ANd as the consideration of the pruning of Trees, under the Notion of that which wounds them, may afford our Contemplator the Reflections already pointed at; so the considering of the same Action, under another Notion, may lead him to Reflections of another Nature: For if he observes, that, in certain cases, Gardeners oftentimes do not onely prune away all the Suckers, and many of the Luxuriant sprigs, but cut off some of the Branches themselves, provided they spare the Master boughs; and yet these Amputations, though they take much from the Tree, are design’d to add to the Fruit, as accordingly they are wont to do: If, I say, our Reflector takes notice of this, it may easily supply him with an illustration of what he may have observ’d among some Men, who, by Afflictions, ev’n in point of Fortune, are brought to be far more charitable than they would have been, if their peace and plenty had continued unimpair’d. As, besides that Saint Paul, speaking of the Macedonian Churches, (2 Cor. 8. 2) gives them this Character, That in a great trial of Affliction, the abundance of their Joy, and their deep Poverty, abounded unto the Riches of their Liberality; We have in Zacheus a memorable Instance to our present purpose, since, after his Repentance had,1 by his own consent, cut off from his Estate more than all that Slander, Oppression, and other unjust ways of Getting, (which us’d to bring in but too great a part of a Publican’s) had added to it; he gave away more, out of the Remainder of his Estate, than every liberal Man would have done out of the Whole. His Wealth, like a skilfully prun’d Tree bore the more Fruit to Piety; for having had some parts of it cut away, he grew Rich (in good works) by being despoil’d, and his Charity increas’d as much as his Fortune was lessen’d.
If, towards the end of the Spring, our Reflector see the Ground under his Tree strowed with the Blossoms, that Time and Winds may have cast down thence, ‘tis like it would furnish him with this consideration, That, as though the Blossoms are in themselves great Ornaments to a Tree, and oftentimes both useful and pleasant things, yet to be seasonably depriv’d of them, is not a mischief to the Tree that loses them; since, till the Blossoms are gone, the Fruit, which is a better and more lasting thing, and more principally intended by Nature, cannot be had: So it will not always follow, that because certain things are in their kind desirable, and therefore may be reckoned among Goods, the loss or depravation of them must necessarily be an Evil. And so, though a fair and healthy Body may be look’d upon as a Blessing, yet it will not follow,2 that a Death (as the Scripture speaks) either in or for the Lord, because it throws this flourishing Body to the Ground, (Revel. 14. 13) and makes it rot there, must needs be a deplorable Evil; since, as the Blossoms falling off, is, according to the course of Nature, necessarily praevious to the formation, or at least the perfection, of the Fruit: So the being depriv’d of this Life, is, according to God’s Ordination, a necessary Antecedent to our being inrich’d with those more solid and durable blessings of perfect Virtue and Happiness.
And if, whil’st our Contemplator’s Tree is adorn’d with Leaves, as well as Blossoms, (as we often see several of the former come before all the latter are gone) he chance to take notice how busie the Bees are in sucking these, whil’st they leave the others untouch’d, he may peradventure make this, or some such other Reflection on it; That, though the Leaves be not onely Ornaments of a Tree, but Productions, often useful to shade and shelter the Fruit, and are of a more solid Texture, and a more durable Nature than the Blossoms, which seem to be of a slighter make, and rather gawdy and delightful than lasting; yet ‘tis not about the Leaves, but the Blossoms, that the industrious Bee assiduously imploys her time, as sucking from those gawdy productions of the Tree, store of that Honey which the Leaves would not afford her.
Thus, though the Books written about Dogmatical and Controversial points in Divinity, may be in their kind valuable and useful productions of skill in Theology, and may seem more strong and substantial Composures, and likely to retain their Reputations longer, than Books of Devotion; yet ‘tis of these, rather than those, that the devout Christian will be a sollicitous Peruser; since ‘tis not from barren, though solid Assertions or Disputes, but from florid and pathetical Books of Devotion, which first allure the Reader, and then affect him, that the devout Soul extracts her Honey, I mean those Caelestial pleasures that result from, as well as maintain, a free communion with God, which does at once both exercise her Devotion, and recompense it, and afford her, as Flowers do the Bee, an Aliment equally Nutritive and Delicious.
