Life and Grace from God not for him-self only but for all that should come of him so likewise by his transgression he made all his whole Posterity liable to Gods wrath as well as himselfe so that all were alike changed with him into the same state of corruption and all were fallen alike with Him into the same pit of perdition There being no difference nor degrees at all as if his Posteritie were some of them less some more or deeper plunged ther-in than other For the same Death that by Sin entred upon the first Offender I say the same Death both in measure and degree went-over all Mankinde alike because all had in Adam alike offended all were alike deprived of the Glory of God Thus all Mankinde was by Creation perfect by Sinne corrupted and by the guilt of Sinne accursed Now then for Mans Redemption as God at first consulted with Him-selfe how and after what manner Hee might make Man and at last resolved to make Him in his owne Image after his likeness so here againe finding Man to be thus fallen from that happy state into this wofull plight surely much more did Hee now consult with Himselfe how and by what meanes Hee might set Man on his feet againe and so restore Him and his whole Race into their former state and happy being This being a work if we may compare Gods workes one with another of greater glorie difficultie and labour humano more loquor than that of Creation Which Consultation I mention not here for that I imagine that God did not thinke nor provide for Mans Redemption before He was fallen for I beleeve as Gods all-seeing eye did fore-see the fall so his insearchable Wisedome did provide for the same even from all eternitie Yet seeing I have taken-in hand to speake of this Consultation it falleth best into our order and method to speake of it here in this place Here then to express and set-forth this wonderfull work of God for the Redemption of Mankinde wee imagine him first to be moved ther-to by his Compassion or Pitie his Pitie to stir up his Mercy his Mercy for Truth and Iustice sake to submit her selfe to his Wrath his Wrath to be asswaged by his Peace and so one Grace to advise deale with another till at last they sweetly agree and joyne all in one how to perfect and effect a worke for the deliverance of all Man-kinde out of its misery Which work was put upon Christ the anointed Messias who chearfully undertooke it and for his part effectually performed it And as many of all Man kinde as according to Gods purpose doe receive this blessed and gratious Mediatour apprehending Him by Faith cleaving unto Him by Hope giving obedience unto Him through Charity so many are freed from their thraldome and miserie are restored to the inheritance and participation of life and felicity Those againe that either carelesly neglect or wilfully reject this great love of God in Christ they not only still remaine over-whelmed in the same pit of perdition into which they were plunged by the sin of the first Father but they also provoke God againe unto further wrath for so lightly respecting his love and casting his Mercy behinde them For Grace not offered will it-selfe plead mercy for the offender but offered contemned justly cals for more wrath and severity of punishment But for those that thirst for deliverance and embrace that meanes which is offered to them in Christ Iesus they are borne-anew they are inspired with good Graces they are freely justified sanctified and assured of Salvation and shall at last attaine eternall Happiness Now for the further divulging of this happy meanes to the encrease of Gods glorie as also for the better winning and alluring of moe to embrace the same for the saving of their Soules did I take-in hand to compose this Subject into a Historie and to set it out in a familiar verse that so the yonger who are more ready to reade Poetry than Prose may as in a Mappe or Glass behold one personating them selves and chalking out the way or treading as it were those very steps whereby them-selves have departed from that Excellency and Perfection they were created in and runne headlong into most cursed miserie and thraldome and yet againe how by new means offered and by circumspect walking therein they may come to the fruition of eternall Life and Felicitie These together are the scope of my intendment which if in any measure I shall further and promote I trust it shall repent neither mee to have spent some houres stollen from my ordinary studies for the worke of the Ministerie in my Pastorall charge upon this kinde of writing nor any other of their paines in reading but shall occasion us all more seriously to praise the Lord for whose sake I desire to become all unto all to winne some TO THE COVRTEOVS READER Kinde Friend IN friendly kindness I thee send This little