his Soveraigne's Vice-Roy Rationall Faith faithfull reason A God-taught soule in all Consults with credits him No tell him o' th' Fathers He hath but one and that 's in heaven and he who gathers From him instructions as a guided guide Hee 'l use h'm if needs but first w'il hath ' father well tri'd By his not his by th' Father though he be as old As superannuated Pauls as bold As peremptorle as he that raskal'd Calvin As Holy as his Holinesse no reverend Calvin I 'de rather be a freemans slave be thine Then be a slave to slaves they 'le draw mee fine Directions whose selves are but th' Amanuenses Of their imperious lusts They 'le make offences Of working on a play day and none of playing Upon an holy day whose sweet'st mouth'd sayings Sic volo sic jubeo stat pro ratione voluntas Import to a discreete subaudi as What devillisher a Tyrant then a slave Hee le ride to th' devill and all the world wu'd have To beare him company but stay Sainctes Peres Or go if you will y'l ne'r meet with Sainct Pierre's Keyes nor St. Pauls Cathedrall there how e're Yee may with their attendants But whether wut be are M' incensed muse Reclaime no further forth Why flyest thou after Rookes they are not worth Thy looking on thy slightnig'st passing'st thought How came I then thus unawares transport I love thee Truth and thence it is I hate Truth hating falfehood with a perfect hare I can as well conteine my roused Spirits As bound the Ocean when thou bid'st it ferrie its Orerunning waves beyond its bounding banks What heaven-taught soule can brook these hell-learn'd pranks Sum Liber natus educatus and I can't indure be under Romes command The truth hath made me free and I am free Indeed and shall I againe in bondage be No hang 'em all an hundred thousand Jesuits And Jesuitized Buy-shops these pirckly Jebusites And Thorny Canaanites too long the'ave beene The outers of our eyes while ran us in The persecuted sides and thou great God That mak'st my flesh to tremble what period Will madnesse put to its untamed pride That dares to pierce th' omnipotent his side His eye his heart and is thy glory not As deare to thee as life what seeke they but That dreadfull glory Thy prerogative Their will must be our reason and we must live At their selfe-wir'd devotions according to Their monstrous wisedome not subordinate to Th' Creators word Behold the men are God Are b'come like one of them these od ' Cause-God uneavened soules the ' le not derive Their pollicies from him and won't he drive These Rebels out from their fooles Paradice They shan't survive our hopes and ever tice Fond soules with Coapes and Popes with Chringes Crosses * In the immediate solemne publike Worship before a promiscuous people whose Art and Heartleave them far below the subserviencie of such meanes Pipes Poppets Surplus and the Service tosses The Psalmes like Tennis balls the while they yawle Like Primmer Chits at their lessons and terribly bawle With such a mad confusion as if all Zeale lay i' th' tongue and th' eare nor need we r'call The spirits to the heart in a staid still posture To sing with grace within Still shall they foster VVinde-sucking soules with superstitious milke The while they ruffle it in their braving silke And like the childe that prides it in its new Gay sleeves how burnish swell at every view VVho dares come nigh 'em now unlesse he w'ud Be brow-beaten to the channell unlesse he stood H's due distance cap in hand And Sirra you Looke that you preach me thus and thus you 'le rue 'T else and he may believ 't by h's torvid lookes On th' Grave learn'd pious Minister whose bookes He is not worthy t' beare so sturdy and stout 'S advanced villany so pestilent devout Ther 's not a Puritan but hee 'le roote him out How strong Robustious lusty frollicke spracke Th' zeale kindled with a cup of bribing Sacke Now downe goes th' wicked houses all about The sacred Temple and that malapert Parochiall childe that dares s' unmannerly perk I'ts lolling head upon its Mothers side I'ts reverend aged Mother I can't abide Th'indecencie and disorder strike 't to th' ground That not a stone upon a stone be found VVhen forreigne and domestique Catholiques Come by and see this Massie Aedifice S' entire compleate a Masse of holy stones 'T will make 'em all turne Protestants at once But what when heare it in when see within As pretty Babes as Babie e're hath seene They 'd shake the cap from any wondring clowne And summons all the children of the towne Dim-sighted Gransiers and ye moap-ey'd dames Here 's curious spectacles to cleere your aymes Poore Soules How ridiculous your folly but yee How lamentable And cu'd I shew you the Soft pitty turnes my bowels and make you see Th'wild fury turnes your braines how glad you 'd be Your soules were rid o' th' servitude of men Your hearts were humble self-denying then They'd be th'free-schooles o' th' highest Majesty Where he wu'd sit and wu'd your Master be The humblest praying'st meditating'st soules Are those with whom he most communion holds There 's no man I call master only One Me th'truth in Him-the-only-Truth hath showne In this Light see I light light am I in this And where I a' n't more intimately into His I le get and be till I in every part Shall meet himselfe from th'interoccurring dark Deliver'd and make my sence-beshadowed faith Pellucid sence i' th' meane heare what he saith Hath promis'd hee 'le never leave his Saints untaught But into All Truth they shu'd by his Spirit be brought And when I learne of any it shall bee O' th' humblest men for most of God they see 'Ts the sight of God makes th' only kindly breach On th' heart the head doth only truly teach But when in Heaven I most of God shall see And therefore there most knowing-humble bee But since this humble knowledge is such an Heaven I le have a care how here I am deceiven Here be as truly knowing as I can So truly humble so an Heavenly man ANd art thou silenc't too sweet Lute 1640. Thou dost nor preach nor yet dispute No contraversie but consent 'S the language of my Instrument Yet what rude rufling Priest appeares To plucke Appollo by the eares Ar't thence so mute as out of heart to sing Till th' freed Evangelists fresh ditties bring Be then suspended on the willowes While th' Babilonians tauntings fill us My cunning hand forget thy skill And thou my dancing tongue be still Ther 's yet refreshing times may shew These briske suspenders Then while they howle their penitentiall Psalm My pittying thankes congratulate the Calme Then sing Why why not now or how With Him doth differ Then and Now With him my onely joy who while He is my clowded brow shall smile Serene Aspects through th' grimmest night
