the worlds foundation Thou did'st but speake and all this all 's creation Did to thy great Imperiall word obey Loe here shin'd light their shady darknes lay Here Hill's proud tops did on their tiptoes stand There did the Ocean roare against the sand Here on the floury bottoms fragrant mead The nibling troups securely prank and feed There in the bosome of the glassie deep The scaly nations softly swim and creep The ayrie legions scud along the skies As if they meant the Welkin to surprise And every thing that hath or life or sense To thy command'ment gave obedience And whil'st thou com'st an old world new to make No other toole nor mattock thou wilt take But that same word of thine that thou mai'st still By thy great Word thy glorious Will fulfill Since by thy Word then which is only wise Thou dostillighten thy Disciples eyes O let me heare thee in great Moses chaire Confound those Rabbins whom the world admire That by thy Doctrine I may learn that wit Which never nat'rall man could teach as yet To Nazareth he goeth and entring there Unto their Synagogue he doth repaire And reads in Esayes volume this sweet text Esay 61.1 Jehovahs Sp'rit is me let all vex'd With sinne afflicted hearts come heare my word For I am the annoynted of the Lord Whom he hath sent his Gospell to proclame To free the Captives and restore the lame Give sight unto the blinde binde up the bruised And give them grace who doe not quite refuse it This day saith he this Text is now fulfil'd This day is grace down from the heav'ns distill'd And happy he who heareth and believeth In him who this Salvation freely giveth But veng'ance shall his portion be who stops His ears against my heav'n elixer'd drops Doe not you call to minde how that of old From Ebals threatning tops it was foretold A thousand curses should fall down upon A sinfull froward generation But who so should their soules enclinet obey The sacred Sanctions of the mount Siney Ten thousand blessings from Gerizims store Should on their heads be multiplied and more Now is the time and here am I the man From out whose mouth or curse or blessings can Receive effect or force to save or kill They heare my word and they obey my will Blessed is he therefore whose heart is pure For of my heav'nly kingdome he is sure Blessed are they who hunger for my grace They shall be fill'd and satisfied with peace Blessed are they who doe in secret mourn Their sorrows to their solace shall return Blessed be you when men for my name sake Shall of your life and goods proud havock make Blessed be you when ' gainst you men speak evill And call you sonnes of Beliall and the Devill For what they derogat from your regard They adde against their will to your reward Yea bless'd and more then blessed shall you be When you be thrust from their societie Thrust from their Synagogu's excommunicate Rebuk'd blaspheam'd and all disconsolate Be not dismaid but rather be you glad The Prophets old no better service had The Sonne of man himselfe shall so be us'd Contemn'd reproach'd disdain'd and fouly brus'd And sure I am that when the master hath No softer shelter and no surer path The servant should not grudge nor yet disdaine If with his master he shall share like paine But wo to such whose riches shall abound Whose heart and hands are in their store house sound I tell you truly they have their reward No after pleasure is for them prepar'd Woe woe to those who laugh and never weep Destruction to their soules doth softly creep Woe woe to such as vainly cry peace peace Thinking the mountaine cannot change his place For sorrow griefe and plagues shall on them come Like travell on a womans burth'ned wombe Stoln bread and water sweet are to the taste But gall and worm-wood's easier to digest Blesse you therefore such as doe curse you for If you shall blesse your friends and doe no more What honour can you crave of God by them Who live estrang'd from God they doe the same Doe good to those who harm you pray for those Who persecute your Soules with griefes and woes Give to all such as aske you freely len And look for no requitall back agen So shall you show your selves th' Almighty's sonnes When you be cloath'd with his perfections You are this worlds chief salt while you have savour Your work with God and Men shall finde true favour But if you lose your savour then your taste Shall all your service to the dunghill cast You are a Citty set upon a hill Which to the worlds proud gaze stands object still Dream not you can be hid all eyes are on you And all mens motions doe depend upon you If whil'st they wander in an oblique Car Your course prove constant like a fixed Star If whil'st they stumble in Cymerian night You walk in Goshen like the sonnes of light Whil'st muddy cares doe their best joyes controle If your affections rest above the Pole If whil'st their runnalls Marah like prove tart Your springs drink sweet and so rejoyce the heart If whil'st they hold in hand a fruitlesse goad You bud ripe Almonds like to Arons rod If whil'st a stranger cals you you repine And know no shepheards voice but only mine In all your wayes if you shall still intend Your masters glory and no other end Then ô how happy happy thrice you be Life is your lot your term eternitie Then feare not man whose hand can doe no more But kill the body feare God rather for When he hath kil'd the body yet he can Powre out destruction on the soule of man And send both soule and body down to hell In chains of darknesse and of death to dwell 'T is true those precepts which I now doe Preach Exceed the narrow bounds of humane reach Yet though the flesh be weak the Spirit 's strong And grace can rectifie stern natures wrong Think not I come to put the law at under Or what the Lord hath joyn'd to cut asunder No no the Law and Gospell be two brothers The sonnes of one man though of severall mothers That Hagars brood who unto bondage beareth This Sarahs sonne who 's free and nothing feareth That 's Sinays suckling who with terrour shaketh This Syons nursling whom no feare awaketh That first this last that strong but this the stronger And so the elder must needs serve the younger The Law requireth works the Gospell Faith Both have one ayme though in a severall path For he who sweetly speaketh in them both Is but one God and one same sp'rit of truth Works without faith are like to fig-tree leaves Which seem to shelter but in end deceive's And faith unlesse good works doe crown her head May seem to live yet 's spirit'ally dead For as faith laying hold on th' Mediator Makes man stand just before the just Creator So works
