hither that holy holy holy I am a man c. Hither that behaviour of the foure and twenty Elders that on the contemplation of the excellencies of God threw downe their crownes their excellencies at his feete as being nothing but what they had of Him in Him for Him But life would faile mee in referring zeale and constancie c. and all other graces hither in what dependancie relation they stood to one another Sinne being like so much muck and dung on the fire of zeale the more unmixt the more intent c. The feare of the Lord being a cleant feare and abiding for ever make me sound in thy statutes and steadfast in thy Covenant The inheritance undefiled that fadeth not away 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 how that the purer the thing is the more free from corruption heterogeneousnesse the more stable firme durable it is so the body so the soule But now we know this puritie this sinceritie is by this discovery therefore this constancy this zeale c. And hither that the things that are seene are temporall but the things that are not seene are eternall The things that are not seene being rare pure holy simple c. and therefore free from corruption and therefore from alteration from decay But into what a blessed maze and gladly involving labarinth hast thou wound thy selfe O my soule And sha't thou be so unhappy ever to finde the way out againe Is it not good for us ever to wander here in these paths of pleasure and walkes of delight Can there be any thing that can steale away the heart so surrounded with such glories such loves But art thou not to thy selfe but to thy God and doth he call thee to workes of an inferiour nature Still worke and wonder worke and love worke and blesse still keepe thy ground thy God who is the God of the vallies as well as of the mountaines And still while thou art walking with him thorough a diverse path loose thy selfe in him who shall shortly with all them that in truth have knowne his name be ever lost in the blessed contemplation of the wonderfull contrivances of the eternall wisedome When there shall be no more eating and drinking no more sleeping and rest no more spending of spirits no more avocations from the immediate and uninterrupted continually active contemplation in that full vision of the onely blessed God and in him of all his wonderfull works When there shall be no successivenesse of plenary intuition and perfect action but still the heart that knowes-loves-obeyes him continually overpowred with the blessed vision and over-flowing in loves and sweetnesses shall be incessantly running over in heart ravishing praisings and intranced in perpetuall extasies Who is it that even now is able to conceive the heaven that is in his owne heart what then when we there see and love-and-sing-and-sing-and-love-and see eternally when we shall not onely have the spirit in us but be in be wholy in the spirit Perfused baptized overwhelmed with it Not onely see and have light joy love spirit but be In nay be spirit light joy love And now O Lord what are wee that it should be thus with us O thou life of life and being of beings thou incomprehensible God! What is it to thee that wee know thee that we love thee what pleasure hast thou in our righteousnesse or what profit it is to thee that we make our wayes perfect surely O Lord thou hast thou hast none who art so infinitely above all happie and holy none but what thou acceptest as such in him in whom thou onely art in whom we onely are well pleased In whom thou wilt welcome us with a Well done good and faithfull servant when thou shalt finde us so doing who have done nothing What are our understandingst thoughts of thee but as so many mishapen confused conceits What our appositest speeches but as so much jabbering and gibberish What our accuratest performances but as so many trifling toyes All childish childish all What are they further then they are exercises of then they are testimonies of our love the end the summe of all the Commandements Yet what too are our strongest our heart-possessingest loves but as so many fond and fleeting passions And yet thou looking on us and we on thee thorough the face of thy Christ that perspective of mutuall lustre and glory from in and for whom are all our thoughts words affections actions and ought that ought is art pleased to accept them as the thoughts as the language as the love as the life of Angells Whom thou hast made ministring spirits to thy chosen thy faithfull that wee with them and they with us preferring each other in honour might all joyntly promote the honour of our onely-honour-worthy God O the freenesse of thy grace the unfathomednesse of thy wisedome the incomprehensiblenesse of thy glory O where is the learning that hath learnt thee that would not willingly debase it selfe throw downe it selfe as the footstoole before thy Throne and the Throne of thy Christ as being nothing but what it is in raysing up the soule to a dutie-learning to an humble walking with thee that would not willingly as it were unlearne all and learne it over againe in thy Christ where are those fond and selfe-conceited Opiniasters that would not lay downe all at his feete at least meekely and selfe-suspectingly mannage their Scripture-unevidenced tenets O did we know in what a blacke cloud of ignorance wee were all involved in what a night of palpable darkenesse an epithite not unknowne to a Christian heart that cannot but be feelingly sensible of it Had our memories oftener recourse to that Originall pride that confounded the language of our minds as well as that of our tongues or thought that multiplicitie and incertainty of opinions may since purposely be permitted by the divine wisedome and gratious justice to lay us low in our owne eyes to make us out of love with our selves c. how could we then be so proud and not so so contentious Why may not all that hold the same head have the same heart why may not there be dissention without contention But every one seeke their owne and none of Christ Which true foundation or foundation of truth laine in the heart if any shall as who doth not among our gold and silver unwittingly build straw and stubble why should not we labour to purge one anothers drosse with a tender love and carefull salvation as I may say of one anothers respects content peace whom the God of love and peace hath promised to save eternally Or had we observed that it is with Christians as with the tenent and mortesse in building the condyles and concavities in the bones of the body he is that eminent at one end as it were may be defective at the other that is excellent in this may be wanting in that that so wee may fall in with joyne closer to one another in one the
spread downeward in the roote of my humble faith so much the more nourishment I draw and consequently thrive in bulke and stature towards the full measure of perfection in Christ Jesus We have according as we receive but we receive according to our humility-the hollow of the Palme the capacitie the capability of the hand of faith therefore we have according to it Againe Grace is the Indwelling of God in us and Humility the emptying and the unselfing us of our selves to live in him looke then as he comes in the very first forming of grace so we goe out and as wee goe out so he comes in with a daily and further transforming us into himselfe Or thus Christ is the patterne of Humility but in him dwelleth the fulnesse of the Godhead therefore Thc humblest man is the most gracious man Nay who 'twixt th' one and th' other difference can For indeed Grace is Humility-and Humility is Graceis godlinesse they having divers names in a divers respect Humilitie as we are made unlike to are outed of our selves Grace-and Godlinesse as made like to as Inned in our God The unselfdenying man therefore is the prond man-is the ungracious-the ungodly man Or thus God himselfe hath so humbled himselfe take upon him the forme of a servant to be God-with Phil. 2. ver 6 7. The Lord of Life hath shed blood hath been slaine and that on the Crosse for 〈◊〉 Acts 3.15 1 Cor. 11.27 In whom it is humility looke on the Earth to looke on the Heavens Psal 11 Grace then being but what a man hath of God it mâ— be but what he hath of humility The more truly then the more kindly the Sould humbled the more raised the more sublimed it is 〈◊〉 cause more filled with him who is Above all But of tâ— otherwhere God willing the Kingdome standing 〈◊〉 not overturned by these studie-disturbing Statestroying Over-looking Prides QVia des noixil en casse Et qui n'en a il s'en passe Hee that hath Nuts to h's teeth them puts Hee that hath none lets 'em alone 'S ne'r troubled about ' em Just such toyes are all the joyes This world can give and I can live As well without ' em It is not bread whereby I 'm fed I much may carve and yet may starve If Nature feed not But on the aire I can well fare If God shall make me all forsake So say they need not God is my portion all this spatious world â—S a little-tinie Nut that to me hurld â—'ve more adoe to get the Kernell forth Then all the world as but the shell is worth God 's in 't I know and God's without it too And I get him without with lesse adoe My Nuts are left I 'm off my childish stage Approach the Acme of m'eternall Age â—care f'r this ratling pleasure Counter-wealth These Hobby-horse Honours For this trumpery pelte â—arths puling sucklings stretch your throats I draw My Life fro'th ' Wisdome o' the Gospel-Law ARise my Harp my Heart is risen up Praise him hath fill'd hath overfill'd thy cup. â—rise my Heart my Harp is risen up â—raise him hath fill'd thy praise-o'rerunning cup. â—eart Harp arise mixe your melodious notes Whereon my soule my soule to him devotes â—ow praises vow thy selfe in praisefull blisse â—y Heart the Spirit my Harp the Organ is â—ay Harp and Heart and sweetly both agree 〈◊〉 Him my Life my life your Echo bee â—esse Heart Harp blesse with blest conspiracy â—y Life Earth Heaven your constant Echo be SIng pretty Bird and welcome in the Spring And mock my silence heark unthankfull soule How sweetly doth she chant it sing on sing My daintiest Bird how nimbly doth she rowle And poure out Roundelaies as if she wu'd Have all at once her concords understood Yet pretty wretch how well she keepes the time How gracefully she rests how entertaine Her Flats with Sharps how neatly doth she climbe Up note by note and run them downe againe VVith gentle breast breaths many a melting straine Harke harke unthankfull soule what still refraine Rouze up put in thou lacking in thy part Refuse so just a challenge Thou hast two Springs From Earth one Heaven another rise up my heart The winters past raine gone 't is time to sing The Flowers appeare heard is the Turtles voice The voice of thy Beloved Arise Rejoyce Up meditate his praises on thy Lute VVith a grave Higgaiion while like Seraphim Thou burst'st in t ' flams fails th' tongue 'to speak depuâ—â— Thine eyes They Let astonisht silence him Proclaime wondrous in doing in Sanctitie Glorious in praises fearefull I praise Thee Holy Holy Holy Lord God of Rest My rest yet restlesse I how faine wu'd speake But so o're powerd with dazling Light so prest VVith Humbling weight of Massie Glory breake M'imprisoning earth claime climbe my high degree Glory in its El'ment can't too heavy be O turne away thine eye No turne mine eye To a refulgent Sun whose steady view May feast upon unmixed Entitie 'S uncircumscribed and uncoulerd Hew Till * Ps 14.5 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 complectitur copiam affluentiam Fluminis Luminis cum celeritate lubentia ac pronitate Fosterus whelm'd in living floods of streaming beames I rise far far above these dunghill-steames To sing Blest God who to thy Pure in heart I' th' Sight of Thee all blessings dost impart LOrd I believe O help my unbeliefe My sins are great therefore my sins remit Are thy thoughts thy wayes mine To see the Chiefe Of sinners Chiefe of Saints a work befit Such free full grace O how my soule admires Rapt up in wonders lost in large desires How I expatiate in this Infinite I stretch I retch and yet still more 's before Still I put out my selfe so from Selfe quite Am drawne most happy losse to finde such store I 've lost my empty Barke * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 swift sailing come Inrich't with Glory to my Glorious Home Tosse World thy waves Heart harker for thy Earth Blow Divle thy blasts He he is in my Barke Shall quit me of you all Ravisht with mirth While to my Husband-Pilots Loves I harke With full assarance fleetly glide along Long longing t'sing that overlasting long Hallelujah Hallelujah But must I rest I heare A harshned touch what interchange here needs Or have I so fastidious an eare Or i' st Variety my joyings feeds But that that 's Grounded on Simplicity In Jah's the confluence of all Harmony T 'S a Princely Fabrick This. What curious rowes Of glittering windows stately Batiements How well compact proportion'd trim it showes A Master-piece of Arts imbellishments And what a bredth and length it runs as high As if it wu'd the spangled Cope outvie In lofty glory And if within you prie How neatly furnisht with rich Utensils How gorgeous deckt with broidred Tapestry What Paintings Carvings Guildings What so e're fills Th' eyes with content Yet be the Seat unsound Foundation shallow soon't salutes
the ground This Palace Thou perkt up to Heaven adorn'st Thee'n specious self-admired Parts and scorn'st Thy neighbouring Underling whose humble heart Shall raise his praise as choosing th' Better part Who deeply founded on his Rock outstands The proudest structure on the crumbling sands That over-charg'd with its owne pondeur shall With lower-shooting violences fall Intomb'd in its owne ruines ' ith'Abysse 'T wixt which and Heaven the vastest Chasma is BEE proud who can Dost constant use to bow Thy serious minde by an intentive view Of God How Great How Good Vile Sinfull thou Mercies how excellnnt and those not few God! Man Mercie Such from Such to such a man These and their Suches Weighed So Where 's the man NO All. And now what letts what 's now between Why not now joyne claspe in a mutuall close And twine in full embraces Why not lose My Name my Life in Thee so ever bee With Thee with Thee the only Heaven I 'd see No No All All be gone For I have lost have lost my selfe in One. For ever ever Lord that I may feare No more to be my self but still be here And if thy wisdome see my foolish heart Wu'd surfet on thy kisses and convert This Grace to wantonnesse shu'dst still impart Unsowred sweets yet though our lips must part But shall they part never never shall our hands Though then in Hell I be yet what withstands But I may Vault my self to Heaven on This hold Whose touch is strength whose strength is uncontrol'd I Wonder how I live I 'm but a Shade A Ghost Doe dead men eat then I 'le eat too My life is hid with Christ in God I 'm made To men a stranger to my self nor doe I know ought aft'r th'flesh live in the Spirit Survey the Glories that I Now inherit How black 's this Sun how grim a night this cleare This flearing day O what an Aegypt's here While in my Heaven-illumin'd Goshen stand I viewing the palpablely-obscured land Which did they feel it as they think they see 't How to our Dwellings wu'd they speed their feet But still the world 's the world When shall I see The Sun the Day that make these thus to mee I see else knew I not these thus wu'd see More yet more that more knowing I might be I see but oft a cloud intrudes between And make's me say 't is darknesse to have seen I see one beam through th'Cranie blear's mine eye When all are pointed there O where am I My Light shall strength my sight nay I shall be All light for as He is I shall Him see No Dark of Folly-Sin-Sorrow shall there bee VVhen I Allight Allight shall Alwaies see ACTS 10.10 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 'T Is good 't is good being Here. Shall I go downe Shall I goe eat whose stomack kindly swels VVith for by Food-indeed Shall I goe drowne My Faith in Sence Or may my spirits as well Be lost as dull'd so too the work not hast Then goe flesh goe but dip but sip but Tast Goe not unenvyed of those precious houres VVherein thou laiest me out for dead and yet Extortest more for Life where funerall flowers Are welcome sweetes But what a sad regret Comes over if not overcomes my spirit To heare them talk of straws that Thrones inherit Nay t' heare them talk like two wh'ave but one soul bound for the same Heaven-Voyage They fall foule Keep up my Faith and there the while thee feed VVhere when I am no more I food shall need Keep up my Faith and talke thee there the while Where when I am this feare shall be my Spoile Keep up my Faith and then I may goe downe And through my Crosse the better view my Crowne HOw is my soule distracted with content How full of Joyes and yet how fill'd with Griefe How well compos'd my heart and yet how rent How often straights and yet as oft reliefe Impatient of delaies I patient stay Oh come away deare Lord I 'le not away The more I have the more I still desire The more I still desire the more I have Thrice happy thirst whereby I so acquire The drinke who drinkes he never more shall crave I aske no more but this but more of this No more this th' only blisse more still there 's misse Oh could I ever dwell where I have been Or once could be where I shall ever dwell In Kedars Tents I mourne when I have seen Th' Invisible how soon my heaven to hell Is turn'd The only hell that I can see To see the face reflects no God on me Cast me into those Roomes of this great Inne Where I may heare them talke that talke of Home And when these worldlings which thee ne'r have seen Chance in my-thy appointed way to come Oh iet me be so prepossest with thee Hearing I may not heare nor seeing see When highest I arise I lowest fall And when I lowest fall I highest rise The higher my sin and shame me more appall The lower the greater's mercy in mine eyes I fall rise rise fall move but nev'r remove So stedfast am I founded on his love Mount up my spirit what not Higher yet Yet Higher Higher yet this is too low Till quite above my selfe advanc'd I get Where my New self shall me His Glory show In this third Region shall my Eagles eye Th'unclouded splendour of his face descrie Before I heard but Now I Now behold Those holy beauties that first struck me dead Those holy beauties that first did unfold The riches of my life thus thus is bred Death out of Life Life out of Death by his Light More black 's mydark mydark his Light more bright Oh how I love to love such * Desirablenesses 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Can. 5.16 Lovelinesses As Thou art Altogether how I hate My selfe I cannot love oh th'expedite distresses That my self-jealous soule doe intricate Cares Cleerings Feares Desires Zeale Indignation Revenge one smile caus'd cur'd blest perturbation By'agreeing discord how delight 's augmented By these harsh touches how well grac't the close VVith a full harmony never be repented Shall this Repentance VVhen thou dost Lord compose A heart thus broken 't is then an instrument And ne'r till then can give thine ears content For never thou pleas'd with thy self alone Break'st one in two but bring'st two hearts in one So am I whole again ' cause one with Thee So love my self ' cause Loving Lov'd of Thee O VVhat a Consort is thy Word VVhen Place falls into Place O what a Beauty is thy VVord VVhen Grace is matcht to Grace But what a What then is That Word That shews all Face to Face HOw faire a Casket is thy VVord VVhat broken sparkes it doth afford From every corner to invite My eyes to frequenter delight My eyes my wondering eyes to see Such radiant Christianity Cu'd I but sett these sparks in one VVhat floods of lustre thence were flow'n One's worth a world Heaven
