smoake and eate the meate themselues So these feede vs with the smoaky refuse of their liuings but eate the chiefe therof at their owne tables that is they haue the corno and hay and giue vs the pigge and goose With these I set the vsurers that are much like the timber-worme which to touch is very soft but hath teeth so hard that it eates the timber Cato being asked what it was to lend vpon vsury answered Qaid hominem occidere What is it to kill a man The high-way theese wonnds not so deepe with his sword as the vsurer doth with a piece of paper for he strikes home and hits all sorts of people The Land-lord rackes his rents The Farmer inhances his corne The Trades-man rayseth his wares and all to pay the Vulurer Wee doe not all take vse but I am sure there is none of vs all but payes vse Chrysostome compareth Vsury to the sting of an Aspe whose venimous infection casteth the partie into a sweete sleepe for a time dispersing so into euery member of his bodie that presently hee dyeth Euen so the Vsurer seemes sweete for a time but in the end the venimous infection thereof will so run thorow a mans substance that all that hee hath is quickly conuerted into debt Much like a Tartarian souldier that borrowing fiue hundreth pieces of Coyne aud keeping the same fiue yeeres was constrained to pay seuen thousand backe againe This is horrible oppression and fallow ground that must be plowed vp Couetousnesse is another fallow ground and must bee new plowed The couetous wretch hath his heart set on golde and siluer and can speake none other language but of Mammon A thing much accounted of for Pecunie obediunt omnia All things obey to money Paul saith that couetousnesse is Idolatry It is the property of Idolatry to steale away the heart of man yet not so forcible as gold Dum vult esse praedo sitpraeda Whiles that bes came to a prey hee becomes a prey As Hosea saith in another kinde Wine and new wine haue stolen away their hearts So the more hee drinkes the dryer hee is Dum sorbit vinum absorbitur a vino He drinkes vp his wine and his wine drinkes vp him Qui tenet marsupium tenotur a marsupio Hoe holdes his purse fast and his purse holdes him fast O thou hunger of golde and siluer what is it not that thou doest compell the hearts of men to buy and sell saith Tullie The chariot of Auarice is carried vpon foure wheeles of vice which are Faint courage Vngentlenesse Contempt of God and Forgetsulnesse of death And two horses draw it Rauine and Niggardship To them both is but one Carter Desire to haue The Carter driueth with a whip of two coards Appetite to get and Care to keepe The deuill vs a skilfull Sophister auetting the wordes of the holy Ghost turnes bread into drinke In the drunkard no more our dayly bread but our dayly drinke Hee turnes godlinesse into Auarice in the couetous crossing the saying of our Lord First seeke the kingdome of heauen but hee will haue vs first to seeke the world and then if there bee any time to spare to seeke for heauen This kinde of Sophistry hath deceiued the world Plures allicit auaritia quam peritia Couetousnesse inciteth more men then knowledge doeth So sings the world Quaerenda peounia primum est virtus post nummos Haec Ianus summus ab imo perdocet Haec recinunt iuuenes dictata senesque First coyne then vertue tLs doth Ianus sing And these through mouthes of youth and age doe ring This seemes sweete to a couetous man that his heart is so set on couetousnesse that with Esau hee will sell his birthright for a messe of pottage And when hee values vertue at the highest it is but at thirty pence with Iudas A couetous man is a rebell against GOD breaking his Commaundement Thou shalt not couet A traytour to his owne soule and a murtherer of men This fallow ground must bee plowed vp The next fallow ground that I would haue you to peruse ouer is the fashion-mongers of our time I meane the sonnes of pride to day an English-man to morrow a French-man the third day a Spaniard then a Turke and last of all a Deuill There is another kind of fallow ground A generation so ill tempered of the foure Elements that it taketh and possesseth seuerall parts in them their hearts all earth their stomackes all water their braine all ayre and their tongues all fire being set on fire with the fire of Hell these are knowen by their language There is Prouincia Caelestis The Kingdoms of heauen The speach whereof is Prayer Praising of God and speaking of heauenly things but in this language they haue no skill There is Prouincia terrestis the language whereof is worldly pleasure riches honour and the like and in this they are good Schollers Lastly there is Prouincia Infernalis the language whereof is cursing and blasphemie