express Their grief Ah Sion's fill'd with bitterness Her chiefest people are her chiefest foes Just Heav'n with these innumerable woes Plagues her transgressions and the enemy Drives her dear Children to Captivity And that rare beauty which adorn'd and grac'd Sions dear daughter is of late defac'd Her Princes fly and ransack all about Like hungry Harts to finde a pasture out They all are fled and flying can procure No strength t' oppose the merciless pursuer But when Jerusalem was thus confin'd T' afflictions lawless bounds she call'd to minde Her by past pleasures and those days which she For now her crying sins are grown so great That Heav'n hath thrown her from his mercies seat All those that lov'd her yea and highly priz'd her Seeing her shameful nakedness despis'd her She sighs turns her back as though she 'd borrow A private breath t' express a publique sorrow For being fill'd with wickedness Her end She never thought of neither had she friend To comfort her O Lord my God behold My great afflictions Ah my foe grows bold And magnifies himself His stretch'd-out hand Hath spoyld the pleasures of my fruitful Land The very Heathen whom thou didst deny Thy Congregation do contemn defie Thy just commands and with unseemly paces Inforce an entrance to thy holy places Her bread-desiring people fill'd with grief Give their chief treasures for a small relief Behold O Lord consider my distress For I am vile and fill'd with wickedness Oh stop your hasty feet ye that pass by And look upon my new-bred misery Sum up the totals of all grief then borrow A million more 'T is nothing to that sorrow Which I support wherewith the angry power Hath pleas'd t' afflict me in His wrathful hour For he from his all-ruling throne hath sent Into my bones a fiery Government Yea and his ever-active hand hath set And I am desolate and fainting lie Being turn'd from him am turn'd to misery Fast to my servile neck He hath bound on The wreathed yoke of my transgression Impair'd my strength and by His just commands I 'm thrown into my persecutors hands Where I remorsless I must still remain Voyd of all hope to be enlarg'd again His unresisted strength hath broke the bones And made a footstool of my Mighty Ones A great Assembly He hath call'd that may Punish my youngmen that will not obey And Judahs fairest Virgin Daughter 's trod As in a winepress by th' Almighty God And O these sorrows O these miseries Stir up a tempest in my clouded eyes Mine eyes mine eyes run o're I dayly spend More tears then any brain can apprehend My foes prevail my children all are led Into Captivity my hopes are fled Sion spreads forth her feeble arms t' express She seeks for comfort but is comfortless The Lord of hoasts commands that Jacobs eyes Shall round about him see his enemies And poor despis'd distrest Jerusalem Is as a menstruous woman amongst them My God is just yet I rebellious I Transgrest against his glorious Majesty O hear my people let your ears but borrow A minutes time from Time to hear my sorrow My Virgins and my young men all are fled Into Captivity my Priests are dead My Friends refuse to hear me when I call For want of food my hungry Elders fall O Lord behold see how I am opprest My heart thumps at the portals of my brest Oh I have sinned and my sins indite me Abroad the Sword at home grim Death affrights me My friends have heard my groaning and my grief Is known to them But I know no relief My foes with clamorous voyces fill the Earth And make my grief the subject of their mirth But Heav'n hath nam'd a day when these my foes Shall be Co-partners in my mock'd at woes O God let not their faults be hid from thee But deal with them as thou hast dealt with me My heart is faint my struggling sighs are many My griefs too great to be exprest by any Meditatio in Capitulum IF thou wouldst know my Soul what harâ—s attend A sinners progress to his journeys end Here here thou mayst if with impartial eyes Thou wilt observe the unsatiate miseries Of poor Jerusalem whose tedious groans Whose sighs and sobs and tears the world bemoans Observe her heedless steps and thou shalt know Sin was the Author of her self-will'd Wo. 'T was sweet at first but sowre in th' event That little word assumes a large extent Where Sin predominates there we may find The inconvenience of a troubl'd mind For when the mind 's perplex'd then we begin Either to fall to or to fall from Sin For like the restless Sea she 's active still And always agitating good or ill If well imploy'd she builds a wall about The Soul to keep approaching dangers out But if she spends her thriftless hours in Evil She makes a banquet to invite the Devil Who with his subtle and misguiding force Will re-invite her to a second course And then let Christians judg how much disquiet That Soul sustains that loves the Devils dyet Ah then my Soul if thou desir'st to be Exempted from the lot of miserie Make Heav'n thy refuge there thou mayst be sure To find contentment and repose secure Thou needst not fear there is no poys'nous thing Can wound that Soul that truly loves his King Nor all the malice mortals can invent Shall add to thee one mite of discontent There is no sorrow no calamity T' oppress thy thoughts No wry-look'd enemy T' upbraid thy actions then my Soul advise How much it profits to be heav'nly wise Ah had Jerusalem whose grief no pen Can e're engrave into the hearts of men Been wisely wary she had never known Those late reap'd sorrows which her sins had sown Had she but search'd her bosom and contriv'd Her actions well her glory had surviv'd Had she with Davids tears in time repented Those uncorrected sins her heart lamented She had not felt those judgments which did wait Vpon the ruines of her falling State But whilst her eyes were muffl'd and deluded Folly came in where Reason was excluded Needs must that Kingdom unto ruine run Where Folly sets and rises with the Sun Like as the body that 's oppress'd with grief Can neither hope for nor obtain relief Till the disease be known there 's none can tell The rage of sickness that was always well Even so Jerusalem because that she Judg'd not the Reason of her Miserie Till she was past recovery could never Have health restor'd her but was sick for ever Alas alas that Kingdom needs must fall That has a grief so Epidemical Had she but like the Ninevites in time Stop'd those distemp'ring humors which did climb Above her strength her grief had quickly ended And Heav'n revok'd those judgments he intended Med'cines are vain things when apply'd too late And through delay a grief grows desperate He that is Sin-sick is in bad condition Except Heav'n please to be his Souls
But for this Face the Work had clearely gone For old smooth Qvarles himself and not his Sonne Who sighing how KINGS fell and Subjects rose Scornes to mis-spend one single Teare in Prose This Book 's his shadowe Hee 's his Fathers Shade QVARLES is a Poet as well Borne as Made T M W. Marshall Fecit FONS LACHRYMARUM OR A Fountayne of TEARES London Printed for Nathaniel Brookes and sold at his shop at the Angel in Corn-hill Fons Lachrymarum OR A FOUNTAIN OF TEARS From whence doth flow Englands Complaint Jeremiah's Lamentations PARAPHRAS'D WITH Divine Meditations AND AN ELEGY Upon that Son of Valor Sir CHARLS LVCAS Written by JOHN QUARLES London Printed for Nathaniel Brooks at the Angel in Cornhill 1649. TO THE illustrious Prince CHARLS PRINCE of WALES Sir IF the Current of my affections force me against the Rocks of presumption J humbly crave the assistance of Your gracious pardon The extent of my ambition is to prostitute at Your Highnesses feet the first fruits of an Orchard which J planted in Flaunders during the time of my banishment and now have brought them into England to be press'd for growing in a strange Country J confess the fruit is green and sowre and cannot ripen till it feel the Sun-shine of Your Princely eye nor sweeten till Your approbation shall be pleased to afford them a liking and that liking honor them with a free acceptance There is nothing that can make me esteem my self unhappy but that the severity of these times will not permit me to tender Your Highness that service which my heart is ambitious to perform and my duty binds me to acknowledg J have nothing that J can stile my own but a fidelious heart which shall always pray for Your prosperity and that Your successes may like waves ride in one upon the back of another and that at last You may like the Sunne break through the Clouds of Opposition and once more shine in your proper Hemisphere Heaven season Your Royal Heart with the Principles of Wisdom and grant that You may not Hide Your Counsels in the Bosoms of them that honour You with their Lips when their Hearts are far from You. These are the serious and fervent Prayers of him that desires to live no longer then he is willing to devote himself to Your Highnesses Commands and is Your Highnesses most obliged Servant JOHN QUARLES TO THE READER Kind Reader I Here present to thy view a Fountain from which doth flow Complaints Lamentations and Meditations three Necessaries for these Times Never were Complaints more frequent then they are in this age of obduracy and oppression Nor Lamentations more requisite then in these Lachrymable Times Nor Meditations more commendable then in these days of uncertainty Reader I shall desire thee to pass by the errors of the Press which are now too late to correct Had not the perversness of these times debarred me from coming to the Press the Printers Mistakes had not been so numerous For my own part I have nothing to boast of but this that I am confident the judicious Reader will pardon the weakness of my endeavors and know that the tallest Cedars were but twigs at first Reader Farewel TO My dear Friend the AVTHOR THe Son begins to rise the Father 's set Heav'n took away one light and pleas'd to let Another rise Quarles thy Light 's divine And it shall teach Darkness it self to shine Each word revives thy Fathers name his art Is well imprinted in thy noble heart I 've read thy pleasing lines wherein I find The rare Endeavors of a modest mind Proceed as well as thou hast well begun That we may see the Father by the Son R.L. TO My much esteemed Friend the AVTHOR On his Book intituled Fons Lachrymarum THou prov'st Prophetick in thy doleful Muse Whilst it the Prophets mournful tears renews Yet e're thy tears be spent may England stand In her first glory rais'd by Charls his hand Then may each drop to add unto her grace Turn solid pearl and beautifie her face There whilest in native brightness fix'd they be Their radiant lustre shall reflect on thee Rich. Quiney Englands Complaint EXperience tells us those that are in pain Need neither Act nor Ord'naence to complain Griefs have their priviledg whose passions break All Laws and Losers claim a power to speak If passion be too rude Reader excuse Grief knows no manners sorrow needs no Muse But stay my hasty quill forbear I know Thou art too young too tender yet to go Without a guide a guide that may direct Thy staggering feet A guide that may protect Thy Infant years Do not too much endeavor A fall at first will make thee lame for ever Invoke the Nine and if they do deny To give thee ayd complain to Mercury Tell him thou art a babe and dost desire To warm thy genius by the Muses fire Where are Apollo's off-springs are they ty'd In sorrows chains e're since Mecaenas dy'd Or are their Helleconian waters spent Or do they stay t' expect a Complement I wonder what they mean to be thus slow In former times they 'd run they 'l now scarce go My heedless Muse dost thou not understand They 're all distracted and dispers'd the Land Only Melpomene who now appears Like Nioby a monument of tears Knowst thou not this rash Muse then how canst thou Implore a help from them that know not how To help themselves Nay Pegasus is made A poor Dragoon his friends are all betraid Though all distracted and thus routed be Yet helpless Muse there 's Heav'n to succour thee Then hear me Heaven O hear me now I sue Th' art my Apollo be Mecaenas too And great Conductor of my Soul inspire My frozen heart with thy celestial fire Light thou my Candle O then I shall see By thy own light how to discover thee Inflame my frozen senses with thy Spirit That I may learn to live and live t' inherit The glory of thy Kingdom and to rest Where joys are greater then can be exprest And so go on but stay rash quill and know What 't is to be engag'd before you go Too far Be careful these bad times unless Your rash adventure want a good success Be wary what you do these are no times To please fond fancies with lascivious Rhymes Be circumspect Let every word you write Be Truth and then let every word invite A tear each tear a sigh that every Eye That reads may melt into an Elegie And curs'd be that dull eye that will not lend A tear or two to see poor England spend Weeks months years in sighs in sobs in groans In tears in pray'rs and wilt not move the stones Vollies of tears discharged from her eyes Shake Heaven and Earth and penetrate the skies With sad coÌ„plainâ— heav'n mourns at her condition And weeps down showrs of tears at her Petiâ—ion Then rouze ye Britains from your flattering sleep Hear Englands groans thus she begins to
