and thy conscience tormented when sinne and all its terrour shall come to make thy life intollerable when the remembrance of thy pollutions shall bee bitter to thy soule when thine eyes shall bee a flood of teares thy teares a sea of sorrow thy sorrow a clog upon thy spirit thy spirit a trouble to thy minde thy minde a torment to thy heart thy heart an enemy to thy life thy life a burthen to thy dayes when thy conscience shall gnaw thee like a ravenous Vulture and guilt and feare shall sting thee worse then an Addar when thou shalt sit downe in sorrow all the day feeding on wormwood and drinking the poyson of Aspes how wilt thou be ready to teare thy selfe in pieces when thou shalt feele a little of the weight of sin which made thy Saviour groane when thy heart shall be affrighted and thy minde shall be amazed when Hell is discovered and the Heavens are darkened then would not that glorious arme that now invites thee be welcome to thee nay would he not be worth a thousand worlds that shall ease the anguish of thy soule in such an houre Thirdly at the day of death thy beloved will be desired when the Sunne and the light and the Moone and the Stars shall be darkned and the clowdes returne after the Raigne when thy joynts shall tremble and thy knees knock together when thy courage shall be faintnesse thy beauty shall bee pâ—lenesse and thy rest shall bee wearinessâ— when thy memory shall faile thee when thine eyes shall deceive thee when death shall shake thâ—e thy riches slye from thee and the Mourners stand about thee when sin and feare and gâ—â—â—â— and horrour and death and terrour shall conduct thee through the gates of mortality and launch thee forth into the Gulph of eternity when all about thee seeme to daunce around thee in the daunce of death then sinner see in all thy inventoâ—y what wilt thou prize none but Jesus Christ and welcome Jesus Christ to the sinner in such a day Fourthly at the day of Judgement thy Saviour will be welcome when at the sound of the trumpet and the shout of the Arch Angell the sleeper shall be awaked the world shall bee started the living shall be changed the graves shall be opened the dead shall be raised when the heaven shall be covered in thicke darknesse when the Sea shall boyle up in such mighty waves as shall seeme to drowne the world when thou shalt see the earth surrounded by fire and the heavens sweltring in flames when thou shalt behold the great Judge of the world sitting upon his glorious throne borne by winged Cherubins surrounded by Armies of Angells before whom shall stand millions of naked mortals to receive their eternall doome then a smile from the Judge on the throne will revive â—â—â—e at the last and thou wilt hold up thy head with joy then that arme that now invites thee will be able to crowne thee in immortallity These are the foure dayes in which thou wilt repent thy neglect of the proffers of Love And now Reader mayst thou shut the Booke and stand amazed an howres contemplation upon the thoughts of eternity may well take roome Ah that Jesus Christ should come from the bosome of his Father from the company of his Angels from the pleasure of his Paradice from his Chaire of dignity from his Crowne of glory to put on mortality to suffer indignity to live in poverty to endure extremity to be a man of sorrow all his dayes to be buffeted scourged persecuted tormented reviled reproached dispised disgraced disparaged and abused from his cradle to his Crosse and then wander through the shaddow of death and hells darke groves from his Crosse to his Crowne How soone when the Heire of heaven was smitten was natures Fabrick shaken how soone when the Sunne of glory was extinguished was the Sunne of Heaven eclipsed What meanes the Heavens to frowne the Earth to quake the Souldiers to tremble the Temple to rend the Graves to open the Dead to arise Why must Heaven bee faine to suffer and natures Fabrick bee out of order Was all this for man Alas and what is man A little mouldring dust a piece of moving earth a maske of mortallity an inch of eternity whose life is but labour whose wisdome is but folly whose grace is but impurity whose comelynesse deformity whose substance is sinne whose glory is his shame Say Reader didst thou ever see Royalty wooe Indignity Honour looke on Lownesse Highnesse sue to Basenesse Didst thou ever see a King serve a Slave Gentility wooe Poverty and Beauty love Deformity Then Reader recollect thy