shalt drunken fall verse 22 And make thee naked Zions daughter high The punishment of thine iniquity Accomplish'd is he will no more thee carry Captive away O Edom's daughter wary The Lord will visit thine iniquity He will thy sins discover and descry CHAP. V. verse 1 O Lord remember what upon us comes verse 2 Consider our reproach Behold our homes Are turn'd to aliens our inheritance verse 3 To strangers we are fatherless orphans verse 4 Our mothers widowes are We drunk our water For money wood is sold unto us after verse 5 Our necks are under persecution We labour and of rest have no fruition verse 6 To Egypt and to Ashur hands we gave That we to satisfie us bread might have verse 7 Our fathers sin'd and are not we bore their verse 8 Iniquities servants our rulers were And none out of their hands delivers us verse 9 Getting our bread our lives are perilous verse 10 Because of wildernesses sword Our skin Was ov'n-like black because of famine thin verse 11 But terrible In Zion ravish'd they The women and by force with maydens lay verse 12 In Judah's Cities Princes hang'd appear By their fierce hands the elders faces were verse 13 Not honoured They made the young men grinde The children fall under the wood behinde verse 14 The elders from the gate have ceas'd young men verse 15 From musick our heart's joy is ceased when verse 16 Our daunce is into mourning turn'd The crown Off from our head is likewise fallen down verse 17 Wo unto us that we have fin'd For this Our eyes are dim for these our heart faint is verse 18 Because of Zions mountain desolate verse 19 The foxes walke on it Thou Lord in state Remain'st for ever and thy throne is set verse 20 From age to age why dost thou us forget For ever and so long forsake us see verse 21 Turn us to thee and we shall turned be Return our days as in the time of old verse 22 But thou O Lord as if thy love grew cold Hast utterly rejected us thou art Exceeding wrath against us hence we smart Confessio Petitio 1. GOD hath chalk'd us out a way Leading unto peace and life We rebellious run astray In the pathes of death and strife Did not mercie us preserve VVhat we chuse we best deserve Peace and Life we loath and wave Death and Strife we love and have Turn us Lord or we shall never Turned be but stray for ever 2. Thou to us Lord hast made known What shall in the end bring peace VVhen the Rule shall be thine own And all Tyranny shall cease VVhen all Pow'rs on earth that be Shall depend alone on thee VVhen the Lord shall peace compose But we still thy ways oppose Turn us Lord or we shall never Turned be but stray for ever 3. When thou shalt our Rulers chuse Who can doubt of happy dayes Since no people ere did lose Ought by walking in thy wayes Oh that we that time might see When we shall be rul'd by thee Haste it Lord and let it come But we still do stray and roam Turn us Lord or we shall never Turned be but stray for ever 4. We in Changes run our course Not to change from bad to good But to change from bad to worse Though by thee to better woo'd Since in changes we delight Lord direct our changes right That from bad to good we change And us from our sins estrange Change us Lord or we shall never Changed be yet change for ever 5. Can a Blackmore change his skin Or a Leopard his spots Then may we forsake our sin VVhich accustom'd us besots And allures us more and more To worse courses then before So impossible a change Unto man to Thee 's not strange Change us Lord or we shall never Changed be yet change for ever 6. VVe are froward and perverse Cross to thee in all our wayes Prone to bad from good averse Cold in prayers thanks and praise Faith is bashful hope too bold Charity benum'd with cold Conscience in a Lethargy All religion like to dy Change us Lord or we shall never Changed be yet change for ever 7. Thine Almighty hand alone Can this pow'rful change effect To make supple hearts of stone And their secret depths detect Whose meandred windings lie Intricate beyond our eye And in us no pow'r is left Since thereof by sin bereft Turn us change us else we never Shall be turn'd or chang'd for ever Change us turn us then shall we Truly turn'd and changed be Amen Postscriptio sed Praemonitio BRitain thy sins have stupifi'd thy sense Of sin of danger though not purse-expence There thou' rt too quick of feeling ' ware the trash Thou striv'st to keep prove not thy fatal lash Thou' rt blind and seest not sweetest mercie 's guide In thy sweet way of peace wilt not confide In men or means that God hath rais'd for thee As instruments of thy felicity Thou' rt deaf yea wilful deaf and wilt not hear Thy Gods Prescripts nor his Election bear Thou' rt Nose-pent canst not smell the powder-plots Of thy grand foes whose craft thee quite besots Thy taste dis-relisheth the Cates of Heaven Yet chew'th the Cud upon thy musty leaven Thy Passover may not with that be tane Take heed thy love of old bring not new bane Accept what God doth give never confound Thy self and thine to run the world 's wild round Wilt not God's will feel see hear smell and taste Then do thine own But thou wilt rue't at last Yet when thou hast proclaim'd thy self God's foe His will shall stand whether thou wilt or no When thou mayst feel his Iron Rod strike home See this thy Paradise Desart become Hear the loath'd noise of thy triumphing foes Smell thy dead corpses to annoy thy nose Taste wanting what to taste through Famine thin The bitter fruits of thy unequall'd sin Reverte Te inverte diverte converte Ut se vertat Deus ad te haec avertat à te Ne te evertat Amen Amen Cura Malorum 1. ENgland why hanker'st in times fatal nick On various projects which dicotomize Thy vital parts why though at heart death-sick Wilt not accept of physick or advise Miss-dyet render will thy grief past cure Fie fie forbear doubtless thy doctor's skill Merits thy confidence his physick 's pure Nought can obstruct its working but thy will Accept Urania's bountiful advise Take for thy Lot the Lot be well be wise 2. Curb then thy wayward will sâ—…e selfâ— proud sway Let thy dissenting parties re-unite In the most equal sortilegious way Whereto both God and good men thee invite A fairer path freer from just exception To cement jars no Nation ere enjoy'd Nor ever shall it 's worthy thy reception Lest by refusal thou be soon destroy'd Accept Urania's bountiful advise Take for thy Lot the Lot be well be wise 3. Rinse thy obstructing sins with early tears Leâ—… Finer's fire and Fuller's sope supply Late penitences place prevent thy fears By turning to who calls thee lest thou dy Beloved Nation 't is thy dearest Lord Summons thy will to homage hailes thee in Strike sayls stoop in submit unto his word And flie his vengeance threatned for thy sin Accept Urania's bountiful advise Take for thy Lot the Lot be well be wise One and All. OFt' calls made unjust judge late notice take Take thou thy Lot lest thou thy Lot do take FINIS
both have much to do But sure ere long I hope the time to see VVhen English Laws shall so amended be That pride the subject now of admiration Shall be scorn's subject throughout all the Nation VVhen we shall glory not in gawdy cloaths New-fangled fashions or in horrid oaths Or spotted faces with like souls within Or hair like those that in a Mill have been Or self-conceited gestures speech or looks The Devils new devised baits and hooks To catch poor souls But shall with joynt accord Gloâ—y in this that we do know the Lord And that he is our God and will us own He knowing us and being of us known VVho will suppress the proud exalt the meek And then his people shall to Sion seek VVith joy and peace Oh haste the time dear Lord Let thy Church say Amen with one accord An Epigram on the same HEll-maker why so high I stile thee well For thou mad'st Devils and they made God make Hell Apollyon destruction is thy trade For thou marr'dst man and man marr'd all God made Let reason rule the rost quit thy old score Mend what thou marred hast or vaunt no more Avarice the Root of Sin HUnger-starv'd plenty what a Monster 's here A greedy stomach pin'd in midst of cheer Yet wants nor hands nor mouth nor teeth to feed With these she tears devours grinds those that need Opus and Vsus all the means of profit Opus that gets it makes not Vsus of it This gnawing worm its Mothers intrails rends To line fat bags nay it s own spirits spends Indangers soul and body that to gain Which is but kept with fear when got with pain And never us'd joy'd in but not injoy'd At fullest still complains of being voyd All put to Vse and yet none Us'd at all A fine Fools Paradise I may it call Wherein wise worldlings much delight to walk Though to their endless pain they think and talk Plot and project and waste out day and night In carking care to get by wrong or right Or any means what gotten but annoyes And is the worst of vanities and toyes This greedy Dame made thievish Achan run A course that Isr'el had almost undone That brought on him and his most sad confusion This cursed Caitiff caus'd the great effusion Of Ahabs Races blood a numerous crew Of Royal Imps whom furious Jehu slew Then out of pride and greediness to reign Return'd to Jeroboam's sin again Who had through Avarice in time of old Stock't Dan and Betâ—el with curst Calves of gold She made the great Assyrian Monarch plunder The sacred Temple once the worlds rare wonder 'T was greediness not neediness of wealth Provok'd that Prince to sacrilegious stealth She 't was when Christ did preach that deafness wrought In learned Scribes and Pharises who taught The people most exactly yet were blind Themselves the while through Avarice of minde And seeing could not see nor hearing hear Those Truths which in their Scriptures written were This hellish Hag betray'd our dearest Lord Made Judas sell him for a price abhor'd Who a self-strangling and damnation got As Over-plus of purchase for his lot She to the holy Ghost to lye inclin'd Poor Ananias and Sapphira's minde For which on them that fearful Judgement fell Of sudden Death if not of sudden Hell She made wise Simon Magus Sophimore Thinking by Coin which none but fools adore To purchass that unvaluable Gift Of God's most holy Spirit but his drift Was at his Gain and so he gained hath Lasting Reproach if not e'erlasting Death She wrought the Pythonesses girles masters On Paul and Silas to bring such disasters In old Philippi And at Ephesus Diana's Zealot blinde Demetrius To raise an uproar and an Idol prize Beyond the Lord of Life where were his eyes Not on his goddess but his god his gain For whose sole sake he that hot Zeal did fain This made unhappy Felix leave Paul bound Although no cause of his restraint he found Yet in that passage Avarice we see Procur'd unwonted affability And since that Scripture is undoubted true I 'll instance it to give the Dev'l his due Leprous Gehezi I could here bring forth And many more examples notice-worth In Histories sacred and forraign too But that will endless be for me to do It might be for my pleasure not my gains For sure no miser would requite my pains Covetousness might find me lasting work Should I into her secret corners lurk Survey her bags and baggage tricks together And yet in my expressions ' bate of either She 's prides sworn sister but that pride 's too dear Oft-times for her who still loves to go near She loaths prides hand-Maid Cost who makes her smart For none but she and loss do pierce her heart The world and coin of all round things she loves And of square dealings mostly she approves Save in her self for there she 'l all confound Make that seem square which others know is round Uneven even basest wrong seem right Light make of darkness and bright day of night Her train are Under-Sheriffs Bayliffs Brokers Pursivants keepers and such men-provokers Their loading is of papers parchments waxes Which terrifie men more then new-rais'd taxes These all like Cannibals the coast do scour And Devil-like seek whom they may devour These Anthropophagi are nearest friends To avarice by whom she works her ends Mercy 's her wonder mildness she deems wild And thinks severest justice much too mild If harshest cruelty her gain procure She will baptize it courtesie most pure If not meer charity she 's Satans bawd And can like him by her sublimed fraud Assume an Angel's shape whilst she commits Rapes on poor innocents and racks her wits Widdows and Orphans to devour her faith Is Pharisaick falshood which betray'th All those that trust her though relations near Vicinity's forgot if gain appear It 's she wise Heathens term'd the root of evils VVhich in no Garden grows except the Devils Unfit for Christian heart to entertain Or to be lodged in a Converts brain Her heart 's the mint of all dcceits the sink Of bloodi'st crimes that heart of man can think The Devil is chief coiner in this Cell And stamps the Cash to buy him slaves for Hell Her she insinuation screws into Corrupted nature and doth us undo Insensibly her none-such subtilties ' Mongst men inveigles mostly the most wise And ablest parted masters of most reason Before perversion If a heart she season VVith love of gain that heart 's bewitched quite And ' reft of reason truth peace love delight Of mercy conscience and of all that 's good And grudgâ—th its sole-lov'd self both cloaths and food Scrapes all it may from whomsoe'er it can Without respect of friend foe God or man Yet gotten cannot will not use it why If you know not no more doth he nor I Unless the Devils inchantments so prevail To blind his sense and make his reason fail For inclinations unto other sins Mostly
