Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
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A10266
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Iob militant with meditations diuine and morall. By Fra. Quarles.
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Quarles, Francis, 1592-1644.
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1624
(1624)
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STC 20550; ESTC S115485
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49,906
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118
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Hath left them grounded in too large a pause Whereat Elihu a young Stander-by Whose modest eares vpon their long reply Did waite his angry silence did awake And crauing pardon for his Youth bespake Young Standers-by doe oftentimes see more Then elder Gamesters Y' are too blame all foure T'ones cause is Bad but with good proofes befriēded The others Iust and Good but ill defended Though reason makes the man Heauen makes him wise Wisdome in greatest Clerks not alway lyes Then let your silence giue me leaue to spend My Iudgement whil'st your heedfull Eares attend I haue not heard alone but still expected To heare what more your spleenes might haue obiected Against your wofull Friend but I haue found Your reasons built vpon a sandy ground Flourish no Flags of Conquest Vnderstand That hee 's afflicted by th' Almighties hand He hath not fayld to crosse your accusations Yet I though not with your foule exprobations Will crosse him too I 'me full and I must speake Or like vnuented vessels I must breake And with my tongue my heart will be relieu'd That swells with what my patience hath conceiu'd Be none offended for my lips shall tread That ground without respect as Truth shall leade God hates a flattring language then how can I Vnliable to danger flatter any Now Iob to thee I speake O let my Errant Be welcome to thine eares fortruth's my warrant They are no slender Trifles that I treate But things digested with the sacred heate Of an inspired knowledge 'T is no rash Discharge of wrath nor wits conceited flash I 'le speake and heare thee speake as free for I Will take no vantage of thy Miserie Thy tongue did challenge to maintaine thy case With God if he would vayle his glorious Face Be I the man though clad with clay and dust And mortall like thy selfe that takes the trust To represent his Person Thou dost terme Thy selfe most Iust and boldly dost affirme That Heauen afflicts thy soule without a reason Ah Iob these very words alone are Treason Against th'Almighti's will Thou oughtest rather Submit thy passion to him as thy Father Then pleade with him as with thy Peere Is he Bound to reueale his secret VVill to thee God speaketh oft to man not vnderstood Sometimes in Dreames at other times thinks good To thunder Iudgement in his drowzy eare Sometimes with hard afflictions scourge doth teare His wounded soule which may at length giue ease Like sharper Physicke to his foule Disease But if like pleasing Iulips he afford The meeke Expounders of his sacred VVord VVith sweete perswasions to recure his griefe How can his sorrowes wish more faire Reliefe Ah then his body shall waxe young and bright Heauens-face that scortcht before shall now delight His tongue with Triumph shall confesse to men I was a Leper but am cleare agen Thus thus that Spring of Mercy oftentimes Doth speake to man that man may speake his crimes Consider Iob My words with Iudgement weigh VVhich done if thou hast ought then boldly say If otherwise shame not to hold thy peace And let thy VVisdome with my words encrease And you you VVisemen that are silent here Vouchsafe to lend my lips your rip'ned care Let 's call a parlie and the cause decide For Iob pleades guiltlesse and would faine be tride Yet hath his boldnesse term'd himselfe Vpright And taxt th'Almightie for not doing right His Innocence with Heauen doth he pleade And that vniustly he was punished O Puritie by Impudence suborn'd He scorn'd his Maker and is iustly scorn'd Farre be it from the heart of man that He VVho is all Iustice yet vniust should be Each one shall reape the Haruest he hath sowne His meede shall measure what his hands haue done VVho is 't can claime the Worlds great Soueraignty VVho rays'd the Rafters of the Heauens but He If God should breathe on man or take away The breath he gaue him what were man but Clay O let thy heart th'vnbridled tongue conuince Say Dare thy lips defame an earthly Prince How darst thou then maligne the King of Kings To whom great Princes are but poorest things He kicks down