A Divine Herbal Together with a Forest of Thorns, Part 2
Raine.
GOds Word is often compared to Raine or Deaw. Deut. 32. 2.Moses beginnes his Song with My doctrine shall drop as the raine, my speech shal distill as the deaw; as the small raine vponupon the tender herbe, and as the showers vponupon the grasse. Therfore in the first verse, he calls to the earth to heare his voice. Man is the Earth, and his Doctrine the Raine. Mica. 2.Mica. 2. 6. Prophecie yee not: the originall word is Drop ye not, &c. 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. Sonne of man set thy face toward Ierusalem, and drop thy word toward the holy places. The Metaphore is vsuall: wherein stands the comparison? In 6. concurrences.
1. It is the property of Raine to coole heate▪ Experience tels vsus, that a sweltring feruour of the ayre, which almost fryes vsus, is allayed by a moderate shower sent from the clouds. The burning heate of sinne in vsus, and of Gods anger for sinne against vsus, is quenched by the Gospell. It cooles our intemperate heate of malice, anger, ambition, auarice, lust; which are burning sins.
2. Another effect of Raine, is Thirst quenched. The drie earth parched with heate, opens it selfe in refts and cranies, as if it would deuoure the cloudes for moisture. The Christian soule thirsts after righteousnesse; is drie at heart till he can hauehave the Gospell: a showre of this mercy from heauen quencheth his thirst: he is satisfied. Whosoeuer drinketh of the water that I shal giuegive him, shal neuer thirst: Ioh. 4. 14.but it shall bee in him a well of water, springing vp into euerlasting life.
3. Raine doth allay the windes. When the ayre is in an vprore, and the stoutest Cedars crouch to the ground before a violent blast; euen Towers and Cities tremble; a showre of raine sent from the cloudes mitigates this fury. When the Potentates of the world, Tyrants, little better then Diuels, Gog and Magog, Moab and Ammon, Turkey, Rome, Hell, storme against vsus; God quiets all our feares, secures vsus from al their terrours by a gracious raine, droppes of merciemercy in the neuer-fayling promises of the Gospell.
4. Raine hath a powerfull efficacy to cleanse the ayre. When infectious fogges, and contagious vapours hauehave filled it full of corruption, the distilling showres wash away the noysome putrifaction. We know, that too often filthy fumes of errors and heresies surge vp in a land, that the soule of faith is almost stifled, and the vncleannesse of corrupt doctrine gets a predominant place: the Lord then droppes his word from heauen: the pure Raine of his holy Gospell cleanseth away this putrifaction, and giues new life to the almost smothered truth. Wo to them then that would depriue mens soules of the Gospell, and with-hold the Truth in vnrighteousnesse. When they locke vp the gates of grace (as Christ reproued the Lawyers) and labour to make the heauens brasse, they must needes also make the Earth iron. How should the earth of mans heart bring forth fruits, when the raine is with-held from it? No maruell, if their ayre be poyson'd.
5. Raine hath yet another working; to mollifie a hard matter. The parched and heat-hardned earth is made soft by the deawes of heauen. O how hard and obdurate is the heart of man, till this raine…falls on it. Is the heart couetous? no teares from distressed eyes can melt a peny out of it. Is it malicious? no supplications can begge forbearance of the least wrong. Is it giuen to drunkennesse? you may melt his body into a dropsie; before his heart into sobrietie. Is it ambitious? you may as well treat with Lucifer about humiliation. Is it factious? a Quire of Angels cannot sing him into peace. No means on earth can soften the heart; whether you annoint it with the supple balmes of entreaties, or thunder against it the bolts of menaces, or beate it with the hammer of mortall blowes. Behold! GOD showres this raine of the Gospell from heauen, and it is sodainely softned. One Sermon may pricke him at the heart; one droppe of a Sauiours bloud distilled on it by the Spirit, in the preaching of the Word, melts him like waxe. The Drunkard is made sober, the Adulterer chaste, Zaccheus mercifull, and raging Paul as tame as a Lambe.