Book which I have penn'd A Book unworthy yet doth bring Of what is penn'd the worthiest thing Thy Life or Death it doth thee shew In matter old in methode new The matter then doe not reject Sith Life or Death it doth reflect And if the methode thee distast My good-will for amends thou hast Yet reade it not for ought that 's mine But 'cause the subject is divine Stirpe sacrâ morsu scelerato sanguine Divo Integer infoelix benedictus Homo THE PERFECT-CVRSED-BLESSED MAN The Argument In h's form in h's fault through Christs peace-making blood Man's Perfect Cursed and again made Good The Argument enlarged WHen-as by cursed Disobedience Man first did fall from perfect Innocence He purchas'd to Him-selfe and his whole Race The gain of endless Pain the loss of Grace Heav'n Hell Earth Sea Wife Children all maintain His wofull gain of Loss his sense of Pain Whose cursed state by blessed Consultation Is blessed made through perfect Consolation So loss of Pain at last he findes in this That Life must die that Death may bring him Bliss The Authors Preamble upon it THou Infinite that canst in every place Breathe into poor yea dead Soules Life and Grace And them indow with rich gifts from thy treasure O powre into my barren heart such measure Of wisdome knowledge truth humility Faith holinesse grace and ability That I may after serious meditation Commend unto the world a true relation How thou didst frame Man in his excellence A curious Modell of thy glorious Essence How Him again having Him-selfe defac'd Thou didst vouchsafe thy Son should be abas'd By humane Life by Death by h's unknown Passion To re-invest in Grace and glorious station A work of no less wonderment I ween Than that which was in his Creation seen Both infinite in Goodness Love and Glory Not what but that they are shall be my story In which discourse I shun industriously All idle vernish of quaint Poētrie In speaking of Gods simple veritie Naught more beseems
THE HISTORIE OF THE Perfect-Cursed-Blessed MAN Setting-forth Mans Excellencie by his Generation Mans Miserie by his Degeneration Mans Felicitie by his Regeneration By I. F. Master of Arts Preacher of Gods Word and Rector of Wilbie in Suff. Bernardus in Meditat. Anima insignita Dei imagine decorata similitudine desponsata fide dotata Spiritu redempta sanguine haeres bonitatis capax beatitudinis deputata cum Angelis LONDON Printed by M. Flesher and are to be sold at the signe of the Greyhound in Pauls Church-yard 1628. Formae naturâ lue morum morte subactâ Almus eram ater eo mox tamen albus ero CHRISTIANVS MILITANS I wrestle not against flesh and blood only but against principalities powers Ephes. 6. 12. All-spotless fair I formed was But am by Sin deform'd Yet trust ere long by Death to pass To glorious life conform'd ERRATA ARe not many and yet fewer in some Copies then in other for as they were spyed in the Presse they were amended in the remaining Copies Let those that are found be thus amended In the Epistle Dedic read like flesh-flyes In the Epist. to the Reader p. 5. l. antepenult excellency and goodnes p. 13. l. 2. cals for more wrath In the Booke p. 28. l. the last were all destroy'd p. 41. l. 25. threw them headlong instantly There are some other but they are so sleighty as the Readâ—r cannot but amend them in the reading TO THE RIGHT WORshipfull Sir Anthony Wingfeld Knight Baronet the pâ—ime Heir of that Right-Noble Generous and Renowned Familie of the prime House of the Wingfelds the growth and increase of Grace and Honour here and the fruition of Glorie and Happiness hereafter SIR AS you take-notice of this happiness and blessing of God upon you to bee the Heir of this great worthie Family so take-notice also I beseech you of the true cause of that worth and greatness of your Ancestors and imitate them ther-in and then inheriting their worth together with their wealth you shall also most undoubtedly enrich your selfe with the obsequious attendance and hearty affection of your native Countrimen and so grow in Grace and Favour with God and Man Your Noble Progenitours have bin famous for their Pietie to God for they were alwaies noted to be zealous in Religion They have bin renowned for their Loialtie to their Soveraigne for they were alwaies of great and high Commission many of them being ex intimis Regum Consiliis They have alwaies bin much honoured of their Country for their great care of the Publique Good and Welfare therof which as occasions required they did manifest sometimes by their Valour thogh it were to hazard the loss of Life or Living sometimes by their Wisdome and Jntegrity in so much that weighty causes in difference have bin by the Parties consent referred to their sole Arbitration sometimes by their Lenity for this was their ancieÌ„t Motto revived by the last