Then never think it strange to see us grieve When he is gone who should our heart relieve Nor strange to see him forc'd for to retire But rather wonder that he should appear And through the latters lend a friendly blink When he perceives the fainting heart to shrink And rather think it strange that so remisse We prove in searching what the quarrel is Of such desertions as the heart do vex And with dejection do the sp'rit perplex I do confesse believing were the best In quietnesse and confidence to rest But saving faith to holinesse adheres And guarded is with many filiall fears And out of love is ever sorely moved When evidences are of love removed Though you conversant are and so inured In heav'nly matters and so well secured Can stand before the gates of hell and make Your progresse yet the weak may stumbling take For in this case much grace we take to be Hopefull sincere in heart humilitie And studying to make out a true disjunction From every motion can obstruct that unction Whereby we be conjoyn'd in that communion With our dear Lover in a sp'rituall union So as by grace grafted in him we grow Up by that influence that from him doth flow Untill we be into his image formed And most devotly to his will conformed But you appear so prudent that therefore We leave to be consider'd lesse and more These our essayes at your command pursued To be by you corrected and renewed And as ye do think meet in time and place Compos'd and right applyed to the case Samuel Helena Sam. MOst precious people saved and secured By force of felt and fervent love allured Your conferences free I have been hearing And do approve and for your better clearing Do certify that your most Princely Love These actings in his children doth approve We who be named gracious be it known No grace but what is giv'n have of our own And by that grace immediatly maintained Converted call'd as you and so sustained The diff'rence only doth consist in this The King his pleasure good was us to blesse â—ince from the womb we came to humane sight To sanctify us by his heav'nly light And separate we be for this effect To do and suffer as he does direct â—ot specially his elect Flock to feed And them unto the living Fountain lead You have been over-hearing what was said â—n reference to this distressed Maid You have been carefull hereby to conceive The myst'ry of her case I do perceive You have been searching out for second causes Which cautioned would be with certain clauses â—ut you are sober and are satisfi'd â—om solide grounds of reason certifi'd And this is right for never one as yet Of soundest and profoundest searching wit In natures secrets by the Physicks poring Or winged with the Metaphysicks soaring Exactly could the causes and effects Matter and form with all their due respects Produc'd by natures infinite variety On severall objects marvelous rariety Conceiv'd by science or by all their Art Ever demonstrate to the thousand part Our princ'ples are with much experience fraught So by our practice we are daily taught And new essays are set on work again More light by new discoveries to attain Our King the God of Nature only knows The nature matter form effects and cause Of all things for by Him they are and shall Bring forth his glory and our gladnesse all This Microcosme Man a world contains Of various parts his Maker all maintains And this great world in all its sev'rall acts Subservient unto mans up-making makes Bodies celestiall in their sev'rall Spheres And all that to the Firmament adheres In all their various courses contribute To our continuance comfortable fruit What herb fruit flow'r beast fowl or fish there is But bend their best concurrence to our blesse The weak the strong the bitter sowre and sweet The hot the cold in their degrees compleat In all their concords and their sympathies Discords divisions and antipathies Find mater for their master Man to make Him see they do his service undertake And who can doubt but man immortal might Have stood if not deprived of that light Deservedly which in his soul did shine And did all knowledge necessar confine His present being to preserve if he Preserved had his prime integrity They stand in force but we now fallen blind Judicially death and destruction find Amidst the means of life but yet our King Doth us to light and life from darkness bring So as that now we may most clearly see That ev'ry case we come through doth agree With our condition present presuppose We should much weaknesse under wrath disclose And as amongst the sons of men we find That many are in many things inclin'd Alike none of all Adam's race have been That in all things to sympathize were seen For as we diff'rent in our faces be So in our gifts is great diversity But as all Simples from the earth that grow Or from th' elementary Ocean flow By skilfull composition refin'd Wonders do work when they are well combin'd Ev'n so with men in all their sev'rall motions Deeds dispositions and their various notions There doth result by heavens high decree To our great King a heav'nly harmonie Let it our study deep be to devise The Author of these wonders how to prize How we are wonderfully made to be From nothing and maintained wonderously How wonderfully have we wandred far How wonderfully we reclaimed are Wonder upon that glorious Majesty That shines on all his works so wondrously Wonder upon his condescentions sweet Whereby these wonders with our weaknesse meet Him him who perfect is and infinite Simple eternall essentially compleat Surpassing wonder sacredly adore And in adoring humbly wonder more Wonder upon his wisdomes deep contriving By death to bring thy death-bound lifes relivieng That his eternall Son thy flesh assum'd To ransom thee that unto death was doom'd That he eternally did so delight T' obscure his glory to procure thy light That by th' eternal Sp'rit he us inspires With grace divine faith and devote desires To know believe himself his truth and love And thereinto most loyally to move These be the contemplations best that can Beseem and do become the love-bred man These thoughts sublime can elevate alone The heart soul-savory fruit to feast upon To seal an union and communion sweet In all transcendent love divine compleat With him in heav'n who hath mans nature plac'd And by his spirit us on earth so grac'd Let us suppose that all the worlds of men Stood up on life that ever lived then That every man a different world were Of all things that hath been shall be or are And variously these all were animated With all indowments that have been created These all were also into one compacted And all were in one quintessence extracted Those spirits pure most peircing sure should prove And yet be dazled at this depth of love In darkest clouds this love finds out a
delihgts most eminently move His countenance the Suns bright rayes obscures His love the adamantine heart allures His wisdom all His works in order dresses His might maintains His right and pride suppresses And I am bound His bountie to believe Which changes not but shall my sp'rit relieve In His good time on whom I do rely And studie shall my self how to deny Sam. Now art thou happy and my heart is glad To see thy faithfull heart from fainting fred Hold fast and follow hard with firm desires Faith quenches not but kindles sacred fires Hele. It doth become me well to wait I see But Oh again that He would smile on me How shall I find Him out and where I pray Sam. Hold straight believe me thou art in the way Deck up thy self approach He sees thee come And with His comforts shall thee overcome The Royal King a Princely Garden plants With curious flowres and thither daily haunts Feeding among the Lillies smelling Roses Nuts Spices and perfums composing Poses A sweet Loves feast for thee He doth prepare Down in the fruitfull flow'ry valleys there And from the valley shall convey thee thence Where thy try'd faith in that long long'd for sence Is swallowed up there where the marriage loves Exceeding all conceiv'd desires thou proves There where He shall thy faith bred soul imbrace Within the consolations of His face Wherein the splendor of that brightnesse poring And in the glory of that glore adoring Renewed rayes immortall life restoring Admiring magnifying and sweetly soaring High up amongst these holy heavenly hosts Of glorious and glorified ghosts With golden harps about the throne who sing New songs of their redemption to their King Hele. O but these sweet expressions relish well My frozen heart begins to melt I feel These words unto my wearied soul I think Like precious oyl so savingly do sink Slides down like my Beloveds wine so sweetly Wakens from sleep my tongue to speak compleatly O that once for Himself He would me seal What can be nam'd that may with love prevail Insist therefore For I do gladly hear And till the tongue be loos'd shall lend the ear Sam. The weakest means have force enough to move Affections when they be surpriz'd with love He cals and sees thee come from mountains steep Which Leopards and cruel Lyons keep Leaning on thy Beloved who doth love His truth and strength at length to see thee prove Observe with me this brief gradation now And I shall cease a space and hearken you For help to our capacity compare The outward splendor of this fabrick where By nature from the caverns of the womb Out of which dungeon to the world thou came Again compare the difference aright Betwixt this Paradice and that dark night Of nature which the other so transcends As over bodies lively sp'rits ascends And there the diff'rence vast again conceive Betwixt the life of sense we shall receive And this of faith wherein we forward thrust Untill we be refined in the dust When interruptions all shall be removed And we inlarg'd to love as we be loved In knowing and injoying him who is The Author of our everlasting blesse In this gradation we may something see But under what it is infinitley SONG I. Light out of Darknesse Hel. INfinitely most certainly for feeble we Conceive aright cannot these mysteries The spot upon our blotted eyes rejecting These rayes which yet with splendor bright reflecting Upon the then capacitated sp'rits Which warming beams affections invites But so transcendent that our present case Such super-excellency cannot imbrace For dazled with these glistring gleams What we receive seems be but dreams When we let slip by our secure neglectings The grip of faith glaming at these reflectings Spare therefore to compare our deepest apprehensions Do but impair his praise whose love 's above dimensions He is more fragrant when he 's most remote Then nearest dearest loves whereon we doat Conjecture then when he appears so near That thou may'st touch and taste and smell and hear Tell if thou can this other man And so we shall recall our long debate And treat of love for all For mine he is and I am his And who could wish so high a blesse As to be treas'ring up a stock of praise While we are hurling through these whirling dayes Sam. Now my dear friends it seems to me ye shrink And I may well conjecture what ye think I shew'd you first that you should surely see Matters to make you much a musing be Eliza. This sudden change makes me indeed admire And yet the reason must of thee enquire And that she may be prayed to proceed That on her fulnesse we may further feed Song I. continued Hel. God in his Saints ador'd admir'd My soul exalts this day desir'd Of his free grace he hath appointed Among this fellowship anointed With ghostly graces for my grieves So as my life a new revives Surpriz'd with sense of love so far That flaming my affections are And for the time can do no more But th' Author of this love adore And gladly would be set to sing The praises of my Spouse and King And to record his noble acts Who passeth by my fond mistakes And smiles upon my face again That I may faithfull hence remain Now all you sweetest saints that uses To haunt these shads you sacred Muses And Graces that with me did groan In my distracted mourning moan Earth rivers all below above Come sympathize in songs of love Of love above all parallell so far As stars above the earthly glob that are You Groves and Downs where erst I deadly lay I 'le rise and dance about your doors this day Eliza. Oh now for stirring spirits that could move Amongst the flames of this heart-forcing love Amongst the wonders of this world most strange What can compare with this sweet sudden change This day of gladnesse let us now agree To solemnize this glorious victory I reverence do the Providence Divine Which in this meeting doth so clearly shine But for to sing or say confused here I cannot speak or do but still admire Sam. Come I will take thee by the hand we 'll go With her alongst these Downs and Groves also Where she hath wandred in her weighty dayes And cease their sorrow with a song of praise Then South begin and blow upon our Myrtle trees And North proceed to show thy strength to eternize This glory in each airt a crosse the continent The whole Creation may with our Love-songs consent Now rocks begin to roar for ye's the Treble take And trees attend your lowre for ye's the Tenor make My self the Base shall be Muses be ye the Meen So we shall seriously sing Solace we have seen SONG II. Life out of Death Sam. SAy on say on solaced sweetly surely we have been Jea Play on play on sense-moving mater surely we have seen Rocks We's roar and cry Trees Our strength we's try Our roots lay by With startling
consum'd in which they 're pyn'd Then reason's corrupt faith's weak sense is gone Hope fails love still remaining's left alone Which surely though unsensibly unites The soul to Christ Christ to the soul invites Lo likewise here thou 'lt see the ground on which Some Christians are so toss'd some not so much With their procuring causes and occasions Grave warnings suting all such dispensations Lest when they be advanc'd they swell in pride And turn secure then sadly fall or slide With heartlesse frettings When they cannot have All things at all times their vain hearts do crave In all which things his words he fitly squares With sound experience its norm and dares With open face avow all here declar'd To have been clearly known found seen and heard Come therefore read and with all care peruse His words for love to thee did cause him chuse To publish them Thy good he did intend Next to Gods glory and if this great end Be reach'd he 's recompenc'd for all his pain Give praise to God thank him for thine 's the gains W. G. To my highly Honoured and very obliging FRIEND upon his rare and sutable Choise in the ensuing POEM MVch honoured Sir the stately peerlesse worth Of your high soaring spirit is held forth In slighting things terrene divine desiring With most undanted boldnesse high aspyring To know see yea injoy him whose perfections Cannot be reach'd by most inlarg'd conceptions Of most capacious sp'rits and deeply dyves In these hid â—hings which knowing souls in lives Your progresse since ingag'd in this abstruse Deep art being helped by the heavenly muse Appears in these well fram'd lines which contain A Christians present toyle but future gain O but your warnings wise and counsells be Wholsome convey'd with moving gravity Your skilfull well tun'd Songs shew that you 're taught In heavenly Poesie and fully fraught With free Urania's gifts your lofty strain Holds forth a heav'n sprung high Poetick vein Surely such soul-transporting Songs could not By any not transported be begot How hes your soul been fill'd with rapting joyes O how enlarg'd by the melodious noise Of these celestiall hosts and glorious throngs How elevated by their pleasant Songs When such sweet parallels were by your pen Convey'd of so great use to blind-born men Great Sir well done ye have not basely spent Your noble and broody spirit forc'd to vent It self on somewhat in devising vain Vtopian stories which Romanticks fain Who busk Chymerick notions which are not Else where but in the fanciers brain begot And with high-flown deckt words great things portend Which try'd into a noysome nothing end Your gravity would not permit you choise Such theams you fancy not a birthlesse noise Your subject's grave your drift's not transient pleasure But solide joy true peace these lasting treasures W. G. TO THE JUDICIOUS READER Upon the excellency and sutablenesse of the AUTHOR his Choise and Subject of the Turtle-dove in the ensuing POEM HO curious Sp'rits who love to spend your time In reading strange new things in Prose or Rime Come here a Creature rare describ'd you 'll see No Monster yet more strange then Monsters be She 's stil'd a Turtle-dove hereby's held forth Her Clement Nature Properties and Worth But if ye'll mark her with a searching eye Ye'll find her wonderfull made wondrously She is begot she 's born and yet O strange Created nay renew'd Ne're such a change Was heard of by Philosophers Yet more By that same act by which she 's made adore She is espous'd yea match'd Her Maker is Her Lover yea her Mate and she 's made his His milk's her food her Collactaneus Mother Sucks the same breasts their Nurse is al 's their Bâ— Yet both his members are He 's soul and head They Feasters He 's the Table and the Bread He 's Prophet Sacrifice Priest Judge and King They Judges Priests and Kings with him shall reign And though these seem to be moe when alone Yet Husband Mother Spouse Nurse makes but one WILLIAM GORDOUN The POEM with the accomplishmenes Epitomized BEauty and Valour many Volums prove To be the Object of most ardent Love And subject where the most profound confine Their deepest thoughts both morall and Divine The Streams of Truth unto the Fountain leads Where Vertue true from verity proceeds Unfading Beauty does in Vertue shine And Valour strong triumphs in Truth Divine Vertue Truth still victorious doth grace And Truth in Vertue Beauty fair imbrace What foes fair Vertue to deface contend Truth overturns and doth her cause defend From Truth what Rivall Vertue would allure Vertue disdains and does his death procure Fair Vertue does a constant Conflict keen From foes within and foes without sustain But by the Truth her Standart-bearer stands Against the malice of these mighty bands Most happy they and right Heroick sure Can faithfull hearts unto this fight procure But all these conflicts and these battels be Spirituall and discerned sp'ritually Yet carnall minds for substance shadows take But who for substance shadows does forsake True Valour Vertue Beauty Love come see The Subject of these Songs ensuing be Where shining in this Portraict shall appear The lineaments of a lively Christian clear Delineat from his birth and breeding glorious â—raught with the Trophees of triumphs victorious THE NICODEMIAN PARADOX EXPLAINED By a COMPARISON betwixt the Natural Generation of MAN and the Spirituall Regeneration of the NEW CREATURE CLOSING With the CHARACTERS of the OLD and NEW MAN THE PARADOX 1. Except a Man be born again he cannot see the Kingdome of GOD. 2. That before we can come to GOD we must know our selves captives and slaves to Satan 3. That before we enter the way to Heaven we must see our selves in the way to hell 4. That the most sad Crosse produceth the most sweet fruit of most kindly comfort 5. That the Believer keeps a daily Feast and also a daily Fast. 6. That there is no true contentment attainable in any thing present 7. That the Believer enjoyes joyes unspeakable in things unseen 8. That the poor that have nothing possesse all things and make many rich THese and the like of these are unto every man in the state of nature clear contradictions for no Creature is able to surpasse its own Sphere The Vegetative attains not unto Sense The Animal attains not unto Reason The Rational can as little apprehend the things of God which are only discernable by the Spirit of God The most able of men for judgment understanding or other parts naturall or by learning and industry acquired or extraordinarly given by revelation are but common gifts of the Spirit as proper to the Believer in grace so to the unbeliever in nature and by the man wholly in nature naturally received and naturally practised As also the very devils are known to have more light by the many advantages and occasions they have of knowledge both by experience and revelation then all the sons of men and although
