agree no doubt Though by the way they many times fal our When once Christs harp in th' ears of saints hath sounded The evil spirit shal be quite confounded VVhen to the highest peg of bliss our strings Shal once be wounded up by the King of Kings No discord in our Musick then shal be In heaven there 's a perfect harmony But stay my Muse forbear to prosecute This lofty theame lest thou be strucken mure By th' ne're enough admired depth and height Of heavens bliss transcending al conceit None to the life can limne out heavens glory Although they study nought but Oratory Saint Austin by a Bishop of his time Being requested earnestly to climb Up in his thoughts to the Emperial Court Above and of its joyes to make report VVhile he addrest himself unto the task Attempting heavens beauty to unmask VVhil'st on the wing he soar'd of contemplation And in the depth was of his meditation A voice articulate distinct and clear Arrived at the portal of his ear Saying what mean'st thou Austin dost thou ever Hope to effect what thou dost now endeavour Dost thou th' expanded Ocean in thy hand E're think to measure or to graspe the Land VVithin thy shallow fist Leave altogether The search of heaven till thou commest thither If that bright star was by an heavenly voice Silenc'd and from the handling of so choice A theame prohibited How then may I Into those sacred secrets dare to pry Let it in brief suffice to know that al The Rhetorick of the Quire angelical Is not enough to reach the top and height Of heavens glory pleasure and delight Nor al the bitter sighs and hellish groans Of damned spirits and tormented ones Who labour under an eternal cross Sufficient to bewaile so great a loss Practical Conclusions From the former DISCOURSE THey that expect a glorious translation Must lead on Earth a gracious conversation Of doing wel it never must repent them A common course of life must not content them Their bosome-sins they must est-soon discard Which do their motion heaven-ward retard How pure had they need be who fix their eye Upon a place free from impurity In righteousness they others must excel Who hope for heaven where righteousness doth dwel In Glories famous Universitie They Graduates can never look to be Who are not in the school of grace with store Of Piety well principled before Holiness is heavens happiness a sign Heaven was not built to be a sty for swine No sinful souls may there themselves embark As unclean creatures once in Noahs ark The wine of angels never was nor shal Be pressed out to fill old casks withal Garlands of Glory they shal never wear In whom the flow'rs of Grace don't first appear The Second Practical Conclusion O Let the thoughts of heavens endless joy Bear up thy heart when sorrows would annoy Under temptations let thy soul be glad An interest in heaven and be sad Although the Lead of trouble down-ward move Yet let the Cork of Faith still swim above This worlds afflictions which are transitory Hold no comparison with the weight of glory When melancholy did the scepter sway In Caesar's heart he then was wont to say Remember thou art Caesar and thereby Dethroned that usurping Enemy When outward crosses on thy spirit lye Make a persume of a perplexity By musing often on thine interest In God in Christ and in that place of rest Where swallow'd up all worldly sorrows shal Where in the vision beatifical St. Basil doth of certain Martyrs write Exposed naked in a winters night To the inclemency of wind and weather Being the next day to be burnt together That in this plight they were no whit dismaid But comfortably to each other said Sharp is the cold but sweet is Paradise This torment 's nothing to that pearl of price The Way is thorny and our feet may gall Our journies end wil make amends for al. Let us a while endure the cold and than The Patriarchs bosome warm us shal again Let our feet burn that we may when we dye Dance with the Angels to eternity And so much joy there is in store for me Said blessed Philpot that although I be Up in a place of doleful darkness pent Yet wretched sinner I cannot lament But night and day I am as full of glee As if from crosses I were wholly free Yea ne're was I in al my life before So cheer'd as now I 'm landing at the shore The contemplation of eternity Pulls out the sting of worldly misery It turns the hissing serpent of temptation Into a blossoming rod of consolation It makes the oyl of gladness swim and lye Above the water of adversity It out of ev'ry cross doth take the core It sucks the poyson out of every sore It draws the anguish out of every groan And cutteth each calamity of the stone They cannot chuse but lead a joyful life In whom the thoughts of heaven are most rise That chrystal fountain to perplexed hearts Sweet draughts of consolation oft imparts The Third Practical Conclusion O Let there be within thy soul a dearth Of worldly thoughts lest doting on the earth Thou forfeit those refined sweets which lie Safe in the bosome of eternitie Cold comfort is in creatures to be found Contentment grows not in such barren ground Heaven is the spring from whence a lone doth flow Sweet satisfaction to the faints below Where others set their hearts there set thy feet Such counsel for a christian is most meet Spend not thy coin for that which is not bread But with disdain on earths enjoyments tread Fasten thine eyes upon that glorious state For which the saints with expectation waite Part not with that invaluable