own Elect And in the Reprobates augment defect But soft my Muse launch not into the deep Lest thou o'erwhelmed be to Leeward keep These depths are soundable by none but him VVho can walk dry where heav'n earth may swim VVhose Spirit mov'd upon the waters face When all the world an Embâ—…ion Chaos was Lord these thy works of wonder far transcend VVhat can be thought much more what can be pen'd My silenc'd Quill by thy dread awe supprest Shall cease to write I 'll wonder out the rest An Epigram on the Creation POor man why why so proud see here thy stock Thy principles are chips of Nothing 's block Thy Mother Earth beast fish fowls worms and all May thee their younger Brother justly call Yet he who all things out of nothing made The rule of them to thee committed had But thou by sin that Kingdom forfeited'st Pois'ned'st the air thou breath'st the earth thou tread'st Disord'redst all the creatures Mark this well And why art ' proud because an heir to hell That 's a flight ground for Pride that 's reason small For cursed is that Kingdom heirs and all Truly thou 'rt proud for want of Grace I fear And pride entitles thee to be hells heir Another on the same OH how it blinds all mortal wits to pry Into a time when all was Trinity Next Angels Men Heav'n Earth Hell Sea were one Coagulted Chaos form'd alone Out of meer nothing by the Tri-Une God VVho for his glory on them all bestow'd Their beings but to Man alone did give A means when dead whereby he might revive In Gods own glory if he sought it here VVho slights that love of his Crearor dear Lord make us once again or better 't were We nothing had remain'd as first we were Better for us indeed but one to thee Who wilt have glory though we damned be On the Creatures SEe the great Architectors Alphabet In his grand Chirograph mans second Book Wherein by reading he may knowledge get Of his Creator spell his Name whose look Would blind all mortal eyes But this great Glass Doth by reflection represent that God Unto Mans prying Soul who Pen-man was Of all these Characters It 's wondrous odd To see Man's gross stupidity how blind His sin-soil'd Reason's grown his will perverse That dumb Irrationals are fain to mind Him of his God nay he is more averse From answering the end of his creation By far then they who in their kindes fulfil God's sacred will and keep in their low station His holy Laws according to their skill They do so all and always but our hearts Are shooting still at Rovers when the Lord Hath set us Butt-marks our vile Nature thwarts His wayes of Grace our Wills oppose his Word As if we would send challenges to Heaven And woo Damnation headless heedless man Sets all his Makers Laws at six and seven In scorn neglects what do with ease he can Should this great Army of the creatures be So mutinous the world would soon resolve Into its principles Mans Pedegree Produce no more descents Oh let 's revolve This in our hearts and view this goodly frame As an eye-lecture to our souls to bring Us home to holy life that we his Name May glorifie who is our God and King Amen On Redemption TEnter up Nature to the highest pin And rack Philosophy with quaintest gin Frenzifie Chymistry and summon too 't The old red Serpent's wits calcin'd to boot A way to finde for lapsed man to rise And unborn-Babes might it as soon devise As that grand Senate But they ne'er desir'd That work by Men and Angels so admir'd Nature conceiv'd it not to be conceiv'd Wherein the God of Nature her deceiv'd Philosophy with reason would have shaken That plot whence for Morosophy she 's taken Chymistry's wit to prove a practise rare Turn'd Ignis fatuus and expir'd in air The subtile Serpent keeping still the field With World and Flesh a Lamb inforc'd to yeild Oh Lamb invincible to thee be glory Were 't not for thee the Serpent sure would worry Thy little Lambs dispersed here and there Now so far sundred as no man knows where Haste Lord to re-unite them and disperse Thine and their Foes revengeful and perverse For thou art Judah's Lyon and canst tame The wildest Beasts that dare blaspheme thy Name For thine hast thou descended from above From thy dear Father and the sacred Dove From everlasting glory to put on A shrine that Angels ne'er could think upon Our basest nature for our baser sakes Who this in contemplation truly takes Must needs be wonder-struck stand and admire At thy divinest love who dost desire For all thy paines which pass all valuation Nothing but hearty meek retaliation Of love for love doubtless were man not mad Satan still tempting world and flesh as bad And self-betraying self still pressing on us By sin to draw more hardness still upon us The hardest heart could ne'r retain a thought Of slighting love by God so dearly bought Who pay'd a price of blood for man's base fall Enough to ransom Devils men and all Had he ordained so whose mercy will Man shall redeemed be but they damn'd still O mercy trans-superlative so high As blinds both mens and Angels reasons eye And dumbs my Muse who else would fain expend Time on this subject till my time shall end Applicatio Oratio WHat God and man And God for man be so Think man what thou to God for this dost owe. The debt is great if thou a Banckrupt art Yet he is sated give him but thy heart Oh take it Lord thou bought'st it dear 't is thine It was but is not now nor shall be mine Lord hold it fast for sure it 's slip'ry ware T will slide from thee without thy special care An Epigram on our Redemption FAll'n man redeem'd what cannot mercy do That saves those who their own destruction woo Man's actions retrograde from what they seem Tend all to what none wise their end would deem Mercy in heart he likes In practice proves That he severest justice rather loves And have it sure he should had not the Son Of his incensed God his pardon won Who gave his foes his blood and flesh for food O love incredible to flesh and blood It can be credited by none but those Whom that true Manna turns to friends from foes Whose faith's eyes their redemption see as cleer As fleshly eyes see any object here On man's Justification LOrd I am wonder-struck at this sweet sound Justification doth me quite confound When I consider what our nature is Thoughts words and works and all that is amiss Ev'n in the best of the best man's endeavours The Agues of our spirits and their feavours And all our soul-sick frenzies which possess Some with a fancy of self-righteousness Our waywardness to good proneness to ill Rounding the paths of sin like horse in mill The number numberless of all our crimes Re-iterated too so many
