Images upon Tables and made Law to distinguish every Mans Propriety from another But those Laws being not able to Bridle them they at last invented there was a Just Eye in secret that observed every Unjust Action That so they might be afraid to steal or commit Fornication Answ That God made Man upright and that Man found out many Inventions part of which was the Languages now extant we acknowledge But withal we affirm That the first Language was a Natural Mental Speech Let such an Atheist read History For he shall find there is no History that shews the Manners of any People but it shews also or gives a hint of their Religion The Voice of every Animal likewise calling to the Lord of Nature when any sudden fear seizeth upon them proves a Superiour Power There was one told his Friend That when he was young he thought there was no Hell in the Conscience but now being old he began to doubt what if there be one Now seeing the Atheist pleads That as the Flame of an Extinguished Candle dissolves and loseth it self in the Circumambient Air even so the Taper of Life vanisheth into pure AEther and is no more when the Law of Union of Body and Soul is violated and broken Second Spira Answ Here some Atheist may perhaps acknowledge as Reason will force any one that hath common Sense that there is a First Mover Which is demonstrated in all things So many Fountains from one Trunk or Bole which is the Ocean So many Branches from one Root So many Members receiving a Radical Life from one Heart so many Stars receiving Light from one Fountain of Light the Sun But seeing he will not acknowledge that God will be so cruel to be the Cause of an Everlasting Hell to the Soul of Man I acknowledge the same thing Yet there is a Hell and that Eternally For if it were not so Man would have destroyed the whole Creation ere this time in which there is such an an excellent Order and sympathetical Harmony between Superiours and Inferiours between Bodies and their Spirits and rifled the Closet of him that sits Eternally upon the Fire the Root of every Being As God made all Visibies of Nothing or rather out of his own invisible Essence So thou O Chymical Atheist makest of the whole nothing § 8. By Religion and Dreams AGain The Atheist asserteth That Pride and Humility are but one thing only they differ a little in Circumstances For Pride looks upon all its desired Accomplishments to be behind i◠Humility expects its Perfections as being before it not yet attained And so Humility is a kind of Pride saying to it self Thou shalt be advanced to Honour some time or other Answ But let him know that right Honour is an Advancement of Love For in Heaven there is not the least defire of Revenge As may be seen in the Son of God himself than whom none is more Honourable yet He is that which helpeth and saveth Nature which is gone out of its Order and becomes a Servant of Servants stooping to Death for the sake of Mankind The Babe is greatest in Heaven But Honour that rigorously ruleth by Force is no Honour He is not long feared that is not always loved It is true God alone by his Power must keep up the Wall and Fence of the Gulf between the two Natures to keep them in Harmony which Harmony he himself is in the Abstract Or else the Fire of Hell would break in and destroy the being of the first Essence in the Love-World which was without beginning But the Atheist yet imagines that because he dreams of frightful things and the Idea's that he hath of them impress afflicting Resentments upon his Spirits as if they were real but when he awakes he saith all vanishes Second Spira Answ We will suppose a Man in a terrible Melancholick Dream and that the said man should Eternally remain in that Condition wherein the Soul is as really disturbed frighted and put out of Harmony as if he had been awake That is The Fright that he is assaulted with is real to the Imagination of the Soul as may be perceived that it many times trembles and continues in a trembling posture after waking a long time Now you will say all vanishes and passeth into Silence when the Soul recovers it self by the outward Senses Answ But suppose it had no such recourse as to seiz upon the Body and wake it when it is so exceedingly affrighted to rid it self out of the supposed imminent Danger Suppose it were then in the Sleep of Death and the Body will not be waked where shall the Body seek shelter then The temporal Sleep being a true figure of Death even the first Death or sleep of the Body in the Grave And as the Soul is sensible of a real Joy or Sorrow in Dreams and Visions So also in Death why may not it feel the same Seeing