Righteousnesse which thou Didst earst begin reueale to mee but now Hast clouded from mine eies againe Alas I am not steele nor is my flesh of brasse As earst I said that I should e'r endure Such heauie fearefull brunts as these for sure I feele with Hâ—man now Thy wrathfull hand Lies hard on mee and who is able stand Vnder its weight Againe t is of a truth Thy terrors haue I suffred from my youth Vp hitherto so grieuous that I lye Like him who is euen at the point to dye At euery minâ—â—es end or else to goe Beyond those bounds of Heman Sea of woe Behold I 'm dead already yet not dead As Heman seem'd almost who was but led With outward grieuances to plaine and cry As here hee did in his extremitie For want of friends or c'ause his enemies Were multiply'd and his aduersities Had ouer-whelm'd him quite yet none would heare Or pitty him so that he was as 't were A man forlorne euen brought vnto his graue For want of what indeed he ought to haue And sure these his extremes were wondrous great I must confesse whence hee might well intreat Thy aiding face for helpe and might complaine For want of it when all things else were vaine And either fled as friends or did conspire As foes to clog him still in sorrowes mire But these if this bee all are gentle flawes To my more inward stormes of soule because They only kill our bodies but these waues Hurry our soules to moâ—e vnhappy graues And sure 't were nought if I had all the griefes This world can load mee with yet no reliefes At all from it and were my friends most deare Farre distant from mee as they are not neere And were it that they all forsooke mee quite And euery one besides swolne vp with spight As cruell foes to vex mee still and I Were left implung'd in all the miserie That worldlings can inuent brought to my graue As Heman was Only let mee but haue The ioy of thy sweet countenance and then I will not once so much as grieue at them Let meee I say but haue my peace with thee And come what comes all shall bee well with mee For all the worst that they can doe is this To send my soule the sooner to her blisse But woe is mee these are but toies if waid With my great grieuances for lo thou 'st laid Me in the lowest pit a dismall place Of nought but darknesse where no glimpse of Grace Doth once so much as shine on mee whereby I might but taste some true felicity In these my griefes or else might cease to bee In miserie whiles I might speake to thee In praises not in plaints Alas I 'm dead Already as I said my soule 's o'respred With a benumming Lethargie of sin So that I 'm throughly dead but where Within My body liues alas but wo is mee My soule is dead and that for want of thee Which art alone her life this is my graue The deepe wherein I am that dismall Caue Whereto I 'm brought and who alas am I E'r to endure so great a misery As this to liue without a soule or bee Left to my selfe and quite depriu'd of thee Alas how oft shall I repeate how oft Shall I tell o're my griefes what is there nought That 's able comfort mee Hast thou forgot Thy mercies O my God or hast thou not One blessing left for mee shall it bee said That euer any sought to thee for aide And was deni'd Or can mans miserie Exceed the bounds of thy benignitie And mercie which is infinite Oh no I 'm quite amisse these can bee nothing so Thy mercies neuer were forgot nor thou Without a blessing for a sonne though now Thou seemest hard in granting me beside There 's none e'r sought thee that was yet deny'd Thy sauing Grace nor can mans miseries Exceed the bounds of thy benignities And mercies which are infinite for they Are onely finite but if so I pray Let me goe on with thee my God then why Dost thou so long proâ—ogue my miserie And dost not grant my suite for I haue cry'd To thee for mercy but am yet deny'd In my extremes Alas what wouldst thou haue How should I woo thee or how should I craue To win thy loue Thou know'st I am but man And wouldst thou haue me doe more than I can I may not force thee whe'r thou wilt or no To loue and pitie me for were it so I needed not intreate so much but I Am thine O Lord my poore humanitie Is subiect to thy becke and let it bee My glorie still still to be so to thee But then what shall I doe Where shall I goe To ease me of this heauie griefe for lo I 'ue gone about as man and done my best To weare it out but yet I cannot rest One while I thinke to driue away the paine By drowzying out my time but this is vaine When I awake it comes afresh but then To trie the common helpes of godlesse men Which mostly now they vse to driue away Some melancholy dump or drowzie day I card it out awhile but for the Die Indeed I hate ' cause 〈◊〉 vanitie That hangs so much on chance and has â—o wit And fiue to one ' gainst him that laies on it And then perchance as when some three or foure Of honest Lads are met to lose an houre Or two in sober merriment we haue A Bowle or twaine of Beere but hee 's a knaue They say that drinkes not whole ones off but I Haue alwaies hated too this vanitie ' Cause 't has no shew of pleasure in 't vnlesse It be to drowne ones braines in sottishnesse And ' reaue him both at once of sense and wit Which if it please let men delight in it For me I like it not But here againe As earst I said this helpe is also vaine Alas it giues me no content for when I 'ue spent away my time with other men In these or such like fooleries as these And dreame all 's well because I seeme to please My outward fence alas euen then I finde So often secret pangs within my minde Which come as dolefull warning-bells to toule Such fearefull peales to my dead-sleepie soule That I can neuer rest in peace vntill I 'ue quite throwne off this Viper of mine ill The sinne that hangeth on so fast for this It is alone that interrupts my blisse The cursed cloud that hath almost vndone My wofull soule by keeping off the Sunne Of Grace so long from it And here alas I alwaies feele how e'r it comes to passe Such inward warres that there 's no peace with me Nor will before I haue my peace with thee Others perchance may feele a seeming â—ase When they resort to such vaine helpes as these In their extremes Indeed I cannot tell What others fâ—â—le but that it
death from hell I need not feare My debts are paid and all my miserie Is freely ta'ne away from me and I Made Citizen of Grace and shall possesse Ere long the full of changelesse happinesse O welcome newes and faine would I belieue This which I would were true but lo I grieue Because I cannot see so much my sin Doth lie so lumpish on my soule within And presseth downe so sore alas that I Cannot so much as lift my drowzy eie To apprehend this Light O wretched man VVho shall deliuer me All that I can Seemes worse and worse the more I seeme to stand The more I see Satan with all his band Of wicked thoughts so furiously combine To pull me downe that all the strength of mine Cannot so much resist but wretched I Am hurried downe to deeper miserie Thus miserable man with griefe I see Such fearefull tumults rising still in mee That I can neuer rest or long possesse The sweet beholding of my happinesse Sometimes I feele indeed O blessed houre My soule is rauisht by a secret pow'r Descending from aboue whose sweet inspires Doe worke such wonders on my slow desires That I am carried suddenly so high Beyond my selfe beyond mortalitie As scarce mee thinkes I would vouchsafe a thought On any thing below which seemes as nought Not worth the looking on when I compare Its basenesse with the price of what is there Alas t is all as dung for while mine eyes Are busied in those higher Theories Mee thinks I seeme in manner to possesse A part of Heau'ns eternall Blessednesse Which now I am so thirsty for and faine Would haue those sweet assurances againe But lo when I had lifted vp mine eye To apprehend this sacred Mystery Of thine eternall loue and kisse that Sun Of Grace which seem'd thus smilingly to run To lighten mee and by his pow'rfull beames To draw mee out from these my deepe extremes Of sin and misery Lo here I say When I had thought Sure now my wished day Of happines is come and I shall see The sweet beginnings of my life with thee My aduersarie Satan hee that still Hath been th'occasioner of all my ill Sly Serpent as hee is that alwayes lies And lurks to take his opportunities To spoyle man of his happinesse Lo hee That alwayes beares immortall enmity To thee and thine as grieuing much that I Should euer see that happy mystery Of this thy boundlesse loue to mee and then When I had seene to tell to other men Thy wondrous workes that they might also see How good thou art and so appeale to thee In all their deepe extremities whereby Satan must downe for when wee magnifie Thy high and hallowed Name then doth hee know That hee is neerest to his ouerthrow Hee sets on mee a fresh I say for now Hee saw how neere his time was come and how I almost was beyond his reach hee 'gins To summon all the legions of my sins To presse on mee at once and interpose As gloomy clouds that sun which now arose To comfort mee and herewithall I 'gan O see the weakenesse of a sinfull man To droope and drowzie out my time as one That sleepeth out the absence of the Sun In gloomy dayes Mee thought I had no heart To any good But see the damned art Of this deceauer when hee saw that I Was drowzing thus an opportunity Wherein most commonly hee workes his will By drawing man from drowzinesse to ill Hee secretly inuades on mee and there Layes all his wicked stratagems to reare A mutiny within mee where my Sprite Because shee was depriu'd of that sweet light Which was indeed her life did quickly yeeld And then my flesh gan repossesse the field Which done hee represents vnto my will New killing sin vnder the sweetest pill That sense can wish so pleasing to mine eye And taste I could not chuse but take and try The flesh enforced so and Reasons sight Was gone I could not see to take the right New sin said I Oh no the sin was old Only it had put on another mold Seeming farre sweeter then before but loe When eaten t was the very gall of woe Thus doth hee slyly vse to represent Old sin to vs in formes of new content Such as hee knowes will please vs best but when The soule hath eaten it againe Oh then Shee sees with griefe the sin is nothing new But old in all saue in its act and hue And that new-seeming good it had in show In proofe alas is nothing lesse then so Now by the way you troubled soules that be In earnest longings as it were with mee To see that Sun of happinesse euen you That faine would bid this world and all adieu To solace in his light whose vertuous beames Will quickly wipe away all teary streames From off your eyes and rayse you vp so high As ne'r more to bee touch't with misery Bee not dismai'd I pray although you see Those many rubs that crosse and hinder mee In this my way to happinesse but thinke Your selues must haue the like before you drinke Of that pure Well of life Expect that hee Which alwaies deales thus treacherously with mee Doth also watch your wayes and when he spies His fittest time will reare vp mutinies Within you too for lo hee 'l neuer cease To vex vnlesse it bee where all is peace VVith him that is whose soules are all within His owne precincts as willing slaues to sin And ' mongst the rest when wicked thoughts arise That represent you nought but vanities Seeming to please the flesh Oh then take heed Satan is come on you and if with speed You doe not cast them off they will betray The soule into his hands Oh these are they That set on mee so sore these are the pills That doe induce mee to so many ills These interrupt my soule when she would fly Beyond this nether Orbe of vanity To contemplate her God that only can Giue true content vnto the soule of man And these are they O would to God that I Could say herein vnto my selfe I lye VVould sad experience had not made mee know The truth of this to mine abundant wo That slyly steale vpon and doe surprize Those heau'n-bent hearts and vpward looking eyes That would bee votaries to good while they Are Pilgrims here still traueling on the way To their eternall blessednesse the home VVhereto they cannot rest vntill they come And carry them euen quite against their will To straying paths to wander on in ill And when alas the soule shall but digest One little thought of ill yea though the least That make the roome for more so strong is ill The very least is great enough to kill For one ill seldome goes alone but when That gets a hold it brings in other ten As bad or worse then it which being in As wicked theeues they presently begin To
shades may bid adue While his sweet rayes come vsh'ring in the day Or run as Iohn before to make the way And here great Lord come raise mee vp so high According to thy word that now mine eie May soare vp to thy Mercy-seate and there As Heau'ns pure eyes fixt in a holier Spheare Bee freed from all corruptions taint while I Go bathe my soule in that sweet Theorie Of thine eternall loue and when I see Those high prerogatiues I haue by thee How thou hast made mee free from death from sin From hell and all those miseries wherein I now lye plung'd and those whereto I tend As of my selfe and lesse thy Grace descend And quickly come and take mee vp alas I needs must fall and when it comes to passe That thy sweet Comforter shall come and tell To my sad soule againe that all is well VVith mee and when I feele thy quickning Sprite That harbenger and pledge of true delight Beare witnesse vnto mine that I am made Free man of Grace whereof I 'ue but a shade Whiles here on earth but shall hereafter haue The very substance much as I can craue Or shall know how to wish as earst to me Thou didst declare in that sweet mysterie Of thy great loue then shall my tongue and pen Be wholly votaries to thee and then My sad Vrania whose now weeping eies Are quite worne out with plainings teares and cries When she but apprehends those gladsome raies Shall metamorphose all her notes to praise And I myselfe with all I haue will be As one that 's wholly consecrate to thee Who am alone redeem'd by thee Oh then Here come my God here quickly come agen And take me vp here let me sweetly heare Those heau'nly tunes againe which did while-ere Giue such reuiuals to my soule that I Was almost past my Sea of miserie Ne'r to be plung'd in it againe if thou Hadst not so suddenly with-drawne the brow Of that sweet Sun-shine of thy Grace whereby I 'gan to see the blessed libertie Of those who are the sonnes of God But come Great Maker now and what thou hast begun In me thy creature perfit vp that so When after-ages shall both see and know How kindly thou hast dealt with me they may Appeale to thee in like extremes and pray To thee alone for helpe seeing that I Dauids poore man did humbly call and crie To thee and was deliuer'd for if he Were heard they 'le say then doubtlesse so shall we What wilt thou more This is the time and place As earst I said thou seest I want thy Grace So much poore soule as scarce I 'm able call To thee for Grace and if thou 'lt let me fall Alas I 'm ready to consent altho It be my thraldome to eternall woe Ne'r thence to be redeem'd againe nay more Alas I cannot chuse but fall so poore And weake a wretch am I that faine if I Might haue my will 〈◊〉 decreed to die I 'd seeke out opportunities wherein I would enact sâ—me higâ—â—vnhallowed sin That might exclude not quite from thee alas Such are the deeds my selfe would being to passe And none but such and then how canst thou haue A fitter opportunitie to saue Then now thou hast in me Was euer man Brought neerer yet to hell then now I am That want but one vnhappie step Oh no There 's none can fall to greater deepes of woe Vnlesse he fall to hell it selfe for I Am the next step so full of miserie As quite ore-come with it or one whose sense Is dull'd with its exceeding violence That so I cannot feele my selfe vnlesse It be like him that 's in a drowzinesse Or some vnhappie Lethargie whereby He dully feeles but knowes not how to crie Or plaine himselfe or call for helpe and sure This dangerous sicknesse is beyond the cure Of humans best preseruatiues which can At most but reach vnto the outward man To ease or comfort that awhile but when Those heauie pangs oppresse the soule O then All these are vaine for what were it if I Should liue in body whiles in soule I die Alas this were the life of death when that Which is my bodies life is dead But what What doe I meane Why is my troubled sprite Distracted thus Can griefe be infinite Which rises from that inward sight of sin Whereby we waile that wofull â—ase wherein We see our selues by nature and whereby We learne betimes to climbe so humbly hie As wholly to forsake our selues and cast Our hopes alone on thee who onely hast The treasures of eternall life Sure no This is that happie path by which we goe Into the way of sauing 〈◊〉 and this Is that sweet mâ—lium to our future bliâ— Through which indeed we must before we may Approach those 〈◊〉 of eternall day Here then deare God here will I humbly waite With lowly confidence in this my straite A straite more great then Dauids was when hee Did earst betake himselfe alone to thee Because thy mercies were so great and here Because thy mercies also are full neere In mid'st of humanes greatest deepes that hence We might obserue 't is thy Omnipotence And Goodnesse onely that relieues when wee Are ready to despaire because we see Nought else but death within our selues and how There 's nought beside can doe vs good that thou May'st be made all in all because I say Thou art so good here will I humbly stay Vntill thy mercies raise me vp euen here Confounded in my plaints without a teare To tell my further griefes to verifie That sorrow in extremes is alwaies drie Here will I lay me downe here will I stay Alas because I haue no more to say For lo I 'm dead in sinne and griefe Oh then Here let thy goodnesse shew it selfe my Pen And Muse can speake no more till thou descend And teach them more needs must I make an end And thus in deepes of this my silent griefe I humbly waite for answer of reliefe Here laying downe my selfe much like a man That 's carelesse growne I sleepingly began To drowzie out my dayes not caring how I plai'd the Prodigall with time for now Said I Sure I can doe no more mine eies Are wearied with my teares my sighes and cries Haue quite ore-whelm'd my feeble soule and I Am plunged in so deepe a miserie That now I know not what to doe alas For who am I My pilgrim-daies doe passe Away as shades and still the more I haue Of life the more I doe approach my graue All this I see aye me and more then this That very cloud that hinders all my blisse My sinnes doe still increase on me yâ—â— they Will haue no interruptions though my day Be clouded ere so much they will not cease To vex my soule nor let me liue in peace Alas and these distract me quite while I Haue not
