Images upon Tables and made Law to distinguish every Mans Propriety from another But those Laws being not able to Bridle them they at last invented there was a Just Eye in secret that observed every Unjust Action That so they might be afraid to steal or commit Fornication Answ That God made Man upright and that Man found out many Inventions part of which was the Languages now extant we acknowledge But withal we affirm That the first Language was a Natural Mental Speech Let such an Atheist read History For he shall find there is no History that shews the Manners of any People but it shews also or gives a hint of their Religion The Voice of every Animal likewise calling to the Lord of Nature when any sudden fear seizeth upon them proves a Superiour Power There was one told his Friend That when he was young he thought there was no Hell in the Conscience but now being old he began to doubt what if there be one Now seeing the Atheist pleads That as the Flame of an Extinguished Candle dissolves and loseth it self in the Circumambient Air even so the Taper of Life vanisheth into pure AEther and is no more when the Law of Union of Body and Soul is violated and broken Second Spira Answ Here some Atheist may perhaps acknowledge as Reason will force any one that hath common Sense that there is a First Mover Which is demonstrated in all things So many Fountains from one Trunk or Bole which is the Ocean So many Branches from one Root So many Members receiving a Radical Life from one Heart so many Stars receiving Light from one Fountain of Light the Sun But seeing he will not acknowledge that God will be so cruel to be the Cause of an Everlasting Hell to the Soul of Man I acknowledge the same thing Yet there is a Hell and that Eternally For if it were not so Man would have destroyed the whole Creation ere this time in which there is such an an excellent Order and sympathetical Harmony between Superiours and Inferiours between Bodies and their Spirits and rifled the Closet of him that sits Eternally upon the Fire the Root of every Being As God made all Visibies of Nothing or rather out of his own invisible Essence So thou O Chymical Atheist makest of the whole nothing § 8. By Religion and Dreams AGain The Atheist asserteth That Pride and Humility are but one thing only they differ a little in Circumstances For Pride looks upon all its desired Accomplishments to be behind i◠Humility expects its Perfections as being before it not yet attained And so Humility is a kind of Pride saying to it self Thou shalt be advanced to Honour some time or other Answ But let him know that right Honour is an Advancement of Love For in Heaven there is not the least defire of Revenge As may be seen in the Son of God himself than whom none is more Honourable yet He is that which helpeth and saveth Nature which is gone out of its Order and becomes a Servant of Servants stooping to Death for the sake of Mankind The Babe is greatest in Heaven But Honour that rigorously ruleth by Force is no Honour He is not long feared that is not always loved It is true God alone by his Power must keep up the Wall and Fence of the Gulf between the two Natures to keep them in Harmony which Harmony he himself is in the Abstract Or else the Fire of Hell would break in and destroy the being of the first Essence in the Love-World which was without beginning But the Atheist yet imagines that because he dreams of frightful things and the Idea's that he hath of them impress afflicting Resentments upon his Spirits as if they were real but when he awakes he saith all vanishes Second Spira Answ We will suppose a Man in a terrible Melancholick Dream and that the said man should Eternally remain in that Condition wherein the Soul is as really disturbed frighted and put out of Harmony as if he had been awake That is The Fright that he is assaulted with is real to the Imagination of the Soul as may be perceived that it many times trembles and continues in a trembling posture after waking a long time Now you will say all vanishes and passeth into Silence when the Soul recovers it self by the outward Senses Answ But suppose it had no such recourse as to seiz upon the Body and wake it when it is so exceedingly affrighted to rid it self out of the supposed imminent Danger Suppose it were then in the Sleep of Death and the Body will not be waked where shall the Body seek shelter then The temporal Sleep being a true figure of Death even the first Death or sleep of the Body in the Grave And as the Soul is sensible of a real Joy or Sorrow in Dreams and Visions So also in Death why may not it feel the same Seeing the Soul by its creative Imagination frames either an Heaven or Hell to it self and is really sensible thereof without the use of the material Organs while the Body is incapable of Sense in sleep or which is all one dead to the Natural Functions of the External Sensoriums So that it is very clear and plain against all Atheistical Deniers of the Souls Immortality even an Eternal Testimony for Gods being and the Souls everlasting abode either in Life or in feeling Deaths Property called Pain or Hell that there is no material thing that can hurt or afflict the Soul either in Sleep or Death but only its own Imagination or Turba which the Worm of the Soul causeth Thus in Dreams the Passion wherewith the Soul is affected seems a Shadow of a Fancy after waking So the matter of this outward World seems and is indeed nothing more than a Shadow in respect of the two Real Substantial Eternal Worlds For when this World was made or rather New-modelled or formed yet there was no new matter under the Eternal Sun §. 9. By Love's Passion AGain The Atheist objecteth The Irrational Animals dream as well as Man And therefore the Phantacy that fancieth Images in sleep is Temporary Answ In the Creation of the World there was no new thing done but what was done in the Eternal Mystery before in the Nonage of Time And all Created Beings will eternally abide in the Figure and Shadow Yet in the Stilness For when we say Beasts have no immortal Souls it must be meant they enter back again or downwards into the Root of their First Constitution That is Though they are now out of their first Order yet the Breach thereof shall not be imputed to them because it was not their Fault but Mans and they sprung forth each according to his kind or Eternal Property in the Seed of their Souls of Life so they shall be manifest Eternally in the same But the Atheist objecteth still That the Conceit of the Soul is very deceitful and as unconstant as Proteus For
if she be a Door of Invitation we will enclose her with boards of Coelestial Caedar to receive her saithful Shepherd in her Holy Habitation and Tent of Contentment under the Trees of Eternal Life §. 7. The Soul's Anguish THus as it happened to the Fool that is in Labour and Travail to obtain his false Delilah So it happened to this fair Virgin But they shall not have the same Catastrophe in the end of the Act or Play For they shall dye in a different manner which when they shall have sacrificed their Souls devoted to the service of their Lovers The one shall dye to his Condemnation The other to the Resurrection of Everlasting Life and Joy Now the Soul that slighted this fair Virgin being deceived by a blind Fancy of false Passion forsakes her for ever and falls in love with an unworthy Harlot far inferiour to himself and his nobility whereby he degenerates into a bestial State by a Soul-Transmigration Verifying the Proverb Pares cum paribus facillimè Congregantur And this Delilah only plays the Fool with him to sport her self and make a Mock play of him with her Companions and her fellow-Harlots And will not Love him again as he Loves her It is hard to rob a Thieves House And so he becomes a Vagabond and Fugitive upon the Earth and Eternally seeks after her but can never obtain her Love And though perhaps he may so far prevail with her as to have the favour of defiling her in the Bed of obscene wantonness yet that is only to give him a Taint of her Infection which will Eternally burn in and wast his griping Bowels And this is a Description of Mans Hell almost without a Metephor viz. A Separation of the Soul from God his desired Object in his dying Hour and last Minutes when he finds himself by Reason of a wilful and continued course in deadly Sins excluded the Enjoyment of Heaven nor can he lay any claim to the Benefit of the Sacrifice having shut himself out by false Lust falling in Love and being inamoured with a blind Passion A false Delilah having had the Flower of his youthful Love he is no more for her turn And so to speak in a similitude Mans Soul shall be confined to an Eternal Wilderness So that it is very clearly understood how the labour of the foolish Souls will weary every one of them because they know not the way to go to the City of mutual Love and Solace All which ways leads him to endless Sorrow and Miseries being the effects of Sin which confine him to an un-openable Prison in which he shall feel within him a Fire of Eternal Pain and aking of his Mind whereby his Heart shall burst in pieces and yet remain whole by renewing it to endure a fresh wracking Torment in the Grim Life §. 8. The Soul's Despair ANd all this because he would not allow the right Spirit of the Soul the thing that he earnestly begged and cryed after Yea he shall as through a Goal-Grate at times behold this Harlor who was the occasion of his Misery mocking him and saying O Fool now pay Eternally for thy Folly in believing me Now eat thy sower Sawce after thy sweet Meat Also he shall see Heaven above him by looking at times beyond the great Gulf and he shall to his Repentance ever to be repented and to his Grief never to be expiated at times espy his once fair Virgin whom he might have Eternally enjoyed to his unspeakable Solace and mutual Refreshment for she was if he had not undone the knot of true Love his own proper Right by the Law of Eternity And because he refused her there must be a Transmigration of Souls and out of his Ashes must spring another who will gladly step into his Throne and Love his Virgin who never was defiled And this his Rival-Successor he shall look at with an envious Eye embracing his Virgin who is now become his Rivals own by the unalterable Law of the Deity Thus this spiritual Adulterer shall see his Late Virgin in the dear Arms of another but he shall never in Eternity receive so much as one smile nor so much as one of her looks to refresh him wherewith his Heart used lately to be ravished Instead of this he shall Conceit she frowns upon him tho' indeed her Nature is ignorant of the manner of frowning And so shall feel intolerable Pain and Griping in his Conscience which is a difference or Combustion between the Soul and Spirit of the Soul because he hath foolishly squandred away his fair Virgious Gifts and scorned or refused a good or blessed Fortune which the Creator had appointed him And upon the Monument set over his Hâ—llish Grave shall be this Epitaph engraved Here lies the cursed Ashes the Object of Scorn once the Seat of the Fire of pure Love who deceived his own Soul like a Fool and now suffers the Punishment of his own procuring and burns in the Fire of his own kindling Therefore O Man have a Care defraud not the pure Mind of the true Pleasure it earnestly cryeth longeth and panteth after or of the Virgin it laboureth and travails for think not that it will be put off with Foperies and shammed with Toys of Vanity or lusled asleep by a Song of Vanity If it be cast by some Soporiferous Poyson into Sleep yet it will again awake to thy Condemnation And will never cease craving for the right Food that is proper for his Eternaâ— Health and Life and will by his Officer Scourge and Torment thee till he obtain his Desire §. 9. Late Repentance THerefore spend not thy Money for that which is not Right Bread nor thy Labour for that which profiteth not the Spirit of the Soul For I say again he will not be cheated For when the Body comes to drop as a Leaf from the Tree of the Soul to the Grave Death will by no means in the World by no fair Speeches be bribed to put off the time when the forcible Wind is sent to blow it down When the guilty Sinner sees that Death will not be put off then he endeavours to bribe the Souls Spirit and to speak him fair saying O be reconciled to me in my extremity The Soul's Spirit saith Fly hence thy House doth Crack it falls Get under Ground for safer Walls The Soul answers Oh but give me a token of thy savour before the thread of my Life be cut off by the Sword of the Cherub I have done brave Exploits for thee in former days O saith the Spirit so Lucifer's Cities were once famous where Satyrs now dance and doleful Birds howl No I will never be reconciled in Eternity to thee The time is past Where was this desire of Reconcilement before when I was willing to keep peace with thee on condition I should have my will and the end of my longing which once was easily attainable But now thou art wise too late O but saith the Soul