They that hauehave erst serued the Diuell with an eager appetite, and were hurried by him with a voluntary precipitation; hauehave all their chaines eaten off by this Aqua fortis: one droppe of this raine hath broken their fetters; and now all the powers of hell cannot preuaile against them. There is a Legend, (I had as good say, a tale) of an Hermite, that heard (as he imagin'd) all the Diuels of hell on the other side of the wall, lifting, and blowing, and groning, as if they were a remouing the world. The Hermite desires to see them: admitted, behold, they were all lifting at a feather, and could not stirre it. The application may serue; yeeld the fable idle. Satan and his Armies, Spirits, Lusts, Vanities, Sinnes, that erst could tosse and blow a man vp and downe like a feather; and did not sooner present a wickednesse to his sight, but he was more ready for action, then they for instigation; now they cannot stirre him: they may sooner remoue the world from the pillars, then him from the grace and mercy of God. The deaw of heauen hath watred him, and made him grow; and the power of hell shall not supplant him. The raine of merciemercy hath softned his heart, and the heat of sinne shall neuer harden it.
6 Lastly, Raine is one principall subordinate cause, that all things fructifie. This holy deaw is the operatiue meanes and working cause, next vnderunder the grace of God in our Lord Iesus Christ, that the soules of Christians should bring forth the fruits of faith and obedience. I know, God can saue without it: we dispute not of his power, but of his worke; of ordinary, not extraordinary operations. God vsually worketh this in our hearts by his word. Thus for the matter: the manner is:
1. It commeth.
2. Often.
3. VponUpon it.
It commeth:
IT is not forc'd, nor fetch'd, but comes of his owne meere mercy, whose it is. Iam. 1.Iames 1. 17. So sayth the Apostle: EueryEvery good gift, and eueryevery perfect gift is from aboue, and commeth downe from the Father of lights. They that want it, hauehave no merit of congruity to draw it to them: they that hauehave it, hauehave no merite of condignitie to keepe it with them. It is the mercy and gratuitall fauour of God, that this Gospell commeth to vsus. For, if ipsum minus be munus, how highly is this great gift to be praysed! What deserue we more then other Nations? They hauehave as pregnant wittes, as proportionable bodies, as strong sinewes as we: and perhaps would bring forth better fruits. Yet they want it: with vsus it is. Wee need not trauell from Coast to coast, nor iourney to it; it is come to vsus. Venit ad limina virtus: will you steppe ouer your thresholds, and gather Manna? When the Gospell was farre off from our Fathers, yet in them Studium audiendi superabat taedium accedendi: the desire of hearing it beguiled the length of the way. But we will scarce put forth our hand to take this bread: and, as in some ignorant countrey townes, be more eager to catch the raine, that falls from the out-side of the Church in their buckets, then this raine of grace preached in it, in their hearts. Oh you wrong vsus; wee are fond of it; we call for preaching: yes, as your forefathers of the blind times would call apace for holy water; yet when the Sexton cast it on thē, they would turn away their faces, and let it fall on their backes. Let God sow as thicke as he will, you wil come vp thinne. You will admit frequencie of preaching, but you hauehave taken an order with your selues of rare practising. You are content this Raine should come, as the next circumstance giues it,
Often.
GOD hath respect to our infirmities, and sends vsus a plentiful raine. One showre will not make vsus fruitful; it must come oft vponupon us. Gutta cauat lapidem, non vi, sed saepe cadendo. The raine dints the hard stone, not by violence, but by oft-falling droppes. Line must be added to line: here a little and there a little. God could powre a whole floud on vsus at once: but mans vnderstanding
Is like a viall, narrow at the toppe:
Not capable of more, then drop by droppe,
Sayes the Poet. If much were powred at once, a great deale would fall besides, and be spilt. Like children, wee must bee fed by spoonfulls, according to the capacity of our weake natures. It is not an abundant raine falling at once, that makes the plants grow; but kindly and frequent showers. One sermon in a yeare contents some throughly; and God is highly beholding to thē, if they wil sit out that waking. You desire your fields, your gardens, your plants to be often watred; your soules will grow well enough with one raining. How happy would man be, if hee were as wise for his soule, as he is for his body! Some there are, that would heare often, may be too often; til edification turne to tedification; and get themselues a multitude of Teachers; but they wil doe nothing. You shall hauehave them run ten miles to a Sermon; but not steppe to their owne dores with a morsell of bread to a poore brother. They wish wel to the cause of Christ, but they will doe nothing for it worth God-a-merciemercy. The world is full of good wishes: but heauen