this distressed Maid Is tainted with the things that we have said Or that such guilt so grosse could find a place For to obscure such gravity and grace But we by bitter proof have truly proved Matter in us remaining unremoved Which can such motions bring unto respect When on these painted Portraicts we reflect That are suggested by the serpent slie Or by the sense sent to the phantasie But though we cannot shun we see the craft And Arrows keen he doth against us shaft Armour of proof we stand in and resist The sharpest dart he at our heart can thrust The fairest Idol that he can invent The sweetest Apple that he can present And when we sleeping be surpriz'd and foyl'd And ere we be aware betray'd and spoyl'd Our Captain sees and cannot long refrain Us to relieve and set us right again So as to him we do more closely cleave And watchfull walk for all the time we live This subtile hunter he is ever spying Where we be weakest and is ever trying By all means set to make us swell or swither The spunk of life by spouts of hell to smother This impure sp'rit prince of the air doth carry Into the brain many vain vapours aery Which the affections surely should infect If timously we did them not detect But if this airt the carnall part incline To blink asquint when he doth Saint-like shine Then are we over-clouded and we know Our Jealous Lover must us then reprove For he corrivall never could indure But sealed for himself will have us sure Since all that we can wish conjoyn'd in one Of blesse combined is in him alone And we convinced be abundantly Of love-obligements unto loyalty And when he sees us truly humbled much Under these trials which the heart doth touch Then in his tendernesse to us doth turn With comforts as we in his absence mourn Thus when we stand or fight or faint or fall He is so near that we are saved all This love above all finite reach ascending Unalterable and so condescending That even when we are secluded sore We oblidg'd be for to believe the more For if we were not so rebuked then Carelesse we should become like carnall men These are the flames this is that force of love Floods cannot quench might slight cannot remove This is our King our Sunne our Shield our Friend Who by his blood hes us to him combin'd Whose splendent rayes full fraught with vertue shall From this grosse drosse affections pure exhale And fix within that element of love Where our delights alone on him may move Gris Much graced Matron your discourse devote Much verity and charity doth note Ye who above us do so far resort Can best discern these Arrows to retort That from the prince of darknesse darted still Within the dark for to infest the will Your charity grave Matron most agrees With rich experience and with cleared eyes The mystery of mercy you have seen Melted in love and moulded have you been So as no evill you can think or wrest To worst but all interprete to the best But many novices come to this place Who tasted have and do belong to grace Are often on extreams as they abound In feelings or are under absence drown'd And in their halâ—y on dayes will not allow Esteem to any that be them below As little for themselves do they preserve When under darknesse drouping they do starve And we be ever checking those mistakes But self-conceit obdurate many makes Till they be tortur'd under many tryals And taught to live by faith in self-denyals But for the number wherewith we must meet Not possible it is for to repeat Some hes been spoken to by our dear friends Both from intention purpose good and ends And suffer me as yet to signifie Of these our travels the necessitie As by this simile we 'll better see If we dissect our own Anatomie The matter composition and the Art Of Heav'n admirable in ev'ry part Flesh blood bones nerves veins arteries sustaining Humours hot cold moist dry and mixt containing Seat and assistance offices and ends Each other serving none another offends And all disperst through all this fabrick rare By instruments above a thousand pair From top to toe by searching we may see No lesse then wonders in variety The very head a magazin is made Of marvells most magnificent and dread And whoso should down to the foot descend And on the parts therein contained spend Some space in every place they should perceive Hundreds which wonders were for to conceive And every one that charge for to fulfill Appointed by the glorious Makers will As by pre-ordination God doth give These souls immortall whereby we do live Ye likewise see that all these parts and pow'rs Composed in this little world of ours And animated by this living breath Lyes dwining now under the sting of death And that through this defiled body spreads These soul-preserving now life-poys'ning threeds For as the body doth in part defect Then can the soul thereby work no effect Ye likewise see the soul cannot be seen Which in the body hath infused been That both might be an instrument to raise The Authors greatnesse and his goodnesse praise And for this end endow'd above conceiving With large capacities fit for receiving All that our Maker shall reveal to make Us see him and his service undertake So as her gifts in such excellencies In number worth and great varieties Exceeds what e're be said of bodies may As doth the breath of God excell this clay Not only ample simple pure capacious But also subtile pregnant and sagacious To dyve to search to soar and never cease Untill she do her Author once imbrace In whom she shall far far above desiring Be fed with wonders unto all admiring But now in all her parts so far depraved By listing to her lust and so beslaved That when she 's taught and rescu'd yet again Constant she cannot in her course remain But steps aside and doth her self deprive Of these revivings that should her enlive And as it is most strange aright to see These contraries corporeall to agree This structure of the body to maintain Untill it must turn to the dust again Albeit some interruptions often make The soul in all her agitations slack But how much more incomparable ye know Were it to keep in frame These fancies move In our light minds imaginations vain From which the carnall part cannot refrain Which most doth mar that special consolation We should enjoy by sp'rituall contemplation By dyving in these mysteries divine Wherein the glory of our King doth shine And whereby we are by his light delighted Untill by this his grace we be perfected But when his Spirit to prevent our swelling Or from the vapors of that venom dwelling In us obstructed is who then oh who So over-clouded can but sadly go For he 's the soul by which the soul doth live Ev'n as the soul the body keeps alive
the naturall man by natures light Convinced be but never see aright Till by the Holy Ghost he be renewed And in the heart by speciall grace indued And led unto the new and living way Where closing with his Saviour he may Discern from whence these waters spring that flow And make the barren fruitfull ground to grow Come then incline divine assistance can From nature thee renew a spâ—ritual man Aright to see His condescensions Applying by firm apprehensions Him shining clear in His Anointed Who is for thy approach appointed For He unmov'd all motions moves Which minutly His praises proves Extracting from most clear distractions A cluster sweet of solide actions For all that is was or shall be Is His eternall wise decree Whose high designs ador'd as His duration Admits no parallel or alteration Whom we in Christ our Saviour sweet must see Imbrace enjoy or die eternally But come and do not in your dreg remain Take up the Book and read and read again A serious Survey of this journey take This Child of Grace through all his tryals tract Here shalt thou see an unseen strength sustain The weakest that hath at the battel been And wisdome shining in the most unwise Might make affections in a rapt to rise Which in the Babe new born again doth grow Whereby he doth in Songs of Praises flow A Garden here with arbors for reposing A Jewel clear the ground of all rejoycing A Fountain whence waters of life do spring A Mountain thence thou may'st with safety sing A Spirit here perceive our sp'rits inspires With sighs and groans and answers such desires Come then in faith and as thou seeks receive Light life relief from darknesse grief and grave In brief behold these whole assertions here By proof from truth believed made appear And He above believing shall convoy Thee with Himself Himself for to enjoy Himself who is thy Potent Prince Victorious Light Life Delight and Lover only Glorious Come then attend His call and humbly say Come Lord thy servant hears and shall obey A SURVEY Of the FIRST and SECOND DEATH Closing with a SEPARATION-KISSE Betwixt two intimate FRIENDS The SOVL and BODY By way of DIALOGUE betwixt NATURE and GRACE Under the Names of FLESH and SPIRIT Heb. 9.27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die but after this the judgement Ephes 2.1 And you hath he quickned who were dead in sins and trespasses 1. THE body of man is of the earth naturall earthy 2. The soul of man is of a spirituall nature spirituall 3. The two joyned together in the time of life make up a person 4. The separation of the soul from the body is the naturall death of the person 5. The separation of Gods favourable Presence by His Spirit from the soul is the spirituall death of the person 6. All the Off-spring of the first man by his apostasie and disobedience are deservedly deprived of Gods favourable Presence by his spirit so come to the world dead in sins and trespasses 7. All these the naturall Off-spring of the first man that be left in this forlorn condition living and dying in this darknesse and ignorance of God and do never attain unto the first resurrection do ly under the first and be lyable unto the second death at the last day 8. The Elect and Chosen of God be by His free grace in a time of love called and by the effectuall working of His Spirit moved to believe His word and to joine with Jesus Christ for Salvation By whom neverthelesse that they be spiritually dead in sins and trespasses they are by His Spirit quickned to see and serve the living God dying unto sin and living unto righteousness and thereby made partakers of the first resurrection Against whom the second death at the generall resurrection shall have no place 9. To be spiritually-dead the mere naturall man knows not nor by reason of his atheism can know till the second death sieze upon him first at the seperation of the soul and body and secondly again at the resurrection and judgment 10. The Believer knows