tear-drown'd eye Weeps out his soules sad sorrowes but for what They neither know nor can prognosticat Is this the grave saith he where Laz'rus lyeth Is this the Tomb which his dead corps implyeth It is say they then roll away this stone Which holds him in his dusty mansion No no saith Martha now the time is past This is the fourth day since we made it fast Corruption e're now hath made him stench His putrifaction no perfume can quench What Martha saith he have not I e're now Told thee that if by faith thou shouldst subdue Thy soule thou shouldst behold the pow'r of God Change Moses serpent to an usefull rod They roll away the stone to heav'n doth he Lift up his heart his hand and weeping eye And with a loud voyce he doth thus encall His Fathers hearing O great All of all O dread Creator and ô loving Father From whom all creatures doe their essence gather I thank thee that thou now hast heard me nay I know that thou dost heare me every way But that this people may believe that thou Who in thy selfe art very truth and true Hast sent me thy right hands great strength to prove And to the sonnes of men make known thy love To thee I cry'd and yet to thee doe cry That thou wouldst their hard hearts once mollifie This said he straight on Lazarus doth call Come forth come forth stay no more there at all I have the keyes of life and death therefore To thee my quickning spirit I restore No sooner hath he spoke these words then he Who lay in death and graves captivitie Comes forth bound hand and foot with those poor ties Which laugh to scorn lifes superfluities Now loose him saith he loose him let him goe For God is Lord of life and death also O what a world of miracles doe here In coacervat troops of pow'r appeare He weeps and spends his teares this tells he 's Man His word awakes the dead God only can He makes the bound to walk and blind to see All this t' expresse his sacred Deity Yet will not loose the bonds nor move the stone Himselfe but gives to men direction To act that part that by this Riddle he May teach the sonnes of men a mysterie That he who without man did man first make Will not man but by man save or forsake Qui fecit te sine te non servat te sine te For though God works his work mirac'lously Yet t'ordinary meanes he doth man ty And now in end to shew how Christ of late The deafe and dumb did both re-consolate How for the payment of a Tributes penny A Dolphine from the deep affords him money How graciously th' Adulteresse is freed And both from sinne and shame stands purifi'd How that poor man who from the wombe was blinde By clay and spittle doth his eye-sight finde How Jairus daughter and the widdows sonne Of Naine were reviv'd how he alone Did feed five thousand with five barly loaves How dry-foot on the Seas proud waves he roaves I dare not longer undertake to tell Lest under such a weight my spirits faile Let this suffice those few which here be shown Make both his Godhead and his Manhead known The Proselyt's CANTO 5o. AS when a grave and sage Gymnosophist Minding to put his Scholler to the list Of publick dispute whence he hopes to gaine The honour of his long turmoyling paine Prescribes him first some disputable Theam To be contested in the Acadeam Which being toss'd in Dialectique manner By quircks and Sophismes of a subtill strainer Gives correspondent hopes or fears of what The publick The'ter can emarginat So Nicodemus having oft times heard Of that rich glory and that rich reward Which Christ had promis'd to all such as should By his directions be govern'd and rul'd Goes privily by night to him to try Who was the stronger Christ or th' Pharisie Master saith he I see thou art a man Come out from God for certainly none can Or speake or doe as thou hast spoke and done Without some divine inspiration Is' t so saith Christ brave Nicodemus now I needs must tell thee what thou dost not know Except a man be born again 't is sure He shall not enter in at Glories doore Be born again saith he what 's this I heare VVhat man can make this paradox appeare Can he that 's old return to 's mothers wombe And thence being born again a childe become This Maxim seemeth very strange to me It over-tops my weak capacity VVhat dost thou think this strange doth Christ then say That man must needs be born again Nay nay Unlesse a man be born again by water And by the Spirits inward hid lavacre He cannot enter in Gods kingdome for What 's born of flesh is flesh and what is more What is born of the Spirit 's likewise Spirit VVithout this birth no man can heav'n inherit The winde blows where it lists thou hear'st the sound Thereof but canst not tell where 't may be found From whence it comes or whither it doth goe So hidden are his waves who makes it blow Come come saith Necodemus tell me where Thou canst be bold this Doctrine to averre Thou speak'st to me of being born again But of a new birth I conceive no strain Thou prat'st to me of heav'ns great Kingdome but Of that Monarchick state I see no jot Make me then see a reason and a cause Of what thou speak'st else hold thy peace and pause VVell Nicodemus now of truth I see That Nature is to Grace an Enemie And what the nat'rall man thinks wisdome that Doth God as folly excommunicat And what the Lord counts wisdome that doth Nature Abhorre as voyd of her perfections feature VVhat if I should be bold but to demand Of thee this question what strong pow'r and hand Did frame thee in thy mothers womb when yet In darknesse as a Non-ens thou didst sit Whose fingers there condens'd thy bones what power Did fill thy veines with Bozra's crimson shower VVho made thy nerves and artyrs so to tie Thy bodies compact and societie Who fram'd thy braines great Chaos liver spleen Thy boyling choller or thy moyst'ning phleagm VVho made thy eyes so watchfull Centinels VVho made thy nose Judge of so various smels VVho made thy tongue to speak or eares to hear VVho made thy knees to bow or back to bear And last of all whence hadst thou that poor breath Whose presence lends thee life whose absence death Whose influence warms thee with celestiall fire And whose unmoved motion doth aspire In a poor minute to run round about Earths drossie globe and Seas green glassie spout Then in an eyes poor twinkle strives to know The treasures of the windes hail rain and snow Thence falling down doth view that woefull deep Wherein the Vessels of Gods wrath doe weep Thence scaling all the heav'ns doth scan the course Of all the Stars in their imperiall sourse Thence soaring higher
might'st be The Asahel of God the seepe-goat We Ne'er did the wounded Deere with more desire Run to the water brooks to queuch his fire Then thou dost thirst to taste that wofull cup Which Adam's with'red hand could not beare up Man thou didst make at first and him so lov'd That for his rescue from Gods wrath 't be hov'd Thee to be Man and all his sinnes sustain To reunite him to his God again Such leve as this hath not as yet been known As thou unto the sonnies of men hast shown The love that Danid did to Jou'than beare Or to proud Absoloms gold-locks of haire With this thy love cannot be parallel'd Thy love 's epcinall mah's by time is quel'd The old Passeover being finish'd now The Eucharist succeedeth in that liew They sing a Psalme and praise that mighty God Who brought his Isr'el out from Aegypts rod Then sayth my Saviour Now the houre draw'th neer Of my dread suffrings all of you stands here By me this night shall be offended for 'T is writ The shepheard I will smite therefore The sheep shall all be scattered anon And I to sorrow shall be left alone Yet come thus thus it needs must be for so The Prophets have forespoken long agoe This Peter heareth and with pride oppress'd As if his heart were steel'd his bones were brass'd He saith though vainly Master whither shall We run from thee though all the world should fail And shrink from thee yet will I never leave thee Till dust and earth doe of my life bereave me Peace Peter saith my Saviour hold thy peace Before the Cock crowtwice even to my face Thou shalt deny me thrice and by base feare Of this thy life thou shalt my love forsweare Thus out they goe and over Kedrons brook Whereas Mounr Olive overshading looke Covers Gethseman's garden there they stay But Jesus go'th aside and