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.

CHAP. I.

More care for Horse and Oxen many take Than for their Souls, or dearest Childrens sake.

OBSERVATION.

MAny Husbandmen are excessively careful about their cattel, rising themselves early, or causing their ser∣vants to rise betimes to provender and dress them. Much time is spent in some Countreys, in trimming and adorning their Horses with curious trappings and plumes of feathers; and if at any time a beast be sick, what care is taken to re∣cover and heal them? you will be sure they shall want no∣thing that is necessary for them; yea, many will chuse ra∣ther to want themselves, than suffer their Horses so to do; and take a great deal of comfort to see them thrive and pro∣sper under their hands.

APPLICATION.

VVHat one said of bloudy Herod, who slew so many children at Bethlehem, That it were better to be his swine, than his Son, may be truly enough applyed to some Parents and Masters, who take less care for the saving the souls of their children and servants, than they do for the bo∣dies of those beasts which daily feed at their stalls and cribs. Many there be who do in reference to their souls, as Iacob did, with respect to the preservation of their bodies, when he put all the herds of cattel before, and his Wives and little ones behind, as he went to meet his brother Esau. 'Tis a weighty saying of a grave Author; It's vile ingratitude to re∣joyce when cattel multiply, and repine when children increase; its Heathenish distrustfulness, to fear, that he who provides for your

beasts, will not provide for your children; and it's no less than unnatural cruelty to be careful of the bodies of beasts, & careless of the souls of children. Let us but a little compare your care and diligence in both respects, and see in a few particulars, whether you do indeed value your own, or your children and servants souls, as you do the life and health of a beast.

Your care for your very Horses is expressed early, whilst [ 1] they are but Colts, and not come to do you any service; you are willing to be at pains and cost, to have them broken and brought to their way. This is more than ever many of them did for their children; they can see them wild and profane, naturally taking a stroke or way of wickedness, but yet ne∣ver were at any pains or cost to break them; these must be fondel'd and cockered up in the natural way of their own corruption and wickedness, and not a rod or reproof used to break them of it.

'Tis observed of the Persians, that they put out their chil∣dren to School as soon as they could speak, and would not see them in seven years after, lest their indulgence should do them hurt.

You keep your constant set times, morning and evening, [ 2] to feed, water and dress your cattel, and will by no means neglect it once; but how many times have you neglected morning and evening duties in your families? yea, how ma∣ny be there, whose very tables, in respect of any worship God hath there, do very little differ from the very cribs and mangers at which their horses feed? As soon as you are up in a morning, you are with your beasts before you have been with your God; how little do such differ from beasts? and happy were it, if they were no more accountable to God than their beasts are?

The end of your care, cost and pains about your cattel is, [ 3] that they may be strong for labour, and the more serviceable to you; thus you comply with the end of their beings. But how rare a thing is it, to find these men as careful to fit their posterity to be useful and serviceable to God in their gene∣rations, which is the end of their beings? If you can make them rich, and provide good matches for them, you reckon

that you have fully discharged the duty of parents; if they will learn to hold the Plow, that you are willing to teach them: But when did you spend an hour to teach them the way of salvation?

Now to convince such careless Parents of the heinousness of their sin, let these four Queries be solemnly considered.

Whether this be a sufficient discharge of that great duty which God hath laid upon Christian Parents, in reference to their families? That God hath charged them with the souls of their families is undeniable, Deut. 6. 6, 7. Eph. 6. 4. If God had not cloathed you with his authority, to command them in the way of the Lord; he would never have charged them so strictly to yield you obedience as he hath done, Eph. 6. 1. Col. 3. 20. Well, a great trust is reposed in you, look to your duty, for without dispute you shall answer for it.

Whether it be likely, if the time of youth (which is the moulding age) be neglected, they will be wrought upon to any good afterwards? Husbandmen, let me put a sensible case to you; Do yo not see in your very horses, that whilst they are young, you can bring them to any way; but if once they have got a false stroke, and by long custom it be grown nutural to them, then there is no breaking them of it: yea, you see it, in your very Orchards, you may bring a tender twig to grow in what form you please; but when its grown to a sturdy limb, there is no bending it afterwards to any other form than what it naturally took. Thus it is with children, Prov. 22. 6. Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.

Whether, if you neglect to instruct them in the way of the Lord, Satan, and their own natural corruptions, will not in∣struct them in the way to hell? Consider this ye careless Pa∣rents; if you will not teach your children, the Devill will teach them; if you shew them not how to pray; he will shew them how to curse and swear, and take the name of the Lord in vain; if you grudge time a pains about their souls, the Devil doth not. Oh, 'tis a sad consideration, that so many children should be put to School to the devil!

