whatsoe're he doth thee Unto the Lord who made the heav'n earth And all therein even with his only breath O stay my soul and there do thou admire The wond'rous greatness of that flaming fire Appear'd to Moses in the pillary cloud Which did his chosen children Israel shrewd Untill their sins stir'd up his heavy wrath And then he did as now of late he hath Done to this I le wherein we wretched live To whom his goodnesse did such blessings give As never land on earth had more then we And yet of peace we wretched cannot ' gree So that the son 's against the father's set And father he against the son doth fret And brother ' gainst his brother often wars And so will not let fall these wofull jars Till God shall please that his most heavy hand For to withdraw from o're this sinfull land And give us grace we may in hart repent And yeeld him thanks for his great blessings sent Which we unthankfull did as yet forget And for that cause each brother's blood is set Against it self like as did wicked Cain When as his brother Abell he had slain Sweet Jesus please to stay this thy sharp sword And stead thereof to send thy blessed word That thou thereby mayst beat down growing sin The want whereof hath doubtles only bin The real cause of this our mortall fewd which doubtless doth from our hard hearts proceed Sweet Jesus please to mollifie them so Like Peter's when he solely wept for woe Or like Manasses when he came be bound By Ashurs host who fell upon the ground And gained pardon for his grievous sin Whereby with speed he was restor'd again To Juda's crown and it so long enjoy'd Untill by death he was from thence destroy'd Sweet Jesus grant that we have many such And then without doubt it will help us much To further peace for which we daily pray That thou wilt please in thy great mercy stay This sword of thine and sheath it up again That we in peace may here hence now remain And live like loving brothers in this land VVhich thou hast kept with thine own pow'rfull hand From foreign fos tho now there be none such As we our selves domestick ones by much Sweet Jesus help good Lord we daily pray This bloody war of ours with speed to stay And put us once in happy peace again That we in peace may here hence now remain And praise thy name and that incessantly For giving us this bounteous great mercy And this must thou and onely thou alone Or else Lord Jesus other there is none Can yeeld us help in this our greatest need For now is nothing can stand us in steed But onely thou then come Lord Jesu come Or else deer God we are utterly all undone For them elected to the publique good With purging ill have bred in some ill blood And th' weaker sex it is become so strong T is doubtfull Lord the other sex to wrong So as between two are esteemed extream Most suffer much tho they retain the mean For now ther 's no part of this wretched I le Tho it enjoyed a blessed peace ere while But t is grown now unto a bloody war For many a one thinks their honest neighbor far More quiet then he and so with grief repines At 's neighbours good and then his malice finds Some hole or other in his neighbours coat Tho the quarrel be but for one single groat To make complaint to them that are of power To plunder him by strong hand in an houre For some old wrong as then but newly done Perchance betwixt the Father and the Son O blessed Lord that this the German plunder Which whilom was in peaceful England wonder Should now so well with us be understood As any other usuall English word Whereby revenge in England's grown so rife It tends to take away non-nocents life For Satan o're this Isle bears such a sway As by his wiles he draweth many away From thee that is their only God and King Who are rather bound thy worthy praises sing For all thy goodnes to this wofull land Tho now it feel thy dreadfull heavy hand Sweet Jesus send some blessed Angel down To quell this hellish Satans furious frown And force him Lord as thou was pleased then When he made suit he might go into th' swine Who huried him headlong into the sea Lord drown him there that he n're more have powr To come within this spacious Ile more But we instead of blood may ly and groan In brinish tears and therein make our moan To God on high he will vouchsafe to please This cruell war of ours with peace to cease And then that we who are true English all May all one way on the name of Jesus call Vouchsafe good God that we may so accord In holy service of that heav'nly Lord As tho we differ some of us in part Yet we may all as one agree in heart And let our hearts good Lord in prai'r remain Lest in our sins we wretched may be slain When worthies dare to stand look on death Tho with that look they lose their deerest breath Brave Britains keep your ' forwon antient fame Least antient terrour turn to novell shame And since your valour cannot well be known Untill by you some valourous act be done Then look your swords be sharpe for foreign foe Whose joy 's encreased by our cause of wo's Lest we bewaile this great efflux of blood When t is too late to do us any good And worthies all in time for death prepare Since all in th' end shall fall unto death's share But look you still prefer an honourable death Before a shamefull beastly cowardly life Seeing God alone the day of death doth know But when or where no earthly man can show O then le ts pray and that incessantly To him that lives and shall eternally Come let us sing and all due praises give To him that died that we by him might live And alwayes yeeld praise to his holy name Who was is now and ay shall be the same O let us all with heart due praises sing To this our God and glorious heav'nly king Whose dwelling is above the heavens most high Whereto the best of sinners come not nigh Whose heavy judgement is for to descend Since none come there but they who do ascend Then strive my soul and do thou aye aspire To keep thy self out of that irksome fire Which burns and yet there is no light appears But pain and grief and dreadfull horrid fears Sweet Jesus please to keep my soul from hence And draw it up to th'high'st heavens that thence I may have help for without help from thee There is no comfort in extremitie Then teach me Lord with heart mouth to pray That I in thee may ever live and stay And never more so wander up and down From place to place as I poor wretch have don Sweet Jesus please
world well known O weep O weep that all the earth may see For our great sins how penitent we be O weep O weep let each one of us weep And every one strive from sin himself to keep But my hard heart good God is hardned so It oft forgets the cause of all my wo. O weep O weep let heart and eyes agree That 't is for him who gave his life for thee O weep O weep with tears wash off thy sin If thou intend a new life now begin O weep O weep now spend the night in weeping Which thou art wont to sot away in sleeping O weep O weep both day and night and all Least th' wrath of God do justly on thee fall O weep O weep how great thy cause to weep Because thou wilt not from thy sin thee keep O weep O weep from morning untill night Such weeping may help keep thy way aright O weep O weep spend all thy dayes in sorrow For such in time may help thy soul to borrow O weep O weep let eyes forbear to wink And let thy tears serve for thy daily drink O weep O weep in tears eat thou thy bread And with them likewise water thou thy bed O weep O weep at bed and boord and all And never cease on thy sweet Saviour call O weep O weep now when thy dayes are done Thy tears may help prevent thy death to come O weep O weep let ne'er thy cheeks be dry And all too little till the day thou dye O weep O weep and to thy Saviour say Good God me pardon I thee humbly pray O weep O weep till thou have pardon sent And till such time ne'er cease but still repent O weep O weep to wash thy heart from sin Till it be clean be sure Christ comes not in O weep O weep to cleanse that hollow place Mak 't free from sin and fill it up with grace O weep O weep till Christ shall to thee say Come now thou blessed come and with me stay O weep O weep untill thou hear this saying And mixe thy tears be sure with harty praying O weep O weep till Christ be pleas'd to hear And to thy pray'r vouchsafe to turn his ear O weep O weep with heart and soul and all Untill such time as he shall on thee call For without him thy tears are all but nought Receive me Lord whom thou hast dearly bought For my own strength good God 's of no availe Except thy blood sweet Christ for me prevaile For in my self good Lord help there is none But by thee onely and by thee alone For all my tears cannot me heaven obtaine Except thou please good God with me remaine Then come sweet Jesus and with me reside That I in thee may evermore abide But 't is not in me nor my power O Lord Except thou please vouchsafe to say the word Then say to me that blessed word of Come Without it Lord I am utterly undone Then be thou pleas'd good God on me to call Else heart and tears and soul are wasted all Sweet Jesus send me send me Lord I pray Thy holy Spirit to keep me in the way The way to life I have so long neglected I do deserve of thee to be rejected And justly too except thou so shall please Of thine abundant goodness grant me ease Of this illusion hath me so deluded As I am justly now from heaven excluded But that I know that thou dost not desire A sinners death but rather dost require That he may live and praise thy holy name Who was is now and aye shall be the same Lord finish that the great desire of me That I do never herehence from thee flee But love to follow thy most holy will And by thy help attaine to Sions hill For by thy blood Lord and by it alone I must have help or else I can have none For my hard heart good God is hardned so As it doth deserve this fatal word of Go Except thou please to call unto me Come Sweet Jesus grant that word may be my doome Then call sweet Jesu call me Lord I pray That I in thee for evermore may stay And by thy help I may have strength withstand This fatal enemy of all humane kinde Sweet Jesu help help me good God I pray That I in sin do now no longer stay But at this present I may now begin To make a reck'ning of each several sin And by thy help call this day to account And therein see how those my sins do mount And