life Must be incomparable to expresse Thy loue is holy and in holinesse The seruice he admits of must be done Now thou art perfect it were best to come And seeke a fayrer habitation for So faire a Princesse me thinkes should abhor So foule a dwelling Dauid much laments That 't was his lot to dwell in Kedars tents Those mouing cabins onely but remaines To Ismaels issue on th' Arabian plaines Goodly great buildings I haue made for thee Where woods and meades and springs and riuers bee Now seeke thy Lord thy lodging 's furnished A holy Bride should find a holy bed FINIS THE EPISTLE OF THE LORD TO his Bride vpon her Iustification A Holy legacy for the vse of the Right Honorable William Earle of Northampton c. Written By Augustine Taylor Preacher at Hawarden LONDON Printed by Nicholas Okes. 1623. TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE WILLIAM Earle of Northampton Baron Compton Lord President of Wales c. Right Honorable NVrst in the limits of your Lordly power I line and therefore boldned to present Vnto your view this holy newes this hower By Heauens King 's gracious commandement Amarriage feast is gloriously begunne 'Twixt Iacobs Daughter and Ichouahs Sonne To call to 't noble ghests there 's many sent And I am one and I am sent to you Right worthy Earle put on your ornament Such as may giue the Nuptiall day it due Your seate's prepar'd deckt with victorious bayes And shall stand more yeares then this world hath dayes My Lord I 'm plac'd vpon the mount of peace To profit Syons friends and not to please The reeling multitude such as would ken The path to paesse to new Ierusalem I haue Commission to direct theretoo With all the remnants I haue nought to doe Your honor of that body 's a chiefe part Of which Christ Iesus is the supreame head Vnto your hand therefore withall my heart I offer this praying your Honor read It is the word of truth and doth afford The fairest gilding for your Prineely sword It is the latest Honor great men wish To leaue their memories in leaues of brasse Or let or marble this meere weaknesse is Because it shall consume perish and passe Away with ruining time Therefore I giue This frame to you where in your fame shall liue Till men and time and English cease giue mee Your gracious count'nance and I haue my fee. At your Honors seruice submissiuely deuoted Augustine Taylor THE ARGVMENT Pollution must be layd aside For holy garments gay The Lambe hath shapen for his Bride T' adorne the marriage day STay yet more Iewels must adorne my loue Before she can be fit to fit aboue Vpon a Princely throne none shall deride At thine estate thou shall be iustifi'd The great Kings daughter must be faire within She 's blest to whom the Lord imputes no sin Then blest shall thou be mine shall be the blame And I will beare the burthen of thy shame And I will answere those that railes on thee They do mistake themselues and iniure me If thou find enemies that do beginne To blaze thy faults and publish all thy sinne Bid them behold themselues and learne to mend Tell them thou hast a father sent a friend To pleade thy cause and that Prince is content To take thy sinnes and beare thy punishment Bid them remember in the dayes of old My Prophets and Apostles truely told That sinners soules should die and euery one Should beare the burthen of 's owne sinnes alone So they must do be mindfull of it will-them Say thou that I sayd so so thou may still them They may obiect then thou shall answere thine For God loues right and will to right incline He will indeede for the most pretious summe Did satisfie for sinne e're pardon come That summe I paid and paid in thy name too The debt was thine but who hath ought to do Against this satisfaction to exclaime For thou art iust if I suppose the same To whom the Lord imputes no sinne th' are iust And so art thou and onely by thy trust There 's other adherent helpes but faith extends As the chiefe instruments that apprehend My satisfaction to be others share My merits by thy faith thy merits are Euen as a woman doth that's farre in debt If she a wealthy husband chance to get And he discharge it and then some demaunds If the bond woman forfeited her bands Or satisfied them Creditors ensue And iustiffies she payd them all their due The feast was hers the charge her husbands lot And thus she payd it though shee paid it not So thou art iustifi'd iustice of mine That 's vncreated hath created thine Thou was the woman husbandlesse and poore Millions in debt and at the prison doore To be deliner'd to the Iaylors hands And with thy death thou should discharge thy bandsâ— I was the man that spent none of the summe Yet in my loue thy husband I 'd become Examining my estate I treasure found To pay for euery peny debt a pound Then I did vndertake to set thee free And what I did I counted done by thee Such was my loue thou doest thy all inherit From me and by my mercy