To charm our fancies and besot our reason And make our selves against our selves work treason Nor have we in our selves pow'r to resist Her winning wiles noâ— from her love desist That pow'r supernal is O dearest Lord Grant us this pow'r thy help to us afford Then shall we force thy greatest Foe to yeild And make our temptingst sin forsake the field An Epigram on the same THe Devil 's a Witch our Proverb tells us thus But Sin 's the Witch that witch'd both Him and Us. Him past all cure but We may cured be If we by faith can Jâ—sus feel and see Great God assist us and it shall suffice For we must have from Thee both hands and eyes Pride the Seed of Sin GReat fall of Men and Angels Heavens hate Wert thou as good as thou art seeming great Thou would'st the fairest Vertue be of many But art the most deformed Vice of any Scorn of all good a bastard mungrel Evil Begot betwixt relapsing Man and Devil Though both quâ tales thy own creatures be Begetters of and yet begot by thee A monstrous spawn of Incest sp'ritual That Viper-like hadst life from parents fall And yet thou vaunt'st boasting thy birth and blood When no progenitor of thine was good Surpassest in thy self-conceit by odds Those humbler souls descended from the gods Whose most heroick race and princely birth Farther transcendeth thine then heaven doth earth Bold Queen of Vices thou ledst on the Van Of that Black Regiment that foiled Man Under Gods elbow by the Prince of Hell Lucifer thy Lieutenant Colonel Under the subtile Serpents shape disguis'd Thereby presuming to make man despis'd In his Creators eyes for evermore VVhose Mercie sent his Son to clear that score VVho brake the Serpents head thy daring skill Did legions of sacred Angels fill VVith God-unthroning plots whereby they fell To all eternity cast down to Hell The glory of thy conquests yet thy gain Appears but small for they subdu'd again Thee their subduer and have forc't thee since To act in service of their direful Prince Who by Self-merit and Presumption Thy fatal Daughters hath more souls drawn on In everlasting-fire-chains to be ti'd Then by all other sins and sâ—…res beside Mother of Antichrist thou first set'st on The founding of Mysterious Babylon The Beast is but thy Creature and the Whore Thy eldest unmach't Daughter I therefore A Mate will motion to her though a mad one Yet not unfit it is the great Abaddon Who shortly will to her a Kingdom give Wherein though dying she shall ever live For here her time is short as I compute And will be found so without all dispute Therefore translate her hence unto the place Before all worlds prepared for her was It is her portion Oh detain it not Do her no wrong but let her have her lot And then the Lord of Life shall rule again And under him his humble Saints shall reign Amen Lord Jesus haste it on for lo The whole Creation groans to have it so The Angels Saints and Martyrs cry aloud To have thy vengeance poured on the proud For of all sins that bar poor man from bliss To Them and Thee Pride the most hateful is None doth in Man thy Image more deface Nor any makes us in thy sight so base VVhat Necromantick Philter us hath charm'd And both of sense and reason so disarm'd That we should glory in our greatest shame Our Fig-leaf cloathes do but our fall proclaim VVas that worth boasting of Then thy gains scan Proud prinking pranking prating parret man And brag on spare not kneaded lump of clay Thy seal'd damnation 't will at last display Handful of dust coagulate short span Of putri'd earth such art thou proudest man Thou vaunt'st of thy descent and may'st do 't well Never was greater then from heav'n to hell Thy pedigree I 'll shew I dare aver To be Angelick from great Lucifer Thy parts and gifts of body and of soul Are fair and comely but pride makes them foul Thou aimst at great atchievments buildst high hopes Sand-founded structures On whose towring tops Are batt'ries rais'd against the walls of Heav'n But all thy Cannon-shot of force bereav'n Retort from those unpierced edifices Upon thy self and so thy fond devices Are self-crush't And what self not ruinates Death briefly seizeth and annihilates Proud fool go rake great Alexander's dust The ashes of those Hero's whose meer lust Their pow'r transform'd to law whose very word Made Empires tremble whose devasting sword Made seas of blood and robb'd the lands of breath Divorcing souls from bodies by grim death And see how calm they are how