Gods husbandry

Doubtless this care would go happily forward, for God himself would be the Chirurgeon, and health would follow without fail; for the medicine is sovereign, and hath been tried by many, and prescribed by an excellent and skilful person. Saint James bids wavering-minded and double-hearted men, he meaneth Hypocrites, to turn their laughter into tears, and to afflict themselves and weep: lo how affliction, grief, sighs tears, be the ingredients of this medicine that will kill hypocrisy! Saint Paul, after God had met him going to Damascus, took this medicine carefully, and in the space of three days it healed him clean, almost, and made him of a proud hypocritical persecuting ⟨p. 49⟩Pharisee, to become a most true-hearted and sincere Apostle and Preacher of the Gospel. For, coming to Damascus, he neither ate nor drank for three days, but gave himself to mourn for his hollowness, bloodiness, unbelief, and other sins, and so was healed of all at once. O happy medicine! O speedy and blessed cure! O blessed grief! O the most gainfully spent three days that ever were spent, to work such an alteration in such a soul! Wilt not thou take the same course, that did good to one so far gone with guile? O now settle thy self to mourn for thy guile, that thou mayest be healed, and mayest be comforted. But some man may perhaps say, that it is not so easy a matter to soften an hard heart. I answer, It is not indeed, but it is a possible matter, and that it may be effected through Gods blessing with careful endeavours, from which Gods blessing will never be kept back.¹ I will therefore show you two or three means to mollify even a guileful heart, and to make it, if not weep, yet mourn earnestly: and let every man know for his comfort, that mourning may be accepted before God, though tears be away. The Lord will not reject dry sorrow, if he see it hearty and true, and such as a man is even out of conceit with himself, because he cannot make it greater, and wetter too.

Doubtlesse this care would goe happily forward, for God himselfe would be the Chirurgion, and health would follow without faile; for the medicine is soueraigne, and hath been tryed by many, and prescribed by an excellent and skilfull person. Saint Iames bids wauering-minded and double-hearted men, hee meaneth Hypocrites, to turne their laughter into teares, and to afflict themselues and weepe: loe how affliction, griefe, sighs teares, be the ingredients of this medicine that will kill hypocrisie! Saint Paul, after God had met him going to Damascus, tooke this medicine carefully, and in the space of three dayes it healed him cleane, almost, and made him of a proud hypocriticall persecuting