enquire wisely concerning this And the Day of Death if the Soul be perfected in its formation is better than the Day of the false Birth Dicique beatus ante Obitum nâ—mâ— supremaque funera debet No Man before Death should be accounted happy This World is a wide Prison and every Day is Execution Day §. 6. The Heavenly Feast stays for us THe Apostate Soul is like the Viper dying at the parturition of her young ones But the Right Soul is perfected at the Death of the Body Being formed a perfect Divine Man whose Form is the Image of the Deity Even then is the Marriage and full fruition of the Virgin of God who is to be cloathed in fine Linnen clean and white the Purity and Righteousness of a holy Soul as being her Delight and Ornament And therefore O Man be sure thou be related by Affinity to the Great Messias whose Bride will shortly make her self ready in the presence of God and the holy Angels Blessed art thou that shalt be called to the Wedding Supper of the Lamb-like Prince of Innocency These Sayings are Faithful and Real Not a Scene of an Imaginary Phantasie God would have all to be saved The Devil none And so neither of them is a Respecter of Persons The Reprobate wrongs himself yet seems to do the wrathful Powers a kindness Yet his kindness is no kindness He is like one that throws Brine into the Sea For Hell is never satisfied Come therefore O Man to Heaven and there thou shalt be welcome If thou art fairer than another he shall not envy but rejoyce at thy Beauty God himself desires thy company for there is a Superfluity of Dainties at his Feast The Profit of the Holy Earth is for all The King himself is served by the Fruits of Eden's Field But if we speak properly we must acknowledge God hath no loss by a Reprobate Soul seeing he is Perfection it self But the loss is thy own Thou hast not cheated the Virgin for she hath another appointed her upon thy Refusal But thou hast fooled deceived and put a Cheat upon thy â—elf and art fallen into the Snare which thou hast prepared for another And it is an ill Bird that defiles her own Nest They use to say of a Dâ—unkard or some such luxurious Fellow He doth no Hurt to any but what he doth to himself I pray who can trust such a 〈…〉 a harmless Man He is the greatest Cheat of 〈◊〉 who cheats himself Seeking to undermine God and his Virgin To be fore such a one if he finds but opportunity will prove false to his Neighbour also and to the whole Creation I love thee as my own Soul said a fat luxurious Man to his Sweetheart Then you love me not as your Body said she or you love me not at all For I see you love not your self because you repent not of your sins §. 7. Mans Self-Enjoyment Gods primary Glory THus many a Soul thinks to advance himself by a vain expectation of the Death of God Christ and the Soul's Spirit whose Officer is like to torment him in a Fiery Lâ—ke There was a rich thriving Man that had a Servant who thrived not at all but was very Unfortunate in outward things The Master indeed pitied him because he proved honest in his place and perhaps there was a vigilant Eye over him that he could not cheat his Master But his Master payed him the Arrears of his Wages and turned him away from his Service saying While you thrive not your self you cannot be profitable to another and therefore you are no servant for me and so God â—less you This is the Case between God the Master of the great humane Family and us his Servants Therefore every Man for his own Soul chiefly and God for us all And so where nothing is to be had God loses his Right as it were Yet he is accidentally glorisied by the Reprobate Heaven is the true End of Man or final Cause of the Soul And if the End be frustrated the whole Work is in vain It is the Glory of a King and the Ornament of a Kingdom that his Subjects are Populous and Valiant And Children are the Riches of a Parent So Man attaining the 〈…〉 his Generation becomes the Glory of God aâ—â— his Coelestial Kingdom But all is Vanity and a Frustration of the Right End whatever excludes and vexeth the pure Spirit of Soul and hinders him from reaching the scope of his Desire and Labour It might be judged that he that adventureth his best Jewel his precious Life in behalf of his Prince is a Magnanimous Man But as the Poet said Vivere pro patriâ dulcius esse puto So it is the case of the Soul And it is very clear For if the final Cause be marred or cut off the whole Action is vain As for instance A Man whose House is on fire and leaps into the Fire to save his Goods spoils the End And so doth a Thief that adventures his Life for the enjoyment of a sum of Money for he disesteems the End and undervalues it in comparison of the Meâ—ns to preserve and promote the said End The End of the Treasure stolen is to preserve Life If therefore he haâ—ards his Life in the attaining of it wheâ— it might he preserved without such hazard he is a Fool and a vain Fellow Just so is the Case of one that hazards his Soul in the attaining of some strange Lust or supposed Means of promoting the well-being of the Soul What is a House good for if the End which is Dwelling in it be frustrated 〈…〉 one that angleth with a Golden Hook and 〈…〉 own Flesh and rather than sleep in a whole 〈◊〉 â—â—igâ—atizeth his Soul §. 8. Spoil not the End for the Means ONe feared to go on a Message to the Grand Vizier saying He is so unconstant he may take my Head off upon no occasion given The Governour that sent him said I would he durst I will have a thousand of his Mens Heads off in lieu of it Yes but I question said the Embassador whether any of them will sit my Shoulders Thus may the Souls Spirit upbraid the Soul when sent by him upon desperate and unlawful hazarding of his Life Take another Example or Comparison A Dissolute Fellow under pretence of honouring his Prince and wishing well to his Patriots and Praying for the Health of his Friends Drinks large Healths as he calls them as in remembrance of his said Friends and to the Commemoration of their Prosperity And what is all this for but chiefly to gratifie his greedy Belly tub which like a sink receive these Health-resisting Bowls under pretence of Praying for the Health of another But let any impartial Man judge whether these impious pretended Salutations do add any thing to the Health or Happiness of him who is pretended to be the Subject of these flatteries Nay it is plain robbing of the King and his Honour and a
diminishing of his Revenues O Immortal Man to thee I speak and not to him that prefers Mortality to Eternal Life Love Vertue and her Gists Long Life Health Peace Plenty Joy and Rest from Labour Accept thou of the Fair Virgins Heavenly Balsom wherewith she will so embalm thy Soul that it shall never turn to Putrefaction but continue an Immortal Mummy for Gods use Now it is well known that the Humane Body while it is kept in Health and Fresh by the natural Balsom or Oil the Tincture of Life its natural Ferment it is preserved free from Decay or Rottenness For we well may see and observe when the Oil is corrupted by the Impur ties of Vâ—nus or some other anomalous means the Body many times gradually begins to rot above the Earth Live thou therefore Eternally O Humane Soul lest thou become also Subject to such a Fate And be thou Immortal For there is no Profit to God in the spilling of thy Holy Blood neither can they that go down into the Pit of Eternal Death Praise and Celebrate his Blessed Name §. 9. Seven Properties of a future Being LAy therefore thy Hand upon thy Heart O noble Soul and consider For the choice lies at thy own Hands Whether wilt thou choose to repossess thy Native Inheritance Or like a Fool to become Surety for a Stranger the Serpent or Worm who would invade thy proper Right Consider what thou dost before thou sign the Bond lest thou make a forfeiture of Heaven thy natural home and so suffer thy Soul to be fined and taken for a Pledge For what will it profit thee if thou shouldst gain the whole World while thy Soul which should enjoy it is amerced by a Mulct which never can be redeemed by any Ransom by the Law of the Soâ—lish Court And so thou shalt look upon Heaven with doleful Eyes as a Prodigal that is become a Beggar and begs a piece of Bread at the Door of his Fathers House to which he was born Heir now possessed by a Stranger But perhaps thou mayest say I have purchased a new Birth-right the Kingdom of Hell Nay Hell also spews thee out as being thy sworn Enemy and loaths thee as a false out coming Renegado or Traytor aiming to become Lord in the Kingdom whereunto thou wast not created Whether wouldst thou choose to feed on the Tree of Eternal Life in Paradise And to drink of the Living Fountains of Water or to be confined in the barren Heath of the Abyss where thou shalt be starved to Death Or else thou shalt Eternally Vomit out thy own Blood and the Poyson which thou didst swallow in this Life in Everlasting Pain and Sickness And when thou art about to fill thy Belly thy Enemy shall cast the Fury of his Wrath upon thee Wilt thou refuse Rest after thy Travails and a soft repose in the Beatisical Vision and Divine Recreation and Heavenly Joy And in stead thereof choose to sport with Hellish Squibs in Hell-Fire with Evil Angels Where thou shalt be terrified as a feaverish Body with broken Sleeps and frightful Dreams And all this for thy slothfulness in this Life Because thou wouldst not Labour in Harvest thou must want in the Eternal Winter While thou madest as if thou observedst the Wind and the Clouds for an excuse to thy Laziness when the time of Sowing and Reaping was Now therefore thou shalt neither Day nor Night see a sweet Repose of Sleep with thine Eyes O Poor Prisoner hard is thy Fate Wilt thou refuse Fair Wisdom the Virgin for thy Consort And choose to be a Fool or else to know Pain opposed to Pleasure and to be wise like God Or to become a raging Bedlam whose Wheel of the inward Seuses wants Reason to guide it Longing for strange things which are impossible to be attained Whether wilt thou choose to be a Valiant Hero in Heaven And a Conqueror of the World Or to pine away the Remainer of the Days of thy Eternity as a wounded Souldier Lurking in Holes from the noise of the Battel for fear of thy Enemies who won the Field And now a dreadful sound is in thy Ears as of a Hound or Hellish Fiend pursuing thee Day and Night and waiting to apprehend thee as a Catchpole by the Authority of Lucifer who will deliver thee to the Judge and so to the Officer who will do Execution upon thy cursed Body O faint-hearted Coward Now thy fears are in the way and lay wait to seize upon thee Wilt thou refuse the Bosom of thy chast Spouse for the embraces of a Harlot Wilt thou be the Devils Catamite Wilt thou loose thy beautiful Garments to sit in the Dust Wilt thou refuse Divine Honour of a Prince in the Kingdom of Heaven And choose to be hissed and mocked by them whom thou hast scorned and despised in this Life time Wilt thou leap down into the Abyss and Hellish Fire and there burn Eternally in the slame of aspiring self-love Wilt thou cast thy self down from the Pinacle of thy false Imagination and Fancy by highmindedness and Pride O stop the Carrcer of thy Mind lest thou fare as Luciser doth §. 10. 〈◊〉 Described O Heaven the Eternal source of all Joy O Paradise 〈◊〉 Garden of Everlasting Delight How shall I describe thee Even as the Holy Spirit worketh from Eternity to Eternity and continually manifesteth the inâ—â—â—ite and number less Forms oâ— the 〈◊〉 Virgins of God Just as the Earth produceth fair Forms of Plossoms Herbs and Fruits and putteth them forth sometimes more fair and manifesteth their Vertues more soveraign and powerful than at other times And when one ariseth in the Essence another falleth down And there is a continual lasting uncessant Enjoyment and Labour Thus likewise is the Paradisical blossoming in the Holy Bud of the Divine Pregnatress Where the Plants of Holy Souls stand as in a sweet odoriserous Meadow by one another And all is as a perpetual Love-combate or Wrestling-delight A blooming of fair and curious Colours in the Beauty of Gods Virgins An Harmony of excellent Heart-chearing Musick from their sweet Voices A pleasant ravishing Smell of Odorates in their Holy Breath A continual pleasant taste of Love in their Divine Kisses And a full Frnition of their Vertues as being the Productions of the Blessed Deity in the pure Garden of Everlasting Pleasure and Joy The Prince of Salem had a fair Vineyard in the Fields of Eden He set out the Vineyard unto Keepers of the Humane Race Every one for the Fruits and Prosits thereof was to bring and pay a thousand Pieces of Coelestial Gold My Vineyard which is mine by free Gift is before me saith the Virgin the Companion of the Holy Soul Thou O Price of Salem must have a thousand And they that keep the Fruit thereof five hundred Pounds or five Talents Now O Man dost thou know where to sind thy Souls Satisfaction Beware of despising the means A Sesvant being sorced to stay with a Master against