wandring thoughts and before thou passest to the other page pay here the tribute of a teare How hath the Prince of darkenesse besotted blinded mortalls How is man poore man befooled How doth hee sell his Corne for Chaffe his Silver for Drosse his Treasure for Torment his Paradice for Pleasure his Glory for Honour his Heaven for Earth his Earth for Hell How doth hee set his heart on vanity and slights the richest rarity God calls once and twice and the carnall heart heares not hee comes with all the purest expressions and sweetest invitations with all the words of Art and the allurements of love yet blinded man regards not but wallowes in impurity and slumbers in a lethargy till hee perishes to eternity Ah Lord thou dwellest in that light inaccessible and brightnesse incomprehensible that no eye can see and not be struck blind thy glorious Pallace stands in eternity and thy sparkling Throne is scituate in immortallity in the midst of brightnesse in such a circle of glory that no mortall can behold unlesse hee drop downe and dye Dominion and feare are with thee and of thy Government there shall bee no end What gaine is it to thee if wee bee Righteous and wherein art thou damaged if wee bee polluted If the world should revolt from the Prince of darkenesse and vaile her Crowne to thy Supreamacy If all Nations should bee willing to bee swayed by the Scepter and bow before thy immortall Throne this cannot adde to the greatnesse of thy Majesty nor if the disobedience of thy Children the frownes of thy Foes the envy of thy Enemies the subtilty of Sathan the wickednesse of the World the helpe of Hell were against thee set in battle Ray they could not darken thy Dignity they could not eclipse thy Glory Yet albeit thou couldst gaine honour by our destruction yet thou delightest in our conversion and therefore thou offerest thy Word thy Gospel thy Sacrament thy selfe and thy sonne thou givest us Reprovements Allurements Precepts and Promises Comfort and Counsell Direction Dehortation But wee poore mortalls are too unkinde to reward thy love with disdaine thy curtesie with distoyalty but what shall wee say Shall wee that are but dust direct Eternity in his unsearcheable actions Thou commandest us to seeke thee Alas wee cannot finde thee Thou bidst us apply our selves to know
wavering Aegyptians the warlick Philistines Doe not they sleepe in the dust Thou knowest not how soone thou mayest bee gathered to thy Fathers The Earth in the Spring time puts on her mantle of greene to entertaine her Lover Phoebus but when the golden Chariot of the Sunne is fled to the Southerne World the Earth puts on her mourning withered weede the Moone shines fairely for some certaine nights but when time hath turned her from her silver throne shee resignes her glory to the following day The blazing candle for a time shines cleare but having past the age of a short lived houre it glimmers a while and dyes the glorious Lilly that is drest in such bravery is in a day disroabed of its glory and turned to withered Hay there is no such thing as a continuance heere though thou flourâ—â—◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 greene Bay-tree yet thou shalt perish like a withered weede For evill doers shall bee cut off but those that waite upon the Lord they shall inherite the Earth For yet a little while and the wicked shall not bee yea thou shalt diligently consider his place and it shall not be Ps 37. v. 9.10 Eightly the hypocrite is a barren branch Go march among thy fellowes painted earth and then sometimes retreate and yet march on againe thou lookest indeede to Heaven but thou travellest to Hell Go on yet know false Absolon 't is not thy beauty that can save thee no Judas 't is not a dissembling kisse shall secure thee no Simon Magus 't is not thy money shall redeeme thee thou art as various as the windes as dissembling as the seas as deceitfull as the grave as darke as hell as vile as villany as gracelesse as impurity and as black as horrour can see it selfe in the blackest glasse Thou washest thy hands indeed but thy heart is defiled thou trimmest thy body but thy soule is deformed honey indeede is in thy lips but thy tongue is poysoned well foole thy selfe no more though thou doest blinde the World thou canst not hide thy selfe from Heaven Psalm 94.8.9.10 Hee that planted the eare shall hee not heare Hee that formed the eye shall hee not see Oh yee fooles when will yee bee wise