7 Hast then away to your abode Let all with speed hast home For dreadful storms you may expect Will very quickly come The Third Part. Chambers of Safety 1 O come O come Gods people all With speed hast ye away Enter your Chambers great and small No longer do you stay 2 For God the mighty God above Is rising out of 's place And will the Hills and Mountains move And Vengeance pour apace 3 There is a way found out that ye May be secured When Sinners shall consumed be Who basely are misled 4 Doth it not thunder afar off It Lightens also sore O tremble all and do not scoff For hark 't is more and more 5 Children get home and do not stay Hast to your dwelling place For if you make the least delay Then sad may be your case 6 All who abroad or in the Fields Do foolishly remain They may as the Egyptians were Be ruined and slain Isa. 26. 20. A Storm a coming 1 O Quake ye who most guilty are Who love and live in sin For God will suddenly break forth As usual hath not been 2 But sing ye Saints and joyfull be Christs Kingdom does draw near Do you leave all Iniquity And nothing do you fear 3 The shaking times that are at hand Will bring Great Babel down And then will God save this our Land And Saints with Blessings Crown 4 Therefore if ye in Christ are found To every Duty led And have your Hearts sincere and sound Look up lift up your head 5 For your Redemption does draw near Gods praises sing therefore Unto his call do you adhere Then sing for evermore HYMN 4. Joh. 15. 1. God compared to a Husbandman 1 RIch Husbandmen have House and Land Both moist and also dry God o're the Earth hath the Command And true propriety 2 The beasts of th' field and fowls of th' Air With Silver and the Gold Is all the Lords yea and what else Our Eyes can here behold 3 He may give it to whom he will And then take it away He makes men rich and makes them poor And none dare him gain-say 4 Some ground he plows and sows it then With choice and precious seeds Whilst other ground does barren lie Eat up and spoil'd with Weeds 5 And who shall say what doest thou He may do what he will All are thine own what e're thou dost Yet thou art righteous still The second Part. 1 A Husband 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 very well His ground will barren be Unless it is well manured No profit he can see 2 Even so unless the fallow ground Of thy base wicked heart Be broken up it will be found That thou most barren art 3 A Husbandman does spare no cost Nor grudge at his great pains That so he may his ground make good When he his end obtains 4 So God likewise thinks nought too much Who does great cost bestow On Souls of men when they prove such Who forth his Glory show 5 A Husbandman his Trees doth prune More fruitful them to make But branches that unfruitful be Such off the Trees does take 6 And thus doth God by all those men Who by profession are In Jesus Christ who barren prove Them long he will not spare 7 But such that fruitful Branches be He purges every one And abundantly shall they bring forth Before that he has done 8 As God doth sow so he likewise Doth cause the rain to fall That so his Vineyard flourish may And 's Trees be fruitful all 9 Which other Husbandmen can't do Nor can they change the soyl But God can make Mens hearts most good Which naturally were vile 10 All praise to him therefore let 's give And set his glory forth And fruitfully unto him live Whilst we do live on earth HYMN 5. Heb. 3. 4. God the chief Builder 1 HE that did build all things is God 'T is he and he alone That made the world and all things in 't Praise ye the Holy One. 2 And he laid the Foundation sure Of th' Earth and Heaven too Which long have been and still endure Will put them down also 3 'T is he that built his Glorions Church And laid the corner stone In all the Earth there is None-such O praise the Holy One. 4 With precious Stones he hath it built Yea living ones they are And by his Spirit so compact 'T is â—ar beyond compare 5 The Timber and the Stones by him Were squared curiously That all the Buildings in the World With this cannot come nigh 6 The matter and the form also Did he alone ordain No alteration must be made Upon eternal pain 7 All other Builders Servants have To labour with their hands Who according to the pattern act And just as he commands 8 So Ministers God does imploy Who must the pattern know And if they alter any thing They do their folly show 9 The Rule it is Gods Holy Word Would you the Pattern view 'T is the first Church the Lord did build As th' Apostles Acts do shew The second Part. 1 Nothing but precious Stones must be On the foundation plac'd By such who wood or stubble build This fabrick is disgrac'd 2 And they will suffer loss thereby When it comes to be try'd Because such stuff cannot endure Their work will not abide 3 Then see all ye who are call'd Saints That you are precious Gold I mean sincere and godly ones Whom God loves to behold 4 And see that you his building are And in you he does dwell If in you he has no abode Down you must go to Hell HYMN 6. Exod. 15. 