A Divine Herbal Together with a Forest of Thorns, Part 2 – Part 3
2. Herbes. There is Fertilitie in Goodnes.
THe eldest daughter of Idlenesse is to doe nothing: the next borne to doe something to no purpose. But the good man is not onelyonly doing, but well doing, Math. 24.Mat. 24. 46 Blessed is that seruant, whom his Lord when he commeth, shall finde so doing. This so consists in doing Bonum, and Bene. As the former verse may seeme to intimate. He giues them meate, there he doth good: in due season, there he doth it well. The forbearance of wickednesse is not enough to acquit the soule, but the performance of righteousnesse. The rich Glutton is tormented in hell, not because he did hurt, but because he did not helpe Lazarus. Non quod abstulerit aliena, sed quod non donarit sua, August.sayth S. Chrysost. Not for taking away another mans, but for not giuing his owne. He would not giuegive the poore the crummes that fell from his boord; and so facere damna lucrum, make a gaine of his losses: for they were lost that fell from his libertine table, and yet would hauehave refreshed the hungry and famished soule. But Diues would not giuegive a crumme, to get a crowne. He wore fine linnen; but it was his owne. Hee was cloathed in rich purple; but it was his owne. Hee fared sumptuously eueryevery day, but hee did eate his owne meate: he tooke none of all this from Lazarus. Yet hee went to hell. God condemned him, because hee did not giuegive some of this to Lazarus. Thus it is not only the commission of lewdnesse, that sinkes men to hell, but euen also the omission of goodnesse. Dost thou heare, O Earth; vnlesse thou bring forth herbes, thou shalt be condemned. The Fig-tree had no bad fruit on it, yet was it cursed, because it had none at all. The axe that is layd to the roote, shall hew downe euen that tree, Mat. 3. 10.which brings not forth good fruite: though it bring forth no euill. Fire shall take the barren, as well as the vveedie ground.
Except your righteousnesse shall exceede the righ…ousnesse of the Scribes and Pharises, Mat. 5. 20.ye shall not enter into the kingdome of heauen. Wherein (me thinks) our Sauiour implyeth a three-fold gradation to heauen. First there must be Iustitia, Righteousnesse; an habituall practise of godlinesse; an vncorrupt life, which shall only be entertain'd to Gods Hill. Psa. 15. 2But the ground must be made good, before it can produce good herbes: for the person must bee accepted before the worke. And this worke must be good both quoad fontem, and quoad finem: wee must deriue it from an honest heart, and driue it to a right ende. In the next place, this Righteousnesse must bee a mans owne. Nisi iustitia vestra. Heere, that ground which brings forth herbes receiueth blessing; not that borrowes them of another. For so, as stony and barren an heart as Cheapside, may be a far richer garden then some of those, where those herbes (brought thither) naturally grew. The Pope hath a huge harden of these herbes; wherewith hee can store as many, as will pay for them. Iohn Baptist fasted more then hee was commanded: and Mary liued more strictly then God required. Now the Church of Rome keepes an Herball of these superabundant workes; and money may hauehave store of them. But heauen and Rome stand a great way asunder. And as God neuer gaue the Pope authority to make such bargains, so he neuer means to stand to them. It is not onelyonly spoken, but commanded to be written of the dying Saints, that their workes follow them. Their owne workes, Reu. 14. 13.not the workes of others. No righteousnes of friend liuing, or of Saint dead, shall doe thee good, but the herbes of thy owne Garden shall bee accepted of God. Lastly, this Righteousnesse must excell, nisi abundauerit. If it come short of those that come short of heauen, what hope hauehave you? It must exceed innocence, and come to reall goodnesse.
We hauehave not sufficiently discharged our duties in being painfull, vnlesse wee be profitable. Some will take no paines, vnlesse the Diuell set them on worke. They must be their owne caruers in their imployment, or they will sit idle. But so a man may worke and hauehave no thankes for his labour. It is not then simply and onelyonly bringing forth, commends a ground, but bringing forth herbes.