quench the wrath of God the more I must to mourn again for sin begin So friend-like teaching me how to remeed My own undoing by thy treacherous deed And wouldst have me believe that by repenting I must redeem my self or lost remain And so ensnare me by thy wise inventing And wast my substance in this subtile train For better wouldst thou never seek of me Then in these fetters perishing to see As if my Lord who hath me freely loved Did not revive me when my life were spent As if again this Love I had not proved Which mov'd my heart sincerely to repent So as alone He hath done all for me That by His death I may victorious be Hereby again thou dost advantage take Carelesse to make and carnally secure Both sluggishly and senslesly to slack In duties whereto Love doth me allure As if His Love were not of force to guide Me through the straits wherein I may be tri'd And when my Lord better to let me see My self whereof I daily stand in need The influence of his grace restrains from me Then butcher-like thou follows me with speed And dost surmise that I do beat the air And notions print to presse me to despair And when thou canst not by thy wit prevail Because I do by faith thy darts resist Then lion-like thou dost in arms assail And by thy wicked instruments insist To persecute in body state and name Thereby to bring me unto publike shame Thus didst thou first begin with lying lewd And therein counterfeited as thou can And then thy flatt'ry did convert to feud Burning in malice to betray the man The Syrene first and then the serpent grim Now from thy lurking hole the Lions limb But now thy fury to thy face shall turn And vex thee in quotidian extasie Of endlesse woe for evermore to burn In pain when I am from thy spight set free For all thy trains shal both increase thy charge And for triumphs victorious us enlarge For certainly what thou hast done or can Yet ever do in time to come I know Shall do but heap hape on the hopefull man And in the end turn to thy overthrow For as he is in battell try'd the more Into his rest shall he enjoy of glore And this I do not glosse upon in pride For weaknesse with the weakest I confesse And when my Lord doth leave me to be try'd Then dwining do I ly in deep distresse But then ev'n then whole hell cannot bereave Me of this faith I know whom I believe Thus Satan old thou seest not how I soar Above thy sight upon the Eagles wing EMANUELS might protects me evermore And in thy spight shall me to safety bring So go for lo I leave thee here to ly And with thy mates eternally to die And now again as the naturall man being brought to the light and through the trials and travels incident to him in his infancy and under age unto the years of discretion and experience is to be exercised in serious and important affairs concerning himself his Country and concernment and thereby is to give proof of his gifts and endowments grounded upon justice temperance prudence and fortitude with all other subordinate requisites and yet meeting with so many difficulties in the progresse of his best intended and most approvable actions is subject to much haulting and deviation in many things turning to his reproach The New Man in like manner being come through these and many such assaults and come up to some growth in light and experience is to be exercised as a Professor of Christianity and to exercise himself therein both in his generall and particular calling being strengthened by the gifts and grace received both to do and endure as it shall please the Giver to give the calling And for this end that he be indued with these requests 1. So much knowledge of himself as may produce sincere self-denial 2. So much of GOD as may make up a sole dependency upon a Providence 3. Faith whereby to sacrifice his Isaac his dearest darling to the service of God upon a known call 4. A fixed confidence that if he should slay thee thou wilt trust in him 5. Love above comparison so far as God is above the creature 6. Zeal like Phineas impartiall in the execution of justice in the Cause of God and our Country 7. Submission in what he takes as in what he gives 8. Patience in resting quiet and confident in all he doth 9. Humility tending to the increase of grace thankfulnesse under the crosse as under comfort 10. Chearfulnesse so shall the joy of the LORD be thy strength These be the approven grounds whereby to walk with approbation but how short every man comes in the practice it is too well seen whether from the world when it flattereth or frowns affecting or repining And in the unregenerate part what a filthy fume flows daily out of that stinking pudle where the dregs and spawn of all the devilry of hell is engrossed and but in part purged or rather born down and kept under from out-breaking in palpable enormities And yet the Devil knows well what coal to blow at and how to quicken more damnable and deadly Vipers to suck out our spirituall life unseen or adverted unto as spirituall pride carnall security under the exercise of our best actions taking growth with our gifts whereby Gods Spirit is grieved desertion procured crosses afflictions and corrections inflicted for humbling reclaiming keeping under and in order the light and facile heart which would miscarry unto ruine if not prevented But for this misery of self-deceiving deceit and desperate wickednesse of the heart the many inventions it finds out being prompted thereunto by the old Serpent to undo it self and how far the remnants of this corruption may prevail even in the Regenerate it is better seen then guarded against by too many as much fearfull and bitter experience can witnesse But thus it becometh every one that knows so much as that God knows the heart to make search till they attain to know the plague of their own heart that they may be confounded in themselves not lifting up their face for shame seing God is pacified towards them for all that they have done because of the stability of His Covenant Ezek. 16.62 63. But naturally every man being so conceited of himself scarce any man will believe that such things as both Scripture and experience make clear to be in the heart of man can be in his heart but will be ready to say Am I a dog that I should be tempted to do such things Till under the triall we become taught by wofull proof the folly of our faithlesnesse in our defections And having been much toyled in pruning and suppressing these sproutings and superfluities of naughtinesse that are alwayes taking life in the body of death So Hydra-like that as one head is stricken off another more monstrous and menstruous springs up to be conflicted with
compleat a man But thou art carnall that objects And doth discover thy defects A little ponder understand Shall that All-wise All-working hand All-just All-good All-holy King Misse in that most intended thing His Eyes were on when He gave being To all things subject unto seeing Did He this spacious Globe erect And by their sourse the seas collect Becircled by the firmament Illustrious and so excellent With plenteous store to entertain Poor wretched men that lost have been No from eternity He knew All what was past what should ensue And in a Second Adam sweet Made man again with God to meet Who for the Elect Surety stood And them restor'd by His own Blood Their flesh assumed for that end And doth His Sp'rit unto them send Which Holy Sp'rit their sp'rit inspires With sp'rit-renewing sacred fires Quickning purging and perfuming Grace increasing vice consuming Eyes and heart and minds inlarging With His Image supercharging Such searching souls as do imbrace The splendor of his pleasing face Rapt and made apt with open eyes To dyve in these excellencies And in that sourse of sweet delight To feast upon his beauty bright Whereby he doth our souls decore And to his Image us restore On whom by faith firm fixed solely The whole affections are made holy And humble by a self-reflect Upon thy self for self neglect So modesty shines in the face And gravity that Christian grace That generous Spirit that doth â—acer Her self to serve her Saving Maker That Sapience that far far sees To compose content from contraries That chastitie that can contain Affections all in order clean That love that vertue doth allure And all licentious lusts can cure That liberall mind that lively spreads And frugally preserves the seeds That charity that chearfully Knows when how where to give supply That temperance that can subdue Proud passions as they do renew That courtesie that neatly can Carry the master like a man That clemencie that can declare The colours clear of vertue fair That patience that prudence leads That peace which pious Spirits feeds That fortitude that fairly founded With resolutions firmly grounded On truth with strong stability Expressed with alacrity Courage and circumspection so That never storm can overthrow That single heart sincere and sweet Where comfort and delight do meet That sp'rit of contemplation piercing And heavens holy myst'ries searching Longing thronging thirsting till The fruit of faith the Soul full fill Then God beholding the effects That by his beams on Saincts reflects And looking on that beauty rare Accounts and cals them sweet and fair For grace in vertue so doth shine That vertue doth become divine This is the vertue I avouch'd The vertue that I would have touch'd The vertue true that clarifies And qualifies the qualities That doth illustrate and ingrain And turns in substance shadows vain That giveth smell and taste unto All that we think or speak or do This vertue well accomplish can And compleat the Christian man Gain this vertue and thou shall Inherit Heav'n and Earth and all More solide solace sweet possesse Then heart can think or pen express Limb out her lineaments conceive Such riches where thou can receive Try her parts taste every place Such sweet thou can no where embrace Drink her in with all desire Untill she set thy heart on fire Her beams they will thy breast inflame Her streams will qualifie the same Choise of choises chief content Of all beneath the firmament Search her for she waits to see Who for her love will fervent be And if thou joine thou shalt enjoy That bliss which nothing can annoy For then thou shalt into his Image grow From whom this vertue fair doth freely flow The Portraict and Character oâ— the Old Man Under the name of Vice described COme you who wonders curious are to see Or monsters such as most detested be And you who can indeed discern aright This Brat begot in hell by heav'nly light Vice here behold stript naked to the skin Look on her outside see her well within Her port and gesture here how vile behold Vain proud implacable presumptuous bold Disorderly by satans order placed As basely in the heart they be embraced Each ruling in his sphere rounding the brain And heart with humors perverse and profane Where generositie should bud and flourish Debate deceit there doth she neatly nourish There where the truth sincerely should be stated Faithlesse hypocrisie is firmly seated Malice envy and horrid hatred there Where love should move is in her breast made bare Under the shew of chastity most clean Closs impudent incontinencie is seen Ambition avarice wrath and cruelty Watch as they may most serviceable be Within a cloud of Christian clemency And humane gentlenesse dissimulately She sets her subtil snares for to entyse The weak for she in wickednesse is wise Her sottish slaves who serve her she doth lead Their souls on sensual lusts to live and feed Or otherwise to pry how to surprize Their nearest dearest friends that they may rise To treasure state or store honour or ease As they may their beloved Idol please And for those ends do study to devise By all the means that be below the skies Without controle directly to content That humor in its fixed element Objection Can all that you have heretofore asserted Be held for truth Is poor man so deserted And by that dev'lish villany possest Which here you have so peremptory prest Is man who is the creature rational Below the brute so fallen by his fall You see most men do something civile live Vice misregard and unto vertue cleave It seems that he doth some true light retain Suppose it suffered hath a fearfull stain And if it were as you affirm then he Not only should below the brutish be But might be ranked in degree with devils The Author of these specified evils What find we more in that apostate sp'rit Finall impenitency to compleat Then you of man each man forlorn hath said Is it not for His wrack that he was made Answer Our Glorious King Eternall only Wise Almighty Mover moved by advice Of uncreated wisdome that he can No lesse have done then well in making man Man was made holy righteous and good But he did stumble when he should have stood Before the tryals of the tempter slie And slew himself and all his progeny By misbelieving Him by whom he lived Is left to live to him whom he believed And being left of God he is possest Of all the devilry that is here exprest Man unregenerate is below most sure The vildest bruit on earth and most impure What Lyon Tygre or destroying Boaâ— So fervent fierce or cruell to devour What can with that vild murtherer compare Who for to feast his idol will not spare His nearest friends brothers or native seed And will imbrew his hands in parricide And in his own hot blood for to fulfill His humor give the fatall stroak and kill What Crocodil what scorching Scorpion
Exalted ANNA a City-bred Christian Mercifull ELIZA a Country-bred Christian God save THOMA a Civilian Justiciary converted A Twin ANDREA a licentious Savage converted and become a zealous monitor Manly The Echo Isa 30.21 Â THE ARGUMENT A Noble Lady notice takes And many other worthies makes Acquainted with a Christian moved By absence of her best Beloved They to her present case advert And do speak kindly to her heart Questions they do propone explain Naturall sp'rituall for her gain But under absence of her Lover No comfort can her heart recover Yet they insist that she may see Of her mistakes the mystery They represent the happinesse Of her condition not the lesse Of present darknesse then debating The mater many questions stating Clearing discussing and revolving She is convinc'd at the resolving And then so mov'd at the discourse By comfort coming from the sourse She plainly doth her self expresse Whereby their endeavours increase So fervently in this pursuit That seasonably they reap the fruit O'rejoyed join Loves Songs solemnly sing To their compassionate Comforter and King THE DIALOGUE Jeana Samuel Helena Jea Much graced Sir who prudently doth spare This time for recreation and repair Whereby we may timous occasion take You with our cases to acquainted make Your doctrine sound sincere and sober living Full confirmations be of firm believing For such as present things so little prize Must have more permanent before their eyes And what can that man of this world make When it doth him and he doth it forsake Now what we have for to impart concerns Another World than this vain world discerns Sam. Most noble and religious Lady sure You are of what my service can procure There hes a world of Believers been Dispersed through this world and unseen â—ut hated so that whosoever profest â—incere believing them did this world detest For as the Head so must the Members be â—repar'd by sufferings ere they be set free But as our sufferings do abound so sure Our Captain comforts doth for us procure Which qualifies and swallows up the sore That by our troubles we triumph the more For in this transient march through worlds of woes Our heaven within-begun makes us rejoyce While all our furious Persecutors fell Their present pleasures but preceed their hell This I suppose you partly know therefore Propose your purpose we shall parley more Jea We know there 's nothing can preferred be Unto that peace and true tranquillitie Procured by our Prince of peace and grace To true Believers that do him imbrace And that albeit we be the only Butt At whom both devils and men their arrows shoot Maliciously to murther by their might Yet are we ever conquerours in fight And while the wicked make their cup to flow Of wrath our comforts in our crosses grow With pleasures present far above the pain Which doth but for some minuts short remain Much more that store which by believing is Confirm'd to them of everlasting blesse But we who for Professors do appear And make acquaintance with them most sincere Follow the means and meetings on the Mountain Flock to the Streams of the Life-giving Fountain Fed with that Milk and Honey Heav'n distills Which every fainting panting heart full fills Yet when again our King doth call