they still repose For sith his knowledge is indefinite To Things indefinite it must extend And sith his Pow'r can make Things infinite He needs must know them sith he knowes the end Of All that on his endlesse Pow'r depend But all that is or euer shall be made Is finite then his knowledge must transcend Their highest Reach as Reason doth perswade For it is infinite and cannot fade ONE is an Vnity which can extend To Numbers infinite if multiplide For eu'ry Number doth thereon depend Then if that Vnity did know how wide It could extend it knew the rest beside Man in Conceit can multiply this One To Numbers infinite for such abide Still subiect to increase by Vnion Then God must know past limitation He knowes distinctly and in generall For knowledge indistint imperfect is He counts the Starres by their names them call Numbers our Haires knows when one we misse Then must his knowledge be distinct by This. He in their Causes sees Contingent Things Yet nought's contingent to that sight of his For he that all in All to Being brings Must hatch them ere they Be beneath his Wings In him that did betray the Lord of light It was Contingent sith in him it was To do or not to do that damn'd dispight But God did in himselfe as in a Glasse Past Time see It in Time should come to passe Then in the second and Contingent Cause Contingently he knowes but if it has Relation to his preordaining Lawes Necessity it on the Action drawes Then must he needes knows Ill aswell as good But Ill is nothing but a meere Defect Which hath no Notion by a Likelihood So nought can know the same in true Effect And nought to know Gods knowledge doth reiect Then Ill is know'n by good as death by life Though by no Notion it can Sence direct For though Ill nothing be t is still at strife With Goodnesse so this knowledge still is rife God knowes not Euill by receiuing in A Notion to his Mind which knowes not so For if he so should do so should he sinne But sith he knowes himselfe he Ill doth know By his owne goodnesse so knowes Ill his foe But if by Notions he did ought perceiue TheÌ„ that perceiu'd those Notions needs must show So should he more then erst before conceiue And so might be deceiued and deceiue But his high knowledge is the Cause of all Then must it before All Actually His Prouidence could not be generall If ought there were he knew not specially But he knowes All from all Eternity Then must he needs know Ill that all doth mare By his owne goodnesse most essentially But if that Ills do stretch themselues so farre To yeeld such knowledge more then nought they are This knowledge knows together what it knowes So doth it not augment much lesse decrease Himselfe the Medium of his knowledge showes The state of Things at once not peece by peece As men do know their knowledge to increase Then is his Knowledge firme â—â— as infinite And can no more be chang'd then it can cease So to his vndeceiueable fore-sight All Haps on All inveitably light If so it seemes this Knowledge doth impose On all Mens Acts a meere necessity Not so for his fore-sight doth not dispose The wils of Men nor lets their liberty But what they do they do most willingly Though second Causes by their natures course Make vs to do some things vnwillingly Yet Gods Fore-sight doth not those Causes force No more then ours makes great Loads lame an Horse So Gods fore-knowledge may two waies be wai'd First as he did foresee what ere should Be Last as his fore-sight in his Will is staid And so his fore-sight is his Wils decree Which must be acted of necessity So al Things of necessity are such Though they be such perhaps condicionally For God doth moue them but by natures touch So moues them as they will lest She should gruch Two Causes in the World his Pow'r hath set To Cause as second Causes all Effects The first are certaine and Effects beget As certaine As the fire with heate affects The Sunne giues light and so of other Sects The later Causes are indefinite And their Products vncertainly respects Those are Contingent and extend their might Vnto Mens Wills and Actions wrong or right Now though Gods fore-sight ioyned with his Wil Be such as by no Pow'r can changed be Yet we thereby are not enforc'd to Ill But meerely do it of our owne decree As mou'd by nature to Iniquity Yet can we not do other then we do If it we waigh as God did it foresee And so foreseeing iustly willd it too For what he doth he iustly may vndo Say we fore-knew the nature of a Frend Would credit vs in all that we should say Should our fore-knowledge so his nature bend As it were bound and so must needs obay It hauing liberty itselfe to sway Not so no more doth Gods Foreknowledge force Mens Wills against their Nature any way But still their Wils by Nature haue their Course yet nought their Wils from Gods will can deuorce For as we freely in a Ship do walke And yet our walking hinders not her Way But holds her Course welstir'd and Le ts doth balke Till she arriues where shee 's designd to stay By him