The Husbandmans Companion, Meditation 70
Upon birds obſerving their ſeaſons of coming and returning.
70. Med.
WHen I obſerved the cuckoe, the ſwallow, and many other ſorts of birds, how exactly they obſerved their ſeaſons, both in coming and returning, and all other birds in their building and breeding, how exact they were, and loſt not the opportunity, nor neglected the ſeaſon; It brought to my minde Gods complaint againſt Iſrael his own people, and thought how juſtly it might be charged againſt us, Jer. 8.7. The ſtork of the heaven knows her appointed time, the turtle, the crane, and the ſwallow, know the time of their coming, but my people know not the judgments of the Lord; as if he ſhould ſay, theſe ſilly birds by a natural inſtinct, without the uſe of reaſon, know the times and ſeaſons of their going and returning, but my people that have greater helps and furtherances, yet take no notice of the ſeaſons of grace, and of the times of their viſitation: he complains likewiſe, Eſay. 1.3. the oxe knows his owner, and the aſs his maſters crib, but Iſrael doth not know, my people do not conſider; and is not this Englands caſe? few conſider the time of their viſitation, or take notice of the footſteps of Gods departure: Chriſt alſo complains of ſuch, that could diſcern the face of the sky, but could not diſcern the ſignes of the times, Mat. 16.2.3. as if he ſhould ſay, are you ſo weather-wiſe that you can foreſee the rain, and are you ſo ignorant of Scripture, that ye know not the time when the Meſſiah ſhould come? Mat. 23.37. oh Jeruſalem, Jeruſalem, thou that killeſt the prophets, and ſtoneſt them that are ſent unto thee, how oft would I have gathered you as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not, Luk. 19.41, 42. when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, ſaying, if thou hadſt known, even thou at leaſt, in this thy day, the things that belong to thy peace, but now they are hid from thy eyes, &c. they had lived under the Miniſtery long, but no change was perceived: oh poor man, how art thou degenerated, even below the fowls of heaven, or the beaſts of the earth; thou waſt made a prince over the works of Gods hands, and all terreſtrial creatures were ſubjected to thee, and now art ſent to the oxe and aſs to learn of them thy duty, and doth their underſtanding outreach thine? Moſt men are apt enough to take advantages for the world, they will not neglect ſeed-time, nor harveſt, neither will they omit Fair or Market, that their occaſions call them to, they ſuit their buſineſs to the ſeaſon of the year; the Mariner obſerves both the winde and tide, and yet theſe very perſons which the world calls good husbands, are very fools in reference to the ſoul, and let ſlip ſpiritual advantages; they provide not in ſummer for winter, in the day for the night, nor in this life for that which is to come; Now the candle of the Lord ſhines upon our heads, and through his light we walk through darkneſs, the ſecret of the Lord is upon our pavilion, Job. 29 3. the ſeaſon of grace is yet continued, the harveſt is not quite over, the market-day is not paſt, and we may lay in proviſion for the ſoul, and the means of grace is yet afforded us, but how ſoon winter may approach we know not; how ſoon the ſun of the Goſpel may ſet, and night come, we cannot tell, when no man can work; the ſhadows of the evening are ſtretched out, Jer. 6.4. and the night ſeems to be approaching, and ere long our day will be over and never dawn again: there are ſad ſymptomes, that the glory is departed from Iſrael, and that God is going from us, and wo to us if he depart; there are gray haires here and there upon us, and we perceive them not, Hoſ. 7.9. 'Tis our wiſdome to obſerve our ſeaſon, and ſtrike while the iron is hot, and make hay while the ſun ſhines, and work while we have the light, this is the ſeaſon of gathering honey with the bee, and getting oyl with the wiſe Virgins; the bridegroom is at hand, and will come in an hour we know not of, and at a time when we are not aware of, and only thoſe that are prepared will enter with him, and the door will be ſhut; then ſhall we wiſh, as Chriſt doth for Jeruſalem, that we had known the day of our viſitation, but it will be too late; The time of our viſitation is called, a day, for the ſhortneſs of it, and yet we are not ſure this day ſhall have twelve hours; many mens ſun ſets at noon, God may remove his candleſtick from us, as he did from the ſeven Aſian Churches, or his dwelling from us, as from Shiloe, Jer. 7.12. and where are we then? Go to my place in Shiloh where I ſet my name at the firſt, and ſee what I did to it for the wickedneſs of my people Iſrael: and may not he ſay thus of England? what aſſurance have we more then they of Gods continued preſence, if our ſins equal theirs? the abuſe of mercies, the contempt of the Ordinance, the abuſe of his Miniſters, and the making light of Chriſt himſelf, are crying ſins, and I fear we cannot waſh our hands from them; Oh my ſoul, obſerve the ſeaſons of grace afforded to thee by God, for whether thou improve them or no, they muſt be upon thine account: take the opportunityes put into thy hands, take time by the fore-lock, or thou wilt finde that it is bald behinde: improve every talent God hath lent thee, and let none ruſt by thee; cheriſh every motion of the ſpirit, and blow it up into a flame; this is thy ſeed-time, where thou muſt ſow what thou muſt reap in eternity, Gal. 6.7.8. whatſoever a man ſoweth that ſhall he reap, he that ſoweth to the fleſh, ſhall of the fleſh reap corruption; but he that ſoweth to the ſpirit ſhall of the ſpirit reap life everlaſting, and he that ſoweth ſparingly ſhall reap ſparingly: this alſo is thy harveſt-time, lay in for winter, it is thy market-day, fetch in proviſion, it is thy now or never, neglect it not: oh my God, rouze up my dull and drowſy ſoul by ſome quickning conſiderations, and let me not ſleep away my time in ſecurity; rather ſpur me on by ſome affection, then ſuffer me to fall ſhort of my journeys end, let me live every day as if it were my laſt, and perform every duty as if I were preſently to give an account of it to God.