only full of good workes. Others would hauehave this Raine fall often, so it be such as they desire it. Such a cloud must giuegive it, and it must be begotten in thunder; faction and innouation.Hier. in Ep. ad Galat. Till Euangelium Christi fit euangelium hominis; aut quod peius est, Diaboli. Till the Gospell of Christ be made mans Gospell, or which is worse, the deuills, If the raine, as it falls, doe not smell of Nouelty, it shal fall besides them. They regard not so much heauen whence it comes, as who brings it. I hauehave read of two, that meeting at a Tauem,Manl. fel a tossing their religion about as m… rily as their cuppes: and much drunken discourse was of their profession. One protested himself of Doctor Martins Religion: the other swore, hee was of Doctor Luthers Religion: whereas Martin and Luther was one man. No raine shall water them, but such a mans: otherwise be it neuer so wholesome, they spew it vp againe. As if their consciēce were so nice & delicate as that ground at Coleine, Baron.where some of St. Vrsula's eleuen thousand Virgins were buried; which will cast vp againe in the night, any that hauehave bene interred there in the day: except of that company, though it were a child newly baptised. For our selues, the limits of sobriety being kept, desire wee to heare the Gospell often; and let our due succeding obedience iustifie the goodnesse of our thirst. When Christ spake of the bread of life, the transported Disciples beseech him, Lord, euermore giuegive us this bread. Ioh. 6. 34.So pray wee, Lord euermore showre down vponupon vsus this raine.
VponUpon it.
GOd so directs this deaw of his Word, that it shall fall on our hearts, not besides. The Raine of the Gospell, like the raine of the clouds, hath sometimes gone by coasts. Amos 4.Amos 4. 7. I hauehave with-holden the raine from you, and I hauehave caused it to raine vponupon one Citie, and caused it not to raine vponupon another Citie: one piece was rained vponupon, and the piece whereupon it rayned not withered. But I hauehave wetted your fields, moysten'd your hearts, with the deawes of heauen, giuen you my statutes and ordinances, Psa. 147. 20.sayth the Lord: I hauehave not dealt so with eueryevery people; there be some that hauehave not the knowledge of my lawes. The Sunne shines on many nations, where this spirituall raine falls not. This is not all; but as at the last day, two in one bed shall be diuorced; so euen now one seat in the Church may holde two, vponupon one whereof this sauing raine may fall, not on the other. The Spirit blowes where hee pleaseth: and though the sound of the raine be to all open eares alike, yet the spirituall deaw drops only into the open hart. Many come to Iacobs well, but bring no pitchers with them; wherewith to drawe the water. A good showre may come on the earth, yet if a man house himselfe, or bee shrouded vnderunder a thicke bush, or borough'd in the ground, hee will be drie still. God sends downe his raine; one houseth himselfe in the darkenesse of securitie: hee is too drowsie to be told in with the bells: Another sits dallying with the delights of lust vnderunder a green bush, a third is borough'd in the ground, mining and intrenching himselfe in the quest of riches. Alas, how should the deaw of grace fall vponupon these! Thou wouldst not shelter thy ground from the clouds, lest it grow barren: oh then keep not thy soule from the raine of heauen.
You hauehave heard how the raine is come; now heare how it is made welcome. The good groūd drinkes it, nay drinkes it in. Imbibit. The comparison stands thus. The thirsty Land drinkes vp the raine greedily, which the cloudes poure vponupon it. You would wonder what becomes of it: you may finde it in your fruites. When your Vines hang full of clusters, your Gardens stand thicke with flowers, your Medowes with grasse, your fields with corne; you will say, the earth hath been beholden to the heauen. That hath rained moisture, this hath drunke it in; we see it in our fruits.Hos. 2. 21. The Lord sayth, I will heare the heauens, and they shall heare the earth, and the earth shall heare the corne, and the wine, and the oyle, and they shall heare Iezreel. The fruits of corne, wine, oyle, witnesse that the earth hath heard them, that heauen hath heard the earth, and that the Lord hath heard the heauen. The heauens giuegive influence to the ground, the ground sappe to the plants, the plants nourishment to vsus, the Lord a blessing to all. The Lord watereth the hills from the chambers: Psa. 104. 13the earth is satisfied with the fruit of the workes. Hee causeth the grasse to growe for the cattell, and herbe for the seruice of man: Wine to make glad his heart, and oyle to make his face shine; and bread to strengthen mans heart, &c. With such thirsty appetite, and no lesse happy successe, doth the good soule swallow the dew of grace. If you perceiue not when the faithfull take it; you may see they hauehave it: for their fruits testifie it. It is a most euident demonstration, that they hauehave bin beholding to the Gospell; they hauehave a sanctified life. Drinkes it in.
