bee so faint-hearted to feare a thing so common and certaine Was euer poore Labourer sorie after his painefull dayes worke to repose himselfe in sleepe Shall wee then ouerlaboured by a toilesome life grudge to goe to our sweet long and Care-ending sleepe Shall wee desire still to bee in our Nonage and not like heires of Eternity receiue our euerlasting Inheritance Our life is a Banishment from the heauenly Ierusalem shall wee bee grieued by Death to returne from Exile Why feare wee Death which is but the Funerall of our Vices the resurrection of our Graces and the day wherein God payes us our wages Life is neuer sweet to them that feare Death neither can he feare any Enemy that feares not death Did some of the Heathen but reading an uncertaine Discourse of Life hereafter seeke their owne Death to come unto it and shall wee certaine that there is a Life hereafter full of unspeakeable felicitie bee affraid of the way which GOD hath ordained as a passage to it Death is our yeare of Iubile and shall wee not reioyce in it Let euery one then O Lord who desires to bee free'd from sinning and offending thee cry out with PAVL I desire to bee dissolved and to bee with CHRIST A PRAYER Made and vsed with Companie in the aforesaid Visitation O Eternall GOD to whom by Creation wee owe our Beeing from nothing by Sanctification of thy holy Spirit a better beeing from worse than nothing by Redemption and Adoption a joynt Inheritance and Brother-hood with the King of Glory IESVS CHRIST by whom wee are bold to call thee Father neither art thou ashamed to acknowledge us Sonnes For all thy benefits O Lord wee giue thee most humble thankes in that it hath pleased thee to preserue us to this time from the dangers of Hell and Death but especially O good Lord that thou hast giuen us a sence and feeling of our owne sinnes and misery so that wee may call for Mercy before wee goe into the Graue and bee seene no more Wee most humbly and upon the Knees of our soules doe thanke thee O Lord that in this thy great Visitation this great Assizes of thine this fearefull Plague wherein the Graue hath swallowed up so many thousands that it hath pleased thee to command thy raging Minister the Destroying Angell but gently to touch us with an Arrow that was not pointed with Death as if hee had sayd to us Goe away Sinne no more lest a worse thing fall upon you Wee confesse O Lord that our sinnes deserued equally yea more than theirs whom thou hast taken away and yet O Lord wee still remaine to praise thy Name in the land of the Living Which if thou doest continue O Lord thou hast ingaged us to a sodaine and speedy newnesse of life with true Contrition for our former most haynous sinnes and a living in Holinesse and Righteousnesse all the dayes of our life But if so bee this bee but a gleame of thy mercy to trie our Faith and Constancy and that thou hast ordained at this time to make an end of our liues most wretched Pilgrimage thy will bee done O Lord. But ô speake Peace unto our Soules that they need not tremble at this great Seperation O Lord wee know Death is but a shadow and the feare of it more terrible than it selfe Let neither the ouglinesse of it nor of our sinnes distract our mindes when they haue most need to bee busie in obtaining thy grant of a better life Blot out all our offences O Lord and the manifold sinnes of our youths make them O Lord though they bee red as Scarlet yet as White as the wooll of thy immaculate Lambe CHRIST IESVS Wash them O Lord in his Blood and by his wounds let us bee healed from the stinking sores and ulcers of putrified and festred Sinne So that O Lord we may smile at Death and embrace the very terrour of it Repell O Lord the Divell and all his ministers who in these times of affliction are most ready to lay before our weake soules a large Catalogue and bill of our most haynous offences telling us that thou art a just GOD and wilt not heare the prayers of such great offenders but O Lord there is Mercy with thee that thou mayest bee feared yea that thou mayest bee loued Grant O Lord that though wee be euen swallowed vp of death and desperation yet wee may lay hold upon the precious Merits of thy deare Sonne and our loving Saviour so that either in life or death wee may crie with a true Faith and Comfort Come Lord IESVS come quickly To whom with thee the Father and the Holy Ghost bee all honour and glory now and ever AMEN A Vale to his best Part. DId not Religion controll I would say Farewell my Soule But so much as may depart Farewell I say my soule and heart Since from thee I 'me forc'd to flie I 'le enter no meane Heresie But will thinke it may agree A Body without Soule that 's thee Thou hast my soule and