whose Goodes she safely doth convay So in the surest Ship of Gods DECREE Wherein we saile and cannot fall away Though our Will crosse the Course yet cannot we That Course auert but needs must with it flee And as one hauing fastned a Boat Vnto a Rocke hales at the rope to draw The Rocke to him yet so himselfe doth float Vnto the Rocke vnmou'd by Natures law So we being fast to That which God foresaw Do striue to pull his Purpose to our Will yet are we driv'n therby as by a Flaw Vnto his Purpose which is * stedfast still So though we seeke our Wils we His fulfill But though Man workes as of necessity According vnto Gods most staide deeree yet workes he at his Natures liberty And so he workes as being bond and free Both which Gods wisedome could not but fore-see So then he might Mans nature haue restrain'd From working ill but then it bound should be For though Mans Workes to Gods Decree are chain'd yet workes he by his nature vnconstraind Then though he knows from al eternity What we would do that caused not our Deede But what he wil'd impos'd necessity Vpon our workes who works as he decreed Which Works his practicke knowledge do succeed His Will and Knowledge then is cause of All At once For all at once from them proceed Sith in Him nought we first and last must call But He is all One Cause in generall Then in this fearefull Sea which we be in we must beware two Rocks That is to wit we must make God no Cause
fainting sincks for feare to sinne Then here an End before an endlesse End Sith we may lose if more we seeke to win And what is done we meekely do commend To mortall Saints to vse refuse or mend FINIS He that loueth purenesse of hart for the grace of his lippes the King shall be his Friend Prou. 13 11. GOod Preachers that liue ill like Spittlemen Are perfect in the way they neuer went Or like the Flame that led Gods Children It selfe not knowing what the matter ment They be like Trumpets making others fight Themselues not striking stroke sith liuelesse Things Like Land-marks worne to nought beeing in the Right Like well-directing ill-affected Kings Like Bels that others call where they come not Like Soape remaining blacke and making white Like Bowes that to the Marke the Shafts haue shot While they themselues stand bent vnapt for flight For where their Wordes and Works are not agreed There what they mend in Word they marre in Deed Blessed be the mercifull for they shall obtaine Mercy Math. 5. 7. WHat wit hath Man to leaue that Wealth behind Which he might carry hence when hence he goes What Almes he giues aliue he dead doth find But what he leaues behind him he doth lose To giue away then is to beare away They most do hold who haue the openest Hands To hold too hard makes much the lesse to stay Thogh stay there may more then the Hand commands The Beggers Belly is the batful'st Ground That we can sow in For it multiplies Our Faith and Hope and makes our Loue abound And what else Grace and Nature deerely prize So thus may Kings be richer in their Graue Then in their Thrones thogh all the world they haue a Exod 33 23 b Iob 36 29 c Psal 86 8 * Head and Hart * god * Iames 1 7 * Psal 5. 8 * Psal 107 23 24 25. 26 * god only is true and eue ry man a lier * God can haue no proper name for his nature * From God to God * Gods Properties and Attributes are one and why * There is no passion in the Deity God is good gratious wise c onely by his simple Essence Gods actions are tyed vnto his properties Wisedome Iustice c. are substantially in God but in man accidentally God is a supernaturall nature * Prou. 16 4 * Maniches * Angels wer not without iniquity * Ioel 2 13 * Exod. 34 6 7. * Moses a Mercifull gracious flo to anger and abundant in goodnes and truth compared with not making the wicked innocent visiting of in iquity Simil. * God * christ Iesus the God of grace * God is charity * Obediah 1 4. * Psal 113. 6 * Dy reprobates * Man is said to be man in respect of his forme which is his Soule a Acts 17. 28 * 2. Pet 1 4 * Do vertuously * God is the Soule of the World not fomally but effectually * Heb 1 2 * That which is made in time is made before and after some time therefore the World was made neither before nor after but euen with time * The partes are euer before the whole in na ture and order * Ierem 23 24 Obiect * Compounded of Being and Essence Ansvv * God * Alpha and Omega Reuel 1 â— * There is a created and an vncreated Eternity Obiect * Christ our ghostly head * It wil cause true penitency or desperation * Heauen * Pride * Christ. * The Diuel cause of maÌ„s fall * Exod. 3 14 * All are con cluded vnder sin that God might haue mercy vppon all * In him is no darknes * God and Man * God onely wise * Rom 1 20 * So are Wee moued to from God * Gen. 1 2 * Heb. 1 3 * Heauenly mantions * Gen 1 * God 's will and power are equal yet there are ma ny thinges in his power which ar not in his vvil * Infinite wis dome directs infinite power * Gods Wil limits his vnlimitable power * In respect of the reach of our capa