night This black-Prince-ruled world but where in thine Thy Word Saints Spirit thou art pleas'd to shine My soul is dark my brightest light but dim This yet 's my joy all I have I have from Him VVith Wanes and Changes now I oft decline But in the Full shall shortly ever shine Freed from this Leasehold earth this shady night Fully possesse possessed by the Light VVhose beaming favours from his Darkelesse face Condign'd his Choice Coheires of Glorious Grace I See no light and yet so much I see As darkes all other lights I feele no love And yet so much I feele as makes me flee All other loves when other joyes can't move My heart that sad perplexities annoyes I joy this griefe and grieve all other joyes Lord art thou gone What shalt thou so be lost Thy glorious eye into this heart hath sent The spark hath took the whole an Holocaust It restlesse mounts unto its Element Fire of the Spirit it is 't will make no stay Till to the Spirit of fire't hath burnt its way Shew me the Father and it shall suffice Whom ne'r man saw and liv'd yet seen of men If death wu'd doe it 't were well for wicked eyes Nor dead nor living yet seen of men how then Dead and alive in thee and by thy Light I feed on that full satisfying sight 'T is not the predisposed Organ here That needs the Medium of a Mediator Quicks deadned eyes th'obscured Object cleares To th'lightlesse Creature the great Light Creator Here see I all I 'd have the world is want The Bed's too short the Coverings are too scant BLack thoughts as black as hell and yet more black Their paines extort their lies Not Good What lack Hast thou of all content but only this I cannot see not say Good Good He is Mad thoughts As mad as Hell and what 's more mad Then to confesse He is and yet is bad More reason 's in m'unreasonablenesse VVhen say there is no God then not confesse Him Good Him only Good O could I thinke My heart so gone in love so brought to 'th brinke Of those Celestiall Rivers thence shu'd shrink And steale me to th' infernall Lake I think VVho did so deeply of his goodnesse drink That this was in my heart my heart in Heaven Ne'r will I trust what hath me so deceiven No no nor what I say for if I doe 'T will cheat me in That Resolution too Ah Lord what wo'nt I do whom even now Thou feasted'st with the sweets of God yet how How soon my mouth was full of gaulie taste That thou shu'dst throw away the world as waste And Fire-fit refuse yet so sure combine Me in that Jesu bundle of Life with Thine Elect who'st room enough in Him for all Or might'st have kept them from their former fall Blest God! 't is therefore that I love thee so That thou these wise-hid-depths to Babes wu'dst show VVhen Fools proud wisdome scorns to stoop so low Thou nothing do'st because 't is Good 't is Good Because Thou do'st it Thy good pleasure wu'd That this be so even so be it who will Doe what They will may thank themselves for th' ill Ensu's but what Thou wu't Thy grace VVho'rt plac'd to dwell in Satans Place O love The God of glory Come Good God! in th'unclean Spirits room VVhat am I Lord And what thy whole Creation That Thou shu'dst condole VVer 't but a Man but Millions so condole As t'beare the Shame Blame Death the whole Evils of thy Sainted Rebels whom Justice judg'd meriting one doome Love Goodnesse shu'd I praise extend Unto its due I shu'd ne'r end Nor wu'd nor will but make my dayes Expire in Panegyrick laycs TEach me Thy Foolish wisdome Lord and let The blindfold world choose wiser Follies set My heart in frame to Learn-Love-Doe Thy will To feare to Think Speak Act the smallest ill Here wisdome takes beginning only Here Where feare shall teach me wisdome wisdome feare Thou art Only-Wise-Immortall God and He That 's taught of Thee but only taught is he VVhose humble feare dives in those depths too deep For haughty Ignorance Sleep fondlings sleep And hug your dreames of wit but when you wake You 'le dearely rue your obstinate mistake HOw pleasantly I weare away my dayes I' th' sence o'renewed strength My strength decaies And rises by his ruines I melt away How sweetly melt still drop proud flesh defray Your marrow to maintain these flames still burne Ble'st spirit burne me all to fire turne Thoughts will prey on my spirits life will away Then live my sprightfull thoughts on your decay Life Life of Lives 'T is only Then I Live VVhen ready stand prepar'd with Joy to give Up my Accompt and speed me to that day That gives me Life Indeed because for Aye O When shall I put off these fleshly Clothes And in my Earthy Bed take sweet repose Untill that Morning come that Holy day In holy Pleasures I shall ever Play On well tun'd Heart that Heart inamouring ditty That is the Consort of that Heavenly Citie Even so Lord Jesus Come when breakes the day Show's us Thy face the shadow 's flowne away Even so Lord Jesus Come when breakes the day Amen Amen the Bride and Spirit say I Come I Come so come that we may come Riding o' th' Cloudes unto our Fathers Home MElt in thy Fire my Earth blest Spirit blow M'into a Glasse through whose transparent pores My radiant streames of holy luster flow Into my light-enliv'ned soule now poares On those dim glimmerings thorough this darksom dust Yet more ob scured by th'False-lights of Lusts More then more strong be those thy glorious rayes To lift my heart up to thy heavenly wayes Till thou shalt spiritualize my very flesh And make my glorious body see no lesse I Cannot hold so full so full of Thee Sweet Father help the more 's the Revelation Of Truth the more th'more strong the test'mony Of love the more th'more strong is the temptation My Love burnes still and from that fire comes light Restores the day unto my darkest Night For still I say I know I 'm ignorant And very bad but Thou art Wise and Good I can't but love Thee Thy Love-Letter I can't But I must reade thus Truth is understood Receiv'd with love without delusion so By knowing I learn to Love by loving Know. A holy Life 's the clearest Commentary I finde o' th' sacred Text the Spirit 's actuall Interpretation 'T unites what seemes contrary Parts One in Two show's how 't is it doth call Griefe joyfull faithfull feare lofty humblenesse Destinguisheth of Prayer Faith show's who confesse Who makes the Word a Lanthorn to his feet God to his pathes to mak 't a Light think 's meet HOw giddy I am with viewing the Sea I 'd know Why Thou't so ebb to some to some so flow Why this man 's left the other Love doth take But woe t' him dares debate with h's Maker make O
Majesty Still 's heard in 's voice the Lion and the Lambe His heart still wrapt with heavenly mealody 'T is God that justifies who 's he shall damne Blest man Thus all in 's voice in 's lookes in 's heart Graces sets off compleats his better part Not that he 's wanting in humanity But that 't hath gone to Schoole to D'vinity VVhere it hath learn'd when persecutions be Exceedingly to leap for joy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not that he Loves Men so little but loves God so much Not that his griefe 's small but his joy not such Great love great joy how gratious and how wise Is our Lord God to let us s'int ' temptings fall So to commend his love his power make's prise Christ and His Christians triumph over all Thus live the just by Faith thus let me live Come Antichrists come divles I le praises give I feare not Rome nor Spain but the Armadoes The Powder plots within these n'otherwise But for to watch and fight for all h's bravadoes I know my foe 's but for my exercise Kill me he can't and if he soarely wound Sweeter 's my Gilead Balme and I more sound I le keep my ranke wherein my Lord of Hosts Hath plac'd me so I le be his Voluntary I' th' day of his Beauties Armies these unholy ghosts These Gods of flies Diables nothing care I. Waite on the Lord keep 's way thou sha't prevaile See th' wicked cut off yea the Beast his Taile Yet 't angers me to see this trompery When men must fain to goe to 'th dancing schoole To complement with heaven Did'st ever see An honour made by a Mistresse Courting foole Or heare 'em call for sides so of the rest Know one know both so 's dancing i' request The case is alter'd since I learn'd to dance And strangly too we 're growne lesse spiritfull And yet we 're taught by th'brisker spirits of France My honest English measures are too dull French Currants Spanish Pavins now they call For th' second part to th'same tune nor her's all Well be it so much money lost I le never Learne t' dance at this age specially of those Who such a one lead as I can't see how ever A man can keep his feet upright but goes Still'n danger of his neck They may for me who 'd rather Aegypt then Jerusalem see The family is a little Church they say And so 't shu'd seem here to 's but complement Religion knowes no bonds but forme Men pray twice 't may be reade indifferent well content Thus t' heare of God continually pray Who doth to heare Him see Him all the day O wher 's the man whose life hath copyed out Pauls Charity but hence the teares the feares The scourge must over-flow to fetch about Bring in our stragling hearts no mar'll there appeares Unholighosts to frighten us together Make 's know whose children we are t 's high time if ever What shall I say hast not Thou said enough To make us love thee Lord love one another I can't say more but pray make smooth things ruffe Low high straite crooked that fitted each to other We may so close be joyn'd that wee 'le first breake In flitters though part in twain be sound though weak Wher 's he hath done this more then this yet he Cries out undone He only 't is commends That Perfect Holinesse he only see That Mercie 's Rare Only he the world transcends Workes us though nought were done believes as all Is nothing in himselfe his Christ his All. O wher 's the man whose daily eager cry Is Come Lord Jesu quickly come alas Shall we be strangers will How long shall I Stand looking through the Lattice on a glasse Ne'r see thee face to face O come O VVhen Hast my beloved hast Amen Amen How long shall I thus up unto the chin I' th' Rivers of thy Right-hand pleasures stand And yet but get a sip that doth begin The thirst that doth far deeper draughts demand VVhen drink my fill when eat o' th' Tree of Life That is prepared for the Lamb his VVife Still shall I stay still when this mixon quit But th' ought'st thy generation serve though crooked Perverse Lord make me wise me fit For this thy service Since I 've undertook it My dearest surety for me undertake Forsake me not who all for thee forsake Teach me my due recesses from the throng Of streightning worldlings how to live among VVhile separate from them how to shew them heaven My self beyond the reach of their deceiving That like some Angell hovering in the aire My spirit may be the while my bodie 's here Relating th' passages of all my travels Through th' sweet Ourania crown'd with pleasant marvels That I might win their home bred hearts to try The Climates of so rare Discovery FLy up wilde Fire into the loftie Aire Burst into Starres and with thy twinckling faire Allure admiring eves make them beleeve Thou't turne the night to day ere thou wu't greeve And with thy Crackling noyse make such a thunder Thou't fright the fates themselves into a wonder E're they shall touch thee yet proud powder know Pure spirits are up when sulphury dust's below And when thy flashie lightning blazing snuffe Foole-cozening fire rob'd of its earthie stuffe Shall die in noisome stench my sunne shall shine And shew the difference of a joy divine And though the mightie rushing windes of prayer Dispell not straight th' unkinder clouds yet are They not the matter of my joy and there fore not the end yea shu'd those glimpes cease Eft soones I have yet what a blessed peace Soft rest from that still gratious influence Of warmth and life I feele my Sunne dispense Into my humbled soule Nay were these gone Gone to my sence and I desert like one Both in the darke and cold yet I le not grudge And what a sweete is meekned hope nor budge To fetch false fire and make my selfe a sparke VVhose bed of ashes is all alwayes darke Fond griefe-borne man b' aspiring pride will fall To worse and make his darke most darke of all But still I keepe my hold not loase my hand For all the comforts round about me stand To tise my gripe but I more catch my hold Where that glad safety I finde that 's uncontroul'd Of all the world and hug that joy within That by a strangers eye was never seen Nor hard remov'd that true strong sollid Faith More sweet then all the sences feasted hath Cu'd'st take a man with most delicious Cates His Palate feed and with the daintiest baites Of beauty his eyes his nostrils with the sents Of fragrant Eden Eares wi'th ' instruments O' th'rarest consorts his wantonizing flesh Wi'th ' softest dalliance yet this caitife wretch 'S but in a dreame and so too wu'd he thinke If wise who when he wakes is at the brinke Of fatall plunges But my joy is of Another kinde A generous joy and loth To borrow o' th'
Of food of friends Whose modest sharp-set eye Each corner of this feasting face doth prie And every Gospel-verset in his reach As some Grace-whelming dish doth ope and teach His neighbours eyes the shape and mouth the sweet Happy happy soules that at this banquet meet T 's a doubtfull feast indeed not only ' cause We 've all that Heaven and Earth can give but ' cause VVhen we remember whence we came poore wretches Rak'd up from dunghills drawn from under hedges Blinde lame sick naked wandring here and there Th'beaten road to death and now see where we are Translate from death to life from that dark sad Disconsolate State or which is worse those mad And desperately deluding joyes to such Incircleing reallity of blisse as much Glory as our capacity can beare Angels attend us God himselfe our cheare Our Cloathing-Light we are not able t'beare 'T but doubt we 're in a dreame and fondly feare VVe've nothing ' cause so much but th'night's far spent Th'last watch th'last houre 's nigh th'day w'll prevent's Gird up your loynes trim up your Lamps along Hast tune your hearts to th'Epithalanian song Now now we see the day no more through night Our earthy houses now so swept so cleane There 's not a dust a speck a moate to dark a beame VVhile solemnize th'Espousals of the darklesse Light VVHen wu't thou come deare Lord and shew the face Shall blemish all these splendors O the fire Burnes in this breast for an allay of Grace Of Grace that feeds not damps such blest desire Some drops of love still to increase the flame And make it beare me thither whence it came VVas'e n't a reflection from the righteous Sun VVas glanced in my heart Or was it one From that light-likened Angell Then undone I am unlesse quite out the fire be blowne By th' holy Spirit But can the devill come So drest He hath a cloven foot say some Sure this he hath he cannot humble be But he can counterfeit But hee 's so bad Hee le not seeme good for nothing now what shu d'make thee Masque thy selfe in humility who had N'advantage hence Sure 't was the native hew I 'm in a Labyrinth but where 's the clew Lord if it be of thee then let it stand If not downe downe let it for ever fall T is thee I seeke in it dost thou command Mine Isaak here t is and my selfe and all O how I joy I 've such a sacrifice Whereby my God my Love unto him tries Sure many choiser splendors have I seene Yet few so choise was it my sensuall eye I sought to please fit objects they had beene But a new eye new glories did espie Through that bright Christall a farre brighter jewell That yet into this fire cast's in fewell How how I 'm wrack't love hate desire averse Sorry rejoyce feare hope angry well pleas'd Carefull not care cannot rehearse Hope t'ought not be feare 't ought there am I eas'd Diseased here well I 'le stint the strife Nere loose my Love that lost for me his Life Lord how I love thee that thou did'st not leave Me in the creatures hand alone 't is thee Thee 't is alone to whom I wish to cleave My other wish serves this if thou do'st see It cement fit to make me closer cling To thee to me deare Lord that cement bring I dare not fetch it least that I should bring For morter slime I 'le set me downe and blesse Thy name first to thy willing of the thing Then to thy time meanes manner I 'le adresse Me my way rowle on thee delight in thee Thou't doe's I my-thy hearts desire shall see How full I am what shall I doe for vent I muse th' fire 's tin'd when will the word 's burst out They doe so crowde throng presse stop they are so pent Come loaden with such matter that I doubt I must be faine to let them all alone And in ward speake what in word can't be showne Thy mercies Lord I speake it with my heart Flow in so fast I am not able t'beare The memory of them how much lesse convert My thoughts to words yet will I have a care Both I and others both in my word and deed The thankfull memory of Thy Loves may read BLest blest be thee m' inligtning sunne For now I see I 'm but a shade Blest blest I feele my life begun For now I feele my soule Thou' rt made I am not Lord but I wu'd bee I 'de not be I but I 'de be thee Not be my owne be at thy call Wu'd nothing be wu'd ha' thee all I 'd be but feet and thou shud'st walke I 'd be but tongue and thou shu'dst talke I 'd be but eye I 'd be but eare And thou shu'dst see and thou shu'dst heare What see I heare I in this field Thou thee through me do'st heare and see VVhere goe I With whom is this talk held 'T is thou through me speak'st com'st to thee Trees birds home selfe These What 's all th' world to mee Thy Spirit through them all conveighs me Thee So I All th' world is but thy instrument In which thou sit'st a playing thy-my content Most blessed God that brought'st my minde in frame Not left'st me a set-off-discord to thy name O rub me rub me I begin to fall My What love Convulsions pull and hall M'adheringly-pursuing soule 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I 'M left behinde O for wings for strength to flie One drop One little No Cordiall left Hee No Balsome t' keep my heart uncleft E'ne gone I was but that a lightsome thought Whose season-bearing seed was deeply wrought I' th' secrets of my heart sprang up and brought Me an Idea o' th' Inlivening Tree Who stretcht it selfe beyond the farth'st degree O' th' spatious Heavens tendring me'ts healing leaves And ay-preserving fruit when my heart perceives I'ts feare-shrunck selfe with hopefull joyes inlarg'd Whereon m'officious spirits are discharg'd Unto their severall functions while the peace Past understanding thence doth re-increase My watchfull guard in heedy confidence To hold my peace in holding Peace's Prince HAppie's the man that knowes the cause of thing 's Unhappy then 's the man whom God not brings Acquainted with himselfe only happy hee Hath him his friend in whom he all doth see HOw good it is to waite on Thee Deare Good How good it is To bee Possest with that that I desire That 's not the thing that I require But to desire with what possest thou 'dst have me be that 's my request The world hath not the thing I would Till I can heare Thee say I should But still in aequilibrio stand Expecting thy scale-turning hand Not any thing till nothing will So false are th'weights of good and ill But thine are true Blest Truth O tell My heart what 's ill and what is well Till then I 'll leane th' contrary way Wish not to have 't ' cause wish I may So happily
