thing is Man how frail and brittle How seeming great how truly little We rise securely with the Morning Sun But unregarded Die e're Day be done Yet his Estate was level and he hath Free-will To stand or fall unforst to Good or Ill. Such is the State Man was created in Within his Power a Power not to Sin His life 's a bubble full of seeming Bliss The more it lengthens the more short it is The swelling of his outward Fortune can Create a prosperous not a happy Man. 'A peaceful Conscience is the true content ' But Wealth is only her Golden Ornament ' I care not so my Kernel relish well ' How slender be the substance of my shell ' My Heart being Virtuous let my Face be wan ' I am to God I only seem to Man. To him the searching of Mens Hearts belong Mans Judgment sinks no deeper than the Tongue Let shame prevent our Lips recant and give To the Almighty his Prerogative He overlooks thee and in one space Of Time his Eye is fixt on every place A Disswasive from placing our Hopes in transient Happinesses BUild not your Bliss upon the blaze of Glory Can perfect Happiness be transitory Nor in the use of Beauty place your end Nor in the enjoyment of a Courtly Friend These if injoy'd are crost with Discontent If not in the pursuit yet in the event Apply thy Heart to Wisdom with good attention For 't will inrich thy Soul with fair prevention That no foul Treason against thy Blood intended Thy Life thy State will Loyally be defended For Worship Honor and true respect Shall be done to him whom the Heavenly King do affect Peerless Honours and Princely Rights Be done to them in whom this King delights The highest Heavens will still conspire to Bless All faithful Seed and with a fair success Their Enemies he 'll ty they shall not make reply Not daring to answer nor deny The Heavens grown great with Age must soon decay â—â—e pondrous Earth in time shall pass away â—â—t yet his Sacred Words shall always flourish Though Days and Years and Heaven and Earth do perish â—an sees like Men and can but comprehend â—â—ings as they present are not as they end Man wants the Strength to sway his strong affections What Power he has is from Divine direction Which oft unseen through dulness of the Mind We Nick-name Chance because our selves are Blind And that 's the cause Man's first beholding Eye Oft Loves or Hates and knows no reason why If he be Poor that wanteth much how Poor he that hath too much and yet wants more â—â—ice happy he to whom the bounty of Heaven â—fficient with a sparing Hand hath given â—e fairest Crop of either Grass or Grain â—ot for use undew'd with timely Rain The Wealth of Crcesus were it to be given Were not Thank-worthy if unblessed by Heaven 〈◊〉 Riches which fond Mortâ—â—s so imbrace â—re not true Riches it not enlightned with true Grace Wealth interpos'd with too too gross a Care â—hey lie obscur'd and no Riches are Let not the fawning World to pleasure then invite Thy wandering Eyes the Flesh presents delight â—sist me in my Combat with the Flesh â—elieve my fainting Power and refresh 〈◊〉 feeble Spirit I will not wish to be Casâ—t from the World Lord cast the World from me To be afraid to die or wish for death Are Words and Passions of disparing Breath But wretched Man were thy condition mine I 'de not dispair as thou do'st not repine But offer up the broken Sacrifice Of an humble Soul before his gracious Eyes Whose Works are Miracles of Admiration He mounts the Meek amidst their desolation Confounds the Worldly Wise that blindfold they Grope all in darkness at the Noon of Day But guards the humble from reproach of wrong And stops the current of the crafty Tongue Thrice happy is the Man his Hands correct Beware lest fury force thee to reject The Almighties Tryal he that made thy Wound In Justice can in Mercy make it sound â—ear not tho multiply'd affliction shall Bâ—siege thee he at length will rid them all In Famine he shall feed in War defend thee Shield thee from Slander and in Griefs attend thee Thy House shall thrive replenisht with Content Which thou shalt Rule in prosperous Government For Man â—â—licted by the Almighties Hand His Faith doth flourish and securely stand Yet the worst I 'le look for that I can project If better come 't is more then I expect If other ways I am Arm'd with preparation No Sorrows sudden to an expectation Lord to thy Wisdom I submit my Will