3. God a Man of War 1 GOD is a man of war and he Has many â—rmies who Almighty are in strength therefore Down shall his Foes all go 2 The Enemies who do ingage Against this Man of war â—re all infernal pow'rs below And such who wicked are 3 God is a Warriour just and good And mighty skill he hath Before him never any stood In Hell much less on Earth 'T is for his Glory he does take The Sword into his hand And wo to such who head do make Against his dread Command 5 In war he is most terrible If he sets in array The Battel once against his Foes They 'll soon melt all away 6 He 'll make the earth to tremble when He does gird on his Sword And cause all proud and haughty men To fall at his own word 6 If he the Trumpet once does sound And like a Lion roar The wicked he will all confound And Vengeance on them pour 8 An Armory and Weapons too Of Indignation hath With Fire and Smoke and Hail also He soon can spoil the Earth 9 If man provoke him to arise And stir up Jealousy He like a travailling Woman will Break forth and loudly cry 10 A Banner he hath to display A white Flag he puts out To see if Sinners will submit Whose Courage seems so stout 11 If they will not lay down their Arms And with him
THE Banquetting-House OR A Feast of Fat Things A Divine POEM Opening many Sacred Scripture Mysteries Profitable for all who would attain to the Saving Knowledge of GOD and of JESUS CHRIST AND Sufficient to fill the Soul with Joy and to Ravish the Hearts of all True Christians Written By BENJAMIN KEACH Author of War with the Devil LONDON Printed by J. A. for H. Barnard at the Bible in the Poultrey 1692. TO THE READER READER IT may not be unnecessary if I acquaint thee with the chief design of my publishing these Sacred Hymns I have three sorts of Persons in my Eye to whom I recommend them First Such who like and approve of Books in Verse which treat of Divine Things and would gladly have a little help in order to the understanding of Metaphorical Scripture who cannot also well spare so much Money as to purchase larger Volumes the Folio I put forth some years ago call'd A Key to open Scripture Metaphors being near Twenty Shillings price comes into but a very few Peoples hands Besides the Impression will soon be gone as far as I can gather and 't is not like to be reprinted any more Now in this small Tract I can assure you is contained great part of the principal things under divers Metaphors opened in that Book though they are there more largely insisted on I do not judge all those Hymns I have taken from Metaphorical or Tropical Scriptures are proper to be sung nor are they here recommended to that end some of them being Historical as part of Hymn 92. pag. 129 130. and some others containing Matter of Controversie nor do I think those concerning Hell so suitable to be sung yet I doubt not but they may be all of use to the Reader all being congruous with God's Word and according to the analogy of Faith The Second sort are Parents and Masters of Families I am perswaded with the Blessing of God this Book may prove of great advantage to their Children who generally are taken with Verse and are much addicted to learn such Songs and Ballads which generally tend to corrupt Youth and 't is a shame to godly Christians they should suffer their Children to learn many of them but since Singing is God's Ordinance I mean to sing Psalms and Hymns and Spiritual Songs 't is doubtless their duty to instruct them therein as well as to teach them to read and by learning Sacred Hymns they may be taken before their Parents are aware with the Matter therein contained as divers have through the Blessing of God as I have been oft inform'd by reading that small Poem called War with the Devil and some others Youth are generally inclin'd to Poetry and as one of the Ancients excellently observes The Holy Ghost seeing the Souls of Mankind strugling in the way of Godliness and being inclined to the Delights of this Life hath mixed the power of his Doctrine with sweet Singing that whilst the Soul was melted with the sweetness of the Verse the Divine Word might the better be grafted with profit Now these Hymns being short Children will soon get them by heart as also full of varieties and if instructed to sing they may be the more affected with the matter and receive the greater advantage The Third sort are those godly Christians who know 't is their indispensible duty to sing Psalms and Hymns c. not only in their Families but in the publick Congregation yet do not think divers Psalms do so well suit with Christians under the Gospel as other Scripture Hymns do and divers worthy Ministers of the Baptized-way thô choice Preachers and fully satisfied in singing the Praises of God yet may not have Judgment to compose Hymns every Man having his particular Gift of God and therefore have desired divers Scripture-Hymns and select Psalms might be published and indeed had I not been put upon this Work I am perswaded I had not undertook it or at the least not so soon Moreover many Christians had rather have those Hymns we sing in our publick