Upon the fight of a fair spreading oak,
The Heavenly Use of Earthly Things.
W > MEDIТ.
III.
Upon the fight of afairspreading oak.
HAT a lofty flourishing tree is here ? It seems rather to be a little wood, than a single tree, every limb thereof having the dimensions and branches ofa tree in it; and yet as great as it is, it was once but a little flip, which one might pullup with two fingers ; this vast body was contained virtually and potentially in as mall acorn. Well then, I will never despise the dayofsmallthings, nor despair of arriving to aneminency of grace, though at present it be but as a bruised reed, and the things that are in me be readytodie. As things in nature, so the things of the Spirit, grow up to their fulness and perfection by flow and insensible degrees. The famous and heroical acts of the most renowned believers were such as themselves could not once perform, oritmaybethink theyever should.
Great things, both in nature and grace, come from smallandcontemptiblebeginnings.
MEDIT. IV.
Upon the fight of manystickslodgedin the branches ofa choice fruit-tree.
HOW is this tree battered with stones, and loaded with sticks, that have been thrown at it, whilst those that grow about it, being barren, or bearing harsher fruit, escape untouched! Surely if its fruit had not been so good, its usage had not been so bad. And yet it is affirmed, that some trees, as the walnut, &c. bear the better for being thus bruised and battered..
Even thus it fares in both respects with the bestofmen; the the more holy, the more enviedandperfecuted; every one that passes by will have a fling at them. Methinks I see how devils and wicked men walk round about the people of God, whom he hath inclosed in his arms of power, like so many boys about an orchard, whose lips water to have a fling at them.
But God turns all the stones of reproach into precious stones to his people ; they bear the better for being thus battered. And in them is that ancient * observation verified.
" The palms and crowns of virtue thus increase ; " Thus persecution's turned into peace."
Ee2 :
* Crefcunt virtutumpalmae, crefcuntque coronae Mutanturmundiprælia, pace Dei.
Husbandry Spiritualized; or, Let me be but fruitful to God in holiness, and ever abounding in the work of the Lord, and then whilst devils and men are flinging at me, eitherbyhand or tongue perfecutions,
I will sing amidst them all with the divine poet :
" What open force, or hidden charm,
" Can blast my fruits, or bring me harm, " Whilst the inclosure is thine arm ?" Herb. Poem. p. 125.
MEDIT.
Upon the gathering ofchoicefruit from a Scrubbed, unpromifing W tree.
Ould any man think to find such rare delicious fruit upon such a nun unworthy tree to appearance as this is ?
I should rather have expected the most delicious fruit from the most handsome and flourishing trees ; but I see I must neither judge the worth of trees or men by their external form and appearance. This is not the first time I have been deceived in judging by that rule ; under fair and promising outsides I have found nothing of worth ; and in many deformed despicable bodies, I have found precious and richly furnished souls. The sap and juice of this scrubbed tree is concocted into rare and excellent fruits, whilst the juice and sap of some other fair, but bairen trees, serves only to keep them from rotting, which is all the use that many fouls which dwell in beautiful bodies serve for; they have, as one faith, animam pro sale ; their souls are butfalt to their bodies .
Or thus, The only use to which their souls do serve, Is but like salt, their bodies to preserve.
If God have given me a found foul ina foundbody, I have a double mercy to bless him for ; but whether my body be vigorous and beautiful, or not, yet let my soul be so: for as the esteem of this tree, so the esteem and true honour of every man, rises rather from his fruitfulness and usefulness, than from his shape and form、 MEDIT.
VI .
Upon an excellent, but irregular tree.
Eeing atreegrow somewhat irregular, in avery neat orS chard, I told the owner it was pity that tree should stand there; and that if it were mine I would root it up, and thereby reduce the orchard to an exact uniformity.
It was replied to this purpose, That he rather regarded the fruitthantheform;" and that this flight inconveniencywas abundantly preponderat-
The Heavenly Use of Earthly Things.
édbyamoreconfiderable advantage. This tree,faidhe, which you would root up, hath yielded me more fruit than many of those trees which have nothing else tocommendthembuttheir regular situation.
I could not but yield to the reason of this answer ; and could wish it had been spoken so loud, that all ouruniformity-men had heard it, who will not stick to root up many hundred of the best bearers in the Lord's orchard,because they stand not in an exact order with other more conformable, but less beneficial trees, who perdunt fubftantiam propter accident i a, destroy the fruit to preserve the form .
Not much unlike,such foolish men are those, That strive for shadows, and the substance lose.
MEDITATIONS upon a GARDEN.
MEDIT.
Upon the new-modelling of a garden.
Gentlewomanwho had lately seen a neat and curious garden, returns to her own with a greater dislike of it than ever ; resolves to rew-model the whole plat, and reduce it to a better form ; is now become so curious and neat, that not A a weed or stone is suffered in it, but all must lie in exquisite order ; and whatever ornament she had observed in her neighbours, she is now restless till she sees it in her own.
Happy were it, thought I, if in an holy emulation everyone would thus endeavour to rectify the disorders of their own conversation, by the excellent graces they behold in the more heavenly and regular lives of others.
Some Christians there are (I wish their number were greater) whose actions lie in such a comely and beautiful order, that few of their neighbours can look upon their examples without self-conviction and shame ; but few are so happy to be provoked into self-reformation by fuchrare patterns.
I see it is much easier to pull up manyweeds out ofa garden, than one corruption out of the heart; and to procure an hundred flowers to adorn a knot, than one grace tobeautify the soul.
It is more natural to corrupt man to envy, than to imitate the spiritual excellencies of others.
MEDIT.
II.
Upon the pulling up ofa leek.
