Roar'd howl'd and cry'd and dy'd in deep despair Although he had good men's advice and prayer Despair's a Polititian whose black Art Makes man upon himself act Satans part Accuse condemn torment repel free grace Refuse to give his proferr'd pardon place Tempt to the highest sin and then to tell His sadded soul No place for thee but Hell And so when man the Devils work hath done He payes him wages who desired none The Poets Momus she out-strips in spight VVho hated others for his own delight She hates both God and Man Angels and Devil And her self too yea all both good and evil Save her despairing humour which alone She cherishes and strives to dote upon And to her everlasting torment feeds The gnawing worm that in her conscience breeds She 's sick to death yet will no cordial take Casts off all physick which her pains might slake Her wound is deep and cure she doth desire Yet throws her plaisters all into the fire A spirit frenzifi'd within her raigns She ease desires yet needs will keep her pains Merciful Lord defend us from afflictions VVherein are manifest such contradictions Assist us with thy grace to persevere Unto the end and then we need not fear O'erwhelming in this deep abyss wherein So many heav'n-bound vessels sunk have been Strengthen our faith against despair uphold Our feeble souls and bring them to thy fold An Epigram on despair DEspair avaunt eternal death attends Thy very touch Hell's at thy fingers ends The Cockatrices optick poyson's weak Asps tactick venome slight to thine thou l't break Hearts all in shivers by a single thought Yea murther souls too though most dearly bought By God-man's blood thou mak'st men spill the price And slight their mercies by thy rash advice Lord grant a better Counsellor to me For sure such Counsellor deserves no Fee On Presumption and Despair OLd Poets all mistake who all agree In one to make the fatal Sisters three It's one too many for but two they are But two more fatal then their three by far Daring Presumption that her cheats may pass Puts Mercy in a multiplying-glass So magnifies her past proportion'd measure Makes her a Patroness for lust and pleasure Whilst Cowardly Despair to dim her worth Peeps through a Perspective whose wrong end 's forth VVhich less'ning glass when mercy's through it view'd Semi-annihilates her magnitude They oft change glasses and Despair puts sin Into Presumptions glass whilst she agin Views Justice through Despairs false Perspective VVhich makes them both erroneous judgement give A cure for both I 'll briefly thus devise Let both their glasses break and trust their eyes Presumption stoop to Poenitence Despair Arise to Faith 't will make their ways both fair So shall Despair true Poenitence become Presumption saving Faith to bring us home For one is still too low t'other too high Neither will let us unto God draw nigh Repentance DRop on sweet lymbeck-eyes till you distâ—l Those high-priz'd waters that Gods bottle fill Drop spare not this the richest water is That Earth affords and Heav'n hath none of this Save in Gods handkerchief those tears â—…ip'd off Their glorified cheeks whom earth did scoff Water of life it is if truly made Oh that the avaricious world would trade For this rich ware one drop whereof out-vies East and West-Indies bought at highest price In its true worth add to it for 't will need As much faith as a grain of mustard-seed This composition valu'd is most high In the esteem of Jove's great majesty 'T is worth more worlds then heav'n hath stars shoar sands Sea drops or single blades of grass earth's lands Stream on pure fountains with your hysop water Your nitred springs my sin-stain'd soul bespatter Sope-lave it in your pearly rills that fall From sorrow's source but still have care to call For Lamb's blood intermixt by faith which brings True vertue to your mundifying springs It cleanseth all the stains in nature left And those we added since our Parents theft Blow on serenest sighing wind and calm My stormed conscience and abate the qualm That seiz'th my wounded spirit clear the air Dispel the clouds with gusts of zealous pray'r VVhich force ope heaven and commit a rape Upon th'Almightie's ears we shall escape How fierce soever our assault be made Thou art the wind drives all who heav'nward trade By thee they must un-anchor and set forth Or else their voyage will be little worth Fill up our sails for we shall finde rich ware That hidden lies beyond the fixed sphere Yet blow as faith may steer aright know well VVho sayl by heav'n pass neer the gates of Hell 'Twixt Scylla and Charybdis we must pass Presumption and despair and these alass Are full of danger one 's a floating Rock T'others a gulf shifting like weather-cock Its place with each neâ—… wind On if we stay They 'l both most surely cross us in the way And for the most part he that one doth fly Is shipwrack'd on the other instantly Whiff not with boyst'rous blasts into the deep Let thy gales us in fathom'd shallows keep Blow well to Leeward though a Rock appear 'T is Christ the Cape of our good Hope no fear For never vessel which that Rock did miss Arrived at the wished Port of bliss Nay more unless that Rock we hang upon Our vessel 's split and we are all undone Oh see where it appeareth yond' before Haste on I 'm sea-sick put me there ashoar The floating Rock and shifting gulf I see Approaching neer they both in kenning be Blow strong bear in on that Rock run aground Strike sail cast Anchor for our Port is found If that firm Rock do make the Anchor bend Hope's Anchor steel with faith at either end She with one finger if we Anchors want Can moâ—e us on a Rock of Adamant Such is the Rock on which we must depend That thee my soul from shipwrack must defend An Adamantine Rock whose vertue lay'th Magnetick force on all that 's steel'd by faith Help sighs sad heart my dâ—…ie eyes help tears Such wind and water souls on this Rock bears To steel Hope well with stedfast faith endeavour Then shall we Anchor on it safe for ever Epigram on Repentance BLow wind drop rain Repentance much endears Our souls to God such musick charms his ears Let faith hold fast and then full safe are we These sisters are and must not parted be Both of one birth most strange intwined twins Where the first ends mostly the last begins Which should be elder great Divines do doubt But we 'll not sift such needless scruples out God grant us both in truth of soul and mind And which is first we need not pry to find Faith STrongest of creatures whose eternal Base Is firmer fix'd then earth's foundation was Whose everlasting force none can withstand Surviving change in Heav'n Hell Sea and Land By thee the Elders good report did take Thou teachest us Gods Word the world did make By
