bayes are these thy brags They have no Grandeur to amuse My free-borne spirits scorne to choose What so inadequate will prove Unto the Heavenly vastnesse of my Love Nor when I see thee crosse my way Arm'd in thy terrors to essay Me with fell browes and felling blowes Canst make me stoope to thy dispose there 's no such amiablenesse appeares T' attract the sweetnesse of my feares So canst not play the Cheater nor The Thiefe I thus provided for Nor have I time nor strength t' attend Thy gaudy trifles nor to lend An eare unto thy trifling threats Whilst such a fearefull-fearefull-Love compleats It selfe by growing more One in One My busied thoughts o're-whelm'd alone In my exceeding Great Reward My Buckler and my shielding Guard Whos 's Sunne-amasing bright aspects Majestique Grace Inf'nt protects Omnipotent Benignities Eternall favours my soule n're sees But wonder-struck it panting lies For life to live before those eyes Whose every glance conveies such sparkes As all created beauties darkes And wholly makes my loving feare Injoy th'inliv'ning dyings there Breaking through every object to Th'great Love with whom I have to doe That fires out mixtures while he warmes Pure hearts in 's purifying armes Trampling on worlds with all their force And fraud that strive to stop my course There lie thou sprawling feare and there Disheartned love so proudly'd dare T' usurp the name belongs to One Doth both as you yourselves oppone Let vulgar men have vulgar mindes Let false feare kill while fond love blindes Let vulgar men have vulgar mindes Move crosse and stumbling lie behinde Unenterfairing even pac't Affections smoothl'each other hast And me on them as the same feet O' th' same Heaven-journying soul to meet The same desire one blessed God Who ne'r made passions be at ods BUt Sin and Satan fear'st not them No no nor them they can't condemne Me that must be the Higher powre Whose feare their feare doth over-powre Why shu'd I so disgrace my Birth A piece of Heaven-inspired Earth Shall I degenerate from my Birth And to base feares resign my Mirth No 't is not them I feare but Him Whose love will never lose a limbe I conflict with a conquer'd foe Wh'hath only strength enough to show The stronger over ruling hand Subjecting All things to'ts command I 'le wary cautions active be And so my feare from feare shall free Give me no feare but that which meets In hearty joyes and honved sweets A well compos'd Ingredient To make the more compleat content A pure a cleane a cleansing sound Strong strengthning healthy feare whose ground Is Love is Faith a hopefull feare A feare of great delight 's my feare Sweet feare How oft I 'd name thee ere I 'd let thee goe who art so neare So deare unto my heart Sweet feare That mak'st such Musick in mine eare That feast'st me with such royall cheare Such heavenly fare the while I heare Thee say the King my Father 's here The King my Husband 's come to beare Me company to solace me W'th all manner o' pleasants hid for me Unworthy me to sup and dine To banquet with me with the wine The generous wine repleats my soule With raised spirits above th'controule Of men and divles while humbly waite On th' gratious Councels that impart So glad a course of watchfull worke T' avoid the sad temptations lurke About m'in every corner and Hath promis't me hee 'l ever stand Close by me wi'h's ne'r slumbring eye Ne'r shortned Arm that can espie That can prevent thought he so good Evill's at th'great'st distance but he wu'd Have them approach assault to try How much of that great God may lie In such a little piece of flesh What mighty powre he can expresse B' a broken contrite heart what high What unconceiv'd delights defie The highest-aspiring griefe and scorn T' be over-reached overborn By'ts cruell Talons but still soare Their Heaven-securing flights as more Advanced b' its pursuits while still Resolve t' be uppermost will-nill All th' ravenous griefes and Harpy feares Though th'hugest terriblest flock appeares Sweet feare still sweet And have I met Thy name again Though counterfeit That wu'd betray me while I let The feigned sound have entrance yet As error proved makes the truth More lovely so its falshood doth Thy faithfull friendship while I finde They 're purposely of him design'd These hid as well as open foes That may th' sagacity disclose That with the courage lies inclos'd In this my faithfull feare repos'd In that All-powerfull breast Sweet feare Wise Valiant feare still may I feare Yet never feare to lose thee feare Thy misse but not thy losse may heare May see as well as know thou art A constant lodger in my heart While still thou art in exercise Of some sage puissant enterprize Still watchest prayest workest wait'st Still fight'st still beat'st thy way through straights Sweet feare how oft I 'd name thee er'e I 'd let thee goe who art so neare So deare unto my soul sweet feare That mak'st such Musick in mine eare Well make it still within my heart VVe'r still together though we part Il faut avoir Courage iusques apres la mort THe shrill mouth'd Trumpet and the ratling Drum The clattering armour and the quivering Speare Swords glittering Canons roaring these become The Spirit that 's steel'd with Faith not bar'd with feare The smell of sulphure and the sight of blood The sence of wounds of death the heart yet good Thus muster up thy forces day by day Thus fight before thou fight'st this is the way To carry it sure put on thy Panoplie Arm'd Capapea thy proudest foe defie What need'st thou Christian feare maintain the field God is thy Shield Tower Captain never yeeld Or fear'st thou more the fiery darts of men Then divles these quench't shall those affright thee and when Thou shu'dst be bold because thou art afraid In weaknesse God his power is perfect made HAst seen the Hunter hurry down like thunder Headlong descents beare up the steepest Crag Leap hedge and ditch cut gates and bars asunder Break through the thickets plunder through the Quags Scowre o're the Hillocks flie it o're the Plaines Out-face the windes laugh at the storming raines Forget his hunger envy not the Bryars His clothes his flesh wi'h's Steed undaunted prance Through lonely Heaths perplexed Woods never tyres But on still on he rides and if he chance To get a fall leaps nimbly up again And makes the ground to feel's more swift disdain Thus fired with courage nought but feare refraines Thus sports in 's perils pleasures in his paines Up Heaven-bred heart up This 't is doth demerit The exercise of thine Heroique spirit Shall that brave breast recoile what what temptation Dismaies the man whose danger 's recreation How his resisted soule will reinforce It selfe and take new valour to its course Through all he breakes downe all he beares o're all He flies his saith is further'd by his fall For what his
but gull His seeming sweet straite turnes to gall And vomits straite his stollen all His Done joy 's cooled by and by With reall ills in Fieri But stay all this is but to seek my selfe While I am studying how to loose it I Must flie a braver pitch far far more high Above the thoughts of all this selfish pelfe ACtion is the life of a Christian it is death to him not to be stirring He cannot rest in himself though nay becausefill'd with the greatest contents He receiveth to doe but the wicked doth to receive His pleasures his joys his delights are displeasures are troubles to him if they doe not run forth themselves into God Hence the soule at his stillest and retiredest recesses is still putting out its heart and breathing forth it selfe in praises studying and contriving wayes of activenesse for the glory of its God and hence the poore soule though indeed only rich when it lyes at an under in truth the very heighth of Christianity cries out O it cannot doe it cannot doe Blessed soule that art estranged to thy self that hast forgotten thy selfe and all thy good deeds as things not worth the looking after and hast got so forward in the wayes of holinesse to be still more pressing onward to the marke in a more speedy and active course by how much the nearer thou commest to it Thou that knowest what it is to cry out enough Lord mercy enough vvhat are those sweet pangs and blessed conflicts of soule under a divers notion the while thou over-powred with apprehension of that Unspeakable Gift in whom is given thee all things richly to enjoy now labouring under some present distemper and being thereby led back to the remembrance of its roote and originall art so overcome with the sight of thine owne altogether unworthinesse of the least mercy thou dost even sinke and fall under such weighty and over-bearing thoughts with a sweet-humble-resignment of thy selfe as now no more thy selfe and so with an holy kinde of carelesnesse as concerning thy selfe art become willing to suffer to doe to be any thing for thy God and in that respect the while thou tacitely and most effectually deprecatst these petitionst for the removall of these distempers disturbances indispositions c. as of themselves impediments to the more active duty and the more manifest expression of the divine glory though indeed these sweet impressions are not a little tending to it The sinceritie the humilitie the love the zeale that is more intentively active within breaking forth with so much the more strength and vigour And what can the most eminent lively stirring and active Christian doe of himselfe since the strongest is as weake as the weakest without God and the weakest as strong as the strongest with him who accepteth the sincere heartie studious indeavoring will for the deed and will thus accept of thy mite that thus throwes away thy self as it were that throwes in heart and all although in the meanest and weakest performance as desiring no mercies to thy selfe but to returne them as tributary streames to their first spring even this shall he accept before all the Rivers of Oyle all the bodies that may be given to be burnt by a selfe seeking Pharisee that is still returning and winding about to himselfe like those waters of Ponds Meers and Lakes that run into themselves 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Psal 58. that are not acted by an inward principle to a selfe-withdrawing selfe-outing end but are meerely agitated by winds by externall motions and still move within the compasse of themselves and therefore dry away and perish with the hypocrite And this doing is no doing or if any is aliud agere is male agere that thus beginnes and ends in it selfe But what dost thou O man of whom God requires onely that thou shouldest doe justice and walke humbly with thy God And what is it to doe justice but to give every man his right and for every man to give thee O Lord thine all he doth he hath he is all his pleasures all his possessions all his abilities of which all since he can give thee nothing what cause hath he to walke humbly with his God And what infinitely sweet humble action and active humilitie is that that