and Rain soon tumbled down And if we mind those mighty Miracles of the first Ages they all relate unto Faith Our blessed Saviour also used to say Whosoever believeth in me shall never die Do you believe that I can do this and then Be it done according to your Faith Thy Faith has made thee whole The Woman with the bloody Issue had no other application for her Cure but Faith Without Faith what signifies our Creed And to what purpose did our Saviour bleed If we all Doubting could from Faith divide Pure Faith would then in greatest triumph ride God grant all those the Power of Faith that die In joyful Hopes of bless'd eternity When their departing Souls will gladly own By faith they rise from Dunghills to a Throne How to delight in GOD THe Text says Delight in the Lord and he will give thee thy hearts desire And no doubt but if we delight in him with the highest faculty of our Souls above all carnal appetites with contemplation of his glorious Essence and Attributes in frequent fervent Prayers with continual Gratitude for his daily Mercies To adore him as we might we should find such a rejoycing in God to be the most voluptuous felicity that the heart of Man is capable of But we mock our selves too often with a belief of this Felicity by a careless searching short in our own Hearts for a clear proof of the divine Perfection of this delighting in God which every Man must find in himself for no Man can correct the unseen Errours of his Neighbour's heart So that it must be every Man's concern to examine his own Conscience how much he rejoyces in God more than in all worldly Fruitions and according to his proportion in excelling therein his peace of Conscience will prove the more exalted joyful Feast and will create in him the greatest hope of his heart 's promised desire and is the surest way to remove our natural Fear of Death who only can lead us to glory which all Men ought to think on more than all other affairs in this World For if we delight in God as we ought We should the clear intrinsick value find When Grace enriches a delighted Mind That trusts in God and by such bless'd converse Excells all pleasures of the Universe Which no Man's Faith nor Fancy can conceive Till that delightful practice gives him leave Then Souls enlightned by that holy fire Will pass to Paradise when they expire An higher Bliss can no Man's heart desire Though worldly joys may all our Senses please The Soul's joy makes them all but a disease But when God's glory in our Souls doth shine It shews those holy Raptures are divine Yet we ought not to think that every petty pleasing Object that assaults our Senses doth deserve the Name of a Delight more than little Children have for every new Baby they do see But when the Soul's supreme delight is so fixed on God that every address brings men as near to him as Souls can come while they are involved in Clay yet by a flaming Zeal and such high mounting Faith as doth believe that God is every-where and Heaven with him and them are altogether at that time there Where such joys may grow up to such a divine Delight in God as will come nearest unto his beatick sight tho' few Men seek it by such practice as we might and therefore cannot fansie such transcending Bliss on Earth as those her metick Livers have who daily do converse in Heaven with great delight in expectation of a quick Summons thither and such Piety may be truly called Delighting in God 'T is said my Book does need apology To beg a Pardon for tautology Which is a Crime I never understood If the repeated matter be all good David's Example as my Pattern may Excuse that Errour and for pardon pray On the Power of Divine Meditation DAvid says God requires no Sacrifice But Penitence and Faith he does despise The Blood of Beasts We are to thank and praise His holy Name and honour him always And if we trust him as we ought Mankind Will be by frequent Comforts so refin'd That we on Earth shall have a daily taste Of his eternal Peace and joys at last If David's Rules authentick be That God Had rather use his Mercy than his Rod And proffers Heaven at so cheap a rate T' invite us to become regenerate What labour less can mortal Men invent To gain God's favour and 'scape his punishment If thus our Duty may his Favour claim All Men will trust and honour his great Name Such Ecstasies in Meditation will Men's heads with glorious heavenly Visions fill And by degrees our Souls with joys advance To think that we are there in such a trance And find that such enlightning Zeal as this Is emanation for our future Bliss A Dream of Heaven THough Sleep Death's Image be I have been now I know not where convey'd I know not how Where something did appear so dazling bright I could not see its Glory for the Light My Soul supriz'd with Wonder and amaze Methought I pray'd and did forbear to gaze Frighted and pleased at what I lik'd and fear'd I found it was a Dream of Heaven