night This black-Prince-ruled world but where in thine Thy Word Saints Spirit thou art pleas'd to shine My soul is dark my brightest light but dim This yet 's my joy all I have I have from Him VVith Wanes and Changes now I oft decline But in the Full shall shortly ever shine Freed from this Leasehold earth this shady night Fully possesse possessed by the Light VVhose beaming favours from his Darkelesse face Condign'd his Choice Coheires of Glorious Grace I See no light and yet so much I see As darkes all other lights I feele no love And yet so much I feele as makes me flee All other loves when other joyes can't move My heart that sad perplexities annoyes I joy this griefe and grieve all other joyes Lord art thou gone What shalt thou so be lost Thy glorious eye into this heart hath sent The spark hath took the whole an Holocaust It restlesse mounts unto its Element Fire of the Spirit it is 't will make no stay Till to the Spirit of fire't hath burnt its way Shew me the Father and it shall suffice Whom ne'r man saw and liv'd yet seen of men If death wu'd doe it 't were well for wicked eyes Nor dead nor living yet seen of men how then Dead and alive in thee and by thy Light I feed on that full satisfying sight 'T is not the predisposed Organ here That needs the Medium of a Mediator Quicks deadned eyes th'obscured Object cleares To th'lightlesse Creature the great Light Creator Here see I all I 'd have the world is want The Bed's too short the Coverings are too scant BLack thoughts as black as hell and yet more black Their paines extort their lies Not Good What lack Hast thou of all content but only this I cannot see not say Good Good He is Mad thoughts As mad as Hell and what 's more mad Then to confesse He is and yet is bad More reason 's in m'unreasonablenesse VVhen say there is no God then not confesse Him Good Him only Good O could I thinke My heart so gone in love so brought to 'th brinke Of those Celestiall Rivers thence shu'd shrink And steale me to th' infernall Lake I think VVho did so deeply of his goodnesse drink That this was in my heart my heart in Heaven Ne'r will I trust what hath me so deceiven No no nor what I say for if I doe 'T will cheat me in That Resolution too Ah Lord what wo'nt I do whom even now Thou feasted'st with the sweets of God yet how How soon my mouth was full of gaulie taste That thou shu'dst throw away the world as waste And Fire-fit refuse yet so sure combine Me in that Jesu bundle of Life with Thine Elect who'st room enough in Him for all Or might'st have kept them from their former fall Blest God! 't is therefore that I love thee so That thou these wise-hid-depths to Babes wu'dst show VVhen Fools proud wisdome scorns to stoop so low Thou nothing do'st because 't is Good 't is Good Because Thou do'st it Thy good pleasure wu'd That this be so even so be it who will Doe what They will may thank themselves for th' ill Ensu's but what Thou wu't Thy grace VVho'rt plac'd to dwell in Satans Place O love The God of glory Come Good God! in th'unclean Spirits room VVhat am I Lord And what thy whole Creation That Thou shu'dst condole VVer 't but a Man but Millions so condole As t'beare the Shame Blame Death the whole Evils of thy Sainted Rebels whom Justice judg'd meriting one doome Love Goodnesse shu'd I praise extend Unto its due I shu'd ne'r end Nor wu'd nor will but make my dayes Expire in Panegyrick laycs TEach me Thy Foolish wisdome Lord and let The blindfold world choose wiser Follies set My heart in frame to Learn-Love-Doe Thy will To feare to Think Speak Act the smallest ill Here wisdome takes beginning only Here Where feare shall teach me wisdome wisdome feare Thou art Only-Wise-Immortall God and He That 's taught of Thee but only taught is he VVhose humble feare dives in those depths too deep For haughty Ignorance Sleep fondlings sleep And hug your dreames of wit but when you wake You 'le dearely rue your obstinate mistake HOw pleasantly I weare away my dayes I' th' sence o'renewed strength My strength decaies And rises by his ruines I melt away How sweetly melt still drop proud flesh defray Your marrow to maintain these flames still burne Ble'st spirit burne me all to fire turne Thoughts will prey on my spirits life will away Then live my sprightfull thoughts on your decay Life Life of Lives 'T is only Then I Live VVhen ready stand prepar'd with Joy to give Up my Accompt and speed me to that day That gives me Life Indeed because for Aye O When shall I put off these fleshly Clothes And in my Earthy Bed take sweet repose Untill that Morning come that Holy day In holy Pleasures I shall ever Play On well tun'd Heart that Heart inamouring ditty That is the Consort of that Heavenly Citie Even so Lord Jesus Come when breakes the day Show's us Thy face the shadow 's flowne away Even so Lord Jesus Come when breakes the day Amen Amen the Bride and Spirit say I Come I Come so come that we may come Riding o' th' Cloudes unto our Fathers Home MElt in thy Fire my Earth blest Spirit blow M'into a Glasse through whose transparent pores My radiant streames of holy luster flow Into my light-enliv'ned soule now poares On those dim glimmerings thorough this darksom dust Yet more ob scured by th'False-lights of Lusts More then more strong be those thy glorious rayes To lift my heart up to thy heavenly wayes Till thou shalt spiritualize my very flesh And make my glorious body see no lesse I Cannot hold so full so full of Thee Sweet Father help the more 's the Revelation Of Truth the more th'more strong the test'mony Of love the more th'more strong is the temptation My Love burnes still and from that fire comes light Restores the day unto my darkest Night For still I say I know I 'm ignorant And very bad but Thou art Wise and Good I can't but love Thee Thy Love-Letter I can't But I must reade thus Truth is understood Receiv'd with love without delusion so By knowing I learn to Love by loving Know. A holy Life 's the clearest Commentary I finde o' th' sacred Text the Spirit 's actuall Interpretation 'T unites what seemes contrary Parts One in Two show's how 't is it doth call Griefe joyfull faithfull feare lofty humblenesse Destinguisheth of Prayer Faith show's who confesse Who makes the Word a Lanthorn to his feet God to his pathes to mak 't a Light think 's meet HOw giddy I am with viewing the Sea I 'd know Why Thou't so ebb to some to some so flow Why this man 's left the other Love doth take But woe t' him dares debate with h's Maker make O
thy Spirits thankes The very Ethnicks don't they doe the same I nothing singular that beare thy Name Who sit'st i' th heavens farre above all feares When all the world 's together by the eares Thou' rt still thy self Happy Happinesse When all the world blasphemes as when they blesse Oh cou'd I keepe my proper place with thee How farre above the daring'st Ill 's I 'de be I 'de play with flames exsult at th' thoughts of death And make my troubles keep m' i' th' better breath I 'de dance upon a dunghill sing in fire I 'de make a bed of Roses on a briar I 'de teach my teares to smile my sighes to laugh My paines to sport I 'de make thy rod my staffe Wut teach me this deare Lord teach teach m'excell To be in heaven while I am in hell For so was Christ and he and we are Christ Be then my dust below I 'le be at th' high'st What ayl's the livelesse corps whose soule 's in heaven My soule 's soule 's thou is thou my soule in heaven Heav'n is thy armes thy everlasting armes Be they still under wher 's the hell me harmes Let blustering windes and ratling tempests beat About m'assaulted eares with threats on threats O' th' terriblest stormes while I inhoused lie Imbedded in his Alisufficiencie And gather up my soule the closer in To his inwrapping comforts while I sing And they me rock i' th' faster sweeter sleep Of praising rest i' th' armes alone shall keep M' in safety maugre all the enemies I' th' maddest forciblest fury while th' world lies I' th' armes o' th' airy Prince who hath the skill To make faire weather where he meanes to kill ANd have I Lord so often wisht to die And yet I cannot live Have I so lost My soule for thee yet finde it cannot I Well still thou' rt good how ever I be crost Still will I wish and wish it with mine heart Subvert me Lord or make me more convert What shall I die alive shall I survive My selfe Shall I endure this life of pleasure Not I pray day and night How doe I thrive Where are the precious sheaves the hidden treasure Where is my livelyhood my livelynesse Well yet I have them ' cause I so confesse A word soon said but truly but of those Whose bleeding-carefull-zealous heart it knowes VVOrk on my love spare not thy pains 't is good T 's a kindly heat and sweat what art a drie Hungry with exercise take for thy food My Flesh my Blood thy thirst shall satisfie Work on these putrid humours still transpire Fresh pure sound by these Alteratives acquire I hunger Lord thirst for thy Righteousnesse My zeale doth so consume me I must have More food or faint much lesse can work afresh Hast no vvine t' spare no Milk no Hony I crave For strength not lust not for my selfe but thee That by much strength much honor'd thou mai'st be Be they but crums yet be th' o' th' childrens bread Be they but drops yet be th'o ' Salvations Well Even those can make a dog a dog that 's dead A living man these greater wonders tell O had I but the bucket 't get a sup How soon unto th'spring head 't wu'd mount me up Here will I draw ingage here all my strength Tug pull again and yet again and yet I 'le not give over 't will come I know at length It 's very aire my hope that will not let Me faint but when 't comes and I get a drinke You that have felt those joyes what th' are may thinke Lightned inlivn'd inlarg'd extold transport Beyond my selfe unto my selfe resort I see I see O when shall I once account My selfe fram'd to this patterne i' the mount Vnto my Lord deare Lord make me So like that who sees me may see Him drawne to th' very life each feature Each lineament thus a new creature I Am the fountaine and I purpose through These neighbouring intermixed Channells to Convey my selfe to each he who 'l not part His interposing earth let out his heart Reciprocate the freshning streames I send May stand stink dry not borrow who 'l not lend They 're Idiots indeed who h've private spirits 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But who is not himselfe he onely merits Not to be counted mad and so sought he Us not himselfe in whom made wise we be We 're not our owne we 're purchas'd with a prise To live no more t' our selves but now to rise To higher things to live beyond our selves In By To Him who bought's brought 's off the shelves ' ' F so great a death to bring us of our selves Our greatest death when selfe-besotted Elfes Were we dissolved in the open Maine What spatious libertie were gotten to refraine Th' land bordering Rockes O wu'd the righteous Sun Looke on our frozen hearts how fast they 'd runne Their hardned selfe contracted clods so oft Dash one against another into soft To giving inlarged streames wu'd friendly close Themselves wu'd quickly in each other loose And all with sweet concurrence nimbly flow To their imbracing Ocean O wu'd we soe Change each to other till we each were none With what advantage shu'd we be our owne For one have all thus happily unite Are growne too strong for th' world for hells despight We 're all disjoyned by our fall but set In one againe the greater strength we get What I lay out in prayers purse study paines For them with how farre multiplyed gaines Of quick returnes I finde them all in theirs Shu'd I as I shu'd not be overwhelm'd with teares Feares griefes grow weak and feeble or as I shu'd Be alwayes poore and needy in spirit how good How good it is to know that he who is In all my thoughts hath me in his Who is more beneficiall by one thought then all The world can be by all their deeds I fall No sooner now but straite one helpes me rise So farr 's two better in one how rais'd how high's My drooping soule though absent in the body Present i' th' spirit with all the spirituall body How heartily I joy in sweetly injoy Their better ordered more establish'd joy M' affections are not mine nor theirs are theirs But each in th' other's mirth and sorrowes shares How steddy stand in ballance't griefes and joys While others still supply fresh counter poyses I live not in my self but them-and-thee Live thou and they and that 's enough for mee I live not in my self but them-and-thee Live thou and they I needs must living be And if all comforts God-and-h's Saints comprises All comfort then from one another rises Conspire we then in one in one expire That makes his melting Saints a mounting fire 'T is good being here and hither rise might all Wh'have skill have will in t ' one and other t'fall But he that will be of himselfe May glut not glad himself with pelfe Yea let him laugh his belly full Yet doth the shark himself
the world makes to their pride the consideration of their owne parts gifts indowments abilities eminencies whatsoever As then most truly and throughly humbled when thou risest to thy highest station and takest the fullest view of all thy excellencies As seeing nothing but what thou hast of him in him and for him the onely ground of humilitie because of glory To see thy selfe thus and thus richly qualified and yet to see thy selfe to be miserable poore blinde and naked to have so much and yet to have nothing argueth that the Candle of God hath shined over thy head in its brighter beames and his secrets have dwelt more intimately more abidingly in thy Tabernacle While seeing thy selfe of the noblest stocke of the choysest of nations as touching learning with the learned'st concerning zeale with the most active touching the righteousnesse in the Law blamelesse c. and yet to treade and trample all these things under thy feete with the utmost indignation and detestation as the most despicable drosse and dunge in comparison of one thought of revealed Christ that hast knowne or rather art knowne of Him that is the onely excellency I such a light shining in upon the soule and out-shining the most glorious Sunne even at mid day is that which will cast the greatest Apostle upon his face and make him cry out that he is lesse then the least of Saints And certainly there may be a due and selfe-denying acknowledgement of parts indowments performances c. while there may be an impudently modest and selfe-seeking selfe-denyall of all the most desperate the most detestable hypocrisie Besides for a man to carry himselfe lowly dejectedly discontentedly upon the meere convincements of his defects and faults may be meere basenesse and pusilanimitie that will soone upon the least conceit of its owne worth turne into and indeed narrowly looke into proceeds from and carries along with it pride and self-selfe-love Neither is that to bee thought true humilitie that is not a furtherance to thankefulnesse And the only course to keep from boasting being to learn how to know all of grace how to glory boast in the Lord. We being onely so farre humbled as outed of our selves so far outed of our selves as filled with God so far as he is pleased gloriously to condescend to humble himselfe unto us and graciously to take us up to advance us into himselfe There being nothing that layes the soule lower in its owne eyes then its highest exaltation in Gods Nothing that makes it better know better keepe its distance in an humble lovefull trembling joyfull every-way-duly-affectionate active obedient walking before him then the knowledge then the assurance of its communion of its union with him I know the wisedome of God is foolishnesse to the world it is ignorant it is wulfully ignorant of it But I speake to them whose hearts have the minde of Christ and can sensibly interpret the meaning of his spirit And certainly he that speaks not nonsence to nature