wormwood made me drunk verse 16 VVith gravel stones my teeth he broke and sunk verse 17 Me under ashes And far off from peace My soul thou hast remov'd In me doth cease verse 18 Prosperitie's remembrance And I said My strength and hope is from the Lord decai'd verse 19 Recording mine affliction misery verse 20 The wormwood and the gall my soul still shy In their remembrance humbled is in me verse 21 This I re-call to minde and thence hope see verse 22 'T is the Lords mercy we are not o'erborn verse 23 ' Cause his compassions fail not Ev'ry morn They are renew'd great is thy faithfulness verse 24 My soul doth say the Lord my portion is verse 25 Therefore I 'll hope in him The Lord is good To them that wait for him to souls that woo'd verse 26 His face It 's good for man to hope and wait verse 27 The Lords salvation quietly though strait verse 28 The youth-born yoke is good which having born verse 29 He sits in silence still And doth adorn His mouth with dust if so there hope may be verse 30 He gives his cheek to smiters fill'd is he verse 31 Full with reproach for God will not for ay verse 32 Cast off And though he causeth grief to day He will compassion have according to verse 33 His mercies multitude God doth not do That willingly that may afflict or grieve verse 34 The sons of men to crush and not reprieve verse 35 Earth's pris'ners under feet to turn awry The right of man before his face most high verse 36 The Lord approves not to subvert man's cause verse 37 Who 's he that saith and it doth come to pass verse 38 When God commands it not Both good and ill Proceed they not out of the Lords mouth still verse 39 Wherefore doth man complain man for his sins verse 40 Just punishment Let 's search and try what 's in 's verse 41 And to the Lord rerurn to God in heaven verse 42 Let 's lift our hearts and hands for we have even Transgrest rebell'd and pardon thou gav'st none verse 43 With anger thou hast covered alone And persecuted us thou hast us slain verse 44 And hast not pitied Thou dost detain Thee in a cloud that our prayers should not pass verse 45 Thou hast us made as the off-scowring as verse 46 Refuse in peoples mid'st And all our foes verse 47 Open'd their mouths against us fear snare woes Destruction desolation on us lie verse 48 Rivers of tears do run down from mine eye For the destruction that is come upon verse 49 My peoples daughter Mine eye trickleth down And ceaseth not without all intermission verse 50 Till God look down from heav'n on her condition verse 51 And it behold Mine eye affects my heart Because of all my cities daughter's smart verse 52 Mine enemies me chased very sore Ev'n like a bird without a cause wherefore verse 53 They have cut off my life in dungeon throw'd verse 54 A stone upon me And the waters flow'd Over my head I am cut off said I verse 55 And in low dungeon on thy Name did cry verse 56 O Lord thou hast me heard hide not thine ear verse 57 At my sad cry and breathing Thou drew'st near I' th' day that I did call on thee and said'st verse 58 Fear not O Lord thou my souls causes plead'st verse 59 Thou hast redeem'd my life Thou see'st my wrong verse 60 Judge thou my cause Thou hast seen all along verse 61 Their vengeance and their thoughts against me Thou Hast their reproaches heard O Lord and how verse 62 Against me they imagine lips of those And their device that up against me rose verse 63 All day Behold their sitting and their rising verse 64 I am their musick Lord for their devising Render them recompence according to verse 65 Their handy-work Give them heart-sorrow wo verse 66 Thy curse unto them Persecute destroy In wrath them from beneath thy throne of joy CHAP. IIII. verse 1 HOw is the gold come dim the fine gold chang'd In each streets top the Temples stones estrang'd verse 2 Are poured out How Zions pretious sâ—…nes To fine gold comparable are at once Esteem'd as earthen pitcher potters creature verse 3 Ev'n dragons draw the brest and give by nature Suck to their young my people's daughter is Cruel become like to the ostriches verse 4 In wilderness For thirst the suckling's tongue Cleaves fast to his mouth 's roof the children young verse 5 Ask bread and no man breaks to them They that Fed delicately are now desolate I' th' streets the scarlet brood dunghils embrace verse 6 My peoples daughters punishment takes place Of Sodom's sin's high punishment o'erthrown In moment when on her stay'd no hand known verse 7 Her Nazarites purer then snow more white Then whitest milk in body ruddy bright More then the rubies were their polish'd hew verse 8 Was saphire and their visage now we view Blacker then coal in streets they are not known Their wither'd skin cleaves fast unto the bone verse 9 It 's stick-like ' come They whom the sword hath slain Are better then whom hunger rid of pain For these pine thorow-struck for field-fruits want verse 10 Pittiful womens hands have in the scant Sodden their children they their meat were after In the destruction of my peoples daughter verse 11 The Lord his fury hath accomplished He hath pour'd out his anger fierce kindled A fire in Zion and it her foundations verse 12 Devoured hath Earth's Kings and all the Nations O' th' world would never have believ'd the foe And adversary enter should into verse 13 Jerusalems gates For her Prophet's crimes And for her Priests iniquities oft times That in the mid'st of her just mens blood shed verse 14 As blind men in the street they wandered With blood themselves polluted so that men verse 15 Could not their garments touch they cryed then Depart it is unclean touch not depart When they did flie and wander they with smart Among the heathen said They shall no more verse 16 There sojourn The Lords anger hath full soâ—e Divided them he 'll them no more respect The Persons of the Priests they quite neglect verse 17 They favour'd not the elders As for us Our eyes for our vain help yet failed thus In watching we have for a Nation watch'd verse 18 That could not save our steps they hunt catch'd That we can't walk the streets our end is neer Our days fulfilled are our end is here verse 19 Our cruel Persecutors are more swift Then Heavens Eagles they had us in drift Upon the mountains for us they laid wait verse 20 In wilderness In their pits by their bait Our nostrils breath the Lords anointed was Surpris'd of whom we often said alas Under his shade ' mongst heathens live shall we verse 21 Rejoyce O Edom's daughter and glad be Who dwel'st in Uz-land but the cup pass shall Thorow to thee and thou
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
