Of Peace of Mercy and of Lovesick-motion VVherewith the Man-God my Redeemer hath Releas'd my Darling both from Sin and Death But since my wit is weake my pen unable My judgment shallow and my hand unstable To give a true characterizing strain Unto thy Greatnes Goodnes Mercies-Main O grant that whilst thou openest thus my mouth T' unfold the Tenor of thy sacred Truth I bee not like those stones which by the way Unmov'd themselves the beaten rode display Nor like that Canall and that watry Spout VVhich from the fountaine to it's bubling snout Conveys pure streams of coole refreshing water For th' use of others whilst it self 's no better No first inform my mind then cleer mine eye That I may learn what depth of Deiry Thy VVisdome hath entrencht within the Vail Of flesh and made it there reside and dwell Then touch my lips and guide my babling pen That I may warble to the sons of men The sweet Hyblaean Nectar of thy Powre That brings us sweetnes from our bitter-sowre So shall I teach thy Saints thy waies aright Whilst thy all-seeing eye vouchsafes mee sight The Prodrome CANTO 2o. I Sing the wonders of that wondrous GOD Who being essentially one is Trin'ly od Not in that first born Word-begotten Mater Whose after-byrth was fire ayre earth and water From whom and to whom as their native sourse Time reconveys his childrings circled course Nor gaze I that re-colonizing Boat Wherein old Noah twelve months pent did float On steepe high Mountains and Ryphaean woods Like Neptune trampling on those swallowing floods Which from Heav'ns-sluces Earths hid vains and Seas Deep-channels did God's wrath anatomize Nor minde I now to lim that wondrous Love Which burning in Elohim's brest above Did Shem and Heber's sacred line re-bring From Shinar's soyl and fayre Euphrates spring T' attend the loadstar of th'Eternals call Amidst those plains where Jordan's course doth craule Nor shall my bubling pen those plagues expresse Which from the heav'ns in wraths enrag'd excesse On Zâ—an's field and Mizraim's flowry Tent Were as postilions of their wrath down sent Nor sing I those divine decrees and wonders VVhose voice contemper'd with a thousand thunders Breeds more respect in Israel's haughty heart VVho notwithstanding acts the truants part Then all those Lawes which Numa could afford Or yet the Spartane or Cecropian Lord L. S. No those already have in matchlesse Ore Traverst both Vestae's lap and Thetis shore And by the pencill of a glorious Gawl D. B. Have drawn the curtain of our azur'd All In such a sort that time shall never bring So sweet a draught from Hippocrene's spring Save that which Albian's Mercury Trismegist J. S. Hath quintessenc'd from Ampelonaes brest No no my care shall bee in heav'n-bred trance To gaze his more then wondrous excellence From whom all things as from their common father Doe all their essence and their being gather That true beginning midst and end of all VVho but beginning midst or end at all Is ground and top of that uncoupled chaine VVhich links poore sinners to their Soveraign The blessed Son I sing of God and Man VVho born in time yet was ere time began The Son of God th' eternall living rock And royall off-spring of great David's stock That blest Redeemer whom the Prophets old By heav'n-bred revelations oft foretold On whom their figures shadowes Types and Tropes Built all their truths moralities and hopes The God of Gods I sing and King of Kings From out whose mouth a two ed'd smyter-springs Dividing twixt the marrow and the bones And manifesting th' hearts hid motions VVhose words are misteries whose works are wonders VVhose eyes are lightnings and whose voice is thunders VVhose hayres are whiter then the new faln snow Whose sparkling eyes like flames of fire doe glow VVhose loynes are girt with gold of better fine Then Titan lusters in his mid-day shine VVhose foot 's of burning brasse and trampleth down The rage of Lethe Styx and Acharon Him him I sing Earth Earth attend my song That so the hony-suckles of my Tongue May like those showres which on the Meads doe trill Celestiall Nectar to the world distill For though my pen in peace should snort and ly The Rocks the Mountains and the Stones would cry Crant therfore ô my God Grant grant betimes Peace to my Soule and soule unto my Rhimes Yea quintessence my soule and eke advance My care-free spirit in some celestiall trance That purg'd from passion thy divine addresse May guide me through this desert wildernesse Of humane weaknesse that my Pen from thee And Lines may borrow such a dignity As may expresse in lofty quavering songs The lofty prayse which unto thee belongs But stay my Muse and lanch not to the Ocean VVhose never ebbing Tide and restles motion No Pilot yet could know aright or keep Himself from