A DIVINE HERBAL Together with A Forest of thorns. In FIVE SERMONS. 

1. The Garden of Graces.  
2. The praise of Fertility.  
3. The Contemplation of the Herbs.  
4. The Forest of thorns.  
5. The end of thorns.    
By THO. ADAM'S.  ESAY 55. 11. 
My word, saith the Lord, shall not return to me void, but shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.  AUGUST. de benedict. JACO. & ESAV. 
Simul pluit Dominus super segetes, & super spinas: sed segeti pluit ad horreum, spinis ad ignem: & tamen una est pluvia.  
LONDON, Printed by George Purslowe, for john Budge, and are to be sold at his shop, at the great South-door of Paul's, and at Britain's Burse. 1616.   

TO THE RIGHT Honourable, WILLIAM Earl of Pembroke, Lord Chamberlain of his majesties household, and one of his majesties most honourable Privy Council, and Knight of the most noble order of the Garter: The most noble embracer, and encourager of GOODNESS.  
Right Honourable,  
I Am bold to present to your Honour a short contemplation of those Herbs, (cut in rough pieces) which grow really and plentifully in your own Garden: and give so good nourishment to your virtues, delightful taste to the Church, and odoriferous savour to all; that, like the Vine in jotham's Parable, they cheer the heart of both God & man. Your Honour, I ●now, cannot dislike that in sight, which you so preserve in sense, and (for a happy reward) doth and shall preserve you. You are zealously honoured of all those that know goodness; and have daily as many prayers, as the earth Saints. Into this number I have (hopefully presuming) thrust myself; as loath to be hindmost in that acknowledgement, which is so nobly deserved, and so joyfully rendered of all tongues: dedicating to your Honour some public devotions, that can never forget you in my private. I will not think of adding one Herb to your store: I only desire to remember your Honour what hand planted them, what due waters them, what influence conserves, and enspheares a sweet provident air about them: and when gay weeds, that shoot up like jonas gourd in a night, shall wither in an hour, (for moriuntur, quomodo oriuntur) Your Herb of Grace shall flourish & be praised, both ob eminentiam, and permanentiam; and at last be transported into that heavenly Paradise, whence it receives the originary root and being. Your Honour will excuse me for coupling to a Divine Herbal, a Forest of Thorns; by a true observation in both material and mystical Gardens, though a Poet records it.  
Terra salutiferas herbas, eadernque nocentes  
Nutrit, et urticae proxima soepe rosa est.  
Your Honour will love the light better, because the dark night follows so near it, That your Sun may never set, your noble Garden never wither; that your honours may be still multiplied with our most Royal and Religious King on earth, and with the King of Kings in heaven; is faithfully prayed for by  
Your Honours humbly devoted, THO. adam's.   


To my worthy friend Tho. adam's on his HERBAL.  

THe Herbs which these dead leaves now bring,  
Thy living voice did sweetly sing.  
That thy transported Hearers thought  
A PARADISE before them brought.  
As if their inward eyes had seen  
Another EDEN fresh and green.  
How they will smell, or taste, thus sent,  
Will be perceived in the event.  
I stay no censures; for my part,  
May they grow green still in my heart.   
W. B.   

R. S. His good-speede to the Herbal.  

Truly thou dost the world disclose, which grows,  
Promiscuous; here a Thorn, & there a Rose.  
So shall black vices ugly face add grace,  
Unto the virtue, which shines next in place.  
So when a stinging Thorn shall wound, is found,  
An Herb to heal the Soul, and make it sound.    

To the divine Author of the divine Herbal, his true friend dedicateth this small Encomium of that which his pen despairs to praise.  

HAd ADAM lived till this decayed age,  
And seen an HERBAL so Divine, and Sage,  
He would have said, that no succeeding man  
Might do for Adam that which adam's can.  
For while he tilled his Garden, his dark mind  
In all that compass no herb-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 Physic.   

To the praise of the Herbal.  

THe Ground God's Image, & his word the Rain:  
His Christ the Sun, never eclipsed again:  
The Clouds his Ministerial instruments:  
His Mercy the all-working influence.  
From these a Garden of sweet Herbs doth grow,  
With such a Spring, as shall no Autumn know.   
I. STOKES.   


GReat Persons love a GARDEN for delight;  
To please their nostrils, or content their sight.  
The poor man's state likes it to feast withal.  
Physicians for the virtues medicinal.  
For Odour, Ornament, and medicinal worth,  
A sweeter HERBAL never yet came forth.   
Cecinit The. Parny.    

A DIVINE HERBAL OR GARDEN Of GRACES.  HEB. Chap. 6. Vers. 7. 8. 
For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God.  
But that which beareth thorns and briars, is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing, whose end is to be burned.  
I Presume, here is no Atheist to hear and deny; 
Rom. 1. 16.  The Gospel is the power of God to salvation. I hope here is no Libertine; if there be, let him hear also: It is the power of God to confusion. It is a double-edged Sword, 
Heb. 4. 12.  and gives, vel vitam, vel vindi●tam, either instruction, or destruction. It is Fire, that doth melt wax to repentance, and harden clay to vengeance. It is here a Rain or dew falling on the ground of man's heart; causing one soil to be fertile in good works, another to abound with weeds of impiety: For it returneth not back to him that sent it, in vain. That it conveys grace to us, and returns our fruitful gratitude to God, is a high and happy mercy. That it offers grace to the wicked and by their corrupt nature's occasions greater impiety, is a heavy but holy judgement.  
Not to travel far for Division, here lies Earth before us. And as I have seen in some places of this Island, one hedge parts a fruitful meadow, and a barren heath: so of this Earth, Man; the same substance for nature's constitution, clay of the same heap in the creating hand of the Potter; for matter, mass, and stuff, none made de meliore luto; though in respect of Eternity's Ordination, some vessels of honour, of disshonour others; here be two kinds, a good and a bad soil: the one a Garden, the other a desert: the former an enclosure of sweet herbs, excellent graces: the latter a wild and savage Forest of Briars and thorns, scratching and wounding offences.  
For the better ground we will consider. 1. The operative means, or working cause of the fertility; the rain that cometh often upon it. 2. The thankful returning of expected fruit; it bringeth forth herbs meet for them, by whom it is dressed. 3. The reward of mercy; it receiveth blessing from God.  
All is an Allegory. The Earth is Man: the Rain, God's Word: the herbs are Graces: and the Blessing, is a sweet retribution and accumulation of mercy.  

The Earth  
IS the best ground that lies betwixt heaven and earth, Man: the noblest part of this world: the worthiest creature, that hath earth for the pavement, and heaven for the ceiling: the Creator's Image; and as some read, his Shadow; which moves as the body doth, whose it is. When the body puts forth an arm, the shadow shows an arm, &c: so man in his actions and courses depends upon the disposition of God, as his all-powerful Maker and Mover. The blessed Deity (which hath in it a Trinity of most equal and eternal Persons) is the first and best of all beings: the holy Angels next: & a jove tertius Ajax, man next them.  
Arden's conceateth upon Mark 16. 
Mark 16. 15.  in the Apostles commission, Go ye into all the World, and preach the Gospel to every Creature; that by this Every Creature, is meant man.. For to lifeless, senseless, or reasonless things, God never enjoined to preach the Gospel. But man is called Every creature, because he hath a participation of the best in all creatures. 
*  Stones have a being, not life: plants have a being and life, not sense: beasts have a being, life, and sense, but not understanding: Angels have both being, life, sense, and understanding. Man participates with all these in their best. He hath a being with stones, life with plants, sense with beasts, understanding with Angels: a sweet abstract or compendium of all creatures perfections.  
Let not all this make man proud. Even this word Earth, though here used in a spiritual sense, puts him in mind that this excellent man is a mortal creature. Earth, must be earth: hot earth to cold earth: that earth which hath now a life in it, 
jere. 22. 29.  to that earth which hath no life in it. Therefore I will say from the Prophet. O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the Lord. Bestow not too much pains in adorning this perishable earth, thy flesh: the earth thou must be careful of, and which God here waters from heaven with his holy dews, is thy heart, thy conscience.  
I could willingly step out a little to chide those, that neglecting God's Earth, the Soul; fall to trimming with a curious superstition the Earth's earth, clay and lome: a body of corruption painted, till it shine like a Lily (like it in whiteness, not in humility, 
Cant. 2. 1.  the candour of beauty; for the Lily grows low; Lilium convallium, a flower of the valleys and bottoms) a little slime done over with a past-boord; rottenness hid under golden leaves; stench lapped up in a bundle of silks: and by reason of poison sucked from sin and hell, worthy of no better attribute then glorious damnation. Is there no sickness? is there no disgrace? is there no old age? is there no death? that you make so much of this earth. Or do you desperately resolve to dote on it living, as if you never hoped to find it again being dead? Fear not, you shall meet with it again; perhaps when you would not. God hath struck as gallant, as you can make or think yourselves, with sudden, sore, and sure judgements. Believe it, his hand is his own. His arm was never yet broken, luxate, or manacled.  
Woe worth them that have put Pride and Covetousness fellow-commoners among us: for they out-eate us all, and statue the whole house of our Land. Covetise would be charitable, but there is that other sum to make up. Pride would give, or at least forbear to extort, but there is a ruff of the new fashion to be bought. 
*  Dignity, a caroche, or strange apparel is to be purchased; and who but the poor tenants must pay for it! upon whom they (once so accoutred) afterward look betwixt scorn and anger: and go as if they were shut up in wainscot.  
Sed vitate viros cultum formasque professos.  
Quique suas ponunt in station comas.  
Such a one will not give, lest his white hand should touch the poor beggars: who perhaps hath a hand cleaner than his; I mean, from aspersions of blood, rapine, injury, bribery, lust and filthiness. He cannot intend to pray; for he is called to dinner just when his last lock is hung to his mind. O the monstrous curiosity of tricking up this earth of earth! yet from the Courtier to the Carter, from the Lady to the Inkle-beggar, 
*  there is this excess and going beyond their calling.  
But I have strayed out of my way, to cut off a lap of Pride's garment: I conclude this Earth with this caution. Respice, aspice, prospice. Look back what thou wast: behold what thou art: consider what thou must be. 
BERNARD  Recole primordia, attend media, pr●●uideto novissima. Haec pudorem adducunt, illa dolorem ingerunt, ista timorem incutiunt. Call to mind former things, see the present, foresee the last. The first will breed in thee shame, the other grief, these fear. Remember thou wert taken out of the earth: behold thy strength of life subject to diseases; manifold, manifest, sensible ones: foresee that thou must die; this earth must to earth again.  
But the Earth here meant is a divine, spiritual, immortal nature; called Earth by a Metaphor, incapable of suffering terrene fragility. This is God's Earth, and that in a high and mystical sense, though proper enough. Indeed Domini terra, the earth is the Lords and the fullness thereof, saith the Psalmist. But he hath not such respect to the Earth he made, as to this Earth for whom he made it. This is Terra sigillata, earth that he hath sealed and sanctified for himself, by setting his stamp and impression upon it. Now the good man's heart is compared to Earth for diverse reasons.  
1. For humility. Humus, quasi humilis. The Earth is the lowest of all elements, and the centre of the world. The godly heart is not so low in situation; but so lowly in it own estimation. God is said to hang the earth upon nothing. Io●. 26. 
job. 26. 7.  He stretcheth out the North over the empty place, and hangeth the Earth upon nothing: that it might wholly depend on himself. So a true Christian heart, in regard of itself, is founded upon nothing; (hath an humble vilipending and disprising of it own worth) that it may (ex toto, & ex tuto) wholly and safely rely on God. O man of earth, why exaltest thou thyself? this is the way to prevent and frustrate the exaltation of God. Keep thyself lowly as the Earth; reject all opinion of thy own worth, and thou shalt one day overtop the clouds. The Earth is thy mother, that brought thee forth when thou wert not: a stage that carries thee whiles thou art: a tomb that receives thee when thou art not. It gives thee original, harbour, sepulchre. Like a kind mother, she bears her offspring on her back; and her brood is her perpetual burden, till she receive them again into the same womb, from whence she delivered them. She shall be yet more kind to thee, if her baseness can teach thee humility; and keep thee from being more proud of other things, than thou canst (with any reason) be of thy Parentage. Few are proud of their souls; and none but fools can be proud of their bodies: seeing here is all the difference betwixt him that walks, and his floor he walks on: Living Earth treads upon dead earth, and shall at last be as dead as his pavement. Many are the favours that the earth doth us; yet amongst them all there is none greater, than the schooling us to humility; and working in us a true acknowledgement of our own vileness, and so directing us to heaven, to find that above which she cannot give us below.  
2. For Patience. The Earth is called Terra, quia teritur: and this is the natural 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 coulters and shares; yet is patient to suffer it, and returns fruits to those that ploughed it. The good heart is thus rend with vexations, and broken with sorrows; yet offers the other cheek 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 injury, prayers for persecutions, and blesseth them that cursed it. 
Psal. 129. 3.  The Plowers ploughed upon my back: they made long their furrows. 
Psal. 35. 12. 13.  They rewarded me evil for good, to the spoiling of my soul. Yet when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth, I humbled my soul with fasting: I was heavy, as one that mourned for his friend or brother; and my prayer returned into mine own bosom. When the heart of our Saviour was thus ploughed up with a spear, it ran streams of mercy, real mercy; which his vocal tongue interpreted, Father forgive them: they know not what they do. His blood Heb. 12. 
Heb. 12. 24.  had a voice, a merciful voice, and spoke better things than the blood of Abel. That cried from the caverns of the earth for revenge; this from the Cross in the sweet tune of compassion and forgiveness. It is a strong argument of a heart rich in grace, to wrap and embrace his injurer in the arms of love; as the earth quietly receives those dead to burial, who living tore up her bowels.  
3. For faithful Constancy. The Earth is called Solum; because it stands alone, depending on nothing but the Maker's hand. 
Eccle. 1. 4.  One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh; but the earth abideth for ever. She often changeth her burden, without any sensible mutation of herself. 
Psa. 119. 90.  Thy faithfulness is to all generations: thou h●st established the Earth, and it standeth. The Hebrew is, To generation and generation: inferring that times, and men, and the sons of men, posterity after posterity pass away, but the Earth whereon, and whereout they pass, abideth. The parts thereof have been altered; and violent Earthquakes begot in the own bowels, have tottered it. 
Psal. 104. 5.  But God hath laid the foundations of the earth, (the Original is, founded it upon her bases) that it should not be removed for ever: the body of it is immovable. Such a constant solidity is in the faithful heart; that should it thunder Bulls from Rome, and bolts from heaven, Impau●dum ferient ruinae. ● Indeed God hath sometimes bend an angry brow against his own dear ones; and then no marvel, if they shudder: if the bones of David 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 evenest weights, may be a little swayed, not without some show of inequality: which yet after a little motion, settle themselves in a just poised. So the first terror hath moved the godly, not removed them: they return to themselves, and rest in a resolved peace. Lord, do what thou wilt: if thou kill me, I will trust in thee. Let us hear it from him, that had it from the Lord. Psal. 112. 
Psal. 112. 6.  Surely he shall not be moved for ever: the righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance. He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord. His heart is established, etc. Oh sweet description of a constant soul!  
They give diverse causes of Earthquakes: Aristotle among the rest, admits the eclipse of the Sun for one; the interposition of the moons body hindering some places from his heat. I know not how certain this is in Philosophy: ●n Divinity it is most true, that only the eclipse of our Sun, JESUS CHRIST, raiseth Earthquakes in our hearts: when that inconstant and ever-changing body of (the Moon) the world steps betwixt our Sun and us, and keeps us from the kindly vital heat of his favour: then, O then, the earth of our heart quakes; and we feel a terror in our bones and bowels, as if the busy hand of death were searching them. But no eclipse lasts long: especially not this: our Sun will shine on us again: we shall stand sure, 
Psal. 129. 1.  even as mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth for ever.  
4. For Charity. The Earth brings forth food for all creatures that live on it. Green herb for the cattle: oil and wine for man: The valleys stand thick with corn: the Mower filleth his sith, and the binder up of sheaves his bosom. A good man is so full of charity: he relieves all without improvidence to himself. He gives plentifully that all may have some: not indiscreetly, that some have all. On the Earth stand many glorious Cities, and goodly buildings; fair monuments of her beauty and adornation. The sanctified soul, in an happy respondency, hath manifold works of charity, manifest deeds of piety; that sweetly become the Faith which he professeth.  
5. For Riches. The Earth is but poor without: the surface of it, especially when squalid winter hath bemired it, seems poor and barren: but within, it is full of rich mines, oars of gold, and quarries of precious minerals. For medals and metals, it is abundantly wealthy. The sanctified heart may seem poor to the world's eye, which only beholds and judgeth the rind and husk, and thinks there is no treasure in the Cabinet, because it is covered with leather. But within he is full of golden mines, and rich oars; the invisible graces of faith, fear, love, hope, patience, holiness: sweeter than the spices of the East Indies, and richer than the gold of the West. 
Psal. 45. 13.  Omnis decor filiae Sion ab intus. The King's Daughter is all glorious within. It is not the superficial skin, but the internal beauty, that moves the King of heaven to be enamoured of us; 
Cant. 4. 7.  and to say, Thou art all fair my Love: there is no spot in thee.  
6. Lastly, for Fertility. The Earth is fruitful: when the air hath given influence, the Clouds showered down seasonable dews, and the Sun bestowed his kindly heat; lo, the thankful earth returns fruits, and that in abundance. The Christian soul, having received such holy operations, inspirations, and sanctifying motions from above, is never found without a grateful fertility. Yea, as the Earth to man, so man to God, returns a blessed usury; ten for one; nay sometimes 30. sometimes 60. sometimes an hundred fold.  
But the succeeding doctrine will challenge this demonstration. I have been somewhat copious in the first word; the brevity of the rest shall recompense it. The operative cause, that worketh the good earth to this fruitfulness, is a heavenly Rain that falls oft upon it: and the earth doth drink it up. Wherein is observable, that the rain doth come, that it is welcome. God sends it plenteously, and man entertains it lovingly. It comes oft, and he drinks it up. God's love to man is declared in the coming: in the welcoming, man's love to God. In the former, we will consider, 1. The matter. 2. The manner. The matter that cometh, is Rain. The manner consists in 3▪ respects. 1. There is mercy, It cometh. It is not constrained, deserved, pulled down from heaven; It cometh. 2. Frequency, it cometh often: there is no scanting of this mercy: it flows abundantly, as if the windows of heaven were opened: Often. 3. Direction of it right, upon this earth. It falls not near it, nor besides it, but upon it. To begin with the   

Rain.  
GOds Word is often compared to Rain or Dew. 
Deut. 32. 2.  Moses begins his Song with My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distill as the dew; as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass. Therefore in the first verse, he calls to the earth to hear his voice. Man is the Earth, and his Doctrine the Rain. Mica. 2. 
Mica. 2. 6.  prophecy ye not: the original word is Drop ye not, etc. Amos 7. 16. 
Amos 7. 16.  Thou sayest, Prophecy not against Israel, drop not thy word against the house of Isaac. Ezek. 21. 
Ezek. 21. 2.  Son of man set thy face toward jerusalem, and drop thy word toward the holy places. The Metaphor is usual: wherein stands the comparison? In 6. concurrences.  
1. It is the property of Rain to cool heat▪ Experience tells us, that a sweltering fervour of the air, which almost fries us, is allayed by a moderate shower sent from the clouds. The burning heat of sin in us, and of God's anger for sin against us, is quenched by the Gospel. It cools our intemperate heat of malice, anger, ambition, avarice, lust; which are burning sins.  
2. Another effect of Rain, is Thirst quenched. The dry earth parched with heat, opens itself in refts and crannies, as if it would devour the clouds for moisture. The Christian soul thirsts after righteousness; is dry at heart till he can have the Gospel: a shower of this mercy from heaven quencheth his thirst: he is satisfied. Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him, shall never thirst: 
joh. 4. 14.  but it shall be in him a well of water, springing up into everlasting life.  
3. Raine doth allay the winds. When the air is in an uproar, and the stoutest Cedars crouch to the ground before a violent blast; even Towers and Cities tremble; a shower of rain sent from the clouds mitigates this fury. When the Potentates of the world, Tyrants, little better than Devils, Gog and Magog, Moab and Ammon, Turkey, Rome, Hell, storm against us; God quiets all our fears, secures us from all their terrors by a gracious rain, drops of mercy in the never-failing promises of the Gospel.  
4. Raine hath a powerful efficacy to cleanse the air. When infectious fogs, and contagious vapours have filled it full of corruption, the distilling showers wash away the noisome putrefaction. We know, that too often filthy fumes of errors and heresies surge up in a land, that the soul of faith is almost stifled, and the uncleanness of corrupt doctrine gets a predominant place: the Lord than drops his word from heaven: the pure Rain of his holy Gospel cleanseth away this putrefaction, and gives new life to the almost smothered truth. woe to them then that would deprive men's souls of the Gospel, and withhold the Truth in unrighteousness. When they lock up the gates of grace (as Christ reproved the Lawyers) and labour to make the heavens brass, they must needs also make the Earth iron. How should the earth of man's heart bring forth fruits, when the rain is withheld from it? No marvel, if their air be poisoned.  
5. Raine hath yet another working; to mollify a hard matter. The parched and heat-hardned earth is made soft by the dews of heaven. O how hard and obdurate is the heart of man, till this raine●falls on it. Is the heart covetous? no tears from distressed eyes can melt a penny out of it. Is it malicious? no supplications can beg forbearance of the least wrong. Is it given to drunkenness? you may melt his body into a dropsy; before his heart into sobriety. Is it ambitious? you may as well treat with Lucifer about humiliation. Is it factious? a Choir of Angels cannot sing him into peace. No means on earth can soften the heart; whether you anoint it with the supple balms of entreaties, or thunder against it the bolts of menaces, or beat it with the hammer of mortal blows. Behold! GOD showers this rain of the Gospel from heaven, and it is suddenly softened. One Sermon may prick him at the heart; one drop of a saviours blood distilled on it by the Spirit, in the preaching of the Word, melts him like wax. The Drunkard is made sober, the Adulterer chaste, Zaccheus merciful, and raging Paul as tame as a Lamb.  
They that have erst served the Devil with an eager appetite, and were hurried by him with a voluntary precipitation; have all their chains eaten off by this Aqua fortis: one drop of this rain hath broken their fetters; and now all the powers of hell cannot prevail against them. There is a Legend, (I had as good say, a tale) of an Hermit, that heard (as he imagined) all the Devils of hell on the other side of the wall, lifting, and blowing, and groaning, as if they were a removing the world. The Hermit desires to see them: admitted, behold, they were all lifting at a feather, and could not stir it. The application may serve; yield the fable idle. Satan and his Armies, Spirits, Lusts, Vanities, Sins, that erst could toss and blow a man up and down like a feather; and did not sooner present a wickedness to his sight, but he was more ready for action, than they for instigation; now they cannot stir him: they may sooner remove the world from the pillars, then him from the grace and mercy of God. The dew of heaven hath watered him, and made him grow; and the power of hell shall not supplant him. The rain of mercy hath softened his heart, and the heat of sin shall never harden it.  
6 Lastly, Rain is one principal subordinate cause, that all things fructify. This holy dew is the operative means and working cause, next under the grace of God in our Lord jesus Christ, that the souls of Christians should bring forth the fruits of faith and obedience. I know, God can save without it: we dispute not of his power, but of his work; of ordinary, not extraordinary operations. God usually worketh this in our hearts by his word. Thus for the matter: the manner is: 

