Shall torture thee to all eternity Now tell me Soul what thy Objections are Is it Christ's Yoke Rod Cross that doth thee scare His Yoke is easie and his Burthen light His Laws not grievous but the Soul's delight All his Commandments are holy just good And better far than thy appointed food They sweeter than the Honey-Comb shall prove For all his Laws are summed up in love The love of God who is the chiefest good And of our Neighbour our own flesh and blood To the in hatred is on Earth a Hell But it 's a Heaven on Earth in love to dwell Shouldst thou not love the Lord with all thy heart Who goodness is and doth good impart With all thy soul since he 's the God alone Which to the soul gives satisfaction With all the mind for he doth fill the mind And cannot be by finite thoughts confin'd With all thy strength Thy Powers are not able Him to desire as he is desirable Tho all thy soul to th' utmost thou extend It cannot boundless goodness comprehend Love sweetly joins the heart to God alone And other gods before him will have none It will have none on Earth or Heaven above But God for its desire delight and love The Spouse disdains this is love's holy pride By Christ's companions to turn aside To please the Lord love doth the soul dispose And with his will in every thing to close Love worship's God according to his mind And loves to be within his will confin'd Love fears his Jealousie and stands in awe To take ought from or add ought to his Law. It casts all worship forged by man's will And doth the sale of Idol-mongers spill Love God and then his glorious Name to thee As precious Ointment poured out will be Strongly yet sweetly Love will thee restrain From taking his most holy Name in vain Love God so Sabbath-days from morn till night Shall be by thee accounted a delight These Sabbaths of the Lord are holy blest Love's tristing times Feast-days and days of Rest Then the beloved blesseth Saints with grace And glory then they see his lovely face He entertaineth them in holy rest Days in his Courts of all days are the best From love to God neighbourly love doth flow From this sweet root this pleasant plant doth grow Since man was made in Gods similitude Since all men are of the same flesh and blood It 's for God's honour and our own behoof That we our Neighbour as our selves should love The light of Nature cries it's righteous To do as we would men to do to us If thou thy neighbour love thou wilt delight To keep him blameless and to do him right Love turns Superiors to Fathers kind And makes them of a condescending mind Love bounds their wrath moves to commiseration Love tempers rigour pleads for moderation When Justice matcht with Mercy sweetly reign Then all of Justice and of Mercy sing Blest is the land in which the law of love Doth rule in those below and those above Love maketh Equals deal with one another As every one were one another's brother Where Love prevaileth in inferiors It makes them kindly honour higher powers Love envies not superiors higher place But doth in God's Order still acquiesce Love maketh Subjects patient and mild Like to a kindly tender hearted child Who tho injur'd with grief and shamefac'dness Conceals his Father's faults and nakedness Love maketh man abhor man's blood to shed â—ince God hath man in his own Image made To sinful Anger Hatred Envy Spite Malice Revenge Love is most opposite Pure love destroys vile filthy lusts and flies From Fornications and Adulteries â—t purifies the heart and guards the eye And will not wrong a Neighbour's chastity He who is loving seeks his Neighbour's wealth And wrongeth none by Rapine or by stealth Love is most tender of a Neighbour's Name It thinks no evil and will not defame It loveth truth and doth abhor all lies False-witnessing reproaches calumnies Love is contented well with its own lot And what belongs to others covets not It 's opposite to the first inclinations Which tend to ill to sinful delectations Since Love's the end and sum of all the Law It 's pleasant in Love's easie yoak to draw The Law of Love is holy good and just But Oh! the lawless Law of sin and lust Like to a stinking humour spoils the taste Of Lust-sick men that the sweet food distaste To man's stiff Neck which galling lust doth spoil The Yoak seems hard which softer is than Oil. Yea no meer man is able since the Fall To keep these perfect Laws but breaks them all And every sin deserves God's curse and wrath Both in this present life and after death Yet O poor sinner turn not desperate Since with the Father there 's an Advocate Even Jesus Christ the Righteouss who hath Fulfill'd the Law appeas'd revenging wrath He hath the Law establisht answered All that it did demand or threatned Justice hath found a Ransom in the Son Full satisfaction for transgression He under lay the curse that he might free All from the curse who unto him do flee Come unto him who is the Lord's salvation And thou shalt not come into condemnation For all sins of omission and commission Thou shalt receive a full and free remission He will take off thy rags of filthiness And cloath thee with white robes of righteousness Was ever Traitor so perverfly mad To slight a pardon when it might be had To seek for cautioneis poor debters run Wilt thou an able off'red Surety shun Art thou with sins too heavy burden prest Come weary soul and Christ shall give thee rest Art thou for foughten and quite out of breath With the old man that man of sin and death Groan unto him that he may pity thee Say I 'm opprest Lord undertake for me He who cri'd out O wretched man am I Within a little sung of Victory Cry Help Lord sins prevail against me do Purge me subdue them and them quite undo Since without him thou canst do nothing right Be strong in him in the power of his might When thou com'st up out of the wilderness Lean upon him lean on him all thy stress Would thou have peace and comfort come to Jesus He is the peace and he alone can ease us By Faith receive him to dwell in thy heart He will thy conscience purge and ease its smart Take him as off'red in the Gospel-Call With this great gift the Father giveth all Stay wholly on him rest on him alone For to accomplish thy salvation To save thee from all sin and misery And with all goodness thee to satisfie Is not this work of Faith the hearts delight Is not this labour ease this burden light A hungry thirsty man will never think That it 's a grievous work to eat and drink It 's easing to a man with loads opprest To be disburden'd and to find a rest The wind tost traveller is glad to