Physician And if God once deny his Patient bliss Whose must the fault be when the fault 's not his Alas alas 't is but in vain for any To strive to cure one grief that had so many As sad Jerusalem had her plagues were more Then all the world could reckon up before She had a Monop'ly she need not borrow She was the Hierogliphick of all sorrow Yet if in time she 'd made repentant moan Heav'n could have cur'd them all as well as one There is no Sin let it be great or small But Heav'n can find a balsam for them all My Soul thou art my Monarch therefore I May boldly look into thy Monarchy First praise thou Heav'n then learn to be content With what he sends thee let thy government Be still Monarchical and fenc'd about With fervent prayers to keep Sedition out Let watch and ward be kept lest Traytor Sin Betray thee Let not Faction come within Thy lists And still be careful to surprize Rebellious thoughts as soon as they arise For if they once appear within thy borders They 'l breed confusion and confus'd disorders Learn to be wisely politick and be Ready to let Religion counsel thee Let Reason be thy guide and let thy Laws Be truly executed Let thy Cause Be just and real then my Soul be sure To let thy fundamental Laws endure Till he that sits on the refulgent Throne Shall take thee hence and keep thee for his own CHAP. II. Contents 1 Jeremiah lamenteth the misery of Jerusalem 20 He complaineth thereof to God BEhold Heav'ns Metropolitan hath spread His gloomy clouds of anger on the head Of sad Jerusalem He hath destroy'd Those bounteous treasures Israel enjoy'd And from his mem'ry hath his footstool thrown When he with floods of anger was o'reflown And Jacobs habitations he unfram'd And wrathfully consum'd them Thus inflam'd The strongest Castles Judahs Daughter had He tumbled down and made her people sad And he to shew what his grand power could do Defil'd the Kingdom and the Princes too His two-edg'd passion hath cut off the horn And Chief of Israel made him a scorn To his deriding Foes and also stayd Yea and withdrawn his right hand from his ayd His fury like an all consuming flame Burn'd against Jacob and devour'd his name His wrestless arm hath bent his yeelding bow He stood resolved like a dauntless foe And in the Tabernacle he hath flew The eyes delight like fire his anger flew He threw down Israels strongest scituations And fill'd Jerusalem with lamentations And like a fruitless garden hath layd voyd Th' infected Tabernacle and destroy'd Th' Assemblies structures and an angry wind Hath blown their Feasts and Sabbaths from his mind Both Kings Priests in anger he forgot And look'd on them as if he saw them not His holy places and his Altar he Abhor'd and gave unto the Enemie Her fairest Palaces their ill-tun'd voyces As on a feast-day fill'd the Church with noises His hand stretch'd forth a line when he intended To ruine Sion that so much offended He hath resolv'd destruction therefore all The rampart languish'd with the gliding wall He hath destroy'd and batter'd down her grates The gaping Earth imbowel'd all her Gates Her King and Princes dwell with Gentiles and Her Laws are banish'd from her lawless Land Her Prophets gaze about the frowning skies Do represent no vision to their eyes Her mournful Elders on the ground repose And silently consent unto their woes They cloth'd themselves with sackcloth and they crown'd Their heads with dust they borrowed from the ground No joys were pleasing to the eys of them That were the Virgins of Jerusalem My bowels yern my tear-distilling eyes Are sore with gazing on the miseries Of frail Jerusalem Alas the feet Of her dear sucklings stagger in the street And like the wounded in the City send Their sighs for food unto their dearest friend And whilst they slumbred on their mothers brest They pour'd their Souls into eternal rest What shall I witness for thee O thou Gem Thou pining Daughter of Jerusalem To what shall I compare thee What can be O Sions Daughter equal unto thee Let all the world recure thee if they can For Ah thy breach is like the Ocean Alas thy purblind Prophets all have been Hoodwink'd with folly vain things have seen But ne'er discover'd thine iniquity Which was the cause of thy captivity Their mis-informed senses were content To see false Reasons for thy Banishment All that past by and saw thee thus decaying Clapt their rude hands yea hist at thee thus saying Is this the City that the wordlings call Beauties perfection This the joy of all Thy foes revile thee and as they pass by They gnash their teeth against thee thus they cry This is the day we look'd for now we know She is destroy'd we see her overthrow That which the King of Heav'n devised now He hath enacted and fulfil'd his vow He hath thrown down without remorse O see Thy adversaries triumph over thee This hath th' Almighty done for them at length He made thē strong yea advanc'd their strength They mov'd the Lord with their uncessant cries O wall of Sions daughter let thine eyes Run down like rivers give thy self no sleep Forget to smile and practise how to weep Arise and in the silent night bemoan Thy grief O cry unto th' Almighty One In the beginning of the watch implore Thy growing sorrows make a flood before Th' Eternals face O crave that he would please To sent thy young faint hungry children ease Consider Lord to whom thou 'st done this great lie This unrepented ill Shall women eat Their span-long children Shall thy slain Priests Tomb'd with thy Prophet in thy Sanct'ary The young and old have shar'd in equal harms They lie and tumble in each others arms Upon the flinty streets my Virgins fall With my young men the sword disliv'd them all Thus in thine anger hast thou struck them dead Thus hast thou kill'd and never pitied As in a solemn day my terrors round About thou 'st called so that none was found In the Lords day of anger to remain Those that I swadled and brought up in vain I brought them up the enemy infum'd Envy'd this off-spring and their days consum'd Meditatio in Capitulum SEe see my Soul what Heav'n hath done O see What 't is t' offend a pow'rful Majestie Go go and quickly tell the sons of men What 't is to rouze a Lion from his Den Bid them keep peace and quietness in Sion Bid them turn Lambs or Heav'n will turn a Lion Bid them take notice she that was the stem Of honour now is poor Jerusalem Alas alas experience made her know Griefs abstract and the quintescence of wo And ah my Soul who knows the course of sorrow There 't is to day it may be here to morrow Then have a care let thy well tutor'd grief Know rather how to purchase a relief Then plagues and torments
Let thy sober will Be sway'd by reason let thy reason still Lead thee to meditation then begin To search thy self and cypher up thy sin Having thus done thou quickly wilt discry Thy grief and where th' imperious humors lie And having found them out let no delay Damage thy Soul but quickly haste away And from the bottom of thy heart confess Thy greatest sins so Heav'n may make them less O kiss the Son for if his anger be Yea but a little kindled blest is he Whose groping Soul his seal'd up mercies found And cast his anchor in so firm a ground Heav'n smiles on them whose oft-repeated pray'r Expands their sins makes their God their care But when revolting negligence shall call Confounding ruine from th' imperial hall Of Heav'ns high-seated Palace and invite A dreadful vengeance to eclipse the light Of a resplendent happiness and double The lab'ring Soul with interposing trouble Ah then our pleasures shall be turn'd to toys And sudden grief shall expiate our joys And like Jerusalem confus'd shall we Wander and languish in obscuritie Then then our down-cast spirits shall lament And moan their just deserved punishment Then shall our Peace be drawn unto an end Then shall we look for but shall find no friend Then shall our sad Embassadors prepare And mount to Heav'n but find no audience there Then shall our blubber'd eyes in vain let slide Innumerable tears then shall the Tyde Of Heav'ns high-flowing anger rage and roar And dash against our sin-polluted shore Then shall we run and in our running meet Th' obvious sword in the blood-streaming street Then shall our hasty trembling feet retire To our sad houses there shall Death require Th' arrears of sorrow Lingring Famine shall Like to a lean-cheek'd Fury grasp us all And from our strouting veins shall squeez a flood A luke-warm deluge of diffused blood Then shall our children with their midnight cries Lament for food Then shall their mothers eyes Bedew their bosoms with the falling showres Of dribling tears Then shall their lothed hours Haste to an end And having thus exprest Their woes shall creep into Eternal rest Then shall the early melancholly Bells Sound mournful peals for their sad last farewels Ah now my Soul Can any griefs out-vy Such griefs as these Can any heart deny The justness of these Judgments If they do May they feel Sodoms and Gomorrahs too Heav'n cannot be unjust No no 't is we Provoking sinners are unjust not he Shall we offend and shall we every day Hale down his Judgments on our backs then lay The burthen of our faults on him and cry Like Traytor Judas Master is it I No no we must not but let every one Vnbosom all his actions and make known His misdemeanors then if any can Plead himself guiltless he 's a happy man Find out but ten good men and for their sake Heav'n will deduct a thousand plagues and shaâ—â— Ten thousand more from his incensed brest And for their sakes will give ten thousand rest Sodom can witness Heav'n brooks no denyal He had sav'd all had ten been found but loyal Oh blind and foolish is that City when Ten thousand doubled cannot number ten CHAP. III. Contents 1 The faithful bewail their calamities 22 By the mercies of God they nourish their hopes 37 They acknowledg Gods Justice 55 They pray for deliverance 64 and vengeance on their enemies 'T Is I have seen affliction by the rod Th' impetuous anger of the wrathful God He with a pitchy darkness mask'd my sight And hath not cloth'd me with the robes of light He turn'd his hand against me all the day He broke my bones and made my flesh decay His lab'ring fury hath built up a wall Against me and surrounded me with gall In dungeon places he me set like those Which in their graves have had a long repose And he hath made my toilsom chains to be Heavy He hedg'd me from my libertie And when I shout and cry he will not hear But makes my pray'r a stranger to his ear He hath inclosed me with stones that stay My hasty steps he hath incurv'd my way And as a lurking Bear observes my paces Or as a Lion in the secret places He turn'd me from my ways disturb'd my state Pull'd me in pieces made me desolate He bent his Bow and made my trembling heart The aym'd-at object of his fatal dart He caus'd his quivered guests t' inforce my veins And take a large possession in my reins I was my peoples laughing stock their song Was tuned to my mischief all day long He fill'd me full of bitterness and wo And made me drunk with nauseous wormwood too He brake my teeth with gravel stones and he With heaps of ashes hath involved me Banish'd my Soul from Peace Prosperity Is quite relapsed from my memory I said my strength my very hope is even Wasted and perish'd from the Lord of Heav'n Ponder my woes and my afflictions all Remember both the honey and the gall These things do still in my remembrance rest And ah my Soul is humbled in my brest This I recall to my swift-roving mind Therefore I hope and hoping hope to find It is the mercy of the Lord we sail So safe for his compassions never fail They 're every morning new thy faithfulness Is great and greater then I can express The Lord 's my portion saith my Soul and I Will therefore hope unto Eternity And that just Soul which dayly shall attend Upon the Lord shall never want a friend 'T is good that man should hope and wait upon Th' Almighties pleasure and salvation 'T is good for man to exercise the truth And bear the yoke of his offending youth He sits alone and silently makes known He bears no other burthen then his own His humbled mouth salutes the dusty ground As if some hopes of mercy may be found He 's fill'd with shame he willingly invites T'a second stroke the hand of him that smites For they that strive and really endeavor God will not leave nor cast them off for ever He will have pity though he sends a grief In multitudes of mercy lies relief He doth not punish nor augment the smart Of sinners children with a willing heart His feet take no delight to crush to death Th' offending pris'ners of th' inferior earth To turn away mans right his heart abhors Before the face of their superiors And to subvert a man in his just cause The Lord approveth not 't is not his Laws And who is he whose spend-thrift tongue dare say This thing shall come to pass when Heav'n says nay Out of the mouth of him that 's God indeed There doth not evil but known good proceed Why doth a living man with grumbling thoughts Complain as one that 's punisht for his faults Let 's search let 's try our ways let 's turn again To God and he will turn away our pain And let our hands b'extended with our Souls To Heav'ns
