not live together so peacably. If conscience of Christ's command will not, yet the consideration of common safety should powerfully persuade to unity and amity.

MEDITATION VII.

UPON THE SINGING OF A BLIND FINCH BY NIGHT.

A dear friend, who was a great observer of the works of God in nature, told me, that being entertained with a sight of many rarities at a friend's house in London: among other things his friends shewed him a finch, whose eyes being put out, would frequently sing, even at midnight. This bird, in my opinion, is the lively emblem of such careless and unconcerned persons, as the prophet describes, who chant to the viol, when a dismal night of trouble and affliction hath overshadowed the church. You would have thought it strange to have heard this bird sing in the night, when all others are in a deep silence except the owl, an unclean bird, and the nightingale : which before we made the emblem of the hypocrite. And as strange it is, that any, except the profane and by. pocritical, should so unseasonably express their mirth and jollity; that any of Zion's children should live in pleasure, whilst she herself lies in tears. The people of God in Psal. cxxxvii. tell us, in what posture of sorrow they sat, even like birds, with their heads under their wings, during the night of their captivity. "How shall we sing the Lord's songs in a strange land?" It is like enough, such as can sing and chant in the night of the church's trouble, have well feathered their nests in the

days of their prosperity; however, let them know, that God will turn their unseasonable mirth into a sadder note; and those that now sit sad and silent, shall shortly sing for joy of heart, when "the winter is past, the rain is over and gone, the flowers appear again upon the earth, and the time of the singing of birds is come."

MEDITATION VIII.

UPON THE COMPARING OF TWO BIRDS NESTS.

It is pretty to observe the structure and commodiousness of the habitation of these little architects who, tho' they act not by reason and counsel, but only by natural instinct, yet reason itself could hardly have contrived a neater building of such simple materials. How neatly hath the thrush ceiled or plastered his nest with admirable art and industry? How warmly hath the finch matted his? and both well fenced against the injury of the weather.

How comfortably hath nature provided convenient habitations for the weak and tender young ones, who have warm lodging, and variety of provisions hourly brought them, without their care or pains? This trifling object suggests to my thoughts a more excellent and serious contemplation, even the wonderful and unparalleled abasement of Jesus Christ, who for my sake voluntarily submitted himself to a more destitute and neglected state than these birds of the air; for he saith "The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man hath not where to lay his head."

"The craggy rock to foxes holes afford,s
"The pleasant woods a resting place to birds;
"For Christ no fixed habitation's found,

"But what was borrowed or the naked ground."

O melting consideration! that the glorious Son of God, "The Lord of glory," "The brightness of his Father's glory," "Who was rich," "and thought it not robbery to be equal with God," who, from "all eternity," was infinitely and ineffably "delighting and rejoicing in the bosom of his Father," that he, I say should manifest himself in " flesh," yea, "in the likeness of sinful flesh," that is, in flesh that hath the marks and effects of sin upon it, as hunger, thirst, pain, weariness and mortality; and not only so, but to choose such a state of outward meanness and poverty, never being possessed of a house in this world, but living as a stranger in other men's houses, and stooping, in this respect, to a lower condition than the very birds of the air, and all this for enemies. O let it work both admiration and thankfulness in my soul! my body is better accommodated than the body of my Lord, "Dear Jesus! by how much the viler thou madest thyself for me, by so much the dearer shalt thou be to me."

MEDITATION IX.

UPON THE EARLY SINGING OF BIRDS.

How am I reproved of sluggishness of these watchful birds, which cheerfully entertain the very dawning of the morning with their cheerful and delightful warblings! They set their little spirits all a work betimes, whilst my nobler spirits are bound with the bonds of soft and downy

slumbers. For shame, my soul! suffer not that publican sleep to seize so much of thy time, yea, thy best and freshest time; reprove and chide thy sluggish body, as a good bishop once did, when, upon the same occasion, he said, Surrexerunt passeres, et sternunt pontifices.

The early chirping sparrows may reprove

Such lazy bishops as their beds do love.

Of many sluggards it may be said, as Tully said of Verres, the deputy of Sicily, Quod nunquam solem nec orientem, nec occidentem videret; that he never saw the sun rising in bed after, nor setting, being in bed before.

A

It is pity that Christians, of all men, should suffer sleep to cut such large thongs out of so narrow a hide, as their time on earth is. But alas! it is not so much early rising, as a wise improving those fresh and free hours with God, that will enrich the soul; else, as our proverb saith, man may be early up, and never the near; yea, far better is it to be found in bed sleeping, than to be up doing nothing, or that which is worse than nothing. 0 my soul! learn to prepossess thyself every morning with the thoughts of God, and suffer not those fresh and sweet operations of thy mind to be prostituted to earthly things; for that is experimentally true, which * one, in this case, hath pertinently observed, that if the world get the start of religion in the morning, it will be hard for religion to overtake it all day after.

* Mr. Case, in Epist. to the Morn. Lect.

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MEDITATION X.

UPON THE HALTERING OF BIRDS WITH A GRAIN OF HAIR.

OBSERVING, in a snowy season, how the poor hungry birds were haltered and drawn in by a grain of hair cunningly cast over their heads, whilst, poor creatures, they were busily feeding, and suspected no danger; and even whilst their companions were drawn away from them, one after another, all the interruption it gave the rest was only for a minute or two, whilst they stood peeping into that hole through which their companions were drawn, and then fell to their meat again as busily as before; I could not choose but say-"Even thus suprizingly doth death steal upon the children of men, whilst they are wholly intent upon the cares and pleasures of this life, not at all suspecting its so near approach." These birds saw not the hand that ensnared them, nor do they see the hand of death plucking them one after another into the grave.

"Death steps as swift, and yet no noise it makes;

"Its hand unseen, but yet most surely takes."

And even as the surviving birds for a little time seemed to stand affrighted, peeping after their companions, and then as busy as ever to their meat again: just so it fares with the careless, inconsiderate world, who see others daily dropping into eternity round about them, and for the present are a little startled, and will look into the grave after their neighbors, and then fall as busily to their earthly employments and pleasures again as ever, till their own

turn comes.

I know, my God, that I must die as well as others; but O let me not die as others do; let me see death before!