times And re-committed after penitence And vows against them which must needs incense A just and holy God whose piercing eye Sees the least Atome-sin and can espy Damn'd guilt in deeds which men have deem'd most glorious Yea which some have imagin'd meritorious Tell me think I as well the Sea doth burn The spheres stand still and rouling earth doth turn As that base mâ—n can just appear to thee Who in his life such horrid blots dost see Each heart's imaginations thou dost spie Ill wholly only and continually Yet so it is Lord thou hast found a way By which man as it were deceive thee may And blind thy Justice plead thy Sons desert For our im-merits thou contented art Admired mercy Love stupendious Our Creditor should pay the debt for us Due to himself whereof we ne'r could pay The smallest mire nor the least charge defray Else had we in eternal torments lain But thou both payd'st the debt and bor'st the pain That thy divinest Justice might receive Full satisfaction lest she else might grieve To be o'ercome by mercy so dost thou Punish our sins in Christ and disavow Our acting of them And unjust it were To punish us since he our sins did bear He hath for us fulfill'd thy Law and born Most hellish torments and earths basest scorn That faith in him might make us fair to thee Who else should in thine eyes like Devils be Nay worse then they since mercy we contemn And proffer'd grace which thou ne'r deign'st to them Doubtless hadst thou ordain'd thy Lamb to die Them to redeem as well's man's progeny Whose blood might have redeem'd them all as well There had not been a Devil now in Hell Pardon me Lord if I hyperbolize Or in opinion too much charitize Towards thy foe and ours It 's but to shew Ouâ— dead depraved nature markt by few Mended by none nor mendable by any Save thee alone Our breaches are so many Lord re-enliven this dead corpse by grace Rebuild its breaches all its sins deface Say to it Be thou just and it shall be Just in thy sight and from defilement free An Epigram on the same BAd good day night the swarthest blackmoor white Injustice just in Gods all-seeing sight Is he deceiv'd can his eye blinded be Love makes him undertake to over-see And take upon himself man's sins Our score He cleared hath Oh let us sin no more Lest he repent him of the mercy shown us And see us like our selves and so disown us For it transcends all wonder sinful dust Should in the great Creators eyes be just On man's Sanctification GOd us creates redeems and justifies By means without us which he did devise And all by works of wonder past all thought In love and wisedom infinite he wrought Whereby he us engag'd beyond all hope Yet still his love proceeds to find new scope Wonders to work within us To renew Our nature by his grace to make false true To sanctifie unsanctified man A work that quite confounds my heart to scan Here 's nature mortifi'd yet living still Grace vivifi'd and rectifying will Yet Will by Nature clean a verse from Grace And Grace and Nature ne'er well brook't one place Here 's Sin still dying and yet still reviving Using all means to live and yet not thriving The Prince of Darkness still the soul assailing Though never quite beat off nor yet prevailing Conscience and Reason daily are in fight Yet Conscience hath sweet peace and Reason right The Flesh oft seeks to undermine the Spirit VVith self-conceit presumption and false merit And many other wayes her up to blow As Man renew'd to his great griefe doth know Mean while the Spirit with inforcâ—d agility Doth countermine against them with Humility Which sweet mild saint o'ercomes them all But then VVhen she low thoughts of self hath wrought in men Satan doth re-assault with furious force Attempting them from God quite to divorce By fell Despair and raiseth batteries To storm the fort where Faith enfeebled lies VVho when the fight grows dangerous and hot Pulls in a Lamb betwixt her and the shot And under his protection overthrows All Satans Bulwarks and routs all her Foes Foes that would quickly all mankinde undo Were not our Lamb Judah's Tribes Lion too VVhose everlasting pow'r with ease can quell The joyned force of all the Fiends in Hell Then let the roaring Lyon seek abroad Whom to devour throughour the worlds great road Rage rave and plot and send his subtle spies Th' unbottom'd pits black locusts whose quick eyes See all earth's Globe at once fear not my soul Although thy foes conspiracies are foul Their combinations strong their plots most deep Israels Keeper slumbers not no sleep Skreens up his eyes who all their plots will dash And thee deliver from their horrid lash Remit thy sins obliterate thy folly And make thee holy as himself is holy Till thou be with the Lamb who 's Judah's Lion Rapp'd up to reign for ever on Mount Sion And sing with that Coelestial Quire above Sweet Hallelujahs to the God of Love An Epigram on the same SAnctification is the Tree of Life Not that false tree that fool'd our grandsires wife Whereby we from our innocencie fell This is the way to Heav'n that was to Hell Whoso on this Tree's sacred fruit doth feed Shall be in all things like to God indeed Sin MOnster of Monsters who hast monstrous made Nature it self in us who natures had First pure and holy and to good inclin'd Till by thy falshood we to bad declin'd And thy meer essence is extream averse From God and good but prone to ways perverse All that the great Jehovah made was good VVhen he created it and had they stood Angels and Men had so continu'd still But they would needs be gods and had their will So far that they Creators were of thee VVhom they created both their falls to be A Creatures Creature and so vile a one That Heav'n Earth Hell so bad besides have none Rake Topher's cinders sift the Serpents seed And keep the worst yet will that damned breed More fair in Gods all-seeing eyes appear Then Sin which summon'd them together there Sin made God angry Men and Angels fall Made God make Hell and Sin made Dev'l and all Ah! cursed caitiff how can we delight In the embracement of such wretched wight A hideous Elf abhorr'd of all that 's good Our dear Redeeme's Murtherer whose Blood By cursed sacrilegious hands was spilt To wash our souls from sins polluting guilt Our soul 's the precious game for which she fishes Which to destroy eternally she wishes Yet we bewitched wâ— most dearly love her Too dearly sure as all will find that prove her Whose souls shall purchase Oh the dearest gain For sins short pleasure their eternal pain 'T is sure some witchcraft some inchanting spell Whereby she trains us on asleep to Hell And stupifies our senses blindes our eyes Obthures our ears and phantasms doth devise
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
hath seen Say Princess great why is thy look so grim To what 's meer man being so fair and trim To gracious souls it's but the fear of change That makes thee so And yet oh wonder strange Want of change caus'th that fear man hear my breath Change but thy self thou'lt ne'er fear change by death Death's visage is a looking-glass wherein Thou view'st thy foul deformity by sin It 's guilt of that breeds fear of death in man Whilst rinsed souls with joy embrace it can See see besotted earth-worm who hast run The race of man and nought but cob-webs spun Sow'd rotten seed death thy race terminates Cuts off thy warp thy harvest antidates And makes it dreadful which might joyful be If thou thy way of safety couldst but see Death is a bond-mark-bridge to Heav'n and Hell On yonder side On this to earth as well Three spatious Kingdoms yea the three and all On this side are two roads which equal fall At the bridge-end the roads of joy and wo And every man in one of them doth go On t'other side two spatious Inns are built The one for innocence t'other for guilt To entertain the Travellers that pass The former roads In these a boundless mass Of joyes and woes are treasur'd up in store Where they shall joy or mourn for evermore Both Inns are at Bridge-end on t'other side One hath a narrow gate the other wide Whoe'er in either enters ne'er returns But there eternally or joys or mourns Joy's road is narrow rough and thorny woe 's Broad plain and smooth wherein the whole world goes Have care to chuse thy path and rightly judge For there 's no