Naufrage in so vast a deep For this is sure That in this voyage stands Charybdis gulfe and Scilla 's shelf and sands 'Twixt which the whistlings of an easie gale Must guide thy Bark and not a blustrous sale Yet keep not alwaies peace my Muse for now 'T is time to cleere thy care-eclipsed brow And by the numbers of thy sacred fury To stray along th'enamel'd coasts of Jurie Goe then from Dan to Bethel thence anon To Aroer Keilah Adullam Ziff Maone To Shilo Gilgall Mizphe Ramah Nob And these sky-threatning towr's whose spires doe rob Their white from Pelops shoulder and their Ore From Peru Ganges and Hydaspes shore And while thou viewst those coasts and pleasant fields Which milk and hony in abundance yeelds Vaile vaile thy top-saile and in rev'rence greet That sacred Flamyn whose heav'n-ravish'd sp'rit Doth at Joves Altar with a zeale-bred fire Evaporat his Soules sincere desire Haile flowry Jordan then and you sweet torrents Of christall-water whose Meandring currents So many Saints have sip'd and O thou soyl Whose arms gave rest from that tumultuous toyl Wherein our Fathers forty yeers did stray And O you sacred-walls where eft-soon lay That mighty God and Man whose chrimson shower From out his side made him our Saviour Yea O you hills you dales and fields each one Where Earths-sole Phoenix Heav'ns-true Paragon Did from his Cradle to his Crosse endure Our sinnes-disease and griefs-distemp'rature Haile haile I cry you all a glad good morrow Let neither blustring winds nor rain-bred sorrow Your Meads unflowre or yet your woods disleave Or choak your torrents in their bubling grave No let nor haile nor snow nor frost nor Ice By their tumultuous violent prejudice Your brows enage or yet your Tresses scorne Till from your tops your golden fleece be shorn But rather let the heav'ns with smiling face Your Nayids and your Napa's so embrace That by the tincture of their milk-sweet raine Your floury virdure may still fresh remaine As long as Titan takes delight to post From Japan to the great Herculaean coast But above all Hail hail thou ghostly-Father
flies above the Pole And all the Stars where Charles great wain doth role And in the highest heav'ns doth steale a glance Of great Jehova's glorious countenance And with a ravish'd strain doth strive to see His one true Essence and his persons three That in the volume of his face she may The programs of his frowns and favour spy All those within thy hollow bosome dwell And yet by natures help thou canst not tell Nor when nor where nor how this bulk was made Begun advanc'd inlarg'd or finished Why dost thou then require that nature should Investigate or labour to unfold The secret footsteps and that hidden way Wherein th' Almighty doth his pow'r display Dost thou not know that in thee two men dwell The spirit and the flesh whose tides doe swell So boistrously each one against the other That cruell Cain when he had kill'd his brother Was never stuff'd with more vindictive spleen Then doe these two betwixt them entertain Water hath no more force to drown the fire Fire to drink water doth no more aspire Ayre in earths caverns hath not such a roar Earth doth no more ayres levity abhorre Heat against cold and moysture against drougth Doth not so largly ope their yawning mouth The light with darknes keeps no better coyle Death striving against life hath no such toyle As have these two whil'st their unstay'd desire To ruine one another doth aspire Hence doth arise so fierce a conflict that Unlesse the one the other subjugat With laboring Rebecca in her push Man may exclaime If so why am I thus For loe the good man would he cannot doe And th' ill he would not that he 's thrust unto Yet whosoever to the flesh shall give Obedience and in her Statutes live Shall from the flesh reape nothing but corruption And drink the bitter dregs of her destruction But he who by the spirit is made free From carnall lusts and their captivitie Shall by th' obedience of the Sp'rit have peace When all the turmoiles of the flesh shall cease But ay me now I see this world is gone And drown'd i th' deep of induration For though the light hath plentifully shin'd In all her corners yet men have repin'd Against the light and made their deeds so evill That they are slaves to Belial and the Devill Thus hath he gravell'd Nicodemus sp'rit And of a Pharisee made a Proselyte For nature being convinc'd must hold her peace And humane reason unto God give place Hence forth from Judah he doth take his way And in Samaria purposeth to stay Faint in his journey by the extream heat Which Earth to Titan did reveberat He comes to Sichars well but all in vain One drop of water he can not obtain Here down he sits straight from Samaria come A woman to draw water for her home Woman