A Divine Herbal Together with a Forest of Thorns, Part 1
The Earth
IS the best ground that lyes betwixt heauen and earth, Man: the noblest part of this world: the worthiest creature, that hath earth for the pauement, and heauen for the seeling: the Creators Image; and as some read, his Shadow; which moues as the body doth, whose it is. When the body puts forth an arme, the shadow shewes an arme, &c: so man in his actions and courses depends vponupon the disposition of God, as his allpowerfull Maker and Mouer. The blessed Deity (which hath in it a Trinity of most equall and eternall Persons) is the first and best of all beings: the holy Angels next: & a Ioue tertius Aiax, man next them.
Ardens conceateth vponupon Marke 16.Marke 16. 15. in the Apostles commission, Goe ye into all the World, and preach the Gospell to eueryevery Creature; that by this EueryEvery Creature, is meant Man. For to liuelesse, senselesse, or reason-lesse things, God neuer enioyned to preach the Gospell. But man is called EueryEvery creature, because hee hath a participation of the best in all creatures. *Stones hauehave a being, not life: plants hauehave a being and life, not sense: beasts hauehave a being, life, and sense, but not vnderstanding: Angels hauehave both being, life, sense, and vnderstanding. Man participates with all these in their best. He hath a being with stones, life with plants, sense with beasts, vnderstanding with Angels: a sweet abstract or compendium of all creatures perfections.
Let not all this make man proud. Euen this word Earth, though here vsed in a spiritual sense, puts him in minde that this excellent man is a mortall creature. Earth, must bee earth: hot earth to colde earth: that earth which hath now a life in it,Iere. 22. 29. to that earth which hath no life in it. Therefore I will say from the Prophet. O earth, earth, earth, heare the word of the Lord. Bestow not too much paines in adorning this perishable earth, thy flesh: the earth thou must be careful of, and which God here waters from heauen with his holy deawes, is thy heart, thy conscience.
I could willingly steppe out a little to chide those, that neglecting Gods Earth, the Soule; fall to trimming with a curious superstition the Earths earth, clay and lome: a body of corruption painted, til it shine like a Lilly (like it in whitenesse, not in humility,Cant. 2. 1. the candor of beautie; for the Lilly growes lowe; Lilium conuallium, a flower of the vallies and bottomes) a little slime done ouer with a past-boord; rottennesse hidde vnderunder golden leaues; stench lapp'd vp in a bundle of silkes: and by reason of poison suck'd from sinne and hell, worthy of no better attribute then glorious damnation. Is there no sicknesse? is there no disgrace? is there no old age? is there no death? that you make so much of this earth. Or doe you desperately resolue to dote on it liuing, as if you neuer hoped to finde it againe being dead? Feare not, you shall meet with it againe; perhaps when you would not. God hath struck as gallant, as you can make or thinke your selues, with sodaine, sore, and sure iudgements. Beleeue it, his hand is his owne. His arme was neuer yet broken, luxate, or manacled.
Woe worth them that hauehave put Pride and Couetousnesse fellow-commoners among vsus: for they out-eate vsus all, and sta…ue the whole house of our Land. Couetise would be charitable, but there is that other summe to make vp. Pride would giuegive, or at least forbeare to extort, but there is a ruffe of the new fashion to bee bought.* Dignity, a caroch, or strange apparell is to be purchas'd; and who but the poore tenants must pay for it! vponupon whom they (once so accoutred) afterward looke betwixt scorne and anger: and goe as if they were shut vp in wainscote.
Sed vitate viros cultum formas que professos.
Quique suas ponunt in statione comas.
Such a one will not giuegive, lest his white hand should touch the poore beggars: who perhaps hath a hand cleaner then his; I meane, from aspersions of bloud, rapine, iniury, briberie, lust and filthinesse. He cannot intend to pray; for he is called to dinner iust when his last locke is hung to his minde. O the monstrous curiositie of tricking vp this earth of earth! yet from the Courtier to the Carter, from the Lady to the Inkle-beggar,* there is this excesse and going beyond their calling.
But I hauehave strayed out of my way, to cut off a lappe of Prides garment: I conclude this Earth with this caution. Respice, aspice, prospice. Looke back what thou wast: behold what thou art: consider what thou must be.BERNARD Recole primordia, attende media, pr…uideto nouissima. Haec pudorem adducunt, illa dolorem ingerunt, ista timorem incutiunt. Call to mind former things, see the present, foresee the last. The first will breede in thee shame, the other griefe, these feare. Remember thou wert taken out of the earth: behold thy strength of life subiect to diseases; manifold, manifest, sensible ones: foresee that thou must dye; this earth must to earth againe.
