Selected quad for the lemma: love_n

Word A Word B Word C Word D Occurrence Frequency Band MI MI Band Prominent
love_n believe_v faith_n lord_n 3,568 5 3.9247 3 false
View all documents for the selected quad

Text snippets containing the quad

ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A26987 Poetical fragments heart-imployment with God and it self : the concordant discord of a broken-healed heart ... / by Richard Baxter. Baxter, Richard, 1615-1691. 1681 (1681) Wing B1349; ESTC R5795 56,143 158

There are 7 snippets containing the selected quad. | View lemmatised text

were free 3. But while I sinned thou wast kind And sent'st thy Word and Spirit of Grace Thy Light did change my darkened mind And shewed me my wretched case Though I drew back thou didst prevail And I gave up my self to thee Thou undertook'st for wind and sail Both Ship and Pilot thou would'st be 4. I turn'd my back on worldly toyes And set my face toward Glory's Shore Where thou hast promis'd highest Joyes And Blessedness for evermore I took my leave of Sin and Earth What I had lov'd I now did hate Ashamed of my former birth I gave my Life a newer date 5. But since that time how am I tost Afraid of every storm and wave Almost concluding I am lost As if thou would'st not help and save If I look out beyond thine Ark Nothing but raging Seas I see On this side Heav'ns all 's deep and dark But I look further unto thee 6. Censures and scorns and frowns I hear Storms which before I never found And yet all these I should not fear If all at home were safe and sound But thy displeasure wounds my heart I have but two parts Flesh and Soul Both of thy wrath do bear their part And thou hast left me neither whole The Second Part. 7. All this is just Lord I confess I staid too long ere I came in And how should healing grace do less When I brought with me so much sin Much Pride and Vanity I kept Too oft my heart was looking back Though God stood by me yet I slept Heav'n was at hand yet I grew slack Spare Lord and pity thy poor dust That fled into thy Ark for Peace O cause my Soul on thee to trust And do not my distress increase O keep up life and peace within If I must feel thy chastening Rod Yet kill not me but kill my sin And let me know thou art My God 9. Folly dwelt in my childish breast Sin rob'd me of my youthful daies Let not thy wrath cut off the rest And stifle thine intended praise Whilst I forgot thee thou didst bear Thy kindness did invite me home O rack me not with grief and fear Kill me not Lord now I am come 10. The silent Dust speaks not thy fame Nor in dark Graves art thou renown'd The living Saints declare thy Name And in thy Church thy Praises sound Yet let me with thy houshold dwell Though I be numbred with thy Poor And with thy Saints thy Wonders tell Although I sit behind thy door 11. Set not thy strength against frail man O turn not yet this flesh to Clay My life thou know'st is but a span If I should see the longest day Break me not all to pieces Lord Or else let each piece have a tongue To cry till thou relief afford But not to say Thou dost me wrong 12. Pity this poor unworthy Soul That here devotes it self to thee Resolve my doubts my fears controul And let me thy Salvation see O let that Love which gave me groans And taught my needy Soul to pray Remove my fears and hear the moans Which sorrow breaths forth night and day The Third Part. 13. Why art thou fainting Soul cast down And thus disquieted with fears Art thou not passing to thy Crown Through storms of pain and floods of tears Fear not O thou of little Faith Art thou not in thy Saviour's hand Remember what his promise saith Life and Death are at his command 14. To him I did my self entrust When first I did for Heav'n imbark And he hath proved kind and just Still I am with him in his Ark. Could'st thou expect to see no Seas Nor feel no tossing wind or wave It is enough that from all these Thy faithful Pilot will thee save 15. Lord let me not my Covenant break Once I did all to thee resign Only the words of comfort speak And tell my Soul that I am thine It 's no Death when Souls hence depart If thou depart not from the Soul Fill with thy Love my fainting heart And I 'll not fading flesh condole 16. Health is but Sickness with thy frowns Life with thy wrath is worse than Death My comforts thy displeasure drowns And into groans tunes all my breath Where is that Faith and Hope and Love By which thou markest all thy Saints Thy Joyes would all my griefs remove And raise this heart that daily faints 17. Am I the Jonas dost thou mean To cast me out into the deep It shall not drown but make me clean Until thou raise me there I 'll sleep O Death where is thy poisonous sting O Grave where is thy Victory Thy dust shall shortly rise and sing God's Praise above the Starry Sky 18. My God my Love my Hope my Life Shall I be loth to see thy face As if this world of sin and strife Were for my Soul a better place O give my Soul some sweet foretast Of that which I shall shortly see Let Faith and Love cry to the last Come Lord I trust my self with thee John 11. 