us out And to some speciall charge we go about Then ere we be aware we are surpris'd By subtile slights against us that 's devis'd So as we cannot change so many places But trials more we meet of diverse cases And for an instance clear we do present An Israelite contrite in mourning spent Well known to be in duties diligent Grave humble gracious to devotion bent Chearfull and choysing for her greatest gain Others unto the Well of Life to train But now you see what sadnesse doth possesse Her soul and how her sighing doth increase And still the more by us she is exhorted She doth the more refuse to be comforted And often answers us Who can but grieve When he is gone that should my grief relieve And that her Life her Light and her Delight In deaths dark shads doth shut her out of sight Consuming daily under slavish fears Become benumb beneath untimely tears Sa. The seed of Grace is with such sweetnesse shed Into the soul where the new birth is bred And she delighted in these feelings sweet Cannot with patience pains of child-birth meet And till the New-man formed be again From fainting cannot make the heart refrain So as a pleasant life we have untill We come to act and there our cause we spill For when on duties we delight to dwell And are assisted we are apt to swell And when we find not accesse as we think Then under sadnesse we are like to sink But if in sense we were our selves denying And under absence on His grace relying And made our life witness our true believing And on believing ground our upright living We should attain unto some progresse then And so enjoy the lot of loved men For now Believers are by faith to act As if themselves most happy they could make And clearly yet to see themselves self-lost That of their actings they can nothing boast Like little children to the parent cleaving Possesse the Patent of this Royal giving And yet by force of faith through Bulwarks break And with all violence the Kingdom take For it s by grace through faith His gift that we Are safe preserved and victorious be Nor may we think our daily trials strange Nor that to divers crosses we do change Till this old man of flesh be fully slain He 's looking back to the flesh-pots again Made up he is of many naughty notions Imaginations and superfluous motions Must be by many strange restraints restrained Before he be from vice to vertue gained But the Believer only wonder can A self-lost blind-born brute a saved man Become and such to Satan slaves have been Adopted Sons to God and washed clean To see the poyson in our Nature spewed By Satan to be purged and subdued To see this viperous brood in us supprest And there a work of grace again encreast The mistery great of Godlinesse doth here God manifested in the flesh appear The work misterious of Gods Sp'rit divine In our Regeneration doth shine The work of faith whereby Believers feed And fruitfull grow by joining to their Head A mistery deep for as we do imploy Him in his faithfulnesse we do enjoy In every triall when we tempted be But often do mistake most fearfullie Whereby we do procure our own tormentings And call our faith in question and repentings This the Believer only knows and proves Discerns observes and his Preserver loves For the Believer is the subject where God doth his glorious wonders most declare The portraict vile of the old man defacing And the new man with his own Image gracing There be for the Believer wonders wrought Above the apprehensions of our thought Wonders in the Believer daily move Rounded in the
may more clear this Divine science see And with the whole affections of our heart To learn the Heavenly Methods of this Art I know the heart contrite and broken spâ—rit Is for our King a Receptacle meet I know with timous comforts he doth turn Unto the pure in sp'rit who for him mourn I know the thirsting soul and hungry heart In His sweet face have fulness for their part I know that pleasures in eternitie Attend their souls that fleshly follies flee I know the penny-earn'st of Peace and Bless Received by the meek and lowly is And wisely witnessed here may we see The might of truth and height of mercy free The strength of Faith shining through filial fear The wing of Love weak ones to hide and bear Hele. I wonder much that you so wise and grave Such groundlesse expectations can conceive For shew'd you are so far of this my case That I presumed should have made you cease But presuppone that these your strange conceits Were true of me which unto me relates But nothing unto me I think belong Yet were it fearfully free Love to wrong And should bewray ingratitude so far As justly might me from his grace debar For sure I am I had not been cashiered If to offend my King my heart had feared But gading I so far astray have stept And in confusions such my self have wrapt That now mine eyes are dimm'd my tongue bedumb'd Mine ears are deafned and my heart benumb'd That what I hear I do not apprehend But sure I see my well you do intend Jea Yet with permission and submission now My friend let me obtain this sute of you This is a day of grace and it may prove If you improve it well a time of love Unto this timous counsell grave advert Gainstand these griefs that do disturb thy heart Think on what light life liberty and peace Thou lately tasted hes by special grace The earnest of these Treasures rich procured For thee and by the Lover sweet secured But under cloud eclipsed thou must be By proof to find thine own infirmitie In Patience Faith Dependency Submission Importunately presse thou hes commission Then look and long and to this promise cleave And when thou art rebuked yet believe He. Madam your counsell gracious grave and good Does all desir'd felicities include But I have forfault all these offers fair And of these Blessings now am stripped bare And when I hear of former happinesse Grief horrour and despair the more increase Once was I light and now in darknesse ly Once was I life now in deaths jawes I dye Once had I freedome now in bondage bound Once had I peace now in vexation stound You speak of pleasures in a word anew But dolefully may I bid them adiew For I an earn'st of wrath endure I think Might all the sinfull sons of Adam sink The evil spirit when he does depart Returning enters in the empty heart And every devil of whatsoever deceit May in this soul receive a several seat And I will tell you more Jea No more Refrain There is too much of this untimely strain O fearfull but it be for to let slip Of Sacred Truths by Faith the saving grip And O! how bitter are the agonies Of absence in soul-searching secrecies O horrour terrour dread what dreadfull height Is absence totall in eternal night When timely tastes do so the godly tare Where shall the godlesse go beneath despair But I forbear Sir speak to her so plain That she may be brought to her self again Sam. This darknesse does th'approach of day presage And us the more unto the means ingage Thou harden dost thy self in thy mistakes And of our tendernesse advantage makes Thou dost expose thy self a present prey Syrene deceits of Sathan to obey Misled with carnal wit by quaint convoyance So subtilly to worke thy souls annoyance Wilt thou prescribe his coming or confine His counsels to these finit thoughts of thine Dare thou his faithfulnesse draw in debate Because he doth not on thy humours wait Doth he his influence dispense for hyre Dar'st thou a reason of his rules require But these demands in time and place recall Examine and answers receive we shall And now in patience yet we shall persist And with convincing arguments insist Think on when we from darknesse unto light Translated were and did receive our right Unto His Royal Court and House of Wine Where loves bright banner over thee did shine Then didst thou see in darknesse thou hadst been Clos'd Embrion-like into the womb unseen Untill thy Lover Mover in this place The fruits of His free love made thee imbrace Then didst thou clearly see that gracious He Indur'd to be obscur'd for gracelesse thee And that He might thy glorious dayes begin Assum'd thy flesh and suffered for thy sin Purg'd and perfumed thee His Bride to be And did present himself Bridegroom to thee Thy King thy Captain and thy Husband now And to engadge thee more him to avow His Princely Robes thou saw him lay aside Enter the lists and in his armour bide Till all thy foes he had defyed in fight And from their malice fred thee by his might And led thee here among these sweet contents Where only children of the King frequents But that thou may'st convinced be the more I shall this Countrie set thy face before For as it seems thou dost so sullen ly Thou art surprysed with a lethargie Or for a proof art left a little space To try what love thy Lover can displace Thou knowst the Citty of our Royall King Where He to breed and woo his Bride doth bring What glorie and excellencie alone Believers shining see about the Throne Thou seest Him righteous Judgements dayly read Give doome unto thy foes thy causes plead When from His Ivorie pallaces he comes Thee to imbrace the smell of His perfumes Affect the Virgin-bowels for to move Frames and inflames the quickned heart to love For certainly unto Beleevers true That be renew'd all things becometh new And in this World of wicked workers we A World enjoy of sweet felicitie Consisting in a Righteousnesse procured For us with sp'ritual joy and peace secured And this new heav'n and earth and citty fair Whether the Elect chosen called are Above comparison you know excells The rarest fairest richest parallels The River that out-through the Citty slides For every severall Cittizen divides Unto refreshment and the fruitfull tree That renders various fruits abundantly For every season unto all affections And soveraign physick health for all complexions Our everlasting light without declining Advancing gloriously and brightly shining Curse from the Crosse force from affliction shed The sting from death from fear and bondage fred Where we may dayly sing among the branches And swime among the streams our thirst that quenches And bath us in that River sweetly flowing And feed upon the Spices neatly growing About the banks of these delicious fields That hony milk and wine so pleasant yeeldâ—
so brightly And in such wisdom makes the wound so rightly Physick appoints the poyson for to drain From the infected soul and flesh to strain Which by experience many children knows Is tended with the like tormenting throws But wants He skill or will who is our King Both health and heav'n out of this hell to bring Albeit this tumor must retain a tent The remnant of the humour for to vent Faith in thy Lover hath this strong perfume Which can this poyson pestilent consume Hele. This devilrie so close to me doth cleave Which man and angel from my King doth drive That I am tott'ring much on this turmoile And tortured so most like to take the foile Sam. Come come we ly too long aloof I see Towards the shoar now let us tackling be Mistakes misapplications most miscarries The minds of many when their judgements varies Bemisted in the want of faith whereby They should distinctly see weigh and apply We have been speaking of much fervent love Which in thy Lover doth His beloved move But now Oh thou much loved once admire What most transcendent love doth here appear When He redeem'd thee thou wast lost and yet Thou wilt thy self destroy if He permit That grace thy Lovers gift thy glory should Thy bain become imagine this who could Or could thou have imagin'd that thy flourish A cancar-worm into the bud could nourish Or that when thou was satisfied with singing Thou was unto thy idoll incense bringing This cockatrice to kill in secret lyes But being seen she by her venom dies Grace from the Author as from the fountain water When cut becometh putrified mater Like blood which from the heart through all the veins In circular motion by the nerves retains Strength in the members and returns again To pay the tribute and more vigour drain But being obstructed it corrupt becomes The member wanting nourishment benums Or as our curling brooks and silver streams Which from the fountain to the river foames By secret cranies through the ground the same Sweet current turns unto from whence she came Right so our Lover and our Princely King The ocean unexhausted and the spring Of whom we have from whom do derive All that we do enjoy in whom we live While from this sourse we daily vigour drive Life to preserve and let it passage have Uninterrupted to the font amain Then it 's increast and we refresht again But when these gifts of grace we do seclude From this right course we do our selves denude Of all our comfort whence doth swiftly grow If not foreseen our sudden overthrow Loves darling then dost thou not thence conclude Thy ardent Lover hath thee dearly lov'd Who for a little space his grace restrains That thou may seek himself where grace remains This love transcendent might a heart of steel Melt when affections do such fervour feel Hele. My heart is rather like a heart of flint Which cannot melt but doth endure the dint Sam. Loves force to flesh thy stony heart converts Hele. Love unto pride my fleshly heart perverts Sam. A fleshly heart is vices willing slave A heart of flesh impressions doth receive Of grace and vertue whereby vice it sees Resists subdues rejoyce in victories Hele. Oh now was any ever sunk so far In deaths dark shade and yet delivered were Sam. Believe me for I do assure thee this Of many children the condition is And ne're an abject did as yet bemoan This ground of grief where-under thou dost groan But so it is that till experience teach We do not to the rule of practice reach Hele. Happy thrice happy should I such esteem Who by experience so well taught had been To keep that order in his princely sight As His sweet company continue might Sam. It 's true we are new born again indeed And planted here upon heav'ns dew to feed But our Bride-groom with whom there is no change Most faithfull bides in all our failings strange Yet will permit to tempt us for our triall As we may best be bred to self-deniall The gravell also of this poys'ned flesh Seeds do ingross that would spring up afresh Unlesse by crosses and corrections meet They were supprest and we more purifi'd But this in gen'rall we may all conclude That ev'ry stripe we get is for our good Though bitter biting sad and fretting sore Sweet fruit unto thy taste shal come the more And when by proof we find the sweet effects Produc'd in ev'ry one our King elects As purging potions life and health preserving Preventing us from sinking in our swerving The old man and his notions so subduing The new man and his motions so renewing That we in our infirmnesse do rejoice And under all our suff'rings do repose In such submission as sweet peace doth bring Whence out of sorrow heav'n on earth doth spring Whereof if we did not our selves deprive By fond mistakes we should delightfull live Then for to condescend of force we must That no affliction springeth from the dust Nor yet temptation doth from fortune flow But do by Providence directly grow And by heav'ns wisdom unto us apply'd That we may be perfected when we 're try'd Hel. In evâ—ry thing this day that can be nam'd find my self most worthy to be blam'd As in this solitar reserv'd design Which certainly much detriment doth bring To many and if that the force of love Which in this famous fellowship doth move Me to attend so for my help inclin'd Far contrar to my self-conceited mind I should have been in this confusion longer Weak'ned my self and made my bands the stronger For till these free discourses do appear In this society assembled here And by this timous and this tender treating Wherein your Grace hath been with me debating I never could have thought a soul could live To which so much contagion should cleave At least a person in this land of grace That could the tract of such vain idols trace But now more perfectly I do perceive That he who freely sought us out must save And by immediate grace must still preserve For daily we to be disgrac'd deserve Now to believe O but I do desire But senslesse prove when I would most aspire Sam. Thou shew'st thy self most sensible of hearing Consent therefore thou shalt come unto clearing Hel. Some of Gods sons as they have heard have seen Some that they might endure have suff'red been To take a blink of Him cannot be seen Sam. Now may we clearly see what thou dost mean Thou senslesse prov'st indeed in thy desirings Which properly in thee are proud aspirings Its strange thou shouldst be satisfi'd so slightly Not vap'ring for high visions more brightly Or looking to be rapt above heav'ns arches About the borders of the divine marches Must thou be steward of the Royal treasure Will no less serve thy sense than Moses measure Hast thou for such a charge so strong a back Should not thy brains below the burden break Job faithfull in incomparable