not ingross them all in one gross sum Lest that their weight my memory may benum But let each hour arraigne its own offence And so the next produce its penitence Make this accompt from morning untill night And well observe thou take thy aime aright From one till two and then from two till three And in that order look thy reck'ning be And when thou hear'st the Artists clock to strike Have care thy natural clock may do the like Observe thy care how great for earthly toyes And then how light it is for heavenly joyes Thou 'lt not forget to know when 's time to eat But this thy care is not for spiritual meat Thou 'lt know by th' clock when 's time to go to bed But when to heaven it doth not trouble thy head All earthly actions by the clock thou 'lt square Then look for heavenly such may be thy care Thou 'lt say the clock hath struck 't is time to go But not to heaven let once thy heart say so If thine occasions rest upon an hour Thou 'lt ask what 's clock at every neighbors door And if thou finde that thy set hour is past I hope thou'lt then redeem it by thy hast Do these for earth with those for heaven compare And look for these as for those be thy care And then no doubt but thou shalt surely finde Thy Saviours sufferings constantly in minde Begin at th' secrets of thy hollow heart And then from thence to every other part And draw thy thoughts into a narrow roome That thou maist gaine this blessed word of Come And call them all unto a strict account Lest let alone they may to millions mount For they are swift and like an arrow flie Once by their aime they 're sure to run awry Then have a care they alwayes aime aright Or ne'er expect that they can come to light Collect them often lest thy memory faile Which if it do thy conscience cannot quaile Examine it for each particular hour What service in it had thy Saviour And then I doubt it easily will appear Thou hast serv'd Satan most part of the yeer For though it seem at present sound asleep Assure thy self a reckoning it doth keep And will disclose all at that doleful day When for thy pleasure hell shall be thy pay Then let thy Centinels alwayes lye Pardue That they may tell when th' enemy comes in veiw Make hast to run and think
wherewth helhound he Continually poor wretch tormenteth me And bind him lord I thee most humbly pray That he doe never more lead me away As he hath done but that I sinfull may From this fowl Legion totally fall away But 't is not in me nor my power O Lord Except thou pleas vouchsafe to me the word Then please sweet Jesus I thee humbly pray That blessed word of comfort to me say That thou in me and I likewise in thee Shall rest and so for evermore shall be Freed from tentation of that wicked fiend The mortall enemy of all humane kinde Which hurrieth this my weak fleshly mind More wavering much then is th'instable wind Which wandreth like the sun from east to west And when 't comes there then there it doth not rest But roving runs up to the Starry Skies And by and by unto the Deep it dives And mounts again up to the highest ayre But yet can finde no firm fast footing there For though it be even now at hand hereby T is gone again in th'twinkling of an eye For t is so swift as there is nothing can Force it to stay so long as man is man Not much unlike unto that Noah's Dove Which found no footing but in th' Ark above It flies aloft and hovers in the ayre To find that rest which cannot be found there Except thou please vouchsafe to take it Lord As thou hast promised by thy sacred word For to safe keep all whom soever shall Upon the name of our Lord Jesus call Then bend you knees of my most wicked heart Which guideth all this the inferiour part And humbly pray and pray and pray again And in that posture do thou still remain Untill our Saviour please thy suit to hear And to thy prayers vouchsafe to turn his ear And do not thou if so at this repine That he hears not these sinful prayers of thine For many causes doubtlesse there may be That he as yet doth turn his ear from thee And all of them of thee thy self arise Who is at best but onely worldly wise And savours not the things that are above Which do proceed from that good God of love But diving down-wards seldom or ne're heeds That althings good frō heav'n alone proceeds And yet wilt thou unto the earth encline Distasting things are spiritual and divine And when thou seest it's onely reall cause It may be then th'wilt stop and take a pause And pray again yet still thou sinful art Extreamly troubled with a double heart Which boat-man like doth seem to make a shew Of looking upward yet doth downward draw With all its force unto this massie earth Where it at first receiv'd its vital breath And doth so clog the inward spiritual part As it doth yeeld unto the wicked heart And so they both are downward led away From thee their Saviour and their onely stay And runs so fast down Sions steepy hill As that to Babel needs these wretches will Except thou please sweet Jesus lend thy hand And force them both to stop and make a stand And climbe with speed up Sions hill again Which cannot be without excessive pain Unto the heart whose loins are stife and weak And painful climbings forceth them to break Unlesse sweet Jesu thou wilt please to be Their Comforter in this extremity And grant them strength that they may re-obtain The top of blessed Sions hill again Then come sweet Jesu I the humbly pray Come quickly Lord and do thou make no stay For the glasse is now at point to be out-run Then come Lord Jesu come Lord Jesu come And send my soul some speedy present aid Or else deer God it meerly is betrayed By a fawning friend who seems to make a shew That he to it ent'rest love doth owe. And yet indeed its deadliest enemy Who kils it self to make my soul to die O help sweet Jesu help I humbly pray My silly mind from thee thus drawn away By this foul flesh that 's foul in every part Because it s govern'd by a fleshly heart That domineers within my hollow breast And will not let my silly minde take rest For all my members they do so combine As that from heaven to earth they do encline Yea even the head wherein is onely placed The senses all which neither live to taste Nor hear nor see nor scent nor yet to feel Ought what is good but all whatsoever is ill And th' apprehension it doth still project Nothing that 's good but all things good neglect And memory it ever more forgets These blessings great and bounteous benefits Which thou hast pleased in mercy heap on me The very picture of base misery Who cannot think so much as one good thought But it is mixed with something which is nought Nor yet to presse into the Lords presence To pray for ought without some great offence For then and there I often plainly finde My minde is hurried as if with the winde O're all the earth well it know's not where Nor matter 's much so as it be not there Where it should be but alwayes runs astray Like to the blinde man that hath lost his way And is in danger ever for to fall Into a Ditch where he doth lye and crall And cry for help but if there be none by The blind man's likely in the Ditch to ly Then help sweet Jesus help I humbly pray That this my wicked wandring mind may stay And fix on thee and on thy grievous pain To bring it back to that right way again And being there I humbly pray the Lord Vouchsafe to bind it w th strong Sampson's cord When his hair was cut that it may always stay And never more so gad and run astray But ever keep within those blessed bounds To think on thee and on thy grievous wounds How thou endurd'st those bitter pains for me Of all man-kinde a wretch most unworthy Except thou please vouchsafe give me a call As thou did'st Peter or that blessed Saul Who persecuted thee and them were thine Yet at thy call did never once repine But presently he at that call became A painfull Preacher of thy sacred Name Now call sweet Jesu call I humbly pray That I from thee in sin no longer stay But come and wash thy blessed feet with tears Who hath freed me from all those horrid fears Were justly due unto my stony heart If it had had its onely due desert And then I hope my wearied soul shall rest In thee alone by whom 't is onely blest And wait on thee at this thy loving call Before that glorious heavenly Tribunal Where Angels sing 'fore thee continually The praises due to th' sacred Trinity There thou my minde do now set up thy rest For therein shalt thou certainly be blest And in that place be sure to spend thy life And do not prove like Lot his foolish wife But still aspire to mount aloft my soule That thou may'st be one in that
to keep my soul with thee Or else dear God I am sure it cannot be Kept safe on earth where that fierce dragon flies And doth so dazle most of all mens eyes As few are able to behold the sun Except it please the blessed Lord to come And clear their sight that they with joy may see There is no safety but O Lord in thee Then come Lord Jesus I thee humbly pray And make my soul with thee to live and stay Or else good God I can it no where hide Nor here on earth it cannot long abide Within this fleshly mansion of mine Whereon the sun hath never power to shine But by thy leave then let it Lord so be That this thy sun may please to shine on me And shield me safe from that common enemie Who doth envy both thee and them are thine From whom good God be pleas'd keep me and mine We do not prove like to the Gadarens Forsake our Saviour for to save our means But teach us Lord that we may call to minde How 'fore all worlds thou said and so assign'd That man should spend his life-time on this earth Where he at first receiv'd his vital breath And there should serve his maker God Lord As is appointed in his holy Word That when this glasse on earth shall be out-run Then doth an end of all created come And one land then against another rise And all men also arms shall exercise And yet as then shall sorrows but begin To them are clogged with their deadly sin For on this earth must be great tribulation Before that dreadfull day of desolation When shall the glorious sun all darkned be And eke the moon at that day none may see And thâ—â—e bright stars down from the sky shall fal And powrs of heaven shal then be shaken al Whereof our cannons thundring in the aire With fiery flashes flaming out