appear'd Which waking fled but did my Fancy fill With blessed Ideas which abide there still With such transporting joy that I can weep To think of what I had and could not keep On a Dream of Hell STart not my Soul 't is but a Dream to show The dismal Terrors of eternal Woe Which unrepenting Sinners feel below Where Satan with his cursed Crue do dwell For their Ambition tumbled down to Hell While we rejoice on the Divine Presence Of our exalted Bliss by Penitence Those fiery Streams we seem to see May give us joy to find that we are free From that sad Doom where Torments never cease But rather to Eternity increase While our Conversion doth aloud proclaim What mighty Honour due to God's great Name Who will in Mercy save a Reprobate If his Repentance do not come too late On Death 'T Is very strange the World should still comply To think that Death is sent to make us dye By leading us to Immortality And the same moment does our sonls convoy From worldly slavery to eternal joy So that we ought to find some other Name For God's great Messenger that bears our blame Alone tho' Life and Death are both the same Moment our eternal Lot to end this strife We may treat Death as our first step to Life No terror find by our remove from hence When all our Happiness proceeds from thence The POSTSCRIPT IF Heaven be what we read or hear and see or do believe to be the glorious Habitation of the more glorious Trinity that we pretend to love to obey to trust worship and adore as one united God who has created Heaven and Earth the Sea and all therein and from whom we do expect eternal happiness when our Souls expire How
Bloud Within me Pal. O say not so Forbeare at length To prophane the Divine Goodnesse that dwels In you It is a Sin though You Your self Commit it Shall Self-Slaughter be held a Sin A Self-Slander not be Noted as a Greater Crime If the first be Murder So much the Soul 's more Excellent than the Body That the Last must be held a Sacriledge a kind of Blaspheming of the Deity dwels in us Take heed while you would rather Dye than bear A Staine you pull not the Greatest on you By avoiding it Eud. They that will preserve A pure and Spotlesse Soul must punish even The least Affinity in themselves to Sin Pal. Be yet advised They that too Nicely Create Sin where t is not Condemn their Innocence When their Judgment 's Faulty Eud. Why do you thus Reward me Good for Evill VVhy would you VVith-hold me from Perishing Justly That sought to sink you in all your Innocence Could my Imprecations have drove you To Destruction I had had but the End I aimd at Pal. Y' are still a Judge too Cruell To your Self All those Imprecations I deserv'd as I then shew'd to you But doe you Ask Why I would save you from Destruction O you have set too High a Prize Happinesse in That your Question unlesse Your Bountie too would shew the Way that we Might Hope to Effect it How should I despise The proudest Honours that attend the Sword In which Robbers and Ruffians may be Sharers With me to win a Glory so perfectlie Illustrious And could I bestow So Matchlesse and Divine a Benefit As Your Preservation on the World People would stile me God! And though from the Earth I took my Being with the Noblest of The Ancient Heroes they 'd fix my Name in Heaven Invest me with Diadem of Starres And Robe of Immortallitie And what is it That Obstructs this Blessing to the World and Me If I look upon your Innocence I read a Book in which not onely a Few Finite Yeares are writ but see an Age Drawn out to all Eternitie If on your Losse of State no Injurie of the World No Shock of Fortune can diminish A True Greatnesse That which was your Own Is still On you and sets you forth th' Example And Adoration both of the Present And the Future World Is it then last Your Losse of Friends or all these joyn'd together That withholds this Blessing we would so Dearly Purchase What is there in your Condition That is not to be paralleld in Others Look upon my Misfortunes and you shall find A perfect Sceme of all your Saddest Evils I lost as you have done a Father a King The Second Hopes unto a Crown the Joyes And Glory which doe wait on these Nay more By you I lost them Remember what your Righ Hand your Father and your Brother did Take from me what your Left their Ministers And Servants Learn then a Strength of me that Is the Worst Name for it to bear a Change Of Fortune And pardon a Fathers Death Let the Innocence of Mine excuse my Violence to yours We are the Wretched'st Two Alive made so by Our Selves and can be Onely Happy in Our Selves No Beam of Joy yet No breaking of a Raie of Comfort From these Clouds of Sadnesse No Dancing After this Long Night of Sorrow Madam Yet look up Though hitherto my Comforts Have been Air and unable to remove The weight of Grief oppresses you yet here 's One remaining I dare pronounce will prove Successfull Vouchsafe to cast an Eye upon this Paper That