trialls In darkest dayes gave dev'ls and men defyalls And never got a blink of light untill He fell submissive to his Makers will Thou knows we live by faith and not by sight By faith we suffer and prevail in fight Where is the fruit of all that sense receiv'd By thee before and what if all that 's crav'd Were streamed out upon thy strong desires Shouldst thou not spend them on thy carnall fires And when these sparkles of thy heart were spent So much the more thy sorrow should augment The child of light through fearfull darknesse groping Takes faster grip and firmer hold by hoping Thou canst not deem and nothing now thou knows Who at the coals of this corruption blows Nor see how sliely Lucifer can slide At twi-light time a plant of privy pride Ev'n when we do in all our strength resist Then can he at the part best fenced thrust And cunningly cause us ly open there Whereat the poyson'd dart he doth prepare This venom all of us do clearly see This child of grace her great vexation be And when she armed best against it is How Satan can infest her with a kisse Advert with wonder heav'nly earthly hosts Wonder all glorious glorified ghosts Wonders are seen which make you all adore Renewed marvels make you wonder more Pure spirits fill the souls of your desirings Extend your minds unto these deep admirings The quintessence of heav'ns counsell glorious Man murder'd on his murderer victorious In suff'ring Satan sift and so surprize And with such depth of subtilty devise Uncessantly and in such wyndings lurking Ev'n in our duties our destruction working But here the myst'ry of salvation is Crown'd with the cape-stone of eternal bless Of preservation by our glorious King Who our deliv'rance by his death doth bring An instance clear hereof before our eyes All the beholders evidently sees A chosen called faithfull child of grace Who for the prize most fervently doth prease Too much neglecting what she had before And strongly stretching to increase the more One much enrich'd with light and lively motions Experience deep and many sp'rituall notions In darknesse for deliverance debating Her poor condition and her case relating Sincerely set our counsell to receive But sylour'd can her self not undeceive For at her best attainment now you see How Satan snatches opportunity He sees the cup she doth delight to drink And in the liquor doth the poyson sink Let us infer from what we have been hearing And from this pregnant instance here appearing Since all the children of the first Creation Deservedly are under condemnation And that the cause ev'n to the Elect cleaves So close as unto any one that lives And that we ev'ry one are severally According to our humors diversly To some deceit or other more propense Then can appear by search unto our sense Which would unto infinitnesse amount Above what finite we could make acompt And that so many legions of lights Malicious devils and spirituall mights Our natures cases places erudition Daily attend our changes and condition And every one with every severall bait For every posture on us all await For this proud wretch doth desp'ratly disdain That we should be restor'd by grace again Or that our nature now should be renewed Or venom purged out that he had spued Therein whereby we in his Image stood Till it be blotted out by divine blood Yet we even we that most enlightned be Too carelesse live before this cruelty Much more and most for to be blam'd we prove Not studying still this boundlesse depth of love Which in our Lover moves him feed and keep His straying sterving and restored sheep Yet all that we can do doth but increase Our debt but more his mercy doth expresse This love we clearly cannot look to see Untill this body clarified be At least untill it be dissolv'd that so The soul her Lover to enjoy may go But how is this that we cannot submit Unto this wisdome and our selves acquit By firm believing as the duty chief Whereby from bondage we receive relief We see not that our drouping and dejections His faithfulnesse dishonours by reflections The growth of grace and inward peace obstructs The seeds of weeds into the heart conducts Th'envyous man with all his snares and cares The serpent slie with all his slights and snares Canst thou before the fiery tryall stand When men and devils do against thee band Such are in store and more thee to befall If fond conceits thy folly foster shall Ambition such were much to be commended Which with sobriety might be defended But ye who by confiding quiet may Repose beware presumption to bewray The Lark the Princely Eagle ne're envyes Suppose she see him skifting through the skies Ten thousand stage above her highest higher The suns resplendant beams and beauty nigher I am too tedious but to be excused Such disputs to anticipate are used Dear daughter once disdain for to repine At dispensations that are so divine Restrain the rising of such grosse deceits Refrain devising of such crosse debates A little faith finds out a fair relief Say I believe Lord help my unbelief And once resolve submission sincere Like to the pupill in the fathers fear Till which thou cannot put thy faith in act To comfort thee though thou thy brains should crack Come then threap kindnesse yet upon thy King Tell him that in the prison thou wilt sing His praises and ne're cease untill thou see His face in grace and then imbraced be This counsell daughter for to practice strive For it shall prove the way to make thee thrive He either shall the cloud of mist remove Or thee remove the clouds and mist above Where thou's be feasted in a minuts space With all the fruits of thy believing grace And from that instant in eternity Thy King enjoying shall rejoycing be Hele. O fearfull cloud of separation sad What heart can hear and not for fear fall mad Oh wonderfull that ye so wise can move Me to unmoved stand who must remove Where death bound ghosts down go depriv'd of light And suffer so in an eternall night Sam. How art thou now come up at words to carpe Perverting sense and using censures sharp And wherein thou convinced art before Would lead us unto repetitions more But lend a blink unto our travels past And thou thy self wilt censure for thy haste For we are leading thee into believing While thou unto thy facile sense art cleaving Hele. Oh to believe 't were possible for me But till I can excuse I cannot lie And well I know it is Gods love constrains You to this more then ordinary pains And I shall let you see I do not slight Your travels but do still recent them right For I confesse your presence all before There 's not a word hath past you less or more In reference to my condition duely But found so plain I do apply it truely And I shall not deny but I have tasted
on our stumps Seas Huge Oceans we Mounts Main Mountains high Hills We Hills that be resound shal your transumpts Our solace is in thee who loves the heart contrite And is a sanctuary unto the broken sp'rit Great joyes to thine thou dost propine By love divine up with thy self eternall When all thy foes with the godlesse goes In endlesse woes down to the pit infernall Thus all the joy of mind And solace we have seen Is his sweet face inclin'd In love still springing green So glory we in knowing Thee our King to be our Life our Love our Light Who bought us dear and keeps us here till we appear by grace in glory bright Jea Sweet maid thou dost to melody incline Our minds to move in mysteries divine Rapt up in most Seraphick-love to sing The praises of our high exalted King SONG III. Liberty out of Bondage Sam. NOw thou who dyving is in this abysse of blesse Conveyed through all these wonders To be enjoyed by so many numbers Who were by Adam old depraved And by the second Adam saved Thou having then seen what thou can In that great mystery of Divine Majesty GOD-MAN And doth aspire with all desire to pry and to admire These excellencies the quintessences Of all felicity in their simplicity Yet think these things to be more high Then can conceived be under mortalitie More then the child unborn by its sagacity Hes of capacity for to conceive aright Of this large Universe where we converse untill it come to light So should it be with thee in heav'nly places Amongst these faces made so fair By the splendor shining there That thou should'st disdain And mourn to turn again Unto these earthly treasures And all created pleasures And shouldst admire so much and more As if thou wert design'd Alive to be enshrin'd in that live-tomb Of the mothers womb for evermore Yet think again what shall become of some who never dreams of these sad theams Till they be hurl'd in everlasting flames without remission or relenting When time is past of pardon by repenting Hel. Oh now my soul shall these thee now exceed In Songs alongst these streams whilst they thee lead Thou dazles doating where thy guides do go But prostrate be and here in excesse show With joy of heart that none can equalize A soul thus ravish'd who shall eternize The praises of her Love with such content Who freed her from so fearfull detriment Who feeds her now with so delicious fare And doth propine her with such riches rare And leads her to the Land where she may see His face by grace where joy and glory be Now that I may your sweetest songs excell I 'le on my Lovers face adoring dwell And as I see and do receive I shall Report unto your mutuall comfort all Be elevate with full consent again To prosecute this Evangelick strain SONG IV. The Joy of the LORD Hel. OUr glorious our victorious King doth reign The hosts of heav'n do sing about his Throne Where he is gone in all delights to live Whence we derive our light and life alone Know him who would make bold treat for a smile He never did beguile a true Believer He is a River full of divine delights None like Him in the depths nor in the heights For He was dead and is alive again He did sustain hells pain when he was slain Our freedom to procure he did endure What we deserved and never swerved And of these stounds he bears the wounds Thus shalt thou know him for he is non-such And thou shalt say too much cannot be said of such a One Whom man and angel heav'n and earth alone Have their dependency eternally upon So shalt thou need no more One blink shall heal thy sore And thou shalt thirst no more For He a Fountain is of blesse supernall And this eternall is For on his eyes indeed With soul-festivities they feed so sweet so sure They cannot more indure to gade And when He hides His face sad sad they be Bâ—t groping still and hoping till He smile again Or do translate them to his heav'nly Train Where all the Members mysticall delighted Triumph in him in whom they are perfected Sam. I do rejoice in this thy heart-content Hel. And I rejoice that thou wast hither sent Jea And I rejoice here with you both to be Hel. And I rejoice and praise my King for thee Sam. Now I must go unto my charge again Hel. I pray thee do not so but stay Sam. Refrain Hel. Then one word by thine Echo bid me speak Echo Speak Hel. Now need I any more but to believe E. Live Hel. And any more to do but live exact E. Act. Hel. What if I tempted be shall I endure Echo Dure Hel. In suff'ring what will free me from disgrace E. Grace Hel. Shall I promove and constantly persevere E. Ever Hel. And will my dear Love go from me or no E. No. Hel. Then shall I sure believe and live and act Endure by grace and perseverance make The Warning Jea OUr dearest friend unto his charge again Is gone and I no longer may remain But ere we part sweet girle I must thee give Some warnings that thou may more warily live Thou hast been weighted in this absence short But sees not what the journey may import Now thou art glistering fair upon the mountain Extracting life from the life-giving fountain They Sp'rits sp'rituallized are and poring Thy clearer apprehensions highly soaring Both bred and fed by divine excellencies And breathings of the sweetest influences And so delighted art to shine by grace And holinesse before thy Lovers face But yet remember when thou sadly lay In bondage under absence then this day Of so clear seeing if thou couldst conceive Right so bethink if now thou canst believe That ever such a thing should thee befall As may again thy liberty enthrall But in the bodie while thou art beware For we are tempted and in danger are To be insnar'd for the old man is prone To snatch at every bait before us thrown For this I wish thee wisely to uptake The case of every child of God and make The diffâ—rence right 'twixt the rebellious man And the obedient new-born Christian The last a weakling but a willing child The first both wicked false perverse and wild Upon whose back the crosse the rod must ly The serpents brood may be born down thereby Which both so numerous and so nimble be As atoms in the air before thine eye Or vapours-like from brooks corrupt that rise And do the shining of the Sun surprise Such is the sinning sin such is the seed Of Sathan in the soul such is the breed Whereby the new-born Christian is annoy'd Till by the grace of Christ they be destroy'd Worldly desires delights cares fears to daun The weeds of carnall lust how to supplant So as the seed of grace may sweetly spring Which successe makes us under sadnesse sing Believing certainly the truth of this
exceeding good It shines in glory on ingratitude That mercy may in God admired be He makes an object of our misery Justice ador'd shines bright in Jesus bleeding By merits mercy for our persons pleading Eternall love shines clear in timous grace Gaining the elect of the rebell-race Counsell and comfort for the heart contrite Long suff'ring to convince the haughty sp'rit That life and light by which we see and live That sp'rit of truth whereby we do believe By whom alone these glorious rayes transcendent Become so bountifully condescendent And from the grounds of these ingredients green Sov'raign preservatives to save are seen For feeding breeding feasting framing right The Babe of Grace translated unto light A sp'rituall sympathy of inclination 'Twixt Head and Members by a new creation As naturall grafts well grafted in the root Come timely to their known and kindly fruit By shedding out and sucking substance sweetly Incorp'rate and corroborate compleatly This practicall Divinity could make Which of the Divine Nature doth partake For through the vail admitted by believing We instantly receive above conceiving To see our selves blind-born sin-born and more Death-born wrath-born forlorn for eveâ—more And in that minut then immediatly Light life relief and true tranquillity By looking up and in this JEWEL dyving Presented for perpetuall reviving As on the heart it doth impression take And kindly motions to the Mover make So as with longings we enlarg'd may be This glory to enjoy triumphantly From this One-all One-uncreated Blesse Who glorious in the whole Creation is Till face to face we Called come to see And chang'd from glory unto glory be The Symphonicall Desires and delights of all Saints in their Retirements SONG I. DArknesse depart do not our eyes deprive Of this bright Star of day that doth appear To usher in the Sun that can revive Our fainting hearts and clouded spirits clear The Rose of Sharon all our banks and bowers Perfumes with odours of all ointment sweet Our fields be sending forth the fairest flowres The singing birds our slownesse do invite The Turtle mourning for her Mate doth moan Because his comming he so long delayes And we affected with her griefs do groan And tune our Lutes unto her mourning layes Most glorious Sun of righteousnesse consent To hear to see to cause thy face to shine The clouds dispell make clear the firmament And for thy coming move us to incline Oh that we could Thee know believe and love Then could we not but for thy coming long Wonder importunate we do not prove Untill our sighs be turned to a song Most glorious King out through the continent The glorious Gospel gloriously convey Make all the Nations come with one consent To kisse the Son and on his statutes stay The Devil that by delusion doth deceive The world lost roaring in fiery rage Of whom the Beast and Prophet false receive Babel and Balaam's ruine for their wage Endite condemn discover give them doom With these the Whoor flagitious detect The Serpent and the Man of Sin consume From all their drifts redeem thy dear Elect. Triumphant Monarch for thy Truth appear And with thy brazen legs these tyrants turn Out of the way with eyes of flaming fire These fiends pursue and in thy fury burn When shall thy garments stain'd with blood be seen Of these proud foes that do thy grace disdain The glory of these wonders doth pertain To thee this might and malice to restrain How this wild Lion through the earth doth reel And prey upon poor blind-born Adams race Whirling the worldly minded like a wheel Up by his gins thy Image to deface Thou sees O Thou who pow'r hes to prevent This vile invet'rate and invective spleen And for destroying Satans works was sent Our evil deserts let not thy help detain Dread King who question dare thy just decrees Mysterious holy righteous and profound For out of all apparent contraries Glory and might right doth to thee redound Let all the hosts in heav'n and earth be still And with submission simple thee adore The Projects of thy wise eternall will To see fulfill'd rejoice for evermore All revolutions strange our King aright Doth by a change of providence direct By death and darkness making life and light Brightly appear for all his dear Elect. Heav'ns King our sp'rits more sp'ritually dispose And shine upon the seed of saving grace That faithfully and fruitfully repose We may and all the swey of flesh displace The time that thou art glorious to appear Hasten impediments out of the way Remove that seeing eyes clear'd to admire The magnified in thy members may The wicked world that doth in lies delight The voice of truth and wisdom doth disdain And will not see till everlasting night Close up their fight in soul-tormenting pain Longing we be when we himself may see Shining in glory on his glorious Throne Where feasting in his glorious face we 'll be When immortality we have put on Welcome great King let now the glorious Day Begin to dawn of thy eternall reign In righteousnesse thy Royall Scepter swey Of mercy and of judgement we may sing Time mend thy pace unto thy period post Stir up thy strength do not retard nor slide All shall be done anone be gone thou must Eternity to sink thee down doth glyde Let us our sp'rits a little time compose And fix upon the starry Firmament And all the Stars that are let us suppose Full as the Sun did shine so excellent And that this glob of earth transparent were And ev'ry star out from his glorious Sphere Darting his rayes and influence so far As all dimensions of the world appear â—oor worms we never could a blink endure Of this created glory we conceive â—ut in the beauty of this brightnesse sure Be raz'd because we could it not receive â—gain by faith in contemplation ponder What places for the Elect are prepared â—o far surpassing all the Stars in number â—nd to the glory of the Sun compared 〈◊〉 immortality when we 're arrayed â—nd for these places pure spiritualized â—ransparent in this splendor there displayed â—nd yet humane remain so subtillized Yet our great King those changes we perceive From naturall darknesse to this light of grace Exceeds more fully then we can conceive Till we receive that fulnesse in His face Where that all-glorious increated light Remains whence we our light and life derive And shall enjoy joyes in His joyfull sight Unseen unheard till there we do arrive Who see these marvels but they must admire Who see admire but doubtlesse they do long Who see admire and long but do aspire Seated to be these miracles among But rather how is it we do not weigh The wisdome of our King and condescend Simply unto His dispensations high Who our desires unruly doth suspend Untill by tryals strong through truth sustained Our lost condition and His love we see And by His grace be from the world weaned And fitted for this Life of Glory be
