Prison I must dwell May I not there converse with thee Save me from sin thy wrath and Hell Call me thy Child and I am free No walls or bars can keep thee out None can confine a holy Soul The Streets of Heav'n it walks about None can its Liberty controul Alas my darkened mind is chain'd To Earth and Flesh through unbelief It looks and longs by distance pain'd When wilt thou hear and send relief O loose these Chains of Sin and Flesh Enlarge my heart in thy Commands Could I but love thee as I wish How light would be all other bands 7. Must I feel Sicknesses and smart And spend my daies and nights in pain Yet if thy Love refresh my heart I need not overmuch complain This Flesh hath drawn my Soul to sin If it must smart Thy Will be done O fill me with thy Joyes within And then I 'll let it grieve alone Then to its sufferings I 'll consent To be avenged on my Foe That pain may help me to repent And sin may be consum'd by woe Pain will be short Joyes will be long Yet Lord remember man is weak Drop in thy Cordials make me strong Lest heart and hope with Flesh should break 8. I know my Flesh must turn to dust My parted Soul must come to thee And undergo thy Judgment just And in the endless world must be In this there 's most of Fear and Joy Because there 's most of Sin and Grace Sin will this mortal frame destroy But Christ will bring me to thy face Here 's Faith 's great Tryal Pain may force And Pride may willingness pretend A stupid Fool die like his Horse And Heathens make a Beast-like end Frail sinful Flesh is loth to die Sense to the unseen world is strange The doubting Soul dreads the Most High And trembleth at so great a change Yet Faith can see beyond the Skies Where now our Head in Glory is And above Flesh and Sense can rise Unto the World of Saints in bliss Cleansing the Soul from Flesh and Sin Abstracting it from things below It draws the Veil and entering in Love's glorious Mysteries can know Put forth thy Beams and Hand of Grace Open mine Eyes Take up my Heart Acquaint it with the Holy Place The Joyes and Glory where thou art O let me not be strange at home Strange to the Sun and Life of Souls Choosing this low and darkened Room Familiar with Worms and Moles Shall I be strange unto my Head The World of Knowledge Love and Joyes Conversing here among the Dead And taken up with Dreams and Toyes And strange to Angels who attend On Man and in his good delight And though unseen do us defend Ministring for us day and night Am I the first that go this way How many Saints are gone before How many enter every day Into thy Kingdom by this door Christ was once dead and in a Grave Yet conquer'd Death and rose again And by this Method he will save His Servants that with him shall Reign Shall I draw back and fear the End Of all my Sorrows Tears and Pain To which my Life and Labours tend Without which all had been in vain Can I for ever be content Without true Happiness and Rest Is Earth become so excellent That I should take it for my best Or can I think of finding here That which my Soul so long hath sought Should I refuse those Joyes through fear Which bounteous Love so dearly bought All that doth tast of Heav'n is good When Heavenly Light doth me inform When Heavenly Life stirs in my Blood When Heavenly Love my Heart doth warm No wonder if Time's womb be streight And Souls through pain and strangeness go Into the glorious World of Light Which Death translateth them unto This strangeness will be quickly over When once the Heaven-born Soul is there One sight of God will it recover From all this backwardness and fear To us Christ's lowest parts his feet Union and Faith must yet suffice To guide and comfort us It 's meet We trust our Head who hath our Eyes Christ seeth all that I would see The Way and End to Him are known He hath prepar'd the Place for me He 'l Love and Use me as his Own How many guiltless creatures die To be a feast or food for me Who love their Lives as well as I And hath not God more right to me Must I be priviledg'd alone Or no man Die until he please And God deposed from his Throne And humane generation cease Though all these Reasons I can see Why I should willingly submit And comfortably come to thee My God thou must accomplish it The Love which fill'd up all my daies Will not forsake me to the end This broken Body thou wilt raise My Spirit I to thee commend Decemb. 3. 1663. 4. Divine Love's Rest Written on Herbet's Poems THe amorous Needle knows no other REST But at its dear attractive Loadstone's breast Though lying dead before the Potent touch Its Object and Affection were not such The Oily Body married to a Spark Which some cold Flint had lockt up in the dark By the unseen Hot Soul is made so bright As if in it that Soul appear'd to sight Which in revenge for its restraint and toil Still working up wards wasts the loving Oil Having a higher Love is not content Until it reach its proper Element Thus Heav'n-born Souls but lately dead in sin By Faith and Love the heavenly Life begin And daily mounting upwards take their flight From Flesh and Earth unto the World of Light Where Darkness Sin or Grief shall never enter Where all the Saints are one in God their Center Where Love reveals it self with open face Ravishing Souls prepar'd by Saving Grace Love is their Kingdom it 's a world of Love Which they were hatcht for by the holy Dove Here he is kindling the coelestial fire Which knows its rise and doth to God aspire God who is all shall there have all my store And yet my Friends have not the less but more Love is now panting groaning in my breast Love will be then my Soul 's Eternal Feast Love now salutes us in the Gospel story But then Eternal Love will be our Glory Up then my Soul and swiftly Heavenward tend Where Love shall have no check no bounds no end 5. On David's Psalms MY God! since first thy Love this heart did touch It saith I cannot love my God too much It looketh up and panteth for that Grace Which may exalt it and unveil thy face Darkness and Distance are its grievous Chains Sad doubts and fears do feed its griping pains It sighs and wonders thou canst be so strange Where thou hast freely made so great a change Long it hath search't in hope to find the Art To raise and warm a dull and heavy Heart And now I find it practised by One That now is praising thee before thy Throne Here are the sacred words Here 's David's Lyre But
Can turn away from or despise the bait Flesh Must I be made the foot-ball of disdain And call'd a precise fool or Puritane Spirit Remember him that did despise the shame And for thy sake bore undeserved blame Thy journey 's of small moment if thou stay Because dogs bark or stones lie in the way If life lay on it wouldst thou turn again For the winds blowing or a little rain Is this thy greatest love to thy dear Lord That canst not for his sake bear a foul word Wilt thou not bear for him a scorners breath That underwent for thee a cursed death Is not Heav'n worth the bearing of a flout Then blame not Justice when it shuts thee out Will these deriders stand to what they say And own their words at the great dreadful day Then they 'd be glad when wrath shall overtake them To eat their words and say they never spake them Flesh How Forsake all Ne're mention it more to me I 'le be of no Religion to undo me Spirit Is it not thine more in thy Fathers hand Then when it is laid out at sins command And is that sav'd that 's spent upon thy lust Or which must be a prey to thieves or rust And wouldst thou have thy riches in thy way Where thou art passing on and canst not stay And is that lost that 's sent to Heav'n before Hadst thou not rather have thy friends and store Where thou maist dwell for ever in the light Of that long glorious day that fears no night Flesh But who can willingly submit to Death Which will bereave us of our life and breath That laies our flesh to rot in loathsom graves Where brains and eyes were leaves but ugly caves Spirit So nature breaks and casts away the shell Where the now beauteous singing bird did dwell The secundine that once the infant cloath'd After the birth is cast away and loath'd Thus Roses drop there sweet leaves under-foot But the Spring shew's that life was in the root Souls are the Roots of Bodies Christ the Head Is Root of both and will revive the dead Our Sun still shineth when with us it's night When he return's we shall shine in his light Souls that behold and praise God with the Just Mourn not because their bodies are but dust Graves are but beds where flesh till morning sleep's Or Chests where God a while our garments keeps Our folly thinks he spoils them in the keeping Which causeth our excessive fears and weeping But God that doth our rising day foresee Pitties not rotting flesh so much as we The birth of Nature was deform'd by sin The birth of Grace did our