pleasure Prophanation of the Sabbath day That in seven yeares we scarce can be at leasure To serve the Lord nay I may boldly say In seaventy yeares some scarce give God a day Some had much rather labour drinke or play Then go to church to heare to read and pray Some will be looking to their shops and trades Some walking in the fields with pretty maids Some in a taverne baudihouse or worse Some waiting in by-places for a purse Some in the streets some sitting at their doores Some in a pockie-alehouse with their whores For pleasure some who little conscience make Journeies on purpose on this day will take Yea some bold vassalls of this hellish breed Will say the better day the better deed O foolish man how darst thou thus prophane That day which God did purposely ordaine For his owne use and service dost thou thinke Because the Lord seemes for a while to winke At this and such foule sins that therefore he Unto a reckning will not b summon thee Thy selfe delude not with such vaine conceits God is most just in promises and threats Thou and the remnant of this hellish crew Shall to your torments one day find it true Some scoffe at good men and slight true devotion As if it were a hindrance to promotion Scoffing at religion If in a towne there shall be found a man Strict in his life he 's tearm'd a puritan If he so loath his sinnes as to inforce Himselfe unto a more religious course Then most men will or do he shall be blam'd Hated of most contemn'd revil'd misnam'd Object But you may say some are more nice then wise There is a sect too a pure in their owne eies Answ It may be so well grant this to be true Yet dare you then condemne all for a few Because some overshoot the marke shall we Shoot halfe the way because that from a tree Some evill and superfluous branches shoote Shall we in anger cut it up by th'root There ever was is and for time to come In church and common weale there will be some Of this and other sects yet we are sure That towards God we cannot be too pure Where shall our wicked b Michols then appeare Who never would Christs wedding garment weare How can or dare they looke him in the face Whom in his Saints they sought thus to disgrace The throne of God is pure needs must it then A torment be to all ungodly men Object But some may say they onely make a c show What 's in their hearts the Lord above doth know Answ T is true God only knowes how dare you then Presume to judge you sinfull sonnes of men Answer But grant there should be such shall we therefore Because they play the cheater play the whore Shall we Religion and our God forsake Because some men no better conscience make Because that some doe from their first love fall Shall we condemne and rashly censure all We should be like to God our heav'nly Father Who out of love and tendernesse had rather Spare many that are a faulty many waies Then one condemne which his decree obeyes Because the Doctor followes not the way Which he prescribes for others shall we say That physicke is not good or that because Some Lawyers are corrupt thinke ill of Lawes Because some hel-hounds in excesse will drinke Shall we the worse of Gods good creatures thinke Because like beasts some make themselves with wine Shall we despise the sweetnesse of the vine Because b through folly some will goe astray Shall we the fault upon Religion lay Indeed this is the folly of our times The father of a many wicked crimes For were not godlinesse so out of daâ—e We should not prize vice at so high a rate But some perhaps may say it matters not What bablers say a fooles bolt is soon shot Soone shot say ye I could speake more at large But loath I am to give the other charge For feare my Canons should recoile or hurt Your sense of hearing at her loud report But upon this we will not long dispute But rather to the throne of grace make sute That such disorders as have brought disgrace Upon our Church and Common-weales sweet face May be reform'd and that each man and woman Unto more holy lives themselves may summon And not so ready be to lay the fault On other men when they themselves do halt For this I say and dare affirme the same Though great ones for the most part beare the blame As they are rods and scourges in Gods hand It is our sins for which he plagues our land For had our hearts been pious towards God And loyall to the King had that been trod Under our feet that rules both heart and head No such disorders could have ever bred In Church and Common-weal well since we know Our sicknesse and our cure to God let 's goe With humble hearts and crave his helpe and aid Who of a Chaos earth and heaven made Yea let us goe and that without delay Unto his throne and in this manner pray Thou great Jehovah that dost all things frame And by thy providence dost rule the same Create in us new hearts new thoughts and waies And bring in order these disorder'd daies With griefe of heart we cannot Lord but speak We are in ev'ry part both sicke and weak And whither should we goe but unto thee Hosea 6.1 2 3. Deut. 32.39 1 Kings 2.6 7 8 9. Who hast a salve for every malady Lord heare and heale us for thy mercy sake For unto thee alone our moane we make Lord give us grace to loath and leave our errors Left in thy wrath thou multiply our terrors God as a loving father hath we know Anno 1588. Gi'vn warnings to us many yeares agoe We fairely warned were in a eightie eight When we were brought in t ' such a narrow strait That had not Gods right hand found out a way For us to scape we had without delay And mercy been destroy'd since this his hand Hath mightily upheld our sinfull land For had not God of his preventing grace And goodnesse toward us our stock and race That hellish plot of Gowries brought to light That feasting day had wrought a dolesome night Anno 1605. Another warning we may well remember Was given to us the fift day of November When those blood-thirsty Papists did conspire The house of Parliament to set on fire And that at such a time in such an houre As they without all mercy might devoure The royall King and Nobles of the land To give themselves a soveraigne command And to effect this hellish plot great care And paines they tooke the great ones did not spare Purses nor persons but as slaves fast bound To doe the divell service they were found To worke at under-rates to take what pay Might follow this most execrable way The pit was dig'd and we brought to the brim Ready to fall