But the Earth here meant is a diuine, spirituall, immortall nature; called Earth by a Metaphor, incapable of suffering terrene fragilitie. This is Gods Earth, and that in a high and mysticall sense, though proper enough. Indeed Domini terra, the earth is the Lords and the fulnes…e thereof, sayth 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 himselfe, by setting his stampe and impression vponupon it. Now the good mans heart is compared to Earth for diuerse reasons.
1. For humilitie. Humus, quasi humilis. The Earth is the lowest of all elements, and the center of the world. The godly heart is not so low in situation; but so lowly in it owne estimation. God is sayd to hang the earth vponupon nothing. Io…. 26.Iob. 26. 7. He stretcheth out the North ouer the empty place, and hangeth the Earth vponupon nothing: that it might wholly depend on himselfe. So a true Christian heart, in regard of it selfe, is founded vponupon nothing; (hath an humble vilipending and disprising of it owne worth) that it may (ex toto, & ex tuto) wholly and safely rely on God. O man of earth, why exaltest thou thy selfe? this is the way to preuent and frustrate the exaltation of God. Keepe thy selfe lowly as the Earth; reiect all opinion of thy owne worth, and thou shalt one day ouer-top the cloudes. The Earth is thy mother, that brought thee forth when thou wert not: a stage that carries thee whiles thou art: a tombe that receiues thee when thou art not. It giues thee originall, harbour, sepulchre. Like a kind mother, shee beares her off-spring on her backe; and her brood is her perpetuall burden, till she receiue them again into the same womb, from whence she deliuered them. She shall bee yet more kinde to thee, if her basenesse can teach thee humility; and keepe thee from being more proud of other things, then thou canst (with any reason) be of thy Parentage. Few are proud of their soules; and none but fooles can bee proud of their bodies: seeing here is all the difference betwixt him that walkes, and his floore he walkes on: Liuing Earth treads vponupon dead earth, and shall at last bee as dead as his pauement. Many are the fauours that the earth doth vsus; yet amongst them all there is none greater, then the schooling vsus to humility; and working in vsus a true acknowledgement of our owne vilenesse, and so directing vsus to heauen, to find that aboue which she cannot giuegive vsus below.
2. For Patience. The Earth is called Terra, quia teritur: and this is the naturall 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 culters and shares; yet is patient to suffer it, and returnes fruits to those that ploughed it. The good heart is thus rent with vexations, and broken with sorrowes; yet offers the other cheeke 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 iniury, prayers for persecutions, and blesseth them that cursed it.Psal. 129. 3. The Plowers plowed vponupon my backe: they made long their furrowes. Psal. 35. 12. 13.They rewarded mee euill for good, to the spoyling of my soule. Yet when they were sicke, my cloathing was sackecloth, I humbled my soule with fasting: I was heauy, as one that mourned for his friend or brother; and my prayer returned into mine owne bosome. When the heart of our Sauiour was thus ploughed vp with a speare, it ran streames of merciemercy, reall merciemercy; which his vocall tongue interpreted, Father forgiue them: they know not what they doe. His bloud Heb. 12.Heb. 12. 24. had a voice, a mercifull voice, and spake better things then the bloud of Abel. That cryed from the cauerns of the earth for reuenge; this from the Crosse in the sweet tune of compassion and forgiuenesse. It is a strong argument of a heart rich in grace, to wrappe and embrace his iniurer in the armes of louelove; as the earth quietly receiues those dead to buriall, who liuing tore vp her bowels.
3. For faithful Constancie. The Earth is called Solum; because it stands alone, depending on nothing but the Makers hand.Eccle. 1. 4. One generation passeth away, and another generation commeth; but the earth abideth for euer. Shee often changeth her burden, without any sensible mutation of her selfe.Psa. 119. 90. Thy faithfulnesse 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 sonnes of men, posterity after posterity passe away, but the Earth whereon, and whereout they passe, abideth. The parts thereof hauehave been altered; and violent Earth-quakes begot in the owne bowels, hauehave totterd it.Psal. 104. 5. But God hath layd the foundations of the earth, (the Originall is, founded it vponupon her bases) that it should not be remoued for euer: the body of it is immoueable. Such a constant soliditie is in the faithfull heart; that should it thunder Buls from Rome, and bolts from heauen, Impau…dum ferient ruinae. … Indeede God hath sometimes bent an angry brow against his owne deare ones; and then no maruell, if they shudder: if the bones of Dauid 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 euenest weights, may be a little swayed, not without some shew of inequality: which yet after a little motion, settle themselues in a iust poyse. So the first terrour hath moued the godly, not remoued them: they return to themselues, and rest in a resolued peace. Lord, doe what thou wilt: if thou kill mee, I will trust in thee. Let vsus heare it from him, that had it from the Lord. Psal. 112.Psal. 112. 6. Surely he shall not be moued for euer: the righteous shall bee in euerlasting remembrance. He shall not be afraide of euill tydings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord. His heart is established, &c. Oh sweet description of a constant soule!
