of them that dwell therein First for the first scil the Iudgement wherein note the Author of it and the iudgement it selfe The Author of the iudgement is indefinitely exprest vnder the Pronoune ille maketh he that is the Lord by his power maketh the wildernesse a standing water and water springs of a drie ground and thereby causeth fruitfulnesse and when he is thereunto prouoked by the inhabitants sinnes then hee turneth the floud into a wildernesse and maketh the fruitfullest countries become extreme barren A fruitfull land maketh he barren So then it is the Lord that is the Author of fruitfulnesse and barrennesse it is he that sendeth plenty or pouertie Whence two lessons may be taken forth seasonable for two sorts of people scil 1. The rich 2. The poore For the rich The king may not boast of his great Babel nor the rich man of his full barnes but as hauing nothing saue what they haue receiued they should say Not vnto vs Lord not vnto vs but to thy name be ascribed the glory For the poore they should rest contented with their portion and legitimate Gods proceeding for it is he that either for triall of their patience or to reclaime them from their peruersnesse hath turned their fruitfulnesse into barrennesse A fruitfull land maketh he barren Thus much for the Author Now for the iudgement it selfe wherein obserue the matter and the manner For the matter it is a change of fruitfulnesse into barrennesse What it is to be fruitfull and what it is to be barren is well knowne and that such changes haue chanced experience testifieth and therefore we passe by the matter of the iudgement and come to the manner of it scil to shew how the Lord effecteth this change how hee maketh a fruitfull land to become barren The Lord maketh a fruitfull land barren by one of these three meanes scil either First by his supernaturall power or Secondly by naturall meanes or Thirdly by vnnaturall men First by his supernaturall power whereby contrary to the course of nature he maketh the heauen as iron the earth as brasse as he did in the daies of Eliah 1 Reg. 17. when there fell no raine vpon the face of the earth for three yeares space which closed vp their water springs yea that drought caused such a dearth and that dearth was seconded with such a famine as destroyed multitudes both of men and beasts Secondly as the Lord maketh a fruitfull land barren by his supernaturall so hee can effect the same by naturall meanes when hee vseth the creatures which were created for the vse and seruice of man to bee the correctors and reprouers of the faults of men To inlarge this by some instances Amongst the elements the fire is so necessary a creature that without the heat thereof neither man nor any thing made for the good of man could grow or prosper this I say at Gods appointment to mans great preiudice and hinderance rageth with vnmerciful fury consuming to ashes the dwellings commodities and the bodies of men The aire a sweet element made for man to breathe in which he draweth into his intrals to preserue the spirit of life he can alter the propertie thereof making it contagious and infectious inspiring for life death and destruction The waters to which he hath set bounds that they should not passe at his permission ouerflow their bankes and then without all resistance drowne corne fields medowes pastures and whatsoeuer commeth within the currant of their streames The earth which was created fruitfull to make it selfe barren yeelds thornes thistles and briers which choake the growth of come cockle darnell and tares which binde it fast to the ground caterpillers and locusts which eat it in the blade mildewes which blast it in the Eare with sundrie other destructions of the husbandmans labour for there is not any thing of that which is either sowne or planted by the hand of the husband-man but hath some impediment and hinderance from the earth or aire to annoy it and they are all iust iudgements sent from God whereby he maketh a fruitfull land barren for the wickednesse of them that dwell therein Thirdly the Lord maketh a fruitfull land barren by vnnaturall men 1. Whereof one sort being forgetfull of the saying non nobis nati we are not borne for our selues onely but to doe good to others are therfore too carefull for their owne and too carelesse for others welfare their care is to doe mischiefe to others if themselues may gaine thereby for ayming at their priuate gaine they ingrosse and hoord vp the commodities and treasures of the land till they haue caused a publique dearth these I say are Gods instruments though they intend it not effect that vnwittingly which he willeth they are his rod wherewith he scourgeth his people for their sins 2. Another sort carelesse both of themselues and others like desperate Pyrats