Yea thy estare advance To a degree of contentation here In time to come unto eternal cheer But oh it's uncouth harsh to flesh and blood In thy small volume to affect what 's good Though in thy youngers we with ease may ' spie An in-nate proneness to depravity VVell take thy course I here presented have Before thee life and death And now I crave And wish thy better choyce But if thou wilt Run nature's course shun grace and so be spilt Forget not what is told thee this withal God will to strict account thee shortly call Chant on my pretty Cricket but remember March-singing Thrushes meet a mute December An Epigram on the same CHildhood's a cyens of man's tree And lo As you it bend 't will straight or crooked grow Bend it betime to grace and humble make it Lest bigger grown a head-strong stiffness take it Then will your labour be to little end Such rugged stocks will rather break then bend And thou my little Mannikin give ear To good directions fit corrections bear They both are physick good they will procure Thy lasting health they 'll thee for ever cure Wilt thou not take them but keep on thy tomming Then take this pill WELL wanton winter's comming Youth FAirest of sub-celestials draw thee near Grace our great stage thou art an Angels pheâ—… If but with grace replete But i 'm mistaken And Lark-like with a stale and day-net taken Deeming a glass the Sun I see my error I finde from thee deep grounds of fear and terror Help help me store of manacles and gyves Stocks shackles pillories and all that gives Correction to untamed man yea call For bridles halters bits and curbs withall Ropes fetters barnacles and cables strong Nay bring the Ax and Gallows both along Whose pow'rs can briefly tame both man and beast Bring any Engine else not here exprest Then fetch me all earths Conjurers and Witches Whom Satan makes believe they wear the britches And can him rule bring Devil and all These forces May tame Bears Lyons Boars Bulls Tygers Horses And all wild beasts Ships under sayl and winds In roughest storms Sea where a way it finds Fire water earth and ayr yet cannot fear More untam'd youth from its most wild career Hark witless wild-oats though thou raunt'st it thus I 've got a lusty guard And some of us Shall one day tame thee Nay I 'll tell thee more He that brings up the Reâ—r hath quite o'erbore And captivated thee who know'st it not The sadder much thy case the worse thy lot His subtilty is Serpentine beware Give him an Inch hee 'll take an Ell who dare Allow him but the lordship of a thought Into his vassallage are sliely brought In thoughts words acts and all till he erect His kingdom in their souls a sad effect Of such a slighted cause Resolve therefore To free thee of his thraldom serve no more No more serve him But serve him who hath bought Thy freedom out by price unheard unthought Till Gospel it reveal'd By his heart-blood He freed thee from thy sin-bound prentice-hood And he makes all his servants perfect free The world yeelds no such master else for thee His silver 's only currant his gold pure Thy wages thousandfold thy payment sure Oh take him he thy Cov'nant long since seal'd Put seal to his lest thine should be repeal'd Christophorize and make the legend true Forsake the Devil and take a master new But know withal this master 's such a one As will a new man have or else have none Renew renew thy life imploy thy strength In those atchievements that bring bliss at length Squander not time and money both for that Which is not bread whose best contentment's flat Dull dead and low unsating to thy soul Yea mortal poyson venemous and foul Such are thy lusts which thou pursu'st amain They 'll neither end in pleasure nor in gain But rueful wo and loss Recal thy minde Summon thy senses in which reason blind ' Lure them to her subjection will suppress And give more sway to grace to nature less Ne'er man layd grain of honour in the dust By yeelding unto grace but unto lust I know thou look'st aloft thou prizest self Thou valu'st honour more then worldly pelf For this I should commend thee didst thou know But what true honour is not this below Not Scutchions fair not worm-fret monuments Nor large-dimension'd pettigrees great rents Millions of Mannors princely Fabricks rais'd By glorious Ancestors whose fame is blaz'd In dateless old Records to be descended From an Heroick stock whose worth transcended Earth's greatest Monarchs Nor from him that claims Her universal Crown whose boundless aims Lay title to the Heavens Earth and Hell When but the last's his due No no know well To be or come from such false honour is Whose affectation cheateth us of bliss It 's but imaginary Honour true Puts off the old man and puts on the new Strives not to seem but be more good then great To sinful thoughts words actions sounds retreat For them most mourns Of them is most asham'd Hating to be deform'd more then defam'd Deform'd in soul for that 's true ugliness As sanctity is truest comeliness Take God's Word for thy glass there see thy face Of soul and body both with tires of grace Adorn thy self So shalt thou fairer be Then the best beauty mortal ere did see Let faith repentance patience modesty Chastity temperance sobriety Charity justice mercy zeal and peace Fortitude meekness and such gems as these Give lustre to thy life they 'll make thee shine In humane eyes and more in eyes divine If gray hairs fraught with Grace a glory be 'T is much-more glory Grace in Youth to see Thou glory'st in thy beauty stature strength Activity wit wealth or cloaths at length All these will fade and fayl thee know'st how soon Thy morning's past and most will reach but noon But what relate I these thou glory'st in Horrid Impieties thou boast'st of sin Which might make thy bright Sun this minute set In everlasting Darkness That 's a Debt That dares Damnation wooes Eternal Death Makes love to vengeance shipwracks Hope and Faith Jeers God at 's Nose and deifies a sin That scarce by Mercie 's self hath pardon'd been Forbear forbear young Hotspur thy account Will one day to the vaster sum amount For this doth double charge thy debts and thou Art surely broke unless thou learn to bow It 's better bow then break Bow bow thee low Humilitie's a Grace whose heighth none know But the Lamb's lambs whose pasture is Mount Sion Who have thereby o'ercome the roaring Lyon It is a Star that fix'd in Youth's high Sphere Transcends the reach of each Astronomer For none can take it's Altitude but he Who 's above all and for whom all things be Let thy Grand-Siegnior Will that Turk-like swayes Thy soul and body by tyrannick wayes Submit in all things to his Will Divine Who gave thee Will
