unbounded Orb of love Wonders are by Believers brought about That cruell tyrants cannot cancell out And by Believers to be enjoyed are Joyes wonderfull above conceiving far But we shall spare for more exactly those Matters we must debate before we close Now to the purpose and the Person precious Whom I have seen and still esteemed gracious Notable in the Assemblies of the Saints And solemn Meetings where Believers hauntâ— I know the case and truly see it clear Fraught with the fruits of faith of love and fear But she is not in that condition now So to confesse far lesse this to avow But in this sentence most succinct I 'le shew The matter and the meaning shall pursue And this it is Heavens child of hope doth faint for want of sight Resolv'd to grope through darkest deeps for light And this assertion sure for to explain Take notice now and answer you again You see Celestiall from terrestriall things Exhaling vapours that much darkness brings Eclipses do our naturall Sun surprise Which yet we see most royally arise The worlds first birth from Gods most pure intention Eternall purpose and divine invention Was made to be by no materials Existent pre-existent Seminals In darknesse swadled up untill the bright Creating word in time commanded light And when this light aright composed stood Night to preceed day-light God saith is good Jea This dispensation sad you take I see To flow from causes one or more of three The first from provocation I conceive The second what for triall we receive The third to Soveraignity ascends The Cause supreme where causes all depends You know suppose that naturall things be used And to illustrate sp'rituall matters chused Spirituall things are not demonstrate clearly By naturall that worke by nature merely The one by the prefixed Rule doth run The other Arbitrary how and when And yet suppose these generals should contain Much to this purpose when by searching seen Yet ye must nearer come her case to clear From such effects as may be seen appear For if she be bemisted left alone In this confus'd condition she is gone Sam. Will ye not condescend that all things be Good in their time appointed certainly And that our only wise and holy King Profoundly hath contrived every thing Spirituall naturall morall arbitrary Contingent voluntar and necessary And ordered so this contrary to that Man may with dread and reverence stand thereat Jea We trust your charity hes so conceived That Scripture-truths are all by us believed Albeit that under trials severall may By strong assaults much weaknesse oft bewray We know He 's the supream and only good And all things to his glory do conclude And that suppose rejected we should be It were our place his grace to magnifie His wisdom justice truth and holinesse We question not but our untowardnesse In not adverting to his counsels grave Which only could and should from swerving save And yet our tender Lover hath appointed And with spirituall unction hath anointed With coming some and cordialls stor'd that be Soveraign for Soul-diseases seasonablie â—Mongst whom ye be of speciall esteem In binding up the wounds that desperat seem I pray you speak in proper speeches plain As this perplexed party best may gain And lead us in these mysteries divine Untill the Sun begin again to shine Sam. I know it worthy of our pains shall prove To dyve in this deep mystery of love Therefore I shall not spare to condescend Some of our precious time herein to spend This mourning Bride sure has propined been With precious sweet sp'rit-consolations clean Whereby the King of Kings doth recreate Replenish purifie and elevate The soul that to espouse he is whereby She in his absence sick of love doth ly Jea Be pleas'd more specially us to acquaint With these so precious presents and how sent And how received that so effectuall prove As to procure such firm and fervent love Sam. He cleared hes her blear'd and blinded eyes Inflam'd her heart so as she feels and sees Her Comforter convey himself with kissings And breath into her soul supernall blessings The beauty of whose visage her invites To trace him out when he doth make retreats For in her heart so hes he shed that seed Which her affections after him doth lead And at a word created now anew She bids the whole Creation adiew And in this Sphere of Love celestial soare Not stooping to terrestriall triffles more Untill her Lover come and do relieve Her weighted sp'rit and heart contrite revive Jea Why doth she not in patience possesse Her soul and so attend his timousnesse Sam. Basenesse of mind such patience she esteems Which would suspend her of these warming beams By influence whereof she alone doth live And therefore closely unto him doth cleave Jea But is her project lawfull let me know Sam. True love was never limited by law Jea But earthly minds in mounting high do burn Sam. The Spirit by habit heavenly doth turn Jea Doth she the body then the more disdain Sam. No but doth tune it to a spâ—rituall strain For it 's the organ ordained for to sing The praises of her Lovely Prince and King Jea How doth she then so sadly ly and still Sam. She doth attend his presence and his will Preparing straight his praises to expresse But till his coming lurks in heavinesse Jea But where is then the hold of Faith and Hope Fast held but pressing nearer hard to grope Desiring still the Marriage-day to see When in His Robes she may arrayed be And joyning then his sweet soul-feeding face Her firm affections fervent may imbrace Hele. Poor Pilgrim I in dole and deep unrest For want of Faith with hellish fears supprest Here wandring as a woefull wretch alone So void of sense can do no more but moan Unworthy of respect regard or view Much lesse your face my spirits to renew It is my wonder that your worth should stay So to respect this crocked clog of clay So hardned that affections cannot melt To mold a new by any motions felt Yet happy you you Blessings do procure Who would conduct and doth instruct the poor But from the wayes of wisdome I have gone So far astray that I may mourn alone And groan for grief now when I cannot mend But all my dayes in dole and dolor spend And for to understand your friendly speech Or meaning thereof hardly can I reach But true it is sometimes I have exprest Some secrets that should not have been confess Of feelings sweet above expression far Which for the time but seeming shadows are For now deserted like a desart owle I hopelesse ly and can but hopelesse howle Bewailing oft that ever I was born For all is gone and I am left forlorn Sam. Dear friends conveened here for this intent With misteries of Love to be acquaint Let us unweary willingly attend For all her griefs shall sure in gladnesse end Jea Our true desire and most delight shall be We
may more clear this Divine science see And with the whole affections of our heart To learn the Heavenly Methods of this Art I know the heart contrite and broken spâ—rit Is for our King a Receptacle meet I know with timous comforts he doth turn Unto the pure in sp'rit who for him mourn I know the thirsting soul and hungry heart In His sweet face have fulness for their part I know that pleasures in eternitie Attend their souls that fleshly follies flee I know the penny-earn'st of Peace and Bless Received by the meek and lowly is And wisely witnessed here may we see The might of truth and height of mercy free The strength of Faith shining through filial fear The wing of Love weak ones to hide and bear Hele. I wonder much that you so wise and grave Such groundlesse expectations can conceive For shew'd you are so far of this my case That I presumed should have made you cease But presuppone that these your strange conceits Were true of me which unto me relates But nothing unto me I think belong Yet were it fearfully free Love to wrong And should bewray ingratitude so far As justly might me from his grace debar For sure I am I had not been cashiered If to offend my King my heart had feared But gading I so far astray have stept And in confusions such my self have wrapt That now mine eyes are dimm'd my tongue bedumb'd Mine ears are deafned and my heart benumb'd That what I hear I do not apprehend But sure I see my well you do intend Jea Yet with permission and submission now My friend let me obtain this sute of you This is a day of grace and it may prove If you improve it well a time of love Unto this timous counsell grave advert Gainstand these griefs that do disturb thy heart Think on what light life liberty and peace Thou lately tasted hes by special grace The earnest of these Treasures rich procured For thee and by the Lover sweet secured But under cloud eclipsed thou must be By proof to find thine own infirmitie In Patience Faith Dependency Submission Importunately presse thou hes commission Then look and long and to this promise cleave And when thou art rebuked