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.

MEDITATIONS upon Trees.

MEDIT. I.

Vpon the fall of blossoms, nipt by a frosty morning.

BEholding in an early Spring, fruit Trees embossed with beautiful blossoms of various colours, which breathed

forth the delicious odours into the circumambi•• 〈◊〉〈◊〉 and adorned the branches on which they grew, like so many rich jewels, or glittering pendents; and further observing, how these persumed blossoms dropt off, being bitten with the frost and discoloured all the ground, as if a shower of snow had fallen; I said, within my self, these sweet and early Lord, in the days of my first acquaintance with him. Oh! what fervent love? panting desires, and heavenly delights beautified my soul in those dayes! the odoriferous scent of the sweetest blossoms, the morning breath of the most fra∣grant flowers, hath not half that sweetness with which those my first affection were inriched. O! happy time, thrice pleasant Spring! my soul hath it still in remembrance, and is humbled within me; for these also were but blossoms which now are nipt and saded, that first flourish is gone; my heart is like the Winters earth, because thy face, Lord, is to me like a Winter Sun. Awake, O Northwind! and come, South wind, blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out, then let my beloved come into his garden and eat his pleasant fruit!

MEDIT. II.

Vpon the knitting or setting of fruit.

I Have often observed, that when the blossoms of a tree, set and knit, though the flourish thereof be gone, and no∣thing but the bare rudiment of the expected fruit be left; yet then the fruit is much better secured from the danger of frosts and winds, than whilst it remained in the flower or blossom; for now it hath past one of those critical periods, in which so many trees miscarry and lose their fruit. And methought, this natual Observation fairly led me to this Theo∣logical Proposition. That good motions and holy purposes in the soul are never secured and past their most dangerous Crisis, till

they be turned into fixed resolutions, and answerable execution, which is as the knitting and setting of them.

Upon this Proposition my melting thoughts thus dilated, Happy had it been for thee, my soul! had all the blessed mo∣tions of the Spirit been thus knit and fixed in thee. O, how have mine affections blown and budded under the warm beams of the Gospel! but a chill blast from the cares, trou∣bles and delights of the world without, and the vanity and deadness of the heart within have blasted all; my goodness hath been but as a morning dew, or early cloud that vanish∣eth away: And even of divine Ordinance I may say, what is said of humane Ordinances, They have perished in the using. A blossom is but fru••tus imperfectus, & ordinabilis, an imper∣fect thing in it self, and something in order to fruit; a good motion and holy purpose, is but opus imperfectum, & ordina∣bile, an imperfect work, in order to a compleat work of the Spirit, When that primus impetus, those first motions were strong upon my heart, had I then pursued them in the force and vigour of them, how many difficulties might I have o∣vercome? Revive thy work, O Lord! and give not to my soul a miscarrying womb, or dry breasts.

MEDIT. III.

Vpon the sight of a fair spreading Oak.

WHat a lofty flourishing Tree is here? It seems ra∣ther to be a little Wood, than a single Tree; every limb thereof having the dimensions and branches of a Tree in it; and yet as great as it is, it was once but a little slip; which one might pull up with two fingers; this vast body was contained virtually and potentially in a small Acorn. Well then, I will never despise the day of Small things, nor despair of arriving to an eminency of grace, though at pre∣sent it be but as a bruised reed, and the things that are in me, be ready to dye. 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, or it may be think they ever should. Great things both in nature and grace, come from small and contemptible beginnings.

MEDIT. IV.

Vpon the sight of many sticks lodged in the branches of a choice fruit Tree.

HOw is this Tree batter'd with stones, and loaded with sticks that have been thrown at it? whilest those that grow about it being barren, or bearing harsher fruit, escape untouched! Surely, if its fruit had not been so good, its u∣sage had not been so bad: and yet it is affirmed, that some trees, as the Walnut &c. bear the better, for being thus brui∣sed and battered.

Even thus it fares, in both respects with the best of men; the more holy, the more envied and persecuted; 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 enclosed in armes 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 batter'd.

And in them is that ancient observation verified.

Creseunt virtutem palmae, crescuntque Coronae Mutantur mundipraelia, pace Dei. The Palmes and Crowns of virtue thus increase; Thus persecution's turned into peace.

Let me be but fruitful to God in holiness, and ever abound∣ing in the work of the Lord, and then, whilst devils and men

are flinging at me, either by hand or tongue persecutions, 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.

MEDIT. V.

Vpon the gathering of choice fruit, from a scrubbed unpromising Tree.

VVOuld any man think to find such rare delicious fruit upon such an 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 Tree or Men, by their ex∣ternal form and appearance. This is not the first time I have been deceived in judging by that rule; under fair and pro∣mising out-sides I have found nothing of worth, and in many deformed despicable bodies, I have found precious rich∣ly 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 barren Trees, serves only to keep them from rotting, which is all the use that many souls which dwell in beaut••u••l bodies serve for; they have (as one saith) animam pro sale; their souls are butsalt 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 sound soul, in a sound body, I have a double mercy to bless him for; but whither 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.

Vpon an excellent, but irregular Tree.

SEeing a Tree grow somewhat irregular, in a very neat Orchard, 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 replyed to this purpose. that he rather regarded the fruit than the form; and that this slight inconveniency was abun∣dantly preponderated by a more considerable advantage. This Tree said he, which you would root up, hath yielded me more fruit than many of those Trees which have nothing else to commend them, but their regular scituation. I could not but yield to the reason of this answer, and could wish it had been spoken so loud, that all our Uniformity men had heard it, who will not stick to root up many hundred of the best bearers in the Lords Orchard, because they stand not in an exact order with other more conformable, but less bene∣ficial Trees, who do perdere substanitiam propter accidentia, de∣stroy the fruit, to preserve the form.

Not much unlike such foolish men are those That strive for shadows, and the substance lose.

Notes

• Herb. Poem. p. 125.