A DIVINE HERBALL Together with A Forrest of THORNES In FIVE SERMONS 1. The Garden of Graces 2. The prayse of Fertilitie 3. The Contemplation of the Herbes 4. The Forrest of Thornes 5. The end of Thornes By THO. ADAMS ESAY 55. 11. My word sayth the Lord shall not returne to me void but shall prosper in the thing wherto I sent it AVGVST de benedict IACO ESAV Simul pluit Dominus super segetes super spinas sed segeti pluit ad horreum spinis ad ignem tamen vna est pluvia LONDON Printed by George Purslowe for Iohn Budge and are to be solde at his shop at the great South-dore of Pauls and at Brittaines Burse 1616. TO THE RIGHT Honourable WILLIAM Earle of Pembroke Lord Chamberlaine of his Maiesties household and one of his Maiesties most honourable Priuie Councel and Knight of the most noble order of the Garter The most noble embracer and encourager of GOODNESSE Right Honourable I Am bolde to present to your Honour a short contemplation of those Herbes cut in rough pieces which grow really and plentifully in your owne Garden and giue so good nourishment to your vertues delightfull taste to the Church and odoriferous sauour to all that like the Vine in Iothams Parable they cheare the heart of both God man Your Honour I â—now cannot dislike that in sight which you so preserue in sense and for a happy reward doth and shall preserue you You are zealously honour'd of all those that know goodnesse and haue dayly as many prayers as the earth Saints Into this number I haue hopâ—fully presuming thrust myselfe as loth to bee hindmost in that acknowledgement which is so nobly deserued and so ioyfully rendred of al tongues dedicating to your Honour some publicke deuotions that can neuer forget you in my priuate I will not thinke of adding one Herbe to your store I onely desire to remember your Honour what hand planted them what dew waters them what influence conserues and enspheares a sweet prouident ayre about them and when gay weedes that shoote vp like Ionas gourd in a night shall wither in an houre for moriuntur quomodo oriuntur Your Herbe of Grace shall flourish be prays'd both ob eminentiam and permanentiam and at last bee transported into that heauenly Paradise whence it receiues the originary roote and being Your Honour will excuse mee for coupling to a Diuine Herball a Forrest of Thornes by a true obseruation in both materiall and mystical Gardens though a Poet records it Terra salutiferas herbas eadernque nocentes Nutrit et vrticae proxima soepe rosa est Your Honour will loue the light better because the darke night followes so neare it That your Sunne may neuer set your noble Garden neuer wither that your honours may bee still multiplied with our most Royall and Religious King on earth and with the King of Kings in heauen is faithfully prayed for by Your Honours humbly deuoted THO. ADAMS To my worthy friend Tho. Adams on his HERBALL THe Herbes which these dead leaues now bring Thy liuing voice did sweetly sing That thy transported Hearers thought A PARADISE before them brought As if their inward eyes had seene Another EDEN fresh and greene How they will smell or taste thus sent Will be perceiu'd in the euent I stay no censures for my part May they grow greene still in my hart VV. B. R. S. His good-speede to the Herball TRuely thou dost the world disclose which growes Promiscuous here a Thorne there a Rose So shall blacke vices vgly face adde grace Vnto the vertue which shines next in place So when a stinging Thorne shall wound is found An Herbe to heale the Soule and make it sound To the diuine Author of the diuine Herball his true friend dedicateth this small Encomium of that which his pen dispaires to prayse HAd ADAM liu'd till this decayed age And seene an HERBALL so Diuine and Sage He would haue sayd that no succeeding man Might doe for Adam that which Adams can For while he till'd his Garden his darke mind In all that compasse no Herbe-Grace could find This man hath found it and herein is blest Adam was good my Adam's still is best W. R. D. of Physicke To the prayse of the Herball THe Ground Gods Image his word the Raine His Christ the Sunne neuer ecclips'd againe The Cloudes his Ministeriall instruments His Mercy the all-working influence From these a Garden of sweete Herbes doth grow With such a Spring as shall no Autumne know I. STOKES GReat Persons loue a GARDEN for delight To please their nosthrils or content their sight The poore mans state likes it to feast withall Physicians for the vertues medicinall For Odour Ornament and med'cinal worth A sweeter HERBALL neuer yet came forth Cecinit The. Parny A DIVINE HERBALL OR GARDEN Of GRACES HEB. Chap. 6. Vers. 7. 8. For the earth which drinketh in the raine that commeth oft vpon it and bringeth forth herbes meet for them by whom it is dressed receiueth blessing from God But that which beareth thornes and bryars is reiected and is nigh vnto cursing whose end is to be burned I Presume heere is no Atheist to heare and denie The Gospell is the power of God to saluation I hope here is no Libertine if there be let him heare also It is the power of God to confusion It is a double-edged Sword and giues vel vitam vel vindiâ—tam either instruction or destruction It is Fire that doth melt waxe to repentance and harden clay to vengeance It is here a Raine or Deaw falling on the ground of mans heart causing one soyle to bee fertile in good workes another to abound with weedes of impiety For it returneth not backe to him that sent it in vaine That it conuayes grace to vs and returnes our fruitfull gratitude to God is a high and happy mercy That it offers grace to the wicked and by their corrupt natures occasions greater impietie is a heauy but holy iudgement Not to trauell farre for Diuision heere lyes Earth before vs. And as I haue seene in some places of this Iland one hedge parts a fruitfull medow and a barren heath so of this Earth Man the same substance for natures constitution clay of the same heape in the creating hand of the Potter for matter masse and stuffe none made de meliore luto though in respect of Eternities Ordination some vessels of honour of disshonour others here be two kindes a good and a bad soyle the one a Garden the other a desart the former an inclosure of sweet herbes excellent graces the latter a wild and sauage Forrest of Bryars and thornes scratching and wounding offences For the better ground we wil consider 1. The operatiue meanes or working cause of the fertility the raine that commeth often vpon it 2. The thankefull returning of expected fruite it bringeth forth herbes meete for them by whom it is dressed 3. The reward of
are Gods giftes Iames 1. 17. Bee thankfull then and after the raine of mercy bring forth the herbes of obedience You see what this Fertillitie concludes Thankfulnesse Heare now what it excludes 2. Idlenesse This good ground lyes not dead and barren nor returnes all heauens raine with a naked and neutrall acceptation it brings forth You read Luke 19. of a Seruant to whom when his Lord had intrusted a Talent he hidde it in the ground as an Vsurer his money to keepe it safe And at his Lords returne Domine ecce tuum hee answered his account with Lord behold thine own I knew that thou wert seuerus Magister a hard Master therfore I thought it my securest course to make good thine owne againe But the Lord replyed Ex ore tuo Oh euill seruant out of thy owne mouth I condemne thee Thou shouldst then haue answered my austeritie with thy laborious care of my aduantage Therefore heare his doome Cast ye the vnprofitable seruant into outer darknesse there shall bee weeping and gnashing of teeth Hee did not euill with his talent no it was enough to condemne him he did nothing There is abundance of this dead ground in the world which brings forth nothing Idle wretches that sleepe out time and admonition but their damnation sleepeth not It was neuer sayd Samson hath lost his strength till hee slept in the lappe of Dalila Idlenesse doth neither get nor saue there is nothing more emptie of good fruits nor more abundantly pregnant with euill That man doth ill that doth nothing and he looseth whiles hee gaines not Many beholding with cowardly and carnall eyes what a long and tâ—oublesome iourney it is to heauen sit them downe and fall fast asleepe O barren grounds will ye bring forth nothing Is difficulty made your hindrance that should bee a spurre to your more eager contention Know you not that the violent shall get the kingdome of heauen Some can follow their dogges all day in the fielde others hunt Mammon dry-foote in their shoppes yeare after yeare and neuer complaine of wearinesse Only an houre or two in the Church puts an ach into our bones as if nothing wearyed vs so soone as well-doing Is it feare of too much labour that keepes you from God why doth not the same reason deterre you from seruing the diuell His lawes are true burdens and his seruice drudgerie But Christs yoke is easie and his burden light I'may boldly affirme it your couetous man takes more paines to goe to hell then the godly ordinarily to get to heauen He riseth early and resteth late and eates the course bread of sorrow and after tedious and odious miserie goes to the Diuell for his labour Shall we refuse easier pains for a farre better recompence It is but Satans subtiltie that makes men beleeue the passage to life so extremely difficult that it is impossible Herein the Diuell doth like the inhospitable Sauages of some countries that make strange fires and a shew of dismall terrors vpon the shores to keepe passengers from landing The Sluggard sayes Salomon doth but faine Beares and Lyons as the superstitious doth bugges in the way as apologies of idlenesse that he may sit still and be at ease The slothfull person is the Diuels shop wherein he worketh engines of destruction He is most busie in the lazie But whatsoeuer thy hand findeth to doe doe it with thy might for there is no worke nor knowledge nor deuice nor wisedome in the graue whither thou goest If thy soule be watred with the deaw of heauen thou must needes bring forth What 2. Herbes There is Fertilitie in Goodnes THe eldest daughter of Idlenesse is to doe nothing the next borne to doe something to no purpose But the good man is not onely doing but well doing Math. 24. Blessed is that seruant whom his Lord when he commeth shall finde so doing This so consists in doing Bonum and Bene. As the former verse may seeme to intimate He giues them meate there he doth good in due season there he doth it well The forbearance of wickednesse is not enough to acquit the soule but the performance of righteousnesse The rich Glutton is tormented in hell not because he did hurt but because he did not helpe Lazarus Non quod abstulerit aliena sed quod non donarit sua sayth S. Chrysost. Not for taking away another mans but for not giuing his owne He would not giue the poore the crummes that fell from his boord and so facere damna lucrum make a gaine of his losses for they were lost that fell from his libertine table and yet would haue refreshed the hungry and famished soule But Diues would not giue a crumme to get a crowne He wore fine linnen but it was his owne Hee was cloathed in rich purple but it was his owne Hee fared sumptuously euery day but hee did eate his owne meate he tooke none of all this from Lazarus Yet hee went to hell God condemned him because hee did not giue some of this to Lazarus Thus it is not only the commission of lewdnesse that sinkes men to hell but euen also the omission of goodnesse Dost thou heare O Earth vnlesse thou bring forth herbes thou shalt be condemned The Fig-tree had no bad fruit on it yet was it cursed because it had none at all The axe that is layd to the roote shall hew downe euen that tree which brings not forth good fruite though it bring forth no euill Fire shall take the barren as well as the vveedie ground Except your righteousnesse shall exceede the righâ—â—ousnesse of the Scribes and Pharises ye shall not enter into the kingdome of heauen Wherein me thinks our Sauiour implyeth a three-fold gradation to heauen First there must be Iustitia Righteousnesse an habituall practise of godlinesse an vncorrupt life which shall only be entertain'd to Gods Hill But the ground must be made good before it can produce good herbes for the person must bee accepted before the worke And this worke must be good both quoad fontem and quoad finem wee must deriue it from an honest heart and driue it to a right ende In the next place this Righteousnesse must bee a mans owne Nisi iustitia vestra Heere that ground which brings forth herbes receiueth blessing not that borrowes them of another For so as stony and barren an heart as Cheapside may be a far richer garden then some of those where those herbes brought thither naturally grew The Pope hath a huge harden of these herbes wherewith hee can store as many as will pay for them Iohn Baptist fasted more then hee was commanded and Mary liued more strictly then God required Now the Church of Rome keepes an Herball of these superabundant workes and money may haue store of them But heauen and Rome stand a great way asunder And as God neuer gaue the Pope authority to make such bargains so he neuer means to stand to