their fire Which sends its smoak up to the starry skies And not unlike to mighty clouds there flies And trumpets eccho sounding every where So as no place with us is thereof clear Are perfect types of that most dismal day When th' trump shal sound loudly cal away All souls on earth their bodies for to take And 'fore the Lamb a perfect reckoning make Of each mans talent which the Lord them lent And for which cause they all were hither sent And then there shall be loud and hideous cries For hils to fall and cover them from th' eyes Of him that doth both see and knoweth all That on this earth was done or did befall Since Adams time for there is nothing can Be hid from him that first did make this man No not the secrets of the best mans heart Tho he the same did ne'r as yet impart To any creature for Jehovah he Doth all things know eke doth all things see This son of man whose glory shall appear Above the clouds of heaven up in the aire Whose glorious greatnesse then shal all men see With thousand millions in his companie Who shal collect from all these the four winds Whom s're have bin even so as he them finds And then laid ope shall be a perfect Book Wherein all flesh shall freely thereon look And each one see as it were in a glasse His guilty conscience telling what he was And then shall he set th'sheep on his right hand And keep his left side for the goatish band And then the King shall say unto the sheep Come now and take the kingdom I do keep For you that are the blessed of the Lord Who willingly obey'd and heard his word And to the wicked then the King shall say Go ye accursed and be you a pray Unto the fire which is in hell prepar'd For cursed Satan and his hellish guard O horrid fear beyond all other fears Whose force even plainly in the face appears VVhich sends its blood unto the secret heart VVho cals for help from every other part And leave the loins supporting so appal'd Like as if death on suddain had them cal'd And thereby they are all so sore aston'd As that they fall down flat upon the ground Where they do differ nought from fearful death But that as yet appears a parcell breath Which for a while a little life retains And in that passion death-like it remains Untill it please the King our blessed Lord To say to me that comfortable word Come now thou blessed hear O do thou hear What difference great between this joy fear To the righthand men come o come you blesd And to the left hand go o go you curs'd O joy beyond all other heavenly joyes Which freeth the heart from all kind of anoys And is thereby so fully fild with gladnesse That it expels from every part all sadnesse And forceth them which even now fell aston'd To leap for joy and skip above the ground And tho w th fear of late they look'd like death Yet now with joy the 're fild with store of breath And those parts which with sorrow then were dumb Do now aloud with joy cry come Lord come O come sweet Jesus I thee humbly pray Vouchsafe be pleased in my weak heart stay And strengthen't so as it may ever stand One of the blessed which are at thy right hand That I may there thy praises ever sing Which o're the earth all the heav'ns do ring O sing my soul and be thou never weary But in thy Saviour be thou alwayes merry And have a care no earthly joy remove Thy fleshly heart from th' heav'nly joy above But therein alwaies do thou take delight And in it spend thy time both day and night O let thy solace ever be therein And it will keep thee from all deadly sin And teach thee loath all earthly things to love And take delight in serving God above O love him love him that thou dead maist live And to thy Saviour be thou sure to give All that which he hath freely given to thee And then shalt thou no doubt his servant bee O blessed Lord where have I this while been Hath not my soul my sweet'st Saviour seen Or 't is some vision did to me appear Whereby it hath discovered plainly where My Saviour sitteth in his glorious throne And judgeth all on earth himself alone And there pronounceth sentence come or go The only words of greatest joy or wo That ever came to any creatures ear To make a difference betwixt joy and fear And then shall sheep and goats both of them see What they have been and what they now shall be And This sort shall of future hope dispaire Any that other not so much as have a care For their downfall but aye shall sit and sing Even allelua to our heavenly king Whose final sentence and pronounc'd decree Shall firmly stand for all eternitie From which herehence there can be no appeal But all must then have either wo or weal. O stay my soul a while and contemplate
their drink was suiting to their meat They had no change but all one kind did eat And yet their mirth above the skies did mount Altho their drink were water from the fount And afterwards I read when friends did meet With th'fatted Calf or Kid they kindly greet One friend another and are well content To sing his praise who these great blessings sent In after times I see they eat good chear And many dayes of feasting as is there At Cana's mariage where no doubt was love And thereof doubtlesse did their God approve As by his blessings on them doth appear They served God altho they eat good chear But present times are truly said none such For that from these they differ more then much For now tho sometime we do make a feast Whereto we happily kill a little beast Perchance a fowl or some such other thing Yet we forget his worthy praises sing Seeing our discourse is most part idle chat Without so much as mention once of that Whereon we alwayes ought to think upon Which is on Christ his bitter passion And such feasts now are seldome with us used But other feasts where God is much abused Yet neither meat nor bread is there required But onely drink and drink alone desired But t is not water as in elder time But salt in some and in some other lime To add a relish to the taste of mault Whereby they not discerning it be salt The stomack still desireth more and more For thirst not so content with reason store Wil not be quenched til from words to blows And meeting friends they often part like foes Good God that our feasts should thus differ far Begin in freindship yet to end in war And now we alter in our time of feasting And are some say to turn it into fasting And good cause why if so we weigh it well When hardly any who 's his friend can tell But in the south part of this wretched I le We us'd to feast in Christmass time ere while And then again in Lent we us'd to fast In some sort till full forty daies were past Our antients they about Lent differ'd much But t was not time but t was the meat made such And all of them of forty dayes agreed For fasting next 'fore Pasche so decreed But some do hold no such decree is fit But better feast then fast we think on it If this were all the matter were not much But now the difference is become be such As we shal hardly know when Christ was born Or when he dy'd the times are now so torn Sweet Jesus please to be at Englands fasting As thou wast pleas'd to be at Cana's feasting For there no doubt was feasting well approved Of him who ought of all be best beloved And now let 's back to th' feast at Eebatane And see what 's come of them did there remain For Raguel swore by that great God above Till th' feast was done his children should not move And then they should have half of what he had And then return to Niniveh without dread Then Tobie he his servant did intreat To go to Rages and there he should meet With Gabael and with him also bring Both him and th' silver to that great wedding Which so he did and when the time was run Old Tobie did expect his sons return And sorrowed sore for that he greatly feared Some strange disaster had to 's son appeared Because his stay did prove to be so long Beyond the time expected he should come And Anna wept and sorrow'd very sore Much sorer far then e'r she did before And every day she went and stood on high To see if she her son afar could spie And all that time she did forbear her meat And well nigh nothing that while did she eat Her wonted sleep her eyes did quite forbear And she almost had lost her sight for fear And now did Tobie 'gin to think upon his journey when the feast was almost done And pray'd his father he would let him go For fear his parents might be dead for woe Then Raguel parted all his goodly store And gave him half of what he had â—nd more His goods his servant and his ready coyn Th' one half he had and it was all his own Then Raguel he unto yong Tobie said My God who heav'n and earth and all things made Blesse thee and thine and do to them and thee As he hath done both unto mine and me And to his daughter then he also said God make thee wife as thou hast been a maid Obedient ever to thy parents all And then fear not but good shall thee befall If thou do prove to be a loyall wife God will defend thee during all thy life And then did Raguel and his wife Edna Take leave of them and set them on their way And so they went with singing forth his praise Who did so highly their great fortunes raise Untill they came near unto Ninivie And then did Raphael speak to yong Tobie That they two might alone march on before And leave the rest to come along with th' store And went so far till Anna them espi'd And then she ran and to her husband cry'd Our son is coming him I do well see And eke the man that went along with hee And then she back again to meet her son And pray'd to God that his wil might be done And thank'd him heart'ly she saw him indeed Whom she thought surely that he had bin dead Old Tobie also he did offer out But that his son did turn him round about And pray'd him please to do as he had done Bestow his blessing on his onely son My son said he pray God he may thee blesse And bid him welcome with a hearty kisse Then Tobie put gall on his fathers eyes Which pricked sore and then old Tobie cries But then yong Tobie to his father said Take comfort Sir and be no whit afraid I hope your sight shall straight return again With that he cur'd his scaly eyes amain And then he saw his loving son and said All glory be to that great God that made The highest heavens and all that in them is Him let us laud and his name ever blisse Then son to father did at large relate What they had done and also their estate Then Tobie out his daughter Sara meet And did her see and also kindly greet So now there was great joy in Niniuee The yong man safe and th' old man also see And there they made another goodly feast Which did â—ndure for full seven dayes at least Wherat was both great comp'ny great chear So as it did thereby right well appear That Sara was a veâ—y welcome guest And so accounted and esteem'd with th' best So many came on purpose visit her Which was great joy unto her old father And when the feast came to be well nigh done The old man said unto the yong his son What wages now