Lord are not grievous Psal 119.40 and that his commandements are not burthensome for frst The regenerate are partakers of the divine nature of Christ whereby they are inabled to doe and suffer all things Credenti omnia sunt possibilia Iohn 1.5 all things are posible to them that beleeve Secondly they have spirits well qualified humble and meek minds loving and tractable dispositions towards Christ and love takes away difficulty leve fit quod bene fertur onus love makes a heavie burthen light Thirdly they have Christ the head of all the faithfull as fellow-members to sympathize with them in their sufferings solamen miseris socios hâ—buisse doloris they have the God of hosts within them the hosts of the Lord without them the God of hosts and all the hosts of God for them if men dare offend God will and can defend What need Mattheus care if an angry Peter cut off his eare if Christ be by to cure it againe What need Iob feare the roaving Sabbeans and robbing Chaldeans if Gods protection uphold him What need Lot feare to bee carried away captive if Abraham follow to redeem him What need a Christian feare to sustaine trouble sorrow need sicknesse or any other adversity since Christ the Son of God will make his yoake easie and God our tender Father will in his due time both ease release us Yea God the Father God the Son and God the holy Ghost are ever ready to apply their helping hands and wee commonly say multorum manibus grande levatur onus many hands make light worke Yet in the holy Scriptures we finde that many godly and Religious men through the imbecility of the flesh the extremity of paine and strong assaults of the Divell thereupon have been for a time so possessed with a spirit of heavinesse thâ—t they have appeared to themselves and others for a time as men utterly lost and forsaken and by this means have beene made unfit to serve God and scandalized their Religion to prevent this and such like evills which might hence arise I have in this small Treatise proposed to your serious consideration First the brevity of affliction or difference between the Crosse and the Crowne Secondly the benefit that comes to the soule by affliction Thirdly what Christ hath suffered for us Fourthly the ends why God afflicts his people Fifthly the author of affliction And these five thoughts as Davids five smooth stones being rightly placed in the sling of the heart and levelled by the steady hand of faith will be sufficiently able to beat down the great Goliah of our soules despaire first consider the difference between the Crosse and the Crowne the brevity of suffering the perpetuity of reigning afflictions are but for a short time during the time of this present life I count Rom. 8.18 2 Cor. 12. saith the Apostle c. Therefore the time of affliction is sometime termed a day of triall sometimes a night of sorrow Heavinesse may endure for a night saith the Psalmist but joy comes in the morning sometimes to an houre of watching as Christ said to his three Disciples Matth 26.40 Can you not watch with me one houre Besides this the burthen of afflictions 2. Tim. 2 12. 2 Cor. 1.2 3 4 5. hath consolations qualifying As the sufferings of Christ doe abound so his consolations much more Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousnesse sake Let Stephen have his eyes in prayer to see the heaven opened and Jesus standing at the right hand of God and he shall nor be moved with the stones which the Jewes violently throw at him Let Moses see him which is invisible and he shall not feare Pharaoh but rejoyce rather to suffer with the people of God then to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season Let Paul and Silas consider for whose sake they are imprisoned and they will sing and rejoyce in the midst of their sufferings Secondly the power of the oppressor is limited his daies are numbred I have said you are Gods but ye shall dye like men the rod of the wicked shall not alwaies rest on the backe of the godly God will either cut off the oppressor in his fury or take the oppressed to his mercy Statutum est omnibus semel mori It is appointed for all men once to dye Quicquid generatur corrumpitur omne ortum interit Here is our comfort then if we dye we shall live like Angells if we live we shall see our enemies dye like men post hac veâ—it judicium and then commeth judgement Christ our blessed Saviour God and Man will one day come to exercise a judiciall course against them otherwise God should be unjust in rewarding and the godly of all men most miserable Secondly Rom. 5.4 Luke 24 26. Rom. 8.17 Acts 14.21 Heb. 12.6 7. consider the benefit that comes by affliction Via crucis est via lucis the crosse is the high way to the Crowne we must goe through Rethshemesh to Betheden through many tribulations into the Kingdome of heaven Affliction to the soule is as physicke to the body more wholesome then toothsome for although simply in it selfe it be not good