treasure For a few drops of moment any pleasure O hazard not thy self to endless woes For things that are as fading as the Rose What fruit hath Dives of his rich attire Or dainty fare in the infernal fire Of her dissolved Gems what pleasing tast Hath Cleoparra now her life is past What sweetness now finds Heliogabalus In the Elixars of his various And costly Cates VVhat pleasures now arise From his unheard of sensualities O toy not then with beggarly delights Divert thine eye from earths inchanting sights Relish no earthly joyes nor highly prise The gilded pompe of worldly phantasies What cares and fears gripe those who thus excel Rich discontent is but a glorious hell Though thou to so journ here on earth art driven Yet let thy Faith be breathing still in heaven O fix thine eye upon thy future station Let that be floating on thy meditation The matchless glory which thy present state Succeedeth time shal never antiquate Let all thy studies to that center tend The blessedness of heaven knows no end Be sure to make eternity the sphere Of all thy thoughts even while thou livest here And let thy contemplation often be Prying upon thy future dignity Be ever thinking thus Oh when shall I Take up my
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Et Paulo Post v. 63. Homer Odys θ. v. 43. Ubi forsan seipsum respexisse videatur qua vulgari fama coecus perhibetur 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 What Singer's this the Poet calls for thus Me thinks Dear Taylor thou' rt this Demodocus 'T is thine Urania that hath given thee Instead of eyes this vein of Poesie Thou seest not Earth yet piercest Heaven thine eye Is more sublime beholds Eternity The glaring lusters of the world may please The lusts of sensual eyes but none of these Have ought of real Glory in their sight VVhose souls are fill'd with a diviner light This heavenly light adorns thy nobler mind The world 's mistaken that accounts thee blind A veile 't is true is drawn over thy sense Yet not without a gracious Providence For thus thy God hath made the world to thee Known as it is and what't will ever be Even darkness still This hath thy glory bin While th' Curtain 's drawn without thou' rt light within And here thou hast th' advantage too while we That fondly please our selves and say we see Yet must confess so long as day and night Do keep their constant turns darkness and light Have their successions in us and that all The light we have is but an interval These changes touch not thee to whom we say 'T is ever dark and yet 't is ever day Thy soul beholds that glory and that crown * 1 Cor. 2.9 VVhich never yet to mortal eye was shewen So true is that even in Philosophie 'T is not the eye the soul alone doth see Thou * So are the Prophets called Seers 1 Sam. 9.9 seest †And Guides Ps 78.72 Acts 8.31 35. guidest too that others may By thy Seraphick Poem find the way To that caelestial throne yea charm'st their cars By this the truest harmony of the spheares Thus Art doth Piety sweetly greet The Muses and the Graces meet Ovid. Fastor l. 1 Felices animae quibus haec cognoscere primis Inque domus super as scandere cura fuit Credibile est illos pariter vitiisque * Vulg. jocisque Sic autem corrigenti Doctissimo D. Grajo nostro lubentiffime assurgo locisque Altus humanis exseruisse caput 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Joh. Stileman M.A. Pastor Ecclesiae Tunbrigignsis in Agro Cantiano To his dear Friend Mr. Francis Taylor upon his Grapes from Canaan c. being nocturnal Meditations on his Restless Bed SIght is a blessing God hath made you blind Yet far more blest in your enlightned mind Our pur-blind eyes which dazle at the glory Of worldly Objects fraile and transitory Allure our minds to fix their Meditation On earthly Vanities fond Contemplation Your Eagle light piercing beyond the sky Beholds the glory of Eternity Height-ning your soul it s purer thoughts to place On the rich substance of immortal Grace Sleep is a blessing which you cannot find Yet far more blessed in your waking mind Our Nights in sleeping spent we seem to ly Among the â—â—ad beneath the Canopy No thought of God no Prayers nor no Praise Can sense-bound sleepers up to Heaven raise Your waking mind among the Living dwells VVithin the veile where blessedness excels VVhere Saints coelestial with Angels sing Eternal Praise to the Eternal King VVe see those Vines which in this Desart grow You spy that Vine where Milk and Honey flow VVe Clusters pluck by Day but sowre and tart You gather Grapes by Night most sweet which Art Had we obtain'd though neither sight nor rest Yet tasting of such Grapes we should be blest Clement Barling To his dark Friend upon his Divine Poem of the Glory of Heaven WHen God first will'd the star-light of thine eyes To set He then commanded to arise The Sun-shine of his Glory in thy soul And us to see how He without controul Can bring Light out of Darkness and can make Thy loss thy gain thy misery our mistake Wee 'l therefore praise him for that sight which He Hath given thee in exchange and whereby we Do learn the less on earth we fix our eye The firmer may our hearts be fixt on high I'have sometime thought thee blind but now I see 'T was my own thoughts were darkned as for thee Thou only hadst thy sight a while sequestred To keep thy higher thoughts from being pest'red With Earths diversions nay who will not say That reads with care what thou do'st here display But that this