no shame to flie Without Christs help thou shalt be sure to dye For there 's no hope thy conscience may forget But all thy sins it will before thee set And when thy conscience shall them so reveal Then shall that Satan to thy self appeal For equal justice he may have his own Then by Jehovah thou shalt down be thrown From out his presence to thee deepest hell And therein doom'd with feinds for ever dwell And thenceforth never be admitted see The glorious face of th' sacred Trinitie Sweet Jesus come and come good Lord in time And with thy blood wash off my sinful crime That it in judgement never rise against me But with thy wing vouchsafe good Lord protect me Help Lord help Lord let help come with speed To comfort him without it is but dead And when that thou hast examin'd th' inward thought Let th' centinels then be all before thee brought To give accompt of their fidelity Lest of their faith there may be jealousie Let none escape till he be soundly tryed Lest any of them with th' enemy have complyed And so it prove lest falshood love may appear Without all pity do thou then cashere And let them have reward to treason due For never think a traitour can be true Since he that yields in hope of any gaine Will stand in fear of no eternal paine And search each hollow in thy private tent For hidden treason from the enemy sent No law of Armes will binde him to be honest To breach of faith he 's ever found the pronest And therein doth he take his chief delight As if no good but doing that 's not right Then be thou chary of these inward friends Are friendly onely for their private ends In all thy actions ever aime at th' end And then by that thou 'lt see whereto they tend A wise man will consider 'fore he go His journeyes cause and also whitherto And if appear some danger in the way And that the profit will not charge defray He ' l take a pause and turn about againe Unto some other may requite his paine Observe that graceless gracious prodigal Who ne'er bethought him till he had spent all And then resolved what was his best to do He would with speed unto his father go And on his knees confess what he had done And humbly pray accept him for his son Whereat his father and most indulgent Was glad to see his lost son so repent And did retaine him into former favour In hope of his thereafter good behaviour Make use of this and do apply it well For such in time may block up th' way to hell So that false steward being in disgrace Because he had some way abus'd his place Bethought himself what then was best be done Whenas his Master thrust him out his room Since he was not inur'd with taking pain And that he could not live without some gaine He did resolve his Master debters call And set down less then by his book did fall Due to his Master hoping by that bout He might finde favour when he was turn'd out Wherein his wisdom was commended more Then theirs of light by our blest Saviour Observe my soul this counsel wise approve It came from him who 's God of peace and love Assure thy self these words fell from his mouth Who is the Essence of all real truth Even God of gods and eke of might is most And were endited by the Holy Ghost Then lay them up in th' closet of thy heart And have a care they do not from thee part Sow not this seed upon that stony ground Where there can be no firme fast footing found Nor yet ne'erhand that common high-way-side Where fowles of th' aire will not let it abide Nor where it may be chok'd with growing thorns Will spring up faster then the growing cornes But look it fall upon that wealthy mold Where every corne may bring an hundred fold That this thy care may prove a perfect token Thou art one of them to whom these words were spoken Lest Esay's prophesie in thee be verified Although thou hear yet still thy ears are tyed And though thou see yet still thy eyes will winke Because they shall not to thy hard heart sink Lest thou shouldst see and to thy Saviour cry That he might heal thee of thy malady O look thou sleep not lest the enemy come And sow some tares among thy winnowed corne And see thy salt be not without its savour Lest thou be cast from out thy Makers favour And have a care to keep this enemy out Who takes delight in ranging th' earth about Avoid such sleep and stand and watch and pray That thou maist drive this enemy far away But without help thou art not able do it Then pray to him who can and 's willing to it Sweet Jesus help this weakness is in me Without thy help Lord I am sure to dye Then help Lord help good Lord help me with speed Without thy help sweet Saviour I am dead For my hard heart good God is hardned so As 't doth not fear this fatal word of Go. O wicked heart art still as aye hast been Sleeping securely in all deadly sin Sweet Jesus help and wake me from this sleep And from tentation good Lord do me keep And grant that when I hear the cock to crow I then like Peter from my sin may go And so conceive that Princely bird was sent To call upon me that I might repent And weep and grieve for all my sins and say Vouchsafe me pardon good Lord I thee pray And call to minde that gracious prodigal And not forget how I have wasted all My life in sin and so resolve this hour To run with speed to my sweet Saviour And on my knees say I have sin'd against thee And then no doubt he will againe retain me And that I may observe that stewards fact Was so commended for a most wise act If I do so I need not be afraid My sute shall faile then not be deny'd Lord sowe this seed upon that fertile mold Where every corn may bring an hundred fold But I am still as hereto I have been O'recome with mine own best beloved sin For all these are not able me remove But I will yet forsake my God above O cursed cursed cursed cursed thou Why didst so long unto this Baal bow What hast thou got for all thy service done I fear thou 'lt finde this onely Thou art undone Stretch out thy hand show thy grath is gotten Thou 'lt see 't at best 't will prove to be but rotten Do but examine where lieth all thy gaine Thou 'lt finde nought left except it be some paine Where rests that profit by thy pleasure taken Even onely in this thou art of Christ forsaken O cursed cursed cursed cursed thou Hast had so much and canst show none on 't now Thou 'lt say th'hadst pleasure where now doth it rest In a guilty conscience boyling
A Ship of Arms Vseful for all sorts of people in this woful time of War Fashion'd by a plain Country-Farmer SAMUEL BRASSE Nigh the River of Tease Com. Ebor Printed at London in the Year 1653. To the rightly Noble and worthily honoured Lady The Lady ELWES Wife to the Right Worshipfull Sir JERVACE ELWES Knight MAdam well may you wonder at the audacious impudence of a stranger shall fix your Name in the frontispiece of his simplicity But though I never saw your face I have often heard the fame of your pious zeal to Godward confirmed by those set hours daily put apart in your privat Closet no doubt for his service the onely reall ground of all your shining vertues which out the boldness upon me to present you this plain piece of rustick Northern work savouring its Clymate containing a few wandring thoughts of a decrepit miserable wretched Old man humbly intreating you will vouchsafe him the favour at some spare hours of your life if any such can be found to open and read and what you find unworthy your judicious eye to raze out and the poor remainder if any such can be found to place at the threshold of your Library where the hem of your vesture may preserve it from the viperous tongue of the venemous Spider And as you now live eminent amongst the best of Ladies in that famous yet terrestriall Citie of London So that you may hereafter live glorious among the best of Saints in that heavenly Citie new Jerusalem shal be the prayer of Your Servant deeply devoted SAM BRASSE To my loving Country-men the Commons of ENGLAND Dear Brethren and loving Countrymen I Have lavisht out 80 years in jollity pleasure loosing the reins of liberty to all libidinous desires glutting my self with the vain delights of this wretched world mispending that precious time my gracious God of his abundant goodness bestowed upon me for his own service solely So as I am now become that Dives our Saviour spake of daily tormented with the pain of fore-passed pleasure And lest you my Countrymen should not heare Moses or the Prophets I have sent you this message from a dying man To amend your Lives lest you fall into the Lake where you may cry for a cup of cold water to cool your tongues and be denied it Happy is he whom other mens harms doe make to beware For your souls sake and for Jesus Christs sake lay to heart what is here in charity presented by a plain Country-man your friend and well-wisher Samuel Brasse To the READER READER I Wrote this little Book chiefly for my self and familiar friends yet if any other can get good by it I shall be glad 'T is a Collection of a few wandring Thoughts of an Old man lame both in body and minde Written in his bed the other Winter occasioned with want of rest by reason of pain His intention is good if expressed by finer fingers But bear with infirmities and make that use he desireth who is your friend and wel-wisher Sam. Brasse Flie foolish Fashion ' cause a novel friend You 'll read perchance untill you see its end Then lay 't aside but good friend do not so Keep 't neer your heart and it will cure all wo. Read it re-read it read it o're again The matter 's good though th' method poor plain S. B. Of the Author and his Book An Anagrammatical Motto of Samuel Brass Brass se Emanuel is his exhortation Emanuel se Brass is his approbation Both these united in him do appear Love of Christs members