1. It cometh.  
2. Often.  
3. Upon it.    

It cometh:  
IT is not forced, nor fetched, but comes of his own mere mercy, whose it is. jam. 1. 
james 1. 17.  So saith the Apostle: Every good gift, and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights. They that want it, have no merit of congruity to draw it to them: they that have it, have no merit of condignity to keep it with them. It is the mercy and gratuitall favour of God, that this Gospel cometh to us. For, if ipsum minus be munus, how highly is this great gift to be praised! What deserve we more than other Nations? They have as pregnant wits, as proportionable bodies, as strong sinews as we: and perhaps would bring forth better fruits. Yet they want it: with us it is. We need not travel from Coast to coast, nor journey to it; it is come to us. Venit ad limina virtus: will you step over your thresholds, and gather Manna? When the Gospel was far 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 country towns, be more eager to catch the rain, that falls from the outside of the Church in their buckets, than this rain of grace preached in it, in their hearts. Oh you wrong us; we 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 them, they would turn away their faces, and let it fall on their backs. Let God sow as thick as he will, you will come up thin. You will admit frequency of preaching, but you have taken an order with yourselves of rare practising. You are content this Rain should come, as the next circumstance gives it,   

Often.  
GOD hath respect to our infirmities, and sends us a plentiful rain. One shower will not make us fruitful; it must come oft upon us. Gutta cavat lapidem, non vi, sed saepe cadendo. The rain dints the hard stone, not by violence, but by oft-falling drops. Line must be added to line: here a little and there a little. God could power a whole flood on us at once: but man's understanding 
Is like a vial, narrow at the top:  
Not capable of more, then drop by drop,  Says the Poet. If much were powered at once, a great deal would fall beside, and be spilled. Like children, we must be fed by spoonfuls, according to the capacity of our weak natures. It is not an abundant rain falling at once, that makes the plants grow; but kindly and frequent showers. One sermon in a year contents some thoroughly; and God is highly beholding to them, if they will sit out that waking. You desire your fields, your gardens, your plants to be often watered; your souls will grow well enough with one raining. How happy would man be, if he were as wise for his soul, as he is for his body! Some there are, that would hear often, may be too often; till edification turn to tedification; and get themselves a multitude of Teachers; but they will do nothing. You shall have them run ten miles to a Sermon; but not step to their own doors with a morsel of bread to a poor brother. They wish well to the cause of Christ, but they will do nothing for it worth Godamercy. The world is full of good wishes: but heaven only full of good works. Others would have this Rain fall often, so it be such as they desire it. Such a cloud must give it, and it must be begotten in thunder; faction and innovation. 
Hier. in Ep. ad Galat.  Till evangelium Christi fit evangelium hominis; aut quod peius est, Diaboli. Till the Gospel of Christ be made man's Gospel, or which is worse, the devils, If the rain, as it falls, do not smell of Novelty, it shall fall besides them. They regard not so much heaven whence it comes, as who brings it. I have read of two, that meeting at a Tavem, 
Manl.  fell a tossing their religion about as m●rily as their cups: and much drunken discourse was of their profession. One protested himself of Doctor Martin's Religion: the other swore, he was of Doctor Luther's Religion: whereas Martin and Luther was one man. No rain shall water them, but such a man's: otherwise be it never so wholesome, they spew it up again. As if their conscience were so nice & delicate as that ground at Coleine, 
Baron.  where some of St. Vrsula's eleven thousand Virgins were buried; which will cast up again in the night, any that have been interred there in the day: except of that company, though it were a child newly baptized. For ourselves, the limits of sobriety being kept, desire we to hear the Gospel often; and let our due succeeding obedience justify the goodness of our thirst. When Christ spoke of the bread of life, the transported Disciples beseech him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. 
joh. 6. 34.  So pray we, Lord evermore shower down upon us this rain.   

Upon it.  
GOd so directs this dew of his Word, that it shall fall on our hearts, not beside. The Rain of the Gospel, like the rain of the clouds, hath sometimes gone by coasts. Amos 4. 
Amos 4. 7.  I have withholden the rain from you, and I have caused it to rain upon one City, and caused it not to rain upon another City: one piece was reigned upon, and the piece whereupon it rained not withered. But I have wetted your fields, moistened your hearts, with the dews of heaven, given you my statutes and ordinances, 
Psa. 147. 20.  saith the Lord: I have not dealt so with every people; there be some that have not the knowledge of my laws. The Sun shines on many nations, where this spiritual rain falls not. This is not all; but as at the last day, two in one bed shall be divorced; so even now one seat in the Church may hold two, upon one whereof this saving rain may fall, not on the other. The Spirit blows where he pleaseth: and though the sound of the rain be to all open ears alike, yet the spiritual dew drops only into the open heart. Many come to Jacob's well, but bring no pitchers with them; wherewith to draw the water. A good shower may come on the earth, yet if a man house himself, or be shrouded under a thick bush, or boroughed in the ground, he will be dry still. God sends down his rain; one houseth himself in the darkness of security: he is too drowsy to be told in with the bells: Another sits dallying with the delights of lust under a green bush, a third is boroughed in the ground, mining and entrenching himself in the quest of riches. Alas, how should the dew of grace fall upon these! Thou wouldst not shelter thy ground from the clouds, lest it grow barren: oh than keep not thy soul from the rain of heaven.  
You have heard how the rain is come; now hear how it is made welcome. The good ground drinks it, nay drinks it in. Imbibit. The comparison stands thus. The thirsty Land drinks up the rain greedily, which the clouds pour upon it. You would wonder what becomes of it: you may find it in your fruits. When your Vines hang full of clusters, your Gardens stand thick with flowers, your Meadows with grass, your fields with corn; you will say, the earth hath been beholden to the heaven. That hath reigned moisture, this hath drunk it in; we see it in our fruits. 
Hos. 2. 21.  The Lord saith, I will hear the heavens, and they shall hear the earth, and the earth shall hear the corn, and the wine, and the oil, and they shall hear jezreel. The fruits of corn, wine, oil, witness that the earth hath heard them, that heaven hath heard the earth, and that the Lord hath heard the heaven. The heavens give influence to the ground, the ground sap to the plants, the plants nourishment to us, the Lord a blessing to all. The Lord watereth the hills from the chambers: 
Psa. 104. 13  the earth is satisfied with the fruit of the works. He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man: Wine to make glad his heart, and oil to make his face shine; and bread to strengthen man's heart, etc. With such thirsty appetite, and no less happy success, doth the good soul swallow the dew of grace. If you perceive not when the faithful take it; you may see they have it: for their fruits testify it. It is a most evident demonstration, that they have been beholding to the Gospel; they have a sanctified life. Drinks it in.  
There be very many great Drinkers in the world. The main drunkenness, that gives denomination to all the rest, is that throte-drunkennesse: whereof the Prophet, Vae fortibus ad potandum. These are they, that will not drink this mystical wine in the Church, so willingly as be drunk in the taphouse. Wine-worshippers, that are at it on their knees, protesting from the bottoms of their hearts to the bottom of the cups; if the health be not pledged, actum est de amicitia: farewell friendship. I have read of a street in Rome, called vicus sobrius, sober street. Find such a street in any City or populous town in England, and some good man will put it in the Chronicle.  
It hath been said, that the Germans are great drinkers; and therefore to Carouse is given to be derived from them; the word being originally to Gar-rowse, which is to drink off all: Gar signifying totum: so the Germans are called by themselves Germanni, quasi toti homines; as if a German were All-man; according to another denomination of their Country, Allmanie. And so we are grown to think him, that can tipple sound, a tall man, nay all-man from top to toe. But if England plies her liquor so fast as she begins, Germany is like to lose her Charter. I have heard how the jesuits outstripped the Franciscans. Indeed Saint Francis at the first meeting saw six thousand Friars. Ignatius, because he could not begin his order with so many, made up the number in Devils. The Germans had of us 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 disgraced, it was agreed to make it up in Gallants.  
No marvel, if the Lord for this threaten us with the rod of famine, and to scourge us with that most smarting string of his whip. God hath laid himself fair in his bow already, and is ready to draw this arrow up to the head, and send it singing into our bosoms. Ferro saevior fames: it is one of God's sorest judgements. Beasts and Sword kill quickly; and the Plague is not long in dispatching us: but Dearth is a lingering death. Lament. 4. 
Lament. 4. 9  They that be slain with the sword, are better than they that be slain 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 find no season to repentance. Our Springs have been graves, rather than cradles: our Summers have not shot up, but withered our grass: our Autumns have taken away the flocks of our sheep. And for our latest Harvest, we have had cause to invert the words of our Saviour, Luke 10. 
Luke 10. 2.  He saith, the Harvest is great, but the Labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord to send forth more Labourers into his harvest. But we might have said: the Labourers are many, and the harvest is small: pray ye therefore the Lord to send a greater harvest for the Labourers. God hath thus, as it were, pulled the Cup from the Drunkard's lips; and since he will know no measure, the Lord will stint him. If there will be no voluntary, there shall be an enforced fast. We have other great drinkers beside.  
What say you to those that Drink up whole towns, unpeople countries, depopulate villages, enclose fields? that Pharise-like, swallow up poor men's houses, drink their goods, though mingled with tears of dam and young ones, mother & children? Are not these horrible drinkers? Sure God will one day hold the Cup of vengeance to their lips, and bid them drink their fills.  
The Proud-man is a great drinker. It is not his belly, but his back, that is the drunkard. He pincheth the poor, racks out the other fine, enhanceth the rent, spends his own means, and what he can finger beside, upon clothes. If his rent-day make even with his Silkman, Mercer, Taylor, he is well. And his white Madam drinks deeper than he. The walls of the City are kept in reparation with easier cost, than a Lady's face, and the appurtenances to her head.  
The Ambitious is a deep- drinker: O he hath a dry thirst upon him. He loves 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 give over for asleeping-while: this drinker hath never enough.  
Your grim Usurer is a monstrous drinker: you shall seldom see him drunk at's own cost: yet he hath vowed, not to be sober till his Doomesdaye. His brains, and his gown are lined with fox; he is ever afoxing. It may be some infernal spirit hath put love-pouder in his drink; for he dotes upon the devil extremely. Let him take heed; he shall one day drink his own obligations and they will choke him.  
The Rob-altar is a huge drinker. He loves, like Belshazzar, to drink only in the goblets of the Temple. woe unto him, he carouses the wine he never sweat for, and keeps the poor Minister thirsty. The tenth sheaf is his diet: the tenth fleece (O 'tis a golden fleece he thinks) is his drink: but the wool shall choke him. Some drink down whole Churches and steeples; but the bells shall ring in their bellies.  
Every covetous worldling is a great drinker: he swallows aurum potabil● as his diet-drink. And like an absolute, dissolute drunkard, the more he drinks, the drier he is; for he hath never enough. It may be said of him, as it was of Bonosus, whom the Emperor Aurelian set to drink with the Germane Ambassador; not a man, but a rundlet filled with wine.  
And my fine precise Artisan, that shuns a Tavern, as the Devil doth a Cross, is often as drunk as the rankest. His language doth not savour of the pot; he swears not, but indeed: but trust him, and indeed he will cozen you to your face. The love of money hath made him drunk. And though the Proverb be, In vino veritas; yet as drunk as he is, you shall never have truth break out of his lips.  
And the unconscionable Lawyer, that takes fees on both hands, as if he could not drink but with two cups at once, is not he a great drinker? If what is wanting in the goodness of the cause, be supplied in the greatness of the fees, O these Foecundi calices, quem non fecere disertum?  
Let all think these ebrieties must be accounted for. How fearful were it, if a man's latter end should take him drunk! 
Luke 21. 34  Take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness, and so that day come upon you unawares. In corporal ebriety the soul leaves a drunken body: in spiritual, the body leaves a drunken soul; both desperately fearful.  
There is yet a last, and those a blessed sort of Drinkers: which drink in this sweet rain of grace and mercy. They do not only taste it: so do the wicked. Verse 4. They have tasted of the heavenly gift: they have tasted of the good word of God, and of the powers of the world to come. 2. Nor drink it only to their throat, as if they did gargarize the word; as carnal Politicians, and formal Professors do. They must attend, they must admit, but no further than their throats: they will but gargarize the Gospel. It shall never come into their stomachs, never near their hearts. But these drink it in, digest it in their consciences; take liberal draughts of it, and do indeed drink Healths thereof. Common health-maintainers drink their sickness. Therefore says the modern Poet honestly, une salus sanis nullam potare salutem.  
But this is a saving health: such as our Saviour began to us; when he drank to us in his own blood, a saving Health to all Nations. And we are bound to pledge him in our own faith and thankfulness; as David, I will take the cup of salvation, and bless the name of the Lord. This is a hearty draft of the waters of life; the deeper the sweeter. Blessed he is that drinks sound of it, and with a thirsty appetite. There is, as Divines say, 
Arden's.  sancta ebrietas: such as fell on the blessed Apostles on Whitsunday. Acts 2. They were drunk (not with new wine, but) with the holy Ghost. This holy plenitude doth (as it were) inebriate the souls of the Saints. 
Psal. 36. 8.  They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house: and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures. The Spouse sings of her saviours kindness, He brought me to the banqueting house, 
Cant. 2. 4. 5.  and his banner over me, was love. Stay me with flagons, and comfort me with apples, for I am sick of love. In the original it is called, House of wine. Christ hath broached to his Church the sweet wines of the Gospel, and our hearts are cheered with it; our souls made merry with flagons of mercy Come to this wine, 
Cant. 5. 1.  bibite & inebriamini: eat O friends, drink, yea drink abundantly, O beloved: drink and be drunk with it. God will be pleased with this (and no other but this) Drunkenness.  
The vessel of our heart being once thus filled with grace, shall hereafter be replenished with glory.     

A DIVINE Herbal, Or, THE PRAISE OF FERTILITY. The SECOND SERMON.  MATH. 25. 29. 
Unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance.  AUGUST. 
Magnae Virtutis est, cum felicitate luctari:  
Magnae foelicitatis est, à felicitate non vinci.  
LONDON, Printed by George Purslowe, for john Budge, and are to be sold at his shop, at the great South-door of Paul's, and at Britain's Burse. 1616.   

A DIVINE HERBAL, OR The praise of fertility.  
THE SECOND SERMON.  HEB. Chap. 6. Vers. 7. For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God. 
THAT difference which the Philosophers put between learning and metals, we may truly find between human writings and Gods Scriptures conferred. They that dig in the one, find parvum in magno, a little gold in a great deal of over. They that dig in this rich field (which the wise Merchant sold all he had to purchase) find Magnum in pa● no, much treasure in a few words.  
We have heard how the good earth is beholding to God for his holy Rain: the next circumstance objects to our meditation this earth's thankful fertility. It bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed. Every word transcends the other; and as it excludes some vicious defect, so demonstrates it also some gradual virtue.  
1. It brings forth. It is not barren like a dead ground that yields neither herbs nor weeds. This is no idle heart, that doth neither good nor harm; that like a mere spectator of the world, sits by with a silent contemplation for whom was made that Epitaph: 
Here lies he, was borne and cried,  
Lived threescore years, fell sick and died.   
Doing neither profit nor prejudice to the Country he lived in. here is no such stupid neutrality, nor infructuous deadness. It brings forth.  
2. They are not weeds it produceth, but herbs. A man had as good do nothing, as do naughty things. It is less evil to sit still, then to run swift by in the pursuit of wickedness. They that forbear Idleness, and fall to lewdness, mend the matter, as the Devil (in the tale) mended his dame's leg; when he should have put it in joint, he broke it quite in pieces. It is not enough that this ground brings forth, but that it yields herbs. Of the two, the barren earth is not so evil as the wicked earth: that men pity, this they curse. It brings forth herbs.  
3. Neither is it a paucity of herbs this ground affordeth, but an abundance: not one herb, but herbs; a plural and plentiful number. There is neither barrenness nor bareness in this ground; not no fruits, not few fruits, but many herbs.  
4. Lastly, they are such herbs, as are meet for the dresser: such as God expects of the garden, who planted it: such as he will accept, not in strict justice for their own worth, but in great mercy for jesus Christ. Meet for them by whom it is dressed.  
We have now opened the mine, let us digs for the treasure. Four demonstrations commend this good Ground. 

1. It is fruitful.  
2. It is fruitful in good.  
3. It is fruitful in much good.  
4. It is fruitful in such good, as the Dresser looks for.    

