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
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
whence she deliuered them She shall bee yet more kinde to thee if her basenesse can teach thee humility and keepe thee from being more proud of other things then thou canst with any reason be of thy Parentage Few are proud of their soules and none but fooles can bee proud of their bodies seeing here is all the difference betwixt him that walkes and his floore he walkes on Liuing Earth treads vpon dead earth and shall at last bee as dead as his pauement Many are the fauours that the earth doth vs yet amongst them all there is none greater then the schooling vs to humility and working in vs a true acknowledgement of our owne vilenesse and so directing vs to heauen to find that aboue which she cannot giue vs below 2. For Patience The Earth is called Terra quia teritur and this is the naturall earth For they distinguish it into 3. sorts Terra quam terimus terra quam gerimus terra quam quaerimus which is the glorious land of Promise That earth is cut and wounded with culters and shares yet is patient to suffer it and returnes fruits to those that ploughed it The good heart is thus rent with vexations and broken with sorrowes yet offers the other cheeke to the smiter endureth all with a magnanimous patience assured of that victory which comes by suffering Vincit qui patitur Neither is this all it returns mercy for iniury prayers for persecutions and blesseth them that cursed it The Plowers plowed vpon my backe they made long their furrowes They rewarded mee euill for good to the spoyling of my soule Yet when they were sicke my cloathing was sackecloth I humbled my soule with fasting I was heauy as one that mourned for his friend or brother and my prayer returned into mine owne bosome When the heart of our Sauiour was thus ploughed vp with a speare it ran streames of mercie reall mercie which his vocall tongue interpreted Father forgiue them they know not what they doe His bloud Heb. 12. had a voice a mercifull voice and spake better things then the bloud of Abel That cryed from the cauerns of the earth for reuenge this from the Crosse in the sweet tune of compassion and forgiuenesse It is a strong argument of a heart rich in grace to wrappe and embrace his iniurer in the armes of loue as the earth quietly receiues those dead to buriall who liuing tore vp her bowels 3. For faithful Constancie The Earth is called Solum because it stands alone depending on nothing but the Makers hand One generation passeth away and another generation commeth but the earth abideth for euer Shee often changeth her burden without any sensible mutation of her selfe Thy faithfulnesse is to all generations thou hâ—st established the Earth and it standeth The Hebrew is To generation and generation inferring that times and men and the sonnes of men posterity after posterity passe away but the Earth whereon and whereout they passe abideth The parts thereof haue been altered and violent Earth-quakes begot in the owne bowels haue totterd it But God hath layd the foundations of the earth the Originall is founded it vpon her bases that it should not be remoued for euer the body of it is immoueable Such a constant soliditie is in the faithfull heart that should it thunder Buls from Rome and bolts from heauen Impauâ—dum ferient ruinae â— Indeede God hath sometimes bent an angry brow against his owne deare ones and then no maruell if they shudder if the bones of Dauid tremble and the teeth of Hezekiah chatter But God will not be long angry with his and the balances at first putting in of the euenest weights may be a little swayed not without some shew of inequality which yet after a little motion settle themselues in a iust poyse So the first terrour hath moued the godly not remoued them they return to themselues and rest in a resolued peace Lord doe what thou wilt if thou kill mee I will trust in thee Let vs heare it from him that had it from the Lord. Psal. 112. Surely he shall not be moued for euer the righteous shall bee in euerlasting remembrance He shall not be afraide of euill tydings his heart is fixed trusting in the Lord. His heart is established c. Oh sweet description of a constant soule They giue diuerse causes of Earth-quakes Aristotle among the rest admits the ecclipse of the Sun for one the interposition of the Moones body hindring some places from his heate I know not how certaine this is in Philosophie â—n Diuinity it is most true that onely the ecclipse of our Sunne IESVS CHRIST raiseth Earth-quakes in our hearts when that inconstant and euer-changing body of the Moone the world steppes betwixt our Sunne and vs and keepes vs from the kindly vitall heate of his fauour then O then the earth of our heart quakes and we feele a terrour in our bones and bowels as if the busie hand of death were searching them But no ecclipse lasts long especially not this our Sunne will shine on vs againe we shall stand sure euen as mount Sion which cannot be remoued but abideth for euer 4. For Charitie The Earth brings forth food for all creatures that liue on it Greene herbe for the cattell oyle and wine for man The vallyes stand thicke with corne the Mower filleth his sythe and the binder vp of sheaues his bosome A good man is so full of charitie he releeues all without improuidence to himselfe He giues plentifully that all may haue some not indiscreetly that some haue all On the Earth stand many glorious Cities and goodly buildings faire monuments of her beauty and adornation The sanctified soule in an happy respondencie hath manifold workes of charitie manifest deedes of piety that sweetly become the Faith which he professeth 5. For Riches The Earth is but poore without the surface of it especially when squalid winter hath bemired it seemes poore and barren but within it is full of rich mines ores of gold and quarries of precious minerals For medals and mettals it is abundantly wealthy The sanctified heart may seeme poore to the worlds eye which only beholds and iudgeth the rinde and huske and thinkes there is no treasure in the Cabinet because it is couered with leather But within hee is full of golden mines and rich ores the inuisible graces of faith feare loue hope patience holinesse sweeter then the spices of the East Indies and richer then the gold of the West Omnis decor filiae Sion ab intus The Kings Daughter is all glorious within It is not the superficiall skinne but the internall beautie that moues the King of heauen to bee enamoured of vs and to say Thou art all faire my Loue there is no spot in thee 6. Lastly for Fertilitie The Earth is fruitfull when the ayre hath giuen influence the Clouds showred downe seasonable deawes and the Sunne bestowed his kindly heate
