Upon the fight of a robin-red-breast picking up
Husbandry Spiritualized; or, Whilst, on the other side,"the heart of the wicked (as Solo- "mon hath observed) is little worth," how much soever his cloaths be worth. Alas ! it falls out too frequentlyamongus,as it doth with men in the Indies, who walk over the rich veins of gold and silver ore,which lies hid under a ragged and barren surface, and know it not.
For my own part, I desire not to value any man by what is extrinfical and worldly, but by that true internal excellencyofgrace,which makes the face to shine in the eyes of God and goodmen: I would contemn a vile person, though never so glorious in the eye of the world; but honoursuch as fear the Lord, how sordid and despicable soever to appearance.
MEDIT.
Upon the fight ofa robin-red-breast picking up a worm from a mole-hill, then rising. and birdwatchingso intently above, I made a stand to observe the issue; when in a little time the bird descends, and seizes upon a worm, which I perceived was crawhng apace from the enemy below that hunted her, but fell to the share of another which from above waited for her. My thoughts presently suggested these meditations from that occasion : methought this poor worm seemed to be the emblem of my poor soul, which is more endangered by its own lusts of pride and covetousness, than this worm was by the mole and bird : my pride, like the aspiring bird, watches for it above; my covetousness, like this fubterraneanmole,digging for it beneath.
Poor soul! What afad dilemma art thou brought to ? If thou godown into the caverns of this earth,there thou art a prey to thy covetousness that hunts thee ; and if thou aspire, or but creep upward,there thy pride waits to ensnare thee.
Distressed foul! whither wilt thou go ? Ascend thou mayeft, not by vain elation, but by a heavenly conversation, beside which there is noway for thy preservation; " the way of life is
" above to the wife," &c.
Again, I could not but observe the accidental benefit this poor harmless bird obtained by the labour of the mole, who hunting intentionally for herself, unburroughed and ferreted outthisworm for the bird, who poflibly, was hungry enough, and could nothavebeenrelievedfor this time,butbythemole, the fruitofwhose labour she now feeds upon.
Even thus the Lordoft-times makes good hiswordtohis people : "The wealth
The Heavenly Use of Earthly Things.
"of the wicked is laid up for the just." And again, " The " earth shallhelpthewoman."
This was fully exemplified in David, to whom Nabal, that churlish muckworm, speaks all in poffessives. " Shall I take my bread," &c. " and give it to " one I krow not whom ?" AndyetDavid reaps the fruit of all the pains and toils ofNabal at last.
Let it never encourage me to idleness, that God sometimes gives his people the fruit of others sweat; but if providence reduce me to necessity, and disable me from helping myself, I doubt not then, but it will provide instruments to do it. The bird was an hungry, and couldnotdig.
MEDIT.
VI.
Upontheshooting of two finches fighting in the air.
H OW soon hath death ended the quarrel betwixt these two little combatants ! had they agreed better, they might have lived longer; it was theirowncontentionthatgave both the opportunity and provocation of their death ; and though living they could not, yet, being dead, they can lie quietly together in my hand.
Foolish birds, was itnotenoughthat birds ofpreywatched todevourthem, but theymustpeck and seratch one another?
Thus have I seen the birds of paradise (faints I mean) tearing and wounding each other, like so many birds of prey, and by their unchristian contests giving the occafionoftheir common ruin; yea, and that notonlywhen at liberty, as these were, butwheningaged also; and yet, as one well observes, i fever
Christians will agree, it will either be in a prison,or in heaven; for in a prison their quarrelsome lusts lie low, and in heaven they shallbeutterlydone away.
ButO what pity is it, that those who shall agree so perfectly in heaven, should bite and devour each other upon earth?
That it should be said of them, as one ingeniously observed, who saw their carcasses lie together, as if they had lovingly embracedeachother,who fell together by a duel ; Quanta amicitiafe invicem amplectuntur ; qui mutua et implacabili inimicitiaperierunt!
Embracingone another, now they lie, Who by each other's bloody hands did die.
Or, as he said, who observed how quietly andpeaceablythe dust and bones, evenofenemies,did lie together in the grave;
Nontanta vivipace conjuncti effetis ; you did not live toge ther so peaceably.
IfconfcienceofChrist's command will not,
VOL . VI.
Husbandry Spiritualized; or, yet the consideration ofcommonsafety should powerfully per fuade tounityand amity.
MEDIT .
VII.
Upon the singing ofablindfinchby nighť.