Spirit I was but now bathing in a River of Wine But what 's the Matter What are these qualms upon my Stomack They seem now to revenge my out-daring of Bacchus's Foes because I was not a fit Souldier for his Service Therefore his Chirurgion hath given me some of his Pills which now I cast up by filthy Vomitings and Spewings Sure he will give me a Foil at Wrestling Thus I shall stumble over the Dead and reel into a Grave of Worms and Serpents who will be drunk with my Blood Therefore O thou naturally found and healthful Spirit of Man The Luxurious is as full of Diseases as an Hospital For as the Night doth call him to the Supper of Surfeit And as the Morning doth rouze him to his Breakfast He languisheth in the hunger of his Lust making but one Meal a Day Until he hath glutted himself with the Dainties of his Delights And thus eating He wipeth his Mouth in a Corner Accompanied with his Drunken Hostess Whose Body is a Pit of Poyson But to touch it is danger of Death Therefore rather than Dine on her Delicates do thou mingle thy Meat with Mourning §. 6. For spoiling the Souls Sport THen comes a Third the sluggish Harlot come my Dear saith she we will go to the Gaming-house or if thou please to the Temple of the Gods where we will send for the blind Lover our Captive to make us some Sport We will have Musick and Dancing We will wheel about our God Now our Bellies are glutted with the butcherly and bloody Sacrifice of Beasts we will rise up to Play We will lye upon Beds of Ivory and stretch our selves upon our Lazy Couches We will chant to the sound of the Viol And invent to our selves Instruments of Musick like David the sweet Psalmist of Israel We will sing his Psalms in Canting and Mocking of God But O Man consider Give not thy Heart to the Musick of false Mirth Tremble to tread in the Tracks of it Use the Cross as thy Crutches to bear thee upright in the Way Nail the Flesh to the Fashion thereof And the Spirit shall save the Soul Give not sleep O Man to thine Eyes nor slumber to thine Eye-lids Vntil thou find an Habitation for thy self with thy Virgin For thou art born to a good Fortune When O Sluggard wilt thou awake from thy sleep The Day is far spent Go to the Antâ— Consider her ways and be wise at last If not this Harlot hath prepared a Net of Mischief to ensnare thee She will hunt thee into her Pit As thou didst drive the Beasts of thy own Image into the Nooze to be slain So she will draw thee as a Beast into the depth of her Dungeon But the Counsel of the Virgiâ— is the safety of Deâ—ence Which delivers thee from the sweep of her Dragg It saves thee from sliding in the slippery Places And stablisheth thy standing on the Rock Avoid Her that enticeth into every treacherous Trap And allureth into the Doors of Destruction She polisheth her Parlour with artificial carved Images and with the works of most curious Limners Her Entry inviteth with the Odors of Perfumes But her Bed is the Infection of Plague Her Breath is the Contagion of Death And her Breasts the Bottles of Bane He that layeth his Head to repose between them shall be smothered in a deep sleep Enter thou not into the Doors of her House Lest her allurements should murder thy simplicity For she will entice thee with all things that are lovely to the Eye But her purpose is to an end of Slaughter Mark the Line of her Path And behold whom she catcheth with her Hook He that studies the steps of her Feet runs swift to the Doom of Destruction But he that seeks deliverance from her Door shall dwell in the Temple of God He shall draw to a Rest from the Travel of Iniquity which shall compass his Soul with Salvation If this will not do then comes another the Crafty Witch Saying come to my School and I will make thee a Necromancer I will teach thee all the Philosophical Learning of the World and the highest Contemplation of things Thou shalt understand how the Worlds Wheel is rolled about And how the Chain of Eternity is entangled by an indissolvable Band So thou shalt be accounted the Wise Magus among the People O! I will not do so saith the right Spirit of the Soul I am afraid of the Deep of Deeps Lest I fall headlong into the Abyss and by searching and seeking the Universal Tincture I may get a wound in my Soul and then I shall be sent to finish my Contemplation in a Circle of Misery Therefore O Man be wise This false Wisdom is a snare of Death which is hid from the Eye of Man He seeth not her mischievous End Because she hath made his Day a Curse She bewitched by enchantments a couple in Paradise and dragged them from Life to Death And bolted their Generations within the Doors of Darkness And locked them from the Light of the Day Beware therefore lest she lead thee by her subtle Art and Serpentine Wisdom To taste of the Tree of Knowledge of Evil and Good Whose Fruit is desirable to make one wise And to open the Eyes of Curiosity §. 7. For hindering the Propagation of the Species BUT anon the Amazonian shews her self whose hand is against every one and every ones hand against her She will accompany thee in a Virile Garb to the Field of Mars and lead thee to Akeldama She will beat Plough-shares into Swords and perfume thy Nostrils with the stink of her murdering Powder She will perswade thee to cut off many of thy fellow-Creatures as a mighty Hunter of Men before the Lord as if the Earth were too narrow to maintain such a numberless number of Men in the same world saying Keep up thy Pomp gallantly and oppress all monyless Wretches and Widows Make many Martyrs by thy Sword of Cruelty and Rigour Search for the pâ—ths which the Lyons Whelps have not trodden and which the Vultures Eye hath not seen For there is a Vein for the Silver and a Place for the hidden Treasures of Gold But the Martial Iron is Lord of both Dig therewith into the Bowels of thy Fellow-Offspring and see if the Golden Mine be there or no. If any oppose thee see here I give thee these snaky Hairs as so many Furies in the Conscience O no I had rather saith the Souls Spirit dwell in the Corner of a poor Cottage in content and quietness than with a brawling Whore such as thou art in a wide Habitation I had rather sleep in a whole Skin than to boast of Wounds and Scars upon my Body Let Cyrus if he like it glut himself in his Bowl of Blood I love not his Mess I am weary with such Sacrifices This Martial Strumpet drags the Valiant by the Nose and the Lofty by the Fore-lock Yea the Mighty do plunge in her Bloody
his Will whom he loves nor will never seek to please him You shall never have any good of a Maid that is compelled to Marry against her Will She will be but the more perverse the more you endeavour to humour her Have a Care lest thou neglâ—â—â— thy own Good And when thou art well hope not in vain for higher preferment lest thou justle thy self out of all and repent too late A Hen or some other Fowl aiming at the End of Procreation by the impulse of the natural Spirit counts it no toil to sit upon her Eggs a whole Month or more or less and is willing to be confined without the Element of her Pleasure and Recreation Mayest thou be as willing to promote the Glory of God the End of thy Journey and Labour which to promote is the right Heaven of Mans Soul To which place O King of Heaven direct us all Amen CHAP. X. The Souls Transmigration § 1. Christ the Lawful King BEtter is a Poor and Wise Child the innocent off-spring of God than an old and foolish King that tyrannizeth over the pure Seed who will no more be admonished as being Reprobate or past Reproof For out of an infectious Prison or Dungeon of Darkness he cometh to Reign as being no lawful Heir and not of the Right Line He is an Usurper Whereas also every Subject the Faculties of his Mind that is born in his Kingdom becomes Eternal Beggars I considered all the Living which walk under the Sun of Time with the second Child of Regeneration that shall stand up and sit in the Divine Throne Eternally in his stead There is no end of all the People and Subjects of illegal Tyrants even of all that have been before them in â—â—cifers Apostacy whose Seed lives in the Humane Generation They also that succeed or come after either before or after the end of this World shall not rejoyce in Lucifer or an Humane Usurper This also is Vanity and Vexation of God's Holy Spirit The Humane Commonwealth comes to Ruine under a Foolish Prince even as the Feet stumble by the Intoxication of the Head In the Day of Prosperity be joyful and when things fadge well between thee and thy Virgin let thy Heart be merry But in the Day of Adversity when thou art crossed in thy Desire or Love by the Sorceress consider what thou art a doing God also hath set the one over against the other to the end that Man should find nothing after and Superior to the fair Virgin of God worthy to be sought after §. 2. His Right to Reign THe Fire of Hell and the Ocean-Womb of Eternity are good Servants but bad Masters The Virgin it is true should be Queen in the Humane Republick And the Spirit of the Soul Vice-Roy But if Man inverteth the right Order he himself must pay the Forfeiture or suffer the Penalty Yet the Rebel must have his due And as the Proverb saith He that cannot bear to be a Servant let him be his own Servant When thy Work is done and the Crown obtain'd then rest in Security but wo to him that hath an ill Name in his Youth He will be suspected by the Virgin As having put the Crown of blooming Youth upon the Serpents Head But if thou follow Vertue thou mayest become the Head of all thy kindred Therefore O Son of the Virgin if thou seest the oppression of the Poor Spirit of the Soul in the Humane Republick Marvel not at the matter and if thou beholdest a violent perverting of Justice and Judgment in the Soulish Province for a time wonder not For he that is higher than the proudest and highest Mind regardeth And there be higher than they For the Spirit though ost as a Servant walking a Foot in low place is higher than the Rebel Soul O Man mark what I say I the Preacher returned and reflected upon all the Oppressions that are done under the Sun of this vain Light And behold the Tears of such as were oppressed and the sighing of the Spirit of the Soul and they had no Comforter And on the side of the Soul there Oppressour there was Power for there was no Compulsion to draw him to Sin against his Will but he would not open his Ear of Compassion Wherefore I praised the Dead that are already Dead even the Mortal Animals more then the Living that are yet alive for a time but are like to dye the Eternal Death Yea better is he then both they which have not yet been who hath not seen the Evil that is done under ehe Sun of Time and Eternity An Embryo is more happy than the false Birth Yea an Eunuch is happier than he that is joyned to the Witch like Traduction of a false Will which rebelleth against the Will of the Deity All these things have I seen in the Days of my Conversation in the Vanity There is a Just one the Spirit that perishe or rather vanishes in his Righteousness And there is a wicked one the false Mind who prolongeth his Life of Eternity in his wickedness and yet would willingly Dye but shall not find Death §. 3. False Judgment THis also have I seen and applied my Heart to every Work that is done under both Suns there is a Time wherein one Ruleth over another as the Soul oveâ— the Spirit to his own Eternal Hurt And so I saw the wicked buried in the Abyss who had come and gone from the Place of the Holy by his Aposâ—acy And they were forgotten in the Holy City where they had done any good for their good Works did not follow them This is a great Vanity Because Sentence against an evil Work is not executed speedily for the Spirit of the Soul or Conscience hath not Power to pronounce it till the Day of Death therefore the Heart of the Soul Son of the Humane Root is fully set upon mischief by plotting against his own Judge and working wickedness against God's Friend But know this though a Sinner do evil an hundred times and the Days of his Eternity be prolonged in Pain and Horrour Yet surely I know that it shall be well with the Spirit of the Soul that fears to Sin against God's Law and to the Soul that consents to the Spirit and fears before him And so all is well that ends well But it shall not be well with the Wicked neither shall he prolong his Days of Vanity in this inferiour World which are as a Shadow and whose Spirit will vanish as an Image in a Looking-glass because he feareth not God and to offend his Virgin There is a Vanity which is done upon the Earth of Humanity that there be Just men unto whom if they Apostatize it happens according to the Work of the Wicked And if the Father hath eaten sower Grapes the Child of this Apostate as by Transmigration of or into an unlucky off-spring his Teeth shall be set on Edge Again there be wicked ones to whom if they retract it
HEAVEN The End of Man OR FINAL CAUSE OF THE SOUL's SPIRIT By WILLIAM WILLIAMS Teutonico-Philosopho-Theologus Juvenal Satyr VIII Summum crede nefas animam praeferre pudori viz. Virginis Pudicitiae Et propter vitam vivendi perdere CAVSAS Viz. Deum Efficientem Virginem Formalem Coelum Finalem Causam He that loveth his Life above the end of Life shall lose it LONDON Printed for Eliz. Whitlock in Amen-Corner near Stationers-Hall 1696. READER THou art here presented with a small Tract written in an Uncommon Stile The Author hath been much conversant in and a Studier of the Teutonick Philosophy His Notions which he hath here delivered though somewhat uncouth yet are they not to be rejected He hath express'd himself for the most part in a Metaphorical manner in which the Curious Readers are desired to receive them With this Request Not to permit the Non or Misunderstanding of the Rational Reader if not a little Elevated and more Divinely Enlightned then the unthinking World generally is be imputed as a fault to the Unintelligibleness of the Book it self It is not denied but that somewhat may be Objected against it but what then I know of no Systems of Divinity nor Philosophy exposed to Humane View but there may be Objections raised that cannot by the best Wits be easily if at all Answered It will likewise be expected from him that is so Captious and enviously Critical to set forth something in which will be no Contradiction nor Disconsonancy and then he may more reasonably find fault But as it is improbable nay utterly impossible to please all so the Author expects not to be disliked by all and if what he hath here publish'd please but the best or be profitable to any he hath his end who desires nothing more than the Manifestation of the Truths of God in Nature and Scripture whose aim and end is to be his Servant and every Mans Brother Dum Spiritus hos regit Artus Reader Thou mayst here perceive 1. What Mans Condition was 2. What it is 3. What it ought to be 4. What it ought not to be 5. What it may be if he accept 6. Or if he refuse 7. What it must be if persevere 8. Or if he fall from Grace 9. What it will be in the Bliss 10. Or in the Curse CHap. I. The Souls Antiquity S. 1. Lucifer's Noble Birth 2. Lucifer's Fall 3. His Captivity 4. The Souls Eternity 5. Man now a Subject of Time 6. The Souls Circle 7. Fatal Necessity of the Souls being 8. Gods Repentance 9. His Ballance allows the same event c. 10. All alike relieved by a poor wise