thee t' unwrap thee o' thy misterious lawes And give thy unvailed beauties into me And take my love-inflamed heart to thee To live by faith by love that live by action And but thy pleasure what 's my satisfaction To you it is given to know the ministeries of the kingdome of Heaven And art not thou O Lord tui juris art not Thou at Thine owne disposall at whose disposall are all the things in the world mayst not thou give thy selfe to whom thou pleasest or what is Heaven but Thee or the knowledge of its mistery but the knowledge of Thee and the knowledge of Thee life eternall Thy free and gracious and therefore not worke-fore-seene gift Shalt Thou depend on the creature or that on Thee Thou on its will or it on Thine Can the humble soule say thou sawest man would be good or bad and therefore thou must needs order him to life and death and so not thy will but theirs must have the precedency the preheminency It is not safer to say that thou who art an absolute and free agent giver and disposer of thy selfe in the inhabitation of whom in the soule is Grace Glory Life eternall that thou in leaving and passing by a man hath left him as bad because not pertaking of thee the onely good or blasphemously to say thou seeing some goodnesse in man without thy selfe as it must needs be if not from thee from thy will thou seeing of him thus good of himselfe and therefore a God wouldst order him to salvation and then how can he be a God O into what absurdities into what everlasting confusions would not the mad pride of degenerate nature leade us and all for want of a true thorough sight of that infinite desparitie betweene the Creator and the creature thaâ— absolute soveraigntie that he hath over it that cleare and distinct understanding of his will its positivenesse privitivenesse activenesse permissivenesse c. it s alwayes justice holinesse goodnesse Can that soule but above all desire nay desire it as that one onely thing that it might ever dwell in the house in the presence of God to behold the beauties of his holinesse and to blesse him among his chosen and yet but say withall but if he hath no delight in me here I am let him doe to me as seemeth him good Os what is it can more assure the soule that it hath seene him that it shall ever see him as having chosen that good part that shall never be taken from it in whom alone it could learne to humble it selfe to the death in the willing fulfilling of a ready obedience to its Fathers will This is the heart that will not haste after its owne inventions but will waite upon his counsells that feareth the Lord and dwelleth in his secrets Marle not my soule If wisedome some reserved cases have For heavens Cabinet councell he shu'd save Thee never an Heaven shu'd he fully show The misteries of his state here here wee 'd know Him fully and that were heaven indeed But since Thy conversation shu'd be never thence I blame not this thy scrutinie but wu'd Thy grosse contempt if thy remissenesse shu'd Not prie fnr truth as life and that to see Sparkling i' th' loveliest resplendencie That lights our Hemisphere The soule in'ts grave That 's not abroad i' th' Light Thou't then behave Thee wisely when thy Scripture-guided eye It s ingenious boldnesse shall most humbly prie Unto the utmost bounds of modestie And there where reason failes let faith supply Till thou sha't see thy faith was rationall That skild thy will to trust Truth over all When thou sha't see all ends fall in together All knit all into one knot no time shall seaver No sooner now I 've gotten one but then The others gone and I 'm t' be gone agen Then sha't thou know as thou art knowne without Discourse at one compleat sight far from doubt Grow then in gracious knowledge now and so More Heaven in more Heaven-like manner know Thy Councels were not worthy o' Thee great God Were'nt they too deep Broad Long High f'r me to plod Them out to one full intuition nor My love so great so sweetly'd inforce m'abhor M'selfe cu'd this blest distraction comprehend Thee in my owne short armes till thou sha't send Th'inlarging Light and Truth shall end This controversie in thee my endlesse friend Now can't I bring two ends together then Two ends to bring together can't I ken Now can't I Mercy and Justice knit in one Then see it shall not need for they are one VVrapt up in one Decree how Thou't expresse Thy uniforme sweetnesse in a divers dresse Substantiall goodnesse in a various shade Compleat perfection with a Cloud ore-laid O come then come VVhen breakes the day That breakes these broken shades away The Clouds subjected under our feet Hang ore our head so may we meet And greete may wholy contemplate the face That glances here imparted grace SHall faith subscribe to sense Or sense to faith Poore faithlesse faith my eyes my head my eares My heart say they all what they will Thus saith Jehovah Speake Lord Now thy servant heares Can't I beleeve thon art I le not beleeve I am Art good N'r I bad But I both beleeve Thou art thou a Rewarder ar't of all That diligently seek thee I have sought Seek and will seek thee so I le nere lin't call By thought by word by deed till I am brought VVord otherwise by a messenger of Heaven And then I le trust but what I have receiven I Would not beleeve because I see feele heare c. but see heare c. because I beleeve not have my sense leade my faith but my faith my sense because I have a ground for it by revelation by the VVord and not so far beleeve as I finde ground from faith out of sense If I cannot believe Gods eyes I will never believe mine owne thinke all I see heare doe as a dream farther then faith goes along and assures me of it c. To receive apprehensions of things as meerely presented by the senses is no more then brutish by naturall reason no more than humane but what by supernaturall reason by faith is divine though indeed that reason be but unreasonablenesse farther then it is inlightned by this farther then it is acquainted with adheres to workes according to the will of God The heartie thorough active compleat knowledge of the Truth Now truth is as I may say of fundamentall necessitie to the constituting of a true and stable faith it being impossible that that which is founded on falsehood shud prove other then false and failing whether concerning persons or things our condition in generall or perticular acts Where the promise precept word is not taken aright the application of the soule to it must needs be amisse where the ground is mistaken the building muw needs miscarry Where that 's not sound this must sinke Loose and spongie soiles
SOLILOQVIES THEOLOGICALL I am alone and yet I am not stone for the Father is with mee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thy people shall be Munificencies free Princely Heroicalnesses thy Voluntiers in the day of thy Power thy Army in the beauties of Holinesse Psal 110. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In that day it shall be said I am for the Lord. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 They stedfastly beheld him and were abundantly enlightned Psal 34.5 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sophocles Surely men of high degree are vanity men of low degree a lie to be held in the ballance they are altogether lighter than vanity Psa 62.8 Heu quantillum videmus Nil scimus nil sumus We know we are nothing And unto man he saith Behold the feare of the Lord that is wisdome and to depart from evill is understanding Job They have rejected thy word therefore is there no wisdome in them Jer. By J. S. Gent. London Printed by G. Bishop and R. White for Tho. Vnderhill at the Bible in Woodstreete 1641. Christian Reader THou I mean who art not the nominall but the reall not the titular but the title-inlivening Christian Whose heart knowes the meaning of such a dreadfully glorious and gloriously dreadfull undertaking to be called by the name of God Thou that fearest the Lord greatly and art greatly awed at the least of his words Thou with whom the goodliest profession will passe but for a guilded formality that suffers it selfe to be wanting in morality As knowing there may be some vertues where there is no grace but there can be no grace where there is not all vertues As knowing where the choicest eminencies of nature come short their Christianity exceeds where the Moralist ends the Divine begins He that lives not soberly and righteously it is impossible he shud live godlily It is works that must justifie our faith as well as faith our works It is a Christ of our own making and not Jesus the Son of God that is learned otherwise While we think to be saved either by or without Obedience The two Rocks whereon the world is Shipwrackt while the God-instructed Christian keeps the narrow Channell Thou that makest more conscience of art more watchfull more carefull of the least ill word ill thought then the Christian at large of all the ill deeds of his whole life As far more willingly choosing the bitterest death then the sweetest sin as knowing thou shat find it the end of sin that was the beginning of death Thou that hast an abundant entrance administred to thee in that straite and narrow way to the Kingdome of Heaven That hast all the Commandements of God That keepest all his wayes in a Gospell acceptation in the uttermost latitude extent and spirituality of them to the very first rising of concupiscence and yet hast an easie yoke a pleasant burthen While thou art endeavouring all to the uttermost and utterly denying all thy endeavours Thou that art a wonder to thy selfe the gazing stock of men and Angels of the congratulating joyes of some of the calumniating envies of other while thou art so wonderfully and fearefully made A man of such blessed wonders being a part of that unparalelled Master-piece of the Eternall Wisdome the Lord Christ Thou that knowest what it is to lie under those pressing weighty and over-bearing apprehensions of an infinite Majesty resident in the soule crushing as it were and contriting it to the most disshivered minutest pieces while it is still firmly and intirely fixed on Him and with full purpose of heart cleaving to Him in such a sweet and blessed repose such a perfect peace that Millions of Millions of Worlds can neither give thee nor take from thee Who at thy worst to speak after the manner of men since all is good thy distractedst condition as the World calls it findest that reall substantiall that pure and as I may say infinite comfort in the most clouded darke dejected disconsolate hope that is objected on a simple and infinite God that all the unclean scanty-spirited self-imprisoned World cannot once conceive at the highest of their mad merriments and madding jollities That findest inexpressibly more content in the very longest waitings for any the least beam of grace to be glanced on thee through the face of thy Christ then thou canst nay then the joviallest themselves can while they goe laughing along with the foole to the stocks in the loudest blaze of their crackling their dying Thornes that end in a bed of ashes When thy soule shall be reposed in a bed of ever-flourishing soft and fragrant Roses The savour whereof as by a gentle winde from a garden of Spices is conveyed to thy Heaven-travelling soule And hence is it that all the world to thee that livest in so sweet and fresh a Countrey is but a miery and stinking City thou canst no way indure longer then thou hast a Pomander of this in thy nostrils Thou sincere single-eyed-single-hearted loyall soule whom nothing can please and who wilt please nothing but thy God That hast no affection for thy selfe for any but what are subordinate to Him his sweet and holy command As having learned the truth in the power the love the life thereof doest truth and therefore commest to it in its searchingst discoveries walkes in it rejoyces in it since thou hast known it as it is in Him who is the Way the Truth and the Life the true and living way In which never seducing path goe all thy affections actions motions As holding fast the faith and love which are in Him living godly in Him In Him doing being all that thou art Thou that art of all men most like an Hypocrite while of all thou dost most differ from him That art as like him to the eye of the world as a Diamond to a Bristoll Stone while thou differest from him toto coelo as much as truth from falsehood good from bad heaven from hell Thou that art incouraged by thy discouragements and furthered by thy scandals and hinderances of Christianity As knowing that Difficilia quae pulchra Excellent things are hard but when they meet with a man of an excellent spirit And then their very difficulties and excellencies make them easie because more animate and intend his spirit to their prosecution As knowing the truth sincerely the heart and realitie of Religion to be so much the more amiable lovely and choice-worthy by how much the more faire Commendable and admirable is its counterfeit As arguing that if Hypocrisie can make so goodly and delectable a shew and yet be but a shew what then is that sinceritie that is the substance if that can attaine to such an emminencie such a glory and yet be as blacke as Hell to the eyes of the all-discerning Sunne and inherit the place of the utmost and remotest darkenesse what then is this that differs as much from it as God from the devill Thou who knowest no readier and safer way to humilitie then that which
Earth shall passe But an Iöta shall surpasse All saw I'n that one precious stone How full-rich-pleasant Glory 's shown How I more joy my sale of all Hath got m'one Pearle is more than all O Let thy Pleasantnesses be Ps 90.17 Amoenitates Upon me Lord how I shall flie About thy businesse how I 'le fight VVith oppositions and delight My self and thee with praise in all Thus speeds the works thus on thee call And what 's the Beauty that doth so Oh who will lead me to that show And tell me yet What is my Christ In whom all Beauties are compriz'd And whence if they receive not light They 're but the devill drest in white FRowne scowling VVorld frown I deride the brow Of all thy bended powres and scorn to bow Before the kneenest shafts o' th' fatal'st look VVherewith thy worldling's in a trembling shook Still look't I for these lookes and therefore Arm'd Me with the Armour ever keeps unharm'd And for thy favours they 're beneath th'desire Of him whose Heart-and-Treasure's far far higher Here while I keep me and not walk below My selfe what petty nothings all things show At their due distance and how Vast the Glories Seen in their place and not read o're for Stories HOw vaine is restlesse man Tost too and fro with Passions hurl'd A Tennis-ball throughout the World Now on he flies straite's beaten back again On this side now now that but still in Vain How vaine is restlesse man You know not where to have him found His earthy thoughts now creep the ground Now up an hoight he flies hee 'le over all Till caught in h's net or lost in 's miring fall How how unhappie's man How far his motion from his Line His rulelesse course from what 's divine Wu'd he but leave himself in 's Saviours hand How steedy seemly sure hee 'd him command How worse then wretched man Hee 'd ne'r keep such a Racquet ne'r come neere The Hazzard cou'd he tell where Heaven were Cou'd his Experience tell 't were in his Heart And 's Heart in it 't were a mysterious Art Of Peace and Righteous joy how quicki ' hee 'd part With toilsome Mock-blisse to be truly blest Hee 'd pleasure in his Rich and Glorious Rest GOe Till the Garden man Lord I shu'd learne Thy ten Commandements the Creed thy Prayer Before the World but I have these to learne Old Childe These known then knew I Thee and were That known I knew the World and All in All I 'm short Thee first I 'le learn so All. Thou art the only Agent act'st and yet Not suffer'st by the Patient might I be More Thee then only might I be more fit To work on that that else wu'd work on me And worldly make who doe desire to make The World more godly and the World forsake While make my Calling as a Christian The soule to act my Calling as a Man GOe Molelike Christian to the Heathen Eagle Thence take instructions how to disinveagle Thy earth beclogged spirits while thou soar'st Thy stately heaven approaching flight and poar'st Thence if thou wu't poare on 't upon this so Admired nothing which if ought it show Thou't see a little-tyney Hill of petty Ants Providing for their still successive wants With crawling up and down to tug and haule O'reburdning and o'retumbling luggage crawle Never up again but here and there a few With much adoe some Portering Feather-beds Tortured with pleasures some loading of their heads With break-neck Crowns some mumbling at the Mines Of poore Peru while one or two divines The end of this confused moyle gets wings And practises to flie to Nobler things O wu'dst thou mount thee from this dungie Globe To those Celestiall Regions there inrobe Thee with thy Royall vestures tishued Gold And take the Potent Scepters uncontroul'd Thy sacred Temple 's bound wi' illustrious Gemms Adorne the endlesse Circle of the Diadems The handy work of the Eternall wrought Before the world thou'tst say the world was Nought Was worse then Nought was Naught wu'dst take The faster gripes o'th'Kingdome ne'r can shake The undefil'd Inheritance where the Pure Heavenly soule 's Inheaven'd in Purity Fond soule that ever bat'st the wing to know Again the evils of the Goods below Is Heaven beneath the Moon what do'st above But i st above what do'st thou Fondling move Thy happy station What want'st thou there unlesse Eyes to behold thy blisse and tongues to blesse Here gaze admire adore and ne'r descend Hers entertainment that hath neither end In choice nor time all Goods resolv'd into Their Simple-and-Eternall Beeing who But mad wu'd stoop to catch a fleeting shade That hath the substance that will never fade But art thou call'd away What Calling i st Whereby thy given heart may be dismist From its true Owner What Imployment i st Is' t not a God-enjoyment where Earth hath No soule but Heaven and Sence no Life but Faith No quickning Flesh but Spirit Hee 's à la mort If Christ his strengthening influence don't resort Into his Carka'st actions who what e're H's Thoughts Words Deeds do doth in as he bears His Name from His Command through His Powre for His sake from whom and thorough whom and for Whom All things are his Life doth hold him forth To th' world as th' Name the Thing its Nature's worth Thus moves in these inferiour Spheares by th'bent O'th'Highest Mover Ascends in his Descent Goe then about thy businesses but know Hee 's not about his businesse that 's below Eat sleep work ' r not still doe to be with God God cloath'd i' th' Creature and a naked God The great contrivement of a godly aime To see'im in divers shapes and still the Same God manifest i'th'Flesh is in the Flesh Immanuel mysterious godlinesse Here then 's the top of that so rare an Art T'keep th' Heart in Heaven or Heaven i' the Heart 1 TIM 4.15 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 CAn they concoct well that not use to chew Disgest that not concoct assimulate That not disgest Hence 't is so few The Word into their Soules incorporate Hence 't is ensues a prophane atrophie Or hypocriticall cacochymy I 'le meditate be wholly in this thing Or else to none'll appeare my profiting Appeare I must or cannot be must feare Must meditate lest that I but appeare INwrap thy self in meditations then Goe forth and through them Converse with men That nothing finde thee naked but s'invest With heavenly apprehensions that the least Insinuating aire of the subtle world May finde no passage nor the storme that 's hurl'd About thine eares but thou thus wholly receiven Up to thy God maist be a walking Heaven MY soule 's Opace but may it be the Moone Unto the Sun of Righteousnesse full soone I 'le then reflect upon the world those Rayes In thy waies cleare them cleare them to thy praise Cast glimpses from that glorious Orbe of Light To guide them glade them through this dismall