Assemblies printed that so they might the better know them and examine the matter therein contained to see whether they do agree with the Word of Christ and likewise the better sing them with understanding And 't is not unknown what a multitude of godly Friends have desired to have me write them out several of those Hymns that have upon divers occasions been sung in some particular Congregations Now to prevent that trouble and to satisfie them I promis'd to Print the most of those Hymns and so have done as they will find them in the latter part of this Tract If any desire in such a Book to have no Hymns but such that are proper to be sung in Congregations in the next Impression if God spare my Life I shall endeavour to answer their request Had I not wrote so lately in Justification of pre-composed Hymns taken out of God's Word I should have spoken fully to it here We are exhorted to sing Psalms Hymns and Spiritual Songs and since we have none left in Form in the Scripture it follows that those who God hath gifted that way ought to compose them for a Hymn or Song cannot be without its Form Certainly God doth not enjoyn a Duty on us that he hath not left sufficient Rule how to come at it nor have we any ground to expect the extraordinary Gift any more Nor is there as I have lately shewn any more reason to object against compiling Sacred Hymns to be sung out of the Word of Christ than there is to object against pre-compiled Sermons that are to be preached though I am satisfied the Lord doth enjoyn his Churches to sing the Psalms of David both in Eph. 5. 19. Col. 3. 16. we reading of no other Psalms but the Book of Psalms so by Hymns and Spiritual Songs I see no reason to doubt but he intends all Sacred Hymns c. taken out of the holy Scripture by the help of God's Spirit Mr. Marlow cites a Passage out of Learned Ainsworth as if he favoured his Notion of Praising God only without Vocal Singing yet I have lately met with a Book of that worthy Man on the Psalms of David where I find him speaking thus These Psalms saith he have ever since by the Church of Israel by Christ and his Apostles and by the Saints in all Ages been received and honoured as the Oracles of God cited for Confirmation of true Religion and sung in the publsck Assemblies as in God's Temple where they sung Praises unto the Lord with the words of David c. 'T is a hard case that any Christian should object against that Duty which Christ and his Apostles and the Saints in all Ages in their publick Assemblies were found in the practice of but 't is no easie thing to break People off of a mistaken Notion and an old Prejudice taken up against a precious Truth of Christ. The Lord will I hope satisfie all his
sickness soon will flee 3 Ye Fools what is 't that you do drink 'T is puddle-water base It stinks 't is filthy God it loaths O taste of his sweet grace 4 And sinful joys will hateful be And you will spue them up Come taste a little Water See! Come try Take one small sup 5 And you will say God's love O 't is Most pleasant to your taste But the chief sweetness is reserv'd For us to drink at last 6 O praise the glorious God above These Waters overflow Sing praise to Jesus Christ our Lord And praise the Spirit too HYMN 77. Luk. 12. 12. The holy Spirit shall teach you c. 1 VVE many things are yet to learn Lord we instructions need We fain would all thy Truths discern And from all doubts be freed 2 Some things be dark and hidden are That we can't understand And therefore Lord to make them clear By a most skilful hand 3 Thy Spirit hast ordain'd to be A Teacher unto us All praise and glory unto thee For dealing with us thus 4 He has all knowledge of thy Laws And opens ev'ry thing And can discover ev'ry flaw That up may seem to spring 5 VVithin our minds about the way VVherein we ought to go Out of a Book he teaches us The meaning he does show 6 He did himself this Book compile 'T was he who gave it out And therefore can it open well And Answer ev'ry doubt 7 Unto the ignorant and blind If they his counsel take God's Kingdom they at last shall find And them he 'll perfect make The Second Part. 1 He doth not teach to go astray From thy own written VVord That 's not thy Spirit nor the way VVhich doth not just accord 2 In every thing we sure are VVith thy New Testament Lord all such Spirits we 'll not hear By thee they were not sent 3 Thy VVord it is a sure Rule O let thy Spirit come And witness too 't most graciously And ev'ry Nail drive home 4 Let all Convictions close abide Of sin and duty too And let us find each promise firm VVhich unto us doth flow 5 And we thy Praises will sing forth And never go astray VVhen in our Souls thy Spirit doth Tell us this is the way HYMN 78. Mat. 3. 