speakes but little supernaturall sence Besides nature may have a kinde of Ahab-like Judas-like humilitie on the apprehensions of evills morrall or naturall But to be humbled at the thoughts of our selfe-sufficiency in him who is our onely sufficiency our new selfe this of grace While our hearts understand that sweet harmony of that seeming contradiction I and yet not I but the Spirit of Christ that dwelleth in me that humble meeke gentle spirit Thou whose maine whose principall study is to know all the excellencies of the World in the face of Christ to know it by them and them by it that through it thou maist know him who hath ordained it as the conveying Medium of the light of the knowledge of his Glory Thou whose world-and selfe-contemning behaviour speakes thee one of those finding seekers and seeking finders that with asweet sharpenesse and unsatisfied satisfaction followest on to the knowledge of him in whom are hid all the treasures of wisedome and knowledge Thou sweetly passionated heart that knowest what are those flutterings of the soule to flie those holy efforts those lanchings forth into the great depths what it is to be given up to to lye under the power of the Divine Spirit while on thy water-like diffused soule it hatcheth new formes of the Divine nature Thou tender humbled shivered and shivering spirits that worke out thy salvation with feare and trembling while thou biddest defiance to the gates of Hell and laughest death and destruction in the face Thou who though often assaulted with Thornes in the flesh with buffetings in thy spirit art kept in such a compleate peace in the sense of the Al-sufficient Grace and canst glory canst pleasure in count gaines of thy infirmities thy distresses necessities persecutions c. as the advancers of the overcomming strength of thy Christ thy only joy glory gaine Thou poore weake feeble wretch that canst doe nothing and yet canst doe all things through him that strengthens thee Thou whose inward and heart-disolving sighes are the daily harbingers for thy speedy admission to that great and eternall Supper of thy solemniz'd espousalls Thou whose love-sicke Christ-inamoured soule bursts for the longings that it hath that it alwayes hath after the full and never-interrupted imbraces of thy deare thy onely deare beloved Thou that countest every minute an age till thou art with Him and yet countest seaven and seaven yeares ages and ages spent in the greatest hardship he shall appoint thee but as a minut in thy sweete waitings on him Thou whose Heaven-visited soule cannot but break forth in exalting exclamations O the beauties the harmonies the sweetnesses the riches the glories the Crownes the inexpressiblenesses the inconceivablenesses of the knowledge of the love of God in Christ Jesus by his holy Spirit Thou who art Heaven inside and outside Who art cloathed with the Sunne and treadest the Moone under thy feete while thou hast that within thee that could it be seene would dazle the eyes of the world into an envious astonishment In whom is the Kingdome of Heaven the righteousnes the peace the joy in the Holy-ghost unspeakable glorious Thou that countest the doing of his Will on Earth as it is done in Heaven the turning of Heaven into Earth and men into Angels And therefore seest infinite more beautie in the poorest Priest-deridest Mecanicke conscionably and sincerely busied in his calling though but in the shoveling up of dirt and sweeping of Chimnies then thou dost in all the guildings and paintings the Copes and Surplusses c. all the sumptuous gallant trickings of the Beast in the wilfull sensuall hypocriticall worship of God Yea then in the hearing the reading of Sermons meditating praying conferring c. or whatever more immediate services more world-withdrawing exercises so as excluding the seasonable discharge of thy severall relations the performance of thy dutie to God in and through that to men As knowing the worth of every thing to be as it is to the will of God
strikest fire and throwest sparks about thee to quicke the dead and scindry soules and countest it far more honour to be denominated a zelot with thy Saviour from that which fed on his marrow that pure and undefiled zeale of his Fathers house that consumed him then to be counted a dead carkase of Him who bid the dead bury the dead Thou Precisian that walkest as accurately curiously as upon the ridge of an house and therefore as wisely if the Spirit of Wisdome be a competent Judge Thou that art one of the holy brethren that labourest to be holy as hee that called thee is holy to be holy as though thou canst not be as holy as thy heavenly Father and therefore hast that title linked to it as a concomitant of the pertaking of the heavenly calling Thou that art counted as so much off scouring and dung while thou art one of whom the world is not worthy a seditious factious turbulent fellow that turnest the world topsie turvey while thou art among the proppes and pillars without which it would instantly and irrecoverably sinke Thou that hast God for thy Father Christ for thy Brother the holy Spirit for thy companion the Angells for thy attendance Heaven-the-full injoyment of God for thy perpetuall home Thou that art his undefiled one his jewell his glory the Apple of his eye his pleasant portion the dearely beloved of his soule the darling of the Deitie Himselfe Thou that art the subject of so rare a peece of the divine wisedome in bringing him that stood at the vastest distance the deadliest defiance to the nearest the closest the most endeared intimacie In making a lumpe of rude and unformed darkenesse a lampe of pure and undefiled splendour in that inapproachable light A wispe of straw the fewell of everlasting burning a mingling flame in ever-loving imbraces But whither will this sweet-sounding name transport me Thou man that art worthy of the name as fearing God and keeping his commandements which is the whole the compleatnesse of a man in him in whom wee are compleate pertaking of an higher nature being not carnall walking like a man but spirituall and walking as thou mayst say it In as the knowledge of it will sweetly enforce thee to say it in the deepest the feelingst humilitie as a dimunitive as an opitome of Christ of God While all murmurings envying strifes evill surmises backbitings c. purged out thou possessest thy meeke patient soule like a pure and untroubled Rivulet over flowing in superabundancie of loves and sweetnesses But what shall I say of thee thou Vniforme Multiformitie beautifull blacke crosse-divided ground concording discord Thou that hast eternitie assigned thee to contemplate thy owne worth in thy onely worth the Lord Christ To thee candid Christian as having knowne the wisedome that is from above that is first pure and therefore gentle easie to bee entreated without partialitie prejudicatenesse sensoriousnesse Hypocrisie to thee doe I present hoc qualecunque meum this tenue munusculum these broken and rudely ordered meditations the off-springs of those more serene lucid benign houres those horae blandiores breathing themselves forth in these Canzonets of their serious pleasure which have long laine by me in loose and scribled Adversaria and now after many and oft selfe-disputes suddenly and confusedly according to the condition of the time scrabled up together into this Miscellanie as willing rather then the growing mischiefes of hardned hearts hearts lifted up to their ruine shud prevent thee of all thou shudst have some though too those but preposterously and promiscuously hudled together In which ruder Rapsodie if thou shat espie any brillantes estincellettes any little sparklings forth any glimpses and glances shat heare any hints and relishes that may be suitable to thy word-conformed spirit and like the concurrent rayes of two apposite jewells the concording tones of two Co-tuned instruments might more take thee with thy owne graces more sweeten thy soule in the sence of the divine goodnesse and annimate thee on to a more full obedience to a further activitie in the wayes of holinesse I have my desire and thou shalt not misse of thine Errata PAge 2. Line 5. for turnes to reade turne to p. 26. l. 3. r. sprawle p. 28. l. 12. r. through them converse p. 29. l. 2. r. cheare them to p. 33. l. 17. r. thorough p. 48. l 12. for pleasure r. heaven p. 58. l. 6. Psal 8.9.10 p. 65. l. 22. r. unshod wi'th ' p. 66. l. 10. r. promise p 67. l. 10. for were r. will p. 70. l. 17. r. altar'd p. 71. l. 18. r. for though r. then l. 27. r. still p. 73. l. 16. r. glympses p. 74. l. 5. r. hand l. 32. r. my r'bellious flesh p. 75. l. 7. r. what 's l 10. r. followes Creator p. 80. l. 4. for truth r. forth l 31. r. heares p. 83. l. 29. dele thou page 91. reade line 31. and 32. after p. 92. l. 2. p. 107. l. 5. r. that p. 108. l. 4 r. him p. 121. before vers 21. r. 2 Chron. 20.21.22 c. p. 128. l. 4 r. heeles p. 131. l. 5. r. leaven p. 145. l. 27. r. I th' p. 148. l. 14. r. Is it p. 152. l. 24. r. father's p. 153. l. 9. r. as p. 157. l. 18. r. Angelicque l. 32. r. worlds p. 170. l. 14. r. live p. 175. l. 7. for false r. selfe p. 195. l. 1. r. Vacation I Call to minde my song in the night Psal 77. Admonishing one another in Psalmes and Hymnes and spirituall Songs singing to the Lord with grace in your hearts Ephes 5. Heaven's Harmony the Heaven-speaking strain That meets in Meeter is the meeter strain Heaven's Harmony and the Harmonious man Whose Hearts's right set to God 's the Heavenly man NE're drank'st thou drop of Helicon Nor know'st thou where Pernassus lies What is it then thus beares thee on Into this vein to Poetize Ne're read'st thou Play nor working Poet That in the weightier measures sings But all thy vacant houres bestowedst In haunting of the spring of springs Nor usest artificiall cheare No fumes of Wine brain-hopping Beere No swelling Ale yet still I heare My simple Musa round mine eare But whither Nympha Warbling lie Still in my nursing brest Stay where Wu't finde wi'th ' narrowest scrutiny A serious sober candid eare Hast found ' em Goe long-versed in An Element of Purity Th' rt well content thou heard and seen O' th' purest Puritans may be You 'll finde her like a Traveller I' th' Valley now drink of the Brooke That runs by th' way and thence transfer Her rising feet and mounting looke Then down again deject below Yet still doth sing ' cause still doth goe Where never more shall be below Yet still doth sigh ' cause doth but goe Still sigh and sing and sing and sigh Still sweetly steale the love-drawne heart Insensibly carried to those highths Whence it shall never more depart 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Epict. Every
thee t' unwrap thee o' thy misterious lawes And give thy unvailed beauties into me And take my love-inflamed heart to thee To live by faith by love that live by action And but thy pleasure what 's my satisfaction To you it is given to know the ministeries of the kingdome of Heaven And art not thou O Lord tui juris art not Thou at Thine owne disposall at whose disposall are all the things in the world mayst not thou give thy selfe to whom thou pleasest or what is Heaven but Thee or the knowledge of its mistery but the knowledge of Thee and the knowledge of Thee life eternall Thy free and gracious and therefore not worke-fore-seene gift Shalt Thou depend on the creature or that on Thee Thou on its will or it on Thine Can the humble soule say thou sawest man would be good or bad and therefore thou must needs order him to life and death and so not thy will but theirs must have the precedency the preheminency It is not safer to say that thou who art an absolute and free agent giver and disposer of thy selfe in the inhabitation of whom in the soule is Grace Glory Life eternall that thou in leaving and passing by a man hath left him as bad because not pertaking of thee the onely good or blasphemously to say thou seeing some goodnesse in man without thy selfe as it must needs be if not from thee from thy will thou seeing of him thus good of himselfe and therefore a God wouldst order him to salvation and then how can he be a God O into what absurdities into what everlasting confusions would not the mad pride of degenerate nature leade us and all for want of a true thorough sight of that infinite desparitie betweene the Creator and the creature thaâ— absolute soveraigntie that he hath over it that cleare and distinct understanding of his will its positivenesse privitivenesse activenesse permissivenesse c. it s alwayes justice holinesse goodnesse Can that soule but above all desire nay desire it as that one onely thing that it might ever dwell in the house in the presence of God to behold the beauties of his holinesse and to blesse him among his chosen and yet but say withall but if he hath no delight in me here I am let him doe to me as seemeth him good Os what is it can more assure the soule that it hath seene him that it shall ever see him as having chosen that good part that shall never be taken from it in whom alone it could learne to humble it selfe to the death in the willing fulfilling of a ready obedience to its Fathers will This is the heart that will not haste after its owne inventions but will waite upon his counsells that feareth the Lord and dwelleth in his secrets Marle not my soule If wisedome some reserved cases have For heavens Cabinet councell he shu'd save Thee never an Heaven shu'd he fully show The misteries of his state here here wee 'd know Him fully and that were heaven indeed But since Thy conversation shu'd be never thence I blame not this thy scrutinie but wu'd Thy grosse contempt if thy remissenesse shu'd Not prie fnr truth as life and that to see Sparkling i' th' loveliest resplendencie That lights our Hemisphere The soule in'ts grave That 's not abroad i' th' Light Thou't then behave Thee wisely when thy Scripture-guided eye It s ingenious boldnesse shall most humbly prie Unto the utmost bounds of modestie And there where reason failes let faith supply Till thou sha't see thy faith was rationall That skild thy will to trust Truth over all When thou sha't see all ends fall in together All knit all into one knot no time shall seaver No sooner now I 've gotten one but then The others gone and I 'm t' be gone agen Then sha't thou know as thou art knowne without Discourse at one compleat sight far from doubt Grow then in gracious knowledge now and so More Heaven in more Heaven-like manner know Thy Councels were not worthy o' Thee great God Were'nt they too deep Broad Long High f'r me to plod Them out to one full intuition nor My love so great so sweetly'd inforce m'abhor M'selfe cu'd this blest distraction comprehend Thee in my owne short armes till thou sha't send Th'inlarging Light and Truth shall end This controversie in thee my endlesse friend Now can't I bring two ends together then Two ends to bring together can't I ken Now can't I Mercy and Justice knit in one Then see it shall not need for they are one VVrapt up in one Decree how Thou't expresse Thy uniforme sweetnesse in a divers dresse Substantiall goodnesse in a various shade Compleat perfection with a Cloud ore-laid O come then come VVhen breakes the day That breakes these broken shades away The Clouds subjected under our feet Hang ore our head so may we meet And greete may wholy contemplate the face That glances here imparted grace SHall faith subscribe to sense Or sense to faith Poore faithlesse faith my eyes my head my eares My heart say they all what they will Thus saith Jehovah Speake Lord Now thy servant heares Can't I beleeve thon art I le not beleeve I am Art good N'r I bad But I both beleeve Thou art thou a Rewarder ar't of all That diligently seek thee I have sought Seek and will seek thee so I le nere lin't call By thought by word by deed till I am brought VVord otherwise by a messenger of Heaven And then I le trust but what I have receiven I Would not beleeve because I see feele heare c. but see heare c. because I beleeve not have my sense leade my faith but my faith my sense because I have a ground for it by revelation by the VVord and not so far beleeve as I finde ground from faith out of sense If I cannot believe Gods eyes I will never believe mine owne thinke all I see heare doe as a dream farther then faith goes along and assures me of it c. To receive apprehensions of things as meerely presented by the senses is no more then brutish by naturall reason no more than humane but what by supernaturall reason by faith is divine though indeed that reason be but unreasonablenesse farther then it is inlightned by this farther then it is acquainted with adheres to workes according to the will of God The heartie thorough active compleat knowledge of the Truth Now truth is as I may say of fundamentall necessitie to the constituting of a true and stable faith it being impossible that that which is founded on falsehood shud prove other then false and failing whether concerning persons or things our condition in generall or perticular acts Where the promise precept word is not taken aright the application of the soule to it must needs be amisse where the ground is mistaken the building muw needs miscarry Where that 's not sound this must sinke Loose and spongie soiles
