the Assirians against the Jewes First that coÌ„mandement in the first verse of this second chapter seemeth very euidently to proue where the Prophet saith Blow vp the trumpet in Syon Syon is taken vsually for Christs church as we reade Esa 2. v. 3. Ps 87. 2. And the trumpet signifies the preaching of the Gospel as appeareth by those seneÌ„ Angels which did blow their trumpets from Jesus Christs ascension to his comming to iudgement No doubt as Syon is not heere to be ment literally so neither the trumpets But that which Ioel here saith Blow vp the trumpet in Syon for the day of the Lord is at hand is all one with that which our Sauiour saith in the Gospell The Gospell shall be preached and then shall the ende come Nay Saint Peter in the Acts applieth some part of Ioels prophesie to Christs first comming as the sending downe of the holy Ghost vpon the Apostles some part thereof to the day of iudgement when as the Sunne shall be darkned and the Moone turned to blood And shall we say that this prophesie concernes not vs Nay we in our fasts apply the turning to the Lord with fasting wéeping vnto our daies which is as as it were the medicine And shall we not apply the sinne and sore which Ioel there toucheth and that garden of Eden also to our daies Nay Saint Paul telleth vs plainely that all things chanced to the Iewes typically and are written for our learning on whom the ends of the world are come And will any man say then that this prophesie of Ioel concernes vs not Shall we not learne something thereby And also the same reason may be alleaged concerning the 13. Chap. of Esay which hereafter I also alleage And here let all the Lords watchmen giue these Inclosers and gardiners warning before while it is called to day least they repent to late with Diues in hell So their blood shall be vpon their owne heads for surely Gods word is truth And as the land shall be most assuredly a garden before the face of the Lord at that day so there shall be some gardiners The Gospell also condemnes this Inclosure Our Sauiour prophesieth that in the ende of the world the charitie of many shall waxe colde which argueth a precedent heate And may not these Inclosers fulfill this prophesie who haue some charitie in them but not the charitie of their ancestors But he that continues to the ende in the faith of the Gospell working through feruent and Christian charitie such charitie as Christ himselfe shewed towards vs and also commanded he shall be saued saith our Sauiour and none else Therefore let Inclosers take héede which haue not this charitie Saint Paul also prophesieth thus of the latter times that in the last daies shall be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is dogged times for as Gellius notes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is referred to the most keene and fierce nature of dogges And he willeth Timothie to know this as a thing most certaine And doth not this touch Inclosers who catch and snatch all they can from their brethren for their owne lucre sake But although this had béene enough to haue declared them vnto vs yet that which followes paints them vnto vs liuely for many shall be saith Saint Paul 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is louers of themselues and louers of money By what two marks could he haue expressed Inclosers more manifestly these two loues raignes in them but the loue of their brethren is quite banished out of their harts Nay these Inclosers are as it followes also in the Apostle disobedient to their parents in not obeying after their deaths their charitable customes which they commaunded and in their liues obserued So did not the Rechabites The Apostle Saint Peter of the day of iudgement writeth thus The end of all things is at hand be yee therefore sober and pray not on the day time only but euen with our blessed Sauiour in the night but aboue all things haue feruent loue among you for Christian charitie as an effect of faith shall couer a multitude of sinnes For the faithful and mercifull mens sinnes are couered and not mentioned as appeareth in the Gospel But to goe on with our Apostle Let euery man as he hath receiued the gift so minister the same as good Stewards of the manyfold graces of God Why should Saint Peter here make mention of Stewards but that as sh 〈…〉 séeme he did foresée in the spirit that some at the ende of the world should forget themselues to be stewards and deale here with the earth and earthly things as though they were chiefe Lords of them whereas Saint Peter telleth them heere pâ—aâ—ely that they are but péere Stewards And Dauid himselfe though a king acknowledged the same That the earth is the Lords and all that therein is Nay Cyrus that great