Occasional Meditatons
Hustandry Spiritualized; or, Compar'd with yours ? Or is eternity Afhorter term than yours, that you shouldply
The one so close, and totally neglect The other, as not worth your least respect.
Perhaps the devil, whose plot from you's conceal'ds Persuades your title's good, and firmly seal'd
By God's own Spirit ; though you never found One act of saving grace to lay a ground For that persuasion.
Soul, he hath thee fast, Tho he'll not let thee know it till the last.
Lord, waken sinners, make them understand, "
Twixt thee and them, howrawly matters stand:
Give them no quiet rest until they fee Their souls secur'd better than lands can be.
Occasional MEDITATIONS upon Birds, Beasts, Trees, Flowers, Rivers, and other Objects.
MEDITATIONS ON BIRDS.
MEDITATON
Upon the singing ofa nightingale.
HO that hears such various, ravishing, and exquisite W melody,would imagining fo small and contemptible abody and feather ? Her charming voice engaged not only mine attentive ear, but my feet also to make a nearer approach to that shady bush in which that excellent musician fat veiled ; and the nearer I came, the sweeter the melody still seemed to be; but when I had descried the bird herself, and found her to be little bigger, and no better feathered than a sparrow, it gave my thoughts the occasion of this following application.
Thisbirdfeems to me the lively emblem of the formal hypocrite; ( 1.) In that she is more in found than substance, a loud and excellent voice,but a little despicablebody ; and it recalled to my thoughts the story of Plutarch, who hearing a nightingale, desired to have one killed to feed upon, not questioning but she would please the palate as well as the ear ; but when the nightingale was brought him, and he fawwhat a poor little creature it was, Truly, faidhe, thou art vox et practerea nihil, a mere voice, andnothingelse ; so is the hypocrite : did am an
The Heavenly Use of Earthly Things.
hear him sometimes in more public duties and discourses, O, thinks he, what an excellent man is this ! what a choice and rare spirit is be of! but follow him home, observe him in his private conversation and retirements, and then you will judge
Plutarch's note as applicable to him as the nightingale.
(2.) This bird is observed to charm most sweetly, and set her spirits all on work, when she perceives the hath engaged attention ; so doth the hypocrite, who lives and feeds upon the applause and commendation of his admirers, and cares little for any of those duties wich bring in no returns of praise from men : he is little pleased with a silent melody and private pleasure betwixt God and his own soul .
Scire tuum nihil eft nifi te fcire hoc fciat alter.
Alas! his knowledge is not worth a pin, If he proclaim not what he hath within .
He is more for the theatre than the closet ; and of suchChrift faith, " Verilytheyhavetheir reward."
(3.) Naturalifts observe the nightingale to bean ambitious bird,that cannot endure tobeoutviedby any : she will rather chuse to die than be excelled; a notable instance whereof we have in the following pleasant poem, translated out of Starda, concerning the nigh tingale and a lutanist.
Now the declining fundiddownward bend From higher heavens, and from his looks did fend
Amilder flame, when near to Tyber's flow, A lutanist allayed his careful woe With founding charms; and in a greeny feat
Of shady oak, took shelter from the heat ; A nightingale o'erheard him, that did use
To sojourn in the neighbour groves, the muse That fill'd the place, the fyrene of the wood
(Poor harmless fyrene!) stealing near, she stood Close lurking in the leaves, attentively Recording that unwonted melody :
She conn'd it to herself; and every strain His fingers play'd, herthroatreturn'dagain.
The lutanist perceiv'd an answer sent From th' imitating bird, and was content To shew herplaymorefully: then in haste He tries his lute, and giving her a taste
Of the ensuing quarrel, nimblybeats On all his strings: as nimblytherepeats ; Cc2
Husbandry Spiritualized; or, Andwildlyraging o'er a thousand keys, Sounds a shrillwarningofherafter-lays :
With rolling hand the lutanist then plies The trembling threads, sometimes in scornfulwife
He brushesdownthe strings, and strikes them all With one even stroke ; then takes them several,
Andcullsthem o'er again; hissparklingjoints Withbufydiscantmincingonthe points, Reach back again with nimble touch,then stays :
The bird replies, and art with art repays..
Sometimes as oneunexpert, and in doubt, How she might wield her voice, shedrawethout
Her tone at large, and doth at first prepare Afolemn strain, nor wear'dwith winding air,
But with an equal pitch, and constant throat, Makes clear the passage for her gilding note ;
Then cross division diversly the plays, And loudly chanting out her quickest lays,
Poises the found, and, with a quivering voice, Falls back again. He wondringhow fo choice,
So various harmony could issue out From such a little throat, dothgo about Some harder lessons,and with wond'rous art,
Changing the strings, doth up the treble dart, And downward smite the base,with painful stroke
He beats ; and as the trumpet doth provoke Sluggards to fight, even so his wanton skill
With mingleddiscordjoins the hoarse and shrill.
The bird this also tunes ; and whilst she cuts Sharp notes with melting voice,and mingled puts
Measures of middle found,then suddenly She thunders deep, andjugs it inwardly With gentle murmur, clear and dull the sings
By course, as when the martial warning rings.
Believ't the minstrel blusht, with angry mood:
Inflam'd (quothhe) thou chantress of the wood, Either from thee I'llbearthe prize away,
Or vanquish'd, break my lute without delay.
Unimitable accents then he strains, His hand flies on the strings ; in one he chains...
Far different numbers, chasing here and there, And all the strings helabours every where ?
Both flat and sharp he strikes, and stately grows So prouder strains, and backward as he goes
The Heavenly Use of Earthly Things.
Doubly divides, andclosinguphis lays Like a full choir, a shivering consort plays :
Thenpaufing, stood in expectation Of his co-rival, nor durst answer on.
