The Happiness of the Church, Biblical commentary 25
A GENERATION OF Serpents OR The Poyson of Wickednesse.
PSAL. 58. 4.
Their poyson is like the poyson of a Serpent, like the deafe Adder that stoppeth her eare.
THis verse spends it selfe on a double comparison,
of
Persons,
Conditions.
The Persons compared are Men and Serpents. The Conditions or Qualities vppon which the similitude stands, are Poyson and Deafenesse. The former whereof is indefinite; Their Poyson is as the Poyson of a Serpent, any Serpent. The latter is restrictiue; Their deafnesse is like the Adders; one kind of Serpents.
I will beginne with the Conditions: for if the same qualities be found in Men, that are in Serpents; there will follow fitly, too fitly, a comparison of their Persons. The first Qualitie here ascribed to the wicked by the Psalmist, is
Poyson.
There is such a thing as Poyson; but where to bee found; Vbi cum que fuerit, in homine quis quareret? Wheresoeuer it is, in Man who would looke for it? GOD made mans bodie of the dust; he mingled no Poyson with it. He inspireth his soule from heauen, he breaths no Poyson with it. He feeds him with bread, he convayes no poyson with it. Vnde venenum? Whence is this Poyson? aMat. 13. 27.Didst not thou O Lord, sow good seed in thy field? Vnde Zizaniae? From whence then hath it tares? Whence? Hoc fecit inimicus; the Enemie hath done this. We may perceiue the Deuill in it. That great Serpent, the red Dragon, hath powred into wicked hearts this Poyson.
His owne Poyson? Malitiam wickednes, Cùm infundit peccatum, infundit venenum. When hee poures in Sinne, he poures in poyson. Sinne is Poyson. Originall pravitie is called Corruption; actuall, Poyson. The violence and virulence of this venemous qualitie comes not at first. Nemo fit repente pessimus. No man becomes worst at first dash. Wee are borne corrupt, wee hauehave made our selues Poysonus. There be three degrees, as it were so many ages in sin. 1. Secret sin: an vlcer lying in the bones, but skin'd ouer with hypocrisie. 2. Open sin, bursting forth into manifest villanie. The former is corruption, the second eruption. 3. Frequented and confirmed sinne, and that is ranke poyson, enveneming soule and bodie.
When it is impostumated to this ripenes and rankenesse, it impudently iustifies wickednes for goodnesse; venenum pro nutrimento; poyson for nutriment. It feeds on, swallowes, digests sinne, as if it were nourishment. As Hemlocke is good meate for Goates, and Spiders for Monkeys. It despiseth all reproofe, bPsal. 1. 1.sitting in the scorners chaire: Which for the poyson is called by diuines, Sedes Pestilentiae; the Seat of Pestilence. Peccator cùm in profundum venerit, contemnet. When a wicked man comes to the depth and worst of sinne, …hee despiseth. Then the Hebrew will despise Moses: cExod. 2. 14.Who made thee a Prince, and a Iudge ouer vsus? Then Ahab will quarrell with Micheah, because he doth not d1. Kin. 22. 18.Prophecie good vntounto him. EueryEvery child in Bethel will mocke Elisha, and bee bold to call him e2. King. 2. 23.Bald pate. Here is an originall droppe of veneme swolne to a maine Ocean of Poyson. As one droppe of some Serpents poyson lighting on the hand, gettes into the veines; and so spreads it selfe ouer all the bodie, till it hath stiffled the vitall spirits.
In this Poyson there is a double pestilent effect Inficit, Interficit. It is to themselues death, to others a contagious sicknesse.
To themselues
It is an epidemicall corruption, dispersing the venime ouer all parts of bodie and soule. It poysons the heart with falshood, the head with lightnesse, the eyes with adulterie, the tongue with blasphemie, the hands with oppression, the whole bodie with intemperance. It Poysons beautie with wantonesse, strength with violence, witte with wilfulnesse, learning with dissension, deuotion with superstition, religion with treason. If they be greater gifts, it poysons them with pride; putting Cantharides into the oile-pot. If meaner, it poysons them with hypocrisie, putting Colocinthis into the porredge-pot. And where the Cantharides of Pride, or Coloquintida of hypocrisie are, there is venenum & exitium; Poyson and death. This poyson, faster then a Gangrene, runnes from ioynt to ioynt; as an enemie takes Fort after Fort, till he hath wonne the whole Countrey.