voyd of pride As if all Histories had them bely'd Draw neerer home and open late-made tombs Of thy progenitors within whose wombs Their nigh-corrupted flesh sends forth a stink Which thou abhorr'st to smell yea loath'st to think How noysom 't is And tell O tell me then If there be reason for such pride in men Dost thou their flesh-devested bones there see Such Skeleton be sure thy self shall be If not by providence to worse ordain'd For worse corruption many have sustain'd And truth to say most proper 't were for thee Should thy dead corpse by fowls devoured be Who living in self-thoughts didst soar on high And so when dead on others wings shalt fly Pride is Lust's Bawd Broker to Avarice Mother of Envy and each hateful Vice Excesses Vintner Brewer Cook and Baker The Souldiers and the Lawyers Cavil-Maker Ambitious Engineer Wars shoo-horn so Were't not for Pride souldiers might bare-foot go VVho now march booted to advance the shew Of her vain-glorious self-conceited Crew Shoo-makers Haberdashers Jewellers VVith Lapidaries Goldsmiths Pewterers Cutlers and Armourers all sorts of Drapers Fencers and Fidlers Dancers cutting capers Those that make Buttons Bandstrings Tires and Borders Teeth Eyes and Periwigs and mend disorders In ugly Faces with a countless number Of other Trades who us with changes cumber Chameleon Dyers who by Art do vary Their colours to the same that others carry Attend her train all plague-sick of the Fashion Led on by Taylors pest of English Nation VVhose Proteus-like changing quite out-braves In mutability the Moon and VVaves VVho Frenchifie our men and women so That who are English we can hardly know VVho a new Fashion do affect so well They 'l have it though they knew it came from Hell Did they the Dev'l in Uncouth Habit spie They 'ld sue for his Old Suit to cut New by These are which I think cannot be deny'd Gentlemen-Ushers to the Devil and Pride A Letany to beg deliverance From these were very fit Here and in France VVhich two fond Nations they have stultifi'd This last-past Age more then the world beside Pride would fear banishment if they should fall VVho are supporters of her Devil and all I think few wise men deem this censure hard If Laws were mended Taylours would be marr'd And women made more wise and poor men too VVho now betwixt them
vanitatibus 1. FArewel fond Cupid with thy gamesome pleasure Childhood and youth inchanting Whose self-betraying leasure Thy pathes of vanity is always haunting And whose fanatick souls Like Dotterels those foolish fowls Are caught by imitation And train'd to death by doating on the fashion 2. Honour Our manhood's bubble and her bauble Charming us with vain-glory To seek what is not stable And dare damnation for fame transitory Chameleon-like to live By airy praise that others give And slight our souls salvation Farewel there 's danger in so high a station 3. Farewel old Ages folly cheating treasure False deâ—ity of worldly wife Who crave that past all measure Which needless is What most they need despise Who Ant-like without rest Labour to fill their borrow'd nest Then Cuckoo-like leave unto strangers Eggs nest and all to finde eternal dangers I must acknowledge the ensuing-valedictions to be unto more relations then I ever had at one and the same time in being But ayming to express according to my low power the nothingness in worth of our temporal to our eternal enjoyments at sight of the blessed society above I have briefly and abruptly bid farwel to all below Amen Sequuntur Quatuordecem Valedictionis Quatuordecimales 1. To the World and its Inhabitants FArewel my fellow-citizens of Earth Frail self-like Mortals made of flesh and blood Whose greatest fear 's death sickness war and dearth Though you I love I 'll leave your Neighbourhood For I am bent for new discoveries My faith another world hath in her eye Far situate beyond the azure skies Whose subjects all are Saints thither go I There shall this drossy flesh and blood refin'd Immortal grow and free from all your fears Where whilst my Saviour's presence cheers my mind My heart shall vent no sighs my eyes no tears But fill'd with joy from age to age I 'll sing Sweet Allelu-iahs to my God and King 2. To Europe and Europaeans FArewel my worldly fellow-quarterers Plac'd in the Earths Right eye by grace divine Who gives more knowledge to thy sojourners Then to all quarters else where Sol doth shine Ye are most civiliz'd of all the rest