saith he I thirst extreamly pray Lend me some water this my thirst t' alay The jorney's long and eke the season hot Let me then drink some water from thy pot Some water saith she that is strange ô man That thou a Jew I a Samaritan Canst seek refreshment or a drink from me Those keep no commerce nor societie Woman saith he ô that thou couldst but know That gift of God and who it is that now Doth beg of thee some water for his thirst Surely thou shouldst have been my begger first And I to thy petition would have given A cup of better water brought from Heaven For who so drinks this water thirsts again But who tastes my unemptied Ocean Shall never thirst for from th' Eternal's throne It spring'th and tak'th eternall motion Master saith she you talk to me of water Whose bubling sourse some better streams doth scatter But to my taste I never yet could see A welspring of more pretious dignitie Our Father Jacob dig'd this well of old He drunk of it his children al 's ' were bold To fet it to their Cattels use art thou Greater then they I pray thee let me know That when I thirst hereafter I may drink And draw the waters of that better brink Goe saith he then and make thy husband come That when thou drink'st he also may have some I have no husband saith she Now I heare Thee speak the truth for it is more then clear That husbands five thou hast already had And he whom now thou hast thou hast not wed Thus hast thou sinn'd and in thy sinne dost lye Drunk with the dregs of sinnes security Yet though sinnes seed time seem a delicate Her harvest and her gleaning's desolate Master saith she a Prophet now thou art For thou display'st the secrets of my heart Messiah when he comes can doe no more But tell us all things this thou dost before I am the man saith he expect no other The only sonne of God by flesh thy brother Yea amongst many brethren the first borne And of great David's house th' exalted horne Shee hears those words and leaves her water pot Behinde her and to poore Samaria's lot She hies her self with all the speed she can And cals them from their trades each man by man Come come saith she now blessed be the Lord He hath made true the tenure of his word Which promiseth that in the end of time Messiah's blood should expiat our crime Come I have found him and what 's strange behold What I have done in all my life h' hath told Yea he hath fann'd the secrets of my heart And made my soule by griefe for sinne to smart I never heard so grave and learn'd a Preacher So strickt a schoole-man and so wise a Teacher Ne're doth the Phaenix when she first doth flie From out her Urn with self-bred infancie With richer troops attempt her first-wing'd march Along the conclave of th'ethereall Arch Than now my Saviour from Samaria â—â—th T' attend his doctrine and enrich their faith He seeth them hunger and he opes his mouth To feed them with those clusters of his truth Your fathers saith he worship'd in this mountain Here did they dig sweet water from this fountain But now the time drawes neere and is at hand When neither here nor in Judaea's land God shall be serv'd alone through all the world The chariot of his glory shall be hurl'd God is a Spirit all that doe him feare In sp'rit and truth unto him must draw neare You worship what you know not ô but we Know whom we worship in sinceritie And though salvation's to the Jewes first shown Yet shall the Gentiles for Gods sonnes be known O now say they unto the woman we Believe him not for what you testifie But having heard him with our eares our selfe On him we build our soules eternall health For now we see he is that Christ should come To ransome Israel with a pretious summe Thus turning to Judaea's coasts again Great multitudes doe follow him amain For they by him mirac'lously were fed VVhen in the desert they were hungered But whil'st he doth their hidden
Gods true Sonne then let me see Some token of it that I may believe He hath a care of thee that thou mayst live Full forty dayes thou hast been here alone Wand'ring and wond'ring in this Mansion Earth yeelds no bread the brooks doe yeeld no water The Downes no Locust Combes no honney scatter Clouds yeeld no Manna Ravens take no care To feed thee with their flesh-pots late or ear Sarepta's widow doth not breake her Cake Which for her own last dinner she did bake Is this th' Almighties care is this his love Which he of late did unto thee improve As to his Sonne that thou should'st starve and dye By famine and extream necessity No get thee up exchange these stones to bread Eat freely then and be thou satisfi'd For skin to skin and all the worlds rich choise Man will renounce before his life he lose Full forty dayes I have been here proud Clown R. Replies my Saviour and have beaten down This