Man Chap. II. The Souls Longing 1. Crying Give give 2. Seven-fold Craving 3. The Souls Importunity 4. He desires some real thing 5. It is no Whimsey 6. Atheists Objections Answered 7. By Humane Laws 8. By Religion and Dreams 9. By Loves Passion 10. By the Seven Properties Chap. III. The Souls Allegiance 1. There is a Divine Law 2. It altereth not 3. Yet it is inverted by Man 4. But it must be observed 5. To indulge the good Genius c. 6. It is no indifferent thing 7. Mans Portion from God 8. The Fool neglecteth it 9. And hateth his own flesh 10. No middle state Chap. IV. The Souls Rebellion 1. The Fools Appetite 2. Trust not in Vncertainties 3. The Lawâ—ivers Example 4. His Wisdom 5. Travall appointed to Man 6. Christs Sorrows 7. Mans Ignorance 8. And Mortality 9. Thantasie inverted 10. Soul and Body most sympathize Chap. V. The virgins Suit 1. Mans Meet Hâ—lp 2. Virgin Vertue 3. The Beginnings of Grace 4. The Excellency of Vertue 5. The Gospel of Peace 6. The Pleasantness of Vertue 7. Divine Contemplation 8. The Contentment of Vertue 9. The Acceptable Sacrifice 10. The Authority of Vertue Chap. VI. The Whores Suit 1. The Soul 's Backsliding 2. The Baits of Sin 3. Seven-fold Vice 4. The blind fall headlong 5. The Destruction of the Individuum 6. For spoiling the Souls sport 7. Not propagating the Species 8. Degrading the Soul 9. The Divine Reprover in the Conscience 10. Misery the end of Vice Chap. VII The Virgins Espousal 1. Reconcilement 2. Consecration of the Soul 3. Full Assurance 4. Perfect Liberty 5. Religious Vows 6. Pious Resolution 7. Seven-fold Vertue 8. Seven-fold Reward 9. Grace turned into Wantonness 10. By Double-Heartedness Chap. VIII The Virgins Farewel 1. Beware of falling from Grace 2. For there is no third Recovery 3. Vertue very Rare 4. Christs profered Service slighted 5. A seared Conscience 6. The Tallent given to another 7. The Souls Anguish and 8. Despair 9. Late Repentance 10. Hellish Blasphemy Chap. IX The Souls Rest 1. Where is this Rest 2. Not Gods fault if missed 3. God alloweth Time 4. And Tallents 5. The â—eed sown at Death 6. The Heavenly Feast stays for Man 7. Mans self-enjoyment Gods glory 8. Spoil not the End for the Means 9. Seven fold state in Eternity 10. Heaven Describ'd Chap. X. The Souls Transmigration 1. Christ is the Lawful King 2. His Right to reign in Man 3. False Judgment 4. Retaliation 5. The Souls Metamorphosis 6. Work in time 7. Before the Evil Days come 8. Before a second Apostacy 9. No Redemption out of Hell 10. The Conclusion HEAVEN The End of Man OR FINAL CAUSE OF The SOULS Spirit CHAP. I. The Souls Antiquity The PREFACE THe Words of the Eternal Preacher Son of God King of Heaven Vanity of Vanities saith the Great Prophet Vanity of Vanities All the Labour of Lucifer is Vanity And it is in vain to act against God it shall never prosper What profit hath Lucifer now of all the Labour in opposition to God which he hath taken under the Sun of his Eternity One Generation of Angels hath passed away and another humane off spring comes in their stead But the Kingdom and the Prize which is to be contended for abideth still §. 1. Lucifer's Noble Birth WHen Almighty God was pleased to multiply himself in Generating the holy Angels even the three Throne-Angels from whom again sprung many thousand Millions Lucifer's Dominion stood in the middle betwixt Michael and Vriel And he receiving and partaking of the brightness and beauty of the other two as by reflexive Rays was invested with a most transcâ—ndent Glory and Fairness But when he gazed and looked upon the most excellent Clarity and Beauty of the Son of God and also of his Pure and Blessâ—d Virgin making her self ready as a Bride for the reception of her Husband and when he perceived that this Virgin of God was the most beautiful of the Virgins he took a distaste against his own Virgin whom God had appointed for him as his chaste Consort and fell deeply in love with Gods Queen Virgin desiring to be like her or indeed brighter and fairer than she And was exceeâ—â—liâ—â—ly importunate to unite with and defile her in the Bed of Incest not being content to enjoy her pleasant Aspect and Serenity to
if the Mind strongly conceits a Heaven to it self the Mystery of the same conceit unknown makes an intension of its Heaven We often see that Love after Marriage grows Languid Whereas the same Love before the Enjoyment of its wished Object was so elevated and wrapt up in the said Object that it counted the same a seeming Heaven But many times two Lovers who have attained to the Blossom of the Tincture of Venus insect one another by their burning Lust so that they become Deadly Enemies even these very same Persons who were ready to impart the Heart within them one to the other if it could be done without Deaâ—h And tho' sometimes the Complexion of others are more Noble and still some Love remains yet it is not always so pure and faithful as the first As may be seen by Experience that many in Wedlock hunt after Whoredom and wandring Beds more than they did when in a single state Answ The Original of Love and Propagation proceedeth from the hiddennefs of the Virgin All things grasp after the Virgin and that made the Spirit of this World grasp and reach after Man because he found the Virgin in Man before the Fall And when a young Man loves a Maid he thinks to find the Virgin in the said Maid but when he Unites with her and toucheth the Tincture of Venus but cannot get the Virgin in his Possession then followeth a less Esteem of the Felicity which he thought to find in her §. 10. By the Seven Properties SAy what you will saith the Atheist He that hath Skill to rule his own Spirit may draw his Affections and Fancy to what Object he pleaseth Answ Ask thy own Mind why will not it give over Imagination and lie in Silence Ask a Mad-man why he will not stop the Wheel of his Mind that rolleth about too violently Ask a Man why he will not in sleep dream of Comedies And enquire whether any of these have power over this Spirit of Phantacy to retain the Spirit by his own Power It is true both in the Light and in the Wrath-World which soever of the Seven Properties are predominant in the seven fold Wheel of the Eternal Mind that will by and by be lowermost But in the Love Kingdom one Property desireth not to expel the rest out of the Harmony or to move and turn the Wheels backward This is demonstrated in all things especially in Musick For tho' there be insinite Varieties of Notes and Tunes according to the Altering and Transposings of the seven Sounds yet tho' the Saturnine or Martial String may be predominant while an Instrument is dexterously handled the rest by a secret sympathy will bind them in a Melodious Harmony And this is also observable That the end of a Tune hath some Resemblance to the beginning there-thereof to shew that when the Harmony of the Sphears or Stars of Time shall find its beginning again then will it be swallowed up in an Eternal Consort of the Properties Excepting those Essences who have spoiled their Materials or rather changed the form of their Breasts according to the Pattern of which the Instrument is to be tuned It may also be seen in the Variety of other Sensibles For in taste there are many thousand Varieties yet if the seven Properties be rightly and artificially mixed tho' the Saturnine property be predominant yet the other Properties will bind it in an equal Accord The like is understood of other qualities too tedions to enumerate Thus by what hath been said it is clear that a terrible Dream comes from the multitude of vain Business and a Fool in his Eternal Melancholly Fit of Angnith snores in a deep sleep of Despair and sees horrid Spectiums that imposeth real Punishment upon his Soul according to his Lot and Degree And to answer the aforesaid Objection it is consest that when a Man is in love with a Maid the Object engaged to his Noblest Passion her Idea being as it were stamped upon his Spirit with the Character of Sympathy Tho' you proser him another Maid far more worthy in Beauty and Nobility than the former yet none will content his Fancy or stop the current of his Passion but the Enjoyment of her to whose Service he was made Votary before or Death Even so the Soul being in love and enamoured with his fair Virgin though you proffer him all the External Joys and Pleasures that the World can afford yet the Soul doth slight all and contemn them in comparison of the Virgins Love Answ Tho' this External Love hath some Analogy if it be pure and Faithful to the love between the Soul and Gods pure Virgin yet there is a difference between the Phantacy and Imagination in its pursuit after divers Objects The Object makes the Difference For if the Soul takes a Shadow for a Substance there 's the Deceit and the great Error And so as one said Ow. Epigr. If chaste true Love be accounted the greatest Terrestrial Happiness what may we suppose Calestial Love to be CHAP. III. The Souls Allegiance §. 1. There is a Divine Law NOw the Question is Whether the Soul be left loose or dissolute to do that which is right in the sight of his own Eyes not subject to a Law not enjoyned to obey his King by an Oath of Allegiance and so left open to hostile Powers who may allure him and draw him to the Traps of headlong Ruine and Destruction And by this means Religion may degenerate into Sceptism Answ It must be confessed There is a Perfect Law of Liberty but it is in subjection to Gods Spirit in Love not by a slavish Fear For instance A little Child before he can go must be under Guardians and not permitted to creep where he will But when he is so educated that he knows how to comply to the beck of his Guardian or Tutor he is let loose to go where he will and yet he will not do what his Tutoâ— hath forbidden him if he be of a pliable Disposition efpecially having had experience of the Crosness of another Tutor or Master Tho' our Ancestor went beyond his Bounds in a like Case Again Here ariseth agreat Question Where lieth the great Mistake that many a Soul must wander at a Fugitive and never find a Lodge of quiet Repose Is there a Counter-Law in Eternity that forbids him to find Ease O no The Antient Law of Eternity doth strictly command the Soul to give the Souls Spirit the thing that he longs after the Object that he earnestly desireth There never was any other Law in Eternity nor ever will any be repugnant to this Feed on the Tree of Eternal Joy and pure pleasant Life Thou mayest eat of all the fair and pleasant Trees in the Garden of Eternal Delight Yea thou must eat of them But touch not the Tree of Pain opposed to Pleasure upon penalty of feeling Pain without end or of entering into the Property of Death that is Thou
Man as for his Mouth for the Preservation of the Individuum and the Propagation of the Species and yet the Appetite of the Fool is never filled For what hath the Wise Conceited more than the Fool What hath the Poor and Vagabond Beggar that faith he knoweth how to walk before the Living Bâ—tter is the sight of the Eyes and real Enjoyment of the thing longed for then the Vagabond wandring of the Desire This is Vanity and a grievous Vexation of the Spirit of the Soul That which hath been is named already And it is known that it is Man who is the second Angel Neither may be contend as Lucifer did with the Deity who is mightier than he and Cross the natural Inclination of his Soul by forcing it to change it into the contrary Property and so to desire on Opposition of both Seeing that there be many things that increase Vanity which is no real Felicity to the Soul what is Man the better if he try the false Tree and Poyson himself as Lucifer For what Fool knoweth what is good for Mans Perfection in this Life all the Day of his vain Life which he spendeth as a Shadow or a Fancy For who shall tell him what shall be after him under the Sun of Vanity Nay though he should know that out of his Ashes should arise a vertuous holy Property yet that will not bring him back to the Living and immortal Nature §. 9. And hateth his own Flesh AGain I considered all Travel and every right Work that for this a Man is envied of his Neighbour Lucifer This Envy is also Vanity for it will not prosper And it increaseth the Vexation of his proud Spirit The Fool foldeth his Hands together and rather then stir to find that which his Soul desireth he Eats his own Flesh There is one alone and there is not a second Yea he hath neither Successor nor Companion Yet there is no End of all his Labour after something that the Soul wanteth not Neither is the Eye of his Mind satisfied no more then the Grave or Horse-Leâ—ch with vain Riches Neither saith he for whom do I labour and bereave my Soul of that which it longs after This is a great Vanity and a sore fruitless Labour Then after all I commended Mirth and true Pleasure because a Man hath no better thing under the Temporal or Eternal Sun then to Eat the pure Manna and Drink the Nectar that God hath appointed him and chear up his Heart and be Merry for that shall abide with him of his Labour all the days of his Eternal Life which God hath appointed and given him under the Sun of Immortality Though I said before that there was an unalterable Law or Rule of Eternity by which all Eternal Creatures Angels and Men must be governed yet it is not meant that this Law was any other than a Law of natural Love It was no Imposition contrary to the Inclination of the said Eternal Essences For to speak properly a Law is given to shew Transgression But it was a Law of Love and Sympathy which they by natural Instinct observed as naturally as every Creature loves Life and shuns Death It was the straight Rule of Eternal Life and Joy From which if any Eternal Essence swerve and change his Form and become Crooked it cannot be ever made straight again And that which is wanting to the composing of an Harmony cannot be numbred in the Election of God It was the Law of pure Philautia Love thy self and God whose Image thou thy self art Indulge thy Fortunate Genius defraud him not This Law was not indifferent but necessary and therefore may well be termed an Eternal Law §. 