wherewth helhound he Continually poor wretch tormenteth me And bind him lord I thee most humbly pray That he doe never more lead me away As he hath done but that I sinfull may From this fowl Legion totally fall away But 't is not in me nor my power O Lord Except thou pleas vouchsafe to me the word Then please sweet Jesus I thee humbly pray That blessed word of comfort to me say That thou in me and I likewise in thee Shall rest and so for evermore shall be Freed from tentation of that wicked fiend The mortall enemy of all humane kinde Which hurrieth this my weak fleshly mind More wavering much then is th'instable wind Which wandreth like the sun from east to west And when 't comes there then there it doth not rest But roving runs up to the Starry Skies And by and by unto the Deep it dives And mounts again up to the highest ayre But yet can finde no firm fast footing there For though it be even now at hand hereby T is gone again in th'twinkling of an eye For t is so swift as there is nothing can Force it to stay so long as man is man Not much unlike unto that Noah's Dove Which found no footing but in th' Ark above It flies aloft and hovers in the ayre To find that rest which cannot be found there Except thou please vouchsafe to take it Lord As thou hast promised by thy sacred word For to safe keep all whom soever shall Upon the name of our Lord Jesus call Then bend you knees of my most wicked heart Which guideth all this the inferiour part And humbly pray and pray and pray again And in that posture do thou still remain Untill our Saviour please thy suit to hear And to thy prayers vouchsafe to turn his ear And do not thou if so at this repine That he hears not these sinful prayers of thine For many causes doubtlesse there may be That he as yet doth turn his ear from thee And all of them of thee thy self arise Who is at best but onely worldly wise And savours not the things that are above Which do proceed from that good God of love But diving down-wards seldom or ne're heeds That althings good frō heav'n alone proceeds And yet wilt thou unto the earth encline Distasting things are spiritual and divine And when thou seest it's onely reall cause It may be then th'wilt stop and take a pause And pray again yet still thou sinful art Extreamly troubled with a double heart Which boat-man like doth seem to make a shew Of looking upward yet doth downward draw With all its force unto this massie earth Where it at first receiv'd its vital breath And doth so clog the inward spiritual part As it doth yeeld unto the wicked heart And so they both are downward led away From thee their Saviour and their onely stay And runs so fast down Sions steepy hill As that to Babel needs these wretches will Except thou please sweet Jesus lend thy hand And force them both to stop and make a stand And climbe with speed up Sions hill again Which cannot be without excessive pain Unto the heart whose loins are stife and weak And painful climbings forceth them to break Unlesse sweet Jesu thou wilt please to be Their Comforter in this extremity And grant them strength that they may re-obtain The top of blessed Sions hill again Then come sweet Jesu I the humbly pray Come quickly Lord and do thou make no stay For the glasse is now at point to be out-run Then come Lord Jesu come Lord Jesu come And send my soul some speedy present aid Or else deer God it meerly is betrayed By a fawning friend who seems to make a shew That he to it ent'rest love doth owe. And yet indeed its deadliest enemy Who kils it self to make my soul to die O help sweet Jesu help I humbly pray My silly mind from thee thus drawn away By this foul flesh that 's foul in every part Because it s govern'd by a fleshly heart That domineers within my hollow breast And will not let my silly minde take rest For all my members they do so combine As that from heaven to earth they do encline Yea even the head wherein is onely placed The senses all which neither live to taste Nor hear nor see nor scent nor yet to feel Ought what is good but all whatsoever is ill And th' apprehension it doth still project Nothing that 's good but all things good neglect And memory it ever more forgets These blessings great and bounteous benefits Which thou hast pleased in mercy heap on me The very picture of base misery Who cannot think so much as one good thought But it is mixed with something which is nought Nor yet to presse into the Lords presence To pray for ought without some great offence For then and there I often plainly finde My minde is hurried as if with the winde O're all the earth well it know's not where Nor matter 's much so as it be not there Where it should be but alwayes runs astray Like to the blinde man that hath lost his way And is in danger ever for to fall Into