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…

2. Minima plurima, sins less heinous, are the most numerous. Many littles make a mickle. Small drops of rain commonly cause the greatest floods. Quò minus violentum, eò magis perpetuum: the less violence, the longer continuance. The drizzling sleet, that falls as it were in a mist, fills the channels, they swell the rivers, the overcharged rivers send forth their superfluous waters over the containing banks: now the meadows are polluted, the Corn-fields spoiled, the Cattle drowned; yea even houses, and towns, and inhabitants endangered; and firm continents buried under a deluge of waters. Many little sands gathered to an heap, fail not to swallow a great Vessell. De paruis grandis aceruus erit. You have Eagles, Hawks, Kites, and such great fowls of rapine, flying always alone: but the sparrows and pigeons, that devour the grain, by innumerable troupes. There were not more grievous plagues to the Egyptians, then came by the contemptiblest creatures: as frogs, lice, flies, locusts: by reason of the monstrous swarms, ^rcovering the face of the earth, and darkening the Land, and devouring the fruit of the whole Country. Yea even killing the people, that ⟨p. 384⟩there was no remedy found for their life. Thus great destruction ariseth from little causes: therefore, Non contemnenda quia parua, sed metuenda quia multa. Let us not despise our sins because they are little, but fear them because they are many, saith Augustine. The small drops of sin, continually falling, have drowned many souls. As they have been our Arms to fight against GOD, so God will make them his Armies to confound us. Timenda ruina multitudinis, etsi non magnitudinis. Let us fear them for their number, though we slight them for their nature.

2. Minima plurima, sinnes lesse haynous, are the most numerous. Many littles make a mickle. Small droppes of raine commonly cause the greatest flouds. Quò minus violentum, eò magis perpetuum: the lesse violence, the longer continuance. The drisling sleete, that falls as it were in a mist, fills the chanels, they swell the riuers, the ouercharged riuers send foorth their superfluous waters ouer the conteyning bankes: now the medowes are polluted, the Corne-fields spoyled, the Cattell drowned; yea euen houses, and townes, and inhabitants endangered; and firme continents buried vnder a deluge of waters. Many little sands gather'd to an heape, faile not to swallow a great Vessell. De paruis grandis aceruus erit. You haue Eagles, Hawkes, Kites, and such great fowles of rapine, flying alwaies alone: but the sparrowes and pidgeons, that deuour the graine, by innumerable troupes. There were not more grieuous plagues to the Egyptians, then came by the contemptiblest creatures: as frogges, lice, flyes, locusts: by reason of the monstrous swarmes,