so behau'd I am in hope it may bee sau'd My heart 's in thee or mee or both And yet if seperate I am loth Thou hast not all know for thy part I am a niggard of my heart Farewell I say and though 't is paine To say this word Farewell againe Farewell yea so that thou may'st liue A thousand Vales I will giue That this Vale true appeare Take a Farewell and a Teare From thy A. H. Abraham Holland Hauing made many EPITAPHS for others made this Epitaph for himselfe and on his Death bed dictated it to his Brother H. H. PAssenger that wilt bestow So much time to read this know Here 's one a lasting sleepe doth take Till Christs Trumpet bid him wake This is that Gole whereto the man That lyeth here interred ran This the Race-end to which at most Jt can be said that hee rode Post. Let Him sleepe quiet and doe Thou Leaue Sinne not by and by but now Delay not houres which swiftly glide As a full Torrent or quicke Tide Knowing thus much good Christiā passe But with this Thought I am He was Denatus 18. Februarij 1625. Vnto these Post-humes is added NAVMACHJA OR A POETICALL DESCRIPTION OF the cruell and bloudie Sea-fight or Battaile of LEPANTO Most memorable BY ABRAHAM HOLLAND Revised by the Author and now againe Published Printed for HEN HOLLAND M.DC.XXVI TO THE READER that asketh what when and where was this Battaile of LEPANTO IN the yeare of CHRIST IESVS 1571. His open Arch-Enemie the Great Turke having had many Victories by Land in sundry Nations as well in subduing whole Countries as in taking many strong Cities and Castles from the Christians which confined neere his Territories enforcing the Christians either to renounce their holy Faith or to endure unspeakeable Slavery themselues their Wiues and Children beeing daily bought and solde in open Markets like Horses Oxen and Asses The Turke by this time had Conquered many
man in my judgement never more liues than when hee is most mortified I perswade my selfe that man shall neuer die who di'd while hee liu'd Brother I am resolu'd so soone as this heauy Storme is ouer to enter my selfe into the Orders of the Ministrie wherein I doubt not but to finde such Friends as quickly to prouide my selfe of an honest and competent liuing God is my judge I shall not bee at quiet till by truely labouring to saue others Soules I assure mine owne saluation If God lend me a longer life this is my resolution if otherwise it bee his will to take mee from hence though I could not in my Life I beseech God that I may glorifie him in my Death I pray you when you write to Coventry to remember my humblest dutie to my deare and aged Parents to whom I doubt not yet but by adding some comfort to their grey-hayres to requite partly my former disobedience desire both them and my Brothers and Sisters to pray for mee as I doe for them Brother I must confesse you haue beene more like a Father than a Brother unto mee God bee with you remember mee to your Wife and let us heartily pray for one another and bee cheerefull I rest Your loving Brother ABRAHAM HOLLAND Chelsey August 24. 1625. A Confession of my Sinnes to GOD and a testimonie of my Faith TO number my sinnes O Lord is impossible for they haue bin infinite to measure them our past humane skill for they haue bin immense and ah too great to repent truely for them not in my power without the grace of thy holy Spirit to obtaine pardon for them incredible but through the infinitenesse of thy still ready mercy and the all-sufficient-merits of my deare Saviour and Redeemer yet ô good Lord were my sinnes numberlesse as the Sands or Atomes that flit through the ayre yet should they neuer compare in number with thy Mercies were they for quantitie not to be comprehended thy goodnesse should surpasse them for qualitie not to bee mentioned foule and abhominable thy Purenesse is able to make them cleane and turnes the blackest of them into whitenesse of Snow their deepest graine of scarlet into wooll I haue sinned I haue highly sinned ô Lord I haue long sinned and shall still sinne unlesse thou helpe ô Lord unlesse thy grace prevent To amend my life ô Lord I haue made many and earnest vowes when thou hast but gently afflicted mee in my health I haue ever slipped backe and trodden in the steppes of my former sinnes what then ô Lord can I expect but a continuall miserie that I may know thee Yet ô Lord knowing that thy Will is not to destroy but preserue thy Glory to forgiue not punish and my Saviour as willing as able to bee a powerfull Mediatour with thee for us Sinners the price of his bitter Passion In the name of it in the name of thy Goodnesse thy Mercy haue mercy good Lord upon mee who require many drops of my Saviours blood to clense my Sinnes so shall