not thy merrit If any aske what moued me to fill Thy lappe with blessings say it was my will I can do what I will so can no other Iacocb I 'll iustifie but for his brother Esan I cannot loue for it was hee That first vs'd weapon to contend with thee And fares the worse for that Know I haue giuen All things a being betweene earth and Heauen And vnto some a perfect being well The bad I caused not to fall they fell By their owne will I left them being not tide To take directions where to choose my bride The vnderstanding may the rest perswade The maker is not subiect to the made Euen as the Potter may dispose of 's clay So the chiefe Lord of all his Creatures may Thou art my choyce thou art my sole elect To honor thee I did all else reiect And in contempt of all thine enemies pride I 'll pleade thee iust thou shall be iustifide And now if Sathan thy grand-enemy come And to affright thee gather all the summe Of thy blacke sinnes together still affirming Thy sinnes are such he comes to giue thee warning Thy soule is sicke and thou art doom'd to die And that for mercy 't is too late to crie Iudgement hath past Beleeue him not say thus Thy Lord 's a liue and good and gracious And did not the Crosse so freshly bleed To leaue thee drownd in misery and need Tell him thou washt when I was nayl'd on wood My feete in teares and I thy soule in blood And say I neuer will forgetfull be Of two such tokens betweene thee and mee Yet tell him more that thou art bound to bee At new Ierusalem to suppe with me Vpon a suddaine warning then away And if he moue or would procure thy stay Say th' art warn'd on my
iorney with great paine But with farre greater Honor came againe My Prince I know thy day disolu'd my night Thy heauy burthen made my burthen light Thy purple robe di'd red with my offence Bought me a coate as white as innocence Thy thorne's my crowne thy reeds my scepter and Thy death 's my life my faith doth vnderstand Thy blood 's the fountaine wash'd my soule from sin Thy wounds the gates to let me enter in And that wound in thy side doth this impart That thou intends to lodge me in thy heart And made thy passage ready the vailes rent Makes me despise th' earth for I 'm consident Thy cities gates wide open I behold And who'ill be pleas'd with leade that may haue gold My Lord I will not heauen is my home And I 'll not let thee goe before I come To share part of thy glory I am thine And my faith tels me that thy kingdome 's mine I know and do beleeue this and I trust My seat's made in the mansion of the iust And for that place I 'm bound in the meane time That I in all my actions may shew thine I 'm furnishing my selfe and I will ayme To weare my robes for th' honor of thy name I 'll first put on obedience and applie My selfe t' attend vpon thy Maiestie With dilligence and with religious feare Thy law I 'll study and thy world I 'll heare Stife-neck'd rebellion I will neuer know My power shall be bestow'd for to bestow Loues legacies on thee at thy command My inward heart and my externall hand Shall purpose and dispose and to thy throne I 'll offer both my owners and my owne Thy messengers and ministers I 'll giue Their honor and respect and striue to liue So carefully and free from all offence As one that ne're knew disobedience Although whilst my poore soule is lapt in flesh It 's cloth'd with sorrow and with sinfulnesse Yet with such holy feare I 'll spend my time Thou 'll please to say my sinnes are none of mine They shall be done s'vnwillingly my flesh I know well is betroth'd to guiltinesse But not by my consent I doe much ill And Lord thou knowest I do 't against my will Sinne dwelleth in me and muah'ill contriues T' effect much mischiefe and vnkindly striues To burthen me Lord how shall I 't preuent Since I am both guilty and innocent The flesh being mine the sinnes say so are they Yet since my will ne'er will'd to disobey Thy ordinances do thou plead my cause And if I perish vnder Moses lawes Let me appeale to my Messias grace And there find comfort I will seeke thy face But not presumptuously as Mary came Poore woman burthen'd both with sinne and shame Into the house where once thou sate to eate And well considering that her sinnes were greate Presum'd not to behold thy face but kept Behind thy backe and there kneel'd downe and wept And for a sinners sacrifice most meete Dropt pearle-like teares vpon thy pretious feete And gladly washt them and with her heads-haire Carefully wipes them dry to leaue them faire And with th' imbraces that best fits a friend And many louing kisses makes an end Euen so my gracious Lord I come to thee With many faults and much humilitie Knowing my blemish I 'm afraid of blame And being laden both with sinne and shame Willing to bide my face wash wipe and weepe Or any measures sinners ought to keepe Wishing with Mary my release to winne I craue my loue might couer all my sinne My