Did hazard drowning in a flood of wine This sawce-mouth'd Fury made the Jews despise Angelick Manna and the land not prize VVhich was a type of New Jerusalem Yet promised to undeserving them VVho Onions and Garlick rather crav'd VVith Egypts flesh-pots where they were inslav'd And which sad Kingdoms thraldom they knew well Prefigur'd typically that of Hell But sure had they return'd as they did wish Their faith their food had been nor flesh nor fish She is amongst the sins of Sodom nam'd VVhence fire sulphurious down from heaven flam'd And pulverated in a trice of time The choisest Cities in that pleasant clime Thence chas'd by vengeance fled she to a Cave And tempted heedless Lot to play the knave VVith both his Daughters so in lust to burn As if those warnings could not serve his turn This longing quean made cursed Esau sell Birthright and blessing for red broth and hell Thousands of Philistins she once did seize And gave Judge Sampson his last Writ of Ease This mal-companion made the Levite play The boon-companion by the hour and day So long at Bethle'm-Judah that it cost Sixty five thousand souldiers lives all lost Of Jacob's seed for this the ground we find That him in Gibeah to lodge inclin'd Whence a whole tribe of babes and women fell Sacrific'd to the sword yea some to Hell She made the good old Eli's sons profane Their sacred Priesthood by their rost-meat ta'n The fat not offred for which villany God ruin'd them and their posterity She made rich Nabal churlish to his friend And his Protector which became his end And ended had all his had not his wife Su'd out their pardon and compos'd the strife She wrought incestuous Amnon's drunken death Who drank so deep a draught he lost his breath For his revengeful brother chose that time To punish that and his fore-passed crime Whose foul revenge vengeance divine repay'd VVhen by his Feast at Hebron he had lay'd A plot of parricide so feasting chear Sent both the brothers none but God knows where T was David's second sin that him nigh sunk Who fresh himself was in Uriah drunk And thirsty after took the poor man's blood VVho still to him had faithful been and good She lost King Ela's Crown and life whereby Zimri destroy'd the royal family And though no famed singer his shrill throat Did above Ela sing a high-strain'd note When at Samaria's siege proud Benhadad Thirty two Kings auxiliaries had Though a most slighted force did them oppose The Pot his Kinglings him and all o'erthrows So serv'd she Babylonish Baltazar Who thought himself another god of War And the besiegers though stout souldiers slighted Drank drunk the while in scorn until affrighted With Manuscript Divine he quak'd amain And that same night was by the souldiers slain And Babylon the glory of the world Had her raz'd walls into Euphrates hurl'd Nor can I think but drink and drunken fellows As well as pride made Haman build those gallows Whereon himself was hang'd for I presume Such feasting and so much strong drink did fume Into his brains and plots infus'd whereby It ruin'd him and his posterity 'T was meerly feasting drink and lust misled The Tetrarch to cut off the Baptist's head Whom he before had lov'd at least for fashion One feast provok'd him to his decollation Oh if I could but call up Dives here Who day by day did feast on royal chear Whose paunch with most delicious wine did swell Yet begg'd a drop of water for 't in Hell And beg it may yet ne'er obtain the grace To have that comfort in so sad a place Sure he would howl and roar and rave and cry Against this sin and would us terrifie With exclamations in dispraise of that Which most in fact commend but pray for what Truly I know not saving to bring gains To Vintners Ale-wiâ—es Drawers Chamberlains To Tapsters Brewers Bakers Butchers Cooks And those who when the plague reigns play the Rooks The Sextons Bearers and the Pest-attenders And those who are to Physick's art pretenders Doctors Apothecaries Mountebanks Quack-salvers Surgeons and those of their ranks That live by our diseases Politicians May sometimes gain thereby and poor Musitians Anglicè fidlers both which make a trade To undo any so themselves be made Clomers and Glass-men likewise reap fair gain When juggs and glasses are in battel slain Yea Scavengers get no small profit by it And gold-finders who semi-deifie it 'T is their Diana much sweet work it finds them And oft of Bacchus and Tabacco minds them Without which they are not nor can be well Whilst here on earth whatere they be in Hell Full paunch full pate and then all 's well for this Their esse and their bene esse is Oh how perverse is man On whom the Lord Reason conferred hath yea his pure word That reason to illuminate and shew What paths he follow should and what eschew Precept on precept for his rule of life And yet the beasts to stray not half so rife Who have but naked sence to be their guide Behold they in their Makers rules abide According to their kind more strict then we Which if arightly scann'd we soon may see They have more moderation in the use Of creatures gustable and less abuse Those gifts by far then man for where one beast Doth stupifie its sence with drink at least A hundred men and women too do so Yea stupifie both sence and reason too If hogs or such more greedy creatures hap Themselves by too much drinking to intrap They 'l mostly be more wary next but we The oft'ner drunk more eager drunk to be And oft when drunkenness our thirst hath bred We by that thirst to drunkenness are led Strange piece of witch craft reason so to fool To put her back again to sence to school We work against our selves a kind of treason When sensuality oâ—ercometh reason Is reason fighting fancy foil'd by it It shews our want of grace more then of wit For our in-nate corruption wrought in us Our wills and judgements both preposterous And opposite to Gods most holy will Who never willeth any thing that 's ill Nor can we will what 's other unless he Assistant to us by his Spirit be Oh! who would think such waywardness should dwell In any Creatute that 's on this side Hell Lord of a truth that place for us is fit Did not thy boundless mercy hinder it Proceed O God so to prevent it still And frame us hearts according to thy will Most holy pure and clean void of pollution Of flesh or spirit hating prostitution Of us unto our wills impure wild passions Charming affections brutish inclinations Unto excess and drunkenness whereby We quite deface that prime Divinity Thy smage stampt upon our souls of old And take the Devils impress of whose fold We hereby do profess our selves and go From our souls faithful shepherd to his foe Whence come Diseases Fevers Dropsies Gouts Consumptions and
