from these shakings run 19. But how much more then when he comes To graffle with thy Heart To bind with Thread thy Toes and Thumbs And fetch thee in his Cart. 20. Then will he cut thy silver Cord And break thy Golden Bowl Yea break that Pitcher which the Lord Made Cabin for thy Soul 21. Thine Eyes that now are quick of sight Shall then no way espy How to escape this doleful plight For Death will make thee dye 22. Those Legs that now can nimbly run Shall then with faintness fail To take one step Death's Dart to shun When he doth thee assail 23. That Tongue that now can boast and brag Shall then by Death be ty'd So fast as not to speak or wag Though Death lyes by thy side 24. Thou that did'st once encline thine Ear Unto the Song and Tale Shall only now Death's Message hear While he with Face most pale 25. Doth reason with thee how thy days Hath hitherto been spent And what have been thy deeds and ways Since God thee time hath lent 26. Then will he so begin to tear Thy Body from thy Soul And both from Life if now thy Care Be not on Grace to roll 27. Death puts on things another face Than we in health do see Sin Satan Hell Death Life and Grace Now great and weighty be 28. Yea now the Sick-man's Eye is set Upon a World to come He also knows too without let That there must be his Home 29. Either in Joy in Bliss and Light Or Sorrow Woe and Grief Either with Christ and Saints in white Or Fiends without Relief 30. But oh the sad estate that then They will be in that dye Both void of Grace and Life poor men How will they fear and cry 31. Ha! Live I may not though I would For Life give more than all And dye I dare not though I should The World gain by my fall 32. No here he must no longer stay He feels his Life run out His Night is come also the day That makes him fear and doubt 33. He feels his very Vitals dye All waxeth pale and wan Nay worse he fears to misery He shortly must be gone 34. Death doth already strike his Heart With his most fearful sting Of Guilt which makes his Conscience start And quake at every thing 35. Yea as his body doth decay By a contagious grief So his poor Soul doth faint away Without hope or relief 36. Thus while the man is in this scare Death doth still at him lay Live dye sink swim fall foul or fair Death still holds on his way 37. Still pulling of him from his place Full sore against his Mind Death like a Sprite stares in his face And doth with links him bind 38. And carries him into his den In darkness there to lye Among the swarms of wicked men In grief eternally 39. For only he that God doth fear Will now be counted wise Yea he that feareth him while here He only wins the Prize 40. 'T is he that shall by Angels be Attended to that bliss That Angels have for he O he Of glory shall not miss 41. Those weapons and those instruments Of death that others fright Those dreadful fears and discontents That brings on some that night 42. That never more shall have a day Brings this man to that rest Which none can win but only they Whom God hath call'd and blest 43. With the first fruits of saving grace With faith hope love and fear Him to offend this man his face In visions high and clear 44. Shall in that light which no Eye can Approach unto behold The rayes and beams of Glory and Find there his Name inrol'd 45. Among those glittering Stars of light That Christ still holdeth fast In his right hand with all his might Until that danger 's past 46. That shakes the world and most hath dropt Into grief and distress O blessed then is he that 's wrapt In Christ his righteousness 47. This is the man Death cannot kill For he hath put on arms Him Sin nor Satan hath not skill To hurt with all their charms 48. An Helmet on his head doth stand A Breast-plate on his Heart A Shield also is in his Hand That blunteth every Dart. 49. Truth girds him round the Reins also His Sword is on his Thigh His Feet in Shooes of Peace do go The ways of Purity 50. His Heart it groaneth to the Lord Who hears him at his call And doth him help and strength afford Wherewith he conquers all 51. Thus fortify'd he keeps the field While Death is gone and fled And then lies down upon his Shield Till Christ doth raise the dead Of Judgment 1. AS 't is appointed men should dye So Judgment is the next That meet them must assuredly For so saith holy Text. 2. Wherefore of Judgment I shall now Inform you what I may That you may see what 't is and how 'T will be with Men that Day 3. This World it hath a time to stand Which time when ended then Will issue Judgment out of hand Upon all sorts of Men. 4. The Judge we find in Gods Record The Son of Man for he By God's appointment is made Lord And Judge of all that be 5. Wherefore this Son of man shall come At last to Count withal And unto them shall give just doom Whether they stand