1. LIfe thou dost flatter and betray My heedless soul to sin to day On thee presuming And hopes assuming Of penitence hereafter And so thou lead'st me sheep-like to the slaughter 2. Thou in thy warfare careless art Though Death hath got Letters of Mart Soon to surprize thee VVhere-e'er he spies thee A foe that will not trifle But surely speed and will thee shortly rifle 3. Why shouldst thou faithless to me be 'T is to thy self as well as me Cease then to flatter And thy baits scatter To hook my foolish fancie For thy allurements work like necromancie 4. 'T is a black Art and dark thou hast VVho danger vail'st till time is past Of it preventing And mak'st repenting Late unavailing to us And by thy Syren's songs dost quite undo us 5. VVe silly mortals quite mistake VVhen thee for our chief friend we take Death is more friendly And deals more kindly VVho summons us to heaven VVhen thou would'st keep us here of joy bereven 6. Nature on thee doth too much dote VVhose humour 't is to love by rote VVhil'st reason 's blinded And sense most minded Our souls by thee are lulled Secure asleep and of salvation gulled To DEATH 1. DEath how do sinners thee abuse VVho thee most grim to pourtray use They quite mistake thee VVho uglie make thee Thou to the good art comely Though worldlings deem thy presence course and homely 2. Thou art out Moses who dost show Our way from Egypt here below To Can'an's glory Thou dost us hurry From this worlds dayly sorrows To joyes eternal where to day wants morrows 3. It is thy father makes thee grim Thou lovely art wert not for him He dwells within us And he doth win us To hate thee without thy desert Thy Father's sin and thou his wages art 4. A father strange that hates his child And wages too you 'ld deem him wild As we count wildness For death's sweet mildness Is shown still to the holly Sin 's their chief foe and counts their goodness folly 5. Death is God's Hâ—… who calls away His servants to receive their pay But to his debtors And their abertors His under-Sheriff cruel Who them imprisons where flameâ— ne'er wantâ— fuel 6. Death lays our bodies here asleep Whilst festivals our souls shall keep 'Till our exciting And re-uniting In joys passing all beneath Ah fit me Lord for thee and welcome death The Resurrection DRead Lord what harmony my soul doth find In all the wondrous works by thee design'd Or consummate past present or to come Oh! how disorder bringeth order home This days confusion sure will far surpass The Chaos that at the Creation was And this days order will the perfect'st be That men or Angels ever yet did see The sad confusion of thy Goat herds train Exceeds all thoughts conceiv'd by mortals brain And the sweet order of thy shepherds sheep Will Angels strike with admiration deep What hurly-burly here shall we descry ' Mongst Nimrod's fell Tyrannick progeny How loath this day will their proud ashes be To re-unite when they thy Son shall see Whose members they have persecuted here In cloud-clad glory come what rueful cheer What horrour and amazement will confound Their loathsome souls when that last trump shall sound And they be summon'd forthwith to appear Before that Judge whom they condemned here Pilate will wish his heart had washed been When he his hands did wash but for a screen To cover horrid murther Wilful Jews That roar'd out Crucifie him at this news Struck with astonishment will surely wish They had been all born dumb or mute as fish But empty wishes nought avayl them here For will they nill they all men must appear At this last great Assize and render in Compleat account of what hath acted been By them here in the flesh and not alone Of act 's but of their words and thoughts each one According whereunto they shall their doom Receive for all that endless time to come Save those for whom the Lamb was born and dy'd Who shall by faith not by deserts be try'd And bathed in his blood shall shine more bright Then Phaebus doth when he gives purest light These shall have all the tears wip'd off their eyes And be enthroned with the deities With great Tri-une Jehovah they shall be The Bridegroom's Bride to all eternitie And raign with him in bliss for evermore Who them redeemed hath and pay'd their score Lord these do groan for this great day and cry Come come Lord Jesus Oh come quickly hy To set us free from sin and from all those That persecute us thine and our fierce foes When shall we be avenged when wilt thou Ascend the throne and make all mortals bow Before thy foot-stool when again restore All pow'r unto thy self for evermore Lord re-assume it for it is thy due Thou hast it lent a while to men 't is true But they bad stewards prove and miss-employ Thy talents and deserve not to enjoy Thy slighted favour Lord call in again That pow'r and let the Lamb for ever raign Then shall the Church triumphant sing his song With Hallelujah's from the Angel-throng For he alone is worthy to ascend The throne eternal whose rule shall not end Whose Kingdom and dominion ne'er shall â—…se Who is the Prince of everlasting peace Who from beginning was ordain'd to die That he his chosen flock might glorifie To whom all glory be ascrib'd and then Shall Saints and Angels cry Amen amen The Epigram JUdas prepare thy bag thy day is come When for thy pains thou shalt be payd full home But Oh! thy mind is chang'd thou would'st Essoyn Thy self this court rather then take this Coin Though take it needs thou must and when thou hast it 'T will last for ever for time cannot waste it Yet thou wilt finde thy state had been more thriving Had'st thou refus'd those thirty pieces living This is a maxime though of my own making Men grow not always truly rich by taking Misers whom love of coin on earth o'er-sway'd Shall this day in their own coin be repay'd For Sion's Lamb when he ascends the throne Will prove himself a debtor unto none But will requite both good and ill that 's done By all man's off-spring since the world begun A Soliloquie on the Resurrection CHeer up my soul exalt thy head on high For thy long-look'd Redemption draweth nigh Lo thy sweet Saviour comes in glory bright This day to put an end to day and night Whence times alternate course away shall fly Issuing forth into eternity One everlasting day whose splendor clear Will need no Sun to give us light and chear Our Sun shall be the Sun of Righteousness Which never sets whose light no cloud makes less In his coruscant glory He shall shine Into thine eyes my soul with light divine And yet not dazzle them to hurt thereby They 'l dazled be with sweet satiety With joy and admiration to behold Israels shepherd with his flock and
once and I dare say The rest will throw down arms and run away She is thy castle's porter she lets in World Devil and all that may provoke to sin Call self forth to the bar thou needst not try her She 's both judg'd and condemn'd go crucifie her Methinks as did Copernicus I ' spy The world with all her trinkets round to fly At that brave sentence Satan sneak away As one that in the field hath lost the day Like black Cur scar'd with tail betwixt his legs Seeing he sate abrood on addle eggs Walk on brave heart now thou' rt a man indeed Now thou hast done the work no more then need Hadst not thou hadst for ever been undon Run cheerly forth thou 'lt come to Heav'n anon An Epigram on the same MAn know thy self and wherefore thou wert made Not wealth to seek or make deceit a trade Deceit 's a trade that will deceive at last Greatest Deceivers when th' accounts are cast If thou wilt needs deceive deceive thy foes Who have and do deceive thee at thy nose The devil world and flesh all three at once I 'll shew thee how to do 't if thou have sconce Thou hast two men within thee here 's the skill Cast out the old and keep the new man still This new-mans sent alone packs them for ever 'T will conjure better then Tobiah's liver Age. MAn 's no stay'd creature Lo he now appears Transform'd from what he was his hoary hairs And baldness shew that Winter's neer when late 'T was but high harvest Ceres out of date Pursues her sister Flora on with speed Blow'th to bespeak of her for next years seed Thus times revolve and then return but man Review's no more what 's past the strongest can But one time have and but once have that time To Platonize in Christians is a crime Grave Sir time present's only in your power The past and future times are none of your You can't the first recal nor latter tell What it shall bring to pass this you know well If you but lose the present your time 's lost Irrevocab'ly gone nay more 'T will cost Your loss of labour body soul and all And that for ever Oh! let this appal Your subtle heart rouze your clogg'd memory Time to redeem lest you eternally Rue that neglect you 're wise pray therefore weigh How your state stands for he that did conveigh All to you that you have or can have here Past it but for six days not for a year Four of the best expir'd if rightly cast Infancy childhood youth and manhood past You now are in the fifth at Fryday's stage But Saturday left for your doating age And that 's half pain half play the school-boys maze And old mens too for then their life 's a blaze Like a spent candle which if let alone Burns dim then flashes and is forthwith gone But ah look further then comes on the day That should thy Sabbath be the day of pay 'T will be to all for all shall have their hire As they deserve though not as they desire Who finde it not a pleasure-day of rest Finde it a pain-day not to be exprest Oh then begin to think and cast about With care how to work your salvation out I know your care is great those things to save Whereof no use at all you 'll shortly have You 're penny-wise pound-foolish nay much worse You 're body-wise soul-foolish O dire curse You to advise as others were too bold Might jealousie provoke since you are old Should I to you Put off the old man say You 'll think I bid you cast your self away That 's a fond errour pray mistake me not It will not shorten health or life a jot Suppose the worst if you should thereby die 'T will screw your life up to eternity Work work your change for now the days are neer Of which you 'll say in sorrow pain and fear I have no pleasure in them when your sky Sun Moon and Stars shall dark'ned be on high And Clouds shall follow rain House-k eepers tremble The strong men bow themselves and grinders nimble Through paucity shall cease the window-peepers Be darkned and the street-doors shut by keepers When you shall undergo those other woes That Isr'el's royal preacher quaintly shows Desire shall fail your dust to earth return Your soul to God your carkase to the urn 'T will be too late to work when death's dark night Hath you envelopt robb'd of light and sight Sure none defer their work but thriftless fools 'Till dotage hath depriv'd them of their tools That they should work with think you he that gave Men souls and bodies with endowments brave To do him service can contented be In his foe's work them all imploy'd to see And take the Devil's gleanings we such folly Would highly scorn And can our God most holly An wise be so deluded Man remember Thy yeer is almost past it 's high December Work