But she,when practice long her throat hadwhet, Enduring not to yield, at once doth set Her spirits all to work, and all in vain ;
For whilst the labours to express again, With nature's simple voice, fuchdivers keys,
Withflenderpipes such lofty notes as these.
O'ermatch'dwith high designs, o'ermatch'd withwoc; Just at the last encounter of her foe, "
She faints, the dies, falls on his instrument That conquer'dher, a fitting monument.
So far even little fouls are driven on, Struck with a virtuous emulation.
And even as far are hypocrites driven on by their ambition and pride,which is the spurthat provokes them in their reli giousduties.
MEDIT.
II.
Upon the fight of many small birds chirping about a dead hawk.
H Earing a whole choir of birds chirping and twinkling together, it engaged my curiosity a little to enquire into the occasion of that convocation, which mine eye quickly informed me of; for I perceived adeadhawk in the bush, about whichtheymadefuch a noise, seeming to triumph at the death of their enemy ; and I could not blame them tofinghis knell, who, like a Canibal, was wont to feed upon their living bodies, tearingthemlimbfromlimb, andscaringthemwith his frightful appearance.
This bird, which living was so formidable, being dead, thepoorestwrenor titmouse fears not to chirp or hop over. This brings to my thoughts the base and ignoble ends of the greatest tyrants, and greedy ingroffers of the world, of whom(whilst living) men were more afraid,than birds ofa hawk,but dead, became objects of contempt and scorn. The death of such tyrants is both inglorious and unlamented;
"When the wicked perish, there is shouting," Prov. xi. 10
Which was exemplified to the life, at the death ofNero, of whomthepoet thus sings ; Cummors crudelem rapuissetsava Neronem, Credibile est multos Romam agitaffejocas.
Husbandry Spiritualized ; or, When cruel Nero dy'd, th' historian tells, How Rome did mourn with bone fires, plays,and bells.
Remarkable for contempt and shame have the ends of many bloody tyrants been. SoPompeythe great, of whom Claudian the poet sings,
Nuduspafcit aves,jacet enquipoffidet orbem Exiguæ telluris in ops Birds eat his flesh.
Lo, now he cannot have, Who rul'd the world, a space to make a grave.
The like is storied ofAlexandertheGreat,who layunburied thirty days; and William the Conqueror,withmanyother such birds of prey: whilst a beneficial and holy life is usually closed up in anhonourable and much lamented death.
For mine own part, I wish Imaysoordermyconversation in the world, that I may live,when I am dead, in the affections of the best, and leave an honourable testimony in theconfciences of the worst; that I may oppress none,do good to all, and say,when I die, as good Ambrose did, I am neither ashamed to live, nor afraid to die.
MEDIT.
III.
Upon the fight of a blackbird taking sanctuary in a bush from a pursuing hawk.
WHEN I saw how hardly the poorbirdwas put to it to save herself from her enemy, who hovered just over the bush in which she was fluttering and squeaking, I could not but hasten to relieve her, (pity and fuccourbeing a due debt to the distressed ;) which, when I had done, the bird would not depart from the bush, though her enemy were gone ; this act of kindness was abundantiy repaid by this meditation, with which I returned to my walk ; my soul, like this bird, was once distressed, pursued,yea, seized by Satan,who had certainly made a prey of it, had not Jesus Christ been a sanctuary to itinthathour of danger. How ready did I find him to receive my poor soul into his protection ? Then did he make good that sweet promise to my experience, those that come unto me, I will in no wife cast out.
It called to mind that pretty and pertinent story of the philosopher, who walking in the fields, a bird, pursued byahawk, flew into his bosom ; he took her out, and said, ' Poor bird, I will neither wrong
' thee, nor exposetheeto thine enemy, since thou camest to
TheHeavenlyUse of Earthly Things.
me for refuge.
So tender, and more than fo, is the Lord Jesus to distressed souls that come unto him.
Blessed Jesus ! how should I love and praise thee,glorify and admire thee, for that great falvationthou hast wrought for me ? If this bird had fallenintothe claws of her enemy, the had been torn to pieces, indeed, and devoured, but then a few minutes had dispatched her; and ended all her pain and misery : but hadmyfoulfallen into the handofSatan, there had been no end of its misery.
Would not this scared bird be flushed out of the bush that secured her, though I had chased away her enemy ? And wilt thou, O my soul, ever be enticed or scared from Christ thy refuge ? O let this for ever engage thee to keep close to Christ, and make me say, with Ezra, "And now,O Lord, since thou
" haftgivenme such a deliverance as this, should Iagainbreak "thy commandments!"
MEDIT.
IV.
Upon the fight of divers goldfinches intermingling with a flock of Sparrows .
M Ethinks thesebirdsdo fitlyresemblethe gaudycourtiers, and the plain peasants ;how spruce and richly adorned with shining and various coloured feathers (like scarlet, richly laidwithgoldandfilver lace)are those ? How plainlyclad, in a home spun country ruffet are these ? Fine feathers (faith our proverb) make proud birds ; and yet the feathers of the sparrow areasusefulandbeneficial,both for warmth and flight, though not so gay and ornamental, as the others ; and if both werestript out of their feathers, the sparrow would prove the better bird of the two : by which I see, that the greatest worth doth not always lieunderthe finestcloaths : And besides,God canmakemeanand homely garments as useful and beneficial to poor anddespisedChristians,as the ruffling and shining gar ments of wantongallants are to them : and when God shall
: strip men out of all external excellencies, these will be found to exceltheirglittering neighbours in true worth and excellency.
Little would amanthinksuch rich treasures of grace, wisdom,humility, &c. lay under some rufssetcoats.
Saepefub attrita latitatfapientia vefte.
Underpoorgarments more true worth maybe Than under silks that whistle,who but he.