thus doth pray Father the houre is come now glorifie Thy Sonne as he hath glory giv'n to thee All such as thou didst give me I have kept And none of them hath perish'd save that sheep Or rather childe of wrath and of perdition For him thou didst nor give to my tuition This is eternall life that man should know Thee for true God and me thy Sonne also This I have taught them this doe they believe Eternall life by this doe thou them give I pray not for the world for them I pray That they in me by faith may alwayes stay I doe not pray that from the world thou take there But that thou in the world doe ne'er forsake them For while they in the world remain they 're hated And for my names sake shall be ill intreated But I have kept them in thy name and they Both know thee doe believe and thee obey Keep them therefore ô Father by thy truth Thy word is truth they have it from my month Nor doe I pray for them alone but eke For all these Prof lyres who salvation seek By faith begotten by their word in me O let them share in my felicitie For thou and I ô righteous God are one Let them with us have also unione That as thou art in me and I in thee So they may be made one with us trulie And by their joynture with us two may shun Sinne death and hell and condemnation Thus hath he prayed and now returning he To Peter James and John familiarlie Gives this forewarning Watch and pray lest that Your restlesse foe doe catch you in his net He go'th again unto his former station To taste the first fruits of his bitter passion He kneeleth down to pray but sense of wrath Makes him to cry My soule unto the death Is heavy Father if it be thy will Take this cup from me let not thy wraths rill Lay more upon me then my strength can beare O heare me Father bow thine ears and heare But ah his Agony waxing still more great Through his pure vains and pores a bloody sweat Doth from his body so bedew the ground As if from Eorâ—â—a's presseh ' had got a wound Three severall times in this perplexed state Doth Christ the selfe same words reiterat Father he cryeth still O let this cup Passe from inde for I cannot drink it up Yet if it be thy will let it be so Thy will and not my own I came to doe Father againe I pray thee let this houre Passe from me for 't is tart above my power Yet for this houre into the would come I Why should I then decline an piety No though I smart in this my passion Not my will Father but thy will be done Now all this while doe his Disciples fleep A Lethargy upon their soules did creep And though he wak'd them thrice yet thrice again They doe return to their Lethargiouest into But heav'ns amaz'd to see his soule so sad Doe by an Angels comfore make him glad Who can behold the passage of this story And see the dumpish fits o' th' God of glory And not be struck with more then admiration To view the sonne of God's evacuation What griefe what fear what blood what sweat is this Which wallowing like the Oceans vast abisse Can finde no bottom nor restrayning brink To curbe his woes or make his sorrows shrink O Bozra now I see thy robes are read O Ramah now thy joyes are banished O Rachel now thy children are transperted And justly thou disdainist to becomforted From Edoms winepresse whilst of late the come Hoping to finde somesweet refresh oâ— home Thou couldst find none thou trod'st that presse of wine Alone and therefore no mans greises like thine But ah me blessed Soviour where be now Thy wonted comforts and that strength'ning crew Of consolations which thou gavist of late To thy Disciples in their wofull state Where 's now the comforts which the Scriptures say Thy presence doth for evermore display Where 's now thâ—â— hope which in deaths valley from Thy rod and shepheards crook were wont to come Where 's now the promise of that great comforter Which thou didst promise as our soules supporter What shall become of us poore withered shrubs Of hysop how shall we endure the rubs And counter-pusss of fact all lictions when Thou lofty Cedar lowâ—es and bows for men Under that burthen and that load of wrath That should presse man down to the second death What was it Saviour tell me that thus lay Upon thy back with such impetuous sway That made thee with a sad redoubled groane Say that thy soule to th'gates of death was throwne What was it feare of death and fore felt-paine That madethee in such measure to complaine Or was 't the shame of thy ensuing Crosse That made thee utter this distemper'd voyce No no farre be 't from me to wrong thee so Those sighs those groans and grief's redoubled woe Did from another deeper sourse and spring Send forth their runnais wofull bubling It was the wofull burthen of mans finne Joyn'd with th'Etem
are gone His foes are fill'd with feare amaze and wonder Like Latmos rent with heav'ns high ratling thunder Seraphick Spirits bow before his face Mortality to glory now gives place And all the Children of his wedding Chamber Whose lips are Corrall and whose locks are Amber Whose eyes Carbuncles are in dark of night Gladly doe now attend this mornings light And from the grave they role away that stone Which Caiaphas had fet his seale upon 'T were strange to see that was could make that sure That heav'ns had destin'd to distemp'tature But now the Scriptures are fulfill'd which say He gives his Angels charge 〈◊〉 thy way To keep thee lest thy foot should either slip Or'gainst a stone at any time should trip Yet was it neither Angels might nor power That did return life to my Saviour But that same Godhead which in him did dwell Restor'd his life and did his death expell For though his soule was from his body cut His Godhead from his Man hood was not shut For that great tye of Hypostatick union Shall never be dissolv'd or lose communion No no Mans nature which he did assume And unite to the Word i' th' Virgins wombe Shall in no after time or taste Confusion 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Or by a stronger hand ' plain of Division Or by a change smell any Alteration Or by or death or life have Separation But shall for ay that union retaine Where three are one and one is three againe No sooner doth my Soules brave Sampson draw Gaza's gate-barrs asunder then his aw Maketh earths wieghty globe to reatch and reele About him like Ixyons giddy wheele The dead arise and to the Citty goe As witnesse of his great triumphing show The Lyons to their dens return apace Because great Judah's Lyon shakes his tresse And all the beasts of neighb'ring Forrests feare Whilst they this matchlesse Lyon's roaring heare The chirping birds whose sweet melodious notes Bring sweeter crotchets from their carr'ling throats Then all Apollo's nymphs can straine or sing Unto his Harps delicious fingering Betake themselves unto their wings to flie Rather then in an Earthquakes arms to die The nibling Lambs which graze on Vesta's kirtle And sips her hony suckles and her mirtle Leaving their breakfast bleat and cry and call Each one to gaze anothers festivall Great Neptune and his Thetye now sing dumbe Because the Soveraign of the Seas is come To put a hooke in their nostrills and draw Leucotheo from Achelous maw But above all the long-liv'd Phenix seems As freshly wak'd from her reviving flames To greet him with the rarest welcome that E're Lark or Finch or Linot modulat And at his foot her starry Spangled Crown As to the righteous owner she throws down For she reviv'd hath thousand years in store But he requickneth lives for evermore In end comes Titan dayes bright shining eye Who lately slept in darknesse Cannopy And from his Orient or Eoan wave Where Neptune doth his steps in pearle engrave Seeing a clearer Sun i' th' West arise To all his Naids and his Napaeis cries Look here and see the rare yea rarest wonder That ever Earth held up or Heav'ns kept under Two Suns arise at once and in one day Two Titans to the world their lights display The one wherof although he rise must fall The other knowes no Occident at all Thus is my Saviour up and mangre hell And all the pow'rs of darknesse there doe dwell A new light life and liberty is given To all that hunger for the light of Heaven 'T is true no article o' th' Christian faith More faithlesse or reluctant en'mies hath Then hath the Doctrine of the Resurrection Whil'st it stands