of your name Posse nolle Nobile and alwayes by their great Hospitalitie upon which to their great Renowne and Glory they yearly spent the greatest part of their Revenues All these with many such lived together with your Predecessors whiles they lived were the Life of their fame worth And let me tell you Sir there is an expectation the tedious Monthes of your Minoritie being worn-out of their reviving and together with your Person of their keeping residence in some or other of your Mansions God enable you with such a competency of Gifts and Graces as you may satisfie expectation I speake not thus out of doubtfull fear but in officious love for since it pleased the Divine Providence when you were baptized to use the hand of my Ministery for the receiving of you into the Church I living then in your worthy Fathers house who never entertained any other Chaplain but mine unworthy selfe and sith I live still in statu quo as your Father placed me me thinks the same Providence leads me by the hand to doe some service for you now when his Majesty the King sends you so timely into the Common-wealth by gracing you Honoris onere with the dignity of Knight-Baronet and by trusting you Onoris honore with the command of some of his Forces for the Countries defence My prayer is that you may walk worthy of the severall Callings wher-unto you are called and my desire is to doe something for you to further you therein For which purpose I have presumed to present you with this History though weakly contrived yet strongly warranted for it hath the undoubted truth of God for its authority Wher-in I endevour to let you see your selfe in your triple estate for it doth not praedicare de uno Homine in specie individuo but de singulis Hominibus in toto genere Humano and is verified particularly in everie One being cursed or blessed in their imitation of it It will advertise you to take-heed that you give no way to Naturall Inclinations but as you finde them renued by Grace and to stop your ears against the buzzings of fawning Sycophants which life flesh-flies that corrupt sweet ointments alwaies breathe infection and serpent-like never insinuate but for secret mischievous ends God give you the Spirit of Wisdome to discern and the Grace of Zeale to detest illud pessimum hominum genus In a word it will I hope helpe to direct you how to recover the perfection of pure Nature how to get-out of the miserie of corrupt Nature and how to attaine to the fruition of that super-naturall Felicitie that the world cannot apprehend Many Tractates I confess you may finde tending to these ends but all that I have seene are meerly indicative teaching onlie by instruction wher-as this is exemplarie and teacheth by demonstration and therefore though they may be more punctuall and pithie yet I am sure this is more plaine I trust not unpleasant God give grace to make them all profitable If this shall further you but one step towards any of those ends either for your mortification or vivification a double work but must be singlie performed by you and by all that intend to save their soules I shall rejoice in my paines and you I trust be encouraged to press-on towards the mark set-before you for the price of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus This is the maine thing that you have to doe in this world without which you shall neuer here deserue the Happiness you have nor ever hereafter attaine to the Happinesse you desire Your Riches Honour the Favour of this VVorld these were the desert of your Ancestours which out-lived their Persons and are now cast upon you their undoubted Heir to make you worldly happy But it is Religion and the love and practise of Religion onely in the exercise of vertuous and pious actions that can bring you to deserve this temporall Happiness and assure you to enherite that which is immortall Thus commending these broken lines to your
acceptance and your selfe to the Grace in Christ Iesus I humbly take my leave and rest Your Worships truly devoted IOSEPH FLETCHER TO THE LEARNED AND IVDICIOVS READERS NOt that I desire such Readers only doe I prefix this Epistle but only to desire if any such shall vouchsafe to reade this poore Labor that they would also vouchsafe to make a favourable construction of what they reade and to take-notice that I doe not hold that all the ther-in mentioned Decrees Consultations Iudgements c. were just so in actu as they are therin set-down or as the tenour of the Story may seeme to import For I have learned another lesson which I desire those that have not to learne and beleeve with me For mine owne part I know and beleeve that all things whatsoever that either have bin are or shall be so far as they have reference unto God the Primus Motor originall Author and principall