Persian Monark confesseth that the Lord God of heauen hath giuen him all the kingdomes of the earth as to a frée-holder or Steward Let all Landlords learne this lesson and remember it wel against the the day of Judgement and deale like stewards and not like Lords with Gods people God no doubt shall make enquirie at that day how they haue dealt with them But to conclude that of this sinne of depopulation of townes shall be especiall inquirie made at the day of iudgement The Prophet Esay speaking of that day writes thus Behold the day of the Lord commeth cruell with wrath and fierce anger to lay the earth waste And he shall destroy her sinners out of her What should the Prophet meane by those Chatteah her sinners but these Inclosers who are too much in loue with the earth Nay saith God I will cause the arrogancie of the proud to cease Gaauath Ngaritsim the pride of these terrible men that no man durst speake against or speake vnto And I will make a man saith God more precious than fine gold euen a man aboue the wedge of the gold of Ophir There shall be some at that day of iudgement as appeareth by this place that shall make no account of men which shal depopulate townes God telleth all such that he will make a man euen one man whereas they haue thought it a light matter to depopulate townes and to roote out many men more pretious than a wedge of gold And what is all their wooll-money to a wedge of gold One man is more worth than a wedge of gold much more then than all their wooll-money God himselfe hath spoken it Wherefore if Inclosers and depopulators of townes meane to be saued at the day of iudgement let them willingly cast open their closes againe and reedifie the farmes they haue decayed It makes no matter for the charge of hedging which they shall loose that they haue beene at And let them banish their shéepe out of their
passe not for that Let all such great sheepe-maisters that are decaiers of tillage take héede which will haue no seede furrowes nor haruests nor greatly passe not for them they contradict hoerein Gods ordinance as this place prooues And after we read of Noah as of an obedient subiect to God héerein thus And Noah began to be Ish Haadhmah that is a man wholy giuing himselfe to labour in the earth and he planted a vineyard To plant a vineyard is correspondent in some countries to our sowing of corne and an acre of Mines yeeldes better increase then an acre of our Corne as I haue heard Isaak also as heire of Noah did follow his steps and though a straunger in Aegypt yet we read of him thus And Isaak did sowe corne in that countrie and he found in that yeere an hundred measures and God blessed him Shall Isaak sowe being a stranger in Aegypt and not wée at home Did hée finde an hundred measures for one For so Munster saith that the Chalde Paraphrast doth erpound this And shall we say that we can finde no commoditie by tillage And it followes God blessed him a blessing of God followes tillage They shall not thriue that decay it as erperience teacheth God appeated to Gedeon as he was threshing and appointed him Iudge ouer Israel And doth not this commend threshing Elizeus also whom God did chuse to bee a Prophet in Eliah his roome was a great maintainer of tillage for thus we reade And Eliah departed thence and found Elishah the sonne of Shaphat who was plowing with twelue yoke of oxen before him and he was with the twelue And was not Elizeus a great husbandman who had twelue yoke of oxen and no doubt many plowes going together in his field and many plowmen among whom after hée deuided those two oxen which he killed And doe not all these so beloued of God and giuing themselues so greatly to tillage commend it vnto vs shall we prefer pasture and neglect this Master Camden writes that in England were the stately Palaces of Lady Ceres meaning great Barnes of corne Now we may see in some places some such great Barnes still and Inclosers makes them stande emptie I know whereas 1500. quarters of corne hath béene yéerely growing since inclosure hath beene practised there groweth not now 500. And againe he writes that England for corne was the onely storehouse of all the west Empire And that out of England yeerely the Romanes transported 400. shippes bigger then barkes laden with corne to relieue their souldiers that lay on the borders in Germany In those daies England was able to relieue other countries with corne but sometime now she is glad to buie corne of other countries her selfe Inclosers haue partlie brought this to passe who had rather haue their wooll-houses filled with wooll then their Barnes with corne O dishonorable children to their mother The Preacher also in his booke writes verie excellently in the commendation