yet believe He. Madam your counsell gracious grave and good Does all desir'd felicities include But I have forfault all these offers fair And of these Blessings now am stripped bare And when I hear of former happinesse Grief horrour and despair the more increase Once was I light and now in darknesse ly Once was I life now in deaths jawes I dye Once had I freedome now in bondage bound Once had I peace now in vexation stound You speak of pleasures in a word anew But dolefully may I bid them adiew For I an earn'st of wrath endure I think Might all the sinfull sons of Adam sink The evil spirit when he does depart Returning enters in the empty heart And every devil of whatsoever deceit May in this soul receive a several seat And I will tell you more Jea No more Refrain There is too much of this untimely strain O fearfull but it be for to let slip Of Sacred Truths by Faith the saving grip And O! how bitter are the agonies Of absence in soul-searching secrecies O horrour terrour dread what dreadfull height Is absence totall in eternal night When timely tastes do so the godly tare Where shall the godlesse go beneath despair But I forbear Sir speak to her so plain That she may be brought to her self again Sam. This darknesse does th'approach of day presage And us the more unto the means ingage Thou harden dost thy self in thy mistakes And of our tendernesse advantage makes Thou dost expose thy self a present prey Syrene deceits of Sathan to obey Misled with carnal wit by quaint convoyance So subtilly to worke thy souls annoyance Wilt thou prescribe his coming or confine His counsels to these finit thoughts of thine Dare thou his faithfulnesse draw in debate Because he doth not on thy humours wait Doth he his influence dispense for hyre Dar'st thou a reason of his rules require But these demands in time and place recall Examine and answers receive we shall And now in patience yet we shall persist And with convincing arguments insist Think on when we from darknesse unto light Translated were and did receive our right Unto His Royal Court and House of Wine Where loves bright banner over thee did shine Then didst thou see in darknesse thou hadst been Clos'd Embrion-like into the womb unseen Untill thy Lover Mover in this place The fruits of His free love made thee imbrace Then didst thou clearly see that gracious He Indur'd to be obscur'd for gracelesse thee And that He might thy glorious dayes begin Assum'd thy flesh and suffered for thy sin Purg'd and perfumed thee His Bride to be And did present himself Bridegroom to thee Thy King thy Captain and thy Husband now And to engadge thee more him to avow His Princely Robes thou saw him lay aside Enter the lists and in his armour bide Till all thy foes he had defyed in fight And from their malice fred thee by his might And led thee here among these sweet contents Where only children of the King frequents But that thou may'st convinced be the more I shall this Countrie set thy face before For as it seems thou dost so sullen ly Thou art surprysed with a lethargie Or for a proof art left a little space To try what love thy Lover can displace Thou knowst the Citty of our Royall King Where He to breed and woo his Bride doth bring What glorie and excellencie alone Believers shining see about the Throne Thou seest Him righteous Judgements dayly read Give doome unto thy foes thy causes plead When from His Ivorie pallaces he comes Thee to imbrace the smell of His perfumes Affect the Virgin-bowels for to move Frames and inflames the quickned heart to love For certainly unto Beleevers true That be renew'd all things becometh new And in this World of wicked workers we A World enjoy of sweet felicitie Consisting in a Righteousnesse procured For us with sp'ritual joy and peace secured And this new heav'n and earth and citty fair Whether the Elect chosen called are Above comparison you know excells The rarest fairest richest parallels The River that out-through the Citty slides For every severall Cittizen divides Unto refreshment and the fruitfull tree That renders various fruits abundantly For every season unto all affections And soveraign physick health for all complexions Our everlasting light without declining Advancing gloriously and brightly shining Curse from the Crosse force from affliction shed The sting from death from fear and bondage fred Where we may dayly sing among the branches And swime among the streams our thirst that quenches And bath us in that River sweetly flowing And feed upon the Spices neatly growing About the banks of these delicious fields That hony milk and wine so pleasant yeeldâ—
compleat a man But thou art carnall that objects And doth discover thy defects A little ponder understand Shall that All-wise All-working hand All-just All-good All-holy King Misse in that most intended thing His Eyes were on when He gave being To all things subject unto seeing Did He this spacious Globe erect And by their sourse the seas collect Becircled by the firmament Illustrious and so excellent With plenteous store to entertain Poor wretched men that lost have been No from eternity He knew All what was past what should ensue And in a Second Adam sweet Made man again with God to meet Who for the Elect Surety stood And them restor'd by His own Blood Their flesh assumed for that end And doth His Sp'rit unto them send Which Holy Sp'rit their sp'rit inspires With sp'rit-renewing sacred fires Quickning purging and perfuming Grace increasing vice consuming Eyes and heart and minds inlarging With His Image supercharging Such searching souls as do imbrace The splendor of his pleasing face Rapt and made apt with open eyes To dyve in these excellencies And in that sourse of sweet delight To feast upon his beauty bright Whereby he doth our souls decore And to his Image us restore On whom by faith firm fixed solely The whole affections are made holy And humble by a self-reflect Upon thy self for self neglect So modesty shines in the face And gravity that Christian grace That generous Spirit that doth â—acer Her self to serve her Saving Maker That Sapience that far far sees To compose content from contraries That chastitie that can contain Affections all in order clean That love that vertue doth allure And all licentious lusts can cure That liberall mind that lively spreads And frugally preserves the seeds That charity that chearfully Knows when how where to give supply That temperance that can subdue Proud passions as they do renew That courtesie that neatly can Carry the master like a man That clemencie that can declare The colours clear of vertue fair That patience that prudence leads That peace which pious Spirits feeds That fortitude that fairly founded With resolutions firmly grounded On truth with strong stability Expressed with alacrity Courage and circumspection so That never storm can overthrow That single heart sincere and sweet Where comfort and delight do meet That sp'rit of contemplation piercing And heavens holy myst'ries searching Longing thronging thirsting till The fruit of faith the Soul full fill Then God beholding the effects That by his beams on Saincts reflects And looking on that beauty rare Accounts and cals them sweet and fair For grace in vertue so doth shine That vertue doth become divine This is the vertue I avouch'd The vertue that I would have touch'd The vertue true that clarifies And qualifies the qualities That doth illustrate and ingrain And turns in substance shadows vain That giveth smell and taste unto All that we think or speak or do This vertue well accomplish can And compleat the Christian man Gain this vertue and thou shall Inherit Heav'n and Earth and all More solide solace sweet possesse Then heart can think or pen express Limb out her lineaments conceive Such riches where thou can receive Try her parts taste every place Such sweet thou can no where embrace Drink her in with all desire Untill she set thy heart on fire Her beams they will thy breast inflame Her streams will qualifie the same Choise of choises chief content Of all beneath the firmament Search her for she waits to see Who for her love will fervent be And if thou joine thou shalt enjoy That bliss which nothing can annoy For then thou shalt into his Image grow From whom this vertue fair doth freely flow The Portraict and Character oâ— the Old Man Under the name of Vice described COme you who wonders curious are to see Or monsters such as most detested be And you who can indeed discern aright This Brat begot in hell by heav'nly light Vice here behold stript naked to the skin Look on her outside see her well within Her port and gesture here how vile behold Vain proud implacable presumptuous bold Disorderly by satans order placed As basely in the heart they be embraced Each ruling in his sphere rounding the brain And heart with humors perverse and profane Where