all wrath that did begin This wofull combat in thy soule for loe What we should suffer thou didst undergoe Hence were thy griefes thy bloody sweats and teares Hence were thy supplicavions and thy feares Hence were th' affrighting passions of thy soule As man alone thou could'st not them controle The spirit of man infirm'ty may sustaine But who can beare th' Almighties deep disdaine To see the Sonne of God sweat drops of blood 〈…〉 And yet no wonder though â— wond'rous cause Produce effect that reason quite dissâ—nowes If hell and death have pains in tollâ—â—able If flesh be weak and humane faith be feeble What wonder was it though with flesh aray'd Thou of th'Eternalls wrath wa st so dismay'd The wonder is how thou our true Phisition Knowing our sicknesse and our sad condition Cor Id'st by the drinking of our poyson'd Cap Refresh our soules and eke revive our hope O that in this thy wofull agonie We could but read our own perplexitie So should our sighs and teares in time prevent Th' eternall throbbings of deaths punishment But since we cannot as we would recall Our mispent time and so repaire our fall O teach us in our lives to follow thee That with thee we may finde conformitie Of comfort in our crosse so shall thy grace Once make us to enjoy thee face to face Yea let the path or way be what it will Let griefe and toile and tears and torment still Beat down our outward Man yet let us make Our inner man more strong by faith and take Example by thee both in life and death To seek Gods favour and to 〈◊〉 his wrath The Surpryse CANTO 3o. THrice hath the Sonne of righteousnes display'd The soure-sweet symptoms of a soule dismay'd And thrice hath zeale-bred pray'rs prevayling power Recleer'd th'eclypses of his darkned houre Thrice hath he bidden his Discyples pray Lest to tentation they should one the way But while he checks their watch they 're still asleep Droun'd in the bottome of secur'ties deep So frequent are our foyles our faith â— unsteady That flesh is ever weak though th'spirit's ready Yet once more will he rouze them from their rest And print this farewell Sermon in their breast My friends saith he oft have I bid you watch Lest Sathan in his snare your soules should catch But you havedroup'd you have been drouzy still Hence forth goe sleep and take your rest at will For th' houre is come The Sonne of Man 's betray'd The Traitounis at hand and for his avde An armed Legion com'th yet none can take My life from me but for my poore sheeps sake I lay it down and take it up againe And by my willing death you life retain Arise let us goe hence Scarse are they gone When loe the traitor and his legion Come all along and to my Saviour goe First to surprize him then work his ov'r throw And first comes Judus in a poore Lambs fleece Though inwardly a raying Wolfe be is Throwing his arms about his Masters neck Doth greet him with this foule dissembling check Haile Master to his word he joyns a kisse And by that signall tells the troupe who h 'is But ô my Saviour meekly doth enquire Friend wherefore com'st thou so dost thou desire By this thy kisse to kill the Sonne of Man The task is foule goe on doe what thou can Hadst thou but as a stranger been suborn'd Thus to betray me I could well have born 't Or hadst thou as a causlesse hatefull foe Conspir'd to work and perpetrate my woe I would not then have grudged But to see Him who did dip his hand i th' dish with me And him who in my bosome lately lay Lift up his heele against me and betray Me to the death 't is strange but Father what Thou hast begun continue consummat Fie on thee Judas Sathans first born sonne Hadst thou but kept one spark of grace within Thy hellish breast these words of friendly love Might have suffic'd thy treach'rous heart to move And pull'd thee down upon thy soules bow'd knees To beg the pardon of thy treacheries But ah as one poore bubbling drop alone Can hardly gutter flint or Porphire stone So hardly can one word though ne'er so â—â—ue An indur'd heart to sense of sinne subdue Whil'st thus he spâ—â—ks to Judas all the â—est Of that proud rable have themselves addrest To apprehend him straight way He but saith Whom seek you friends Jesus of Nar areth Say they he answers Surely I am he Which words import he 's God and Man trulie Iam did from the burning bush foretell The safe redemption of his Israel And this word He doth his human'ty show Who by his death should satisfie the Law For he 's the Man and truly onely He Who gives man life and imâ—ortalitie No sooner hath he spoke â—hose words I 'm he When by those words consounded back they flie And to the ground doe fall such was the power And piercing virtue of my Saviour He doth enquire againe Whom would you have Jesus say they the man of Naxareth I surely am the man saith he the truth I have already told you from my mouth If me you seek then let those goe their way From you I shall not flie but with you stay For what is writ of me fulfill I must Let those goe safe lot me sustain the worst Not long agoe my Saviour hath foretold The times were comming in the which men should Of two coats sell the one and buy a sword Peter remembreth this Prophetione Word And seeing Matchas proudly lay his hand Upon his Master draweth forth his brand And ayminght proud Malchus head that blow Did crop his eare and cut it quite in two Surely the sword of Peter was but just Who stops his ear to God and man doth trust May justly lose his eare his eye his hand And all his body that doth God withstand But Peter here doth wrong could he but know 't He beats the stone and quts the hand did throw 't The blow on Judas should have been moresure Who th' Author was of this distemp'rature Malchus but acts false Judas falser plot 'T is pitty Judas had not Malchus lot Yet that poore Peter now may wisely know That good intention's not enough to show The actions good and that shows cannot hide The hidden frailty of a self-sick pride Christ bids him put his transhing sword againe Into his place for humane streng this vaine And he who by the sword his will doth cherish Shall sometime by the sword both fall and perish Dost thou not know saith he that what a cup My father doth propine I must drink up Thouh it were ne'er so bitter were 't not so This world should perish in an endlesse woe Or dost thou think that if I pleas'd t' escape I could not this earths drossie globe ov'rleap And riding on a thousand Cherubs wings Prepareany ineseue with the King of Kings Or think'st thou not but if I lov'd t'remove I
