Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n
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A54441
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A sea of the seed's sufferings through which runs a river of rich rejoycing ... written in the year 1659 in Rome-prison of mad-men, by the extream suffering servant of the Lord, John.
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J. P. (John Perrot), d. 1671?
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1661
(1661)
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Wing P1629; ESTC R38201
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25,427
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48
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if I should make slight of thee Then all thy Good would be a sting to me Then would my Bowe against me surely bend And all my Darts into my Body send And all the pointed Arrows of my Quiver Would sorely stick fast in my Heart and Liver Then would my Sword which on my loins is bound Fall sharp on me and leave a mortal wound Yea then the Teeth of this my Instrument Would flesh from bones and all my Intrals rent My Honey would become as Rue and Gall And heav'nly showres like snares of Fire would fall Upon my head yea then my pleasant Wine Would be as molten Lead and this streight Line VVould mark out all even as an equal due Which gives clear sight that God's most just and true The Oyl which burns within this Lamp of Gold Would also me in flames of fire fold For then would Shiloh all his currents make To me like as the fiery burning Lake Should I become like as a turning Vane Then this my Bread would be my deadly bane My Marrow would become like Pitch and Tar In dreadful flames yea then the Morning-Star Which hath reveal'd his glorious shining Light Would gird me in the hideous howling night But surely I to God's own Mercy have Committed all whose Grace doth freely save VVeakness is mine but strength 's in God's own hand By which alone in fear I live and stand In Baptism's fire exceeding John's who lead To Jordan's Deeps whom Herod did behead Ah! Babes most dear with you in that I am Which gives to see me as a patient Lamb In pure Content bearing the Yoak and Cross Esteeming mortal but as dung and dross In taste of Vertue of the heavenly Seed At God's own Table with you all I feed With each low worm in his proper measure I drink a dram of the sweet Wine of pleasure My soul in Ardency of Life doth say I am as near you as the Light the Day As firmly fixt like flesh unto your bones As in the Mountains solid Rocks and Stones As real in you though no flesh can see As is the Sap in the green Olive Tree I 've chosen you like as the Turtle-Dove To be dissolv'd in this most constant Love I want the words of Wisdom's Deep profound To shew how deep y' are planted in this ground What shall I say unto my heart within Where canst thou end but where thou didst begin And there the Rivers run exceeding measure What shall I say of this my Love 's vast treasure You have much more than this weak hand can write For all is yours which Spirit doth endite My Spirit 's also with and in you all Who by the same are saved from the fall Can I within me lesse Affection find Than Worms or Beasts who love their proper kind Nay Lambs ye know in living substance well That my Brooks current mortal doth excel For this my Stream towards the Deep doth run As doth my Flame ascend towards the Sun No wise Philosopher did ever know The moving Cause why Seas do ebb and flow Nor of them all which in their Tombs do lye E're saw the Love which moves the Sun to fly In course most swift round Heav'ns widest wheel But God's Host now the Cause and Life do feel The lesser to the greater is well known And each true Nature moves towards its own Here 's Fire below the greater Flame 's above Till twain are joyn'd they do yearn both in Love Th'ore-whelming Floods which on the Earth were sent In Noah's day dropt from the Firmament Besides you see how rainy Clouds do bring Refreshing Showres in pleasant time of Spring And fills the Fountains which are here below And still the Streams unto the Seas do flow And all their Tides wherein they alwayes move Shew they 've affection to the Floods above Now read me and my Love which tongue can't speak To you my Life which Death nor Hell can break Yet still I pray in fear that God defend Me from the ill and save me to the end And O ye Branches of the Olive Tree Your leaves are shades and Fruit is life to mee God's Wisdom which surpasseth man's devices Hath built you as a Bowre of fragrant Spices