we ENough Lord July 1640. Mercy enough take my life from me I better than my Fathers No s'bad I 'd die Were I left only Yet were I still with Thee But I 'm so fickle s'inconstant one while I Conquer Philistims break through all but then My strength is gone and I 'm like other men 〈…〉 renew'd and now had I 〈…〉 I 'd so imploy 〈…〉 â—ation Go their 〈…〉 Exalts it self above the highest Throne And sweeps down Stars whose lustre hath outshone Their artificiall Fires and made their Light Appeare th'ditch-plunging Vapours of the Night Lull'd were wee fast asleep while they Us shave But in thy Name wee 'le valiantly behave Our selves wee 've strength an t'spare wee 'le be more be Than Conquerours yea shortly on Them see Wh'have long depriv'd us of our sight and made Us grinde the grist keeps up the Romish Trade And now wee'z make them sport but such as makes Them and their Conclave feele their Downfall shakes Down down it goes this Lordly Machination On their own Lordlesse hearts this reputation Have all His Saints let not the vision be Prolonged Lord. When when shall I once see These Cockatrices Egges These Spiders webbs Crush't and swept down This Flood even now it ebbs While't more Rebellion then the Ocean sounds That curbs its proud Waves by its Makers bounds Is'nt th'Myst'ry of Iniqu'tie's Measure found Orerunning th'brim strik 't strik 't and throw 't to th' ground O when 's That 's Shortly Thou't under our feete contrite All desperate haters of Thy holy Might SWell on proud Toad and with thy swelling burst Spit venome still I 've m'Antidote How say'st I can't indur't Nor He thee thou accur'st That blest the meek I wonder how thou pray'st Thy Will be done What Wu't th' prerogative 'S His Glory To none other will He give A Touch a Pin a Word a Look make such a brable But brought on Bed thy self-will never eas'd Gi'th'Child its will give the Fool its bable And who more pleasant The devill 's well when Hee 's pleas'd But whose of God is pleas'd when He 's not well His Will 's his Pleasure and his own 's his Hell NO feare not Thou for Thou dost Jesus seek Meek righteous soul to make thee righteous meek Feare nothing nothing else but Him who can Yet cannot ' cause he will not hurt a Man A man of God whose single watchfull eye Heart minde strength might joy time doth all imploy In all Commands with all their due extents And sweetly still the humble soule relents And drooping dropping dropping in his breast will cry Ah wretch't unprofitable servant I O blest and profitable servant Thou Rewarded with th'All powerfull God and how How canst thou feare wh'hast Him who all things made Feare not He bids then feare to be afraid Feare not the Lion but the way watch pray He 'd keep th'in his who keeps His in their way THat feare and love is good and great That Goodnesse feares and Greatnesse loves Good for a slave may feare a threat And every rascall money moves Great the greatest feare from * Miserimum est fuisse foelicem Sin-and misery is as it is to Holinesse-and Happinesse Had not they first been we had never known these It is the full and feeling apprehension of their irrecoverable losse that makes Hell Hell to the wicked And the feare of their indiscoverable obscuring that makes feare feare to the godly In this so far exceeding that of the ungodly that the feare of the one ariseth from the losse of God of the other from the losse of themselves an infinitely sweet and gratious God a poore petty contemptible worm The soule of the one widened in the great vast apprehensions of the incomprehensible simplicity of God of the other shrunk up shrivelled in the strait narrow bounds of its own welfare That being a feare of Love the workings whereof are stronger than Death this of hatred that shall be kept under the power of Eternall Death That being that which draws the soul insinitely after him bindes it indissolvably to him makes it dwell everlastingly in him who is Love all Love and in whom is no hatred at all This that which contracts it into it self in a straight and scanty compasse carries it off makes it flie and keep at a distance from him who is Heaven while they are flying from Hell There being nothing that laies a stronger ingagement on the soule than Love and therefore nothing that doth more intend and increase the affections conducible to its preservation Which did an Arminian feele he would never exclaime against free Grace and absolute Predestination as a doctrine of sinfull liberty but rather as I may call it against forc't Grace and dependant Predestination The feares cares worries of the slave and mercenary beginning and ending in himselfe he not labouring out of a single eye but as seeing the whip and lash over his head the messe of Pottage at his hand while the adopted Son that lives at his Fathers Court and is ascertained of the Inheritance can as well qua talis as such whose heart is so enlarged and carryed forth in the sence of divine joyes and loves indure any the least aberration from its Fathers good pleasure as he that hearing him bespeake him with such like kinde compellations 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 my deare my precious Son the childe of my kisses my pleasant embracings for whose trouble my bowels are troubled 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 on whom in tender mercy I will have tendes everlastingly tender mercie c. can chuse but be affected with the most quick and ready concord of bowels the most passionately stirring 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the most Son-like givings givings up of soule and consequently acted with a more than manlike feare care working to be ever ever pleasing such a Father such a God to whom he findes it so good to draw to be so neare Losse doth rise Heroicque spirits catch not flies HOw full of sweetnesse is my foule While in this boundlesse Ocean 't roules 'T selfe in concurring floods of Blisse Where meets in One what ever is O How I dread thy mercies How Imbrace thy judgements on whose brow Sits lovely Soveraignety Inthron'd in an Identity Of awfull smiles whose holy beames Influence Seas of gratefull streames Through all thy wayes whose every path A sweetly fresh occurrent hath To bath my blissefull soul sings still Jehovah is in all and till He cease to be he never will To doe Great Good nor I to fill My reverentiall heart with praises Whose welcome feare my spirit raises To such an heighth of self-contempt that all This and the world below below me fall Poore despicable spectacles to 'th soule that feares Nothing but what it Loves nor loves but what it feares Hence pedling world with all thy paltry pack Trusse up away be gone Nor have I lack What Faire foule skins full empty bags Fresh rotting
thy baite At noone and at the falling Sunne wut roule Thy wearied Limbes He that Thee did create And Re-create He shall thee recreate He feed He lodge Thee and He be thy Mate Thy Mate then like the faithfull Dove complain Watch on th' house top alone till He come back Who is not gone be all thy pleasures paine Thy Food thy Famine and thy Bed thy Wrack Till He 's all These to Thee that 's All in All No vaine no chaffie joyes thy minde forestall I can't feed on a Stone a Scorpion 'T is only Bread 't is Egge that I can eate Not on this Vanity and Vexation 'T is Angels food 't is Manna is my meate To th' poys'nous breath'd Aegyptians I resigne The Leekes and Onions the huskes unto the Swine I tell thee worldling in my meate 's such might That on one feast I forty dayes can travell Expos'd to winde and weather watch ward fight Defie the gates of Hell wu'd not this gravell Thy Earth-fed strength Keep the' an Aegyptian slave And make thee-Canaan leave to spirits more brave O how I cu'd even melt into Compassion Poure out my soule in pitty to behold Those that for godlinesse are in the fashion But for the power have they skill are they bold About them with the two edg'd Sword to play Through right left hand temptations cut their way Poore soules a taste that ne'r yet did enjoy How good is God it may be wet their Lip In a Communion Cup or like the Boy O'th'Vint'ners palates the essaying sip Commends 't for good and spurts it on the ground God in their Mouthes not in their Reines is found Poore soules that never drew their draught so deep Of this Rich Philtre that it threw their veines Into those inward hidden parts might creep There on Loves Hearth to tine the fire disdaines An Ocean which shu'd it it surprise ' Twu'd but zeales heate antiperistasize HOw oughten hath thy Servant wish'd his knees Were glu'd to 'th ground they were for did he rise The skin untorn fro'th ' flesh T 's his death who sees Such holy Beauties to divert his eyes But Thou bid'st rise Well-'t's but a turn still walk I with my God still Heare still See still Talk I turn not from but with we 've many a walk All Mercy and Truth Paths rugged lower ground Yet Could nor wrench my foot shall make to stray From Him His Angels keep me thus I found Not th' World not Hell perverts the conversation As th' heart unshoo'd with 's Gospels preparation Lord did I love Thee as I love to love Mid'st crooked Men Things can't I be upright When in afflictions waters thou dost prove My affections Sha'nt their fire increase its might But on command the world I de never touch Search me and try me if my heart been't such Wu'd I not still keep in immediate vision How ' fraid again lest Tenter-hook'd I be By mediate things lest ought should cause division Between my soul and body God and me Leade me not hence unlesse 't be in thine hand Thy Mandates Promises Promises Command I de shake off all men businesse turn Anchorite And wrap my quiet soule int's own content Hows'd from the winde and weather wu'd delight My selfe in my New World till having spent M' appointed time my wished change shu'd come And fetch me from my Cell t' my Fathers home Try Try my heart deare Lord. O where 's the man That loves his neighbour as himselfe his God Above ten thousand worlds and lives that can With filiall thankfulnesse runt ' kisse the rod And pray as heart'ly for it as his food As oft as his good Father sees it good O where 's the man that is the Inward man Whose Eyes Tongue Sences all keep still within With God n'er step without untill he can Receive his warrant thence skill strength the ginne To shun to break that lies in every thing And so thorow all himself to God Re-bring O where 's the man that watches every thought That cannot misse his God a minutes space But 's in a sowne who 's heart at th'smallest fault Boyles with revenge against himselfe Where th' face Whose smiles are all reflects all h's sadnesses Eclipses of the Sun of Righteousnesse His lookes thus a true Lookinglasse o'h's Soule His Words are Ecco's to that Word was ever With God was God he can't indure to foule His fingers with the world if fowl'd were never Never lin rubbing with his Fuller soape Till th' are more white than ever Wher 's th' man can hope Whose hope can silence all his earthly wishes Make them subscribe to heaven Tell him ' f a Crowne Of Tempes Indies He answers 'em with Pishes But name but Jesus you 'le see him strait bow downe But what No fooles Cap nor no Asses knee With 's humble'd eye rebound to heaven will he O where 's the man that glories in his shame Too many 't's true yet not enough 't's as true Millions that are a shame to God but name The man that hee 's a shame for God How few Who only wish that they may bee to be Gods glory though through greatest infamy Where 's Hee 'le make godlinesse his only gain Count so much got as got of God Account Him for his end all else as meanes refraine All paines all gaines that he sees not amount T' a thriving Summe of this will live on Bread On Water die but Hee 'le be here well fed Think'st thou deluded Worldling Christ is Thine Bid'st Him good-morrow for all day and then Hurriest to th' World toyl'st moyl'st when thy spirits decline If th'st breath enough salut'st Him with good-den Or once a week com'st with thy Dog to visit His House not Him no nor His House what is it Poore soules wu'd my Teares Eye-bright water be Unto your blinded Eyes how fast I 'd weep But godlinesse is such a mistery As God t' All save His House unknown doth keep Let thy Life say thou know'st this mistery Or thy Presumption gives but God the lie Cud'st once say thus I le ne'r indure this life Goe th' World to 'th World Not all day make a meale Upon a Promise How faint I'm I a wife Of such a husband I o' th' Common weale Of Israel Not seene my Love to day No care o's ' Kingdome then well hope I may Nay where in whom when all ill sensuals meet Hath Christ so cast in 's heart that He can turn To wine His water His bitter into sweet VVher 's He can sit and see his City burn VVhile mounted on th' high Tower of his Salvation VVarbles the Praises of his New Creation Yet be no Nero neither but from those Heights Lookes and condoles poore soules can't sit and sing In Blood and Flames keepes pauses with his sigthes And time w'th's Teares strikes flats on every string Ecco's w'th's Voice re-ecco's with his Heart VVith Ciprus face in mourning beares his part Still glitters in his eye milde
felicitie What 's Heaven if not a seeing face to face Sung heart to heart were here that full seene grace Sung to a perfect harmony of wills We might on Earth of Heaven take our fills Bless't God hath given us such an Heavenly Brother To tune us all to Thee and each to other O what a consort 's here but ah where finde I two or three strick Unisons in minde Yet were they thirds fifts eights yet unitie Runs sweetely through with a sweet Symphonie There 's one blest One i' th' mid'st who where he is In turning all to One turnes all to blisse One reconcil'd One Smpathy agree How full's my soule with heavenly melodie What 's sinne shame griefe what whatsoever's bad But discord from the good the God we had What else th' all-sinning sinne this Tree I will A sign of Soveraigntie I will not Hell Hell but what th' all-saving grace come doe Come suffer m'will thy will I come I doe Heaven Heaven How harsh'n answ'r t' a sweet injuction How sweet an answer to so harsh a function Thus fin-and-sorrow follow self-will'd pride And grace-and-peace the self that is denide To will thy will 's the sole humilitie Wherein thou dwel'st and that 's in Heaven to be How sweet a Heaven 's the heart still say it wu'd It is my God do he what seemes him good Here 's a belov'd sweet singing Israel Whose heart 's full set to God's consent's as well In all notes as in one and if he strike A jarre jarres with himselfe till strikes alike And that 's a jarre that playes a pleasant moane I'th'eares of Heaven and therefore in his owne VVhat to give Grace and Glory but to give According to thy sacred will to live VVhat i st to be in Hell To be at ods Men with themselves friends neighbours devils God's Cursing the cause of this their sad discent From th' just inflicter of their punishment Gnashing their teeth for envy at the thought Of that Salvation Reconcilement brought Thou only blest in being only One Make us to be One spirit with thine owne And so with one another ere may I be VVith them thee feare they feare to disagree VVhat was our blessers dying blessing His prayer VVe might be One as He and 's Father are O were I were I able to unfold The riches that one sillable doth hold There 's only One thing that is necessary Met we all there how cu'd we thus contrary One body one spirit one hope one faith one Lord Baptim God Father so many Ones afford Their help to keep all One and yet how few VVhose boysterous spirits will not bussle throw Soft peaces bounds so lewse loose unity For none but humble-candid-wise agree But proud-contentious-fooles will ne'r agree Nor vvith themselves nor others nor with Thee Their friendship 's but dissembled enmity Unto th'r owne soules Thee all since not agree In Christ they 're not at peace wi'th ' very stones O' th' field the whole Creation groanes Under this universall enmity It feeles by man his parting friends with Thee Now this Commune Vinculum is broke All flies in pieces and we doe but cloke Our differences if not seem to be Each for himselfe and then what friends we be How now afraid of injury from each other Shrink up our selves into our selves and smother At least our mutuall hatred and not discover The depths of malice that our hearts doe cover Stor'd up against th'all-good all-powrefull God while self-wills and fond desires wu'd pull The Crowne from off his head so ' gainst our selves Who love they hate who hate they love themselves But whether are we brought by this sad breach Or what was 't brought it but our selfish reach Or what can binde it