Whitehead and a green tail ! How well doth this reA sembleanoldwanton lover,whose greenyouthful lusts
Husbandry Spiritualized or, are not extinguished,though his white head declares that na ture is almost so! Gray hairs should be always matched with gravedeportments; and the sins of youth should rather be the griefs than pleasures of old age.
It is sad when the sins of the soul, like the diseases ofthebody, grow stronger, as nature grows weaker: and it recals to my mind that ancient observa tion of * Menander :
" It is the worst ofevils, to behold "Strongyouthful lusts to rage in one that'sold."
It is athousandpities, that those who have one foot in the grave, should live as if the other were in hell! that their lusts should be so lively, when their bodies are three parts dead !
Such sinful practices bring upon them more contempt and shame, than their hoary heads, and reverend faces can procure themhonour.
"Gray hairs, and aged wrinkles,did of old "Procure more reverence than bags of gold †."
Butalas! how little respect or reverence can thehoaryhead obtain amongst wise men, except it be found in the way of righteousness ? I think thelowestesteem is too much for an old servant of the devil; and the highest honour little enough for an ancient and faithful servant of Christ.
MEDIT.
III.
Upon a heedless tread in a curious garden. was richly adorned with rare tulips, and other beautiful flowers ; I was very careful toshun those flowers, which indeed had no other worth tocommendthem,but their exquisite colour ; andunadvisedly trode upon and spoiled an excellent choiceherb,which, though it grew obscurely,yet had rarephyfical virtues in it.
When I was made sensible of the involuntary trespass I had committed, I thought I could scarcely make the owner abetter compensation,than by telling him,that herein (though against my will) I did but tread in the footsteps of the greatest part of the world,who are very careful (as I was)to keep their due
Senex a more captus, ultimum malum.
†Magna suit cap it is quondam reverentia can i, Men and.
Ovid. 5.Fast.
Inquefuopretio rugafeniliserat.
The Heavenly Use of Earthly Things.
distance from splendid,though worthless gallants, meanwhile trampling upon,and crushing under foot the obscure, but most precious servants of God in the world. As little do they heed these most excellent persons, as I did this precious herb.
Summa ingenia in occult ofæpe latent, faith Plautus.
Parewits, and herbs, sometimes do sculk and shrink In such blind holes, as one would little think.
For my own part, I desire to tread upon no man with the foot of contempt and pride, much less upon any good man ; and that I may not, it concerns me to look before I step ; I mean, to consider before I censure: had I done so by this rare herb, I had never hurt it.
MEDIT.
IV.
Upon awitheredpofy taken up in the way.
☑In ding in my walk, a posy of once sweet and fragrant, F butnowdryandwithered flowers, which I suppose to be thrownawayby one that had formerly worn it: thus, said I, doth the unfaithful world use its friends,whenprovidencehath blasted and withered them ; whilst they are rich andhonourable, they will put them into their bosoms, as the owner of this posydid, whilst it was fresh and fragrant, and as easily throwthemawayas useless and worthless things, when thus they come to be withered. Such usage as this * Petronius long fincecomplainedof.
"Aretheyinhonour ? Then we smile like friends ; "And with their fortunes all our friendship ends."
But this loose and deceitful friend fstinks soodioufly in the verynoftrils of nature, that a †heathen poet severely taxes and condemns it as most unworthy of am an.
""Tis base to change with fortune, and deny "A faithful friend,because in poverty."
And is this indeed the friendship of the world ? Doth it thus use them whom once it honoured ?Then, Lord ! let me never feekits friendship. O let me esteem the smiles and honours of men less, and thy love and favour more ! thy love is indeed unchangeable, being pure, free, andbuiltupon nothing that is
* Cumfortunamanet vultumfervatisamici, Cum cecidit turpi vertitis orafuga.
+Turpesequi cafum,et fortune cedere, amicum Petronius.
Etnififit foelixet effsnegarefaum.
Husbandry Spiritualized ; or, mutable ; thou never servest thy friends as the world doth its darlings.
MEDIT.
Upon the sudden withering ofa rose.
Being with frien garden, we gathered each of us arose; he handled his tenderly, smelled to it but seldom, and sparingly ; I always kept it to my nose, or squeezed it in my hand, whereby in a very short time it loftboth colour and fwetness,but his still remained as sweet and fragrant as if it had been growing upon its own root.
These roses, said I, are the true emblemsof the best and sweetest creature-enjoyments in the world, which being moderately andcautiouslyused and enjoyed, may for a long time yield sweetness to the pofieffor of them; but if once the affection seize too greedily upon them, and squeeze them too hard,they quickly wither in our hands, and we lose thecomfortofthem, and that either thro' the soul's furfeiting upon them, or the Lord's righteous and just removal of them, because of the excess of our affections to them ; earthly comforts, like pictures, shew best at a due distance.
It was therefore a good saying of * Homer, ᾿Ανδει ξεινοδοκώ , &c.
" I like him not, who at the rate " Of all his might doth love or hate."
It is a point of excellent wisdom to keep the golden bridle of moderation upon all the affections we exercise upon earthly things, and never to flip those reins, unless when they move towards God, in whose love there is no danger of excess.
MEDIT.
VI.
Upon the sudden withering ofbeautifulflowers.
OW fresh and orientdidtheseflowers lately appear,when H beingdashedover with the morning dew, they stood in all their pride and glory, breathing out their delicious odours, which perfumed the air round about them,but now are withered and shrivelled up, and have neither anydefireablebeauty or favour in them .
So vain athing is the admired beauty of creatures, which so captivates the hearts, and exercises a pleasing tyranny over *Mihi nunquam is placet hofpes Qui valde preterque modum odit vel am at,
Homer.-