suffer for the bodies crime Which conscience offer'd often to inform But pride of heart held conscience aye in scorn And would not hear when it made suit to speak For worldly affairs such suits do always break And so the soul is now depriv'd of bliss Or sight of heaven where its sweet Saviour is And that proud flesh of earth at first was made Must to the earth and there a while be staid For crawlers meat till that loud trump shall blow When soul and body both must undergo That final doom by God himself pronounced Because in life this God they have renounced And that most justly doth the conscience tell Depriv'd of heaven and doom'd to th' deepest hel Where they must live but wishing still for death Which they did fear at parting with their breath So what in heart in life was always loathed Will after death in heart he ever loved But not obtain'd as Diver doth thee tell Decreed for ever now to live in hell O eloquent death hath done more in one day Then Moses did with all that he could say Or yet the Prophets by their crying out These eighty years or now neer thereabout Yet all unheard or not in heart believed Till this hard heart of life is like bereaved O powrful death whose presence without speaking Hath done what Prophets could not by their preaching This conscience knows doth at large relate What th' heart hath done and what shall be its fate But out of time because it would not hear That it should come be laid on th' fatal bear Which now stands ready waiting at the dore To carry away who did it scorn before Is this a time then now for thee begin To think in what state thou at death art in For now thy conscience guilty of sin will say That th' weight of it to Topher doth thee sway Without all hope of thee for ere returning Whâ—n th'souls before and in that Tophet burning So all thy helps are surely now but weak If thou didst not in former times bespeak Them at his hands who always willing is And able also to bring thee to bliss If thou hast made the way for it before Or else there 's danger of it at deaths dore Thou foolish man observe the harmless Bee Who summer-time doth fill her downy thie And in her storehouse hoards up plenty of meat Against the time when there is none to get Look likewise on that little creature Ant Who being careful how to prevent want Foreseeing winter to be coming on In time of summer makes provision These little creatures teach thee time well spent In its due time and that with good intent May gain unto thee blessings happily Which shall continue for eternity But th' old man he is blind and cannot see And th'young man he is stout and will not be Correct with death this death which only can As all things else unmake this creature man And that being done then all this massie earth Unable is for to regain him breath And therefore now be sure whilsâ— thou hast power For to remember death comes at an hour When 't is not look'd foâ— like unto the thief When man 's in health and is of full belief That he shall live and so he still expects The length of daâ—eâ— but th'day of death neglects And yet doth know that he 'fore all the rest Who dyeth well thus only shall be blest For if a man were able spend his time Dâ—void of sin or any sinful crime And prove an Atheist but for one half hour And therein comes his blessed Saviour And doth demand what only is his own And roâ—peth there where he hath never sown O what a case may this man now be in Who long liv'd well yet dy'd in deadly sin Since th'tree as 't grows that way it surely fals And as the thief doth come so God he cals For th'foolish Virgins had their final doom For want of oyl shut out of th'marriage room O what a fearful horrid case is this For one houres pleasure lose eternal bliss Then watch my soul and do thou always say Good Lord give us our daily bread this day For after one day filthy worms did eat That precious Manna which was heavenly meat Because that they who every day would have Should every day for daily blessings crave And knew those worms did food of Angels eat Within a while will of the flesh make meat And though thy soul it cannot then be there Yet soul and body are decreed to beare Their share alike at the last reckning day Then do not thou this reck'ning now delay For wretched man this time doth draw fast on Neer unto death by computation And every day thy sins they do increase Time for repentance daily doth decrease And if repentance by grace be obtained There 's satisfaction also must be gained Or else I doubt repentance very much Without repayment cannot prove be such As it should be and then I greatly feare There will no dayes be longer granted there For death is strong and will not be orecome By threats nor treats whenas the day doth come Then thou fond man who seeing thy sick friend Wilt not say to him he is neer his end Till he be likely to yield up his breath And then thou wills him he should think of death Lest that the name of death should fearful be To him that is now at the point to die Then fear this death before he so neer come For 't is too late to do 't at th'day of doom Seeing if deaths warrant shall but once be sealed There is no wealth can cause it be repealed And therefore now have care prevent the worst Lest thou doe hold thy day of birth accurst When hils nor mountains are not able hide But this thy life must then be justly tride By thine own conscience 'fore that dreadful King Who knows and sees even every secret thing And sendeth this his servant powrful death To take away from thee thy dearest breath O then have care thou do thy dayes spend well If thou intend to keep thy soul from hell And be thou often thinking of this death How 't is his office to take away thy breath And do it daily since each day thou may Even lose thy life in that one dayes delay And so by this accustom'd daily count Thou 'lt see thy sins how they decrease or mount And if th' hast wealth thy care is so much more To leave'â— then he that is esteemed poor O living look thou stare upon deaths face That dying thou maist know his comely grace For familiarity will only bring A loving liking of a loathed thing Then thou my soul acquaint thee with this death Before he come to fetch away thy breath For tho his physnomie be pale and grim If daily seen thou 'lt stand no fear of him Then do thou look upon him every day As he were coming to call thee away By so much oftner that thou
he did repent I heard him often yet will not relent Though Peter sinn'd repentance gain'd remission I commit sin yet to repent omission When Peter sinn'd he saw it and did refuse it I see my sin yet still resolve to use it O wretch O wretch O wretch wilt ne'er return Till thou be doom'd in that dark fire to burn Will nothing draw thee say this Satan no As though thou lov'st this fatal word of Go Canst thou expect thy Saviour shall retaine thee When thou dost know that Satans self hath gain'd thee Thou art ready prest hear Satan at first call But thy blest Saviour thou'lt not hear at all Peter heard th' cock made use of his preaching Thou hearest Peter without use of his teaching Each creature taught this Peter for to pray But all created thy sin cannot stay Peter was left to bring unto thee life Yet thou lov'st sin as Satan loveth strife Peter did weep and did his sin forbear But thou sinn'st still yet cannot shed one tear With Peters sin his heart was mollified But mine with sin is rather stupified O wicked heart art not ashamed to see How all thy sins have nothing softned thee Art so resolv'd as nothing shall remove thee To leave this Satan though thou seest he loves thee Consider well the cause of this his love Because thou hast forsworn thy God above O Jesu Jesu have I thee forsworn Who came from heaven and on this earth was born For to redeem me from this bond of sin And horrid life which I have lived in And here endured the paines of death for me In hope I should from this foul Satan flie And notwithstanding shall I follow him still Forsaking good and following what is ill O weep O weep even rivers of salt tears To keep thee free from greatest of all feares Shall Satan say thy Saviour is forsaken Who dyed on earth and then to heaven was taken Desirous thou shouldst do as he had done Live here a while and then unto him come Yet thou a wretch a most ungracious wretch Whose sufferings are not able thee to teach That thy hard heart is harder far then steel Wilt not be drawn thy Saviours sufferings feel O weep O weep let tears fall from thine eye For him who shed both tears and blood for thee O weep O weep now spend thy time in sorrowing For to redeem thy time is spent in sinning O weep O weep let Peter teach thee weep And it will teach thee from thy sin to keep O weep O weep let tears fall from thy eyes That they may prove for sin a sacrifice O weep O weep with tears produce thy grief If thou do hope for sin to have relief O weep O weep let tears make soft thy heart If thou expect in Christ have any part But how can I expect in Christ a part When there 's in me not any good desart For I have spent most of my time in sin And my amendment is yet to begin Can I presume then God will pardon him Who hath liv'd all his life in deadly sin With what face can he now for pardon pray Hath so offended deeply every day O hypocrite thy conscience can thee tell That thou dost think ther 's neither heaven nor hell For if thou didst it surely would appear That thou didst stand of this great God in fear Seeing thou didst see his plagues on Egypt sent When Pharaohs heart would not be drawn repent Untill the Lord had so decreed and doomed That he and his should in the sea be drowned And his elected safely brought to land Through the read sea by great Jehovahs hand For which did Moses sing praise to the Lord Who did preserve them by his onely word And Miriam she did lead the maides a dance Which highly did the praise of God advance Her Timbrel sure did make a joyful noise With which hearts hands feet keep equal poise Good God! what diff'rence now in this new world How it is alter'd from it was of old Though our solemn Revels make a stately show Yet these to them cannot compare I know Their dance set forth their joy was in their hearts But this the practice of the outward parts That shewed their thankes for a great deliverance These only th' state is in a courtly dance Such are the Masques and shows to court are sent Whose cost are cause make many a youth repent What other good in them I do not know Yet this new worlds proud humour it doth show But there leave court let country shew its skill How apt it is to practice what is ill Where Pipes and Shawms and Fiddles fill the street With filthy tunes for chast ears most unmeet And yet to these will men and women dance As though they meant the praise of hell advance Here Miriams timbrel sure hath not been heard Or if it were it was with light regard Her timbrel sounded out a heavenly tone But these do pipe or little good or none Their musick mounted hearts up to the heaven But these keep souls with bodies station even If one should dance as David did 'fore th' arke There 's many Nichals would him readily mark But now his like on earth 's not to be seen Nor many such as he have ever been Or like to Miriam are not many more Though such as Michal now there are great store Not many Miriams on our English ground Though millions like to Michal may be found Whose light behaviour in their dancing's such As doth conduce to sinful lust in much And no great need where all are apt to ill Though this their aptness soul and body kill When Miriam danced 't was with fatal fear Of that Jehovah who had plac'd them there And in their songs his praises they do sing Whose wondrous works o're al the earth do ring But now our Michals songs are nothing so For they are such as bring their souls to wo. Their dancing sent a most sweet smelling savour But ours casts us out of our Makers favour Good God! that this our English fertile land Should harbour such as will not understand How much they 're bound unto this gracious God Though now we are beaten with his heavy rod Because we have neglected him to serve VVho with his blood did us from death preserve VVithin this Isle wherein his Sun did shine Like to that blessed land of Palestine O Wicked world behold how God hath lest thee And Satan he of all good hath bereft thee For Abraham's seed can hardly now be found Except it be in graves are under ground When who 's a Christian hardly can be known If by their works their faith it must be shown Though we profess and say that we have faith Our works deny it so sacred Scripture saith For all the world so madly runs awry As most forget they 're born to live to dye O what a wicked wretched world is now When most of men do unto Baal bow Though they
blessed roll Of them are mark'd to follow th' holy Lamb Who for thy sins from highest heav'ns down cam Then follow thou my soul w th speed I say And to thy Saviour do thou alwaies pray That thou in him for evermore may live And to his Name most worthy praises give For all the goodnes he hath given to thee So far beyond thine own expectancie For he hath freely given to thee much more Then erst was in thy wicked mind before To crave of him then do thou sing his praise And his great blessings do thou ever blaze O're all the earth that they may know and see The bounty great of the bless'd Deitie To thee poor man who had a happy place In Paradice but thy own want of grace Did throw the thence even unto the ground Where thou received's that deadly mortal wound Which none can cure but that the blessed Lord Himself did freely of his own accord Say he would send one of the womans seed Should bruise break the wily serpents head Which he perform'd in this his only Son Who from the heavens down to this earth did come And there endured as thou by faith mayst see The torments great of right were due to thee In lieu whereof thy Saviour doth but crave That he thy heart to himself may onely have A poore requitall for his grievous pain Wherein he doth not seek for his own ' gain But onely thine then do thou let him have That is his own which he doth onely crave â—or he hath dearly purchased the same Which all in darknesse did till then remain And into darknesse shall again return And in that darknes evermore shall burn Except it please thy Saviour thence it call For thou dost nought but he alone dost all For thou still dost as hereto thou hast done Forsake both Father and his onely Son To gain a thing which is at best but losse For fairest pleasures are in substance drosse And now being got they are with th' wind now gone So that the pleasure proveth to be none Then fie fond man thus to be drawn forsake Thy Saviour sweet who freely did thee make To be capable of eternall blisse Then do not thou give him a Judas kisse For it was solely in his breast alone To have made thee tree or liveles stock or stone But he did breath upon thy slimy face The breath of life for which his bounteous grace Thou art bound to give him all whatso'r thou hast Who in that posture thee being earth hath plac'd Whereby thou now by faith maist re-obtain The place if thou hast grace in it t'remain And in him trust who hath so deerly bought This place for thee yet thou fond man dost nought But on this earth rest take thy delight And for a bable sell even all thy right And hope of heaven O fie most wicked fie That thou hat'st life and lov'st so well to die Was ever mad-man seen so far bereav'd Of sense as thou who hast thy soul bequeath'd From him that bought it and to thee it gave Then give 't again that thou w th him maist have A blessed place among that heavenly quire Where all enjoy whatsoe'r they doe desire And more then so for ev'ry one of them That dwels with him in that Jerusalem Are fil'd with joy and so shall ever be From time to time for all eternitie To which they cannot with their wishes crave What they do want or what they do not have O thither mount my minde and do thou stay Thy self in that the best and happiest way Which leads to life where thou shalt surely see The glorious face of the sacred Trinitie Without all fear which ne'r yet any one But Moses did and onely he alone Was pent up close within the rockie cliff And there was covered in that stony riff With Gods own hand till he himself past by For none his face could ever see but die Then God withdrew his hand and Moses he The hinder parts of this great God did see O joy that 's far beyond all other joyes When thou behold's with these thy fleshly eys Even every part of the sacred Trinitie Which creature man as yet could never see Stay there my minde and do thou ruminate These heavenly joyes which ne'r determinate And onely Saints and Angels doe enjoy Who are solely freed from all kind of annoy And ever more in his glorious presence live Who for thy sins his life did freely give And yet doth he but even desire thy heart In recompence of this his cruel smart O that he should thus easily be content To take again what he hath onely lent And yet vile wretch dost thou at this repine So as thy heart doth daily still decline From heaven to earth freely there complies With him w th whom there is none deals but dies Then elevate my soul thy self again And strive an Angels glorious place to obtain For this a place of wicked warfare is Where all must strive that care to come to blisse And that they conquer then they may be sure To gain a crown of glory shall endure For evermore and therefore do thou strive And do not thou at thy wicked heart connive Whose nature is to love this massie earth Whereon at first received its vital breath But do thou love the Lord thy God alone And to him onely do thou make thy moan That he may please to elevate thy minde Up to the heavens where thou art sure to find Thy Saviour sitting in his glorious throne Who gladly hears all suites denying none Are made to him then do not thou delay But fast and heartily to thy Saviour pray That he wil please his spirit of grace thee send That thou thereby thy sinful life may mend And do thou strive for to obtain that place Which none can have but onely by his grace Then lift thy heart up to the heavens and say Come sweet Lord Jesus come Lord I thee pray And take my soul good God into thy hands To free it from all these sinful earthly bands Which bind it strongly sore against 't will From what is good to that is ever ill Safe keep it Lord I humbly thee require That it may have what is its soule desire Which is to dwell in thee my heavenly king And evermore thy worthy praises sing Lord keep me there then I am sure to live And hearty thanks to thee shall ever give For all thy goodnesse freely given to me That am unworthy even to lift my eye Up to the heavens the place where thou dost dwell Whose wond'rous works there is no tongue can tell No not so much as th'wind which we do know Doth ore our heads and on us daily blow Yet cannot we with reason comprehend From whence thou dost it daily please to send For he that seeks or goeth about to finde The cause thereof shall surely lose his wind And labour both and therefore do thou see That thou submit