distress We buy our water O unhappy fate And purchase fuel at too dear a rate Our necks are persecuted and unblest And still we labor but obtain no rest Unto the Egyptians we our hand have spread Desiring to be satisfied with bread Our buried fathers sin'd in former times And we have born the burthen of their crimes Servants have rul'd us and there 's none that will Deliver us but let them rule us still With peril of our lives we have obtain'd Our bread because the sword was unrestrain'd Our skins are black like to an oven and dry Because the Famine caus'd a Tyranny Sion and Judahs daughter have been led Away and violently ravished Princes are hang'd up by the hands the faces Of Elders have no honor but disgraces They made the young men grinde the children blood Fainted beneath the burthen of their wood The Elders at their gates did not abide The young mens musick too is layd aside The joy is ceas'd which was our hearts relief Our active dancing 's turn'd to passive grief The crown is fallen from our heads and wo Wo be to us that have offended so Our hearts are faint and our suffused eyes Are dim because of these calamities Because that Sions mountain's desolate The foxes walk thereon to recreate Themselves But thou O Lord shalt sit on high Upon thy Throne unto Eternity Wherefore dost thou forsake us and demure Thy self so long from us that seem secure Turn thou and we are turn'd Lord we implore Renew our days as thou hast done before But thou hast quite rejected us and thou Beholdst thy servants with an angry brow Meditatio in Capitulum COmplaining what is that will that relieve Impris'ned souls or teach theÌ„ how to grieve Tell me sad Soul can greater wants converse With flesh and blood nay what more lasting curse Can be entail'd on man then to complain To such an ear as will not once retain The least expression of a grief but cry Let woe attend him to Eternity O dismal sentence and if this be all 'T would grieve a man that e're he griev'd at all To be thus harshly answer'd and excluded From hopes of mercy Be not thus deluded Despairing Soul Jerusalem 't is true she did complain And was that all O no her tongue did chain A prayer to her Petition and her eyes Were dayly trickling for her miseries Where is that man that if he chance to be Deprived of his goods by robberie Will sit complaining by himself and try No lawful means for a recovery Of what he lost should we not deem him mad To lose that good which might be easily had If sought This Proverb calls it to my minde He that will spare to seek must spare to finde Even so if Satan whose depriving pow'r Shall take a watch'd advantage and devour The Manna of our Souls shall we then say 'T is gone 't is gone Satan has stoln 't away And ah can these these naked words recal A lost estate O no 't will but enthral Our happiness the more and make our grief The more extream admitting no relief My Soul if Satan e're shall make attempt Vpon thy weakness lab'ring to exempt And win thee from thy self go and make known Thy cause to Heav'ns Judg-Advocate bemoan Thy self with tears complain confess and pray God loves confession but abhors delay Run run unto him that thou mayst prevent The wrath and censure of his Parliament Go go for there thou shalt be sure to finde Abundance link'd together in one minde There is no faction no divisions there But all are setled in one hemisphere Of true Opinion There is none t' expect A bribe or else without a bribe neglect To agitate thy business or exact Vpon thy guiltless conscience or enact Their several humors There is none to bring Thy Soul in danger 'cause th' ast lov'd thy King Thy heav'nly King by whom thou shalt possess A true and no excised happiness O endless joy a joy that far transcends The deepest thoughts a joy that never ends Be ravish'd 0 my Soul and meditate Vpon Jerusalem Let her sad state Be as a caveat to thee let her fall Teach thee to stand let her detested gall Prove honey to thee so mayst thou derive Thy welfare from her sorrows and survive In everlasting bliss Peace beyond measure Shall crown thee with vicissitude of Pleasure Play well thy game and so will Heav'n extend His liberal grace and bless thee in the End DIVINE MEDITATIONS MEditation we may fitly call The Souls Arithmetitian summing all Our sins together Nay and every day Cyphers them up and teaches us to pray Then let us meditate and strive to do What our Arithmetitian leads us too He that will true examples learn to give First let him learn to dye and then to live Prefer the surest first for you and I Vncertain are to live but sure to dye MEDITAT. I. PElion is fallen upon Ossa's back The more I cry for help the more I lack There 's none will look upon me how I lie In the Charybdis of perplexity Escaping Scylla O I thought I 'd been Past danger but Charybdis was not seen MEDITAT. 2. I 'm now benighted and obscur'd from light My day of pleasure 's turn'd into a night Of clouded sorrow Grief comes sailing on Steer'd by the hand of my Rebellion Heav'n stop his passage may he never rest Within the harbor of my tender brest MEDITAT. 3. What have I done or what have I deserv'd That I am thus imprison'd and reserv'd For death and sad destruction Nay but why Why do I ask what I have done To dye To dye 't is too too little could a worse A worse succeed I have deserv'd the curse MEDITAT. 4. I have displeased Heav'n where shall I fly To hide my self from his offended eye If rocks or caves could hide me from my sin There there I 'd go and hide my self within The bowels of the Earth till Heav'n should say The night of sin is gone and now 't is day MEDITAT. 5. What if I storm'd Heav'ns Paradise with prayers â—nd so besieg'd it with an host of tears What if I undermin'd and layd a train â— blow it up with sighs 't were but in vain â—storm besiege all is but labour spent Except I could as David did Repent MEDITAT. 6. â—â—pent O what a sound that word imports 〈◊〉 how it penetrates How many sorts â—f Ecchoes answer it Repent of all â—e that leaves one repents of none at all â—e that will learn how to repent and when First let him strive to be a David then MEDITAT. 7. â—nd art thou still disquieted my Soul â—â—ust thou in God in God that doth controul â—â—th Heav'n and Earth 't is he that must and shal 〈◊〉 fear'd and honor'd yea and lov'd withall â—is he can send Jobs torments and his wo 'T is we must pray to have his patience too MEDITAT. 8. Fain would I come before my angry God But that my sinful years
the splendor of this glorious Sun See how he wrastles with the gloomy clouds Of our transgressions See how he unshrouds Himself On see what pains he undergoes To prove himself our friend that were his foes Methinks I hear a throng of people cry Let Barabbas be freed let 's crucifie This Jewish King let 's lead him to his death 'T is pity he should draw a minutes breath Methinks I see how his weak hands are bound With twisted cords Methinks I see him crown'd with sharpned thorns Methinks I see them how They worship him with a dissembled bow Methinks I see the gazing people run To see the glorious setting of this Sun Methinks I see his gentle feet divide Their measur'd paces to be crucify'd Methinks I see how his delightful face Seems to receive an honor by disgrace Methinks I see how his Heav'n-fixed eyes Do overlook his raging enemies Methinks I see his spear-inviting brest Willingly ready to receive the rest Of their intended malice How his palms Like one that gives and not receives an alms Are spread abroad which truly verifies With what a chearful willingness he dyes Methinks I see how his connexed feet Salute the Cross as if they joy'd to meet With so so fast a friend Methinks I see With what a Heav'n-infus'd reluctancie He entertains their blows as if he found A lively comfort in each deadly wound Methinks I see his bubbling veins how they Swell up a little and then shrink away And hide themselves as if they had exprest For the departure of so warm a guest A secret grief till conquering death exil'd Life from the body of that Lamb that Child That Son of God in whom true joys reside Who lives by dying and by living dy'd Quis miserior quà m qui suam nescit miseriam DO I not dayly see that nothing can Be so unstable as the state of man Do I not see how fortune can correct Misfortune and as suddenly neglect Poor helpless man Sometimes his thoughts are crown'd With golden joys and sometimes kiss the ground Somtimes he 's fil'd with laughter somtims weeps Sometimes he walks in state and somtimes creeps A morning joy proves sometimes grief at night For fortunes dyal goes not always right 'T is vain 't is vain and ah that I could weep My self into a deluge and so steep My cheeks in tears Oh that I could imbark My naked Soul and swim like Noah's Ark In that grand Ocean which my flowing eyes Have made and overlook my miseries Distemp'red thoughts why do you thus torment My yeelding Soul why does my Soul relent Why am I thus afflicted why doth sorrow Take an advantage of my Soul and borrow Quotidian plagues and study how to make My heart its Theater How shall I shake These coupling fetters from my captiv'd heart How shall I bid adue to grief and part Where shall I run and labor to unsnare My breasts inhabitant Oh how or where Shall I retire my self In what sad place Shall I deplore my miserable case Could I but find a place where I might dwell And only see the Sun I 'd bid farewel To all false pleasures For now my Soul still hovers to and fro From places to place sometimes it flies too low Sometimes with more aspiring wings it flies And envies at impossibilities Then back again and with a seeming mirth Surveys the center of this flattering Earth And thus my Soul being left in this sad being Agrees in nothing else but disagreeing My ways are pav'd with thorns I take my diet From sorrows table furnish'd with disquiet I am the principle of grief my eyes Like windows open to all miseries My head 's a fountain and from thence doth flow The headlong rivers of unbridled woe My sighs like sudden storms disturb my rest As if I had a Boreas in my brest Needs must I be molested in my dreams My heart 's the receptacle of all streams Then blame me not if sorrow makes me cry Sum all misfortune up and that am I But stay my thoughts post not away too fast Extreams are dangerous and cannot last A sudden thought hath made me to confess I may be happy in unhappiness And what 's a thought 't is but a sudden puff Yet many may confound when one's enough Come let 's repose and make a little stay Our Sun 's sufficient to adorn a day Why should I wander in the darksom shades Of my own errors whilest a grief invades My naked senses 'T is in vain to strive Against the power of God who can contrive What pleases him Why shall I then repine At what he sends Can wretched I confine His will to mine Oh no He suffers well Whose suffrings tell him there 's no other Hell But in this world Who would not then endure Terrestrial torment that he may procure Celestial pleasures Sorrow brings no loss To him whose patience can sustain a cross Hereafter I will labor to prevent A little Sorrow by a great Content Surgit post nubila Phoebus WHen gloomy clouds surround the lofty skie It is an argument a storm is nigh But when the Sun 's eclipsed from our sight We must not judg an everlasting night Will then ensue 'T is danger to distrust A God that is so merciful so just The greatest sin that Satan can declare Against a guilty Soul is sad despair What though the clouds of Earth shall interpose Betwixt a Soul and Heaven the wind blows Not always in one place one happy hour May breed a calm and qualifie a showre Some greedy Lawyers when their Clyents stoek Is almost spent rewards him with a mock The Counsellor of Heav'n gives more content To a poor sinner when his breath is spent Accepts the will although his tongue be mute He seldom keeps him seven years in a suite He 's free in mercy and he takes delight To end a suite when sorrow makes it right God is not like to them that take a pride In others griefs when tears begin to slide His mercy falls he cannot brook delay But meets a sinners language half the way His ears are always open to let in A sinners prayers when he lets out his sin What thogh I have transgrest what tho my crime Appear like mountains mountains oftentimes Sink lower nay and God can pardon all As well as one for be they great or small They all are sins shrubs grow as well as trees Gods mercy will admit of no degrees He that distrusts his God shall always find A clouded conscience and a stormy mind Seven days had run before God had attyr'd The World with order yet he was not tyr'd And shall we then expect to climb so high As Heav'n in half an hour or else deny So blest a labour No perhaps to day We keep the road to morrow lose the way Contenta vita est summa foelicitas WHat is this world A looking-glass wherein We see the body nay the face of Sin What 's Wealth what 's Honor
whole a broken and a contrite heart Tell him th' art heavy loaden and opprest And crav'st th' enjoyment of a happy rest What though thy querelous desires at first Seem to be frivolous and slightly nurst Detract not thou but be progressive still And not too retrograte but let thy will Attend his pleasure is 't not fit that he Should be attended that attended thee What if he still denies thou art but paid With that dull Coin which thine own sins have made Hath he not waited at the brazen walls Of thy regardless brest us'd many calls Nay many thousands and hath dayly knock'd And found the nurs'ry of thy ears still lock'd And bar'd against him 'T was enough to turn Patience into an Extasie and burn The strongest Resolution and incite Vengeance to make an everlasting night Oh think on this blest Soul and be content Good actions seldom want a goood event Another DISCOVRSE Between the SOVL and FAITH So. I 'M full and yet seem empty I have store Of Earths delectables and yet I 'm poor I have what e're my rav'nous thoughts require And yet I want in having my desire I eat delicious food drink sparkling wine Enjoy my self and yet I am not mine I am the worlds delight I am the child Of pregnant fortune yet I am revil'd And what external happiness can be Thought worth imbracement is imbrac'd by me Since all these Joys are heap'd upon my back I fain would know what 't is I seem to lack Fa. Thy wants are soon exprest dull Soul I know Who wants my helpful hand wants power to go Oh what an easie matter t is to find A stuffd-up body and an empty mind Grief rests within the centre of that brest That knows not what is worst nor what is best But still looks downwards on this dunghil earth That alienates the Soul and breeds a dearth Within that sacred Essence that divine And glorious Monarchy Who can define Th' inchanting Raptures and th' emperious Joys Of sublimated Heav'n that toyls for toys Thou sayst th' art full yet empty thou hast store Of Earths delectables and yet art poor 'T is true th' art full but tell me whence proceeds That fulness say what charitable deeds Hast thou perform'd oh learn frail Soul t' express Too great a fulness breeds an emptiness Experience tells thee there is nothing worse Then slighted mercy turn'd into a curse Thou say'st th' enjoyst what e'r thy mind requires And yet thou wantst in having thy desires Thou eat'st thou drinkst and hast the worlds consent To be her darling yet art not content 'T is true he wants whose fulness wants desire To want that fulness which his wants require What though the world accumulates increase There 's no content when Heav'n denies a Peace If Heav'ns blest mouth proclaim'd no peace should be So. Vnto the wicked what 's become of me Who always liv'd to sin and sin'd to dye Oh miserable miserable I Fa. 