A divine herbal together with a forrest of thorns In five sermons. ... By…A divine herball together with a forrest of thornes In five sermons. ... By…

2. Herbs. There is Fertility in Goodness.

2. Herbes. There is Fertilitie in Goodnes.

The eldest daughter of Idleness is to do nothing: the next borne to do something to no purpose. But the good man ⟨p. 43⟩is not only doing, but well doing, Math. 24.¹ Blessed is that servant, whom his Lord when he cometh, shall find so doing. This so consists in doing Bonum, and Been. As the former verse may seem to intimate. He gives them meat, there he doth good: in due season, there he doth it well. The forbearance of wickedness is not enough to acquit the soul, but the performance of righteousness. 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, ²saith S. Chrysost. Not for taking away another mans, but for not giving his own. He would not give the poor the crumbs that fell from his board; and so facere damna lucrum, make a gain of his losses: for they were lost that fell from his libertine table, and yet would have refreshed the hungry and famished soul. But Dives would not give a crumb, to get a crown. He wore fine linen; but it was his own. He was clothed in rich purple; but it was his own. He fared sumptuously every day, but he did eat his own meat: he took none of all this from Lazarus. Yet he went to hell. God condemned him, because he did not give some of this to Lazarus. Thus it is not only the commission of lewdness, that sinks men to hell, but even also the omission of goodness. Dost thou hear, O Earth; unless thou bring forth herbs, thou shalt be condemned. The Fig-tree had no bad fruit on it, yet was it cursed, because it had