by woefull proof what it is to be spiritually dead by the dead works wherein they have walked before they knew themselves under darknesse 11. The Believer knows likewise what the second death means by being sometimes from provocation and sometimes from tryall deserted and often kept at distance and of such continuance as hath been both a hell of torments and hes bred fearfull anxiety and knows also and believes the Scripture-descriptions of the eternall torments never dying death and dolour that the wicked atheist must endure and perish under everlastingly As also by being condemned in themselves and saved by the Lord they know what it is to be absolved from that dreadfull condemnation 12. As to the dissolution of the body albeit it be a beginning of the second death to the wicked as it is a preparation to the second resurrection of the Godly whose souls are then feasting upon their Saviour His Face in Paradice It may be more properly named a Sleep as it is often in Scripture especially seeing the soul hes had her night of partiall separation in the body suppose but short in comparison of time yet under many sufferings whereas the bodies night in its element is free of trouble and for the length of time it is to rest there under darknesse It is not considerable in respect of the splendor of that day of eternal glory which is at the out-breaking And seeing it is with this temporall death of the bodie that the Believer hes only adoe let us look a little more particularly upon it and specially as it concerns the Believer It is appointed for all men to die naturall death being the separation of the soul from the body is rightly named unto mere naturall man the King of terrours A metaphor from a King or Tyrant who is unresistable for power unsatiable and unexorable for cruelty undefatigable for persistence furnisht with all manner of forces for execution in all places at all times through all the Continent where any of the sons of men takes life attending them constantly till every one of them fall under the fatall and finall stroak And there is nothing created in this Universe whether from within us or from without us from the furthest remote of the Stars to the least pile of grasse or pickle of dust which were all created for our good but hath been or may be the occasion of this dissolution As also by what means amongst so many and at what time so uncertain unto any that it is a wonder that the rationall creatures who knows themselves subject to it can think of it without terrour and most terrible that the most of men are over-turned before they think seriously of it But here appears the greatest wonder that ever any of the blind-born deservedly forsaken and self-lost generation of apostate man should come to know any more hereof then
so brightly And in such wisdom makes the wound so rightly Physick appoints the poyson for to drain From the infected soul and flesh to strain Which by experience many children knows Is tended with the like tormenting throws But wants He skill or will who is our King Both health and heav'n out of this hell to bring Albeit this tumor must retain a tent The remnant of the humour for to vent Faith in thy Lover hath this strong perfume Which can this poyson pestilent consume Hele. This devilrie so close to me doth cleave Which man and angel from my King doth drive That I am tott'ring much on this turmoile And tortured so most like to take the foile Sam. Come come we ly too long aloof I see Towards the shoar now let us tackling be Mistakes misapplications most miscarries The minds of many when their judgements varies Bemisted in the want of faith whereby They should distinctly see weigh and apply We have been speaking of much fervent love Which in thy Lover doth His beloved move But now Oh thou much loved once admire What most transcendent love doth here appear When He redeem'd thee thou wast lost and yet Thou wilt thy self destroy if He permit That grace thy Lovers gift thy glory should Thy bain become imagine this who could Or could thou have imagin'd that thy flourish A cancar-worm into the bud could nourish Or that when thou was satisfied with singing Thou was unto thy idoll incense bringing This cockatrice to kill in secret lyes But being seen she by her venom dies Grace from the Author as from the fountain water When cut becometh putrified mater Like blood which from the heart through all the veins In circular motion by the nerves retains Strength in the members and returns again To pay the tribute and more vigour drain But being obstructed it corrupt becomes The member wanting nourishment benums Or as our curling brooks and silver streams Which from the fountain to the river foames By secret cranies through the ground the same Sweet current turns unto from whence she came Right so our Lover and our Princely King The ocean unexhausted and the spring Of whom we have from whom do derive All that we do enjoy in whom we live While from this sourse we daily vigour drive Life to preserve and let it passage have Uninterrupted to the font amain Then it 's increast and we refresht again But when these gifts of grace we do seclude From this right course we do our selves denude Of all our comfort whence doth swiftly grow If not foreseen our sudden overthrow Loves darling then dost thou not thence conclude Thy ardent Lover hath thee dearly lov'd Who for a little space his grace restrains That thou may seek himself where grace remains This love transcendent might a heart of steel Melt when affections do such fervour feel Hele. My heart is rather like a heart of flint Which cannot melt but doth endure the dint Sam. Loves force to flesh thy stony heart converts Hele. Love unto pride my fleshly heart perverts Sam. A fleshly heart is vices willing slave A heart of flesh impressions doth receive Of grace and vertue whereby vice it sees Resists subdues rejoyce in victories Hele. Oh now was any ever sunk so far In deaths dark shade and yet delivered were Sam. Believe me for I do assure thee this Of many children the condition is And ne're an abject did as yet bemoan This ground of grief where-under thou dost groan But so it is that till experience teach We do not to the rule of practice reach Hele. Happy thrice happy should I such esteem Who by experience so well taught had been To keep that order in his princely sight As His sweet company continue might Sam. It 's true we are new born again indeed And planted here upon heav'ns dew to feed But our Bride-groom with whom there is no change Most faithfull bides in all our failings strange Yet will permit to tempt us for our triall As we may best be bred to self-deniall The gravell also of this poys'ned flesh Seeds do ingross that would spring up afresh Unlesse by crosses and corrections meet They were supprest and we more purifi'd But this in gen'rall we may all conclude That ev'ry stripe we get is for our good Though bitter biting sad and fretting sore Sweet fruit unto thy taste shal come the more And when by proof we find the sweet effects Produc'd in ev'ry one our King elects As purging potions life and health preserving Preventing us from sinking in our swerving The old man and his notions so subduing The new man and his motions so renewing That we in our infirmnesse do rejoice And under all our suff'rings do repose In such submission as sweet peace doth bring Whence out of sorrow heav'n on earth doth spring Whereof if we did not our selves deprive By fond mistakes we should delightfull live Then for to condescend of force we must That no affliction springeth from the dust Nor yet temptation doth from fortune flow But do by Providence directly grow And by heav'ns wisdom unto us apply'd That we may be perfected when we 're try'd Hel. In evâ—ry thing this day that can be nam'd find my self most worthy to be blam'd As in this solitar reserv'd design Which certainly much detriment doth bring To many and if that the force of love Which in this famous fellowship doth move Me to attend so for my help inclin'd Far contrar to my self-conceited mind I should have been in this confusion longer Weak'ned my self and made my bands the stronger For till these free discourses do appear In this society assembled here And by this timous and this tender treating Wherein your Grace hath been with me debating I never could have thought a soul could live To which so much contagion should cleave At least a person in this land of grace That could the tract of such vain idols trace But now more perfectly I do perceive That he who freely sought us out must save And by immediate grace must still preserve For daily we to be disgrac'd deserve Now to believe O but I do desire But senslesse prove when I would most aspire Sam. Thou shew'st thy self most sensible of hearing Consent therefore thou shalt come unto clearing Hel. Some of Gods sons as they have heard have seen Some that they might endure have suff'red been To take a blink of Him cannot be seen Sam. Now may we clearly see what thou dost mean Thou senslesse prov'st indeed in thy desirings Which properly in thee are proud aspirings Its strange thou shouldst be satisfi'd so slightly Not vap'ring for high visions more brightly Or looking to be rapt above heav'ns arches About the borders of the divine marches Must thou be steward of the Royal treasure Will no less serve thy sense than Moses measure Hast thou for such a charge so strong a back Should not thy brains below the burden break Job faithfull in incomparable
