blessed Saviour Jesus Christ be to us foolishnesse and as a thing we delight not in we may justly feare we are to perish but if it be esteem'd by us the power and excellent wisdom of God which delights our hearts we may be confident we shall be sav'd for the preaching of the Gospel is to them that perish foolishnesse but to us that are saved it is the power of God 1 Cor. 1.18 PSALME 119.165 The Soules Peace MY great God! how often dost thou make us to see and by experience to know the truth of thy most â—cred Word 't is great peace indeed that they possesse who love thy law thou keepest them in such secure and pleasant pavillions that nothing shall ofiend them they must speak to thy praise whom thou hast blest and if I have been thought too mean to speake in the praise of â—n earthly King My God I cannot but confess my self too mean too ignorant to speak off and in the praise of the Majesty of Heaven But Oh thou greatest and highest Ruler of all the Great on earth under whose feet lye all their crownes of Majesty Thou hast told us thou art no respector of persons but thou acceptest of the prayers and praises of thy meanest creatures Then must my Soul speak to the praise of thy Sacred Majesty for the peace that thou hast given mee since the time that thou hast taught mee to love thy Law thou hast made me to delight in the multitude of peace thou hast given me peace in thee thy blessed Son set me at peace with thee and I have such a peace in thee that all the oppsition of the world cannot take from me I am at peace with thy servants I am sure they will not hurt me I am at peace with thy creatures for thou hast made the stones and beasts af the field to be at league with them that feare thy name I passe by thy creatures and thorow them without fear for they are at peace with me But canst thou my Soul say thou thus possessest a happy peace withall No I cannot for then they that have sought to disturbe my peace by their odd untruths will tell me I said not true for I have seen and felt their Arrows of uncivill war strike against my heart But my God thou hast so strongly arm'd it that their arrows have recoyl'd back and not pierc'd my heart How can I chuse then most blessed and sweet finger of Israel but speak in thy own words Great peace and rest shall all such have As doe thy Statutes Love No danger shall their quiet state Impaire or once remove The Support MY Lord When in my young years the consideration of thy infinite mercies had penetrated my heart I confess there was with it an earnest desire iâ— me to doe or suffer something whereby I might manifest my love to thy Majesty for those great unexpressable favours that thou hast deigned to bestow on me thy unworthy servant But then had I no other thoughts in me but that if the contrary Religion which then too much abounded had prevail'd I then might have offered up my life in flames with devotion to manifest my love to thee But now thou hast turn'd the tide and art pleas'd to suffer two great powers to rise both professing to maintain the truth of our Religion so that now thou hast taken off my thoughts for suffering so for thy sake but thou hast put me on another My Lord I will not say worse for me for whatsoever is done by thee with me or by me I am confident it is the best and fittest for me though death to some spirits be easier to bear then reproachfull speeches And I confesse with impatience heretofore did my unruly Spirit detest reproachfull words and thought a religious death far better For my Lord thou knowest what reproaches and slanderous speeches they are subject to that professe thy name or declare thy mercies to them But let them now speak and in their speech declare their little love to thee my Lord and their malice and spite to thy children thou shalt set my spirit beyond the reach of their contempt where with a holy contempt with thee I shall laugh such fools to scorne And now I dare not say I am an ignorant woman and unfit to write for if thou wilt declare thy goodness and thy mercy by weak and contemptible means who can resist thy will My gracious God I will be now so farre from being unwilling to doe it that I will not rest till I have done it for in all ages thou wilt not leave thy selfe without a witnesse of thy mercy and goodnesse to thy children and therefore I will send out my words to speak thy praise and as thou hast made them comfort to some troubled mindes so I wish they may be to more when they shall see the truth of thy mercifull dealing with me and how thou hast made me so happy in this world as my heart can wish for thou hast given me my hearts desire and hast fulfil'd the request of my lipps for there is not that thing in the world that I can desire more then what thou hast given to me For long since my Lord when thou hadst given me sence to see that no earthly thing though never so excellent or pleasing could give us a perfect contentment then made I my prayer to thy divine Majesty that thou wouldst be pleased to give me that which the world could not give and though I confesse I did then think it was unpossible ever to possesse a true content in this world yet my dear Father I must now aske thee pardon for those misdoubting thoughts for I have seen thou canst give us a joy and a true content beyond the expression of our souls in this world for when we possesse thee with and in thy creatures we injoy a felicity that fils our hearts with an unexspressable delight My Lord when thou art pleased to manifest thy selfe unto our souls thou bringest all that can be desired Death that to some natures the mention