The Husbandmans Companion, Meditation 22
Upon a ſudden Drought.
22. Med.
WHen I had digged, manured, ſown and fenced my garden, and done what lay in me to do, and began from the hopefull ſpringing up of the ſeed, to have comfortable hopes of a plentifull encreaſe, and began to rejoyce in the works of my hands, behold an unexpected judgement fell upon it, for God withheld the ſhowers of rain and reſtrain'd the influence of heaven, and cauſed that it ſhould not rain upon the earth, and the clouds which were wont to drop fatneſs, and by which God was uſed to open his treaſure, and to give a bleſſing to his people, Deut. 28.12. now proved empty clouds, promiſing much, but paying nothing; hereupon the earth languiſhed, and could not nouriſh what ſhe had brought forth; for though ſhe had not a miſcarrying womb, yet had ſhe dry breaſts; ſo that hearbs and flowers, yea, the graſs of the field languiſhed, hanged down the head, withered and died, and their beauty faded away, as mans will if he want food; as we may ſee, Lam. 4.7, 8. Her Nazarites were purer then ſnow, they were whiter then milk, they were more ruddy in body then rubies, their poliſhing was of ſaphire, their viſage is blacker then a coal, they are not known in the ſtreet, their skin cleaveth to their bones, it is withered, and is become like a ſtick, &c. This providence made me conſider, how vain and fruitleſs all our endeavours are, either for this life or that to come, if God ſucceed them not with his bleſſing; and that all the men that live upon the face of the earth, had they joined with their united counſels, with policy and power, they could not have removed this judgement, had they taken in all the gods of the heathens to aſſiſt them: Can any of the vanities of the gentiles give rain? Jer. 14.22. it is in vain to hope for ſalvation from the hills, or from the mountains, in the Lord our God is the ſalvation of Iſrael. When God blows upon our creature-comforts, they vaniſh, and prove unſatisfying, Haggai. 1.9. ye looked for much, and lo it came to little, and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it, &c. ye have ſown much, and, bring in little, ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink but you are not filled with drink; ye cloath you, but there is none warm, and he that earneth wages putteth it into a bag with holes, ver. 6. the earth cannot bring forth without the influence of heaven and theſe cannot be had without a commiſſion from God, Jer. 14.22. Can the heavens give ſhowers? art not thou he O Lord our God? therefore we wait upon thee, for thou haſt made all theſe things. It is he that cloatheth the heavens with blackneſs, Iſay. 50.3. Hoſe. 2.21.22. I will hear the heavens, and they ſhall hear the earth, and the earth ſhall hear the corn, and the wine, and the oyle, and they ſhall hear Jezreel: but when God refuſeth to hear, all others cry in vain, they may all ſay as the King of Iſrael to the woman that cryed to him, 2 Kin. 6.26. if the Lord do not help thee whence ſhall I help thee, out of the barn floors or out of the wine-preſs? yet, how doth vain man reckon without his hoſt? and promiſe himſelf a plentifull encreaſe, and much happineſs in the enjoyment of it, like the fool in the Goſpel, Luk. 12.16. &c. when the event ofttimes proves otherwiſe, if their deſigne ſucceed as ſometimes it doth, for all things fall alike to all, as to the good ſo to the bad, the ſun ſhines upon the juſt, and the unjuſt, they give not the glory to God, but ſacrifice to their own nets, and burn incenſe to their drags, Hab. 1.16. they think their own arm ſaveth them, and their own wiſdom and endeavours enricheth them; they are like the king of Aſſyria that ſaid, Iſai. 10.13. by the ſtrength of my hand I have done it, and by my wiſdome, for I am prudent: but what had all my labour profited me, or what good would theirs have done them, if God had not given rain? I went yet further in my conſideration of the great mercy and benefit of water, without which it were impoſſible that man or beaſt, or fiſh, or foul, or hearb or plant, or any other creature ſenſitive or vegetable, ſhould live or proſper, and wondred at my own and others ſtupidity, that we took ſo little notice of the mercy, and gave God ſo little thanks for it, but this mercy was more prized by the ancient; by Iſrael in the wilderneſs, by Jacob, yea, by Ahab, 1 Kin. 18.5. And Ahab ſaid to Obadiah, go into the land unto all fountains of water, and unto all brooks, peradventure we may finde graſs to ſave the horſes and the mules alive, and they divided the land between them, &c. When I had a while conſidered of theſe things, I raiſed my Meditation a little higher, and conſidered if rain were ſo refreſhing to the thirſty earth, and ſo neceſſary for the fruits thereof, what was the dew of heaven to the poor ſoul? without it all the Ordinances would prove of little uſe, and all the ſowing, planting and manuring would ſignifie little; the ſoul under thoſe enjoyments would be like the heath of the deſart, that ſees not when good comes; what cauſe then have we to depend upon God for the one, and for the other; oh my ſoul, are thy endeavors croſt, and thy labour loſt? learn to depend upon God for the time to come, concern not thy ſelf overmuch in the world; if it ſmile upon thee, let it not ſteal away thy affection; if it frown on thee, trouble not at it; for theſe things are at the diſpoſe of thy father, and he mindes thy good; uſe diligence and providence, becauſe they are commanded duties, but beware of murmuring, and repining becauſe they are forbidden ſins; when thou haſt gone as far as thou canſt, leave the ſucceſs to God, and whatever the iſſue be, acquieſce in his will, if thy endeavours be blaſted, think it was beſt they ſhould be ſo, becauſe God thought thus; if he ſucceed them, bleſs him; if he croſs them, bleſs him alſo; The Lord hath given, and the Lord hath taken away, ſaith Job, bleſſed be the name of the Lord: ſeek not great things in the world, expect no more then God hath promiſed, leſt if they fall ſhort of expectation thou be diſcouraged; haſt thou neither poverty nor riches, but food convenient; this was Agars petition, haſt thou food and rayment? the Apoſtle was therewith content, But for the ſoul, thou muſt not take up with a ſmall portion, labour after the higheſt pitch of godlineſs, and content not thy ſelf with a low frame of ſpirit, be as covetous for grace, as others are for gold, uſe the means diligently, but truſt not to the means, though Paul and Apollo's may plant and water, it is God gives the encreaſe, he only can ſpeak to the heart, and ſay to thy ſins, die, and to thy ſoul, live; oh my God, forgive I beſeech thee my carnal confidence, truſting to the arm of fleſh, both in reference to my body, and ſoul; let me ſee the vanity of all creature-confidences, how little they can avail without thy bleſſing; and however thou croſſeſt my deſignes for the world, Lord, ſucceed my deſignes for heaven, with thy bleſſings; leave me not to the teaching of man, but teach me thy ſelf, water me with the dew of heaven, and let thy clouds drop fatneſs, incline my heart to thy teſtimonies, and not to coveteouſneſs.