Husbandry Spiritualized — Chapter 1
In the laborious husbandman you see,
What all true Christians are, or ought to be.
OBSERVATION.
The employment of the husbandman is by all acknowledged, to be very laborious; there is a multiplicity of business incumbent on him. The end of one work, is but the beginning of another. Every season of the year brings its proper work with it: sometimes you find him in his fields, dressing, plowing, sowing, harrowing, weeding, or reaping; and sometimes in his barn, threshing, or winnowing; sometimes in his orchard, planting, grafting, or pruning his trees, and sometimes among his cattle: so that he has no time to be idle. And as he has a multiplicity of business, so every part of it is full of toil, and spending labour: he eats not the bread of idleness, but earns it before he eats it; and as it were, dips it in his own sweat, whereby it becomes the sweeter to him. Though sin brought in the husbandman's sweat (Genesis 3:19), yet now not to sweat would increase his sin (Ezekiel 16:49).
APPLICATION.
Behold here the life of a serious Christian, shadowed forth to the life. As the life of a husbandman, so the life of a Christian is no idle, or easy life. They that take up religion for ostentation, and not for an occupation; and those that place the business of it in notions, and idle speculations, in forms, gestures, and external observances, may think, and call it so: but such as devote themselves to it, and make religion their business, will find it no easy work to exercise themselves to godliness. Many there are, that affect the reputation and sweet of it, who cannot endure the labour, and sweat of it. If men might be indulged to divide their hearts between God and the world, or to cull out the cheap and easy duties of it, and neglect the more difficult and costly ones, it were an easy thing to be a Christian: but surely to have respect to all God's commandments, to live the life, as well as speak, the language of a Christian: to be holy in all manner of conversation, is not so easy. This will be evident, by comparing the life of a Christian, with the life of a husbandman, in these five particulars: wherein it will appear that the work of a Christian, is by much the hardest work of the two.
The husbandman has much to do, many things to look after; but the Christian more: if we respect the extensiveness of his work, he has a large field indeed to labour in (Psalm 119:96). The commandment is exceeding broad; of a vast extent and latitude, comprising not only a multitude of external acts, and duties, and guiding the offices of the outward man about them, but also taking in every thought and motion of the inner man within its compass.
You find in the word, a world of work cut out for Christians; there's hearing work, praying work, reading, meditating, and self-examining work; it puts him also upon a constant watch over all the corruptions of his heart. Oh, what a world of work has a Christian about them? For of them he may say, as the historian does of Hannibal, they are never quiet, whether conquering, or conquered. How many weak languishing graces has he to recover, improve, and strengthen? There is a weak faith, a languishing love, dull and faint desires to be quickened and invigorated. And when all this is done, what a multitude of work do his several relations exact from him? He has a world of business incumbent on him, as a parent, child, husband, wife, master, servant, or friend; indeed, not only to friends, but enemies. And beside all this, how many difficult things are there to be born and suffered for Christ? And yet will not God allow his people in the neglect of any one of them: neither can he be a Christian that has not respect to every command, and is not holy, in all manner of conversation (Psalm 119:6; 2 Peter 3:11). Every one of these duties, like the several spokes in a wheel come to bear in the whole round of a Christian's conversation: so that he has more work upon his hands than the husbandman.
The husbandman's work is confessed to be spending work, but not like the Christian's. What Augustus said of the young Roman, is verified in the true Christian, Quicquid vult valde vult. Whatever he does in religion, he does to purpose. Under the law, God rejected the snail and the ass (Leviticus 11:30; Exodus 13:13). And under the gospel, he allows no sluggish lazy professor (1 Timothy 5:11, 13). Sleepy duties are utterly unsuitable to the living God; he will have the very spirits distilled and offered up to him in every duty (John 4:24). He bestows upon his people the very substance and kernel of mercies, and will not accept from them the shells and shadows of duties; not the skin, but the inwards, and the fat that covers the inwards, was required under the law (Exodus 29:30). And every sacrifice under the gospel, must be sacrificium medullatum, a sacrifice full of marrow; observe the manner in which their work is to be performed.
(Romans 12:11) in serving God, fervent in spirit, or hissing hot.
(2 Peter 1:10) in securing salvation, diligent; or doing it thoroughly, and enough.
(1 Timothy 4:7) in godliness, exercising, or stripping themselves, as for a race.
(Luke 13:24) in the pursuit of happiness, striving, even to an agony.
(Acts 26:7) in prayer, serving God instantly; or in a stretched-out manner; indeed, pouring out their hearts before him (Psalm 62:8) as if the body were left like a dead corpse upon the knees, while the spirit is departed from it, and ascended to God. This is the manner of his work: judge then how much harder this work is, than to spend the sweat of the brow in manual labour.
The husbandman finds his work as he left it, he can begin one day, where he left the other; but it is not so with the Christian, a bad heart, and a busy devil, disorder and spoil his work every day. The Christian finds not his heart in the morning, as he left it at night; and even when he is about his work, how many setbacks does he meet with? Satan stands at his right hand (the working hand) to resist him (Zechariah 3:1). When he would do good, evil (the evil of his own heart and nature) is present with him.