right assumes Unto himself boasting great Babylon Built by his wit and pow'r mad thereupon Is forthwith doom'd among the beasts to live Till he do honour to Jehovah give The young man in the gospel whom Christ lov'd Thought he had done whatever him behov'd Fulfil'd Gods Laws yet was his case most foul Who lov'd his riches better then his soul The bragging Pharisce conceiv'd no less Of his proud self yea did so much express Yet his hypocrisie so great we see The Publican was judg'd more just then he Presumption magnifies our merits in Our own blear'd eyes and puffs up self within Begets low thoughts of others who exceed Us in sincerity it ere we heed Breeds blind opinion of our happy state Till she hath brought us home to Hell's black gate Then we discover what we thought not on Our high-priz'd faith but false presumption And oh what horrour will it cause to see Too late in what a sad estate we be She charms and stupifies our senses so That in what case we are we scarcely know Till we withal know that inevitable Our danger is and irremediable She us inveigles as she did of old Laodicea's Church nor hot nor cold Of lukewarm temper senslesly to vaunt Of riches goods increase and nothings want Whilst she was wretched miserable poor Naked and blind though he knock'd at the door Well nigh prepar'd to spue her out his mouth Who no such temper in his Bride allow'th This is Goliah's ghost sent sorth by him Whoâ— is Hell's Prince the Sp'ritual Philistim He by presumption dares God's sacred hoast Who of her great atchievments well may boast By whom bright Stars have fall'n and falling be Stars in our eyes though not in God's decree For Comets greater seem to judgmenâ—… rude Then fixed Stars of vaster magnitude Presumptioâ—s potions soporiferous A sad soul-apoplexy cause in us Which whilst we think we draw securest breath Lulls us asleep into eternal death She makes Hell's flames which neer shall quench or dy The first dark light we see our errors by Accurst deluder thou dost never cease With Syren's songs and lullabies of peace With promises of blisses sweet fruition To train men unawares into perdition Thou draw'st a curtain 'twixt us and the face Of divine justice that we may not place Our eyes on her lest she should scare from sin Or make us question what way we are in Thou unvail'st Mercie 's picture falsely painted With shameless sinners round about besainted Therein profan'â—… her nature and her name She saves but sinners who of sin take shame With many more such cheats to sin thou win'st Crocodiles tears sometimes perhaps thou whin'st For commonly on false repentance follow Presumptioâ—s counterfeits of faith which hollow The whole workâ— of poor mans conversion And cause from God's wayes more a version Dear Lord How subtle is this foe of ours VVe cannot her oppose without thy pow'rs And fresh supplies sincere humility Is the chief Engineer that can descry Her plots and storm her works a faith well grounded The Cannon shot whereby she is confounded Lord grant us both and then full safe are we And from presumptuous sin Lord keep us free An Epigram on the same INchaunting Circe sure thy slights are odd Thou Angels Devils mad'st the Pope a god Them thou didst fool with hopes they gods should be Him thou mad'st god a Devil most men see I question which was greatest of the evils Thy making him a God or else them Devils It matters not for present we shall see VVhen both thy gods and Devils together be Desperation sins other top HEll upon earth thy ghastly look affrights Beyond the visage of infernal sprights It strikes more terrour in a wounded soul Then all Hells Devils can Thou dost controll Faith hope and charity at once in us Thou wound'st and kill'st them all and dost win us Self-condemnation still to harp upon As if our sins could heavens God unthrone Transcend his mercies or surpass his grace Or we could do what he cannot deface Thou whisper'st horrid treason in the ears Of our disturbed souls distract'st with fears Of a defect of morcy in that God In whom defect can never have abode VVho is all mercy although infinite And makes sweet mercies works his chief delight Thou sowr'st our sweetest joys foul'st our most fair And spondent hopes thy breath 's invenom'd air Blasts worse then lightning thy lowd voices thunder Out-roars those cracks that rend the clouds asunder This grim-fac'd fury is Hells Charioteer Who drives on headlong souls that once draw neer She force most violent upon them lay'th When they have true remorse and want but faith In order to salvation She extends Sin 's too vast body to destructive ends She maimes faith's hands and puts out both her eyes She makes us fondly proferr'd grace despise She lies in ambush in the darkest nook Of light 's blest path and oft hath sliely took Dejected souls at penitence lane-end Preparing to lay hold upon their friend The Lord of life by faith when they are tir'd With trotting sins rough ring and deeply mir'd In their own filth she whips and spurs them on Into the boundless deeps who left alone Might sue forth pardon