for us which we did merit He purchas'd Crowns that we might them inherit Our Fears he doth prevent our loss restore And to the true Believers tendreth more Than Adam lost Yea he doth freely give To ev'ry Soul a power which may believe And persevere if well he shall employ The Talents and the Grace he doth enjoy And with a mind in all Temptations meek This power in Christ not in her self doth seek Ev'n they that perish till they do contemn God's profer'd Love potentially in them Retain this power by God's Free grace until Their Flesh seduc'd like Eve doth move their Will Like Adam to consent and then to Act A wickedness and to approve the Fact Against their Conscience For then God departs From their polluted and rebellious Hearts And back returneth not until from thence That Guilt be washed by true penitence The means whereof he also must bestow Or else into obdurateness they grow Affirm we may not that God will not come To any whom he so departeth from Twice thrice or oftner For we cannot know How far the limits of his Mercys go Nor by what measure or by what degree Of wilfulness he so displeas'd shall be As to forsake for ever since he may Shew mercy where he pleaseth while the day Of life-time lasteth there is hope of Grace For every sinful Soul of Adams race Just Job confesseth that God oft assays To draw the sinner from delicious ways The raising up of Lazarus from death When he had four days yeilded up his breath Inferreth also that some few obtain God's mercy who had dead and stinking lain In their transgressions till there was no place For help by outward means or common grace But this his mercy is the highest pitch And if a God who is in mercy rich Vouchsafe it any where he doth afford Much more than he hath promis'd in his word For though he may confer it when he please Yet to have left such promises as these Had better'd none but made those worse by far Who for the Grace obtained thankless are Oh who enough can praise thy matchless Love Most gracious God! Who pleasest from above To look upon the Vassals here below Our Nature and distempers tempring so And so providing that the blessing lost Is purchas'd for us at anothers cost And may by every Soul enjoyed be Who shall accept the means ordain'd by thee Though as did once the Jews some Christians grudge As if the Childrens teeth were set on edge By what their Fathers eat and doubtful grow Although thou makest Oath it is not so That most of those which are or which have bin Since time began shall die in Adam's sin And are in him rejected without place Or means of hope of truly saving Grace Yea though this be an error whereby such As err that way have urg'd thy Justice much Yet we who fear and trust thee and to whom The knowledge of thy secrets therefore come Remember well and therefore heed have took That Thou the general Covenant being broke Which first was made in Adam pleas'd hast bin To tell us of a new one since brought in And made with all men so particularly That no man for anothers Crime can die A Covenant in Christ from whom both Will And Power we have receiv'd to fulfil So much as shall to thee be acceptable If we endeavour as thou dost enable And whereas when this knowledge we did want We dreamed that thy New made Covenant Concern'd but few we doubtless did aver A Doctrine which from Truth did widely err For that which we did ignorantly call A Covenant is no such thing at all Because we then supposed nothing done Nor ought believ'd but on one side alone A Covenant as men of Judgment know Is that which is contracted betwixt two But thou by that which some of us do say Dost all thy self and giv'st nor power nor way To Act or will what absolutely can Be said to be the Act or Will of Man. We stand for nothing thou alone believ'st Thou actest all thou givest and receivest Yea if we this assertion must allow None truly worketh good or ill but thou Man's but a sufferer whatsoe're he does He doth because he can nor will nor chose Lord let us know the better and so know What powers and faculties thou doest bestow On us to fear and serve thee that we might In work and word and thought still do thee right For thou so equally hast all things done And shew'st such mercy unto every one That ev'n by those who shall thy wrath abide In every thing thou shalt be justifi'd And none shall truly say when call'd they are Before thy Throne of Judgment to appear That thou hast more exacted any way From any man than he had power to pay Till by forsaking thee he forfeit made Of that enabling Grace which once he had This Law of thine which an appearance hath Of Terror of Severity and Wrath To those dull naturalists who have not weighed How by the Law of Grace it is allay'd Even this fear'd Law when first the same was made No other end but Man's well being had Nor hath as yet except it be to those Who sleight thy kindness and believe thy soes The former Table which we weakly fain Doth only to thy glory appertain