A01956:1948
The happiness of the church, or, A description of those spiritual prerogatives wherewith Christ…The happines of the church, or, A description of those spirituall prerogatiues vvherewith Christ…
The happiness of the church, or, A description of those spiritual prerogatives wherewith Christ hath endowed her considered in some contemplations upon part of the 12. chapter of the Hebrews : together with certain other meditations and discourses upon other portions of Holy Scriptures, the titles whereof immediately precede the book : being the sum of diverse sermons preached in S. Gregory's London / by Thomas Adams ...The happines of the church, or, A description of those spirituall prerogatiues vvherewith Christ hath endowed her considered in some contemplations vpon part of the 12. chapter of the Hebrewes : together with certain other meditations and discourses vpon other portions of Holy Scriptures, the titles wherof immediately precede the booke : being the summe of diuerse sermons preached in S. Gregories London / by Thomas Adams ...
London: printed by G.P. for John Grismand, 1619London: printed by G.P. for Iohn Grismand, 1619
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
6. There's the Caterpillar; you all know this to be the Covetous. I confess that other Serpents are also fit emblems of the covetous: as the Toad, that eats sparingly of the very earth for fear it should be all wasted & no food left for her. The Germane Painters to signify Covetousness, do picture an old woman sitting upon a toad. Or the Earth-worm: these worms eat up the fat of the earth, toads eat up those worms, and dragons eat up those toads. So lightly petty usurers eat up the fat of the Country, great oppressors devour those little extortioners, and at last the great red dragon swallows those oppressors.
6. There's the Catterpillar; you all know this to be the Couetous. I confesse that other Serpents are also fit emblemes of the couetous: as the Toad, that eats sparingly of the very earth for feare it should be all wasted & no food left for her. The Germane Painters to signifie Couetousnes, doe picture an old woman sitting vpon a toade. Or the Earth-worme: these wormes eate vp the fatt of the earth, toades eate vp those wormes, and dragons eate vp those toades. So lightly pettie vsurers eate vp the fatte of the Countrey, great oppressors deuoure those litle extortioners, and at last the great red dragon swallowes those oppressors.
But▪ here I especially liken them to Caterpillars. Pliny saith, that little worms bred in the green leaves of plants, prove in three days caterpillars & eat up those plants. The Country breeds, these covetous wretches, and they devour her. He writes also that Caterpillars are bred by a dew, incrassated and thicked by the heat of the Sun. It is the warmth of prosperity, that breeds and feeds our usurers. Others say, that they come of butterflies eggs, the which heat of the Sun hatcheth, working so fit a passive matter to the form of a caterpillar. So commonly your usurer hatcheth, his riches out of the Butterflies eggs, laid abroad by prodigal young gallants. The Scripture calls them great devourers 1Eracam vix pascit hortus unam. A whole country will not content one avarous caterpillar. At last the caterpillars