thread 'twixt Death and thee ' This darksome Place thou measur'st may be thy Grave ' And sudden Death rides Proud on yonder Wave By thoughts dive down into the Abyss of Hell And there in Justice doth the Almighty dwell Death is a Calander compos'd by Fate Concerning all Men never out of date Yet chear up I have a message in store Whose Comforts much and joyful News is more We have yet a Friend Puissant and of Might Will see us take no wrong but do us right Le ts offer up Sacrifice with one accord And pay our solemn Vows unto the Lord And with penitent Hearts implore him And Day and Night pour forth our Souls before him For shall I be silent no I 'le speak Till Tongue be tired and my Lungs be weak Proclaim to us thy Mercy for we thurst for Grace For thou art free of Mercy to those that Mercy will embrace O save us harmless from our Foe-mans Jaws Who art turned Orator to plead our Cause How are thy Mercies full of Admiration How sovereign sweet's their Application How redefâ—â—ed are we with the Rust of Sin Which hath abus'd thy Stamp and eaten in But yet at length if we repent Instead of Plagues and Direful Punishments We shall find Mercy Love and Heavens Applause For the Great Almighty himself will plead our Cause Thine Eye that views the moving Spheres above Ought to give Praise to him that makes them move Here may we see how Prayer and true Repentance Do strive with God prevail and turn his Sentence From Judgment Just and Plagues Infernal To boundless Mercies and to life Eternal All o're the World how should these Mercies make a sound As Blessings fall Thansgiving must abound â—dge then did ever Record round thine Ear That God forsook the Heart that was fiueere But often have we seen that such as Plow â—â—wdness and Mischief reap the same they sow The Moral says all Wisdom that 's given â—o Hood-wink'd Mortals first proceeds from Heaven Far safer 't is of things unsure to doubt Than undertake to riddle Secrets out It was demanded once what God did do Before the World was fram'd Whereunto ' Answer was made he built a Hell for such As were too curious and would know too much at such curiosity preceds from him who can â—â—ly accuse Man to God and God to Man â—â—no Hourly sows fresh Schisms among the Saints â—ea buffets them then laughs at their Complaints O Chastity the Flower of the Soul â—ow is thy perfect fairness turn'd to foul There are thy Maiden-smiles thy blushing Cheek â—hy Lamb-like Countenance so fair so meek â—ay not other Virtues serve but must this Queen 〈◊〉 made the Subject of Unchast spleen So young is Man that broke with Care and Sorrow â—e's old enough to Day to die to morrow â—â—e gives us Passage to endure great Woes â—â—ath frees us from all Temporal Foes â—t tho secure my Soul did never slumber â—et do my Woes exceed both weight and number Both Poor and Rich are equal in the Grave â—rvants no Lords and Lords no servants have â—hat needs there light to him that 's comfortless â—r Life to such as languish in distress â—bjects of pitty are Bodies in distress â—nd worthy to injoy eternal Rest Lord make Wise thy Servant a Wise forecast Grieves for things present not for things are past Satan have Servants who can make true boast They gave away as much as thine have lost Others with Learning made to Wisely Mad Refuse such Fortunes as Croesus never had Lord make me Champion give me such belief A strong and fervent but not crafty Faith. I know a forc'd Love neeeds no such great Applause Since they Love Ill that Loves not for a Cause I bespeak leave to Answer all this before I knew They want no Grief that find such Friends as you Be not discontent no no forbear for I Hate less your Censures than your Flattery Succour I sought and begged but none was there To give the Alms of one poor trickling Tear. See how I lie devoid of Help or Friend O make me humble and mindful of my End. Lord make me Just in Image like my Divinâ— Creator Pollish and 〈◊〉 yea Refine my Nature Let me receive all as 〈◊〉 thy Hand With a thankful Heart as living in thy Land And consider the self-same Sorrow Grieves others to Day may make me groan to moâ— row Great King be my Comfort in my highest Grief I will not trust to Mans but thy relief I know Great God upon my true Repentance Thou wiâ—t determine to reverse thy Sentence Make me tho in a blind Age Wisely to see And in a seeing Age not bâ—ind to be He that would save his Life when Honour bids hiâ— die Steals but a Life and lives by Robbery Dishonours his God and that likens to the Powâ— Divine That made and placed her in her Fleshly Shrine The Wise and Good-like kind Physicians are That strive to heal us by their Care Their Physick and their Learning calmly use Although the Patient them strangely abuse For