generositie should bud and flourish Debate deceit there doth she neatly nourish There where the truth sincerely should be stated Faithlesse hypocrisie is firmly seated Malice envy and horrid hatred there Where love should move is in her breast made bare Under the shew of chastity most clean Closs impudent incontinencie is seen Ambition avarice wrath and cruelty Watch as they may most serviceable be Within a cloud of Christian clemency And humane gentlenesse dissimulately She sets her subtil snares for to entyse The weak for she in wickednesse is wise Her sottish slaves who serve her she doth lead Their souls on sensual lusts to live and feed Or otherwise to pry how to surprize Their nearest dearest friends that they may rise To treasure state or store honour or ease As they may their beloved Idol please And for those ends do study to devise By all the means that be below the skies Without controle directly to content That humor in its fixed element Objection Can all that you have heretofore asserted Be held for truth Is poor man so deserted And by that dev'lish villany possest Which here you have so peremptory prest Is man who is the creature rational Below the brute so fallen by his fall You see most men do something civile live Vice misregard and unto vertue cleave It seems that he doth some true light retain Suppose it suffered hath a fearfull stain And if it were as you affirm then he Not only should below the brutish be But might be ranked in degree with devils The Author of these specified evils What find we more in that apostate sp'rit Finall impenitency to compleat Then you of man each man forlorn hath said Is it not for His wrack that he was made Answer Our Glorious King Eternall only Wise Almighty Mover moved by advice Of uncreated wisdome that he can No lesse have done then well in making man Man was made holy righteous and good But he did stumble when he should have stood Before the tryals of the tempter slie And slew himself and all his progeny By misbelieving Him by whom he lived Is left to live to him whom he believed And being left of God he is possest Of all the devilry that is here exprest Man unregenerate is below most sure The vildest bruit on earth and most impure What Lyon Tygre or destroying Boaâ— So fervent fierce or cruell to devour What can with that vild murtherer compare Who for to feast his idol will not spare His nearest friends brothers or native seed And will imbrew his hands in parricide And in his own hot blood for to fulfill His humor give the fatall stroak and kill What Crocodil what scorching Scorpion
The Turtle-dove an emblem of the new Creature her properties described THe Turtle-dove truely resemble can Of any thing in nature the New-man In heart and whole affections constant pure Does loyall only to her choise endure Most searching piercing storms and darkest night In presence of her Lover she doth slight But thoughts of separation be so sad Created comforts cannot make her glad Whiles vexing grief from self-suspition grows That his removall from her motion flows This Animall the Rationall so exceeds She for preferment of affection pleads They born again this case can only state Prevail and far exceed in the debate For they refram'd refin'd revived be By that anointing makes them hear and see Himself who so elects allures and loves His Dove redeem'd reproves proves and approves Most blessed they thus taught thus fram'd thus gain'd To God by grace and from the world wean'd CANT 2.12 14. The voice of the Turtle is heard in our Land 14. O my Dove that art in the clefts of the Rocks in the secret places of the Stairs let me see thy countenance let me hear thy voices for sweet is thy voice and thy countenance is comely PSAL. 68.13 Though ye have lien among the pots yet shall ye be as the wings of a Dove covered with Silver and her feathers with yellow Gold THE TURTLE-DOVE UNDER THE ABSENCE PRESENCE OF HER ONLY CHOISE OR DESERTION DELIVERANCE REVIVED 1. Ushered with the NICODEMIAN PARADOX explained in a Comparison betwixt the First and Second BIRTH and closed with the Characters of the Old and New Man 2. And seconded with a SURVEY of the First and Second DEATH which inclosed with a Sepation-kisse betwixt two most intimate Friends the Soul and Body of Man 3. And a Glimring of the First and Second Resurrection and Generall Judgement closing with a Song of Degrees from what we were to what we are and from thence toward what we shall be By a Lover of the Celestiall Muses IOHN 3.8 The wind bloweth where it â—isâ— c. EDINBVRGh Printed by Andrew Anderson Printer to the CITTY and COLLEDGE Anno DOM. 1664. The Presentation of the Turtle-Dove to the Lady VISCOUNTESS of KENMOOR RIght Noble Madam Please your Honour now Accept this present of a Turtle Dove Which in the Ark reserv'd secure hath been And both the worlds new and old hes seen The Nations of the old deaths captives living The natives of the new in death reviving She sees preserv'd from fear from pit from snare Where wretched worldlings wamble in despair Those old ascendent shining and shut out These born anew with Songs of safety shout Eternall purposes reveal'd she weighs And timous precious promises applyes Timely performances she truly proves And feels how fervently her Lover loves Now when you have consideratly seen Her Songs and found them clear and Christ-all-clean Then let her sweetly by your licence flie Amongst true mourners with her melody These discords well compos'd abounding there In concords move a sweet soul-melting air Ladies and Lovers Lidia-like advert Till sp'ritual motions mollifie your heart That moulded new in love true and divine Then in your Lovers likenesse you may shine An ACROSTICK upon the NAME of the Right Honourable LADY JEAN CAMPBEL VISCOUNTESS of Kenmoor L LOve-bred designs from deep divine desires A A Sp'rit inspires transcending humane skill D Dilating still the will with heavenly fires I Inflam'd wherewith admires her Lover still E Elected Ladie elevated Lover J Injoy the object of thy Love sublime A Adore the dictats of thy Divine Mover N Now training thee to treasures after time E Eternall troubles inward tryals strong C Come out to make thee famous in thy fight A And manag'd be the mysteries among M Make up thy life-translation unto light P Presse through the straits the precious prize perceive B Bounty bestows and blessed souls receive E Eternall triumphs glorie infinite L Loves Darling comes thy comforts to compleat The Minion of the Muses here Great Mistris of this gracious Quire Whose study unto self-denial Had suffered to shine the trial Should made the Muses homage do Her Pen and Person both unto An ACROSTICK upon the name of that very Religious and Famous GENTLE-WOMAN MARION McKNAICHT M More happy then imagined can be A And blessed are such as with heart sincere R Resolve to cleave to Christ to live and die I In Him with Him and for Him to appear O O What transcedent glorie grows from grace N None but no not the soul refined shall M c Make to appear that Light that Life that peace K Known only to the pure Possessors all N Now thou by grace art unto glory gone A And gain'd the Garland of eternall blesse I In seeing Him who on the glorious Throne C Created uncreated glory is H Heavens Quire did sing at thy conversion sweet T Time posts thy finall comforts to compleat Those names among the living worthily Preserved be that true Belivers be And such they be that truely do believe Who living learn to die dying to live TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE Noble and Religious LADY JEAN VISCOUNTESS of KENMOOR Right Honourable BEing past controversie and universally acknowledged that bitter Experience is the best Teacher and School-master of fools amongst which rank I do esteem my self to be inferior to very few And therefore must be educate under such exercises and discipline as the only wise Parent who knows well the frame disposition and inclination of every one of his children sees meet for instructing rectifying and reclaiming of the blind-born ignorant prone to all maner of perversity out of that naturall darknesse by the illumination of the holy Ghost unto the life of grace whereby God makes himself known to the Elect and themselves to themselves and whereby they be moved to hate and abhore themselves to love and believe Him so clearly manifested to them that the Devil or his instruments from without or from within cannot gain ground so far against the work of his begun grace as to raze it Neverthelesse the subtile Hunter cruell and violent Persecutor of such as are thrusting through the strait gate ceaseth not to prepare and set many snares privily in our way partly by entangling our minds with too much worldly affairs and other vain inventions and partly by presenting well-polished idols for our humors as means of diversion whereby we be marred in our growth and come slowly unto maturity But our only good God and gracious Father who out of his infinite goodnesse hath begun knows also how to accomplish his work in every one of his own For proof whereof I have made bold to let your Ladyship know that after many multiplied compassions unchangeable love and long-sufferings wherewith my Lord hath been driving me nearer to Himself now at length to lead me apart as it were out of the world by a singular and unexpected providence unto the wildernesse not to be tempted by the Devil as my dear Saviour was before me who
