The Husbandmans Companion, Meditation 38
Upon a bed of Camomile trampled upon.
38. Med.
OBſerving a bed of Camomile, that had been trod and trampled upon, and abuſed by other violence, how it was yet freſh and flouriſhing, green, and fragrant, and ſeemed to me to ſpread the more, and grow the better, and was freſh and well-liking, I thought it much reſembled the Church under affliction, which is often trampled upon by the feet of pride, and often in the furnace of affliction, under hard preſſures, and great calamities, and yet is in a growing condition, nay, never grows better then in affliction, and under a ſuffering condition; and though lying among the pots, is yet black, but comely: In perſecuting times they grow beſt, and thrive moſt; In times of proſperity they are apt to forget their maker, and with Jeſurun, to wax fat and kick, and lift up the heel againſt him; but in adverſity they ſeek him early: in proſperity they are like young mulets, when they have ſucked matrem calcibus petivit, they kick the dug that nouriſhes them, ſo they forget the God that feeds them; fulneſs breeds forgetfulneſs, yea, wontonneſs: the moſt poiſonous flies are bred in the ſweeteſt fruits: As Salvian in his time obſerves, proſperity was the Churches bane; there are many with the full fed hawk, forget their Maſter, and are like the moon at the full, furtheſt from the ſun, and moſt like to ſuffer an ecclipſe; when they are at eaſe, like wanton cattle, they puſh each other; but when the dogs bark the ſheep run together: Iſrael in Egypt under their hard task-maſters did encreaſe and multiply, and of ſeventy two, in a few ages come to be ſix hundred thouſand fighting men; but when they were freed from this bondage, and were in the wilderneſs, they murmured againſt God, and of all thoſe in the ſpace of forty years, but only two remained alive, and many died by an untimely death: In the primitive times, never any people under the ſun met with more oppoſition, and all the means the devil and his inſtruments could invent, were uſed to deſtroy them, as you may reade at large in the hiſtory of the ten bloudy perſecutions, and yet the blood of the Martyrs proved the ſeed of the Church, and the more they were oppoſed the faſter they encreaſed; as it is ſaid of the Palm-tree, the more it is preſſed down, the more it ariſeth, ſo may it truly be ſaid of the Church, or as ſome ſay of the walnut-tree, the more it is beaten, the more fruit it bears, ſo it is with many Chriſtians, It is good, (ſaith David) that I was afflicted, before I was afflicted I went aſtray, but now I learn to keep thy commandments. In Athanaſius time the Church was at a low ebb, the Arian hereſy had overrun, and overſpred the face of Chriſtendom, and the orthodox party were under a cruel perſecution, more cruel (ſay ſome) then any was under the heathen Emperours, yet all the darkneſs of hell, could not put out the light that then remained, but it ſtill gathered ſtrength till the clouds were ſcattered, and the ſun broke forth again in his ſtrength: In Luthers days the Pope, and all the ſmoke that aſcends out of the bottomleſs pit, yea, all the powers of darkneſs, could not put out the ſpark that was then kindled, nor all the flouds the dragon powred out of his mouth quench it: In Queen Marys days, fire and faggot could not quench the light of the Goſpel, and to this day the more it is oppoſed, the more it proſpers, yea, particular Chriſtians may finde perſecuting times to be the moſt growing ſeaſons; however by this winde of perſecution, much chaff is blown away, and in the furnace much droſs diſcovered, and reprobate ſilver, yea, the good wheat is thereby cleanſed, and the gold purified. It was good for me (ſaith David) that I was afflicted; it is good for a man (ſaith the lamenting Church) to bear the yoak in his youth, Lam. 3.27, oh my ſoul, thou haſt been long in the furnace of affliction, what benefit doſt thou finde? is thy droſs conſumed, and thy corruption waſted? or is the bellows burnt, the lead conſumed? and hath the founder melted in vain? (as God complains) Jer. 6.29. thou haſt been oft fanned, what chaff is driven away? thou haſt been trampled upon with the camomile, doſt thou grow and ſpread the better? preſſed down with the Palm-tree, doſt thou riſe the higher? beaten with the Walnut-tree, doſt thou bear the more? what account canſt thou give of all the afflictions that God hath laid upon thee? if none, why may not God give thee up as incorrigible? like thoſe, Jer. 2.30. in vain have I ſmitten your children, they received no correction, Eſay. 1.5. why ſhould you be ſtricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: think it not ſtrange if God lay on heavier ſtrokes where others will not ſerve, and give ſtronger phyſick where gentler will not work; David muſt be baniſhed, Job deprived of all, Joſeph wrongfully caſt into priſon, Jeremy in the dungeon, Paul and Silas in the ſtocks, and the Martyrs be brought to the ſtake, theſe are the pills which our heavenly father preſcribed to them, for the purging out of groſs humours, and reſtoring their health, and what wonder if he preſcribe any, or all of theſe to thee, who aboundeſt with theſe humours more then they? many a pill thou haſt had, and little fruit appears; well maiſt thou fear, he will either puniſh thee ſeven times more, or leave thee off as incorrigible: oh my God, with correction give inſtruction, or it will not work; ſpeak that to the heart, that thou ſpeakeſt to the ear, or other ſences; thou art the only phiſitian of ſouls, and all others are phyſitians of no value; thou knoweſt the diſeaſe, and how to cure it; thou canſt preſcribe the phyſick, and make it effectual; Lord, be my phyſitian, and leave me not over to any other; let me not murmure at any of thy preſcriptions, and let not any pill be in vain, nor any twig of thy rod uſeleſs.