or fall 6. Behold ye now the Majesty And State that shall attend This Lord this Judge and Justice high When he doth now descend 7. He comes with Head as white as snow With Eyes like flames of fire In Justice clad from top to toe Most glorious in attire 8. His Face is fill'd with gravity His Tongue is like a Sword His Presence aws both stout and high The World shakes at his Word 9. He comes in flaming fire and With Angels clear and bright Each with a Trumpet in his hand Cloathed in shining white 10. The Trump of God sounds in the Air The dead do hear his Voice The living too run here and there Who made not him their Choice 11. Thus to his place he doth repair Appointed for his Throne Where he will sit to Judge and where He 'l Count with every one 12. Angels attending on his hand By thousands on a roe Yea thousand thousands by him stand And at his beck do go 13. Thus being set the Books do ope In which all Crimes are writ All Vertues too of Faith and Hope Of Love and every whit 14. Of all that Man hath done or said Or did intend to do Whether they fin'd or were afraid Evil to come into 15. Before this Bar each Sinner now In Person must appear Under his Judgment there to bow With trembling and with fear 16. Within whose breast a witness then Will certainly arise That to each Charge will say Amen While they seek and devise 17. To shun the Sentence which the Lord Against them then will read Out of the Books of God's Record With Majesty and Dread
off on every side While smiles Divine themselves from him did While earth did quake and rocks in pieces rent And while the Sun as veiled did lament To see the innocent and harmless dye So sore a death so full of misery Yea let us turn again and say all this He did and suffered for love of his He brought in everlasting Righteousness That he might cover all our nakedness He wept and washt his Face with brinish tears That we might saved be from hellish fears Blood was his sweat too in his agony That we might live in joyful extasie He apprehended was and led away That Grace to us-ward never might decay With swords and bills and outrage in the night That to the peace of Heaven we might have right Condemn'd he was between two Thieves to dye That we might ever in his bosom lye Scourged with whips his precious body were That we lashes of Conscience might not fear His head was crown'd with thorns that we might be Crowned with glory and felicity He hanged was upon a cursed Tree That we delivered from death might be His Father from him hides his smiles and face That we might have them in the heav'nly place He cry'd My God why hast forsaken me That we forsaken of him might not be Into his Side was thrust a bloody Spear That we the sting of death might never fear He went into the Grave after all this That we might up to Heav'n go and have bliss Yea rise again he did out of the Earth And shook off from him all the chains of death Then at his Chariot-wheels he captive led His Foes and trod upon the Serpents Head Riding in triumph to his Fathers Throne There to possess the Kingdom as his own What sayst thou will 't not yet unto him come His Arms are open in his Heart is room To lay thee be not then discouraged Although thy sins be many great and red Unto thee Righteousness he will impute And with the kisses of his Mouth salute Thy drooping Soul and will it so uphold As that thy shaking Conscience shall be bold To come to Mercys Seat with great access There to expostulate with that Justice That burns like fiery flames against all those That do not with this blessed Jesus close Which unto thee will do no harm but good Because thou hast relyance on that blood That Justice saith hath given him content For all that do unfeignedly repent Their ill spent Life and roll upon free grace That they within that bosom might have place That open is to such where they shall lye In ease and gladness and felicity World without end according to that state I have nay better than I can relate If thou shalt still object thou yet art vile And hast a Heart that will not reconcile Unto the holy Law but will rebell Heark yet to what I shall thee farther tell Two things are yet behind that help thee will If God shall put into thy Mind that skill So to improve them as becometh those That would with mercy and forgiveness close First then let this sink down into thy Heart That Christ is not a Saviour in part But every way so fully he is made The All of those that underneath his shade And wing would sit and shroud their weary Soul That even Moses dare it not controul But justifi't approve of 't and conclude No Man nor Angel must himself intrude With such Doctrine that may oppose the same On pain of blaspheming that holy Name Which God himself hath given unto Men To stay to trust to lean themselves