thy Divine Apocalyps Doth speak thine eye-sight only in th' eclipse By th' interposing beams of that great light Above whose glory dazles natures sight And bids her wink that grace a glimpse may get Of what no eye hath seen nor ear as yet Hath heard nor is conceiv'd in any heart Except as now to thee reveal'd in part Henceforth therefore I shall not dare to think Thee dark but only that God bad thee wink A while till he had taught this froward age To know not only from what every page Of these thy spiritual Opticks tells to all But likewise from thy Preaching and thy Call That maugre all such spirits as are freer To wrest than speak the truth thou art a Seer Go on then with thy Muse let her keep sight Of what she hath spy'd and follow by the light Of Grace that spirit which taught thy soul this story Until thy Grace is swallow'd up of Glory TO Mr. FRAN. TAYLOR ON HIS Grapes from Canaan Taylor THou art no Water Poet not by wine Art thou inspir'd thy genius is Divine And stoops not to that Helicon thy Quill Soars higher than the proud Parnassus hill Thou on the Holy Mount above hast been In Contemplation and hid things hast seen Like that ston'd Martyr Steven we may look And behold Heaven open'd in thy Book Thy blindness shames and much out-does our sight Our day is dark and cloudy to thy night Thy piercing eyes of Faith and knowledge pry Into those things that in the vaile do lie And the third heavens secrets look upon Which are the blessed Saints rich portion Thus that choice vessel Paul his sight being gone Did see more clearly and had 's vision I might thee stile the Homer of this age Did not thy richer and sublimer page Forbid which in its pure and sacred strain All Boerry but Fiction doth contain Thou only measur'd truths dost tell in that Celestial Globe of thine and heav'nly Map Let profane Poets loose and wanton Muse Be damned to the Grocer's servile use Thine is to us more useful than a star In Navigation to the Mariner It steels the brow ' gainst threats in storms it chears In dangers comforts animates in fears And makes us with a vertuous scorn disdain To yield in Tryals and count losses gain It doth relieve although it doth rehearse High mysteries our dulness with its verse Thus Artists say an Emrald standing by In cutting Jewels
too transcendent too sublime and high E're to be ken'd by Natures pur-blind eye THE SAINTS SHALL BE WITH CHRIST IN HEAVEN THe Doctor of the Gentiles grand desire To be dissolved was he did aspire To the encircling armes of Christ which he Deemed the center of felicitie A Priviledge of the first magnitude A blessing that all blessings did include Surely we can no losers be by being With Christ who is almighty and all-seeing While we 're engarrison'd in slime too much Of the wild olive still remains in such As are indeed converted but when death Dams up the passage of our fleeting breath As young and tender Scions then shall we Into a better stock engrafted be We then shall be with Christ whose company Our hearts will ravish to eternity A perfect state more glorious is by far Than an imperfect here our graces are Our richest jewels but their lustre they Don't in this life unto the full display They 'r like the Moon which when it shines most bright Hath a dark spot most obvious to our sight Our pretious Faith a jewel in Gods eye Oâ—â— blended is with incredulity And our humility with so much pride Is stain'd that it can hardly be descri'd Our graces flame alas is not so pure But that some smoak doth often it obscure Our Vertues here are in their infancy And can't arrive at full maturity Till on the top of Jacobs Ladder we Are mounted and do Christ in heaven see To be with Christ is held in sacred story To be the highest link i' th chain of glory What is' t the pious soul esteems most meet For him to covet is it not the sweet Presence of Christ For nought on earth he cares But what the image of his Saviour bears He loves religious duties but whence is' t Because they manuductions are to Christ He prayes and praiseth prayers excellence Cause souls with Christ have private conference He hears the Word and strives it to obey Because to Christ it châ—lketh out the way Christ on the spirits wings to us doth flie VVe plume'd with Faith to him again do hie If in an Oâ—d'nance Christ be not insteed Of meat we on an empty dish do feed Christ's all a Christian can desire and more The sev'ral graces which i' th saints of yore A pleasing luster yielded though but dim Are all at once conspicuous in him VVho so by Fuith most sublimated is He neither hath a head-piece to devise Nor heart to cover all that 's to be found In Christ but when we on the holy ground Of heaven tread the great Jehovah will Enlarge our narrow Vessels and them fill Up to the very brim as once with VVine Christ did the water-pots by 's power Divine The sight of Christ unto a saint that is Translated and enammelled with bliss A more delightful object will appear Than e're his eyes beheld VVhen he was here On earth the light of his Divinitie In the dark-laâ—thorn did obscured lie Of his humanity yet even then The saints in him did so much beauty ken Through Faiths prospective-glass as did delight Their hearts and ravish their amazed sight But Oh! what glittering beams of matchless worth And peerless excellence shall sparkle forth From Christ when saints shall see him as he is Shining in glory in the sphear of bliss O what a blessed sight will 't be to see Christ clad i' th' Robes of our humanity And in that humane nature placed higher In dignity than the melodious Quire Of glorious Angels who to heavens King Do everlasting Halelujahs sing Cherubs and Seraphims there are But do The saints believe that these make heaven No I' th' ring of glory Christ's the rarest Gem The richest Pearl i' th' heavenly Diadem Therefore St. Paul desired not to be In heaven but with Christ whose company The heaven is of heav'ns Our being with our blessed Saviour shall Not only local be but conjugal Our eyes shall so behold him as that we Shall be one with him to eternity What neerer is than Union or what 's sweeter It is the spring of joy and makes the creature Happy beyond conceit by vertue we Of that blest Union shall partakers be Of those transcendent beauties wherewithal Christ's humane nature is and ever shall Bespangled be Christ with the glory which His Father gave him will his saints enrich They with his beams shall shine he doth array Them with his graces whilst they 'r in the way But when they to their journeys end are come He them with Robes of Glory welcomes home How full of lustre will the saints appear When they their Saviors richest jewels wear Not only one they with their husband shall Then be but eke resemble him withal In other marriages Brides only do Change their estate but here complexion too Not that in glory Christ conferreth ought Of his own Essence as Socinus taught Saints so much glory as compriz'd may be Within the verge of their humanitie Shall have but though his image he impart Yet not his Essence When the Sun doth dart Its beams and on a glass shines from its sphaere Some print it of its beauty leaveth there And 'twixt the Sun-beam and the glass it is No easie matter to diseern but this Most certain is the glass is not the ray The Sun its likeness only doth convey In Heaven the Saints shall be all KINGS THere too too many are who do aspire After Terrestrial Scepters whose desire Is to be mounted on the throne as though The place where saints must reign were here below We surely then Gods Church on Earth must grant To be triumphant and not militant But see the honour of the saints O they Shall all be Kings at their ascension day VVe of their royal robe and throne of Glory Read in the Book of Books the sacred story The saints that in this world a crown do wear Of thorns shall have a crown of glory there Yea such a crown as hath no cares at all VVoven into 't the crown of Kings oft gall Their royal heads they by experience find Them both with care and sorrow to be lin'd Cyrus the Persian King was wont to say Did men but know the cares which he each day Under a crown imperial did sustain To take it up no doubt they would disdain But lo the crowns of saints in glory shal No mixture know or misery at all They neither are with care of keeping blent Or fear of losing but yield all content O let us then with patience undergo Our momentary troubles here below Let not our light afflictions press us down VVho bear the cross shall also were the crown In Heaven the Saints shall be filled with JOY THe joy of Saints is by their Union bred VVith Christ being fully joyn'd to their Head Their joyes shall then be perfect and for ay God from their eyes shall wipe all tears away With that soft spung which Christ their trusty friend Provided hath before hand for that
into the heavens third story So thou which made thee limne so well its glory Thy skill hath made Objects remote t' appear Close by and things a distance off seem neer Sin is alas an interposing screen A separating wall which stands between Glory and us but by thine heavenly art Glory 's revealed unto us in part Thine understandings search hath brought to light Secrets abstruse O blindness blest for sight The Spaniards Dove Columbus and our Drake Not Quaking in the least did undertake A long and dang'rous voyage sayling over Remotest Seas new Ilands to discover Home they return their richer vessels hold A fraught of nought but glorious luggage Gold Had they both Indies and could Numid-like Measure their unsumm'd treasure by a strike Time would consume it what a thief is Chink The greatest baggs will in the using shrink Alas alas the Glory they did win Was earthly vain their Bullion falling in A deep consumption pin'd away by leasure See there the end of their laborious pleasure But as for thee my truly Honor'd Friend Thou Rigg'st thy Vessel for an other end Thy braver spirit doth with scorn disdain The roaming here upon the foaming Main Grace is the Ship thy soul doth go aboard Thy Faith 's the Sayl thy Steers-man is Gods Word His Spirit 's the Wind that drives thee by degrees O're the calm back of th' Erythraean seas I mean Christ's bloud thou tak'st a view of heaven Returnest richly fraught with Jewels given By God himself by doing good thou thriv'st Thy lands enrich'd this is the trade thou driv'st Like Noahs Dove thou canst not dost not cease Until thou bringst an Olive-branch of Peace Wouldst thou view heaven on earth kind Reader then Let thine eye trace the foot-steps of his pen Steer'd by an others hand be pleas'd to look On the Reflections of this precious Book And here it is heavens glorious Objects pass Unto Faiths eye through this prospective glass Dost thou desire with beauties most sublime T' enrich thy soul engarrison'd with slime Shake off Earths dangling fetters which keep down Thy lab'ring soul from rising to its Crown The transient pleasures