changing paths beyond the bridge But each of all the num'rous pilgrims throngs Lies in that Inn that to his path belongs And there remains for ever Heed thy walk It 's of concernment high whereof we talk Tread the straight path then death will be thy friend And guide thee to joy's Inn at journey's end For she presents the ghests in both the places And is chief Umpire in all doubtful cases For many seem to walk in way of zeal Whose specious shews do good opinion steal Ev'n of the best Yet tri'd by death's true test Lie down in sorrows Inn among the rest Others but few may seem to walk the ways That lead to wo whom death at last displays To be the joy-house ghests who there sit down And for their crosses here enjoy a crown Death is both ferry-man and boat whereby We launch the Ocean of eternity The Poets Charon who doth waft alone Souls to Elysium or to Acheron It is the intermitting point whereby We time divide from perpetuity Our time dies with us though time 's self remain Unto the time when we shall rise again In brief it 's but a blank at life's line 's end To bad men mortal foe to good a friend It 's amiable in a faithful eye But horrible to Belial's progeny Fond man cease death to fear make right thy heart Faith steeps in Balsamum death's surest dart Trans-forms its wounds to cures for thou shalt live Eternally by the wound death doth give The Epigram PAle Princess spare thy threats we know thy force Thou su'st the soul and bodies short divorce It lasts but one night's rest and that 's a toy For in the morning they shall meet with joy Thou wounded'st once our brother Lord and King And in that wound drone-like didst lose thy sting Now thou canst hurt no more save such mad elves As bring thee a new sting to kill themselves 'T were better for them death had kept his sting Then they be stung to death by stings they bring Though plain perire be a fate past jest Pennis perire propriis grave est Judgment HArk hark rebellious man the trumpet sounds Thy judgment-march the earth for fear rebounds Rocks rock the mountains tremble all the world Is ague-shook into hearts passion hurl'd Tellus keeps open house the grave 's unfraught Thetis re-renders up the dead she caught Both now their captives forth to judgment bring Before the throne of Heav'ns eternal King They can't detaine a dust of good nor bad But re-deliver must whate'er they had The ratling flames with horrid whirling roar Drink up the Sea and eat at once the shoar It 's quite in vain to mountains now to cry Or rocks to hide they all like atoms fly Hence in the beams of fire-light Oh! look look Sun Moon and Stars have Firmament forsook They fall like mellow fruit in blustring storms The spheres are shrivel'd up and loose their forms The Elements do melt the fixed Stars Fall down pel-mel as soldiers drop in wars The Heavens can no canopy afford No curtain thee to hide for in a word Both Heav'n and earth are nonplus'd at this blast And shall together in new molds be cast Thou' rt past advising now appear thou must Thy sentence to receive which will be just That 's all thy comfort and small comfort 't is To those who in this life have done amiss For all accounts shall here be fully cast And each man have full pay for labour past See yonder where the Judges books are come Whereby he judges and will pay all home According as appears by those records Whose counterparts thy own scar'd soul affords And still hath kept lockt up in conscience-chest But now must bring them forth among the rest Both she and thou and all know all is true In those records so there needs no review Sentence will soon be past the judge will say To you of his left-handed herd Away Depart from me ye cursed into fire That lasts for ever fitted for your Sire The Devil and his Angels Oh sad doom Yet ne'er to be revok'd for time to come Wer 't but to death or to annihilation The pains would end by senses deprivation But in these torments life and sense remain Yet neither life nor sense save those of pain Pains measureless and endless pour'd on thee Where wronged mercy will most cruel be Millions of ages past thy pains appear As far from end as when thou first wast there Their measure is as much as Devils can Devise of torment to inflict on Man Or an Almighty God can storm on those Who have declar'd themselves his mortal Foes There needs no more be spoke Ah wretched wight Think on this day before eternal night Prevent thy thinking on 't by being in 't Fence off the blow before thou feel the dint It 's true in God's as well's in Nature's school QUIS EXPECTAVIT is a cure-less fool If hearing man be told that death is nigh And scorns to heed it he must surely die Heed heed thy way of peace in this thy time Repent each former shun each future crime Redeem thy time to come none can what 's past Spend thy first hour as if it were thy last Think still thou dost the trumps loud summons hear ARISE you Dead to Judgement quick appear With penitential water
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
right assumes Unto himself boasting great Babylon Built by his wit and pow'r mad thereupon Is forthwith doom'd among the beasts to live Till he do honour to Jehovah give The young man in the gospel whom Christ lov'd Thought he had done whatever him behov'd Fulfil'd Gods Laws yet was his case most foul Who lov'd his riches better then his soul The bragging Pharisce conceiv'd no less Of his proud self yea did so much express Yet his hypocrisie so great we see The Publican was judg'd more just then he Presumption magnifies our merits in Our own blear'd eyes and puffs up self within Begets low thoughts of others who exceed Us in sincerity it ere we heed Breeds blind opinion of our happy state Till she hath brought us home to Hell's black gate Then we discover what we thought not on Our high-priz'd faith but false presumption And oh what horrour will it cause to see Too late in what a sad estate we be She charms and stupifies our senses so That in what case we are we scarcely know Till we withal know that inevitable Our danger is and irremediable She us inveigles as she did of old Laodicea's Church nor hot nor cold Of lukewarm temper senslesly to vaunt Of riches goods increase and nothings want Whilst she was wretched miserable poor Naked and blind though he knock'd at the door Well nigh prepar'd to spue her out his mouth Who no such temper in his Bride allow'th This is Goliah's ghost sent sorth by him Whoâ— is Hell's Prince the Sp'ritual Philistim He by presumption dares God's sacred hoast Who of her great atchievments well may boast By whom bright Stars have fall'n and falling be Stars in our eyes though not in God's decree For Comets greater seem to judgmenâ—… rude Then fixed Stars of vaster magnitude Presumptioâ—s potions soporiferous A sad soul-apoplexy cause in us Which whilst we think we draw securest breath Lulls us asleep into eternal death She makes Hell's flames which neer shall quench or dy The first dark light we see our errors by Accurst deluder thou dost never cease With Syren's songs and lullabies of peace With promises of blisses sweet fruition To train men unawares into perdition Thou draw'st a curtain 'twixt us and the face Of divine justice that we may not place Our eyes on her lest she should scare from sin Or make us question what way we are in Thou unvail'st Mercie 's picture falsely painted With shameless sinners round about besainted Therein profan'â—… her nature and her name She saves but sinners who of sin take shame With many