canvass'd by humane direction Yea nature ne'er requir'd a better sport Then tosse this Ball within her Tennis-court For faith it selfe can hardly sound this deep How a scatter'd non ens to an ens can creep Although that Nature and the Scriptures both Have writ the hieroglyphicks of this truth The Phoenix spicie nest her Mistris burneth Yet she from out her fatall Urne returneth When length of time sun-staring Eagles spills They doe revive by casting off their bills Hearbs trees and plants which in the winter wither I' th' spring receive both sap and life together The Corn we sow doth first corrupt and die Yet from that death their grains doe multiply And if 't be true Medaea for the sake Of Jason made old Aesons youth t' awake But Scripture tells us that the first man hath By sinne subdu'd all mankinde unto death And that the second man doth yeeld more grace Requickning that which dy'd by our trespasse And unto Abram's seed the Lord hath said I am the livings God and not the dead Adde unto this that he who first did make All things of nothing can from something take With lesser pain this little world of Man Then when at first he from the dust it span Nor is it just that any coupled paire Who work together should not have like share Of glory after death who in their life ' Gainst Sin and Sathan kept a conjunct strife Why art thou then so sad my Soule and why Art thou cast down with such anxiety Dost not thou know that Christ is made thy head And thou by faith his living member made He is thy husband thou his wedded wife Whil'st he doth live how canst thou doubt of life He is the root and thou his ingraft-branch When thou art judg'd he sitteth on the bench He is our Main which by our faith 's hid pores Refreshing waters to our springs restores And till his never ebbing streams goe dry We need not fear to lack a new supply Naked from out our mothers wombe we come And thither naked must we once goe home Yet we believe earth shall not still enfold Us in her arms that were too base a hold For any in whose soule the sp'rit of grace Hath made his mansion or a dwelling place No sure suppose these putrid tents of clay Wherein we sojourn for a night or day Must be dissolved better buildings we In heav'n shall have For Immortalitie Shall this our Mortall swallow and devoure Our weaknes then shall be exchang'd to power Corruption shall to incorruption turne And shame shak'd off we shall no longer mourn For what by Nature we doe here inherit Shall there renew'd be by th'Eternals Sp'rit Though then the grave unto weak natures taste Relish no better then the hemlocks feast Yet from her arms we reap a richer store Then ever nature did possesse before For there the poore have peace from their oppression There earths horsleeches shrink from their possession There rich and poore the high the low and all To earthly tempest ly no more made thrall But waiting for the return of their Judge In secret for a while lye still and lodge Since then I know that my Redeemer liveth And that he shall perform what faith believeth In all the periods of my lifes poore
is done he looketh on them and anon O strange mirac'lous rare Conversion Without his word the water 's turn'd to wine Sweet as the Malmsey rich as Muscadine Drink woman now faith he drink drink and fill To others also Cana's grapes distill Not such a wine as doth my word therefore Bid them come drink who love to thirst no more But all 's in vain I bid men drink for why Nothing but blood will mans soules thirst allay O God what heav'nly hierogly phick's here Of that sweet Nectar and Ambrosian cheere Which thou our soules Bride-groom shalt for us make When to thy Cana thou shalt us home take For there our mariage-supper is prepar'd Legions of Angels shall thy Bride still guard The fatling's kill'd thy bowles of wine are drawn Thy table-cloaths are dainty Cyprian lawn Thy bed of love is made and richlier hung Then that where th'Epithalamy was sung To Salomon and Pharoh's daughter for Their best magnificence and proudest store Endur'd but for a time but this for ever Shall satiate his guests and finish never In Cana water was exchang'd to wine But in thy house whoso shall sit and dine Shall with the fatnes of thy house be fill'd And drunk with that sweet rill thy side distill'd Whil'st on the Crosse thou stretch'd thy armes abroad T' imbrace thy Bride and heave her to her God O then since all things that be necessare For such a wedding feast thou dost prepare Prepare our hearts also to meet thee when Thou call'st us from out Meshechs sinfull den That so the Bride-groom and his Virgin-bride May in the Tents of love for ever bide From Cana to Capernaum next day My blessed Saviour undertakes his way Where dwelt a reverend grave Centurion Whose servant 's sick in whose compassion The Captain comming unto Christ doth thus Intreat him Master master pitty us For loe my servant 's with a Palsie taken And of all hopes of health is quite forsaken Since then all hopes of humane helps be gone And we be left to mourn his griefes alone I pray thee let thy helping hand supply His great distemper and necessity Goe saith my Saviour get thee home for I Will quickly come and cure his malady No saith the grave Centurion take no pain Great master to turmoile thy selfe in vain I am not worthy that thou glorious thou To come within my roof thy self shouldst bow Speak but the word alone and he shall live For that thy word can heale him I believe Loe I am one set in authoritie Subdew'd to one and many unto me To one I say goe hither and he go'th T' another doe this and that straight he doth Unto a third I say come and he commeth Thus what I will is done and none presumeth To disobey what I command my word For their obedience is a law assur'd When Jesus heares those words he stands amaz'd And on the following troops a while he gaz'd And saith at length In truth and veritie Such faith in Israel I did never see But this I tell you that the time 's at hand VVhen many from the VVest and East shall stand VVithin my Churches faithfull glorious pale And be baptiz'd as sonnes of Israel And with old Abraham Isaac Jacob they Shall eternize a solemne holy day VVhile as the children of the kingdome shall In utter darknesse mourn a Madrigall Goe therefore saith he to the Captain goe And as thou hast believed even so Be it to thee and at that very houre The servants life and health was made secure O God how dost thou by this grave dispute To Japhets children freely contribute The promise of eternall life if they By faith shall on thy words their rest relye Give us therefore what of us thou requir'st And then require of us what thou desir'st Now babling fame hath took her wings to flie Through all the neighboring Regions farre and nigh And make the glorious powers of this man Controll the Earth and daunt the Ocean For whatsoere he doth is quickly told And in fames Ephimerides inroll'd To shun therefore the peoples vain applause Whose changing currents oftner ebbs then flowes Down to Tiberiâ—'s sea he goes that thence He may show favour to the Gadarens But whil'st he 's in the ship his former toile Perswades him in a sleep to rest a while His eyes are scarcely shut when loe dark clouds Obscure the heav'n and proud Aeolian thuds Distemper so the Main that Neptunes locks Wax hoary-white with dashing ' gainst the rocks Here one pround wave doth Babel-like arise And with tumultuous threats affronts the skies Another here falls to so vast a deep That Pluto's wak'ned from his morning sleep A midst this surly gust the poor ship's ross'd And with impetuous windes and tides so cross'd That his Disciples in their feare doe rore And for their health their masters help implore Help help great master say they help awake And on thy perishing train some pitty take For if thou doe not now extend thy power This swallowing tempest will our soules devoure He straight awakes and unto them he saith O you of trembling hearts and fainting faith What doe you fear Peace winds faith he th' are still Peace raging Seas and they grow calm at will By this the Ship is brought unto the shore And neither winds nor seas molest them more O thou controller of the windes commotion O thou dread daunter of th' undaunted Ocean Speak peace to our tumultuous souls for why