since the Sickness is they find A sad Distemper of the Mind The Wiseman in the midst of Woes May enjoy and feel a sweet repose Might pitty all the Griefs we see By compassion Anoint every Malady While our selves are calm our Art improve To rescue them and shew our Love That we with open Eyes may see The brightness of Gods Majesty And never more in Chains of Darkness lie 〈◊〉 be secure from Bondage and all Iniquity That comforts Divine may fortifie and raise the Soul To Heavenly Joys where none can controul The World 's a hurly burly and the Court All Tongues were fill'd with Wonder and Report The Watch is set pursute was made about To Guard the King and find the Traytors out To punish him according to his due That did not Peace nor Loyalty persue Had Man been Kind Loving True and always Good As formerly in the Golden Age they stood Then had we lived in all Delights and Glory full of Love Blest as the Holy Angels are above But now we suffer for evil Deeds Reaping the fruit of our ill Weeds But thou O Holy Jesus who did'st for us Die And on the Altar Bleeding for all Men lie Bearing all Torment Pain Reproach and Shame That we by Virtue of the same Tho Enemies to God might be Redeemed and set at Liberty Let us likewise favour to others show And live in Heaven on Earth below Let 's prize their Souls and let them be our gems Our valuable Temples and our Diadems Rich Spoils and Trophies our own Joys Compar'd to Souls all else are Toyes O let them be such unto us as they were to thee Valued as Vessels of Glory and Felicity What would I give that I might likewise see The Brightness and true Glory of thy Majesty The Joy and fulness of that high Delight Whose Blessedness is Glorious yea Infinite And while we feel how much our God doth
King Solomon's RECANTATIONS BEING AN EXTRACT Out of the Famous WORKS Of the Learned FRANCIS QVARLES Cup-bearer to the Queen of Bohemia Sister to the blessed Martyr King Charles the I. of venerable Memory With an Essay to prove the Immortality of the Soul by way of Symetry or Connexion Licensed July 21. 1688. Rob. Midgley LONDON Printed by I. R. and are to be sold by Randal Taylor near Stationers-Hall 1688. Advertisements T'Here is lately Printed a Book Intitule The way of Life is Pleasant Or tâ—â— Church of England is the Best Guide Coâ—â—taining several useful Discourses for every Christian to Read and Practise for the support of their Spirits and comfort of the Minds With some Evangelical Reflection upon the Apostolical Observation of thâ— Lent-Fast With short and useful Prayer upon the Church-Festivals and most other Emergent Occasions With several prepaâ—ratory Prayers for the Holy Sacrament anâ— Thanksgiving after Receiving Licensed Iun 〈◊〉 the 4th 1686. and Sold by Randal Tayloâ— near Stationers Hall I. Harding at the Biâ—â— and Anchor in Newport-street Rich. Sare a Grays-Inn Gate in Holbourn and by most Book sellers in London and Westminster 1686. KIng Solomons Experimental Observations of Himself Time and Things deducted from his Recantations by Way of Soliloquie in a well digested Method Sold by Randal Taylor near Stationers-Hall 168â— King Solomon's RECANTATIONS c. OH 't is much better not to Thirst at all Than Thirst in vain or quench thy Thirâ—t with Gall. â—hose profit can accrue to Man what gains â—an Crown his Actions or reward his Pains â—â—nless he trample on the Asp and tread 〈◊〉 the young Lyon and the old Dragon's head Or else the Clouds of Sorrow may multiply â—â—d hide from thee the Crystal of the gloomy Sky â—â—oad not thy Shoulders by the Sin of unwise desire â—hat all thy bedrid Passions may quite expire â—â—earch for and find such Words which have the might 〈◊〉 intermingle profit with sweet delight Than shalt thou have hopeful worth to Crown thy last â—ith Peace and Honor yea such rare Sons thou hast â—â—nce Frolick Midnight Madness is quite expir'd and thou requite Thy wild attention with Heavenly delight Thy courage indeavouring to deserve the name Of heroick Martyr by giving thy Body to the Flame This will give true Life so sweet to every one That takes pleasure in the Worlds redeeming Son From Earths pleasures by striving to refrain Knowing those short-liv'd flattering pleasures vain Therefore rejoycing greatly in true Spiritual ways By Heavenly contentment chearing youthful Days Banishing false-eyed Mirth let it be truly disposest Of those lewd Firs that are apt to inflame thy Breaâ—â— For Earths best injoyments are short and vain But for a season rejoycing but cannot remain For feeble Strength her ruins smite thee And grinds thy clod to dust tho not afrights thee One Generation gives another way But Earth abides in one perpetual stay The Prince of Light put on his Morning Crown But in the Evening