of it is bitter to thine thou mak'st it a pleasing companion and with paine thou makest them pleas'd and happy and for the bitter speeches of the world which thy children must heare thou mak'st us to forget or contemne them I must confesse to thy honour my great King that thou makest me not to remember the bitternesse of this life thou answering me with such joyes in my heart and thus wilt thou at length my gracious God blesse all thy children that with an upright minde and a sincere heart doe earnestly seek their happinesse alone in thee and not from the world PSALME 85.10 The Perfume IN thee most blessed Prince are those two excellent ingredients mix'd which yeeld so sweet a sent to the world that no corrupted aire of our unsavoury enemy is able to disperse Thy most blessed body the sweetest and truest perfume that ever proceeded out of the
time of thy most gracious dying Sad in respect of thy torments O blessed Saviour yet pleasant in respect of the unexpressable liberty and endless happiness which by thy powerfull dying we obtain'd Oh Blessed Spirits I cannot now thinke that you were displeas'd with us for your nature doth so concur with his will that it cannot be opposite to it But yet God was angry yea to the very apprehension of his onely Son What else made him cry out so grievously My God Why hast thou forsaken mee God was angry then with his Son for us you had reason then of grief for him not anger towards him but yet sure to see him angry with his Son and to see his onely Son so grievously tormented you could not but be mov'd what then must move you sure it could be nothing but our sins for which he suffered Oh you heavenly Spirits I finde you rejoycing when we had our Saviour born and sure you could not but rejoyce when the worke of our salvation was finished your joy was then intermingled with your sorrow if you be capable of sorrow for you could not but sorrow to see your God so grievously to suffer you could not but rejoyce to see that they on whom you attended should be so happy that by his death they should be admitted to injoy eternall life If you joy at our repentance sure your joy at our â—rgivenesse and then was the time of our forgivenesse â—ome when he willingly yeelded up his life that we â—ight live eternally then was our debts paid when as â—y now glorified body Oh Son of glory was debar'd â—f the heavenly appearance of thine eternall Godâ—ead Yee blessed Angels yee joyed in your sorrow and â—ot we but our sins were hatefull to you which were â—he cause of his most grievous suffering More bitter then grim death could be My sin my Lord was unto thee Because I sinn'd my Lord did dye Because he dy'd hate sin will I. On Earthly Love FRom thee O Heaven of glorie flowes that celestiall stream that being taken hath power to make us forgetfull of our earthly love the which must vanish and alone can set us free from those tormenting passions Thou sweet stream having cur'd us of those distempered passions hast then the power to work in our hearts a more peaceable and durable affection earthly affection ever brings distemper sometimes distraction but that sweet love which thou O pearly fountain raisest in our breast flameth in our hearts peace rest joy and it worketh a perpetuall assurance of still injoying what we love wish or can in heart desire My Lord My soule is ravisht with the contemplation of thy heavenly love and I cannot chuse but infinitely admire thy mercies to me thine unworthy servant for grievous were the perturbations which I was subject to when I was infected with the poison-bane of earthly affections the which a time thou wert pleas'd to let reigne and tyrannize in my brest which like a thorne in the flesh not being drawne out by the hand of art lies throbbing and working torment not onely to the place where it hath taken up its abode but brings distemper to the whole body So that unruly passion having taken up his place in my heart did not onely tyrannize there but wrought destraction in my Soul and bred distemper in my body But blessed be thy Majestie for that distemper for in that time of my weaknes thou Oh all-powerfull hand by thy most heavenly art didst draw from my heart that tormenting passion and by the addition of thy heavenly love which thou didst leave in the room thereof thou repairedst in me the breaches that that unrulie passion had made When I was sick I thought that I should dye I did mistake 't was earthly love not I. HOSEA 2.19 My Contract MY Lord Doth not thy Majestie send thy messages of love and favour to those that will take hold of them and beleeve there shall be a performance of what is promis'd Thy Word tels us That they that beleeve in thee shall have eternall life My Lord I do beleeve it and that this Message sent by thy royal Embassador belongs to mee aswell as to any other I will marry thee to mee for ever Thou art righteous and wilt perform it who would now refuse so great and so good a King I disdain not marriage I desire it with this great Prince who is the Prince of Kings and at whose foot-stool they must one day lay down all their Crowns and bring in all their riches at his command The greatest of them must confess they hold their Scepters of him and to him they must doe service at his will This is a Prince of such exact perfection that I cannot see any thing in him any way to be dislik't When I consider any creature I can finde in it but little to be belov'd but a great deal of inconvenience with it to be dislik't why then should I set my minde on the creature of so little worth and not wholly have my minde intent on