makes changes strange of things It life from death sweet from bitter brings Peace out of trouble out of darkness light Out of the Eater meet from grief delight What of it self did to destruction tend Grace makes it in salvation to end As for Christ's Cross be not at it offended For it can never be enough commended O! it 's a holy pleasant stately thing To be conform'd to him in suffering Remember oft his oft repeated word The Servant is not greater than his Lord It is enough and very fair that he Who 's a Disciple as his Master be Is thy condition mean canst thou not find Accommodation unto thy mind Hast thou no harboury no house nor hold To shelter thee from storms look and behold The First-begotten to the world brought in In an Out-house and not into the Inn. He unto whom the Angels worship paid Is in a Manger not a Cradle laid Foxes have holes and each fowl hath its nest Christ had not whereupon his head to rest Want'st thou wherewith to buy thy daily bread Some of their substance to him ministred Or art thou from thy Native Soil exil'd Christ driven was to Egypt when a child Art thou reproached Vile iniquities Were cast on him calumnies and lies Vile drunkenness sensual gluttony Collusion with Devils blasphemy Madness deceit and friendliness to vice And all that crafty malice could devise Was charg'd on him whom they proclaim'd abroad An Enemy to Coesar and to God. Do Friends turn Foes or do they faint and flee From thee in straits to Jesus turn thine eye His own Disciples did leave him alone They to their own were scattered and gone He was by Judas traiterously betrayed By Peter thrice most shamefully denied Art thou a Prisoner and hardly used Pursu'd to death and scornfully abused Christ as a Thief was apprehended bound As a mock-King in purple cloath'd and crown'd With pricking Thorns a Reed put in his hand As a mock-Scepter then they do command That he hood-wink't should tell who did him smite To shew at him as Prophet their despite They spit on him and scourge him cruelly And lead him out upon a Cross to die A lingring shameful painful cursed death On which he bore our sins and divine wrath These were the weights that did his soul distress His sweat was blood when bruised in this press The Cross as Christ hath left it we may say Is light Christ took its greatest weight away He wrath the bitterness of death drunk up And left no vengeance in his peoples cup For wrath and death he love and life puts in Which Marab's waters make more sweet than wine Take up his burden it is light and meet And drink his cup it healthful is and sweet To bear about the dying of sweet-Jesus Will not us kill but quicken strengthen ease us They 're highly honoured who suffer shame For Jesus sake and for his glorious Name Reproach for Christ is Riches much more great Than Egypt's Pleasures Treasures Honours State Shame for him honour is and loss is gain In death for him is life and ease in pain When all day long they 're killed for his sake Like sheep for slaughter burned at a stake They Conquerors and more than Conquerors prove Through him who them eternally doth love Turn thine eyes from the dark side of the Cross On which appears dishonour pain and loss And turn upon the lightsome side thine eye Where pleasure gain and glory thou maist see Christ's own Example will us best direct How of the Cross to take a right prospect The Son of man is glorified he said And God in him is also glorified If God in him thus glorified be God shall in him himself straight glorifie He Glory saw in being crucified He saw God by his suffering glorified He saw the heavenly glory to ensue Keep still this Triple Glory in thy view Sigh not then at the Cross as sad and sorry But shout in triumph Glory glory glory Live to God's Glory for his Glory die It is thy Glory God to glorifie If by thy death God glorified be Thou shalt in Glory live eternally They who with Christ do suffer with him reign And bearing palms eternal triumph sing If for the Name of Christ reproach'd thou be The Spirit of God and Glory rests on thee These momentary crosses which are light Work endless Glory of exceeding weight Yet go not from thy way to seek a cross Follow thy calling to God's way keep close That Cross which thy wise Lord for thee thinks meet Is in thy way in the great King 's High-street That thou must take it up or else go wrong Medling in what doth not to thee belong If in thy sufferings thou wouldst have delight See that thy call be clear the cause be right Take up thy Cross in Christ's Name and his strength That of thy race thou maist run all the length Pray to be strengthen'd by his glorious might To suffer with all patience and delight Tho thou wert burned yet if thou hast not Love burning will not profit thee a Jot Unto thy hungry Enemy give food Love those who hate thee vanquish ill with good And pray that those who do impoverish thee With the true riches may