repair begin The birth of Glory at the Resurrection Finisheth all and brings both to perfection Why should not fruit when it is mellow fall Why would we linger here when God doth call Flesh The things and persons in this world I see But after death I know not what will be Spirit Know'st thou not that which God himself hath spoken Thou hast his promise which was never broken Reason proclaims that noble heav'n-born Souls Are made for higher things than Worms Moles God hath not made such faculties in vain Nor made his Service a deluding pain But Faith resolves all doubts and hears the Lord Telling us plainly by his holy Word That uncloath'd Souls shall with their Savior dwell Triumphing over Sin and Death and Hell And by the Power of Almighty Love Stars shall arise from graves to shine above There we shall see the glorious face of God His blessed presence shall be our abode The face that banisheth all doubts and fears Shuts out all sins and dryeth up all tears That face which darkeneth the Sun's bright rayes Shall shine us into everlasting joyes Where Saints and Angels shall make up one Chore To praise the Great Jehovah evermore Flesh Reason not with me against sight and sense I doubt all this is but a â—ain pretence Words against Nature are not worth a rush One Bird in hand is worth two in the bush If God will give me Heav'n at last I 'le take it But for my Pleasure here I 'le not forsake it Spirit And wilt thou keep it brutish flesh how long Wilt thou not shortly sing another Song When Conscience is awakened keep thy mirth When sickness death comes hold fast this earth Live if thou canst when God saith Come away Try whether all thy friends can cause thy stay Wilt thou tell Death and God thou wilt not die And wilt thou the consuming fire defie Art thou not sure to let go what thou hast And doth not Reason bid thee then forecast And value the least hope of endless Joyes Before known vanities and dying toyes And can the Lord that is most just and wise Found all man's duty in deceit and lies Get thee behind me Satan thou dost savour The things of Flesh and not his dearest favour Who is my Life and Light and Love and All And so shall be whatever shall befall It is not thou but I that must discern And must Resolve It 's I that hold the stern Be silent Flesh speak not against my God Or else hee 'l teach thee better by the rod. I am resolved thou shalt live and die A servant or a conquered enemy Lord charge not on me what this rebell sayes That alwaies was against me and thy wayes Now stop its mouth by Grace that shortly must Through just but gainful death be stopt with dust The thoughts and words of Flesh are none of mine Let Flesh say what it will I will be thine Whatever this rebellious Flesh shall prate Let me but serve thee Lord at any rate Use me on earth as seemeth good to thee So I in Heav'n thy Glorious face may see Take down my Pride let me dwell at thy feet The humble are for earth and heav'n most meet Renouncing Flesh I Vow my self to thee With all the Talents thou hast lent to me Let me not stick at honour wealth or blood Let all my dayes be spent in doing good Let me not trifle out more precious hours But serve thee now with all my strength and powers If Flesh should tempt me to deny my hand Lord these are the Resolves to which I stand Octob. 29. 1659. Richard Baxter 8. The Prayer of the Sick in a Case like Hezekiahs To the Tune of the 51 Psalm The First Part. 1. ETernal God whose name is Love Whose mercy is my hope and stay O hear and help me from above That in distress to thee do pray Ashamed to lift up my face Hence from the dust to thee I cry Though I have sinn'd against thy Grace Yet unto it alone I fly 2. I was at first in sin conceiv'd Then liv'd a vain and sinful life Rebellious flesh which I receiv'd Is still against thy Grace in strife Long it was Lord alas too long Before I knew my self or thee Vanity rul'd my heart and tongue And O that yet my Soul
and helps abound And all that will may hear the joyful sound My Parents here thy skilful hand did plant Free from the snares of Riches and of Want Their tender care was us'd for me alone Because thy providence gave them but One Their early Precepts so possest my heart That taking root they did not thence depart Thy Wisdom so contriv'd my Education As might expose me to the least temptation Much of that guilt thy Mercy did prevent In which my spring-time I should else have spent Yet Sin sprung up and early did appear â—n love of play and lyes produc'd by fear An appetite pleas'd with forbidden fruit A proud delight in literate repute Excess of pleasure in vain Tales Romances Time spent in feigned Histories and Fancies In idle talk conform to company Childhood and Youth had too much vanity Conscience was oft resisted when it checkt And holy duty I did much neglect Yet patience bore thy Spirit still did strive Restless Convictions still were kept alive Thou wouldst not give me over till thy Grace Reviv'd thy Image which sin did deface Thou strangely putst such Books into my hand As caused me my case to understand As toucht my conscience wakened my heart And laid it under careful fears and sinart And made me question with a deeper sense Whither my soul must go when it goes hence Then did thy Light detect the vanity Of all the Joys and Hopes below the Sky The fruitless bussle which the Worldling makes The madness of the course the Sinner takes The wicked world I thought a Bedlam was And sensless Sinners hearts were stone or brass I wondred men could live so carelesly Ready to pass into Eternity And O how easily could I confute All that against a holy life dispute I wondred at my self that staid so long So little toucht with Arguments so strong Laughing and playing as if all were well For ought I knew near to the brink of Hell I marvell'd at my former senslesness My sin and misery I did confess And now what horrid darkness on my mind Never before lamented did I find Sin was like sickness in my flesh and bone Which only by the Book before was known Christ's Office now I better understood The need my Soul had of his cleansing Blood How insufficient of my self I was To bring my own deliverance to pass Now I began to feel as well as see How near the Word of Grace concerned me That all means else in Heaven and Earth were vain My Peace with God and pardon to obtain To whom else should my sinful Soul have gone But for my Saviour I had been undone Oh my dear God! how precious is thy Love Thus thou prepar'st us for the Life above The heav'nly Powers which made my heart to quake My Prison bonds and doors did open shake Sin now was folly villany and shame God Heav'n Christ Holiness seem not the same How thou wouldst use me yet I did not know Whether my sin thou wouldst forgive or no But well I saw there was no turning back Nature is loth to go to Hell awake Thy Gospel told me I might mercy find Nothing but Hell and Darkness was behind At last thy Grace brought me to this conclusion To HOPE and SEEK I fixt my resolution O my dear God! How precious is thy Love Thy Griefs prepare us for the Joys above Yet these my wounds and smart were not so great As many's who sate long in scorners seat Nor did the change so suddenly begin As to make known when special Grace came in In my young years thou hadst convinc'd my Soul Conscience did childish vanity controul I lik'd thy waies as best I honour'd those That Folly shun'd and Holy Wisdom chose Thou hadst prevented Oaths and horrid crimes And the enormous vices of the times Preserving me from youthful lusts and rage The thoughts of Thee increasing with my Age. This greatest Change began when I was green Having not much above three lustres seen Therefore I doubted whether it were true Because its entrance I no better knew Long was I sadly questioning thy Grace Because thy Spirits steps I could not trace The difference is so great 'twixt Heav'n and Hell That those must differ much who there must dwell I fear'd the change which rais'd my soul no higher Would not suffice to save me from Hell fire But above all I thought so Hard a heart Could not among the living have a part I thought thy Son would never heal my sore Unless my tears and sorrow had been more I wonder'd at my great stupidity That could not weep when I deserv'd to dye I wonder'd things so great as Heav'n and Hell Did on my heart with no more feeling dwell That words which such amazing things import Did not sink deeper and my soul transport That things of Everlasting consequence Did not affect me with a deeper sense And that a soul so near its final doom Could give these worldly trifles any room That on these shadows I could cast an eye While Death Judgment Heav'n Hell stood by I wonder'd when my odious sin was nam'd I was no more confounded and asham'd Many a time I beg'd a tender heart And never pray'd