the Soul by its creative Imagination frames either an Heaven or Hell to it self and is really sensible thereof without the use of the material Organs while the Body is incapable of Sense in sleep or which is all one dead to the Natural Functions of the External Sensoriums So that it is very clear and plain against all Atheistical Deniers of the Souls Immortality even an Eternal Testimony for Gods being and the Souls everlasting abode either in Life or in feeling Deaths Property called Pain or Hell that there is no material thing that can hurt or afflict the Soul either in Sleep or Death but only its own Imagination or Turba which the Worm of the Soul causeth Thus in Dreams the Passion wherewith the Soul is affected seems a Shadow of a Fancy after waking So the matter of this outward World seems and is indeed nothing more than a Shadow in respect of the two Real Substantial Eternal Worlds For when this World was made or rather New-modelled or formed yet there was no new matter under the Eternal Sun §. 9. By Love's Passion AGain The Atheist objecteth The Irrational Animals dream as well as Man And therefore the Phantacy that fancieth Images in sleep is Temporary Answ In the Creation of the World there was no new thing done but what was done in the Eternal Mystery before in the Nonage of Time And all Created Beings will eternally abide in the Figure and Shadow Yet in the Stilness For when we say Beasts have no immortal Souls it must be meant they enter back again or downwards into the Root of their First Constitution That is Though they are now out of their first Order yet the Breach thereof shall not be imputed to them because it was not their Fault but Mans and they sprung forth each according to his kind or Eternal Property in the Seed of their Souls of Life so they shall be manifest Eternally in the same But the Atheist objecteth still That the Conceit of the Soul is very deceitful and as unconstant as Proteus For
the Wise and their Works are in the hand of God and weighed in the Ballance of Equity No Man knoweth either Love or Hatred Joy or Sorrow and how it will be in the other World by all that is before him in this World All things come alike to all There is one Event to the Righteous and to the Wicked God maketh the Sun and Rain to come upon the Just and Unjust His Divine Sun enlightens every one that comes into this World both the Clean and the Vnclean Him that sacrificeth his Lusts and him that sacrificeth not Him that sweareth to Gods Covenant and him that fears the Oath of Divine Allegiance and him that forswearâ—s it This seems an evil among all things that are done under the Sun that there is one Event unto all Yea also the Heart of the Sons of Men is full of Evil and Madness is in their Heart while they live and after that they go to the Dead For to him that is joyned to all the Living in the holy World there is hope in this Life-time for a living Dog which may be cultivated by degrees is better than a dead Lion And the Living know that they shall dye the Eternal Death if they cut themselves off from the Root But the Dead who die the second death know not anything at all but only pain neither have they any more a reward from God for the memory of them when the Days of Mourning shall be past is for ever forgotten Also their Love and their Hatred and their Envy is so perished that it can never hurt any of the Celestial Incolists Neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the Sun of their Eternity in the dark Center of their Abyss §. 10. All alike Relieved by a Poor Wise Man SO I returned and saw under the clear Sun of Divine Light that the Race is not always to the Swift nor the Battel to the Strong nor yet Bread to the Skilful Tiller of the harsh Earth nor yet Favour to Men of Skill But Time and Chance happeneth to them all and a wise Man discerneth both Time and Judgment But a wise Man also knows not his time As the Fishes that are taken in an evil Net and as the Birds that are caught in the Snare so are the Sons of Men snared in an evil time or Unlucky Hour of the Enemies temptation when it falleth suddenly upon them and that for want of Divine Skill and Wisdom with which whoever is endued he cannot be cheated This wisdom also have I seen under the Sun and it seemed great unto me There was a little Microcosmick City and few skilful Soldiers within it And there came a great King against it and by Authority from Luciscer besieged it and built great Bulwarks against it Now there was found in it a poor contemptible wise Man and he by his Wisdom delivered the City by giving his Life for the Inhabitants Yet no