I know not what you think him worthy sure I think him guilty shamefull death t' indure To this they all applaud with acclamation O let him die and perish from this Nation Yet once more proudly doth the Priest enquire Him of his Doctrine and Disciples Ire And rapid rage doth to his soule possesse That Truth and Conscience with him have no place Christ answers In your Synagogues have I Still taught and by me nothing secretly Is done or said enquire of them therefore Who heard me let them witnesse lesse or more By this one of those slaves who stood neer by Doth smite him on the face most vil'nously And ads this motto to his cruell blow What Villaine dost thou answer th' High-Priest so Christ meekly replyes If I have spoke wrong Beare witnesse of it but if thus my tongue Hath spoke the truth why smit'st thou me 't may be Some higher hand repay thy villanie Ah me my God how hath this High Priest still Spoke prophecy although against his will Of late he said it was expedient that One for the nation should be immolat And now he sayes he 's guilty to the death And so both truth and lye pronounced hath O what a vaticiny what a word Is this that Caiaphas doth now afford Guilty he was to die the death he come And yet not guilty to the death as some Man born in sinne to die the death is born Because by sinne he 's guilty and forelorne But he did neither sinne nor know trespasse For Gods 〈◊〉 ' â—â— Lambe and Sonne he was And therefore since he knew not sinne no death Ov'r him or power or jurisdiction hath Yet guilty was he for 〈◊〉 guilt he tooke And by the way for 〈…〉 of the brooke And so was guilty made to death for loe His bodies death must our soules death ov'rthrow Thus was he guilty to the death and yet Nor guilt nor death his innocence did fit His was the death the guilt was ours and so Both from the guilt and death w' are free to goe Next to this censure all those catyss still With excrements his glorious face doe spill And though the glorious hoast of heav'n are bold In him to gaze Gods wisdome manifold Yet muffling up his face they hood-wink's eyes Then crave in scorn to heare his Prophecies This not enough they be not yet content T' afflict his body and his soule torment But what is more to Pilat's civill power They lead him there to have his death made sure From out the High Priests house and hall he 's led And unto Pilat's hall is carried Tumultuous crowds of people run along To make their malice and their griefe more strong And in Iudibrious manner thus doe cry Here 's Naz'reths Propher pray you make him way Pilat affrighted with the Convocation Comes forth and cals the head o' th' Combination And asks the cause of this their concourse for Such stirre Jerus'lem had not seen before Yet ere the Roman Depute will approve Their combination he doth gravely move This question to them What hath this man done Or gainst the State or gainst Religion If he had nor a malefactour been Say they to Pilate sure thou hadst not seen Us stand as supplicants before thy doore Nor had we ever judg'd him by thy pow'r O cruell catiffes irreligious you Who act such murther under pieties show To Pilat's house you come but will not enter As if his house were hells condemning center Woe woe to you Scribes Pharisees and Priests You rav'ning Wolves dissembling Hypocrites Why doe you think by ' xternall rites and showes To purge that poyson in your hearts ov'rflowes Why doe you make your platter clean without While as the fountain's poyson'd round about Why doe you guild your graves with pretious stones Whose richest linings are but rotten bones Why doe you wash your hands so oft with water While as your hearts be lust and prides Theater It is not Pilat's roof nor Pilat's wall Nor the corruption of his Judgements hall Can make you so unclean or so impure As doth your sinfull soules distemp'rature For what is from without cannot so much Defile the Man as doth the hearts hid touch But thus th' Almighty hath decreed and thus You have determin'd by a secret push To catch the innocent unto your snare While as your words be soft and smoothly faire But he who in the highest heav'ns doth dwell Can both your fraud detect and pride repell And will in his own time your plots repay Upon your pates with woe and weal-away Jesus now stands before the Pagan Judge And from his fury findeth no refuge Pilat enquires him Art thou Juries King I am saith he without dissembling But in this world my Kingdome hath no place Nor hath this world a portion of my grace Pilat then on his Judgements feat fits down And once more asks him of Judaeas Crown And tels him that if he that Crown should claim Then should he wrong Augustus Diadem Not I saith he let Caesar have what 's his And God what 's God's no other thing I wish But while this Roman on his bench doth sit His wife did by her letter him intreat Yea she adjures him that he should not touch That just man for saith she I 've suffer'd much Concerning him this last night in my sleep The gods preserve thee and thy conscience keep That unto him thou doe no wrong nor harm For feare hath giv'n my soule a sad alarme This Pilat reads but 's deafe to such a tale Where will doth govern words will not prevaile He therefore calls the multitude aloud Heare mut'nous you and hark you envious croud Whom will you that at this your solemne feast I should let loose to you what think you best Here have we Barrabas a murth'ring thiefe Will you that he goe loose and have reliefe Or shall we let this Jesus goe pray tell For your desire shall be my Centinell O Barrabas say they let him goe free But for this Jesus him let 's Crucifie VVell then saith Pilat since it must be so Him shall you have and Barrabas shall goe Yet bring me here some water water 's brought And for dissimulation lacketh nought His hands he washeth his dissembling heart Stands still corrupt and foul in every part Yet doth he call Come malecontented you To this just man take heed what you shall doe For in him I doe finde no fault at all Why one haire of his head to ground should fall I therefore to your conscience doe appeale To Church to Councell and to Common-weale That from his blood I stand this day as free As be my hands from their impurity Alas vain Pilot hadst thou cleans'd thy heart As thou hast wash'd thy hands then sure no part Of this mans blood should have against thee cry'd Then should both heart and hand been purifi'd But since one thing thou sayst and dost another Thy words shall not thy foule transgression smother In short time thou