ever blest Trin One compleat For evermore our songs shall be Ever renew'd uncessantly And His praises to expresse Ever shall our selves addresse AMEN O Lord so let it be So be it in Eternity THE NATURAL MAN Debated with HOw come say some such sacred flames can boil So sweet perfumes out of this sullen soyl This curious question'st with carnall eyes Bemisted sees not in these mysteries How singing doth from sighing flow And gladnesse how from sadnesse grow How mourning melting motions move In frozen hearts hot flames of love From bitterness how sweetness springs Refreshment what felt-ruine brings How from the groans of inward grief Clear freedom rises and relief In deepest darknesse sure direction In dreadfull danger safe protection Result and what can be the root That renders this admired fruit For Answer this BY Grace we see our selves with shame Under abominable blame And not the lesse so freely loved Affections feelingly are moved And overflow like Nilus River In the heart of the believer Whence grief and gladnesse love and he at Reside as in the proper seat Whence bitter mourning grief and wo For grieving such a Lover so Who surfetted hes been with grief From grief to purchase our relief Whom seeing vively through the vail Love and delight thereby prevail So that as by approaching near Unto that splendor in its sphere Be in Combustion dazled so Within these gleams we undergo And in this current strong contesting Securely in his shadow resting Zeal the birth of love and hate Daily abates this love-debate Wherewith no concord can compare One end discussing all their care Being to be made pure and clean This fervent love to entertain Grace ' gainst corruption doth begin A furious fight the soul within So that in one poor person here Betwixt two parties doth appear A hot contest with fatall blows Tending to others overthrows Whence grows this bitter-sweet debate In this grace-griev'd divided state Hence flow these tides contrary turning Mourning to mirth mirth unto mourning The old man being pincht repines The new man sweetly sings and shines The old man dwyning in his living The new man rising and reviving What dolour the old man endures Delight to the new man procures When grace is most o'resway'd it swiâ—gs Corruption under foot and sings For on a mountain of increasement And at a fountain of refreshment Bullering up eternall love With sp'ritual breathings from above Reviv'd by all these blessefull beams Shining through our cristal streams We in these glist'rings flight'ring be Untill we take our flight on hie These be the Northern gales that blow And breathings from the South that flow Upon the Spices sweet and Flowres Seasoned with Celestiall showres And in this Garden do agree Spouses to feast deliciously Upon these fruits and spices sweet Where all their comforts are compleat Who do discern aright to rise These mercies rich rightly to prize But the Believer only sees That Majesty in these mysteries And substance through the shadows more Of glory then he can adore But that the rationall man yet we may lead Some length let us by nat'rall reason plead Seeing this naturall Sun we daily see On nat'rall bodies worke effectually Vapours exhaling out of earthy things Which rarifi'd and clarified brings Repell'd by colder air our early showres Enamelling the earth with fruits and flowres Shall not the Sun of Righteousnesse far more Natures Creator whom we do adore By his almighty Influence divine Which on the long-benighted soul does shine Affect attract and elevating move Affections for the element of love Which purify'd prepared and matur'd Are for the service of their Lord allur'd And further yet by naturall things to learn Spirituall mysteries best to discern This supposition make Conceive the bounds Of this vast Ocean that the earth surrounds If all the Floods therein were the extracts And quintessence that best ingredients makes And daily that some of these cristall drops Melt from such sweet and sun-refined sops And in this Ocean be ingulfed shall They not be then transchanged in the fall Our reason shews us that this strong perfume Should soon the drosse of this sweet drop consume Consider then when this immortall sp'rit By these divine irradiations sweet Here in the Region of grace matur'd For glory and the love thereof allur'd Doth from this cloud come out imbrac'd to be In that incomprehensible excellency At the first blink transchanged be so far As heat from cold and light from darkness are And though the rising of our bodies be From death to life again a mysterie Yet when we do behold how nature brings About life to restore to lifelesse things The earth renewing daily flowers and fruits From dozen'd dead corrupt and rotten roots The vapour that 's exhaled from the brim Where sholes of herring leave their spawn to swim Congealed in a cloud again shall powre Of herrings on the ground a swiming shower Oh wofull wretched wreaked naturallist That naturally doth see and not insist To see aright believe love and know more Who natures Author is and him adore For in His time thou with thy very eyes Disclos'd shall see these divine mysteries Our body from the Elements arise And sp'rited be to meet Him in the skies And at the peep of first appearance passe To pain or pleasure as the Inditement was Recorded clearly on the conscience gravâ—d Rend'ring response respective damned sav'd And all these revolutions orderly Accomplisht in the twinkling of an eye For this the period peremptor is Eternally determinat for this That Glorious Right'ous Justice shining clear And glorious righteous mercy may appear Where all the damn'd convinc'd in anguish ly The saved on their Saviour do rely And yet poor naturall atheist that inquires Where is this blesse and where these burning fâ—es Conceive of God aright who comprehends All things incomprehended and extends His glory in His dispensations free Of mercy and of justice righteously Wherein such Majesty ador'd does shine As moves to admiration divine Through all these vast dimensions created Where all the rationall creatures are stated Sin-poyson'd persons wheresoever they be Unpurg'd are under wrath perpetuallie Likeas the Saints are wheresoever plac'd Within the glorious love of God imbrac'd This is the hell beneath and heaven above Here flames of wrath abide there beams of love Justice effects producing so contrarious Upon the Objects so directly various This naturall Sun by nature putrifies Some matter and some matter purifies Some matter harden and some soften more Some strike to death and some to life restore In Summer shining with so fervent heat And on the vild defyled puddle beat The filth therein doth such a fume disclose As doth in darknesse all the dung inclose Ingend'ring serpents vile and cruell frogs Crawling and sprewling in their poysoned drogs Right so the Sun of Righteousnesse shines pure While such the poyson of their pest indure â—or all the perturbation torment anguish Is of themselves wherein they liveing languish Thus may
from that fruitfull Scorpion of corruption which multiplies the conception and make the burden so unsuperable that the delivery workes her own destruction but by the grace of God crushed suppressed and partly purged out the life of grace is preserved in the Believer And yet neverthelesse there remains an itching dreg in the heart that it will needs have some latitude if no other wayes attainable yet under pretence of lawfull liberty for recreation or preservation of the outward man and under the colours and in the shadow whereof some well smelling Aple or amiable Idol may steal in and present it self in such glistrings as dazels the eye oâ— spiritual discerning So as the judging part is blunted and benumbed under the prevalency of this well masked and bewitching darling or Dalilah doated on unto destruction and herewith being not only toyled but often foyled I have been driven to fall under this conception that suppose a man even a Child of grace while he is under mortality carrying the remanents of corruption within him were ravished to heaven and got a blink of the blesse that is to be enjoyed there and again plunged into hell to behold these terrible torments prepared for impenitent sinners and thereafter set up for a season to act a part upon the stage of this world although it should not fail to seem to himself and others that henceforth he should live like a Saint upon the earth yet let him be left a little to himself and the devil permitted to try him with a bait agreeable to his humor or an idol well trimmed to his fancy under such deceivable pretext pretence or otherwise as the subtile serpent can well insinuate It might be too justly feared that he should be in so great perill as ever our first Parents were in Paradice so as to conceive a possibility of standing but by immediate grace sustaining it were most palpable presumption and that the only way to preserve and increase grace is by conversing in Heaven keeping a Communion with God and the frequent use of Ordinances to lead us out of our selves unto a sincere dependence upon God and out of the world so as to use it as if we used it not in a humble and chearfull submission unto all His gracious dispensations whether bitter or sweet to the naturall part which I suppose very hardly any man who is too conversant in the things of the world and active about them further then a pressing calling calls him to can attain the world being but the Pandor or Cater to furnish fewell for the Old Man to feed the affections and inflame the fiery lusts of the flesh the eye and the pride of life But it is possible with God to carry the cable through the eye of the needle suppose the strait way must be thrust through and the kingdome of grace and of glory taken with violence But reflecting upon this Old Man and the troubles and trials that the soul is put to under his jurisdiction which cannot consent unto tha lawlesse law that he would maintain in the members and to dismantle unmask and ripe him up in some specials I have here tinkled a little at the description thereof under the name of Vice And because all things directly contrar and opposite one to another together presented are most lively and best discerned I have therefore also herewith delineate the New Man under the name of Vertue so as the one and the other may allure and procure the heart unto the affections of desire and detestation THE PORTRAICT AND CHARACTER OF VERTUE OR The New Man shining in Vertue DESCRIBED COme ye whose curiosity Rare precious pleasant things would see And you who can discern aright Fair Vertue in ber beauties bright Her post and gesture well perceive Holy humble sweet and grave So rarely mixt so fairly shine So lovely in their luster fine Each in its Orb so ord'red see That nothing can so pleasant be Behold her flourishing fore-head Where Generosity doth spread Her brow 's a Stage where joining hands Both Statelinesse and meeknesse stands Look in her eyes for there is seen That she is prudent chast and clean The comely portraict of her nose A searching wit doth well disclose Her sweetest cheeks full of delight All love but loyall banish quite Both strength and resolution deck The fairnesse of her fairest neck Her breasts so beautifull appear Both liberall and frugall clear Her heart and hands do well agree In clemency and charity A midst this frame of beauty fair A tongue wel taught and tamed where Expressions proper sweet and plain Witnesse where wisdom doth remain Her noble parts her health preserves With nutriture the spirits serves Out of that store the sellers keep Of heavens earth seas their hight their deep In all wherein contain'd she dives True good extracts to goodness cleaves And doth bring out of projects ill The means to save was made to kill When stormy winds of trouble blow Doth firmly stand and fairly grow Out of afflictions she can find Both patience and peace of mind And in the midst of sorrows see Where best refreshments furnisht be Contempt and malice she doth prise As manure rich to make her rise From care disdain distrust and grief Envy despair of mischiefs chief She sees and knows and can compose By all things gain by nothing lose Time never can her beauty stain Nor tyrannie approach her gain Her riches are beyond the reach Of all that policy can stretch Old Sathan when he comes to spoil At all incounters gets the foil Fond lust and all that carnall crew Her feet below she doth subdue Be slav'd by none she serves her Maker And all her strength unto Him facer Deep in the Well of Life she drinks And feeds upon the River brinks Where that Ambrosia sweet distills From Sacred Truth the soul full fills She searches all Gods wayes and sees Divine and heav'nly mysteries Converts her food in courage strong And by sincerity along As by the nerves for new supply Doth act her part most chearfully â—ointly conjoin'd by sinews sure Of strongest truths which do endure Till all her foes she does outface That would her fairest grace disgrace Objectionâ— But pause a little answer here How may this matter so appear What fairer rarer excellencie Had Adam in his innoncencie How now can his rebellious race This beauty and this blesse imbrace For of a man what can you crave If he be holy humble grave Modest meek generous prudent Chast courteous lovely sapient Strong temperat full of charity Circumspection courage clemency Resolute liberall frugall able Patient active prompt and stable Possest with truth delight and peace And still sincere this grace to grace Where is the man hereof may boast Gods Image seing he hes lost Answer Now justly left it 's true indeed None of this poysoned perverse seed Can to true happinesse attain But doats on durelesse shadows vain And naturall gifts now never can Accomplish or
unbounded Orb of love Wonders are by Believers brought about That cruell tyrants cannot cancell out And by Believers to be enjoyed are Joyes wonderfull above conceiving far But we shall spare for more exactly those Matters we must debate before we close Now to the purpose and the Person precious Whom I have seen and still esteemed gracious Notable in the Assemblies of the Saints And solemn Meetings where Believers hauntâ— I know the case and truly see it clear Fraught with the fruits of faith of love and fear But she is not in that condition now So to confesse far lesse this to avow But in this sentence most succinct I 'le shew The matter and the meaning shall pursue And this it is Heavens child of hope doth faint for want of sight Resolv'd to grope through darkest deeps for light And this assertion sure for to explain Take notice now and answer you again You see Celestiall from terrestriall things Exhaling vapours that much darkness brings Eclipses do our naturall Sun surprise Which yet we see most royally arise The worlds first birth from Gods most pure intention Eternall purpose and divine invention Was made to be by no materials Existent pre-existent Seminals In darknesse swadled up untill the bright Creating word in time commanded light And when this light aright composed stood Night to preceed day-light God saith is good Jea This dispensation sad you take I see To flow from causes one or more of three The first from provocation I conceive The second what for triall we receive The third to Soveraignity ascends The Cause supreme where causes all depends You know suppose that naturall things be used And to illustrate sp'rituall matters chused Spirituall things are not demonstrate clearly By naturall that worke by nature merely The one by the prefixed Rule doth run The other Arbitrary how and when And yet suppose these generals should contain Much to this purpose when by searching seen Yet ye must nearer come her case to clear From such effects as may be seen appear For if she be bemisted left alone In this confus'd condition she is gone Sam. Will ye not condescend that all things be Good in their time appointed certainly And that our only wise and holy King Profoundly hath contrived every thing Spirituall naturall morall arbitrary Contingent voluntar and necessary And ordered so this contrary to that Man may with dread and reverence stand thereat Jea We trust your charity hes so conceived That Scripture-truths are all by us believed Albeit that under trials severall may By strong assaults much weaknesse oft bewray We know He 's the supream and only good And all things to his glory do conclude And that suppose rejected we should be It were our place his grace to magnifie His wisdom justice truth and holinesse We question not but our untowardnesse In not adverting to his counsels grave Which only could and should from swerving save And yet our tender Lover hath appointed And with spirituall unction hath anointed With coming some and cordialls stor'd that be Soveraign for Soul-diseases seasonablie â—Mongst whom ye be of speciall esteem In binding up the wounds that desperat seem I pray you speak in proper speeches plain As this perplexed party best may gain And lead us in these mysteries divine Untill the Sun begin again to shine Sam. I know it worthy of our pains shall prove To dyve in this deep mystery of love Therefore I shall not spare to condescend Some of our precious time herein to spend This mourning Bride sure has propined been With precious sweet sp'rit-consolations clean Whereby the King of Kings doth recreate Replenish purifie and elevate The soul that to espouse he is whereby She in his absence sick of love doth ly Jea Be pleas'd more specially us to acquaint With these so precious presents and how sent And how received that so effectuall prove As to procure such firm and fervent love Sam. He cleared hes her blear'd and blinded eyes Inflam'd her heart so as she feels and sees Her Comforter convey himself with kissings And breath into her soul supernall blessings The beauty of whose visage her invites To trace him out when he doth make retreats For in her heart so hes he shed that seed Which her affections after him doth lead And at a word created now anew She bids the whole Creation adiew And in this Sphere of Love celestial soare Not stooping to terrestriall triffles more Untill her Lover come and do relieve Her weighted sp'rit and heart contrite revive Jea Why doth she not in patience possesse Her soul and so attend his timousnesse Sam. Basenesse of mind such patience she esteems Which would suspend her of these warming beams By influence whereof she alone doth live And therefore closely unto him doth cleave Jea But is her project lawfull let me know Sam. True love was never limited by law Jea But earthly minds in mounting high do burn Sam. The Spirit by habit heavenly doth turn Jea Doth she the body then the more disdain Sam. No but doth tune it to a spâ—rituall strain For it 's the organ ordained for to sing The praises of her Lovely Prince and King Jea How doth she then so sadly ly and still Sam. She doth attend his presence and his will Preparing straight his praises to expresse But till his coming lurks in heavinesse Jea But where is then the hold of Faith and Hope Fast held but pressing nearer hard to grope Desiring still the Marriage-day to see When in His Robes she may arrayed be And joyning then his sweet soul-feeding face Her firm affections fervent may imbrace Hele. Poor Pilgrim I in dole and deep unrest For want of Faith with hellish fears supprest Here wandring as a woefull wretch alone So void of sense can do no more but moan Unworthy of respect regard or view Much lesse your face my spirits to renew It is my wonder that your worth should stay So to respect this crocked clog of clay So hardned that affections cannot melt To mold a new by any motions felt Yet happy you you Blessings do procure Who would conduct and doth instruct the poor But from the wayes of wisdome I have gone So far astray that I may mourn alone And groan for grief now when I cannot mend But all my dayes in dole and dolor spend And for to understand your friendly speech Or meaning thereof hardly can I reach But true it is sometimes I have exprest Some secrets that should not have been confess Of feelings sweet above expression far Which for the time but seeming shadows are For now deserted like a desart owle I hopelesse ly and can but hopelesse howle Bewailing oft that ever I was born For all is gone and I am left forlorn Sam. Dear friends conveened here for this intent With misteries of Love to be acquaint Let us unweary willingly attend For all her griefs shall sure in gladnesse end Jea Our true desire and most delight shall be We