14. or 16. O let not unbelieving Thomas words Be now my answer But my dearest Lord's Amen 9. The Covenant and Confidence of Faith To the common Tunes 1. My whole though broken heart O Lord From henceforth shall be thine And here I do my Vow record This hand these words are mine All that I have without reserve I offer here to thee Thy Will and Honour all shall serve That thou bestow'dst on me 2. All that exceptions save I lose All that I lose I save The treasure of thy Love I choose And Thou art All I crave My God thou hast my heart and hand I all to thee resign I 'll ever to this Covenant stand Though flesh hereat repine 3. I know that thou wast willing first And then mad'st me consent Having thus lov'd meat the worst Thou wilt not now repent Now I have quit all Self-pretence Take charge of what 's thine own My Life my Health and my Defence Now lie on thee alone 4. Now it belongs not to my care Whether I die or live To love and serve thee is my share And this thy grace must give If life be long I will be glad That I may long obey If short yet why should I be sad That shall have the same pay 5. If Death shall bruise this springing seed Before it come to fruit The Will with thee goes for the Deed Thy life was in the root Long life is a long grief and toil And multiplieth faults In long wars he may have the foil That scapes in short assaults 6. Would I long bear my heavy load And keep my sorrows long Would I long sin against my God And his dear mercy wrong How much is sinful Flesh my Foe That doth my soul pervert To linger here in sin and woe And steals from God my heart 7. Christ leads me through no darker rooms Than he went through before He that into God's Kingdom comes Must enter by this Door
thy Mind The Flesh will so rebel and put thee to it That when thou wouldst do good thou canst not do it There 's in one breast a twofold Will and Heart Actingreach of them a contrary part There is a Will to Good and Will to evil One's Rul'd by God the other by the Devil A Will to read and pray and meditate A Will that doth all this oppose and hate Do not now stand and whine nor yield nor flie But use thy weapons thou must fight or die Now live by Faith Be glad thou hast a Christ Whose Spirit fortifies thee to resist Making the greatest things thy chiefest scope Keeping alive a secret spark of Hope Which will not only strive but overcome And through all Foes will safely bring thee home Sinner But how can I find favour in thy sight That have sinn'd wilfully even in the Light Jesus Though they that wholly to the last reject My Sacrifice no other can expect All kind of sin is pardon'd by my Merit Save the grand blasphemy against the Spirit Sinner Alas this is the thing that I fear most Lest I have thus blasphem'd the Holy Ghost Jesus No man that fears or thinks he hath this sin Hath ever truly guilty of it been For they deny me all to be the Lord Think it no sin to violate my Word They set themselves against me with despight And justifie the sin which they commit Sinner But wilt thou take this Lord for true Consent From a hard heart that can no more relent From one that loveth thee no more than I That is constrained by Necessity And while he thus subscribeth to thy Will Knowingly crosseth it and sinneth still Jesus If thou Consent it 's Good that doth thee move And to Consent to Good is truly Love Believe if thou would'st Love And in my face God's Love and Grace If His abounding Love thou didst but know Thy heart with Love to him would everflow Love kindleth Love but Faith must hold the Glass This sight would win thy heart before thou pass He that will Love God must not think him Evil Nor paint him in his fancy like the Devil Satan will make thee fly from God with hate If he can make thee throughly desperate Think'st thou to find thy Love before by Faith Thou 'lt come to Me and hear what Mercy saith Thou may'st as wisely search for marks to prove Thou lovest God before thou wilt him love Believe Consent Give up Thy Self to Me And I will give my Self and Spirit to thee I will inable thee to do the rest And take the stony heart out of thy breast I 'le put God's Fear and Love into thy heart That thou may'st never more from him depart I 'le quench the flames of thy corrupt desire And save thee from God's wrath and from Hell fire Sinner And wilt thou pardon all the crimson sin Of which my wilful heart hath guilty been Jesus Have I not told thee I will pardon all Hast thou sinn'd more than raging bloody Soul Or than Manasseh 's long and matchless flood Of Witchcraft Rage Idolatry and Blood That yet was pardon'd when he did return And in his Prison-Irons pray and mourn Trust Me Subscribe My Covenant and be Mine And I and All My Benefits are Thine Sinner O wondrous Love where this is kindly felt The heart must needs with Love Sorrow melt Wilt thou accept so vile a wretch as I I 'le cast my self upon thee live or die My Soul and Body here to Thee I tender All that I called Mine I Here Surrender To this Consent here I subscribe my Hand Whatever Changes come to this I stand Not by my strength I trust on Thee My Lord That for performance thou wilt Grace afford January 26. 1660 1. 13. Upon the sight of Mr. VINES His Posthumous TREATISE OF THE SACRAMENT October 18. 1656. Who Dyed a little before WHile thou grew'st here thy fruit made glad The hearts that sin and death made sad Lest we should surfeit of thy fruit Thy Life retired to the Root Desiring with us first to keep A Passover before thy sleep Weary of Earth thou took'st thine Ease Passing into the Land of Peace The threatned Evil we fore-see But hope to hide our selves with Thee Though thou art gone while we must fight We 'l call it Victory not Flight When God hath taken up this VINE We thought no more to taste its Wine Till in the Land of Salem's King We drink it new even from the Spring But unexpectedly we find Some Clusters which are left behind This Mantle from thy Chariot fell We know it by the pleasant smell Who knows but from this little seed Some more such fruitful Vines may breed The Tree of Death bears precious Fruit Though in the Earth it have no Root Dear Brother thou art gone before And I a wretch wait at the door Sin doth not only keep me thence But makes me loth to go from hence When Christ hath heal'd me of this sin And made me fit he 'l let me in Till then may I but in a Glass See what you see with open face Sure it will raise my heavy Soul And these distrustful fears controul And make me willing to be gone As knowing Whither and to Whom If Time be Nothing as some say You that were with us yesterday Are with us still or we with you Which is the better of the two The Soul imbodied in those lines Doth make us say that This is VINES And if our hearts with you could be Our Lord would say that there are we But as acccording to desert The Heavens have got thy better part And left us but some of the Wine Whil'st they have taken up the Vine So we look up and wait and pray And yet still feel we live in Clay Here we are keeping sin's account While some small sparks do upward mount Crying How long Holy and True Till we are taken up to you Thus also we must follow LOVE To find our HEAD and LIFE above He that is made by the New-Birth A BURGESS of the Church on Earth And then by Faith can rise so high In Divine LOVE to Live and Die Shall be translated to your soil Remov'd from sin and fear and toil And from this House of Worms and Moles Unto that Element of Souls Where every Branch becomes a VINE And where these Clods like Stars will shine God is not there known by the Book You need not there the Pruning Hook There you have Wine without the Press And God his Praise without Distress There we shall find our Eyes and Sight When we come to our Head and Light The Kernel is where you now dwell And we here strive about the Shell You have the Reconciling Light Who are past Faith and live by Sight No wonder then if you are One When Peace from Earth is almost gone We croud about a little Spark Learnedly striving in the Dark Never so bold as when most Blind
not go I learn'd to creep Then thou beganst to loose my Infant tongue And taught'st me Abba Father when but young First by the Book and some unworded groans After by heart-indited words and moans Thy dyet first was Milk then stronger food But alwaies that which wholsom was and good Though Preachers were too often dry and dull Thy holy Word was quick and powerful The many precious Books of holy men Thy Spirit used on me as his Pen Perkins Sibbs Bolton Whateley holy Dod Hildersham Preston other men of God How pertinently spake they to my case They open'd Heav'n and Hell before my face They did unfold the Gospel-Mysteries And set Christ crucified before my eyes They shamed sin they shewed me the snare Opened the danger charg'd me to beware In every duty they did me direct Told me the sin and danger of neglect They search'd my heart help'd me to try my state My earthly Mind they help'd to elevate What strong quickening motives did they bring To raise my heart and winde the slackned spring These happy Counsellors wero still at hand The Maps and Landskips of the Holy Land This food was not lockt from me but I could Go read a holy Sermon when I would How cheaply kept I many Rare Divines And for a little purchas'd Golden Mines My griefs they eas'd my many doubts resolv'd With great delight I daily then revolv'd O my dear God! how precious is thy Love Are these thy Candles What 's the Sun above At last my Fears became my greatest Faar Lest that my whole Religion should lie there No man hath more of Holiness than Love Which doth free souls by complacency move Common Grace goes as far as Fear alone This eateth not the meat but gnaws the bone A slavish fear desireth leave to sin It doth but tie the hands and wash the skin Hypocrites act a forc't affected part Where Love is absent God hath not the heart He 'l not accept what 's done against mens will That if they durst had rather have done ill Oh my dear God! shall not my Heart be thine Then I shall wish it never had been mine Objects of Sense do soonest move the Passion But sure Thou hast my highest Estimation My Will 's Resolved Choice is to be Thine My Soul and Body I to Thee resign To Thee the motions of my Soul do bend Thou art the Scope to which my Life doth tend The Motions of the higher Faculties The Ruling Powers are chiefest in thine eyes Thou tak'st the Love and Homage which they pay Though Rebel Passion doth not them obey What makes me laugh most makes me not most glad What made me weep most made me not most sad My Love to one choice friend hath oft more passion Than my much greater Love to Church Nation O had I all my Powers at command As readily as tongue or foot or hand My eyes should empty first the serous store Because I love so good a God no more And next some of the florid Blood should spend Because the God of Love I did offend The rest should serve for Oil unto Love's Fire Wasting in restless vehement Desire At every mention of thy Blessed Name My ravisht Soul should mount up in Love's flame Each Sermon should Elias Chariot be To carry up my longing heart to Thee The Saints Assemblies I would make more bright Where many Heav'n-aspiring flames unite And when my Lord's Love-sufferings I read My pierced and Love-wounded heart should bleed Love should enforce each word when I do pray A Flaming Heart I 'd on thy Altar lay When halving Hypocrites give Thee a part Love should present my Whole though Broken heart When in thy Word I read Love's Mysteries There I would sweetly feed my greedy eyes Each Sacrament should be an Eucharist There Heart with Heart Love with Love should twist My friends and I would in our daily walk Of Love's Delights and Entertainments talk My working Love should others Love excite In Love I 'd be a Burning Shining Light Love through the Lanthorn of my flesh should shine Who heard me speak should hear that I am Thine Remembring that in Love I