at hand Yet 't is not he such transmigrations now Dare plead no place amidst a Christian crew For by th'Eternals uncontrol'd decree As dust we are so to the dust goe we And till the time that heav'ns shall be no more Our bodies are not what they were before Nor shall our soules or lifes true quickâ—ing spirit Their wonted dwelling houses re-inherit Who is it then Now I perceive 't is he Concerning whom the Prophet Malachy Hath by a divine wisedome thus foretold Wonder you fooles come come you wise Behold Before the comming of that dreadfull day Wherein the Lord his glory shall display Eliah first shall come and by his voyce The father in his children shall rejoyce The children to their fathers wiser Will Shall bow their necks and be obedient still Lest comming to them with a searching fan His vengeance finish what their finnes began Yea sure I am 't is he for now I finde The Scribes and Pharises whose judgement 's blinde I. â— Run to his Baptisme though in scorn that so They may th ' Eternals Counsell overthrow But all in vain he with a soaring eye Rips up their hidden deep hypocrisie And by his threatning duely milde and grave Their hid dissimulation doth outbrave O vip'rous brood ô froward generation O Serpent-Issue of a sinfull Nation Who hath fore-warn'd you to eschew the doome And scape the scorching wrath that is to come Bring forth therefore bring forth I charge you here Those fruits of new-birth which makes faith appeare And glory not that Abraham's sonnes you are For he who calls what 's not as though it were Can make those senssesse stones if he have need Bring forth to Abra'm a Religious seed No rather know that these be now the times Wherein the hand of Justice fannes our crimes And trenching axes laid unto the Root Cut down the wither'd sticks are void of fruit 'T is true indeed I baptize you with water But loe there 's one to come who what I scatter Shall recollect he reaps where none was sown And but advantage will not have his own He 's great indeed and mightier farre then I I am not worthy his shoo-straps t'untye With water I baptize you ô but he Shall baptize with a fire of Deitie For in his hand he holds that searching fan Wherewith he doth his barn-floores treasure scan If we be found true wheat his hand shall keep Our soules from falling in th' infernall deep But if like chaffe we prove his swallowing ire Shall thrust us headlong in a quenchlesse fire Stray then no more through those poor desert fields Which neither state nor pomp nor glory yeelds To gaze on me a Reed toss'd too and fro Where any whirl-windes puffe delights to blow But rather in a wise discretion learn Your gracious Visitation to discern For this is he that should be sent expect None other to relieve your soules defect Looke on his wayes and by his works goe try The true prognosticks of his Majesty By him the blinde have eyes the lame their hands The deafe their eares the dead are loos'd from bands The Leaper's cleans'd and what is more the poore Receive the Gospell and the Crosse endure And that your Judgements may lack all excuse Behold the stone you builders did refuse Shall be approv'd and on the Corners top Shall stand that there by faith by love by hope His children may a living house be made To hold him for foundation and for head Loe where he comes my soul doth sweetly know him Bow bow your haughty necks yeeld what you ow him For he 's that great immac'lat Lamb of God Who having layd aside his wraths sharp rod Doth by a love-sick Mercies bloody gore So purge our sinnes that sinne stands ours no more Ne're did the swallowing Nilus rapid waves Provok'd to anger by th' Aeolian slaves Hurle down his streames to the Asphaltick lake With greater force than doth the Baptist shake By those his roaring thunders the proud knees Of these dissembling Scribes and Pharisees Yet scarce hath he like that fore-running starre VVhich doth proclaim th'approach of Titan's carre Fore-warn'd the world of that Imperiall Sun Whose race in Truths eccliptick line is run When loe that spotlesse Lamb whose spotlesse love And suffrings weds us to the Lord above Comes straight unto him and in modest fashion Without or pomp or pride or ostentation Requires to be baptiz'd in Jordan's flood The typick Emblem of his saving blood But John remembring what he was replies O sacred thou whose throne transcends our skies Why dost thou crave to be baptiz'd of me Since I should rather be baptiz'd of thee The servants state is not above his Lord Nor can my weaknesse that true strain afford Of due obedience that belongs unto thee O get thee from me for thy eyes undoe me Peace saith Immanuel John thy flesh is weak Th'Eternals hidden Counsels to partake For ne're hath flesh his riddles truly view'd But he who with his Heifer first hath plough'd Wouldst thou then know wherefore I doe desire To be baptiz'd of thee who can with fire Rebaptize thee Know that my Charge is such As without Unction none usurps to touch I doe not run unsent my Father hath Before all time decreed That by my death The sting of death and of deaths Lords great power Should so be curb'd that they no more devoure That I may then obey my Fathers will Ambros in Luc. c. 3. And all the law of Righteousnesse fulfill VVhich may contemper Mercies milde sweet yoak To Justice proud though just revenging stroak And so become a righteous Mediator Betwixt the Creature and the dread Creator I must be baptiz'd first that so I may My heav'nly function to the world display Adde hereunto that in this flesh of mine Which from the earth is earth from heav'n divine I must the state of of every thing renew And to my Gospell Moses Law subdue Man must be new the old man now must perish And by a new-born faith his soule must cherish The heav'ns shall be renew'd th' old flie away The Earth renew'd shall smell like maiden-May The Law is old a new command I give That men henceforth by faith love hope must live And as the Covenant's chang'd so must the Seale Make room for Grace and bid the Law farewell And what is more That Man may see I love To make his mansion in the heav'ns above Loe here his badg and cognizance I take On mee not for my own but for his sake That when my father Man's great Seale shall see On my fore-head and man made one with me He may from man his furious wrath withdraw And make him Heyre by Grace not by the Law And that vain man may never scorn those rites By which as Canals of coelestiall sweets Th' Almighty pours his Grace upon their Soule Men may their haughty hearts and necks controule To bow unto his Ordinances for No soule shall enter in at mercies door