of tillage If in a countrie saith hée thou seest the oppression of the poore and the defrawding of iudgment and iustice be not afraide at the matter for hee that is higher then the highest regardeth and there be higher then they And the aboundance of the earth is ouer all the King also consists of the field that is tilled Salomon giueth an Item to all that deale hardly with the poore how that the God of heauen beholdeth Nay Shomer as it is in the Hebrew that is marketh and keepeth in memorie all their dealings And that the tillage of the earth surpasseth all and that euen the King thereby is maintained by the foode that it ministreth to strengthen his people and by the multitude of valiant souldiers it affordeth for his warres For as Plinie writes Most strong and valiant souldiers are made of husbandmen and come foorth of the countrie and which thinke no harme And shall wée deale hardly with those that must fight and aduenture their liues for vs And shall wée not maintaine tillage the honorable mother of chiualrie Lechem in Hebrew signifies bread and Lacham to fight They therfore which destroy bread destroy chiualry Nay how can any christian truly say the Lords prayer and pray Giue vs this day our daily bread that decaieth tillage Will he pray for bread and not vse the ordinary meanes to haue bread which is tillage This is plainely to tempt God Will he haue God feede vs miraculously with Manna as hee did Israel in the wildernes In Canaan God will haue plowing and sowing vsed And therefore after the children of Israel came into the lande of Canaan Manna ceased That historie also of the plague in King Dauids daies must teach vs some thing and therein that is especially to be marked to build an Altar in the threshing floore of Araunah It should seeme that God loues threshing flooers and there hée will be praised But Inclosure decaieth tillage and therefore God is not praised in our threshing flâ—oers This may be a cause of the plague amongst vs euen now Let vs erect Altars in the threshing flooers of Araunah and the plague shall cease Inclosers doe thinke that there are too manie men in this lande and that they may decaie townes by their Inclosure and that it is no great matter to â—eâ—aie a towne But God sâ—â—th their thoughts and now he beginneth to diminish the people of this land hee may diminish them as well as they and he beginneth at the very head first Couetousnesse which is the roote of all euill which our Sauiour describes in the Gospel and S. Paul to Timothie and pride which God hates and resists which Esay also paints out vnto vs in his third chapter at large the taking Gods name in vaine for filthy luâ—re For which God wil not hold vs guiltles c. And because deceite and guile goe not out of our streetes And for that by our wicked liues Gods word is euill spoken of These no doubt may séeme to bée the causes of the plague amongst vs God giue all men eies to see their sinnes and to amend them that the plague may cease and especially Citizens and such as inhabit in townes corporate amongst whom these sinnes commonly raigne A second reason against this Inclosure is that it dispeopleth townes THe people are called Gods inheritance Aske of me will giue thee the heathen for thine inheritance the ends of the earth for thy possession And again Behold saith Dauid childreÌ„ are the inheritance of the Lord a reward the fruite of the wombe He putteth behold before this his doctrine as though it were a strange thing and yet most true Secondly he addeth that children are a reward Inclosers manie times lacke this reward they loue the earth so wel that God wil not blesse them with many sonnes Nay Dauid addeth Like as the arrowes in the hand of the Gyant so are the children of
young men Such arrowes in the hands of Gyants and many rich Farmers hauing tall and strong men to their sonnes wée might haue séene But now where this late inclosure hath set in foote either there are no families left or else they are so pinched by great rents and pined with want and penurie that they are rather like prisoners then arrows in the hand of a Gyant Thus inclosure where it commeth dispeoples townes and impares the Lords inheritance Therefore all his stewards and ministers ought to inueigh against this sinne and all his children ought to condemne it Againe Dauid speaking of the reprobate and wicked giueth them this cognisance Haue they no vnderstanding or will they not know or vnderstand as it is in the Hebrew all they that worke wickednes who eate vp my people as if they would eate bread they haue not called vpon God Here first we may note the obstinacie of these sinners and depopulators They will not know they will not be perswaded they will maintaine and defend their inclosures and depopulations say what one can against them yea and that out of Gods booke they will writhe all things to maintaine their couetousnes Secondly the grieuousnesse of this sinne with God and the small account that men make of it They make no account nor no more conscience to depopulate townes and to consume men then to eate bread They thinke that they may do it lawfully But God tels all such héere by the Prophet Dauid that though they beare a shew of religion vet they haue not called vpon God that is they are plainely Atheists For by a figure called Synecdoche the part is put for the whole ano inuoration of the name of God is put for all his religion As Gen. 12. 