redeem what was his own Unforfeited It now his right is grown By purchase too Lord keep what now thou hast For we shall lose it if thou hold not fast A fairer purchase ne'er was bought or sold Nor fickler for the Purchaser to hold Were not thy Mercy great and stupifying 'T was ne'er worth making much less worth thy buying Infancy EPitome of man why such sad chear As cries and tears at thy first entrance here Sure thou confut'st philosophers of old Who tales of spheres harmonious musick told Such a celestial quire must by and by Ravish thy soul with charming melody But thou art deaf to them they mute to thee 'Twixt deaf and dumb new-met what sympathy Alass but small But thou thus dost not cry Their errour to confute or to descry Thou 'st cause enough besides thy pain in birth And birth to future pain whilst here on earth Thou com'st from whence thou hadst content before And whilst thou' rt here shalt never have it more Can thy diminutive heart chuse but mourn To restless pains and crosses to be borne Alas what hath this empty world that 's rare To please thee with a teat a bib fine ware A rattle whistle toys with crying after These rarities may justly challenge laughter Though not worth joying in nor yet injoying But that thy crying fits are husht with toying Yet this I 'll say for thee who in no wise Canst for thy little self apologize Men riper year'd pursue as eagerly More noxious bables and sing lullaby To their deluded souls in those enjoying Which mostly are their selves and souls destroying Bacchus wins men with bibbs Cupid with teats Whilst Mars with whistles calls to famous feats But all-commanding Mammon rattles makes With cursed coyn-baggs cheating metal-cakes Worse then At'lanta's apples in the way To Heav'n they force us both to stay and stray Oh then let 's cease to laugh at thy weak wits And learn to mourn for our own frantick fits Far better we delighted in thy toys Then by our own to lose eternal joys But ah thy innocence in act could wee In that perfection equalize but thee We happy were Such must we be for none But some way such shall Heav'n attain alone Lord make us such for only thou canst tame Our headstrong natures and make us disclaim Proud self who flown aloft doth meteorize And with false flashes dazles faith's weak eyes Extinguish Lord this fatal Comet in us Infantize thou our high-swoln hearts and win us To humble meckness by thy peerless skill Make us stout men yet little children still That with humility and innocence ' Gainst all assailants we may make defence And strive to victory Oh thou most high List us for soldiers of thy infantry The Epigram WEakest of creatures what come naked forth Into the world's vast wilderness it's worth Thy cries and tears yea cares and fears beside What may thee in this solitude betide Yet ne'er despair take for thy comfort this 'T is the most beaten road to future bliss Husband thy teares treasure them up in store To mourn for sin thy joy shall be the more Foes thou hast great and many but a friend That 's gone this way unto the journey's end Hath weak'ned them yea will them all subdue Only believe in him he 's yet in view In eye of faith keep still thy innocence Be still a child in giving no offence Keep thy friend's foot-steps home to Heaven door For 't is Heav'ns-God's-son that is gone before Puerility INfancy was illiterate and past In wordless craving to be pleas'd in hast The A. B. C of man next treads the stage It foots the world's great ball which riper age Doth head and hearts so much that oft' it strains Her heart-stings to a crack oft' breaks her brains Childhood's a pretty fiddle but the rod Doth spoil it's case and makes it's musick odd And harsh which else would mostly pleasant be Though much more out of tune the Birchen tree Terrifies more in schools then English oaks ' Erst did their foes at Sea with thunder strokes Whence some of this small tribe will dare aver Nero not half so bad 's a school-master See see our way-ward nature native hate To means whose ends might us felicitate We willingly will precious time advance To loss of knowledge gain of ignorance A barter that breaks all the Merchants trust Yet satisfies none but the Devil and lust His foes not creditors Hark wanton hark Walk in the day for danger 's in the dark Knowledge no burthen is save unto those Whom ignorance marks out for wisdom's foes Learn but what 's good and what is evil shun Play on as long 's thou wilt the game is won Surely thy life 's a puppet-play wherein â—hy acted parts allude to future sin â—hy pot-guns may to Cannons grow thy cash Of rounded slats breed love of that base trash That so inchants earth's pilgrims that they sell Their lives their souls for coyn to purchase Hell Thy plays in which thou pris'ners tak'st descry The course of wars where some pursue some fly Thy hood-winck't sports give ignorance her due â—n emblem fabulous whose moral 's true These thy now counterfeits in future times Become thy real actions and thy crimes Lord what a gallimaufry of deceit â—s man's frail life who first doth counterfeit Next rea-lize those vanities which tend At last to falshood and an endless end End end these wanton toys play not the sot To make a trade of that which profits not â—eason thy new-made clome with sipid liquor These us'd as recreations may make quicker Thy parts of soul and body for that trade In whose sole profit thou art marr'd or made Oh! 't is of high concernment weigh thy time And weigh it to the grains it 's rare pastime Full fraught with true content rich gain to boot And now 's thy time yea now 's high time to do 't Each minute this way spent will win thee store Of wealth and bliss when time shall be no more Think in thy play each step of thine steps on One step towards thy grave which steps-time gone Thou never canst recal to re-imploy More profitably for thy future joy When thou dost learn thy book each letter think Sin 's embleme as the paper 's stain'd with ink Sin staines thy self each sin 's a letter foul A capital character for thy soul Wherein to read its doom if penitence Rinse not away with blood guilt and offence Learn'st thou to write Ah! then thou act'st to life Thy own life's acts to sins-blurs far more rife And prone then fairest paper is to take The blurs that thy miss-guided pen doth make And learn from hence occasions to avoyd Whereby thy soul with sin might be annoy'd These uses make of thy occurrent playes And of thy labours too that so thy wayes By both may better'd be Though this seem hard It 's worth thy pains and will return reward Reward that will requite thy vigilance Ten thousand-fold