so much for joy as smart I could have kiss'd the place where I did kneel If what my tongue had spoke my heart could feel These were my cryes when I to Thee did speak O that this heart of stone might melt or break These were my groans this was my daily breath â— save me from Hard-heartedness and Death This was the title which I us'd to take Sensless Hard-hearted wretch that cannot wake But as thy Wisdom gives in fittest measure Not all at once It 's meet we wait thy leisure â— thought that things unseen should pierce and melt With as great Passion as things seen and felt But now I find it is their proper part To be most valu'd to be next the Heart To be the highest Interest of the soul There to command and all things else controul Thus must the little spark of fire be blown Or else it will not flame nor scarce be known New-lighted Candles darkened by the snuff Are ready to go out with every puff So it was long before the heav'nly spark Conquered my snuff and shined in the dark My feeble new-born soul began with crying My Infant-life did seem to be still dying Betwixt supporting Hope and sinking Fears My doubting soul did languish many years O my dear God! how precious is thy Love Thy troubling Motions tend to Rest above Thus GRACE like NATURE entereth in a seed Which with man's labour heav'nly dews must feed Whose Virtue and first Motions no eye sees But after comes to ripeness by degrees Our Father 's tender Love doth much appear When he with useless crying Babes can bear When we the Houshold's grief and trouble are He shews the more his patient nursing care At first I wisht that I could pray and weep Thus when I could
not go I learn'd to creep Then thou beganst to loose my Infant tongue And taught'st me Abba Father when but young First by the Book and some unworded groans After by heart-indited words and moans Thy dyet first was Milk then stronger food But alwaies that which wholsom was and good Though Preachers were too often dry and dull Thy holy Word was quick and powerful The many precious Books of holy men Thy Spirit used on me as his Pen Perkins Sibbs Bolton Whateley holy Dod Hildersham Preston other men of God How pertinently spake they to my case They open'd Heav'n and Hell before my face They did unfold the Gospel-Mysteries And set Christ crucified before my eyes They shamed sin they shewed me the snare Opened the danger charg'd me to beware In every duty they did me direct Told me the sin and danger of neglect They search'd my heart help'd me to try my state My earthly Mind they help'd to elevate What strong quickening motives did they bring To raise my heart and winde the slackned spring These happy Counsellors wero still at hand The Maps and Landskips of the Holy Land This food was not lockt from me but I could Go read a holy Sermon when I would How cheaply kept I many Rare Divines And for a little purchas'd Golden Mines My griefs they eas'd my many doubts resolv'd With great delight I daily then revolv'd O my dear God! how precious is thy Love Are these thy Candles What 's the Sun above At last my Fears became my greatest Faar Lest that my whole Religion should lie there No man hath more of Holiness than Love Which doth free souls by complacency move Common Grace goes as far as Fear alone This eateth not the meat but gnaws the bone A slavish fear desireth leave to sin It doth but tie the hands and wash the skin Hypocrites act a forc't affected part Where Love is absent God hath not the heart He 'l not accept what 's done against mens will That if they durst had rather have done ill Oh my dear God! shall not my Heart be thine Then I shall wish it never had been mine Objects of Sense do soonest move the Passion But sure Thou hast my highest Estimation My Will 's Resolved Choice is to be Thine My Soul and Body I to Thee resign To Thee the motions of my Soul do bend Thou art the Scope to which my Life doth tend The Motions of the higher Faculties The Ruling Powers are chiefest in thine eyes Thou tak'st the Love and Homage which they pay Though Rebel Passion doth not them obey What makes me laugh most makes me not most glad What made me weep most made me not most sad My Love to one choice friend hath oft more passion Than my much greater Love to Church Nation O had I all my Powers at command As readily as tongue or foot or hand My eyes should empty first the serous store Because I love so good a God no more And next some of the florid Blood should spend Because the God of Love I did offend The rest should serve for Oil unto Love's Fire Wasting in restless vehement Desire At every mention of thy Blessed Name My ravisht Soul should mount up in Love's flame Each Sermon should Elias Chariot be To carry up my longing heart to Thee The Saints Assemblies I would make more bright Where many Heav'n-aspiring flames unite And when my Lord's Love-sufferings I read My pierced and Love-wounded heart should bleed Love should enforce each word when I do pray A Flaming Heart I 'd on thy Altar lay When halving Hypocrites give Thee a part Love should present my Whole though Broken heart When in thy Word I read Love's Mysteries There I would sweetly feed my greedy eyes Each Sacrament should be an Eucharist There Heart with Heart Love with Love should twist My friends and I would in our daily walk Of Love's Delights and Entertainments talk My working Love should others Love excite In Love I 'd be a Burning Shining Light Love through the Lanthorn of my flesh should shine Who heard me speak should hear that I am Thine Remembring that in Love I must be made Equal to Angels I would learn their Trade Yea I would reach up to a higher shelf And as my Copy look to Christ himself Love's work I 'd do with all my diligence Though men should think I were beside my sense My daily Love should rise before the Sun And it in speed and constancy out run Love as my Life should fill up all my daies Desire should be my Pulse my Breath thy Praise And I would winde up all the strings as high As Blessed Paul was in his Extasie Heav'nly Love should all my words indite And be the soul and sense of all I write My heart of Love's Delights should sweetly think I 'd write with flaming fire instead of Ink And yet thy holy Day should be my Best In it my thirsty Soul should tast of Rest My daily food should increase to a Feast O my Dear God! how precious is thy Love O could I mount thus to the Flames above These are Love's pantings after thee my God! Though with my Soul imprison'd in a clod ☞ My Soul and Love shall shortly be set free And then my Soul my Love shall feast on Thee If thou wouldst grant the very thing I crave And give me leave to chuse what I would have Should it be lusts or Sports or Fleshly pleasure Sould it be Lordly Rule or Earthly Treasure No I could gladly leave this Dirt to Swine And let the World be theirs if Thou be mine I would not thirst to tast of their Delight If lively Faith might see the blessed Sight I would not be ambitious of a Throne I could have full content in God alone For mens Esteem and Praise I would not care All other Wit and Knowledge I could spare To Know and Love my God should be my choice Give me but This and how shall I rejoyce Under my hand Lord This is it I choose O give me this whatever else I lose Is there no spark of Love in this Desire When a poor Soul doth unto Thee aspire To Know and Love thee is my thirst and strife Nothing more makes me weary of my life Than that I feel no more the heav'nly Fire But look and reach and yet can reach no higher Here lyes my pain This is my daily sore ◠hate my Heart for loving God no more Do I not Love Thee when I Love to Love Thee And when I set up nothing else above Thee Next GOD himself who is my END REST Love which stands next Thee I esteem my Best And Loving God shall be my Endless Feast O my Dear God! how precious is thy Love These are thy Earnests of the Life above Fear is to Love as was the Law to Grace And as John Baptist goes before Christ's face Preaching Repentance it prepares his way It is the