SOLILOQVIES THEOLOGICALL I am alone and yet I am not stone for the Father is with mee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thy people shall be Munificencies free Princely Heroicalnesses thy Voluntiers in the day of thy Power thy Army in the beauties of Holinesse Psal 110. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In that day it shall be said I am for the Lord. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 They stedfastly beheld him and were abundantly enlightned Psal 34.5 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sophocles Surely men of high degree are vanity men of low degree a lie to be held in the ballance they are altogether lighter than vanity Psa 62.8 Heu quantillum videmus Nil scimus nil sumus We know we are nothing And unto man he saith Behold the feare of the Lord that is wisdome and to depart from evill is understanding Job They have rejected thy word therefore is there no wisdome in them Jer. By J. S. Gent. London Printed by G. Bishop and R. White for Tho. Vnderhill at the Bible in Woodstreete 1641. Christian Reader THou I mean who art not the nominall but the reall not the titular but the title-inlivening Christian Whose heart knowes the meaning of such a dreadfully glorious and gloriously dreadfull undertaking to be called by the name of God Thou that fearest the Lord greatly and art greatly awed at the least of his words Thou with whom the goodliest profession will passe but for a guilded formality that suffers it selfe to be wanting in morality As knowing there may be some vertues where there is no grace but there can be no grace where there is not all vertues As knowing where the choicest eminencies of nature come short their Christianity exceeds where the Moralist ends the Divine begins He that lives not soberly and righteously it is impossible he shud live godlily It is works that must justifie our faith as well as faith our works It is a Christ of our own making and not Jesus the Son of God that is learned otherwise While we think to be saved either by or without Obedience The two Rocks whereon the world is Shipwrackt while the God-instructed Christian keeps the narrow Channell Thou that makest more conscience of art more watchfull more carefull of the least ill word ill thought then the Christian at large of all the ill deeds of his whole life As far more willingly choosing the bitterest death then the sweetest sin as knowing thou shat find it the end of sin that was the beginning of death Thou that hast an abundant entrance administred to thee in that straite and narrow way to the Kingdome of Heaven That hast all the Commandements of God That keepest all his wayes in a Gospell acceptation in the uttermost latitude extent and spirituality of them to the very first rising of concupiscence and yet hast an easie yoke a pleasant burthen While thou art endeavouring all to the uttermost and utterly denying all thy endeavours Thou that art a wonder to thy selfe the gazing stock of men and Angels of the congratulating joyes of some of the calumniating envies of other while thou art so wonderfully and fearefully made A man of such blessed wonders being a part of that unparalelled Master-piece of the Eternall Wisdome the Lord Christ Thou that knowest what it is to lie under those pressing weighty and over-bearing apprehensions of an infinite Majesty resident in the soule crushing as it were and contriting it to the most disshivered minutest pieces while it is still firmly and intirely fixed on Him and with full purpose of heart cleaving to Him in such a sweet and blessed repose such a perfect peace that Millions of Millions of Worlds can neither give thee nor take from thee Who at thy worst to speak after the manner of men since all is good thy distractedst condition as the World calls it findest that reall substantiall that pure and as I may say infinite comfort in the most clouded darke dejected disconsolate hope that is objected on a simple and infinite God that all the unclean scanty-spirited self-imprisoned World cannot once conceive at the highest of their mad merriments and madding jollities That findest inexpressibly more content in the very longest waitings for any the least beam of grace to be glanced on thee through the face of thy Christ then thou canst nay then the joviallest themselves can while they goe laughing along with the foole to the stocks in the loudest blaze of their crackling their dying Thornes that end in a bed of ashes When thy soule shall be reposed in a bed of ever-flourishing soft and fragrant Roses The savour whereof as by a gentle winde from a garden of Spices is conveyed to thy Heaven-travelling soule And hence is it that all the world to thee that livest in so sweet and fresh a Countrey is but a miery and stinking City thou canst no way indure longer then thou hast a Pomander of this in thy nostrils Thou sincere single-eyed-single-hearted loyall soule whom nothing can please and who wilt please nothing but thy God