brings us to walke to converse to have fellowship with such an infinitely sweete God the author the finisher of our ever infinitely sweete humilitie O who would not now humbly act in all and aske his mirth what Doth it and account his laughter madnesse runnes a round of selfe conceited pleasure and is not like a line that takes its beginning and ending in thee that conveyes not the soule along to thee onely Who would not Ecco to the command of Come doe my will with a readie and speedy I come I come to doe thy will If there be any truth even in naturall love is it not when it not receives for it selfe but doth for its beloved even to the undergoing the greatest paine the losing of the dearest life can nature live by doe die for love and shall not grace make nature subservient to Thee in all these and what ever there may be more then these where can the man finde himselfe that knowes thee that loves Thee as he should as hee would here is the man that sees so much of Heaven that nothing but the love of God can make him meddle with a thought of the earth while the God-unacquainted soule sees so much of earth that nothing but the love of himselfe can make him to meddle with a thought of heaven all the glories of the Kingdomes of the world may well passe away as shaddowes vanities nothings before the soule that in his Christ sees his God when the least tempting Apple may loose him that is not secured in this blest premunition And to that happie condition is the soule brought and that is it which brings the soule to that happy condition that lookes after the world and Heaven for God when the other after God for the world and Heaven so while hee makes himselfe his God makes himselfe a devill while the other in making himselfe Gods makes God himselfe while he drawes in onely that hee might poure out God poures in unto them while he is drawing forth while he takes his graces themselves drinkes and fills his belly with those living waters to this prime and principall end that the overflowing thereof may make glad the city of God and carry both himselfe and it to be swallowed up of that infinite ocean of loves and sweetnesses A Christian is at least should be so rich with content so superabounding with such an exuberancy of the milke and hony of Canaan that like the distended udders of high fed Kine it even lookes to be drawne forth and longs for some to be taken into the partnership of its joyes and graces so far should he be out of any impotencie and incontinencie of spirit to be carried out to
nimble eye could not prevent His noble heart turnes to incouragement And counts small undertakings too too small For that Great minde that nothing great can call But God On on brave hearts What what temptation Dismaies the man whose danger 's recreation Not feares the hard'st injeopardingst and yet feares The light'st secur'st Imployment since he heares More Alsufficiencie in th' Aeternall's Word For th' difficult'st exploits and findes't confer'd On 's Heaven-raised soule then'n Himselfe sees To th' least good thought vast insufficiencies Thus by this feeblenesse made more apprehensive O' th' gratious supervenient strength'i's defensive Offensive succours He finds so sweet a greet In 's R'covering Heart where strength and weakenesse meet God and himselfe Here'd faine b'unchamber'd by 'th ' Free quickning Aire growne stronger ' d conflict with The ruder windes and yet his strength increast Stirres up the heartned Champion to request The King his Master to designe him to Some singular service which he passing through With perill-edging puissance might prove The Sovereigne vigor of his Soveregne's love Arm'd w'th ' All-powrefull Arme that rends in pieces The hugest hosts of foes as th' slender Fleeces O' th' slightest rottenest Woole What what temptation Dismaies the man whose Danger 's Recreation â—â—st not thy exercise I' st not to trie Thy strength that Thou mayest know 't and magnifie â—â—is Giver I' st not use legges and have them use travell And use shall teach thee nimbly trippe the gravill * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Epict. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And how thou' rt here mista'n 't is not th' affliction Whereby thou suffer'st but thine owne affection No man can hurt thee unlesse thou wilt what may An Heathen teach thee magnanimitie O pray Pray for more faithfull courage let men see Ethicks are yet to learne o'Theology What fear'st but sinne lookes 't after what but grace Since there 's so much in these then these imbrace Count them thy Pleasure Glory and thy Gaines For what gets more of Christ's well worth thy paines From the eater meate cruell sweet darke light ill good A Ridle in heaven's fully understood Here were our hearts s ' Inheaven'd in Holinesse As there they 'll be even here they 'd see no lesse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 SImplicitie-Immutabilitie Art thou O'Lord and am I as thou art One Spirit with Thee this contrarietie Whence is it then whence this inconstant heart Wer 't but that to thy sacred Image I 'M renew'd I 'd looke for more Analogie One spirit yet many loves yet many changes O be there now no mixtures no estranges O here 's my woe incorrespondency My deeds unlike themselves and all to Thee O trie refine rack supernaturalize Extract subtile sublime spiritualize O spirit spirit what shall I doe for spirit This body o' Sin this rotten Carkasse bury it How ' nweldy ' t is how over-grown with flesh How faintly it workes More spirits to refresh I can't indure these lame sick presents t' give Or make me lively or not let me live O cou'd I keep my Orb and constant shine I 'd draw up worlds with influence divine And mount their spirits but so dim low coole They 'le feare 't is but some Meteor to befoole Them not so wise to deem the different doome Between a setting Sun and falling Fume Much light 't is shewes the Sun much fruit the Roote The Roote the Sun Thou art then may my fruit My Light be much that men may wonder much What 's th'lightfull Roote whose fruitfull Light is such I am thine Image don't men judge of Thee By me Ah Lord let me no longer bee Or be more like Thee What no more holy yet More perfect yet Nay my heart intreats Thee let Me branded be for a damn'd hypocrite Or my-thy Light let it increase its might The soul Thou sai'st that 's clean-and sound promoves In strength the righteous man his Light improves Unto the perfect day but better I For ever perish then Thou once shu'dst lie They 'r foolish men and if I once doe ill From P'rticulars to Generals argue will From Man to God but how ever I be Yet Thou art good when wu't Thou come to me O that I could but wish to wish to bee For ever in Hell then be a jot from Thee This th' only Hell then may I there ne'r be O cou'd I keep my earth-freed wish to be For ever in Heaven then be a jot from Thee Thee Thee But ' die for feare for love of Thee Great Good what not but I sin shame Glory Grace Grace nay Then I le live Thy Name With loudest praises I le promulgate Then My heart my life shall say Amen Amen ORub me rub me He is passed by Pass't by my breath my life my I. O what but My hanging hands and feeble knees agree To joyne their suit for speedy remedy My yearning lookes and rowling bowels make A sad relation of Thy sad forsake My yearning lookes and rowling bowels make A glad petition for Thy glading sake For Thy forsake I faint I sinke I die But for Thy sake I live I rise I flie And over all I hie I post I speed I cannot stay For Faith is nimble in its way I post I speed I cannot stay For love and love know no delay I post I speed I cannot stay For Faith and Love are all my stay I post I speed I cannot stay For Love in Sence must end my way HEalth Wealth Name Liberty The World at will enough Take thy ease and minde thee The World what 's that to me Not elbow-roome enough To turn and winde mee Not peeping hole to see My Love not breath enough For m' Lungs to winde me Great great deficiencie Not lightsome roome enough To loose n'er finde me Wu'd not I die did not I eye Thee far before my self Wu'd not I pray my selfe away From all this paltry pelfe Wu'd I demurre when gone so far In love to thy Great Selfe Wu'd I descend and not there spend M' into Thy Endlesse Selfe No sure I de goe I de never hold my head And keepe my flushed spirits from their flight To roule their chantings i' the Darkelesse Light And sing inlargement from the living dead But that I heare me thinkes a voyce behind Sing Evangelick Anthems through thy life Thy Heavenly concords woo'the I ambe a wife Wives and more winne the spirit of their minde Corrivalls here increase their mutuall flame by 'th ' mutuall praysings of th' all pleasing Name O make me then thy Instrument So holding to thy hearts content So true unto the Touch each string Each straine so suite each Note so bring A grace unto the rest that they May fall in love that heare thee play May heare thee play that they may fall In love that raises above all To dwell with dwell in him that is Because the God of love of blisse VVHere wut thou goe this morning wandring soule With whom wut sport or where wut make
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'
world since findes that store within That fils me most when most I 've empty been Here 's that that when my Oyle seemes almost gone O'reflowes my neighbours vessels with mine owne Here 's that that shu'd my feet be ready slide Into the Wise mans Paradise doth guide Cries be thou e'ry minute of the day In' th ' feare o' th' Lord nor let thy envy stray To catch a tempting apple paltry pleasure A bladderd name a rag of dunghill treasure Men look to Ends and beasts unto the present Full Moones will waine and full will be the crescent Thy crescent and n'er waine O here 's a word How m'thinks it stillest silent'st whisperings heard Through th'most tumultuous insurrection broiles My flesh can make s' amidst these Coiles What high resolves I take deepe pleasure draw VVhile know my broyles my spoyles my griefe my joy Shall multiply In what a peace is Hee VVhose minde is staid on Thee great God! He He O man of admirations This is he 'S in perfect peace although he cannot see Not say 't himselfe For what is that but a Stay And where 's that perfect but where 's no decay The roote of joy is Peace and Peace it's nature Follower it's ground sound joy 's onely i th' Creature Hee 's in his Peace As hast thou ever beene Upon the Rouling Maine conveyed within Some well trim'd Barque and under deckes wud'st doubt Thou' rt not within because thou heard'st without The tumbling Billowes beate against her sides VVhile thy clos'd Cabbin from thy selfe Thee hides So is he In his Peace His Christ His Arke Though windes waves tempests roare and hee 's i' th' darke Blest soule that rides to heaven on the world I' th' Bottome like a Mussell Shel is spurl'd Ath ' foote of pride So dost thou spurl't proud wretch Thinke as thou please that build'st thy selfe a Catch