'T is true GOD will not suffer Peace t' arise Unto the wicked yet that GOD denies A Sinners death and by a free consent Promis'd a pardon with this word Repenâ— 'T is a persisting Sinner must expect A sad reward for a perform'd neglect So. Then what must I expect have I not run Even from the rising to the setting Sun In paths of negligence and still persisted And rather back'd a sinner then resisted The power of sin Oh how can I obtain Or thoughts or hopes to be reclaim'd again Fa. The mouth of Heav'n did never yet divide His language thus My Soul shall not abide A penitent offendor no his breath Speaks better things then the lamented death Of those who though they have in former times Been permanent in their unbosom'd crimes Yet when the sense of their transgression brings Abundant sorrow then Jehovah sings Rare strains of mercy to their Souls and pours His endless mercy down in liberal showres So. And is our GOD so merciful so just To lep'rous Souls and shall not my Soul trust In such a never-failing GOD Shall I Retort a no when he proclaims an I Oh no I le take what he shall give and then When Heav'n proclaims my tongue shall say Amen For 't is thy Christ thy Love thy Son must ease us Fa. Follow me Soul I le lead thee to thy Jesus Penetrant Suspiria Coelum ARe sighs so prevalent that they can be Admitted to the ears of Majestie Is Heav'n so weak or sighs so strong that they Can make an on-set and enforce their way Unto the ears of GOD Can sighs perswade That Lamb to mercy that our sins betray'd Can roaring Lions meet and can they part Without a combate Can a lep'rous heart Meet God and think t' out-brave him in his Sion Our sins are Lions yet our God's a Lion And what 's a sigh 't is but a blast of wind Blown from the center of a stormy mind And can the ayr of one poor sigh aspire So high as Heaven Ah sighs can never tire In such a progress though they be but ayr Yet they condense within the sacred ear Of nursing Majesty who hears the sound Of wel-spent groans and takes them at the bound Sighs are like morning Larks sometimes they fly And chatter praises to the blushing skie Then wearied with their flights dart down amain Longing to repossess the earth again So sighs the Souls best oratory fly To the Interpreter of groans who 'le not deny To hear the hearts embassage but delights To see souls wingd with sighs to take such flights But when our hearts are loaded with the cares Of this vile earth and sigh themselves to tears Oh then he stops his ears and makes them know Their sighs are earthly and they fly too low Nor can they reach the suburbs of his ear Unless they mount into a higher sphere Then let thy well-directed sighs my Soul Mount upwards still that there they may condole Thy ev'ning sorrow and thy morning grief Then they 'l like Doves return and bring reliâ—f Unto thy floating heart and thou shalt find The operations of a sigh thy mind Shall purge it self thrice happy 's thy condition Sighs are good physick when Heav'n is Physician Roganti dabitur WHo would not be a Begger that may crave Upon such easie terms but ask and have Here 's swelling bounty and sure this must be No humane but a divine charitie Here well-instructed Poverty may live He that gives power to ask hath power to give The greatest gift that ever yet was known Was freely given being ask'd by none And he that gave 't hath many gifts in store Many give once because they 'l give no more But he who gave that gift will not refrain If wisely ask'd to give us gifts again And if a heart-recording gift we make Of this his giving teaches us to take Be it ordain'd that begging be an art Heav'n loves a giving hand a begging heart But let us rest a little here 's the task Heav'n knows
weep No Peace no ease no pleasure is all gone Pursu'd with envy and rebellion Whither oh whither are my glories sent Banisht my brest by Act of Parliament Vertue is fled and scar'd into a trance By the ill shape of Bughear ignorance What mists are these that thus eclipse the light Of splendâ—nt truths From whence proceeds this night Of darkening Errors how am I begul'd Of all my joys Nay how am I defil'd With leprous humors On how grief transports My frightned sense what envy 's this resorts Unto my swelling brest Is there no mean No pleasing Musick to divide my scean Were I an Atlas I could not sustain This Firmament of grief who can refrain From falling that 's so much opprest as I With such a burthen of Malignity Where shall I run to whom shall I address My burthened self or how shall I express My uncontrouled sorrows or relate Th' unhappy discord of my factious State Where shall I fly Is there no Ark above To hide me from these waves Is there no Dove To bring me tydings that the Land is clear And that the hills of Peace do re-appear But must I perish shall the waves of pride Dash me in pieces still a flowing tyde Still flow and never ebb Is there no bliss Wonder sad Soul O what an Ocean 's this Ambitious winds why rage ye more and more And make the Seas thus envy at the shore Is there no Peter can pray Heav'n to please To check the winds and qualifie the Seas Am I the worst of all Is my condition So bad that there is no Petition Can have an audience Ah my conscience saith I 've Peters fears but yet want Peters faith Here let us stop a little and advise With flesh and blood Can greater wants arise To damage Souls then faith whose want procures All these extreams which my poor heart endures Oh no there cannot he that wants the hand Of Soul-supporting Faith forgets to stand This is my want and till I find relief I 'le lie and tumble in the shades of grief And glut the ayr with sighs my hideous cries Shall roar like thunder in the troubled skies O that my eyes were Oceans that I may Drown all my sorrows in one stormy day Or would pleas'd Heaven enable me to strain To gulp up Seas and weep them out again Then should my briny streams gush forth so fast That every tear should strive to be the last So the swift current of my swelling eyes Should overflow my heap'd up miseries I have offended Heaven and now I see My sins are walls betwixt my God and me Which stop the passage of my fervent prayers That there is no prevailing but by tears To batter down the wall that thus prevents My cries my vows and hinders my intents To Heav'n that Heav'n can send me no relief Nor take me from this labyrinth of grief Gone are my golden my forgotten days When every bird could whistle forth my praise Gone are those days when this consuming Earth Was stuffd with pleasure perfum'd with mirth Though all be gone yet will I strive t' endure He that hath made the wound can make the cure For now I 'm wounded and my wounds do smart Beyond my patience and my tender heart Swell'd up with sorrow doth predestinate What woe must happen to my bleeding State My head my head 's tormented and my eyes Are dim with gazing after vanities My members swell like Oceans and from thence Proceeds so great so large a confluence Of noisom humors and they run so thick That they surcharge and make my stomack sick I ave purg'd alrâ—ady and that will not do I fear I fear that I must vomit too I doubt 't is too much action that hath bred These ill diseases that disturb my â—ead Oh I am sick to death my bowels yern I freâ—z I frâ—â—z and whilest I freâ—z I burn I burn I melt my soul is parch'd within How hot 's the furnace of tormenting sin And Ah! how soon is feebled nature lam'd With ioynt contracting cold if not inflam'd By heavens enlivening fire how hot 's my blood To what is bad and Ah how cold to good Oh grief how two extreams perplex one heart So link'd together that they cannot part Thus am I tost and doubtfully opprest Beneath the burden of a dubious brest Nothing but Wars and Tumults do arise Thrice hapyy I had I known how to prize My happiness Alas I ne're did know The good of peace till Heav'n was pleasd to show War makes me know what joy it was before To live in peace and plenty now the more To live in peace and plenty now I know by this This want of peace what a combining bliss It was to live united and to praise That God of Peace that blest my peaceful days With large increase Oh misery to think Loaded with too much pleasure how I sink I that was wont to boast my heaps of treasure Now swim in sorrow and now sink in pleasure I that the world did envy now am brought To be not worth the env'ing worse then nought Revil'd by all see how the hand of Fate hath pleas'd to make me thus unfortunate What shall I do what physick can procure A little ease I cannot long endure Where are my grave Divines to give advice To a relapsing Soul are they grown nice Of late Are their conspiring hearts agreed T' absent themselves in this my time of need What do they mean Oh whither are they fled Sure sure they 're silenc'd all or else all death Do they not see me falling Do they stand Amaz'd not daring to afford a hand To help me up Methinks I hear them cry That they are falling to as well as I. Where is Religion that was wont to be The Governor of Peace the branched Tree That ever flourish'd see now every Clown Being authoriz'd presumes to cut her down Will they still strive with swords with guns with clubs To pickle my Religion up in tubs Have they no Reason hath their greedy zeal Swallow'd up all their Senses at one meal Have they agreed that Piety and Reason Shall be condemn'd and voted into Treason Or hath their hell-bred thoughts found out a way To turn our Sion to a Golgotha Hath the Tartarian Counseller invented Such thriving Plots which cannot be prevented Leave off base Acts Mechanicks and begin To deal uprightly and reform within Bury your aged crimes and then go call Your stragling senses to the Funeral Adjourn your thoughts which now are quite contrary To Peace and think a peace is necessary Honour your higher Powers and do not mock And vilifie them as your laughing stock There are a brain-sick multitude a rabble Of all Religions that do dayly squabble About vain shades and let the substance pass Hating good manners as they hate the Mass 'T is such as these which thus my woes advance Whose very Souls are starv'd with ignorance 'T is such as these who dayly
strive to smother The truth with flattring zeal call him brother Nay holy brother though his faith be small If he can rail and reverently baul Against grave Bishops and their pious King Oh this is holy nay a zealous thing And those are holy that can pray by chance According to the Spirits influence And teach their prick-ear'd brethren to deny The Common Prayer but know no reason why And those whose great humility can be Content to make a Pulpit in a tree Or in some Barn there by the Spirit pray Five or six hours not caring what they say Or if a Black-smith or a Tinker can Hammer out Treason he 's a zealous man Or if a learned Cobler will be sure To stitch it close oh he 's a Christian pure Oh these are holy yea and learned Teachers These are Divines and only these are Preachers They 'l cry all learned Prelats out of season They must not preach for fear they should speak reasoÌ„ Oh these are they whose ruder tongues can cry Advance Mechanicks down with Majesty These these are they whose duÌ„ghill thoughts could never Attain perfection but they still endeavor To banish wisdom that at last they may Make all the world as ignorant as they See how they 'ave turn'd my joy to griping sadness Plenty to want and peace to downright madness Vertue to vice and chastity to vainness Learning to scorn Religion to prophaneness Flattry to zeal and non-sence unto Reason Honor to shame and Loyalty to Treason Pity to Murther Truth to feigned lyes Prayers to curses Plundring to a prize Thus thus they gripe my Soul and go about To change my shape and turn my inside out Unhumane Actions Ah who can behold Such Tyrannies and not his blood grow cold Break break ye flood-gates of my brimfil'd eyes And let my tears have passage to surprize This Fort of sorrow and tumultuous cares And drench the mountains in a Sea of tears Forbear ye lowring skies there is no need Ye should disburse a showre I have agreed With sorrow and his powers still to remain Clouded with grief and fâ—ll the Earth with rain Oh horrid dismal Heav'n provoking times Surpassing Sodoms nay Gomorrah's crimes Were ne're so bad Oh Hell-inventâ—d fate Worse then the worst that I can nominate Are these my people for whose sakes I lie Involv'd with torments wrapt in Tyranny Are these my Sons whose sorrows now I weep Are these my children that are lul'd asleep See how secure they rest and never fear Approaching woe mine eyes can ye forbear To vent ten thousand tears Oh never let Your lids conceal you till y 'ave paid the debt Ye owe to sorrow for those sins which thirst For greater plenty then can be disburst Oh sigh sad Soul until thy heart be sore Then sigh because thou canst not sigh no more Oh that my voyce like thunderclaps could tear And split the portals of each deafned ear That so my cries might ravish every brain And fil'd with horror make them deaf again And this I wish because my Sons are all So deaf they will not hear me when I call Did they not flourish in a peaceful state Enjoying store of all things till of late They grew thus factious and have I not been In former times the worlds admired Queen Have not all Nations formerly been proud To do me service Have they not allow'd A due respect unto me every where And honored me if not for love for fear And must I now by your your means incut As many plagues as mischief can infer Must I now pine away that have been strong Must I now stoop that have stood up so long Must I be now subordinate to those That never dat'd subscribe themselves my foes Must I be now divided that was never Divided yet Must I be lost forever Must I be now consumed and thrown down And must they scoff me now that dar'd not frown In former times Must I be now confounded Must I be now revil'd and cal'd a Roundhead Must I be now nick-nam'd Must frighted fame Sound a Retreat and scorn to own my name Must I be now dispers'd Must my own hand Destroy the bounty of my fruitful Land Oh grief transcending thought shall Englands glory Be thus abstracted and thus made a story To after ages Would not this perplex A Soul that never knew what 't was to vex What grief can equalize my grief What pain Can be equivalent Would any gain Experience If they would may they incline Themselves to this experienc'd grief of mine Ah grief of days what marble eye can read Of such extreams as mine and never bleed 'T would dull the sharpest