That hast no affection for thy selfe for any but what are subordinate to Him his sweet and holy command As having learned the truth in the power the love the life thereof doest truth and therefore commest to it in its searchingst discoveries walkes in it rejoyces in it since thou hast known it as it is in Him who is the Way the Truth and the Life the true and living way In which never seducing path goe all thy affections actions motions As holding fast the faith and love which are in Him living godly in Him In Him doing being all that thou art Thou that art of all men most like an Hypocrite while of all thou dost most differ from him That art as like him to the eye of the world as a Diamond to a Bristoll Stone while thou differest from him toto coelo as much as truth from falsehood good from bad heaven from hell Thou that art incouraged by thy discouragements and furthered by thy scandals and hinderances of Christianity As knowing that Difficilia quae pulchra Excellent things are hard but when they meet with a man of an excellent spirit And then their very difficulties and excellencies make them easie because more animate and intend his spirit to their prosecution As knowing the truth sincerely the heart and realitie of Religion to be so much the more amiable lovely and choice-worthy by how much the more faire Commendable and admirable is its counterfeit As arguing that if Hypocrisie can make so goodly and delectable a shew and yet be but a shew what then is that sinceritie that is the substance if that can attaine to such an emminencie such a glory and yet be as blacke as Hell to the eyes of the all-discerning Sunne and inherit the place of the utmost and remotest darkenesse what then is this that differs as much from it as God from the devill Thou who knowest no readier and safer way to humilitie then that which
night This black-Prince-ruled world but where in thine Thy Word Saints Spirit thou art pleas'd to shine My soul is dark my brightest light but dim This yet 's my joy all I have I have from Him VVith Wanes and Changes now I oft decline But in the Full shall shortly ever shine Freed from this Leasehold earth this shady night Fully possesse possessed by the Light VVhose beaming favours from his Darkelesse face Condign'd his Choice Coheires of Glorious Grace I See no light and yet so much I see As darkes all other lights I feele no love And yet so much I feele as makes me flee All other loves when other joyes can't move My heart that sad perplexities annoyes I joy this griefe and grieve all other joyes Lord art thou gone What shalt thou so be lost Thy glorious eye into this heart hath sent The spark hath took the whole an Holocaust It restlesse mounts unto its Element Fire of the Spirit it is 't will make no stay Till to the Spirit of fire't hath burnt its way Shew me the Father and it shall suffice Whom ne'r man saw and liv'd yet seen of men If death wu'd doe it 't were well for wicked eyes Nor dead nor living yet seen of men how then Dead and alive in thee and by thy Light I feed on that full satisfying sight 'T is not the predisposed Organ here That needs the Medium of a Mediator Quicks deadned eyes th'obscured Object cleares To th'lightlesse Creature the great Light Creator Here see I all I 'd have the world is want The Bed's too short the Coverings are too scant BLack thoughts as black as hell and yet more black Their paines extort their lies Not Good What lack Hast thou of all content but only this I cannot see not say Good Good He is Mad thoughts As mad as Hell and what 's more mad Then to confesse He is and yet is bad More reason 's in m'unreasonablenesse VVhen say there is no God then not confesse Him Good Him only Good O could I thinke My heart so gone in love so brought to 'th brinke Of those Celestiall Rivers thence shu'd shrink And steale me to th' infernall Lake I think VVho did so deeply of his goodnesse drink That this was in my heart my heart in Heaven Ne'r will I trust what hath me so deceiven No no nor what I say for if I doe 'T will cheat me in That Resolution too Ah Lord what wo'nt I do whom even now Thou feasted'st with the sweets of God yet how How soon my mouth was full of gaulie taste That thou shu'dst throw away the world as waste And Fire-fit refuse yet so sure combine Me in that Jesu bundle of Life with Thine Elect who'st room enough in Him for all Or might'st have kept them from their former fall Blest God! 't is therefore that I love thee so That thou these wise-hid-depths to Babes wu'dst show VVhen Fools proud wisdome scorns to stoop so low Thou nothing do'st because 't is Good 't is Good Because Thou do'st it Thy good pleasure wu'd That this be so even so be it who will Doe what They will may thank themselves for th' ill Ensu's but what Thou wu't Thy grace VVho'rt plac'd to dwell in Satans Place O love The God of glory Come Good God! in th'unclean Spirits room VVhat am I Lord And what thy whole Creation That Thou shu'dst condole VVer 't but a Man but Millions so condole As t'beare the Shame Blame Death the whole Evils of thy Sainted Rebels whom Justice judg'd meriting one doome Love Goodnesse shu'd I praise extend Unto its due I shu'd ne'r end Nor wu'd nor will but make my dayes Expire in Panegyrick laycs TEach me Thy Foolish wisdome Lord and let The blindfold world choose wiser Follies set My heart in frame to Learn-Love-Doe Thy will To feare to Think Speak Act the smallest ill Here wisdome takes beginning only Here Where feare shall teach me wisdome wisdome feare Thou art Only-Wise-Immortall God and He That 's taught of Thee but only taught is he VVhose humble feare dives in those depths too deep For haughty Ignorance Sleep fondlings sleep And hug your dreames of wit but when you wake You 'le dearely rue your obstinate mistake HOw pleasantly I weare away my dayes I' th' sence