lays his Glory down Where leaving Earth to take a short repose He soon returns and rises where he rose His Wisdoms choice affections own His Churches good much dearer then his Throne For us subduing beneath the spangled Sky What ever might hurt us That in Wisdom we may decry All Evils and seek all Hevenly sweet felicity Yet injoying such pleasures that Earth could lenâ— that I Might find Earths Mirth and Beauty but vanity My thoughts yet pondering all that hath been done Betwixt the solid Center and the glorious Son And yet no knowledge can reduce the state Of crooked Nature to a perfect straight For some Mens Ignorance which surmounts The learned Language of Arithmeticks accounts Oh! then thought I how are the vain desires Flesh and Blood Baffled in their mistaken things called good Yet travel seeks them yea unwearied Hearts Makes them the objects both of Arms and Arts Yet many certan obvious Evils attend Our Ways to our uncertain Journies end We tire the Night in thought the Day in toil Sparing neither sweet nor lucubrated Oyl â—o seek the things we cannot find or found â—e cannot hold or held we cannot ground â—o firm as to resist the various swings â—f fickle Fortune or the frowns of Kings That if his Royal Power please to commit â—â—is Pastorial Staff to such as are more fit â—o Eat and Drink Kill or recommend his Flocks â—o such dumb Dogs of whom ne'r Wof nor Fox â—â—ill stand in awe or shew their fears by flight Not having Tongues to bark nor Teeth to bite Yet by the way advise Obedience then Always he sure to please rather God than Men. â—f the Embers of his rage should chance to lye Rak'd up or furnace from his angry Eye Quit not thy Duty 't is thy part to asswage â—y due Obedience the jealous flames of consuming rage Curse not the King nor them that bears the Sword No not in Thought tho Thought express no Word â—or secret report shall vent such hidious things To punish those who oppose the legal Authority of Kings For all that attempt thus to act casts a shame Upon the beauty of an honor'd Name Ah then my Soul take heed to keep thy Heart At thy right Hand where there she will impart Continual secrets and direct thy ways â—n secret Ethicks sweetning out thy Days With season'd Knowledge Wisdom past the reach Of dangerous error and instruct and teach Thy Heart-wise silence Wisdom when to beak Thy clos'd Lips and judgement how to speak â—uch wise Mens Words are gracious where they go But foolish Language doth themselves o're-throw Folly brings in the Prologue with his Song Whose Epilogue is rage and open wrong Yea the tedious actions of every Fool doth try The solid patience of the weary standers by Because their weakness knows not how to lay Their actions posture in a civil way Yea such rude folly stains their Fame But fair repute for Wisdom lends a name Therefore our steps will measure out the way Our Garb our Looks our Language doth betray Our Wisdom or Follies read by all we meet Our selves proclaiming our Follies in every Street But 't is a grief that grates beneath the Sun That like events betides to every one A like be false to Good and Bad Wise and Fooâ— Yea both To him that Swears and him that fears an Oath Better to be a living Creatures tho vild they plead Then to be known a wealthy Wiseman that is dead For they that live well know that they shall die Therefore take time but theâ— that lie Rak'd up in deaths cold Emâ—rs they know not Or Good or Ill their names are quite forgot No Friends they have to Love nor Foes to Hate They know no Virtue to spit Venom at They sell no sweet for gains nor do they buy Pleasures with pains or tread beneath the Sky But yet go thou rejoyce and Eat let a full Bowl Cashire thy Cares and chear thy frolick Soul What Heaven hath lent thee with a liberal
thing is Man how frail and brittle How seeming great how truly little We rise securely with the Morning Sun But unregarded Die e're Day be done Yet his Estate was level and he hath Free-will To stand or fall unforst to Good or Ill. Such is the State Man was created in Within his Power a Power not to Sin His life 's a bubble full of seeming Bliss The more it lengthens the more short it is The swelling of his outward Fortune can Create a prosperous not a happy Man. 