hither that holy holy holy I am a man c. Hither that behaviour of the foure and twenty Elders that on the contemplation of the excellencies of God threw downe their crownes their excellencies at his feete as being nothing but what they had of Him in Him for Him But life would faile mee in referring zeale and constancie c. and all other graces hither in what dependancie relation they stood to one another Sinne being like so much muck and dung on the fire of zeale the more unmixt the more intent c. The feare of the Lord being a cleant feare and abiding for ever make me sound in thy statutes and steadfast in thy Covenant The inheritance undefiled that fadeth not away 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 how that the purer the thing is the more free from corruption heterogeneousnesse the more stable firme durable it is so the body so the soule But now we know this puritie this sinceritie is by this discovery therefore this constancy this zeale c. And hither that the things that are seene are temporall but the things that are not seene are eternall The things that are not seene being rare pure holy simple c. and therefore free from corruption and therefore from alteration from decay But into what a blessed maze and gladly involving labarinth hast thou wound thy selfe O my soule And sha't thou be so unhappy ever to finde the way out againe Is it not good for us ever to wander here in these paths of pleasure and walkes of delight Can there be any thing that can steale away the heart so surrounded with such glories such loves But art thou not to thy selfe but to thy God and doth he call thee to workes of an inferiour nature Still worke and wonder worke and love worke and blesse still keepe thy ground thy God who is the God of the vallies as well as of the mountaines And still while thou art walking with him thorough a diverse path loose thy selfe in him who shall shortly with all them that in truth have knowne his name be ever lost in the blessed contemplation of the wonderfull contrivances of the eternall wisedome When there shall be no more eating and drinking no more sleeping and rest no more spending of spirits no more avocations from the immediate and uninterrupted continually active contemplation in that full vision of the onely blessed God and in him of all his wonderfull works When there shall be no successivenesse of plenary intuition and perfect action but still the heart that knowes-loves-obeyes him continually overpowred with the blessed vision and over-flowing in loves and sweetnesses shall be incessantly running over in heart ravishing praisings and intranced in perpetuall extasies Who is it that even now is able to conceive the heaven that is in his owne heart what then when we there see and love-and-sing-and-sing-and-love-and see eternally when we shall not onely have the spirit in us but be in be wholy in the spirit Perfused baptized overwhelmed with it Not onely see and have light joy love spirit but be In nay be spirit light joy love And now O Lord what are wee that it should be thus with us O thou life of life and being of beings thou incomprehensible God! What is it to thee that wee know thee that we love thee what pleasure hast thou in our righteousnesse or what profit it is to thee that we make our wayes perfect surely O Lord thou hast thou hast none who art so infinitely above all happie and holy none but what thou acceptest as such in him in whom thou onely art in whom we onely are well pleased In whom thou wilt welcome us with a Well done good and faithfull servant when thou shalt finde us so doing who have done nothing What are our understandingst thoughts of thee but as so many mishapen confused conceits What our appositest speeches but as so much jabbering and gibberish What our accuratest performances but as so many trifling toyes All childish childish all What are they further then they are exercises of then they are testimonies of our love the end the summe of all the Commandements Yet what too are our strongest our heart-possessingest loves but as so many fond and fleeting passions And yet thou looking on us and we on thee thorough the face of thy Christ that perspective of mutuall lustre and glory from in and for whom are all our thoughts words affections actions and ought that ought is art pleased to accept them as the thoughts as the language as the love as the life of Angells Whom thou hast made ministring spirits to thy chosen thy faithfull that wee with them and they with us preferring each other in honour might all joyntly promote the honour of our onely-honour-worthy God O the freenesse of thy grace the unfathomednesse of thy wisedome the incomprehensiblenesse of thy glory O where is the learning that hath learnt thee that would not willingly debase it selfe throw downe it selfe as the footstoole before thy Throne and the Throne of thy Christ as being nothing but what it is in raysing up the soule to a dutie-learning to an humble walking with thee that would not willingly as it were unlearne all and learne it over againe in thy Christ where are those fond and selfe-conceited Opiniasters that would not lay downe all at his feete at least meekely and selfe-suspectingly mannage their Scripture-unevidenced tenets O did we know in what a blacke cloud of ignorance wee were all involved in what a night of palpable darkenesse an epithite not unknowne to a Christian heart that cannot but be feelingly sensible of it Had our memories oftener recourse to that Originall pride that confounded the language of our minds as well as that of our tongues or thought that multiplicitie and incertainty of opinions may since purposely be permitted by the divine wisedome and gratious justice to lay us low in our owne eyes to make us out of love with our selves c. how could we then be so proud and not so so contentious Why may not all that hold the same head have the same heart why may not there be dissention without contention But every one seeke their owne and none of Christ Which true foundation or foundation of truth laine in the heart if any shall as who doth not among our gold and silver unwittingly build straw and stubble why should not we labour to purge one anothers drosse with a tender love and carefull salvation as I may say of one anothers respects content peace whom the God of love and peace hath promised to save eternally Or had we observed that it is with Christians as with the tenent and mortesse in building the condyles and concavities in the bones of the body he is that eminent at one end as it were may be defective at the other that is excellent in this may be wanting in that that so wee may fall in with joyne closer to one another in one the
perfect in weakenesse concording discord And if it be the glory of God to bring light out of darkenesse good out of evill how can we but rejoyce that by being subjects of the one we come to bethe instruments of the other 2 Cor. 12. 1 Cor. 2.5 And if good be the object of the concupiscible facultie why shu'd we make our affections the object of our irascible The Lord strengthen us with joy in the inner man and then goe it how it will with the outer So may we gladly keepe the word of his patience in the saddest and patience-assaultingst times so shall hee keepe us from or at least in and therefore from the houre of temptation that shall come upon all the world to try them Now is it a time for the patience of the Saints for them that keepe the Commandements of God and the faith of Jesus Now is it a time for those that have held fast this inviolable knot in the bond of love to hold up their heads in rejoycing as then knowing the greater redemption drawes nigh when the greater calamitie approaches Thus what ever of these things we may know already feelingly in the heart if not notionally perspicuously in the head let us not faile to put one another alwayes in remembrance Alwayes striving together in our Prayers and that with no small conflict of heart that we may be comforted being knit together in love and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding to the acknowledgement of the mistery of God and the Father and of Christ Had we more godly and brotherly love wee should have more comfort and that would hunger after more knowledge and that fill with more assurance and that furnish with more grace and all acknowledge the mistery of the puritie of the wisedome of the love of the Godhead So much spirit so much faith so much faith so much Christ so much Christ so much love so much love so much knowledge so much knowledge so much fulnesse of God Eph. 3.16 c. Come then what may come befall what may befall to the flesh The Lord be with the Lord will be with will be our Spirits Ruat Mundus Restat Deus PLay on about the Candle wanton flie Play sindge thy wings consume thy soule and die Make jests of Scripture-jeere the God of heaven Laugh at the Light-mock them who hath receiven It in their hearts-and shine it in their lives Invent unheard of opprobries contrive New fashion'd obloquies scum hell for scurrulous wit Or dive th'lowest depths of the unfathom'd pit 'T will furnish thee with just sufficient store To make thy selfe a foole and nothing more Enough and but enough to over-reach And cheate thy selfe th' infernall cheater'l teach Else shud'st be wiser then thy master shud Thy wit have wit enough to make thee good On madnesse belch thy deadly Antipathie To heaven in thy horrid blasphemy Cast up thy workes and reare thy mounts on high Heape fetch on fetch to overtop the skie Shield thee with distinctions say it is not him Thou shoot'st at but his word Saint Image Limbe Not God but God in them While merrily along To the correcting stocks the foole holds on His heedlesse way tickled with the high desert Of h's flattering wit into his endlesse smart PUritan the invention of Hell the Character of a Christian the language of prophanenesse the blasphemy of God the evomition of a heart desperately wicked a glorious defamation an undermining of an open thrust at the very heart life and power of Religon an evident preferring of Pharisaicall formes and Laodecean neutralitie a Match-divillian device to kindle sire in Church and State a slie practise of the old Serpents old maxime Divide and Raigne a word that is as it is made enterteined And what indeed is this Puritan but a Protestant drawing naturall conclusions from his owne praemises beleeving and living according to his owne profession at the highest pitch of his owne principles Nor know I indeed how one differs otherwise from the other then a Papist from an Arminian A perfect birth from an Embrio a Bird from an Egge Time and due heate Cateris non obstantibus will give them both their full maturity And as I have had it from good hands confessed by a Papists that Protestanisme not kept down wu'd naturally grow up to Puritanisme And surely that which doth not is but a dry and dead stumpe without branches or at farthest leaves without fruite Is that tree which cumbers the ground is that ground which is nigh unto cursing to the executed sentence of its amendment-unaverted judgement Let then this or whatsoever other synonymous Nickname any divill-brooded braine hath latelier hatched be sent forth drest in the gavest feathers of proud and selfe-conceited and therefore desperately foolish wit yet shall they prove but finer colour'd excrements but ensignes of their vanitie and therefore not seasonably prevented of their eternall vexation of spirit But what then those more blacke and darke aspersions of impudently-forheaded calumniators with the very thoughts where of I abhorre to defile my memory Whose empty whose witlesse wit is so taking with because so easily apprehensible by so aptly sutable to corrupt nature While the substantiall wisedome of heaven is only justified by her children Who have learnt of her how ever these scoffers deceive themselves God whom in his word Saints c. they mock will not be mocked Jude 15. Act. 4.9 Matth. 25.42 c. Try all things hold fast that which is good REject the Branne reteine the flower All things abide their sifting houre Perfection onely in Heaven is 'T is knowledge here to know we misse But they who studdy not to advance Are ignorant of their ignorance But we that follow on to know In floods of lights and loves shall flow Baptiz'd in glory till wee see Th' unseene in all his Puritie But what O what then shall we be Who so much of him here can see Chant in a fire of humble zeale Soule-loosing hymns of restlesse weale Ravish't and ravish't while we rest Hugg'd in his aye-fomenting brest Surrounded in a Maze of blisse Distracted with felicities While firmely resident in one In whom All knowables are knowne The things that neither eye eare heart Can see heare thinke the milliont'h part Who see nor love simplicitie Inf'nit Invisibilitie O what what then who this now know Yet know not ought as w' ought to know T Is calme within and so I sang before 'T is calme without so sing what sang before My head-my heart-my hand shall sing My God my Prophet Priest and King These three below with those above Shall make six parts unite in love And so I sang in the extreamest storme And what else can I'n the serenest calme O Teach thy servant to be humble for the humble thou wilt teach Let him see thee and he dies and he lives for ever Send forth thy Light and thy Truth and let them lead him in thy presence Cause thy face to shine upon him and it will teach him they statutes Thy loving kindnesse is better then life O let it never depart from him O Comfort him with thy Aples and refesh him with thy Cordialls For his soule is sicke is sicke with love O thou Discerner of hearts Why are thy Chariot wheeles so slow How long shall he looke out of the window How how long shall those beauties be masked and the God of glory vailed When shall this night of ignorance turne day and these thicke clouds be dispersed Why hast thou showne thee and but shown thee O fully abidingly Thou hast wounded his heart with thy glories and it bleedeth inwardly It sinkes it falls it dies for want of more wounding 'T is sweetly imbittered with thy inconceavable thy insupportable Loves What bounds can hold it what thing detaine it what expressions describe it How long shall it languish in thy strength and expire in thy breathings O never never shall these gratious visitations forsake it THus all my life 's a course of seeking Thee Who liv'd who lost Thy life in seeking me Such is my faith such shall my finding be Whose love hath found the way to waite on Thee With righteous works which can't extended be To Thee but thou wu't meete so doing me So running from my selfe to be Ingulph't in ever-blessed Thee So twining streames in sweete confusion Till know my Love without allusion Clos'd in a Close without Conclusion I have gasped after thy Salvation O Lord Even so come Lord Jesus come quickly