The fruit of Peters repentance is not to deny his Master no more; but to stand to him to the death. We thinke, if wee forbeare our wonted notorious sinnes, wee are on the sodaine excellent Christians. As if God were beholden to vsus, for not wounding his name with oathes; for not playing out Sabaoths; for not rayling on his Gospell; for not oppressing his poore members: when we neither reliue the poore, nor obey the Gospell, nor hallow his Saboths, nor honor his name. Perhaps an Vsurer when he hath gotten enough will cease that damned trade: now he is sure of heauen in a trice. Alas! how repents Zaccheus, if he restores not? Shall I goe a step higher? If he giuegive not liberally, and shew compassion to the afflicted Saints? Perhaps an old Adulterer when his sappe is growne to cinders, breaks off his vncleannesse. When the enuious looseth his obiect, he may suspend his malice. But where are the returned fruits of penitence, manifest and visible obedience? Say the weedes are gone, where be the herbes? To roote vp the weedes, is but the first step to heauen: and some are fortie, threescore yeares taking this steppe. How long will it be ere their garden be set with good growing herbes? Iudg. 5. 23.But Curse ye Meroz, sayd the Angell of the Lord, curse ye bitterly the Inhabitants thereof: because they came not to the helpe of the Lord, (and that it might fully appeare, that this curse came not on them, for taking part with Gods enemies and fighting against him; but onelyonly for deniall of succour, the song doubles it) to the helpe of the Lord against the mighty. Mat. 18. 28.The offended Lord deliuered that Seruant to the tormentors, that (did not extort from his fellow that hee had no right to, nor wrest away an others goods; but) did onelyonly say, Pay me that thou owest; and in a harsh manner, or vnmercifull measure, required his owne due. It is the forme of the last doome,Mat. 25. 42. I was hungry, and ye gaue me no meate: though you tooke not away mine, yet for not giuing your owne, Goe yee cursed.
But if that ground be neere vntounto cursing, that brings not forth herbes; what shall we say to that, which brings forth weeds? What hell, and how many torments are prouided for oppressing Diues, when Diues that but denyed his owne shall be tortur'd in endlesse flames! If he were bound to an euerlasting prison, that rigorously prosecuted his owne right, chaleng'd his owne debt: whither shall they bee cast, that vniustly vexe their neighbours, quarrell for that which is none of theirs, and lay title to another mans proprietie? If hee that giues not his coate to the naked, shall lye naked to the vengeance of God; then he that takes away the poore mans coate, shall bee clad with burning confusion. If hee that giues not, wring his hands; hee that takes away shall rend his heart. The old world did but eate and drink, build and plant, marry and be merry; and were swept away with the beesome of an vniuersal deluge; which things were in themselues lawfull: what shall become of lyars swearers, adulterers, idolaters, malicious, monstrous, scandalous sinners; whose workes are in themselues simply vnlawful. There are 3. sorts of ground mentioned, Marke 4. and the very worst of them receiues the seed, yet all damned: whither shall the tempest of Gods wrath driue them, that would neuer giuegive the Gospell a religious eare? O beloued! waigh it.
Our Idle words must come to iudgement: what shall be our answere for vnlawfull deedes: If omission of good works be whipp'd with rods, commission of impieties shall be scourged with Scorpions. If they that stand in a luke-warme neutralitie, shall be spewed vp; sure the palpable and notorious offender shall bee troden vnderunder foote of a prouoked Iustice. Indifferency shall not scape: and shall extreme presumption be spared? that like dogges, sup vp the dregges they hauehave vomited. I hauehave read of a Popish Saint, Henry the Dane, that in a mad and hare-brain'd deuotion, when wormes crawled out of a corrupt vlcer in his knee, did put them in againe. There are such franticke wretches, that when the word hath squeased some poyson out of their consciences, and driuen forth lusts, like crawling worms; they in a voluntary madnesse put them in againe. As the Tode casts ont per poison, when she goes to the water to drinke; when shee hath drunke, sups it vp againe. Adam lost himselfe, and all his posterity by one transgression; and do we think, can we hope that our infinite shall scape iudgement? Or doe we extenuate our iniquities with such selfe-flattering mitigations, that if they bee not innumerable, they are pardonable; and that a few shall bring no man to iudgement? And what call wee this paucitie? As the Glosse deales with a piece of Gratians Decretum. The Text sayes, Meretrix est, quae multorum libidin… patet. Shee is a whore, who serues many mens turnes.