Man remembred that same poor servile Man Then said I Wisdom is better than strength nevertheless the poor Mans Wisdom is despised and his words are not heard The Words of the Wise are heard in quiet as a still pure Voice more than the cry of a King that ruleth among Fools and his losty loud words in the streets of Confusion Wisdom is better than Weapons of War But one sin ful Affection destroyeth much Good and by its jarring spoils the still Harmony in the Humane Harp even as one scabbed Sheep infects the whole Flock CHAP. II. The Souls Longing § 1. Crying Give Give VAnity of Vanities faith the Soul's Spirit All extern Objects are a vexation of my Spirit Now O Man saith the Eternal Preacher of the holy Gospel Knowest thou what thy Soul and what the Spirit of thy Soul is The Soul is a dry Hunger It is a longing Anguish It is a Fire without Fewel Lay thy hand upon thy Brest and feel thy own Root the Heart and then tell me dost thou feel no panting there No Breathing or Longing there No Hungring nor Thirsting there Art thou sensible of no Labour and Travail there No restless and incessant Crying there Crying Give give O give me that which I labour for O give me that which I seek after Even as every thing would fain live so would I Thou wilt say That 's the throboing and motion of the Heart and Pulses proceeding from the Vital Spirit Tho' that be true yet Life and Sense in Man are rooted in the Abyss of the Source of Eternal Joy and Delightful Affection of a thing Loved And that is the Soul who cries in the Gate of Mans Pallace Give me some Food true Food for me § 2. Seven-fold Craving O Saith the Spirit of the Soul Pity me my dear Soul O pity a poor Prisoner Bring me out of this Dungeon of Confinement enlarge my Habitation that I may find my late home again and solace my hankering eager Mind with my own dear Family and Relations Oh have pity upon a poor Beggar Give me a little Food to satisfie a hungry craving Soul O give me a little Water out of the Living Fountain to quench the great thirst and furious fire of my Passion O have compassion upon a poor Pilgrim shew me the way to a quiet lodge of Repose I want the shadow of a great Rock in this weary Land I cannot take a Nap of sweet sleep and refreshment in this parched Heath Here is no spreading Elm nor Beech nor Fountain of Chrystal Streams no warbling River beside which I may take my rest to recreate my languishing and tired Spirits O come dear Shepherd to seek thy roving Sheep Call me again with thy Melodious Shepherds Pipe I listen at times to hear it but cannot I dare not bleat my self lest the Wolves hear me O come blessed Shepherd and stand upon a high place where thy Voice may be audible Come skipping upon these Mountains and leaping upon the Hills of my wandring Mind For I am quite â—â—â—ed in this tedious Wilderness O give Rest to my travailing weary Spirit O this is not my Rest O somebody have mercy upon a distracted Innocent condemned by false Witnesses to be confined as in Bedlam I cannot set my heart at rest because of a pannick Fear that seizeth upon me Oppression makes a wise Man mad and besides himself O some Skilful Musician come and refresh my Senses and self-afflicting Conscience with the Har mony of the holy Gospel and the Melody of the blessed Tidings of Everlasting Serenity O who will pity a poor wounded and sick Person Give me some heavenly Balm or Cordial to heal my heavy heart and to slop the raging of my Sore and the swelling of my furious Agony Break the sence that separates me from my desired Object O shew mercy to a poor naked Person O I have been stripped naked in a Wilderness by Thieves and Murderers they have whipped me and smote me with sore Boils all over As
is wrought under the Sun of Vanity is grievous unto me For all is Vanity and Vexation of the pure Spirit of the Soul Yea I hated all my Labour which I had taken under the Tempoâ—al Sun because I should leave it unto the External Man who shall supply my Place in Eden And who knows whether he shall be a Wise Man or a Fool â—â—t shall he have Rule over all my Labour wherein I have laboured and wherein I have shewed my self wise under both Suns This is also the Vanity of mutable and fading things §. 