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[Page] A SUBPAENA from the high Imperiall Court of Heauen, to bee serued vpon all men: vpon an Information preferred by IVSTICE against Man-kinde.
With the Answer, and Reply from MERCIE, and her directions how to come to Heauen, if we auoyd Sinne.
SHrinke not from this Subpaena, which is pend;
esteeme it well, for sure thou must appeare:
What thou hast been, and how thou do'st offend.
each word & thought will be prescribed there.
Rightly that Iudge, will thy Records foorth call;
daily therefore prepare vnto thy tryall:
None is exempt, all must then prostrate fall
at Deaths commaund, no man can make deniall.
Now then prouide, on paine of thy damnation,
here to amend thy former euill wayes:
Oh sinner, learne to seeke for thy saluation,
if thou in Heauen wouldst haue eternall loyes.
O Iesu ardens [...].
Imprinted at London by I. White.
1620.
[Page] [Page]A SƲBPAENA.
The Information of Iustice.
ALmighty GOD,
thou Monarch of all might.
Who made the Sea, the Earth,
the Heauens and all:
Whose Malestie,
whose power is infinite:
at whose command all powers do prostrare foll:
By whom all Monarchs of the world doe raigne;
who setteth vp, and pulleth downe againe.
Instice complaines, whereas our of thy Grace,
thou mad'st a Creature of the earthly frame,
And put him in a most delightfull place,
with all aboundance richly in the same,
Where nothing wanted to content desire,
which heart or soule for solace might require.
His Will and Wish were ioyned both in one,
his libertie was absolute in minde:
No feare of Death; for sinning there was none,
he had restraint but onely in one kinde:
On paine of Death, he was forbid to tast
the Fruite in midst of Paradise was plast.
Beeing alone thy Maiestie thought good
to make a Woman for his more delight,
Which should be of the selfe same slesh & blood;
his consort and his comfort day and night:
But at her motion he forthwith rebelled,
and iustly was from Paradise expelled.
By disobedience he did thus begin
to bring Man-kind in bondage to the Deuill
He was the first originall of sinne,
which brought in death with all succeeding cu [...]
That by his fall, posteritie was stayned,
both Hell and Death by disobedience, gained
Now did he see his nakednesse and sinne.
and might detest the cause of such a fall,
He lost that state he was created in,
to bring in Death vpon himselfe and all,
He lost thy fauonr being so beloued:
to cast him off in Iustice thou wast moued.
But thou (although by so rebellious deed,
he was to death and iust damnation brought)
Didst make a promise, by the Womans seed,
death and damnation should be ouer wrought:
And what he lost by his committed crime,
both that and more, should be regain'd in time:
In the meane space, thou leftst him Natures law,
a Chancerie within his secret brest:
Which Conscience might keepe his flesh in awe,
in flying sinne, and following what was best:
But weake or wilfull whether was the cause,
he flyeth out and breaketh Natures lawes.
A second Law thou didst by Moses giue,
more full and which did Natures law expresse:
But after neither of them he doth liue,
his sinfull actions euermore increase:
He doth complaine and saies, they Lawes are such
his weaknesse great, their burthen is too much.
Fulnesse of time brings in the Law of Grace,
the promis'd Seed to Eua was foretold,
Should cleare the guilt, and helpe all Adams race,
is now perform'd; and what hath been in hold,
In debted thrals to death, to Hel for sinne,
Iesus frees all, and calls the reckoning in.
This Law of Grace, which as himselfe hath said,
the burden's light, and easie for to beare:
Who beares this yoake, was neuer ouerlaid,
when loue beares all, and not inforced feare;
But for this law, as all-the rest he careth,
for loue or feare, the breach of neither spareth.
For heauenly ioyes thou did'st man create,
Though Lucisor through pride from thence did fal
Thou wouldst aduance him to that glorious state
what Angels lost, man should attains to all:
Where Angels fell, they had no reparation,
their fall was wilfull, and without temptation.
But man was tempted by a potent foe,
who most enuying that an earthly wight
Should by his Maker be aduanced so:
sought by all meanes with hate of malice might
To wrest him our of fauour and of grace.
to put him from that euerlasting place.