o'renewed strength My strength decaies And rises by his ruines I melt away How sweetly melt still drop proud flesh defray Your marrow to maintain these flames still burne Ble'st spirit burne me all to fire turne Thoughts will prey on my spirits life will away Then live my sprightfull thoughts on your decay Life Life of Lives 'T is only Then I Live VVhen ready stand prepar'd with Joy to give Up my Accompt and speed me to that day That gives me Life Indeed because for Aye O When shall I put off these fleshly Clothes And in my Earthy Bed take sweet repose Untill that Morning come that Holy day In holy Pleasures I shall ever Play On well tun'd Heart that Heart inamouring ditty That is the Consort of that Heavenly Citie Even so Lord Jesus Come when breakes the day Show's us Thy face the shadow 's flowne away Even so Lord Jesus Come when breakes the day Amen Amen the Bride and Spirit say I Come I Come so come that we may come Riding o' th' Cloudes unto our Fathers Home MElt in thy Fire my Earth blest Spirit blow M'into a Glasse through whose transparent pores My radiant streames of holy luster flow Into my light-enliv'ned soule now poares On those dim glimmerings thorough this darksom dust Yet more ob scured by th'False-lights of Lusts More then more strong be those thy glorious rayes To lift my heart up to thy heavenly wayes Till thou shalt spiritualize my very flesh And make my glorious body see no lesse I Cannot hold so full so full of Thee Sweet Father help the more 's the Revelation Of Truth the more th'more strong the test'mony Of love the more th'more strong is the temptation My Love burnes still and from that fire comes light Restores the day unto my darkest Night For still I say I know I 'm ignorant And very bad but Thou art Wise and Good I can't but love Thee Thy Love-Letter I can't But I must reade thus Truth is understood Receiv'd with love without delusion so By knowing I learn to Love by loving Know. A holy Life 's the clearest Commentary I finde o' th' sacred Text the Spirit 's actuall Interpretation 'T unites what seemes contrary Parts One in Two show's how 't is it doth call Griefe joyfull faithfull feare lofty humblenesse Destinguisheth of Prayer Faith show's who confesse Who makes the Word a Lanthorn to his feet God to his pathes to mak 't a Light think 's meet HOw giddy I am with viewing the Sea I 'd know Why Thou't so ebb to some to some so flow Why this man 's left the other Love doth take But woe t' him dares debate with h's Maker make O
The man 's in love VVhose reason 's in his Mistresse ' will This th' Primum Mobile doth move His mind her madnesse to fulfill The man 's in love and loves with skill VVhose reason 's in his Master's will The man is mad her will 's no reason The man 's wise Reason is his Will The man 's a Rebell his love is Treason Loyall he whose love His Law fulfils Hee 's wise that knowes it he knows that loves it He loves that doth it He doth that loves it PUrities foes swell like a tottering wall Threatning whole Kingdoms with their shaking fall But they proud fooles are sure to have the worst Our shaking settles us they fall and burst Courage my hearts the joy of God's our strength Then joy we most when most we 've need of strength Courage my hearts what shall such men as wee Such men as wee shall we once thinke to flee Conquerours of Mell and shrinke before a flie Sons of the everliving God and feare to die Nor is it death 't is but the end of death Our life 's our death our death 't is gives us breath Unprison'd once ever in the open ayre Perfus'd with spirits by a spirit so rare Pure simple life O that we once were not That we might be Courage my hearts 't is but This wall of mud that us and heaven parts So ne'r our Center and so slow our hearts No holy efforts Let th' unfaithfull know Their valour's cowardize to that we show Laugh death i' th' face and shout at his Alarmes Imbrace him kisse him leap into his armes Hee 's a nimble messenger will quickly beare us Where unconceived endlesse joyes shall cheare us 'S th' word given Sa Sa sa sa sa brave hearts T 's this wall of mud that us and heaven parts The wicked is Gods hand there Sword his Lancet Pricks our importun'd soule and so advance it Which cu'd we as fully espy as when we see The Chirurgion breathe a veine how glad wee 'd be T'come under th'cure of such a skilfull hand Translates us with a touch to th' holy Land Feare not he bids he 's with us now see I Our soules on Angels wings surmount the skie Come let 's ascend our Thrones against our Judges Sit wth our Judge while th'gnashtheir teeth wth grudges Wee'z see them naked trembling at our sight Devest of stollen Honours borrowed might Heare them implore the Mountaines come end them But sha'nt so ward the blows our mouths shal send them They shall not scot-free scape and who can tell How soon the quiet of the Land may dwell In homes as quiet as their soules who knowes But we may get even this day of our foes Th're many cunning false strong watch malicious He 's One wise true ne'r slumbring strength propitious And shall th'e're-waking Judah's Lion wake And rouze his heart-dead-striking head hee 'le take Hee 'le touze them in his teeth like baffling whelps And shake them into Atomes None ther 's helps From his own ceasing straite dismembring paw Of all contemners of his Gospell-Law Come let the Spirits mighty rushing winde Dispell those clouds from the corrupted mind The muddy grounds of humane braines exhald By that false Lucifer at length b'unvail'd That beauteous Light of Truth at length Traditions Damn'd with the Man of Sin Sonne of Perdition Let 's cleare our passage t'immateriat joye From these materiate obstructions cloy The Subtle veines of Sin-refined soules And in the sence the Spirits sweets withholds Come le ts unstoppe the Conduit pipes of Grace From mud and