which fly In my crazy Brain defy Save Me O endless Truth from Vanity O come sweet Jesus come to Me All my Lusts will fly from Thee Pardon O pardon Lord my wandring Mind Which when for earnest Prayers design'd Can such foolish Objects find I love the World too well and Thoughts will fly Where e're the vain Affections lie And the Tempter's always nigh Oft with my Lips I pray when Lord my Heart Will from that holy Duty start And from Thee my God depart Truth spoke the Word The Treasure holds the Mind The Good are all to Heaven inclin'd But I with worldly Glory blind I love the Flesh and fleshly Things pursue But could the Spirit the Flesh subdue To my God I should be true Of what I love I love to talk and hear And home the fair Ideas bear And esteem them always dear Blest Lord is He who leaves the World for Thee And by a perfect Victory Lives from Nature's Furies free Calm is his Conscience and his Prayers are pure And He 's of Angels Bliss secure Nor can the Thoughts again of worthless Earth endure XLIX I have fought a good Fight henceforth there remains for me a Crown of Righteousness Christ MY Son Since from above thou feel'st a sacred Flame For from above those holy Ardours came Long'st to be gone and with a cloudless Eye To see my Face and grasp Eternity Enlarge thy Heart and with a vast Desire Blow up thy Wishes and advance thy Fire Thank thank thy God whose kind indulgent Love To visit Thee stoops from those Realms above Enflames thy Soul and with a powerful Hand Supports thy Heart and makes thee firmly stand This neither from thy Thought nor Labour flows But wondrous Grace the wondrous Boon bestows To make thy Valour shine more dreadful bright To humble Thee before the Ghostly Fight And Thee to Godlike Loves and holy Works excite The Fire may burn but Smoke attends the Flame And holy Souls whose inward Fervours aim At heavenly Bliss yet never hope to be From fleshly Lusts or dark Temptations free They love their God but with severe Allays Nor can thy Fire without incumbrance blaze Flesh has its own Convenience first in view And can't with perfect Love Eternal Joys pursue Ask not abundance nor Delights for Thee But what accepted with thy God may be Think well Thou 'lt find my Orders wiser far Than all thy Wishes or Attainments are I know thy Wishes and have heard thy Groans Thou long'st for Palaces and glittering Thrones Shining with endless Joys and fix'd on high Where God's blest Sons enjoy their Liberty But stay a while To Day 's a time for Fight For Pains and Trials thou wouldst glut thy sight With boundless Good but must thy Heats rebate I only AM for ray approaching Kingdom wait Thou must be longer exercis'd and tri'd Have Comforts here but not be satisfi'd Take Courage then be strong to do to bear A Man quite new a Man quite chang'd appear Renounce thy Will and oft against it move Not Thine but other Mens Designs improve They shall be heard when all thy Prayers are lost They shall but ask and have thy Words and Hopes be croft They shall be talk'd of Thou in Silence die They trusted useless Thou and slighted lie Nature will flinch at this but bravely born Victorious Silence will thy Life adorn God's Servant Thus Thus must his Son be taught Thus to deny and rule Himself be brought It 's to be mortifi'd indeed to see And suffer what 's so hard my Son to Thee And tho subjected to a Power Divine It 's hard rebellious Nature to confine And the resisting Will to God's Commands resign Weigh then my Son the Fruits of all thy Pains Their swift Conclusion and their mighty Gains Such Meditations will no Wounds procure But raise thy Courage and thy Heart obdure Thy Will here quitted shall be gain'd above There thou 'lt obtain thy Wishes and thy Love Good thou shalt have and never fear to lose Thy Will as Mine no private Interest chuse None shall resist Thee there nor stop thy Way But to thy utmost Hopes thy Soul convey I 'll give thee Honours for Disgraces past For Sorrows Praises and a Throne to last Tho when on Earth beneath the meanest cast Thus shall the Fruits of just Obedience shine And humblest Penitents obtain Rewards Divine O then to human just Commands submit Beneath their Laws with humble Patience sit Thy King 's thy Friends thy Parents Pastor's Will Take well and with sincere Address fulfil Let Brutes in various ways their Thoughts engage Enjoy the Praises of a flattering Age Brag of a thousand Honours spread their Fames And to the Stars exalt their lofty Names Boast not of such Atchievements but when Grace Makes Self to God resign its darling place Come Life come Death let Love thy Heart enflame And in new Hymns of Praise thy gracious Lord proclaim L. Turn Thee unto Me and have Mercy on Me for I am desolate and afflicted Bel. MY God dear holy Father may My Soul Eternal Blessings pay To Thee whose just Resolves have stood Whose Deeds are always kind and good Let Me blest Lord rejoice in Thee But not in other Men nor Me. Thou Lord canst all my Hopes employ My Crown my Glory and my Joy Ah to what can I pretend But what God