The husbandman has some resting days, when he throws aside all his work, and takes his recreation; but the Christian has no resting day, till his dying day; and then he shall rest from his labors. Religion allows no idle days, but requires him to be always abounding in the work of the Lord (1 Corinthians 15:58). When one duty is done, another calls for him; the Lord's day is a day of rest to the husbandman; but no day in the week so laborious to the Christian. O 'tis a spending day to him. When he has gathered in the crop of one duty, he is not to sit down satisfied with it, or say as that rich worldling did (Luke 12:19), Soul take your ease, you have goods laid up for many years, but must to plow again, and count it well if the vintage reach to the seed-time (Leviticus 26:5). I mean, if the strength, influence, and comforts of one duty hold out to another duty; and that it may be so, and there be no room left for idleness, God has appointed ejaculatory prayer, to fill up the intervals between stated and the more solemn duties. These are to keep in the fire, which kindled the morning sacrifice, to kindle the evening sacrifice. When can the Christian sit down and say, now all my work is ended, I have nothing to do, without doors, or within?
Lastly, there is a time when the labor of the husbandman is ended; old age and weakness takes him off from all employment; they can only look upon their laborers, but cannot do a stroke of work themselves; they can tell you what they did in their younger years, but now (say they) we must leave it to younger people; we cannot be young always. But the Christian is never superannuated as to the work of religion; indeed, the longer he lives, the more his Master expects from him. When he is full of days, God expects he should be full of fruits (Psalm 9:14): They shall bring forth fruit in old age, they shall be fat and flourishing.
REFLECTIONS.
How hard have I labored for the meat that perishes? Prevented the dawning of the day, and labored as in the very fire, and yet is the Christian's work harder than mine? Surely then, I never yet understood the work of Christianity. Alas! my sleepy prayers, and formal duties, even all that ever I performed in my life, never cost me that pains, that one hour at plow has done. I have either wholly neglected, or at best, so lazily performed religious duties, that I may truly say, I offer to God what cost me nothing. Woe is me poor wretch! How is the judgment of Corah spiritually executed upon me? The earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up his body, but it has opened its mouth and swallowed up my heart, my time, and all my affections. How far am I from the Kingdom of God!
And how little better is my case, who have indeed professed religion, but never made it my business? Will an empty (though splendid) profession save me? How many brave ships have perished in the storms, notwithstanding their fine names, the Prosperous, the Success, the Happy Return? A fine name could not protect them from the rocks, nor will it save me from hell. I have done by religion, as I should have done by the world; prayed, as if I prayed not; and heard as if I heard not. I have given to God but the shadow of duty, and can never expect from him a real reward.
How unlike a Christian do you also (O my soul) go about your work; though upright in the main, yet how little zeal and activity do you express in your duties? Awake love and zeal, do you not feel the toil and pains men take for the world? How do they prevent the dawning of the day? and labor as in the very fire till night; and all this for a trifle! Should not every drop of sweat which I see trickle from their brows, fetch (as it were) a drop of blood from my heart? who am thus convinced and reproved of shameful laziness, by their indefatigable diligence. Do they pant after the dust of the earth (Amos 2:7), and shall not I pant after God (Psalm 42:1)? Ah, my soul! It was not used to be so with you, in the days of my first profession. Should I have had no more communion with God in duties then, it would have broken my heart: I should have been weary of my life. Is this a time for one to stand idle, who stands at the door of eternity? What, now slack-handed, when so near to my everlasting rest (Romans 13:11)! Or have you found the work of God so unpleasant to you (Proverbs 3:17)? Or the trade of godliness so unprofitable (Psalm 19:11)? Or do you not know, that millions now in hell perished for want of serious diligence in religion (Luke 13:34)? Or does my diligence for God answer to that which Christ has done and suffered, to purchase my happiness? Or to the preparations he has made in heaven for me? Or do you forget that your Master's eye is always upon you, while you are lazing and loitering? Or would the damned live at this rate, as I do, if their day of grace might be recalled? For shame (my soul) for shame! rouse up yourself, and fall to your work, with a diligence answerable to the weight thereof: for it is no vain work concerning you, it is your life.
The Poem.
Religion WHEN advanced in power,
Will make you HUSBAND every hour.
'Twill make MEN strive with all their might,
And therein FIND a sweet delight.
If there were NOUGHT besides that pay,
Christ gives TO cheer us in our way;
Should we not DO the best we can?
For there's NO such reward from man.
Shall others WORK, and not regard
Their strength; TO get a small reward?
While we TURN slugs, and loiter thus?
Oh that THEIR zeal might quicken us!
Why are our HANDS, and feet so slow,
When we TO our business go?
How can we THEN Christ's pay expect,
And yet the CHRISTIAN'S work reject?
If this, then ALSO that embrace
Them both: IF not, we both disgrace.
Some if THEY could these two divide,
It would PLEASE them well, with Christ to side,
But if they MAY not, then it were
As good CEASE pleading, they'll not hear.
Rouse up FROM sloth, (my soul) betake
You to your WORK, no cavils make
O strive, AND try! Saints say that even
The pain they TAKE, has much of heaven.
But yet THEIR best wine's kept till last,
Their rest, and EASE comes all so fast.