8. 1. Cor. 1. 2. Acts 9. 21. Nay Dauid in another psalm toucheth narrowly these Inclosers and depopulators of townes speaking thus to God Thou hast brought a vine out of Aegypt saiih he thou hast cast out the heathen and planted it No doubt Dauid heare spake typically of the vine Christs Church which God hath in our daies brought out of the Popes spirituall Aegypt as Saint Iohn termes it and that he hath cast out those spirituall heathen that trampled with their feete the holy citie 42. moneths For what did they else in poperie but trample in Gods Church with their féete Their bodies were present in the Church but not their vnderstanding and therefore their hearts were away For where vnderstanding is not there the heart cannot properly be said to be And therfore their vnderstanding was away because Gods worde was read to them in a strange tongue and also they praied in a strange tongue Except I know the power of the voice of him that speaketh I shall bee to him a Barbarian saith Saint Paul And may not these be properly called heathen whom Saint Paul calleth Barbarians and may not these be said to trample in the holie citie when their bodies onely were present and their hearte were away God hath brought a vine out of Aegypt and hath expelled the heathen out of his holy citie and planted this vine in their place He swept before the face of this vine with the winde of his spirit and the béesome os his worde clensing all the dust and sand of mans deuises giuing to it puritie of doctrine It filled the land This vine spred her branches thorow the whole lande and that speedily The Papists maruell they neuer dreamed that this vine would haue spred her branches so far and wide Nay the hilles were couered with the shadow of it Manie noble men verie religiously and zealouslie professed this religion and dranke the comfortable wine of this vine But héere now followes the mischiefe héere followes Sathan Jesus Christs enemie But why saith Dauid hast thou pluct vp her hedge that euery one that goeth by the way hath a snatch as we say at this vine The wild Boare of the wood hath destroied it and the wilde beasts of the field haue eaten it vp And the vineyard which thy right hand hath planted and the young vine which thou madest so strong for thine owne selfe It is burnt with fire and cut downe What doth all this meane but that this vine by couetous and cruell landlords is lopped and diminished and burnt with the fire of couetousnes Euen that vine which God himselfe planted so miraculously and had made so strong in faith to goe out of poperie and not to feare the Diuell This beloued vine and this strong vine haue our wilde Boares deuoured and our fierie couetousnesse hath burnt vp for doe wée thinke that Dauid speakes of any materiall fire or vine Will God take this at their handes Doe they thinke that he makes not high account of euery christian soule and doe they not know that he will be praised with many mouthes And that Christ when he sawe the multitude went vp to the hill to preach and that hee knoweth how manie haue béene in townes in time of poperie and shall wée now in the light of the Gospell impare his shéepe dare wée doe it surely hée will reuenge it And let all such depopulators know that they are but trauellers by the way They shall not long continue héere with their hedges Ioab a bloudie warrier and souldier could say God forbid that I should deuoure or destroy the inheritance of the Lord and shall professors of the Gospell be guiltie of this sinne and depopulate townes It was one of Gods blessings which he promised to Abraham that he would greatly multiply his seede as the starres of heauen and as the sand which is vpon the sea shore And doe we thinke that they shall be blessed which goe about to depriue him of this blessing And Esay likewise thus prophesieth of Christs Church I will power my spirit vpon thy seede and my blessing vpon thy buddes and they shall grow as amongst the grasse and as the willowes by the riuers of waters By how many types