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…

Cease aspiring man to root thy wickedness in heaven; and to draw in God as an accessary to thy profaneness. God would have thee saved, but thou wilt bear thorns and briars, though thou endangerest thy self to cursing. Is this the requital for his mercy? Are all his kindnesses to thee thus taken? That when he hath done so much to bring thee to heaven, thou wilt tax him ⟨p. 114⟩for casting thee to hell? when he hath so laboured to make thee good, thou wilt lay to his charge thy own voluntary badness. No: justify God, and magnify his mercy. Accuse thine own corrupt heart, that turns so good and alimental food into offensive crudities. Say, Heaven is good, but thy ground is naught. Fatness and juice hath been bestowed on thee, but thou hast yielded pestilent and noisome fruits. Lay not the fault on heaven, but on the native corruption of thy own heart, that hath decocted the goodness of God into venom.

Cease aspiring man to roote thy wickdnesse in heauen; and to draw in God as an accessary to thy profanenesse. God would haue thee saued, but thou wilt beare thorns and briars, though thou endangerest thy selfe to cursing. Is this the requitall for his mercy? Are all his kindnesses to thee thus taken? That when he hath done so much to bring thee to heauen, thou wilt taxe him ⟨p. 114⟩for casting thee to hel? when he hath so laboured to make thee good, thou wilt lay to his charge thy owne voluntary badnesse. No: iustifie God, and magnifie his mercie. Accuse thine owne corrupt heart, that turnes so good and alimentall food into offensiue crudities. Say, Heauen is good, but thy ground is naught. Fatnesse and iuyce hath been bestowed on thee, but thou hast yeelded pestilent and noysome fruits. Lay not the fault on heauen, but on the natiue corruption of thy owne heart, that hath decocted the goodnesse of God into venome.

3. This observation shall make way (and give place) to another. That the ground is very unthankful, which answers the kindness of heaven in raining on it, with briars and thorns. Wretched man, that receives so blessed dews from the fountain of mercy, and returns an ungrateful wickedness. Unthankful it is; as failing in both these essential parts of Gratitude; acknowledging, and requiting a benefit: and so guilty both of falsehood and injustice. Say the wicked did confess Gods mercies, yet where's their obedience? True thankfulness is called Gratiarum actio, non dictio. Whiles for holy dews they render unholy weeds, this disobedience is the greatest Ingratitude. The silence of our tongues; the not opening our lips, to let our mouth show forth his praise, is a grievous unthankfulness. He is of an evil disposition, that conceals or dissembles a benefit. This is one