endeuour to bore holes in the ship they saile in thereby to sinke it in the Ocean like Vipers they labour to eat out the bowels of their natiue soyle their mother countrey which brought them forth by stirring vp mutinous sedition and ciuill discord during which tumults there is no time to sow the ground nor plant vineyards nor any opportune season to gather those fruits of increase which the earth yeelds without tillage but all is laid waste and the land made barren and then when the Lord either by his supernaturall power hath shut fast the windowes of heauen by denying the former and the latter raine or dissolued the waterish clouds into immoderate showers Psal 78. vers 47 48. or when by naturall meanes he giues your fruits to the Caterpillar your labours to the Grashopper and your Mulbery trees to the frost or when by vnnaturall men through their vnnaturall practises he hath despoyled the earth of her fruitfulnesse and made the land barren then I say what followes but famine and pestilence first steps in famine then which there is no temporall punishment more pinching and miserable insomuch that the Prophet Dauid 2 Sam. 24. v. 14. being put to his choyce into which one of the three euils he would fall into rather chused the pestilence then it for it is a lingring and long-lasting torment and hath driuen men to those extremities enormities that nothing else could doe it hath made mothers murtherers and turned the sanctuarie of life into the shambles of death it hath broken downe the hedges both of nurture and nature for in ordinary course man is not meat for man but manchet for his maker 2 Reg. 6. v. 28. yet hath famine made those wombes which gaue children harbour before their births afterwards become the place of their buriall it hath made the practises of men lamentable and abominable both to bee pitied and abhorred It made one as Iosephus relateth De bello Iudaico to cut the throat of another that he might get the morsell he had put in his
A SERMON PREACHED AT GOVLDSBROVGH in Yorke-shire BEFORE THE RIGHT Worshipfull Sir Richard Hutton Knight one of his Maiesties Iustices of the Court of Common Pleas. LAMENT 4.9 They that be slaine with the sword are better then they that be slaine with hunger for these pine away stricken through for want of the fruits of the field LONDON Printed by Iohn Haviland for Richard Moore and are to be sold at his shop in Saint Dunstans Church-yard 1622. TO THE RIGHT WORSHIPFVLL Sir RICHARD HVTTON Knight one of his Maiesties Iustices of the Court of Common Pleas. Right Worshipfull IT was the custome of the Persian Kings when they saw their children misdemeane themselues at the first to spare them and to punish their seruants in their sight to trie if that would terrifie them from their sinister courses Thus hath the King of Kings of late dealt with vs who as we hope are his children for noting our misbehauiour he hath spared vs and with immoderate showers and ouer-swelling waters he hath punished the earth that was created to be seruiceable to vs. Many can familiarly discourse of this but few make any good vse thereof which I haue seene and obserued with sorrow And knowing it a dutie incident to my calling to put men in minde of Gods secret admonishments I applied my meditations to that purpose which I also deliuered in your Worships presence and haue now according to your request sent you a true copie of the same The manifold vndeserued kindnesses which I haue receiued from you doe binde me to make an vnfained acknowledgement of my loue and dutie to you which I shall be ready vpon euery occasion to manifest and my praiers shall alwaies attend you and your Familie From Spoforth the 21. of October Your Worships alwayes at command ROBERT OXLEY A SERMON PREACHED AT GOVLDSBROVGH in Yorke-shire PSAL. 107.34 A fruitfull land maketh he barren for the wickednesse of them that dwell therein AMongst the manifold grieuances which befell man-kinde for the fall and disobedience of man it is not to be forgotten that the Lord cursed the very earth for his sake adiudging it to bring forth thornes and thistles and to become barren according to this saying of the Psalmist A fruitfull land maketh he barren for the wickednesse of them that dwell therein Barren I say either bringing forth no fruits at all or such as where Infelix lolium steriles dominantur avenae such as in the growth is ouer-growne with darnell smothered with choaking thornes and the purest graine spoiled with wasting cockle The wily Serpent in his hellish conference with our Grandame Eue Gen. 3.4 promised length of daies a gift that Wisdome is said to bring in her right hand Pro. 3.16 length of daies is in her right hand and in her left riches and glory Gen. 3.5 he promised dominion Eritis sicut dij ye shall