The Husbandmans Companion, Author to the reader
To the Reader.
Courteous Reader,
I Have here preſented thee with a bundle of Meditations, moſt of them occaſional; I am not ſo conceited as to imagine there is any great excellency in them, nor ſo fooliſh to trouble my ſelf to write or others to reade them, did I judge them altogether uſeleſs; the duty I know is neceſſary and beneficiall, and many Chriſtians can write a probatum eſt upon it, and ſay it hath been ſo to them, however it is too much neglected by the moſt; I have not long ſince publiſhed ſome directions how to perform the ſeveral parts of Gods worſhip; amongſt the reſt this of meditation was one; and that which is ſet or ſolemn was chiefly inſiſted upon, but that which is occaſional more briefly touch't, which indeed cannot well be bounded, but is varied according as the time, place, object, and other circumſtances vary, and as the will or capacity of the perſon requireth, and therefore may be better taught by example then rule: This minded me of ſome occaſional Meditations that had formerly warmed my heart, and not knowing but they might warm others alſo, and might be a means to reſtore this beneficiall though too much neglected duty, and therefore gathering together, and reveiwing my ſcattered papers, and making ſome additions, ſubſtractions, and alterations, I reduced them to the method here preſented: that it is every Chriſtians duty I think none will deny, and that it hath been the practice of believers is eaſy to prove: this was Iſaac's practice, Gen. 24.63. and it was Davids work, as the whole book of Pſalmes teſtify, ſee Pſal. 63.6. and 77.12. and 119.15. and 143.5. and many other places, wherein we ſee he meditated both on Gods word, and on his works, both by night and by day, and makes it the character of a childe of God or a bleſſed man ſo to do, Pſal. 1.2. and a mark of one ripe for deſtruction not to regard the works of the Lord, nor the operation of his hands, Pſal. 28.5. What I have here written is chiefly for thy imitation, and my deſire is that thou maiſt take out this leſſon, prove an artiſt, and ſet up for thy ſelf, and follow this gainfull trade that hath formerly brought ſo much glory to God, and ſo much profit to poor ſouls: The method herein propounded is eaſy, and the duty to an honeſt heart not hard, yet remember it is the practick part that is like to do thee moſt good; here maiſt thou learn to ſpend thy time, and paſs away thy ſolitary hours better then moſt men do, for whether thou be at home, or abroad, in publick or in private; this duty may be in ſome meaſure performed, yea, by every man, in every place, in every company, and in every employment, though all places are not alike, a gracious heart can ſteal a thought into heaven, and by a Meditation, and private ejaculation hold converſe wtth God, at any time, neither ſlave nor ſervant, though in a Turky-gally can be deprived of this liberty; The want of this heavenly art, or the not uſing of it is the cauſe of the miſpence of ſo much precious time, and that there are ſo many barren empty hearts as we dayly finde; for as the Bee gathers honey both from flowers and weeds, ſo doth a diligent man from every thing he ſees, hears of, or obſerves; time is ſuch a precious jewel, that it ſhould not be ſquandred away, and I know not well how it may be better improved then by Meditation, for this ſpiritualizeth all we ſet or hear of; it makes a man never idle, nor ill employed, and drives on a rich trade for the ſoul, and either leads the ſoul to heaven, or brings heaven to it; I know meditation may be abuſed, ſome meditate how they may be rich, either by hook or by crook, the ambitious man how he may be honourable, the voluptuous man how he may enjoy his pleaſure, but a Chriſtian how he may enjoy his God, and ſecure his ſoul; ſome ſtudy miſchief upon their beds, ſome with the ſpiders gather poyſon, where the Chriſtian like the bee gathers honey, and the very buſineſs a Chriſtian is about will furniſh him with matter ſufficient for his work; if the heart be not barren every thing will be fruitful, and there is none ſo dull if not ſpiritually dead, but may gather ſomething from viſibles to minde him of inviſibles; No ſhip that ſails either to the Eaſt or Weſt Indies, brings home richer lading then meditation doth, if rightly ſteered; This is the chewing of the cud, that turns all to nouriſhment, the true Philoſophers ſtone that turns all to gold; by this means the ſpirits and quinteſcence of all earthly things are extracted; 'tis true of a Chriſtian endowed with his heavenly art, what the Poets feign of Midas, every thing they touch turns to gold, and gold it ſelf into a better ſubſtance; the hardeſt flint, the barreneſt tree, the moſt withering branch, or fading leaf, will yield good fruit to this artiſt, yea, better fruit then the gardens of the Heſperides, which are feigned to bear golden apples, and every ſheep will bear a golden fleece, better then ever Jaſon fetcht from Colchis; By meditation a Chriſtian is carried into the third heaven, with Paul, whether in the body, or out of the body be ſcarcely