I praise thee in the Land of the living before I goe into the Graue and there bee no more remembrance of mee A Metricall Version of part of PSALME 73. SVre GOD loues Israell and all Whose hearts are cleane yet I Had like t' haue let my feet to fall And trodden in iniquitie Because I did the bad ungodly see Stand still and flourish in Prosperitie 2. Death's perill they doe never feare But strong and lustie doe remaine Nor like to us misfortunes beare Nor suffer equall plagues and paine This is the cause that they are swolne with Pride And over-whelm'd in Crueltie abide 3. Their eyes with fatnesse swell and they Doe whatsoe're they can devise Others they doe Corrupt and say Most vile and wicked blasphemies Nor sticke they to revile the God of might And against Heaven powre forth malicious spight 4. Thus all the world they doe infect Which makes the silly people goe Aside and fall unto their Sect Thinking that they are blessed so Tush how say they shall God perceiue what wee Doe heere shall hee from high our actions see c. c. Mr. T. C. the Authors endeared Friend his Poeticall Version on the 91. PSALME 1. MAke the great God thy fort and dwell In him by Faith and doe not care So shaded for the fires of Hell Nor for the cunning Fowlers snare Nor Poyson of th' infected Ayre 2. His Plumes shall make a Downy bed Where thou shalt rest hee shall display His wings of Truth over thy head Which as a Shield shall chase away The Dreads of Night the Darts of Day 3. The winged Plague that flies by night The Murdring Sword that kils by Day Shall not thy Peacefull sleepes affright Though on thy right and left hand they A thousand and tenne thousand slay 4. Onely thine eyes shall see the fall Of Sinners but because thy Heart Dwels with the Lord not one of All Those Ills nor yet the Plaguy dart Shall dare approach neere where thou art 5. When thou art troubled hee shall heare And helpe thee for thy loue embrac't And knew his name wherefore hee 'le reare Thy honours high and when thou hast Enioy'd them long saue thee at last T. C. A MEDITATION ON PSALM 6. Vers 4.5 Returne deliver my Soule c. ALL this Psalme of DAVID is Prayer and as one said the very dreames of the righteous bee prayers to GOD So the very Songs of DAVID bee Prayers In the beginning of the Psalme he useth only a deprecatorie prayer Rebuke me not c. but afterwards hee comes to that Importunitie of prayer that Impudency that violence of prayer as Austine saith When wee earnestly Pray Quasi agimus facto Obsidemus Deum and as the Mathematician said Hee could deuise an Instrument would remoue the whole fabricke of the world if any one could but deuise him a place where to settle it So DAVID hauing as it were setled this great instrument of Prayer upon GOD turnes and as it were steeres him which way he will Returne which implies that hee had bin there before for as God first made Flowers and Trees before he made the Sunne but after a Paradise when the Sunne did vivificate it so God makes Man before the Sunne of Grace shine upon him but then makes him a liuing Paradise when hee inspires the Sunne of righteousnesse into our Soules and that is one kinde of returning to us yea when by many relapses of sin we fall from God hee giues us againe grace to repentance that is another returning There be three manner of significations of the originall word Shuba here used The first Redire in locum suum as heauy things to the Center and light to their exhausion upward so man returneth to the dust from whence first he came thus God returneth In terram suam when hee revisireth the soule of a sinfull man The second in withdrawing his judgements from us The third when we by
his corrections returne to him as it said Tyre and Sidon would haue returned in Sackcloth and Ashes where the same word Shuba in the Syriack translation is used The second Eripe animam The third Salvum me sac which implies such a Saluation as comes by CHRIST IESVS the Originall beeing Iashag whence IESVS comes The knowledge of God is as Iob sayes of his friends to speake with reuerence a miserable consolation without wee know him to bee our Saviour the very Atheists though they would denie it the Lord will by the terrours of night moue them to confesse there is a GOD yea they shall confesse there is a God but shall not know him a Saviour It is strange how in all the Old Testament the Ancients did abhorre distast and pray against Death although they did know it was the way to their blisse and indeed if we consider death as it is life and it may be put in an equall balance as when Paul thought with himselfe how good and glorious it would bee for him to be quit of this miserable pilgrimage of Life and the glory hee