ne'er so hard who 'll give thee a yeers pay To work for him 'twixt this and new-yeers day Yet God will do 't if thou wilt faithful prove And serve him in true fear with fraudless love Give him thy heart and less thou canst not give Nor craves he more So thou shalt surely live Live beyond date of death or force of fear Where nothing that offends shall more come near What canst expect thy gain more to advance Then thy life's change for firm inheritance Such an inheritance earth ne'er did see Thy self thy everlasting heir shalt be A better Lord was never tenant had If thou refuse him thou art worse then mad He 'll make thee co-heir with his own sole son The Lord of Heaven and Earth and with him one Haste haste accept the motion whilst thou may'st 'T is a cheap purchase whatsoe'er thou pay'st And he expects no more but thy old clothes Thy carnal habits which he likewise lothes But will 's thou cast them off for he retains No servitor on whom such ragg remains He 'll clothe thee in white Robes of righteousness Whose glory Cherubims cannot express Add to the pow'r he gives but thy endeavour And thou shalt sit inthron'd with him for ever Quick shift thy vestments and go hide thee in Those splendent Robes cast off thy rags of sin Let lusts and passions a new Master get Speed lest thou be prevented by Sun-set Now now 's thy time to do 't for who doth know Whe'er thou shalt live a minute more or no This done thou 'lt reap invaluable gains And I 'll require but thanks for this my pains Nay if thou give me none content I 'll be He for whose glory 't is will pay them me Epigram GRay Hair with graceless Heart a guilded tomb Greedy yet fruitless like a barren womb It 's Harvest high and yet no fruit appears This plague's far worse then Egypts fruitless years Those Harvests fail'd but they had Grain in store Here 's no fruit now nor hopes of
To charm our fancies and besot our reason And make our selves against our selves work treason Nor have we in our selves pow'r to resist Her winning wiles noâ— from her love desist That pow'r supernal is O dearest Lord Grant us this pow'r thy help to us afford Then shall we force thy greatest Foe to yeild And make our temptingst sin forsake the field An Epigram on the same THe Devil 's a Witch our Proverb tells us thus But Sin 's the Witch that witch'd both Him and Us. Him past all cure but We may cured be If we by faith can Jâ—sus feel and see Great God assist us and it shall suffice For we must have from Thee both hands and eyes Pride the Seed of Sin GReat fall of Men and Angels Heavens hate Wert thou as good as thou art seeming great Thou would'st the fairest Vertue be of many But art the most deformed Vice of any Scorn of all good a bastard mungrel Evil Begot betwixt relapsing Man and Devil Though both quâ tales thy own creatures be Begetters of and yet begot by thee A monstrous spawn of Incest sp'ritual That Viper-like hadst life from parents fall And yet thou vaunt'st boasting thy birth and blood When no progenitor of thine was good Surpassest in thy self-conceit by odds Those humbler souls descended from the gods Whose most heroick race and princely birth Farther transcendeth thine then heaven doth earth Bold Queen of Vices thou ledst on the Van Of that Black Regiment that foiled Man Under Gods elbow by the Prince of Hell Lucifer thy Lieutenant Colonel Under the subtile Serpents shape disguis'd Thereby presuming to make man despis'd In his Creators eyes for evermore VVhose Mercie sent his Son to clear that score VVho brake the Serpents head thy daring skill Did legions of sacred Angels fill VVith God-unthroning plots whereby they fell To all eternity cast down to Hell The glory of thy conquests yet thy gain Appears but small for they subdu'd again Thee their subduer and have forc't thee since To act in service of their direful Prince Who by Self-merit and Presumption Thy fatal Daughters hath more souls drawn on In everlasting-fire-chains to be ti'd Then by all other sins and sâ—…res beside Mother of Antichrist thou first set'st on The founding of Mysterious Babylon The Beast is but thy Creature and the Whore Thy eldest unmach't Daughter I therefore A Mate will motion to her though a mad one Yet not unfit it is the great Abaddon Who shortly will to her a Kingdom give Wherein though dying she shall ever live For here her time is short as I compute And will be found so without all dispute Therefore translate her hence unto the place Before all worlds prepared for her was It is her portion Oh detain it not Do her no wrong but let her have her lot And then the Lord of Life shall rule again And under him his humble Saints shall reign Amen Lord Jesus haste it on for lo The whole Creation groans to have it so The Angels Saints and Martyrs cry aloud To have thy vengeance poured on the proud For of all sins that bar poor man from bliss To Them and Thee Pride the most hateful is None doth in Man thy Image more deface Nor any makes us in thy sight so base VVhat Necromantick Philter us hath charm'd And both of sense and reason so disarm'd That we should glory in our greatest shame Our Fig-leaf cloathes do but our fall proclaim VVas that worth boasting of Then thy gains scan Proud prinking pranking prating parret man And brag on spare not kneaded lump of clay Thy seal'd damnation 't will at last display Handful of dust coagulate short span Of putri'd earth such art thou proudest man Thou vaunt'st of thy descent and may'st do 't well Never was greater then from heav'n to hell Thy pedigree I 'll shew I dare aver To be Angelick from great Lucifer Thy parts and gifts of body and of soul Are fair and comely but pride makes them foul Thou aimst at great atchievments buildst high hopes Sand-founded structures On whose towring tops Are batt'ries rais'd against the walls of Heav'n But all thy Cannon-shot of force bereav'n Retort from those unpierced edifices Upon thy self and so thy fond devices Are self-crush't And what self not ruinates Death briefly seizeth and annihilates Proud fool go rake great Alexander's dust The ashes of those Hero's whose meer lust Their pow'r transform'd to law whose very word Made Empires tremble whose devasting sword Made seas of blood and robb'd the lands of breath Divorcing souls from bodies by grim death And see how calm they are how voyd of pride As if all Histories had them bely'd Draw neerer home and open late-made tombs Of thy progenitors within whose wombs Their nigh-corrupted flesh sends forth a stink Which thou abhorr'st to smell yea loath'st to think How noysom 't is And tell O tell me then If there be reason for such pride in men Dost thou their flesh-devested bones there see Such Skeleton be sure thy self shall be If not by providence to worse ordain'd For worse corruption many have sustain'd And truth to say most proper 't were for thee Should thy dead corpse by fowls devoured be Who living in self-thoughts didst soar on high And so when dead on others wings shalt fly Pride is Lust's Bawd Broker to Avarice Mother of Envy and each hateful Vice Excesses Vintner Brewer Cook and Baker The Souldiers and the Lawyers Cavil-Maker Ambitious Engineer Wars shoo-horn so Were't not for Pride souldiers might bare-foot go VVho now march booted to advance the shew Of her vain-glorious self-conceited Crew Shoo-makers Haberdashers Jewellers VVith Lapidaries Goldsmiths Pewterers Cutlers and Armourers all sorts of Drapers Fencers and Fidlers Dancers cutting capers Those that make Buttons Bandstrings Tires and Borders Teeth Eyes and Periwigs and mend disorders In ugly Faces with a countless number Of other Trades who us with changes cumber Chameleon Dyers who by Art do vary Their colours to the same that others carry Attend her train all plague-sick of the Fashion Led on by Taylors pest of English Nation VVhose Proteus-like changing quite out-braves In mutability the Moon and VVaves VVho Frenchifie our men and women so That who are English we can hardly know VVho a new Fashion do affect so well They 'l have it though they knew it came from Hell Did they the Dev'l in Uncouth Habit spie They 'ld sue for his Old Suit to cut New by These are which I think cannot be deny'd Gentlemen-Ushers to the Devil and Pride A Letany to beg deliverance From these were very fit Here and in France VVhich two fond Nations they have stultifi'd This last-past Age more then the world beside Pride would fear banishment if they should fall VVho are supporters of her Devil and all I think few wise men deem this censure hard If Laws were mended Taylours would be marr'd And women made more wise and poor men too VVho now betwixt them
decay in age but this strength wins And grows with age it self the elder still A miser grows more griping grow he will A judgement sad a man should labour most For what he least doth need spend time and cost In that which he must forthwith leave to others And knows not unto whom mean-while smothâ—… His souls desires of seeking grace indeed That is the gain he most of all doth need Perhaps with Magus he befools himself Hoping to purchase grace with worldly pelf There 's no such barter feasible One grain Of grace exceeds the wealth of earth and main In truest value God and Mammon prove Incompatible masters whoe'er love One must despise the other God loves peace Mammon's contention 's Prince strife cannot cease In hearts by him o'ersway'd Treasons and Wars Bloodsheds oppressions violence and jars Are his hearts-solace And all other evils Are rife in him as in the very Devils Lord fortifie our souls by thy free Spirit Against this slavish sin whose justest merit Is guerdon of Injustice for she swayes And corrupts Justice by her bribing wayes Throughout the earth And take this at farewel Though here thou do'st thou shalt not do 't in Hell An Epigram on the same HArd-handed Mammon why do'st gripe so fast Thy gain will surely be but small at last Thy muck is ordure thou art a gold-finder Thy close-fist griping doth thy holding hinder 'T will squeeze betwixt thy fingers and be lost Unless thou gape to save it Oh haste post And lest thy sweet beloved ware should fall Hold fast with arms with hands teeth mouth and all Take take it all And then withall take this Thy body 's rob'd of rest thy soul of bliss All cannot unto either of them buy A moments ease to all Eternity Lust A branch of sin GIve leave to venial Sin the lists to enter She 'll soon display the height of your adventure And prove the Whore that gave her that slight name A lying gossip though a mincing dame Lust hath both botch and blain of sin's worst pest And therefore mortal is as well's the rest Nay none is so infectious she strikes dead By glance of eye by sight of clothes or bed Of parties not infected yea each sense She poisons with her flaming pestilence Sight hearing smell taste touch and all infect By secret Magick her enamour'd sect A smile a song a sent a cup a kiss Heart-wounding and most mortal to them is Yea which her venome more admired makes Of pest-free people she the plague oft takes At distance vast Oh most stupendious wonder Of parties many hundred miles asunder Their Lust hath sometimes on a picture fir'd Which shadow made the substance more desir'd