enriched be That they who cause thee wander far abroad May from their wand'ring be reclaim'd to God. Those who from Earth pursue thee till thou die Endeavour to draw them to Heaven with thee Our blessed Lord when hanging on the tree Prayed for those who did him crucifie He to his Father for their pardon pray'd And did say for them all that could be said How far was Stephen from leaving of his death On those who ston'd him witness his last breath He kneel'd and cri'd this sin Lord do not lay To their charge Thus in love he slept away O lovely blessed sleep O sure 't will be A heavenly thing in love to live and die Love is the way to Heaven love is the flame In which the soul surmounts the starry frame This is the work and life of Saints above To love and loved be for God is love He 's light and love he freely doth impart Light to the mind and goodness to the heart With his resplendent Glory fill thine eye And in his goodness place thou all thy Joy. Come see and taste Come come and taste and see With goodness fill thy heart with light thine eye The Father Son and Spirit Persons three Who are in Essence one do call on thee To come from dolesome darkness unto light From ill to good from sorrow to delight From death to life from guilt to righteousness From the vile filth of sin to holiness From want to fullness from weights which thee load To rest and ease from Satan unto God From Hell to Heaven from lusts base drudgery To that high service God to glorifie Not that we can unto his Glory add For it is boundless He hath ever had And hath and shall have to
the Eye Of th' Understanding Scripture-light to see The light of truth he unto them doth show That truth from error they may clearly know He shows what 's right what 's wrong what 's good what 's ill For to inform the Mind reform the Will. He takes them by the arms learns them to go And holds them that they reel not to and fro If thou art weak thy help on him is laid Who mighty is in straits a present aid Thou filthy art without unclean within He is a Fountain opened for sin Thou art diseased this Physician can Heal all Diseases incident to Man. This Man 's the Peace in midst of Enemies The heart's support under Infirmities He is the Ark in midst of a Deluge When wrath pursues a City of Refuge If thou art dead he 's life if lost salvation If comfortless he 's Israel's consolation Jesus is All by Jesus Name alone To Men is given God's salvation All they which are in him are justified Regenerate adopted glorified Come come to him and then thou shalt be free From condemnation and accepted be As Just through his Obedience to the Death Imputed to thee and receiv'd by Faith. Thy sins and guilt shall never thee confound Though they be sought for they shall not be found They are renew'd who are in him that 's true Old things are past and all things are made new Christ lives in them and Christ in them is found And to his Image they are all conform'd They die to sin they live to him who died And rose that they might be all sanctified As many as receive him who doth come To them they all the Sons of God become They have his Spirit they have access free To Grace and Abba Father they may cry They by his Name are call'd by him protected Provided for they 'r chast'ned and corrected Yet not cast off their Father's power and love Keeps-them to their inheritance above They all are Heirs of life perpetual Heirs and joynt-heirs with Christ the Heir of all They persevere and never fall away From Grace in which they firmly stand for ay For God's Foundation standeth ever sure He knows his own his love doth still endure There 's none there 's nothing whatsoever that Them from the love of Christ can seperate He will not leave them he doth promise make That he will not them leave nor them forsake They shall not leave the Lord for in their heart He puts his fear that they may not depart None can them pluck away they firmly stand As holden in the Son 's and Father's Hand Christ's Intercession which doth still prevail Procureth that their Faith shall never fail They persevere in Grace in Grace they grow From Christ in them moe benefits do flow Assurance of God's favour and his grace In midst of trouble inward rest and peace Of Conscience the joy of God's salvation Which makes them glory even in tribulation Their Souls at death are perfectly made free From sin to glory pass immediately Their bodies sleep in Christ in whom they have Rest till the Resurrection in the grave Then their vile body so by Death deform'd Shall to Christ's glorious body be conform'd The Soul and Body being unite shall be For ever with the Lord and clearly see His Glory in his Light they shall see Light There is no darkness there there is no Night Shadows are fled the Lattess here below Did well through which the Lord himself did show But when the perfect day is come and grace Is crown'd with glory they see face to face Not in a glass nothing doth interveen To mar their sight they see as they are seen And known there needs no Candle there Nor Moon nor Sun these lights are darkness where God's Glory shines and where the Lamb 's the light He fills the eye and perfect makes the sight In his own glory they his glory see And like him are because they perfectly Behold him as he is The Light Divine Inlightens them that like the Sun they shine They see his love it 's in their heart and eye That he is God their Soul doth taste and see And in his love the Spring of Life Divine They Water drink that 's better far than Wine Rivers of pleasures in upon them flow And fill their Soul throughout and overflow Yet do not drown These living waters give Eternal life to all who in them live Their love is perfect God's love makes abode In them they