Of this worlds pilgrims though proud China boast Of her two eyes compar'd with thee at best She must confess at least one of them lost I must remove my quarters though so good For I have took up new beyond the poles Dear-purchas'd by my General 's heart-blood To those that quarter there you 're blind as moles There I shall know as I am known and be Perfect in Knowledge to Eternity 3. To Britain and Britain's FArewel dear Country-men Heav'ns Paramours For God hath choycest blessings heap'd on you Beyond all other lands That Isle of yours Earth's Cornucopiae may be lik'ned to Wherein are all things needful for man's life Plenty of most But oh the means of grace By Gospel-Ministers though now at strife So plentiful in no Land ever was But I must take my leave lest your dissention About the way to life should error breed In my frail heart I 'll therefore for prevention To everlasting unity with speed To Grace's Crown of glory I ascend What needs the means when l 've attain'd the end 4. To Shire-mates FArewel my Shire-mates whom this Isle's division Hath neighbouriz'd to me and me to you Whose rights have in one Counties Courts decision Peace to maintain and to give each his due Native vicinity commands my love Yet I must traverse all my actions hence I 'll get out an injunction from above To try at God's tribunal each offence There I a righteous Chancery shall finde Yet have my Judge my advocate to be And have no costs unto my foe assign'd The Playntiff Satan who impleadeth me On trespasses oft' done against the Judge Who will release me pray then who can grudge 5. To Parishioners FArewel Parochial Neighbours whom this Nation By custome in one Register inrols And hath held of one Church one Congregation And chosen one for Curate of our souls These civil ties and neighbour-hood endear You much to me But I must from you part Amongst you I of Schism and faction fear Another Congregation hath my heart Where one-ness indivisible appears Whose Curate is the Bishop of our souls Melchi-zedeck whose flock is free from fears Of Wolf or Fox of ravenous beasts and fouls Yet guarded by a Lamb whose song we 'll sing With Saints and Angels till the heavens ring 6. To Servants FArewel my Servants for my Covenant Requires me to depart mourn not for me For your attendance I no more shall want Your Master and mine own I go to see I must confess a truant I have been And in his service faith-less dull and dead Yet he hath sworn he 'll pay my wages in If I but with his only Son will wed Serve I him but the twinckling of an eye I shall have wages payd eternally His Debtor deep and desperate was I Who sent his Son to die to ransome me Oh love stronger then death my soul away Make speed lest thy dear Master for thee stay 7. To familiar acquaintance FArewel acquaintance I 'll acquaint you where Are better to be got then you and I I 'll challenge you to dare to meet me there And promise you rich fare and melody Ambrosia Nectar and the Poet's cates Are husks and gall to that celestial fare The Spheres harmonious musick jars and grates To their Diviner Quavers warbled there Where no associates we so base shall find As Earth's most potent King or Emperour True joy shall fill the body soul and mind With contentation lasting evermore What poor society doth earth afford Draw up my heart of steel dear loadstone Lord. 8. To intimate friends FArewel my mind 's embosom'd darlings dear ' Mongst whom one heart may many bodies serve And act unitely in them all It 's clear I highly prize your love Yet needs must swerve From hugging your enjoyment for I 'm call'd By the great friend of friends the god of love VVith his triumphant friends to be install'd In Love's great Principality above The King of Kings commands me I must hence To more and greater friends then Earth affords Detain me not Nor count this an offence If I cease to be yours to be the Lords I 'll be both his and yours if you 'll his be And you in him again shall meet with me 9. To Brothers Sisters and Kindred FArewel my flesh and blood my kindred here Our homogeneal parts at first were one 'Till rib-made Eve made two who still one were Millions of millions now in number grown Adieu t' ye all but most to those most near I have attain'd new consanguinity All of my elder Brothers blood d' ye hear Yet not of mine but of divine affinity A breed of quondam men now glorifi'd Who sing sweet Requiems eternally To their inthroned souls not to be ey'd By Mortals opticks where the starry Skie Their foot-stool is their seat the glorious flore Of his great Throne