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
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
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
tythes must they also nimme away the shreddes must they needes shrinke the whole cloth enough to apparell the Church as the cheating Taylor did to a dozen of buttons Hauing full gorged themselues with the parsonages must they picke the bones of the Vicaredges too Well sayth S. August Multi in hac vita manducant quod postea apud inferos digerunt Many deuoure that in this life which they shall digest in hell These are the Church-briers which let alone wil at last bring as famous a Church as any Christendome hath to beggerie Politicke men begin a pace alreadie to with-hold their children from Schooles and Vniuersities Any profession els better likes them as knowing they may liue well in whatsoeuer calling saue in the ministery The time was that Christ threw the buyers and sellers out of the Temple but now the buyers and sellers haue throwne him out of the Temple Yea they wil throw the church out of the church if they bee not stayed But some may say to me as one aduised Luther when he began to preach against the Popes vsurpation and tyrannie You had as good hold your peace This wickednesse is so powerfull that you will neuer preuaile against it Get you to your study and say Lord haue mercy on vs and procure your selfe no ill will But be it good will or be it ill will we come hither to speake the truth in our consciences And if these Church-thornes will continue their wickednesse bee it vnto them as they haue deserued If they will needs go to hell let them go we cannot helpe it let them perish I had purposed the discouery of more Brambles but the time forbids it I would to God we were well freed from those I haue taxed THE END Of Thornes THE FIFT SERMON ESA. 9. 18. Wickednesse burneth as the fire it shall deuoure the Bryers and Thornes and shall kindle in the thickets of the Forrest and they shal mount vp like the lifting vp of smoke GREG. lib. 4. Dialog Ad magnam iudicantis iustitiam pertinet vt nunquam mortui careant supplicio qui nunquam viui voluerunt carere peccato 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 END Of THORNES THE FIFT 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 OVr sinnes are thornes to others some wounding with their direct blowes others with their wipes all with their examples Man only hath not felt their blowes our Sauior also so found them when hee was faine for our sakes to set his naked breast his naked heart his naked soule against them They say the Nightingale sleepes with her breast against a thorne to auoide the Serpent Christ was content to bee wounded euen to sleepe to death with thornes that hee might deliuer vs from that deuouring serpent the great infernall Dragon His head was not onely raked and harrowed with materiall thornes Caput Angelicis spiritibus tremebundum coronatur spinis That head which the Angelical spirits adore and tremble at was crowned with thornes But these mysâ—call thornes our iniquities with fiercer blowes drew bloud of his soule They doe in a sort still Heb. 6. 6. They crucifie to themselues the Sonne of God a fresh and put him to an open shame Not in himselfe for they cannot but can them no thankes they would if they could and to themselues they doe it Wretched men will you not yet let Iesus Christ alone and be at rest will you still offer violence to your blessed Sauiour and labour to pull him downe from his throne to his Crosse from his peaceful glorie at the right hand of his Father to more sufferings You condemne the mercilesse Souldiers that platted a crowne of thornes and put it on his innocent head Sinfull wretch condemne thy selfe Thy sinnes were those thornes and farre sharper Thy oppressions wrongings and wringings of his poore brethren offer him the violence of new wounds thy oathes thy fraudes thy pride scratch him like bryers Heare him complaining from heauen Saul Saul why persecutest thou mee These Thornes grow on earth yet they pricke Iesus Christ in heauen Oh wee little know the price of a sin that thus play the executioners with the Lord of life Thinke thinke Christ felt your sinnes as sharpe thornes Lastly you finde them thornes your selues if Christ did not for you When God shall enliuen and make quicke the sense of your nummed consciences you shall confesse your owne sinnes â—ruell thornes to your soules 2. Cor. 12. A thorne in your flesh that shall buffet you with terror For a while men are insensible of their iniquities Christ Math. 13. 22. calls the riches of this world thornes which choke the good seede of the Gospell The common opinion of the world is that they are goodly fine and smooth things furres to keepe them warme oyle to cheare their faces and wine to their hearts of a silken softnesse to their affections But Christ saith they are thorns stinging and choking thornes And the couetous conscience shall one day perceiue in them Triplicem puncturam a threefold pricking Laboris in acquisitione they are gotten with trouble Timoris in possessione they are kept vvith feare Doloris in amissione they are lost with griefe Men commonly deale with their sinnes as hedgers do when they go to plash thorny bushes they put on tyning gloues that the Thornes may not pricke them So these harden their hearts that their owne thornes may giue them no compunction But all vanities are but like the fooles laughter which Salomon compares to the crackling of thornes vnder a pâ—t they make a noise and suddenly go out But sinne neuer parts with the wicked without leauing a sting behind it Luther saith there are two fiends that torment men in this world and they are sinne and a bad conscience The latter followes the former or if you will the former wounds the latter for sinne is the thorne and the conscience the subiect it strikes This thorne often pricks deepe to the very heart Acts 2. to the very bones Psal. 38. There is no rest in my bones because of my sinne Vis nunquam esse tristis bene viue Nunquam securus est reus animus Wouldest thou neuer be sorrowfull liue well A guilty mind cannot be securely quiet An euill mind is haunted and vexed with the thornes of his owne conscience Sinne to the affections whiles it is doing is oleum vngens supple oyle Sinne to the conscience when it is done is tribulus pungens a pricking thorne What extreame contraries doe often wicked conceits runne into In their time of securitie they cannot be brought to think sinne to be sinne At last desperately they thinke it such a sinne that it cannot be forgiuen At first they are delighted with the
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
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