And thus the Jewish Dames did doat of old When they did Chaldee counterfeits behold Nay her insinuating Necromancy Works where's no real Object on the fancy And stupifying reason sense and all Makes some in love with meer Idea's fall Whose souls of judgement she hath made so void To joy in that that cannot be enjoy'd And Lust contemplative hath so produc'd Incestuous Monsters 'twixt self-thoughts abus'd Lust is the Devils fueller makes fires And blows into a flame unchaste desires Contriving ever by deceits to win Others to be partakers of her sin And mostly if it end in publick shame They each on other strive to lay the blame Which shews in hearts where lust hath got possession A great aversness to a plain confession Which should blaze penitence This fire obdures And crusts the conscience where it once inures She 's now become one of the chief commanders Of the infernal Legions for her panders Are pride excess and sloth yea avarice Dotes mostly more on her then any vice If she come cheap But if the price be high Her flames at thought thereof expire and die Lust is on earth grown a commandress great Who ere the Crown do wear she keeps the seat The Throne and Scepter royal she doth sway And for the most part Monarchs makes obey Our first that title got of faith's defender Prov'd herein a notorious faiths offender A King perhaps most Christian may be stil'd Or Catholick and yet be so defil'd With lust's pollution as to merit scorn From Catholicks and Christians yet unborn Who will hereafter see with clearer eyes Then this dull age their covert Crimes espies For palaces and earth's most large possessions Are most deprav'd by lust excess oppressions And such like vices which have often been Lust's bawds whereby we Saints intrapt have seen For Ammon's sword had spar'd Uriah's life And he had not been drunk but that his wife Was grown by lust's enchanting forceries A pearl at once in both poor David's eyes What he abhorr'd to think she made him do Blinding his eyes of soul and body too And his son Amnon by his incest foul Wrought his own drunken death and wrong'd his soul Whose fratricidious brother past all shame Out-vi'd his incest as a sin too tame For such a roister who in Sol's bright eye Before all Israel in contempt did lie With his dear Fathers Concubines a fact Fitter for Devil then for man to act This sin inveigled had two brothers more Of their twelve Patriarchs in times of yore Reuben and Judah both herewith defil'd Wittingly one but t'other was beguild Nor could burnt Sodoms cinders terrifie Heav'n-rescu'd Lot from lust's Nicanthropy Nor both their judgements afterwards prevent The Benjamitish Gibeah's punishment The subt'ly wicked Prophet Balaam blew This cole in Isr'els hearts so them orethrew Whom his inchantments could not hurt at all Being Devil-proof and yet by lust did fall Old Eli's sons hereby Gods wrath provok't To his Ark's loss and Isr'els being yok't Under Philistims and their own sad deaths Which robb'd one 's VVife both's Father of their breaths The Preacher wisest of meer mortals who Knew most of men knew so much women too That lust infatuated the most wise Wresting his wisdom to Idolatrize So he to whom Jehovah twice appear'd To Chemosh Molech Milcom Altars rear'd To Ashtaroth and all the host of Heav'n For which his son was of ten Tribes bereav'n Whence Jacobs seed dicotomiz'd remain Their kingdom never unifi'd again Herod's base lust dish't up the Baptist's head Lust the Corinthian laid in 's father's bed The Gentile's great Apostle she disturb'd And could not by his praying thrice be curb'd At least not conquer'd Since as well's before She hath been Satans messenger to more She 's both to us and heathens though she mince Leidger Embassadour for Hell's black Prince And Rome's sly Nuntio's Machiavilians pure Did ne'er attain their errands ends more sure Aegypt's great Cleopatra fair grown foul By lust's pollution lost both soil and soul The greater Hercules whose very name Wonder-strook men was blasted by this flame All whose twelve matchless labours fam'd persever And yet his fame 's eclips'd by lust for ever The greatest Jupiter by lust o'ercome From God turn'd beast and was a bull become True 't was a faigned
Roar'd howl'd and cry'd and dy'd in deep despair Although he had good men's advice and prayer Despair's a Polititian whose black Art Makes man upon himself act Satans part Accuse condemn torment repel free grace Refuse to give his proferr'd pardon place Tempt to the highest sin and then to tell His sadded soul No place for thee but Hell And so when man the Devils work hath done He payes him wages who desired none The Poets Momus she out-strips in spight VVho hated others for his own delight She hates both God and Man Angels and Devil And her self too yea all both good and evil Save her despairing humour which alone She cherishes and strives to dote upon And to her everlasting torment feeds The gnawing worm that in her conscience breeds She 's sick to death yet will no cordial take Casts off all physick which her pains might slake Her wound is deep and cure she doth desire Yet throws her plaisters all into the fire A spirit frenzifi'd within her raigns She ease desires yet needs will keep her pains Merciful Lord defend us from afflictions VVherein are manifest such contradictions Assist us with thy grace to persevere Unto the end and then we need not fear O'erwhelming in this deep abyss wherein So many heav'n-bound vessels sunk have been Strengthen our faith against despair uphold Our feeble souls and bring them to thy fold An Epigram on despair DEspair avaunt eternal death attends Thy very touch Hell's at thy fingers ends The Cockatrices optick poyson's weak Asps tactick venome slight to thine thou l't break Hearts all in shivers by a single thought Yea murther souls too though most dearly bought By God-man's blood thou mak'st men spill the price And slight their mercies by thy rash advice Lord grant a better Counsellor to me For sure such Counsellor deserves no Fee On Presumption and Despair OLd Poets all mistake who all agree In one to make the fatal Sisters three It's one too many for but two they are But two more fatal then their three by far Daring Presumption that her cheats may pass Puts Mercy in a multiplying-glass So magnifies her past proportion'd measure Makes her a Patroness for lust and pleasure Whilst Cowardly Despair to dim her worth Peeps through a Perspective whose wrong end 's forth VVhich less'ning glass when mercy's through it view'd Semi-annihilates her magnitude They oft change glasses and Despair puts sin Into Presumptions glass whilst she agin Views Justice through Despairs false Perspective VVhich makes them both erroneous judgement give A cure for both I 'll briefly thus devise Let both their glasses break and trust their eyes Presumption stoop to Poenitence Despair Arise to Faith 't will make their ways both fair So shall Despair true Poenitence become Presumption saving Faith to bring us home For one is still too low t'other too high Neither will let us unto God draw nigh Repentance DRop on sweet lymbeck-eyes till you distâ—l Those high-priz'd waters that Gods bottle fill Drop spare not this the richest water is That Earth affords and Heav'n hath none of this Save in Gods handkerchief those tears â—…ip'd off Their glorified cheeks whom earth did scoff Water of life it is if truly made Oh that the avaricious world would trade For this rich ware one drop whereof out-vies East and West-Indies bought at highest price In its true worth add to it for 't will need As much faith as a grain of mustard-seed This composition valu'd is most high In the esteem of Jove's great majesty 'T is worth more worlds then heav'n hath stars shoar sands Sea drops or single blades of grass earth's lands Stream on pure fountains with your hysop water Your nitred springs my sin-stain'd soul bespatter Sope-lave it in your pearly rills that fall From sorrow's source but still have care to call For Lamb's blood intermixt by faith which brings True vertue to your mundifying springs It cleanseth all the stains in nature left And those we added since our Parents theft Blow on serenest sighing wind and calm My stormed conscience and abate the qualm That seiz'th my wounded spirit clear the air Dispel the clouds with gusts of zealous pray'r VVhich force ope heaven and commit a rape Upon th'Almightie's ears we shall escape How fierce soever our assault be made Thou art the wind drives all who heav'nward trade By thee they must un-anchor and set forth Or else their voyage will be little worth Fill up our sails for we shall finde rich ware That hidden lies beyond the fixed sphere Yet blow as faith may steer aright know well VVho sayl by heav'n pass neer the gates of Hell 'Twixt Scylla and Charybdis we must pass Presumption and despair and these alass Are full of danger one 's a floating Rock T'others a gulf shifting like weather-cock Its place with each neâ—… wind On if we stay They 'l both most surely cross us in the way And for the most part he that one doth fly Is shipwrack'd on the other instantly Whiff not with boyst'rous blasts into the deep Let thy gales us in fathom'd shallows keep Blow well to Leeward though a Rock appear 'T is Christ the Cape of our good Hope no fear For never vessel which that Rock did miss Arrived at the wished Port of bliss Nay more unless that Rock we hang upon Our vessel 's split and we are all undone Oh see where it appeareth yond' before Haste on I 'm sea-sick put me there ashoar The floating Rock and shifting gulf I see Approaching neer they both in kenning be Blow strong bear in on that Rock run aground Strike sail cast Anchor for our Port is found If that firm Rock do make the Anchor bend Hope's Anchor steel with faith at either end She with one finger if we Anchors want Can moâ—e us on a Rock of Adamant Such is the Rock on which we must depend That thee my soul from shipwrack must defend An Adamantine Rock whose vertue lay'th Magnetick force on all that 's steel'd by faith Help sighs sad heart my dâ—…ie eyes help tears Such wind and water souls on this Rock bears To steel Hope well with stedfast faith endeavour Then shall we Anchor on it safe for ever Epigram on Repentance BLow wind drop rain Repentance much endears Our souls to God such musick charms his ears Let faith hold fast and then full safe are we These sisters are and must not parted be Both of one birth most strange intwined twins Where the first ends mostly the last begins Which should be elder great Divines do doubt But we 'll not sift such needless scruples out God grant us both in truth of soul and mind And which is first we need not pry to find Faith STrongest of creatures whose eternal Base Is firmer fix'd then earth's foundation was Whose everlasting force none can withstand Surviving change in Heav'n Hell Sea and Land By thee the Elders good report did take Thou teachest us Gods Word the world did make By
