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…

1. For humilitie. Humus, quasi humilis. The Earth is the lowest of all elements, and the centre of the world. The godly heart is not so low in situation; but so lowly in it own estimation. God is said to hang the earth upon nothing. Jo•. 26.¹ He stretcheth out the North over the empty place, and hangeth the Earth upon nothing: that it might wholly depend on himself. So a true Christian heart, in regard of it self, is founded upon nothing; (hath an humble vilipending and disprising of it own worth) that it may (ex toto, & ex tuto) wholly and safely rely on God. O man of earth, why exaltest thou thy self? this is the way to prevent and frustrate the exaltation of God. Keep thy self lowly as the Earth; reject all opinion of thy own worth, and thou shalt one day over-top the clouds. The Earth is thy mother, that brought thee forth when thou wert not: a stage that carries thee whiles thou art: a tomb that receives thee when thou art not. It gives thee original, harbour, sepulchre. Like a kind mother, she bears her off-spring on her back; and her brood is her perpetual burden, till she receive them again into the same womb, from whence she delivered them. She shall be ⟨p. 8⟩yet more kind to thee, if her baseness can teach thee humility; and keep thee from being more proud of other things, then thou canst (with any reason) be of thy Parentage. Few are proud of their souls; and none but fools can be proud of their bodies: seeing here is all the difference betwixt him that walks, and his floor he walks on: Living Earth treads upon dead earth, and shall at last be as dead as his pavement. Many are the favours that the earth doth us; yet amongst them all there is none greater, then the schooling us to humility; and working in us a true acknowledgement of our own vileness, and so directing us to heaven, to find that above which she cannot give us below.

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 vpon nothing. Io•. 26.¹ He stretcheth out the North ouer the empty place, and hangeth the Earth vpon nothing: that it might wholly depend on himselfe. So a true Christian heart, in regard of it selfe, is founded vpon 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