and in this they are perfect Mens mouthes are dyed red with oathes it is no more newes to heare an oath then to see the light yet God will not hold him guiltlesse that taketh his Name in vaine A sinne condemned by God The law of nature doeth detestit and the lawe of nations did euer abhorre it But in England hee is no man that cannot sweare and that by wholesale Children now can sweare before their parents can pray Whoredome is growen to bee a Trade among vs as if there were no Lawe to condemneit nor Iustice to punish it A sinne most damnable forbidden in the Lawe and threatued by the Lord Whoremongers and adulterers hee will iudge A sinne punished by death in the Lawe but now vpon the backe if not too often by the purse And so long as they haue an impudent face and a large purse well lined they will vnder-goe it well enough Now seeing that this kinde of punishment will doe no good but that still they will goe neighing after their neighbours wiues and assemble themselues in harlots houses Consider yet Gods iudgements on this kinde of offence For I will bee a swift witnesse against the adulterer sayth the Lord. See it so performed Dauid for his adultery with Bathsheba when shee was the wife of Vriah had his house punished with the sword The childe begotten in adultery died and his owne wiues rauished by his owne sonne Amnon murthered and Absalom hanged by the haire Looke wee into the Histories and there is the like Rodoaldus sometime King of Lombardie was suddenly strucken dead in the acte of adultery It is recorded also of Alrichbertus King of France that hee died suddenly with a whore in his armes With many other like examples both in diuine and humane Histories To that end you may know what adultery is marke these branches following First it is committed in thought when the mind runs after
haue made choyce of such a text as doth speake to all persons I feared to speake of Iudgement least it should make the weake harted to tremble Or of mercy least the wicked should be secure Therefore I haue ioyned them together OSEA 10. 12. SOwe to your selues in righteousnesse reape after the measure of mercy breake vp your fallow ground for it is time to seeke the Lord till he come and raine righteousnesse vpon you QVo brevior co obscurior The shorter this Prophesie is the more mysticall In the holy Scripture these two things euer do concurre Sententia breuis res ampla A finit sentence an infinit sence as in a litle mapp we see a world of Coūtries what the foote cannot measure in many dayes the eye passeth ouer in a moment This text is a little Mappe of the whole body of Diuinitie turnes ouer vnto vs a golden lease whose inke is Nectar and the penne the wing of Angels for the matter expressed is wholly celestiall Quis sit finis iustorum it iustificantium iustos I will in somesort open the euerlastiing dores and heere shewe you the King of glorie and in him your glorie Therefore let an holie reuerence possesse your soules and say with Iacob This place is fearfull none other but the house of God and the gate of Heauen where will appeare the loue of God in his Iudgements to the sonnes of men who in promising mercie omits iudgment but in threatning iudgment remembers mercy as heere in this place And now as you intend to trauell with me in this way tye your considerations vnto two generall heads The first is a precept The second is the consequent The precept is affirmatiuelie set downe and is illustrated by a metaphor taken from the husbandman First by the plowetime Innouate vobis nouale Plowe vp your fallowe Secondly by the seede time Seminate vobis in iusticia sowe to your selues in righteousnesse Thirdly by the haruest time Metite in ore misericordiae Euery one of these times offer 3. branches apeece First the subiect the fallowe grownd 2 The propertie of the worke Plowe 3 The proprietie of the persons your Plowe vp your fallowe grownd Secondly the seede time 1 Sowe There is the Propertie of the worke 2 Righteousnesse there is the matter to worke vpon 3. To your selues There is the extent of it Sowe to your selues in Righteousnesse Thirdly the haruest time 1 The action or worke reape 2 The manner According to mercy this is the precept and the parts therof and now the consequent followes and is amplified thus first by an argument taken from their negligence For it is time to seeke the Lord Secondly by an argument taken from the benefit of it till he come raine righteousnesse vpon you In the 1 obserue an action seeke there is the propertie of it 2 whom the Lord there is the obiect of it 3 why for it is time There is the compelling cause for it is time to seeke the Lord. In the second part obserue how longe donec vewiat