places that be prepared for you when corruption and all things corruptible being dissolved glory and immortality put on and you admitted amongst others that stand by to feast upon the superexcellencies of joyes that are in the King's face and pleasures that be enjoyed at His right Hand for evermore who out of His eternall Love in an incomprehensiblâ— way of infinite wisdome hes purchased this peace this grace this glory to all the members of the body mysticall whereof He the glorious Head iâ— the fulnesse of Him who filleth all in all And unto whose grace and faithfulness your Ladyship is fervently recommended by Noble Madam Your Ladyships most affectionate and humble Servant JOHN FULLARTOUN of Careltoun Edinburgh Feb. 8. 1664. THE EPISTLE TO THE Weak and wrestling Believer DAughters of Jerusalem This weak and wearied Pilgrim now comming your way who being long detained in the house of bondage hath been amongst others called out and guided through the Red-sea by a more miraculous deliverance and guarded by a greater and better Guide than Moses to Israel from the pursuit of more numerous enemies and oftner at the brink of despairâ— untill peremptor Providences of powerfull preservaâ—on appearing have caused the raging Seas of most dreadfull trials to recoyl for our passage unto the utter ruine of unreconcileable enemies and yet must take journey through a waste and wearisom wildernesse where we are broght low and kept under by troubles and trials unexpressible and all for our good till we have fulfilled our course And now at the length this Passenger being arrived at the borders of the Holy-land and having tasted of the first fruits thereof and thereby being incouraged to attend the appointed time when he shall be called to passe on after those that are gone before him through Jordan so long as the Priests feet stand firm in the midst of the River with the Ark of the Covenant upon their shoulders And in the mean time doth take occasion to recent the most notable evidences of his supply and support under greatest crosses conflicts dangers and deliverances by mediate and immediate helps of His Presence and Providence who hath been his God and his Guide his Sun and his Shield unto this day and therefore conceives it to be his duty to convey some Clusters of the Grapes as the first Fruits of that Country for incouragement to such as are upon their journey through the waters of Mara through fiery serpents swarming in the wildernesse and must endure what Balak with the advice and device of Balaam can do that they may be the lesse afraid of these fierce assaults that they be to conflict with And the sense wherof puts him upon this singing strain and extracts rom him these solemn Song of singular deliverance from all these furious assaults and slavish fears that has infested his faith or fostered his dejections specially unto the conviction of carnall Professors of this generation whoâ— under the frequency of Gospel-ordinances having attained unto the theory of Theological Truths swiming in the brain are satisfied and set down under a carnall security not affected with the preciousnesse of the adorable Divinity that is in them So as by sucking them in they may sink down to the heart and therefrom elevate the soul to presse foreward for the prize with such wakening and warming zeal to the glory of such multiplied mercies in the Gospel-ministry as might produce the sweet smelling fruits of righteousnesse peace and joy in the Holy Ghost the proper result of true living and saving faith which works by love in these that being born again do walk in the Spirit and discern aright in things that differ The Course and Method taken is by a Survey of four severall Subjects 1. The first Vpon the First and Second BIRTH by way of Comparison betwixt the Generation and Growth of MAN in Nature and the Regeneration and Growth of the NEVV MAN in Grace And closing with the Portraict of the New and Old Man under the Names of Vertue and Vice 2. The second Vpon the Exercises of the weak Believing CHRISTIAN under Desertion and Deliverance And closing with an Objection of the Carnall Man answered with a Rationall Advice to the Party 3. The third Upon the First and Second DEATH And closing with a SEPARATION-KISSE betwixt two intimate Friends the Soul and Body 4. The fourth Upon the First and Second RESURRECTIONS and GENERAL JUDGMENT And closing with a SONG of DEGREES The first of them being a Rationall Discourse most tending to inform and convince the Naturall Man The second Practicall and for Spiritual Application The third for Deliberation The fourth for Consolation Which being so ordered have been laid aside for these six years and above Not intending that they should have seen the light untill I had come to the possession of a greater light than is accessible under mortality But now in all probability drawing near to the close of my time in the body And by providence being in this place where I have the offer of service assistant for that effect and conceiving it doubtfull which of us shall see the one or other light first that where grace or this where glory shines I have now resolved to let them out to make a Visite among the Daughters of Jerusalem With whom a professed Pilgrim may have much assurance of hearty welcom for discourses and so much the more that he hath been admitted unto intimacy and honoured with a kisse of the hand of so truly Noble Religious and Vertuous a LADY under whose Patrociny he makes his appearance but specially will be in request with such as have undertaken or do intend to undertake the like travels Not for the holy Grave but for the grace of Holinesse wherein to make our approaches Not to see the place where our Lord was laid but where he lives and prepares for us to live with him Not to carry with us as a monument some of that earth wherein our Saviour was interred for a time but to receive the promised Comforter who is only able to conduct and protect through all the passages of our Pilgrimage to the end of our journey And it will be granted that experiences are most able to make the best report for difficulties or dangers by Sea or by Land of â—poâ—ling by Robbers or splitting on Rocks and may be most able to guard and give incouragement against the sons of Anak And so much the more as we may gather grounds of certain victory after a short Conflict and a never-ending triumph after some trâ—nsitory trials wherein we are sustained by Him in whom we be more then Conquerours And that you may believe and be established shall be the fervent desire of Your Fellow-pilgrim and Servant in Christ Jesus J. F. THE OCCASION AND CONTENTS OF THE ENSUING DISCOURSE AMongst many other innumerable testimonies of Gods unspeakable goodnesse when contrary to all appearance or probability of expectation there was by a gracious dispensation
dolor such admits Felt-love believe forbear these faithlesse fits Hele. That world of yours no falshood doth admit Faithlesse profession is a feigned fit You in the faithfull witnesse do believe And by believing faithfully do live You grafted in the lively Olive grow Where substance sweet doth from that fatness flow I formerly have in these courses gone With others as you instantly have shown But I have stept aside in following lies Upon the mount of many vanities What could it make suppose I should explain The folly and the figments of my brain The levitie of my affections vile Some seeming goodnesse under secret guile You by your importunacy do presse Me more particularly to expresse If better more then prejudice it could Or pertinent it were I surely should Sa. Whence comes this conscience of those heart-conceits Whence flow these conflicts of these soul-debates Corruption ' gainst corruption doth not side Satan against himself doth not divide Weaknesse and wandring do in us remain And yet our Lover doth us not disdain He fails us not as we do doating deem But that he absent to our sense doth seem That we may see what of our selves we may Expect if he should our supply delay And what can make us more our selves forsake Then hell-black us milk-white for Heaven to make Such sweetnesse from the breasts thou hast been sucking That weaned now thou dost but fall a drouping Thou hast been dandled on thy