Man that did fal through Adams strong temptatio [...]
him to redeeme, thou sent'st thy only Sonne,
Resoring him to fauour and saluation:
What Adam lost, the Womans seede hath wonne
Who fell not tempted, is adiud'gd to Hell:
Man is redeem'd, who by temptation fell.
Eternall God, what should thy Mercie mooue,
for to forbeare this deadly sinner so?
He yeelds no shew of thankes for all thy loue,
no benefits make him his sinne forgoe:
What thou dost hate, that wicked life he follows;
as Hogs in dirt, in silthy wayes he wallowes.
Thy Lawes can not his sinfull life restraine,
his care is for thy benefits but small:
His life declares thy threats he holds but vaine:
his workes doe shew he loues thee not at all;
Long suffering Mercie makes him so to trust,
that he forgets that thou art also Iust.
Like as the Child cares not for Fathers threats,
words are but wind, he followes on his play:
This creature so himselfe and thee forgets,
till thou thy Rodde of Iustice on him lay:
In all his pleasures, from thee he doth flie,
he seekes thee not, but when he feares to die.
What is that seeking, forced by constraint,
all youthfull dayes to run it out in pleasure,
And when that Death, or sicknes makes him faint,
then he seeks homeward; thou must wait his leasure:
Not like to Abel, offering thee the best,
but like to Cain, the worst of all the rest.
His prime of Youth, and all his golden yeares,
his wits and, wealth, all giuen to the Deuill:
When fe [...]ble age drawen on, with hoary Hayres,
that now [...] to practise former euill:
When sinne [...] him that he can sinne no more▪
hee seekes to thee, who seru'd thy foe before.
Caust thou in Iustice such presumption like,
the benefite thou giu'st him out of Grace,
To draw him, home, before thy hand would strike
to turne all to a cleane contrary case?
Gods Mercy passeth all his Workes (he sayeth,)
therefore presuming, he his sinne delayeth,
Thy Mercy is to such as doe repent;
but not to sinners, which remaine in sinne:
Who was a sinner, if he haue intent
to change his life, he may thy Mercy winne:
But who presuming, sinneth in that kind,
by Iustice, he may neuer Mercy find.
Hee runneth on, such arguments are rise,
with him who takes in sinne so great delight,
They may giue colour to a sinfull life,
presuming thou in Iustice wilt not smite:
A damned life doth euermore inuent,
such reasons which may further his intent.
This creature cares not that thy Sonne was slaine,
the onely cause such paines he did abide,
To pay his debts, and bring him home againe;
wounded in hands, in heart, head, feet, and side:
Though for his sinne, thy dearest Sonne did die;
his howrely sinnes doe still him crucifie.
Vertue [...] [...] fled and banished away.
what vertue now at all is put in vre?
All deadly sinnes doe each where beare the swaye
Oh great Iehouah, how canst thou indure?
Fulnesse of sinne doth now so much abound,
it anoyes the heauens, & ouercharge the ground.
Behold my case, O God, I may be bould
to say, my Sword and ballance are sore shaken:
Canst thou indure I should be bought and sould,
that poore mens sutes for bribs shold be forsakē:
Descend, O God, to earth downe from the skies,
for none but thou, redresseth poore mens cries.
Who cares for poore? yet poore as deare to thee,
as is the greatest Monarch which doth raigne;
His ransome like, and Heauen for him as free:
yet pouerty is held in great disdaine:
So did the Glutton Lazarus dispise,
but now this ioyes, and he in torment lies.
Doe they loue thee, when thou thy selfe hast said,
who doth releiue and giueth to the Poore,
Doth all to me, and they shall be repayd
full waight and measure, yea an hundred more?
They shew their trust and loue to thee is small,
the Poore get nothing, though thou giuest all.
Thy Creatures made for man in thy creation,
in Sea, on Land, in and aboue the Skies,
They all agree in making exclamation,
they still powre out for Iustice gricuous cries:
Thou gau'st them Man, for to be rightly vsed;
but cleane contrary they are all abused.
For natures vse, Apparell is charged quite,
all is conuerted to excessiue pride:
The Sun, the Moone, the Stars, the day, and night.
cry their abuse may be in Iustice tride;
Thy meats & drinks, thy Gold & earthly treasure
are all abus'd in Iust and fleshly pleasure.