yet being prescribed directed and ordered by the wise hand of God it oftentimes proves very usefull and advantagious to the soul David speakes upon his owne experience Psal 119.71 that it was good for him and Paul affirmes the same There is no affliction for the present joyous but it brings forth the quiet fruits of righteousnesse Adam in the garden of pleasure was overcome by the Serpent when Iob upon the dunghill of misery was more then a conquerer Affliction makes men mourne for their sins beati sunt qui lâ—gent Blessed are they which mourn Affliction makes men humble and humility makes the soule happy Deus resistit superbis dat gratiam hâ—nilibus God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble Afflictions make men meek beati sunt mites Blessed are the meek Psal 3.25 for they shal inherit the earth Dirigit mansuetes injudicio docebit mites in vias suas Affliction makes men hunger and thirst after righteousnesse Beati qui â—surium Blessed are they which hunger c. Affliction doth purge and purifie the soule beati mundo corde Blessed are the pure in heart c. Heb. 12.1 2 4. Thirdly Inspice vulnera pendentis Christi sanguinem morientis pretium redimentis cicatrices resurgentis capâ—t habet inclinatum ad osculandum cor aptum ad diligendum brachia extenta ad amplexandum totum denique corpus expositum ad redimendum Aug. de pas Christi Consider what Christ hath done and suffered for thee Multa dixit mira fecit durapassus est verba durlora verbera how he was incarned and assumeth the nature not of pure and immortall Angels but of sinfull mortall men how he came from Galilee to Nazaret from a Region to a hamlet from
the father beare Unto his tender child his sonne most deare That seeing him lie sick upon his bed As if his soule were from his body fled That he both speakes and weepes the child alas As if it were a trifle lets it passe He takes him by the hand my child quoth he Knew I thy wants I soone would sucker thee The child not able to expresse a word Unto his tender father doth afford A smiling looke and fixing of his eye Full fast upon him striveth earnestly To make his mone to shew where lies his paine But wanting strength his striving is in vaine His father does the best he can to ease Him of his paine and what he thinks may please His mind or palate he forthwith takes care How to provide the same he does not spare His purse nor person but as one that were Out of his wits he without heed or feare Goes runs and rides and makes with spur and whip His horse o're vallies and high mountaines skip But finding still his labour to no end He makes what haste he may or can to send For its deare mother and his tender wife And bids the messenger run as for life And tell her that her child is growne so weake That for a world a word it cannot speake She hearing this sad newes makes no delay Her husband runs to meet her by the way And meeting her his mind doth thus unfold Deare-heart I doubt not but thou hast been told How that my sonne lies sick and cannot speake His heart with paine is ready for to breake And mine with griefe because I understand Not what he meanes when he with head and hand And other moving parts does what he can To shew his mind to me unhappy man I pray thee goe and see if thou canst find By any signes its meaning or his mind And though it cannot speake through griefe and paine Yet if thou canst imagine guesse or gaine By any signe what it desires of me Doubt not my love it shall soone granted be More tender mercies will God manifest Unto his children when they are opprest With waves of sorrow and in such distresse That how to pray aright or to expresse Their minds they known not a he accepts their sighes Their sobs their teares their grones and mournfull cries He takes their godly meaning for the deed In peeces he 'le not break the bruised reed Nor quench the smoking flax Mat. 12. Esay 42 1. Psal â—2 12.33.1 oh then be glad And much reioyce in God you that are sad In heart because you cannot pray draw near To him with boldnesse doubt not God will heare The chatt'ring of his Saints and their request Will grant or what in wisdome he sees best For we oft times for want of judgement crave And earnestly desire such things to have As are at best but losse drosse dung and durt And such as might both soule and body hurt The earthly parent will not give a stone Unto his child when he for bread makes mone Mat. 7.7 Not yet a serpent when he craves a fish Nor for an egge a scorpion nor a dish Of deadly poison if then parents know How on their children good things to bestow Much better can our heavenly Father tell What 's for our good who does so far excell In grace and wisdome parents whilst they live For want of judgement to their children give Such things as prove their bane yea oft such things As strange diseases on the bodie brings Psal 75 3 104 8.145.14 But God that did both earth and heaven frame And every thing perteining to the same Who governs all things by his mighty hand Their ends and natures well doth understand He knowes what 's pleasing unto flesh and blood And what may further our eternall good And therefore doth in mercy oft denie a Us what we aske with zeale and fervencie Yea when we aske for stones he gives us bread The food of life eternall yea in stead Of serpents fishes and for dung and drosse A weighty crowne of glory yea for losse Of life goods or good name eternall gaine In stead of pearles and jewells he a chaine Of his celestiall graces will bequeath Whose splendor will obscure all things beneath In stead of partridge woodcocks snipes and phesants Which now a daies are meats for clowns and peasants In stead I say of such like dainty