Husbandry Spiritualized Author:John Flavel Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: THE EPISTLE, TO THE INTELLIGENT COUNTRY READER. Thou hast here the frait of some of my spare hours, which were thus employed, when, by a sad providence, I was... more » thrust from the society of many dear friends, into a solitary country dwelling. I hope none will envy me these innocent delights, which I made out of my lonely walks, whereby the Lord sweetened my solitudes there. It is possible you may find some passages here that are harmlessly pleasant ; yet I assure you, I know of none that the most Cynical Reader can censure, as siniully light and vain. I must acknowledge, to the praise of God, that I have found some of those (which possibly some of my readers will call the slightest, and most trifling subjects of meditation) to be the ordinances for instruction, caution, and consolation to my own soul; yea, I have found such a degree of comfort in these things, that it has greatly tended to endear a country life to me. 1 now much better understand the saying of Horace, than when I learned it at school, Novistine locum potiorem rure beato ? Est ubi plustepeant hyenas 1 IThi gr:mor aura ? O rus, quando ego te adspiciam ? Quandoque licebit Nunc veterum libris, nunc somno, et inertibus hortii Ducere solicitae jucunda oblivio vitae. (i. e.) What life can with the country life compare ? Where breathes the purest, and most healthful air. Where, undisturb'd, my study I pursue, And, when I sleep, bid all my cares adieu. Hor. Sat. 6. And what I have found so beneficial to myself, I cannot but think may be so to others. I assure thee, reader, I am not fond of any of these conceptions; and yet I think I may modestly enough say, that the emptiest leaf in this book may serve for more and better uses, than a mere diversion, when thou canst find leisure to peruse it. I k...« less