trialls In darkest dayes gave dev'ls and men defyalls And never got a blink of light untill He fell submissive to his Makers will Thou knows we live by faith and not by sight By faith we suffer and prevail in fight Where is the fruit of all that sense receiv'd By thee before and what if all that 's crav'd Were streamed out upon thy strong desires Shouldst thou not spend them on thy carnall fires And when these sparkles of thy heart were spent So much the more thy sorrow should augment The child of light through fearfull darknesse groping Takes faster grip and firmer hold by hoping Thou canst not deem and nothing now thou knows Who at the coals of this corruption blows Nor see how sliely Lucifer can slide At twi-light time a plant of privy pride Ev'n when we do in all our strength resist Then can he at the part best fenced thrust And cunningly cause us ly open there Whereat the poyson'd dart he doth prepare This venom all of us do clearly see This child of grace her great vexation be And when she armed best against it is How Satan can infest her with a kisse Advert with wonder heav'nly earthly hosts Wonder all glorious glorified ghosts Wonders are seen which make you all adore Renewed marvels make you wonder more Pure spirits fill the souls of your desirings Extend your minds unto these deep admirings The quintessence of heav'ns counsell glorious Man murder'd on his murderer victorious In suff'ring Satan sift and so surprize And with such depth of subtilty devise Uncessantly and in such wyndings lurking Ev'n in our duties our destruction working But here the myst'ry of salvation is Crown'd with the cape-stone of eternal bless Of preservation by our glorious King Who our deliv'rance by his death doth bring An instance clear hereof before our eyes All the beholders evidently sees A chosen called faithfull child of grace Who for the prize most fervently doth prease Too much neglecting what she had before And strongly stretching to increase the more One much enrich'd with light and lively motions Experience deep and many sp'rituall notions In darknesse for deliverance debating Her poor condition and her case relating Sincerely set our counsell to receive But sylour'd can her self not undeceive For at her best attainment now you see How Satan snatches opportunity He sees the cup she doth delight to drink And in the liquor doth the poyson sink Let us infer from what we have been hearing And from this pregnant instance here appearing Since all the children of the first Creation Deservedly are under condemnation And that the cause ev'n to the Elect cleaves So close as unto any one that lives And that we ev'ry one are severally According to our humors diversly To some deceit or other more propense Then can appear by search unto our sense Which would unto infinitnesse amount Above what finite we could make acompt And that so many legions of lights Malicious devils and spirituall mights Our natures cases places erudition Daily attend our changes and condition And every one with every severall bait For every posture on us all await For this proud wretch doth desp'ratly disdain That we should be restor'd by grace again Or that our nature now should be renewed Or venom purged out that he had spued Therein whereby we in his Image stood Till it be blotted out by divine blood Yet we even we that most enlightned be Too carelesse live before this cruelty Much more and most for to be blam'd we prove Not studying still this boundlesse depth of love Which in our Lover moves him feed and keep His straying sterving and restored sheep Yet all that we can do doth but increase Our debt but more his mercy doth expresse This love we clearly cannot look to see Untill this body clarified be At least untill it be dissolv'd that so The soul her Lover to enjoy may go But how is this that we cannot submit Unto this wisdome and our selves acquit By firm believing as the duty chief Whereby from bondage we receive relief We see not that our drouping and dejections His faithfulnesse dishonours by reflections The growth of grace and inward peace obstructs The seeds of weeds into the heart conducts Th'envyous man with all his snares and cares The serpent slie with all his slights and snares Canst thou before the fiery tryall stand When men and devils do against thee band Such are in store and more thee to befall If fond conceits thy folly foster shall Ambition such were much to be commended Which with sobriety might be defended But ye who by confiding quiet may Repose beware presumption to bewray The Lark the Princely Eagle ne're envyes Suppose she see him skifting through the skies Ten thousand stage above her highest higher The suns resplendant beams and beauty nigher I am too tedious but to be excused Such disputs to anticipate are used Dear daughter once disdain for to repine At dispensations that are so divine Restrain the rising of such grosse deceits Refrain devising of such crosse debates A little faith finds out a fair relief Say I believe Lord help my unbelief And once resolve submission sincere Like to the pupill in the fathers fear Till which thou cannot put thy faith in act To comfort thee though thou thy brains should crack Come then threap kindnesse yet upon thy King Tell him that in the prison thou wilt sing His praises and ne're cease untill thou see His face in grace and then imbraced be This counsell daughter for to practice strive For it shall prove the way to make thee thrive He either shall the cloud of mist remove Or thee remove the clouds and mist above Where thou's be feasted in a minuts space With all the fruits of thy believing grace And from that instant in eternity Thy King enjoying shall rejoycing be Hele. O fearfull cloud of separation sad What heart can hear and not for fear fall mad Oh wonderfull that ye so wise can move Me to unmoved stand who must remove Where death bound ghosts down go depriv'd of light And suffer so in an eternall night Sam. How art thou now come up at words to carpe Perverting sense and using censures sharp And wherein thou convinced art before Would lead us unto repetitions more But lend a blink unto our travels past And thou thy self wilt censure for thy haste For we are leading thee into believing While thou unto thy facile sense art cleaving Hele. Oh to believe 't were possible for me But till I can excuse I cannot lie And well I know it is Gods love constrains You to this more then ordinary pains And I shall let you see I do not slight Your travels but do still recent them right For I confesse your presence all before There 's not a word hath past you less or more In reference to my condition duely But found so plain I do apply it truely And I shall not deny but I have tasted
generations hath revived and brought forth from the Womb of Regeneration a fair Family of Believers and by the Gospel-ordinances gathered them into his Garden of grace by the New and Living Way where the Fountain and Well of Life is opened free for all that will come to smell the Flowers and feast upon the Fruits of eternall and unchangeable Bounty infinitely preferable to all their losses where he conversing with them prepares them for the Pallace-Royall the Place of his Habitation where Mansions are appointed for them that they may be where He is that they may see His Glory and reâ—oice in Him for evermore And that as they have born the image of the earthly so we may â—ear the Image of the Heavenly And here is the prime and most precious Subâ—ect of Christian Contemplation where the Believer may expatiate and ingratiate himself in the â—weetest Recreations and Consolations by attaining unto and entertaining of an unseparable communion with God in Christ by the Holy Ghost â—nseparably One and only adorable MAZE 1. for restriction Job 37.33 34 HEnce carnall minds that apprehend Erroniously The Incomprehensible to comprehend most impiously Lights glorious Center inaccessible who can behold Lifes-life eternall unexpressible who can unfold How then shall men come to conceive Of this rare Blesse some do receive By Gods preordinate appointing who be renew'd And by the Holy Ghosts anointing who be indowed Brightly to see that Majesty Of God-Man that great Mystery Of love unto the Elect-seed Whence admiration doth proceed May come and see and so confesse Professe His Name and praise expresse And you who humbled in the sense of wants And search to know the priviledge of Saints May come in faith with reverence and fear See that without this frame you do forbear MAZE 2. for instruction 1 John 3.2 IN all these Mazes where we move The ground we walk upon is love And where we make approachings near Let 's come in reverence and fear Before His glorious Name who is A Beam supream of boundlesse blesse But so resplendent and transcendent To make appear convincing clear Behold this naturall Sun whose gleams doth apprehend us And whose illuminating beams doth comprehend us And thence infer how far The supream Author of this all excels this Star In this all comprehensive name I AM so condescending Eternall simple still the same all comprehending And in Emanuell sweetly seen In this fair Garden ever green Where daily with celestial showrs Be nourished His rarest flowrs Untill He glorifie His grace In such as here do Him imbrace MAZE 3. For incouragement Isa 55 John 1.27 HEre Soveraignity doth shine In condescensions so divine That ye whose lights are now anointed And for these glorious sights appointed On whom the Holy Ghost alone Hes left impressions upon Look in loves Christ-all mirrour clear Where loves sweet mystery does appear Firmly fixed till acquainted Thou be by faith therein indented This is the Mountain of our rest This sweetest Fountain only best Come drink salvation at this cup And on these consolations sup Where pleasures joy and peace abounds And glory to His Grace redounds Who Wonderfull will not conceal His Excellence but does reveal Himself so clear that we may read Him in His Name and on Him feed This Food who tasts shall thirst no more For fading gain or earthly glore But longing still to be translated Where they may be for ever stated MAZE 4. Loves mysterie 1 Tim. 3 1â— YE all who find your selves secure By lively saving faith and sure Who hes smell'd and who hes tasted Who hes felt and who hes feasted On these Love-dazling Mysteries divine Which on our cleared eyes do shine Of Man in God and God in Man Who sp'ritually destinctly scan Humanity still unconfounded With Deity and conjunctly bounded And do before The Unity in Trinity adore Advance that most admired Grace And feed upon that fairest Face For there alone and no where else That Love is found of love that smels That can be feasted on and felt The heart of Adamant can melt It 's life alone to be resolv'd In this this love to be disolv'd Tract it still and be allur'd So shall ye surely be secur'd O for these breathings of this Love That would the whole affections move MAZE 5. The fountain inexhaustible I AM THAT I AM GOD All Glorious I am that pure immense Ens entium Ens. Am I not wisdome infinite and love That omnipotent omnipresent whence I in my justice and my mercy move Am I not that sublime profound Abysse God Trinity in Unity compleat All truth all light all life eternall blesse Glorious holy Father Son Sp'rit GOD Holy Ghost eternall and infinite All Light all Life all Vertue pure compleat Irradiant being by whom all beings be Most blessfull breathings of the Vnity Sublime all-piercing and all-searching Spirit God Holy Ghost Eternall and Infinite E Expressed Splendor of the Deity M Might Majesty admir'd in Man Divine M Mercy rejoyc'd with Justice to agree A And Justice seen with joy in Mercy shine N Nerve of substantial Truth