'A peaceful Conscience is the true content ' But Wealth is only her Golden Ornament ' I care not so my Kernel relish well ' How slender be the substance of my shell ' My Heart being Virtuous let my Face be wan ' I am to God I only seem to Man. To him the searching of Mens Hearts belong Mans Judgment sinks no deeper than the Tongue Let shame prevent our Lips recant and give To the Almighty his Prerogative He overlooks thee and in one space Of Time his Eye is fixt on every place A Disswasive from placing our Hopes in transient Happinesses BUild not your Bliss upon the blaze of Glory Can perfect Happiness be transitory Nor in the use of Beauty place your end Nor in the enjoyment of a Courtly Friend These if injoy'd are crost with Discontent If not in the pursuit yet in the event Apply thy Heart to Wisdom with good attention For 't will inrich thy Soul with fair prevention That no foul Treason against thy Blood intended Thy Life thy State will Loyally be defended For Worship Honor and true respect Shall be done to him whom the Heavenly King do affect Peerless Honours and Princely Rights Be done to them in whom this King delights The highest Heavens will still conspire to Bless All faithful Seed and with a fair success Their Enemies he 'll ty they shall not make reply Not daring to answer nor deny The Heavens grown great with Age must soon decay â—â—e pondrous Earth in time shall pass away â—â—t yet his Sacred Words shall always flourish Though Days and Years and Heaven and Earth do perish â—an sees like Men and can but comprehend â—â—ings as they present are not as they end Man wants the Strength to sway his strong affections What Power he has is from Divine direction Which oft unseen through dulness of the Mind We Nick-name Chance because our selves are Blind And that 's the cause Man's first beholding Eye Oft Loves or Hates and knows no reason why If he be Poor that wanteth much how Poor he that hath too much and yet wants more â—â—ice happy he to whom the bounty of Heaven â—fficient with a sparing Hand hath given â—e fairest Crop of either Grass or Grain â—ot for use undew'd with timely Rain The Wealth of Crcesus were it to be given Were not Thank-worthy if unblessed by Heaven 〈◊〉 Riches which fond Mortâ—â—s so imbrace â—re not true Riches it not enlightned with true Grace Wealth interpos'd with too too gross a Care â—hey lie obscur'd and no Riches are Let not the fawning World to pleasure then invite Thy wandering Eyes the Flesh presents delight â—sist me in my Combat with the Flesh â—elieve my fainting Power and refresh 〈◊〉 feeble Spirit I will not wish to be Casâ—t from the World Lord cast the World from me To be afraid to die or wish for death Are Words and Passions of disparing Breath But wretched Man were thy condition mine I 'de not dispair as thou do'st not repine But offer up the broken Sacrifice Of an humble Soul before his gracious Eyes Whose Works are Miracles of Admiration He mounts the Meek amidst their desolation Confounds the Worldly Wise that blindfold they Grope all in darkness at the Noon of Day But guards the humble from reproach of wrong And stops the current of the crafty Tongue Thrice happy is the Man his Hands correct Beware lest fury force thee to reject The Almighties Tryal he that made thy Wound In Justice can in Mercy make it sound â—ear not tho multiply'd affliction shall Bâ—siege thee he at length will rid them all In Famine he shall feed in War defend thee Shield thee from Slander and in Griefs attend thee Thy House shall thrive replenisht with Content Which thou shalt Rule in prosperous Government For Man â—â—licted by the Almighties Hand His Faith doth flourish and securely stand Yet the worst I 'le look for that I can project If better come 't is more then I expect If other ways I am Arm'd with preparation No Sorrows sudden to an expectation Lord to thy Wisdom I submit my Will I will be thankful send me Good or Ill. If Good my present state will pass the sweeter If Ill my Crown of Glory will be greater All this experience tells when I advise Those who have taught many may themselves bâ— Wise Tho rising early with the Morning Sun Yet unregarded die e're Day be done No Gold is pure from dross tho oft refin'd The strongest Ceder's shaken with the Wind. The â—est of Men have Sins none lives secure In Nature nothing's perfect nothing pure â—â—om mudded Springs can Crystal Water come 〈◊〉 some things all Men Sin in all things some Since that my Vesture cannot want a stain Assist me lest the Tincture be in Grain To thee my great Redeemer do I fly It is thy Death alone can change my Dye Tears mingled with Blood can scowr so That Scarlet Sins shall be as white as Snow But wretched Man be not in thought too sure Sin steals unseen when we sleep most secure By Craft there are who season error with the taste of truth And tempt the frailty of our tender Youth What pleasure is in Dainties if the tast Be in it self distemper'd better fast Lord in my Soul a Spirit of Love create me And I will Love my Neighbour tho he Hate me I Love the World to serve my turn and leave her Tho I 'll not say 't is no Deceit to cozzen a Deceiver She 'll not miss me I less the World shall miss To loose a World of Gâ—ief to injoy a