the Creator who alone is excellent Most mighty Prince I must confess my self unworthy to be the least servant in the Court of so magnificent a King much lesse to be one who shall have the honour to be marryed to thee but because I doe thinke my selfe unworthy of thee shall I be such a fool to refuse so great a fortune No I will not My Lord I now challenge thy promise for I doe think thou hast prepared me a minde for thy selfe for thou madst me long since to be ambitious of perfection but when I saw it was not to bee obtain'd in this world how slightly did I esteem of all things in it thou having prepared my mind for thy self by the dislike of all imperfect creatures and the love of perfection Thou madst me to see a clear perfection in thy self and wroughst in me a love to thee and because I dare not presume to the thoughts of possessing thee thou seeing my desires sent that comfortable message to me and to all that doe sincerely love thee that thou wil receive us to thy selfe and wilt marry us to thee for ever I being wedded to Heavens King As his blest Spouse must his praise sing The Soules Agitation MY great and glorious God! In what a strange agitation is my Soul being assail'd by two contrary considerations the one of my heavenly bliss in which thou didst at first make me and to which thou hast and wilt in the fulness of time againe restore me the other of the sordid and vile condition in which I had by my rebellion inwrapt my selfe The thoughts of the first fils me with a sweet contenting joy the consideration of the other with a hatefull detestation of my selfe for when I record in my minde how thou at the first mad'st me a creature of a rare composition one part of thine owne divine spirit the other of earth purified by thy heavenly art and
His Spirit much he will inspire What thou desirest that shall be Thou hast thy wishes granted thee With thee needs must I wish to live That mak'st me wish what thou wilt give Lord harden thou my heart as hard as steel And loves vaine passion let me never feel Onely in Heaven my soul shall seek her rest In Heaven perpetually to be blest On Earth a while I must tormented be Because that sin too much abides in me It is the injoying of thy Spirit That makes my soule here true joy inherit And here to shew me that thou hat'st my sin Thy Spirit like the Sun-beams is drawn in Then doth my Soul full wo and sad remaine Till that sweet spirit doth appeare againe Then when thy Spirit againe reigns in me Then comes my joy away my paine doth flee For when thy Spirit my Soul doth injoy Nothing can then my happy Soul annoy For why No cause of sorrow I can see Because beyond my selfe it raiseth me Anguish FRom this distraction Lord my poor soul bring That still thy heavenly prayses I may sing For this distemper doth my soul affright My Lord it takes from me all my delight And pleasure that I had in serving thee This trouble great vaine folly brings to me If from thy holy service I be tane No comfort can I find but endlesse paine For what can yeeld our Souls here true content If to serve thee we are not wholly bent For here I see vaine pleasures quickly fly And that which I did love must surely dye But in thy service if I pleasure take And thy sweet word my whole delight do make That word doth still my drooping soul assure That for the best it shall be all to me If patiently I doe awaite on thee Of Submission WHat comes to me Lord comes from thee Nought comes to me but comes from thee What though against my will it be If thou it fitting seest for me Let be and Master thou my will That I thy servant may fulfill Thy holy will and thee obey Make me obedient be I pray If I obey thy Majesty I need not fear although I dye Hope WHat though my morning be debard of light For me thou shalt break forth a noon most bright The onely Comforter WHat in this world doe I deerer esteem Or greater in my minde here still do deem Then that Spirit which floweth still from thee Which makes my soule in happy blisse to be For nothing in this world here can me please Nor yet my Soule from paine and grief can ease But thy sweet spirit which abides for aye For these vaine worldly things doe fade away My soul immortall did proceed from thee And pleas'd with mortall things she cannot bee You earthly pleasures I can use you all But treasures of my soule I le not you call Goe flee vaine pleasures for sure all must grant Nought can us please but what is permanent In thee my Lord my soul alone is blest In thee alone I doe attaine sweet rest The Soules Flight WHither away my Soule do'st high That thou so fain from me would'st fly Sure it is to some holy place That thou thy selfe there may'st solace Thou wilt not here abide with me But goe to God there to be free To him thou liv'st to him thou flyest That is the reason that thou highest And here I wish thee not to stay I wish to Heaven thou mighst away From Prison oft I wish thee free That thou mayst be at liberty The Virgins Offring WIth thee blest Virgin I would bring An Offering to please my King Two Turtle Doves thou didst present Can there be better by me sent A Lambe more pure then they could be I heard was thither brought by thee These two small Turtles now of mine To him I do present with thine The Lambe will serve for thee and mee No better offering can there be Thus with thee Virgin doe I bring An offering will please my King To my Doves YOur life I ment not till my death Might give you freedome with my breath And when I breath'd in Heavens Aire free I did intend your libertie But offer'd now you sure must be A Sacrifice of thanks from