and the grace obtain Of being by faith's hand reliev'd again And so her wiles deserted souls do win To turn sin-sorrow's sacred self to sin She ruin'd earths great Heir apparent Cain When he had juster Abel basely slain She barr'd him this worlds joy and oh sad doom Depriv'd him of the joys of that to come She foyl'd the faithful Abrahams Heir's first born VVho lost a double birth-right for a scorn Yea lost his blessing too though grown more wise In vain he sought it with distilling eyes She wrought upon the Isra'lites first King VVitch-craft to use after abandoning That direful art and then provok'd him further VVith his own hands his loathed self to murther She forc't the traytor Judas who had sold His Master the great Shepherd of God's fold To hang himself his conscience to appease To haste from Earth to seek in Hell for ease VVhere if he found it none was found before Nor found shall be thenceforth for evermore After his sad revolt from sacred truth Mark but how eagerly this Fiend pursu'th Apostate Julian who despairing cry'd Vicisti Galilaee and so dy'd Great Bajazet the Turkish Emperour Brain'd his proud self incensed by thy pow'r And our third Richard Englands quondam King By usurpation wilfully did fling Himself away at Bosworth twice o'ercome By foes in field and by despair at home But what need I historick Cinders rake Examples to produce whereas they spake But sparingly of mens despair for sin One well known modern pattern sure had been Proof strong enough of desperation's force Poor Francis Spira man ne'er heard a worse VVho by seducing wiles of Antichrist Was drawn t'apostatize from real Christ Whenceforth he ne'er felt comfort more on earth But had a Hell within him curst his birth
times And re-committed after penitence And vows against them which must needs incense A just and holy God whose piercing eye Sees the least Atome-sin and can espy Damn'd guilt in deeds which men have deem'd most glorious Yea which some have imagin'd meritorious Tell me think I as well the Sea doth burn The spheres stand still and rouling earth doth turn As that base mâ—n can just appear to thee Who in his life such horrid blots dost see Each heart's imaginations thou dost spie Ill wholly only and continually Yet so it is Lord thou hast found a way By which man as it were deceive thee may And blind thy Justice plead thy Sons desert For our im-merits thou contented art Admired mercy Love stupendious Our Creditor should pay the debt for us Due to himself whereof we ne'r could pay The smallest mire nor the least charge defray Else had we in eternal torments lain But thou both payd'st the debt and bor'st the pain That thy divinest Justice might receive Full satisfaction lest she else might grieve To be o'ercome by mercy so dost thou Punish our sins in Christ and disavow Our acting of them And unjust it were To punish us since he our sins did bear He hath for us fulfill'd thy Law and born Most hellish torments and earths basest scorn That faith in him might make us fair to thee Who else should in thine eyes like Devils be Nay worse then they since mercy we contemn And proffer'd grace which thou ne'r deign'st to them Doubtless hadst thou ordain'd thy Lamb to die Them to redeem as well's man's progeny Whose blood might have redeem'd them all as well There had not been a Devil now in Hell Pardon me Lord if I hyperbolize Or in opinion too much charitize Towards thy foe and ours It 's but to shew Ouâ— dead depraved nature markt by few Mended by none nor mendable by any Save thee alone Our breaches are so many Lord re-enliven this dead corpse by grace Rebuild its breaches all its sins deface Say to it Be thou just and it shall be Just in thy sight and from defilement free An Epigram on the same BAd good day night the swarthest blackmoor white Injustice just in Gods all-seeing sight Is he deceiv'd can his eye blinded be Love makes him undertake to over-see And take upon himself man's sins Our score He cleared hath Oh let us sin no more Lest he repent him of the mercy shown us And see us like our selves and so disown us For it transcends all wonder sinful dust Should in the great Creators eyes be just On man's Sanctification GOd us creates redeems and justifies By means without us which he did devise And all by works of wonder past all thought In love and wisedom infinite he wrought Whereby he us engag'd beyond all hope Yet still his love proceeds to find new scope Wonders to work within us To renew Our nature by his grace to make false true To sanctifie unsanctified man A work that quite confounds my heart to scan Here 's nature mortifi'd yet living still Grace vivifi'd and rectifying will Yet Will by Nature clean a verse from Grace And Grace and Nature ne'er well brook't one place Here 's Sin still dying and yet still reviving Using all means to live and yet not thriving The Prince of Darkness still the soul assailing Though never quite beat off nor yet prevailing Conscience and Reason daily are in fight Yet Conscience hath sweet peace and Reason right The Flesh oft seeks to undermine the Spirit VVith self-conceit presumption and false merit And many other wayes her up to blow As Man renew'd to his great griefe doth know Mean while the Spirit with inforcâ—d agility Doth countermine against them with Humility Which sweet mild saint o'ercomes them all But then VVhen she low thoughts of self hath wrought in men Satan doth re-assault with furious force Attempting them from God quite to divorce By fell Despair and raiseth batteries To storm the fort where Faith enfeebled lies VVho when the fight grows dangerous and hot Pulls in a Lamb betwixt her and the shot And under his protection overthrows All Satans Bulwarks and routs all her Foes Foes that would quickly all mankinde undo Were not our Lamb Judah's Tribes Lion too VVhose everlasting pow'r with ease can quell The joyned