keepers knees And fed with suggar'd soul-festivities But now for to obtain the Royall prize Thou must to work and run and fight arise Hele. It 's easie Sailing in a gentle Gale But grievous when the tempest strieks the Sail It 's easie fighting with your fleeing foes But dreadfull when it turnes to bloody blows It 's easie speaking to a wounded heart But not so easie to retreat the dart And searching tryals light to some may be Which work to others much perplexity I pray you therefore leave me now alone You may I hurt help can you make me none Sa. In darkest dayes and sharpest stormes that blow Our Pilot how to land us safe doth know And we within the vail our Anchor sure Do cast and so can ride it out secure Our Captain stands victorious in the field He never lost a man that did not yeeld Our sweet Physician full of science sees Our wounds diseases and their remedies And doth with cordials unto us addresse When dwining we do dream of nothing lesse And it is good thou dost not us regard Lest at thy hands we should expect reward But till you take a breathing we shall walk Beside thee here and to the matter talk Now ye my friends devote and Ladies dear Who this discourse of ours do over-hear Speak your opinion from experience plain And we shall to our purpose turn again For in her griefs if we cannot be grieved We shall be griev'd when she shall be relieved But of her burdens who doth take a part Her comfort shall reflect upon their heart Maria Anna Grissilla Eliza. Thomas Maria. IT seems it shall not easy be to find The bands that do her in this bondage bind But let us now recite our speciall failings Their causes and effects and our prevailings And to avoid contest I shall break in And as you bid be bold for to begin Court-breeding leading us to high aspirings Swelling in such ambitious desirings We can for self-promotion formall prove In every project where we minde to move And can Chamelion-like all colours take As for the gaining of our point may make And from what airt we see the air to swirle For that same course quickly our sails can hurle But when we of our selves do get a sight We guard against this Idol with our might Most deeply humbled at the heart that we Are wasted in this frothy vanity For then it pleas'd my King to clear mine eies Divinely to discern deep mysteries And take a Pardon in that time of love Which made my frozen heart in melting move Yet after this anone I must you tell A fearfull tryall unto me befell Even after tasting many comforts sweet Intent some meditations to repeat Of most concernment preasing to procure In supernatâ—rall truths my standing sure Such as of souls the immortality Whose being in and out of bodies be The resurrection and immortalizing Of bodies mortall naturall spiritualizing And minding thence some higher to ascend So far as finite thoughts might comprehend Of God his goodnesse wisdome and his might Pre-ordinating all in order right By His eternall counsel pleasure will Who all things works moving unmoved still But instantly a voice both pure and plain My musing mov'd unto another strain So friend-like and so friendly muttering then Must thou be found the only fool of men What businesse is this thou goes about What strange chymaeraes shall we see come out We guided be by reason and by sence Where be thy groundlesse grounds on what pretence Dost thou intangle and perturb thy mind In courious quiâ—ks whereto thou art inclin'd Art thou so senslesse as thus to conceive Dust turn'd to dust turn ghostlesse from the grave Or that thy vanisht spirits shall return These ashes to inspire spent in that urne Some giddie-headed people wonders tell Of God of Heaven satan sin and hell But these be foolries fitted to deceive Some facile Sp'rits that fancies do conceive Canst thou defraud thy self of all thy blesse By framing to thy self a hell like this While as thou might in many pleasures flouriâ— And nature in her native notions nourish But even then when I perplexed though What could it be that this diversion wrought Unto my sence there was reply so clear Return'd in my behalf which made appear The devil his drift and his deluding lure Discourse of me by flatt'rie to procure But my firm faithfull Watch-man and my Loveâ— Seeing the malice of this murthering mover Preveens this cruel plot and interposes His subtilty and sophistry discloses Objections more then now I can recent Which none but very devils could invent Confuted and refuted were so clear By him alone who did for me appear But then said I in this confusion vext Since it is so how am I thus perplext Then instantly my great deliverance wrought Was wondrously by my Redeemer brought When to grosse Atheism the tempter he Had cast his baits for to have hooked me And if the inward Teacher had not taught Me how to answer these his reasons fraught With subtilties so mystick that again I had been tortur'd in that fearfull train But sad and bitter were the sore rebukes Of my dear Lover and the frowning looks That I endur'd for daring to adventure With this deceiver in the lists to enter Moreover fears not only me affright But also I must with afflictions fight With many terrors and with troubles toyled And by infirmity am often foyled But yet I find it for my best to be Prest and distress'd in this perplexitie For on the
delihgts most eminently move His countenance the Suns bright rayes obscures His love the adamantine heart allures His wisdom all His works in order dresses His might maintains His right and pride suppresses And I am bound His bountie to believe Which changes not but shall my sp'rit relieve In His good time on whom I do rely And studie shall my self how to deny Sam. Now art thou happy and my heart is glad To see thy faithfull heart from fainting fred Hold fast and follow hard with firm desires Faith quenches not but kindles sacred fires Hele. It doth become me well to wait I see But Oh again that He would smile on me How shall I find Him out and where I pray Sam. Hold straight believe me thou art in the way Deck up thy self approach He sees thee come And with His comforts shall thee overcome The Royal King a Princely Garden plants With curious flowres and thither daily haunts Feeding among the Lillies smelling Roses Nuts Spices and perfums composing Poses A sweet Loves feast for thee He doth prepare Down in the fruitfull flow'ry valleys there And from the valley shall convey thee thence Where thy try'd faith in that long long'd for sence Is swallowed up there where the marriage loves Exceeding all conceiv'd desires thou proves There where He shall thy faith bred soul imbrace Within the consolations of His face Wherein the splendor of that brightnesse poring And in the glory of that glore adoring Renewed rayes immortall life restoring Admiring magnifying and sweetly soaring High up amongst these holy heavenly hosts Of glorious and glorified ghosts With golden harps about the throne who sing New songs of their redemption to their King Hele. O but these sweet expressions relish well My frozen heart begins to melt I feel These words unto my wearied soul I think Like precious oyl so savingly do sink Slides down like my Beloveds wine so sweetly Wakens from sleep my tongue to speak compleatly O that once for Himself He would me seal What can be nam'd that may with love prevail Insist therefore For I do gladly hear And till the tongue be loos'd shall lend the ear Sam. The weakest means have force enough to move Affections when they be surpriz'd with love He cals and sees thee come from mountains steep Which Leopards and cruel Lyons keep Leaning on thy Beloved who doth love His truth and strength at length to see thee prove Observe with me this brief gradation now And I shall cease a space and hearken you For help to our capacity compare The outward splendor of this fabrick where By nature from the caverns of the womb Out of which dungeon to the world thou came Again compare the difference aright Betwixt this Paradice and that dark night Of nature which the other so transcends As over bodies lively sp'rits ascends And there the diff'rence vast again conceive Betwixt the life of sense we shall receive And this of faith wherein we forward thrust Untill we be refined in the dust When interruptions all shall be removed And we inlarg'd to love as we be loved In knowing and injoying him who is The Author of our everlasting blesse In this gradation we may something see But under what it is infinitley SONG I. Light out of Darknesse Hel. INfinitely most certainly for feeble we Conceive aright cannot these mysteries The spot upon our blotted eyes rejecting These rayes which yet with splendor bright reflecting Upon the then capacitated sp'rits Which warming beams affections invites But so transcendent that our present case Such super-excellency cannot imbrace For dazled with these glistring gleams What