mee When we are dead we cannot give Our offerings must be while we live Two Doves no Phenix you must be I must see that live comes from me You as an offering goe from me But on your wings my heart must be My heart now free from all desire But what is kindled by heavens fire To him I doe present as free As ever he did give it me I on your wings would sore aloft And still live free from humane thought Accept great God what I present Thy glory is my Souls intent Goe now my Doves and soar aloft The drooping heart raise you full oft To such a heigth bear it away That it may see celestiall day And never lett it on earth rest But leave it in Heavens glorious brest The Triumph SIth thou from thrall hast sett me free I will sing prayses unto thee Thou hast brought me from Temptation And fild me with contemplation Of thy heavenly habitation In which lives a glorious Nation Which triumphantly doe sing Praise and glory to their King No darknesse nor no dolefull night Obscures their Vision of delight No noise doth interrupt their voice They doe incessantly rejoyce Mayst thou my Soule now be so bold That glorious place for to behold And say how that faire Cities blest In which the righteous shall have rest The wals are rais'd of Gems more bright Then are the Diamonds here in sight The Saphire Diamond Ruby fine Their beauty in each one combine The other Gems their lustre bright With them doe give so fine a light That like the Rainbow it doth show But far more bright you 'l think I know Most glorious things are said of thee Thou City where the mighties bee The streets are of the purest mold Exceeding farr the brightest gold And from Gods glorious Throne doth spring A River that sweet pleasures bring Adorn'd with many a goodly tree Which fresh and flourishing ever bee They doe not onely please the eye But heal the wounds would make us dye Nor fruitlesse doe their trees appear But pleasant fruit yeeld all the year I doe not wonder fruit so rife Upon these goodly Trees of life No change doth in this place appeare No scorching heat nor cold is here This heav'n the bright Lamb his wife gives And she in this place alwayes lives She is more lovely then the Rose Fresh faire and beauteous and still goes In long white Robes so pure and clear Like Orient Pearl she doth appear And on her head a Crowne more bright Then is the Sun here in our sight The pure white Lilly at her feet And pleasant Rose there strive to meet For all their beauty and their grace Is from reflexion of her face These lovely flowers doe never fade But for eternity were made How can
I will come as in thy Son His Robys shall hide my shame He is my Spouse and my lov'd Lord In him thou lovest me I to thy will would still accord And with him still agree In his bright Robes I will present My selfe to thee and say To doe thy will is my intent In him I thee obey Thou canst not now Lord me reject Thou must me perfect see His beauty doth on me reflect I 'me beautifull to thee The Dart. SHoot from above Thou God of Love And with heav'ns dart Wound my blest heart Descend sweet life And end this strife Earth would me stay But I 'le away I 'le dye for love Of thee above Then should I bee Made one with thee And let be sed Eliza's dead And of love dy'd That love defi'd By a bright beam shot from above She did ascend to her great Love And was content of love to dye Shot with a dart of Heavens bright eye Of Poetry POets they say are always poor But t is not they are at thy door They cannot chuse but wealthy be For why Rich poems flow from thee T is they that clime the hill is none of thine But goe for aid unto the Muses Nine No wonder though such fools are poor That goe for Alms to a wrong door They seek to them to get their wealth Who have too little for their selfe To the King writ 1644. TO thee Great Monarch of this Isle I send my Babes pray make them smile For yet methinks t is in thy power To make them smile or let them lower They 'r children to that Prince of might Who is the Prince of peace behight Do not with war my Babes affright In smiling peace is their delight My Prince by yeelding won the field Be not too rigid dear King yeeld Examples that are great and high I hope you 'l follow fix your eye On my great prince that is your King He left a Heaven you peace to bring A Kingdome I 'de not have you leave But rather three reform'd receive All blisse and peace I wish to you Let us in peace your presence view To the Queen of Bohemiah LOng since it was by me defir'd To see that Queen so much admir'd But well I knew t' was not for mee Great Princesses to goe to see But thraldomes key did let me out And trouble brought my wish about By thraldome then I freedome gain'd By trouble my desire obtain'd I then did see her so admir'd And thy rich graces Lord inspir'd A minde so great and bravely beare What in the most breeds care and feare A spirit high so humble bee To deigne her sweet regards to me Her I admire and for her pray On earth she may live many a day And when this earth she shall forsake That into heaven thou wouldst her take Where on a Throne she may be Crown'd And with bright Angels compast round The Lover COme let us now to each discover Who is our friend and who our Lover What art thou now asham'd of thine I tell thee true I me not of mine And you will say when you him see That none but he defir'd can bee He is the onely pleasing wight Whose presence can content my sight For He 's the purest red and white In whom my soule takes her delight He to the flowrs heir beauty gives In him the Rose and Lilly lives His pleasant haire with feemly grace Hangs