city * In God is true moste compleat felicity * Edward Richard the second * The best is a Brier * The obiectiue Beatitude is the chiefe blessednesse * Diuine mer cy is as great as gods diuity * His ovvne properties * Simple pure nesse wil brooke no mixtion Obiect Answ. * Their will and power are one * Equall in Essence Take away Gods proper ties or Persons take away his Diety * That is actu al or ordinary power * From all eternity * Personall propertis are not common to the Diety * Their inter nall workes differ not but in manner of doing Nota. * Gods eternall Workes are euer one the internall diuers in maÌ„ner of doing Prou 15 27 * They fight with God that pry further into his secrets then hee woulde haue them a Gods glory and goodnes is most inexplicable * As far forth as concernes our Soules welfare * No Creature is capable of omnipotence Simil * Manasses Nabuchadne zer S. Paule * Stroke is an action of much indulgence strike of much anger * As he cannot eate drink grow sleep or any corporal action for he is a most pure Spirit yet is there in him nothing but substance a Something 's impossible to be done by omnipotence * To do vnright ly is great infirmity * The scriptures God hath tyde his omnipotency to two thinges to nature for orders sake and to bis word for his promise sake * Noah a preacher of righteousnes * Psal. 3a 9 * Gen. 1 12 * Man might haue beene made more perfect accidentally but not essentially * Or any other Philoso pher * Curiosity * By Sin cam Death and Feare * Infinit wise dome can do nothing with out like reason * Gods will and suffrance are neare of kin * All creature * â—en 2 17. * To greeue for siune is a ioyful sorrow * Reuel 35. Simil. * a yet we must not do euill in any case that good may come of it but when vnwillingly it is committed drawe good out of it b It s better to say that impossibilities canot be don then that God cannot do them * God doth often change his open sentence but ne uer his secret decree for the sentence is euer condicionall a Ezechias * Yet both vvils are one in effect for the iudgmeÌ„t against Nyni ute vvas condicionall as are all Gods threats if it did not repent * God simply good cannot vvill euill sim ply * Rom. 9 19 In a diuerse consideration God wilâ— diuersly Gods will is the rule of Iustice. * Abraham 2 Sam. 16 5 Two thinges to be noted in Synne Simil. * We are con de mned for violation of Gods reuealed will * All confusi on springs from sinne * London * Therefore I will make thee sicke in smiting thee make thee desolate because of thy Syns Micha 6 13. * Make Anarchies of Monarchies * Hosea 2 6 b Eccles 12 * It is Godes grace to punish his chil dren in the World least they should be condem ned with the World Rom 9 18 1. Cor 12 11 * Reall presence From Gods power wee may take encouragement to be liberall to the poore Simil * Prou 11 24 * God is infi nite in truth Heauen Earth * Our praiers are turned in to sin if wee haue not cha rity a Dan 6 16 b Exod 14 25 c Dan 3 25 d Iohn 15. 15 * Ionas Sol * God knows more then he euer did or wil make Whatsoeuer god means to doe he seeth as on from all eternitye * Things which onely Bee in Gods vnderstaÌ„ding or powr haue an vnbeeing beeing Nota. The thinges which God knowes must be infinite like his know ledge * Psal. 147 4 * Math 10 30 Luke 12 7 * Iudas a God is a Mirror wher in al thinges are seene Ill hath no notion to know it by * Whatsoeuer is ordinarily by the vnder standing perceiued is per ceiued by no tions * Gods prouidence wer imperfect if he knew not perticular things * Nothing is contingent with God God hath set two second causes in the world to pro duce all effects * We are vndone by ill-doing * Gods fore knowledge foreeth not our wils Simil. Simil. * Eph 1 8 * God 's prescience cau seth not our Actions * Simply * God moues vs well But being Lame in our affecti oÌ„s we moue ill Simil * 1 Ioh 4. 13 Willing suffe rance is gods will * God doeth wil sin as it is an act where on to showe his diuine goodnesse ei ther by Iustice or mercy * Touchinga the intention No discourse or motion in the wil of God * The transgressors of Gods reuealed will keep his secret wil * a No cause of gods wil but his meere good pleasure God by one act of willing wils his glory our confusion Simil. Simil. * S. Paule * Will exceeds power heerein * The church millitant