whatsoe're he doth thee Unto the Lord who made the heav'n earth And all therein even with his only breath O stay my soul and there do thou admire The wond'rous greatness of that flaming fire Appear'd to Moses in the pillary cloud Which did his chosen children Israel shrewd Untill their sins stir'd up his heavy wrath And then he did as now of late he hath Done to this I le wherein we wretched live To whom his goodnesse did such blessings give As never land on earth had more then we And yet of peace we wretched cannot ' gree So that the son 's against the father's set And father he against the son doth fret And brother ' gainst his brother often wars And so will not let fall these wofull jars Till God shall please that his most heavy hand For to withdraw from o're this sinfull land And give us grace we may in hart repent And yeeld him thanks for his great blessings sent Which we unthankfull did as yet forget And for that cause each brother's blood is set Against it self like as did wicked Cain When as his brother Abell he had slain Sweet Jesus please to stay this thy sharp sword And stead thereof to send thy blessed word That thou thereby mayst beat down growing sin The want whereof hath doubtles only bin The real cause of this our mortall fewd which doubtless doth from our hard hearts proceed Sweet Jesus please to mollifie them so Like Peter's when he solely wept for woe Or like Manasses when he came be bound By Ashurs host who fell upon the ground And gained pardon for his grievous sin Whereby with speed he was restor'd again To Juda's crown and it so long enjoy'd Untill by death he was from thence destroy'd Sweet Jesus grant that we have many such And then without doubt it will help us much To further peace for which we daily pray That thou wilt please in thy great mercy stay This sword of thine and sheath it up again That we in peace may here hence now remain And live like loving brothers in this land VVhich thou hast kept with thine own pow'rfull hand From foreign fos tho now there be none such As we our selves domestick ones by much Sweet Jesus help good Lord we daily pray This bloody war of ours with speed to stay And put us once in happy peace again That we in peace may here hence now remain And praise thy name and that incessantly For giving us this bounteous great mercy And this must thou and onely thou alone Or else Lord Jesus other there is none Can yeeld us help in this our greatest need For now is nothing can stand us in steed But onely thou then come Lord Jesu come Or else deer God we are utterly all undone For them elected to the publique good With purging ill have bred in some ill blood And th' weaker sex it is become so strong T is doubtfull Lord the other sex to wrong So as between two are esteemed extream Most suffer much tho they retain the mean For now ther 's no part of this wretched I le Tho it enjoyed a blessed peace ere while But t is grown now unto a bloody war For many a one thinks their honest neighbor far More quiet then he and so with grief repines At 's neighbours good and then his malice finds Some hole or other in his neighbours coat Tho the quarrel be but for one single groat To make complaint to them that are of power To plunder him by strong hand in an houre For some old wrong as then but newly done Perchance betwixt the Father and the Son O blessed Lord that this the German plunder Which whilom was in peaceful England wonder Should now so well with us be understood As any other usuall English word Whereby revenge in England's grown so rife It tends to take away non-nocents life For Satan o're this Isle bears such a sway As by his wiles he draweth many away From thee that is their only God and King Who are rather bound thy worthy praises sing For all thy goodnes to this wofull land Tho now it feel thy dreadfull heavy hand Sweet Jesus send some blessed Angel down To quell this hellish Satans furious frown And force him Lord as thou was pleased then When he made suit he might go into th' swine Who huried him headlong into the sea Lord drown him there that he n're more have powr To come within this spacious Ile more But we instead of blood may ly and groan In brinish tears and therein make our moan To God on high he will vouchsafe to please This cruell war of ours with peace to cease And then that we who are true English all May all one way on the name of Jesus call Vouchsafe good God that we may so accord In holy service of that heav'nly Lord As tho we differ some of us in part Yet we may all as one agree in heart And let our hearts good Lord in prai'r remain Lest in our sins we wretched may be slain When worthies dare to stand look on death Tho with that look they lose their deerest breath Brave Britains keep your ' forwon antient fame Least antient terrour turn to novell shame And since your valour cannot well be known Untill by you some valourous act be done Then look your swords be sharpe for foreign foe Whose joy 's encreased by our cause of wo's Lest we bewaile this great efflux of blood When t is too late to do us any good And worthies all in time for death prepare Since all in th' end shall fall unto death's share But look you still prefer an honourable death Before a shamefull beastly cowardly life Seeing God alone the day of death doth know But when or where no earthly man can show O then le ts pray and that incessantly To him that lives and shall eternally Come let us sing and all due praises give To him that died that we by him might live And alwayes yeeld praise to his holy name Who was is now and ay shall be the same O let us all with heart due praises sing To this our God and glorious heav'nly king Whose dwelling is above the heavens most high Whereto the best of sinners come not nigh Whose heavy judgement is for to descend Since none come there but they who do ascend Then strive my soul and do thou aye aspire To keep thy self out of that irksome fire Which burns and yet there is no light appears But pain and grief and dreadfull horrid fears Sweet Jesus please to keep my soul from hence And draw it up to th'high'st heavens that thence I may have help for without help from thee There is no comfort in extremitie Then teach me Lord with heart mouth to pray That I in thee may ever live and stay And never more so wander up and down From place to place as I poor wretch have don Sweet Jesus please
must we for him provide Hath been your servant and so good a guide And then the son unto the father said We by his means so happy a journey made As I think half of what we have in store Is little enough if it were so much more With all my heart the old man then repli'd For he hath prov'd to us a blessed guide I am content he shall have half we have And more then half if he do more but crave Then call him in and know what is his mind Since he hath prov'd to us so firm a friend Then Tobie call'd and Raphael he obey'd And then unto him thus the old man said We know not how we shall your pains repay But half we have do take with you away It is your own for we do freely give it And more then half if you but please to have it Then he repli'd give unto God the praise For he alone it was that did you raise And he alone it was did this great thing Then be you thankfull and his praises sing For I am but that Raphael one of th' sâ—ven His holy Angels wait on him in heaven And did present to him your liberall alms And praises which you sung to him in Psalms So I am onely but the instrument 'T is he alone who hath me to you sent That I might shew to you his wonders great For I as yet did ne'r take any meat Although I seem'd indeed to you to eat And therefore now give unto God the praise And do you laud his holy name alwayes And fast and pray from praying do not lin That he may keep you from all grievous sin And let your alms be suiting to your store Of lesse give lesse and then of more give more And have a care you to him thankfull be For these great blessings he bestow'd on ye And praise sing praise to him for evermore Who is sole giver of your plenteous store Him serve him praise him do you ever fear And then will he unto your pray'rs give ear And nothing will this good God now deny Then praise sing praise to him that fits on high And look that you do all these wonders write And so did he depart out of their sight Then they down on their bended knees did fall And on the name of th' only God did call That he would please continue's blessing still If so it might stand with his blessed will And al their lives his praises they do sing Whose wondrous works o'r all the earth do ring And thankfull are for blessings he doth send And so continue unto their lives end Observe my soul what was old Tobies care To teach his son the way how to prepare Unto the place which he in heart desired The place was heav'n heav'n alone required And for direction left his son his Will To guide him th' way unto Mount Sions hill For it appears by that his will it self He car'd not much for any worldly pelf So he got heaven he sought not any more For he held that ev'n alsufficient store But few such now when most of men seek wealth And more respect it then they do their health Since want doth make most poore men be dejected And worldly wealth most rich to be respected But thou my soul tho God have made thee pore Fear not to want seeing Christ is at thy dore And will come in if thou wilt but provide An upright heart that he that may there abide For he nor likes nor loves for to be there Where th' heart lives not within its Saviour's fear But if he find a heart which proveth such Then that heart he respecteth very much And loves it dearly and will 't surely keep As one of those his well beloved sheep Here stay my soul for here is perfect love Which cometh solely from Jehova 'bove Then gain this love whats'ere it may thee cost For this love doth of all concern thee most Make use of this and here my soul observe What love it is which doth a man preserve Not love of wealth as some men use to say Nor yet of health as most do use to pray No nor of peace which all the earth desire When war hath set this wicked world on fire But peace of conscience that is aye the best And that my soul hold thou worth all the rest And doubtlesse that shalt thou thy self obtain And in that peace shalt all thy life remain Untill thou change this life on earth and then No doubt but this thy soul shal obtain heav'n There stay my soul and there set up thy rest For heaven of all homes is th' onely best And if thou canst though dearly purchase that No King on earth is seis'd of such a state Then lay out all thou hast for that rich field Where hidden treasure lieth unreveal'd It matters nothing though thou hast no more Thou shalt be rich altho thou beest made poore Stay there my soul do not here hence range But think of heav'n and of this earthly change VVhose soul though bounder'd here on earth with clay Know then no bounders that this soul can stay O what a weaknesse doth abide in me Cannot conceive what this thing soul should be Which ought all other parts in me controul Yet cannot my wit circumscribe this soul Which I well know I have in the somewhere Within my corps yet do not I know where Though each sence have its sev'rall seat beget Yet do not I know which is my souls seat Whereby I see that I my self am such And weaker far then most of men by much Since I with all that little wit I have Where my soul is I can it not conceive For I can neither see nor yet it feel Nor taste nor hear nor yet it seent or smell Still am assur'd and do right well it see That I have now a living soul in me And I do further perfectly it feel And chiefest care is for its onely weal I do it likewise in me also taste And loth I am it should within me waste I well observe my living soul I hear Pray unto God that it may live in 's fear And many a time in soul I use to smell A seent of sin when as it is not well O what a strange and hard Enigma's this Which none doth know but only th' God of blisse For he alone did it unto me give And by him onely it in me doth live For he had power to have made me a stone And then a soul had I had in me none Or if he 'd pleas'd he might made me a tree Nor then had been a living soul in me But he infus'd into this clayie slime A living Soul within his pleasing time I hope with joy shall to him go again And with him ever shall in joy remain And then I hope my weary soul shall rest In him alone by whom 't is onely blest O blessâ—d Lord which diâ— to me it give Grant it may
dost him see By so much more familiar you will be And do esteem him always as a friend Seeing he may greatly stead thee at thy end Assure thy self he 's stout and will not flie But he is always waiting on thee nie For he is one of whom thou shalt be found Tho thou wert hidden underneath the ground And if thou think from him to run away Then he 's so swift that he will make thee stay O view him love him and him look upon His countnance's comely so 's his complexion Though it be pale yet sweet 't will be to thee But th'hinder parts shalt nere be able see For he doth always forwards towards thee come And never backwards he is seen return He feareth no mans face nor yet his strength But overcometh all whatsoere at length There 's neither King nor Keisar he will spare But all in th' end do fall unto his share Though there be millions of arm'd men in field If he but throw his dart at them they yield There are no guns so great can make him flee For none on earth but only he 's shot-free His dart is always very sharp and keen And flies so fast it cannot well be seen Do but observe the nature of his dart It always aimeth at the very heart The strongest wals that ere with hands were made When he doth come by them he 'll not be staid He hits his mark as well in darkest night As when the sun doth shine tho nere so bright Then do not thou this deaths acquaintance shun From whom the swiftest of all cannoâ— run And who will cause the stoutest stand in fear If of his coming they by chance do hear Make much my soul of his acquaintance then If thou dost love him he will tell thee when He means to come if thou do often use Of him and his condition for to muse O then love thou this death his company well There 's in it more then I am able tell Yet this my soul I do in him observe That his acquaintance may in time preserve From second death which is a kindness such More worth by far then all the earth by much Thâ— make accompt of such a special friend Who is so powerful with thee at thy end As by his means there 's hope thou maist procure A happy life which shall for aye endure Amongst that blessed glorious company Who live and shall for all eternity And evermore the worthy praises sing Of Christ our Saviour and our heavenly King Then thou my soul make now a standing there And yet some more do thou of death enquire Since he is such and of so sweet a nature Whom some esteem to be of horrid feature But by observance I do in him find To thoâ—e that love him he is very kind And th'more I look upon his comely face The better still I like his comely grace As though he scorn'd the greatest earthly Kings Esteeming them to be but even base things And more then so I in him this observe If I have grace my self in time preserve From sin that then he can do me no harm If I do so I do him quite disarm For he no weapons with him bears about But with my own sins he doth beat me out From off this earth where wretched I do live But mine own sins mine own death-stroke do give So as I find if I from sin were free That then were death not able conquer me For now I see 't is only my own sin The wicked harbinger to bring death in Then do thou beat this harbinger but out And then fear not thou shalt put death to rout For if there were no sin within thy heart Then thou wert able take away deaths dart O then my soul hear this O doe thou hear Thy sin 's the cause of all thy greatest fear Then fear to sin and thou art able fray This thing calâ—'d death and force him flie away And if thou leave thy sin thou may be sure Th' art able then the sting of death to cure Then use all helps to leave thy loved sin And let slip none may bring thy Saviour in But set a watch and guard thy heart about To keep thy Saviour and shut Satan out For if thy mind be set on God above And thou resolv'd to follow him in love Then all thy actions which thou dost intend Are helps to bring thee to a happy end And no occasion can come then amiss May help to bring thy soul to th' King of Blisse Nor none let pass without some godly use Which some are wont with wickedness abuse But godly minds are ever apt to good And more for th'souls then for the bodies food Think with thy self how dost thou thee behave Canst go to bed and then not think on grave Since it 's more sure then is thy laid-down bed Shall not that surety enter then thy head Canst thou prepare to go to take thy rest And nought prepare for him hath so thee blest Thou knowst thy sleep may wel be said like death Save only that affoords a little breath Which this doth take and all what else is thine Then think of death and think on 't now in time In sleep no sense no not of greatest pain And so in death if heaven by it thou gain Then aim at heaven let it be all thy care Or else be sure have hell fall to thy share Canst thou uncloath thee to thy naked skin And then forget to cleanse thee of thy sin Hast thou the care thy bed may be made warm And then no care to keep thy soul from harm Canst thou be careful see thy linnen sweet And not remember that thy winding shee Hast thou the sense to feel thy bed is cold And yet no feeling that thou art grown old Canst thou have care thy bed should be made soft And then no care to lift thy soul aloft Canst thou be carefull for thy bodies rest Yet careless how the soul may come be blest Is flesh and blood of more esteem with then Then th' soul for which thy Saviour so did dâ—e Dost thou not know when body goes to grave The soul expects a place in heaven to have Dost pamper flesh for filthy worms to eat And starve thy soul for want of spiritual meat Thou sayst th' art sure of a living soul in thee And yet thy life doth shew it cannot be Shal no occasion slip for th'bodies good And none be found to furnish â—h'soul with food Can any think that man hath any sense Cares all for th'corps and nought for th'souls offence Is flesh and blood with thee of more esteem Then that thy soul whose care is only heaven Those go to ground from whence at first they came But this to God in whom is onely its aim Let conscience say for soul and bodies care How little 's that how great this others share So as it seems thou more esteems of monle Then dost of that thy