Actor of them of whom through whom and for whom they have and receive their being and motion all secondary causes being contained within the sphere of their first cause I beleeve I say that being thus considered in God they have neither pâ—ius nor posterius first nor last because God is Alpha and Omega both first and last the first of Causes the last of Ends that is all in all they being in Him semel simul as one individuall substance or continued motion He being in Him-selfe Ens cujus centrum est ubique cujus circumferentia nullibi so that nothing can be besides Him He being of Himselfe every way infinite Vpon this ground all Gods Purposes Motions Actions whether in respect of the Creature necessary or contingent as also the subject wheron Hee workes yea and likewise the instrumentall Causes whereby He workes are all present unto Him because He beholdeth all things uno eodem intuitu at one instant there being no difference to Him at all betwixt things past and present and to come these being meerly and onely the distinctions of time But GOD who is Light and dwelleth in light which was and which is and which is to come the same yesterday and to day and the same for ever needeth not the distinctions of Time for the resolution and execution of his Decrees and Actions All things then being in God God in Himselfe is to be considered as a most rich beautifull and glorious Treasurie of such transcendent superexcellent and incomprehensible Nature Majesty Order as that not any Creature in Heaven or Earth is able to conceive how any one thing in Him is either decreed promoted or acted simply truly and as it is indeed for Creatures are circumscribed in all their faculties and powers and cannot goe beyond their extent For us then positively to describe define or determine any thing of Gods Decrees Consultations and Actions I meane ad intus or of his order of doing them as that first He did that afterwards this and last of all thus it is Satanicall pride and arrogant presumption so insearchable is his Wisedome and his waies past finding out Yet again the same insearchable things of God being considered quoad nos and referred to their visible and apprehensible Causes Ends Objects and Effects so they admit of prius and posterius and may be said to bee first or second according to the setled order of Nature Time or Being And upon this ground we may look upon the Actions of God as issuing or proceeding from Him in a most perfect comely and beautifull order and succession whereby Hee manifesteth his owne glory and advanceth the good of his Creatures And yet this acceptation distinction or interpretation of Gods doings ariseth from our owne weak capacities and apprehensions and not from the things of God them-selves for as we conceive and understand them to be or have beene done so doe wee judge of them and no otherwise Now for that we are weake to conceive and understand aright the wonderfull things of God as indeed the least worke of his is wonderfull in it selfe and infinitely surpasseth our imagination God therefore in mercy affords us many helpes to further us therein per corporalia spiritualia docens per visibilia invisibilia demonstrans and so speaketh to us of his owne immense and incomprehensible Resolutions and Actions in phrases and tearms sutable and agreeable to our owne weake capacities Not for that we are to conceive it to be just so and so with the Lord concerning that thing of which Hee speaketh and no otherwise but for that otherwise than so or so as He speaketh wee cannot possibly conceive it to bee He stoopeth to our infirmitie and speaketh to us concerning Him-selfe in our own dialect and giveth us leave to speak of Him and his Actions as wee doe of our selves and our owne And because we alwaies contrive and frame to our selves a methodicall order of what we doe before it bee done and cannot attaine to the consummation of our ends but by some orderly proceedings as by intentions meditations consultations endevours executions and the like so likewise we measuring the great works of God by the same compass we doe our owne doe conceive them to be begun and effected by such like passages and progressions as our own are as by decrees consultations resolutions or some meanes or other to ripen and bring them to their productions And thus it is that wee dare take-upon us to speake of Gods great workes of wonder as not to name any other of these of Mans Creation and Redemption both which we conceive to be on this manner First touching Mans Creation we conceive that God moved with zeale of propagating his own glory did take in hand even out of Nothing to frame and create Man as a fit matter or subject where-on to stamp and set the likeness of his owne Image that so Hee might communicate his