mine eyes 'gan see Within mine owne distressed man when I Prest with the weight of mine iniquity Did earst implore my God to helpe for sure Of all the miseries I may endure There 's none that paralels with this to bee Depriuâ—d of God which to my griefe I see My many sinnes do oft â—ffect whereby I 'm driuen to such great extremity I know not what to do which makes mee craue Either his sweet returne or else my graue Rather then liue and not with him but here Alas vnhappy wretch all that I beare Is iustly for my sin but thou my Lord Didst neuer sin neither in deed nor word No nor in thought so much or were it so Yet what speake I of these my deepes of woe Which bee but flea-bites as they say if way'd With these of thine for thou alas wast laid Downe in the lowest hell of griefe to beare All paines and punishments beyond compare Which wee poore soules should else haue borne Ay mee Yet this not all those that should comfort thee In these thy great extremities yea'uen they Did sleepe it out as wee doe now a day Seeming as senslesse of thy griefes nor would Bee brought to watch and pray one houre so cold Are our affections growne tow'rds thee though thou Do burne in loue tow'rds vs. But whither now Where strayes my Muse I say Is not this all Oh no One griefe another in doth call These plunges were no sooner past but lo I see the Nuntius of another woe Judas and all his following rout for they Are hard at hand and ready to betray This guiltlesse Lambe vnto the Wolues but here T is worth the notice ere wee yet draw neere To Annas house how that our Sauiour when Knowing the hearts of these malicious men Hee boldly yet steps forth to them and said Who is 't yee seeke Which when they had betrayd By naming him hee answers I AM â—EE At which they starting back full suddenly Fell downe vnto the ground Here was a word That plainly told indeed HEE was the Lord Whom they did now resist but O my soule Couldst thou my Lord so suddenly controule Those their presumings with a word and yet How was 't thou seem'st so quickly to forget Thy selfe by suffring them alone to show Their cruelties on thee nay which was moe Thou didst restraine thy Peter too when hee Drew forth his sword and would huae rescude thee But O how doth my reason erre for here The Scriptures were to bee fulfill'd while-ere Which spake of thee whence 't was thou didst reply To Peter with vndaunted constancy The cup my Father giues shall I not drinke Oh yes I must and will or may you thinke 'T will go but bad with you for should I not Your selues must doe 't Thus as hee had forgot What hee indeeed was of himselfe hee goes Along with them euen these his cruell foes Without least show of murmuring vntill At length they had accomplish't all their ill Concerning him And first they brought him on To Annas next to his malicious son Caiphas the then High Priest where harmelesse hee Was most vniustly smitten next wee see Him led to Pilates Iudgement Hall where when They had not ought T' accuse him of yet then With most corrupted hearts they rather sought To free their Barabbas though hee had wrought Much wickednesse with them Thus did they bring Our Sauiour forth yea'uen him that was the King Of Heauen and Earth placing vpon his head A Crowne of cruell thornes thus was he led With scourgings scoffings and with all disgrace That malice could inuent on to the place Where hee was to bee crucified yet here Wondrous to speake hee did not once appeare So much as to repine but went along Much like a Lambe ne'r muttring out the wrong They did to him And thus the Scriptures ought To bee fulfill'd thus was hee to bee brought Vnto the slaughter as our Esay said Yet opening not his mouth on whom were laid The iniquities of all and thus indeed He was that true vnblemish'd Lamb wee need To bee our sacrifice for sin But here O stay my soule and though thou want a teare To weepe at this sad sight yet let it bee Thy wish to imitate what thou dost see I meane thy Sauiourâ— patient steps for lo Here 's patience fit for all the Saints to know Yea know and imitâ—â—e but I forbeare And turne vnto my Christ againe euen where I left him going on but O my heart VVhence is 't thou look'st on this most tragick part And yet not burst thy selfe to teares Alas Art thou so strained vp with walles of brasse As yet thou canst not breake what shall I say Thou want'st a teare to celebrate this day Of these thy Sauiours passâ—â—nings VVhy then Come all the griefes of miserable men And set on 〈◊〉 once yet bee thou still As hard as rock ne'r weepe at any ill If not at this ne'r weepe to see thy friends Not pity thee ne'r weepe to see their ends Ne'r weepe at any worldly crosse nay more If thou seeme senslesse of this only sore And wilt not weepe to see so sad a part Ne'r bee thou hence call'd by the name of heart But O my life VVhy dost thou ake and burne So sore within my brest VVhy dost thou mourne So oft in secret deep fetcht sighes and yet Not weepe a teare Alas canst thou forget Thy quondam vse when thou wouldst freely weepe And not bee staid O 't was a happy deepe Thou then wast in when griefe knew how to plaine It selfe in teares and so dismisse the paine But woe is mee my fainting sprite hath seene Those heauier plunges that thou now art in And knowne them too-too well Alas my heart Faine wouldst thou personate this passiue part In a more seemely weed of teares but lo Thy time 's not come when God will haue it so Then sure it shall be so meane while I pray Rest thee content and follow on thy way Thus turning to my Christ againe behold I finde him brought as Esay had foretold On to his slaughter-place where hee good man Though forst by them yet willingly began T' embrace his latest Crosse that wofull bed Whereon hee was to lay his wearied head In these his greatst extremes of death but here O cursed Iewes could not you yet forbeare To cast your scorning taunts on him Sure no The Scriptures had foretold it should bee so You would not could not choose But cruell eyes What malice could haue wisht more miseries To fall on him then now you saw that yet Your wicked braines still studied how to get Some new-inuented grieuances whereby To adde vnto his deepes of misery And persecute whom God had smit But O Why do I question more of this for lo Your browes were brasse and you were fore-decreed To bee the Actors
of this horrid deed Wherefore I now returne againe and come Vnto my Sauiours latest part the Summe And woe of all the rest that dreary seene Which now hee was to vndergoe I meane On this sad Scaffold of his latest crosse The first was paine of sense but this of 〈◊〉 That was his bodies paine but here againe His paine of soule which is the soule oâ— paâ—â—e For now behold not to enlarge my verse With each sad circumstance I here rehearse Only that one expreslesse plunge of all The great'st that euer was when hee did call At his extremest gaspe My God my God Why hast thou now forsaken mee What rod Was it that strook this wondrous blow Aye mee My blessed Christ what God forsaken Thee Thy selfe forsake thy selfe O thou my life How could this bâ—e Ne'r was there fatall knife Could cut this threed no Thus it came to passe Thy Sprite of loue hath told mee how it was Now was that wofull time at hand wherein Th'intolerable weight and curse of sin Which I and all the world had done were cast Vpon thy backe at once Now was that last And very vtmost deepe which thou while-ere Didst seeme in thy humanity to feare Now didst thou drinke of that accursed cup Which earst thou didst intreat thou mightst not sup Vnlesse it were thy Fathers will and here Behold it was his will and thou didst beare Those heauie brunts alone for vs from whence It was indeed thou hadst such feeling sense Of these thy miseries in vs that wee Might thereby feele our happinesse in thee Nay more thou now of wondrous loue hadst tooke Our sinnes on thee whence 't was thy God forsooke Or seem'd at least forsake thee thus and why 'T is sin indeed vndoes that happy tie Betwixt humanity and God for this Is that whiâ—h sep'rates vs from all our blisse I meane from God and this is it which made Him thus withdraw himselfe from thee or shade As 't were his present â—â—dance from thy sight And leaue thee to thy selfe prest with the weight Of sin and hell and of thy Fathers rage ' Gainst these our siâ—â—es since thou would'st so engage Thy selfe for vs and here thy soule was brought Downe to the lowâ—st plunge of woe where nought VVas left to comfort thee but thou meane while Being made as ' tweâ—e a desolate exâ—le From all true happinesse didst vndergo Such sad expreslesse pangs that none can know Their depth but thou that suffer'dst them nay sure That only paine of losse thou didst endure VVas more by farre in reference to thee Then hells most cruell torturings can bee In reference to vs. VVhat shall I say This was indeed a lamentable day For thy pure eies to see ne'r was there griefe Like vnto this of thine where all reliefe VVas held so long from thee and here indeed I found that true which I ere-while did reade Foretold of thee thy comlynesse was gone And forme or beauty there alas was none To make thee now desir'd Thou wast a man Of sorrow friend of griefe whence wee began To hide our faces ' way from thee or thou Didst hide as 't were from vs Thus didst thou bow Thy righteous back to heare our griefes while wee Like cruell Iewes went on in tort'ring thee By adding sin to sin Thus didst thou cry Aloud for vs and thus for vs didst die Didst die yea more didst rise againe that wee Might rise againe from sin and bee made free From all the pow'râ— of death and hell and then Being thus reuiu'd by thee to liue agen The happy life of Grace till thou shalt please To call vs gently hence and sweetly seize Vpon our soules to carrie vs vp on high To liue with thee through all eternitie The endlesse life of Glorie there where wee Shall sing of nothing else but praise to thee But O my God thou thou that hast been pleasd To ayde mee hitherto thou that hast easd My wearied soule at length in this sweet Ford The sacred Spring of thy all-sauing VVord Come here againe and as it pleas'd thee show Those mirrours of thy loue to mâ—e euen so Enable mee as thou hast said that I May sing thy mercies to posterity In a ne'r-dying verse whereof each word May speake my thankfulnesse and each afford Eternall matter of thy praise Nay more May here bee found a salue for euery sore To each good soule that euer felt the smart And terrors of a truly contrite heart Come then my sweet Vrania come againe And raise thy selfe here change thy dolefull straine Into some happier notes of ioy and here Come come my sprites I charge you all appeare In ioyous readinesse yea soule and all Giue your attendance to my instant call For now behold I speake Come come away To celebrate this high-made Holy-day Of reconcilement with my God First then O thou sole Guider of my tongue and pen And all my thoughts and all my Acts whiles they Are good Lo here I humbly come to pay My tributarie thanks that thou hast brought Me hitherto the place which earst I sought And here hast rais'd my soule againe to see Those wondrous things which thou hast done for me When I was past recouerie if thou Hadst not been timely mercifull and now Redeem'd me by thy loue as thou hast done Though by the death of 〈◊〉 owne onely Sonne Thine owne beloued Sonne but O my life Life of my soule I say whence is the strife I feele in me if this be so that I Am subiect yet to Satans tyrannie And cannot praise thee as I would for lo My sinnes step still betweene and 〈◊〉 so I cannot raise my drowâ—ie eies to see As here I ought thy wondrous 〈◊〉 to mee But O my God! here is the reason sure Of this my miserie thine eies so pure Will not vouchsafe to loo◠〈◊〉 I meane In smiling sort because I am not 〈◊〉 But thou conceal'st thy coâ—nce ' cause I Haue broke indeed thy Lawes most â—ankelesly Both in my thoughts and 〈◊〉 and yet alas I am not truly penitent but pâ—sse My time in senslesnesse as 't were and 〈◊〉 Burst forth in teares to wash away the blot Of this my great ingratitude aye mee All this is true my God for thou dost see My secret paths and yet behold thine eyes Do also see my griping miseries How oft indeed I grieue and sigh and groane Because I am become so dead a stone And cannot weep as faine I would but here O thou my Lord why should I further feare At these mine owne deficiencies behold My Sauiour burnd in loue though I am cold His wounds did weepe to wash away my sin Though I am dull O cast thine eyes on him Or looke on mee but as in Him that when Thou seest me thou mayst finde mee clear'd and then Thou canst not bee displeas'd with mee for hee Hath made a full supply of all
in their ills let them â—ke vp The seeming sweets of sins impoys'ned cup Let them carouse in vanity and draw Iniquity with ropes ne'r stand in aw ' Of future iudgements Let them prosper still As they suppose by adding ill to ill Let them be carelesse of themselues and spend Their precious daies ne'r thinking on the end Let them make flesh their guide taking delight In their owne lusts still glorying in the hight Of their ambitious titles and their wealth Got by obliquitie and lawlesse stealth Let them be-pride themselues in rich attires And robes of State burning with lawlesse fires Of lusts not to be nam'd let them be fed With choycest meates and glutted vp with bread Like pampred Horses to the full I say Let them spend all their happinesse away In these and such like vanities nor thinke On death at all thou standing at the brinke Of their vncertaine graues and heau'ns high hand Of vengeance ouer them doth alwaies stand Readie to strike them downe to hell but we Will ioy alone in this sweet libertie We haue in Christ we will delight I say Our selues in him in him wee 'l vow and pay Our dues of praise vnto our God in him Wee 'll hence triumph o're all the pow'rs of Sin Of death and Hell in Him we will expresse Our vtmost thanks by liues of holinesse And walking in his waies till by the hand Of his good Sprite hee'th brought vs to the Land Of righteousnesse where we would be on Him We will build all our confidence and clim To Heau'n alone by Him vnder his wings Wee 'l alwaies shrowd our selues nor shall the Kings Of th' earth be able doe vs harme though they Rage ere so much Our foes shall melt away Like Snow against the Sun and ' cause wee 'ue made The Lord our dwelling place vnder his shade We shall be surely safe yeâ— though the earth Be mou'd with all the pow'rs thereof though death Triumph on euerie side of vs yet wee Shall surely be preseru'd and liue to see The wondrous riches of his loue wherein He hath endear'd himselfe to vs through him We shall passe all these nether-stormes and spight Of all with-stands walke onwards in the light Of his sweet countenance still singing praise Vnto his Name till he at length shall raise Our Muses to a higher pitch where we Shall sing his praises to eternitie In his ne'r-ending place of blisse euen there Where he himselfe remaines where neither feare Nor griefe shall interrupt our ioyes but we Shall haue our fills of all felicitie And glory inexpressible the hight And chiefe of which is in the blessed sight Of this our glorious God whom we shall see There face to face euen as he is yea bee Made like to him what would you haue me say Mine eyes are dazled at this glorious day And reason stands amaz'd when it would reach This wondrous hight how shall a Mortall preach Of this immortall state O had mine eye But one sweet glimpse of this how should I tye Your eares vnto my tongue when I should speake Of what I saw 't would make your hearts to breake With earnest longings after it and you Would scorne from hence so much as take a view Of these inferiour vanities which be But toyes as 't were not worth your thoughts and flee Away almost as soone as come withall Leauing behind them nought but cursed gall And bitternesse to vex and gripe and grieue Those foolish soules which did ere-while beleeue Their false pretended sweets but here alone Is fulnesse of all true delight where none Can euer be deceiu'd vnlesse it be As that wise Queene of Sheba was when she Heard of the glory of King Salâ—â—on And of his happinesse but when anon She came and saw it with her eyes she than In great amazednesse thereat began Confesse that all was true yea sure the fame Said she came farre too short If then the name Of Salomon were such behold here 's one That 's greater farre then was King Salomon What shall I say of him sure my report Will speake but truth and yet come so farre short As finite doth of infinite what then She spake of Salomon and of his men So may I speake to thee my God O how How happie are thy Saints which fall and bow Before thy Maiestie Happie I say Are those that haue the priuiledge to stay Continually with thee there to behold Thy glorious face wherein as Dauid told Are ioyes at full and sit at thy right hand VVhere pleasures liue for euermore where stand Thy blessed troopes of glorious Saints that sing Eternall Halleluia's to their King To thee their King to thee alone for thou Art onely worthy O my God And now Here doe I craue to ioyne with them euen I Though yet on earth here doe I thankefully Fall downe before thy glorious Throne and here In humbled confidence and holy feare I offer my poore mite to thee of praise And thankfulnesse in these my lowly Layes All glorie be to thee my God to Thee And to the Lambe which hath redeemed mee By his deare blood and to the sacred Sprite The Comforter and pledge of true delight Which hath been with me hitherto and brought My soule into thy peace Sure I haue nought That 's worth thy great acceptance Lord for I Am poore thou know'st and full of miserie Happie in nothing else but thee I meane By being thine and yet I 〈◊〉 vncleane Vncleane alas vncleane well may I cry Come thou and wash away my Leprosie And make me fit for being thine O then What shall I pay who am the worst of men To thee for all thy mercies Lord VVhy here I le pay thee with thine owne the case is cleare I offer vp my selfe to thee with all That here I haue hence may it please thee call And count me wholly for thine owne for now I bid farwell vnto the world and vow In thy sweet aide eternall enmitie To all my wonted sinnes to vanitie And euery luring baite of hell And here I humbly doe deuote my selfe in feare And holinesse to thee my God that I May still be praysing thee vntill I die In all my thoughts and words and acts and hence May walke along by faith and not by sense Still gladded with thy countenance till I Haue ouer-past the present miserie Of this short life and till my soule at length Being cloath'd vpon with that immortall strength Of my blest Sauiour Christ shall sweetly flee Into thine hands there to remaine with thee In thy expreslesse happinesse till thou In that last day shalt swiftly come and bow The heau'ns and raise my body vp though dead And rotned dust and ioyne it to my Head And Sauiour Christ where it againe shall bee Vnited to my soule and I shall see My