6. Christs Sorrows THerefore I went about to despair of all the Labour which I took under the Sun of Muâ—ability For there is a Divine Man whose Labour is in Wisdom and in Knowledge and in Equity Yet to an Earthly Man that hath not laboured therein shall he leave it for his Portion This is also Vanity and a great Evil Yea it is a great piece of Injustice and Abuse of the Kindness of the Divine Man who undertâ—ok all this Travail for the sake of the Earthly For what hath the Divine Mâ—n of all hit Labour and of the Vexation of his Hearâ— wherein he hath laboured under the Sun For all his Days are Sorrows and his Travel Grief And he is a Man of Afflictiâ—ns and acquainted with Vexaâ—ions yea his Heart taketh not Rest in the Night of his Anguish which he feeleth in his continual waiting upon his Companion for his Companions sake And what Thanks hath he What return of an Acknowledgment of his Love hath he from many a Man but to add Affliction to his Sorrow This is also Vanity or rather a great Cruelty which will be imputed to such ingrateful Men. The time will come that all the Days of their Eternity shall be Sorow and their Travail endless Grief weeping and gnashing of Teeth Their Hearts shall never take a sweet Repose and Rest in the Night of their Wo because of their Worm which will Everlastingly gnaw them like a Fury in the Conscience §. 7. Mans Ignorance NAy Let such cruel Men use all the Skill they can in this World yet they shall not prosper The Race is not to them be they never so Swift The Battel is not to them be they never so Strong But they will be taken at last by more subtile Powers in an evil time as Animals in a Snare And so become subject to Fate or Fortune as passing by and slighting the good Fortune which God hath appointed for them And Fortune being now their Goddess Ruleth and Governeth them making Sport with them just as rude Boys make sport with any thing that they can master when they go about to kill it and put it to as much pain as they can Thus we see a good or bad Fortune happens to all Good Fortune is called the Mind or Astrum of the Deity And according as Mans Manners be here such a God he will have to sport with him either in anger or in Love in the other World O Man heware here Thus for want of Divine Skill in the super-coelâ—stial Astrology of discerning the true Time and good Fortune which God hath appointed for every Man that comes into this World the Misery of many a Man is great upon him and he becomes most wretched and cast into an Eternal Hell Hell What 's that An inward â—iâ—e and I orment in the Bowels puâ—â—ing him to an unspeakable Pain because a good Foâ—tâ—â—e oâ— Conciâ—ion of Serenity and Satisfaction once proferâ—d unto Man was neglected or slighted Fâ—r if the 〈◊〉 Liâ—â—t or Candle had not come to direct them iâ—to tâ—e â—ay out of Blindness and Ignoraâ—ce theâ—e could â—e no Hell And if a good Foâ—tune had not been appointed for every Man there could be no Vexation of Spirit or Torment for the loss of that which was impossible to be obtained But now because his place in Heaven stands empty there 's his Hell and there 's his Wo. Man also by his wilful Blindness stands in his own Light and becometh more ignorant still while he will not use his Wit and Skill with all his Might to do whatever the hand of his Power sinds to do by Divine Assistance and the helping hand of God reached forth in mercy to him in order to his future well-being and everlasting happy Estate For also he loseth his Senses and Reason and knows not so much as how to distinguish the true Form of Propâ—rties from the false by the Skill of Divine Logick which is infused into every Man if he be a Man Nay he knows not the FORM of his own Soul viz. God He understands not what God in the Abstract is viz The Pure Nature shining in the Soul But he seeks to find him in the Concrete and cannot reach him As the Philosopher said Whoever seeth God seeth nothing diverse or heterogeneous from himself Further Ignorant Man knows not how to give a Species its right Genus He makes Fleshly Pleasure to depend on the pure Nature And therein the grosly Mistakes as in many other things too tedious here to enumerate §. 8. And Mortaliâ—y ANother Folly is to do that first which should be done last To do that to Excess which should be confined to a Mean For in Musick the Mean is the sweetest Note To take care for a temporal before an Eternal Inheritance is a like folly For Pleasure I mean temporal Joy is not Sin but the manner of using it in a wrong way and manner makes it a sin and a breach of the Antient Order Then let us not rank the Excess of Vertue in the Predicament of Vice Thus Man because he will not give to his Soul the thing that he craves after makes his Soul an Eternal Beggar or Craver and yet shall never procure the thing craved Here 's the Wo Here is the Misery Here 's the Hell Wo to thee O Humane Land when thy King is a Beggar and an ignorant Child And thy Princes eating in the Morning of their Eternity devour all and are in want