but are not so Sith they sit reeling in their fastest Thrones That eu'ry moment threats their ouerthrow we which makes them sit on thorns through pierc'd with And though all mortall Knees to them do bow Th' adore their Chairs not them though to and fro Both reeling stand till both are falne too low And then those Bowers none of both will know For Men like Paphflagonean Partriges Beare in their single Breast a double Heart VVith one of which they seeme Gods Images But with the other play the Deuils part VVho to all Shapes for ill themselues conuert These are the Things the Things I them do call Sith for such Artists I want Tearmes of Art That crouching stand by Kings till Kings do fal Then fly these Swallowes lest they fall withall VVhat blessednesse is then in Regall state That as accurst such cursed Things attend And nought more subiect to the shocke of Fate Nor sooner brought vntimely to an end For oft they bow to them that make them bend But this eternall most almighty KING That 's KING of Kings on whom they all depend Is truely blest sith there 's no altering Of his State Povv'r Life Blisse or any thing Then sith this vnborne KING that all vp-beares Is onely blessed how accurst are those That fall from Him to rest on Prince or Peeres Who still are fair'st for foulest ouerthrowes But Carrion still is best belou'd of Crowes And where it is the Eagles do resort Kites I would say like Eagles in their Nose And Clawes to smel scratch for Budge of Court And so in others spoyle make euer sport These false to God can ne're be true to Men If false to him that is as Good as GREAT How can they trusty be to Nothing then For Kings are worse then Nothing Vermins meat Then what are they compar'd with Worth compleat These light Court-Locusts here and there do skippe Like Fleas to suck bloud so make Men their meat Like Cannibals for if they on the Hip Haue frend or foe that Standard they will rip There is no trust in Men for Men to Men Are but meere Wolues that one another rends Nay worse much worse the best are now then For Man to Man in fury are but Fiends Who oft in vertue viciously contends Then none are blest without they well do know They are accursed till their blessed Ends The End makes All because the End doth show Vnto the blest Gods euer-blessed Brow The Act of seeing God is Blessednesse For we cannot be blest till him we see Which Act is ours not his yet neuerthelesse His Guift it is but yet he cannot be Our Act though it with Him pure ACT agree For ours is but th' Effect of him the Cause So then it Caused is so is not He Who draweth still yet but the willing drawes Yet makes vs willing by his Graces Lawes So all we haue if good he doth effect For what we haue that is not his is Ill Which still we giue him though he it reiect Yet for that Guift against giues by his VVILL Our Greatest GOOD so good hee 's to vs still With Goodnesse thus He doth our il ore'come Yet we orecome with ill It still fulfil But though that wrong incurs his righteous doome Yet when we straie his Mercy brings vs home How far that Mercy reacheth erst we toucht Then needelesse were it eft to handle it As pow'rfull as him selfe we It auoucht And Hee 's omnipotent then if it fit His Pow'r it is at least most infinit Which Attribute of his Omnipotence That most is mentioned in Holy-vvrit Is the firm'st Pillar of our Confidence Sith it to Grace hath euer referrence Almightinesse includeth whatso'ere That is most absolutlie good or great Then it 's the Prop that all in All doth beare More then most actiue in each glorious Feate Which by still actiue good doth Ill defeate Though it seem'd Passiue when in flesh t' was show'n Yet in that flesh that Passion had her Seate God 's a pure Act which ne're was Passiue know'n Who made that flesh hee tooke and held his owne He is most perfect but he were not so If he were Passiue which imperfect is Then is he simply Actiue simply No Actiue nor passiue so is He or His Sith his strict Purenesse will not carry This. His Action then his Essence is alone Which is his Pow'r grace wisedome Iustice blisse And what be sides he is sith hee 's but One VVhich brookes no shade of Composition But yet the Sonne is said to haue receiu'd All that he hath or is of Him his Sire If He his Essence then of him receiu'd His Povv'r he must for both are most intire Then must his Povv'r be Passiue as its cleire But so to saie is foulest Heresie For like as without heate can be no Fire Eu'n so without a Sonne no Sire can be Thus Sire and Sonne are equall in degree For both are one selfe Substance so are One The sire is of himselfe omnipotent Then so sith one in substance is the Sonne VVho with the Sir'es alike magnificent For both Eternall are in their extent The Sonne is of the Father most intire As heate is of the Fire both which are pent In but one Substance of but onely Firâ— So equall's their degree and their desire The Sonne not onely of himselfe is such But by himselfe he is what ere he is Eternall generation still doth touch The vtt'most reach of his Sires Properties He is begotten still but yet by This His Generation's not deficient For as the Sunne still gets those Beames of his yet perfect are as That from which they went So GOD begotten's all sufficient Then this begetting Power hath the Sire Beyond the Sonne sith that 's his Property And personall Properties though God's intire Cannot be common to the Diety Least that confusion follow instantly Yet this Powres want in this almighty SONNE Is farre off from the least infirmity But it doth strengthen that Relation That truely shewes Gods threefold Vnion Then take away the Pers'nall properties And take away the