must be made Equal to Angels I would learn their Trade Yea I would reach up to a higher shelf And as my Copy look to Christ himself Love's work I 'd do with all my diligence Though men should think I were beside my sense My daily Love should rise before the Sun And it in speed and constancy out run Love as my Life should fill up all my daies Desire should be my Pulse my Breath thy Praise And I would winde up all the strings as high As Blessed Paul was in his Extasie Heav'nly Love should all my words indite And be the soul and sense of all I write My heart of Love's Delights should sweetly think I 'd write with flaming fire instead of Ink And yet thy holy Day should be my Best In it my thirsty Soul should tast of Rest My daily food should increase to a Feast O my Dear God! how precious is thy Love O could I mount thus to the Flames above These are Love's pantings after thee my God! Though with my Soul imprison'd in a clod ☞ My Soul and Love shall shortly be set free And then my Soul my Love shall feast on Thee If thou wouldst grant the very thing I crave And give me leave to chuse what I would have Should it be lusts or Sports or Fleshly pleasure Sould it be Lordly Rule or Earthly Treasure No I could gladly leave this Dirt to Swine And let the World be theirs if Thou be mine I would not thirst to tast of their Delight If lively Faith might see the blessed Sight I would not be ambitious of a Throne I could have full content in God alone For mens Esteem and Praise I would not care All other Wit and Knowledge I could spare To Know and Love my God should be my choice Give me but This and how shall I rejoyce Under my hand Lord This is it I choose O give me this whatever else I lose Is there no spark of Love in this Desire When a poor Soul doth unto Thee aspire To Know and Love thee is my thirst and strife Nothing more makes me weary of my life Than that I feel no more the heav'nly Fire But look and reach and yet can reach no higher Here lyes my pain This is my daily sore ● hate my Heart for loving God no more Do I not Love Thee when I Love to Love Thee And when I set up nothing else above Thee Next GOD himself who is my END REST Love which stands next Thee I esteem my Best And Loving God shall be my Endless Feast O my Dear God! how precious is thy Love These are thy Earnests of the Life above Fear is to Love as was the Law to Grace And as John Baptist goes before Christ's face Preaching Repentance it prepares his way It is the
more advantage here than danger find Thy Soil is oft manured by such dung I 'le Honour give to whom it doth belong It may be safe to others but to me 'T was best from such Temptations to be free Let my preferment lye in serving all While I sit low I have not far to fall Keep me from the Temptations of the Devil For so thou dost deliver us from Evil. My youthful Pride and Folly now I see That grudg'd for want of Titles and Degree That blush'd with shame when this defect was known And an inglorious Name could hardly own Attempting to have hid it twice or thrice With vile equivocations next to lies And to thy Methods was unreconcil'd Because I was not Rabbi Doctor styl'd Forgive this Pride and break the Serpent's brain Pluck up the poisonous Root till none remain Give me the Wisdom I 'le not beg the Fame Grant me the thing let others take the name Give me the Learning and it is no harm If thou shalt place me in the lowest Form Honours are shadows which from seekers fly But follow after those who them deny I brought none with me to thy work but there I found more than I easily could bear Although thou wouldst not give me what I would Thou gavest me the promis'd hundred-fold O my Dear God! how precious is thy Love Thy wayes not ours lead to the Joyes above The Third Part. THE wondrous Mercy of my bounteous Lord which sent me forth to Preach his sacred Word Prepar'd my way and call'd me to the place Where I must first proclaim his Saving Grace All things thou suitedst fitly to my need Giving me freedom season ground and seed Poor thirsty Souls attend with greedy Ear Crowding in multitudes thy Word to hear Thy Mercy opening so wide a door Gave some first-fruits betimes and hopes of more The various places where my Lot did fall Were all appointed to me by thy Call I never was to any of them brought By the Direction of my own forethought Much less was ever any by me sought And least of all by price or bargain bought I nere found cause of one place to repent Although my sins in all I must lament None were foreseen yet after seen to reason To be the fittest for the work and season But among all none did so much abound With fruitful mercies as that barren ground Where I did make my best and longest stay And bore the heat and burden of the day Mercies grew thicker there than Summer flowers They over-numbered my daies and hours There was my dearest Flock and special Charge Our hearts in mutual love thou didst enlarge 'T was there that mercy did my Labours bless With the most great and wonderful success Yet there were Sons of Belial whose rage Reason with Truth and Love could not asswage Who Lov'd and Hated just as Satan bid them Rul'd by the Reins of Lust by him that rid them In swinish drunkenness they drownd their wits Most furious in their rude tumultuous fits As Boars or Stags at other times more tame When lustful heats their blood and brains inflame Fiercely assault such as stand in their way None 's safe before them till their heats decay So doth the love of revellings and sport Poor brutish fleshly sinners so transport That ragingly they fly in that man's face Who doth by sacred Truth their sin disgrace And as in Armies Drums and Trumpets sound