them It is not onely spoken but commanded to be written of the dying Saints that their workes follow them Their owne workes not the workes of others No righteousnes of friend liuing or of Saint dead shall doe thee good but the herbes of thy owne Garden shall bee accepted of God Lastly this Righteousnesse must excell nisi abundauerit If it come short of those that come short of heauen what hope haue you It must exceed innocence and come to reall goodnesse We haue not sufficiently discharged our duties in being painfull vnlesse wee be profitable Some will take no paines vnlesse the Diuell set them on worke They must be their owne caruers in their imployment or they will sit idle But so a man may worke and haue no thankes for his labour It is not then simply and onely bringing forth commends a ground but bringing forth herbes The fruit of Peters repentance is not to deny his Master no more but to stand to him to the death We thinke if wee forbeare our wonted notorious sinnes wee are on the sodaine excellent Christians As if God were beholden to vs for not wounding his name with oathes for not playing out Sabaoths for not rayling on his Gospell for not oppressing his poore members when we neither reliue the poore nor obey the Gospell nor hallow his Saboths nor honor his name Perhaps an Vsurer when he hath gotten enough will cease that damned trade now he is sure of heauen in a trice Alas how repents Zaccheus if he restores not Shall I goe a step higher If he giue not liberally and shew compassion to the afflicted Saints Perhaps an old Adulterer when his sappe is growne to cinders breaks off his vncleannesse When the enuious looseth his obiect he may suspend his malice But where are the returned fruits of penitence manifest and visible obedience Say the weedes are gone where be the herbes To roote vp the weedes is but the first step to heauen and some are fortie threescore yeares taking this steppe How long will it be ere their garden be set with good growing herbes But Curse ye Meroz sayd the Angell of the Lord curse ye bitterly the Inhabitants thereof because they came not to the helpe of the Lord and that it might fully appeare that this curse came not on them for taking part with Gods enemies and fighting against him but onely for deniall of succour the song doubles it to the helpe of the Lord against the mighty The offended Lord deliuered that Seruant to the tormentors that did not extort from his fellow that hee had no right to nor wrest away an others goods but did onely say Pay me that thou owest and in a harsh manner or vnmercifull measure required his owne due It is the forme of the last doome I was hungry and ye gaue me no meate though you tooke not away mine yet for not giuing your owne Goe yee cursed But if that ground be neere vnto cursing that brings not forth herbes what shall we say to that which brings forth weeds What hell and how many torments are prouided for oppressing Diues when Diues that but denyed his owne shall be tortur'd in endlesse flames If he were bound to an euerlasting prison that rigorously prosecuted his owne right chaleng'd his owne debt whither shall they bee cast that vniustly vexe their neighbours quarrell for that which is none of theirs and lay title to another mans proprietie If hee that giues not his coate to the naked shall lye naked to the vengeance of God then he that takes away the poore mans coate shall bee clad with burning confusion If hee that giues not wring his hands hee that takes away shall rend his heart The old world did but eate and drink build and plant marry and be merry and were swept away with the beesome of an vniuersal deluge which things were in themselues lawfull what shall become of lyars swearers adulterers idolaters malicious monstrous scandalous sinners whose workes are in themselues simply vnlawful There are 3. sorts of ground mentioned Marke 4. and the very worst of them receiues the seed yet all damned whither shall the tempest of Gods wrath driue them that would neuer giue the Gospell a religious eare O beloued waigh it Our Idle words must come to iudgement what shall be our answere for vnlawfull deedes If omission of good works be whipp'd with rods commission of impieties shall be scourged with Scorpions If they that stand in a luke-warme neutralitie shall be spewed vp sure the palpable and notorious offender shall bee troden vnder foote of a prouoked Iustice. Indifferency shall not scape and shall extreme presumption be spared that like dogges sup vp the dregges they haue vomited I haue read of a Popish Saint Henry the Dane that in a mad and hare-brain'd deuotion when wormes crawled out of a corrupt vlcer in his knee did put them in againe There are such franticke wretches that when the word hath squeased some poyson out of their consciences and driuen forth lusts like crawling worms they in a voluntary madnesse put them in againe As the Tode casts ont per poison when she goes to the water to drinke when shee hath drunke sups it vp againe Adam lost himselfe and all his posterity by one transgression and do we think can we hope that our infinite shall scape iudgement Or doe we extenuate our iniquities with such selfe-flattering mitigations that if they bee not innumerable they are pardonable and that a few shall bring no man to iudgement And what call wee this paucitie As the Glosse deales with a piece of Gratians Decretum The Text sayes Meretrix est quae multorum libidinâ— patet Shee is a whore who serues many mens turnes Now the Glosse brings this indefinite number to a certaine and giues Multorum a reasonable latitude saying the name of Whore should not be giuen her til she hath lyen with three and twenty thousand men So till we haue doubled iterated and multiplyed our lyes oaâ—hes oppressions lusts vnto thousands and thousands we do not thinke that we merite the names of lyers swearers oppressors or luxurious persons Beloued these things must be reckoned for and if nescience be beaten with stripes wilfull impiety shal be burned with fire Blessed ground then that brings forth herbes and that not in scarsitie but in 3. Plenty Many herbes THe good ground is plentifull in fruits It beares fruit good fruit much good fruit Multiplicitie of grace is requisite though not perfection What Garden is only planted with one singular kinde of herbe The Christian hath need of many graces because he is to meet with many defects to answere many tentations to fight with many enemies Therefore 2. Pet. 1. Ioyne with your faith vertue and with vertue knowledge and with knowledge temperance c. One Iewell will not serue Christs Spouse must haue diuerse to adorne her One piece of armour wil not secure vs we know not which
Sauiour and ours hee cannot be vnlesse the Lord make vs his 4. Lastly the Lord giues vs Faith and so we shall receiue a happines by this beleeued Sauiour better then euer our first creation gaue vs a kingdome a kingdome of life an eternall kingdome of life that can neuer be taken from vs. Thus wee are still receiuers and God is the giuer Wee receiue blessing from God Blessing THis word is of a great latitude What good is there which will not be brought within this compasse This blessing hath a double extent There is Beatitudo viae and Beatitudo Patriae A blessing of the way and a blessing of the Countrey one of grace the other of glory The former is either outward or inward 1 Outward Psal. 132. I will abundantly blesse her proutsion I will satisfie her poore with bread Deut. 28. Blessed in the field blessed in the citie The fruits of thy body of thy ground of thy cattell shall be blessed Thy basket thy store thy going out and comming in shall be blessed Which things doe often come to the godly euen on earth and that in abundance For as all haue not riches that exceedingly loue them so many haue them that doe not much care for them Wealth is like a woman the more courted the further off 2 Inward The godly on earth is as it were in the suburbs of heauen whose kingdome consists not in meate and drinke but righteousnesse peace of conscience and ioy of the holy Ghost Could his life bee as full of sorrowes as euer Lazarus was full of sores yet he is blessed The Sunne-shine of mercie is still vpon him and the blessing of GOD makes him rich Let the ayre thunder and the earth quake and hell roare yet He that walketh vprightly walketh surely Qui vadit plane vadit sane I haue read it storied of a young Virgin that at a great Princes hands had the choise of three vessels One whereof should be freely giuen her euen that she should chuse The first was a vessell of gold richly wrought and set with precious stones and on it written Who chooseth me shall haue what he deserueth The second was of siluer superscribed thus Who chuseth me shall haue what nature desireth The third was of lead whose motto was this Who chuseth me shall haue what God hath disposed The former pleased her eye well but not her vnderstanding It offred what she deserued She knew that was iust nothing therefore refused it The second considered offred what Nature desires Shee thought that could bee no solide good for Nature desires such things as please the carnall lust This shee also refused The third had a course outside but the sentence pleased her wel offering what God had disposed So she faithfully put her selfe vpon Gods ordinance and chose that This Virginis mans soule The golden vessell is the worlds riches contentfâ—ll to an auarous eye Too many chuse this but being open'd it was full of dead mens bones and a fooles bable To testifie them fooles which cleaue to the world and at last all their hopes shall bee rewarded with a bable Neither is this all Though their inward thought be that their houses shall continue for euer yet they shal be layd in the graue like sheep and death shall feed on them The siluer-vessell is the lusts of the flesh those fond and vaine delights which concupiscence seeks So saith the Motto It giues what nature desireth but corrupt nature affects nothing but what giues coÌ„placency to the flesh This vessell open'd was full of wild fire and an iron whip God shall scourge the lustfull here with the whip of iudgements diseases of body infamy of name ouerthrow of estate vexation of conscience And Satan shall hereafter burne them in wild fire such flames as can neuer bee quenched The leaden vessell is as the sense sentence declares it the blessing of God The chuser of it shall haue what God hath disposed for him Blessed soule that makes this election for opened it was found full of gold and most precious iewels euery one more worth then a world the immortall graces of Gods Spirit The Virgin chose this and she was married to the Kings sonne Chuse this vessell O my soule and Iesus Christ the king of heauen shall marry thee No matter though it seeme lead without glister not with earthly vanities it is rich within the wealth thereof cannot be valued though all the Arithmeticians of the world goe about to summe it There bee many that say who will shewe vs anie good Lord lift thou vp the light of thy countenance vpon vs. This blessing hath yet a further extent to the blessednesse of our Countrey when wee shall heare it Come yee blessed of my Father inherit the kingdome prepared for you from the foundation of the world For si sic bonus es sequentibus te qualis futurus es consequentibus If thou Lord be so good to those that follow thee what wilt thou be to those that finde thee If there be such blessing in this world what shall that be in the life to come If the first fruites of our inheritance and the earnest of the spirit bee so graciously sweete here surely when that infinite masse of glory shall be broken vp and communicated to vs we shall be wonderfully rauished When that which is perfect is come then that which is in part shall bee done away This is beat a vita in fonte sayth Aug. a blessed life indeed Aeterna sine successione distributa sine diminutione communis sine inuidia sufficiens sine indigentia iucunda sine tristitia beata sine omni miseria Thou wilt shewe mee the path of life in thy presence is the fulnesse of ioy at thy right hand there are pleasures for euermore No tongue can declare this blessing happy heart that shall feele it whose glorified eye shall one day behold all and ten thousand times more then we haue spoken Who shall say as it is in the Psalme Sicut 〈◊〉 it a vidimus as we haue heard so wee haue seene in the Citie of our God As we haue heard it preached on earth we now finde it true in heauen though the Citie we enioy farre excell the mappe we sawe Well this is Gods blessing and he will giue it to the good ground Labour we then to bee fruitfull Gardens and to abound with gracious herbes that God may in this world showre vpon vs the deawes of his mercie and after this life transplant vs to his heauenly Paradise Let not the pleasures of sinne the lusts of the wanton flesh the riches snares cares of the world nor all those transient delights whose taste is only in the sense the operation in the conscience that tickle men for an houre and wound them for euer nor all those vaine desires of carnall complacency which shall one day bee layd vpon Gods cold earth intercept vs to the priuation of
