The Minde of the Frontispeece.
REader, observe, and see Jehovah stand
Showring down blessings to the grasping hand
Of new-made, naked Man, that takes delight
To take the Crowns, but cares not to requite
The gratious giver of such gifts as those,
With any thing, except it be with blows;
A fair reward: but sure it much redowns
To Mans disgrace, to give God blows, for Crowns
GODS Loue MANS Vnworthiness By Jo: Qu:
Lord what is man that thou art mindfull of him and the son of man that thou so regardest him
Ps: 8. v. 4
London Printed for Jo: Stafford dwelling in St. Brides Church:yard
GODS LOVE AND Mans Vnworthiness: Whereunto is annexed a Discourse between the SOUL & SATAN.
With several Divine Ejaculations.
Written by JOHN QUARLES.
LONDON, Printed for John Stafford, and are to be sold at his house in S. Brides Church yard, and by Humphrey Moseley at the Princes Armes in St. Pauls Church yard, and John Holden at the blue Anchor in the new Exchange. 1651.
TO My much-honoured and Esteemed Friend, Edward Benlowes, Esq.
SIR,
I Am confident you cannot have greater cause to wonder at my boldness, then I have reason to admire at your Learning, and Piety; for indeed the rare example of your virtues add [...]d much alacrity to my endeavours, which are but shallow if compar'd to the depth of your understanding. Sir, the limits of my request (though they are large) extend themselves no further then this, That You would be pleas'd to permit this my unfleg'd bird to rest under the wings of Your protection, that I may ever be engag'd to boast of so worthy a Patron: Sir, as I know I have errors, so I know you have goodness to excuse them, and I a heart to be thankfull, and alwayes be a faithfull honourer of Your Virtues, whilest I am
Sir,
Your Servant to Command, JOHN QUARLES.
To the Reader.
Kinde Reader,
LET me lay this Injunction upon thee, before thou permittest thy eye to survey this little Volume, which is. That thou wilt resolve to pardon; I will not say for what, for fear thou shouldst be s [...]rupulous and not Read: The Subject is Divine, and I confess too good to be so badly handled; however I have done my best endeavour, and Alexander did no more when he conquered Kingdomes; But Reader, because I will not detain thine eye too long in one place, I bid thee
Farewell.
To my Muse.
TEL me presumptuous Muse how dar'st thou treat
Upon a Subject so sublime, so great!
Alas how dare thy infancy aspire
So high as Heaven, where the caelestial quire
Of soul-enchanting Angels, hourely sing,
Anthems of Joy to their mellifluous King!
This is a taske that invocates the best
And loftiest quils; Heav'ns love must not b'exprest
With wanton language; he that shall presume
To labour in this work, must first persume
His Soul with true divinity, and breathe
Celestiall ayres, that Readers may perceive
Their Author labours with a serious heart
T' embalm his actions with divinest art;
This is a field whose spacious bounds extend
Themselves to infinite; who strives to end
Shall still begin, and having once begun
This pleasing progress, must not cease to run
Untill he stops in Heaven, there lyes the gain,
Who runs with Faith is certain to obtain.
If then my Muse, thou canst divinely mount
This Sacred Stage, thou needst not fear t'account
[Page]Thy actions prosperous, strive thou to stand
Guarded with Faith, and Heav'n will lend a hand
To prop thee up, his power will infuse
Sufficient matter for an active Muse
To work upon, his wisdome will direct
Thy painfull hand, his mercies will correct
Thy rambling thoughts, and teach thee to proclaim
Th' unsum'd up glories of his Royall Name;
Abandon earth, and bid vain thoughts adeu
Thou canst not serve thy God and Mammon too;
Rouse then, and let thy well-prun'd Eagles wings
Mount thee aloft, let not terrestiall things
Disturbe thy resolutions, let them all
Evade thy minde; thy thoughts must grow too tall
For such low toyes: stir up thy zealous fire,
And what thou canst not well expresse, admire.
See, heer, a Phoenix rare, rais'd from ye dust
of precious Parents; Fathers Effigies just
Who for his Genius & ingenious Parts,
Of Learning, Worth, & Witt, to Conquer hearts
By pleasant Poetry; Seemes to inherit
(By Transmigration) his rare Fathers Spirit,
As, old Pythag'ras held: So sweetly, Hee
Doth Patrizare, in full Ex'ssencie
Gods Love, AND Mans Unworthiness.
GOD! how that word hath thunder-clapt my Soul
Into a ravishment; I must condole
My forward weakness; Ah, where shall I find
Sufficient Metaphors t'express my mind?
Thou heart-amusing word, how hast thou fil'd
My Soul with Halelujahs, and distil'd
Wonders into me! Oh, that I could break
My heart in pieces, and divinely speak
My mind in Raptures, that the frantique Earth
May bathe it felf in these sweet streams of mirth.
[Page 2]Then rouze my Soul, and practise how to turn
Thy wonders into language; do not burn
Thy sacred fuel in a place where none
Can have the benefit but thee alone.
Hoist up thy Sails, and let thy speedy motion
Hurry thee hence into the boundless Ocean:
Observe thy compass, keep a constant pace,
And Heav'n will steer thee to the Port of Grace.
[...]is strange to think, how the Almighty can
(That is so pure) love such a thing as Man,
Whose primitive corruption makes him worse
Then nothing, whose Rebellion claims a curse,
More then affection: How can Heav'n endure
A thing that can be nothing but impure?
Man (like a word that's voyd of reason) sounds
In every ear, his very name expounds
A misery; at best, he needs must be
But vain; And how can Heav'n love vanitie?
Man (like a shadow) flies before the Sun
Of his afflictions, and is still undone
By his own doing, he's his own pursuer;
And how can Heav'n love such a self-undoer?
Man (like a naked worm) is often found
Digging himself into the loathsom ground
Of ruine, he's a Traytor to his Bliss;
And how can Heav'n love such a worm as this?
[Page 3]Man (like a flash of lightning) courts the world
With lavish flames, and by and by is hurl'd
Into that Nothing, whence at first it came;
Then how can God love such a short-liv'd flame?
Man (like a Reed) is evermore inclin'd
To shake, and totter with each blast of wind;
He's always running to the ground with speed:
And how can Heav'n love such an earthly Reed?
Man (like the dust) is always blown, and [...]ost
From place to place, and flies, till it has lost
Its Center; never resting in one place:
Then how can Heav'n love that which flies in's face?
Man (like a Fly) still buzzes up and down
From cup to cup, and sips on, till he drown
Himself in pleasure; fears no stander by:
And how can Heav'n love such a drunken Fly?
Man (like a Rain-bow) oftentimes appears
Clothed in colours, but can claim no years,
No days, nay hardly hours, but must decay;
And how can heav'n love that which loves no stay?
Man (like a bubble) floats upon the waves
Of his desires, whilst every blast enslaves
His brittle substance, fill'd with windy troubles▪
And how can heav'n love such uncōstant bubbles?
Man (like the froth) spew'd from the Oceans brest,
[...]s tyded up and down, but knows no rest,
[Page 4]Nor perpetuity; and can betroth
It self to nothing: Heav'n loves no such froth.
Man (like the wind) is every moment flying
To every place, and hates to be complying
Or resting any where: How can it be,
That Heav'n can love so much inconstancie?
Man (like a Swallow) loves the fragrant Spring
Of Earths delights, but with a spreading wing
Flies from the Winters more congealed brest;
And how can Heav'n love such a Summer guest?
Man (like a smoak) presumptuously aspires
Into the air, and by and by retires
Himself to nothing, nothing's his conclusion;
And how can Heav'n love such a base confusion?
Man (like a fire) whose green and scragged fuel
Denies to burn, until it fight a duel
With the in [...]ount [...]ring Bellows, which atlast
Obtains the conquest, then it burns as fast,
And seems, as 'twere, ambitious to expire;
Then how can Heav'n love such a raging fire?
Man (like an arrow) being once let go
Out from the Archers well-commanded bow,
Affronts the Clouds; at last, having spent the store
Of his small strength, fals down, and seems t [...]ador [...]
Th'inferior Earth, which, with a welcom, hides
His down▪ cast head within her wounded sides,
[Page 5]Where he remains, and scorns to be withstood:
Man can be any thing, but what is good.
And cannot Man be good? strange kind of tone!
What? has he wept himself into a stone,
Like Niobie? no sure; I fear his eyes
Were never loaded with such large supplies:
Ah, could he weep a flood, Heav'n that prepares
His ears to hear, would bottle up his tears
In his remembrance; every drop should shine
Like Pearls, absconded in a golden Myne▪
His sins command a deluge; could his head
Be turn'd into a fountain, could he shed
An Ocean at a drop, it could not cover
His sins (which are mountanious) from the Lover
Of real drops; for he would soon discry
Those sand-excelling crimes, where e're they lie:
Yet would his Soul so much compassionate
The flowing sorrows of his wa [...]y state,
That with a calming hand he would remove
His rocky sins, and hide them with his Love;
He would have pity, and with speed consent
T'express his love, when all our tears are spent.
Should Heav'n, who justly may, for every sin
Drop down a plagne, and make it live within
Mans guilty Soul, the world would quickly be
Transform'd, and chang'd into a leprosie.
[Page 6]Let none dispair, for Heav'ns known mercies can
Out-infinite the greatest sins of man.
Oh love beyond degree! Shall Heav'n indulge
Himself to Man? and shall not Man divulge
A gratefulness to him, whose hand prepares
To wipe away his sin-polluted cares?
Ungrateful Miscreant, how canst thou view
Thy former miseries, and not renew
Thy thanks to him, whose power set thee free,
And brought thee back from thy captivity?
Hast thou abandon'd Love? Wilt thou imprint
Thy Soul with baseness? Ah, what obvious flint
Hath turn'd Affections edg? What, art thou bent
To shoot at him, that labours to prevent
The arrows of thy ruine, which will fly
Into thy brest, except he puts them by?
Hast thou transform'd thy heart into a rock
That will not move? Shall mercy call, and knock,
And thou not hear? What? hast thou arm'd thy
With sensless marble, that no flaming dart
Of Love can enter? Hast thou vow'd to stand heart
In opposition? Cannot Gods Command
Force thee to bow? Art thou resolv'd to sport
With thy destruction, and not yield the Fort?
Oh yield be times; do not resolve to be
Too much a slave to Infidelitie:
[Page 7]For know (frail wretch) thy strēgth consists in clay;
When Mercy's lost, then Judgment finds the way▪
Rally thy thoughts together, and throw down
Thy brazen walls, thy yielding yields a Crown:
For 'tis in vain to oppose an arm that can
Out-grasp the measure of so small a span.
Alas, Alas! it may be quickly seen
What a large disproportion is between
Thy God, and thee: Consider, he is all,
And thou art nothing; what can be more small?
Or what more great? for he is infinite,
And thou art finite; He is full of light,
And thou of darkness; He is fill'd with Love,
And thou art stuff'd with baseness; He's a Dove,
And thou a worm: Thus, thus thou mayst discry
His firmness, and thine own infirmity.
Then be not obstinate, but strike the sails
Of thy desires to him that never fails;
And know, 'tis easie in an inch of time
To take a worm ingarrison'd with slime;
For such a thing thou art, and all thy power
Must yield to Heav'ns assaults; thy April showre
Has no continuance: therefore do not strive
Against a God, whose Wisdom can contrive
What pleases him: Alas! thy state is grounded
Upon contingencies, thou art compounded
[Page 8]Of nothing but uncertainties; thy arm
Assumes no power, except it be to harm
Thy wilful self: Then why wilt thou contend
With him that importunes to be thy Friend?
Thy Friend, (Soul-saving word) what higher Bliss
Can crown a heart, then such a Friend as this?
Oh life of Ravishment! how can it be
A God, a worm, and yet a sympathie?
Strange condescention▪ was the like e're known,
Or spoke by any mouth, except his own?
His balmy breath declares, that he will save
And succor those that faithfully do crave
His blest assistance: Hark, and hear him say,
Ye that are heavy loaded, come away,
Oh come to me, I am content to bear
Your burthens, and extenuate your care.
What higher note of love was ever strain'd
To any ear? Oh how hath man obtain'd
So great a friendship! 'Tis a happy lot,
Nay, and a wonder not to be forgot.
And yet it is not strange, that he should prove
So true a Lover, that's compos'd of Love,
And can do nothing else: If he correct,
'Tis for thy crimes; he only has th'effect
Of anger: for his grieved Spirit moans
To punish sinners, and to hear their groans.
[Page 9]His Soul takes no delight to crush to death
Th'offending pris'oners of th'inferior Earth▪
He is the rich Exchequor of all good,
And is by nothing (except man) withstood.
All things perform what they were made to do,
But only man, that strives to prove untrue
To his Creator: nothing can be found
Within thy brest, but that which is unsound.
How sad it is to hear th'Almighty say.
I've nourish'd children, that are gone astray,
And scorn to own me! Oh rebellious dust!
That hate my paths, because my ways are just.
The Ox will know his Owner, and the Ass
His Masters crib; but Israel, alas,
Will not acknowledg me, but have destroy'd
Themselves, and made their understandings voyd:
Has not my fury then just cause to swell,
Because they can do nothing but rebel?
Nefandeous Creature, how canst thou endure
Thy wretched self? Ah, why wilt thou procure
Thine own destructions? Shall all creatures be
Obedient to their owners, only thee?
And wilt thou not acknowledg him that gave
Large blessings to thee, and desires to save
Thy Soul from torments, if thou wouldst incline
Thy will to his, whose thoughts are all divine?
[Page 10]Forget obduracy, and learn the art
Of loving him, that loves an upright heart:
Go ruminate upon thy base estate,
And be, unto thy self, compassionate.
Yield to thy Maker with a cheerful brow;
First know what 'tis to love, and after, how.
Love is the Laws Fulfiller; he that will
Love God aright, must practise how to fill
His Soul with true affection; for the ways
Of Heav'n are pav'd with Love: Immortal praise
Attend his Courts; He that forgets to love
Forgets his God: They that desire to prove
Heav'ns amatorious Guests, must first admire
How such a spark as Man came to aspire
To such a flame, and how he came to be,
Not only Earths, but Heav'ns, Epitomie:
Be serious then, and let thy thoughts reflect
Upon Heav'ns goodness, and thy disrespect.
God out of Nothing (except Love) compil'd
This spacious World, as if some princely child
Were to be born: His providential care
Was (as it were) ambitious to prepare
The quintessence of pleasures to invite
Some stately Guest to banquet with delight.
First he extracted from a darksom Cell
A glorious Light, whose beauty pleas'd him well:
[Page 11]Then he prepar'd a Canopie, inlayd
With glittring Pearl, whose twinkling luster made
A heav'nly shew; and afterwards his hand
Dasht back the waters from the naked Land:
Then he commanded, that the Earth, being come
Out from the Oceans new delivered womb,
Should be adorn'd with an imbroidered Gown▪
That so her new-warm'd bowels might abound
With several fruits.—
—Thus having playd his part
Upon this Theatre, this life of art,
He usher'd in a thing, which pleas'd him best,
(He made the Feast, and after made the Guest;)
Call'd by the name of Man, a naked, small,
And dusty, shiftless Creature; this was all,
And all this nothing, but a lump of death,
Until inspir'd by Heav'ns all▪ quick'ning breath.
Vain, simple wretch; ah, how couldst thou behave
Thy self before a Judg, so great, so grave?
Hadst thou but seen thy self, thou wouldst have
Thy self to death, and with a blush, defy'd (cry'd
Thy base estate, to think that thou shouldst be
Natures most rude and base Anatomie.
Couldst thou expect that Heav'n would entertain
A thing so poor? so weak? so vile? so vain?
[Page 12]Which, like a spark blown from a new-made fire,
Can only shew it self, and then expire▪
Was it for this the All-Creator made
Such large Provisions? Was't for this he layd
Such rich Foundations? Was't for this his Power
Deckt this well-pleasing odoriferous Bower?
Was it for this (this little world) he form'd
A world so great? Was it for this he warm'd
The Earths chill bosom? Was't for this he spent
His six days labour? Was't for this intent
He made a Paradise? where Flora spread
Her fragrant Off-spring, and made Earth a bed
Of rare compounded Pleasures, where he plac'd
This new-come Guest, whose very looks disgrac'd
The face of beauty, to whose thriftless hand
He gave that Government, with this Command:
Of all the trees that here thou dost behold,
Thy lips being authoriz'd, thou mayst be bold
To taste with freedom, only one, which I
Conjure thee from, therefore restrain thine eye
From lusting after it; if not, thy breath
Shall glut it self in everlasting death:
Forget not my Commands, but let thy brest
Be always faithful, and thou shalt be blest.
Thus the Recorder having spoke at large
This well-deliv'red (although ill-kept) Charge,
He after said;
[Page 13]It is not good that Man should be alone
Without a help, Ile therefore make him one.
Oh sacred Prudence! Here we may discern
A sweet Conjunction; here our Souls may learn
Wisdom and Love, both which, if not enjoy'd,
Pleasures prove vanities, and Blessings voyd.
Heav'n, whose unidle artful hand had set
Man, as a Jewel, in his Cabinet,
Thought it unfit, that those delights which he
Had made by his most powerful Love, should be
Monopoliz'd by one, he therefore laid
Adam asleep, and having done, he made
Out of a crooked rib (strange kind of art)
A woman, fair, compleat, in every part;
Nay, and a helper too; for in conclusion
She helpt poor Adam to his own confusion.
Oh most detested deed! Unconstant wife,
To prove a Traytor to thy husbands life
As soon as made: Fond wretch, could nothing suit
With thy nice pallate, but forbidden fruit?
Ah, could thy longing lie no longer hid?
What? didst thou long, because thou wert forbid?
Was there no tree that could content thine eye,
But only that which was forbidden? Fie,
Oh shame to think thou shouldst so quickly waste
Thine hours of pleasure for a minutes taste:
[Page 14]Couldst thou not like, or fall in love with any
But that? Heav'n had but one, & thou hadst many
Wherewith to please thine appetite; and yet
Wouldst thou prove so ambitious, as to sit
Upon the highest twigg? Ah, could th'advice
Of Satan tempt thee to this avarice
With so much ease, and make thee rashly do
So foul a deed, and tempt thy Adam too?
Preposterous wretch, how hast thou spread a cloud
Over thy head? What? didst thou think to shrowd
Thy self from vengeance? Having eat thy death.
Couldst thou expect to live? Oh no, thy breath
Offended Heav'n: but ah, hadst thou but thought
(Before thy heart had entertain'd a fault
So great as this) what 'twas to dye, thy mind
Had made thee more abstemious, and confin'd
Thy base inordinate desires; thy meat
Had prov'd delightful, and thy comforts great;
But now, unhappy now, thy crimes have made
Thy Soul Deaths debtor, and thou art betray'd
By thine own self; therefore prepare to meet
Thy wrathful Judg: 'tis said, stoln goods are sweet;
But thine provd sour▪ the fruits wch thou hast stole
Sugar'd thy mouth, but wormwoodiz'd thy Soul;
VVhen thou hadst eaten, Ah! why didst thou [...]o [...]
Tremble to d [...]ath, to think thou hadst forgot
[Page 15]Thy Gods Commands, & that his Judgments must
Follow thy Soul, and blow thee into dust?
Thus [...]iv [...] ▪ thus Adam, having vilipended
Their Gods Commands, their happines soon ended;
Their joys were turn'd to mourning, & their light
VVas turn'd to darkness, and their day to night:
Both being too much conscious, fled with speed
To hide themselves from God, but not the deed.