be like Gods but instantly the earth whose Lord whilome they was denied to pay her tribute but vpon condition scil that they should take paines to till her whence it comes to passe to bee so with vs now that if we expect profit from the earth then iuncto bove aratra trahuntur we must rip vp the bowels of the earth and yet this is not all for whosoeuer it be that plants or waters it is God onely that giues the increase Except the Lord build the house the worke-mans labour is but in vaine Wherefore if wee would haue good successe to follow our enterprizes if we would haue our paines and labours in our callings to yeeld fruits answerable to our expectation then must we so compose our affections and dispose our affaires that we may walke worthy in the sight of God which if we doe he will blesse vs and that which we goe about he will prosper all our proceedings but if wee mis-spend our time and liue impiously wickedly we may purpose but God will dispose he will so disprosper our proceedings and frustrate vs of our hope that whatsoeuer we take in hand shall be vaine and fruitlesse yea our natiue soyle the ground that we tread vpon for our sinnes shall be cursed and despoyled of her glory i. her fruitfulnesse as heere testifieth the Psalmist A fruitfull land maketh hee barren for the wickednesse of them that dwell therein The Prophet Dauid that sweet singer of Israel is the vnquestioned author of this Psalme he composed it partly to stirre men vp to gratefulnesse in regard of Gods gratiousnesse towards them but more specially to discouer the error of those which deny the vniuersall and particular prouidence of God in ordering and disposing the things of this world for as in respect of God his creation was the mother that brought forth the world with all things therein so his prouidence is the nurse that bringeth it vp as his creation gaue it a being so his prouidence keepeth it in that esse as his creation erected the whole fabricke of the world and composed and set in order all the parts thereof so his prouidence keepeth it in repaire it gouerneth and disposeth all the particulars therein this he doth conuince by many examples of things done both by sea and by land which haue so come to passe that of necessitie we must grant their causes and effects to haue beene wholly gouerned by God but his speciall argument tending to that purpose and standing in nearest reference to my text is drawne from the consideration of those changes and alterations which ignorance commonly doth ascribe to fate or fortune as the fruitfulnesse and vnfruitfulnesse of the earth which proceeds from the seasonablenes the vnseasonablenesse of the weather These things come not to passe as Epicures fondly dreame by chance nor as the Peripateticks hold by a generall prouidence nor as the Stoicks auerre only by the operation of second causes but by Gods speciall prouidence ordinance and appointment whose actions are free not bound to the obseruance of times nor meanes who when it pleaseth him can send the former and latter raine in due season who as it is in the verse following my text can make of a parched wildernesse a standing water and extract water springs out of a drie ground so that the hills shall flourish and the valleys stand thicke with graine and grasse and againe when fulnesse brings forth forgetfulnesse and men attribute that which they haue to the goodnesse of their land or greatnesse of their labour and doe not acknowledge God to be the Author thereof then as it is in the verse before my text he turneth the floud into a wildernesse and drieth vp their water springs Then A fruitfull land maketh he barren for the wickednesse of them that dwell therein In these words are two things obseruable 1. A iudgement 2. The cause thereof In the iudgement there is a metamorphosis or change of wealth into want plenty into pouerty fruitfulnesse into barrennesse A fruitfull land maketh he barren The impulsiue cause is the wickednesse
mouth ere it was descended into his maw When famine hath plaid her part then commeth pestilence for they two attend the one vpon the other and this latter finding such feeble and weake resistance the strength of nature by the former being disabled throwes whole multitudes groue-long on the ground and thus you see that when men forget their maker the senslesse creatures as if they were sensible of wrongs done to their Creator come shouldring crowding and striuing which of them should first take reuenge of vs in their masters quarrell the fire consumes our mansions the aire infects our breath the waters drowne our fruits the earth like an angrie merchant when it hath shewed rich wares shuts vp the shop and leaues vs neuer the better for them and these are the iudgements of God sent to make a