O' th' owne to swimme upon the flattering calme Of sence-delight and never fear'st the storme Till finds't and when thou seest the danger in Thou thought'st not of thy folly then thou 't swim From off thy broken vessell unto him To save thee from thy death though not thy sinne The life of death Mad soule thou 'dst have him bee Thy Saviour but sav'd thou wou'dst not be But be inslav'd unto thy deadly lusts The while for life on him thou madly trust'st But know till thou hast learn't the way to live In him by with him thou sha't never live Till thou hast learnt to doe be all in him Thy brightest light thy livelyest joyes shall dimne Shall die as not o' th' Sanctuarie's Fire That nere goes out but that that dies i' th' ire O' th' everlasting burnings know no fire Not zeale not spirituall joyes themselves but such As tine their Tapers by the faithfull touch Of that celestiall and unmixed flame Th' cleare uncorrupted Light is still the same VVHat meanes deare Friend this lot-misliking moane Who 's not content with any's content with none What had he who possest the world alone But not his soule as not enough in one What had he not wh ' had not where t' lay his head But in his fathers bosome made his bed The way to true content it 's but one that hit Straight leads thee to the Presence where there sit Millions of smiling graces that imbrace Thee in their welcome armes glanc't from the face Whos 's every beame raines golden showers of love Upon thy sugred soule i' th' floods of love Melts and 's exhal'd unto those Thrones above Where all thy Tryalls but thy Trophes prove Cheare up blest heart who tremblest at his word Hath promist hee 'le looke to thee nurse thee afford Thee what hee 's able and wu'd'st have more He cannot then be rich if thou art poore Hee 'l no good thing withhold and wu'd'st have bad 'T were better farre thou cu'd'st be poore then mad Hee 's onely poore whom God doth hate but he Hates onely them that love themselves but yee That loath leave all for him but crave A hundred fold more such in him and have Hee 's infinite hee 's nothing more too scant To helpe ten thousand great then one small want Hee 'd first create another world for his E're they should want a Pointile of their blisse But earth and heaven and all I Ciphers call The number 's onely one who makes is all He ne're injoyes the world that makes't his joy He e're injoyes't that makes it his annoy Such difference makes hope and feare to part With what he spurnes at 's heele he laies to 's heart Whence had he keep 't t 'had never gone toth'quick When pluct away nor left him sorrow-sicke Whose comfort lives on healthier principles Substracted crutches Criples onely Criples At th' best 't is childish not to goe alone But grow in knowledge of that All in-one And that shall make thee grow in strengthning grace That makes foule way to mend they homeward pace A Naball seated in 's sufficiencie Is still i' th' creatures stockes when Job can flie His heaven-free circuits in 's proverbiall needs And fetch the selfe-sufficiencie exceeds The gain of worlds on worlds and makes him blesse His God for th'endlesse wealth of godlinesse Ther 's nothing that 's without can blesse or curse Saies the Philos'pher and shall we be worse VVe Philochrists vvho if he be vvithin And vve in him all wi'thout's not worth a pin Fling fling away the vvorld vvhen he shall bid You 'l sweeter taste those sweeter Cates he hid For 's hidden ones before the world was made And vvhereupon they feast vuhen it shall fade Or could thy heedy faith as clearely espy His vviser hand vvithdrawing thy pelfe as I The hand that drawes these lines how cu'd'st thou cry But Hallelujah to the God on high VVho is thence doth onl ' good long then to learne Obedience unto vvhat thou shalt discerne Appointed by him So make the smallest crosse Crowne thee a Martyr vvhile thy thankfull losse Shall vvitnesse vvhat a powerfull God he is Glads thee vvith that from vvhence thy sorrow rise Bids thee for nothing care but how to care For nothing by thy praise-requesting prayer To see to sing vvhat rare what plentious fare VVhat store of all select delights there are In this thy Pallace-Castle-Christ secur'd For ever thus in thy boundlesse bounds immur'd Abide view round about thee Mercies stand Above belovv b'fore b'hinde on either hand Compast vvith mercy as a fiery vvall But tri'd refin'd to thee comes nought of all Conspire then trecherous vvorld vvith that belovv And vvhat Come make us sport to see yee so Ridiculously foolish to attempt To force the Fort so far from force exempt So shall thy understanding passing peace Guard th'understanding heart whose joyes increase By opposition while th' experience knowes The freedome from i'th'benefit by blowes Six troubles and seaven m'assault with thundring bands But still their ill at th'greatest distance stands Nay act thy faith in Heaven for all
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
And must needs because whatsoever is not of faith is sinne Neither indeed can I wonder how feare hath lead me to faith but shud certainly take my selfe to be seduced if it did not All graces how distant soever seeming being of the same company going the same way so that he that is with one must needs be with all And questionlesse all are wrought in the soule together and grow together how ever in the minoritie of our Christianitie God may teach us methodo analytica may as it were parcell them forth into severall lessons till our capacities are more widened and strengthned for the fuller and compleater apprehension of them according as wee grow in our manhood in Christ Jesus And hence is it that so often in Scripture a Christian is caracterised by one onely But especially by faith and feare that in the old this in the new Testament one in Christ more darkly shadowed out the other in Him more evidently revealed but both in Him according to the manifold wisedome of God in Him by whom Hee hath reconciled all things the severall kinds of actings of the soule as well as severall soules to one another and all to himselfe So that what they said of their vertues that there was cognatio quaedam arcta necessitas betweene them I am sure holdeth most true of graces betwixt whom there is cognatio certa necessitas perquam arctissima All of the noblest and familiarest consanguinitie being all of the blood of Christ Or conceive them as so many linkes of a Bracelet the love token of the soule from its Christ lincked together in an invielable concatination you cannot breake off one but the whole figure and forme of the worke as it is said of the Commandements whereby these are framed as it were and cast is broken And indeed there is nothing of Christ in the soule but it is Christ Christ formed in you You have not so learned Christ We preach Christ c. the whole sum of the Gospell-Law and Law-giving Gospell and consequently the whole worke of grace being onely Christ So that we cannot so much as thinke the least good thought of our selves What we doe what we have what we are of good we doe we have we are not but it is God the spirit of Christ that dwells in us and so indeed ours so we as Christians as outed of our selves as inned in God pertakers of the divine Nature c. whose being in us habitually whose acting in us imminently or transiently is all our grace Now the spirit of God is indivisible and therefore are all our graces homogeneous harmonious have a gracefull symetrie analogie proportion to one another make but one systeme joynt frame and body of Christianitie how different so ever how discrepant soever the parts the members seeme they are gracefull to usefull to each other Are like so many faculties of the same soule in innocency before by our fall they were like a watch dashed against troubling and stopping the course of one another Which mended againe by their maker though like severall wheeles they seeme to move not onely diversly but contrarily yet are they all moved by one spring and further the due motion of each other and all tend to the same end the promoveing of the same gnomen in promoting of the glory of their God and setting forth the praise of that never-sufficiently admired workemanship And though there may be some hamerings and knocking 's in setting the minde in frame some paines in the new birth some harshnesse in the tuning of the soule yet they do all tend to the compleating of that inconceiveable harmony Though God often times specially in the more powerfull times of the Gospell brings forth Christ formed as it were without any paine tunes the heart as it were with one touch and sets up the whole and joynt frame of the temple without scarse any the least sound of the hammer And as a wheele not onely by but in its going downe is Ipso facto going up so those graces that seeme onely to cast downe the soule doe not onely afterward but in the very doing of it raise it up as humilitie feare griefe c. which so farre as divine and as I may say Gospell-proofe are still raysing up the soule in the greater assurance magnanimitie joy and these as it were still casting it downe and that againe raysing it up c. As there is nothing that more humbles the soule then heavenly mindednesse so is there nothing that more sublimes it then humilitie as there is nothing that strikes the soule with a deeper awe then the assurance of the eternall love so in the feare of Jehovah is the strongest confidence as it is an unsound and vaine joy that hath no acquaintance with sorrow so is it a sinfull and death-working sorrow that reares not up the soule to more livelmesse and joy c. And thus we progresse on our speedy round While grace helpes grace to rid away the ground Not grace and grace but one promoveing wheele Whose apprehension-parted particles feele Their one selfe equally-proficients while We are one Christ converts us from this soyle In never-resting firie circles till In perfect motion on our holy hill Thus while the world runs roundly downe to Hell We roundly up to th' Heavenly Domicill Christ I see I fall I fall in love for love I die this death 's my life this life 's my worke this worke 's my life this life 's my light this lively light 's my death this death 's my fall my rise to come to flie unto my light love life my Christ Happy happy soule in truth whom the sight of God the beautie of truth of holinesse shining through the face of Christ as a mutuall perspective of reciprocall delight keepes in an humble-meeke-peaceable-lovefull-fearing-joying-strongly-confident every-way gratious posture And hither I suppose lookes that of James the meekenesse of wisedome not onely cause they as all graces convene in one bundle of life in one poesie of heavenly fragrancies nor of the proficiencie of wisedome by meekenesse in that the humble he will teach nor from the nature of it in that the wisedome from above is first pure and thence peaceable gentle easie to be intreated c. as in pure cleane sweet-juiced bodies free from the repugnancie of sower cholericke hetrogeneous humors but because the first rise of this so especially blessed grace is from wisedome from the knowledge of God and our selves And hither that unite my heart to feare thy name as touched before And that fearefull in praises the same discovery that presents me God praise worthy for his great goodnesse presenting me him feare-worthy for his good greatnesse Hither that now I have seene thee with the seeing of the eye I abharre my selfe in dust and ashes the soule might heare else long enough though indeed too faith comes by hearing yet so as it is made an effectuall meanes to open the eyes And