force of all the Fiends in Hell Then let the roaring Lyon seek abroad Whom to devour throughour the worlds great road Rage rave and plot and send his subtle spies Th' unbottom'd pits black locusts whose quick eyes See all earth's Globe at once fear not my soul Although thy foes conspiracies are foul Their combinations strong their plots most deep Israels Keeper slumbers not no sleep Skreens up his eyes who all their plots will dash And thee deliver from their horrid lash Remit thy sins obliterate thy folly And make thee holy as himself is holy Till thou be with the Lamb who 's Judah's Lion Rapp'd up to reign for ever on Mount Sion And sing with that Coelestial Quire above Sweet Hallelujahs to the God of Love An Epigram on the same SAnctification is the Tree of Life Not that false tree that fool'd our grandsires wife Whereby we from our innocencie fell This is the way to Heav'n that was to Hell Whoso on this Tree's sacred fruit doth feed Shall be in all things like to God indeed Sin MOnster of Monsters who hast monstrous made Nature it self in us who natures had First pure and holy and to good inclin'd Till by thy falshood we to bad declin'd And thy meer essence is extream averse From God and good but prone to ways perverse All that the great Jehovah made was good VVhen he created it and had they stood Angels and Men had so continu'd still But they would needs be gods and had their will So far that they Creators were of thee VVhom they created both their falls to be A Creatures Creature and so vile a one That Heav'n Earth Hell so bad besides have none Rake Topher's cinders sift the Serpents seed And keep the worst yet will that damned breed More fair in Gods all-seeing eyes appear Then Sin which summon'd them together there Sin made God angry Men and Angels fall Made God make Hell and Sin made Dev'l and all Ah! cursed caitiff how can we delight In the embracement of such wretched wight A hideous Elf abhorr'd of all that 's good Our dear Redeeme's Murtherer whose Blood By cursed sacrilegious hands was spilt To wash our souls from sins polluting guilt Our soul 's the precious game for which she fishes Which to destroy eternally she wishes Yet we bewitched wâ— most dearly love her Too dearly sure as all will find that prove her Whose souls shall purchase Oh the dearest gain For sins short pleasure their eternal pain 'T is sure some witchcraft some inchanting spell Whereby she trains us on asleep to Hell And stupifies our senses blindes our eyes Obthures our ears and phantasms doth devise
that raigns for evermore 10. To Father FArewel my being's instrumental Cause Assign'd by him from whom all beings flow Who my new Father is and old one was Ere you were so methinks my heart doth grow With grief to part But yet part needs I must From all relations that Heav'ns Canopy Surrounds to find the merciful and just Who 's Father to us all whose Progeny Are all man-kind whose wonderful affection By his Son's blood redeem'd me who before Made love sole ground of my poor souls election For which I 'll sing his praise for evermore Father if you are loath I gone should be Come but to him you 'll surely come to me 11. To Mother FArewel dear mold where in my mortal clay First by th' eternal potter formed was In pain that baâ—'st me nine months night and day And after grievous travel gav'st me pass Into this vale of tears thy torments bind Me to a boundless love yet wonder not If I now leave thee for a new I find Who hath me born again since 't was thy lot A mother militant who hath prepar'd A third triumphant for me who doth dwell Where never to approach a foe yet dar'd Above the fear and spite of Earth and Hell Oh let me fly and haste thee after me For she to both of us will mother be 12. To Children FArewel sweet implings quick Epitomes Of me and my dear second I must leave Your lov'd society death 's Writ of Ease Doth me remove yet not of life bereave That 's length'ned by my change you I commit Unto a faithful guardian yea a father To me and you with whom I go to sit In everlasting glory who will gather You all to me again when his time comes Only be faithful to the death and he Will give you crowns of life when your bless'd homes Shall be th' imperial Heaven where with me With Angels Saints and Martyr's crowned throng You 'll sing for ever Sion's Lamb 's sweet song 13. To Wife FArewel my better half life of my life And sub-celestial comforts we must cleave One heart in two at parting dearest wife As we made one of two at meeting leave Spare those heart-melting cries those thriftless tears Thy frailties to bewail in those streams swim Home to thy harbour where my faith me bears There my Bridegroom and thine doth mansions trim For us with everlasting ornaments With whom we both shall newly marri'd be And raign eternally fill'd with contents Passing what heart can think ear hear eye see I do but go before and thee expect Among the number of the Lord's Elect. 14. To all Joyntly FArewel World Europe Britain native Shire And Parish too servants acquaintance friâ—…ds Kindred with Father Mother children dear And dearest Wise have all contented mindes Fot I am to so high preferment call'd That if you lov'd me you would urge me on To haste away that I may be install'd A death-less prince crown'd King by him whose throne Is over all whose Scepter sways at once Heav'n Earth and Hell with their inhabitants That Triple Crown that girts the pride-puft sconce Of Antichrist who there of falsly vaunts Is this Kings right alone stil'd in truth's words The only King of Kings and Lord of Lords The Charge BRitain thy glory 's sunk swoln are thy sins To an o'erwhelming torrent that begins Thee to o'erwhelm thy erst indulgent God Hath turn'd his hand against thee see his rod Begins to whip thy follies whose dread sword Did lately fight thy battels whose pure word Made the earth's