this blessing Let vs not be hunting after sports as Esau for venison and loose our blessing lest wee cry howle rore when it is too late to recouer it Thinke oh thinke there is a heauen a GOD a IESVS a kingdome of glory society of Angels communion of Saints ioy peace happinesse and eternity of all these which it will bee a fearefull thing to loose for the base pleasures and short delights of this world O great God of all and sweete Father of thy chosen poure vpon vs thy holy deawes of grace make our soules to stand thicke with sanctified herbes that we may receiue thy blessing That honouring thee in the day of Grace we may bee hononoured by thee in the day of Glory Grant this for thy loued Sonne and our louing Sauiour euen IESVS CHRIST his sake Amen THE FORREST Of Thornes THE FOVRTH SERMON EZEK 28. 24. There shal be no more a pricking Bryar vnto the house of Israel nor any grieuing Thorne of all that are round about them Terra salutifferas herbas eadem que nocentes Nutrit vrticae proxima saepe rosa est LONDON Printed by George Purslowe for Iohn Budge and are to be solde at his shop at the great South-dore of Pauls and at Brittaines Burse 1616. THE FORREST Of THORNES THE FOVRTH SERMON HEB. Chap. 6. Vers. 8. But that which beareth thornes and bryers is reiected and is nigh vnto cursing whose end is to be burned THis verse begins with a word of Dsiunction But. The Raine of grace falls vpon the good ground it returneth berbes it receiueth blessing But that which beareth thorns and bryers is reiected and is nigh vnto cursing c. It is vndeniably true that S. Paul knew no Purgatory otherwise he that shunned not to declare to men all the counsell of God would not in a voluntary silence haue omitted this mysterie He deliuers two sorts of Grounds the good and the bad the one blessed the other neere vnto cursing Hee knew no meane either betwixt good and euill men or betwixt reward and punishment blessing and cursing It seemes that Christ himâ—elfe was ignorant of that point which the Papists know so soundly and beleeue so roundly For he sayes In Gods Field whatsoeuer growes is either corne or cockle for the one whereof a Barne is prouided for the other vnquenchable Fire A third sort betweene herbes and weedes had either the Master or the Seruant knowne they would haue acknowledged This first word of the Text But is a strong engine set to the wals of Purgatory to ouer-turne them and ouer-burne them with the fire of hell For they are imaginary pales that diuide hell and Purgatorie take away your conceit and they are both one all is hell For surely hell was raked when Purgatory was found and it is nothing els but a larder to the Popes Kitchin What fancie soeuer founded it their wittes are foundred that labour to maintaine it For they cannot tell vs vel quid sit vel vbi what it is nor where it is They cauill with vs for want of vnity and consent in iudgement Yet Bellarmine recites eight seuerall opinions amongst them about the place And concludes at last that it must remaine among those secrets Quae suo tempore aperientur nobis which shall bee vnfolded to vs in their times Some thinke the torments of it to consist in fire others in water some that the afflicters are Angels other that they are Deuils So they teach omni modo that which is nullo modo and because it is vbique is therefore nullibi Howsoeuer it being the Popes peculiar and in his power to command the Angels to fetch out whom hee list mee thinks the Popes are strangely vnmercifull that in all this time none of them hath made a generall Gaole-deliuerie But our Purgatorie is the blood of Iesus Christ which clenseth vs from sinne And they that haue no portion in this blood shall be reiected are nigh vnto cursing and their end is to be burned The barren or rather euil-fruited ground is the ground of my discourse and according to the common distinction of Euill here is a double euill in the Text. Vnum quod malus facit alterum quod malus patitur An euill which the wicked man doth and an euill which he suffers an euill that is sinne and an euill that is punishment for sinne In the former the wicked are agents in the latter patients The one euill is done by them the other vpon them They offend Gods iustice and GOD in his iustice offends them They haue loued cursing and cursing shall be vnto them they desired not blessing and it is farre from them They produce Thornes and the end of thornes is to bee burned The first and worst euill for the other though euill to them is good in Gods good Iustice is sinne Herein 1. the wicked are compared to bad ground 2. their iniquities to thornes and bryers 3. and the manner how so ill weeds arise from this ground is said to be bearing The earth that beareth thornes c. Here first obserue 1 The different word the Apostle vseth For the good earth hee sayes it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bringing forth herbes For the euill it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bearing not bringing forth As if good workes were brought forth like children not without paine and trauell euill workes but cast out like froth or skimme as easily vented as inuented Therefore the earth is said ebullire to bubble or boile out such things as meere excretions Our prouerbe sayes An ill weed growes apace Herbes grow not without preparing the ground planting and watring them by seasonable deawes and diligence Weeds are common it is hard to set the foote besides them The basest things are euer most plentifull Plurima pessima I haue read of a kind of mouse that breeds sixe score young ones in one nest Whereas the off-spring of the Lyonesse or Elephant is but single You shall find your furrowes full of Cockle and daâ—â—ell though you neuer sew them The earth sayth the Philosopher is now an own mother to weeds and naturally breeds and feeds them but a stepmother to good herbes Man by a procliuitie of his own naturall inclination is apt to produce thornes and bryers but ere hee can bring forth herbes Graces God must take paines with him No husbandman so labours his ground as God our hearts Happy earth that yeelds him an expected haruest But that which beareth Thornes is neere to be cursed and burned 2 Obserue that a wicked man is compared to bad earth and that fitly in 5. respects 1 For basenesse The earth is the heauiest of all Elements and doth naturally sinke downewards as if it had no rest but in the center which it selfe is A wicked man is base-minded and sinkes with a dull and ponderous declination not regarding the things aboue but these below He hath commune with men sursum os but with beasts deorsum
and working cause next vnder the grace of God in our Lord Iesus Christ that the soules of Christians should bring forth the fruits of faith and obedience I know God can saue without it we dispute not of his power but of his worke of ordinary not extraordinary operations God vsually worketh this in our hearts by his word Thus for the matter the manner is 1. It commeth 2. Often 3. Vpon it It commeth IT is not forc'd nor fetch'd but comes of his owne meere mercy whose it is Iam. 1. So sayth the Apostle Euery good gift and euery perfect gift is from aboue and commeth downe from the Father of lights They that want it haue no merit of congruity to draw it to them they that haue it haue no merite of condignitie to keepe it with them It is the mercy and gratuitall fauour of God that this Gospell commeth to vs. For if ipsum minus be munus how highly is this great gift to be praysed What deserue we more then other Nations They haue as pregnant wittes as proportionable bodies as strong sinewes as we and perhaps would bring forth better fruits Yet they want it with vs it is Wee need not trauell from Coast to coast nor iourney to it it is come to vs. Venit ad limina virtus will you steppe ouer your thresholds and gather Manna When the Gospell was farre off from our Fathers yet in them Studium audiendi superabat taedium accedendi the desire of hearing it beguiled the length of the way But we will scarce put forth our hand to take this bread and as in some ignorant countrey townes be more eager to catch the raine that falls from the out-side of the Church in their buckets then this raine of grace preached in it in their hearts Oh you wrong vs wee are fond of it we call for preaching yes as your forefathers of the blind times would call apace for holy water yet when the Sexton cast it on theÌ„ they would turn away their faces and let it fall on their backes Let God sow as thicke as he will you wil come vp thinne You will admit frequencie of preaching but you haue taken an order with your selues of rare practising You are content this Raine should come as the next circumstance giues it Often GOD hath respect to our infirmities and sends vs a plentiful raine One showre will not make vs fruitful it must come oft vpon us Gutta cauat lapidem non vi sed saepe cadendo The raine dints the hard stone not by violence but by oft-falling droppes Line must be added to line here a little and there a little God could powre a whole floud on vs at once but mans vnderstanding Is like a viall narrow at the toppe Not capable of more then drop by droppe Sayes the Poet. If much were powred at once a great deale would fall besides and be spilt Like children wee must bee fed by spoonfulls according to the capacity of our weake natures It is not an abundant raine falling at once that makes the plants grow but kindly and frequent showers One sermon in a yeare contents some throughly and God is highly beholding to theÌ„ if they wil sit out that waking You desire your fields your gardens your plants to be often watred your soules will grow well enough with one raining How happy would man be if hee were as wise for his soule as he is for his body Some there are that would heare often may be too often til edification turne to tedification and get themselues a multitude of Teachers but they wil doe nothing You shall haue them run ten miles to a Sermon but not steppe to their owne dores with a morsell of bread to a poore brother They wish wel to the cause of Christ but they will doe nothing for it worth God-a-mercie The world is full of good wishes but heauen only full of good workes Others would haue this Raine fall often so it be such as they desire it Such a cloud must giue it and it must be begotten in thunder faction and innouation Till Euangelium Christi fit euangelium hominis aut quod peius est Diaboli Till the Gospell of Christ be made mans Gospell or which is worse the deuills If the raine as it falls doe not smell of