kingdoms spurns th' Emperial crown And with his blast puffes mighty Monarchs downe 'T is vaine to striue with Him and if He strike Our part 's to beare not fondly to mislike Misconstruing the nature of his drift But husband his Corrections to our thrift If he afflict our best is to implore His Blessing with his Rod and sinne no more What if our torments passe the bounds of measure It vnbesits our wills to stint his pleasure Iudge then and let th' impartiall world aduise How farre poore Iob thy Iudgement is from wise Nor are these speeches kindled with the fire Of a distempred spleene but with desire T' inrich thy wisdome lest thy furie tie Presumption to thy rash infirmitie Meditatio sextadecima FOr mortals to be borne waxe old and die Lyes not in Will but bare Necessitie Common to beasts which in the selfe-degree Hold by the selfe-same Patent euen as wee But to be Wise is a diuiner action Of the discursiue Soule a pure abstraction Of all her powers vnited in the will Ayming at Good reiecting what is Ill It is an Influence of inspired Breath Vnpurchased by birth vnlost by death Entayl'd to no man no nor free to all Yet gently answers to the eager call Of those that with inflam'd affections seeke Respecting tender Youth and Age alike In depth of dayes her spirit not alway lyes Yeeres make man Old but Heauen returnes him Wise Youths Innocence nor riper Ages strength Can challenge her as due Desired length Of dayes produced to decrepit yeeres Fild with experience and grizly haires Can claime no right Th' Almighty ne'r engages His gifts to times nor is He bound to Ages His quickning Spirit to sucklings oft reueales What to their doting Grandsires he conceales The vertue of his breath can vnbenumme The frozen lips and strike the speaker dumme Who put that mouing power into his tongue Whose lips did right the chaste Susanna's wrong Vpon her wanton false Accusers death What secret fire inflam'd that fainting breath That blasted Pharo Or those ruder tongues That school'd the faithlesse Prophet for the wrongs He did to sacred Iustice Matters not How slight the meanes be in it selfe or what In our esteemes so wisedome be the message Embassadours are worthyed in th' Embassage God sowes his Haruest to his best encrease And glorifies himselfe how-e're he please Lord if thou wilt for what is hard to thee I may a Factor for thy glory be Then grant that like a faithfull seruant I May render back thy stock with Vsury THE ARGVMENT God reapes no gaine by mans best deeds Man's misery from himselfe proceeds Gods Mercy and Iustice are vnbounded In workes of Nature man is grounded Sect. 17. ELihu thus his pausing lips againe Disclos'd said Rash Iob dost thou maintain A rightfull Cause which in
thriue and goods encrease They shall not prosper nor he liue in peace Eternall horrour shall begirt him round And vengeance shall both him and his confound Amidst his ioyes despaire shall stop his breath His sons shall perish with vntimely death The double soule shall dye and in the hollow Of all false harts false harts themselues shall swallow Then answered Iob All this before I knew They want no griefe that find such friends as you Ah cease your words the fruits of ill-spent houres If heauen should please to make my fortunes yours I would not scoffe you nor with taunts torment ye My lips should comfort and these eyes lament ye What shall I doe Speake not my griefes oppresse My soule or speake alas they 'r ne'r the lesse Lord I am wasted and my pangs haue spent me My skin is wrinkled for thy Hand hath rent me Mine enemies haue smit me in disdaine Laught at my torments iested at my paine I swel'd in wealth but now alas am poore And feld with woe lye grou'ling on the floore In dust and sackcloth I lament my sorrowes Thy Hand hath trencht my cheekes with water-furrowes Nor can I comprehend the cause that this My smart should be so grieuous as it is Oh Earth If then an Hypocrite I be Couer my cryes as I doe couer thee And witnesse Heauen that these my Vowes be true Ah friends I spend my teares to Heau'n not you My time 's but short alas would then that I Might try my cause with God before I dye Since then I languish and not farre from dead Let me a while with my Accusers plead Before the Iudge of heauen and earth my right Haue they not wrong'd and vext me day and night Who first layes downe his Gage to meet me Say I doubt not Heauen being Iudge to win the day You 'l say perchance Wee 'l recompell our word E're simple Truth should vnawares afford Your discontent No no forbeare for I Hate lesse your Censures then your Flattery I am become a By-word and a Taber To set the tongues