of this Mole-hill Earth Afford at best but melancholy mirth But joyes in heaven which are only sure And stable shall eternally endure In spight of time there the bles'd Saints advance Their heightned notes above the reach of chance Be practically good bid sin good-b'wy And Glory 's thine I 'le warrant you I I 'T is thine 't is thine the heavens have decreed It thine it thine Beatitude indeed Wouldst thou be made one of the royal stem And Den'son of the New-Jerusalem Be sure thou follow this directive way And then thou wilt not nay thou canst not stray Heav'n shield us all from the worlds Philtrecharms And hold us fast in his encircling arms O may we ever in that Glory rest Which our rare Author sweetly hath exprest Thrice happy be that soul who thirsting gapes To drink this liquor prest from Canaans Grapes Canterbury July 1. 1657. Nicholas Billingsley The Table A Believers present taste of future glory Page 1 Heavens glory not to be fully dsplaid in this life Page 3 Heavens Glory set out by 6 Properties Page 8 1 Its Altitude ibid 2 Its Magnificence Page 10 3 Its Purity Page 12 4 Its Amplitude Page 14 5 Its Brightness ibid 6 Its Permanency Page 16 Heavens glory further set out by sundry Scripture-names titles epithites as Page 18 1 A Kingdom Page 19 2 A Heavenly Kingdom Page 20 3 The Kingdom of God ibid 4 An Inheritance Page 21 5 An incorruptible Inheritance ibid 6 An exceeding eternal weight of glory Page 22 The Saints shall be with Christ in heaven Page 24 They shall be all Kings Page 29 They shall be all filled with joy Page 31 They shall have perfect Rest Page 34 They shall have full Security Page 36 There shall be a vindication of their names Page 39 Their Graces shall be perfected Page 42 The Beauty and Blessedness of Glorified Bodres Page 44 1 They are Immortal Page 46 2 Impassible Page 48 3 Agile Page 49 4 Amtable Page 51 The Beauty and Blessedness of Glorified Souls Page 52 1 Their Knowledge perfected Page 53 2 Their Love perfected Page 59 Five Practical Conclusions Page 64 Four Marks of our Interest in Heaven Page 75 A General Conclusion Page 82 Faiths Triumph Page 86 ERRATA In page 3. line 5. for the comprehensible r. th' incomprehensible p. 17. l. 9. for man r. men p. 31. l. 5. for joyn'd r. joyned p. 40. l. 27. for stiled r. stil'd p. 47. l. 2. for our r. over p. 49. l. 21. for at r. it p. 51. l. 15. r. bodies p. 62. l. 9. r. keep p. 62. l. 16. r. wound p 71. l. 13. r. makes GRAPES FROM CANAAN OR The Believers present taste OF Future Glory THe lives of Saints are Tragae-comaedies Their future joy their present grief out-vies Their death is sweet although their life be sowr Tears in the bud but Glory in the flower The blessed Angels at the port of bliss Or portal of the Heavenly edifice As Masters of the Ceremonies stand To welcome Saints into the Holy Land From whence into their Fathers Court strait-way These Ministring Spirits their new-Guests convey The glory that the Blessed there behold All language is too narrow to unfold The glittering stars which in that Orbe do shine No Logick can sufficiently define Had I as many tongues as hairs yet I Could never set out the resplendency Of that celestial Paradise above For saints ordained by the God of Love The shadow of it in the picture I Can only give and that imperfectly Heavens Glory not to be fully displai'd in this life NO eye hath seen ear heard or heart of man At any time conceived hath or can The comprehensible sublimity And glorious mysteries of that most high And heavenly Wisdom and unparallel'd Sweetness which in the Gospel is reveai'd How altogether then unutterable Is the perfection how inexplicable The full the real and the actual Fruition of those Evangelical Mysterious Revelations which are even Accomplish'd to the height in th' highest Heaven The eye of man hath seen Earths rarest sights Its bravest Ornaments and chief delights Mountains of Chrystal and rich Mines of Gold With Rocks of Diamonds wondrous to behold Ilands of Spices and the Pearly coast Of which some Travellers so much do boast The stately and sublime Pyramides Diana's Temple and such like as these Mausolus tombe in all its pompe and pride With all the wonders of the world beside The Ear hath with the sweetest melody Oft charmed been even with such harmony As once transported the amazed ear Of Alexander with a pang as 't were Of pleasing rage and sweerly did inhance His spirit with a most delightful dance The Heart of man imagine and surmise Rare pieces can and strange felicities The pebbles on the ground it in conceit Into rich Pearls can transubstantiate Dust into
end The spouse on Earth in sable doth appear Because she absent is from her most dear And loving husband but in heaven she Of all her mourning weeds shall stripped be Her bloody Robes Christ then will take away And all in white will her forthwith array Hell 's call'd a place of weeping they that here For all their sins would never shed a tear Shall weep enough when they tormented ly I' th' scorching flames of endless misery But when the saints have gain'd the heav'nly crown Christ from the willows will their harps take down He for his trumpeters and heraulds there VVill call who at his beck do all appear The glorious Angels that caelestial Quire VVith one consent do mutually conspire To warble forth the anthemes of divine Praise and with them the saints shall all combine And shall with wondrous skill and heavenly art In that blest consort sweetly sing