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…

You have heard how the rain is come; now hear how it is made welcome. The good ground drinks it, nay drinks it in. Imbibit. The comparison stands thus. The thirsty Land drinks ⟨p. 23⟩up the rain greedily, which the clouds pour upon it. You would wonder what becomes of it: you may find it in your fruits. When your Vines hang full of clusters, your Gardens stand thick with flowers, your Meadows with grass, your fields with corn; you will say, the earth hath been beholden to the heaven. That hath rained moisture, this hath drunk it in; we see it in our fruits.¹ The Lord saith, I will hear the heavens, and they shall hear the earth, and the earth shall hear the corn, and the wine, and the oil, and they shall hear Jezreel. The fruits of corn, wine, oil, witness that the earth hath heard them, that heaven hath heard the earth, and that the Lord hath heard the heaven. The heavens give influence to the ground, the ground sap to the plants, the plants nourishment to us, the Lord a blessing to all. The Lord watereth the hills from the chambers: ²the earth is satisfied with the fruit of the works. He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man: Wine to make glad his heart, and oil to make his face shine; and bread to strengthen mans heart, &c. With such thirsty appetite, and no less happy success, doth the good soul swallow the dew of grace. If you perceive not when the faithful take it; you may see they have it: for their fruits testify it. It is a most evident demonstration, that they have bin beholding to the Gospel; they have a sanctified life. Drinks it in.

You haue heard how the raine is come; now heare how it is made welcome. The good groūd drinkes it, nay drinkes it in. Imbibit. The comparison stands thus. The thirsty Land drinkes ⟨p. 23⟩vp the raine greedily, which the cloudes poure vpon it. You would wonder what becomes of it: you may finde it in your fruites. When your Vines hang full of clusters, your Gardens stand thicke with flowers, your Medowes with grasse, your fields with corne; you will say, the earth hath been beholden to the heauen. That hath rained moisture, this hath drunke it in; we see it in our fruits.