Unlesse our sp'rituall tempests thou allay Unlesse thou swage and calme their storms in time We sinke and perish for we cannot swim No sooner were the windes by is word appeas'd No sooner 's Neptune by his word asswag'd When Jesus with his few Disciples goe To Gadara that they his power might know But by the way that Sp'rit who works our spight And in our ruines takes his chiefe delight Having intrench'd in his prodigious roles The mortall bodies not th' immortall soules Of two poore men while as they see him come Like ramping Lyons and like Boars in fome Th' approach his presence and in fury cry Jesus thou sonne of God who dwel'st on high What have we here to doe with thee for this Of our just torment in the deep abysse Is not the full time and we suffer wrong If there before due time thoudost us throng What is your name sayth he they answer Legion For we be many in this humane region And as thy Father is the Lord of hoasts So we as many love to scoure their coasts Come out come out saith he you cursed crew And of these wretches take your last adiews If we must needs goe out then let us goe Say they and enter in those swine for loe Whan thou ejects us from this Isle of man Thy little world we must doe what we can To rob him of his best approved pulse And nestle there because we lose himselfe Goe goe saith he they goe and take possession Of those poore beasts and
sinner from his sinnes convert He shall the father to the son rejoyn The son gainst father shall no more repine Each lofty Mountain and declining vally Through which our bubling brooks doe crawl and dally Shall change their state for those shall be made low And these exalted to an eminent show Things rough shall be made smooth things crooked streight And on rous things shall lose their pondrous weight And all the sucklings sleeps in natures lap Shall see the lightning of his thunder-clap That all the world may learn t' adore and kis Immanuel whose harbenger he is O how can 't bee saies Zachary that I Whose loynes are fruitles juceles barren dry Or that my wife Elizabeth whose raines Have stopt the fruitfull current of their vains Should recollect recover and rebring A living Runnal from a wither'd Spring No Zachary saith the Angell know that hee Whose glory wisdom pow'r and Majesty Turns heav'ns bright Sphears about earths drossy ball Shall make thy tragick-Theatre comicall And lest that like a bull rush beaten reed Thy faith should faint or hope should lose her Creed Recall the memoyr's of the daies of old How Nature hath been by his pow'r control'd And thou shalt see that to the supreme powrs VVee stand subjected and what ere is our For let mee ask whence comes these Nectar'd drops Which like pure Balme doe drench Pomonaes tops Who makes the Oceans mutinous waves reflote Or who enamels Vestaes petticote VVho doth the fields refresh or flowrs re-flowr Who Bride-like busks Apolloes Paramour Who leads brave Titan captive through the sky Or who decks Cynthia with a silver dy Who brings old Boreas from his frozen Cave Who makes his furie all the world out-brave Who can command the light in darknes Camp To checker portraits in a dornick Champ Or who can shut again Lights glistring ey To snort in midst of darknes Canopy All these like antient Hieroglyphicks may God's wondrous power to the world display But since thou by a faithles feare wilt try His might goe mannage thy security By Sarahs loynes the faithfull Abraham's wife Whose barren belly is a well of life Behold Rebecca and the barren Anna Mother to Samuel wife to Elkana And by the histoyr ' of their strange exchange Command thy reason and thy sense t'estrange Their course from Nature and repose alone Thy faith and hope ev'n against hope upon His never failing word whose power can frame From senslesse stones a seed to Abraham 'T is true that Nature since the world began Strugleth ' gainst Faith within the naturall man And like a mutinous Hagar strives to steal The lot from Isaack to her Ishmael And he who hath not learned to deny Himselfe his reason wit and industry And with the welcome of affections kisse Submit himselfe to God and all that 's his May well expect but never shall embrace The dignities of Glory or of Grace And now since by a further doubting thou Hast call'd his word in doubt who 's only true Loe I who stand before his glorious eyes Who though unseen himselfe yet all things sees Must tell thee that till these things come to passe Which he hath spoke who shall be is and was This just deserved Rod on thee shall fall That thou shalt neither heare nor speake at all But shalt be dumb till with thine eyes thou see Th' accomplishment of this my Heraldrie Thus having with dread Majestie engraven In Zacharies heart this sowre-sweet-newes from heaven Like lightning when it darts alongst the skies His wings support him and away he flies The Annunciation CANTO 3o. STay stay your course you christall heav'ns and you Swift rolling Sphears whose vaulted Arches bow An azur'd brave Pavilion o're Ear ths bail Stay stay your motions sweetly musicall Arrest your course likewise you twinckling starrs Who dallying in your gold rich ammel'd Carrs Doe like brave Torches and still burning Tapers Light natures Chappell at her ev'ning Vespers And Amphitrite thou where Syrens dwells And celebrate their Nymph-like festivalls Braule thou no more in that tumultuous guize That sacks the Merchant 's far fetch'd Indian prize But like a Bride who knows her Bride-groom's diet Greet thou thy Neptune with a sacred quiet And whilst thy waiting hand maids-cristall brooks Desert their Fountains and their floury crooks To bring a Consort of their watry Calls To gratulate thy Nymph-like Nuptialls Then clasp them in thine arms with joyfull heast And bid them welcome to thy Virgin feast Till reconvey'd with Tritons for their trayne Thou sendst them to their bubling sourse againe Empamper'd Vesta on whose embroider'd kirtle Hangs Alloes Cassia Spicknard Balme and Mirtle Carowse that Nectar which the Heav'ns doe weep To all those sucklings in thy lap doe sleep That they may dance amidst thy pearlelike shower A Masquedrade before thy Paramour Thus like a bold-fac'd Herald I proclame To Nature and her Universall frame Ev'n from Boötes in his whirling Carre To pale Orion's tempest boding Starre A sacred quiet and a sweet cessation From all their influence course and operation Till he whose Royall and Imperiall Throne Transcends our azur'd skies and heav'ns each one Doe from the Senate of his own good pleasure Send Man the Message of his Soules rich treasure Sixe times hath now faire Phaebe cut a caper In opposition to her brothers Taper And six times couch'd againe within his armes Sh' hath glut her selfe with his delightfull charmes Since earst a heav'n-born Legat hath declar'd To Zachary That for his faiths reward From out his wife Eliz'beths barren wombe The great Messiahs Prodrome John should come Now now Time big with fulnesse doth require That he who first did blow our Soules bright fire Should contribute truth life and light unto Those shady Tipes which did his Sonne foreshow That so the gracelesse World by him might plant Within their hearts his gracious Covenant Time then being full Night in a sad Sea-green Or pitchy-purpled mantle like Deaths Queen Had tane her Brother Morpheus Mace in hand And sent a drowsie rest over all the Land The ever-sacred ever Virgin-mother Whose glory neither heav'n nor earth can smother Great Arimathea's joy and Bethels Crowne And Palestina's dread sweet rich Renowne Still ruminating heav'ns unshun'd decree How from a Virgins belly there should flee A Soule dread Monarch and Celestiall Prince Whose blood should purge our leprous foule offence Prevent the rosie mornings warbling train And hyes her to a neighboring Grove amain That there in darknesse shady lap she might In divine contemplations spend the night Yet stay my Muse stay but a little while And view this grove which Eden-like doth smile That by the survey of so sweet a shade My muse may some way make my Reader glad Neare to that place whence hoary Jordane slides From Hermons hill and makes his twin-born Tides To meet in Marons lap in view doth lye The ever fruitfull pleasant Galily Whose right hand 's dipt in those tumultuous waves Which by Tiberius