is done he looketh on them and anon O strange mirac'lous rare Conversion Without his word the water 's turn'd to wine Sweet as the Malmsey rich as Muscadine Drink woman now faith he drink drink and fill To others also Cana's grapes distill Not such a wine as doth my word therefore Bid them come drink who love to thirst no more But all 's in vain I bid men drink for why Nothing but blood will mans soules thirst allay O God what heav'nly hierogly phick's here Of that sweet Nectar and Ambrosian cheere Which thou our soules Bride-groom shalt for us make When to thy Cana thou shalt us home take For there our mariage-supper is prepar'd Legions of Angels shall thy Bride still guard The fatling's kill'd thy bowles of wine are drawn Thy table-cloaths are dainty Cyprian lawn Thy bed of love is made and richlier hung Then that where th'Epithalamy was sung To Salomon and Pharoh's daughter for Their best magnificence and proudest store Endur'd but for a time but this for ever Shall satiate his guests and finish never In Cana water was exchang'd to wine But in thy house whoso shall sit and dine Shall with the fatnes of thy house be fill'd And drunk with that sweet rill thy side distill'd Whil'st on the Crosse thou stretch'd thy armes abroad T' imbrace thy Bride and heave her to her God O then since all things that be necessare For such a wedding feast thou dost prepare Prepare our hearts also to meet thee when Thou call'st us from out Meshechs sinfull den That so the Bride-groom and his Virgin-bride May in the Tents of love for ever bide From Cana to Capernaum next day My blessed Saviour undertakes his way Where dwelt a reverend grave Centurion Whose servant 's sick in whose compassion The Captain comming unto Christ doth thus Intreat him Master master pitty us For loe my servant 's with a Palsie taken And of all hopes of health is quite forsaken Since then all hopes of humane helps be gone And we be left to mourn his griefes alone I pray thee let thy helping hand supply His great distemper and necessity Goe saith my Saviour get thee home for I Will quickly come and cure his malady No saith the grave Centurion take no pain Great master to turmoile thy selfe in vain I am not worthy that thou glorious thou To come within my roof thy self shouldst bow Speak but the word alone and he shall live For that thy word can heale him I believe Loe I am one set in authoritie Subdew'd to one and many unto me To one I say goe hither and he go'th T' another doe this and that straight he doth Unto a third I say come and he commeth Thus what I will is done and none presumeth To disobey what I command my word For their obedience is a law assur'd When Jesus heares those words he stands amaz'd And on the following troops a while he gaz'd And saith at length In truth and veritie Such faith in Israel I did never see But this I tell you that the time 's at hand VVhen many from the VVest and East shall stand VVithin my Churches faithfull glorious pale And be baptiz'd as sonnes of Israel And with old Abraham Isaac Jacob they Shall eternize a solemne holy day VVhile as the children of the kingdome shall In utter darknesse mourn a Madrigall Goe therefore saith he to the Captain goe And as thou hast believed even so Be it to thee and at that very houre The servants life and health was made secure O God how dost thou by this grave dispute To Japhets children freely contribute The promise of eternall life if they By faith shall on thy words their rest relye Give us therefore what of us thou requir'st And then require of us what thou desir'st Now babling fame hath took her wings to flie Through all the neighboring Regions farre and nigh And make the glorious powers of this man Controll the Earth and daunt the Ocean For whatsoere he doth is quickly told And in fames Ephimerides inroll'd To shun therefore the peoples vain applause Whose changing currents oftner ebbs then flowes Down to Tiberiâ—'s sea he goes that thence He may show favour to the Gadarens But whil'st he 's in the ship his former toile Perswades him in a sleep to rest a while His eyes are scarcely shut when loe dark clouds Obscure the heav'n and proud Aeolian thuds Distemper so the Main that Neptunes locks Wax hoary-white with dashing ' gainst the rocks Here one pround wave doth Babel-like arise And with tumultuous threats affronts the skies Another here falls to so vast a deep That Pluto's wak'ned from his morning sleep A midst this surly gust the poor ship's ross'd And with impetuous windes and tides so cross'd That his Disciples in their feare doe rore And for their health their masters help implore Help help great master say they help awake And on thy perishing train some pitty take For if thou doe not now extend thy power This swallowing tempest will our soules devoure He straight awakes and unto them he saith O you of trembling hearts and fainting faith What doe you fear Peace winds faith he th' are still Peace raging Seas and they grow calm at will By this the Ship is brought unto the shore And neither winds nor seas molest them more O thou controller of the windes commotion O thou dread daunter of th' undaunted Ocean Speak peace to our tumultuous souls for why Unlesse our sp'rituall tempests thou allay Unlesse thou swage and calme their storms in time We sinke and perish for we cannot swim No sooner were the windes by is word appeas'd No sooner 's Neptune by his word asswag'd When Jesus with his few Disciples goe To Gadara that they his power might know But by the way that Sp'rit who works our spight And in our ruines takes his chiefe delight Having intrench'd in his prodigious roles The mortall bodies not th' immortall soules Of two poore men while as they see him come Like ramping Lyons and like Boars in fome Th' approach his presence and in fury cry Jesus thou sonne of God who dwel'st on high What have we here to doe with thee for this Of our just torment in the deep abysse Is not the full time and we suffer wrong If there before due time thoudost us throng What is your name sayth he they answer Legion For we be many in this humane region And as thy Father is the Lord of hoasts So we as many love to scoure their coasts Come out come out saith he you cursed crew And of these wretches take your last adiews If we must needs goe out then let us goe Say they and enter in those swine for loe Whan thou ejects us from this Isle of man Thy little world we must doe what we can To rob him of his best approved pulse And nestle there because we lose himselfe Goe goe saith he they goe and take possession Of those poore beasts and