Persons so we shall Be Godlesse quite for God's none otherwise Then Three in Persons and one God in all So pers'nall Povvers cannot be mutuall In Nature not in Order then they be Omnipotent alike in generall So is all Povv'r that doth with POVVRE agree Alike and not alike in their degree The Sire of his owne Substance gets the Sonne Then must the Sonne haue self-same Diety Because that Substance is so strictly One That by it 's Povv'r it cannot parted be Though most almighty in the lowst degree This shewes the Sires compleat Omnipotence That stil begets a Sonne as great as He Which Sonne is but the Sires Intelligence Making another one Omnivalence The Sonn 's yet said to be lesse then the Sire Not in true Substance but sith hee receiues Of his owne Essence what it doth require Which
Accident But that 's an Essence which is really That which it is in its kind remanent As by our humane nature's euident In Soule and Body Man is said to Bee But in his nature is his Essence pent But yet this Compound neuer can agree Though nere so subtle with Simplicity And though that This and That do seeme to show A mixture in the Things wherein they are Yet in this simple Essence t is not so Though This and That same person stil be there For al three persons but one Substance share If so then though the Persons diuers be Their Essence is as pure as it is rare As in the Sunne a Beame wee likewise see Yet both make but one light essentially Yet Sunne and Beame are diuerse sith they do In their subsisting differ really For both subsist then both must needs be two Yet differ nothing but respectiuely As do the Persons of the Trinity Then by subsisting in a diuerse kind The Persons differ in the Diety Which three In-beeings in one single Mind One simple Substance doth together bind Now sets the Sunne that lights our pen to write Then with him Muse set downe thy weary Pen And in the Sunne that lights thee to indite More Wonders marke till th' other rise agen And then with care divulge the same to Men. These Steepes haue made thy trauell hard to day That thou mayst hold out thy flight fauour then For nought they do that more do then they may Then Wit must rest when Wisedome bids it stay NOw Heaue'ns bright Eye awake by Vespers sheene Peepes through the purple windowes of the East While Night doth sinke beneath the Earth vnseene Fearing with lightnes to be sore opprest Then vp my wakefull Muse to worke for Rest. Thou shalt not soundly sleepe till thou hast view'd Thy iournies end wherein who ends are blest Then let thy course be zealously pursu'd To find the rest of true Beatitude Which is Eternall and alone is so Without Beginning and can haue none End Which hath nor First nor Last for that doth grow From First to Last so rise and then descend But this doth no such Motion comprehend For that 's Eternall that not onely Is But still is such and doth not paire or mend Then must he needs be First and Last by this Because Eternall is that state of his Our Mynd alone confusedly conceiues Th' unbounded compasse of ETERNITY It 's past conceit sith Notion none it giues Being as free from mutability As from beginning end or quantity It euer Was that was e're Time had roome To stirre it selfe by Heau'ns propulsity To which there is nought past nor ought to come But all is present in her boundlesse Wombe Our Soules and Angels are eternall too But their eternity with Time was made As were the Places where reside they do Which both Beginning and Succession had So seeme to vanish though they cannot fade But these created were Eternities Which Time from time to time stil forwards ladd And though Eternall yet Were otherwise But GODS Was euer Is and neuer dies He is the Author of Eternity Then was before it else it could not be He was before that made Eternally So is eternall in the highest degree Yet not the Author of his owne is he His owne Eternity and He are one Sith that 's himselfe that is his Property So could not be his owne creation And so vnmade eternal is alone Angels and Soules though they eternall be Yet either may by nature haue an end That of an Act consist and Potency Which Compound doth to disolution tend Did it not on Gods simple POVVRE depend The Compound is the Cause that so it may For nought is rent without a Cause it rend But there can be no Cause of his decay Who is the chiefest Cause and his owne Stay And by that Stay vn constant Man he staies From a relapse to nothing which he was Yet falling finally he still decaies But nere determines for he still doth passe From ought to nought yet nought is ne'rethelasse For as was said Man is eternall made Though heere he flourisheth and fades like Grasse Yet shall he rise againe and neuer fade To Ioy or Wo as he is Good or Bad. What! shall he liue in wo Eternally If heere he liue and die in gracelesse state So for a short bad life for euer die Or liue in death life still t'excruciate This seemes all Mercy quite to ruinate For all neede Grace sith seuen times sins the best Ere once