vanitatibus 1. FArewel fond Cupid with thy gamesome pleasure Childhood and youth inchanting Whose self-betraying leasure Thy pathes of vanity is always haunting And whose fanatick souls Like Dotterels those foolish fowls Are caught by imitation And train'd to death by doating on the fashion 2. Honour Our manhood's bubble and her bauble Charming us with vain-glory To seek what is not stable And dare damnation for fame transitory Chameleon-like to live By airy praise that others give And slight our souls salvation Farewel there 's danger in so high a station 3. Farewel old Ages folly cheating treasure False deâ—ity of worldly wife Who crave that past all measure Which needless is What most they need despise Who Ant-like without rest Labour to fill their borrow'd nest Then Cuckoo-like leave unto strangers Eggs nest and all to finde eternal dangers I must acknowledge the ensuing-valedictions to be unto more relations then I ever had at one and the same time in being But ayming to express according to my low power the nothingness in worth of our temporal to our eternal enjoyments at sight of the blessed society above I have briefly and abruptly bid farwel to all below Amen Sequuntur Quatuordecem Valedictionis Quatuordecimales 1. To the World and its Inhabitants FArewel my fellow-citizens of Earth Frail self-like Mortals made of flesh and blood Whose greatest fear 's death sickness war and dearth Though you I love I 'll leave your Neighbourhood For I am bent for new discoveries My faith another world hath in her eye Far situate beyond the azure skies Whose subjects all are Saints thither go I There shall this drossy flesh and blood refin'd Immortal grow and free from all your fears Where whilst my Saviour's presence cheers my mind My heart shall vent no sighs my eyes no tears But fill'd with joy from age to age I 'll sing Sweet Allelu-iahs to my God and King 2. To Europe and Europaeans FArewel my worldly fellow-quarterers Plac'd in the Earths Right eye by grace divine Who gives more knowledge to thy sojourners Then to all quarters else where Sol doth shine Ye are most civiliz'd of all the rest Of this worlds pilgrims though proud China boast Of her two eyes compar'd with thee at best She must confess at least one of them lost I must remove my quarters though so good For I have took up new beyond the poles Dear-purchas'd by my General 's heart-blood To those that quarter there you 're blind as moles There I shall know as I am known and be Perfect in Knowledge to Eternity 3. To Britain and Britain's FArewel dear Country-men Heav'ns Paramours For God hath choycest blessings heap'd on you Beyond all other lands That Isle of yours Earth's Cornucopiae may be lik'ned to Wherein are all things needful for man's life Plenty of most But oh the means of grace By Gospel-Ministers though now at strife So plentiful in no Land ever was But I must take my leave lest your dissention About the way to life should error breed In my frail heart I 'll therefore for prevention To everlasting unity with speed To Grace's Crown of glory I ascend What needs the means when l 've attain'd the end 4. To Shire-mates FArewel my Shire-mates whom this Isle's division Hath neighbouriz'd to me and me to you Whose rights have in one Counties Courts decision Peace to maintain and to give each his due Native vicinity commands my love Yet I must traverse all my actions hence I 'll get out an injunction from above To try at God's tribunal each offence There I a righteous Chancery shall finde Yet have my Judge my advocate to be And have no costs unto my foe assign'd The Playntiff Satan who impleadeth me On trespasses oft' done against the Judge Who will release me pray then who can grudge 5. To Parishioners FArewel Parochial Neighbours whom this Nation By custome in one Register inrols And hath held of one Church one Congregation And chosen one for Curate of our souls These civil ties and neighbour-hood endear You much to me But I must from you part Amongst you I of Schism and faction fear Another Congregation hath my heart Where one-ness indivisible appears Whose Curate is the Bishop of our souls Melchi-zedeck whose flock is free from fears Of Wolf or Fox of ravenous beasts and fouls Yet guarded by a Lamb whose song we 'll sing With Saints and Angels till the heavens ring 6. To Servants FArewel my Servants for my Covenant Requires me to depart mourn not for me For your attendance I no more shall want Your Master and mine own I go to see I must confess a truant I have been And in his service faith-less dull and dead Yet he hath sworn he 'll pay my wages in If I but with his only Son will wed Serve I him but the twinckling of an eye I shall have wages payd eternally His Debtor deep and desperate was I Who sent his Son to die to ransome me Oh love stronger then death my soul away Make speed lest thy dear Master for thee stay 7. To familiar acquaintance FArewel acquaintance I 'll acquaint you where Are better to be got then you and I I 'll challenge you to dare to meet me there And promise you rich fare and melody Ambrosia Nectar and the Poet's cates Are husks and gall to that celestial fare The Spheres harmonious musick jars and grates To their Diviner Quavers warbled there Where no associates we so base shall find As Earth's most potent King or Emperour True joy shall fill the body soul and mind With contentation lasting evermore What poor society doth earth afford Draw up my heart of steel dear loadstone Lord. 8. To intimate friends FArewel my mind 's embosom'd darlings dear ' Mongst whom one heart may many bodies serve And act unitely in them all It 's clear I highly prize your love Yet needs must swerve From hugging your enjoyment for I 'm call'd By the great friend of friends the god of love VVith his triumphant friends to be install'd In Love's great Principality above The King of Kings commands me I must hence To more and greater friends then Earth affords Detain me not Nor count this an offence If I cease to be yours to be the Lords I 'll be both his and yours if you 'll his be And you in him again shall meet with me 9. To Brothers Sisters and Kindred FArewel my flesh and blood my kindred here Our homogeneal parts at first were one 'Till rib-made Eve made two who still one were Millions of millions now in number grown Adieu t' ye all but most to those most near I have attain'd new consanguinity All of my elder Brothers blood d' ye hear Yet not of mine but of divine affinity A breed of quondam men now glorifi'd Who sing sweet Requiems eternally To their inthroned souls not to be ey'd By Mortals opticks where the starry Skie Their foot-stool is their seat the glorious flore Of his great Throne
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
god But look and see He conquer'd slaves who fain would true gods be The Roman Chair-men whose unchastest flames Made their sea burn and cauteriz'd their names As well as Consciences When Mentz-born Johan Play'd Fathers Father till a child-birth groan Made her a publick mother Whose cross birth Brought forth the hollow chair for gods on earth The Popish touch-stone Sergius the third Honour 's Marozia's strumpetship bestir'd I might have said bestrid by many more Then any Popess Minions had before Whose Bastard John made Incest venial Adultery no crime which prov'd his fall Yet Hildebrand Anglicè brand de Hell Must his Matilda have and more as well As her and she as him a hackny Jade Refus'th no Rider And perhaps that made Martin the fourth so curious of his whore Though Benedict the twelfth's did cost him more Sixtus the Fourth's Tiresia's pearled shooes Must be maintain'd by his maintaining Stews And legalizing Sodomy And next Nocens preach't on upon the carnal text Gets bastards by the dozen whose void chair Sixth Alexander fills and proves true heir Both to his Crowns and vices who defil'd His own fair Daughter Lucrece made his child His Anvil to form Princes horns upon And yet his filth's outvi'd when he is gone By his successor Julius who must Make Boys turn Maids to satisfie his lust Yet as if on that name it were a curse He was the second and the third was worse Whose predecessor Paul a third man too Did e'en as much as man turn'd Dev'l could do After his panderism and prostitution Of his own sister and her base pollution By his foul incest in a jealous mood Poysons her And lest he might be withstood In using his own daughter with like sauce Serves he her heedless husband Natures laws Are null to him Nor can his neece escape His boundless lust But her attempted rape Is by her husbands stoutness so prevented As might have made his holiness repented Had he not seared been whose wound at least Might well be call'd the man's mark of the beast Monster of men whose lust or hope of gains Forty five thousand curtezans maintains Enough to pox All Italy and quell That Nations fire of lust with fire of Hell God justly might for this sole Monster 's sake Calcine Rome Sodom-like and Tyber make Asphaltis did not tender mercy stay His vengeance till the neer-approaching day Of the great Whores confusion when at last She shall be pay'd full home for all that 's past Rome's Throne out-strips all Thrones on Earth beside In whoredom for it may be verifi'd Popedom whoredom rightly weigh'd doom'd be Inconvertible terms in some degree Rome's the great Whore Earth's greatest K. the Pope Experience this and that the Scriptures scope Makes manifest to each inlightned eye But Babels Bâ—aâ—s in wilful blindness lye Since that false Chair to Pope first Title gave Rome ne'er miss'd whore scarce Peter's Chair a knave But soft my Muse Rome's lust hath made thee â—ome From thy Theme lust Look to thy lust neer home Look to thy heart lest she surprise thee there She lies in Ambuscado every where At Sermons she is lurking steals the eye And then the heart when heav'nly Psalmody Our souls should ravish she affects our ear VVith carnal melody of some voyce there Poysons our Cordials her flames whilst they burn God's Church into the Devil's Chappel turn Her fire spoyls all our sacrifices while We pray or praise she will our hearts beguile VVith wandring thoughts and taints our duties so That God rejects them she 's a subtle foe And vigilant advantages to take VVhen of devotion greatest shews we make VVhat man can sound her depth she fools the wise Enfeebles young and puts out old mens eyes Her baits are layd in every path we tread At Church at home abroad at boord at bed And rarely miss they speeding Nature's mold Is so proclive to their embracement Cold Is not more incident to Ice then man Is to Lust's Ignis Fatuus nor can VVe well discern her workings on our hearts She doth insinuate by secret arts Into our very souls and captivates Us to the law of sin admits debates Only in order to her conquest on us And leads us blindfold till she have undone us The eye her window heart her closet is The head her shop and all to train from bliss Poor self-betraying man Her trade of old In the world's non-age still she on doth hold To slock God's sons and servants whom she drew Men's Daughters fair with lustful hearts to view And mungrellize their seed the fatal ground Of that great deluge which all mankind drown'd Save eight in Arkt Noachians and her fires Still tempt Gods sons on to unchast desires And will till universal judgement flames Extinguish hers to all the kindlers shames If not eternal burnings Lord