himself must send All is thine from thee it flow'd But my Age is Lord bestow'd All in Sorrows all in Tears All in tedious Doubts and Fears While the Tyrant Lust appears Lord give thy Childrens Peace to Me Who feed in Comforts light with Thee Thy Peace thy heavenly Gifts infuse And I 'll thy Holy Gifts produce And all to sing thy Praises use But shouldst Thou dear Lord withdraw I should soon forget thy Law Such a Change would make me droop Make me tremble make me stoop Not as when I felt the Streams Of thy Mercies lively Beams And beneath thy Wings could be From design'd Temptations free The Time O righteous Father's now Which must thy faithful Servant prove This happy Moment Lord will show My suffering patient lasting Love That Time Dear Father known of old To Thee has laid its hands on Me When outward Woes my Life should hold But still my Heart should live to Thee I tho grosly slighted here I the weight of Passions bear Yet from thence should quickly rise And above the lofty Skies Bask in thy refulgent Eyes Thus thy Word of old ordains it Thus my present State explains it Lord it 's a Friendly Test of Love When I repeated Sorrows prove From thy All-guiding Providence The great Events on Earth commence I for my Good thy Scourge have known Now better wiser humbler grown Tho Confusion hides my Face I implore thy saving Grace And thy Judgments deeps admire While the Good and Bad expire Since thy prudent Orders shew Equity and Mercy too I Lord thy glorious Name adore Tho compass'd round with mighty Foes Since I
that the Judgment CAnst thou Ah wretched Sinner canst thou still Obey thy own distemper'd Will Canst thou who fear'st an angry Prince's Brow Thy self in Sins against thy Lord allow Hark the dreadful Trumpets sound How they rend the trembling Ground Hark how pale Ghosts Fiends with dismal Shrieks Cries From their Infernal Caverns rise And look with Horror on the flaming Sky And to the rolling Rocks tumbling Hills for Shelter fly See where obedient Angels raise the Bar Where God his great Assizes holds Who sees and scans thy private Sins as far As both the Poles in sunder are Where neither Bribes nor feign'd Excuse Can blind the Judg or Wisdom's Search abuse While his Impartial Doom thy monstrous Guilt unfolds What wouldst thou helpless Creature do What Methods would thy thoughtless Soul pursue Canst thou alone escape the dreadful Test Or in thy Sins without disturbance rest Or will some subtle Advocate appear And plead for and acquit thee there Poor silly Hopes and senseless Dreams On Earth thy humble Cries thy speaking Tears May reach thy mighty Maker's Ears Repentance here begun betimes May cleanse thy ingrain'd Sins thy foulest Crimes But Death for ever bars bright Mercy 's smiling Beams Think'st thou the gloomy Flames of darksome Hell Will only Purgatory prove And when thy Soul in endless Chains shall dwell Thy crying Guilt thy endless Chains remove It 's true indeed thy Sufferings there Shall dark and hideous as thy Sins appear Insatiate Fiends there with their pointed Prongs And fiery Goads and burning Tongues Shall rouze thy tortur'd Soul Thy Glutton Appetite the Pangs shall feel Of Thirst and Hunger Whips of flaming Steel Shall all thy barbarous Thoughts controul Black Streams of burning Pitch and purple Flame Shall there the Wanton Leacher tame The Envious Wretch with many a painful Scowl Thro the waste Shades of hellish Torments howl But still O still shall thy distracted Soul In never-wasting Flames and livid Sulphur roll But what are Flames and Sulphur to Those long unutterable Pains To damn'd Delinquents due Hot Streams may fail and bluest Flames expire But Hell's Immortal Rack disdains The Bounds of Time nor canst thou dream How inconceivably extream The Torments are from Intellectual Fire Think if thou canst O think what dreadful weight Almighty Fury on a Ghost may fling Think with what Woes a dark despairing State Must the distracted Conscience sting There Woes bring Woes and Tortures Tortures breed And Pains and Anguish Pains and Anguish feed Plagues follow Plagues Curses on Curies roar Rage blows up Fury tho enflam'd the more Horrors on Horrors tumble Hells on Hells And the sad Soul first-born of Light Once with internal Glories bright In heavy thickning endless Darkness dwells No short-liv'd Beam can ever find the way To tortur'd Souls from their Congenial Day No Glimpse of Joy in Hell can find a room Or rend th' impenetrable Gloom No Rest no Respit not one single Now Can Vengeance for their Ease allow The damn'd Associates can't one Thought engage In Prayers or Wishes for an end of Woes No Plant of Hope in that waste Region grows But Rage to Malice Malice turns to Rage Could Days could Months could rolling Years Could Time's last running Sands one Moment show From whence one Drop of Hope might flow The blackest Fiend might wipe his scalding Tears But when a thousand fatal Years are told Ten thousand more are still for Pains enroll'd Millions of Millions then enhance the Score And when they 'r past but clear