Psal 42.1 2 x Hebr. 12. â— y Psal 38.6 z Luk. 15.13 14 c. The parable of the Prodigall childe fitly applyed a Luk. 15.20 b Luk. 15.18 21. c Iob. 14.26 15.26 b A fit simile c Mal. 4.2 d Ioh. 1.4 5. e I 'm sure f 2 Cor. â— â— i Psal 42.1 k Esay 55.1 * Math. 16.17 Iohn 1.13 * Ioh. 1.12 * Eph. 4.24 * Philip. 3.9 * Gods reply to my former quests b Ezek. 18.28 An apt simile How sin and death were begotten by man c Ioh. 1.4 d Luk. 15.18 e Luk. 15.20 f Malac. 2.4 g Psalm 42.7 h The mystery of mans Redemption by Christ Iesus i Esay 53.8 Phil. 2.6 7 8. l Gal. 3.13 1. Pet. 2.24 m Rom. 6.18 22. Ephes 2 4 5 6 19. Especiall proofes of this * 1. Cor. 13. 1. Ioh 3.2 n Ephes 2.19 o Rom. 7.24 p For as resist q The Regenerate mans changes many and miserable a Phil. 3.8 b Psalm 2.12 * For Son as in the Text because he is the Sun Malach. 4.2 c Cantic 1.4 Ioh. 6.4 4. d Gen. 3.1 e Gen. 3.15 How the diuell watches all opportunities to hinder man from happinesse f Ioh 1.4 g Gen. 3.6 How the diuell beguileth vs to sin A short digression to my troubled Readers k The temptation of euil thoughts especially to be heeded i Psalm 39.12 k Matth. 12.45 Luk. 1â— 26 The miseries that follow sin The fearefullst temptation of all others a Psalm 39.12 in our singing Psalmes b Eccles. 13.25 26. To my Christian Readers c Sc. Christians d Iam. 5.16 Dulnesse or deadnesse of soule how miserable e Adam and Eue. f Gen. 3.5 g Gen. 3.9 h Gen. 3.8 i Psal 77.2 k Iohn 1.4 l Psalm 143.7 m Psal 107.17 18. b Ps â—07 20 c Experimentall proofes against mans free will to any spirituall good d Not that Papists haue this free will but that out of the pride of their hearts they say so as also to defend their opinion of Merits which is alike derogatorie from Gods glory e 1. Cor. 15.10 f Ephes 2.8 g Iob 6 12. h Iam. 3.22 Wisd 11 2â— â—udg 16.20 21. k sc Iob. l Iob 37.14 23. Esay 40.28 m Iob 1.1 Chap. 2.3 n Iob 9.2 3. o Psal 6.3 p Mal. 4.2 q Psal 88.6 7 15 16. Hâ—man was one of the â—ingers of Israel 1. Chro. 25. 2. Chr. 5.12 c. r Childhood Å¿ Or with troubled minde as in the Text vers 15. in our daily reading Psalmes t Vers 8. u As friends vse to doe in aduersitie Psal 38.11 x Psal 88.7 y Psal 4.5 z Psal 4 6. 16. â—1 a Psal 88.6 b Deut. 30.20 Psal 42.8 c Psal 77.9 d Gen. 27.38 a Psal 119. â—4 The tricks of these times to driue away all discontents how value and comfortlesse if truly thought on b A simile fit for these times c Or flesh d Acts 28.3 5 e Esay 59.2 f Acts 8.23 g Eccles 12 â— 3 4 5 c. h The hands i The legs k The teeth l The eies m The lips n The wind-pipes o Eccles 12.14 p 1. Cor. 13.12 1. Ioh. 3.2 q Rom. 8.6 7 r Esay 57. vlt. Å¿ Rom. 8.6 7. t Iob 13.24 u Psal 4.6 16.11 u Iohn 17.3 x 2. Cor. 5.7 y Ephes 2.8 z 2. Cor. 5.7 and Ephes 1.18 compared with Chap. 2.8 a Ephes 1.18 Col. 1 26 27. b Ephes 3.18 19. c Ephes 3.19 d Malac. 4.2 e Esay 40.3 Mat. 3.3 f Psal 119.169 g Ioh. 14. â—6 15.26 h Rom. 8. â—6 i Eph 2.18 19 k Rom. 8.21 l Psal 34.6 m We haue extreme need of Grace when we cannot heartily pray for it n S◠〈◊〉 excellâ— lâ—â—facâ—as 〈◊〉 sum o The danger of a spirituall slumber or Lethargy not to be cured by any humane remedies f Ioh. 14.2 g Ps 130.5 6. h 2. Sam. 24.14 i Esay 63.5 and Psal 107 filled with notable proofes hereof k 2. Cor. â— 9 l 2. Cor. 15.28 m Mans miserable securitie being left to himselfe n Exod. 3.11 o Psal 39.12 102.11 p That is woe is me q Psal 88.15 r Rom. 7.23 Å¿ Psal 22.4 t sc the Bible u Psal 6 8 9. x Esay 38.5 17. y Deut. 10.17 Iob 19.34 Rom 2.11 z Rom 3.23 Obiection a Esay 59.1 b Esay 59.1 c Psal â—39 1 2 3. My answer d Psal 88.15 Sinne driues a man sometimes out of his wits as we say e Rom. 7.24 f Body in the Teâ— g Rom. 7.23 Our Conceptions of God h Exod. 34.6 i See Eccles 2.11 Psal 16.5 145.8 9. Exod. 34.6 the words of God himselfe k Mat. 8.8 l Gods returne in his extremest miserie m For it is well Man cannot any way saue himselfe or rather be saued without Gods especiall helping Grace n Against the merits of workes o According to that Bona opera sunâ— via ad Regnum sed non causa regnandi p Good workes shew our true faith as Iam. 2.18 q Ephes 2.8 9 10. not able to this purpose r Psal 121.4 Gods admirable prouidence ouer his children in all extremities of their temptations Å¿ Why God sometimes leaues his children My fearefull Obiection against my selfe * Rom. 7.23 Gods answer Our saluation is wholly out of our selues from God alone t 2. Cor. 1.9 u 1 Cor. 2.14 x 1. Câ—r 2.14 y Ioh. 1.12 Rom. 8.16 17 Ephes 2.19 z Mat. 16.17 a Eph. 1 17 8 b 1. Cor. 2.10 12. c Acts 8.20 1. Cor. 1.26 d Ioh. 1.2 Ephes 2 8. How hard it is to goe to heauen according to that of Seneca in Traged viz. Non est ad astra mollis è terris via English We must not goe to heauen on feather-beds How short our common meerely-beliefe comes short of heauen e 1. Cor. 2.12 Iames 1.17 f Esay 57.15 g Esay 63.5 h Mat 11. vlt. i Psal 18.1 2. Gods charge which euery Child of his must performe yet so as by power from God k Gal. 5.24 l 1. Cor. 15.31 Sinne must be cast out ere God take possession of vs. m Mat. 8.32 Let the swinish Epicure wallow in his lusts but let the bodies of Gods children be consecrated to holinesse Rom. 6.22 as pure Temples of â—he holy Ghost 1. Cor. 6.19 n The eyes described in briefe Their charge o Num. 15 3â— p Psal 8.3 19.1 2 c. q The eares charge The mouths charge r Eph. 4.29 Å¿ Mat. 12.34.35 36 37. t Eccles 37.29 A Caution for too-much or dainty feeding u Too much eating brings boâ—h body and soule into a Lethargie A perswasion to fasting and prayer x Mat. 17.21 y Alluding to that of Mat. 21.12 Luk. 19.45 z 1. Cor. 6.19 Gods charge to the soule and her faculties a The soule Gen. 2.7 b Mat. 8.3 c 1. Ioh. 3.3 d Esay 25.8 Reuel 21.4 e Psal 23.3 f Esay 55.1 â— g Ioh. 5.39 as in my first Book pag. 8. h Ioh. 4.14 i Esay 55.1
AVSTINS VRANIA OR THE HEAVENLY MVSE IN A POEM FVLL OF MOST FEELING MEDITATIONS for the comfort of all soules at all times By S.A. B. of Arts of Ex. Colledge in Oxford Aut perlegas aut non legas What e'r thou be whose eyes doe chance to fall Vpon this Booke reade all or none at all LONDON Printed by F.K. for Robert Allot and Henry Seile 1629. An Apologie for my Muse that it chose this subiect before any other which might seeme more pleasing to the Times I Write not newes of Ree or our late Fleet For Rochels ayde or of the States that meet In our great present Parliament to cure Those wounds our dearest England doth endure For her both hid and open sinnes Oh no It is not fit for me who am so low To speake when greater tongues are tyde but I Bring newes from Heau'n wrapt in a mystery The sweetest newes that e'r was heard and such That cannot chuse but please yet 't is not much And therefore easier to be borne In briefe It is a remedy ' gainst euery griefe Of these our present troublous times I meane To those alone that crie Vncleane vncleane And faine would be washt white from sinne and be Secur'd also from all the miserie That followes it those Iudgements now that threat Our Englands fall if Mercy proue not great Thus haue I thought the safest way to please By writing what might giue to all men ease S. A. E Musaeo meo in Coll. Exon. in Oxonio 26. Maij 1628. AVSTINS VRANIA OR THE HEAVENLY MVSE Being a true story of mans fall and redemption set forth in a Poem containing two Bookes whereof one resembles the Law the other the Gospell Wherein is chiefly imitated the powerfull expressions of holy Scripture very necessary to be read of all both Diuines and others especially those who labour vnder the heauie burden of their sinnes and would faine be comforted By S.A. B. of Arts of Ex. Colledge in Oxford 1. TIM 4.12 Let no man despise thy youth c. IOHN 3.16 For God so loued the world that he gaue his onely begotten Sonne that whosoeuer beleeueth in him should not perish but haue euerlasting life ROM 5.19 21. For as by one mans disobedience many were made sinners so by the obedience of One shall many be made righteous That as sinne hath reigned vnto death euen so might Grace reigne through righteousnesse vnto eternall life by Iesus Christ our Lord. LONDON Printed by F.K. for Robert Allot and Henry Seile 1629. TO THE RIGHT WORSHIPFVLL THE especiall fauourer of my Studies Mr. Dr. PRIDEAVX the Kings Professor of Diuinitie and the most deseruing Rector of Exeter Colledge in Oxford Grace and peace c. Reuerend Sir IT may haply seeme strange vnto you to receiue such a Present as this from my hands but when you haue well consider'd it and the occasion of it I doubt not but without further wondring you will be ready to challenge it before any other as your owne principall due It is not your minde I know that I should here proclaime vnto the world the many dutifull ties and speciall engagements wherein I stand bound vnto you how that next vnder God I haue liu'd in this happy place aboue this foure yeeres especially by sucking in the sweet ayre of your continuing fauours and not so onely but how in a neerer kinde of reference you haue vouchsafed to take me into your owne Diuine Tutorage and honour'd me beyond all desert with the priuiledge of vsuall disputes before your selfe amongst those that were your Noble Scholers How much these and the like may serue for the illustration of your goodnes I well know not in that you plac'd your fauours on so low and worthlesse a subiect but I am sure they stand with my credit for euer to remember them for which and for diuers other particular respects if I had not iust occasion to present you these first fruits of my Studies which were nourish'd vp in your owne Garden yet here againe I could appeale vnto you as to a common Patron or Godfather as it were of the Diuiner Muses If I had made choice of any other Muse then Vrania or if my Subiect were not Diuine I would not haue presum'd to approach your eyes with it or intreate the world might know it vnder your Patronage But since all these circumstances doe so happily conspire and if these my labours may also prooue any way beneficiall to Gods Church and Children by your good approuement let them I beseech you as my first conceptions haue leaue to breathe forth their sorrows to the world vnder your Name Neither let it bee accounted my pride that I seeke after the vain-glory of the world by being in Print for these I hope can sufficiently witnesse for mee that if I glory in any thing it is with Paul in my infirmities after this manner would I haue the world take notice of me and to amend in themselues what they finde defectiue in me but if any thing herein seeme praise-worthy I would intreate all men to know that this came from a higher Spirit and my selfe can glory in nothing of it but by being the Instrument If you knew but the paines I haue suffer'd in trauell hereof how many precious houres and dayes I haue detain'd from those sports and vanities which are common to others yea how much time I haue stolne from my other priuate Studies which lay of necessitie on mee in this place and sacred them onely to this and then againe when I came about it with earnest intents how vnaptly I was disposed for it how ready for any thing besides it what drowzinesse would set vpon me and when I went sometimes more happily onwards by the strength of Gods Spirit what Legions of euill thoughts would suddenly interrupt me in briefe what heauy and hard conflicts and what a tedious trauell I haue had as God knowes in the producing of it I dare promise my selfe it would make your yeelding heart e'en bleed to thinke on 't Had I gone about any any worke of vanitie I am sure I should haue had the World Flesh and Diuell at hand to forward it but this hath shewed it selfe to be a worke of a contrary nature and hath had all these as earst Nehemiah had Sanballat and his complices conspirators to hinder it But now thankes bee to my God after two yeeres tedious trauell I haue at length finished it And since it has growne vp hitherto vnder your Tuition I doe here also humbly commend it to you for its future preseruation and fauour in publishing it which if you please but daine mee I dare promise its life shall prooue so thankefull vnto you as besides mine owne prayers procure you the blessings of many other soules for preseruing it To which great fauour I shall onely craue this one addition for the crowning of my desires that I may alwayes retaine my wonted priuiledge in being euer Your Worships
faithfull seruant to be commanded in the Lord Iesus Samuel Austin From my Study in Exetâ—r Colledge in Oxford this 11. of Aprill being the day of our Sauiours Passion 1628. TO THE CHRISTIAN READERS Good Readers FOr I write onely to you that haue or at least desire earnestly to haue a part in that glory which is already in part and shall shortly be fully reuealed I haue here presented you with a birth as farre I suppose beyond your expectations as it seemes beyond the abilities of my younger yeeres but howsoeuer I shall intreate your kind acceptance of it and craue you all to foster it vp in your owne bosomes for I dare warrant you in the Lord that if you but saue it from death by your fauourable warmings it shall liue to giue you all wished thankefulnesse If I should but tell you of those fearefull conflicts I had in my trauell of it and my many grieuous cares in nursing it hitherto you would surely say it were an inhumane impiety presently to stifle it Pray peruse it well and I hope I shall not need much to speake for it it hath teares enough of it selfe to enforce your pity and is of so good a nature you cannot well chuse but foster it If you imagine it is too faire to bee mine I shall not be so presumingly proud on selfe-abilitie as quite to denie you for I must confesse indeed I haue had such large experience of mine owne infirmities in the trauell hereof that I can attribute nothing vnto my selfe but the imperfections herein and the glory of an instrument onely in producing its better parts I haue been indeed as a common Father as they say in bringing forth the matter but the forme life and soule of it was from God alone the Father of life to whose sole guiding and blessed aydance I must alwaies thankfully ascribe these my better performances When I began this worke I intended onely to treate of our Sauiours Passion but I was so led away by that all-ruling Spirit of my God that I ceased quickly from being mine owne man in it and brought this to passe which now you see according to the good hand of my God vpon me both beyond mine owne aimes and naturall abilities And now deare Christian friends I humbly beseech you in the Lord for your faithfull perusall of it and may the God of our Lord Iesus Christ the Father of glory giue vnto you the Spirit of wisedome and reuelation in the knowledge of him that the eyes of your vnderstandings being enlightened ye may know what is the hope of his calling and what the riches of his inheritance in the Saints Yours euer in the Lord Iesus S. A. From my Study the 11. of Aprill 1628. My Muse to my Censurers YOu that are troubled with the Dog-disease Pray reade me o're then censure what you please Vrania To that famous Nursery of Learning and Religion my Mother Exeter Colledge in Oxford all happinesse GReat Mother of the Muses thou whose fame Hath long time been more glorious by the Name Of thy Learn'd Rector let I humbly pray A worthlesse sonne of thine haue leaue to stray Abroad with his poore Muse a while to sing A timely welcome to the weeping Spring Let other Muses that deriue their birth From forraine Springs or from some baser earth Enslaue their wits to toyes of Loue but wee Must be Diuine that take our births from thee My Muse shall sing of Heau'n and in thy prayse Great 〈◊〉 shall scorne the momentarie bayes Of perishing mans applause which dies away Wâ—â—h those that giue 't but she shall sing a Lay Whâ—â—e Heau'n-borne wings shall raise thy Name so hie 〈…〉 it liue euen through eternitie The vnworthiest of thy sonnes S. A. TO MY EVER HONOVRED FRIENDS THOSE MOST REFINED Wits and fauorers of most exquisite learning Mr. M. Drayton Mr. Will. Browne and my ingenious Kinsman Mr. Andrew Pollexsen all knowne vnto me and to the rest vnknowne the Poets of these times S. A. wisheth the accomplishment of all true happinesse Austins aduertisement MY Noblest Friends you that deriue your birth From some thing that 's more excellent then earth From some sweet influence or some Deitie That liues aboue the base capacitie Of ignorant Spheares those rude vntutor'd braines That neuer trauell'd farther then their Plaines To learne of ought but Heards and Flocks or how They might dispose a Cart or guide a Plow To you alone I write what I of late Haue scene and heard the lamentable state Of these our latter iron times and hence It is I speake from sad experience The matter 's this Occasion did inuite Me hence of late to take a Summers-sight Of our farre-famouz'd London where when I Was come I tooke an opportunitie For venting of these plaints of mine which here My Vran ' hath brought forth with many a teare And speakelesse pang of griefe with losse of time Most precious to my soule O that a rime So poore as this should cost so deare but lo When I would faine haue let these waters flow Abroad vnto my Countrimen I went To see how well our Stationers were bent To further me herein but they reply Sure 't will not take for 't is Diuinitie Poems diuine are nothing worth but if I had portray'd a pretty Sea of griefe For some lost Mistresse or compos ' a toy Of loue in verse this would haue been a Boy Worth the conception each would take it vp And play with it or had I but a cup Of strong-breath'd Satyres mixt with spleene gall And could but powre it handsomely to fall Vpon some high-mans head Oh this would take Eu'n like Tobacco each Barbours shop would make A sale of it or had I but the time Neately to weaue some loose-lasciuious rime Stuft with conceits of wantonnesse Oh then I had been call'd one of the Wits for men Must haue their humours now they say but this Is quite against them euery one will hisse It off the Stage And is it so thought I Why then 't is time for our Diuinitie To stirre her selfe and speake in Verse if she Can ought perswade O what a miserie Is like to fall vpon this age when men Shall so forget themselues as turne agen To their first veines of childishnesse and will Giue any price to buy each toy of ill But will not giue a straw for good altho It be to saue their very soules What wo And horror 's this when men grow desperate To buy damnation at so deare a rate To pay a price for hell but will not giue A pin for heau'n O that my soule should liue To see such drearie dayes as these But now Since things are so what shall I say or vow Or doe to make them otherwise Why sure Great friends my present suit 's to you whose pure And heau'nly essences doe plainely say You are Diuine let me presume to pray And challenge you on all those bonds