we pray Let grace those flames of lust in us allay Man's heart 's th' Asbestes once by lust on fire Its flames by nought but Gods lambs blood expire Lave ours therein Lord that they quench't may be And all the glory shall redound to thee An Epigram on the same FOndling what dote upon a kiss a smile A glance a touch and lose thy soul the while Can Leacheries short titillations please More then eternal death can thee disease There 's odds in time and measure infinite Betwixt thy true disease and false delight Curb then thy loose affections ponder well Cool thy Lust's flames with thought of flames of Hell VVith those fierce flames would'st thou not be anoi'd VVith them quench t'others and both flames avoâ—… Intemperancie another branch of sin ROom for the sink of filth the paunch of sin Full stuff'd with garbage that extends the skin And racks the entrails makes the belly swell Like Satans snap-sack plund'red out of Hell Or Fortunes Cornucopiae poured in Betwixt a Gormandizers nose and chin And running thence into his boundless womb Of meat and drink the most unsated tomb For they whom custom to that sin hath tide Send all that way whoever starve beside But Oh! the gemmy countenance most bright Exceeds in lustre far the Queen of night VVith Diamonds and Rubies so beset As if it were great Pluto's Cabinet Or Jewel-house and that the Nose had been A tyring Room for Proserpine his Queen VVith high-priz'd Pearls inlayed in a Box Resembling symptomes of the Lecher's Pox. Intemperancie in the creatures use Doth God our selves and other men abuse Beside th' abused creatures who though dumb VVill us accuse aloud in time to come This nice-mouth'd Dame tempted our grandame Eve To the seducing Serpent ear to give By which fond practice we depriv'd persever Of the sweet fruits of Paradise for ever Save that eternal Paradise to come Since purchast by our Jesus for our home VVhose fruits of glory that do never waste Are too pure objects for a fleshly taste This sweet-lipp'd Minion almost quench'd the spark Of faith in the Diluvian Patriarch VVho scaping water-flood by grace divine
Catarrhs yea Pox that mouts The feathers of our courtiers coxcombs so That they wear borrow'd heads lest they should show Their scalded crowns excess and drink prepares Their minds and bodies for those torrid wares Which they so dearly pay for that oft times They a bone-ague get to plague their crimes Excess of sickness-breeders is the King Most if not all diseases from her spring Yet cures she none hunger and thirst excepted Which might by temperance be intercepted With much more thrift to soul and bodie too As well's estate excess doth all undo Sardanapalus of great Nimrod's race And Heliogabalus that glutton base Feel this firm truth confirm'd And many more Great Emperours and Kings lie on the score Doom'd to eternal hunger thirst and pain Yea triple-crown'd earth-gods who erst did reign In Babylon mysterious are no doubt Where they with their false Keys can ne'er get out Epicurism hath tainted Peters Chair Most of all thrones on earth Romes very air Doth stink of surfeits it therewith infected All Christendom and made that vice neglected But ah poor England thou hast since out gone Thy giddy Mistress and art past by none Though Dutch and Dane go far it 's all our shame To be Deform'd in Deed Reform'd in Name Reformed Cburches Reformation need In Manners more then Doctrine if we heed How universally this sin doth reign ' Mongst us more rare in France abhor'd in Spain The Germans bought Excess at famines rate Speedy ensuing Lord prevent that fate From scourging ours and win our hearts with love Off from the creatures to the things above Spiritualize our appetites and then Feed us the fullest of all mortal men Indeed Lord so thou dost provide us store So great as never Nation had before But we thy Manna loath as did of old Thy people Israel our stomacks cold Are squeazy grown and turn the bread of life To noysome humours faction schism and strife Yea heresies are bred and foster'd by Thy means ordain'd for Truth and Unity Fulness hath wantoniz'd our appetites That one in this t' other in that delights A third in none knows what Yea oft the Cook Makes bad meat lik'd the Authors unread Book The Preachers Doctrine took on trust are priz'd Most men affect what 's vented or devis'd By those of their own faction howe'er bad Some all for old some for the new stuff mad That many preachers cook-like strain their wit For ev'ry coxcombs palate sawce to fit Whilst some like all some-none yet all are right In their own fancies darkness so is light Ah sharpen Lord our souls weak stomacks more To truth and unity then heretofore Evacuate those humours gross afford â—ls true digestion of thy sacred word That may pure nutriment abroad diffuse Into our Churches bodie grown profuse Not only stain'd with fleshly drunkenness And surfeiting but with soul-giddiness And Spirit'al intoxication Glutted with food of life Ah stupid Nation That none but you should strength of wit devote Poison to suck out of your Antidote To make your cordial suffocate your life The curing word of peace breed killing strife This drunkenness of spirit far exceeds â—n its malignity that which proceeds â—rom drinks inebriation that makes men â—egrade themselves to beasts and this agen â—romotes them with the mischief to be Devils â—oth are inflaming fuming flatuous evils â—otti-fer's spirit giddifies the first â—he last the sp'rit of Lucifer accurst â—ord sheild us from them both but most of all â—rom that most mortal which is Sp'ritual â—inse Lord our Nations from that beastial sin â—f bodily excess we wallow in â—hat we thy blessings temporal may use â—ith temperance and never more abuse â—…ur peerless plenty Ah! But rinse us too â—…om drunkenness of soul which will undo Both Church and State unless thy grace prevent Impow'r us Lord of both so to repent And both so to renounce henceforth that we From thy impending Judgements freed may be An Epigram on the same WHat Man turn'd Beast is Reason grown a yoke Tiresome that thou it sell'st for drink and smoke Are Health and Knowledge contemptible both That thou preferr'st to them Excesse and Sloth Is grace thy scorn thy body and thy soul Neither worth saving Then continue foul And so foul beast farewel Soft here 's another Both have one Father but not both one Mother Satan gets one of Flesh t'other of Spirit The last's his darling though both shall inherit His dismal Kingdom he doth her affect As his choice sieve to sift the Lords Elect She best resembles him though both are evil The first 's a Beast the last's a perfect Devil Presumption one of sins tops MAke room for Rome's great Sov'raign who hath worâ— The triple-crown e'er since 't was made whose horâ— Pushes at Stars and shakes the Host of Heaven At least those seeming so whose hand hath given More fatal wounds to self deluding souls Then there are Stars betwixt the worlds two Poles Presumption 's Highness who loves room so well She takes up most part of the room in Hell For her attendants whom she rocks asleep With songs of heav'n till they approach that deep And vast Abyss whence none was ever freed Such dangers from security proceed Presumption flatters mankinde to damnation With false Plerophory of their salvation And so they run relying on dead faith Hand over head unto eternal death Perfidious Traytor thou hast Myriads slain Who deem'd their state secure till in that pain That hath nor ease nor end they plagued were And saw that thy seducements brought them there Thou hadst a hand in Mans and Angels falls Thou didst of old first found proud Babe's walls Which brought on Adams progeny confusion And probably was cause of the effusion Of all the blood that hath in war been spilt In all the ages since O horrid guilt For change of tongues to change of hearts inclin'd Had they one Tongue kept so they might one Mind She martial'd Aegypts people and their King Themselves away in the Red Sea to fling Who having tri'd Gods wonders oft before Would madly needs provoke him to one more VVhereby sad extirpation them befel Whose souls the sea did waft from earth to hell She ston'd the great Goliah whilst he braves And makes the Philistins to Isr'el slaves Most likely 't is the wisest Solomon VVas train'd to sin by foul Presumption As well as by strange women for a man Of his great knowledge and experience can Hardly great sin commit or grace withstand Unless Presumption have therein a hand Next his son Rehoboam ten Tribes lost By this proud Dames provoking him to boast Vaunting Sennacherib th' Assyrian King Play'd blasphemies upon thy untun'd string To humble Hezekiah's loathing ears Till he retreated fill'd with shame and fears When sudden vengeance from his camp had call'n A hundred fourscore and five thousand fall'n And afterwards to his eternal pain In Idol-worship by his sons was slain The greater Nebucadnezar presumes To make new gods the old gods
right assumes Unto himself boasting great Babylon Built by his wit and pow'r mad thereupon Is forthwith doom'd among the beasts to live Till he do honour to Jehovah give The young man in the gospel whom Christ lov'd Thought he had done whatever him behov'd Fulfil'd Gods Laws yet was his case most foul Who lov'd his riches better then his soul The bragging Pharisce conceiv'd no less Of his proud self yea did so much express Yet his hypocrisie so great we see The Publican was judg'd more just then he Presumption magnifies our merits in Our own blear'd eyes and puffs up self within Begets low thoughts of others who exceed Us in sincerity it ere we heed Breeds blind opinion of our happy state Till she hath brought us home to Hell's black gate Then we discover what we thought not on Our high-priz'd faith but false presumption And oh what horrour will it cause to see Too late in what a sad estate we be She charms and stupifies our senses so That in what case we are we scarcely know Till we withal know that inevitable Our danger is and irremediable She us inveigles as she did of old Laodicea's Church nor hot nor cold Of lukewarm temper senslesly to vaunt Of riches goods increase and nothings want Whilst she was wretched miserable poor Naked and blind though he knock'd at the door Well nigh prepar'd to spue her out his mouth Who no such temper in his Bride allow'th This is Goliah's ghost sent sorth by him Whoâ— is Hell's Prince the Sp'ritual Philistim He by presumption dares God's sacred hoast Who of her great atchievments well may boast By whom bright Stars have fall'n and falling be Stars in our eyes though not in God's decree For Comets greater seem to judgmenâ—… rude Then fixed Stars of vaster magnitude Presumptioâ—s potions soporiferous A sad soul-apoplexy cause in us Which whilst we think we draw securest breath Lulls us asleep into eternal death She makes Hell's flames which neer shall quench or dy The first dark light we see our errors by Accurst deluder thou dost never cease With Syren's songs and lullabies of peace With promises of blisses sweet fruition To train men unawares into perdition Thou draw'st a curtain 'twixt us and the face Of divine justice that we may not place Our eyes on her