pretious spiritual soule Which flies aâ—â—y when body goes to ground Let conscience say where then it must be found Which it wel knows and wil not then dissemble When flesh blood with fear shal shak tremble Then let thy bed be made to thee a grave If thou expect a room in heaven to have Prepare for grave when dost pâ—epare for bed So idle thoughts wil vanish out thy head Think thou art dying when thou gost to sleep 'T wil be a means thy soul from sin to keep Or else take notice that thy heart is hard When thought of death with it 's of no regard And that thy God hath suffer'd it be so Lest it might melt and to its Saviour go O fearful fearful is thy God then gone And thought of him in thee remaineth none Are neither hope nor fear of any power But thou wilt stil forsake thy Sâ—viour O cruel cruel cruel stony heart Art so resolv'd that Christ shal have no part Can fear of hell not melt that heart of thine Nor hope of heaven with Christ in it to shine Dost live to follow Judas in his sin That thou canst find no time to repent in O wretched heart are grown so obdurate As joy nor fear are able penetrate Is this the nature of that flesh and bloood As 't wil retain nought that may tend to good Art grown so sullen in thy own esteem As th'blood of Christ thou wilt not thee redeem O let that blood wash off beloved sin Or be assur'd thy Saviour comes not in O do not shut the gate gainst that sweet guest In whom alone thou shalt be ever blest For by him only and by him alone Thou must have help or else thou must have none Then beat thy heart and beat it under ground Or be assur'd that Christ will not be found For that which makes thy heart so hard is pride A sin sufficient though nought else beside Then strive to gain humility in'ts room For humble hearts are they will win the crown Then strive and strive and strive and watch pray To him is able put that pride away Without great suit be sure he will not doe it Then pray with zeal and he'â—l be willing to it And bend thou heart and hands and knees all And on thy Saviour never lin to call Till he shall please to cleanse that hollow place From pride and then to fill it up with grace Grant gracious God to free it from this sin And many more which I have lived in Sweet Jesus help help me good Lord with speed For without thee sweet Saviour I am dead For my hard heart good God is hardned so As 't never fears this fatal word of Go. Sweet Jesus grant repentance to me Lord As thou hast promis'd by thy sacred word To heâ—r all them that on thy name do call Then hear me Lord or I am sure to fall Grant me good God I thee most humbly pray That I from henceforth never fall away But still be lifting up my heart to thee And to thy name sing praise continually But how can I sing praises to the Lord When I have not observ'd his holy word Noâ— him regarded as indeed I ought Who with his blood hath me so dearly bought But his my sin deprives me of that good To be obtain'd by Christ his precious blood For my hard heart in truth cannot deny I 've turn'd back when I heard my Saviour cry What hope have I then that he will hear mee Though I come to him on my bended knee Then bend and beat and break that wicked heart Whose sin is cause of all my woful smart And on thy knees lift up thy heart in pray'r No way to heaven but by this only stair Then strive t' ascend this stair on bended knees Or nere expect thy Saviours wrath â—'appease And wash it likewise with thy briny tears For no unclean thing comes to th' Saviours ears Or if it do he 'll turn his back and frown And in his rage from heaven hâ—'â—l throw it down Then cleanse thy heart eject all idle thought Let no unclean thing 'fore the King be brought Search every corner in that hollow cave For Satan's cunning and a hole will have Where he may lurk and lie to th' eye unseen Still waiting on thee when thou dost not ween Be careful then he do not there remain For if he do he 'll leave behind a stain Which will not out no water will it cleanse But only th'oyl of hearty penitence Use then this oyl and mix it with thy tears And wash the stair ascends up to the ears Of great Jehovah sitting in his throne Who accepts all clean things despiseth none Then cleanse thy heart from that foul stain of sin Or nere expect that it can enter in Jehovahs sight where nothing can appear But such as are from stain of sin made clear Then strive to cleanse thee from all sinful thought The only means which have thy body brought To be cast down from out thy Saviours sight Where Saints and Angels in continual light Conjoyn themselves with those the Cherubims Th'Archangels and those blessed Seraphims And all the rest of that most glorious quire Who joys enjoy beyond all hearts desire The glorious presence of our Saviour sweet The very essence of all joy compleat To sing the praise of that most Holy one Who 's God of gods and other there is none Then sing my soul and strive to apprehend Those heavenly joyes which never shall have end Use all the helps may bring thee to that place Let none pass by without some use of grace And so in time thou mayst thy Saviour win By earnest prayer for to remit thy sin Then without ceasing pray continually For such in time may gain eternity It is the counsel of that Preacher Paul Whose pains exceeded after that his call To come to Christ but first he fell to ground Before his Saviour could by him be found Then fall and fall and fall upon thy face And cry to Christ that he may grant thee grace To make good use of all occasions offer'd And so avert all are by Satan proffer'd For godly minds make godly use of all Where sinful hearts make such as tend their fall By their submission to black Satans wiles Whereby poor man of goodness he beguiles For man by nature's apt to what is ill Though soul and body both thereby he kill For man doth aim to please this flesh and blood But sees not th' end if it do tend to good For fleshly mâ—n sees nought but 'fore his face Without respect to that the spiritual grace The soul aims at and so this worldly man Thinks worldly things but heavenly none he can For earthly substance earthly matter minds When heavenly substance heavenly matter finds And so by th'sequel man may easily know When life is done where then his soul shâ—ll go But few look further then this life alone And so for th'
not be tyed to th' best mans leasure Therefore this day do thou give o're thy pleasure And think of death who 's knocking at thy door And enter may perchance within an hour Except thy hearty prayers him prevent Being made to that Jehovah hath him sent Then sue to him who is thy Saviour sweet And on thy knees most humbly him entreat That he will please to safe keep thee from sin Which all thy life thou hast lov'd and lived in And pray that henceforth thou maist live aright Being ever mindful thou art in his sight As if this were of life thy longest day And thou mightst here on earth no longer stay But yet before this day might have an end Thy Saviour should for thee this servant send And call of thee to make a strict accompt Of sins whose sum I fear will highly mount As well thy thoughts and idle words and deeds As what thou dost nor do nor think nor heeds And then wilt thou intreat him he will spare Thee yet a while that thou maist thee prepare To make thy reck'ning such as may be streight Which thou ne'er dream'dst it should ere come to light Or if thou didst thy sin 's so much the more That being known thou didst not do 't before Whil'st thou hadst time because in time thou might Have made thy reck'ning such as should be right But now th' art taken in that Satans snare Because thou didst not thee in time prepare Then think my soul in what case thou art in O'recome with thy own best beloved sin Whereof thou alwayes hast more reek'ning made Then of thy Saviour was for the betrayed And suffer paines of death for thy sins sake That free from death he might thee sinner make Although himself did never sin at all But to preserve thee that thou shouldst not fall O what a loving kinde sweet Saviour's this Who came from heaven that glorious place of bliss Down to this earth where he did freely give His life that thou through him mightst ever live Then live in him and do him ever love This thy good God Jehovah who 's above Here stay my soul a while and ruminate What blessings came by Christ to thy estate Even the onely death of this thy God and king And evermore to him due praises sing For he doth well deserve the same alwayes Then sing with joy to him eternal praise O sing my soul and now let 's jovial be That this thy Saviour pleas'd to dye for thee But if it were for thee thy Saviour dyed Then must thy life to his be thus applyed Have I lived so as my Saviour Christ hath done Although he were God's own and onely Son Who never had but one poor simple coate And that even plain not laid with lace I wot But was all woven without any seam Marke well this coate for it 's a worthy theam To think upon since it so well became Both childe and man and alwayes was the same And grew as he grew yet it did not wear Nor waxed old but did indeed appear As fresh at last when as it was put off As 't was at first when as it was put on He had nor hat nor band nor had he boots Nor any change had he of other suits For head and feet he did not like thee care But all his life he ever ware them bare And when he prayed his knees were ever such For his fleshly corpes he ne'er respected much But kneeled alwayes down upon the ground For cushions were as yet not to be found I do not hear that he did eat his fill Of too much meat there ever cometh ill But I am well assured that he did fast Till fourty dayes were ended all and past Nor do I read that he did use drink much For doubtless sin is often seen in such Nor did he look to lye so very soft As most of men will now a dayes do oft But on bare earth was ever his best bed Whereon he alwayes us'd to lay his head If lye at all And yet for all of this The earth it self and all therein were his Now thus my soul say to my sinful heart If thou expect in Christ have any part Dost thou not fine apparel like and love For by it thou thy self art set above Some neighbours who much better do deserve But that thy cloathes 'fore them do thee prefer Whereby thy heart is somwhat touch'd with pride If there be nothing in it else beside He was not wont to alter his old fashion But us'd the same in every several Nation Hast thou done thus I stand in fear on 't much For now in England fashion is not such But thought it better out of th' world have been Then out of fashion in the world been see But know betimes who use this fashion follow Shall bring their soul in th' end to mickle sorrow Hast thou my heart observed his bare head Or dost thou keep thine own uncovered Even in the temple since example 's much For there be many fools are led by such Or dost thou use in thy privy chamber so When to thy Saviour art resolved to go I know to th' most thou wilt put off thy hat And yet sometimes there may be pride in that And here observe what thou thy self hast seen How many fashions have in England been Of these same hats which sure at first were sent But for an idle needless ornament And yet of them one fashion will not stand Scant twice twelve months within our English Land If thou have a suit unto an earthly lord That he 'l but please to speak for thee a word I hope thou'lt then come with thy hat in hand Although 't be made but for some smal demand And yet now when thy life and all 's at stake And thou alone must to thy Saviour make Who 's King of kings and also Lord of lords And makes them by his own and onely words Yet in his presence thou base earth wilt stand Yet not vouchsafe to have thy hat in hand Consider well and think what this may be I am sore afraid of a fearful sin in thee When thou dost kneel are both thy knees then bare Or dost thou kneel at all but onely there Among the chosen congregation Whereas this kneeling is an usual fashion And dost thou do it then on God's bare ground As thy sweet Saviour oftentimes was found If not I fear thou hast thy God offended Because thou prayedst and yet thy knees unbended Hast thou been used barefooted for to go I fear thy heart will tell thee truly no. Hast thou forborn being hungry eat thy fill Or hast not thou oft-times even eaten till Thy stomack did desire to have no more If so there were of pleasing viands store Nay hath not thine offence been sometimes such As that thy stomack did desire too much Or hast not thou been often choice of meat Or else with pleasing pallat couldst not eat Nay hast not thou
more Me overcome as he hath done before This my weak heart who 's faint hath no power Within it self no not for one half hour It self to keep except it so shall please My Saviour sweet this great tentation cease For thou O Lord and only thou alone Must either help or other I have none And therefore now I humbly to thee pray Thou wilt vouchsafe with me good Lord to stay And safe me keep from all tentation Of that most subtle wicked Legion Who winds himself into my very heart And will not thence by me be drawn depart Except thou please good Lord to cast him out And let him range this terrene world about And nere attempt to set on me again But cause me still good God in thee remain That I O Lord may ever in thee live And heart and mind unto thee freely give That with good conscience I may safely say Thou'â—t in my heart and there dost live and stay ' Cause in my thoughts I doe it surely find That thou art firmly seated in my mind And will not suffer idle worldly toyes For to deprive me of those heavenly joyes But that in them I may put my delight And banish all whatsoere that are not right So as no pleasure shall be able move My heart from thee my Saviour God above But that in thee I may repose my rest In whom alone I shall be only blest So I from thee do not again now fall But on the name of my sweet Saviour call When Satan doth my weak faint heart delude And on my weakness doth himself intrude Whereby he seeks to draw me still away From thee my Saviour and my only stay By some deceitful bait which he hath set To overtake me in that woful net Wherein are taken every one of those Who in that Fiend do any trust repose For who him trust them surely he deceives And of all goodness he them quite bereaves Then trust him not for if that so thou dost Assure thy self thy soul is utterly lost For there was never any gain'd by him Who doth endeavour invite all to sin Whatsoere he seems in show for to pretend Be sure to find a horrid death in th' end For all his projects are but crafty wiles Whereby poor sinners he of good beguiles And doth not suffer them to see their sin Till they be taken in his hellish gin And if by chance poor man it hap to spy Then he will have some other readily Whereby he may entrap this silly man Who of himself no good at all he can So as he is not able senses use But their right end he utterly doth abuse And here my soul do thou observe with care How by good use all parts assistant are With help to bring thee to that happy place Where all shall live who are endow'd with grace And in their journey care to keep the path Which leads to life or else they gain the wrath Of that great God whose wondrous works are such As in this pilgrimage our journey may help much If we but mark and to the Spirit give ear When God himself doth in each part appear And every minute doth some warning give Which may direct us how on earth to live So as with care we attend unto his call Who takes no pleasure in the sinners fall Although in them he will be glorified Because his name we have not magnified Have I receiv'd my senses all in vain So as their use affords to me no gain But loss of life and my sweet Saviour Who doth not cease to call me every hour O now O now begin to look at home And see thy senses how they all do come Without respect of him who hath them sent Or th' end for which they were unto thee lent And do not quench the Spirit of God in thee Lest thou be blind when dost desire to see O then use eyes and use them to that end For which Jehovah did them to thee send For wheresoere thou turn'st this eye of thine The work of God most plain in it doth shine If to the heavens thou seest his glory there Who for thy sins was pleas'd on earth appear If to the earth each herb a wonder is And by that wonder help thy soul to bliss Look in thy heart and there thou mayst behold How Satan's black although he shine like gold Then see thy soul the chiefest of thy rest How it desires to be whereâ—t may be blest O further that desire with every sense Who shall for it receive good recompence Observe how God bestowed on thee a Taste And in that part of th'body it hath plac'd So as there 's nothing into th'corps can go But it gives warning whether 't be so or no. Then use this taste unto its own right end Thou 'lt see that God did it unto thee send Not for to taste that Evahs bitter apple Lest thou want strength with Satan for to grapple But 't was to taste the things for th'body food Lest ought may enter there which is not good O then do thou of good have only care And all things ill of them be thou aware Lest that thy soul may lose its spiritual health Which is more worth then all thy worldly wealth O be thou curious of thy bodies taste Lest pleasing sins may make thy soul to waste Liâ—e as the body with it's poison'd pils Tho gold without within they 're stuff'd with ils Another Sentinel hath Jehovah sent Lest thou should smel somthing thou might repent Thou 'lt stop thy nose when 't feels a scent is ill Then stay each member and restrain thy will Which are delighted with each pleasing smell But have a care such scent not towards hell All finest flowers have not the sweetest smell Scent thou then such as to thy soul scents well Let that scent only please thy inward mind Although thy corps esteem it most unkind For soul and bodies scent have several sense This loveth sin but that loves penitence O then prefer that which thy soul doth scent Lest that in th' end thy corps have cause repent Use that restriction with this Sentinel That it scent nothing but that doth scent well Unto thy soul let it thy scent approve Who hates all ill and what is good doth love Another sense hath this great God thee sent To feel thy sins and of them to repent Thou well canst feel a small stroke of thy skin Yet wilt not feel the Spirit how quench'd within Canst thou feel hurts if in thy bodies members But thy souls hurt thou l't not be drawn remember Consider well how God hath plac'd this sense In th' outward part of th' inward for defence Thou wilt prevent the falling of a tree But th'greatest sin thou thinkst cannot hurt thee Canst thou be careful of thy bodies food And have no feeling of thy soul its good Canst thou feel prickles in thy tender skin And cannot feel thy soul is prickt within Dost thou not