of his precepts fear Of the Book His book his honour for it s revealed light A lanthorn is to walk in Christ his sight Here 's no new light nor any old tradition Nor Heresie nor Romish superstition But he that reads it may in 't truly find Full great contentment for a Christian mind William Kay Minister at Stokesley VPon perusal of this book I find it plenteously to perform what it promiseth to be a ship full fraught with Arms and represents Davids Tower wherein are a thousand bucklers all shields of mighty men Can. 4.4 'T is indeed full of divine Meditations sweet Allusions concinâ— Comparisons daâ—ting Penetrations and concludes the Authors conversation to be in Heaven It is Heaven upon Earth And I may truly say of this as Nazianzen of Basils It is Devotionis maribus occusta Navis A Shipfull fraught with the rich merchandise of Devotion This is the opinion of Tho. Oddir Minister at Kirby To the Author GOe vend these Arms throughout the Christian world Now all in war more precious they then gold Being parcel gilt all of them Cannon-proof Where they 're in use the Enemy stands aloof And though his power be limited to offend thee Fear not but Christ thy Saviour shall defend thee So thou make use of what is here set down Thou mayst be sure in heaven to wear a crown By a Friend E. A. A Ship of Armes O Sinful soul O sinful soul Shall Christ be born for thee And thou not live and in his service die O cruel Caitiff cruel Caitiff Was 't born tormentor be Of him Laid down his dear heart blood for thee O wretch O wretch O wretch O wretch That erst thou should be be bore Love Satan serve and leave thy Saviour Who in that night the Jews did him betray Went forth to th' fields as he was wont to pray Unto the Garden called Gethsemane Where he and his did sometimes use remain Attended that night onely with his own For his going thither was no further known To any of them that were his followers more Or else no doubt of followers had been store And being there he went himself apart That he to heaven might raise and lift his heart And wil'd th' Apostles they should watch pray Lest that the Tempter might take them away But he being gone his follow'rs fell asleep Whom he reprov'd because they could not keep Themselves awaking for so short a space And then did he return to 's former place And they like men unto their sleepy vain Which he well knowing turned back again And wil'd them sleep and fear not he would be Their keeper during all eternitie And then fell he upon his bended knees And pray'd for those that were his enemies That done he call'd and will'd them to awake For they were nigh intended him to take Who suddenly were then hard by at hand Attended strongly with a Soldiers Band All who were furnish'd each one Soldier-like With burnisht sword with staff or else with pike And when they came to our sweet Saviour nie He did demand whom 't was they came to spie They said For Jesus he of Nazareth That 's I said he and pray now what pleaseth You do with him whereat all being aston'd They started back and fell upon the ground And when they did from that amazement wake He said 'T is I whom ye are come to take Now Traitor Judas did
before combine Whom he should kiss might be a certain sign For them whereby to know him from the rest Which prov'd a worm within his bosome brest Who said Hail Master then he did him kiss Not knowing wretch how much he did him bliss By that foul act but yet whenas he saw Th' event thereof he then did stand in awe And gave again the Pieces price of blood In hope thereby he might receive some good But his repentance 't seemeth came too late Because he prov'd a wicked Reprobate And hang'd himself for that his Treason done To his own Master who was Gods own Son Whom now the Soldiers had with them in Hold And with our Saviour were more sawcy bold Then fitting was if they vile men had known That they should reap such seed as they had sown Then Simon he drew forth a sword and there Did quite cut off the High-Priests servant's ear But 's Master bade him sheath his sword again For who use swords with swords shall sure be slain And dost not know if so it were my mind I could of Angels thousands Legions find For to confound that cruel companie But now 's the hour and so now let it be And then he call'd for Malchus to come neer And with a touch did heal cut Malchus ear O blessed touch might that to Malchus been If Malchus heart had Malchus ear but seen But he was like the rest his companie Whose lighted torches could not make them see Within their breasts where they might easily find Even hearts of stone but Satan made them blind For th' blind are often found to be most bold An ancient Adage true as it is old Then on went they with their resolv'd design As Satan did their wicked hearts incline And tugg'd their Prisoner with all foul disgrace Until they brought him to a publick place Where multitudes were ready tending there In hope that they might something of him hear At Caesar's Hall where some did cause to make A fire but not for our sweet Saviour's sake But for themselves that it might keep them warm For fear lest they by cold might catch some harm ' Mongst whom was Peter got into the throng To whom one said he surely did belong Unto the Prisoner there was standing by But he poor man his Master did deny And after that there was another said Thou' rt one of them whom we this night betraid But he did still maintain his former Plea And said Till then he ne'er his Master see And then anon there was a Damsel came And challeng'd him and said he did remain With that same man and then weak Peter swore That he did never see that man before With that his Master turning back his eye And so beholding Peter steadily The Cock did then begin his first to crow And Peter out and seem'd to make a show Of grievous anger but the truth was so His heart was like within him burst for wo That he his own good Master had deny'd Whom he had vow'd to serve until he dy'd And call'd to mind how had his Master said By him ere long that he should be denaid Even thrice before the Cock should twice but crow As he had then done all even on a row Which made his eys gush out with brinish tears And eke his heart with dreadful horrid fears Of cruel torments due for his desert And griev'd him greatly at the very heart That he should prove to be so weak in mind Whom God himself before that had assign'd To set in heaven and be a Judge of them Who were the twelve Tribes of Jerusalem And now the Soldiers where they do abide Our Saviour still they shamefully deride Abusing him with scorn disdainfully As though that he had had no Deity And spit upon his sweetest tender face Abusing him with all the foul disgrace They could devise to make themselves but merry Not thinking he was able make them weary If so he pleas'd but he good man did bear Even whilst these Jews did box him on the ear And for their sport our Saviour they do scorn And with a fools-coat him they do adorn And first blindfold and then they do him beat And bid him guess who 't was that did the feat And at the dawning of the day they call And him convey into their common Hall Where when there could no cause be justly found For to condemn whom they had now fast bound They forge false men for witnesses to swear What wretches they from his own mouth did hear That he their stately Temple would pull down And in three dayes set one up in the room Should equal it in every each kind degree For glorious beauty and for dignitie And thereto he good man did not reply For which they deem'd him worthy well to dy Still heaping on him more and more disgrace By hurrying him from this unto that place And carrying him from this unto that Judge For of their pains these Jews they did not grudge And thence to Pilate him these wretches bear That he their wicked witnesses might hear And judge him worthy therefore for to die But he as yet could nothing in him spie Deserving death and so caus'd him be sent To Herod Tetrarch then b'ing President Who was full glad that he might see him there Of whom he did so many wonders hear But he could nothing of our Saviour get Which made him grieve and inwardly to fret So he return'd him back to Pilate's place Where he received all the foul disgrace That either hatred malice or envie Might throw on him to make the innocent die Then Pilate's wife in hast a message sent And will'd her husband he should be content And have no medling with that good just man For of him she had had a fearful Dream And suffered much and therefore humbly pray'd He rather God then any man obey'd Which struck Judge Pilate to the very heart And caus'd in him an inward grievous smart And then he said that he could find no cause To judge him dye no not by their own Lawes And wash'd his hands if so he had his heart To keep him free from th' unjust Judges part But it is conscience in a Judges breast Which makes the Judge prove either man or beast And yet because the peoples earnest cry He gave him judgement worthy well to dy So he was condemn'd and without any cause But that the Jews made Will to stand for Laws And then cry'd out O horrid shameful thing That I should thus be drawn condemn your king But they deny'd and thereto gave no ear That he the name of King of Jewes should bear Now custome was at that first set one free Who for desert was judg'd worthy to dye And therefore mov'd that they would Jesus chuse But they did Jesus utterly all refuse And cry'd aloud that they might crucifie Him whom indeed most willing was to die And made their choyce of a wicked murtherer For him that was our blessed
