Husbandry Spiritualized
HUSBANDRY
SPIRITUALIZED :
Or, The HeavenlyUse of Earthly THINGS.
Conſiſting of manypleasant obfervations, pertinent applications, and ferious reflections; and each chapter concluded with a divine, and ſuitable poem.
Directing husbandmen to the moſt excellent improvements oftheir common employments.
Whereunto areadded,byway ofAppendix, ſeveral choice occafional meditations, upon birds, beasts, trees, flowers, rivers, and ſeveral other objects ; fitted for the help of ſuch as defire to walk with God in all their folitudes, and receſſes from the world.
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THE EPISTLE DEDICATORY.
To the Worſhipful ROBERT SAVERY, and WILLIAM SAVERY, of Slade Efquires.
Honoured Friends, Thathbeenlong fince obſerved,that the world,below, is I aglaſs todiſcover the world above; Seculum eftfpeculum : andalthough Iam notoftheir opinion,that ſay,the Heathens may ſpell Chriſt out ofthe fun, moon, and ſtars; yet this I know, thatthe irrational and inanimate, as well as rational creatures, have a language ; andtho' notby articulate ſpeech, yet, in ametaphorical ſenſe,theypreach untomanthe wisdom, power, and goodness of God, Rom. i. 20. "There is (faith
" the Pfalmiſt, Pfalmxix. 3.) no ſpeech,nor language, where " theirvoice is not heard."
Or (as Junius renders it) there isnoſpeech,nor words,yetwithouttheſe, their voice is underſtood, andtheir line (i. e. faith Diodate) their writing in groſs, andplaindraughts, isgone outthrough all the earth.
As man is compounded ofa fleſhly and ſpiritual ſubſtance, ſoGod hath endowedthe creatures with a ſpiritual, as well as fleſhlyusefulness; theyhave not only anatural uſe in alimenVOL.VI.
The Epistle Dedicatory. tal,andphyfical reſpects, but alſo aſpiritual uſe, as they bear the figures and fimilitudes ofmanyfublime and heavenly myſteries.
Believeme (faith contemplative Bernard) thou ſhalt findmorein the woods,than in a corner; ftones andtrees will teach thee what thou shalt not hear from learned doctors .
By a ſkilful and induſtrious improvement ofthe creatures (faith Mr. Baxter excellently)we mighthave a fuller taste ofChrift andheaven, in every bit of bread that we eat, and in every draught ofbear that we drink, than most men have in the uſe ofthe facrament.
And asthe creatures teach divine andexcellent things, fo they teach them in a perfpicuous andtakingmanner : Duo illa nos maxime movent,fimilitudo et exemplum, faith the orator *.
Theſe two things, fimilitude and example, do eſpecially move us. Notions are more eafily conveyed to the understanding, by being firſt cloathed in ſome apt fimilitude, and ſo reprefented to the ſenſe. And therefore Jeſus Chriſt, the great Prophet, delightedmuch in teaching by parables ; and the prophets were much in this way alſo, Hof. xii. 10. " Ihave uſedſimilitudes
" by the ministry of the prophets."
Thoſe that can retain little ofa fermon,yet ordinarily retain anapt fimilitude.
I confeſs it is anhumbling confideration, That man,who at firſt was led by the knowledge ofGod, tothe knowledge of the creature, muft now by the creatures learn to knowGod.
That the creatures, (as one faith) 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 whilft others, by the abuſe of the creatures, are furthering their perdition, to be, by the ſpiritual improvement ofthem,promoting ourown falvation.
It is an excellent art to diſcourſe with birds, beasts, and fishes, about fublime and ſpiritual ſubjects, and makethem anfwer to your queſtions ; and this maybedone, Jobxii. 7, 8. " Afk
" now the beasts, andthey ſhall teachthee, andthe fowls ofthe " air, andtheyſhall tell thee ; or ſpeak to the earth, and it ſhall
" teach thee, and the fishes ofthe fea ſhall declare unto thee."
That is (faith neat and accurate + Caryl) the creatures teach us when we think ofthem : ' They teach us, though not formally, yet virtually ; they anſwer and reſolve the queſtion put to them, though not explicitely tothe ear, yet convincingly to the confcience. So then, we ask the creatures,
•whenwe diligently confider them, when we fearch outthe rerfections and virtues thatGod hath put into, or ſtampe
، * Cicero, † Caryl in loc.
The Epistle Dedicatory
upon them. Toſet our mind thus uponthe creature, is to *difcourſewith the creature; the questions which man afks ofabeast, are only his own meditations. Again, the creatures teach us ; when we in meditation, make our collecti
'ons, and draw down a demonftration ofthe power, wifdom, ' and goodness ofGod inmaking them,or the fraility ofman
' inneeding them fuch conclufions and inferences are the 'teachings ofthe creatures.'