I will be thankful send me Good or Ill. If Good my present state will pass the sweeter If Ill my Crown of Glory will be greater All this experience tells when I advise Those who have taught many may themselves bâ— Wise Tho rising early with the Morning Sun Yet unregarded die e're Day be done No Gold is pure from dross tho oft refin'd The strongest Ceder's shaken with the Wind. The â—est of Men have Sins none lives secure In Nature nothing's perfect nothing pure â—â—om mudded Springs can Crystal Water come 〈◊〉 some things all Men Sin in all things some Since that my Vesture cannot want a stain Assist me lest the Tincture be in Grain To thee my great Redeemer do I fly It is thy Death alone can change my Dye Tears mingled with Blood can scowr so That Scarlet Sins shall be as white as Snow But wretched Man be not in thought too sure Sin steals unseen when we sleep most secure By Craft there are who season error with the taste of truth And tempt the frailty of our tender Youth What pleasure is in Dainties if the tast Be in it self distemper'd better fast Lord in my Soul a Spirit of Love create me And I will Love my Neighbour tho he Hate me I Love the World to serve my turn and leave her Tho I 'll not say 't is no Deceit to cozzen a Deceiver She 'll not miss me I less the World shall miss To loose a World of Gâ—ief to injoy a Life Bliss By thy Mercy Lord to Glory receive me in Aâ—though my Soul is burthen'd with my Sin For thou art Just and bent to a Wise Decree Which certain is and cannot alt'red be It seems a Paradox beyond belief Tâ—â—t Men in trouble should prolong relief We poor weaklings when we sleep in Sin Knock at onr droâ—sie Hearts and never lin Till thou 〈◊〉 our sin congealed Eyes Lest drown'd in 〈◊〉 we sink and never rise The approaching 〈◊〉 might be at once prevented With Praâ—rs and Pains râ—â—â—red reattented We try new ways dispairing of the old Love quickens Courage makes the Spirits bold Our God bids go our Credit bids us stay Our guilty fear bids fly another way O Earthy Men make not your Righteous Laws A trick for gain let Justice râ—â—e the Cause ' O worthless Man arise and see ' There 's not a twiny
thy God by Vow Defer not payment but perform it thou Discharge thy Bonds for Heaven takes no delight In those that violate the Faith they plight For better 't is thy Vows were never made Then having promis'd payment never paid Let not thy Lips insnare thee plead not thou Before thy Angel 't was too rash a Vow 'T is not the Pills of treasur'd wealth sustain Thy drooping Spirits this is all so vain Oft have I seen increasing riches grow To their great mad Owners overthrow Vexing their Souls with Care and then repay Unprosperous pains with grief and melts away His wealth is fled and when he shall transfer it Upon his Heir there 's nothing to Inherit Look how he came into the World the same He shall go out as naked as he came Of what his labouring Heart have brought about This dying Hand shall carry nothing out This is a wounding grief that as he came In every point he shall return the same What profit can his Souls afflictions find That toils for Air and travels for the Wind. This is an evil that happiness now and then Beneath the Sun amongst the Kings of Men Then eat and drink and reap what pains have Got to Crown thy Days which thy Creator gave 'T is all the portion some will have Who study not for happiness in the Grave But hark my Soul the Morning Bell invites Thy early paces to a new delight Away away the Holy Saints Bell rings Put on thy Robes and Oyl thy secret wings Call home thy Heart and bid thy Thoughts surcease To be thy Thoughts go bind them to the Peace Take good Security or if such fail Commit them to the All commanding Jayl And thy cram'd Bags there to lie close and fast Until thy Heavenly atoning Vows are past Confine thy rambling pleasures to the trust Of vacant Hours and let thy Wisdom thirst Banish all Worldly passions with their base born Sir From thy delectable Courts that Wisdom may come in Leave all thy servil Fancies in the vail Mount thou the secret Hill and there bewail Thy dying Isaac whose free gift may be A living Pledge 'twixt thy God and thee Take thou no Care Heaven will supply Their craving Thirst with Bottles from thy Eye Better it is to be Funeral Guest Then find the welcoms of a frolick Feast For he that fears the Almighty