The frightful cries of wounded men to drownd And even the fearful in the furious crowd Are carry'd on to death through streams of blood So those ensnared Youths who formerly Out of the Rout retain'd some modesty Conjoyned with the Rabble did as they The common fury and their lusts obey Run with the Herd Mirth and the Rables noise Drown Reasons Plea and God's reclaiming voice Death is forgot Conscience cannot be heard Hell and Damnation now are little fear'd They have their curse their own sentence pass Away with Jesus give us Barr abas Away with Preachers who disturb our game Talk not of Judgment Let us bear the blame Whilst grieved Preachers can but wish groan O that your day of mercy you had known O my Dear God! how precious is they Love Which looks on such with pity from above Now England's horrid Civil Wars began When God a sinful Nation meant to fan When sin grown high bold out-fac'd the Light When Pride and Faction pleaded Divine Right When most their Love some their Patience lost When proud malicious men must not be crost When wise men seemed fools fools seem'd wise And when the worst were best in their own eyes When Piety with Lazarus was loath'd And Sin with Purple and fine Linnen cloath'd And when the sacred Tribe despising Souls Through love of wealth honor blow'd the coals When Demas for the World deserted Paul And their own matters were first sought by all When they that sought their good things in this life Had banisht Love fill'd the Church with strife Where striving factions Charity defy'd And carnal Counsels did the Church divide When swinish Gadarens did Christ refuse And the prophane his servants did abuse When Holiness the common Foe was deem'd And nothing more intollerable seem'd When holy Truth and Preachers were despis'd And wicked means to cast them out devis'd When sin presum'd to make a mock of grace And folly spit reproaches in Christ's face When vulgar rage had found this common vent And impious scorn on Godliness was spent When sin was not so much oppos'd as God Then were we ready for the bloody Rod. When those sins reign'd that must not now be nam'd But by Heav'ns Justice shall at last be sham'd When old condemned vanities and crimes Became the Reverend Virtues of the Times Then God in Judgment sate to plead his Cause And judge the proud despisers of his Laws Banish'd Love doth feaster'd hearts forsake Blindness suspicions wrath possession take Each man unto the fire his Fagot brought And each against another quarrels sought The whirlwind in the North did first arise And raise the dust which troubled English Eyes And though Heav'ns mercy there prevented blood The Irish fury shed a crimson flood The French blood shew'd the temper of the Nation Their Faith and Faithlesness keep Moderation Their Bartholomews hot dog-daies thirst had cost Thirty or forty thousand lives at most But Ireland's Romish Zeal was hotter far And in their preparation to a War Two hundred thousand they surpriz'd and slew Not that their Will so small a measure knew But here God checkt their Power heard the cries Of dying Innocents which pierc'd the Skies England affrighted by her neighbours harm Threatned to be the next takes the Allarm As Citizens that see a raging flame Threaten the Neighhours houses with the same Do leave their Trades and all together run Trying to quench the Fire where it begun And then pull down the houses which adjoyn Some seek to
save the goods some to purloin The well-built Piles curious Rooms must down To buy the Safety of the fearful Town A Neighbour's house is used like a Foe 's Because the Fire the Hook no diff'rence knows Fear pulleth down the next to save the most And ruines more than needs lest all be lost Smoak and confused crouds do blind men's eyes All are amaz'd with hideous flames and cryes So England too combustible before Seeing so great a flame so near her door Was frighted into such Convulsion Fits As first did break her Peace and next her Wits Dangers breed fears and fears more dangers bring The Bees to save their Honey use their Sting Rowz'd in an angry Swarm they seek their Foe The next they meet must feel the smarting blow Caetera desunt praesunt adsunt I purposed to have recited the most notable mercies of my Life in continuing this Hymn of Thanksgiving to my gracious God but the quality of the Subject and the Ages Impatience stopt me here and I could go no further and my painful and spiritless Age is now unfit for Poetry And the matter is so large as would have made the Volume big 3. The Resolution PSAL. 119. 96. Written when I was Silenced and cast out c. LORD I have cast up the Account What it will cost to come to thee I find to what it will amount A serious Christian to be When Flesh was weighing thou put'st in Thy Love and the Eternal Crown Against a Feather and a Sin And yet it thought these weigh'd thee down Fool as I was I took its word And chose what Flesh did recommend How could I more have wrong'd my Lord Or more his Love and Name offend It had been wiser to have thought The Earth is weigh'd down by a Fly Than to prefer a thing of nought Before the Love of the Most High I see now what false Scales can do In a deceitful partial hand I will no more believe a Foe But to the holy Covenant stand 1. Will Friends turn Foes That cannot be They were my greatest Foes before That would have kept my Soul from thee Their Malice now can do no more I 'll bid these cruel Friends farewel Even Satan would be such a Friend He 'd please and flatter me to Hell And thither doth their friendship tend He wants not Friends that hath thy Love And may converse and walk with thee And with thy Saints here and above With whom for ever