own Elect And in the Reprobates augment defect But soft my Muse launch not into the deep Lest thou o'erwhelmed be to Leeward keep These depths are soundable by none but him VVho can walk dry where heav'n earth may swim VVhose Spirit mov'd upon the waters face When all the world an Embâ—…ion Chaos was Lord these thy works of wonder far transcend VVhat can be thought much more what can be pen'd My silenc'd Quill by thy dread awe supprest Shall cease to write I 'll wonder out the rest An Epigram on the Creation POor man why why so proud see here thy stock Thy principles are chips of Nothing 's block Thy Mother Earth beast fish fowls worms and all May thee their younger Brother justly call Yet he who all things out of nothing made The rule of them to thee committed had But thou by sin that Kingdom forfeited'st Pois'ned'st the air thou breath'st the earth thou tread'st Disord'redst all the creatures Mark this well And why art ' proud because an heir to hell That 's a flight ground for Pride that 's reason small For cursed is that Kingdom heirs and all Truly thou 'rt proud for want of Grace I fear And pride entitles thee to be hells heir Another on the same OH how it blinds all mortal wits to pry Into a time when all was Trinity Next Angels Men Heav'n Earth Hell Sea were one Coagulted Chaos form'd alone Out of meer nothing by the Tri-Une God VVho for his glory on them all bestow'd Their beings but to Man alone did give A means when dead whereby he might revive In Gods own glory if he sought it here VVho slights that love of his Crearor dear Lord make us once again or better 't were We nothing had remain'd as first we were Better for us indeed but one to thee Who wilt have glory though we damned be On the Creatures SEe the great Architectors Alphabet In his grand Chirograph mans second Book Wherein by reading he may knowledge get Of his Creator spell his Name whose look Would blind all mortal eyes But this great Glass Doth by reflection represent that God Unto Mans prying Soul who Pen-man was Of all these Characters It 's wondrous odd To see Man's gross stupidity how blind His sin-soil'd Reason's grown his will perverse That dumb Irrationals are fain to mind Him of his God nay he is more averse From answering the end of his creation By far then they who in their kindes fulfil God's sacred will and keep in their low station His holy Laws according to their skill They do so all and always but our hearts Are shooting still at Rovers when the Lord Hath set us Butt-marks our vile Nature thwarts His wayes of Grace our Wills oppose his Word As if we would send challenges to Heaven And woo Damnation headless heedless man Sets all his Makers Laws at six and seven In scorn neglects what do with ease he can Should this great Army of the creatures be So mutinous the world would soon resolve Into its principles Mans Pedegree Produce no more descents Oh let 's revolve This in our hearts and view this goodly frame As an eye-lecture to our souls to bring Us home to holy life that we his Name May glorifie who is our God and King Amen On Redemption TEnter up Nature to the highest pin And rack Philosophy with quaintest gin Frenzifie Chymistry and summon too 't The old red Serpent's wits calcin'd to boot A way to finde for lapsed man to rise And unborn-Babes might it as soon devise As that grand Senate But they ne'er desir'd That work by Men and Angels so admir'd Nature conceiv'd it not to be conceiv'd Wherein the God of Nature her deceiv'd Philosophy with reason would have shaken That plot whence for Morosophy she 's taken Chymistry's wit to prove a practise rare Turn'd Ignis fatuus and expir'd in air The subtile Serpent keeping still the field With World and Flesh a Lamb inforc'd to yeild Oh Lamb invincible to thee be glory Were 't not for thee the Serpent sure would worry Thy little Lambs dispersed here and there Now so far sundred as no man knows where Haste Lord to re-unite them and disperse Thine and their Foes revengeful and perverse For thou art Judah's Lyon and canst tame The wildest Beasts that dare blaspheme thy Name For thine hast thou descended from above From thy dear Father and the sacred Dove From everlasting glory to put on A shrine that Angels ne'er could think upon Our basest nature for our baser sakes Who this in contemplation truly