were free 3. But while I sinned thou wast kind And sent'st thy Word and Spirit of Grace Thy Light did change my darkened mind And shewed me my wretched case Though I drew back thou didst prevail And I gave up my self to thee Thou undertook'st for wind and sail Both Ship and Pilot thou would'st be 4. I turn'd my back on worldly toyes And set my face toward Glory's Shore Where thou hast promis'd highest Joyes And Blessedness for evermore I took my leave of Sin and Earth What I had lov'd I now did hate Ashamed of my former birth I gave my Life a newer date 5. But since that time how am I tost Afraid of every storm and wave Almost concluding I am lost As if thou would'st not help and save If I look out beyond thine Ark Nothing but raging Seas I see On this side Heav'ns all 's deep and dark But I look further unto thee 6. Censures and scorns and frowns I hear Storms which before I never found And yet all these I should not fear If all at home were safe and sound But thy displeasure wounds my heart I have but two parts Flesh and Soul Both of thy wrath do bear their part And thou hast left me neither whole The Second Part. 7. All this is just Lord I confess I staid too long ere I came in And how should healing grace do less When I brought with me so much sin Much Pride and Vanity I kept Too oft my heart was looking back Though God stood by me yet I slept Heav'n was at hand yet I grew slack Spare Lord and pity thy poor dust That fled into thy Ark for Peace O cause my Soul on thee to trust And do not my distress increase O keep up life and peace within If I must feel thy chastening Rod Yet kill not me but kill my sin And let me know thou art My God 9. Folly dwelt in my childish breast Sin rob'd me of my youthful daies Let not thy wrath cut off the rest And stifle thine intended praise Whilst I forgot thee thou didst bear Thy kindness did invite me home O rack me not with grief and fear Kill me not Lord now I am come 10. The silent Dust speaks not thy fame Nor in dark Graves art thou renown'd The living Saints declare thy Name And in thy Church thy Praises sound Yet let me with thy houshold dwell Though I be numbred with thy Poor And with thy Saints thy Wonders tell Although I sit behind thy door 11. Set not thy strength against frail man O turn not yet this flesh to Clay My life thou know'st is but a span If I should see the longest day Break me not all to pieces Lord Or else let each piece have a tongue To cry till thou relief afford But not to say Thou dost me wrong 12. Pity this poor unworthy Soul That here devotes it self to thee Resolve my doubts my fears controul And let me thy Salvation see O let that Love which gave me groans And taught my needy Soul to pray Remove my fears and hear the moans Which sorrow breaths forth night and day The Third Part. 13. Why art thou fainting Soul cast down And thus disquieted with fears Art thou not passing to thy Crown Through storms of pain and floods of tears Fear not O thou of little Faith Art thou not in thy Saviour's hand Remember what his promise saith Life and Death are at his command 14. To him I did my self entrust When first I did for Heav'n imbark And he hath proved kind and just Still I am with him in his Ark. Could'st thou expect to see no Seas Nor feel no tossing wind or wave It is enough that from all these Thy faithful Pilot will thee save 15. Lord let me not my Covenant break Once I did all to thee resign Only the words of comfort speak And tell my Soul that I am thine It 's no Death when Souls hence depart If thou depart not from the Soul Fill with thy Love my fainting heart And I 'll not fading flesh condole 16. Health is but Sickness with thy frowns Life with thy wrath is worse than Death My comforts thy displeasure drowns And into groans tunes all my breath Where is that Faith and Hope and Love By which thou markest all thy Saints Thy Joyes would all my griefs remove And raise this heart that daily faints 17. Am I the Jonas dost thou mean To cast me out into the deep It shall not drown but make me clean Until thou raise me there I 'll sleep O Death where is thy poisonous sting O Grave where is thy Victory Thy dust shall shortly rise and sing God's Praise above the Starry Sky 18. My God my Love my Hope my Life Shall I be loth to see thy face As if this world of sin and strife Were for my Soul a better place O give my Soul some sweet foretast Of that which I shall shortly see Let Faith and Love cry to the last Come Lord I trust my self with thee John 11. 14. or 16. O let not unbelieving Thomas words Be now my answer But my dearest Lord's Amen 9. The Covenant and Confidence of Faith To the common Tunes 1. My whole though broken heart O Lord From henceforth shall be thine And here I do my Vow record This hand these words are mine All that I have without reserve I offer here to thee Thy Will and Honour all shall serve That thou bestow'dst on me 2. All that exceptions save I lose All that I lose I save The treasure of thy Love I choose And Thou art All I crave My God thou hast my heart and hand I all to thee resign I 'll ever to this Covenant stand Though flesh hereat repine 3. I know that thou wast willing first And then mad'st me consent Having thus lov'd meat the worst Thou wilt not now repent Now I have quit all Self-pretence Take charge of what 's thine own My Life my Health and my Defence Now lie on thee alone 4. Now it belongs not to my care Whether I die or live To love and serve thee is my share And this thy grace must give If life be long I will be glad That I may long obey If short yet why should I be sad That shall have the same pay 5. If Death shall bruise this springing seed Before it come to fruit The Will with thee goes for the Deed Thy life was in the root Long life is a long grief and toil And multiplieth faults In long wars he may have the foil That scapes in short assaults 6. Would I long bear my heavy load And keep my sorrows long Would I long sin against my God And his dear mercy wrong How much is sinful Flesh my Foe That doth my soul pervert To linger here in sin and woe And steals from God my heart 7. Christ leads me through no darker rooms Than he went through before He that into God's Kingdom comes Must enter by this Door
Love but slavish fear All my Religion is but from Self-love I find no pleasure in the things above Jesus Natural Love of Self is the foundation Which Grace builds on and useth for Salvation He that loves not himself loves not another It 's as thy Self that thou must love thy Brother Thy own Salvation is the lawful end Which Grace and Nature bind thee to intend Why was I made man but for man's Salvation I suffer'd Death to hinder thy Damnation These are the ends for which thou must believe Life through a Saviour's that thou must receive â—t's Carnal Self that wicked men do love The Lawful Love of Self they 'l not improve They all prefer sin's pleasure for a season Their fleshly appetite doth rule their Reason Me and my healing Grace they will not have They 'l not endure that Mercy should them save They hate the Light that would their sin display And would direct them in the holy way Though they fear Hell they alwaies fear much more The loss of honour pleasure health or store No fear of Hell will take their Idol down And make them seek first the Eternal Crown The Fear of God is Wisdom's true beginning It calls to Duty and preserves from sinning God must be fear'd as one that can destroy The Soul and shut it out of endless Joy The Fear of God's the Just man's Character They fear not God indeed that wished are God would be fear'd as a consuming fire This is no sin but what he doth require Love may lie hidden as a covered seed When Fear in troubling Passion doth exceed If angry Parents make the Child afraid He feels not Love till Passion be allaid Excessive Fear may hinder active Love And yet the 〈…〉 not 〈◊〉 When God's rebukes and frowns the Soul affright It may dispose his Children unto flight Where Love is true some Hatred may arise When terrours and despair the Soul surprise A loving Child will not his Father own When through mistake or distance he 's unknown The pleasing part of Love cannot appear Under prevailing Grief and too much Fear Until the Soul be calm'd and these abate Love is opprest and seemeth turn'd to hate But doth not Love appear in thy Desire Would'st thou not Love God more fain get higher Would it not please thee more if thou couldst find His Image clearly printed on thy mind His Love and Spirit dwelling in thy heart Then of this World to have the choicest part Wouldst thou not have a heart that can Repent And hate sin more and tenderly relent A heart more fit to Meditate and Pray And walk exactly and God's Laws obey A clearer Light which may God's mind reveal More life and feeling greater heat of Zeal A stronger Faith to live on things above Where endless Praise shall be the breath of Love Sinner Whether I should desire these I doubt If possibly I could be sav'd without Jesus What 's Grace for but to bring thee to Salvation To heal thy Soul and keep thee from Damnation Wilt thou its Nature and its Use destroy And then conceit thou dost it not enjoy Think on 't as that which doth Salvation bring Or else thou mak'st it quite another thing Grace were not Grace if it did not intend Thy Happiness and Glory as its End The means is nullifi'd by separation From the just End to which it hath relation What do men trade for but their lawful wealth And what is Food and Physick for but Health Look not on Grace in one divided notion But the concordant perfect frame and motion Take not one single part but view the whole As it 's the Health and