drowzinesse the Hell wherein They liue that place their paradise in sinne This would haue kept thee in so sweet an aw Of me thou wouldst not dare to breake my Law Thy loue would be so great and thy delight VVould onely be to walke my wayes aright Sometimes in pity-thou wouldst send thine eye Abroad to those distressed soules that lye In deepes of discontents that thou mightst be A fellow-partner in their miserie To weepe with them that weepe and to compart VVith euery one that hath a broken heart And this indeed would prooue so good a pill In purging out the reliques of thine ill That nothing could annoy thee for thine eie VVould scorne to looke so low as vâ—â—itie VVhose Basliske-sight infects the heart and kills The very soule with thousand poys'nous ills But as those windowes that admit the light Into the roomes of former drowzie night Such would thy seers be an op'ned place To giue admittance to the Sonne of Grace VVhose sacred beames would quickly dispossesse That great Ill-willer to thy happinesse The Prince of darkenesse and withall expell Those drowzie clouds which made thy house a hell To intertaine him in and when thy sight Had but a glimpse of that eternall Light Thy soule with Eli throwing downe the cloake Of cloggy flesh which alwaies striues to choake Thy better thoughts would quickly soare on high To that faire City of eternitie VVhere I haue speciall residence and there VVhen thou hadst gaz'd awhile that cloudy care Of earth and earthly things would steale away As fearing much to interrupt the day Which I IEHOVAH gaue thee and thine eie Would still be reading true Diuinitie To thy aspiring soule vntill it came To be indeed Professor of my Name In those celestiall Schooles there to possesse My Mansions of eternall happinesse Thus wretched soule hadst thou but vs'd aright Those windowes which I gaue to be a light Vnto thy Intellect thou hadst not bin So fearefully inclouded thus in sinne But thou alas as carelesse of my will As he that seru'd his Master best in ill Mad'st hauocke of my fauours took'st those eies And spent'st them both away on vanities To cherish vp thy flesh and to maintaine Those bastard issues of thy wanton braine Nor didst thou care for eyes vnlesse to see Which were the pleasingst paths of vanitie VVherein to walke that when thou'dst had thy fill Of this and that and of the other ill To looke about for new and thus thine eie Did alwaies glut thee with varietie Of new-found euill obiects till at last Thy sight was gone for thou hadst made such waste Of it in ill that now it could not see To doe thee good in deepes of miserie And as thine eye so hast thou spent away Thy other senses all are gone astray From doing what I would and what I 'de not I 'm sure thy Lethargie hath not forgot To doe with speciall care as if thine ill Had been of purpose to oppose my will VVhich gaue thee leaue to will yet this not all Thy malice is not done thou hast a gall To vomit out within the totall man Within and out doth doe the best it can To warre against my will within I see That all thy faculties corrupted bee Thine vnderstanding guided by thine eie Doth iudge of nothing good but vanitie According to the sense thus vnderneath A seeming-sweet thou eat'st the gall of death I see thy thoughts all euill from thy youth Conceiuing nought but Issues of thy Ruth Those Twins of sinne and death and when within Thou hast conceiu'd that vgly Monster sinne I see without thy members all attend As ready Midwiues striuing who shall send It forth into the world or who shall be The second parents of thy bastardie I seeke thy heart but finde congealed blood Or in its roome ought else that is not good A piece of deadned flesh a senselesse stone Or all I finde is this that thou hast none I looke within alas but this I finde There is no goodnesse durst approach thy minde All is so full of ill without I see There 's true alleageance to impietie From top to toe from sole of foot to head I looke alas but all thy all is dead Thus wretched man thou 'st lauish't all away In vanitie ne'r thinking of that day Wherein thy Master I should come and see How well those Talents which I gaue to thee Had been bestow'd But now behold I come In iustice to exact what thou hast done With these my goods Where are thy Eares and Eyes With all those other parts and faculties That lye without the Senses and the rest And where are those within which were the best Thy hallowed heart and memory And where Are now the vertues of that liuing ayre Which first I did inspire thee with whereby Thou hadst resemblance of the Deitie In holinesse Alas poore soule I see Where all these are and need not aske of thee I know thy waies full well my watchfull eie Doth still pursue thy steps and doth descrie Thy secret'st paths the veyles of darkest night Can neuer hide thy actions from my sight For day and night are both alike to me Although perhaps I seem'd to winke at thee As though I saw thee not but I indeed Tooke notice of thy diligence and speed In following after vanity and saw The little care thou had'st to keep my law That neuer toucht thy heart of all the rest For thou hadst sold away thy Interest Of willing what was good that now thy will Might bee a free-man in the wayes of ill Thus Miser art thou fallen off from mee By eating fruit of that forbidden tree Which Satan did entice thee to and now Thou 'st left mee once I see thou car'st not how Thy dayes are spent but with thy fathers curse Thou' rt adding still to former euils worse As though indeede true happinesse had bin Within these vales of misery of sin I 'm quite forgot of thee thy thanklesse sense Is growne so stupid that it feeles not whence It had it selfe Thy gracelesse memory Hath stuft thy Inne so full of vanity I cannot haue a Stable-roome wherein My Residence might worke away thy sin But Satan's now thy chiefest guest I see And he alone is all in all with thee Goodnesse is banisht thou hast bid farewell To me and it O couldst thou see the hell Wherein thou art then am I sure thine eie Would fall a weeping straight thy miserie Would make thee turne another leafe and looke Within the sacred Records of my Booke VVhere thou would'st quickly learne to see thy losse And then in haste returne by weeping-crosse To me thy God and Maker and vnlesse I pitty thee thou dyest in distresse For lo the reck'ning day is come and now Yeeld there thy Talents vp and tell me how I haue been glorifide by them and thee As was thy duty But alas I see Thou now art speechlesse all is spent
what I newly saw and at the sight I was so highly rauisht with delight That I could scarcely tell beleeue 't 't was so Whether my soule were in the flesh or no. And here me thought I heard the Angels say With fearefull Trumpets Rise and come away To Iudgement all and soone as e'r the sound Was gone abroad me thought this goodly Round Deliuer'd vp the Dead and euery one Were brought immediately before the Throne Of Heau'ns great Law-giuer But when mine eie Had seene alas so great a Maiestie Should be the Iudge said I I 'm quite vndone For lo mine eyes haue seene this mighty Sonne Of Holinesse and now where shall I go That am so full of wickednesse and wo And here alas amidst my hopes and feares My dazled eyes became a flood of teares To weepe at what I saw for when that I Had but a glimmering of his puritie I straight gan hate my selfe for there me thought That in my selfe my selfe was worse then nought But here behold in midst of these extremes I felt such sweet inflowings from the beames Of that e'rliuing Sunne that while mine eie Did mostly weepe at mine owne miserie It gaue me greatest happinesse for then Me thought I had beyond the state of men A new immortall being which I had From Him alone who made my soule so glad Thus while I loos'd my selfe it seem'd to me I was transfigur'd to felicitie VVhere I as Peter in amazednesse Did wish my selfe no greater happinesse Then there to build my biding place and weepe Mine eyes away in that so sweet a sleepe Thus passionary eie I 'ue showne to thee That happy vision which I once did see VVith euery part and circumstance vnlesse I faile in telling of that happinesse VVhich then I had and here indeed mine eie I must confesse can neuer reach so hie VVhile's in the flesh to apprehend aright Th' expreslesse pleasures of so sweet a sight 'T was but a dreame indeed yet such as I Could alwaies wish presented to the eie Of vs forgetfull humanes to awake Our drowzie soules that we might vs betake To higher Theories and when we see That miserable state wherein we bee To fix our eyes on Him whose purer light VVould so possesse vs throwly with delight That in a sacred pride wee 'd scorne to throw Away our eyes on any thing below To set our hearts thereon but highly looke On Him that keepes the euerlasting Booke Where blessed Soules are writ that ere we die We might as 't were shake off mortalitie And clothe vs with new essences and this Would be a new conueyance to our blisse To giue our soules the Heauen which we craue Whilest yet imprison'd in the bodies graue But to returne vnto my former dumpe Wherein I was when I had heard that Trumpe With thundring sound say Miser come and see How well thy humane tongue can answer mee At my demands As in my fearefull dreame Mine eyes brast forth into a weeping streame Of penitentiall teares I could not speake With ought but sighes whose vttrance seem'd to breake My very heart with horror for mine eye No sooner saw but lo my miserie Confronts me straight I saw how I had spent My Talents all away which he had lent To me in vanitie I saw alas How slow to good how forward still I was In following what was ill and here I saw How I had made digressions from his Law In euery point In briefe I saw that I Was now a sinke of all iniquitie I 'd quite forgot his fauours and was gone Away from Him that euerliuing Sun To walke in darkenesse and to goe astray Where e'r the flesh or Satan led the way For I was wholly thrall'd to them and now I 'd seene my selfe alas I knew not how To come into his presence or to speake And yet I must or else my heart will breake I needs must come alas I cannot flye Goe where I will from his all-seeing eye Or if I could yet wheresoe'r I goe There euery thing proclaimes it selfe a foe To my rebellious soule and lo within I 'm tortur'd so with horror of my sin That all the Balmes of Gilead cannot ease The fearefull gripings of my sad disease Where 's now the world Where are those triuiall toyes Call'd Wealth and Honours Or those seeming ioyes The flattring flesh pretends alas I see They all preuaile no more to comfort me Then heauy blowes to ease the aking head Or Papists Aue-Maries for the dead My gifts are natur'd otherwise and I Alas where shall I goe faine would I cry For helpe but all my strayings are in vaine The more I wrest the more I feele my paine And here should some great Mammon-Monarch come With golden Mountaines or with all the summe Of earths best seeming-happinesse whereby Worlds darlings vse to lesse their misery Or driue it quite away yet all to mee Were but as light to him that cannot see Alas what were 't vnto a man that lyes On his extremest bed with turn'd-vp eyes Looking aloofe after that liuing breath Whose sad depart is Herald of his death What were 't I say to throw whole Seas of gold Into his throat this comfort were as cold As what 's most comfortlesse Euen so I see O would men thinke on 't it goes now with mee These by-receits are but as feasting meat To him that hath no stomacke left to eat They make me loath them quite For soone as I Gan but to gaze on heau'ns great Maiesty They ' peare as drugges not worth the sight so foule As farthest off from clensing of a soule That 's so corrupt as mine And here I finde There 's nothing left to ease my grieued minde But solace from aboue the place from whence I first began to haue a quickning sense Of what I am for now I see full well The nature of my soule doth farre excell Ought here beneath and seemes to come more nigh To Heau'ns high God claiming affinitie As 't were with him from whom at first it had Its being perfect good but all its bad Was from its selfe whose first originall Had beeing from its Father Adams fall And now I thinke on 't our Philosophy Seemes here authentick by Diuinity That telles when e'r our acts and passions be There must the matter needs in both agree And where the action is with victory The agent hath the strongest faculty I 'm sure 't is true in this my purer soule I meane in substance though it be so soule By accident may not be wrought vpon By these base agents of corruption Wealth honours or the like too vile a mud To worke on humane soules to doe them good Their matter differs all in all for these Are momentary salues and can but ease A momentary griefe that 's somewhat nie To them in matter and in qualitie As passions of the flesh or discontent Arising from what we call accident The losse
To iudge of them so it went now with me For when I 'd seene thy wondrous Light and then Reflecting on the miseries of men I was confounded straight as earst was he Who when hee 'd seene thy glorious Maiestie Cry'd out I am vndone for here alas I saw with griefe the miserable masse Of mans corruptions all his righteousnesse Was but as clouts of nought but filthinesse Or at the best it vanisheth away As morning-dew in brightest Sun-shine-day And here alas I gan with Iob to cry Lord I am vile and what shall I reply To thee thou Holy One I le lay my hand Vpon my mouth for who is able stand Within thy sight as iust or able say He merits ought for we are all as clay In Potters hands to thee and shall I dare To talke it with my Maker that canst teare Me into thousand pieces and consume With thy iust fury him that durst presume To come into thy fight and thinkes that hee Hath ought to iustifie himselfe with thee For there is none alas though ere so right That can be iustifide within thy sight We all haue sinn'd and by the Law we all Must die the death and be in lasting thrall To Hell and misery and should'st thou throw Vs head-long to that Lake from whence we know There 's no redemption yet we must confesse We haue the reward of our wickednesse And thou art iust But yet O Lord with thee There 's mercy to be found or shouldst thou bee Thus rigrous with vs all there would not one Be left to tell of thy saluation Then here behold a silly piece of clay My miserable selfe a castaway A man oh no a worme or what is worse Inheritor of nought but Adams curse Doom'd by the Law to die left in extremes By World and all things else which float as streames Of water ' way from me or as my friends That loue me for some secondary ends But leaue me in distresse doe humbly now Appeale thy Mercy-seat and here I vow With Iacob I le not leaue thee till I win Thy Blisse a pardon from my death and sin To thee alone I come for onely Hee That made the Law is able make me free And thou which at beginning didst create This corruptible lumpe in pure estate From out of nothing canst againe refine Its drossie sinnes away and make it shine As Heau'ns bright Eie or be as purest Snow Wherewith the tops of Salmon ouerflow And though alas s' vncleane a wretch as I Dares not to scale Heau'ns spotlesse canopy To pleade with thee lest when I should presume To touch thy Mount thou iustly mightst consume Me quite to nought yet let it not offend My Lord if that a humane worme ascend So high as in humilitie to creepe From vale of woe and from the fearefull deepe Wherein he is vnto thy mercy-gate And there lay ope his miserable state Before thy pittying eyes and if my griefe Afford me words wherewith to force reliefe From Mercies hands then poore Humanitie Shall brag that it hath won the victorie Of God himselfe and when our Humanes see What weapons best preuaile to conquer thee They 'le hence make vse of them and learne to flye Beyond the reach of base mortalitie By wings of humblenesse and waying well Th' vnhappy state wherein they needs must dwell As of themselues they 'll all appeale to Thee And all be thine or else they will not bee Thus then I will proceed my miseries Shall be my arguments and my replies In answ'ring shall be alwaies to confesse And grant those sequels of vnrighteousnesse Wherewith thou canst