e're Blesse 2 KINGS 4. ONce was I dead Authority then brought Applyed thy Word but nought till Thou cam'st wrought And now I languish i' this fainting fit The meanes begun my life best strengthens it Come lay then eyes to eyes mouth hands that I May see sing doe more wonders till I die To see to sing to doe thy Will above As here to have it seen sung done I love VVHen I lov'd death and ran away from life My wanton Circuits for some fresher sin Mercy pursued o'retooke and with its strife Inclin'd my will to know God Good againe Good God! and now I feare to step awry Thy hand 's as neare as thy ne'r slumbering eye I stumble but not fall fall off not fall That shoots me the more forward upward this Obliquely I ascend why why at all Dear'st God O love O feare the Lord that is So wondrous good O feare th'least temporall misse Of such a friend secures Eternall blisse Ne're leave me such company such for ever Infinite simplicity of joyes I sever My self a moment for a momentary Shadow of blisse These thoughts first must I vary Eternity is little enough t' imploy In him and shall I bate a moments joy Avant false loves I 'le lose you All for Ever E're I will misse a minute of this pleasure To lie infolded in my Saviours armes To feast upon his kisses while he warmes He melts my soule into his melting armes Presumptuous Rivals still your Syren charmes My soul is at her heighths and cannot stoop To lend an eare to your inchanting Cup. No no I 've Nectar I have Flagons here One drop's enough ten thousand Worlds to reare As far above themselves as now they are Below Him who is only worth compare Feed Sensualist on dreames of aiery Thrones Of golden Mountaines and of pleasure Own 's No parallel but give me leave to tell The ' hadst been in Heaven thou d'st say thou art in Hell VVho ere was thus imbedded in Thy breast Deare Lord and could finde other where his rest His Rest that moves in such an endlesse sweet VVhere all the Spirits of the Godhead meet VVith my diffused soul entwines it self In fresh rencounters with'ts imbettering Self I 'M in a straite prest hard on either hand I both wayes hast and yet am at a stand I here is Christ but there is more of Christ Here in my mouth and heart but there is nigh'st VVhat i st but love can keep me from the sight The perfect sight of my select delight But love's obedient if thou 't bid me goe And travell on this Pilgrimage below Doe suffer seaven and seaven yeares so to show How grounded's my affection that 't is no Fond fancy that the giddy world deceives I goe I run I flie yet give me leave To beare thy Picture next my heart to looke Upon th'adored Beauties of thy Book That they may be the covering of mine eyes So to preoccupy them from these lies O glories Can I hold Can I refraine But still thou sai'st and therefore I Remain Love 's not its own lives in'ts Belov'd thinkes good Not what the Subject but the Object wu'd COntent to live but covetous to die Glad here to doe more good but more to flie Above these sad temptations to doe ill Yet covetous again of life to fill Heaven with more saved soules and yet againe Death not t'occasion more Hell filling sin Thus while I waver in this blessed doubt This blest propensity thus helps me out Lord while thou wu't I 'd live and when thou wu't I 'd die my humble soul learn'd at the foot Of my deare Jesu no true rule 's t' be had To judge of right and wrong of good and bad But by thy Will and Nill Thus living die I still And dying live thus m'will he gives In both because I die and live Beset with Heaven on every hand Prepar'd for Heaven thy Command HIgh and happy is that pitch of Christianity that can so well reconcile the greatest of enemies Life and Death as that they both friendly take up their lodgings in the same Breast and see themselves entertained with the same respect at the same time without the least grudging or repining at each other The heart not vexed with any partiall peremptory desires of either But they quietly residing in it and officiously waiting on it with a dexterous serviceablenesse to discharge either of their duties according to the good pleasure of God signified to the God-well-pleased soule Then is a Christian like Himselfe when he hath that power over himselfe as to walke with his life in his hand as ready at the least sound of the word given either to lay it down or put it up againe in his heart When he weares it loose about him like an outer garment ready to slip on and off as occasion serves This is the onely man that is fit to Live who is fit to Die and fit to Die who is fit to Live He that knowes how to Live hereafter is well prepared how to Live here and hee is not prepared to depart hence that knowes not how to Live hereafter He that knowes no difference betwixt earth and heaven but more and lesse of God as he can not but be continually making more after heaven because after more of God so can he not but be as willing to stay on the earth while it is more agreeable to the will of God which is Himself the Heaven of a Christian Blessed blessed soule thus sented in his God! To whom the sound of the feete of death are delightfull and the drawing out of his dayes is pleasant When the withering'st age detaines not too long in life nor the flourishing'st youth hastens too soone to death As he that crowned with all the pomps and pleasures that the fragrant'st the fertilest Garden of the world can afford see 's nothing in the whole but meere vanity meere nothingnesse lesse than nothing And on the other hand cast forth into the driest and barrend'st Wildernesse the vast and howling Desart still digges up Fountaines of everliving and never exhausted waters and makes his Bacha his Baracha his vale of teares a mountaine of praises as * Psal 84. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 drinking Him for his Spring who is the Lord of Life and Glory SEest how this string untoucht doth quickly stir At th'sound of that they not who 're not so far Where are the soundings of thy Bowels Lord Our Bowels sound and shall not thine accord They touch Thee not but thine eyes-apple they touch And wu't not stir when their presumption 's such And though we cannot move our neighbours heart Yet in our griefe wu't not thou beare thy part Thou art our Father Oh let there never be Even in Inanimates more Simpathy Forget her Childe a mother may yet not Thou thine for if they are thy selfe 's forgot Draw out our Soules and make us follow thee For where thou art there only there are
thy baite At noone and at the falling Sunne wut roule Thy wearied Limbes He that Thee did create And Re-create He shall thee recreate He feed He lodge Thee and He be thy Mate Thy Mate then like the faithfull Dove complain Watch on th' house top alone till He come back Who is not gone be all thy pleasures paine Thy Food thy Famine and thy Bed thy Wrack Till He 's all These to Thee that 's All in All No vaine no chaffie joyes thy minde forestall I can't feed on a Stone a Scorpion 'T is only Bread 't is Egge that I can eate Not on this Vanity and Vexation 'T is Angels food 't is Manna is my meate To th' poys'nous breath'd Aegyptians I resigne The Leekes and Onions the huskes unto the Swine I tell thee worldling in my meate 's such might That on one feast I forty dayes can travell Expos'd to winde and weather watch ward fight Defie the gates of Hell wu'd not this gravell Thy Earth-fed strength Keep the' an Aegyptian slave And make thee-Canaan leave to spirits more brave O how I cu'd even melt into Compassion Poure out my soule in pitty to behold Those that for godlinesse are in the fashion But for the power have they skill are they bold About them with the two edg'd Sword to play Through right left hand temptations cut their way Poore soules a taste that ne'r yet did enjoy How good is God it may be wet their Lip In a Communion Cup or like the Boy O'th'Vint'ners palates the essaying sip Commends 't for good and spurts it on the ground God in their Mouthes not in their Reines is found Poore soules that never drew their draught so deep Of this Rich Philtre that it threw their veines Into those inward hidden parts might creep There on Loves Hearth to tine the fire disdaines An Ocean which shu'd it it surprise ' Twu'd but zeales heate antiperistasize HOw oughten hath thy Servant wish'd his knees Were glu'd to 'th ground they were for did he rise The skin untorn fro'th ' flesh T 's his death who sees Such holy Beauties to divert his eyes But Thou bid'st rise Well-'t's but a turn still walk I with my God still Heare still See still Talk I turn not from but with we 've many a walk All Mercy and Truth Paths rugged lower ground Yet Could nor wrench my foot shall make to stray From Him His Angels keep me thus I found Not th' World not Hell perverts the conversation As th' heart unshoo'd with 's Gospels preparation Lord did I love Thee as I love to love Mid'st crooked Men Things can't I be upright When in afflictions waters thou dost prove My affections Sha'nt their fire increase its might But on command the world I de never touch Search me and try me if my heart been't such Wu'd I not still keep in immediate vision How ' fraid again lest Tenter-hook'd I be By mediate things lest ought should cause division Between my soul and body God and me Leade me not hence unlesse 't be in thine hand Thy Mandates Promises Promises Command I de shake off all men businesse turn Anchorite And wrap my quiet soule int's own content Hows'd from the winde and weather wu'd delight My selfe in my New World till having spent M' appointed time my wished change shu'd come And fetch me from my Cell t' my Fathers home Try Try my heart deare Lord. O where 's the man That loves his neighbour as himselfe his God Above ten thousand worlds and lives that can With filiall thankfulnesse runt ' kisse the rod And pray as heart'ly for it as his food As oft as his good Father sees it good O where 's the man that is the Inward man Whose Eyes Tongue Sences all keep still within With God n'er step without untill he can Receive his warrant thence skill strength the ginne To shun to break that lies in every thing And so thorow all himself to God Re-bring O where 's the man that watches every thought That cannot misse his God a minutes space But 's in a sowne who 's heart at th'smallest fault Boyles with revenge against himselfe Where th' face Whose smiles are all reflects all h's sadnesses Eclipses of the Sun of Righteousnesse His lookes thus a true Lookinglasse o'h's Soule His Words are Ecco's to that Word was ever With God was God he can't indure to foule His fingers with the world if fowl'd were never Never lin rubbing with his Fuller soape Till th' are more white than ever Wher 's th' man can hope Whose hope can silence all his earthly wishes Make them subscribe to heaven Tell him ' f a Crowne Of Tempes Indies He answers 'em with Pishes But name but Jesus you 'le see him strait bow downe But what No fooles Cap nor no Asses knee With 's humble'd eye rebound to heaven will he O where 's the man that glories in his shame Too many 't's true yet not enough 't's as true Millions that are a shame to God but name The man that hee 's a shame for God How few Who only wish that they may bee to be Gods glory though through greatest infamy Where 's Hee 'le make godlinesse his only gain Count so much got as got of God Account Him for his end all else as meanes refraine All paines all gaines that he sees not amount T' a thriving Summe of this will live on Bread On Water die but Hee 'le be here well fed Think'st thou deluded Worldling Christ is Thine Bid'st Him good-morrow for all day and then Hurriest to th' World toyl'st moyl'st when thy spirits decline If th'st breath enough salut'st Him with good-den Or once a week com'st with thy Dog to visit His House not Him no nor His House what is it Poore soules wu'd my Teares Eye-bright water be Unto your blinded Eyes how fast I 'd weep But godlinesse is such a mistery As God t' All save His House unknown doth keep Let thy Life say thou know'st this mistery Or thy Presumption gives but God the lie Cud'st once say thus I le ne'r indure this life Goe th' World to 'th World Not all day make a meale Upon a Promise How faint I'm I a wife Of such a husband I o' th' Common weale Of Israel Not seene my Love to day No care o's ' Kingdome then well hope I may Nay where in whom when all ill sensuals meet Hath Christ so cast in 's heart that He can turn To wine His water His bitter into sweet VVher 's He can sit and see his City burn VVhile mounted on th' high Tower of his Salvation VVarbles the Praises of his New Creation Yet be no Nero neither but from those Heights Lookes and condoles poore soules can't sit and sing In Blood and Flames keepes pauses with his sigthes And time w'th's Teares strikes flats on every string Ecco's w'th's Voice re-ecco's with his Heart VVith Ciprus face in mourning beares his part Still glitters in his eye milde
Majesty Still 's heard in 's voice the Lion and the Lambe His heart still wrapt with heavenly mealody 'T is God that justifies who 's he shall damne Blest man Thus all in 's voice in 's lookes in 's heart Graces sets off compleats his better part Not that he 's wanting in humanity But that 't hath gone to Schoole to D'vinity VVhere it hath learn'd when persecutions be Exceedingly to leap for joy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not that he Loves Men so little but loves God so much Not that his griefe 's small but his joy not such Great love great joy how gratious and how wise Is our Lord God to let us s'int ' temptings fall So to commend his love his power make's prise Christ and His Christians triumph over all Thus live the just by Faith thus let me live Come Antichrists come divles I le praises give I feare not Rome nor Spain but the Armadoes The Powder plots within these n'otherwise But for to watch and fight for all h's bravadoes I know my foe 's but for my exercise Kill me he can't and if he soarely wound Sweeter 's my Gilead Balme and I more sound I le keep my ranke wherein my Lord of Hosts Hath plac'd me so I le be his Voluntary I' th' day of his Beauties Armies these unholy ghosts These Gods of flies Diables nothing care I. Waite on the Lord keep 's way thou sha't prevaile See th' wicked cut off yea the Beast his Taile Yet 't angers me to see this trompery When men must fain to goe to 'th dancing schoole To complement with heaven Did'st ever see An honour made by a Mistresse Courting foole Or heare 'em call for sides so of the rest Know one know both so 's dancing i' request The case is alter'd since I learn'd to dance And strangly too we 're growne lesse spiritfull And yet we 're taught by th'brisker spirits of France My honest English measures are too dull French Currants Spanish Pavins now they call For th' second part to th'same tune nor her's all Well be it so much money lost I le never Learne t' dance at this age specially of those Who such a one lead as I can't see how ever A man can keep his feet upright but goes Still'n danger of his neck They may for me who 'd rather Aegypt then Jerusalem see The family is a little Church they say And so 't shu'd seem here to 's but complement Religion knowes no bonds but forme Men pray twice 't may be reade indifferent well content Thus t' heare of God continually pray Who doth to heare Him see Him all the day O wher 's the man whose life hath copyed out Pauls Charity but hence the teares the feares The scourge must over-flow to fetch about Bring in our stragling hearts no mar'll there appeares Unholighosts to frighten us together Make 's know whose children we are t 's high time if