that hate verse 18 All comfortless Zion spreads forth her hands Concerning Jacob God his foes commands To hem him round and poor Jerusalem Is as a menstrous woman made by them verse 19 The Lord is righteous for against his Laws I have rebelled Oh! I pray you pawse All people hear and see my sorrow bred By my young men and Virgins captive led verse 20 I call'd my lovers but they me deceiv'd My Priests and Elders were of life bereav'd In City while they sought meat for relief verse 21 Behold O Lord me in distress and grief My bowels vexed and my heart is quelled Since against thee I grievously rebelled The sword abroad bereaves and death at home verse 22 My foes have heard i 'm comfortless become And that I sigh in trouble They rejoyce That thou hast done it Lord thy sacred voyce Hath call'd a day which thou wilt bring to be And they shall then be all like unto me verse 23 Look on their wickedness and them reward As thou hast me for my transgressions Lord For many are my sighs and numerous My heart is faint for thy afflicting us CHAP. II. verse 1 HOw hath the Lord in anger covered Poor Zions Daughter with a cloud o'eâ— spreaâ— And cast from Heaven his imperial City Down to this dunghil earth the splendid beauty Of Israel and calls not now to minde His foot-stool in his day of wrath assign'd verse 2 The Lord hath swallow'd up all Jacob's Tents And pitiless in Judah's holds made rents And brought them to the ground he hath defil'd The Kingdom and the Princes all exil'd verse 3 In his fierce wrath he'th cut off Isr'els horn His right hand from foes presence back is born ' Gainst Jacob like a flaming fire he burneth Which round about devoureth and o'erturneth verse 4 His bowe he foe like bent with his right hand He stood as adversary with death fan'd All those that pleasant were unto the eye In Zions daughters Tabernacle high He pour'd his fury forth like flaming fire verse 5 The Lord was foe and swallow'd in his ire All Israel her palaces and all Strong holds and mourning hath increas'd withall verse 6 With Judah's daughters wo with violence His Tabernacle he remov'd from thence Even as a garden and destroyed rests The place of his assembly solemn feasts And Sabbaths he hath caus'd to be forgot In Zion King and Priest he heeded not verse 7 In his wrath's indignation God hath cast His Altars off abhorr'd his Temple wast Her Palace-walls he gave up to her foes By them a noise in the Lord's house arose verse 8 As in a solemn feast God purpos'd hath Destroying Zion's daughter's wall in wrath He hath stretch'd out a line neither withdraw'd His hand from ruining he therefore made The rampart and the wall both to lament They languish'd joyntly both in discontent verse 9 Her gates are all interr'd her bars are broke Her King and Princes under Gentiles yoke The law is fled Prophets no vision see verse 10 And Zion's daughters elders silenc'd be Sitting on ground dust-headed sack-cloth-girt Jebus her Virgins hang down heads in dirt verse 11 Mine eyes do fail with tears my bowels vex'd My liver poured out on earth perplex'd For the destruction which my people meets Children and sucklings swoon in City-streets verse 12 They ask of Mothers corn and wine and swoonded As those that in the City-streets are wounded VVhilst in their mothers bosoms thus they cry'd They poured out their souls expir'd and dy'd verse 13 VVhat thing shall I to witness take for thee To what by me may'st thou compared be verse 14 O daughter of Jerusalem what shall I equal to thee that I may let fall Some drop of comfort thy sad soul to chear O Virgin Sions daughter it is clear Thy breach is Ocean-like in magnitude verse 15 Who can thee heal thy Prophets have seen rude Vain foolish things for thee would not display Thy sins thy captive state to turn away But have for thee seen burthens false and causes verse 16 Of banishment By-passers all make pauses Clap hands and hiss and wag their heads at thee Daughter of Jebus crying Is this she Beautie 's perfection term'd joy of the earth verse 17 Thy foes all gape against thee and in mirth Hiss gnash their teeth now certainly they say VVe have her swallow'd up this is the day VVe looked for which we have found and see verse 18 God hath what he devised done and he Fulfilled hath his word of old commanded He hath thrown down not piti'd and hath banded Thine enemies against thee to rejoyce Set up thine adversaries horn and voice verse 19 Their heart unto thee Lord aloud did cry O wall of Sions daughter from thine eye Let tears run down like rivers night and day And give thy self no rest thine eyes no stay verse 20 Arise make nightly cries when watch begins Pour out thy heart like water for thy sins Before God's face and lift thy hands on high To Him for thy young babes that fainting lie verse 21 On top of every street O Lord behold Consider to whom thou hast done what 's told Shall women eat their fruit a span-long child Prophet and Priest be in the Temple kill'd verse 22 The young and old lie groveling in the streets The sword my virgins and my young men meets Thou in thy day of wrath hast slain them all Thou hast them kill'd and let no pity fall verse 23 Thou summon'd hast as in a solemne day My terrours round about that none away In thy wrath's day escaped or remain'd The children that I swaddeled and train'd Brought up and cherish'd and to keep presum'd My mortal enemy hath all consum'd CHAP. III. verse 1 I Am the man that hath affliction seen verse 2 By his wrath's rod. By him led have I been Into obscurest darkness grief to tell But not into the light save that like Hell verse 3 Surely against me is he turned right His hand is turn'd against me day and night verse 4 He hath made old my flesh and skin and spilt verse 5 My broken bones He hath against me built With gall and travel he hath compass'd me verse 6 Like dead of old in the dark places he Me fet He hath me hedged round about verse 7 Made my chain heavy that I can't get out verse 8 My pray'r he shuts out when I shout and cry verse 9 He curv'd my paths and wall'd my ways up high verse 10 VVith squared stone He was a bear to me Lying in wait and lyon-like was he verse 11 In secret place My wayes he turn'd aside And into pieces he did me divide verse 12 And made me desolate He bent his bowe Made me his shafts-mark so to shoot me through verse 13 He caus'd his quiver's arrows in my reins verse 14 To enter deep And in their merry veins Distressed I the people's laughter was verse 15 And song all day He me hath fill'd alas VVith bitterness with
wormwood made me drunk verse 16 VVith gravel stones my teeth he broke and sunk verse 17 Me under ashes And far off from peace My soul thou hast remov'd In me doth cease verse 18 Prosperitie's remembrance And I said My strength and hope is from the Lord decai'd verse 19 Recording mine affliction misery verse 20 The wormwood and the gall my soul still shy In their remembrance humbled is in me verse 21 This I re-call to minde and thence hope see verse 22 'T is the Lords mercy we are not o'erborn verse 23 ' Cause his compassions fail not Ev'ry morn They are renew'd great is thy faithfulness verse 24 My soul doth say the Lord my portion is verse 25 Therefore I 'll hope in him The Lord is good To them that wait for him to souls that woo'd verse 26 His face It 's good for man to hope and wait verse 27 The Lords salvation quietly though strait verse 28 The youth-born yoke is good which having born verse 29 He sits in silence still And doth adorn His mouth with dust if so there hope may be verse 30 He gives his cheek to smiters fill'd is he verse 31 Full with reproach for God will not for ay verse 32 Cast off And though he causeth grief to day He will compassion have according to verse 33 His mercies multitude God doth not do That willingly that may afflict or grieve verse 34 The sons of men to crush and not reprieve verse 35 Earth's pris'ners under feet to turn awry The right of man before his face most high verse 36 The Lord approves not to subvert man's cause verse 37 Who 's he that saith and it doth come to pass verse 38 When God commands it not Both good and ill Proceed they not out of the Lords mouth still verse 39 Wherefore doth man complain man for his sins verse 40 Just punishment Let 's search and try what 's in 's verse 41 And to the Lord rerurn to God in heaven verse 42 Let 's lift our hearts and hands for we have even Transgrest rebell'd and pardon thou gav'st none verse 43 With anger thou hast covered alone And persecuted us thou hast us slain verse 44 And hast not pitied Thou dost detain Thee in a cloud that our prayers should not pass verse 45 Thou hast us made as the off-scowring as verse 46 Refuse in peoples mid'st And all our foes verse 47 Open'd their mouths against us fear snare woes Destruction desolation on us lie verse 48 Rivers of tears do run down from mine eye For the destruction that is come upon verse 49 My peoples daughter Mine eye trickleth down And ceaseth not without all intermission verse 50 Till God look down from heav'n on her condition verse 51 And it behold Mine eye affects my heart Because of all my cities daughter's smart verse 52 Mine enemies me chased very sore Ev'n like a bird without a cause wherefore verse 53 They have cut off my life in dungeon throw'd verse 54 A stone upon me And the waters flow'd Over my head I am cut off said I verse 55 And in low dungeon on thy Name did cry verse 56 O Lord thou hast me heard hide not thine ear verse 57 At my sad cry and breathing Thou drew'st near I' th' day that I did call on thee and said'st verse 58 Fear not O Lord thou my souls causes plead'st verse 59 Thou hast redeem'd my life Thou see'st my wrong verse 60 Judge thou my cause Thou hast seen all along verse 61 Their vengeance and their thoughts against me Thou Hast their reproaches heard O Lord and how verse 62 Against me they imagine lips of those And their device that up against me rose verse 63 All day Behold their sitting and their rising verse 64 I am their musick Lord for their devising Render them recompence according to verse 65 Their handy-work Give them heart-sorrow wo verse 66 Thy curse unto them Persecute destroy In wrath them from beneath thy throne of joy CHAP. IIII. verse 1 HOw is the gold come dim the fine gold chang'd In each streets top the Temples stones estrang'd verse 2 Are poured out How Zions pretious sâ—…nes To fine gold comparable are at once Esteem'd as earthen pitcher potters creature verse 3 Ev'n dragons draw the brest and give by nature Suck to their young my people's daughter is Cruel become like to the ostriches verse 4 In wilderness For thirst the suckling's tongue Cleaves fast to his mouth 's roof the children young verse 5 Ask bread and no man breaks to them They that Fed delicately are now desolate I' th' streets the scarlet brood dunghils embrace verse 6 My peoples daughters punishment takes place Of Sodom's sin's high punishment o'erthrown In moment when on her stay'd no hand known verse 7 Her Nazarites purer then snow more white Then whitest milk in body ruddy bright More then the rubies were their polish'd hew verse 8 Was saphire and their visage now we view Blacker then coal in streets they are not known Their wither'd skin cleaves fast unto the bone verse 9 It 's stick-like ' come They whom the sword hath slain Are better then whom hunger rid of pain For these pine thorow-struck for field-fruits want verse 10 Pittiful womens hands have in the scant Sodden their children they their meat were after In the destruction of my peoples daughter verse 11 The Lord his fury hath accomplished He hath pour'd out his anger fierce kindled A fire in Zion and it her foundations verse 12 Devoured hath Earth's Kings and all the Nations O' th' world would never have believ'd the foe And adversary enter should into verse 13 Jerusalems gates For her Prophet's crimes And for her Priests iniquities oft times That in the mid'st of her just mens blood shed verse 14 As blind men in the street they wandered With blood themselves polluted so that men verse 15 Could not their garments touch they cryed then Depart it is unclean touch not depart When they did flie and wander they with smart Among the heathen said They shall no more verse 16 There sojourn The Lords anger hath full soâ—e Divided them he 'll them no more respect The Persons of the Priests they quite neglect verse 17 They favour'd not the elders As for us Our eyes for our vain help yet failed thus In watching we have for a Nation watch'd verse 18 That could not save our steps they hunt catch'd That we can't walk the streets our end is neer Our days fulfilled are our end is here verse 19 Our cruel Persecutors are more swift Then Heavens Eagles they had us in drift Upon the mountains for us they laid wait verse 20 In wilderness In their pits by their bait Our nostrils breath the Lords anointed was Surpris'd of whom we often said alas Under his shade ' mongst heathens live shall we verse 21 Rejoyce O Edom's daughter and glad be Who dwel'st in Uz-land but the cup pass shall Thorow to thee and thou