a Ditch where he doth lye and crall And cry for help but if there be none by The blind man's likely in the Ditch to ly Then help sweet Jesus help I humbly pray That this my wicked wandring mind may stay And fix on thee and on thy grievous pain To bring it back to that right way again And being there I humbly pray the Lord Vouchsafe to bind it w th strong Sampson's cord When his hair was cut that it may always stay And never more so gad and run astray But ever keep within those blessed bounds To think on thee and on thy grievous wounds How thou endurd'st those bitter pains for me Of all man-kinde a wretch most unworthy Except thou please vouchsafe give me a call As thou did'st Peter or that blessed Saul Who persecuted thee and them were thine Yet at thy call did never once repine But presently he at that call became A painfull Preacher of thy sacred Name Now call sweet Jesu call I humbly pray That I from thee in sin no longer stay But come and wash thy blessed feet with tears Who hath freed me from all those horrid fears Were justly due unto my stony heart If it had had its onely due desert And then I hope my wearied soul shall rest In thee alone by whom 't is onely blest And wait on thee at this thy loving call Before that glorious heavenly Tribunal Where Angels sing 'fore thee continually The praises due to th' sacred Trinity There thou my minde do now set up thy rest For therein shalt thou certainly be blest And in that place be sure to spend thy life And do not prove like Lot his foolish wife But still aspire to mount aloft my soule That thou may'st be one in that
in thy brest Tell now what part of thee thy sin did please Thou 'lt say thy heart did gaine by it some ease Let 's see that ease thy pleasure hath obtained Thou 'lt finde this onely hell thereby is gained Ungracious he which traveleth for such gaine As yieldeth nothing but eternal paine O wicked heart will nothing yield thee ease But onely that thy Saviour doth displease Will nothing please but what procureth paine As if in loosing rested all thy gaine What 's this thing Pleasure which so much delighteth Even price of hell the thought wherof me frighteth Hope of fruition essence is of pleasure Th' insatiate minde is aye without all measure Nought can confine it in this earthly case Which kills it self this pleasure to embrace And being had no sooner got but gone So as indeed it proveth pleasure none Hope thou my soul thy Saviour Christ to see What 's out of him no pleasure it can be Look thy unlimited minde be ever set Upon thy Saviour him do ne'er forget For in him onely 's pleasure worth the tasting Which will continue without end everlasting Hope for that pleasure who 's delight is heavenly And hate all other are at best but earthly Buy that sweet hope at ne'er so high a rate And of it be thou aye infatiate Hope thou in the fruition of this pleasure Cannot be bought with any earthly treasure O thou proud heart thy self wilt rather kill Then be abridged of thy wicked will Malicious heart wilt make thy self be slaine To gaine thy corpes to get eternal paine Thou envious heart because thy self condemn'd Wilt not thy precious soul should be redeem'd Aske but thy conscience it will plainly tell thee Thy sins are such as hell hath justly gain'd thee O fearful fearful when wilt thou begin Forsake to fill thy hollow heart with sin O cruel cruel wilt thou ne'er have done Till heart and soul and all be utterly undone O wretch O wretch will nothing turn thy course But thou wilt every day grow worse and worse O flie man flie for thou hast lost the field Make hast to flie or else be forc'd to yield And then thou knowest no quarter will be given But streight to hell for th' cannot come at heaven And so I fear I shall be loath to dye Because I may not come my Saviour nigh But thrown out down unto the deepest hell And therein doom'd with feinds for ever dwell Is nothing able thee for to avert But thou wilt yet unto thy sin revert Art so resolv'd to live in horrid sin As thy amendment thou wilt ne'er begin Are all thy members still so stupified As nought can work them to be mortified Wilt yet run on in this most wicked way Which leads directly into hell to stay Do all thy actions thither aime and tend And wilt thou never seek them to amend Now all thy life hath Satan guided thee And wilt thou never from this feind to flee Wilt thou go on as hereto thou hast done Forgetting all what soe'er may be to come Shall I ne'er venture once to look on death Untill he come to take away my breath Have I spent all my yeers as yet in vaine So as I am now to begin againe Have I been going all my life awry And yet the right way could I not espie Have I had eyes and never yet could see Nor Satan nor his wicked treacherie Have I been going full out