ever What shall I say hast not Thou said enough To make us love thee Lord love one another I can't say more but pray make smooth things ruffe Low high straite crooked that fitted each to other We may so close be joyn'd that wee 'le first breake In flitters though part in twain be sound though weak Wher 's he hath done this more then this yet he Cries out undone He only 't is commends That Perfect Holinesse he only see That Mercie 's Rare Only he the world transcends Workes us though nought were done believes as all Is nothing in himselfe his Christ his All. O wher 's the man whose daily eager cry Is Come Lord Jesu quickly come alas Shall we be strangers will How long shall I Stand looking through the Lattice on a glasse Ne'r see thee face to face O come O VVhen Hast my beloved hast Amen Amen How long shall I thus up unto the chin I' th' Rivers of thy Right-hand pleasures stand And yet but get a sip that doth begin The thirst that doth far deeper draughts demand VVhen drink my fill when eat o' th' Tree of Life That is prepared for the Lamb his VVife Still shall I stay still when this mixon quit But th' ought'st thy generation serve though crooked Perverse Lord make me wise me fit For this thy service Since I 've undertook it My dearest surety for me undertake Forsake me not who all for thee forsake Teach me my due recesses from the throng Of streightning worldlings how to live among VVhile separate from them how to shew them heaven My self beyond the reach of their deceiving That like some Angell hovering in the aire My spirit may be the while my bodie 's here Relating th' passages of all my travels Through th' sweet Ourania crown'd with pleasant marvels That I might win their home bred hearts to try The Climates of so rare Discovery FLy up wilde Fire into the loftie Aire Burst into Starres and with thy twinckling faire Allure admiring eves make them beleeve Thou't turne the night to day ere thou wu't greeve And with thy Crackling noyse make such a thunder Thou't fright the fates themselves into a wonder E're they shall touch thee yet proud powder know Pure spirits are up when sulphury dust's below And when thy flashie lightning blazing snuffe Foole-cozening fire rob'd of its earthie stuffe Shall die in noisome stench my sunne shall shine And shew the difference of a joy divine And though the mightie rushing windes of prayer Dispell not straight th' unkinder clouds yet are They not the matter of my joy and there fore not the end yea shu'd those glimpes cease Eft soones I have yet what a blessed peace Soft rest from that still gratious influence Of warmth and life I feele my Sunne dispense Into my humbled soule Nay were these gone Gone to my sence and I desert like one Both in the darke and cold yet I le not grudge And what a sweete is meekned hope nor budge To fetch false fire and make my selfe a sparke VVhose bed of ashes is all alwayes darke Fond griefe-borne man b' aspiring pride will fall To worse and make his darke most darke of all But still I keepe my hold not loase my hand For all the comforts round about me stand To tise my gripe but I more catch my hold Where that glad safety I finde that 's uncontroul'd Of all the world and hug that joy within That by a strangers eye was never seen Nor hard remov'd that true strong sollid Faith More sweet then all the sences feasted hath Cu'd'st take a man with most delicious Cates His Palate feed and with the daintiest baites Of beauty his eyes his nostrils with the sents Of fragrant Eden Eares wi'th ' instruments O' th'rarest consorts his wantonizing flesh Wi'th ' softest dalliance yet this caitife wretch 'S but in a dreame and so too wu'd he thinke If wise who when he wakes is at the brinke Of fatall plunges But my joy is of Another kinde A generous joy and loth To borrow o' th'
thou want'st In earth and be as troubled as thou canst Be steady immoveable if thou 't approve By alway abounding workes thy trust above Hast seen the palsie hand how'ts shaking sinews Bungle at its worke it often discontinues And slowly rids away while marrs th'little part It do's So th'feare-griefe-care-disturbed heart All things cooperate thy good How dar'st Deny 't How dar'st affirm it while thou scar'st Thy self vvith thine own shadow fondly cast O' th' love shines clearest vvhen the Cloud is past The Cloudy world the cleare quick-sighted soule Transpeirces vvhen't detaines the dully foule And thus me thinkes afflictions makes us sing How good How good they are while they re-bring Our stragling hearts to more demeuring views Of him vvhom vve cause he us first did chuse And thus by them his holinesse partake When disincumbred frequenter we make Immediater approaches so to limbe Us form and feature more his own and trim 'S more accurately to him vvhile more see Him as he is the vvorld as it is Vanity Of all except vexation and thereof Full in its serled'st state and are we lo'th To be unmanicled to have our hand Strengthned to hold truth more of Christ while stand Happily ' nfetterd in these freeing Cords That make our erst enslav'd affections Lords Where closer kept in perfect libertie Imperfect onely in that t' shall closer be Hee 'l point out our misprisions and give Instructions how we may more like him live How good ' Twu'd make thee covet povertie And be ambitious of disgrace and flee Upon the wracke presented by thy God Wu'd'st thou beleeve that glorious abode O' th' spirit of spirits What is thy state If once with all our States and Lives thou weigh it I knew a man the moone hath twelve times since And onely twelve by quarterly dissents Lighted the winking world t' see how 't beclings Th' inconstancy of sublunary things This man whose Age stood i' th mid'st of all The earth's temptations while they roundly fall About his necke to steale his heart with kisses Downe to 'th infernall Chambers forearm'd withblisses Of never failing proofe where ere they cover Marches where that sweet Dove is us'd to hover Upon his God exploring head that sought Him in the Garden and imbracing caught Him in his walking voice that i' the fresh O' th' day wont there to meet him and expresse Farre fresher loves VVhen suddenly he teares A dismall cracke invade his quiet eares As when some mighty Structure craz'd with yeares And reparations negligences beares 'Ts decrepid limbs upon its friendly props Who straite deceived of the ground that drops From under 'm not o're sound no little part Themselves forc't from their tottering Charge they start Assunder from their close conjunction Now Now All 's agoing her massie bodie bowes Her longue-time-drooping now quite falling head O' th' weaker Ayre that overburthened Finds strength enough to lift her dolefull voyce Unto the lofty skies seem'd to rejoyce By their cleare cheerie countenance that they Were so farre distant from so shroud a fray But still the loud mouth'd Ayre not able beare Th' oppression fumes in a furious rage and teares Her deadly throat with envious exclamation To rend the restie eares o th' drousie Nation Whose feeble Portalls too too weake to stand So hard a stresse flie up before the grand Tumultuous noise attended with its Troupes Of hiddious feares t' whom straite their spirit stoopes With yeelding slavery while they represent Them spectacles as Potent to torment See Citties broyling in their bloody flames And choak't in sweltring smoake the mincing dames Their fashion-brooding braines dasht on the streete They thought too base a pavement for their feete The canker'd Usurer hugging o' the bagges Betray his Life the fine-mouth'd Wanton draggs Some poysonous carrion from a loathsome hole For his restorative and now there 's nothing stole That 's felony nor slaughter's murther to Those divle-inspired Pontificians who With more than Savage cruelty make death laugh 'T selfe fat with'flesh't devoures the blood it quaffes In full Carrowses from the Parricide hands Of Hell-sprung Catilines whose Rome-bred Bands Arm'd with Hierarquique powers make sculls their Cups Bouse of their Rounds to fate and wallow up To th' reaking knees in vast Acheldamas Thus and beyond Thus in a thousand wayes That grim-fac't Monster shooke his angry dart Against the fearing but God fearing heart Rose in undanted courage to that height That Nature ne're can beare advanc't by th' sight O' th' Beautie in that breach the Musicke in That Crack that vailed beautie that was seene More faire through black that Musick that Was heard more sweete through waters that begat That well composed temper in his heart So fixedly prepar'd no force might part It from t 's Elshaddai by whose blisse-full name 'T was so enlivened with transporting flames So man'd with Heaven-animated spirits So carried forth with brave resolves 't demerits Some Angells Pensill to describe the joy Intranc'd the soule who while on All it saw This Motto There 's no evill but the Lord Hath don 't full nimbly aptly sweetly accords The will o'th'Lord be done for He can doe Nothing but Good but very Good And who VVhos 's heart 's inflam'd with Thy Great Love Great Go Can say that any thing Thou dost is odd Who 's he shall teach thee wisdome Canst thou draw The Heavens out like a Curtaine give a Law To th' Earth to hang on nothing Who shall lend Him bowels that steeres our hearts Or who extend His goodnesse unto Him Shall th'fountain come To drink o' th' streames Shall I be cal'd to summe M' account to Thee Thou scan my Poesie On thy crook't fingers Ar'nt my wayes eaven Thy First framings of thy thoughts wholly perverse And that continually and thou redresse Thou make thy Maker Or was I so o're taken Like some unwary Father who hath forsaken His goods to live at 's Sons provision or Hast thou them of thy selfe and dost abhor To be beholding unto me Behold the man 'S become's own God himselfe and scornes to stand T' our pleasure but to thy dust proud dust goe drudge About thy Thorny Earth learn hence not t' grudge Me my prerogative and if thou dost Deale proudly still still I 'le be uppermost But are my doings all good whence then this mutter Ar'nt they Shew me my Master let him utter His skill Come Mushrome thou of yesterday Come teach the Ancient of dayes to sway His Scepter Or what milder sounds th' attempts That quarrel'st at his prudent Regiment Who 's not a truly-throughly-humble man Hee 's but a practicall Arminian Had'st but thou well studyed his revealed will And pray'd thee to'ts perswasion wu'd't not still Thy murmuring at the loosing of a Straw Who had'st digested that Eternall Law Of pretermission and receipt to grace Wu'd this in all thy Topicks find no place More than the proud Pelagian will see Even so my Father ' cause it pleased thee What shall the child
felicitie What 's Heaven if not a seeing face to face Sung heart to heart were here that full seene grace Sung to a perfect harmony of wills We might on Earth of Heaven take our fills Bless't God hath given us such an Heavenly Brother To tune us all to Thee and each to other O what a consort 's here but ah where finde I two or three strick Unisons in minde Yet were they thirds fifts eights yet unitie Runs sweetely through with a sweet Symphonie There 's one blest One i' th' mid'st who where he is In turning all to One turnes all to blisse One reconcil'd One Smpathy agree How full's my soule with heavenly melodie What 's sinne shame griefe what whatsoever's bad But discord from the good the God we had What else th' all-sinning sinne this Tree I will A sign of Soveraigntie I will not Hell Hell but what th' all-saving grace come doe Come suffer m'will thy will I come I doe Heaven Heaven How harsh'n answ'r t' a sweet injuction How sweet an answer to so harsh a function Thus fin-and-sorrow follow self-will'd pride And grace-and-peace the self that is denide To will thy will 's the sole humilitie Wherein thou dwel'st and that 's in Heaven to be How sweet a Heaven 's the heart still say it wu'd It is my God do he what seemes him good Here 's a belov'd sweet singing Israel Whose heart 's full set to God's consent's as well In all notes as in one and if he strike A jarre jarres with himselfe till strikes alike And that 's a jarre that playes a pleasant moane I'th'eares of Heaven and therefore in his owne VVhat to give Grace and Glory but to give According to thy sacred will to live VVhat i st to be in Hell To be at ods Men with themselves friends neighbours devils God's Cursing the cause of this their sad discent From th' just inflicter of their punishment Gnashing their teeth for envy at the thought Of that Salvation Reconcilement brought Thou only blest in being only One Make us to be One spirit with thine owne And so with one another ere may I be VVith them thee feare they feare to disagree VVhat was our blessers dying blessing His prayer VVe might be One as He and 's Father are O were I were I able to unfold The riches that one sillable doth hold There 's only One thing that is necessary Met we all there how cu'd we thus contrary One body one spirit one hope one faith one Lord Baptim God Father so many Ones afford Their help to keep all One and yet how few VVhose boysterous spirits will not bussle throw Soft peaces bounds so lewse loose unity For none but humble-candid-wise agree But proud-contentious-fooles will ne'r agree Nor vvith themselves nor others nor with Thee Their friendship 's but dissembled enmity Unto th'r owne soules Thee all since not agree In Christ they 're not at peace wi'th ' very stones O' th' field the whole Creation groanes Under this universall enmity It feeles by man his parting friends with Thee Now this Commune Vinculum is broke All flies in pieces and we doe but cloke Our differences if not seem to be Each for himselfe and then what friends we be How now afraid of injury from each other Shrink up our selves into our selves and smother At least our mutuall hatred and not discover The depths of malice that our hearts doe cover Stor'd up against th'all-good all-powrefull God while self-wills and fond desires wu'd pull The Crowne from off his head so ' gainst our selves Who love they hate who hate they love themselves But whether are we brought by this sad breach Or what was 't brought it but our selfish reach Or what can binde it up but only Hee In whom alone we reconciled bee That bundle o'life b'whom His are gathered in To One to never part their hearts again Deare Saviour Cu'd we pattern lowly Thee How willing to our Farhers will wee 'd be Blest Love that spy'st so rare a policy Th'Athistick Florentine cu'd ne'r descry Stand soule this ground while Heaven can provide Himselfe of joy thy joy must needs abide Let him have all have all though I get none My joy 's my Gods content and not my owne Thou canst not Lord displease me ' nlesse thou wu't Displease thy selfe for I will what thou wu't Take take thee all deare Lord though I get none My joy 's my Gods content and so my owne So will the wilfull'st but passive instruments they But of thy grace we actively obey My care 's to please my husband so my self He that so loves so foolish fond an else Wu'd undoe all againe to put in selfe Though taught so well in him t' injoy it selfe Th' issue I nor know nor care t 's my blisse His pleasure 's mine and my displeasure's his He beares our burthen we injoy his yoake He weares our Thornes that hath our Thrones bespoke O cu'd we ever keep us at this pitch What an untroubled life wee 'd leade how rich In all contents nor wu'd there need descents To lower arguments that can't dispence Us sollid true substantiall comfort till We 're rais'd to sing it is our God his will The great'st content is none whose grounds not this Th' great'st discontent's swallow'd up in this vast blisse That beares the soule in an unstopped streame Of mightie force to 'th pleasure o' th' Suprearme The strength of all obedience is this It is his will and not it is my blisse The man that 's not alive can he be strong 'T is Love's the life of God beares all along With speed with ease the Councell ta'ne word given No parley 's with the flesh On on 's straite driven With conquering flames and if his blood shall rise Hee 'le lose his blood e're hee 'le his God despise What chalenge wo'nt he take what frowns what blows What death 's on deaths who such a Guerdon knowes Awaites his certaine victory such a Beautie As cheares him to and cleares him through his dutie VVhos 's thence infused vigour feares nothing more Then want of dangert ' make the world adore Those Heart'ning Splendors that in every Ray Th' all conquering strength o' th' Deity convey VVith what Luxuriances the turgent soule 'S borne up beyond the world and hells controule O how it longs it longs to be imploi'd I' th greatest worke the greater love 's injoy'd How't runnes at halfe a word how 't markes the lippes And heares before they speake away it trip VVith speedy dilligence and cannot stay Though th' thrungin'st pressing'st diff'culties beats it way Snaps off the strongest cords like rotten threads Dissects the massiest barres in shivering shreds And drives before it all the joyned force O' th' mighti'st obstacles oppugne its course And if it feele the least repulse returnes VVith thrice-redoubl'd couragious onsets burnes VVith spirit-incensing indignation to Be stop't in ought that for his Christ hee 'd doe The man 's in love