And Maker-like thou sinner might have stai'd If thou thy maker had'st in heart obey'd But willingly thou wretch didst lose that grace And so became a miserable sinful race Of runagates from ought that tends to good But that thy Saviour shed his precious blood To bring thee back to that happy state again If thou had'st grace being there in it remain Praise him praise him and for thy self do pray That thou in him may'st ever live and stay And on his passion daily ruminate To work in thee of horrid sin a hate And keep in heart for what cause he was sent To call poor sinners that they may repent For without that be sure thou hast no part Nor any portion in thy Saviours smart But thou thy self dost him still crucifie Whom thou oughtst rather even to glorifie Repent betime if thou hast any grace Or else in heaven expect to have no place For no unclean thing can ascend on hy Where Angels sit and sing continually The Praises due to that heavenly holy one Who made all creatures by his word alone And is desirous for to have them all To come to him and doth them often call Then go with speed thou wretch and do not stay For great 's the danger of one hours delay And if thou shalt thy Saviour now deny He 'll not be heard when thou dost to him cry Then thou beware of being drawn away By him that seeks thy ruine and decay And doth delude thee by some slie deceit Enticing thee with his sweet sinful baite To overthrow thy soul and body there Where nought appears but onely horrid fear Of ugly feinds whose mouthes like lions roare And with their teeth do rend and eke devour All such as come within their hellish reach Then learn by others thee thy self to teach Of sinful life and death to stand in fear Lest soul and body both these hell-hounds tear And torture them in that most fearful place Where all must live do not partake of grace Then fast and pray and fast and pray againe That thou with Christ in heaven maist aie remain And do repent thee of thy sinful crime And be thou sure thou do 't whiles thou hast time For time 's not tyed no not to th' best mans leasure Therefore this day do thou give ore thy pleasure And strive to please thy heavenly God and King And to him alwayes his due praises sing And give him thanks that he hath spared thee Till thou hast time thy sinful life to see And blame thy self for thy hard stony heart Since that thy God hath plaid a loving part In often calling and recalling thee To search thy heart and secret sins to see For though thy conscience hourly thee accuse Yet to repent thou sinner do'st refuse So that death's due for this thy great neglect But that thy God doth lovingly thee respect And though thy sins do justly death deserve Yet still thy life this good God doth preserve And stead of death he heapes on thee blessings By sparing thee and eke long-sufferings To try if thou'lt thy sinful life forsake And to this good God thee thy self betake Who poureth out his blessings on thee still To try if he by gifts may win thy will To follow him O do thou follow then And follow fast withouten all delay This thy good God and from him do not stay With all thy heart and that unfeignedly And free from that vile sin hypocrisie Lest sleeping conscience justly thee accuse That thou thy self do'st thee thy self abuse By seeming other then indeed thou art But God above seeth th' secrets of thy heart Though man believe thou art the very same Which thou dost seem as if free from all blame Or blot of sin but what to them appeares In outward show or to their fleshly ears Report doth bring but sinner be thou sure Thy Saviour cannot this vile sin endure Thus to be mock't with that the outward part Which differs far from the inward sinful heart For he desires to have thy heart alone Then give him that or else thou givest him none For soul and body are ordain'd to go At th' end together whether they will or no To th' great accompt and therefore do thou see Thou daily use to obey the Deitie And be not thou with this wicked world beguiled For then a sinner thou art sure be stiled But have a care that thou do daily use Of daily sins thy self for to accuse And keep a strict account of thy weak state And then by that thou wilt discern thy fate Which must be hell or else that heavenly bliss Fie flie from that and care to cleave to this Where be assur'd thy Saviour thou shalt see Who hath endur'd the torments due to thee To suffer death as Christ himself hath done For all of them that to him freely come Then freely go and that without delay To him that putteth no man off with nay But willingly with love embraceth all Who on the name of Jesus onely call Then call and call and do thou call againe That thou in him may'st evermore remaine And then fear not but thou shalt with him finde Eternal joyes yea far beyond thy minde For be assur'd no earthly creature can Express the real happiness of that man That cometh there and therefore do thou strive At that great happiness that thou mayest arrive Where Saints and Angels sing continually To him that lives and shall eternally O let both heart and tongue and all agree To sing his praise so lovingly dyed for thee Let all the earth the worthy praises sing Of Christ our Saviour our heavenly king And join themselves in prais w th one accord To sing the praises of the heavenly Lord On whom th' arch-angels daily do attend And shall for aye e'n world without all end And all of them do all times sing To God our Saviour our heavenly king O mount my soule and strive to apprehend These heavenly joys which never shal have end And set thy song to that glorious Angels Who joys enjoy beyond all harts desire quire Even that the presence of our Saviour sweet The very Essence of all joy compleat Sweet Jesus please my soul may there reside And in thy Passion faithfully confide And thereby draw from hence this terren part As onely guided by a fleshly heart Subjects it self unto the inferiour power Who doth not cease torment it ev'ry houre With sundry passions it cannot resist But willingly complyes to what he list For to command untill he so shall please My Saviour sweet to grant to me some ease Of this tentation wherewith wretched I Have still been govern'd from my infancy Then come sweet Jesu and that presently Or else Lord Jesu I shall surely dye In this my sin except good God thou wilt With thy dear blood wash of my sinful guilt And take from me this wicked Legion out Of my poor heart and cause be put to rout All the tentations
fear Because he saw his Master was so neer And then his want of faith when as he sawe His body like to sink with a little wawe And then his prayer to that blessed Lord Who did preserve him by his onely word Observe my soul this passage seriously There 's in it great and deep divinity The Apostles being in a Ship aboard Upon the Sea they did espy their Lord But not discerning that it should be he They said it is some spirit which we do see But he well knowing this their cause of fear He cryed to them and said t is I is h re And then when Peter did his Master know He did intreat that he might to him go Desirous greatly to be him more nye Whom at some distance he did then espie And so by that it did right well appear His faith had then abandoned all fear For when his Master cryed and bid him come He did not then delay his time as some Do use to do but suddenly he leaped down Into the deep sea and yet did not drown But on the same did stand aloft upright For then his Saviour was within his sight His faith well knowing that there is none can Sink where there is that blessed Son of man And now his faith here hoist him up aloft So as it bore him on the water soft As if it had bin on the Sea dry shâ—aâ—e Because had faith his body then upboare And so presuming still that he had faith Which was sufficient for to keep him safe He went on boldly untill that he sawe A puft of wind did raise a little wawe And then his faith begun within him fail For faith in flesh is oftentimes but fraile And being let but even a little down Wiâ—hin the Sea which now begun to frown His faith was then turn'd into white pale fear Although his Saviour was hard by then neer And then did Peter with himself thus think Without some help I shall be sure to sink And knowing well where help did onely ly He to his Saviour did addresse his cry So he ne're sought for help at th'wooden boat Although she were hard by on Sea a float But on his Saviour solely set his eye And cryed help Lord help Lord or else I dye And then his Lord did reach to him his hand And bid him boldly on the water stand But yet reproved him and thus to him saith O wretched thou can'st have so little faith Why did thou doubt for surely thou dost know My power doth reach unto the deeps below And out of them I 'm able thee to fetch If 't be my pleasure O thou faithlesse wretch Who hast so long been in thy Master school And yet dost show thy self to be a fool Canst thou forget to think what Jonas did When in the Whales wide belly he was hid Or when the Sea did make it self a wall To save all them who on my name did call Or Jordan deep was made like to a sand To bring mine over as on hard dry land Then set thy self to go to school again And do thou learn where all help doth remain That thou mayest not be likened unto them Who never seek for Christ but onely then When they have need and then aloud they cry Help Lord help Lord or I am sure to dye Stay here my soule a while and meditate And with thy self a little thus debate Can it be possible that Peter saw His own good Master yet did not him knaw His thoughts sure then were not with him at home When he did not remember him on whom His heart was alwayes bent to think upon Which was on Christ and onely him alone To serve with zeal untill his dying day Which as he did good Lord grant that I may But when at last he did his Master know His humble heart did then begin to bow And prayed that he might safely come to him To whom before he had vow'd every lim Whom God accepted and strait bid him come Sweet Jesus grant that it may be my doom Then he neglected all that brittle hope Of help might rise out of the wooden Boat Or yet by active laboring of the lim Tho he were skilfull on the water swim Or any other help from earth may rise For by such earthly helps there 's many dies But putting all his trust upon the Lord Who to him now had only said the word Without all fear of greatest danger he Did boldly leap into the raging Sea Which stood as tho 't had been a rock of stone For God himself and onely he alone VVas able and the sea did so command And then did Peter light as on a Sand And walk'd along from imminent danger free As on safe ground untill that proudly he Presuming faith in his own power too much For this presumption overthrows all such As on their own strength onely do relye If that their Saviour please not to be nye For when the winde begun a little blow And force the sea to rise and make a show As if it ment to swallow Peter in Then Peters faith begun to fail