more such cheats to sin thou win'st Crocodiles tears sometimes perhaps thou whin'st For commonly on false repentance follow Presumptioâ—s counterfeits of faith which hollow The whole workâ— of poor mans conversion And cause from God's wayes more a version Dear Lord How subtle is this foe of ours VVe cannot her oppose without thy pow'rs And fresh supplies sincere humility Is the chief Engineer that can descry Her plots and storm her works a faith well grounded The Cannon shot whereby she is confounded Lord grant us both and then full safe are we And from presumptuous sin Lord keep us free An Epigram on the same INchaunting Circe sure thy slights are odd Thou Angels Devils mad'st the Pope a god Them thou didst fool with hopes they gods should be Him thou mad'st god a Devil most men see I question which was greatest of the evils Thy making him a God or else them Devils It matters not for present we shall see VVhen both thy gods and Devils together be Desperation sins other top HEll upon earth thy ghastly look affrights Beyond the visage of infernal sprights It strikes more terrour in a wounded soul Then all Hells Devils can Thou dost controll Faith hope and charity at once in us Thou wound'st and kill'st them all and dost win us Self-condemnation still to harp upon As if our sins could heavens God unthrone Transcend his mercies or surpass his grace Or we could do what he cannot deface Thou whisper'st horrid treason in the ears Of our disturbed souls distract'st with fears Of a defect of morcy in that God In whom defect can never have abode VVho is all mercy although infinite And makes sweet mercies works his chief delight Thou sowr'st our sweetest joys foul'st our most fair And spondent hopes thy breath 's invenom'd air Blasts worse then lightning thy lowd voices thunder Out-roars those cracks that rend the clouds asunder This grim-fac'd fury is Hells Charioteer Who drives on headlong souls that once draw neer She force most violent upon them lay'th When they have true remorse and want but faith In order to salvation She extends Sin 's too vast body to destructive ends She maimes faith's hands and puts out both her eyes She makes us fondly proferr'd grace despise She lies in ambush in the darkest nook Of light 's blest path and oft hath sliely took Dejected souls at penitence lane-end Preparing to lay hold upon their friend The Lord of life by faith when they are tir'd With trotting sins rough ring and deeply mir'd In their own filth she whips and spurs them on Into the boundless deeps who left alone Might sue forth pardon and the grace obtain Of being by faith's hand reliev'd again And so her wiles deserted souls do win To turn sin-sorrow's sacred self to sin She ruin'd earths great Heir apparent Cain When he had juster Abel basely slain She barr'd him this worlds joy and oh sad doom Depriv'd him of the joys of that to come She foyl'd the faithful Abrahams Heir's first born VVho lost a double birth-right for a scorn Yea lost his blessing too though grown more wise In vain he sought it with distilling eyes She wrought upon the Isra'lites first King VVitch-craft to use after abandoning That direful art and then provok'd him further VVith his own hands his loathed self to murther She forc't the traytor Judas who had sold His Master the great Shepherd of God's fold To hang himself his conscience to appease To haste from Earth to seek in Hell for ease VVhere if he found it none was found before Nor found shall be thenceforth for evermore After his sad revolt from sacred truth Mark but how eagerly this Fiend pursu'th Apostate Julian who despairing cry'd Vicisti Galilaee and so dy'd Great Bajazet the Turkish Emperour Brain'd his proud self incensed by thy pow'r And our third Richard Englands quondam King By usurpation wilfully did fling Himself away at Bosworth twice o'ercome By foes in field and by despair at home But what need I historick Cinders rake Examples to produce whereas they spake But sparingly of mens despair for sin One well known modern pattern sure had been Proof strong enough of desperation's force Poor Francis Spira man ne'er heard a worse VVho by seducing wiles of Antichrist Was drawn t'apostatize from real Christ Whenceforth he ne'er felt comfort more on earth But had a Hell within him curst his birth
faith meek Abel off'red sacrifice More excellent and pleasing in God's eyes Then Cain's his elder brother Enoch's faith Caus'd his translation that he saw not death By faith did Noah warn'd the Ark prepare Wherein he and his houshold saved were By faith the faithful's father Ur forsook And to an unknown place himself betook By faith he and his seed did sojourn there In a strange land their Tabernacles were By faith old Sarah Issue did receive And quite past age had strength seed to conceive By faith tri'd Abram Isaac offered Accounting God could raise him from the dead That Isaac blessed his two sons hereby And Jacob Joseph's sons when he did die By faith departing Joseph mention made That Isr'el out of Aegypt should evade By faith was new-born Moses three months hid And when he came to yeers refuse he did The Title of King Pharao's daughter 's son And rather chose to bear affliction With God's poor Israel then for a season Sin 's pleasure to enjoy faith was his reason Hereby he Aegypt left Passover kept And sprinkling blood lest he should them have swept Who the first-born destroy'd By this they post Through Red-Sea dry-shod while th' Aegyptian Host The like assaying were o'erwhelmed all By Faith the Walls of Jericho did fall And Rahab saved was But should I tell Of Gideon Barak Sampson Samuel Jephta and David of the Prophets all Whom faith to do or suffer forth did call Whose faith wrought righteousness Kingdoms subdu'd Obtained promises and stop'd the rude And savage Lyons mouths and quencht fierce fire Escap'd the sword made weakness to aspire To be most strong wax'd valiant in fight And turned Aliens Armies all to flight How women have their dead reviv'd receiv'd And others tortur'd would not be reliev'd With the unnumbred wonders faith hath wrought Unparallel'd and passing humane thought Time would me fail for no tongue can express Faith's famous miracles were they much less Whose all-subduing pow'r none can resist She makes th' Almighty God do what she list For if faith as a grain of mustard-seed Can Mountains move as in truth's word we read None can imagine any thing is hard To a firm faith from sinful doubt debarr'd Faith is the clew that in earths pilgrimage Convey's the Lord's elected heritage Through the world's labyrinth and brings them home Unto the King of glorie 's presence-room She is the souls perspective glass whereby She spies what friends or foes in kenning lye If Pyrates cross us or we victual want Faith 's both our ammunition and provant She is the winde that drives the needle card And Pilot that directs she is our guard Nay she 's our Sun by day our Moon by night Our Star that brings us to our Saviours sight Next whom she 's all in all to those that sail For Bliss-port and without her all must sail Epigram on Faith MY soul thou' rt bliss-ward bound make faith thy friend Eternal bliss is at her fingers end He that the same bestows is in her eye who 'll cease to be as soon as her deny Stupendious wonder God should stoop so low As to be creature-rul'd yet I will show True reason for 't and briefly that is this It is his will whose will true reason is Hope FIrm Anchor of our souls that moar'st them fast Unto the sacred Rock