fare Which many make their god God will prepare A table for his Saints deckt with such meate As shall them so suffice that thereof eate That they shall never thirst nor hunger more After those things they thirsted for before In stead of costly buildings and great places Which upstarts oft for want of grace disgraces We with the Angels shall in heaven sing Sweet songs of praise to our eternall King In stead of great attendance and respect Which many as some more then God affect We have the blessed Angels to attend Our persons and from harme us to defend In stead of high-borne kindred and great friends On which so many fooles too much depends God makes himselfe a father and a mother A wife to one a husband to another In stead of milke and hony wine and oyle Whereof too many prodigalls make spoile We have the sincere milke of his pure word Which doth both hony wine and oyle afford For rich attire whereby so proud some grow That they themselves or friends can hardly know With robes of sanctity he cloathes us here That we for aye his princely robes may weare In stead of musick for to please the eare A pleasing voice we shâ—ll from heaven heare Saying this is the way to life and light Deâ—tro 4.12 Ezek. 33 32. Turne neither to the left hand nor the right The second thought VVHo is' t that strikes us is' t a deadly foe Or one desirous of our overthrow No ti 's our best and dearest friend nay rather Psal 94.12.66.10 Laâ— 1.12 Our ever-loving God and tender father What comfort may this yeeld unto a soule That is constrain'd its weaknesse to condole Who can expresse what ease the grieved find When they this truth consider well in mind Troubles and sorrowes may the good befall But this will make them triumph over all Simile The sick man need not doubt distrust or feare His Doctors care who hath a father deare For his Physitian nor the least doubt make Whether those med'cines he may safely take Which he prescribes not onely with great care But with his owne hand likewise does prepare Lesse cause Gods people have to be afraid In time of triall or so much dismaid When they should suffer for the Gospells sake Which lies then bleeding as it were at stake If they consider well who doth them call Yea for what end and purpose and withall How by his mightie and all-ruling hand He governs all things both on sea and land So that the divell nor his instruments Can bring to any purpose their
we Thinke nothing good for us but what may be Pleasing to nature but the God of grace Oft from his dearest servants hides his face And makes them for a time in wants a to live That he to them eternall life may give Psal 94 12.13 14. He often suffers them to be perplext And by infernall spirits strangely vext That they might walke more humbly in his sight And feare to sin against his grace and might Yet in due time they b shall find ease and rest And with great gladnesse see their foes supprest For sure his mercies are and from above He loves them with an everlasting c love Simile A wise Physitian through his skill and art Cures many times a man by taking part Of that away which does by d nature feed The vitall spirits when they moisture need He can so temper poyson by his skill That it will prove a very wholesome pill And shall not God who by his power brings Light out of darknesse and doth call such things As never were shall he not able be To make his crosse our chiefe felicitie Psal 68 4â— Psal 103.19 He that could turne those waters into blood Can turne what we terme ill unto our e good He that could cause cleare water to be wine A barren tree to be a fruitfull vine Without all controversie if he please And see it for our good can with like ease Convert our sorrowes into joy our teares To sollid mirth yea our soul-wounding feares And doubting of his care and providence Unto well-grounded hope and confidence He can so order all our crosses here That to the world at length it may appeare That it was good for us to beare the rod And scourges of so mercifull a God If by affliction then thou hop'st to finde Good to thy soule peace to thy troubled minde Looke not so much upon the a Crosse to see What hope or likely-hood therein may bee As to the promise b which the Lord hath made Which shall stand good when earth and heaven fade Cast all thy soule-disturbing cares aside God can and will what 's for thy good provide Could we our hearts unto this temper bring And fully be perswaded of this thing We should not so much stagger as we doe When we the crosse of Christ should undergoe Simile What grievous tortures do the sick endure From time to time in waiting for a cure As launcing c searing cupping losse of blood Hoping all will at length bee for their good E'vn so this would correct the too much feare That is in us if we perswaded were That all the troubles of this present life As losse of friends of husband children wife Of goods good name yea and of life if we Be cal'd thereto much for our good will be Then thou oh mighty God of gods who art The framer and disposer of the heart Convince our minds and so our hearts perswade That in these brinish waters we may wade With chearfulnesse of spirit soule and mind Although we saile against both tide and wind For sure we are though stormes and waves may rore We safely shall at length be brought to shoare And when this pilgrimage shall have an end The noble peeres of heaven shall attend Upon our persons and with triumph bring Us to the city of our heavenly king Unto a city made of gold most pure Whose ground-worke shall for evermore endure Unto a city that shall neither have Need of the Sun or Moone Revel 21.43 for God that gave Them lifght and splendor at the first