There bee very many great Drinkers in the world. The maine drunkennesse, that giues denomination to all the rest, is that throte-drunkennesse: whereof the Prophet, Vae fortibus ad potandum. These are they, that will not drinke this mysticall wine in the Church, so willingly as bee drunk in the tap-house. Wine-worshippers, that are at it on their knees, protesting from the bottomes of their hearts to the bottome of the cups; if the health be not pledged, actum est de amicitia: farewell friendship. I hauehave read of a streete in Rome, called vicus sobrius, sober street. Find such a street in any Citie or populous towne in England, and some good man wil put it in the Chronicle.
It hath beene sayd, that the Germanes are great drinkers; and therefore to Carowse is giuen to be deriued from them; the word being originally to Gar-rowse, which is to drinke off all: Gar signifying totum: so the Germanes are called by themselues Germanni, quasi toti homines; as if a Germane were All-man; according to another denomination of their Country, Allmanie. And so wee are growne to thinke him, that can tipple soundly, a tall man, nay all-man from top to toe. But if England plyes her liquor so fast as shee begins, Germany is like to loose her Charter. I hauehave heard how the Iesuits out-stripp'd the Franciscans. Indeed Saint Francis at the first meeting sawe sixe thousand Fryers. Ignatius, because he could not begin his order with so many, made vp the number in Diuels. The Germanes had of vsus both priority and number for drunkards. Our English beggars first got the fashion: but because their number was short, and it was like that the Nation would be disgrac'd, it was agreed to make it vp in Gallants.
No maruell, if the Lord for this threaten vsus with the rod of famine, and to scourge vsus with that most smarting string of his whippe. God hath layd himselfe faire in his bow already, and is ready to draw this arrow vp to the head, and send it singing into our bosomes. Ferro saeuior fames: it is one of Gods sorest iudgements. Beasts and Sword kill quickly; and the Plague is not long in dispatching vsus: but Dearth is a lingring death. Lament. 4.Lament. 4. 9 They that be slaine with the sword, are better then they that be slaine with hunger: for these pine away, stricken through for want of the fruits of the field. We see how our seasons are changed, because we can finde no season to repentance. Our Springs hauehave bin graues, rather then cradles: our Summers hauehave not shot vp, but withered our grasse: our Autumnes hauehave taken away the flockes of our sheepe. And for our latest Haruest, wee hauehave had cause to inuert the words of our Sauiour, Luke 10.Luke 10. 2. Hee sayth, the Haruest is great, but the Labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord to send forth more Labourers into his haruest. But wee might hauehave sayd: the Labourers are many, and the haruest is small: pray ye therfore the Lord to send a greater haruest for the Labourers. God hath thus, as it were, pulled the Cup from the Drunkards lippes; and since hee will know no measure, the Lord wil stint him. If there will bee no voluntary, there shall be an enforced fast. Wee hauehave other great drinkers besides.
What say you to those that Drinke vp whole townes, vnpeople countreys, depopulate villages, inclose fields? that Pharise-like, swallow vp poore mens houses, drink their goods, though mingled with teares of damme and young ones, mother & children? Are not these horrible drinkers? Sure God will one day hold the Cup of vengeance to their lippes, and bid them drinke their fils.
The Proud-man is a great drinker. It is not his belly, but his back, that is the drunkard. He pincheth the poore, rackes out the other fine, enhanceth the rent, spends his owne meanes, and what he can finger besides, vponupon clothes. If his rent-day make euen with his Silkeman, Mercer, Taylor, he is well. And his white Madam drinkes deeper then he. The walls of the Citie are kept in reparation with easier cost, then a Ladies face, and the appurtenances to her head.
The Ambitious is a deepe-drinker: O hee hath a dry thirst vponupon him. He loues the wine of promotion extremely. Put a whole monopoly into the cup, and he will carouse it off. There is a time when other drunkards giuegive ouer for asleeping-while: this drinker hath neuer enough.