confute me and withall I le tell thee why I could not chuse but fall But pardon Lord what ere my passions speake For griefe will haue its vent or heart must breake First then O Lord I need it not to tell Thou know'st my miserable case so well I am a grieuous sinner and thereby Haue lost the gracious presence of thine Eye Which earst gaue life vnto my soule and now I 'ue lost my life alas I know not how I 'm left as reasonlesse for that great hight Which first gaue beeing to my Reasons sight Is gon away from mee and all that I Haue left is sense to feele my misery Far worse then brutest Animals for they Take pleasure by the sense and though they may Bee sometimes passiue yet at most their paine Is but a death yet such whereby they gaine This happy priuiledge which is to bee Ne'r subiect more to paine and miserie But I alas where-e'r I run or goe Am still the subiect of expreslesse woe No death can doe mee good although my life More bitter bee then can the cruell'st knife That rigâ—rous Fate affords yet when I thinke Vpon that cup of Trembling I must drinke After deaths greatest Tyranny vnlesse Thy mercies pitty mine vnhappinesse It giues new life vnto my griefes and I Am alwayes kild alas but cannot dye And is 't not reason then a man of griefe So low as I should go and seeke reliefe If any to be found and where alas Should sinners go but to the Throne of Grace Where mercy sits as Iudge And should not I In these extremes of sin and misery Appeale to thee my God from whom alone I must haue helpe or else I must haue none I must and will But here thou wilt obiect I went astray from thee and did neglect Thy high and hallowed Lawes committing still The euils of mine owne corrupted will And therefore thou mayst iustly cast away A worthlesse wretch who needs would disobey So Father-like a Master that did giue Me all I had or else I could not liue 'T is true great Lord I must confesse that I Haue brought my selfe to all this misery And thou mayst iustly cast me off but lo Had I not brought my selfe to all this wo By sinning thus what needed I to flye To thee for mercy in my misery When I had none for were I free from sin I then would iustle ' gainst the rig'rous din Of Iustice mouth and pleade with powr's diuine That Paradise by grant of God was mine With all its pertinents to haue and hold From this time forward till I were so old That times Arithmetick would faile to tell The number of my yeeres for all were well Had I not sin'd ah cursed humane pride If man had neuer sin'd hee 'd neuer dy'd Death ne'r had been if that it had not had It's being from a Parent all as bad As it I meane from sinne a thing so ill If we may call 't a thing that 's able kill So many things as shewes its monstrous birth Was not from him who made the Heauens and Earth With all therein for all that e'r he made Were perfect good But when that cursed shade Of humane pride came in to interpose 'Twixt God and vs there suddenly arose
This dang'rous mist for lo th' ambitious braine Of man would needs aloft and fondly aime At nought but Deitie and he would be A God himselfe forsooth and who but he He 'd turne Creator too and vndertake To make of nought what God could neuer make A high prerogatiue indeed But see The cursed fall of pride when man would be Subsistent by himselfe scorning as 't were Dependency from God for soone as e'r He left his God alas I grieue to tell He falles into the very deepe of hell This Man himselfe did doe but when his will Was done he saw his worke and call'd it ill 'T was more then God could doe indeed for he Could nothing else but good as well we see In all his workes Thus most vnhappy man Brought forth this Monster sinne which quickly ran And spred abroad so fast its vip'rous brood That ill was greater growne by farre then good And man could say as well as God that he Had got a world too but of miserie Of woe of sinne of death of what you will But good for all that e'r he did was ill Thus when humanitie would climbe so hie As parallel with that great Deitie That made it lo it tumbles downe so low As loses quite it selfe for first we know Mans essence was immortall but as soone As man had sinn'd he brought that cursed doome Of lasting death vpon himselfe and all That after said Amen vnto his fall And thus men loos'd themselues became not men That 's mortall for they were immortall then And ' mongst the rest lo here vnhappy I A sinfull man a man of misery Am fallen downe for I as Adam did Would needs be doing what thou didst forbid Eate of th'vnlawfull tree be striuing too To doe a thing more then my God could do Something that was not good but here alas When I had seene the ill I brought to passe I gan abhorre my selfe and gan to know My miserable case that am so low As now I am And here I gan to see What man without dependency from thee Is of himselfe Alas he is not ought Or worse then so if ill be worse then nought But now great Lord I am a wretch so low And though in fury thou mayst iustly throw Me downe to Hell yet what were it for thee To wreake thy wrath on such a worme as mee What honour wert if some couragious Knight Should exercise the rigor of his might Vpon a dying Infant Would 't not be A higher part of vertue held if he Should pity the poore soule take and reuiue Its dying heart that when it was aliue And knew to speake it might in thanks haue said I owe to thee my being by whose aid I liue as now I doe yea sure and then How canst thou be more glorious with vs men Then by releeuing such poore soules as mine Which cannot helpe themselues and make vs thine By an eternall league that when we see How much we are beholding vnto thee We may reioyce in nothing else but this That we are thine and being thus in blisse I meane within thy bookes againe we may Be alwayes praysing thee as long as day Shall giue vs time to liue and when we goe From out this wildernesse of griefe and woe We may in thy eternall Canaan sing Eternall prayses vnto thee our King But further yet O Lord if misers wee May dare expostulate so much with thee Giue losers leaue to speake for misery Will force a man to speake although he die For vtt'ring of his minde and can I choose But vtter out my griefes although I lose What I haue lost already and vnlesse Thou heare my plaints and pitty my distresse I 'm sure I ne'r shall finde againe and than Pardon if that I speake but as a man A man and what is man or what am I That should not sin or that I should not dye Am I a God Oh no Thou know'st full well My brittle nature who can better tell Then him that made the same And can it be That man should paralell so much with thee As not to sin I meane as man that is VVithout thy Aidance when thou shalt dismisse Him of thy goodnesse and himselfe shall bee But as and of himselfe This were to thee A high indignitie As who should say There can by course of nature bee a day VVithout a Sun or more that goodnesse can Bee absolute and yet contain'd in man VVhich is indeed to say that there can bee Some good without dependency from thee And then all that is good would not bee so Because thou mad'st it good but where or no Thou wouldst which all our true Diuinitie Explodes as most abhorred Blasphemie Then let my Lord in mercy please to beare VVith poore humanitie and daine to heare Thy seruant yet to speake for lo my griefe VVill not bee silent till I finde reliefe VVhat wouldst thou more of mee should I fulfill Thy Lawes so good that cannot ought but ill Alas vnhappy wretch faine would I do The good thou would'st but I come thereto VVith hot intents I feele a cooling ill Arise within which quite against my â—ill Draws me aside and forces mee commit A sin I hate quite opposite to it And thus with Paul I am enforc'd to cry The euill that I would not that doe I The good I would I do not Thus I see There 's nothing good alas that dwells in mee That is within my flesh for if that I Do any thing that 's good t is from on hie No longer I that do it Lord but thee That dost vouchsafe thy Grace to worke in mee So great a good for if thou but with-hold Thy Grace awhile I presently wax cold Become a deadned Lumpe corrupt and foule Iust as the body when without a soule Vnapt for any good or else more nie As matters are in our Philosophy In ref'rence to their formes the forme we know Doth actuate the lumpish matter so That it is good for any thing whereto The same was made but of it selfe can do Nothing at all but is meere passiue dead Or like the body that 's without a head To guide the same or as an instrument By which the forme doth finish its intent Moues not but as t is mou'd So I to thee And more haue reference I cannot bee If thou sustaine mee not or if I am T is better that I were not for I can Bee nought but ill without thee Thou alone Art Soule and Forme and Head and all in one T'enlyuen actuate informe and guide This passiue piece which else could neuer bide So many stormes one while an enuious winde Losse of my dearest friend with griefe of minde By crosse in other friends with want and wâ— In their extremes And now hurld to and fro Betwixt my greatest enemies that is By Satan and those damned pow'rs of his No humane troups but such as
alwayes lurke Vnder the veyles of world and flesh to worke Mans finall ouerthrow VVeâ—t not for thee I had long since alas consumed bee To my first nothing or not halfe so well Been prison'd in the lawes of burning Hell Ne'r to come thence againe But it is thou That didst preserue me and this very now I should fall downe to that despairing Lake Didst thou not raise me vp and alwayes take Especiall care of me Then let it please Thy gracious eye of pity now to ease My gasping soule thinke on the case wherein It lyes thus bodyed as it were with sin Prest with the weight to Hell and cannot flye By reason of its leprous clog so hie As soules vnbodyed may to talke with thee In those pure places where the blessed bee In thine owne sweeter language where is heard Nought but the voyce of ioy but I am bâ—rd So low by sinne that from the dismall deepe Of these my griefes I am enforc'd to weepe This is my natiue language which I haue Within this soile of woe and loathsome caue Wheâ—in I liue and while this soule of mine Lyes pris'ner in this sad vnwholsome Clime Of corruptible flesh and haplesse I Goe soiourne on these vales of vanitie I cannot change my mourning tone vntill Thy mercies put a period to mine ill Come quickly then O Lord come and apply Thy sauing salues vnto my malady Come quickly lest my spirit faile and then I fall into the pit from whence agen Alas there 's no returne and who is it Shall tell thy prayses in th' infernall pit VVhere 's nothing else but horrors howles and cryes Teeths gnashing and the worme that neuer dyes But whither doe I roaue where am I led In passion thus to company the dead By these my fearefull doubtings Can it be That he who hath his sole depends on thee Should perish thus Oh no he builds too hie That builds on thee T is my infirmitie And more alas thou know'st I had not seene Those miserable deepes of griefe wherein I now lie plung'd had it not pleas'd thee wake My deadned sleepy soule and made it ake As now it doth And then how can it stand With iustice that thy pitying mercies hand Should giue a wound or make a soule to smart And then in cruelty againe depart Without applying any thing to ease The tortur'd patient of his new disease But there to leaue him sighing to the aire And bleed afresh with teares vnto despaire Oh no I know thy dealings are not such T is sweet to smart when mercy giues the touch This haue I prou'd already in extremes When outward passions or more inward threanes Did touch mee to the quick for neuer yet I swam in teares vnto thy Mercy-seat But I haue turned back so fully freight With inward solace stead of sorrowes plight That all my griefes were drowned quite and I Haue gladded thus to bee in misery If otherwise alas it then had bin Far better neuer to haue left my sin Or knowne my miseries if when I knew I so were left desparingly to rue This my vnhappy knowledge but from hence I learne to iudge of pleasure by the sense Of paine and so I better know to prize Thy greater mercies by my miseries As sickly patients by their greater griefes Do better learne to prize of their reliefes Or else if thou hadst heald mee presently And I ne'r felt the pangs of misery My soule was in perchance I would not stick To say thou heald'st mee ere that I was sick As thankelesse patients mostly say to these That heale their greatest griefes with greatest ease Thou therefore Lord whose Wisdome all-Diuine Hath order'd all things in so sweet a line Of neuer-iarring harmony that they At euery becke are ready to obey Thy high behests didst wisely preordaine That man should haue a feeling of the paine Himselfe was in by nature ere that hee Should haue that happinesse to come to thee For euer-healing Grace and reason good For if that man had neuer vnderstood That hee was sicke or if hee had not seene Those deepes of misery that hee was in As of himselfe how could hee humbly come With teares of penitence before thy Throne Of euerlasting Grace when senselesse he Ne'r knew so much that hee had need of thee But dreames that all is well with him and why Alas hee thinks there is no Deitie Besides himselfe And then how can hee see So much as a beholdingnesse to thee For any good Where 's true humilitie When Humanes thinke they haue abilitie Themselues to get a perfect happinesse As Heathens did And Papists do no lesse And lo how all was then o'rewhelm'd with night When thou awhile didst but conceale thy Light From Ethnick eyes Where was creation then Alas this was a Paradox to them Where t was imposible that ought could bee Made out of nought and worlds eternitie Which then was held could tell they did not know How e'r 't was possible that they should owe So much to thee that didst create them all To shew thy glory forth And Adams fall Was neuer heard of whence they could not see That wofull night that Hell of miserie Which they were in and so in humblenesse When they had seene the deeps of their distresse As earst Manasses get themselues to thee For mercy But behold this might not bee Thou didst derermine otherwise to show That Light to vs which they did neuer know To wit the wondrous things which thou hast done For vs to whom thou giuest grace to come To thee for grace Lord adde this one increase To these thy fauours that wee neuer cease To sing on earth the mirrors of thy praise Till Heau'ns at last eternalize our Layes And now since thou hast dain'd amongst the rest T'ensure mee thus of that great Interest I haue in thee my God and made mee see My many wants whereby I come to thee VVith thirsty soule as Dauids wearied heart Did to the water-brooks for lo my smart Enforces mee cry out to thee for ease In griefes extremitie and till it please Thy mercy send thy all Redeeming grace To free mee 〈◊〉 this sad-vnhappy case VVherein I aâ—â—nd take away from mee This heauy burden of my miserie The sin that presseth downe the loathsome weight That kills my soule that clouds mee from the light Of thy all-ioying eyes Alas I see There 's nothing here that 's able comfort mee My soule goes mourning all the day as one Impris'ned far from his desired home VVhere 's nought can truly comfort him till hee Hath won the Hauen where hee longs to bee Or rather as that needy Prodigall VVho when hee 'd had his will and lauisht all His portion quite away and pouerty Had pincht him so he was enforst to cry For helpe in his exteremes but there was none That once would giue attendance to his mone Of all his feigned friends although