when thou art cast On what side ere thou fall'st thou hold fast tak'st And in that adamant impression mak'st When our weak faith's Sun-beams eclipsed are We sail by thee alone our only Star In those dark obfuscations which sometimes Becloud the best at sight of their high crimes Which interpose a foggie mist between Our faith 's dim'd eyes and Christ and like a screen Repel the light and heat that should proceed From his bright Rayes unto our souls in need Then thou our Pilot ready art at hand When we are toss'd in deeps to drive to land Thou art the Master's Mate though faith be chief And in her absent actings yeeld'st relief When she 's asleep or else unactive grown And we upon the quick-sands well-nigh thrown Thou bring'st assistance with thy gentle gale That we a while may with a by-wind sail Till faith do re-enliven and recover Until her soporif'rous fit be over When she awakes and wash'th her spethom'd eyes In Penitences laver thou dost rise And succour her enfeebled arm and hand Depriv'd of their late holdfast thou dost stand And her support who if thou wert not nigh Would languish in those fainting fits and die VVhen Faith is mir'd in pudly sink of sin And tired quite thou wad'st through thick and thin To draw her out rub'st her benummed limbs Till by regain'd agility she climbs And tow'rs aloft and tramples down her foes And conquers all the pow'rs that her oppose In sad desertions when the wounded soul Studie's by art to make her fair parts foul Hope gently wipes her spots and rins'th her eyes That she may clearer view the mysteries Of love Divine and not despair to cry For mercy which she else would do and die Hope in our souls a kind of being gains Ere saving Faith can act and this restrains New Faith from failing whence she term'd may be Her elder grace without absurdity And though Plerophory which some attain Seem hope needless to make when that they gain She 's needful still and fades not till fruition Of what is hoped then shall blessed vision Withal determine faith when she shall see What she believ'd and thence both useless be When doubts and fears which here them both annoy'd â—hall be discuss'd and quell'd by bliss enjoy'd â—in's sting envenom'd quite extracted be And death be swallow'd up in victory Then necessary uselesness attends Them both when they have both attain'd their ends â—aith Hope and Charity may well be call'd â— Christian 's tria Omnia and install'd â—he Princesses of other gifts and graces â—nd in Christ's Church rightly supply the places â—o Sulphur Salt and Mercury alotted â—… nature's schools by those whom Art besotted â—he three chief corner-stones in Sion's wall â—emove but these and you will ruine all â—ea rob a man of hope faith soon will die â—nd so will everlasting Charity â— hope surcease soon by degrees expire â—…r hope of all the three keep in the fire â—…e gains them life and heat and them inflames â—ith Zeal Divine the surging waves she tames â—hich in the storms of passions or affections â—f Spir'tual or temporal afflictions â—nd perturbations them would overwhelm â—…d she not steer their course and sit at Helm â— sacred hope steer on our course aright â—…rough this dark vale of tears in darkest night â—hilst faith is hood-winkt Charity inchill'd â—… other graces dead thou only skill'd â—… give sight heat and life unto them all â—…lp hope at need dear God or else we fall Who dying we shall live thy face to see And to enjoy and be enjoy'd by thee Epigram on Hope WEak faith's chief crutch deserted soul's sole prop Charities
1. LIfe thou dost flatter and betray My heedless soul to sin to day On thee presuming And hopes assuming Of penitence hereafter And so thou lead'st me sheep-like to the slaughter 2. Thou in thy warfare careless art Though Death hath got Letters of Mart Soon to surprize thee VVhere-e'er he spies thee A foe that will not trifle But surely speed and will thee shortly rifle 3. Why shouldst thou faithless to me be 'T is to thy self as well as me Cease then to flatter And thy baits scatter To hook my foolish fancie For thy allurements work like necromancie 4. 'T is a black Art and dark thou hast VVho danger vail'st till time is past Of it preventing And mak'st repenting Late unavailing to us And by thy Syren's songs dost quite undo us 5. VVe silly mortals quite mistake VVhen thee for our chief friend we take Death is more friendly And deals more kindly VVho summons us to heaven VVhen thou would'st keep us here of joy bereven 6. Nature on thee doth too much dote VVhose humour 't is to love by rote VVhil'st reason 's blinded And sense most minded Our souls by thee are lulled Secure asleep and of salvation gulled To DEATH 1. DEath how do sinners thee abuse VVho thee most grim to pourtray use They quite mistake thee VVho uglie make thee Thou to the good art comely Though worldlings deem thy presence course and homely 2. Thou art out Moses who dost show Our way from Egypt here below To Can'an's glory Thou dost us hurry From this worlds dayly sorrows To joyes eternal where to day wants morrows 3. It is thy father makes thee grim Thou lovely art wert not for him He dwells within us And he doth win us To hate thee without thy desert Thy Father's sin and thou his wages art 4. A father strange that hates his child And wages too you 'ld deem him wild As we count wildness For death's sweet mildness Is shown still to the holly Sin 's their chief foe and counts their goodness folly 5. Death is God's Hâ—… who calls away His servants to receive their pay But to his debtors And their abertors His under-Sheriff cruel Who them imprisons where flameâ— ne'er wantâ— fuel 6. Death lays our bodies here asleep Whilst festivals our souls shall keep 'Till our exciting And re-uniting In joys passing all beneath Ah fit me Lord for thee and welcome death The Resurrection DRead Lord what harmony my soul doth find In all the wondrous works by thee design'd Or consummate past present or to come Oh! how disorder bringeth order home This days confusion sure will far surpass The Chaos that at the Creation was And this days order will the perfect'st be That men or Angels ever yet did see The sad confusion of thy Goat herds train Exceeds all thoughts conceiv'd by mortals brain And the sweet order of thy shepherds sheep Will Angels strike with admiration deep What hurly-burly here shall we descry ' Mongst Nimrod's fell Tyrannick progeny How loath this day will their proud ashes be To re-unite when they thy Son shall see Whose members they have persecuted here In cloud-clad glory come what rueful cheer What horrour and amazement will confound Their loathsome souls when that last trump shall sound And they be summon'd forthwith to appear Before that Judge whom they condemned here Pilate will wish his heart had washed been When he his hands did wash but for a screen To cover horrid murther Wilful Jews That roar'd out Crucifie him at this news Struck with astonishment will surely wish They had been all born dumb or mute as fish But empty wishes nought avayl them here For will they nill they all men must appear At this last great Assize and render in Compleat account of what hath acted been By them here in the flesh and not alone Of act 's but of their words and thoughts each one According whereunto they shall their doom Receive for all that endless time to come Save those for whom the Lamb was born and dy'd Who shall by faith not by deserts be try'd And bathed in his blood shall shine more bright Then Phaebus doth when he gives purest