Christ working on us in us and through us beginning continuing and ending all in it selfe happy Soule that knowes what is the study of selfe-deniall never can wee finde any where more of sweetnesse because no where more of God O could we make this our Hoc age our businesse our one thing whether wud it leade us where wud it loose us even to the following of God fully to be full of him and still to follow him to emptie and fill fill and emptie in a most sweet and blessed exercise of soule till we lay downe in everlasting rest and peace wholly emptied of our old and dying wholly filled with our new everliving selves O the unserchablenesse the unconceiveablenesse of the Love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord O the depth of its humility the heighth of its zeal the latitude and length of its obedience what thing what time can bound it O what is it can so free can so enlarge so sublime the heart as the giving it up to the hands of its God to be guided by him at his pleasure Can the soule contain it selfe within it selfe that hath these thoughts O when shall we know what it is that singlenesse of heart that being but one soule but one heart When shall we be like so many closing pieces of tender waxe before the fervent heat of the Sun When shall we be dissolved when runne into one another and all into one holy Lumpe Even so Lord Jesus come quickly 1 Cor. 10.24 Phil. 2.4 5. c. 21. Sic nos non nobis So we not for our selves have fame So we not for our selves have gaine Nobis nâ— nati sumâ— So we not for our selves have pleasure So we not for our selves have * Omnia mea temp amicorum temporibâ— absumend putavi Câ— Perdididâ— em quunâ— nemini be nefecisset Titus Impâ—rator leasure So have nor mind's nor bodie 's health To keep t' our selves our selves is stealth So nothing for our selves we have But have for Him that all things gave So all things for our selves we have Since He who all Himselfe us gave GOes th' Boate uneaven Leane the other way So with more safetie and with lesse delay In joying grieve and in thy grieving joy So neither change shall worke thee such annoy 'Ts the man that makes his fortune Ever 's he Prosperous thar learnes loves wills adversitie Then learne this lesson and 't is worth the while Let sorrow be the shaddow of thy smile Be not so joviall frolicke so profuse Least plung'd up swimme thou canst not through disuse That mirth is madnesse where's no ponderousnesse For reason's weightie and imports no lesse Then God the moving cause who once in thought The faithfull soule in fearefull joy is brought Great God! I sinke w'th that All-contayning name Good God! my burthen and my Heaven 's the same What heart-betraying world wu'dst have me joy I le turne my joy to my God-joying grace And that will quickly give true griefe its place While both together sit with sweet accord And make my heart the musicke of my Lord. Or think'st to quell me with thy fell Annoâ— I le turne my griefe to my God-grieving sinne And that will quickly turne to joy agin Nay they are one for they agree in one Blest Father sorrow smiles while joy doth moane Both fall about his necke and kisse brave sight To see Griefe weepe for joy the day through night Thrice happy man this happy temper keeps As th' golden Sunne through th' Silver droppings peeps Upon the flowring earth or softly playes O' th' gliding streames with'ts gently glittering Rayes As th' modest smilings o' the native Heat Nor Chronick nor acute diseases threat Thus wud'st thy sence-refined faith imploy thou d'st th' one from th' other reciprocally draw And in the Trinessence of both compose The temper wu'd heaven in earth God-man disclose Thus griefe should loose its name and nature be Swallowed up of Glorying Humilitie Humble I shall be in Heaven O! ' th' weight o' th' Love O' th' Love presses my soule to solid joyes My spungy soule so often shrunk and swel'd Glorious I am on earth O! th' heighth o' th' Love O' th' Love raises my soule t'an humble poyse A temper ad pon dus might exactnesse dwell On this side th' Empyraean so be I still Tempered to Justice till on Sions Hill The Spirit-pondering-God shall find me weight Made me meete to live at such a glorious height LOok not so much at the present as the future having eye in adversitie to prosperity and prosperitie to adversitie learne to estrange neither from your thoughts that you may welcome either they are guests that looke for successive entertainement be not so free to one as that the other take you unprovided they are enemies to each other and yet an indifferent respect may make them both friends to you be acquainted yea familiar with both but indeare your selfe to neither deny neither of them admission to your head so shall you both the possession of your heart keepe correspondency with both and you are safe but give your selfe to either and it will leade you you know not whither you are betrayed you are lost you shall be set upon now by the one now by the other and become a slave to both you shall then learne that it is better to observe ten then serve two be not led so much by sight of what is as foresight what may be not so much by sence as by reason and not so much by reason as faith for that is beast-like and lookes but downeright this man-like and lookes forward but this last Christian-like and looks upward Labour then to know no such things as adversitie and prosperitie but as the will or not the will of God in your having or not having these outward things and learne this excellent Art of composing a meane out of two extreames Take somewhat of the sweet to qualifie the soure and of the soure to qualifie the sweet yet let it savour most of the most benigne to which the other is but subservient It is the soure griefe and fulsome joy that distempers but it is the joyfull griefe and grieving joy that is the sweete the onely gracefull temper I deny not but changes of State may move you but they must not remove you they may somewhat alter the affection but must nothing alter your station suppose you sing the more cheerefully in the Sun shine and weepe the more freely in the storme yet must you mourne in this singing and rejoyce in this weeping this Aequanimity unwaveringnesse standing even upright posture of soule is that which may be demonstrated the best in that the excellency of every thing is according to its likenesse or rather partaking of that onely excellency and therefore as of his simplicitie and infinitie in the inlargednesse and puritie of heart so its immutabilitie in the steadfastnesse and immoveablenesse of our mind these being as necessarily concomitant
Of food of friends Whose modest sharp-set eye Each corner of this feasting face doth prie And every Gospel-verset in his reach As some Grace-whelming dish doth ope and teach His neighbours eyes the shape and mouth the sweet Happy happy soules that at this banquet meet T 's a doubtfull feast indeed not only ' cause We 've all that Heaven and Earth can give but ' cause VVhen we remember whence we came poore wretches Rak'd up from dunghills drawn from under hedges Blinde lame sick naked wandring here and there Th'beaten road to death and now see where we are Translate from death to life from that dark sad Disconsolate State or which is worse those mad And desperately deluding joyes to such Incircleing reallity of blisse as much Glory as our capacity can beare Angels attend us God himselfe our cheare Our Cloathing-Light we are not able t'beare 'T but doubt we 're in a dreame and fondly feare VVe've nothing ' cause so much but th'night's far spent Th'last watch th'last houre 's nigh th'day w'll prevent's Gird up your loynes trim up your Lamps along Hast tune your hearts to th'Epithalanian song Now now we see the day no more through night Our earthy houses now so swept so cleane There 's not a dust a speck a moate to dark a beame VVhile solemnize th'Espousals of the darklesse Light VVHen wu't thou come deare Lord and shew the face Shall blemish all these splendors O the fire Burnes in this breast for an allay of Grace Of Grace that feeds not damps such blest desire Some drops of love still to increase the flame And make it beare me thither whence it came VVas'e n't a reflection from the righteous Sun VVas glanced in my heart Or was it one From that light-likened Angell Then undone I am unlesse quite out the fire be blowne By th' holy Spirit But can the devill come So drest He hath a cloven foot say some Sure this he hath he cannot humble be But he can counterfeit But hee 's so bad Hee le not seeme good for nothing now what shu d'make thee Masque thy selfe in humility who had N'advantage hence Sure 't was the native hew I 'm in a Labyrinth but where 's the clew Lord if it be of thee then let it stand If not downe downe let it for ever fall T is thee I seeke in it dost thou command Mine Isaak here t is and my selfe and all O how I joy I 've such a sacrifice Whereby my God my Love unto him tries Sure many choiser splendors have I seene Yet few so choise was it my sensuall eye I sought to please fit objects they had beene But a new eye new glories did espie Through that bright Christall a farre brighter jewell That yet into this fire cast's in fewell How how I 'm wrack't love hate desire averse Sorry rejoyce feare hope angry well pleas'd Carefull not care cannot rehearse Hope t'ought not be feare 't ought there am I eas'd Diseased here well I 'le stint the strife Nere loose my Love that lost for me his Life Lord how I love thee that thou did'st not leave Me in the creatures hand alone 't is thee Thee 't is alone to whom I wish to cleave My other wish serves this if thou do'st see It cement fit to make me closer cling To thee to me deare Lord that cement bring I dare not fetch it least that I should bring For morter slime I 'le set me downe and blesse Thy name first to thy willing of the thing Then to thy time meanes manner I 'le adresse Me my way rowle on thee delight in thee Thou't doe's I my-thy hearts desire shall see How full I am what shall I doe for vent I muse th' fire 's tin'd when will the word 's burst out They doe so crowde throng presse stop they are so pent Come loaden with such matter that I doubt I must be faine to let them all alone And in ward speake what in word can't be showne Thy mercies Lord I speake it with my heart Flow in so fast I am not able t'beare The memory of them how much lesse convert My thoughts to words yet will I have a care Both I and others both in my word and deed The thankfull memory of Thy Loves may read BLest blest be thee m' inligtning sunne For now I see I 'm but a shade Blest blest I feele my life begun For now I feele my soule Thou' rt made I am not Lord but I wu'd bee I 'de not be I but I 'de be thee Not be my owne be at thy call Wu'd nothing be wu'd ha' thee all I 'd be but feet and thou shud'st walke I 'd be but tongue and thou shu'dst talke I 'd be but eye I 'd be but eare And thou shu'dst see and thou shu'dst heare What see I heare I in this field Thou thee through me do'st heare and see VVhere goe I With whom is this talk held 'T is thou through me speak'st com'st to thee Trees birds home selfe These What 's all th' world to mee Thy Spirit through them all conveighs me Thee So I All th' world is but thy instrument In which thou sit'st a playing thy-my content Most blessed God that brought'st my minde in frame Not left'st me a set-off-discord to thy name O rub me rub me I begin to fall My What love Convulsions pull and hall M'adheringly-pursuing soule 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I 'M left behinde O for wings for strength to flie One drop One little No Cordiall left Hee No Balsome t' keep my heart uncleft E'ne gone I was but that a lightsome thought Whose season-bearing seed was deeply wrought I' th' secrets of my heart sprang up and brought Me an Idea o' th' Inlivening Tree Who stretcht it selfe beyond the farth'st degree O' th' spatious Heavens tendring me'ts healing leaves And ay-preserving fruit when my heart perceives I'ts feare-shrunck selfe with hopefull joyes inlarg'd Whereon m'officious spirits are discharg'd Unto their severall functions while the peace Past understanding thence doth re-increase My watchfull guard in heedy confidence To hold my peace in holding Peace's Prince HAppie's the man that knowes the cause of thing 's Unhappy then 's the man whom God not brings Acquainted with himselfe only happy hee Hath him his friend in whom he all doth see HOw good it is to waite on Thee Deare Good How good it is To bee Possest with that that I desire That 's not the thing that I require But to desire with what possest thou 'dst have me be that 's my request The world hath not the thing I would Till I can heare Thee say I should But still in aequilibrio stand Expecting thy scale-turning hand Not any thing till nothing will So false are th'weights of good and ill But thine are true Blest Truth O tell My heart what 's ill and what is well Till then I 'll leane th' contrary way Wish not to have 't ' cause wish I may So happily