Beauty of the Soul The Life the Strength the Glory the Delight And that which makes it lovely in God's sight The honour safety gain and true content And that which must the pains of Hell prevent Take these as undivided all in one And view not one disjoynted part alone If all together seem a choicer treasure Than worldly gain and sinful fading pleasure And turn the scales in thy deliberation Then doubt not of thy Title to Salvation But dost thou not desire that God would love thee And make thee just and lovely and approve thee Would'st thou not see his face in Glorious Light And there sing Allelujah 's in his sight And love him perfectly world without end More deerly than thou lov'st thy deerest friend Where thou shalt be replenished with joy And no disturbance shall thy Soul annoy Where no temptation sin or grief shall come Where my own Love and Joy shall be thy home Abiding with the Host of Heav'n alwaies In the sweet Musick of Jehovah 's Praise This Glorious Life with God thou must love best Yet as thy own Felicity and Rest In Union and Fruition of a Friend Not one but both the Lovers are the End And hast thou no Desire or Will to this Would'st thou not live with God in endless bliss Sinner Some cold Desires of Heav'n the worst may have But dreaming lazy Wishes will not save Jesus Judge by these three for ending all the strife Thy Estimation Choice and Bent of Life These fleshly pleasures stand in competition Know which thou Chusest as thy best Condition If thou the Everlasting sure Reward More than sins fading pleasures dost regard If GOD and thy Salvation be the part Whose Interest stands highest in thy Heart If thus his Kingdom thou first seek and crave Both it and all things needful thou shalt have Sinner I fear I do not these thy terms fulfil And have not truly a Consenting Will Because so great averseness I still find To God and Holiness upon my mind Such deadness to Believe Love and Repent That there seems more of Hatred than Consent Necessity and Reason use a force Against my Will and Nature's bent and sourse Jesus No man can conquer and obtain Salvation But by resisting carnal inclination Fleshly desires run with speedy course And need not Faith 's or Reason's help and force Earthward you sink propensly as a cold But not so easily ascend to God One motion 's downward th' other 's all uphill Against the byas of the carnal will Too much of flesh remaineth in the best Some enmity to good sticks in their breast Something of Hatred even to God and Grace Contends with Love and troubleth your race In the most mortifi'd the flesh yet liveth And constantly against the Spirit striveth You cannot hear read meditate or pray Or any thing that 's good think do or say But Flesh makes war and stifly doth resist And would prevail did not my Grace assist Conflict and Conquest of this in-bred Foe Must be the way of all the good you do The Question is not Whether Flesh do strive But Whether after Flesh or Spirit you live It is not opposition that will prove That thou art void of Faith or Hope or Love The Law that 's in thy Members will still find Weapons against the Law that 's in
first appearing of the Day The dawning Light which comes before the Sun As he that to Christ's Scpulchre first run Excites the LOV'D Disciple to do better The certain news of Life comes by the later Fear is Love's Harbinger It is the womb Where Love doth breed till time of ripeness come No wonder if it be not seen till then The Seed and Embrio are hid from men Though Thou com'st in by Love Fear draws the latch Fear makes the motion tho Love makes the match Fear is the soil that cherisheth the feed The Nursery in which Heav'ns Plants do breed God first in Nature finds Self-Love and there He takes advantage to implant his Fear With some the time is long before the Earth Disclose her young one by a springy Birth When Heav'n doth make our Winter sharp long The seed of Love lies hid or seems but young But when God makes it Spring-time his approach Takes from the barren Soul its great reproach When Heav'ns reviving Smiles and Raies appear Then Love begins to spring up above Fear And if sin hinder not by cursed shade It quickly shoots up to a youthful blade And when Heav'ns warmer beams dews succeed That 's ripened fruit which even now was but seed Yet doth not flowring fruitful Love forget Her Nursing Fear there still her Root is set In Humble Self-denyal under-trod While Flower and Fruit are growing up to God After Love's Birth-Day holy Fear and Care The outward Part of the New-creature are As mortal man consists of Flesh and Soul So Fear and Love on Earth do make one Whole Love as the Soul unseen yet bears the sway Fear as the Flesh more felt must it obey By Fear Love doth the daring Flesh restrain And keepeth men awake by threatned pain This frame is mortal Not that Love can dye But leaving Fears will dwell alone on high Yet will retain a Reverent Fear of God But not the terrour of his Wrath or Rod. O my Dear God! how precious is thy Love How wise thy Methods to the Life above Thou first appear'dst in Lightning as to Paul My heat abated at thy feet I fall The voice with which thy Call thou didst begin Was to convince me and reprove my sin I first enquired of thee who thou art And then what duty thou hadst made my part Thus Fear and Care began but the sweet Name Of Jesus did reviving Hope proclaim And though long time it scarcely did appear Yet sure some hidden spark of Love was there I lov'd thy Holy Word Good Books were sweet Those that did with my own condition meet Heart-searching Ministers were my delight ☞ Those that did most my drowsie Soul excite I dearly loved all in whom I saw A Love to Thee and Care to keep thy Law The speech and sight of Holy men was sweet I honour'd them and could have kist their feet I felt their living words go to the quick When common idle prating made me sick I dearly lov'd my serious bosom friend Who did in Love my failings reprehend That could my doubting troubled mind condole And help to keep awake my sleepy Soul Who could unfold the Mysteries of Grace And speak particularly to my case Sweetly disclosing his experience Extolling Mercy from his own deep sense One that had been instructed by the Rod And boiled over in the Praise of God Who early and oft in the night would rise To offer Thee a Thankful Sacrifice Who warm'd me with his Zeal when I was cold And my remissness lovingly controul'd Who stirr'd me up and taught me how to pray And friendly watcht and warn'd me every day And yet his Piety did not exceed His Charity to those that were in need For such a friend I had though after all Himself became my warning by his fall As more than One or Two have done since then Shewing when Grace withdraws we are but Men. O my Dear God! how precious is thy Love These are the seeds what are the fruits above Yet did I scarce discern that it was Thee Whom in the Glass my pleased Mind did see But though thine Image more incur my sense I love it for the pourtrayd excellence It 's not because the Workmanship is fine But Good and Holy and because it 's Thine I better know the Map that 's in my hand But yet by it I better Love the Land Sure when I lov'd thy Books and every letter I lov'd the Sense and End and Author better He loveth Wisdom sure who loves the Wise It 's like he loves the Light who loves his Eyes If one in Prison had his life begun Where he had never seen the shining Sun Yet if he dearly love the Candle-light He 'd urely love the Sun which is more bright Or if the Sun had alwaies clouded been And men its scattered Light alone had seen â—'s true our Thoughts and Love of that we see Would more exact and satisfying be But to the unseen Cause as it is Better Our Love of Estimation would be Greater And even a Knowledge general and dark Would be the Chooser of our End and Mark. That Love 's most sensible which Sense doth breed But that Commands which Faith and Reason feed The Country than the Map I must confess ☞ â—s much less known but is not known as less A Creat and Certain Object should do more Though darkly known than trifles at my door An Unseen Kingdom would with men prevail To leave their Native place and hoise up sail And venture over stormy boisterous Seas which shews that great things tho unseen most please No wonder if the Knowledge be most clear Or little things which to the sense are near These narrow parcels we can comprehend When unseen Greatness doth the mind transcend But yet This moves the Wheels and is the Spring Before the nearest sight of some small thing That is most Loved which I make my End To which my great designs and actions tend For which I can all other Treasure spend Although I do it darkly apprehend O my Dear God! how precious is thy Love Unveiled fully to thy Saints above As fire first kindleth on the nearest Wood My sense thus fixed on the nearest good And where sense fixed there with greatest sense The mind did exercise its Complacence It seem'd more cold to that which distant was Yet still looks further as I forward pass And towards my End the nearer Heav'n I go My Love abstracteth more from things below Love seemeth to get ground and Fear decaies Doubting Grief give place to Thanks Praisâ— And tho Fear wrought with greatest sense before And was in bulk and violence much more Yet the least spark of Love which is sincere Will save the Soul tho mixt with greater Fear Who loves God somewhat the world above him Loving not God as God he doth not love him Love must be so far tryed by the measure That God be Lov'd above all earthly Treasure But that suppos'd the least