Hee that teacheth man knowledge shall hee not know Though thou hast the speech of Jacob thou hast the hands of Esau thou hast the devotion of Abel but the dissimulation of Achitophel the mantle of Elias but the hypocrisie of Judas thou hast fidelity in thy wordes but impurity in thy deeds a heaven in thy mouth but a hell in thy heart and though thou do'st prosper while blinded man adores thee yet thou shalt perish when God shall come to judge thee It is not thy smooth language nor thy Syrean tongue can take in Heavens eares no 't is not a painted face nor a garment of gold that dazeleth Christs eyes that did delude the yong man that Solomon entitles foole Prov. 7 vers 8. 'T is thy heart that God pondereth and as the Sunne of Heaven will show thee the foulenesse of the house so the Sonne of glory with his all descerning eye will soone discover the blacknesse of the heart though to the world thou seemest a piece of purity a flash of fidelity a gloriou star a glittring spheare yet to Heavens eye thou wilt appeare but an Heire of Hell a childe of darkenesse a servant of sinne a sonne of shame and thou that hast so often deluded others in thy life shalt deceive thy self at thy death and thy departing soule shall but exchange misery for mortallity though by thy actions the deluded world shall thinke thou art transported into glory And shall our story have a period heere And shall wee vaile our subject with a blanck Shall wee present to the Reader the black and darke night and draw a Curtaine before the shining day Shall wee discover the barren branches that are in the Vineyard and wrap a black cloud about the lofty flourisht Vine No though many have the marke of the Beast yet some are loyall to the Lambe though there bee thousands doe bow their knees to Baall Yet there is a remnant doe humble their hearts to heaven though there bee a seed of falling Adam yet there is a generation of faithfull Abraham though many are not Israelits yet all are not Sodomites among the thousands that shall perish there is a remnant that shall flourish whose united beauty shall make one glorious body And this is shee that looketh forth as the Morning faire as the Moone cleare as the Sunne terrible as an Army with Banners Cantie 6. vers 10. whose heroicke heads looke higher then this inferior World who are not drowned in the dirt of earth but watered with the dew of Heaven who are not branches of infamy but clusters layd up to inherite glory And indeed believerâ— you have done well while you have made so faire a choyce though you suffer here a little paine hereafter you shall have endlesse pleasure though ye have had a time of heavinesse ye shall have heereafter eternall happynesse though ye have had tokens of infamy yee shall bee adorned with Robes of glory though you have beene acquainted with the terrour of the Crosse yee shall bee required with the glory of the Crowne Alas how momentany are the pleasures of the World What is heere to bee desired Nay rather what is there not heere that may well be quickly loathed Is it honour That is but a blast that will deceive thee Is it dignity That is but a dreame that will delude thee Is it beauty That is but a shaddow that will inslave thee Is it credit That is but flattery that will befoole thee Is it wealth That will take wings and quickly flye from thee Come then let us get up early in the Vineyards Let us see if the Vine flourish if the tender Grapes appeare or the Pomgranats bud forth Can. 2. I am sure if the hand that planted you did not protect you your fruit would bee blasted and your blossome would bee withered How soone would your honour turne to disgrace your credit to shame your beauty into vanity your affection to delusion your winde of wealth to a weather-cock of woe your full sea of plenty to an ebbing tide of poverty Did not the Vine flourish How soone would you poore branches perish Did not the head finde power to stand how soone would you the weaker members fall I thinke the World can better subsist without the Sunne then you without a Saviour if the Sunne were gone would not the forsaken Universe put on a mantle of mourning Would not the World returne to her first confused Chaos Would not all our Chariot wheeles drive on heavily Would not our actions prosper slowly The Philosophers say wee are beholding to the Sunne for all secondary causes and Divines affirme wee are ingaged to our Saviour for his secret cares while you bring forth the fruits of the spirit which is not Rebellion but Humiliation not expressions