1. fertility. It brings forth.  
Barrenness hath ever been held a curse, a shame, a reproach. So the mother of john Baptist insinuated, Luke 1. 
Luke 1. 25.  Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men. When God will bring the Gospel, and with it salvation to the Gentiles, he is said to take away their barrenness. So was it prophesied, Esay, 54. 1. So was it accomplished, Galat. 4. 27. Rejoice thou barren that bearest not, break forth and cry (with joy) thou that travelest not: for the desolate hath many more children, than she that hath an husband. The primordial praise of this good ground is, that it is not barren. This fertility in the Christian heart, doth 1. conclude thankfulness. 2. exclude idleness.  
1. For the former; GOD hath given him Rain for this purpose, that he should bring forth fruit: if he should take the rain, and not answer the senders hopes, he were unthankful. The good man considers the end why he received any blessing, and examines what God meant in conferring on him such a benefit. Hath God given him wisdom? Salomen hath taught him to Let his fountains be dispersed abroad, 
Pro●. 5. 16.  and his rivers of waters in the streets. Whether thy knowledge be great in divine things, tanquam luminare maius; or in human, tanquam luminare minus; remember our saviours lesson Math. 
Mat. 5. 15.  5▪ Put not your light under a bushel, but upon a candlestick; that it may give light to all that are in the 〈◊〉. Let your light shine before men, etc. They that are Gods lights, must waste themselves to give light to others. 
Aug. Conf. lib. 12. cap. 25.  Non licct habere priuatam, ne priue●ur ●a. To keep it private is the way to be deprived of it. So the old verse. Scire tuum nihil est, nisi te scire hoc sciat alter. As we must not be wise in ourselves, so nor only wise to ourselves. He that conceals his knowledge, cancels it, and shall at last turn fool. Do not enclose that for several, which God hath meant common. The not employing will be the impairing of God's gifts.  
This is the fruit, which the good ground must send forth for all the feeds of grace sown in it. Neither doth this instruction bound itself with our spiritual; but extend also to our temporal gifts. Hast thou riches? when God scattered those blessings upon thee, in the seed-time of his bounty, he intended thou shouldst return him a good crop at the harvest. Be thankful then, in doing that with them for which God gave them. Custos es tuarum, non dominus, facultatum. Thou art a deputed Steward, not an independent Lord of thy wealth. God meant them to promove, and help forward thy journey to heaven; let them not retard thy course, or put thee quite out of the way. Thou art a thankful ground, if thou suffer thy riches to bring forth those fruits, which the hand of God looks to gather from them. 〈◊〉 merciful; be charitable; be helpful. Stips pauperum, the saurus divitum. The rich man's treasure is the poor man's stock. The distressed soul asks but his own. Christ may say to thee in the Beggar's person; Pay (not give) me a penny thou owest me. Da mihi ex eo quod tibi dedi: de meo quaero, 
Chrys.  non de tuo: da & red: Give me of that which I gave thee: I demand some of my own, not of thine: it is more properly a restoring then a gift. Petimusque damusque vicissim. Thou askest the Lord, and he giveth thee: but on this condition, that thou give him some of it back again. Thou art more truly the beggar: and God but a demander of a just and easy retribution. This is not all.  
God did also mean, that thyself should take comfort in these things. It is a part of that Blessedness, 
Psal. 128. 2.  which the Psalmist promiseth to him that feareth the Lord. Thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee. For God gave wine (for this purpose) to make glad the heart of man, 
Psal. 104. 15  and oil to make his face shine, and bread to strengthen his heart. How doth man divert God's goodness, when he turns his blessing into a curse, and puts his good creatures from their intended uses! The Lambs are for thy clothing, 
Prou. 27. 25.  and the Goats are the price of thy field, saith the Wiseman. Thou must wear the wool, and drink the milk of thy own flock. Neither be so sparing, as to starve thyself in the midst of thine own plenty. As the covetous wretch, that dares not eat an egg, lest he should lose a chicken. Nor so profuse to thy own lusts, that thou shouldst give all, vel veneri, vel ventri: not that surfeits or wine should sluice out thy estate into thy belly. Not that with unnecessary quarrels of law, thou shouldst afflict and weary thy neighbours. O madness! that to put out both thy brother's eyes, thou shouldst put out one of thine own: nay, both thine own for one of his. Ingrateful men for Gods great mercy; that what they get by peace with forraines, vainly spend it in civil wars: where the Lawyers set them together, as men clap on unwilling Mastiffs! Most commonly they fight at the long weapon, a tedious, wearying, weatherbeaten suit. Sometimes they fight close; Poniard and Pistol, killing quarrels: laying trains for one another, till both be blown up. Can the back of charity bear no load? Are the sinews of love grown so feeble? Alas fools! you get both nothing but the blows; the Lawyer goes away with the victory. He fills his purse, and you come home both well beaten.  
Well, the good ground knows no such end for God's blessings. He sees with the eye of faith, another intentional and internal meaning for such bounty. He doth not say of his riches, as the Atheists of their tongues. Psal. 12. 
Psal. 12. 4.  They are our own. What hath Magistrate on the bench, or Preacher in the pulpit, or friend in private, to do with it? I waste none of theirs: let me do with my own, as I lift. But saith the Apostle. Fool, what hast thou, that thou hast not received? And wherefore hast thou received them? To satiate thy own lusts? or to bring forth fruit mee● for them, by whom thou art dressed? There is nothing, that a man can properly and in district terms call his own, but his sins. His impieties, weaknesses, ignorance's, vices, lusts; these are his own. All good things are Gods gifts, james 1. 17. Be thankful then, and after the rain of mercy, bring forth the herbs of obedience. You see what this fertility concludes; Thankfulness. Hear now what it excludes.  
2. Idleness. This good ground lies not dead and barren: nor returns all heavens rain with a naked and neutral acceptation: it brings forth. You read, Luke 19 
Luke 19  of a Servant, to whom when his Lord had entrusted a Talon, he hid it in the ground, as an Usurer his money, to keep it safe. And at his Lords return, Domine ecce tuum: he answered his account with, Lord behold thine own. I knew that thou wert severus Magister, a hard Master: therefore I thought it my securest course, to make good thine own again. But the Lord replied, Ex ore tuo: Oh evil servant, out of thy own mouth I condemn thee. Thou shouldst then have answered my austerity, with thy laborious care of my advantage. Therefore hear his doom. 
Mat. 25. 30.  Cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. He did not evil with his talon: no, it was enough to condemn him, he did nothing. There is abundance of this dead ground in the world, which brings forth nothing. Idle wretches, that sleep out time and admonition: but their damnation sleepeth not. 
2. Pet. 2. 3.  It was never said, Samson hath lost his strength, till he slept in the lap of Dalila. Idleness doth neither get nor save: there is nothing more empty of good fruits, nor more abundantly pregnant with evil. That man doth ill, that doth nothing; and he looseth, whiles he gains not. Many beholding with cowardly and carnal eyes, what a long and troublesome journey it is to heaven, sit them down and fall fast asleep. O barren grounds! will ye bring forth nothing? Is difficulty made your hindrance, that should be a spur to your more eager contention? Know you not, that the violent shall get the kingdom of heaven? Some can follow their dogs all day in the field: others hunt Mammon dryfoot in their shops year after year, and never complain of weariness. Only an hour or two in the Church puts an ache into our bones; as if nothing wearied us so soon as well-doing. Is it fear of too much labour, that keeps you from God? why doth not the same reason deter you from serving the devil? His laws are true burdens, and his service drudgery. 
Mat. 11. 30.  But Christ's yoke is easy, and his burden light.  
I'may boldly affirm it: your covetous man takes more pains to go to hell, than the godly ordinarily to get to heaven. He riseth early, and resteth late, and eats the course bread of sorrow: and after tedious and odious misery, goes to the Devil for his labour. Shall we refuse easier pains, for a far better recompense? It is but Satan's subtlety, that makes men believe the passage to life so extremely difficult, that it is impossible. Herein the Devil doth like the inhospitable Savages of some countries, that make strange fires, and a show of dismal terrors upon the shores, to keep passengers from landing. The Sluggard, says Solomon, doth but feign Bears and Lions, (as the superstitious doth bugs) in the way; as apologies of idleness, that he may sit still and be at ease. The slothful person is the devils shop, wherein he worketh engines of destruction. He is most busy in the lazy. 
Eccles. 9 10.  But whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might: for there is no work nor knowledge, nor device, nor wisdom in the grave whither thou goest. If thy soul be watered with the dew of heaven, thou must needs bring forth. What?   

2. Herbs. There is Fertility in Goodness.  
THe eldest daughter of Idleness is to do nothing: the next borne to do something to no purpose. But the good man is not only doing, but well doing, Math. 24. 
Mat. 24. 46  Blessed is that servant, whom his Lord when he cometh, shall find so doing. This so consists in doing Bonum, and Bene. As the former verse may seem to intimate. He gives them meat, there he doth good: in due season, there he doth it well. The forbearance of wickedness is not enough to acquit the soul, but the performance of righteousness. The rich Glutton is tormented in hell, not because he did hurt, but because he did not help Lazarus. Non quod abstulerit aliena, sed quod non donarit sua, 
August.  saith S. Chrysost. Not for taking away another man's, but for not giving his own. He would not give the poor the crumbs that fell from his board; and so facere damna lucrum, make a gain of his losses: for they were lost that fell from his libertine table, and yet would have refreshed the hungry and famished soul. But Dives would not give a crumb, to get a crown. He wore fine linen; but it was his own. He was clothed in rich purple; but it was his own. He fared sumptuously every day, but he did eat his own meat: he took none of all this from Lazarus. Yet he went to hell. God condemned him, because he did not give some of this to Lazarus. Thus it is not only the commission of lewdness, that sinks men to hell, but even also the omission of goodness. Dost thou hear, O Earth; unless thou bring forth herbs, thou shalt be condemned. The Figtree had no bad fruit on it, yet was it cursed, because it had none at all. The axe that is laid to the root, shall hew down even that tree, 
Mat. 3. 10.  which brings not forth good fruit: though it bring forth no evil. Fire shall take the barren, as well as the weedy ground.  
Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and pharisees, 
Mat. 5. 20.  ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Wherein (me thinks) our Saviour implieth a threefold gradation to heaven. First there must be justitia, Righteousness; an habitual practice of godliness; an uncorrupt life, which shall only be entertained to Gods Hill. 
Psa. 15. 2  But the ground must be made good, before it can produce good herbs: for the person must be accepted before the work. And this work must be good both quoad fontem, and quoad finem: we must derive it from an honest heart, and drive it to a right end. In the next place, this Righteousness must be a man's own. Nisi justitia vestra. here, that ground which brings forth herbs receiveth blessing; not that borrows them of another. For so, as stony and barren an heart as Cheapside, may be a far richer garden than some of those, where those herbs (brought thither) naturally grew. The Pope hath a huge harden of these herbs; wherewith he can store as many, as will pay for them. john Baptist fasted more than he was commanded: and Mary lived more strictly than God required. Now the Church of Rome keeps an Herbal of these superabundant works; and money may have store of them. But heaven and Rome stand a great way asunder. And as God never gave the Pope authority to make such bargains, so he never means to stand to them. It is not only spoken, but commanded to be written of the dying Saints, that their works follow them. Their own works, 
Reu. 14. 13.  not the works of others. No righteousness of friend living, or of Saint dead, shall do thee good, but the herbs of thy own Garden shall be accepted of God. Lastly, this Righteousness must excel, nisi abundaverit. If it come short of those that come short of heaven, what hope have you? It must exceed innocence, and come to real goodness.  
We have not sufficiently discharged our duties in being painful, unless we be profitable. Some will take no pains, unless the Devil set them on work. They must be their own carvers in their employment, or they will sit idle. But so a man may work and have no thanks for his labour. It is not then simply and only bringing forth, commends a ground, but bringing forth herbs.  
The fruit of Peter's repentance is not to deny his Master no more; but to stand to him to the death. We think, if we forbear our wont notorious sins, we are on the sudden excellent Christians. As if God were beholden to us, for not wounding his name with oaths; for not playing out Sabbaths; for not railing on his Gospel; for not oppressing his poor members: when we neither relive the poor, nor obey the Gospel, nor hollow his Saboths', nor honour his name. Perhaps an Usurer when he hath gotten enough will cease that damned trade: now he is sure of heaven in a trice. Alas! how reputes Zaccheus, if he restores not? Shall I go a step higher? If he give not liberally, and show compassion to the afflicted Saints? Perhaps an old Adulterer when his sap is grown to cinders, breaks off his uncleanness. When the envious looseth his object, he may suspend his malice. But where are the returned fruits of penitence, manifest and visible obedience? Say the weeds are gone, where be the herbs? To root up the weeds, is but the first step to heaven: and some are forty, threescore years taking this step. How long will it be ere their garden be set with good growing herbs? 
judg. 5. 23.  But Curse ye Meroz, said the Angel of the Lord, curse ye bitterly the Inhabitants thereof: because they came not to the help of the Lord, (and that it might fully appear, that this curse came not on them, for taking part with God's enemies and fight against him; but only for denial of succour, the song doubles it) to the help of the Lord against the mighty. 
Mat. 18. 28.  The offended Lord delivered that Servant to the tormentors, that (did not extort from his fellow that he had no right to, nor wrest away an others goods; but) did only say, Pay me that thou owest; and in a harsh manner, or unmerciful measure, required his own due. It is the form of the last doom, 
Mat. 25. 42.  I was hungry, and ye gave me no meat: though you took not away mine, yet for not giving your own, Go ye cursed.  
But if that ground be near unto cursing, that brings not forth herbs; what shall we say to that, which brings forth weeds? What hell, and how many torments are provided for oppressing Dives, when Dives that but denied his own shall be tortured in endless flames! If he were bound to an everlasting prison, that rigorously prosecuted his own right, challenged his own debt: whither shall they be cast, that unjustly vex their neighbours, quarrel for that which is none of theirs, and lay title to another man's propriety? If he that gives not his coat to the naked, shall lie naked to the vengeance of God; then he that takes away the poor man's coat, shall be clad with burning confusion. If he that gives not, wring his hands; he that takes away shall rend his heart. The old world did but eat and drink, build and plant, marry and be merry; and were swept away with the besom of an universal deluge; which things were in themselves lawful: what shall become of liars swearers, adulterers, idolaters, malicious, monstrous, scandalous sinners; whose works are in themselves simply unlawful. There are 3. sorts of ground mentioned, Mark 4. and the very worst of them receives the seed, yet all damned: whither shall the tempest of God's wrath drive them, that would never give the Gospel a religious ear? O beloved! weigh it.  
Our Idle words must come to judgement: what shall be our answer for unlawful deeds: If omission of good works be whipped with rods, commission of impieties shall be scourged with Scorpions. If they that stand in a lukewarm neutrality, shall be spewed up; sure the palpable and notorious offender shall be trodden under foot of a provoked justice. Indifferency shall not scape: and shall extreme presumption be spared? that like dogs, sup up the dregs they have vomited. I have read of a Popish Saint, Henry the Dane, that in a mad and harebrained devotion, when worms crawled out of a corrupt ulcer in his knee, did put them in again. There are such frantic wretches, that when the word hath squeezed some poison out of their consciences, and driven forth lusts, like crawling worms; they in a voluntary madness put them in again. As the Toad casts ont per poison, when she goes to the water to drink; when she hath drunk, sups it up again. Adam lost himself, and all his posterity by one transgression; and do we think, can we hope that our infinite shall scape judgement? Or do we extenuate our iniquities with such self-flattering mitigations, that if they be not innumerable, they are pardonable; and that a few shall bring no man to judgement? And what call we this paucity? As the Gloss deals with a piece of Gratians Decretum. The Text says, Meretrix est, quae multorum libidin● patet. She is a whore, who serves many men's turns.  
Now the Gloss brings this indefinite number to a certain, and gives Multorum a reasonable latitude; saying, the name of Whore should not be given her, till she hath lain with three and twenty thousand men. So till we have doubled, iterated, and multiplied our lies, oaths, oppressions, lusts, unto thousands, and thousands, we do not think that we merit the names of liars, swearers, oppressors, or luxurious persons. Beloved, these things must be reckoned for: and if nescience be beaten with stripes, wilful impiety shall be burned with fire. Blessed ground then, that brings forth herbs; and that not in scarcity, but in   

3. Plenty. Many herbs.  
THe good ground is plentiful in fruits. It bears fruit, good fruit, much good fruit. Multiplicity of grace is requisite, though not perfection. What Garden is only planted with one singular kind of herb? The Christian hath need of many graces; because he is to meet with many defects, to answer many temptations, to fight with many enemies. Therefore, 2. Pet. 1. 
2. Pet. 1. 5.  join with your faith virtue, and with virtue knowledge, 
Cant. 4.  and with knowledge temperance, etc. One jewel will not serve: Christ's Spouse must have diverse to adorn her. One piece of armour will not secure us; we know not which way the blow will come, 
Eph. 6. 11.  nor where it will light. Therefore, Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against all the wiles of the devil. The loins, the breast, the head, the feet; all parts must be armed. The fruit of the Spirit (those happy fruits which the Spirit of God worketh in us, and bringeth out of us) is manifold. Galat. 5. 
Gal. 5. 22.  Love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, etc. The Apostle chargeth us to be rich in good works. 1. Tim. 6. 
1. Tim. 6. 18  And for this cause bows his knees unto the Father of our Lord jesus Christ, 
Eph. 3. 14. 16  that according to the riches of his glory we might be filled with all the fullness of God. The reason is given by Christ. To whom much is given, of them shall much be required. And it was his commendation of Mary Magd●l●n, that because she had much forgiven her, therefore she loved much.  
Happy then is that ground, which abounds with good herbs; the fruits of faith, patience, content, charity. Not our riches, but our wor●s shall follow us. Goodness shall only give Pulchrum sepulchrum: and as we use to stick dead bodies with herbs; so these herbs our fruitful good works shall adorn and beautify our memorials, when the name of the wicked shall ●ot. I know England, inveigh the Papists till their galls burst, is full of pious and charitable works. It is a Garden full of good herbs. Not to us, but to God be the praise; who hath moved such instruments to works of his glory. Yet Que●on fecimus ipsi, vix ca nostra voce: let ●uery man quiet his own conscience, with the good herbs his own garden produceth.  
The rich man grows 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, we are enraged and transported with such a hunger, that the grave is sooner satisfied: but a very little godliness contents us. But if we would not be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord jesus Christ, 
2. Pet. 1. 8.  we must, saith the Apostle, abound with these herbs. And then for a proportionate reward, An entrance shall be ministered unto us abundantly, 
Verse 11.  into the everlasting kingdom of our Saviour Christ. Blessed is he that brings forth herbs, many herbs, 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 us. 

1. By whom this goodness 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 fertility. It was the Pelagian error. A Deo habemus qu●d homines sumus, a nobis ipsis autem quod justi sumus. We are beholding to God that we are men, 
Aug. Tract. 81. in joh.  to ourselves that we are good men. But the contrary is here evident. God doth not only make the ground, but he makes the ground fruitful: he rains upon it, he dresseth it, he blesseth it. Christ said not, 
joh. 15. 5.  Sine me parum potestis facere, sed sine me nihil. Without me ye can do nothing, saith our Saviour, and to the best men, even the Apostles: not a little, but nothing. If God had only made thee a man, and thou made thyself a good man, then is thy work greater than God's work. 
August.  For, Melius est justum esse, quam te hom●n●m esse. Our mere being is not so happy, as our better being. No, this Text convinceth that lie. For, according to that distinction of grace. 1. Here is Gratia operans, God begins the work; he makes the ground good. sanctifies the person. 2. Here is Gratia cooperans, God that begins, performs the work; he raineth upon, he dresseth the heart, and so causeth it to produce herbs. 3. Here is Gratia saluans, whereby he crowneth our will and work in the day of our Lord JESUS. It receiveth blessing from God. So Qui viret in foliis, venit a radicibus humour.  
The sap of grace which appears green and flourishing in the branches and fruit, comes from the root. Now in all this Deus non necessitat, sed factl●tat: God induceth the good to good by alacrity, not enforceth against their wills. Quoniam probitate coacta, 
Prud.  Gloria nulla venit. For God doth not work upon us, as upon blocks and stones, in all and every respect passive: but converts our wills to will our own conversion. 
August.  Qui fecit te sine te, non iustificabit te sine te. Fecit nesc●entem, justificat volentem. He that made thee without thyself, will not justify thee without thyself. (without thy merit indeed, not without thine act). He created thee when thou knewest it not, he doth justify thee with the consent of thy own will. Let this consideration lay us all prostrate before the footstool of God, kissing the feet of his mercy, 
Heb. 5. 23:  who is the Beginner and finisher of our faith. Who hath made the ground good, and increased the number of herbs with his holy dews from heaven; dressed it with his graces, and promised to reward it with his blessings. Thus By whom: now For whom.   

Meet for them who dressed it.  
AND is it possible, that man should produce herbs meet for the acceptation of God? Hath he not pure eyes, which see uncleanness and imperfection in all our works? Is there any man so happy, as to be justified in his sight? No; but it pleaseth him to look upon our works in the Crystal glass, Christ; and because they are the effects of a true faith in him, to esteem them meet. S. Peter saith, 
1. Pet. 2. 19  This is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. Do even our sufferings then merit? 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 even this is grace. To you it is given not only to believe in him, but even to suffer for his sake. This was none of yours, but given you. And when you have suffered, 
Rom. 8. 18.  yet you must truly with Paul reckon, that the afflictions of this present world are not worthy of that high inestimable weight of glory. There are no works acceptable (Quae praecedunt instificandum, sed quae sequuntur justificatum) which go before justification, but these that follow it. All of us, as Luther was wont to say, have naturally a Pope bred in our bellies; a Mountebanke-opinion of our own worth. Narcissus-like, we dote upon our own shadows; and think our works acceptable enough to God. If we have prayed, relieved, believed the history of the Gospel, or attentively heard the word, these are works meet for God. The Monk had but one hole in his Cell, and though it was in the top, upward to heaven, yet the Devil made a shift to creep in there. The Serpent thrusts in his head often in some crack of our good works. Luther paradoxically. 〈◊〉 ●niustitiarum ●ere sola causa 〈◊〉. Almost the only cause of all unrighteousness, is (a too-well conceited) righteousness. We are easily induced to think ourselves every one, 
Act▪ 8. 9  as Simon Magas, some great man. There must be a dejection of this thought, an annihilation of our own worth; that we can do nothing meet for God, or worthy his just acceptance. For Serdet in distincti●●e judicis, quod fulget in opinion operantis. That is often foul in the sentence of the judge, which shines in the imagination of him that doth it.  
But as Physicians say, no man dies of an ague, or without it: so seldom any soul dies of pride, or without pride; not merely of pride, for (though that sickness were enough to kill it, yet) it is ever accompanied with some other disease and vicious wickedness; nor without it, for it is so inherent unto man's nature, that pride, if it doth not provoke yet at lest holds the door, whiles any iniquity is doing. Hence flow so many errors, and factions, and singularities.  
For as in the body, a raw stomach makes a rheumatic head, & a rheumatic head a raw stomach. So in the soul, an indigested conceit of some good thing in us, makes the head rheum of some rheumatic opinion, or mad factious singularity: and this petulant rheum in the brain, keeps the conscience raw still; that the physic of repentance, or good diet of peaceable obedience cannot help it. Let us correct these exorbitant and superfluous conceits, which are like proud flesh upon us; and know, we are able to do nothing of ourselves, but God is fain to put even good thoughts in us. And if we do good from him, how good soever it be as from him, yet running through us it gets some pollution.  
Neither let us run into the contrary error, as if in a stupid wilfulness, what good soever we did, we could not hope that God in jesus Christ would accept it. There is a threshold of despair below to stumble at, as well as a post of high presumption to break our heads at. There is a base dejection, a sordid humility. Bar●ena the jesuit told another of his order; that when the devil appeared to him one night, out of his profound humility he rose up to meet him, and prayed him to sit down in his chair; for he was more worthy to sit there then he. This did appear a strange kind of deiectednes. Surely I think, a man should by God's word and warrant, take comfort in his well doing, and be cheered in the testimony which a good conscience, on good cause beareth to him. So David heartened himself against all the malicious slanders of his his enemies; O Lord thou knowest mine innocence. Good works are the necessary and inseparable effects of a true faith. We are by nature all dead in sin, and by sin concluded under death. Our Saviour bore for us this death, and by his passion freed us from eternal damnation. It was not enough to scape hell, how shall we get to heaven? Lo, we are clothed with the garment of his righteousness, hung with the jewels of his merits. So not only hell is escaped by his sufferings, but heaven got by his doings. Why should we then work? what need our gardens stand so full of herbs? Good reason. Shall God do so much for us, and shall we do nothing for him, for ourselves? If the Lord of a Forest gives me a Tree, it is fit I should be at the cost to cut it down, and bring it home, if I will have it. I cannot say that I deserved the tree; it was another's gift: but my labours must lead me to enjoy that, which was freely given me. Neither, can the conscience have assurance of eternal life, so frankly bestowed in Christ, without a good conversation. Faith doth justify, and works do testify that we are justified. In a clock, the finger of the dial makes not the clock to go, but the clock it: yet the finger without shows how the clock goes within. Our external obedience is caused by our inward faith; but that doth manifest how truly the clock of our faith goes. As a man's corporal actions of sleeping, eating, digesting, walking, declare his recovery from sickness, and present health. So his life witnesseth by infallible Symptoms, that the disease and death of sin is mortified in him, and that he hath taken certain hold of eternal life. It is meet then that we should do good works: but all our works are made meet and worthy in him that bought us. I will conclude then with that Anthem, made by a sweet singer in our Israel. Pendemus eaten, credimus in te, tendimus, ad te, non nisi per te, Optime Christ.  
AMEN.     