10. No Middle State BUt perhaps some may say I desire no such sensibility or Knowledge of extraordinary Joy and Pleasure in the enjoyment of my Life If I could but avoid Pain and Death I desire no more Or if I could be annihillated again I would be content I labour not after the Promotion of Pleasure in the highest intenseness or degree that my Soul is capable to partake of which this Law enjoyns me to I desire but a little Corporal Pleasure and that but for a time in this Life I Answer thou shalt not be left to thy Choice herein For thou art strictly bound to avoid Death and love thy Life Aut Coesar aut nullus Either give me my Desire or nothing Saith the Soul and for this end thou wast Created and Begotten to increase the Joy of thy Mind to its highest Pitch as a Play-fellow in the Scene of Heaven And yet not so much for the sake of others as if the Divine Joy were not perfect without Thee but chiefly for thy own sake and for the sake of the Divine Prisoner within Thee who longs to be released out of Captivity For it is but just and fit that if any will not Dance with the Celestial Incolist's in the Divine Sport of Love but murmureth and is discontented He shall be excommunicated and turned out of the Society as a Disturber of the harmless Peace and Love-sport CHAP. IV. The Souls Rebellion §. 1. The Fools Appetite NOW then O Man I will ask Thee a Question Dost thou think thou camest to be a Creature into the World purposely to Eat and Drink and to take thy Pleasure Thou wilt say No perhaps But I say Yes That was the Cause thou camest into this World and only so thou glorisiest thy Creator who sent for Thee out of the Abyss and Womb of Eternity This was his beginningless Law to Angels and Manpreceding Essences and this same Law will stand for Man-succeeding Creatures in the endless Eternity if any shall ever be Created by the Creator hereafter when the Humane World shall be consummated For as we said before All the Labour of Man is for his Mouth and his holy digesting Throat if he knows how to feed on the Tree of Eternal Life and Pleasure in eating and drinking and sporting in the Angelical Pastime and gathering of Flowers in Paradise And yet the Appetite of the Fool who misused this Pleasure and contracted upon himself the Disease of the Greedies is not filled His Canine Appetite or Orexis is never satisfied Again another Fool longs after strange Heterogeneous Objects which tend not to the satisfaction of the Appetite and are not proper Food for him And gives his Money for that which is not Bread and his Labour for that which profiteth not his Soul and the well-being of himself What is Man the better for them What would this Fool have He knows not himself He wills this He refuses that He wracks himself and his own Spirit And what is this but much Pains to little purpose And though it be true that it is a piece of Wisdom to reserve the best till last And he is not wise that suffers himself to be condemned by the poor silly Ant who knows by an instinct of Nature or Law of Creation his time
for thee now the Flowers of thy Virgin Beauty appear on my humane Earth The Time of Melody of Birds is come And the ravishing Voice of my Musical Virgin is heard in my Land Heark The Queristers of the Grace-inspiring Air do change their Notes The Black-bird and Thrush are my Companions in the Greening Groves They refresh my inspired Somâ— with a Divine Song of Praise to their Creator While I endeavour to bear the burden with my slender Shepherds-pipe And then pretty Philomel closes up the Day of Alacrity with sweet Epithalamiums And the Lark admiring the Beauty of my late-risâ—n Light mounts the fair Welkin to partake of its splendour And the rest of the Aerial Trâ—op manage the Consort tilâ— the Cool of the Blessed Evening Here he Plower flyeth with the â—assel And the Phesant keep slight with the Fâ—lcon Neither doth the P rtridge know Engine or Noosy Thread nor dreads the switter slight oâ— the Hawk Nor is the Lark dared with the Hobby §. 8. The Contentment of Vertue THE Figtâ—â—e putteth forth her Green Figs And the Vines of chearfulness with the tender Grape of Delight in the Patâ—s of pure Veâ—tue new budding in the hâ—dge of Distinction of the two Natures giâ—e a â—ragiant Sâ—â—â—sâ— Let every one enjoy himself in true Rest and Tranquâ—lity under his Vâ—ne and under his Fig-tree Where none shall make him afraid For now the golden Ages are again returning Jam redit Virgo redeunt Satâ—rnia regna Arise my Love my Fair one and come away Come with me from the sair Fâ—rrest my Sister Go with me from the greening Grove my Spouse Look from the Mountains of my late moanings from the Top of the Rocks of despair From the Lions Den From the Laborious Hills of the Leopards No wild Beast hath Power to hurt us while thou art our Princess For the Kâ—ds with the Flock Sport with the Wolf and run about the Bear for Diversion The Lion lies down with the Lamb and eats Grass as an Ox Nor is any thing of Emulation known in this sacred Creation For the Tyger sports with the Herd and the Dove Queen of the Fowls takes Wing with the Eagle and Vulâ—ure her Subjects And the little Child may lead the Lion upon the Mountain of the Leopards And the Suckling may play at the hole of the Asp and Cockatrice and receive no hurt As being the Regenerate Babe of the Blessed Birth None shall hurt or destroy in all this holy Mountain Come my Dear Shepherd Let us go into the fair Fields of Eden Let us lodge in the Aâ—gelical Villages who live in the next Nature of our Neighbourhood Let us get up early to the Vineyards of Life Let us see if the Heart-chearing Vine of spiritual Joy doth sloarish Whether the Grape of the Regeneration appears and the Pomâ—granates of Eternal Refreshments bud forth There will I give thee my Loves in the Garden of Dâ—lights Where no Cankers or Caterpillars breâ—d out of Putresaction Nor are Northern Blasts injurious to us Our Fields are full fraught with Flowers and Odorates For no Serpent hath Admission to taint the Fruit of Life And our Earth in abundance brings forth Pleasures whose Womb is the Store-house of Heavenly Treasures The Humane Plant is Odoriferous and at â—ur Gates are all manner of pleasant Fruits of Eternal Life which I have laid up for thee O my Beloved §. 9. The acceptable Sacrifice BVT tell me O Shepherd tell me O thou whom my Soul lâ—veth where thou feedest thy Sheep and where thou makest thy â—locks to rest at No n and I will meet thee in thy Rural Pastures O let me not be as one turned aside from the Frocks of thy Companions O thou Princess wilt thou condescend to my Rural Recreations Wilt thou of a Princess become a Shepherâ—ess If thou wilt debase thy self so low then go thy way forth by the Tracks of the Flock of Innocency and thou shalt see how I feed the Kids and Lambs beside the Shepherds Tents and preserve them in their Innocent State For here the Golden Rule must be kept among all the Creatures where each one doth justice by kind and not that the dread of Punishment should compel them For the Râ—y of Justice is so generally distributed that it naturally shines in every one â—he Creatures of tâ—is New Creation which is â—lso the beginningless live pâ—rely by instinct not making their Bodies the Sepulchre of dead Carkasses Here the Innocent Lamb because not knowing the Terrors of Death would readily if occasion were proffer his Throat to the shrines of the Altar And the Calf is so far from fear that he dreads not the formidable stroke of Separation because he knows by natural instinct there is no Butcherly or Bloody Dog in this Land There is no living here for the Rapacious §. 10 The Authority of Vertue BEhold thâ—u art fair in my Eye O dear Shepherdess Also this Green place of Repose is pleasâ—â—t The Beams of our Arbors are Cedar and the Rafâ—erâ— of ou Pastoral House are of Fir. See how the lofty Cedars lifâ— up their Majestick Heads And the Martial Oak stand by them The trembling Aspâ—hakes his Palsiâ— Crown Behold iâ— is calm in this cook â—avâ— behind this Bâ—ech of Tranquility where the Vine full-loaded with Grapes of Purity is a Shadow of Pleasure embracing the Olive under the Holy Mount And the Eglantine entangles it self with the Rose The Honey-Suckle ties knots about the Arbortes Oh! some body take away the Foxes and chase the Young Wolves that spoil the Vines For our Vines have tender Grapes being but newly budding in the Gardâ—n of my Heart My Beloved is mine and I am his He feedeâ—h his Lambs in a Meadow of Lillies Hunters of tame Beasts and Men of Violence will starve here For Death being an exile cannot seed their devouring Appetites The Ditties of the Melodious Birds will fright Fowlers into their own â—ot and Place Nor can the Fishes be deceived by the Angler who is forced to keep within his bounds For here is no Treachery nor Treason in this Holy Land Swoâ—dâ— are beaten into Plough-shares wherewith we dig the Gardens not for Necessity but Recreation Spears are turned into Pruning-Hooks to dress the bowers of Contentment And murdering Guns are made Instruments of Musick and sweet Melody Here the Creatures make Sport and Pastime with Danger as if Death and Destruction were Sanctuaries aries unto them When fair Aurora began to appear and the Shadows of Eternal Death fled away I saw my Beloved skipping like a Young Hart without Gall upon the Mountains of Manna Even where fear is altogether unexperienced and the Grave such a Stranger that its greedy devouring Jaws are satisfied not gaping for Carkasses to fill the Womb of Putrefa ion For nothing can languish or be sensible of Smart Because Pain is uncreated And Death altogether unknown CHAP. VI. The Whores Suit §. 1. Backsliding BUT after all these amorous Enjoyments of each
others Societies and Embraces as previous to their future Felicity the Soul oftentimes shews the inconstancy of Lovers and as a rolling Stone that gathers no Moss cuts of the increase of Love in the Bud and so playing fast and loose does and undoes gives the slip to the Virgin though she remains faithful and constant on her part For the Soul hankers after other Lovers and dissembling as the Proverb saith Holds with Hounds and runs with the Hare And thus hunting after other Lovers is never satisfied but Conceits there is more Pleasure hidden in other pretended Virgins of the Land after whom he gazeth and by whose forged Beauty he is smitten though they have no real Beauty their Faces being painted with Artificial â—olours to deceive and so the Soul imagines the Enjoyment of one of these is a Heaven of an higher Degree than the Virgins Paradise And so Heaven as the Atheist saith though falsly were not Heaven if its Mystery were known I say the Soul often nourisheth foolish Fancies in it self and because he finds the Virgin or Pleasant Vertue too easie to be attained according to the false Epicure Meus est amor huic similis Nam Transvolat in medio posita fugentia captat Therefore he aims at those who seem more rare and harder to be attained in his Judgment Dis-esteems her Gifts and undervalues her Graces But here his Judgment is blinded For he seeth no form or comeliness in the Virgin nor any thing in her that might make her worthy to be desired And becomes gradually infected with false Love He seeth and looketh upon another pretended Delilah or Maid far more fair then God's Daughter and endued in his Opinion with rarer and nober Qualities Thus the higher the Souls attainments and enjoyments of the pure Virgin hath been the more basely he becomes degenerated For as dead Flyes cause the most precious Ointment of the Apothecary to cast forth a most nauseous smell So doth a little Folly him that was in a high Degree of Reputation for Wisdom and honourable Enjoyment of God's Virgin-Child §. 2. The Baits of Sin A Wise Mans Heart is at his Right Hand toward Heaven but a Fools Heart is at his Left whose Rumb is Hed-wards Yea also when he that is a Fool walketh in this way his Wisdom which he once had faileth him and he saith to every one he is a Fool for adds he I am deepty in Love with such and such a Delilah But O thou immortal Man wake not a sleeping Lioness let the Hellish Properties rest still O Son of Man look before thou leapest For the Abâ—s is deep which is the Womb of the false Whoâ—e Keep thou the Covenant and live for ever and the Law of Wisdom as the Apple of thine Eye which suffers not thee to be bewitched by gazing after Vanity Bind her Vows upon thy Fingers and write them upon the Tables of thine Heart say unto fair Wisdom Thou art my Sister and my Spouse And call pleasant Vertue thy near Kinâ—â—â—oman That she may keep thee from the Whore and the Stranger Who is not Kin to thee in the Divine Linage even from her that can flatter with her Serpents Tongue She is the Serpents Daughter An â—vil Crow an evil Egg. For at the Windows of my House I looked through the Casement of the Creation And I behold among the humane Fools there was a young Soul void of Wisdom passing through the Street near the Angle where two ways lead to the Eternal Life and Death he went on the Left Hand the way to the Whores House In the Twilight in the Evening When the black and dark Night at last covered him and thus he began to be blinded And there met him a Woman in the attire of an Harlot suâ—tiller than this Fool She is a Stranger at home but overmuch acquainted in the Streets of Deceit Her loud Words are heard in the broad-ways She never wears her Eyes but when she goes abroad Now she is without now she is in the Street and lies in wait in every turning So she is a Saint abroad and a Devil at home She caught him invergled him and bâ—ssed him and impudently spake to him I have Peace-offerings with me to appease the Justice of God and to stifle the secret Convictions of thy Conscience This day have I paid my Vows and have vowed to love Thee Therefore came I forth to meet thee and have found thee unexpected I have decked my Bed with coverings of Tapestry With carved Works according to thy enlarged Phancy and with fine Linnen of seeming Innocency I have persumed my Nest with Myrrh Aloes and Cinnamon Come and let us take our fill of Love until the Morning dawn upon us if ever Let us selace our selves with Pleasures until the Eternal Aurora appears though perhaps never For the Man of the Family is not at home The Spirit of this World my Husband is gone a long Journey This Husband she hath married only as a Cloak for her filthy Lust He hath taken a Bag of Treasures with him to wait upon the Creator his Master whose Embassadour he is and wilâ— come home at the day appointed With her much fair Speech she caused him to yield with the flattering of her Lips she forced him He goes after Her straightway as an Ox to the slanghter or a Feel to the Correction of the Stocks Till a Dart strike through his Heart as a Bird that is caught in the snare and is taken in an evil Net not knowing that it is for his Eternal Life §. 