Even as some poor distressed wretch desires
To hide himself from the enraged fires
Of his incensed Foe, runs up and down
To shun the rage of a condemning frown▪
At last observing his enquiring Foe
Approach the place, lies still, and dares not blow,
For fear the wordless Eccho of his breath
Should soon betray him to a sudden death:
Being at last discry'd, his throbbing heart
Gives an Alarum to each trembling part;
Fear, like an Earthquake, then begins to shake
His loos'ned joynts, he knows not how to make
A ready answer to his foes demands;
But, as a sad convicted man, he stands
Subjected to his will, that can dispence
With nothing, but with death, to calm th'offence.
Even so guilt-loaded Adam having done
A deed so foul, prepares himself to run
[Page 16]To some close shelter, where he might immure
His naked body, and repose secure:
But ah, in vain, in vain he strove to hide
Himself from God, that need implore no guide
To teach him where his sad offender lay;
He needs must find, when sin hath chalk'd the way:
But when Heav'ns shril-enquiring voyce surrounded
The ears of Adam, Adam was confounded
VVith deep distress, his heart began to call
His quivering Senses to a Funeral:
Fear, like a powerful fire, began to thaw
His frozen thoughts, and keep his soul in awe;
He breath'd in a Dilemma, and could find
No Sanctuary for a perjur'd mind:
At last the language of th'eternal God
Storm'd his sin-armed soul, and like a Rod
VVhip [...] him from his security; and cry'd,
Adam, where art thou? Adam thus reply'd,
I heard thee walking in the pleasing shade
Of the cool ev'ning, and I was afraid,
And hid my self, because I must confess,
I blusht to see my shameful nakedness.
GOD.
Tell me, thou trembling wretch, how dost thou know
That thou art naked? say, who told thee so?
[Page 17] [...]hat? has thy lips usurp'd the fruit which I
[...]njur'd thee not to touch? if so, reply.
Adam.
The woman which thou gav'st me, gave to me,
[...]d I did eat of the forbidden tree.
GOD.
Unconstant woman! Ah, why hast thou ru [...]
[...]ond thy bounds? what's this that thou hast done?
Woman.
[...]he Serpents flowing language swel'd too great
[...] my low banks: he tempted, and I eat.
Gods Curse against the Serpent.
Because thou hast thus subtilly deluded
[...] lustful woman, thou shalt be excluded
[...]m future good; more shall thy curses yield
[...]n all the beasts and cattle in the field▪
[...] belly shall (because thou hast done this)
[...]e to the earth a life-remaiming kiss;
[...]u shalt not taste of any thing that's good,
[...]t shall supply the place of wholesom food.
[...] be thy ways, thou shalt no more be seen
[...]me: I will put enmity between
[...] [...][Page 18]Thy seed and her [...]; hereafter thou shalt feel
A bruised head▪ and she a bruised heel.
Gods Curse against the woman.
And as for thee, oh woman, I'le enlarge
Thy grief, and thy conception; I'le discharge
Thy joys, and load thee with a weighty grief;
Thy pains in child-bed shall find no relief:
Thou shalt desire thy husband, and his hand
Shall over-rule thee with a strict command.
Adams Curse.
Rebellious Adam, unto thee I'le give
A life as bad as death, for thou shalt live
To see thy sorrows more and more abound,
And for thy sake I'le curse the loathed ground;
For thou hast hark'ned to the conquering voyce
Of thy frail wife, and made my fruit thy choyce,
And sepulchred my words within the grave
Of thy false heart; be gone, thou self-made slave:
The thorny ground shall give a large increase
To thy laborious hand; the name of Peace
Shall prove a stranger to thy ears, and thou
Shalt eat thy bread with a sweat-dropping brow.
I'le murther all thy joys; thy brest shall burn
VVith flaming care, until thy corps return
[Page 19]Into the bowels of th'inclusive earth,
From whence thou hadst thy substance, and thy birth▪
For base thou art, and therefore thou shalt be
A food for gnawing worms, and not for me:
As thou art dust, to dust thou shalt [...]etire;
Hereafter let not dust presume t' [...]spire.
Strange alteration! Oh pernicious Fate!
Too quickly bred in such an infant▪ state!
He that but even now enjoy'd a life
Ballanc'd with pleasures, now is [...]ll'd with strife▪
He, whose majestick Soul was lat [...]ly crown'd
VVith blest content, is now ingulf'd, and drown'd
In sorrows Ocean; He which was before
Inrich'd with happiness, is n [...]w as poor
As poverty can make him▪ He▪ which [...]ad
The countenance of H [...]av'n to m [...]k [...] him glad,
Is now eclipst; he knows not where to run,
Sin having interpos'd between the Sun
And his dark Soul, the Center of whose rest
Is now remov'd, and he survives unblest:
He, which but even now had leave to dwell
And revel in Heav'ns eye, desires a Cell
To entertain him; he, which liv'd in Peace,
Is now thrown down, and forfeited his lease:
Great was his Crime, great was his sudden Fall,
Great was his Tenement, his rent but small:
[Page 20]Poor Adam's taken by his own decoys;
Sin is the Sequestrator of all joys.
Sad Pilgrim of the world, where wilt thou find
(In the unpathed earth) a place so kind
To entertain thee? Ah, where wilt thou keep
(Thus tumbled from a Precepes so steep)
Thy sad unpeopl'd randezvouz? Oh where
VVilt thou procure a hand that will unsnare
Th'intangled Soul? Alas, thy wearied life
Hath two most sad companions; first a Wife,
Then a bad Conscience; what two greater crosses
Can hang upon a brest, whose cares, whose losses,
Are grown so infinite, that no relief,
But what distills from Heav'n, can ease their grief?
Thou wert the first of men that entertain'd
So grand a sorrow, thou the first that stain'd
So pure a colour, thou the first that dwelt
In Edens garden, thou the first that felt
The scourge of fury; hadst not thou transgrest,
Vengeance had found no hand, nor grief a brest.
Ah, hadst not thou offended, sin had found
No habitation, nor thy Soul a wound:
Had not thy hand so wilfully unlock'd
The door of Death, Destruction had not knock'd
At thine impenitrable gates, or ventur'd
T'approach so near, but being open'd, enter'd.
[Page 21]Bold Customer of fate, that sought about
To come within, and turn poor Adam out;
Thy strength outstrengthd his strēgth, & made him weak;
A vessel crack'd, how can it chuse but leak?
Sin prov'd Deaths father, & mans heart the womb
That brought it forth; this death shall find a tomb
VVhen the Determiner of time hath hurl'd
A finis to the volume of the world;
Till then, man (mortaliz'd by sin) must be
A subject unto Deaths Soveraigntie.
Poor man, in what a wilderness of sorrow
Dost thou now ramble in▪ where wilt thou borrow
A minutes rest? On what inclining ear
VVilt thou expend thy groans? what canst thou hear
But dialects of misery to vex
Thy bankrupt thoughts? The fatal disrespects
Of Heav'n will blow and toss thee up and down
From place to place, his still-renewed frown
VVill follow thee; therefore provide t'endure
The hot pursutes of such a fierce pursuer.
Canst thou expect that this thy grand abuse
(VVhich runs beyond the limits of excuse)
Can be forgotten? Dost thou think t'out-live
Thy long-liv'd crimes, or hope for power to give
Due satisfaction to thy God, whose rage
Thy heart cannot endure, much less asswage?
[Page 22]Most lachrymable state! What canst thou do,
Oa man, that may ingratiate or renew
Thy formor love? Alas, thy base condition
M [...]s the [...] [...]capable of a Petition:
Prepare thy self, see if thou canst invade
His Soul with pray'rs▪ see if thou canst perswade
His [...]eart to yield unto thy sad request,
And [...]inth one thee with thy former rest;
D [...]ct thy Soul with groans, anatomize
Thy heart with sighs, and let thy winged cries
Fly through the angles of his sacred ear,
And breed a harmony within the sphere
Of his blest Soul; be circumspect, and lay
The best foundation; hear what Heav'n will say.
Adams Petition to God.
Incensed Father of eternal light
Permit a darkened Soul t'approach the sight
Of thine incomparable eye; unmask
Thy anger▪ clouded Soul, and let me ask
Forgiveness for those loading Crimes which press
My stagg [...]ing Soul; I know not whom t'address
My apostare self unto, but only thee,
Whom I offended; Please to pity me:
I have no pleasing Sacrifice t'attone
Thy wrathful Brest, except a hearty groan
[Page 23]That's quadrupl'd with grief; Oh deign to look
Upon the lines of my all-blotted book:
Although I'm full of most detested spots,
Yet Lord, I know that thou canst read my blots;
Oh read them then, and let thy mercies run
With thy progressive eye; I am undone,
If not forgiven; Lord, I thee implore
To shew some mercy to me, thou hast store.
Discipher all my sins, and let them not
B [...]ar record in thy rouls, but rest forgot:
Revoke this act of Death, that I may sing
Th'admired mercies of so blest a King.
Oh lift me up, that now am thrown below;
Make not my Soul the Custom-house of woe.
Oh hear these bitter groans that I have spent,
And send some comfort from thy Parliament.
Gods Reply.
Thou skelleton of baseness, hie thee hence,
Disturb me not; return, I say, from whence
Thou cam'st at first; thou shalt as soon remove
A mountain, as my mind: I cannot love,
No nor I will not, nothing shall intreat
My resolutions, for my fury's great.
Begone, proud Rebel, do not think thy prayers,
Thy vows, thy groans, thy sighs, thy sobs, thy tears,
[Page 24]Shall make my brest their receptacle; No;
How can I be a friend to such a foe?
Surcease thy importunities, let fall
Thy high desires, I will not hear thee call,
Thy sins have barr'd my ears; I'le not be won
With thy base airy words, for thou hast spun
The thred of thy destruction, therefore wear
What thou hast labour'd for, and so forbear
T'intrench upon my patience; 'tis in vain
To seek for that which thou shalt not obtain.
And is it thus, that Heav'n will not regard
My cries? Ah me! and must my groans be heard
With disrespect by him, whose tongue affords
Nothing but grief, involv'd with bitter words?
Alas, alas! what greater wo can crowd
Into a brest, then to be disavow'd
By Gods high Voyce, whose most enraged breath
Darts forth the arrows of eternal death?
What shall I do? Oh, whither shall I run
To hide my self, until the glorious Sun
Of his affections usher in the day
Of welcom Joy? Oh, whither shall I stray?
If I am silent, then my silence turns
My thoughts to fire; If speak, my speech returns
Trebbl'd with wo, into the brazen Tower
Of my sad heart, my language has no power
[Page 25]To work upon his ears, my words
Banded, and thrown against th'obdurate walls (like balls
Unyielding brest) bounds back again, and breaks
Into my heart, and every sorrow speaks
A volume at a word; yet, yet must I
Return unheard; 'tis misery to dye,
And pain to live; thus in despair I draw
The loathsom air: Destruction knows no Law.
Grief rains a flood of doubt into my Soul;
Ah me! I can do nothing but condole▪
I am despis'd; and if I bend the force
Of my desires to him, he will divorce
All thoughts of pity, and with rage re-double
Th'unsum'd up sums of my infringing trouble.
I sail into the Straits, both wind and tyde
Prevail against me, and I have no guide
To pilate me unto the long'd-for Port
Of pleasing happiness; I am a sport
To threatning Ruine, whose presumptuous waves
Out-dares my Soul, whilst every blast enslaves
My reeling Pinnace: If I strive to go
Towards Scylla, Scylla will contemn my wo.
Alas, in vain I can expect relief,
Scylla will bark at my unbridled grief;
Or if my head-long vessel chance to hit
Against Charybdis; I am torn and split
[Page 26]Into ten thousand pieces: Oh hard hap!
Thus am I tossed in Destructions lap.
Where shall I find a heart that will advise
My friendless Soul, and audiate my cries?
I will not thus desist, I must implore,
He that's lost once, sure can be lost no more.
Adams Petition to God.
Once more, thou Metropolitan of all
The spacious world, I here presume to call
Upon thy mercy; Oh let me inherit
The pleasing fruits of thy re-pleased Spirit!
I am thy fabrick, oh some pity take,
Preserve the building for the Builders sake.
Clothe not thy brow with frowns, but let thine eye
(That rests inshrin'd with glorious Majesty)
Reflect upon my sorrows; Oh incline
Thy willing ears to hear this grief of mine:
Oh do not say I shall as soon remove
A mountain as thy heart, thou canst not love;
Let not such harsh, imbitter'd language flow
Out of a mouth so sweet; I know, I know,
Thou art as good as great; oh therefore bow
Thy sacred ears to hear, oh hear me now:
Bestow some scraps on me, that have deserv'd
Nothing but stripes; for I have fondly swerv'd
[Page 27]From thy Commands, & have committed treason
Against thy Majesty: Great God of Reason,
View my in-humbled Soul, see how it lies
Before thy sight, a weeping Sacrifice.
I know thou knowst I am a hainous sinner,
Yet pity me, that am a young beginner
In this rich art of begging: Do not slight
My real prayers; I know thou tak'st delight
In being merciful; oh let me not
Return unanswer'd, or my prayers forgot:
Oh hear the sorrows of my bleeding state,
Let my complaints make thee compassionate,
And let the fervor of my language turn
Thy thoughts to pity; quench these flames that burn
My wasting Soul; speak peace to me, that find
A civil war in my uncivil mind:
Oh I have tasted of thy hot displeasure
Too much; Ah, shall thy vengeance know no measure [...]
Say 'tis enough; though (Lord) I must confess
I have deserved more, yet give me less.
Thus with a melting heart I end my Suit
Ah me! how bitter is forbidden fruit!
Gods Reply
Thou bold fac'd Orator, how darst thou come
Before me, or be otherwise then dumb?
[Page 28]Tell me, how dat'st thou interrupt my brest?
I hate to see thee, or hear thy Request.
Audacious wretch, what, has my Judgments made
Thy heart grow peremptory? Have I layd
Too small a burthen on thee? If I have,
I'le lay a greater, thou apostate slave:
I will not note thee, nor I will not hear
Thy words, which have usurp'd my deafned ear.
Love thee, for what? be't known, sad wretch, I scorn
To love a thing so base, so vile, forlorn;
And if I cannot love, how can it be,
That I can pity such a worm as thee?
I'le neither love, nor pity, for my heart
Is adamantine; thou shalt feel the smart
Of my displeasure: Go, my Soul disdains
To look upon thee; thou art fill'd with stains▪
And smel'st too much of fruit to find respect▪
Thou art the subject of my great neglect:
Thou art a barren soil, nothing will grow
Upon thy heart, except the seeds of woe.
Tell me, from what conceit dost thou derive
Thy working confidence, that thou dar'st drive
Thy language to my ears, and be so bold
T'approach my sight, and wilt not be controul'd?
Art thou resolv'd to make (what dost thou mean)
My ears thy stage, and every word a scean?
[Page 29]Sum up thy small, thy weak deserts, and see
What large respects thou hast deserv'd from me.
I plac'd thee in a garden, not to eat
The [...]uit forbidden, but to keep it neat!
Had not the violation of my Laws
Mov'd me to anger, thou hadst had no cause
T'ave felt the burthen of my weighty stroke,
Or live thus much subjected to the yoke
Of thine own sins; most shameful is that loss
That's crown'd with negligence, & great the cross
That's made with a self-hand; and they that clime
Above their strengths, impropriate a crime
To their own Souls; Destruction is the end
Of all Rebellion: Ruine knows no friend.
Suppose I should invest and entertain
Your Soul with love, and call thee back again,
The tree is still the same, the fruit as sweet,
Thy appetite as great, and thou mayst meet
A Serpent too, whose oratorious skill
May soon intreat thee to enact his will:
He has a voyce to tempt, and thou an ear
Will re-assume the priviledg to hear;
He has a hand to give, and thou another
Freely to take: thus wouldst thou quickly smother
Thy new delights; therefore I will not trust
A heart that can be nothing but unjust.
Thou great Mugul of baseness, cease to plead,
Thy tongue's a canker, and thy words are lead;
Thy sins have made thee not deserve the air
Thou entertain [...]st hadst than implay'd thy care
To serve me, when I lov'd thee, thou hadst had
My heart-delighting joys to make thee glad;
But now expect no favour, for no art
Of thine shall ever captivate my heart.
Hie thee unto the shades of grief, bewail
Thy sequestrated happiness, no bail
Of thy procuring will I take to set
Thy Soul at liberty; I will not let
The vision of a comfort creep within
Thy rambling thoughts, thou art a slave to sin:
Hadst thou but lov'd or fear'd me at the first,
Th'adst been as happy, as th'art now accurst:
If now thou lov'st me, I shall quickly prove
It is for fear alone, and not for love▪
Thy heart is steel'd with wickedness, thy faults
Are sparks enlivened by thy flinty thoughts.
Breathe out thy groans unto a sensless rock,
And let thy sighs (like hammers) beat and knock
Against her scragged sides, thou shalt as soon
Have her consent, as mine, to grant thy boon:
'Tis therefore vain to multiply thy words,
For ah, my brest, my hardned brest, affords
[Page 31]Thy Soul no pity; and the more thy cry
Attempts my ear, the less I will reply.
Alas! thy guilt-o're-burth'ned words renew
Fresh thoughts of rage, I cannot hear thee sue
Without impatiency; for ah, the longer
Thou crav'st, thou mak'st my fury grow the stronger.
Avoid my presence, for I will no more
Give audience to thy voyce, then cease t'implore.
Adams Lamentation.
Undone, undone [...] what mountain now will hide
My lothed body from the swelling tyde
Of raging Vengeance? Whither shall I fly
T'involve my Soul with true security?
Stretch, stretch my lungs, and roar unto the deep
To entertain me: Oh that I might sleep
Within her wavey bowels, till the blast
Of Heav'ns all-shaking, thundring Voyce were past.
Oh that some rock would hear my sad request,
And give me burial in her frigid brest!
Oh that my grief-extended voyce could cleave
The solid Earth, and make her to receive
My wretched limbs! Oh that some ranging beast
Would prove so courteous to devour, and feast
Upon my corps! Oh that I could contrive
A way to live, and yet not be alive!
[Page 32]Ah, thus my sorrow-shaken fancy flies
And envies at impossibilities.
I fain would dye, but that I have no heart
To kill my self, and yet I feel a smart
Transcending death; I see I cannot shun
The wrath of Heav'n: Ah, thus am I undone
By my own doing; this it is to eat
Forbidden fruit: Oh most pernicious meat!
I was too rash, and rashly have I taken
A deadly fall, and falling, am forsaken:
I'm bruis'd to death, and yet I cannot dye;
Ah, what can be so much unblest as I?
I am inflamed, and I dayly drench
My Soul with tears, and yet I cannot quench
My raging fires; the more I strive t'ass wage
And mitigate my pains, the more they rage.
What shall I do, or whither shall I go,
To hide me from this Labyrinth of Wo?
I am compos'd of sorrow, and my veins,
Instead of blood, are fill'd with griping pains.
Curst be these eyes of mine, which have let in
The lawless Tyrant of imperious Sin:
Curst be these lips of mine, which at the suit
Of my fond wife receiv'd forbidden fruit:
Curst be these ears, that entertain'd the charms
Of that inchantress, which procur'd my harms:
[Page 33]Curst be these hands of mine, which took, and fed
My greedy Soul, and struck my Conscience dead:
And now my lips, my ears, my hands, my eyes,
Must see, hear, taste, and feel, my miseries.
Oh sad condition! Since there's no relief,
I must be subject to perpetual grief.
Here we will leave poor Adam in the state
Of woe, and thus begin to ruminate.
