The Husbandmans Companion, Meditation 34
Upon the ſudden withering of flowers.
34. Med.
WHen I beheld the beauty, ſplendour and glory of ſeveral herbs and flowers, and other vegetables, when they were in their pride, and in their prime, and invited all eyes to behold them, and to do them homage, and when I conſidered withall, how ſhort-lived they were, how ſoon they withered, vaniſhed, and periſhed, and their glory paſſed away, and came to nothing, I thought this was a fit embleme to ſet forth humane frailty, and the worlds glory by; for both are tranſitory and vain; for man himſelf who is Lord of theſe flowers, he ſoon fades, and is withered, as a flower, yea, many times in the flower of his age; how frequently doth the Scripture compare man to the graſs, and to the flower of the field, which this day flouriſheth, and to morrow fadeth; their glorious beauty is as a fading flower, and as the haſty fruit before the ſummer, &c. Eſay. 28.1, 4. all fleſh is graſs, and all the glory of man is as the flower of graſs, the graſs withereth, and the flower fadeth away, 1 Pet. 1.24. man that is born of a woman, is of few days, and full of trouble; he cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down, he fleeth alſo as a ſhadow, and continueth not, Job. 14.1, 2. Now they are freſh and flouriſhing, and ſudenly they decline: now in the heigth of youthfull vanity, and ſudenly they paſs away, and the place that knew them, ſhall know them no more: if they live, cares and fears, ſickneſs and old age ſucceed, of which they are forc't to ſay, they have no pleaſure in them; death it ſelf many times calls men off the ſtage, when they think they have but begun to act their parts, and puts an exit to them, and their work is done, and their part ended. But ſuppoſe life were more certain, yet our earthly enjoyments and our happineſs here are tranſitory and vain, and all the felicity the world brags of, is but a meer fancy, and a very cheat, at the beſt: it is but a mixture of ſweet and ſowr, a little honey and a great deal of gall, and the end of that mirth is heavineſs; if the happineſs be ſuch what is the miſery? man himſelf is but a bubble, how great ſoever he may ſeem, and with what titles ſoever he be dignified, and ſoon ſhall he be prickt by death, and the winde let out, and then a great bubble, and a little one cannot be diſtinguiſhed, and all the pleaſures which vain man takes in, all his youthful follies, is but like a buſh of thorns, and wiſp of ſtraw on fire, make a ſudden blaze, and is forthwith extinguiſhed; they make a noiſe for a while, and then vaniſh into ſmoak: youthfull pleaſures are ſoon over, and carking care treads out their ſteps, and old age makes them forgotten; youth is like young lambs, they leap and frisk awhile, while they have the dug to run to when they are hungry, but when they are once weaned, and ſet to ſhift for themſelves, the ſport is over; ſo youth under their parents providence, minde their ſports, but when once at their own proviſion, cares and pains, ſpoil the mirth, and make it little minded: The world alſo frowns and ſmiles upon the ſame man, many times the ſame day, and uſeth him as a tennisball, now lifts him up, and ſudenly caſts him down, raiſeth him to the top of honour, and then plungeth him into the gulph of diſgrace; Now it ſhews him abundance of riches, and then pincheth him with extremity of poverty; now it mixeth him a cup with pleaſure, and preſently fills it with gall and wormwood; that which the world calls pleaſures and for which ſo many ſell their ſouls, are but like thoſe of the drunkard, that laſt but while he is ſwallowing the drink, and then ſucceeds belchings, and vomitings, ſickneſs and ſorrow, wallowing in the mire, and ſuch like; or like that of the adulterer, which is often attended with pains, aches, rottenneſs, filthy diſeaſes, not fit to be named, and death it ſelf, and indeed theſe two beaſtly ſins have much of that which the world calls pleaſure, but the effects ſhew it is wrong named; ſickneſs ſucceeds health, and deformity beauty, ſorrow treads upon the heels of pleaſure, and adverſity follows proſperity, and there is a viciſſitude and change in all humane affairs; he is a ſtranger in the world, that knows not theſe things: David tells us, Pſal. 37 35. I have ſeen the wicked in great power, and ſpreading himſelf like a green bay-tree, yet he paſſed away, and lo he was not, yea, I ſought him, but he could not be found, whether he have reference to Saul and his family, I know not, yet in the next generation, how was his family, and bloudy houſe, (as God calls it 2 Sam. 21.1.) ſtrangely rooted out: oh my ſoul, are all theſe things ſo vain and tranſitory, what is the reaſon then that thou lets out thy affections ſo much upon them, and concerneſt thy ſelf ſo much above them, and ſpendeſt thy money for that which is not bread, and thy labour for that which ſatisfieth not, and moileſt and toyleſt, and carkeſt, and careſt for them, in the neglect of more neceſſary concerns; why art thou ſo taken with them when thy buſineſs ſucceeds, and when thy periſhing goard proſpers? and why art thou ſo troubled when it withers? why art thou ſo affected with the worlds ſmiles, and knows that Syren-like, when moſt ſhe fawns, ſhe moſt intends a wrack? why art thou ſo troubled at a croſs providence, as if thy happineſs did conſiſt in theſe enjoyments, and in the mean while, when thou haſt croſſes and loſſes in thy ſpiritual ſtate, and nothing there proſpers, thou layeſt it not to heart? when God withholds the rain from the ground thou art affected, when he withholds the dew of heaven from thy ſoul thou regardeſt it not, why art thou ſo good a husband for thy body, and ſo bad for thy ſoul? is not the ſoul of greater concernment? Do theſe outward things really go to the making up of thy happineſs, or is not the maintaining of communion with God, of much greater concernment? if thou loſeſt a days work in the field thou art troubled, but haſt thou not loſt many a days work in the congregation, and heard many a Sermon, and madſt little uſe of it? and is this nothing to thee? oh my God, this bewitching world, this crafty devil, and this deceitful heart of mine, hath conſpired my ruine, and without thy aſſiſtance will accompliſh it; oh my folly! that I ſhould ſo affect what I know to be vain, and tranſitory, and to ſignify nothing to my eternal happineſs: Lord, wean me from the world, and engage my affections to thy ſelf, give me an underſtanding heart, that I may expect no more from the world then it can perform, nor ſpend no more time upon it then it will recompenſe me for; and though the world muſt have my head, and my hands, Lord, keep my heart diſengaged, let me lodge none there but my husband Chriſt.