the Sunne his Round perambulate But seuenty seauen times do the worst at least Then if Grace faile none die to liue in rest If for an hundred yeares offending here For that 's the longest date of our liues lease Millions of Ages we were plagued there with paines past paine yet that in time should cease And we for That in mercy haue release So Iustice might with Mercy sympathize But for a short time of our crimes increase Euer to liue in death that neuer dyes Ah! this makes Iustice seeme to tyrranize But stay fraile flesh and bloud here Truthes reply Thou speak'st thus much as prompted by the Fiend But Truth this Iustice well may iustifie For had'st thou liu'd stil stil thou would'st haue syn'd And to thy passions euermore beene pynn'd Then sith thou sinn'st in thine eternity It 's iust thou should'st in Gods in Hell be Inn'd For he the Will for Deede takes commonly As well when it wills well as wickedly And synne's gain'st Goodnesse most-most infinite Are made most infinite in ill thereby Then no proportion hold paines definite To scourge the ill that hath infinity Which must be punish't in eternity Then O! what life ought mortall Men to lead That leads to endlesse blisse or misery Then liue w'in Hell for Heau'n as did our Head Not liue in Heau'n for Hell when we be dead O how it ought to make flesh freeze with feare Or flame in all deuotion of the Sp'rite Sith the Word EVER euer doth appeare So bottomlesse in length so infinite Euer in vtter darkenesse neuer light Ah! this is it that 's able to dissolue Both Soule and Body with eternall fright And yet to sinne some euer do resolue And EVER neuer in their thoughts reuolue Euer to dye and neuer to be dead Euer to Bee and neuer be at rest Euer in fire yet neuer minished Which EVER Patience neuer can digest Sith it 's most bad when it is at the best If euer we did thinke aright of this This Fire would neuer cease to moue at least And if we be not mou'd with endlesse Blisse Such paines will moue aright or most amisse Then fleshly wisedome no let can be more To let this motion stay a Spirit vnstaid For that Egeriaes doctrine deemes this lore And thinkes all holy fraud which Truth hath said That Lawes may so the better be obaid This wisedomes Eyes are dull yet sharply see To go past
receaue Doth farre surmount the Ill that comes from thence If God the VVorld of Ill should quite beraue There were no Tost to try our Sapience So might want Reason and Intelligence But we haue both to know the Good from Bad So know we God and our Soules safe defence Then sith by Ill we are so well bestad We cannot greeue for ill but must be glad For were there no Temptation then no Fight And if no fight no Victory could bee No Victory no Palmes nor Vertues white No Crosse no Crovvne of immortality And thus from Il comes good abundantly For by the Conquest of it we are Crown'd VVith glorie in secure felicity So from great Ills more Goods to vs redoun'd As oft most Sicknesse maketh vs most sound Ill like a Mole vpon the WORLDS faire Cheeke Doth stil set forth that Fairenes much the more She were to seeke much Good were Ill to seeke For Good by Ill increaseth strength and store At least in our Conceit and Vertucs Lore There 's nought so euill that is good for nought God giuing vs a Salue for ev'ry Sore The Good are humbled by their euil'st Thought So to the Good al 's good that Ill hath wrought Then better say some things cannot be done Then that he cannot do them For he can Do al that can be done whose Povv'r is One VVith his owne Essence infinite and than He can do more then can be thought by Man If he could sin could feare could Weare could Dy These Coulds are sicke no Paraclesian Can cure them of their great infirmity For to be able so 's debility And not so able highest Potency So can his Povv'r his Wil nor straine nor bow How ere it seemes to do it to our Sence Nor can it do it truely but in show If truely vve could see the Cause from whence That shew proceeds by our Intelligence For he is reall and doth hate to seeme Sith it doth strongly argue Impotence But when he seemes to mis do we misdeeme That still his workes of Iustice disesteeme Nor chang'd he state when He in firy Tongues Descended on his Darlings for that Show To vs as Men not him as God belongs Who cannot see him otherwise then so But He in forme confined cannot go For if he were confin'd he were no where Sith by the same he should his state forgo But he to vs doth often so appeare His state vnchang'd as our weake state may beare Nor chang'd he mind when as his Will reueal'd He altred as he did for Niniuy Because he chang'd not then his Will conceal'd Which was to saue it through his Clemency VVho knew they would repent er'e they should die And touching him for whom the Sunne went back To crosse his will erst show'n apparantly His secret VVill did That reuealed wrack That one might firmely liue by th' others lack Heere am I Clouded with a Mistery That makes my Muses Eyes quite lose their fight O Heau'nly VVisedome