THE GARDEN Or, A Contemplation of the HERBS. The THIRD SERMON.  The Song of Solomon. Chap. 6. Ver. 2. 
My Beloved is gone down into his Garden, to the beds of spices; to feed in the gardens, and to gather Lilies.  AMB. super LUC. 
Non Virtus est non posse peccare, sed nolle.  
LONDON, Printed by George Purslowe, for john Budge, and are to be sold at his shop, at the great South-door of Paul's, and at Britain's Burse. 1616.   

THE GARDEN OR A Contemplation of the Herbs.  
THE THIRD SERMON.  HEB. Chap. 6. Vers. 7. For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth Herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God. 
THat the Herbs of our graces may be meet for the dresser; contentful to GOD, who hath planted, watered, husbanded the Garden of our hearts; we will require in them four virtues: Odour, Taste, Ornament, Medicinal Virtue.  
1. That they have a good odour. God is delighted with the smell of our graces. My Beloved is gone down into his Garden, 
Cant. 6. 2.  to the beds of spices, to feed in the gardens, and to gather Lilies. The virtues of Christ are thus principally pleasant; and all our herbs only smell sweetly in his Garden. Because of the savour of thy good ointment, 
Cant. 1. 3.  thy name is as ointment powered forth, therefore do the Virgins love thee. This savour is sweetly acceptable in the nostrils of God. All thy garments smell of Myrrh, 
Psa. 45. 8.  Aloes, and Cassia: It is his righteousness, that gives all our herbs a good odour: and in him it pleaseth God to judge our works sweet. When Noah had built an Altar, 
Gen. 8. 21.  and sacrificed burnt offerings on it, the Lord smelled a sweet savour and said, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake. 
Mat. 2.  Myrrh and Prankincense were two of the oblations, which the Wisemen offered to CHRIST being an Infant.  
Tres Reges, regum Regitria dona tulerunt:  
Myrrham homini, uncto aurum, 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 fund preces.  
Three kings to the great King three offerings bring,  
Incense for God, Myrrh for man, gold for king.  
Thy Incense be the hands a white soul rears.  
For gold give a pure heart, for myrrh drop tears.  
The way to make our herbs smell sweetly, is first to purge our garden of weeds. For if sin be fostered in our hearts, all our works will be abominated. God heareth not the prayers of the wicked. 
Leuit. 26. 31.  If ye will walk contrary to me, saith the Lord, I will bring your sanctuaries unto desolation, and I will not smell the savour of your sweet odours. But being adopted by grace in Christ, and sanctified to holiness, our good works smell sweetly, Phil. 4. 
Phil. 4. 18.  I have received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well pleasing to God. It seems, GOD highly esteems the herb Charity in our gardens. He that serveth the Lord, shall smell as Lebanon: 
Hos. 14. 6. 7.  he shall grow as the Vine, and his scent shall be as the wine of Lebanon.  
Man is naturally delighted with pleasant savours, and abhors noisome and stinking smells. But our God hath purer nostrils, and cannot abide the polluted heaps of iniquities. The Idle man is a standing pit; and hath an ill-favour'd smell, an ill-favoured sight. The drunkard is like a bog, a fog, a fen of evil vapours: God cannot abide him. Your covetous wretch is like a dunghill; there is nothing but rottenness and infection in him. Omnis malitia eructat fumum. All wickedness belcheth forth an evil savour. Wonder you, if God refuse to dwell with the Usurer, Swearer, Idolater, Adulterer? There is a poison of lust, a leprosy of putrefaction in them: no carrion is so odious to man, as man's impieties are to God. Yea the very oblations of defiled hands stink in his presence. 
Esa. 66. 3.  He that sacrificeth a Lamb, is as if he cut off a dogs neck, etc. As if Ass a foetida was the only supply of their gardens. But good herbs give a double savour: one outward to man, another inward to God. The sweet smoke of a holy sacrifice, like a subtle air, riseth up to heaven; and is with God before man sees or smells it. It also cheers the hearts of Christians, to behold Christian works. Reverence to the Word, hallowing the Sabbaths, relieving the poor, deeds of mercy, pity, piety, give a delightful sent: solacing the souls of the Saints, and pleasing him that made them both men and Saints. Therefore Hearken unto me, ye holy children, 
Eccl. 39 13.  and bud forth as a Rose growing by the brook of the field. Give ye a sweet savour, as frankincense, and flourish as a Lily, send forth a smell, sing a song of praise, and bless the Lord in all his works.  
2. That they taste well. Many a flower hath a sweet smell, but not so wholesome a taste. Your Pharisaical prayers and alms smelled sweetly in the vulgar nostrils: taste them, and they were but rue, or rather wormwood. When the Pharisee saw the Publican in the lower part of the Temple, standing as it were in the Belfry; he could cry, Foh this Publican: but when they were both tasted, by his palate that could judge, the Publican hath an herb in his bosom, and the Pharisee but a gay, gorgeous, stinking weed. The herbs, that the Passeover were eaten with, were sour: yet they were enjoined with sweet bread. Sour they might be, but they were wholesome. Herbs have not only their savour, but their nutriment. He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, 
Psa. 104. 14  and herb for the service of man: that he may bring food out of the earth. Herbs then are food, and have an alimental virtue. So we may both with the herbs of charity feed men's bodies, and with the herbs of piety feed their souls. A good life is a good salad: and in the second place to precepts, are usefully necessary good examples. The blood of Martyrs is said to have nourished the Church. The patience of the Saints, in the hottest extremity of their afflictions, even when the flames of death hath clipped them in their arms; hath been no less than a kindly nourishment to many men's faith. It is expounded by an universal consent of Divines, that one of those 3. feedings, which Christ imposed on Peter, is Pasce exemplo; let thy life feed them. Blessed Gardens that yield herbs, like jotham's vine, that cheer the heart of both God and man. 
judg. 9● 13.  The Poets feigned, that Nectar & Ambrosia were the food of their Gods. jupiter Ambrosia satur est, est Nectare plenus. But the true God's diet, is the virtues of his Saints, wherewith he promiseth to sup, when he comes into their hearts. Faith, 
Reu. 3. 20.  love, patience, meekness, honesty; these dishes are his dainties.  
If thou wouldst make Christ good cheer in the parlour of thy conscience, bring him the herbs of obedience. Do not say, I would have been as kind and liberal to my Saviour as the best, had I lived in those days, when he blessed the world with his bodily presence. But now I may say with Mary Magdalen: They have taken away the Lord, 
joh. 20. 2.  and I know not where to find him. Damn not thyself with excuses. Wheresoever his Church is, there is he; exercise thy piety. Wheresoever his members are, there is he; exercise thy charity. Thou art very niggardly, if thou wilt not afford him a salad, a dinner of herbs. Yet, saith Solomon, A dinner of green herbs with love, is better than a fat Ox with hatred.  
3. That they be fit to adorn. Herbs and flowers have not only their use in pleasing the nostrils, and the palate, but the eye also. They give delight to all those three senses. Good works are the beauty of a house, and a better sight then fresh herbs strewed in the windows. The Chamber, where Christ would eat his Passover, was trimmed: and the Palace of our Princely Solomon is paved With Love of the daughters of jerusalem. 
Cant. 3. 10.   
There is no ornature in the World like good deeds: no hanging of Tapestry, or Arrase, comes near it. A stately building where an Idolater dwells, is but a gaudy coat to a Sodome-apple. When you see an Oppressor raising a great house from the ruins of many less; depopulating a Country to make up one Family; building his Parlours with extortion, and cimenting his walls with the mortar of blood: you say, there is a foul Minotaur in a fair Labyrinth. Be a man dead, it is a foolish hope to rear immortality with a few senseless stones. Perhaps the Passenger will be hereby occasioned, to comment upon his bad life; and to discourse to his company the long enumeration of such a man's vices. So a perpetual succession of infamy answers his gay sepulchre: and it had been better for him, to have been utterly inglorious, then inexcusably infamous. The best report, that can be drawn from him, is but this. Here lies a fair Tomb, and a foul carcase in it.  
These things do neither honest a man living, nor honour him dead. Good works are the best ornaments, the most lasting monuments. They become the house wherein thy soul dwelleth, whiles it dwells there: and bless thy memory, when those two are parted. A good life is man's best monument: and that Epitaph shall last, as if it were written with a pen of iron, and claw of a Diamond; which is made up of virtuous actions. Good herbs beautify more than dead stones. Wheresoever thou shalt be buried, obscurity shall not swallow thee. Every good heart that knew thee is thy Tomb; and every tongue writes happy Epitaphs on thy memorial. Thus height up your souls with a treasure of good works. Let your herbs smell sweetly, let them taste cheerfully; let them adorn beauteously. So God's palate, his nostrils, his sight shall be well pleased.  
4. That they be medicinable; and serve not only as Antidotes to prevent, but as medicaments to cure the soul's infirmities. The poor man's physic lies in his Garden: the good soul can fetch an herb from his heart (of Gods planting there) that can help him. Pliny writes of a certain herb, which he calls Thelygonum; we in English, The grace of God. A happy herb, and worthy to stand in the first place, as chief of the garden. For it is the principal, and (as it were) the Genus of all the rest. We may say of it, as some write of the Carduus benedictus, or Holy-thistle; that it is herba omnimorbia; an herb of such virtue, that it can cure all diseases. This may heal a man, who is otherwise nullis medicabilis herbis. Wretched men, that are without this herb, The grace of God, in their gardens.  

Hyssop and Humility.  
IS a man tempted to pride? and that is a saucy sin, ever busy among good works, like a judas among the Apostles: let him look into this Garden for Hyssop, Humility of Spirit. Of which herb it is written.  Est humilis, petraeque suis radicibus haeret. 
Let him be taught by this herb, to annihilate his own worth, and to cleave to the Rock, whereout he grows, and whereof he is upholden, JESUS CHRIST. Or let him produce the Camomile, which smells the sweeter, the more it is trodden on. Humility is a gracious herb, and alleys the wrath of God; whereas pride provokes it. It is recorded of an english king, Edward the first, that being exceeding angry with a servant of his, in the sport of hawking, he threatened him sharply. The gentleman answered, it was well there was a river between them. Hereat the King more incensed, spurred his horse into the depth of the River, not without extreme danger of his life; the water being deep, and the banks too steep and high for his ascending. Yet at last recovering land, with his sword drawn, he pursues the servant; who road as fast from him. But finding himself too ill-horsed, to outride the angry King; he rained, lighted, and on his knees exposed his neck to the blow of the king's sword. The King no sooner saw this, but he put up his sword, and would not touch him. A dangerous water could not withhold him from violence; yet his servants submission did soon pacify him. Whiles man flies stubbornly from God, he that rides upon the wings of the wind, posts after him with the sword of vengeance drawn. But when dust and ashes humbles himself, and stands to his mercy, the wrath of God is soon appeased.  
This Camomile or Hyssop grows very low: Humbleness roots downward, yet no herb hath so high branches. We say, that proud men have high minds: they have not. For their minds only aspire to some earthly honours, which are but low shrubs indeed. The humble man aspires to heaven, and to be great in the eternal King's favour; and this is the true, but good height of mind. His desires have a high aim, though their dwelling be in the vale of an humble heart. There are engines, that raise water to fall, that it may rise the higher. A lowly heart, by abasing itself in the sight of God and men, doth mount all the other graces of the soul as high as heaven; and the eye of mercy accepts them. Pride is a stinking weed; and though it be gay and garish, is but like the Horse-flower. In the field it is of glorious show: crop it, and you cannot endure the savour. At the best, the proud man is but like the bird of Paradise, or the Ostrich; his feathers are more worth than his body. Let not thy Garden be without this herb Humility. It may be least respected with men; and among other herbs overlooked; but most acceptable to God. Respexit humilitatem ancillae suae, sings the Virgin MARY. He had regard to the lowliness of his hand-maiden. It shall not want a good remembrance, a good recompense. For the last, the least, and the lowest may come to be the first, the greatest, and the highest. This is a necessary herb.   

Bulapathum. The herb Patience.  
IS a man, through multitude of troubles, almost wrought to impatience; and to repine at the providence of GOD; that disposeth no more ease? Let him fetch an herb out of the Garden to cure this malady; Bulapathum, the herb Patience. The Adamant serves not for all seas; but Patience is good for all estates. God's purpose cannot be eluded with impatience: and man under his hand, is like a bird in a net; the more he struggles, the faster he is. Impatience regards not the highest but secondary causes: and so bites the stone in stead of the thrower. If our inferior strike us, we treble revenge. If an equal, we requite it. If a superior, we repine not: or if we mutter, yet not utter our discontent. Think whose hand strikes: it is Gods. Whether by a Pleurisy, or a Fever, or a Sword, or what ever other instrument. The blow was his, whatsoever was the weapon. And this wound will not be cured, unless by applying the herb Patience.  
The good man hath such a hand over fortune; knowing who guides and disposeth all events; that no miseries, though they be sudden as well as sharp, can un-heart him. If he must die, he goes breast to breast with virtue. If his life must tarry a further succession of miseries, he makes absent joys present, wants plenitudes; a●d beguiles calamity, as good company does the way, by Patience. 
1. King. 22. 34.  A certain man drew a bow at a venture, and smote the King of Israel between the joints of the harness. The man shot at random, or as the Hebrew hath it, in his simplicity; but God directed the arrow to strike Ahab. 
2. Sam. 16. 11.  So David spoke of Shimei. Let him alone, and let him curse; for the Lord hath bidden him. It may be that the Lord will look on mine affliction, and that the Lord will requite good for his cursing this day. Consider we not so much, how unjust man is that giveth the wrong; as how just God is that guideth it. Non venit sine merito, quia Deus est justus: nec erit sine commodo, quia Deus est bonus. It comes not without our desert, for God is just: nor shall be without our profit, for God is merciful. God hath an herb, which he often puts into his children's salad; that is Rue: and man's herb wherewith he eats it, must be Lapathum, Patience.  
This Rue is affliction; which hath a profitable effect in those that qnietly digest it. Of all the herbs in the garden, only Rue is the herb of grace. How much virtue is wrought in the soul by this bitter plant! It is held by some a sickness: it is rather Physic: a sharp and short medicine, that bringeth with it much and long health. This, if they will needs have it a sickness, may be compared to the Ague. The Ague shakes a man worse than another disease, that is mortal. At last it gives 〈◊〉 a kind farewell, and says, I have purged thy choler, and made thee healthful; by consuming and spending out that humour, which would have endangered thy life. Affliction in the taste is often more bitter, than a judgement that kills outright: but at last it tells the soul, I have purged away thy foulness, wrought out thy Iustes, and left there a sound man. So the good Physician procureth to his Patient a gentle Ague, that he may cure him of a more dangerous disease. Vt curet spasmum, procurat febrim. Christ our best Physician deals a little roughly with us, that he may set us strait. And howsoever the Fever of affliction disquiet us a while, we shall sing in the conclusion with the Psalmist. 
Psal. 119. 71.  It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes.  
Saepe facit Deus opus quod non est sum; ut faciat opus quod est suum. GOD by a work that is none of his, effecteth a work in us that is his. He molests us with some vexations, as he did job; which is Satan's work immediately, not his; that thereby he might bring us to patience and obedience, which is his work immediately and wholly, 
1. Cor. ●1. 30  not Satan's. So we are chastened of the Lord, that we might not be condemned with the world.  
Bees are drowned in honey, but live in vinegar, and good men grow the better affected, the more they are afflicted. The poor man for his ague, goes to his garden, and plucks up thyme. The remedy for this spiritual sever, is true, but sensible pâtience. Men should feel God's strokes, and so bear them. It is dispraiseable, either to be senseless or fenselesse. Not to know we are stricken, or not to take the blows on the target of Patience.  
Many can lament the effects, but not the cause: and sorrow that God grieves them, not that they grieve God. They are angry with heaven, for being angry with them. They with heaven for justice, that is angry with them for injustice. But Maereamus, quod mereamur paenam. Let not the punishment, but the cause of it, make thy soul sorrowful. Know thou art whipped for thy faults; and apply to the prints the herb Patience.   

Hearts-case, and spiritual joy.  
DOth sorrow and anguish cast down a man's heart, and may he complain, that his soul is disquieted within him? 
Psal. 42.  Let him fetch an herb out of this Garden, called hearts-ease; an inward joy which the holy Ghost worketh in him. Though all the days of the afflicted be evil, 
Pro. 15. 15.  yet a merry heart is a continual feast. This is Heaven upon earth. Rom. 14. 
Rom. 14. 17.  Peace of conscience, and joy of the holy Ghost. His conscience is assured of peace with God, of reconciliation in the blood of JESUS; and that his soul is wrapped up in the bundle of life.  
This may be well called hearts-ease: it is a holy, a happy herb to comfort the spirits. When worldly joys, either (like rahel's children) are not, or (like Eli's) are rebellious, there is hearts-ease in this Garden, that shall cheer him against all sorrows, certainty of God's favour. Let the world frown, and all things in it run cross to the grain of our minds; yet with thee, O Lord, is mereie and plentiful redemption. And, if no body else, 
Psal. 73. 1.  yet God will be still good to Israel, even to those that are of a pure heart. Those which we call penal evils, are either past, present, or to come: and they cause in the soul, sorrow, pain, fear. Evils past sorrow, present pain, future fear. Here is hearts-ease for all these. Misery's past are solaced, because God hath turned them to our good; and we are made the better, by once being worse. Miseries present find mitigation: and the infinite comfort that is with us, within us, sweetens the finite bitterness that is without us. Miseries future are to us contingent: they are uncertain, but our strength is certain; God. Novi in quem credidi: I know whom I have trusted. here is aabundant ease to the heart.   

Balsamum, or Faith.  
HAth the heart got a green wound, by committing some offence against God? for actual iniquity makes a gash in the soul. The good man runs for Balsamum, and stauncheth the blood: Faith in the promises of jesus Christ. He knows there is Balm at Gilead, and there are Physicians there: 
jer. 8. 22.  and therefore the health of his soul may easily be recovered. He is sure, that if the blood of Christ be applied, it will soon staunch the blood of his conscience, and keep him from bleeding to death: and that the wounds of his Saviour will cure the wounds of his soul. And though this virtual healing herb be in Gods own Garden, yet he hath a key to open it, prayer: and a hand to take it out, and to lay it on his sores, faith. This is a sovereign herb; and indeed so sovereign, that there is no herb good to us, without it. It may be called Panaces; which Physicians say is an herb for all manner of diseases: and is indeed the principal herb of grace; for it adorns the soul with all the merits and righteousness of JESUS CHRIST.   

Saint johns-wort, or Charity.  
DOth the world, through sweetness of gain, that comes a little too fast upon a man, begin to carry away his heart to covetousness? Let him look in this Garden for the herb, called Saint-Iohns-wort, Charity, and brotherly love. It is called S. john's. herb not unproperly: for he spent a whole Epistle in commending to us this grace; and often inculcated; Little children, love one another. And he further teacheth, that this love must be actual. For he that hath this world's goods, 
1. joh. 3. 17.  and seeth his brother hath need, and shutteth up his cowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? He hath no such herb, as Saint-Iohns-wort in his garden. The good Christian considers, that he hath the goods of this world, to do good in this world. And that his riches are called Bona, 
August.  Goods; Non quod faciant bonum, sed unde faciat bonum; not that they make him a good man, but give him means to do good to others.  
He learns a Maxim of Christ from the world; which the world teacheth, but followeth not; that is, to make sure as much wealth as he can: as if it were madness, to leave those goods behind him, which he may carry with him. This policy we all confess good; but fail in the consecution. The world thinks, that this assurance is got by purchasing great revenues, or by locking up gold in a coffer. The Christian likes well to save what he can; but he thinks this is not the way to do it. He considers, that the richest hoarder leaves all behind him; and carries nothing but a winding-sheet to his grave. But he finds out this policy in the Scriptures; 
Psal. 73.  as David was resolved of his doubt in the Sanctuary: that what he charitably gives alive, he shall carry with him dead; and so resolves to give much, that he may keep much. Therefore what he must lose by keeping, he will keep by losing: and so proves richer under ground, then ere he was above it. The poor man's hand he sees, to be Christ's treasury: there he hoards up; knowing it shall be surely kept, and safely returned him. His Garden shall stand full with Saint-Iohns-wort; and Charity is his herb, to cure all the sores of covetousness.   