3. Seven-fold Vice BUT O Son of Man consider let not thy Heart be taken with her incline not towards her Paths For she hath cast down many wounded Yea many Valiant Heroes who came from Heaven have been slain by her Her House is a Cave leading to Hell going down to the dark Chambers of Eternal Death And as this Pestilent Whore bawleth in every Corner to watch and inveigle Souls So also the fair Virgin cryeth in the Gates of every Humane City Though with a far different Voice for her Voice is a still small Voice and yet it is heard in quiet by the Wise more than the cry of him that ruleth among Fools She hath erected a House in Heaven to entertain her Bridegroom she hath hewen out seven Pillars whereon are engraven the seven Rewards of Vertue or the Goods of Fortune She hath sent forth Maidens the five senses Virgins to invite Souls She cryeth upon the high Places of Mans City Yet being despised she for the Souls sake invites him Whoso is simple let him come in hither how long O scorner wilt thou scorn me who wish thee well O Fool how long wilt thou hate that which is for thy good Because I have called and thou wouldst not answer though thou didst hear my Voice in thy Conscience Because I have piped to thee and thou wouldst not Dance And I mourned for thee and thou hast not sympathized
Pit which swallows them as Sops into her Womb The Fruit of her Womb is the first-born of Tophet which was in the beginning a Devil Whose Jaws are the Gates of Hell to slaughter the Soul and to spill the Blood of the Blessed But turn thou thy Windows from her Martial Colours lest her Drums and loud Musick stop thy Ears from hearing the Virgins Voice And that she should bite thee with the Teeth of an Asp and thou be stung to death with her Venom But O Immortal Man Love thou the Virgin of Innocency and she shall surround thy Scituation like a Silver Munition and be for ever to thy Gladness the Glory of a Golden Dwelling If this cannot prevail upon the Soul then comes the lustful unsatisfied Harlot saying What wilt thou dye without a Child of thy Lust to receive thy Soul by a Transmigration of the Humane Nature into the Bestial Behold the Sylphs and Nymphs of the Woods Mountains and Waters are in Love with thee and will entertain thee in the Garden of Delights O saith the Soul having found the deceit of this Strumpets embraces now I enjoy the Sweet-heart of my fading Youth which to fetch I endangered my precious Life by passing through a fierce Fire of infernal Adultery The Fire of my Passion is not so fierce as it was When I was further from my desired Fire I burned me thought with Myrrha more violently by a secret Conceit Therefore now my Mind is variable and wanders after fresh Lovers I thirst as the unsatisfied Womb which receiveth without Conception O thou fair Angel consider whom thou eagerly longest after It is the Catamite-Strumpet He that toucheth her Flesh is tainted with her Filthiness And he that goeth in unto her corrupteth his Soul She makes a Man as a Monster And an unspotted Lamb as a Leopard Her false Pleasures are as many Ponds where Serpents Toads and Vipers do drink Their Palates do delight to pamper with Poyson For their Nature is one with the Venom The Love of their Lust doth Sacrifice their Seed to Molech And infects them with the stink of the Stews There is not a Man that dwells in their House That saith no more I have enough But their Heart is as a tired travelling Pilgrim that cannot find a lodge of Repose They flame in their Bowels as a burning Bush and cannot find Water to quench it They fill up their bundle as a Faggot of Fuel To blaze in the Torment of Tophet §. 8. For degrading the Soul LAstly the imperious Harlot saith if all did bow down before thee as before God O what a brave sellow shouldst thou be Then thou couldst rule by force over the Virgin and make her Handmaid to thy ambitious Harlot But many a Soul in the midst of these enjoyments is often struck with a Panick fear and knows not whence it comes For the Virgin who causeth it is become a Stranger to her Flesh and Blood O saith he I have conquered in Triumph over one World now I Lust after another Vtopia But as the Philosopher told the great Conqueror there are innumerable Worlds How then doth it seem so difficult to me to gain the Government of one I will sit down and weep and search my own little World Wo to him that wandereth out of it And wo to him that goes not out of himself and out of his own mortal World And yet as little as this World is Many a Man cannot Travel to the utmost bounds of it in the whole compass of his Live For it is a very long Journey to their own true Native World O Man this is she that draws to a draught of desire To Drink up Dominions like a Dram And in a Compendious Circle would compass all Crowns And trample upon Thrones as Trifles The Entireness of Empires could not extinguish his enterprizes Except he be greater than God But wait thou with wariness That the haughty Hand may not tear down thy Tent Mark the Example of Jesus the Just who joined not to the Joys that the Jews would have given him He was a King without Enjoyment of the earthly Kingdom or Contemplation of the corruptible Crown He was a Prince a Pilgrimage of Passions Without the Propriety of a supposed Palace Thou shalt tread in the Trace of his Travel And run in the Race of his Righteousness Thou shalt obey his Message as thy Master in Meekness and Honour him in the House of Humility And then the Blessings which he preached shall be thy proper Possession with the Constitution of a Kingdom and Crown The Glory of the World runs down as a Minute But the Crown of Gods Kingdom lasteth for ever §. 9. The Divine Reprover in the Conscience NOW when the Soul is in Love with any thing that it fancies Give him the choicest Pleasures Proffer him the fairest Virgins Yet they are slighted and contemned in Comparison of the one thing loved and longed after In this sense Love is called Blind So the Spirit of the Soul is in Love with his appointed Virgin and therefore is still unsatisfied discontented murmureth grumbleth repineth whineth pricketh vexeth and worrieth Man and disturbeth his Peace in the Conscience when ever he goes to look after other Lovers crying as it were plucking him by the Skirt or twitching him by the Ear This is the right way walk in it when the Soul is in the Wilderness wandring after his Lovers And he often sees the burning Bush of his Heart on Fire and well may he wonder that it is not consumed This Fire is the Flame of the Virgins Love to him O therefore turn aside and see this great miraculous sight And look back and listen to the Voice behind thee And if thou turn thy course then the Voice that was behind thee in thy own Wilderness will go before thee and lead thee into the Land of Eternal Rest Now these Whores are they that aim at Mans ruine by Emulation for they envy that Mans Soul should be a Favourite of the Deity But if Man would Love Gods Daughter she would keep him from the Strange Woman Who forsook the Guide of her Youth and would allure Man to do so too and to forget his Contract or Covenant with the Virgin Her House declineth to Death and her Paths to Hell None that go into her return again Lust not after her false Beauty in thy Heart neither let her take thee with her Eye-lids For by means of a whorish Woman Man is brought to a piece of mouldy Bread And the Adulteress hunts for the precious Life Can one go on hot Coals of a Phantastical Passion and his Feet not be burnt as in the Fire of Hell Men do not despise a Thief if he steal to satisfie his Soul when it craves and longs after the right Food being withheld from it by the Fancy But if he be found he shall restore sevenfold according to Gods Ballance and right Measure But whosoever committeth Adultery with the Wife
Daughters of the Holy City Now set me as a seal upon thine Heart As a Divine Stamp upon thine Arm Think upon me and the ways of Vertue as thou walkest in the way and as thou sittest and oestest and as thou risest up For my Love to the is as strong as Death My Jealousie will be cruel as the Grove it will devour the perjured Soul if thou prove false to thy Vow in Eternal Death But O God my Father may that never be For the coals of Jealousie are as coals of Eternal Fire which hath a most cruel Scorching Flame of Torment Many Waters of Sorrows cannot quench my Love to thee Neither can the Floods drown it Neither can the Rivers or Tears of a thousand Suitors and Rivals to thee stop the burning thereof If one should give all Substance of his House for my Love it would be utterly contemned And so if thou abusest me hereafter and runnest gadding in thy Mind after other Lovers though thou shouldst give all that thy Soul and Body are worth and all the Substance of thy House for the enjoyment of me the third time it will be utterly rejected and despised as a vain trifle Take notice of it And be true to me thy Spouse After this Day the Divine Damsels saw me and praised me with this Blessing Be thou Mother of thousands of Millions And the Author of a numberless number to People the Coelestial City by the new Regeneration And let thy Seed effess the Gates of Heaven which Lucifer lost Build thou the House of the Humane Off-spring Thou art our Sister Do thou worthily in Heaven and be thou famous in Paradise And this was the Contract that the Wedding must be solemnized in the preseâ—â—e of the King our Father on the Day of my Tridâ—grooms â—â—tting off his Earthly Tabernacle and Elementary Robe Now Happy is the Man that can arrive to the Haven of so great a Happiness as this so as to find Virgin Vertue God's most Beautiful Daughter called also pure Pleasure or Divine Delight of the Son of Man For her Priâ—e is far â—bove Râ—â—â—es §. 7. Seven-fold Vertue NOW these Coelestial Virgins are of different Degrees for some Vertues are predominant in these which are weak in those And yet all cloathed with the Garments of Unity 1. One is a good House-keeper and diligent as the Bee The Heart of her espoused doth safely trust in her So that he need fear no spoil She seeketh Flax and Wool she worketh willingly with her Hands She is like the Merchants Ships She bringeth her Food from a far She considereth a Field in fair Eden and buys it With the Fruit of her Hands she planteth a Vineyard of Refreshing Bowers She lays her Hands to the Distaff and her Candle goes not out in the Eternal Night She reacheth forth her Hands to the needy And all her houshold are cloathed with Scarlet She makes her self coverings of Tapestry Her Garments are Silk and Purple 2. Another is skilled by Divine Wisdom in playing upon Instruments of Musick She inventeth means for the Recreation of Humane Life She maketh Songs in the Praise of her Creator and Father The Workmanship of her Tabrets were prepared in her in the Day that she was Created whereby she chaseth the evil Spirit that troubleth the Humane Mind 3. A third by her Politick skill in Martial Discipline delivereth a besieged Microcosmical City surrounded by Lucifer and his Souldiers by causing one Man the Offender to dye whose Head shall be thrown over the Wall that the whole City perish not This is the anoynted Virago 4. Another is more beautiful and amiable in her Divine Form as cloathed with the Shape of God and bearing the very Picture of her Virgin-Mother in her Lovely Visage as they indeed all do but this in an especial Manner She is most meek and courteous in Carriage and Communication therefore the froward and grudge-bearing Sycophant shall never partake of her Love 5. Another is wise in true Wisdom and foretelleth of Evils which are like to befal a Humane Soul that is espoused to her if he observe the Divine Motion of her pure Gale in the â—ool of the blessed Day She reveals hidden Mysteries to the Humane Spirit that loveth her Thus though also she be acute and eloquent yet she is intirely Sincere This is the Angelical Philosopher and Prophetess 6. Another is sound and healthy and by that means hath skill in the Plant of Life and the Vertue thereof for the healing of Maladies in Humane Body and Soul This is the Coelestial Physitianess §. 