we receive seems be but dreams When we let slip by our secure neglectings The grip of faith glaming at these reflectings Spare therefore to compare our deepest apprehensions Do but impair his praise whose love 's above dimensions He is more fragrant when he 's most remote Then nearest dearest loves whereon we doat Conjecture then when he appears so near That thou may'st touch and taste and smell and hear Tell if thou can this other man And so we shall recall our long debate And treat of love for all For mine he is and I am his And who could wish so high a blesse As to be treas'ring up a stock of praise While we are hurling through these whirling dayes Sam. Now my dear friends it seems to me ye shrink And I may well conjecture what ye think I shew'd you first that you should surely see Matters to make you much a musing be Eliza. This sudden change makes me indeed admire And yet the reason must of thee enquire And that she may be prayed to proceed That on her fulnesse we may further feed Song I. continued Hel. God in his Saints ador'd admir'd My soul exalts this day desir'd Of his free grace he hath appointed Among this fellowship anointed With ghostly graces for my grieves So as my life a new revives Surpriz'd with sense of love so far That flaming my affections are And for the time can do no more But th' Author of this love adore And gladly would be set to sing The praises of my Spouse and King And to record his noble acts Who passeth by my fond mistakes And smiles upon my face again That I may faithfull hence remain Now all you sweetest saints that uses To haunt these shads you sacred Muses And Graces that with me did groan In my distracted mourning moan Earth rivers all below above Come sympathize in songs of love Of love above all parallell so far As stars above the earthly glob that are You Groves and Downs where erst I deadly lay I 'le rise and dance about your doors this day Eliza. Oh now for stirring spirits that could move Amongst the flames of this heart-forcing love Amongst the wonders of this world most strange What can compare with this sweet sudden change This day of gladnesse let us now agree To solemnize this glorious victory I reverence do the Providence Divine Which in this meeting doth so clearly shine But for to sing or say confused here I cannot speak or do but still admire Sam. Come I will take thee by the hand we 'll go With her alongst these Downs and Groves also Where she hath wandred in her weighty dayes And cease their sorrow with a song of praise Then South begin and blow upon our Myrtle trees And North proceed to show thy strength to eternize This glory in each airt a crosse the continent The whole Creation may with our Love-songs consent Now rocks begin to roar for ye's the Treble take And trees attend your lowre for ye's the Tenor make My self the Base shall be Muses be ye the Meen So we shall seriously sing Solace we have seen SONG II. Life out of Death Sam. SAy on say on solaced sweetly surely we have been Jea Play on play on sense-moving mater surely we have seen Rocks We's roar and cry Trees Our strength we's try Our roots lay by With startling
on our stumps Seas Huge Oceans we Mounts Main Mountains high Hills We Hills that be resound shal your transumpts Our solace is in thee who loves the heart contrite And is a sanctuary unto the broken sp'rit Great joyes to thine thou dost propine By love divine up with thy self eternall When all thy foes with the godlesse goes In endlesse woes down to the pit infernall Thus all the joy of mind And solace we have seen Is his sweet face inclin'd In love still springing green So glory we in knowing Thee our King to be our Life our Love our Light Who bought us dear and keeps us here till we appear by grace in glory bright Jea Sweet maid thou dost to melody incline Our minds to move in mysteries divine Rapt up in most Seraphick-love to sing The praises of our high exalted King SONG III. Liberty out of Bondage Sam. NOw thou who dyving is in this abysse of blesse Conveyed through all these wonders To be enjoyed by so many numbers Who were by Adam old depraved And by the second Adam saved Thou having then seen what thou can In that great mystery of Divine Majesty GOD-MAN And doth aspire with all desire to pry and to admire These excellencies the quintessences Of all felicity in their simplicity Yet think these things to be more high Then can conceived be under mortalitie More then the child unborn by its sagacity Hes of capacity for to conceive aright Of this large Universe where we converse untill it come to light So should it be with thee in heav'nly places Amongst these faces made so fair By the splendor shining there That thou should'st disdain And mourn to turn again Unto these earthly treasures And all created pleasures And shouldst admire so much and more As if thou wert design'd Alive to be enshrin'd in that live-tomb Of the mothers womb for evermore Yet think again what shall become of some who never dreams of these sad theams Till they be hurl'd in everlasting flames without remission or relenting When time is past of pardon by repenting Hel. Oh now my soul shall these thee now exceed In Songs alongst these streams whilst they thee lead Thou dazles doating where thy guides do go But prostrate be and here in excesse show With joy of heart that none can equalize A soul thus ravish'd who shall eternize The praises of her Love with such content Who freed her from so fearfull detriment Who feeds her now with so delicious fare And doth propine her with such riches rare And leads her to the Land where she may see His face by grace where joy and glory be Now that I may your sweetest songs excell I 'le on my Lovers face adoring dwell And as I see and do receive I shall Report unto your mutuall comfort all Be elevate with full consent again To prosecute this Evangelick strain SONG IV. The Joy of the LORD Hel. OUr glorious our victorious King doth reign The hosts of heav'n do sing about his Throne Where he is gone in all delights to live Whence we derive our light and life alone Know him who would make bold treat for a smile He never did beguile a true Believer He is a River full of divine delights None like Him in the depths nor in the heights For He was dead and is alive again He did sustain hells pain when he was slain Our freedom to procure he did endure What we deserved and never swerved And of these stounds he bears the wounds Thus shalt thou know him for he is non-such And thou shalt say too much cannot be said of such a One Whom man and angel heav'n and earth alone Have their dependency eternally upon So shalt thou need no more One blink shall heal thy sore And thou shalt thirst no more For He a Fountain is of blesse supernall And this eternall is For on his eyes indeed With soul-festivities they feed so sweet so sure They cannot more indure to gade And when He hides His face sad sad they be Bâ—t groping still and hoping till He smile again Or do translate them to his heav'nly Train Where all the Members mysticall delighted Triumph in him in whom they are perfected Sam. I do rejoice in this thy heart-content Hel. And I rejoice that thou wast hither sent Jea And I rejoice here with you both to be Hel. And I rejoice and praise my King for thee Sam. Now I must go unto my charge again Hel. I pray thee do not so but stay Sam. Refrain Hel. Then one word by thine Echo bid me speak Echo Speak Hel. Now need I any more but to believe E. Live Hel. And any more to do but live exact E. Act. Hel. What if I tempted be shall I endure Echo Dure Hel. In suff'ring what will free me from disgrace E. Grace Hel. Shall I promove and constantly persevere E. Ever Hel. And will my dear Love go from me or no E. No. Hel. Then shall I sure believe and live and act Endure by grace and perseverance make The Warning Jea OUr dearest friend unto his charge again Is gone and I no longer may remain But ere we part sweet girle I must thee give Some warnings that thou may more warily live Thou hast been weighted in this absence short But sees not what the journey may import Now thou art glistering fair upon the mountain Extracting life from the life-giving fountain They Sp'rits sp'rituallized are and poring Thy clearer apprehensions highly soaring Both bred and fed by divine excellencies And breathings of the sweetest influences And so delighted art to shine by grace And holinesse before thy Lovers face But yet remember when thou sadly lay In bondage under absence then this day Of so clear seeing if thou couldst conceive Right so bethink if now thou canst believe That ever such a thing should thee befall As may again thy liberty enthrall But in the bodie while thou art beware For we are tempted and in danger are To be insnar'd for the old man is prone To snatch at every bait before us thrown For this I wish thee wisely to uptake The case of every child of God and make The diffâ—rence right 'twixt the rebellious man And the obedient new-born Christian The last a weakling but a willing child The first both wicked false perverse and wild Upon whose back the crosse the rod must ly The serpents brood may be born down thereby Which both so numerous and so nimble be As atoms in the air before thine eye Or vapours-like from brooks corrupt that rise And do the shining of the Sun surprise Such is the sinning sin such is the seed Of Sathan in the soul such is the breed Whereby the new-born Christian is annoy'd Till by the grace of Christ they be destroy'd Worldly desires delights cares fears to daun The weeds of carnall lust how to supplant So as the seed of grace may sweetly spring Which successe makes us under sadnesse sing Believing certainly the truth of this