when the time of Hunger comes But blessed art thou O Microcâ—smical City when thy King is the Son of the Noble Deity and thy Princes eat of the Tree of Life in due Season for their Eternal Health and Joy of their Everlasting Lives Blessed art thou O Immortal Man that Livest for ever in this pure Life But cursed for ever art thou O Immortal Man that choosest to dâ—e or to be for ever feeling Death's Property which is Eternal Pain This therefore in short is the sum of this Eternal Law Eat not of Poyson where Two Properties strive for Mastery Lut feed on the Tree of the Joyous Life O Man King live for ever Eat drink and make thy self morry in the Divine Sport And satisfie thy Mind 〈◊〉 Eternal Delights for there is no Pleasure after the 〈◊〉 Death which is a Living Death and an Eternally Dying-Life No Wisdom nor Skill to sind this Life in the Crave of Anguish whither
others Societies and Embraces as previous to their future Felicity the Soul oftentimes shews the inconstancy of Lovers and as a rolling Stone that gathers no Moss cuts of the increase of Love in the Bud and so playing fast and loose does and undoes gives the slip to the Virgin though she remains faithful and constant on her part For the Soul hankers after other Lovers and dissembling as the Proverb saith Holds with Hounds and runs with the Hare And thus hunting after other Lovers is never satisfied but Conceits there is more Pleasure hidden in other pretended Virgins of the Land after whom he gazeth and by whose forged Beauty he is smitten though they have no real Beauty their Faces being painted with Artificial â—olours to deceive and so the Soul imagines the Enjoyment of one of these is a Heaven of an higher Degree than the Virgins Paradise And so Heaven as the Atheist saith though falsly were not Heaven if its Mystery were known I say the Soul often nourisheth foolish Fancies in it self and because he finds the Virgin or Pleasant Vertue too easie to be attained according to the false Epicure Meus est amor huic similis Nam Transvolat in medio posita fugentia captat Therefore he aims at those who seem more rare and harder to be attained in his Judgment Dis-esteems her Gifts and undervalues her Graces But here his Judgment is blinded For he seeth no form or comeliness in the Virgin nor any thing in her that might make her worthy to be desired And becomes gradually infected with false Love He seeth and looketh upon another pretended Delilah or Maid far more fair then God's Daughter and endued in his Opinion with rarer and nober Qualities Thus the higher the Souls attainments and enjoyments of the pure Virgin hath been the more basely he becomes degenerated For as dead Flyes cause the most precious Ointment of the Apothecary to cast forth a most nauseous smell So doth a little Folly him that was in a high Degree of Reputation for Wisdom and honourable Enjoyment of God's Virgin-Child §. 2. The Baits of Sin A Wise Mans Heart is at his Right Hand toward Heaven but a Fools Heart is at his Left whose Rumb is Hed-wards Yea also when he that is a Fool walketh in this way his Wisdom which he once had faileth him and he saith to every one he is a Fool for adds he I am deepty in Love with such and such a Delilah But O thou immortal Man wake not a sleeping Lioness let the Hellish Properties rest still O Son of Man look before thou leapest For the Abâ—s is deep which is the Womb of the false Whoâ—e Keep thou the Covenant and live for ever and the Law of Wisdom as the Apple of thine Eye which suffers not thee to be bewitched by gazing after Vanity Bind her Vows upon thy Fingers and write them upon the Tables of thine Heart say unto fair Wisdom Thou art my Sister and my Spouse And call pleasant Vertue thy near Kinâ—â—â—oman That she may keep thee from the Whore and the Stranger Who is not Kin to thee in the Divine Linage even from her that can flatter with her Serpents Tongue She is the Serpents Daughter An â—vil Crow an evil Egg. For at the Windows of my House I looked through the Casement of the Creation And I behold among the humane Fools there was a young Soul void of Wisdom passing through the Street near the Angle where two ways lead to the Eternal Life and Death he went on the Left Hand the way to the Whores House In the Twilight in the Evening When the black and dark Night at last covered him and thus he began to be blinded And there met him a Woman in the attire of an Harlot suâ—tiller than this Fool She is a Stranger at home but overmuch acquainted in the Streets of Deceit Her loud Words are heard in the broad-ways She never wears her Eyes but when she goes abroad Now she is without