Christ my loue is true and as it were Ioyned and mixed with a reuerent feare To make it perfect lend thy gracious skill To make my worke as proper as my will Vouchsafe to mend what is in me amisse It is both for thy honor and my blisse The old man 's crucifi'd and I 'm new borne I 'ue left my chaffe and I expect thy corne FINIS THE EPISTLE OF THE BRIDE TO her Lord containing her Petitions A Legacy spiritually composed for the gracious suruey of the Right Reuerend Father in God IOHN Lord Bishop of Chester c. By Augustine Taylor Preacher and Minister in the Church of God LONDON Printed by Nicholas Okes. 1623. TO THE RIGHT REVERENT FATHER IN GOD IOHN by Diuine Prouidence Lord Bishop of Chester c. Most Worthy Lord IF for your gracious fauours vnto mee My loue and seruice can e're make amends Both are at your dispose and you shall see I 'll ranke your name amongst my noble friends And no dishonor to your Honor for I bring not th' offring of a monitor But of one that wonld be admonished At your dispose you are as'twere my head Learn'd Prince of Preachers whose celestiall voyce Contracts a King to willing audience Accep't these lines and I 'll maintaine my choyce Is the true Image of true excellence 'T is inward ioy to mee to see men note Me clothed in a shâ—ed of Chester scoate It is a robe of honor and maintain'd By Chesters Lord vnwronged and vnstain'd My gracious Lord mistake me not I do Present with reuerence and humility These to your Lordshâ—p they belong vnto Your Honor onely Not presumptuously I eternize your name but with regard And your free Patronage is my reward Bestow it then and for your share doth rest Both all my all and of my all the best Contracted to your Lordship with the bands of true affection Augustine Taylor THE ARGVMENT As harrowing after sowing fits So the Bride wraps her will In prayers and her plants commits Ther Lord in Syon hill LOrd be not angry that I stay so long I would I will not leaue thee if I wrong Thee or my selfe with troublesome attempts Since mercies lawes poore weakenesse still exempts From punishment for commonly we see Weaknesse acts none but her owne iniury Then since she punisheth her owne transgression To chastice her againe were meere oppression Pardon me Lord for I am forc'd to speake Channells o're charg'd with water needs must breake Into the neighbouring lands and cooles the plaines With the moyst land-blood of their too full vaines My heart 's the fountaine and my tong 's the brooke Wherein flowes all my passions Ouer-looke Her fruitlesse inundations I request Conceiue the baser but receiue the best They both proceede from loue and can loue cire I know she may but what man will preferre Complaints against vnfained loues offence None for 't would argue hate to innocence I know thy nature's gracious and Intreate Since thou art better pleas'd to blesse then beate Say not my sinnes are sinnes make good of ill Although they be my workes th' are not my will My God thou knowest it well and since I haue Promis'd thee some good seruice I must craue Thy fauours to performe it thou must breede Th' originall in me of will and deede For any good and first I humbly pray Increase my faith that the foundation may Vphold and honor all the vpper parts Of
all my buildings thou do'st know my hearts Desire is onely t' entertaine those things That my saluation and thy honor brings Furnish me so with faith that my grand-foe Attempting to effect my ouer-thowe May faile and fall and vanish giue me that Faith that set Noah vpon mount Arrarat That which remou'd Henoch from of the earth And without death a gaue caelestiall birth I doe but wish that sword to vanquish sinne Which Dauid brought gainst th' vgly Philistime When woes be set me round and sinne and death Then let my faith aduance me from beneath To thy abiding City'mongst the iust Lord of thy mercy change my faith to trust Faith doth confesse Christ but trust doth perswade The spotlesse offerings that my Iesus made Were mine and for my sinne and soules reliefe This I beleeue Lord helpe my vnbeliefe Another thing I craue is patience to Accept contentedly and vndergo Afflictions that may happen grant to mee Such store of patience in all misery That my deserts may cause report to spread Iobs dearest daughter liues though he be dead Teach me to welcome sorrow ' mongst the rest Of other passions that possesse my brest Make patience power the greatest that I may Passe the worlds nights to heauens glorious day Next furnish me with strength make me of might To maintaine combate in thy Gospells right And to my strength adde valour for these too Being diuided can no seruice doo To merit thankes or prayse the foes intent Preuaileth when my valour 's impotent And when my strength wants valour I am like To loose the field because I dare not strike Therefore I sue for both th' are fit'st for mee Because I but desire them t'honor thee Then