Now the Glosse brings this indefinite number to a certaine, and giues Multorum a reasonable latitude; saying, the name of Whore should not be giuen her, til she hath lyen with three and twenty thousand men. So till we hauehave doubled, iterated, and multiplyed our lyes, oa…hes, oppressions, lusts, vntounto thousands, and thousands, we do not thinke that we merite the names of lyers, swearers, oppressors, or luxurious persons. Beloued, these things must be reckoned for: and if nescience be beaten with stripes, wilfull impiety shal be burned with fire. Blessed ground then, that brings forth herbes; and that not in scarsitie, but in
3. Plenty. Many herbes.
THe good ground is plentifull in fruits. It beares fruit, good fruit, much good fruit. Multiplicitie of grace is requisite, though not perfection. What Garden is only planted with one singular kinde of herbe? The Christian hath need of many graces; because he is to meet with many defects, to answere many tentations, to fight with many enemies. Therefore, 2. Pet. 1.2. Pet. 1. 5. Ioyne with your faith vertue, and with vertue knowledge, Cant. 4.and with knowledge temperance, &c. One Iewell will not serue: Christs Spouse must hauehave diuerse to adorne her. One piece of armour wil not secure vsus; 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 yee may bee able to stand against all the wyles of the diuell. The loins, the brest, the head, the feete; all parts must bee armed. The fruite of the Spirit (those happy fruits which the Spirit of God worketh in vsus, and bringeth out of vsus) is manifold. Galat. 5.Gal. 5. 22. LoueLove, ioy, peace, long-suffering, gentlenesse, goodnesse, faith, meeknesse, &c. The Apostle chargeth vsus to bee rich in good workes. 1. Tim. 6.1. Tim. 6. 18 And for this cause bowes his knees vntounto the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ, Eph. 3. 14. 16that according to the riches of his glorie wee might be filled with all the fulnesse of God. The reason is giuen by Christ. To whom much is giuen, of them shall much be required. And it was his commendation of Mary Magd…l…n, that because shee had much forgiuen her, therefore she loued much.
Happie then is that ground, which abounds with good herbes; the fruits of faith, patience, content, charitie. Not our riches, but our wor…s shall follow vsus. Goodnesse shall only giuegive Pulchrum sepulchrum: and as we vse to sticke dead bodies with herbes; so these herbes our fruitfull good workes shall adorne and beautifie our memorialls, when the name of the wicked shall …ot. I know England, inueigh the Papists till their galls burst, is full of pious and charitable workes. It is a Garden full of good herbes. Not to vsus, but to God bee the prayse; who hath moued such instruments to workes of his glory. Yet Que…on fecimus ipsi, vix ca nostra voce: let …uery man quiet his owne conscience, with the good herbes his owne garden produceth.
The rich man growes easily richer, so the good man easily better. It is the custom of most men to be pleased with a very little religion. For the world, wee are enraged and transported with such a hunger, that the graue is sooner satisfied: but a very little godlinesse contents vsus. But if we would not bee barren nor vnfruitfull in the knowledge of our Lord Iesus Christ, 2. Pet. 1. 8.we must, sayth the Apostle, abound with these herbes. And then for a proportionate reward, An entrance shall be ministred vntounto vsus abundantly, Verse 11.into the euerlasting kingdome of our Sauiour Christ. Blessed is he that brings forth herbes, many herbes, and lastly such as are