though the Dev'll rook place Within his soule and made him seven times more The sonne of Sathow then he was before Let all such then as in Gods house appeare Eat of his bread and drink his wine with feare For as one house together cannot hold The God of Jacob and base Dagons mold So in mans secret soule or hidden heart God will have nothing if the Dev'll have part If Jerubbael serve the Lord above He must cut down his fathers heath'nish grove If Tarshish ships would safe sale home to shore A flying Jonas they must hug no more And if a Lawyer would goe safe to heaven He must forget or five or six or seaven For God is one and loveth no division A gracious Union is his best provision Were Achan living he would tell thee truth That poverty excells that wealth which doth Mans honour unto shame and sorrow sell And well-nigh makes his soule a slave to hell Rejected Saul who spared Am'lecks flock Were he alive would still hold Samuels cloak And never let him goe till he got grace By true repentance to redeem his race Bless'd is the man who since he naked come Into the world and naked must turn home Doth by the shelter of his quiet fire Make food and raiment curb his vast desire For Worlds Empires Courts Crowns Kings Are rich in cares when Rest hath better things But peace of Conscience makes the soule rejoyce More then the world and all her fading toyes The Agonie CANTO 2o. WHat man is he would truly know Christs Passion Then let him read that Lecture in this fashion First as a Story next a Gospell then A Pattern last a Benefit to men A story first it is where men may know That God in heav'n governs the world below A Gospell 't is which teacheth us how God Converts our serpents to an usefull rod A pattern 't is which doth in all our crosses Command that patience counterpoise our losses A benefit at last it brings to such As by true faith his garments hem doe touch O that we could first know aright then trust Then imitate then hold him as hee 's just So should we be learn'd Schollers faithfull Saints Obsequious Servants rich Participants But ah our wishes and our weak desires Cannot suffice to blow those zeal-bred fires Which on Jove's sacred altars still should burn And our oblations unto ashes turn Come therefore let us view that Paschall Lamb Whose blood disdain'd the cursed tents of Ham And drenching Goshens doors with wraths proud hand Did smite the first-born in all Misraims land But ay me where shall I begin to wonder At thee dread Monarch mighty sonne of thunder Eternities sole word and first-born sonne Heav'ns promis'd Earth accomplish'd Holy one Thy majesty the very heav'ns admire Thy power in the world doth still appeare Thy Justice all the damn'd in hell doe know Onely to man thou dost thy Mercy show Come then great thou mans preordain'd peace-maker Teach me the fittest way how I may sacre My pen r'expresle the fearfull agonie Thou suffer'dst for us in Gethsemanie Time place and person are the fittest square To make this building truly regular If any shall enquire the period when Thou didst begin to suffer for us men Scripture doth say it was a darkned houre While as the sonnes of darknesse had most power The place is known Gethsemans garden for 'T was meet that where Adam did fall before There thou the second should'st in bloody sweat Repaire the forfeit of our lost estate The person who sustains this weight of woe Is very God and very Man also God that his worth might Gods wrath sarisfie Man that in weaknes he might smart and dye O but this time and houre must yet be shown A little more sometimes 't is call'd thy own Sometime 't is theirs That we may know the right Disperse our cloudy doubt and give us light To speak the truth at first this houre was theirs Then thine then ours on these three paire of staires Time tripping up and down hath made the sourse Of our redemption to perfect her course Their time it was of sinne and sinfull wrath Such was the power both of sinne and death Thy houre it was of suffering and of smart For feare and anguish did oppresse thy heart Our houre it also was for then began The expiation of the sinnes of man Their houre of darknesse and thy houre of death Our houre of life and liberty from wrath When thou great master first at Cene's wedding Turn'd water into wine at Maries bidding I heard thee check her and in seeming wrath As if she had ev'n sinned to the death Say woman what have I to doe with thee My houre is not yet come get thee from me Of late when from a steep high mountain they Intend to throw thee down thou shrunk'st away And giving place unto their furious sume Thou told'st them that thy houre was not yet come Since then when high-Priests Pharisees and all Thy foes together did conspire thy fall Thou told'st them as a program of their doome They toyl'd in vain thy houre was not yet come How many houres of honor hast thou had How many times hast thou been worshipped When Sages from the East did presents bring And layd them at thy feet as Juries King VVhen in the desert Angels brought thee meat And by their service did proclaim thy State When on mount Tabor thy bright face did shine And heav'ns proclam'd thee heire of their divine Inheritance when Salems strders didring With loud Hosannaes to thee as their King Although those houres were all and alwayes great Yet did'st thou not account their pompe or state Worthy to have the note of thy great houre But when thou com'st to make our sweet thy sowre That houre thou tak'st and only counts it thine Because in it thy Father did propine That cup of wrath to thee men should have drunk If thou from his fierce wrath hadst fled or shrunk While thou with thy great Father and his Spirit Before all time did'st all times praise in herit All houres were thine all times and all times motion Did bow their knees to thee at thy devotion Yea when unto thy Image man was made And for his use the world was furnished Thou mad'st the Stars the Sun and Moon to shine And servefor poore mans use but not for thine Man had and hath all times at his command Sometime he sits and sometime he doth stand Sometime he laughts and sometime sadly weeps Sometime he watcheth some time sweetly sleeps Sometime he builds sometime he doth destroy Sometime he 's dumpish sometime rapt with joy All those doe stand subdu'd unto man's will At his direction their tides band fill But thou no time hast chosen save this one Poore houre of darknesse this thou call'st thine own Nor dost thou so for thine own sake but that Thou being a Lambe of God immaculat In this dark houre of suff ring thou