Illustrious fair V Wisdome and Well of Life where beauty springs E Eternall God of God God to declare L Lights Center where all Saints enlightned sings MAZE 6. Loves Labyrinth Eph. 5.23 THe race of man sprung from th'apostate reins deplorable And bitter root that all the branches stains restorable The mystery of man's defecting ponder The mind of God in mans perfecting wonder Perfected man degenerate by defection Defected man regenerate to perfection Adam by nature damn'd when he defected Damn'd Adam now refram'd by grace perfected O happy they may now we say Are such as sees with sp'ritual eyes aright these mysteries And do with reverence adore This Glorious Majesty before Fixed by faith till they prevail By pregnant prying through the vail The root of man elected leads this round And with the fruit of this great mist'ry's crown'd Come then and see the King as ye would live And by believing herein deeply dyve His power and his promise both believe So shalt thou see delight and love and live And with Heav'ns Quiristers adore and sing High Hallelujahs to this Glorious King MAZE 7. Loves mirrour Isa 45.22 LOve-dazled eyes look up and see Where purest spirits prying be And with seraphick love inflam'd You shall by fixing prove refram'd Gods only Son Gods rebell-wrath indure O love alluring Gods Sonship to Gods rebels to procure O large procuring We lay in darknesse till His glory shin'd And now He hes our souls in His combin'd Ingrav'd upon His Heart and Hands we be Ingrafted in His God-Man-Flesh be we Members more made Mates for Marriage loves To Him for whom the whole Creation moves In heaven and earth and hel whose scepter sweyes And dazles humane eyes with divine Rayes This Love all limits far exceeds Of length and depth and heighth and breadth Past comprehension by perusing A tractat for eternall musing Oh that our whole
affections were Fixed upon this glorious Star Which lightens all the Stars above And on poor welps lets out this love MAZE 8 Types and emblems Rev. 5.6 9 10 HEre does the Rose in Sharon lively grow The faces of the comers colouring Here living waters from the fountain flow And graces be abundant bullering Here feeds the Pelican her fainting brood Dying but being revived by her blood The Phenix tasting death death to subdue Life to restore and nature to renew Captives to rescue here the Lyon dread see and adore The Lamb in suffering death a ransome made man to restore Thy faith-bred thoghts unto these theams confine Where these transcendent mysteries do shine For every minut in eternity New marvels in this mirrour thou shalt see Join with heavens holy host in heavenly hymnes Sing hallelujahs with the Seraphims Amongst these pregnant Spirits ever poring In this abysse of blesse and joy adoring Adoring God whose wisdome bountie bright Doth shine so fair in this dark cloudy night Infer confer when thou com'st out to see These mysteries clear what shall that glory be MAZE 9. Loves union Joh. 17.22 23 NOw Happy Holy Ones who sees The Myst'ry sweet of Mysteries How from that Myst'ry myst'ries flow And from that Wonder wonders grow Fitting for souls eternall thinking When the Redeem'd are ever drinking At the Cisterns of salvation In the cups of consolation Life from the ever-living Fountain Moving on the unmoved Mountain In that celestial Communion Sublime and unconceived Union Where never then incensing stain Unto rebuke shall us arraign Nor possible again seclude From this felicity so good Of joyes transcending and exceeding All that on his face are feeding Past separation quite which is The Crown of our eternall blesse That blesse all finite thoughts above Feasting upon eternall love Where from the splendor of illustrious beams Grace in immortall glory ever streams THE FIRST STEP TO THE JEWEL NOw in this Garden where we have been using And in these Mazes moved unto musing And be returning to our Cypresse bowres To take a breathing for some silent hours Let us beware for we in danger be To sleep away our sweet tranquillity We members of the Body mysticall Which Militant we ordinarly call Are to regard the universall cases Of all the parties in their sev'rall places Common desires delights designs devoted As this State-int'rest best may be promoted So when in person most remote we are We may in sp'rit be best imployed far Now let us try this course in our retirings Fervent and faithfull be in all desirings And dutifull endeavours for our King And for His cause so shall we daily sing And let us ever in the faith be eyeing Him in His glorious actings as by seeing We may the more by grace enlarged be His glorious Name for to exalt on hie And in our secret Soliloquies then How God hath granted grace for gracelesse men Recent resume and so the sp'rit compose As you in sp'rit may sp'ritually rejoice But O! what drousinesse and what decay Infirmity and failing we bewray When from the Garden we debarred be For any space untill for new supply The Silver Trumpet sounding in our streets For fainting souls a new approach invites For help this precious Jewel as the Root Of all the Garden spices flowers and fruit For spirit feeding feasting smelling healing Apply'd to thy affections for prevailing Effectuall prove for in these Gemmes imbosed All vertue efficacious is inclosed With fixed eyes and warm affections ponder And as thou dost revive rejoice and wonder The second Step to the JEWEL THis Microcosme Man of wonders full By God made wonderfully wonderfull And in his lively image made to live By breathing in this life that he doth give A compend of the whole Creation bright In whom the Divine Nature took delight There to converse as in a mansion meet Doth join with lifelesse dust a living sp'rit This soul doth all in all the parts remain Of all the body for the bodies gain Relief and preservation in all cases Her self unmov'd whose action never ceases So and infinitely above what can Imagin'd be by any soul of man The glorious Creator doth possesse His blessed Self in all this Universe Containing all things uncontain'd unmoving His glory in all motions promoving Which shining in His Name and nature prove No change to be in His eternall Love As by his operations appear That Majesty to man and angel clear By dyving wherein there is true delight Untill through darknesse we arrive at light The JEWEL of Jewels The LORD our GOD who 's only PURE In TRUTH and GOODNESSE doth endure PERFECTION JUST OMNIPOTENT OMNISCIENT and OMNIPRESENT INFINITE ONE WONDERFUL All these rich Gemmes in this fair Jewel seen All in all All all 's involves In our believing all resolves Believing knowing presupposing Fervent love and full rejoicing In these most sweet enliving Beams True living reviving Streams frō this one All who shining is In Bounty Beauty boundlesse This Pearle rare transparent doth contain ETERNALL BLESS and MERCIFUL EMMANUEL and high COUNSELLER LOVE LIFE and only COMFORTER UNCHANGEABLE and WISDOM bright LONG SUFF'RING sweet GRACIOUS LIGHT The use of the JEWEL THis firmament of starry constellations Planets Signs Poles in sep'rate scituations Which from the Sun the Prince of Stars receive Inliving vigour to the life they have On this Terrestial Glob from every Airt Their influence on bodies all impart To every sev'rall kinde by sweet infusion Diffused variously without confusion Wherein infinite multiplicity Each one may plead these heav'ns were made for me Like Iron and Adamant alike affecting And all things else except themselves neglecting Since then the God of nature hath impos'd This naturall necessity compos'd Dead Elements to quicken and revive Procreate preserve restore and to enlive The vegetives and sensitives what then Can be the glory he for elect men Reserv'd hath in himself to let them prove The force of servent free and fountain love In moving to discern with open eyes Aright a sight of divine mysteries This Garden treasure JEVVEL every jem Spring from that sweet sublime eternall stem In Gospel Ordinances so resplendent Industrious divinely condescendent And every one in every one so vive That every one doth every one revive Whence flow these various flowers that do affect Spirituall senses to a sweet reflect Cordials of comforts here ingrafted grow And soveraign balm from precious spices flow That by the influence of refreshing beams And constant current of spiritual streams Upon the proper object so effecting Directed duely by divine directing And straightly darted out from every point Curing securing every severall joynt From that One-All unmov'd eternall pure Where infinit perfection doth endure That Omnipotent Omnipresent is And Omniscient savingly to blesse In Him the Son of righteousnesse by name Emmanuel high that only glorious beam Where wisdom full of wonder shines so bright In ord'ring all these works of wonder right That goodnesse may be seen
how far above All finite apprehensions And unconceiv'd dimensions is His unchanged love Essentiall Simplicity Only sublime Infinity Supream transcendent Blesse Eternities unreachable Perfections unsearchable are absolutely His. This is our King He doth us claim And takes EMMANUEL for His Name us for his Spouse redeem'd Who unto sin and satan slav'd He sanctified hes and sav'd adopted Sons esteem'd Who is it then condemne that can The faithfull fruitfull Christian to Him that doth advert Where is that tribulation Affliction or tentation that can procure thy smart In this life Christian canst thou crave Better then did thy King receive since He so well allows Full freedom from these felt annoys And feelings of eternall joyes for all that Him avows Should we not chearfully with fear His dying in our bodie bear with Him who are to live Whose life shall be made manifest In such as purely have profest His Truth and thereto cleave Take courage then let come what can Christ and his crosse O Christian doth now the Crown preceed Delight to see the old man slain The New man form'd in thee again now by the divine seed Reviving Recollections and Soliloquies closing with the song of all Saints Rev. 7.12 SONG IV. O What sore troubles we endure By listning to the lyars lure What rescues rare do we injoy From dangers that should us annoy Bemisted under shadows here See not the perils that appear Till after trials we do track Them to the spring by looking back Darts of destruction daily flees From devils swift like swarms of bees The noysome Pestilence by night Maliciously pursues with might On Scorpions and on Serpents dread And on the Cockatrice we tread But sheltered be and and well preserv'd When they upon their spleen are starv'd And when we any pain abide