fruitfull land barren for the wickednesse of them that dwell therein But quid hoc ad rombum What is all this to the purpose Peraduenture the Psalmist might haue some cause to speake this to the people of the Iewes and to the land of Israel but what is this to vs and to the land of England Yes beloued the glasse reflects to vs for for the subiect scil A fruitfull land Such a one is this triangle Iland wherein we liue and that which Moses spake of the fruitfulnesse of the land of Israel may be affirmed of the land of England The Lord thy God saith Moses to Israel Deut. 8.7.9 bringeth thee into a good land a land of brookes of water of fountaines and deepes that spring out of vallies and hils a land of wheat and barley a land wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarcenesse thou shalt not lacke any thing in it a land whose stones are iron and out of whose mountaines thou mayest digge brasse In all these respects England is fruitfull as well as Israel it affords dishes drest with dainties Garners fraught with graine staules filled with fatlings orchards full of fruits gardens and fields aspersed and enamuled with varietie of fragrant flowers innumerable multitudes of water-springs whereof some shew wonderfull effects in curing diseases pleasant riuers running Meander-like along their siluer shores a sweet and wholsome aire to breathe in and what not requisite either for the profit or pleasure of man so that our land is as it were the treasurie and store-house of Gods blessings and we may affirme as truly as any other nation that our lot and portion is fallen vs in a good land But what then is our gold become dimme hath God made our fruitfull land barren no he hath not and therefore here I must for application make vse of that that the Psalmist makes the burthen or vnder-song of this Psalme Ps 15.21.31 O that men would therefore praise the Lord for his goodnesse and declare the wonders that he doth for the children of men that they would exalt him in the congregation of the people and praise him in the seat of the elders and so much the rather because he hath not only giuen vs this good and fruitfull land but withall sends vs calme and peaceable times to enioy the fruits thereof we are not nor we haue not this long time blessed be Gods name for it beene scard with the barkings of vncouth Wolues but so as euery man might quietly rest and repose himselfe vnder his owne vine and his owne fig-tree we haue peace the childe of heauen plentie the childe of peace pleasure the childe of plentie We are raised vp to our labours by the noise of the cocke which chirping so merily can greet the morning whereas others are raised vp to the battell by the sound of the trumpet so that in this respect also God hath blessed vs aboue other countries Doe but looke about you and whilst you tremble at the plagues naturall to your neighbours blesse God for your safetie Behold the confines Christendome Polonia and Hungarie 2 Reg. 18. infested by the Turke who like Senacherib hath sent his host to defie the liuing Lord Italie groaneth vnder the slauerie of Antichrist France sometimes a flourishing kingdome now made wretched through her owne vnciuill ciuill warres Germanie for long time knew not what peace meant and yet their warre is not ended but for a time by truce suspended Ireland hath felt the fruits of her rebellion Bohemia is made the cock-pit for all Christendome to fight their battells in only England remaines like Gideons fleece drie and secure when the raine of Gods iudgement hath wet in a manner the whole earth besides a peaceable Prince leads vs and the Prince of peace leads him and therefore I must needs once more say with the Psalmist O that men would praise the Lord for his goodnesse and declare the wonders that he doth for the children of men Well but the Sunne doth not alwaies shine neither is there any time or day of iollitie without an euening of conclusion if no cloud of disturbance preuent it with ouercasting and therefore though all things be well with vs now and our land yet continues fruitfull yet it may be otherwise and then considering that God is the author of all alterations let vs examine whether we by our cariage and demeanour towards him haue not alreadie deserued a change or no Let vs after the example of the man going to warre Luk. 14.31 sit downe and take aduice whether we be able with ten thousand to meet him that commeth against vs with twentie thousand or no after this examination held doubtlesse we shall finde that we haue deserued that he should withdraw his goodnesse from vs and that we haue iustly prouoked him to send forth his power against vs which if he doe we are not able to answer him one for a thousand the least and meanest of his creatures are too forcible