light These shall have all the tears wip'd off their eyes And be enthroned with the deities With great Tri-une Jehovah they shall be The Bridegroom's Bride to all eternitie And raign with him in bliss for evermore Who them redeemed hath and pay'd their score Lord these do groan for this great day and cry Come come Lord Jesus Oh come quickly hy To set us free from sin and from all those That persecute us thine and our fierce foes When shall we be avenged when wilt thou Ascend the throne and make all mortals bow Before thy foot-stool when again restore All pow'r unto thy self for evermore Lord re-assume it for it is thy due Thou hast it lent a while to men 't is true But they bad stewards prove and miss-employ Thy talents and deserve not to enjoy Thy slighted favour Lord call in again That pow'r and let the Lamb for ever raign Then shall the Church triumphant sing his song With Hallelujah's from the Angel-throng For he alone is worthy to ascend The throne eternal whose rule shall not end Whose Kingdom and dominion ne'er shall â—…se Who is the Prince of everlasting peace Who from beginning was ordain'd to die That he his chosen flock might glorifie To whom all glory be ascrib'd and then Shall Saints and Angels cry Amen amen The Epigram JUdas prepare thy bag thy day is come When for thy pains thou shalt be payd full home But Oh! thy mind is chang'd thou would'st Essoyn Thy self this court rather then take this Coin Though take it needs thou must and when thou hast it 'T will last for ever for time cannot waste it Yet thou wilt finde thy state had been more thriving Had'st thou refus'd those thirty pieces living This is a maxime though of my own making Men grow not always truly rich by taking Misers whom love of coin on earth o'er-sway'd Shall this day in their own coin be repay'd For Sion's Lamb when he ascends the throne Will prove himself a debtor unto none But will requite both good and ill that 's done By all man's off-spring since the world begun A Soliloquie on the Resurrection CHeer up my soul exalt thy head on high For thy long-look'd Redemption draweth nigh Lo thy sweet Saviour comes in glory bright This day to put an end to day and night Whence times alternate course away shall fly Issuing forth into eternity One everlasting day whose splendor clear Will need no Sun to give us light and chear Our Sun shall be the Sun of Righteousness Which never sets whose light no cloud makes less In his coruscant glory He shall shine Into thine eyes my soul with light divine And yet not dazzle them to hurt thereby They 'l dazled be with sweet satiety With joy and admiration to behold Israels shepherd with his flock and
redeem what was his own Unforfeited It now his right is grown By purchase too Lord keep what now thou hast For we shall lose it if thou hold not fast A fairer purchase ne'er was bought or sold Nor fickler for the Purchaser to hold Were not thy Mercy great and stupifying 'T was ne'er worth making much less worth thy buying Infancy EPitome of man why such sad chear As cries and tears at thy first entrance here Sure thou confut'st philosophers of old Who tales of spheres harmonious musick told Such a celestial quire must by and by Ravish thy soul with charming melody But thou art deaf to them they mute to thee 'Twixt deaf and dumb new-met what sympathy Alass but small But thou thus dost not cry Their errour to confute or to descry Thou 'st cause enough besides thy pain in birth And birth to future pain whilst here on earth Thou com'st from whence thou hadst content before And whilst thou' rt here shalt never have it more Can thy diminutive heart chuse but mourn To restless pains and crosses to be borne Alas what hath this empty world that 's rare To please thee with a teat a bib fine ware A rattle whistle toys with crying after These rarities may justly challenge laughter Though not worth joying in nor yet injoying But that thy crying fits are husht with toying Yet this I 'll say for thee who in no wise Canst for thy little self apologize Men riper year'd pursue as eagerly More noxious bables and sing lullaby To their deluded souls in those enjoying Which mostly are their selves and souls destroying Bacchus wins men with bibbs Cupid with teats Whilst Mars with whistles calls to famous feats But all-commanding Mammon rattles makes With cursed coyn-baggs cheating metal-cakes Worse then At'lanta's apples in the way To Heav'n they force us both to stay and stray Oh then let 's cease to laugh at thy weak wits And learn to mourn for our own frantick fits Far better we delighted in thy toys Then by our own to lose eternal joys But ah thy innocence in act could wee In that perfection equalize but thee We happy were Such must we be for none But some way such shall Heav'n attain alone Lord make us such for only thou canst tame Our headstrong natures and make us disclaim Proud self who flown aloft doth meteorize And with false flashes dazles faith's weak eyes Extinguish Lord this fatal Comet in us Infantize thou our high-swoln hearts and win us To humble meckness by thy peerless skill Make us stout men yet little children still That with humility and innocence ' Gainst all assailants we may make defence And strive to victory Oh thou most high List us for soldiers of thy infantry The Epigram WEakest of creatures what come naked forth Into the world's vast wilderness it's worth Thy cries and tears yea cares and fears beside What may thee in this solitude betide Yet ne'er despair take for thy comfort this 'T is the most beaten road to future bliss Husband thy teares treasure them up in store To mourn for sin thy joy shall be the more Foes thou hast great and many but a friend That 's gone this way unto the journey's end Hath weak'ned them yea will them all subdue Only believe in him he 's yet in view In eye of faith keep still thy innocence Be still a child in giving no offence Keep thy friend's foot-steps home to Heaven door For 't is Heav'ns-God's-son that is gone before Puerility INfancy was illiterate and past In wordless craving to be pleas'd in hast The A. B. C of man next treads the stage It foots the world's great ball which riper age Doth head and hearts so much that oft' it strains Her heart-stings to a crack oft' breaks her brains Childhood's a pretty fiddle but the rod Doth spoil it's case and makes it's musick odd And harsh which else would mostly pleasant be Though much more out of tune the Birchen tree Terrifies more in schools then English oaks ' Erst did their foes at Sea with thunder strokes Whence some of this small tribe will dare aver Nero not half so bad 's a school-master See see our way-ward nature native hate To means whose ends might us felicitate We willingly will precious time advance To loss of knowledge gain of ignorance A barter that breaks all the Merchants trust Yet satisfies none but the Devil and lust His foes not creditors Hark wanton hark Walk in the day for danger 's in the dark Knowledge no burthen is save unto those Whom ignorance marks out for wisdom's foes Learn but what 's good and what is evil shun Play on as long 's thou wilt the game is won Surely thy life 's a puppet-play wherein â—hy acted parts allude to future sin â—hy pot-guns may to Cannons grow thy cash Of rounded slats breed love of that base trash That so inchants earth's pilgrims that they sell Their lives their souls for coyn to purchase Hell Thy plays in which thou pris'ners tak'st descry The course of wars where some pursue some fly Thy hood-winck't sports give ignorance her due â—n emblem fabulous whose moral 's true These thy now counterfeits in future times Become thy real actions and thy crimes Lord what a gallimaufry of deceit â—s man's frail life who first doth counterfeit Next rea-lize those vanities which tend At last to falshood and an endless end End end these wanton toys play not the sot To make a trade of that which profits not â—eason thy new-made clome with sipid liquor These us'd as recreations may make quicker Thy parts of soul and body for that trade In whose sole profit thou art marr'd or made Oh! 