Nevv essayes: meditations, and vowes including in them the chiefe duties of a Christian, both for faith, and manners. By Thomas Tuke, minister of Gods Word, at S. Giles in the Fields.

Of the Sower and his Seed.

THE Sower went out to sow. Euery true and faith∣full Minister of CHRIST IE∣SVS is a Sower, GODs Word is his Seed: Mans heart is the ground that should receiue it. The Word is a very rare and ad∣mirable Seed, altogether match∣lesse. For by it men are made Christians, sinners are made Saints, dead men are made aliue: From it all manner of vertues spring, and with it are nouri∣shed. And were it not for it, the whole world, and euen the Church it selfe, would be worse

then a wildernesse, and turned into Sodom and Gomorrah. But as it is in vaine to sow Seed in the fire, aire, or water, or any where, but in the earth, which is in the middle of the world: and that it may prosper well, the ground must be quiet, not troubled, or tossed, nor continually troden on, and both it and the seed to be cast into it must be pure and good, not mingled, or corrupt. So it is bootlesse to sow the Word in the eares onely, or in the eyes, or vnderstanding, and memory, or indeed any where, if not in the heart, which is in the midst of a man: And that it may thriue and flourish, the heart must be quiet, and not disturbed or tossed with the stormes and tempests of fleshly passions: It must be cleansed of noysome and stinking weeds: It must not

be troden vnder foote and con∣tinually walkt vpon by wordlly cares, carnall desires, and foo∣lish fansies, which keepe a great coile, and are alwaies trotting vp and downe in worldings, belly-gods, and naturall men: and the seed must be sowne purely, and not mingled with the tares and darnell of heresies and errours. A Ship cannot saile without Sea-roome, and seed can∣not thriue without Earth-roome; No more can the Word without Heart-roome. If the ground re∣ceiue not the seed into it, and cherish it, and giue it scope to roote it selfe in it, the seed can∣not prosper, and come to per∣fection. So the Word of GOD thriues not, except the heart re∣ceiue it meekely, cherish it lo∣uingly, and giue it roome to roote it selfe throughly. Drun∣kennesse

and gluttony doe drowne this Seed; couetousnesse and worldly cares do choke it; vnchaste desires do scortch and burne it; rage and contumacy repell it; hatred and malice pinch and bite it; hardnesse of heart and double mindednesse will not suffer it to roote well. Euery man would haue his ground good; yea what is there that a man would not haue to be good? his wife, his childe, his seruant, his friend, his fellow, his appa∣rell, his house, his horse, his dogge, hee would haue all good, and shall himselfe be naught? Shall the heart, which is the one∣ly seed-plot of the Word, which is able to saue his soule, shall it be euill, and suffred to be euill, and ouergrowne with euill weedes? Why is it that the raine falling, and the Sunne shining

vpon a well ordered Garden makes it sweete and flourishing, but vpon some other peece of ground, and it brings out no∣thing but Mosse and Weedes? The fault is in the ground, not in the Sunne or Raine. So one man is benefited by the Word, it takes well, and bringeth forth fruites in him; and another doth not reap any good by it, it pro∣ueth not in him by reason of his vncapablenesse, and wicked lusts, that will not giue way vn∣to it, but makes him to resist it and rebell against it. A man may set or sow in our fields, whiles wee sleepe, or though wee would not: But the Minister cannot sow the Word of GOD in our hearts, if wee snort in sin, if wee bee regardlesse of the Word, and will not receiue it. Seed may bee pickt out of the

ground, and eaten of birds, whe∣ther a man will, or no: his corne may bee burnt, his plants may be stollen, or puld vp, and bro∣ken downe, though hee would not; But wee and the Word, that is sowne or grafted in vs, cannot bee separated against our wils (our Bibles may bee taken from vs by force, but the Word ingrafted in vs cannot bee taken from vs against our will) the birds of hell cannot steale it from vs and pick it out, except we our selues be willing: if euer wee and it do part, wee must thanke our selues. Seed sowne in the ground after a time comes vp, and flourishes for a time, but at length it decayes and withers. For this is the nature of seed; it is partly turned into the ground, and turnes the ground partly in∣to it: It turnes, and is turned; it

suckes, and drawes to it a cer∣taine nurriture out of the ground, at length shootes out, growes vp, and increaseth a cer∣taine space; then in processe of time it decayeth, and at length dyeth. But the Word doth otherwise: For the Word being sowne in the heart, that enter∣taines it, taketh, thriueth, comes vp, and beareth fruite: It is not turned, but it turneth the heart; It is not corrupted, but rather corrupteth and killeth the euill qualities, that are within vs: It it is no whit turned into man, but it rather turnes a man into it, and workes him to it will; It suckes no nourishment from man, but it affoords strength, and comfort vnto man; and it neuer decayeth of it selfe, It dies not, neither can it bee by any meanes rooted vp or taken from

vs, but by our wils. Wee yeel∣ding consent thereto. If euer it faile and die, if it bee parched and dryed vp, it is long of vs, and not of it. There is no plant, which time killeth; Nature hath appointed it a time to liue, and a time to die; be the ground neuer so good, the yeares neuer so sea∣sonable, the heauens neuer so benigne, yet it must decay and die. But if the Word be planted in a good and honest heart, it cannot be rooted out, nor pe∣rish; except the ground proue barren and naught; except a man do waxe weary of the Plant, vn∣lesse a man would be ridde of it, it will not away, but will grow vp with him, and will saue his soule by the blessing of GOD. This Seed is at this day scattered in all places amongst vs, yet it takes but badly in the most: The

Seed is good, but the ground (as it seemes) is for the most part naught: That is the onely good ground, which receiues it glad∣ly, giues it free passage willing∣ly, and brings sorth the fruites thereof patiently. Men neuer more delighted in goodly Gar∣dens and Orchards, in variety of fruites and flowers, then at this day: But without doubt there is none of all their Seedes or Sets comparable to this. For this brings fruites of all kindes, that are good; Fruits, of which a man cannot surfet; Fruits, with∣out which a man is more mise∣rable, than a very beast; Fruites, for the which a man shall bee crowned with life eternall; Fruites, which themselues are fruitfull, one fruite bringeth forth another without the cor∣ruption, losse, or lessening of it

selfe. And whereas all their feedes, are not able to saue the body from death, this Seed is able to saue the soule from hell, and to giue a man assurance that his dead body also shall be rai∣sed vp from death to life. Their seeds, and their plants, and flowers, do replenish and beau∣tifie their grounds; but this Seed and the fruites there of doe fill and garnish the soule. Those, if they prosper, doe commend the soyle; but this, if it thriue, doth commend the soule: They may shew who is rich; but this, and the fruites thereof declare who is Religious: They may perhaps tell who is wealthy, great, and glorious in the world; but These point out a man, that is wife and good, and indued with the Grace of GOD. Finally, a man may doe well enough, as tou∣ching

his soule, though hee should want or refuse other seeds: but the refusall and lacke of this Seed is very dangerous. Hee that contemnes or puts away the Word of the LORD shall vndoubtly perish, without repentance. Yea, and if we bee gotten by it, what shall become of him, that is without it?