wise just good impassive excellent Eternall Monarch All-commanding all End of all ends of Firsts th' Originall Great Light of lights Cause of all causes and Chiefe Life of lifes unseen all-seeing brand Who e'r the Worlds Idaea first was fram'd E'r Eurus blew e'r Seas or Earth was nam'd Ev'n from Eternity did in One combine One Trine-une essence one essentiall Trine Him shalt thou finde e'r Time could stretch his station In unsearch'd deep eternall Observation Fore-know his creatures in their severall ends And severall courses that the same attends Yea as his aye and all fore-seeing eye Fore-knew his creatures from eternity So hath hee made his pleasure and good will A still enflamed Limbeck wherein till Mans waies are so confin'd compos'd control'd That all his Mercure's turn'd to perfect gold This is his work though wondrous in our eyes Ev'n his whose throne transcends our starry skies From contrair's to extract a contrair ' story Whose contestation still effects his glory Thus did he in the worlds first byrth forth bring This universall-All from out nothing And by his word hee made lights glistring Lamp Shine in the midst of darknes shady Camp Thus doth he now in times last time from far Call things that are not ev'n as though they were And makes his Mercy sup'r abound in store Where Sins abundant plenty dwelt before No heare mee Virgin pause for pause thou must Hee that revives the Phoenix from her dust Hee that from darknesse center springs the day Hee that from gates of death doth life display And he who without woman first did make Of Adams rib an Evah for his sake Shall without knowledge of a Man provide To make the' a-sacred Mother Virgin Bride Thus spoke hee and then disappears and now The maid 's alone who on her knees doth bow And with her hands lift up to heav'ns high throne She sighs this sacred exultation Loe here I am thy servant mighty Lord Bee 't unto mee according to thy word If thou on mee hast plac'd thy hearts delight Then let thy hand-maid prosper in thy sight Yet O thou great and everlasting Father How shall I wonder or evanish rather At this thy wondrous work thou dost expresse On mee the chiefest worm of wretchednesse For thou hast look'd upon the base condition Of mee thy servant in so wondrous fashion That henceforth all succeeding times shall call Mee bless'd because of this memoriall Thy mighty hand hath done for mee great things And great 's thy name thou royall King of kings For by the strength of thy right hand thou scatters Man's vain imaginations like spilt waters Thou thrust'st the mighty down from Iv'ry seats And makst the abject to possesse their states Thou fill'st the hungry with thy blessings store And mak'st the full through penury to roare Thou mak'st thy promise a continuall creede To Abraham Isaac Jacob and their feede Yea from the stem of Jesse thou mak'st known To all that feare thee ' thy salvation Bless'd bee thou then thou God of Israel who Hast visit and redeem'd thy people so That by the splendor of that Bright day star Which thou hast made to shine both neer and far The tender mercies of our tender God In wondrous plenty visits us abroad And gives us matter while the world 's great frame Endures to prayse and magnifie thy Name Immanuel or Puerperie CANTO 4o. GReat God who by thy words great pow'r brought From nothing's-Chaos this our all things by rth Great Spirit whose secret certain prescience Fore-knows and guides all humane accidents Eternall Light from whose all-seeing ey Nothing is hid no not eternity If ere thou mad'st my silly simple Soule In sacred rage to rise above the Pole Now now reflect bright Sun thy golden rayes On my poore Moone eclips'd by thy delays Ravish my Spirit Life of my Soule revive My starving thoughts that I may truly give A perfect strain and perfectly record The Incarnation of thy ' ternall Word That so in sacred fury I may limbe Though with a coale the first-born Prince of Time And to the after-age in verse expresse God living suffering rising in the flesh But ay me where shall stripling I begin T' unfold this Daedal ' Labyriuth wherein Nature shall sooner lose her selfe then gain A steddy course amidst this Ocean For nature never hath as yet exprest His first-born being in th'Eternal's brest And how shall humane wisdom now forth tell The second byrth-right of Immanuel 'T is true some doating Atheists big with tumors Of brain-sick Heresies impoys'ning humors Like blinde men groaping in the day have run By light of Nature to display this Sun But all in vain the more they scan this point The more they find their judgements out of joynt Here one conceiting God cannot be born Ebion Hath therefore laught his Deity to scorn Another seeing him true Gods true Son Marcion Denieth him Man by Incarnation A third beholding him both God and Man Euâ—iches Confounds his Natures by a naturall span A fourth enforc'd by force of truth to see Nestor God joyn'd with man in Pers'nall unitie Hath from his true distinguish'd Natures frame Giv'n him two Hypostatick persons theame Which like Hippocrates undissever'd twins Together quicken live dye ends begins But hath not Esay much more cleerly told To Judahs King that Time should once unfold Esay 7.14 From out a Virgins womb a glorious Prince Whose Passion should expiate our offence Immanuel God with us and even Man of the Virgin and a God from Heaven Not God alone but Man also or rather God of himselfe Sonne gotten of the Father Both God and Man in whom both reall Natures Of God and Man distinguish'd by true features And severall functions stands dissever'd so As no division can their seat ore-throw And so distinguish'd that albe't there be Two Natures there distinguish'd really Yet to averre two Persons thereupon Were Sathans dark prevarication No no Immanuel and that God with us Our Advocate our Judge and our Jesus Abiding what he was e'r Time become In Time what he was not and being the same Was in our flesh without Confusions wonder Or rending of his Person ev'r asunder Inaugurate by Heav'ns dread Monarchs love A Prophet Priest and Prince for our behove A Prophet by whose documents we learne The things which Nature never could discerne By force of Reason for th' Almighty did In secret silence his best Counsels hide Till his Eternall word made flesh should frame The glorious promulgation of the same A Priest also the Virgins Sonne must be T' accomplish the Almighties dread Decree Of Mercy and of Justice both so that Th' Almighty might in both b'inviolat A Soveraign Prince he needs must be also To lead Captivity captive and ore-throw That Prince of Darknesse who by Sinnes proud hands Kept both our life and liberty in bands That as by him our feares our foes and all Captivities are captivate and thrall So he in God may make us
the worlds foundation Thou did'st but speake and all this all 's creation Did to thy great Imperiall word obey Loe here shin'd light their shady darknes lay Here Hill's proud tops did on their tiptoes stand There did the Ocean roare against the sand Here on the floury bottoms fragrant mead The nibling troups securely prank and feed There in the bosome of the glassie deep The scaly nations softly swim and creep The ayrie legions scud along the skies As if they meant the Welkin to surprise And every thing that hath or life or sense To thy command'ment gave obedience And whil'st thou com'st an old world new to make No other toole nor mattock thou wilt take But that same word of thine that thou mai'st still By thy great Word thy glorious Will fulfill Since by thy Word then which is only wise Thou dostillighten thy Disciples eyes O let me heare thee in great Moses chaire Confound those Rabbins whom the world admire That by thy Doctrine I may learn that wit Which never nat'rall man could teach as yet To Nazareth he goeth and entring there Unto their Synagogue he doth repaire And reads in Esayes volume this sweet text Esay 61.1 Jehovahs Sp'rit is me let all vex'd With sinne afflicted hearts come heare my word For I am the annoynted of the Lord Whom he hath sent his Gospell to proclame To free the Captives and restore the lame Give sight unto the blinde binde up the bruised And give them grace who doe not quite refuse it This day saith he this Text is now fulfil'd This