Is it not when we step aside That on this stage we may fulfill Our task by time the truth untill And we by these characters spell The power that hes no parallel And by observance due do see That He hes an all-searching eye His retributive justice here And mercy precious doth appear Here doth the Well of Wisdome spring Knowledge and truth whereof we sing For in all generations Regions respective Nations In all imaginable places And in all conceived cases To all all times and every one All things are done by Him alone And done so well and wondrously That all men may admiring be And as they do admire adore His Royall Attributes before Whereby in time we timely taste And after time shall ever feast Upon that fulnesse when we shall Himself enjoy in and for all But Oh! How is 't that we can move In this infinity of love In this sublime simplicity Perfections and purity Immutable and all things moving Eternall Omnipotent proving O! What infirmity it is To slumber under so high blesse But Oh! How is 't we are not dying Th' excellencies that passes seeing Hearing knowledge or conceiving Till they come out above our craving When the Members all shall meet Incorp'rate in the Head compleat And as they have preserved been Unsearchably as they are seen Till one by one they be prepar'd And in appointed time declar'd All members moved by the mind Of him to whom they are inclin'd As by the weak resemblance here Of flesh and spirit may appear A fabrick wonderfully fram'd And strangly from the fountain stream'd Compos'd commixt conjoin'd divisive Wov'n var'ously visive invisive Hundreds above in numerous places Which from their office never ceases So naturally by nature led And by the vitall spirits fed Which by the soul her influence pure Unseen is set in order sure And seated in the brain doth move Each member for the mans behove And every instant at her will All powers do their part fulfill And she is every where perfecting Preparing dressing and directing As may make for the common right Wherein she daily doth delight How much more may we then believe Above what here we can conceive Of Him our Head who hes received More spirit then can be conceived And measures out abundantly To every member mightily All sp'ritual graces and anoints us As in His wisdome He appoints us Into our stations as seems meet To Him in whom we are compleat Anone alone that glorious day His Saints He shall so sweetly swey When we in regions ordered are Shining above the brightest Star Or as in constellations standing Minding only His commanding Who only minds the glorious blesse Of God who Universall is O happy day of all delights Wherewith compar'd are nought but nights The best of by-past dayes alone Compact and quintessenc'd in one One glimpse of which desired day Shall all afflictions past defray All anguish and perplexities Digested in festivities Of sp'rituall joyes for ever springing In His face to give us singing Renewing every minut store To raise our notes for evermore When all the mysteries manifold In Heavenly Pallaces inrold To admiration be revealed And nothing can be known concealed Which wondring still then shall we move Wrapt and rapt up in very love When many mighty men shall mourn And unto dens of darknesse turn Who desp'ratly did grace despise And mercy offered could not prise God to offend would not refrain And wisdomes warning did disdain Are now forsaken and in anguish Left eternally to languish And before felt-wrath shall flee Like lightnings sclenting through the skie Under the doom of torments chief Dying ever never relief Where Saints the righteous judgment reads That from their righteous Judge proceeds And all about the Throne the more Him in his mercy shall adore Then judgment just and mercy free The Dâ—apason sweet shall be Of all that Harmony compleat From members seeming infinite Ordered through these vast dimensions Extending over apprehensions And comprehended only be By the infinite Deity About the Throne of Glory then These millions of Elect men Through all that blessed boundlesse bounds With various and with vocall sounds With Angels pure pure Seraphims Exalt their King with holy Hymns For as the soul is full refin'd When glory thereupon hath shin'd So shall the body be made meet For to possesse the Holy Sp'rit By whom these curious Organs may Well managed His praise display In soul and body both to bring All Glory to our Glorious King SONG V. Of all Saints Rev. 7.12 Amen Blessing And Glory And Wisdome And Thanks-giving And Honour And Power And Might Be Vnto Our God For Ever And Ever Amen  AMEN AMEN for evermore Blessing to God whom we adore And to His Name which Glorious is Glory ascend in Glorious blesse And to the adored Deity Wisdome in all excellency And unto Him free Grace doth give Thanks-giving be by all that live And to His all-honoured Name Honour duely do proclaime And to Him who us preserves Power ascribe who power deserves And to the King Almighty high Might and eternall Majesty Be by all the Elect moving Unto God in Jesus loving Our God alone One Holy Sp'rit God
ever blest Trin One compleat For evermore our songs shall be Ever renew'd uncessantly And His praises to expresse Ever shall our selves addresse AMEN O Lord so let it be So be it in Eternity THE NATURAL MAN Debated with HOw come say some such sacred flames can boil So sweet perfumes out of this sullen soyl This curious question'st with carnall eyes Bemisted sees not in these mysteries How singing doth from sighing flow And gladnesse how from sadnesse grow How mourning melting motions move In frozen hearts hot flames of love From bitterness how sweetness springs Refreshment what felt-ruine brings How from the groans of inward grief Clear freedom rises and relief In deepest darknesse sure direction In dreadfull danger safe protection Result and what can be the root That renders this admired fruit For Answer this BY Grace we see our selves with shame Under abominable blame And not the lesse so freely loved Affections feelingly are moved And overflow like Nilus River In the heart of the believer Whence grief and gladnesse love and he at Reside as in the proper seat Whence bitter mourning grief and wo For grieving such a Lover so Who surfetted hes been with grief From grief to purchase our relief Whom seeing vively through the vail Love and delight thereby prevail So that as by approaching near Unto that splendor in its sphere Be in Combustion dazled so Within these gleams we undergo And in this current strong contesting Securely in his shadow resting Zeal the birth of love and hate Daily abates this love-debate Wherewith no concord can compare One end discussing all their care Being to be made pure and clean This fervent love to entertain Grace ' gainst corruption doth begin A furious fight the soul within So that in one poor person here Betwixt two parties doth appear A hot contest with fatall blows Tending to others overthrows Whence grows this bitter-sweet debate In this grace-griev'd divided state Hence flow these tides contrary turning Mourning to mirth mirth unto mourning The old man being pincht repines The new man sweetly sings and shines The old man dwyning in his living The new man rising and reviving What dolour the old man endures Delight to the new man procures When grace is most o'resway'd it swiâ—gs Corruption under foot and sings For on a mountain of increasement And at a fountain of refreshment Bullering up eternall love With sp'ritual breathings from above Reviv'd by all these blessefull beams Shining through our cristal streams We in these glist'rings flight'ring be Untill we take our flight on hie These be the Northern gales that blow And breathings from the South that flow Upon the Spices sweet and Flowres Seasoned with Celestiall showres And in this Garden do agree Spouses to feast deliciously Upon these fruits and spices sweet Where all their comforts are compleat Who do discern aright to rise These mercies rich rightly to prize But the Believer only sees That Majesty in these mysteries And substance through the shadows more Of glory then he can adore But that the rationall man yet we may lead Some length let us by nat'rall reason plead Seeing this naturall Sun we daily see On nat'rall bodies worke effectually Vapours exhaling out of earthy things Which rarifi'd and clarified brings Repell'd by colder air our early showres Enamelling the earth with fruits and flowres Shall not the Sun of Righteousnesse far more Natures Creator whom we do adore By his almighty Influence divine Which on the long-benighted soul does shine Affect attract and elevating move Affections for the element of love Which purify'd prepared and matur'd Are for the service of their Lord allur'd And further yet by naturall things to learn Spirituall mysteries best to discern This supposition make Conceive the bounds Of this vast Ocean that the earth surrounds If all the Floods therein were the extracts And quintessence that best ingredients makes And daily that some of these cristall drops Melt from such sweet and sun-refined sops And in this Ocean be ingulfed shall They not be then transchanged in the fall Our reason shews us that this strong perfume Should soon the drosse of this sweet drop consume Consider then when this immortall sp'rit By these divine irradiations sweet Here in the Region of grace matur'd For glory and the love thereof allur'd Doth from this cloud come out imbrac'd to be In that incomprehensible excellency At the first blink transchanged be so far As heat from cold and light from darkness are And though the rising of our bodies be From death to life again a mysterie Yet when we do behold how nature brings About life to restore to lifelesse things The earth renewing daily flowers and fruits From dozen'd dead corrupt and rotten roots The vapour that 's exhaled from the brim Where sholes of herring leave their spawn to swim Congealed in a cloud again shall powre Of herrings on the ground a swiming shower Oh wofull wretched wreaked naturallist That naturally doth see and not insist To see aright believe love and know more Who natures Author is and him adore For in His time thou with thy very eyes Disclos'd shall see these divine mysteries Our body from the Elements arise And sp'rited be to meet Him in the skies And at the peep of first appearance passe To pain or pleasure as the Inditement was Recorded clearly on the conscience gravâ—d Rend'ring response respective damned sav'd And all these revolutions orderly Accomplisht in the twinkling of an eye For this the period peremptor is Eternally determinat for this That Glorious Right'ous Justice shining clear And glorious righteous mercy may appear Where all the damn'd convinc'd in anguish ly The saved on their Saviour do rely And yet poor naturall atheist that inquires Where is this blesse and where these burning fâ—es Conceive of God aright who comprehends All things incomprehended and extends His glory in His dispensations free Of mercy and of justice righteously Wherein such Majesty ador'd does shine As moves to admiration divine Through all these vast dimensions created Where all the rationall creatures are stated Sin-poyson'd persons wheresoever they be Unpurg'd are under wrath perpetuallie Likeas the Saints are wheresoever plac'd Within the glorious love of God imbrac'd This is the hell beneath and heaven above Here flames of wrath abide there beams of love Justice effects producing so contrarious Upon the Objects so directly various This naturall Sun by nature putrifies Some matter and some matter purifies Some matter harden and some soften more Some strike to death and some to life restore In Summer shining with so fervent heat And on the vild defyled puddle beat The filth therein doth such a fume disclose As doth in darknesse all the dung inclose Ingend'ring serpents vile and cruell frogs Crawling and sprewling in their poysoned drogs Right so the Sun of Righteousnesse shines pure While such the poyson of their pest indure â—or all the perturbation torment anguish Is of themselves wherein they liveing languish Thus may