dwell in love and dwell in God. And then a whole Burnt-offering they prove Wholly inflam'd but not consum'd by love They 'r free from sin free from all that defiles From all temptations from all Satan's wiles No spot remains Holiness is perfect Here they lov'd cleanness there they wake in white No trouble 's there dishonour nor disgrace But perfect Glory Honour Rest and Peace There is no grief nor ought that can annoy Christ's Joy's in them they enter into Joy. No doubts perplex them nor suspicious fear For God's Name is in all their Fore-heads clear Come now to Christ and then he unto whom Thou comest will kindly thee invite to come Into his Kingdom yea he will thee own As a Joynt-Heir and thee with Glory Crown And which doth pass all admiration Thou shalt be fet with him upon his Throne They who will not come now must then be gone From Christ to Hell and to destruction For when the Lord whom now they will not hear Shall as great Judge at the great day appear His words shall thunder terror through their heart When they shall hear the dreadful Doom Depart Depart ye curst to fire unquenchable With Satan and his Angels execrable Where there is endless weeping fruitless tears Gnashing of teeth through anguish and where fears Consuming terrors horrors do abound Shame and contempt eternally confound There they who would not look to Christ the Light Shall be for ever shut out from his sight In utter darkness in an endless night Blackness of darkness shall them still affright They who despise his love shall drink his wrath And streams of Brimstone kindled by his breath The wine is wrath the wrath of God without All Mixture is unto them pour'd out Of Divine Indignation's dreadful Cup. They swallow wrath and wrath them swallows up With wrath and fury they are fill'd and drunk And in a lake of fire and brimestone sunk Their torments smoak ascendeth up for ever They have no rest their torment ceaseth never Now life and death are set before thee chuse What thou wilt take what thou wilt refuse Wilt thou fool turn eternal life to death Wilt thou refuse God's favour chuse his wrath And turn from Jesus Christ to go to Devils Refuse all good and chuse all sorts of evils Darkness prefer to light wilt thou refuse Rivers of pleasures streams of brimstone chuse If thou the God of Truth Love Mercy Grace Forsake and lying vanities embrace Thy conscience the worm that doth not die
more He first forgiveth his Iniquity Then cures his body of its malady To teach the sick to seek more earnestly To be from sin than from their sickness free Christ sees a Widow following the Bier Of her dead only Son he draweth near And on the Widow hath compassion Restores to her alive her only Son. Thus he prevents her expectation With unexpected consolation His piercing eye is sharp to see to see His Israel's affliction his eye Affects his tender heart with feeling stounds And all his bowels mercies mercies sounds He quickly comes with all convenient speed And helps and succours in the time of need In Christ all persons of each rank and station May see a pattern for their imitation Church-Members learn of him to countenance God's Servants and each holy Ordinance Jesus when eight days old was circumcis'd He heard John preach would be by him baptiz'd He loved Church-communion for he When others were baptiz'd baptiz'd would be He kept the Passover and after that His own Supper he himself did eat He sought and took each fit occasion For spiritual communication And did from earthly things occasion take Of divine heavenly purposes to speak Vile men things holy wrest to vile abuse He sinful things drew to an holy use He pray'd with others taught them what to say And in what order they to God should pray To pray that God's Name may be hallowed His kingdom come his will accomplished In Earth as it 's in Heaven then he allows To seek for bread not things superfluous And to seek more for liberation From sin and snares than from affliction Our hearts when we begin our prayers to raise To God in Heaven and end them in praise Pastors from the great Pastor learn to preach Who truth with all authority did teach His words were right words plain and words of grace Sweet sharp and suited to his hearers case He smote proud Hypocrites with Thunder-darts He pour'd the Oil of Joy in broken hearts And as a Hen her brood under her wings Gathers so would he gather wandring things He call'd and prest his hearers to repent And to believe on him whom God had sent On fools who to believe of heart were slow He with much patience did great pains bestow In prayer he prais'd their knowledge tho but weak And of their little Faith right much did make He wept o're those who from him turn'd away And would not know nor ponder in their day The things which did belong unto their peace While they were visited with Gospel-grace And by their slighting of Christ's Visitation Brought on themselves ruine and desolation To Christ let Children Servants Subjects look How pleasantly he bare Subjections Yoak To Joseph and his Mother due respect He gave and did himself to them subject He payed Tribute he would not offend And in his Doctrine he did recommend To give to Caesar what to him belong'd He was most patient when by Rulers wrong'd He served Rulers yea he thought it meet To serve his servants and to wash their feet Let all whom the most High hath set above Their Fellow-Creatures learn of Christ to love And condescend to those of low degree This lowly love adorns Authority Meekness and Mercy Lowliness in Christ With Majesty and Justice well consist Because of Truth Meekness and Justice he Rides prosperously in stately Majesty He glorieth in goodness mercy grace His kingdom stands in righteousness and peace