me come Was ever comfort heard of like to this Which brings thy soul into eternall bliss Where all the Saints with joyfull noyse accord To sing the praises of the heavenly Lord Who was and is and evermore shall be Till th' end of Time and thence eternally Let all the earth joyn and due praises sing To this our God and glorious heavenly King ' Mongst these my soul do thou set up thy rest Here none abide but them are onely blest Then do thou strive this blessedness to gain That thou with them mayst evermore remain And always joyfull Alleluja's sing To Christ thy Saviour and thy heavenly King Who hath thy soul thus far enlightned so As 't may be freed from that most dolefull wo And wofull word of Go from hence thou curst Of all that ere was heard the very worst Sweet Jesus please for to preserve me so As I may never hear this word of Go Which is so fearfull to my fleshly heart Which makes it grieve and inwardly to smart Come blessed Lord be pleas'd vouchsafe me cure Of this my grievous pain which I endure For very sorrow of this horrid fear More heavy then I am able to bear To think what danger this my soul is in By my long life spent all in deadly sin But that my Saviour pleaseth comfort me When I remember how he dy'd for me And that his coming was for this intent To call me to him that I might repent Then please sweet Jesus sinfull me to call And so as I do never from thee fall But ever worship thee my God and King And with a joyfull heart thy praises sing Amongst that glorious heavenly Angels Quire Whose joys are full beyond all hearts desire And with them sing to thee continually And so shall do for all eternity The worthy praises of that heavenly King Whose wondrous works ore heaven and earth do ring Then sing my soul and ever jovial be The praises due to him that dy'd for thee Let all the earth conjoyn and praises sing To this our God and glorious heavenly King Both Father Son and eke the holy Ghost Who 's God alone and of all might is most And worthy is of all be ever blest And here my soul do now set up thy rest And have a care serve him continually And then be sure that thou shalt never dye Vouchsafe good GOD to this to say Amen SAMUEL BRASSE O Almighty ever-living most mercifull God and to me a most loving and kind Father I the work of thy hands unworthy even the very least of thy benefits unworthy so much as to lift up mine eys towards thy divine Majesty much less worthy to call unto thee for mercy or to receive any mercy thy hands Yet gracious God for that thou hast appointed all them that are heavy laden to come unto thee and thou wilt ease them I most entirely beseech thee of thy abundant goodness to ease me of this burthen of sin vnder which I have spent most part of that time thou hast been pleased to bestow upon me for thy own service soly Lord lay them not upon my soul now at my departure but wash them away w th the pretious blood of thy dearly beloved Son Jesus Christ bury them in his wounds dear Father that they may never rise up against me either in this life or that everlasting but please good Lord at my death to vouchsafe me this comfort of all others most comfortable Come thou blessed receive the Kingdom I have purchased for thee In full assurance whereof I commend my soul into thy hands Lord keep it there for his sake who so dearly bought it w th his pretious blood in whose Name I make bold to call unto thee in that perfect form of prayer he himself hath taught me saying Our Father which art in Heaven c. To my dear and onely Son WILLIAM BRASS SON these three letters imply three distinct persons Father Mother and Child these their severall offices the Father to educate his child in the fear of God and provide for his livelihood the Mother to assist as a helper the Son to obey both and observe them with a filiall care I thank my God there hath been no neglect of any part since you had your being and now at my departure I have left you this litle Book useful in this woful time of War though not against lime and stone yet against that active Enemy is ever ready upon all occasions to assault you and therein also you may view the infirmities life and by them apply some good use to your own Other wealth I am likely leave but a little since God hath so appointed it should be reft from me by the Sabeans Esteem this as your Fathers last Will read it with deliberation meditation and contemplation there may happily some thing be found in it will redound to your good when I am in grave Keep it in your pocket and peruse it often it may prove more worth then much wealth and as you tender your own good or your Fathers command I charge you upon all accasions which doubless will be many have recourse to the first Lines and in assurance thereof I shall live and die your loving Father Samuel Brasse A Note of the principal Points casually handled in this Book OF our Saviours passion 1 Of the Mind 18 Of Englands broyles 30 Of Moses 25 Of Dooms-day 35 Of joy and fear 37 Of Hell 39 Of lameness 41 Of accompt of time 48 Of repentance 49 Of King David 53 Of dreams 56 Of wonders 59 Of mans frailty 60 Of Peters walk 63 Of Faith 67 Of Angels 72 Of Toby 72 Of the alteration of times 82 Of the Soul 91 Of the Sacrament 93 Of the abuse of creatures 95 Of hunting 96 Of Death 52 Of the Bed 69 Of the Stair to heaven 73 Of the Garden 77 Of Adams fall 79 Of the Sun 82 Of the Spirit 86 Of Jobs patience 88 Of lamentation 89 Of woe 99 Of the Heart 105 Of Peters Cock 108 Of dancing 112 Of dissimulation 114 Of Englands tears 118 Of accompt of sin 122 Of the Prodigal 125 Of Pleasure 128 Of the end of mans creation 134 Of Madness 143 Of Repentance 146 Of our Saviours life 150 Of wandring thoughts 160 Of the use of Senses 220 Of sinfull thoughts 224 The Authors Prayer 229 Reader Some Numbers of the Pages are mistaken in the book but the order of the Contents is rightly observed FINIS
A Ship of Arms Vseful for all sorts of people in this woful time of War Fashion'd by a plain Country-Farmer SAMUEL BRASSE Nigh the River of Tease Com. Ebor Printed at London in the Year 1653. To the rightly Noble and worthily honoured Lady The Lady ELWES Wife to the Right Worshipfull Sir JERVACE ELWES Knight MAdam well may you wonder at the audacious impudence of a stranger shall fix your Name in the frontispiece of his simplicity But though I never saw your face I have often heard the fame of your pious zeal to Godward confirmed by those set hours daily put apart in your privat Closet no doubt for his service the onely reall ground of all your shining vertues which out the boldness upon me to present you this plain piece of rustick Northern work savouring its Clymate containing a few wandring thoughts of a decrepit miserable wretched Old man humbly intreating you will vouchsafe him the favour at some spare hours of your life if any such can be found to open and read and what you find unworthy your judicious eye to raze out and the poor remainder if any such can be found to place at the threshold of your Library where the hem of your vesture may preserve it from the viperous tongue of the venemous Spider And as you now live eminent amongst the best of Ladies in that famous yet terrestriall Citie of London So that you may hereafter live glorious among the best of Saints in that heavenly Citie new Jerusalem shal be the prayer of Your Servant deeply devoted SAM BRASSE To my loving Country-men the Commons of ENGLAND Dear Brethren and loving Countrymen I Have lavisht out 80 years in jollity pleasure loosing the reins of liberty to all libidinous desires glutting my self with the vain delights of this wretched world mispending that precious time my gracious God of his abundant goodness bestowed upon me for his own service solely So as I am now become that Dives our Saviour spake of daily tormented with the pain of fore-passed pleasure And lest you my Countrymen should not heare Moses or the Prophets I have sent you this message from a dying man To amend your Lives lest you fall into the Lake where you may cry for a cup of cold water to cool your tongues and be denied it Happy is he whom other mens harms doe make to beware For your souls sake and for Jesus Christs sake lay to heart what is here in charity presented by a plain Country-man your friend and well-wisher Samuel Brasse To the READER READER I Wrote this little Book chiefly for my self and familiar friends yet if any other can get good by it I shall be glad 'T is a Collection of a few wandring Thoughts of an Old man lame both in body and minde Written in his bed the other Winter occasioned with want of rest by reason of pain His intention is good if expressed by finer fingers But bear with infirmities and make that use he desireth who is your friend and wel-wisher Sam. Brasse Flie foolish Fashion ' cause a novel friend You 'll read perchance untill you see its end Then lay 't aside but good friend do not so Keep 't neer your heart and it will cure all wo. Read it re-read it read it o're again The matter 's good though th' method poor plain S. B. Of the Author and his Book An Anagrammatical Motto of Samuel Brass Brass se Emanuel is his exhortation Emanuel se Brass is his approbation Both these united in him do appear Love of Christs members of his precepts fear Of the Book His book his honour for it s revealed light A lanthorn is to walk in Christ his sight Here 's no new light nor any old tradition Nor Heresie nor Romish superstition But he that reads it may in 't truly find Full great contentment for a Christian mind William Kay Minister at Stokesley VPon perusal of this book I find it plenteously to perform what it promiseth to be a ship full fraught with Arms and represents Davids Tower wherein are a thousand bucklers all shields of mighty men Can. 4.4 'T is indeed full of divine Meditations sweet Allusions concinâ— Comparisons daâ—ting Penetrations and concludes the Authors conversation to be in Heaven It is Heaven upon Earth And I may truly say of this as Nazianzen of Basils It is Devotionis maribus occusta Navis A Shipfull fraught with the rich merchandise of Devotion This is the opinion of Tho. Oddir Minister at Kirby To the Author GOe vend these Arms throughout the Christian world Now all in war more precious they then gold Being parcel gilt all of them Cannon-proof Where they 're in use the Enemy stands aloof And though his power be limited to offend thee Fear not but Christ thy Saviour shall defend thee So thou make use of what is here set down Thou mayst be sure in heaven to wear a crown By a Friend E. A. A Ship of Armes O Sinful soul O sinful soul Shall Christ be born for thee And thou not live and in his service die O cruel Caitiff cruel Caitiff Was 't born tormentor be Of him Laid down his dear heart blood for thee O wretch O wretch O wretch O wretch That erst thou should be be bore Love Satan serve and leave thy Saviour Who in that night the Jews did him betray Went forth to th' fields as he was wont to pray Unto the Garden called Gethsemane Where he and his did sometimes use remain Attended that night onely with his own For his going thither was no further known To any of them that were his followers more Or else no doubt of followers had been store And being there he went himself apart That he to heaven might raise and lift his heart And wil'd th' Apostles they should watch pray Lest that the Tempter might take them away But he being gone his follow'rs fell asleep Whom he reprov'd because they could not keep Themselves awaking for so short a space And then did he return to 's former place And they like men unto their sleepy vain Which he well knowing turned back again And wil'd them sleep and fear not he would be Their keeper during all eternitie And then fell he upon his bended knees And pray'd for those that were his enemies That done he call'd and will'd them to awake For they were nigh intended him to take Who suddenly were then hard by at hand Attended strongly with a Soldiers Band All who were furnish'd each one Soldier-like With burnisht sword with staff or else with pike And when they came to our sweet Saviour nie He did demand whom 't was they came to spie They said For Jesus he of Nazareth That 's I said he and pray now what pleaseth You do with him whereat all being aston'd They started back and fell upon the ground And when they did from that amazement wake He said 'T is I whom ye are come to take Now Traitor Judas did
And Maker-like thou sinner might have stai'd If thou thy maker had'st in heart obey'd But willingly thou wretch didst lose that grace And so became a miserable sinful race Of runagates from ought that tends to good But that thy Saviour shed his precious blood To bring thee back to that happy state again If thou had'st grace being there in it remain Praise him praise him and for thy self do pray That thou in him may'st ever live and stay And on his passion daily ruminate To work in thee of horrid sin a hate And keep in heart for what cause he was sent To call poor sinners that they may repent For without that be sure thou hast no part Nor any portion in thy Saviours smart But thou thy self dost him still crucifie Whom thou oughtst rather even to glorifie Repent betime if thou hast any grace Or else in heaven expect to have no place For no unclean thing can ascend on hy Where Angels sit and sing continually The Praises due to that heavenly holy one Who made all creatures by his word alone And is desirous for to have them all To come to him and doth them often call Then go with speed thou wretch and do not stay For great 's the danger of one hours delay And if thou shalt thy Saviour now deny He 'll not be heard when thou dost to him cry Then thou beware of being drawn away By him that seeks thy ruine and decay And doth delude thee by some slie deceit Enticing thee with his sweet sinful baite To overthrow thy soul and body there Where nought appears but onely horrid fear Of ugly feinds whose mouthes like lions roare And with their teeth do rend and eke devour All such as come within their hellish reach Then learn by others thee thy self to teach Of sinful life and death to stand in fear Lest soul and body both these hell-hounds tear And torture them in that most fearful place Where all must live do not partake of grace Then fast and pray and fast and pray againe That thou with Christ in heaven maist aie remain And do repent thee of thy sinful crime And be thou sure thou do 't whiles thou hast time For time 's not tyed no not to th' best mans leasure Therefore this day do thou give ore thy pleasure And strive to please thy heavenly God and King And to him alwayes his due praises sing And give him thanks that he hath spared thee Till thou hast time thy sinful life to see And blame thy self for thy hard stony heart Since that thy God hath plaid a loving part In often calling and recalling thee To search thy heart and secret sins to see For though thy conscience hourly thee accuse Yet to repent thou sinner do'st refuse So that death's due for this thy great neglect But that thy God doth lovingly thee respect And though thy sins do justly death deserve Yet still thy life this good God doth preserve And stead of death he heapes on thee blessings By sparing thee and eke long-sufferings To try if thou'lt thy sinful life forsake And to this good God thee thy self betake Who poureth out his blessings on thee still To try if he by gifts may win thy will To follow him O do thou follow then And follow fast withouten all delay This thy good God and from him do not stay With all thy heart and that unfeignedly And free from that vile sin hypocrisie Lest sleeping conscience justly thee accuse That thou thy self do'st thee thy self abuse By seeming other then indeed thou art But God above seeth th' secrets of thy heart Though man believe thou art the very