that they Had flattred all that e're hee had away And seem'd to promise much as long as hee Had any thing to giue but now they see That he was left in deepes of misery They run away at once and let him lie Hee then gan know himselfe and hauing seene The fearefull deeps of want and wo wherein Hee now was plung'd hee gan with weeping eyes To thinke on these his wilfull miseries And hauing deepely counted with himselfe What once he was and now vngracious Elfe Whereto hee 'd brought his state hee would not rest But needs returne to him that lou'd him best His first offended Father where he hies All totter'd o're with ragges of miseries The fruits that he had got and there he showes His great extremes in swelling tides of woes Vncessant teares and penitentiall groanes For none besides would pitty these his moanes Vnto his Fathers eyes But soone as hee I need not speake in parables to thee Thou knowst it well enough had told his sin His pittying Father runnes and takes hiâ—â—n Embrac'th him in his armes with kisseâ—â—eet To shew how glad the Father was to meet His conuert son he yearned more to giue Him life then hee himselfe did yearne to liue For lo before the Son could well intreate The Father grants his loue was growne so great This is my case O Lord t is I that am That wretched Prodigall who earstly ran Away from thee my God who wast to mee By far a dearer Father then was hee Who was the Prodigals and lo t is I That brought my selfe to all this misery VVherein I am but now I 'gin to see My poore estate Behold I come to thee VVith Father I haue sin'd my deep distresse Enforceth mee vnfainedly confesse My wofull wandrings that haue gone astray From all thy sacred paths and spent away Thy talents all in hell done nothing well As earst I did confesse and now I tell Againe with griefe of heart with watery eyes With inward sighes with soule-relenting cryes With teares of penitence and deepe-fetcht throes The dull expressions of my deeper woes The Caracters wherewith the soule doth write The recantations of her past delight Lo here I feele the reward of my ill The penury of Grace which yearks me still Into the very soule As earst did want The Prodigall when all things were so scant And here of force I cry'd for helpe but none Of all my friends would hearken to my moane As earst I said for they did flee away As fast as cowards from a fearefull fray But when I saw that all were fled and I Was left alone beset with misery And there was none would helpe I gan to rue With solitary sighes and weeping Dew My wilfull foolishnesse and now I see My running thus so farre away from Thee So good a God is cause of all my wo Behold I cannot rest vntill I go To thee againe for it was onely Thou That first gau'st being to my soule and now There is no other Name I know full well That can redeeme me from the deepe of Hell But onely thine Thus in extremes I flie To thee for mercy in my miserie To thee alone for lo with griefe I see All other helpes are burdens vnto me Alas they kill my soule and doe but feed My greatest foe where all my horrors breed This corruptible clog of flesh that faine Would sinke me sleeping to eternall paine Whence nothing may redeeme Oh then I pray Come purifie this filthy piece of clay By those sweet streames of thy e'r liuing Grace Which issue from that holy-holy place Where thou art resident thy purest Sprite The Comforter and pledge of true delight And giue my soule free liberty to see The very fulnesse of its miserie Alas It doth not see enough I feele My heart continues yet as hard as steele It will not yeeld me teares enow to spend In wished penitence vntill I end My little day of life and here againe I am inforc'd with doubled sighes to plaine To thee for remedy this forceth more Then all the miseries that went before Alas and what 's the reason Sure I see And feele t is nothing but the want of thee He that wants thee wants all that 's good and I By wanting thee haue more then misery O then behold if euer Prodigall Thus pincht with pouerty had need to call Good Father come and helpe sure I am hee That thus in humblenesse appeale to thee Or looke vpon these caracters of wo The rags of misery wherein I goe Or were not that enough yet looke vpon My greater want of thy saluation See how I sigh to thee for grace or more I sigh alas because I am so poore In sighes and teares and weeping words that I Cannot bewaile inough my misery By reason of my sinnes which striue to keepe My gasping soule in an vnhappy sleepe Much like those lumpish clouds that I haue seene In lowring dayes to thrust themselues betweene The Sun and vs and so to keepe away Those sweet inflowings of bright Phoebus ray That quickneth vp our Spirits by which wrong It makes the sluggard lye a bed too long Enthrals vs to a drowzinesse that wee Are quite vnapt for good vntill wee see Those sleepy clouds dispell'd and Phoebus eye Doth cheere vs vp with new alacrity Such are my sinnes and till that sacred Sunne Which is indeed the light shall shine vpon This sluggish soule of mine and driue away These cloudy aduersaries of my day I cannot cry with cheerefulnesse or weepe The enemy enforceth so to sleepe O then my God thou thou that art the Sun And all I want come quickly shine vpon My deadned sleepy soule and let thy beames Of grace resolue my Icy heart to streames Of faithfull feeling penitence that I With perfect sense of this my misery May swim in teares vnto thy Mercy-Throne There to enforce thee to compassion And further let my teares be all as tongues To intimate the penitentiall songs My heart endites or rather let my pen As Dauids be the Scribe to publish them And last of all O let my sprites loud groanes Expreslesse vtter forth the saddest Tones That euer yet true penitent did weepe To wake our drowzie carnalists from sleepe And by a secret vertue to enforce My hearers all to melt into remorce When they haue seene themselues by me for all As well as I haue play'd the Prodigall If they but duly thinke vpon 't and then They 'le all vouchsafe to company my pen In weeping meeters too or if not so For want of measures to expresse their wo Which is so measurelesse yet out of loue Thus farre I know they will my griefes approue As to affoord me teares in euery line To write their penitence as well as mine Which done I doubt not but we all shall be Compartners in the same felicitie As well as griefes ere my Vrania end Her happy taske for lo I apprehend
that whereas I thought presently to apprehend it vpon the first onset without any further trouble I was cast downe suddenly by mine owne sinnes and infirmities euen to despaire of my selfe and there lay for a long time in a speakelesse misery till God of his free goodnesse at length restor'd me and brought me to the happy sight hereof by the sweee helpe and aydance of his Word and Spirit So that the readiest way to obtaine this happy assurance is to abandon all Papisticall presumings on selfe-abilities and to annihilate ourselues as t were by a faithfull humility that so wee may become the sonnes of God by that sole power of Christ Iesus and by a new Creation be transformed into his blessed likenesse till in his good time being found in him not hauing our owne righteousnesse which is of the Law but that which is through the faith of Christ the righteousnesse which is of God by faith we shall at length appeare vnspotted before the presence of our God in the highest heauens and there enioy that eternall weight of glory which hee hath prepared for vs. Now if you make this good vse of it you shall doe well Fare yee well S. A. AVSTIN'S VRANIA OR THE HEAVENLY MVSE THE SECOND BOOKE The Contents FRom out despaire my VRAN ' beere Begins to put on better cheere Because my God did now againe Refresh my soule with his sweet straine Of promis'd Grace which shew'd to me My debt was paid and I made free Free man of Grace But lo when I Thought straight t' haue seene this mystery My sinnes step in and cloud my sight From whence began so sore a fight Betwixt my flesh and spirit that I VVas forc'd e'en to despaire and die Vntill my God of his free Grace Reuiues me with a sweeter face And leades me on by his good Sp'rit Vnto his VVord which gaue me light VVhereby I clearely saw at length Onely enabled with his strength That happy Mystery which he 〈◊〉 Began whil'ere reueale to me I meane his loue in Christ and there In humbled faith and holy feare My Muse began againe to sing My Sauiours Life and Passioning VVhich earst it did but touch this done At last she cheerefully begun To sing my thanks and ends her Layes VVith periods of eternall prayse NOt long my soule in this vnhappy case Had laine her downe gasping as 't were for Grace With lowly sighes but here she seem'd to yeeld Her weapons vp and to giue death the field For when she lookt vpon her selfe and saw How deadly she was wounded by the Law But there was no Physician might be found That had a Balsome for so great a wound She gan despaire and with extremest breath To giue a forced welcome vnto death Thus did she of her selfe and could it bee Mans nature might doe otherwise to see His doome already past for well I knew There 's no escape the Law must haue its due The breach whereof is death and now that I Haue broke the same alas I needs must die Must die But what is this Is 't but to leaue This vitall breath as brutish beasts and cleaue Vnto my former earth there to remaine Impassible of any feeling paine And so ne'r to be thought on more nor be The subiect of a future miserie Oh no but as if my vnhappy sin Had neuer broke the Law I 'd alwayes been Aliue in endlesse happinesse euen so Now I haue sin'd I must in endlesse woe Die a ne'r-dying death I 〈◊〉 which is To be depriu'd of that eterâ— blisse Which else I should haue had or so much worse To be so long the subiect of that curse Of tortures inexpressible And here The very thought did touch my soule so neere That more then thousand present deaths my heart Did seeme to taste of an eternall smart The wofull pledge of what I was to drinke When I should come to that vnhappy sinke Of mine vnhappinesse that Hell wherein I should drinke vp the furious drugs of sinne But here behold in this my worst extreme As earst I well remember in my Dreame When I was mostly glozing downe vpon My selfe and miseries and there was none That would or could relieue I meane within These nether vales of vanitie of Sin Of Hell of Death where euery thing that I Could well conceiue had possibility Of suffring for our faults hath residence For suffrance goes no further then the sense Suffrance in paine I meane vnlesse it be That paine of losse which our Diuinitie Alone makes mention of Now there was none That 's subiect to a painefull passion But what is here contain'd when hap'lesse I As of my selfe would needs despaire and die Behold I say that great Omnipotence Which first gaue being to my soule and since With quickning trumpets made me to awake From out the deepe of that Lethean Lake Wherein I lay for dead I meane when I Had thrall'd my selfe to all iniquity With great delight and willingnesse and he The sacred power that gaue me eyes to see My deepes of misery and in extremes Did earst refresh me with such pleasing beames From off his gracious countenance that I Did highly prize so great a misery For here at length he comes when there was none That would or could releeue but him alone And with the sweetest words that e'r were sung Not to be vtter'd by another tongue But his that authoriz'd them Thus he gan To comfort me O thou forsaken Man The worke that I my selfe haue made full deare To me thy God although thou would'st not heare My sweet â—nuites but with the Prodigall Wouldst needs be wandring till thou'dst lauisht all Thy Portion out and bought experience Of what thou art by miserable sense Of thine vnhappinesse Alas I see â—arre better then thy selfe canst tell to mee Thy many wants I see thy great extremes Thy teares of penitence thy earnest threanes And longings after me I see I say And now behold I can no longer stay From pitying thee my bowels yerne to show My mercies forth whereby to make thee know My wondrous loue to thee Come then Arise Distressed soule shake off thy miseries And all thy former heauy dumps for lo I here intend to terminate thy wo. Thy day of happinesse is come and I Will here reueale so sweet a remedy For these thy grieuances that soone as ere Thou shalt but see a glimpse of it thy feare Will vanish quite away and thou wilt be So rauisht straight with new felicitie That all thy senses will be dispossest Of thy first miseries and wholly blest With such expresselesse ioy that tongue or pen Though led by all the choicest Art of men With all their shaddowes cannot halfe expresse The substance of so great a happinesse Come then and solace here a while till I Haue rays'd thee vp vnto a pitch so high Where when thy speculations sweetly see The wondrous things that I haue done for thee Thou wilt so farre
fall vpon the good and dispossesse Them of their rights fill all with heauinesse But to my selfe againe When carelesse I Had swallowed downe this pleasing miserie Of one vnhappy thought O how my heart VVas strucken straight with a benumming smart Prest with a heauy drowzinesse my sin Had cast such gloomy mists on all within And hereupon O that so light a toy Should seeme to ship-wrack all my former ioy And so o're-whelme my soule with feares that I Should lose my selfe so long in misery A Legion more the most vnlucky shade That euer yet did my poore soule inuade Of thoughts distracted thoughts came rushing in And faine would haue mee desp'rate on in sin Ne'r hope for Goodnesse more ne'r spend my paine For that which was so difficult to gaine Nay more alas O that my shamelesse pen Should dare to whisper out to other men Those priuate conflicts of my soule for feare I should offend the true religious eare For Christians should not once so much as name Such things as these lest some say 't is prophane They drew mee to such dangerous Rocks that I Was put to doubtings of a Deitie Whether I had a God or no that Hee Should seeme to goe so far away from mee In those my greatest deeps O how my sprite Was mazed at this vnaccustom'd fight How was I shaken How was all my man Strook downe with feare Good God! how pale and wan My outward visage was which might bewray The grieuous conflicts of mine inward fray How did I walke disconsolate as one That had no life in him or had alone His life to liue in misery wherein T were better not to bee then to haue been But here deare Christians you whose happier Eyes Are alwayes blest with feeling Theories Of Heau'ns chiefe Goodnesse you that sweetly run These happy paths ne'r clouded from the Sun Condemne mee not I pray you straight that I Beare not a part in that felicitie Which you your selues are in but rather prayse The goodnesse of that God whose Gracious Rayes Hee would in mercy make your eyes to see But in his Iustice hide them now from mee For reasons knowne best to himselfe and who Shall dare gaine-say what pleaseth him to do O bee your selues I pray which if you bee Then am I sure you 'l rather pitty mee With earnest prayers in my behalfe that I May win at length a happy victory After these dreary stormes Oh these are they I neede especially Good Reader pray To helpe mee out and know what now is mine If Iustice please to morrow may bee thine Calmes seldome hold continually and wee Though now in stormes haue yet a hope to see A fairer day Thus may the loftiest eyes Looke for a fall and I may looke to rise And I may looke Alas poore soule how faine Would'st thou bee lifting vp thine eyes againe To see that Light of happinesse that Sun Whose beames ere-while so wondrously begun To glad thy drooping sprites and to expell The dismall clouds of all thy former Hell But O vnhappy wretch how doe I see My gloomy sinnes o're-vaile and shaddow mee What gastly thoughts doe wrest away mine eyes To gad and gaze on thousand vanities And various shows of ill which giue to mee No more content then doth my misery Alas they vex mee ten times more for these Will not so much as let mee seeke for ease Which that enforceth mee to doe but still They vrge mee onwards to some other ill Which seemes as though 't would giue mee ease but when I 'ue also try'd its Remedy Oh then I grieue to see my foolishnesse that I Should bee thus flatterd on in misery For still the more I adde to ill the more I adde of poyson to my festred sore The more I adde to weigh mee downe to Hell And more of paine my conscious soule doth tell That I of force must vndergoe e're I Recouer backe my first felicity Such ease it seemes to fall tow'rds Hell but then Alas how full of teares to rise agen And thus I adde vnto my griefes altho My stupid flesh would faine perswade mee no Oh this is it that kills my soule to see I 'm sicke euen to the death yet not to bee Touch't truely with the sense of it whereby I might in haste goe seeke for remedy With some new kinde of Rhetorick with cryes And teary-words making my weeping eyes My humble intercessors and my groanes To vtter forth more lamentable Tones Then euer yet before which might enforce The Heau'ns and all vnto a new remorce And chiefly to appease the angry frowne Of my Great God whose absence throwes mee downe To all those deepes of misery that I Should so misprize that high benignitie And Riches of his loue which was to mee The very summe of true felicitie As to exchange it for a taste or twaine Of Satans sweets and so to entertaine In stead of him those guests which now possesse My soule with nought but cursed bitternesse And sad desparing-heauy thoughts and these Are all the salues that Satan hath to ease The troubled soule O what a foole was I Thus to beleeue his damned flattery Did I not know enough before how hee Beguild my Parents as hee now doth mee To eate of the forbidden fruite and said That they should bee as Gods ere hee betrayd Their soules into his cruell hands But then Hee threw them downe below the state of men And then hee triumpht in their falls as now He doth in mine But Adam where art thou Or rather where am I Why doe I runne Amongst the trees to hide mee from the Sun I le goe vnto my God againe and there Will neuer cease to call vntill hee heare From out his holy Place and thence come downe To take mee vp and till that angry frowne Bee turn'd to wonted pleasing similes and hee Shall sweetly come againe and show to mee Those endlesse Riches of his loue wich erst Hee 'gan reueale for lo I cannot rest My soule will not bee comforted till I Shall see at full that happy Mystery Of his eternall loue whereof while-ere I had a glimpse O let mee but come there To that high seate of happinesse to see The fulnesse of that true felicitie And in the mid'st of that sweet Theorie O let my body melt away and dye Or let mee dye vnto the flesh that so My soule may ne'r more taste of bodies woe But alwaies bee hereafter thron'd so hie As still enioy that happy Theorie Where is my God so long O where art thou My Light my Life my Happinesse Come now O quickly come and take mee vp for feare I fall into the gastly pit and there Bee none to helpe me vp againe O why Did'st thou in anger take away thine eye So suddenly from mee Thou knew'st full well I needs must fall downe to the pit of hell When thou didst faile to hold
