Pow're consociates Pow'res diuine Gliding through Heau'n on hir celestiall wings And to the Angells Hymnes hir eares incline And all the Hoast of Heaun together brings At once to view those bright-eye-blinding things Yet stayes not here but doth hir selfe intrude Into the presence of the King of Kings To see th Obiectiue sole Beatitude That of the Cherubins cannot be view'd And hou'ring here she staies and straines hir fight To see the same as of it selfe its seene But taper-pointed Beames of extreame light Darts through hir eies and make them sightlesse cleane Yet inly sees a certaine Light vnseene That so doth rauish all hir powres of Sence As in the Heau'n of Heau'ns it makes hir weene She sensibly hath reall residence O'rewhelm'd with Glory and Magnificence But if the Body in disposed bee And due proportion of the Humors want If Wisdome do not well the same foresee She here may passe the bounds of Grace I grant And so wax franticke vaine and ignorant Or else presumptuously too curious For Powre inscrutable she must not fcant To hir powres reach for that were impious And most impard'nably presumptuous For as our Corp'rall Eyes cannot behold The Sunne whose substance is but corporal So the Soules Eye being fixt to mortall mould Cannot behold the Deity immortall But if our Eye were supernaturall And fixt vnto the Sunne then might it see The Sunne it selfe and with the Sunne see all So shall the Soules Eye see that Deitie When after death it fixt to it shall bee Yet Contemplation may by force of loue Whilst yet the Soule is to the Body tide Wing d with Desire ascend her selfe aboue And with hir God eternally abide So neare as if she toucht his glorious side For as one drawing nigh materiall fire Doth feele the heate before the flame be tride So who drawes nigh to God by Loues desire Shall to and with that heau'nly Flame aspire This is that holy kind and sugred Kisse That God in loue vouchsafes the louing Soule To which this louing Lord espowsed is When as hir Lord he by his grace doth rule Which doth extinguish all affections foule This Kisse must needes be short as Lightnings leame Or else it would the Body so controule Through Soules excesse of ioy in such extreame That it would leaue hir in a datelesse dreame Those Soules that are by Contemplation fixt So fast to God that th' are remou'd by none Are like the Seraphins to God confixt Who are exempt from outward charge alone And still like burning lampes surround his Throne For as fine Gold beeing molten in the fire Doth seeme as if the fire and it were one So is the louing Soule through loues desire With God in Contemplation made intire Here Contemplation may so long reside For here she makes the Soule drunke with delight As if the Body Soulelesse did abide And all the Sences were depriu'd of might While from hir selfe the Soule thus takes hir flight To such excesse of mind some men are brought That they do see by reuelation right How they should liue and belieue as they ought VVith many maruells else surmounting thought This ghostly wine in Contemplation drunke Hath made ere now some Soules so drunke with ioy As some good Bodies in the same haue suncke As if they were strooke dead with some annoy And othersome it hath constraind to toy To sing to leape to laugh and some to rue Who then to weepe they doe themselues imploy Some nothing say but Iesu Iesu Iesu And othersome some words they neuer knew The cause of all these motions as should seeme From the Soules blisse and ioyes-aboundance came Which to the Body shares that ioy extreame And it not able to containe the same Doth vent it out with jestures vsde in game As when new wine into a caske is cast It vpwardes boiles and many motions frame And wanting vent it will the vessell brast So fares the Body which these Dainties taste But heere me thinkes I heare some Athist say All these are but meere naturall effects For th' obiect of our Loue our Soules betray To eu'ry Passion which it selfe reflects And so the Pagan his false God respects As Loue thereto these things in him doth worke But neuer Heathens heart had these Affects For neuer in a Pagan Iew or Turke Can such Soule-pleasing Iubilations lurke For as in Tempests Smoake away doth flie Which yet augments the fire and spreads the flame So in Afflictions stormes these dogges will die And can no praier with deuotion frame But Christians then can best performe the same Who though with Troubles stormes they still are tosst Yet of their endlesse griefes they make their game And in their most affliction glory most When such affliction grieues a Pagans ghost Know then whose knowledge is but Ignorance Whose Wit though ne're so nimble is but lame That all is subiect to the gouernance Of that I Am that no Tongue well can name For there is nothing subiect vnto Chance But as he will so will all Fortunes frame Who is the proppe of diuine Prouidence Which thou seest not for want of Grace and Sence Thou Diu'l incarnate Monster like a Man Perfidious Athist gracelesse Libertine