should receiue by Death then fell hee to his Cupio Dissolvi and the balance weighed on Deaths side but considering the good that the Church was to receiue by his staying then otherwise So was it with them of old to whom the joyes of Heaven were but shadowed by MOSES and the rest not so openly revealed as to us But divers expound this place mystically for the death and hell of sinne For without doubt in our naturall death wee praise God better than in this dying life Yea it is said that DIVES knew ABRAHAM in Hell and had a Charitable care of his Brethren on earth c. CERTEINE MEDITATIONS By ABRAHAM HOLLAND Commended and bequeathed to his deerest Mother Mrs. ANNE HOLLAND his deere Sisters A. H. M. H. and E. A. Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart bee alwayes acceptable in thy sight O Lord my strength and my Redeemer From this houre O Lord I haue vowed to serue thee in holinesse and righteousnesse all the dayes of my life I beleeue O Lord helpe my unbeleefe MEDITAT 1. LORD let mee carefully examine my selfe what I was now am and what I may bee I was O Lord before the inspiring of thy powerfull breath into a dead piece of clay Nothing I am by the malice of Sinne in ready way to Perdition I may bee sodainly through the reward of sinne worse than Nothing I was O Lord before I was Predestinate by thy depth of wisedome either to eternall Glory or euerlasting Sorrow I am almost uncertaine poore worme as I am by the innumerable heape of mine owne sinnes and the infinite goodnesse and mercies of CHRIST which shall light on mee I may bee by a too late and false or a true and contrite repentance subiect to either I was O Lord in my Mothers wombe conceiued in the foulenesse of Sinne I am O good Lord a dayly heaper of actuall Sin upon originall Corruption What can I then expect but that I justly may be the ayme marke of thy impartiall vengeance But O Sweet Lord I was loued of thee before I was borne am daily preserued by thee though in the middest of my iniquities and am in hope that through the all-sufficient Merits and Suffering of thy blessed Sonne to bee saued after death from the power of Sinne and Hell and with him glorified eternally Let me then with shame remember what I was and blush with sorrow what I am and repent with sorrow what I may bee and tremble MEDITAT 2. LEt mee O Lord judicially both contemne and feare this thing called Death Let mee O Lord feare it as a man may being the separation of his best acquaintance the Soule and Body let mee contemne the ouglinesse of it as being a Minister to bring both soule and body to a more sweet familiaritie Let me feare it as it is the way to Hell but contemne it being the gate of Heauen Feare it as the wayes of Sinne Contemne it being the reward and pay of a long misery Let mee feare not the Arrest of it but the Exetion let me contemne it knowing CHRIST is my Common-Bayle Feare it as a Monster but Contemne it as being Naturall Let mee not see the face of it without trembling but embrace with contempt c. A Briefe Meditation MY heart is broken O Lord and my distracted thoughts wander vp and downe to finde out thy Mercy mercy I seeke O Lord judgement sitteth at thy feet just God and Mercy on thy right hand mercifull Father giue her leaue a little O God to shew her pleasing countenance unto me the most vile hainous and presumptuous of all sinners O LORD wee haue sinned and thou hast punished O Lord wee still sinne and thou still doest punish giue us Grace Good Lord that wee may sinne no more that thou mayst desist from punishing Let us die O Lord that wee may not die and so strictly by the witnesse of our Consciences judge and Condemne our selues that wee be neither seuerely judged nor justly condemned by thee who both canst and desirest if wee will truely repent shew thy Iudgement milde and thy Mercy infinite Lord as of mee haue Mercy on all and show the light of thy Countenance and we shall O Lord bee whole AMEN A Meditation against the feare of Death ON the sodaine I cannot choose but thinke them madmen or children who stand in feare of Death and yet me thinkes euen thus they are wrong-named since neither Mad men Fooles nor Children feare Death alas shall simplicitie and sencelesse Folly doe more with them than reason or Religion can doe with us Shall the Sea-tost Mariner be sorrie that from ten thousand dangers of the Sea hee is arriued at his safe and long-desired Haven Shall the sterved Prisoner repine if after many yeares wofull Captiuitie hee be at last set at wished Libertie Shall the tormented Sick-man grudge if from a long and languishing Disease a speedy medicine restore him to his former perfect health Is not our Life a sea of troubles A