mee vp Alas I knew before how poore and weake I was How full of misery which made mee call As earst I did to thee for helpe when all Were fled away besides and there was none That could relieue mee but thy selfe alone Good God! what didst thou meane in this to show Thy wondrous loue to mee but straight to throw Mee downe againe from sight of it that I Had not the time so much as to apply Least comfort to my soule from thence for lo All that I learned hence was this to know There was indeed a helpe but to my griefe Because I was not able take reliefe Or any ease from thence and sure 't had been For mee farre better that I ne'r had seene Then thus to see and not enioy that Light Which who once sees can neuer take delight In any thing besides or be content Till hee become a happy Possident Of that which hee so sweetly saw But stay Rash foolish wretch what was 't that I did say To thee my God What did I say 't was Thou That thus hast throwne mee downe so low O how My foolishnes bewrayes it selfe 'T was I Euen I my selfe mine owne iniquity My foolish turning ' way from thee my sin That brought me to these deepes I now am in Euen to the gates of death But thou my God Didst often come with thy chastizing rod To call mee home againe and didâ—â—ord The sweet 〈…〉 of thy quickning Woâ—d To heale my â—r'd soule but foolish I Would still bee turning back to vanity The Sun shone on me but alas my sight Did rather chuse to wander in the night Of gloomy sin then â—scend so hiâ— As blesse it selfe with 〈◊〉 sweet Theorie Of this thy wondrous loue to mee But stay Poore foolish man What is 't againe I say Did rather chuse Alâ—s was 't in my choice To apprehend than light or to reioyce In things beyond my reach Foole that I am Could I do this Sure I were more then man But woe is mee Adam vnhappy Son My sinfull power◠〈◊〉 now refrain'd to one And that is bad I haue no Papists will To take the good or to refuse the ill How when or where I please alas I see These high prerogatiues are far from mee I owe more to thy Grace then so for when At any time I take the good Oh then I feele within a sweet dependencie I haue alone on thee and 't is not I My selfe I meane no more but all thy Grace That workes in mee which makes mee thus embrace That which is only good And hence againe I see that tale of merits is so vaine That I must needs confesse my humbled hope Can neuer build so much vpon the Pope That I should e'r expect by doing well Vnlesse by Grace any other Heau'n then Hell I speake but what I feele Now if there bee Some sinfull sonnes of Ade as well as mee That euer truly fâ—lt their hearts Oh then They 'le also know themselues to bee but men And neuer build on selfe deserts whereby They can win nought but hell and misery For all that they can doe is ill vnlesse By Grace and that is no deseruingnesse Because not theirs but Gods from whom alone They haue their goodnesse or if not haue none If they 'le bee more then this sure they must bee The sons of Ade in his integritie And is it so Good God then what am I That I should go along thus heauily And not enioy thy countenance Alas Am I of stone or in my flesh of brasse To vndergoe these heauy stormes to bee So long left to my selfe depriu'd of thee How is 't I fall not downe to hell or how I die not straight in these my sins sure thou Thou hast thy working hand in this though I Perceiue it not with my too fleshie eie For 't is impossible that I should stand Thus long vnlesse thy all protecting hand Did hold mee vp Good God then let mee know As thou art Good and kinde to those that show Their griefes to thee what is the cause that I Should bee thus plung'd in deepest misery Depriu'd of thee so long why didst thou let These Philistims alone till they 'd beset My soule about I meane those poys'nous pills Of wicked thoughts those harbengers of ills That now possesse my drowzie man and thence Do driue ' way all my good and former sense Of thy sweet fauours which were wont to be My greatest helpes in greatest miserie Why is 't said I why sure t is for my sin Yea blessed God but yet there lies within Some other cause or else I pray thee why Dost thou not â—ut me quite away for I Deserue as iustly that as thus to be Vext with a tedious life that wanteth thee But sure thou hast some other aimes I know As earst that man of Patience found altho Mans wisdome sees it not thy workes farre passe Our feeble findings out But yet alas Pitty a wretch come gently daine and show What I my selfe know not which way to know The cause I meane as thou art Good come tell Why is 't I hang so long twixt heau'n and hell Why dost thou hide thy countenance O why Dost thou forsake me thus in miserie Why dost thou leaue mee to my selfe to see What I would doe without depends from thee And how behaue my selfe when I should fight Against that aduersary of the Light The Prince of darknesse that grand enemie Vnto my peace Alas thou needst not try To see what I would doe thou know'st full well What I must doe despaire and so to hell Thus did'st thou try thy seruant Iob but sure Had'st thou not gi'en him vertue to endure Those heauy stormes and held him vp withall By secret Grace hee â—ould not chuse but fall As well as I for hee was man and had Depends alike from thee only in bâ—d I differ ' cause hee was vpright but I A man polluted with iniquitie And yet in this hee could not say that hee Was righteous of himselfe 't was all from thee Euen from thy Grace And should it please thee say That I am cleane and iust why sure I may Be right as hee thus hee and all as I In what is good haue like dependencie On thee out God and there is none that can Bee good himselfe as hee is meerely man But come I to my selfe againe alas This helpes not yet I still am where I was In my old deepes of miserie and thou My Gracious God O would it please thee now At length to manifest thy selfe and show Thy iudgements here to mee that I might know Thy workes past finding out by man and see The reasons of thy dealings thus with mee O Lord how long wilt thou delay how long Shall I continue yet my plaining song Before thy mercies come to mee and I Behold at full that blessed mysterie Of thy sweet Sunne of
stop thine eares but rather win Thee to compassion on mee ' cause that I Am plunged in such deepes of misery By this my tyrannizing sin which striues Not only to destroy my soule but driues At theee also seeking to ouerthrow Thy worke of Grace and would not men should know The Riches of thy Goodnesse O my Lord Why i st thou stay'st so long speake but the word And all is done this shackled soule of mine In spight of all those pow'rs that do combine To force mee downe to Hell shall quickly fly Into so sweet a Heau'n of liberty In contemplation of thy Grace that hence I ne'r more shall bee brought into suspense Or doubtings of thy goodnesse but shall bee As one that hath his building sure with thee And cannot bee remou'd and then mine eye Shall haue its fill of that sweet Theorie Which earst I did so much desire whose light Will straight dispell these fearefull clouds of night Wherein my sins had veil'd mee vp and yeeld Such pleasing matter and so large a field Of praise to recreate my soule that I Shall hence bee raised vp so sweetly high As I was sadly low before and thence Shall haue so much of selfe-experience To speake of thine abundant loue that I Shall nothing else but prayse thee till I dye O then my Lord here let thy mercies come And raise mee vp lest I bee quite vndone In these so great extremities Aye mee My soule despaires to thinke where I shall bee If that thou yet deferre thy helpe for lo I 'm euery minute ready now to go Where-ere my sins and Satan dragge and they Will dragge mee sure to hell What shall I say Or doe or thinke Thou seest my miseries Farre better then my selfe and if thine eyes Can yet forbeare to pity mee Oh then Come come despaire come stifle vp my pen And let it weepe no more and cruell death Bee thou so kinde to stop my tedious breath That I may speake no more of griefe for lo I 'm wearied quite and can no further go And thus throwne downe 'twixt hope and feare I lye As one that hopes to liue hut feares to dye But here behold mid'st of this dreary storme Wherein my billowing sins and griefes had borne My soule into so many deepes that I Was on the point to sinke despaire and dye Behold I say when I had quite gi'en o're And e'en resolu'd to yeeld to Satans Lore Out of my great distractednesse wherein I oft was tempted to such deepes of sin Such foule abominable acts that I Dare not to name them to posterity For feare I should offend euen then I say When I was headlong running downe the way Tow'rds deaths accursed chambers where I 'gan To feele my selfe the miserable'st man That euer was on earth the time when I Was plunged in my great'st extremitie I 'gan to feele O what a ioy was this That long'd for Nuntius of my wonted blisse Begin to repossesse my soule and I Was raised vp againe so sweetly high As scarce I could beleeue my selfe to see Such wonders wrought so suddenly on mee And here mee thought with sweet inspired layes Hee 'gan againe my drooping soule to raise With these or such like happy notes Come come Thou sad despairing man lo I haue done With thee I see it is enough for thou Art too-too weake alas to striue and now Thou know'st thy selfe sufficiently and well Thou hast done so 't was meet that thou shouldest dwell So long on this sad Theame for mayst thou know In answer to thy quests this was to show Thy weakenesse to the full not that my selfe Was ignorant but thou vnhappy Elfe Wast hardly brought to search it out Againe To teach thee that thy lab'rings all were vaine Without my speciall helping-Grace for thou Mightst labour till thy death yet bee as now So farre to seeke as e're thou wast and hence This mayst thou learne for thy experience That Heau'n can ne'r bee won with workes altho These bee the way indeed by which yee go Thereto and these as signes of Grace do show That yee assuredly do thither go If they be good but all their good consists Alone in Grace from whence their beeing is But now poore soule that thou hast stai'd so long In these thy deepes and thence conceau'st a wrong That 's done to thee in that I should delay To grant thy sute though thou didst often pray And yearne indeed for Grace euen till thine eie And heart with teares and sighes were both worne dry And thou meane while most so opprest with sin With feares without with trembling stormes within That thou couldst neuer bee at rest nay more The tedious suffrings of thy sin-borne sore Had so bedull'd thy soule that faithlesly Thou here hadst yeelded to despaire and dy Know this I say for answer 't was my will It should bee so who gather good from ill First therefore know in all these dreary deepes Mine eye was ope on thee which neuer sleepes To keepe thee safe and my wise prouidence Ne'r suffred yet sins hainous violence To haue it's full Carreer on thee altho I suffred it indeed thus far to go To make thy very heart to bleed to see Those fearefull wounds it did inflict on thee VVhen I but left thee to thy selfe yet hence I taught thy soule this sweet experience To make thy soone appeale to me when sin Had made thee see the danger thou wast in But further yet here haply thou'lt reply Alas this answer will not satisfie Sin hath its full carreer on me for lo It drawes mee on e'en whe'r I will or no To giue consent to it euen so that I Am ready to enact what villany So ere the flesh inuites but that perchance I 'm hinderd by some outward circumstance Of feare or shame of men but woe is mee I doe not feele alas that feare of thee I would within my heart whence 't is that I Am ready here to sinke despaire and die For want of it and then how can it bee That sin can fuller yet carreer on mee Alas poore foule 't is true indeed I know Thy sins haue brought thy feeble man so low That thou art helplesse of thy selfe yea sure Vassal'd to Satan and could'st ne'r endure The least of these his heauy brunts if I Had not sustain'd thee by a sweet supply Of secret Grace but headlong wouldst haue run Downe to thine owne destruction wretched man Saue that I would not suffer thee and hence It is that thou hast had this happy sense Of these thine owne infirmities whence thou Despairing in thy selfe as t were didst vow Neuer to take thy rest till thou hadst won This sweet assurance that thou art my son O happy soule blest bee that day and houre Wherein thou chos'st so good a part to towre So high in thy desires as to depise Those gay allurements which
the worldly wiâ—e So greedily pursue as wealth delights And honours all esteem'd in their blinde sights As Deities And didst more wisely craue What they indeed thought foolishnesse to 〈◊〉 To bee entitled one of mine to bee My sonne by Grace a heauenly high degree Which flesh and bloud can ne'r conceiue and hence It is that they led only by the sense Can ne'r attaine vnto 't nor thy weake eie Poore soule can ere bee able reach so high Do what thou canst vnlesse my lightning Grace Reueale it thee for t is nor wealth nor place Nor labour that can worke it out but I Alone must giu 't of my benignity Now what is this great gift Why sure it is The very Treasurie of perfect blisse And hence deare soule bee not a whit dismai'd To passe those many deepes my Gracious ayd Shall still bee with thee go and prosper on 'T is worth thy suffrings to bee call'd my Son Thou seek'st no meane preferment know one aske Is not enough no 't is a weightier taske And craues thy longest paines so hard an Art For flesh and bloud to learne that 't would dis-hart The wisest of you all did hee but know The many plunges he must vndergo Before hee can attaine this height Alas 'T is not a common I beleeue will passe Thereto only for fashions sake No no There is an inward feeling-faith must go With euery word thou speak'st and this proceeds From my sole purer Sprite which only feeds Those truly contrite soules whose happier eyes Haue seene the deepes of their owne miseries As thou poore humbled soule hast done whereby Thou' rt made a subiect fit for mercies eie To work vpon and pitty Now 's the time Indeed to comfort thee when pow'rs diuine Alone can helpe and nothing else beside Can come so neere in this so deepe a tide As doe thee but least show of good vnlesse It bee to drowne thee quite in thy distresse And headlong send thee downe to Hell Then coâ—e Come my deare soule or rather my deare son For so thou shalt be called hence arise Shake off thy quondam sins and miseries For I thy God will haue it so and now Come on with me where I will shew thee how Thou shalt obtaine thy full desires but know There 's one thing yet before thou further goe Which must be done and though thou thinke it hard Yet neuer faint it must or all is marr'd Thou needs must vse all meanes hereto but here I know thou 'lt say Alas I cannot beare This heauie yoake Goe too I know full well What thou canst do Nothing but goe to hell Without my sauing Grace but know with this Thou shalt vse all those mediums of thy blisse With wondrous ease and this my yoake shall bee More pleasing farre then worlds best ioy to thee For I my selfe will be thy strength in whom Thou shalt performe what ere I will and none Thy foes shall dare resist or if they doe Thou shalt both fight with them and conquer too To thine abundant hearts content Now then This is the taske which thou must doe to men I know full harsh which is still to represse The swelling pride of thy rebellious flesh To crucifie thy man of sinne to die Daily with Paul to giue to vanitie A resolute farewell and part withall That earst occasion'd thee so great a fall I meane thine owne innatiue lusts for they Indeed are those that caus'd thy soule to stay So long in these vnhappy deepes but now Thou needs must turne another leafe and vow Perpetuall warre against them all yea tho It be against thy very selfe in show I meane against thy outward man thy flesh That Stewes of ill that Cage of filthinesse Which needs must be pull'd downe and purg'd of sin Or my pure Sprite will neuer enter in To fill it full of ioy no no my Grace Cannot abide the house till these giue place Out then you diuelish lusts goe quickly flie Into some Swinish Heard my Deitie Commands your hastening flight you must not stay To make it night where I will haue it day And thou dead heart I charge thee vomit vp The poys'nous drugs of that deceitfull cup Which earst thy flesh did giue thee and whereby Sh'ath brought thee to so deepe a Lethargie That thou hast quite forgot thy selfe yea mee Who earst haue done such wondrous things for thee And you corrupted Trades-men of the minde You wanton eies you leaders of the blinde I charge you hence be pure ne'r wander more To gaze on vanities play not the whore With euery idle obiect that you see Which cannot satisfie but looke on mee By often reading of my Word and by Perusing me in that sweet Theorie Of my most beautious Workes where you shall see That nought indeed is worth your eies but me And you corrupted Listners too you Eares Whose hollow intricate Meander beares Each sound vnto the soule wh'are alwaies apt To ope your doores to ill but closely clapt To euery thing that 's good I charge you too That hence you sanctifie your selues and doe Nought but my will which is to entertaine All messengers of good but to refraine From hearkning vnto any ill whereby Thou mayst conceiue one thought of vanitie Yea Mouth and all which haue your seuerall parts To act in this great mysterie of Arts I charge you all be pure let not a word Be spoke of thee but that which doth afford Matter of praise to me whence all may know The Fount is pure from whence these waters flow Besides accustome not thy selfe to eate Of ouer-much or too delicious meate Whereby to pamper vp thy flesh for these Although they seeme bewitchingly to please Thy all-corrupted man of sinne and feed Thy sense with seeming pleasures yet indeed If thou but duly thinke on them they be The chiefe maintainers of that miserie Which thou so fearefully hast felt for they Are alwaies stirring vp those foes that sway So domineeringly o're thee thy sin And raging lusts which fight so sore within Against thy soule against thy drooping Sp'rite And these are they that cause this gloomy night Of drowzie carelesnesse in thee yea these Would lull thee faine along in thy disease As one that 's in a sleppe to hell where thou Shouldst be impris'ned fast ere knowing how Wherefore I charge thee specially from hence Forbeare these luring baites which feed the sense But famish vp the soule forbeare I say And hence inure thy selfe to fast and pray The readiest meanes whence to cast forth this kinde Of diuelish thoughts that so disturbe the minde This being duely done 't is now high time I send my sanctifying pow'r diuine To purge thine inward faculties thy soule And her attendants made so lately foule By thine owne sinnes and thence to driue away Those theeuish lusts there gotten