seventy yeers And clean by that good way as it appears What time can now be left to me behinde If I should hap the right way once to finde To travel this way ' gainst hill back againe Which I have gone down hill so long in vaine What meanes have I some blessed guide to get Shall me in that narrow way both keep and set The way to life which I so much require And which I do with all my heart desire O wretched heart for it is onely thee Who hath me brought to this great misery For thou hast alwayes lov'd to go astray And never yet wouldst keep in the right way That way to life which thou didst love to shun So long that now thy self art utterly undone And more then so for thy sweet soul is lost Which thy deer Saviour bought with so much cost O wretch O wretch now turn thy self aside And see if thou canst finde some blessed guide For now must thou thy compass either turn Or else be sure in deepest hell to burn Since of thy self thou hast in thee no power To keep the right way not for one half hour If that by chance thou shouldst it hap to finde For thou by nature art become so blinde As if thou wert in that right way to day Thou art not able in it long to stay Without some help and help there can be none But onely Christ and onely he alone For there is none thy Saviour beside Can undertake to be to thee a guide Then bend thy knees and to him heart'ly pray That he will take this stony heart away Which hath misled it self and thee so far That without him thy wound is without cure But now me thinks I hear thee thus to say VVith what force canst thou to thy Saviour pray Whom thou hast all thy life so long abused And hast him likewise wilfully refused Neglecting him when he did lovingly call And to him never would give ear at all When he his messengers of purpose sent Intreating thee for Jesus sake repent And turn again unto thy Saviour And this he did even every several hour As thine own conscience can within thee tell That this is truth it knoweth it but too well And yet didst thou vile wretch most wilfully Forsake thy God and from thy Saviour fly Though he did yet most lovingly follow still To try if he by gifts might win thy will To turn againe and so thy Maker he Became a loving suiter unto thee And with great blessings he did thee invite That thou wouldst love to live within his sight Then thou sometime wouldst to thy Saviour cry O Lord I come or else in hell I dye But presently the tempter came againe And would not let thee in right way remaine And when the Serpent had beguiled thee And thou begun anew thy sin to see Then thou wouldst gladly to thy Saviour go And pray him please that he would help the fro That man of sin who had thee whilome gain'd To act some sin from which thou not refrain'd And th' pleasure past thou then againe begun To shame with that thou hadst but newly done And then wouldst thou unto thy God againe Who it may be should which thee a while remaine But if he pleas'd but turned from thee aside Then thou againe away from him didst glide And this hath been thy daily wonted use Unto thy God's and thine own souls abuse Whereby he now in equal justice may If he thinks good call thee from hence away But that his mercy 's
known to be much more And all his other attributes before So as there 's hope if thou hast grace to pray That this foul Satan may be driven away Where he shall ne'er attempt on thee againe If in thy Saviour thou hast grace remaine And to hâ—m onely thou thy self apply Who able is and will most willingly Help all of them that on his name do call If they bring with them heart and soul and all Or else 't is bootless offer to him go For without th' heart be sure he will say no. Then call this heart of mine thou blessed Lord Which thou hast made in me by thine own word Vouchsafe be pleas'd good Lord to call it so As it from henceforth never further go From thee my God my Saviour and my King But ever more thy worthy praises sing And grant good God that though my body trade In earthly things because on earth 't was made Yet that my soul may aye ascend on high And ever love the sacred Deity Then fast and pray and fast and pray againe That thou in sin do never more remaine But herehence hartily thou thy self repent Performing duly wherefore thou was sent Which was to serve thy God and King alway And in his service ever live and stay For all the time that he to thee hath lent Ought in his service to be solely spent Since thou thy self hast many servants had Though some of them have been approved bad Yet thou didst alwayes this of them expect That they should thee and what was thine respect And if they careless disobeyed thee Then doubtless thou wouldst very angry be But if they should ' gainst thee reply in word When thou wast ready smite them with thy sword And