beares the Characters of your Living Brother and other Friends He gives Her a Paper Eud. It is not so It cannot it must not be Your Safeties Will not Suffer this if the Sword of Warre Have spar'd him That of Policie hath Cut him off Forbear to Mock me thus such Delusions Drive my Sorrowes to Distraction Pall Madam He lives and with him all the Rest whose Names Are there Subscrib'd nor is there more than One Could you but pardon that of any Note Has lost a Life by these Late Troubles Think not I have mock'd you with a Deceitfull Shew I know to have given you Happinesse As you imagine had been Twice onely To have Snatch'd it from you I shall say no more To you But Live as you find the Hopes true I have promist you And believe when I Spoken this my Life my Honour all that I possesse and all that can be added To me are a Gage Short to that I have given you And till I present your Brother in Safetie To you I 'le never presse to enjoy again The Heaven of Looking on you Rod Madam clear Exit Pallantus Your Spirits yet at last from these Clouds Of Discontent Many Noble Comforts Court you on ev'ry Side make a Truce With Your Sorrowes but till you see the Issue Of 'em Eud. I shall at least so far as till I have prov'd this One that 's promist me Exeunt Omnes Enter Cleander Hianthe Clearchus Aratus Haimantus Phronimus and Eurilochus Shouts of the People as they Enter People Jove Neptune Apollo all the Powers That favour Crete preserve and blesse the King Clean Through the Happinesse of my People May I know no other Joy or Blisse but what First passes you the Middle-Way of Blessings Between the Gods and Me People The Gods preserve Your Majestie Enter Pallantus and Kneeles and kisses the Kings Hand Pall Sir I humbly crave your Pardon That thus tardily after the People And your Enemies I present my Dutie To you and wish you Happinesse King I cannot Be deceiv'd thou must be th' Inimitable Matchlesse not to be Counterfeited or Resembl'd Great Pallantus Whom as none Can Reach to in a Noble Action so none Can Equall in a Gallant Presence Nor Doe I wonder to see the Change wrought in thee Thy Deed hath thus Transform'd thee It sits upon Thy Brow and casts a Glorie round about Thy Face Ara. Me thinks till this Day the Times had Likewise a Vizor on a Look'd not with A True Face before Sir you shall hourly see New Graces and New Glories break forth from him Pall My Lord you promise too Highlie for me Ara. Thou look'st sadlie after all thy Honours King So my-thoughts What can be the Cause Can He That has given a Nation Happinesse want it Himself Speak thy Discontent If it lie not In my own Power to Remedie I 'le Sacrifice In thy behalf Pall Sir low as the Earth I bow To you But that which is my Grief will be No longer mine alone than while I doe Conceal it 't is a Disease that all Good Men Will catch with the first Fancie and Conceit Justice could never yet with all her Care So carve out her Punishment but that the Innocent Were Wounded with the Stroke and felt the Judgement Of anothers Sin While with her Sword She Cuts off the Offending Parent the Child Is made an Orphan in the Cradle and mourns In after daies the Crime he
wisely observes in no fortune leave the Owner And while the Sciences of Eating Drinking Fooling and the like are held in Estimation I cannot want a Lordship Farewell therefore all Dreames and Meditations of the Other World my Making was for this your Elizium with Sweet Shades and purling Streames does not one whit entice me for when they have said all they can 't is still to be Dead to be there And having happilie broken from the Companie of my Noble Associates I 'le yoak no more with 'em till I see what becomes of their Magnanimities but thus as I am alone with warie steps I 'le march unto the New Court and doe not Despair though the King and State be Chang'd to continue still the same Man Exit Comastes Enter Pallantus Timeus Polyander and Menetius Pall My Lord I beseech you attend here Till I give notice of your Coming Pallantus goes out and returnes presently again and holds up the Hanging for Eudora who with transportation meets her Brother after whose first Encounter Pallantus withdrawes Eud. Oh! Is it Reall that my Armes imbrace Or do they Idlie thus infould a Shaddow Liv'st thou Timeus Or are we Dead together And on the Elizeum Banks enjoy this Meeting Say and confirm me For so lost In Miserie so weaken'd and perturbed With Grief are my best Faculties that what I doe and what I see I Know not Time Dearest Eudora I excuse thy Weaknesse Nor is 't a Wonder if thy Softer Nature Feel these Impressions of a Potent Sorrow When the like Passion disorders even The Strongest of my Powers and leaves me broken With as great Distemper O my Eudora Well may we rave of Shades below and An Hereafter-Being when we have latelie Suffer'd such a Change as to a Death May well be Equall'd Turn and cast thy Eye Upon these Miserable Reliques