Are there not many in this tollsom age
That meditate themselves into a rage,
And wonder how a Serpent could express
Himself, and reason with such readiness,
Being by nature brute, nay and the worst
Of living creatures, that he should at first
Perswade and conquer, and instruct his will,
How to determine both of good and ill?
It would seem strange, if Reason were without
Her wings, and could not fly above this doubt:
We may (and yet not stain the truth) declare
It was the work of Satan to ensnare
Frail Eve; although he was not nam'd at all
By Moses in the Hist'ry of the Fall,
It may not trouble us; for we must know,
The bending Serpent was the Devils bow,
By which he shot the arrows of his spite,
Which did [Oh grief to speak it,] fly too right:
[Page 34]And he that dares so high a Crime to act
(Though by another) needs must own the fact:
And this our tongues may never cease to tell,
The Serpent was the Instrument of Hell,
Tun'd to the Devils voyce: thus we may see
His fraud, his malice, and his subtiltie.
First when he saw he could not over-turn
The great Creator, he begun to burn
With flames of envy, lab'ring to invade,
And so disturb that order God had made
In the Creation, and to change the features
Of his own Image in the best of Creatures,
That so he may by his too-sooth delusion
Make man run headlong to his own confusion:
Thus having laid the platform of his work,
He then begun to agitate, and lurk
For opportunity, which was effected
As soon, nay if not sooner, then expected;
He gave the blow, and by that blow he found
The weakest vessel had the weakest sound;
But yet it strongly eccho'd to the voyce
Of his desires, and made him love his choyce.
Even as some bold-fac'd General, that dares
To storm a well-man'd Town; at first prepares
A potent Army, which he soon sets down
Before the Walls of the alarum'd Town;
[Page 35]He after views the ruine-threatning-Fort,
Which speaks defiance, and begins to sport
Their several shots, and with a sad delight
Ingage each other in a bloody fight:
Then if the fierce Besiegers once perceive
Themselves out-strength'd, they think it fit to leave
So hot a work, and for a little space
Desist, and fall upon a weaker place,
Where finding smaller opposition, venture
With greater courage, and at last they enter
The yielding Town, and cruelly begin
To take revenge of them that are within.
Even so the grim-look'd, malice-armed Devil,
The base-resolved General of Evil,
Perceiving that he could by no means take
The sublime Fort of Heav'n, plots how to make
A fresh attempt upon a weaker part,
And so prepares to storm the flexive heart
Of unresisting Eve, that could not grapple
With such a Foe, but yielded for an Apple
To those most false Alarums which surrounded
Her, much obedient, and soon confounded
Her inward parts, and gave her Soul a wound,
Which cannot be by time or art made sound,
Except the grand Physician please to slake
His swelling fury, and some pity take.
Thus are our conquer'd parents sadly left
In a deplor'd condition, and bereft
Of all their comforts; they which have enjoy'd
The life of happiness, are now destroy'd;
And man (his wretched off-spring) must be made
Sorrows sad heir, and Peace must not be said
T'inhabit in him: Adams actual sin
Made ours original; for we begin,
As soon as made, to entertain the guests
Of Sin, and lodg them in our infant-brests.
Now may our weak and despicable eyes
Behold in them our ample miseries▪
Now we may glut the Air with this sad cry,
The root being dead, the branches needs must dye;
For Adam's gone beyond all humane call:
Rebellion never ends without a Fall.
But stay my Muse, here let us rest a while;
Our Journey's long, and 'tis not good to toil
Too much at first; for Reason says 'tis best
To pause a time, and take a little rest:
Know then (kind Reader) that my Muse shall meet
Thy serious eyes within another sheet.
The end of the first Book.
THE SECOND BOOK OF GODS LOVE, AND Mans Unworthiness.
ARe all hopes fled? and is there no relief?
Must man still wander in the shades of grief?
Will not the eye of Heav'n be pleas'd to shine
Upon his Soul, but leave him in the brine
Of his own sins? Is there no warbling voyce
Can charm his ears, and woo him to rejoyce
[Page 38]In being pitiful? Will nothing move
The much incensed Soul of Heav'n to love?
Man [Map of Misery] who can prevail
In thy requests? or who cut off th'entail
Of thy distress? 'Tis not a writ of Error
Can satisfie, or guard thee from the terror
Of thine own Conscience, which will alway stare
Upon thy face, and load thee with despair.
'Tis not a Habeas Corpus will remove
The body of thy sin, none can disprove
The Will of God, what he resolves to do
Must neither be withstood, nor div'd into:
It lies beyond thy power to perswade
Thy God to pity, whom thy sins have made
A wrathful Judg; what he intends, must be
Derived from himself, and not from thee;
For thou hast nothing in thee worth the name
Of good, because thy glory's turn'd to shame:
Thou art corrupt and vile in every part
And who can know the evil of thy heart?
Which like the Ocean, that no art nor eye
Can search her bottom, or her banks disery:
Therefore till heav'n shal please to change the s [...]
Of thy condition; Reason bids thee wait:
For be assur'd, the promis'd seed will spread
It self abroad, and bruise the Serpents head.
[Page 39]Even as the Fountain, whose exuberous brest
Is always fluent, and admits no rest;
But with a cheerful willingness she sends
Her crystal tokens to her smaller friends:
Even so our God distilleth from above
The healing streams of his refreshing love;
For ah the luster of his Sun-bright eye
Is drown'd in tears, when our sad Souls prove dry!
Oh admiration! that a God so just
Should rain down floods upon a heap of dust!
Oh Mercy! that so much incens'd a God
Should send forth Mercy, and keep in his Rod!
His Soul is fili'd with pity, and his eyes
Begin to view th'unsatiate miseries
Of Adams down-cast off-spring: Though his ear
Seems unto us resolved not to hear
Their bitter cries, nor note the sad Devotions
Of their contristed hearts; yet by the Motions
Of his blest Soul, he sends his Son and Heir
Into this wretched world, that he might bear
The Cross of our Transgressions, and expel
The clouds of sin, and conquer Death and Hell:
Thus by his death we liv'd, and by his grief
Our new-calm'd Souls were furnish'd with relief▪
Oh sudden change! That wind which did before
Drive wretched man upon the threat'ning shore
Of his desires with milde and prosperous gales;
The Boreas of his sin does now surcease
His full mouth'd blasts, and Z [...]phyr [...] spea [...]s peace
Unto his ship-wrack'd Soul, and now he rides
Upon the new-tam'd backs of pleasing Tydes.
Oh that my tongue were able to rehearse
The Love of God with an Angelike Verse,
Oh that some heav'nly diety would fill
The black-mouth'd concave of my wandring quill
With pure celestial Ink, that I might write
In heav'nly characters, and learn t'indite
I ch [...]ahs praises in a stile as high
As my desires, and make the lofty Sky
Eccho with Hallelujahs, that the Earth
May (like a Midwife) hug the joyful birth
Of every word, and make each corner ring
(VVith peals of Joy) the Glories of our King:
Is man deliver'd from the painful womb
Of his foul sin, and raised from the tomb
Of everlasting death? and shall not we
Applaud that hand which set such pris'ners free?
VVhat, shall we be afraid to [...]rack and break
The chains of silence, and attempt to speak
The dialects of Angels? No; let's call
Vpon his name, that rais'd us from a Fall.
[Page 41]Let's stretch our lungs, & with a warbling breath
Sing to the life, how we were rais'd from death:
And when our tongues are wearied, let's express
By heav'nly signs our real thankfulness.
But stay, where runs my quill? what, have I lost
My self in raptures? or else am I tost
Into the air of pleasure by the wind
Of true delight? If Passion proves so kind,
I am content, oh may I always rest
Adorn'd & crown'd with a Heav'n-ravish'd brest:
O love ineffable! Must wretched Man,
The spawn of baseness, and the unmeasur'd span
[...]f everlasting infancy, be made
Loves object? Must th' Almighty's love be said
To dwell in Man, whose tongue cannot deliver
The least of thanks unto so great a Giver?
VVill the Sun-gazing Eagle, that soars high.
Descend t'assist the web-infolded Fly?
VVill he that [...]arkens with a willing ear
To pleasing musick, turn away to hear
Confounding discords? or will any woo
A perju [...]'d enemy to come and go
Into his Courts? VVill any hand forbear
To strike at him that labours to impair
His worth, and contumeliously upbraid
His upright deeds? Will he that is betray'd
[Page 42]Affect the Traytor, and with patience sue
For reconcilement, when as death is due?
All this blest Heav'n will do, that he might place
Vain man within the Covenant of Grace.
Consider man, how often hath this mirror
Of pure affection woo'd thee from thine error?
Thou unconsiderate dust, which every wind
Can puff away, how canst thou prove unkind
To such a Louer, that delights to spin
His bowels out, to nourish thee with in
His milky bosom? Shall his bounty crave
Thy base acceptance? Shall he be a slave
To his own slaves? Ah, shall thy God implore,
And beg of beggars to receive his store?
Does he, whom Heav'n & Earth cannot contain,
No no [...] the heav'n of heav'ns, stoop down to gain
Thy dull respects? And ah, wilt thou not raise
Thy stupid Soul an inch to give him praise?
Thy fervent prayers he always will admit,
Then how canst thou remember to forget
A God so mindful? How canst thou forbear
To numerate his love without a tear?
How can thine eyes (when thou observ'st the Sun)
Refuse to weep to see him dayly run
His painful progress, and rejoyce to greet
The Earth with luster to direct thy feet,
[Page 43]Thy sinful feet, which every moment slide
Into Rebellion, loaded with thy pride?
How canst thou choose, when thou behold'st the ground
Whereon thou tread'st, but voluntary drown'd
Thy self in briny floods, to think what care
Indulgent Heav'n hath taken to prepare
For thee, before thou wert, and how his hand
Hath for thy profit fertiliz'd the Land?
How can thy rocky heart refuse to vent
A stream of blood, when thou behold'st th'extent
Of the unbounded Ocean, how it hides,
Within the bosom of her swelling Tydes,
Diversities of fish, which live to feed
Thy gulf of gluttony at time of need?
Uncloud thy thoughts (O Man) and thou shalt see
He who ordained all these things for thee,
Created thee for him, that thou mayst give
The praise to him, that lends thee leave to live.
Be serious Man, consider how thou hast
Converted all these blessings into waste:
Know that the great Edificer of things
Furnish'd thy Soul with Reason, gave thee wings
To fly above all mortals, and hath crown'd
Thy head with he [...]ps of honor, and hath bound
Inferior creatures prentice to thy will;
And this he did, because thou shouldst fulfil
[Page 44]Thy Gods Commands; but thou that wert the best
Hast made thy self more loathsom then the rest,
And by thy most detested deviation
Abus'd the glory of thy free Creation:
Though the Majestick Eagles will despise
To be assistants to th▪intangled Flies;
Yet Heav'n will from his lofty Throne deseend,
And with a speedy cheerfulness defend
The sons of men, who dayly are betray'd
By those insiduous snares which Satan lay'd
T'intrap their Souls: Alas, how voyd of care
Is heedless man! how subject to a snare!
But he, whose more then superficial love
Is always active, lab'ring to improve
Our hearts with thankfulness, denies to let
Our Souls be taken in th'eternal net
Of unconceived misery, and live
In lasting death, not having power to give
The least of drops unto our howling tongues,
But uck the flames, until our sulphurous lungs
Crackle, and belch▪ forth brimstone, till we tire
Our Carbonado'd members in a fire
That's inextinct; the more we strive to turn
Our parched Souls, still more and more they burn.
Revolve these things within thy serious mind;
Oh Man, let Love instruct thee to be kind
[Page 45]To him that's loving; do not disrespect
A God, whose Soul so dearly can affect:
Pour out thy thoughts, and practise to relent,
And let thy thoughts induce thee to repent:
Grasp opportunity, Time's always flying;
God's always living, and thou always dying:
Dy then; before thou dy'st, redeem the time,
Because thy days are evil; learn to clime
Jacobs erected ladder; thou shalt see
Th'adst better clime a Ladder, then a Tree,
As Judas did: Be wise, and do not fan
Thy Soul with air; remember what a span
Thou art; remember whose inspired breath
Made thee a Soul; forget not whose sad death
Made thee alive; be mindful that thou art
Th'Epitomy of Heav'n; inure thy heart
To love the best of loves, so shall thy brest
Be fill'd with comfort, and thy Soul with rest:
Prepare and know, the very fowls delight
To prune their wings before they take their flight.
Although terrestial Kings will not permit
A Traytor to his Courts, no [...] let him sit
Before his presence, though they will not hear
A Malefactors pray'rs; yet Heav'ns blest ear
Is always open, and his tongue invites
Repentant sinners, for his eye delights
[Page 46]To view them in his Courts when they appear;
For muddy waters may at last prove clear:
'Tis not unlike; ill scented dunghils may
At last bear flowers; that which is foul to day,
To morrow may prove fair; the thing that cost
Millions of silver, may as well be lost,
As things of smaller value; Heav'n can spy
A mite, as well as mountains; for his eye
Is lodg'd in every cranny of mans heart,
And he knows all that searches every part.
Where breathes that Mortal that can apprehend
The ways and thoughts of God, who knows the end
Of his beginning?——
He that can break a rocky heart in twain,
And re-unite it (if he please) again;
He that can part the boiling waves, and stand
Upon the Seas, as on the dryest Land;
He whose celestial power can make the graves
To open, and command their slumb [...]ring slaves
To rise; nay more, to stand; nay more, to walk;
Nay more (if more then this may be) to talk:
He that can make a Whale to entertain
A Jonah, and to sp [...]e him out again;
He whose Almighty Power can unlock
The flinty bowels of a ser [...]gged Rock,
[Page 47]And make her headlong-gushing streams abound
To wash the bosom of the thirsty ground;
He that can transmutate by power divine
The poorest water into richest wine;
He that can curb rude Boreas, and asswage
The lawless passion of the Oceans rage;
He that can rain down Manna to supply
The craving stomacks of mortality;
He that can, like an all-commanding God,
Make Almonds flourish from a sapless rod;
He that can make the Sun and Moon stand still,
Or run according to his sacred Will;
He that sav'd a Daniel from the paws
Of Lyons, and can muzzle up their jaws;
He that can make the greedy Ravens carry
Food to his Servants like a Commissary;
He that can, with an unresisted hand,
Dash fire into Ice, and counter-mand
The wanton flames, and charm them, that they dare
But burn his servants cords, and not their hair;
He that can cause ten thousand to be fed
With two small fishes, and five loaves of bread;
He that can clothe himself with fire, and name
Himself, I AM, and make a bush to flame
Without consuming; He that can convert
A Rod into a Serpent, and not hurt;
[Page 48]He that can make his visage shine so bright,
That not a Moses can behold the light;
He that can strike a hand with leprosie,
And cure it in the twinkling of an eye;
He that can in a moment cut and break
Tongue tying cords, and make the dumb to speak▪
He that can out of unregarded stones
Raise unto Abraham many little ones;
He that can heal the Cripple with a touch,
And free him from the thraldom of his Crouch;
He that can cure the deaf, and can expel
A thousand Devils in despite of Hell;
He that can perfect what he first begun,
Expects that man should say▪ Thy will be done.
Consider Man and thou shalt find it true▪
[...] can do all, but what he will not do:
Think not, because thou art of low estate,
That he will scorn to love, and love to hate:
Remember Dives, whose unsum'd up store
Improv'd so much, until he prov'd as poor
As ever Iob was: Iob! unhappy I
To speak it, he was rich in poverty;
Hea [...]'n made poor Iob so rich, that Satans wealth
[...]uld purcha [...] nothing from him, but his health,
And that corporeal too; he could not boast
His bargain, for 'twas Iob that purchas'd most.
[Page 49]"Happy is he that can at last inherit
"Riches obtain'd by an impov'rish'd spirit:
"We'd better lick with Lazarus the crumbs,
"Then gripe with Dives for Soul-damning sums.
Welth cānot bride the flames, yet scraps may feed
The hungry wretch; he that has wealth, may need
The crumbs of comfort: David did condole
Th'abundant famine of his hungry Soul:
Gods Love's not mercenary, to be sold
For brain-distracting, heart-confounding gold.
Hast thou not heard (O Man) the heav'nly cry
Of him that says, Ye that are poor, come buy,
Come buy of me; your pen'worth shall be such,
That for a little you shall purchase much.
Here's Love that's spun unto the smallest thred.
Tho thou want'st mony, yet thou ma [...] have bred▪
Do thou but ask, thou shalt not fail to have;
For God's more free to give, then thou to crave:
Fear not to ask of him, whose ready ear,
Before thy tongue can ask, is apt to hear.
Heav'n loves the language of a broken heart,
And he will harken, and with joy impart
His love unto thee, and his milk and wine,
Without the price of mony, shall be thine.
Th'ingrated pris'ner, whose dull tongue is whet
With sharp'ned hunger, will not fear to let
[Page 50]His language fly to every ear that comes
Within his audience; and he always sums
The totals of his grief in hungry words,
Whilst thousands pass along, but few affords
The blessing of an Alms; perhaps they'l grieve,
And seem to pity, but will not relieve:
Yet will he not desist, but hourly cry,
Bread, bread, for Heav'ns sake bread, or else I dye.
Hard hearred Man, why wilt thou not relent
To hear thy brother, almost hunger spent,
Craving thy succour? Where's thy love become?
Because th'art deaf▪ ah! woldst thou have him dūb?
Or dost thou think, because thy panch is fill'd,
He cannot hunger? He that first distill'd
Those mercies on thy head, expects that thou
Shouldst feed thy brother with a cheerful brow;
Say not thou canst not give, thy treasure's light;
But let thy heart record the widows mite,
So H [...]a [...]'n will fill thy Cisterns to the brim,
And feed thy Soul, because thou hast fed him.
Should the Grandfather of true Charity
Pass by thy gates, and here thee beg and cry,
And not relieve thee; should he slight thy prayrs,
And scorn to take a survey of thy tears;
Wouldst thou not grieve, and pine thy self to dust,
And almost say thy God was much unjust
[Page 51]To turn away his ears from thy complaint,
And disrespect thy pray'rs▪ and let thee [...]aint
For want of [...]o [...]d? Ah▪ whither wouldst thou [...]ly
To feed thy famish'd Soul, should Heav'n deny?
But ah he cannot, for his melting Soul
Is always free, and willing to condole
The sad conditions of distressed Man,
Who only strives to do, but what he can
To contradict him▪ yet he'l hear our grief:
In multitudes of mercy lies relief.
When our impris'ned Souls peep through the
Of this corrupting Earth, our God delates
Himself unto us, and he sends us meat
From the rich store-house of his lofty Seat;
He hears; and hearing, pities; pitying, sends;
And sending, blesses, and with blessing ends.
Even as the Sun, which every day surrounds
The sublime Globe, and pries into the bounds
Of this darke Center; lets his Beams reflect
Upon a molehill with as much respect
As on a Mountain; for his glorious Beams
Shine always with equivolent extreams.
Even so the great and powerful three in one,
That sits upon his all-inlight'ning Throne,
Does not deny to let his mercies crown
The poorest Peasant with as much renown
[Page 52]As the most stateliest Emperor; though he
Invests his body with more dignitie,
Yet he's but earth, and must at last decay,
For Prince and Peasant go the self-same way;
Their earth must turn to earth, their Souls return
To him that gave them, or for ever burn;
There's no distinction, one infused breath
Made them alike, and both must live in death,
Or everlasting life; both must commence
Divines in Heav'n; there's no preheminence,
But all equality, all must express,
With equal Joy, their equal Happiness.
Rouze up dull Man, and let thy wak'ned Soul
Be vigilant; oh let thy thoughts enroul
The Love of God, engrave it in thy brest,
That his resounding tongue may read thee blest.