And he may somewhat illustrate, as well as continue, the Allusion further, by considering, That Silk-worms that live upon Leaves, and Bees that feed on Flowers and Blossoms, do indeed both of them thrive upon their respective Aliments, and are thereby enabled to present Men with useful productions, but with this difference; That the subtil threds of Silk-worms serve principally to cloath others, whereas the Honey that is elaborated by the Bee, does not onely supply others with a healing and cleansing Medicine in some Distempers, but affords a great deal of pleasure to the Bee her self: For thus, though as well the diligent Studiers of Speculative and Polemical Divinity, as the careful Perusers of Books of Devotion, may be advantag’d by what they Study, yet this difference may be observ’d betwixt them, that the former may, by the Discourses they read, be assisted to write others of the like Nature, whereby their Readers may be enabled to talk with more Acuteness, and Applause, but the latter may not onely be assisted by making such Composures as they assiduously converse with, to contribute to the cleansing of Men’s Consciences from Dead works, and as well pacific the troubles of their Minds, as heal the Wounds which Schism or Scandal may have given to the Church; but do often, in the first place, feel themselves all the Joys, and Advantages, they would procure to others, and they happily find Pious Reflections, Devout Soliloquies, Ardent Ejaculations, and other Mental Entertainments of a Religious Soul, to be of a Nature not onely so sweet, but so improving, and so advantageous, that whil’st many other laudable Imployments recommend us to the Students of Theology, these more especially recommend us to the Author of it, and indear us to God himself.
If when our Fruit-tree has chang’d its white Livery for a Green, our Considerer chance to take notice how thick ‘tis set with Leaves, of which it had not one some Moneths before, it may possibly put him in mind of the Instability of their condition, that are undeservedly envied for a Numerous train of such seeming Friends, and gawdy Attendants, as are so to the Fortune, rather than the Person: For, as in the Sunshiny moneths of Summer, when the fair weather would keep the Tree warm enough without the help of Leaves, it is wont to be cover’d with those Verdant Ornaments, but loses them all in Winter, when it needs their shelter from the Rigors of that Cold season: So those, that during the Sun-shine of prosperity, are beset with seeming Friends, of which they had no need, find themselves left naked, and forsaken of them all, when Adversity would make their Company of some Advantage. If our Contemplator chance to observe how his Tree flourishes with verdant Leaves, and gawdy Blossoms, at that Season of the Year, when it is providing to bring forth Fruit, it may put him in mind of the pleas’dness and alacrity, with which a Charitable person should set himself to the doing of good, and mind him, That as the God of Nature loves a cheerful Giver, so the temper of a liberal Person is pointed out by Nature her self, in a Tree, which seems to triumph in all the Ornaments it can put on, when it is about to exhaust the greatest part of its own stock of Sap to produce Fruits which onely others are to eat.
If he take notice of the order wherein ‘tis usual for the Leaves and Blossoms to precede the Fruit, it may possibly invite him to look with a more favourable Eye upon the green and immature Essays of early Writers, if they discover, that the Author aims at good things, though he does not yet perform great ones: For, however these Youthful productions of the Pen are commonly rather pleasing and florid, than otherwise considerable, yet if they be good for their Season, and in their Kind, though that kind it self be not of the usefullest, they may deserve pardon, and perhaps incouragement; since, though they be not yet solid, they may promise something that will be so; and ev’n the best Trees present us their Blossoms, before they give us their Fruit.
If the same Contemplator happens to see young people first shake the Tree in vain, and then climb it to gather unripe Fruit, it may afford him a representation of Men’s over-eager and untimely persuits of several desirable things, and especially of Honour: For, as green Fruit, though of a good Kind, will not easily be shaken down by them that would gather it, but reduces them either to climb the Tree, or forcibly strike it off, which commonly bruises, and disfigures what it procures; and as the Fruit, when thus obtain’d, is but sowr, and unwholsome, being neither sweetned nor concocted by Maturity, so that it usually both sets the Teeth on edge, and breeds Sickness in the Body, whereas, if the same Fruit were let alone till it were fully Ripe, and in Season, it would both readily drop into the Eater’s mouth, and prove delicious, and more wholsome Food: So, when we greedily pursue after Honour, and Pleasure, of which this Life is not the proper Season, we not onely meet with Difficulties in acquiring them, but find not, in possessing them, either that Satisfaction, or that Advantage, that the Eagerness of our unruly Appetites promises us; whereas, if we would stay contentedly till God’s time be come, (which is always the best, and fittest) we should not steal, or force, but receive unfading Honours, and uncloying Delights, by being presented with Incorruptible Crowns of Glory, (1 Pet. 5. 4) by him, with whom there is fulness of Joy, and at whose right hand (the Station design’d for those that overcome the World’s Allurements, (Psal. 16. 11) and their own Impatience) there are Pleasures for evermore; that is, Eternal ones.
Lastly, if towards the end of Summer, or of Autumn, our Reflector, coming to visit his Instructive Tree, find it present him store of Fruit, and perhaps observes it to be grown taller since the last Winter, each Bough will afford him a lively Emblem of a true Believer. For, as the loaded Branch makes use of the moisture it attracts from the dirty ground, to recede as much as it can from the Earth, and spends its sap in shooting up towards Heaven, and bearing Fruit for Men: so the devout Christian improves the Blessings he receives of this inferiour World, to elevate his mind above it: And the use that he makes of earthly Goods, and Advantages, is to raise his grateful Soul nearer to God, and dispense them by works of Charity to men.
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