as God T' know good and evill I 'le then plod Upon this narrow Scrutiny With all submissive industry I 'le then resigne mine eyes to thee Thou Only Wise to see for mee I 'le be a foole the only way To passe for Wise another Day CHristian O how I tremble at the Name That holds the God that holds the world in frame O what an Earthquake-Palsey shakes my limbs What Spirit-intercluding feare bedims Mine eye What quivering Agues hurry through My panting veines surpris'd with chilling dewes I tremble how I tremble at the Name Christian Shall I say so I must my Joy constraines My Joy that serves it selfe by lighter paines With weightier comforts I professe Ah Lord Make thou my Life unto my Tongue accord Christian A piece of undivided Christ Watch soule for if thy selfe thou God beliest Off Sacrilegious hands th'ungodlike man Ungodly is is not a Christian For God is Christ and Christ is Man CReep sneaking Earthworm to thy bags of Gold And glutt thy greedy Panch with hungry Clay Climbe lofty Spider to thy Heights take hold Of Princes Palaces toile night and day Spin out thy braines into a curious plot Kings Kingdomes are but silly flies soon caught And thou whose Life sayes Time was made for leisure Thou for an Ocean-sporting Behemoth To tosse to rowle thy self in Seas of pleasure Yet know the Foot the Broome the Sluce whose Breakes through th' condensed'st Earth the Aire most wrath high Reaches and draws the abounding'st Waters dry Poore Base Wretcht man Are these things to compare That are so short that Are not while they are With Him that is our Substance With the Rare Th' only Honor t' be his Son his Wisdome Th'faire Sole-pleasing Love whose pure Essentiall Light Breaths flames in all with mutuall Delight God! Christ Blest Spirit Yee-Thou-Are-art mine For ever art One With thy Self-and-Thine MAT. 12. 43 44. GOe sweep thy House and weare out all the brooms Of Ethicks to the stumps collect the sweets Of Scripture flowers garnish perfume thy roomes Thou' rt yet the Rendevous where Legion meets And revell rout's more safe till Christ ha'indwelt Thee'nd kept Possession Which had he then th'hadst felt Thy sin-purg'd-thirsty soule draw wholy up Thy daily draughts of his reviving Cup. This sin-drean'd-Christ-replenisht soule 's no rest For th'unclean Spirit but the self-full brest OH where 's a quiet Lambe a gaulelesse Dove An humble soule an all-enduring Love A Glorious-and-offence-by-passing man That sweetly smiles at All the creature can A a Psa 131. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 smoothly plained silenc't soule abides No b Isa 40.4 cum Psal 31.20 rugged rough excrescencies of Pride A fitted soule to fall in close conjunction With God t' apply it selfe to every function A patient Job meek Moses gentle Paul Upright Gods Friend Heavens Seer well may y'him call The lively Image of his Christ VVho was the lowliest-and-the High'st Blest man Hath found the Philosophique Stone That with a touch turnes Dunghils into Thrones And of a Thorny makes a Golden Crowne Admir'd Believer While he'humbly laies him downe Below th'least mercy i' the nethmost Pit Walkes as a man not worthy o' the Name He forfeited unto Eternall shame Not worthy t'look to th'God he sold for nought On any creature who all in bondage brought Below the lash o th' Diabolicqu'st tongue Satanicqu'st hand in doing doth no wrong Sits still in Heaven with Him in Heaven did sit While in the Grave far far above the reach O' th' highest reaching sins can make no breach Upon his praising Obncords far above The barking or the fawning World but prove Th'increasers of his mirth by what he felt From their attempts while here below he dwelt DEny my selfe Take Up My! Crosse Each Day And follow Thee Selfe Friends gain ease name may Not one of these parts of my self not all Serve But my self and all my self must call Thee Lord What no propriety at home An Inmate to my self And yet must come And beare Must bring my shoulders to this Crosse Nay stoope for 't too and that for My My Crosse How lights anothers though heavier far And say 'T were once ones Life a Yeare a Moneth but every day And that including subdivided times As oft as he shall please recall our crimes Unto our memory And yet thus loaden travell Nay after perfectnesse her 's that would ravell The fin'st spun with into a sad confusion To draw these premisses into a glad conclusion But wisdom 's from above and 't is not nature That sees the height bredth length depth o' th' Creator H's incomprehensible love in Christ How light 's The burthen How unconceiv'd th'delights Thus made more capable of vaster Blisse By these impos'd impossibilities To flesh and blood how much th' more room for grace For God to make our soules the happier Place Of his such wonder-working residence That makes our Faith so far exceed our Sence His Spirit his powre our own that we might be Th'more glorious Proofe of his Omnip'tencie Omnia mea mecum porto TIll thou canst make the Cross of Christ uncrown'd And snatch the Scepter from his hand confounds Kingdomes like Potsheards till thou canst controule Him that shall rowle the Heavens like a scroule And make them melt with fervent heat to give Me passage to my high prerogative It s full enjoyment till thou canst untie Or cut in two the Gordian knot where I 'M inseperably interwoaven with himselfe Till thou canst rob the everlasting wealth And dry the inexhausted Spring Or stop The invisible Influxes that doe drop That poure out * Cant. 5.16 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sweetnesses come streaming through Their pure and undiscover'd Channell to M'inlivened soule th'ebbing world shall still redound VVith flouds of overflowing comforts ground My soule above the reach of worldly cares To feast upon the sweets of heavenly fare LUKE 1.53 O May I daily empty me of me Could'st thou but fill me daily more with Thee Can'st thou deny thy selfe Or can there be Ought good but Thee Or be Vacuity In Grace more then in Nature O'make make me More humble so I rise more fill'd with Thee Ah Lord Now where am I sure this is right I here is that is worth the name Delight Here her 's a Joy that swallows all my joyes In'ts shorelesse blisse and over all m'annoyes Triumphs in glorious peace the while't imployes It 's provident security and swerves On neither hand but to an haire observes Its narrow ways untill it come t'innest I' th' omnipresent Center of his brest O may I daily sill with more of Thee T 's this filling only humbles-raises me HUmilitie and grace are commensurable take the depth of the one and you have the height have all the dimentions of the other Ex pede Herculem So much Humilitie-so much Grace-so much God or rather so much God-so much Grace-so much Humility All our disposings of our selves to him being post-not predisposings so farre as I
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
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
we ENough Lord July 1640. Mercy enough take my life from me I better than my Fathers No s'bad I 'd die Were I left only Yet were I still with Thee But I 'm so fickle s'inconstant one while I Conquer Philistims break through all but then My strength is gone and I 'm like other men 〈…〉 renew'd and now had I 〈…〉 I 'd so imploy 〈…〉 â—ation Go their 〈…〉 Exalts it self above the highest Throne And sweeps down Stars whose lustre hath outshone Their artificiall Fires and made their Light Appeare th'ditch-plunging Vapours of the Night Lull'd were wee fast asleep while they Us shave But in thy Name wee 'le valiantly behave Our selves wee 've strength an t'spare wee 'le be more be Than Conquerours yea shortly on Them see Wh'have long depriv'd us of our sight and made Us grinde the grist keeps up the Romish Trade And now wee'z make them sport but such as makes Them and their Conclave feele their Downfall shakes Down down it goes this Lordly Machination On their own Lordlesse hearts this reputation Have all His Saints let not the vision be Prolonged Lord. When when shall I once see These Cockatrices Egges These Spiders webbs Crush't and swept down This Flood even now it ebbs While't more Rebellion then the Ocean sounds That curbs its proud Waves by its Makers bounds Is'nt th'Myst'ry of Iniqu'tie's Measure found Orerunning th'brim strik 't strik 't and throw 't to th' ground O when 's That 's Shortly Thou't under our feete contrite All desperate haters of Thy holy Might SWell on proud Toad and with thy swelling burst Spit venome still I 've m'Antidote How say'st I can't indur't Nor He thee thou accur'st That blest the meek I wonder how thou pray'st Thy Will be done What Wu't th' prerogative 'S His Glory To none other will He give A Touch a Pin a Word a Look make such a brable But brought on Bed thy self-will never eas'd Gi'th'Child its will give the Fool its bable And who more pleasant The devill 's well when Hee 's pleas'd But whose of God is pleas'd when He 's not well His Will 's his Pleasure and his own 's his Hell NO feare not Thou for Thou dost Jesus seek Meek righteous soul to make thee righteous meek Feare nothing nothing else but Him who can Yet cannot ' cause he will not hurt a Man A man of God whose single watchfull eye Heart minde strength might joy time doth all imploy In all Commands with all their due extents And sweetly still the humble soule relents And drooping dropping dropping in his breast will cry Ah wretch't unprofitable servant I O blest and profitable servant Thou Rewarded with th'All powerfull God and how How canst thou feare wh'hast Him who all things made Feare not He bids then feare to be afraid Feare not the Lion but the way watch pray He 'd keep th'in his who keeps His in their way THat feare and love is good and great That Goodnesse feares and Greatnesse loves Good for a slave may feare a threat And every rascall money moves Great the greatest feare from * Miserimum est fuisse foelicem Sin-and misery is as it is to Holinesse-and Happinesse Had not they first been we had never known these It is the full and feeling apprehension of their irrecoverable losse that makes Hell Hell to the wicked And the feare of their indiscoverable obscuring that makes feare feare to the godly In this so far exceeding that of the ungodly that the feare of the one ariseth from the losse of God of the other from the losse of themselves an infinitely sweet