Beasts — Meditation 4

WHen this Horse was kept in poor short leas, where he had much scope, but little grass how gentle and tractable was he then? he would not only stand quiet to be taken, but come to hand of his own accord, and follow me up and down the field for a crust of bread, or handful of Oa[•]s; but since I turned him into this fat pasture, he comes no more to me, nor will suffer me to come neer him; but throws up his heels wantonly against me, and flies from me, as if I were rather his enemy than Benefactor. In his I behold the carriage of my own heart towards God, who the more he has done for me, the seldomer does he hear from me, in a low and afflicted state, how tractable is my heart to duty? Then i[•] comes to the foot of God voluntarily; but in an exalted condition, how wildly does my heart run from God and duty? With this ungrateful requital God faulted his own people, Ier. 2. 31. teachable and tractable in the wilderness, but when fatted in that rich pasture Canaan, then, we are Lords we will come no more to you. How soon are all Gods former benefits forgotten? and how often is that antient observation verified, even in his own people?

[〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉]

Post munera cito consenescit gratia.

No sooner do we gifts on some bestow,

But presently our gifts gray headed grow.

But that's a bad Tenant, that will maintain a Suit at Law against his Landlord, with his own rent; and a bad heart that will fight against God, with his own mercies, I wish it may be with my heart, as it is reported to be with the waters in the Kingdom of Congo, that are never so sweet to the taste, as when the tide is at the highest.