any other but this being the prerogative of the regenerate by grace to see themselves by nature lost and saved by the Lord This death is nothing terrible nor troublesome to them but pleasant and comfortable in what colours by what knife at what time or in what place they commit their souls to the Father of spirits and surrender their bodies to the Elements whereof they were and are to be preserved unto the day that all things be restored for they see and know that this dissolution of the body is but the laying off or suffering the old spotted and defiled garments to be rent from us till they be refined and not that we may be uncloathed but cloathed upon with glory and immortality untill we receive again these naturall mortall corruptible bodies immortall incorruptible receptacles habilitate and fitted to imbrace and enjoy without interruption the glory that a glorified soul is admitted unto So that unto the Believer this naturall death is swallowed up of life being no more death unto them then the pinching of the body of the Infant in coming through these straits of ordinary Child-birth should be to the Child if it were capacitate to know the present case and place of its imprisonment and the light and liberty it were to come to But here nature even pure nature doth propose some most sensible and searching tryals for impugning my arguments and resolutions viz. Seeing this World was created for me and I created immortall without separation by death if I had stood in my integrity then should I never have had any further desire but of things present Now presuppone that the offer were made me of the allowance of all created contentments perpetually to my desire with the blessing upon them and the blessed use of them with that peace which should make up a continued feast should not we then rather be content to remain in the body then desirous to seperate from it 1. For answer The case is so far altered that the difference is very vast we not being by creation nor should have been by generation in the estate of innocency capable of any greater blesse then that wherein the first man was created which was to enjoy the allowed use of the creature and to converse with the Creator at such times by such means and in what measure as the divine Majesty should think meet 2. Whereas by regeneration the Believer attains unto and is made capable of a more sublime and supernaturall blesse by being made a member of Christ mysticall to see and enjoy God in Him by grace and to be translated unto glory after death which makes it desirable It is Objected Suppose the offer were made of a healthfull and lively body with the liberty and allowance of all outward contents with the speciall blessing of inward peace in the use of them and freedom from all disturbance which might allay that relish in the fruition of them untill the end of time and the coming of the Lord to the general Judgement Should I not then rather make choise to remain in the body unto that day then to separate from it that it may be consumed in the dust for that time For answer Let the supposition be strengthened with all the Arguments that may warrantably be alledged they cannot weaken the resolution of a Believer nor ballance his disposition of an instant and sincere desire to be dissolved with submission to the good pleasure of Gods will both for the time place and maner of his removall that mortality being swallowed up of life we may put on and be cloathed with immortality life and glory freed of all ground of provoking God or grieving Gods Spirit and admitted unto His Presence in whose Face is the fulnesse of joy and at whose right hand are all true compleat and incomprehensible pleasures for evermore the body never being sensible of any losse and the soul being over-joyed in the continued sense of unconceivable advantage Hereby the Believer according to the growth of his faith and affection is looking and longing for that day when he may take possession in that house which is from heaven and is eternall in heaven And these Truths are so convincingly verified unto us by God himself by Jesus Christ our Lord and by the holy Spirit of God and of Christ speaking in his Prophets and Apostles and justified by instances of raising up the dead to life again as being past controversie all objection is removed except it be by the obstinate atheist giving thereby undeniable signs of utter and irrecoverable rejection And how is it then that the Believer can be any thing moved at the approach of that happiest of his dayes unlesse it were unto an excesse of joy from the sense of so joyfull a separation from a dying body lying under darknesse unto a living Head stated in all light and delight Shall the pangs of death restrain our desires or abate our resolutions in making through that strait entry unto such certain and eternall felicities Would the Child in the mothers womb if it were capable of sense and reason make choise to remain everlastingly in that dark Cell rather then to hazard upon what pains there may be in pressing out unto the light Would not the Prisoner fettered in the Gallies and there held under most cruell slavery if he should be called out of that bondage not only unto liberty but also in stead of his rags Princely Robes presented to him and of bands the enjoyments of all desirable delights that the most flourishing Nation under the Sun could render crowned with many dayes and years in the society of Princes and all Princely pleasures would not the change be most joyfully imbraced by any that were not more then brutish Now then how far above comparison is this change that the believing Christian is called unto from so many sorrows and sufferings as our sin hath brought and keeps us under while we are in the body unto a Crown of glory and immortality to be cloathed upon with the Robes of our Redeemer his Righteousnesse and feasted with the joyes that flourish in the Face of our Mediator being the fruits of that Land where there is no lesse then everlasting life light love delight resulting in superexcellent hymns and songs of eternall praise in exalting the King and Saviour of Saints Is it not from the weaknesse of our faith and not keeping our spirituall senses in action but sluggishly suffering our affections to frieze that we are not still attending when we shall be called to come out of the body to enjoy this beatitude And why should we be so anxious of the maner time or place of laying down our old cloaths It becomes us well to intrust all to Him of whom we are and for whom we are without whom nothing can befall us who is goodnesse it self and of whom we had such reall proof that He makes all things work together for our good And shall we
distrust Him for our Conduct through death unto that Life and Kingdom that He hath purchast for us at so dear a price Or shall we not rather desire to endure what we can be able for him and to be with him who hath indured for us so much to have us with him from under the power and out of the reach of the sting of death which is now a vanquished enemy and not to be feared but become a friend to be especially loved And albeit the carnal part would keep us in exercise under the apprehension of a swift and sudden death which were dreadfull is not the spiritual part to be the more studious to make our calling and election sure and to be the more vigilant with the wise Virgins for the coming of the Bride-groom And if a lingring disease be apprehended it may prove a precious time for better preparation If violent and extreamly painfull it is the more speedily past If inflicted by the Persecutor of the Profession in whatsoever maner then it is accompanied with the highest degree of blessednesse for the Spirit of God and of glory rests upon you and great is their reward in heaven who suffer for righteousnesse And if by that which the natural man calls accident seeing all things in his eyes fall out alike to the good and to the evil Yet the Believer knows that nothing falls out but by a well-ordered providence not so much as a hair of their head to their hurt much lesse shall they be forsaken when they have most ado with present and immediate supplie And whereas some of Gods Children who have been of a long continuance in the Profession singular in their conversation and zealous in duties have been at a very low ebb for mater of comfort in the time of their departure And others also kept under much wrestling and conviction when as some of lesse note and esteem have had all their sails filled with the sense of that soul-saving sweetnesse that meets them from the Mediator at the time of their removall As also some very weak men have been wonderfully born out under most fearfull torments inflicted upon them by the Persecuter and others of far greater expectation have fainted and fallen off when the peril appeared and yet have been reclaimed by repentance and found mercy Some also we see that have lived very civilly all their dayes have died under much darknesse and without any signs of a gracious wakening while as others that have been most abominable in their