from the society of many clear friends, into a solitary country-dwelling'. I hope none will envy me these innocent delights, which I madeout of my lonely walks, whereby the Lord sweetened my solitudes there. It is like thou wilt find some passages here, that are harmlessly plea- sant ; yet, I assure thee, I know of none that the most Cynical Rea^ der can censure, as sinfully light and vain. I must acknowledge, to the praise of God, that I have found some of those (which, possibly, some of my readers will call the slightest and most trifling subjects of meditation) to be the ordinances for instruction, caution and con- solation to my own soul ; yea, such a degree of comfort, I do profess to have found bv these things, as hath much endeared the countrv« life to me, and made me much better to vuiderstand that saying of Horace, than when I learned it at school, Novistine locum potiorem rure beato ? Est ubl plus tepeant hyems ? Uhi gratior aura ? O rus, quundo ego te adspiciam ? Quandoqiie licehit Nunc veterum libris, nunc somno, et inertibus hortis D^ucere solicitce jucunda oblivio vitce, (i. e.) What life can with the country life compare ? Where breathes the purest, and most healthful air. Where, undisturbed, my study I pursue, And, when I sleep, bid all my cares adieu. Hor. Sat. 6. And what I have found so beneficial to myself, I cannot but think may be so to others. I assure thee, reader, I am not fond of any of these conceptions ; and yet I think I may modestly enough say, That the emptiest leaf of this book may serve for more, and better uses, than a mere diversion, when thou canst find leisure to peruse it. I know, vour troubles and cares are many ; and though your con- dition of life hath many innocent comforts and outward mercies to sweeten it, yet I believe most of you have found that ancient saying of Anacreon experimentally true : E;/./ to c/xpov r/;; ysw^y/ag yXux.^. ' Some bitter troubles countrymen do meet, ' Wherewith the Lord doth intermix their sweet."* The cares of your mhids are commonly no less than the pains of your bodies ; it concerns you, therefore, to sweeten what you cannot avoid ; and I know no better way for that, than what is here direc- ted to. O friends ! what advantages have you for a spiritual life ? Why may you not have two harvests every year .'' One for your souls, another for your bodies ; if you could thus learn to husband your husbandry. Methinks spiritual meditations do even put themselves upon you. Husbandmen of old were generally presumed to be ho- ne St and good men ; what else means that saying of Menander,
' Profess thyself an husbandman, * And wicked too ! believe't that can !' What you are, godly or wicked, is not for me (that am a stranger 10 most of you) to determine ; but if you are not godly, it is my de-
sire and design to make you so : and I could not think on a more probable mean to accomplish this honest design, than what I have here used. Methinks it should be a pleasure to you, when you come weary out of the fields from plough, or any other labour, to sit down in the evening, and read that chapter which concerns tliat particular business, and refresh your souls, even from that which hath wearied 3'our bodies. Were your hearts but heavenly, and more time al- lowed for spiritual husbandry, your inward comforts would be mucli more, and your outward gains not a jot less ; for if the success of all your civil labours and employments dejjend upon the pleasure and w411 of God, (as all that are not atheists do acknowledge) then, cer- tainly, your business can succeed never the worse for your endeavours to please him, upon whose pleasure it so entirely depends. I have many times hfted up my heart to heaven, whilst these papers were under my hand, for a sjiecial blessing to accompany them, when they should be in yours. If the Lord accomplish my desires by tliem upon your souls you shall enjoy two heavens, one here, and another hereafter. Would not that be sweet ? The historian tells us, that Altitius Serarious was sowing com in the field, when Q. Cincinnatus came to him bare-headed with letters from the senate, signifyino-, that he was chosen to the dictatorship. I hope the Lord will so bless and succeed these labours, that many of you will be called from holding the plough on earth, to wear the crozvn of glory in heaven ; which is the sincere desire of
Your hearty wclUwklier,
The AUTHOR to the READER.
V^OME you, whose listening ears do even itch
To hear the Avay prescribed of grooving rich ;
I'll shew you how to make your tenements
Ten thousand times more worth, and yet your rents
Not raised a farthing ; here my reader sees
A way to make his dead and barren trees
Yield precious fruit ; his sheep, though ne'er so bad,
Bear golden fleeces, such ne'er Jason had :
In every thing your gain shall more than double.
And all this had with far less toil and trouble.
Methinks I hear thee say. This cannot be,
I'll ne'er believe it. Well, read on and see.
Reader, hadst thou but senses exercis'd
To judge aright; were spiritual things but priz'd
At their just value, thou would'st quickly say,
'Tis SO indeed ; tliou wouldst not go tliy way Like one tliat's disappointed, and so fling The book aside. / thouglit "'twas some such tiling. Time was when country Christians did aftbrd More hours and pains about God's holy word : Witness the man who did most gladly pay For some few leaves his whole cart-load of hay. And time shall be, when heavenly truth that warms The heart, shall be preferr d before your farms -, When holiness, as sacred scripture tells. Shall be engraven on the horses bells. Lord, hasten on those much desired times, And, to that purpose, bless those rural rhymes.
1 Coil. iii. 9. Ye are GocTs Husbatidr^.
JL HE scope and design of the following chapters, being tlie spi- ritual improvement of husbandly, it will be necessary, by way of proem, to acquaint the reader with the foundation, and general rules of this art in the scriptures, thereby to procure greater respect unto, and prevent prejudices against composures of tliis kind.
To this end, I shall entertain the reader a little while upon what this scripture affords, which will give a fair introduction to the follow- ing discourse.
The apostle's scope in the context being to check and repress the vain glory and emulation of the Corinthians, who, instead of thank- fulness for, and an humble and diligent improvement of the excel- lent blessings of the ministry, turned all into vain ostentation and emulation, one preferring Paul, and another Apollos ; in the mean time depriving themselves of the choice blessings they might have re- ceived from them both.
To cure this o-rowino^ mischief in the churches, he checks their va- nity, and discovers the evil of such practices by several arguments, amongst which this is one,
Ye are God's Hushandrij, q. d.