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The Introduction.
THE great eternal God, who made
The World and all therein,
Made Man also upright and just,
And wholly free from Sin.
A pleasant Paradise the Lord
Prepar'd wish beauteous Trees,
And all the Fruits thereof to Man▪
To eat whene'er he pleas'd▪
But one, and only one, and sure
That could not be tho't much▪
But so it was, on Pain of Death,
That Tree they might not touch.
[...] in the Day he eat thereof,
[...] said that he should die,
[...] yet when Satan tempted him
[...] eat immediately.
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And thus he broke his Lord's Commands,
And Death did thence ensue,
And thus Death comes, my Children [...] ▪
On every one of you.
And down to Hell you all had gone,
Had not sweet Jesus flown,
To save the poor rebellious Wretch,
From his deserved Ruin.
God having of his sov'reign Grace,
Determin'd to save some,
In Fulness of his chosen Time,
[...]ent forth his own dear Son.
And how he came, and what he's done
The following Lines rehearse;
O therefore diligently read,
And ponder every Verse.
The HISTORY.
Four thousand Years having roll'd a [...]
Now since the World began▪
The glorious Son of God came down▪
To save his Creature Man.
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The glorious blessed Time being come,
The Father had decreed,
JESUS of Mary then was born,
And in a Manger laid.
According to the moral Law,
In eight Days Time he came,
And circumcised was he then,
And JESUS was his Name.
The wise Men from the East do come,
Led by a shining Star,
And offer to the new -born King,
Frankincense, God, and Myrrh.
Which Herod hears, and wrathful grows,
And now by Heav'n's Decree,
Joseph with Mary and her Son,
Do into Egypt flee.
The bloody Wretch, enrag'd to think,
Christ's Death he could not gain,
Commands that Infants all about
Bethlehem should be slain.
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But O to hear the awful Cries
Of Mother's in Distress,
And Rachel mourn for her First-born
Snatch'd from her tender Breast.
But soon the Monster Herod dies,
And Archelaus doth reign,
When Jesus, our most blessed Lord,
To Nazareth he came.
From whence unto Jerusalem,
His Parents do repair,
To keep the Paschal Feast, which [...]
Their Custom once a Year.
He then into the Temple goes
Where many Learn'd and Wise
Great Doctors were, and doth [...]
[...] them to their Surprise.
Our lovely Lord b'ing entred now
Upon his thirtieth Year,
From Galilee to Jordan came,
And John baptiz'd him there.
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Now as he from the Waters came,
He lifts his Soul in Prayer,
And gloriously the Holy Ghost
From Heaven doth appear.
In Shape like to a harmless Dove,
The Spirit doth come down,
And Christ th' eternal Son of God,
His Father now doth own.
He owns him now from Heaven above,
And to the Earth doth tell,
That this was his beloved Son,
In whom he's pleased well.
Now with the Holy Ghost being fill'd,
From Jordan makes Recess,
And by the Spirit is led forth
Into the Wilderness.
Where forty Days and forty Nights,
He kept a solemn Fast,
And there the Devil tempts him sore,
But Christ o'ercomes at last.
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And after this our Lord returns
Again to Galilee,
In Cana, where a Wedding was
That Evening for to be.
Where by his great almighty Pow'r
Both sov'reign and divine,
He, there to shew his Glory forth,
Turn'd Water into Wine.
Unto Jerusalem the Lord
At the Passover came,
And those that in the Temple bought
And sold, he out did turn.
And many wondrous Works he wro't,
When at the Paschal Feast;
Where many were convinc'd, that he
Was Jesus the High Priest.
Then Nicodemus own'd the Lord,
Acknowledging his Right;
But lo! thro' Fear of sinful Men
He comes to him by Night.
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To whom our blessed Lord declar'd,
Upon his sacred Word,
Unless that he was born again,
He could not see the Lord.
And now to Christ the News was bro't
Of John's Imprisonment,
By the ungrateful Multitude,
His Progress to prevent.
From thence to Galilee he goes,
Where he arriv'd at Noon;
And after a retir'd Walk,
To Joseph's Well he came.
Upon the Side thereof he sat,
And lo a Woman came,
To draw some Water for her Flocks,
Who knew not Jesu's Fame.
But Oh! a happy Time it was,
E'er all her Work was done,
She sfound the bless'd Messiah, whom
The Prophets said should come.
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Again, a noble Man of Fame,
Hearing of Christ the Lord,
Besought him earnestly that he
Would Help to him afford;
For that his Son was almost dead,
A Son to him most dear,
When lo the Lord an Answer gave,
Unto his earnest Prayer.
For the same Hour of the Day
That Jesus spake the Word,
The Fever left him, and behold
To Health he was restor'd.
And now the Lord no Rest could find,
From those of Nazareth,
To Capernaum therefore hastes,
To find a safer Birth.
