CHAPTER III: Upon the cheerfulness of the Husbandman
The diff'rence 'twixt the one, and th' other's best By such a simile as this, exprest:
As in a summer's day you often see The wanton butterfly, and painful bee; On fragrant flowers fix, whence one doth strive
To bear his precious burden to the hive; The other's pains no profit with it brings,
His time is spent in painting of his wings.
When winter comes, the bee hath full supplies, The other creeps into an hole, and dies.
Like different events shall be betwixt The painful saint, and lazy notionist.
CHAPTER III
Upon the cheerfulness of the Husbandman The plowman sings, and whistles, though he sweat,
Shall Christians droop, because their work is great;
OBSERVATION
THOUGH the labours of the husbandman are very great and toilsome, yet with what cheerfulness do they go through them? It is very delightful to hear the melody they make, by whistling, as they follow the plow; yea, the very horses have their bells, which make a pleasant noise. Horses (saith Mr. Fuller) will do more for a whistle than a whip; and their bells do, as it were, gingle away their weariness. I have been often delighted with this country music, whereby they sweeten their hard labours with an innocent pleasure, and verify the saying of the poet:
Tempus in agrorum cultu consumere dulce est. Ovid.
Altho' they plow from morning until night, Time steals away with pleasure and delight.
APPLICATION
BUT how much greater cause have the people of God to address themselves unto his work with all cheerfulness of spirit? And, indeed, so far as the heart is spiritual, it delights in its duties. It is true, the work of a Christian is painful, and much more spending than the husbandman's, (as was opened, Chap. 1.) but then it as much exceeds in the delights and pleasures that attend it. What is the Christian's work, but "with joy to draw water out of the wells of salvation?" Isa.
12:3. You may see what a pleasant path the paths of duty is, by the cheerfulness of those that have walked in them, Psal. 119:14. "I have rejoiced in the way of thy judgments, as much as in all riches." And by the promises that are made to such, Psal. 138:5. "Yea, they sing in the ways of the Lord, for great is the glory of the Lord." And again,
"You shall have a song as in the night, when an holy solemnity is kept, and gladness of heart, as when one goeth with a pipe, to come to the mountain of the Lord, to the Mighty One of Israel," Isa. 30:29.
And, lastly, by the many commands, whereby joy in the way of the Lord is made the duty of the saints. "Rejoice in the Lord, ye righteous, for praise is comely for the upright," Psal. 97:12. "Rejoice, and again I say, rejoice," Phil. 4:4. where the command is doubled, yea, not only simple rejoicing, but the highest degree of that duty comes within the command. Psal. 132:9, 16. "Shout for joy all ye that are, upright in heart." And Luke 7:22, 23. they are bid to leap for joy, when about the difficultest part of their work. And that you may see there is a sufficient ground for it, and that it is not like the mad mirth of sinners, be pleased to consider, 1st, The nature of the work about which they are employed: It is the most excellent and heavenly employment that ever souls were acquainted with. O what a ravishing and delightful thing it is to walk with God! And yet by this, the whole work of a Christian is expressed,
Gen. 17:1. Can any life compare with this, for pleasure? Can they be chill that walk in the sun-shine? Or sad, that abide in the fountain of all delights; and walk with him whose name is the God of all comfort,
2 Cor. 1:3. "In whose presence is the fulness of joy," Psal. 16:11. O what an angelical life doth a Christian then live?
Or, 2dly, If we consider the variety of spiritual employments, Varietas delectat. Change of employment takes off the tediousness of labour. Variety of voices pleases the ear, variety of colours delights the eye, the same meat prepared several ways, pleases the palate more, and clogs it less. But oh the variety of choice dishes wherewith
God entertains his people in a Sabbath! as the word, prayer, sacraments, &c. Isa. 58:13. If thou call the Sabbath thydelights; or, as Tremellius renders it, thy delicate things. "My soul (saith David) shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness," Psal. 63:5.
3dly, or lastly, If we consider the suitableness of this work to a regenerate soul. Is it any pain for a bird to fly? Or a fish to swim? Is the eye tired with beautiful objects? Or the ear with melodious sounds? As little can a spiritual soul be wearied with spiritual and heavenly exercises. Rom. 7:22 "I delight in the law of God after the inner man." Gravia non gravitant in corum loco, (saith the philosopher) weighty things are not heavy in their own element, or centre. And surely God is the centre of all gracious spirits. A saint can sit from morning to night to hear discourses of the love and loveliness of Jesus Christ. The sight of your thriving flocks and flourishing fields, cannot yield you that pleasure which an upright soul can find in one quarter of an hour's communion with God.