own Elect And in the Reprobates augment defect But soft my Muse launch not into the deep Lest thou o'erwhelmed be to Leeward keep These depths are soundable by none but him VVho can walk dry where heav'n earth may swim VVhose Spirit mov'd upon the waters face When all the world an Embâ—…ion Chaos was Lord these thy works of wonder far transcend VVhat can be thought much more what can be pen'd My silenc'd Quill by thy dread awe supprest Shall cease to write I 'll wonder out the rest An Epigram on the Creation POor man why why so proud see here thy stock Thy principles are chips of Nothing 's block Thy Mother Earth beast fish fowls worms and all May thee their younger Brother justly call Yet he who all things out of nothing made The rule of them to thee committed had But thou by sin that Kingdom forfeited'st Pois'ned'st the air thou breath'st the earth thou tread'st Disord'redst all the creatures Mark this well And why art ' proud because an heir to hell That 's a flight ground for Pride that 's reason small For cursed is that Kingdom heirs and all Truly thou 'rt proud for want of Grace I fear And pride entitles thee to be hells heir Another on the same OH how it blinds all mortal wits to pry Into a time when all was Trinity Next Angels Men Heav'n Earth Hell Sea were one Coagulted Chaos form'd alone Out of meer nothing by the Tri-Une God VVho for his glory on them all bestow'd Their beings but to Man alone did give A means when dead whereby he might revive In Gods own glory if he sought it here VVho slights that love of his Crearor dear Lord make us once again or better 't were We nothing had remain'd as first we were Better for us indeed but one to thee Who wilt have glory though we damned be On the Creatures SEe the great Architectors Alphabet In his grand Chirograph mans second Book Wherein by reading he may knowledge get Of his Creator spell his Name whose look Would blind all mortal eyes But this great Glass Doth by reflection represent that God Unto Mans prying Soul who Pen-man was Of all these Characters It 's wondrous odd To see Man's gross stupidity how blind His sin-soil'd Reason's grown his will perverse That dumb Irrationals are fain to mind Him of his God nay he is more averse From answering the end of his creation By far then they who in their kindes fulfil God's sacred will and keep in their low station His holy Laws according to their skill They do so all and always but our hearts Are shooting still at Rovers when the Lord Hath set us Butt-marks our vile Nature thwarts His wayes of Grace our Wills oppose his Word As if we would send challenges to Heaven And woo Damnation headless heedless man Sets all his Makers Laws at six and seven In scorn neglects what do with ease he can Should this great Army of the creatures be So mutinous the world would soon resolve Into its principles Mans Pedegree Produce no more descents Oh let 's revolve This in our hearts and view this goodly frame As an eye-lecture to our souls to bring Us home to holy life that we his Name May glorifie who is our God and King Amen On Redemption TEnter up Nature to the highest pin And rack Philosophy with quaintest gin Frenzifie Chymistry and summon too 't The old red Serpent's wits calcin'd to boot A way to finde for lapsed man to rise And unborn-Babes might it as soon devise As that grand Senate But they ne'er desir'd That work by Men and Angels so admir'd Nature conceiv'd it not to be conceiv'd Wherein the God of Nature her deceiv'd Philosophy with reason would have shaken That plot whence for Morosophy she 's taken Chymistry's wit to prove a practise rare Turn'd Ignis fatuus and expir'd in air The subtile Serpent keeping still the field With World and Flesh a Lamb inforc'd to yeild Oh Lamb invincible to thee be glory Were 't not for thee the Serpent sure would worry Thy little Lambs dispersed here and there Now so far sundred as no man knows where Haste Lord to re-unite them and disperse Thine and their Foes revengeful and perverse For thou art Judah's Lyon and canst tame The wildest Beasts that dare blaspheme thy Name For thine hast thou descended from above From thy dear Father and the sacred Dove From everlasting glory to put on A shrine that Angels ne'er could think upon Our basest nature for our baser sakes Who this in contemplation truly takes Must needs be wonder-struck stand and admire At thy divinest love who dost desire For all thy paines which pass all valuation Nothing but hearty meek retaliation Of love for love doubtless were man not mad Satan still tempting world and flesh as bad And self-betraying self still pressing on us By sin to draw more hardness still upon us The hardest heart could ne'r retain a thought Of slighting love by God so dearly bought Who pay'd a price of blood for man's base fall Enough to ransom Devils men and all Had he ordained so whose mercy will Man shall redeemed be but they damn'd still O mercy trans-superlative so high As blinds both mens and Angels reasons eye And dumbs my Muse who else would fain expend Time on this subject till my time shall end Applicatio Oratio WHat God and man And God for man be so Think man what thou to God for this dost owe. The debt is great if thou a Banckrupt art Yet he is sated give him but thy heart Oh take it Lord thou bought'st it dear 't is thine It was but is not now nor shall be mine Lord hold it fast for sure it 's slip'ry ware T will slide from thee without thy special care An Epigram on our Redemption FAll'n man redeem'd what cannot mercy do That saves those who their own destruction woo Man's actions retrograde from what they seem Tend all to what none wise their end would deem Mercy in heart he likes In practice proves That he severest justice rather loves And have it sure he should had not the Son Of his incensed God his pardon won Who gave his foes his blood and flesh for food O love incredible to flesh and blood It can be credited by none but those Whom that true Manna turns to friends from foes Whose faith's eyes their redemption see as cleer As fleshly eyes see any object here On man's Justification LOrd I am wonder-struck at this sweet sound Justification doth me quite confound When I consider what our nature is Thoughts words and works and all that is amiss Ev'n in the best of the best man's endeavours The Agues of our spirits and their feavours And all our soul-sick frenzies which possess Some with a fancy of self-righteousness Our waywardness to good proneness to ill Rounding the paths of sin like horse in mill The number numberless of all our crimes Re-iterated too so many
times And re-committed after penitence And vows against them which must needs incense A just and holy God whose piercing eye Sees the least Atome-sin and can espy Damn'd guilt in deeds which men have deem'd most glorious Yea which some have imagin'd meritorious Tell me think I as well the Sea doth burn The spheres stand still and rouling earth doth turn As that base mâ—n can just appear to thee Who in his life such horrid blots dost see Each heart's imaginations thou dost spie Ill wholly only and continually Yet so it is Lord thou hast found a way By which man as it were deceive thee may And blind thy Justice plead thy Sons desert For our im-merits thou contented art Admired mercy Love stupendious Our Creditor should pay the debt for us Due to himself whereof we ne'r could pay The smallest mire nor the least charge defray Else had we in eternal torments lain But thou both payd'st the debt and bor'st the pain That thy divinest Justice might receive Full satisfaction lest she else might grieve To be o'ercome by mercy so dost thou Punish our sins in Christ and disavow Our acting of them And unjust it were To punish us since he our sins did bear He hath for us fulfill'd thy Law and born Most hellish torments and earths basest scorn That faith in him might make us fair to thee Who else should in thine eyes like Devils be Nay worse then they since mercy we contemn And proffer'd grace which thou ne'r deign'st to them Doubtless hadst thou ordain'd thy Lamb to die Them to redeem as well's man's progeny Whose blood might have redeem'd them all as well There had not been a Devil now in Hell Pardon me Lord if I hyperbolize Or in opinion too much charitize Towards thy foe and ours It 's but to shew Ouâ— dead depraved nature markt by few Mended by none nor mendable by any Save thee alone Our breaches are so many Lord re-enliven this dead corpse by grace Rebuild its breaches all its sins deface Say to it Be thou just and it shall be Just in thy sight and from defilement free An Epigram on the same BAd good day night the swarthest blackmoor white Injustice just in Gods all-seeing sight Is he deceiv'd can his eye blinded be Love makes him undertake to over-see And take upon himself man's sins Our score He cleared hath Oh let us sin no more Lest he repent him of the mercy shown us And see us like our selves and so disown us For it transcends all wonder sinful dust Should in the great Creators eyes be just On man's Sanctification GOd us creates redeems and justifies By means without us which he did devise And all by works of wonder past all thought In love and wisedom infinite he wrought Whereby he us engag'd beyond all hope Yet still his love proceeds to find new scope Wonders to work within us To renew Our nature by his grace to make false true To sanctifie unsanctified man A work that quite confounds my heart to scan Here 's nature mortifi'd yet living still Grace vivifi'd and rectifying will Yet Will by Nature clean a verse from Grace And Grace and Nature ne'er well brook't one place Here 's Sin still dying and yet still reviving Using all means to live and yet not thriving The Prince of Darkness still the soul assailing Though never quite beat off nor yet prevailing Conscience and Reason daily are in fight Yet Conscience hath sweet peace and Reason right The Flesh oft seeks to undermine the Spirit VVith self-conceit presumption and false merit And many other wayes her up to blow As Man renew'd to his great griefe doth know Mean while the Spirit with inforcâ—d agility Doth countermine against them with Humility Which sweet mild saint o'ercomes them all But then VVhen she low thoughts of self hath wrought in men Satan doth re-assault with furious force Attempting them from God quite to divorce By fell Despair and raiseth batteries To storm the fort where Faith enfeebled lies VVho when the fight grows dangerous and hot Pulls in a Lamb betwixt her and the shot And under his protection overthrows All Satans Bulwarks and routs all her Foes Foes that would quickly all mankinde undo Were not our Lamb Judah's Tribes Lion too VVhose everlasting pow'r with ease can quell The joyned force of all the Fiends in Hell Then let the roaring Lyon seek abroad Whom to devour throughour the worlds great road Rage rave and plot and send his subtle spies Th' unbottom'd pits black locusts whose quick eyes See all earth's Globe at once fear not my soul Although thy foes conspiracies are foul Their combinations strong their plots most deep Israels Keeper slumbers not no sleep Skreens up his eyes who all their plots will dash And thee deliver from their horrid lash Remit thy sins obliterate thy folly And make thee holy as himself is holy Till thou be with the Lamb who 's Judah's Lion Rapp'd up to reign for ever on Mount Sion And sing with that Coelestial Quire above Sweet Hallelujahs to the God of Love An Epigram on the same SAnctification is the Tree of Life Not that false tree that fool'd our grandsires wife Whereby we from our innocencie fell This is the way to Heav'n that was to Hell Whoso on this Tree's sacred fruit doth feed Shall be in all things like to God indeed Sin MOnster of Monsters who hast monstrous made Nature it self in us who natures had First pure and holy and to good inclin'd Till by thy falshood we to bad declin'd And thy meer essence is extream averse From God and good but prone to ways perverse All that the great Jehovah made was good VVhen he created it and had they stood Angels and Men had so continu'd still But they would needs be gods and had their will So far that they Creators were of thee VVhom they created both their falls to be A Creatures Creature and so vile a one That Heav'n Earth Hell so bad besides have none Rake Topher's cinders sift the Serpents seed And keep the worst yet will that damned breed More fair in Gods all-seeing eyes appear Then Sin which summon'd them together there Sin made God angry Men and Angels fall Made God make Hell and Sin made Dev'l and all Ah! cursed caitiff how can we delight In the embracement of such wretched wight A hideous Elf abhorr'd of all that 's good Our dear Redeeme's Murtherer whose Blood By cursed sacrilegious hands was spilt To wash our souls from sins polluting guilt Our soul 's the precious game for which she fishes Which to destroy eternally she wishes Yet we bewitched wâ— most dearly love her Too dearly sure as all will find that prove her Whose souls shall purchase Oh the dearest gain For sins short pleasure their eternal pain 'T is sure some witchcraft some inchanting spell Whereby she trains us on asleep to Hell And stupifies our senses blindes our eyes Obthures our ears and phantasms doth devise