will be Our light and life to all eternitie O joy above all joyes what can annoy The soule that is possessed with this joy O light above all lights without whose light Man cannot judge the day time from the night What mists and fogs mans mind should so obscure That he should not discerne thy light so pure O light of all the world teach us the way That leads unto this light that so we may In despite of all lets behold at length Thy blessed face in vigour and full strength O blessed sight God in himselfe to see My selfe in God and God himselfe in me O soule-rejoycing-sight what shall I see My friends and kindred in felicitie O full and perfect light what a shall I so Enlightend be hereby as God to know As I am knowne what shall I understand The secret works of his alworking hand Shall I poore sylly wretch acquainted be With all the secrets of the Trinitie How shall my soule triumph when in this place I shall behold my Maker face to face How shall I shout for joy exult and sing When I shall reigne with my eternall king If in his mothers wombe Iohn Baptist were Constrain'd to leape for joy when Christ drew neare Unto his mother Mary how shall we Exult for joy when Christ himselfe will be Not onely with us but in us that so Our joy and peace might ever over flow If that the Israelites for joy did sing When Salomon the wise was crowned king What cause shall we have to rejoyce when we Shall Christ behold in pompe and Majestie The wisemen greatly did triumph when they Found out the babe which in a manger lay How then shall we rejoyce triumph and sing When on his throne we see him sit as king O happy sweetnesse and sweet happinesse Thy soule-rejoycing joyes who can expresse 1. Cor. 2.9 Here 's fulnesse without loathing strength and health Without decay or sicknesse gaine and wealth Without losse or deceit peace without feare Joy without griefe love without hatred here 1. Cor. 13.15 Is knowledge without error holinesse Without uncleannesse truth and godlynesse Without dissembling concord without strife Beauty without deformity Dan. 12. Esay 32. and life Without the feare of death or any fainting Fame without shame and feature without painting Rest without sloath or labour grace and glory Transcending a all things that are transitory O holy judgement seat shall I appeare Before a Judge Acts 10 23. Mat. 3 9 Ioh 8.34 that neither will for feare Nor favour partiall be what shall I see Those men condemn'd who have condemned me Without a cause how can they in this case Without amazement looke me in the face O blessed fellowship what shall I be By grace united to the Trinitie Shall I bee seated in the Angels row Who for my sins deserve to be below The worst of all the divells oh what heart Is able to conceive the hundred part Of those soul-chearing joyes which from this roote In great aboundance dayly spring and shoote O blessed feast of feasts here is indeed The true and perfect Manna which will feed And please the b eater so that he no longer After the world shall either thirst or hunger O reall royall feast who can relate What King did such a feast e're celebrate We reade in Esther of a feast Est 1.4 that were Kept by King Assuerus halfe a yeare But
That such as truly love and feare his name Will do his will thouhg to their losse and shame Sins nor sonnes though they be darlings deare Will they withhold that Gods law truly feare God Abraham commands to slay his sonne The word 's no sooner spoke but it is done Reason might seeme to put in ifs and ands And challenge God upon such harsh commands The flesh might reason thus What shall I slay My onely sonne the sonne might seeme to say O father deare can you find in your heart The head and shoulders of your sonne to part Your sonne your only sonne your sonne and heire Heire of the promise upon whom your care And love hath been so sixt what will you prove A murtherer of your child where is that love Which once did flame like fire is there no sparke Of thy good nature left a riddle darke For nature to conceive a thing most strange How in a fathers nature such a change So strangely should be wrought Oh let me pause A little with my selfe what might this cause What have I done wherein have I offended Cannot my fault by faire meanes be amended O spare a little and withhold thy hand And I will doe what thou shalt me command But he regarding God more then the crie And moan of Isaac seemes thus to replie My child my tender child my sonne most deare I have command to sacrifice thee here Or otherwise my love to thee is such That for a world thy life I would not touch Simile The file may take a way the rust and durt But rather does the weapon good then hurt The flaile may bruise the straw the chaffe great winds May blow a way but still the seedsman finds His corne more fit for use the furnace may Both wood and drosse with heate consume away The purge may drive ill humors from the heart And not hurt it or any other part Troubles oft purge our soules from some soule sin Or other which we have long lived in Before I was afflicted I astray Did goe saith David but now I obey And keepe thy statutes daily in my mind And more delight and comfort therein find Then can the rich man in his wine or oile Or the undanted victor in his spoile So stubborne is the will so crosse the mind The heart so hard and understanding blind That cords of mercy will not us withdraw 1 Sam. 6.20 1 Sam. 12.10 From the transgressing of Gods holy law Troubles and a sorrows oftentimes prevaile When admonitions and good counsell faile Troubles made David to refraine from sleepe Sicknesse King Ezekiah made to weepe Egypts burthen servitude and thrall Made Israel upon the Lord to call