Nouelty it shal fall besides them They regard not so much heauen whence it comes as who brings it I haue read of two that meeting at a Tauem fel a tossing their religion about as mâ—rily as their cuppes and much drunken discourse was of their profession One protested himself of Doctor Martins Religion the other swore hee was of Doctor Luthers Religion whereas Martin and Luther was one man No raine shall water them but such a mans otherwise be it neuer so wholesome they spew it vp againe As if their conscieÌ„ce were so nice delicate as that ground at Coleine where some of St. Vrsula's eleuen thousand Virgins were buried which will cast vp againe in the night any that haue bene interred there in the day except of that company though it were a child newly baptised For our selues the limits of sobriety being kept desire wee to heare the Gospell often and let our due succeding obedience iustifie the goodnesse of our thirst When Christ spake of the bread of life the transported Disciples beseech him Lord euermore giue us this bread So pray wee Lord euermore showre down vpon vs this raine Vpon it GOd so directs this deaw of his Word that it shall fall on our hearts not besides The Raine of the Gospell like the raine of the clouds hath sometimes gone by coasts Amos 4. I haue with-holden the raine from you and I haue caused it to raine vpon one Citie and caused it not to raine vpon another Citie one piece was rained vpon and the piece whereupon it rayned not withered But I haue wetted your fields moysten'd your hearts with the deawes of heauen giuen you my statutes and ordinances sayth the Lord I haue not dealt so with euery people there be some that haue not the knowledge of my lawes The Sunne shines on many nations where this spirituall raine falls not This is not all but as at the last day two in one bed shall be diuorced so euen now one seat in the Church may holde two vpon one whereof this sauing raine may fall not on the other The Spirit blowes where hee pleaseth and though the sound of the raine be to all open eares alike yet the spirituall deaw drops only into the open hart Many come to Iacobs well but bring no pitchers with them wherewith to drawe the water A good showre may come on the earth yet if a man house himselfe or bee shrouded vnder a thicke bush or borough'd in the ground hee will be drie still God sends downe his raine one houseth himselfe in the darkenesse of securitie hee is too drowsie to be told in with the bells
Another sits dallying with the delights of lust vnder a green bush a third is borough'd in the ground mining and intrenching himselfe in the quest of riches Alas how should the deaw of grace fall vpon these Thou wouldst not shelter thy ground from the clouds lest it grow barren oh then keep not thy soule from the raine of heauen You haue heard how the raine is come now heare how it is made welcome The good groūd drinkes it nay drinkes it in Imbibit The comparison stands thus The thirsty Land drinkes vp the raine greedily which the cloudes poure vpon it You would wonder what becomes of it you may finde it in your fruites When your Vines hang full of clusters your Gardens stand thicke with flowers your Medowes with grasse your fields with corne you will say the earth hath been beholden to the heauen That hath rained moisture this hath drunke it in we see it in our fruits The Lord sayth I will heare the heauens and they shall heare the earth and the earth shall heare the corne and the wine and the oyle and they shall heare Iezreel The fruits of corne wine oyle witnesse that the earth hath heard them that heauen hath heard the earth and that the Lord hath heard the heauen The heauens giue influence to the ground the ground sappe to the plants the plants nourishment to vs the Lord a blessing to all The Lord watereth the hills from the chambers the earth is satisfied with the fruit of the workes Hee causeth the grasse to growe for the cattell and herbe for the seruice of man Wine to make glad his heart and oyle to make his face shine and bread to strengthen mans heart c. With such thirsty appetite and no lesse happy successe doth the good soule swallow the dew of grace If you perceiue not when the faithfull take it you may see they haue it for their fruits testifie it It is a most euident demonstration that they haue bin beholding to the Gospell they haue a sanctified life Drinkes it in There bee very many great Drinkers in the world The maine drunkennesse that giues denomination to all the rest is that throte-drunkennesse whereof the Prophet Vae fortibus ad potandum These are they that will not drinke this mysticall wine in the Church so willingly as bee drunk in the tap-house Wine-worshippers that are at it on their knees protesting from the bottomes of their hearts to the bottome of the cups if the health be not pledged actum est de amicitia farewell friendship I haue read of a streete in Rome called vicus sobrius sober street Find such a street in any Citie or populous towne in England and some good man wil put it in the Chronicle It hath beene sayd that the Germanes are great drinkers and therefore to Carowse is giuen to be deriued from them the word being originally to Gar-rowse which is to drinke off all Gar signifying totum so the Germanes are called by themselues Germanni quasi toti homines as if a Germane were All-man according to another denomination of their Country Allmanie And so wee are growne to thinke him that can tipple soundly a tall man nay all-man from top to toe But if England plyes her liquor so fast as shee begins Germany is like to loose her Charter I haue heard how the Iesuits out-stripp'd the Franciscans Indeed Saint Francis at the first meeting sawe sixe thousand Fryers Ignatius because he could not begin his order with so many made vp the number in Diuels The Germanes had of vs both priority and number for drunkards Our English beggars first got the fashion but because their number was short and it was like that the Nation would be disgrac'd it was agreed to make it vp in Gallants No maruell if the Lord for this threaten vs with the rod of famine and to scourge vs with that most smarting string of his whippe God hath layd himselfe faire in his bow already and is ready to draw this arrow vp to the head and send it singing into our bosomes Ferro saeuior fames it is one of Gods sorest iudgements Beasts and Sword kill quickly and the Plague is not long in dispatching vs but Dearth is a lingring death Lament 4. 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 We see how our seasons are changed because we can finde no season to repentance Our Springs haue bin graues rather then cradles our Summers haue not shot vp but withered our grasse our Autumnes haue taken away the flockes of our sheepe And for our latest Haruest wee haue had cause to inuert the words of our Sauiour Luke 10. Hee sayth the Haruest is great but the Labourers are few pray ye therefore the Lord to send forth more Labourers into his haruest But wee might haue sayd the Labourers are many and the haruest is small pray ye therfore the Lord to send a greater haruest for the Labourers God hath thus as it were pulled the Cup from the Drunkards lippes and since hee will know no measure the Lord wil stint him If there will bee no voluntary there shall be an enforced fast Wee haue other great drinkers besides What say you to those that Drinke vp whole townes vnpeople countreys depopulate villages inclose fields that Pharise-like swallow vp poore mens houses drink their goods though mingled with teares of damme and young ones mother children Are not these horrible drinkers Sure God will one day hold the Cup of vengeance to their lippes and bid them drinke their fils The Proud-man is a great drinker It is not his belly but his back that is the drunkard He pincheth the poore rackes out the other fine enhanceth the rent spends his owne meanes and what he can finger besides vpon clothes If his rent-day make euen with his Silkeman Mercer Taylor he is well And his white Madam drinkes deeper then he The walls of the Citie are kept in reparation with easier cost then a Ladies face and the appurtenances to her head The Ambitious is a deepe drinker O hee hath a dry thirst vpon him He loues the wine of promotion extremely Put a whole monopoly into the cup and he will carouse it off There is a time when other drunkards giue ouer for asleeping-while this drinker hath neuer enough Your grimme Vsurer is a monstrous drinker you shall seldome see him drunke at 's owne cost yet he hath vow'd not to be sober til his Doomesdaye His braines and his gowne are lin'd with foxe hee is euer afoxing It may be some infernall spirit hath put loue-pouder in his drinke for hee dotes vpon the deuill extremely Let him take heed hee shall one day drinke his owne obligations and they wil choke him The Rob-altar is a huge drinker Hee loues like Belshazzar to drinke only in the goblets of the Temple Wo vnto
herbes as are meet for the dresser such as God expects of the garden who planted it such as hee will accept not in strict iustice for their owne worth but in great mercy for Iesus Christ. Meet for them by whom it is dressed We haue now opened the mine let vs diggâ— for the treasure Foure demonstrations commend this good Ground 1. It is fruitfull 2. It is fruitfull in good 3. It is fruitfull in much good 4. It is fruitfull in such good as the Dresser lookes for 1. Fertillitie It brings forth BArrennesse hath euer beene helde a curse a shame a reproch So the mother of Iohn Baptist insinuated Luke 1. Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the dayes wherein he looked on mee to take away my reproach among men When God will bring the Gospell and with it saluation to the Gentiles he is sayd to take away their barrennesse So was it prophecied Esay 54. 1. So was it accomplished Galat. 4. 27. Reioyce thou barren that bearest not breake forth and crye with ioy thou that trauellest not for the desolate hath many moe children then she that hath an husband The primordial praise of this good ground is that it is not barren This Fertillitie in the Christian heart doth 1. conclude thankfulnesse 2. exclude idlenesse 1. For the former GOD hath giuen him Raine for this purpose that he should bring forth fruite if hee should take the raine and not answere the senders hopes he were vnthankful The good man considers the end why he receiued any blessing and examines what God meant in conferring on him such a benefite Hath God giuen him wisedome Salomen hath taught him to Let his fountaines be dispersed abroad and his riuers of waters in the streets Whether thy knowledge be great in diuine things tanquam luminare maius or in humane tanquam luminare minus remember our Sauiours lesson Math. 5 Put not your light vnder a bushell but vpon a candlesticke that it may giue light to all that are in the 〈◊〉 Let your light shine before men c. They that are Gods lights must waste themselues to giue light to others Non licct habere priuataÌ„ ne priueâ—ur â—a To keep it priuate is the way to be depriued of it So the old verse Scire tuum nihil est nisi te scire hoc sciat alter As we must not be wise in our selues so nor onely wise to ourselues Hee that conceales his knowledge cancels it and shall at last turne foole Doe not inclose that for seuerall which God hath meant common The not imploying will be the impayring of Gods giftes This is the fruite which the good ground must send forth for all the feeds of grace sowne in it Neither doth this instruction bound it selfe with our spirituall but extend also to our temporall gifts Hast thou riches when God scattered those blessings vpon thee in the seed-time of his bountie he intended thou shouldst returne him a good croppe at the haruest Be thankfull then in doing that with them for which God gaue them Custos es tuarum non dominus facultatum Thou art a deputed Steward not an independant Lord of thy wealth God ment them to promoue and helpe forward thy iourney to heauen let them not retard thy course or put thee quite out of the way Thou art a thankfull ground if thou suffer thy riches to bring forth those fruites which the hand of God lookes to gather from them 〈◊〉 mercifull be charitable be helpfull Stips pauperum the saurus diuitum The rich mans treasure is the poore mans stocke The distressed soule