knows, and there is enabled to ſee things inutterable, this makes inviſible things viſible, and gives a man a Piſgah-ſight of the heavenly Canaan: This heavenly artiſt can with Daedalus make himſelf wings to fly aloft, and can break priſon at his pleaſure, neither need he fear the melting of the wax: This keeps the heart in order, and prevents its ſtrayings, it keeps vain thoughts from riſing, or at beſt from rooſting: There mans heart is like a mill, if it want griſt, it ſets it ſelf on fire, and if there be no corn to grinde for God, the devil will throw his tares into the hopper: The heart it always well or ill-employed, and will never be idle; holy meditation puts a man out of ſatans road, when otherwiſe he is in continuall danger of falling into his ſnares, or by being ſurprized by his wiles, when the idle perſon is commonly ſnared and taken; by this grace is ſtrengthened, and corruption weakned, our evidences cleared, communion with God maintained, and acquaintance with our own hearts gained; it is the way to ſtore the underſtanding with knowledge, to ſubject the will to Gods will, to warm the …ffections, and to put life and heat into all our duties; this diſcovers to us the ſinfulneſs of ſin, and vanity of the creatures, and the fulneſs of Chriſt; this reacheth out to us ſome of Canaans grapes, ſome Piſgah-ſights of glory, even of thoſe things within the veil, and a taſte of thoſe pleaſures which are at the right hand of God; ſuch a taſte as this, made Moſes deſpiſe the pleaſures of Pharaohs court, and Galeacius eſteem all the wealth in the world not worth one days communion with God; this lets us ſee, there is a worm of vanity bred in our cheifeſt earthly enjoyments, and eats out the very heart of them, and if they are abuſed, they will breed and feed the worm that never dies, and kindle that fire that never ſhall go out; Theſe and a thouſand ſuch leſſons meditation will teach us, and faſtens every leſſon upon the heart; who then would not follow ſo gainfal a trade, and practice ſo fruitful a calling? Did it enrich the body as it doth the ſoul, we ſhould have many proficients in this School; ſome pretenders there are to this duty, but they rather pretend then intend it, they throw down the hammer before they have driven the nail to the head, and lay down the premiſes, but ſtay not to raiſe the concluſion; they follow not the work till they come to reſolution and practice; they are like a man that ſtrikes fire, gathers wood, but leaves off before it be kindled, and ſo all his labour is loſt; This duty enables a man with Paul to die dayly, and with Stephen to ſee God, with Moſes to talk with God, and with Enoch to walk with God; It fits a Miniſter to preach, and the people to hear, neither of which can be well done without it; that ſermon that is not well ſet on by meditations, ſeldom heats the preachers heart, and then the people ſeldom feel it, for a dull and drowſy preacher, makes a dull and ſleepy people; when the miniſter preaches his own life and experiences, this is the life of preaching; This meditation is a ſerious bending of the minde upon ſome uſeful ſubject till we bring it to ſome profitable iſſue; Occaſionall meditation (which is it we now treat of) ariſeth from ſome occaſionall object preſented to our ſences or underſtanding, by divine providence, of which though examples may be given, yet hardly can it be reſtrained, or brought under rules, for it may be varied according to the variety of the objects preſented, or other accidents, occurrences, or circumſtances that offer themſelvs, or the will of the perſon, or his ability; the objects that offer themſelves are various and innumerable, for there is nothing in rerum natura, but may be a fit object for occaſional meditations; God hath given us a large field to walk in, and choiſe of flowers, pluck what we will, to put into our noſe-gay; we may gather honey from flowers and weeds, out of our own or neighbours fields without offence; which way ſoever we look, within us, or without us, above us, or below us, before us, or behinde us, or on either ſide, we may ſee ſuitable matter for our meditation; above us we may ſee the ſun, moon and ſtars, thoſe glorious lamps of heaven, who offer themſelves not only to our view, but alſo to our contemplation, their light, their heat, their influence, their various though unerring motions, their magnitude, altitude, number, nature, ſplendor, vertue and effects may breed admiration in us, as well as in David, Pſal. 8.3, 4. and 19.1. or ſhould we deſcend to ſublunary things, to the fiery or ayery regions, and obſerve the ſeveral meteors in both, that preſent themſelves to our view, we may finde matter not only for meditation, but alſo for admiration; if we conſider a while the winde, the ſnow, the rain, the froſt, the ice, &c. all brought out of Gods treaſury, Pſal. 135.7. the thunder, and lightning with their ſtrange effects, the ſtrange apparitions often ſeen in the air, comets, blazing-ſtars, dragons, fire-drakes, &c. armies fighting in the air, Lyons, bears, horſes, and many other things there reſembled, raining bloud, wheat, frogs, ſtones, &c. all