't is of high concernment weigh thy time And weigh it to the grains it 's rare pastime Full fraught with true content rich gain to boot And now 's thy time yea now 's high time to do 't Each minute this way spent will win thee store Of wealth and bliss when time shall be no more Think in thy play each step of thine steps on One step towards thy grave which steps-time gone Thou never canst recal to re-imploy More profitably for thy future joy When thou dost learn thy book each letter think Sin 's embleme as the paper 's stain'd with ink Sin staines thy self each sin 's a letter foul A capital character for thy soul Wherein to read its doom if penitence Rinse not away with blood guilt and offence Learn'st thou to write Ah! then thou act'st to life Thy own life's acts to sins-blurs far more rife And prone then fairest paper is to take The blurs that thy miss-guided pen doth make And learn from hence occasions to avoyd Whereby thy soul with sin might be annoy'd These uses make of thy occurrent playes And of thy labours too that so thy wayes By both may better'd be Though this seem hard It 's worth thy pains and will return reward Reward that will requite thy vigilance Ten thousand-fold
any more Yet sow good seed and plow thy furrows deep And thou shalt reap rich harvest in thy sleep Dotage AH what a sight is here a man turn'd child Nay infinitely worse with sin defil'd Yet knows it not See proud rebellious Chit Who vaunt'st of youth strength beauty wisdom wit Health and accursed Policie weigh well This rue-ful spectacle which might excel Thee in them all in time but now bereft Of all by his own natures trait'rous theft Thou the same nature hast of the same mold And may'st be such perhaps ere half so old Oh pride thee not in these indowments so Thou seest their frailty how they come and go This less then man worse then child once thoughâ— He never should have to this pass been brought Nor can believe he 's so which much augments His sad condition utterly prevents His Reformation makes him doat along In Hell's wide rode with a presumption strong That he 's in Heavens path and knows the way As well's the best and scorns to go astray When he no more that way doth know or minde Then new-born Infants know or plod to finde The North-west passage to the Indies hence Howe'er if you 'l him teach he takes offence Ah wayward froward and untoward man To God and all that 's good A Negro can Lâ—ave his black skin unto a snow-white hue Much sooner then man can himself renew It 's far more easie to make Earth change place Then change corrupted Nature into Grace 'T is madness to a truce to seek to win them The quintessence of Opposition's in them Cease therefore self-deluding-man to try To compass an impossibility Rouze up thy soul his pow'rful help to crave Who is Almighty and alone can save Who only can such change as this effect And all the fraud of thy false Heart detect Whose Will perverse is greatest foe to grace Cashier old Will and give new Will the place This poor anatomy of man doth still Retain in height of strength its wonted will Though totally of other strength depriv'd And would retain that if it were three-liv'd Oh saddest sight Let 's view it once again It 's a meer Magazine of grief and pain Mortalitie's Memorial here is limm'd Full to the life and with Death's shadows trimm'd The snuff of man half in half out if blown It seems the quicker Is but quicker gone Once it was man now a meer living creature Not prefect man nor beast of humane feature You 'll think I doat to doatage thus to speak Lest it miss-apprehend me for it 's weak Yet wilful too of reason quite bereft Almost of sence it hath no sences left Save pains-sense unimpair'd few active now Unless you lingua and non-sence allow For senses too as some loose wits would have them In women for their labour e'en beknave them Yet I to doaters on my harp may strike A note as well's to infants much alike But I 'll speak faire Father youâ—… run the ring Of nature like a man or some such thing A child you crawl'd from earth your mother's womb Now are a child crawling to earth your tomb You 're going whence you came are what you were Except that innocence which did appear First in your soul which sin deleted hath And made you the old man a child of wrath 'T were better far you had continu'd still Such innocent yet I can teach you skill How you more innocency may recover If you 'll re-act your childs paâ—… rightly over Weep heartily and cry for your sins past Neglect of duties want of true fore-cast In your unlawful actions and desire The Gospels milk sincere blow in the fire Of that small spark of grace that God affords Your half-extinguisht soul and blaze records Of your true zeal though weak hugg the sweet breasts Of divine consolation make attests Of good desires by lifting up your eyes And hands to him that gave them let your cries Be for the bread of life cast off the toys Of this deluding world slight her false joys Allot to alms the treasures earth affords Chaunt out your tuneless songs your phraseless words To his great glory who such love hath shown To your poor soul when you deserved none Play with the babes of grace and take delight In little children such in God's pure sight If any beat thee to thy father cry Thy moan to him brings certain remedy Hang fast upon thy elder brothers neck Kiss kiss the Lamb his Bride with garlands deck Such plays content the soul whereas your joys Unsatisfying are yea sinful toys Look on the se-ven candlestick's bright lights Insite in purest gold joy in such sights Reject world's worthless trifles catch the crown To thee held forth and so in peace lye down In earth's great cradle hush'd in silence shy Where earthquakes rock and windes sing lullaby 'Till thy exciting by those trumpets blasts who 'll summon dead to life that ever lasts In Resurrections morn whose joys transcend Immensly voyd of measure as of end The Epigram BRave man what doating now who would have thought Thou to this market wouldst thy hoggs bave brought Love is youth's doatage make thy doatage love Then doat on spare not on the things above They 're worth thy doating on and thou shalt see Thy doatage seeds spring to eternity Death GReat King of terrours Sythe-man of the earth Whose harvest rounds the year thou ne'er hadst dearth Since the world first was peopled nor shalt have Till it unpeopled be the silent grave Is thy head-quarters where all mankind keep Their gen'ral Rendevouz lull'd fast asleep In equal darkness yet in quiet rest There 's no distinction of the worst from best Great small friends foes all undisturbed ly Of Sympathy void and Antipathy Lay Calvin with Calvus a popish Priest Their arguments a child may here untwist Put Alexander into Codrus toomb He 'll never justle for more elbow-room Cesar's with Pompey's dust will co-unite As well as Jonathan's with David's might Death is the truest Leveller that smoothes The lofti'st turrets with the lowest boothes No controversies in her court arise No titles question'd there in any wise The plaintiff and defendant there may ly In peace together with their Lawyers by Each on both sides as here perhaps they were Much to their prejudice but not so there The taxing souldier and the taxed clown Shall be joynt-tenants when they here ly down In sweet ungrumbling silence land-lords great And tenants poor shall have a like estate In this demesnes the Emperour and groom Partake without precedency this room No fears or jealousies disturb their rests No Herauld needs to place this princes ghests 'T is a Decree in this great Court alone TAKE PLACES AS YOU COME or else have none Yet no distaste is taken if it hap A beggar placed be in Caesar's lap Death strikes with equal stroak lays equal rates All Adam's progeny with her are mates More perfect order never yet hath been In any Monarch's Court that Earth