And Joy spiritual O! happy they Who learn of Christ to rule and to obey Learn of Christ to suffer and to die He had his sufferings often in his eye And to Jerusalem did set his face Went foremost in a more than usual pace Went to the Garden which his Foes did know And when they came himself to them did show He did meet Death before his strength was lost He cried loud when he gave up the Ghost He from his Father's Hand the bitter Cup Receiv'd most pleasantly and drank it up Pure Nature hath a sinless aversation From wrath and death and loves self-preservation So that it cannot chuse but fear and shrink When sin-revenging wrath doth mix the drink This Humane harmless will Christ giveth up Unto his Father's will and drinks the Cup Freely submits his inclination And says Lord not my will but thine be done With fervent cries and tender tears he pray'th And multiplies the acts of Love and Faith. For my God my God Abba Father prove The strength of Faith and fervency of Love. When that the Sword through his pure Soul was thrust He did his Spirit to his Father truft And to the hand which did him bruise and smite In Faith and Love he did his Sp'rit commit And as his love was wonderful to men At all times so it was most wondrous then When sorrows fill'd and did his soul surround His kindness and compassion did abound Tho he fore-saw his torment and reproach And saw the Prince of this World make approach And found his soul with trouble so much prest That its grief could not be by words exprest Yet none of these his loving heart diverts From comforting his sad Disciples hearts Before the Passover when Jesus saw His hour was come and that he should withdraw From this world to the Father having lov'd His own t'ward the world he constant prov'd Lov'd them unto the end Since now he went To God from whom he came his love must vent Like a kind Friend who from his Friends must part In his farewel pours out his loving heart In words and deeds and sufferings O! how His love bursts out and doth all bands o're-flow He girds himself to be for service meet He stands stoops washes wipes his servants feet To teach them not to lord it as above Their fellow-servants but to serve in love The Passover he did most heartily Desire to eat with them e're he did die The Paschal-Lamb slain roasted which they eat Meant Christ slain scorch't in Wrath's just burning heat But Christ Death Pains Agony Sweat of blood Lov'd as they were our life ease peace and food He straitned was till all was finished And his blood-baptism accomplished Behold again his love will represent His death our life in a new Sacrament Two feasts one end O rare in such a night â—n which he was betray'd to take delight To act his own sad death once and again A death in which blood shame and lingring pain And which was worst of all a Curse did meet To make his terror every way compleat He ante-dates his death for their behoof Turns his sad death in a sweet feast of love He gives his broken body for their food And for their drink he gives his precious blood The Sword of Justice against him awoke It stroke him broke him he did bear the stroak The Shepherd bore it who God's equal is That the poor little ones the stroak might miss His body broken for them in their stead Is life-procuring and life-giving bread The
Sword of Justice the blood-thirsty blade Pursues for blood rests not till blood be shed The blood of beasts cannot God's wrath appease Nor purge the Conscience nor give it ease Vile finite man could never satisfie For sin against God infinite tho he Should bleed for ever in this helpless case Christ cometh in for his poor sheep's release He saith I come I come behold and see As in the book it written is of me A Body Lord thou hast for me prepar'd Draw blood of me and let the sheep be spar'd I do delight even my hearts blood to shed For them that their sin may be pardoned Come all ye whom the fiery law doth charge With guilt and wrath and who your hearts enlarge For righteousness and who for pardon pant Come drink the blood of the new covenant This drink will quench thy thirst and scorching heat Which guilt and wrath do in thy soul beget Christ gives himself for food to intimate That he himself is ours in us and that He is one with us by a lively union And that our life consisteth in communion With him who gives us life and growth and strength And perfects what concerneth us at length This puts his loving kindness out of doubt That he comes in and will not stand without And comes in that he with his Friends may feast And gives himself for food to every guest He gives his flesh for bread and to make up The feast he pours his blood into the Cup. White others have but Bread and Wine for food Believers eat Christ's Body drink his Blood. He will not live without them he doth give Life unto them and Christ in them doth live Yea the life which they in the flesh do live They live it as they on the Son believe Behold again his Love behold him die Behold him leave his little ones a legacy In a most sure well order'd Testament And gives it sealed by a Sacrament This Testament containeth all that 's good All that is purchased by Jesus blood It cannot changed be it must endure The great Testator's death doth make it sure He dies to ratifie his latter Will He lives Executor it to fulfil He gave himself for them to them he gives Himself for them he dies for them he lives Yet still here 's more of love the loving art Is learned best from Christ's most loving heart He leaves a token of his love most kind To keep him and his death still in their mind A token which he will have to remain With them until he come from Heaven again He says This is my body for you broken Take this as of my love a sign