8. Seven-fold Reward LAstly The most Noble is she whose Cloathing is Divine Honour and Magnanimity Majesty and an Heroick Greatness of Spirit is in her Countenance She is adorned with a generous Brightness and she shall rejoyce in time to come in Eternity and shine as the Celestial Star in the Holy World as being brighter than the rest as partaking more of the solar property She openeth her Mouth as one speaking with Authority yet in Modesty and Wisdom yea in her Tongue is the Law of Kindness Her Children in the new Birth arise up and call her Blessed Her Husband also he praiseth her Many Daughters have done Vertuously but thou excellest them all Tho' not equal with the Bride of the Anointed Champion the Sister and Friend of the Great Messias Fawning Favour is deceitful and counterfeit Beauty is vain but this Divine Virgin that obeyeth her Father shall be praised Give her of the Fruits of her Hands and let her own Works praise her in the Gates of Heaven Thus in particular Fair Vertue which is pure Pleasure of the Soul gives to the Soul that accepts of her according to the capacity of the Receiver 1. Treasures of Eternal Life 2. A Clue of Thread to direct Man out of the Labyrinth of false Pleasures and Sports 3. An Armour to resist Lucifer 4. Jewels and Ornaments 5. A Book of Prophecy compiled by the Prince of Philosophers and a new Name written therein 6. Food Bread and Wine without end proceeding from the Tree of Eternal Life 7. A Golden Scepter to rule over the adverse party Thus Man by accepting of a good Fortune proffered to him doth become Rich Sound Prosperous Wise Potent Fair and Noble and so preferred to an Heavenly Dignity and Office §. 9. Grace turned into Wantonness O Man therefore be not so self-conceited and obstinate Be not Osor Mulierum one that Disregards God and the Desire of Women Dan. 11.37 An Hater of the fair Virgin Be willing to enter into the holy Estate of Matrimony for to this thou art purposely born Else thy Soul if thou refuse will be left to be tormented by the Demons and thou wilt die the Eternal Death for Love of a Harlot whose Love thou shalt never enjoy If thou art in love with the fair Virgin have a care of abusing her and offering Violence to her by deflowring her Tho' thou indeed shalt never be able to
Wisdom in the Grave of Eternal Death whither thou goest if thou break her Law Neither can any one help thee out of that Grave for out of the Eternal Hell there is no Redemption Nay if Angels and Saints did all joyn their Skill and Device and Wisdom together they can afford thee no help from thence Besides if thou do'st not now use all thy Skill and do thy best endeavour to forsake Vice and Sin the form of this Jezabel in the Abstract and to do good with all thy might and love God or Vertue which is God and the fair Virgin in the Abstract with all thy strength and Soul thou wilt never have space granted thee to mend thy work in the succeeding World or to rectifie and make straight that which is made crooked in this World or to fill up the measure or number or weight in Gods Ballance For that which is wâ—nting here cannot be numbred hereafter And two cannot be substracted out of one For by Slothfulness the Building decayeth and through Idleness of the Hands in this World the House of the humane World will drop thorow and be swallowed in the Abyss And while I was passing by the Soulish Field of the Sluggard I looked and behold it was all grown over with Thorns It became a Wilderness wherein the Owner was intangled and knew not which way to turn to find Ease and Refreshment I went by the Vineyard of the lazy Labourer and Lo Nettles had covered the Face thereof And the Stone-Wall thereof was broken down Then I saw and considered it well I looked upon it and set it forth for an Example that he that sleepeth in the Summer shall starve in the Eternal Winter So shall his Poverty come as a fugitive Beggar who travaileth in the boundless Wilderness and his want as an armed Souldier in Lucisers Camp O Man repent in time §. 3. Vertue Rare TAke no heed to all Words or Affronts that are cast at thee lest thou hear the Servile Handmaid or else the Whorish Woman curse her legal Mistress For oft times also thine own Conscience knows that thou thy self hast cursed thy Rivals All this saith the Great Prophet have I proved by Philosophy I said I will be wise But Wisdom is not easily attainable For that which is far off and exceeding deep who can find it out without heavenly Skill in Theosophy And by Mans Churlishness the Virgin oft removes far from him I applied my heart to know and to search and to seek out by Wisdom the reason of things and the deep Cause of Causes and the Wickedness of Folly even of Foolishness and Madness And I find more bitter than Death the Woman whose false Heart is a Snare and whose Fingers are Nets and Bands to bind the humane Soul Whoso pleaseth God and loves the Virgin shall escape from her but the Sinner against Gods Law of Obedience shall be caught in her trap as a Woodcock in a Snare or Fishes in an evil Net Behold this have I found saith the Preacher of Truth Counting one by one to find out the Account by Mathematical Calculation Which yet my Mind seeketh but I find not clearly One humane Soul among a thousand have I found but scarce a Virgin can be found now a days among a Thousand Handmaids and false Women for the Earth being stained with humane Blood hath forced the Divine Spouses of Mankind to disappear and enter into their own Principle The way that leads to the Whores lodging is broad Yea even the blind finds it without a Guide And the path of Vertue is narrow yet it is easie and straight to him whose Eyes are in his Head But when the Virgin is lost as the Epigrammist said so may the Soul say to the Virgin thou hast given me a Looking-glass as a token of thy Love wherein I may see my own shape and if I had not been a Fool might have learnt by it to know my own self I had rather thou wouldest now send me one wherein I might see thee and the Signs of thy Favour and Acceptance and thy most beautiful Aspect once more attracting my longing Mind But it is too late I may indeed see my own ugâ—y Form infected by the Whore of false Lust The Fire of this Harlot is like the Fire of Hell which burns another but gives no Light whereby her Lover may find her §. 4. Christs proffered Service slighted FOR three things the Earth is disquieted And for four which it cannot bear For a Servant the Worm of the Soul when he reigneth over the noble Mind And a Fool the false Affection or Delight when he is filled with Meat which is not the true Food of the Soul and so cannot relish Food by a longing hunger which is the best Sawce For an Odious Strumpet when she is married to her Superiour the Soul And for the Virgins Hand-maid who is Heir to her Mistress But Virgin-Vertue cries to the Spirit of Man Oh canst thou be cruel Canst thou be so hard-hearted Wilt thou now forsake and dispise me after all thy pretended kindnesses Must I now be a Bond maid to thy Concubines who was born a Princess Thou hast not brought me any Gifts thou hast not sent me any tokens I have not caused thee to serve and wait upon me with an Offering of thy devoted Soul nor wearied thee with the Sacrifices of thy vowed self Neither hast thou honoured me with the Incense of thy promised Service But thou hast made me to serve with thy Sins Thou hast wearied me waiting upon thee in thy Debauchery And the Jewels I gave thee thou hast bestowed upon Harlots Many take occasion to blame the Virgin for a small seeming Offence when they wink at this Jezebels Impudence yea though the sincere Virgin do but whisper a Word to one of her Companions it must be judged to be Treason If thou wouldst be wise and retain thy Jewels not bestowing them upon thy unworthy Harlot thou shouldest soon see how she would pack away to her own Companions Now therefore see thy Folly at last thy entrusting of thy Jewels with her believe her not reject her fair Promises for she waites to deceive and intrap thee §. 5. A seared Conscience THen bethought her self when the valedictory parting Kiss was given her O this Wedding Song is become a Threnetick Song When the Virgin fair-Vertue perceives the Soul continues obstinate and will not commiserate her woful Condition whereunto she hath plunged her self for his sake by letting her Affections of true Love after him he being unworthy thereof and slighting her kindness then she goes into a solitary Wilderness to bewail her doleful fate And now saith she I have piped unto thee but thou hast not danced I have Sung an Elegiack farewel to thee but thou hast not sympathized with my Griefs And it grieves her to think how she hath been trampled upon and causlesly kicked out of his Society though she wished him well and did
now I repent from the bottom of my heart O be favourable to me and shew me some kindness remit that rigour which thou threatnest me with now at my last gasp where with I will pray Heaven to requite thee Keep thy thanks to feed thy hellish Brood saith the pure Mind This is but to gain the time because thou seest the thing I longed for is gone from me Thouhast prepared lying and corrupt Words to speak beforeme till the time be changed therefore there is but one Decree Either procure to me my dear Virgin and wash thy Blackmore's Skin white or thou shalt be utterly destroyed and thy House shall be made a Dunghil §. 10. The Soul 's Hellish Blasphemy BUt saith the Soul O be not so cruel and rigid She is unattainable she is taken into thy Rivals Favour It is impossible to substract a greater number from a lesser that I cannot do Only remit the penalty of this severe Law Nay saith the Noble Mind I must proclaim an Eternal War against thee For as thou hadst not Power over the false Spirit to retain the Spirit of thy Affections so neither hast thou power in the day of Eternal Death neither hath any one the Power to retain the Virgin when she is gone into her place and quite rejected And therefore I say There is no discharge in this War no redeeming of thee from the Fury of the bloody Souldiers and avenging Officers who will now cast thee into Prison Neither shall wickedness deliver them that have been all their time given to it Therefore O humane Soul think not that thou shalt escape and that the Spirit of the humane Soul shall die for the rest of the humane Commonwealth and come under the Lash for the loss of his dear Virgin for tho' thou shouldst give all the Substance of thine House and all that thou art worth to be reconciled to her it cannot be when the day of Grace is sinned out and that this Divine Essence shall suffer for thee No no this Divine Essence shall remain as an Image in a Looking-glass and thou shalt endure the Pain as being condemned by this said Essence who will arise again out of the Grave which thou hast digged for him and condemn thee as being thy Eternal Judge And here is seen what part suffers for where the sore is there will be the Hand And here begins the great and Hellish Blasphemy of a Soul in the real Tophet the Soul will gnaw his Tongue for pain and vexation and Revenge against the Spirit of the Soul as if he were in sault whereas himself was the cause of Bringing this tormenting Wo upon himself And now the dumb guilty Soul may be long at the Gate of the deaf Spirit who will not hear his Cries because he himself was lately as the deaf Adder who would nor hearken to the Charms of the Spirit charming never so wisely And struck his Conscience oft-times as dumb as a Sheep before the Shearer Yea the Soul will rave and rage as if he would tear the Deity it self in pieces And when a poysoned Arrow does light upon his Flesh he knowing not whence it comes he will receive the Blood into his hands flushing out and throw it up to the Abyss crying out O Almighty Power thou hast conquered me and so blaspheming dies the Eternal Death CHAP. IX The Souls Rest §. 1. Where is this Rest IF the Soul do but attain the End of his Journey which was appointed as the true final Cause of his Travail and Labour by the Creator then he becomes happy and not before The Sleep and Rest of the Labouring Soul is sweet whether he sleep little or much but the bundame of the covetous Rich and conceited Soul who conceits he needeth nothing as being not beholden to God will not suffer him to sleep and to take a quiet Nap of sweet Repose But where is this Rest to be found There 's the Question The Elements say It is not in us The Depth saith It is not in me Hell and Death say We have heard the Faâ—e thereof with our Ears There is a Path which the sâ—â—tillest Fowl knows not and which the quick sighted Vultures Eye hath not seen Nay let Man search and grope into every Corner and Cranny of the whole Creation yet he shall never find Rest for his Soul until he come and return to Virgin Vertue Gods fair Daughter his appointed and predestinated Spouse As the Stars and Astral Powers bear sway over Mortals so also the Minds of Men have a reflexive Influence upon the Starry Natures For Evil Minds by Sympathy or Simile attract the Evil Influences which infect the Air and so alight upon the first Authors Even as a Not oft-time generateâ—h within it self that which destroyeth it namely the Worm of an evil Influence In like manner also vertuous and holy Souls attract the good Influences of the Astral Properties by Sympathy Now who knoweth the Spirit of a Man that goeth upwards to his own natural Heaven and attracts the good and sweet Influences thereof For God with a lofty Mind did Man indue And bid him Heavens transcendent Glory view As being his Natural Scope and right Home But if any humane Soul approve not of this Form choosing a prone or downward Look and to be leaded with the guilt of an evil or guilty Conscience he shall sink down into the Abyss §. 2. Not God's Fault if missed THo' God commands the Soul to choose Life and Eternal Joy and let every Bird delight in his own Note which th Creator hath inspired into him to praise the Inspirer yet most Men choose Death and let them thank themselves But now Heaven is the appointed Home of Mans Soul And if the Soul miss to find his home there 's his Hell and there 's the Inverting of the Mind of God or frustrating of the Intent of the Almighty which makes the Wo and the Hell But some may say Hell was also appointed to some Men as Heaven was predestinated to others Answ Yes Hell was conditionally appointed to Adam and all his Posterity upon their slighting of Heaven But Heaven was Mans native Place or Home And thither he must return if the Causes of Man co-work and suit together in their genuine coherence And to say that Hell was the sinal Cause of some Mens Creation is absolute Blasphemy But as the younger Brother said in the Epigram Sum pauper non culpa mea c. It was not my Fault that I am poor but the Fault of my Parents who have not begotten me before my Elder Brother who had the Inheritance This is the case of the Fool that lays the Fault upon the Almighty Father of Mankind As it was affirmed by the old Heathen Polytheists that one Idol-God or Power could not undo what another did So it is true in this sense That whatsoever is made Crooked by the hellish Power can never be made Straight again no not by the Power