day is grace down from the heav'ns distill'd And happy he who heareth and believeth In him who this Salvation freely giveth But veng'ance shall his portion be who stops His ears against my heav'n elixer'd drops Doe not you call to minde how that of old From Ebals threatning tops it was foretold A thousand curses should fall down upon A sinfull froward generation But who so should their soules enclinet obey The sacred Sanctions of the mount Siney Ten thousand blessings from Gerizims store Should on their heads be multiplied and more Now is the time and here am I the man From out whose mouth or curse or blessings can Receive effect or force to save or kill They heare my word and they obey my will Blessed is he therefore whose heart is pure For of my heav'nly kingdome he is sure Blessed are they who hunger for my grace They shall be fill'd and satisfied with peace Blessed are they who doe in secret mourn Their sorrows to their solace shall return Blessed be you when men for my name sake Shall of your life and goods proud havock make Blessed be you when ' gainst you men speak evill And call you sonnes of Beliall and the Devill For what they derogat from your regard They adde against their will to your reward Yea bless'd and more then blessed shall you be When you be thrust from their societie Thrust from their Synagogu's excommunicate Rebuk'd blaspheam'd and all disconsolate Be not dismaid but rather be you glad The Prophets old no better service had The Sonne of man himselfe shall so be us'd Contemn'd reproach'd disdain'd and fouly brus'd And sure I am that when the master hath No softer shelter and no surer path The servant should not grudge nor yet disdaine If with his master he shall share like paine But wo to such whose riches shall abound Whose heart and hands are in their store house sound I tell you truly they have their reward No after pleasure is for them prepar'd Woe woe to those who laugh and never weep Destruction to their soules doth softly creep Woe woe to such as vainly cry peace peace Thinking the mountaine cannot change his place For sorrow griefe and plagues shall on them come Like travell on a womans burth'ned wombe Stoln bread and water sweet are to the taste But gall and worm-wood's easier to digest Blesse you therefore such as doe curse you for If you shall blesse your friends and doe no more What honour can you crave of God by them Who live estrang'd from God they doe the same Doe good to those who harm you pray for those Who persecute your Soules with griefes and woes Give to all such as aske you freely len And look for no requitall back agen So shall you show your selves th' Almighty's sonnes When you be cloath'd with his perfections You are this worlds chief salt while you have savour Your work with God and Men shall finde true favour But if you lose your savour then your taste Shall all your service to the dunghill cast You are a Citty set upon a hill Which to the worlds proud gaze stands object still Dream not you can be hid all eyes are on you And all mens motions doe depend upon you If whil'st they wander in an oblique Car Your course prove constant like a fixed Star If whil'st they stumble in Cymerian night You walk in Goshen like the sonnes of light Whil'st muddy cares doe their best joyes controle If your affections rest above the Pole If whil'st their runnalls Marah like prove tart Your springs drink sweet and so rejoyce the heart If whil'st they hold in hand a fruitlesse goad You bud ripe Almonds like to Arons rod If whil'st a stranger cals you you repine And know no shepheards voice but only mine In all your wayes if you shall still intend Your masters glory and no other end Then ô how happy happy thrice you be Life is your lot your term eternitie Then feare not man whose hand can doe no more But kill the body feare God rather for When he hath kil'd the body yet he can Powre out destruction on the soule of man And send both soule and body down to hell In chains of darknesse and of death to dwell 'T is true those precepts which I now doe Preach Exceed the narrow bounds of humane reach Yet though the flesh be weak the Spirit 's strong And grace can rectifie stern natures wrong Think not I come to put the law at under Or what the Lord hath joyn'd to cut asunder No no the Law and Gospell be two brothers The sonnes of one man though of severall mothers That Hagars brood who unto bondage beareth This Sarahs sonne who 's free and nothing feareth That 's Sinays suckling who with terrour shaketh This Syons nursling whom no feare awaketh That first this last that strong but this the stronger And so the elder must needs serve the younger The Law requireth works the Gospell Faith Both have one ayme though in a severall path For he who sweetly speaketh in them both Is but one God and one same sp'rit of truth Works without faith are like to fig-tree leaves Which seem to shelter but in end deceive's And faith unlesse good works doe crown her head May seem to live yet 's spirit'ally dead For as faith laying hold on th' Mediator Makes man stand just before the just Creator So works
joyn'd unto faith tells that faith 's true Which works by love and doth mens lusts subdue Then preach them both keep both and so you shall Your selves and others both to rest recall Doe not you know when many run a Race With panting breasts and sweat-besmeared face He onely who proves constant to the end Obtaines the Crown but if he shall offend And stumble at the stumbling stones i' th' way His stumbling makes his honour to decay If men then for a temporall Crown take pain And strive so hardly for a sading gain How much more should the uncorrupted Crown Of glory honour and dominion Make you to run your race without cessation Since your reward 's eternall consolation Be carefull therefore that your masters name By your neglect be not expos'd to shame And that whil'st others by your words be saved You of your masters joy be not be reaved A certaine Sower on a time went forth To sow his seed of rich and pretions worth And as he sow'd some by the way-side fell And that the soules of th' aire did quickly smell And pickt it up Some fell in stony ground That took no root because no earth it found Some amongst thorns did fall that straight did spring And yet was choak'd by their o're-shadowing Some fell in fertile ground and taking root Did to the Sower bring expected fruit According to his travell toyl and pain The thirty sixty and the hundreth grain I am the husband-man my word 's the seed If that doth perish it doth not proceed From Sower from the seed or from the season For those were all combin'd in right and reason To work a happy harvest But mans heart Is that unhappy ground in whose each part Such hidden store of deep corruptions lye As turn'th my toil unto fond vanrtie For sometime Sathan vultur-like doth pray Upon the word and beares it quite away Sometime mans obdur'd heart more hard then stone Rejects my word by induration Sometime the thorny cares of humane life Mix'd with the word are at such mutuall strife That what at first takes root doth very now To persecutions storm and tempest bow In such a sort that root and stalk and blade In this their conflict's quickly vanquished The fertile ground 's the faithfull heart that doth Return unto th' industrious hand that sow'th So rich an increase that for every ten The master hath a thousand back again Watch therefore lest while as you sleep there come The envious man who in the good seeds roome Sowes darnell cockle and those cursed tares Which cursed and malignant ground forth-beares For to your master you must make accompt Of what you sow and eke what doth surmount He will not have his own true seed alone He needs must have reduplication The heav'ns and earth may perish but one jot Of this my Doctrine shall not be forgot Till all things be accomplished which either Concerns my glory or my glorious Father The Powers CANTO 4o. WHen Moses followed Jethroes fleecie flocks And made them graze on Horebs golden locks At unawares he look'd aside and spies A bush on fire whose flame to heav'n up flies The bush still burns and yet remains unburned To dust and ashes it can not be turned O what a strange prodigious sight saith he Is this which now 's presented to mine eye A