up but only Hee In whom alone we reconciled bee That bundle o'life b'whom His are gathered in To One to never part their hearts again Deare Saviour Cu'd we pattern lowly Thee How willing to our Farhers will wee 'd be Blest Love that spy'st so rare a policy Th'Athistick Florentine cu'd ne'r descry Stand soule this ground while Heaven can provide Himselfe of joy thy joy must needs abide Let him have all have all though I get none My joy 's my Gods content and not my owne Thou canst not Lord displease me ' nlesse thou wu't Displease thy selfe for I will what thou wu't Take take thee all deare Lord though I get none My joy 's my Gods content and so my owne So will the wilfull'st but passive instruments they But of thy grace we actively obey My care 's to please my husband so my self He that so loves so foolish fond an else Wu'd undoe all againe to put in selfe Though taught so well in him t' injoy it selfe Th' issue I nor know nor care t 's my blisse His pleasure 's mine and my displeasure's his He beares our burthen we injoy his yoake He weares our Thornes that hath our Thrones bespoke O cu'd we ever keep us at this pitch What an untroubled life wee 'd leade how rich In all contents nor wu'd there need descents To lower arguments that can't dispence Us sollid true substantiall comfort till We 're rais'd to sing it is our God his will The great'st content is none whose grounds not this Th' great'st discontent's swallow'd up in this vast blisse That beares the soule in an unstopped streame Of mightie force to 'th pleasure o' th' Suprearme The strength of all obedience is this It is his will and not it is my blisse The man that 's not alive can he be strong 'T is Love's the life of God beares all along With speed with ease the Councell ta'ne word given No parley 's with the flesh On on 's straite driven With conquering flames and if his blood shall rise Hee 'le lose his blood e're hee 'le his God despise What chalenge wo'nt he take what frowns what blows What death 's on deaths who such a Guerdon knowes Awaites his certaine victory such a Beautie As cheares him to and cleares him through his dutie VVhos 's thence infused vigour feares nothing more Then want of dangert ' make the world adore Those Heart'ning Splendors that in every Ray Th' all conquering strength o' th' Deity convey VVith what Luxuriances the turgent soule 'S borne up beyond the world and hells controule O how it longs it longs to be imploi'd I' th greatest worke the greater love 's injoy'd How't runnes at halfe a word how 't markes the lippes And heares before they speake away it trip VVith speedy dilligence and cannot stay Though th' thrungin'st pressing'st diff'culties beats it way Snaps off the strongest cords like rotten threads Dissects the massiest barres in shivering shreds And drives before it all the joyned force O' th' mighti'st obstacles oppugne its course And if it feele the least repulse returnes VVith thrice-redoubl'd couragious onsets burnes VVith spirit-incensing indignation to Be stop't in ought that for his Christ hee 'd doe The man 's in love
The man 's in love VVhose reason 's in his Mistresse ' will This th' Primum Mobile doth move His mind her madnesse to fulfill The man 's in love and loves with skill VVhose reason 's in his Master's will The man is mad her will 's no reason The man 's wise Reason is his Will The man 's a Rebell his love is Treason Loyall he whose love His Law fulfils Hee 's wise that knowes it he knows that loves it He loves that doth it He doth that loves it PUrities foes swell like a tottering wall Threatning whole Kingdoms with their shaking fall But they proud fooles are sure to have the worst Our shaking settles us they fall and burst Courage my hearts the joy of God's our strength Then joy we most when most we 've need of strength Courage my hearts what shall such men as wee Such men as wee shall we once thinke to flee Conquerours of Mell and shrinke before a flie Sons of the everliving God and feare to die Nor is it death 't is but the end of death Our life 's our death our death 't is gives us breath Unprison'd once ever in the open ayre Perfus'd with spirits by a spirit so rare Pure simple life O that we once were not That we might be Courage my hearts 't is but This wall of mud that us and heaven parts So ne'r our Center and so slow our hearts No holy efforts Let th' unfaithfull know Their valour's cowardize to that we show Laugh death i' th' face and shout at his Alarmes Imbrace him kisse him leap into his armes Hee 's a nimble messenger will quickly beare us Where unconceived endlesse joyes shall cheare us 'S th' word given Sa Sa sa sa sa brave hearts T 's this wall of mud that us and heaven parts The wicked is Gods hand there Sword his Lancet Pricks our importun'd soule and so advance it Which cu'd we as fully espy as when we see The Chirurgion breathe a veine how glad wee 'd be T'come under th'cure of such a skilfull hand Translates us with a touch to th' holy Land Feare not he bids he 's with us now see I Our soules on Angels wings surmount the skie Come let 's ascend our Thrones against our Judges Sit wth our Judge while th'gnashtheir teeth wth grudges Wee'z see them naked trembling at our sight Devest of stollen Honours borrowed might Heare them implore the Mountaines come end them But sha'nt so ward the blows our mouths shal send them They shall not scot-free scape and who can tell How soon the quiet of the Land may dwell In homes as quiet as their soules who knowes But we may get even this day of our foes Th're many cunning false strong watch malicious He 's One wise true ne'r slumbring strength propitious And shall th'e're-waking Judah's Lion wake And rouze his heart-dead-striking head hee 'le take Hee 'le touze them in his teeth like baffling whelps And shake them into Atomes None ther 's helps From his own ceasing straite dismembring paw Of all contemners of his Gospell-Law Come let the Spirits mighty rushing winde Dispell those clouds from the corrupted mind The muddy grounds of humane braines exhald By that false Lucifer at length b'unvail'd That beauteous Light of Truth at length Traditions Damn'd with the Man of Sin Sonne of Perdition Let 's cleare our passage t'immateriat joye From these materiate obstructions cloy The Subtle veines of Sin-refined soules And in the sence the Spirits sweets withholds Come le ts unstoppe the Conduit pipes of Grace From mud and trash the sullied glasse the face Of Christ that shewes let 's cleare let 's cleare our way Through Antichrists to Christ work wait praise pray Hold up prevailing hands in praying action ' Gainst Babylon and the Babylonish faction Let God arise display his glorious rayes Dispell the infernall mists obscure his praise Undraw the Curtaines intercept his face Precipitate each Judah's to his place Betrayes him with a Ceremonious kisse Their Bishopricks be others Benefice Clothe him with Purple cry haile King bow th'knee Yet spit yet smight yet naile him to the Tree Base spirits can hold and see him so blasphem'd Not take his part by who we 've been redeem'd Courage my hearts then courage to observe All 's written in his Law on no hand swerve Help us to help thee Lord against their might In thy Pavilion hide 's and let them fight I' th secret of thy presence lead thy Lambes In gentle safe conveyance from the hands Pride-cruell hands of men of bloods then damne Then damnifie men-devils if you can Die live we are the Lords are in our way Now beare the Crosse shall weare the Crown That day Nay th' Crosse is boar'n the shame despis'd and wee Are glorious in the greatest infamie The Crosse is boar'n the feare despis'd and wee May must exult i' th' daring'st jeopardie The Crosse is boar'n the griefe despis'd and we Are Crown'd with Heaven i' th' Crossing'st miserie VVHat ailes me thus this morning why so dull The flesh the flesh my life even in the flesh 'S by th'faith o' th' Son of God O were I full Of this I 'd walk I 'd run I 'd flie afresh Nor faint nor wearies God nor I I know Shall be but reap for as he 's I am so Up Eagle-wing'd faith up remount thy mount Of Prayer mount of Transfiguration Still in this vaile of Teares Still shall I count The tedious houres of this sad alteration Still buffeted Thornes still Lord perfect then Thy strength in weaknesse thy glory 's mine Amen HAd I the faith I could doe all things cu'd Turne earth to water water into ayre Aire into fire from melancholly wu'd Extract a fluent mildnesse from that reare Spirituall breathings and they wu'd soon take fire And beare my soul unto its high desire So may my faith not only goe beyond My sence but go against it and beyond Not only lead my joyes above the earth But make my sorrows vanish into mirth T 's an infant faith that must be handed on By th'worlds supports and a decrepit one That stoops unto the ground and cannot goe Without th'upholdings of these Reedes below But mine 's more ag'd and shu'd the stronger grow Int 's oldest yeares So make me Lord to goe From strength to strength I may goe all alone When but thy Hand Word Spirit help I 've none When but this help What Make a But of That Which made the world that Al-sufficient That What have I'n Heaven but Thee in all the Earth But Thee My Heaven my Earth my All what mirth Can all the world possest afford me'if Thou Art wanting But Jehovah present how Can Worlds can Hells once move m'with all their ill Who have the God that All things hath at will When thou that mad'st the Sun to shine on all Sha't make th' worlds favours round about me fall Shu'd I salute thee with a cheerefull thankes That may be mine and not
thy Spirits thankes The very Ethnicks don't they doe the same I nothing singular that beare thy Name Who sit'st i' th heavens farre above all feares When all the world 's together by the eares Thou' rt still thy self Happy Happinesse When all the world blasphemes as when they blesse Oh cou'd I keepe my proper place with thee How farre above the daring'st Ill 's I 'de be I 'de play with flames exsult at th' thoughts of death And make my troubles keep m' i' th' better breath I 'de dance upon a dunghill sing in fire I 'de make a bed of Roses on a briar I 'de teach my teares to smile my sighes to laugh My paines to sport I 'de make thy rod my staffe Wut teach me this deare Lord teach teach m'excell To be in heaven while I am in hell For so was Christ and he and we are Christ Be then my dust below I 'le be at th' high'st What ayl's the livelesse corps whose soule 's in heaven My soule 's soule 's thou is thou my soule in heaven Heav'n is thy armes thy everlasting armes Be they still under wher 's the hell me harmes Let blustering windes and ratling tempests beat About m'assaulted eares with threats on threats O' th' terriblest stormes while I inhoused lie Imbedded in his Alisufficiencie And gather up my soule the closer in To his inwrapping comforts while I sing And they me rock i' th' faster sweeter sleep Of praising rest i' th' armes alone shall keep M' in safety maugre all the enemies I' th' maddest forciblest fury while th' world lies I' th' armes o' th' airy Prince who hath the skill To make faire weather where he meanes to kill ANd have I Lord so often wisht to die And yet I cannot live Have I so lost My soule for thee yet finde it cannot I Well still thou' rt good how ever I be crost Still will I wish and wish it with mine heart Subvert me Lord or make me more convert What shall I die alive shall I survive My selfe Shall I endure this life of pleasure Not I pray day and night How doe I thrive Where are the precious sheaves the hidden treasure Where is my livelyhood my livelynesse Well yet I have them ' cause I so confesse A word soon said but truly but of those Whose bleeding-carefull-zealous heart it knowes VVOrk on my love spare not thy pains 't is good T 's a kindly heat and sweat what art a drie Hungry with exercise take for thy food My Flesh my Blood thy thirst shall satisfie Work on these putrid humours still transpire Fresh pure sound by these Alteratives acquire I hunger Lord thirst for thy Righteousnesse My zeale doth so consume me I must have More food or faint much lesse can work afresh Hast no vvine t' spare no Milk no Hony I crave For strength not lust not for my selfe but thee That by much strength much honor'd thou mai'st be Be they but crums yet be th' o' th' childrens bread Be they but drops yet be th'o ' Salvations Well Even those can make a dog a dog that 's dead A living man these greater wonders tell O had I but the bucket 't get a sup How soon unto th'spring head 't wu'd mount me up Here will I draw ingage here all my strength Tug pull again and yet again and yet I 'le not give over 't will come I know at length It 's very aire my hope that will not let Me faint but when 't comes and I get a drinke You that have felt those joyes what th' are may thinke Lightned inlivn'd inlarg'd extold transport Beyond my selfe unto my selfe resort I see I see O when shall I once account My selfe fram'd to this patterne i' the mount Vnto my Lord deare Lord make me So like that who sees me may see Him drawne to th' very life each feature Each lineament thus a new creature I Am the fountaine and I purpose through These neighbouring intermixed Channells to Convey my selfe to each he who 'l not part His interposing earth let out his heart Reciprocate the freshning streames I send May stand stink dry not borrow who 'l not lend They 're Idiots indeed who h've private spirits 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But who is not himselfe he onely merits Not to be counted mad and so sought he Us not himselfe in whom made wise we be We 're not our owne we 're purchas'd with a prise To live no more t' our selves but now to rise To higher things to live beyond our selves In By To Him who bought's brought 's off the shelves ' ' F so great a death to bring us of our selves Our greatest death when selfe-besotted Elfes Were we dissolved in the open Maine What spatious libertie were gotten to refraine Th' land bordering Rockes O wu'd the righteous Sun Looke on our frozen hearts how fast they 'd runne Their hardned selfe contracted clods so oft Dash one against another into soft To giving inlarged streames wu'd friendly close Themselves wu'd quickly in each other loose And all with sweet concurrence nimbly flow To their imbracing Ocean O wu'd we soe Change each to other till we each were none With what advantage shu'd we be our owne For one have all thus happily unite Are growne too strong for th' world for hells despight We 're all disjoyned by our fall but set In one againe the greater strength we get What I lay out in prayers purse study paines For them with how farre multiplyed gaines Of quick returnes I finde them all in theirs Shu'd I as I shu'd not be overwhelm'd with teares Feares griefes grow weak and feeble or as I shu'd Be alwayes poore and needy in spirit how good How good it is to know that he who is In all my thoughts hath me in his Who is more beneficiall by one thought then all The world can be by all their deeds I fall No sooner now but straite one helpes me rise So farr 's two better in one how rais'd how high's My drooping soule though absent in the body Present i' th' spirit with all the spirituall body How heartily I joy in sweetly injoy Their better ordered more establish'd joy M' affections are not mine nor theirs are theirs But each in th' other's mirth and sorrowes shares How steddy stand in ballance't griefes and joys While others still supply fresh counter poyses I live not in my self but them-and-thee Live thou and they and that 's enough for mee I live not in my self but them-and-thee Live thou and they I needs must living be And if all comforts God-and-h's Saints comprises All comfort then from one another rises Conspire we then in one in one expire That makes his melting Saints a mounting fire 'T is good being here and hither rise might all Wh'have skill have will in t ' one and other t'fall But he that will be of himselfe May glut not glad himself with pelfe Yea let him laugh his belly full Yet doth the shark himself
Christ working on us in us and through us beginning continuing and ending all in it selfe happy Soule that knowes what is the study of selfe-deniall never can wee finde any where more of sweetnesse because no where more of God O could we make this our Hoc age our businesse our one thing whether wud it leade us where wud it loose us even to the following of God fully to be full of him and still to follow him to emptie and fill fill and emptie in a most sweet and blessed exercise of soule till we lay downe in everlasting rest and peace wholly emptied of our old and dying wholly filled with our new everliving selves O the unserchablenesse the unconceiveablenesse of the Love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord O the depth of its humility the heighth of its zeal the latitude and length of its obedience what thing what time can bound it O what is it can so free can so enlarge so sublime the heart as the giving it up to the hands of its God to be guided by him at his pleasure Can the soule contain it selfe within it selfe that hath these thoughts O when shall we know what it is that singlenesse of heart that being but one soule but one heart When shall we be like so many closing pieces of tender waxe before the fervent heat of the Sun When shall we be dissolved when runne into one another and all into one holy Lumpe Even so Lord Jesus come quickly 1 Cor. 10.24 Phil. 2.4 5. c. 21. Sic nos non nobis So we not for our selves have fame So we not for our selves have gaine Nobis nâ— nati sumâ— So we not for our selves have pleasure So we not for our selves have * Omnia mea temp amicorum temporibâ— absumend putavi Câ— Perdididâ— em quunâ— nemini be nefecisset Titus Impâ—rator leasure So have nor mind's nor bodie 's health To keep t' our selves our selves is stealth So nothing for our selves we have But have for Him that all things gave So all things for our selves we have Since He who all Himselfe us gave GOes th' Boate uneaven Leane the other way So with more safetie and with lesse delay In joying grieve and in thy grieving joy So neither change shall worke thee such annoy 'Ts the man that makes his fortune Ever 's he Prosperous thar learnes loves wills adversitie Then learne this lesson and 't is worth the while Let sorrow be the shaddow of thy smile Be not so joviall frolicke so profuse Least plung'd up swimme thou canst not through disuse That mirth is madnesse where's no ponderousnesse For reason's weightie and imports no lesse Then God the moving cause who once in thought The faithfull soule in fearefull joy is brought Great God! I sinke w'th that All-contayning name Good God! my burthen and my Heaven 's the same What heart-betraying world wu'dst have me joy I le turne my joy to my God-joying grace And that will quickly give true griefe its place While both together sit with sweet accord And make my heart the musicke of my Lord. Or think'st to quell me with thy