trash the sullied glasse the face Of Christ that shewes let 's cleare let 's cleare our way Through Antichrists to Christ work wait praise pray Hold up prevailing hands in praying action ' Gainst Babylon and the Babylonish faction Let God arise display his glorious rayes Dispell the infernall mists obscure his praise Undraw the Curtaines intercept his face Precipitate each Judah's to his place Betrayes him with a Ceremonious kisse Their Bishopricks be others Benefice Clothe him with Purple cry haile King bow th'knee Yet spit yet smight yet naile him to the Tree Base spirits can hold and see him so blasphem'd Not take his part by who we 've been redeem'd Courage my hearts then courage to observe All 's written in his Law on no hand swerve Help us to help thee Lord against their might In thy Pavilion hide 's and let them fight I' th secret of thy presence lead thy Lambes In gentle safe conveyance from the hands Pride-cruell hands of men of bloods then damne Then damnifie men-devils if you can Die live we are the Lords are in our way Now beare the Crosse shall weare the Crown That day Nay th' Crosse is boar'n the shame despis'd and wee Are glorious in the greatest infamie The Crosse is boar'n the feare despis'd and wee May must exult i' th' daring'st jeopardie The Crosse is boar'n the griefe despis'd and we Are Crown'd with Heaven i' th' Crossing'st miserie VVHat ailes me thus this morning why so dull The flesh the flesh my life even in the flesh 'S by th'faith o' th' Son of God O were I full Of this I 'd walk I 'd run I 'd flie afresh Nor faint nor wearies God nor I I know Shall be but reap for as he 's I am so Up Eagle-wing'd faith up remount thy mount Of Prayer mount of Transfiguration Still in this vaile of Teares Still shall I count The tedious houres of this sad alteration Still buffeted Thornes still Lord perfect then Thy strength in weaknesse thy glory 's mine Amen HAd I the faith I could doe all things cu'd Turne earth to water water into ayre Aire into fire from melancholly wu'd Extract a fluent mildnesse from that reare Spirituall breathings and they wu'd soon take fire And beare my soul unto its high desire So may my faith not only goe beyond My sence but go against it and beyond Not only lead my joyes above the earth But make my sorrows vanish into mirth T 's an infant faith that must be handed on By th'worlds supports and a decrepit one That stoops unto the ground and cannot goe Without th'upholdings of these Reedes below But mine 's more ag'd and shu'd the stronger grow Int 's oldest yeares So make me Lord to goe From strength to strength I may goe all alone When but thy Hand Word Spirit help I 've none When but this help What Make a But of That Which made the world that Al-sufficient That What have I'n Heaven but Thee in all the Earth But Thee My Heaven my Earth my All what mirth Can all the world possest afford me'if Thou Art wanting But Jehovah present how Can Worlds can Hells once move m'with all their ill Who have the God that All things hath at will When thou that mad'st the Sun to shine on all Sha't make th' worlds favours round about me fall Shu'd I salute thee with a cheerefull thankes That may be mine and not
command them off is indeede to command a mans selfe the most noble conquest And surely this magnanimitie this inlargeing this heighthning heate and vigour of heart is conveyed in equally with those beames of divine illumination Which wonderfully marvellous light which kingdome of Heaven first entering into us and wee into it at our first entrance on Mount Sion workes thus diffusively on the understanding-the-heart-the whole All things are as they are compared to God but him in the face of Christ I see the onely good and therefore as contraries illulustrate each other whom have I in earth in Heaven but Thee I see nothing in the whole creation in its best and setledest state but a blacke and horrid Caos of vanitie of deformitie farther then it partakes of him farther then I can espie in it the scatterings of the divine Raies And surely the men of the world comparing themselves with themselves and the things with the things of the world are not wise Rectum est index sui obliqui The light of the manifestation of it selfe and darkenesse He then that doth truth commeth to this light to see whether his workes be of God T 's the shining Sunne discovers those motes of sinne Those subtler mists of fleshie steames betweene Our spirit our light our life and us those beames Of shadowing lusts that darke our lightfull beames Still shine lo'd Sunne discovering still dispell And in dispelling discover our heart-bred hell Those uncouth Cells those shades of dismall death Those haunts of horrid Fiends whose mickle skeath Of mortall wounds hous'd in a golden sheath Of minion comforts steale away the breath With fatall kisses whilst th' guile-favouring night Maskes their infernall shapes till th' friendly light Of faithfull truth appeare and put to flight Their wilely force b' its wisely succouring might Thus more commended it my triumph more Increast such enemies so triumphed o're Thus the sincere heart brings himselfe and all the world to this all-revealing Sunne to see what they have of him in whom hee hath approved the onely and onely fincere-making excellencies by that single eye of faith that singles him out as its onely object as desiring to see nothing but him at least mediately if not immediately And though this latter is the way wherein the earnestly heartie desires of the soule run after the full and uninterrupted in oyment of God yet in regard of the frailtie of the flesh the weakenesse slendernesse imbecilitie of the intermediate spirits that are as the ties and ligaments betwixt the foule and the body and could not long conteine themselves without being utterly dissolved shud they be unintermittedly