Spirit and the power of God seen in the creation and conservation of all things the Son of God and the Saviour of the World who in our own flesh hath died and risen again who hath testified all these truths and recorded them in His Testament to us according as He had Himself experimentally tryed the unutterable joyes of the one and the unsuperable dolors of the other to have been wrestled with sustained and fred of but by Himself alone who was God to sustain as He was man to suffer And yet for all this conviction and formall profession what is the greatest part of all ranks doing but deceiving themselves satisfied with a brain-light without any heart-change a lip-religion without any life-reformation So reasonlesse is the rationall creature become as to deny Him reasonable service who is the Author of their reason in believing Him and acquainting themselves with Him for their good But to proceed According to the difference betwixt the Believer and the unbeliever in life and death so is it after death when the Righteous Judge of all men shall give the finall sentence Then shall the carnall man who refused that great Salvation which is now obtained by believing in the only Son of God for the remission of sin being laid down in the grave bathed in the abominations of His apostasie and impenitencie be raised up again at the Latter-day soul and body joyning to receive the irrecoverable sentence of eternall condemnation and rejection from the gracious presence of God unto the place appointed for them And for the further manifestation hereof the Lord hath been pleased to suffer some being spiritually dead and refusing to come to the Physitian of souls for life and being thereby self-condemned to ly under desperation and torment of conscience even in this life So that both word and example may joyn to the conviction of such as will not be converted Whereas the true Believer who in their life had been dying unto sin and attained unto the first Resurrection in living unto righteousnesse laid down the body under hope shal at the second Resurrection both soul and body being joyned again in that spiritual and incorruptible constitution agreeable unto immortality lift up the head with joy in coming before the Judge knowing that all judgment is committed to the Son of God who is their Kins-man Mediator and Redeemer who knows well for whose transgressions He hes made Himself an offering for satisfying the justice of God that He may see His seed the travell of His Soul and be satisfied That the pleasure of the Lord in justifying many does prosper in His Hand and in congregating and uniting to Himself who is the glorious Head and making up all the Members in one Body to become the fulnesse of Him who fills all in all that the Marriage-day may be solemnized and the marriage fully accomplished before God and all the Hierarchy of Angels Arch-Angels Throns Dominions Powers Seraphims and Cherubins with Hosannas and Hallelujahs shouting for joy and sympathising in all cordiall harmony the praises of their King the Author and Finisher of their Salvation with songs sutable and acceptable to that all-glorious Auditory and the glorified associats and assistants in that unlimited circumference whereof the All-blessed and infinite Essence of God is the incomprehensible Center and that from minutly renewed and revealed matter without intermission for evermore And for the further establishment of which truth some of Gods Children even in this life have attained the fore-tastes of the first Fruits of these eternall Consolations that they are to feast upon after this life everlastingly And seeing it is so and known to be so by the Believer where should the furthest extent of his deepest apprehensions and greatest fervencie of his affections be fixed but upon Him alone by whom he shall injoy all this blesse salvation and consolation And to this end that as they know they may commend and as they prove they may love and praise Him according as they can attain to see and conceive Him by the mirror wherein He shines making Himself and His excellencies the matter of our songs in the house of our pilgrimage untill we come up to see Him as He is and enjoy Him in the fulnesse of that blesse by the earnest whereof we are sustained under Hope And for this end let our study be to take Him up more particularly 1. First what He is in Himself 2. And secondly what He is to us 1. He is in Himself 1. The mighty God the everlasting Father wonderfull Counseller the Prince of Peace Isaiah 9.6 2. He is the second Person of the all-adored Trinity 3. His delight hes been from all eternity to be conversant with the sons of men And for that end and that the fulnesse of the God-head might dwell in him bodily hes by the operation of the Holy Ghost assumed unto Himself the nature of man from the seed of the woman in the womb of the Virgin whereby He becometh the kins-man flesh of our flesh and bone of our bone subject to all our infirmities sin except that He might be a mercifull and a compassionate high Priest and a propitiatory sacrifice of a sweet smelling savour unto God in giving full satisfaction unto justice for the sins of the Elect in cancelling the hand-writing that spoke against them and nailing it unto the tree of the crosse when after the agony of His Soul He gave His Body to be crucified and His Blood to be shed for the Redemption of His beloved inheritance whom He hes thereby justified and will sanctifie and espouse to Himself delighted to see the increase of His grace in the Believer as the fruit and off-spring of the travel of His Soul and to whom He hes made Himself known to be the only Messias 1. First As Christ anointed Priest Altar and Sacrifice to satisfie and intercede for and reconceal us to God Prophet to instruct us in aâ—l truth and reveal the Fathers will to us and King to renew and defend His ransomed flock 2. Jesus a Saviour able to save to the utmost and cleanse them from all their sins 3. The Word incarnat from whom all our spirituall life comes 4. The Fountain opened from whence flowes all our consolation 5. The true Vine and prime branch whence influence ascends to all the members 6. The morning Star and Sun of righteousnesse by whom we are illuminate and revived 7. The Rock invincible and Corner-stone whereon our Salvation is built 8. The Mediator to procure acceptance to our persons and grants to our petitions 9. The Captain who is only able to conduct us through the wildernesse with safety 10. The bountifull Provisor for us in the midst of all our malicious enemies 11. The faithfull Witnesse who for all our failings and faithlesnesse will not deny Himself who changes not 12. This is our Emanuel our strong and mighty God who being with us what is it to us who be against us