brain to meditate Upon my grief nay make them desperate Had Nero liv'd in this tempestuous age He might have blusht to see his boiling rage Out-vi'd by yours nay Corah and his crew Never pursu'd their Moses as ye do With such untutor'd violence 't is strange Oh whither will your headlong fury range Advise by times and know there is a God That overlooks you Know that Moses Rod May turn a greedy Serpent and devour As well the greater as the smaller power Go go ye sad contrivers of these times Consult with sorrow think on all those crimes Ye have committed and then think what you Have done and after what ye have to do Advise with care for your condition 's such Y 'ave much to do because y 'ave done too much Too much Alas too much in my sad state Is done already and I fear too late For remedy And secret danger lies In dull delay 't is wisdom to advise Betimes for true and timely care prevents Untimely ruine hindring the intents Of studied malice industry prepares A balm for that which negligence impairs Those that by dreaming sloth sustain a loss Obtain least pity and the greatest cross Consider what a grief 't will be to see The sad distraction of this Monarchie Wrought by your slothful negligence when all My lofty structures by your hands must fall Nay worse then this when famine shall devour What fire and sword hath left when every hour The Bells shall toul with such a feeble sound As if that they themselves a want had found Will it not melt a stone to hear the cries Of hungry children and the sad replies Of their dejected friends who can forbear To think on this and never shed a tear How children cry for bread and fain would rest Seeking protections in their mothers brest Alas poor Orphans how are they beguil'd When the sad mother's forc'd to eat the child For want of food make their blood their drink Oh what a wounding sorrow 't is to think How all will be destroy'd both young and old How warm blood will be mingled with the cold How you will roar and cry for want of bread Some on the ground some dying and some dead Some gnaw their flesh and some fight who shal eat Each other O uncomfortable meat And then the ravening
Wolves seek up and down To find a prey in every starved Town Shall eat deaths reliques having spent that store Shall ransack up and down and howl for more All beasts and fowls shall then amazed stand To see the Sea is turn'd into a Land The Land into a Sea a Red Sea where Nothing but bones in stead of fishes are Where nothing's heard but cries and shrieks and groans Where nothing's seen except consuming bones Oh had you but the power to apprehend These sad destructive dangers how they tend Daâ—ly towards us with all the power that they Can make as if they 'd rout us in one day Dull sons of men have ye forgot to rise And draw the Curtains of your slumbring eyes Methinks this hot Alarum should affright Your Souls for ever from your fond delight What do ye mean ye cannot chuse but hear Heav'ns thundring Judgments ratling in your ear What have ye sworn Allegiance to the Prince Of utter darknesse Will no words convince Your Stubborn Souls Has a perpetual vow Been lately past betwixt Hells Prince and you Why do ye thus delight to overthrow Your selves and lose a Kingdom at one blow Oh where are my grand Rulers to correct These their enormous humors that infect The world with Errors To what fatal place Are all my Senators retired You my Triennial Powers come and dispose Your ears to my discourse and I le disclose My grief to you whose Judgments can prescribe A timely remedy without a bribe Then hark THe climing power of my disease is grown To such a height that I can hardly own A minutes rest my body politick You apprehend I know is very sick Then let the depth of understanding move The depth of pity that ye may remove These growing inconveniences that moan For your assistance Can a Kingdom groan And not be heard Can a disease remain within my body and not I complain Oâ— what I suffer That were Tyrannie Not to be paralel'd O pity me And let the fervour of my language turn Your thoughts to tears to quench those flames that burn My wasting intrals Let your hearts relent With meditating on my discontent Open your willing ears and hear me call O do not fall a slumbring whilest I fall O hear me soon that now complain too late Let my complaints make you compassionate Dissolve into a Sea of tears Involve Your selves with sackcloth Let your minds revolve Upon your native soil resolve to spend Your greatest skills to consummate the end Of my distractions and let mercy joyn With justice so shall endless love combine Your Souls That like Ezekiels wheels ye may Run one within another and not stray But like Isaiahs Seraphims may cry O holy holy holy God on high But stay nor can I end my griefs must fly A little further Mountains that are high Must be discovered Molehills often times Lie out of sight like undiscovered crimes A publike sorrow oftentimes admits A cure from them whose more concreted wits Do dayly study with more active arts More publique mischief with more private hearts Doth not the fawning Crocodile obtain By publique sorrow her more private gain Doth not the crafty Lapwing cry the least When she is nearest to her close-made nest Are there not those in this conniving age Whose outward meekness is but inward rage Are there not those in these contentious times That live by nothing but their private crimes Oh grief to speak it Are there not a sort Of wilful people that can make a sport At others ruines whose pretended zeal Hath bred much mischief in this Common-weal Are there not those that would pretend to be Reformers yet deform a Monarchie Are there not those whose upstart honors crave Perpetual durance only to enslave The Sons of Honor Thus they play the thief And joy in nothing but in others grief Are there not those who in one breath can cry Against a Lyar yet can forge a lye for their advantage and abjure the Laws Lyes are no lyes if they advance their Cause Are there not those that persecute the Arts And yet retain Monopolizing hearts Are there not those that dayly take delight To twist themselves into anothers right Do not all these which I have nam'd pretend To do all this to a religious end And ah Religion how art thou betray'd By those whose worthless industry have layd Thine honor in the dust nay and have thrown Dirt in their faces that shall dare to own Thy very name these are a sort of people That love no Church because they hate the steeple I dare affirm that Proteus ne'er could be So much transform'd as they have transform'd thee Nor can I yet conclude I must deplore My greater sorrows yet a little more Let no man take exceptions for I speak Unto my self sorrow must finde a leak I cannot hold and O that I were able To make my feeble tongue infatigable That by my full expressions I may prove How much the Serpent over-rules the Dove There was a time not long since when my fits Had found as expiation if those wits Which prov'd too serpentine had not delayd Their too-soon violated vows and playd A double game I even blush to name What odds they had and how they lost the game The world though sad is not so melancholly But that it smiles at and records that folly The breach of vows cracks honor and the loss Of opportunity deserves a cross â—n honors book and he that shall neglect A publique good shall finde a bad respect In private hearts and ruine must attend A publique Actor for a private end Are there not those hate Rome and yet make rooâ— For Catiline and labor to entomb His vile prescriptions in their Romish thoughts And yet excuse themselves and him from faults Do I not see them how they run his paths With head-long force and prosecute his Laws Do I not see their Agents how they strive To ruine others and to keep alive Themselves that liv'd not till this greedy age Rak'd them from dunghils to adorn the Stage Of Hell-bred Tyranny Do I not see How much they 'r honor'd for their Tyranny The Salamander when he 's crown'd with â—iâ— Is in his Kingdom if his Crown expire His life concludes Tell me what then remains Except the reliques of consuming flames Even so the Salamanders of these days Whose hearts are made of flames at last will blaz And smother into ashes Thus declin'd What can they leave except a stink behinde Each thing must live within its element Discretion tells us fishes must content Themselves with water and all things must live Content with that which Heav'n was pleas'd to givâ— 'T is onely man that surfeits with desire The earth the ayr the water quickning fire And all was made for man and man was made Of all these things O let it not be said That fire predominates and breeds contest Within my bowels and destroys the rest O strive now your unruly flames arise
To quench your hearts with water from your eyes Strive not with Catiline that lavish creature To stop great mischiefs by enacting greater But tell me now how can your thoughts reflect Upon a Peace when as ye dis-respect The principle 't is an uncertain way To gain a Peace by Arms for every day Will breed new tumults which will in conclusion Inviron you with Armies of confusion Peace cannot swim in blood blood cannot stand Like pools of water in a peaceful Land Delight not thus in contraries forsake Your former ways let not your hearts partake Of blood and raine Heav'n will never own A blood-bedab'led Soul 'T is not unknown How ye have belch'd out oaths vow'd to bring Peace to your Country honor to your King Now wher 's your Countries peace now wher 's the glory Your King was promis'd O nefandous story Can peace and strife cohabitate Can fame And glory be imprison'd 'T is your shame Not his dishonor that ye perpetrate Such horrid acts I tremble to relate What I have suffer'd Is 't not you that have Exploded all my comforts You that crave Like greedy Cormorants still more and more Pretending charity yet starve the poor Was it not you whose active hands provided To pull down Crosses that have thus divided My yeelding people Can ye now pull down These Crosses ye have builded You that crown Your hearts with malice will you always stand In opposition will you still command In spight of Fortune will ye always be Majestique too in spight of Majestie I may affirm that never Nation had So good a King whose Subjects are so bad Do ye not see how Heav'n hath pleas'd to smile Upon his Soul and bless him all this while With long-continued patience It is he Whose life hath given life to Pietie He is a second Job whose patience can Outvy the base indignities of man Go ransack Europe see if you can finde A more composed Prince whose noble minde Can entertain a grief and never vent But turn his passion into blest content Whole volumns of his grief may be exprest And since I dare not speak I 'l weep the rest O stop my tears or else my eyes will flow Into a deluge for my sorrows know No mean at all extreams of tears must fall For such extreams of grief Attend me all Whose hearts are not too flinty I 'l declare Your Soveraigns suffering with your Soveraigns care How many widowed night has his sad heart VVorn out with sorrow having none t' impart His thoughts unto except he please to spend His language on the ears of such a friend As Haman was whose unrestrained power Punisht his own offence in half an hour Judg you whose hearts have vow'd a double life What are th' endearments of a tender wife Judg you what 't is whom bounteous Heav'n hath blest With numerous off-springs to be dispossest Of those encreasing comforts which discry No real joy but in their parents eye And if th' enjoyment of these blessings yeeld Such large content needs must the want unshield The Soul of comfort O unhappy fate who 'd be a father at so dear a rate A wife unhappy happy word a wife Happy oft-times to an unhappy life A wife that word importeth joys Unparallel'd that very word destroys Armies of grief and oftentimes it brings A heav'nly sorrow to the hearts of Kings And curs'd be they heav'n gives me leave to speak That shall presume to separate or break Conjugal bands How many in this Land Lie subject to this curse how many stand Amaz'd almost distracted that have been Actors Heav'n bless my King protect my Queen How many false aspersions have you cast Upon their heads Did ye not strive to blast Their spotless honors What was spoke of late I hate to think much more to nominate Admit it had been truth then had ye not Prov'd much unjust to leave so large a blot Within this Kingdom Thus you can discry Inferior molehils but let mountains lie But tell me then is this the onely way To make a glorious King Heaven grant he may Want such obnoxious honor till he crave Honor from you to whom he honors gave Consider well and ye will finde it true 'T was heav'n that made him glorious not you 'T was he that fill'd his Soul with true renown And crown'd his Cross as you have crost his crown Heav'n breaks no Covenants he never fails He never unvotes what he votes or rails Against his enemies but grieves to see Their Souls run headlong to their destinie Abused Peace perverts into a Curse What can be better or what may be worse Then Peace whose presence like the Sun display Its golden Ensigns whose refulgent rays Adorns the Earth and fills the gazing eye With glorious light and peaceful Majesty But when rude Boreas summons all his pow'r And argues with the Seas In half an hour You may behold a change they which before Were wrapt in silence now begin to roar Into a fury contradictions bring Endless disputes Shall Boreas be a King And rule th' unruly wâ—vves when surges meet How rudely do they part how rudely great Whilest peaceful Zephyrus must be deny'd To breathe upon the floods Can storms abide For ever No rash Boreas must at last Submit to Zephyrus whose milder blast Proclaims a sudden Peace and strives to grace The simp'ring Ocean with a smoother face But whither am I hurried slack my sails I fly beyond my Port I finde the gales Of grief are too robustuous and I doubt I cannot anchor here but tack about Seven years are now compleated since my grief Had its initiation yet relief Stands at a distance Peace is in a doubt Whether to come within or stay without Your rash proceedings and your great disgraces Make Peace even blush to look you in the faces O miserable men that live to know Such Times such a reduplicating wo Is there no art remains Is there no way To set you right that thus have gone astray Is there no faithful Lot to pray for Peace And stop the cause that so th' effect may cease Is there no Jonah dare proclaim and cry Unto the sons of men Destruction's nigh But are they all asleep now sorrows swarm O how can they repose in such a storm Rouze slumbring Souls and lift your heads above The decks of negligence The God of Love Will be too angry if you sleep too long Advance your thoughts and let your pray'rs be strong For me who am thus weak and must decay Except this grief-encreasing Remora Be wip'd away O may I not offend The Auditor of Heav'n if I shall spend Some words to this effect I must confess Dear God I am corrupted I address My self to thee O let thy healing hand Prescribe a Balsam for this bleeding Land I have been too progressive grant I may Be retrograded to my former way Spoyl not the path because I step'd aside Correct my feet and let the path abide What