could command the wings o' th' morning dove And flying hence could ease my selfe and rest Or in the Opall morn or Amber west Cannot he who upon the winds doth ride And makes his clouds his messengers beside Cannot he who on th' Oceans waves doth trip And lets his foot-steps neither sink nor slip From out a wormlings paws himself our wring Like Davids pebble from his whirling sling Or thinkest thou that I am left alone No sure I and my Father both are one And for my rescue if I lov'd to fight And show my unresisted power and might No earthly Monarch can on earth command So many millions for his guard to stand As I have Angels ready at my call To beare me in their arms lest I should fall O weak Disciple thou hast had true zeale But lack of knowledge makes thy love to faile Thou canst not interrupt that great decree My Father hath propos'd from ' ternitie What shall my Fathers Justice alwaies smoak Or shall his indignations heavy ycak Still lye on Man shall never mercy peace And righteousnes poore Adams seed embrace No if poore mans falvation could be wrought Without my suffrings or his soule be brought Back from the gates of death without my blood Then surely this contest might have seem'd good But since no man on earth or Sp'rit in heaven Can finish that contract which ondewas driven 'Twixt God and Man in Paradise but I I see no reason or occasion why Thou should'st so good awork withstand unlesse Thou should'st in very pride of heart professe Thy wisdome can outreach th'Etemall story Of Mans salvation and my Fathers glory Thus having check'd poore Peter now at last The Ruffians seize upon him make him fast But ere he goes with them he doth repaire The wound that Peter made on Malchus eare For loe he doth but touch it with his hand And as the other it re-joyn'd doth stand Many great wonders hath he wrought ere while But such as this did never time beguile In all the rest he refcu'd still the poore And such as sought him for their bodies cure But here he is found of them that seek him not And heal'th the rascall would have cut his throat O great ô deep ô never matched love Which burning in th' Almighties breast above Hath not to strangers only his love shown But also to his en'mies made it known Even so it is and so hath alwayes been He makes his rain to fall and sun to shine Both on the wicked and the righteous that To God they both may sing Magnificat Now now me thinks I see poore Abel fall By Cain's hand without a cause at all And spotlesse Jo seph to a Midian sold Blasphem'd and cast in prisons deepest hold Now now the Arke of Jacobs God is taken And by a cursed â—hilistim is shaken Now now gainst Sampson Timnahs sonnes doe rage And now the vineyards hyrelings act their stage Against the owner and his sonne they 've vow'd In his best blood to have their hands embrew'd But he like to a Lambeled dumbe before His shearer opes his corrall lips no more But only this How often have I taught Both in your streets and Synagogues and nought You either did or spoke against me Now With swords and staves and spears I know not how You come to take me as I were a theefe And none hath pitty none shewes me reliefe How joyfull now be all that rascall rout Who have beleaguer'd the poore Lambe about How many Io Paeans doe they sing How doe their chimes and bels their praises ring How many wags and wantons now doe run To greet the Scean of this confusion But whither doe the Lyons drag their pray But to their den that it devoure they may And whither doe these mastives draw this Lamb But to the High Priests house from whence they came All his Disciples now are fled and gone Only doth Peter follow him alone That by experience he might search and try What should be th' issue of this tragedy Now Christ unto the High Priests house is fet And in a squallid corner bench is set Peter stands in the ponch but doth not enter For feare his life within should goe t'adventer But night is dark and Morpheâ—â— luls asleep The eyes of such as to his lap doe creep The ayre grow'th strange and Boâ—â—as from his hold Makes Flora's flock to shake his breath 's so cold A fire is therefore made of burning coals To warme their bodies whose enflamed souls Burn'd hotter with the flames of envies fire Then doth Vesuvius in his fiercest ire Here doe they warm here tauntingly they talke Concerning cold Gethsemans secret walke Peter comes in to warm himselfe a space And loe a handmaid flouts him to the face My friend sayes she or I am much deceiv'd Or you are one of those who lately brav'd Along our streets whil'st yonder fellow rode Upon his Asse like to a Demi-god What doe you mean saith Peter sure not I I doe not know the man or 's company Again the dam'sell hearing him fay so Veilard saith she I doe for certaine know Th' art one of those who with him still did live Thy very Sibbols doe this witnesse give Thou wrong'st me much saith Peter this is true That yonder man I never saw till now But last of all a man who stood nigh by Doth thus affront him Doe not thou deny His late acquaintance for it is not long Since in Gethseman thou didst Malchus wrong By this the Cock day's Herauld claps his wings And crowing doth proclaime the morning springs And not content with one poore small alarme He crowes againe and multiplies his charme Peter heares this and softly shrinks a way The secret cock that in his bosome lay Crowes louder to him a great deale then that Which lately did the day prognosticat And whil'st he softly steps aside to flye His Master looks upon him with his eye And by that gratious look doth now recall To Peters fainting soules memoriall How he had said Before the cock crow twice Peter shall sweare and eke deny me thrice By this rememb'rance he who late did sleepe Now wak'd goes out and bitterly doth weep O gratious Master ô ingrate Disciple How doe thy favours and thy frailties triple Their contrair combinations one t'another 'T is strange to see such contrairs dwell together Of old while Sinâ—y gave that thundring Law Which led all Israel to a trembling aw The heav'ns the earth and all that was therein Did seem to threaten Isr'el for her sinne For there the thundrings lightnings trumpets fires So thrill'd the eyes the ears and hid desires Of Jacobs seed that now for feare they cry Let Moses speak not God for else we dy But now by thee Mount Syon opes her doore Which since the worlds first birth was shut before And by thee as his sonne he doth declare Mercy to those who Judgements children were But Peter whil'st I doe behold thy fall From off that