degree of Love With greater Doubts and Fears will saving prove Great Bodies with small souls are animate Great Heads with little Eyes are oculate Small Candles lighten Rooms that are more large A Steward may have spacious Lands in charge The Kingdom may be bigger than the King The Diamond may be smaller than the Ring The House may bigger than the dweller be Great Fear and little Love consistent be But still true Love to God and Man are known More by the Fruits than by the Sense alone â— must be such a Love as when there 's need Will venture suffer visit cloath and feed â— my Dear God! how precious is thy Love Which gently leads us to the Joyes above Love still went on and lined out my way Hedging me in lest I should go astray Yet after this how oft did I transgress By light discourse and wanton play fulness â—ating to fulness Yea even Cards and Dice Began my mind with pleasure to entice But Providence did quickly interpose And by a wonder take me off from those Sin most ensnar'd by pleading lawfulness Though Conscience often did the sin confess That wounded deepest which by seeming small Drew me to venture and resist thy Call And knowingly the same oft to commit Thinking all Christians had as great as it Let all that would not be undone by sin Fly the occasions where it doth begin At first it 's safe and pleasant to resist But O how doleful is it to persist Sin doth not open its design at first Its first appearance sheweth not the worst Flattering the sense it seems to be a friend But it proves pain and poison in the end Pray from Temptation that you may be free If from the evil you would saved be Repentance must convince you that it's gall Which first appeared innocent or small O how it fills the Soul with guilty fears Our filial Evidences blasts and tears Disturbs our Peace and feeds the gnawing Worm Turns our Tranquility into a storm It puts a piercing sting into the Cross And makes Death dreadful as the greatest loss Yet all my folly Mercy did forgive And did my guilty wounded soul relieve O my Dear God! how precious is thy Love Heal me and fit me for the Joyes above Thy Love in order to it s well known Ends Shew'd me great mercy in meet Guides Friends Antient and grave Divines solid and staid Who from Experience both preach'd and pray'd Learned yet counting Christianity The chiefest Learning and Philosophy These as the Fathers of my untaught Youth Were willing to communicate the Truth Their help and fruitful converse was my stay And great encouragement in all my way More pleasant to me than my youthful games My love doth grudgingly suppress their names The company thou gav'st me was not vain â—ot proud or factious sensual or prophane â—â—t serious sober and obedient Those time was in their peaceful labours spent â—umble and meek who made it their discourse â—o stir up Faith and penitent remorse â—inding the Lowest and the Highest things â—ot medling busily with States and Kings Making thy holy Word their chief delight â—nd meditating in it day and night â—ending thy day in works of holiness â—ating prophaneness lewdness and excess Content with little yet aspiring high â—paring no pains for immortality Low in the world but for salvation wise Though scorn'd by faithless fools as too precise O my Dear God! how precious is thy Love Such thou wilt take to dwell with Thee above Thy Mercy did my younger Studies guide Sweet leisure and meet Books thou didst provide And that I might thy Love the better see My Tutor thou thy self wast pleas'd to be As Honey-combs are made by patient Bees Who fetch the matter home by slow degrees In many daies and from a thousand Flowers Not perfecting their work in a few hours So taughtst thou me to wait the Learning time Not reaching first at matters too sublime Few to maturity of Knowledge grow Who think they know before indeed they know Thou didst improve the thirsty love of Truth Which thou hadst given me even in my youth My Labours thou mad'st easie by delight Each daies success did to the next invite But O the happy Method of thy Grace Which gave my own Salvation the first place And first resolv'd me of the utmost end Which all my after Studies must intend Shewing me first Why and For What I must Lay out my Studies that they be not lost Unhappy men who follow base designs And are not Christians when they are Divines O that an Impious Divine were rare Although the terms a contradiction are Alas in what a blind or trembling State Should I all day have at my Studies sate And with how little joy or hope of gains If I had study'd still in Satan's chains O foolish Studies to consider how The Earth is fixed and the Plants do grow What is each creatures specifying cause And what are all their Orders and their Laws When thy own saving Change is to begin And thou hast yet no pardon of thy sin When all the while thou art a Son of Wrath Who to Eternal Life no title hath When in thy flow'ring Studies thou may'st dye And be undone to all Eternity Who would be playing at a childish game While his own House is in a burning flame What if I knew whether the Earth or Sun So swift and unperceiv'd a course doth run Or knew the course and order of the sphears Or were best skill'd in numbering past years Knew all the Houses of the starry Sky And things that are for common wits too high What if I knew all these never so well And knew not how to scape the flames of Hell What gain or pleasure would my knowledge be If I the face of God must never see Or what if I could fool away my time In smooth and well composed idle Rhyme Or dreaming Lovers Fancies could rehearse In the most lofty and adorned verse While my unholy Soul in fleshly thrall Should be lamenting its own Funeral But when my Soul had fixt on God her End Then all my Studies unto him did tend They all were ordered in due place and season Guided by Faith allowed by sound Reason Thou taughtst me first the Only Needful Thing And all my Studies harp'd still on that string Judging the greatest Knowledge to be vain Which tendeth not to the Immortal gain There is a Knowledge which increaseth sorrow And such whose fruit will die before to morrow Yea there 's a knowledge which occasions sin Desire of Knowing did Man's woe begin All means are to be judg'd of by their End That 's good which doth good or doth good portend Its End and Objects which ennoble acts Those that do glorious things are glorious facts Who calls a self-condemning sinner Wise That on a syllable can criticize That can in mode and figure talk in vain Or learnedly his pride and sin maintain That 's best at the resolving of a Riddle
Or playing on a Bag-pipe or a Fiddle But hath not learned how to Live and Die Nor where his Soul must dwell eternally God and all wise men judge him but a fool Who is not wise enough to save his Soul When Heav'n's made sure all Knowledge then is good For Faith and Love can turn it into food It 's pleasant then to study any Book When we see GOD the sense where ere we look When as the way to Heav'n we know each place And see God's beauty in each creature's face And when we stick not in the form and letter But all our Knowledge tends to make us better When still the more we Know the more we Love And draw more with us to the Joys above Fine Fancies are not like clear minds nor those Like Love by which the Soul with God doth close Wisdom it self will make the Mind most wise He that ascends to God doth Highest rise Sure Pisgah was Parnassus or the Mount Where three Apostles did three Glories count Christ's living streams are the true Helicon None make true Poets but Heav'ns springs alone What poor low toyish work make frothy wits Like Bacchus Scholars in their Pot-wise fits Like Childrens Poppets drest with Lace and Pin Like handsom Pictures something wants within A painted Feast carv'd with a painted Knife A Living Soul can feel it wanteth Life Without a Holy Subject End and Spirit True Wisdom's sacred Titles none can merit O my Dear God! how precious is thy Love These are the drops what are the streams above Immortal thanks my Soul doth owe my