Where we no task are set but for to sing The praises of our Liberal Royal King And to adore him in our nature now Mov'd by his spirit his name for to avow As Members of His Body mystical And dyving still in Divine Myst'ries all In Oracles and Ordinances seeing Him and Him in His dispensations eyeing He. These Metaphors I know not what they mean Nor to discern your plainest speech attain The one enfolding deepest mysteries The other not discern'd with carnall eyes Sam. Thou dost not only in the Faith bewray Thy weaknesse but doth wilfully betray Thy self in contradicting sweetest feelings Experimented sensible revealings Flowing and falling timous tides of love Which did thy-then lively affections move Thou know'st what every word we speak doth mean And that it is thy Lovers language clean Appointing for our weaknesse figures frail The splendor of spiritual things to vail As wine and milk aples and hony sweet Under his shadow feasting we delight Lest in His light we should be rapted so That souls should suddenly abortive go Can'st thou the body of the Sun behold And not be dazled if thou wert so bold Whose light and operations yet thou may Enjoy and not thy weaknesse so bewray Amongst the shadows thou may'st feed securely Upon the substance that doth then allure thee Where dyving dayly in this depth by seeing From glory unto glory formed being We come to true tranquillity at length And there enjoy our Lovers joy our strengthâ— So as we may with peace a space suspend That Glories breaking up that doth attend To be imparted for eternitie When we by grace matured for it be Eyes ears and hearts see hear not nor conceives Now what the true Believer then receives Farlesse who can our King conceive aright Untill we be admitted to his sight Who in such Glory inaccessible Enjoyes Himself to us impenitrable But by the grace of faith so apprehended As for our comfort He hath condescended So as we must be bred led fost'red here For sights unseen by such as do appear This is the life ye know Believers live To whom both grace and glory He doth give Up then my heart take heart among thy mates Ly not so sad thy Wel-beloved waitâ— To see thee stir for He will thee sustain Suppose both weak and wanting thou hast been Up up come come go go with us Hel. No no What thou hast said I do believe But lo I am but blind although to see I seem And what I seem'd to see falls out a dream Or vision vanish'd by the way it came Nor know I how I do or what I am Sam. This is not unto death I thee assure But shall His honour and thy health procure What thou hast seen and felt do not deny But His unchanged love believe apply Hele. How can the blind the deaf the dumb confesse Believe apply faith or felt-love professe Doubtlesse I have His fervent love again Provoked and forsaken am Sam. Refrain Thy sense is gone it seems but where 's thy reason For thou art bourding with a birth of treason Because through weaknesse thou canst him provoke Must he his constant counsell then revoke When in thy birth and blood thou lay in bands And hands of death did he not give commands Death to be gone and thee ordain'd to live What merite for this mercy didst thou give Knows he not well that thou no good canst do Without his presence and supply thereto And shall he now reputed be a changer Hele. No but to me he makes himself a stranger Sa. Strange when thou hast thy self from him estranged Thy reason should conclude that he is changed Or that he hath estrang'd himself so far While such love-tokens resting with thee are Hast thou not biding still beside thee here A Mirror full of beauty passing clear Wherein thou dost his portraict true possesse Full means to keep thy heart from heaviness He woo'd thee in a time of fervent love That thou shouldst constant faithfull loyall prove Preparing trimming purifying till The Nuptiall-rites he should compleat fulfill Do not what he hath done for thee deny Extoll his acte and on his truth rely Hele. What thou hast said that surely have I seen Acted by him for me hath truly been I am convinc'd and more than any speach Or largest heart-conceptions can reach But true it is when I to admiration His deeds had found surpassing declaration And then far far far over and above Had felt his sweetnesse in a time of love My melting heart within his heart relenting That almost warms affections in recenting But in that sweetnesse then I fell asleep Surprised with such sopor sad and deep That when I did awake my only One Was gone and now poor I do die alone For in his absence I 'm become a block A wretched fruitlesse and a withered stock Sa. Dost thou conceive these blinks these smiles these smells These melting motions whereof now thou tells Were tendred out thy fancy for to feed No but to strengthen faith for fruit and feed Hele. Then shall I no more look to see my Love Sam. Sense follows such as do most faithfull prove And feelings flee when they are followed most But when we stand by faith there 's nothing lost Hele. Oh! lost What losse can be compar'd to this To lose the only Author of my blisse Sam. Thy Blesse Conceive me and resolve me this If thou hadst thy desire unto thy wish Shouldst thou in this poor dusty rusty shrine Indure that splendor by these beams should shine Upon thy sp'rits Thou know'st how soon they failed When with a little blink thou wast assailed Look up make bold take hold hold fast by hoping And till thine eyes anointed be be groping Amongst thy Mates where I have seen thee there Presse forward with thy pith do not despair He. I know not what nor yet whereof ye mean Sam. I witnesse will as yet what I have seen When first thy Princely Lover to this place Translated thee could'st thou then sleep or cease But with Associats of the Citty using Uncessantly in deepest mysteries musing A frequent waiter at solemnities Much mov'd in minding our immunities About the River spying out thy spots And washing in the Streams away thy blots Upon the Mountains where Heav'ns dew distills And Fountain that with all refreshments fills Thou art so fram'd and to a habite new Inflam'd with firm affections pure and true Exactly set uncessantly to sing The praises of thy ever-glorious King The rarest Aires and sweetest musick matching And unto new inventions nightly watching Adorned with such ornaments ingrain That most infective tempests never stain What hes indured been by men of mights For to defend our priviledged rights Thou hast observ'd and deeply pondered then Composed to be wondred at by men These things deny thou canst not witnesse clear The Cittizens thine own Associats here Witnesse thy vestures new these shining Robes From mourning more refrain restrain thy sobs This world new no
rode I read in letters fair Love unconceivable and wisdome there And ever since when I such whisperings hear Flow from that buzing snake I stop mine ear ANNA We of the Citty sumptuously do live And to maintain our wealth do mainly strive So avaritious and luxurious grow As we in wealth and worldly honours flow But when our Lover doth remove the vail We see the rotten ship wherein we sail And fecklesse wares whereon our souls we waste Then to the death we do our selves detest But being bred in such societies As do advert unto varieties Of outward formes must civile be and neat According to our rank degree and state I have been shew'd by one that 's most sincere That many dangers ' mongst them do appear And that her self was fearfully afraid Lest unknown fear her weakness had bewrai'd And if I warned had not been before I might have splitted on this deadly shore But after deeper search I did perceive My self was nothing but a living grave Where noysome serpents in the members crawl The faculties infecting of the soul The soul again vain arrogant and proud For all her wak'nings walking under cloud Then after this I had a fearfull blink Which under desperation made me shrink But then even at the twinkling of an eye My Saver present set me fully free So as unto his praise I must record A self-lost soul was saved by the Lord. Thus my Redeemer so did me Redeem My danger and deliverance seen did seem So near and I so filled with conceiving Sense led me from the way of firm believing But in that sweetnesse when I fell asleep I swell'd up in a deadly fever deep And moving miss'd the Author of my joy So then my nearest friends I did imploy Who helps prescrib'd and potions did prepare To swage my swelling and my health repair But then there did such fears my soul assail Which through my weakness often did prevail To bring in question how to persevere Before the straits and tryals that appear I was brought very low but never heal'd Untill compassion with my Prince prevail'd Me to restore and make me surely see A stedfast faith was firm stability So when I look'd unto my Lovers might All faithlesse fears evanisht out of sight GRISSILLA We in the Academie that be nourish'd And fruitfull grow when we have early flourish'd Physick Laws Metaphysicks we debate What serves for mans soul body or estate And by our science and inventions then Reduce to order for the use of men But swell in pride and in disdain when we Others so far below us we espy And often our too curious spirits swerving Do over-turn our selves by our deserving For by deep speculation we do see Wonders that by none other seen can be Produc'd by natures force and render'd then In rare effects to be admir'd of men The stars in severall places we espy In constellations as they ordered be Desing'd for signs in ev'ry Variation Ascent descent degrees and inclination Severall effects on every severall thing That from the earth from air and oceans spring Gold Pearles Stones precious in the earth secured Deep steeping closely till they be matured Where by the stars they do procure their strength Of bodies short continuance and their length Of Animals Herbs Flowers their vertues all Their birth and growth their durance and their fall Which as in this clear prospect we do see By proof their operations learn'd have we And I one day these marvels so admiring Their causes and effects too much desiring To search by natures light And not adoring The God of nature but by nature poring In this deep study I was sorely stained With infidelity and then arraigned And left forlorn a little as I shewed Untill that by contrition renewed I accesse had and granted was to see That my dear Lover and Life-giver He Was natures Author and that her effects Were done directly still as he directs Afflictions fears and too much carnall care Temptations be which lead unto despair Again by grace resisting and repelling A devillish drift doth lift the heart to swelling And herein I much weaknesse have bewrayed But happily therewith hath been essayed For of his goodness I again do gain To guard against these vile debourdings vain ELIZA We who into the Country bred have been And little of the Court or Citty seen But in the Wildernesse alone were living Our bleitting droves unto the fountains driving Alongst the quickning springs and cooling streams Sheltr'd with sweetest sprigs from scorching beams Delighted in our silent Cipresse Bowers Adorned with the fairest rarest flowers And satisfied herewith as with silk Preferring to their sharpest spice our milk But under all this smooth sobriety Ingenuous care and frugall industry We live and die in ignorance indured And ly in gross profanity obdured And cannot see untill by speciall grace A brighter light do shine upon our face But after I was call'd and causâ—d to see And made asham'd of my profanity Thereby affected with my Lovers love That nothing else near to my heart could move The Devil then under a glist'ring vail My weaknesse unawares did so assail That I had drunk the poyson'd cup so deep My senses by the venom were asleep For he some instruments had so deceiv'd And to most impious principles beslav'd Under pretext of love to Christ alone Exalting him up to his Royall Throne With all that unto him do truly cleave That they by doctrines were not now to live That they are clean and cannot be defil'd Illuminate and cannot be beguil'd That all are theirs and all things common be Unto that love-bred love-fed Family With others such-like hatcht-patcht proofs so specious And drest with speeches seeming very gracious My carnall heart did presently affect To bring a present heaven in respect But when the way so pleasant did appear To flesh and blood I did begin to fear And took me to consult with truth divine So as the Majesty therein did shine Of Holinesse and Righteousnesse so clear The filthinesse and folly did appear Wherein they swell perverting truth so far That they obdur'd unto conviction are And hereby found I also out again That I unstable facil was and vain And so alas have blasted been and broken With all these blustrings whereof you have spoken Have seen my self self-lost self-damn'd and saved And yet so senslesse and so self-depraved So far corrupt so foolish and so frail Conceits impure so much with me prevail And yet with mercy and compassion clear Am compassed more than I can admire For I to wrath my self do still expose But my Redeemer still doth interpose And when I would my self in darknesse cast I rescu'd am for he doth hold me fast And when despar'dly I would make retreat From this new City and these pleasures sweet And searches every postern gate and lirk My own destruction cruelly to worke By separating yet I am surrounded In so wise windings wherein I am bounded And breath'd upon even
when the breath is failing And helped up by everlasting healing Whereby my safety doth proceed I prove From infinite and from unchanged love For as I am confounded and ashamed To see my self in such convictions blamed So am I more comforted to repose Upon my Prince and in his peace rejoice And now I grant that by His grace I gain In watchfulnesse and also do refrain To taste or touch or to aproach too near Where perill of infection doth appear TH0MAS O deep profound O! what a deepnesse is â—he wisdome knowledge and eternall blesse â—f this who is the glorious King of Saints â—d graciously among his children haunts â—d O! How many are our miseries â—d O! How rescued by such mysteries â—re I by providence above perceiving â—ght lessons once receive above conceiving â—any but by these are taught aright 〈◊〉 see themselves and to abhore that fight 〈◊〉 we this while a main Professor been â—use I hated vice and sin obscene â—eigh'd against it and did vertue love 〈◊〉 vicious hate and verteous did approve 〈◊〉 in this gracious fellowship have seen â—t hitherto I have but blinded been 〈◊〉 do I see Believers and their rights â—ir world new and their renewed lights 〈◊〉 tryals and the straits they did endure â—ork for their well and they preserved sure As also I have seen these lad assailings Of satan and your speciall prevailings Whereof I never knew nor lesse nor more For they were mysteries great to me before We in the wilderness that have been bred Amongst the brute on brutish lust were fed Your breeding been in School in Court and Citty Delicious curious delicate and witty But not exeem'd from tryals more then we Expos'd to many that most dreadfull be You do by curious speculations give Place to the serpent darts at you to drive But as he hes into his fang so fast Such windings He for us needs not fore-cast For this I do confesse albeit I could My heav'n upon this love to vertue hold Yet Satan of hypocrisie a spice Hes in the heart shed where it sliely lyes For seeing you with others who assemble At solemn meetings I would them resemble Dissemble what within my bosom grew And learn to prattle things I never knew Likewise I find too great a tryall here At meetings when both Sexes do appear And ordered so that oppositely airted The venome of much vanity is darted Out from the poyson of infective eyes At civill and sacred festivities Now these and many such enormities Naughty profane vain superfluities We civill men do see and do forbear To mortifie when they do most appear But you the flesh who do subdue so far That fairly springing up afresh you are Like fruitfull branches and like garden-flowers That wat'red be by sweet Celestial showers Preserve your peace when we our selves consume In making up Inditement for our doom Andrea Grissilla Anna. And. GReat good grave Ladies wise and Virgins pure Ye know ye could not well our sight endure For we what folly in the flesh remains By much experience tasting have with pains Do make it now our trade for to travers Through