A Dear friend, who was a great observer of the works of God in nature,told me, that being entertained with a fight of many rarities at a friend's house in London ; among other things, his friends thewedhim afinch, whose eyes being putout,would frequently sing, even at midnight. This bird. in my opinion, is the lively emblem of such careless and unconcerned persons, as the prophet describes,Amos vi. 4, 5, 6. who chant to the viol,when adismalnight of trouble and affriction hath over-shadowed the church.. You would have thought it strange to have heard this bird sing in the night, when all others are in a deep silence except the owl, an unclean bird, and the nightingale ; which before we made the emblem of the hypocrire. And as strange it is, that any,excepttheprophane andhypcritical, should so unseasonably express their mirth and jollity; that anyofSion's children should live in pleasure,whilst the herself lies in tears. The people of God, in Psal cxxxvii. tellus, in what postures of for row they fat ; even like birds, with their heads under their wings,during the night of the in captivity. "How thallwe sing the Lord's songs in a strange
" land?" It is like enough, such as can sing, and chant in the night of the church's trouble, have well feathered their nests in thedaysofherprosperity; however, let them know,that God will turn their unseasonable mirth into a sadder note; and those thatnowfit fad, and silent, shall shortly sing forjoyofheart, when " the winter is past,the rain over and gone, the flowers appear again upon the earth, and the time of the singing of birds is come."
MEDIT.
VIII .
Upon the comparing of two birds nests.
IS pretty to observe the structure and commodioufness ofthehabitations of these little architects,who, though they act not by reason and counsel,but only by natural instinct, yet reason itself could hardly have contrived a neater building of such simple materials. How neatly hath the thrush ceiledor plastered his nest, with admirable art, and industry ! how warmly hath thefinch matted his? And both well fenced aT gainst the injury of the weather..
The Heavenly Use of Earthly Things .
How comfortably hath nature provided convenient habitations for these weak and tender young ones, who have warm lodging, and variety of provisions hourly brought them, without their care or pains ? This trifling object suggests to my thoughts a more excellent and serious contemplation, even the wonderful and unparalleled abasement of Jesus Christ,who for myfakevoluntarilyfubmitted himself to a more destitute and neglected state, than these birds of the air : For Matth. viii. 20. he faith, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have
" nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head."
" The craggy rock to foxes.holes afford, " The pleasant woods a resting-place to birds;
" For Christ no fixed habitation's found, " But what was borrow'd, or the naked ground *."
Omelting consideration ! that the glorious Son of God, John i. 14. "The Lord of glory," James ii. 1. "The brightness
" of his Father's glory," Heb. i. 3. "Who was rich," 2 Cor. viii. 9. " and thought it not robbery to be equal with God,"
Phil. ii. 6. who from all eternity was infinitely and ineffably " delighting and rejoicing in the bosom of his Father," Prov. viii. 30. that he, I say, should manifelthimself in flesh, 2 Tim . iii. 16. yea, " in the likeness of sinful fleih," Rom. viii. 3 . that is, in flesh that had the marks and effects of fin upon it, as hunger, thirst, pain, weariness and mortality, and not only so,but tochuse such a state of outward meanness and poverty, never being possessed of a house in this world, but living as a stranger in other mens houses, and stooping in this respect to a lower condition than the very birds of the air, and all this for enemies .
Olet it work both admiration and thankfulness in my soul ! my body is better accommodated than the body of my Lord. "Dear Jesus ! by how much the viler thou madest
" thyself for me, by so much the dearer shalt thou be to " me t."
Dd2 * Vulpibus infaltu rupes excifa latebras Prabat, et aereis avibus dat silva quietem ;
Aft hominis nato nullisfuccedere tectis Eft licitumHeinf. in loc.
+ Quantopro me vilior, tanto mihi charior.
Bern .
Husbandry Spiritualized , or, MEDIT.
IX.
Upon the early singing of birds.
OW am I reprovedof fluggishness by these watchfu H birds! which chearfully entertain the very dawning of the morning with their chearful and delightful warblings !
They set their little spirits all a-workbetimes, whilftmynobler spirits are bound with the bonds of foftand downy slumbers.
For shame, my soul ! suffer not that publican sleep to seize so much of thy time, yea, thy best andfresnesttime ; reproveand chidethy fluggishbody, as agoodbishop once did,when,upon the sameoccafion, he said, Surrexerunt pafferes,et fternunt pontifices.
The early chirping sparrows may reprove Such lazy bishops as their bedsdolove.
Of many fluggards it maybe said, as Tully said ofVerres, the deputy of Sicily, Quod nunquamfolem nec orientem, necor cidentem viderat ; that he never saw the fun rising, being in bed after, nor setting, being in bed before.
It is pity that Christians, ofallmen, shouldfuffer sleep to cut such large thongs out of so narrow a hide, as their time on earth is .
But, alas ! it is not so much early rising, as awise improving those fresh and free hours with God, that will enrich the soul; else, as our proverb faith,A man may be early up, and never the near ; yea, far better it is to be found in bed sleeping, than to be up doing nothing, or that which is worse than nothing. O my soul ! learn to prepofless thyself every morning with the thoughts of God, and suffer not those fresh and sweet operations of thy mind to be prostituted to earthly things; for that is experimentally true, which † one, in this case,hath pertinently observed, that if the world get the start of religion in the morning, itwillbehard for religion to overtake it all the day after.
MEDIт. х.
Upon the haltering of birds, with a grain of hair.
Bserving, in a snowy season, how the poor hungry birds were haltered and drawn in by a grain of hair cunningcaitover their heads, whilst, poor creatures,they were busily feeding, and suspected no danger; and even whilst their con
+ Mr. Case, in Epift. to the Morn. Lect.