Sonne of Verity Disolue this Cloud and lend those Eyes thy light To find this Truth which is obscured quite For onely Goodnesse can no Euill will Yet Ill it wills but turnes that wronge to right But how he should a Wronge a right fulfill Here lies the Maze my Muse amazing still Yet by the Clew of his directing Word W' are led to say he suffers Ill to Bee With right good will to make Ill more abhord When it is Parraleld with Piety yet wils what he permits vnwillingly For Ill he wils not that good thence shouldspring Which to his Will and Word were contrary And yet against his Will can Be no thing So wils a crosse in crosse considering Yet Contradictions in one kind of Sense He cannot though he most almighty be Cause to exist for that were violence To Nature Truth and his owne Equity Which in great Pow'r were great Infirmity But sith the Rule of Goodnesse is his Will Ill is not Ill that he wils willingly Because his VVill to good conuerteth Ill So ill is good if he performe it stil. He did commaund him who did hope past hope To kill his onely Sonne which was not ill Because that euill hath no euill Scope That is confin'd by his exact good Will The Iudge that doomes death iustly doth not kill Shimey Curst Dauid by the like commaund And yet the same he iustly did fulfill For in the Bidders will no Ill can stand Sith by it Right is rul'd with vpright Hand In Synne two Things we chiefely must respect The Act it selfe and Its deformity The Act though it be euill in effect yet hath a Beeing so is good thereby For GOODNES Beings made most righteously But as it is deform'd t is a Defect So not of GOD free from Deficiency Who is an ACT and works without neglect All Beings Being be they low or hye So though we lie in Him He doth not lye For as one managing a Courser lame Doth put him too 't to vse those Limbs of his That he doth stirre his Rider works the same But that he lamely stirs his fault it is That through his lamenesse stirreth still amisse So That we doo of God the cause is still But that we doo Ill we too blame for This Then not for dooing but for dooing Ill We are condemn'd as Steedes that stumble will We are condemn'd and iustly so we are Sith Synn's the high contempt of his good Will Synne is the Cause effecting all our care And with Confusion all the World doth fill Which is the Ill producing eu'ry Ill All breake-backe Crosses which we vndergo Are cast vpon vs by this Euill still In Summe it makes this VVorld a Sea of Wo VVherein we fincking swim tost to and fro VVhen I behold a Towne erst fairely built Which Time dissmantling doth in Heapes confuse Thus say I to my selfe Here Men haue dvvelt And vvhere Men dvvell there Syn to raigne doth vse And vvhere Syn raignes Confusion still ensues Thus from beginning to the End I fall Of this rude CHAOS whereon moues my Muse And all the way I see Sinne ruin'd all So Synn's the Soule of Ills in generall The Plague which late our Mother-CITTY scour'd And erst the KINGDOME made halfe desolate The HEAV'NS through Aire contagious on it pour'd For odious Syns which them exasperate For which they oft dissolue the Crownes of STATE Likewise the DELVGE that did rince this ROVND Came sith foule Synne did it contaminate To make it cleane and so to keepe it sound Else filthy Synne that BALL would cleane confound Then ô how blest are they that dye to Sinne And liue to neuer dying Rightousnesse They in this Sea of Misery begin To enter in the Hau'n of happinesse Though ouerwhelm'd the while withall distresse For in a Calme we fall to frolike it Or sleepe secure in Pleasures idlenesse VVhich doth peruent the Wil corrupt the Wit Vntill our
of any sin which we do if we say he willeth it For as its Ill he doth it but permit The other is when that withour his Will And his Fore-knowledge we do Ill admit For so we do his perfect knowledge spill As in the other make his Goodnesse ill Our Soule doth moue our Body being lame And yet our Soule is whole in euery Limbe Then God is not for our misdeeds to blame Though he Workes all in All as pleaseth Him VVho makes the sinfull in their sinnes to swim Vntill they sinke to Hell so punnisheth Much Sinne by Sinne for he their Eyes doth dim That they should not perceiue the Snares of Death Vntill they fall those mortall Snares beneath He moues aright the most peruersest Will But by that crooked Will it waxeth Wrong As good meat put into a Stomacke ill Turnes to bad Humors with disease among So Good to God and Ils to Men belong He worketh all in All or good or bad Either as either are or weake or strong And so we are or ill or well bestad As our demerits him do greeue or glad Then wicked Actions as they Actions are And not as they are wicked God doth will For they are Beeings but we must beware Sith ere our fall we well could them fulfill We make him not the Author of their Ill For he may willingly stil suffer sin Though to his Wil it he repugnant still Which suffring by indulgence seekes to win The lost Sheepe though astray the more it