lest she should scare from sin Or make us question what way we are in Thou unvail'st Mercie 's picture falsely painted With shameless sinners round about besainted Therein profan'â—… her nature and her name She saves but sinners who of sin take shame With many more such cheats to sin thou win'st Crocodiles tears sometimes perhaps thou whin'st For commonly on false repentance follow Presumptioâ—s counterfeits of faith which hollow The whole workâ— of poor mans conversion And cause from God's wayes more a version Dear Lord How subtle is this foe of ours VVe cannot her oppose without thy pow'rs And fresh supplies sincere humility Is the chief Engineer that can descry Her plots and storm her works a faith well grounded The Cannon shot whereby she is confounded Lord grant us both and then full safe are we And from presumptuous sin Lord keep us free An Epigram on the same INchaunting Circe sure thy slights are odd Thou Angels Devils mad'st the Pope a god Them thou didst fool with hopes they gods should be Him thou mad'st god a Devil most men see I question which was greatest of the evils Thy making him a God or else them Devils It matters not for present we shall see VVhen both thy gods and Devils together be Desperation sins other top HEll upon earth thy ghastly look affrights Beyond the visage of infernal sprights It strikes more terrour in a wounded soul Then all Hells Devils can Thou dost controll Faith hope and charity at once in us Thou wound'st and kill'st them all and dost win us Self-condemnation still to harp upon As if our sins could heavens God unthrone Transcend his mercies or surpass his grace Or we could do what he cannot deface Thou whisper'st horrid treason in the ears Of our disturbed souls distract'st with fears Of a defect of morcy in that God In whom defect can never have abode VVho is all mercy although infinite And makes sweet mercies works his chief delight Thou sowr'st our sweetest joys foul'st our most fair And spondent hopes thy breath 's invenom'd air Blasts worse then lightning thy lowd voices thunder Out-roars those cracks that rend the clouds asunder This grim-fac'd fury is Hells Charioteer Who drives on headlong souls that once draw neer She force most violent upon them lay'th When they have true remorse and want but faith In order to salvation She extends Sin 's too vast body to destructive ends She maimes faith's hands and puts out both her eyes She makes us fondly proferr'd grace despise She lies in ambush in the darkest nook Of light 's blest path and oft hath sliely took Dejected souls at penitence lane-end Preparing to lay hold upon their friend The Lord of life by faith when they are tir'd With trotting sins rough ring and deeply mir'd In their own filth she whips and spurs them on Into the boundless deeps who left alone Might sue forth pardon and the grace obtain Of being by faith's hand reliev'd again And so her wiles deserted souls do win To turn sin-sorrow's sacred self to sin She ruin'd earths great Heir apparent Cain When he had juster Abel basely slain She barr'd him this worlds joy and oh sad doom Depriv'd him of the joys of that to come She foyl'd the faithful Abrahams Heir's first born VVho lost a double birth-right for a scorn Yea lost his blessing too though grown more wise In vain he sought it with distilling eyes She wrought upon the Isra'lites first King VVitch-craft to use after abandoning That direful art and then provok'd him further VVith his own hands his loathed self to murther She forc't the traytor Judas who had sold His Master the great Shepherd of God's fold To hang himself his conscience to appease To haste from Earth to seek in Hell for ease VVhere if he found it none was found before Nor found shall be thenceforth for evermore After his sad revolt from sacred truth Mark but how eagerly this Fiend pursu'th Apostate Julian who despairing cry'd Vicisti Galilaee and so dy'd Great Bajazet the Turkish Emperour Brain'd his proud self incensed by thy pow'r And our third Richard Englands quondam King By usurpation wilfully did fling Himself away at Bosworth twice o'ercome By foes in field and by despair at home But what need I historick Cinders rake Examples to produce whereas they spake But sparingly of mens despair for sin One well known modern pattern sure had been Proof strong enough of desperation's force Poor Francis Spira man ne'er heard a worse VVho by seducing wiles of Antichrist Was drawn t'apostatize from real Christ Whenceforth he ne'er felt comfort more on earth But had a Hell within him curst his birth
my sins thou pâ—trifi'st My melting heart thou dri'st my tear-big-eyes Drawst in my sigh-puft sayles and balm appli'st To fest'red Ulcers whilst my Conscience cryes They should be search'd and cleans'd and so dost kill By artless curing But if I sustain A petty worldly cross thou shew'st thy skill With Probe and Corrosiveâ—… and here again Thou kill'st me twice whom worlds cross should not wound Were not thy dastard heart so apt to swound 6. Call I a Parliament within my brest And summon thither Faith Hope filial Fear Love and enlightned Conscience with the rest Of the Lords House if they do all appear Wit Learning Reason humane Wisdom Care The Moral Vertues and Dame Natures Gifts All which well us'd good Common Members are Out th' Higher House And then are put to shifts Themselves by thee who mak'st them actless fall Thou Autocrator-like dost turn out all 7. But Oh! if I a parley with thee call Each thought 's as soon enacted as conceiv'd Thy elbow-counsel are World Dev'l and all That we our selves by self may be deceiv'd Ah self-deluding self thou hast retain'd A cunning counsel whose abstruse advice Passes thy depth thou l't see 't when they have train'd Thee on to ruine prethee Self be wise And so adieu we needs must part farewel I 'm bent for Heaven and thou art guide to Hell Yet ah I 'm loath but I thy witchcrafts smell Thou mak'st this Stave my Yard of Verse an Ell. The Epigram SElf against self and yet both selfs in one Far better self left self or self were none Oh happy news they 're parted yet it 's wonder If these loath-parting selfs stay long asunder If we re-meet Lord grant to ill intents Our Parlies actless as our Parliaments The forraign Anchorite 1. REtired'st creature who would ere believe A living man should thus himself intombe Immur'd to live and die without reprieve In a poor Mason's off-springs ventless womb Such uncouth wayes to life in men reveal A frosty knowledge though a fiery zeal 2. Here mans hero-ick soul so low descends As to forsake communion with his kinde All intercourse with near related friends VVhich might each other edifie in minde And teach in word and deed pious converse Might spread thy faith through kingdoms by commerce 3. Is not thy talent hidden in this Cave Or at the best useful to none but thee Whilst thou abroad rich factorage might'st have VVhich for thy Master's and thy gain might be Sure thy account will hardly pass at last When on thy sloth such losses shall be cast 4. And why may not the tempter more prevail On thee in solitude It was his plot On our Redeemer thinking not to fail Of speeding when he him alone had got Thou tempt'st a tempter bold for he that dar'd To set on God and man of man ne'er fear'd 5. A stout and dreadful foe And if thou stand On thine own strength much more invincible VVer 't but a duel that thou tak'st in hand Of one to one such foe were terrible But when whole Legi-ons come marching on How wilt thou them oppose that art alone 6. Blind-zeal-sick soul in Charity I 'll judge Thee pixie-led in Popish piety VVho mak'st thy self the triple-crowns base drudge Debarr'd from all humane society VVho else might'st prove a Saint in future glory And yet enjoy these pleasures transitory 7. Thy life retir'd augments but their vain-glories VVho laugh at thee in secret all the while Thy fairie Elves who thee misled with stories Into the mire then at thy folly smile Yea clap their hands for joy Were I us'd so I would shake hands with them and turn their foe 8. Old countrey folk who pixie-leading fear Bear bread about them to prevent that harm Do thou the bread of life about thee bear God's purest Word and that those fiends will charm That splendid light will chase false lights away As ignes fatui flie from Sol's bright day An Epigram on the same SWeetly disposed soul for so I hope Though most deluded by thy self and Pope Perquire Zoographers and none recite A Romane Pope turn'd willing Anchorite Now they so much abhor such doubtful ways They 'll not to Heaven go without false â—ayes Another on the same FOnd man what an unwritten way is this Thou walkst to Hea-ven and wilt Hea-ven miss Take God's word for thy guide and thou shalt have My word that that 's the way that he will save Nay thou his word shalt have who is the way And word of life that thou shalt live for Aye The domestick Anchorite 1. WElcome my soul from thy late pilgrimage To Romish Anchorites secluded cell Thou' rt welcom home and now I 'll thee ingage To view an English Anchorite as well Observe thy self with heed and thou shalt see Thou art much more an Anchorite then he 2. Thou art a free-born sparke of race divine Sprung from eternal parentage inspir'd By great Jehovah of thy God's right line Stamp't with his Image with his Spirit fir'd And yet by native sin art from thy birth Immur'd in this dull nasty lumpe of earth 3. Thy body is thy jayl and keeper both A stricter keeper and a jayl more sure Man never had although thou still art loth To be releas'd thy case is quite past cure For if to free thy self thou shouldst endeavour That act will make thee a worse slave for ever 4. Thy great Creator made his Covenant Of works that thou in doing thus shouldst live And raign eternally but if works want Shouldst die for evermore without reprive That sacred Covenant this body broke And drew on thee poor soul this hellish yoke 5. A Covenant of Grace then God devis'd By a Redeemer his own onely Son Which most transcendent easie terms compris'd Believe be sav'd Believe not be undone Yet still this rotten carkass doth withstand When Heaven 's offer'd she draws in Faith's hand 6. It is a Jayl so close that thou dost fill Each smallest Angle of her Continent And all her rooms at once no Mason's skill So close an Anchoritage could invent By the admired Architectors Art Thou 'rt All in All and All in ev'ry part 7. Thy Jayl's thy self for thou and it are one Yet all your inclinations opposite Your proper actings vary not alone But still to contrarieties incite Will'st thou thy Keeper nills what thou dost nill Do what thou canst thy Keeper do it will 8. Thy windows all are shut in this dark cave Thy eyes clos'd up and when like sealed Dove Thou fain wouldst flutter upward light to have This flesh to thee united will not move But draws thee back and clips thy soaring wings Or at thy lofti'st pitch thee downward flings 9. The world hath none more Anchorite then thou Thy case seems desperate And yet a cure I 'll thee prescribe and briefly shew thee how Thou may'st be safe put but the same in ure If thou wilt soul and body both refresh When Spirit 's sick give Physick to the flesh 10.