of our Former Fortunes Eud. Yet we doe Live my Lords She turnes to these that came with Timeus If they doe Live that have a Doubtfull Death Still hanging o're 'em But my Timeus I am o'rewhelm'd with Griefes th' are parted to me By an Unequall Hand my Share of Common Losses Is the same with Yours and then my Private Troubles Are no lesse than they No sooner were the Transports o're I ow'd your Safetie but Like The Pangs of Death these seized on my Soul Time What can thy Goodnesse suffer that 's set beyond The reach of all I can Imagine End Which way shall I begin I dare not speak My Troubles the beholding of thy present Evils Forbids the Office of my Tongue O my Timeus thy Misfortunes are so great That they render thee something Sacred To my Thoughts And as with Religion We Impale that Oak which by Joves Thunder Has been struck to keep 't hereafter from a Prophaner Wrong So Thou by thy Misfortunes Struck from Heaven seem'st Consecrated and Exempted From all Violation of a Mortall Tongue Yet look on This and read thy Self those Thoughts I dare not utter And though it shew but One Small Line of that Vast Sceme of Crueltie Design'd or Acted by thee it may serve To bring the Rest into thy Mind This Paper Was found in the Villaines Bosome that should Have done the horrid Act by Him that should Have suffer'd it Time Eudora though on a Mind of Bloud and Guilt this Paper and thy Words Attending it might rush with no lesse Horror Than that Thunder thou now spok'st of Yet on me These Bolts and Flashes are like those Brute And Idle Ones which dash 'gainst Rocks and Mountains Without harm Know that before these Wakenings Came from Thee all Heavens Artillerie has been Empti'd on my Soul and those Celestiall Fires Have wholly purg'd nay calcin'd and burnt up The Old Timeus And what is seen remaining Of his Substance is of a Holier And Diviner Nature such as admits No Commerce with a Sin unlesse it be Like the Religious Magistrate to Hate And Punish it Such as dares look on all His Vices past nay bear 'em purtrai'd and Blazen'd in his Banner as the Enemies And Monsters 'gainst which he is to wage A Trucelesse-Warre for ever Eud. And when Timeus Shall begin his Race of Vertue who is there To be found that can Out-strip him or bear up A Pace that 's Equall O let me imbrace You again my Brother Twice Saved twice Restor'd Unto me and much Dearer in the Last Than First Gift of you Before my Armes Infolded but my Comfort but now they Contain and hold their Wonder And know Timeus These Vertues Heaven has sent thee are in no Idle Uselesse Season given thee but bestow'd With as much Providence as Bountie when An Occasion Great and High Calls on 'em Say then my Brave and Vertuous Brother Say From thy New and Changed Soul within thee That Radiant and yet Sparkling Vertue From Heaven so Late descended What Course Does Honour point forth unto our present Fortunes What does its Sacred Lawes exact And Command from us Take thus from me the State Ofour Condition On the One Side Our Lives Are granted by our Enemies and not Onely so but we are Highly Courted To accept 'em have all the Flatteries And Temptations can make us Love them Even Obtruded on us On the Other We have lost a Father nay more a Crown They say Usurpt This Mysterie you better know Than I. Yet still Consider for 't will no lesse Concern our Honoure to weigh this thing Whether a False and Usurpt Power being still The Soveraign and Highest doe not Create Something of a True and Reall Greatnesse In the Persons that have borne it which forbids'em To Act a Second and a Lower Part on this Worlds Stage And if in this Scrutinie the Verdict Be cast against our Lives Know 't is not In Our Enemies powers to give us that Which Dutie our Higher Master Commands us To throw from us but either thou art Oblig'd To shew me the Way to Death or 't is expected That thou Learn it from me Time O Eudora Thou Wonder of Vertue thou Miracle Of Honour How sordid Low how despicablie Poor is all the World beside thee What Noble Heights thy Soul does mount to no lesse above The Following than President of others And shall I presume to Judge those Daz'ling-Flights Which no Eye lesse Heavenlie than thine Own Can reach to Shall Timeus A Trewant A Novice in the School of Vertue A Proficient but of Yesterday No Eudora pronounce boldlie what thy Soul Shall dictate as to an Oracle I will submit But never teach thy Vertue If the Question Thou hast put be Hard I dare not speak in 't 'T is Eudoras Life if it be Easie 'T was yet her finding and poorlie I will not Rob her of the Glory Eud. Alas alas How farre I am mistaken Thou giv'st me Glory And I need thy Pittie Thus Children have a Sword Put in their Hand when both their Hand and Sword Need holding by another If I had Vanitie to take unto my Self the Powers Thou