O let thy sighs, like Pens, and let thy tears,
Like Ink, transcribe the Love, th'indulgent cares
Of thy Creator, that himself may find
(Within the unblotted volume of thy mind)
Himself recorded, so will he imbrace
Thy spotless Soul, and fill thee with his grace.
Incl [...] thine cars, and let thy heart rejoyce
To [...]ear the strains of his harmonious voyce;
Harken, and thou shalt hear his Prophets sing
Th'admired Mercies of thy glorious King.
That rules the Heav'ns, and governs Earth alone;
43.
Thus saith the Lord, that takes delight to dwell
1.
Amongst his Saints, that formed Israel,
Created Iacob, Let thy sorrows slee
Out of thy brest, I have redeemed thee:
'Twas I that made thy clouded visage shine▪
And call'd thee by my Name, for thou are mine.
I will be with thee, when thy feet shall wade
2
Thorow the waters; I will be thy aid:
I'le make thee walk thorow rivers, and the waves
Shall prove ambitious to become thy slaves:
And when thou walkest thorow the raging fire,
Th'unruly flames shall not presume to aspire,
Or kindle on thy garments. I alone
3
The Lord thy God, and Israels holy one,
And thy dear Saviour, that was always true,
Gave Egypt, Seba, and Ethiopia too,
To ransom thee; for thou wert my delight,
4
And always precious in my gracious sight:
Honors were heap'd upon thee, and thou wert
The tender love of my affecting heart;
Therefore even I, that am well pleas'd, will give
People for thy dear sake, that thou mayst live.
Fear not, for I am with thee, and I'le stand
5
In thy defence, and my all-grasping hand
[Page 54]Shall bring thy seed from the remotest places,
And fill thee with my satisfying graces.
My tongue shall call unto the North, and say
6
Unto the South, Give, and they shall obey;
Bring from a far my sons and daughters all,
Hear my loud voyce, be active when I call.
I have created them, and I proclaim
7
They shall be call'd and honor'd by my Name.
I'le usher forth the bl [...]d, and make them see
The splendent Glories of my Majestic:
I'l [...] cu [...] th [...] deaf, and make their hearts rejoyce
To [...]a [...] the [...] of my warbling voyce.
Thus hath our God unty'd the tongues, and broke
His Prophets lips; thus have his Prophets spoke:
And wilt thou be (O Man) so much obdure,
A [...] not to credit him that will assure
Perpe [...]al happiness? [...]h [...]u canst not ask
That which he cannot give; do but unmask
Thy sham [...]ae▪d Soul, that so thou mayst discry
[...] mercies with a faithful eye▪
[...]aut upon his p [...]omi [...]es, advise
With chine own thoughts, let Reason make thee wise
[...]sp [...]ct thy self, weigh well t [...]ine own condition.
And thou shalt find thou wa [...]t'st a good Physician
[...]o cure thy [...]aculat [...]d Soul Alas!
Thou a [...] like water stop'd up in a glass,
[Page 55]So weakly fortily'd, and fene'd about,
That one weak knock soon le [...] the pris [...]ner out.
Vain lump of vanity, what can this [...]irth
Afford thy thoughts more then a short [...]liv'd mirth?
A mirth that fills thee with deluding toys,
And like a Tyrant afterwards destroys.
Dot'st thou on Earth? for what? because her pleasure
Can guild thy wanton eye? Because her treasure
Can cram thy bags? Because her Sirens song
Can ravish thee? Because her power can throng
Thy Soul with luxury? Because her charms
Can court thee with delight? Because her arms
can pleasingly imbrace thee, and imbost
Thy heart with gold, and lull thee, when th'ast lost
Thy self in sleep? Is this the little All
That this great world can boast of? Must we call
These things our pleasures? No, they'l prove our cares,
Our golden fetters, and our silken sna [...]es:
These are the Ioys we love, these are the things
That makes us fly with our Icaria [...] wings
Up to Ambitions Court, and there presume
To gaze so long, until our wa [...]en plume
Dissolve with heat, and like presumptuous slaves
Tumble our selves into the raging waves
Of speedy Ruine; Ruine's all that we
Must hope to obtain from Earths base trea [...]ur [...].
[Page 56]Lets scorn her wealth, and say, O Earth, thou art
A painted Mistriss with a rotten heart:
Let's hate to love, that we may love to hate
Th'unconstant glory of her sickle State.
Even as the subtle Crocodile prepares
Her slatt'ring heart, and eye-commanding tears,
To woo her prey to come within the power
Of her command▪ that so she may devour
With more facility, and make her Jaws
To execute by her tyrannike Laws.
Even so this World, whose Crocodile▪ like eyes
Are always slowing, wanting no supplies
Of gliding tears to wash the rugged faces
Of her designs with falsifying graces,
That so she may by her too smooth delusion
Make man the Author of his own confusion.
Frail slesh and blood, how canst thou take delight
To love this world, that cannot give a mite
Of comfort to thee, but will still intrap,
And dayly lull thee in her lustful lap:
She'l rock thy Soul to ruine, and she'l spawn
Baseness into thee; she'l deceive, and fawn
Upon thy heart, and with her guilded baits
She'l hook thy Soul unto the worst of Fates:
There's nothing in her that deserves the name
Of constancy; her glory is her shame:
[Page 57]Smile at her tears, for every drop she vents
Harbors ten thousand thousand discontents:
Believe her not; but when she speaks the best,
Believe the worst; and if she promise rest,
Assure thy self of trouble; if she chance
To promise treasure, let thy thoughts advance
Above her promises, contemn her dross,
For what thou gain'st from her will be thy los [...]!
Let not her wealthy Donatives perswade
Thy heart t'accept; when once thou art betray'd
There's no resistance: They that well advise
Before they act, deserve the name of wise:
But they that study in her frantick Schools
May prove her wise men; but Heav'ns out-cast fools
Ask her the way to Bliss: Try if her skill
Can give directions, ask her if she will
Fill thee with blest Eternity, conjure
Her helpless aid, see if she can assure
A safety to thee, ask her if she can
Prescribe a cure for a despairing Man;
Tell her thy Soul is sick, thou canst not live
A minute longer; see if she can give
A Cordial to thee, see if she can heal
A broken heart; see if she can reveal
Celestial Joys unto thee, and impart
A heav'nly comfort to thy grieved heart:
[Page 58]If so, cheer up, and prosecute thy mirth,
And say there is no other Heaven but Earth.
Do thus (sond Man; and thou s [...]ale quickly see
A bassl'd World, that cannot answer thee,
B [...]t must be silent, for she cannot plea [...]
For her own self; she knows she cannot lead
The way to Heav'n, she's but a bad Director,
A base Reliever, and a worse Protector.
Thus shalt thou make her envy swell and burst,
And, like the Basilisk, discover'd first,
She needs must dye; but if she should discover
Thee first, farewell, th'art murthet'd by thy lover:
Then shalt thou heat the Soul▪ amazing tone
Of him that sie [...] on his immortal Throne,
Pronounce against thee at the dreadful day
Of thy accounts; thus shalt thou hear him say:
Depart, ye cursed off-springs of a father
As curst as you, avoyd my sight, go gather
The fruits of your deserts; you have forgot
The God that made you, and I know ye not:
See if the world, within whose folding arms
You always slept, can quit thee from the harms
That must ensue; see if her slatt'ring power
Can shelter thee from the o' [...] ▪ flowing showre
Of my fast▪ dropping rage; see if her brest
Can entertain thee with eternal rest:
[Page 59]Begone, begone, my fury hates to see
Such Miscreants; had you remember'd me,
I now had known you; had you made me eat
When I was forc'd to importune for meat,
I now would blest you with celestial dyet,
And crown your Souls with everlasting quiet,
Had you but quench'd my raging th [...]st, or gave
A single drop, that very drop should save
Your death-adjudged Souls, and you should [...]up
Abundant comforts from my streaming cup:
Had you (sad sons of vengeance) but supply'd
My nakedness with garments, when I cry'd
And call'd upon your charity to send
Relieve unto me, I had been your friend!
Or had your (more then marble) hearts reliev'd
M'impris'ned body, now ye had not griev'd:
Had you, you world▪ affined Souls, addrest
Your selves unto me when I was opprest
With ling'ring sickness, then I would have fed
Your Souls (which now are starv'd) with heav'nly bread.
But since you have not done it unto those
Which I esteem'd, ye'ave prov'd your selves my foes:
Therefore begone, let darkness be your lot,
Learn to remember that ye have forgot
My Mercies; go, and let my Judgments dwell
Within your guilty hearts; let black▪ mouth'd Hell
[Page 60]Plague you with torments, let him always lash
Your hearts with flames, until ye howl, and gnash
Your teeth together; go, depart my sight,
And taste the fruits of everlasting night.
But as for you whose better deeds have found
Acceptance in my heart, ye shall be crown'd
With unremoved happiness, because
Ye have obsequiously perform'd my Laws;
You fed my craving stomack, and you cloath'd
My naked body, and you have not loath'd
To visit me; and when I was a stranger,
Ye took me in, and guarded me from danger;
Go then my Lambs, and let your Oratory
Proclaim the greatness of your Fathers glory:
Go revel in my Courts; no discontent
Shall breed a faction in my Parliament;
I'le pass an Act of Peace, and it shall be
Sign'd by the hand of my Eternitie.
My tongue shall stile you blessed, and my voyce
Shall raise your Souls, and teach you to [...]ejoyce▪
Your unexcised pleasures shall abound
To infinite, your ravish'd hearts shall sound
The depth of my delights; all things shall move
Within the sphere of uncontrouled Love:
Be well assur'd, your pleasures shall be great;
Then fly from Judgment to my Mercies Seat,
[Page 61]And there rejoyce with a triumphant mirth;
My Love shall live with them that hated Earth.
Obdurate Man, here, here thou mayst discry
Judgment and Mercy, one to terrifie,
The other to perswade; and yet wilt thou
Prove adamantine, and refuse to bow
To thy Redeemer? Canst thou ruminate
Upon his Love, and yet wilt not delate
Thy Soul unto him? Is thy brazen heart
Impenitrable? Will no flaming dart
Of true affection enter? Hast thou vow'd
To stop thy [...]ars; Shall Mercy call aloud,
And thou not hear? Shall thund'ring Judgments rattle
About thy ears, and yet wilt thou imbattle
Against the Lord of Hosts? Wilt thou invoke
Perpetual Vengeance to intail a stroke
Upon thy stubborn heart? What, dost thou think
Hell's voyd of flames, or that thy God will wink
At thine enormities? Go, rally all
Thy thoughts together, and discreetly fall
Into a serious study.——
———Let thy mind
Be absolute, and really inclin'd
To meditation; contradict the rage
Of thine own passion: labour to. asswage
[Page 62]The fire of lust, that so thou mayst behold,
With more serenety, how manifold
His mercies are, that every day prevents
The sad incursions of deprav'd events.
Think but in what a most defam'd condition
Thy Soul was in, before the grand Physician
Of Heav'n and Earth spontaniously sent down
A balm from his own Gilliard to crown
The sons of grief: Think what he did endure,
Before his wounds had perfected thy cure.
Remember how undauntedly he stood,
And sweat himself into a Crimson flood
To ransom thee; remember how his woes
Were asperated by his raging foes;
Remember how his sacred temples wore
A spiny Crown; remember how it tore
His sublime Front; remember how they broach'd
His brest with Spears, and shamefully reproach'd
His spotless fame; remember how they nail'd
His spreading hands, remember how they seal'd
His Ivory w [...]lls, remember how they spawl'd
Upon his face, remember how they baw'ld
And banded at his Agony, whilst he
Prov'd patient Martyr to their tyrannie;
Remember when he came unto the brink
O [...] death, they gave him vinegar to drink▪
[Page 63]Nay more (because they vow'd to empty all
Their poys'ned malice out) they gave him Gall.
Oh bitter deed! oh most abhorred Crimes!
(Too nearly paralleld in these our times.)
Thus having put a period to their plots,
They thought it good to cast their hellish lots
For his (I dare not say mean) clothes; I know
They were our Saviours, to whose worth we ow
Perpetual thanks; 'twas his well finished breath
Redeem'd our Souls from everlasting death.
Here's Love (O Man) that does as far transcend
Thy thoughts as thy deserts, that Heav'n should send
His Son and Heir to be incarnated▪
And suffer death for thee, that wert as dead
As sin could make thee; 'twas for thy offence
He dy'd: Ah, how, how canst thou recompence
Such high br [...]d Favors! Favors unexpected
Deserve to be imbrac'd, and not neglected.
Do not (rash Soul) like Cleopatria, nurse
Imbosom'd vipers; blessings prove a curse,
If once abus'd; Ingratitude cuts off
Th'intail of Love; it is a shame to scoff
At Benefactors; after thou art fed,
Wilt thou contemn the hand that gave thee bread?
Wouldst thou not love that friend that should bestow
A super [...]nuated crust, and shew
[Page 64]Respect unto thee, when the ebbing Tyde
Of Fortune runs so low, that thou mayst ride
Upon the sands of Poverty? Fond Man,
Strive to be grateful, study how to scan
The mercies of thy God; remember how
He feeds thy Soul with Manna; learn to bow
Th'unruly thoughts; (with admiration) think
How often, and how much imbitter'd drink
Thy Saviour drank; with what a doleful cry
He beg'd of God to let that cup pass by;
But knowing that his pleasure must be done,
He proy'd himself his most obedient Son.
And wilt thou not ( [...]y wretch) drink one poor sup
Of bitter drink for him, that drank a cup
To sweeten thine; thou need'st not fear, or scorn
To taste, because Heav'ns sacred Unicorn
Hath purg'd the waters, and they must be sweet,
Except they're reimpoys'ned by thy feet:
If so, what wilt thou do? where wilt thou find
An Antidote for an invenom'd mind?
It is reported, if the Spider chance
To meet the obvious Toad, they'l both advance
Then inward force, and mutually proclaim
An open War; brave combita [...]s of Fame!
And having [...] their imbowel'd might,
Ma [...]ch boldly on, and both incens'd, thy fight▪
[Page 65]The Toad being heavy loaded, cannot go,
Or wheel about, like his encountring foe,
But keeps his ground, and makes a small resistance:
The Spider scorning to be kept at distance,
Falls in upon him, and with nimble rage
Assaults his foe, who now begins [...]asswage
His former fury, and would fain retreat
From his small foe, whose strength is grown too great
For opposition; being thus distress'd
He crawls away, and with a crope-sick brest
Seeks for relief, and by and by discrys
A Planton leaf, within whose veins there lies
A secret Antidote, which did at length
Expel his poyson and renew his strength:
Having disgorg'd himself, he soon returns
Into the camp, where for a time he burns
To be in action, and at last he sees
The crafty Spider creeping by degrees
To seize upon him, then his courage fails,
He knows not what to do, his foe assails
With all his might, constraining him to yield
The conquest, and with shame to quit the field:
Then he begins to seek, and hunt about,
To find the soveraign healing Planton out,
Which had before reliev'd him, and supply'd
His wants; but that being gone, he burst, and dy'd
Even so, if Hells black Spider chance to crawl
From his infernal Web into the Hall
Of this all-dusty World, he soon prepares
Himself to fight, and suddenly declares,
That he, the grim-look'd General of Hell,
Dares to encounter any Souls that dwell
Within the limits of the spacious Earth,
And in a moment qualifie their mirth:
Thus Satan boasts, and if he chance to meet
A single Soul, he'l thus begin to greet.
A DIALOGUE between the Soul and Satan.
Sat.
SOul, th'art well met.
So.
'Tis true, for I am wel.
Sat.
Say, whither art thou going?
Sou.
Not to Hell.
Sat.
[...]ish, talk no more of that, but tell me whither
Thou go'st; come, prethee let's go both together.
Sou.
A pretty motion; when I want a guide
I'le send for thee, till then thou art deny'd
To be my Usher.
Sat.
Prethee tell me why
Thou art so obstinate, as to deny
[Page 68]So free a courtesie as I have shewn;
Mischance oft falls to them that walk alone:
Be not so much averse as to neglect
This opportunity; I can protect
Thy feet from sliding; dangers still attend
Those that dispise the favors of a friend.
Sou.
A friend! how canst thou prove that title?
Sat.
How?
As thus; because I'm willing to allow
The best assistance of my ready arm
To guide, nay and protect thee from all harm;
Theresore a friend. So. What you pretend to shew
Is but external; he that can bestow
Internal friendship on a Soul distress'd
Is a true friend; no matter for the rest.
If Heav'n will guide my Soul, I shall not stray,
Or sear the evils of a dangerous way:
But as for you, I needs must borrow leave
To say, your friendship's only to deceive;
Confusion paths your ways, and if I run
By your advise, I needs must be undone.
God bids me fly from sin, if I refuse
Obedience to his Will, I shall abuse
His just Commands; then will my sorrows cry,
When Mercy stops Judgment begins to fly.
Sat.
Desist (fond Soul) and labour to divorce
Thy lips from this too fabulous discourse;
[Page 69]Guild not thy words with vanity, perswade
These thoughts (which ate erronious) to evade
Thy serious mind; advise, and thou shal [...] see
My ways are best be principl'd by me [...]
Let not the swing of passion strike thee down,
But follow me, 'tis I must give a Crown
To thy deserts, 'tis I that can advance
Thy down-cast Soul above the reach of chance;
'Tis I (mistaken Soul) 'tis I alone
That must conduct thee to the sublime throne
Of true Salvation; 'tis my hand must bring
Thy trembling Soul before th'all▪ judging King
Of Heaven and Earth; it is my power can fill
Thy heart with joy; believe me, and I will.
Trust not the babling languages of those
That seem thy friends, but are thy greatest foes;
They're great to thy desruction, they'l connive
And fawn, nay almost bury thee alive;
They'l talk of Heav'n and Hell, they'l tell thee stories
Of endless, boundless, unconceived glories;
They'l tell thee of Eternity, and woo
Thy Soul out of thy ears, if thou'lt bestow
Thy pains to hear them; they'l infuse, and brew
Their own designs, and tell thee all is true
That they declare; they'l tell thee that they're sent
As Messengers from Heav'ns high Parliament.
[Page 70]Believe me Soul, 'tis I that can display
The Gospels Colours better far then they;
There's nothing in that volume so obstruce,
But I can winde and twist it to my use;
And there is nothing in this world can be
Stil'd worth a work, but can be done by me:
I can do all; it lies within my power
To make thee poor or rich in half an hour:
I can command whole Legions to attend
Upon my honour: Say, what nobler friend
Canst thou imbrace; I'le be a friend to all
That will give audience to my faithful call;
I'le make them swell with riches, they shall have
As much, nay if not more, then they can crave:
Am I not rare, and rich, and high, and great,
Incomprehensible? Is not my seat
The throne of happiness? Yet cannot I
Invite thee to my sweet eternity?
Come gentle Soul into my twining arms,
I'le hug thee, I'le delight thee with my charms,
I'le shew thee all my Joys, nothing shall lie
Hid from the view of thy all-gazing eye;
Happy, beyond expression.
Sou.
Satan, stay
The progress of thy tongue, and give me way▪
That I may vent my thoughts, for you have spoke
At large already; and is this the stroke
[Page 71]Which you intend shall wound me? Be assur'd,
The blows but small, and well may be endur'd.
Sat.
What, mov'd to passion! Is thy mind disturb'd
With foul mistrust? pray let those thoughts be curbd:
What, dost thou think I am perfidious? Fie;
'Tis folly to condemn before you try.
Alas, alas! what profit can accrue
To me, by wronging such a Soul as you?