by his faire sweet lovely face And from his pleasing eyes do dart Their arrows which do pierce my heart These beauties all are richly grac'st For on his head a crown is plac'st Of glory which doth shine so bright As mortall eye can see this light This lovely Lord's the Prince of Peace In him my joyes will still increase For he 's the true and constant friend Whose love begun will never end From Heaven he came with me to dwell And sav'd my soul from direfull hell 'T is he alone my heart doth gaine That keeps me from eternall pain While here I live here he will bee Death cannot separate him from me And when I dye he will me place Where I shall ever see his face Into his glory hee 'l take mee This doe I know this shall you see And now you know my loved friend My loves begun it will not end The renowned King LAdies if beauty you desire Or to high fortunes doe aspire Come now with me I have descride A Prince that to all can you guide He is a King of great renown And on your head can place a Crowne And with immortall beauty blesse Can you wish more yet wish no lesse If you desire this Prince to see Then leave the world and goe with me To true Elisian fields I 'le guide You where I this great Prince espi'd The holy leaves of Sacred writ Are those Elisians there let 's gett Where with joy we shall him finde This glorious Prince will please your minde He 's like the Rose in Sharon fields Pleasant to sight and sweetnesse yeelds With sweet and faire from his bright face The Lilly and the Rose gets grace With serious thoughts now him behold If you him love you may be bold And in his presence ever bee His beauty will reflect on thee If thou get beauty from his face He will you take from your mean place And on his Throne he will set thee Where with his Crown thou crown'd shalt bee That beauty still with thee will stay Time will not carry it away That Crowne shall no man take from thee But thou shalt wear 't eternally To my Sister S. S. SWeet Sister Let us in Heaven greet Since here on earth we cannot meet Hard by that stream of Christall pure To meet thee there I will be sure That streame which from this Throne doth rise Whose waters pure cure our ill eyes Then let us sit us downe and rest No enemies shall us there molest Le ts leave our bodies here as dead When thus our Soules to heaven are fled Where we possesse a ravisht joy When as the world lies in annoy Let 's take those waters now and drink 'T will make us then no more to think Of these base follies here below Dear Sister let us both doe so Then let us set us down and tell By whom we were redeem'd from hell T' was he that sits on you bright Throne Wrought our redemption all alone Who would not now their soules prize high For whom so great a Prince did die Come let us up those streams and see Where those bright glories sitting bee There Three in One conjoyn'd we see And yet each Person differing be There sets our powerfull God alone Upon his glorious heavenly Throne At his right hand sits his dear Son Oh! Who would think he 'd let him come From that bright Throne to suffer here And for our sakes vile to appear Ten thousand thousand Angels bee Tending about his Throne you see They sing the praises of that King Oh hear
deserts consider My judgement thus I must deliver Into the pit and dungeon deep Where Satan is adjudg'd to keep Where fire and brimstone raging be Where pain abides perpetually Into this place of misery There should I goe when that I dye Go leave thy thoughts thy own thoughts leave And from thy God answer receive From that fierce place of misery Thee for to save the Lord did die And though no sin he did commit He of his goodnesse thought it fit To take thy sins and quit them all And bid thee then no more to fall And tells thee thou needs not to fear For why of thee he takes the care And that on earth while thou dost live For tendance on thee he will give His Angels charge thee to protect And be the guard of his Elect His mercy is the onely reason We are secur'd from Satans Treason Felicity I Am my Gods and he doth let me see In him a true and sweet felicity Those springs of joy that rise still fresh in me Proceed my dear sweet heavenly Prince from thee On sudden Death IF thou in hast shalt send for me Great God to live in Heaven with thee Though to some minds it sodain be It is not sodain unto me Heaven LOrd thou dost bring a heaven with thee Then where I am a heaven must be For thou art ever Lord with mee The Giver engaged to the Receiver THou saist thou art ingag'd to me For what I give when I 'm to thee Thou dost accept a gift that 's poor For it I have ten thousand more The Sun Beames THy blessings like the Sunbeams bee Reaching from heaven to earth on me Like a rich Canopy they show Spreading from Heaven doth round me flow 'T is not abundance rich makes me But a sufficiency from thee To my Brother ELiza saies when as she dies Shee 'l banish tears from all your eyes Unlesse for envy you will weep That you could not her blest soul keep From her eternall blisse and joy To live with yours in earths annoy When you have brought me to my grave Then tell the world t is what I 'de have Yee need not say you left me dead But say I am laid in my bed Where I shall safely lye and sleep For heavens great Emperor doth me keep 'Mong Kings and Princes that attend Till to our glory we ascend What I Love GIve me a Soule give me a Spirit That flyes from earth heaven to inheritâ— But those that grovell here below What! I love them I 'le not do so The onely bound MY boundlesse spirits bounded be in thee For bounded by no other can they be The