Concerneth in the points of highest nature The Welfare and the glory of thy Creature To thee what is it whether we adore Thee for our God or none or twenty more Thine Honour was at full e're we were made And would be so though we no being had 'T is our Advantage that thou let 's us know To whom in our necessities to go And leav'st us not as when we Gentiles were To wander all our life times out in fear In Darkness and in Error yet to find Nor ease of Body neither peace of mind 'T is our advantage that we may be bold To scorn those Bugbears which in times of old Men trembled at and that the power and fame Of what was nothing but an empty Name Enslav'd us not to come with vows and praise To worship it as in our Heathen daies Which benefit we by this Law obtain'd And which without this Law we have not gain'd 'T is our avail that such a God we have Who lets us know that he hath power to save And that when we our selves to him apply We need not fear a Rival Deity Will angry grow and do us in despight A greater Wrong than thou hast power to right Or that a Jealous Juno can make void The hopes which in thy Love we have enjoy'd It is our gain to honour thee alone And that we need not now to Cyprus run To worship Venus then to seek Apollo At Delphos and from thence a course to follow As far as famous Ephesus to see If great Diana in her Temple be And thence again to post in hope to meet With Jove inshrined in the Isle of Creet Our Times
know thee and are shown Both by thy words and works what should be done Our selves we yet improve not as we ought By what thy Workings and thy Word have taught But both Self-love and Vanity have share Ev'n in our Actions that most pious are We Counsel we Relieve Write Preach and Pray That Honour Gain or Pleasure bring it may To our own Persons and would little care How wicked and unhappy others are Had we our aims and still might them possess Amid'st our Sins and their unhappiness Ev'n I my self who love a better mind Do in my self so much corruption find That I confess received Injuries More mov'd me to reprove Impieties Than mine own goodness and that from my sin My best performances did first begin For which let pardon Lord vouchsafed be And more sincere hereafter make thou me For this may peradventure be the cause We preach thy Gospel and pronounce thy Laws And write without effect ev'n this that our Corruption makes the means to want the power It might have had Else 't is because we hide Thy Love and have that saving Grace deny'd Which thou to all extendest and which none Shall want who striveth to lay hold thereon To help amend these faults now I have said What I believe thy Spirit hath convey'd Into my heart If I have err'd in ought Let me oh Lord by thee be better taught If truth I speak let other men from hence Partakers be of my Intelligence Make me and them thy love so fully view That we in our affections may be true And give us Grace the truth of them to show In doing well the Duties which we owe. Amen A Metrical Paraphrase Upon the CREED SInce it befits that I account should give What way unto Salvation I believe Of my profession here the sum I gather First I confess a Faith in God the Father In God who without Helper or Partaker Was of himself the Worlds Almighty Maker And first gave Time his being who gave birth To all the Creatures both of Heaven and Earth Our everlasting welfare doth consist In his great mercies and in Iesus Christ The second person of that Three in one The Father's equal and his only Son That ever-blessed and incarnate Word Which our Redeemer is our life Our Lord For when by Sathans guile we were deceived Christ was that means of help which was conceived Yea when we were in danger to be lost Conceived for us by the Holy Ghost And that we might not ever be forlorn For our eternal safety he was Born Born as a Man that Man might not miscarry Even of the substance of the Uirgin Mary And loe a greater mercy and a wonder He that can make All suffer suffered under The Jewish spite which all the world revile at And Cruel tyrannies of Pontius Pilate In him do I believe who was envied Who with extreamest hate was Crucified Who being life it self to make assured Our souls of safety was both dead and buried And that no servile fear in us might dwell To conquer He descended into Hell Where no infernal Power had power to lay Command upon him but on the third day The force of Death and Hell he did constrain And so in Triumph He arose again Yea the Almighty power advanc'd his head Aswel above all things as from the dead Then that from thence gifts might o men be given With glory He ascended into Heaven Where that supream and everlasting throne Which was prepar'd he clim'd aid sitteth on That blessed feat where he shall make abode To plead for us at the right hand of God And no where should he be enthroned rather Than there for he is God as is the Father And therefore with an equal love delight I To praise