bent and held up to that extensive intensivenesse whereunto they are wrought by those great and glorious thoughts of those savoury and cordiall apprehensions which in the Lord Christ they have and without him they cannot have of that simple and infinite good which not onely carry forth the soule in a glad venture but transport it in an eager pursuit of this happy dissolution yet bethinking it self that there may be a selfe-seeking in this selfe-loosing that it is to live to others not it selfe to doe not receive it is willingly forced with a kind of unpleasant pleasantnesse to further entertaine its faith in naturall sense least it should wholly vanish into supernaturall So may our soules O Lord be incessantly continually devoted to thy feare so may they be devout even in all their earthly affaires may se devovere vow themselves from themselves and pay their vowes continually So may they ever live in thy fight in thy light that they may never depart from thy feare that they may never more give the lie to their professed knowledge fellowship with the light by walking in the wayes of darknes but shew forth the glory of their father in Heaven by the reflection of their serene sincere light some conversation on earth And certainly could we stand with this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this stretching forth of the head in an earnest looking on him and longing for him wee shu'd have such an assuence of light and life breake in upon our soules and shine on our wayes that we shu'd walke up and downe like starres shot from Heaven till having dazled the eyes of the world into an envious astonishment wee shu'd remount for ever fixed in our highest spheare Now according as our aspect is on Him so is it also to others if that but oblique this but dimme and obscure but if that perpendicular this lively and glorious O that wee were more excellently skilled in these holy optickes we cu'd not but be in Theologie and therefore in Ethicks Oeconomicks c. And cu'd we but live soberly righteously and godlily upon as we ran not but cannot chuse but upon the sight of God avant then false lights false comforts for ever then he that shall come will come and will not tarry for the Lord is certainly waiting to bee gratious to that soule that is thus stedfastly waiting to be guided by him This indeed being the product the effect of the sense of that Neither know I any such if any other sincere and constant seeking as that when I thought of an absent God I was troubled and refused to be comforted by any thing but himselfe as knowing nothing else true comfort Neither can there be such seeking but from a true and lively saith not such a waiting but from a sincere-and-fervent love therefore not unlikely the Apostle thus intimating the nature of these graces translates those passages of Esaiah 11.10 with Rom. 15.12 1 Cor. 2.9 with Isa 64.4 seeke trust waite love Seeking faith and waiting love Here is that great Art of a Christian to be seeking still seeking the face of God I have set the Lord Alwayes before my face therefore c. Seeke yee the Lord and seeke his face Evermore I am Continually With thee Be in the feare of the Lord all the day long Here is that great difference of sinceritie and hypocrisie Will the hypocrite pray alwayes Will he seeke God in prosperitie as well as in adversitie At mid day in his businesse all the day long hourely and minutely as well as morning evening and at the solemne assembly Will he live the life of faith in the flesh in all sensuall things is he crucified to the world and the world to him Is he dead and this that even his mortall body lives is it by the quickning of the spirit doth hee walke up and downe the world as a man that hath neither life nor soule but onely as inlivened as animated hence is he ever lifting up his face to God that that flood of light and life that thence with such mighty incomes flowes in upon the soule might beare downe before it every thought that exalts it selfe against the kingdome of the Lord Christ c. that wholy given over to the power sway and guidance of it wholly casting it selfe into its imbracings while it
hither that holy holy holy I am a man c. Hither that behaviour of the foure and twenty Elders that on the contemplation of the excellencies of God threw downe their crownes their excellencies at his feete as being nothing but what they had of Him in Him for Him But life would faile mee in referring zeale and constancie c. and all other graces hither in what dependancie relation they stood to one another Sinne being like so much muck and dung on the fire of zeale the more unmixt the more intent c. The feare of the Lord being a cleant feare and abiding for ever make me sound in thy statutes and steadfast in thy Covenant The inheritance undefiled that fadeth not away 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 how that the purer the thing is the more free from corruption heterogeneousnesse the more stable firme durable it is so the body so the soule But now we know this puritie this sinceritie is by this discovery therefore this constancy this zeale c. And hither that the things that are seene are temporall but the things that are not seene are eternall The things that are not seene being rare pure holy simple c. and therefore free from corruption and therefore from alteration from decay But into what a blessed maze and gladly involving labarinth hast thou wound thy selfe O my soule And sha't thou be so unhappy ever to finde the way out againe Is it not good for us ever to wander here in these paths of pleasure and walkes of delight Can there be any thing that can steale away the heart so surrounded with such glories such loves But art thou not to thy selfe but to thy God and doth he call thee to workes of an inferiour nature Still worke and wonder worke