ryn Then willing suffrance needs must be his VVil So then in God two ouert VVils we proue The Greater and the Lesse yet neither il Although the lesse to suffer Ill doth loue which yet the Greater euer doth reproue He by the Greater would we should dowel And if by Ill the Lesse we more approue Against the Greater then we do rebell By doing his wil that doth not so excell He suffers vs to sin when by his grace He might restraine vs from transgression So willingly doth Wil it in this Case As t is an Act to show his Goodnes on Either by Iustice or Remission The lesser Good is th' obiect of his VVill Aswell as that Good past Comparison But this doth saue and that doth often spill yet glory gaines when he doth each fulfill So though his Will be one yea simply One yet is he said to will both Good and Ill Most properly he willeth good alone But Ill he wils as t' were against his Will Improperly against his nature stil. He willeth al that to himselfe pertaines Vrg'd by his nature not by Force or Skil But his free-wil his Creatures state maintaines Whose Good or Il in his free choise remaines No Man doth good or ill against his wil Though some do il in sort vnwillingly yet in so doing do their Lusts fulfil Therefore the VVilexcludes Necessity Sith it by nature hath free liberty Then none are damned but for wilful sin Nor saued but for willing Piety So the VVil's free as it hath euer bin From al Constraint saue Sin the same within Then Reprobates vniustly do complaine Of being preordain'd for Castawaies For though to perish God did them ordaine yet die they not but for their wicked VVaies And so the vniust iustly stil decaies They freely sinne by nature which is free Then God Sinnes wages euer iustly paies So Sinne steps in betwixt his iust Decree And th' excution that he iust might be There 's no Discourse nor Motion in his will That he should now wil This then That againe His Will is euen with his Knovvledge stil Though it in Order do behind remaine For nought but God Gods Substance can containe Then from eternity He wils their wrack On whom by Iustice He doth glory gaine Yet dye they for their sinnes sith grace they lack So God doth iudge and neuer Iustice Rack His Iudgments then are all iust strange and deepe For in a most vnutterable kind They that transgresse his Will his Will do keepe For nought is simply done against his Mind And all fals out as he hath fore-disignde He suffers Ill and that most willingly But would not suffer it did he not find His Might can make Ill Good almightly So Ill he wils to make it good thereby HE and his Glory is the End of all And all that are are meanes vnto that End For as they are by Him in generall So are they for him and on him depend For him That is his glorie to defend But yet this End doth not so moue his Will As by the End ours moue and to it tend To seeke a Cause of his good Will is ill More then his onely most good Pleasure still Then no Cause is there why he saueth some But onely that good pleasure which is free To saue or spill his Works by vpright doome Sith through all freedome all Deaths Vassals be Then some to saue is freest Clemency And as of All he freely some ellects So by his eviternall sure DECREE Ordaines them to the END and the Effects And so his owne free Guifts in them Affects Then in his Will remaines our VVeale or Wo Yet still we pray his will may still be done VVho by that Act doth will our ouerthrow By which he wils his owne dominion To which all Povv'rs are in subiection Then must we needs submit vs to his will Although it be to our Confusion Sith that is good for him though for vs ill And seeke for life his know'n-will to fulfill But let no temprall Torment or anoy Perswade vs he is not our willing friend For as the Persians punishments imploy Vpon their Nobles Weeds when they offend That by that grace they may their manners mend So God doth deale with those he loueth best whose Rods he on their Corpes State doth spend To saue their Soules and those he loueth least He plagues in Soule and lets their Bodies rest For as an ouer-gorged Stomack makes Anaking Head by Vapors that arise So too much VVeale the staidest Iudgement shakes And quite smoks out the Vnderstandings Eies For Ouer-much makes fondlings of the VVise. Then let all outward griefes be heapt on me So inward Comforts giue my wants supplies for so by Iustice God still makes me free from his iust vengance in great Clemency The higher we from Earth vp-lifted be The lesser will all Earthly Things appeare And so the neerer we to Heau'n do flee The lesse we value Things that Earthly are But Cloggd with Earth that Clogg is all our care Then with that Heu'n-rapt Saint rapt Muse ascend That third aethereall Heau'n-reuealing Spheare Yet lo quite spent before our Iournies end VVe must t' a lower full Point now descend And though we must confesse all Helps we tooke That God and Men affoorded vs herein Out of Mens VVritings and Gods blessed Booke Yet to our Muse it hath so waighty bin That now she