and serve them both as one Almighty Yet in their office there 's a difference And I believe that Jesus Christ from thence Shall in the great and universal doom Return and that with Angels He shall come To question such as at his Empire grudge Even those who have presumed him to judge And that black day shall be so Catholick As I believe not only that the quick To that assise shall all be summoned But he will both adjudge them and the dead Moreover in the Godhead I conceive Another Person in whom I believe For all my hope of blessedness were lost If I believ'd not it the Holy Ghost And though vain Schismaticks through pride and folly Contemn her power I do believe the holy Chast Spouse of Christ for whom so many search By marks uncertain the true Catholick Church I do believe God keep us in this union That there shall be forever the Communion Of Gods Elect and that he still acquaints His Children in the fellowship of Saints Though damned be Mans natural condition By grace in Christ I look for the remission Of all my foul misdeeds for there begins Deaths end which is the punishment of sins Moreover I the Sadduces infection Abhor and do believe the Resurrection Yea though I turn to dust yet through God I Expect a glorious rising of the body And that exempted from the cares here rife I shall enjoy perfection and the life That is not subject unto change or wasting But ever-blessed and for ever-lasting This is my Faith which that it fail not when It most should steed me let God say Amen To whom that he so much vouchsafe we may Thus as a member of his Church I pray A Metrical Paraphrase Upon the LORD'S PRAYER LOrd at thy Mercy-seat our selves we gather To do our duties unto thee Our Father To whom all praise all honour should be given For thou art that great God which art in Heaven Thou by thy wisdom rul'st the worlds whole frame For ever therefore Hallowed be thy Name Let never more delayes divide us from Thy glories view but let Thy Kingdom come Let thy commands opposed be by none But thy good pleasure and Thy will done And let our promptness to obey be even The very same in earth as 't is in heaven Then for our selves O Lord we also pray Thou wouldst be pleased to Give us this day That food of life wherewith our souls are fed Contented raiment and our daily bread With needful thing do thou relieve us And of thy mercy pitty And forgive us All our misdeeds in him whom thou didst please To take in offering for our trespasses And for as much O Lord as we believe Thou so wilt pardon us as we forgive Let that love teach us wherewith thou acquaints us To pardon all them that trespass against us And though sometime thou find'st we have forgot This Love or thee yet help And lead us not Through Soul or bodies want to desperation Nor let abundance drive into temptation Let not the soul of any true Believer Fall in the time of tryal But deliver Yea save him from the malice of the Devil And both in life and death keep us from evil Thus pray we Lord And but of thee from whom Can this be had For thine is the Kingdom The world is of thy works the graven story To thee belongs the power and the glory And this thy happiness hath ending never But shall remain for ever and for ever This we confess and will confess agen Till we shall say eternally Amen Thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house and upon thy Gates Deut. 6. 9. FINIS Job 33. 14. See Pro. 30. 8 9.
quite forgotten That thy Truth remaineth from one Generation to another or That thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness in so much that we may justly repeat unto thee this complaint of thy Prophet David Lord it is time for thee to lay to thine hand for they have destroyed thy Law. Hear my prayer O Lord and though I am small and of no reputation yet since I would not forget thy Law deliver me from mine Oppressors and so teach me thy Statutes that I may keep them unto the end yea though the proud have me in derision and almost made an end of me upon Earth yet let my heart be made so upright in thy Statutes that I may not be ashmed to remember thy promise made to thy Servant even that wherein thou hast caused me to trust Let it quicken me and be my comfort in my troubles For thou art all my portion and I have determined to keep thy word Before I was afflicted I went so much astray that it was good for me to have some troubles O let me hereafter be always exercised in thy Law Let it be a Lanthorn unto my feet and a Light unto my path Look upon me and be merciful unto me as thou usest to be unto those who love thy name Let the proud be ashamed that they have dealt falsly with me Let such as fear thee be turned unto me and comfort thou me according to the years wherein I have been afflicted that they who see it may glorifie thy name for mine eyes have almost failed with waiting for thy assurance Though I have gone astray like a Sheep yet seek thy Servant and deal with me according to thy