this may raiſe our admiration; veiw but the rain bow in its ſhape and various colours; it deſerves our conſideration; The powerful influence of theſe ſuperiour bodies, in exhaling, and retaining thoſe hugh weighty and towring clouds, thoſe bottles of heaven in the open air, and watering the earth with them at their makers pleaſure, without which neither man nor beaſt could ſubſiſt; who can view thoſe things without conſideration? or if we look upon the earth out of which we were taken, we may finde matter enough to exerciſe our thoughts; obſerve this huge and maſſy globe hanging in the air upon nothing; conſider it as it is diſtinguiſhed into hills and dales, and woods and forreſts, adorned with ſumptuous buildings, Towns and Caſtles, abounding with trees of all ſorts, with corn and graſs, with herbs and flowers, watered with rain and ſhowers, rivers, ſprings, and fountains, inhabited with a thouſand times ten thouſand living creatures of all ſorts, men and beaſts, fowls, and creeping things, all maintained at the great houſholders charge, who preſerves them in their ſeveral kindes; conſider alſo the perenity of rivers, the cauſe, and perpetuity of ſprings of all ſorts, ſome hot, ſome cold, ſome ſweet, ſome bitter, ſome ſalt, ſome freſh, ſome medicinal, ſome not, this obſervation may take up ſome time: or ſhould we conſider the ſeveral minerals lodged in the concaves of the earth, as of gold, ſilver, braſs, tin, iron, lead, allom, brimſtone, coals, lime, ſtone, and much more, and how uſeful and neceſſary theſe are to human life; This may teach us many profitable leſſons: Or ſhould we go to ſea to ſee the wonders of the deep, and obſerve how the huge and roaring element is reſtrained and bounded by an almighty arm, that ſaith, hitherto ſhalt thou go and no further; or if we conſider the ebbing and flowing of it, a wonder in nature, or the numberleſs number of living creatures therein, which are fed and cheriſhed by thoſe ſalt and brackiſh waters, yet retain their ſweetneſs, or if we conſider the cauſe why thoſe waters alone are ſalt, and ſo remain, though a thouſand freſh rivers dayly run into it, together with their ſtrange creatures therein produced: theſe conſiderations will take up much time, but of all the creatures God hath made, none yield more matter for meditation, then angels and men; Angels, both the good and the bad, their nature, eſſence, and offices, and man conſidered in his body and ſoul, the order, uſe, comlineſs and proportion of the ſeveral parts, the vegetative, ſenſitive, and rational faculties of the ſoul, the underſtanding, will and affections, the memory, conſcience, and many more, the ſeveral ſences whereby the ſoul comes to underſtand things here below, theſe things deſerve conſideration; but to let paſs the works of creation, and conſider a while Gods works of providence, theſe will take up much of our time; we may ſee and obſerve the courſe of nature, the generation and production of the ſeveral ſpecies, with their preſervation, protection, and the proviſion made for them, by their Creator; he maintains the ſeveral ſpecies by his providence, that for ought we know there is not one kinde of them extinct ſince the creation; nay, the power of man was never able to deſtroy thoſe kindes that are noxious to man, and therefore hated by him; yet are theſe maintained by divine providence at his own coſt and charges; But his providence is more clearly ſeen and diſcovered in his providence to man, eſpecially to his own Church, in maintaining a handfull of men againſt their numerous enemies; theſe are preſerved as lambs amongſt wolves, and is the buſh that is ever burning, yet never conſumed: he ſpred a table for them in the wilderneſs, in diſpight of their enemies; the wonderful providence of God for his Church in all ages, in Scripture-times, and down to this day, may fir us with much matter for meditation: The word of God alſo as well as his works may yield much matter for contemplation; it furniſhed David for meditation day and night, every Book, every Chapter, yea every verſe is fruitful abundantly, that had we the years of Methuſalem, the time would be too little to run through the Scripture, and to conſider of all that is held forth therein; here are precepts and promiſes, threats and examples, for our good, here is the great work of our redemption treated of, which the angels deſire to pry into, and eternity is little enough to admire: herein we may behold the ſubtilty of Satan in tempting man, mans frailty in yielding to the temptation, the nature of ſin in throwing man out of paradice, and angels out of heaven; the wiſdome of God in finding out a remedy to ſave ſome, the love of Chriſt in dying for them, &c. Nay by meditation we have liberty to aſcend heaven alſo, and veiw thoſe caeleſtial manſions prepared for thoſe that love and fear God; but I ſhall add no more, leſt I make the gate too big for the ſtructure, only this is my deſire, and ſhall be my prayer, that it may tend to Gods glory, and his Churches good, and ſo I reſt,
Thine and the Churches Servant, Edward Bury. Eaton, Jan. 12, 1676.