fell Annoâ— I le turne my griefe to my God-grieving sinne And that will quickly turne to joy agin Nay they are one for they agree in one Blest Father sorrow smiles while joy doth moane Both fall about his necke and kisse brave sight To see Griefe weepe for joy the day through night Thrice happy man this happy temper keeps As th' golden Sunne through th' Silver droppings peeps Upon the flowring earth or softly playes O' th' gliding streames with'ts gently glittering Rayes As th' modest smilings o' the native Heat Nor Chronick nor acute diseases threat Thus wud'st thy sence-refined faith imploy thou d'st th' one from th' other reciprocally draw And in the Trinessence of both compose The temper wu'd heaven in earth God-man disclose Thus griefe should loose its name and nature be Swallowed up of Glorying Humilitie Humble I shall be in Heaven O! ' th' weight o' th' Love O' th' Love presses my soule to solid joyes My spungy soule so often shrunk and swel'd Glorious I am on earth O! th' heighth o' th' Love O' th' Love raises my soule t'an humble poyse A temper ad pon dus might exactnesse dwell On this side th' Empyraean so be I still Tempered to Justice till on Sions Hill The Spirit-pondering-God shall find me weight Made me meete to live at such a glorious height LOok not so much at the present as the future having eye in adversitie to prosperity and prosperitie to adversitie learne to estrange neither from your thoughts that you may welcome either they are guests that looke for successive entertainement be not so free to one as that the other take you unprovided they are enemies to each other and yet an indifferent respect may make them both friends to you be acquainted yea familiar with both but indeare your selfe to neither deny neither of them admission to your head so shall you both the possession of your heart keepe correspondency with both and you are safe but give your selfe to either and it will leade you you know not whither you are betrayed you are lost you shall be set upon now by the one now by the other and become a slave to both you shall then learne that it is better to observe ten then serve two be not led so much by sight of what is as foresight what may be not so much by sence as by reason and not so much by reason as faith for that is beast-like and lookes but downeright this man-like and lookes forward but this last Christian-like and looks upward Labour then to know no such things as adversitie and prosperitie but as the will or not the will of God in your having or not having these outward things and learne this excellent Art of composing a meane out of two extreames Take somewhat of the sweet to qualifie the soure and of the soure to qualifie the sweet yet let it savour most of the most benigne to which the other is but subservient It is the soure griefe and fulsome joy that distempers but it is the joyfull griefe and grieving joy that is the sweete the onely gracefull temper I deny not but changes of State may move you but they must not remove you they may somewhat alter the affection but must nothing alter your station suppose you sing the more cheerefully in the Sun shine and weepe the more freely in the storme yet must you mourne in this singing and rejoyce in this weeping this Aequanimity unwaveringnesse standing even upright posture of soule is that which may be demonstrated the best in that the excellency of every thing is according to its likenesse or rather partaking of that onely excellency and therefore as of his simplicitie and infinitie in the inlargednesse and puritie of heart so its immutabilitie in the steadfastnesse and immoveablenesse of our mind these being as necessarily concomitant
thought rul'd in Thy princely mind thou cou'dst not cou'dst not sinne 'T is death to such a one to sinnne Nay death thou d'st runne to death to free thee from this death Live like thy selfe then Christian act act act Set keepe thy faith on worke in every fact In vain 's the power that 's not produc'd to act Where what is had 's not us'd what 's had is lack't O Leave me not my head O stint the strife Canst pull my head off Canst see me so to flutter Bustle and struggle So labour for my life Do'st pleasure in my paine or hear'st me utter ' Blasphemous word yet with the tender Fowle Or quiet lambe I de faine retaine my soule My soule Thou art 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Psal 31.24 Hold fast and now I 'm ' ready die Canst see me gripe and graspe the cloathes my heart Not strength yet Canst heare me say I die I die griev'd nothing but with Thee to part Deare friend dear'st husband and yet thou my death What shall our children doe too O give breath Breath still blest spirit and while I am alive I le have a care to see thy graces thrive VVHat sweet repasts when God and hunger meet And stay the hungry soule whose hunger's sweet How sweet the draughts when God and thirstings meet And stay not quench their thirsts whose thirst's so sweet I here 's the soule shall eate drinke once for all When want of praise no more for prayer shall Oh cu'd I praise what need I pray But I shall praise shall praise for aye That 's m' onely worke both here and there What is no praise can be no prayer I 'M dull I 'm dull with this my clod O breath these earth-rejecting veines and make Them full with praise of purer worth I 'm full I 'm full of Thee my God O breath my blessing-turgent veines and make Them run them spring Thy prayses forth Winde up my soule to those Seraphique straines Wherewith that noble Quire entertaines Their farre-above all praise-exalted Maker That joyes in this that thou art his partaker Whose joy 's his glory glory will will thine Thine his will-pleased joy his glory thine Who onely happy will not happy be Unlesse thee as himselfe hee happy see I tremble and this shaking gives a grace Unto my singing voice VVhat This my place I tremble and this shaking opes my pores And thrusts my sluggish humors out of doores I tremble and this shaking makes me catch My God more fast in h's faster foulds doth catch I tremble and this shaking cleares my wings Rouses my spirits up the speedier brings To sit among the gods t' exalt the name That deignes to Christian creatures by the same To sit among the gods to give receive Eternall blessings thus to interweave My joy inseparably with his glory Be all my pleasures hushed with this story Admire Let this still musicke still my griefe Till sence supply what 's wanting in beleefe For carnall sence is not so farre below My faith but spirituall may overflow To powre out mutuall blessings and to be Most blessed by my blessing so to see It is more blest to give then to receive Honor'd by him all honour with him leave To power out mutuall blessings whilst I lie Drown'd in the fountaine where no sooner I Cry blessed but my blessing strait redounds With millions to my brest and heaven resounds With Echoed praises of those beautious creatures Are all in love with one anothers features Spirits spiritualiz'd rarifide to such Sublim'd simplicitie there 's not so much As th' smallest specke of dust the Atom'st moate With 'ts interpos'd obscurity to floate Betwixt their light and beautie God and them Their every-way-surrounding glorious stem I tremble and this shaking gives a grace Unto my singing voyce is this my place I heare eternitie speake and say I love Thee as my selfe whom no affections move I 'le be thy crowne of everlasting glory While thou sha't banquet on the endlesse story Of all my councells and survey the depths Highth breadths lengths of my er'st-untracted steps While thou sha't heare my thwarting feet agree I' th' perfect'st set o' th' pleasant'st melodie While still perfused i' the richest savours Th' art fed with kisses e're refreshing favours Still lost in admiration of thy blisse Thou't finde so blessed ' cause s'admir'd it is Well if the master of the feast shall say Friend sit up here shall I dare disobey God knowes no compl'ments hee 's sinceritie A word 's enough where all 's realitie Mount mount my soule and keepe upon the winge Jehovah see and Hallelujah sing O How my soule 's inheaven'd in the sound That descants on so beautifull a ground See eye love heart sing glory and all accord To make my life the musicke of my Lord. Rejoyce my spirits and all my thoughts within Ride triumph with the speedie Cherubim While death and hell attend my conquering Carre Whose glory duskes the brightest glizning Starre The brightest Sun in all his Summers pride 'S a cloud of darkenesse when together ey'd Thankes thankes my soule for when my soule sings thanks Then onely then my joy 'ore flowes its bankes Praise praise my spirit for while my spirit sings praise Then onely then I weare the crowning bayes Blesse blesse my heart for when my heart sings blesse Then onely then my heart feeles blessednesse Heart soule spirit spirit heart soule zeale fire Breake breath burne blaze and in his brest expire Earth hold me not O pinnion me no more When shall I be whence I shall be no more Still hold me earth for heaven wu'd be no heaven Shu'd not my will keepe time and fall in eaven With his O could I blesse thee here here were My heaven but want both heart and art how ere Can 't hold while some want matter for their words I words f'r Immatteriatnesse yet like the tender Birds That in the silent shadow sit forlorne Bill dresse their feathers by the dawning morne Stand perking pearing in the blooming Sunne And teach their light-delighted tongues to run Their chirping welcomes to its glorious raies So doe I strive to chatter forth Thy praise Praise praise him soule I le never cease to praise And when I cry I le cry I cannot praise Why sorry but for sinne t is folly why For sinne but that unthankfull praiselesse I Praise my petitions praise him my confessions Praise deprecations praise him intercessions And if my tongue cease praise in griefes and feares I le make my tongue recant in praysing teares In every thing give thankes for 't is his will That gives me cause to sing 't is well 't is ill O praise praise praise let me no longer live Then doe my masters businesse prayses give Nay life is praise for then I truly live When joy then truly joy when praises give The life is best 's most like the life above Hence I so much Psalme-singing tempers love The man is best comes nearest to
his End Hence I so God-commending men commend And shud I knit a series of the long'st The sad'st complaints combined with the strong'st Pressingst agr'vations that might wring them close And hard on th' soule yet praysing love breaks loose Through all and makes me sing agen and agen Blest be the Lord for evermore Amen Then shud'st with-draw thee and I grow feeble weake Yet let my heart have strength enough to speake Thy praises O give me strength enough To blesse my strength and I have strength enough Shud my thanksgiving-force decline decay Unto the low'st still may I see and say Thou hast a Seed a Generation they ' L be ever speaking of thy praise I 'le lay My heart unto their mouth and while they play Their heaven-learned descantings I 'le play The plain-song of a broken contrite heart I' th' eares of Heaven plaies the pleasant'st part Th' still soft sweet Musicke inward-sounding drone W'thout which the lowd'st high'st nimblest tongu'd is none Is worse then none a groundlesse frantick din A selfe-exalting God-assaulting sinne Provokes his mocked patience while the zeale 'S not pitch't by humilitie 't doth but squeak and squeale But thine cannot be overwound for they While at the highest with the lowest play Rise humbled soule and praise him in the high'st To which thou art advanced in thy Christ O praise praise praise let me not praises give But give my selfe to praises praising live Die sinke ore-whelm'd swallow'd up lost found Upon the shore of ever-praysing ground O how my soule 's aflote and smoothly glides Unto the harbour where my blisse abides And what a calme serenitie befriends The plimmed sayles thy spirit swiftly sends Fleeting along with speedy nimblenesse To th' pleasant Haven of their happinesse O praise praise him for he is worthy praise That was before and is beyond all dayes Praise him wh ' in heaven and earth doth what he will And whatsoe'r he will not doe is ill O praise praise him for he is worthy praise Cou'd th' mightie Fabrick o' th' creation raise From nothing with a word and governe it Consisting of a kind of infinite Varietie of individualls in such measure Weight number as that in all hee 'd take his pleasure In such a wide a vaste disparitie Of motions a perfect contrarietie So full so sweet so choise a consort plaid All honour glory power to him that made All for his pleasure And was I made to be Thy pleasure mightie God what cou'dst thou see To please thy selfe besides thy selfe in me O scrue me up to that celestiall tone VVhereby thy highest-raised Saints are knowne To blesse thee for thy selfe though bath'd in blood How e're I be to sing yet thou art good Yet thou art good how e're I be or doe Doe I or no thy workes thy praises shew Still thou art good art good shu'd all the world But like a tinie-tennis ball be twirld Toss'd topsie turvey whirled up and downe Untill 't were worne to mammocks still the crowne 'S as fast upon thy head as ever still renowne As due to thee as ever all th' creatures still Make musicke even the wicked'st though ' gainst their will Sunn Moone Stars Heavens Floods Earth Fire Snow Harle Winde Praise him for praise is to fulfill his mind Deepes Dragons Mountains Dales Beast Birds Trees Hills Praise him for praise is to fulfill his wills Men Angels all his Hosts one breath conspire To praise for praise doth all he doth require My gentle Lute with thy soft touches praise Praise him my sollemne-sounding vyoll praise My spirit-exciting dance my nimble song Praise B't stay my longer-exercised tongue M' out-run my heart but most in running long Run run then heart and overtake my tongue Run run apace redeeme thy thankelesse yeares And bathe their memory in thy blessing teares Run run apace for thou hast more to say Then all the tongues of men and Angels may Run run apace eternitie is at hand VVhen stinting time no more shall praise withstand Time nay my selfe for what-so e're I doe I may make that sing thankfull praises too My meate my drinke my talke my worke my sleepe May all in this Commune Concord keepe An uniforme well-order'd conversation Close to the rule that leades unto salvation I here is praise indeede in Deede to praise And make my life to sing away my dayes So match my living that my praysings mayn't Be Pearles on Swine but Jewells on a Saint So match my living that my praysings may Be starres on Azure and turne night to day And light the world to those supreme ascents VVhere dwells the Eternall Substance of contens Here shall I safely ever sit and sing My soule rejoyceth In my Saviour King O what a twitch this In doth give my spirit And screws it up farre farre beyond my spirit My soule 's In God In God my Saviour My soule is safe and feares not the behaviour Of this nor th' other world My soule 's at ease In God my Saviour my soule doth please It selfe In him my pleasures meet in one My joy is full my joy is overflowne And knowes no bounds while thus my diving soule Inviron'd with infinitie doth rowle Me all In all and I am in my God As In my Element while they are odde And Hetrogeneous that are in not of Leave breath have being in him and yet are off Stand at th' farth'st distance deadliest defiance Are breathlesse livelesse have no welbeing ' cause no alliance O who w'd not love thee feare thee praise thee Lord Whose just-wise-holy wayes such marv'ls afford Who can but loose himselfe in blest blessing wonder I' th' All-container So nigh so farre asunder As creatures in but not as not renew'd Degenerate peccant humors that are spew'd From 's mouth Are rather On then In but we Are heart in heart unto eternitie Not as the water in the vessell but As water turn'd to th' wine wherein 't is put So are we one in one right blessed turne That gives such strength life spirits while Thou't runne As unallay'd to thousand generations Made happie in this iminutable mutation Change change apace my soule power out thy selfe The best is last when thou art all himselfe Though not all of himselfe whose infinite sweet In every point of timelesse time And boundlesse bounds doth meet Himselfe made Thine â—remble and this shaking makes me catch â—ly hold more fast in h's faster foulds doth catch â—e what am I thou shudst vouchsafe to heare â—y prayses mine but for to give an eare Oh! that 's to give thine heart thine hand thine all VVho hast no part more or lesse principall Who hast no part at all but wholly art â—h ' possession o' th' selfe-dispossed heart â—ine cud'st n't have made a child of any stone To bed thy bosome but must I be one 〈◊〉 stonier I rebel'd against thy grace And spat my venom in thy sacred face VVhat saw'st in me to have me in thy thoughts Of life the worlds foundation