Give her a Vomit of Repentance true Steept well in tears and taken next the heart Till that be broke each day the same renew A paradoxick Cure in physick 's Art Purge oft by fasts and prayers till thereby An Issue thou procure in either eye 11. Take a good quantity of detestation Of hatred and abhorrencie of sin Chiefly of that neer to thee in relation Which hath thy Darling and Beloved bin Thy right hand thy right eye cut off pluck out And cast from thee these wounds will cure no doubt 12. When thou hast soundly thus evacuated Thy sinful humours if thou faintish grow And feel thy strength somewhat too much abated By Faith this Cordial take that I thee show A dose of God-mans blood mixt with his merits 'T will thee restore and cheer thy heart and spirits 13. The greatest Doctor ere on earth did tread A better med'cine ne'er prescrib'd to man This life restores to men whole ages dead Nay this eternal life procure thee can But after vomit still beware returning And in and after purging keep zeal burning 14. This will restore God's Image lost by sin Make thee his son thee with his Spirit fill Free thee from keeper and the jayl thou' rt in Hereby thou mayst both covenants fulfil Open thy windows and unclose thine eyes And higher mount then Lark or Eagle flies 15. By this thou may'st flie higher then the spheres Out-mount all mortal thoughts and live most free From worldly thraldoms crosses cares and fears Have God's imperial throne prepar'd for thee To King it in when thou from hence shalt soar To raign with him in joy for evermore The Epigram MY soul take my advice It 's good no doubt Thou and thy Jayl were both turn'd inside out Pray him that made you both for Jesus sake He 'll thee henceforth thy keepers keeper make 'T would main advancement to his glory be Could'st thou o'er-rule this wretch that now rules thee Another on the same TRanscendent wonder that who 's born most free A slave unto himself should freely be That the diviner soul of god-like birth Should be a vassal to a lump of earth But she had never thus imprison'd bin Had not this body captiv'd her by sin Mortifie thou this body for 't and then Thou shalt regain thy liberty agen Subdue its lusts break its proud heart asunder Then by Christ's help thou 'lt keep thy keeper under To Christians rigidly censorious DEar fellow-members of that mystick head Who is our Jesus and our Christ should be Who ever must be so acknowledged By those that hope his face with joy to see Cease all rash judgment look on me a worm The most unworthy member of you all Who cannot as I would base self reform Yet trust in him to do 't who 's all in all Who sees and governs hearts with much more ease Then men can actions let his love divine Calm your incensed spirits and appease Your zealous hearts forbear to judge of mine Or others mens estates by bare surmise To stumble at our failings for we stand Or fall to our great master who espies The thoughts words deeds of each heart tongue and hand And judgeth all uprightly whom nor fear Nor favour e'er can sway nor bribe corrupt Happy are you that can your wills forbear And them subject to his who interrupt Lusts passions and affections natural By his assisting grace for thereby 't is Alone that you can stand and though we fall Often and much rob us not of the bliss Of your conniving Charity but give Mild censures of our states for our desires Like yours are infinite wishing to live In each particular as God requires But ah corrupted nature so much sways In our frail hearts and all our duties taints We leave his pure to walk in our vain ways No less might you wer 't not for his restraints Forbid Lord that I here should plead for sin In customary practise unoppos'd It 's crimes in which we fall not wallow in Our hearts the while being otherwise dispos'd Death's body that is in us towes us on To do what our oppressed souls abhor Whence none can us deliver but who 's gone Yet staies with thee our pardons to implore On whom alone for mercy we depend Since 't is thy will who won shall wear the prize His merits not our own our cause defend And they alone thy justice can suffice Our morning-dews our menstruoâ—s raggs are full Of emptiness as well as filth that soiles Our souls with self-conceit which renders dull And dead our duties and our graces foils So whilst we in our selves for something look We overlook our souls Pau-pharmacon And swallow Satans subt'lest bayt and hook Which so besots mysterious Babylon Self-merit which can ne'er God's test endure Though we may hug our selves in high-flown hopes They 'll vanish soon and we shall stand impure In his pure eyes who 'll storm down all self-props Dear brethren militant who here wage war Against world flesh and Devil our common foes If any of you herewith tainted are As many doubtless are though who none knowes Let me beseech your interchange of pray'rs For us to graces sacred throne and ours Shall be for you this mutual love repaires All Christian breaches cry with all your powers For our more strict obedience and we 'll cry With ours for your humility the while And let 's all cry for Christian unity Betwixt us all divisions do defile Our mothers face they sully her fair skin And schism hath branded truths sweet self with lies Whilst we neglect the danger we are in And foster errors which our foes devise Purposely to divide that they may raign And ruine undescri'dly Church and State To bring us back inslav'd to Rome and Spain Oh haste prevention lest it prove too late Let 's joyn hearts hands and heads let 's cry aloud With true repentant tears for our high crimes Which cry for vengeance and are yet allow'd Frist mend our selves then we shall mend the times For we have marr'd them and till we reform They 'll grow but worse in spight of wit of force Or policy And we shall have a storm Insensible by all our foot and horse Defend dear Lord defend these sinfull lands From thy impending judgments and retract Thy unsheath'd sword and let not their fierce hands Thy just revenge on these vile Nations act Who are thy foes and ours though our deserts Plead strongly so to have it but reclaim Our sinful lives and turn our stubborn hearts That we at last may at thy glory aim And scorn self-ends the Idol of this Land Lest self-ends bring us to self-ends indeed As well as in intention Lord thy hand Alone can save us blessed God proceed Wonders to work within us In our change As thou hast long without us wonders wrought Turn us from bad to good thy plagues estrange Which unrepented sins have on us brought Restore us unity and peace divine Let thy sweet Gospels
makes them both Heav'n and Hell Her age in times meer infancy was vast Transcending all Arithmeticians skill The number of her fore-past years to cast Though they should use the stars that Heaven fill Each grass and grain of dust that Earth can shew And all the drops and sands in Sea and shore With the Ayre 's Atomes they would be too few Were each a thousand thousand millions more For figures that grand number to express To which they would amount Howe'er when time Shall be no more her youth will be no less Then at the first O wonder most sublime Here muse and stand amaz'd presumptuous man Who squandrest pretious time in seeking that VVhich when possess'd annoys Content ne'er can Be found in Treasures Honours Pleasures flat False titillations They the fancy please With momentaneous tickling but the foul Can no satiety receive from these Whilst her diviner eyes espie their foul And gross delusions winning us to waste Our time of grace short week of working dayes On toyes and trifles care away to cast Neglecting our creation's end his prayse That formed us and so to lose our pay In that eternal Sabbath's rest to come And gull us with false hopes that fade away When Judgement dooms us Hell for our sad home Whose everlasting flames should us deter From their allurements and our souls provoke No longer true repentance to defer But take upon us our Redeemers yoke Embrace his endless love And let that force Our souls to grace by holy violence Redeem our time by Faith and true remorse And giving neither God nor man offence For on the husbanding of this short span Of our frail life eternal life depends Or death eternal Oh! when this we scan It should unbottom us from all false ends And keep us firm in truths sincerest wayes And in the pathes of life that when times race Is run and all distinguishments by dayes Hours months years shall here no more have place We may enjoy Eternity above Whereof that we may not at last be mist But ponder still in heart what doth behove Eternity Ah dearest Lord assist AMEN The Epigram on the same ETernity my Muse doth quite confound Her true Description never Mortal found Rings Snakes and Globes with such round things as those Th' Ancients for her diâ—…e resemblance chose A boundless Plain a pointless Parallel A Circle that includes both Heaven and Hell Yet hath nor Centre nor Circumference Demonstrable to Reason or to sence Each Mathematick poinâ— of whose vast Ring Equals her whole Dimension Wondrous thing Yet true as strange Nay more I 'll tell you what Think what man cannot think and she is that She rounds my Verse no man her depth can sound Eternity my Muse doth quite confound Objections Solutions and Chorus Objection 1. WHy should onely Man desire To transgress his Makers Laws Who made him so high aspire That all earthly things he awes Solution 1. NOthing but corrupted Nature Made Man so perverse a creature Nothing but renewing Grace Can Mans guilt and filth deface Objection 2. WHy should Christ from glory come To be born in coursest home Live and die in pain and grief For unthankful mans relief Solution 2. NOthing but divinest Love Brought our Maker from above Who for all his grief and pain Craves but Love for Love again The CHORE OH admired Love divine Suit our hearts with love to thine Then adieu false creature-joys Welcom Truths and farewel Toys Man's Heart 1. A Curious triangle methinks I see Immur'd by Heav'ns