their part If when we are i'th'arms of Christ it were Possible for a saint to shed a tear It would without all paradventure be A tear of joy Christ to eternitie VVith beams of love upon his spouse will shine And all her water there turn into wine One smile from Christ will make her quite forget Her former grievances and strait-way set Her on the pinacle of joy where she From all afflictions ever shall be free Sorrow 's a cloud that 's gather'd in the heart Upon the apprehension of some smart And weeping which the off-spring is of pain A cloud of grief is dropping into rain But Christ the sun of Righteousness shall shine So brightly in the heavenly Palaestine That there no interposing clouds shall be No sorrow mix'd with our felicitie In heaven there 's no Devil to entice Nothing to breed or to engender vice Saints in the bosome there of peace shall rest No enemy there shall be to molest Though Isr'el had subdued Canaan yet Of all the Canaanites they could not get The mastery or wholly them expel But they amongst them in that Land would dwell But when we with the Father are of Lights VVe shall no more be vex'd with Canaanites God with a flaming sword world without end The heavenly paradise shall still defend The Saints in Heaven shall have perfect Rest. A Pilgrime 〈◊〉 i' th' vale of miserie May to 〈◊〉 silver well resembled be Which hath a principle of motion in it But not of Rest he almost every minute Is like the Ball upon the Racket or The ship upon the waves that swell and rore So long as sin our nature doth deface And a co-habitant remains with grace While Saints do feed on such unwholsome diet They subject are to motion and disquiet There is no rest saith holy David in My bones at all by reason of my sin Here saints are in a constant fluctuation And of their sorrows have no relaxation They 'r like the tyde that flows sometime and than After a while doth ebb as fast again No rest on earth is to be had ' cause we While here below out of our center be The Dove no rest after a tedious flight Could find till on the Ark she did alight But when the saints in heaven do arive An everlasting rest shall them revive The winds of persecution often blow Upon this spiritual corn whilst it doth grow Here in the field and each one passing by Will still be plucking most inhumanely These sacred ears of corn but when this crop Is in the heavenly Grainery laid up It from the injury of wind and weather Shall then preserved be for altogether It with impetuous storms no more opprest Shall be at all but ever be at rest Not that in heaven there 's no principle Of motion spirits neither can nor will Be idle there but such a motion 't is As without lassitude and labour is No weariness the saints shall there infest Their work 's their case their motion is their rest They labour here for rest but there they shall Rest from their labours and be freed from thrall The Saints in Heaven shall have full Security 'T Is possible a saint some minutes may Of rest have here but they soon pass away Security's a flower that doth not grow In Natures Garden whilst we 're here below Sudden eclipses in our hemisphear To over-cloud our comforts oft appear We here in danger are of losing what Our heav'n-blest industry hath fairly got He that upon the pinnacle is plac't Of honour doubts his honour will not last He that abounds in worldly wealth still fears A devastation by the plunderers Nay a Believer though his riches be Most permanent and durable yet he Still pendulous and full of scruples is 'Bout his condition lest of heaven he miss Sometimes he questions and would gladly know Whether in the state of grace he be or no When Satan hath o're-reach'd him in some plot Do I believe saith he or do I not Something I have that shines but is not it A chain of pearl that 's only counterfeit My Faith's presumption and my love what is' t But love of self and no true love to Christ Yea when the holy Spirit hath me taught And in my soul some sound perswasion wrought I soon am shaken like a ship that lies At anchor when the swaggering billows rise Thus these distracting fears oft make him start And sad impressions leave upon his heart Yea when a christian knows himself to be I' the state of Grace yet then he fears lest he Into some scandalous offence should fall And so Gods spirit grieve and deeply gall His own awakened conscience and the heart Of Gods dear children pierce through with this dart Lest he thereby should sinners harden and Make Babes in Grace affrighted at him stand Yea which is worst of all lest God his spark Extinguish should and leave him in the dark These fears out of a gracious heart are still Arising like black vapours and do fill The souls of saints with sorrow but when they Released are out of their house of clay And in th' embraces of their Saviour lye Their hearts shall then have full security When they with Christ in glory shall appear They shall be rid of dangers and of fear A Christian in this life may likened be Unto a man upon the summitie Of some â—all Maste sometime the pirates I Mean perecutors at his ship let fly And though the passenger can't be annoy'd To wit the soul yet oft the ship's destroy'd Sometimes the winds of strong temptation blow Those northern winds and the poor christian now Gods favour questions much and gladly would Know if his name were in Gods Book enrould And though in Christ having an interest There is no danger yet his heart can't rest But when he is with Christ off from the mast And planted on that rock all peril 's past Then you shall hear him say Now I am sure I 've shot the Gulf my soul is now secure I 'm past from death to life no Sirens charms