now she is in the Street and lies in wait in every turning So she is a Saint abroad and a Devil at home She caught him invergled him and bâ—ssed him and impudently spake to him I have Peace-offerings with me to appease the Justice of God and to stifle the secret Convictions of thy Conscience This day have I paid my Vows and have vowed to love Thee Therefore came I forth to meet thee and have found thee unexpected I have decked my Bed with coverings of Tapestry With carved Works according to thy enlarged Phancy and with fine Linnen of seeming Innocency I have persumed my Nest with Myrrh Aloes and Cinnamon Come and let us take our fill of Love until the Morning dawn upon us if ever Let us selace our selves with Pleasures until the Eternal Aurora appears though perhaps never For the Man of the Family is not at home The Spirit of this World my Husband is gone a long Journey This Husband she hath married only as a Cloak for her filthy Lust He hath taken a Bag of Treasures with him to wait upon the Creator his Master whose Embassadour he is and wilâ— come home at the day appointed With her much fair Speech she caused him to yield with the flattering of her Lips she forced him He goes after Her straightway as an Ox to the slanghter or a Feel to the Correction of the Stocks Till a Dart strike through his Heart as a Bird that is caught in the snare and is taken in an evil Net not knowing that it is for his Eternal Life §. 3. Seven-fold Vice BUT O Son of Man consider let not thy Heart be taken with her incline not towards her Paths For she hath cast down many wounded Yea many Valiant Heroes who came from Heaven have been slain by her Her House is a Cave leading to Hell going down to the dark Chambers of Eternal Death And as this Pestilent Whore bawleth in every Corner to watch and inveigle Souls So also the fair Virgin cryeth in the Gates of every Humane City Though with a far different Voice for her Voice is a still small Voice and yet it is heard in quiet by the Wise more than the cry of him that ruleth among Fools She hath erected a House in Heaven to entertain her Bridegroom she hath hewen out seven Pillars whereon are engraven the seven Rewards of Vertue or the Goods of Fortune She hath sent forth Maidens the five senses Virgins to invite Souls She cryeth upon the high Places of Mans City Yet being despised she for the Souls sake invites him Whoso is simple let him come in hither how long O scorner wilt thou scorn me who wish thee well O Fool how long wilt thou hate that which is for thy good Because I have called and thou wouldst not answer though thou didst hear my Voice in thy Conscience Because I have piped to thee and thou wouldst not Dance And I mourned for thee and thou hast not sympathized
Pit which swallows them as Sops into her Womb The Fruit of her Womb is the first-born of Tophet which was in the beginning a Devil Whose Jaws are the Gates of Hell to slaughter the Soul and to spill the Blood of the Blessed But turn thou thy Windows from her Martial Colours lest her Drums and loud Musick stop thy Ears from hearing the Virgins Voice And that she should bite thee with the Teeth of an Asp and thou be stung to death with her Venom But O Immortal Man Love thou the Virgin of Innocency and she shall surround thy Scituation like a Silver Munition and be for ever to thy Gladness the Glory of a Golden Dwelling If this cannot prevail upon the Soul then comes the lustful unsatisfied Harlot saying What wilt thou dye without a Child of thy Lust to receive thy Soul by a Transmigration of the Humane Nature into the Bestial Behold the Sylphs and Nymphs of the Woods Mountains and Waters are in Love with thee and will entertain thee in the Garden of Delights O saith the Soul having found the deceit of this Strumpets embraces now I enjoy the Sweet-heart of my fading Youth which to fetch I endangered my precious Life by passing through a fierce Fire of infernal Adultery The Fire of my Passion is not so fierce as it was When I was further from my desired Fire I burned me thought with Myrrha more violently by a secret Conceit Therefore now my Mind is variable and wanders after fresh Lovers I thirst as the unsatisfied Womb which receiveth without Conception O thou fair Angel consider whom thou eagerly longest after It is the Catamite-Strumpet He that toucheth her Flesh is tainted with her Filthiness And he that goeth in unto her corrupteth his Soul She makes a Man as a Monster And an unspotted Lamb as a Leopard Her false Pleasures are as many Ponds where Serpents Toads and Vipers do drink Their Palates do delight to pamper with Poyson For their Nature is one with the Venom The Love of their Lust doth Sacrifice their Seed to Molech And infects them with the stink of the Stews There is not a Man that dwells in their House That saith no more I have enough But their Heart is as a tired travelling Pilgrim that cannot find a lodge of Repose They flame in their Bowels as a burning Bush and cannot find Water to quench it They fill up their bundle as a Faggot of Fuel To blaze in the Torment of Tophet §. 