Life Bliss By thy Mercy Lord to Glory receive me in Aâ—though my Soul is burthen'd with my Sin For thou art Just and bent to a Wise Decree Which certain is and cannot alt'red be It seems a Paradox beyond belief Tâ—â—t Men in trouble should prolong relief We poor weaklings when we sleep in Sin Knock at onr droâ—sie Hearts and never lin Till thou 〈◊〉 our sin congealed Eyes Lest drown'd in 〈◊〉 we sink and never rise The approaching 〈◊〉 might be at once prevented With Praâ—rs and Pains râ—â—â—red reattented We try new ways dispairing of the old Love quickens Courage makes the Spirits bold Our God bids go our Credit bids us stay Our guilty fear bids fly another way O Earthy Men make not your Righteous Laws A trick for gain let Justice râ—â—e the Cause ' O worthless Man arise and see ' There 's not a twiny
some of the Nerves which hinders the motion from being continued in the Part affected of the Body as far as the Brain which is the Seat and Organ of the Senses because the impression have some palpable let or hindereance and cannot be carried or arrive through the exterior Senses of the Brain which are called Internal But our Souls Naturally like other-Created Spirits ought not to have any dependance upon our Bodies for to have the Ideas of things they ought only to have immediately dependance upon God and by Consequence ought only to have Union with him but this Supreame Spirit having been pleased for the reasons we have said and for many others which we conceive and for more yet apparently perhaps which we do not conceive that our Souls should have their Thoughts and their Sentiments their Desires and Affections upon the occasion of the Body to the end that they should be a continual Subject of Victory and Meritorious Exercise by the assistance of Divine Grace which is of it self Victorious over the Impure delectation of Concupiscence whereof it invincibly suspends the Charm by the Heavenly and inward Taste which it gives us of God of our Duty and of Eternal Happiness for Divine Grace causes 〈◊〉 to love Order and Duty in spight of our selves making us sensible that we owe to God an infinite â—â—ve of Complacency wholly disinteressed and wholly pure for which we ought to love his Eternal and Sovereign Beauty with all the strength and motions 〈◊〉 our Hearts for this alone will convey to us true â—â—â—asure for this will furnish us with Order Truth and Justice which will undoubtedly prevent all Irregularity Which Order is to be beloved by all Spiâ—its and all upright Hearts in all the Parts of the World for this have some affinity to the Sovereign Beauty of Nature and of the Supreame Essence who â—s the Lively and Eternal Source of Order Equity and Duty the Eternal and Substantial Truth which do not discover it self but by Rays by degrees escaping â—ut from God clearing the obscure Clouds of our disorderly Desires that we may Love and Adore our Sovereign Creator who gives us the weak glimmering of his Ineffable Beauty in that Virtue and Duty which he causes us to Love which is as it were the Charm of the Supreame Being For all that we love in the abstracted Idea of our Duties or in the real Charms of the Creatures is nothing but the Splendor and the Rays or the Shadow of that Charm of Sovereign Beauty and Perfection which Gloriously shines â—n the Supreame Nature from whose Beams it is that Nature Commences equally in us the love of Complacency and the love of Union that we may be filled with Contentment with Pleasure and Love Truth Justice and Equity and all other Graces and Virtues whom we love invincibly under the Ideas and under the Names of Truth of Justice of Beauty of Virtue of Duty or of Equity which shine in all Places of the World and makes it self seen loved and adored invincibly by all Hearts in all Ages for these all preceed from the glimmering and glances of Gods Original Beauty which is so amicable by it self that as Corrupt as we are we cannot hinder our selves from loving it because it flows from the Sovereign Nature of God. 2. The Soul of Man have no Power of giving iâ— self neither the Idea nor Knowledge nor Sentiment of any particular thing but it is God who hath alâ— Perfections dwelling in him that Instructs and Inlightens the Souls of Men for his Majesty alone is the Life of every thing that Lives and the Light of every thing that is Enlightned who gives us all the Sentiments and all the Ideas which we receive or have from the occasion of our particular Bodies and from others which environ us Tho to clear this point 〈◊〉 be obscure and difficult and yet is very Important and Necessary in Order to make us comprehend our dependance upon God who is alone the All-knowing Being by himself as he is an existent Being by himself For