been Gods sonne no lesse For who did ever see so firm and strong Expressions of Deitie ev'n among Infirmities and weaknesse saddest strains As now burst forth in Naturesbubling vains By this just Joseph Arimathea's Lord Hath beg'd of Pilat by submissive word That he Christs body might have pow'r to take Down from the Crosse and in his grave to make Him rest who rest and peace had promised Unto all such as sought to him for ayde Pilat yeelds to it Joseph's quickly gone Through Salems streets and rich stor'd shops each one And of pure balm and myrhs elixar'd Nard A hundred weight he buyes and afterward Embalmes my Saviours body and doth binde It in a Tyrian lawn more dainty fin'd Than that which Venus putteth on the eyes Of Cupid to obscure his leacheries Then in his Garden corner with all haste In his new-digged tombe he hath it plac'd And that the body there might rest secure He puts a stone upon the Sepulture ' Mongst many passions of the soule by which Man doth his guilty minde surcharge too much Whil'st he doth wander in that desert where Nothing is reap'd in end but griefe and care That pultrone Feare for most part leads the ring Where Cruelty hath harp'd on Envies string For nothing can secure that sordid mind Where wrath and malice are in one combin'd Hence doth the High Priest and his rascall-train To Pilats hall return yet once again And under colour of a wise prevention Belch out the vomit of their foul intention This fellow say they while he liv'd did say Pull down this Temple and on the third day I will re-build it Lest therefore by night Some steal him from his grave and so affright The world with frantick tales of 's resurrection Let us walk wisely and ' gainst this infection Prepare an an tidote for by such toyes The weaker may be led to great annoyes Goe goe saith Pilus doe what ere you list Hath not his blood yet satisfi'd your thirst 'T is strange to see that death cannot put end Unto that wrath which doth on rage depend The very beasts that live by cruell pray Drink blood eat flesh but cast the bones away But ay me poor faint-hearted Muse how long Wilt thou sigh forth his obsequies whose wrong Though all the Main were turn'd to teares and ink Could not suffice to write them on her brink Weep therefore weep a space and weeping look Not like a runnall or a bubling brook Whose proudest swellings we no sooner spy But straight they are exhaust their channell 's dry But like the Ocean whose unfathom'd deep Sends forth those restlesse streames which never sleep For here thou hast the deepest deep distresse That ever heart could think or tongue expresse The sonne of God heav'ns master-peece the bright Transplendent glory of th' Almighties light Th' eternall Word which was e're time began In time for man made man nay not a man A worm a wretch a servant nay a slave To calumny contempt to crosse to grave Yet peace my Muse and let not griefe exile Thee from due comfort let a blushing smile Comfort thee rather for those wounds which stands Imprinted in his heart his feet his hands Make him although despised and disdain'd To carnall eyes where sinne and shame 's maintain'd A pretious Victime off red up for thee To whom of due belong'd the cursed tree Yea he is that great star of Jacob who Makes Japhet unto Shem's sweet tents to go And bids the world write anthems of Rejoyces Because his grave makes ours a bed of Roses Where though he for a season rest and sleep Yet shall not earth him in her armes long keep But as the Sonne of God he thence shall rise And lead Captiv'ty captive through the skies And thence ascending to his glorious throne Shall be our all in all and all in One For notwithstanding all that stamp and stirre Whereby his grave is sealed and made sure Up up again he shall Gods holy one Can in the grave take no corruption But by his Resurrection makes our faith Triumph the more ore sinne ore hell and death The former times prefigur'd have this truth Did he not save one from the Lions mouth Was not another thrown amidst the Sea And after three dayes set at libertie Yea were not three at one thrown in the fire As vassals of a Tyrants proud desire Yet by his pow'r so preserv'd that the flame Did neither harm their haires nor garments seame Did not he by his mighty pow'r ere now Naims poor widowes sonne to life renew When Lazarus had four dayes ly'n in grave Did he not by his word his soule receive When as the good Centurion's daughter lay Asleep did he not turn her night to day When Eutichus did from his third loft fall Did not his quickning sp'rit his sp'rit recall And when Tabitha jappa's Nymph lay dead Did not his Cumi straight lift up her head Those and a thousand more then those doe stand As great Herculean trophces in his hand Those were but shaddows he the substance is The type was theirs the antitipe is his And all of those beare witnesse that his power Can kill and quicken rescue and devoure Now doth the date of that appointed time Wherein he should arise from Deaths dark clime Draw neer for from the sixt dayes afternoon The Sabbaths whol day he did rest eft soon The eight daies morn no sooner'gins to break But loe the sonne of Righteousnes doth wake And with a better light the world recleare Then ever Titan brought t' our Hemispheare And as that God who did the world create Upon the sixt day did man animate And on the seventh day celebrate his rest A type of our Eternall heavenly feast So did my Soules most grarious Redeemer Crush on the sixt day my soules sad blasphemer And on the seventh day resting in the grave Did from Goliahs hand his Isr'el save And rising on the eight dayes morne hath made The womans heel to bruise the serpents head This day of old had small or no respect But now to heav'n it doth our hearts erect And justly makes his Gods a ther the Sunne VVho in th'Eccliptick of true light doth run This day more sacred should be kept then any Because by it Salvation spirings to many And therefore 〈…〉 as farre As Titan hath beyond 〈…〉 staâ—reâ— For look how much our second birth is more Then our first birth 〈◊〉 is our Sabbath for Upon the sixth day we had our Creation But on this Sabbath light life and salvation And since upon this day we from our fall With him have rise it is Dominicall And merits to be sign'd with ink that 's red Because his blood our debt hath can celled Th' intended period of the time now come The sonne of Jesse Israels brid egroome Comes from his late bed-chamber richly deckt With Majesty with glory and respect His wedding garments robes and rings are on His griefes his passions and his woes