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
wormwood made me drunk verse 16 VVith gravel stones my teeth he broke and sunk verse 17 Me under ashes And far off from peace My soul thou hast remov'd In me doth cease verse 18 Prosperitie's remembrance And I said My strength and hope is from the Lord decai'd verse 19 Recording mine affliction misery verse 20 The wormwood and the gall my soul still shy In their remembrance humbled is in me verse 21 This I re-call to minde and thence hope see verse 22 'T is the Lords mercy we are not o'erborn verse 23 ' Cause his compassions fail not Ev'ry morn They are renew'd great is thy faithfulness verse 24 My soul doth say the Lord my portion is verse 25 Therefore I 'll hope in him The Lord is good To them that wait for him to souls that woo'd verse 26 His face It 's good for man to hope and wait verse 27 The Lords salvation quietly though strait verse 28 The youth-born yoke is good which having born verse 29 He sits in silence still And doth adorn His mouth with dust if so there hope may be verse 30 He gives his cheek to smiters fill'd is he verse 31 Full with reproach for God will not for ay verse 32 Cast off And though he causeth grief to day He will compassion have according to verse 33 His mercies multitude God doth not do That willingly that may afflict or grieve verse 34 The sons of men to crush and not reprieve verse 35 Earth's pris'ners under feet to turn awry The right of man before his face most high verse 36 The Lord approves not to subvert man's cause verse 37 Who 's he that saith and it doth come to pass verse 38 When God commands it not Both good and ill Proceed they not out of the Lords mouth still verse 39 Wherefore doth man complain man for his sins verse 40 Just punishment Let 's search and try what 's in 's verse 41 And to the Lord rerurn to God in heaven verse 42 Let 's lift our hearts and hands for we have even Transgrest rebell'd and pardon thou gav'st none verse 43 With anger thou hast covered alone And persecuted us thou hast us slain verse 44 And hast not pitied Thou dost detain Thee in a cloud that our prayers should not pass verse 45 Thou hast us made as the off-scowring as verse 46 Refuse in peoples mid'st And all our foes verse 47 Open'd their mouths against us fear snare woes Destruction desolation on us lie verse 48 Rivers of tears do run down from mine eye For the destruction that is come upon verse 49 My peoples daughter Mine eye trickleth down And ceaseth not without all intermission verse 50 Till God look down from heav'n on her condition verse 51 And it behold Mine eye affects my heart Because of all my cities daughter's smart verse 52 Mine enemies me chased very sore Ev'n like a bird without a cause wherefore verse 53 They have cut off my life in dungeon throw'd verse 54 A stone upon me And the waters flow'd Over my head I am cut off said I verse 55 And in low dungeon on thy Name did cry verse 56 O Lord thou hast me heard hide not thine ear verse 57 At my sad cry and breathing Thou drew'st near I' th' day that I did call on thee and said'st verse 58 Fear not O Lord thou my souls causes plead'st verse 59 Thou hast redeem'd my life Thou see'st my wrong verse 60 Judge thou my cause Thou hast seen all along verse 61 Their vengeance and their thoughts against me Thou Hast their reproaches heard O Lord and how verse 62 Against me they imagine lips of those And their device that up against me rose verse 63 All day Behold their sitting and their rising verse 64 I am their musick Lord for their devising Render them recompence according to verse 65 Their handy-work Give them heart-sorrow wo verse 66 Thy curse unto them Persecute destroy In wrath them from beneath thy throne of joy CHAP. IIII. verse 1 HOw is the gold come dim the fine gold chang'd In each streets top the Temples stones estrang'd verse 2 Are poured out How Zions pretious sâ—…nes To fine gold comparable are at once Esteem'd as earthen pitcher potters creature verse 3 Ev'n dragons draw the brest and give by nature Suck to their young my people's daughter is Cruel become like to the ostriches verse 4 In wilderness For thirst the suckling's tongue Cleaves fast to his mouth 's roof the children young verse 5 Ask bread and no man breaks to them They that Fed delicately are now desolate I' th' streets the scarlet brood dunghils embrace verse 6 My peoples daughters punishment takes place Of Sodom's sin's high punishment o'erthrown In moment when on her stay'd no hand known verse 7 Her Nazarites purer then snow more white Then whitest milk in body ruddy bright More then the rubies were their polish'd hew verse 8 Was saphire and their visage now we view Blacker then coal in streets they are not known Their wither'd skin cleaves fast unto the bone verse 9 It 's stick-like ' come They whom the sword hath slain Are better then whom hunger rid of pain For these pine thorow-struck for field-fruits want verse 10 Pittiful womens hands have in the scant Sodden their children they their meat were after In the destruction of my peoples daughter verse 11 The Lord his fury hath accomplished He hath pour'd out his anger fierce kindled A fire in Zion and it her foundations verse 12 Devoured hath Earth's Kings and all the Nations O' th' world would never have believ'd the foe And adversary enter should into verse 13 Jerusalems gates For her Prophet's crimes And for her Priests iniquities oft times That in the mid'st of her just mens blood shed verse 14 As blind men in the street they wandered With blood themselves polluted so that men verse 15 Could not their garments touch they cryed then Depart it is unclean touch not depart When they did flie and wander they with smart Among the heathen said They shall no more verse 16 There sojourn The Lords anger hath full soâ—e Divided them he 'll them no more respect The Persons of the Priests they quite neglect verse 17 They favour'd not the elders As for us Our eyes for our vain help yet failed thus In watching we have for a Nation watch'd verse 18 That could not save our steps they hunt catch'd That we can't walk the streets our end is neer Our days fulfilled are our end is here verse 19 Our cruel Persecutors are more swift Then Heavens Eagles they had us in drift Upon the mountains for us they laid wait verse 20 In wilderness In their pits by their bait Our nostrils breath the Lords anointed was Surpris'd of whom we often said alas Under his shade ' mongst heathens live shall we verse 21 Rejoyce O Edom's daughter and glad be Who dwel'st in Uz-land but the cup pass shall Thorow to thee and thou