lave the blurs That in thy book appear Make no demurs In thy great suit for pardon get it out With restless speed in thy proceedings doubt Lest Errour be in thy Original Or any other Writ and make sure all As thou go'st on cast often thy account And see to what thy sums receiv'd amount And how expended what thou see'st amiss Amend in future by more carefulness For past debts take Repentances keen knife And raze them out then to avoid all strife Smooth it with Faith's rough pummice o'er and o'er Thy Creditor never will charge it more This play seems foul but is not though he know Thy crafty trick he loves to have it so And though such tricks may Merchants seem to stain It both augments his glory and thy gain Now shall the Earth-amazing Dooms-day be A day of joy and comfort unto thee Thy hearts chief solace in the saddest fits Whose thoughts might formerly have scar'd thy wits Look how the chased Hart desires the Brooks The blind Gods Herd their living Idols looks As Mariners nigh shipwrack'd wish for shore Or tyred School-boyes learning to give o'er As poor deserted Souls for faith do long The faithful for Plerophory so strong Will thy desires wishes and longings be To see that day once terrible to thee Thy soul once thus sublim'd will ever cry With yerning Bowels Come Lord Jesus Hye And with the Spirit and the Bride will say Come come Lord quickly while it is to day That Trump whose very thought the world doth fray Will be thy Cock-crow to eternal day The Epigram STout Man why quak'st to think on this days sound Thy fear doth from thy inward guilt redound Sweep clean thy conscience mundifie thy Heart Through-captivate thy will to his whose art Of love did thee redeem thence Judgements trump Will cheer thy soul whose thought now doth it dump At this Assizes fear not to appear The Judge will read thy Neck-Verse for thee here Plead guilty and condemn thy self before Confess and so be sav'd for evermore Lord what vast difference herein appear'th Betwixt thy Laws of Heaven and ours of earth Hell HOrrid'st of Creatures who wast solely made To please Eternal Justice thy black shade Abounds with Contradictions freezing fires With torrid chilness Infinite desires Void of the least attainments Howling theams Compos'd all of Exordiums fiery beams Flashing yet light-less This school's Alphabet Abjures Omega they who there are met To roar out Palinodes and Elegies Are still beginning Cain if there he lies Is no whit farther in his lesson come Then he that last went hence to that sad home Nay Lucifer grand-paedagogue of all Hath not learn'd A. B. C. since his first fall Though our and his great Master taught him better The Dullard is not yet past the first letter His lesson's now as far from learning out As 't was when first he troopt the Angel-rout Into Rebellion and the Lesson's dire 'T is wo and lamentations in a fire Tormenting not consuming burning still Still killing yet doth never fully kill Eternal labour with eternal loss Uncessant cares and yet uncessant cross A death-less death a life-less life remains Which multiplies the terrour of the pains Measureless endless hapless hopeless fate Whoe'er comes here findes it too soon too late Too soon to sense the pain but to prevent That sense too late since too late to repent Ah careless cureless heedless headless man Leap not into the fire out of the pan Whilst here Afflictions Cauldron thou dost shun Thou darest Hell and so art quite undone Temporal crosses may be better born Then those eternal do not counsel scorn That 's good and given gratis strike thy sails Stoop thy top-gallant Will it nought avails Poor Sculler these to mount in a Bravado When he 's in viron'd with a strong Armado If thou stand out thou' rt sunk and lost for ever Submit submit to change thy will endeavour Look ere thou leap thy foot is at pits brink Move but a hairs-breadth forward thou must sink And sink eternally see here the Chasm Against whose wounds there is no Cataplasm Who falls here wounded is beyond all cure And must beyond all time his pains endure This Dungeon hath nor joy nor rest nor ease Nor comforts nor a hope of ought like these But desperation of them and assurance Of perpetuity of pain 's endurance View view bewitched man this place of wo Jehovah's Magazine of Terrour Lo This Den from beatifick Vision is Excentrick quite exterminate from bliss Its Ghests all captive mourners who delight Each other to torment and to affright Mutual Assassinates and merciless Unsatiate in fiercest cruelness VVhose hideous howlings raving roaring cries Gnashing of teeth loud shreeks would rend the skies Shake all the earth to shivers melt proud man Into a floud of tears make beauty wan Strength feeble and his specious frame dissolve To nothing once to hear them Oh! revolve This frequently in heart lest Hells dark flame The thought whereof should wildest Mortals tame Prove the first light that gives thee sight of sin And sense of second death when once thou' rt in There 's no Redemption Poenitence too late VVill but increase thy torment not abate Here shalt thou see Nimrod's stern progeny Tyranniz'd o'er as they lov'd tyranny Gygantick Cyclops may tormented be By Pygmey feinds t' augment their misery The pompous Dives there shall not command One drop of water from a Lazar's hand Nor it obtain yet begging heartily To cool his parched tongue although it fry Abaddon and Apoll'on here do raign Great Lords of mis-rule o'er the damned train ' Mongst whom confusion is the perfect'st order And greatest mercy worse then horrid'st murder Where Lucifer and Beelzebub now ly Inflicting pains and pain'd eternally These lapsed Angels knowing their own fate Irrevocable are incens'd with hate Against both God and man but wanting power God to infest they seek man to devour Whom living they by flatt'ry strive to win But dead torment most justly for his sin Their first plot is Gods image to deface Once stampt on us now re-ingrav'd by grace Since our base forfeitute of that great favour In Paradise by breach of good behaviour Whilst sweet redemption crusht that curst design They now do re-inforce to undermine Us by our neerest friends the world and flesh Yea self on self fiercely assaults afresh And did not an Almighty pow'r defend us These our three friends to those our soes would send us Blessed Redeemer with thy banner shield us Oh let thy Spirit still assistance yeild us Against those subtile falshoods fly devices VVhereby Hell 's regent our poor souls intices Confound his plots and by thy grace relieve us And from this dismal dungeon Lord reprieve us The Epigram SEâ— man thy creature's creature this curst place Of endless torment thy sweet meats sow'r sawce Thy honey's gall house of thy sins foundation Tophet the cell of thy deserv'd damnation Critical Atheists have a question stirr'd VVhere it should