I must be In the Communion of Saints Is Wisdom Safety and Delight And when my heart declines and faints It 's raised by their Heat and Light Thy Spirit in them speaks and prayes Their speech is holy clean and quick Dead hearted fools talk but of toyes Their speech and mirth even makes me sick 2. Must Lies and slanders me defame That Innocence may not be known Must proud men's malice blot my Name With Epithets that are their own Thou justifi'st when Men accuse Thou 'lt answer all the spite of tongues And do them right whom men abuse And plenteously repair their wrongs It 's no great matter what Men deem Whether they count me good or bad In their applause and best esteem There 's no contentment to be had I stand not to the Bar of Man It 's thy displeasure makes me sad My thoughts and actions thou wilt scan If thou approve me I am glad 3. Must I before the Ruling Power Be call'd with shame to plead my Cause And judged as an evil doer And as a breaker of their Laws So was the Lord of Life accus'd Slander'd and scorn'd with cruel spight And as a Malefactor us'd And one that claimed Caesar's right False witness cloudeth Innocence Truth seemeth conquer'd by a Lie Patience for bears a just defence And Life it self is judg'd to die Methinks I see thee cloath'd with scorn And spit upon and buffeted And crowned with the piercing Thorn Away to Execution led It most amazeth me to think Thou barest the repute of Sin The bitter Cup which thou didst drink Had nothing bitterer therein The Sun did well to hide his face When Sin did Righteousness eclipse And the most Just is with disgrace A Sinner judg'd by sinners lips Thy steps Lord in this dirt I see And lost my Soul from God should stray I 'll bear my Cross and follow thee Let others chuse the fairer way My face is meeter for the Spit I am more suitable to shame And to the taunts of scornful wit It 's no great matter for my Name 4. Must I be driven from my Books From House and Goods and dearest Friends One of thy sweet and gracious looks For more than this will make amends The World 's thy Book There I can read Thy Power Wisdom and thy Love And thence ascend by Faith and feed Upon the better things above I 'll read thy works of Providence Thy Spirit Conscience and thy Rod Can teach without book all the sense To know the World my Self and God Few Books may serve when Thou wilt teach Many have stoln my precious time I 'll leave my Books to hear thee Preach Church-work is best when thou dost chime As for my House it was my Tent While there I waited on thy Flock That work is done that time is spent There neither was my Home nor Stock Would I in all my Journey have Still the same Inn and Furniture Or ease and pleasant dwellings crave Forgetting what thy Saints endure My Lord hath taught me how to want A place wherein to put my head While he is mine I 'll be content To beg or lack my daily bread Heav'n is my roof Earth is my floor Thy Love can keep me dry and warm Christ and thy Bounty are my store Thy Angels guard me from all harm As for my Friends they are not lost The several Vessels of thy Fleet Though parted now by Tempests tost Shall safely in the Haven meet Still we are centred all in thee Members though distant of one Head In the same Family we be By the same Faith and Spirit led Before thy Throne we daily meet As Joynt-Petitioners to thee In spirit we each other greet And shall again each other see The Heavenly Hosts world without end Shall be my company above And thou my Best and Surest Friend Who shall divide me from thy Love 5. Must I forsake the Soil and Air Where first I drew my vital breath That way may be as near and fair Thence I may come to thee by death All Countries are my Father's Lands Thy Sun thy Love doth shine on all We may in all lift up pure hands And with acceptance on thee call Those banish'd are that go from thee Strange to thy Service Love and Grace And lost in sin do never see Thy Kingdom and thy pleased face May but my Soul dwell near my God And walk with him in Faith and Love No matter where be my abode Till to his Glory I remove 6. What if in
Can turn away from or despise the bait Flesh Must I be made the foot-ball of disdain And call'd a precise fool or Puritane Spirit Remember him that did despise the shame And for thy sake bore undeserved blame Thy journey 's of small moment if thou stay Because dogs bark or stones lie in the way If life lay on it wouldst thou turn again For the winds blowing or a little rain Is this thy greatest love to thy dear Lord That canst not for his sake bear a foul word Wilt thou not bear for him a scorners breath That underwent for thee a cursed death Is not Heav'n worth the bearing of a flout Then blame not Justice when it shuts thee out Will these deriders stand to what they say And own their words at the great dreadful day Then they 'd be glad when wrath shall overtake them To eat their words and say they never spake them Flesh How Forsake all Ne're mention it more to me I 'le be of no Religion to undo me Spirit Is it not thine more in thy Fathers hand Then when it is laid out at sins command And is that sav'd that 's spent upon thy lust Or which must be a prey to thieves or rust And wouldst thou have thy riches in thy way Where thou art passing on and canst not stay And is that lost that 's sent to Heav'n before Hadst thou not rather have thy friends and store Where thou maist dwell for ever in the light Of that long glorious day that fears no night Flesh But who can willingly submit to Death Which will bereave us of our life and breath That laies our flesh to rot in loathsom graves Where brains and eyes were leaves but ugly caves Spirit So nature breaks and