and token Take eat and when this braken bread you see And take and eat it then remember me And drink this Cup and drink ye of it all As often as this Bread and Cup ye shall Eat and drink ye shew forth and do record The bloody breaking death of Christ the Lord. Since these Love tokens are most excellent Which do to us most clearly represent An absent friend to shew what he hath done For us what hardships for us undergone And those most charming and endearing prove Which represent his loveliness and love This Sacrament is an illustrious Symbol of love presenting Christ to us As broken bleeding dying in our stead Broken that he might unto us be bread Bleeding that he might us with drink relieve And dying that we by his death might live His Farewell Sermon register'd by John Is full of love and consolation Where you will find most kindly compellations Comforting Truths strengthening Exhortations And promises most great and precious Most fit for them most sweet and gracious His Sermon sweet in a sweet Prayer ends Where he them to his Father recommends And prays for all that should believe upon His Name through the Word that ye might be one As thou says he O Father art in me And I in thee they one in us may be I will that they whom thou hast given me Be with me that they may my Glory see I have declared unto them thy Name And will continue to declare the same That the love wherewith thou hast loved me May be in them and I in them might be Himself his Glory and his Father's love To him he gives to them and this doth prove He will no good deny but all impart Unto his Spouse who ravisheth his heart For her his hands feet side and heart did bleed These streams did from the Spring of Love proceed His bleeding hands feet side and heart do prove That our Lord Jesus Christ did die for love In suffering he acted finished His work his Father's will accomplished Payed the price Justice to satisfie His Prisoners to ransom and set free And when he ignominiously did die His Foes he vanquished most gloriously Heroick Facts which Histories record Are nothing to the acts of Christ the Lord Who the Red Dragons the old Serpent's head Bruised and all Hell's Powers vanquished Destroyed Death and took away its sting And rend'red it tho grim a harmless thing O'recame the world and made an end of sin And everlasting righteousness brought in To God he Glory gave to Earth brought Peace And towards worthless men good will and grace The feigned Loves which are in forg'd Romances Tho they be strain'd are dull and cloudy Fancies And nothing to his matchless wondrous love Which is all finite minds and thoughts above The Spirit did the Gospel oft indite And moved four Evangelists to write That we might often read and hear and see Of godliness the true great mystery That in beholding we might be transform'd Into Christ's Image and to him conform'd If thou take pleasure to read Prophesies Again into the Scripture turn thine eyes Where thou wilt find that in the days of old Things future were long e're they came foretold The Promises of Christ are there most clear And were fulfilled when he did appear They who had eyes to see could not mistake Him of whom Moses and the Prophets spake All circumstances here did meet and twift What they foretold fulfilled was in Christ The Promises so great and precious Assures us that the Lord is gracious His Word and Oath which ever do endure Do make his mercies to his people sure May worthless I these Promises embrace Thou maist for they are Promises of Grace If thou be miserable and impure They promise cleansing they are mercies sure As cleansing purgeth from impurity So mercy pities saves from misery If thou do thirst and hunger after all The Promises thine own thou maist them call The needy soul that longs for righteousness May claim the Promise fulness blessedness Since Christ hath blest the hungry thirsty foul Such sure are blest none can his Word controul Once close with Christ all Promises are then Thine for in him they are Yea and Amen If thou embrace all his Commands aright Thou maist in all his Promises delight Would you read laws in Scripture
you may see The laws of God most holy and most high Whose Will 's the rule of all holiness Of love and mercy and of righteousness These pure commands light to the eyes impart They 'r right and good and do rejoice the heart Receive them in thy mind since they are light And since they 'r good make them thy hearts delight Great peace have they O Lord thy law that love Nothing to them a stumbling-block shall prove Would you read Proverbs much sence in few words The Scripture Proverbs plenteously affords In Scripture rare Epistles you will find Where to his Friends Christ writes his heart and mind And as their case requires so he in love Sometimes commends and sometimes doth reprove Would you read news here 's news both great and true Good tidings of great Joy and ever new That God was manifest in humane flesh Will be for ever wondrous news and fresh He is the same to day and yesterday And is the same for ever and for aye His love 's the same it never waxeth old His blood 's still fresh his vertue grows not cold He 's white and ruddy still his beauty rare Doth never fade no age can it impair His locks are black no grey hairs there are seen His Marriage bed continues ever green All earthly things do languish and decay The fashion of the world doth pass away These things are nothing else but shadows fleeing Which seem to be and have no solid being But Christ is truth and new creatures true Old things are past lo all things here are new These things fade not with time they grow not frail They are eternal and shall never fail New creatures wax not old they never die Newness of