be thereto wise men demurr'd But I 'll resolve that doubt whoe'er thou be Atheist approach and feel draw neer and see And doubtless thou shalt have full satisfaction For thy nice question and each godless action Thou' rt right i' th' way no guide needs yet know this Death will most surely shew thee where it is Heaven ETernal Majesty who here dost raign My Muse assistance by thy Spirit daign In mercy pardon this my bold adventure The holiest of holies thus to enter Oh! circumcise my heart my foul lips touch VVith thy great Altar's cole ere I approach Thy honour's dwelling Sanctifie my verse Let this its Our ano-graphy rehearse Soul-charming strains that ravish may with love My self and others of the things above I kiss thy threshold Lord and so creep in VVhere 's no approach for ought defil'd with sin Not that i 'm pure but foul yet purged cleer Lo Lord my sacrifice and Priest are here At thy right hand of glory with thee one The glory both of thy right hand and throne The wonder of thy mercy love and grace VVho bears all Heavens joys summ'd in his face The Heav'n of Heav'n Men cannot wish more bliss Then to behold thy sacred face and his Though but a moment who such sight might have Would hug the silent hushtness of the grave Kiss death yea woo Hells self on the condition When time 's spent to the snuff to have fruition Of that transcendent joy Oh grace divine Incomprehensible save by the Tri'ne It forc'th my tongue-ty'd Muse rapt with delight To stutter forth a far-short Epithite Oh su-per-su-per-su-su-per-la-tive Stupendious Love Into whose depth to dive Would non-plus Heav'ns Angelick Hierarchy VVonder-strike all the Saints to Lethargy Yet as if these essentials of that joy VVere too too small for mankinde to enjoy Too slight a guerdon for a sinful worm VVhose sting death-stung the Lord of Life whose form First most divine is self-deform'd by guilt God for augmenting circumstantials built This New Jerusalem Joys splendid throne A City whose high walls are precious stone Her streets transparent gold her unshut gates Of Orient pearls all of unvalu'd rates VVhere needs nor Sun by day nor Moon by night For God's great glory gives eternal light The Lamb 's the Lamp thereof within it walk Earth's saved Tribes whose musick and whose talk Are Allelu-iahs whose white Robes out vie The purest snow in candor such no eye Of Mortal ever saw nor heart of man Can half conceive where Jesus leads the Van Of sacred Myriades host of Lord of hosts VVith millions of Angels for the posts And scouts of that Coelestial Army grac'd VVith many thousand-thousand Kings all plac'd In thrones of glory crown'd with endless peace And sceptred with triumphant Palms where cease All oppositions to eternity For all their Enemies subdued lie Chain'd up in deathless flames in sulph'ry smother Tormenting and tormented by each other Doom'd to so horrid and immense a curse As God himself can wish his Foes no worse But what need Joys Antipathetical Where Sympathetical drown heart and all In sweet satiety and pleasing fulness Blessedly void of nauseating dulness This feast's cates cloy not ne'er so freely ta'en The Ghests need fear no surfeiting or bane Yet it 's a lasting everlasting feast Like free for all the greatest or the least Here winged Cherubims bring in the Ghests From all Earth's quarters after Death's arrests That Vinegar prepares their appetites To feed on unexpressible delights For that 's Gods wonted way as all Saints know who 'll feast above must taste sowre sauce below Afflictions are Preparatives to bliss VVho rightly bear one rarely t'other miss I might say never Lord what fools are we VVhom sense misseads to doat on what we see Hear feel smell taste with Organs physical Sense-comforts have Soul-poyson in them all The Spider sucks them thence and heedless Bees Fixing on them their ' fore-got honey leese And labour too Avaunt avaunt dear souls Let Faith's bright eye aspire beyond the Poles And view those everlasting Mansions there Void of disturbance anguish care or fear Of all that discontents all that annoys And full refert with boundless endless joys Here the celestial choristers declare Their maker's glory chaunting hymns most rare Sweet odes and Epithalamies they 'll sing To celebrate the nuptials of their king Mount Sion's Lamb Lyon of Judah's tribe Whose bless'd inauguration they 'll describe In soul-amazing notes that ravish quite All ears with sweet excess of choice delight The Heav'n and Heav'n of Heavens ring with peals Of acclamations at the open'd seals The mystery of God fulfill'd they 'll see And joy therein to all eternitie Methinks I hear the most melodious songs The none-such ditties warbled by those throngs My towring soul transmounts the cast back skies Sensing in her degree those rhapsodies Hyper-noetick strains that quite transform My lowly muse into a lofty form Make nature lethe-drunk inflame my heart With restless longing there to bear a part Where who the least part bears shall bear a weight Of countless endless glory great yet light A crowning burthen burthenless who bear The Cross right here shall there the crown right wear An Amarantine Crown of glory lasting Further beyond then 't is to everlasting Lord why doth this dull lump of earth detain My mounting soul from their consort that raign With thee in glory I should groan to be Dissolv'd that I thy presence bright might see Whereof a glympse I spy but sinful flesh Still conjures up desires of life afresh Of life not worth desiring now I view The difference 'twixt it and this that 's true True life is only here our life below Is but a mock-life meerly life in show But real death Lord that I here might stay And wait at my Redeemer's feet for aye But ah it cannot be I must descend And re-invested be in flesh to end My task by thee appointed me beneath Till summon'd by thy Pursevant grim death Or judgement's change I re-appear before Thy throne to be with thee for evermore Dear God in mercy dangers all prevent That may affayl my soul in this descent From sin-defilement keep her pure and free And then thy will be done O Lord on me Yet ah i 'm loath to part my soul much fear'th To fall from highest heav'n to lowest earth Guide me and her Lord while we there remain And then ere long we shall return again The Epigram OH what all-dazling lustre's here whose bright Corruscancy deprives all eyes of sight All tongues of words expressive and all hearts Of comprehensive thoughts all these weak parts Are stupifi'd hereat yet this great throne Was made for worthless man's fruition What miracles hath mercy more to do What! forgive sins give sinners heaven too There needs no more of mercy for man's lot Get hea-ven and get all that need be got Of getting other things learn the forgetting For when all 's got heav'n's all that 's worth the getting Valedictio
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