Judgements upon his knees proud Pharaoh brought The prodigall how to returne want taught Simile A tender father strives to win his child With gifts faire promises and speeches mild Using what meanes he can from time to time To make him see the vilenesse of his crime He talkes to him and oft in talking weepes And seemes to reason with him in his sleepes His yearning heart with griefe is so opprest That dainties will not downe he cannot rest In any place but goes from friend to friend To see if they can tell what course will mend A prodigall some tells him this some that Some bids him take no care for such a brat Some bids him keepe him short and others say To give him scope will be the onely way He listens to their counsells and first tries All faire and gentle meanes he can devise So loath is he his darling should be lost That he regards no labour care or cost Yet when he finds all this to be in vaine He sends him over sea to France or Spaine And to the Master of the ship gives way To keep him short and curbe him day by day Untill such time as he shall clearely find Him of another nature will and mind The dingthrift knowes not this but lives in hope That he shall have more liberty and scope He goes aboord the ship as one that were Void of all humane reason wit or feare He thinks to have the like or more command Upon the sea then he had upon land Luke 15 16. But when this prodigall is through great need Constrain'd on durtie husks with swine to feed And calls to mind upon what daintie fare His fathers servants feed he then takes care How to returne his folly to confesse Hâ—s great rebellion and unworthinesse To be his son and therefore much desires To be but as a servant which he hires For yearely wage so that he may obtaine His former love and countenance againe This course the Lord is forc'd oft times to take With his when they his holy waies forsake To follow their owne fancies and delight To satisfie their sinfull appetite Should God not sometimes strike us with his rod We should forget that there was any God Nay should not God oft strike we soone should grow So well conceited that we a should not know God or our selves aright but run on still The measure of iniquitie to fill Should we have all things at our hearts desire We should like swine so wallow in the mire Heb. 11.9.10 Of worldly pleasures that our hearts would be More bent to trash then true felicitie Had not the Israelites been in distresse And long perplexed in the wildernesse The land of promise had not welcome beene Neither had they Gods love so clearely seene Tidings of a peace unto the souldier brings More true contentment then all other things The wether beaten Marriner desires To be on shore the traveller aspires The top of some high hill hoping to see His journeys end the labourer would be Rather at b rest then roast the silly slave Expects a day to come when he might have His liberty the sick man prizeth c health And fortitude the poore and needy wealth The hungry food the naked cloathes the blind Their sight the cripple limbs the sick in mind And soul-afflicted joy and such as know The paines and miseries they undergo Who suffer in some sort the pangs of hell In soule and mind whilst upon earth they dwell Will heaven prize and ever thinke it best To be with Christ in his soule-easing rest Simile So dearely loves the child the mothers brest That quietly one houre it scarce will rest Without the same yet when the child is growne Unto some bignesse and begins alone To creepe about the mother much desires To weane it off and for that purpose hires One for to tend her child that so she may Keepe for a day or two out of the way The child growes mother-sick and is so wed Unto the brest that it will not be fed With any other food but roares and cries Both day and night as it i' th cradle lies She hearing this to be of so small boote With some unpleasant thing as 't might be soote Her brest besmeares to trie if it will take
of heart thy crops grow lesse and lesse But stinking weeds encrease and flourish so That shortly they thy crop will overgrow Unlesse for honour of thy name with speed Thou wilt vouchsafe O Lord the same to weed O deale not with us after our deserts Nor after the uprightnesse of our hearts What would become of sinfull mortall man If thou his sinfull life shouldst strictly scan If thou shouldst marke what we have done amisse Who could expect to reape eternall blisse Psal 78.13 14. Thou that in Zoan by thy mighty hand Couldst so divide the seas that on drie land Our forefathers might passe canst also heale The breaches of our Church and Common-weale Our land 's divided and divided so That we amongst our selves can hardly know Whom we may safely trust which makes all those Which doe thee and thy word of truth oppose As chiefly Papists to rejoyce and say Ha ha so so there goes the game away Thou mightst in justice Lord we doe confesse Us of our lives and livings dispossesse Thou mightst deprive us of the meanes of grace And from beholding of thy blessed face And give us up into such Heathens hands For ever to remaine in cruell bands Of slavery and thraldome because we Have broke our covenant so oft with thee Yet Lord now in our need some pity take Ev'n for thy mercy truth and promise sake Thou hast we know been mercifull indeed To Israel yea thou hast Iacobs seed Restor'd from thraldome yea O God we finde In holy Writ thou blott'st out of thy minde All their misdeeds and heinous wickednesse Whereby they did thy holy Laws transgresse Thou didst asswage thy wrath and mitigate Thine anger towards them yea in a state Of happinesse didst seat them so that they Might be a people unto thee for aye