the way for more For ever still that dismal Hell must be And vast as the wide Bounds of vast Eternity What tho Repentance now to thee A tedious Work appears In Hell one Minute shall more dreadful be Than all the Penance of a thousand Years Repent poor Sinner then no more delay No more put off the necessary Day So thou among the Blest at last shall stand And like a Judg the trembling World command Tho mean on Earth and despicably poor The Great the Proud shall there thy Doom endure Then those who scorn'd thy Vertues here Shall at the Bar confus'd appear Admire thy Wisdom and their own despise Which more a Bubble than a Crown could prize Thy Griefs shall then be acceptable found With Favours as with Patience crown'd A Conscience pure obedient innocent A Soul with humblest things content Devotion holy Works shall serve thee more Than worldly Wit or all the Miser's Store Thy Saviour gain'd shall more of Blessings bring Than all the Joys which here from mighty Conquests spring Shouldst thou poor Wretch in Ease and Wealth increase And all the Smiles of flattring Peace Should Sycophants beneath thy Footstool bow And all their Service to thy Greatness vow What Blessing 's this when thou shalt quit the Field And Life to Death's Approaches yield What 's Wealth within the silent Grave Or who 's the Dead-man's humble Slave Only thy Love to God the Test can bear All other Treasures fly like empty Air That Love pulls out Death's mortal Sting Death can't to thee the Fears of Vengeance bring Thou canst unmov'd the Bar and Pit behold In thy Redeemer's Merits bold Approach thy Judg and with a smiling Brow Before his awful Glories bow Till by thy Saviour's tenderest Loves embrac'd With Robes of flowing Joys and Crowns of Glory grac'd XXIV Cease to do Evil learn to do Well I To my Lord have now my self resign'd His Service has engag'd my thoughtful Mind I 've broke the Charms of this deceitful World No more in common Storms or Tempests hurl'd Rise then my Soul O rise to things above O serve thy Lord with watchful fervent Love Vain are thy Vows thy best Resolves are vain If thou thy old thy groveling Thoughts retain On Zeal's bright Wings O to his Bosom fly With Angel-Bands in cheerful Service vie Let no Resistance beat thy Courage down Take up the Cross and thou shalt gain the Crown Here thou may'st mourn there Joys eternal flow Work here there Peace and boundless Pleasures grow Be thou my Soul to sacred Practice true He 'll more than pay the promis'd Glories due Rouse rouse thy Hopes if thou the Wreath wouldst wear But thy Presumption still repress with humblest Fear Perhaps uncertain Doubts distract thee here To know if thou in Good shalt persevere That is thou 'ldst have some Oracle declare How weak thy Thoughts how vain thy Fancies are But were thy Question throughly satisfi'd How wouldst thou then thy flowing time divide Wouldst thou be careful should thy Industry More active then or more illustrious be Do now the same sweet Comforts then shall rise And Strength inform thee from the smiling Skies Leave future things to God's superiour Care And strive to know what his Prescriptions are Search through his Laws and all thy Life shall be Divine and thou from Fears and torturing Passions free What tho the Work be hard the Task severe And various Terrors round Heaven's Ways appear He 's only brave
thy heavy Lashes bore And inward Pangs and outward Woes Great Physician Lord of Souls Thou whose Hand our Hearts controuls None above and none below Can such Wounds and Balms bestow Thou to Hell canst cast me down Thou my Life with Health canst crown All the Sufferings laid on Me All my Comforts flow from Thee In thy blest Hands Dear Father I Beneath thy Rod's Correction lie Lash cut me deep that I may be In all submissive Lord to Thee Make me Obedient Humble Meek That I thy Will alone may seek My Self I yield my All to Thee Here not hereafter punish Me Thou knowst my Conscience throughly Lord Each brooding Thought each winged Word Past Present Future Matters lie At once before thy piercing Eye Thou my Interest only knowst What to purge my Rust it cost Let me Lord thy Subject be Work thy Pleasure Lord on Me Ne'r despise Me ne'r neglect Me Nor for Nature's Taint reject me I thy Jurisdiction own I to Thee am throughly known Lord teach Me what I ought to know And Love to lovely things to show To praise what only pleases Thee True Worth in what thou lovest to see While what Thou hat'st grows vile to Me. Let me never judg by sight Nor in empty Tales delight Wisdom's Methods let me learn And superiour Things discern From those little Toys below And thy Laws exactly know Mens Senses oft in Judgment fail And Toys on Earthy Minds prevail Who only grasp at what they see And scorn Invisibility Who tho the Rabble lift them high May still in common Ordure lie For when Cheats the Cheaters praise When the Vain their Fellows raise When the Blind conducts the Blind When the Weak's a Guide design'd All 's Deceit from first to last All their Praise an empty Blast For a Man's