Your Walks are Joyfulness and Peace your Seat Your Life is Bread and Wine and Love is meat My soul is planted in your holy ground And here your flames of Love do me surround And on your substance which distills as drops Of heav'nly Dew I feed like Honey-sops Partaker with you in Community Of good in God's House in the Unity And in the Stem my Branch with you reposes Which bears the Buds and all the Damask-Roses You are the Bed compos'd of heavenly pleasure Unto my soul yea God's peculiar Treasure How purely run these most refreshing streams In daily Visions and Nocturnal Dreams The Fulness verily is in the Father Who doth our Minds into his Bosom gather Like tender Chickens by the Clucking Hen Whose Name be prais'd by Life by Voyce and Pen. Let me descend from Sion's glorious Mountain To shew a Seed the Vale wherein 's the Fountain For surely I could freely lay down Life With Blood to buy a stranger for my Wife For what 's so purchased by joynt-consent Is as the Seed of Judah's saved Tent VVhat Forreigner wouldst thou walk in in the Way Of Life and Peace in this God's saving Day Thy whole Affection must in substance bend To that which brings to flesh a final end And that from Darkness thou the Day mayst know The Proud must bow down to the poor and low For lo the Sun which gives the Day her light Remains below the Horizon all night Such is the Principle and Spark in thee Vail'd by Sin 's Clouds whereby thou canst not see To know the Poor th' Oppressed and his Cryes VVithin thy Self which in a Dungeon lies Wherefore draw near unto the Earth's short end To see the Day-star and the Sun ascend For know thou whilst that thou dost there remain Assuredly art bound in Death's black Chain And whilst thou dost from Mountain run to Hill Seeking a Stream to drink thy lustful-fill Arrive thou canst not unto Jacob's Well For so thou run'st to ring a broken Bell Stand still I 'll touch a Stone and thou shalt know That Waters in thee out of it shall flow In Conscience there 's a secret LIGHT within VVhich doth distinguish Truth from every sin That is of GOD which judgeth works of Evil And thoughts in Man mov'd of the tempting Devil The Soul which faithfully its Judgment keeps Shall know Salvation from the Darkness deeps Then follows Faith and Hope which gives alone Th' Internal Knowledge of the vertuous Stone Out of which Waters pure of Life do gush And in the same 's conceal'd the Burning-bush Then will his River run and Flames ascend Of heav'nly Vertue which shall never end Remember Man the LIGHT within 's the Way From Darkness dwelling to the Door of Day Which leads
sets his blocks and bars Thy pure path to pervert and cause to stumble Thee unto losse of Life thou sweet and humble Mine Eye reverted to the Earth again I saw the ground in which thou long hast lain The sight was sad a pure Lilly-seed Compast with ev'ry noisom hurtful Weed Thistles and Brambles over thee aspires With choaking Thorns and destructive Bryars Through cloven Mountains things I clearly did Behold which in Earth's womb in Deeps lay hid A Treasure vast of Silver and of Gold Of price uncounted never by man told Though sad to cite the shape in which it lay Like ragged Rocks in Oar in hue like Clay Absconding Virtue whilst not separate From the corrupted dross and Reprobate Wanting its splendor illustrious and bright Which purg'd is seen by ev'ry open sight Beneath the Oceans which the Earth doth measure Mud Sands and Craggy Rocks conceal a Treasure The Carbuncle and ev'ry precious Gem The Saphir Pearl and the Diadem The Rubie Emerauld and Onix-stone With what 's unnam'd and unto man unknown Besides in her dark womb I saw reveal'd A smother'd substance in whose bowels seal'd Is all fulness of Virtue and Perfection But what avails Death's chains hold in subjection Have I not therefore all day long to cry Oh! Sorrows Woes Oh! immense Misery Verily since these things I 've seen and felt My heart within me like as Wax doth melt Oh! Pressures Pressures Bleedings Sorrows Cryes Remembring Jacob tears run down mine Eyes My Bed's sore pangs my Cup holds Woes deep measure I wrap my soul in care despising pleasure Thou Drop Thy Channel 's more than many Brooks On Thy Grief's Streams my mourning spirit looks Yea for thy sake my Bowels are a River Pour'd on the ground 's my Reins my Heart and Liver Whilst carnal did I then a thought retain That Man so bruitish was in his disdain Was it conceived by me in the least His Nature more Oppressive than the Beast Nay 't was not clear in substance comprehended That he from Nature's bonds was thus descended Instead of