vntill he come there is the continuance of it 2 Et doceat iustitiam vobis and teach you rightcousnesse there is the ende of it First by the acte to teach 2 by the qualitie righteousnesse 3 the persones you this is the consequent with the parts thereof so that now if you will take a generall veiwe of these wordes you shall finde euery word a sentence and euery sentence a world of matter it wants but a skilfull workeman A Scripture very necessarie for these dayes and I thinke not vnfit for this present auditorie Albeit to them whose eares are alwayes listininge after nouelties it may seeme to triuiall yet I doubt not but to those that come with willing mindes to learne it will proue very profitable Therefore you Right Honorable whom God hath vouchsafed his owne name vnto heere vpon earth with reuerence attend it It is the ground of iudgment therefore ye most worthy Iudges may liften vnto it it is the end of controuersies therefore yee skillfull Lawyers may take notice of it Here is matter of ciuill obedience therefore ye inferiours may fitly learne it also it is the instrumentall cause of faith and repentance therefore ye beleeuers may earnestly embrace it Shimgnu debar Iehouah Thus who so begins and ends his dayes shall dye the death of the lighteous and his last end shall be like vnto his The matter in the whole is an exhortation vnto holinessed ana consequent enforcinge The exhortation comes now in hand being considered I by the plowe time secondly by the seede time 3 by the haruest time The plow time by order is first to be handeled Aud in that I noted 1 the supiect of the worke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fallowe ground 2 The property of the worke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 New plowe 3 The propriety of the persons 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 your And now the subject doth challenge the first place THE SVBIECT NIru Fallow ground In euery scripture we are to con sider Sententiam et intentionem The sentence the intent Quid dicitur et quid intenditur What is said and what is intended Euery scripture being to be considered either litterall or metaphoricall Litterall when sence and sentence agree As cursed is the earth for thy sake Gen. 3. 17. metaphoricall when one thing is spoken and another thing is meant I will power waters vpon the dry ground So here we must vnderstand him that hath heauen for his seeling the earth for his pauement the Sunne Moone starres for his hangings the creatures for his diat and the Angels for his attendants Man is called euery creature by the mouth of our Sauiour Mat 28. Because he hath a participation of the best good in all creatures and so more excellent then all Stones haue a being but not a life Plants haue a being and life but not sence Beasts haue a being life and sence and yet none understanding Angels haue being life sence and vnderstanding But in man ye may behold a Mappe of all these For he hath a being with stones life with plants sence with beasts and vnderstanding with the Angells A most sweet abstract or compendium of all crèatures perfections Yea be not proud because of all these for thou art but earth Earth is the lowēst of all elements and the Center of the world Earth must be earth liuing earth to dead earth Respice aspice prospice looke back what thou wast see what thou art and consider what thou shalt be Dust thou wast earth thou art and to dust thou shalt returne as Saith Phocylydes Ex terra corpus nobis est rursus in illam Selumur et puiuis sumes Our body is of earth and dying must Returne to earth for man is made of dust So then it is earth The difference is this liuing earth walkes vpon dead earth and shall at the last be as dead as his pauement that he treads vpon I
extra nos these intra nos vero spiritu Dei inscripta Written by the very Spirit of God For God hath sent the Spirit of his Sonne into our hearts whereby wee crie Abba Father And though the sound of saluation delighteth the eare yet the ioy and sweetnesse is in the heart Deus est mel in ore God is hon is in the mouth Melos in aurc Musicke in the eare iubilum in corde and ioy in the heart Veniet veniet dies indicy vbi plus valebunt pura corda quam astutia verbis conscientia bona quam marsupia plena quandoquidem index ille nec verbis falletur nec donis flecteur The day will come the day of iudgement will come when cleane hearts will more auaile then crastinesse in words and a good conscience then a full purse seeing that the Iudge will neither be deceiued with words nor mooned with gifts If then a good heart shall bee of such worth at that day it is principally to be regarded in this lise Now before we passe-from this note