for vs if he set them to fight an host of froggs an armie of grashoppers a swarme of flies dismaid King Pharao and all his people then si rem nostram sapimus if we be spiritually wise whilst the enemie is a farre off ere Gods iudgements fall vpon vs we will send forth our Embassadours our feruent praiers and serious repentance to desire conditions of peace and for our former misdeeds we should resolue and promise amendment of life and so much the rather should we doe this because if we doe duely obserue it he hath alreadie giuen vs faire warning to take heed Doth not the fire euery yeere consume our mansions in some part of our land Heare we not of inundations of waters with vnseasonable weather in the extremes This may serue to testifie that God is angrie and to put vs in minde of the deluge of our sins the crie of them reacheth vnto heauen and there workes our woe by turning one yeere into drinesse to make the land barren and the next dissoluing into liquid teares and immoderate showers dropping downe for fatnesse dearth and death Quicquid id est timeo howsoeuer the
matter is we may well feare that it is our rebellion against God that makes this commotion of the creatures against vs hath not the Lord of late time cast forth his ice like morsels It will be remembred whilst Chronicles can speake that within these few yeeres the earth was fast bound with a prodigious frost to Englands wonderment when Thames was paued for cart and carriage on one day able to support a waight of wonder and on the next dissolued into liquid waters at that time it pierced so deepe into the bowels of the earth that the effects thereof as yet are sensible Surely this should warne vs of our zeale to God-wards more cold then isicles on a winters day hanging at our doores strange it is that so many Sun-shines as haue beene since and showers of Gods mercies still powred vpon vs should not haue thawed our frozen hearts and bred an alteration of life in vs. But not to trouble you with recounting things past obserue but with me this iudgement that euen now hangs ouer you now is your haruest come at which time as the old saying is God openeth his barne doores and inuites your labours to gather your winter prouision but doth not he himselfe vse the blustring windes as his flaile to thresh the corne out of the eare before you can get it from off the earth Now hath God spread his table for so I may terme the earth and furnished it with daintie cates and viands with a rich store of corne and grasse but doth he not vse immoderate showers and vnmercifull flouds as a voider to take all away before you haue staid your stomacks Thinke not that this comes by chance nor fix your eies vpon the arrow that wounds you but vpon the hand that drew the bow looke higher then the clouds and you shall see the finger of God in the worke for the inter-course and change of weather is ordered by his prouidence Amos. 4.7 I saith the Lord haue with-holden the raine from you when there was yet three moneths to the haruest I caused it to raine vpon one citie and caused it not to raine vpon another citie And Job 38.28 Hath the raine a Father saith Iob and who hath begotten the drops of dew Ierem. 14.22 And Are there any among the vanities of the Gentiles that can cause raine saith a Prophet or can the heauens giue showers art not thou only he ô Lord our God This granted scil that the clouds are Gods bottles and that he only emptieth them when where and in what measure he will it plainly appeares that this vnseasonable season is his messenger purposely sent either 1. To trie our patience or 2. To reclaime vs from our sinnes 1. If for the former end we ought to be so far from grudging and murmuring at it that contrarily wee should welcome it with a cheerefull heart When a man would buy an earthen vessell he will knocke vpon it with his hand and iudge of the soundnesse of it by the sound when God doth knocke vpon vs by any crosse if we sound cleerely and beare our selues cheerefully it is a hopefull signe that we are meet for his acceptance but if we returne an hoarse noise of murmuring and repining it is a fearfull token that we shall be reiected 2. But if this messenger be not sent so much to trie our patience as to reclaime vs from our sinnes if these immoderate showers tell vs that our sinnes haue kept no low water the tide of them hath euer beene swelling then let vs humble our selues before God by repentance lest he humble vs with greater afflictions and seeing that the waters of sinne haue descended downe into our soules let vs draw them vp againe with buckets of sighes and pumpe them out in riuers of teares let our eies gush forth with teares in passion for our selues in compassion for others because neither we nor they haue so kept the