The Husbandmans Companion, Meditation 95
How little comfort the world can afford without food.
95. Med.
WHen I had for a conſiderable time recreated my ſelf among the flowers in the garden, and among the trees of the orchard, ſometimes ſolacing my ſelf in the ſilent walks therein, ſometimes under the ſhady trees, or in the green alleys, delighting my ſelf in the beautiful aſpect, various forms, ſcent and ſavours of the flowers, and herbs, and contemplating their vertues and operations, which led me by the hand to admire the Creators wiſdome and goodneſs, to make all theſe for the uſe of poor man; and it made me conſider, how ill God was requited by man for all theſe mercies; and thus ſpending my time, ſometimes in reading, ſometimes in meditating, and in theſe exerciſes I continued; ſometimes walking, ſometimes ſitting, ſometimes lying, or in ſuch poſtures as pleaſed my minde, or ſuited my fancy; ſometimes taking delight in hearing the ſweet ſinging birds, at other times in the cool refreſhing gales of winde that gently breathed upon me, and qualified the heat of the day: in a word, ſometimes taking delight in one thing, ſometimes in another, till at laſt I began to be an hungry, and my craving ſtomach ſpoil'd much of the delight and ſatisfaction that I had taken before in thoſe enjoyments, the pleaſant ſights, the ſweet ſmells, the melodious harmony, which before ſo pleaſed me, now began to give me no content or comfort, my craving ſtomack ſpoils all the ſport, and all the delight vaniſhed; and although I purpoſely propounded ſeveral delightful objects to my ſelf to divert my thoughts, yet nothing would do it, no meditation would faſten, no thoughts fix in my minde, but the thought of meat: This put me in minde of the fable of Midas, that when he had gotten liberty of the Gods, to wiſh what he would, with a promiſe that it ſhould be granted, wiſht that all he toucht ſhould be turned to gold; which was immediatly done, but when he came to eat and to drink, his meat and drink turned to gold alſo, and ſo loſt its nutritive vertue, and ſo in the midſt of his riches he was reduced to the greateſt extremity, and ready to periſh for want of food, and became more miſerable then the pooreſt beggar: I thought with my ſelf if that which is fabled of him were verifyed of me, that I were able my ſelf with my touch to turn all thoſe herbs and flowers, graſs, and trees into gold, yea, the ground I trod upon, and all that I did either ſee, or feel, how little ſatisfaction would this bring me without meat? one meals meat would bring me more content in my need, then all this, for this would prove but a rich famiſhment; oh vain man how apt art thou to thirſt after that which can do thee no good, for this life, nor that to come, and canſt not thou content thy ſelf without it, though thou haſt that which is far better? oh bewitching gold, with what charms doſt thou infatuate the minds of men, to doat after thee; when thou canſt never ſatisfy the minde or ſtomack? yet art thou become the price of bloud, yea, the price of ſouls, and many a man ſells his ſoul to the devil for thee, to live in endleſs, eaſeleſs, and remedileſs torments: I found by experience that had I had all the wealth in the world, and all the gold in the Indies in exchange for my meat, my condition would have been worſe then it is, yea, worſe then the pooreſt beggar that goes from door to door, yea, then that of the gally-ſlaves in Turky, and one meals meat would do me more good then all this: this minded me of Gods goodneſs, and mans unthankfulneſs, he gives us what is neceſſary and ſatisfactory, we thirſt after that which is neither neceſſary nor ſatisfactory: From this Conſideration my meditation aroſe a little higher, and I began to think that food was as neceſſary ſor the ſoul as for the body, for where life is, there muſt be food to maintain it, and ſpiritual life requires ſpiritual food: I began to conſider whether ever I was ſo ſenſible of the want of ſpiritual food as I was of temporal; and found by experience how vain earthly delights were, and how unſatisfactory without food; but oh how little, yea, too little ſenſible I am of the want of ſpiritual food; how little appetite have I to that bread which came down from heaven, and that ſincere milk of the word, that heavenly mannah which is daily ſpread about our tents: this made me alſo conſider, how it is with a poor hungring, thirſting, panting ſoul after Chriſt, that crys out, give me Chriſt or elſe I die, and it is no wonder, that nothing but Chriſt can ſatisfy ſuch a hunger-ſtarved ſoul, for if neither ſweet ſmels, pleaſant ſights, delightful muſick, nor any earthly enjoyment, nay, gold it ſelf, the quinteſcence (as many imagine) of all earthly happineſs, can ſatisfy an hungry man without meat, or a thirſty man without drink, ſurely then neither riches nor honours, pleaſures, nor preferments can ſatisfy an hungry ſoul without Chriſt; for though the devil ſtill many that cry for Chriſt, with the world, as a nurſe doth a childe that crys for gold with a counter, yet where there is a knowledge of the worth of Chriſt, and the want of Chriſt, where there hath been a taſte of Chriſt, he cannot thus delude them: an hungry man is not ſatisfied with a cake of clay, nor an hungry ſoul with a painted bible: oh my ſoul, how is it with thee? didſt thou ever thus hunger, thus thirſt after Chriſt? and nothing will ſatisfy but Chriſt; doubtleſs God will ſatisfy thy longing deſire; but if thou art ſatisfyed with any other thing, thy hunger is not right: O my God, work in me this ſpiritual appetite to this heavenly food, and then give me this bread of life.