Did hazard drowning in a flood of wine This sawce-mouth'd Fury made the Jews despise Angelick Manna and the land not prize VVhich was a type of New Jerusalem Yet promised to undeserving them VVho Onions and Garlick rather crav'd VVith Egypts flesh-pots where they were inslav'd And which sad Kingdoms thraldom they knew well Prefigur'd typically that of Hell But sure had they return'd as they did wish Their faith their food had been nor flesh nor fish She is amongst the sins of Sodom nam'd VVhence fire sulphurious down from heaven flam'd And pulverated in a trice of time The choisest Cities in that pleasant clime Thence chas'd by vengeance fled she to a Cave And tempted heedless Lot to play the knave VVith both his Daughters so in lust to burn As if those warnings could not serve his turn This longing quean made cursed Esau sell Birthright and blessing for red broth and hell Thousands of Philistins she once did seize And gave Judge Sampson his last Writ of Ease This mal-companion made the Levite play The boon-companion by the hour and day So long at Bethle'm-Judah that it cost Sixty five thousand souldiers lives all lost Of Jacob's seed for this the ground we find That him in Gibeah to lodge inclin'd Whence a whole tribe of babes and women fell Sacrific'd to the sword yea some to Hell She made the good old Eli's sons profane Their sacred Priesthood by their rost-meat ta'n The fat not offred for which villany God ruin'd them and their posterity She made rich Nabal churlish to his friend And his Protector which became his end And ended had all his had not his wife Su'd out their pardon and compos'd the strife She wrought incestuous Amnon's drunken death Who drank so deep a draught he lost his breath For his revengeful brother chose that time To punish that and his fore-passed crime Whose foul revenge vengeance divine repay'd VVhen by his Feast at Hebron he had lay'd A plot of parricide so feasting chear Sent both the brothers none but God knows where T was David's second sin that him nigh sunk Who fresh himself was in Uriah drunk And thirsty after took the poor man's blood VVho still to him had faithful been and good She lost King Ela's Crown and life whereby Zimri destroy'd the royal family And though no famed singer his shrill throat Did above Ela sing a high-strain'd note When at Samaria's siege proud Benhadad Thirty two Kings auxiliaries had Though a most slighted force did them oppose The Pot his Kinglings him and all o'erthrows So serv'd she Babylonish Baltazar Who thought himself another god of War And the besiegers though stout souldiers slighted Drank drunk the while in scorn until affrighted With Manuscript Divine he quak'd amain And that same night was by the souldiers slain And Babylon the glory of the world Had her raz'd walls into Euphrates hurl'd Nor can I think but drink and drunken fellows As well as pride made Haman build those gallows Whereon himself was hang'd for I presume Such feasting and so much strong drink did fume Into his brains and plots infus'd whereby It ruin'd him and his posterity 'T was meerly feasting drink and lust misled The Tetrarch to cut off the Baptist's head Whom he before had lov'd at least for fashion One feast provok'd him to his decollation Oh if I could but call up Dives here Who day by day did feast on royal chear Whose paunch with most delicious wine did swell Yet begg'd a drop of water for 't in Hell And beg it may yet ne'er obtain the grace To have that comfort in so sad a place Sure he would howl and roar and rave and cry Against this sin and would us terrifie With exclamations in dispraise of that Which most in fact commend but pray for what Truly I know not saving to bring gains To Vintners Ale-wiâ—es Drawers Chamberlains To Tapsters Brewers Bakers Butchers Cooks And those who when the plague reigns play the Rooks The Sextons Bearers and the Pest-attenders And those who are to Physick's art pretenders Doctors Apothecaries Mountebanks Quack-salvers Surgeons and those of their ranks That live by our diseases Politicians May sometimes gain thereby and poor Musitians Anglicè fidlers both which make a trade To undo any so themselves be made Clomers and Glass-men likewise reap fair gain When juggs and glasses are in battel slain Yea Scavengers get no small profit by it And gold-finders who semi-deifie it 'T is their Diana much sweet work it finds them And oft of Bacchus and Tabacco minds them Without which they are not nor can be well Whilst here on earth whatere they be in Hell Full paunch full pate and then all 's well for this Their esse and their bene esse is Oh how perverse is man On whom the Lord Reason conferred hath yea his pure word That reason to illuminate and shew What paths he follow should and what eschew Precept on precept for his rule of life And yet the beasts to stray not half so rife Who have but naked sence to be their guide Behold they in their Makers rules abide According to their kind more strict then we Which if arightly scann'd we soon may see They have more moderation in the use Of creatures gustable and less abuse Those gifts by far then man for where one beast Doth stupifie its sence with drink at least A hundred men and women too do so Yea stupifie both sence and reason too If hogs or such more greedy creatures hap Themselves by too much drinking to intrap They 'l mostly be more wary next but we The oft'ner drunk more eager drunk to be And oft when drunkenness our thirst hath bred We by that thirst to drunkenness are led Strange piece of witch craft reason so to fool To put her back again to sence to school We work against our selves a kind of treason When sensuality oâ—ercometh reason Is reason fighting fancy foil'd by it It shews our want of grace more then of wit For our in-nate corruption wrought in us Our wills and judgements both preposterous And opposite to Gods most holy will Who never willeth any thing that 's ill Nor can we will what 's other unless he Assistant to us by his Spirit be Oh! who would think such waywardness should dwell In any Creatute that 's on this side Hell Lord of a truth that place for us is fit Did not thy boundless mercy hinder it Proceed O God so to prevent it still And frame us hearts according to thy will Most holy pure and clean void of pollution Of flesh or spirit hating prostitution Of us unto our wills impure wild passions Charming affections brutish inclinations Unto excess and drunkenness whereby We quite deface that prime Divinity Thy smage stampt upon our souls of old And take the Devils impress of whose fold We hereby do profess our selves and go From our souls faithful shepherd to his foe Whence come Diseases Fevers Dropsies Gouts Consumptions and
Catarrhs yea Pox that mouts The feathers of our courtiers coxcombs so That they wear borrow'd heads lest they should show Their scalded crowns excess and drink prepares Their minds and bodies for those torrid wares Which they so dearly pay for that oft times They a bone-ague get to plague their crimes Excess of sickness-breeders is the King Most if not all diseases from her spring Yet cures she none hunger and thirst excepted Which might by temperance be intercepted With much more thrift to soul and bodie too As well's estate excess doth all undo Sardanapalus of great Nimrod's race And Heliogabalus that glutton base Feel this firm truth confirm'd And many more Great Emperours and Kings lie on the score Doom'd to eternal hunger thirst and pain Yea triple-crown'd earth-gods who erst did reign In Babylon mysterious are no doubt Where they with their false Keys can ne'er get out Epicurism hath tainted Peters Chair Most of all thrones on earth Romes very air Doth stink of surfeits it therewith infected All Christendom and made that vice neglected But ah poor England thou hast since out gone Thy giddy Mistress and art past by none Though Dutch and Dane go far it 's all our shame To be Deform'd in Deed Reform'd in Name Reformed Cburches Reformation need In Manners more then Doctrine if we heed How universally this sin doth reign ' Mongst us more rare in France abhor'd in Spain The Germans bought Excess at famines rate Speedy ensuing Lord prevent that fate From scourging ours and win our hearts with love Off from the creatures to the things above Spiritualize our appetites and then Feed us the fullest of all mortal men Indeed Lord so thou dost provide us store So great as never Nation had before But we thy Manna loath as did of old Thy people Israel our stomacks cold Are squeazy grown and turn the bread of life To noysome humours faction schism and strife Yea heresies are bred and foster'd by Thy means ordain'd for Truth and Unity Fulness hath wantoniz'd our appetites That one in this t' other in that delights A third in none knows what Yea oft the Cook Makes bad meat lik'd the Authors unread Book The Preachers Doctrine took on trust are priz'd Most men affect what 's vented or devis'd By those of their own faction howe'er bad Some all for old some for the new stuff mad That many preachers cook-like strain their wit For ev'ry coxcombs palate sawce to fit Whilst some like all some-none yet all are right In their own fancies darkness so is light Ah sharpen Lord our souls weak stomacks more To truth and unity then heretofore Evacuate those humours gross afford â—ls true digestion of thy sacred word That may pure nutriment abroad diffuse Into our Churches bodie grown profuse Not only stain'd with fleshly drunkenness And surfeiting but with soul-giddiness And Spirit'al intoxication Glutted with food of life Ah stupid Nation That none but you should strength of wit devote Poison to suck out of your Antidote To make your cordial suffocate your life The curing word of peace breed killing strife This drunkenness of spirit far exceeds â—n its malignity that which proceeds â—rom drinks inebriation that makes men â—egrade themselves to beasts and this agen â—romotes them with the mischief to be Devils â—oth are inflaming fuming flatuous evils â—otti-fer's spirit giddifies the first â—he last the sp'rit of Lucifer accurst â—ord sheild us from them both but most of all â—rom that most mortal which is Sp'ritual â—inse Lord our Nations from that beastial sin â—f bodily excess we wallow in â—hat we thy blessings temporal may use â—ith temperance and never more abuse â—…ur peerless plenty Ah! But rinse us too â—…om drunkenness of soul which will undo Both Church and State unless thy grace prevent Impow'r us Lord of both so to repent And both so to renounce henceforth that we From thy impending Judgements freed may be An Epigram on the same WHat Man turn'd Beast is Reason grown a yoke Tiresome that thou it sell'st for drink and smoke Are Health and Knowledge contemptible both That thou preferr'st to them Excesse and Sloth Is grace thy scorn thy body and thy soul Neither worth saving Then continue foul And so foul beast farewel Soft here 's another Both have one Father but not both one Mother Satan gets one of Flesh t'other of Spirit The last's his darling though both shall inherit His dismal Kingdom he doth her affect As his choice sieve to sift the Lords Elect She best resembles him though both are evil The first 's a Beast the last's a perfect Devil Presumption one of sins tops MAke room for Rome's great Sov'raign who hath worâ— The triple-crown e'er since 't was made whose horâ— Pushes at Stars and shakes the Host of Heaven At least those seeming so whose hand hath given More fatal wounds to self deluding souls Then there are Stars betwixt the worlds two Poles Presumption 's Highness who loves room so well She takes up most part of the room in Hell For her attendants whom she rocks asleep With songs of heav'n till they approach that deep And vast Abyss whence none was ever freed Such dangers from security proceed Presumption flatters mankinde to damnation With false Plerophory of their salvation And so they run relying on dead faith Hand over head unto eternal death Perfidious Traytor thou hast Myriads slain Who deem'd their state secure till in that pain That hath nor ease nor end they plagued were And saw that thy seducements brought them there Thou hadst a hand in Mans and Angels falls Thou didst of old first found proud Babe's walls Which brought on Adams progeny confusion And probably was cause of the effusion Of all the blood that hath in war been spilt In all the ages since O horrid guilt For change of tongues to change of hearts inclin'd Had they one Tongue kept so they might one Mind She martial'd Aegypts people and their King Themselves away in the Red Sea to fling Who having tri'd Gods wonders oft before Would madly needs provoke him to one more VVhereby sad extirpation them befel Whose souls the sea did waft from earth to hell She ston'd the great Goliah whilst he braves And makes the Philistins to Isr'el slaves Most likely 't is the wisest Solomon VVas train'd to sin by foul Presumption As well as by strange women for a man Of his great knowledge and experience can Hardly great sin commit or grace withstand Unless Presumption have therein a hand Next his son Rehoboam ten Tribes lost By this proud Dames provoking him to boast Vaunting Sennacherib th' Assyrian King Play'd blasphemies upon thy untun'd string To humble Hezekiah's loathing ears Till he retreated fill'd with shame and fears When sudden vengeance from his camp had call'n A hundred fourscore and five thousand fall'n And afterwards to his eternal pain In Idol-worship by his sons was slain The greater Nebucadnezar presumes To make new gods the old gods