law of God as we ought this if we performe happily it may be a meanes to preuent Gods further iudgements and to reconcile vs againe to his fauour and euery one of vs ought to performe this because that though this iudgement be not alike shewed against our whole land but some part and therein some persons doe specially feele the smart of it yet tunc tua res agitur we should be so sensible one of anothers miseries that we should take these iudgements that befall others as warnings sent to admonish vs. Those vpon whom the tower of Siloan fell were they greater sinners then all the rest in Hierusalem I tell you no saith Christ but except you repent ye shall likewise perish In that any are spared it is of his mercie the Lord hath often heretofore and euen now hath found vs securely sleeping in our sins as Dauid found Saul sleeping in a caue cutting a peece of our garment touching a corner of our land with afflictions and though we haue all deserued to feele the scourge of his iudgement yet of his mercie hee leaues peace within our Walls plentie within our Palaces making good the prouerbe concerning the rainbow scil that Gods bowe is without a bolt he threatneth much and warneth often before he will suffer his whole displeasure to arise what then Shall we continue in sinne that grace may abound God forbid nay God hath forbidden it for that will inhance his wrath and improue his anger against vs rather let vs feare that the regions are not yet white for the haruest the sinnes of the land are not yet mellow for Gods iudgements but like a bottle cast into the water which whilst it is but partly full leaneth to the one side but when it is filled to the brim it sinketh directly to the bottome so we ought to feare that though in respect of Gods iudgements our land yet leaneth but to the one side yet when those waters of Mara those bitter waters are brim full when the sinne of the land the measure of iniquitie is filled there is then nothing to be looked for but an vtter ruine and downe-fall What shall I say then 1 Reg. 18.44 Arise quoth Elias to Ahab I heare a sound of abundance of raine prepare thy Chariot except thou passe quickly thou canst not passe Here the sound of the raine preuented the danger that might haue come by it O that it would be so with vs that being fore-warned we would be fore-armed that the sound fore-telling of the iudgement would be a meanes to preuent the execution thereof doubtlesse our sinnes haue iustly prouoked Gods iustice to proceed to the chastisement of sinners yet in his mercie he first puts the axe to the root of the tree to see if reformation of manners and amendment of life will preuent the cutting downe Let vs therefore make vse of Gods admonitions and be schooled by them lest if we continue in our sinnes we force the Lord to extend his wrath against vs to turne our
fruitfull land into barrennesse for the wickednesse of vs that dwell therein Thus much shall serue for the iudgement A fruitfull land maketh he barren II. Now we come to speake of the cause of the iudgement in these words for the wickednesse of them that dwell therein Although it be true that Almightie God doth visit some of his elect people for no cause or crime by them committed as appeares by the man that was blinde from his birth concerning whom Iohn 9. vers 1 2 3. when the question was made to Christ whether that iudgement was befallen him for his owne sinne or for the sinnes of his parents he answered that it was for neither but that the workes of God might be manifested in him yet notwithstanding this I no where finde it that God euer bent his ire against a whole kingdome and made a fruitfull land to become barren till he was thereunto vrged by the sinnes of the people but when men persist in sinning he then proceeds to punishing There haue beene foure flourishing Monarchies in the world and sinne hath let downe the sinewes of them all and made them barren Lust dissolued the first Monarchie amongst the Assirians Prodigalitie supplanted the second of the Persians Ambition dismembred the third of the Grecians hidden hatred and priuate malice wracked the fourth of the Romans Sinne caused the floud that drowned the old world brought the fire from heauen that burnt Sodome and Gomorrah opened the earth to swallow Corah Dathan and Abiram and how often did it prouoke the Lord to punish his owne people euen his people Israel which was deare vnto him as the apple of his eie Signet on his finger So that this euill is the cause of all euils it causeth all afflictions and calamities all paine and penurie it depriueth vs of all Gods spirituall blessings and temporall benefits and still to put you in minde of this present occasion doubtlesse it is our sinnes that haue caused these immoderate showers and