and gratious God a poore petty contemptible worm The soule of the one widened in the great vast apprehensions of the incomprehensible simplicity of God of the other shrunk up shrivelled in the strait narrow bounds of its own welfare That being a feare of Love the workings whereof are stronger than Death this of hatred that shall be kept under the power of Eternall Death That being that which draws the soul insinitely after him bindes it indissolvably to him makes it dwell everlastingly in him who is Love all Love and in whom is no hatred at all This that which contracts it into it self in a straight and scanty compasse carries it off makes it flie and keep at a distance from him who is Heaven while they are flying from Hell There being nothing that laies a stronger ingagement on the soule than Love and therefore nothing that doth more intend and increase the affections conducible to its preservation Which did an Arminian feele he would never exclaime against free Grace and absolute Predestination as a doctrine of sinfull liberty but rather as I may call it against forc't Grace and dependant Predestination The feares cares worries of the slave and mercenary beginning and ending in himselfe he not labouring out of a single eye but as seeing the whip and lash over his head the messe of Pottage at his hand while the adopted Son that lives at his Fathers Court and is ascertained of the Inheritance can as well qua talis as such whose heart is so enlarged and carryed forth in the sence of divine joyes and loves indure any the least aberration from its Fathers good pleasure as he that hearing him bespeake him with such like kinde compellations 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 my deare my precious Son the childe of my kisses my pleasant embracings for whose trouble my bowels are troubled 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 on whom in tender mercy I will have tendes everlastingly tender mercie c. can chuse but be affected with the most quick and ready concord of bowels the most passionately stirring 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the most Son-like givings givings up of soule and consequently acted with a more than manlike feare care working to be ever ever pleasing such a Father such a God to whom he findes it so good to draw to be so neare Losse doth rise Heroicque spirits catch not flies HOw full of sweetnesse is my foule While in this boundlesse Ocean 't roules 'T selfe in concurring floods of Blisse Where meets in One what ever is O How I dread thy mercies How Imbrace thy judgements on whose brow Sits lovely Soveraignety Inthron'd in an Identity Of awfull smiles whose holy beames Influence Seas of gratefull streames Through all thy wayes whose every path A sweetly fresh occurrent hath To bath my blissefull soul sings still Jehovah is in all and till He cease to be he never will To doe Great Good nor I to fill My reverentiall heart with praises Whose welcome feare my spirit raises To such an heighth of self-contempt that all This and the world below below me fall Poore despicable spectacles to 'th soule that feares Nothing but what it Loves nor loves but what it feares Hence pedling world with all thy paltry pack Trusse up away be gone Nor have I lack What Faire foule skins full empty bags Fresh rotting
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
And teach my grievingst griefe delight Heavens harpers did Romes Epicedium play Hundreds of yeares before her fatall day Then come sweet Lute with gentle Aires Come kindly touch me with the Cares Of Christs-Crosse-bearing soules whose share Of common woe and weale I beare With Voltos then come raise my spirits Unto the Triumphs they inherit Whose wo's their weale whose wound 's their cure whose Heaven 'S their sweet whose want's their wealth whose hel's their Heaven VVHere am I How this turne hath giddied mee Decemb. 1640. Can hardly credit what I plainly see So farre fro'th doore so backward on the stage Still to protract this wearie pilgrimage Blest Lord so turnd'st our feare-led captive thoughts As those that dreampt we saw devouring Vaultes Heapt by the foaming Beast with Virgin Slaine Indign'd his I doll-lust We dreampt againe Christs-warre-preventing Throne became the Theame Of speedy praise but fear'd this was a dreame But we awake in Paradise And that no fooles be we but wise To keepe our hold'our God so close Nor becks nor blowes shall make us loase Then prove the former dreame yet true Change but the time the latter's too AS he whose braines are weak and businesse much Walks here there now this now that will touch Takes up layes down wu'd somewhat knows not what Even so my Good my God I had forgot Craz'd by my fall Still were my braines imploy'd With swarmes of busie follies still annoy'd With great paines taking in great trifles void Of all successe and got as soone was cloy'd Thus hither thither flew but ne'r cu'd finde An object sutable unto my minde Beauty honour riches seem'd an empty shade Before I saw the substance ere I 'd made Discovery of the Truth they seem'd a lie But that being seen they seem'd a lying lie A shade of shades Natures dim glimmering light Burnt clearer in my heart and shew'd me a sight Far worthyer choyce A soule a beautious soule Inrich'd with rarer honour a prudent soule A meek-sweet lovefull heart whose noble spirit Scornes a few-thousand-miled world shu'd bury it ' N a petty speck of dirt but pleasures in Its larger glories by the eye unseen Then after this while carefull search I made Straite shun a light shew'd this too but a shade A Heaven-sent light was darted in my heart And made me this perverting course divert The world in 'ts richest ornaments is but A show a show th'compleat'st nature but Thon only good and therefore only true Give m' in a recapitulated view Those Scripture-scattered Glories O cu'd I those Thy analysized Graces well compose Into their lovely face How deep I de fall In love and say thy beauty darkens all The creatures beautie's but a skin-deep lawne That by some slight distemper soon undrawne Reveales the lurking messengers of death That lie in waite to snatch away the breath And so possesse their Master of the face That seem'd but now above a creatures grace But take the purest in 'ts admired'st hew If modest else 't is none it dares but shew Its hands and face but He but alwayes Hee Is altogether Lovelinesses Hee Is Lovelinesses altogether every one Is in Him and but in Him there is none The creatures Vertue 's but a fairer foule Lodg'd in too straite a roome t' content my soule That only recreated splendors loves Whereon simplicity and infin'ty moves And where may I enjoy it better then Admitted to its near'st approaches when No intervenient object bars my sight In its impure and narrow Channell Light Pure perfect boundlesse inaccessible light VVhen shall I live in thy delighting sight I live but I wu'd live another life VVhere light and darknesse know no longer strife I live but I wu'd live another life That might informe me what a death 's this life How how m'abhorring spirit starts me back When by thy faire I see their ugly black VVhen by thy wisdome I their folly see And by their folly may the wiser be With what a mightier force my soule returnes To thee in thee with mightier fervour burnes O Light of Lights when shall I see Thee as I 'm seen VVhen shall I bee Thou Love of Loves with Thee i' th' high'st VVho long to learn yet what 's my Christ May Thoughts Men Bookes may all I see But answers to this question be May Thoughts Men Bookes may all I see Be Thoughts Men Bookes be All of Thee May every Sermon that I heare But breake the Clouds this Sun may cleare May every thing I heare or see Be all but Testaments of Thee And when th 'ave told me all they can I still must aske as I began VVell satisfied in seeking till My search with satisfaction fill VVHat 's white compar'd to blacke to browne to gray What mar'le 't excels but take the lightest gray Nay th'purest white the strongest sight e're saw Sublime thy apprehension yet and draw A purer unto which this bright'st's as black As th' face of Hell and yet beleeve there lacks As much resemblance in this draught to th' Life As Earth of Heaven of Heaven for all our strife 'S but pourtrai'd with a coale revealed God In h's holyest glories by a dirty Clod O' th' work-besoiling Clay and yet beleeve Thou' rt altogether unable to beleeve The difference till thou seest it Thou't see a light Is able to discerne an Hypocrite A man s'inlightned he hath skill enough To cheate himselfe and all the world this snuffe This dying snuffe shall burne as black as Hell When with its Christ sincerity shall dwell But what 's that all-surpassing splendor O Where 's he Where 's he will lead me to that show And teach my thoughts my rude and artlesse lines To draw the features of that face divine Divine That every foolish fondling w'll blurt On a neat piece of finer-formed durt O beauty Cu'd I speak but I have lost Expressions in impressions I 'de rather lie Admiring Adoring More sweetnesses suck I So but fire will out must speak of him Rightly if I can however speak of him The best of things so earnestly I covet Th'Unspeakable Gift yet can I say I love it And love will praise its object so must I And yet now I begin to praise I die O may my life so porutrait forth my Love To win Corrivals mount their spirits above With sacred flames while I stand peering there Where all Terrestriall beauties shad dowes are O see prie gaze b'inamour'd here is fare For Myriads of Love-sick worlds and spare O see prie gaze b'inamour'd here is fare Whose Rivals bring each other greater share For many eyes hearts see love more then one Fresh Graces spie to feed fresh hungers on O here 's a banquet where the guests finde ever The more the merrier for the cheare failes never Discovered such a goodly plenty show's Whose there can grieve but that his friends it loose Whose there can grieve but that his griefe 's his sauce To make him rellish more his wiser choice