Star-chamber where our God controuls We have rebelliously transgrest and thou Thou hast not pard'ned with a cheerful brow Thine anger hath o'reshadowed us thou hast Slain without pity we thy anger taste Th' ast vail'd thy self with clouds which will not let Our prayers pass thorough to discharge our debt And as th' off-scouring thou O Lord hast made us Amongst those factious people that betray'd us Our greedy enemies have op'ned wide Their mouths against us and our pains deride Fear like a snare incloses us about And desolation will not keep without Mine eyes run down like hasty floods of water For the destruction of my peoples Daughter Mine eyes are full and tears do stream upon My cheeks without an intermission Till Heav'n look'd down on my enriver'd face And view'd my weeping from his holy place Mine eyes affect my pining heart with pity Because of all the Daughters of my City And causless like a frighted bird that flies I still am chased by my enemies They have destroy'd me in the dungeon nay They cast a stone upon me where I lay Th' imperious waves mounted above my head And then I cry'd Alas alas I 'm dead I call'd upon thy Name O Lord my voyce Out of the dungeon made a dreadful noise Th' ast heard my cries Oh let thy ears not lie Hid from the breathing of my doleful cry And in that day when I on thee did call Thou cam'st and bid me never fear at all And when my Soul O Lord was fil'd with strife Thou didst both plead my cause and save my life And thou hast plainly seen my wrong'd estate Judg thou my cause be thou my Advocate For thou hast seen their vengeance thou dost see Their deep imaginations against me Thou their reproach hast heard and apprehended What against me their busie thoughts intended Thou know'st the very lips of them that rose Against me and the malice of my foes Behold their sitting and their rising I Am all their musick and their melody Render to them a recompence O God And let them feel thy handy-work thy rod O give them grief of heart O let them burst With dregs of sorrow let them be accurst And let thy angry persecuting hand Destroy confound and sweep them from the Land Meditatio in Capitulum COme come my Soul do not obnubilate Thy self with smoky pleasures nor create More vain delights to please thy toyish minde Be serious now let pleasures be confin'd Th' Almighty's angry and his angry Breath Expresses nothing but resolved Death His wrath is kindled and his furious hand Threatens a ruine to a sinful Land His bow is bent behold he stands prepar'd T is he 't is he that will not be out-dar'd And should his roving messenger impart A secret sorrow to a private heart What then Can all the balsams may be found â—ecure so great so terrible a wound No no O then let thy discerning eye â—e truly watchful for discovery â—ft-times prevents a mischief he 's a stranger â—o Heav'ns high Court that thinks t' outbrave a danger â—ehold my soul thou art inviron'd round â—ith troops of adversaries hark they sound Their vilifying trumpets hark they mock And make thy sorrows but their laughing stock Dost thou not hear them how they shout and cry As though they 'd cleave th' unseparable sky O be not deaf rouze up thy self advance Thy backward thoughts sleep not in ignorance Provoke not Heav'n too much O do not still Vrge more and more his most unwilling will Observe but how unpleasantly his arm Draws up his bow as one that 's loath to harm Methinks I hear him say O can ye tell Why will ye dye ye house of Israel Methinks I hear his never-ending breath Breathe a disdain against a sinners death Methinks I hear his grieved spirit say Ye that are weary come O come away And lay your burthens on my back and I Will bear them all I 'l bear them willingly Why will ye dye why will ye shut your eyes And thus run head-long after vanities Open your Adder ears come and rejoyce With me and mine let my harmonious voyce Invite you Ah what pleasures can accrue From shadows to such substances as you Cast off the works of darkness let true light Expel those mists O come when I invite What do ye mean O tell me tell me why Ye love to tumble in impurity Ah now my Soul let admiration prove That Heav'n's compos'd of nothing but of Love O Love beyond expression My deserts Rather then Mercy claim a thousand darts Call home thy wandring thoughts and let them all Like servants be obedient to thy Call Examine them the very best will show Thy best deserts are but an overthrow Review thy actions see if they can yeeld One grain of comfort see if they can shield Thy threatned state The more men strive to smother Their sins the more one sin begets another Then fly dull soul to Heav'ns high Court there Melt melt into an everlasting tear Attone thy God let not thy tongue deny The truth to him when he shall ask thee why Why hast thou done this wickedness Confess 'T is thou hast sinn'd 't is he that must depress That head-increasing Hydra Then shalt thou â—ehold with what a voluntary brow He 'l entertain thee and those joys impart To thee which wait upon a contrite heart He will have pity though he sends a grief In multitudes of mercy lies relief The God of Love did never take delight â—o mantle sinners with the clouds of night â—e's an indulgent Father and his care â— infinite as all his mercies are Compose thy numerous thoughts my Soul and run O tell that Father thou wilt be his Son CHAP. IV. Contents 1 Sion bewaileth her pitiful estate 13 She confesseth her sins 21 Edom is threatned 22 Sion is comforted HOw is the gold grown dim how is the fine The purest changed that was wont to shine The stones that pav'd the Sanct'ary are thrown Into the streets for beasts to trample on The sons of Sion which I could compare To finest gold behold see now they are Esteem'd as earthen pitchers which the hands Of the industrious Potter still commands The ill-shap'd monsters which the Ocean owns As proper guests nourish their little ones But ah my Daughters are grown pitiless Like Ostriches within the wilderness The wordless tongues of thirsty children cleave To their unliquid mouths they never leave Their integrating cries Poor hearts in vain They cry for food but can no food obtain And they that fed upon delicious sweets Are desolate in the unquiet streets They that were brought up in a scarlet dress Embrace a dunghil as their happiness For ah my peoples Daughter suffers more For her great sins then Sodom did before Her beautified Nazarites could show A purer white then milk whiter then snow Their bodies then the rubies were more red With shining Saphire were they polished But now their changed visages excel The coal in
still fear the Rod Of his Correction yet appear I must Sure sure he 's merciful as well as just Cheer up dejected Soul and thou shalt see His mercy's greater then thy sins can be MEDITAT. 9. Can Heav'n forget himself or can he say That thing o're night he cannot do next day Can friends forget their children or deny Their dearest blood or can a mountain fly Heav'n says he 'l be a Father till the end Then he 's a fool that doubts so true a friend MEDITAT. 10. A friend indeed but how can I expect To purchase friendship by my own neglect For ah how often hath Heav'n pleas'd to say Ye that are heavy loaden come away And I will give you ease Alas but I Thought sin no burthen neither thought to dye MEDITAT. 11. But now I see the frailty of my mind I thought I was imprison'd when confin'd Only one hour to goodness nay that hour I thought a year until I had the power To free my self when freed I had forgot What goodness was as though I 'd heard it not MEDITAT. 12. And should I strive to reckon up my sins How can he make an end that still begins The sands upon the Seas nay and the hair Upon my head are Cyphers in compare Of my excessive sins yet Heav'n can call Me as he did the spend-thrift Prodigal MEDITAT. 13. I know my sins are great and do increase Within my Sion and disturb my Peace O what am I dear Heav'n I am thy creature My sins are great but yet thy mercy 's greater Pardon blest Heav'n forgive what I have done Thou art my Father own me as thy Son MEDITAT. 14. It is a happiness to scorn the mirth Of this confused transitory Earth And he who is ambitious to create A happiness must make the world his hate Then if self-love appear we know for what We love our selves in truly hating that MEDITAT. 15. Life is the lifes preparative and Death The deprivation of unconstant breath A well directed life shall always find Society in Death a glorious mind Shall have a glorious a celestial friend To guard his glory to a glorious end MEDITAT. 16. But can a mind enammel'd with the glory Of Heav'n have end or else is Death a story Death is the end of Life and yet we see Life is deriv'd from Deaths soveraigntie 'T is quickly known the Death of Sin must give The para'ned Soul a priviledg to live MEDITAT. 17. Heav'n is the seat of Happiness and Hell The place of fury where the Furies dwell Then mount my Soul upon the spreading wings Of lofty Faith fly towards the King of Kings Whilest here thou shalt inhabit learn to know That Heav'n's too high for them that fly too low MEDITAT. 18. I am but sordid earth that 's dayly plow'd With grief and care and sorrows hourly croud Into my weak dominions and remain Like greedy Tenants thirsting after gain My eyes are always open to behold New woes for I am form'd in sorrows mould MEDITAT. 19. I am a reeling Pinnace and I sail From Port to Port sometimes a humble gale Salutes my spreading sails and by and by The waves contemning my prosperity Spit in my face being hurried by their tydes They seem to crawl into my sweating sides MEDITAT. 20. I am a clouded day I promise rain Sometimes I 'm stormy and then clear again Sometimes the Sun of Pence begins t' appear But cannot shine in sorrows Hemisphere Saddest of thoughts needs must he be distrest That finds unconstant weather in his brest MEDITAT. 21. I am a vapor having not the power T' endure the fervor of one shining hour Vapors cannot withstand a mid-days heat Afflictions must be hot where sins are great 'T is not unlike a misty morning may Oft-times prove usher to a glorious day MEDITAT. 22. I am a trembling reed and every day The wind and I are subject to a fray I 'm bruis'd and shall be broken if some hand Sustain me not I shall forget to stand But stay my Soul and hear Jehovah speak I vow the bruised reed I will not break MEDITAT. 23. I am but earth corrupted with my deeds Which are but like unprofitable weeds My soil is rank and barren and it bears No grain at all no not so much as tears Wouldst thou increase my Soul I 'le teach thee how Sow but the seeds of Faith God speeds the plow MEDITAT. 24. Despair not when affliction plows the ground Doubt not increases if the seed be found Heav'n loves a fruitful harvest and his hand Is always active to manure the Land He takes the chiefest care the greatest pains He crowns the work 't is we that reap the gains MEDITAT. 25. Man's like a house whose outward beauty may Yield pleasure to the eye If we survey The inward rooms there we may find enough Of untrim'd natures sluttish houshold-stuff Wouldst thou be fair within O man and neat Turn but thy inside out thou 'lt be compleat MEDITAT. 26. Do greedy Ravens hunger do they cry For food and are they fed and must not I I beg I crave and yet am hungry still I pine I starve and Ravens have their fill I know great God I have offended thee Because thou seed'st the Ravens and not me MEDITAT. 27. Do Lillies flourish do they still remain Neatly adorn'd and yet they take no pain They neither spin nor card they take no care And yet they 're cloth'd and I poor I go bare I know great God I have offended thee Because thou cloth'st the Lillies and not me MEDITAT. 28. Why am I thus tormented with the Rod Of my afflictions Hath my angry God Forgot his creature Shall I never have A little ease but be affliction 's slave Forbear my grumbling Soul cheer up and be Mindful of him and he 'l remember thee MEDITAT. 29. And why does Heav'n afflict me but because He 'l make me know my self and learn his Laws Then why am I disquieted If he Intends my good shall I prove enemie Unto my self My Soul take care be still Vnless he turns that good into an ill MEDITAT. 30. Then learn my soul when Heav'n afflicts to know 'T is for thy sins he does it and to show The greatness of his mercy and to make Thee love affliction for the Afflictors sake Be wise and provident and thou shalt see 'T was good for David 't will be good for thee MEDITAT. 31. If thou wilt learn my Soul how to endure With patience thy afflictions be thou sure That when the hand of angry Heav'n shall smite Thou dost not grumble like the Israelite Strive thou for patience heav'n wil teach thee how To bear affliction with a cheerful brow MEDITAT. 32. What though the waves of thy afflictions rise And rage abundantly lift up thy eyes And cry to Heav'n let patience calm thy mind And know that purest gold must be refin'd And when affliction brings thee to the brink Of death remember Peter did not sink MEDITAT.