Henceforth can pluck me from my Saviors arms In Heaven there shall be a Vindication of Names THough Saints a conscience here void of offence Towards God man have yet their innocence By poysoned arrows of malitious words Oft wounded is which sharper are than swords The Devil that old serpent sticks not to Spit out his venome at the godly through The mouths of wicked men if he can't smite Their consciences with his keen darts and fright Their souls into dispair he then will put A dead flie in their names which oft doth cut Them to the very heart the saints we see Unto the world oft times decipher'd be In a sad manner who can e're express How strangely saints look in the Devils dress Job to the world was represented by His Friends as one stain'd with hypocrisie Saint Paul was stiled a seditious man When he to publish heavenly truths began The marks of Christ he in his body did Not only bear but in his name beside Yea Christ himself who blessed is for ever Was called of the people a deceiver And still the Devils instruments assay The saints in ugly colours to pourtray A hainous sin no doubt 't is to defame A christian by bespattering his good name It is no less than murther rather he Would lose his life than 's credit soyl'd should be Who so his neighbor wounds in 's reputation For it can never make him reparation Flaws in mens credit are like blots in white Paper which one can hardly fetch out quite Or if the wound it self should cured be Some skar to their perpetual obloquie Would still remain in fine they do defame The God of saints who blast the saints good name Believers have Gods picture on their hearts And he that casteth his malitious darts Against it or prophanely spits upon 't Offers to God himself no small affront Well either God the innocence will clear Of his Elect while they do sojourn here when graceless-men them with their tongus do smite Their righteousness hee 'l bring forth as the light Or else without all peradventure at The day of Doom their names he 'l vindicate Though troublers now of Israel stiled they be The day shall come when their integritie By him shall be proclaim'd who only knows The hearts of men and can their thoughts disclose The dust that here upon their reputation Was thrown by men of evil conversation Shall then be wiped off and they no more Shall loaded be with scandals as before The credits then of those shall be redeem'd Of whom the world so basely here esteem'd For names Jehovah who is great and good Shall inquisition make as well as blood And then the saints shall such a luster gain As no polluted breath can ever stain Then God himself the stone of obloquie Which here below on their good names did lye Estsoons shall roul away and they out from Among the pots immediately shal come Where they were black'd and sulled and shal be No more traduced to eternity They then must needs appear without a blur When God himself is their compurgator The Graces of the Saints shall be perfect in heaven HEre Grace to silver may resembled be Which hath some dross blent with its purity But when 't is coined in the heavenly mint No mixture of corruption shall be in 't When we 're advanc'd to the caelestial throne Grace shall be flowr'd into perfection It then most certainly refin'd shall be Into the highest power and purity This contemplation should unto a saint Be very sweet our love hath here I grant Its winter in our breasts but it shall be As fire ad octo in eternitie No smoak of imperfection shall obscure That radiant flame or render it impure Our graces in such orient colours there As never can be soyled shall appear There grace shall want no measure no degree But to eternity shall perfect be It may be here compared to a star Imprison'd in a cloud but when we are Once fixed in the firmament one high It like the sun in a most glorious skye Shall then appear and there a regal crown Of rare and matchless beauty shall put on In fine 't is manifest in sacred story That grace shall then be swallow'd up in glory THE BEAUTY AND BLESSEDNESS OF Glorified Bodies WHile we 're on Earth our earthly tabernacle Is of infirmities the receptacle Physicians find with all their art and skill Enough to do to piece't up for a while Our house of clay like to a picture is That 's out of frame or like an edifice That wants repair how soon each sudden blast Of sickness doth its strength and beauty wast How often is the heaven-born spirit pent Up in a most deformed tenement To rotten wood the body may indeed Be likened where like worms diseases breed But yet this piece of clay bespangled shall With glory be above in heavens VVhitehall No Feaver there or Plurisie shall be No wound distemper or deformity But all the issues of infirmity That here beset the holiest saints shall dry Up in illustrious splendour there for aye With greater beauty God shall them array Then that of Phoebus when it shines most bright And blaz'ned is in its meridian light There Leah shan't complain of her blear eyes Nor ag'd Barzilla of infirmities Whither the bodies glory doth rebound From the souls blessedness and so redound By a continued constant influence Upon the body with much diligence I shall not here enquire or whether by Jchovahs powerful hand originally In the reformed