Perseverance vile Regression Disjoyn'd from Mercy united to Oppression Oh Seed how much more might mine heart encite Too tedious for my Hand and Pen to write Thy more abundant Suff'rings than what man Yea all below the Sun discover can How like an hungry wand'ring Orphant poor With bleeding Bowels thrust from ev'ry Door By Cruelty of what 's thine own bereav'd Though coming to thine Own yet not receiv'd There 's not a Covenant in Earth so true Nor Law so just to give to Thee thy due Of Pitty Mercy Justice all deny'd Of Men abhor'd despis'd of all defi'd When I saw these and many secrets more Of Sorrows which I have seal'd up in store And plainly knowing that beyond Conception Grief is thy Portion through Man's ill Rejection The matter deeply sank into my heart And there stuck fast like as a wounding dart The more I mus'd the more my thoughts increast VVhat shall I say I 'l signifie the least VVhat all yea all and more than I do mention Feeds thy sad soul with sighs Ah! doleful pension What all yea all Kings Peoples and their Powers Their fenced Cities Fortresses and Towers VVhat all yea all built wilfully as Babel With the same mind which Cain slew just Abel VVhat all yea all against thee are decreed To leave thee Root nor Branch nor as a Seed VVhat all yea all 's thy destiny and fate The VVorld's Oath to hold the Captivate Pond'ring Interrogation mov'd in me Saying How shall this Seed deliver'd be VVho can the troubled Hosts on Earth suppress Without which Can he Life and Peace possess How can it be conceiv'd and much less spoken Hell's strength and stratagems all to be broken Who can rip up Foundations of Mountains And fix Bars on the Doors of unclean Fountains VVho knows the Night's course of the Wolf and Fox And who can trace the Serpent's path on Rocks VVho can shew measure just of ev'ry flight Of all the Screech-Owls and the Bats by night VVho can trace twists and search depths of all Holes Which are the secret paths of the blind Moles I ask of all the worldlings wise as Fools Can you still Cockling-Races or Whirl-Pools VVho can convert Flames into flakes of Snow And who can stop the Ebb and make to flow Can Procreation be without a Dame And who can ever make a Panther Tame VVho can make Seas like unto the least Fountain And make a little Stone a mighty Mountain How shall this be e're in succeeding dayes Jacob's most small and low who shall him raise Let all Generations henceforth and for ever know That the most High GOD hath his secret habitation with the QUAKER and TREMBLER at His Word as may appear by the Glory of the Voice of his Majesty I girt my Loyns with strong Steel-bands of fear Dread fill'd my house whilst Jah's face did appear My Vitals all became a Silver Stream In substance melted not as in a Dream Nor under bonds of Magick 's gloomy hour But in true feeling of Coelestial Power Jehovah's Love in Life did move and Wonders did enquire Of this Worm low that I might know the strength of Flames of Fire Standing a little still I heard as read A Voice ascending out of Deeps in dread My Int'rogations quickly had an end The Word responsive did me comprehend Things sealed up in Eternal Decree From Ages past in great fear compast me So dreadful was the Word which oft did make Me in my motion stagger reel and quake Thus said the Lord Hear Man and I 'l demand VVho round the swelling Seas hath fixt dry Land VVho 's he that maketh ev'ry Fish's way And who doth bar the Night and open Day VVho hath created Wonders in the Deep And who feeds Worms which in her bottoms creep Where 's he who by his Wisdoms words or wishes That 's able t'answer me among the Fishes The Lempits spaun what Man hath seen to tell And how gain'd she her Cov'ring of a Shell VVho gave her strength fast to the Rock to cleave That no Fish else of life can her bereave Can Man this secret unseal and unlock Whether another substance than the Rock Doth she feed on let him in Wisdom speak What Instrument hath she the Rock to break VVho knows the Spaun which Cockles Musles shed And what 's the substance wherewith it is fed VVho knows the time of their Natures conception And when 's the moment brought unto perfection VVho leads the Wrinckles over Mountains high Of craggy Rocks which in the Oceans lye VVho built the House which she bears on her back Wherein she 's hid as in a sealed Sack Her one Scale opens and shuts it 's her Door Wherewith she seals salt moysture up in store That when the Ebb her Lodge to Air doth give Till Flood returns she hath enough to live VVas it by Art of wise Princes or Kings Or who gave to the flying Fish her wings