on when They feel themselves assaulted and made fear Their sin will not let them in life appear For as God made him perfect Righteousness That he his love might to the height express And us present compleat before the Throne Sanctification too of his own He hath prepared in which do we stand Compleat in Holiness at his right Hand Now this Sanctification is not That Holiness which is in us but that Which in the Person of this Jesus is And can inherently be only his But is imputed to us for our good As is his active Righteousness and Blood Which is the cause though we infirm are found That Mercy and Forgiveness doth abound To us ward and that why we are not shent And empty and away rebuked sent Because that all we do imperfect is Bless God then for this Holiness of his And learn to look by Faith on that alone When thou seest thou hast nothing of thine own Yea when thy Heart most willing is to do What God by his good Word doth call thee to And when thou find'st most Holiness within And greatest power over every sin Yet then to Jesus look and thou shalt see In him Sanctification for thee Far more compleat than all that thou canst find In the most upright Heart and willing Mind That ever Men or Angels did possess When most fill'd with inherent Righteousness Besides if thou forgettest here to live And Satan get thee once into his sieve He will so hide thy Wheat and shew thy Brun That thou wilt quickly cry I am undone Alas thy goodliest attainments here Though like the fairest blossoms they appear How quickly will they lowr and decay And be as if they all were fled away When once the East-wind of temptations beat Upon thee with their dry and blasting heat Rich Men will not account their treasure lyes In crackt Groats and in Four-pence-half-pennys But in those Bags they have within their Chests In staple Goods which shall within their brests Have place accordingly because they see Their substance lyeth here But if that be But shaken then they quickly fear and cry Alas 't is not this small and odd money We carry in our Pockets for to spend Will make us rich or much will stand our friend If famine or if want do us assail How quickly will these little pieces fail If thou be wise consider what I say And look for all in Christ where no decay Is like to be then though thy present frame Be much in up and down yet he the same Abideth yea and still at Gods right hand As thy most perfect holiness will stand It is I say not like to that in thee Now high then low now out then in but he Most perfect is when thou art at the worst The same the very same I said at first This helpeth much when thou art buffetted And when thy graces lye in thee as dead Then to believe they are all perfect still In Christ thy head who hath that blessed skill Yet to present thee by what is in him Unto his Father one that hath no sin Yea this will fill thy mouth with Argument Against the Tempter when he shall present Before thee all thy weakness and shall hide From thee thy Graces that thou may'st abide Under the fretting fumes of unbelief Which never yielded Christian man relief Nor help thy self thou may'st against him thus O
seeth due Read sin then by the death that doth ensue Most men do judge of sin not by the fruits It bears and bringeth forth but as it suits Their carnal and deluded hearts that be With sensual Pleasures eaten up but he That now so judgeth shortly shall perceive That God will judge thereof himself and leave Such men no longer to their carnal lusts To judge of wickedness and of the just And righteous punishment that doth of right Belong thereto and will too in despite Of all their carnal reason justifie Himself in their eternal misery Then Hell will be no fancy neither will Mens sins be pleasant to them but so ill And bitter yea so bitter that none can Fully express the same or ever stand Under the burden it will on them lay When they from Life and Bliss are sent away When I have thought how often God doth speak Of their destruction who his Law do break And when the nature of the punishment I find so dreadful and that Gods intent Yea resolution is it to inflict On every sinner that shall stand convict I have amazed been yet to behold To see poor sinners yet with sin so bold That like the Horse that to the battel runs Without all fear and that no danger shuns Till down he falls O resolute attempts O sad amazing damnable Events The end of such proceedings needs must be From which O Lord save and deliver me But if thou think that God thy noble Race Will more respect than into such a place To put thee hold though thou his off-spring be And so art lovely yet sin hath made thee Another kind of Creature than when thou Didst from his fingers drop and therefore now Thy first Creation stands thee in no stead Thou hast