1. It is in the Thought: the fGen. 6. 5.imaginations are full of poison. EueryEvery euil thought is not thus poisonous. There is malum innatum, and inseminatum, sayth Bernard. An euill bred in vsus, and an euill sowne in vsus. Sinnes, like Weeds, will grow fast enough without sowing: but Qui …, he that gGal. 6. 8.sowes to the flesh, shall of the flesh reape corruption: hee that shall sow this venemous seed, poysons his soule. hIer. 4. 14.Clense thy heart from iniquitie, that thou mayest be saued. How long shall thy vaine thoughts lodge within thee? Lodge: he doth not speake of transient; but permanent sinnes. Such as iMic. 2. 1.meditate mischiefe; studie to bee naught. Whose imaginations sucke poyson out of eueryevery Obiect, yea though it bee good: as the Spider suckes poyson from the sweetest flower.
Vanishing thoughts, that passe through a good man without approbation, not without suppression, are properly Nec mors nec morbus animae, sed deformitas; neither the disease nor death of the soule, but the deformitie. They are im…issae; Satans darts shot through vsus: in corde, non de corde: in the heart, not of the heart. Which the godly Sentiunt, non consentiunt; feele, but giuegive no liking to. They are our Crosses, not our sinnes. Such a thought is but morbus mentis, the disease of the mind; the other morsus serpentis; the wound or poyson of the Serpent. The allowed filthy cogitation is the poyson. Thus are the thoughts poysond.
2. From thence it runs to the Senses, and sets open those windows to let in the poisonous aire of wickednesse. The fiue Senses are the Cinque Ports, where all the great traffique of the Deuill is taken in. They are the Pores, whereby Sathan conveyes in the stinking breath of temptation.
The eare is set wide open to receiue in the poyson of scurrilous songs, obscene …ests, seditious libels. It is not onelyonly an Atheman eare, nouitatis auida, greedie of newes: but a Cretian eare, prauitatis auida, greedie of euill. It listens to heare of ciuill warres, vnciuill treasons: it would faine hauehave heard the great thunderclappe, which the Gun-powder should hauehave made at the blowing vp of the Parliament house. Here is an eare for the Deuill. Such eares hauehave the Iesuites: they would faine heare of the ruine of kingdomes. What woulde make others k1. Sam. 3. 11.eares tingle, makes their eares tickle. Aures illae in se sentiant, quod audire de alij… cupiunt. Let such eares feele that woe themselues, which they desire so earnestly to heare of others.
The Eye-lid is sette open with the gagges of Lust and Enuie. A libidinous eye drawes in much poyson. There be eyes full of adulterie, sayth the Apostle. They fetch in seedes of poyson from the Theater, yea (I tremble to speake it) from the Church of GOD. It beholdes beautie, (Gods rare workemanshippe on a piece of clay) not to blesse the Creator, but to draw a curse on the creature. Like a melancholy distracted man, that drownes himselfe in a cleare Chrystall riuer. O such chast Beautie is like the Bellowes; though it owne breath bee cold, it makes them burne.
There is another kinde of Eye; that deriues poyson to the heart; the enuious eye, that is vexed at the richer furniture, fatter estate, or higher honour of another: thinking his owne not good, because his neighbour hath better. Any mans aduancement is so capitall an offence to his malice, that hee coulde shoote out his owne eyes, so they might bee balles of Wild-fire to consume him. But his malice suckes vp the greatest part of his owne venime; and therewith poysons himselfe, rather then others. A man that sees him, would say, He is poysoned: for his bloud lookes of a yellowish colour, like those that are bitten with Vipers. His gall flowes as thicke in him, as if hee hadde a poysoned stomacke. If hee had, as Seneca wish'd to the Enuious, eyes in eueryevery place; his vncontainable poyson would soone burst him. As he is, he would bee anothers enemie, but is his owne mischiefe
3. From the Senses it runnes to the Tongue; and sets it a swelling, a swearing, that it infects the aire, and poysons the very lZach. 5. 4.Walles of the house. The excrements of the Iewes spet vponupon the face of our Sauiour, were not so feculent. Their blasphemies striue to blast, not onelyonly the plants of the earth, but euen the planets of Heauen; the Sunne and Starres: and if it were possible, they would make new wounds in the side of Iesus Christ. If any swearer thinke, I doe his tongue wrong; let him read. Rom. 3. mRom. 3. 13.The poyson of Aspes is vnderunder their lippes. If you would know what that pestilent poyson is, the next verse expounds it. nVer. 14.Their mouth is full of cursing and bitternes. They cary worse poyson in …re, in their mouth; then any serpent in caud…, in his taile. oIam. 3. 8.Their tongue is full of deadly poyson. 1. They hauehave poyson. 2. not dead, but deadly; mortall poyson. 3. not a little, but saturitie of it; full of deadly poyson.