Pennyroyal, and Content,  
DOth poverty fasten her sharp teeth in a man's sides and cannot all his good industry keep want from his family? Let him come to this Garden for a little Pennyroyal, Content. This will teach him to think, that God who feeds the Ravens, and clothes the Lilies, will not suffer him to lack food and raiment. The birds of the air neither plough nor sow, yet he never sees them lie dead in his way for want of provision. They sleep, and sing, and fly, and play, and lack not. He gathers hence infallibly, that God will bless his honest endeavours: and whiles he is sure of God's benediction, he thinks his Penny royal, his poor estate rich. No man is so happy as to have all things; and none so miserable as not to have some. He knows he hath some; and that of the best riches: therefore resolveth to enjoy them, and to want the rest with Content. He that hath this herb in his garden, Pennyroyal, contentation of heart; be he never so poor, is very rich.   

Agnus castus, and Continence.  
DOth the rebellious flesh, upon a little indulgence, grow wanton; and would concupiscence enkindle the fire of lust? The good soul hath in this Garden, an herb called, Agnus castus, the chaste herb; and good store of Lettuce: which Physicians say, cool this natural intemperate heat. His Agnus castus & Lettuce, are Prayer and Fasting. He knows, that if this kind of devil get possession of the heart, it goes not out but by Prayer and fasting. It is fasting spittle, that must kill that Serpent. Mistress Venus dwells at the sign of the juy-bush: and where the belly is made a barrel, stuffed with delicious meats, and heating drinks, the concupiscence will be luxurious of turpitudes. Sine Cerere & Baccho friget Venus. Venery will freeze, if wine and junkets do not make her a fire. Lust will starve, if flesh-pampering shall not get her a stomach. Where there is thin diet, and clean teeth, there will follow Chastity.   

barley-water, or Coole-anger.  
DOth the heat of anger boil in a man's heart; and enrageth him to some violent and precipitate courses? Let him extract from this garden the juice of many cooling herbs; and among the rest a drink of barley-water; a Tysan of Meekness, to cool this fire. He that hath proceeded to anger, is a man: he that hath not proceeded to sinful, harmful anger, is a Christian, Iras●i hominis, i●iurtam non facere Christiani. 
jerem.  The most loving man will chide his friend sweetly; and he that doth not, hates him in his heart. Sic vigelit tolerantia, ut non dormiat disciplina. 
August.  But he will not be transported with anger, to the loss of his friends, of himself. He considers, that God is provoked every day, yet is long suffering, & of great goodness. He hears that others speak ill of him: he judgeth not without certain knowledge. Knowing, he suffers not himself abused. It were silliness to believe all; sullenness to believe none. The wrong done to God and a good conscience must move him.  Non patitur ludum fama, fides, oculus. 
A man's name, his faith, and his eye must not be jested withal. Yet when he is most angry, he recollects himself, and claps upon his heat a Tysan of meekness.   

Parsley, or Frugality.  
DEclines a man's estate in this world, as if his hand had scattered too lavishly? There is an herb in this Garden; let him for a while feed on it: Parsley, Parsimony. Hereon he will abridge himself of some superfluities: and remember, that moderate fare is better than a whole College of Physicians. He will wear good clothes, and never better; knowing there is no degree beyond decency. It was for Pompey to wear as rich a scarf about his leg, as other Princes wore on their heads. But the frugal man can cloth himself all over decently, with half the cost, that one of our gallant Pompey's easeth his leg. He that would not want long, let him practise to want somewhat, before he extremely needs. 
Martyrol. pag. 1872.  I have read of an English Martyr, that being put into a prison at Canterbury, tried (when she had liberty of better fare) to live on a spare diet; as preparing and prearming herself with ability to brook it, when necessity should put her to it. Frugality puts but three fingers into the purse at once: Prodigality scatters it by heaps and handfuls. It is reported, that Caesar's host lived a long time at Dyrrhachium with Coleworts: whereof arose the Proverb, Lapsana vivere, to live sparingly. That stock lasts, that is neither hoardward miserably, nor dealt out indiscreetly. We sow the furrow, not by the sack, but by the handful. The wise man knows, it is better looking through a poor lattice-window, then through an iron grate. And though he will lend what he may, he will not borrow till he must need.   

Liver-wort, or Peaceable love.  
IS a man sick in his liver, by accession of some distemperature? Doth his charity and love to some neighbours, for their malignancy against him, fail and faint in his heart? For they say, Cogit amare jecur. I stand not here on the distinction betwixt Amare and Diligere. Then let him step to this Garden, for some jecuraria; we call it Liver-wort. He asks of his heart for his old love, his wont amity: if his reason answer, that the persecutions of such and such calumnies have fled her into another country; he is not at quiet, till affection fetch it home again. He thinks, that night he sleeps without Charity in his bosom, his pillow is harder than Jacob's was at Bethel. If carnal respects can draw him to love his friend for his profit, 
Gen. 28.  or his kinsman for blood: he will much more love a Christian for his Father's sake, for his own sake.  
There is a story (nothing worth but for the moral) of a great King, that married his daughter to a poor Gentleman, that loved her But his grant had a condition annexed to it, that whensoever the Gentleman's left side looked black, or he lost his wedding ring, he should not only lose his Wife, but his life. One day pursuing his sports, he fell into a quarrel; where (at once) he received a bruise on his left breast, and lost his ring in the scuffing. The tumult over, he perceived the danger, whereinto his own heedlessness had brought him; and in bitterness of soul shed many tears. In his sorrow, he spied a book, which opening, he found therein his ring again; and the first words he read, were a medicine for a bruised side. It directed him three herbs, whereof a plaster applied should not fail to heal him. He did so; was cured; was secured.  
The application is this. The great King of heaven marries to man, poor man, his own daughter, Mercy, and everlasting kindness: But threatens him, that his side must not look black; his heart must not be polluted with spiritual adulteries: nor must he lose his wedding ring, love to God and his Saints: l●●● he forset both God's mercy, and his own salvation. Man in the pursive of worldly affairs, quarrels with his neighbours, and sc●ffles with cotention. So his heart takes a bruise, and looks black with hatred. And Charity his wedding ring is lost, in these wilful turbulencies and vexations. What should he do but mourn? Lo, God in his goodness, directs him to a book, the holy Gospel. There the Spirit helps him to his ring again, his former love; and to heal his bruise, prescribes him three herbs.  
First Rue, or herb of grace, which is repentance this teacheth him to sorrow for his strife and emulation; and purgeth away the bruised blood.  
The second is the 〈◊〉, Thankfulness: he considers how infinitely God hath loved him; therefore he must needs love God, and in him his. Beatus qui amat te, & amicum in te, & inimicum propter te. He 〈◊〉 it impossible, to love him he hath not seen, and to hate his Image, which he hath seen.  
The third, 〈◊〉, which will grow the faster for injuries. Many wrongs hereafter shall not put him out of charity. A good plaster of these herbs will draw his bosom white again. And when it is so, let him use jecurarta, L●●er-wort; a continual application of love to his heart: that he keeping his ring of faith sure from losing; and his breast from the selfe-procured blows of contention; he may hold also his wife for ever; that beautiful daughter of the King, God's eternal mercy.   

Lily, or Pureness of heart.  
DOth a man perceive his heart a little beguiled with ostentation, and desires he to seem better than he is? And how easily is man won, to answer his commenders speculation? Let him fetch the Lily, pureness of heart; which is an herb of grace, growing in the humble valley of a meek spirit; yet is white, and lovely. He knows, God can unmask the vizarded face, and turn the inside outward. If a man be a Herod within, and a john without: a wicked Politician in a ruff of Precisian-set; God can distinguish him. There are too many of these, that stand up in the fabric like Pyramids: it were better for us, for themselves, if they were but good honest pillars. Plain-dealing, is a good plain song, and makes better music, than a forced squeaking treble, that troubles us all with novelties. Shallow honesty is more commendable, than the profound quicksands of subtlety: and one leaf of the Planetree, is better than many handfuls of the pricking Holly. They search out iniquities, they accomplish a diligent search: 
Psal. 64. 6.  both the inward thought of every one of them, and the heart is deep. But when God shall wound them with his arrow, They shall make their tongue fall upon themselves. Such a man's own wit shall snare him; and he shall sing, or rather sigh, Ingenio perii. They are glad of Christ's Cross; not to suffer for it, but to enjoy plenitude of riches by it: And so, like many in great Funerals, rejoice to be mourner's; that they may get some of the blacks. Put them to no charges, and they'll make you believe, they are strongly, strangely religious. But, 2. Sam. 24. 
2. Sam. 24. 24.  Shall we offer burnt sacrifices to the Lord our GOD of that which cost us nothing? Christ compares this man to a painted sepulchre. Sepulchrum quasi semi-pulchrum, saith one. Extra nitidum, intus foetidum. But let them be the men they seem; and not nettles in the midst of a rose-cake. The good great man, though he be able securely to do much mischief; regards more the sins indignity, than his own indemnity.   

Enula campana, or Obedience.  
PErhaps evil example hath suddenly, and, without provided consideration, led a man into evil. Let him run to this Garden for Enulaeampana. This herb is that Christ enjoined us. Search the Scriptures; adhere to the word of the Lord. This shall give decision of all doubts: and teach thee what path to fly, what way to take. It is given of this herb. Enula campana reddit praecordia sana. It is true of our constant cleaving to the word; that it shall purge the heart of what corruption soever bad precedents have put into it. Of all the herbs in thy Garden lose not this. forego not the Sword of the Spirit: it is thy best weapon.   

Heart-wort, or Affiance in God's promises.  
IT may be, sorrow of heart for sins hath cast a man down; and he is swallowed up of too much heaviness. There is an herb to comfort him, called, Heart-wort; affiance in the merciful promises of God: passed to him by Word, Oath, Seal, Scriptures, Sacraments,: and therefore infallible. At what time soever what sinner soever reputes of what sin soever, God will put all his wickedness out of his remembrance. He will not let that promise fall to the ground, but meets it with peace and joy. Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted. 
Mat. 5. 4.  He believes that his wet seed time shall have a glad harvest: 
Psal. 126. 5.  for they that sow in tears, shall reap in joy. He persuades himself, that the days of mourning will pass over, as the wind blows over the rain; and than God will wipe away all tears from his eyes, 
Ren. 7. 17.  with the hand of mercy. This confidence, in the midst of all sorrows, is his Heart-wort.   

Hyaeinth, or Following Christ.  
SAy that the Christian hath met with some guilded pill of corruption; some poisonous doctrine, yet plausible to flesh and blood. Let him search this Garden for Hyacinth, or So●sequium, Tornesol: an herb, that duly and obediently follows the Sun. Do thou follow the Sun of righteousness: 
Mal. 4. 2.  and let his bright beams guide thy course: who hath promised to teach all those, that with an humble heart, and earnest prayer seek it at his hands. Follow the Sun, and he will bring thee where he is, to heaven, at the right hand of his Father. Let no wandering Planet err thee; but adhere to the Sun with a faithful imitation.   

Care-away.  
IF worldly troubles come too fast upon a man; he hath an herb called Careaway. Not that he bequeathes himself to a supine negligence, as if God would fill his house with provision, while he sits and sings care away. But as he is free from idleness, so also from distrust. He considers the Ravens and Lilies; and knows, that the Lord is the Preserver of men, as well as of Fowls and flowers: that he respects man above those, and his own above other men. Therefore he throws all his cares upon God; as if they were too heavy a load for himself. Solicitous thoughtfulnes can give him no hurt, but this herb Careaway shall easily cure it.   

Holy Thistle, or good Resolution.  
Yield that he is pressed with injuries; as who will live godly in Christ, and shall not suffer persecution! He is oppressed by force or fraud, might or subtlety; and cannot help himself. He hath a good herb in this Garden, called Carduus Benedictus, Holy thistle: a godly resolution, that through many miseries he must enter heaven. He rests himself on God; and rather wisheth his harmlessness should suffer, than himself not to give passive and patient obedience to lawful authority. Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, 
Dan. 3. 17.  and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O King. But if not; be it known to thee, O King, that, we will not serve thy gods, nor worship thy golden Image.  
There are many other herbs in this garden: as if he be to deal with crafty adversaries, let him fetch some Sage, honest policy; and such as may stand with an untouched conscience. For Christ gave us this prohibition, to be wise as Serpents; though withal a cohibition, that we be harmless as Doves. 
Mat. 10. 16.  If he be tempted to ebriety, he hath in this Garden, Coleworts; moderate abstinence. Matthiolus on the preface of Dioscorides notes such a natural enmity betwixt this herb and drunkenness: that if you plant Colewort near to the roots of the Vine, of itself it flieth from them. But I excuse myself.  Non ego cunct a meis amplecti versibus opto. 
I would not leave nothing unsaided. Thus I have walked you through a sacred Garden of many gracious herbs: happy souls thus planted. I will stay you no longer, then to hear your blessing.   

It receiveth blessing from God.  
THe Reward gives a happy conclusion to this good ground. So it pleaseth the Lord to accept our labours, that he will reward them; not after our own merit, for that is not an atom; but after his own mercy, which exceeds heaven and earth. Receive this blessing with a thankful heart; thou hast not earned it. It is objected, that here it is said, their works are meet for God, therefore deserve this blessing. And Wisd. 3. 
Wisd. 3. 5.  God proved them, and found them meet for himself; as if they could stand God's trial. And Paul exhorts us to walk worthy of the vocation, 
Eph. 4. 1.  wherewith we are called. I answer, Deus coronat don● sua, non merit a nostra. 
Aug.  God rewards his own works, not our worth. It is given, Non meritis operantis, sed miseratione donantis: not for the deserts of the doer, but for the mercy of the giver. Datur operatoribus, non pro operibus. Luke chap. 12. Verse 32. 
Luke 12. 32.  It is my Father's will to give you a kingdom.  
Do we good? from whom is it? doth not God work in us to will and to do? Thou hast done well: be comforted; be not proud. It was God's work, 
Bern.  not thine. Omnia merita Dei dona sunt: & it a homo propter ipsa magis Deo debitor est, quam Deus homini. All our good works are Gods gifts: and therefore man is more beholding to God for them, than God to man. If in this Garden any good herb spring over the wall, and saucily challenge to i● self a prerogative of merit; deal with it, as the Gardiner with superfluous branches; prune it off. Or as Tor quatus with his overventurous son; cut it short with the sword of the Spirit, for daring beyond the Commission. Our Adversaries oppose this truth very violently, both in the Schools, and in the Pulpits: but come they to their deathbeds, to argue it between God and their own souls; then grace and grace alone; mercy and only mercy; JESUS and none but JESUS.  
And this even their great bellwether is forced to acknowledge. 
Bellar. de justif. lib. 5. cap. 7.  Propter incert it udinem propriae justitiae, & periculum inanis gloriae, tutissimum est fiduciam totam in sola Dei misericordia & benignitate repo●ere. I will translate his words truly. By reason of the uncertainty of our own righteousness, and the danger of vain glory; the sa●est course is to put our whole trust and confidence in in the only favour and mercy of God. But perhaps Bellarmine spoke this as a mere jesuit; and now made Papable, he be willing to recant and unsay it.  
This blessing than comes not for the Grounds merit, but for the Dressers mercy. It is said, Gen. 6. 
Gen. 6. 5.  that God would destroy the World with a flood, Because the imaginations of man's heart were only evil continually. And Gen. 8. 
Gen. 8. 21.  it is said, that GOD will no more curse and destroy the ground for man's sake; because the imaginations of his heart are only evil from his youth. The same reason that is alleged, why God will not spare the world, is also alleged why God will spare the world.  
It serves plentifully to demonstrate, that not for man's merit, but for God's mercy, confusion is withholden. 
Mal. 3. 6.  I am the Lord, I change not. Therefore ye sons of jacob are not consumed.   

It receiveth.  
Such is the immense goodness of God, that he will add grace to grace, and when he hath shown mercy, he will show 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, 
Rom. 8. 30.  them also he justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. Man is to be considered in a fourfold estate. Confectionis, Infectionis, Refectionis, Perfectionis. First, God made him happy, without misery, without iniquity. God hath made man upright: but they have sought out many inventions. 
Eccl. 7. 29.  If a glorious heaven above him, a fruitful earth under him, serviceable creatures about him, could give him solace and folicity, he was not scanted. here is man's first draft of God's bounty; his original state. 2. Then man fell from holiness, and so from happiness; and lost the favour of the Creator, with the good of the creature: that a general curse fell on the earth for his sake. Lo, now he lies weltering in his gore, who shall heal him, who shall revive him? God promised him a Saviour, and kept his word. Look on his own only Son hanging, bleeding, dying on an accursed Crosse. 3. A Redeemer is come; what is man the better for it, that hath no power to believe on him? Faith he hath none, but what God must put into him. Again, Lord help: let us receive yet a third mercy: make us believers, or we are never the better. We had as good have no Saviour, as not to have him our Saviour: and ours he cannot be, unless the Lord make us his. 4. Lastly the Lord gives us Faith: and so we shall receive a happiness by this believed Saviour, better than ever our first creation gave us: a kingdom; a kingdom of life; an eternal kingdom of life; that can never be taken from us. Thus we are still receivers, and God is the giver. We receive blessing from God.   

Blessing.  
THis word is of a great latitude. What good is there, which will not be brought within this compass? This blessing hath a double extent. There is Beatitudo viae, and Beatitudo Patriae. A blessing of the way, and a blessing of the Country: one of grace, the other of glory. The former is either outward, or inward.  
1 Outward, Psal. 132. 
Ps. 132. 15.  I will abundantly bless her proutsion: I will satisfy her poor with bread. Deut. 28. 
Deut. 28. 4.  Blessed in the field, blessed in the city. The fruits of thy body, of thy ground, of thy cattle shall be blessed. Thy basket, thy store; thy going out, and coming in shall be blessed. Which things do often come to the godly even on earth, and that in abundance. For as all have not riches, that exceedingly love them: so many have them, that do 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 heaven; 
Rom. 14. 17.  whose kingdom consists, not in meat and drink, but righteousness, peace of conscience, and joy of the holy Ghost. Could his life be as full of sorrows, as ever Lazarus was full of sores, yet he is blessed. The Sunshine of mercy is still upon him; and the blessing of GOD makes him rich. Let the air thunder, and the earth quake, and hell roar; yet He that walketh uprightly, 
Pro. 10. 9  walketh surely. Qui vadit plane, vadit sane. I have read it storied of a young Virgin, that at a great Princes hands had the choice of three vessels. One whereof should be freely given her, even that she should choose. The first was a vessel of gold, richly wrought, and set with precious stones; and on it written. Who chooseth me shall have what he deserveth. The second was of silver. superscribed thus. Who chooseth me shall have what nature desireth. The third was of lead; whose motto was this. Who chooseth me, shall have what God hath disposed. The former pleased her eye well, but not her understanding. It offered what she deserved. She knew, that was just nothing: therefore refused it. The second considered, offered what Nature desires. She thought that could be no solid good; for Nature desires such things as please the carnal lust. This she also refused. The third had a course outside, but the sentence pleased her well; offering what God had disposed. So she faithfully put herself upon God's ordinance, and chose that. This Virgins' man's soul. The golden vessel is the world's riches; contentful to an avarous eye. Too many choose this: but being opened, it was full of dead men's bones, and a fools babble. To testify them fools, which cleave to the world: and at last all their hopes shall be rewarded with a babble. Neither is this all. Though their inward thought be, that their houses shall continue for ever; yet they shall be laid in the grave like sheep, 
Psal. 49. 11. 14.  and death shall feed on them. The siluer-vessell is the lusts of the flesh; those fond and vain delights, which concupiscence seeks. So saith the Motto: It gives what nature desireth: but corrupt nature affects nothing, but what gives complacency to the flesh. This vessel opened was full of wild fire, and an iron whip. God shall scourge the lustful here with the whip of judgements, diseases of body, infamy of name, overthrow of estate, vexation of conscience. And Satan shall hereafter burn them in wild fire, such flames as can never be quenched. The leaden vessel is, as the sense & sentence declares it, the blessing of God. The chooser of it shall have what God hath disposed for him. Blessed soul that makes this election: for opened, it was found full of gold and most precious jewels; every one more worth than a world, the immortal graces of God's Spirit.  
The Virgin chose this, and she was married to the King's son. Choose this vessel, O my soul; and jesus Christ the king of heaven shall marry thee. No matter though it seem lead without; glister not with earthly vanities: it is rich within; the wealth thereof cannot be valued, though all the Arithmeticians of the world go about to sum it. 
Psal. 4. 6.  There be many that say, who will show us any good? Lord lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us.  
This blessing hath yet a further extent, to the blessedness of our Country: when we shall hear it: Come ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 
Mat. 25. 34.  For, si sic bonus es sequentibus te, qualis futurus es consequentibus! If thou Lord, 
Bern. Serm. 47. in Cant.  be so good to those that follow thee, what wilt thou be to those that find thee! If there be such blessing in this world, what shall that be in the life to come! If the first fruits of our inheritance, and the earnest of the spirit be so graciously sweet here: surely when that infinite mass of glory shall be broken up, and communicated to us, we shall be wonderfully ravished. When that which is perfect is come, 
1. Cor. 13. 10.  then that which is in part shall be done away. This is, beat a vita in font, saith Aug. a blessed life indeed. Aeterna sine successione, distributa sine diminutione, communis sine invidia, sufficiens sine indigentia, jucunda sine tristitia, beata sine omni miseria. Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is the fullness of joy, 
Psal. 16. 11.  at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.  
No tongue can declare this blessing; happy heart that shall feel it: whose glorified eye shall one day behold all: and ten thousand times more than we have spoken. Who shall say, as it is in the Psalm: Sicut 〈◊〉, it a & vidimus; as we have heard, so we have seen in the City of our God. As we have heard it preached on earth, we now find it true in heaven: though the City we enjoy far excel the map we saw.  
Well this is God's blessing, and he will give it to the good ground. Labour we then to be fruitful Gardens; and to abound with gracious herbs; that God may in this world shower upon us, the dews of his mercy: and after this life transplant us to his heavenly Paradise. Let not the pleasures of sin; 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 hour, and wound them for ever: nor all those vain desires of carnal complacency, which shall one day be laid upon God's cold earth; intercept us to the privation of this blessing.  
Let us not be hunting after sports, as Esau for venison, and lose our blessing: lest we cry, howl, roar, when it is too late to recover it Think, oh think: there is a heaven, a GOD, a JESUS, a kingdom of glory, society of Angels, communion of Saints, joy, peace, happiness, and eternity of all these; which it will be a fearful thing to lose, for the base pleasures and short delights of this world.  
O great God of all, and sweet Father of thy chosen, pour upon us thy holy dews of grace: make our souls to stand thick with sanctified herbs; that we may receive thy blessing. That honouring thee in the day of Grace, we may be hononoured by thee in the day of Glory. Grant this for thy loved Son, and our loving Saviour, even, JESUS CHRIST his sake. Amen.    