Shorten the time (Almighty:) tis too long
that man runs on in wickeanes and sinne:
Hastenin Iustise to reuenge thy wrong,
send Death abroad to call all sinners in;
Graunt out Subp [...]nass, let not Death make stay,
but to thy Iudgemeus bring all flesh away.
A Subpaena from the Court Imperiall.
THE GOD of Gods,
who all the world hath wrought,
And out of Nothing,
made the worlds wide frame:
Who mans saluation by all meanes hath sought,
and by his blood hath ransomed the same:
By this Subpaena giueth charge to thee,
thou faile not at his Iudgement feat to bee.
And that thou faile not for to bring in place,
all those Records thy Conscience doth hold;
That Chauncery can best declare thy case,
what it is now, what it hath been of old:
Of this thy charge thou mayst not make deniall,
for that's the day appointed for thy triall.
Faile not vpon the hope of thy saluation,
to cleare thy reckoning at that dreadfull day:
Prouide thy selfe on paine of thy damnation,
to free thy charge; and answere as thou may:
Within this world thou mayst to Mercy trust,
but I haue sworne that day I will be Iust.
Witnesse my selfe, who at thy first creation,
made thee a Man; the Heauens and all for thee,
Witnesse my selfe, who to worke thy Saluation,
sent my deare Somie, by Blood to set thee free,
Doc not refuse these Mercies, which are mine,
least Hels damnation fall out to be thine.
The Speaches of Death, prouided to execute the Subpaenae.
IAm at hand (full well I know my charge)
with all post hast Ile make a quicke dispatch
But let me haue Commission at large,
then shall I frustrate many a sinfull match:
Then God by man shall not be so offended,
for with my Dart, all flesh shall soone be ended.
Ile make the proud to stoope, for all his pride:
Ile'bring the Rich for all his Gold away:
The Leecher shall not in his silth abide:
the Glutton shall not for his dainties stay:
They are now carelesse, but when I doe wound,
I terrifie the loftiest liues on ground.
Oh how they offer to redeeme their daies,
they would giue all so death would set them free;
If Death would be corrupted any wayes,
not all the world so rich as Death might be:
In health and youth, who value Death but small,
when death doth strike, to Death they offer all.
But what sayes Mercie, she doth looke as if
she would indeauour to procure my stay:
She loues me not, she holds me as a thelfe,
who would so soone her dearling bring away,
If she begin to speake, I know her minde,
out of her loue, she pleadeth for Man-kinde.
Mercy her speech for Man-kinde.
GReat King of Heauen,
Iustice speaketh true,
Man iustly doth prouoke
thy wrath and ire:
If thou in Iustice shouldst pay him his due,
he hath deserued euerlasting fire;
But in this World thy Mercie thou hast plast,
whilst it indures, so let thy Mercie last.
Send out Subp [...]s that I grant it fit.
to let men know they haue a reckoning day,
For execution, stay thy Iustice yet,
their liues amend perhaps some sinners may;
T'is knowne thy Mercy yeelds the more content;
then Iustica can, if sinners would repent.
T'is not the sinners death thou do'st desire,
t'is his conuersion thou hast euer sought:
If man receiue for sinne a sinners hire,
it comes frō that which he himself hath wrought:
Grace and Saluation thy desire is knowne:
if Hell and Death, the sinne and fault his owne.
Respite the time, that I may doe my best,
to let men know the danger they stand in:
Thy hate to sinne, by Iustice is exprest:
Ile try if Loue may mooue him from his sinne.
Iustice is sterne, Seueritie playes his part,
Mercie (perhaps) may sooner moue the heart.
The speach of Mercy to Mankind.
WHen all Mankind by Adams fall had lost
both Paradise, the hope of Heauen & all:
[Page] In those distresses, then I helped most;
I promised vpon that grieuous fall,
In time a Fruite should spring from Womans seed,
should cleare the guilt, and cancell Adams deed.
What I did promise, I performed truely,
the precious choice I tooke for mankinds sake
Gods dearest Sonne, who did performe it duely,
for mans saluation, did mans Nature take;
And by his Passion, whereas man was thrall
to Death and Hell, he freed him out of all.