hour of Death and ought to be the chief Business of all Men to live and die so who do march every moment from our Cradles dying towards our Graves On Heavenly Joy WHate'er we do on Earth we all pretend Heaven is our Home Heaven is our Journey's end That 's true Seraphick Joy when we do find Such elevated Bliss as fills the Mind With high transports of God's celestial Throne And all our meaner Objects we disown Yet sometimes spoil our bless'd angelick rest To rowl on Roses when on Thorns is best Vainly thinking some diviner Grace May smooth afflictions with a smiling face When sighs and tears if they come not too late More surely can our heavenly Joys create When God observes our Zeal to do our best To please we shall assuredly be bless'd And may expect to find more Penitents Encircling of God's Throne than Innocents Which shews sincere Repentance surely can With a fix'd Faith restore relapsed Man Thus may our high-rais'd warm addresses prove Bright Ecstasies of the divinest Love Then will our Souls from dross be clean refin'd And by our sacred Chymist be calcin'd Fit for a Choir of Angels to attend Such Saints and sing them to their Journey's end On taking heed of all our Ways WHen God reduces Sinners to take heed Of all their ways in thought in word and deed Repentance then will be of little use When all our actions will need no excuse We shall the World subdue and stoutly stand In full obedience unto God's Command And then will Death in glorious Robes descend To guide not fright us at our Journey's end So that if we take heed in all our ways We shall the Devil defeat and wear the Bays To a Friend My dear Friend I Have read in a divine Author That if God be with us he will make us see that he is with us and will not depart from our sight until he has brought us never to depart out of his Which is a Lesson of high concern to Men in this World for Thus to enjoy God here is to be in Heaven before we die When our Souls are thus transported with a continual divine Conversation with Almighty God we may taste and relish his celestial Joys to some degree so as to envite us to value his spiritual Comforts above all carnal Fruitions So that our great Business is to improve this Blessing to the highest reach of humane Fancy by a daily practice of holy Meditations to contemplate and observe how God doth infuse this joyful enjoying of Him into our Souls by the secret working of the Holy Ghost when we set our selves with zealous integrity to find him there to converse with us on this great lesson of his immense Mercy with our humble prayers to be enlightned from above to participate of such angelical Delights as far as our frail Nature will admit of which by frequent use will bring us to such an habit of holy living that God will manifest his presence ever with us by an inward Felicity of divine Comforts to such an assurance of our Election unto eternal Bliss as is ineffable to be described So that when we raise our Thoughts with a divine Desire to know as much of God as we can know and of his being with us he will add of his Grace to enlarge our Capacities to such heavenly Trances in Devotion that we shall be with him and he with us as we do wish with such a joy as will dread all diverting Occasions that shall obstruct those Emanations of his holy Spirit working in us And thus if we do entertain our selves by such frequent addresses to find God he will daily meet and ever dwell with us if we unfelgnedly desire to dwell with him and will give us such a glimpse of his eternal Bliss as may fix our hearts on Heaven and make us live every moment in a joyful Expectation of Death's quickest Summons thither and by this frequent entertainment of thy Soul with God Thou my Friend wilt find such a communication with God on Earth to be the highest Perfection of Piety and a felicity much more delightful than all other Diversions which can never reach such Seraphick Joys as I wish to thee my Friend On the Fear of Death IF we fully consider our manifold Sins and the horrid Judgment due unto us for them it may well be said Happy is that Man who can obtain such a Reconciliation with God before he die as daily to delight in the meditation of a sudden death with inward assurance of his eternal Bliss the moment that he expires Because all our Ideas of the divine Felicities above do seldom invite Men to welcome Death with cheerful Hearts Our fears are so much stronger than our Faith that too many Men do rather think than find they do believe that Christ's plenteous Redemption will cancel all their Crimes and bring them into Heaven and therefore dare not really rejoyce to look on death but start back from such angelick Happiness as he brings good Men to participate of in God's eternal Glory which natural infirmity of doubting can only by an illustrious Faith be removed and that Faith by frequent Prayers be obtained Then thus to live and so to die will make us live and die in great tranquility though not to reach St. Stephen's Faith who saw Heaven open