with him And he in lieu of faith had then some fear When as the Sea forbore him up to bear And he begun on it a little sink He then himself did of some help bethink To save himself for death was surely there But that his Saviour did even then appear To whom with zeal he did himself addresse And prai'd him pleas he wold vouchsafe to bles Him with some help or else without it he Might surely sink into the raging Sea Now God well knowing th'sorrow was in 's heart VV ch did it self to his Saviour Christ impart He did with speed stretch forth to him his hand And bid him boldly on the water stand O blessed Lord that thou should alwayes be So ne're to them that put their trust in thee Although their sins do prove be ne're so great If they from them do but in heart retreat And turn again and to their Saviour go VVho is onely able and saith no man no. And then had Peter strength of faith again So long as he in Jesus did remain And safely stood on th' wavering sea upright Because he then was in his Saviours sight Now do thou think what joy was Peter in VVhen he repented of his faithlesse sin For God did hear him then most willingly At the very first when he did on him cry O blessed Lord be pleas'd vouchsafe to be On all occasions so ne're unto me As that this Legion thou may'st please to rout which my weak strength O Lord cannot keep out For he hath hereto had on me such power As he still haunts me every day and houre Yea when my heart is set resolved to serve My God and king even then I do observe He 's bustling hard within my bony breast And will not let my silly soule take rest O thou blind soul which art not able see VVhere God is not no good
rest there can be The cause I fear thou hast at all no faith Since faith is such as our sweet Saviour saith T is able make the greatest mountain move Except thou canst procure it from above Sweet Jesus help this want of faith in me Is so apparent unto every eye As each observer may discover well That by my actions I intend for hell Since my faith is not like to Peters tho He saw his Master yet did not him know Nor when he seem'd in sea a little sink He well discern'd it and of help did think Nor when he durst not on the deep sea go Untill his Master did command him so Or when as he his Master did forswear Because his heart was troubled then with fear Nor when his Master he did disobay In sleeping then when his Master bid him pray For tho he did not know him at first sight He heard his voice and apprehended right And when in Sea he did a little sink He had hope rais'd him to the waters brink And when he durst not on the deep Sea go He had faith to think that he might well do so And tho his Master he did thrice deny He did it through the flesh infirmity And when for praying he did fall a sleep It was because his Saviour did him keep O wretched beast look in thy breast thou'lt see That thine to his is infidelitie Confesse a truth dost thou thy Saviour know I fear thy heart within thee will say no Perchance thou 'lt say thou could if should him see O shamelesse man then there 's no faith in thee Since thou didst see him nail'd upon the cross For to refine thee from thy sinfull drosse May be thou'lt say that thou did not him hear T is true indeed or else thou wouldst forbear To peirce his side with every severall sin Which like to darts thou freely throws at him O wretch O wretch hast thou a heart to think If thou like Peter in the Sea should sink That thou hadst faith to raise thee up again Thy conscience tels thee thou shalt there remain And deeper far then that the deepest Sea Where seeming faith wil stand for no good plea Then have a face and faith for to confesse Thy sins are such as well deserve no lesse And then there 's hope thou hast some faith in Be pleased good God vouchsafe this faith to me Speak conscience speak durst t' on deep Sea go I fear thy heart will tell thee truly no But thou wilt say thy Saviour did not call Then hast t'not seen him nail'd on crosse at all For if thou didst thou might both hear and see Him search his arms and loudly calling he Yea thee by name If thou wilt but confesse Thy sins are such as well deserve no lesse Say so my heart and thereof do repent And then thou 'lt see that Christ for thee was sent Now speak a truth hast thou not Christ forsworn Or canst thou say that he for thee was born I fear that truth will in thee justifie Thou dost thy Saviour every houre deny For tho he call and call and call again Yet doth thy heart even still in sin remain And tho sometimes thou dost behold his blood Thou canst not say it doth thee any good For thou at his loud cry forbears to come Sweet Jesus grant that word may be my doom Speak on thou cōscience hast thou Christ obeyd Thou 'lt say thou hast him oftentimes denayd And slept in sin when Christ was not the keeper Peter's was great but thy sin much the greater His Saviour then was praying hard for him And now for thee yet thou 'lt not leave thy sin Tho Peter's fault were much against his mind Yet thou to Satan art in heart so kind As thou wilt follow him tho that Christ say no Blessed Jesus free me from this word of Go. And now do thine with Peter's faith compare Thou 'lt say thy self that they much diffring are And so much differ will thy conscience say As white from blak or this word yea from nay For if thou couldst do th'least what Peter did Then might thou say faith in thy hart was hid But tho thou say that thou hast faith in thee Yet I fear none nor thou thy self dost't see For that Christ saith t is gift of God above And them that have it mountains can remove Which is well known thou art not able do Then cry for help of him who can do so For want of faith is cause of all thy sin Then break thy heart that faith may enter in For broken hearts are they will win the crown Then break thy heart beat presumtion down For this presumption causeth many a sin In hope of time for to repent them of in Beware of Satan such he often useth And with such shifts fond man he oft abuseth Then fly this fiend and fear to come him nye For he is subtill and in carriage sly And doth delight in ranging th' earth about Then hide thee from him lest he find thee out And do thou strive to mount thy self aloft And make thy prayers to thy Saviour oft That he will thee and thy poor soul safe keep Both when th' rt waking and when thou dost sleep For except he please vouchsafe to set the scout Thou art not able keep the enemie out Then please good God to me some angel send VVhom thou thinkst good to my safeguard commend He that did father Abrahams servant guide When he went forth a wife for to provide For 's master Isaack or did Lot preserve From Sodoms plague which it did so deserve Or he that open'd Peter th' iron gate When surely death was doom'd to be his fate Or one of them our Saviour said did keep These little ones as his beloved sheep Or whom thou please to my safeguard command For to preserve me out of Satans hand Sweet Jesus keep me keep me Lord this day From all tentation I thee humbly pray For Satans rage encreaseth every where Because the gen'rall Judgement draweth near Or else that honest angel Raphael Whose company holp that yong Tobias well But doubtlesse Tobies heart was firmly bent For to obey that strict commandement His father gave him long before his death which was that he while there was in him breath Should alwayes set the Lord before his eyes And that his will should ever sin despise And he shall aye observe the Lords commands And duly labour with his fleshly hands And true and just in all his doings prove For such are they whom God doth onely love Then to their actions he will surely send A prosperous and a good successefull end And have a care thou freely alms do give For so must they that do intend to live Enjoy where is their blessed Saviour For none come there that do not pity th' poor Seeing alms is esteemed a goodly gift Before th' most high to them that use to give 't From filthy whoredome do thou safely
it will freely tell thee When death comes what it is that shal befall thee For though thy conscience now securely sleep ' Gainst th'day of death it will thee waking keep Then be not thou like to the Libertine Who guls himself with saying All is mine Come eat and drink and now let 's merry be When morrow comes then we shall surely die But yet when death doth to him come indeed Then this mans fear a deep despair doth breed And he to death as that King Ahab did Unto Elias thinking he was hid Hast found me out O fearful than O than Comes death most dreadful to the dying man But thou my soul thou know'st tâ—'assured way To make this death thy only happiest day If that thy porters be not lulâ—'d asleep Whilst they these outer gates of thine should keep And suffer thieves at them to enter in who 'll steal thy good and leave behind thy sin Then watch and pray and do thou waking keep And fast and pray and so prevent thou sleep And then let death come whenas God shal please Can do no hurt but do to thee great ease For then shalt thou from earthly labours rest And live with whom thou shalt be ever blest Live there my soul and then thou needst not care Come life come death to thee both equal are The fool would fain he might do that at last Which the wise-man thinks fit be done at first For that thinks time is ever in his will But this doth know that time is going still Seeing if man sleep this time it doth not rest But still keeps pace and flieth on full fast For though that all men are ordain'd to die Yet none know when or where 't is they must lie Man stands in need prepare for death and will not But death wil com to this man when he would not And such may well be likened to a beast Who 's feeding fat like this man at a feast Till th'slaughter-axe give him his fatal blow And then his stubborn heart begins to bow Yet struggles hard this death-stroke to resist But now too late he mourns out had I wist For all of life we very careful are But for this death we not at all prepare So many come this death-stroke to abide Before they do themselves for death provide And then are they to go to learn to die When death appeareth palpably in th' eye Then willingly doe thou perform that part Which needs thou must tho 't be against thy heart And thou my soul do thou in thy youth-dayes Remember