here doth the Prophet expresse vnto vs Christs Church of seede of buddes growing amongst grasse and of willowes and doe not all these insinuate vnto vs a multitude They are not Christs friends but his enemies that doe not nourish and cherish this his seede in the besome of their hearts that doe not comfort these his buddes with the curtesie of their spéeches and which doe not water these his willowes with the continuall streame of their liberalities This was the cause why Salomon desired wisdome of God Thou hast made me King ouer a great people like to the dust of the earth Giue me now wisedome and knowledge c. Salomon was but a type of Jesus Christ If that his subiectes were like to the dust of the earth what shall Jesus Christs subiects be likened vnto I reade in a booke of the Suruey of France made by Bodinus in the daies of King Henry the second
giue their wiues to others and their fields to heires for euery one of them euen from the least to the greatest is giuen to couetousnesse and from the Prophet to the Priest euery one dealeth falsly Here first are the effects of this noisome plague of couetousnesse that their wiues were giuen to others and their fields to heires Here is also the infection or cause of these effects because they are all giuen to couetousnes they all deale falsely It is reported that we haue tasted those former fruits effects for there died of the late plague many moe men than women and is it not likely that the same effects sprong from the same roote and if this be true then let vs all beware of couetousnesse and falsehoode in our dealing But the true cure of this plague which followes in the Prophet is taught vs by the contrary For they haue cured the hurt of the daughters of my people saith the Prophet with sweete words saying peace peace when as there was no peace Gods Ministers must cure this plague not with oyle but with sharpe wine they must not here speake faire if they meane to doe any good but thunder And therefore those nice eares that cannot abide their thunder shall die of this plague and perish in their sinnes Lastly if through humaine frailtie any faults haue escaped as who is it that erres not remember that lesson which nature teacheth That of all liuing creatures man doth most often twinckle with his eyes to teach him not to be a rigorous censurer of his brethren Ponder wisely iudge charitable pardon curteously and if thou be sicke of this disease repent speedily For God shakes his rodde ouer thy head euen now and the day of the Lord draweth nigh Thine in the Lord F. T. A BRIEFE OF THE CONTENTS OF THIS TREATISE 1 IT decaieth Tillage 2 It dispeopleth Townes 3 It is against the Common-wealth of the Iewes 4 It is against the state of Christs Church 5 It is against Christian charitie 6 It is against the Church and Common-wealth and auncient liberties and customes of England 7 Inclosure with depopulation is a sinne whereof God shall make especiall inquiry at the day of Iudgement AN HVMBLE PETITION OF THE Church and common wealth with reasons out of Gods word against late inclosure and Depopulation of Townes A preoccupation of an obiection WHereas this present treatise tendeth to the staying and decaying of Inclosure it is to be obserued and noted most dread Soueraigne that héere first I speake against late Inclosure not condemning the Inclosure of Essex Hartfordshire Deuonshire and such like Woodland Countries wherein the beginning if the Woods had not béen inclosed they could not haue béene preserued and so as it may séeme the Inclosures there of necessitie haue euer since beene continued for there euerie Lordship is charitably diuided amoÌ„gst the Tenants and tillage also in most of their Closes is maintained Townes nothing dâ—speopled although those Woodland and inclosed countries bee not so populous as other countries are But I condemne our couetous new deuised â—â—closurs which coÌ„uert champian and fruitfull soiles being good arrable ground to pasture casting halfe a cornefield to a sheepes pasture And so thereby diminish Gods people and depopulate townes Secondly I ioine depopulation of towns and this new kind of Inclosure together because the one of them doth follow the other commonly euen as necessarilie as the shadow doth the body for although in some places where this Inclosure is put in practise as our Inclosers can cunningly affirme that all the houses remaine that haue been yet there be not so many people in them as hath beene because that tillage by meanes of their Inclosure is decaied which required many moe seruants to accomplish it then their pastures will doe to looke to them And thirdly whereas Inclosers distinguish and say that it is not Inclosure but the couetous minds of men