Christians happinesse GOds high Spirit shall thee direct His Angels shall thee still protect They shal thee guard while thou dost sleep They from all evill shall thee keep So thou no evill needs to fear Because of thee God takes the care The Retribution â—F thou art pleas'd to have my heart â— Accept it Lord from me â—ith thou dost chuse it for thy part â— give it none but thee Mine eyes to thee I doe present Accept them now of me For thou unto me hast them lent They doe belong to thee Thus heart and eyes and all are thine That doe belong to me Before I knew that they were mine They were all made by thee Gods Commands easie MY Lord how easie is thy will Do as I would be done unto Thy holy Law I then fulfill And give the Lord his praises due Why should I to another doe What I would not have done to me All praises to thee Lord is due For all we have proceeds from thee Praise GLory to my gracious Lord Who to my wishes doth accord While here I live I must thee praise For as in Heaven I spend my dayes For nought doth here my soul annoy But I possesse a Heaven of Joy And when from this blisse thou'le take me In glorious Heaven my soul shall be The Companion WHo doth an heavenly Muse injoy Regards not this vain worlds annoy Nor can they ever be alone Heavens Muse is there Companion Vpon the losse of my Brother WHen losse of ought would thee torment Cry 't is thy will Lord I 'me content My love must not divided be 'Twixt Earth and Heaven thou 'lt have me see My brother from me thou hast tane But yet content I must remaine A Brother and a friend was he But much more thou wilt be to me When thoughts of absence moves a tear Thy will is that I should forbear He went not but by thy decree And I must not displeased be On the Sun AT height of noon it cannot be That I can fix mine eyes on thee â—ut when at setting I am bold With setled eyes thee too behold â— onverter of Atheistick thought â—hou wert to me when as I sought â— remedy against that sin Which I too deep was falling in Some one above thee must make thee Thou govern'd by a God must be Being told she was proud MY body it must surely dye Off to be proud then what have I. Yet proud if they will have me be My high-borne soule it is of thee But Lord my Soul is none of mine Shall I be proud of what is thine As being thine from pride I 'me free It is enough I 'me freed by thee My pleasing Life SWeet quiet sweet obscurity Here in this life best pleaseth me Till from earth's thrall I shall be free To live in glorious blisse with thee When from earths tumults I am free To contemplate great God on thee A heaven of blisse in thee I see How can this life but pleasing be Nothing of thee merit I can But yet when free from thrall of man I can thee serve with heart more free Then from that thraldome still keep me To a Lady unfaithfull Madam THe Prince of heaven being in love with you Did to his glorious Kingdom bid Adieu The heaven he was awhile content to leave To see if you would his chast love receive You did belong to him when he you sent Into the world but you from him soon went And his chast love so pleasing and so sweet You left your wanton Paramour to meet With his unlawfull love you pleas'd your selfe Fye Madam leave him he is but an Elf. See what your dear sweet Prince hath done for you 'T is very strange but yet t is very true When he did see you wantonize with them Who were professed enemies to him He then with his fierce enemy did fight To reingain you as his ancient right He lost his royal bloud to purchase you How can you then but to this Prince prove true Can you a Coward love and stain your name By being false unto this Prince of fame Your wanton lovers actions hate the light And you 'r asham'd to act them in our sight Then here I le tell you if you know not it All your actions and vain thoughts unfit Your true and lawfull Lord doth straight espie
them out of all their troubles needs must thou be compassed about with Songs of delight thou couldst not chuse but sing thy Self too those Songs thou diddest teach to thy chief Singers that they might inclose thee in the sweet aire of delighting praises and with thee my Soule must desire to sing when with thee I am so protected Saint Stephen GOd can make our faces to shine like Angels to daunt our enemies and he here can make us to see his face to shine in glory to comfort our Souls Why then should we fear our fiercest enemies why then should we not be confident of the aide of our loving and powerfull God Thy blessed power is like thy Light But our frail fear is like our night MY Soul being plac'st on the wings of contemplation with them raises me to the Regions of felicity The foundation and felicity MY great God! Thou that hast aided me in laying the foundation of assurance assist me still now â—owring in the turrets of contentment and let all know that they can never with safety ascend the turrets of delighting contentment if they have not first laid the true foundation of assurance Vpon the Temptation of the doubting of Heaven MY Soul Though that subtle enemy of thine and of all men doe seek to seduce thee by his insinuating perswasions to doubt of that unexpressable and immortall felicity of thy Soul and body yet my Soule faint not For if the holy Writ be true thy felicity is certaine the which my gracious God I doe most confidently believe to be the written word of the God of all the world by whose word and will I and this FabriCk were created though that pernicious enemy seeks to perswade me that it is a fancy of a studious braine and writ to keep people in awe to human obedience And because