not step out 'T is unbeleeving pride proud faithlesnesse 'S the bitter roote of all unhappinesse Looke on the humble-and-beleeving man He will be happy doe you what you can Below he lies the while he flies above Th' great'st evills and sweets the bitterest in love Still may I Act my God-adoring faith Not heare what sinne or sinfull sorrow saith Up up above I am out of the reach Of what in pact in peace will make a breach The cause once known the Cure's halfe done th' disease Exactly tane away the Symptomes cease Being as co-transient as co-incident Faith knowes no sinne nor humblenesse male-content Perverse and faithlesse faithlesse and perplext 'S the combination of the holy Text. A generation of perversenesses In whom's no faith no men of blessednesses Were they implanted in my pleasant rivers And suckt th' sweets m' All-abounding Name delivers Liberall to thirsty soules cu'd they the while Thus feeding runne to th' dry and barren soile Cry out for any want but want of care To keepe them fatting on Angely fare To stretch their wider branches to receive More of my fulnesse in more fruitfull leaves Happy happy soules indeed big with delight Knowne of and knowing the Lord what lust m' excite Him sit nay stand nay walke i' th' wayes of folly What blacke event becloud with melancholy Pure candid limpid quicke pellucid spirits Streame from the lively fountaine well demerits The honour o' th' parent grace Why 's living man Whose life is joy so sorrowfull what can What reas'n deject him man suffers for his sinne Which faith not suffering let 's no suff'rings in For while it comes to God it turnes from evill That found this left why troubled at words of divels But wary indigning simpathizing hearts Are Agents in their sweetly-played parts I le boldly say 't if truth say true So farre untoward so farre a Jew Untoward froward faith I can as well While melt in love gainst love rebell Untoward froward faith I can as well While blesse in heaven banne in hell Heare then the summe of Christian art Keepe faith in all things Acting's part Faith's onely where it lives and where it lives 'Ts the spirit the paire of nerves that motion gives To every action the man the worke is dead Is sinne where this is not the heart the head FOnd man in those first loynes himselfe unblest Fled from his nest cou'd never since find rest Now soares above now headlong fall's below That place-uncircumcised Being O That faith wou'd hold me still above my feare And feare below my pride Durst I presume To blesse my selfe my selfe unblessed doome Wer 't thou my feare great God how soone I 'd start Abhorre runne farre from this div'l swolen heart Aspires thy Throne in envious discontent To doe it's homage to thy regiment My wanton head wu'd it more Babells plot To reach forbidden fruite my froward heart not Rejoyce in all thy wills my stubborne hand Not quickly act thy soveraigne commands This head heart hand this all that first wu'd Thee Their Maker governe e're they 'd humble be Wert thou my trust shud I still sow the wind And reape the whirlewind tangle teare my mind With thorny cares such tireing circuits fetch To rake the Mammon makes me more a wretch Contrive a wisedome that thou never taughtst Create Chimaeras flocks of monstrous thoughts Headlesse conceipts that hold not of thy Christ The head the whole where all our worth 's compris'd Resolve upon an happinesse of mine owne Though by 't my happinesse be quite o're throwne Pitch such an height of learning unto which I will attaine what e're come on it itch After vaine applause be eminent or none Have what I will or else let all alone Silly-proud-childish-obstinate-God-denying else How madly lost when fondly sought my selfe How faithlesse pride the brainessets on the wracks While fretting grief the heart-strings gnawes and cracks Were God thy ayme thy stay this ne're wu'd neede H' accepts the doing will for th' willing deede How hard and yet how easie now I worke To please my Saviour sav'd me from the Turke My tireing Tyrant selfe expects the tale Of toylosome Brickes though time straw strength shu'd faile I will be rich will honors pleasures have Saith selfe or else I le venter on the grave But who pursues these riches honors pleasures He knownes not Christ his Alsufficient Treasures How easie is thy yoake thy burthen light When with selfe world divell mandates I them tight The faith that once of God hath got a taste Loves not the world so well to fall for hast But takes his time meanes measure manner kinde As willinger to be without were so his minde Whose manifold wisedome shewes its mighty power To keepe the soule whom neither th' golden showre O' th' glittering'st goods the cheating world can tender Nor th' bitting'st siege fiercest shots can make surrender And wherein faith most bravely hath acquitted 'T selfe 's not told so easily as pertinently omitted Since then the evill heart is to depart From thee and to depart from Thee 's the heart Of unbeleefe put in this faithfull feare Then shu'd I still be good because still here All blisse is in Thy presence th' evill heart 'S in evill case cause 't will from Thee depart Evill departs fares ill and all because This fearelesse unbeliefe not tends Thy lawes Stampt on the heart in golden Carracters Of ne're defaced loves and thence transfers Its thoughts to trash puts forth its hand to folly Th' luscious fare's resolv'd in t ' adust melancholly Fond fearelesse faithlesse man n'er findes his rest Runnes from his mercy least he shu'd be blest Then let thy feare fall and incompasse me From this false world while faith makes upward flie Thus both made one in love this faithfull feare Translates my soule to its celestiall Spheare To rest from th' labour I to 'th utmost doe And sing 't along ' cause thou wu't bring me through So gives he his beloved rest sweet sleepe Amidst the sprightly est activitie dost keep My spirits in reposed freshnesse while Th' world breakes their sleepe head heart with vaine turmoile Worke out salvation with a trembling feare Give love its perfect worke 't will cast out feare Th' excrementitious humours thus expeld Th' implanted spirit of faith's communion's held The better with the gracious love that sweetly feedes O' th' purer Pabulum of humble deeds 1 Joh. 3.9 CUd'st thou induce th' proposall t' vouchsafe a touch Unto the stateliest to yes the fairest moile The richest dâ—â—â—â—gerie what brave indignation'd boyle In that Heroick breast while thou sha't see The imminent Crowne of such an eminencie Surround thee in a glorious compasse hath no end Of time nor place but shud'st thou not intend Thy heedie faith but th' glancingst squint-eye lend From him to painted lies how soone thou d'st mend O how thy bowell's'd turne within thee with A sweete regret to think thy father seeth Cou'dst thou now sinne while such a
yet unwrought Must I be one how sweet a trembling joy Runs through my veines and kindly doth imploy Me in a fearefull love must I be one â—e then be Thine shu'd all the world be none â— I be one I le then be none alone But I le be thine shu'd all the world be none O blesse blesse blesse my soule still blesse thy Blisse VVhat sweeter worke unto my soule then this Or what more acceptable unto thee Thou lovest it and I love it then ever be Thou blest of ever-ever-blessing me Of ever blessing me ever blessed be O blesse when wu'd I cease when thou sha't cease To be then not till then I 'd blessing cease O blesse were I in Hell yet cud I blesse I were in heaven but I cannot blesse I cannot cannot blesse is this to blesse To call thee blessed while thinke nothing lesse Or can I thinke I thinke it while not part VVith all for Thee Thou onely blessed while my hearâ— 'S not wholly given up into thine hands T' be melted moulded fashn'd by thy commands T' be cast into a full conformitie VVith thee if thought Thee th' sole felicitie Blessed art thou O Lord th' art good and Dost good no unaccustom'd song but stand Not deedes thoughts words at mutuall defiance Thought I't wud not there be a quicke compliance VVith all thy wills wud not I hast to know Presse hard to learne thy statutes th' wayes thou 't goe To meete with Thine thou onely blessed goodnesse VVu'd not I still be in thy presence Oh! th' woodnes Th' wilde wandring madnesse hath seduc'd my soule Since first I turn'd my backe upon Thee to proule And filtch an independant blessednesse whence grew My aye-depending misery while fondly threw Me from my Eden where the all-creating spirit VValke't with his fleshie workemanship But wu't blest spirit Returne againe and be Emmanuell VVu't teach my heart to call Thee good wut dwell There make 't thy temple hence helpe me breath petitions I see thy goings here th' glorious exhibitions Of the invisible flesh spirit God man heaven earth A marriage song of everlasting mirth And must I sing ' t who since thou took'st me in And trim'st we for thy selfe weedest my sinne â—lantedst thy grace the dore wide open hurl'd And made my heart the through faire of the world Thou mad'st thy garden this then the pully be VVith greater swing to clap me close to Thee The pully be to make me sticke so close The greatest pull may never make me loase But when I heare the stillest voyce behind And heare it ecco'd by thy written minde â—ay thy beloved's here straite ope I flie And blest who knowes what meaneth He and I. This opening shuts me in the fastest close VVhile in h's revealed loves my selfe I loose O how this smiling favour quite prevailes â—isolves me all in teares and then exhales â— ' ascending soule to that refining Sun Resolves me into it selfe O turne heart turne And never never teturne Thus is begun Consummate glory when I 'm all undone Undoe undoe apace dissolve melt run Thy onely undoing is th' art not undone Draw out shed shed abroad thy selfe in praises Leave not a drop behind let all turne praises But what am I thou shud'st put such a thing Into my heart so cordially to sing The glories of the God ' gainst whom I have beene A constant belcher of blaspheming sinne What thought I spake I did I but in all My cursed life did Thee accursed call And must I blesse I blesse Shall I sinke O! Hold me Hold me in this bless'd pleasure So So may I over sinke and sing how sweete Sweet sound the praises in these depths O meet Meete me a diving plundring through my heart 'S false-bottome thorough whatsoever wu'd part Me from Thee Catch me in those lasting armes VVhose closings are a close of warbled charmes Charmes warble still and shake me up and downe Untill you rest me with my fixed Crowne Rest warble still for still this is my rest To see to sing my worthlâ—snesse so blest Blest spirit shake shake on loosen my soule From this false world break downe beare through the foule False bottome of my heart still more to meete With truth i' th' inward parts still more to greet Those peace-heaven-sounding wellcommings those sure And never-over-burthened armes those pure Those pure imbraces whose harmonious close Shall blesse my blessing soule with full repose Thus may my rising falling heart in praying praise My falling rising heart sing on my dayes Steadfast in joyes discoursing that vast distance That 's swallow'd up in an unite persistance And wu't thou me forsake Just now I saw thee Oh draw faine'd overtake Cud cud I but beleeve Were I in Hell yet shu'd I nothing grieve I waite trust walke with thee Revive in peace shall ne're confounded be REtire sad thoughts into your inmost Cells There view the Hell of Hells Thy sinne-foul'd soule In blacke flames howle Those never-lightned hearts Wh'in this their day ha' n't done their studious parts In their false purifying while hope Hath Judah's fountaine doore kept ope Returne glad thoughts and mount the utmost bounds O' th' boundlesse heavens There 's he Yea he is here The word is neare And hence my joy redounds To see the Ruddy VVhite in him and me The watry blood so pure so just To white to quench my pitthy lust HAng all these Puritans A Puritan what 's that an Hipocrite Nay hold there man for so thou dost but fit The noose for thine owne necke Dost n't thou professe The service feare of God yet what dost lesse From thine owne mouth th' unrighteous servant th' art Condemned for a Puritan wu'd thou wert So happy t' owne the honour of the name Who that description canst not but disolaime And say he is no Hipocrite then sincere I there it is the object of thy jeere I tell thee man Thou art an Atheist or a Puritan Within my heart the wicked's wickednesse cries There is no feare of God before his eyes VVithin his heart the foole hath madly said There is no God why should I be afraid Selfe-cozening soule did'st see the curious eye Thy bosome thoughts did at a distance prie How dar'd thy fond affections say within There is no God for speculative sinne So say there is no God for hee 's his name VVhose vengeance teares the tearers of the same Heart-searching and sinne-visiting he is Deny it and deny thy eternall blisse Canst count thy pastime-words but passing winde Thy irreforming tongue shall shortly finde A word no scruple but a tun of leade To sinke thy soule to an Infernall dread Then shal't thou see each minute on the scoare VVhat thought spoake acted while thou sha't implore That great tribunall with Lord Lord for all Thou 'st done i'th'flesh though minced n're so small Presumptuous wretch thou d'st thought'st there were a God Run trembling up and down at every nod VVhat art thou to the world that