that pulleth downe townes To this I answere that Inclosure is the meanes to pull them downe and depopulations follow Inclosure as an accident inseparable as the Logicians call it For marke it who list where this Inclosure hath set in foot they shall sée houses fallen downe and lie in the dust and shall I not héere rather beléeue mine eyes than their faire spéeches The first reason against this Inclosure is it decaies tillage THe Heathen euer made great account of Tillage Cicero writeth thus of Husbandrie That of all things whereby any gaine is gotten there is nothing more excellent than Tillage nothing more commodious nothing more pleasant and nothing more fit for a Gentleman O that our Gentlemen were of his mind The noble men of Rome take the names of corne as Fabij of Beanes and Cicerones of a kinde of Pease and Pisones of Baking They which were married had a garland of corne carried before them Amongst the Romanes also him whom they called Bonum Colonum A good plowman they seemed to praise exceedingly Nay he that did not till his land well the Censors punished him Such Censors were to bée wished amongst vs to make vs till our land It was also by law enacted amongst them that hee that came to take an amercement or penaltie should not take an oxe before a sheepe Nay that a man stealing by night corne that was sowen should be put to death with greater seueritie then an homicide They cal Glory Adoriam of Ador which signifies corne Plinie also writes thus of the fruitfulnesse of the earth What was the cause that the earth was so fruitfull then because saith he that then the earth was tilled with the hands of Emperors And it is not amisse to thinke that the earth did reioice then of her coulter and share being crowned and of her Plowman being a triumphant Emperor They were then as carefull of plowing their lands as of waging their warres And they did as diligently order their fields as their camps The like cause may bée assigned of the barrennesse of the earth in our daies God plagues our contempt of tillage with penurie and scarcitie Gentlemen now a daies thinke scorne of the Plough Tillage was the first worke that was imposed vpon man after that he was banished out of Paradise And God sent man out of the garden of Eden Langabath to serue to waite vpon to till the earth And shall the best of vs all then thinke scorne of tillage Also this was that gracious promise made vnto Noah after the flood That heereafter seede time and haruest cold and heat sommer and winter day and night shall not cease so long as the earth remaineth But if all men should follow Inclosers steps why then in all townes we should haue no tillage or very little but all shéepe Is not this to contradict the ordinance of God But tillage is troublesome vnto them and the other is a more gaineful and easie way as they doe imagine and therefore they
hanged for their labours or else wander vp and downe and begge and then also are cast into prison as vagrant persons seeing no man will set them a worke when as they doe most willingly offer their seruices For now there is nothing to be done about husbandrie wherein they haue beene brought vp all their liues when as there is nothing sowen For now one Sheepeheard and one Neat-heard is sufficient to looke to that ground with cattell to the tillage whereof that it might beare corne many mens hands and labours were required And by this meanes it commeth to passe that in many places Corne waxeth very deare We may note here first how that Sir Thomas More being a Papist yet touched this sinne euen in Abbots and that in the darkenes of Poperie and shall not we condemne it in the light of the Gospell Secondly he affirmes that it makes beggers and that it makes théeues and causeth a dearth of corne in our land nay it pulleth downe Townes If in his daies it wrought these mischiefes when as it began but to set in foote into this Common-wealth what hath it done since which hath growne to the very heart thereof nay what will it doe in the ende if it procéede as it hath begun if some stay and remedie be not had It will no doubt begger and quite decay the Common-wealth of England How many farmes now stand emptie since Inclosers began or onely with some seruants in them which dare giue nothing not knowing their maisters pleasure so hospitalitie is quite thereby decayed How many poore men lacke worke as threshers and poore women as spinners and doe complaine for lacke of their accustomed workes and how many poore mens children are inforced to begge or else liue idely which heretofore where tillage was maintained were taken into seruice to driue the plough or to keepe cattell thereby in time grew to be good members in the Common-wealth which Inclosers néed not The seauenth reason This Inclosure with depopulation is a sin whereof God shall make speciall inquirie at the day of iudgement IT is written in the booke of Genesis that the earth was full of crueltie and that that was the principall cause of the drowning thereof and it is to be feared that this shall be the cause of the burning thereof as appeareth in the 25. of Math. verse 42. 