What I express is only for your good,
But what is more (then grave advice) withstood?
I doubt these weak, these empty thoughts presage
A tempest, guarded with a storm of rage:
Well then, storm on, and when thy storm is spent,
Sit down, and meditate, and then repent.
Sou.
Repent, Oh happy word! although exprest
By a foul mouth; those that repent are blest.
How dares thy hellish lips [...] a word
Fill'd with divinity, but will afford
No rest, no comfort, to thy horrid Soul?
Begone, begone; and if thou canst condole
Thy self, thou art (if Logick prove but true)
Curst in the Major, and the Minor too.
Bless me, O Heav'n: What blust'ring stormy weather
Drove such a vile prodigious Monster hither?
Touch-stone of baseness, dost thou come to prove
Whether I'm gold, or dross; thou mayst remove
[Page 72]Thy forward hopes, because I hope to be
Mettal at last for Heav'n, and not for thee.
Begone, fallacious wretch, I cannot brook
Thy golden baits, I have discry'd thy hook▪
Father of lyes, thy policy is built
Upon the sands, and plaster'd o're with guilt▪
Thy tongue foretels a storm; if so, be sure
Thy sand-built policy shall not endure:
Flatt'ry's the life of baseness, and that art
Is well imprinted in thy subtile heart▪
Dost thou believe that I can entertain
Belief from thee? Or dost thou think to raign
Within my brest? No▪ no▪ thy cloudy powers
Are at the best but falsifying showrs▪
Be satisfi'd, I cannot give the least
Of credit to thee, nor I dare not feast
My thoughts with such uncertainties; I know
Thy dyet must and will corrupt to woe.
Thou bidst me not condemn before I make
Some [...]al of thy trust▪ If I should [...]
Such green advice, I quickly should undo
My wretched self; and in condemning you
What profit could I have? or what relief
Could I expect to mitigate my grief?
My accusations would be blown as dust
Before the wind; I'le neither try, nor trust
Sat.
[Page 73]Nor try, nor trust? Art thou resolv'd to cross
My real motions? Do, and see whose loss
Will prove most weighty; if I lose the heat
Of thy weak love, my loss will not be great;
But if I should withdraw my love from thee,
How▪ like a Map of well drawn misery,
Wouldst thou appear? Be wise, correct thy thoghts;
Neglected favors prove the greatest faults.
Take my instructions, for 'tis I must bring
Content unto thee; 'tis a glorious thing
To be immortal: prethee Soul decline
Thy former ways; say, shall I call thee mine:
M [...]e, mine thou art; I'le load thee with renown;
Let me but conquer, thou shalt wear the Crown.
How pleasing are my Joys! how full of peace
Are all my ways! my glories still increase:
I'm great and good, I take delight to win
Distressed Souls, and lead them from their sin:
I cannot choose but pity those that lie
Upon the beds of sensualli [...]y!
My melting Soul is always free to give
Comfort to them that study how to live.
Alas, the care and trouble that I take
[...]s more for their content, then my own sake:
My gates are always open, they that venture
To come to me shall (with a welcom) enter!
[Page 74]And when they call, and cry, I will appear
My self unto them, and rejoyce to hear
Their sad complaints; I will not hide my face
From them that seek the glory of my grace:
I cannot be unconstant; I must grieve
To hear their sorrows, and I will relieve▪
I will be pitiful to them that trust
In me alone: I cannot be unjust;
I cannot, no I cannot; Earth shall move
Sooner then I will falsifie my love:
I am eternal; they that will endeavor
To gain my love, shall have my heart for ever.
Sou.
T'is not your empty words shall make my brest
Stoop to the flatt'ry of thy vain request;
Though I have ears to hear, I have a mind
That will not shake at the hard-breathing wind
Of your discourse; what you pretend for reason,
Is nothing but the froth of private treason:
▪Tis not your multiloquious tongue can turn
The Bi [...]s of my Soul, or make me sp [...]n
At holy Writs; 'tis not your fond conceit
Of being good, shall make me to retreat
From Heav'ns Commands▪ 'tis not your promis d joys
Can make me cheerful, or your painted toys
[...] sure me to your fist▪ 'tis not the dar [...]
Of your va [...] love can penitrate my heart;
[Page 75]'Tis not your seeming clemency can make
My Soul to love you, for your pities sake;
'Tis not your always-open gates that shall
Intice my steps to your large Guilded Hall;
'Tis not your self-appearance shall invite
My well-composed thoughts to your delight;
'Tis not your greatness that shall make me yield
To your desires; Religion is my shield:
I'le neither fear nor love your rash evasions,
Nor give attendance to your smooth perswasions▪
'Tis difficult to serve two Masters well;
Who strays from Heav'n must needs approach to Hell.
I am advis'd to shun the broad-path'd ways
That lead to ruine; what the Scripture says
I must believe; 'tis dangerous to fly
Without the wings of true divinity:
The Scriptures are my way, my light, my guide,
And they that go without them needs must slide▪
The paths are strait in which I ought to run
The course of grace, until my days are done;
And they that change a virtue for a vice,
Deserve no fruit from Heav'ns blest Paradise.
Sat.
Surcease those fond conceits, thou dost but spin
Thine own destructions, and connive at sin▪
Urge not the Scriptures, for I dare maintain
My paths are best, and other ways are vain:
[Page 76]Thy Scripture-conscience will at last confound
Th'amazed thoughts, and give thy Soul a wound
That hates a cure, then shalt thou prove unblest,
Whilst others find the plainest road's the best▪
Suppose thou wert (I speak it for thy sake)
Mov'd by occasions, forc'd to undertake
A long-way'd journey, wouldst thou not enquire
The readiest way, but run into the mire?
If thou shouldst act a crime so fouly bad,
Folly would stile thee fool, and Wisdom mad.
Stray not into the wilderness of grief,
But come to me, take courage, and be brief
In thy designs; perswade thy self, that I
Am both thy light, thy way, and best supply
In time of need; I am thy prop, thy stay;
Therefore resolve, and trifle not away
Thy thriftless Soul, be not thy self-destroyer;
I'le be thy Love, and thou my Loves enjoyer:
Know that my real brest contrives no end,
But what may merit so divine a friend
As thine own self: Folly and Wisdom lies
Before thy face; be either fool, or wise:
Protract no time, but make a speedy choyce,
Thy welfare shall instruct me to rejoyce;
Observe my actions [...] [...] my [...],
Let's know each other by exchange of hearts;
[Page 77]I'le give thee [...]ne, and for my love restore
Thine unto me; grant this, I'le ask no more:
Be free to give, as I am free to crave;
Th'adst better live my friend, then dye my slave:
For if thou shalt deny what I desire,
I'le make my bellows to advance the fire
Of thy distress, and sorrows shall corrode
Thy stubborn heart, and care shall make abode
Within thy brest, perpetuated grief
Shall find a voyce, but ramble from relief:
I'le gripe thee, till I make thee understand
The fiery language of my furious hand:
Sighings, and groaning, sobs, and tears, and cries,
Shall be thy sad Concomitants; thine eyes
Shall stare upon (well may I call them new
And horrid) lights, such lights as shall renew
Thy growing torments; every thing shall be
Thy fellow slaves in servile miserie:
I'le yoke thee with distress, nay and I'le chain
Thy struggling Soul with everlasting pain:
I'le crow'd thee full of sorrows, and I'le double
Thy unconceived, uncontrouled trouble,
Whilst I, triumphing I, will sit aloft,
And be ador'd, and scoff to see thee s [...]offt:
Pity shall be a stranger to my brest;
My care shall be to make thy Soul unblest▪
[Page 78]The tydes of woe shall overflow thy thoughts▪
And be equivalent unto thy faults,
Be sure, that what extremity can be
Thought worth the using, shall be us'd on thee:
Now I have spoke, if thou wilt not repent
I'le cease to speak, and study to torment.
Sou.
How full of poyson's every word that flows
Out of thy mouth? what trust can I repose
In such a flatterer▪ I dare not try,
O [...] throw my self upon thy courtesie:
I know thou canst not answer my request;
There is no trust in a self-praising brest.
If I should dive into the deep abyss
Of thy black thoughts, what glory, or what bliss
Should I discern? Or if I should deliver
My heart to thee, thou'dst disrespect the giver;
Though at the first perhaps thou wouldst express
A seeming-unbeseeming thankfulness,
Yet at the last I know thou wouldst decline
Thy promis'd ways and stile me to be thine.
Fair words find easie passage, they proceed
[...]ut from the tongue [...] crowns the deed,
Three things denotes a friend; first, to conceal
A secret speech; the next is, to reveal
A private good; the last is, to advise
The safest way t'obtain an enterprise:
[Page 79]And he that can do this, a [...] you pretend,
Deserves the ti [...]le of a real friend▪
But my Religion tutors me to say,
(Nay and affirm,) You neither can, nor may;
I'm sure it is (if Reason dare prove true)
One thing to speak, another thing to do.
Your words are airy messengers, which fly
Into my ears, and there enroul a lye▪
Many untruths have broke the Common Goal
Of thy foul mouth; thou sayst thou canst prevail
To make me glorious, and thou canst encrease
My Joys, and crown me with eternal Peace:
Thou sayst th'art good and great, & that thy paths
Lead to Salvation; thou declarest thy Laws
To be most just; If all these things be [...]ue,
I needs must call the Scriptures false, or you:
Truth bids me tell thee boldly, when thou cry'st
Th'art great, and good, and rich, and rare, thou ly'st:
If thou art good and great, pray tell me why
Thou wilt behold so vile a wretch as I▪
These things bespeak thee humble, unto which
Thou plead'st not guilty; and if thou art rich,
How can it be, that thou wilt condescend
To feed my wants, that am so poor a friend?
Strange is that charity▪ which seems to shine
From such a [...]iabolick brest as thine.
[Page 80]If my belief could keep an equal pace
With thy swift tongue, how full of Faith & Grace
Should I appear? Such Faith as would devast
My wanton Soul, and make me weep as fast.
It is impossible to find a Sion
That has no Governor, except a Lyon.
The Souls Petition to God.
Oh Heav'n, I crave that thou wouldst keep me still
From this most [...]ile Progenitor of Ill;
Suffer him no [...] t'infold me in his arms,
[...]r overcome me with his wanton charms:
Oh make my heart obdure, that he may knock
Upon my Soul, as on a Marble Rock;
Be thou my Fort, and then I shall endure
His furious on-sets, and repose secure:
Give me thy grace, that I may be content;
Make me as strong, as he is impudent.
Now let the spring-tyde of thy fierce desires
Flow to the height, thou shalt not quench my [...]!
Know Satan, know, my heart reserves no place
For thy abode, I scorn thee to thy face:
The well-dy'd colours of my Soul declares
Defiance to thee, and my brest prepares
To give thee battel; strike, I fear thee not;
Whose arm'd with Faith needs fear no Canon-shot.
[Page 81]What impious tongue is that which dares defie
Sat.
My power with so much boldness? So. Wretch, 'tis I;
'Tis I (infernal Traytor) that will spend
My strength to prove thou art a flatt'ring friend.
Sat.
Move me to anger, do, and thou shalt find
A courteous friend at last may prove unkind:
Have I not woo'd thee almost night and day
To go to Heaven?
Sou.
The quite contrary way.
Sat.
Have I not labour'd like a watchful father
To nourish thee?
Sou.
Or like a Devil rather.
Sat.
Have I not always taken great delight?
S [...]ll.
To take away good gold, and give me light.
Sat.
How much nocturnal and diurnal care
Have I sustain'd for thee?
Sou.
True, t'insnare.
Sat.
Have I not been assiduous to a wait
Upon thy pleasure?
Sou.
And corrupt my state.
Sat.
Have I not proffer'd all that can be given
To a sick Soul?
Sou.
To drive my Soul from Heaven.
Sat.
Did I not promise to be true and just?
S [...]ll.
Did I not say, I'd neither try nor trust?
Sat.
Did I not promise that I'd make thee wise?
Sou.
Did I not say thou wert compos'd of lyes?
Sat.
Did I not promise to encrease thy store?
Sou.
Did I not say such wealth would make me poor?
Sat.
Did I not promise to advance thy flame?
Sou.
Did I not say thy honors were thy shame?
Sat.
[Page 82]Did I not promise to uphold thy peace?
Sou.
Did I not say such wars would never cease?
Sat.
Did I not promise thee a Crown of life?
Sou.
Did I not say that Crown would crown my strife?
Sat.
Did I not promise thee eternal glory?
Sou.
Did I not say that promise was a story?
Sat.
Did I not promise I would give thee all?
Sou.
Did I not say such promises were small?
Sat.
Did I not tell thee I was great and good?
Sou.
Did I not answer 'twas in shedding blood?
Sat.
Did I not tell thee that my ways were best?
Sou.
Did I not answer that they were unblest?
Sat.
Did I not tell thee that thou shouldst have joy?
Sou.
Did I not answer such as would destroy?
Sat.
Did I not tell thee that I did lament?
Sou.
Did I not answer that I was content?
Sat.
Did I not tell thee what a friend I'd prove?
Sou.
Did I not answer that I could not love?
Sat.
Thus by fair terms [...] labour'd to obtain.
Sou.
Thus in [...]oul terms [...] told thee 'twas in vain.
Sat.
Then I begun to threaten thee with grief.
Sou.
And then I fled to Heav'n, and found relief.
Sat.
I threatened to afflict thee with large pains.
Sou.
I told thee such afflictions were my gains.
Sat.
I told thee more then now I will express.
Sou.
My answers made thee wish I had spoke less.
Sat.
[Page 83]But now I see my real words can find
No rest within the center of thy mind;
For 'tis in vain to sow the seeds of life
In a dead heart that is manur'd with strife:
I'le therefore cease my importuning love,
I'le shew my Serpent, and keep close my Dove.
Do, do thy worst, vile wretch, I'le make thee know
Griefs abstract, and the quintessence of woe;
I'le load thee with extremities, thy brest
Shall always crave, but find no place of rest:
Had but my grave advice receiv'd a place
Within thy heart, thou hadst been fil'd with grace,
But now the inundations of thy trouble
Shall overflow thee, and I will redouble
My new-contrived plagues; I'le make thee feel
My melting heart is now transform'd to steel:
Thy tongue shall (like a bolt of thunder) roul
And roar within thy mouth; thy sulphurous Soul
Shall flash forth lightening, and thy blood-red eyes
Shall blaze like Comets in the troubled Skies;
Thy teeth shall gnash, as if they scorn'd to be
Concomitants in so much miserie:
Oh how I'le carbonado every part,
And sill thy body with increasing smart;
Thy Soul shall lure for death, but that shall hate
To pierce upon thee, and contemn thy state:
[Page 84]Life shall be still incroaching, but thy breath
Shall scorn that life, and hate it unto death;
Thy flesh shall drop forth brimstone, and thy bones
Shall court each other in their crackling tones;
Horror shall be thy watchman, curses shall
Possess thy tongue, one torment still shall call
Upon another; when thy voyce shall cry
But for a drop, Confusion shall reply,
No, no, thou shalt not; if a golden Myne
[...]ould buy a drop, that drop should not be thine;
Then shalt thou say, if thou hadst been at first
Advis'd by me, thou hadst not been accurst:
Thus in this sad Dilemma shalt thou roar,
And crave my succour, but I'le not deplore
Thy woful state, because thou wert averse
To goodness; after folly comes a curse:
Then shalt thou know and find I will exile
All thoughts of pity, and I'le rather smile
Then grieve at thy distress; ah know, 'tis hard
To force an entrance where the gates are bar'd:
Fond Soul, be serious, let thy thought reflect
On my indulgency, and give respect
Unto my el [...]mency; believe, I will
[...]e good to thee, do but forsake thy Ill;
Forsake, forsake that evil which will tur [...]
To thy destruction; do not, do not burn
[Page 85]The precious fuel of thy chaste desires
In idle, wanton, all consuming fires:
The Post of Time is swift, and knows no stay;
'Tis time to go when Reason calls away:
Protraction's dangerous; it is not good
To strive with that which scorns to be withstood:
Then do not thou procrastinate, but take
This opportunity; do but forsake
Thy former ways, and readily incline
Thy self to me, and I will make thee shine
With so much lustre, that all eyes shall gaze
Upon thy brightness, and admire with praise:
Oh may my language teach thee to believe,
That so my torments may not make thee grieve
In utter darkness, that thou mayst imbrace
Those glories which adorn my peaceful place:
Repent, (dear Soul) repent what thou hast done,
Then call me father, and I'le love my son:
Thus having told thee all, I'le here desist;
Be thou more apt to yield then to resist.
Sou
I find, I find, you first inflict a wound,
And then with balsom strive to make it sound:
You'l make me smile at first, but after groan;
One hand incloses bread, the other stone;
I fain would take the bread, but that I stand
In fear and danger of the stony hand▪
[Page 86]Therefore, to shun all danger, I'le despise
Your fond advice, and practise to be wise:
If all should prove, that you have told me, true,
I know the best and worst that thou canst do;
As for your threatnings, they shall not disturb
My peaceful thoughts, my faith shall be their curb▪
Urge me no more, but let me rest in quiet,
Strong is that stomack can disgest thy diet.
Sat.
And is it so? will no perswasions work
Upon thy thoughts? Those pregnant crimes that lurk
Within thy brest, will, like to Scorpions, gnaw
Thy groaning heart; such sorrow knows no Law:
But since thou wilt not be advis'd, expect
To find reward, as I have found neglect.
Ah, why fond wretch, why dost thou thus provide
Thy feeble self to strive against the tyde?
Alas, alas! why art thou lull'd asleep
In follies lap? Rouze up for shame, and weep
For thine infirmities; be not thus cross
To him that would preserve thee from a loss:
'Tis time to cast away the works of night,
And cloath thee with the shining robes of light.
Sou.
If your strong Oratory had the skill
To make me yield to your unsatiate will,
It were enough; what more could you desire,
Then a bad period to your bad desire?
[Page 87]But stay (bold friend) I'le meditate, and see
What fruit will spring from thine infernal tree.
Sat.
What, must I stay (vile wretch) till you dispute,
And prove the goodness of my pleasing fruit?
Must I be always waiting on the train
Of your desires, and spend my time in vain?
No, no, I will not; for it is unfit
I should attend, if you will not submit:
Th'incensed fury of my spirits burn
To be in action, I will not adjourn
A minute longer; go, and hug thy vice,
Thou lov'st the bargain, but abhor'st the price:
Urge me no more, away, I have forgot
All thoughts of friendship, and I know thee not:
And here I leave thee to the lawless power
Of thine own passion; cursed be that hour
that brought thee forth; if all this will not do,
May all men curse thee, and I'le curse thee too.
Sou.
And can the spring of thy affections find
So soon an Autumn? Canst thou be unkind
With so much ease? And can your real brest
(As you so call't) be so soon dispossest
Of love and patience? Oh how bad and strange
Is the effect of such a sudden change!
'Tis disputable, for I know not whether
Anger, or policy, or both together,
[Page 88]Whar [...]t thee to these extreams: Well then, pursue
Thine own de [...]i [...]s, and I will bid ad [...]e
To all thy follies; yet my heart begun
T'expand it self before the gl [...]'ring Sun
O [...] [...]hy perswasions; if thy sharp'ned rage
I [...]d [...]ot so soon exploded me the stage,
I [...], I fear, I had before this hour
B [...]n prostituted to thy tameless power:
B [...]gone, begone; but stay, hark [...]atan, hark,
Go b [...]st you shot, but fairly miss'd the mark.
[...]