mercy Let all these my Supplications come before thee that my Soul may live that my Lips may praise thee and that my Tongue may sing of thy Goodness and Mercy for ever and ever Amen Sir among other kindnesses vouchsafed in your Neighbourhood I received from you the Copper Plates which are now made use of in this Book The words which I have added unto those dumb Figures will make them I hope much more profitable and cause them to be a means of publishing those Caveats and Universal Duties which are pertinent as well to the General well-being of Mankind as to the Glory of God which two things were the proper ends of our Creation and ought also to be the chief care of our life To those ends therefore and that your cost might not be unprofitably bestowed I have returned the Coppies of those Figures which you gave me illustrated with such Meditations as my leisure and ability could afford And they do now as well speak as make signs what is prepared for wilful Transgressors of these Laws whereby if God may receive any honour or his Children profit I desire it may be some honour and advantage which is the desire of Your Hearty and Well-wishing Friend GEO. WITHER The Decalogue And these wordes which I Command thâ— this day shal be in thine heart And thou shall rehearse them Continually unto thy children and shalt talke of them when thou 〈◊〉 in thine house and as thou walkest by the way and when thou liest downe when thou risest up And thou shalt binde them for a signe vpon 〈…〉 they Shal be as 〈…〉 thine eies Also thou shalt write them vpon the postes of thine house and vpon thy gateâ— 6 Deut 6 7-8.9 I THOV SHALT HAVE NONE OTHER GODS BVT ME II THOV SHALT NOT MAKE TO THY SELFE ANY GRAVEN YMAGE III THOV SHALT NOT TAKE Y e NAME OF Y e LORD THY GOD IN VAINE IIII REMEMBER THAT THOV KEEP HOLY Y e SABBOTH DAY V HONOR THY FATHER AND THY MOTHER VI THOV SHALT DO NO MVRDER VII THOV SHALT NOT COMMIT ADVLTERIE VIII THOV SHALT NOT STEALE IX THOV SHALT NOT BEARE FALSE WITNESSE X THOV SHALT NOT COVET Beholde I see before you this day a blessing and a Curse The blessing if ye Obey the Comaundements of the Lord your GOD which I CoÌ„mand you this day And the Curse if ye wil not obey y â— Commandements of y e Lord your GOD but tâ—â—ne Out of the way which I Command you this day to go after other gods which ye haue not known â—â— Deut 26 27 28 Optimum â—â—t aliena frui insania Happy shall that man become Who this Law departs not from Blessings will descend on him From the Mount of Gerizim But from Ebal they shall hear Curses who rebellious are Death for them attending stands Who shall break these just Commands And to those who them obey God proposeth life for aye THE Prologue Let All these following Lessons learn For all Mankind these Laws concern ALL you who Sons by Grace or Nature be Give ear to what my Muses preach to me For what I now do purpose to declare No less than Universal Statutes are Which every Child of Adam here beneath Must keep in person on the pain of Death Or by a faithful Penitence procure An able Pledge to pay his Forfeiture You who by Nature had the means to know What Duties Creatures to their Maker owe Read here what by God's Finger once was writ Within your hearts that you may practise it And having lost that Light which Nature gave Take what you may by Grace's tender have On fleshly Tables once again renew The fair impression which at first he drew For 't was your Sin which thence Gods Law did blot And Ignorance therefore excuseth not You whom the special grace of our Creator Brought by his power Almighty thro' the Water Of sound Baptism and within the Flood Of his dear Sons most pure and pretious Blood Drown'd all that Hoast of Sins which our Grand Foe Had mustred for our final overthrow Observe you also this renowned Law To keep it with a loving filial awe Lest though you scap'd enraged Pharoh's Hoast Your entrance to the promis'd Rest be crost And lest your following what your Lust deviz'd You in your lawless wandrings be surpriz'd By those yet living Tyrants who possess The passages of this Lifes Wilderness For though in Act we cannot keep entire So strict a Law we may in our desire And where Desire is not perverted quite We have a ready means to set it right If any say or think this Obligation Pertaineth only to the Jewish Nation They are deceiv'd for if they well compare These Precepts to those Laws which written are Within our hearts it will be out of doubt That these are but the same transcribed out In Stone they were engraven long ago Lest all the World should quite forgetful grow Of these their Duties To the Jews God gave them To be preserv'd from loss From them we have them Distinguish'd by two Tables to be known From Laws that were peculiars of their own And though some literal circumstance be found Appearing to oblige beyond the Bound Of Legal Ceremonies which to some A means of stumbling and offence become Yet they that meekly minded are shall