with mee here the hypocrites which haue onely the outside of greatnes like stage-players which appeare like Kings vnto others themselues being no better then beggars These hypocrites serue the Lord in shew not in trueth Christians onely in name Saints onely in shew These are painted boxes wherein are hid deadly poysons vnder Iesabels painted face a whorish behauiour These cleanse the outside but within is a denne of theeuish affections O generation of vipers how should ye escape the damnation of hell Vnto this purpose serueth that storie wherein I reade of Hercules which begot Scithes on a monster whose vpper parts were like a woman and her lower parts like a viper Me thinkes the hypocrite resembles this monster his vpper parts shall be like a woman I meane his smooth and splendent words but his lower parts or if you will his heart is like the viper For as historians report the viper eates a way out of the belly of her damme with the danger of her life that bred her so the hypocrite eates vp the bowels of his mother the Church that brought him foorth crying out against disorders abroad whiles there is none at home in his owne heart I speake not against professors but against hypocrites to whom I say as Chrysostome said Aut esto quod appares aut appare quod es Either be as thou seemest or appeare as thou art I would to God they would bee either open enemies that so we might beware of them or faithsull friends vnto Christ and his Church These are sicke of wantonnesse in religion and are so hote about the question de modo that it is to be feared the enemy steales away the matter of religion out of their hearts It is strange to see if that wee will not shew our selues refractarie wrangle about shadowes and speake against authority our sermons are hissed at and our persons are derided These are prosessors of note when they speake bitterly their names cary it away strongly with our scandals Note here the proud persons with their top and top-gallants that build towers in the ayre and a heauen on earth whiles there is a hell in their consciences The proud person is Deo odibilis diabolo similis and sibi damnabilis Odious vnto God like the deuill and damnable to himselfe witnesseth the saying of the Apostle God reiecteth the proud and giueth grace to the humble Eucry proud man is an idolater because he loues his pride and makes that his God no maruell then if hee be reiected For Nemo potest Dominis rocte seruire duobus No man can serue two masters God and Pride Yet the proud man will and if either be vnserued God shall he will be sure to couer his backe with externall brauerie whether God line his soule with grace or no. You shall see many of these gallants put a whole inheritance into a trunke and metamorphise a whole mannour into a sute of apparel And no maruell when the best farme in it will doe no more then pay for a paire of shooe-strings besides a band in the fashion starched with the deuils liquor and in the punke colour to beautifie it And now they flourish it out in brauery what with their curled haires painted faces and foolish if notfooles coates Thus shine they like starres thinking themselues to be Gods among Saints when God knowes and I feare they be but deuils among men I conclude with the authour to the Hebrewes It is good to haue the heart established with grace and as Seneca saith It is better to haue a soule furnished with grace then a bodie decked with glorious apparell that so wee might be like vnto Nathaniel of whom it is said Behold a true Israelite 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in whom there is no guile Ioh. 1. 47. But I haue not yet done with the subiect New fallow your fallow it was plowed before but for the sowing of euill seede The husbandman in the countrey can better vnderstand this then the citizen The maner of the husbandman is to fit his tillage according to his seede The ground wherein he sowes Barley Oates Pease and Tares needeth but one yeeres plowing whereas the ground where Wheate and Rye is to be sowen hath two yeeres plowing During the time that it lies plowed and not sowen it is called fallow ground Such is this fallow ground of their hearts which was made ready for the sowing of iniquitie As the same Prophet witnesseth Cikerbu cattannur libbam For they haue made ready their hearts And as another Prophet witnesseth They lie in waite for blood Likewise Dauid sayth That they lie secretly as a Lyon in his denne Thus the wicked not of infirmitie but of meditation and deliberation runne into sinne Prauus vsus vix aboletur A wicked vse is hardly abolished Assidua consuetudo vitium in naturam conuertit saith Augustine A continuall custome conuerteth vice into