death for so the Wise-man sayes Before that those thy ill dayes come along For then thou 'lt sing another sorrowful song When age and sickness both of them appear Thou hast no power good councel then to hear But heart and mind are both so hurried hence With age and sickness they are void of sense Is this a time then to prepare for death When 't is a burthen heavy to have breath When Doctor physick for thee doth prescribe And Lawyer he is going with his bribe And Parish-Parson for thy soul doth pray And friends neighbours round about thee stay And wife and children sadly weeping are Content of death to take from thee a share If so they might to ease thee of thy pain Which all the earth unable is to gain But thou art left unto thy self alone To make an answer for thy sins each one When powerful death hath entred on thy eyes And into all parts of the body pryes And stayes the organ of the nimble tongue Lest it might utter ought may tend to wrong And by chill cold doth fall upon the feet And takes from them their blood and nat'ral heat And so ascends to every other part And then at last it seizeth on the heart Who now with sobs and sighs somes out its breath Which by and by is staid by powerful death And at his entrance on this flesh and bone Gives Conscience leave to lord it all alone Who nere till now had audience of a word By help of death is made a puissant Lord And then that heart was stony-hard before Is now made soft lamenting more and more But nere till death had struck him with his dart Gave any way for Conscience play his part Who hath recorded all what heart hath done And lays them ope that it may see the sum And cast it up before the day of doom Which grant good God it may to me be Come Being hard at hand as plainly doth appear When heart and hands and feet are all in fear Who nere till now did ever think of death That he would come to fetch away its breath For who by flesh was highly monarchised By Conscience now is basely vassalised And so doth yield to what the conscience saith That till death came he had not any faith For health and wealth so pufft it up with pride Save only pleasure it minded nought beside And now intreats to have a little time With full resolve for to amend its crime But Conscience saith whom now it doth believe That death is sent it of its life bereave And so no hope of pardon to be got But like its life so death fals to its lot Which conscience tels it then it is dejected And doth confess it justly is rejected Without all hope of any pardon sending For that this life is now at point of ending Then this proud heart with terror conscience pricks And it to hell with horror down he kicks And tels him plainly that the poorest swain Whom in his pride with scorn he did disdain Being naked begging at this proud hearts dore In Abrahams bosom him shall sit before And in requital of this hard proud heart Was loth to yield to Lazarus any part Of his vast store wherewith he did abound Is now by Lazar trodden under ground And lets it see whom it did scorn before He would be glad he might beg at his dore But conscience tels him he is now debaâ—'d ' Cause pride in wealth did poverty not regard So this proud heart who poverty held in scorn Doth beg of death a while to be forborn But conscience tels him 't is not in deaths power For that he cannot spare him now one houre Because his time is limited by God Whom he nere knew so did not fear his rod Which now he feels by conscience information That he must hence into some other nation Where soul must suffer for the bodies sin And horrid life which it hath lived in Without so much as any care for th' soul But all for th' self although in substance moul Which then by conscience is in heart confessed And better life if time is now professed When time is past to it a period's put And ' gainst this soul the gates of heaven are shut So then in lieu of hope comes in despaire And tels it now it must for hell prepare Because it did not think of this in time So soul must
more Me overcome as he hath done before This my weak heart who 's faint hath no power Within it self no not for one half hour It self to keep except it so shall please My Saviour sweet this great tentation cease For thou O Lord and only thou alone Must either help or other I have none And therefore now I humbly to thee pray Thou wilt vouchsafe with me good Lord to stay And safe me keep from all tentation Of that most subtle wicked Legion Who winds himself into my very heart And will not thence by me be drawn depart Except thou please good Lord to cast him out And let him range this terrene world about And nere attempt to set on me again But cause me still good God in thee remain That I O Lord may ever in thee live And heart and mind unto thee freely give That with good conscience I may safely say Thou'â—t in my heart and there dost live and stay ' Cause in my thoughts I doe it surely find That thou art firmly seated in my mind And will not suffer idle worldly toyes For to deprive me of those heavenly joyes But that in them I may put my delight And banish all whatsoere that are not right So as no pleasure shall be able move My heart from thee my Saviour God above But that in thee I may repose my rest In whom alone I shall be only blest So I from thee do not again now fall But on the name of my sweet Saviour call When Satan doth my weak faint heart delude And on my weakness doth himself intrude Whereby he seeks to draw me still away From thee my Saviour and my only stay By some deceitful bait which he hath set To overtake me in that woful net Wherein are taken every one of those Who in that Fiend do any trust repose For who him trust them surely he deceives And of all goodness he them quite bereaves Then trust him not for if that so thou dost Assure thy self thy soul is utterly lost For there was never any gain'd by him Who doth endeavour invite all to sin Whatsoere he seems in show for to pretend Be sure to find a horrid death in th' end For all his projects are but crafty wiles Whereby poor sinners he of good beguiles And doth not suffer them to see their sin Till they be taken in his hellish gin And if by chance poor man it hap to spy Then he will have some other readily Whereby he may entrap this silly man Who of himself no good at all he can So as he is not able senses use But their right end he utterly doth abuse And here my soul do thou observe with care How by good use all parts assistant are With help to bring thee to that happy place Where all shall live who are endow'd with grace And in their journey care to keep the path Which leads to life or else they gain the wrath Of that great God whose wondrous works are such As in this pilgrimage our journey may help much If we but mark and to the Spirit give ear When God himself doth in each part appear And every minute doth some warning give Which may direct us how on earth to live So as with care we attend unto his call Who takes no pleasure in the sinners fall Although in them he will be glorified Because his name we have not magnified Have I receiv'd my senses all in vain So as their use affords to me no gain But loss of life and my sweet Saviour Who doth not cease to call me every hour O now O now begin to look at home And see thy senses how they all do come Without respect of him who hath them sent Or th' end for which they were unto thee lent And do not quench the Spirit of God in thee Lest thou be blind when dost desire to see O then use eyes and use them to that end For which Jehovah did them to thee send For wheresoere thou turn'st this eye of thine The work of God most plain in it doth shine If to the heavens thou seest his glory there Who for thy sins was pleas'd on earth appear If to the earth each herb a wonder is And by that wonder help thy soul to bliss Look in thy heart and there thou mayst behold How Satan's black although he shine like gold Then see thy soul the chiefest of thy rest How it desires to be whereâ—t may be blest O further that desire with every sense Who shall for it receive good recompence Observe how God bestowed on thee a Taste And in that part of th'body it hath plac'd So as there 's nothing into th'corps can go But it gives warning whether 't be so or no. Then use this taste unto its own right end Thou 'lt see that God did it unto thee send Not for to taste that Evahs bitter apple Lest thou want strength with Satan for to grapple But 't was to taste the things for th'body food Lest ought may enter there which is not good O then do thou of good have only care And all things ill of them be thou aware Lest that thy soul may lose its spiritual health Which is more worth then all thy worldly wealth O be thou curious of thy bodies taste Lest pleasing sins may make thy soul to waste Liâ—e as the body with it's poison'd pils Tho gold without within they 're stuff'd with ils Another Sentinel hath Jehovah sent Lest thou should smel somthing thou might repent Thou 'lt stop thy nose when 't feels a scent is ill Then stay each member and restrain thy will Which are delighted with each pleasing smell But have a care such scent not towards hell All finest flowers have not the sweetest smell Scent thou then such as to thy soul scents well Let that scent only please thy inward mind Although thy corps esteem it most unkind For soul and bodies scent have several sense This loveth sin but that loves penitence O then prefer that which thy soul doth scent Lest that in th' end thy corps have cause repent Use that restriction with this Sentinel That it scent nothing but that doth scent well Unto thy soul let it thy scent approve Who hates all ill and what is good doth love Another sense hath this great God thee sent To feel thy sins and of them to repent Thou well canst feel a small stroke of thy skin Yet wilt not feel the Spirit how quench'd within Canst thou feel hurts if in thy bodies members But thy souls hurt thou l't not be drawn remember Consider well how God hath plac'd this sense In th' outward part of th' inward for defence Thou wilt prevent the falling of a tree But th'greatest sin thou thinkst cannot hurt thee Canst thou be careful of thy bodies food And have no feeling of thy soul its good Canst thou feel prickles in thy tender skin And cannot feel thy soul is prickt within Dost thou not