shall Out-wear his evils or find no evil at all Wisdom affords more strength more fortifies The undejected courage of the Wise Yet is there none beneath the Crystial Skies So just in Actions or in words so Wise That doth always good or hath not been Sometimes poluted with the stains of Sins What God hath setled in a crooked State No industry of Man can make it strait Since then the Righteous Man's recompence is such Be not too Wise nor Righteous over much Let not thy Flesh suggest thee or advise Thee to be Wicked or too Unwise Why should thy too much Righteousness betray Thy danger'd Life and make thy Life a prey At passions Language stop thy gentel Ear Lest if thy Servant Curse thee thou should'st hear For oftentimes thy Heart will let thee see That others have been likewise Curs'd by thee This Wisdom by my travel I attain'd And in my Thoughts conceiv'd that I had gain'd I gave my studious Heart to watch and pry Into the bosom of Philosophy I laboured to give my self to fly the Art Of falshood and the Madness of the Heart For whom Heaven favours shall decline Sins gates But the Incorrigible shall be taken by her baits But whether shall these to what strange Religion fly To find Content and baulk that hidious vanity Which haunts this buble Earth and makes thee still A slave to thy preverse infatuated Will. All this I have by thee observ'd and given My Heart to not each action under Heaven There was a time when the oppressers Arm Oppress'd his Neighbour to the oppressers harm With floods of bitterness since none of these Nor all can Crown our labours nor appease Our raging Hearts Oh! my deceiv'd Soul Where wilt thou take thy Peace who shall controul Our unbounded Thoughts to sweeten out This span of frailty plung'd and orb'd about The threatning Firmements but as a breath Darts down and dashes at the doors of death Since Waxen-wing'd Honour is not void Of danger whether arm'd or injoy'd Since Hearts rejoycing profit have no fruit But care both in fruition and in persuit Since laughter is but Madness and high Diet Oft ruins our Health and breeds us great disquiet Since humane Wisdom is but humane trouble And double knowledge makes our sorrow double Since what we have but lights our wish to more And in the height of plenty makes us poor And what we have not too to apt to crave Even dispossess of what we have A good repute is sweeter far Than breaths of Aromatick Oyntments are And that sad Day wherein we drew our breath Is not so happy as the Day of death For here we are but quickly forgot Blaze for a season but continue not Tho foolish flatteries entertain Our Souls with Joy but all that Joy is vain For if both Heaven and Earth should undertake To extract the best from Mankind and to make One perfect happy Man and thou art he Thy finite fortunes still would disagree Man in whose frame the Great Three-One advis'd And with a studious Hand Epitomiz'd The large Volumes and perfect Story Of all his Works the manuel of his 〈…〉 With fear and wonder in whose sovereign Eye He breath'd the flames of awful Majesty Man a poor shiftless transitory thing Born without Sword or Shield not having wing To fly from threatning dangers not to arm Or graple with those numerous evils that swarm About this new born frailty wrapt aside From fair Obedience to Rebellious Pride How is that Power that was bred and born The Earths Commander now become the scorn Of Dunghil passions Shipwrack'd with the gust Of every factious and inferiour Lust How is the Sun-bright Honour of his name Eclpis'd how is his Glory Cloath'd with shame What means that great Creating Power to frame This spacious Universe Was not his name Glorious enough without a Witness Why Did that corrected twilight of his Eye Unmuzle darkness and with Morning light Redeem the Day from new baptiz'd Night There is an evil which my observing Eye Hath taken notice of beneath the Skye Man's wealth can't instruct him to withstand The augry stroak of the Almighties Hand Since the increase of wealth procur'd by pain Preserv'd with fears with sorrow lost again Increaseth grief in the possessors Breast What vantage than have Man to be possess'd Who knows what 's good for Man in this dull balze Of life is swift his shaddow flying Days Or who can tell when his short Hour is run The events of all his toyl beneath the Sun The Worlds surviving Lamps do not affright The pleasing slumbers of his peaceful Night