lives have made a glorious end And now in contemplation of all these various dispensations may we not and must we not see and adore the glory of the Lord both in Soveraignty and Wisdom And is not every Believer unto their own felt and sensible experience in every passage of their severall exercises exceedingly benefited unto their increase of their inward and spirituall consolation And the beholders that are as yet making on to the way helped unto incouragement and confirmation Hereby also may all flesh be taught to finish their salvation in fear to beware of swelling under sense and of sinking under absence of prescribing Providence or ascribing any thing to our selves but subscribing and submitting absolutely in all things to the holy and good pleasure of His will with whom we have to do denying our selves relying and depending upon Him like little children making our entry into the kingdom of heaven by what way He will have us to go who is the Author of our vocation preservation perseverance and perfecting resting in quietnesse and confidence till we see the great salvation of God THE CLOSE IN A SEPARATION-KISSE Betwixt two most intimate FRIENDS The SOVL and BODY By way of DIALOGUE betwixt NATURE and GRACE Under the Names of FLESH and SPIRIT Spirit DEar Saviour now my soul receive Flesh blood and bones slide to your grave And separate sleep from grief and pain Till gloriously we meet again Flesh Shall now these tearms so oft repeated Be instantly for all compleated And must I now in dreadfull night Deprived be of Life and Light Oh had it not far better been This life that I had never seen Sweet Ghost is there no remedy But thou must go and I must die For of a meeting who can think When sinfull I in slime must sink Spirit It 's true no man by nature sees Nor can perceive these mysteries That by believing we conceive And do the earn'st thereof receive When our affections have been feasted Upon the fruits that we have tasted We part a space our grace to try Thou' rt not annihilat more then I And thou redeemed art from death As I and from eternall wrath Flesh I do confesse and call to mind At former warnings of this kind By force of these truths truly tende'rd Sometimes my soul have freely render'd But now it seems that too too slightly I have past by not ponder'd rightly How I to thee or thou to me Shall come or when I cannot see Were we not first immortall made And but by accident do fade Canst thou not now who grace hes found Find also how we two be bound So fast incorporat may remain Untill our Saviour come again Spirit Dear Flesh resist these carnall notions So marring and untimely motions Thou know'st it was our vile revolt That Paradice did on us bolt But now no losse incurres thereby Our Head exalted lifts us hie 'Bove by creation what we were Then earth 's below the highest star When I was sent thee to assume Could'st thou then know that I should come That seed whereof thou was congeal'd Thy Parents from their food did yeeld Digested which from fish flesh grain And fruits they had receiv'd again These grosse ingredients whence were they But from worms water grasse and clay Do not therefore dear mate repine But to thine element incline Till the refreshing time returne And turne thee up out of thine urne When all the Elements shall sweat Purging their drosse with fervent heat And tendering out our substance true Like drops refin'd of Cristal-dew While every soul shall be attending Their bodies fitted for ascending In that dread revolution glorious Dreadlesse thou shalt ascend victorious When all this world these wordly frameâ— Shall be burnt up in fiery flames When all the Heavens shall be roll'd And at an instant roundly scroll'd Sun Moon Stars Signs and Planets seen No more then if they had not been The glory of the Lord obscuring All sights and lights were most alluring He He alone then only being The sweetest Object of our seeing Nor shall there in this swirle be seen Confusions but conclusions clean Appear from these purpos'd decrees Establisht from eternities Perform'd peremptorly in time Now at the tinkling of this Chyme Like as our Horologe in part Keeping the method of the airt Unto the stinted time doth carry Not wearying nor seen to vary But at the period of the hours When she is most to shew her powers What
Spirit and the power of God seen in the creation and conservation of all things the Son of God and the Saviour of the World who in our own flesh hath died and risen again who hath testified all these truths and recorded them in His Testament to us according as He had Himself experimentally tryed the unutterable joyes of the one and the unsuperable dolors of the other to have been wrestled with sustained and fred of but by Himself alone who was God to sustain as He was man to suffer And yet for all this conviction and formall profession what is the greatest part of all ranks doing but deceiving themselves satisfied with a brain-light without any heart-change a lip-religion without any life-reformation So reasonlesse is the rationall creature become as to deny Him reasonable service who is the Author of their reason in believing Him and acquainting themselves with Him for their good But to proceed According to the difference betwixt the Believer and the unbeliever in life and death so is it after death when the Righteous Judge of all men shall give the finall sentence Then shall the carnall man who refused that great Salvation which is now obtained by believing in the only Son of God for the remission of sin being laid down in the grave bathed in the abominations of His apostasie and impenitencie be raised up again at the Latter-day soul and body joyning to receive the irrecoverable sentence of eternall condemnation and rejection from the gracious presence of God unto the place appointed for them And for the further manifestation hereof the Lord hath been pleased to suffer some being spiritually dead and refusing to come to the Physitian of souls for life and being thereby self-condemned to ly under desperation and torment of conscience even in this life So that both word and example may joyn to the conviction of such as will not be converted Whereas the true Believer who in their life had been dying unto sin and attained unto the first Resurrection in living unto righteousnesse laid down the body under hope shal at the second Resurrection both soul and body being joyned again in that spiritual and incorruptible constitution agreeable unto immortality lift up the head with joy in coming before the Judge knowing that all judgment is committed to the Son of God who is their Kins-man Mediator and Redeemer who knows well for whose transgressions He hes made Himself an offering for satisfying the justice of God that He may see His seed the travell of His Soul and be satisfied That the pleasure of the Lord in justifying many does prosper in His Hand and in congregating and uniting to Himself who is the glorious Head and making up all the Members in one Body to become the fulnesse of Him who fills all in all that the Marriage-day may be solemnized and the marriage fully accomplished before God and all the Hierarchy of Angels Arch-Angels Throns Dominions Powers Seraphims and Cherubins with Hosannas and Hallelujahs shouting for joy and sympathising in all cordiall harmony the praises of their King the Author and Finisher of their Salvation with songs sutable and acceptable to that all-glorious Auditory and the glorified associats and assistants in that unlimited circumference whereof the All-blessed and infinite Essence of God is the incomprehensible Center and that from minutly renewed and revealed matter without intermission for evermore And for the further establishment of which truth some of Gods Children even in this life have attained the fore-tastes of the first Fruits of these eternall Consolations that they are to feast upon after this life everlastingly And seeing it is so and known to be so by the Believer where should the furthest extent of his deepest apprehensions and greatest fervencie of his affections be fixed but upon Him alone by whom he shall injoy all this blesse salvation and consolation And to this end that as they know they may commend and as they prove they may love and praise Him according as they can attain to see and conceive Him by the mirror wherein He shines making Himself and His excellencies the matter of our songs in the house of our pilgrimage untill we come up to see Him as He is and enjoy Him in the fulnesse of that blesse by the earnest whereof we are sustained under Hope And for this end let our study be to take Him up more particularly 1. First what He is in Himself 2. And secondly what He is to us 1. He is in Himself 1. The mighty God the everlasting Father wonderfull Counseller the Prince of Peace Isaiah 9.6 2. He is the second Person of the all-adored Trinity 3. His delight hes been from all eternity to be conversant with the sons of men And for that end and that the fulnesse of the God-head might dwell in him bodily hes by the operation of the Holy Ghost assumed unto Himself the nature of man from the seed of the woman in the womb of the Virgin whereby He becometh the kins-man flesh of our flesh and bone of our bone subject to all our infirmities sin except that He might be a mercifull and a compassionate high Priest and a propitiatory sacrifice of a sweet smelling savour unto God in giving full satisfaction unto justice for the sins of the Elect in cancelling the hand-writing that spoke against them and nailing it unto the tree of the crosse when after the agony of His Soul He gave His Body to be crucified and His Blood to be shed for the Redemption of His beloved inheritance whom He hes thereby justified and will sanctifie and espouse to Himself delighted to see the increase of His grace in the Believer as the fruit and off-spring of the travel of His Soul and to whom He hes made Himself known to be the only Messias 1. First As Christ anointed Priest Altar and Sacrifice to satisfie and intercede for and reconceal us to God Prophet to instruct us in aâ—l truth and reveal the Fathers will to us and King to renew and defend His ransomed flock 2. Jesus a Saviour able to save to the utmost and cleanse them from all their sins 3. The Word incarnat from whom all our spirituall life comes 4. The Fountain opened from whence flowes all our consolation 5. The true Vine and prime branch whence influence ascends to all the members 6. The morning Star and Sun of righteousnesse by whom we are illuminate and revived 7. The Rock invincible and Corner-stone whereon our Salvation is built 8. The Mediator to procure acceptance to our persons and grants to our petitions 9. The Captain who is only able to conduct us through the wildernesse with safety 10. The bountifull Provisor for us in the midst of all our malicious enemies 11. The faithfull Witnesse who for all our failings and faithlesnesse will not deny Himself who changes not 12. This is our Emanuel our strong and mighty God who being with us what is it to us who be against us