it and much good may it doe thee Thy wisedome is but a puffe of pride and the more learning thou hast the more mad thou art Therefore since there is no ability in man to gaine immortallity let this summon in the great and mighty men of the world let them sit under the shaddow of the Vine and eate his pleasant fruit Objection But it may be said this seemes to be false you talke all this while we see no glory in the Vineyard nor taste no sweetnesse in the Vine wherein is his fruit so pleasant Answer I will tell you in foure particulars First his fruit of humiliation that is pleasant fruit this will adorne thee with such amorons graces that thou shalt passe by the flurts of the World with a gallant scorne yet knowing sinne to bee the Authour of thy shame thou shalt often inbalme thy selfe in teares Secondly his fruits of meekenesse that is pleasant fruit thy crooked nature now it may bee admits of no second but thy sword thou art now but a word and a blow thy heart is like a tinder box the least sparke of envy will burne to a mighty flame but then thou shalt stand as a marble pillar immovable the envy of thine enemies shall not trouble thee the frownes of thy friends shall not startle thee the principalities of hel shal not have power to shake thee the worlds disdaine shall be thy dignity their infamy thy glory their hate shal inflame thy fire of love and their reproaches shal fil thy mouth with praises nor wilt thou regard the most grievous paine while thou art running to so glorious a prize Thirdly this fruit of love is very pleasant fruit all the mountaines of misery thou sufferest when they are drowned in the Sea of love will appeare but like Attomes in the Aire when love shal cover thee under the shaddow of his wings when thou shalt see how deare thou art in heavens eyes that he did not onely give Ethiopia but his owne life to the Father for thee what wouldest thou not endure for the love of such a Saviour does he suffer hell to pursue thee it is because thou shouldest presse forward to heaven which is set before thee is thy journey tedious in the beginning it is because thou shouldst long to be at thy journeys end and wilt thou not run when thy Race is onely to life and thy companion love and wilt thou not despise any worldly losse when thou shalt be treble sharer in eternal glory and inherit immortall gaine Fourthly his fruits of patience and perseverance are pleasant fruit now a few discouragements will daunt thee then thou shalt be willing to undergoe a thousand dangers every day now if thou receivest not what thou didst aske thou art ready to give over asking if God openeth not at the first thou art ready to give over knocking and if thou findest not what thou didst seek thou art soone perswaded to give over seeking But then thou shalt wait with as much patience as the poore watchman that stands upon the Tower expecting the dawning of the day till the panting horses of time have finisht their journey and ended their tired task then shalt thou receive the fruit of thy faith and Heaven shall crowne thy labours of love with undisturbed rest Awake then Oh North winde and come thou South let the Inhabitants draw neare let them come into our garden let them taste the fruit of Faith let them bee drunke with the Wine of love Eate O friends drinke yea drinke abundantly O beloved Canticles 5. verse 1. Come take his fruit of Justification that justice may not condemn thee take his fruit of Redemption that hell may not devoure thee take his fruit of sanctification that sinne may not deceive thee take his fruit of glorification that happinesse may crowne thee Art thou hungry Hee is food to suffice thee Art thou thirsty Hee is water to refresh thee Art thou naked Hee is a garment to cloath thee Art thou cold Hee is a fire to warme thee Art thou scorched with heate Hee is a Rock to shelter thee Art thou in sicknesse Hee is a Doctour to heale thee Art thou alone Hee is a friend will not forsake thee Art thou in danger His arme shall protect thee Does the plague walke in darkenesse Hee is a chamber to hide thee does the arrowes of the Almighty flye at noone day his wings shall overshadow thee Art thou poore Hee hath layd up treasure to inrich thee Art thou disgraced Hee will Crowne thee with a Crowne of Glory And now Reader mayest thou imbalme the Booke in teares if thou considerest