33. When I consider how I have offended My Souls dread Soveraign and vili-pended His gracious promises I much admire He casts me not into eternal fire But he in mercy makes me kiss his Rod Tells me I am a creature he a God MEDITAT. 34. Consider well my Soul why hast thou breath Since that the wages of thy Sins are death Thou hast deserv'd ten thousand times to dye But that thy GOD whose mercy doth deny A Sinners death reprieves thee for a time To make thee know the greatness of thy crime MEDITAT. 35. O meditate my Soul what Heav'n hath done For thee that art his most rebellious Son He hath prolong'd thy days and striv'd to win And draw thee from the lothsomness of sin Admired patience O indulgent care Mercy of Mercies how can Heav'n forbear MEDITAT. 36. Have I offended and shall I despair Oh no I dare not Ah my Soul forbear To harbor such a wickedness but know When thy sins ebb Gods mercies overflow His mercy is an Ocean and thy prayer Is th' only wind can raise a tempest there MEDITAT. 37. Then pray my Soul and let thy prayers reveal Thy bosom sins O think not to conceal A crime from him that is the God of Truth And knows the sins of thy offending youth Ah know my Soul the more thou striv'st to smother Thy sins the more one sin begets another MEDITAT. 38. Can Sin the Souls consuming Viper lie And lurk secure from Heav'ns all seeing eye O no 't is vain to think so though that we Are muffl'd up with sin yet Heav'n can see O then confess my Soul and thou shalt tread And trample on the Vipers poys'ny head MEDITAT. 39. But can Confession in it self obtain An absolute forgiveness Can we gain Heav'n by a sigh O no my Soul express A perfect sorrow when thou dost confess Then let resolved Constancy endure And thou my Soul shalt truly rest secure MEDITAT. 40. Dost thou my Soul desire to be partaker Of those celestial joys wherewith thy Maker Crowns those endeavoring Souls which study still To be obedient to his sacred Will Examine well the Scriptures they will show The ready way then practise how to go MEDITAT. 41. Let thy innocuous Meditations be Serious and fervent let integritie Still wait upon them which will still defend And guard thy actions to a prosperous end Then shall thy labors have a peaceful rest Then dayly labor to be dayly blest MEDITAT. 42. But have a care my Soul left malice chance To interpose it self and so advance Above thy patience and disturb that peace Which might have blest thee with a large increase O have a care this be no fault of thine Remember who hath said Vengeance is mine MEDITAT. 43. Dost thou desire my Soul that Heav'n should say Thy pardon 's seal'd and I will blot away Thy numerous sins nay and I will no more Remember them as I have done before Then learn my Soul to know whilest thou dost live He that will be forgiven must forgive MEDITAT. 44. If thou wouldst go to Heav'n my Soul go on Not as the sluggard of wise Solomon Be not so timerous as he to say There is a Lion lurking in the way Go on with courage let the way delight thee Then shall the Lion grumble and not bite thee MEDITAT. 45. The wise man saith that sluggards shall be cloth'd With rags and all his actions shall be loth'd And he that 's willing to obtain a prize Must be laborious and have watchful eyes My drouzy Soul make Heav'n thy prize then strain T' out-run thy sins and so thou shalt obtain MEDITAT. 46. When on the ladder Jacob did discry The Angels in his dream he saw them fly Vpwards and downwards which was to express How much they scorn'd and hated Idleness Then learn my Soul how to ascend apace From sin to the perfection of grace MEDITAT. 47. What was the reason Peter wept Nay why Did he go out and weep so bitterly Could he not weep within Did he not dare Before the wicked to disburse a tear By this example Peter makes it known Who truly grieves desires to grieve alone MEDITAT. 48. Hast thou my Soul with persecuting Paul Envy'd the Church Hast thou conspir'd her fall Why then my Soul wilt thou despair 'T is true The crime is great and GOD is gracious too A light may shine from Heav'n and thou shalt be With Paul converted from thy Tyrannie MEDITAT. 49. Hast thou with thrice-denying Peter cry'd I know him not but stubbornly deny'd The Lord of Life what then the Cock may crow God may look back upon thee and bestow His liberal blessings Then my Soul deny Thy sins with Peter and weep bitterly MEDITAT. 50. But was it not my Soul a sad disaster That Peter should so soon deny his Master For whose dear sake led lose his life O what A sudden change is this I know him not Nay more as if he thought this would not do He binds it with an oath forswears him too MEDITAT. 51. What was the reason that the Lions when They entertained Daniel in their Den Did rather fear then hunger Nay how can Destroying Lions fawn upon a man My Soul there was a Lamb that tam'd the Lion And made the Den prove Daniels safest Sion MEDITAT. 52. Advise my Soul and how could Daniel live Impris'ned in the Den and none to give Him dayly food How could he rest at quiet Without th' enjoyment of some slender diet When Heav'n commands his Angels they shal feâ— A Soul my Soul that Soul can never neeâ— MEDITAT. 53. 'T was Faith that guarded Daniel from the paws Of dauntless Lions whose imperious jaws Were ty'd by Heav'ns appointment so that they Forgot their Tyranny and learn'd to play My Soul with Daniel truly think upon Thy God and Faith shall be thy Champion MEDITAT. 54. Did great Goliah fall Could he not stand That was so strong against so weak a hand Could not his armour nor his storming power Maintain so mean a Combate half an hour Here here my Soul observe and thou shalt find An armed body but a naked mind MEDITAT. 55. But how did stripling David dare to show His childish face before so great a foe He had no armour on nor sword to shield His body yet he fought and won the field Here here my Soul observe and thou shalt finâ— A naked body but an armed mind MEDITAT. 56. Be sure my Soul when e're thou shalt begin To war with the Goliah of thy sin Take Davids armour and thou shalt or'ethrow Thy sin with a most advantagious blow Boast not too much but with bold courage fight The pebble-stones of Faith fly always right MEDITAT. 57. Faith is the arm of safety which defends The Soul from all approaching harm and lends A sword to fight with Satan who may venter To make a thrust or two but cannot enter Gain thou this arm of Faith my Soul and then Thou mayst out-dare a Lion in
perpetuate hast thou the power T' assure a happiness for one half hour If so I will obsequiously confine My self to thy directions and be thine Wo. I tell thee Soul thy fancy thus disturb'd Will ruinate thy senses if not curb'd Convince thy self and be not thus averse To Reason after folly comes a curse So. But what is this to my demands I see Thou lov'st to hear thy self declare not me Answer to my objections then I 'le rest A quiet Soul in a resolved brest Wo. On that I were so blest to know the state Of thy condition Sou Wilt thou still deviate And ramble from thy text Wor Believe 't dear soul There is no friend more strongly can condole Thy weakness then my self I sympathize And truly grieve for thy infirmities Witness these falling tears Oh may't be known Sick Soul I weep thy sorrows not mine own Sorrow forbids my gentle lips to smile For ah I am Soul A woful crocodile I I a woful Exile Wor For thy sake I 'le suffer thousand griefs and undertake Ten thousand more that I at last may prove How much I 've merited thy truest love So. What voyce is this that penetrates my ear What do I hear or do I seem to hear Or is 't a dream Wor No no blest Soul 't is true 'T is I that suffer these extreams for you So. Reserve thy tears Alas I did but try Thy love and now I find th' art Constancy It self But tell me World wilt thou content My greedy mind with wealth when that is spent Will't give me more and when that more is gone Wilt thou be sure to heap one bag upon Another Wilt thou make me to out-vy The sons of men in prodigality Dost hear me World Wor I do and I am sore Opprest because thou canst not ask no more Honour Wealth Dignities and all shall stand Like subjects proud to kiss their Princes hand I 'le hug thee in mine arms and thou shalt sleep In gold surrounded beds whil'st others weep At fortunes gates upon their bended knees Thou thou shalt sit and read sad Elegies Imprinted on their meagre cheeks I I These are true symptomes of Eternity What melancholy yet cannot these charms Induce thee to my Soul-inviting arms Speak Soul are these not joys are these not pleasures To be imbrac'd speak are not these rare tresures So. Base World th' art truly base now I perceive Thy lab'ring policy is to deceive What didst thou think my heart begun to dote When I to make a concord chang'd my note Oh no vile varlet no I did but try Thy craft by learning what thou wouldst reply To my demands Divinest language could Move no reply when baser language would But now thou nothing made of nothing know Th' ast lost a friend by me and found a foe Here I declare my self and do protest Before just Heav'n that whilest I live possest Of vital breath I will employ my heart T' oppose thy flatt'ring folly for thou art A perjur'd Traytor to the Souls divine And sacred Majesty and wilt incline Thy ears to nothing but to antick tricks And call'st divine thoughts melancholly fits And so farewell false Traytor now 't is known The more we are thine the less we are our own Wo. And is this all Sou 'T is all Wor Then Soul adue So. Oh may I ne'r prove false till thou prov'st true A DISCOURSE between the SOVL and FAITH So. FAith can thy hand protect me can thy art Prescribe a cordial for a fainting heart Hast thou the skill to settle my belief And arm my Soul against the darts of grief Fa. I have the Art sad Soul hadst thou the power T' imbrace belief to bring thee to the Bower The fragrant Bower of pleasure which shall be Perfum'd and deckt with blest Eternitie So. I do beleeve and my belief torments My mind with millions of sad discontents I do believe what ever Heav'n devis'd Then judg oh judg how I am Tantaliz'd Fa. Oh know mistaking Soul such faith we call By the sad name of Diabolical So. Oh strange oh sad oh miserable case Has Faith rob'd Janus of his double face Doth not the sacred Volumn end this strife And bids believe and have eternal life Fa. Th' eternal tenants of th' infernal lake Believe and tremble too but can partake Of nothing but their torments and obtain Nothing except th' enlargement of their pain So. How comes it then to pass if they beleeve They 're not rewarded but must always grieve In utter darkness Is their faith so strong T' acknowledg God yet they know him wrong Fa. They acknowledg God in Justice but have run Beyond his mercy and despis'd his Son Their faith prevails but only to inthrall Their Souls because 't is not salvifical So. But tell me Faith how many I learn to know Whether thou art salvifical or no Fa. Examine well thy self then go and pry Into the sacred Scriptures let thine eye Peruse with diligence and let thy pray'rs Sail towards the port of Heav'n in swelling tears Then thou wilt find how dearly God will own A Soul that sings a penitential tone So. But when I strive and struggle to express My self in prayer I find a dubiousness Fa. It is a happiness oft-times to doubt A happiness How oft did David Gods delight cry out My God my glorious God oh why oh why Hast thou forsaken me and dost deny The spreading splendor which was wont to shine And glimmer on this doubtful Soul of mine Be serious Soul and let thy thoughts reflect On Gods indulgency and thy neglect How often hath he with his dewy locks Attended thee and with redoubled knocks Desir'd nay beg'd an entrance to impart Love-sick expressions to thy wilful heart And ah how willingly hath he delated His dear affections to thee and not hated To call thee his own Image nay his Dove Oh streaming Fountain of Eternal Love How hath he lab'red with a watchful eye To woo thee to his blest Eternity So. But tell me then if I am thus thus dear Unto my GOD why will my GOD not hear My morning sorrows and my midnight moans And stop the revolutions of my groans But let my poor Astraea fly in vain To his high Altar and return again Unanswer'd Ah what over-awing Rod Smarts like the silence of an angry GOD Fai Distemp'red Soul oh do not thou become Because thy GOD seems deaf unto thee dumb Reverberate the portals of his ears With thy complaints and let thy vocal tears Invite an audience urge him by the force Of his own language Heav'n cannot divorce Himself from his own words oh let him know Thou hast his sacred Promises to show For what thou dost Tell him that Heav'n and Earth Shall pass away but the delightful birth Of his pathetical expressions shall Be heirs unto Eternity go call Himself to witness for himself be bold To tell him to his face thou hast layd hold Upon his promises tell him thou art A