Iustice doth now as euer heretofore,
call on that sinners may receiue their due;
And I indeauour now as euermore,
for mans repentance, and Saluation sue:
At Mercies sute, God euer granteth Grace,
and for repentance giueth sinners space.
O that I might make sute, with that successe
to mortall men, as when I doe to God;
That they would yeeld to me that readinesse,
to flie the danger of his heauie rod:
I euer found God ready vpon triall,
why then should man giue Mercies sure deniall?
I sue not for my selfe, but for thy gaine,
[Page] to make them heyren of Heauen & those ioyes:
Ile shew them how they may thereto attaine,
and reasone why to sly all worldly toyes,
If Man will put what I direct in [...]e,
of Heauenly blisse and ioyes he shall be sure.
The true state of a Sinner.
FIrst let me shew what is his grieuous state,
who doth in sinne, and sinfull life delight:
Which miserie may force a man to hate
the causes which doe worke that wofull plight:
What mischiefe more, then liue in feare and greife,
when heauen or earth can yeeld him no releefe?
If to the Heauens he dare lift vp his eyes,
his hart & soule with trembling feare do grudge
His Bird in breast most heauie on him lyes,
and tels him thence he must look for his Iudge:
Whose terrour is to all which runne astray,
most dreadfull at the maine tribunall day.
If he the World and all her creatures view
vpon the earth which creepe, that flie, or swim,
Their thought & sight will make his heart to rue,
that all were made for him, abus'd by him,
[Page] No thought that is, will sinners more dismay,
then things abused, at their dying day.
The Vsurer how is he rackt with Gold
when he is dying, gasping out his breath?
What torment hath the Leacher to behold
faire Dames, when he is yeelding vnto death?
In life, what did delight the sinner cheife,
at Death, doth force the greatest woe and griefe.
To heare of Death, the sinners hart doth shrinke,
the day of Doome doth rent his soule in twaine
Ti's terrible to call to minde, and thinke
how Death and Iudgement hast to him amaine:
No day nor night the sinner findeth quiet
a spotted soule and conscience doth deny it,
Those blacke Records within the dismall booke,
fast lockt within the closet of the Breast,
When as the sinner thereupon doth looke,
with feares and terrours then is he opprest:
In all the world no torment, greife, or paine,
are like the thoughts which doe the conscience staine.
These are the foes which inwardly doe dwell
which sinners doe about them euer beare,
Who still torment them in their inward Hell.
[Page] racking and rending of them euery where,
When others laugh they make a pleasant show,
with face dissembling in the mainest woe.
Let mortall men consider in this case,
thinke of the time they are to tarry heere;
Behold the Sunne how swift he runs his race;
so doe mans daies, their death approcheth neere:
Forfeit not Heauen for the flowers of May,
what are they worth once withered away?
Let man consider in his Conscience thi [...],
when he hath rashly done some deadly sinne,
And comes to thinke that he hath done amisse,
what greife of mind he foorth with falleth in:
But when the time of doing good is spent,
those thoughts doe yeeld him ioy & all content.
Man was prouided for eternall ioyes,
his proper Country is with God aboue:
Why should he dote vpon these worldly toyes?
what is the gaine of all this worldly loue?
A Conscience cloyd, and naked sent away,
a sore accuser at the latter day.
Consider on the worke of thy Creation,
how farre thou art in debt to God therefore,
[Page] Then thinke vpon the worke of thy Redemption,
in which thy debt is multiplied more:
Let these two things thy heart & conscience moue
vrge not his wrath who thou art bound to loue.
When wicked thoughts, or motions breeding sin
within thy heart temptations doe inflame:
When that thou findest Reason doth begin
to yeeld consent to execute the same;
Then haue recourse to meditate on this,
and hardly thou shalt dare to doe amisse.
A daily Meditation, which Mercy offereth to Man-kind.
The day of Death.
THinke now thou lyest on thy dying bed,
thy heart, thy head, thy Sences all doe falle,
Striuing for life, each member gastly spred,
trembling at death, which makes so fierce assaile:
If at Deaths houre, thy sinnes thou dost desie,
then dare not liue, in state thou darst not die.
