A Christian almanacke Needefull and true for all countryes, persons and times. Faithfully calculated by the course of holy Scripture, not onely for this present yeere 1613, but also for many yeeres to come. Written by J. M.

CHAP. 2.

Concerning the increase or grow∣ing of fruits, and the dearth of the same.

THe Sunne sheweth playnely that All such as feare God shall haue a very fruitfull yeare,* 1.1 and plenteousnes in the daies of dearth,* 1.2 in so much that though Christ send without shooes, yet will he so prouide for them, that they shall lacke nothing, for he saith himselfe.* 1.3 The labourer is worthy of his meate. Who so now will labour shall eate,* 1.4 but whosoeuer will not worke ought not to eate,* 1.5 now if we labour I say, we shall eate also. And God said to Adam,* 1.6 in the sweate of thy face shall thou ea••e bread, but you will say to me where shall we get ••t? Christ our Sauiour saith,* 1.7 Be not care∣ful for your life, what yee shall eate or what ye shall drinke, or yet for your body, what ye shall put on, is not the life more

worth then meate, and the body then rayment; Behold the fowles of the Ayre, for they sow not, neither reape, nor yet carry into the barnes,* 1.8 and yet your hea∣uenly father feedeth them,* 1.9 yea he giueth to the beasts their foode, and to the young Rauens that cry. The eyes of all waite vpon thee and thou giuest them their meate in due season, thou openest thine hand and fillest all things liuing of thy good pleasure: Therefore though our hands should be alwaies occupied in some good labour, yet ought not our harts to take thought what we shall eate or drinke,* 1.10 but first to care how to seeke the kingdome of God, and so shall all things necessary be ministred vnto vs. And if you would care or take thought, follow the Counsell of the Apostle, And this I say brethren, because the time is short hereafter,* 1.11 that they which haue wiues be as though they had none, and they that weepe, as though they wept not, and they that reioyce as though they reioyced not, & they that buy as though they possessed not, and they that vse this world as though they vsed it not: for the fashion of this world goeth away. And

why should we not care? because Man liueth not by bread onely, but by euery word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God:* 1.12 which thing Christ our Saui∣our declared manifestly,* 1.13 in that he fedde so many people with so few loaues and fishes: like as he had done before vnto the Children of Israel by the space of forty yeares in the wildernes, where they wanted no thing: for he himselfe fedde them and blessed them in all the works of their hands.* 1.14 And Christ for∣bad vs to labour for the meat that pe∣risheth, but for the meate that endureth vnto euerlasting life. Wherefore inso∣much as God our mercifull father taketh such care for vs,* 1.15 and his Apostle Peter his bidding was,* 1.16 Cast all our care vpon him for he careth for vs, as also the Psalmist Dauid, Cast thy burden vpon the Lord and he will nourish thee, he will not sée the righteous to fall for euer, as also the holy prophet Dauid in another place,* 1.17 Commit thy way vnto the Lord and trust in him and he shall bring it to passe; wée should then by right cast all our care vpon him and faithfully to cleane vnto his word in our harts, so

that we neither mistrust his Godly prouision, nor leade an Idle life, and if we meane well in our harts, and deale truely with our hands, doubtles he shall send vs necessary meate by some body, as he did to Elias the Prophet, first in sending y^• Rauens to féed him,* 1.18 for the Rauens brought him bread and flesh in the Morning, and bread & flesh in the Euening, and he dranke of the Riuer: and secondly he fedde him by the widdowe of Sarepta, Cap. eodem. And like as he proui∣ded a breakfast for Daniell amongst the Lyons by y^• ministration of Abacuck.* 1.19 This I say, they that feare God shall haue plenty and aboundance of all things this yeare: As for the multitude of the vngodly in generall, there shall come a great dearth vppon them, ac∣cording to the words of a certaine true Astronomer:* 1.20 Behold the time commeth, saith the Lord God, that I will send a fa∣mine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the word of the Lord, and they shall wander from sea to sea, & from the North euen to the Easte, shall they come to and

fro, to seeke the word of the Lord, and shall not finde it. But because they re∣ceiue not the loue of the truth, that they might be saued,* 1.21 and therefore God shall send them strong Illusions, that they might beléeue lies;* 1.22 so that the dayes will come when ye shall desire to sée one of the dayes of the sonne of man,* 1.23 and ye shall not sée it. I passe ouer many other plauges that Mars threatneth vnto them, because they will not know the time of their visita∣tion.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Psal. 1••••
• * 1.2

  Psal. 37. 19
• * 1.3

  Mat. 10. •• 10.
• * 1.4

  Mar. 6. 8.
• * 1.5

  Lu. 10. 7. 2. Thes. 3•• 10.
• * 1.6

  Genes. 3. 19
• * 1.7

  Mat. 6. 〈◊〉〈◊〉▪
• * 1.8

  psal. 147. 9.
• * 1.9

  Psal. 145. 15
• * 1.10

  Ephe. 4. 28.
• * 1.11

  ••or. 1. 29.
• * 1.12

  Deut. 8. 3.
• * 1.13

  Mat. 4. 4.
• * 1.14

  Iohn 6. 27
• * 1.15

  1. Pet. 5. 7
• * 1.16

  Psal. 55. 〈◊〉〈◊〉
• * 1.17

  Psal. 37. 5.
• * 1.18

  2. Reg. 17. 4. 6.
• * 1.19

  Da••. 14. 37.
• * 1.20

  Amos. 8. 12.
• * 1.21

  Thes. 2. 10.
• * 1.22

  Luk. 17. 22.
• * 1.23

  Luk. 19. 24.