life lasts to eternity New are their hearts their spirits minds and sense Their acts are acts of new obedience Their way is new as light it shines alway Still more and more unto the perfect day These creatures new have a new secret name And a new City New Jerusalem A new Heav'n and new Earth which far excell This World for there all righteousness doth dwell New various fruits they gather from the tree Of Life and drink new wine perpetually Eternal draughts of Light Love and Joy While God himself they fully do enjoy Ah Fools who seek for needless Novelties To feed fantastick Curiosities Of precious time so prodigally lost Your brave new nothings will not quit the cost Search for the new things that are great and true And of this labour thou shalt never rue These news thy soul to wondering will raise And yield sweet matter of new Songs of praise Art thou dispos'd to sing apply thine ear In scripture thou a joyful sound shalt hear Of Psalms and Hymns and Songs Spiritual Which make a melody celestial No Poet now can such Composures write For the great Maker did these Songs indite They came from Heaven and by a heavenly strain They lift the soul from Earth to Heaven again There are high Songs made touching the great King Who hath pre-eminence in every thing There are most stately Songs of acts divine Sweet Songs of Love which better are than wine Here mournful Songs and Songs of joy and gladness And here are Songs compos'd of mirth and sadness The Psalm begins sometimes with sighs and tears And sad complaints of dangers and of fears But while the Psalmist sings the grief and fray Evanish and are sweetly sung away These fingers travel much aloft to raise Their hearts and tongues to highest Notes of praise They call for help invite the creatures all In Earth Seas Air the Hosts celestial But all the praise that creatures can afford Is far below the praise due to the Lord. This rent will never fully payed be Through all the Ages of Eternity But they who ever praise are ever blest In restless praise there is eternal rest Unto the word the Lord subjoined hath The Sacraments for to confirm our Faith That as we hear so we may clearly see Christ and his Grace presented to our eye In Baptism behold Christ doth apply His Blood and Spirit us to purifie To purge away our guilt and filthiness To give us holiness and righteousness Be pure and clean and of a holy frame Since thou wast washed in God's holy Name Unto the holy One the holy Three Thou offer'd wast should'st thou not holy be Think never shame holiness to avow Glory to stand to thy Baptismal Vow Abhor the filthy lusts of Swinish Hogs Disdain to cast what 's holy unto Dogs Watch fight against all worldly lusts and evils Resist unclean lying and murthering Devils Be strong in God and in his power of might The War is holy and the Cause is right Put on Gods armour stand stand do not flee Upon the Captain always fix thine eye He is the Captain of Salvation Cleave unto him and thou shalt surely win For he hath given to all thy Foes the foil Come after him and gather up the spoil He will thee feast in midst of all thy fight Cover thy Table in thine Enemies sight A Banquet in the fight expect thou may Since Christ Love's Banner doth o're thee display O! let it not be ever said of thee That from Christ's Colours thou away did flee Christ and his fulness in the union-feast We may both hear and see smell touch and taste By these same ports were Satan Death and Sin Enter'd Christ Life and Righteousness come in Adam did hear take smell touch taste tâ—â— fruit And was transform'd to a vile mortal Brute He is the Living the Life-giving Bread Here is the meat indeed the drink indeed Under the shadow of this true Apple tree Sit down it 's Fruit to thy taste sweet shall be This tree of life this true and noble Vine Yields Grapes which bleed true life a life divine Christ would be broken that he might be bread And that the dead might live he would be dead He would bleed out his life that we might drink Life in his blood remember him and think Still of his Death and in his Temple still Think of his Love and of his latter Will. Thou who art willing Christ himself to take And all his fulness no more scruples make For as the bread thou eat'st and as the wine Thou drink'st belongs to thee so Christ is thine As food the empty body satiates And life and strength recruits and recreates So Christ to souls doth full contentment give He is their strength and life by which they live If he dwell in thee thou shalt filled be With all Gods fullness most abundantly And thou shalt live not thou but rather he Who is a quickning Spirit shall live in thee Faint not when to great works thou hast a call In Christ who strengthens thee thou maist do all Thou wilt him find life giving strenthening food The living Spring of all that 's truly good Prepare thy self for this great holy Feast The King himself observeth every guest He who