There be no Ears no Eyes to hear to see The living Soul have not such rest as he Who stands upright in Courts with unshaken Mind For the Test proves him and he is found refin'd If thy superiour happen to incense His jealous wroth at thy suppos'd Offence Do thou thy part yield for yielding slacks The raging flame great transgressions makes He that shall dig a pit that shall prepare A snare shall be ensnar'd in his own snare Happy is the Just and Holy for who but he Can judge of things or what their Natures be For these are Heavens favorits sent down from thence Unfolding secret Mysteries in Heavenly Eloquence Knowing there 's a time true Justice shall preceed On every purpose upon every deed With God all future Times are present ALL Times to Heaven are now both first and last God sees things present yea future as we see them past But we transgress his Laws 't is time to part For why the Laws of Nature break the rules of Art. A smiling Conscience a contented Mind A sober Knowledge with true Wisdom joyn'd Sleep seasonable moderate and secure Actions heroick constant blameless pure A life as long as fair and when expir'd A glorious Death unfear'd as undesir'd The World is a Book writ by the eternal Art Of the great Maker Printed in Mans Heart 'T is falsely Printed tho Divinely Pen'd And all the Errata will appear at the End. Believe it Christian by how much near Thou get'st to Heaven the less will Earth appear Call home thy dearest wishes and recal Thy hopes expect the worst that can befal Grace giveth Virtue opinion not Glory For Princely favours are but transitory Humane Nature curious without corrupt within A glorious Monument of inglorious Sin Yet much our Saviour have endured yea more To make us Kings that were but Slaves before He that grieves because his grief is so small Has a true grief and the best Faith of all He vows his Faith and the sincere perfection Of undissembl'd and intire affection And such in doing well Shall seek for Heaven not find the flames of Hell. ` Oh! let the Church my Mother instruct me Give savory Meat Cloath and Conduct me Into my Fathers Arms These Hands shall never Trust to the poorness of their own endeavour Bring I a Kid but of my Mothers dressing 'T will please my Father and procure a Blessing Most Sins at least please Sense but some are Treason Not only against the Crown of Sense but reason But 't is an error as foul to call Our Sins too great for Pardon as too small The reason is easie to be riddled out One's dispair the other not doubt Lord weaken this Rebellious Flesh That 's apt to oppose Grace Oh! quicken and refresh My dull and coward Spirit that would yield And make Proud Satan Master of the Field Because 't is Grave not Bed that I am in Not a-sleep but dead in Sin. Serve God in Plenty and in Affliction trust No thanks to serve our God when he feeds us Promise is a Debt and Debt implies a Payment How can the Righteous then doubt Food and Rayment Let not my Thoughts so divided be But they mix again and fix on thee Oh! thou who didst appear in cloven Tongues oâ— Fire Direct my Thoughts and with thy self inspire That I may search the Scripture to increase In the Diviner Knowledge of thy Peace That when all things shall cease that are transitory Thy Gifts of Grace may be Crown'd with perfect Glory The Rich Mans sum of untold descended Wealth Can give his Body Plenty but no Health The Poor in pains and want possesses all The other in plenty finds no Peace at all 'T is strange and yet the cause is easily known The one 's at Gods finding the other at his own The formers filken Robes his costly Diet Can lend a little Pleasure but no Quiet The latter seldom slacks his Thirst but from the Pump And yet his Heart is blithe his Visage plump Such Truths are Subjects far more fit For Holy Admiration than for Wit. 