Goshen thou begin'st to grope In an Egyptian darkness many hope To see th' unbottom'd pits black mists o'ercloud Thy splendent Sun yea thy own sons have vow'd To put out that great light to raise thereby Their ignis fatuus light of phantasie Father of lights frustrate their curs'd design The comfort shall be ours but glory thine Let not the pit's black torches smokie fumes Eclipse thy Sun-shine here though he presumes To see it so who is the man of sin Who among us those false fires usher'd in To light us on to darkness Lord return Those fires into his bosom let them burn Mysterious Babylon their heat calcine The scarlet whore and beast to ashes fine Their light discover Antichrist to all That they and their false fires together fall Quench'd in eternal flames and then on high And here beneath thy Church shall glorifie Thy aweful name But ah Lord we betray Our selves to them by sin wildely display Our nakedness and what defects we have Thy hand 's not shortned that it cannot save Nor thine ear heavie that it will not hear But our iniquities O God most dear Have separated us from thee our sins Have stockt our feet in their intangling gins Our gross abominations in thy sight Have thee provok'd to take from us the light That we so long unworthily enjoy'd Thanklesly too which made the favour void Our disesteeming of thy sacred light Perverting it to doctrines of the night To schisms and errours heresies and factions Have justly brought on us these sad distractions And since so many of us dare to scoft it Thou justly may'st henceforth deprive us of it Thou may'st remove our candlestick to those who 'll bring forth better fruit then our vain shows Our painted leaves and blossoms which discrie Our faith but fain'd our zeal hypocrisie Provoke thy patience to fierce wrath's effusion And woo thy vengeance to our own confusion But Lord forbid forbid dear God the sins Of us poor nothings who have nothing in 's But sin and folly ever should out-vie Thy boundless mercy force thee to defie Fond weakling worms yet thy own creatures Lord Create ' Redeem'd preserved by thy word And those whom thou hast lov'd Oh rather turn Us from our sins to thee for them to mourn Then thee from us to view them and in wrath For them to punish Lord thy mercy hath Ways to prevent thy justice and can give Light unto all that all may see to live Hoping to live to see the gen'ral call Of nations to the light by all in all Who shall have all the glory that redounds Eccho'd from Heav'ns and earth's remotest bounds And when all other Kingdoms are o'erthrown Pow'r and dominion shall be all his own Which hasten Lord that we may see with joy To thine Elect and to their foes annoy And oh prepare us for that glorious day Turn us from each perverse and crooked way Wherein we wander fit this Island 's ghests For thy bright coming and for the arrests Of death and judgment that whate'er befal The glory may be thine joy ours in all But Lord our sins have at such height o'erbore us That they transcend all Nations past before us It well may make at sight of our base pride Lucifer blush to see himself out-vi'd And we have those by us'ry and oppression Who would wrest Mammon's self out of possession Fraud and deceit to such a height are grown That most men
running A way chalk'd out by thine and our most cunning And mortal foes a way devis'd at Rome VVhich will these lands to desolation doom Our bodies to sharp sword and famine thin Our souls ro utter darkness for our sin Deprive us of thy candlestick that live And to posterity dark Lanthorns give To guide in pathes of death and to deceive Our progeny false Gospels to believe Unless thy grace prevent Bless'd God arise And let thy foes be scatter'd that despise And persecute thy truth and people thus Draw us to thee and be thou GOD WITH US Cease our divisions chase all schisms and errours All Heresies and Ath'ism hence with terrours And with confusion unto those that broach'd them And recantation to those that approach'd them Let Reformation true at last come in To our distracted Church and State which sin Hath long kept off let love with truth and peace And blessed union daily more increase In these distressed lands chase hence the swarms Of black-pits locusts whose inveigling charms Dicotomize the world whose industry Makes King fight King and men make war with thee Lord let eternal mercy turn us thus From all our sins and all thy wrath from us For none but thine Almighty hand can cure Our desp'rate wounds thy enemies make sure Shortly to sway these lands and therewithal To ruine thy reformed Churches all Unless thy grace prevent Help Lord at need It 's in the mount it 's time thou help indeed For vain is mans false help we fools have try'd By Egypt's friendship to be fortifi'd Whose broken reeds have pierc'd our heedless hands And drawn thy judgments on these sinful lands Avert them Lord and turn us unto thee Thy fury just from us else lost are we Thy stock of wonted mercies we have spent And are undone unless thy grace prevent We set up Princes Lord but not of thee Rulers whom thou know'st not who'll fatal be Unto this land and make us soon repent Our foolish choice unless thy Grace prevent Oh let the BRANCH spring forth and bud and bear If thou so will'st whilst we are pilgrims here The birth is at wombs mouth Oh God help strength To bring that bless'd production forth at length Which our sins keep obstructed in the womb And let the Son of David's Kingdom come But out great crimes defer that blest event And urge thy wrath Lord let thy Grace prevent Prevent our just-deserved ruine Lord Let love obliterate our crimes abhor'd Recruit our stock of grace so vainly spent And our just fears Lord let thy grace prevent Angliae Omen OH stupid England how hath S. befool'd thee Not to give ear to what thy G. hath told thee But to F. P. thou willingly canst