nature For it is a pastime to the wicked to doe euill whereas the godly hath no delight in sinne Seneca by the light of nature could say that Bonus animus nunquam erranti obsequium accommodat A good minde neuer reacheth the helping hand vnto error Insomuch that the heathen said that Bona cupido animi bonus Deus est A good desire in the minde is a good God Whereas the minds of the wicked are bent to commit sinne with greedinesse as Salomon saith Come say they let vs lie in waite for blood Of purpose you see not by infirmitie notwithstanding the Lord by the Prophet pronounceth a woe against them that imagine wickednesse vpon their beds There are two things that make the wicked thus bent in their minds to sinne The first is the corruption of nature which is corrupt of it selfe and iudges those things to be good which are euill and those things euill which are good As the Apostle witnesseth The naturallman knowes not
Corpore deposite liberam si scandis in aethram Tunc dem aeternus fies mortalia linquens If quite from earthly drosse thou soare Then shalt thou be a God and dye no more But as yet all our labours are like vnto the husbandmans seede castinto the earth which seemes to rot and vtterly to perish It is reported of Hillary that from the fourteenth yeere of his age to the 84. had serued the Lord in sowing this seede yet it seemed to him lost while he vttered this sentence Goe foorth O my soule goe foorth why art thou afraide why doubtest thou Likewise Iob saide What shall I doe whether shall I turne when the Lord shall-comc to iudgement Thus the godly are subiect to trouble of spirit and vexation of conscience The world sees not the fruite and we perceiue not the fulnesse of our sowing as yet onely here is our comfort our workes are with the Lord and the crowne of righteousnesse shall come hereafter Secondly the husbandman receiues not the benefit of his labours as soone as he hath sowne his seede it is long in growing vppe in ripening and at the length is cut downe and brought into the barne Euen so is it with the godly now they sowe and reape hereafter This world is the seede time the next is the haruest time and so much the wise man shewes saying Cast thy bread vp on the waters and after many dayes thou shalt finde it The like saith the Apostle Paul I haue fought a good fight I haue kept the faith Here is his seēde time the haruest sollowes Hence foorth is laide vp for mee the crowne of righteousnesse In this world the children of God are but in their apprentiship to learne their arte they shall be truely free men onely in heauen this is their time of feare and trembling the haruest of full-ioy and happinesse is hereafter The Church is compared to a vineyard that is first digged then planted groweth bloweth and afterward commeth the liquor Sometime also to a shippe that goes to the Sea and is beaten with the waues tossed with the windes and then at the length comes home full fraughted with Merchandies Also to a building wherein there is much hewing squaring and great paines taking before it be a fit habitation To a fielde that is plowed sowne harrowed growes ripens and then comes the haruest The child of God is a planter a Merchant a builder and a husbandman but the wine is not yet tasted of the shippe is not yet returned the house is not yet inhabited and the seede is not yet in the barne Therefore I say vnto you as the Apostle said to his hearers ye haue neede of patience 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that after yee haue done the will of God yee may receiue the promise yet a little and hee that shall come will come Post lacramas risus post exilium Paradisus After weeping comes laughing and after banishment comes Paradise After sowing comes haruest and after obedience comes glory The husbandman comforts himselfe with the presedence of his labours and feedes vpon future hopes His well dunged and manured ground his seasonable tillage and his good seed will surely bring a plentiful haruest in the end more then answerable to his paines The husbandman cannot so much hope for an ensuing crop as the child of God hath an assurance of his future glory His well manured soule with the grace of God his seasonable and good seed of obedience puts him in such an hope and giues him such assurance of a blessed haruest that he will not sell his future estate for a present Monarchy Moyses had rather forgoe his present dignities then loose his future hopes Thirdly it is fitly compared to sowing because as one corne brings foorth many and a little increaieth much so the seede of righteousnesse brings foorth an vnspeakable weight of glory Eye hath not seene care hath not heard neither hath it entred into