his End Hence I so God-commending men commend And shud I knit a series of the long'st The sad'st complaints combined with the strong'st Pressingst agr'vations that might wring them close And hard on th' soule yet praysing love breaks loose Through all and makes me sing agen and agen Blest be the Lord for evermore Amen Then shud'st with-draw thee and I grow feeble weake Yet let my heart have strength enough to speake Thy praises O give me strength enough To blesse my strength and I have strength enough Shud my thanksgiving-force decline decay Unto the low'st still may I see and say Thou hast a Seed a Generation they ' L be ever speaking of thy praise I 'le lay My heart unto their mouth and while they play Their heaven-learned descantings I 'le play The plain-song of a broken contrite heart I' th' eares of Heaven plaies the pleasant'st part Th' still soft sweet Musicke inward-sounding drone W'thout which the lowd'st high'st nimblest tongu'd is none Is worse then none a groundlesse frantick din A selfe-exalting God-assaulting sinne Provokes his mocked patience while the zeale 'S not pitch't by humilitie 't doth but squeak and squeale But thine cannot be overwound for they While at the highest with the lowest play Rise humbled soule and praise him in the high'st To which thou art advanced in thy Christ O praise praise praise let me not praises give But give my selfe to praises praising live Die sinke ore-whelm'd swallow'd up lost found Upon the shore of ever-praysing ground O how my soule 's aflote and smoothly glides Unto the harbour where my blisse abides And what a calme serenitie befriends The plimmed sayles thy spirit swiftly sends Fleeting along with speedy nimblenesse To th' pleasant Haven of their happinesse O praise praise him for he is worthy praise That was before and is beyond all dayes Praise him wh ' in heaven and earth doth what he will And whatsoe'r he will not doe is ill O praise praise him for he is worthy praise Cou'd th' mightie Fabrick o' th' creation raise From nothing with a word and governe it Consisting of a kind of infinite Varietie of individualls in such measure Weight number as that in all hee 'd take his pleasure In such a wide a vaste disparitie Of motions a perfect contrarietie So full so sweet so choise a consort plaid All honour glory power to him that made All for his pleasure And was I made to be Thy pleasure mightie God what cou'dst thou see To please thy selfe besides thy selfe in me O scrue me up to that celestiall tone VVhereby thy highest-raised Saints are knowne To blesse thee for thy selfe though bath'd in blood How e're I be to sing yet thou art good Yet thou art good how e're I be or doe Doe I or no thy workes thy praises shew Still thou art good art good shu'd all the world But like a tinie-tennis ball be twirld Toss'd topsie turvey whirled up and downe Untill 't were worne to mammocks still the crowne 'S as fast upon thy head as ever still renowne As due to thee as ever all th' creatures still Make musicke even the wicked'st though ' gainst their will Sunn Moone Stars Heavens Floods Earth Fire Snow Harle Winde Praise him for praise is to fulfill his mind Deepes Dragons Mountains Dales Beast Birds Trees Hills Praise him for praise is to fulfill his wills Men Angels all his Hosts one breath conspire To praise for praise doth all he doth require My gentle Lute with thy soft touches praise Praise him my sollemne-sounding vyoll praise My spirit-exciting dance my nimble song Praise B't stay my longer-exercised tongue M' out-run my heart but most in running long Run run then heart and overtake my tongue Run run apace redeeme thy thankelesse yeares And bathe their memory in thy blessing teares Run run apace for thou hast more to say Then all the tongues of men and Angels may Run run apace eternitie is at hand VVhen stinting time no more shall praise withstand Time nay my selfe for what-so e're I doe I may make that sing thankfull praises too My meate my drinke my talke my worke my sleepe May all in this Commune Concord keepe An uniforme well-order'd conversation Close to the rule that leades unto salvation I here is praise indeede in Deede to praise And make my life to sing away my dayes So match my living that my praysings mayn't Be Pearles on Swine but Jewells on a Saint So match my living that my praysings may Be starres on Azure and turne night to day And light the world to those supreme ascents VVhere dwells the Eternall Substance of contens Here shall I safely ever sit and sing My soule rejoyceth In my Saviour King O what a twitch this In doth give my spirit And screws it up farre farre beyond my spirit My soule 's In God In God my Saviour My soule is safe and feares not the behaviour Of this nor th' other world My soule 's at ease In God my Saviour my soule doth please It selfe In him my pleasures meet in one My joy is full my joy is overflowne And knowes no bounds while thus my diving soule Inviron'd with infinitie doth rowle Me all In all and I am in my God As In my Element while they are odde And Hetrogeneous that are in not of Leave breath have being in him and yet are off Stand at th' farth'st distance deadliest defiance Are breathlesse livelesse have no welbeing ' cause no alliance O who w'd not love thee feare thee praise thee Lord Whose just-wise-holy wayes such marv'ls afford Who can but loose himselfe in blest blessing wonder I' th' All-container So nigh so farre asunder As creatures in but not as not renew'd Degenerate peccant humors that are spew'd From 's mouth Are rather On then In but we Are heart in heart unto eternitie Not as the water in the vessell but As water turn'd to th' wine wherein 't is put So are we one in one right blessed turne That gives such strength life spirits while Thou't runne As unallay'd to thousand generations Made happie in this iminutable mutation Change change apace my soule power out thy selfe The best is last when thou art all himselfe Though not all of himselfe whose infinite sweet In every point of timelesse time And boundlesse bounds doth meet Himselfe made Thine â—remble and this shaking makes me catch â—ly hold more fast in h's faster foulds doth catch â—e what am I thou shudst vouchsafe to heare â—y prayses mine but for to give an eare Oh! that 's to give thine heart thine hand thine all VVho hast no part more or lesse principall Who hast no part at all but wholly art â—h ' possession o' th' selfe-dispossed heart â—ine cud'st n't have made a child of any stone To bed thy bosome but must I be one 〈◊〉 stonier I rebel'd against thy grace And spat my venom in thy sacred face VVhat saw'st in me to have me in thy thoughts Of life the worlds foundation
my brest Thence Councells furnish take thee to my rest Thou jealous of mine honour did Thy thoughts Run on my beauties day and night that nought Cud please thee else thy feet i' th' pleasant wayes Of my commands did'st count them so How sayes saith Thy heart and they is this thy holy faith Cleane feare God ' ndwelling love Now now what saith Thy conscience Did thy heart er'e feele a dagger yet Survive the thorough-strucken wound and yet Thy-heart-still-killing smart survive the hope Of Cure this daggers it kills heart and hope With minute mortall stabbes of quicke dispaire Myriads of endlesse living dyings are I tell thee man Th' art not a man or art a Puritan A beast a dog a hog a what-he-will Whose Jesu-countermands thy lustes fulfill I tell thee man Thou art a Devill or a Puritan There are but two unelimentary spirits Good bad God the divill and justly he demerits T' be counted th'latter who 'l not be the first Who scoffes at th' blessed spirit to be th' accurs'd Bad in th' extreame who wu'd be i' th' meane Of absolute good who wu'd no nearer come To God then needs t' be cast i' th' farthest roome Of utmost darkenesse there to learne too late Th' remotest distance of the middle state Of wilfull neutralists a semblance make Of friends to heaven when Tophets part they take HOw now mad sparke what pride thee in thy wit When pride 's the Principle follie and what is it What is thy wit when it is at the best And worth the name but judgement neately drest The wit that 's made the judgements recreation This play the ground while that the variation That made the sauce unto a weaker braine That else wu'd of the stronger meate complaine And what is judgement but a childish thought When to the full'st maturitie 't is brought What all our parts but parts and those received And in a moment may be quite bereav'd The best are bad for else they never cu'd Be tane away but are th' parts of that good That onely good compleate then not our owne So then who hath th' great'st the best hath none But what in Him but what in Him we see We see 't we feel 't in humbling humilitie VVEll say thou saydst thou thought'st 't were somewhat well Why not confesse his gratious gifts as free As of th' ungracious retributions tell By that that humbly thankefull thou mayst be By this thankfully humble be sincere Nor shame nor praises need'st thou then so feare I Have sat downe and councell held I cannot fight I cannot build And yet I can't but fight and build The warre the building 's great Great wants do threate My strength my stocke is small Is none at all What shall I doe I le doe thy word A Toole in this that hand a sword My Christ will helpe and wealth afford My strength my stock 's not small For they are all The building warre shall thrive While hee 's alive Here then I le minutely repaire Nay hence not budge a foot my care ' Sonl ' he who ' h's life so freely'd spare Me and I not fetch 't but spare Such gainefull care Such life such strength whereby 'T is I am I Ungratefull sloath had rather fall and die Then stretch his bosom'd hand to ' th' life so nie THe world 's uncertaine and my knowledge too But I desire to be certified Of nothing but Christ and him crucisied Christ from this head all goods all grace convay And on him crucified all ills sinnes lay So see my all while see my Christ My evills on my goods in Christ So has my foote a sure place Nor will I longer wandring trace The world to finde a setling stay For I have one and that 's my way VVArre peace life death A harbour and a shelfe The death of death The Image of himselfe Th' omnipotent Prophet and the Priestly King That Learnt Obedience by his Suffering A sacrificing sacrifice Simplicitie Lodg'd in a house of clay Omnipotencie Sensible of humane frailties The Lord of life Slaine The God of glory undergoing the strife Of vilifying tongues The administrator Of heaven and earth administred to th' Creator Poore reliev'd by th' Creature Aeternall happinesse Afflicted stupendious godlinesse Great mistery and they that thinke it small As doe all worldlings they know nought of all God manifest i' th' flesh heaven dwell in earth Descend in hell O how divine's my mirth When I can in my flesh my earth my hell See Him See in my flesh my earth my hell This spirit this heaven O spiritualize me more Him more t' approve whom Angels so explore Adore A God poore heathen gospells th' God to whom The sensuall sense-refined world doth come Drawne by beleeving hearts Unbonnded glory Caught up to glory what created oratory Can reach can teach these wonders so sublime Profound Th' celestiall theame of timelesse time How humble shu'd I be cu'd I still bow My selfe to pry into this mistery How Heighthned inlarg'd cu'd I still soare aloft In this so broad so long deep-heighth t' be taught Gen. 1.31 2 Cor. 3.18 THou Lord mad'st onely good my object be 'T is onely good then I shud see But I wu'd ill and ill now onely see 'T is onely sinne then I 'de not be But I 'd be Christ when shall I onely be T is onely God then I shall see Thou Lord madst onely good my object be 'T is only good then I shu'd see But I wud ill and ill now only see 'T is onely I then I 'd not be But I 'd be thee when shall I onely be 'T is onely thee then I shall see Thou' rt only good and I wu'd see All but as spots to draughts of Thee All but as spots to draughts of Thee Who art the only good I see The world 's the Image of thy Image word The mire sin that Satan blur'd Man with the stain straite through th'Creation crept But this untouch't him selfe hath kept And h's glorious-face-resplendent glasse hath left To daily dresse me quite bereft Of sight by that foule filth His Spirits breath Upon this Mirror quicks my death Struck-eyes And now since such a foulnesse in My fairest I see I 'le never lin To eye to pry to dresse redresse me by This God-conforming Theory VVHy shu'd I envie grace insult o're sinne Are not the Saints sins mine my graces theirs All sinn's in one in one all grace we in Them both he onely well himselfe compares Whose humble thankfull watchfull soule makes true One flesh one spirit one Adam old and new THou art Thou onely art Man 's but a But An adj'ctive accident a what-Thou-wut Thou art art onely excellent to be 'T is that 't is that 's the onely excellencie Bee 't all my businesse t' get more Thee That being more Thee I may more be More be in more to be To Thee PAsse world along with all thy pompous traine Goe ruffling in thy pride thy richest
command them off is indeede to command a mans selfe the most noble conquest And surely this magnanimitie this inlargeing this heighthning heate and vigour of heart is conveyed in equally with those beames of divine illumination Which wonderfully marvellous light which kingdome of Heaven first entering into us and wee into it at our first entrance on Mount Sion workes thus diffusively on the understanding-the-heart-the whole All things are as they are compared to God but him in the face of Christ I see the onely good and therefore as contraries illulustrate each other whom have I in earth in Heaven but Thee I see nothing in the whole creation in its best and setledest state but a blacke and horrid Caos of vanitie of deformitie farther then it partakes of him farther then I can espie in it the scatterings of the divine Raies And surely the men of the world comparing themselves with themselves and the things with the things of the world are not wise Rectum est index sui obliqui The light of the manifestation of it selfe and darkenesse He then that doth truth commeth to this light to see whether his workes be of God T 's the shining Sunne discovers those motes of sinne Those subtler mists of fleshie steames betweene Our spirit our light our life and us those beames Of shadowing lusts that darke our lightfull beames Still shine lo'd Sunne discovering still dispell And in dispelling discover our heart-bred hell Those uncouth Cells those shades of dismall death Those haunts of horrid Fiends whose mickle skeath Of mortall wounds hous'd in a golden sheath Of minion comforts steale away the breath With fatall kisses whilst th' guile-favouring night Maskes their infernall shapes till th' friendly light Of faithfull truth appeare and put to flight Their wilely force b' its wisely succouring might Thus more commended it my triumph more Increast such enemies so triumphed o're Thus the sincere heart brings himselfe and all the world to this all-revealing Sunne to see what they have of him in whom hee hath approved the onely and onely fincere-making excellencies by that single eye of faith that singles him out as its onely object as desiring to see nothing but him at least mediately if not immediately And though this latter is the way wherein the earnestly heartie desires of the soule run after the full and uninterrupted in oyment of God yet in regard of the frailtie of the flesh the weakenesse slendernesse imbecilitie of the intermediate spirits that are as the ties and ligaments betwixt the foule and the body and could not long conteine themselves without being utterly dissolved shud they be unintermittedly bent and held up to that extensive intensivenesse whereunto they are wrought by those great and glorious thoughts of those savoury and cordiall apprehensions which in the Lord Christ they have and without him they cannot have of that simple and infinite good which not onely carry forth the soule in a glad venture but transport it in an eager pursuit of this happy dissolution yet bethinking it self that there may be a selfe-seeking in this selfe-loosing that it is to live to others not it selfe to doe not receive it is willingly forced with a kind of unpleasant pleasantnesse to further entertaine its faith in naturall sense least it should wholly vanish into supernaturall So may our soules O Lord be incessantly continually devoted to thy feare so may they be devout even in all their earthly affaires may se devovere vow themselves from themselves and pay their vowes continually So may they ever live in thy fight in thy light that they may never depart from thy feare that they may never more give the lie to their professed knowledge fellowship with the light by walking in the wayes of darknes but shew forth the glory of their father in Heaven by the reflection of their serene sincere light some conversation on earth And certainly could we stand with this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this stretching forth of the head in an earnest looking on him and longing for him wee shu'd have such an assuence of light and life breake in upon our soules and shine on our wayes that we shu'd walke up and downe like starres shot from Heaven till having dazled the eyes of the world into an envious astonishment wee shu'd remount for ever fixed in our highest spheare Now