it 's God alone who hath Essentially of himself and by himself his Eternal and Subsistent Idea by which he can distinctly see all things possible present and to come The Created Spirits who are not Thinking Beings of themselves much less Spirits knowing by themselves or in themselves the things which are exterior to them and therefore they have need to receive the Ideas of particular things from God that they may have a knowledge of them For if they had the Idea of one sole particular thing out of themselves there would not be any Idea which they might not have neither would the Soul of Man have been Ignorant of any thing if she had had a Power by her self to Form and Idea of the least thing but by Consequence would have had the Idea of all things But since of her self 〈◊〉 cannot form any one Idea by Consequence she cannâ—â— form many For to imagine she could would be no sensical and trivial Our poor Soul goes gropâ—â—â— through all the Bodies who environs it searching 〈◊〉 a Pleasure and Contentment which should satisfie iâ—â— but no Pleasure nor Treasure can give the Soul trâ—â— satisfaction but God who is the alone Sovereiâ— Pleasure which makes the Soul thus search after hiâ—â— and him allone it is we ought to regard with all oâ—â— Strength Might and Motion seeing his Majesty râ—gards our Soul by all the Rays of his Infinite Essenâ—â— For his Wisdom it is who is our Satisfaction our 〈◊〉 and Contentment yea our Sovereign Felicity Oâ— Bodies then are but as it were our Souls burden at best but a House upon the Road of Eternity Wheâ—â— fore we ought to seek for a lively Idea of our dâ—peâ—â—dance upon this Supreame Being and upon all Divine Attributes that we may the better appreheâ—â— his Sovereign Perfection whose Nature is Supream and yet is graciously pleased to operate continual in us and rules over us in all our ways and in divers operations Our Souls do not make the digsâ—ion in us the Circulation of the Blood the Natuâ—â— and pureâ—y Animal Respiration in us the Soul beiâ—â— altogether Spiritual have no Power to act this waâ— but there is nothing which we certainly know bâ—â— the Soul is the active cause and principle of it which she have gain'd the Empire either to do not do as she pleases we may therefore reflect up her Faculty which she have of thinking of willinâ—â— and determining her self which are the two oâ— active Faculties that we know in her for the othâ—â— passive and receptive Faculties of which she haâ— essentially the Empire as well as the certainty of thâ— double Faculty and of all the Acts that preceeâ— there from and we may see that she suspends 〈…〉 Thoughts and her Reasonings puts them by determâ—â—â— and applies them as she pleases to new Matters which always present themselves and thus she is Mistress of â—â—er Will without the motion
Garland or a Jewel to a â—agnificent Benefactor Therefore we had need to be â—ry choice in the mixture of our Flowers and cuâ—â—ous in the enammel of so rare a Present that it may â—ove to us a Royal Diadem to adorn our Souls for 〈◊〉 Therefore to let any dirt or blemish be in it â—ould be inconsistent to our Felicity Therefore â—ight and clear apprehensions Divine and Ardent â—ffections are highly necessary to this Compleatment â—eing upon the sincerity of the affections and intenons depends the Honour of the Work it concerns every one therefore to cleans his Heart from all Impurity and Insincerity that his whole Man may be an acceptable Present to God that his infinite Immensity may graciously accept him and all his Works for his Wisdom never rejected the sincere but endews them with inward and outward Ornaments such as an infinite clesiâ—e and delight in Goodness enabling them always to Love his Eternal Majesty with an infinite Love and Deiight greatly Thirsting to be fully satisfied with him and him only for the Soul is to Noble a thing to be satisfied with any thing less than his Transcendent Majesty whose Goodness extends to all even to the Unthankful But he is most the Friend of those who delight most in him for infinite Love and eternal Blessedness are near ally'd for all Delight springs from the satisfaction of violent desires for which cause when the desire is forgotten the Delights are abated The coming of a Crownâ— and the Joy of a Kingdom is far more quick and powerful in the surprize and novelty of the Glory than the length of its continuance The greateâ— part of our Eternal Happiness consist in a greatfuâ— recognition not only of our Joys to come but oâ—â— Benefits already received True contentment is thâ— full satisfaction of a knowing Mind i. e. a long habiâ— of solid Repose after much Study and serious Consiâ—â—deration or a free and easie Mind attended with Pleaâ—sure