casts away the shell Where the now beauteous singing bird did dwell The secundine that once the infant cloath'd After the birth is cast away and loath'd Thus Roses drop there sweet leaves under-foot But the Spring shew's that life was in the root Souls are the Roots of Bodies Christ the Head Is Root of both and will revive the dead Our Sun still shineth when with us it's night When he return's we shall shine in his light Souls that behold and praise God with the Just Mourn not because their bodies are but dust Graves are but beds where flesh till morning sleep's Or Chests where God a while our garments keeps Our folly thinks he spoils them in the keeping Which causeth our excessive fears and weeping But God that doth our rising day foresee Pitties not rotting flesh so much as we The birth of Nature was deform'd by sin The birth of Grace did our repair begin The birth of Glory at the Resurrection Finisheth all and brings both to perfection Why should not fruit when it is mellow fall Why would we linger here when God doth call Flesh The things and persons in this world I see But after death I know not what will be Spirit Know'st thou not that which God himself hath spoken Thou hast his promise which was never broken Reason proclaims that noble heav'n-born Souls Are made for higher things than Worms Moles God hath not made such faculties in vain Nor made his Service a deluding pain But Faith resolves all doubts and hears the Lord Telling us plainly by his holy Word That uncloath'd Souls shall with their Savior dwell Triumphing over Sin and Death and Hell And by the Power of Almighty Love Stars shall arise from graves to shine above There we shall see the glorious face of God His blessed presence shall be our abode The face that banisheth all doubts and fears Shuts out all sins and dryeth up all tears That face which darkeneth the Sun's bright rayes Shall shine us into everlasting joyes Where Saints and Angels shall make up one Chore To praise the Great Jehovah evermore Flesh Reason not with me against sight and sense I doubt all this is but a ●ain pretence Words against Nature are not worth a rush One Bird in hand is worth two in the bush If God will give me Heav'n at last I 'le take it But for my Pleasure here I 'le not forsake it Spirit And wilt thou keep it brutish flesh how long Wilt thou not shortly sing another Song When Conscience is awakened keep thy mirth When sickness death comes hold fast this earth Live if thou canst when God saith Come away Try whether all thy friends can cause thy stay Wilt thou tell Death and God thou wilt not die And wilt thou the consuming fire defie Art thou not sure to let go what thou hast And doth not Reason bid thee then forecast And value the least hope of endless Joyes Before known vanities and dying toyes And can the Lord that is most just and wise Found all man's duty in deceit and lies Get thee behind me Satan thou dost savour The things of Flesh and not his dearest favour Who is my Life and Light and Love and All And so shall be whatever shall befall It is not thou but I that must discern And must Resolve It 's I that hold the stern Be silent Flesh speak not against my God Or else hee 'l teach thee better by the rod. I am resolved thou shalt live and die A servant or a conquered enemy Lord charge not on me what this rebell sayes That alwaies was against me and thy wayes Now stop its mouth by Grace that shortly must Through just but gainful death be stopt with dust The thoughts and words of Flesh are none of mine Let Flesh say what it will I will be thine Whatever this rebellious Flesh shall prate Let me but serve thee Lord at any rate Use me on earth as seemeth good to thee So I in Heav'n thy Glorious face may see Take down my Pride let me dwell at thy feet The humble are for earth and heav'n most meet Renouncing Flesh I Vow my self to thee With all the Talents thou hast lent to me Let me not stick at honour wealth or blood Let all my dayes be spent in doing good Let me not trifle out more precious hours But serve thee now with all my strength and powers If Flesh should tempt me to deny my hand Lord these are the Resolves to which I stand Octob. 29. 1659. Richard Baxter 8. The Prayer of the Sick in a Case like Hezekiahs To the Tune of the 51 Psalm The First Part. 1. ETernal God whose name is Love Whose mercy is my hope and stay O hear and help me from above That in distress to thee do pray Ashamed to lift up my face Hence from the dust to thee I cry Though I have sinn'd against thy Grace Yet unto it alone I fly 2. I was at first in sin conceiv'd Then liv'd a vain and sinful life Rebellious flesh which I receiv'd Is still against thy Grace in strife Long it was Lord alas too long Before I knew my self or thee Vanity rul'd my heart and tongue And O that yet my Soul
Love but slavish fear All my Religion is but from Self-love I find no pleasure in the things above Jesus Natural Love of Self is the foundation Which Grace builds on and useth for Salvation He that loves not himself loves not another It 's as thy Self that thou must love thy Brother Thy own Salvation is the lawful end Which Grace and Nature bind thee to intend Why was I made man but for man's Salvation I suffer'd Death to hinder thy Damnation These are the ends for which thou must believe Life through a Saviour's that thou must receive ●t's Carnal Self that wicked men do love The Lawful Love of Self they 'l not improve They all prefer sin's pleasure for a season Their fleshly appetite doth rule their Reason Me and my healing Grace they will not have They 'l not endure that Mercy should them save They hate the Light that would their sin display And would direct