Which Nature then produc'd when she began To wrong her selfe and from herselfe decline Yea then when Reason farre herselfe ore-ran And to the brutish part did whole incline What brow of Brasse can beare thy earned blame Whose Conscience fear'd wants sense of sinne and shame For loe the Soule by force of Contemplation Engulphed lies in ioyfull Extacy Where she doth languish in a loue-sicke passion Swallowed with sweets in such extremity That shee s eu'n stifl'd with felicity But O wretch that I am when when O when Shall my dry soule her thirst here satisfie But I a sincke of sinne and Soile of Men Am too too fowle this Fount a loofe to ken Here neede the Soule to stand vpon her guard And keep the Tempter at the Sp'rits sword-point Else pride will puffe her sith so well she far'd Which swelling will runne downe from ioynt to ioynt That she wil burst if Grace her not annoynt This found he true that found this true repast In the third Heau'n as God did fore-appoint Yet must he Buffetts with such Banquets taste Lest he should be puft vp and so disgrac'd For our Soules foe extracts Ill out of Good As our Soules friend doth draw Good out of Ill The foe can foile if he be not with-stood With Pride our Piety and our good-will But our best friend though we offend him still From these offences drawes humilitie Which makes vs crouch and kneele and pray vntill He doth commiserate our misery This doth our friend vnlike our enemie The Soule cannot her soundnesse more bewray Then when she doth Temptations strong resist For like as when our Pulses strongly play We know wee neede not then a Galenist So when the Soule doth paint striue and persist In strugling with Temptations then we kno That
the Will proceedes And with that Good the Will it freely feeds Yet lest the Soule beholding hir faire forme Aboue hirselfe should of hirselfe aspire He giues vs proofe he can hir parts deforme That form'd hir parts if pride prouoke his ire Then lets hee Fiends the Fantacie enorme VVith strong delusions and with passions dire Herehence it is that some suppose they are Stone dead some all Nose some more brittle ware Some hauing this parte perfect are defected In the powre rationall the Soules sentinell That is with doting dulnesse so infected As what they say or do they wot not well Yet is their Memory right well affected And all their other Faculties excell So Sicknesse some Mens Memory vnframes That they forget their country friends and names Some others not in parte but wholy loose The vse of all the Sences of their soule Because they did their faculties abuse Those beeing franticke Reason with Rage controule And worse then beasts they liue and cannot chuse The Good from Bad ne yet the Faire from Fowle But like infernall Furies fare they than Iniurious to themselues to God and Man Thus may these Powers perish all or parte VVhen that almighty Powre his grace withdrawes Then let high Spirits retaine a lowly hart That may obedient be to Reasons Lawes For ill successe proceeds from worse desart And good effects proceeds from no ill cause If thy Mindes eyes see more then such eyes can Thanke God therefore yet thinke thy selfe a man For if thy thoughts flie higher then that pitch And Luciferian pride thy Minde inflate Thou mayst with him fall hedlong in the ditch And runne into Gods vnreuoked hate Then will the Fiend so much thy Mind bewitch That thoushalt be possesst in endlesse date VVith his strong Legions Then let Reason raine Thy head-strong Will and thy high thoughts restraine Now hauing seene how each internal Sence Contained is in cauernes of the Braine And how their works haue mutuall reference That so they may their common good maintaine Let vs with Eagles eyes without offence Transview the obscure things that do remaine For Mans aye-searching Sp'rite with toil 's opprest Til it haue found that Good that giues it rest Yet this breeds bate twixt Reas'n and Fantacie For Fantacie beeing neere the outward Sences Allures the Soule to loue things bodily But Reason mounts to higher Excellences And mooues the spirit her nimble wings to trie In pursuite of diuine Intelligences Who in the iawes of Fantasie doth set A Snaffle to o're-rule her wilde coruet And all this vigor to the Spirite is giu'n To flie with restlesse wings of Contemplation Vnto that Powre which in the highest Heau'n Makes his no powre-impeaching Habitation Of which Powre if this Powre be quite bereau'n Her dignitie incurreth degradation For as nought is more rare in Man then Spright So nought but rarest things should it delight For it beseemes not that high Maiestic To Man his creature lower to descend Then Man by force of his Mindes Ingeny Is able to him easly to ascend That makes him not appeare to Mans weake eie Because his Reason can him apprehend If Reason then by vse be cleere and bright She may see him vnseene by her owne light For by our Reason and Intelligence We know him from which knowledge Loue doth slowe For we may loue that we see not by Sense But cannot loue the