O let thy people in this sinfull land Such mercies finde O Lord now at thy hand Turne us O God oâ— saving health from all Our evill waies which unto heaven call For vengeance on us let thine anger cease And from all hellish thraldome so release Our bodies and our soules that still we may With freedome magnifie thee day by day Vengeance O Lord doth properly belong Unto thy Majesty revenge the wrong That hath been and now is done unto thee By such as hate thy truth in sanctity O judge of all the world thy selfe exalt Against all such as would thy truth assault Let not the wicked and the worldly wise Over thy faithfull people tyrannize Let not false-hearted Papists who conspire The ruine of thy Church have their desire Let Superstition and Idolatry Like to a rotten hedge for ever be Trod underfoot let merit-mongers all Be like a rotten house and tottering wall Give not the soule Lord of thy Turtle Dove Unto the Beast remember in thy love And tender mercies such as are opprest By wicked men or any way distrest Thy faithfull covenant consider well For they are cruell that on earth now dwell The shepheard seeks to fleece his flock the lambe Growes ravenous and woolvish to her dam The bird the nest where she was hatcht bewraies Iudas his Master cunningly betraies Behold but how the wicked thee defame And how the foolish folke blaspheme thy name Arise arise and thine owne cause maintaine For thou hast said the helpe of man is vain Why dost thou sit as one that 's fast asleepe Why is thy wrath so hot against thy sheepe Thinke on thy congregations and behold Those places which thou hast possest of old But above all the rest remember well Mount Sion wherein thou was wont to dwell Let not the foolish laugh thy Saints to scorne Nor let the wicked man lift up his horne In sunder break their hornes but raise on high The horns of such as serve thee faithfully Confound them in their wicked plots with shame That daily labour to obscure thy name Cast downe those mighty mountaines which oppose Thee in thy waies but let O Lord all those That wish well unto Sion firmely stand As Cedar trees in this our realme and land O let thy Gospell flourish in despite Of such as most abhorre thy sacred light And for this end we humbly thee desire The hearts of all our rulers to inspire With so much wisedome and soule-saving grace That they may daily labour to deface All superstitious worship and advance Thy blessed word and sacred ordinance Thy jugdement Lord upon the King bestow Thy righteousnesse upon the Prince that so He may his loyall subjects rule aright And eke defend the poore against the might Of such as would them wrong without a cause Yea many times against his and thy lawes Let those high mountaines under him encrease In this his realme true zeale and godly peace And let the little hills their minds apply To punish vice and manage equitie Lord let thy Priests be clothed with thy truth And righteousnesse as Naomi and Ruth Make them to live in love that there may be In life and doctine a sweet harmonie Let Moses now and Aron Lord appeale Unto thy throne let Phineas with zeale True judgement execute without delay That they in time thine irefull hand may stay That so our God thou maist continew still And we a people ready to fulfill Thy holy lawes and all our sinfull daies Shew forth thy noble acts and worthie praise Thy whole and holy Church O Lord preserve In unity and peace let not them swerve Or be misled with errors that desire To worship thee with hearts and minds intire Those that are simple ignorant and blind And earnestly desire the way to find That leads to life eternall by thy grace Illuminate O Lord that they thy face And blessed countenance may clearely see And with this fight so much delighted be That they may dally labour to obtaine More knowledge of thy word and thereby gaine Assurance of thy goodnesse to the just And faithfulnesse to those that put their trust In thy sure promises those that are weake And yet through godly zeale desire to speake In behalfe of thy truth yea if need be To seale the truth thereof and sanctity Ev'n with their bloud enable with thy hand In midst of flames of fire upright to stand O strengthen them by thy al-working might Couragiously to fight the Lambs great fight Those that are borne of thine immortall seed And as new borne babes much desire to feed Upon the sincere milke of thy pure word Full streaming brests O Lord to them afford Lastly give peace in these unquiet daies Wherein pride guile and malice so much swayes For now O Lord great dangers are at hand As by thy frownes we clearly understand Thy ever-over and all ruling hand Hath brought astonishment upon our land Thou hast declared heavy things to thine And caused some of us to drinke the wine Of giddinesse so that we scarce can tell When we doe evill or when we do well O give a banner unto such as fear And worship thee with hearts and minds