Think furthermore thou hast all worldly pleasure,
and euery thing which may the flesh delight:
Suppose thou hast thy fill of worldly treasure,
what is all worth, whē death shal claim his right:
What was once sweet, is turned now to sowre,
the case quite altered in this dreadfull howre.
For now those things that were thy harte content
thy wealth and pleasure, force thy bitter woe:
With trembling conscience, now thou dost repent
the day, the houre, thou didst abuse them so.
The Iudgement day.
THinke furthermore,
thou heardst the dreadfull sound,
The Trumpet calling of the dead to rise:
And all the world of flaming fire round,
the Iudge appearing dreadfull in the skies:
Aske now thy conscience, durst it in bad thought
[...] wicked life before that seate be brought?
If that thy conscience tremble for to thinke
vpon the terrour of that dreadfull day:
If that Tribunall make thy heart to shrinke,
[Page] let thē this thought driue sinfull thoughts away
And dare not doe those wicked actions here
in which thou darst not at that day appeare.
Conside thou who now in health dost liue,
the day of death, & dreadfull houre will come,
Of all thy debts thou must a reckoning giue,
thou canst not void this dreadful day of doom:
No wit, no wealth, no beauty, force, nor strength,
but must come to this Iudgement at the length.
The paines of Hell.
THe paines of Hell they must indured be,
most infinite for torment and for date;
For sinne is wrought gainst infinite degree,
gainst God whose power exceeds all estimate:
When infinite that God-head is offended,
those paines in Iustice, neuer shall be ended.
Eternall torments correspond the Will:
shouldst thou liue euer, thou wouldst euer sinn:
Thou iustly then deseruest torments still,
who would still run that course thou liuest in?
Eternall torments iustly doe agree,
where Will and Sinne would both eternall be.
No thought, no tongue, can comprehend or tell
what are the torments of that damned Fire:
The plagues, the scourges, tortures are in Hell,
which Iustice doth prouide for sinners hire:
A rufull noyse, when damned Soules forlorne,
cry euer, woe the howre we were borne.
The ioyes of Heauen.
THinke what it is to come to heauenly blisse;
to liue with God, where Saints & angels dwel
Those glorious ioyes which God prouides for his
no heart, no tongue, can comprehend or tell:
No care hath heard, or eye did euer see
the heauenly blisse, or ioyes of that degree.
Where Maiestie so infinite excelleth,
hath all aboundance Maiestie may haue:
Where the omnipotent in glorie dwelleth,
with those elect whom Iesus blood did saue,
All Ioyes must be still flowing in that place,
where Saints behold the glory of his face.
These heauenly ioyes are certaine, without date,
Old-age renewes to youth without decaying:
Eternall health and treasures without rate:
[Page] no feare of crosse or trouble ouerswaying.
Who would doat on the worldly pleasures so,
for loue of them to let the Heauenly goe?
Loe heere's the end of euery mortall man,
which he comes to at first or at the last:
There's no avoydance since the world began,
Time flies away, and Death approacheth fast:
Consider then of things that shall indure,
take Mercies offer, and thy Soule is sure.
The young man saies, these are too graue for me,
the old man saies, these thoughts do charge me sore
To please their humors each of these agree,
to slight them off, and thinke of them no more,
Shift as they will and let them take their pleasure:
but let them know Death staieth no mans leasure.
Counsell to prepare our selues to returne to God, before the day of our Death; for after death there is no repentance.
IF yee loue God, or feare yee Hels damnation;
O then repent, deferre the time no more:
Heere in this life you may obtaine saluation,
now seeke, O seeke, for heauenly ioyes therefore
After that Death thy soule away hath taken,
none can repent the time is then too late:
Duly therefore let since away be shaken,
remooue thy selfe from wicked sinners states▪
Each day or night, ye [...] [...] the time doth know
when Christ our Iudge, in iudgmēt seat wil stand
Euer doe thinke thou hearst his trumpet blow
sure the time is euen now at hand.
The Books to the Reader.
THis debt is due vpon Doomes day,
which you are summoned to pay:
Wherefore my Author well content,
because he warnes you to repent:
Repentance true God doth require,
it keepes you from eternall fire.
FINIS.
Ʋi veneranda Sones.