asks but his owne Christ may say to thee in the Beggars person Pay not giue me a penny thou owest me Da mihi ex eo quod tibi dedi de meo quaero non de tuo da redde Giue mee of that which I gaue thee I demaund some of my owne not of thine it is more properly a restoring then a gift Petimusque damusque vicissim Thou askest the Lord and he giueth thee but on this condition that thou giue him some of it backe againe Thou art more truly the beggar and God but a demaunder of a iust and easie retribution This is not all God did also meane that thy selfe should take comfort in these things It is a part of that Blessednesse which the Psalmist promiseth to him that feareth the Lord. Thou shalt eate the labour of thine hands happy shalt thou be and it shall bee well with thee For God gaue wine for this purpose to make glad the heart of man and oyle to make his face shine and bread to strengthen his heart How doth man diuert Gods goodnesse when he turnes his blessing into a curse and puts his good creatures from their intended vses The Lambes are for thy cloathing and the Goates are the price of thy field sayth the Wise-man Thou must weare the wooll and drinke the milke of thy owne flocke Neither be so sparing as to starue thy selfe in the middest of thine owne plenty As the couetous wretch that dares not eate an egge lest he should loose a chicken Nor so profuse to thy own lusts that thou shouldst giue all vel veneri vel ventri not that surfets or wine should sluce out thy estate into thy belly Not that with vnnecessary quarrels of lawe thou shouldst afflict and weary thy neighbours O madnesse that to put out both thy brothers eies thou shouldst put out one of thine owne nay both thine owne for one of his Ingratefull men for Gods great mercy that what they get by peace with forraines vainly spend it in ciuill warres where the Lawyers set them together as men clappe on vnwilling Mastiues Most commonly they fight at the long weapon a tedious wearying weather-beaten sute Sometimes they fight close Poniard and Pistoll killing quarrells laying traynes for one another till both be blowne vp Can the backe of charitie beare no loade Are the sinewes of loue growne so feeble Alas fooles you get both nothing but the blowes the Lawyer goes away with the victory He fills his purse and you come home both well beaten Well the good ground knowes no such end for Gods blessings He sees with the eye of faith another intentionall and internall meaning for such bountie He doth not say of his riches as the Atheists of their tongues Psal. 12. They are our owne What hath Magistrate on the bench or Preacher in the pulpit or friend in priuate to do with it I waste none of theirs let me doe with my owne as I lift But sayth the Apostle Foole what hast thou that thou hast not receiued And wherefore hast thou receiued them To satiate thy owne lusts or to bring forth fruit meeâ— for them by whom thou art dressed There is nothing that a man can properly and in district termes call his owne but his sinnes His impieties weaknesses ignorancâ—s vices lusts these are his owne All good things
way the blow will come nor where it will light Therefore Put on the whole armour of God that yee may bee able to stand against all the wyles of the diuell The loins the brest the head the feete all parts must bee armed The fruite of the Spirit those happy fruits which the Spirit of God worketh in vs and bringeth out of vs is manifold Galat. 5. Loue ioy peace long-suffering gentlenesse goodnesse faith meeknesse c. The Apostle chargeth vs to bee rich in good workes 1. Tim. 6. And for this cause bowes his knees vnto the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ that according to the riches of his glorie wee might be filled with all the fulnesse of God The reason is giuen by Christ. To whom much is giuen of them shall much be required And it was his commendation of Mary Magdâ—lâ—n that because shee had much forgiuen her therefore she loued much Happie then is that ground which abounds with good herbes the fruits of faith patience content charitie Not our riches but our worâ—s shall follow vs. Goodnesse shall only giue Pulchrum sepulchrum and as we vse to sticke dead bodies with herbes so these herbes our fruitfull good workes shall adorne and beautifie our memorialls when the name of the wicked shall â—ot I know England inueigh the Papists till their galls burst is full of pious and charitable workes It is a Garden full of good herbes Not to vs but to God bee the prayse who hath moued such instruments to workes of his glory Yet Queâ—on fecimus ipsi vix ca nostra voce let â—uery man quiet his owne conscience with the good herbes his owne garden produceth The rich man growes easily richer so the good man easily better It is the custom of most men to be pleased with a very little religion For the world wee are enraged and transported with such a hunger that the graue is sooner satisfied but a very little godlinesse contents vs. But if we would not bee barren nor vnfruitfull in the knowledge of our Lord Iesus Christ we must sayth the Apostle abound with these herbes And then for a proportionate reward An entrance shall be ministred vnto vs abundantly into the euerlasting kingdome of our Sauiour Christ. Blessed is he that brings forth herbes many herbes and lastly such as are 4. Meet for them by whom he is dressed THe word By whom may as well be translated For whom 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Two instructions are here necessarily offered vs. 1. By whom this goodnesse comes 2. For whom it must be intended 1. By whom it is dressed GOD is the Husbandman that dresseth this ground and causeth in it Fertillitie It was the Pelagian errour A Deo habemus quâ—d homines sumus a nobis ipsis autem quod iusti sumus We are beholding to God that we are men to our selues that we are good men But the contrary is here euident God doth not onely make the ground but hee makes the ground fruitfull he raines vpon it hee dresseth it hee blesseth it Christ sayd not Sine me parum potestis facere sed sine me nihil Without me ye can doe nothing sayth our Sauiour and to the best men euen the Apostles not a little but nothing If God had onely made thee a man and thou made thy selfe a good man then is thy worke greater then Gods worke For Mel us est iustum esse quam te homâ—nâ—m esse Our meere being is not so happie as our better being No this Text conuinceth that lye For according to that distinction of grace 1. Here is Gratia operans God begins the worke he makes the ground good sanctifies the person 2. Here is Gratia cooperans God that begins performes the worke he raineth vpon he dresseth the heart and so causeth it to produce herbes 3. Here is Gratia saluans whereby hee crowneth our will and worke in the day of our Lord IESVS It receiueth blessing from God So Qui viret in foliis venit a radicibus humor The sappe of grace which appeares greene and flourishing in the branches and fruit comes from the root Now in all this Deus non necessitat sed factlâ—tat God induceth the good to good by alacritie not enforceth against their wills Quoniam probitate coacta Gloria nulla venit For God doth not worke vpon vs as vpon blockes and stones in all and euery respect passiue but conuerts our wils to will our owne conuersion Qui fecit te sine te non iustificabit te sine te Fecit nescâ—entem Iustificat volentem Hee that made thee without thy selfe will not iustifie thee without thy selfe without thy merite indeed not without thine act He created thee when thou knewest it not he doth iustifie thee with the consent of thy owne will Let this consideration lay vs all prostrate before the foot-stoole of God kissing the feete of his mercy who is the Beginner and finisher of our faith Who hath made the ground good and encreased the number of herbes with his holy dewes from heauen dressed it with his graces and promised to reward it with his blessings Thus By whom now For whom Meete for them who dressed it AND is it possible that man should produce herbes meete for the acceptation of God Hath he not pure eyes which see vncleannesse and imperfection in all our workes Is there any man so happy as to bee iustified in his sight No but it pleaseth him to looke vpon our workes in the Crystall glasse Christ and because they are the effects of a true faith in him to esteeme them meete S. Peter sayth This is thanke-worthy if a man for conscience toward God endure griefe suffering wrongfully Doe euen our sufferings then merite 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 euen this is grace To you it is giuen not only to beleeue in him but euen to suffer for his sake This was none of yours but giuen you And when you haue suffered yet you must truely with Paul reckon that the afflictions of this present world are not worthy of that high inestimable waight of glory There are no workes acceptable Quae praecedunt instificandum sed quae sequuntur iustificatum which goe before Iustification but these that follow it All of vs as Luther was wont to say haue naturally a Pope bred in our bellies a Mountebanke-opinion of our owne worth Narcissus-like wee dote vpon our owne shadowes and thinke our workes acceptable enough to God If wee haue prayed releeued beleeued the history of the Gospell or attentiuely heard the word these are works meete for God The Monke had but one hole in his Cell and though it was in the toppe vpward to heauen yet the Diuell made a shift to creepe in there The Serpent thrusts in his head often in some cracke of our good workes Luther paradoxically 〈◊〉 â—niustitiarum â—ere sola causa 〈◊〉 Almost the only cause of all vnrighteousnesse is a too-well conceited
righteousnesse We are easily induced to thinke our selues euery one as Simon Magas some great man There must bee a deiection of this thought an annihilation of our owne worth that we can doe nothing meete for God or worthy his iust acceptance For Serdet in distinctiâ—â—e Iudicis quod fulget in opinione operantis That is often foule in the sentence of the Iudge which shines in the imagination of him that doth it But as Physitians say no man dyes of an ague or without it so seldome any soule dyes of pride or without pride not meerly of pride for though that sicknesse were enough to kill it yet it is euer accompanied with som other disease and vicious wickednes nor without it for it is so inherent vnto mans nature that pride if it doth not prouoke yet at lest holds the dore whiles any iniquitie is doing Hence flow so many errors and factions and singularities For as in the body a raw stomach makes a rhumatick head a rhumatick head a raw stomach So in the soule an indigested conceit of some good thing in vs makes the head rume of some rheumaticke opinion or madde factious singularitie and this petulant rheume in the braine keeps the conscience raw stil that the physicke of repentance or good diet of peaceable obedience cannot helpe it Let vs correct these exorbitant and superfluous conceits which are like proude flesh vpon vs and knowe wee are able to doe nothing of our selues but God is faine to put euen good thoughts in vs. And if wee doe good from him how good soeuer it be as from him yet running through vs it gets some pollution Neither let vs run into the contrary errour as if in a stupid willfullnesse what good soeuer wee did we could not hope that God in Iesus Christ would accept it There is a thresholde of despaire below to stumble at as wel as a post of high presumption to breake our heads at There is a base deiection a sordid humility Barâ—ena the Iesuite told another of his order that when the deuill appeared to him one night out of his profound humility hee rose vp to meete him and prayed him to sitte downe in his chaire for hee was more worthy to sitte there then he This did appeare a strange kind of deiectednes Surely I thinke a man should by Gods word and warrant take comfort in his wel doing and be cheared in the testimonie which a good conscience on good cause beareth to him So Dauid hartned himselfe against all the malicious slanders of his his enemies O Lord thou knowest mine innocence Good workes are the necessary and inseparable effects of a true faith We are by nature all dead in sinne and by sinne concluded vnder death Our Sauiour bore for vs this death and by his passion freed vs from eternal