and eares of men in labour Mine eyes are dimme my body 's but a shade Good men that see my case will be afraid But not confounded They will hold their way And in a bad they 'l hope a better day Recant your errours for I cannot see One man that 's truly wise among you Three My dayes are gone my thoughts are mis-possest The silent night that heauen ordain'd for rest My day of trauell is but I shall haue Er'e long long peace within my welcome graue My neerest kindred are the wormes the earth My mother for she gaue me first my birth Where are my hopes then where that future ioy Which you false-prophecy'd I should enioy Both hopes and I alike shall trauell thither Where clos'd in dust we shall remaine together Meditatio vndecima THe Morall Poets nor vnaptly faine That by lame Vulcans help the pregnant braine Of soueraign Ioue brought forth at that birth Was borne Minerua Lady of the earth O strange Diuinity but sung by rote Sweet is the tune but in a wilder note The Morall sayes All Wisedome that is giuen To hood-wink't mortals first proceeds from heauen Truth 's errour Wisedom's but wise insolence And light 's but darknesse not deriu'd from thence Wisdom's a straine transcends Morality No Vertu 's absent Wisedome being by Vertue by constant practice is acquir'd This this by sweat vnpurchas't is inspir'd The master-piece of knowledge is to know But what is Good from what is good in show And there it rests Wisdome proceeds and chuses The seeming Euill th' apparant Good refuses Knowledge deseru's alone Wisedome applyes That makes some fooles this maketh none but wise The curious hand of knowledge doth but pick Bare simples Wisedome pounds them for the sicke In my affliction knowledge apprehends Who is the Authour what the Cause and Ends It findes that Patience is my sad reliefe And that the Hand that caus'd can cure my griefe To rest contented here is but to bring Clouds without raine and heat without a Spring What hope arises hence The Diuels doe The very same They know and tremble too But sacred Wisedome doth apply that Good Which simple Knowledge barely vnderstood Wisedome concludes and in conclusion proues That wheresoeuer God corrects he loues Wisedome digests what knowledge did but tast That deales in futures this in things are past Wisedom's the Card of Knowledge which without That Guide at random's wreckt on euery doubt Knowledge when Wisedome is too weak to guide her Is like a head-strong Horse that throwes the Rider VVhich made that great Philosopher auow He knew so much that he did nothing know Lord giue me VVisdome to direct my wayes I beg nor riches nor yet length of dayes O grant thy seruant VVisedome and with it I shall receiue such knowledge as will fit To serue my turne I wish not Phoebus waine Without his skill to driue it lest I gaine Too deare an Honour Lord I will not stay To pick more Manna then will serue to day THE ARGVMENT Bildad the whil'st he makes a show To strike the wicked giues the blow To Iob Iobs Misery and Faith Zophar makes good what Bildad saith Sect. 12. SAid Bildad then When will ye bring to end The speeches whereabout ye so contend Waigh eithers words lest ignorant confusion Debarre them of their purposed conclusion We came to comfort fits it then that we Be thought as beasts or fooles accounted be But thou Iob like a mad man would'st thou force God to desist his order and set course Of Iustice Shall the wicked for thy sake That would'st not taste of Euill in Good partake No no his Lampe shall blaze and dye his strength Shall faile or shall confound it selfe at length He shall be hampred with close hidden snares And dog'd where e're he starts with troups of feares Hunger shall bite destruction shall attend him His skin shall rot the worst of deaths shall end him His feare shall be a thousand link't together His branch aboue his root beneath shall wither His Name shall sleepe in dust with dust decay Odious to all by all men chas't away No Son shall keepe aliue his House his Name And none shall thriue that can alliance clame The after-age shall stand amaz'd to heare His Fall and they that see 't shall shake for feare Thus stands the state of him that doth amisse And Iob what other is thy case then this But Iob reply'd How long as with sharpe swords Will ye torment me with your poynted words How often haue your biting tongues defam'd My simple Innocence and yet vnsham'd Had I deseru'd these plagues yet let my griefe Expresse it selfe though it find no reliefe But if you needs must weare your tongues vpon me Know 'T is the hand of God hath ouerthrowne me I roare vnheard His Hand will not release me The more I grieue