had not his Wedding-garment on Incurr'd the Sentence of Damnation If thou come thither as to common food Thou wilt draw on the guilt of Jesu's blood Come with repentance mourn when thou dost see The Lord whom thou by sin didst crucifie Come hungring thirsting for this holy Feast The hungring soul shall be with goodness blest Come meek and lowly to Christ crucified The meek shall eat and shall be satisfied Christ dwells with those who are of humble Spirit And doth revive the heart of the contrite Thou must have Faith that Christ himself thou may Eat Spiritually not in a carnal way Purge out the leaven of hypocrisie And eat this feast with heart-sincerity Purge malice out Division detaste This is a Love and a Communion-feast Forgive the sins of others heartily As God for Christ's sake hath forgiven thee If wants discourage guilt stare in thy face Then judge thy self beg mercy seek for grace If thou seek Jesus fear not do not stay He hath all that thou want'st haste come away Come to the blood of sprinkling with thy sin The Fountain's open wash thy self therein As it 's of grace that the most glorious Lord Speaks unto us and seals his faithful Word By Sacraments so it is of his grace That we may speak to him in every place Yea he most graciously of us requires That we in every thing make our desires Known t' him by prayer and supplication That we may freed be of all vexation And that we may to our comfort find The peace of God guarding our heart and mind Offer thy hearts desires unto the Lord For things agreeable unto his Word Pray in the Spirit who helps up every groan And sigh and suit we cannot pray alone Pray in Christ's Name if access thou would'st have To grace and answers of thy suit receive This is the new and living way the gate Of life that leadeth to the Mercy-seat All those for whom Christ doeth interceed Mercy and grace find in the time of need Be humble fervent pray in love and faith Life up pure hands without doubting and wrath Confess thy sins with sorrow and with shame For mercies praise the Lord's most holy Name And pray that God's Name may be hallowed Before thou com'st to seek for daily bread If answers come not soon wait knock again He hath not said Seek ye my face in vain Seek ask knock wait with expectation Thou shalt rejoice in God's salvation The very pouring out of a sad heart Before the Lord will somewhat ease its smart He heareth prayer and he loves to hear His Doves his Turtles voice he bows his ear All their desires groans breathings chatterings Are pleasant musick to the King of Kings These broken Notes he joins in pleasant sets Of Musick and their moaning words repeats He hears Ephraim while he doth bemoan Himself he telleth every word and groan His bowels move he hath compassion Upon his pleasant child and his dear Son. Is it not meet that since the Lord takes pleasure To hear and to repeat thy suits takes leasure That thou with pleasure should'st persist to cry And wait his leasure till he do reply Sometimes he answers Prayers e're they are done Sometimes he answers e're they be begun For he regardeth our necessity And answereth our need before we cry And sometimes humble patient expectation Is a most needful part of supplication That man is indiscreet who is offended That he 's not answered ere his suit be ended The needy he will not forget alway The poor man's hope shall not be lost for ay Think it not then a weariness to pray To come by this new true and living way With boldness by the Blood of Jesus Christ The Son of God the merciful High-Priest Who doth for ever live to interceed For sinners sensible of sin and need And takes those who come to him by the hand And brings them into grace wherein they stand Into the holiest the Mercy-seat That from the God of Grace they Grace may get Pardons of sins cures of all maladies And for all wants full suitable supplies Light Life Strength Grace to do and persevere When they are tempt with pleasure or with fear Yea more than they can ask or think upon Grace Grace sure mercies God's salvation Are not then all God's Ordinances sweet Since in them he doth with his people meet Himself his Mind his Grace he doth impart To them and they pour out to him their heart Blessed are they the joyful sound who hear And to God's Word apply their heart and ear It 's Spirit and Life it light in darkness gives And when they faint and fear it them relieves O! blessed are they who are washed in The Fountain opened for faults and sin These Waters cleanse heal quicken and make grow All things where they do come and overflow And happy are they who by Christ the King Are brought into the house of banquetting And happy they who by his Sp'rit are led Unto his house of Prayer and there made glad If this begun-communion be so sweet What will it be when it 's in Heaven compleat As for Christ's Rod and Cross tho they appear So sharp and sad yet follow do not fear That he himself doth humble to reprove And chasten thee it 's condescending love For if thou wert without correction Thou wouldst a Bastard be and not a Son. It 's better to endure Paternal Ire Than bear the vengeance of eternal fire If thou receive the rod with spirit mild Thou maist be sure God treats thee as a child Why shouldst thou his chastising hand suspect Since for thy profit he doth thee correct That we may partake of his holiness And may bring forth the fruits of righteousness His fire will not consume thee but thy sin It purgeth out thy filthy dross and tin These Thorns are kindly sharp which hedge the way That thou maist not thy lovers find but say I will to my first husband go I know That it was better then with me than now He is to anger slow he stirs not all His wrath he quickly lets the quarrel fall He spares even when he strikes debates in measure Waits to be gracious gives space and leasure To those whom he chastiseth to repent Speaks to their heart to move it to relent Despise not the Almighty's chastisement And when he thee rebuketh do not faint Humble thy self under his mighty hand Obey his will it 's madness to withstand Turn to his hand that smites and kiss the rod And it is meet that thus thou say to God I have chastisement born I 'le not offend Have mercy give me Grace my faults to mend What I see not Lord teach me that I may Know secret sins and no more go astray Blest is the man who is of God chastised And from his Law thus taught and exercised Sin brings down rods rods bring forth fruits of peace Christ turns the fruits of sin to means of grace God's soveraign Grace