damnation It was not enough to scape hell how shall wee get to heauen Loe we are cloathed with the garment of his righteousnesse hung with the Iewels of his merits So not onely hell is escaped by his sufferings but heauen got by his doings Why should wee then worke what need our gardens stand so full of herbes Good reason Shall God do so much for vs and shall we do nothing for him for our selues If the Lord of a Forrest giues me a Tree it is fit I should be at the cost to cut it downe and bring it home if I will haue it I cannot say that I deserued the tree it was anothers gift but my labours must lead me to enioy that which was freely giuen me Neither can the conscience haue assurance of eternal life so frankly bestowed in Christ without a good conuersation Faith doth iustifie and workes do testifie that we are iustified In a clocke the finger of the dyall makes not the clocke to goe but the clocke it yet the finger without shewes how the clocke goes within Our external obedience is caused by our inward faith but that doth manifest how truly the clocke of our faith goes As a mans corporall actions of sleeping eating digesting walking declare his recouery from sicknesse and present health So his life witnesseth by infallible Symptomes that the disease and death of sinne is mortified in him and that he hath taken certaine hold of eternall life It is meet then that we should doe good workes but all our works are made meete and worthy in him that bought vs. I will conclude then with that Antheme made by a sweet singer in our Israel Pendemus ate credimus in te tendimus ad te non nisi per te Optime Christe AMEN THE GARDEN Or A Contemplation of the HERBES The THIRD SERMON The Song of Salomon Chap. 6. Ver. 2. My Beloued is gone downe into his Garden to the beds of spices to feede in the gardens and to gather Lillies AMB. super LVC. Non Virtus est non posse peccare sed nolle LONDON Printed by George Purslowe for Iohn Budge and are to be solde at his shop at the great South-dore of Pauls and at Brittaines Burse 1616. THE GARDEN OR A Contemplation of the Herbes THE THIRD SERMON HEB. Chap. 6. Vers. 7. For the earth which drinketh in the raine that commeth oft vpon it and bringeth forth Herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed receiueth blessing from God THat the Herbes of our graces may be meete for the dresser contentful to GOD who hath planted watred husbanded the Garden of our hearts wee will require in them foure vertues Odour Taste Ornament Medicinall Vertue 1. That they haue a good odour God is delighted with the smell of our graces My Beloued is gone downe into his Garden to the beds of spices to feed in the gardens and to gather Lillies The vertues of Christ are thus principally pleasant and all our herbes onely smell sweetly in his Garden Because of the sauour of thy good ointment thy name is as ointment powred forth therefore doe the Virgins loue thee This sauour is sweetly acceptable in the nostrils of God All thy garments smel of Myrrhe Aloes and Cassia It is his righteousnesse that giues all our herbes a good odour and in him it pleaseth God to iudge our works sweet When Noah had built an Altar and sacrificed burnt offerings on it the Lord smelled a sweet sauour and sayd I will not againe curse the ground any more for mans sake Myrrhe and Prankincense were two of the oblations which the Wise-men offered to CHRIST being an Infant Tres Reges regum Regitria dona tulerunt Myrrham homini vncto auruÌ„ thura dedere Deo Tutriafac itidem dones pia munera Christo Muneribus gratus si cupis esse tuis Pro myrrha lacrymas pro auro cor porrige purum Pro thure ex humili pectore funde preces Three kings to the great King three offerings bring Incense for God Myrrhe for man gold for king Thy Incense be the hands a white soule reares For gold giue a pure hart for
with prouision while he sits and sings care away But as he is free from idlenesse so also from distrust Hee considers the Rauens and Lillies and knowes that the Lord is the Preseruer of men as well as of Fowles and flowers that hee respects man aboue those and his owne aboue other men Therefore hee throwes all his cares vpon God as if they were too heauy a lode for himselfe Sollicitous thoughtfulnes can giue him no hurt but this herbe Careaway shall easily cure it Holy Thiâ—tle or good Resolution YEeld that hee is pressed with iniuries as who will liue godly in Christ and shall not suffer persecution He is oppressed by force or fraud might or subtilty and cannot helpe himselfe He hath a good herbe in this Garden called Carduus Benedictus Holy thistle a godly resolution that through many miseries he must enter heauen He rests himselfe on God and rather wisheth his harmelesnesse should suffer then himselfe not to giue passiue and patient obedience to lawfull authority Our God whom we serue is able to deliuer vs from the burning fiery furnace and hee will deliuer vs out of thine hand O King But if not be it knowne to thee O King that wee will not serue thy gods nor worship thy golden Image There are many other herbes in this garden as if hee be to deale with craftie aduersaries let him fetch some Sage honest policie and such as may stand with an vntouched conscience For Christ gaue vs this prohibition to bee wise as Serpents though withall a cohibition that we be harmelesse as Doues If he be tempted to ebriety he hath in this Garden Coleworts moderate abstinence Matthiolus on the preface of Dioscorides notes such a naturall enmitie betwixt this herbe and drunkennesse that if you plant Colewort neere to the rootes of the Vine of it selfe it flyeth from them But I excuse my selfe Non ego cunct a meis amplecti versibus opto I would not leaue nothing vnsayd Thus I haue walked you through a sacred Garden of many gracious herbes happy soules thus planted I will stay you no longer then to heare your blessing It receiueth blessing from God THe Reward giues a happy conclusion to this good ground So it pleaseth the Lord to accept our labours that he will reward them not after our owne merit for that is not an atome but after his owne mercy which exceedes heauen and earth Receiue this blessing with a thankfull heart thou hast not earn'd it It is obiected that here it is sayd their workes are meet for God therefore deserue this blessing And Wisd. 3. God proued them and found them meete for himselfe as if they could stand Gods tryall And Paul exhorts vs to walke worthie of the vocation wherewith we are called I answere Deus coronat donâ— sua non merit a nostra God rewards his owne workes not our worth It is giuen Non meritis operantis sed miseratione donantis not for the deserts of the doer but for the mercie of the giuer Datur operatoribus non pro operibus Luke chap. 12. Verse 32. It is my Fathers will to giue you a kingdome Do wee good from whom is it doth not God worke in vs to will and to doe Thou hast done well be comforted be not proud It was Gods worke not thine Omnia merita Dei dona sunt it a homo propter ipsa magis Deo debitor est quam Deus homini All our good workes are Gods giftes and therefore man is more beholding to God for them then God to man If in this Garden any good herbe spring ouer the wall and sawcily challenge to iâ— selfe a prerogatiue of merite deale with it as the Gardiner with supersluous branches prune it off Or as Tor quatus with his ouer-venturous sonne cut it short with the sword of the Spirit for daring beyond the Commission Our Aduersaries oppose this truth very violently both in the Schooles and in the Pulpits but come they to their death-beds to argue it between God and their owne soules then grace and grace alone mercy and onely mercie IESVS and none but IESVS And this euen their great Bell-weather is forced to acknowledge Propter incert it udinem propriae iustitiae periculum inanis gloriae tutissimum est fiduciam totam in sola Dei misericordia benignitate repoâ—ere I will translate his words truly By reason of the vncertainty of our owne righteousnesse and the danger of vaine glorie the saâ—est course is to put our whole trust and confidence in in the onely fauour and mercie of God But perhaps Bellarmine spoke this as a meere Iesuite and now made Papable hee bee willing to recant and vnsay it This blessing then comes not for the Grounds merite but for the Dressers mercie It is sayd Gen. 6. tht God would destroy the World with a floud Because the imaginations of mans heart were onely euill continually And Gen. 8. it is sayd that GOD will no more curse and destroy the ground for mans sake because the imaginations of his heart are onely euill from his youth The same reason that is alleaged why God will not spare the world is also alleaged why God will spare the world It serues plentifully to demonstrate that not for mans merite but for Gods mercie confusion is withholden I am the Lord I change not Therefore ye sonnes of Iacob are not consumed It receiueth SVch is the immense goodnesse of God that he will adde grace to grace aud when hee hath showne mercy hee will shew more mercy As if he expected no other argument of future bounty but his former bounty Whom he did predestinate them also he called and whom he called them also hee iustified and whom he iustified them he also glorified Man is to be considered in a foure-fold estate Confectionis Infectionis Refectionis Perfectionis First God made him happy without misery without iniquity God hath made man vpright but they haue sought out manie inuentions If a glorious heauen aboue him a fruitfull earth vnder him feruiceable creatures about him could giue him solace and folicity hee was not scanted Heere is mans first draught of Gods bountie his originall state 2. Then man fell from holinesse and so from happinesse and lost the fauour of the Creator with the good of the creature that a generall curse fell on the earth for his sake Loe now hee lyes weltring in his gore who shall heale him who shall reuiue him God promised him a Sauiour and kept his word Looke on his owne only Sonne hanging bleeding dying on an accursed Crosse. 3. A Redeemer is come what is man the better for it that hath no power to beleeue on him Faith hee hath none but what God must put into him Againe Lord helpe let vs receiue yet a third mercie make vs beleeuers or we are neuer the better We had as good haue no Sauiour as not to haue him our
cor All his affections haue a low obiect not out of humilitie but base deiection His hope desire loue ioy are set on these inferiour things and like a Mole he digs still downewards till he come to his Center his owne place Hell Telluris inutile pondus 2 For coldnesse Experience teacheth that the earth is cold coldnes is a natural quality pertinent to it though accidentally there be bred in it fierie vapours The wicked man hath a cold heart frozen vp in the dregs of iniquitie though there be an vnnaturall heat sometimes flaming in him the fire of lust and malice tormenting his bowels but this is no kindly heate to warme his conscience That is deriued from the fire of the Temple that neuer goes out and only giuen by Iesus Christ that baptizeth with the holy Ghost and with fire 3 For foulenesse The squalid earth for we speake not heere of any good ground is called Lutulenta terra miery and noysome yet is it neate and cleane in comparison of a sinne-contaminated soule The body was taken from the earth not the Soule the body shall resolue to the earth not the soule yet the polluted soule is more sordid then either a leprous body or a muddy earth In the eye of GOD there is no beautie so acceptable no foulenesse so detestable as the soules The Doue carried the prayse of beautie from the Peacocke by the Eagles iudgement that though the Peacocke liuing had the fayrer plumes yet dead he hath but a blacke liuer Gods iudgement of all mens fairenesse is by the liuer the cleanesse of the heart in his eye-sight 4 For obscuritie and darkenesse the earth is called a place of blacke darkenesse the land of forgetfulnesse So Iob and Dauid tearme it The wicked Soule is full of darkenesse thicknesse of sight caecitie of vnderstanding not seeing the glorious libertie of the Sonnes of God Our Gospell is hid to those that are lost Whose minds the god of this world hath blinded There is in them Hebetudo mentis which is acutae rationis obtusio carnalis intemperantiae crassis sensibus