hearken Which will I fear thy brightest glory darken E. and D. fight like fools by J. deceived To make S. sport unless by G. relieved G. chalk'd thee out a way yet thou refusest Therein to walk his mercies thou abusest Pervert'st the means of grace to schism and faction Wrest'st profer'd peace into perverse distraction P. B. is spil'd whence P. in mirth exceedeth Whil'st P. spoyls P. the heart of C. C. bleedeth And thou still glorying in thy shame abidest Sweet mercies scornest judgments fierce deridest Exceed'st in pride oppression blood and thieving Excess and bold profaneness never grieving For all thy horrid acts whose exclamation Rings up to Heav'n and croaks thy desolation For which thy crimes one of these are attending Thy soon repentance or thy latter ending It is not to me unknown that divers exquisite pens have poëtically translated the following Lamentations whose Labours I honour and aym not herein to detract from neither strive I to claw mans ear or tickle his fancie but have as neer as I was enabled kept the very words of the Text it self in our most usual English Translations hoping the divine gravity and interwoven plainness of that stile may prove powerful above all mans ingenious flourishes hereon as fitting best the parallel times and people whereâ—n and for whom they were first written Amen Hodie mihi Cras tibi Let Jury Britain's warner be Let Jebus London teach That we Gods ways may heed and see Whilst Jews to English preach The Lamentations of Jeremiah in metre CHAP. I. verse 1 HOw doth the thronged City sit desert How art thou widowed O thou that wert The great among the Nations Princess took Of Provinces and now in tributes yoak verse 2 Her nightly tears make torrents o'er her cheeks In vain she comfort from all lovers seeks Her friends perfidious all are foes become verse 3 Judah's gone captive from her native home Because of servitude and great affliction Among the Heathen she finds no refection Her persecuters 'twixt the straights o'ertake her verse 4 Zions wayes mourn since solemn feasts forsake her Her Priests do sigh her gates are desolate verse 5 Virgins afflicted She in bitter state Her soes are chief and prosper for the Lord Hath her afflicted for her most abhorr'd And multipli'd transgressions and her Sons Her enemies led captive all at once verse 6 All Zions Daughters beauty is departed Her Princes are like Harts in pastute thwarted verse 7 As finding none and they are strengthless gone verse 8 Before pursuers Jebus now thinks on Her pleasant things in days of old enjoy'd By miserie 's afflicting hand made voyd Her Sons faln in the hands of enemies Quite helpless foes her Sabbaths did despise verse 9 Jerusalem hath sinned grievously Therefore removed of her friends cast by Who saw her shame she sighs backward turns verse 10 Her filth is in her skirts and she adjourns The day of her last end whence she descends To wonderment yet voyd of cheering friends Lord view my sorrow for the foe doth boast verse 11 And snatch our pleasant things we value most She in her Temple sees the Heathen Nations Whom thou forbad'st t' approach thy Congregations verse 12 Her people sigh and seek their bread they give Their pleasant things for food them to relieve See Lord consider for I vile am grown verse 13 Is it to you as nothing have yee known O all by-passers any grief like mine In his fierce angers day by sacred Trine verse 14 Afflicted fire from Heaven he hath sent Into my bones his net spread with intent My feet to trap Yea he hath turn'd me back And made me faint and desolate alack verse 15 His hand hath bound the yoak of my transgressions Which wreathed mount cause my neck 's oppressions My strength he made to fall he gives me over Into their hands from whom I can't recover verse 16 In me he trampled on my men of might Assembled those that crush'd my young men quite As in a wine-press he that wears Heav'ns crown The Virgin Judah's Daughter hath trod down verse 17 For this I weep mine eye mine eye fleets on Because from me the Comforter is gone That should relieve my soul And desolate My children are ' cause those prevail'd
faith meek Abel off'red sacrifice More excellent and pleasing in God's eyes Then Cain's his elder brother Enoch's faith Caus'd his translation that he saw not death By faith did Noah warn'd the Ark prepare Wherein he and his houshold saved were By faith the faithful's father Ur forsook And to an unknown place himself betook By faith he and his seed did sojourn there In a strange land their Tabernacles were By faith old Sarah Issue did receive And quite past age had strength seed to conceive By faith tri'd Abram Isaac offered Accounting God could raise him from the dead That Isaac blessed his two sons hereby And Jacob Joseph's sons when he did die By faith departing Joseph mention made That Isr'el out of Aegypt should evade By faith was new-born Moses three months hid And when he came to yeers refuse he did The Title of King Pharao's daughter 's son And rather chose to bear affliction With God's poor Israel then for a season Sin 's pleasure to enjoy faith was his reason Hereby he Aegypt left Passover kept And sprinkling blood lest he should them have swept Who the first-born destroy'd By this they post Through Red-Sea dry-shod while th' Aegyptian Host The like assaying were o'erwhelmed all By Faith the Walls of Jericho did fall And Rahab saved was But should I tell Of Gideon Barak Sampson Samuel Jephta and David of the Prophets all Whom faith to do or suffer forth did call Whose faith wrought righteousness Kingdoms subdu'd Obtained promises and stop'd the rude And savage Lyons mouths and quencht fierce fire Escap'd the sword made weakness to aspire To be most strong wax'd valiant in fight And turned Aliens Armies all to flight How women have their dead reviv'd receiv'd And others tortur'd would not be reliev'd