A Divine Herbal Together with a Forest of Thorns, Part 21 – Title page 3
Blessing.
THis word is of a great latitude. What good is there, which will not be brought within this compasse? This blessing hath a double extent. There is Beatitudo viae, and Beatitudo Patriae. A blessing of the way, and a blessing of the Countrey: one of grace, the other of glory. The former is either outward, or inward.
1 Outward, Psal. 132.Ps. 132. 15. I will abundantly blesse her proutsion: I will satisfie her poore with bread. Deut. 28.Deut. 28. 4. Blessed in the field, blessed in the citie. The fruits of thy body, of thy ground, of thy cattell shall be blessed. Thy basket, thy store; thy going out, and comming in shall be blessed. Which things doe often come to the godly euen on earth, and that in abundance. For as all hauehave not riches, that exceedingly louelove them: so many hauehave them, that doe not much care for them. Wealth is like a woman; the more courted, the further off.
2 Inward. The godly on earth is (as it were) in the suburbs of heauen;Rom. 14. 17. whose kingdome consists, not in meate and drinke, but righteousnesse, peace of conscience, and ioy of the holy Ghost. Could his life bee as full of sorrowes, as euer Lazarus was full of sores, yet he is blessed. The Sunne-shine of merciemercy is still vponupon him; and the blessing of GOD makes him rich. Let the ayre thunder, and the earth quake, and hell roare; yet He that walketh vprightly, Pro. 10. 9.walketh surely. Qui vadit plane, vadit sane. I hauehave read it storied of a young Virgin, that at a great Princes hands had the choise of three vessels. One whereof should be freely giuen her, euen that she should chuse. The first was a vessell of gold, richly wrought, and set with precious stones; and on it written. Who chooseth me shall hauehave what he deserueth. The second was of siluer. superscribed thus. Who chuseth me shall hauehave what nature desireth. The third was of lead; whose motto was this. Who chuseth me, shall hauehave what God hath disposed. The former pleased her eye well, but not her vnderstanding. It offred what she deserued. She knew, that was iust nothing: therefore refused it. The second considered, offred what Nature desires. Shee thought that could bee no solide good; for Nature desires such things as please the carnall lust. This shee also refused. The third had a course outside, but the sentence pleased her wel; offering what God had disposed. So she faithfully put her selfe vponupon Gods ordinance, and chose that. This Virginis mans soule. The golden vessell is the worlds riches; contentf…ll to an auarous eye. Too many chuse this: but being open'd, it was full of dead mens bones, and a fooles bable. To testifie them fooles, which cleaue to the world: and at last all their hopes shall bee rewarded with a bable. Neither is this all. Though their inward thought be, that their houses shall continue for euer; yet they shal be layd in the graue like sheep, Psal. 49. 11. 14.and death shall feed on them. The siluer-vessell is the lusts of the flesh; those fond and vaine delights, which concupiscence seeks. So saith the Motto: It giues what nature desireth: but corrupt nature affects nothing, but what giues cōplacency to the flesh. This vessell open'd was full of wild fire, and an iron whip. God shall scourge the lustfull here with the whip of iudgements, diseases of body, infamy of name, ouerthrow of estate, vexation of conscience. And Satan shall hereafter burne them in wild fire, such flames as can neuer bee quenched. The leaden vessell is, as the sense & sentence declares it, the blessing of God. The chuser of it shall hauehave what God hath disposed for him. Blessed soule that makes this election: for opened, it was found full of gold and most precious iewels; eueryevery one more worth then a world, the immortall graces of Gods Spirit.
The Virgin chose this, and she was married to the Kings sonne. Chuse this vessell, O my soule; and Iesus Christ the king of heauen shall marry thee. No matter though it seeme lead without; glister not with earthly vanities: it is rich within; the wealth thereof cannot be valued, though all the Arithmeticians of the world goe about to summe it.Psal. 4. 6. There bee many that say, who will shewe vsus anie good? Lord lift thou vp the light of thy countenance vponupon vsus.
This blessing hath yet a further extent, to the blessednesse of our Countrey: when wee shall heare it: Come yee blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdome prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 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 finde thee! If there be such blessing in this world, what shall that be in the life to come! If the first fruites of our inheritance, and the earnest of the spirit bee so graciously sweete here: surely when that infinite masse of glory shall be broken vp, and communicated to vsus, we shall be wonderfully rauished. When that which is perfect is come, 1. Cor. 13. 10.then that which is in part shall bee done away. This is, beat a vita in fonte, sayth Aug. a blessed life indeed. Aeterna sine successione, distributa sine diminutione, communis sine inuidia, sufficiens sine indigentia, iucunda sine tristitia, beata sine omni miseria. Thou wilt shewe mee the path of life: in thy presence is the fulnesse of ioy, Psal. 16. 11.at thy right hand there are pleasures for euermore.
No tongue can declare this blessing; happy heart that shall feele it: whose glorified eye shall one day behold all: and ten thousand times more then we hauehave spoken. Who shall say, as it is in the Psalme: Sicut …, it a & vidimus; as we hauehave heard, so wee hauehave seene in the Citie of our God. As we hauehave heard it preached on earth, we now finde it true in heauen: though the Citie we enioy farre excell the mappe we sawe.
Well this is Gods blessing, and he will giuegive it to the good ground. Labour we then to bee fruitfull Gardens; and to abound with gracious herbes; that God may in this world showre vponupon vsus, the deawes of his merciemercy: and after this life transplant vsus to his heauenly Paradise. Let not the pleasures of sinne; the lusts of the wanton flesh, the riches, snares, cares of the world, nor all those transient delights, whose taste is only in the sense, the operation in the conscience; that tickle men for an houre, and wound them for euer: nor all those vaine desires of carnall complacency, which shall one day bee layd vponupon Gods cold earth; intercept vsus to the priuation of this blessing.
Let vsus not be hunting after sports, as Esau for venison, and loose our blessing: lest wee cry, howle, rore, when it is too late to recouer it Thinke, oh thinke: there is a heauen, a GOD, a IESVS, a kingdome of glory, society of Angels, communion of Saints, ioy, peace, happinesse, and eternity of all these; which it will bee a fearefull thing to loose, for the base pleasures and short delights of this world.
O great God of all, and sweete Father of thy chosen, poure vponupon vsus thy holy deawes of grace: make our soules to stand thicke with sanctified herbes; that we may receiue thy blessing. That honouring thee in the day of Grace, we may bee hononoured by thee in the day of Glory. Grant this for thy loued Sonne, and our louing Sauiour, euen, IESVS CHRIST his sake. Amen.
THE FORREST Of Thornes.
THE FOVRTH SERMON.
EZEK. 28. 24.
There shal be no more a pricking Bryar vntounto the house of Israel, nor any grieuing Thorne of all that are round about them.
Terra salutifferas herbas, eadem que nocentes Nutrit; & vrticae proxima saepe rosa est.
LONDON, Printed by George Purslowe, for Iohn Budge, and are to be solde at his shop, at the great South-dore of Pauls, and at Brittaines Burse. 1616.