all the corners of this Univers Unvailing vice and bearing witnesse good Against that venom which infects our blood And ev'ry one of you in all your places With this sweet fellowship of gracious faces Cannot deny but ye had warning all Against these slights which might procure your fall Now are we glad to hear you so confesse Your weaknesse and your Lovers lovingnesse Anna. The most sincere and self-deny'd agrees Upon these sacred sweet solemnities Which we frequent for there by cords of love After our Lover we are mov'd and move In all sincere devotion avowed And unto new obedience are bowed Nor doth our lib'rall Lord us quite deprive Of recreations whilst we warily live And. True this the mind of many is indeed But may noâ— us discourage to proceed The kindnesse of our King doth us constrain To seek his glory and your sp'rituall gain Daily and dolefull proof doth witnesse well Our weaknesse and we may much folly feel Possesse our hearts for when we tempted be Surpris'd we are and can it not foresee Many affected seem and make a show To follow us that back again do go The cunning Serpent sleeps not but by flight Knows how to enter our corruption right Can give it life and then a bait most sweet Prepared for our pleasure we shall meet Colour'd with recreations in the name Of lawfull liberties to save the blame This I may say and can it now avow We doing are our selves for to undo All that we can But when we are intent The sacred Mysteries for to frequent Advancing still in faith our selves forsaking Tending our King and his sweet Crosse up-taking And who is he that doth aright detest Himself and on his Lovers favour feast And is not this poor ignorance engrain When recreations we prefer profane Which profite not nor pleasure but do perish Before the fruit appear from-out the flourish Whereas if we ev'n here in our traversings Had with our King constant and clean conversings Then should our tasting smelling hearing seeing Render a relish unto all admiring When in the galâ—ies he himself were shewing Feed on his face enliv'ning grace renewing And when he doth himself again retreat We have his Word and Works for to repeat Where from the least most common that is nam'd Most wondrous wayes of wisdom are proclaim'd And if these marvels we did rightly see Then recreated should we fully be Above what all created comforts can Confer upon the sp'rituall-graced man Ye know tho we translated be to light Yet all of us our nat'rall temper right Retain so as a stronger potion will Some person save which would another kill So with the gracious we do still consent In sowing seeds of sp'rituall nourishment But then the sturdy ground must break and bruise So as the season may the seed infuse An. We know your meaning unto us is good And better seen it is then understood Out of zeal in every thing you are From self-experience bidding us beware And in this present purpose to proceed It seems that this discourse may be apply'd For we of severall ranks degrees professions Presented have our case and our confessions And as there be of sev'rall persons here So do our tryals diversly appear And doubtlesse what would helpfull be to some Should most untimous to another come You see it so not one of us doth find What bands in bondage doth this dam'sell bind So sure there doth concur as seems to me Some other grounds of this varietie Of exercise unto us incident Who all are sprung from one root and discent Such as to our effectuall calling may Refer or to the maner time or way Gris Certain if we exactly ponder would All that upon our nature and this mould Had influence it verily should prove Our feeble frail conceptions far above We in the generall jointly do confesse
this distressed Maid Is tainted with the things that we have said Or that such guilt so grosse could find a place For to obscure such gravity and grace But we by bitter proof have truly proved Matter in us remaining unremoved Which can such motions bring unto respect When on these painted Portraicts we reflect That are suggested by the serpent slie Or by the sense sent to the phantasie But though we cannot shun we see the craft And Arrows keen he doth against us shaft Armour of proof we stand in and resist The sharpest dart he at our heart can thrust The fairest Idol that he can invent The sweetest Apple that he can present And when we sleeping be surpriz'd and foyl'd And ere we be aware betray'd and spoyl'd Our Captain sees and cannot long refrain Us to relieve and set us right again So as to him we do more closely cleave And watchfull walk for all the time we live This subtile hunter he is ever spying Where we be weakest and is ever trying By all means set to make us swell or swither The spunk of life by spouts of hell to smother This impure sp'rit prince of the air doth carry Into the brain many vain vapours aery Which the affections surely should infect If timously we did them not detect But if this airt the carnall part incline To blink asquint when he doth Saint-like shine Then are we over-clouded and we know Our Jealous Lover must us then reprove For he corrivall never could indure But sealed for himself will have us sure Since all that we can wish conjoyn'd in one Of blesse combined is in him alone And we convinced be abundantly Of love-obligements unto loyalty And when he sees us truly humbled much Under these trials which the heart doth touch Then in his tendernesse to us doth turn With comforts as we in his absence mourn Thus when we stand or fight or faint or fall He is so near that we are saved all This love above all finite reach ascending Unalterable and so condescending That even when we are secluded sore We oblidg'd be for to believe the more For if we were not so rebuked then Carelesse we should become like carnall men These are the flames this is that force of love Floods cannot quench might slight cannot remove This is our King our Sunne our Shield our Friend Who by his blood hes us to him combin'd Whose splendent rayes full fraught with vertue shall From this grosse drosse affections pure exhale And fix within that element of love Where our delights alone on him may move Gris Much graced Matron your discourse devote Much verity and charity doth note Ye who above us do so far resort Can best discern these Arrows to retort That from the prince of darknesse darted still Within the dark for to infest the will Your charity grave Matron most agrees With rich experience and with cleared eyes The mystery of mercy you have seen Melted in love and moulded have you been So as no evill you can think or wrest To worst but all interprete to the best But many novices come to this place Who tasted have and do belong to grace Are often on extreams as they abound In feelings or are under absence drown'd And in their halâ—y on dayes will not allow Esteem to any that be them below As little for themselves do they preserve When under darknesse drouping they do starve And we be ever checking those mistakes But self-conceit obdurate many makes Till they be tortur'd under many tryals And taught to live by faith in self-denyals But for the number wherewith we must meet Not possible it is for to repeat Some hes been spoken to by our dear friends Both from intention purpose good and ends And suffer me as yet to signifie Of these our travels the necessitie As by this simile we 'll better see If we dissect our own Anatomie The matter composition and the Art Of Heav'n admirable in ev'ry part Flesh blood bones nerves veins arteries sustaining Humours hot cold moist dry and mixt containing Seat and assistance offices and ends Each other serving none another offends And all disperst through all this fabrick rare By instruments above a thousand pair From top to toe by searching we may see No lesse then wonders in variety The very head a magazin is made Of marvells most magnificent and dread And whoso should down to the foot descend And on the parts therein contained spend Some space in every place they should perceive Hundreds which wonders were for to conceive And every one that charge for to fulfill Appointed by the glorious Makers will As by pre-ordination God doth give These souls immortall whereby we do live Ye likewise see that all these parts and pow'rs Composed in this little world of ours And animated by this living breath Lyes dwining now under the sting of death And that through this defiled body spreads These soul-preserving now life-poys'ning threeds For as the body doth in part defect Then can the soul thereby work no effect Ye likewise see the soul cannot be seen Which in the body hath infused been That both might be an instrument to raise The Authors greatnesse and his goodnesse praise And for this end endow'd above conceiving With large capacities fit for receiving All that our Maker shall reveal to make Us see him and his service undertake So as her gifts in such excellencies In number worth and great varieties Exceeds what e're be said of bodies may As doth the breath of God excell this clay Not only ample simple pure capacious But also subtile pregnant and sagacious To dyve to search to soar and never cease Untill she do her Author once imbrace In whom she shall far far above desiring Be fed with wonders unto all admiring But now in all her parts so far depraved By listing to her lust and so beslaved That when she 's taught and rescu'd yet again Constant she cannot in her course remain But steps aside and doth her self deprive Of these revivings that should her enlive And as it is most strange aright to see These contraries corporeall to agree This structure of the body to maintain Untill it must turn to the dust again Albeit some interruptions often make The soul in all her agitations slack But how much more incomparable ye know Were it to keep in frame These fancies move In our light minds imaginations vain From which the carnall part cannot refrain Which most doth mar that special consolation We should enjoy by sp'rituall contemplation By dyving in these mysteries divine Wherein the glory of our King doth shine And whereby we are by his light delighted Untill by this his grace we be perfected But when his Spirit to prevent our swelling Or from the vapors of that venom dwelling In us obstructed is who then oh who So over-clouded can but sadly go For he 's the soul by which the soul doth live Ev'n as the soul the body keeps alive
cleft To send a death-bound soul a quickning lift And when our Sun seems be eclipsed far Faith playes her course by the least twinkling star The Wran may flighter on this oceans brim The Dolphine dyve the Elephant may swim For loves sweet sympathies consist in looks Blinks smiles and smells whereby the Lover hooks The loved and the loved thence again From passion strong cannot it self refrain Let this suffice and ere we do remove We 'll consolate this Lady sick of love Her Lover shall ere it be long be sure Shine on her soul and so her peace procure For she in child-birth of fair grace doth ly Let us some cordials for her pangs apply And now speak damesell and let us hear What fruit from our endeavours doth appear Hele. Now am I so o'recome constrain'd to note Your travels for my well have been devote For ev'ry parcell of your free confessions Renews the sense to me of like transgressions But now in speciall you have specified Some errors that I would were rectified And all that ye have said I must confesse For every word my grief may well increase When I look up what my most Princely Love Before he brought me here made me to prove And likewise also since he brought me here What kingly bounty daily doth appear Freely bestow'd upon a fondling poor Whose worth could never thing but wrath procure And now I am convinc'd for I have prov'd That with such fervent love he hath me lov'd That for my frailties and infirmnesse great His grace and mercy he would not retreat Or that his bowels which for me were moved By this my stumbling should have been removed But this rich bounty and this love divine I lost and am deserv'dly left to dwine And pine away in sp'rituall poverty For pride of sp'rit unseen takes root in me Which now I find the cause of all my anguish Wherein I do consume away and languish Nor should I yet have seen this vain conceit But by the fruit of that vile root of late For I did suffer my fond heart to think That I was setled so I could not sink And that by grace receiv'd I could sustain Till from this tent translated I had been I doated on his gifts did not adore Himself of whom I did enjoy that store The idol of the heart was set in place Above the Author of my grace and peace And now therefore of force confesse I must His judgements are both righteous and just For grace abus'd thus gracelesse here to ly In place of peace in deep perplexity Sam. And art thou past recov'ry can'st thou say Is there no ground of hope whereon to stay Or art thou so vain-gloriously affected Ev'n when that seed of Satan is dissected Hele. No but I am therewith infected sore That seperate I cannot any more Therefrom then from my self for it 's become Deaf to rebuke and to defence but dumb Sam. Dost thou not know for this is still confesâ— Remnants in us remain undispossest Of much perversity which all our life To purge will keep us in continuall strife Hele. And I immunity do not indeed From provocation or correction plead But this a sprig so privily doth sprout And with the root and fruit of grace break out So sp'ritually and so commixt convoy'd Untill it get the life of grace destroy'd Ev'n as these sp'rits whereby we be enliv'd By veins and arteries the blood deriv'd Out from the heart the body to maintain Unknown contains therewith the bodies bain For what I do or what I do endure Progresse in grace to make or growth procure In mortifying self self to reform This venom unawars doth all deform I cannot speak a word by rule of reason Nor think nor act religiously in season But this vile poyson of spirituall pride Doth sliely in the heart deceitfull slide This is the thing our King could not endure In Angels for by pride they fell impure What may I then base wretch impure expect Who on some drams of grace receiv'd reflect I am as if of grace a treasure sure In store I could at my command procure Whereas my conscience shewes that I am stain'd With all that justly may make me disdain'd And that which might this mighty monster check His subtilty perverse detect and break But with this tincture now I am so tainted And throughly as I were therein indented Which when I see and am ashamed sore Haughty hereof I do become the more Sam. And what but grace in this most fearfull sight Could thee sustain against the Serpents slight Whereby thou formerly hes still prevailed ' Gainst all the policie he hes assailed Hele. The flesh and sp'rit defil'd with thoughts impure Which carnall hearts do unto lusts allure I see and do gainstand by grace but this Bred up with grace grace to displace it is And cannot pitch but on the print of grace Sincerity of grace for to deface Sam. How then is this thou can so moved be Since grace thou does confesse remains in thee Whereon this witch doth fix and keep thee waking And cast thee over in this fever quaking Consider when a King provok'd hes been By his own Son by many pranks obscene Should give commands in bands to make him ly In prison dark to humble him thereby And yet indulgently again relent To try if he his folly would repent Give orders for his further liberty Out of the prison dark to set him free And yet this ranting child should still remain So sensless as to think he could retain This life of freedom and abused light By his own industry or naturall right Were it not then convenient for to cast Him in the darkest pit in fetters fast Till he by pain and pinching hunger there Were taught of vain conceits for to despair Doth this comparison thy pallat please Can'st thou apply it to thy own disease And if thou can then shall it truely prove The strong effects of a Parentall love Hele. Nothing in nature can decipher more The case and cause of my distractions sore But naturall causes have a naturall cure Yet who a wounded spirit can endure How far the heavens above the earth doth bend Spirituall things our naturall thoughts transcend My Princely Parent penetrats the sp'rit And loves the single humble heart contrite He He alone with searching piercing eyes This privy pride and arrogancie sees And cannot passe't for it doth derogate Most from His dispensations intimate Hereby in bondage I indure these stounds These hellish torments and these deadly wounds Of conscience wherein I to death am bleeding Forc't by the folly of this fancie feeding Sam. I would have thought thou shouldst preferred far Thy Lovers wisdom and affections were All similies before could be devis'd By any finite creature or advis'd Thou by his secret censures sees he sees The deepest of these damned subtilties And throws thee under bondage till thou be Taught how to guard against this devilry Now then consider him who sees