flesh of mine with fasting all the while That in this Lent of mine I might beguile Thy pur-blinde eyes whose chiefest aime and straine Is but to crush my flesh because humane Moses my servant neere this place before Fasted as long whil'st Sinay's tops did rore And he who Baal's folly did proclame Full forty dayes did try the same extreame Yet neither th' one nor th' other sought to thee For help in their extream necessitie But by my Fathers strengthning power they Were without outward meanes maintain'd alway My Father without bread or water can Maintain that life which he hath giv'n to man The heav'ns on Israel did Manna powre Like Coriander in a snow-white showre To some he doth lifes meanes miraculously Beyond their expectation multiply That when they look'd t' have kept nothing in store Their nothing still increas'd and grew the more Then to distrust my Fathers providence T' abuse my power and under the pretence Of working miracles t' obey thy will Were base in me and a prodigious ill Indeed man lives by bread but that 's not all Each word which from my Fathers mouth doth fall Must either blesse the bread to man or then It shall not nourish him 't shall prove his bane Thus hath the venemous snake his first dart flung Yet hath it neither wounded hurt nor stung My Saviour for his still uncharmed eare Without impression that assault did heare A second dart therefore the Traitor tryes And that it may prevaile he proudly flies Unto the top of Salems Temple there To crush by pride what 's not crush'd by dispair The first tentation's ground was starving want Now doth presumptuous plenty charm in chant For where one poore extream can never doe it He hath another and he puts us to it Jerusalem is now the worlds chiefe glory The Temple is Jerus'lems highest story The Pinacle's the loftiest step of that There is my Saviour by the Tempter set I have desir'd thee to make bread of stones Saith the proud murth'rer but behold at once Thou didst reply Thy Fathers providence Would shelter thee from Natures indigence Come then come let us try thy Fathers power Cast thy selfe down from top of this high tower For well I know what 's writ in David's book And thou mayst learn it when thou list to look That he hath giv'n his Angels astrict charge To bear thee in their armes as in a Barge To keep thee safe and sound in flesh and bone Psal 81. Lest thou shouldst dash thy foot against a stone How long shall I now suffer thee damn d dogge R. Saith my Redeemer like a wallowing hogge Disturb my sacred Cisterns by such wiles The Sonnes of Adam alwaies thou beguiles It is no new thing to heare thee blaspheme This is the program of thy Academe Grace hath abounded man may sinne the more Elected and Redeem'd trip still therefore The spirit of bondage and of feare is gone Burst then the fetters of Adoption O how it wounds me thus to heare thee tare My sacred Oracles with poysoned aire As if in them there were not couch'd such truth As could both comfort age and confound youth I know 't is written but I know as well There 's something written there thou dost conceal And dar'st not utter for it would declare The snaky sophism of thy subtile snare In all thy wayes thou dost omit this stance Yet here 's the rule of Gods great providence If man would wish or hopefully expect The safe protection of the bless'd elect He must not wander in his fancies measure Or tread the wandring path of his own pleasure But in the path of that Saint-beaten rode That 's pointed out unto him by his God If so he walke he shall be safe and sure If otherwise his death he shall procure Art not thou now asham'd so treacherously To wrest th'Eternals truth impudently To cut asunder that which God conjoyns And with an endlesse falshood gird thy loyns Take then from out that sacred Scriptures fountain A stone cut without hands from out the mountain To split thy forehead from out David's sling And curb the poyson'd venome of thy sting Behold it 's written both to man and thee Tremble and feare doe not presume too high For who so wanders from this beaten rode Doth tempt the Lord and lift his heel ' gainst God Deut. 6.16 Yet once more must this murtherer goe fling His last and finall dart against our King The blast of fainting and of black dispaire Nor of presumptions fire-ball thrown i'th'aire Have not prevail'd yet will he not be quiet But ayming at his envies richer diet He sets my Saviour on a steep high mountain From which each river and each bubling fountain Each pearly mead and shady shelt'ring grove Where either Serpents hisse or Satyrs rove Each vinyard drunk with grapes or cloi'd with clusters And ev'ry place where pleasure makes her musters And ev'ry other sense-contenting thing Which to a carnall minde content can bring Are