the misery of man and how the World does lye befooled What horrid Earthquake is this that shakes the foundation of our troubled World What black cloud hath overspread our Universe and begins to murmure in our whispering aire eclipsing the light of Divinity extinguishing the Lamps of purity and endeavouring to darken the sonne of glory making poore ignorant mortalls gâ—ope all their lives time in the darke and yet shall never finde the doore How happy are those priety babes who with a little flood of teares be waileing the misery of mortallity dye in their slumbring Nurses armees Sure it were happy for the wicked if they measured but a short lived houre betweene the Wombe and the Grave for not being found in the Vneyard they shall have no share in the Vine and bearing no fruit as the Corne they shall bee burned with the Chaffe But thou for a few evills on earth shalt bee rewarded in Heaven thou shalt set thy foot upon the Adder and tread upon the yong Lyon for thou shalt bee hid in the secret places of the Almighty and under the shaddow of the wings of the most high thou shalt bee free from the dominion of sinne and thou shalt conquer Sathan thou shalt overcome Principalities and Powers and thou shalt gaine by life and death And hee whose undiscovered actions are too deepe for our dim eyes shall beare thee on his wings through deaths darke Groves and lift thee to life eternall while the wicked that now does flourish like a greene Bay shall perish ere long like a blowne off blossome and hee that is a shining flash shall wither like a dying Flower All flesh is as grasse and all the glory of man as the flowre of grasse 1 Pet. 1. v. 24. Man STay Phoebus stay Oh wherefore dost thou run So fast the shades will come too soone Hold in hold in thy horses their nostrills boyle In flames Oh let them rest a while Stop thy bright Chariot wheeles and guild the day In glorious pride why dost thou haste away Into the western world stay gentle Phoebus stay Phoebus Jove lend me a breath of thunder that my flashes May mingle terrour with my lashes My pampred horses linger out the day I surfeit with too long delay Fond man thou fear'st to die and oft dost groane To live and blamest onely time alone
well And yonder sits the Larke and turtle dove Come let 's goe walke and we will paralell Love with eternall glory in you Grove Wee 'le take the subtle Fox nor will we spare To hunt the light foot Deere or timerous Hare Come then my love my dove arise my fairest faire V. Rise Phoeb ' and come away thy blinded eye Is lul'd to ruine in dislumbring dreame Why art thou rockt in such a lullaby And drown'd in various wanton streames Come let us travell to eternity And languish in the purest sweet extreames Wherefore my deare so greedy dost thou crowd To danger why to darknesse dost thou shrowd And leave thy love alone wrapt in a sable Cloud VI. Rise Phoeb ' and come away thy short Reposes Are flattring slumbers leave thy slippry hold Of sordid earth come on a bed of Roses I le knit thy haire in knots of fringed gold Wee 'le pusse the flying day in entercloses Of dearest love with glory uncontroul'd I 'le teach thee how to surfet in the fire Of loves immortall flames while some desire To spēa their time in prais thou rather shalt admire VII Rise Phoeb ' and come away we 'le make great Jove To stop his fiery horses swift carere Whose nostrills vomit flames we 'le mount above And hold the Reines of Titans hemisphare sgrove And guide his Chariot wheeles through pleasures And view the hallowea walks Come come my dear Le ts wander to Elizium whose bright ray Out-shines great Phoebus in his new born day Or the most fairest noon rise Phoeb ' and come away The fourth SOLILOQUIE AH Lord thou commandest us to seeke thy face that we may shun death and yet thou sayest none can see thy face and live Ah! let me live that I may know thee or die that I may see thee It is the happinesse of those glorious Angels that they continually behold thee and therefore they incompasse thine Altar with sweet Odours unspeakeable Rhaptures and high Hallelujah's but we poore mortalls prest down with sinne with guilt with flesh with feare cannot worthily praise thee Ah me why doe I seeke thee If thou beest no where absent why doe I not finde thee if thou beest every where present sure to the eye of darknesse thou wrappest thy selfe in thicke darkenes and thou art discovered to the eye that is enlightned thou art seene in thy