Husbandry spiritualized, or, The heavenly use of earthly things consisting of many pleasant observations, pertinent applications, and serious reflections and each chapter concluded with a divine and suitable poem : directing husband-men to the most excellent improvements of their common imployments : whereunto is added ... several choice occasional meditations / by John Flavell.

OBSERVATION.

THe earth after that it is plowed and sowed, must be wa∣tered and warm'd with the dews and ifluences of hea∣ven, or no fruit can be expected. If God do not open to you his good treasure, the heavens to give rain unto the Land in its season, and bless all the work of your hands, as it is, Deut. 28. 12. The earth cannot yield her increase, The order and dependance of natural causes in the productions of fruit, is excellently described, Hos. 2. 21. 22. I will hear the hea∣vens, and they shall hear the earth; and the earth shall hear the corn, and wine, and Oyl, and they shall hear Iezreel. Iezreel

must have corn, and wine, and Oyl, or they cannot live; they cannot have it, unless the earth bring it forth, the earth can∣not bring it forth without the heavens, the heavens cannot yield a drop unless God hear them; that is; unlock and o∣pen them. Nature and natural causes are nothing else b••t the order in which God works. This some Heathe••s by the light of nature acknowledged, and therefore when they went to plow in the morning, they did lay one hand upon the plow (to speak their own part to be painfulness) and hold up the other hand to Ceres the Goddess of Corn, to shew, that their expectation of plen••y was from their supposed Deity. I fear many Christians lay both hands to the plow, and seldom lift up heart or hand to God, when about that work. There was an husbandman (saith Mr. Smith) that alwayes sowed good Seed, but never had good Corn; at last a neigh∣bour came to him, and said, I will tell you what probably may be the cuse of it? It may be (said he) you do not steep your Seed; no truly said the other, nor ever did I hear that Seed must be steeped; yes surely, said his neighbour, and I will tell you how, it must be steeped in prayer. When the party heard this, he thanked him for his counsel, reformed his fault, and had as good Corn as any man whatsoever, Sure∣ly, it is not the Husbandmans, but God steps that drop fatness. Alma Mater terra, the earth indeed is a fruitful mo∣ther, but the rain which ••ecundates and fertilizes it, hath no other father but God, Iob 38. 28.

Notes

• Natura nihil al••••d est qua•• divinorum ope∣rum ordo.
• Brentius.
• Weems Cerem. Law.
• Smiths Essex Dove.