8. For degrading the Soul LAstly the imperious Harlot saith if all did bow down before thee as before God O what a brave sellow shouldst thou be Then thou couldst rule by force over the Virgin and make her Handmaid to thy ambitious Harlot But many a Soul in the midst of these enjoyments is often struck with a Panick fear and knows not whence it comes For the Virgin who causeth it is become a Stranger to her Flesh and Blood O saith he I have conquered in Triumph over one World now I Lust after another Vtopia But as the Philosopher told the great Conqueror there are innumerable Worlds How then doth it seem so difficult to me to gain the Government of one I will sit down and weep and search my own little World Wo to him that wandereth out of it And wo to him that goes not out of himself and out of his own mortal World And yet as little as this World is Many a Man cannot Travel to the utmost bounds of it in the whole compass of his Live For it is a very long Journey to their own true Native World O Man this is she that draws to a draught of desire To Drink up Dominions like a Dram And in a Compendious Circle would compass all Crowns And trample upon Thrones as Trifles The Entireness of Empires could not extinguish his enterprizes Except he be greater than God But wait thou with wariness That the haughty Hand may not tear down thy Tent Mark the Example of Jesus the Just who joined not to the Joys that the Jews would have given him He was a King without Enjoyment of the earthly Kingdom or Contemplation of the corruptible Crown He was a Prince a Pilgrimage of Passions Without the Propriety of a supposed Palace Thou shalt tread in the Trace of his Travel And run in the Race of his Righteousness Thou shalt obey his Message as thy Master in Meekness and Honour him in the House of Humility And then the Blessings which he preached shall be thy proper Possession with the Constitution of a Kingdom and Crown The Glory of the World runs down as a Minute But the Crown of Gods Kingdom lasteth for ever §. 9. The Divine Reprover in the Conscience NOW when the Soul is in Love with any thing that it fancies Give him the choicest Pleasures Proffer him the fairest Virgins Yet they are slighted and contemned in Comparison of the one thing loved and longed after In this sense Love is called Blind So the Spirit of the Soul is in Love with his appointed Virgin and therefore is still unsatisfied discontented murmureth grumbleth repineth whineth pricketh vexeth and worrieth Man and disturbeth his Peace in the Conscience when ever he goes to look after other Lovers crying as it were plucking him by the Skirt or twitching him by the Ear This is the right way walk in it when the Soul is in the Wilderness wandring after his Lovers And he often sees the burning Bush of his Heart on Fire and well may he wonder that it is not consumed This Fire is the Flame of the Virgins Love to him O therefore turn aside and see this great miraculous sight And look back and listen to the Voice behind thee And if thou turn thy course then the Voice that was behind thee in thy own Wilderness will go before thee and lead thee into the Land of Eternal Rest Now these Whores are they that aim at Mans ruine by Emulation for they envy that Mans Soul should be a Favourite of the Deity But if Man would Love Gods Daughter she would keep him from the Strange Woman Who forsook the Guide of her Youth and would allure Man to do so too and to forget his Contract or Covenant with the Virgin Her House declineth to Death and her Paths to Hell None that go into her return again Lust not after her false Beauty in thy Heart neither let her take thee with her Eye-lids For by means of a whorish Woman Man is brought to a piece of mouldy Bread And the Adulteress hunts for the precious Life Can one go on hot Coals of a Phantastical Passion and his Feet not be burnt as in the Fire of Hell Men do not despise a Thief if he steal to satisfie his Soul when it craves and longs after the right Food being withheld from it by the Fancy But if he be found he shall restore sevenfold according to Gods Ballance and right Measure But whosoever committeth Adultery with the Wife