THE FOREST Of thorns.  
THE FOURTH SERMON.  EZEK. 28. 24. There shall be no more a pricking Briar unto the house of Israel, nor any grieving Thorn of all that are round about them. 
Terra salutifferas herbas, eadem que nocentes Nutrit; & urticae proxima saepe rosa est.  
LONDON, Printed by George Purslowe, for john Budge, and are to be sold at his shop, at the great South-door of Paul's, and at Britain's Burse. 1616.   

THE FOREST Of thorns.  
THE FOURTH SERMON.  HEB. Chap. 6. Vers. 8. But that which beareth thorns and briars, is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing, whose end is to be burned. 
THis verse begins with a word of Dsiunction; But. The Rain of grace falls upon the good ground: it returneth berbes; it receiveth blessing. But that which beareth thorns and briars, is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing. etc. It is undeniably true, that S. Paul 
Act. 20. 27.  knew no Purgatory: otherwise, he that shunned not to declare to men all the counsel of God, would not in a voluntary silence have omitted this mystery. He delivers two sorts of Grounds, the good and the bad; the one blessed, the other near unto cursing. He knew no mean, either betwixt good and evil men, or betwixt reward and punishment, blessing and cursing. It seems that Christ him●elfe was ignorant of that point, which the Papists know so sound, and believe so roundly. 
Mat. 13. 24.  For he says, In God's Field, whatsoever grows is either corn or cockle: for the one whereof a Barn is provided; for the other, unquenchable Fire. A third sort, between herbs and weeds, had either the Master or the Servant known, they would have acknowledged.  
This first word of the Text, But, is a strong engine set to the walls of Purgatory, to overturn them, and over-burne them with the fire of hell. For they are imaginary pales, that divide hell and Purgatory: 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 else but a larder to the Popes kitchen. What fancy soever founded it, their wits are foundered, that labour to maintain it. For they cannot tell us, vel quid sit, vel ubi: what it is, nor where it is. They cavil with us for want of unity and consent in judgement. 
De Purgat. lib. 2. cap. 6.  Yet Bellarmine recites eight several opinions amongst them, about the place: And concludes at last, that it must remain among those secrets, Quae suo tempore aperientur nobis; which shall be unfolded to us in their times. Some think the torments of it to consist in fire, others in water: some that the afflicters are Angels, other that they are Devils. So they teach omni modo, that which is nullo modo: and because it is ubique, is therefore nullibi. Howsoever, it being the Pope's peculiar; and in his power to command the Angels to fetch out whom he list; me thinks the Popes are strangely unmerciful, that in all this time none of them hath made a general Gaole-deliverie. But our Purgatory is the blood of jesus Christ, 
1. joh. 1.  which cleanseth us from sin. And they that have no portion in this blood shall be rejected, are nigh unto cursing, and their end is to be burned.  
The barren, or rather evil-fruited ground is the ground of my discourse: and according to the common distinction of Evil, here is a double evil in the Text. unum quod malus facit, alterum quod malus patitur. An evil which the wicked man doth; and an evil which he suffers: an evil that is sin, and an evil that is punishment for sin. In the former the wicked are agents; in the latter, patients. The one evil is done by them, the other upon them. They offend God's justice, and GOD in his justice offends them. They have loved cursing, and cursing shall be unto them: they desired not blessing, and it is far from them. They produce Thorns, and the end of thorns is to be burned. The first and worst evil (for the other, though evil to them, is good in Gods good justice) is sin. Herein 1. the wicked are compared to bad ground. 2. their iniquities to thorns and briars. 3. and the manner how so ill weeds arise from this ground, is said to be bearing. The earth that beareth thorns, etc. Here first observe,  
1 The different word the Apostle useth. For the good earth, he says, it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bringing forth herbs. For the evil, it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, bearing, not bringing forth. As if good works were brought forth like children, not without pain and travel: evil works but cast out like froth or skim; as easily vented, as invented. Therefore the earth is said ebullire, to bubble or boil out such things, as mere excretions. Our proverb says, An ill weed grows apace. Herbs grow not without preparing the ground, planting and watering them by seasonable dews and diligence. Weeds are common: it is hard to set the foot besides them. The basest things are ever most plentiful. Plurima, pessima. I have read of a kind of mouse, that breeds six score young ones in one nest. Whereas the offspring of the Lioness or Elephant is but single. You shall find your furrows full of Cockle and da●●ell, though you never sew them. The earth, saith the Philosopher, is now an own mother to weeds, and naturally breeds and feeds them: but a stepmother to good herbs. Man by a proclivity of his own natural inclination, is apt to produce thorns and briars: but ere he can bring forth herbs, Graces, God must take pains with him. No husbandman so labours his ground, as God our hearts. Happy earth, that yields him an expected harvest. But that which beareth thorns is near to be cursed and burned.  
2 Observe, that a wicked man is compared to bad earth, and that fitly in 5. respects.  
1 For baseness. The earth is the heaviest of all Elements, and doth naturally sink downwards; as if it had no rest, but in the centre; which itself is. A wicked man is base-minded, and sinks with a dull and ponderous declination; not regarding the things above, but these below. He hath common with men sursum os, but with beasts, deorsum cor. All his affections have a low object, not out of humility, but base dejection. His hope, desire, love, joy, are set on these inferior things: and like a Mole, he digs still downwards, till he come to his Centre, his own place, Hell. 
Acts. 1.  Telluris inutile pondus.  
2 For coldness. Experience teacheth that the earth is cold; & coldness is a natural quality pertinent to it, though accidentally there be bred in it fiery vapours. The wicked man hath a cold heart, frozen up in the dregs of iniquity; though there be an unnatural heat sometimes flaming in him; the fire of lust and malice tormenting his bowels: but this is no kindly heat to warm his conscience. That is derived from the fire of the Temple, that never goes out, and only given by jesus Christ, that baptizeth with the holy Ghost, and with fire.  
3 For foulness. The squalid earth (for we speak not here of any good ground) is called Lutulenta terra; miry and noisome: yet is it neat and clean in comparison of a sinne-contaminated soul. The body was taken from the earth; not the Soul: the body shall resolve to the earth; not the soul: yet the polluted soul is more sordid, then either a leprous body, or a muddy earth. In the eye of GOD, there is no beauty so acceptable, no foulness so detestable, as the souls. The Dove carried the praise of beauty from the Peacock, by the Eagles judgement: that though the Peacock living had the fairer plumes, yet dead he hath but a black liver. God's judgement of all men's fairness, is by the liver, the cleanness of the heart in his eyesight.  
4 For obscurity and darkness; the earth is called a place of black darkness, the land of forgetfulness. So job and David term it. The wicked Soul is full of darkness, thickness of sight, caecitie of understanding; not seeing the glorious liberty of the Sons of God. Our Gospel is hid to those that are lost. 
1. Cor. 4. 4.  Whose minds the god of this world hath blinded. 
●ugo.  There is in them Hebetudo mentis, which is acutae rationis obtusio, carnalis intemperantiae crassis sensibus inducta. They are so utterly ignorant of heaven, that (as it is in the Proverb) ne pictum quidem viderunt: they have not seen it, so much as in the map or picture. As to men shut up in the low caverns of the earth, not so much as the sun, and stars, and the lights of heavens lower parts have appeared. Tolerabilior est poena, vivere non posse, quam nescire. Ignorance is a heavier punishment than death; saith the Philosopher. 
Se●.  Darkness is their desire, because their deeds are evil. Perhaps at last, after a long dotage on their dark delight, earth; they come to hear of a better & richer country: and then take only with them the Lantern of Nature to find it. But so erepto lumine can delabrum querunt. Having lost the light, they grope for the Candlestick. A man that comes into his house at midnight, sees nothing amiss: in the daylight he finds many things misplaced. Nature is but a dark Lantern, when by it we endeavour to ransack the conscience. Only the light of grace can demonstrate all the sluttish and incurious misorders in our souls.  
5 The main resemblance between an evil ground and worse man, consists in the ill fruits, that they both produce: briars and thorns; and such (not only unhelpefull, but) hurtful vices. This is the principal analogy, which our Apostle intends; the pith and marrow of this reference. But before we come to a particular anatomizing of this Subject, some observable doctrines fall profitably to our instruction. Observe therefore.  
1 The word of God will work some way. It falls not upon any ground in vain; but will produce herbs or weeds. It is such Physic, as will either cure or kill. It mollifies one, makes another more hard. 
Acts. 2.  Some hearts it pricks, others it terrifies, though converts not, as it made Foelix tremble. None ever heard it, but they are either better or worse by it. 
1. Cor. 1. 23.  We preach Christ crucified, unto the jews a stumbling block, unto the Gentiles foolishness. But unto them which are called, both of jews and Greeks, the power of GOD, 
Heb. 4. 12.  and the wisdom of God. In this Epistle it is called a double-edged sword, etc. It is either a converting or convincing power; sealing receivers to redemption, contemners to rejection. The word which I have preached, shall judge you in the latter day.  
If this doctrine were considerately digested in hearer's hearts, what a zealous preparation would it work in their souls! It would bring us to these seats with other minds, if we remembered, that we return not back to our own doors the very same we came out; but either somewhat better, 
Act. 13. 7. 8.  or much worse. Sergius Paulus was turned, Elimas obdurated at one Sermon. After our saviours heavenly Sermon. john 6. Some went back, 
joh. 6. 66.  and walked no more with him; that Christ bespoke his Apostles, Will ye also go away? Others stuck more close. 
Verse 68  Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life. The Prophet Esay speaks fully to this purpose. As the rain cometh down, 
Esay. 55. 10.  and returneth not back, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sour, and bread to the eater. So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void; but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.  
The word that we have preached, shall either save you, or judge you. It shall be either a copy of your pardon, or a bill of your indictment at the last day. john Baptist calls the Gospel a Fan, that will distinguish between true and false children, between Wheat and Chaff. It will make known the faithfulness of those, 
Mat. 3. 12.  that with honest hearts embrace it; and scatter hypocrites like chaff, by reason of their insolid levity. Simeon so prophesied to Mary the Virgin of her Son, That he should be the fall and the rising, the reparation and ruin of many: 
Luke. 2. 34.  and whiles he is set for a sign Which shall be spoken against, by this means the thoughts of many hearts shall be revealed. The word is like fire, that hath a double operation upon the several subjects it works; stubble or gold. It fires the one, and fines the other. Some hearts it inflames with zeal to it: other it sets on fire to quench, impugn, persecute it. It is to conversion, if believed; to confusion if despised. Lo, Christ, himself preaching, some faithfully entertain, others reject; 
Mat. 8.  as the Gergesens, that had rather have their hogs saved then their souls.  
2. That thorns are produced, the fault is not in the good Rain, but the ill ground. What could I, 
Esa. 4. 5.  saith God, have done more to my Vineyard? I have done enough to make it bear good grapes. Wherefore then, or from what cause brings it forth wild grapes? The earth desires the influence of heaven, and showers from the clouds, to make it fruitful. It is granted: the Sun shines, the dews fall. The Garden hereupon brings forth herbs, the desert thorns. If these blessings of heaven were the proper cause of the weeds; why hath not then the good ground such cursed effects? The everlasting lamp of heaven sends forth his saving rays: and the sacred dews of the Gospel fall on the pure and unclean heart. There it is requited with a fertile obedience: here with an impious ingratitude. Let not the mercy of God be blamed for this man's misery. Perditio ex se: God hath done enough to save him. S. Augustine directly to this purpose. Simul pluit Dominus super segetes, 
De benedict. Esavet jacob.  & super spinas. Sed segeti pluit ad horreum, spinis ad ignem: & tamen una est pl●uia. GOD at once rains upon the herbs and the thorns. Upon the herbs or good seed, to shoot it up for his barn, for himself; upon the thorns to fit them for the fire: yet is it one and the same rain.  
This shall cover the faces of Libertines with ●uerlasting confusion; who are evermore rubbing their own filthiness on God's purity; and charging him as the author of their sins. If the Devils in hell should speak, what could they say more? we have fallen from our happiness, and God caused it. Reprobate thoughts! Men have spilled blood, defiled forbidden beds, struck at Princes with treasons, ruin'd countries with depopulations, filled the earth with rapes, and shot at heaven with blasphemies; and lay their damnation on their Maker: deriving from his purpose excuses of their wickedness. The inevitable decree of God's counsel is charged: the thought of that hath made them careless: so with good food they poison themselves. Willing fools, rack not your belief with impossibilities. Behold! God is so far from authorizing your sins and falls; that he rains on yo● the holy dews of his word to mollify your hearts. justifying himself by this proffered means of your salvation, that he would not the death of a sinner. O but his hidden will is to damn us. Mad men, that forsake that signed will, written in tables, published with trumpets, commanded with blessings, cursings, promises, menaces, to which every soul stands bound! and fall to prying into those unsearchable mysteries, covered with a curtain of holy secrecy, not to be drawn aside till the day comes, wherein we shall know as we are known.  
Cease aspiring man to root thy wickedness in heaven; and to draw in God as an accessary to thy profaneness. God would have thee saved, but thou wilt bear thorns and briers, though thou endangerest thyself to cursing. Is this the requital for his mercy? Are all his kindnesses to thee thus taken? That when he hath done so much to bring thee to heaven, thou wilt tax him for casting thee to hell? when he hath so laboured to make thee good, thou wilt lay to his charge thy own voluntary badness. No: justify God, and magnify his mercy. Accuse thine own corrupt heart, that turns so good and alimental food into offensive crudities. Say, Heaven is good, but thy ground is nought. Fatness and juice hath been bestowed on thee, but thou hast yielded pestilent and noisome fruits. Lay not the fault on heaven, but on the native corruption of thy own heart, that hath decocted the goodness of God into venom.  
3. This observation shall make way (and give place) to another. That the ground is very unthankful, which answers the kindness of heaven in raining on it, with briars and thorns. Wretched man, that receives so blessed dews from the fountain of mercy, and returns an ungrateful wickedness. Unthankful it is; as failing in both these essential parts of Gratitude; acknowledging, and requiting a benefit: and so guilty both of falsehood and injustice. Say the wicked did confess God's mercies, yet where's their obedience? True thankfulness is called Gratiarum actio, non dictio. Whiles for holy dews they render unholy weeds, this disobedience is the greatest Ingratitude. The silence of our tongues; the not opening our lips, to let our mouth show forth his praise, is a grievous unthankfulness. He is of an evil disposition, that conceals or dissembles a benefit. This is one branch of Ingratitude: but our speech hitherto keeps but low water; let us rise up to view the mountenous billows of that ingratitude here taxed; a real, actual, sensual, senseless unthankfulness: if it be not a degree beyond it, and unthankfulness too poor a word to express it. Mere ingratitude returns nothing for good; but this sin returns evil for good. Silence in acknowledging is too short: we must think of a contumacious and contumelious retribution. God, after his merciful rain looks for some herbs of Grace, when he walks down into his Garden, to see whether the Vine flourished, 
Cant. 6. 11.  and the Pomegranates budded. And behold weeds, stinking weeds, stinging weeds; thorns and briars! Here is Ingratitude in full proportion, wiith all the dimensions of his ugly stigmaiticke form. This is that wickedness, which brings the ground here to rejection, malediction, combustion. Observe further that  
4. Wicked men prove commonly so much the worse, as they might have been better: and divert the means of their conversion to their confusion. The more rain of the Gospel they receive, the more abundantly they thrust forth the thorns of iniquities. The roots of these briars are surely earthed in their hearts, and do boil out at the warm dews of the Word. It fares with them, as with a man of a surfeited stomach: the more good meat he eats, the more he increaseth his corruption. The former crudities undigested, unegested, having the greater force, turn the good nutriment into themselves. There is such an antipathy betwixt the good word of God, and the heart of a reprobate; that the more it wrestles to bring him to heaven, the more he wrestles against it, that he might be damned. Tully mentions a Country, wherein a great drought and heat maketh abundance of mire and dirt; but store of rain causeth dust. It is here experimentally true: the plentiful rain of God's blessed word is answered with the dusty and sandy barrenness of men's evil lives. So the Sun, shining upon unclean dunghills, is said to cause a greater stench: yet no wise man blames the beams of the Sun, but the filthiness of those putrefied heaps, for such offence. The Sun of righteousness hath sent down the glorious rays of his Gospel among vs● the wicked hereupon steam out the more noisome and stenchfull fruits. Upon whom shall the accusation light; Gods comfortable heat of mercy, or our putrid and rank iniquities? Sometimes the suns heat working upon a muddy and baneful object, breeds horrid serpents. No wonder then, if this rain of the Gospel engender in reprobate minds, weeds, and prickles. The Cicones have a river, that doth harden the bowels, 
ovid.  and make the entrails stony: a strange operation in them that drink it. But if the water of life do harden the hearts of Pharaohs, and exasperate the mischiefs of a malicious Elimas, let the imputation of fault light where it is deserved. It was a strange protestation, that God had against Israel. I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me. 
Esa. 1. 2.  I have brought them up in my house, and taught them my precepts, and yet (as if my instructions and favours had made them worse) they have rebelled against me. Thus when the Sun is hottest, the springs are coldest: and the more fervent the love of God is to us, the more cold is our charity to him, and to others for him. As if the sweet dews of Hermon had made the hill of Zion more barren.  
It is written of the Thraeian flint, that it burns with water, and is quenched with oil: a fit Emblem of those wicked souls, that are the worse for God's endeavour to better them. But such contrary effects hath the Gospel in contrary natures. As by the heat of the Sun wax is softened, and yet clay is hardened: so by the preaching of the word, the hearts of such as shall be saved, are mollified; but the hearts of the lost are further obdurate. God in his wis● justice will be even with men: since they will not be the better for his favours, they shall be the worse. Seeing they will not bring forth herbs, they shall cast forth weeds: and he that might not in their salvation, will be glorified in their subversion. For application.  
This Rain hath fallen upon us all: how have we entertained it? where be our herbs? It is objected against us, that our forefathers who wanted this rain, brought forth more herbs, than we that have it. That they in the days of ignorance did more than they knew; that we in the light of the Gospel know more than we do. Apollonius among other wonders writes one most wonderful: that there was a people, which could see nothing in the day, but all in the night. What, hath the Sun blinded us? Cannot we see to serve God so well in the light, as they did in the dark?  
It was once said, Ignoti nulla cupido: but now it may be inverted; Noti nullus amor: we little esteem the Gospel, because it is frequent amongst us. The long enjoying it hath dulled our estimation. Full children are weary of their bread, and play with it. Like the Indians, that have such store of gold and precious stones, that they truck them away for glasses and rattles. Perhaps the cold legs of custom will bring us to Church: and we are content to hear the Preacher taxing our frauds, usuries, oaths, oppressions. May be for some show of devotion, we will ask counsel at his lips: but say what he will, we will not part with our sins.  
The Princes of Israel came to jeremy, and entreat him to inquire of the Lord for them: 
jer. 42.  promising, that whatsoever direction the Lord should send they would obey. The Prophet accordingly presents their supplication to God. God answers You shall not go into Egypt, 
jer. 43.  lest you be destroyed: but abide still in judah, and you shall be safe. When they heard this Oracle, because it was not their humours, they replied, We will go into Egypt. This was their purpose from the beginning, (though they dissembled a will to know God's mind) which if God's command crosseth, they will cross his command: they will go into Egypt. So people will be content to hear what God saith to them by his Ministers: but if he speak not what pleaseth them, they will follow their own affections. We are such nice and froward pieces, that the more God woos us, we are the further off. As it is with some shallow professors of Music, saith the Poet.  
Omnibus hoc vitium cantoribus, 
Hor. lib. 1.  inter amicos,  
Vt nunquam inducant animum cantare rogati. 
Sat. 3.   
When they are most earnestly entreated, they make most dainty to sing or play. So the more the Lord calls for our praises, the more hoarse are our voices, the more harsh our notes; or perhaps we will not sing at all. But if God hath given us music, and we will not dance; as Christ reproved the jews; we shall mourn in sadness for our obstinate refusal of proffered mirth. You have heard Herodotus tale of the Piper. He came to the waterside, and piped to the fishes: they would not dance. He took his net and caught some of them; and being thrown upon dry land they began to leap and skip up. Nay, quoth the Piper, I offered you music before, and you would none: now you shall dance without a pipe. Men commonly regard the Songs of Zion, as they do music heard late at night in the streets, whiles they are in bed. Perhaps they will step to the window, and listen to it a while; and presently to bed again. So men step from the couch of their lusts and sins to, Church, hear the Sermon; and then to bed again; lulling themselves in their former security.  