faith meek Abel off'red sacrifice More excellent and pleasing in God's eyes Then Cain's his elder brother Enoch's faith Caus'd his translation that he saw not death By faith did Noah warn'd the Ark prepare Wherein he and his houshold saved were By faith the faithful's father Ur forsook And to an unknown place himself betook By faith he and his seed did sojourn there In a strange land their Tabernacles were By faith old Sarah Issue did receive And quite past age had strength seed to conceive By faith tri'd Abram Isaac offered Accounting God could raise him from the dead That Isaac blessed his two sons hereby And Jacob Joseph's sons when he did die By faith departing Joseph mention made That Isr'el out of Aegypt should evade By faith was new-born Moses three months hid And when he came to yeers refuse he did The Title of King Pharao's daughter 's son And rather chose to bear affliction With God's poor Israel then for a season Sin 's pleasure to enjoy faith was his reason Hereby he Aegypt left Passover kept And sprinkling blood lest he should them have swept Who the first-born destroy'd By this they post Through Red-Sea dry-shod while th' Aegyptian Host The like assaying were o'erwhelmed all By Faith the Walls of Jericho did fall And Rahab saved was But should I tell Of Gideon Barak Sampson Samuel Jephta and David of the Prophets all Whom faith to do or suffer forth did call Whose faith wrought righteousness Kingdoms subdu'd Obtained promises and stop'd the rude And savage Lyons mouths and quencht fierce fire Escap'd the sword made weakness to aspire To be most strong wax'd valiant in fight And turned Aliens Armies all to flight How women have their dead reviv'd receiv'd And others tortur'd would not be reliev'd With the unnumbred wonders faith hath wrought Unparallel'd and passing humane thought Time would me fail for no tongue can express Faith's famous miracles were they much less Whose all-subduing pow'r none can resist She makes th' Almighty God do what she list For if faith as a grain of mustard-seed Can Mountains move as in truth's word we read None can imagine any thing is hard To a firm faith from sinful doubt debarr'd Faith is the clew that in earths pilgrimage Convey's the Lord's elected heritage Through the world's labyrinth and brings them home Unto the King of glorie 's presence-room She is the souls perspective glass whereby She spies what friends or foes in kenning lye If Pyrates cross us or we victual want Faith 's both our ammunition and provant She is the winde that drives the needle card And Pilot that directs she is our guard Nay she 's our Sun by day our Moon by night Our Star that brings us to our Saviours sight Next whom she 's all in all to those that sail For Bliss-port and without her all must sail Epigram on Faith MY soul thou' rt bliss-ward bound make faith thy friend Eternal bliss is at her fingers end He that the same bestows is in her eye who 'll cease to be as soon as her deny Stupendious wonder God should stoop so low As to be creature-rul'd yet I will show True reason for 't and briefly that is this It is his will whose will true reason is Hope FIrm Anchor of our souls that moar'st them fast Unto the sacred Rock when thou art cast On what side ere thou fall'st thou hold fast tak'st And in that adamant impression mak'st When our weak faith's Sun-beams eclipsed are We sail by thee alone our only Star In those dark obfuscations which sometimes Becloud the best at sight of their high crimes Which interpose a foggie mist between Our faith 's dim'd eyes and Christ and like a screen Repel the light and heat that should proceed From his bright Rayes unto our souls in need Then thou our Pilot ready art at hand When we are toss'd in deeps to drive to land Thou art the Master's Mate though faith be chief And in her absent actings yeeld'st relief When she 's asleep or else unactive grown And we upon the quick-sands well-nigh thrown Thou bring'st assistance with thy gentle gale That we a while may with a by-wind sail Till faith do re-enliven and recover Until her soporif'rous fit be over When she awakes and wash'th her spethom'd eyes In Penitences laver thou dost rise And succour her enfeebled arm and hand Depriv'd of their late holdfast thou dost stand And her support who if thou wert not nigh Would languish in those fainting fits and die VVhen Faith is mir'd in pudly sink of sin And tired quite thou wad'st through thick and thin To draw her out rub'st her benummed limbs Till by regain'd agility she climbs And tow'rs aloft and tramples down her foes And conquers all the pow'rs that her oppose In sad desertions when the wounded soul Studie's by art to make her fair parts foul Hope gently wipes her spots and rins'th her eyes That she may clearer view the mysteries Of love Divine and not despair to cry For mercy which she else would do and die Hope in our souls a kind of being gains Ere saving Faith can act and this restrains New Faith from failing whence she term'd may be Her elder grace without absurdity And though Plerophory which some attain Seem hope needless to make when that they gain She 's needful still and fades not till fruition Of what is hoped then shall blessed vision Withal determine faith when she shall see What she believ'd and thence both useless be When doubts and fears which here them both annoy'd â—hall be discuss'd and quell'd by bliss enjoy'd â—in's sting envenom'd quite extracted be And death be swallow'd up in victory Then necessary uselesness attends Them both when they have both attain'd their ends â—aith Hope and Charity may well be call'd â— Christian 's tria Omnia and install'd â—he Princesses of other gifts and graces â—nd in Christ's Church rightly supply the places â—o Sulphur Salt and Mercury alotted â—… nature's schools by those whom Art besotted â—he three chief corner-stones in Sion's wall â—emove but these and you will ruine all â—ea rob a man of hope faith soon will die â—nd so will everlasting Charity â— hope surcease soon by degrees expire â—…r hope of all the three keep in the fire â—…e gains them life and heat and them inflames â—ith Zeal Divine the surging waves she tames â—hich in the storms of passions or affections â—f Spir'tual or temporal afflictions â—nd perturbations them would overwhelm â—…d she not steer their course and sit at Helm â— sacred hope steer on our course aright â—…rough this dark vale of tears in darkest night â—hilst faith is hood-winkt Charity inchill'd â—… other graces dead thou only skill'd â—… give sight heat and life unto them all â—…lp hope at need dear God or else we fall Who dying we shall live thy face to see And to enjoy and be enjoy'd by thee Epigram on Hope WEak faith's chief crutch deserted soul's sole prop Charities
warming-pan all this is Hope Fear 's Antidote the Proto-pharmacon Of grim despair or else sure there is none Doubt's prime discusser who doth her arraign At mercie 's bar where she by faith is slain Hope's Jacob's ladder which doth pierce the Sky Whereby enfeebled faith may mount on high Strength to renew and act more lively on In order to the souls salvation She is the constant'st grace that can be nam'd To stead us here and never makes asham'd Charity SWeet cement of the Bridegroom 's sweetest Bride Whereby her distant parts are unifi'd Strong Ligament of love that linkest fast Her dislocated joynt's thy very tast Is full of Heav'n and thy corruscant face Transcends the Cherubims and ev'ry grace However good and great is without thee Like a dead corpse whose limbs unfouled be Miracle-working faith is void and vain Unless the soul thee likewise entertain And God-compelling prayer 's an empty blast Where thou art absent and shall off be cast When thou unit'st no distance earth affords That can divide their hearts that are the Lords Thou joyn'st the members militant of Christ All in one bodie and so joyned ty'st Them in firm union with the rest above Who are triumphant so that all by love Joy the same joy think the same thoughts and pray The self same pray'rs in heart both we and they In Spirit now are one and so shall we One bodie mystical hereafter be Though now this flesh polluted taint our pray'rs Our thoughts and joys whence ours come short of theirs In actual perfection soul-desire Wing's our Intentionalls as high to spire As theirs inthron'd though we imprison'd lye And unreleasable until we die But then eternal love shall work alone When Hopes fruition and faith's vision Shall them determine in immortal glory And they be needless as these transitory Unsatisfying sublunary joys We dote on here the quintessence of â—oys Divinest love was privie counseller When God elected us and she past o'er His six days labour with delight when he Created us and what for us shâ—ld be All these loves wonders pass our admiration But oh when we relapst our renovation By a redeeming Jesus makes us see Much more then love if more then love can be Yet sure 't was love alone procur'd that bliss But such a love as neer was love like this Love is the glew that hold's so long together Heav'ns goodly frame and all that is beneath her For did not she prevent it our least sin Would ruine us the world and all therein And tumble all the creatures down pell-mell Into the lowest worst of creatures Hell Ah sacred Charity what tongue can raise A Trophy fitting thy deserved praise The Cherubims and Seraphims that be Most glorious creatures stand amaz'd at thee Thy lustre dazles them their pure eyes fail To view thy purer face without a vail And none but three in one and one in three Hath pow'r with fixed eyes to look on thee I 'm sure thou blindst my muse for she is flown A flight beyond what common sense will own And now she 's at her pitch must re-decline To Christians Charity from love divine Charity suffers long and kind she is She envies not nor vaunts her self amiss She is not puffed up nor doth behave Her self unseemly nor her own doth crave She is not soon provoked thinks no ill Nor in iniquity rejoyce she will But in the truth she beareth all things too All things believes and her hopes all things woo And she all things endures she 'l never fail When prophecies and tongues shall nought avail And knowledge quite shall vanish for all these Are but in part and consequently cease When our prefection comes but Charity Remaines entire to all eternity This sacred writ records of her perfection A testimony that should win affection As will as credit Sure were man not blind With pride and envy and too much inclin'd To base self-love sheep of our shepherd's fold Would never let their Charity grow cold As many do in this sad age who by A false-fir'd Zeal extinguish Charity Had we hearts to let Charity work in us She from our schismes and factions so would win us Which now nigh prove what we have earst heard told Quot homines sententiae toâ— of old As to unanimate both Church and State Which both are grown inanimate through hate And interchanged jealousies that neither Can well endure what 's good for both or either And God would soon foundations settle here Of that bless'd government which shall appear Ere long in all opposers spite and last When all Dominions else shall down be cast And shall in perfect peace all scepters sway In earth's vast round and all shall it obey When Jews shall called be as Scriptures told And with the Gentiles fulness make one fold And have one faithful shepherd o're them all Melchisedeck whom we Christ Jesus call Lord re-unite our hearts in love that thou May'st perfect that great work and all may bow Before thy throne when thou in peace shalt raign Through Heav'n and earth through the sea main Epigram on Charity SHall I by rules of convertibles pry Into a secret and not soar too high If God be love love God then Charity Is elder sister to eternity Or rather morher as is plain to see If one Creator t'other creature be These theo-critical conceits may enter Into thy thoughts my muse but do not venture To scan them far lest thou shouldst lose thereby The god of love the love of god and dy Weak-winged â—ouls whâ—… stormy winds do roar Flutter below dare not a loft to soar Forbear poor flea to wade within the brim Of that abyss where Elephants must swim PATIENCE 1. VIctorious Queen that foyl'st all Potentates That dare assail thee By thee prevail we When Faith and Hope are non-plus'd by cross fates Thou can'st them both recover And keep us that we give not over Nor yeeld the day before the field be won Wer 't not for thee poor Christians were undone 2. In persecution thou the Cordial art That our hearts easest And us releasest From passions that would else breed endless smart Thou mak'st our burthen lighter Though thou disclaim'st to be a fighter No Christian Champion ever won the field Where thy tri'd valour forc'd not foes to yeeld 3. Our God-man general by thee o'ercame Earth and Hell's crosses And salv'd our losses Whose Patience unparallel'd became She was the primest feather In his triumphant plume And either She in our Helmets must be worn or foes Will win the day and we the prize shall lose 4. She from the manger to the garden chear'd Our dearest Saviour VVhose meek behaviour Astonish'd men and his Condemner fear'd Gethsemane nigh tiring VVith blood-sweat passion fear inspiring VVhen God and Man were both nigh at a loss She chears to Golgotha and climbs the Cross Epigram on Patience AS Palm-tree press'd or Plantine trod best grows So Patience by suff'rings foes o'erthrows To LIFE