Poyson hath thus got from their silent thoughts, to their mouing senses; and from thence to their, lowd and lewd talking tongues. And this bewrayes their venime, as the Serpents Hissing betrayes his malice. pEccl. 21. 26.The heart of fooles is in their mouth, but the mouth of the wise is in their heart. Cesar said, hee feared not Anthonie, whose heart was in his tongue; but Cassius, whose tongue was in his heart. A wicked mans tongue discouers him. A bell may hauehave a cracke, though inuisible: take the clapper and strike, and you shall soone perceiue it. The vngodly may conceale his wickednesse by silence: but if the clapper strikes, if his tongue walkes, you shall quickly perceiue, he is crack'd. A poysond tongue cannot forbeare to sputter abroad his venime.
4. From the Tongue this poyson runnes to the Hands. Anaxagoras thought Man the wisest of all creatures, because hee hath hands: he might hauehave thought him the wickedest of all creatures, because he hath hands. No creature doth so much hurt with his teeth or talons, as the wicked man with his poysoned hands. A man doth greatly expresse himselfe by his hands. Paul by beckoning his qAct. 21. 40.hand, procured silence. Much is done rPers. Satyr. 4.Maiestate manus, as the Poet; by Maiestie of the hand. The witte seemes to manifest it selfe in the hands: as the Italians say of the Duchmen, that their witte dwells in their fingers end. The power in the hands. An nescis longas Regibus esse manus? Yeeld the hand a principall instrument; yet corruptio optimi pessima. The euill hand doth not so much manifest mans wittinesse, as his wickednes, sMic. 2. 1.They deuise iniquitie, and practise it, because it is in the power of the Hand. The poyson that was conceiued in their thoughts, dilates it selfe into their hands: cogitant, agitant.
God reproues the Iewes, that they had Manus sanguinum, tEsa. 1. 15.bloudy hands. And the same Prophet seemes to liken it to a venemous infection: uEsa. 59. 3.your hands are defiled with bloud. And if the tongue can be possibly brought, to smother the in cherished poison, yet manus manifestabit, the hand will discouer it. ver. 6. The act of violence is in their hands. The Israelites soone suspected, what a king Rehoboam would be when he threatned Grauitatem manus, to make his hand heauy; yea his finger heauier then his fathers Loynes. Ahab quite disgraced himselfe for being thought religious, when hee laid a violent hand on Naboths vineyard. Ieroboam makes it plaine, that he bore no louelove to Gods Prophets, cùm extendit manum; when hee put forth his hand to strike one. Many Landlords seeme Christians, but they hauehave Rehoboams hand, a heauy hand on their Tenants, many vsurers come to Church, but they hauehave Ahabs hand, to take the forfeit of the poore debters heritage. Many parishioners seeme to louelove their Prophets, but they hauehave Ieroboams hand, a hand that strikes them, if not in person, yet in estate; vndoing them and their families. This is venenata manus, a poysond Hand.
5. Lastly this poyson hauing got possession of the thoughts, words, workes; it must needs follow that it hath taken the Heart. aEsa. 1. 5.Cor dolet, the whole heart is sicke. These corrupted simptomes proue that the heart is rotten bIob. 20. 14. 16.The very meate in their bowells is turned to the gall of Aspes. They sucke the poyson of Aspes. If you aske why they feele it not; Paul sayes; Their sense is lost: cEph. 4. 19.They are past feeling. Their whole selfe is changed into a disease. Their bodie is no longer Corpus, but Morbus. As Lucan. Totum est pro vulnere corpus. Their whole body is as one wound or sicknes. Neither can wee say so properly of them, that they are sicke, as that they are dead. Nonaegroti, sed defuncti: not diseased, but deceased.