Eternal Architect His seed-plot of each Grace divine to be A glorious Paradise without defect A Paradise in Paradise that 's slight The Paradise of Paradise the throne Of the worlds great Creator whose delight Was fiâ—… therein his Majesty thereon Such was Mans heart and such might still have bin Had he baulk'd Serpentine deceit of sin 2. But ah most horrid fate since Adam fell This Nursery a Wilderness is grown Eden of Eden is the Hell of Hell And Graces plants by Pride's puffs over-thrown Earth-mice have eat the seeds the thorns and briers Hemlock and Wormwood have o'er spread the ground Once till'd to grace Lusts and corrupt desires With all their base productions there abound And what was once the King of Glories home Is wholly now a Den for Fiends become 3. World flesh and devil this triangle have fill'd Having got full possession plac'd therein A cursed rabblement of Elves that build Fortifications and strong holds for Sin The blessed Founders greatest Enemy Who in them rests secure thence Grace repells Though profer'd by the Lord spontaneously And all good Inclinations quite expells Whence from a sp'ritual Cana-an it 's grown No less then a mysterious Babylon 4. It 's now the old Red Dragons Nursery A new Plantation of each hateful crime The Shop of that accurst Apothecary Who therein doth his pois'nous drugs sublime Pride's Mercury Zeal-chilling Ellebore Intemperancies Swine-bane Antimony Of Infidelity and thousands more The Opium of dull security And Lusts Cantharides these he refines By them to work his mischievous designes 5. The cunning Gardiner doth oft-times graft Bud and inoculate to shew his skill Produc'th fair-seeming flow'rs on stocks stark naught And specious fruits from roots corrupt and ill But these like Sodoms Apples vanish quite If try'd by touch which sorts he mostly plants In a close corner for his own delight Allotted to Hypocrisie where wants No dressing that the Devil can afford To nourish plants accursed and abhorr'd 6. Stand you but there at gaze and you will deem Your self in Heaven with Saints incircled round Whilst it is Hell and Devils for they but seem And are not real as will once be found The Angels trumpets that at last shall blow Our Resurrection-summons them shall blast And we their painted falsities shall know Themselves in everlasting flames be cast Their rotten Roots which all shall plainly see Proclaim who Impt them and whose Imps they be 7. Dread God! shall this Intruder still possess Thy sacred portion and thy choisest field 'T will make him question thine Almightiness Avenge thee Lord and force the fiend to yeild Root out his worthless plants and replant thine New turn the ground and sow thy seeds of grace Afresh therein and let thy power divine Cherish them there Satans rank weeds deface Batter his raised forts his forces rout Re-enter in thy Right and turn him out 8. Renew thy sin-demolish'd Image here Hallow this little frame to thy great praise New mold new make the model hence cashier Innate corruptions plain the crooked ways Throw down the hills and hillocks raise the vales Manure the barren ground more fertile make The erst unfallow'd plots re-build the walls Thy wonted pleasure in this fabrick take Lord it did cost thee dear when thou went'st hence To purchase it with thy heart-blood's expence An Epigram on the same COuld not Creations Title keep Gods Right In mans false heart that subtile Serpents spight Compell'd him to
hath seen Say Princess great why is thy look so grim To what 's meer man being so fair and trim To gracious souls it's but the fear of change That makes thee so And yet oh wonder strange Want of change caus'th that fear man hear my breath Change but thy self thou'lt ne'er fear change by death Death's visage is a looking-glass wherein Thou view'st thy foul deformity by sin It 's guilt of that breeds fear of death in man Whilst rinsed souls with joy embrace it can See see besotted earth-worm who hast run The race of man and nought but cob-webs spun Sow'd rotten seed death thy race terminates Cuts off thy warp thy harvest antidates And makes it dreadful which might joyful be If thou thy way of safety couldst but see Death is a bond-mark-bridge to Heav'n and Hell On yonder side On this to earth as well Three spatious Kingdoms yea the three and all On this side are two roads which equal fall At the bridge-end the roads of joy and wo And every man in one of them doth go On t'other side two spatious Inns are built The one for innocence t'other for guilt To entertain the Travellers that pass The former roads In these a boundless mass Of joyes and woes are treasur'd up in store Where they shall joy or mourn for evermore Both Inns are at Bridge-end on t'other side One hath a narrow gate the other wide Whoe'er in either enters ne'er returns But there eternally or joys or mourns Joy's road is narrow rough and thorny woe 's Broad plain and smooth wherein the whole world goes Have care to chuse thy path and rightly judge For there 's no changing paths beyond the bridge But each of all the num'rous pilgrims throngs Lies in that Inn that to his path belongs And there remains for ever Heed thy walk It 's of concernment high whereof we talk Tread the straight path then death will be thy friend And guide thee to joy's Inn at journey's end For she presents the ghests in both the places And is chief Umpire in all doubtful cases For many seem to walk in way of zeal Whose specious shews do good opinion steal Ev'n of the best Yet tri'd by death's true test Lie down in sorrows Inn among the rest Others but few may seem to walk the ways That lead to wo whom death at last displays To be the joy-house ghests who there sit down And for their crosses here enjoy a crown Death is both ferry-man and boat whereby We launch the Ocean of eternity The Poets Charon who doth waft alone Souls to Elysium or to Acheron It is the intermitting point whereby We time divide from perpetuity Our time dies with us though time 's self remain Unto the time when we shall rise again In brief it 's but a blank at life's line 's end To bad men mortal foe to good a friend It 's amiable in a faithful eye But horrible to Belial's progeny Fond man cease death to fear make right thy heart Faith steeps in Balsamum death's surest dart Trans-forms its wounds to cures for thou shalt live Eternally by the wound death doth give The Epigram PAle Princess spare thy threats we know thy force Thou su'st the soul and bodies short divorce It lasts but one night's rest and that 's a toy For in the morning they shall meet with joy Thou wounded'st once our brother Lord and King And in that wound drone-like didst lose thy sting Now thou canst hurt no more save such mad elves As bring thee a new sting to kill themselves 'T were better for them death had kept his sting Then they be stung to death by stings they bring Though plain perire be a fate past jest Pennis perire propriis grave est Judgment HArk hark rebellious man the trumpet sounds Thy judgment-march the earth for fear rebounds Rocks rock the mountains tremble all the world Is ague-shook into hearts passion hurl'd Tellus keeps open house the grave 's unfraught Thetis re-renders up the dead she caught Both now their captives forth to judgment bring Before the throne of Heav'ns eternal King They can't detaine a dust of good nor bad But re-deliver must whate'er they had The ratling flames with horrid whirling roar Drink up the Sea and eat at once the shoar It 's quite in vain to mountains now to cry Or rocks to hide they all like atoms fly Hence in the beams of fire-light Oh! look look Sun Moon and Stars have Firmament forsook They fall like mellow fruit in blustring storms The spheres are shrivel'd up and loose their forms The Elements do melt the fixed Stars Fall down pel-mel as soldiers drop in wars The Heavens can no canopy afford No curtain thee to hide for in a word Both Heav'n and earth are nonplus'd at this blast And shall together in new molds be cast Thou' rt past advising now appear thou must Thy sentence to receive which will be just That 's all thy comfort and small comfort 't is To those who in this life have done amiss For all accounts shall here be fully cast And each man have full pay for labour past See yonder where the Judges books are come Whereby he judges and will pay all home According as appears by those records Whose counterparts thy own scar'd soul affords And still hath kept lockt up in conscience-chest But now must bring them forth among the rest Both she and thou and all know all is true In those records so there needs no review Sentence will soon be past the judge will say To you of his left-handed herd Away Depart from me ye cursed into fire That lasts for ever fitted for your Sire The Devil and his Angels Oh sad doom Yet ne'er to be revok'd for time to come Wer 't but to death or to annihilation The pains would end by senses deprivation But in these torments life and sense remain Yet neither life nor sense save those of pain Pains measureless and endless pour'd on thee Where wronged mercy will most cruel be Millions of ages past thy pains appear As far from end as when thou first wast there Their measure is as much as Devils can Devise of torment to inflict on Man Or an Almighty God can storm on those Who have declar'd themselves his mortal Foes There needs no more be spoke Ah wretched wight Think on this day before eternal night Prevent thy thinking on 't by being in 't Fence off the blow before thou feel the dint It 's true in God's as well's in Nature's school QUIS EXPECTAVIT is a cure-less fool If hearing man be told that death is nigh And scorns to heed it he must surely die Heed heed thy way of peace in this thy time Repent each former shun each future crime Redeem thy time to come none can what 's past Spend thy first hour as if it were thy last Think still thou dost the trumps loud summons hear ARISE you Dead to Judgement quick appear With penitential water
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