God For his well-order'd needful healing Rod The Book and Rod do well befit thy School Correction is the portion of the Fool The Rod it self will make the Sluggard rise The Rod and Book make foolish Children wise I felt or fear'd no evil at the first But my Soul's misery which is the worst Whilst for a Soul-remedy I did look Thy angry storm my Body overtook Languishing weakness shortens strength breath Consumes my flesh and threatens speedy death And what I felt reviv'd the fears of more For now my Judgment seemed at the door I knew not but it might be a foretast Of greater woe which I might feel at last My new awaken'd Soul amazed was To think that unto Judgment it must pass And see the unseen World and stand before The dreadful God whom Heav'n Earth adore I was unready to behold thy face Having no more assurance of thy Grace Having but lately too familiar been With my seducing flesh and hateful sin My Thoughts of Thee were terrible and strange And of so great and an untimely change The threatned Ruine I did thus condole O must my scarce-born unprepared Soul Before my dreadful Judge so soon appear And the decisive final Sentence hear And all my Reckonings so soon bring in And give account to God for every sin Before I do my Soul's condition know Or any scaled Pardon have to shew What if I prove an unconverted Wretch And Justice should my Soul to torments fetch How know I but the endless flames of Hell May be the place where next my Soul shall dwell Mercy would save me but I did reject it Christ's Blood would cleanse it but I did neglect it And though I am not hopeless who can bear To die uncertain under so great fear I O that my Tunes had all been better spent And that my caâ—â—y Thoughts had all been bent In preparation for the Life to come That now I might have gone as to my home And taken up my dwelling with the blest And past to everlasting Joy and Rest O that the pleasures of my sports and toyes Had all been turn'd to man-like holy Joyes And those Delights which Vanities engrost And spent on fleshly Lusts were worse than lost Had all been sweet Rejoycings in the Lord And in his holy Service and his Word O that I could my wasted Time call back Which now my Soul for greater works doth lack What would I give now for those precious daies Which once run out in pleasures and delaies O had I liv'd a strict and holy Life Though under hatred and malicious strife Though Men's and Devil's fury I had born And been the world's reproach contempt scorn Then welcome Death would but have quencht my thirst And bid the envious world now do their worst Their malice would but to my Joyes accrew And well-spent Time be sweet to my review O happy men whose portion is above Whose hearts to God and to his Service clove Who made him and his Word their chief delight And walkt in uprightness as in his sight Approv'd their Hearts and Waies to him alone As ready to appear before his Throne Now I had rather far be one of them Than one of worldly Wealth or Princely Stem O now my undrest Soul is passing forth I see both what the World and Christ are worth Thus did the face of Death my Soul awake The bonds of dead stupidity it brake Strict holy Truth I easily confest I saw that Godliness is not a jest My late besotted mind is now past doubt That Folly's careless Wisdom is devout I saw more clearly than I did before What lies on an ungodly Sinners score For what man's pow'rs were made what is their use To what all means and mercies do conduce What is man's business while he 's here below How much his creatures to their Maker owe Whether the Saint or Brute be in the right Whether it 's best to live by Faith or Sight What is true Wit what Learning 's most sublime How I and all should value precious Time I saw it 's not a thing indifferent Whether my Soul to Heav'n or Hell be sent Death also further taught me how to pray And made me cry unto thee every day It set me on the trying of my state Lest I should prove deceiv'd when 't was too late Often and carefully I searcht my heart Whether in Christ by Faith I had a part It shew'd me so much work to do at home That alien needless matters found small room It curb'd my Pride and buryed my Ambition Made me not only bear a low condition But chuse it and all things to estimate As God my Soul and Heav'n should set the rate For now as clearly as I saw the Sun I saw in lines which they may read that run That Endless things are All when we compare And transitory trifles Nothing are That Worldlings in their sleep do talk and go And all their lives are but a dreaming shew Only the true Believer lives awake And doth not spend his daies in meer mistake That all who are not Saints are worse than Brutes These O my Father were thy Rod's first-fruits O my Dear God! how precious is thy Love Thus we rebound up to the Joyes above Long thus before my God I lay prostrate Begging for healing mercy at his gate And for some longer time to know his Truth And
Come Lord when Grace hath made me meet Thy blessed Face to see For if thy work on Earth be sweet What will thy Glory be 8. Then I shall end my sad complaints And weary sinful daies And joyn with the triumphant Saints That sing Jehovah's Praise My Knowledge of that Life is small The Eye of Faith is dim But it 's enough that Christ knows all And I shall be with him This Covenant my Dear Wife in her former Sickness subscribed with a cheerful will Joh. 12. 26. 10. A Psalm of Praise To the Tune of the 148 Psalm 1. YE holy Angels bright Which stand before God's Throne And dwell in glorious Light Praise ye the Lord each one You there so nigh Are much more meet Than we the feet For things so high 2. You blessed Souls at Rest That see your Saviour's face Whose Glory even the least Is far above our Grace God's Praises sound As in his sight With sweet delight You do abound 3. All Nations of the Earth Extol the World's Great King With Melody and Mirth His glorious Praises sing For he still reigns And will bring low The proudest Foe That him disdains 4. Sing forth Jehovah's Praise Ye Saints that on him call Magnifie him alwaies His holy Churches all In him rejoyce And there proclaim His Holy Name With sounding voice 5. My Soul bear thou thy part Triumph in God above With a well-tuned heart Sing thou the Songs of Love Thou art his own Whose precious Blood Shed for thy good His Love made known 6. He did in Loves begin Renewing thee by Grace Forgiving all thy sin Shew'd thee his pleased face He did thee heal By his Son's Merit And by his Spirit For Glory Seal 7. In saddest thoughts and grief In sickness fears and pain I cry'd for his relief And it was not in vain He heard with speed And still I found Mercy abound In time of need 8. Let not his Praises grow On prosperous heights alone But in the Vales below Let his great Love be known Let no distress Curb and controul My winged Soul And praise suppress 9. Let not the fear or smart Of his chastizing Rod Take off my fervent heart From praising my Dear God What ere I feel Still let me bring This Offering And to him kneel 10. Though I lose friends and wealth And bear reproach and shame Though I lose ease and health Still let me praise God's Name That fear and pain Which would destroy My Thanks and Joy Do thou restrain 11. Though humane help depart And flesh draw near to dust Let Faith keep up my heart To love God true and just And all my daies Let no disease Cause me to cease His joyful Praise 12. Though sin would make me doubt And fill my Soul with fears Though God seem to shut out My daily cries and tears By no such frost Of sad delayes Let thy sweet Praise Be nipt and lost 13. Away distrustful care I have thy Promise Lord. To banish all Despair I have thy Oath and Word And therefore I Shall see thy face And there thy grace Shall magnifie 14. Though Sin and Death conspire To rob thee of thy Praise Still towards thee I 'll aspire And thou dull hearts canst raise Open thy Door And when grim Death Shall stop this Breath I 'll praise thee more 15. With thy Triumphant Flock Then I shall numbered be Built on th' Eternal Rock His Glory we shall see The Heav'ns so high With Praise shall ring And all shall sing In Harmony 16. The Sun is but a Spark From the Eternal Light It s brightest beams are dark To that most glorious sight There the whole Chore With one accord Shall praise the Lord For evermore 11. The Complaint WHat mean impatient men to call it Pain That do the creatures wrath alone sustain But alas how much greater is my woe That must God's sharp displeasure undergo If a Worm's fury seemeth hard to bear Who dare before an angry God appear I thought my God had blotted out my sin And it no more remembred should have bin And wilt thou now call up what 's past and gone And charge upon me all that I have done Why then where is my Saviour ' where 's his blood Shall not thy