And in all this obserue the effect of this Poyson in themselues. For it doth not onelyonly annoy others, but mostly destroy themselues. And herein their poyson is not onelyonly Tale and Tantum, such and so much as that of Serpents: but Plus & Perniciosius, more, and more dangerous. Seneca sayes, Venenum quod serpentes in alienam perniciem proferunt, sine sua continent. The poyson which serpents cast out to the domage of others, they retaine without their owne periudice. But the poyson of the wicked, dum alios inficit, seipsos interficit; Whilest it infects others, kills themselues. dProu. 5. 22.His owne iniquities shall take the wicked himselfe. Their owne wickednesse, like poyson, hath in themselues these three direfull effects.
It makes them
Swell.
Swill.
Burst.
1. It makes them swell with pride, and blowes vp the heart, as a bladder with a quill. e1. Sam. 25. 10Quis est Dauid? Who is Dauid? and who is the Sonne of Iesse? Yea fIob. 21. 15.Quis est Dominus? Who is the Almightie, that wee should serue him? Thus the Spider, a poysonous vermine, gProu. 30. 28.Climes vp to the roofe of the kings pallace. If he be in prosperitie nothing can hold him to a man. Be hee but a h2. King. 14. 9.Thistle, he sends to the king of Lebanon, for his daughter to be his Sonnes wife. Though he be but a dwarfe in comparison, he would swell to a son of Anak. Sinne hath puff'd him vp, & he forgets his maker. iIer. 5. 7.The Lord hath fed him to the full, & he rebells against him. We hauehave then good cause to pray with our Church; In the time of our wealth, good Lord deliuer vsus.
2. It makes them swill: the poyson of sinne is such a burning heate within them, that they must still bee drinking. And the deuill, their Physician, holds them to a dyet-drinke: they shall not hauehave the water of the Sanctuary, that would coole them: but the harsh, harish, & ill-brewd drinke of damnation. They shall tast nothing but sinne; more poyson still. Which is so farre from quenching their thirst, that it enflames it.
Totis exquirit in agris.Lucan.
Quas modo poscit aquas, sitiens in corde venenum.
So a man puts out the Lampe by powring in more oyle and extinguisheth the fire by laying on fewel. This may for a small time allay the heate, as cold drinke to a burning feuer. So Ahabs, feruor was a litle delayed, with a draught of wine out of Naboths vinyard. But Satan holds his guests to one kind of lycour, and that's ranke poyson; the mudde of sinne and wickednesse. He allowes them no other watring place, but this Puddle-wharfe.
3. It makes them burst, here be the three sore effects of sinne in the soule, as of poyson in the body. Frst it makes a man swell, then it makes him drinke, lastly it it bursts him. Iudas is houen with couetousnes, hee drinkes the money of treason, and then he bursts. Rumpuntur viscera Iudae. kAct. 1. 18.he burst out. This is the catastrophe of a wicked life. lIam. 1. 15.Then when lust hath conceiued, it bringeth forth sinne: and sinne, when it is finished, bringethforth forth death.
To others.
You see how fatall the poyson of the wicked is to themselues. It doth not onelyonly rumperese, but corrumpere alios: burst themselues, but corrupt others. It depriues their owne good, it depraues others good. The hurt is doth to others, consists.
in
Correptione,
Corruptione.
in outward harming, in inward defiling them.
Outwardly
Their Poyson breakes forth in the iniuries of all about them. They spare neither forreiner nor neighbour. There be litle snakes in Babilon, that bite only forreiners, and not inhabitants. Pliny writes of Scorpions in the hill Caria, that when they sting, onelyonly wound the naturall borne people of the Countrey; but extraneos leuiter mordere, but bite strangers gently, or not at all. These, like fooles, not onelyonly strike them that are nearest, but betweene their poyson in ruinam omnium, to the ouerthrow of all. Such a one cannot sleepe except he hauehave done mischiefe: nay hee dyes, if others doe not dye by him. Et si non aliqua nocu…sset, mortuus esset. A mans Land cannot scape the poyson of the depopulator: nor his estate the poyson of the vsurer; nor his children the rauisher: nor his peace the contender: nor his name the slanderer. If their poyson cannot preuaile ad interitum hominis, they will spend it ad interitum nominis. If they cannot murder, they will murmure. They are the Deuills bandogs; as one calls Parsons the Popes Cerb…rus. If they cannot come to bite, they will barke. If their sting cannot reach, their mouth shall sputter out their venime.