Why dost thou bid me go? I'm sure you speak
[...], in [...]st, thou W [...]l [...] not break
[...] of [...]; though thou hast exprest
Thy [...] the [...] [...] [...] j [...]st:
[...] go [...]d [...] which l [...]ve in th [...]inner places
[...] with graces:
[...] and c [...]y
[...] ▪
[...]
[...]'d
[...]
[...] fire▪
[...]
[...] [...]ain:
[...]
[...]
[Page 89]``Above all sense: when Reason finds divorce,
``The tongue proves subject to a headlong course.
What I have spoke observe, and thou shalt find
Proceeded from my passion, not my mind:
The misconstruction of a word may make
The dearest friends [...]o vary, and forsake
The plains of friendship, though their hearts are [...]r [...]
From the curst evils of Inconstancy:
Therefore mistake me not, nor do not thou
Construe my words with an incensed brow:
Smile on me then, and cheerfully impart
The loving chidings of a friendly heart;
Then shalt thou see with what a willing arm
I will conduct and guide thee from all harm:
Believe me Soul. I am not come to scatter
Uncertain stories, but a real matter;
What I hold forth unto thee, is the stem
Of a pure heart, thou art the only [...]m
Shall grow upon it, come, and let's combine,
I shall rejoyce to see thee prove divine.
Sou.
The Bias of thy Love runs now so strong,
That I much fear 'twill not continue long;
I find, I find thou hast the art to sail
With any wind; thou labour'st to prevail,
But tis in vain, for know, I'le [...]ust thee not,
My zealous heart is [...]ea [...]ul of a plot▪
[Page 90]I cannot be so foolish as to trust
Without assurance that thou wilt be just▪
Wilt thou be true? speak with a real breath.
Sat.
I will be just (beleeve me) unto death;
I will, I will; oh may I never be
True to my self, if I am false to thee.
Sou.
If thou art just and constant, tell me where
Thy seat is plac'd, and who is Prince of th' [...]ir▪
Be true in this, and thou shalt find that I,
According to thy answer, will reply.
Sat.
I'le tell thee then (because I'le now fulfill
The vast desires of thy enquiring will)
Where my refulgent Seat is plac't; prepare
Thy ears to hear, I'le speedily declare.
The large extent of my unbounded grace
Cannot be comprehended in one place,
Because I am immortal, unconfin'd
To time or place; I live in every mind
That's truly real, and not disagreeing
To my known Laws; I have no local Being:
The World's a spacious Body, I the Soul
Which lives in every part compleat and whole:
Thus this dispute is easily decided▪
For what's immortal cannot be divided.
Nay more, because I'le fill thee with content,
I say I'm Prince of every Element,
[Page 91]Therefore of Air; Now if thou canst enquire
Any thing mo [...]e, I'le answer thy desire.
Sou.
Before I suffer my swift thoughts to slide
Into more questions, I'le be satisfy'd
In what is past: If so it be, you have
No local Being, how then will you save
Those Hosts of Souls which you intend shall be
Seal'd with the Signet of Eternitie?
Did you not tell me, that your peaceful Seat
Was rich, sublime, (and without measure) great?
If thus it be, as 'tis exprest by you,
'Tis more then strange that 'tis not local too:
Clear but this doubt, and thou shalt quickly find
Those duties that attend an honest mind
Flow from my br [...]st, till th [...] I'le [...]st in [...],
As you perform, so shall my love encrease.
Sat.
Ambiguous Soul, why dost thou thus connive
At thine own follies? Why dost thou deprive
Thy self of comfort, comforts that will heal
Th'exulcerous sores of thy distemper'd weal?
Why art thou thus inquisitive? the thing
That thou desir'st [...]o know (if known) will bring
Small satisfaction to thy dubiours brest;
He's wise enough that knows he shall be blest▪
If you enquire in such a doubtful case,
You'l lose your rest in seeking out the place.
[Page 92]Surcease thy thoughts, and do not proudly knock
Thy self in pieces, now thou knowst the rock:
Pry not too far, let secret things alone,
My Zodiack has more signs then must be known:
'Tis not the Heav'n of Heav'ns that can contain
Me, the Creator, and my glorious train:
I am even what I please, and I will be
Even where I wil. So. Wher's that? Sa. What's that to thee?
The knowledg of my Seat does no way tend
To thy Salvation, therefore cease to spend
Such truitless thoughts, cast by this needless care,
Learn to know what I am, no matter where.
Sou
I must confess, it is not good to pry
In things that suit not the capacity;
But seeing 'twas your pleasure to express
So much of friendship, I made bold t'address
My self unto you, pardon then my crimes,
You know that wisest men may doubt sometimes:
Your weights are light, or else your courage fails,
You have not strength enough to turn the scales
Of my affections, yet you had almost
Droven my ill-man'd ship upon your Coast;
The winds of your perswasions rage and roar
Within my brest▪ I cannot find a shoar
For my desires; I'm tost from wave to wave,
And am become a most distracted slave:
[Page 93]Those heav'nly thoughts which formerly frequented
The closet of my brest, are now prevented
By base-bred fancies, fancies that arise
From a foul brain, and makes me to dispise
Almost my self; I know not what to do,
I dare not, oh I dare not yield to you;
And yet I hardly can believe thou wilt
Burthen thy conscience with so foul a guilt
As to betray me, sure thou art more kind
Then to abuse a well-affected mind▪
But yet I dare not trust a Soul-pursuer,
Because thou kill'st when thou pretend'st to cure.
I reel, I reel, (if not sustain'd) I shall
Receive a sudden and a deadly fall;
What shall I do in this deplot'd condition?
I fear, I fear I've lost my best Physician:
Try Satan, try, and see what may be done
For a sick Soul, that foolishly has run
Beyond it self; oh see what thou canst do
To give me ease, and then I'le call thee true.
Sat.
Now Soul I love thee; rouze, bid grief depart,
Thou hast the symptomes of an honest heart:
Methinks I could, with much content, afford
To say thou speak'st a Christian at a word;
Cheer up, and know that many troubles wait
Upon the changes of an ancient State:
[Page 94]The work of Reformation alway brings
Trouble at first, but afterwards it sings
Anthems of Peace, whose fortunate event
Will more then countervail thy discontent.
He that has spent the treasure of his days
Under one roof, has reason to dispraise
The troubles of removing; yet at last
(When his defatigating cares are past)
He may declare himself to be a debter
To fortune, and confess that life the better.
Even so mayst thou (dear Soul) hereafter say,
Blest be that hand which led thee from the way
And paths of Ignorance, although at first
[...] 'Tis often known, beginnings are the worst
Thou feel'st a private nakedness within,
Because thou hast uncloth'd thy self of sin:
Although, I must confess, there cannot be
A [...] in nature, yet in thee
There is an [...], and most be still,
For what is empty craves a time to till.
If he whole stomack hath sustain'd the rage
Of sharp'ning hunger. should at first asswage
His appe [...]ce with sulness, would it not
Produce a [...]u [...]sere, and impose a blo [...]
Upon his wisdom, ra [...]ing such a st [...]fe
Within his [...], that his [...]e
[Page 95]Would be endanger'd? Therefore learn by rote,
That moderation is the chiefest note:
In all my Gammut, none can sing so high
A note as moderation, only I.
If I should let thee make too large a meal
Of my rich Joys at first, I should reveal
Too much of folly; for if thou shouldst take
A surfeit at the first, It needs must make
Thee fear, nay hate, to entertain my diet;
'Tis better far to spare at first then riot:
Moreover, should I let thee taste thy fill
At first, I know the reins of thy fierce will
Would scorn a hand, 'tis dangerous to trust;
Presumptions spur can never want for rust:
Come Soul, let Reason rule thee, do not stain
Thy well-dy'd judgment, 'tis a greater pain
To fear, then suffer; come, I long to see
Thee wanton with me in Eternitie;
Then doubt no more, resolve, and let's away,
There is no greater grief then to delay
A happiness; be well inform'd of this,
Procrastination is a foe to Bliss.
Sou.
Thy words imposthumate my heart, I feel
A greater pain then ever Ixions wheel
Knew how to inflict, extremities still crowd
Into my thoughts; my sorrows call aloud,
[Page 96]And none will hear; what shall I do? for I
Unworthy am to live, unfit to dye;
Except th [...]all▪ ruling power above will please
T'inspect my Soul, and furnish me with ease,
To whose blest ears I'le recommend my suit,
My sorrows will not let my tongue be mute.
Great Auditor of groans, oh let my cries,
My sighs, my tears, invite thine ears, thine eyes
To bear, and view me, for I must confess,
My crimes are great, and I am nothing less
Then what is least; alas! and nothing better
Then what is worst, oh pardon me thy debter!
I'm tost with grief, and know not where to steer
My shipwrack'd self, but still my sins appear
Before my face, whose looks almo [...]t affright,
And make me start into eternal night:
What shall I do? or whither shall I dee.
That am an allen (Lord) except to thee▪
From thee leann [...], and I am [...]o vile
To come unto thee, having made [...] [...]po [...]l
Or those most sacred mercies which thy hand
[...] upon me, there is no Command
But I have broke; vec, gracious Lord, I know
That thy abounding mercies [...]
[...] excelling [...], which cannot lie
[...] [...]urveying eye.
[Page 97]With shame I must confess the subtile art
Of Satan hath impoysoned my heart;
Oh I am sick to death, I swell, I burst
Never was any soul so much accurst:
There's none but thee, thou sacred antidote
Can cure my grief, be therefore pleas'd to note
My sad condition, let my sorrows lye
Before thy face, oh hear me when I cry;
Grant me the shield of faith, that I may stand
In opposition to the powerfull hand
O [...] active Satan, weaken (Lord) his powre
And add unto my strength; Let every hour
Afford new mercies, mercies that may sail
Into my breast, ah should my Foc prevail
Oh then I perish, shorten (Lord) his chain
And lengthen out my patience, oh make vaine
His fierce attempts, that he may feel, and see
When he is strongest, I'm as strong as he,
Then shall my lipps extoll thee, and proclame
The greatness of thy glory▪ and his shame
Give but thy grace unto me (Lord) and then
Say what thou wilt, my tongue shall say dmen.
Sat.
Let everlasting plagues and horror dwell
Within so fit a soul, let black-mouth'd Hell
Remove his scituation, and take
An everlasting Lease, oh let him make
[Page 98]A Tenement of thee; dost thou think that I
Will here thy prayers, oh no, I scorn thee, fiye
Away, begon—
Sou
What voyce is this that makes this bold intrusion
Into my eares, and grumbles out confusion,
Me thinks I see a storme-portending cloud,
Bowel'd with thunder, and I hear a loud
And horrid noise, a noyse that would confound
A wel-prepared eare to here the sound;
Who would not quake at such a voyce as this
That roares forth Malice with an Emphasis?
My thoughts are interrupted, and amasement,
Flashes like Lightning through the brittle casement
Of my ill-gla [...]ed brest; It cannot be
The voyce of Heav'n, a God so pure as he
Hates to be envious, malice cannot spring
From such a good (and love-composed) King;
Although his voyce (made terrible) oft-times
By the addition of mans dayly crimes
Thunders against a sinner, yet his breath
Can take no pleasure in a sinners death.
Hereafter (Lord) when malice findes a voyce
To speak, my understanding shall rejoyce,
In knowing who it is; this heart of mine
Shall never quake at any voyce but thine;
[Page 99]Then let hels deep-mouth'd blood-hound, roar & thunder
Ile neither fear, nor love, nor quake, nor wonder,
For 'tis not strange to here a Lyon roare
That wants his prey, the more he has, the more
He seeks for more, imploying still his power
In seeking how, and whom he may devour;
Know therefore Sathan, that I am prepar'd
To meet thee, and I will not be out dar'd;
Tis not thy false malisluous tongue shall tempt
My heart to love, no, nor thy rage exempt
My thoghts from heav'n, although thy craft stil lurks
For opertunity to stop good works;
When I compose my self, and strive [...]o pray,
Thou seek'st to t [...]r [...] my thoughts another way:
Thou great corrupter of Diviner parts,
Thou watchfull theif that steal'st into the hearts
Of silly mo [...]t [...]ds, think not to devour
My armed heart with thy persuing power.
Will nothing move thee, wilt thou still mistrust,
Sat.
If fare means will not move thee, foul means must
What dost thou think my arm is grown so short
It cannot reach thee, dost thou think to sport
with my commands; say, thou imperious mite
Who gave thee beeing, who created light,
Who made the Heav'ns, the earth, the sea, reply
Audacious wretch, speak, was it thee, or I,
[Page 100]Thou vain contender, dost thou think to gain
By striving with me, any thing but pain,
Oh no, thou shalt not, for Ile still renue
Thy pinching sorrows, therefore bid adue
To all thy comforts, for thou shalt no more
Injoy those blessings thou injoyd'st before,
Oh how thy horrid tongue shall roar and cry
With Dives for a drop, but no supply
Shall dare t'appear; the more thou crav'st, the less
Thou shalt be heard, for nothing shall expresse
The least of pleasure to thy per boyl'd heart,
Thy chiefest food shall be perpetuall smart,
Be well assured that thy eares thy eyes
Shall hear, nor see, nought but extremities,
Begon, begon, my sury hates delay;
Hell, and damnation be thy lot, away.
Sou.
Experience makes me understand thou art
A lively actor, of a deadly part,
I finde the greatnesse of your swelling rage;
Your Prologue speaks 'twould be a bloudy stage
If you might act as King, but Heav'n prevent
The cursed plots of your accurst intent;
I fear thee not, because I know thy powre
Is limitted, and thou canst not devoure
Without commission, therefore do thy worst,
And let thy envie swell untill it burst
[Page 101]And sall to nothing, my Creator gives
Me faith to say that my Redeemer lives,
And wil protect me from the rage of those
That are my known and secret deadly Foes.
Thy thundring words shal not make me complying
For he's unwise that dyes for fear of dying;
Thus being guarded with the shield of grace
Ile spite deffiance in thine impious face.
Thou art a Lyou, and thou seek'st for blood
How bad's that soul that dares to think thee good;
Urge me no more cashiere thy fruitlesse trouble,
The more thou striv'st, the more Ile strive to double
My resolutions, for I dare not venture
To rest my heart on such a bloody center,
Oh no I dare not; he that shal let goe
A certain friend for a most certain foe
Justly deserves to have no other fame,
But what reproach can build upon his name;
Should I permit my rambling thoughts to glance
Upon thy love, the Plea of Ignorance
Could not be prevalent, because 'tis known
Unto the blest-united three in one
That I (by his assistance) have discry'd
Thy reall slat'ry, and thy humble pride;
I dare affirm no greater pride can be
Then that that's acted with humility,
[Page 102]But here I'le stop and leave thee to inherit
Th' effects of a diabolique spirit.
Sat.
Accursed chat [...]ffe, dost thou think to scape
The fury of my hand, or make a rape
Upon my goodness, no, the Sun and Moon
Shall stop their usuall progresses as soon
As I will change my minde, vengeance is mine
And Ile repay it on that Soul of thine.
Begon, begon, expect thy sudden doom,
It is thy sins give punishment a room:
Let everlasting Plagues, and horror dwell
Within so [...]it a Soul, let black-mouth'd Hell
Remove his scituation, and so take
A still continuing Lease, oh let him make
A ten'ment of thee, dost thou think that I
YYill hear thy Prayers, oh no I scorn thee, sye
Away, begon
Sou
If words could kill, I had been ere this time
Worded to death, but now I hope to clime
Above the reach of words in thy despight,
Where thou may'st grumble at me, but not bite
Even as the surly blood-desiring dog
Ty'd with a chain, or loaded with a elog
Grows si [...]r [...]r with restraint, and stands in awe
Of nothing but his master, to whose law
[Page 103]He must submit and keep within his list;
For fear will not permit him to resist;
But if some wandring passenger should chance
To walk along, he quickly would advance
His watchfull head, and running too and fro
From place to place, he tuggs but cannot go
Beyond his bounds, but labours still in vaine
(With fruitlesse biting of his sensless chain)
To free himself, but when he finds his strength
Is not sufficient to out-go the length
Of his well-fastned chain, he soon devides
His sharp-fang'd jaws, and bauls until his sides
And lungs are weary, then he runs the round
Until he layes himself upon the ground
VVhere he remaineth much displeas'd and vext
Seeming to threaten ruin to the next:
So you (hels ty [...]dog) if thou couldst but strain
And quit thy self from heaven's fast-holding chain
VVhat Soul could scape thy jaws, or be possest
Of lasting peace, or comfortable rest,
How sad, how miserable had it been
For patient Job, had but thy pow'r been seen
Upon his heart; but Heaven that will controul
In spight of malice, chain'd thee from his soul:
Alas, alas! thy chain is not so long
To reach a soul, nor is thy pow'r so strong
[Page 104]To break it at thy pleasure, thou mayst baul
And bark forth envie, but not hurt at all;
If thou art God [as thou pretendest] why,
Why dost thou suffer such a thing as I
T' expostulate so long, and dost not show
Thy judgments in my speedy overthrow.
Sat.
It is my goodness and not thy desert
That breeds for bearance in my tender heart,
Alas, alas, what honor would acrue
To me in conquering such a thing as you,
I could within a moments time asswage,
(But that my clemencie out-vies my rage)
Thy swelling fury, for I could discharge
Vollies of wrath and easily inlarge
Thy restless torments, I could make thee run
(Like morning mists before the rising sun)
Out of my presence, If I should but say
The word begon, ah lasse thou couldst not stay,
But ah I cannot, for I hate to ha [...]me,
Love guides my strength, & that strength guids my arm
Even as the Sheepheard with be-dewed locks
Watches the feeding of his harmless flocks
For fear the bold-fac'd wolf should chance to peep
Into the coasts of his beloved sheep,
And like a [...]awlesse Tyrant, soon commence
(Against those Emblems of pure innocence)
[Page 105]A bloody action, which would soon incite
The Sheepheards grief, to see so sad a sight,
So I th' eternall Sheepheard dayly watch
My wel-fed Lambs for fear Hels wolf should catch
Or fright (not being fearfull to be bold)
My gentle flocks from their delightfull fold;
I am beloved, and mine own, will own
My sacred Name, my voyce is not unknown
Unto my Sheep, they alwayes will be all
Firmly obedient to my chearfull call,
For which obedience they shal finde reward
Nay such a one, as alwayes shall accord
To their desires, thrice happy shall they be
In truly calling, and in owning me
To be their Sheepheard, nothing can more please
M' indulgent soul, then such dear slocks as these,
I will preserve them, and no wolt shal dare
To seize upon them, or presume to reare
Their downy fleeces, nothing shal be nearer
Unto my heart, and nothing shal be dearer
In my affections, for I wil affect
Even where, and when I finde a true respect.
What strange contusions hath thy language bred
Sou
Within my serious thoughts, how hast thou fed
My ears with slatt'ries, but it is in vaine;
Because my heart hath vow'd not to retain
[Page 106]Thy fain'd expressions, nothing shall remove
My love from God, nor nothing make me love
Thy wretched self; then be content, and cease
To urge my mind, or interrupt my Peace.
Go, do thy worst, And when that worst is done
Sit down as wisely as thou hast begun:
Sat.
Art thou resolv'd? VVell then, let vengance light
Upon thy cursed head, begon, thou mite
(Nay lesse) of goodnesse, go, make hast t'inherit
Those plagues that waite upon so damn'd a spirit?
Sou
May this be cal'd a farewell, if it be,
The self same farewell must attend on thee;
I hate, nay scorn to bid farewell to you,
T [...]is charity enough to bid, [...].
The Souls Thankefulness, and Request to God.