though their wages were but very small Yet thou expectedst they should spend even all Their time as thou by order didst direct Or else such servants thou wouldst not protect About thy house but frowning thrust them out And then like vagabonds they went about Reflect my soul a while upon thy self Let conscience say what thou hast done for pelfe And pleasing this soul filthy flesh of thine Wherein is spent most part of all thy time For if thou didst resolve one hour to spare In holy service of thy Saviour there Where Saints should be yet thou that hour didst finde Was long and tedious to thy tired minde Who then had thought of divers several things And not attent to that which angels sings O what a wretched wretched beast art thou VVho seems to man thy knees to God to bow And yet thy heart is all a whoring gone So that thy God indeed hath service none O wretch O wretch with what face canst thou crave Or any spiritual blessings look to have Of him who hath so much encreas'd thy store And doth bestow on thee poor miscreant more Then erst became that heart of thine require Or without shame thou couldst of him desire Yet thou a wretch ungrateful wretch to think Thou art born to live for nought but eat drink And so to do as though indeed there were No place of reck'ning any otherwhere Then on this earth where we do live and see Nought else but what appeareth to the eye Of this our flesh but not of that our faith For it hath often said and to thy soul now saith That thou art blinde and therefore canst not see That thou hast any living soul in thee O wretch O wretch O thou most beastly wretch Hast lived so long and yet thou art to teach That there is now a living soul in thee Which daily doth expect eternitie VVhich on this earth by no meanes can be gotten For earthly things at best are all but rotten O thou my soul shake off this clayie case This case of thine which is so filthy base As to forget that it ought ever live For him alone who did this life it give Yet give he did not but it onely lent And looks to have it to him solely sent For to dispose of as he thinketh best Or go thou down thou curst or come thou up thou blest O think my soul think seriously of this line In thinking of it now spend all thy time A man of reason would esteem of this A theam sufficient for eternal bliss Then ruminate upon this pithy line And keep it alwayes in that heart of thine And it will bring thee to thy way aright Then leave not thinking neither day nor night But bear 't about thee ever in thy minde And thou shalt surely in it treasure finde But if thou think or intend to gaine this treasure Thou must this day give o're all earthly pleasure Or else be sure thou shalt with sorrow prove Thy self accursed by great Jehovah above Then look in time and do thou fear this cursing And lieu thereof do strive to gaine this blessing Sweet Jesu grant that I may here so live As thou maist please vouchsafe unto me give At my departure this my latest doome Blessed of the Lord do thou unto me come O here my soul be sure set up thy rest And keep this alwayes in thy bony breast And write it there thou'lt finde it is so good It doth deserve for to be writ in blood For here thy deerest blood were well bestowed To gaine that blessing in these lines is showed Which thou must either now on earth obtaine Or else thy dayes are all spent but in vaine And if onely so the matter 's so much less Though it were loss of thine eternal bliss But thou in lieu thereof shalt surely gain Both loss of bliss and eke eternal pain O cruel cruel wretched wretched thee That wilt not solely in his service be Who lost his dearest blood and life to bring Thee to be capable of that great blessing Which none can have but onely them alone Who come to gaine it by his passion Then thou my soul his passion so apply As through it only thou maist live not dye Apply it then and do apply it right And it will keep thee alwayes in his sight Who dyed for thee and greatly did desire That he may free thee from th' infernal fire Wherein thy conscience tells thee thou must burn Except thou quickly to thy Saviour turn Then turn thou to him and turn to him so As thou gaine not this doleful word of Go. O fearful saying of all the very worst That erst was heard these words of Go accurst O horrid horrid horrid fearful thing To be cast out from sight of this our king Who lovingly did freely suffer death To bring thee sinner to eternal life Then gaine this life how deer soere it cost For this of all whatsoere concerns thee most Then think of this and think on 't seriously And it will teach thee live most vertuously And then be sure that thou in th' end shalt have What this thy soul can in it soul but crave Then crave it crave it do thou crave with zeal That Christ himself