Yea some of them doe not onelyonly this mischiefe whiles they liue, but etiam mortui, euen dead. As Herod, that caused the noble Sonnes of the Iewes to be slaine post mortem suam, after his death. They write of some serpents, that their poyson can doe no hurt except it bee shot from the liue bodies of them: but these leaue behind them a still euill-working poyson. As wee say of a charitable man, that hee doth good after hee is dead; his almes maintaine many poore soules on earth, when his soule is in heauen: Et quamvis ipse sepultus, alit. So these wicked sinne perpetually euen dead. The incloser of commons sinneth after he is dead: euen so long as the poore are depriued of that benefite. He that hath robbed the Church of a tenth, & so leaues it to his heire, sinnes after he is dead: euen so long as God is made to loose his right. Moriente serpente moritur venenum: but here moriente homine viuit peccatum. As one sayd of a Lawyer that resoluing not to be forgotten, hee made his will so full of intricate quirkes; that his executors (if for nothing else; yet) for very vexation of law might hauehave cause to remember him. Ieroboams sinne of Idolatrie out liued him. The vniust decrees of a partiall Iudge may out liue him: euen so long as the adiudged inheritance remaines with the wrongfull possessor. The decrees of diuerse Popes; as in curtalling the Sacrament, forbidding marriage, &c. are their still liuing sinnes though themselues be dead and rotten.
Inwardly.
Their poyson doth most hurt by Infection: their companie is as dangerous as the plague: a man cannot come neere them, but hee shall bee contaminated. Like the weed called Gosses, they make the ground barren wheresoeuer they grow. Their Poyson is got
Per
Contactum
Contractum
Compactum
Conspectum
1. By touching: he that toucheth pitch, shall be defiled. It is dangerous to sport and dally with them: dum ludunt, laedunt. mProu. 26. 18.He casteth firebrands, and arrowes, and death; and sayth, Am I not in sport. As Solomon sayth, Their very mercies are cruell: so their very iest is killing earnest.
2. By companying with them: they hurt by sporting, but worse by sorting. nProu. 1. 14.Cast in thy lot among vsus, let vsus all hauehave one purse. They that will quarter themselues with the wicked, must drinke of their poyson. If you aske, how happes it that their infection is not sm…lt: Bernard answers; Vbi omnes s…rdent, vnius De Consider.minimè sentitur: one is not smelt, where all stinke.
3. By Confederacie; which is yet a higher degree of receiuing their poyson. The first was alight dallying with their humours, the next a societie with them in some drunken riots and disorders: but this third is a conspiracie with them in their pernicious and deadly plotts. Thus a Seminary comes from Rome, and whistles together a number of traytors: he brought poison with him in a Bulls horne, and they all must drinke it. As they report, that once one scabbed sheepe from Spaine rotted all the sheepe of England.
In this maner is the poyson of adultery spread from a Harlot. In selling her flesh shee settes pretium peccati, and takes praemium peccati: either pretium pacti, or praemium facti: she hath her price, and giues her male his reward. This is a damnable combination: hee that goeth after her, poysons himselfe per compactum; he bargaines for his owne destruction.
4. By Sight; as they that looke on ill affected eyes attract some of the anguish by a kind of reflection. So the very beholding of their wicked example, deriues corruption to the heart by resultance. Many sinnes had beene vnknowne, if they had not beene learned by precedent. Great men gracelesse are the deuills speciall factors: they hauehave their new trickes of vanitie to teach others. And they often broach these new fashions of damnation, not so much out of affection to the thing it selfe, as to bee talk'd of. As Alcibiades cut off his dogs taile, that all the people might talke of his curtall. O the vnspeakable deale of poyson that is thus conueyed into mens hearts: and the innumerable soules, that goe to hell by patterne. Thus they hurt others.