glory still increase Be thou Lord ours and make us to be thine And bless these Isles with Christian joy and peace Then shalt thou joy in us and we in thee And spread thy glory through earth's spatious rounds That all its Nations may come in and see Thy saving health and how thy grace abounds Amen Epigram HOw crooked in this age is mankind grown Some give offence and others take where's none All flock like Larks to Day nets and most flie To a false glass in stead of Heavens bright eye Opinion guideth most and she by faction Is quite beside her self in high distraction Our wanton hearts each spark take tinder-like That Rome's and Spain's false steel stone do strike But ah beware lest blown into a flame Those sparks devour our Nation and our Name They had ere now did he not them prevent From whose pure truths they charm us to dissent By broaching sapless Schisms fruitless Dissentions Teaching for truths their own accurst inventions Lord re-unite us ere we ruin'd be Make us at odds with them but one with thee Amen The bitter sweet 1. LOrd it's a time of changes oh be pleas'd To change us so that we may be appeas'd In every change submit our stormie wills To thy disposals silence passion stills And meek embracement of sharp dispensations To us-wards for our great prevarications Retard ensuing judgements I might say Prevents them since it doth thy wrath allay 2. Lord it's a time of troubles trouble me Most for my sins since they most trouble thee Impow'r me Lord to trouble them as well Who are the Achans of thy Isra-el Let them have trouble 'till they troubled die Sunk in oblivion to eternity These curs'd Aegyptians still have thee withstood Drown them in the Red-sea of thy Sons blood 3. Lord it's a time of war arm thou my soul Against my lusts and my corruptions foul Which with world flesh and devil united stand Encampt against me Thine Almighty hand Alone can save make me resolv'd and stout That I by grace these restless foes may rout Teach me thy sp'ritual armour so to weild That they subdu'd with shame may flie the field 4. Lord it's a time of sickness oh I faint Sin is my sickness make it my complaint Dear Christ be thou my doctor or I die No doctor else can cure my malady It 's a contagious botch hereditary A leprosie that doth infection carry Through all man's generations all man's line 'T is blood must cure't and no blood can but thine 5. Lord it's a time of death teach me to die Aright to sin that I may live thereby To righteousness then as that death pleas'th thee Death natural will pleasing prove to me Whilst in thee I shall die death shall but hurry Me from this vale of tears to endless glory Grant these two deaths who once didst die for me I first may die to sin next die in thee Chorus IN changes troubles war sickness and death My sweet's above my bitter still beneath Mos Mundi The broad way 1. TO drink to drab to dance and sing To swear and swagger roar and raunt Carouse and Hats up fling Laugh boast and vaunt Jeer and taunt Jest and Jibe Like Thraso's tribe To flatter cog and lye Pack Cards and trip a Dye Frolick and feast And play the beast Have mirthful parts accounted been Yea noble qualities esteem'd But wise men when they such have seen Them rather mad then merâ—y deem'd 2. To fast be chaste demurely talk Hate Oathes debauch'd behaviour flie And soberly to walk Jests to defie And each lye Truth to speak Wrath not to wreak But leave revenge to God Are all held humours odd Who such is turn'd Is mosily scorn'd The world so impudent is grown That sin gains glory vertue shame Astraea is to Heaven flown And Grace on Earth hath lost her name Sic transit gloria mundi Praesentis non futuri Eternity ETernity Ah dearest Lord assist My shallow Muse for she 's quite overwhelm'd In this vast Ocean she 's of footing miss't Toss'd on the surging waves like ship unhelm'd Depriv'd of terminus à quo from whence Her voyage to begin and the ad quem Where it should end since he 's depriv'd of sence Who in eternity doth seek for them She no beginning had nor end shall have But from eternal to eternal be VVas is and shall be when death and the grave The Earth the Sea the Heavens which we see Were all meer nothing unborn unbegotten Whilst they their time ordain'd continue shall And when they all are vanish'd and forgotten She 'll stay unmetamorphosed at all In her nor time nor age can change effect Nor all the pow'rs of Earth and Hell prevayl To make a wrinkle in her sweet aspect Nor frost one hair though joyntly they assayl VVhen Heav'n shall moult her Stars like a roul Involved be in flames that shall consume The world's whole fabrick save mans deathless soul And God shall in a moment us assume Chang'd to himself Yet she shall still remain Immutable by his divine decree Who her impowr'd that sameness to retain In self-fruition to eternity Old Idol-makers emblemiz'd her by A snake turn'd round whose mouth and tayl did meet VVhich endless form shew'd forth a deity VVhose everlasting being could not fleet Nor end receive but still revert again To its beginning Others pourtray'd her In youthful shape so ever to remain Both in the right and yet both out on 't were Though everlasting and unchangeable She 's but a creature so they erred both In de-ifying her yet no man's able Of her deep Essence to conceive the troth She 's of too lofty birth too deep conception For our low shallow apprehensions reach The thought whereof should move us to reception Of humbled hearts and soul-submission teach To our and her great God whose wonders woo Our way-ward hearts from transitorie joyes To will what he doth will and that to do To fix on him and so abandon toyes Sacred Eternity should make us slight These shadow-pleasures short delights below False creature-comforts and to eye that light That leads to true and lasting joyes we know Those soon shall fade And our immortal souls Run parallel unto Eternity In wo or weal. Who then but heedless fools Will loose firm joyes to joy in vanity Heark fearless Dolt hammer thy steeled heart On this firm Anvil Oft in minde revolve Eternity that she may make thee part From thy embosom'd lusts the stone dissolve That 's in thy breast thy crusted conscience soften Impow'r thee Satans wiles more to resist To do good oftner and not sin so often For fear of everlasting had I wist This single word in brief doth comprehend All the surpassing joys that Heav'n affords And all the torments that the damned find In Hell them to express need no more words For though the joys of one be infinite In number weight and measure and as well The others torments no less infinite Eternity
once and I dare say The rest will throw down arms and run away She is thy castle's porter she lets in World Devil and all that may provoke to sin Call self forth to the bar thou needst not try her She 's both judg'd and condemn'd go crucifie her Methinks as did Copernicus I ' spy The world with all her trinkets round to fly At that brave sentence Satan sneak away As one that in the field hath lost the day Like black Cur scar'd with tail betwixt his legs Seeing he sate abrood on addle eggs Walk on brave heart now thou' rt a man indeed Now thou hast done the work no more then need Hadst not thou hadst for ever been undon Run cheerly forth thou 'lt come to Heav'n anon An Epigram on the same MAn know thy self and wherefore thou wert made Not wealth to seek or make deceit a trade Deceit 's a trade that will deceive at last Greatest Deceivers when th' accounts are cast If thou wilt needs deceive deceive thy foes Who have and do deceive thee at thy nose The devil world and flesh all three at once I 'll shew thee how to do 't if thou have sconce Thou hast two men within thee here 's the skill Cast out the old and keep the new man still This new-mans sent alone packs them for ever 'T will conjure better then Tobiah's liver Age. MAn 's no stay'd creature Lo he now appears Transform'd from what he was his hoary hairs And baldness shew that Winter's neer when late 'T was but high harvest Ceres out of date Pursues her sister Flora on with speed Blow'th to bespeak of her for next years seed Thus times revolve and then return but man Review's no more what 's past the strongest can But one time have and but once have that time To Platonize in Christians is a crime Grave Sir time present's only in your power The past and future times are none of your You can't the first recal nor latter tell What it shall bring to pass this you know well If you but lose the present your time 's lost Irrevocab'ly gone nay more 'T will cost Your loss of labour body soul and all And that for ever Oh! let this appal Your subtle heart rouze your clogg'd memory Time to redeem lest you eternally Rue that neglect you 're wise pray therefore weigh How your state stands for he that did conveigh All to you that you have or can have here Past it but for six days not for a year Four of the best expir'd if rightly cast Infancy childhood youth and manhood past You now are in the fifth at Fryday's stage But Saturday left for your doating age And that 's half pain half play the school-boys maze And old mens too for then their life 's a blaze Like a spent candle which if let alone Burns dim then flashes and is forthwith gone But ah look further then comes on the day That should thy Sabbath be the day of pay 'T will be to all for all shall have their hire As they deserve though not as they desire Who finde it not a pleasure-day of rest Finde it a pain-day not to be exprest Oh then begin to think and cast about With care how to work your salvation out I know your care is great those things to save Whereof no use at all you 'll shortly have You 're penny-wise pound-foolish nay much worse You 're body-wise soul-foolish O dire curse You to advise as others were too bold Might jealousie provoke since you are old Should I to you Put off the old man say You 'll think I bid you cast your self away That 's a fond errour pray mistake me not It will not shorten health or life a jot Suppose the worst if you should thereby die 'T will screw your life up to eternity Work work your change for now the days are neer Of which you 'll say in sorrow pain and fear I have no pleasure in them when your sky Sun Moon and Stars shall dark'ned be on high And Clouds shall follow rain House-k eepers tremble The strong men bow themselves and grinders nimble Through paucity shall cease the window-peepers Be darkned and the street-doors shut by keepers When you shall undergo those other woes That Isr'el's royal preacher quaintly shows Desire shall fail your dust to earth return Your soul to God your carkase to the urn 'T will be too late to work when death's dark night Hath you envelopt robb'd of light and sight Sure none defer their work but thriftless fools 'Till dotage hath depriv'd them of their tools That they should work with think you he that gave Men souls and bodies with endowments brave To do him service can contented be In his foe's work them all imploy'd to see And take the Devil's gleanings we such folly Would highly scorn And can our God most holly An wise be so deluded Man remember Thy yeer is almost past it 's high December Work ne'er so hard who 'll give thee a yeers pay To work for him 'twixt this and new-yeers day Yet God will do 't if thou wilt faithful prove And serve him in true fear with fraudless love Give him thy heart and less thou canst not give Nor craves he more So thou shalt surely live Live beyond date of death or force of fear Where nothing that offends shall more come near What canst expect thy gain more to advance Then thy life's change for firm inheritance Such an inheritance earth ne'er did see Thy self thy everlasting heir shalt be A better Lord was never tenant had If thou refuse him thou art worse then mad He 'll make thee co-heir with his own sole son The Lord of Heaven and Earth and with him one Haste haste accept the motion whilst thou may'st 'T is a cheap purchase whatsoe'er thou pay'st And he expects no more but thy old clothes Thy carnal habits which he likewise lothes But will 's thou cast them off for he retains No servitor on whom such ragg remains He 'll clothe thee in white Robes of righteousness Whose glory Cherubims cannot express Add to the pow'r he gives but thy endeavour And thou shalt sit inthron'd with him for ever Quick shift thy vestments and go hide thee in Those splendent Robes cast off thy rags of sin Let lusts and passions a new Master get Speed lest thou be prevented by Sun-set Now now 's thy time to do 't for who doth know Whe'er thou shalt live a minute more or no This done thou 'lt reap invaluable gains And I 'll require but thanks for this my pains Nay if thou give me none content I 'll be He for whose glory 't is will pay them me Epigram GRay Hair with graceless Heart a guilded tomb Greedy yet fruitless like a barren womb It 's Harvest high and yet no fruit appears This plague's far worse then Egypts fruitless years Those Harvests fail'd but they had Grain in store Here 's no fruit now nor hopes of