inducta They are so vtterly ignorant of heauen that as it is in the Prouerbe ne pictum quidem viderunt they haue not seene it so much as in the mappe or picture As to men shut vp in the low cauernes of the earth not so much as the sunne and starres and the lights of heauens lower parts haue appeared Tolerabilior est poena viuere non posse quam nescire Ignorance is a heauier punishment then death sayth the Philosopher Darkenes is their desire because their deeds are euill Perhaps at last after a long dotage on their darke delight earth they come to heare of a better richer countrey and then take onely with them the Lanterne of Nature to find it But so erepto lumine can delabrum querunt Hauing lost the light they grope for the Candlesticke A man that comes into his house at midnight sees nothing amisse in the day-light he finds many things misplac'd Nature is but a darke Lanterne when by it we endeuour to ransacke the conscience Onely the light of grace can demonstrate all the sluttish and incurious misorders in our soules 5 The maine resemblance betweene an euill ground and worse man consists in the ill fruites that they both produce bryers and thornes and such not onely vnhelpefull but hurtfull vices This is the principal analogie which our Apostle intends the pith and marow of this reference But before we come to a particular anatomizing of this Subiect some obseruable doctrines fall profitably to our instruction Obserue therfore 1 The word of God will worke some way It fals not vpon any ground in vaine but will produce herbes or weeds It is such Physicke as will either cure or kill It mollifies one makes another more hard Some hearts it pricks others it terrifies though conuerts not as it made Foelix tremble None euer heard it but they are either better or worse by it We preach Christ crucified vnto the Iewes a stumbling blocke vnto the Gentiles foolishnesse But vnto them which are called both of Iewes and Greeks the power of GOD and the wisedome of God In this Epistle it is called a double-edged sword c. It is either a conuerting or conuincing power sealing receiuers to redemption contemners to reiection The word which I haue preached shall iudge you in the latter day If this doctrine were considerately digested in hearers hearts what a zealous preparation would it worke in their soules It would bring vs to these seats with other minds if we remembred that wee returne not backe to our owne doores the very same wee came out but either somewhat better or much worse Sergius Paulus was turned Elimas obdurated at one Sermon After our Sauiours heauenly Sermon Iohn 6. Some went backe and walked no more with him that Christ bespake his Apostles Will ye also goe away Others stucke more close Lord to whom shall we goe Thou hast the words of eternall life The Prophet Esay speakes fully to this purpose As the raine commeth downe and returneth not backe but watereth the earth and maketh it bring forth and bud that it may giue seede to the sower and bread to the eater So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth it shall not returne vnto mee voyd but it shall accomplish that which I please and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it The word that we haue preached shall either saue you or iudge you It shall be either a copy of your pardon or a bill of your inditement at the last day Iohn Baptist cals the Gospell a Fan that will distinguish betweene true and false children betweene Wheate and Chaffe It will make knowne the faithfulnesse of those that with honest harts embrace it and scatter hypocrites like chaffe by reason of their insolid leuity Simeon so prophecied to Mary the Virgin of her Son That he should be the fall and the rising the reparation and ruine of many and whiles he is set for a signe Which shall bee spoken against by this meanes the thoughts of many hearts shall be reuealed The word is like fire that hath a double operation vpon the seuerall subiects it works stubble or gold It fires the one and fines the other Some hearts it enflames with zeale to it other it sets on fire to quench impugne persecute it It is to conuersion if beleeued to confusion if despised Lo Christ himselfe preaching some faithfully entertaine others reiect as the Gergesens that had rather haue their hogges saued then their soules 2. That thornes are produced the fault is not in the good Raine but the ill ground What could I sayth God haue done more to my Vineyard I haue done inough to make it beare good grapes Wherefore then or from what cause brings it forth wild grapes The earth desires the influence
of heauen and showres from the cloudes to make it fruitfull It is granted the Sunne shines the dewes fall The Garden hereupon brings forth herbes the desart thornes If these blessings of heauen were the proper cause of the weeds why hath not then the good ground such cursed effects The euerlasting lampe of heauen sends forth his sauing rayes and the sacred deawes of the Gospell fall on the pure and vncleane heart There it is requited with a fertile obedience here with an impious ingratitude Let not the mercy of God be blamed for this mans miserie Perditio ex se God hath done enough to saue him S. Augustine directly to this purpose Simul pluit Dominus super segetes super spinas Sed segeti pluit ad horreum spinis ad ignem tamen vna est plâ—uia GOD at once raines vpon the herbes and the thornes Vpon the herbs or good seed to shoot it vp for his barne for himselfe vpon the thornes to fit them for the fire yet is it one and the same raine This shall couer the faces of Libertines with â—uerlasting confusion who are euermore rubbing their owne filthinesse on Gods puritie and charging him as the authour of their sinnes If the Diuels in hell should speake what could they say more wee haue falne from our happinesse and God caused it Reprobate thoughts Men haue spilt bloud defiled forbidden beds strucke at Princes with treasons ruin'd countries with depopulations filled the earth with rapes and shot at heauen with blasphemies and lay their damnation on their Maker deriuing from his purpose excuses of their wickednesse The ineuitable decree of Gods counsell is charged the thought of that hath made them carelesse so with good food they poison themselues Willing fooles racke not your beleefe with impossibilities Behold God is so farre from authorizing your sinnes and falls that he raines on yoâ— the holy deawes of his word to mollifie your hearts Iustifying himselfe by this proffered meanes of your saluation that he would not the death of a sinner O but his hidden will is to damne vs. Mad men that forsake that signed will written in tables published with trumpets commanded with blessings cursings promises menaces to which euery soule stands bound and fall to prying into those vnsearchable mysteries couered with a curtaine of holy secrecy not to be drawne aside till the day comes wherein we shall know as we are knowne Cease aspiring man to roote thy wickdnesse in heauen and to draw in God as an accessary to thy profanenesse God would haue thee saued but thou wilt beare thorns and briars though thou endangerest thy selfe to cursing Is this the requitall for his mercy Are all his kindnesses to thee thus taken That when he hath done so much to bring thee to heauen thou wilt taxe him for casting thee to hel when he hath so laboured to make thee good thou wilt lay to his charge thy owne voluntary badnesse No iustifie God and magnifie his mercie Accuse thine owne corrupt heart that turnes so good and alimentall food into offensiue crudities Say Heauen is good but thy ground is naught Fatnesse and iuyce hath been bestowed on thee but thou hast yeelded pestilent and noysome fruits Lay not the fault on heauen but on the natiue corruption of thy owne heart that hath decocted the goodnesse of God into venome 3. This obseruation shall make way and giue place to another That the ground is very vnthankfull which answeres the kindnes of heauen in rayning on it with bryars and thornes Wretched man that receiues so blessed deawes from the fountaine of mercie and returnes an vngratefull wickednesse Vnthankefull it is as failing in both these essentiall parts of Gratitude acknowledging and requiting a benefite and so guilty both of falshood and iniustice Say the wicked did confesse Gods mercies yet where 's their obedience True thankfulnesse is called Gratiarum actio non dictio Whiles for holy deawes they render vnholy weedes this disobedience is the greatest Ingratitude The silence of our tongues the not opening our lippes to let our mouth shew forth his prayse is a grieuous vnthankfulnesse He is of an euill disposition that conceales or dissembles a benefite This is one branch of Ingratitude but our speech hitherto keepes but lowe water let vs rise vp to view the mountenous billows of that ingratitude here taxed a reall actual sensuall senselesse vnthankfulnesse if it bee not a degree beyond it and vnthankfulnesse too poore a word to expresse it Meere ingratitude returnes nothing for good but this sinne returnes euill for good Silence in acknowledging is too short we must thinke of a contumacious and contumelious retribution God after his mercifull raine lookes for some herbs of Grace when he walks down into his Garden to see whether the Vine flourished and the Pomegranates budded And behold weedes stinking weedes stinging weedes thornes and bryars Here is Ingratitude in ful proportion wiith all the dimensions of his vgly stigmaiticke forme This is that wickednes which brings the ground here to reiection malediction combustion Obserue further that 4. Wicked men proue commonly so much the worse as they might haue been better and diuert the means of their conuersion to their confusion The more raine of the Gospell they receiue the more abundantly they thrust forth the thornes of iniquities The rootes of these bryars are surely earthed in their hearts and do boyle out at the warme deaws of the Word It fares with them as with a man of a surfeted stomach the more good meate he eates the more hee increaseth his corruption The former crudities vndigested vnegested hauing the greater force turne the good nutriment into themselues There is such an antipathie betwixt the good word of God and the heart of a reprobate that the more it wrastles to bring him to heauen the more he wrastles against it that hee might be damned Tully mentions a Countrey wherein a great drought and heat maketh abundance of mire and dirt but store of raine causeth dust It is here experimentally true the plentifull raine of Gods blessed word is answered with the dusty and sandy barrennesse of mens euill liues So the Sunne shining vpon vncleane dung-hils is said to cause a greater stench yet no wise man blames the beames of the Sunne but the filthinesse of those putrified heapes for such offence The Sunne of righteousnesse hath sent downe the glorious rayes of his Gospell among vsâ— the wicked hereupon steame out the more noysome and stenchfull fruites Vpon whom shal the accusation light Gods comfortable heate of mercie or our putrid and ranke iniquities Sometimes the Sunnes heat working vpon a muddy and baneful obiect breeds horrid serpents No wonder then if this raine of the Gospel ingender in reprobate minds weeds and prickles The Cicones haue a riuer that doth harden the bowels and make the entrals stony a strange operation in them that drink it But if the water of life do harden the hearts of Pharaohs