lothsome dungeon A lingring sicknesse Is not Death the skilfull Pilot that guides us to Heaven Is not hee the good Iudge that sets us at libertie The skilfull Physician that cures our Mortalitie and restores us to Eternall life What doe we else by desiring long life but like the ingratefull Israelites desire to Continue at their former Flesh-pots in making Brick and Clay under hard taskmasters in the Egipt of this sinfull world and so keepe from the Canaan of neuer-decaying happinesse Is it not madnesse in desiring Long life to refuse Eternall life Shall wee be such cowards to feare a shadow the seperation of the Soule from God onely indeed is Death the seperation of the Soule from the Body is but the shadow of Death Shall we bee such fooles to seeke to shun that which neuer man could scape Shall we
Honours and beguile Their early feares with too late hopes alas They little thinke that now the soyled Grasse Vsurpes their deare embraces and grim Fate Sits pale vpon those Beauties which of late They made their Ages comforts who now shall Ah! be bound to them for a Buriall O call to mind this Fatall Yeere wherein * Equally justly sent Thy Iustice hath been equall to our Sin Both great O let thy blessed Goodnesse still As it is wont to doe surpasse our Ill. Those men whom we did love whom we did trust Should be our Shields are turn'd to Shades to Dust Let the in-throned Soule of IAMES implore That after Him thou punish His no more Let the great Sprite of OXFORD which hath past The Sentence of thy Anger be the last Thou plaguest vs withall and let us know That still thou pittiest us poore men below But never let this Land endure againe That wofull solitude which once did raigne In our faire Cities which neglected left In a deplored ruine shew'd the theft Of angrie Fate when scarce a tenant Mouse Was left in many a faire unpeopled house But the sad Owles and Night-Ravens aloofe Did keepe their Revels on the silent roofe When at high Noone one passing by should meet A Mid-night Darke and silence in the street When in the wayes well-pav'd and worne before By frequent steps of men there now grew store Of uncouth Grasse and Harvests now apace Grew where they once were sold i'th'Market-place When as no Merryments no Sports no Playes Were knowne at all and yet all Holy-dayes No Papers then over the doores were set With Chambers readie furnish'd to be let But a sad Lord haue mercie vpon vs and A bloodie Crosse as fatall Marks did stand Able to fright one from the Prayer The time Then held it an inexpiable Crime To visit a sicke friend Strange Stoure wherein Love was a fault and Charitie a sin When Bad did feare infection from the Good And men did hate their cruell Neighbour-hood 'T was a deplored time wherein the Skyes Themselves did labour and let fall their eyes When one might see the Sunne with sallow hayre And languishing complexion dull the ayre Looking eeu'n so as when at Chryses Plaint He went like Night the Graecian troupes to taint With sad Infection when his dire shafts cast Kill'd more than Hector in the nine yeeres past The Heavens were cloth'd with bleak mists the aire With the thick Dampe was struck into despaire Of future clearenesse or serener day But that the Clouds for feare ran oft away The Night whose dewie shade had wont to tame The soultry reliques of the Mid-day flame Distill'd no Crystall Pearles vpon the ground But wrapt in vaporous smoake and cloath'd around With poysonous Exhalations did affright The trembling Moone whose dim and paler light Look'd with that countenance as if againe Her silver hornes should ne're escape the Wane So to renew her Circuit The dull Quire Of sickly Starres shew'd now no smiling fire But shone like un-snuff'd Tapers as if Fate Did give them leave now to prognosticate Their owne estate not others and applie Themselves at last to sad Astrologie The poyson-clutter'd Springs with Plague infus'd Ran not with Crystall torrents as they us'd But in dull streames as them dire influence fills With fainting pace scarce reach'd unto their rills And languid Rivers which before did passe The Crystall with their clearenesse now alas Looke muddie without stirring and their streames That wont to be all spangled with the beames Of the blithe Sunne now in a weltring floud Ran not with water but prodigious bloud Those Trees whereof the Antients us'd to rayse Their Funerall Piles might in these fatall dayes Burne at their owne Death's which in sad despayre Spred not their leavie beauties through the ayre But suffer'd Autumne in the Spring forlorne And ferall Cypresse now had cause to mourne Poppeyes themselves this time in death did sleepe And the Myrrhe-tree had reason here to weepe