to him yet to so great a degree of divine Raptures in Devotion as to be filled with elevations of an inward assurance of our Election which must come from God when the Soul is in such a blessed Trance of celestial Delight that is ineffable to be described How near such joy is to the joy we read of in Paradise when fervent Zeal is by a lively Faith so raised and sixed in God by frequent Meditations it is a wonder that such Men can fear to die or doubt togo to God with cheerful Hearts when thus invited and thus led by his holy Spirit with such bright illuminations of surprizing joys while those divine Flames last as cannot be related When Men's hearts are warmed with such Seraphick high Transports of Love and Mercy from Almighty God to give true Penitents some taste of their eternal Glory that being thus enlightned they may not fear to die but rather welcome death who comes to carry them to Heaven which is the highest Exaltation of the Soul's joy so to delight in God that the expectation of Heaven may be more pleasant than all the momentary Fruitions of this World are compared unto a blessed incomprehensible Eternity Which neither Wit nor Fancy can express When multiplying numbers make it less When neither first nor last can e'er be known Points so far distant yet so join'd in one That the eternal Circle shews us none But is a secret known to God alone 'T is such a sacred Riddle soâ— profound That humane Wisdom never can expound But leaves us still to wonder and adore What will be after and what was before On
can we justifie this Creed if in our actions we daily do transgress what we so daily do profess as if our present moments did afford us more concern to pamper fading Flesh for being Worms meat in the Grave above the nourishing of our Souls with heavenly Manna to endure unto eternity If this be Gospel-Truth as I think it is I cannot chuse but wish and pray that my Retirement may produce the like Effects in others by reading what I write to obtain the high Felicity I privately enjoy transcending all the glistring Vanities that I have seen and too largely sharedin but now know no Felicity in this World to be compar'd unto the Joy of living ever ready to go out of it which is not so easily done as said though we endeavour all we can Now Reader I have nothing else to say But wish thee Grace to meditate and pray Which will high joys create and teach thee why True Piety will never fear to dye When arm'd with such Divine Philosophy FINIS ADDENDA On our cold desire to go to Heaven WE seem to prize the other World 'bove this But fear to go to that undoubted Bliss We find few Men who would with Enoch fly From hence to Heaven that dare soar so high Or with Elijah would take like delight To mount his Fiery Chariot in his flight Our Faith for such Celestial Joy comes short Of our Fruitions here where our Support Is what we see and what we understand Which we preferr before God's best command Tho' Reason and Religion both agree To bring us to a Bless'd Eternity In the same moment we are rais'd from hence Through Faith by God's Divinest Influence Which only can Immortal Life Create By Death destroying this our Mortal Fate So that till we with God's Decree comply We do not truly Live until we Dye To a Friend in a fit of the Gout WElcome thy pain my Friend this Gout is sent In Mercy to fore-warn and to prevent Thy Gluttonies and Epicurean Crimes Which were unpractis'd in our Fathers times This is the effect of strong Falernian Wine And pride to wash thy Feet in Muscadine By eating Mushrooms stew'd with Ambergreece And the fat Livers of the Jews fed Geese With Peacocks Eggs in gravy to support Thy Luxuries and now thou 'rt punish'd for 't On the Fear of Death 'T IS strange that all Mankind should be afraid To Die nor any arguments perswade Wise Men from the terror of a Name Death is God's Messenger and we to blame To antedate his Arrant with such fear As doubts to go with Him we know not where Tho' Death's power only can our Souls convey To Heaven if we God's Holy Laws Obey But we still struggle with undaunted strife To keep our dying Bodies from true Life For want of Faith lest Death should by mistake Lead our sad Souls to the Infernal Lake When such gross misdoubting Grace only can Force Death to fright a misbelieving Man Which shews the Glory of our future State Is left to our own Option not to Fate On true Devotion WHen true Devotion is our chief delight We may presume 't is pleasing in God's sight And to our Souls will sacred Bliss reveal To fix and to eternalize our Zeal And while we live our blessed thoughts direct To the Seraphick Joys of God's Elect. And will by our Adoption when we dye Declare the glory of that dignity On God's wondrous Works WHen we consider God's Word and Deed And see the products of the smallest Seed It doth our wonder greatly antedate With joy and in our hearts fixt Faith create It doth all doubtful