Common objects (faith + another) may be improved two ways ; viz. In anargumentative, and in arepreſentativeway; byreaſoning from them, andbyviewing the resemblance that isbetwixtthem and ſpiritualmatters.
First, Inmeditation arguethus, as in the prefent cafe and fimilitude of the apostle.
Ifanhusbandman uponthe ordinary principles of reafon can wait for the harvest, ſhall not I wait forthe comingofthe Lord? Thedayofrefreshing ; the corn is precious tohim,andſois thecoming ofChriſttome. Shalihe be fo patient, and endure ſo much for alittle corn ? Andnot I for thekingdom ofheaven ? Heis willing toſtaytillallcauſes have had their operations, till he hath received the former and the latter rain; and ſhall not I, tilltheDivine decrees be accomplished?
Secondly, In meditation, make the reſemblance, anddifcourſethus within yourſelves : This is my feed-time, heaven is my harvest ; here I must labour and toil, and there reſt.
I fee thehusbandman's life is agreat toil : no excellent thing canbeobtainedwithout labour, and an obſtinate patience.
I ſee the feed must behidden in the furrows, rotten and corrupted, e'er itcan ſpring forthwith any increaſe. Our hopes. arehidden, light is fownfor the righteous ; all our comforts areburied underthe clods, and after all this there inuſt be long waiting, we cannot fow and reap in a day ; effects cannot follow,till all neceſſary cauſes have firſt wrought.
It isnotinthepower ofhusbandmento ripen fruits at pleaſure, our times are in the hands of God, therefore it is good to wait; a long-fuffering patience will reap the defired fruit.
Thus you have fome hints ofthis heavenly art of improving the creatures.
The motives inducing me to this undertaking, were the Lord's owning with fome fucceſs, my labours of a like nature, together with Navigation Spithe defire and inclination (ftirred up in ritualized.
A2 Dr. Manton.
The Epistle Dedicatory. me, I hope, by the Spirit ofthe Lord, todevote my vacant hours tohis ſervice in this kind.) I confidered, that if the Phariſees in a blind zeal to a faction, could compaſs ſea and landtoproſelyte men to theirparty, thoughtherebythey made them ſevenfoldmore the childrenofthedevilthanbefore; how muchmore was Iobliged,by true love toGod, andzeal to the everlaftinghappiness offouls,to uſemyuttermostendeavours, bothwithfeamen and husbandmen, towinthem toChrift, and thereby makethem morethan ſeventy-sevenfold happier than before? Not to mention other encouragements to this work, which I received from the earnest defires of ſome reverend and worthy brethren inviting thereunto; all which I hope the eventwillmanifeſt tobe a callfromGod to thiswork.
Iconfeſs I metwith ſomediſcouragementinmyfirſt attempt, from myunacquaintedneſs with rural affairs; and becauſe I was totravel in a path (to me) untrodden; but having once engaged in it, thoſe diſcouragements were foon overcome: andbeing now brought towhatyouhere ſee, Ioffer to your hands theſe firſt-fruits ofmy ſpare hours.
Iprefumeyou will account itnodifparagement, that Idedicateabookof husbandry togentlemenofyourquality.
This isſpiritual 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. "Theking himſelf is ſervedby the field," Eccleſ. v. 9. Or, as Montanus renders theHebrew text, Rexagrofit fervus; 'The king himselfis a fervant to the field. And of king Uzziah it is written, 2 Chron. xxvi. 10. "That he
" lovedhusbandry," AndAmosvii.1.weread oftheKing's mowings.
Yea, Pliny hath obſerved, that cornwas neverfo plentiful at Rome, as when the ſame mentilled thelandthat ruledthecommonwealth.
Quafigauderet terra laureatovomere, fcilicet et aratore triumphali ; as thoughtheearth itſelfrejoiced in the laurelledplow-ſhare, and the triumphantplowman.
What pleaſure you will find in reading it, I know not; buttome ithathbeena pleasant path, from firſt to last ; who yethavebeenat far greaterexpence oftime and pains incompiling it, than youcanbe in reading it.
The husbandman's work, you know, is noeaſy work, andthe ſpiritualizing of it hath greater difficulties attending it; butyetthepleaſurehath abundantlyrecompenſed thepains. I have foundEraſmus his obſervationexperimentallytrue ; Qui litteris addictifumus, animi laffitudinem a studiis gravioribus contractum ; ab iifdem tudiis,fed amoenioribus recreamus : Thoſe that are addictedto
The Epistle Dedicatory.