This being said behold my deadned soule Began reuiue the sprite that was so foule That Messenger of hell which often brought Me downe into such desp'rate deepes me thought Did leaue me by degrees and all gaue place To entertaine a sweet succeeding Grace VVhich seiz'd vpon mine inward parts whereby I 'gan to feele a secret new supply Of an vncustom'd strength and now againe Me thought I had a pow'r whence to refraine From swallowing Satans luring baites which he Did vse erewhile thus in bewitching me And here me thought by secret sweet degrees My selfe gat ground and Satan 'gan to leese By sweet assistance from my God for he Indeed did worke these miracles in me O how I wish to thanke him for 't and I Began to feele a happie libertie From that most loathsome slauerie wherein I was enshackled earst so fast in sin My stormes blew ore and this my troubled Man Seem'd to be somewhat calm'd the clouds began To fleet away and an vnwonted light Fills vp the place of former gloomie light VVhereby mine eies began to wake and I 'Gan call vnto my drowzie memorie Those happie notes I heard of late from whence I felt these holy changings in my sense As well as in mine inward soule and here With awfull reuerence and submissiue feare In thus repeal'd vnto my God Great IOVE Thou sole Commander of the pow'rs aboue And these below who only with thy word Do'st whatsoe'r thou wilt lo here my Lord I am thy seruant son of thine hand-maide Bee 't done vnto mee all as thou hast said I humbly here submit my selfe to bee Obedient to thy will to giue to thee All glory due vnto this worke for I Desire herein no greater dignity Then to bee made thine instrument by whom Thou 'st pleas'd to show thy great saluation To mee and all the rest of thine which bee Implung'd in deepes of griefe as well as mee Here then great Lord in humble confidence Of thy sole promis'd aide as hauing sense Of these mine owne infirmities whereby My wings are clipt with Paul from soaring hie On selfe-presumptious perfectnesse lo here I doe proceed in humbled faith and feare Crying aloud to thee with teares of griefe Lord I belieue O helpe mine vnbeliefe Thus going on from Moses sacred Law Wherein ere-while with weeping heart I saw Mine owne defects and miseries and now Pearching aloft to Esay's happier bow Which sprang from out of Iesses root I 'gan To see saluation preach'd to sinfull man By God himselfe his holy Cryer calls Prepare the way the former humbled vales Shall bee exalted but the towring hill Shall bee throwne downe as low for lo hee will Reueale his glory forth all flesh shall see The wondrous light of his benignitie Himselfe hath spoken it And here mine eie 'Gan see some glimm'rings of that mystery Which I so much desir'd but going on Those pleasing high-waies of Saluation To finde more sweet assurances I past The Prophets all by whose good help at last I came vnto Mount Sion-hill where I 'Gan see my Sauiour with a clearer eie Then e'r I did before this was the place VVherein I found that couenant of Grace VVhich earst the Prophets pointed at the VVell And Spring of life where all true comforts dwell To euery sad wearied heart that lyes O're laden with his heauie sins and cryes VVith thirsty Soule for ease Here did I finde Those sweet reuiuals to my drooping minde VVhich flesh and bloud cannot conceiue I meane VVithin the Storie of that happy Scene VVhich God himselfe came downe to act when hee Out of that boundlesse loue hee bare to mee And all the rest of his tooke flesh on him To beare those punishments which wee by sin VVere subiect to but could not beare vnlesse VVith euerlasting losse of happinesse And durance of expresâ—esse paine which hee Alone of loue did vndergo that wee Might haue our freedome all in him But here Beeing much desirous yet to come more neere And pry into this sacred Fount wherein I might wash off my leprosie of sin And bee made fully whole at length I came To Matthew's holy VVrit mark't with the Name Of Iesuâ— in the Frontispice where I Did quickly finde his strange natiuitie As was foretold for this indeed was hee That should bee borne of that pure Virgin tree VVhich sprang from Iesse's holy Root yea'uen hee That was to ope the blinded eyes to free Vs that were pris'ners fast to sin to preach Good tidings to the meeke in heart to reach His comforts out to those that mourne whose Name VVas to bee called Wonderfull the same With God himselfe which was ordain'd to saue The people for their sins Thus farre I haue Gon on with him but going sweetly on As I began behold I see anon The VVise-men comming from the East and they Being guided by his starre were come to pay Their duties to this God made man to see And worship him for so it ought to be O thou my God send here thy lightning Sprite To bee my starre also to guide mee right That I may finde my Sauiour too and then Though not with th'offrings of those wiser men For lo I am vnwise alas and poore Yet may I truly worship him with more Then e're they did with heart with soule and all That now I haue or euer after shall Thus passing on at length my thoughts were brought To holy Luke for Mark indeed had nought Of this his birth where when I ent'red in I saw the Angell speake againe of him As earst in Matthew's sacred Writ but here I went not far before there did appeare A wondrous change this Heau'n-borne Maiestie Whom earst the Magi came to gratifie With these their best adoring gifts with Gold With Frankincense and Myrrhe which plainly told How great a King a Priest and Prince hee was Whome they ador'd I say it came to passe This Maiestie so great being now disgrac'd As 't were with Ragges of humane flesh lay plac'd In an vnseemly manger for the Inne Was haply stuft so full with guests of sin There was no roome for this great Lord but hee Must seeke a Stable for his high degree Being thought the very scorne of men but sure 'T was not without a Prophecy so pure And innocent a soule should bee thus left Both in contempt and misery bereft Of worlds best seeming-comforts But behold When earth and cruell men were growne so cold In charitie the Heau'ns themselues proclaime His wondrous worth for lo a glorious Traine Of that celestiall Quire were come to bring This happy Tidings to the world to sing His high natiuitie in their high-layes Where euery Period eccho'd nought but prayse And glory to our God on high on earth Peace and good will tow'rds men all from his birth Issuing as from one
to thee In my behalfe What shall I say hee bore My sins and griefes as well thou know'st yea more Hee hath fulfill'd thy Law for me and thou Thy selfe wouldst haue him so yea sure and now Thou 'st also led mee by thy Sprite to him In these my deepes of misery and sin To salue and solace vp my soule and I Appeale to thee vnder no other tye Or name but his that being found alone Hauing his righteousnesse and not mine owne For I alas haue none I thus might bee Made perfect in thy sighs and so might see And know my selfe linkt in thy loue whereby I 'm bound to thee in this eternall tye Of praise and thankfulnesse Here then my Lord Come take me to thy selfe here let thy VVord Speake comfort to my soule that I may bee From hence accounted thine here take from mee All that is mine my sinnes I meane and hence Compose mee for thy seâ—e Refine my sense With all mine inward faculties that I May bee made wholy thine Let not mine eye So much as look on what I loue vnlesse It please thee sanctifie the same and blesse Its sight and vse to mee for good and let Mee here intreate thee teach mee to forget My fathers house this earth I meane that so My soule may hence with that faire daughter go Vnto the King my Christ and there may bee Presented glorious all within to thee Roab'd only with his Righteousnesse and thou May'st greatly cast thy loue on mee for now Behold I haue giu'n o're my selfe to be Thy worshipper alone who art to mee My only Lord. Here will I set my heart As Dauid earst to act its thankfull part Of prayses to the King here shall my pen Become his tongue here will I show to men The wondrous Riches of thy loue which thou Hast showne to mee Come then my friends for now I will begin Come yee that feare the Lord Come all I say attend to euery word Which I shall speake here will I show to you Such things as may deserue the choycest view What God hath done for my poore soule when I Was in distresse first please you cast an eye But back on these my many griefes which bee Set dully forth in this sad mappe by mee And you shall finde if you haue eyes to looke That can refraine from drowning my poore booke With interrupting teares whiles you peruse The heauie plunges of my sorry Muse There shall you finde I say what deeps of griefe My soule was in there shall you finde in briefe The fearefull'st plunges and extremest smart That euer did beset so weake a heart O're-whelming mee at once there is the paine My soule endur'd which stroue so long in vaine To be redeem'd from sin the heauiest loade That euer yet poore wretched man abode There may you see the feares despaires and all The sad euents that euer could befall A perfect sinfull wretch oppressing mee So sore on euery side that you may bee Made tremble but to thinke vpon 't for I VVas sure me thought past all recouerie Yea sure I was in mans conceit my soule VVas pris'ner fast to death writ in the roule Of hells accursed bookes and could not stirre One foot so much vnlesse it were to erre Into some greater deepe of sinne whereby I needs must fall to greater miserie This was my case deare friends wherein I lay Bereft of helpe full many a tedious day So that I knew not what to doe nor where I might betake my selfe all that was here Within this earth I meane did seeme to me But as some friends of mine which faine would be Accounted so but in my deepes of griefe They were so farre from sending me reliefe That at my greatest need my hopes prou'd vaine Thus did they helpe to adde vnto my paine And thus alas I still continued on From bad to worse till I was so o're-gone VVith my increasing killing sinnes that I Had lost all sense of mine owne miserie VVhich show'd indeed I was quite dead in sin Such was the fearefull case my soule was in But here behold now you haue seene a briefe Or shaddow of my former tedious griefe And wofull deepes that I was in I say Behold when all things else were fled away And would not could not comfort me euen then O here was loue surpassing that of men My God alone tooke hold on me when I VVas in my greatest deepe of miserie Enslau'd to sinne polluted in my blood A loathsome lumpe of any thing but good And there he sweetly rayâ—'d me vp and said Vnto me â—iue lo I will be thine aide For all things else are vaine e'en I alone I will redeeme thee for besides there 's none That can redeeme I will because I will Of my free Grace for thy deserts are ill As all the rest thy kinreds are which came From sinfull Adams loynes for mine owne Name And goodnesse sake I will that hence thou be A vessell wholly consecrate to me In holinesse Thus did he leade me on As I haue showne his sacred Word along Till from Mount Sinai he had brought me vp To Sions hill where he gaue me the cup Of his saluation freely and mine eie Began to see that happie Mysterie Of his abundant loue in Christ which he Did sweetly there begin lay ope to me Lay ope indeed for 't was a treasurie Of loue beyond conceit the time when I Was in my deepest plunge prest downe by sin Euen to despaire the time when I was in The very Iawes of Hell euen then I say When there was left for me none other way Then did my gracious God in kindnesse come And take me vp then did he send his Sonne His owne beloued Sonne downe from on high And rather then hee 'd suffer me to lye In those eternall bonds of death to be Still thrall'd to Hells expreslesse miserie Whereto my selfe had brought my selfe euen he His onely Sonne would needs come downe to be My Ransomer his loue was growne so great Hee 'd rather leaue his wonte glorious seat Of Maiestie then see me thus yea more Hee 'd be my suretie too for sure he bore My sinnes and griefes he vnder-went the paine Of death and hell for me nought could restraine His forward wings of speakelesse loue but he Would straight vn-God himselfe as 't were and be Made man like vs he would descend from high Where 's earst he sate in his felicitie And glorie inexpressible that he Might take on him our poore humanitie The ragges of our accursed flesh wherein He might in person answer for the sin That we had done he would become our Gage To vndergoe his fathers heauie rage And wrath so iustly due to vs that wee From out the hell of this our low degree Might bee raisd vp so high from death from sin And all those deepes of misery
from on high Wouldst fall so low thou wast not able cry And such is now that dismall case wherein Thou ly'st thus senselesse in the deepe of sinne Where I could iustly leaue thee to thy will Vntill thou hadst thy recompence of ill In Lakes of burning brimstone which doe frie That damned rout whose worme shall neuer die But I a God of mercy am and show A thousand fauours where I nothing ow. I fauour whom I fauour and I giue My graces freely whom I will shall liue Then miserable man awake and see The wondrous things that I haue done for thee And now bring forth thy arguments for I Will here dispute it with Humanitie Gird vp thy loynes and she thy selfe a man Or bring thy new distinctions if they can Pleade for thy righteousnesse here let me see I will demand come thou and answer me Where wast thou when I first began to frame This earthly Round and what was then thy name Or canst thou tell who layd the corner-stone Of this foundation when there yet was none And where were then thy foot-steps What wast thou If thou hast vnderstanding tell me now I see thou art confounded stupid sense Stands quite amaz'd at such intelligence Come I will shew thee Ere this goodly Ball Had beeing I my selfe was all in all As earst I told thee by that sacred VVrit Of faithfull Moses whom I did permit To see my glorious Acts and by his pen To tell my wonders to the sonnes of men I had no creatures then for solely I Tooke perfect solace in selfe-Deitie I needed not a helpe for all was mine And all this All was nothing but Diuine But afterwards with time I did begin To make this Vniuerse and all therein As I had fore-determined to show How farre my boundlesse goodnesse meant to flow All were partakers of it all could say That were the workes of euery seuerall day VVe all are good what need we further go To tell you why Our God hath nam'd vs so And thee O man most thanklesse of the rest I freely made to be my chiefest Guest And Steward in this All I gaue thee life VVhich I denyde the Elements whose strife Resembles brethrens hatred and the Stone And growthlesse Minerals for they had none And then I gaue thee Sense which I denyde To Trees and Plants and whatsoe'r beside Beares not the name of Animal And then I gaue what sole was proper vnto men Discursiue Reason which I did deny To brutish beasts I caus'd thee looke on high Tow'rds me thy God to meditate and see Those wondrous things that I had done for thee And more because I 'd make thee wondrous faire I did inspire thee with a sacred aire Of euerlasting life that thou could'st say I once had priuiledge to liue for aye But would'st thou vainely eleuate thy head To seeke the stately Palace or the Bed The Chaire of State or the delightsome Clime Which thou possess'dst before the wombe of Time Or wouldst thou know thy being and what thou wast Before that Fiat yet my Word was past Foole I will tell thee doe but answer me What Palaces in no place situate be Such Palaces Bed Chaire and such a Clime Thou didst possesse before the wombe of Time And for thy selfe since needs thou wilt presume To flie so lofty with so base a plume As seeke thy being then behold thy nest Which thou bewray'st thou wast a beast at best For you alike both nothing were and than Tell mee the diffrence 'twixt a beast and man When All a nothing was Here Idiot see The wondrous things that I haue done for thee 'T was not thy goodnesse for thy selfe hadst none No more then Beasts or Vegetals or Stone For you were nothing all alike to me That caus'd me thus to fixe my loue on thee Or set thee ' boue the rest but 't was my will And pleasure thus to doe and so fulfill What I had fore-decreed that men might know How farre the currents of my bounty flow For I am bound to none but all to me Here see the fauours I haue done for thee But when I had created thee as Lord O're all my houshold who with one accord Became as ready seruants to thine hand And gaue obeysance when thou didst command As some great Master going farre away To forraine Countries telling not the day Of his returne commends his goods and ware To the disposure and the thriuing care Of his chiefe Steward to imploy the same With greatest gaines vnder his Masters name Vntill he come againe but then he finds That all his goods are left vnto the winds His seruant playes the vnthrift spends away He cares not what ne'r dreaming of the day Wherein his Master comes but now at last He comes indeed but when he sees the waste The carelesse Steward made without delay He reaues him of his office takes away His goods and honours from him and the man He shackles fast in prison till he can Make satisfaction where he iustly lies To suffer penance for his luxuries Or as the haughty Rabbies of this Time Which grow so fast in that adult'rous clime Of superstitious Rome and some there be O England that haue residence in thee Who take the wealth I gaue them for the poore Christs members here on earth and to restore The broken-hearted such as Orphans be That languish in extremes of pouertie Or other griefes and as my seruant saith To feed especially my house of Faith And glut their coffers with 't or throw 't away In gawdy dayes in meates and rich aray To pamper vp the flesh and to maintaine The proud conceptions of a whorish braine While these poore soules seeming with silent cryes By teares and sighes to tell their miseries Where 's else they durst not speake are almost dead Some wanting rayment others wanting bread But lo the Day of reck'ning comes and then The Master will returne vnto these men To see their stewardships but when he finds Their Talents thus consum'd he takes and binds And casts them with a curse from out his sight Into the pit of euerlasting night Where they haue iustly thrall'd themselues to sâ—y ' Cause Prodigals they 'ue nothing left to pay Euen so O Man I dealt with thee for I Did giue thee all thou hast to glorifie My Name therewith but thou to crosse my will Hast spent away my Talents all in ill Those eyes I gaue thee to behold and see The wondrous works that I had done for thee To looke on thine owne miseries and then By due reflections lift them vp agen To see my wondrous mercies which would giue Eternall solace to thy soule and driue Base worldly obiects quite away and this Would sweetly leade thee to my Land of blisse Hadst thou but followed it for this would keepe The liuelesse soule from that Lethean sleepe Of carnall