it for their profession own And many more whose words do it defie Do in their practice give themselves the lie Achitophel if living now would be An ass to most in wicked policie Joab a man of mercie would appear Among such blood-hounds as have lived here And Absalom a most obedient son Compar'd with ours who wilder courses run Drunken King Elah would too civil be By far for modern Roarers companie Lot's drunken Incest which he doubled in Have we out-vi'd as a small venial sin Yea Sodomy is prov'd a puisne crime For many have committed in our time Foul Rapes on Beasts some of the wrong sex too Nay acts with Devils as mostly witches do Whose seed's not only Molech's sacrifice But Beelzebub's the Prince of feinds and flies And we have those whose Concubines are more Then Solomon's for all his regal store But oh our female's lust we women have Who were each hair upon their head a knave Would find all wicked work who change desire To quench th' unsated flames of lustful fire Heliogabalus was temperate Nero a Prince of mercies to who late Have sway'd these Isles Plague-soars have quite orespread The body politick from foot to head Oppressors swarm and brother against brother Do act the Devils part upon each other And by an uncouth way sublim'd deceit Hath taught the smaller to oppess the great As true as strange though mostly undescry'd For poorer sort have to maintain their pride Inhauns'd their price of hire yet lessen still Their daily labour both are what they will No past age heard the like prepost'rous curse Bred by proud heart wedded to beggers purse A subtile down-right theft yet lawful held Satan hath so this generation spell'd Charm'd and deluded that most part believe It 's charity and wisedom to deceive And truth to say the rich so cruel be So voyd of mercy and humanity Towards the poor that both all conscience smother And God doth justly plague them each by other Yea all degrees amongst us are perverted From God and good and grown so stubborn hearted In their own wayes So self-ishly inclin'd So headstrong wilful each will have his mind Though thereby all should be undone they knew And universal ruine should ensue Our Princes are like Rampant Lyons grown Seizing on poor mens right as if their own Their Courts have Theaters of vices been Where Devils incarnate made a sport of sin Where pride and luxury sloth and excess With emulation envy drunkenness And hypocritick flattery was taught Yea where mens blood was often sold and bought Where God's name was prophan'd his worship scorn'd Or mungrelliz'd by those the beast suborn'd To puddle our pure streams and turn their course From truth to errour and from that to worse Our Peers have been like Judahs Peers of old When Joash reign'd of whom thy word hath told That they by flatteries the King seduc'd From thy true worship which before he us'd To groves and Idols and not to attend VVhen God to him his prophets oft did send They have been proud luxurious avaricious And prone to bribery extreamly vicious In all their ways a Peerage fitter for The commonwealths of Sodom or Gomorrh ' Then for a Christian state and God hath now For their great sins enforc'd their pride to bow Our Priests have been blind watch-men nothing knowing Dumb dogs that cannot bark yet always crowing In sleep delighted and so sleeping lie Whilst their neglected flocks do stray and die As greedly dogs that ne'er enough can have They look all their own way how they may save For their advantage and their purposes And mutually provoking to excess Crying Come we 'll bring wine and we will fill Our selves with strong drink till our bellies swill And having spent this day in jollity Much more abundant shall to morrow be Yea many if not worse have been as bad As any prophets Jezebel ere had VVhen God a sad decree pronounc'd the while Against his person and his projects vile They sent their King by their base flattery And lies to Ramoth-Gilead there to dy Who would not notice take of Micah's word When he not long had raign'd sent from the Lord Although he had receiv'd express directions Not to be led by such false prophets fictions And many other prophets cunningly Preach up division for divinity Vent schisms and errours fantasies of men For divine truths but I 'll instruct my pen In brief to tell whence these instructers come They 're Seminaries sent us forth from Rome And wer 't not that our sins them here detain We'ld send them with the mischief back again Or give them to the sowls of Heaven here For a sweet meal of politick good cheer Our judges who our seats of justice fill'd More in corruption then in law were skill'd Unless in wresting it to base by-ends To vex their honest-foes please their knave-friends The proverb prov'd true here birds of a feather Did by the help of angels hang together Had man's help but at Tyburne hung them so T' had sav'd these Isles much blood and treasure too And as a mighty torrent breaking out From mountains top frets every side about And drowns the vales with its impoison'd streams So did injustice dart her lightless beams And pour her floods from those high courts about On all the lower courts the land throughout Mayors Justices of peace and Constables With under-sh'riffs and all the lower rabbles Of officers in this great Isle were grown Corrupt yea many to take bribes did own In face of justice daring impudence Enough to make Heaven blush at the offence And pour down thunder-bolts of indignation To root for ever hence our Name and Nation To puff us off like th'atoms of a feather And Sodomize us into Hell together Shalt thou not visit Lord for this and be Aveng'd on such a Nation as are we It 's more then miracle we being have On this side Hell at least this side the grave It 's thy meer mercy Lord. Oh give us sense Of thy forbearance and our own offence Oh that my lines like Jonah's crying could Ninivetize our hearts our souls new-mould Wrest cries from man and bellowing from beasts Charm us from daily food and nightly rests Till thou be pleas'd to hear and hearing see And seeing heal our plague-sick malady Our sin-sick State and to reform our ways And send us truth and peace and we thee praise But Lord we in our wilfulness go on Just as our Fathers have before us done They ate sowre grapes our teeth are set on edge Vith eating sowrer for none can alledge Our God unjust thou long since profer'dst us A way of peace but we grown mutinous VVould walk our own and thou mayst justly send Our froward ways a fatal journeys end VVe heard a voice behind us plainly say Let God elect with you this is your way Walk in 't and prosper yet we still will choose Members whose discord will the body lose Unless thy grace prevent for we are
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