crackling thorne a fierce consuming fire In mutuall conflict yet doe both conspire To shew the world the strangest rarest theam That e're was toss'd in natures A cadeam I will therefore goe view 't but by the way A voice proceeding from the bush can say Stay Moses stay doe not approach too nigh Corruptions can not dwell with Majesty Cast thy shoes off thy feet for it is found The place whereon thou stand'st is holy ground Yet since I see thee beg with fresh desire To search the secrets of this scorching fire Heare what I tell thee Loe this burning bush Doth represent my Church which by the push Of Pharoah's proud oppression's brought so low That she doth almost faint by his ov'rthrow Yea that shee 's not consumed in that flame Comes from my power who am what I am Her hid corruptions call for my corrections My promise to her Fathers pleads protection The one she bears the other in short time Shall wound her foes and expiate her crime My word shall teach her and my power shall heal The wounds and bruises of my Israel What here was promis'd to the Church before The Law from Sinay's thundring tops did roare Is now accomplish'd in the Gospels day For by his word he points her first the way Then by his dread mirac'lous power doth cure The sad distempers of her imposture Who doubts his power let him but make bold And view the wond'rous works he wrought of old Consider Moses hand put in his bosom By Leprosie tnrn'd white like Aprils blossom Consider Nilus streams turn'd unto blood Consider Israel fed with Angels food Remember how Rephidim's rock's a poole And Mara's rill made sweet in Israels bowle The Sun in Gibeah stands a whole day still An Asse controles her foolish riders will Fire comes from Heav'n and dryes Eliahs trench A sonne is giv'n to Shunam't gratious wench Jonah's preserved by a swallowing Whale The Lyons stoope and crouch to Daniel Three children walking in a fi'ry flame Lose not one haire their clothes are free fro th' same All those as wonders did attend his Law And to his word did yeeld respective aw And shall the Gospels message of our peace Lack her attendants no in any case His pow'r shall still accompany his word And by those two shall all things be restor'd That man 's indured heart by those two may Read Lectures of his truth and love each way Come then proud Scribe come doting Pharisee Come wrangling Lawyer come along with me And see what wonders are in Juda done Then judge if your Messiah be not come In Cana's village last day there was made A Nuptiall banquet richly furnished Not with luxurious superflu'ties store But with satieties plenty and no more The bidden guests doe come ' mongst many other Christ Jesus commeth and his Virgin Mother That by his presence he might sanctifie Gods Ordinance and Mans societie The friends are plac'd the tables richly cloy'd The bowls of wine are here and there convoy'd And no things lack that true content would have Or measure wish or moderation crave Yet as it often unto men befalls Some crosse doth still attend their festivalls Their wines are spent his mother tells him so Woman saith he what 's this I have adoe With thee my 'pointed time is not yet come Yet for thy sake I 'le shew my self to some Cause bring me here fixe water-pots of stone Which you use for Purification They bring them to him Fill them now saith he With fountain water that I may them see Fill fill them full fill them unto the brim And with true fountain water make them swim 'T
all wrath that did begin This wofull combat in thy soule for loe What we should suffer thou didst undergoe Hence were thy griefes thy bloody sweats and teares Hence were thy supplicavions and thy feares Hence were th' affrighting passions of thy soule As man alone thou could'st not them controle The spirit of man infirm'ty may sustaine But who can beare th' Almighties deep disdaine To see the Sonne of God sweat drops of blood 〈…〉 And yet no wonder though â— wond'rous cause Produce effect that reason quite dissâ—nowes If hell and death have pains in tollâ—â—able If flesh be weak and humane faith be feeble What wonder was it though with flesh aray'd Thou of th'Eternalls wrath wa st so dismay'd The wonder is how thou our true Phisition Knowing our sicknesse and our sad condition Cor Id'st by the drinking of our poyson'd Cap Refresh our soules and eke revive our hope O that in this thy wofull agonie We could but read our own perplexitie So should our sighs and teares in time prevent Th' eternall throbbings of deaths punishment But since we cannot as we would recall Our mispent time and so repaire our fall O teach us in our lives to follow thee That with thee we may finde conformitie Of comfort in our crosse so shall thy grace Once make us to enjoy thee face to face Yea let the path or way be what it will Let griefe and toile and tears and torment still Beat down our outward Man yet let us make Our inner man more strong by faith and take Example by thee both in life and death To seek Gods favour and to 〈◊〉 his wrath The Surpryse CANTO 3o. THrice hath the Sonne of righteousnes display'd The soure-sweet symptoms of a soule dismay'd And thrice hath zeale-bred pray'rs prevayling power Recleer'd th'eclypses of his darkned houre Thrice hath he bidden his Discyples pray Lest to tentation they should one the way But while he checks their watch they 're still asleep Droun'd in the bottome of secur'ties deep So frequent are our foyles our faith â— unsteady That flesh is ever weak though th'spirit's ready Yet once more will he rouze them from their rest And print this farewell Sermon in their breast My friends saith he oft have I bid you watch Lest Sathan in his snare your soules should catch But you havedroup'd you have been drouzy still Hence forth goe sleep and take your rest at will For th' houre is come The Sonne of Man 's betray'd The Traitounis at hand and for his avde An armed Legion com'th yet none can take My life from me but for my poore sheeps sake I lay it down and take it up againe And by my willing death you life retain Arise let us goe hence Scarse are they gone When loe the traitor and his legion Come all along and to my Saviour goe First to surprize him then work his ov'r throw And first comes Judus in a poore Lambs fleece Though inwardly a raying Wolfe be is Throwing his arms about his Masters neck Doth greet him with this foule dissembling check Haile Master to his word he joyns a kisse And by that signall tells the troupe who h 'is But ô my Saviour meekly doth enquire Friend wherefore com'st thou so dost thou desire By this thy kisse to kill the Sonne of Man The task is foule goe on doe what thou can Hadst thou but as a stranger been suborn'd Thus to betray me I could well have born 't Or hadst thou as a causlesse hatefull foe Conspir'd to work and perpetrate my woe I would not then have grudged But to see Him who did dip his hand i th' dish with me And him who in my bosome lately lay Lift up his heele against me and betray Me to the death 't is strange but Father what Thou hast begun continue consummat Fie on thee Judas Sathans first born sonne Hadst thou but kept one spark of grace within Thy hellish breast these words of friendly love Might have suffic'd thy treach'rous heart to move And pull'd thee down upon thy soules bow'd knees To beg the pardon of thy treacheries But ah as one poore bubbling drop alone Can hardly gutter flint or Porphire stone So hardly can one word though ne'er so â—â—ue An indur'd heart to sense of sinne subdue Whil'st thus he spâ—â—ks to Judas all the â—est Of that proud rable have themselves addrest To apprehend him straight way He but saith Whom seek you friends Jesus of Nar areth Say they he answers Surely I am he Which words import he 's God and Man trulie Iam did from the burning bush foretell The safe redemption of his Israel And this word He doth his human'ty show Who by his death should satisfie the Law For he 's the Man and truly onely He Who gives man life and imâ—ortalitie No sooner hath he spoke â—hose words I 'm he When by those words consounded back they flie And to the ground doe fall such was the power And piercing virtue of my Saviour He doth enquire againe Whom would you have Jesus say they the man of Naxareth I surely am the man saith he the truth I have already