There are some, that care for hearing it no more: but sit down with a conceit of their own sufficiency. They know as much as all the Preachers can tell them: let the youth go to be Catechised. So the sluggish and irreligious Master sits at home, whiles he sends his servants to Church. There is an old tale, idle in itself; the use may be good. A certain man that would never go to Church, when he heard the Saints-bell, would say to his wife. Go thou to Church and pray for thee and me. One night he dreamt, that both he and his wife were dead, and that they knocked together at Heaven-gate for entrance. S. Peter (by the Legend) is Porter, and suffered the wife to enter in, but kept the husband out: answering him, Illa intravit pro se ette: She is gone in both for herself and thee. As thy wife went to Church for thee, so she must go to heaven for thee. The Moral instructs every one to have a personality of Faith, and a propriety of devotion: that himself serving GOD, himself may be blessed of God.  
It now remains, to examine more narrowly the nature of the sins these ungodly hearts produce. 
Lib. 21. cap. 16.  They are called Thorns and briars. Pliny saith that the Thorn is more soft than a Tree, and more hard than an Herb: as if it were some unkindly thing; and but an unperfect excrement of the earth. For the Philosopher saith, It is not the intent of kind, that Trees should be sharp with prickles and thorns: but he would have it caused by the insoliditie and unfastnes of the tree. By which means the cold humour is drawn out by the pores ere it be concocted: whereupon for scarcity of matter, it is hardened by the sun; and ●o shaped and sharpened into a thorn.  
But it is unquestionable truth, that God created the thorns and briars on the earth. Some think, because it is said, Gen. 3. 
G●n. 3. 18.  in man's punishment, Maledict● esto terra propter te: Cursed be the earth for thy sake. Thorns and Thistles shall it bring forth to thee: that therefore if mankind had not sinned, the ground should have produced no such thing. But the most received opinion, and consonant to truth is; that these Thorns and briars should have been, though man had never fallen: but they should not have been noxious and hurtful to him. Now let us consider what resemblances may be found, betwixt those natural, and these allegorical thorns and briars.  
1 Where is abundance of thorns, there is most commonly a barren ground. For they hinder the happy influence of the heavens, the kindly heat of the sun, the dews of the clouds, and all those working causes of fertility. God pre-armes Ezekiel, that he should not wonder at the barrenness of Israel, 
Ezek. 2. 6.  for briars and thorns shall be with thee. Let no man marvel at our unprofitable times; we have too many briars and thorns among us: which do what they can to hinder the goodness of heaven to us, or our goodness to heaven. That which is sown nigh or among thorns seldom prospers. Our Saviour saith, that the Seed sown in some hearers, brought forth no fruit; 
Mat. 13.  for the Thorns choked it. The very company of the wicked is harmful, for they are as thorns to stifle any goodness. The companion of fools shall be afflicted, saith Solomon. He dwells among thorns, that shall wound him. To lay no more affliction upon him then Solomon there meant; as appears by the opposite member of the verse: he shall endure a privation of what good soever he had; and a position of their lewdness. A good man with ill company, is like a living man bound to a dead corpse: that will sooner suffocate him, than he can revive that. The Soul that lives among thorns shall hardly thrive. Therefore saith the Lord of the vineyard concerning the barren tree. Cut it down, 
Luke. 13. 7.  why troubles it the ground?  
2 Thorns and briars grow most commonly on heaps, and seldom are found single, or destitute of company of their own kind, And though they be troublesomely harmful to other trees, yet they fold and embrace one another, without hurt. It is so usually seen, that wicked men hold together, and sins grow in united clusters. There is a combination of the ungodly; even so far as to the very participation of their estates. 
Pro. 1. 14.  Cast in thy lot with us; we will have all one purse. They are entangled in mutual amity, like beds of Eels; nothing but thunder can break their knots. 
Mat. 5. 46.  Is it much, saith Christ, that you purpose diligere diligentes, to love them that love you? Why, briars and thorns do it, even Publicans do the same. Yea, I would to God, their unity did not shame ours. We see here, that one of the Papists chief marks of their church is not infallible; their consent or unity: when briars & thorns have it. The pharisees, Saducees, Herodians conspire against Christ: may be, they with the rest. Sins grow in heaps, like thorns in bushes: where are some, are many. The Apostle brings them in by couples & companies. Gluttony & Drunkenness, Chambering and wantonness, 
Rom. 13. 13.  strife and envying. Me thinks Gluttony & Drunkenness come in like an Englishman, and a Dutchman. Chambering & Wantonness like an Italian and a Venetian. Strife & Envy like a Spaniard and a Frenchman. These sins being so national, and natural to the countries: to over-drinke in Germany; to over-eate in England; to wantonize in Italy and Venice; to quarrel in France, and to be envious in Spain; Envy being ever the bosom-companion of Pride.  
3 Thorns and briars, by reason of their thickness and sharpness, are refuges for Serpents, Snakes, Adders, and such other venomous beasts. Where the ungodly have a strong part, oppression, rapine, robbery, murder, and all those fatal and deathstriking serpents are fostered. God, when he told Ezekiel. Ezek. 2. That briars and thorns should be with him; adds in the very next words, And thou shalt dwell among Scorpions. Therefore in Latin, Rubetum is a place of briars and brambles; and Rubeta is a toad, and that land-toad, the most venomous of the kind. It is dangerous sleeping near such places. He that lives among the wicked, hath no need of security, but to have clear and circumspect eyes; lest either the thorns prick him, or the Serpents under the thorns sting him. Woe is me, saith the Psalmist, that I must remain in Mesheck, and dwell in the tents of Kedar.  
4. Neither do the wicked, only with their thorns and briars, hinder others passage, but even their own. No marvel, if it be so difficult for an ungodly man to get to heaven; for he hedgeth up his own way. Men multiply their transgressions to infinite, and cast up innumerable thorns, yet hope well to be saved. But in vain he purposeth to travel to Ierusa●em, that hedgeth up his own passage. 
Pro. 22. 5.  Thorns and snares are in the way of the froward: not of Gods setting, but of their own planting. For (the next words testify) he that keepeth his soul, shall be far from them. There are hindrances enough to heaven, though the wicked make none themselves. The devil will look, that the way shall not be easy. Neither hath God set salvation upon such terms, that we may play and get it. The kingdom of heaven is got by violence: and they must strive, that will pass the narrow gate. Satan hath so many plots and tricks to deceive them; so many temptations, and corruptions to oppose them; that they have no cause to fence up the way themselves, against themselves, with a hedge of their own thorns. Heaven-gates will not fall down before men, as the iron-gates of the City to Peter, of their own accord. Nay, 
Acts. 12. 10.  If the Righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? 
1. Pet. 4. 18.   
5. Sins are fitly compared to thorns and briars, for their wounding, pricking, and such harmful offences. Therefore they are called tribuli, a tribulando; from their vexing, oppression, and tribulation they give those that touch them. The wicked are such calthrop's to the Country, boring and bloodying her sides. Either pricking the flesh, or tearing of the fleece; as briars and bushes that rob the sheep of their coats, which come to them for shelter. A great man wicked is like Abimelech, whom jotham calls a Bramble in his Parable. 
judg. 9 8.  The Olive would not leave his fatness, nor the Figtree his sweetness, nor the Vine his goodness, to be promoted over the trees. But the aspiring Bramble usurps it: and (as if he were some great Cedar) he calls the Trees to trust under his shadow. But when poor men come to this Bramble for refuge, here they lose a lock and there a lock, till they are left naked, Yea, the clothes are not only rend from their backs; but like the sons of Sceva exorcizing the evil spirits, they depart not away naked only, 
Acts 19 16.  but wounded. Their garments satisfy not these briars, scarce their blood and lives.  
These briars and Thorns have such pricking and wounding effects, in regard of three objects, whom they strike. For sins are like Thorns. 1. To men. 2. To Christ. 3. To the own consciences of the committers. First to men. Pliny mentioneth three sorts of briars. 
Lib. 21. cap. 16.   
1. The moorish briar, that only grows in rank and fen●e places, & is nourished with rotten mud, and such squalid putrefaction. There is a generation of men like these briars, given to drunkenness, whose affections are fed only with the moisture of the pot. They cannot live but in fenny and moorish places. Pliny saith, that adders & toads love and eat the fruits of these briars; and it is the food of serpents. The effects of drunkenness (in like sort) is a condiment for the devil. Augustine somewhat near our purpose, when he compares drunken places to the fens; where are bred snakes and serpents, and such vile noxious things, which every year must be burned. It were a good turn, if these morish brambles were stocked up by the roots. If you ask how you should rid them; I will not point you to the Fen-men, who to make quick dispatch of their anoiances, set fire on their fens: but I will give you another precedent. When a king asked how he might be rid of certain noisome fowls, which came abundantly flying into his land; one answered him. Nidos eorum ubique destruendos: that the only means was to destroy their nests in every place. So if you would be shut of these morish briars, the course is to destroy their nests; their haunts, and rendezvous, as they term them; the common quagmires of all filthiness. The ale houses are their nests & cages, where they exhaust and lavish out their goods, and lay plots and devices how to get more. Hence they fall either to robbing, or cheating; open courses of violence, or secret mischiefs: till at last the jail prepares then for the gibbet. For lightly they sing through a red lattice, before they cry through an iron grate. And when those briars are hampered, & put into prisons; it is said, that those places teach them more villainy than they knew before. That when a lewd fellow comes out of prison, he is furnished with such a pack of mischiefs, that he now sets up school, and teacheth others. It is wonderful, that places ordained for reformation, should be instructions of worse lewdness. I speak not against mercy: but experience & truth witnesseth that the mercy of some times is cruelty. And the pity to a notorious malefactor argues us of a hard heart, & of unmercifulness to the commonwealth. The sparing of rapes, robberies, whoredoms, cheat, frauds, unjust measures, false balances, occasioneth, yea encourageth the like. If thou be a Magistrate, deputed to judge it, and sparest a man that hath shed blood; the next blood he sheds thou art guilty of. Thou consentest to the second robbery of a thief, that hast remitted him the first. A Father brings in a notorious malefactor arraigning at the bar before the judge. When the mother comes, miserandaululatione, with bitter weeping desiring mercy for her son.  
The wife Lachrimabili voce, with mournful speech, imploring mercy for her husband. The little children plorantibus ocellis, with crying eyes, beseeching mercy for their Father. The people wishing he may be spared for the goodliness of his person. Yet saith the judge, Non misereor modo: I pity, but must not spare. Pereat unus, potius quam unitas. Better one perish, then all. Weed up the implacable thorns, for they will keep the ground barren. It hath been said, Bear one injury and provoke more: but here in case of justice, forgive one public injury, I mean a fact of horrid nature as I formerly taxed, and you provoke and encourage many. The Mariners would fain save jonas; but when there is no remedy, they will rather lose one jonas, then all themselves.  
2. Pliny's next sort of briars are Tribuli agrestes, Field-bryers; which are (saith he) shrewd enemies to tillage, and the fruits of the earth. This Island of ours, within these late days, hath bred a great number of these field-bryars: which unnaturally turn their mother into barrenness. Oppressors, Inclosers, Depopulators, Deportators, Depravators; that run the land to ruin for a private benefit: and work out a particular gain from a public and general loss.  
gain said I? Where is it? Did you ever know Inclosers prosper? I will speak boldly. I never knew great man grow greater by his depopulations: and I hope no man will say, he hath grown better by them. cornfields are turned to sheep-walks; once-inhabited towns feed Oxen; and Churches are made Shepherds Cottages: and yet the doers of all this never the richer. They keep less Hospitality; for a few rooms in London serve their turns: they extort sorer rents, and yet they have never the more money. It cannot be denied, but the main end of these courses was profit, and euhansing their estates: and lo, in this very end GOD crosseth-them. Speak what you will of their pride, of turning the alms they should give to the poor into feasts for the rich, of their infrugall courses: I say confidently, hic digitus Dei: here is the very hand of God striking them. Man, though he hath authority, will not look to these Field-bryars; but let them waste and forage, and play the Abimelechs'; but God will. But if we do not look to it, let me say to you, as jotham to the Shechemites of that aspiring Bramble, judg. 9 
judg. 9 20.  If fire come not out of Shechem to devour Abimelech; fire will come from Abimelech to devour Shechem. If you undo not the oppressions of the Field-bryers, their oppressions will undo us all.  
3 There is the Town- briar too, which groweth in our mounds and fences, and about the closing of towns. You in the City have no great plenty of these briars; yet you are troubled (in a metaphorical sense) with Town- briars, and City-brambles: which would not a little vex you, if you were not those yourselves.  
1. What say you to the Usurer? Is he not a Thorn amongst you? If you were not Usurers yourselves, you would confess it. But they say, the most horrible usury in the world is here practised, to 40. in the hundred: nay, to doubling of the principal in one year. A landed Gentleman wants money, he shall have it; but in commodities: which some compacted Broker buys of him, for half the rate they cost him, in ready money. Are these Christians? dare they show their faces in the Temple? But I know, you have been often told of these things. In a word, even the gentles● usury is a most sharp thorn, and pricks the side of the Country till the blood follows. An Usurer with his money, is like a man that hath no work of his own, yet keeps a servant to let out: and takes not only hire of others for his days labour; but chargeth him to steal somewhat beside, and never to return home empty. You understand me: I need not further apply it.  
These are vile winding and wounding briars, that fetch away clothes, and skin, and flesh too. Now the mercy of God rid us of these thorns. And let us know it is for our sins, that God suffers Usurers among us. It may be he permits them, as he did the Canaanites for a while in Israel, lest the wild beasts should break in upon them. Lest pride, and haughtiness, and uncleanness should spill men's souls by a full estate of wealth. God suffers Usurers like Horseleeches to suck and soak them: thereby (possibly) to humble them. Yet in mean time, I may say of them, as josuah did of those Canaanites; 
josh. 23. 13.  that they are pricks in our sides, and thorns in our eyes.  
2 What do you think of Adultery? Is it not a Thorn, yes, a sharp thorn, wounding the purse, enuenoming the body, condemning the Soul. The ground that bears it is lust: the sap that feeds it, is fullness of bread and Idleness: the heat that makes it glow, grow, and shoot, is lewd and wanton speech, and effeminate gestures: infamy is the bud; pollution the fruit; and the end hell-fire. And as Caietan and Theophilact observes on 1. Thes. 4. 
Thess. 4. 4.  that the Apostle having bid men possess their vessel in holiness, he adds; And let no man go beyond or defraud his brother in any matter: that this circumvention may be applied to Adultery, when a man is deceived of his bosome-spouse; who is hired to the subornation of bastards. So that lightly, concupiscence and cozenage go together. As that wickedness, of all others, never goes but by couples. For Adulterers non possunt ire soli ad diabolum. 
jerom.  An Adulterer cannot go alone to the Devil.  
3 Corrupt and consciensce-les Lawyers you will confess to be sharp and wounding brambles, and exceedingly hurtful. A poor Client among them, is as a blind sheep in a thicket of thorns: there is no hope of his fleece, it is well if he carry away his flesh whole on his back. A motion this term, an order next; instantly all crossed: scarce the twentieth order sometimes stands: execution is suspended, a writ of error puts all out of course. Oh the uncertain events of suits! I hope, says the poor bloud-drawne wretch, I shall have an end of my suit next term; nay, nor the next term, nor the next year. Fool! thou art gotten into a suit of durance; almost an immortal suit. And when the upshot comes, perhaps the mispleading of a word shall forfeit all. It is a lamentable uncertainty, and one politic addition of fickleness to the goods of this world, that no man might set his heart upon them: that an estate bought, truly paid for, and inherited, shall be gone upon a word; sometimes upon a syllable; upon a very bare letter, omitted or miswritten by the Scrivener. These are scratching briars. If what is wanting in the goodness of the cause, be supplied by the greatness of the fees, their tongues shall excuse their tongues for their contra-conscient plead. The Italians have a shrewd proverb against them. The Devil makes his Christmassepyes of Lawyer's tongues and Clerks fingers. This proverb I leave with them; and come to their kinsmen.  
4 Corrupted Officers, who are also sharp and sharking brambles. Their office is a bush of thorns at their backs, and they all to rend the country, with bribery and extortion. These men seek after authority, and commanding-places, not with any intent of good to the commonwealth, but to fill their own purses, to satisfy their own lusts. As some love to be poring in the fire, not that they care to mend it, but only to warm their own fingers.  
5 We have Papists amongst us; look to them, they are rankling thorns, and renting briars. False Gibeonites they are; and howsoever they pretend their old shoes, the antiquity of their Church, we have ever found them thorns; ready to put out our eyes, and (if they could) the eye of the Gospel. They exclaim against us for persecution; and cry themselves (louder than oyster-women in the streets) for patient Catholics, Saints, Martyrs. But match the peace they enjoy under us, with the tyranny they exercised over us; the burning our Fathers at stakes, the butchering our Princes, their conspiracy against our whole Realm, their continual bending their weapons against Sovereigns and subjects throats; and you will say, they are thorns. I have read of a bird, that when men are devout at their sacrifice, takes fire from the Altar, and burns their houses. All their black treasons, and bloody intendments, they derive from the Altar; and plead the warrant of Religion, to set our whole Land in combustion. O that these brambles were stocked up: that Ishmael were cast out of doors, that Sara and her son Isaac might live in quiet.  
6 There are furious male contents among us: a contemptible generation of thorns; that (because their hands are pinioned) prick only with their tongues. They are ever whining, and upon the least cause filling the world with importunate complaints. These are savage & popular humours, that cannot suffer eminency to pass unreproched. But they must vellicate goodness, and gird greatness; that neither the living can walk, nor the dead sleep, in quiet. Affecters of innovation, that are ever finding fault with the present times: any thing pleaseth them but what is. Even the best blessings of God scape not their censures: neither do they esteem by judgement, or pronounce by reason: they find fault with things, they know not wherefore, but because they do not like them. Beware these thorns: they are like the wheels of some cunningly wrought fireworks; that fly out on all sides; and offering to sing others, burn themselves. Laudant veteres, etc. as if no times were so miserable as ours. As if the civil wars of France, or the bloody Inquisition of Spain, or the Turkish cruelty in Anatolia, where he breeds his soldiers; or at home, the time of the Baron's war; or yet later, the persecution of a Boner; were none of them so cruel, as these days, when every man sits and sings under his own figtree. Sure if they had once tasted the bitterness of war, they would better esteem of their peace. These are pestilent thorns: nothing but fear keeps them from conspiracy. Nay, so they might set the whole land on fire, they would not grudge their own ashes.  
7. There are briars too growing near the Church; too near it. They have raised Church-livings to four and five years purchase: and it is to be feared, they will shortly rack up presentative livings, to as high a rate, as they did their impropriations, when they would sell them. For they say, few will give above sixteen years purchase for an impropriate Parsonage; and I have heard some rate the donation of a benefice they must give, at ten years: what with the present money they must have, and with referuation of tithes, and such unconscionable tricks; as if there was no God in heaven, to see or punish it. Perhaps, some will not take so much: but most will take some; enough to impoverish the Church, to enrich their own purses, to damn their souls.  
One would think, it was sacrilege enough to rob God of his main tithes: must they also nimme away the shreds? must they needs shrink the whole cloth, (enough to apparel the Church) as the cheating Tailor did, to a dozen of buttons? Having full gorged themselves with the parsonages, must they pick the bones of the Vicaredges too? Well saith S. August. Multi in hac vita manducant, quod postea apud inferos digerunt. Many devour that in this life, which they shall digest in hell.  
These are the Church-briers; which (let alone) will at last bring as famous a Church, as any Christendom hath, to beggary. Politic men, begin a pace already to withhold their children from Schools and Universities. Any profession else better likes them; as knowing, they may live well in whatsoever calling, save in the ministry. The time was, that Christ threw the buyers and sellers out of the Temple; but now the buyers and sellers have thrown him out of the Temple. Yea, they will throw the church out of the church if they be not stayed. But some may say to me, as one advised Luther, when he began to preach against the Pope's usurpation and tyranny, You had as good hold your peace. This wickedness is so powerful, that you will never prevail against it. Get you to your study, and say, Lord have mercy on us, and procure yourself no ill will. But be it good will, or be it ill will, we come hither to speak the truth in our consciences. And if these Church-thornes will continue their wickedness, be it unto them as they have deserved. If they will needs go to hell, let them go: we cannot help it, let them perish. I had purposed the discovery of more Brambles, but the time forbids it. I would to God, we were well freed from those I have taxed.   