thing we doe not know Our Soules we loue and loue the place from whence Our Soules first came though Sense them cannot show So that high Powre though our Sense cannot show him Yet may we loue because our Reasons know him For can it be Mans Soule should be endow'd With Understanding Reason Will and Wit To whose high powre the highest Powre hath bow'd His goodnesse to be conuersant with it But that the Soule is therewithall allow'd On sempiternall Thrones with him to sit If so what can be worth the Soules discourse But that same Minde that gaue the Soule such force Let Beasts whose soules are meerely Sensitiue Whose Beeing ceaseth with their Bodies beeing Let those with Tooth and Naile striue here to liue Because they die for euer with their dying To them no other Soules did Nature giue But such as to this life was most agreeing But sith Mens soules of God Characters bee With nothing but with God they should agree Which Soules without their corp'rall Instruments By vertue of their intellectiue powres Within themselues can act some good intents Though not expresse them to this sence of ours Who are sometimes rapt vp with rauishments As parted from the Body certaine howres Wherein they exercise their virtue so That more then erst they knew they doe and kno Wherein the Vnderstanding and the Will Wherewith the Soule are sumptuously set forth Are most imploi'd whose functions are to fill The Soules with Treasures of the rarest worth Which th' Intellect to Will presenteth still And to the loue thereof the will allur'th For Will will nothing entertaine in loue But what the Vnderstanding doth approue And what it doth approue as erst was said It sends to Memories safe custodie So then the powres that most the Soule do aide Is Understanding Will and Memorie Which if by Error they bee not betraid They will the Soules affects so fortifie That shee in spight of all the Pow'res belowe Shall giue hir foes a glorious ouerthrowe Yet as the Sunne to vs imparts his light Now more now lesse as it is cleare or clouded So fares it with our Vnderstandings sight That 's darke as hell if it with Sinne be shrowded Or if that Earthly things inclose it quight VVherewith the Soule may be so ouer-crowded That she may faint and finally may fall To vtter darkenesse hir foe Capitall Besides the Sodies state and constitution May much auaile or disaduantage it Then Riot is no good Phisition To heale or keepe in health mans feeble Wit For excesse tends to Dissolution And Dissolution doth in Darkenesse sit Then wouldst thou haue a cleere Intelligence Feare God fare well but feede without offence For though the Soule the Body should o're-rule By lawe of Nature and in Reasons right Yet oft we see the Body rule the Soule When meates excesse augments the Bodies might The Flesh exalted wil the Spirit controule And make the Bodies manners brutish quight But if thy Flesh be ill compos'd by kinde Mend it with holsome meate and mod'rate minde For what a monstrous vice is this in Man To quench his Spirit with wine and belly-cheare When Beasts will take no more then well they can Although by force they should aby it deare For neuer Man a Beast by rigor wan To eate or drinke more then hee well could beare Then if thou wouldst not haue a Beast excell thee Take thou no more then Nature doth compell thee O that these Healthes that makes so many sicke Were buried in the lake of Leachs quicke For since our English ah were Flusbeniz'd Against good manners and good men
is not his true Essence priuatiue As that which still bereaues without supplies But really and truely Positiue From whom all Positiues themselues deriue Then Wisdome Knowledge and Intelligence As in their Subiect are in him alone VVith and without a proper difference By which as one or diuerse they are knowne That 's as they are consid'red all or one And all or any one are in him so As they exist by power of their owne And in existence all together go Though in their functions parted other fro Now from his Vnderstanding flowes his Will Essentially traduced from the same VVhich is the act ofth ' Vnderstanding still VVhence flowes his Actions free as Will from blame As from the VVel his Will from whence they came VVhose Office is true Good to couet aye Which is his Glory whereat it doth ame Which of all goods most goodly is and gay Beeing the Obiect of his Will alway Which Will is stable and omnipotent Nothing can alter it or it constraine How then being changelesse seemes hee to repent That one hee willd as though hee willd in vaine And Prayers seemes and seemes not it to straine VVee must distinguish heere betweene his will Know'n and vnknow'n and then the case is plaine That know'n hath chang'd the vnknow'n standeth still Yet prayers pure both those good wills fullfill Which being good from it can come no ill Here is the Gulph that swallowes all amisse This is the Hell that hatcheth eu'ry euill Our shallow yet too deepe insight in this Makes God our foe Sinnes cause and so a Diuill O damn'd presumptuous