43. The Prophet Dauid thus manifestly prophesieth of Christs comming to iudgement The Lord shall arise and haue mercie vpon Syon for the áppointed time is come for all thy seruants haue great pleasure in her stones and it pitieth them to see her in the dust And all nations shall feare thy name O Lord and all the kingdomes of the earth thy glorie for the Lord doth builde Syon and he will be seene in his glorie He hath had respect vnto the prayer of Hangareger as it is in the Hebrew that is of the poore afflicted and he hath not despised their supplication This shall be written Ledhor acharon for the last generation of the world And the people created shall praise the Lord. Here we may marke first that this Psalm prophesies of our daies and that this lesson concernes vs. The time is now come for God to arise to iudgement and to haue mercie vpon Syon And then is it not written for vs that liue in the ende of the world Oh that we would marke it The lesson is this that all Gods seruants rather delight in the stones of Syon that is in the Lords shéepe and faithfull seruants more than in their flockes of sheepe or in their braue walles and high Towres and it pitieth them to see these stones troden vnder foote and lye in the dust and to be made no account off And that in the Sun-shine of the Gospell when all nations shall feare the name of the Lord and all the Kings of the earth his glory by the preaching of his word But God doth build Syon and will be seene in his glorie There be some as should seeme that haue pulled downe Syon and Gods Church and these his stones But God himselfe will build it vp againe saith the Prophet and will be seene in his glory Let all depopulators of townes themselues build vp the Lords Syon and farmes againe least if that they suffer God to build them when as he comes in his glorie that his building be too costly for them and cost them not some hundreth pounds of money which now perchance they are loth to disburse but the damnation of their soules For God hath a regard vnto the prayer Hangaregar that is of the poore afflicted that is trampled vnder foote and made no account of but is as a broome as that word signifieth and hath not despised their supplications The iust men should florish in Gods house like to Palme trees and we haue made them like broome euen béesomes to swéepe and make cleane our houses And doe we thinke that God will not reuenge this Who sées not such broomes almost in euery place that is many good farmes pulled downe and lye in the dust to swéepe and beutifie and build a new braue and stately house Let all such as make the Lords Palmes their broome béesomes to swepe their houses with all take héede at the day of iudgement God shall search out diligently for all such and without spéedy repentance and planting his palmes againe shall cast them into hell This is written for the last generation as Arias Montanus translates it and doth it not concerne vs And a people Nicrah created shall praise the Lord. This word Nicrah also that is a people created doth most manifestly portray out vnto vs our daies The Church of God was not seene was as no body was in the wildernes and now God hath as it were created it againe and brought it into light and this people shall praise the Lord. Nay to confound Popery all Gods people are created againe to good works there is no naturall faculties remaining in them to doe good as the Papists teach The people created shall praise the Lord. God ceased his creation of natural things the seauenth day as we reade in Genesis And therefore the Prophet Dauid no doubt meanes another spirituall creation and the regeneration of our Soules And to this place for all Scripture hath a most pleasant and sweete harmonie in it selfe if any one doe marke it doth Saint Paul allude when as he saith we are created in Iesus Christ to good works And Esay also prophesieth in the ende of the world of such couetous worldlings The earth also saith he playeth the hypocrite because of the inhabitants thereof for they haue transgressed the lawes they haue changed the ordinances and customes and they haue broken the euerlasting couenant here is plainely set downe why the earth doth not now of late yéelde her accustomed increase Because the inhabitantes thereof haue changed the ordinances of their Ancestors and