Our glorious King eternall only wise Incomprehensible all things contains Who never doth the heart contrite despise But by His Sp'rit the broken sp'rit maintains By worlds of men thy will fulfilled be Through all the earth and let thy glory shine Jehovah high in Heav'n eternally And all the Elect to thy praise incline SONG II. A Song of triumph Rev. 15.3 4. Great And Marvelous Are Thy Works Lord God Almighty Just And True Are Thy Wayes Thou King Of Saints Who Shall Not Fear Thee O Lord And Glorify Thy Name For Thou Only Art Holy For All Nations Shall Come And Worship Before Thee For Thy judgements Are Made manifest GReat greatness doth unto our God belong And Majesty to be ador'd alone Marvelous and admir'd thy Saints among Are thy decrees eternall every one Thy works within thy Sanctuary are seen Works full of wonder thou to light hast broght Lord Lord thy purposes are pure and clean God only God that thou in us hast wrought Almighty might all finite light transcending Just justice uncontroll'd in wisdome right And righteousnesse in all thy acts extending True God of truth conjoin'd with glorious might Are not the Hosts of heav'n our heav'nly King Thy Mercy Justice Statutes truth desiring Wayes Wisdome works to see and seeing sing Thou King of Saints thy Majesty admiring King King of Kings before whose glorious face Of glory Kings created Crowns cast down Saints seperate and sanctified by grace Who thee imbrace thy praises shall resound Shall not the Nations thy great Name regard Not thee by whom their beings only be Fear thee who for thy people hast prepar'd The consolations of eternity O thou who doth so far our faith exceed Lord lead us to thy truth thereto to cleave And firmly fix our eyes on thee to feed Glorify thy Name in us us Lord revive Thy name is like to oyntments only sweet Name O ye Nations His dread Name with fear For He in all perfections is compleat Thou seest Him past comparison appear Only thy self Self-soveraignity Art thou incomprehensible alone Holy immense adored Majesty For thou art glorious Heavens and earth upon All only All in all thy Name is seen Nations in thy Salvation shall rejoyce Shall not the captives that deliver'd been Come and upon thy grace and peace repose And who will not unto thy greatnesse still Worship and homage do with heart sincere Before the Throne in ardency of will The Saints among when there they shall appear For now the wisdom of thy wise decrees Thy judgments deep and so divine so cleared Are to the sense of every eye that sees Made manifest and ever are admired A Harmonious Consort in a Song of Praise SONG III. Part. 3. THrones and dominions now adore This deep profound abysse before Of Wisdome and of knowledge high Shining in just mercy free Flowing from that fountain love That both the head and members move And made the dying head to live And all the members dead revive The mights and slights did him defy Below His feet down thrown do ly They bruis'd His heel but from His hand Now must they feel an iron brand Which breaks the necks of all His foes And makes the Hosts of Heaven rejoice For now our Glorious Head doth render To God the Kingdome and doth tender Himself unto His Spouse redeemed And members so by Him esteemed That so His long desires that day For evermore enjoy He may And they refyned and inflamed With sacred fires and so reframed Which the most glorious Head inspires And Members glorified admires The Universall Heavens filled With all this influence instilled By our victorious King alone Christ mysticall God-Man in One Whose generations account Who can which doth so far surmount All rationall mens conceiving Believing all poor sp'rits perceiving But O! admired doth invite Finite unite with infinite And in their stations sp'ritualized And gradation authorized Cordially with all consents Above the Orbs and Elements The Region of the fire and air Adoring be Echo Beware Now spare Till there you do approach and then Let Angels and immortall Men Like Stars resplendent shining sing Praise to their Author Spouse and King Do not I pray thee so inhibite For we cannot be prohibite To conceal that grace that glory That in this very middle story We do enjoy by faith and hope Which giveth latitude and scope With much alacrity to sing And when we be eclips'd to bring Unto the Altar timous tears And bemoan our faithlesse fears For He is firm who us affects And cannot fail who us protects And there shall in the darkest night Arise for us a glorious light And in the deepest deadly hell The Balme of Paradise shall smell Which shall increase of grace procure And shall our souls in peace secure Then do us not discharge to sing Praise to our Royall Spouse and King Sing on but in sobriety Beware of soaring too too high Flight'ring above the lofty line Where Love resides and doth refine Affections to incline aright To live by faith untill we come to sight The second Part of the third SONG THen by this liberty to sing Of our most Royall Spouse and King whose Love doth us allure His Deity in glory we Tri-unity adoring be our comforts to secure There unapproachable He is In all eternity of blesse above our feelings far For at the word of His command All things appeared where they stand from nothing as they are We do these wonders all believe And that He hes come to relieve us who did so disdain To do His wil and hear His voice But wilfully made wofull choise to sin which hes us slain Here is the Text here is the Theam Here is the Fountain here the Stream whence all our comforts spring Here all the Angels ever dive Hence all the Saints their life derive here doth our glory sing His power experimentally By working in us mightily we know do and believe For we in ignorance were born And in the bands of death forlorn till He did us receive Who can His wisdome but adore And providence so much the more as we are ever seeing From wonderfull varieties And seeming contrarieties harmonious agreeing Him in His truth we worship must He being only worthy trust as we do daily try Far far above our weak believing In every strait He is relieving as we His word apply His knowledge whose all-seeing eye All things that are were or shal be are ever straight before All persons places cases right Divinely ordered in His sight which Angels do adore And O! how righteously our King Doth to the rule of justice bring and equally compose Above our weak capacity Unmov'd by partiality alike to friends and foes His pittying mercy we admire Whereby He doth our miseries clear and leads us to be cur'd Who in our blood were lying blind That we our light and life may find by Him for us procur'd In these excellencies our King Does shine we Him injoy and sing but O!
the naturall man by natures light Convinced be but never see aright Till by the Holy Ghost he be renewed And in the heart by speciall grace indued And led unto the new and living way Where closing with his Saviour he may Discern from whence these waters spring that flow And make the barren fruitfull ground to grow Come then incline divine assistance can From nature thee renew a spâ—ritual man Aright to see His condescensions Applying by firm apprehensions Him shining clear in His Anointed Who is for thy approach appointed For He unmov'd all motions moves Which minutly His praises proves Extracting from most clear distractions A cluster sweet of solide actions For all that is was or shall be Is His eternall wise decree Whose high designs ador'd as His duration Admits no parallel or alteration Whom we in Christ our Saviour sweet must see Imbrace enjoy or die eternally But come and do not in your dreg remain Take up the Book and read and read again A serious Survey of this journey take This Child of Grace through all his tryals tract Here shalt thou see an unseen strength sustain The weakest that hath at the battel been And wisdome shining in the most unwise Might make affections in a rapt to rise Which in the Babe new born again doth grow Whereby he doth in Songs of Praises flow A Garden here with arbors for reposing A Jewel clear the ground of all rejoycing A Fountain whence waters of life do spring A Mountain thence thou may'st with safety sing A Spirit here perceive our sp'rits inspires With sighs and groans and answers such desires Come then in faith and as thou seeks receive Light life relief from darknesse grief and grave In brief behold these whole assertions here By proof from truth believed made appear And He above believing shall convoy Thee with Himself Himself for to enjoy Himself who is thy Potent Prince Victorious Light Life Delight and Lover only Glorious Come then attend His call and humbly say Come Lord thy servant hears and shall obey A SURVEY Of the FIRST and SECOND DEATH Closing with a SEPARATION-KISSE Betwixt two intimate FRIENDS The SOVL and BODY By way of DIALOGUE betwixt NATURE and GRACE Under the Names of FLESH and SPIRIT Heb. 9.27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die but after this the judgement Ephes 2.1 And you hath he quickned who were dead in sins and trespasses 1. THE body of man is of the earth naturall earthy 2. The soul of man is of a spirituall nature spirituall 3. The two joyned together in the time of life make up a person 4. The separation of the soul from the body is the naturall death of the person 5. The separation of Gods favourable Presence by His Spirit from the soul is the spirituall death of the person 6. All the Off-spring of the first man by his apostasie and disobedience are deservedly deprived of Gods favourable Presence by his spirit so come to the world dead in sins and trespasses 7. All these the naturall Off-spring of the first man that be left in this forlorn condition living and dying in this darknesse and ignorance of God and do never attain unto the first resurrection do ly under the first and be lyable unto the second death at the last day 8. The Elect and Chosen of God be by His free grace in a time of love called and by the effectuall working of His Spirit moved to believe His word and to joine with Jesus Christ for Salvation By whom neverthelesse that they be spiritually dead in sins and trespasses they are by His Spirit quickned to see and serve the living God dying unto sin and living unto righteousness and thereby made partakers of the first resurrection Against whom the second death at the generall resurrection shall have no place 9. To be spiritually-dead the mere naturall man knows not nor by reason of his atheism can know till the second death sieze upon him first at the seperation of the soul and body and secondly again at the resurrection and judgment 10. The Believer knows by woefull proof what it is to be spiritually dead by the dead works wherein they have walked before they knew themselves under darknesse 11. The Believer knows likewise what the second death means by being sometimes from provocation and sometimes from tryall deserted and often kept at distance and of such continuance as hath been both a hell of torments and hes bred fearfull anxiety and knows also and believes the Scripture-descriptions of the eternall torments never dying death and dolour that the wicked atheist must endure and perish under everlastingly As also by being condemned in themselves and saved by the Lord they know what it is to be absolved from that dreadfull condemnation 12. As to the dissolution of the body albeit it be a beginning of the second death to the wicked as it is a preparation to the second resurrection of the Godly whose souls are then feasting upon their Saviour His Face in Paradice It may be more properly named a Sleep as it is often in Scripture especially seeing the soul hes had her night of partiall separation in the body suppose but short in comparison of time yet under many sufferings whereas the bodies night in its element is free of trouble and for the length of time it is to rest there under darknesse It is not considerable in respect of the splendor of that day of eternal glory which is at the out-breaking And seeing it is with this temporall death of the bodie that the Believer hes only adoe let us look a little more particularly upon it and specially as it concerns the Believer It is appointed for all men to die naturall death being the separation of the soul from the body is rightly named unto mere naturall man the King of terrours A metaphor from a King or Tyrant who is unresistable for power unsatiable and unexorable for cruelty undefatigable for persistence furnisht with all manner of forces for execution in all places at all times through all the Continent where any of the sons of men takes life attending them constantly till every one of them fall under the fatall and finall stroak And there is nothing created in this Universe whether from within us or from without us from the furthest remote of the Stars to the least pile of grasse or pickle of dust which were all created for our good but hath been or may be the occasion of this dissolution As also by what means amongst so many and at what time so uncertain unto any that it is a wonder that the rationall creatures who knows themselves subject to it can think of it without terrour and most terrible that the most of men are over-turned before they think seriously of it But here appears the greatest wonder that ever any of the blind-born deservedly forsaken and self-lost generation of apostate man should come to know any more hereof then
The Heav'nly Manna and thereon have feasted And at the fountain have refreshed been Therein revived and returned clean And that when slumbring I began to swell I have been left in darknesse for to dwell Untill it pleas'd my King who knows my pain For my relief me to revive again I likewise do confesse what ye have said In ref'rence unto provocations made Which have recited been by severall here And pertinently made for to appear From sound experience much diversity And nearest numberlesse variety That with the like I have been led astray And drawn upon my self a cloudy day The crosse did with corruption so increase I forc'd have been my folly to confesse For I might read in every severall rod Real offences against a righteous God Who yet from wretched me did not remove His tender mercy faithfulnesse and love For in his coming I might daily see His goings were for wak'nings unto me Again I shall not take unto denyals But that I have acquainted been with tryals From all the Fiends and their infernall states Where I have often felt and dealt debates His brood within his instruments without Inviron and invest me round about And yet from all their cruelty and spight Have been preserv'd from that malicious might And where they had permission to perplex Turn'd to my good and them the more may vex And as this is by you my friends affirmed Is likewise now by me again confirmed But not the lesse â—lace that I can say I have no benefite thereby this day You have been arguing long and I replying Contending much and many things denying Wherein convinc'd that ye the right maintain Yet know ye not what sorrows I sustain For I had never darknesse known aright If once I had not seen the shining light Nor what it were to be beslav'd with devils If of their seed I had not seen the evils Nor what deliv'rance or defence could mean If fearfull danger were not something seen But while so many eminent I see For light and life inlargement liberty Forsaken and before the tryall fail How can I then presume for to prevail Who now so long so fearfully do ly Without relief or hope of remedy If ye my dolours knew ye would deplore That wofull anguish and vexation sore That I am wrangled with and wrapped in When terrours of the second death begin Of outward suffering I make no acount Although they do ye know too much amount A raging devil in the wicked reeling Venting their venom with villanous reviling Professed friends do privily supplant The most engaged in their ranting taunt And being held in fetters raging roar Because they cannot reach for to devour My person means profession and my name To burie in the dust of death they dream But when the prince of darknesse doth begin This dark and dozned heart again within To raise his works and to enlive his brood What can I men lesse then lost wretch conclude And more this tyrant hath attain'd the leading Of my affections ev'n while I am pleading Against his faunings and his flatt'ring baits Whereby I dragged am in dang'rous straits And cannot stint because I have no strength Nor hope to be relieved at the length For this I sigh for this I weep and mourn For this my bowels in my belly turn For this I seperate my self alone For this my blood and moisture both are gone Because the Comforter that can relieve My heart no answer for my grief doth give But in this desp'rate case at distance keep While all these serpents do about me sweep With open jaws sharp claws and cruell sting Trusting to sink and swallow quick they sing Sam. Well I perceive you have at length been plain Yet all doth turn unto one thing again Except some aggravation of the space The measure and ingredients in the case This closse eclipse with storms of flying fire Darknesse and thundring bolts of dreadfull ire From devils and from every instrument They could devise to work they detriment And then least for thy self to stand and fight So far above thy cunning and thy might Partly because that thou hes known them fall Compar'd with thee a shrub were cedars tall But yet look over thine accounts and cast Thou may come to a reckoning right at last These persons eminent at first did yeeld They never try'd the fight upon thee field And look again aright and thou shalt see Such as thy self triumph in victory Who in the fight by slight have oft been foil'd And yet by strength renew'd the spoiler spoild Consider also if thou couldst have stood Before old Belial and his brutish brood If they were not by chains of strength restrain'd And thou to use thy armes aright were train'd The measure and the space which most doth move thee Is the appointment of thy Prince to prove thee That thou may taste His power in preserving Under thy want and weaknesse of deserving Do no more plague thy self with this debate Against this blessed and believing state A fixed faith all slavish fear removes And in its orbe unto the Author moves For measure time and means simplie surrender Thy self to Him He is wise kind and tender Whereof much rich experience thou abuses And for tranquillity this torment chuses Wherein be sure thou shalt be tortured till Thou do submit sincerly to His will Hele. Now do I well perceive by your discourse I have not soundly looked to the sourse Of dispensations as I might have seen A secret providence did me sustain Ev'n in these darkest dayes and dangers dread Which all my torture and my torment breed For if I had then had I never thought These fiery-brands that my vexation wrought Had loosed been but were in fetters ty'd And suff'red but to bark till I were try'd I likewise see as you have said that such Who in a flourish hes professed much The field did never by confession face But turn'd in searching tryals with disgrace And for the measure and the space I know It 's good for me so to be keped low I suffered was many essayes to take Which weigh'd aright might many humble make And upon me there lyes unto believing More real bands then upon any living And now that I should limit him doth wound Me most to whom I am so deeply bound And that I have so wilfully resisted The sp'rit whereby you have with me insisted For I have doing been what in me lay My soul unto the murderer to betray But now my Saviour worthily shall have His will for He I see will me but save And here I do acknowledge my mistakes And that my diffidence the dottage makes Bemisted in the mud so have I been And so gainsaid what I have felt and seen The truth of all that ye have now exprest Is clear to me and so by me confest For He my Lover is not only wise And strong and fair and lovely in mine eyes But He is wisdom beauty might and love Where all