same Which thou dost seem as if free from all blame Or blot of sin but what to them appeares In outward show or to their fleshly ears Report doth bring but sinner be thou sure Thy Saviour cannot this vile sin endure Thus to be mock't with that the outward part Which differs far from the inward sinful heart For he desires to have thy heart alone Then give him that or else thou givest him none For soul and body are ordain'd to go At th' end together whether they will or no To th' great accompt and therefore do thou see Thou daily use to obey the Deitie And be not thou with this wicked world beguiled For then a sinner thou art sure be stiled But have a care that thou do daily use Of daily sins thy self for to accuse And keep a strict account of thy weak state And then by that thou wilt discern thy fate Which must be hell or else that heavenly bliss Fie flie from that and care to cleave to this Where be assur'd thy Saviour thou shalt see Who hath endur'd the torments due to thee To suffer death as Christ himself hath done For all of them that to him freely come Then freely go and that without delay To him that putteth no man off with nay But willingly with love embraceth all Who on the name of Jesus onely call Then call and call and do thou call againe That thou in him may'st evermore remaine And then fear not but thou shalt with him finde Eternal joyes yea far beyond thy minde For be assur'd no earthly creature can Express the real happiness of that man That cometh there and therefore do thou strive At that great happiness that thou mayest arrive Where Saints and Angels sing continually To him that lives and shall eternally O let both heart and tongue and all agree To sing his praise so lovingly dyed for thee Let all the earth the worthy praises sing Of Christ our Saviour our heavenly king And join themselves in prais w th one accord To sing the praises of the heavenly Lord On whom th' arch-angels daily do attend And shall for aye e'n world without all end And all of them do all times sing To God our Saviour our heavenly king O mount my soule and strive to apprehend These heavenly joys which never shal have end And set thy song to that glorious Angels Who joys enjoy beyond all harts desire quire Even that the presence of our Saviour sweet The very Essence of all joy compleat Sweet Jesus please my soul may there reside And in thy Passion faithfully confide And thereby draw from hence this terren part As onely guided by a fleshly heart Subjects it self unto the inferiour power Who doth not cease torment it ev'ry houre With sundry passions it cannot resist But willingly complyes to what he list For to command untill he so shall please My Saviour sweet to grant to me some ease Of this tentation wherewith wretched I Have still been govern'd from my infancy Then come sweet Jesu and that presently Or else Lord Jesu I shall surely dye In this my sin except good God thou wilt With thy dear blood wash of my sinful guilt And take from me this wicked Legion out Of my poor heart and cause be put to rout All the tentations
to keep my soul with thee Or else dear God I am sure it cannot be Kept safe on earth where that fierce dragon flies And doth so dazle most of all mens eyes As few are able to behold the sun Except it please the blessed Lord to come And clear their sight that they with joy may see There is no safety but O Lord in thee Then come Lord Jesus I thee humbly pray And make my soul with thee to live and stay Or else good God I can it no where hide Nor here on earth it cannot long abide Within this fleshly mansion of mine Whereon the sun hath never power to shine But by thy leave then let it Lord so be That this thy sun may please to shine on me And shield me safe from that common enemie Who doth envy both thee and them are thine From whom good God be pleas'd keep me and mine We do not prove like to the Gadarens Forsake our Saviour for to save our means But teach us Lord that we may call to minde How 'fore all worlds thou said and so assign'd That man should spend his life-time on this earth Where he at first receiv'd his vital breath And there should serve his maker God Lord As is appointed in his holy Word That when this glasse on earth shall be out-run Then doth an end of all created come And one land then against another rise And all men also arms shall exercise And yet as then shall sorrows but begin To them are clogged with their deadly sin For on this earth must be great tribulation Before that dreadfull day of desolation When shall the glorious sun all darkned be And eke the moon at that day none may see And thâ—â—e bright stars down from the sky shall fal And powrs of heaven shal then be shaken al Whereof our cannons thundring in the aire With fiery flashes flaming out their fire Which sends its smoak up to the starry skies And not unlike to mighty clouds there flies And trumpets eccho sounding every where So as no place with us is thereof clear Are perfect types of that most dismal day When th' trump shal sound loudly cal away All souls on earth their bodies for to take And 'fore the Lamb a perfect reckoning make Of each mans talent which the Lord them lent And for which cause they all were hither sent And then there shall be loud and hideous cries For hils to fall and cover them from th' eyes Of him that doth both see and knoweth all That on this earth was done or did befall Since Adams time for there is nothing can Be hid from him that first did make this man No not the secrets of the best mans heart Tho he the same did ne'r as yet impart To any creature for Jehovah he Doth all things know eke doth all things see This son of man whose glory shall appear Above the clouds of heaven up in the aire Whose glorious greatnesse then shal all men see With thousand millions in his companie Who shal collect from all these the four winds Whom s're have bin even so as he them finds And then laid ope shall be a perfect Book Wherein all flesh shall freely thereon look And each one see as it were in a glasse His guilty conscience telling what he was And then shall he set th'sheep on his right hand And keep his left side for the goatish band And then the King shall say unto the sheep Come now and take the kingdom I do keep For you that are the blessed of the Lord Who willingly obey'd and heard his word And to the wicked then the King shall say Go ye accursed and be you a pray Unto the fire which is in hell prepar'd For cursed Satan and his hellish guard O horrid fear beyond all other fears Whose force even plainly in the face appears VVhich sends its blood unto the secret heart VVho cals for help from every other part And leave the loins supporting so appal'd Like as if death on suddain had them cal'd And thereby they are all so sore aston'd As that they fall down flat upon the ground Where they do differ nought from fearful death But that as yet appears a parcell breath Which for a while a little life retains And in that passion death-like it remains Untill it please the King our blessed Lord To say to me that comfortable word Come now thou blessed hear O do thou hear What difference great between this joy fear To the righthand men come o come you blesd And to the left hand go o go you curs'd O joy beyond all other heavenly joyes Which freeth the heart from all kind of anoys And is thereby so fully fild with gladnesse That it expels from every part all sadnesse And forceth them which even now fell aston'd To leap for joy and skip above the ground And tho w th fear of late they look'd like death Yet now with joy the 're fild with store of breath And those parts which with sorrow then were dumb Do now aloud with joy cry come Lord come O come sweet Jesus I thee humbly pray Vouchsafe be pleased in my weak heart stay And strengthen't so as it may ever stand One of the blessed which are at thy right hand That I may there thy praises ever sing Which o're the earth all the heav'ns do ring O sing my soul and be thou never weary But in thy Saviour be thou alwayes merry And have a care no earthly joy remove Thy fleshly heart from th' heav'nly joy above But therein alwaies do thou take delight And in it spend thy time both day and night O let thy solace ever be therein And it will keep thee from all deadly sin And teach thee loath all earthly things to love And take delight in serving God above O love him love him that thou dead maist live And to thy Saviour be thou sure to give All that which he hath freely given to thee And then shalt thou no doubt his servant bee O blessed Lord where have I this while been Hath not my soul my sweet'st Saviour seen Or 't is some vision did to me appear Whereby it hath discovered plainly where My Saviour sitteth in his glorious throne And judgeth all on earth himself alone And there pronounceth sentence come or go The only words of greatest joy or wo That ever came to any creatures ear To make a difference betwixt joy and fear And then shall sheep and goats both of them see What they have been and what they now shall be And This sort shall of future hope dispaire Any that other not so much as have a care For their downfall but aye shall sit and sing Even allelua to our heavenly king Whose final sentence and pronounc'd decree Shall firmly stand for all eternitie From which herehence there can be no appeal But all must then have either wo or weal. O stay my soul a while and contemplate
How far the cursed goats are separate From the blessed sheep who ever sit and sing In th' glorious heaven the praises of their king But they from thence are headlong thrown away Down to hell pit therein made a pray To th' ugly fiends whose cheerful office is For to deprave them of all heavenly blisse O let this horrid fearful sentence move Thy soul to elevate it self above Up to the highest heavens and there upon Spend thou some time in deep contemplation And then no doubt to thee it will appear What difference great between this joy and fear O have a care that these two ne're depart But alwaies keep them close within thy heart And think upon them seriously day and night And they will teach thee keep thy way aright Forget them not when thou art in thy bed For they will cure a sick and troubled head From all its grief and further more then so They 'l keep thee free from all eternall wo And be a means to bring thee to that blisse Whereas no doubt but thy dead father is Stay there a while my soul and do not range To think the things whose nature may be strange Or wh ch to these two are impertinent Lest they may prove to alter the intent Of gaining that which is the souls desire To keep thee free from th' deep infernall fire That Tophet which God hath prepar'd of old Both deep and large that it may sinners hold The fuel wood which doth maintain that fire By great Jehovah kindled in his ire By th' only breath which from this great God cometh And with fierce brimstone like a river runneth The strange effects whereof some say are such As differs far from all other fire in much For this wee 'r sure its nature's extreme hot There 's some do hold the fire of hell is not This comforts like the Sun from Sion's hill But that burns souls who yet w th cold are chil This we do see doth cast a glorious light The fire of hell more dark then darkest night Though this be hot we can away from 't turn But in that other sinners ever burn This fire on earth w th water may be quenched But that in hel not w th the sea though drenched The fuell here in time consumes away But that in hel it never doth decay Here we receive great comfort by this fire But they in hell have nought they do desire All Dives wealth not worth one water drop Nor all on earth procure for meat one sop There souls desires are ay insatiate Without all ease tho ne're so moderate There rules revenge with irefull anger raging Without all hope even of the least asswaging Here souls are free from bodies greatest pain But there the souls in torments aye remain Here greatest griefs are not without some ease There the tormenters rage doth never cease Here each sence hath its own particular grief There all do suffer without the least relief All sinfull souls are very sensible There is no light in 't which is visible But think black darknes doth appear to th ' ey And so shall do for all eternity Here all created shall in time decay But them in hell shall therein live for ay Death here 's a salve for every kinde of sore But they doth life torment still more more Here we desire to live and yet we cannot But there to die yet so decreed we may not Make use of this my soule and fly from hence Up to the heavens and take thy recompence For all thy service to thy Saviour done When thou with bread did'st feed the hungry one The naked cloath and eke thy neighbour love Then thou didst please thy Saviour God above Whose will is such that thou shouldst ever do So as thy self desir'st be done unto Then do so still and it will keep them free From future woe for all eternity Here stay a while my soul and think of this What difference great between sad lore bliss And do reflect at present on thy self Who whilome was in good and perfect health And thy girt loins were all so firm and strong As they presume that nought could do them wrong But leading out a sullen skittish Jade Tho having such provision therefore made As in mans judgement I was safe and free From any danger of indempnitie VVhen suddenly the horse did run about And with a fall my right hip he put out And I in danger was most imminent To have had each part from one another rent But that a stranger haply coming by Led by Gods spirit chancing me to spie God made a means whereby me to preserve From sudden death which I did well deserve But that the Lord was pleas'd to give to me A longer time that I my sinnes might see And that of them I should in heart repent VVhich no doubt was the onely cause he sent Me help from heaven and cur'd my heart again But wretched I did still in sin remain Forgetting also this his mercy great Tho carefully his Judgement did me threat Presuming still that he would alwayes be As formerly he had been unto me Ev'n heaping blessings upon blessings still Tho sinfull I did yet neglect his will and after that well nigh about a year Forgetting this my gracious God to fear And being secure as then was in my thought From any danger could to me be brought VVhen suddenly did my most gentle horse Give me a fall which prov'd to me much worse then th' other was and also danger more But that God did as he had done before VVith th' second fall disjoynt my other hip VVhen 't was more danger w th that suden skip T' have broke my neck but that my gracious God Did in his mercy with his gentle rod Me so correct as he before had done To try if I would yet unto him come And lest I should again now fall away As I had done he forceth me to stay And in a room my body doth confine Yet sends his Son with comfort on 't to shine For day and night I have therein a fire And all things else I do in heart desire So as if now I shall again neglect My gracious God who doth me thus respecâ— And be so still as I have hereto been Sleeping securely in all deadly sin Unmindfull also of his great blessings In sparing me and eke long sufferings And all things else whats'ere befitting life A loyall loving and a gentle wife And many children which are dutiful Obedient all and also most thankfull All of them able and most willing be T' affoord all kindnesse freely unto me So as my conscience telleth me now plain If I shall fall from this good God again I do deserve far worse then Sodom ever did In the dead sea for to be drown'd and hid And to the world a common by word be There in that sea lies justly drowned he VVas so ungratefull to his gracious God VVho did instead of his