and love worke and blesse still keepe thy ground thy God who is the God of the vallies as well as of the mountaines And still while thou art walking with him thorough a diverse path loose thy selfe in him who shall shortly with all them that in truth have knowne his name be ever lost in the blessed contemplation of the wonderfull contrivances of the eternall wisedome When there shall be no more eating and drinking no more sleeping and rest no more spending of spirits no more avocations from the immediate and uninterrupted continually active contemplation in that full vision of the onely blessed God and in him of all his wonderfull works When there shall be no successivenesse of plenary intuition and perfect action but still the heart that knowes-loves-obeyes him continually overpowred with the blessed vision and over-flowing in loves and sweetnesses shall be incessantly running over in heart ravishing praisings and intranced in perpetuall extasies Who is it that even now is able to conceive the heaven that is in his owne heart what then when we there see and love-and-sing-and-sing-and-love-and see eternally when we shall not onely have the spirit in us but be in be wholy in the spirit Perfused baptized overwhelmed with it Not onely see and have light joy love spirit but be In nay be spirit light joy love And now O Lord what are wee that it should be thus with us O thou life of life and being of beings thou incomprehensible God! What is it to thee that wee know thee that we love thee what pleasure hast thou in our righteousnesse or what profit it is to thee that we make our wayes perfect surely O Lord thou hast thou hast none who art so infinitely above all happie and holy none but what thou acceptest as such in him in whom thou onely art in whom we onely are well pleased In whom thou wilt welcome us with a Well done good and faithfull servant when thou shalt finde us so doing who have done nothing What are our understandingst thoughts of thee but as so many mishapen confused conceits What our appositest speeches but as so much jabbering and gibberish What our accuratest performances but as so many trifling toyes All childish childish all What are they further then they are exercises of then they are testimonies of our love the end the summe of all the Commandements Yet what too are our strongest our heart-possessingest loves but as so many fond and fleeting passions And yet thou looking on us and we on thee thorough the face of thy Christ that perspective of mutuall lustre and glory from in and for whom are all our thoughts words affections actions and ought that ought is art pleased to accept them as the thoughts as the language as the love as the life of Angells Whom thou hast made ministring spirits to thy chosen thy faithfull that wee with them and they with us preferring each other in honour might all joyntly promote the honour of our onely-honour-worthy God O the freenesse of thy grace the unfathomednesse of thy wisedome the incomprehensiblenesse of thy glory O where is the learning that hath learnt thee that would not willingly debase it selfe throw downe it selfe as the footstoole before thy Throne and the Throne of thy Christ as being nothing but what it is in raysing up the soule to a dutie-learning to an humble walking with thee that would not willingly as it were unlearne all and learne it over againe in thy Christ where are those fond and selfe-conceited Opiniasters that would not lay downe all at his feete at least meekely and selfe-suspectingly mannage their Scripture-unevidenced tenets O did we know in what a blacke cloud of ignorance wee were all involved in what a night of palpable darkenesse an epithite not unknowne to a Christian heart that cannot but be feelingly sensible of it Had our memories oftener recourse to that Originall pride that confounded the language of our minds as well as that of our tongues or thought that multiplicitie and incertainty of opinions may since purposely be permitted by the divine wisedome and gratious justice to lay us low in our owne eyes to make us out of love with our selves c. how could we then be so proud and not so so contentious Why may not all that hold the same head have the same heart why may not there be dissention without contention But every one seeke their owne and none of Christ Which true foundation or foundation of truth laine in the heart if any shall as who doth not among our gold and silver unwittingly build straw and stubble why should not we labour to purge one anothers drosse with a tender love and carefull salvation as I may say of one anothers respects content peace whom the God of love and peace hath promised to save eternally Or had we observed that it is with Christians as with the tenent and mortesse in building the condyles and concavities in the bones of the body he is that eminent at one end as it were may be defective at the other that is excellent in this may be wanting in that that so wee may fall in with joyne closer to one another in one the