repute should be Only as He 's priz'd by Thee LI. Who hath despis'd the Day of small things Christ MY Son Tho now thy inward Flames supreamly shine Thy Prayers are Raptures and thy Flights Divine Yet Nature's Weakness oft will Lure thee down And Life's rough Cares thy soaring Fancies drown The Heart still of its mortal Load complains And needs must groan beneath its slavish Chains Since cramp'd so oft when it attempts the Skies And would to heavenly things and lofty Subjects rife With humble Thoughts then Holy Works pursue Till coming I thy smother'd Flames renew With heavenly Dews refresh the drowthy Plains Bless thee with Peace break thy weighty Chains Thy Heart enlarg'd thro Scripture-Vails shall rove And Thou to run my holy Ways shall love Till sure what e're thy present Sufferings are They can't with heavenly Bliss and future Crowns compare LII I have born Chastisement I will not offend any more Believer LORD I 'm unworthy of thy Comforts thy Love And thou mayst justly from my wreched Heart remove Vast Seas of flowing Tears could never make me pure My great my crying Sins might all thy Plagues endure But boundless Goodness Lord and Mercy lives with Thee And thy supporting Hand thy fading Creatures see Thou mak'st my drooping Soul thy wondrous Comforts know And find how far they pass our weak Attempts below What can I do my God to gain thy heavenly Grace So slow to Penitence so swift in Satan's Race I nothing Lord can plead if thou my Crimes survey But Hell and hellish Flames must all my Guilt repay I know I merit Lord thy utmost Hate Scorn Nor can my Name among thy Holy Saints be born Harsh tho the Reckoning prove I must the Test endure If I 'd thy Mercies Springs thy Comforts Streams procure What shall I say when at thy dreadful Bar accus'd What can a Sinner plead with inward Guilt confus'd I 've sinn'd great God I 've sinn'd O Mercy Mercy show O let my Eyes a while with unfeign'd Waters flow E're I to Death's black Shades the Lands of Darkness go A contrite humble Heart thy Bar for Sin demands In true Repentance all our hope of Pardon stands That stills those rugged Storms which o're the Conscience roll Our dying Gifts repairs shields the trembling Soul From Judgment 's dreadful Flames till delug'd round with Sweets The Soul its smiling God in Love's Embraces meets A contrite Heart to Thee 's a nobler Sacrifice Than all those Odours which from fuming Incense rise Sweet as those fragrant Oils which wash'd thy sacred Feet And as it 's humble must thy constant Favours meet Thy Arms a Refuge sure from Hellish Rage appear And our Pollutions all thy flowing Mercies clear LIII Love not the World neither the Things of the World Christ MY Smiles are pure my Son unmix'd with those Poor Comforts which inferiour Things disclose Wouldst thou obtain them Cast thy Clogs aside Thy Self within thy private Chambers hid There with thy God not Men Discourses nod Thy Mind and Conscience there with Sighs unfold Laugh at the World that sweet Recess prefer Before a King 's invidious Character For Mine and worldly Loves thou ne'r canst find A Time of leisure or an easy Mind From fondest Friends and Earth's Incumbrance free There thou mayst dedicate thy self to Me And like a Stranger and a Pilgrim move Thro' wastful Desarts here to Canaan's Rest above With what strange Joys that happy Man may die Whose Thoughts discharg'd from Earth's Engagements lie Words can't express nor curious Arts descry The real Saint the World's Concerns will leave And chiefly fears Self should Himself deceive Subdue thy Self thou'lt soon the World subdue That Conquest only is a Conquest true He who his sensual part by Reason guides Then with his Reason to his Lord subsides O're Earth o're himself a King triumphant rides Wouldst thou reach this Then like a Man begin And lay the Ax close to the Roots of Sin Heâ— down Self-love and every Thought inclin'd â—o vulgar Blisses or the Creature-kind Self-love alone the Little World confounds That master'd Peace the quiet Heart surrounds How few compleatly to themselves can die Their Bird-lim'd Wings no gallant Heights can fly But here in common Cares entangled lie But those who would at large converse with Me Must from deprav'd unruly Passions be And from their darling selves and Creature-Comforts free LIV. The natural Man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God Christ MY Son Nature and Grace in all their Steps attend Soft is their Motion and oppos'd their End Only by men of inward Light perceiv'd Most aim at Good but are alas deceiv'd Sly Nature has a thousand Arts and Snares And only for its own Delights prepares Grace is sincere and all that 's ill declines Cheats none but all for God and Godlike Works designs Death Sufferings and Subjection Nature hates Grace struggling Lust with holy Art rebates Fain would be humble and would fain obey And not at large in fleshly Desarts stray Love's Discipline and on its Good would rest And for his sake it self of Self divest Nature for Pleasure seeks and seeks for Gain Grace only