thee go Then keep me Lord shield me with thy wing That under it I may thy praises sing For out of thee good God there is no rest Nor any safety in my fleshly brest For flesh and blood cannot in them contain The thoughts are hourly hatched in my brain Which rovening run and reel from side to side And on no good thing they 'l be drawn abide Sweet Jesus please to bounder them in thee Or else they 'l not be boundered for me But wander often quite without my reach Which sometime causeth in my soul a breach For that by force I cannot them retain That they in thee might evermore remain Call them good Lord and do them firmly bind That I may know with thee I shall them finde For no occasion ever comes amisse To draw my mind from th' heavenly king of bliss O glorious king vouchsafe it so command My thoughts b guided by thine own â—ight hand For it alone most either make them stay Or else good God they 'l not b drawn obay My silly soul within me drooping lies And without help good Lord in hell it dies Then help Lord help let help come w th speed To rouse this soul that liâ—th w th griâ—f half dead And of its health it justly might deâ—pair But that it knows my Saviour is so neer Yea neerer much then th' hart of man can ween But that his wonders have on earth been seen To save his chosen elect children all When in red Sea did wicked Pharaoh fall With all his host and yet did Gods own hand Bring his elected safe y to the land Whose way was after guided by a cloud And hunger staid by heavenly Angels food In th' wildernesse where they did â—eel no cold Nor yet their cloaths did wear or waxen old And had a river brought out oâ— the rock In great abundance with a little knock An Angel ever guiding them their way From all annoy wheres'ere God leâ—s'd they stay And when o're all the face of earth was night Then did the cloud afford to them good light And yet even they for who 's own onely sake That great Jehovah did these wonders make Which they beheld with their own fleshly eyes And many more as great besides all these Did they forget to bear them in their mind Tho in their brests they might them easily find Whereof they were themselves eye witnesses Yet when the Lord did but a while leave these Tho they were these the chosen and elect Whom he alone did to himself select Even them that were the seed of Israel ' Gainst this good God did trait'rously rebell And â—oully too from him did fall away Who was their sole preserver and their stay Unto a God which their own hands did make And this their kind and loving Lord forsake O stay my soule with ravishment admire That God sent not from heav'n consuming fire To burn them all from off the face of earth Whose horrid sins deserved horrid death Yet did this good Lord this vile deed forgive And on repentance suffer them to live And all those blessings they do still enjoy Whereby he freed them from all kind annoy O think O think and do thou think again What weaknesse did in these weak men remain Who left their God and that so suddenly When he left them awhile their strength to try May it be possible that there 's any can Conceive such weaknesse in this creature man Whom God was pleas'd so far before the rest Of all he made this man hath onely blest With a precious soul in some is reasonable Thou of it self it self is far unable To guide it self by that its reasons power If God shall please to leave it one half hour Were these that seed the chosen of the Lord Who said his wonders also heard his word And all of them in compass of their sight Yea more apparent then the sun so bright Least that impression in their inward minde Could not be hid but Satan made them blinde For mortall eyes can have no power of sight When God's away by whoÌ„ they have their light Since that the serpent he did make them so As of themselvs nothing that 's good they know And what is ill they ever like and love But all that 's good it comes from God above Now rest my soul and keep the ever there Where thou art freed from al this worldly care And of his wonders do thou contemplate VVho doth thee thus poor soul illuminate With these good thoughts Odo thou them retain And let them alwaies w th thee stâ—l remain For they will banish those â—hy thoughts are ill Which often use restrain thee of thy will And bring thee this great God and Lord to love Who sends al good things froÌ„ the heav'n above And doth them likewise plenteously bestow On such as are his servants here below Then drooping soul do thou in me revive Now rouse thy self and do begin to live For with Gods help thou maist safely say That chearful hope hath driven dispair away Then put thy trust in him alone that lives And able is and also freely gives Even all good things unto all them that crave And do desire of him good things to have Then fast and pray my soul and do repent And give God thanks for his great blessings sent And then of mercy the deepest sinners sure For that his mercy doth for aie endure From age to age to all of them beleeve That he for them his deerest life did give Make use of this his bount'ous great mercy Bestowed on them deserved well to dy Besides the blessings he them freely gave The like whereof no other Nation have Nor ever had but onely them alone For he such blessings ever gave to none Besides his wonders they did daily see For to preserve them from indempnitie And yet from him ungratefull these did fall And worshipp'd wors then that th'painted wal And wilfully this gracious God forsake Who lovingly did them in mercy take From danger great which was most desperate But that their God himself besides them sate Then live by hope and do thou leave to fear Since God no doubt is all his servants neer That trust in him then faithfully do so My soule and live and to him freely go But stagger not my soul nor do not shrink As Peter did for fear that he should sink When Christ his Master walked on the Sea Whom his Disciples did afar off see And Peter pray'd him that he might do so Then God him call'd and will'd him so to do With that did Peter leap out of the boat And walked along aloft the Seaâ—on foot Untill the winde did cause a little wave And then cry'd Peter good Lord do me save To whom did Jesus then put forth his hand And so brought Peter safe again to land Now thou my soul observe here Peter's saith With willing minde to do what 's Mr. saith Leap into Sea without delay or
it will freely tell thee When death comes what it is that shal befall thee For though thy conscience now securely sleep ' Gainst th'day of death it will thee waking keep Then be not thou like to the Libertine Who guls himself with saying All is mine Come eat and drink and now let 's merry be When morrow comes then we shall surely die But yet when death doth to him come indeed Then this mans fear a deep despair doth breed And he to death as that King Ahab did Unto Elias thinking he was hid Hast found me out O fearful than O than Comes death most dreadful to the dying man But thou my soul thou know'st tâ—'assured way To make this death thy only happiest day If that thy porters be not lulâ—'d asleep Whilst they these outer gates of thine should keep And suffer thieves at them to enter in who 'll steal thy good and leave behind thy sin Then watch and pray and do thou waking keep And fast and pray and so prevent thou sleep And then let death come whenas God shal please Can do no hurt but do to thee great ease For then shalt thou from earthly labours rest And live with whom thou shalt be ever blest Live there my soul and then thou needst not care Come life come death to thee both equal are The fool would fain he might do that at last Which the wise-man thinks fit be done at first For that thinks time is ever in his will But this doth know that time is going still Seeing if man sleep this time it doth not rest But still keeps pace and flieth on full fast For though that all men are ordain'd to die Yet none know when or where 't is they must lie Man stands in need prepare for death and will not But death wil com to this man when he would not And such may well be likened to a beast Who 's feeding fat like this man at a feast Till th'slaughter-axe give him his fatal blow And then his stubborn heart begins to bow Yet struggles hard this death-stroke to resist But now too late he mourns out had I wist For all of life we very careful are But for this death we not at all prepare So many come this death-stroke to abide Before they do themselves for death provide And then are they to go to learn to die When death appeareth palpably in th' eye Then willingly doe thou perform that part Which needs thou must tho 't be against thy heart And thou my soul do thou in thy youth-dayes Remember death for so the Wise-man sayes Before that those thy ill dayes come along For then thou 'lt sing another sorrowful song When age and sickness both of them appear Thou hast no power good councel then to hear But heart and mind are both so hurried hence With age and sickness they are void of sense Is this a time then to prepare for death When 't is a burthen heavy to have breath When Doctor physick for thee doth prescribe And Lawyer he is going with his bribe And Parish-Parson for thy soul doth pray And friends neighbours round about thee stay And wife and children sadly weeping are Content of death to take from thee a share If so they might to ease thee of thy pain Which all the earth unable is to gain But thou art left unto thy self alone To make an answer for thy sins each one When powerful death hath entred on thy eyes And into all parts of the body pryes And stayes the organ of the nimble tongue Lest it might utter ought may tend to wrong And by chill cold doth fall upon the feet And takes from them their blood and nat'ral heat And so ascends to every other part And then at last it seizeth on the heart Who now with sobs and sighs somes out its breath Which by and by is staid by powerful death And at his entrance on this flesh and bone Gives Conscience leave to lord it all alone Who nere till now had audience of a word By help of death is made a puissant Lord And then that heart was stony-hard before Is now made soft lamenting more and more But nere till death had struck him with his dart Gave any way for Conscience play his part Who hath recorded all what heart hath done And lays them ope that it may see the sum And cast it up before the day of doom Which grant good God it may to me be Come Being hard at hand as plainly doth appear When heart and hands and feet are all in fear Who nere till now did ever think of death That he would come to fetch away its breath For who by flesh was highly monarchised By Conscience now is basely vassalised And so doth yield to what the conscience saith That till death came he had not any faith For health and wealth so pufft it up with pride Save only pleasure it minded nought beside And now intreats to have a little time With full resolve for to amend its crime But Conscience saith whom now it doth believe That death is sent it of its life bereave And so no hope of pardon to be got But like its life so death fals to its lot Which conscience tels it then it is dejected And doth confess it justly is rejected Without all hope of any pardon sending For that this life is now at point of ending Then this proud heart with terror conscience pricks And it to hell with horror down he kicks And tels him plainly that the poorest swain Whom in his pride with scorn he did disdain Being naked begging at this proud hearts dore In Abrahams bosom him shall sit before And in requital of this hard proud heart Was loth to yield to Lazarus any part Of his vast store wherewith he did abound Is now by Lazar trodden under ground And lets it see whom it did scorn before He would be glad he might beg at his dore But conscience tels him he is now debaâ—'d ' Cause pride in wealth did poverty not regard So this proud heart who poverty held in scorn Doth beg of death a while to be forborn But conscience tels him 't is not in deaths power For that he cannot spare him now one houre Because his time is limited by God Whom he nere knew so did not fear his rod Which now he feels by conscience information That he must hence into some other nation Where soul must suffer for the bodies sin And horrid life which it hath lived in Without so much as any care for th' soul But all for th' self although in substance moul Which then by conscience is in heart confessed And better life if time is now professed When time is past to it a period's put And ' gainst this soul the gates of heaven are shut So then in lieu of hope comes in despaire And tels it now it must for hell prepare Because it did not think of this in time So soul must
next their care is little or none Whereby appears to heaven there goes but few And so indeed our Saviours words made true For that gate 's narrow but the other broad And most men love the way that most is troad But thou my soul avoyd this beaten path If thou intend t' avoyd the way to wrath For be assur'd there are no more but two Or that to Heaven or that t'eternal wo. Let all thy care then be to avoyd this And eschew all may hinder th' way to bliss So by observance thou mayst easily know Which of these two thou dost intend to go Then let thy care be always God to serve And by that means thou mayst thy life preserve Let conscience say what thy chief care hath bin To serve thy Saviour or to commit sin Let no occasion pass thee without trial And this in time wil free thee from denial At that strait gate wherein so few must enter So make that sure without all peradventure Let this be th'chiefest of thy daâ—ly cares And it prefer before all worldly affairs For worldly actions aim at worldly ends But thou my soul at that which heaven intends For though thy flesh do follow earthly things Let inward mind be set on King of Kings Let him be always in thy outward mind And then shalt thou in all thy actions find A means to bring thee on that narrow way Where they must go mean not to go astray And then thou 'lt see thy mind is ever set To serve thy God and him thou'lt nere forget For if thou dost but wash thy filthy hands Thou 'lt see thy Saviour then before thee stands To try if thou wilt wash thy heart from sin And horrid life which thou hast lived in And when thou puts in mouth a piece of bread Think how thy Saviour then for thee was dead And rose again and lives in heaven above And doth desire thou come to him in love Then set thy self to serve this loving God And hee 'l preserve thee in that narrow road Which leads to heaven then keep that narrow way And in it serve thy Saviour night and day Let all thy thoughts on him alone attend So be thou sure thy life in him shall end But then must thou have care to serve this God Or else expect to feel his heavy rod. For though he gaeatly doth desire thy life Yet thou dost know he punisht good Lots wife Presume not then that he will alwayes be As he hath hereto been to wretched thee By his long-suffering thee go on in sin As though his wrath had nere yet kindled b n. But thou hast seen his plagues on Egypt shown And then on them he chose to be his own Presume not then that he will pardon thee Superfluous branch of that wild Olive tree But fall with fear and teach thy heart to tremble Whose nature is with God himself dissemble Because thou knowst his mercy doth abound Ye thou hast seen some sawallowd by the ground For lesse offence then many of thine have bin Then strive to free thee from this horrid sin The onely cause of Sodoms sinking there Where nought doth live but onely horrid fear Then fear this God though he be slow to anger He 'l smite thee down when thou thinkst least of danger Forget not this but think on 't seriously Lest thou repent it even immediatly Canst thou for pleasure in thy garden walk Then not take pleasure with thy Saviour talk Canst thou observe each herb in its own kind And have not then thy Maker in thy mind Canst thou see Lilies in thy garden grow And not think Solomon ne're was cloath'd so When th'least of them to th' world a wonder is Then let that wonder bring thy soul to bliss When all on earth can not make th'meanâ—st there Whereby the makers Godhead doth appeare Who with his word did make them for thy use Then do not these good creatures thou abuse But thankfull be for these great blessings given To thee unworthy lift thine eye to heaven For if such glory doth on earth appeare Canst thou conceive what wonders may be there When great Jehovah by his word doth make Such herbs on earth that man may pleasure take In serving him this gracious God above Who 's God alone the God of peace and love Observe each herb in it a severall smell But how infus'd no tongue on earth can tell Their several shapes by th' King of heaven ordaind And each of others by him are restraind Their vertues great to th' world a wonderment Infus'd by th'maker to give man content Unthankfull creatures here do meditate And of these wonders deeply contemplate And then thouâ—'t see the goodness of this God To thee poor man who dost deserve his rod But that his goodness doth to thee abound Who well deserves be swallowed of the ground If so his mercy were not even much more And all his other attributes before Then serve him serve him with a filiall fear Who of his bounty hath so plac'd thee heâ—e As thou mayst see thy God on every side Above below throghout the world so wide Where God himself saw all was good therein Then do not thou pervert it with thy sin For wicked man makes wicked use of all Make no such use or else be sure to fall But thou my soule use all things to that end For which thy God did these great blessings send And then fear not buâ— he will bless thee so As from thy Saviour thou shalt never go But in his service take thy whole delight And therein spend thy time both day and night So every object will be then a mean To make thee think of that good God of heaven And then thy mind will set it self to serve Thy Saviour Christ who doth thee thus preserve From wicked Satan and his hellish power Though he be still attending at thy dore To put ill thoughts into thy fickle mind When thou forgets to serve thy Saviour kind Forget not then to let each object move Thy mind to set it self on God above For all the creatures which Jehovah made Do shew to man that he should be obey'd For they were works of Gods own onely hand And freely all submit to his command Save onely man the noblest of the resâ— Whom he doth love and wills he may be blest And for that purpose he doth daily send Continual means to bring him to that end For which he first created him on earth Where he infus'd with th'â—oul a living breath And left him free from any thought of sin Till th'wily Serpent Adam en red in And did with pleasure this weak man perswade To disrespect his God who had him made By tasting that but one forbidden tree The onely cause of all mans misery Canst then fâ—rget when dost an apple see For Adams sin how God doth punish thee And if for such a seeming small offence He punish all without a difference From high to low to