owne everlasting Goodness to a Creature so qualified and endowed Which Creature notwithstanding so formed and enabled is not nor cannot be equall to his Creator in the excellencie of Goodness or power of Perseverance though for qualitie He partake of his Creators Goodness and for form He be made in his Creators Image And for this we conceive a double reason the one from God the other from Man from God because He is notwithstanding this his work of Creation that is of bringing another thing besides Himselfe into Esse and so into open view yet we say He is still infinite and so no whit lessened or any way impayred either in quality of Essence or in ability of perpetuity For all excellency or goodness is fontally in Him and what excellency or goodness soever is in any Creature it is but guttula illius formositatis bonitatis suavitatis quae est in Creatore which being severed from God doth therâ—upon instantly perish turne to nothing And therfore Man no longer bears the perfect qualitie of his Creators Image than that Hee continues in Him good and
Mercy or what Attributes soe're But Heav'n Earth shall know what Truth affirms Iehovahs Zeal for Iustice sake confirms VVhen mighty Angels did them-selves exalt Down from the Heav'ns to Hels infernall vault I threw them instantly how than Can this proud worm this trait'rous cative-Man That hath not pow'r weak motions to withstand How can He scape the force of my strong hand For 'fore that Heav'ns should grant Man a remission And not on some equivalent condition Or that the Earth should yeeld Him nutriment By annuall-successive increment The fruitfull plains with barrenness I 'le strike And make his dwelling places Sodom-like The showring clouds I 'le turn to banks of brass And th' Earth to iron that so fruitfull was The flintie Rocks to shivers I will tear And kernell-sands to mightie mountains rear The gladsome day and rest-affording night That by their intercourse had wont delight I 'le turn to timeless motions never changing Their constant changes of unconstant ranging Among th' Infernall Furies where the Man Shall be tormented while those Furies can To plague Him thus is rightly to reward Him From which nor heav'n nor earth shall ever guard him Yea all the forces they are able make As thunder lightning famine plague earth-quake And whatsoever else as grave and hell Angels and Devils all I will compell To become furious Agents in the cause So strict and pow'full are Iehovah's lawes Thus as Truth said Mans state you may bewail But to redeem 't you never shall prevail Peace here-upon for Mercy could not answer She was through Wraths peremptory censure So speechless grown and heartless like to fall But Peace stept-in affected like to all And with soft speech did sweetly moderate What these her Sisters could not arbitrate First she began with mildest exhortation To move them to take-heed of emulation For that quoth she doth often kindle hate The bane of Bliss and ruine of a State We Sisters are in one we must consent And not by strict exactions once dissent We know our parts wherfore let be our care Them to discharge as it comes to our share You Wrath Truth Iustice ye desire no more But as Man sinn'd so Man be plagu'd therefore Well fear it not but constantly expect The constant God will duly it effect And Sister Mercy you desire no less Than for Mans Sin that God give forgiveness Desire so still that by importunitie God may be mov'd to grant him immunitie Which yet beleeve it may not prejudice Th' inviolable right of strict Iustice Nor any of our worthy Sisters dear VVho equally to God are seated near And though nor you nor I Iustice nor Truth Can see the mean wherby our God renu'th The broke estate of miserable Man Yet certainly our Sister Wisdome can For what soe're our Sov'raign God decrees She th'equitie therof alwaies fore-sees Yea she deviseth things beyond all thought And then propoundeth how they may be wrought And happy they whose actions she directs For only them in favour Gods respects To her therfore have ye recourse for this And ye shall see she 'll not devise amiss Herewith was Mercy inwardly well pleas'd Truth Iustice Wrath were ev'ry one appeas'd To Wisdome then they all referr'd the cause When she making a long but decent pause For Wisdome's alwaies slow to speak enclin'd She doth so duly ponder all in minde When she this controverted cause had waigh'd She orderly the same before them laid The one side pleads quoth she that since Man-kind From Life to Death by Sin are all declin'd Then Death due wage to all our God must give Else can nor Wrath nor Truth nor Iustice live If all Man-kinde the other side replies Must suffer Death for their iniquities No pitie had of any in Gods sight Then Mercy Pitie Peace are banisht quite So