body 't is implanted This in the general is on all sides granted That in the morning of the resurrection It shall be raised up in great perfection And like the glorious Body of our dear Saviour in heavenly splendor shall appear Which is a happiness most excellent Superlative and supereminent Glorified BODYES immortal DEath is the bitter and accursed fruit Of sin a worm still feeding at the root Of our decaying Gourds but when we die Our mortal puts on immort alitie As 't was with Adam in his innocence Had not sin stript him of his excellence Such harmony between each quality There of his Body was that probably Of life he never should have been bereaven But have translated been to th' highest heaven Indeed by Bellarmine it is averr'd That Adam dy'd had though he ne're had err'd But there 's no ground for this assertion in The sacred scripture to be found there sin Is made the formal cause of death however Death our bodies glorified shall never Dominion have but they by heavens decree Are made as long liv'd as eternity That God who Manna made some ages past Hundreds of years'th ' golden pot to last Shall so consolidate the body by His soveraign power that it shall never die But with impossibility of ever Perishing shall in blisful state persevere Heavenly Bodies impassible SOul grinding sores Jobs Body soft and tender Invaded and therein did worms engender And every worm was actuated by A
Pencil of the rarest Oratory The riches that attend Eternity Transcend the reach of any mortal eye They are a sphear above the apprehensions Of humane understandings or inventions 〈◊〉 though height'ned much with industry And Grace their worth and value can't descry Eternal glory to our weaker eyes Is an estate vail'd o're with mysteries Much like to pictures whose rare artifice By Curtains from our eyes concealed is The lanthorn of our shallow intellect Us to the knowledge of it can't direct VVhile grace is of so low a stature we Can't look that knowledge should giganticke be None can of Glory have a perfect sight Till they from earth to heaven take their flight The winter of our life must first be past E're we the summer fruits of glory taste VVhen saints out of the cage of earth shall flye Into the Region of eternity Their pondrous weights of glory they shall find To nonplus all conceptions of the mind Till that time come they must contented be VVith the first fruits of that felicitie VVith those sweet crums their craving stomacks they Must pacifie till their ascension day The fuller knowledge of our future state Concealed is our Faith to animate VVho dig in Mines where store of Gold doth lye Their hopes of wealth do whet their industry Many Reserves there are in heaven which Magnetick are to draw out all the rich And orient Graces of the saints and these VVarm their endeavours that are apt to freeze VVhat in the dark remains doth grace excitâ— And scrue it up unto a greater height Such a desire of knowledge natural VVas that ingenious Romane edg'd withal That while the cause he of Vesuvius His flaming Vomits with a vigorous Enquiry sought to know he in the wombe Of those ejections did himself entombe And how doth this lend Grace a wing to fly And with more vigorous conquest it supply That he whose eye of Faith most piercing is Can't see the end of his eternal bliss Nor sum up what the int'rest of his Glory Amounts to by the light of sacred story This portion which our intellects can't see To tell out while they vail'd and clouded be Is a most rich and rare encouragement VVhereby our graces with a stronger bent Are carri'd heaven-ward this Faith enflames And makes our hope rise higher in its aims This plumes a saint and makes him higher flie In contemplation of eternitie Faith's Triumph ST and not my soul upon a sinners leggs But with all speed relinquish thine own dreggs Into the arms of thy dear Saviour flie There only mayst thou find securitie Endeavour to beleeve what thou art never Able to purchase by thine own endeavour Thy debt acknowledge and then by and by Thy Jesus will the payment justifie Confide not in thy self or what thou hast Lest by thy self thou be deceiv'd at last Wouldst thou the precious Grace of Faith acquire Renounce thy self cast off thine own attire Wouldst thou in purity preserve thy Faith Condemne thy self heed not what Reason saith Do misty clouds obscure and dimme thy sight Faith will dispel them by its radiant light Is Heaven gate fast up against thee blockt The Key of Faith will open and unlock't Is there in Heavens high-way a roaring Lion Faith will o're com't and lead thee unto Sion Doth fear surprize thee Faith will courage bring Doth Death affright thee Faith pulls out the sting Is' t hard and difficult to gain the crown Faith bear'st away with honour and renown Be faithful to the death and thou shalt haâ—â— An heavenly garland though an earthly gâ—â—ve It shall not be to thee the Scripture saith According to thy works but to thy faith If before Faith good works can't work salvation After Repentance bad ones can 't damnation As he that crowns thy good works doth thereby Crown his own gifts so doth he magnifie His own free Grace that pardoneth thine evil Works which enslaved thee unto the Devil Cast anchor here my soul let nothing e're Remove thee in thy Faith still persevere And when the waves of thy corruptions beat Into thy leaking vessel and do threat Thine utter ruine and eternal bane By true Repentance pumpe them out again FINIS