patience waite on that God either for helpe in or from distresse whom I beleeve not on good grounds to be my reconciled father in Christ Who in him hath promised both who is faith full and will not suffer c. 1 Cor. 10.13 and thus beleeveing how can I but thus patiently waite on him And happy thrice happy man is he that thus waites thus beleeves Let our afflictions be never so various never so tedious let our mindes be never so disquiered our bodies never so diseased our estates never so distracted in a word let deepe call upon deepe and all the waves and billowes of God passe over us as David complaines Psal 42.7 let afflictions be continuall as v. 3. yet but let us with the hand of faith lay fast hold on his loving kindnesse v. 8. on his power in taking him for our rocke v. 9. and this will beare up our heads from sinking cheare up our hearts from fainting close up our mouthes from murmuring yea fill them with praises v. ult in the middest of the waters be they never so violent never so shorelesse Confesse I do the multitude and continuance of crosses are of themselves too heavy weights and may adde much to the burthen so much it may bee as may bruise but never so much as may breake the backe of a true beleever And yet why talke I either of bruising or breaking since I may boldly say be but consident and you shall be patient be but patient and the burthen shall be tolerable and not onely tolerable but easie not easie onely but pleasant A paradox to a naturall man but to a spirituall a most approved truth Otherwise what lesse then a rigid taskmaster might the spirit of God seeme Who instead of facilitating a Christians suffering should by the imposing of an impossibilitie exasperate it were it not a grace that he wu'd give to the humble James 1. v. 2. a verse with the two following well worthy your serious consideration Hee saith not repine not or further be patient but yet further rejoyce and how coldly or by halfes no with all joy and that when in temptation onely no in temptations and those divers too and that indefinitely for degrees not in little onely but in temptations be they what they will be more or lesse more or lesse violent and that when we meet with temptations No when we fall into them when we tumble as it were headlong into the pit whence there is no easie or suddaine rising So that we must not onely not repine but be patient not onely bee patient but rejoyce and that with all joy and that even in the middest of the most tedious most various most grievous temptations not onely in the calmenesse of peace in the Sunshine of honour in the harvest of riches in the Eden of pleasure in a word when the faire skie of prosperitie on every side invites us thereunto but even then when the glorious Sunne of comfort our ever-gracious God withdrawes his loving countenance from the sensuall eye within the darke clouds of poverty disgrace sicknesse c. when on every side the tempests of trouble and anxiety beat hard on the soule then even then is it time for it by the spirituall eye of faith to pierce these clouds and see the loving countenance of its God shining on it even then as bright as ever Then is it time for patience to be a prop to the head for joy to bee a cordiall to the heart Away then with that distrust that breeds impatiency that impatiency that breeds sorrow that sorrow that breeds affliction For indeed no evill afflicts further then it affects nor affects farther then it enters nor enters farther then it findes a distrusting and yeelding heart Let not therefore unbeliefe betray your soule to the tyranny of griefe Let then the divell the world and the flesh conspire against us let them muster up all their forces let them environ us with the closest siege let them cut off all comfortable supplies let them make the most thundering temptations the most piercing calamities they can devise yet why should wee so dishonour our good disadvantage our selves as to yeeld where he hath undertaken to defend where with out yeelding there is no being overcome and where the being overcome is so dangerous Maugre all the sicknesse and paine of the flesh all the discredit displeasure disprofit of the world yea all the temptations of the divell whatsoever make but God your stay and strength bring but your heart to him by unfained repentance for your swarving from him and him to your heart by a faithfull dependance and relying on him and you shall remaine as mount Zion that shall not bee removed And happy happy sure is that man whose enemies make him such a friend And indeed nothing nothing so happy were you when they presented themselves unto you under the specious vizard of health wealth and honour When they fang unto you their intising songs of ease peace and pleasure as now when they show themselves in their colours come against you with banners displayed and beat up on every side alarums of terrour and amazement For then were those fained songs apart to lull you asleepe in the cradle of securitie those false sights to make you take them for friends at least not for foes at least not so deadly foes But now you see them in their right shape heare them in their right tone you fly for succour from a dissembling enemy to a faithfull friend Who in that he is God cannot but give safe protection who in that he is good cannot but give all ready and requisite protection to all that truly come in unto him And surely he that is all in all is able to counterpoise yea infinitely to over-poyse all carnall contentments For indeed what of delight is there in any of these worldly things we call good as health wealth c. Which from him they have not or without him can have There is there is surely nothing in them of themselves but vanitie and vexation of spirit Neither is it the meere want or possession of them but the absence or presence of our ever-present God in or with them that can make a man 〈◊〉 â—â—acher happy or unhappy How else can Paul and Sylas sing in a prison when Ahab lies sorrow-sick in a Palace How else can Jobs losse make him patiently dedendon God when Judahs gaine makes him desperately depend on a tree God then must be the ingredient in all these earthly things else are they like those physicall drugges with uncorrected sooner ruine then restore So that what is prosperitie unsanctified but adversitie what adversitie sanctified but prosperitie And blessed ever blessed is that man that thus knowes the peace of perplexitie the riches of poverty the credit of discredit the pleasure of paine the health of sicknesse the libertie of imprisonment the joy of sorrow in a word the prosperitie of a adversitie And this he