in an eyes short twinkling set before him And promis'd to him if he would adore him See'st thou not those sayes he all those be mine View take possesse them I will make them thine And with their title I will here endow thee If thou wilt once but bow thy knees unto mee Now now and ne'er till now did my Redeemer Waxe fierce with fury ' gainst this bold blasphemer R. What Bow to thee thou foul abortive slave Thou dust eater thou canker of the grave Thou down-faln star thou filthy proud glow-worm Whose fall yet fils both Earth and Seas with storm Proud begger slave thou saist the world is thine And yet it is the Lords and all therein The treasures of the winds the cloudes of Raine The wine press'd grapes and all the sheaves of graine The fishes of the Sea the fowls o' th' aire The beasts o' th' Earth that nibble here and there The floods the rivers watry ponds and lakes Which from the clouds or ocean welspring takes
to possesse True Joy true Peace true Life and Righteousnesse Stay then poor Muse thy course soare not too high To search out that unsearched mysterie To know whose great unparalell'd perfection No Flesh hath yet attain'd by flesh-direction Content thy selfe in modesty to view His birth and at his Pedestall to bow Whose glorious light our darknesse doth expell And being God youchsafes with Men to dwell Come then and in a safe approach behold Him whom the heav'n of heav'ns could not enfold Now couch'd within a Crib and make poor beasts The witnesse of his Genethliack feasts A wake then Bethleem let me aske thee where Are all thy pleasant shades and dainty fare Thy sumptuous tables and thy quilt-strawd beds Whereon thy guests of late did rest their heads Where 's now thy pomp thou house of David where Are love and mercy banished that there Where Davids seed and Davids Lord likewise Should dwell thou shouldst his Royalty despise O sure I am it cannot be but now The house of David only doth allow His name but not his nature for I see Ev n in the throng of his Posteritie His Darling thrust to doores and forc'd to lay The worlds dread Soveraign in a cratch of clay But ô the deepnes and the riches both Of Wisedome and of Providence that doth Shine in thy wayes ô God whil'st thou dost make Thy Counsels known for our salvations sake This pur-blind world doth think that Fortune guides And Chance governs the ever-changing tides Of humane actions but 't is nothing so Live as wee list and goe where ere we goe Th'ore-ruling pleasure of thy secret will Governs our actions both in good and ill In Nazareth Christ was conceiv'd but loe In Bethleem he must be born and shew Himself first Man and there first breath our ayre Who makes the bread of Life our Soules rich fare That as he was a Naz'rite by conception Both separate from sinne and sins infection So he in Bethleems magazen might len ' The bread of life unto the sonnes of men One place must not engrosse him who was born For all no that were mock'ry and base scorn T'intrench his splendor in one private place Whose rayes must cherish all the world with grace Rome then was Stage where worldly honors grew Athens the Ocean where the Arts did flow Jerusalem the great Pontificate Where Rabbins in the Chaire of Moses sate But lo for Bethleems sake he now disdaines The trophies of those Metropolitans Not that the place could adde to his renown For Place can neither dignifie nor crown The Person but the Person doth decore And make the Place more splendid then before So he who from out Darknesse did display The worlds first lustre and baptiz'd it Day Ev'n he who from out Deaths devouring jawes And from the roaring Lions cruell pawes Makes lifes sweet well-spring richly to abonnd From Penuries despised womb and wound Makes Righteousnesse and Mercy Truth and Peace Each one another sweetly to embrace In whatsoever chance or change therefore This mortall life involve me the rich store Of his refining Providence shall still Enrich my Table and my Cup full-fill Yea make me sleep in safe and quiet rest Because he turneth all things to my best Yet let me stay a while and view this change Which through the world in Triumphs pomp doth range And makes fair Sions sons like Sinayes Clown To yeeld due homage to a Strangers Crown O God whence comes this wondrous alteration Whence springs the current of this desolation That they who erst were blest in fleecy flocks Whose Rivets were of milke whose steepest Rocks Distill'd a hony sweeter then the Mead Whereon their nibling troops did prank and feed Being blest at home abroad and in each plaine Blest by the ayre by sun-shine and by raine Whose force did daunt the Earth with trembling aw Whose Scepter writ their neighboring States their law Whose terrour made their proudest enemies then ' Gainst them