A Divine Herbal Together with a Forest of Thorns, Title page – Encomia
A DIVINE HERBALL Together with A Forrest of THORNES. In FIVE SERMONS.
1. The Garden of Graces.
2. The prayse of Fertilitie.
3. The Contemplation of the Herbes.
4. The Forrest of Thornes.
5. The end of Thornes.
By THO. ADAMS.
ESAY 55. 11.
My word, sayth the Lord, shall not returne to me void, but shall prosper in the thing wherto I sent it.
AVGVST. de benedict. IACO. & ESAV.
Simul pluit Dominus super segetes, & super spinas: sed segeti pluit ad horreum, spinis ad ignem: & tamen vna est pluvia.
LONDON, Printed by George Purslowe, for Iohn Budge, and are to be solde at his shop, at the great South-dore of Pauls, and at Brittaines Burse. 1616.
TO THE RIGHT Honourable, WILLIAM Earle of Pembroke, Lord Chamberlaine of his Maiesties household, and one of his Maiesties most honourable Priuie Councel, and Knight of the most noble order of the Garter: The most noble embracer, and encourager of GOODNESSE.
Right Honourable,
I Am bolde to present to your Honour a short contemplation of those Herbes, (cut in rough pieces) which grow really and plentifully in your owne Garden: and giuegive so good nourishment to your vertues, delightfull taste to the Church, and odoriferous sauour to all; that, like the Vine in Iothams Parable, they cheare the heart of both God & man. Your Honour, I …now, cannot dislike that in sight, which you so preserue in sense, and (for a happy reward) doth and shall preserue you. You are zealously honour'd of all those that know goodnesse; and hauehave dayly as many prayers, as the earth Saints. Into this number I hauehave (hop…fully presuming) thrust myselfe; as loth to bee hindmost in that acknowledgement, which is so nobly deserued, and so ioyfully rendred of al tongues: dedicating to your Honour some publicke deuotions, that can neuer forget you in my priuate. I will not thinke of adding one Herbe to your store: I onelyonly desire to remember your Honour what hand planted them, what dew waters them, what influence conserues, and enspheares a sweet prouident ayre about them: and when gay weedes, that shoote vp like Ionas gourd in a night, shall wither in an houre, (for moriuntur, quomodo oriuntur) Your Herbe of Grace shall flourish & be prays'd, both ob eminentiam, and permanentiam; and at last bee transported into that heauenly Paradise, whence it receiues the originary roote and being. Your Honour will excuse mee for coupling to a Diuine Herball, a Forrest of Thornes; by a true obseruation in both materiall and mystical Gardens, though a Poet records it.
Terra salutiferas herbas, eadernque nocentes
Nutrit, et vrticae proxima soepe rosa est.
Your Honour will louelove the light better, because the darke night followes so neare it, That your Sunne may neuer set, your noble Garden neuer wither; that your honours may bee still multiplied with our most Royall and Religious King on earth, and with the King of Kings in heauen; is faithfully prayed for by
Your Honours humbly deuoted, THO. ADAMS.
To my worthy friend Tho. Adams on his HERBALL.
THe Herbes which these dead leaues now bring,
Thy liuing voice did sweetly sing.
That thy transported Hearers thought
A PARADISE before them brought.
As if their inward eyes had seene
Another EDEN fresh and greene.
How they will smell, or taste, thus sent,
Will be perceiu'd in the euent.
I stay no censures; for my part,
May they grow greene still in my hart.
VV. B.
R. S. His good-speede to the Herball.
TRuely thou dost the world disclose, which growes,
Promiscuous; here a Thorne, & there a Rose.
So shall blacke vices vgly face adde grace,
VntoUnto the vertue, which shines next in place.
So when a stinging Thorne shall wound, is found,
An Herbe to heale the Soule, and make it sound.
To the diuine Author of the diuine Herball, his true friend dedicateth this small Encomium of that which his pen dispaires to prayse.
HAd ADAM liu'd till this decayed age,
And seene an HERBALL so Diuine, and Sage,
He would hauehave sayd, that no succeeding man
Might doe for Adam that which Adams can.
For while he till'd his Garden, his darke mind
In all that compasse no Herbe-Grace could find.
This man hath found it; and herein is blest:
Adam was good, my Adam's still is best.
W. R. D. of Physicke.
To the prayse of the Herball.
THe Ground Gods Image, & his word the Raine:
His Christ the Sunne, neuer ecclips'd againe:
The Cloudes his Ministeriall instruments:
His Mercy the all-working influence.
From these a Garden of sweete Herbes doth grow,
With such a Spring, as shall no Autumne know.
I. STOKES.
GReat Persons louelove a GARDEN for delight;
To please their nosthrils, or content their sight.
The poore mans state likes it to feast withall.
Physicians for the vertues medicinall.
For Odour, Ornament, and med'cinal worth,
A sweeter HERBALL neuer yet came forth.
Cecinit The. Parny.
A DIVINE HERBALL OR GARDEN Of GRACES.
HEB. Chap. 6. Vers. 7. 8.
For the earth which drinketh in the raine that commeth oft vponupon it, and bringeth forth herbes meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiueth blessing from God.
But that which beareth thornes and bryars, is reiected, and is nigh vntounto cursing, whose end is to be burned.
I Presume, heere is no Atheist to heare and denie;Rom. 1. 16. The Gospell is the power of God to saluation. I hope here is no Libertine; if there be, let him heare also: It is the power of God to confusion. It is a double-edged Sword, Heb. 4. 12.and giues, vel vitam, vel vindi…tam, either instruction, or destruction. It is Fire, that doth melt waxe to repentance, and harden clay to vengeance. It is here a Raine or Deaw falling on the ground of mans heart; causing one soyle to bee fertile in good workes, another to abound with weedes of impiety: For it returneth not backe to him that sent it, in vaine. That it conuayes grace to vsus, and returnes our fruitfull gratitude to God, is a high and happy mercy. That it offers grace to the wicked and by their corrupt natures occasions greater impietie, is a heauy but holy iudgement.
Not to trauell farre for Diuision, heere lyes Earth before vsus. And as I hauehave seene in some places of this Iland, one hedge parts a fruitfull medow, and a barren heath: so of this Earth, Man; the same substance for natures constitution, clay of the same heape in the creating hand of the Potter; for matter, masse, and stuffe, none made de meliore luto; though in respect of Eternities Ordination, some vessels of honour, of disshonour others; here be two kindes, a good and a bad soyle: the one a Garden, the other a desart: the former an inclosure of sweet herbes, excellent graces: the latter a wild and sauage Forrest of Bryars and thornes, scratching and wounding offences.
For the better ground we wil consider. 1. The operatiue meanes, or working cause of the fertility; the raine that commeth often vponupon it. 2. The thankefull returning of expected fruite; it bringeth forth herbes meete for them, by whom it is dressed. 3. The reward of mercy; it receiueth blessing from God.
All is an Allegory. The Earth is Man: the Raine, Gods Word: the herbes are Graces: and the Blessing, is a sweet retribution and accumulation of merciemercy.