A Funerall Perfume those gaudie flowers Which wont to make Ghirlonds for Paramours Mourn'd in their drouping braverie and spread The ground at their owne deaths as for the dead The Corne grew not as if it meant t'undoo Men not with Plague alone but Famine too Herbes Physicks Soveraignes here infected die And for themselves could find no remedie The brute Beasts now which Nature to bestow The Excellence on Man did make with low Downe-looking Postures first did feele the rage Of th'Earth-borne Plague and died before their age The long-liv'd Hart this time to die began Before it reach'd unto the age of Man The faithfull Spaniell by his death did trie The mischiefe of his well-nos'd Facultie And ranging with quick Sent did soonest prove Th' infectious Malice of the Dogge above The lustie Steed scouring in 's Game apace Lights on Deaths Gole in middle of his Race The nimble Fowle as th' ayre it flyes around Flags his sick wings and sinkes unto the ground Not long before to the remorselesse Skie In sillie Notes have sung his Elegie The lucklesse Night-Ravens which us'd to grone The death of others now might Dirge their owne The Snow-plum'd Swan as it did gently ride Vpon the silver Streame sung forth and di'de Anon the Damp dares breake into the Walls Making a way by thousand Funeralls Who can expresse th' astonishment and feare Which doth at entrance of a Plague appeare Even so the fleeced Heard doth tremble when An Aburne Lion hungrie from his Den Breakes in among 'em then you may behold The pale-look'd Shepheard gaze upon his Fold With helpelesse pitie the poore Lam-kins creepe Vnder their Dams the sillie trembling Sheepe Stand full of cold amazement at the sight Small hope for mercie and lesse hope in flight Expecting onely which of all shall scape The readie horror of the Lions rape Other Diseases warning give before That we may reckon and acquit the Skore Of our sinnes Prodigalitie in this We scarce can be resolved whether 't is Sicknesse or Death it selfe so quick it tries The strength of Nature so soone poore Man dies That many to repose in th' Evening lying Have made their sleepe true kin to Death by dying Before the Morne Ah! who would then deferre A preparation for this Messenger Of bless'd or curs'd Eternitie What man Would still presume to sinne that knowes the span Of short uncertaine Life Yee gracious Powers That measure out the minutes and the houres Of this our wandering Pilgrimage restraine These sodaine slaughter-men or good God waine Vs from our sinnes that wee may neither feare The rape of Death nor covet to be here O curbe this raging Sicknesse which with sense Bereaves us of the meanes of Penitence When a dire Phrensie seizeth on the Braine Full of resistlesse flame and full of paine That Madnesse which no cure can well appease Is but a Symptome unto this Disease Our bloud all fire as if it did portend We were not here to stay but soone
scarre-crow layd aside to shun th'annoy Of the beholders or for my Soule is it That you doe mourne which now doe throned sit Surfetting with pure Ioyes and holy mirth And smiles at that for which you weepe on earth That 't is dislodg'd from that debauched Inne Which helpt it ne're in ought but onely sinne I would haue giuen you leaue to mourne if then I had by suddaine Death bin summon'd when Wretch'd man I labour'd to the height of sin And bolder grew the deeper I grew in When Vice was turn'd to custome and each deed Though ne're so impious did perswade with speed Another worse as if Despaire had bin The beastly Pander to unbrideled sin But Heau'n be bless'd Heau'n better lou'd my soule Than without stay to let it headlong roll To everlasting Death and so did Kill The Body sooner to retayne that still The Soule as hee inspir'd it pure nor at all Conscious of sinne no not Originall Thinke you I feare those things which you doe call By such blacke names The Griefly Funerall The Fatall beere sad Flowers and dreary Hearse The mournefull Followers and the weeping Verse Thinke you already I doe not disdaine The mightie tapers and the sable traine Or e're I doe expire thinke you my soule Will be so cowardly to feare the toll Of a sad bell whose heauy language goes Deadly as if it did intend to close It's voyce with mine Thinke you I doe not spie The dolefull silence of the standers by As if they all were speechlesse and from me Did draw one generall stupid sympathy Me thinkes I heare the silly Women say Hee is whole chested and will goe away By dying upward and some other trie If that my legges be cold and straight doe lye Here 's one doth Iudge my feeble Pulse and cryes ' Cause shee must bee the Friend to close mine eyes Another maketh Triall of my Breath Thus