transgressed and in very deed Set God against thee who is infinite And that for certain never will forget Thy sins nor favour thee if thou shalt dye A graceless Man this is thy misery When Angels sinned though of higher race Than thou and also put in higher place Yet them he spared not but cast them down From Heaven to Hell where also they lye bound In everlasting chains and no release Shall ever have but wrath that shall encrease Upon them to their everlasting woe As for the state they were exalted to That will by no means mitigate their fear But aggravate their hellish torment here For he that highest stands if he shall fall His danger needs must be the great'st of all Now if God noble Angels did not spare Because they did transgress will he forbear Poor dust and ashes will he suffer them To break his Law and sin and not condemn Them for so doing let not man deceive Himself or others they that do bereave Themselves by sin of happiness shall be Cut off by Justice and have misery Witness his great severity upon The World that first was planted wherein none But only eight the Deluge did escape All others of that Vengeance did partake The reason was That World ungodly stood Before him therefore he did send the flood Which swept them all away a just Reward For their most wicked ways against the Lord Who could no longer bear them and their ways Therefore into their bosom Vengeance pays We read of Sodom and Gomorrha too What Judgments they for sin did undergo How God from Heaven did fire upon them rain Because they would not wicked ways refrain Condemning of them with an overthrow And turned them to ashes who can know The miseries that these poor People felt While they did underneath those burnings melt Now these and many more that I could name That have been made partakers of the flame And Sword of Justice God did then cut off And make Examples unto all that scoff At holiness or do the Gospel slight And long it will not be before the night And Judgment painted out by what he did To Sodom and Gomorrha fulfilled Upon such sinners be that they may know That God doth hate the sin and Persons too Of such as still rebellious shall abide Although they now at Judgment may deride FINIS Prison-Meditations Directed to the Heart of SUFFERING SAINTS AND REIGNING SINNERS By JOHN BUNYAN in Prison 1665. 1. FRiend I salute thee in the Lord And wish thou may'st abound In Faith and have a good regard To keep on Holy Ground 2. Thou dost encourage me to hold My Head above the Flood Thy Counsel better is than Gold In need thereof I stood 3. Good Counsel's good at any time The Wise will it receive Tho' Fools count he commits a Crime Who doth good Counsel give 4. I take it kindly at thy hand Thou didst unto me write My Feet upon Mount Sion stand In that take thou delight 5. I am indeed in Prison now In Body but my Mind Is free to study Christ and how Unto me he is kind 6. For though men keep my outward man Within their Locks and Bars Yet by the Faith of Christ I can Mount higher than the Stars 7. Their Fetters cannot Spirits tame Nor tye up God from me My Faith and Hope they cannot lame Above them I shall be 8. I here am very much refresht To think when I was out I preached Life and Peace and Rest To Sinners round about 9. My business then was Souls to save By preaching Grace and Faith Of which the comfort now I have And have it shall till death 10. They were no Fables that I taught Devis'd by cunning men But God's own Word by which were caught Some sinners now and then 11. Whose Souls by it were made to see The evil of their sin And need of Christ to make them free From death which they were in 12. And now those very Hearts that then Were Foes unto the Lord Embrace his Christ and Truth like men Conquered by his Word 13. I hear them sigh and groan and cry For Grace to God above They loath their sin and to it dye 'T is Holiness they love 14. This was the work I was about When Hands on me they laid 'T was this from which they pluck'd me out And vilely to me said 15. You Heretick Deceiver come To Prison you must go You preach abroad and keep not home You are the Churches foe 16. But having Peace within my Soul And Truth on every side I could with comfort them controul And at their charge deride 17. Wherefore to Prison they me sent Where to this day I lie And can with very much content For my Profession die 18. The Prison very sweet to me Hath been since I came here And so would also hanging be If God will there appear 19. Here dwells good Conscience also Peace Here be my Garments white Here though in Bonds I have Release From Guilt which else would bite 20. When they do talk of Banishment Of Death or such like Things Then to me God sends Hearts content That like a Fountain springs 21. Alas they little think what peace They help