takes Must needs be wonder-struck stand and admire At thy divinest love who dost desire For all thy paines which pass all valuation Nothing but hearty meek retaliation Of love for love doubtless were man not mad Satan still tempting world and flesh as bad And self-betraying self still pressing on us By sin to draw more hardness still upon us The hardest heart could ne'r retain a thought Of slighting love by God so dearly bought Who pay'd a price of blood for man's base fall Enough to ransom Devils men and all Had he ordained so whose mercy will Man shall redeemed be but they damn'd still O mercy trans-superlative so high As blinds both mens and Angels reasons eye And dumbs my Muse who else would fain expend Time on this subject till my time shall end Applicatio Oratio WHat God and man And God for man be so Think man what thou to God for this dost owe. The debt is great if thou a Banckrupt art Yet he is sated give him but thy heart Oh take it Lord thou bought'st it dear 't is thine It was but is not now nor shall be mine Lord hold it fast for sure it 's slip'ry ware T will slide from thee without thy special care An Epigram on our Redemption FAll'n man redeem'd what cannot mercy do That saves those who their own destruction woo Man's actions retrograde from what they seem Tend all to what none wise their end would deem Mercy in heart he likes In practice proves That he severest justice rather loves And have it sure he should had not the Son Of his incensed God his pardon won Who gave his foes his blood and flesh for food O love incredible to flesh and blood It can be credited by none but those Whom that true Manna turns to friends from foes Whose faith's eyes their redemption see as cleer As fleshly eyes see any object here On man's Justification LOrd I am wonder-struck at this sweet sound Justification doth me quite confound When I consider what our nature is Thoughts words and works and all that is amiss Ev'n in the best of the best man's endeavours The Agues of our spirits and their feavours And all our soul-sick frenzies which possess Some with a fancy of self-righteousness Our waywardness to good proneness to ill Rounding the paths of sin like horse in mill The number numberless of all our crimes Re-iterated too so many
glory still increase Be thou Lord ours and make us to be thine And bless these Isles with Christian joy and peace Then shalt thou joy in us and we in thee And spread thy glory through earth's spatious rounds That all its Nations may come in and see Thy saving health and how thy grace abounds Amen Epigram HOw crooked in this age is mankind grown Some give offence and others take where's none All flock like Larks to Day nets and most flie To a false glass in stead of Heavens bright eye Opinion guideth most and she by faction Is quite beside her self in high distraction Our wanton hearts each spark take tinder-like That Rome's and Spain's false steel stone do strike But ah beware lest blown into a flame Those sparks devour our Nation and our Name They had ere now did he not them prevent From whose pure truths they charm us to dissent By broaching sapless Schisms fruitless Dissentions Teaching for truths their own accurst inventions Lord re-unite us ere we ruin'd be Make us at odds with them but one with thee Amen The bitter sweet 1. LOrd it's a time of changes oh be pleas'd To change us so that we may be appeas'd In every change submit our stormie wills To thy disposals silence passion stills And meek embracement of sharp dispensations To us-wards for our great prevarications Retard ensuing judgements I might say Prevents them since it doth thy wrath allay 2. Lord it's a time of troubles trouble me Most for my sins since they most trouble thee Impow'r me Lord to trouble them as well Who are the Achans of thy Isra-el Let them have trouble 'till they troubled die Sunk in oblivion to eternity These curs'd Aegyptians still have thee withstood Drown them in the Red-sea of thy Sons blood 3. Lord it's a time of war arm thou my soul Against my lusts and my corruptions foul Which with world flesh and devil united stand Encampt against me Thine Almighty hand Alone can save make me resolv'd and stout That I by grace these restless foes may rout Teach me thy sp'ritual armour so to weild That they subdu'd with shame may flie the field 4. Lord it's a time of sickness oh I faint Sin is my sickness make it my complaint Dear Christ be thou my doctor