THE END Of Thorns. THE fifth SERMON.  ESA. 9 18. 
Wickedness burneth as the fire: it shall devour the briars and Thorns, and shall kindle in the thickets of the Forest, and they shall mount up like the lifting up of smoke.  GREG. lib. 4. Dialog. 
Ad magnam iudicantis justitiam pertinet, ut nunquam mortui careant supplicio, qui nunquam vivi volverunt carere peccato.  
LONDON, Printed by George Purslowe, for john Budge, and are to be sold at his shop, at the great South-door of Paul's, and at Britain's Burse. 1616.   

THE END Of THORNS.  
THE fifth SERMON.  HEB. Chap. 6. Vers. 8. But that which beareth thorns and briars, is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing, whose end is to be burned. 
Our sins are thorns to others; some wounding with their direct blows, others with their wipes, all with their examples. Man only hath not felt their blows; our Saviour also so found them: when he was fain for our sakes to set his naked breast, his naked heart, his naked soul against them. They say, the Nightingale sleeps with her breast against a thorn, to avoid the Serpent. Christ was content to be wounded, even to sleep to death with thorns, that he might deliver us from that devouring serpent, the great infernal Dragon. His head was not only raked and harrowed with material thorns: 
Bern.  Caput Angelicis spiritibus tremebundum coronatur spinis That head which the Angelical spirits adore and tremble at, was crowned with thorns. But these mystical thorns, our iniquities, with fiercer blows drew blood of his soul. They do in a sort still. Heb. 6. 6. 
Heb. 6. 6.  They crucify to themselves the Son of God a fresh, and put him to an open shame. Not in himself, for they cannot: but can them no thanks; they would, if they could: and to themselves they do it. Wretched men, will you not yet let jesus Christ alone, and be at rest? will you still offer violence to your blessed Saviour; and labour to pull him down from his throne to his Cross; from his peaceful glory at the right hand of his Father, to more sufferings? You condemn the merciless Soldiers, that plaited a crown of thorns, 
Mat. 27. 29.  and put it on his innocent head. Sinful wretch, condemn thyself. Thy sins were those thorns, and far sharper. Thy oppressions, wronging, and wring, of his poor brethren, offer him the violence of new wounds: thy oaths, thy frauds, thy pride scratch him like briars. Hear him complaining from heaven, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? These Thorns grow on earth, yet they prick jesus Christ in heaven. Oh we little know the price of a sin, that thus play the executioners with the Lord of life. Think, think; Christ felt your sins as sharp thorns.  
Lastly, you find them thorns yourselves, if Christ did not for you. When God shall enliven and make quick the sense of your numbed consciences, you shall confess your own sins ●ruell thorns to your souls, 2. Cor. 12. 
2. Cor. 12. 7.  A thorn in your flesh, that shall buffet you with terror. For a while men are insensible of their iniquities. Christ, Math. 13. 22. 
Mat. 13. 22.  calls the riches of this world thorns, which choke the good seed of the Gospel.  
The common opinion of the world is, that they are goodly, fine and smooth things; furs to keep them warm, oil to cheer their faces, and wine to their hearts; of a silken softness to their affections. But Christ saith, they are thorns; stinging and choking thorns. And the covetous conscience shall one day perceive in them, Triplicem puncturam, 
Ludolph.  a threefold pricking. Laboris in acquisition; they are gotten with trouble. Timoris in possessione; they are kept with fear. Doloris in amissione; they are lost with grief.  
Men commonly deal with their sins, as hedgers do, when they go to plash thorny bushes: they put on tyning gloves, that the Thorns may not prick them. So these harden their hearts, that their own thorns may give them no compunction. But all vanities are but like the fools laughter, 
Eccl. 7. 6.  which Solomon compares to the crackling of thorns under a p●t: they make a noise, and suddenly go out. But sin never parts with the wicked, without leaving a sting behind it. 
In. Galat. cap. 1. ver. 3.  Luther saith, there are two fiends, that torment men in this world: and they are sin, and a bad conscience. The latter follows the former: or if you will, the former wounds the latter: for sin is the thorn, and the conscience the subject it strikes. This thorn often pricks deep; to the very heart. Acts 2. to the very bones, Psal. 38. 
Psal. 38. 3.  There is no rest in my bones because of my sin. 
I sid. lib. 2. Soliloquiorum. mens enim malae conscientiae proprijs agitatur stimulis.  Vis nunquam esse tristis? been vive. Nunquam securus est reus animus. wouldst thou never be sorrowful? live well. A guilty mind cannot be securely quiet. An evil mind is haunted and vexed with the thorns of his own conscience. Sin to the affections, whiles it is doing, is oleum ungens, supple oil. Sin to the conscience when it is done, is tribulus pungens, a pricking thorn. What extreme contraries do often wicked conceits run into? In their time of security they cannot be brought, to think sin to be sin. At last desperately, they think it such a sin, that it cannot be forgiven. At first they are delighted with the sense and smell of their iniquity, as of a sweet rose: but the rose of their delight withers, and there is a thorn under it, that pricks the heart. Hereupon Solomon couples pleasant vanity, and troublesome vexation together. If that tickles the flesh, this shall wound the spirit. You shall hear an Usurer in the madness of presumption expostulating, what? may I not make benefit of my money? Observe him, and in the end you shall hear him in the madness of despair, cry out of his own damnation for it. At first they make question whether it be a sin: at last they know it such a sin, that they make question whether God will forgive it. So men will look to sin either too superficially, or too superstitiously. There was no danger saith the Drunkard, when he is asked how he seaped such a passage: bring him back in the sober moming to see, and he falls down dead in astonishment.  
I need not further amplify this point. Christ gives a vae ridentibus; Woe to them that laugh, for they shall weep: and every smile of sin shall be turned to a groan of sorrow. They that exhibit their lives as sacrifices risuiet lubentiae; shall one day feel pricks, and goads, and thorns; scratching and piercing their hearts: when (like the strucken dear, with the arrowhead rankling in his side) they shall not be able to shift or change pains with places. Let this reach to our souls two instructions.  
1 That we labour our hearts betimes to a sensibleness of these thorns. A Thorn swallowed into the flesh, if it be not looked to, rankles. Sin without repentance, will fester in the soul; and is so much more perilous, as it is less felt. Oh the number of thorns that lie in many conscience, who complain no more, then if they ailed nothing. The prick of a thorn is not so painful at first, while the blood is hot, as after a cold pause. Every man hath his complaints; & who liveth out of the reach of discontent? You shall hear tradesmen complaining of few or false customers. Labourers, of little work, and less wages. Beggars complain the want of Charity: and rich men the want of money. Merchants of rocks and Pirates: Lawyers of short fees; and Clients of long suits. But no man complains of the thorns in his own bosom. He nourisheth briars there that wound him: and the heart is as dedolent, 
Ephe. 4. 19  as if it were past feeling. But where there is no discovery of the disease, the recovery of the health is in vain 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 Thorn that vexeth it. David roars out for the very disquietness of his heart. The aching heart will make a crying tongue, and wet eyes. Lo the mercy of GOD! A remedy is not sooner desired, then offered. The sacred Gospel directs us to a medicine, that shall supple the heart, and draw out these thorns; though they stuck as thick in it, as ever the arrows did in Sebastian. They speak of the herb Dictamnum, called of some Ditanie, that it hath a secret virtue to draw out any thing fastened in the body. 
Lib. 26. cap. 14.  Pliny saith, that this herb drunk, Sagittas pellit. Experience telleth, that it is sovereign to exhale a thorn out of the flesh. Our only Dictamnum is the precious blood of our merciful Saviour JESUS CHRIST. A plaster of that is truly virtual, to draw out all thorns from our consciences, Saucia ●nimis, which is nulla medicabilis herbis, is thus cured. Our sins drew blood of him; that his blood might save us. He was crowned with Thorns, that we might not be killed with thorns. He was wounded for us, that we might not perish for ourselves.  
Take we heed, that we despise not this medicine. The law was so far from drawing out these thorns, that it would drive them in further, and cause them to rankle in the heart, without any hope of ease. It did but exasperate their stings, and give them a deeper continuance of pricking. The mollifying and healing Gospel extracts their venom, and sucks out their poison. Let us not dare then to vilipend this cordial and sovereign medicine.  
You perceive that our sins are Thorns; and what is their only remedy. Know now, that if they be not drawn out in this world, they shall be found thorns hereafter; when the owners shall hear Christ's sentence, Go ye cursed, etc. for the end of them is to be burned. So I come to the punishment: but I will soon have done with that, which shall never have done with those that must undergo it.  
There is a threefold gradation in the Penalty, Rejection, malediction, combustion. Is rejected, is nigh unto cursing, and the end thereof is to be burned. And it seems to have relation to a threefold distinction of time. 1. For the present, it is rejected. 2. For instance or appropinquation, it is nigh unto cursing. 3. For future certainty, the end of it is to be burned. As men commonly deal with thorns: first they cut them up with bills and mattocks: then they lay them by to wither: and lastly burn them in the furnace.  
1 Rejection. This which we here translate (is rejected) is in the original (〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉) which may signify Reprobios, or reprobatus: so Beza hath it; is reproved, or disallowed of God. This ground shall have no ground in heaven, no part in God inheritance. It is reprobate silver, not current with the Lord. No man desires to purchase Land, that will bring forth nothing but weeds: he will not cast away his silver upon it. And shall GOD buy so base ground, that will be no better, at so inestimable a price, as the incorruptible blood of his own Son? It despiseth the Lord's goodness, and the LORDS goodness shall despise it. It is rejected. If any man saith, this is Durus Sermo, let him consider of whom the Apostle speaketh, verse. 4. against whom he concludes ab impossibili. It is impossible, etc. A hard saying to understand, but more, most heard to undergo. If God be driven to lose all his pains and cost upon an ingrateful heart, he will at last renounce it, and give it over 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 goodness, it shall be rejected.  
2. The second degree of the Punishment is cursing: and this may seem to exceed the former. God's curse is a fearful 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 be curiously punctual, in the demonstration of these particular degrees of the Punishment. That which I will observe, is this.  
That God is more propense and inclined to blessing, then to cursing: more prone to show mercy, then to inflict judgement. It is said in the former Verse, the good ground receives blessing of God: receives it presently, receives it at once. But here of the evil ground; it is nigh unto cursing: it is not presently cursed, but nigh unto it. There is some pause and delay: some lucida interualla misericordiae. The whole vial of wrath is not poured on at once. But first there is a despising or rejection; to let the wicked see, how hateful their vices are in God's sight. If this serve not, they are not suddenly cursed; but there is a breathing time, and a merciful space between that and cursing; and between cursing and burning. So slowly doth GOD proceed to judgement, so little haste he makes to the execution of his vengeance. He is speedy to deliver, to save, to give his blessing; but he hath leaden feet when he comes to strike.  
The use of this to ourselves is, that the patient forbearance of God may lead us to repentance, Romans the second and the fourth. 
Rom. 2. 4.  The Prophet joel bids us Rend our hearts, 
joel. 2. 13.  and fall to weeping and mourning; Because the Lord is merciful and slow to anger. God's long-suffering is as a hand reached out, that points us to repentance. Such is his goodness, that when all his terrors and menace; are set in their places, yet he makes room for Repentance, whensoever it comes. And though they be as ready to strike, as Abraham's hand was to Isaac's sacrifice; yet Repentance, tanquam vox Angeli, shall stay them. O blessed Repentance, how sweet and amiable art thou! yet how few love thee!  
The great man, that thinks he may securely be wicked, because he is honourably great; and dares affront the Pulpit, though the greatest Bishop in the land were preaching in it; cares not for repentance. The wealthy Gentleman, that can bung up Hospitality into a Diogenes tub; nestle himself warm in a City-chamber, whiles Owls and Daws parlour themselves in his countrey-manors: that (as it is storied of that jew for the use of his money) takes his rent in blood; the heart-blood of his racked Tenants; cares not for Repentance.  
The country Nabal, that hoards his grain, and with it locks up his soul in a Garner, that the Sun of God's blessing may not come at it: that starves the poor, his family, himself; cares not for Repentance. The avarous Citizens, whom the glad Devil can never find without a false measure in one hand, and a cozening weight in the other; that have tricks in their sconces to overreach the devil himself; but that (like a cunning Fenser) he that taught them all their tricks, kept one to himself, to cheat them of their souls; care not for repentance. The muffled Lawyer, that hath no sense left alive but his feeling, and weighs all causes by the poised of gold; that talks against others right and his own conscience; that leads jury into perjury, with his fraudulent circumventions; cares not for repentance.  
The sharking Officer, 
Zosun. lib. 2.  (that like Menelaus, an Armenian Archer in the wars betwixt Constantius and Magnentius) can shoot three arrows at once, at one loose; wherewith he wounds not one, but three at the least: the Prince whom he serves, the person whom he draws blood of, and the body of the Commonwealth; cares not for repentance. I need not speak of the Church-robber, the Usurer, the Drunkard, the Proud, the unclean adulterer: no man can think, that they care for repentance. O but they all purpose to repent. Spare them a while; they are but new set into the Oven; not yet fully baked in their hot vanities: let them foke a little in their pleasures, and at last they will return. 
Hos. 7. 4.  They are as an Oven heated by the Baker. Repentance is an ascent of four steps: many get up three of them, but climb not to the fourth and best.  
1. Some there are that purpose to amend their lives. But purpose without performance is like a Cloud without rain; not unlike Hercules' Club in the Tragedy, of a great bulk, but the stuffing is moss and rubbish. If the tree be fairly blossomed, and naked of fruit, it may speed as the Figtree in the Gospel. be curseo: or at least (it is as the evil ground here) nigh unto cursing. Many that purposed to repent, are now in hell, as the five foolish Virgins, that intended to go in with the Bridegroom; but before the time their lights dropped out.  
One said, that hell is like to be full of good purposes, but heaven of good works. If a bare Intention would serve, God's Church on earth would be fuller of Saints, and his Court in heaven fuller of souls. Ignorance and Sloth adulterating, bring forth this lank brood, this abortive embryon, Purpose. Such a man is like an ill debtor, who will not pay God his due of devotion till he is old: and then he cannot pay for want of (time & money) space and grace to repent. We make (in these days) our purposes like our Eves, and our performances like the holidays: servants work hard upon the Eves, that they may have the more liberty to play upon the Holidays: so we are earnest, and labour hard on our purposes; but are idle and play upon our performances. But Resolution without action, is a golden couch to a leaden jewel.  
2. The second round of this Ladder is Preparation. Some there are that will prepare, & almost set themselves in a readiness for their journey to heaven; yet never set one step forward. Preparation is indeed as necessary, as the door is to the house: but as idle, if there be no house to the door. It may (as john the Baptist did for Christ) prepare the way of the Lord into our hearts: and it may be as vaite, as the Apothecary's Beast, 
Testia Pharmacopolae.  which he promised his Patient would help him of all diseases; but before morning it had eaten up itself. Preparation is a necessary antecedent to all great works, Amos 4. 
Am. 4. 12.  Prepare to meet thy God, O Israel. But a man may prepare meat, and not feed: prepare meat, and not eat. Prepaeration does well, if reparation follows. A man may climb both these rounds, and yet fall short of the true height of Repentance.  
3. The third stairre is a Beginning to abstain from some horrid iniquities; and as it were, an entering into a new path; but not going one step in it, without a voluntary revolting. But Beginning is nothing to perfection. Some begin in the spirit, and end in the flesh: that s●lute Christ in the market place; take acquaintance of him in the street, but never bid him home to their houses. It is (vox praetereuntium derisoria) the speech of them that pass by. This man began to build. A house but begun is not fit to dwell in: and shall we think that God's Spirit will dwell in an inchoate habitacle, and not likely to be finished? The Apostle saith, 
2. Pet. 2. 21.  It had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, then after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.  
4 The fourth Round only pleaseth God, and is good for our Souls, Repentance; without which the evil ground is near to cursing; as it were at next door by; and it shall come on him with a speedy visitation nisi interueniente poenitentia. This is the Bulwark to defend us from the shot of God's thunder from heaven: this hedgeth us in from his judgements on earth. Woe to sinful man without this: for he is near to cursing; and his end is to be burned. Blessed Soul that hath it. Wheresoever it dwells, mercy dwells by it. If England hath it, it shall ease her of her thorns, Ezek. 28. 
Ezek. 20. 14.  There shall be no more a pricking briar unto the house of Israel, nor any grieving Thorn 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 everlastingly-hote furnace be material or spiritual. Surely, it is strangely terrible; and we are blessed, if we neither understand it nor undergo it. The misery of the damned is usually distinguished into the Pain of loss, and the pain of sense. Both implied in this verse, and expressed, Thessalonians the second, Chap. 1. Verse 8, 9 
2. The. 1. 8. 9  Christ shall take vengeance on such as know not God, and obey not the Gospel of jesus Christ, there is pain of Sense. They shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power, there is pain of loss.  
1. This Poena damni, or privation of blessedness, may seem to be implied in the first degree here mentioned, Rejection. The reprobate are cast away of God. Much like that form of the last sentence, Math. 25. 41. 
Mat. 25. 41.  Depart from me, ye cursed: a fearful sentence, a terrible separation. From Me, saith Christ; that made myself man for your sakes, that offered my blood for your redemption, & received these & these wounds for your remedy. From Me, that would have healed, would have helped, would have saved you. From Me, that invited you to mercy, and you would not accept it. From Me, that purchased a kindgome of glory, for such as believed on me; and will wrap their heads with crowns of eternal joy: Depart from Me. This is a fearful Rejection, My friendship, my fellowship, my Paradise, my presence, my heaven, where is fullness of joy, and pleasure for evermore, 
Psal. 16. ult.  are none of yours. They might have been; they are lost. Neither shall they only lose Christ, but all the company with Christ: the Choir of glorious Angels, the society of his blessed Mother, the Prophets, Apostles, Martyrs, all the happy and holy Saints, with the whole host of heaven. They shall fret, and vex, and be ready to eat their own galls, to see those triumphing in glory, whom they on earth persecuted, martyred, tortured. They could here exercise their savage tyranny over them; not only denying their own bread, but taking away theirs: they could despise, beat, malign, undo, burn them at stakes: now the estate of both is changed: as Abraham told Dives. They are comforted, 
Luke 16. 25.  and thou art tormented.  
2. This is not all. The privation of blessed joys is not enough: there must follow the position of cursed torments. For their Punishment is proportioned to their sin, jer. 2. 
jer. 2. 13.  They have committed two evils. They have forsaken the Lord, the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no water. As they turned from their Maker, so their Maker turns from them: there is Poenadamni. As they fastened their delights on the creatures, so the creatures shall be their tortures: there is Poena sensus. They rejected God, and he rejects them; they adhered to wickedness, and it shall adhere to their bones for ever, and bring them to burning.  
Their torments which are here expressed by Fire, have two fearful conditions, universality, and eternity.  
1. They are universal, vexing every part of the body, and power of the soul. It is terrible in this life, to be pained in every part of the body at one time. To have ache in the teeth, gout in the feet, colic in the reins, etc. and to lie (as it were) upon a rack, for innumerable diseases, like so many executioners, to torture him, is intolerable. But the largest shadow of these torments to their substance, is not so much as a little bonfire to the combustion of the whole world.  
2. They are eternal. If it had but as many ages to burn, as there be trees standing on the earth, there would be some, though a tedious hope of their end. But it is such a Fire, as shall never be quenched. This word Never is fearful. Though they rain floods of tears upon it, they shall be but like oil to increase the flame: for the worm never dies, the fire never goes out. You see the end of thorns. Wickedness burneth as the fire: 
Esa. 9 18.  it shall devour the briars and thorns, and shall kindle in the thickest of the Forest, and they shall mount up like the lifting up of sm●k●.  
I resolved against prolixity. The general and summary doctrine is this. That since the wicked ground, which beareth thorns and briars, is near unto cursing, and the end thereof is eternal fire: it follows necessarily, that all they which lay the foundation of ungodliness, must needs build upon condemnation. Let no man deceive you: 
I. joh. 3. 8.  He that committeth sin is of the Devil. If the course of a man's life be wicked, covetous, unclean, malicious, idolatrous, adulterous, drunken; he lays the groundwork of his own destruction; and precipitates himself to the malediction of God. He that lays the foundation in firework, must look to be blown up. Perhaps this meditation, though it be of unquenchable Fire, may yet work coldly in our hearts; and leave no impression behind it; yet you cannot deny this to be true. He that would deny it must deny my Text, must turn Atheist, and reject the holy word of God. Nay, he must think there is no God, no revenge of wickedness, no devil, no hell. And he undertakes a very hard task, that goes about to settle this persuasion in his mind. No, no. Let no man deceive you with vain words: 
Eph. 5. 6.  for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. And in this passage I must value all men alike: of what stuff, or of what fashion soever his coat be: if his life be full of briars and thorns, his end is to be burned. What shall we then do unto thee, O thou preserver of men, that we may escape it? what, 
Mark. 1. 15.  but Repent, and believe the Gospel!  
Let the commination of hell instruct us to prevent it: as the message of niniveh's overthrow effected their safety. 1. Let us fly by a true faith into the arms of our Redeemer, that God reject us not. 2. Let us pour forth floods of repentant tears, that we be not nigh unto cursing. 3. And let us bring forth no more briars and thorns, that our end may not be, to be burned. Faith, Repentance, Obedience; this same golden rule of three, will teach us to work up our own salvation. This done, we shall not be rejected, but known to be elected: we shall be so far from cursing. that we shall presently receive the blessing. And our End shall be, not fire, but glory and peace. 
Psal. 37. 37.  Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is PEACE.  
FINIS.