thoughts with truth confute When fancy guides our Fingers on the Lute But yet these petty arguments of sence Must all submit to God's Omnipotence In wonders of a higher nature shown Which all the Christian World admires and own But know not how the boystrous Sea or Land Do steady stand by God's Supreme Command Who has the Sun and Moon so firmly set With Stars in their fixt Spheres that no Man yet Can by his Industry or Art declare How high or what circumference they are And yet the Seat of God's Celestial Bliss Is still to be admir'd above all this Where God himself Inthron'd is pleas'd to dwell Which must in Glory all the rest excell Tho' these be wonders of a large extent There be some of much more wonderment That God should all Offences here forgive And grant us daily comforts while we live By our Souls washing in the Crimson Flood Of our Bless'd Saviours Sacramental Blood By which he does our Claim to Heaven advance When we approach in a Seraphick Trance And own his Mercies with intire delight To glory in his bright Beatick sight The more we think the more we wonder and The less of Miracles we understand Why the same Earth should ev'ry year produce Such various Fruits and Herbs for humane use If Faith and Gratitude did not combine To think such Meditations are Divine When God with secret Bliss such joys imparts As does create true Zeal in pious hearts And doth their Souls with flaming Love invite To Paradise ineffable to write Unless his Holy Spirit should indite To my Old Sick Friend MY good Old Friend why so sad does thy Age decline so fast that the Idea of thy Grave frights thee with fear to die Are we not all dying and none knows who shall go next nor how soon be gone if this occasion thy dismay I will teach thee an Antidote that will dispell the Poyson of that Serpent's bite and turn that universal curse of Death into a State of Bliss if thou can'st raise thy dejected Spirit to a quick sense of snaring the Eternal Joys of Heaven with those departed Saints who by Faith Prayer and Penitence are now exalted thither Let thy melancholy Meditations and Preparations for the Grave be changed from a Gaol delivery into a constant chearful zealous Conversation in thy Divine Retirements with God the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost by a total Resignation of thy Soul and all thy concerns unto them and think with pleasure how near thou art arrived to thy Journeys end to be with them in Paradise Then such Celestial Thoughts will be thy most pleasant entertainment and surely meet with surprising joy from Faith in Christ's plenteous Redemption which will beget a hearty speedy welcome unto Death's arrival who comes to conduct thee to Eternal Bliss and thou wilt also find that every devout step towards this felicity of thy approaching Salvation will make thy heart dance with a Saint-like delight to baffle the terrors of the Grave with a serene prospect of thy Eternal Happiness at hand and so make thy last hours full of Angelical transporting joy to be with God the moment thy Soul expires fix thy heart thus and all sad Thoughts will vanish when a sincere Faith becomes predominant Thy Heart by practice will delight in this Divine Elixir of Eternal Bliss On
Perfumes laid there on purpose the which wraps the Pile in smoak and smells ore all the Roome At the End of the Song the Curtain falls and shuts both the Scene and Actors from the Beholders Sight FINIS Mid-night and Daily THOUGHTS To a careless Sinner THou dost not sure believe that thou shalt die Or never think'st upon it seriously Because thou liv'st as if thou didst disdain After this life ever to rise again Else thou wouldst set a higher price upon The Glories of thy Resurrection For 't is not possible a Man of sense Can always hold so ill intelligence With Heaven as not to wish or not to fear He never may or never would come there Some Caveats WHen petty Pleasures are procur'd with Gold When youth is gone and we decrpeid old There 's no more Gusto than a Tale twice told The greatest Monarchs while they flourished Were honour'd and ador'd but being dead Were soon forgot and only pitied So that whatever Marble Tombs pretend All their gay glories never can defend Their pamper'd bodies from the Beggar 's end Caesar and Alexander both became The highest splendor of a glorious Name And yet in some things both deserved blame So that when Men have all the World subdu'd They may themselves and all their Fame delude Unless they do in Piety conclude Those mighty Hero's car'd not to be good But brave because they never understood The sacred Sanction of our Saviour's Blood But those who saw the Miracles he did And heard how boldly he their Crimes forbid Are justly scourg'd instead of being chid What 's our due then who do believe yet run The course which that accursed Crew begun To slight God and re-crucifie his Son Which shews Men want some Caveats to restrain