'T is said of Alexander that he complain'd And wept because there was no other Worlds to gain His griefs and thy complaints are not amiss He has grief enough that finds no World but this Our trust in God for Riches never must Exclude our Care nor Care exceed our truâ—t Thy Sacred Will be done Great God To spend or to suspend thy Rod If possible my Will 's to miss it If otherwise to stoop and Kiss it However submit we shall not be this the worse If Conscience Bless what if Shimei Curse ' Some say the Sacrament's a Supper and 't is fit 'To use the posture of a Meal to fit ' Can thy Discretion Phares or thy Zeal ' Give Carnal gestures to a Spiritual Meal 'A Heavenly Supper and a Fleshy Heart ' Thy posture has discover'd what thou art Of those Sacraments which some call Seven Five were Ordain'd by Man and Two by Heaven As saith the Eternal Word whose high Decree Admits no change and cannot frustrate be What thing is Man that Gods regard is such Or why should Heaven love wretchless Man so much His age is Sinful and his youth 's Vain His life 's a Punishment his death 's a Pain Yea Man who ought to be a Watch-light in the Temple Is as a Snuffer wants the Oyl of good Example Can he be said to fear the Lord that flys him Can Word confess him when as Deed denys him For this Men should strive to have their Hearts relent Such Hearts which never knew what Mercy meant Gods Love is boundless apt and free To turn to Man when Man returns to thee Adjourn thy Sanguine Dreams awake arise Call in thy Thoughts and let them all advise Before the Soul can a true comfort find The Body must be prostrate and the Mind Truly contrite and repentive within And loath the fawning of a bosom Sin But Lord can Man deserve or can his best Do justice equal right which he transgrest When Dust and Ashes mortally offends Can Dust and Ashes make Eternal mends â—s Heaven unjust must not the recompence Be full equivalent to the offence What mends by moral Man can then be given To the offended Majesty of Heaven O mercy mercy on thee my Soul relies â—n thee we build our Faith we bend our Eyes If thou wilt thou canst change our lot That we and ours may Live and perish not Thy Glorious Wisdom and tender Love Transcends thy sharper justice will remove ' Judge not that Field because its stubble ' Nor him that 's poor and full of trouble ' Tho the one look bare the other thin ' Judge not their Treasure is within Injur'd inocency while the Enemies Unhallow'd Tongueâ— Makes her a Glorious Martyr in their wroâ—gs The Devils believe all know they do But their belief does make them tremble too Men rail at Iudas him that did betray The Lord of Life yet doâ—t Day
but prefer the care of the Soul before all the World for it is more to be valued than Ten Thousand Worlds Wherefore take heed to your selves and be Wise in time before it is to late for though you know not what the Soul is because you see it not neither can you feel it yet it is a Particle which came from Heaven and when it goes out of the Body it goes to God to Live for ever it sleeps not neither doth it die for it is Immortal and of an Immortal Nature and so impossible to be destroy'd for we have our Saviours own Word for it when he saith Ye cannot kill the Soul St. Luke 12. 4. and when he saith My Father is the God of Abraham the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob St. Matt. 22. 32. whereby he plainly shews that the Soul which is the nobler part of Man tho it be taken from the Body is alive for saith he My Father is the God of the living and not of the dead as dead but of the living that are dead So that thâ— Souls of all departed people are alive for althougâ— their Bodies are crumbled to Dust from whence theâ— were taken their Souls are with God that gave them or in some place of Gods appointment according 〈◊〉 their lives have been Because God have prepared maâ— Mansions for us St. John 14. 2. and as we have improved our Talent so shall our Station be St. Paâ—â— also saith That one Star differeth from another Star 〈◊〉 Glory and since these things are so let us not loâ— a Minutes time but improve it to the Glory of Goâ— and our own Souls Good and begg of him to giâ—â— us a Heart inflamed with Love and winged wiâ—â— Duty that we may give up our Souls totally to hâ—â— Adorable Majesty that he may dwell in the Throâ—â— of our Souls for ever And after this Life we may 〈◊〉 admitted to the Vision of Bliss and have free Inteâ—course with all Holy Souls in those beautious Regions Fourthly 'T is evident that Spirits fill no rooâ— tho they could see all things which point is veâ—â— dubious and unsertain for that Holy Souls can behoâ—â— the visible Actions of Mortal Men to us is altogethâ—â— uncertain tho we doubt not but they do behold whaâ—soever is Acted in those Regions where they dweâ— in those Infinite Dimensions or Heavenly