or I die No doctor else can cure my malady It 's a contagious botch hereditary A leprosie that doth infection carry Through all man's generations all man's line 'T is blood must cure't and no blood can but thine 5. Lord it's a time of death teach me to die Aright to sin that I may live thereby To righteousness then as that death pleas'th thee Death natural will pleasing prove to me Whilst in thee I shall die death shall but hurry Me from this vale of tears to endless glory Grant these two deaths who once didst die for me I first may die to sin next die in thee Chorus IN changes troubles war sickness and death My sweet's above my bitter still beneath Mos Mundi The broad way 1. TO drink to drab to dance and sing To swear and swagger roar and raunt Carouse and Hats up fling Laugh boast and vaunt Jeer and taunt Jest and Jibe Like Thraso's tribe To flatter cog and lye Pack Cards and trip a Dye Frolick and feast And play the beast Have mirthful parts accounted been Yea noble qualities esteem'd But wise men when they such have seen Them rather mad then merâ—y deem'd 2. To fast be chaste demurely talk Hate Oathes debauch'd behaviour flie And soberly to walk Jests to defie And each lye Truth to speak Wrath not to wreak But leave revenge to God Are all held humours odd Who such is turn'd Is mosily scorn'd The world so impudent is grown That sin gains glory vertue shame Astraea is to Heaven flown And Grace on Earth hath lost her name Sic transit gloria mundi Praesentis non futuri Eternity ETernity Ah dearest Lord assist My shallow Muse for she 's quite overwhelm'd In this vast Ocean she 's of footing miss't Toss'd on the surging waves like ship unhelm'd Depriv'd of terminus à quo from whence Her voyage to begin and the ad quem Where it should end since he 's depriv'd of sence Who in eternity doth seek for them She no beginning had nor end shall have But from eternal to eternal be VVas is and shall be when death and the grave The Earth the Sea the Heavens which we see Were all meer nothing unborn unbegotten Whilst they their time ordain'd continue shall And when they all are vanish'd and forgotten She 'll stay unmetamorphosed at all In her nor time nor age can change effect Nor all the pow'rs of Earth and Hell prevayl To make a wrinkle in her sweet aspect Nor frost one hair though joyntly they assayl VVhen Heav'n shall moult her Stars like a roul Involved be in flames that shall consume The world's whole fabrick save mans deathless soul And God shall in a moment us assume Chang'd to himself Yet she shall still remain Immutable by his divine decree Who her impowr'd that sameness to retain In self-fruition to eternity Old Idol-makers emblemiz'd her by A snake turn'd round whose mouth and tayl did meet VVhich endless form shew'd forth a deity VVhose everlasting being could not fleet Nor end receive but still revert again To its beginning Others pourtray'd her In youthful shape so ever to remain Both in the right and yet both out on 't were Though everlasting and unchangeable She 's but a creature so they erred both In de-ifying her yet no man's able Of her deep Essence to conceive the troth She 's of too lofty birth too deep conception For our low shallow apprehensions reach The thought whereof should move us to reception Of humbled hearts and soul-submission teach To our and her great God whose wonders woo Our way-ward hearts from transitorie joyes To will what he doth will and that to do To fix on him and so abandon toyes Sacred Eternity should make us slight These shadow-pleasures short delights below False creature-comforts and to eye that light That leads to true and lasting joyes we know Those soon shall fade And our immortal souls Run parallel unto Eternity In wo or weal. Who then but heedless fools Will loose firm joyes to joy in vanity Heark fearless Dolt hammer thy steeled heart On this firm Anvil Oft in minde revolve Eternity that she may make thee part From thy embosom'd lusts the stone dissolve That 's in thy breast thy crusted conscience soften Impow'r thee Satans wiles more to resist To do good oftner and not sin so often For fear of everlasting had I wist This single word in brief doth comprehend All the surpassing joys that Heav'n affords And all the torments that the damned find In Hell them to express need no more words For though the joys of one be infinite In number weight and measure and as well The others torments no less infinite Eternity