The idle Fancies of a busie Brain That frequent losses bring instead of gain These serious Thoughts are Caveats to despise Such Crimes as from our idle hours may rise And captivate our Senses in disguise Till by a power divine we can obtain Such bright serener joys as will sustain Our Souls and to eternity remain For we are born to learn and to express By daily actions what we do profess To purchase everlasting happiness On Poverty PUre honest Poverty in former times Was no disgrace but now our latter Crimes Have introduc'd new kinds of punishments To expiate our sins for old Contempts In luxury and such profuse expence That we are now chastiz'd for that offence With Penury to make us own our shame And free all present accidents from blame Which from God's mercy now to us is sent To make our most obdurate hearts repent And yet there may such poverty proceed From wicked Men whose malice have decreed Our ruine to get wealth for their support In spight of right or their damnation for 't And such absurd base scandals do invent That no man's innocence can e'er prevent From such Devils good Lord deliver me As hate all those who truly worship thee And with profound repentance do submit To all the judgments that our God thinks fit And make the poverty I now endure For all excesses past a perfect cure On Pride OF all the Vanities I know 't is Pride Which all the World most justly may deride That like an Ass with golden Trappings dress'd Thinks himself 'bove all other Beasts the best And when he brays does all that hear him fright Mistaking their amazement for delight Like gilded Fools that only learn of late To strut and make loud noise when they do prate For Pride did ne'er the greatest man adorn Nor free him from God's hate and wise Men's scorn Satan for Pride and for Ambition fell With his accursed Crew from Heav'n to Hell On Pride's Kindred PRide 's next of kin are such as do despise Their Neighbours for the Motes in their dark Eyes Who first their own Beams should remove then learn That Rule by which they may such Motes discern And by this caution constantly prevent Such rash Censures that do raise discontent Between good Friends who seldom will endure A blind Man's Precepts till himself he cure Septemb. 3. 1693. On this Day's Sacrament received LORD I Did believe but not such joy conceive As since I did thy Sacrament receive To ratifie thy mercy and my zeal By adding of thy Holy Spirit's Seal Upon my heart to manifest thy love And all my doubts and fears by faith remove Which made me shrink from death but now my voice Shall Hallelujah's sing and Soul rejoice To celebrate this Victory obtain'd O'er all my sins by thy bless'd Conduct gain'd How great then is my Obligation grown If thou wilt this day my Election own By adding joys on joys and grace on grace Till I in glory come to see thy face And now adore and worship thy great Name With warm addresses from this sacred flame On Adoption I Have read that he who lives in a constant uniform Obedience to the Gospel and performs the Conditions required in it departs sincerely from iniquity and shuts up the ways that lead him into temptation may give himself as strong and comfortable an assurance that he is an adopted Child of God as if a voice from the Clouds should tell him so and is a good argument for frequent Meditations How to know when our Sins are forgiven IT has been asked How a Soul may know when her Sins are forgiven and answered thus When she finds the same affection to God with his that said I hate iniquity and all false ways I utterly abhorr Yet David who said so did die and so must we Tho' our Souls may by the same grace become of the same temper with his and our sins be forgiven too yet we may consider how few Men do slip out of this World into eternity with a joyful hearty delight to be with God through divine Love which is the highest perfection of an holy life and is our greatest assurance to manifest our sins forgiven when our Souls are by faith so fixed on God as to know no joy so great as such spiritual Comforts do raise when we desire to be in Heaven which taught David to hate iniquity and to abhorr all false ways and so reduced him from all his sins to become a man after God's own Heart On Reconciliation before we die IF we fully consider our manifold sins and the horrid Punishment due unto us for them if not forgiven before we die 't will make us tremble at the approach of Death But if we do believe in Christ's plenteous Redemption with GOD's immense Mercy to deliver us from Hell's eternal Torments and exalt us unto Heaven's eternal Joy and Glory it may be justly said Happy is that Man who can obtain such a Reconciliation with GOD before he die as daily to delight in the Meditation of a sudden Death with inward assurance of his eternal Bliss the moment he expires which is the highest Exaltation of Joy on Earth and will be the greatest Comfort at the