Where from the Shore he launched out,
And from the Ship doth preach,
The better to accommodate
The Thousands he [...]d to teach.
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When having clos'd; launch out said he,
To Peter, who obey'd,
And for a▪ Draught immediately,
The [...] it down was laid.
Which presently was filled so,
The like had never been,
For all the Men on board the Ship
Were call'd to draw it in.
And thus unwearied did our Lord,
Go round from Place to Place,
[Page] Declaring to a sinful World,
[...] free abundant Grace.
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Away to Galilee he goes,
In Synagogue doth teach,
Both working mighty Miracles,
And wondrously doth preach.
Unto Jerusalem again
He comes at the Feast Time,
And heal'd a Man that was diseas'd
For thirty eight Years Time.
And there apologizes with
The Jews that would him slay,
Because that God his Father was,
He openly did [...].
And from among the Multitude
Of his Disciples there,
He Twelve did chuse and sent them forth
To preach, to heal and cure.
Sweet Parables he also spake,
To name but one or two,
The poor, the lost, the prodigal Son,
Speaks Comfort unto you;
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Who from your God have gone astary,
By the Apostacy,
And if you will but now return
Most welcome shall shall you be.
Another to reprove the Rich,
And great ones here below,
To tell them of the fatal Doom,
They I have in Hell below.
Who when poor Lazarus's at their Gates,
Sit mourning, sick, and poor,
Will not so much as give the Crumbs
That fall upon the Floor.
And now behold our Jesus works
A Miracle indeed,
When at one Time five thousand Men
He plent'ously doth feed,
With Barley Loves, no more than five,
Two fishes, and but small,
And lo, refresh'd was every one,
No Lack was there at all.
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And now a King they fain would have
The Lord, our Lord, to be;
But lo, he doth refuse the same,
No temp'ral Crown would he.
And now transfigur'd on the Mount,
Behold your dearest Lord,
While Moses and Elias talk
With him,—a Voice is heard:
From Heav'n it's heard, from Heav'n it
'It was no fancy'd Dream;—(; came,
"This is my well-beloved Son,
"Let all the Earth hear him.
And now to Caesar he did pay,
A Tribute then and there:
A bright Example unto all
That loyal Subjects are.
A certain Village now there was
Of great Samaria,
Who did refuse to entertain
Sweet Jesus in his Way.
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As to Jerusalem he went,
Wherefore▪ his Friends desire,
That down from Heaven he would call
For a consuming Fire.
But lo the merciful and kind
Redeemer, them reprov'd,
And show'd, a tender▪-hearted Christ
His Creatures better lov'd.
And now the Seventy are sent forth,
Who go by two and two,
To teach and preach, and Miracles
To work, where-e'er they go.
And now to pray he teacheth them,
And who can teach like him?
In whom the Spirit of God doth dwell,
And hath forever been.
Another famous Miracle
Our glorious Lord displays,
In raising Lazarus from the Grave,
Where he had lain four Days.
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Zaccheus he now climbs a Tree,
To see the blessed Lord,
And instantly converted is
By his most powerful Word.
On Bartimeus▪ poor and blind,
The Lord did Pity take,
And did restore to him his Sight,
For his great Mercy's Sake.
And now behold triumphantly
Christ to Jerusalem rides,
Where Multitudes their Garments spread,
And some Hosanna cry'd.
And now being near the City come,
He weeps, and sighs, and mourns,
And tells the sore Destruction,
That swiftly on them comes.
And then into the Temple goes,
And casts the Traders out,
And cures the Blind, and heals the Lame,
And makes the Dumb to shout.
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And as sweet Jesus walk'd along,
A Fig-tree he espies,
And for it's barren Fruitlessness
He curs'd it, and it dies.
And now the first Day being come
Of the unleavened Bread,
The Jews in mighty Numbers were
Together gathered
And then the paschal Lamb was slain,
And Jesus as we hear,
The Passover he then did eat
With his Disciples there.
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And then the Lord did institute
The sacramental Feast,
Of his dear Body, and his Blood,
For all his gracious Guests.
And now to shew his humble Mind,
A Grace so good and meet,
He condescendeth then to wash
His poor Disciples Feet.
But O behold the self same Night,
Sweet Jesus is betray'd
By Judas, that accursed Wretch,
And unto Pilate led.
Where he is mock'd and buffetted,
And likewise spit upon,
By the base Soldiers that were there,
Who dragged him along.
O Heav'ns be ye astonish'd now,
O Earth a trembling stand,
To see God's dear and darling Son,
Smote with accursed Hands.
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o see his dear and lovely Face,
Which like an Angel shone,
By base, vile, filthy, wretched Men
Most cruelly spit on.
And now behold the Lord is brought
To Pilate to be try'd;
And hastily and wrongfully
Judg'd to be crucify'd.