nothing doth please our Souls but the thoughts of eternall blisse nor afright them but the dread of eternall punishment therefore have they fained a heaven for reward of the vertuous and a hell for punishment of the disobedient and that those felicities of which I have written are but fictions of my owne braine and somewhat like they that invented it and partly taken out of it But my gracious God keep me that I fall not by these temptations but let me know why he is and hath been so busie in drawing me to doubt of thy being and of that glorious heaven which I do notwithstanding his temptations believe I shall possesse with thee My God is it to draw me to a loose liberty of my life and so by disobeying thee I might live in fear of being cast out of thy favour to eternall punishment if so I will tell him that he may cease his labour for if that which I beleeve to be the holy word of God be a fancy of any braine it is so just and pleasing to my soul that with all my power and might I will endeavour to lead my life according to the direction of that exact and royall Law and so hatefull is any thing to me that is contrary to it that when thorow my frailty I doe what in it is forbidden I am hatefull to my selfe till I am assured that that offence be washed from me and that something within me assures me that the breach of that transgression is pardon'd This is a strong argument to me against that temptation and of the divinity and eternity of my Soul for if my Soul were not to be eternally either happy or miserable why should the expectation of eternall misery trouble me and the assurance of eternall blisse so exceedingly joy me Tempter goe Reason and experience teacheth us to see that likenesse breeds love our Souls our minds for such things there are can never love nor delight in what is not but our Souls affect eternall glory then sure such a thing there is but be it so or be it not such a thing is presented to our consideration and if I am not to live a life of eternall blisse hereafter yet for the happinesse of my present life I will so neer as I can run in the paths that lead to that heaven which I so much affect that I might live with a confident hope that I shall possesse it for nothing can truely satisfie my Soul but a heaven of eternity and with these thoughts I can live on earth in a heaven of felicity Tempter Thou art like to loose thy labour for I must take up that resolution not to live a sensuall and vicious life for if I have no grace such a life is hatefull to my disposition and such a life would not I live were there no God to give blessednesse or no Devil to torment But one thing more I have now to tell thee I in the Sanctuary of the great God of all the world presenting my petitions to him that by something I might be assur'd that thy wicked suggestions to make me doubt of his being were false I was directed to consider the glorious Sun which then shined bright in mine eyes so that I plainly see that great God of whose being thou wouldst have me doubt doth aid and assist me against thy wicked temptations for it cannot be but a great God that can make and governe so glorious and so great a light the God that made that made me that God I did offend in my first parents and since in my owne person but to him am reconciled in his first borne Son Jesus Christ who is God and man and for his sake shall I possesse a Kindome of felicity here and at the last a Kingdome of eternall glory To him be Glory On the Sun-rising AS the appearance of the Sun-beams disperseth the clouds of darkness which brings sadness to the earth so let the bright shining beams of thy Spirit O heavenly Son of light disperse the clouds of darke despairing thoughts and vaine imaginations the which do darken the brightness of my Soul and bring sadness to my heart Let them purifie and raise my minde that I may still be singing praise and let me ever say To my great God all glory be Who makes his light to shine on me Heaven upon Earth MY Lord Though thou wilt not take me from earth to live in Heaven with thee yet thou comming â—rom heaven to live on earth with me makes me on â—arth to live in heaven with thee The Temple MY God! Is my body the Temple of the Holy Ghost What Palace can there be in this small Fabrick fit â—o entertaine so great a Prince yet thou hast said If my love thee thy Father will love them and thou and â—ee and thy holy spirit which cannot be separated â—rom thee will come and make thy abode with him My Lord and King thou knowest I love thee for â—ong since I was willing to have left the world and all â—he blessings that thou hast given me in it to have gone to live with thee but what talke I
leaving the world to come to live with thee Thou art come into â—he world to live with mee and in me But my great Lord where in me shall I finde thee hast thou inâ—hron'd thy selfe in my heart give me then thy assistance that no proud imagination for my own greatnes may arise to disinthrone thee and make the distaste that habitation but be thou in my heart ever attended by sweet humility and humble obedience Let all the members of my body be imployed in thy service Let my hands administer to thy Saints and not stretcht â—ut to covetousnesse Let my feet be swift to run in the wayes of thy commandements and not to shed innocent blood or if in my head thou hast taken up thy seat there let humility attend on thee too or I shaâ—â— fear thou wilt goe from me for thou resistest thâ—â— proud but though thou beest high and instabitest eternity yet thou O great Prince will dwell with thâ— humble Then in my head and