according as our aspect is on Him so is it also to others if that but oblique this but dimme and obscure but if that perpendicular this lively and glorious O that wee were more excellently skilled in these holy optickes we cu'd not but be in Theologie and therefore in Ethicks Oeconomicks c. And cu'd we but live soberly righteously and godlily upon as we ran not but cannot chuse but upon the sight of God avant then false lights false comforts for ever then he that shall come will come and will not tarry for the Lord is certainly waiting to bee gratious to that soule that is thus stedfastly waiting to be guided by him This indeed being the product the effect of the sense of that Neither know I any such if any other sincere and constant seeking as that when I thought of an absent God I was troubled and refused to be comforted by any thing but himselfe as knowing nothing else true comfort Neither can there be such seeking but from a true and lively saith not such a waiting but from a sincere-and-fervent love therefore not unlikely the Apostle thus intimating the nature of these graces translates those passages of Esaiah 11.10 with Rom. 15.12 1 Cor. 2.9 with Isa 64.4 seeke trust waite love Seeking faith and waiting love Here is that great Art of a Christian to be seeking still seeking the face of God I have set the Lord Alwayes before my face therefore c. Seeke yee the Lord and seeke his face Evermore I am Continually With thee Be in the feare of the Lord all the day long Here is that great difference of sinceritie and hypocrisie Will the hypocrite pray alwayes Will he seeke God in prosperitie as well as in adversitie At mid day in his businesse all the day long hourely and minutely as well as morning evening and at the solemne assembly Will he live the life of faith in the flesh in all sensuall things is he crucified to the world and the world to him Is he dead and this that even his mortall body lives is it by the quickning of the spirit doth hee walke up and downe the world as a man that hath neither life nor soule but onely as inlivened as animated hence is he ever lifting up his face to God that that flood of light and life that thence with such mighty incomes flowes in upon the soule might beare downe before it every thought that exalts it selfe against the kingdome of the Lord Christ c. that wholy given over to the power sway and guidance of it wholly casting it selfe into its imbracings while it
lies drown'd as it were in a Sea of loves and sweetnesses in a blessed astonishment and stupefaction it is elevated in the highest advancement of life and spirits in the Lord of life and glory that descended and ascended to draw up with him all that adheres to him O were the soule wound up to this pitch and watched at it and wound up againe if never so little slipt downe how might we live O still still let us be in this blessed vision of God with more continued intentivenesse contracting thence or rather dilating those Coexistant inherent essentiall which we call attributed species Then others beholding the stedfastnesse of our faith could not but there see more of that radiant image in its deputed Majestie the ball of the sensuall eye not more naturally expressing the Idea of the directly opposite and neighbouring visage then this of the spirituall of faith doth that of God And certainly no sence doth furnish us with more and more cleare conceptions of God then the sight being for its ready commence with the soule for its extention and intention the properest most conducible and advantagious of all being the most spatious farthest reaching pure simple active and therefore most apprehensive and next to that the hearing being the lesse grosse and earthly of all the rest But to keepe to that As the Sunne conveyeth heate and activitie inseperably with and proportionably to its light so is the truth loved and done so farre and onely so farre as it is seene The actions are spurious and illigitimate that are not conceived in the heart and begotten by the eye it will be our wisedome then so truly to informe the latter at we desire the well and right forming and performing of the other Let us looke on him then by no other Organ then faith thorough no other medium then Christ at no other distance then the mearest approaches even to such an unitie that wee see our selves in him and him in us When with the wicked wee put God farre from us and see the world draw nigh us then seemes he little and this great but when we draw neere to him what a pointile what an atome what a nothing it seemes nay it is And as the medium is ever the fame so is the Organ then best when most refined abstracted metaphysicall subtilized sublimed and sence-rarified cause then most proportionable and sutable to the simplicitie and puritie of the object it intends and therefore consequently to the extensivenesse and infinitie of it God being simply infinite and infinitely simple And therefore as wisedome consists in the clearenesse and quicknesse so in the inlargednesse of the understanding but since that knowledge that light in every thing wee draw from him is the onely true wisedome wee are then wisest when our understandings are most clarified by him most acted on him And surely this clarifying of our faith is according to the intimatenesse of our humbly bold accesse unto him the nature of this Sunne being to give light to the blind and that more or lesse according as we are more off or apply our selves nearer to Him And surely while we thus see God in the holiest of holies all the kingdomes of the earth in their freshest and heart-stealingest lovelinesse and that set forth in the most rich and glorious accoutrements will lie at our feete as a dead and rotten carkasle so farre shall we be from committing folly with it so farre that though then too our spirits be at the liveliest as they cannot but be yet because wee nay therefore because we be as crucified as dead to it as it is to us Such power hath this sight to fill the heart with love this love to hold the soule close to God from any thing that would part it from him and to carry it forth in all readinesse of obedience with him When contrarily while we are looking on the world without God we are but looking on so many lying vanities that dead the heart to reall and full contentments withholding it from God and setting the hand on worke in the wayes of sinne which still estrange the soule from Him and keep Him at a distance from the soule that more deading the heart that c. so the soule running on in a round of wickednesse if God not gratiously breake in and hinder its course Which when he doth his presence makes grace to grow by the interchangeable officiousnesse of all its undivided parts The sight of God inflaming the affections they inciting to actions these againe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 stirring up the fire in more fervent flames they giving in greater light that discovering more beautie that kindling more fire that animating to more action this againe c. so truely infinitely infinitely infinitely sweet is the comfort of the God-conversing soule The soule that hath received the truth in the love thereof and he that loves mee keepes my Commandements he that doth my will shall know my will he that hath my Commandements as his possession riches c. and keepes them as his greatest joy comfort life he it is that loves me and to him will I manifest my selfe Now this manifestation againe fills the heart with more operative and effectuall love this againe c. Thus Faith worketh by love the fulfilling of the Law the end of the Commandement out of a pure heart and of a good conscience and of faith unfained the sinceritie whereof must needs be according to the sight it hath of God according to the lovelinesse worth chooseablenesse that it seeth in him Faith then I take to be by what of light in this night of blindnesse and darkenesse I can see such a light as shining on the intentively beholding soule through the face of Christ hath that influence and attractive power with it to draw it up and make it cleave and adhaere with all its might and strength to God to lift up the heart to and make it goe along with him in all his wayes While like the Helitrophion it turnes and winds shuts and opens with the motion of the Sunne of righteousnesse And this light thus influenced thus working how ever clouded and obscured to a Christians selfe to be wisedome unto salvation that effectuall knowledge of God his Christ comming into and received of the soule that is life eternall already taken hold of and ere long fully prossessed or thus Faith is a promise-lighted seeking light Burnes with pure fervent love whose active might In every radiant precept shining bright Reflects its glory to the Father-Light Thus these three-one obedience-faith-and love Unite my soule to those Thee-One Above John 11.5.7 A seeking Isaiah 11.10 with Romans 15.13 Satisfying John 5.44 with John 14.1 Faith John 1.4.19 a sincere Phil. 1.10 Matth. 6.22 Eph. 6.24 Fervent Cant. 8.6.7 love John 14.15 an universall Psal 119.6 Jam. 2.10 Ephe. 4.23 Matth. 5.10 Constant Cor. 1.15.58 Obedience So that grace is faith understanding faith affecting faith acting
same building frame and growing body so farre should we be from making them as arguments to keepe us at the greater distance And what indeed is the end of Gods various dispensation of himselfe in such diversitie of gifts parts abilities if not that hee might shew the more of his wisedome in drawing them all so compleatly into one gracefull knot the bond of peace love that in such if not by such a variety can preserve the unitie if not further the harmony of the spirit of the Lord Jesus Ephes 4. perlege Or to what purpose is our knowledge but for love for charitie the fulfilling of the Law the end of the Commandement out of a pure conscience and of faith unfained This is the sincere the true faith and knowledge that thus workes What puritie of conscience what life of assection I see in the conversation caeteris paribus by that shall I judge of the truth of the measure of the faith the knowledge as the roote by the fruit and by that I look to be judged by the judge of all things by him whose call is for whose residence is in whose shining is into the heart where he shewes himselfe where he is where he ha's savingly Not by what is found in my braine my head but in my brest my heart that which sitteth here making musicke to the Lord with a gratious answering to all his wills a glorious admiration of his love his wisedome c. his mercifull acceptance in the Lord Christ and not that which it jarring with others there That which sounds forth God in its life and not that which founds forth it selfe in its tongue The Divill I beleeve hath as much knowledge and can dictate as excellent discourse as all the men of the world Knowledge so farre as it is not cordiall and living so farre as it is not sappy savory and fruitfull but dry and barren or bringing forth wild thistles so farre I shall never thinke it to have the Lord Christ for its roote So farre as it is not sapida sertilis it will proove but insipida futilis foolish and vaine I would have knowledge then bee my food and my food my strength and my strength my exercise I wu'd feede with delight but not for delight but for the better disgesting of my knowledge into an assimulated practice And be our opinions notions what they will if they convey no more of God along with them certainly they never came of his sending who alwayes comes along with the true understanding of his will of himselfe the onely truth And by more of his presence induceth more glorious light-more humble love-more faithfull action And to what purpose have our hearts tugged so hard at heaven for the pulling downe of those spirituall wickednesses and exalted vilenesses 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Psal 12. but as they have held up the heads and strengthned the hands of the ungodly but as they are those of whom we have no warrant that they had their commission from him and therefore no promise that hee would dispence himselfe through them but as they are intruders betweene God and us and obtruders of their ceremoniall and traditionall obstructions in our immediater approaches to him and they taken away wee might have more of him and that that wee might doe more for him But now to have the obstacles removed and the end never the nearer attained to what purpose is it To have those who under the pretence of being the Conduit pipes were the dirt and filth that stopped them of being the Contrefenestres the shutting windowes to keepe out the theevery of innovations schismes seperations c. out of the Church keepe out the light and truth and were the greatest schismaticks renters of the Church themselves to have these I say removed as sure enough they shall at what ever rate and wee draw never the more light and life into our hearts into our lives but still hugge our owne fond imaginations still seeke about in such extravagancies after our owne inventions lying vanities that promise faire and performe worse then nothing what other will it be interpreted by him then the dispising the turning of his goodnesse his glory into shame while we know God more but know him not and therefore worship him not as God the commander of the whole man But those O Lord that know what it is to know thee can they but be thankfull in an active and 〈◊〉 action-denying thankefulnes O then that thou wouldest accomplish the work that thou hast so gratiously so powerfully undertaken How long shall thy servants nauseate at the fulsomenesse of their pride Though they make the hearts of kingdomes still ake with it let them be vomited be vomited forth thoroughly Rather let us be pained with our cure that not prevent our death We yea thou art sicke of their Lukewarmenesse O when wutâ—â— thou spue them out of thy mouth So will we flocke up to mountaines of thy house and poure forth our soules in thy praises So in the humilitie of our spirits will we sit at the feet of thy Jesus and learne at the mouths of thy holy servants So shall our hearts bow before thee and out hands be dilgent in thy service So shall holinesse bee written on our pathes and our lives be the memorialls of thy mercies So shall the review of thy favours be as the fringe for remembrance of thy precepts So shall the wonderfulnesse of our deliverancies be read in the wonderfulnesse of our obedience So will we commune with our owne hearts and be still and say what have wee returned thee What sinne have we more crucified what dutie have we more have we better done So will we offer unto thee the sacrifice of righteousnesse of a broken and contrite heart While wee bind all the faculties of our soule and members of our bodies to thy Alcar With the cords of our affections to thy Christ and thou sha't accept them gratiously O Lord our hearts thy Sion DElayes are neither constant grounds of suspect nor dispaire neither of suspect of the promisers present good will nor of dispaire of the promise it 's future performance In my last I promised you another which till now you received not yet hath this delay neither proved an utter silence nor proceeded from an unfriendlike disrespect God hath promised you deliverance which yet you have not yet received yet can this protraction neither argue a change of his fatherly affection nor unchangeablenesse of your child like afflictions Neither is it a ground for your doubt of his great prudence or gracious goodnesse in correcting nor of your comfortable support in or seasonable freedome from the correction He that beleeveth maketh not hast Faith is confident of the issue patience attendant on the time Two sweet and never-parting companions An unbeleeving patience or an impatient beleese how dissonant are they in the eares of a Christian How can I with a truly submissive and not presuming