16. And he saw the Spirit descending like a Dove and lighted upon him 1 DOwn from above the blessed Dove Is come Ah! shall he rest Thou Holy and Eternal One VVith me O in my Breast 2 There let thy Spirit dwell O Lord VVho has a Dove-like Eye Most quick to see before his sight All things do naked lye 3 O he is innocent indeed Most harmless and most meek VVhoever would from wrath be freed His nature they must seek 4 All such who are gentle and kind Most humble in their heart This Dove infus'd it in their mind He did that grace impart 5 Ah! he is swift as any Dove And quickly can be here Though he descended from above Yet is he ev'ry where The second Part. 1 From sight of thy All-seeing Spirit O whither can we go His Eyes do search all places out He walketh to and fro 2 Through the Earth where can we hide O whither can we fly Lord from thy presence 'cause thou art Far off and also nigh 3 Shall we to Heaven mount alost Lo thou art present there Or if we should go down to Hell Ev'n there thou dost appear 4 Yea should we take us Morning wings And dwell beyond the Sea There would thy right-hand have fast hold And with us quickly be 5 Nay if we say the darkness shall Yet shroud us from thy sight Alas the thickest darkness is To thee like to the light Yea darkness hideth not from thee But night doth shine as day To thee the darkness and the night Are both alike alway The Third Part. 1 Thy Spirit 's swift he 's swift in flight From him there 's none can fly VVe ever be Lord in thy sight Thou canst us soon supply 2 VVith all good things which we do need And could we get thy VVings VVe should mount up from fear be freed And hate earth's empty things 3 Behold he 's come an Olive-leaf VVithin his mouth we see God's wrath is o're it is asswag'd O therefore joyful be 4 Let 's see thy face and hear thy voice And taste thy sweetest love O Souls ascend but O for Wings The VVings of Noah's Dove 5 Then should we fly away from hence Leaving this world and sin And soon wouldst thou Lord reach thy hand And kindly take us in HYMN 79. Joh. 16. 13. He will guide you into all truth 1 WE Strangers are Lord in the world Ah! 't is a wilderness And many crooked ways there are VVe therefore do confess 2 VVe want a Guide who skilful is Thy Spirit Lord is come No Guide like him be sure there is O let him guide us home 3 Thy Spirit points unto thy VVord And shews where dangers lye â—et's yield our selves with one accord To him continually 4 And we shall all be rid of cares And never lose our way â—e true Directions always gives VVe may not go astray 5 O well it is for us O Lord VVho naturally are blind That we have such a Guide as this To stay our doubtful mind 6 Then sing to him with heart and voice No counsel like to his He will not leave us till he hath Brought us to lasting bliss The End of the Third Part. PART IV. Containing SACRED HYMNS Illustrating the glorious Excellencies of God's holy WORD and blessed Gospel HYMN 80. Psal. 119. 105. Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light to my paths 1 LIght is a pleasant thing to see Thy Word true Light doth give Nothing can Lord so pleasant be 'T is that by which we live 2 By which we walk by which we work And all things else we do All they who are without this light Don't know whither they go 3 Thy Word discovery Lord doth make It manifesteth things From thence we do our judgment take It Knowledge to us brings 4 What once we were we know hereby How sad was then our state Sin 's filthy nature through it we ' spy And it do come to hate 5 The way of our Salvation too It doth discover clear And how thou wilt be worshipped Whilst we do all live here The Second Part. 1 Who the true Church is we may see If thy good Word we heed And by it we the false Church know Which filthy is indeed 2 All things that needful are O Lord Unto eternal life Is plain discovered by thy Word Which ends all doubts and strife 3 That is hath been a long time Amongst us here on Earth About the Church and Truth of God But this all silenc'd hath 4 Light hath a clearing quality And by its heat things grow And by it too all Fogs do fly Such influences flow 5 As doth revive and sweetly chear The Soul that drooping lies
They by thy Word Lord quickned are And all their sorrows flies 6 Light hath a shining quality Thy Gospel shines so bright That nothing can more glorious be In all thy Children's sight HYMN 81. Psal. 19. 10. More are they to be desired than Gold yea than much fine Gold 1 HOw precious is that Word of thine Can Gold with it compare When 't is all sacred all divine No there is nothing here 2 Like unto it 't is of such worth A little quantity Of it exceeds all things on Earth Such glories in it lye 3 Tho' Gold doth deck the outward Man This doth the Soul adorn Thy Gospel is an Ornament Nay 't is thy Peoples Crown 4 Gold doth make Vessels which are rare Thy Word and Spirit do Make golden Saints beyond compare And golden Churches too 5 Yea Candlesticks of beaten Gold Are formed out of it Which glorious are Lord to behold But will be rarer yet The Second Part. 1 And as Gold is durable so It will the tryal bear Thy Word is try'd and will abide Whilst Heaven and Earth appear 2 But O what pains do Mortals use To get a little Gold Which when 't is got it flyes away And it they cannot hold 3 O then forbear and labour now For Gold that will abide To lasting glory 't will bring you And fill your Souls beside 4 Which Gold could never do nor shall That cannot satisfie The Soul of Man the thing 's too small It can't its wants supply 5 True peace and satisfaction is Only in God above His Word receive and â—oon you will Be filled with his love HYMN 82. 