No sooner said, but lo he's haul'd
Away to Calvary,
A cruel and accursed Death,
Upon the Cross to die.
At which sad Sight the Sun withdrew
It's bright and daz [...]ling Light,
And Darkness cover'd all the Land,
As tho' if had been Night.
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And now my Lambs attend the Voice
Of Chirst in's Agony;
My God, My God, O wherefore hast
Thou now for saken me,
For all his Pangs, and Thirst, and Groans,
And Sorrows which he felt,
He made his Soul even like to Wax
In his dear Bowels melt.
Were all for you, my Children dear;
For you he wept and cry'd,
For you sigh'd, for you he groan'd,
For you he freely dy'd.
An ancient Type being now fulfill'd,
And to a Wonder done,
Of faithful aged Abraham,
In offering up his Son.
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But O amidst his mighty Thirst,
And dolorous, Out-cry,
They gave him Vinegar and Gall,
Who was exceeding dry.
But hear—the Lord repeats his Cry,
Jesus the Lord of Hosts;
And after having cry'd aloud,
He yielded up the Ghost.
Behold the Rocks in Pieces rend,
The Earth did quake likewise,
And Saints which slept beneath the Clods,
In Numbers did arise.
Armazing Amazing Sight! dear Lambs comes see,
Your dearest Lord is slain,
And hanging on a cursed Tree,
His Body doth remain.
The Blood stream'd down his precious Head
His lovely Hands and Feet,
In one most pure and purple Gore,
They altogether meet.
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Behold his dear and lovely Head
Fell on his bleeding Breast▪
[...] all to bring his little Lam [...]
To an eternal Rest.
Now Joseph, a great Man [...] Fame,
His lovely Corps doth [...],
And carefully inters it in
His own peculiar Grave
Yea, come dear Souls behold the P [...]ace,
Where Jesus lay when dead,
A Sheet in-wrap'd the Son of God,
A Napkin bound his Head.
A Watch is set, a Guard procur'd,
To keep our Saviour there,
Who lo, as dead Men they became,
When Gabriel did appear.
Who to attend upon his Lord,
With Angels many more,
Now ope the dark and silent Vault,
And sit down at the Door.
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And now behold your Saviour rise,
Who conquer'd when he sfell,
And at his glorious Chariot Wheels
Led captive Death and Hell.
Which joyful News the Angels told,
To holy Women then,
That Christ who lately was interr'd,
Had now arose again.
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And for a Witness to the Truth
Of what they did declare,
The risen Jesus graciously
To Mary did appear.
And after that to many more,
To many at one Time,
And to assure them it was he,
With them he pleas'd to dine.
And after having kindly supp'd
With his beloved Ones,
His dear Disciples,—lo he comes
To Olivet with them.
And then desires them to wait,
Even at Jerusalem,
'Till he should send the Holy Ghost,
As he had promis'd them.
And then commands them to go forth,
To teach and to baptize
All Nations that believe on him;
And blesseth them likewise.
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And while they stedfastly beheld
The glorious Lord of Light,
He's taken up, and lo a Cloud
Receives him out of Sight.
And while, with fixed Eyes, they gaze
On their ascending King,
Behold two Men stand by in white,
And these sweet Tidings bring.
Ye Men of Galilee, say they,
Why stand ye here and gaze,
This Jesus which was took from you,
He will not stay always.
But in like glorious Manner shall
As you have seen him go,
Come down again, assure your selves
It shall be even so.
And now behold your Lord ascend
To his eternal Throne,
And by the Father's glorious Hand
In Royalty set down.
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Set down upon his royal Seat,
The Father had prepar'd;
With glorious Proclamation which
Thro' all the Heav'ns was heard.
Worship him, ye God's Angels all,
Which swiftly they obey,
And all the Host their glorious Crowns,
At Jesus Feet they lay.
Methinks I hear the Heaven's [...]ng
With Hallelujah's [...],
And see the Saints in Multitudes
Before their Saviour bow.
To God, the glorious God on high,
They lovely Anthems raise;
To him that sits upon the Throne,
And to the Lamb give Praise.
And now, dear Lambs, what look ye for?
But soon he'll come again,
In royal Pomp and Trumpets sound,
To judge a World of Men.
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The Trump which Gabriel shall sound,
Will be so shrill and clear,
That every Soul in Heav'n and Earth,
The awful Voice will hear.
Then shall the Dead be made to hear
The Judge's powerful Voice;
The Wicked shriek, the Sinners cry,
But all the Saints rejoice.
For all the Dead, both small and great,
Shall stand before the Bar,
And when the Judgment's summed up
Their various Sentence' hear.
"My Father's blessed Ones now come,
"(Saith the most just and true)
"Inherit the blest Kingdom which
"I have prepar'd for you.