yet unwrought Must I be one how sweet a trembling joy Runs through my veines and kindly doth imploy Me in a fearefull love must I be one â—e then be Thine shu'd all the world be none â— I be one I le then be none alone But I le be thine shu'd all the world be none O blesse blesse blesse my soule still blesse thy Blisse VVhat sweeter worke unto my soule then this Or what more acceptable unto thee Thou lovest it and I love it then ever be Thou blest of ever-ever-blessing me Of ever blessing me ever blessed be O blesse when wu'd I cease when thou sha't cease To be then not till then I 'd blessing cease O blesse were I in Hell yet cud I blesse I were in heaven but I cannot blesse I cannot cannot blesse is this to blesse To call thee blessed while thinke nothing lesse Or can I thinke I thinke it while not part VVith all for Thee Thou onely blessed while my hearâ— 'S not wholly given up into thine hands T' be melted moulded fashn'd by thy commands T' be cast into a full conformitie VVith thee if thought Thee th' sole felicitie Blessed art thou O Lord th' art good and Dost good no unaccustom'd song but stand Not deedes thoughts words at mutuall defiance Thought I't wud not there be a quicke compliance VVith all thy wills wud not I hast to know Presse hard to learne thy statutes th' wayes thou 't goe To meete with Thine thou onely blessed goodnesse VVu'd not I still be in thy presence Oh! th' woodnes Th' wilde wandring madnesse hath seduc'd my soule Since first I turn'd my backe upon Thee to proule And filtch an independant blessednesse whence grew My aye-depending misery while fondly threw Me from my Eden where the all-creating spirit VValke't with his fleshie workemanship But wu't blest spirit Returne againe and be Emmanuell VVu't teach my heart to call Thee good wut dwell There make 't thy temple hence helpe me breath petitions I see thy goings here th' glorious exhibitions Of the invisible flesh spirit God man heaven earth A marriage song of everlasting mirth And must I sing ' t who since thou took'st me in And trim'st we for thy selfe weedest my sinne â—lantedst thy grace the dore wide open hurl'd And made my heart the through faire of the world Thou mad'st thy garden this then the pully be VVith greater swing to clap me close to Thee The pully be to make me sticke so close The greatest pull may never make me loase But when I heare the stillest voyce behind And heare it ecco'd by thy written minde â—ay thy beloved's here straite ope I flie And blest who knowes what meaneth He and I. This opening shuts me in the fastest close VVhile in h's revealed loves my selfe I loose O how this smiling favour quite prevailes â—isolves me all in teares and then exhales â— ' ascending soule to that refining Sun Resolves me into it selfe O turne heart turne And never never teturne Thus is begun Consummate glory when I 'm all undone Undoe undoe apace dissolve melt run Thy onely undoing is th' art not undone Draw out shed shed abroad thy selfe in praises Leave not a drop behind let all turne praises But what am I thou shud'st put such a thing Into my heart so cordially to sing The glories of the God ' gainst whom I have beene A constant belcher of blaspheming sinne What thought I spake I did I but in all My cursed life did Thee accursed call And must I blesse I blesse Shall I sinke O! Hold me Hold me in this bless'd pleasure So So may I over sinke and sing how sweete Sweet sound the praises in these depths O meet Meete me a diving plundring through my heart 'S false-bottome thorough whatsoever wu'd part Me from Thee Catch me in those lasting armes VVhose closings are a close of warbled charmes Charmes warble still and shake me up and downe Untill you rest me with my fixed Crowne Rest warble still for still this is my rest To see to sing my worthlâ—snesse so blest Blest spirit shake shake on loosen my soule From this false world break downe beare through the foule False bottome of my heart still more to meete With truth i' th' inward parts still more to greet Those peace-heaven-sounding wellcommings those sure And never-over-burthened armes those pure Those pure imbraces whose harmonious close Shall blesse my blessing soule with full repose Thus may my rising falling heart in praying praise My falling rising heart sing on my dayes Steadfast in joyes discoursing that vast distance That 's swallow'd up in an unite persistance And wu't thou me forsake Just now I saw thee Oh draw faine'd overtake Cud cud I but beleeve Were I in Hell yet shu'd I nothing grieve I waite trust walke with thee Revive in peace shall ne're confounded be REtire sad thoughts into your inmost Cells There view the Hell of Hells Thy sinne-foul'd soule In blacke flames howle Those never-lightned hearts Wh'in this their day ha' n't done their studious parts In their false purifying while hope Hath Judah's fountaine doore kept ope Returne glad thoughts and mount the utmost bounds O' th' boundlesse heavens There 's he Yea he is here The word is neare And hence my joy redounds To see the Ruddy VVhite in him and me The watry blood so pure so just To white to quench my pitthy lust HAng all these Puritans A Puritan what 's that an Hipocrite Nay hold there man for so thou dost but fit The noose for thine owne necke Dost n't thou professe The service feare of God yet what dost lesse From thine owne mouth th' unrighteous servant th' art Condemned for a Puritan wu'd thou wert So happy t' owne the honour of the name Who that description canst not but disolaime And say he is no Hipocrite then sincere I there it is the object of thy jeere I tell thee man Thou art an Atheist or a Puritan Within my heart the wicked's wickednesse cries There is no feare of God before his eyes VVithin his heart the foole hath madly said There is no God why should I be afraid Selfe-cozening soule did'st see the curious eye Thy bosome thoughts did at a distance prie How dar'd thy fond affections say within There is no God for speculative sinne So say there is no God for hee 's his name VVhose vengeance teares the tearers of the same Heart-searching and sinne-visiting he is Deny it and deny thy eternall blisse Canst count thy pastime-words but passing winde Thy irreforming tongue shall shortly finde A word no scruple but a tun of leade To sinke thy soule to an Infernall dread Then shal't thou see each minute on the scoare VVhat thought spoake acted while thou sha't implore That great tribunall with Lord Lord for all Thou 'st done i'th'flesh though minced n're so small Presumptuous wretch thou d'st thought'st there were a God Run trembling up and down at every nod VVhat art thou to the world that
what they are like to finde he can make Musick of all things As well of the most harsh hidious terrours as the softest and sweetest sounding melodie can as well play with the most froward and wrastling so the word Psal 18. as the most pure-and peaceable disposition As being he who knowes how to be in perills often in wearinesse in painefulnesse in watchings often in hunger and thirst in fastings often in cold and nakednes besides his continuall sympathizing with the Churches knowes how to run through good report bad report how to abound and how to want and how in all to be content a most blessed concord in the spirituall eare the spirituall heart That can take joyfully the spoyling of his goods receive any word any precept of God as pure-holy-good-and-just and set about the actively passive obedience of it in much affliction with joy of the Holy Ghost Happy afflictions that helpe to such an holy joy O! where but I forbeare And if he griefe it is at the want of this cheerefull and thankefull deportment of himselfe And this is a higth that wee are carryed up to in the New Adam beyond the reach of the Old even in his innocencie Hee being altogether free from these evills and therefore nothing acquaint with these evill-conquering comforts The Almightie wisedome to the more eminently advanceing of his glorious Grace having thus wonderfully by our fall raised us up to an higher to a permanenter to an ever-highly-permanent Station Strike up then your allarum when you will you shall never carry him by force but shall but rowse up more spirits to man him repell you As hee is of a harsh rugged rough-hewne proud-cruell that is not alleviated with a sweet milde smooth temprature so is it an effeminated flaccid torpid dispirited enervated soule that is not quickned not inlivened with courage That alone being hydropicall this feaverish That too dull for action this is too quicke for councell for patience for endurance But both happily met together in one in a wise understanding actuating spirit like the naturall heate kindly fomented by the radicall moisture and duly agitated by the influent and insite spirits keepe the soule in a happy and healthy constitution because in an apt and proxime power for the well performance of its severall functions Hence may be it those Grecian Captaines were so well seene in Musicke as in feates of Armes and Philosophie as that brave-spirited Epimanondas c. it being a usuall custome after their feasts to have a Lute presented them to play on And certainly he is a man of a choice and compleate temperature that is well made up of a Scholler Souldier and Musitian A head full of discreet and sage knowledge a heart full of couragious and meeke love a hand full of indefatigable and difficultie-overcomming action Such a head such a heart such a hand That make such a Man And yet what are all these and were there a thousand more such suches but meere counterfeit spiritlesse and dead resemblances of that true and living way to compleatenesse of heart 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because to him the true and living God the Creator the compleator of the heart There being nothing good nothing of worth but what is in God in whom as in Christ we are in these and all graces Compleat In that meeke and immaculate Lambe that dreadfull and terrible Lion of Judah that brazen Serpent in whom are hid all the treasures of wisedome and knowledge Thus made conformeable unto that All-sweet All-wise All-mightie Being the Maker the Perfection of all things By whom we are made perfect through our likenesse to him our living in him And here onely here is the rise of that true magnanimitie that consists in the uncontroulable power of a sweet and humble wisedome God And now since I have so insencibly slipt thus far into the nature of this grace we know not how soon the Lord may settle our distractions of State and Church and so prevent us with his mercies and fit us by them who will never be fitted for them and it being the Carracter of an ingenious child to feare favours and not to be affrighted with frownes I will a little draw it forth into that part of it which may be most sutable to those times It being the nature of it upon the knowledge of God to know nothing else great no more goods then evills And yet either so weake is our knowledge or so seldome our acting it which makes it for so farre no knowledge to us that in those Halcyon dayes have wee most neede of the highest resolves and Princeliest circumspection not to have our spirits debased in the knowledge of things after the flesh But now to have a speciall care of exercising that mysterious that inheavening art of making all things become new knowing affecting doing all things under new notions from new principles by new rules to new ends so using the World as not using it medling with it as in transitu by the way as a viaticum a baite when needs but what needs c. See Page 27. 'T is then 's the danger when the danger 's past Th' inward foe fights wilier when the outward's cast Tacticks unheard of covert stratagems Sly in his Methods suddenly he hems Us in with tempting troops while w' thought h 'had been Distant by many miles we 're rounded in A Maze of fatall friends straite rout our thoughts To a desbausch't confounded yeelding brought Stand sentinell soule unlesse thou standst Perdu Loosest thy life thou 't not the losse escue Capua Hannibali Cannae Fuit A rich and pleasant Asia is more dangerous then a barren and hungry America lue and tepid bathes then harsh storming windes these confirming those consuming the hardiest spirits not guarded with discretion Neither indeed is it a thing so worthy a Christian to seeke for an abiding Citie when this inferior is like to be fired about his eares To make friends of the unrighteous Mammon when it is ready to be snatcht from us to estrange our selves from these things when they turne their backe upon us But when the world shail comes with its Cornucopia of riches pleasures glory c. and would poure all upon our heads and God on the other hand readie to poure downe more aboundantly of that anointing that teacheth us all things that qualifieth us with more Kingly Propheticall Priestly endowments and fills us with joy and gladnesse above our fellewes now not to leave the substance for the shade the Pearle for the Barly-corne is somewhat like him that lives by faith and hath made a true discovery of that onely excellent object Now when the world comes fleering in all her whorish attire with the most cunning and sophisticall insinuations and our spirits are in the height of their jollitie ready to throw themselves into her imbraces when the outward and inward temptations thus powerfully met in their united strength now to
And must needs because whatsoever is not of faith is sinne Neither indeed can I wonder how feare hath lead me to faith but shud certainly take my selfe to be seduced if it did not All graces how distant soever seeming being of the same company going the same way so that he that is with one must needs be with all And questionlesse all are wrought in the soule together and grow together how ever in the minoritie of our Christianitie God may teach us methodo analytica may as it were parcell them forth into severall lessons till our capacities are more widened and strengthned for the fuller and compleater apprehension of them according as wee grow in our manhood in Christ Jesus And hence is it that so often in Scripture a Christian is caracterised by one onely But especially by faith and feare that in the old this in the new Testament one in Christ more darkly shadowed out the other in Him more evidently revealed but both in Him according to the manifold wisedome of God in Him by whom Hee hath reconciled all things the severall kinds of actings of the soule as well as severall soules to one another and all to himselfe So that what they said of their vertues that there was cognatio quaedam arcta necessitas betweene them I am sure holdeth most true of graces betwixt whom there is cognatio certa necessitas perquam arctissima All of the noblest and familiarest consanguinitie being all of the blood of Christ Or conceive them as so many linkes of a Bracelet the love token of the soule from its Christ lincked together in an invielable concatination you cannot breake off one but the whole figure and forme of the worke as it is said of the Commandements whereby these are framed as it were and cast is broken And indeed there is nothing of Christ in the soule but it is Christ Christ formed in you You have not so learned Christ We preach Christ c. the whole sum of the Gospell-Law and Law-giving Gospell and consequently the whole worke of grace being onely Christ So that we cannot so much as thinke the least good thought of our selves What we doe what we have what we are of good we doe we have we are not but it is God the spirit of Christ that dwells in us and so indeed ours so we as Christians as outed of our selves as inned in God pertakers of the divine Nature c. whose being in us habitually whose acting in us imminently or transiently is all our grace Now the spirit of God is indivisible and therefore are all our graces homogeneous harmonious have a gracefull symetrie analogie proportion to one another make but one systeme joynt frame and body of Christianitie how different so ever how discrepant soever the parts the members seeme they are gracefull to usefull to each other Are like so many faculties of the same soule in innocency before by our fall they were like a watch dashed against troubling and stopping the course of one another Which mended againe by their maker though like severall wheeles they seeme to move not onely diversly but contrarily yet are they all moved by one spring and further the due motion of each other and all tend to the same end the promoveing of the same gnomen in promoting of the glory of their God and setting forth the praise of that never-sufficiently admired workemanship And though there may be some hamerings and knocking 's in setting the minde in frame some paines in the new birth some harshnesse in the tuning of the soule yet they do all tend to the compleating of that inconceiveable harmony Though God often times specially in the more powerfull times of the Gospell brings forth Christ formed as it were without any paine tunes the heart as it were with one touch and sets up the whole and joynt frame of the temple without scarse any the least sound of the hammer And as a wheele not onely by but in its going downe is Ipso facto going up so those graces that seeme onely to cast downe the soule doe not onely afterward but in the very doing of it raise it up as humilitie feare griefe c. which so farre as divine and as I may say Gospell-proofe are still raysing up the soule in the greater assurance magnanimitie joy and these as it were still casting it downe and that againe raysing it up c. As there is nothing that more humbles the soule then heavenly mindednesse so is there nothing that more sublimes it then humilitie as there is nothing that strikes the soule with a deeper awe then the assurance of the eternall love so in the feare of Jehovah is the strongest confidence as it is an unsound and vaine joy that hath no acquaintance with sorrow so is it a sinfull and death-working sorrow that reares not up the soule to more livelmesse and joy c. And thus we progresse on our speedy round While grace helpes grace to rid away the ground Not grace and grace but one promoveing wheele Whose apprehension-parted particles feele Their one selfe equally-proficients while We are one Christ converts us from this soyle In never-resting firie circles till In perfect motion on our holy hill Thus while the world runs roundly downe to Hell We roundly up to th' Heavenly Domicill Christ I see I fall I fall in love for love I die this death 's my life this life 's my worke this worke 's my life this life 's my light this lively light 's my death this death 's my fall my rise to come to flie unto my light love life my Christ Happy happy soule in truth whom the sight of God the beautie of truth of holinesse shining through the face of Christ as a mutuall perspective of reciprocall delight keepes in an humble-meeke-peaceable-lovefull-fearing-joying-strongly-confident every-way gratious posture And hither I suppose lookes that of James the meekenesse of wisedome not onely cause they as all graces convene in one bundle of life in one poesie of heavenly fragrancies nor of the proficiencie of wisedome by meekenesse in that the humble he will teach nor from the nature of it in that the wisedome from above is first pure and thence peaceable gentle easie to be intreated c. as in pure cleane sweet-juiced bodies free from the repugnancie of sower cholericke hetrogeneous humors but because the first rise of this so especially blessed grace is from wisedome from the knowledge of God and our selves And hither that unite my heart to feare thy name as touched before And that fearefull in praises the same discovery that presents me God praise worthy for his great goodnesse presenting me him feare-worthy for his good greatnesse Hither that now I have seene thee with the seeing of the eye I abharre my selfe in dust and ashes the soule might heare else long enough though indeed too faith comes by hearing yet so as it is made an effectuall meanes to open the eyes And
