husbandry." And Amos 7:1 we read of the king's mowings. Yea, Pliny hath observed, that corn was never so plentiful at Rome, as when the same men tilled the land that ruled the commonwealth. Quasi gauderet terra laureato vomere, scilicet et aratore triumphali; as though the earth itself rejoiced in the laurelled plowshare, and the triumphant plowman.
What pleasure you will find in reading it I know not; but to me it hath been a pleasant path from first to last; who yet have been at far greater expence of time and pains in compiling it, than you can be in reading it. The husbandman's work, you know, is no easy work, and the spiritualizing of it hath greater difficulties attending it; but yet the pleasure hath abundantly recompensed the pains. I have found
Erasmus's observation experimentally true; Qui literis addicti sumas,
animi lassitudinem a studiis gravioribus contractam; ab iisdem studiis, sed amœnioribus recreamus: Those that are addicted to study, (saith he) when they have wearied their spirits with study, can recreate them again with study, by making a diversion from that which is severe and knotty, to some more facile and pleasant subject.
But to hear that God hath used and honoured these papers to the good of any soul, will yield me the highest content and satisfaction imaginable.
May you but learn that lesson which is the general scope and design of this book, viz. How to walk with God from day to day, and make the several objects you behold, scalœ et alœ, wings and ladders to mount your souls nearer to him, who is the centre of all blessed spirits. How much will it comfort me, and confirm my hope, that it was the call of God indeed, which put me upon these endeavours!
O Sirs! What an excellent thing would it be for you, to make such holy improvements of all these earthly objects which daily occur to your senses, and cause them to proclaim and preach to you divine and heavenly mysteries; whilst others make them groan, by abusing them to sin, and subjecting them to their lusts. A man may be cast into such a condition, wherein he cannot enjoy the blessing and benefit of a pious and powerful ministry; but you cannot (ordinarily) fall into such a condition, wherein any thing (excepting a bad heart) can deprive you of the benefits and comforts of those excellent sermons, and divinity lectures, which the creatures here offer to preach and read to you.
Content not yourselves, I beseech you, with that natural sweetness the creatures afford; for thereof the beasts are capable, as much, if not more, than you; but use them to those spiritual ends you are here directed, and they will yield you a sweetness far transcending that
natural sweetness you ever relished in them; and indeed, you never use the creatures as their Lord's, till you come to see your Lord in and by them. I confess the discoveries of God in the word are far more excellent, clear, and powerful; "He hath magnified his word above all his name." And therein are the unsearchable riches of Christ, or rich discoveries of that grace that hath no footsteps in nature, as the apostle's expression signifies, Eph. 3:8.
And if that which might be known of God by the creatures, leave men without excuse, as it is manifest, Rom. 1:20. how inexcusable then will those be, who have received not only the teachings of the creature, but also the grace of the gospel in vain! "How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation?" They that are careless in the day of grace, shall be speechless in the day of judgment.
I am sensible of many defects in these papers, (as well as in myself.) They have doubtless, a taste of the distractions of the times wherein they were written; nor was I willing to keep them so long under hand as the accurateness and exactness with which, such a subject ought to have been handled, did require. Had I designed my own credit, I should have observed that counsel, Nonumque prematur in annum, i.e. To have kept it much longer under the file, before I had exposed it to public view; but I rather inclined to Solomon's counsel,
"Whatever thy hand finds out to do, do it with all thy might: for there is no wisdom, nor knowledge, nor device in the grave, whither thou art going," Eccl. 9:10.
I apprehend a necessity of some such means to be used for the instruction and conviction of country people; who either are not capable of understanding truth in another dialect, or at least are less affected with it. The preposition in every chapter consists of an observation in husbandry; wherein, if I have failed in using any
improper expression, your candour will cover it, and impute it to my unacquaintedness in rural affairs:
——In magnis voluisse sat est.
The reddition or application, you will find I hope, both pertinent and close. The reflections serious, and such as (I hope) your consciences will faithfully improve. I have shut up every chapter with a Poem, an innocent bait to catch the reader's soul.
That of Herbert is experimentally true:
A verse may find him that a sermon flies, And turn delight into a sacrifice.
I should never have been persuaded (especially in this scribbling age, wherein we may complain with the poet, Scribimus indocti, doctique poemata passim) to have set my dull fancy upon the rack to extort a poem to entertain my reader; for I cannot say with Ovid, Sponte sua carmen, &c. but that I have been informed, that many seamen, induced by the pleasure of a verse, have taken much pains to learn the poems in their compass by heart; and I hope both the children at home, and the servants in the fields, will learn to exercise themselves this way also. O, how much better will it be so to do, than so stuff their memories with obscene ballads, and filthy songs, which corrupt their minds, and dispose them to much wickedness, by irritating their natural corruption! But these are purer flames, you will find nothing here of such a tendency.
'Tis guilt, not poetry, to be like those, Whose wit in verse is downright sin in prose.