What comfort are you like to have from them when they

are old, if you bring them not up in the nurture and admo∣nition of the Lord when they are young? Many Parents have lived to reap in their old age, the fruit of their own folly and careless••ess, in the loose and vain education of their chil∣dren. By Lieurgus his Law, no Parent was to be relieved by his children in age, if he gave them not good education in their youth; and it is a Law at this day among the Switzers, that if any child be condemned to die for a capital offence, the Parents of that child are to be his executioners; these Laws were made to provoke Parents to look better to their charge. Believe this as an undoubted truth; That that child which becomes (through thy default) an instrument to dishonour God, shall prove sooner or later, a son or daughter of sorrow to thee.

REFLECTIONS.

GOd hath found out my sin this day. This hath been my [ 1] practise ever since I had a family committed to my charge; I have spent more time and pains about the bodies of my beasts, then the souls of my children; beast that I am, for so doing; little have I considered the preciousness of my own, or their immortal souls. How careful have I been to provide fodder to preserve my cattel in the Winter, whilst I leave my own, and their souls to perish to eternity, and make no provision for them? Surely my children will one day curse the time that ever they were born unto such a cruel f••∣ther, or of such a merciless mother. Should I bring home the plague into my family, and live to see all my poor children lye dead by the walls, if I had not the heart of a Tyger, such a sight would melt my heart; and yet, the death of their souls by the sin which I propagated to them affects me not! Ah, that I could say, I had done but as much for them, as I have done for a beast that perisheth!

But unhappy wretch that I am, God cast a better lot for [ 2] me, I am the off-spring of religious and tender Parents, who have alwayes deeply concerned themselves in the ever∣lasting state of my soul; many prayers and tears have they

poured out to God for me, both in my hearing as well as in se∣cret; many holy and wholsom counsels have they from time to tome dropt upon me; many precious examples have they set in their own practise before me; many a time when I have sinned against the Lord, have they stood over me with a rod in their hands, and tears in their eyes, using all means to re∣claim me; but like an ungracious wretch I have slighted all their counsels, grieved their hearts, and imbittered their lives to them, by my sinful courses. Ah, my soul! thou art a de∣generate Plant; better will it be with the off-spring of infi∣dels, than with thee, if repentance prevent not; now I live in one family with them, but shortly I shall be separated from them, as far as hell is from heaven; they now tenderly pity my misery, but then they shall approve and applaud the righ∣teous sentence of Christ upon me: So little priviledge shall I then have from my relation to them, that they shall be pro∣duced as witnesses against me, and all their rejected coun∣••els, reproofs, and examples, charged home upon me, as the aggravations of my wickedness; and better it will be, when it shall come to that, that I had been brought forth by a beast, than sprang from the loyns of such Parents.

The Poem.

YOur cattel in fat pastures thrive and grow, There's nothing wanting; that should make them so. The pamper'd horse commends his Masters1 care, Who neither pains, or cost, doth grudge of2 spare. But art not thou mean while, the veriest fool; That pamper'st beasts, and starv'st thy precious soul? 'Twere well, if you could3 dye, as now you live Like beasts; and had no more account to give. O that these lines, your folly might detect! Who both your own, and childrens souls neglect.

To care for beasts. O man, prepare to hear The doleful'st language, that e're pierc'd thine ear! When you your children once in hell shall meet, And with such language their damn'd parents greet, "O cursed father, wretched mother, why "Was I your off-spring? would to God that I "Had sprung from Tygers, who more4 tender be "Unto their young, than you have been to me. "How did you spend your thoughts, time, care and cost "About my body? whilst my soul was5 lost. "Did you not know I had a soul that must "Live,6 when this body was resolv'd to dust? "You could not chuse but understand if I, "Without an interest in Christ did dye, "It needs must7 come to this; O how could you "Prove so remorsless, and no pity shew! "Oh cruel parents! I may curse the day "That I was born of such as did betray "Their child to endless torments. Now must I "With, and through you, in flames for ever lye. Let this make every parent tremble, lest He lose his child, whilst caring for his beast. Or lest his own poor soul do starve and pine Whilst he takes thoughts for Horses, Sheep and kine.

Notes

• Upon the Hus∣bandmans care for his cattel.
• Ienk. on Iude par. 2. p. 170.
• Clárks Mir. p. 506.
• Qu. 1.
• Qu. 2.
• Qu. 3.
• Qu. 4.
• A Reflection for careless Parents.
• A Reflection for the disobe∣dient child of a gracious Parent
• 1

  Isa. 1. 3.
• 2

  Gen. 24. 31, 32.
• 3

  Eccl. 31. 21
• 4

  Nah. 2. 12. Lam. 4. 3.
• 5

  Mat. 16. 26.
• 6

  Eccl. 3. 21.
• 7

  Mar. 16. 16