vnseasonable weather whereby the Lord makes our fruitfull land barren This being thus it should teach vs 1. To bewaile our sinnes past 2. To beware of sinnes to come 1. To bewaile sinnes past Shall the young Swallowes our vnbridled youngsters sing in the warme chimneyes shall the lustfull Sparrowes noctiuagant adulterers sit chirping about our houses shall the filching Iayes secret theeues rob our Orchards shall the Kite and Cormorant deuoure and hoord our fruits And shall not the Doues mourne and the voice of the Turtle be heard in our land for these enormities Let not our hearts be so hid in the Maze of vanities that repentance cannot finde them out shall the heauens shed teares and the earth mourne for our sinnes and shall not we be moued Rather let vs haue our eies like the fish-ponds of Hesbon standing full of water that so we may appeare beautifull in the sight of our beloued Spouse let vs with Dauid put on sackcloth and mourne with sorrow that God may put it off and gird vs with gladnesse And as we should bewaile sinnes past so 2. We should beware of sinne to come and specially we must for this purpose beware of these particular sinnes scil 1. Improuidence 2. Impertinent curiositie 3. Vnconscionablenesse in the vse of Gods creatures 4. Vnthankfulnesse for these are speciall meanes and motiues to cause the Lord to turne a fruitfull land into barrennesse First we must not be improuident but if we would haue God to care for vs we must care for our selues and euery one seeke to liue either by the sweat of his braine or of his brow painfully performing the duties of his calling And that done for the euent and successe of our labours we must not be impertinently curious which is the second vice to be eschewed for when men sacrifice to their nets Haba 1.16 attributing their thriuing to their owne industrie and for that cause slander the frost and the haile and murmur at whatsoeuer seemes to crosse their hope then they prouoke God to take away the staffe of their labours I meane his blessing from their labours without which they are but vaine and fruitlesse Therefore when we haue prouidently done our best we must patiently wait vpon the Lords pleasure for a blessing and for the successe not be impertinently curious but freely refer that to Gods wise disposure When God hath blessed our labours with increase and we haue the fruits thereof in our possession then we must not be vnconscionable in the vsing or rather abusing of his creatures which is the third vice to be eschewed for if we roist and riot and abuse Gods blessings he hath an action of Waste against vs whereby he may amerce vs to such dammages as should quickly cause vs see how wilfully we haue forfeited the title we had vnto them Herodotus in Clio. Gindes is called Gihon Gen. 2. When the riuer Gindes had drowned one of Cyrus his white horses the angrie King cut so many channels into which the riuer was diuided that from thenceforth it lost both depth name glorie If those flouds of abundance which through Gods blessing our land bringeth forth drowne not our white horses but our soules that should be white and spotlesse then know that God can diuide those streames of plenty into many channels he can draine and drie them vp conuay them into other mens hands and dispossesse vs both of the name and glorie we had by them When God gaue his people corne Ezech. 16. and wine and oile to vse and they abused them he expostulated with them why they bestowed his gifts vpon their Idols When God bestowes his blessings vpon vs he must needs be angrie with vs if we spend them vpon our vanitie you are but stewards of that you haue dispose of it wisely so as may be to your comfort and your masters glorie that hee seeing your faithfull vsage may increase your store and augment your talent And when you haue had the full and free vse of Gods benefits to your comforts and refreshing then beware of vnthankfulnesse which is the fourth vice to be eschued be not like the swine vnder the tree that looke downe to the fruits but neuer looke vp to the tree from whence they came Let not Gods blessings fall vpon vs like sweet water vpon a filthy sinke which returnes nothing in lue thereof but a noisome smell for then shall our ingratitude like a parching winde drie vp the fountaine from whence Gods blessings should spring forth vnto vs and depriue our land of fruitfulnesse It is obserued by Anatomists that there is giuen vnto man one muscle more in the eie then in the eie of any other creature whereby he hath a facilitie to roule and turne it vp to heauen-wards this doubtlesse doth teach that man aboue all other creatures after benefits receiued should lift vp his eies hands and heart to God in thankfulnesse When the parched earth receiueth raine from the clouds