march one way flye before them ten Should now as Vassals sigh and pant and groan Under the load of strange Subjection And bow their necks to bear the grievous Loans Of Tributes Taxes Impositions O now I see 't is not so much thy Care Great Caesar to augment thy glories share That these importning cruell Subsidies Like roaring thunders through the world now flies As 't is th' Almighties pleasure now even now Because the time is full from heav'n t' allow The worlds great Monarchy to thee that so The sonnes of Jacob may discern and know The visitation of their look'd for Grace And wisely learn the things which preach their Peace For I must tell thee Israel that since Thy Diadem's subdu'd t' a forraign Prince And since the Helm of thy Government stands Within the circuit of a Strangers hands The time is come that Shilo's golden ray Should light thy darknesse and begild thy day And that the Star of Jacob now should shine Not in an earthly grandeur but divine Hence hence it comes yet in obedience strain The Virgin goes to Nazareth amain But ore-charg'd by her burthen 's forc'd to stay And beare her Sonne at Bethleem by the way Where ô what 's Caesars Caesar hath and what Is due to God to God is consecrate For Caesar hath his penny God his Son The Devill his bane Man his salvation What shall I then dis-know thee ô thou Prince Of my salvation since for my offence Thou art subjected to these foule despisings That Sinne or Sathan send from their devisings In this so great and rare Nativity Let Junctyne Origen or great Ptolemie Copernicus or Tichâ—bra or they Who with the starry Influence doe play Look on this Non-such-birth and if they can Display his midnight or meridian It feares me much their judgements shall come short Of what this Theam and Birthright doth import For rule the Cuspe of his eight house who will His death shall our deaths Dominator kill And maugre hell and earth which him assaile He breaks the Dragons head and curbs his taile Isa 7.14 Isa 11.10 Gen. 49.9 Gen. 49.23 For Virgo beares him he in Libra lives The Archers wound him Leo him revives For though mans reason cannot think but all His Starres were dignifi'd both great and small Yet lo his Mother voyd of friend and Kinne Must make a Stable her bed-chambers Inne The Parlours all are fill'd with uncouth guests Their Chambers all are stuff'd with sumptuous feasts Proud pomp stern ryot foule and loath'd excesse Have took up Bethleems roomes both more and lesse And Superfluity dances such a round That for Necessity no place is found But she whose table in the heav'ns was deckt Must beare her Sonne disdain'd and disrespect Now now the Oxe may say I know my owner Now sayes the Asse This is my masters corner But Israel and Bethleem cannot know What homage to their Saviour they ow For every Prophet's honor'd save at home And he although amongst his own he come Yet was he
joyn'd unto faith tells that faith 's true Which works by love and doth mens lusts subdue Then preach them both keep both and so you shall Your selves and others both to rest recall Doe not you know when many run a Race With panting breasts and sweat-besmeared face He onely who proves constant to the end Obtaines the Crown but if he shall offend And stumble at the stumbling stones i' th' way His stumbling makes his honour to decay If men then for a temporall Crown take pain And strive so hardly for a sading gain How much more should the uncorrupted Crown Of glory honour and dominion Make you to run your race without cessation Since your reward 's eternall consolation Be carefull therefore that your masters name By your neglect be not expos'd to shame And that whil'st others by your words be saved You of your masters joy be not be reaved A certaine Sower on a time went forth To sow his seed of rich and pretions worth And as he sow'd some by the way-side fell And that the soules of th' aire did quickly smell And pickt it up Some fell in stony ground That took no root because no earth it found Some amongst thorns did fall that straight did spring And yet was choak'd by their o're-shadowing Some fell in fertile ground and taking root Did to the Sower bring expected fruit According to his travell toyl and pain The thirty sixty and the hundreth grain I am the husband-man my word 's the seed If that doth perish it doth not proceed From Sower from the seed or from the season For those were all combin'd in right and reason To work a happy harvest But mans heart Is that unhappy ground in whose each part Such hidden store of deep corruptions lye As turn'th my toil unto fond vanrtie For sometime Sathan vultur-like doth pray Upon the word and beares it quite away Sometime mans obdur'd heart more hard then stone Rejects my word by induration Sometime the thorny