wicked THe just and upright man shall joyfull be When he the vengeance of the Lord shall see For they shall wash their feet with triumph then Ev'n in the bloud of bloudy minded men And men shall say as cause they shall have just There is great fruit for such as in him trust Doubtlesse upon the earth a God there dwels That both in truth and righteousnesse excels Psal 58.10.11 As sheep go to the fold they to the grave And in that day the just shall Lordship have Their beauty shall consume when they shall goe From their owne dwellings to eternall woe But God will me preserve from endlesse paine Because he will receive my soule againe Psal 94.14.15 The just shall this behold and praise the Lord And laugh at him and say with one accord Behold the man that made not God his stay But trusted in his strength his mire and clay But I shall be like to an olive greene For in the Lord my trust hath ever beene Psal 52.7.8.9 Comfort for the godly in evill and dangerous times IN evill daies why should I feare though those That seek my life me cunningly inclose For they that put their trust in riches most And in the multitude thereof will boast Their brothers soule from hell can no way save Nor pay a price to free him from the grave Psal 49.5 6 7. Comfort for the godly against the conspiracy of the wicked AGainst the just the wicked may conspire And grash their teeth in madnesse and in ire But God shall laugh to scorne them and their way For why he sees the comming of his day They may draw out their swords and bend their bow The poore and needy man to overthrow But their owne swords shall pierce their wicked hearts Their bowes shall broken be in sundry parts He knowes the just mans daies and sees his way And his inheritance shall not decay Psal 37.12 13 14 15 18. The Lord will breake their counsells and disclose The plots wherein they do most trust repose Psal 33.10 Thou hast my table richly deckt although Mine enemies have sought my overthrow Psal 23.5 Comfort for captives strangers fatherlesse children and widowes THe Lord relieves the poore and fatherlesse The stranger and the widow in distresse He makes the solitary man to live In houses freedome he to slaves doth give Psal 146.9 Psal 68.5 6. Though godly men by tyrants are brought low And wanting harbor wander too and fro God raiseth them out of their troubles deep And makes them housholds like a flock of sheep Psal 107.39 When they did wander in the desart wide And found no place wherein they might abide Yea when their thirst and hunger was so great That death the faintnesse of their soules did threat Then did they crie to God in their distresse And he their grievances did soon redresse Psal 107.4 5 6. Though they were few their foes then to withstand Yea very few and strangers in the land And when they found no place for their abode But wandred too and fro the world abroad He suffered them no wrong at all to take But mighty Kings reproved for their sake Psal 105.12 13 14. Comfort for the godly in times of oppression OVer our heads thou hast made tyrants ride And us the raging fury to abide Of fire and water yet thou through thy grace Didst bring us forth unto a wealthy place Psal 66.12 13. The Lord 's with me I need not feare or doubt What man can doe though he be strong and stout Psal 118.6 Now for the great oppressures and the cries Of poore distressed men I will arise Saith God the living Lord and them restore Unto the liberties they had before Psal 12.5 I sought the Lord and he my suit did heare Yea he did free my soule from all my feare They shall both looke and run unto his name Their faces shall not be abash'd with shame But say this poore man to the Lord did call And he both heard and rid him out of thrall Psal 34.4 5 6. O praise the Lord his praise abroad display For he is good his mercy lasts for aye He thought on us yea in our base degree And from oppressors safely set us free Psal 136.1.23 I with my mouth will laud the Lord him I Amongst the multitude will magnifie For at the right hand of the poore he stands To save them from the bloudy tyrants hands Psal 109.30 31. God will avenge th' afflicted and the poore The just shall feare and praise him evermore Psal 140.12 Incline thine ears to me Lord when I pray And hearken to the words which I shall say For strangers up against me rise and they That pleasure take in blood seek to betray My soule with all the plots they can devise For God they have no time before their eyes Behold God is my helper straight at hand With them that stay my soule the Lord does stand Psal 54.2 3 4. Comfort for the godly in long affliction HIs chosen flocke he will not alwaies chide For ever they shall not his wrath abide For he knows well our molde and fashion just Our natures fraile and how we are but dust Psal 103.9.14 Though it for many yeares have been your lots To lie conceal'd amongst defiled pots Ye shall be like a dove whose wings like gold And silver shine when once she waxeth old Psal 63.13 For though the wicked ofttentimes by God To prove his Saints are used as his rod Yet shall it not their lot for ever be Lest they their hand put to iniquity Psal 125 3. The Lord himselfe hath chast'ned me full sore But never hath to death me given o're Psal 118.18 Comfort for the godly in any strait BLessed is he whom Iacobs God doth aid And he whose hope upon the Lord is staid Which did of nothing earth and heaven frame The sea and all pertaining to the same Which keeps his word and promises most sure From age to age for ever to endure Which doth proceed in justice to relieve His poore oppressed servants when they grieve Which gives bread to the hungry and sets free Such as are bound in chaines of misery Which does the blinde to sight and lame restore To limbs and loves the just man evermore Which helps the stranger in his great distresse And keeps the widow and the fatherlesse Psal 146.5 6 7 8 9. When as my parents deare did me forsake The Lord did me into his favour take Psal 27.12 When I in trouble am and heavinesse I 'le thinke on God my griefe I will expresse I will consider well the things of old And what in former times I have been told I will regard the workings of the Lord What he hath done long since I will record Yea whilst I live my tongue shall no time spare His counsells deep and wonders to declare Psal 77.3 5 11 12. The Lord hath mindfull been of our distresse And in his tender mercies will us blesse To Aarons house his blessings