ignorance vnciuill Sinne Flesh and Bloud stay stay O stay heere stay This point dispute not for yee can but cauill God saues by meanes the meanes vsd hee doth say He sure will saue who doubts are cast away For to conceiue that so himselfe he bindes To any such absurd Necessity That though he would he cannot change our mindes Nor grant our suites though made in charity Were fond and full of damnd impietie Yea opposite to both his Will and Word Which stil are good without variety But neither can they be if they afford No grace to them that with them doe accord Now if that Curiosities Cattes eies Would faine be prying further than is fit To see how this cleere doctrine can arise From light so darke which Light in darke doth sit Still let them ptie till they fall out with it For God be'ng constant if vnconstant Man Would finde him other he may lose his wit In search thereof for God such Searchers ban Because they would do more than Himselfe can Who being immateriall cannot change For that 's immutable that 's matterlesse No accident is to his knowledge strange No obiect can his fixed will impresse Angells consists of Matter more or lesse Which may be chang'd and Passion to endure So Men and Angells may thereby transgresse But God in Essence is so passing pure That all he wills and workes is passing sure Now from his Will flames foorth his ardent Loue Which is as t' were the substance of his Forme Which without motion still his will doth moue To doe what e're his will would faine performe Loues office is to loue Spirites to conforme Loues obiect is those Spirites sanctity For Loue the like will to the like transforme Sith where there is a perfect simpathy Loue likes to make a perfect vnitie If God be Loue how then can true Loue hate For he loues Good and hates Ill perfectly Yet Hate dooth seeme his goodnesse to abate And yet it is but the antipathie Of his pure nature with impurity Which Grands his Goodnesse and augment his fame For if he should not hate iniquitie Which doth his Image true confound and shame He should not loue himselfe much lesse the same Loue cannot hate no more than Fire can freeze God cannot hate no more than Good be Ill But when his Iustice vniust Soules surprize Hee 's said to hate them sith he them doth spill Which as hee 's Mercy is against his will But as hee s Iust he dooth it willingly This Will and Nill his goodnesse doe fulfill And both agree in perfect vnity T' aduaunce the glory of his Maiesty He cannot hate nor is he mou'd to wrath As Men doe hate and are to anger mou'd No Passion in the Godhead being hath But those hee likes that are of him belou'd And those he loathes that are of him reprou'd By an eternall motion of his will Mouing to that which is by him approu'd And ay remouing from all shew of ill So in this Loue and Hate hee s constant still Which Hate is no lesse Great than He is Good That 's infinite for nought in him is lesse We rt in him as in vs a passiue moode He were not God for God is Passiuelesse He is an Actiue Spirite motionlesse Seeing all at once Past Present and to Come Without succession seeing all successe Then sith at once hee seeth all and some No chaunce with Passion can his Sprite orecome Who in their causes and essentiall formes Knowes all that was or is or e're shall be Then no Intelligence his Minde informes Of that he knowes not sith he doth foresee Eu'n all that All beyond eternitie For he beyond beginnings did exist Existing so he sawe in each degree What should beginne and end or still consist Which in Praescience infinite he wist Could he beginne Beginnings that began If so hee could what is beginninglesse Or Time or Nothing That 's vntrue for than If there were Time it was not motionlesse For Time is made by Motion all confesse But where there nothing is no Motion is For Nothing hath no motion and much lesse Can Nothing make of nothing Something This Some-thing sometime of nothing made all his God euer was and neuer was not God Not made by Nothing nothing could him make Could nothing make and not make this is odde And so is he that could creation take Of Nothing for all was whenas he speke Nothing was made that was not made by it Then nothing was that could it vndertake To make its Maker what had powre or wit Not him that can doe all that he thinkes fit Time 's but a Moments flux and measured By distance of two Instants this we proue Which then commenc'd it selfe considered When fist the Orbs of Heau'n began to moue That 's but sixe thousand yeeres not much aboue But what 's so many yeeres as may be cast In thrice as many Ages to remoue Eternitie from being fixed fast And God therein from being First and Last He is eternall what is so is he So is no creature for it once was made Then ere it could be made it could not be But the Creator euer beeing had To pull out from Not-beeingâ— who can wade Beeing a Deapth so infinite profound But he that was and is and cannot fade This Beeing infinite this Deapth must sound To list vp all to Beeing there beeing dround