sense and smel of their iniquitie as of a sweet rose but the rose of their delight withers and there is a thorne vnder it that pricks the hart Hereupon Salomon couples pleasaÌ„t vanitie and troublesome vexation together If that tickles the flesh this shall wound the spirit You shall heare an Vsurer in the madnes of presumption expostulating what may I not make benefit of my money Obserue him and in the end you shall heare him in the madnes of despaire cry out of his owne damnation for it At first they make question whether it be a sinne at last they know it such a sinne that they make question whether God will forgiue it So men will looke to sin either too superficially or too superstitiously There was no danger saith the Drunkard when he is asked how he seap'd such a passage bring him backe in the sober moming to see and hee falls downe dead in astonishment I need not further amplifie this point Christ giues a vae ridentibus Woe to them that laugh for they shall weepe and euery smile of sinne shall be turned to a grone of sorrow They that exhibite their liues as sacrifices risuiet lubentiae shall one day feele pricks and goads and thornes scratching and peircing their hearts when like the strucken deare with the arrowhead rankling in his side they shall not bee able to shift or change paines with places Let this reach to our soules two instructions 1 That we labour our hearts betimes to a sensiblenesse of these thornes A Thorne swallowed into the flesh if it be not look'd to rankles Sinne without repentance will fester in the soule and is so much more perilous as it is lesse felt Oh the number of thornes that lie in many conscience who complaine no more then if they ayld nothing The pricke of a thorne is not so painefull at first while the bloud is hote as after a cold pause Euerie man hath his complaints who liueth out of the reach of discontent You shall heare tradesmen complaining of few or false customers Labourers of little worke and lesse wages Beggars complaine the want of Charity and rich men the want of money Merchants of rockes and Pyrats Lawyers of short fees and Clyents of long suits But no man complaines of the thornes in his owne bosome He nourisheth bryers there that wound him and the heart is as dedolent as if it were past feeling But where there is no discouerie of the disease the recouery of the health is in vaine hoped for 2 After sense of the smart will follow a desire of remedy The throbbing conscience would be at ease and freed from the Thorne that vexeth it Dauid rores out for the very disquietnesse of his heart The aking heart will make a crying tong and wet eyes Loe the mercie of GOD A remedy is not sooner desired then offred The sacred Gospell directs vs to a medicine that shall supple the heart and draw out these thornes though they stucke as thicke in it as euer the arrowes did in Sebastian They speake of the herbe Dictamnum call'd of some Ditanie that it hath a secret vertue to draw out any thing fastened in the body Plinie sayth that this herbe drunke Sagittas pellit Experience telleth that it is soueraigne to exhale a thorne out of the flesh Our onely Dictamnum is the precious bloud of our merciful Sauiour IESVS CHRIST A plaister of that is truely vertuall to draw out all thornes from our consciences Saucia â—nimis which is nulla medicabilis herbis is thus cured Our sinnes drew bloud of him that his bloud might saue vs. He was crowned with Thornes that we might not be killed with thornes He was wounded for vs that we might not perish for our selues Take we heed that we despise not this medicine The law was so farre from drawing out these thornes that it would driue them in further and cause them to rankle in the heart without any hope of ease It did but exasperate their stings and giue them a deeper continuance of pricking The mollifying and healing Gospell extracts their venome and sucks out their poyson Let vs not dare then to vilipend this cordiall and soueraigne medicine You perceiue that our sinnes are Thornes and what is their onely remedy Know now that if they be not drawne out in this world they shall be found thornes hereafter when the owners shall heare Christs sentence Goe yee cursed c. for the end of them is to be burned So I come to the punishment but I will soone haue done with that which shall neuer haue done with those that must vndergoe it There is a threefold gradation in the Penalty Reiection malediction combustion Is reiected is nigh vnto cursing and the end thereof is to be burned And it seems to haue relation to a threefold distinction of time 1. For the present it is reiected 2. For instance or appropinquation it is nigh vnto cursing 3. For future certainty the end of it is to be burned As men commonly deale with thornes first they cut them vp with bils and mattocks then they lay them by to wither and lastly burne them in the furnace 1 Reiection This which we here translate is reiected is in the originall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which may signifie Reprobios or reprobatus so Beza hath it is reproued or disallowed of God This ground shall haue no ground in heauen no part in God inheritance It is reprobate siluer not current with the Lord. No man desires to purchase Land that will bring forth nothing but weedes he will not cast away his siluer vpon it And shall GOD buy so base ground that will be no better at so inestimable a price as the incorruptible bloud of his owne Sonne It despiseth the Lords goodnesse and the LORDS goodnesse shall despise it It is reiected If any man sayth this is Durus Sermo let him consider of whom the Apostle speaketh verse 4. against whom hee concludes ab impossibili It is impossible c. A hard saying to vnderstand but more most heard to vndergoe If God be driuen to loose all his paines and cost vpon an ingratefull heart he will at last renounce it and giue it ouer a desperate nature As he in the Comedy Abeat pereat profundat perdat If it will be filthy let it be filthy still If nothing will bring it to goodnesse it shall be reiected 2. The second degree of the Punishment is cursing and this may seeme to exceed the former Gods curse is a fearefull thing If you would view though but in part the latitude and extension of it I refer you to the 28. of Deuteronomy But I purpose not to bee curiously punctuall in the demonstration of these particular degrees of the Punishment That which I wil obserue is this That God is more propense and inclined to blessing then to cursing more prone to shewe mercy then to inflict iudgement It is sayd in the former Verse the good ground receiues
is good for our Soules Repentance without which the euill ground is neere to cursing as it were at next dore by and it shall come on him with a speedy visitation nisi interueniente poenitentia This is the Bulwarke to defend vs from the shot of Gods thunder from heauen this hedgeth vs in from his iudgements on earth Woe to sinfull man without this for he is neere to cursing and his end is to be burned Blessed Soule that hath it Wheresoeuer it dwels mercie dwels by it If England hath it it shall ease her of her thornes Ezek. 28. There shall be no more a pricking bryar vnto the house of Israel nor any grieuing Thorne of all that are round about them 3 The last and forest degree of the Punishment is Burning I will not discourse whether the fire of that euerlastingly-hote furnace be materiall or spirituall Surely it is strangely terrible and wee are blessed if wee neither vnderstand it nor vndergoe it The miserie of the damned is vsually distinguished into the Paine of losse and the paine of sense Both implied in this verse and expressed Thessalonians the second Chap. 1. Verse 8 9. Christ shall take vengeance on such as know not God and obey not the Gospell of Iesus Christ there is paine of Sense They shall be punished with euerlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power there is paine of losse 1. This Poena damni or priuation of blessednesse may seeme to be implyed in the first degree here mentioned Reiection The reprobate are cast away of God Much like that forme of the last sentence Math. 25. 41. Depart from me yee cursed a fearefull sentence a terrible separation From Me sayth Christ that made my selfe man for your sakes that offered my bloud for your redemption receiued these these wounds for your remedie From Me that would haue healed would haue helped would haue saued you From Me that inuited you to mercy and you would not accept it From Me that purchased a kindgome of glory for such as beleeued on me and will wrappe their heads with crownes of eternall ioy Depart from Me. This is a fearefull Reiection My friendship my fellowship my Paradise my presence my heauen where is fulnesse of ioy and pleasure for euermore are none of yours They might haue been they are lost Neither shall they onely loose Christ but all the companie with Christ the Quire of glorious Angels the society of his blessed Mother the Prophets Apostles Martyrs all the happy and holy Saints with the whole host of heauen They shall fret and vexe and bee ready to eate their owne galls to see those triumphing in glory whom they on earth persecuted martyred tortured They could here exercise their sauage tyranny ouer them not onely denying their owne bread but taking away theirs they could despise beate maligne vndoe burne them at stakes now the estate of both is changed as Abraham told Diues They are comforted and thou art tormented 2. This is not all The priuation of blessed ioyes is not enough there must follow the position of cursed torments For their Punishment is proportioned to their sinne Ier. 2. They haue committed two euils They haue forsaken the Lord the fountaine of liuing waters and hewed them out cisternes broken cisternes that can hold no water As they turned from their Maker so their Maker turnes from them there is Poenadamni As they fastned their delights on the creatures so the creatures shall be their tortures there is Poena sensus They reiected God and hee reiects them they adhered to wickednesse and it shall adhere to their bones for euer and bring them to burning Their torments which are here expressed by Fire haue two fearefull conditions vniuersality and eternitie 1. They are vniuersall vexing euery part of the body and power of the soule It is terrible in this life to be pained in euery part of the body at one time To haue ache in the teeth gowt in the feete collick in the reines c. and to lye as it were vpon a racke for innumerable diseases like so many executioners to torture him is intollerable But the largest shadowe of these torments to their substance is not so much as a little bone-fire to the combustion of the whole world 2. They are eternall If it had but as many ages to burne as there be trees standing on the earth there would bee some though a tedious hope of their end But it is such a Fire as shall neuer be quenched This word Neuer is fearefull Though they raine floudes of teares vpon it they shall bee but like oyle to encrease the flame for the worme neuer dyes the fire neuer goes out You see the end of Thornes Wickednes burneth as the fire it shall deuoure the bryers and thornes and shall kindle in the thickest of the Forrest and they shall mount vp like the lifting vp of smâ—kâ— I resolued against prolixity The generall and summary doctrine is this That since the wicked ground which beareth thornes and bryers is neere vnto cursing and the end thereof is eternall fire it followes necessarily that all they which lay the foundation of vngodlinesse must needs build vpon condemnation Let no man deceiue you He that committeth sinne is of the Diuell If the course of a mans life be wicked couetous vncleane malicious idolatrous adulterous drunken hee layes the ground-worke of his owne destruction and precipitates himselfe to the malediction of God Hee that layes the foundation in fire-work must looke to be blowne vp Perhaps this meditation though it bee of vnquenchable Fire may yet worke coldly in our hearts and leaue no impression behinde it yet you cannot deny this to be true He that would denie it must deny my Text must turne Atheist and reiect the holy word of God Nay he must thinke there is no God no reuenge of wickednesse no diuell no hell And he vndertakes a very hard taske that goes about to settle this perswasion in his mind No no. Let no man deceiue you with vaine words for because of these things cometh the wrath of God vpon the children of disobedience And in this passage I must value all men alike of what stuffe or of what fashion soeuer his coate be if his life be full of bryers and thornes his end is to be burned What shall we then doe vnto thee O thou preseruer of men that wee may escape it what but Repent and beleeue the Gospell Let the commination of hell instruct vs to preuent it as the message of Niniuehs ouerthrow effected their safetie 1. Let vs flie by a true faith into the armes of our Redeemer that God reiect vs not 2. Let vs poure forth flouds of repentant teares that wee bee not nigh vnto cursing 3. And let vs bring forth no more bryars and thornes that our end may not be to bee burned Faith Repentance Obedience this same golden