my God beholdeth me Shall I fear more that brings a mortal shame Then that which doth bring me eternal blame Doth th' eye of man deter me from my sin And th' eye of God have no power me within Have I discern'd this weakness in my mind And cannot see 't is Sathan makes me blind Examine conscience see what it now saith For it well knows thou hast not any faith Not yet dost think that there is any good Although he beat thee with his heavy rod Yet thou perchance wilt say thou dost believe But that even then the serpent did bereave The thought of heaven out of thy faint weak heart And would not suffer conscience play his part Who knoweth well that though thy tongue say so Thy stony heart within thee will say no For it doth use and love with God dissemble Or els no doubt w th fear 't would shake tremble Seeing neither hope of heaven nor fear of hell Can win this heart as conscience can thee tell O hypocrite leave off with God dissembling And pray him please to smite this heart with trembling This stony heart who thinks God doth not see Because even then he 's not in heart with thee But when thou comes unto thy God again And he so please with thee a while remain Thy tongue will then confess thou hast offended And for thy sin most justly reprehended But conscience knows thy heart is broken nought But still the same and aye doth yield to ought The Serpent offers to the fickle mind Rejecting Christ thy God and Saviour kind So as thy tongue may seem to praise his name Yet is thy heart even still the very same Involv'd in sin and therein takes delight Although thy conscience tell thee 't is not right And then perchance thou wilt presume that he Although thou sin yet still will pardon thee And so thou spends this time of grace in sin As if for sinning death had never been But think not so but think thy Saviour stands Before thy face two tables in his hands Wherein are writ our duty there commanded And its observance now by him demanded Canst thou reply thou sin'd in hope of grace Fie sin not so let such hope have no place Within thy heart but then think death is come With thy desert O fearful fatal doom Consider wretch and think what this may be Thou 'lt find it prove a fatal doom to thee When neither hils nor mountains can thee hide But still before that just Judge thou must bide Till thou do hear this sentence there pronounced That for thy sin thou art of God renounced Canst thou now sin and then not think of this Thou must be cast from out eternal bliss Where 's then that hope wherein thou hast presumed When death is come and all thy dayes consumed And then no hope of any longer stay But doom'd by death to Satan for a pray Canst thou now sin and not lay this to heart O lay 't betime lest soul and body part O sinful soul take notice of thy sin Lest death do come before thou dost begin O now begin and that without delay Lest death arrest thee'fore to morrow day When soul must suffer for the bodies sin And careless life which it hath lived in Without so much as any one dayes accompt To what a height thy sins that day will mount Begin this day and so go on to th' end And by that course thou 'lt see how life doth mend Neglect not this but use it constantly Lest thou be taken unprovided dy Be watchful then and alwayes be provided ' Gainst soul and body come to be divided Provide for this can no way be eschewed And let this course by all meanes be ensewed And so in time there may be hope of gaine Or else expect in heaven to have no place Strive for that place and strive and strive again For without Christ thy labour 's all in vaine And fast and pray upon thy bended knees To him who thee and all thy actions sees And ne'r forget thou canst not void his sight Who doth discerne thy heart in darkest night And now my soul do thou observe with care What over-weenings in thy judgement are If thou didst know it be an others fact Couldst thou approve on 't for a lawful act Wouldst thou allow that in thy onely son Which thou thy self hast now but newly done Art not ashamed that thou shouldst do a thing Which were not lawful though done by a King Can'st thou espie thy brothers mote unknown Yet canst not see the beam is in thy own VVilt thou be mindful of anothers ill Yet careless how thou bringst thy self to hell VVere eyes given thee to look into another And thy own sins in thy own brest to smother Can'st thou have feeling of thy friends offence And canst not see thy self is void of sense Can'st thou see faults within thy brother shine Yet canst not think that he againe seeth thine VVilt thou allow thy senses alwayes rome And ne'er attend to ought that 's done at home VVere senses sent to shew thy brothers faile VVithout respect what tends to thine availe A wise man may make use of others ill And by their faults observe his own to kill VVilt thou it be foul if 't be anothers fact And yet be faire if it be but thy own act Is there such difference in a brothers blood VVhat 's ill in th' one is in the other good If any such it is of their own making And not of judgement but of meer mistaking Art thou resolved to dye as thou dost live And canst expect that God will thee forgive But though thy sins be to this world unknown Assure thy self that hell will have its own And though thy Saviour still do suffer thee In thy own sins which he makes known to thee By his holy Spirit who daily doth attend Upon thy heart to see if thou wilt mend Yet do not think he 'll do as he hath done In often calling that thou'lt to him come But rather think that he hath given thee over Unto thy self without hope to recover So as thou'lt see that thy sad and weak estate As Judas-like become be reprobate O woe 's my heart neer ' yet could harbour wo Though often threatned with this word of Go Thou cursed cursed into th' hell of fire Where thou must burn without hope to retire O cry O cry cry to thy Saviour sweet And never cease till he shall please to meet Thy humble heart and grant it some remorse Which daily's grown each day be worse worse Sweet Jesus come good Lord I humbly pray And drive that Satan far from me away For he hath drawn me from my God and King Who 's worthy praise I am ever bound to sing Sweet Jesus hear me hear me Lord I pray And hear me so as I may ever stay And never more so fall as I have done But aye expect this blessed word of Come But I
thy decay O wo's my heart will not observe that end For which thy God did time unto thee lend Thou art careful know by th' clock what 's time of day Yet careless how thou setst this time away O wo's my heart thinks time well spent in toyes And cannot relish ought tends heavenly joyes O wo's my heart will spend thy time in play Which conscience knows thou'lt rue another day O wo's my heart is ever apt to ill Though soul and body both of them it kill O wo's my heart that conscience can me tell How I ' gainst conscience often did rebel O wo's my heart shall conscience me accuse My conscience knoweth my Saviour I refuse Must my own conscience make my sins accompt It knoweth that they do many millions mount O wretched heart thy conscience can now say That thou thy conscience never wouldst obey O wretched heart conscience blames thee for all Thou wouldst not hear though God himself did cal O wretched heart thy conscience doth now show How all thy life thou didst to Baal bow O wretched heart that is bewitched so With that which brings both soul and body wo. O wretched heart so taken with that 's ill As to that 's good thou 'lt not restraine thy will O wretched heart thus to be drawn away With that which onely tends to thy decay O wretched heart that hast been hardned so As 't never stood in fear of this word Go. O wretched heart 't is thee and thee alone Who beareth blame for senses every each one For they say plainly they were bound to obey To what the heart said they did ne'er say nay Thy ey seeth nothing but what th' heart approves Yet oftner ill then any good it loves The hands feel nothing but what th' heart commands And sometimes that which th' law of God withstands The ears are deaf unless the heart give way But to that 's ill they seldome do say nay The palat's pleased with nought if th' heart say no Yet oftentimes with that brings th' body wo. The nose is stopt except the heart comply But what doth please it seldome doth deny The will mongst these doth seem to carry a stroke Yet heart at pleasure can the will revoke All other members of the corps give way Unto the heart and it they all obey So as the heart guides all by its own will And is the root of all the bodies ill O wretched wretched wretched heart to see That all what 's ill proceeds alone from thee Which conscience knows and will at large relate What thy sins are and what shall be thy fate And then thou 'lt see that Apple Adam eat Did prove to him and his a poisoned meat For thy desires are for the most part such As do partake of Adams sin in much And are indeed even so insatiate As reason is not able moderate Say 't were in thee for to obtaine thy will 'T is to be thought 't would have less good then ill If thou mightst do whatsoere thou dost desire Canst think 't would free thee from th' infernal fire Hast thou not been even often overtaken Desiring things though Christ thereby forsaken Have thy desires at best been ever such As they were free from wicked sinful touch Let conscience say what thy desires have been 'T is but too true they 'll be condemn'd for sin Thou cursed heart wilt ne're be able see how subtle Satan hath deluded thee Shall th' Serpent dwell within thy hollow heart And wilt thou ne're admit him to depart Thou canst not chuse but know that he is there And yet thou wilt not will him to forbear It seemes thou dost approve on 's company well Although thou know'st it doth conduce to hell Or else would'st thou refuse to harbour him Who doth indeavour invite all to sin O wicked heart wilt ne're amend thy course But still continue each day worse and worse Lay but thy hand upon thy hollow heart And feel if heaven or hell have better part But it doth use and love for to dissemble And hazard all before 't will turn or tremble And yet confess it follows needful things But hear thy Saviour who is king of Kings And he will tell thy double fleshly heart That Mary she hath chose the better part Then take this better and forsake that worse Lest thou incur that fearful doleful curse Of Go thou cursed Go receive thy hire A just reward even hell eternal fire O turn O turn O turn thou wicked heart Or ne're expect in Christ have any part Now hear thy Saviour hear him he doth call Thou 'lt be but so as Agrippa said to Paul Thou hast almost turn'd me O do thou turn Except thou mean in hell for ever burn Though 't be but little yet it may in time By helpe of Christ wash off thy sinful crime Pray for his help laid down his life for thee For he desires that thou maist live not dye Sweet Jesus further my desire of turning That it may free me from this fearful burning Examine th' conscience it will not dissemble But tell the truth if thy hard heart do tremble Be often rubbing it to keep 't from sleep At death be sure it will thee waking keep Guide all thy actions by thy conscience square And it will help thy way to heaven prepare O sweep thy house and let thy Saviour come 'T is he alone must free thee from that doome Of Go thou cursed into fiery hell And there do thou with Satan ever dwell In that dark fire which Dives knoweth is hot Although nor soul nor body there do rot But still continue fuel without wasting And so shall be without end everlasting O horrid horrid wilt thou not return But still resolve in that black fire to burn Will nothing fear thee from this future wo As if thy heart did love this word of Go Art yet the same which thou hast ever been Will nothing fright thee from beloved sin Canst thou conceive 't will equalize thy paine From whence be sure shalt n'ere return againe Bewaile thy case and now observe cock-crow And call to minde how Peter he did so When he heard cock he went out streight to weep I hear him crow yet keep my bed and sleep When he heard cock he went out at first crow I hear him often yet will not do so Peters denials they were onely three But mine if counted more then millions be He saw his sin and then he did refraine it I see my sin but yet I still retain it He lov'd his Master and did follow him nigh But I lov'd sin and from my Saviour flie He heard the cock and then he saw his sin But though I see it I still retain 't within Peter was sent that he to me might preach Yet have his words no power my heart to reach His words and life are both I see even such I know they are but not respect them much He heard the cock and then
may to thy soul reveal The secret vertue of his death and blood Which he so shed for thine eternal good Here do thou build here 's good foundation Freed from all danger of inundation The onely rock whereon stands saving health Which is more worth then all this worldly wealth For herein solely's perfect happiness The very essence of all blessedness Here build my soul and do thou build so high That th' building reach above the starry skie Where thy blest Saviour sits himself alone Upon that blessed glorious heavenly throne Which none beholds but them are onely his And by his passion enter into bliss For all th' accursed are from thence thrown down By God above with such a furious frown As they shall ne'er enabled be to see The face of th' sacred glorious Trinitie O fear O fear beyond all other fears The thought whereof my very heart even tears Then if thou wilt this hideous fear prevent Remember th' cause for which was 't hither sent And if thou dost not that thy end forget It may procure a place for thee to sit Among that glorious heavenly angels quire VVhich is thy soul 's it chief and sole desire O be not thou so far then overseen As thou hast all thy lifetime hereto been To sleep in sin and that so securely As though in it thou didst intend to dye But now 't is time to rouze thy self from sleep If thou intend from sin thy self to keep Or else be sure in lieu of sleeping sink Into that horrid fearful place of stink Where thou shalt live depriv'd of heavenly bliss Or sight of heaven where thy sweet Saviour is Then sleep no more but rise and stand and pray And to thy Saviour do thou alwayes say Come blessed Lord vouchsafe on me to call That I do never herehence from thee fall But if I do then call good Lord againe That I from sin my self may now refraine And freely come to thee at this thy call And so in time prevent that fatal fall From whence no hope that thou canst rise againe But ever live eternally in paine Then stand in fear to fall if thou be wise And from thy sleep in hast do now arise And fast and pray and fall upon the ground That blessings may from heaven on thee abound And these thy prayers do thou iterate That they thereby thy paines may mitigate And heav thy soul up to the heavens from whence If not thou must receive due recompence For sin the wage whereof assure thy self is death VVhich thou must pay with loss of deerest breath Then do thou look upon this death againe And see if he be now the very same He seem'd to be when justly thou condemn'd Thy self of sin which did so fore offend Thy God and King who't was did place thee here That thou mightst alwayes live of him in fear And then thou shouldst not need have any care Though death did come and take thee to his share Death hath no power that man at all to harme Who is defended by Jehovah's arme And though that death indeed o'recometh all He onely comes when God himself doth call For God makes death to be his instrument To strike when he by God alone is sent Then make thy suite to thy blest Saviour sweet As 't is thy duty and not all is meet That he will please both thee and thine defend From deadly sin until thy life have end And then fear not for sure thou shalt not miss Of gaining that is thine eternal bliss Which is prepar'd for all that onely cry Upon their blessed Saviour heartily But this most sinful hollow heart of mine Doth stay my soul that it can never shine As it desires but forced is comply With my hard heart which daily doth deny To entertaine ought that shall tend to good But ill it loves like as doth stomack food Vouchsafe good Lord I do most humbly pray Be pleas'd to take this tempter quite away For it is he who maketh me thus blinde And leads this man even up and down with th' winde For wheresoere the winde doth turn to blow That way doth he entice me likewise now O teach O teach me Lord I humbly pray That I in thee may ever live and stay And so to shun each ill occasion Which doth proceed of that illusion Of him is wont and yet still leadeth me To take his bait and so to forsake thee Deceitful bait which did me so entice The apple eate and yield my life the price O wretch O wretch that will so wretched be Was never born a man so blinde as thee Thus to be gull'd as thou hast ever been To loose thy life in lieu of a little sin Was ever sinner seen so fool'd as thou To such a feind as Satan is to bow Yea though thou seest him plainly 'fore thy face Yet thou dost hold it for no great disgrace To be led by him as thou willing art Because he 's harbour'd close within thy heart O call thy wits about thee now at last When all thy dayes are done and life is past Look at thy end thou canst not chuse but see How subtil Satan hath deluded thee Whereby thou now art brought to such a stay As neither devil nor yet this death can fray Thee from thy sin O see man do thou see What is that sweet in pleasing sin can be Whereby th' art brought to be so overcom'd As all thy senses are indeed benum'd For Satan makes thee so insatiate As thy case now is grown be desperate Did ever man by any pleasure gaine When by that pleasure he was in it slaine Is not he mad that will of poison eat Although he have not any other meat Will any drunkard pleasing poison drink When suddain death doth make him down to sink To th' deepest hell and there in it remaine Without all hope of turning ere againe And yet art thou more mad by much then he And wilt not from this thy great madness be Reform'd but still in madness thou runst on Till thou hast gain'd thy self confusion Both of thy body and thy soul and yet Thou wretched dost thy self so far forget As thou wilt not so much as think of th' end For which thy God did to this earth thee send Hast thou thy sense to take a taste of food And difference make betwixt the ill and good And which of them doth best thy pallat please And by thy sense art able judge of these But yet if thou didst know of poison there I hope thou wouldst not take it without fear And yet mad man so taken art with sin Though worse by much then poison be therein As that thou wilt not this thy sin forbear But thou wilt act it boldly without fear Art thou not mad nay further more then so Thou runst from heaven that thou to hell maist go And yet 'twixt these there is a difference great He that is mad hath no tast of his meat And so