But I hauehave beene too copious in discouerie of their poyson: I should come to their Deafnes; but I am loth to speake of deafenesse till the end of the Sermon. Their poison being thus compared with the poison of Serpents, let vsus now compare
Their Persons.
They are here sayd to bee Sicut Serpentes; Like Serpents. But Mathew 23. oMat. 23. 33.CHRIST cals the Pharises very Serpents. And Iohn Baptist pMat. 3. 7.a generation of Vipers. And GOD telles Ezekiel, that he did qEzech. 2. 6.dwell among Scorpions. In these places the Sicut is left out, and the wicked are called very Serpents. Not that the frame and forme of their bodily constitution was Serpentine.
It was a foolish opinion among the Heathen, that there were Ophiogenes, or Anguigenae. They write of Ophion, the companion of Cadmus, and builder of Thebes, that he was made by Pallas, of a Dragons tooth. So Ephesus was once called Colubraxia: and the people thereof Ophiussa.
I hauehave read of one Exagon, an Ambassador to Rome, being at the Consuls command cast into a Tunne of snakes; that they licked him with their tongues, and did him no harme. But to conclude hereon that these were of Serpents brood; we might as well say, Daniel was borne of Lyons, because they did not hurt him.
They are mysticall Serpents, I meane. And if wicked men thinke scorne to be called Serpents, let them abhorre the qualities of Serpents. xI referre you for this doctrine to my Sermon vponupon Math. 10. 16.Sinne is of that power, that it can worke metamorphoses, and transforme men into beasts and serpents. Let vsus now see what Serpents we hauehave among vsus.
1. We hauehave the Salamander, the troublesome and litigious neighbour; who euer loues and liues in the fire of contention. Whatsoeuer they talke that the Salamander is nourished by the fire; yet Galen and Dioscorides affirme, that if it tarry long in it, it will bee burnt, when the humiditie is wasted. Whatsoeuer a man gettes by the fire of vexation, at last his humour will be wasted, his wealth spent, and himselfe consumed in his owne flames. Let no man thinke to get by his troublesomenesse, as if he could be fed with fire. They talke of a Net at Rome (wherein Christs napkin is preserued) that it is washed in nothing but fire. And Paulus Venetus speakes of a kind of earth in Tartaria; which being spun into a threed, and wouen into cloth, is onelyonly purged from all spots by washing it in the fire. But if euer any man grow rich by his contentiousnes, I will beleeue that fire is nourishment.
Some make the Embleme of Strife the Snake. Alecto sent a Snake to moue contention in the familie of Amata.
Vnum de crinibus Anguem
Conijcit, in que sinum praecordia ad intima subdit.Aeneid. 7.
Let the vnquiet man, that is still vexing his neighbours with sutes and quarrels, here take his choice: whether he will be a Snake or a Salamander.
2. We hauehave the Dar…; and that's the Angrie man. This is the Serpent that is thought to leape on Pauls hand. Iaculum vocat Affrica. It gathers it selfe into a heape on the toppe of a tree, and so flies at a man, tanquam Act. 28.Sagitta; as a Dart. Such a Serpent is the hasty furious man; he flies vponupon another with a sudden blow. Some coniecture (I know not how probably) that these were the fiery Serpents in the Desart.
3. There is the Dipsas, the Drunkard. This Serpent liues altogether in moorish places: the serpent in the fennes, the man at the alehouse. Ovid writes of an old drunken woman. Est quaedam nomine Dipsas anus. Ex re nomen habet. Her name did agree with her nature. It is euer dry sayth Lucan. Medijs siti…bant Dipsades vndis. If this Serpent wound a man, it turnes all his bloud into poyson. So the Drunkard turnes his bloud to water, his bread to drinke, his reason to poyson, his very soule to froth.
4. There is the Crocodile, the Hypocrite. He will sobbe, and sigh, and weepe, to get a man into his clutches. If his hypocrisie can get him into a good house, he will deuour the Patron that breedes him, the maintainer that feedes him: he vndoes the familie where he once sets a foote into theyr dores, or puttes a finger into their purses. Plinie sayth, the Crocodile is so delighted with the Sun-shine, that it lies on the earth immoueable, as if it were starke dead. Let the Hypocrite be frank'd vp with prosperitie, and hee sleepes as securely, as if earth had lost all windes, and heauen the thunder. His pamperd body growes so fatte, that his soule lies soft in it, at great ease, and is loath to rise.