the heart of man what God hath laid vp for those that loue him so great is the reward as that it cannot be numbred so precious as that it cannot be valued so lasting as that it euer endureth O ioy aboue all ioyes mirth without sorrow life without labour light without darkenesse aglorious reward for so small a worke Here is a blessed increase and yet no vsurie an hundred for tenne yea a thousand for one yet no extortion our seede finite the reward infinite A cup of cold water giuen to a pious vse shall be put in the Chronicles of heauen and rewarded with no lesle then a kingdome Fourthly obserue that out of one hand comes many graines and cornes which are dispersed into many parts of the field So the good childe of God must bee as plentifull in good workes doing good vnto many The seruant is not aboue his Lord. If Christ so sowed wee ought to follow For omnis Christi actio nostra debet esse instructio Euery action of Christ ought to be our instruction who went about doing good vnto all people Among the Iewes none might be a Rabbin till he could speake seuen languages the tree is not accounted a good tree till it bring forth much fruit and who can bee a good Christian till hee bee found fruitfull in good workes A Christian must be like the tree that Clusius reports of calling it the Indian figgetree and Gorobius calleth it the tree of Adams transgression Let it be what it is it groweth vp with one faire body the branches spreading themselues very large reaching downe vnto the earth taking hold thereof and springeth vp againe into little trees that often it comes to passe that the ground is couered and ouerspread for the space of a mile with the ouer spreading branches The Christian is compared in Scripture to a figge tree It seemes that this is the cause of it to teach the childe of God to be as farre spreading with his workes We reade that when Christ fed the people he fed them by multitudes to teach vs to doe good vnto many While wee haue time saith the Apostle let vs doe good vnto all When the ayre hath giuen influence the cloudes sent downe the seasonable deawes of grace and the sunne of righteousnes bestowed his kindly heat then a Christian becomes fruitfull Man is compared to the earth that brings forth herbes of all colours and fashions and of seueral smelles These herbes are as dumbe masters to teach vs our duety to be plentifull in good workes of all sorts as Peter teacheth Ioyne vertue with faith and with vertue knowledge with knowledge temperance with temperance patience with patience godlinesse with godlinesse brotherly kindnes and with brotherly kindnesse loue See what a golden chaine of vertues are here linked together That which was prophesied of vs must bee made true in vs Our roabes namely our workes must bee wrought with diuers collours It must not bee with vs as it
Christi aduentu By consummation and glorification of the Church in the second comming of Christ and vntill then we must seeke the Lord. The last pare the ende VVE are come now by your patience to the last branch of our text And teach you righteousnesse where in obserue 1. the propertie of it Teach 2. the forme of it Rightcousnesse 3. the persons You. The propertie of the worke comes first to be handled Raine This part would bee better vnsoulded by some Phylosopher then by me Raine is impression that commeth of much cold vapour and moist gathered into a body of a cloude drawne out of the earth or waters by the heate of the Sunne into the middle region of the ayre whereby cold it is so knit together that it hangeth vntill either the waight or heate cause it to breake Some thinke the raine and cloudes are not aboue nine miles in height Albertus Magnus saith they are but three miles in height and some thinke that they be but halfe a mile and some againe by Geometricall demonstrations make it aboue fiftie miles to the place where the cloudes and raine are gathered but not to be too curious to seeke for that whereof we haue no neede To conclude sometime they are higher sometime they are lower according to the waight thereof where they breake to the great feare and no lesse danger of man and beast but to come to the true raine here intended Raine the word iorch doth signifie to raine yet a supernaturall showre which makes glad the city of God Gods word is compared to raine and is this raine fo saith the Lord my word shall droppe as the raine Likewise his spirit is compared to raine I will power water on the dry ground And fitly is his word and grace comcompared to raine 1 Raine is called Imber and hath that name of Imbuendo for it springeth and tempereth the earth and maketh it beare fruite Man is compared to earth and the word and