"They that are after the flesh, (saith the apostle, Rom. 8:5) do mind the things of the flesh, and they that are after the Spirit, the things of the Spirit." But then look how much heavenly objects transcend earthly ones, and how much the soul is more capable of delight in those objects, than the gross and duller senses are in theirs; so much doth the pleasure arising from duty excel all sensitive delights on earth.
REFLECTIONS
How am I cast and condemned by this, may I say, who never savoured this spiritual delight in holy duties! When I am about my earthly employments, I can go on unweariedly from day to day; all the way is down-hill to my nature, and the wheels of my affections being oiled with carnal delight, run so fast, that they Have need most times of trigging. Here I rather need the curb than the spur. O how fleet and nimble are my spirits in these their pursuits! but O what a slug am I in religious duties! sure if my heart were renewed by grace,
I should delight in the law of God, Rom. 7:22. All the world is alive in their ways, every creature enjoys his proper pleasure; and is there no
delight to be found in the paths of holiness? Is godliness only a dry root that bears no pleasant fruits? No, there are doubtless incomparable pleasures to be found therein; but such a carnal heart as mine savours them not.
I cannot say but I have found delight in religious duties, but they have been only such as rather sprang from the ostentation of gifts and applauses or men than any sweet and real communion I have had with God through them; they have rather proved food and fuel to my pride, than food to my soul. Like the nightingale, I can sing sweetly, when I observe others to listen to me, and be affected with my music. O false, deceitful heart, such delight as this will end in howling! were my spirit right, it would as much delight in retirements for the enjoyment of God, as it doth in those duties that are most exposed to the observation of man. Will such a spring as this maintain a stream of affections when carnal motives fail? What wilt thou answer, O my soul! to that question? Job 27:9, 10. "Will
God hear his cry when trouble comes upon him? Will he delight himself in the Almighty? Will he always call upon God?" What wilt thou reply to this question? Deceive not thou thyself, O my soul! thou wilt doubtless be easily persuaded to let go that thou never delightedst in, and, from an hypocrite in religion, quickly become an apostate from religion.
From all this the upright heart takes advantage to rouse up its delight in God, and thus it expostulated with itself: Doth the plowman sing amidst his drudging labours, and whistle away his weariness in the fields; and shall I droop amidst such heavenly employment? O my soul, what wantest thou here, to provoke thy delight? If there be such an affection as delight in thee, methinks such an object as the blessed face of God in ordinances should excite it. Ah! how would this ennoble all my services, and make them angel-like! how glad are
those blessed creatures to be employed for God! No sooner were they created, but they sang together, and shouted for joy, Job 38:7. How did they fill the air with heavenly melody, when sent to bring the joyful tidings of a Saviour to the world! Ascribing glory to God in the highest, even to the highest of their powers. Yea, this delight would make all my duties Christ-like; and the nearer that pattern, the more excellent: he delighted to do his Father's will, it was to him meat and drink, Psalm 40:7. John 4:32, 34.
Yea, it would not only ennoble, but facilitate all my duties, and be to me as wings to a bird in flying, or sails to a ship in motion. Non tardat uncta rota; oiled wheels run freely: "Or ever I was aware my soul made me like the chariots of Amminadib." O what is the reason
(my God) my delight in thee should be so little? Is it not because my unbelief is so great? Rouse up my delights, O thou fountain of pleasure! and let me swim down the stream of holy joy in duty, into the boundless ocean of those immense delights that are in thy presence, and at thy right hand for evermore.
THE POEM O What a dull, desponding heart is mine!
That takes no more delight in things divine.
When all the creatures, both in heav'n and earth, Enjoy their pleasures, and are big with mirth.
Angels and saints that are before the throne, In ecstasies and raptures every one Perpetually is held; each blessed spirit
The purest, highest joys doth there inherit:
The saints on earth, in their imperfect state, Those peerless joys, by faith do antedate.
To nat'ral men, who savour not this pleasure, Yet bounteous nature doth unlock her treasure
Of sensitive delights; yea, strange to tell, Bold sinners rant it all the way to hell.
Like fish that play in Jordan's silver stream, So these in sensual lusts, and never dream
Of that dread sea to which the stream doth tend, And to their pleasures puts a fatal end.
Yea, birds and beasts, as well as men, enjoy Their innocent delights: these chirp and play;
The cheerful birds among the branches sing, And make the neighb'ring groves with music ring:
With various warbling notes they all invite Our ravish'd ears with pleasure and delight.
The new-fall'n lambs, will in a sun-shine day,