With the unnumbred wonders faith hath wrought Unparallel'd and passing humane thought Time would me fail for no tongue can express Faith's famous miracles were they much less Whose all-subduing pow'r none can resist She makes th' Almighty God do what she list For if faith as a grain of mustard-seed Can Mountains move as in truth's word we read None can imagine any thing is hard To a firm faith from sinful doubt debarr'd Faith is the clew that in earths pilgrimage Convey's the Lord's elected heritage Through the world's labyrinth and brings them home Unto the King of glorie 's presence-room She is the souls perspective glass whereby She spies what friends or foes in kenning lye If Pyrates cross us or we victual want Faith 's both our ammunition and provant She is the winde that drives the needle card And Pilot that directs she is our guard Nay she 's our Sun by day our Moon by night Our Star that brings us to our Saviours sight Next whom she 's all in all to those that sail For Bliss-port and without her all must sail Epigram on Faith MY soul thou' rt bliss-ward bound make faith thy friend Eternal bliss is at her fingers end He that the same bestows is in her eye who 'll cease to be as soon as her deny Stupendious wonder God should stoop so low As to be creature-rul'd yet I will show True reason for 't and briefly that is this It is his will whose will true reason is Hope FIrm Anchor of our souls that moar'st them fast Unto the sacred Rock when thou art cast On what side ere thou fall'st thou hold fast tak'st And in that adamant impression mak'st When our weak faith's Sun-beams eclipsed are We sail by thee alone our only Star In those dark obfuscations which sometimes Becloud the best at sight of their high crimes Which interpose a foggie mist between Our faith 's dim'd eyes and Christ and like a screen Repel the light and heat that should proceed From his bright Rayes unto our souls in need Then thou our Pilot ready art at hand When we are toss'd in deeps to drive to land Thou art the Master's Mate though faith be chief And in her absent actings yeeld'st relief When she 's asleep or else unactive grown And we upon the quick-sands well-nigh thrown Thou bring'st assistance with thy gentle gale That we a while may with a by-wind sail Till faith do re-enliven and recover Until her soporif'rous fit be over When she awakes and wash'th her spethom'd eyes In Penitences laver thou dost rise And succour her enfeebled arm and hand Depriv'd of their late holdfast thou dost stand And her support who if thou wert not nigh Would languish in those fainting fits and die VVhen Faith is mir'd in pudly sink of sin And tired quite thou wad'st through thick and thin To draw her out rub'st her benummed limbs Till by regain'd agility she climbs And tow'rs aloft and tramples down her foes And conquers all the pow'rs that her oppose In sad desertions when the wounded soul Studie's by art to make her fair parts foul Hope gently wipes her spots and rins'th her eyes That she may clearer view the mysteries Of love Divine and not despair to cry For mercy which she else would do and die Hope in our souls a kind of being gains Ere saving Faith can act and this restrains New Faith from failing whence she term'd may be Her elder grace without absurdity And though Plerophory which some attain Seem hope needless to make when that they gain She 's needful still and fades not till fruition Of what is hoped then shall blessed vision Withal determine faith when she shall see What she believ'd and thence both useless be When doubts and fears which here them both annoy'd â—hall be discuss'd and quell'd by bliss enjoy'd â—in's sting envenom'd quite extracted be And death be swallow'd up in victory Then necessary uselesness attends Them both when they have both attain'd their ends â—aith Hope and Charity may well be call'd â— Christian 's tria Omnia and install'd â—he Princesses of other gifts and graces â—nd in Christ's Church rightly supply the places â—o Sulphur Salt and Mercury alotted â—… nature's schools by those whom Art besotted â—he three chief corner-stones in Sion's wall â—emove but these and you will ruine all â—ea rob a man of hope faith soon will die â—nd so will everlasting Charity â— hope surcease soon by degrees expire â—…r hope of all the three keep in the fire â—…e gains them life and heat and them inflames â—ith Zeal Divine the surging waves she tames â—hich in the storms of passions or affections â—f Spir'tual or temporal afflictions â—nd perturbations them would overwhelm â—…d she not steer their course and sit at Helm â— sacred hope steer on our course aright â—…rough this dark vale of tears in darkest night â—hilst faith is hood-winkt Charity inchill'd â—… other graces dead thou only skill'd â—… give sight heat and life unto them all â—…lp hope at need dear God or else we fall Who dying we shall live thy face to see And to enjoy and be enjoy'd by thee Epigram on Hope WEak faith's chief crutch deserted soul's sole prop Charities