MOst gracious God, I having lately felt
The servont of thy mercies, needs must melt
Into a thankfulnesse, Ah should I be
Ungratefull to so blest a God as thee
[Page 107]'Twere pitty, ah 'twere pitty, that the ayre
Should give me breath, or thy fierce hand forbear
To throw me headlong to the deep abis [...]
Of speedy ruin, where no comfort is:
Oh glorious Lord be pleased to inflame
My heart with raptures, to extoll thy name;
Alas I'm weak, and if thou shouldst deny
Thy ayde, nothing could be more weak than I
If thou wilt help me, I shall be so strong,
That nothing can prevail to do me wrong,
Lord I am blind, oh therefore let thy light
Expell those clouds that thus ecclips my sight;
Be thou my guide, my strength, my sight, my way,
O [...] else (being weak) I shall or fall, or stray;
Oh leave me not, but as thou hast begun
To shew me mercy, let thy mercy run
VVith my desires, and grant that I may be
A true forgetter of all things, but thee,
And rather then I should forget thy call,
Oh let me have no memory at all?
Wean me, oh wean me from this nursing earth
Make it my sorrow, and thy Throne my mirth.
Let every morning make me know, and say
Thy Laws are Just, or let me know no day;
Let every ev'ning make me take delight
[...]n thy commands, or let me know no night.
[Page 108]Inspire my heart [O God] and make it▪ lad
Always in thee, or make it alwayes sad;
If thou affict'st me, make me understand,
Thou hast a storming and a calming hand;
If Poverty oppress me, whilst I live,
Oh let thy mercy send me friends to give,
Or if thy goodness please to send me store
O give me grace to think I may be poor,
It matters not, O Lord, how poor I be
Unto the world, if I am rich to thee;
If I am hungry, [...] be thou my meate,
If I am weary, [...] be thou my seate;
Or if I feast, O Lord, be thou my guest;
If I am restlesse, Lord, be thou my rest;
If I am thirsty, Lord, be thou my spring
If I am subject, Lord, be thou my King;
If I have virtue make me dote upon her
If Honorable, be thou my honor:
And if I cannot know that which I would,
Be pleas'd to make me know, Lord, what I should;
Then shal my ready lips expresse and show
I know no more, then thou wouldst have me know
My unty'd tongue shal evermore proclaim
Th' attendant glories of thy sacred Name.
Divine Ejaculations.
I.
GReat God whose Scepter Rules the earth
Distill thy fear into my heart.
That being rapt with holy mirth
I may proclaim how good thou art.
Open my lips that I may sing,
Full prayses to my God, my King.
Ejaculation. II.
Lord make the torments we endure
The Symptomes of thy Love, not wrath:
Thou art our Chiron, we thy cure
Our crime's our sores, thy blood's our bath,
O we are weake, be thou as strong
How long O Lord; O Lord, how long.
Ejaculation 3.
Just Judge of earth, in whom we trust
Make sharp thy sword, and bend thy bow,
Consume the wicked; Save the Just,
For thou the Reines, and heart dost know
Then shal our tongues sing forth thy praise,
And praise thy justice al our dayes.
Ejaculat. 4.
Lord teachus timely how to pray,
And give us patience to expect;
Thou hatest sin; O guide our way;
Judge thou our Foes: The Just protect:
Then shal the wicked fall with shame,
And we will sing that love thy name.
Ejaculat. 5.
Creat Son of the eternal God
To whom the world subjected lyes,
Break not, but breed us with thy rod:
O we are foolish, make us wise:
And if thy wrath begin to flame,
Wee'l seek protection in thy Name.
Ejaculat. 6.
Lord, if our enemies encrease,
And we invoke, bow down thine ear;
Be thou our shield, and make our Peace,
And we will scorn what worldlings fear.
Great God of health, great Lord of Rest,
O make us thine, and we are blest.
Ejaculat. 7.
Thou righteous Hearer of Requests,
Make voyd the counsels of th [...]unjust▪
Send peace into our trembling brests,
And fill our hearts with fear and trust:
If thou wilt make thy face to shine,
Let others joy in corn and wine.
Ejaculat. 8.
Lord, thou whose equal hand allays
The poor mans grief, whose help thou art,
Encline my heart to give thee praise,
And I will praise thee with my heart:
Forsake me not; for, Lord, I trust,
As men are cruel, thou art just.
Ejaculat. 9.
Lord, crush my Lyon-hearted Foes,
Rout them that seek to ruine me;
Rise up, O God, forget not those
Whose wrongs refer their cause to thee:
Or if the wicked must oppress,
Be thou not far from my distress.
Ejaculat. 10.
Great God, thy Garden is defac'd,
The Weeds do thrive, thy Flowers decay;
O call to mind thy P [...]o [...]se past,
Restore thou them, cut these away:
Till then, let not the Weeds have power
To starve or tain [...] the poorest Flower.
Ejaculat. 11.
Lord, leave us not too long a space;
O view our griefs, and hear our pray'r▪
Clear thou our eyes, unv [...] thy face,
Lest Foes presume, and we despair.
Lord, make thy mercy our repose,
And we will sing amidst thy Foes.
Ejaculat. 12.
Lord, teach me to renown thy N [...],
Which through the world is so renown'd:
Let man thy glorious Works proclaim,
Whose head with glory thou hast crown'd.
As beasts to men subjected be,
So Lord subject mans heart to thee.
Ejaculat. 13.
In all extreams, Lord, thou art still
The Mount whereto my hopes do flee;
O make my Soul detest all ill,
Because so much abhor'd by thee.
Lord, let thy gracious tryals show
That I am just, or make me so.
Ejaculat. 14.
Great God, whom Fools deny, how dare
Our lips request thy glorious Eyes!
If thou but see, thou canst not spare,
And what thou seest thou must despise.
Lord, make us hear thy saving voyce,
Then mayst thou see, and we rejoyce.
Ejaculat. 15:
Lord, cleanse my heart, and guide my tongue,
Preserve my lips from false deceit;
Protect my hands from doing wrong,
Teach whom to love, and whom to hate:
Instruct me how to take and give;
Lord, grant me this, and I shall live.
Ejaculat. 16.
Lord, teach my Reins, that in the night
My tutor'd Reins may tutor me;
And keep me always in thy sight
For in thy sight all pleasures be:
Let not my soul in darkness stray,
O thou my life, O thou my way.
Ejaculat. 17.
Behold my Right, and right my wrongs,
Thou Saviour of all those that trust:
O I am weak, my Foes are strong;
Lord thou art gracious, thou art just.
O make me rightly prize this life,
And let thy glory be my strife.
Ejaculat. 18.
Great God, my strength, at whose command,
Whil'st I serve thee, all creatures serve me,
Protect me from my Foe-mans hand;
O, as thou hast preserv'd, preserve me:
With peaceful conquest crown my days,
And I will crown thy Power with praise.
Ejaculat. 19.
Great God, the work of whose high hands
The glory of thy Name declare,
How perfect sweet are thy Commands!
How purely just thy Precepts are!
Cleanse all my sins, clear every spot,
Both open, secret, known, forgot.
Ejaculat. 20.
Accept, O God, my holy fires,
Lead thou our Armies, give success,
Bless our designs, grant our desires;
O hear and help in our distress:
Preserv'd by thee, we shall prevail.
When Chariots flee, and horses fail.
Ejaculat. 21.
O God, whose Judgments are severe,
And M [...]c [...]s full of sweet compassion,
Scourge thou thy Foes, save those that fear,
Ravish my Soul with thy Salvation;
And I will spend my joyful days
In Psalms of thanks, and Songs of praise.
Ejaculat. 22.
My Jesus, thou that wert no less
Then God, and yet with men forlorn,
Larths Comforter, yet comfortless,
Heavens Glory, yet to men a scorn.
What thanks shall I return to thee,
That wert all this, and more for me!
Ejaculat. 23.
Great Shepherd of my Soul, thy hand
Both gives me food, and guides my way;
Subject my will to thy Command,
And I shall never starve, nor stray.
If thou wilt keep me in thy sight,
Thy House shall be my whole delight.
Ejaculat. 24.
Lord, purge my heart, and cleanse my hand,
Direct my tongue, and guide my will;
For nothing that's unclean can stand
Within thy great, thy glorious Hill.
Lift up my heart, deprest with sin,
And let the King of Glory in.
Ejaculat. 25.
Lord, guide my footsteps in thy Truth,
And let thy grace be my repose;
Forgive the frailties of my youth,
And free me from my causless Foes:
Redeem thine Isr'el from their hand,
And bring me to thy promis'd Land.
Ejaculat. 26.
Lord, keep me just, and judg my right,
Prove thou my reins, and try my heart;
O make thy Temple my delight,
And fix my dwelling where thou art:
Redeem my Soul, confirm my ways,
And give me power to give thee praise.
Ejaculat. 27.
My God whose fear drives fear away,
Shew me the beauty of thy House;
Preserve me in the evil day,
That I may sing, and pay my vows.
Lord, grant me fear, and grard my path;
Give Patience, and with Patience, Faith.
Ejaculat. 28.
O God, be thou my living Rock,
Whereto my r [...]stless Soul may fly:
B [...]st be thy Name; when I invoke,
Th [...]u hear'st my suit, and send'st supply.
[...], or else convert▪
Or weaken, that they may not hurt.
Ejaculat. 29.
Shall Mountain, Desert, Beast, and Tree,
Yield to that heavenly Voyce of thine,
And shall that voyce not startle me?
No [...] stir this stone, this heart of mine?
No, Lord; till thou new- [...]o [...]e mine ear
Thy Voyce is lost, I cannot hear.
Ejaculat. 30.
Lord, let the evening of my grief
Be followed with a morning joy;
Hear thou my cry, and send relief,
That tak'st no pleasure to destroy:
If thou wilt lengthen out my days,
Their task shall be to sing thy Praise▪
Ejaculat. 31.
Lord, thou that hoord'st thy Grace for those
That love and fear thy sacred Name,
Redeem me from my conqu'ring Foes,
And vindicate my trust from shame▪
Give me fair Conquest at the end,
Till then, true courage to attend.
Ejaculat. 32.
Let my confession lanch my sore,
And let forgiveness cure my wound;
Lord, teach me early [...]o implore,
For I am lost till tho [...] art found:
Then shall my joyful Songs express
Thy Praises, and my thankfulness.
Ejaculat. 33.
Great Lord of Wonders, thou by whom
My heart was fram'd and form'd alone,
From whose high Power all powers come,
That didst but say, and it was done;
Appoint the remnant of my days
To see thy Power, and sing thy praise.
Ejaculat. 34.
Lord, let the Sun-shine of thy face
So clear mine eyes, so cleanse my heart,
That being season'd with thy grace,
My Soul may taste how sweet thou art.
O let thy mercy make me just,
And then my heart shall fear and trust.
Ejaculat. 35.
Lord, plead my cause, and right my wrong,
And take my Snarers in their snare;
O be not from me, Lord, too long,
Lest they triumph, and I despair,
Let all my Foes be cloth'd with shame,
Whil'st I sing praises to thy Name.
Ejaculat. 36.
Fountain of Light, and living Breath,
Whose Mercies never fail nor fade,
Fill me with life that hath no death,
Fill me with light that hath no shade:
Confound the proud in their pretence,
And let thy wings be my defence.
Ejaculat. 37.
Be thou my Trust, my God, and I,
When [...]ners thrive, will not repine;
Or if my wants should want supply,
I will not fret, I will not whine:
What if their wealth, my wants, increase,
They shall have plagues at last, I p [...]ace.
Ejaculat. 38.
Lord, in thy wrath correct me not,
For I confess and hate my sin;
My flesh consumes, my bones do rot,
[...] ▪ [...] pains without, and pan [...]s within.
O thou that art the God of Rest,
Release my sin, relieve my brest.
Ejaculat. 39.
Lord, curb my tongue, and make we see
How few my days, how short their length:
Incline my heart to trust in thee;
Remove thy scourge, or give me strength:
I am a Pilgrim, hear my cry,
And send some comfort ere I dye.
Ejaculat. 40.
Lord, thou whose Mercies do exceed,
O fill my language with thy praise,
Stand thou my Helper at my need,
Confound the wicked in their ways:
Be thou my Comfort in my grief,
And crown my Patience with [...]elief.
Ejaculat. 41.
Lord, if thy pleasure make me poor,
Thou wilt bless them that give me bread;
If thy sick hand hath scourg'd me sore,
That hand that struck will make my bed.
Sustain me, Lord; be thou my Store,
I shall be neither sick nor poor.
Ejaculat. 42.
My God, full tears are all the dyet
That feed my sad, my drooping brest!
In my distress, in my disquiet,
Be thou my Stay, be thou my Rest:
Be thou my God in my relief,
And I will triumph in my grief.
Ejaculat. 43.
Lord, right my wrongs, and plead my right
Against all those that seek my Ill;
O let thy perfect Truth and Light
Conduct me to thy holy Hill:
Then shall thy Altar make relation
Of thy due Praise, and my Salvation.
Ejaculat. 44.
Lord, our fore-fathers found redress
In all their frights, in all their fears;
Wilt thou be dumb to my distress,
And not my God, as well as theirs?
Redeem my Soul, whose loyal knee
Ne're bow'd to any God, but thee.
Ejaculat. 45.
Great Bridegroom, fill thy dearest Spouse
With outward glory, inward graces;
May she forget her fathers house,
And only clinge to thy embraces:
Affect her heart with Love and Duty,
And then take pleasure in her Beauty.
Ejaculat. 46.
Lord, help me when my griefs do call,
In my distress O be thou near;
Then if Earth change, or Mountains fall,
I will not [...]aint▪ I will not fear.
Shew me thy Wonders, and inflame
My heart to magnifie thy Name.
Ejaculat. 47.
Lord, let thy Judgments fill all those
That love thy Mount with joy and [...]rth;
Confound and crush all Sions Foes,
Sion the glory of the Earth:
Let all that love thy Sions glory,
Recount her State, repeat her Story.
Ejaculat. 48.
Lord, teach me wisely to contemn
All goods that transitory be,
Let me not stand possest of them,
If they be not possest in thee.
If I be wealthy, and not wise.
I live but like a beast that dyes.
Ejaculat. 49.
Lord God of gods, before whose Throne
Stand fire and storms, O what shall we
Re [...]ues to Heav'n that is our own,
When all the world belongs to thee!
We have no offering to impart,
But praises, and a wounded heart.
Ejaculat. 50.
Lord, if thy Mercies purge my heart,
Conc [...]'d in lust, and born in sin▪
Breathe truth into my inward part,
Renew me a firm spirit within:
Then let thy goodness not detest
The ruines of a broken brest.
Ejaculat. 51.
Let others boast in gold, and prize
Ev'l more then good, and love deceit,
Thy Mercies, Lord, are my supplies,
And on thy Name will I await.
Lord, let thy Mercies still inure
My brest to love the thing that's pure.
Ejaculat. 52.
Lord, if thou take away thy hand,
How all compos'd of fears are we!
What Arm can save? what strength can stand?
When Man, poor man's forsook by thee?
Lord, keep my Faith in thee unshaken,
For thou forsak'st not till forsaken.
Ejaculat. 53.
Lord, let thy Name secure and free
My threat'ned Soul from all my Foes;
Stand thou with them that stand for me,
Support all these, suppress all those:
Then shall my Soul division run
Upon thy Praise; till Time be done▪
Ejaculat. 54.
Hearer of Prayers, confound my Foes,
That bruise my tortur'd Soul to dust:
In man, alas, there's no repose;
Foes have no pity, Friends no trust.
My trust is in thy Word, which says,
They shall not live out half their days.
Ejaculat. 55.
O God, the malice of my Foes
Encreaseth dayly more and more;
But, Lord, thou art my safe repose,
Thou art my strength, thou art my store:
Be thou my gracious God, and then
I will not fear the pow'r of men.
Ejaculat. 56.
Be gracious, Lord, unto my grief,
For in thy shadow do I trust;
O send me plentiful relief,
For thou art merciful and just;
Then shall my spirits utter forth
Twi light Hosanna's to thy worth.
Ejaculat. 57.
Lord, keep me from those hearts and tongues
That practise mischief from the womb;
Weigh right to them that weigh us wrongs,
And let confusion be their doom:
But let the Just be fill'd with mirth,
And fear that God that rules the Earth.
Ejaculat. 58.
Lord, save me from my Foes; make voyd
Their Plots, and all their Counsels vain;
For ever let them be destroy'd,
For in thy hand my hopes remain:
And I will always spend my days
In Hymns of thanks, and Songs of praise.
Ejaculat. 59.
Lord, though we feel the bitter taste
O [...] thy displeasure for a while;
Yet thou art gracious, and at last
Thy angry brow, that frown'd, will smile.
O when that storm is over-blown,
Thou'lt trample those that tread us down.
Ejaculat. 60.
Lord, hear my troubled voyce, and bring
My Soul to that sweet Rock of Rest;
Protect all those that strive to sing
Thy praises with a cheerful brest:
Let comfort with our years increase,
That we may praise thy Name in peace.
Ejaculat. 61.
Lord God, from whom all mercy springs,
Instruct my hopes to wait on thee;
Teach me what vain and fruitless things
The helps of what is earthly be.
All strength belongs to thee alone,
'Tis thou, my God, must help, or none.
Ejaculat. 62.
Lord, how I long to see thy face,
That I might spend me in thy praise!
Thou art my glory in disgrace;
Sustain my steps, direct my ways:
Thou art my Refuge; when opprest
With grief, my Joy; with toyl, my Rest.
Ejaculat. 63.
Lord, hide me from my bloody Foes,
For in thy goodness do I trust;
Protect my sought-for life from those
That shoot in secret for the just.
So then shall I that fear thy Name
Have cause of glory, they of shame.
Ejaculat. 64.
Thou gracious Hearer of Requests,
Hide all my sins behind thy merits;
Showre down thy Spirit into our brests,
And drop thy grace into our spirits;
That from our faith rich works may spring,
And give us cause to shout and sing.
Ejaculat. 65.
Lord, if thy flame must needs be felt,
Let us be purged in that flame;
Let our rebellious spirits melt
Into the Praises of thy Name;
That we being tutor'd, and kept under,
May fear with love, and love with wonder.
Ejaculat. 66.
Lord, let thy favour still inflame
Our light'ned hearts to walk thy ways,
That all the World may praise thy Name,
And all the Earth may sing thy Praise:
So fructifie our hearts, that we
May bless thy Name, being blest by thee.
Ejaculat. 67.
Lord, rise in pow'r within my heart,
And chase my sins, thy Foes, and mine,
Then shall I see thee as thou art,
In Glory great, in Power divine:
So I, more white then Snow, shall sing
Thy ways, and praise my God, my King.
Ejaculat. 68.
To that sweet Lamb, which did sustain
Grief above weight, Pain above measure,
Whose stripes, and scoffs, and grief, and pain,
Were only purchas'd by our pleasure,
Be Honor, Glory, Praises, given
By Souls on Earth, by Saints in Heaven.
Ejaculat. 69.
Let shame be their due recompence
That seeke to wound my Soul with shame:
Be thou their help, and strong defence,
That seek thee Lord, and love thy Name.
Make haste, O God, for I do waste
My Soul with grief; O God, make haste.
Ejaculat. 70.
Lord, thou that underneath thy wing
Didst keep me in, and from, the womb,
Assist my age, that it may sing
Thy praise in ages yet to come▪
Preserve my Soul protect my name;
Shame be to them that seek my shame.
Ejaculat. 71.
Great Prince of Peace, whose Kingdom brings
Justice, Redemption, Power, and Peace,
That bends the knees and hearts of Kings,
And fill'st all Nations with encrease,
All Praises, Honor, Glory, be
Ascrib'd alone, great Prince, to thee.