be thereto wise men demurr'd But I 'll resolve that doubt whoe'er thou be Atheist approach and feel draw neer and see And doubtless thou shalt have full satisfaction For thy nice question and each godless action Thou' rt right i' th' way no guide needs yet know this Death will most surely shew thee where it is Heaven ETernal Majesty who here dost raign My Muse assistance by thy Spirit daign In mercy pardon this my bold adventure The holiest of holies thus to enter Oh! circumcise my heart my foul lips touch VVith thy great Altar's cole ere I approach Thy honour's dwelling Sanctifie my verse Let this its Our ano-graphy rehearse Soul-charming strains that ravish may with love My self and others of the things above I kiss thy threshold Lord and so creep in VVhere 's no approach for ought defil'd with sin Not that i 'm pure but foul yet purged cleer Lo Lord my sacrifice and Priest are here At thy right hand of glory with thee one The glory both of thy right hand and throne The wonder of thy mercy love and grace VVho bears all Heavens joys summ'd in his face The Heav'n of Heav'n Men cannot wish more bliss Then to behold thy sacred face and his Though but a moment who such sight might have Would hug the silent hushtness of the grave Kiss death yea woo Hells self on the condition When time 's spent to the snuff to have fruition Of that transcendent joy Oh grace divine Incomprehensible save by the Tri'ne It forc'th my tongue-ty'd Muse rapt with delight To stutter forth a far-short Epithite Oh su-per-su-per-su-su-per-la-tive Stupendious Love Into whose depth to dive Would non-plus Heav'ns Angelick Hierarchy VVonder-strike all the Saints to Lethargy Yet as if these essentials of that joy VVere too too small for mankinde to enjoy Too slight a guerdon for a sinful worm VVhose sting death-stung the Lord of Life whose form First most divine is self-deform'd by guilt God for augmenting circumstantials built This New Jerusalem Joys splendid throne A City whose high walls are precious stone Her streets transparent gold her unshut gates Of Orient pearls all of unvalu'd rates VVhere needs nor Sun by day nor Moon by night For God's great glory gives eternal light The Lamb 's the Lamp thereof within it walk Earth's saved Tribes whose musick and whose talk Are Allelu-iahs whose white Robes out vie The purest snow in candor such no eye Of Mortal ever saw nor heart of man Can half conceive where Jesus leads the Van Of sacred Myriades host of Lord of hosts VVith millions of Angels for the posts And scouts of that Coelestial Army grac'd VVith many thousand-thousand Kings all plac'd In thrones of glory crown'd with endless peace And sceptred with triumphant Palms where cease All oppositions to eternity For all their Enemies subdued lie Chain'd up in deathless flames in sulph'ry smother Tormenting and tormented by each other Doom'd to so horrid and immense a curse As God himself can wish his Foes no worse But what need Joys Antipathetical Where Sympathetical drown heart and all In sweet satiety and pleasing fulness Blessedly void of nauseating dulness This feast's cates cloy not ne'er so freely ta'en The Ghests need fear no surfeiting or bane Yet it 's a lasting everlasting feast Like free for all the greatest or the least Here winged Cherubims bring in the Ghests From all Earth's quarters after Death's arrests That Vinegar prepares their appetites To feed on unexpressible delights For that 's Gods wonted way as all Saints know who 'll feast above must taste sowre sauce below Afflictions are Preparatives to bliss VVho rightly bear one rarely t'other miss I might say never Lord what fools are we VVhom sense misseads to doat on what we see Hear feel smell taste with Organs physical Sense-comforts have Soul-poyson in them all The Spider sucks them thence and heedless Bees Fixing on them their ' fore-got honey leese And labour too Avaunt avaunt dear souls Let Faith's bright eye aspire beyond the Poles And view those everlasting Mansions there Void of disturbance anguish care or fear Of all that discontents all that annoys And full refert with boundless endless joys Here the celestial choristers declare Their maker's glory chaunting hymns most rare Sweet odes and Epithalamies they 'll sing To celebrate the nuptials of their king Mount Sion's Lamb Lyon of Judah's tribe Whose bless'd inauguration they 'll describe In soul-amazing notes that ravish quite All ears with sweet excess of choice delight The Heav'n and Heav'n of Heavens ring with peals Of acclamations at the open'd seals The mystery of God fulfill'd they 'll see And joy therein to all eternitie Methinks I hear the most melodious songs The none-such ditties warbled by those throngs My towring soul transmounts the cast back skies Sensing in her degree those rhapsodies Hyper-noetick strains that quite transform My lowly muse into a lofty form Make nature lethe-drunk inflame my heart With restless longing there to bear a part Where who the least part bears shall bear a weight Of countless endless glory great yet light A crowning burthen burthenless who bear The Cross right here shall there the crown right wear An Amarantine Crown of glory lasting Further beyond then 't is to everlasting Lord why doth this dull lump of earth detain My mounting soul from their consort that raign With thee in glory I should groan to be Dissolv'd that I thy presence bright might see Whereof a glympse I spy but sinful flesh Still conjures up desires of life afresh Of life not worth desiring now I view The difference 'twixt it and this that 's true True life is only here our life below Is but a mock-life meerly life in show But real death Lord that I here might stay And wait at my Redeemer's feet for aye But ah it cannot be I must descend And re-invested be in flesh to end My task by thee appointed me beneath Till summon'd by thy Pursevant grim death Or judgement's change I re-appear before Thy throne to be with thee for evermore Dear God in mercy dangers all prevent That may affayl my soul in this descent From sin-defilement keep her pure and free And then thy will be done O Lord on me Yet ah i 'm loath to part my soul much fear'th To fall from highest heav'n to lowest earth Guide me and her Lord while we there remain And then ere long we shall return again The Epigram OH what all-dazling lustre's here whose bright Corruscancy deprives all eyes of sight All tongues of words expressive and all hearts Of comprehensive thoughts all these weak parts Are stupifi'd hereat yet this great throne Was made for worthless man's fruition What miracles hath mercy more to do What! forgive sins give sinners heaven too There needs no more of mercy for man's lot Get hea-ven and get all that need be got Of getting other things learn the forgetting For when all 's got heav'n's all that 's worth the getting Valedictio
vanitatibus 1. FArewel fond Cupid with thy gamesome pleasure Childhood and youth inchanting Whose self-betraying leasure Thy pathes of vanity is always haunting And whose fanatick souls Like Dotterels those foolish fowls Are caught by imitation And train'd to death by doating on the fashion 2. Honour Our manhood's bubble and her bauble Charming us with vain-glory To seek what is not stable And dare damnation for fame transitory Chameleon-like to live By airy praise that others give And slight our souls salvation Farewel there 's danger in so high a station 3. Farewel old Ages folly cheating treasure False deâ—ity of worldly wife Who crave that past all measure Which needless is What most they need despise Who Ant-like without rest Labour to fill their borrow'd nest Then Cuckoo-like leave unto strangers Eggs nest and all to finde eternal dangers I must acknowledge the ensuing-valedictions to be unto more relations then I ever had at one and the same time in being But ayming to express according to my low power the nothingness in worth of our temporal to our eternal enjoyments at sight of the blessed society above I have briefly and abruptly bid farwel to all below Amen Sequuntur Quatuordecem Valedictionis Quatuordecimales 1. To the World and its Inhabitants FArewel my fellow-citizens of Earth Frail self-like Mortals made of flesh and blood Whose greatest fear 's death sickness war and dearth Though you I love I 'll leave your Neighbourhood For I am bent for new discoveries My faith another world hath in her eye Far situate beyond the azure skies Whose subjects all are Saints thither go I There shall this drossy flesh and blood refin'd Immortal grow and free from all your fears Where whilst my Saviour's presence cheers my mind My heart shall vent no sighs my eyes no tears But fill'd with joy from age to age I 'll sing Sweet Allelu-iahs to my God and King 2. To Europe and Europaeans FArewel my worldly fellow-quarterers Plac'd in the Earths Right eye by grace divine Who gives more knowledge to thy sojourners Then to all quarters else where Sol doth shine Ye are most civiliz'd of all the rest Of this worlds pilgrims though proud China boast Of her two eyes compar'd with thee at best She must confess at least one of them lost I must remove my quarters though so good For I have took up new beyond the poles Dear-purchas'd by my General 's heart-blood To those that quarter there you 're blind as moles There I shall know as I am known and be Perfect in Knowledge to Eternity 3. To Britain and Britain's FArewel dear Country-men Heav'ns Paramours For God hath choycest blessings heap'd on you Beyond all other lands That Isle of yours Earth's Cornucopiae may be lik'ned to Wherein are all things needful for man's life Plenty of most But oh the means of grace By Gospel-Ministers though now at strife So plentiful in no Land ever was But I must take my leave lest your dissention About the way to life should error breed In my frail heart I 'll therefore for prevention To everlasting unity with speed To Grace's Crown of glory I ascend What needs the means when l 've attain'd the end 4. To Shire-mates FArewel my Shire-mates whom this Isle's division Hath neighbouriz'd to me and me to you Whose rights have in one Counties Courts decision Peace to maintain and to give each his due Native vicinity commands my love Yet I must traverse all my actions hence I 'll get out an injunction from above To try at God's tribunal each offence There I a righteous Chancery shall finde Yet have my Judge my advocate to be And have no costs unto my foe assign'd The Playntiff Satan who impleadeth me On trespasses oft' done against the Judge Who will release me pray then who can grudge 5. To Parishioners FArewel Parochial Neighbours whom this Nation By custome in one Register inrols And hath held of one Church one Congregation And chosen one for Curate of our souls These civil ties and neighbour-hood endear You much to me But I must from you part Amongst you I of Schism and faction fear Another Congregation hath my heart Where one-ness indivisible appears Whose Curate is the Bishop of our souls Melchi-zedeck whose flock is free from fears Of Wolf or Fox of ravenous beasts and fouls Yet guarded by a Lamb whose song we 'll sing With Saints and Angels till the heavens ring 6. To Servants FArewel my Servants for my Covenant Requires me to depart mourn not for me For your attendance I no more shall want Your Master and mine own I go to see I must confess a truant I have been And in his service faith-less dull and dead Yet he hath sworn he 'll pay my wages in If I but with his only Son will wed Serve I him but the twinckling of an eye I shall have wages payd eternally His Debtor deep and desperate was I Who sent his Son to die to ransome me Oh love stronger then death my soul away Make speed lest thy dear Master for thee stay 7. To familiar acquaintance FArewel acquaintance I 'll acquaint you where Are better to be got then you and I I 'll challenge you to dare to meet me there And promise you rich fare and melody Ambrosia Nectar and the Poet's cates Are husks and gall to that celestial fare The Spheres harmonious musick jars and grates To their Diviner Quavers warbled there Where no associates we so base shall find As Earth's most potent King or Emperour True joy shall fill the body soul and mind With contentation lasting evermore What poor society doth earth afford Draw up my heart of steel dear loadstone Lord. 8. To intimate friends FArewel my mind 's embosom'd darlings dear ' Mongst whom one heart may many bodies serve And act unitely in them all It 's clear I highly prize your love Yet needs must swerve From hugging your enjoyment for I 'm call'd By the great friend of friends the god of love VVith his triumphant friends to be install'd In Love's great Principality above The King of Kings commands me I must hence To more and greater friends then Earth affords Detain me not Nor count this an offence If I cease to be yours to be the Lords I 'll be both his and yours if you 'll his be And you in him again shall meet with me 9. To Brothers Sisters and Kindred FArewel my flesh and blood my kindred here Our homogeneal parts at first were one 'Till rib-made Eve made two who still one were Millions of millions now in number grown Adieu t' ye all but most to those most near I have attain'd new consanguinity All of my elder Brothers blood d' ye hear Yet not of mine but of divine affinity A breed of quondam men now glorifi'd Who sing sweet Requiems eternally To their inthroned souls not to be ey'd By Mortals opticks where the starry Skie Their foot-stool is their seat the glorious flore Of his great Throne