doe I heare 'em furnish me for Death But ó let me not heare them let my sprite Bee busie then in purchasing a light More sweet then Life it selfe may wholly I Bee fix'd in thoughts of Immortalitie Let me then an audacious Client stand Pressing to Kisse my unseene Sauiours hand And let me bee so busie in my Prayers That not the Feare of Death nor ougly cares Throng'd in the memory may disturbe the Soule Which now is neere to Heav'n her capitoll In the last Triumph after Conquest wonne O're Death and Hell and grim Perdition T is a toy to thinke when life is past That Fate did lagge or else made too much hast When wee die quickly or by tedious Age Fulfill the circuit of Lifes Pilgrimage In my opinion a Day-ag'd Child Hath when it dyes a race as well fulfill'd As Clymacterick Old men I confesse Not with so many out-rodes yet no lesse Exactly Nature doth averre the same And a day Rose aswell an Age may claime As the long liued Oake Though Time devoure The one so slowly th' other in an Houre If'cause I dye before you you repine I 'le thinke you enuy at this blisse of mine And wish't your owne there 's nought but sinne in me That could deserue long life and miserie Which Sinne the God of Mercy quell'd and check't The cause and after tooke away th' effect Long life or if because I dye so soone And come into mine Evening at the Noone And full Meridian of mine age you erre And doe not know what blisse the Fates conferre On mee hereby by which I shall obtayne As I now dye to rise at last againe In fresher youth The Marriner behold To gather up a little Pelfe and Gold Contemned Death If hee doe chance to finde A nearer Cut to China or to Inde Reioyceth and shall wee who through this vale And gulfe of miserie in Life doe sayle Grudge if the Fates doe show a nearer Haven Our Purchase being no Gold nor Pelfe but Heaven FINIS A LETTER Savouring of Mortification written and sent in the time of the late Visitation of the Plague to his deere Brother H. H. in LONDON DEare Brother I am sorry your other occasions would not permit mee to enjoy your company longer at my last being at London especially in this time of sorrow when the dearest friends are not able to say to day wee will meet to morrow which me thinkes cannot choose but put euery man in minde how carefull hee ought to bee that though in our Kinred and Friendship wee be separated on Earth wee may by true repentance and relinquishing our sinnes gaine that blisse that at the reunion againe of soule and body in that happy communion of Saints we may meet againe with joy Our small Village here as an out-member of your great Citie suffers proportionably with it the heauy stroke of Gods wrath insomuch that whole Families of the most curious preventers haue beene wofully swept away especially a Gentleman lest to keepe the Countesse of Nottinghams * This house is called the Kings Nurcerie House who with his Wife a beautifull Gentlewoman and foure most sweet and louely Children and their Man are all gone I hope to blisse and their Mayd that is onely left lying at the mercy of God Wretch that I am why delay I one minute to cast my selfe prostrate at the feet of Mercy and prepare my selfe for the like passage Within these few dayes most of this house in the judgement of men were likely to out-liue mee whose wilde and looser youth threatens a too timely old-age They liu'd in a beautious House a refined and pure Ayre wanted neither Antidote nor assisting Physicke and yet alas they now are not they are dust and ashes and the food of Wormes O! the depth of the wisedome of our great GOD hee saw that it was good for them to dye to gaine a better life and for us that by their deaths wee may learne and prepare our selues to dye Ah Brother thinke not this is a time Rhetorically to set forth a sorrow or passion thinke not but my heart speakes what I write I know the reward of Sinne I know the value of a Soule thinke not but while it is in my power by the merits of CHRIST I will haue a care and prouidence for the price of my Saviours blood my Soule Deare Brother I doubt not but you are so well prepared and armed against this Visitation of God that my weake devotion is either needlesse or unable to assist you Yet I desire you not any way to deject your selfe onely in the humiliation for sinne in this great Assizes of Almighty God where we all are brought to our Trials For my selfe I thanke the comforting Spirit of God I haue not beene these many yeares in so great securitie as I am in this time of imminent danger When euery minute telling me I must die and that God knowes how soone I now and but now begin to liue alas the time that I spent before was but death and I liu'd but in a dreame A