that naturally ariseth from ones present Condâ—tion yet to be content without a true Cause is tâ—â— fit down in our Imperfections and to seek all onâ— Bliss in ones self alone and as it were to scorn aâ— other Objects which is in it self a high piece of Pride that renders a Man good for nothing but makes him Arrogant and Presumptious in the midst of his Blindâ—ness whereby he leads a living Death by shuting uâ— his Soul in a Grave in that it tramples under Foâ—â— the Essence of his Soul which in Truth turns his Fâ—licity to Malevolence and Misery or in other Word Disorder and Confusion Therefore Man is an unwelcome Creature to himself till he can delight in his present Condition provided his Condition be such as is pleasing in the sight of God for this must be the Condition that can make our pleasure exquisite For otherways we shall be tormented with the contriety of our desires The happiness of a contented Spirit consists not only in the fruition of its Bliss but in the Fruits and Effects it produceth in our Lives which makes every Virtuous Man truly Great within and Glorious in his retirements Magnanimity and Content are very near aly'd they spring from the same Parents but are of several Features Fortitude and Patience are Kindred too to this incomparable Virtue for these fill a Man with true Pleasure and great Treasure which makes him Magnanimous and truly Great not in his own Thoughts but in the sight of God The Magnanimous Soul is always awake the whole Globe of Earth is but a Nut-shel in comparison of his Injoyments for God alone is his Sovereign delight and Supreame complacency So that nothing is great if compared to a Magnanimous Soul but the Sovereign Lord of all Worlds But Man divided from God is a weak and inconsiderable Creature But every Soul united to God is a Transcendent and Celestial thing for God is its Life its Greatness and its Power its Blessedness and Perfection for he that is joyned to the Lord is one Spirit 1 Cor. 6. 20. His Omnipresence and Eternity fills the Holy Soul and makes it able to contain all heights and depths and lenghts and breadths whatsoever In a Word it 's the desire of every such Soul to be filled with the fulness of God. Magnanimous desires are the Natural results of a Magnanimous Capacity the desire of being like God of knowing Good and Evil. But in a grosser sence this was the destruction of the Old World Not that it is Unlawful to desire to be like God but to aspire to the Perfection in a forbidden way by Disobedience and following our own Inventions by seeking to the Creatures in opposition to the great Creator A Magnanimous Soul if we respect its Capacity is an immovable Sphere of Power and Knowledge far greater than all Worlds by its Virtue and Power that it passeth through all things the Centre of the Earth and through all existencies and allsuch Creatures as these he counteth but Vanity and Trifles in comparison of his true Object the great Almighty whose Transcendent Goodness desendeth in full Showers upon all Men by his communitive Goodness which is freely extended to every Man. The Seven last WORDS our Saviour spoke upon the Cross I. FATHER forgive them for they know not what they do O Lord forgive me wherein I have forgot thy Presepts and done that which is Evil. To the good Thief II. This Day shalt thou be with me in Paridise O God say to my Soul in the Day when thou takest it from my Body This Day shall thou be with me in Heaven III. Woman behold thy Son. In Futurity let me behold the Vision of Bliss IV. Eli Eli lama sabachthani that is to say My God my God why hast thou forsaken me Forsake me not in my greatest Afflictions V. I thirst Grant that I may thirst for thee the Fountain of Living Waters VI. Father into thy Hands I commend my Spirit Receive my Soul when it is returning unto thee VII It is finished Finish my Course with Joy and grant O Jesus that I may be worthily qualified to receive that sweet Voice of thine Welcome to the Kingdom prepared by my Father Meditation for the Sick. THEY that Glory in their Ancestors in the Nobleness of their Birth and Blood must make their Beds in the dark and acknowledge Corruption for their Father and the Worm for their Mother and Sister they that are already Dead and crumble away to make room from us that must come after them are secluded from Men but live with Angels Dust thou art and to dust thou shalt return Gen. 3. 19. What Man is he that liveth and shall not see Death Psal 89. 48. Our Bodies shall return to the Earth from whence they were taken but our Spirit shall return to God that gave it Eccl. 12. 7. It is appointed for all Men once to die Heb. 9. 26. We must needs dye and are as Water spilt upon the Ground that cannot be gathered up