ſtudy,(faithhe)whentheyhave weariedtheir ſpiritswith ſtudy, can recreate them again with ſtudy, by making a diverſion from that which is ſevere and knotty,toſome more facile and pleaſant ſubject.
But tohear that Godhath uſedand honoured theſe papers to thegoodof any foul,will yield me the highest content and ſatisfaction imaginable.
May you but learn that leſſon, which is the general ſcope anddeſign ofthis book, viz. How to walk with God from daytoday, and make the ſeveral objects you behold,Scalae etalae, wings and ladders to mount your fouls nearer to him, who is the centerof all bleſſed ſpirits. Howmuch will it comfortme, andconfirm my hope, that it was the call ofGod indeed, which put meupon theſe endeavours !
O Sirs ! What an excellent thing would itbe for you, to make ſuch holy improvements ofalltheſe 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,byabuſingthem to fin, and ſubjecting them totheirlufts. Aman maybecaſt into ſuch acondition, whereinhe cannot enjoy the bleſſing and benefit of apious and powerful miniſtry ; but you cannot (ordinarily) fall into ſuch a condition, wherein anything (excepting a bad heart) can deprive you of the benefits and comforts of thoſe excellent fermons, anddivinity lectures, which the creatures here offer to preach and read to you.
Content not yourſelves, Ibeſeech you, with that natural ſweetneſs the creatures afford; forthereofthe beaſts arecapable, as much, if not more, than you ; butuſe them to thoſe ſpiritual ends you are here directed, andthey will yield you a ſweetneſs far tranſcendingthat naturalſweetneſsyou ever reliſhed in them ; and indeed, you never uſe the creatures as their Lord's, tillyoucome to ſeeyour Lord, in and bythem.
I confess the discoveries ofGod 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 ofChrist, or richdiscoveries ofthat gracethat hath no footſteps in nature, asthe apostle's expreſſion ſignifies, Ephef. iii. 8.
And if that which might be known ofGodbythe creatures, leave menwithout excuſe ; as it is manifeſt,Rom. i. 20. How inexcufable then will thoſe be,who have received notonlythe teachingsof thecreature, but alſo the grace ofthegoſpel in vain! "How ſhall weeſcape,ifwe neglectſo great ſalvation ?"
The Epistle Dedicatory.
They that are careless in theday ofgrace, ſhall be ſpeechless in theday ofjudgment .
Iam ſenſible ofmany defects in theſe papers (as well as in myſelf;) they have doubtleſs a taste ofthe distractions of the timeswhereinthey were written; nor was I willing to keep them ſolong under-hand, as theaccurateneſs and exactneſswith which ſuch a fubject ought to be handled, did require. Had
Ideſigned my own credit, I ſhouldhave obſervedthat counſel, Nonumqueprematur inannum, (i. e.) To have kept itmuch longerunder the file, before I had expoſed it to public view ; but I rather inclined to Solomon's counsel, "Whatever thy
" hand finds out todo, do itwith all thy might , for there is " nowisdom, nor knowledge, nor devicein thegrave, whither
" thou art going," Ecclef. ix. 10, I apprehend a neceffity offome ſuch means tobe uſed, for the inſtruction and conviction ofcountry-people ; who either are not capable of underſtanding truth inanother dialect, or at leaft are leſs affected with it.
The propofition inevery chapterconfifts ofanobſervation inhusbandry ; wherein, if Ihave failed in uſing any improper expreffion, your candour will cover it, and impute it to my unacquaintedneſs in rural affairs :
-In magnis voluiffefat est.
The reddition or application, you will find (I hope) both pertinent andclofe.
The reflections ſerious, and fuch (as I hope) your confciences will faithfully improve.
I have ſhut up every chapter with a Poem, an innocent bait to catch the reader's foul.
That ofHerbert is experimentally true:
Averſemay find him thata fermon flies, Andturn delight into a facrifice.
I ſhould never have been perfuaded (eſpecially in thisſcribling age, wherein wemaycomplain with thepoet,
Scribimus indocti, doctique poemata paffim,) to have ſet my dull fancyuponthe rack to extort a poem to entertain my reader; for I cannot ſay with Ovid, Spontefua carmen, &c. but that I have been informed,that many feamen, induced by the pleaſure of a verſe, have taken much painstolearn the poems intheir compaſs by heart; and I hope both the children at home, andthe ſervants in the fields, will
Jearn to exerciſethemselves thisway alſo. O, howmuch betterwill itbe ſo to do, than to ſtufftheir memories with obſceneballads; and filthyfongs,which corrupt their minds,and difpoſe them to much wickedneſsby irritating their natural