prejudiciall then since th' issue is That Man or sav'd or damn'd all is amiss Iustice if sav'd but Mercy if He die That th' one of these perforce from Heav'n must fly And many other of our Heav'nly train Shall therby base indignity sustain My doom is this To salve and keep all eav'n That Man by Death to Life by Hell to Heav'n Shall take his course T'enabl'Him for which end Let all the punishments Iustice can send Be all made good yea Sin and Death and Hell And whatsoever most with Evill swell Let all of them be made good unto Man And then let Wrath inflict ev'n what she can So Mercie may for Mans Sin satisfie And Iustice punish Mans iniquitie Most rev'rend Truth exactly shall appear And austere Iustice strictly dominere Consuming Wrath shall sweetly be appeas'd And all-preserving Mercy shall be pleas'd Remorsefull Pitie shall be highly praised And death-deserving Man to new life raised Contentment thus we Sisters all may have And all of us accomplish what we crave So God in all and of all shall be knowne The God of Life Death Glory Praise Renown No sooner Wisdome had this case decided But Heav'n and Earth who stood by Sin divided VVere both of them with wonderment astonisht At th'equity of what she had admonisht All things with joy 'gan instantly be cheared As soon as hope of reconcilement ' peared Twixt God and Man Yet Reason made this Quaere How Sin how Death how Hell so dark so dreary How these could be made good since for Mans fall They are the pain to plague the Man withall To second this saith Truth there 's none so good That ever yet did spring from tainted blood VVho Man 's depraved Nature could controule By changing Ill to Good to save his soule To change Ill into Good t is to create A work of inf'nite Pow'r wherefore no state Of finite force can be so virtuall As to make Death to Life effectuall By Sin Man did an inf'nite Pow'r offend Which none but inf'nite Pow'r can amend Neither can God Mans Mediatour be For who offended was by sin but He 'T is God in Iustice that looks for amends Therfore not He which satisfaction sends Who then is it that makes this Evill Good Nor God nor Man by Reason they 'r withstood T is I quoth Goodness I as Wisdome bod Will heale Mans sores and make all eav'n that 's od I 'le make his Evill Good his Death the way Wherby eternall Life attain He may I 'le yeeld my selfe my uncorrupted Essence To purifie his Soule his Sp'rite his Sense Yea here behold I offer all I have I 'le with-hold nought that 's needfull Man to save Quoth Truth again kinde Sister you doe well You offer more than Angels tongues can tell Yet cannot your beneficence alone Vnright'ous Man with right'ous God attone 'T is more to reconcile Man to his Maker Than one can doe who ere be th'undertaker When Charity who all this while attended Did understand how Goodness was commended For her kinde offer and withall did hear No one of th' Heav'nly Pow'rs sufficient were Both to
begin and end that work for Man She straight with love inflam'd like light'ning ran From Heav'n to th' Earth and back again and so Incessantly still posted to and fro And never ceas'd till she had through-perswaded All Pow'rs that ever Heav'n and Earth invaded Not only those whose names y'have heard enrold But all the rest that Heav'nly functions hold As that high vertue low Humilitie And never-daunted Magnanimitie All wrong-enduring humble Patience And Fortitude Pow'r of Omnipotence These as was said and all the rest that dwell In heav'nly Pallaces were pleased well To bring their force and joyn in unitie To purchase Man that same immunitie That Mercie crav'd Loe then they all did meet And prostrate fell at the Eternals feet Commending all they had to be employ'd To save the Man that Sin might be destroy'd Yea severe Wrath that late so strictly stood To punish Man now vow'd to be so good As after worthy satisfaction tane For Mans offence she would thence-forth refrain Old torment to inflict for new offence Whens'ere he came in humble penitence The like did Truth all Graces did the like And kissing each heart-joyning hands did strike But Mercie here was the most joyfull Sister When all of them thus promist to assist her She weighed not what task she under-went Since to save Man they all had giv'n consent When God th'All-ruling King of Heav'n did see How sweetly they did all in one agree He let them know that now He was contented Man should be sav'd since they in one consented And here behold sayes this great gratious King I le now declare how this same wondrous thing Of Mans Redemption shall be brought-to-pass VVhich doth both Mans and Angels pow'r surpass Ev'n I that by my word the World did frame That dwell in light and am Light of the same That all things made whom Nothing can annoy That nothing need and all things can