5. The Cocatrice, that is sayd to kill with the eyes. Illius auditos expectant nulla susurros. The reason why Nicand.it killes by sight, is thus giuen; because the beames of a Cocatrices eye corrupt the visible spirits of a man; which corrupted, corrupt the other spirits comming from the braine, and life of the heart. Our common Phrase hath found out creatures to match this kind of Serpents; Whores, vsually call'd Cocatrices. I would to God they were beleeued as dangerous as they are, and are named.
The Cocatrice is a very hote creature; and therefore made with spiraments and breathing places all ouer the body: least the compage and iuncture of the whole composition should be dissolued. The intemperate heate of harlots is worse, and in some kind a very reflection from the fire of hell. There is an old tale, that England was once so pesterd with Cocatrices, that a certaine man found out one onelyonly tricke to destroy them: which was by walking vp and downe in glasse before them; whereby their owne shapes were so reflected vponupon their owne faces, that they died. But it is idle, for it is more likely that the man should dye by the corruption of the aire from the cocatrice, then the cocatrice by the resultance of it owne similitude from the glasse. As the harlot will sooner peruert a man, then he shall conuert the harlot. Indeed they say, if they first see vsus, they kill vsus: if we first see them, they die. So if we first see the damnation of a Courtezan, we saue our selues: if they first see & wound vsus, we dye of it.
6. There's the Catterpillar; you all know this to be the Couetous. I confesse that other Serpents are also fit emblemes of the couetous: as the Toad, that eats sparingly of the very earth for feare it should be all wasted & no food left for her. The Germane Painters to signifie Couetousnes, doe picture an old woman sitting vponupon a toade. Or the Earth-worme: these wormes eate vp the fatt of the earth, toades eate vp those wormes, and dragons eate vp those toades. So lightly pettie vsurers eate vp the fatte of the Countrey, great oppressors deuoure those litle extortioners, and at last the great red dragon swallowes those oppressors.
But▪ here I especially liken them to Catterpillars. Pline sayth, that litle wormes bred in the green leaues of plants, proue in three dayes catterpillars & eate vp those plants. The Countrey breeds, these couetous wretches, and they deuour her. He writes also that Catterpillars are bred by a dew, incrassated and thicked by the heate of the Sun. It is the warmth of prospertie, that breedes and feeds our vsurers. Others say, that they come of butterflies egs, the which heate of the Sunne hatcheth, working so fit a passiue matter to the forme of a catterpillar. So commonly your vsurer hatcheth, his riches out of the Butterflies egs, laid abroad by prodigall young gallāts. The Scripture calls them great deuourers Ioel. 1. 4. Martial.Eracam vix pascit hortus vnam. A whole coūtrey wil not content one auarous catterpillar. At last the catterpillars perish of thēselues (as ours do wilfully) through famine, & are transformed into a bare & emptie bagge or case. If they perish in summer, out of their rind being broken comes forth a butterfly. Iust as wee see often from the ruines of a dead vsurer, that was a Catterpillar; springs a prodigall Heire, that is a painted Butterflie.
7. We hauehave also the Aspe… that's the traitours Seminary. Lucan writes, that the originall of Aspes was Affrica, and that merchants translated them into Europe.
Sed quis erit nobis Lucripudor! Inde petuntur
Huc Lybicae m…tes, & fec…mus Aspida merces.
But what is our gaine, sayth hee? We hauehave made the Aspos a merchandice. So these our Aspes are bred in Italie, and ship'd ouer into England as a precious merchandice. They speake themselues so gentle, that aEsa. 11. 8.a sucking child may play … the hol… of these Aspes: but wee hauehave found their boroughs the holes of treason, and their vaults the vaults of gunpowder. There is feud betwixt the Ichneumon and the Aspe: they oft fight: if the Aspe bite first, the Ichneumon dyes: if the Ichneumon first, the Aspe dyes. Let vsus strike them with punishment, lest they strike vsus with death. These Aspes kill many soules in our Land.
Aspidis & mersu Loesum dormire fatentur
In mortem, antidotum nec valuisse ferunt.