them in the holy way Though they fear Hell they alwaies fear much more The loss of honour pleasure health or store No fear of Hell will take their Idol down And make them seek first the Eternal Crown The Fear of God is Wisdom's true beginning It calls to Duty and preserves from sinning God must be fear'd as one that can destroy The Soul and shut it out of endless Joy The Fear of God's the Just man's Character They fear not God indeed that wished are God would be fear'd as a consuming fire This is no sin but what he doth require Love may lie hidden as a covered seed When Fear in troubling Passion doth exceed If angry Parents make the Child afraid He feels not Love till Passion be allaid Excessive Fear may hinder active Love And yet the 〈…〉 not 〈◊〉 When God's rebukes and frowns the Soul affright It may dispose his Children unto flight Where Love is true some Hatred may arise When terrours and despair the Soul surprise A loving Child will not his Father own When through mistake or distance he 's unknown The pleasing part of Love cannot appear Under prevailing Grief and too much Fear Until the Soul be calm'd and these abate Love is opprest and seemeth turn'd to hate But doth not Love appear in thy Desire Would'st thou not Love God more fain get higher Would it not please thee more if thou couldst find His Image clearly printed on thy mind His Love and Spirit dwelling in thy heart Then of this World to have the choicest part Wouldst thou not have a heart that can Repent And hate sin more and tenderly relent A heart more fit to Meditate and Pray And walk exactly and God's Laws obey A clearer Light which may God's mind reveal More life and feeling greater heat of Zeal A stronger Faith to live on things above Where endless Praise shall be the breath of Love Sinner Whether I should desire these I doubt If possibly I could be sav'd without Jesus What 's Grace for but to bring thee to Salvation To heal thy Soul and keep thee from Damnation Wilt thou its Nature and its Use destroy And then conceit thou dost it not enjoy Think on 't as that which doth Salvation bring Or else thou mak'st it quite another thing Grace were not Grace if it did not intend Thy Happiness and Glory as its End The means is nullifi'd by separation From the just End to which it hath relation What do men trade for but their lawful wealth And what is Food and Physick for but Health Look not on Grace in one divided notion But the concordant perfect frame and motion Take not one single part but view the whole As it 's the Health and Beauty of the Soul The Life the Strength the Glory the Delight And that which makes it lovely in God's sight The honour safety gain and true content And that which must the pains of Hell prevent Take these as undivided all in one And view not one disjoynted part alone If all together seem a choicer treasure Than worldly gain and sinful fading pleasure And turn the scales in thy deliberation Then doubt not of thy Title to Salvation But dost thou not desire that God would love thee And make thee just and lovely and approve thee Would'st thou not see his face in Glorious Light And there sing Allelujah 's in his sight And love him perfectly world without end More deerly than thou lov'st thy deerest friend Where thou shalt be replenished with joy And no disturbance shall thy Soul annoy Where no temptation sin or grief shall come Where my own Love and Joy shall be thy home Abiding with the Host of Heav'n alwaies In the sweet Musick of Jehovah 's Praise This Glorious Life with God thou must love best Yet as thy own Felicity and Rest In Union and Fruition of a Friend Not one but both the Lovers are the End And hast thou no Desire or Will to this Would'st thou not live with God in endless bliss Sinner Some cold Desires of Heav'n the worst may have But dreaming lazy Wishes will not save Jesus Judge by these three for ending all the strife Thy Estimation Choice and Bent of Life These fleshly pleasures stand in competition Know which thou Chusest as thy best Condition If thou the Everlasting sure Reward More than sins fading pleasures dost regard If GOD and thy Salvation be the part Whose Interest stands highest in thy Heart If thus his Kingdom thou first seek and crave Both it and all things needful thou shalt have Sinner I fear I do not these thy terms fulfil And have not truly a Consenting Will Because so great averseness I still find To God and Holiness upon my mind Such deadness to Believe Love and Repent That there seems more of Hatred than Consent Necessity and Reason use a force Against my Will and Nature's bent and sourse Jesus No man can conquer and obtain Salvation But by resisting carnal inclination Fleshly desires run with speedy course And need not Faith 's or Reason's help and force Earthward you sink propensly as a cold But not so easily ascend to God One motion 's downward th' other 's all uphill Against the byas of the carnal will Too much of flesh remaineth in the best Some enmity to good sticks in their breast Something of Hatred even to God and Grace Contends with Love and troubleth your race In the most mortifi'd the flesh yet liveth And constantly against the Spirit striveth You cannot hear read meditate or pray Or any thing that 's good think do or say But Flesh makes war and stifly doth resist And would prevail did not my Grace assist Conflict and Conquest of this in-bred Foe Must be the way of all the good you do The Question is not Whether Flesh do strive But Whether after Flesh or Spirit you live It is not opposition that will prove That thou art void of Faith or Hope or Love The Law that 's in thy Members will still find Weapons against the Law that 's in