Ejaculat. 72.
O God, whose dreadful Voyce, like Thunder,
Affrights the Earth, and shakes the Ayr,
Whose Works and Ways are full of wonder,
That hear'st my plaints, and grant'st my pray'r,
Forsake me not, but when I stray,
O let thy Crook reform my way.
Ejaculat. 73.
O thou, whose Mercy did begin
Before all Time, unty'd to Times,
As thou forgav'st our Fathers Sin,
Be like wise gracious to our Crimes!
Th'art now a God, as well as then,
And we, as they, no more then men.
Ejaculat. 74.
O God, the Sion of my Soul
Is wholly desolate and waste▪
Where thou shouldst rule, my lusts controul;
O Lord, relieve, O God, make haste:
Then shall my heart and tongue proclaim
Eternal Praises to thy Name.
Ejaculat. 75.
Glorious Creator, make thy face to shine
On this our poor distressed Land;
Defend, and dress thy fading Vine,
And bless the Man of thy right hand:
Let thy Free▪ grace inflame our hearts.
And we will sing thy praise in parts.
Ejaculat. 76.
O God, our Song, our Strength, whose hand
Hath broke our bonds, and set us free,
Incline our hearts to thy Command,
And we will own no God but thee:
Conduct and feed us as thy Flock,
And give us honey from thy
Psal▪ 81. 16
Rock.Ejaculat. 77.
Direct, O God, the Judges brest,
Preserve his hands, his eyes upright,
That he may vindicate th'opprest,
And guard him from injurious might:
O let him know that he shall be,
As Judg of others, judg'd by thee▪
Ejaculat. 78.
Lord, cast thine eyes upon thy Foes,
Confound their Troops, that are combin'd
Against thy Flock, which thou hast chose,
Make them like chaff before the wind:
Defeat their plots with sudden shame,
That they may seek Jehovah's Name.
Ejaculat. 79.
Lord, teach mine eyes, my will, my heart,
To see▪ to choose, and to desire
Thy beautious Courts wherein thou art▪
O fill my thoughts with holy fire.
Be thou my Sun, whose glorious Rays
May light my Soul to sing thy praise.
Ejaculat. 80.
O God, remit thy Peoples Sin,
And shew the Sun-shine of thy Face,
Repress thy fury, and begin
T'inspire us with thy saving grace;
That Righteousness and Truth may meet,
And light our hearts, and lead our feet.
Ejaculat.. 81.
Great Spring, from whence all mercy flows
To them that trust and love thy Name,
Give me thy strength, and then my Foes
Shall see thy greatness, and their shame:
Be thou my Way, my Truth, my Light,
So shall I live, and dye upright.
Ejaculat. 82.
Sion, the glory of the Earth,
And Subject of my holy Passion,
May all the Well-springs of my mirth
Be [...]ounded upon thy Foundation▪
Of all delights I wish no other,
Then to be Son to such a Mother.
Ejaculat. 83.
Lord, let thy fury cease to burn,
Or else my Soul must cease [...] [...]e▪
Can praises issue from the Urn?
What thanks can ashes give to thee?
Enough, if thou but undertake me,
Let death surprize, let friends forsake me.
Ejaculat. 84.
Lord, thou whose Mercy fails not those
That build their trust upon thy Name,
Protect my Soul from all my Foes,
Then shall my tongue thy worth proclaim:
So shall the remnant of my days
[...] crown'd in Peace, and thou with Praise▪
Ejaculat. 85.
Eternal God, before whose Eyes
A thousand years seem as a day,
Direct our hearts, and make us wise
To use that time we cannot stay:
Send Joy to our sad hearts, and bless
Our prosp'rous actions with success.
Ejaculat. 86.
Though thousands here, ten thousands there,
Do dayly fall before m [...]ne eyes,
I will not faint, I will not fear,
Beneath the wings of the most High:
Let me be guarded, Lord, by thee,
Then I'le not fear, nor faint, nor flee.
Ejaculat. 87.
Lord, purge my Soul, that I may learn
To read my Fortunes by thy hand;
Let my instructed Soul discern,
That worldly bliss is not thy brand.
Lord, in thy Mercy make me thine,
I have enough, showre thou, or shine.
Ejaculat. 88.
Great Monarch of the World, disclose
Thy Power, and make thy Glory known;
Out-flood the floods of all my Foes,
And in my heart fix thou thy Throne:
Plant Holiness within my brest,
O Lord, my Strength, O God, my Rest.
Ejaculat. 89.
Just God of Vengeance, cast an eye
Upon my poor afflicted brest;
O send me help, O hear my cry,
And let thy comforts be my rest:
Suppress my Foes, and set me free,
That have no Hope, no Help, but thee.
Ejaculat. 90.
Great God of gods, great King of kings,
From whom, by whom, we live, we be,
In whom my Soul her triumph sings,
To whom alone bows every knee:
Teach me thy way▪ thy will' [...] my Feast,
Thy Crook my Guide, thy Fold my Rest.
Ejaculat. 91.
Lord, let our Jesus, and thy Christ,
Be all the subject of our mirth;
Let Satans Power be dismist,
And let him [...]ule, and judg the Earth:
Then, then eternal Peace shall be
Return'd to us, and praise to thee.
Ejaculat. 92.
Great King of Glory, who art drest
In Clothes of Clouds, in Robes of Fire,
Make evil hateful to my brest,
Then shall I love thee most intire▪
Then shall my bosom reap that light
Which thou hast sown for the upright.
Ejrculat. 93.
Great God of Wonders, that dost ope
The Gate of Life to our glad days,
And found'st a help beyond all those,
O give us mouths to give thee praise:
So guide our ways, just Judg, that we
May joyfully be judg'd by thee.
Ejaculat. 94.
Great God, whose Promise is to hear,
Whose Practise is to pardon Sin,
Let my Petitions find an ear,
And cleanse my lep'rous Soul within.
Thou, Lord, art holy, teach my heart
To sing thy Praises as thou art.
Ejaculat. 95.
Eternal Maker, grant that we
May praise thee with a cheerful heart;
Guide thou ou [...] wa [...]s, and let us be
[...]h [...] sh [...]p, where thou the Shepherd [...]:
[...], [...] ▪ thy [...]th [...] always s [...]e,
And thy great Mercy shall endure.
Ejaculat. 96.
Lord, teach my heart to walk upright
In publique rev'rence, private fear;
Keep thou the humble in thy sight,
And to the proud be thou severe:
Then shall thy Saints in triumph show
Thy Mercy, and thy Justice too.
Ejaculat. 97.
O God, how poor a thing is Man!
Begot in si [...], and born in sorrow;
Our breath's a blast, our life a Span,
But here to day, and gone to morrow.
How needful, Lord is thy support!
Our days are bad, our time is short.
Ejaculat. 98.
O thou, within whose tender brest
Full streams of sweet compassion flow,
Whose Mercies cannot be exprest
By Saints above, or Men below▪
My Soul shall praise, my heart shall bless
That goodness, [...] cannot express▪
Ejaculat. 99.
Lord, every creature writes a Story
Of thy full Majesty and Might,
The contempl [...]tion of whose Glory
Shall always be my hearts delight:
Accept that praise my Soul can give,
And it shall praise thee while I live.
Ejaculat. 100.
Dear God, the Pharaoh of our Souls
Afflicts the Isr'el of our hearts;
Where thou shouldst govern, he controuls;
What thou command'st, his power thwarts:
Confound his strength, and let thy hand
Conduct us to the promis'd Land.
Ejaculat. 101.
Lord, shouldst thou punish every sin,
Or strike as oft as we offend,
How quickly would our plagues begin!
How soon this sinful world would end!
But Lord, thy tender Mercies stand
Within the gap, and hold thy hand.
Ejaculat. 102.
Lord let thy wonders, and thy wayes,
Inflame my heart, my tongue my Pen,
That Pen, and tongue, and heart may praise
Thy name before the Sons of men.
Look where I list, high, low, or under
I see to learn, and learn to wonder.
Ejaculat. 103.
O Lord whose mercies, and whose pathes
Transcend th' expressions of my tongue
Instruct my heart to keep thy Laws
And I will praise thee in my song,
Lend me thy pow'r, or strengthen mine
And I will crush my Foes, and thine.
Ejaculat. 104.
O thou that sit'st in Heaven, and seest
My deeds without, my thoughts within;
Be thou my Prince, be thou my priest,
Command my soul, and cure my sin:
How bitter my afflictions be,
I care not, so I rise to thee.
Ejaculat. 105.
Lord, teach my humble eyes the art
To see aright, and hands to do,
Then will I praise thee with my heart
In publique, and in private too:
Set thou thy fear in all my ways
To make me wise, to give thee praise.
Ejaculat. 106.
Lord, plant thy fear before mine eyes,
For in thy fear my Soul is blest;
Thy Fear's that Spring, from whence arise
My Crown, my Treasure, and my Rest.
What fear I, fearing thee? and what
Not fearing thee, Lord, fear I not?
Ejaculat. 107.
Highest of Highests, that dost raise
The poor and needy from the dung,
Advance my thoughts to give thee praise,
And, Lord, untye my stam'ting tongue:
So shall my heart and tongue proclaim
Rare Halelujahs to thy Name.
Ejaculat. 108.
O God, the Mountains, and the Seas
Confess thee, Lord of Sea and Land,
They quake and tremble, if thou please
To shew the Power of thy hand:
So shall my heart, when thou think'st good,
To turn my [...]int into a flood.
Ejaculat. 109.
Lord, teach our loyal hearts to build
Their constant hopes upon thy hand;
Thou art our Help, thou art our Shield,
Wherein our hopes of safety stand:
Send down thy blessings, and then we
Will send all Praises up to thee.
Ejaculat. 110.
My God, thy Mercies so abound,
That every minut [...] speaks their story;
They have no limits, have no bound;
Ours are the comforts, thine▪ the glory:
And what thy Mercy more displays,
Thou are contented with our Praise▪
Ejaculat. 111.
Surpassing Lord, whose mercies have surpast
The limits of the worlds expression
Whose truth continues [...]me, and [...]st
To thy elect, and their succession.
To thee perpetuall praise be given
By Saints on earth, and souls in heav'n.
Ejaculat. 112.
Good God! thy mercy and thy might
What heart conceives? what tongue can tell?
Thou fillest my darknesse with thy light,
And hast redeem'd my soul from hell.
Thou art my God, thou onely art
The strength, and musick of my heart.
Ejaculat. 113.
O God thy Law's a field, in which
The fruitfull seed of life is sown;
No seed so rare, no soil so rich;
It renders infinite for one.
O God, how fair these fields appear!
O God, what pearls are buried here!
Ejaculat. 114.
Great God, whose ever-wakefull eye
Doth never slumber, never close,
Teach all my dangers to rely
Upon thy help, there safe repose:
Be thou my shade, be thou my stay,
I will not fear by night, by day.
Ejaculat. 115.
Lord let the fire of my true ze [...]l
Unto thy house for ever flame
Where let my thanks, and praise reveal
The hidden honor of thy name.
Let Sions glory still encrease,
And blesse her w [...]lls with plenteous peace.
Ejaculat. 116.
O God to whom my thoughts direct
Their constant hopes, and hopefull cryes
Let not my soul in vain expect
For mercy, from such gracious eyes:
Maintain thine honor; 'Tis not me
The proud con [...], Great God, but thee.
Ejaculat. 117.
Lord, give me a believing heart,
Though wanting strength I fear not man▪
If thou be pleas'd to ta [...]e my part▪
Let malice do the worst it can.
Although in snar'd I will not fear▪
For thou art stronger then a snare.
Ejaculat. 118.
Give me the heart▪ O God to trust▪
And lead my footsteps in thy wayes▪
Quell thou the power of th' uniust,
That righteous hearts may give thee praise▪
Do good to good men▪ and encrease
Their number▪ plenty, and their peace.
Ejaculat. 119.
Lord we are Captives▪ and we bow
To Satans burthen every hour,
We sow in teares, oh when wilt thou
With Joy requite▪ the weary sower.
So blesse my labours that I may▪
With comfort long to see that day.
Ejaculat. 120.
What I possesse, o [...] what I crave
Brings no content▪ g [...] God▪ to me
If what I would▪ o [...] what I crave
Be not possest, and blest in thee▪
What I enjoy, oh make it mine
In making me, that have it, [...]e▪
Ejaculat. 121.
Lord plant my fears within my brest
That I may wall [...] thy perfect ways
Then shall I prosper and be blest
In all my deeds in all my dayes▪
Then shall I see the fair encrease
Of Syo [...] glory, Is [...] ▪ peace▪
Ejaculat. 122.
Lord since there must be alwayes Foes
T' afflict the souls of flesh and blood,
Let mine be such as do oppose
Thy Churches peace, thy Sions good
Then let [...] of thine▪
Confound, or [...]re thy foes, and mine.
Ejaculat. 123.
Hearer of prayers, to whom should I
Implore, but thee, in my distresse
For mercy harbors in thine eye,
And thou art fil'd with righteousness.
To thee, O God, my hopes shall flee,
My soul expects no help but thee.
Ejaculat. 124.
Lord if mine eyes should look too high,
Or ranc'rous heart begin to swell,
Break thou the tumor, curb mine eye,
Lest one grow fier [...], the other fell.
So shall my soul grow wise, and flee
From her own strength, and trust in thee.
Ejaculat. 125.
Lord let mine eyes not sleep untill
I build thy Temple in my brest,
Take pleasure then, and make it still
The chosen palace of thy rest:
Let all her Foes be trodden down,
And let thy glory be her crown.
Ejaculat. 126.
Lord we are several members joyn'd
To make one whole, whose head thou art,
Let all our thoughts but make one mind,
And give one body, but one heart.
United souls of Saints appear
The sweetest musicke in thine eare.
Ejaculat. 127.
Light thou the Lamps, great God, that they
Lightn'd by thee may give us light,
Let their bright luster drive away
All darkness from thy Courts by night,
Bless us and them, that they, and we
May bless thy name, first blest by thee.
Ejaculat. 128.
Let every wonder that I see
In Heav'n, and earth, and in the s [...],
Advance s [...]me h [...]n [...], Lord, to thee
That didst, and canst do, wh [...]t thou please,
Let others worship wood and stone,
My soul shall blesse thee, Lord, alone.
Ejaculat. 129.
Good God, where ere I cast mine eye.
On earth beneath, or heaven above
I see thy goodness, and I spye
Perpetuall pledges of thy love.
Thy favours through the world extend
And of thy mercy is no end.
Ejaculat. 130.
Lord if my tongue, and busie quill
Be not in Sions praise imploy'd
Then let my hand forget henskill
And [...] my [...]ngu [...] for, e [...]e [...] [...]y [...]d,
Thy praise shal be my chief delight
Whilst tongue can speak, or hand can write▪
Ejaculat. 131.
Kindle O Lord, my love with zeal,
Light my affections with thy flame
Give my tongue courage to reveal
The secret glory of th [...] name
Be thou my God, in all distresse,
And let thy hand be my [...]d [...]s [...]e▪
Ejaculat. 132.
Lord thou that mad'st me, and do'st p [...]y
Into the s [...]o [...]ors, of my heart
From whose all presence none can flye
Nor hide them there, but where tho [...] [...]t,
Inform my soul, inflame my brest
And lead [...] to eternall Rest.
Ejaculat. 133.
Lord keep me from my self that am
The greatest Foe, I need to fear
O cover thou my fa [...] with s [...]
And give my sins no dwelling here
Subdue my flesh▪ and then my Spirit,
Shall sing the praises of thy merit.
Ejaculat. 134.
Lord when my grief shall finde a tongue
To cry for help, finde thou an care,
Whilst others seek to do m [...] wrong,
Make thou O God my con [...]ci [...]n [...] [...]
In those self-snares they haue prep [...]r'd
Let my insnar [...] be insnar'd.
Ejaculat. 135.
When winter fortunes cloud the brows
Of summer friends▪ when eyes grow strange▪
When plighted faiths forget their vows,
When earth, and all things in it change,
O Lord thy mercies fail me never,
Where once thou lov'st, thou lov'st for ever.
Ejaculat. 136.
Judge not my actions by thy Laws
For then my sorrows are but just,
But let thy mercies plead my cause
For in thy mercy is my trust.
Those that oppose my soul, oppose;
I am thy servant, they thy Foes.
Ejaculat. 137.
What is there Lord, what is in me
To hope for safety from thy power?
What help can I expect from thee
That merit vengeance every hour?
How great so ere my sins have bin,
Thy mercy's greater then my sin.
Ejaculat. 138.
Great God, whose kingdome hath no end,
Into whose secrets none can dive,
Whose mercy none can apprehend
Whose justice none can feel, and live,
What my dull heart can not asp [...]re
To know, Lord, teach me to admire,
Ejaculat. 139.
O Lord my iudgements dark, and blind,
It cannot judge twi [...]t good, and ill,
My will is captiv'd, and confin'd,
It wants a freedome how to will,
Great Lord o pow'r, great God of might
Release my bands, restore my sight.
Ejaculat. 140.
Great God whose goodness doth repleate
And fill our coasts with full encrease
That feed'st us with the fat of wheat,
And glad'st thy Sion with thy Peace.
How more then others are our days
Extreamly bound to give thee praise.
Ejaculat. 141.
Shall frost and snow give praise to thee
And shall my soul not bear a part▪
Lord, frost and snow appear to be
Not half so cold as is my heart.
Shine glorious sun, thy beams but felt,
My frost will thaw, my snow will melt.
Ejaculat. 142.
Great God to whom all praise belongs
Whom Syon sings and Israel [...]ea [...]s
O stop those lusts that stop our tongues
And fright thy glory from our eares.
Do thou enlarge what flesh reta [...]es,
And bind those Kings, our lusts in chaines.
Ejaculat. 143.
Lord season my unsavory spi [...]i [...],
And bridle my too headstrong will,
That I may alwayes take delight
In acting good, and [...] [...].
O give me grace to understand,
My life is alwayes in thy hand.
Ejaculat. 144.
Direct my steps, Lord, be my way
And make thy pathe [...] my sole delight,
That like a traveller I may
Not fail to rest with tho [...] at night,
O me, how happie, and how blest,
[Lord] should I be in such a rest [...]
Ejaculat. 145.
Lord let the morning of my gri [...]fe,
Finde ont a night of lasting pleasure▪
Thou art the God in my relie [...]
In povertie, thou art my treasure.
I care not Lord how poor I be
Unto the world, [...]rich to thee.
Ejaculat. 146.
Lord let thy sacred f [...]e thaw
The Ice of my hard fro [...]en zeal,
And let thy will be my known Law▪
So shall my heart, thy wor [...]h reveal,
And with a ha [...]ujous Song
My tongue shal praise thee all day long.
Ejaculat. 147.
Great King of Peace, be pleas'd to send
Thy Peace to our diste [...]pen'd Land,
O we are bad, teach us t'amend,
And let not ruin▪ be our brand,
Then shall our lavish lips deliver
Our thanks in Peace, to our Peace-giver.
Ejaculat. 148.
If it be so that we must fight,
Lord make our crimes to prove our Foes,
For thou (our God) dost take delight,
To see such pleasant VVars [...] those.
O may such wa [...]s as these encreas [...],
Untill our conquests end in Peace.
Ejaculat. 149.
Lord let the praises of thy power,
Advance the power of thy praise,
Let every day, let every [...]
Praise thee till [...] f [...]il, and dayes.
To thee all power and praise be given,
By Saints on Earth, by Souls in Heaven.
THE END.