in all that belong to 〈◊〉 doe thou finde humble obedience that there I mighâ— retaine thee Let not mine eyes have any proud look nor be windows to lett in vanity but let them be eveâ— looking to the hils from whence cometh my salvation Let not my tongue which thou hast given me to servâ— thee be imployed to back-bite or defame any thâ— least of thy children or any one for how know I who arâ— thine or who not but let my tongue be ever speakinâ— to thy praise and glory and let the words of moutâ— be accptable in thy sight nor let mine ears listen tâ— any idle or unseemly discourse that may displease thâ— divine Majesty and let my nostrils be ever filled witâ— the sweet savour that comes from thy heavenly garments So if all the faculties of my body be imployeâ— by my Soul humbly to serve thee I shall live and expresse a glorying heart because I know this body is thâ— Temple of the Deity Then where I am a Heaven must be For thou dost bring a Heaven with thee The true Object of Love MY Lord When thou wert pleas'd to take my thoughts quite off from the world I was directed to regard that place where thou bidst us cease from man for wherein is he to be accounted of for his breath is in his nostrils yet he a creature after thine owne image and the excellentest of all thy workman ship on earth yet this rare creature his love his hatred not to be regarded for thou canst in an instant take away that thin fume of life and then what power hath he to love or hate My Lord He is indeed a most contemptible creature in respect of thee But when my Soul enters into the consideration of thy greatnesse and deep abisse of thy endlesse power and mercy My Soul is struck dumbe and knows not what to say but silence giving me opportunity to consider of thy infinite love to me power forme beauty and excellency in and about thee my Soul is wounded with a deep affection towards thee and love cannot will not be silent And â—ow my great and powerfull God was it not enough for thee to make so great and beautifull a structure for me and for all men but when I had run from thee by my disobedience into the territories and tormenting arms of my enemy for thee O most glorious Prince of eternall blisse to leave thy Kingdome where thou â—ert attended by a multitude of bright Angels and blessed Saints which continually sing thy praises with â—heir heavenly voices for thee to leave such transcendent delights to take on thee my frail flesh and come â—o me and subject thy selfe to all the contempts that â—n insulting enemy could impose had nor this been enough to have manifested an unanswerable love to so contemptible a creature but thou My dear Prince I who wouldest set a perfect patterne of humility and â—ove for all that were thine to follow for love to mee â—hou wert content to dye and the most painfull and igâ—ominious death that could be inflicted on the meanâ—st person Thou who wert serv'd by all the world was â—leas'd thus to serve for me and to dye to save me from â—ternall death and before I knew into what tormentâ—ng habitation I had plung'd my selfe by my rebellion â—hou wert pleas'd to declare to me how thou hadst reâ—eem'd me out of those most cruel inthralments by â—hy willingly yeelding to dye for me for none could â—ave power O great Prince of Heaven and earth to have taken away thy life hadst thou not laid it downâ— of thine owne accord thou wert please to tell me too though I live here among thy enemies and mine yet â— should not be afraid of them for they can but kill my body and that too not without thy leave for none caâ—â— take thy children out of thy hand unlesse thou arâ— pleas'd to deliver them into the hand of their persecutors and by that fiery Chariot to convey us to that immortall Kingdome which thou hast promised to thou that beleeve on thee where we shall receive from thâ— hand the beautifull Crowne of our eternall glory â— my God! Who can chuse but be ravisht with thy unfaâ—dom'd mercy and unexpressable love to thy poor yeâ— by thee inriched creatures My dear Prince Whaâ— shall I doe to let all the world know what engagements my Soul hath to thee I do wish it were in my power as in my desires that all the world may sing Halalujahs to thee for the saving of my Soul from thaâ— cruel adversary and for the glory that thou wilt inveâ—â— her in and that they would sing publick praises untâ— thee for thy mercies to themselves too would thaâ— were their imployment then should not thy service be so much slighted nor thy name so much dishonoured nor thy servants so much contemn'd But Let them sing praises to thy name Whom thou hast blest And kept their Souls from endlesse paine And plac'st in rest Thou hast me kept from hellish paine And plac'st in rest How can I chuse but praise thy name When I 'me so blest Rom. 12.1 MY Lord I cannot plead ignorance for I must confesse I have often read it and knew that I was to â—er up my self a living sacrifice to thy Majesty and to â—ve my selfe wholly to thy disposing and not to have â—y sequestred thoughts from thee dedicated to mine â—wn ends in either my actions words or thoughts but â—y dear Father I now plainly see the necessity of entring â—to thy Courts to hear thee most gracious Prince â—eake to us by thy Embassadors And I nor any other â—ught to say what should I go thither to hear a man â—ell me but what I knew before But my Lord thy Ordiâ—â—nces are powerfull and thou workest more effectually â—n our hearts for the most part by the preaching of â—y word from them then by our own reading and stuâ—y and now I begin to suspect I have not offered up my â—lse so