power to sinners in thy terrour to Sathan in thy Sonne to thy Saints thou art seene in thy judgement to them that are against thee in thy Justice to them that flye from thee in thy Sacraments to them that seeke thee in thy Lawes to them that love thee and in thy Love to them that know thee Whence proceedeth this thy condiscention and thine infinite humiliation that thou did'st leave thy Throne in Heaven to live in the forme of a servant on earth Why didst thou change thy Crowne of Royalty for a Crowne of Indignity Why should aninfinite Creatour love a finite Creature and Heaven stoope to Hell Alas oh Lord Jesus heere was no Royall Throne for thy Majesty no Glorious Temple to entertaine thee heere was no winged Cherubins to beare thee no Armies of Angells to stand before thee no sweete faced object to delight thine eyes no musicall Raptures to salute thine eares no costly odours to annoynt thy feete nor spangled Canopy to spread over thy head but sinne and shame guilt and feare hell and horrour blacknesse and darkenesse extremity poverty impurity deformity and canst thou love so poore a thing as man oh thou that inhabitest in Heaven in light inaccessible in glory incomprehensible who canst with a frowne overturne thine enemies fame and by their ruine purchase thy selfe glory and if the World should totally revolt from thee and set her selfe against thee Couldst thou not command a suddaine clap of thunder to spurne her from her Poles shake her from her Center crack her Axeltrees and breake her Chariot wheeles Couldst thou not let loose the Elements that the Heavens should bee hid in blacknesse and the Sunne should bee cloathed in darkenesse that the Waters should drowne the earth and the fire should devoure the aire or with an angry breath couldst thou not puffe them all away that earth and ayre and water and fire should vanish and the world should be no more and in the roome thereof create in a moment to perfect thy praises ten thousand severall Orbes Why then oh man art thou so much deluded Why is Heaven and his sweet invitations so much disregarded sure there bee foure dayes in which thou wilt call thy selfe foole for neglecting so great salvation And they be these The day of publick calamity The day of private extreamity The day of death The day of doome First in the day of publick calamity if the world should bee governed in blacknesse and darkeneste If natures fabrick should bee smitten if the powers of the world should bee shaken if the waters should bee loosed if the fire should bee kindled if the ayre should bee infected if the earth should bee poysoned if the sword should begin to range againe and thou shouldst see thousands of mangled bodies about the streets if the trumpets should sound the alarum of war againe and the drums beat dolefull funeralls for the souldiers if whisling bullets and fiery granadoes should fall like haile on the earth and roare like the thunderclaps in heaven if every mans sword should bee set against his fellow if the earth should bee paved with dead mens bones and the channels run downe with blood if this flourishing Kingdome should bee made a burnt offering her people lye beeding like a new slain sacrifice where then couldst thou finde a chamber to hide thee in but in thy beloveds armes and under the shaddow of his mighty wings when the Lord comes to make inquisition for blood and his fury shall breake out in fiery flames to lick up the sinners of the world then will Jesus Christ bee as a shadowed grove in a thundering storme as a cooling rock in a scorching day and a fountaine of water in a weary land when the worldling shall loose his anchor of hope and suffer shipwrack thou shalt safely bee set a shoare If the famine should run after the sword the stoutest heart should grow faint and the fairest face should begin to wax pale because of pining hunger If the pestilence should follow famine if terrour should walke in darkenesse and the arrowes of the Almighty fly at noone day if a thousand should fall on thy right hand and ten thousand on thy left hand and thou beginnest to feare because of the evill that is come upon the world who then can protect thee that judgements may not touch thee but Jesus Christ Tell mee then hath hee not cause to bee beloved would hee not bee worthy to bee desired Secondly in the day of private extremity when thine eyes shall bee opened and thy heart shall bee awaked when thy minde shall bee troubled