He hes trod the wine-presse of Gods wrath alone and none with Him He hes bruised the head of the old serpent that was lifted up against us He hes given the deadly stroak to all our enemies led them captive and cast them under chaines of darknesse unto the condemnation of the great day and were there ever man or Angel could have imagined of such things to have been done for them And is it possible for us out of the deepest of our conceivings to think seriously of these wonders that the Lord hes eternally designed for us and in time done for us and not be ravished with the admiration of them and over-joyed in belief of them And yet what lesse could He have done for us seeing it was His holy and eternall determination to espouse us to Himself and for that end to sprinkle us with His bloud that we may be imbraced and put beauty upon us that we may be loved by Him who is all love and admitted to His Bed-Chamber and Breasts of consolation where feasting upon that all-fulnesse and unconceivable sweetnesse that is in Him we may say and sing As we have heard so have we seen In the City of our God and of our King A SONG OF DEGREES Ascending from what we were in Nature to what we are in Grace and thence to what we shall be by believing NOw Saviour dear my soul receive Flesh blood and bones slides to the grave Grace hath procur'd by argument Of Nature now a full consent That the body shall remain Asleep till I return again And that I shall approach and prove Sweet Saviour now thy saving Love Amongst these mansions shining bright Where souls are feasting on thy sight And at what instant thou dost call The body then assume I shall That thence restor'd for evermore We in thy face may God adore That seeing there as we are seen Where never cloud doth interveen Nor subtile serpent shall appear With syren songs to tempt the ear Nor interrupt our Songs of love So set our present thoughts above As is the Heaven of heavens so far From thoughts infirm that finite are But yet because the Glory there Transcends believing let us spare And set our Songs in order right According to our present Light Of faith which fraught with wonders clear By pond'ring makes grac'd-men admire His Love and beauty still increasing While we His praises be expressing Let us make His Glorious Name Our deepest thoughts our chiefest theam So as we may with singing move In joyfull Songs of Praise and Love His Name His Name most highest high Essentiall God in Majesty Who with the Father and the Sp'rit As Counseller did take delight In this most Glorious Universe And here with men for to converse By wisdome viewing all the wonders That now appear surpassing numbers In these magnificent degrees And statutes of eternities All things by Omnipotency From nothing op'ning instantly Omniscience all things observing His providence all things preserving In all their comings goings courses Places cases and recourses According to their inclination Set by supream preordination Of that eternall counsell standing And unsearchably commanding Seen and unseen varieties Diversities rarieties From that Infinity proceeding Transcending this dimm twi-light reading Even in these clear excellencies That obvious be unto our eyes Far lesse find out Him infinite In His perfections full compleat Incomprehensible and pure Uncheangable that does indure But let our faithfull thoughts be fixt Upon that new creation next Wherein we deeply be concern'd To dive and be divinely learn'd Not by the line of humane learning But by the spirit of discerning To know how that most fatall fall The race of Adam damned all Deserv'dly left and so forlorn In bands of death and darknesse born Till in that Counsell now admired That wisdom wonderfull umpired Mercy and justice entering band In upright righteousnesse to stand To ransome from that rotten stock And so redeem a saved flock By sep'rating a second Root That should produce a precious fruit And by a sappie substance firme Regenerat renew confirme Whereby the power of His Sp'rit The marvell of all marvels meet When Members mysticall implanted Be in the divine nature fainted As being in the Head divine Where God doth in His fulnesse shine For by this mysterie adored Christ mystical's from death restored Here Soveraignity does shine And Love anterior to time Unto the Elect does appear Illustrious and shining clear Omniscience observing all And every one about this ball In every one and all their cases That by His pleasure He imbraces Omnipotency such preserving As be convinc'd of no deserving His providences likewise prove The firmnesse of His faithfull Love The travell of His Soul reviving In that all-wonderfull contriving And fully satisfi'd therein Because the fruit should purge our sin Whereby we ly in bands of wrath Untill we do apply His death Opening our eyes to see with grief Our selves and Him a sure relief Firmly fixing in our thought The wondrous wayes whereby he brought From nothing us to nature then From reasonlesse to rationall men From reason render'd reasonlesse Not standing in our steadfastnesse But prostitute to sinfull lust Were under death and darknesse thrust Again this true eternall Love Mov'd by His Sp'rit again to move Upon that then confused masse More marr'd then the first Chaos was When this good Sp'rit to order wrought That glorious work from nothing brought Whereby we may our weaknesse see The more observant hence to be Impressions pressing on the heart From which he never will depart Untill His Image be repair'd And we for glorie be prepar'd But guides us all the way we go And when we wander warns us so That through a world we are led Of snares that be before us spred Where swarms of devils are devising Daily our darkned souls surprizing And what a fray of lusts unclean Are from the spawn of satan seen Kindled and cannot quenched be Untill corruption crushed be O wonder now and wondering sing The praises of this wondrous King God His own Son Gods sole delight The life of man the worlds light Man to redeem mans nature taking That he might die for mans up-making Obscur'd be put to grief and brusing And all with chiefest pleasure chusing In time prefixt His Seed to see EMANUEL marvelous will be And now as then divinely seeing Imbraces in this glorious being Every minut under time Souls redeem'd from every clime Where this glorious Gospel's sounding Alairts and parts this globe surrounding Swarming up in severall Legions Received in celestiall regions And ordered in prepared places According to their gifted graces This is our glorious King of Hosts Sing to His praise you blessed ghosts For at His feet youâ— foes do fall While He conveens combines you all Because your high and glorious Head His fulnesse you and Members made His pains your gains His glory now Made Him delight to be with you Angels in these wonders using Minds apted rapted be in musing And ministring their service still Adoring do His glorious will And Souls redeem'd their songs begin This glory as they enter in And we in contemplation now Delight to sympathize with you In your triumphant state adoring Your King and in His glory soaring Swiming in Oceans of delights And visions of transcendent sights These glorious objects of your seeing The subject of your singing being When His comfortable reflectings Shines upon your crosse neglectings And your putting Him to grief Meets with this Royal Grace-relief Seeing now as you are seen And knowing that you might have been Amongst the damn'd by your deserving Under utter darknesse starving Where millions every minut rumble And in endlesse torments tumble While you upon His face do feed And the righteous reasons read Of all His judgements just and high That holy and unchanged be When all the Generations Of men since the creations And Angels come both good and bad To hear their sentence sweet and sad When at the twinkling of an eye The wicked shall rejected be And will endure eternall pain Rather then see that face again In righteous judgement justly burning For their grievous guilty spurning When the Faithfull father'd aright Remain rejoicing in His sight Who be of His rich grace the seed And now incorporate in the head Wherein of God all fulnesse growes And on the Members overflowes Here men and Angels clearly see The Counsells of eternity Wherein the Son of God rejoyced Eternally to see proposed This state of Sonship to the Saints With whom espoused now He haunts In heavens of blesse so far above As is the heavens we see to move This earth above and passe accounts As infinite finite surmounts From ev'ry severall soul whose cases Differs further then their faces But when in these infinities We enter and eternities And in the pleasures thereof placed And glory there by grace imbraced According to the great design Of God our Lord doth then resign Power Kingdome and authority To God alone who sets him free Of all his foes who be brought down When he receives the Royall Câ—own Of triumph now Christ mysticall Fully compleat who filleth all Now in Hiâ— Bride redeem'd rejoycing And she with joy on Him reposing In these vast dimensions bright Where He alone is all her light Life diet and delight alone The subjects of their Songs each one Nor could created-heavens contain These glorious Songs there heard and seen Sounding out from every airt And every soul a severall part And in such order sweet compos'd As all the heavens shall be rejoyc'd In the uncessant consolation Of this redeemed corporation When the King of Kings the Head A King hes every Member made And Priest to offer praises due And constantly their Songs renew But as we said so let us cease Towards these mysteries to prease Eye hes not seen ear cannot hear Nor heart conceive till we appear What for the Chosen was prepar'd And then it duely be declar'd Only by believing this Shall be above believing blesse And blessednesse which might allay All our wrestlings in the way And under hope the soul sustain Untill we may the fruit obtain When we shall joine and be victorious In that triumphant state so glorious And springing through the Skies shall sing All joyfull praises to our King FINIS