destroy That pow'rfull Word that true Selfe-Light of mine That out of darkness did creating shine I say that Self-same Word I 'le send to take Mans Essence Pers'nally and so partake VVith Man of humane Nature that so He Of divine Nature may partake with Me. And for this purpose loe A Virgin-Mother Shall by my Sp'rit conceive and by no other And when the Time of fulness comes bring-forth That heav'nly-humane Seed of inf'nite worth In whose Person two Natures shall be knit The God-head bodily Man-hood in it So God and Man yea God-Man shall He be The second Person of our Trinitie In whom all Graces really shall dwell With all Mans Pow'rs to make Him Men excell Whose office is our sacred will t' obey And for Mans breach therof Mans debt to pay In whom with Man we will be fully pleas'd All rigour of our wrath b'ing quite appeas'd No other Person th' Earth nor Heav'ns contain That able is such favour to regain Yea none can be the sinless Saviour Of sinfull Flesh save One of inf'nite Pow'r All pow'r therfore I 'le powre into his hand That He not only ever may withstand All Satans base malicious temptations Or all Mans vain and carnall inclinations But also may full satisfaction make For all Mans Sin when Iustice it shall take Which penalty that He may under-goe Ev'n Mortall-like to shame-full death and woe His sacred Body shall be basely bound Though Sin and Ill shall nere with Him be found For since He stands in Malefactors stead Iustice may justly Him to torments lead And since again that Sinners stand in Him As He is Righteous so count we them This is our will yea this have we decreed Wherby from servile state Man shall be freed And for these ends that He perform them all All our own Pow'rs shall serve Him at his call This gratious promise made most firmly stood A law unchangeable approved good To Man and to his whole succeeding Race As they t' have faith therin obtained Grace And though to Israel t' was first made known Yet was the light therof to th' Gentils shown They holding Him their glorious Consolation These their comfortable Expectation And thus for many Ages both were fed With saving-health from this Seed promised For soon as God this saving-promise made It made them live that to beleeve 't assai'd And that as well before CHRISTS Incarnation As after his most glorious Exaltation THE BLESSED MAN Setting-forth MANS FELICITIE In that His REGENERATION Is Procured Verbera sputa crucem Verbum patitur Caro factum Vt vivat Coelis morte solutus Homo MANS FELICITIE PROCVRED The Argument To cursed Death then CHRIST Himselfe doth give That blest in Heav'n Man freed from Death may live THis Christ was He that was that promis'd Seed That long was long'd-for who though God in deed Yet that He might be also very Man And so an equall Mediator ran Sun-like through all the Signes of humane race Appearing first in blessed Virgo's face VVho all the World contains was now contain'd VVithin Her happy wombe who still remain'd A spotless Virgin and anon the Mother Of her first Father Saviour and Brother A Virgin-Mother of a Son a Father The World nere had shall nere again have either When He was born such joy was at his birth That Heav'n and Earth did eccho with the mirth Yong Iohn un-born old Simeon halfe in 's grave Poore Swains rich Sophies in Him comfort have Sing then for joy sing still sing doe not cease For now is born the Saviour King of peace He was the richest He was poorest born Right Heir of all of all the most forlorn The great Creatour He poore little Creature Not made as God made Man of fleshly feature Maker of all lawes all lawes fulfilling Th' Author of all life to die most willing The fair'st of Men of Men the most defil'd Aye-King of Bliss of woe the cursed Childe Inf'nite each way each way He greater grew All good no ill all humane frailties knew Admired of the wise contemn'd of fooles Confuted greatest Doctors in their Schooles None ever spake like Him He spake so well Nor wrought yet was He counted Prince of Hell Whose words whose works who Mary-like do ponder Have all their hearts ev'n fill'd with joy and wonder He rais'd the Dead gave health gave sight to blinde Conquer'd the Devils calm'd both Seas and Winde Was alwaies doing good or suff'ring ill That so all right'ousness He might fulfill All vertues flow'd from Him all graces shin'd Clearly in Him in Him all Pow'r's combin'd He was the fountain of all harmless mirth With smiling cheeks yet nere sent laughter forth But tears alas and heavy sighes and grones And stripes and blows and scoffs from wicked ones Were oft his fare and stead of dainty diet Hunger and thirst and weariness for quiet Such though He was yet was his usage such Some lov'd Him dear some hated Him as much Concerning Him the World stood all divided Few thought him God