Habitations tho they are inriched with Liberty and made brigâ—â— by Knowledge derived from the Illustrous and Illumâ—nated Power of the Omnipotent God who is infinitâ— Communicative to be Good and to do Good to 〈◊〉 Mankind and hath made the Soul of Man on purpoâ—â— that it might see him in his Kingly Country wheâ— St. Paul saith We shall be like him for we shall 〈◊〉 him as he is not as we now behold him darkly througâ— a Vail in deep Obscurity but Face to Face in Unvaâ—â—ed Glory And if the Eye of the Body that was maâ—â— for the World being so little a Ball of Earth aâ—â— Water can take in all and see the visible World i. e. â—hat part of it on which the sight of the Eye can be â—resent much more is the Soul able to see and be preâ—ent with all that is Divine and Eternal tho the Soul 〈◊〉 unhappily divided from God is a weak and inâ—onsiderable Creature but when United to God 't is 〈◊〉 Transcendant and Celestial Thing God being its Life â—reatness and Power for as the Apostle saith he â—hat is ioyned to the Lord is one Spirit for his Omniâ—resence and Eternity fills the Soul and makes it able 〈◊〉 contain all hights and depths and all things may â—e in it as it were by Thoughts and Intellections and Magnanimous desires are the Natural result of such 〈◊〉 Magnanimous Capacity Such a Soul then in respect â—f its Capacity is an Immovable Sphere of Power and â—nowledge and by imagination is able to pass â—â—rough the Centre of the Earth and through all â—xistencies for it is most Capacious and Swift Comâ—and it then by thought to go into India and sooner â—â—en thou canst bid it it will be there not as passing â—â—om Place to Place but by Thought and Immaginaâ—on suddenly in a moment as you may send it to â—eaven by the slight of a Thought as you may at any â—â—me command it to fly tho not by the assistance of â—ings in a Bodyly manner but after the manner that â—ouls pass from Place to Place not locally but after â—e manner of Spirits For the Soul of Man is said to 〈◊〉 an Immutable Essence his Power of Reasoning is â—ive even when 't is quiet and the Body unactive â—is one and the same for Nature in all Men tho not â—r Indeuments of it self equally inclined to Great â—ransendent Things tho in most Men 't is misguided â—â—ffled and suppressed but where it has the common â—ssistances that God has prepared for it it is a Miracuâ—â—us Creature and of near alliance to the Divine Maâ—sty For a Man being Wise and Holy his Soul is 〈◊〉 it were in the Heavenly World and it 's no trivial â—â—jury can make him contend being Liberal and Magnanimous he is prone to do Heroical Things and to make himself Venerable to his very Adversary being averse to all Wroth Clamour and Anger scarcely in any thing being defective and becomes a great Man by contemning Danger having an Infinite felicity in his Dayly view and may justly strengthen himself in the hopes of Divine assistance knowing the Infinite value of his Soul and believing the Blessedness that is in reserve for it by reason of the greatness of interiour Bliss and is therefore environed with the bright Beams of his own injoyments and always beggeth of God that as Sin hath abounded so may Grace superabound that all Souls may receive the Blessed advantages of the Divine Forgiveness that all may have the Blessed Assistance of Grace to lead us into all Virtues which are themselves our Aids to bring us to Glory For these acquire good Habits and infuseâ— Grace causing us to incline to the secret Study of Felicity that we may be even now possessed with sincere and pure delights for Godliness is a kind of God-likeness a Divine Habit or Frame of Soul that may fitly be accounted the fulness of the Stature of the inward Man. For 't is an Inclination to be like God to please him and injoy him and he may be said to be God-like that is High and Serious in all his Thoughts Humble and Condescending in all his Actions full of Love and good Will to all the Creatures and bright in the Knowledge of all their Nature Covering all the Treasures of God and Breaths after the Joys of Heaven Recollecting all his broken and scattered Thoughts nothing less than the Wisdom of God will please the God-like Man for God-likeness is the comment of Amity betwixt God and Man Eternity and Immensity are the Sphere of his Activity and are often frequented and filled With his