's but a drop A dust to Him that makes the mountaines hop And skip like Lambekins with his Earthquak hand But thou 't goe faire and soft though he command Thee flie for so doth love He who graspes the winds I' th' hollow of his hand the swelling Ocean binds Up with a word here just here stay thy waves But lawlesse man how proudly he behaves Himselfe he stinted he a strickt precise Foole no for he that is is onely wise Call'st him thy Master while thou canst expect To have thy servant shew thee more respect Thou't bid him come and goe and stay and so He must bid's God thou answerest Him thou 't goe Thou't come thou 't stay when where he will provided His will fall in with thine but if divided Th' art not so silly a Puritan to displease Thy selfe for him but He must serve thy ease Or if thou part'st with 't 't is but with lesse for more T' avoid what 's endlesse tak'st what 's quickly o're So still thy selfe 's thy end thy God O what 'S the worme a doing that assaults its God! Whose every word is pure All linck't together And woe t' him dares the least he all doth sever Every word of God is pure and woe t' him dare Make them their jeere that make it all their care The pure-in-heart see Him-their Puritie Th' impure their place who them-Him vilifie O what 's the worme a doing how every bone 'S an Aspen leafe to see it climbe the Throne VVhose footestoole's all the kingdomes of the world By whom such station-quitting spirits were hurl'd To that unbottom'd pit prepared is For all such enviers Whose vexation's this They ne're shall see what they are vext to see Men truly Holy only Happy be Poore childish fooles wu'd have they know not what Heaven they wu'd have but Heaven they wu'd not Cry out braule fight with all that wo'nt confesse It theirs yet when they see 't love nothing lesse Through th' morrall-vertue-swept yard through the porch Bedect with formall duties may approach To th' very doore but they 're too good to knock To waite and if th' least glimpse slip through the locke These light-abhorring Owles winke wish their losse If heaven be puritie they 'd rather their drosse E're-scorching ne're-consuming flames inherit Then passe the fire o' th' purifying spirit Indeed what wud'st thou there Heaven'd be but thy Hell What wud'st thou see who here dost shut thine eye Against the God-revealing light and ope Thy mouth or 's this thy purifying hope Accursed curre that barkest at the Moone That but reflects how wu't against the Sunne Or what wud'st heare a crew of simple Saints With just such puritanicke Angells chants They 'le never ha' done n're linne their singing Psalmes Unto their God for their victorious palmes None 's still or thinke'st while thou wind'st up thy dull Thy jarring heart thou 't make to waite so full A set of fore-well-tuned instruments Jumps all in one compleater of concents Contents God while blesse that dreadfull-joyfull name That brought their blessed mindes in heavenly frame I tell thee man Thou art a Pagan or a Puritan Thou may'st a Jesus but did'st Jesus know These Hell-devis'd revilings dar'st thou throw Upon nay thou wud'st be his Image did Thy faith once see him whom thy God hath hid From blinded eyes while with an ayrie name He lulls thee dead asleepe to wake in flame But Christ is life and so he is to all Whom he shall with h's talitha cumi call A virtuall power-exhibiting command Reares thee a virgin on new resolves to stand To walke the way of his Commandement To keepe thee true loyall chaste pure innocent From selfe-world-devill pollutions all for Him And so thou wud'st did'st thou beleeve in Him Some fancied I doll of thy wanton braine That will thee in thy minnion-lusts maintaine Will winke at smaller faults no great adoe Will make shud'st harbour some few grosser too Will let thee vaunt it in thy pride and gad About thy eye's and flesh's lust be glad O' th' dregs of spirit-exhausted loves the leavings O' th' marrow-sucking world the sad bequeathings O' th' banckrupt-soule now hurried out of doores To pay the debts of ' â—s ne'r-acquittable scores I here 's thy Jesus presumptuous-desperate wretch Dar'st from that soveraigne name such venom fetch To kill thy soule but for that spotlesse Lambe Who so his owne to metamorphize came To teach them by a secret sympathy To follow what by occult qualitie He makes them know his from a stranger's voice To make them runne unto the brest so choice And with their bleating rethoricke bespeake Th' simple milke that makes them strong of weake To teach them keepe his undefiled steps Not dare to tread awry for each-hand deaths At 's first smallest stillest whistle straite to come To stand before their Coate-bereavers dumbe To watch the Wolves come cloathed in their skinne The light-like Angell selfe-deceiving sinne To graze no pasture but His wholesome word To fetch no salve but what his side afford's To become silly that he might make them wise T' abase themselves he might them highly prize Not live t' themselves but Him an'th'common good And when he calls to meekely shed their blood I here 's my Christ of whom thou art afraid To have too much lest so thou shudst be made To be too wise pure just too farre from hell For feare of Heaven fear'st to doe too well Nor car'st indeed for this nor that Earth earth Is thy deare home of sinne-rejoycing mirth But if must needs away thou' rt more content To be where Angels sing then divels torment And yet wert there thou 'dst be tormented with Their singing Lo whither brought by thy beliefe Cud'st thus believe didst thou believe him just And faithfull in his sayings away thou 'dst thrust Thy heavenly joy-prevaricating lust There is a faith that doth not love to trust Nor Christ to trust that faith who sees the heart Him never saw with all for him l'not part Canst thou pursue thy honour pleasure gaine And not believe all this beliefe 's in vaine thou d'st hate loathe friends selfe All did'st ever know But what it meant to have a God to wooe thou d'st doe suffer come runne flie did'st ever prove The powerfull sweet of all-commanding love thou d'st live die by for love did'st ever spie The feasting beauties of that lively eye Poore soule for ever past my pittie if on Thou hold'st thy course I know you not be gone Thou wicked worker thou never livd'st above For what acquaintance Thou my love my dove My undefiled loving dove what thou Sit billing moaning with me flyed'st thou To th' purest houses of my spirits resort Thou m' friend my Spouse wee walke and talke wee sport Our selves in hidden loves Thou carefull how To keepe me as thy life And absent how To take the speediest wayes to finde me Thou In a sweet trembling at a sillable Thou Unlade thy bosome secrets in
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
knoweth that hath God for his God Faile then heart and strength yet shall the strength of our heart faile never Shall be with us in the fire and in the water bee an Arke to his Noah a Zoar to his Lot Et pater mater dosunt nec restat amious Nec manet ulla domus noc manet ulla salus Tot haud habere sentias necem mala Omnia quae multis dantur tibi nulla sed ipsum Quod vel perpaucis reddidit ille Deus Hic instar omnium fit atque praevalet MY neare and deare friend in the Lord Jesus I cannot but according to your desire acquaint you with present passages and passages I may well say for all these things are but passing shadowes nothing Were we in our own place we might look down upon them as little fleeting vapoury clouds without raine Or else see our selves so far above them in this third region as wee need not feare the storme It is unworthy the thought of a Christian that hath already laid hold of eternall life to shrink at the appearing losse of a mortall But we are men But God is God And he is our own God the God of our salvation c. O that we could that we alwayes could see our selves so partakers of the divine nature so filled with all the fulnesse of God that we could look upon life and death principalities powers c. as things given in unto us and all as things under our feet at our command for so they are to him that beleeves for all are ours and we are Christs and Christ is Gods Our faith must fall before we and our God before our faith For it is founded on that rock that living stone that is the life of all the building Let us stand therefore having taken us unto the whole armour of God for what can the man doe that comes after the devill And surely little nay no cause have we to feare in adversity that can stand in prosperity That soule and only that soule that in this estate can follow God fully be so satisfied with the hourely minutely presence of God that in all things it crosses it selfe of its own will as not enduring the least estrangement from him certainly in the other the mercies of God shall so follow him so shall he delight himselfe continually in him as that in all things hee will crosse men and devils of their wills against him and so over-powre him with the light of his countenance without which he was dead in the dearest injoyments and with which he lives in the deadliest confusions as shall make them gnash their teeth to see such a divine reflect from that light unspeakable and glorious whereby he shall be able to laugh death and destruction in the face But shall we not feare not grieve He is no true Christian that doth not Shall the Lion roare and we not tremble Yet must we be confident in this feare and joy in