Occasional Meditatons
Huſtandry Spiritualized; or, Compar'd withyours ? Or is eternity Afhorter term than yours, thatyou ſhouldply
The one ſo clofe, and totally neglect The other, as not worthyour leaſt reſpect.
Perhaps the devil, whoſe plot from you's conceal'ds Perſuades your title's good, and firmly ſeal'd
ByGod's own Spirit ; though you never found One act of faving grace to lay a ground For that perfuafion.
Soul, hehath thee faſt, Tho he'll not let thee know it till the laſt.
Lord, waken ſinners, make them underſtand, "
Twixt thee andthem, howrawly matters ſtand:
Give them no quiet reſt untilthey fee Their fouls ſecur'd better than lands canbe.
Occafional MEDITATIONS upon Birds, Beafts, Trees, Flowers, Rivers, and other Objects.
MEDITATIONS ON BIRDS.
MEDITATON
Upon thefinging ofa nightingale.
HO that hears ſuch various, raviſhing, and exquifite W melody,wouldimagining fo fmall and contemptible abody and feather ? Her charming voice engaged not only mine attentive ear, but my feet alſo to make a nearer approach tothat ſhady buſh in which that excellent muſician fat veiled ; and the nearer I came, the ſweeter themelody ftill feemed to be; butwhen 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 occafion of this following application.
Thisbirdfeems to me the livelyemblem ofthe formalhypocrite; ( 1.) In that sheis morein foundthan fubftance, a loud and excellent voice,but a little deſpicablebody ; and it recalled tomy thoughts the ſtory of Plutarch, who hearing a nightingale, defired to have one killed to feed upon, not queſtioning but she wouldpleaſe the palate as well as the ear ; butwhen thenightingale was brought him, andhe fawwhat a poor little creature it was, Truly, faidhe, thou art vox et practerea nihil, amere voice, andnothingelse ; ſo is thehypocrite : did aman
The Heavenly Use of Earthly Things.
hear him fometimes in more publicduties and diſcourſes, O, thinks he, what an excellent man is this ! what a choice and rare ſpirit is be of! but followhim home, obſervehim in his privateconverſation and retirements, andthen you willjudge
Plutarch's note as applicable to him as the nightingale.
(2.) This bird isobſerved tocharm moſt ſweetly, and ſet her ſpirits all on work, when she perceives the hath engaged attention ; ſo doth the hypocrite, who lives andfeeds upon the applaufe andcommendation ofhis admirers, and cares little for any of thoſeduties wich bring in no returns of praiſe from men : he is littlepleaſed with a filent melody and private pleaſure betwixtGod and his own foul .
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 theatrethan the cloſet ; and of ſuchChrift faith, " Verilytheyhavetheir reward."
(3.) Naturalifts obſervethe nightingale tobean ambitious bird,thatcannot 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.
Nowthe 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 ; Anightingale o'erheard him, that did uſe
To ſojourn inthe neighbour groves, the muſe That fill'd theplace, the fyrene of the wood
(Poor harmleſs fyrene!) ſtealing near, ſhe ſtood Cloſe lurking inthe leaves, attentively Recording that unwonted melody :
She conn'd it toherſelf; 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 hafte He tries his lute, andgiving her a taſte
Of the enfuing quarrel, nimblybeats Onall his ſtrings: as nimblytherepeats ; Cc2
Husbandry Spiritualized; or, Andwildlyraging o'er a thouſand keys, Sounds a ſhrillwarningofherafter-lays :
With rolling handthe 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 againwith nimbletouch,thenſtays :
Thebird replies, and art with art repays..
Sometimes as oneunexpert, and indoubt, How she might wield her voice, ſhedrawethout
Her tone at large, anddoth at firſt prepare Afolemn ſtrain, norwear'dwith winding air,
But with an equalpitch, 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 thefound, and, witha quivering voice, Falls back again. He wondringhow fo choice,
So various harmony could iſſue out From ſuch a little throat, dothgo about Someharder leſſons,and with wond'rous art,
Changing the ſtrings, doth up the treble dart, And downward ſmite thebaſe,with painful ſtroke
Hebeats ; and as the trumpetdoth provoke Sluggards to fight, even ſo his wanton ſkill
With mingleddiſcordjoins the hoarfe and ſhrill.
The birdthis alſo tunes ; and whilſt ſhe cuts Sharp notes with meltingvoice,and mingled puts
Meaſures ofmiddle found,then ſuddenly She thunders deep, andjugs it inwardly With gentlemurmur, clear and dull the fings
By courſe, as when the martial warning rings.
Believ't the minstrel bluſht, with angrymood:
Inflam'd (quothhe) thou chantress of the wood, Either from thee I'llbearthe prize away,
Or vanquish'd, breakmy lute without delay.
Unimitable accents thenhe ſtrains, His hand flies onthe ſtrings ; in onehe chains...
Fardifferent numbers, chaſing here and there, Andall the ſtrings helabours every where ?
Both flat and ſharp he ſtrikes, and ſtatelygrows Soprouder ſtrains, and backward as he goes
The Heavenly Use of Earthly Things.
Doublydivides, andcloſinguphis lays Like a fullchoir, a ſhivering confort plays :
Thenpaufing, ſtood in expectation Ofhis co-rival, nor durſt anſwer on.
But ſhe,when practice long her throat hadwhet, Enduring not toyield, at once doth ſet Her ſpirits all to work, and all in vain ;
For whilft the labours to expreſs again, Withnature's ſimple voice, fuchdivers keys,
Withflenderpipes ſuch lofty notes as theſe.