Promises be all made good Where are thy tender bowels where 's that grace That shew'd me once thy reconciled face Dost thou repent or can God changed be O no! it 's I that falsly turn'd from thee Yet be not angry with me O my God! If thy Child cry and plead against the Rod Not daring to accuse thy narrow path But humbly bold to deprecate thy wrath Is it thy pleasure to behold my grief When thou canst with a word send full relief Dost thou delight to see me drencht in tears And overwhelm'd with doubts and horrid fears Wilt thou stand by and see my Soul thus sink While wasting flesh doth stand at the pits brink Shall grief and sickness leave but skin and bones And shall I know no breath but sighs and groans Have I no passions left but griefs and fears Are groans the only musick for thine ears And have I sense only to feel my woe And reason only misery to know And wilt thou suffer sinful unbelief To banish Joy and keep out all Relief How can that gracious Lord my woe desire That did so much to save me from the fire How can that Saviour be against my good That dy'd in love and washt me by his blood Can the same voice now pass so sad a doom That from my sin so lately call'd me home Wilt thou now frown me down to fears death That lately gav'st me a new life and breath Or can that hand that snatcht me from the flame Tear me and cast me back into the same Pity my God this sinking trembling Soul And let the hand that wounds me make me whole Friends would but cannot all their help is vain But thou canst quickly give me joy for pain What can friends do but make my grief their own And will not give me leave to die alone They can but add their fruitless tears and moans To joyn in a sad consort with my groans Their pity doth but make my wounds more deep While in compassion they stand by and weep Through me thou woundest them my pains are theirs And every tender friend a portion bears They can but pray for that which thou must give They strive in vain if thou wilt not relieve O spare me Lord and press me not too low Lest I should pievish and impatient grow Lest I should have unworthy thoughts of thee Forgetting what thy Love hath done for me Lest blind distrust get ground against my faith And I grow mindless what thy Promise saith Lest griefs consume the soul which thou hast made And lest thy Praises with my Comforts fade Lest I thine antient Loves no more rehearse But all my Thanks as a mistake reverse And lest unruly grief should make me break
save the goods some to purloin The well-built Piles curious Rooms must down To buy the Safety of the fearful Town A Neighbour's house is used like a Foe 's Because the Fire the Hook no diff'rence knows Fear pulleth down the next to save the most And ruines more than needs lest all be lost Smoak and confused crouds do blind men's eyes All are amaz'd with hideous flames and cryes So England too combustible before Seeing so great a flame so near her door Was frighted into such Convulsion Fits As first did break her Peace and next her Wits Dangers breed fears and fears more dangers bring The Bees to save their Honey use their Sting Rowz'd in an angry Swarm they seek their Foe The next they meet must feel the smarting blow Caetera desunt praesunt adsunt I purposed to have recited the most notable mercies of my Life in continuing this Hymn of Thanksgiving to my gracious God but the quality of the Subject and the Ages Impatience stopt me here and I could go no further and my painful and spiritless Age is now unfit for Poetry And the matter is so large as would have made the Volume big 3. The Resolution PSAL. 119. 96. Written when I was Silenced and cast out c. LORD I have cast up the Account What it will cost to come to thee I find to what it will amount A serious Christian to be When Flesh was weighing thou put'st in Thy Love and the Eternal Crown Against a Feather and a Sin And yet it thought these weigh'd thee down Fool as I was I took its word And chose what Flesh did recommend How could I more have wrong'd my Lord Or more his Love and Name offend It had been wiser to have thought The Earth is weigh'd down by a Fly Than to prefer a thing of nought Before the Love of the Most High I see now what false Scales can do In a deceitful partial hand I will no more believe a Foe But to the holy Covenant stand 1. Will Friends turn Foes That cannot be They were my greatest Foes before That would have kept my Soul from thee Their Malice now can do no more I 'll bid these cruel Friends farewel Even Satan would be such a Friend He 'd please and flatter me to Hell And thither doth their friendship tend He wants not Friends that hath thy Love And may converse and walk with thee And with thy Saints here and above With whom for ever I must be In the Communion of Saints Is Wisdom Safety and Delight And when my heart declines and faints It 's raised by their Heat and Light Thy Spirit in them speaks and prayes Their speech is holy clean and quick Dead hearted fools talk but of toyes Their speech and mirth even makes me sick 2. Must Lies and slanders me defame That Innocence may not be known Must proud men's malice blot my Name With Epithets that are their own Thou justifi'st when Men accuse Thou 'lt answer all the spite of tongues And do them right whom men abuse And plenteously repair their wrongs It 's no great matter what Men deem Whether they count me good or bad In their applause and best esteem There 's no contentment to be had I stand not to the Bar of Man It 's thy displeasure makes me sad My thoughts and actions thou wilt scan If thou approve me I am glad 3. Must I before the Ruling Power Be call'd with shame to plead my Cause And judged as an evil doer And as a breaker of their Laws So was the Lord of Life accus'd Slander'd and scorn'd with cruel spight And as a Malefactor us'd And one that claimed Caesar's right False witness cloudeth Innocence Truth seemeth conquer'd by a Lie Patience for bears a just defence And Life it self is judg'd to die Methinks I see thee cloath'd with scorn And spit upon and buffeted And crowned with the piercing Thorn Away to Execution led It most amazeth me to think Thou barest the repute of Sin The bitter Cup which thou didst drink Had nothing bitterer therein The Sun did well to hide his face When Sin did Righteousness eclipse And the most Just is with disgrace A Sinner judg'd by sinners lips Thy steps Lord in this dirt I see And lost my Soul from God should stray I 'll bear my Cross and follow thee Let others chuse the fairer way My face is meeter for the Spit I am more suitable to shame And to the taunts of scornful wit It 's no great matter for my Name 4. Must I be driven from my Books From House and Goods and dearest Friends One of thy sweet and gracious looks For more than this will make amends The World 's thy Book There I can read Thy Power Wisdom and thy Love And thence ascend by Faith and feed Upon the better things above I 'll read thy works of Providence Thy Spirit Conscience and thy Rod Can teach without book all the sense To know the World my Self and God Few Books may serve when Thou wilt teach Many have stoln my precious time I 'll leave my Books to hear thee Preach Church-work is best when thou dost chime As for my House it was my Tent While there I waited on thy Flock That work is done that time is spent There neither was my Home nor Stock Would I in all my Journey have Still the same Inn and Furniture Or ease and pleasant dwellings crave Forgetting what thy Saints endure My Lord hath taught me how to want A place wherein to put my head While he is mine I 'll be content To beg or lack my daily bread Heav'n is my roof Earth is my floor Thy Love can keep me dry and warm Christ and thy Bounty are my store Thy Angels guard me from all harm As for my Friends they are not lost The several Vessels of thy Fleet Though parted now by Tempests tost Shall safely in the Haven meet Still we are centred all in thee Members though distant of one Head In the same Family we be By the same Faith and Spirit led Before thy Throne we daily meet As Joynt-Petitioners to thee In spirit we each other greet And shall again each other see The Heavenly Hosts world without end Shall be my company above And thou my Best and Surest Friend Who shall divide me from thy Love 5. Must I forsake the Soil and Air Where first I drew my vital breath That way may be as near and fair Thence I may come to thee by death All Countries are my Father's Lands Thy Sun thy Love doth shine on all We may in all lift up pure hands And with acceptance on thee call Those banish'd are that go from thee Strange to thy Service Love and Grace And lost in sin do never see Thy Kingdom and thy pleased face May but my Soul dwell near my God And walk with him in Faith and Love No matter where be my abode Till to his Glory I remove 6. What if in