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…

Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees, ¹ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Wherein (me thinks) our Saviour implieth a three-fold gradation to heaven. First there must be Justitia, Righteousness; an habitual practise of godliness; an uncorrupt life, which shall only be entertained to Gods Hill. ²But the ground must be made good, before it can produce good herbs: for the person must be accepted before the work. And this work must be good both quoad fontem, and quoad finem: we must derive it from an honest heart, and drive it to a right end. In the next place, this Righteousness must be a mans own. Nisi justitia vestra. Here, that ground which brings forth herbs receiveth blessing; not that borrows them of another. For so, as stony and barren an heart as Cheapside, may be a far richer garden then some of those, where those herbs (brought thither) naturally grew. The Pope hath a huge harden of these herbs; wherewith he can store as many, as will pay for them. John Baptist fasted more then he was commanded: and Mary lived more strictly then God required. Now the Church of Rome keeps an Herbal of these superabundant works; and money ⟨p. 45⟩may have store of them. But heaven and Rome stand a great way asunder. And as God never gave the Pope authority to make such bargains, so he never means to stand to them. It is not only spoken, but commanded to be written of the dying Saints, that their works follow them. Their own works, ³not the works of others. No righteousness of friend living, or of Saint dead, shall do thee good, but the herbs of thy own Garden shall be accepted of God. Lastly, this Righteousness must excell, nisi abundaverit. If it come short of those that come short of heaven, what hope have you? It must exceed innocence, and come to real goodness.

Except your righteousnesse shall exceede the righ••ousnesse of the Scribes and Pharises, ¹ye shall not enter into the kingdome of heauen. Wherein (me thinks) our Sauiour implyeth a three-fold gradation to heauen. First there must be Iustitia, Righteousnesse; an habituall practise of godlinesse; an vncorrupt life, which shall only be entertain'd to Gods Hill.