O'ermatch'dwith high deſigns, o'ermatch'd withwoc; Juſt atthe last encounterofher foe, "
Shefaints, thedies, falls on his inſtrument Thatconquer'dher, a fitting monument.
So far even little fouls are driven on, Struckwith avirtuous emulation.
Andevenas farare hypocrites driven on by their ambition andpride,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 awhole choir ofbirds chirping and twinkling together, it engaged my curiofity a little to enquire into the occafion ofthat convocation, which mine eye quickly informedme of; for I perceived adeadhawk in thebush, about whichtheymadefuch anoiſe, ſeeming to triumph atthedeath oftheirenemy ; and I could not blame them tofinghis knell, who, like a Canibal, was wont to feedupon their living bodies, tearingthemlimbfromlimb, andſcaringthemwith his frightful appearance.
This bird, which livingwas ſo formidable, beingdead, thepoorestwrenor titmouſe fears not to chirp or hopover. Thisbrings tomy thoughts the baſe and ignoble ends ofthegreatest tyrants, and greedy ingroffers oftheworld, ofwhom(whilst living) menwere more afraid,thanbirds ofa hawk,but dead, became objects of contempt and ſcorn. The death of fuch tyrants is both inglorious and unlamented;
"Whenthe wickedperiſh, there is ſhouting," Prov. xi. 10
Whichwas exemplified to the life, at the death ofNero, of whomthepoet thus fings ; Cummors crudelem rapuiſſetſava Neronem, Credibile est multos Romam agitaffejocas.
Husbandry Spiritualized ; or, When cruel Nero dy'd, th' hiſtorian tells, How Rome did mournwith bonefires, plays,andbells.
Remarkable for contemptand ſhame have the ends ofmany bloodytyrants been. SoPompeythe great, ofwhom Claudian the poet ſings,
Nuduspafcit aves,jacet enquipoffidet orbem Exiguæ telluris inops 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 thirtydays; andWilliamthe Conqueror,withmanyother fuch birds ofprey: whilſta beneficial andholy life is usuallycloſed upin anhonourable and much lamenteddeath.
For mine own part, I wish Imayſoordermyconverſation in theworld, that Imay live,when I am dead, in the affections ofthe beſt, and leave an honourable teftimony in theconfciences ofthe worſt; that I may oppreſs none,do good to all, and ſay,when I die, as good Ambroſe did, I am neitherashamed to live, nor afraid todie.
MEDIT.
III.
Upon thefight of a blackbird taking fanctuary in a bushfroma pursuing hawk.
WHEN I saw how hardly the poorbirdwas put to it to ſave herſelffrom her enemy, who hovered juſt over thebush inwhich ſhe was fluttering andſqueaking, I couldnot buthaſten to relieveher, (pityand fuccourbeing adue debt to the diſtreſſed ;) which, when I had done, thebird would not depart from thebush, though her enemy were gone ; this act ofkindneſs was abundantiy repaid by this meditation, with which I returned to my walk ; my foul, like this bird, was once diſtreſſed, purſued,yea, ſeizedby Satan,whohad certainlymade a preyofit, had not Jefus Chriſt been a fanctuary to itinthathour ofdanger. How ready didI find him to receivemy poor foul into his protection ? Thendid 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 andpertinent ſtory ofthephiloſopher, who walking in the fields, a bird, purſued byahawk, flew into his boſom ; he took her out, and faid, ' Poor bird, I will neitherwrong
' thee, nor expoſetheeto thine enemy, fince thou cameſt to
TheHeavenlyUse ofEarthly Things.
me for refuge.
Sotender, and more than fo, is the Lord Jeſus todiſtreſſed ſouls thatcome unto him.
Bleſſed Jefus ! how ſhould I love and praiſe thee,glorify and admire thee, for thatgreat falvationthou hast wrought for me ? Ifthis bird had fallenintothe claws ofher enemy, the had been torn topieces, indeed, anddevoured, but thena few minutes had diſpatched her; and ended all her painand mifery : but hadmyfoulfallen into the handofSatan, there had been no end of its miſery.
Would not this ſcared bird be flushed out ofthe bush that fecured her, though Ihad chaſed awayher enemy ? And wilt thou, O my foul, ever be enticed or ſcaredfrom Chriſt thy refuge ? O let this for ever engage thee to keep cloſe toChrift, andmakeme ſay, with Ezra, "And now,O Lord, fince thou
" haftgivenme ſuch a deliverance asthis, ſhould Iagainbreak "thy commandments!"
MEDIT.
IV.
Upon thefight of divers goldfinches intermingling withaflock ofSparrows .
M Ethinks theſebirdsdo fitlyreſemblethe gaudycourtiers, andthe plain peasants ;how ſpruce and richly adorned with ſhining andvarious coloured feathers (like ſcarlet, richly laidwithgoldandfilver lace)are thoſe ? How plainlyclad, in ahome ſpun country ruffet are theſe ? Fine feathers (faith ourproverb) make proud birds ; andyet the feathers of the ſparrow areasusefulandbeneficial,both forwarmthand flight, though notſo gayand ornamental, as the others ; and ifboth wereſtript outof their feathers, the ſparrow would prove the better bird ofthe two : by which I ſee, thatthe greatestworth doth not always lieunderthe finestcloaths : Andbesides,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 Godſhall
: ſtrip men out ofallexternal excellencies, theſe will befound to exceltheirglittering neighbours intrue worth andexcellency.
Littlewould amanthinkſuch rich treaſures ofgrace, wifdom,humility, &c. lay underſome rufſſetcoats.
Saepefub attrita latitatfapientia vefte.
Underpoorgarments moretrue worthmaybe Thanunder filks thatwhistle,who but he.