cares of humane life Mix'd with the word are at such mutuall strife That what at first takes root doth very now To persecutions storm and tempest bow In such a sort that root and stalk and blade In this their conflict's quickly vanquished The fertile ground 's the faithfull heart that doth Return unto th' industrious hand that sow'th So rich an increase that for every ten The master hath a thousand back again Watch therefore lest while as you sleep there come The envious man who in the good seeds roome Sowes darnell cockle and those cursed tares Which cursed and malignant ground forth-beares For to your master you must make accompt Of what you sow and eke what doth surmount He will not have his own true seed alone He needs must have reduplication The heav'ns and earth may perish but one jot Of this my Doctrine shall not be forgot Till all things be accomplished which either Concerns my glory or my glorious Father The Powers CANTO 4o. WHen Moses followed Jethroes fleecie flocks And made them graze on Horebs golden locks At unawares he look'd aside and spies A bush on fire whose flame to heav'n up flies The bush still burns and yet remains unburned To dust and ashes it can not be turned O what a strange prodigious sight saith he Is this which now 's presented to mine eye A crackling thorne a fierce consuming fire In mutuall conflict yet doe both conspire To shew the world the strangest rarest theam That e're was toss'd in natures A cadeam I will therefore goe view 't but by the way A voice proceeding from the bush can say Stay Moses stay doe not approach too nigh Corruptions can not dwell with Majesty Cast thy shoes off thy feet for it is found The place whereon thou stand'st is holy ground Yet since I see thee beg with fresh desire To search the secrets of this scorching fire Heare what I tell thee Loe this burning bush Doth represent my Church which by the push Of Pharoah's proud oppression's brought so low That she doth almost faint by his ov'rthrow Yea that shee 's not consumed in that flame Comes from my power who am what I am Her hid corruptions call for my corrections My promise to her Fathers pleads protection The one she bears the other in short time Shall wound her foes and expiate her crime My word shall teach her and my power shall heal The wounds and bruises of my Israel What here was promis'd to the Church before The Law from Sinay's thundring tops did roare Is now accomplish'd in the Gospels day For by his word he points her first the way Then by his dread mirac'lous power doth cure The sad distempers of her imposture Who doubts his power let him but make bold And view the wond'rous works he wrought of old Consider Moses hand put in his bosom By Leprosie tnrn'd white like Aprils blossom Consider Nilus streams turn'd unto blood Consider Israel fed with Angels food Remember how Rephidim's rock's a poole And Mara's rill made sweet in Israels bowle The Sun in Gibeah stands a whole day still An Asse controles her foolish riders will Fire comes from Heav'n and dryes Eliahs trench A sonne is giv'n to Shunam't gratious wench Jonah's preserved by a swallowing Whale The Lyons stoope and crouch to Daniel Three children walking in a fi'ry flame Lose not one haire their clothes are free fro th' same All those as wonders did attend his Law And to his word did yeeld respective aw And shall the Gospels message of our peace Lack her attendants no in any case His pow'r shall still accompany his word And by those two shall all things be restor'd That man 's indured heart by those two may Read Lectures of his truth and love each way Come then proud Scribe come doting Pharisee Come wrangling Lawyer come along with me And see what wonders are in Juda done Then judge if your Messiah be not come In Cana's village last day there was made A Nuptiall banquet richly furnished Not with luxurious superflu'ties store But with satieties plenty and no more The bidden guests doe come ' mongst many other Christ Jesus commeth and his Virgin Mother That by his presence he might sanctifie Gods Ordinance and Mans societie The friends are plac'd the tables richly cloy'd The bowls of wine are here and there convoy'd And no things lack that true content would have Or measure wish or moderation crave Yet as it often unto men befalls Some crosse doth still attend their festivalls Their wines are spent his mother tells him so Woman saith he what 's this I have adoe With thee my 'pointed time is not yet come Yet for thy sake I 'le shew my self to some Cause bring me here fixe water-pots of stone Which you use for Purification They bring them to him Fill them now saith he With fountain water that I may them see Fill fill them full fill them unto the brim And with true fountain water make them swim 'T