with madness may be overtaken For want of reason makes man be mistaken But thy case differs from this mad mans much For thy mad senses they cannot be such Seeing they their reason with them do retaine And commit sin in hope to get some gaine As pleasure profit or some private end Or somewhat else may unto pleasure tend Which to the senses plainly do appear Although in that they surely sensless are And thereby they of selves and souls make sale To gaine a thing being got's of no availe And yet by it they lose eternal bliss The onely end of perfect happiness O fondling fondling do not fool away Thy soul as thou hast done this present day For want of good and due consideration Which is a maine step to confusion Do but consider what is th' end of all And then there 's hope that thou shalt never fall Except thou be as hereto thou hast been Most wilfully bent to be loved sin And then there is not any hope of thee But for thy sin thou shalt be sure to dye And thou shalt reap the wages therefore due For pleasing sins ill pleasing death accrue Are there no threats can mollifie this heart Is' t hardned so in every several part As threats nor treats have power to enter there Till death do come and with his dart appear And then wilt thou begin with sorrow finde How Satan he hath made all of thee blinde And gull'd the so as thou shalt then well see Thy very soul within hell gates to be And then O then with sorrow thou 'lt begin To weep and grieve for this thy deadly sin When time is past and dayes one earth are done Then 't is too late for thee thy sins to shun And then thou 'lt see that thou thy self wast mad To sin so long and that without all dread And never look nor aime at that thy end For which thy God did to this earth thee send Or if sometimes thou didst yet presently Thou felst to sin and from thy Maker fly And though thy Saviour called on thee againe Yet still didst thou in that thy sin remaine And turn thy back when God himself did call And wouldst not turn thy self to God at all So as thou canst not now of right repine If he should smite this wicked heart of thine And in his anger from heaven throw it down From out his presence with an angry frown And further say unto thee Cursed go To hell which is prepared for thy wo. O wo beyond all other kinde of woes To him that runs from heaven to hell that goes O wretched wretched wretched miscreant thou To leave thy God and to his enemy bow For both of these do admit of no mean Since God and Mammon they do differ clean Then leave thy madness and do now become A new man 'fore that dreadful day of doome There 's yet some hope if thou hast any grace By help of Christ for thee to gaine a place Within that City new Jerusalem Which is prepar'd for every each one of them That to him come with humble heart and voice And in his service do live and rejoyce And do repent them of their former sin And wicked life which they have lived in Then do repent if thou hast any grace Although for it there 's but a little space The lesser time the sorrow 's so much more Then fill this short time now with sorrow store And weep and grieve for all thy sins and groan And to thy Saviour make thy sorrowful moan It may be he will please to lend his ear If that thy sorrow from heart roots appear But if thy sorrows should not come from thence Ne'er think that he will pardon thine offence Then search each hollow in thy sinful heart And look that Satan have not any part For if that feind shall have but the least share Be sure thy Saviour he will not come there For he will have thy heart himself alone And partners in it he 'll admit of none Then bend thy knees and lift to heaven thy heart That God on high may hear by whom thou art In some hope yet of gaining heavenly bliss If he 'l but say that thou art onely his VVhich he hath promised faithfully perform To all of them that to him heartily turn Then turn my soul with heart and minde and all To this good God who thee doth often call And is desirous for to receive thee If heart and minde do thereto but agree To leave thy sin and of it to repent And really with good and true intent Resolve for ever to continue free From Satan's subtil slightful gullerie And further make good restitution Of all the wrongs to any thou hast done Then willingly be sure he will thee hear And to thy suite he will apply his ear And yield thee comfort from the heavens above Thy Saviour sweet who 's God of peace and love And is desirous to have sinners all To come to him and doth them often call Then to him to him do thou freely run For he doth no man's prayers use to shun Are made in zeal but willingly will them hear And to them then most lovingly will appear And grant them all their hearts petition And of their sins a full remission But this remission thou thy self must gain VVith grief and sorrow and some bod'ly pain For all thy members must of pain partake As well thy aged limes as that thy heart Then teach thy knees that they may bow bend To God on high who did them to thee lend Not for to serve his cruel enemy But rather 't was to eschew his company Then flie him flie him and do him forsake That he be never able thee o'retake For he is alwayes waiting oportunity To wind himself into thy company And there he seemes a faithful friend to be When he 's profest thy deadliest enemy And fawnes and flatters and doth love to lye For fear that falshood thou in him might spy For he is cunning in each one of these And doth desire thy senses for to please That he with slight might so to them winde in As he may keep them still in their own sin By offering some faire goodly guilded pills Who 's golden outside 's stuft with inward ills Beware of such for such he often useth And with such shifts fond man he thee abuseth O trust him not for he 's at best a thief And seeks his own ends but in fine thy grief For he delights himself in nothing more Then to see a man who is to sin given o're And such a one he likes and loveth well And to him will he pleasing stories tell Of great contentment he shall surely have But ne'er a word as yet he 'l speak of grave Or if he do there 's time enough he 'l say Thou maist do that upon some other day But take time now whenas the time doth serve If thou intend thy soul for to preserve For time will
this thy nature 's such And that thou art not able alter't much Art now become a very naturalist Even such is every sensless natural beast As are the untamed Lion Bear or Bull Or like to that the beastly horse or mule Yet all of these their nature so do heed As bounds of nature they do ne'er exceed For canst thou make a horse by force to eat When stomack doth not serve him to his meat Or canst thou make him 's belly for to fill Or yet to drink if 't be against his will Examine conscience it may chance to say There is some man offended hath this way So as these creatures may right well arise To teach fond man how to become be wise But thou I hope hast more in thee then so Or else hadst thou ne'er been made man I know Thou hast I am sure a living soul in thee But thou being blind this soul thou wilt not see Yet when thy eyes are ope thou plainly dost And careful art that it should not be lost O then have care keep ope these eyes of thine That they may make thy soul within thee shine In sight of him who did it in the make And gave his life even for thy own souls sake Then to him to him do thou freely go And pray that he will please thy eyes keep so Thou maist be bold to look up unto him Without all dread or any deadly sin For he alone it is must thee defend Or else there 's danger great of thee at th' end Then fall before him on thy bended knees Who heart and thought and all thy actions sees And pray and pray and pray to him againe That he will please within thee to remaine And ope thy eyes so as thou maist well see The cruel torments he endur'd for thee And ever have them constantly in minde And then thou shalt not fear to become blind But such thou art and such wilt ever be If that thy Saviour shall a while leave thee Then pray to him and pray continually That he will keep thee for eternity Pray without ceasing do thou never lin Lest that thou enter into horrid sin For if thou shouldst neglect to God to pray Be well assur'd he will no longer stay O stay with me sweet Jesu in my heart That I from thee herehence do ne'er depart But ever praying to thee night and day That in thy service I may alwayes stay With heart and soul and all is in my minde But all of these are apt to become blinde For now my conscience doth me plainly tell That all even all of me is nothing well For that I see my thoughts do love to range And think of things are uncouth and most strange Against my setled resolution quite From what is good to that which is not right And yet O Lord it is not in my power To make them stay no not for one half hour But they are gone I do not well know where Sometimes far off and sometimes also neer And never rest upon one stable theam But often flying out beyond the Realm So as from gadding they 'l not stay for me I know not well what th' cause thereof should be But by experience I do too well finde They 'l not be guided by that is my minde Which solely's set to serve my God and King And evermore to him due praises sing And strive to keep them in that blessed way Nor never wander out nor go astray But then even then my wandring thoughts are gone And that perchance to some strange region And never use ask of me any leave But of my good thoughts they do me bereave Whereby apparently I understand That my own thoughts are not in my own hand Nor is' t in me with force them to restraine Where I desire that they should aye remaine But suddainly they roam and run about To finde that rest which cannot be found out So as I am not able make them stay But they are gadding still some other way For though I strive with heart to make them think What I am writing with this pen of ink Yet 'fore I get but half of one line done They are to seek and from me quite out gone Though I desire with all my very heart That they should stay and not from me depart Till I have done what I in heart desire And what my soul doth in it soul require Which is to cause them rest alone in thee Who hath me made and likewise them in me But sure if God did them unto me send He sent them doubtless for some other end And not to reel and ramble up and down From this to that and then to th' t'other town And never stay where I wish they should be But alwayes running out abroad from me Whereby doth rise a case full of some doubt VVhat this may be which runneth thus about From heaven to hell and then to heaven againe But yet being there will not in heaven remaine Where I desire that they should ever rest Because I know that place is ever blest VVith the glorious presence of my Saviour sweet With whom my heart desires my soul may meet And there to stay and ever with him live Whose goodness did it freely to me give And then I doubt not but my soul shall rest VVhere I desire and do in heart request Thou wilt vouchsafe within me bless them so As they shall never from thy service go In the mean time till thou vouchsafe to say Come thou the blessed come and with me stay Here bide my soul and now set up thy rest For by him solely thou art onely blest And have a care thou from him ne're depart Nor in thy thought nor in thy very heart For this I fear will prove too much in blame Because I am not able th' other tame For if my heart were of it self upright It would not wander nor be out on 's sight VVho freely gave it for no other end But him to serve even world without all end O wretched wretched beast that thou shouldst be Hast lived so long and yet live wretchedly Not minding th' end for which was 't hither sent Forgetful also of thy sins repent VVhat shall I think of this vile ill condition That after so much godly admotion Of weakness great if so I rightly call it But I think rather strength I may so term it For sure I am that it doth o'recome me And by my minde it will not ruled be For I desire with all my very heart My secrets solely to my God impart And in him wholly by true faith confide And in him solely in my soul reside Yet I am drawn I cannot well say how To think of things which I do not know now For such are often got into my thought Which are not worthy of remembring ought If I should have desire them to recall Which is a thing not possible at all And if they could by me be spoke againe As
know that when thy soul is gone Thy body then hath feeling in it none Examine conscience whether's greatest care For this thy body or thy soul is there I fear thou feel'st this of thy body more Then dost thy soul though smitten nere so sore O sensless man have feeling of thy sin Or else thou'lt feel that God is not within Another member hath Jehovah given Using all helps to bring this man to heaven On either side of th' head hath set an Ear That either side the Spirit of God may hear Then hear this Spirit which loudly crieth on thee Lest thou too late mayst cry Good Lord help me Thou knowst that God hath promised all to hear That call on him then do not thou forbear But call in time lest it may prove too late When death hath deem'd deep hell to be thy fate Doth not God send a tinkling in thy ears To make thee think 't is th'passing bell thou hears O do not stop thy ears from this sweet bell For it may help to stop thy way to hell Say hast not heard thy sins oft-times reproved And notwithstanding thou thy sins hast loved Remember Adam he heard Evahs voyce And left his seed by it no cause rejoyce Then stop thy ears against the Syrens song For sweetest singers often lead to wrong But ope them wide unto thy Saviours cry And then fear not he 'll not thy suit deny But then must thou leave off thy pleasing sin Or else be sure thy sâ—ul is lost within But there is nothing that is in mans power Without the help of his good Saviour Then to him to him to him freely go And be not thou put off from him with no But fall down flat upon thy bended knees And nere rise up till such time he shall please To call thee thence and shew to thee the way Wherein with safety thou mayst walk and stay But 'fore thou art able to accomplish this Which is no doubt a perfect heavenly bliss Thou must repent thee of thy former sin And horrid life which thou hast lived in And that being done from th' bottom of thy heart With resolution nere from him depart Nor be orecome as hereto thou hast bin With willing mind to commit any sin Assure thy self he will thy prayers hear And to thy soul he will himself appear And yield thee comfort from the heavens above Even from thy Saviour who is God of love Then mayst thou think that there is hope of rest In him by whom thou shalt be ever blest For only by him and by him alone Thou must have rest or rest there will be none Then since thou knowst where rest is to be had Be not dismayd in any sort with dread But let him always be to thee a guide And stand resolv'd thou never from him slide But have a care to keep him in thy mind And then be sure that thou shalt ever find That saving health thou didst in heart desire If thou doe it with heart and soul require Without all fear of any opposition Of that most hellish and most wicked Legion For if thy blessed Saviour be but there Assure thy self be will not come thee neare But if that Christ shall once but turn his back Then look about thee have care be not slack For if thou be then thou shalt surely find That he will quickly enter on thy mind And if by cunning he get in a foot Thou art not able get his body out But he 'll have all and then he there will dwell Untill he draw thee down with him to hell Then he thou carefull of thy inward mind To fixe it always on thy Saviour kind And then fear not but well assured be He 'll keep it during all eternity For now I find what I have so long sought That th' only cause of my unruly thought Is want of constant setling them on thee On whom they alwayes solely ought to be Since I now know that never sin was seen Which to this wicked thought did not prevene For first 't is hatched in my barren brain Before in heart it can come to remain And thence it spreads it self to every part Because that all the whole man should feel smart For doubtless know that every several sence Shall suffer deeply without penitence For every part of pain participate Of weal or woe of love or else of hate Then keep a good guard of thy outward thought Lest ought may enter in it whâ—ch is nought For there will Satans battry first begin To bring thy body into deadly sin Then look thy guard be watchful good strong That it may always walk with thee along To give thee warning of thy enemy That thou mayst ay be ready from him sly For few that strive do obtain victory And to some strong force do thou thee betake Ev'n him alone who dy'd for thy sins sake And will safe keep thee unto thy lives end But then must thou thy life on earth amend Else little hope that he will keep thee free From this deceitfull watchfull enemy Then give thy heart unto thy God alone For he 'l have that or else he will have none Nay give him all ev'n all whats'ere thou hast For what he wants be sure thou dost but wast And more then so for that which he hath not Shall surely fall to Satans only lot Seeing he is watchfull ever ready prest To thrust himself into thy bony breast If that thy Saviour be not biding there And therefore see that thou my soul do nere Depart from out Christs blessed company For if thou dost assure thy self to dy Since Satan he is always at the dore To enter there if that thy Saviour Be out of th' way and therefore have a care That Satan nere have power to enter there For if he do then sure thou art but gone Seeing Christ will all or else he will have none Then giv 't him giv 't him give thy Saviour all And never lin but to him heart'ly call That he will please this all of thine accept Which he alone with his right hand hath kept Out Satans power who hath so long led thee Untill this time from thy very infancy So now full time from this foul Fiend to flie Or else nere look to live but look to die For death 's the best that he is able give To any of them who in their sins do live So if thou purpose now to prevent death It must be done whilst thou on earth hast breath For when thy life upon this earth is done Then doth that dreadfull day of judgment come And 't is decreed that all must undergo Their latest doom which is or Come or Go And that pronounc'd thou mayst of this be sure Or weal or wo shall then for ay endure And after that decree is done and past There is no hope it can be ere reverst Then pray that this may be thy finall doom Bless'd of the Lord do thou unto