Birds — Meditation 5

OBserving the Mole working industriously beneath, and the Bird watching so intently above; I made a stand to observe the issue. When in a little time the bird descends and seizes upon a worm, which I perceived was crawling apace from the enemy below that hunted her, but fell to the share of another which from above waited for her. My thoughts presently suggested these Meditations from that occasion; me thought this poor worm seem'd to be the Emblem of my poor soul, which is more endangered by its own lusts of pride and covetousness, than this worm was by the Mole and Bird; my pride, like the aspiring Bird watches for it above; my covetousness, like this subterranean Mole, digging for it beneath. Poor soul! what a sad Dilemma art you brought to? If you go down into the caverns of the earth, there you art a prey to your covetousness that hunts you; and if you aspire, or but creep upward, there your pride waits to ensnare you. Distressed soul! whither wilt you go? ascend you mayest, not by a vain elation, but by a heavenly conversation, beside which, there is no way for your preservation; the way of life is above to the wise, &c.

Again, I could not but observe the accidental benefit this poor harmless Bird obtained by the labour of the Mole, who hunting intentionally for her self, unburroughed and ferrited out this worm for the Bird, who possibly was hungry enough, and could not have been relieved for this time, but by the Mole, the fruit of whose labours she now fed upon. Even thus the Lord oft-times makes good his word to his people: The wealth of the wicked is laid up for the just. And again, The earth shall help the woman. This was fully exemplified in David, to whom Nabal that churlish muck-worm speaks all in possessives. Shall I take my bread &c. and give it to one I know not whom; and yet David reaps the fruit of all the pains and toyl of Nabal at last. Let it never incourage me to idleness, that God sometimes gives his people the fruit of uthers sweat; but if povidence reduce me to necessity, and disable me from helping my self, I doubt not then but it will provide instruments to do it. The Bird was an hungry and could not dig.