same building frame and growing body so farre should we be from making them as arguments to keepe us at the greater distance And what indeed is the end of Gods various dispensation of himselfe in such diversitie of gifts parts abilities if not that hee might shew the more of his wisedome in drawing them all so compleatly into one gracefull knot the bond of peace love that in such if not by such a variety can preserve the unitie if not further the harmony of the spirit of the Lord Jesus Ephes 4. perlege Or to what purpose is our knowledge but for love for charitie the fulfilling of the Law the end of the Commandement out of a pure conscience and of faith unfained This is the sincere the true faith and knowledge that thus workes What puritie of conscience what life of assection I see in the conversation caeteris paribus by that shall I judge of the truth of the measure of the faith the knowledge as the roote by the fruit and by that I look to be judged by the judge of all things by him whose call is for whose residence is in whose shining is into the heart where he shewes himselfe where he is where he ha's savingly Not by what is found in my braine my head but in my brest my heart that which sitteth here making musicke to the Lord with a gratious answering to all his wills a glorious admiration of his love his wisedome c. his mercifull acceptance in the Lord Christ and not that which it jarring with others there That which sounds forth God in its life and not that which founds forth it selfe in its tongue The Divill I beleeve hath as much knowledge and can dictate as excellent discourse as all the men of the world Knowledge so farre as it is not cordiall and living so farre as it is not sappy savory and fruitfull but dry and barren or bringing forth wild thistles so farre I shall never thinke it to have the Lord Christ for its roote So farre as it is not sapida sertilis it will proove but insipida futilis foolish and vaine I would have knowledge then bee my food and my food my strength and my strength my exercise I wu'd feede with delight but not for delight but for the better disgesting of my knowledge into an assimulated practice And be our opinions notions what they will if they convey no more of God along with them certainly they never came of his sending who alwayes comes along with the true understanding of his will of himselfe the onely truth And by more of his presence induceth more glorious light-more humble love-more faithfull action And to what purpose have our hearts tugged so hard at heaven for the pulling downe of those spirituall wickednesses and exalted vilenesses 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Psal 12. but as they have held up the heads and strengthned the hands of the ungodly but as they are those of whom we have no warrant that they had their commission from him and therefore no promise that hee would dispence himselfe through them but as they are intruders betweene God and us and obtruders of their ceremoniall and traditionall obstructions in our immediater approaches to him and they taken away wee might have more of him and that that wee might doe more for him But now to have the obstacles removed and the end never the nearer attained to what purpose is it To have those who under the pretence of being the Conduit pipes were the dirt and filth that stopped them of being the Contrefenestres the shutting windowes to keepe out the theevery of innovations schismes seperations c. out of the Church keepe out the light and truth and were the greatest schismaticks renters of the Church themselves to have these I say removed as sure enough they shall at what ever rate and wee draw never the more light and life into our hearts into our lives but still hugge our owne fond imaginations still seeke about in such extravagancies after our owne inventions lying vanities that promise faire and performe worse then nothing what other will it be interpreted by him then the dispising the turning of his goodnesse his glory into shame while we know God more but know him not and therefore worship him not as God the commander of the whole man But those O Lord that know what it is to know thee can they but be thankfull in an active and 〈◊〉 action-denying thankefulnes O then that thou wouldest accomplish the work that thou hast so gratiously so powerfully undertaken How long shall thy servants nauseate at the fulsomenesse of their pride Though they make the hearts of kingdomes still ake with it let them be vomited be vomited forth thoroughly Rather let us be pained with our cure that not prevent our death We yea thou art sicke of their Lukewarmenesse O when wutâ—â— thou spue them out of thy mouth So will we flocke up to mountaines of thy house and poure forth our soules in thy praises So in the humilitie of our spirits will we sit at the feet of thy Jesus and learne at the mouths of thy holy servants So shall our hearts bow before thee and out hands be dilgent in thy service So shall holinesse bee written on our pathes and our lives be the memorialls of thy mercies So shall the review of thy favours be as the fringe for remembrance of thy precepts So shall the wonderfulnesse of our deliverancies be read in the wonderfulnesse of our obedience So will we commune with our owne hearts and be still and say what have wee returned thee What sinne have we more crucified what dutie have we more have we better done So will we offer unto thee the sacrifice of righteousnesse of a broken and contrite heart While wee bind all the faculties of our soule and members of our bodies to thy Alcar With the cords of our affections to thy Christ and thou sha't accept them gratiously O Lord our hearts thy Sion DElayes are neither constant grounds of suspect nor dispaire neither of suspect of the promisers present good will nor of dispaire of the promise it 's future performance In my last I promised you another which till now you received not yet hath this delay neither proved an utter silence nor proceeded from an unfriendlike disrespect God hath promised you deliverance which yet you have not yet received yet can this protraction neither argue a change of his fatherly affection nor unchangeablenesse of your child like afflictions Neither is it a ground for your doubt of his great prudence or gracious goodnesse in correcting nor of your comfortable support in or seasonable freedome from the correction He that beleeveth maketh not hast Faith is confident of the issue patience attendant on the time Two sweet and never-parting companions An unbeleeving patience or an impatient beleese how dissonant are they in the eares of a Christian How can I with a truly submissive and not presuming
knoweth that hath God for his God Faile then heart and strength yet shall the strength of our heart faile never Shall be with us in the fire and in the water bee an Arke to his Noah a Zoar to his Lot Et pater mater dosunt nec restat amious Nec manet ulla domus noc manet ulla salus Tot haud habere sentias necem mala Omnia quae multis dantur tibi nulla sed ipsum Quod vel perpaucis reddidit ille Deus Hic instar omnium fit atque praevalet MY neare and deare friend in the Lord Jesus I cannot but according to your desire acquaint you with present passages and passages I may well say for all these things are but passing shadowes nothing Were we in our own place we might look down upon them as little fleeting vapoury clouds without raine Or else see our selves so far above them in this third region as wee need not feare the storme It is unworthy the thought of a Christian that hath already laid hold of eternall life to shrink at the appearing losse of a mortall But we are men But God is God And he is our own God the God of our salvation c. O that we could that we alwayes could see our selves so partakers of the divine nature so filled with all the fulnesse of God that we could look upon life and death principalities powers c. as things given in unto us and all as things under our feet at our command for so they are to him that beleeves for all are ours and we are Christs and Christ is Gods Our faith must fall before we and our God before our faith For it is founded on that rock that living stone that is the life of all the building Let us stand therefore having taken us unto the whole armour of God for what can the man doe that comes after the devill And surely little nay no cause have we to feare in adversity that can stand in prosperity That soule and only that soule that in this estate can follow God fully be so satisfied with the hourely minutely presence of God that in all things it crosses it selfe of its own will as not enduring the least estrangement from him certainly in the other the mercies of God shall so follow him so shall he delight himselfe continually in him as that in all things hee will crosse men and devils of their wills against him and so over-powre him with the light of his countenance without which he was dead in the dearest injoyments and with which he lives in the deadliest confusions as shall make them gnash their teeth to see such a divine reflect from that light unspeakable and glorious whereby he shall be able to laugh death and destruction in the face But shall we not feare not grieve He is no true Christian that doth not Shall the Lion roare and we not tremble Yet must we be confident in this feare and joy in this sorrow And indeed the feare of God is strength Prov. 14.26 Psal 112.1 with ver 7. and 8. And by the humility of our heart is our trust in the Lord Prov. 28.25 But audaciousnesse and pride will shrinke in the wetting Neither will James his joy 1.2 hold good without Pauls sorrow 2 Cor. 7.7 Nor his sorrow without his joy It is not the excesse of feare and griefe but the defect of confidence and joy that hurts us Our own weaknesse can never too much fright us Our own and others sins grieve us Neither will it be found so proper and soveraign a salve to those happily languishing consciences to tell them they are too much dejected cast down sorrowfull but rather they have too little lifted up Christ in their hearts and their hearts in Christ It is impossible to think too basely of our selves and if there may be degrees in impossibility more impossible to think too highly of Him When we are led back by any particular sin to the Originall source of all as wee must if we mean to know it to any purpose and see the horrid shape of it and become sensible of the malignity the universality the inherencie of it c. with all those infinite as to us actuall breakings out of rebellion from it or rather the divers kinde of breaking out of one continued unintermitting act now while the soule is thus taking a bottome-and through-searching view of it selfe by a beame of the divine Light and Love shed abroad in its heart without which it could make no through no true discovery of it and thereupon throwes it selfe below the lowest hell in a sensible self-condemning while it is still held up by the hand of faith in an unspeakably blessed distraction now to see this Sun of Righteousnesse still rising and rising with its infinite-surpassing infinitenesse of glory splendor lovelinesse upon the lighttransformed soule lying under the gracious droppings of its healing wings O how sweet is that healing How how glorious that Sun But the seeing the feeling soul where is it How high how low How lost between both Be then as sorrowfull my soule as may be thou canst not be enough for sin As joyfull as may be thou canst not be enough for grace Abate not of that sorrow but increase this joy Goe as low as thou canst but bee sure thou risest higher by it To be so dejected and cast down as not to be heightned raised by it in the admiration the love the life of thy Saviour is indeed to have proud and haughty thoughts of thy selfe and low and undervaluing of thy Christ Never feare thy livelinesse and cheerfulnesse so far as duely objected on him Nor lessen so much thy love to the creature as augment it to Him thy Creator Affect with the strongest and heartiest indearement any thing beside him and yet abhorre it with the most detesting and abominating hatred for him There is nothing that I set my eye on that I wu'd not love as proceeding from him as subsisting in him But so far as degenerate from him as comming in competition with him the indignation wherewith it affects me is inutterable Thus shall Cesar best have his due and God his Himself and what is subordinate to him God takes away no affection no nor the intensivenesse of it but onely its obliquitie to the object Nay I am perswaded that all worldly feare all worldly sorrow fall farre short of spirituall the one being from a displeasing world which is finite the other from a displeased God who is infinite But how great then is that consident joy to which this fearing griefe is but a set off For these to overcome the soule and them for Christ to come and overcome that conquest what a triumph will there be Oh the depth of the riches both of the wisedome and knowledge of God c. And blessed ever blessed be our God that we are not of them from whom hee hath hid the mistery of godlinesse strength made
in its balbutient age Instruct the Father or what more can ingage Me to content then 't is my Fathers pleasure In whose contentment 's lain up all my treasure Of joy and blisse But th'want o'th'laying th'foundation Well and well building on 't makes all th'mutation So oft befall us else might we steady stand Upright unshaken mov'd on neither hand God is my Diapason rise or fall Above all thorough all the ground of all And so he is to All his workes but they Can heare no concords that will disobey But wee that put our selves into his hand Obedient instr'ments of his just command Who with his crosse-division running art Gives such mysterious pleasure to the heart Of 's understanding ones a stranger can't Conceive whose judgement 's too too rude too scant To compasse such an odde variety Into a sweeter-sounding unity Nor sees th'decorum now with smarter strokes Of 'ts valour excitating tones provokes Our rouzed spirits unto Martiall feates To quiet combates with the enemies threats Now w'th soft retreatings recollects them by it 'S remisser touches to a watchfull quiet Strike hard or gently stroke this know we still We 're th' better musick of his gracefull skill Prosperity's a Triall too and he that uses 'T not in that notion exceedingly abuses Himselfe and it and never sooner looses His every-way ensnared soul then when he chooses It not as pleasing God but him refuses Adversity not because his minde induces Him t'think it 's not thought good of God but hee Wu'd ever prosperous never afflicted be And wu'd'st thou so know every state 's a triall And all prosperity lies in self-deniall While thou surrounded with the confluence Of all the earths indearements that presents Thee with its goodliest heart-alluring'st offers Tak'st them as not ta'ne of them daily proffer'st A glad resignment having learn'd the art To have thy Food-indeed ev'r hungring heart More fil'd with Heaven then thy hands with Earth Count'st Myriades of Worlds a starving dearth Till Him thou seest in All gets Him through All Above all livest with Him 's in through 'bove all O such a man this man of Millions he 'S well bottom'd beares so well so high degree Be rooted grounded stablisht in the Faith So maist thou reare that superstructure hath A winde-and-storme-out-facing firmitude Whos 's Capstone shu'd be constant gratitude Whose corner stone is Christ whom while we see How can we unchearefull how unthankfull be In every thing give thankes ' cause every thing Brings good to us ' cause glory to him brings This is the will of God Sweet will The will Of God concerning me What me What still More sweetnesse What am I that I should be To be the subject of such Majesty That thou shud'st once bestow a thought on me But such a such a thought concerning me In Christ In Him even now translate into The Kingdome of thy dearest Son might view My Crosse triumph't o're by a patient and Long suffering joy while strengthned strengthned stand With might all might according to his power His glorious power doth all things over-power O' th' joy the joy the over-flowing joy Tides on the Heaven-ward soule wherein the Law Of comforts God's a hidden spring delights The inward man whose chiefe whose sole delight 's To be the subject of Gods will a joy Whose boundlesse inundations can destroy And beare before it like a wispe of Straw The hugest oppositions sad'st annoy That Earth and Hell can raise a joy redoubles T 's augmented forces by'ts increasing troubles The while he makes the more retir'd repaires Unto h's entowring Name views th' Legions there Attend him how heavens souldiers flock about Him with their profer'd service and his doubts Fly far away the while hee 's more intent To th' secrets of his heart more represent Him purity integrity simplicity Sincerity truth th' face of God vvhereby H's's inlargedly spirited with joyfull love 'T dares wrastle a fall with death and longs to prove The mastery and like some mighty Gyant fil'd With generous Wines speeds sprightly to the field Of high exploits that th' world and he might see Th'o'repowring arme of Al-sufficiency What wonders 't acts in feeble flesh a joy That can the most blood-sucking sorrow cloy With superabundant sweetnesses a joy Sings nothing sweeter then it's wisht envoy Unto the world a joy whose skill is showne ' N extracting marrow from the dryest bone A joy of that extended pure delight ' I's impossible the heart b' in such a plight Shut up in selfish ridgid austere constriction No't can be hard while such a blest affection Dissolves it all in pitty drawes powres it out In streames of meek compassions run about On every side with heedy tendernesse To see what wayes of succouring redresse 'T may finde while still it makes this gentlenesse prove More flaming oyle to its Seraphicke Love Thus thus annoint with this Celestiall joy Diffuses weighty spirits and imployes M' in such a sadnesse t' which all th' rest is madnesse A grave confulting serious sober sadnesse Consist's with is the Basis of true gladnesse 'T which all other's is but a merry madnesse A joy 's no light slight frothy vapouring bubble That disappeares at th'softliest-blasting trouble But a perspicuous solidity Transplendent firmnesse agile stability Thus kindly may the influented Art Of that bright morning Star that rules this heart Temper thee to it selfe and warm thy soule VVith spirits may raise th' above the worlds controule 'T is not thy Musicke Stories Company Thy forc'd ungenuin mirth can remedie Thy wound no i'ts but a palliated cure 'T will fester more and thou wilt lesse indure T 's returning smart but leave this Mountebanke trick And search toth ' coare better once be throughly sicke Then never truly well Out with this odde This peevish humour that oppugnes thy God His sacred will for then and not till then Thou't say to all his workes a glad Amen 'T is onely this our inconformitie 'S the cause of all our sinne and miserie And wu'dst thou not conforme did'st firmely beleeve Him all good thou all bad but hence we grieve Fond soules the griefes must be griev'd over again Cause our weake faith this maxime can't maintaine How can we be in our repining mood But in our heart we say he is not good No no it 's not it 's not so easie a thing To b'leeve him good for whether wud 't not bring Us duely truly creedited keepe then to this Say God is good for that is all our blisse Our blisse is all in Christ by whom alone The selfe denying soule God good hath knowne Worke waite pray praise This part 's thine God's the rest 'T is daring sacriledge to be unblest Gods glorie 's rob'd ere thine owne good but pray Thy Will be done let thankefull patience pray Blest man how ever There 's nothing comes amisse Toth ' man harh ta'ne the will of God for his Is now no more himselfe is ruled by Another soule his sole