this sorrow And indeed the feare of God is strength Prov. 14.26 Psal 112.1 with ver 7. and 8. And by the humility of our heart is our trust in the Lord Prov. 28.25 But audaciousnesse and pride will shrinke in the wetting Neither will James his joy 1.2 hold good without Pauls sorrow 2 Cor. 7.7 Nor his sorrow without his joy It is not the excesse of feare and griefe but the defect of confidence and joy that hurts us Our own weaknesse can never too much fright us Our own and others sins grieve us Neither will it be found so proper and soveraign a salve to those happily languishing consciences to tell them they are too much dejected cast down sorrowfull but rather they have too little lifted up Christ in their hearts and their hearts in Christ It is impossible to think too basely of our selves and if there may be degrees in impossibility more impossible to think too highly of Him When we are led back by any particular sin to the Originall source of all as wee must if we mean to know it to any purpose and see the horrid shape of it and become sensible of the malignity the universality the inherencie of it c. with all those infinite as to us actuall breakings out of rebellion from it or rather the divers kinde of breaking out of one continued unintermitting act now while the soule is thus taking a bottome-and through-searching view of it selfe by a beame of the divine Light and Love shed abroad in its heart without which it could make no through no true discovery of it and thereupon throwes it selfe below the lowest hell in a sensible self-condemning while it is still held up by the hand of faith in an unspeakably blessed distraction now to see this Sun of Righteousnesse still rising and rising with its infinite-surpassing infinitenesse of glory splendor lovelinesse upon the lighttransformed soule lying under the gracious droppings of its healing wings O how sweet is that healing How how glorious that Sun But the seeing the feeling soul where is it How high how low How lost between both Be then as sorrowfull my soule as may be thou canst not be enough for sin As joyfull as may be thou canst not be enough for grace Abate not of that sorrow but increase this joy Goe as low as thou canst but bee sure thou risest higher by it To be so dejected and cast down as not to be heightned raised by it in the admiration the love the life of thy Saviour is indeed to have proud and haughty thoughts of thy selfe and low and undervaluing of thy Christ Never feare thy livelinesse and cheerfulnesse so far as duely objected on him Nor lessen so much thy love to the creature as augment it to Him thy Creator Affect with the strongest and heartiest indearement any thing beside him and yet abhorre it with the most detesting and abominating hatred for him There is nothing that I set my eye on that I wu'd not love as proceeding from him as subsisting in him But so far as degenerate from him as comming in competition with him the indignation wherewith it affects me is inutterable Thus shall Cesar best have his due and God his Himself and what is subordinate to him God takes away no affection no nor the intensivenesse of it but onely its obliquitie to the object Nay I am perswaded that all worldly feare all worldly sorrow fall farre short of spirituall the one being from a displeasing world which is finite the other from a displeased God who is infinite But how great then is that consident joy to which this fearing griefe is but a set off For these to overcome the soule and them for Christ to come and overcome that conquest what a triumph will there be Oh the depth of the riches both of the wisedome and knowledge of God c. And blessed ever blessed be our God that we are not of them from whom hee hath hid the mistery of godlinesse strength made
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
who hath made these latter ordinances in their time as well as those former And that the God of nature who made nothing in vaine hath given forth such a diversitie of commands not with most wise ends To shew what concord he can make in such a seeming discrepancie betweene worke and worke men and men betweene heaven and earth in such a multiplicitie of imployments in due time and place while they are all According to his will And make an inconceiveable melody in the answering of a good conscience to him To shew thorough what a varietie of occurrents he can carry the faithfull soule while he still keepes it with Him And that hee might keepe them in an humble dependencie on him to learne how to bring forth their fruits in due season To set forth the glory of Christianitie in the sutable composure of such a change of Ornaments The excellencie of it in over-comming so many difficulties in passing so many turnings and windings conducted by the thus-more-commended manifold wisedome power goodnesse of God That takest it for so much superstition so much idolizing of the best duties and therefore for so much no duties while they are set up against the will of God Thou whom prosperitie keepes praying adversitie praysing That art exalted by thy humiliation incouraged by thy feare rejoyced by thy sorrow that gettest thy life by throwing it away that findest thy selfe by losing it that art watchfull in every thing carefull in nothing That art encountred with often doubts scruples irresolutions self-disputes and yet livest at the highest rate of assurance of the divine favour That yea by feeding thy selfe with feare thy watchings prayings fastings art carryed forth in the liveliest vigorousnesse and luxuriancy of spirits 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mic. 4. Thou that art now at the top of the third Heavens in the highest exaltations of thy spirit and now againe at the bottome of the lowest Hell while thou still lyest as fast in the hugging imbraces of the omnipresent as ever Thou whose modest sober pure peaceable guilelesse discreet unblamable zealous lively active deportment of thy selfe speakes the one that hath been brought up at thee feet of Jesus Thou whose generous magnanimous God-resembling Spirit stoopes to humilty and overtops Pride That while thou lyest below the lowest dejection of the meanest Sainted Pesant bearest thee above the most disastrous dismallest aspects of the arrogantest Prelatickst highest-aspiring Kingdome-dooming Comet as far as the third Heaven is above the Meteory Region Thou that canst gladly stoope with that meeke Lamb to wash the feete of the meanest Minister of the Gospell Lay downe thy life for the God-loved and therefore world hated brethren while Lyon-like thy righteous soule rouseth up it selfe against the Hypocriticall Pharisee with the most contemptuous and undervaluing disdaine Thou that with a heartie willingnesse canst gladly abase thy selfe to unloose the latchet of the meanest Saint while thou knowest not how to give a Pontificall Peacocke the dissembling Complement of thy hast though he swell though he burnish though he bustle though he crow it never so domineeringly till he be furtivis nudatus coloribus Thou that like thy Heavenly Father knowest how to bee afflicted in all the afflictions of his holy ones his humble ones while wherein soever the Presumptuous deale proudly Thou wilt in Him be above them and make their proudest wrath to praise Him Thou that seest far more beauty on the very feet of the poorest Embassadour of the Gospel then on the honour-pleasure-profit-Triple-crowned head of those enemies to the Crown because to the vertue because friends to the signe of the Crosse of Christ In making the earth their study their belly their God their glorious Titles their shame themselves destruction and their Country distraction Thou that knowest how to turn the other cheeke to him that smites thee and to let goe thy cloake too to him that wud take away thy coate and yet knowest thy time too when to sell it for a sword and thy life by it as deare as thou canst While yet thou seekest not so much the destruction of the enemy no nor the preservation of thy selfe as the obedience too as the glory of God by it Thou that hast learnt how to render blessing for cursing and pray for them that despitefully use thee while still thou remembrest that the same Michael that brought no railing accusation against the devill called the Pharisees a generation of Vipers the evill-working Jewes the children of the devil Thou whose well tempered soule knowest the meaning of a zealous meeknesse a milde indignation a faceat gravity a sollid pleasantnesse c. Thou who while thy cautelous heart is still agitated with the most quick resentments readiest apprehensions of dangers art most firmly setled in a most unshaken peace of a providentiall security Thou whose giving heart is streaming it selfe forth in the most inlarged and selfe-loosing compassions the most liberall supplyes and contributions to the suffering Saints and hast thy awakened feare continually exercised with the alarmes of war and death while thou standest with an undaunted magnanimity in a close fast fixed Communion with thy God like Mount Sion that cannot be shaken triumphing over Hell and Death That while thou bleedest in their wounds art bound in their bonds dyest in their death blessest for thy wounds art freed with thy bonds livest in thy death That walking in the shadow of death in the presence of thine enemies hast a set banquet of heavenly delicacies thy head annointed with the oyle of joy and gladnesse by the over-shadowing hand of the Almighty Redeemer while thy soule is like a brim-full Cup over-running with joy and praises with joy and praises Thou that amandest the wicked from thee that thou maist keep the Commandements of thy God whom thou findest so so inapprehensibly good Thou that abhorrest none more then pragmaticall busie-body censorious men as the most slight-spirited idle self-ignorant worthlesse men that are and yet seekest not thine own things but the things of others and canst not so hate thy brother in thy heart as not to rebuke him and therefore as not to rebuke him in love Thou in whose eyes a vile person is contemned whose God-acquainted spirit can not sit with vaine empty triviall-spirited persons Sons of Belial whose foolish hearts are not lift up in-to the wayes of God that are above to the wise Triflers away of precious houres in frothie frivolous fruitlesse communications that have no and therefore can administer no grace to the hearer Men not of Heaven-ascending discourse spirit life Thou that hast found the two edged sword of the word dividing between the soule and the spirit and raising this as far above that as that is above the body That thou mayest serve him in the spirit of thy minde in the more extracted as it were and more sublimed quintessence the morefree noble 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of life love zeal Thou that like that Purites
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
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