that raigns for evermore 10. To Father FArewel my being's instrumental Cause Assign'd by him from whom all beings flow Who my new Father is and old one was Ere you were so methinks my heart doth grow With grief to part But yet part needs I must From all relations that Heav'ns Canopy Surrounds to find the merciful and just Who 's Father to us all whose Progeny Are all man-kind whose wonderful affection By his Son's blood redeem'd me who before Made love sole ground of my poor souls election For which I 'll sing his praise for evermore Father if you are loath I gone should be Come but to him you 'll surely come to me 11. To Mother FArewel dear mold where in my mortal clay First by th' eternal potter formed was In pain that baâ—'st me nine months night and day And after grievous travel gav'st me pass Into this vale of tears thy torments bind Me to a boundless love yet wonder not If I now leave thee for a new I find Who hath me born again since 't was thy lot A mother militant who hath prepar'd A third triumphant for me who doth dwell Where never to approach a foe yet dar'd Above the fear and spite of Earth and Hell Oh let me fly and haste thee after me For she to both of us will mother be 12. To Children FArewel sweet implings quick Epitomes Of me and my dear second I must leave Your lov'd society death 's Writ of Ease Doth me remove yet not of life bereave That 's length'ned by my change you I commit Unto a faithful guardian yea a father To me and you with whom I go to sit In everlasting glory who will gather You all to me again when his time comes Only be faithful to the death and he Will give you crowns of life when your bless'd homes Shall be th' imperial Heaven where with me With Angels Saints and Martyr's crowned throng You 'll sing for ever Sion's Lamb 's sweet song 13. To Wife FArewel my better half life of my life And sub-celestial comforts we must cleave One heart in two at parting dearest wife As we made one of two at meeting leave Spare those heart-melting cries those thriftless tears Thy frailties to bewail in those streams swim Home to thy harbour where my faith me bears There my Bridegroom and thine doth mansions trim For us with everlasting ornaments With whom we both shall newly marri'd be And raign eternally fill'd with contents Passing what heart can think ear hear eye see I do but go before and thee expect Among the number of the Lord's Elect. 14. To all Joyntly FArewel World Europe Britain native Shire And Parish too servants acquaintance friâ—…ds Kindred with Father Mother children dear And dearest Wise have all contented mindes Fot I am to so high preferment call'd That if you lov'd me you would urge me on To haste away that I may be install'd A death-less prince crown'd King by him whose throne Is over all whose Scepter sways at once Heav'n Earth and Hell with their inhabitants That Triple Crown that girts the pride-puft sconce Of Antichrist who there of falsly vaunts Is this Kings right alone stil'd in truth's words The only King of Kings and Lord of Lords The Charge BRitain thy glory 's sunk swoln are thy sins To an o'erwhelming torrent that begins Thee to o'erwhelm thy erst indulgent God Hath turn'd his hand against thee see his rod Begins to whip thy follies whose dread sword Did lately fight thy battels whose pure word Made the earth's Goshen thou begin'st to grope In an Egyptian darkness many hope To see th' unbottom'd pits black mists o'ercloud Thy splendent Sun yea thy own sons have vow'd To put out that great light to raise thereby Their ignis fatuus light of phantasie Father of lights frustrate their curs'd design The comfort shall be ours but glory thine Let not the pit's black torches smokie fumes Eclipse thy Sun-shine here though he presumes To see it so who is the man of sin Who among us those false fires usher'd in To light us on to darkness Lord return Those fires into his bosom let them burn Mysterious Babylon their heat calcine The scarlet whore and beast to ashes fine Their light discover Antichrist to all That they and their false fires together fall Quench'd in eternal flames and then on high And here beneath thy Church shall glorifie Thy aweful name But ah Lord we betray Our selves to them by sin wildely display Our nakedness and what defects we have Thy hand 's not shortned that it cannot save Nor thine ear heavie that it will not hear But our iniquities O God most dear Have separated us from thee our sins Have stockt our feet in their intangling gins Our gross abominations in thy sight Have thee provok'd to take from us the light That we so long unworthily enjoy'd Thanklesly too which made the favour void Our disesteeming of thy sacred light Perverting it to doctrines of the night To schisms and errours heresies and factions Have justly brought on us these sad distractions And since so many of us dare to scoft it Thou justly may'st henceforth deprive us of it Thou may'st remove our candlestick to those who 'll bring forth better fruit then our vain shows Our painted leaves and blossoms which discrie Our faith but fain'd our zeal hypocrisie Provoke thy patience to fierce wrath's effusion And woo thy vengeance to our own confusion But Lord forbid forbid dear God the sins Of us poor nothings who have nothing in 's But sin and folly ever should out-vie Thy boundless mercy force thee to defie Fond weakling worms yet thy own creatures Lord Create ' Redeem'd preserved by thy word And those whom thou hast lov'd Oh rather turn Us from our sins to thee for them to mourn Then thee from us to view them and in wrath For them to punish Lord thy mercy hath Ways to prevent thy justice and can give Light unto all that all may see to live Hoping to live to see the gen'ral call Of nations to the light by all in all Who shall have all the glory that redounds Eccho'd from Heav'ns and earth's remotest bounds And when all other Kingdoms are o'erthrown Pow'r and dominion shall be all his own Which hasten Lord that we may see with joy To thine Elect and to their foes annoy And oh prepare us for that glorious day Turn us from each perverse and crooked way Wherein we wander fit this Island 's ghests For thy bright coming and for the arrests Of death and judgment that whate'er befal The glory may be thine joy ours in all But Lord our sins have at such height o'erbore us That they transcend all Nations past before us It well may make at sight of our base pride Lucifer blush to see himself out-vi'd And we have those by us'ry and oppression Who would wrest Mammon's self out of possession Fraud and deceit to such a height are grown That most men
running A way chalk'd out by thine and our most cunning And mortal foes a way devis'd at Rome VVhich will these lands to desolation doom Our bodies to sharp sword and famine thin Our souls ro utter darkness for our sin Deprive us of thy candlestick that live And to posterity dark Lanthorns give To guide in pathes of death and to deceive Our progeny false Gospels to believe Unless thy grace prevent Bless'd God arise And let thy foes be scatter'd that despise And persecute thy truth and people thus Draw us to thee and be thou GOD WITH US Cease our divisions chase all schisms and errours All Heresies and Ath'ism hence with terrours And with confusion unto those that broach'd them And recantation to those that approach'd them Let Reformation true at last come in To our distracted Church and State which sin Hath long kept off let love with truth and peace And blessed union daily more increase In these distressed lands chase hence the swarms Of black-pits locusts whose inveigling charms Dicotomize the world whose industry Makes King fight King and men make war with thee Lord let eternal mercy turn us thus From all our sins and all thy wrath from us For none but thine Almighty hand can cure Our desp'rate wounds thy enemies make sure Shortly to sway these lands and therewithal To ruine thy reformed Churches all Unless thy grace prevent Help Lord at need It 's in the mount it 's time thou help indeed For vain is mans false help we fools have try'd By Egypt's friendship to be fortifi'd Whose broken reeds have pierc'd our heedless hands And drawn thy judgments on these sinful lands Avert them Lord and turn us unto thee Thy fury just from us else lost are we Thy stock of wonted mercies we have spent And are undone unless thy grace prevent We set up Princes Lord but not of thee Rulers whom thou know'st not who'll fatal be Unto this land and make us soon repent Our foolish choice unless thy Grace prevent Oh let the BRANCH spring forth and bud and bear If thou so will'st whilst we are pilgrims here The birth is at wombs mouth Oh God help strength To bring that bless'd production forth at length Which our sins keep obstructed in the womb And let the Son of David's Kingdom come But out great crimes defer that blest event And urge thy wrath Lord let thy Grace prevent Prevent our just-deserved ruine Lord Let love obliterate our crimes abhor'd Recruit our stock of grace so vainly spent And our just fears Lord let thy grace prevent Angliae Omen OH stupid England how hath S. befool'd thee Not to give ear to what thy G. hath told thee But to F. P. thou willingly canst hearken Which will I fear thy brightest glory darken E. and D. fight like fools by J. deceived To make S. sport unless by G. relieved G. chalk'd thee out a way yet thou refusest Therein to walk his mercies thou abusest Pervert'st the means of grace to schism and faction Wrest'st profer'd peace into perverse distraction P. B. is spil'd whence P. in mirth exceedeth Whil'st P. spoyls P. the heart of C. C. bleedeth And thou still glorying in thy shame abidest Sweet mercies scornest judgments fierce deridest Exceed'st in pride oppression blood and thieving Excess and bold profaneness never grieving For all thy horrid acts whose exclamation Rings up to Heav'n and croaks thy desolation For which thy crimes one of these are attending Thy soon repentance or thy latter ending It is not to me unknown that divers exquisite pens have poëtically translated the following Lamentations whose Labours I honour and aym not herein to detract from neither strive I to claw mans ear or tickle his fancie but have as neer as I was enabled kept the very words of the Text it self in our most usual English Translations hoping the divine gravity and interwoven plainness of that stile may prove powerful above all mans ingenious flourishes hereon as fitting best the parallel times and people whereâ—n and for whom they were first written Amen Hodie mihi Cras tibi Let Jury Britain's warner be Let Jebus London teach That we Gods ways may heed and see Whilst Jews to English preach The Lamentations of Jeremiah in metre CHAP. I. verse 1 HOw doth the thronged City sit desert How art thou widowed O thou that wert The great among the Nations Princess took Of Provinces and now in tributes yoak verse 2 Her nightly tears make torrents o'er her cheeks In vain she comfort from all lovers seeks Her friends perfidious all are foes become verse 3 Judah's gone captive from her native home Because of servitude and great affliction Among the Heathen she finds no refection Her persecuters 'twixt the straights o'ertake her verse 4 Zions wayes mourn since solemn feasts forsake her Her Priests do sigh her gates are desolate verse 5 Virgins afflicted She in bitter state Her soes are chief and prosper for the Lord Hath her afflicted for her most abhorr'd And multipli'd transgressions and her Sons Her enemies led captive all at once verse 6 All Zions Daughters beauty is departed Her Princes are like Harts in pastute thwarted verse 7 As finding none and they are strengthless gone verse 8 Before pursuers Jebus now thinks on Her pleasant things in days of old enjoy'd By miserie 's afflicting hand made voyd Her Sons faln in the hands of enemies Quite helpless foes her Sabbaths did despise verse 9 Jerusalem hath sinned grievously Therefore removed of her friends cast by Who saw her shame she sighs backward turns verse 10 Her filth is in her skirts and she adjourns The day of her last end whence she descends To wonderment yet voyd of cheering friends Lord view my sorrow for the foe doth boast verse 11 And snatch our pleasant things we value most She in her Temple sees the Heathen Nations Whom thou forbad'st t' approach thy Congregations verse 12 Her people sigh and seek their bread they give Their pleasant things for food them to relieve See Lord consider for I vile am grown verse 13 Is it to you as nothing have yee known O all by-passers any grief like mine In his fierce angers day by sacred Trine verse 14 Afflicted fire from Heaven he hath sent Into my bones his net spread with intent My feet to trap Yea he hath turn'd me back And made me faint and desolate alack verse 15 His hand hath bound the yoak of my transgressions Which wreathed mount cause my neck 's oppressions My strength he made to fall he gives me over Into their hands from whom I can't recover verse 16 In me he trampled on my men of might Assembled those that crush'd my young men quite As in a wine-press he that wears Heav'ns crown The Virgin Judah's Daughter hath trod down verse 17 For this I weep mine eye mine eye fleets on Because from me the Comforter is gone That should relieve my soul And desolate My children are ' cause those prevail'd