If the be witched people once receiue their poyson, they sleepe to death: and no helpe preuailes, for they will not come to Church to be cured.
8. There is also the Lyzard, the Embleme of the Slothfull. As is also the Slow-worme, or the serpentine Tortoice. They write of the Lyzard, that hauing laid egges, shee forgets the very place where shee laid them. She will lie still till you cut her in pieces: and then the forepart runns away vponupon two Legs, and the hinder part on other two: liuing apart till they meete againe, and then are naturally …onioyned. If the Lazy will follow the qualities, let them take the name of Lisards.
9. There is also the Sea-Serpent, and that's the Pirate: a theefe crosse to all kind of theeues. For other theeues first fall to robberie, and then are cast into prison: but he first casts himselfe into a prison, and then falls to robberie. In a litle vessell, a very iayle, with a large graue round about it, he does all mischeefe. At last when he growes great, he ruines himselfe. They write of a Sea-dragon, that growes to a huge vastnesse: but then the winds take him vp into the aire, and by a violent agitation shake his body to pieces. A noble part of Gods prouidence; to tame that himselfe which his creatures cannot.
10. There is the Stellion, and that is the Extortioner. Extortion and Cossenage is prouerbially called Crimen Stellionatus; the sinne of Stellature. When the Stellion hath cast his skinne, hee greedily deuoures it againe: which sayth Theophrastus, hee doth in enuie, because he vnderstands that it is a noble remedie against the falling sicknes. So in malice it lines the guts with that couered the backe: & eats that in summer wherewith it was clothed in winter. It destroyes the honey of Bees Stellio saepe fauos ignotus adedit. So the extortioner spoiles the hiues, & deuours al the honey of pooremens gathering. It is a beast full of spottes. Aptumque colori.Virgil.
Nomen habet, varijs stellatus corpore guttis.
The spots that sticke vponupon an Extortioner are more Orid.innumerable. Cosonage is called Stellature. It were wel if such Extortioners were serued, as Budaus relates a historie of two Tribunes, Qui per Stellaturas militibus multum abstulissent; whom the Emperor commaunded to be stoned to death.
11. The last is the great Serpent of all, Draco the deuill; who is called the bReu. 12. 3.Great red Dragon. In idolatrous times and places dragons hauehave beene worshiped. The common distinction is, Angneb, … Serpentes terrarum, Dracones Templorum. Snakes of the water, serpents of the earth, dragons of the Temple. There are too many wicked worldlings, that still worship this God of the world, the red Dragon. The dragons haunt principally trees of frankincense: Satan loues to hauehave men sacrifice to him: he tempted the son of God to fall downe & worship him. Nothing but the smoke of Styrax can driue away dragons: not holy water, not crossings, but onelyonly faith in the Lord Iesus can put the deuil to flight. Serpens serpentem de…rando fit Draco. The diuel at first was but a Serpent; now by deuouring many millios of these serpēts, the wicked; he is become a Dragon.
I should here shew you two things.
1. The remedie to draw out this poyson, and to cure the soule; which is onelyonly Sanguis medici, the bloud of our Phisician. cIoh. 3. 14.As Moses lifted vp the serpent in the wilder nesse, so was Christ lifted vp us a serpent; that what eye of fayth soeuer lookes on him, he may be healed of the sting of those fiery serpents, and hauehave the damnable poyson of sinne drawne out.
2. That our next course is Repentance for our sinnes. That as the oile of Scorpions is the best remedie for them that are stung with scorpions: so repentance for sin, is the best remedie within vsus to expell the poyson of sinne. Thinke of the Wise mans counsell; dEccl. 21. 2.Flie from sin as from the face of a serpent: if thou commest too neare it, it will bite thee: and follow it.
Their Deafnesse remaines to be spokē & must remaine vnspoken. How should they be cured, that are deafe to the counsel of their Phisician? Though there be poison in vsus, euen the poiso of dragōs, yet God blesse vsus from the deafnesse of the Adder. Let vsus heare our remedie, & embrace it: pray to God for it, and receiue it: and e1. Ioh. 1. 7.The bloud of Iesus Christ clenseth vsus from all our sinnes. To this Sauiour let all that are saued, giuegive prayse and glory for euer and euer.
Amen.