shalt drunken fall verse 22 And make thee naked Zions daughter high The punishment of thine iniquity Accomplish'd is he will no more thee carry Captive away O Edom's daughter wary The Lord will visit thine iniquity He will thy sins discover and descry CHAP. V. verse 1 O Lord remember what upon us comes verse 2 Consider our reproach Behold our homes Are turn'd to aliens our inheritance verse 3 To strangers we are fatherless orphans verse 4 Our mothers widowes are We drunk our water For money wood is sold unto us after verse 5 Our necks are under persecution We labour and of rest have no fruition verse 6 To Egypt and to Ashur hands we gave That we to satisfie us bread might have verse 7 Our fathers sin'd and are not we bore their verse 8 Iniquities servants our rulers were And none out of their hands delivers us verse 9 Getting our bread our lives are perilous verse 10 Because of wildernesses sword Our skin Was ov'n-like black because of famine thin verse 11 But terrible In Zion ravish'd they The women and by force with maydens lay verse 12 In Judah's Cities Princes hang'd appear By their fierce hands the elders faces were verse 13 Not honoured They made the young men grinde The children fall under the wood behinde verse 14 The elders from the gate have ceas'd young men verse 15 From musick our heart's joy is ceased when verse 16 Our daunce is into mourning turn'd The crown Off from our head is likewise fallen down verse 17 Wo unto us that we have fin'd For this Our eyes are dim for these our heart faint is verse 18 Because of Zions mountain desolate verse 19 The foxes walke on it Thou Lord in state Remain'st for ever and thy throne is set verse 20 From age to age why dost thou us forget For ever and so long forsake us see verse 21 Turn us to thee and we shall turned be Return our days as in the time of old verse 22 But thou O Lord as if thy love grew cold Hast utterly rejected us thou art Exceeding wrath against us hence we smart Confessio Petitio 1. GOD hath chalk'd us out a way Leading unto peace and life We rebellious run astray In the pathes of death and strife Did not mercie us preserve VVhat we chuse we best deserve Peace and Life we loath and wave Death and Strife we love and have Turn us Lord or we shall never Turned be but stray for ever 2. Thou to us Lord hast made known What shall in the end bring peace VVhen the Rule shall be thine own And all Tyranny shall cease VVhen all Pow'rs on earth that be Shall depend alone on thee VVhen the Lord shall peace compose But we still thy ways oppose Turn us Lord or we shall never Turned be but stray for ever 3. When thou shalt our Rulers chuse Who can doubt of happy dayes Since no people ere did lose Ought by walking in thy wayes Oh that we that time might see When we shall be rul'd by thee Haste it Lord and let it come But we still do stray and roam Turn us Lord or we shall never Turned be but stray for ever 4. We in Changes run our course Not to change from bad to good But to change from bad to worse Though by thee to better woo'd Since in changes we delight Lord direct our changes right That from bad to good we change And us from our sins estrange Change us Lord or we shall never Changed be yet change for ever 5. Can a Blackmore change his skin Or a Leopard his spots Then may we forsake our sin VVhich accustom'd us besots And allures us more and more To worse courses then before So impossible a change Unto man to Thee 's not strange Change us Lord or we shall never Changed be yet change for ever 6. VVe are froward and perverse Cross to thee in all our wayes Prone to bad from good averse Cold in prayers thanks and praise Faith is bashful hope too bold Charity benum'd with cold Conscience in a Lethargy All religion like to dy Change us Lord or we shall never Changed be yet change for ever 7. Thine Almighty hand alone Can this pow'rful change effect To make supple hearts of stone And their secret depths detect Whose meandred windings lie Intricate beyond our eye And in us no pow'r is left Since thereof by sin bereft Turn us change us else we never Shall be turn'd or chang'd for ever Change us turn us then shall we Truly turn'd and changed be Amen Postscriptio sed Praemonitio BRitain thy sins have stupifi'd thy sense Of sin of danger though not purse-expence There thou' rt too quick of feeling ' ware the trash Thou striv'st to keep prove not thy fatal lash Thou' rt blind and seest not sweetest mercie 's guide In thy sweet way of peace wilt not confide In men or means that God hath rais'd for thee As instruments of thy felicity Thou' rt deaf yea wilful deaf and wilt not hear Thy Gods Prescripts nor his Election bear Thou' rt Nose-pent canst not smell the powder-plots Of thy grand foes whose craft thee quite besots Thy taste dis-relisheth the Cates of Heaven Yet chew'th the Cud upon thy musty leaven Thy Passover may not with that be tane Take heed thy love of old bring not new bane Accept what God doth give never confound Thy self and thine to run the world 's wild round Wilt not God's will feel see hear smell and taste Then do thine own But thou wilt rue't at last Yet when thou hast proclaim'd thy self God's foe His will shall stand whether thou wilt or no When thou mayst feel his Iron Rod strike home See this thy Paradise Desart become Hear the loath'd noise of thy triumphing foes Smell thy dead corpses to annoy thy nose Taste wanting what to taste through Famine thin The bitter fruits of thy unequall'd sin Reverte Te inverte diverte converte Ut se vertat Deus ad te haec avertat à te Ne te evertat Amen Amen Cura Malorum 1. ENgland why hanker'st in times fatal nick On various projects which dicotomize Thy vital parts why though at heart death-sick Wilt not accept of physick or advise Miss-dyet render will thy grief past cure Fie fie forbear doubtless thy doctor's skill Merits thy confidence his physick 's pure Nought can obstruct its working but thy will Accept Urania's bountiful advise Take for thy Lot the Lot be well be wise 2. Curb then thy wayward will sâ—…e selfâ— proud sway Let thy dissenting parties re-unite In the most equal sortilegious way Whereto both God and good men thee invite A fairer path freer from just exception To cement jars no Nation ere enjoy'd Nor ever shall it 's worthy thy reception Lest by refusal thou be soon destroy'd Accept Urania's bountiful advise Take for thy Lot the Lot be well be wise 3. Rinse thy obstructing sins with early tears Leâ—… Finer's fire and Fuller's sope supply Late penitences place prevent thy fears By turning to who calls thee lest thou dy Beloved Nation 't is thy dearest Lord Summons thy will to homage hailes thee in Strike sayls stoop in submit unto his word And flie his vengeance threatned for thy sin Accept Urania's bountiful advise Take for thy Lot the Lot be well be wise One and All. OFt' calls made unjust judge late notice take Take thou thy Lot lest thou thy Lot do take FINIS