warming-pan all this is Hope Fear 's Antidote the Proto-pharmacon Of grim despair or else sure there is none Doubt's prime discusser who doth her arraign At mercie 's bar where she by faith is slain Hope's Jacob's ladder which doth pierce the Sky Whereby enfeebled faith may mount on high Strength to renew and act more lively on In order to the souls salvation She is the constant'st grace that can be nam'd To stead us here and never makes asham'd Charity SWeet cement of the Bridegroom 's sweetest Bride Whereby her distant parts are unifi'd Strong Ligament of love that linkest fast Her dislocated joynt's thy very tast Is full of Heav'n and thy corruscant face Transcends the Cherubims and ev'ry grace However good and great is without thee Like a dead corpse whose limbs unfouled be Miracle-working faith is void and vain Unless the soul thee likewise entertain And God-compelling prayer 's an empty blast Where thou art absent and shall off be cast When thou unit'st no distance earth affords That can divide their hearts that are the Lords Thou joyn'st the members militant of Christ All in one bodie and so joyned ty'st Them in firm union with the rest above Who are triumphant so that all by love Joy the same joy think the same thoughts and pray The self same pray'rs in heart both we and they In Spirit now are one and so shall we One bodie mystical hereafter be Though now this flesh polluted taint our pray'rs Our thoughts and joys whence ours come short of theirs In actual perfection soul-desire Wing's our Intentionalls as high to spire As theirs inthron'd though we imprison'd lye And unreleasable until we die But then eternal love shall work alone When Hopes fruition and faith's vision Shall them determine in immortal glory And they be needless as these transitory Unsatisfying sublunary joys We dote on here the quintessence of â—oys Divinest love was privie counseller When God elected us and she past o'er His six days labour with delight when he Created us and what for us shâ—ld be All these loves wonders pass our admiration But oh when we relapst our renovation By a redeeming Jesus makes us see Much more then love if more then love can be Yet sure 't was love alone procur'd that bliss But such a love as neer was love like this Love is the glew that hold's so long together Heav'ns goodly frame and all that is beneath her For did not she prevent it our least sin Would ruine us the world and all therein And tumble all the creatures down pell-mell Into the lowest worst of creatures Hell Ah sacred Charity what tongue can raise A Trophy fitting thy deserved praise The Cherubims and Seraphims that be Most glorious creatures stand amaz'd at thee Thy lustre dazles them their pure eyes fail To view thy purer face without a vail And none but three in one and one in three Hath pow'r with fixed eyes to look on thee I 'm sure thou blindst my muse for she is flown A flight beyond what common sense will own And now she 's at her pitch must re-decline To Christians Charity from love divine Charity suffers long and kind she is She envies not nor vaunts her self amiss She is not puffed up nor doth behave Her self unseemly nor her own doth crave She is not soon provoked thinks no ill Nor in iniquity rejoyce she will But in the truth she beareth all things too All things believes and her hopes all things woo And she all things endures she 'l never fail When prophecies and tongues shall nought avail And knowledge quite shall vanish for all these Are but in part and consequently cease When our prefection comes but Charity Remaines entire to all eternity This sacred writ records of her perfection A testimony that should win affection As will as credit Sure were man not blind With pride and envy and too much inclin'd To base self-love sheep of our shepherd's fold Would never let their Charity grow cold As many do in this sad age who by A false-fir'd Zeal extinguish Charity Had we hearts to let Charity work in us She from our schismes and factions so would win us Which now nigh prove what we have earst heard told Quot homines sententiae toâ— of old As to unanimate both Church and State Which both are grown inanimate through hate And interchanged jealousies that neither Can well endure what 's good for both or either And God would soon foundations settle here Of that bless'd government which shall appear Ere long in all opposers spite and last When all Dominions else shall down be cast And shall in perfect peace all scepters sway In earth's vast round and all shall it obey When Jews shall called be as Scriptures told And with the Gentiles fulness make one fold And have one faithful shepherd o're them all Melchisedeck whom we Christ Jesus call Lord re-unite our hearts in love that thou May'st perfect that great work and all may bow Before thy throne when thou in peace shalt raign Through Heav'n and earth through the sea main Epigram on Charity SHall I by rules of convertibles pry Into a secret and not soar too high If God be love love God then Charity Is elder sister to eternity Or rather morher as is plain to see If one Creator t'other creature be These theo-critical conceits may enter Into thy thoughts my muse but do not venture To scan them far lest thou shouldst lose thereby The god of love the love of god and dy Weak-winged â—ouls whâ—… stormy winds do roar Flutter below dare not a loft to soar Forbear poor flea to wade within the brim Of that abyss where Elephants must swim PATIENCE 1. VIctorious Queen that foyl'st all Potentates That dare assail thee By thee prevail we When Faith and Hope are non-plus'd by cross fates Thou can'st them both recover And keep us that we give not over Nor yeeld the day before the field be won Wer 't not for thee poor Christians were undone 2. In persecution thou the Cordial art That our hearts easest And us releasest From passions that would else breed endless smart Thou mak'st our burthen lighter Though thou disclaim'st to be a fighter No Christian Champion ever won the field Where thy tri'd valour forc'd not foes to yeeld 3. Our God-man general by thee o'ercame Earth and Hell's crosses And salv'd our losses Whose Patience unparallel'd became She was the primest feather In his triumphant plume And either She in our Helmets must be worn or foes Will win the day and we the prize shall lose 4. She from the manger to the garden chear'd Our dearest Saviour VVhose meek behaviour Astonish'd men and his Condemner fear'd Gethsemane nigh tiring VVith blood-sweat passion fear inspiring VVhen God and Man were both nigh at a loss She chears to Golgotha and climbs the Cross Epigram on Patience AS Palm-tree press'd or Plantine trod best grows So Patience by suff'rings foes o'erthrows To LIFE