1 Pet. 2. 2. As new born Babes desiring the sincere Milk of the Word that ye may grow thereby 1 ARt thou a Babe tho' newly born What is thy Soul's desire Dost hunger for Milk of God's Word And raise thy cry yet higher 2 As pretty Babes who want the Breast How do they cry amain Ah! can thy Soul find no small rest Till thou dost Milk obtain 3 Then know it is a sure sign Thou hast a heavenly heart And God to feed that Soul of thine Will his sweet Word impart 4 To thee that thou mayst grow thereby O it is very good Milk nourishes and feeds the Child Better than other Food 5 Stong Meat thou canst not yet digest Milk's a Restorative God's Word restores decayed Souls Nay makes the dead alive 6 Milk was a blessing choice of old And with it Canaan flow'd Hast thou God's Word What Blessing then Better can be bestow'd 7 On thee poor Soul O prize it much And on it always feed T will strengthen thee and make thee fat And nothing shalt thou need The Second Part. 1 Ye who are Lovers of sweet Milk Will will you now make haste O come and buy this doth excell We pray you Friends to taste 2 If you were once born from above Though but young Babes you were You with this Milk would fall in love And say it tasteth rare 3 But whilest your evil nature is Corrupted thus with sin And glutted are continually With filthy trash within 4 You cannot relish this sweet Food Your Mouths are out of taste And therefore you don't find it good But want it will at last 5 But you who are God's little ones What cause have you to sing That you have plenty still of Milk And every other thing 6 O live to God and sing again His blessed Praises forth Who feeds and doth replenish you And strengthens all your Faith HYMN 83. Heb. 5. 14. Strong meat belongs to those that are of age c. 1 SOme of God's Children are grown up To such maturity That they on Meat that 's strong can sup In which great vertues lye 2 Young-men and Fathers some there be Whose senses have been long In exercise and therefore they Are stronger than the young 3 And little Babes whose Stomach 's weak And therefore cannot bear Nor take in dark mysterious things Which elder Saints does chear 4 It argues such diseased be Who unto years are grown If such Meat with them don't agree By which Christ is made known 5 More clearly to the Ear and Eye Than other Doctrins can And therefore we say presently He 's a diseased Man 6 Some base disease on him has siez'd He 's under some decay His stomach rises at God's Word And puts it quite away The Second Part. 1 But like as Meat that 's strong doth yield The better nourishmant So such who can strong things take in Are not so impotent 2 Nor ne're so weak as others be But harder work can do And unto them continually Does sweeter comforts flow 3 Small things do them not soon offend But strengthned be to bear Such things that others startle at And can't abide to hear 4 O then ye Saints do you see to 't Your weakness don't betray Who have been long in Jesus's School Yet stumbling-blocks do lay 5 In your own paths and others too And so expose God's Name To great reproach but on your selves Do bring the greatest shame 6 But let the strong bear with the weak In things indisserent And let the weak more wisdom seek Than from the strong to rent 7 It is a blessed truth of God For which the strong contend Tho' you being weak do yet not see 't But may though in the end HYMN 84. Psal. 110. 133. How sweet are thy words to my taste yea sweeter than Honey unto my mouth 1 HOw sweet is Honey and the Comb In which Honey is found But Lord thy Word it doth excell Its sweetness does abound 2 Beyond all things though ne're so sweet There 's nothing can it show Nor set it forth unto its worth Of things which are below 3 Nothing with it can once compare O do but taste and try For none but such can ever tell What good in it doth lye 4 If you to Honey add such things Which very bitter are The bitterness it doth take off Nay sweet it doth appear 5 Unto the taste so if you do With great afflictons meet If God a Promise gives to you The tryal will be sweet 6 But though Honey so sweet is found Yet some do it not love So none do find God's Word most sweet But those born from above The Second Part. 1 For the full stomach oft doth loath The Honey-Comb so sweet So carnal Souls account God's Word As poor and sorry Meat 2 Honey is of a purging kind God's Word it purges so It doth make clean both Heart and Mind The Life and Lip also 3 O then be like the pretty Bee Which doth industriously From ev'ry Flower she can see Her self store with Honey 4 And now ye Saints who sweetness find In God's most blessed Word Sing forth his Praise with joyful Mind Joyntly with one accord HYMN 85. Eph. 6. 17. And the Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God c. 1 O Lord we hear War is proclaim'd And we engaged are To fight with