told you from my mouth If me you seek then let those goe their way From you I shall not flie but with you stay For what is writ of me fulfill I must Let those goe safe lot me sustain the worst Not long agoe my Saviour hath foretold The times were comming in the which men should Of two coats sell the one and buy a sword Peter remembreth this Prophetione Word And seeing Matchas proudly lay his hand Upon his Master draweth forth his brand And ayminght proud Malchus head that blow Did crop his eare and cut it quite in two Surely the sword of Peter was but just Who stops his ear to God and man doth trust May justly lose his eare his eye his hand And all his body that doth God withstand But Peter here doth wrong could he but know 't He beats the stone and quts the hand did throw 't The blow on Judas should have been moresure Who th' Author was of this distemp'rature Malchus but acts false Judas falser plot 'T is pitty Judas had not Malchus lot Yet that poore Peter now may wisely know That good intention's not enough to show The actions good and that shows cannot hide The hidden frailty of a self-sick pride Christ bids him put his transhing sword againe Into his place for humane streng this vaine And he who by the sword his will doth cherish Shall sometime by the sword both fall and perish Dost thou not know saith he that what a cup My father doth propine I must drink up Thouh it were ne'er so bitter were 't not so This world should perish in an endlesse woe Or dost thou think that if I pleas'd t' escape I could not this earths drossie globe ov'rleap And riding on a thousand Cherubs wings Prepareany ineseue with the King of Kings Or think'st thou not but if I lov'd t'remove I
been Gods sonne no lesse For who did ever see so firm and strong Expressions of Deitie ev'n among Infirmities and weaknesse saddest strains As now burst forth in Naturesbubling vains By this just Joseph Arimathea's Lord Hath beg'd of Pilat by submissive word That he Christs body might have pow'r to take Down from the Crosse and in his grave to make Him rest who rest and peace had promised Unto all such as sought to him for ayde Pilat yeelds to it Joseph's quickly gone Through Salems streets and rich stor'd shops each one And of pure balm and myrhs elixar'd Nard A hundred weight he buyes and afterward Embalmes my Saviours body and doth binde It in a Tyrian lawn more dainty fin'd Than that which Venus putteth on the eyes Of Cupid to obscure his leacheries Then in his Garden corner with all haste In his new-digged tombe he hath it plac'd And that the body there might rest secure He puts a stone upon the Sepulture ' Mongst many passions of the soule by which Man doth his guilty minde surcharge too much Whil'st he doth wander in that desert where Nothing is reap'd in end but griefe and care That pultrone Feare for most part leads the ring Where Cruelty hath harp'd on Envies string For nothing can secure that sordid mind Where wrath and malice are in one combin'd Hence doth the High Priest and his rascall-train To Pilats hall return yet once again And under colour of a wise prevention Belch out the vomit of their foul intention This fellow say they while he liv'd did say Pull down this Temple and on the third day I will re-build it Lest therefore by night Some steal him from his grave and so affright The world with frantick tales of 's resurrection Let us walk wisely and ' gainst this infection Prepare an an tidote for by such toyes The weaker may be led to great annoyes Goe goe saith Pilus doe what ere you list Hath not his blood yet satisfi'd your thirst 'T is strange to see that death cannot put end Unto that wrath which doth on rage depend The very beasts that live by cruell pray Drink blood eat flesh but cast the bones away But ay me poor faint-hearted Muse how long Wilt thou sigh forth his obsequies whose wrong Though all the Main were turn'd to teares and ink Could not suffice to write them on her brink Weep therefore weep a space and weeping look Not like a runnall or a bubling brook Whose proudest swellings we no sooner spy But straight they are exhaust their channell 's dry But like the Ocean whose unfathom'd deep Sends forth those restlesse streames which never sleep For here thou hast the deepest deep distresse That ever heart could think or tongue expresse The sonne of God heav'ns master-peece the bright Transplendent glory of th' Almighties light Th' eternall Word which was e're time began In time for man made man nay not a man A worm a wretch a servant nay a slave To calumny contempt to crosse to grave Yet peace my Muse and let not griefe exile Thee from due comfort let a blushing smile Comfort thee rather for those wounds which stands Imprinted in his heart his feet his hands Make him although despised and disdain'd To carnall eyes where sinne and shame 's maintain'd A pretious Victime off red up for thee To whom of due belong'd the cursed tree Yea he is that great star of Jacob who Makes Japhet unto Shem's sweet tents to go And bids the world write anthems of Rejoyces Because his grave makes ours a bed of Roses Where though he for a season rest and sleep Yet shall not earth him in her armes long keep But as the Sonne of God he thence shall rise And lead Captiv'ty captive through the skies And thence ascending to his glorious throne Shall be our all in all and all in One For notwithstanding all that stamp and stirre Whereby his grave is sealed and made sure Up up again he shall Gods holy one Can in the grave take no corruption But by his Resurrection makes our faith Triumph the more ore sinne ore hell and death The former times prefigur'd have this truth Did he not save one from the Lions mouth Was not another thrown amidst the Sea And after three dayes set at libertie Yea were not three at one thrown in the fire As vassals of a Tyrants proud desire Yet by his pow'r so preserv'd that the flame Did neither harm their haires nor garments seame Did not he by his mighty pow'r ere now Naims poor widowes sonne to life renew When Lazarus had four dayes ly'n in grave Did he not by his word his soule receive When as the good Centurion's daughter lay Asleep did he not turn her night to day When Eutichus did from his third loft fall Did not his quickning sp'rit his sp'rit recall And when Tabitha jappa's Nymph lay dead Did not his Cumi straight lift up her head Those and a thousand more then those doe stand As great Herculean trophces in his hand Those were but shaddows he the substance is The type was theirs the antitipe is his And all of those beare witnesse that his power Can kill and quicken rescue and devoure Now doth the date of that appointed time Wherein he should arise from Deaths dark clime Draw neer for from the sixt dayes afternoon The Sabbaths whol day he did rest eft soon The eight daies morn no sooner'gins to break But loe the sonne of Righteousnes doth wake And with a better light the world recleare Then ever Titan brought t' our Hemispheare And as that God who did the world create Upon the sixt day did man animate And on the seventh day celebrate his rest A type of our Eternall heavenly feast So did my Soules most grarious Redeemer Crush on the sixt day my soules sad blasphemer And on the seventh day resting in the grave Did from Goliahs hand his Isr'el save And rising on the eight dayes morne hath made The womans heel to bruise the serpents head This day of old had small or no respect But now to heav'n it doth our hearts erect And justly makes his Gods a ther the Sunne VVho in th'Eccliptick of true light doth run This day more sacred should be kept then any Because by it Salvation spirings to many And therefore 〈…〉 as farre As Titan hath beyond 〈…〉 staâ—reâ— For look how much our second birth is more Then our first birth 〈◊〉 is our Sabbath for Upon the sixth day we had our Creation But on this Sabbath light life and salvation And since upon this day we from our fall With him have rise it is Dominicall And merits to be sign'd with ink that 's red Because his blood our debt hath can celled Th' intended period of the time now come The sonne of Jesse Israels brid egroome Comes from his late bed-chamber richly deckt With Majesty with glory and respect His wedding garments robes and rings are on His griefes his passions and his woes