Your grimme Vsurer is a monstrous drinker: you shall seldome see him drunke at's owne cost: yet he hath vow'd, not to be sober til his Doomesdaye. His braines, and his gowne are lin'd with foxe; hee is euer afoxing. It may be some infernall spirit hath put louelove-pouder in his drinke; for hee dotes vponupon the deuill extremely. Let him take heed; hee shall one day drinke his owne obligations and they wil choke him.
The Rob-altar is a huge drinker. Hee loues, like Belshazzar, to drinke only in the goblets of the Temple. Wo vntounto him, he carowses the wine he neuer swet for, and keeps the poore Minister thirsty. The tenth sheafe is his dyet: the tenth fleece (O 'tis a golden fleece he thinkes) is his drinke: but the wooll shall choke him. Some drinke downe whole Churches and steeples; but the bells shall ring in their bellies.
EueryEvery couetous worldling is a great drinker: he swallowes aurum potabil… as his dyet-drinke. And like an absolute, dissolute drunkard, the more he drinks, the dryer he is; for he hath neuer enough. It may be said of him, as it was of Bonosus, whom the Emperour Aurelian set to drinke with the German Embassador; not a man, but a rundlet fill'd with wine.
And my fine precise Artizan, that shunnes a Tauerne, as the Diuell doth a Crosse, is often as drunke as the rankest. His language doth not sauour of the pot; he sweares not, but indeed: but trust him, and indeed hee will cozen you to your face. The louelove of mony hath made him drunk. And though the Prouerbe be, In vino veritas; yet as drunke as he is, you shall neuer hauehave truth break out of his lips.
And the vnconscionable Lawyer, that takes fees on both hands, as if he could not drinke but with two cuppes at once, is not hee a great drinker? If what is wanting in the goodnesse of the cause, be supplied in the greatnes of the fees, O these Foecundi calices, quem non fecere disertum?
Let all thinke these ebrieties must be accounted for. How fearefull were it, if a mans latter end should take him drunke!Luke 21. 34 Take heed to your selues, lest at any time your hearts bee ouercharged with surfeting and drunkennesse, and so that day come vponupon you vnawares. In corporall ebriety the soule leaues a drunken body: in spirituall, the body leaues a drunken soule; both desperately fearefull.
There is yet a last, and those a blest sort of Drinkers: which drinke in this sweete raine of grace and merciemercy. They doe not onelyonly taste it: so do the wicked. Verse 4. They hauehave tasted of the heauenly gift: they hauehave tasted of the good word of God, and of the powers of the world to come. 2. Nor drinke it onelyonly to their throat, as if they did gargarize the word; as carnall Politicians, and formall Professors doe. They must attend, they must admit, but no further then their throates: they will but gargarize the Gospell. It shall neuer come into their stomakes, neuer neere their hearts. But these drinke it in, digest it in their consciences; take liberall draughts of it, and do indeede drinke Healths thereof. Common health-maintainers drinke their sicknesse. Therefore sayes the moderne Poet honestly, Vne salus sanis nullam potare salutem.
But this is a sauing health: such as our Sauiour began to vsus; when hee dranke to vsus in his owne bloud, a sauing Health to all Nations. And wee are bound to pledge him in our owne faith and thankfulnesse; as Dauid, I will take the cup of saluation, and blesse the name of the Lord. This is a hearty draught of the waters of life; the deeper the sweeter. Blessed he is that drinkes soundly of it, and with a thirsty appetite. There is, as Diuines say,Ardens. sancta ebrietas: such as fell on the blessed Apostles on Whitsunday. Acts 2. They were drunke (not with new wine, but) with the holy Ghost. This holy plenitude doth (as it were) inebriate the soules of the Saints.Psal. 36. 8. They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatnesse of thy house: and thou shalt make them drinke of the riuer of thy pleasures. The Spouse sings of her Sauiours kindnes, He brought me to the banqueting house, Cant. 2. 4. 5.and his banner ouer me, was louelove. Stay mee with flagons, and comfort me with apples, for I am sicke of louelove. In the originall it is called, House of wine. Christ hath broached to his Church the sweet wines of the Gospell, and our hearts are cheared with it; our soules made merry with flagons of merciemercy Come to this wine,Cant. 5. 1. bibite & inebriamini: eate O friends, drinke, yea drinke abundantly, O beloued: drinke and be drunke with it. God will be pleased with this (and no other but this) Drunkennes.
The vessell of our heart being once thus filled with grace, shall hereafter be replenished with glorie.