He hes trod the wine-presse of Gods wrath alone and none with Him He hes bruised the head of the old serpent that was lifted up against us He hes given the deadly stroak to all our enemies led them captive and cast them under chaines of darknesse unto the condemnation of the great day and were there ever man or Angel could have imagined of such things to have been done for them And is it possible for us out of the deepest of our conceivings to think seriously of these wonders that the Lord hes eternally designed for us and in time done for us and not be ravished with the admiration of them and over-joyed in belief of them And yet what lesse could He have done for us seeing it was His holy and eternall determination to espouse us to Himself and for that end to sprinkle us with His bloud that we may be imbraced and put beauty upon us that we may be loved by Him who is all love and admitted to His Bed-Chamber and Breasts of consolation where feasting upon that all-fulnesse and unconceivable sweetnesse that is in Him we may say and sing As we have heard so have we seen In the City of our God and of our King A SONG OF DEGREES Ascending from what we were in Nature to what we are in Grace and thence to what we shall be by believing NOw Saviour dear my soul receive Flesh blood and bones slides to the grave Grace hath procur'd by argument Of Nature now a full consent That the body shall remain Asleep till I return again And that I shall approach and prove Sweet Saviour now thy saving Love Amongst these mansions shining bright Where souls are feasting on thy sight And at what instant thou dost call The body then assume I shall That thence restor'd for evermore We in thy face may God adore That seeing there as we are seen Where never cloud doth interveen Nor subtile serpent shall appear With syren songs to tempt the ear Nor interrupt our Songs of love So set our present thoughts above As is the Heaven of heavens so far From thoughts infirm that finite are But yet because the Glory there Transcends believing let us spare And set our Songs in order right According to our present Light Of faith which fraught with wonders clear By pond'ring makes grac'd-men admire His Love and beauty still increasing While we His praises be expressing Let us make His Glorious Name Our deepest thoughts our chiefest theam So as we may with singing move In joyfull Songs of Praise and Love His Name His Name most highest high Essentiall God in Majesty Who with the Father and the Sp'rit As Counseller did take delight In this most Glorious Universe And here with men for to converse By wisdome viewing all the wonders That now appear surpassing numbers In these magnificent degrees And statutes of eternities All things by Omnipotency From nothing op'ning instantly Omniscience all things observing His providence all things preserving In all their comings goings courses Places cases and recourses According to their inclination Set by supream preordination Of that eternall counsell standing And unsearchably commanding Seen and unseen varieties Diversities rarieties From that Infinity proceeding Transcending this dimm twi-light reading Even in these clear excellencies That obvious be unto our eyes Far lesse find out Him infinite In His perfections full compleat Incomprehensible and pure Uncheangable that does indure But let our faithfull thoughts be fixt Upon that new creation next Wherein we deeply be concern'd To dive and be divinely learn'd Not by the line of humane learning But by the spirit of discerning To know how that most fatall fall The race of Adam damned all Deserv'dly left and so forlorn In bands of death and darknesse born Till in that Counsell now admired That wisdom wonderfull umpired Mercy and justice entering band In upright righteousnesse to stand To ransome from that rotten stock And so redeem a saved flock By sep'rating a second Root That should produce a precious fruit And by a sappie substance firme Regenerat renew confirme Whereby the power of His Sp'rit The marvell of all marvels meet When Members mysticall implanted Be in the divine nature fainted As being in the Head divine Where God doth in His fulnesse shine For by this mysterie adored Christ mystical's from death restored Here Soveraignity does shine And Love anterior to time Unto the Elect does appear Illustrious and shining clear Omniscience observing all And every one about this ball In every one and all their cases That by His pleasure He imbraces Omnipotency such preserving As be convinc'd of no deserving His providences likewise prove The firmnesse of His faithfull Love The travell of His Soul reviving In that all-wonderfull contriving And fully satisfi'd therein Because the fruit should purge our sin Whereby we ly in bands of wrath Untill we do apply His death Opening our eyes to see with grief Our selves and Him a sure relief Firmly fixing in our thought The wondrous wayes whereby he brought From nothing us to nature then From reasonlesse to rationall men From reason render'd reasonlesse Not standing in our steadfastnesse But prostitute to sinfull lust Were under death and darknesse thrust Again this true eternall Love Mov'd by His Sp'rit again to move Upon that then confused masse More marr'd then the first Chaos was When this good Sp'rit to order wrought That glorious work from nothing brought Whereby we may our weaknesse see The more observant hence to be Impressions pressing on the heart From which he never will depart Untill His Image be repair'd And we for glorie be prepar'd But guides us all the way we go And when we wander warns us so That through a world we are led Of snares that be before us spred Where swarms of devils are devising Daily our darkned souls surprizing And what a fray of lusts unclean Are from the spawn of satan seen Kindled and cannot quenched be Untill corruption crushed be O wonder now and wondering sing The praises of this wondrous King God His own Son Gods sole delight The life of man the worlds light Man to redeem mans nature taking That he might die for mans up-making Obscur'd be put to grief and brusing And all with chiefest pleasure chusing In time prefixt His Seed to see EMANUEL marvelous will be And now as then divinely seeing Imbraces in this glorious being Every minut under time Souls redeem'd from every clime Where this glorious Gospel's sounding Alairts and parts this globe surrounding Swarming up in severall Legions Received in celestiall regions And ordered in prepared places According to their gifted graces This is our glorious King of Hosts Sing to His praise you blessed ghosts For at His feet youâ— foes do fall While He conveens combines you all Because your high and glorious Head His fulnesse you and Members made His pains your gains His glory now Made Him delight to be with you Angels in these wonders using Minds apted rapted be in musing And ministring their service still Adoring do His glorious will And Souls redeem'd their songs begin This glory as they enter in And we in contemplation now Delight to sympathize with you In your triumphant state adoring Your King and in His glory soaring Swiming in Oceans of delights And visions of transcendent sights These glorious objects of your seeing The subject of your singing being When His comfortable reflectings Shines upon your crosse neglectings And your putting Him to grief Meets with this Royal Grace-relief Seeing now as you are seen And knowing that you might have been Amongst the damn'd by your deserving Under utter darknesse starving Where millions every minut rumble And in endlesse torments tumble While you upon His face do feed And the righteous reasons read Of all His judgements just and high That holy and unchanged be When all the Generations Of men since the creations And Angels come both good and bad To hear their sentence sweet and sad When at the twinkling of an eye The wicked shall rejected be And will endure eternall pain Rather then see that face again In righteous judgement justly burning For their grievous guilty spurning When the Faithfull father'd aright Remain rejoicing in His sight Who be of His rich grace the seed And now incorporate in the head Wherein of God all fulnesse growes And on the Members overflowes Here men and Angels clearly see The Counsells of eternity Wherein the Son of God rejoyced Eternally to see proposed This state of Sonship to the Saints With whom espoused now He haunts In heavens of blesse so far above As is the heavens we see to move This earth above and passe accounts As infinite finite surmounts From ev'ry severall soul whose cases Differs further then their faces But when in these infinities We enter and eternities And in the pleasures thereof placed And glory there by grace imbraced According to the great design Of God our Lord doth then resign Power Kingdome and authority To God alone who sets him free Of all his foes who be brought down When he receives the Royall Câ—own Of triumph now Christ mysticall Fully compleat who filleth all Now in Hiâ— Bride redeem'd rejoycing And she with joy on Him reposing In these vast dimensions bright Where He alone is all her light Life diet and delight alone The subjects of their Songs each one Nor could created-heavens contain These glorious Songs there heard and seen Sounding out from every airt And every soul a severall part And in such order sweet compos'd As all the heavens shall be rejoyc'd In the uncessant consolation Of this redeemed corporation When the King of Kings the Head A King hes every Member made And Priest to offer praises due And constantly their Songs renew But as we said so let us cease Towards these mysteries to prease Eye hes not seen ear cannot hear Nor heart conceive till we appear What for the Chosen was prepar'd And then it duely be declar'd Only by believing this Shall be above believing blesse And blessednesse which might allay All our wrestlings in the way And under hope the soul sustain Untill we may the fruit obtain When we shall joine and be victorious In that triumphant state so glorious And springing through the Skies shall sing All joyfull praises to our King FINIS