They giuegive diuerse causes of Earth-quakes: Aristotle among the rest, admits the ecclipse of the Sun for one; the interposition of the Moones body hindring some places from his heate. I know not how certaine this is in Philosophie: …n Diuinity it is most true, that onelyonly the ecclipse of our Sunne, IESVS CHRIST, raiseth Earth-quakes in our hearts: when that inconstant and euer-changing body of (the Moone) the world steppes betwixt our Sunne and vsus, and keepes vsus from the kindly vitall heate of his fauour: then, O then, the earth of our heart quakes; and we feele a terrour in our bones and bowels, as if the busie hand of death were searching them. But no ecclipse lasts long: especially not this: our Sunne will shine on vsus againe: we shall stand sure,Psal. 129. 1. euen as mount Sion, which cannot be remoued, but abideth for euer.
4. For Charitie. The Earth brings forth food for all creatures that liue on it. Greene herbe for the cattell: oyle and wine for man: The vallyes stand thicke with corne: the Mower filleth his sythe, and the binder vp of sheaues his bosome. A good man is so full of charitie: he releeues all without improuidence to himselfe. He giues plentifully that all may hauehave some: not indiscreetly, that some hauehave all. On the Earth stand many glorious Cities, and goodly buildings; faire monuments of her beauty and adornation. The sanctified soule, in an happy respondencie, hath manifold workes of charitie, manifest deedes of piety; that sweetly become the Faith which he professeth.
5. For Riches. The Earth is but poore without: the surface of it, especially when squalid winter hath bemired it, seemes poore and barren: but within, it is full of rich mines, ores of gold, and quarries of precious minerals. For medals and mettals, it is abundantly wealthy. The sanctified heart may seeme poore to the worlds eye, which only beholds and iudgeth the rinde and huske, and thinkes there is no treasure in the Cabinet, because it is couered with leather. But within hee is full of golden mines, and rich ores; the inuisible graces of faith, feare, louelove, hope, patience, holinesse: sweeter then the spices of the East Indies, and richer then the gold of the West.Psal. 45. 13. Omnis decor filiae Sion ab intus. The Kings Daughter is all glorious within. It is not the superficiall skinne, but the internall beautie, that moues the King of heauen to bee enamoured of vsus;Cant. 4. 7. and to say, Thou art all faire my LoueLove: there is no spot in thee.
6. Lastly, for Fertilitie. The Earth is fruitfull: when the ayre hath giuen influence, the Clouds showred downe seasonable deawes, and the Sunne bestowed his kindly heate; loe, the thankfull earth returnes fruites, and that in abundance. The Christian soule, hauing receiued such holy operations, inspirations, and sanctifying motions from aboue, is neuer found without a gratefull fertility. Yea, as the Earth to man, so man to God, returnes a blessed vsurie; tenne for one; nay sometimes 30. sometimes 60. sometimes an hundred fold.
But the succeeding doctrine will challenge this demonstration. I hauehave been somewhat copious in the first word; the breuity of the rest shall recompence it. The operatiue cause, that worketh the good earth to this fruitfulnesse, is a heauenly Raine that falls oft vponupon it: and the earth doth drinke it vp. Wherein is obseruable, that the raine doth come, that it is welcome. God sends it plenteously, and man entertaines it louingly. It comes oft, and he drinkes it vp. Gods louelove to man is declared in the comming: in the welcomming, mans louelove to God. In the former, we will consider, 1. The matter. 2. The manner. The matter that commeth, is Raine. The manner consists in 3▪ respects. 1. There is mercy, It commeth. It is not constrained, deserued, pulled downe from heauen; It commeth. 2. Frequencie, it commeth often: there is no scanting of this mercy: it flowes abundantly, as if the windowes of heauen were opened: Often. 3. Direction of it right, vponupon this earth. It falls not neere it, nor besides it, but vponupon it. To begin with the