make a sword of both to cut off strife Venter thou it and I will venter life And yet I venter nothing for I know I haue nothing but what thou didst bestow And as thy owne command it thine I rest ' The best of seruants can but do her best Yet gracious Lord direct me how to make Euen for thy passion and compassion sake My prayers more compleat because I haue Great neede of many things and cannot craue So as I may obtaine except the most Powerfull assistance of the holy Ghost Helpe to preferre my sacrifice if thou Will some more pacience vnto me allow To temper all my passions in such measure That neither sorrowes nor deluding pleasure Possesse me with excesse then I shall doo Thee soueraigne honor and me subiect too To make thy Bride victorious I do pray With reuerence loue and feare that I still may Inioy that pacience which can bring me past The blew-red vaile with victory at last Into thy holiest holy here beneath Afflictions miseries cares feares doome and death Fills all my dayes so full of discontent That till I see that ladder thou once sent Vnto my Father Iacob set for mee T' ascend I looke for noe felicity My Lord by all the gracious promises Of thine betweene the first of Genesis And the Omega of thy sacred booke And by the paines that my Messias tooke By his vnualeu'd merrits and by all He sayd or did from 's birth t' his funerall Free me from all my sinnes and now remoue The clouds of sinne and vengeance from aboue That my voyce may come to thy sacred eares And fetch my pardon from these cares and feares Lord quit me out of hand and let me see The glorious state of immortalitie I 'm weary of these nether-lands and would Come see my dowery that with purest gold Thou hast so richly wall'd and pau'd so faire With Berill Topaz and such stones as are Most fit in forme and beauty I intreate That as thou hast prouided me a seate In Syon thy most holy heauenly hill Thou'll place me in 't O let it be thy will To helpe me home in hast that now I may Change my blacke night for thy bright endlesse day FINIS AN EPISTLE OR A Legacy for the vse of the Right Reverend Father in God IOHN Lord Bishop of the Isles of Man c. By Augustine Taylor Preacher and Minister of the Lord our God at Hawarden LONDON Printed by Nicholas Okes. 1623. TO THE RIGHT REuerent Father in God Iohn by the Diuine Prouidence Lord Bishop of the Isles of Man Rector of Hawarden c. MY Lord you know a heauenly muse should bee Esteemed as men prize eternitie I know your brest containes a muse diuine And therefore will not vnder-value mine Of all that liue I dare a fauour claime But those whose all shall perish with their name Right Reuerend Phillips Phillip the great King Of Macedon did cause a child to bring Quotidian warning thus for him to scan Phillip remember thou art but a man A fairer title I deliuer can Phillis consider you are Lord of Man Both men and man approues it in that I le You haue sate graciously a happy while Vnto mans makers glory and your prayse Among'st most reuerent Bishops all your dayes Shall be accounted happy many aime At profitable Lordships and for gaine Are Lords of more but baser mettle farre As farre as doth the Sunne exceede a Starre Men should beleeue it because God hath sayd Man doth exceede all workes that e're God made Stay man the soyle no man the soule is blest I grant that truth and then it needs must rest Y' are Lord of both others but of the soyle Their couetous carefulnesse and temp'rall toyle Affirme no lesse whereas your Lordship may With much content with Princely Dauid say The place wherein my lot to me befell Is passing faire and like me wondrous well You might haue bathed in a greater fountaine But a small Dyamond's worth a mighty mountaine Some lesser things are priz'd the great'st aboue The quality not quantity breeds loue Happy was man to haue the man of God Find out her port he hath remou'd the rod Of wrath and fury out of all her coasts And how to call vpon the Lord of Hoasts In her owne language he hath taught her know Such benefits good Bishops doe bestow Vpon their flocke Now babes and sucklings can And doe extoll the Lord of Heauen and man Pitty't had beene you should haue left the I le For your preferment better many smile Then one and it is better that one loose Then many I haue knowne your Lordship choose To preferre generall before speciall good Your pious learned care 't is vnderstood Hath truely newly setled all the land And taught the ignorant to vnderstand The holy word of God and 't is thought fit You honor God your King and selfe by it In seeing that establisht yo 'aue begune Ioy in it Lord you haue more honor woone By making th' ignorant intelligent Of God and men then euer shall be spent My friends the cause I prayse this Lord 's to mee As neare and deare as Paul to Tymothie What erst was ruin'd by the great neglect Of 's predicessors he doth re-erect In sumptuous stately