to give we know not how to ask Methinks I hear some multiloquious fool Make this reply What must I go to school And learn to beg I 'm skilful to require If Heav'n would suit his gifts to my desire Let fools delight in folly let them think That men are blind because they see them wink Others methinks reply Have we not cry'd To Heav'n for blessings and have been deny'd Have not our early voyces been extended To Heav'n and yet our labors vili-pended Is this th' effect of pray'r are these the gains That we were largely promis'd for our pains Go silly Souls and do not thus contest With him that knows what 's worst and what is best Ye know not what ye ask your fond desires If granted to may breed such flaming fires Within your greedy brests and so torment Your hearts with millions of sad discontent Then may ye know that true discretion lies As well in asking as in giving wise And solid hearts will labor first to know What 's fit for their desires and then they 'l sow Their pray'rs in such a soil as shall encrease Their stock of Grace and everlasting Peace Pulsanti aperietur KNock and it shall be open'd here 's an art Requires the labors of a studious heart It is an easi action some suppose Because it commonly consists of blows Here 's a mysterious knock 't is not the hand Oâ—â—lâ—sh and blood can knock or tongue command The gates to move 't is not Saint Peter's keys Can turn the lock except the Landlord please Heaven 's a well-ordered family whose gate Opens not soon to them that knock too late But those whose early labors shall implore To have admittance at that sacred door Must well instruct their hearts and have a care First learning how to knock and after where How happy 's he that really can say Go take thy rest my Soul th' ast knock'd to day Hâ—'s happy that can speak such words as these Open the door my Soul thou hast the keys How happy 's he that by a faithful knock Can make the yeelding Gates of Heav'n unlock Pray'rs are the keys of Heav'n the melting door Is mercy that lets in and out the store Faith is the golden key which gives us all A speedy entrance to the spacious Hall But we must open or else not come there The gate of Mercy with the key of Pray'r Go then my Soul into some private place Unlock thy heart and when unlock'd abase Thy self before the Throne of Heav'n and fly Unto the Temple of Divinity Go knock thy heart out if that will not do Say Heaven 's grown deaf or else thy heart 's not true Cast off the thred-bare garments of thy sin Thy pray'rs will melt the gates and let thee in The Governor of Heav'n will not refuse To give an audience to such welcome news Nor can he be ungrateful or neglect To crown thy labors with a true respect Then tune thy heart and teach it to express Full Diapasons of true thankfulness And grant dear God when my poor Soul shall knock That my unworthy key may fit thy lock AN ELEGIE Upon that Son of Valor Sir CHARLS LVCAS Who was shot to Death by the Command of the Counsel of War before COLCHESTER To all those that love the memory of Sir Charls Lucas Reader WHen my serious thoughts reflected upon the Death of so worthy a person I could not but privately deplore so publique a loss and being importuned by his virtues and my own sorrow I gave my pen the priviledg assisting it with the uttermost of my power to compose this Elegious Poem upon his Death which I cannot expect will be consonant to all humors but only to them that love Loyalty Reader I shall desire thee to let the strength of thy goodness pardon the weakness of him that is His Kings his Countries and Thine JOHN QUARLES AN ELEGY I Cannot hold the Laws of Nature break The Laws of Reason and my Cisterns leak Pardon my tears oh Heav'n and let thy pow'r Subdue my grief and mitigate this showre Restore me to my self and let my Quill Weep for me let it weep until it fill Whole volumes with sad tears tears that may flow From age to age that all the world may know It weeps for him whose never-dying name Gives golden feathers to the wings of fame But is it requisite that I alone Should storm so great a work as this and none Invok'd t' assist me Sorrow hates delay Oh hear my hasty call and come away Ye grief-supporting Muses here is that Will sublimate your senses ask not what It is for fear lest melancholly I Ravish'd with what I speak should faint and dye Times full-mouth'd Herauld will exactly tell How Death hath rambled from his mâ—sty Cell And with presumptuous violence hath shot A Star whose fall will never be forgot Then rouze your down-cast spirits now or never Shake off your slumbers or repose for ever Lucas has conquer'd Death he 's gone to keep An everlasting Sabbath and to sleep In Abrahams bosom Ah methinks this breath Should re-invite you from the shades of Death To weep his obsequies but if there 's none Will be invok'd my Muse shall walk alone Into the Wilderness of grief and there Condole this loss till sorrow wants a tear Have I betray'd my self Am I o'retaken With folly Or has Reason quite forsaken The kingdom of my mind If he be blest How dare my tears thus interrupt his rest Oh Times Oh Manners Is the world grown mad Some I behold rejoycing others sad As grief can make them Sure we have forgot To sympathize or else why weep we not Or smile together Has Death got the power To make us weep and smile within an hour Smile they that please mine eyes cannot forbear For every smile of theirs to shed a tear Come real-hearted Mourners and incline Your ear to my sad story and confine Your selves to sorrow sorrow that shall need No definition if your hearts can bleed Now now they shall and may that barren eye That will not weep prove blind or always dry And they that can and will not now let fall Some tears have hard hearts or no hearts at all Lucas rare Soul oh that my tongue might dwell Upon thy name 't was thou that didst excell The world in Martial Valor He that can Forget thy name forgets to be a Man 'T is death to say th' art dead Thou canst not dye If thou art dead there 's no Eternity Thou liv'st in spite of Death yet I condole Thy murther'd body but I 'm sure thy Soul Lives above envy where it shall be blest In spite of those whose wisdoms thought it best To put a period to thy days and bring Joy to themselves and sorrow to their King Discreetly done and sure this Act must be Recorded in the Rouls of Infamie That after Ages when they do behold May blush what noble Deeds were done of old Say Tyrants say
Throne Thus we Fond men expand our own infirmitie And thus our spend-thrift eyes profusely flow In lavish tears for him whose Soul we know Is far more happy then we can express Why do we then lament his happiness Then go sad Genius and advise all such That grieve to grieve because they grievd so much For him who Heav'n hath lately made a stranger To grief who rests above the reach of danger There let him rest in a most glorious sleep And if weak Nature urgeth us to weep Let 's weep nay weep indeed until our eyes Blinded with weeping weep for new supplies Let 's weep for sin let troops of sighs attend Our hasty tydes to their long journeys end Oh let 's deplore our most unhappy state Betimes for fear lest time-devouring fate Blocks up the narrow passage of our breath And so surprize us with a sudden Death And ah how soon the shadow-flying days Of man consumes how soon the troubled blaze Of his frail life expires and ah how soon He finds a night before he thinks 't is noon And how the pleasures of this sordid Earth Shadow his senses with a glimmering mirth And what 's this world 't is but a glass wherein Nothing appears but Heav'n-confronting sin Alas its painted beauty represents Nothing but folly crown'd with discontents There 's nothing here that truly may be stil'd A happiness here 's nothing but 's defil'd Alas alas in what a sad condition Is dust-composed man what expedition He daily makes to gain those things which gain'd Gnaw him like vipers thus are mortals stain'd And blur'd with vanities and thus they spend Their winged hours as if they could not end Fond Earths-consuming trash hath so combin'd Their hearts to worldly pleasures that they mind Nothing but profit basely gain'd which shall Mount them up here but after let them fall But where 's that man whose Soul contrives to be Imparadis'd and crown'd with dignitie With Hallelujahs Angels which controul The Family of Heav'n who still inroul In their sublimer thoughts how great how just Their Maker is before whose throne all must Appear with spotless Souls and fly from hence With downy wings of Dove-like innocence But stay my quill have I thus soon forgot My bosom friend as if I lov'd him not No no though he be dead he cannot dye Death cannot drive him from my memory Where he shall rest till time shall recommend My friend-bereaved Soul unto my friend For whilest he liv'd my sympathizing heart Was truly his and truly bore a part In what he suffer'd Ah but now he 's fled And left me here to say my friend is dead Poor soul and why poor soul rash tongue call back That fond abortive word how can he lack That dayly feeds upon delicious dyet In Heav'ns great store house and knows no disquiet This was an Error that my hasty quill Too rashly stept into against my will I hope 't is venial Reason may afford A pardon for a grief-relapsed word When passion rules the fancy men become Vainly Pragmatick or extreamly dumb But why rash death why didst thou send thy dart To take possession of his willing heart And gave no longer warning was there none Could please thy pallate only him alone 'T was quickly ended and as soon begun Believe me death 't was but unfriendly done But why do I fond man expostulate With thee that art an all-consuming fate Th' ast done a happy deed I dare not blame Thy power because I know from whence it came Shall I because he was my friend repine At his departure was he Heav'ns or mine I yield him Heav'ns not mine but yet I might Claim him as finite Heav'n as infinite He was but lent me for a time that I And others by his life might learn to dye Whilest he enjoy'd the fulness of his breath His life was a preparative for death His whole delight and study was to pry Into the bosom of Divinity From whence he suck'd such wholesom streams that those Which heard him gave a plaudit to his close His dayly practice was how to fulfil And prosecute his great Redeemers will Heav'n was his Meditation and he gave A reverent respect unto his grave Faith Hope and Charity did sweetly rest Within the Counsel-chamber of his brest And in a word the graces did agree To make one happy Soul and this was he As for his moral duties they were such That should I strive I could not speak too much His civil carriage towards all men might claim A perfect right to a beloved name His actions were so just that they may tell He liv'd uprightly and he dy'd as well His love his sweet society might call Ten thousand tears t' attend his funeral And to conclude in him all men might find A real heart and a most noble mind But now he 's gone his winged Soul 's aspir'd To Heav'ns high Palace where he sits attir'd With glorious immortality and sings Melodious Anthems to the King of Kings There there his melting Soul ravish'd to see The Sun-bright throne of splendent Majestie Adores his wel-pleas'd maker who makes known He 's pleas'd to crown and keep him for his own Oh there he rests free from the rubs of Earth Hugging no shadow but a real mirth Oh there 's no grief no sorrow found to vex His peaceful Soul no trouble to perplex Or blast his new-bred joys there is no woe No care no pain no misery no foe That dare presume to interrupt him all Must stand aloof and not appear nor shall Incroaching bold-fac'd grief nor pale-fac'd spight Dare interpose t' eclipse one blaze of light Oh there methink I hear him sweetly sing Grave where 's thy power Oh Death where 's thy sting Methinks I hear his warbling tongue declare How good his works how great his wonders are Methinks I see a great united Band Of glitt'ring Angels how prepar'd they stand To welcom him Methinks I hear them say March on blest Soul thou need'st not doubt the way Oh glorious sight In what triumphing state They guard his Soul to Heav'ns refulgent gate Where when he comes disrob'd of all his sin The gates fly open and his Soul flies in Methinks my ravish'd ears are fill'd and blest With such harmonious raptures and possest With such varieties that even I Were sin absolved would resolve to dye Methinks I hear within Heav'ns Ecchoing Grove The quavering Angels chant as if they strove T' excel themselves Methinks that every breath Is a sweet Invitation unto death But oh what rare or what profound invention Beatifi'd with a strong apprehension Can sound the depth of those delights which he Shall swim and bathe in to Eternitie There rest dear Soul having thus conquer'd fate Thy pleasures never shall expire their date There there the Alpha of thy joys shall never Know an Omega but be blest for ever With Alpha and Omega who shall crown Thy throne-approaching Soul with true renown Whilest we confused mortals here below Gulp up the dregs of sorrow and bestow Curses in stead of prayers upon each other And dayly labour to confuse and smother Our serene happiness and turn those joys Which Heav'n allow'd us to neglected toys And thus our deviating Souls befool Themselves and practise in the common School Of Errors Thus erroneously we bend Our flexive minds to folly and commend Non-sence for wisdom Reason being dead Repose my Muse discretion calls to bed FINIS