grace to raine If this raine be not showred downe vpon this earth it is vnfruitfull therefore to make this earth fruitfull God sends downe the showers of this raine vpon it as the operatiue meanes and working cause to make the hearts of men fruitfull in faith loue and the like and their liues full of good workes And to this belongs the saying of the wise man Arise O North and come O South because in these two places are the signes which concerne the water and the earth as Taurus Virgo and Capricornus which are in the South and be earthly signes The other are Cancer Pisces and Scorpio in the North and bee watery signes Now when the earth of mans heart and the raine of Gods grace doe meete there followes a fruitfull haruest 2 Raine is called Pluuia and hath that name of pluralitate pluralitie of drops and that drop after drop that the earth might receiue it the better A droppe is part of a cloude being broken which destilleth downe droppe after droppe A fit embleme of this supernaturall raine which from one cloude the spirit destilleth into the hearts of men grace after grace and gift after gift Man hath not all the graces of God at the first but by degrees as the Apostle saith We must first haue milke and then strong meate first a lesse grace then a greater and after that full perfection Regeneration is compared to a birth where first the braine is made then the heart after that the liuer then the sinewes arreryes and pipes and lastly the handes and feete And thus is it in the spirituall birth first knowledge and vnderstanding then faith and repentance after peace of conscience and ioy in the holy Ghost and lastly full assurance of all Gods mercies 3 Raine is a maker of peace for often wee see the windes and other elements in an vproare where by the stout Cedars are bowed to the ground Towres and Castles trembling and the waters roaring But now comes a showre of raine from the cloudes and mittigates all this fury Euen so when since the conscience Gods wrath and the terrors of hell accuse vs within and Gog Magog Moab and Ammon I meane wicked men persecute vs without then are wee in great feare and trembling But now comes a showre of grace and mittigates all feares and secures vs from all terrours 4. Raine is Medicus a good Phisition hauing a powerfull efficacie to cleanse the ayre when by infectious fogges and contagious vapours it is corrupted washing away with the showres thereof all the noysome putrifaction euen so when the iudgement and vnderstanding are infected with the filthy fumes of errours and heresies and the trueth almost stifled then commeth a shoure of grace and cleanseth the soule from all these infectious fogges 5. Raine mollifieth the hard earth and makes it more apt for tillage whereby the bowels of the earth are cut with coulters and shares Euen so the hard and obdurate heart of man is made soft and apt to euery good worke by the showres of Gods grace Happie earth whereon this raine falles that is so operatiue and donum omnium donorum maximum A gift farre aboue all other gifts Ioreh of iarah and signifies to teach as well as to raine For while we liue in this world we are in the schoole of Christ and haue need of teaching and the chiefe teacher is the Spirit of God as Christ The comforter whom the Father will send in my Name shall teach you all things outward meanes without this will doe no good For Paulmay plant Apollo may water yet it is God which teacheth by the Spirit or otherwise all is in vaine For Non verbis hominis sit vt intelligatur verbum Dei facit Deus vt intelligatis The wordes of man cannot make man to vnderstand the word of God but it is God that maketh them to vnderstand The outward ministery worketh no grace in the hearts of men It is but a subordinate meanes and causa instrumentalis The instrumentall cause and not causa efficiens The efficient cause Therefore sayth the Apostle Haue you receiued the holy Ghost Intimating thereby that if they wanted the Spirit they could haue no faith for Hoc est opus Dei This is the worke of God Gods assisting grace and the ministery of man must go together else thereis no power in our perishable voyces to effect your consciences Breake away this Analogie and vertuall association of the spirit from the word and you shall bee like those women euer learning but neuer able to come to the knowledge of the trueth Learne then First to follow the counsell of Christ to giue God the things that belong to God and to Cesar that which belongeth to Cesar. If by the ministerie of man you haue gotten some good measure of knowledge faith loue repentance and the like forget not your duetie to the messengers of God Haue them in singular respect for their workes