But O against all christless Ones,
▪What Heart can hear me tell;
▪Depart from me ye cursed Souls,
"Into the Fire of Hell.
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And now, dear Children, for whose Sakes
This little Book I've penn'd,
O be entreated now to make
Your Judge your dearest Friend.
Receive him for your Prophet, Priest,
And for your glorious King;
Act Faith upon this blessed Christ
And bless your God for him.
Keep close to his most just Commands,
In all Things please him well;
Then happy it will be with you
When Thousands go to Hell.
Where they in Torments lift their Eyes
Amidst devouring Flames,
While you eternal Praise shall sing,
To GOD and to the LAMB.
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Delight in the LORD JESUS.
WHEN absent my dear Saviour is,
All Things within me seem amiss;
But when my Jesus he is nigh,
I have most sweet Felicity.
If my dear Saviour speaks not Peace,
Not the whole World can give me Ease;
But when he says, Dear Soul I'm thine,
It cheers me more than [...] Wine.
If my dear Saviour doth but frown,
In Depths of Sorrow I'm cast down,
But if he smiles, not [...] Earth or Hell,
That can my Light and Joy expell.
If my dear Saviour hides his Face,
I find no Rest in any Place▪
But if he looks from Heav'n on me,
My Joys run deep as any Sea.
If my dear Saviour doth withdraw,
I tremble and I stand in awe;
But if his Presence me support,
I'm fix'd as firm as any Rock.
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If my dear Saviour lets me fall,
My Sins I to remembrance call;
But if he keeps me on my Way,
I Joy and Triumph all the Day.
If he let loose the wicked One,
I feel as if I were undone;
But if he binds the Lion fast,
I then enjoy a sweet Repast.
If Death he let but look on me,
I fear then my Mortality;
But if he shows his Face again,
I soon get Ease from Fear or Pain.
Nay, should pale Death now come indeed
With all his Fierceness, Haste and Speed,
I fear him not, I him defy,
If my sweet Jesus is but nigh.
Yea, tho' thro' Death's darkdark Shades I pass
I'll sing each Moment of my Glass,
Redeeming Grace, redeeming Love,
Till I shall sing free Grace above.
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HYMN II.
Absence of CHRIST intolerable.
THine Absence, Lord, makes me to cry,
Come quickly, Lord, or I shall die:
If long my Lord doth stay away,
Like lonesome Night becomes my Day.
The best of Creatures can't afford,
Such Comforts as thy Presence, Lord:
O dreadful Case! unheard of sad,
When absent is my Saviour God.
I round the Universe may roll,
And rove about from Pole to Pole▪:
But O no Comfort there's for me,
If my dear Jesus absent be.
The Devil throws his fiery Darts,
And wicked Ones do act their parts,
To ruin me when Christ is gone▪
And if he leave me all alone
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My Lusts they rage, Corruptions swell,
As if they'd drive me down to Hell.
Yea, helpless also I become,
As any mortal crawling Worm.
Each Blast of Wind that blows on me,
Seems like the strong or raging Sea,
I am so weak, I am so small;
Yea I have now no Strength at all.
But if my Lord around me stay,
I drive all Cares and Fears away;
Yea, tho' an Host engage 'gainst me,
In my Lord's Strength I'd make 'em flee.
In me my dearest Lord doth see
Nothing but Sin and Misery;
For by the Fall I am undone,
And so is every Woman's Son.
But if my Lord in Grace appear,
He makes me lovely bright and fair;
If he to Washing but begin,
He'll soon destroy my Guilt and Sin.
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If he his Garment spread o'er me,
My God in me no Guilt will see;
If he this Garden doth but dress,
'Twill bring forth Fruits of Righteousness.
If he then call and bid me come,
Like Roe I leap, like Hart I run;
If he doth call my Soul away,
I in this world don't want to stay,
But fly as on a Cherub's Wing,
To my dear Christ, my God, my King.
The Child's Body of DIVINITY.
ADAM by's Fall bro't Death on all.
By his foul Sin we've ruin'd been.
Christ Jesus come to ransom some.
Dare any say this an't the Way.
Every one to him may come.
For if they do, he'll Mercy show▪
Great Grace likewise, to their Surprize.
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Jesus with Charms, in Faith's strong Arms.
Knowledge and Skill to do his Will.
Love great and strong, to God and Man.
Mercy and Peace which ne'er shall cease.
Near sweet Address, and great Success.
Our Lord unto, whene'er we go.
Putting our Trust, in Christ the Just.
Quickning Grace, he'll give always.
Receiving all, both great and small.
Sincerely who to him do go.
Turning from Sin, tho' vile you've been.
Unto the Lord and Saviour God.
Whoever will, Christ sayeth still▪
Xcludeth none that to him come▪
Young old and all, he now doth call.
Zealously therefore, accept, adore.
& happy be eternally.
FINIS.