of the Almighty Creator himself For it cannot be expected that God should or would help Man any more having created him like himself and also created him a new when there was possibility lest of Recovery But if Man becomes his own Creator and a Necromancer in the Hellish Operation a third Relief can never be And why Because God himself cannot work against the Truth or the right Order of Eternity He himself being the Prince of Order And he cannot deny himself and belye his own Nature Neither will he call back a Day that is past §. 3. God alloweth Time NOw now now is the time It may be possible to day to do a thing which cannot be done to morrow Yea the true Hour must be waited upon to do it Go not about a Business against the Hair Because to every thing and business there is Time and Judgment which Man oâ—t times neglecteth therefore his Misery is great upon him Lose not the Tyde of the Eternal Ocean which should carry the Soul to Paradise for it stays for none Now is the time to work with all thy might and to lay up for Heaven the end of thy Labour and Work For in the Grave whither thou goest it cannot be attained Tâ—o ' God promises Forgiveness to Repentants yet he doth not promise to morrow to repent in For many shall strive to enter in at the Gate of Heaven but when the day of Grace is past they shall not be able Whoever he be that sinneth out his Day or despiseth the last Day of his Visitation by Obstinacy slighteth the Holy Ghosts last Reproof rejâ—cts him out of his Company and becomes Reprobate A Man in a Christian Warfare may quarrel with his Reprover oft-times and be reconciled again considering that those Reproofs were for his Good But the Reprobate is past Reproof and hates to be Reformed He shall not be forgiven in this World nor in that which is to come No tho'he Esau-like doth seek to repent for his Repentance is too late And tho' he work at the Hour of Death with all his might what soever his hand sindeth to do towards his New Creation yet the Mystery of the false Nature prevails And it is folly to seek the Living among the Dead It is true God and his benign Powers or Influences wait for an Advantage against the Devils Temptations at all times And therefore the good Genius will not leave the very worst Sinner till the last gasp For according to the Right of the Deity the holy Angels claim the first sifting and searching of the Soul when Man is a dying As a Physitian when he seeth his Patient mortally sick yet he gives him some Cordials to ease him So God may lessen the Punishment and Damnation of one that hath sinned out his Day of Grace offered once to him and now repents heartily that he hath passed by the Gate of Mercy at such and such times which is now fresh in his Memory and is forry by late repentance But he can never enter in at Heavens Gate For the Door will be shut in its right time and â—arries for no Mans lingering And the Tyde of the Eternal Ocean will wait no Mans leasure §. 4. And Tallents SEranimis Vita est Câ—asina vive Hodie To Morrow's Life is too late Live to Day Feed on thy true daily Bread to Day or to Morrow thou wilt dye Eternally Post Mortem Aeternam nulla Voluptas Expect not therefore after thou hast eaten thy Morsel in wantonness to have it too when there is need of it to refresh thee in thy Journey Thus Men complain now-a-days of the hardness of the Times not considering how they spend in a Day many times in a Drunken Feast what might naturally supply them with sufficiency as to the maintenance of their Bodies in Health for a Month. This is abusing or rather a Fascination of Gods Blessings Therefore as One said In this World is the Place of Mercy in the Other of Justice and Judgment And The Eeginnings of Things are in our own Power but the End in God's And He that considers what is past may foresee what is to come One scoffingly said to one that lost his Watch or Horary Engine Time will away all the World cannot help it So may it be said to the Fool that lost his spiritual Instrument of discerning Time and Eternity O Man Provide Oyl and Treasures for Heaven before-hand Trimmed Lamps without Oyl are of no real Use Tho' one of thy Feet may be already in the Grave of Hell as being one that came when the Door of Mercy was shut and tho' thou may'st be an old and reprebate Sinner and yet wouldst now repent at the Twelfth Hour after thou hast been working for thy Master the Devil as being one of those that stood idle in the Market-place expecting Work from the Lord of the Vineyard tho' it be too late now Make thy self a Friend in time for old Friends and old Wine are best Thou wilt perhaps hope God will make thee his new Friend at the last Hour but that is too late For saith Christ It is not mine to give you to sit on my Right or Left Hand but to whom it is prepared of my Father according to the condition of the Covenant But whosoever comes to God in time God can in no wise cast out For such a one takes Heaven violently by Force and as one said overcomes God and claims Heaven as his Right as tho' Heaven were his true native Home and God his real Father as indeed he is Tho' it must be confest Mans Fall made Heaven to become a Free Gift §. 5. The Seed sown at Death SOme may object If Man be a small Incarnation wherein God was pleased to multiply himself Or if Man be God's Off-spring and Essence how can God pass Sentence upon his own Essence Answ Here lies the great Mystery The Work of Eternity is the World not yet made and yet ever made by Eternity viz. This World was made in six Days but the World for which this was made will scarce be finished in less than Six thousand Mystical Days or Years The Soul as to the stamp mold or eternal shape thereof will not be finished till the death of the Body Even then the Signature of the Soul's Spirit or else of its Worm will be charactered for Eternity Every wicked Soul is but an Embryo And the Divine Child or Pious Soul is now a forming in the Womb of the outward Body and not perfected in an holy Man till the fall of the Body Therefore whatsoever God doth it shall be for ever established by his Graver the Spirit on the Souls Beast-Plate Consider his Work For who can make straight that which he hath made crooked by the Law which altereth not And say not thou What is the cause that the former Days in the outward Life were better than these dark and gloomy Days nigh Deaths Door For thou dost not
shalt not have thy Liberty to choose an altering of that painful property by reason of thy own false Tincture which had tinctured the Souls Spirit and fermented it by a false Leaven into that Nature which is contrary to its first Creation §. 2. It altereth not Observe therefore O Man what I say I the Truth the Eternal Preacher By searching have found out and know that whatsoever God doth it shall be for ever The same Commandment still remains unalterable Nothing can be put to it nor any thing taken from it And God doth it that Men his Off-spring should fear before him and love him That Law which hath been in the Angelical Republick is now in the â—â—umane Commonwealth And that which is to be after the End of the humane Judgment hath already been before Mans Creation And God requireth and wiâ—â— at the great Assizes require an account of that which is past if done contrary to the old Law for he requires that it for ever continue the same And God deth this that all his Generation Angels and Men may by an awful Obedience take an Eternal Oath of Allegiance and Submission to his Law that altereth not and make an Everlasting Covenant with him and love him Therefore I counsel thee O Man my Brother to keep the King's Commandment even my Law and that in regard of the Eternal Oath of God Be not hasty to fly away and sneak as a Fugitive out of my sight and stand not in an evil thing For a King doth whatsoever pleaseth him Therefore bring thy Deeds to the Light that they may be discerned Where the Word and Law of a Lawfully succeeding King is there is Power And who may say unto him What doest thou Or why hast thou appointed me to be a Vessel of Wrath Nay None hath power to call him to question tho he hath been the occasion of his Subjects Rebellion and then torment them for Râ—bâ—lling Which is an unjust thing Yet it is not to be supposed that the right King of Kings who is Justice it self can or will do such injustice Whoso keepeth the Kings Commandment shall feeâ— no evil thing And a wise Mans Heart by Wisdom and Divine Skill discerneth both Time and Judgment Both when and how he must act according to the Unalterable Law And because to every purpose there is Time and Judgment therefore the misery of many a Man is great upon him for he knoweth not that which shall be and who can tell him when it shall be if he himself hath not Skill § 3. Yet it is inverted by Man MOreover I saw under the Sun of Time and Vanity the Place of Judgment that Wickedness was there That there is a time wherein one ruleth over another even his lawful King to his own hurt I saw also the place of Righteousness which ought to be Righteous that Iniquity was there that Servants were put upon Horses and Princes of the Noble Royal Blood even of the pure Seed in the Conscience walking in the form of Servan's upon the humane Earth And so Folly I have seen was set in great dignity and the Rich Free and Right Honourable sit waiting upon them in a low place as a Gleaner or Beggar Which is an evil that I have seen as an Error that proceedeth from the Ruler of an humane City who succeeded not as a lawful Heir to the Kingdom O my Soul come not thou into the secret Plots of such as these unto their Assembly and Cabal O mine Honour be not thou united Neither do thou O Noble Soul of Man be privy to their Treachery and Treason For in their anger they slew the right Seed and Gods Image and in their self-will like Lucifer they would dig down the Wall of Heaven Cursed be their Anger for it is suâ—ce and unfit for the Holy Heaven and their Wrath let it be for ever separated from the Divine Order and Harmony for it is Cruel and wild I will divide them in Eden and scatter them in Paradise § 4. But it must be Observed I Said in my heart when I saw this breaking of the Antient Law in the place of Judgment God by Christ shall judge the Righteous and the Wicked and put each one in their due place and station For there is allowed a time for every purpose and for every work to prevent the Sentence of Condemnation Therefore O Man keep thy foot When thou goest to the Temple of God from stumbling And be more ready to hear his Law from the Mouth of his Messenger than to give the sacrifice of fools who sacrifice the Lord of Glory the Holy seed to their false Lusts For they consider not that they do evil Be not rash with they mouth to add any thing and let not thy heart be hasty to utter any new Commentary upon the Ancient Law of God For God is still the same in the unchangeable Heaven and thou upon the corrupted Earth therefore let thy Commentaries and words be few For a Dream comes through the multitude of Business in Vanity And a fools Voice is known by multitude of words When thou vowest a Vow to God defer not to pay that which thou hast vowed Better it is that thou hadst never been born an humane Being to vow the Vow of necessary Obedience to God than that thou shouldst become such an Essence and not pay thy Vow Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin not performing the Oath of thy Covenant Neither say thou before thy Angel Guardian the Witness of all that thou doest that it was a foolish Error and I am sorry that ever I was born to make a Vow to be broken by deliberation Wherefore should God be angry at thy Voice and destroy the Work of thy plotting Hands For in the multitude of Whimsies Images of Fancies and many Vain Words there are also divers Vanities But be thou wise and fear God §. 5. To indulge the Good Genius The Injunction MOreover O Man consider by all this that there is a strict Obligation laid upon thee if thou be'st born a Man the Son of God's Loins and a meer Necessity put upon the Soul that he must do what in him lies to promote the Joy and Pleasure of his Mind For an Heavenly Feast is purposely made for his Eternal Solace Coelestial Nectar and Fruit of the pure Vine is appointed to make thy heart everlastingly merry Gods Virgin hath told thee so in the Prophecy which she taught thee as soon as thou wast born saying What my Son And what the Son of my Womb And what the Son of my Vows Give not thy Strength and Purity to Whorish Women Nor thy Ways to that which destroyeth the Royal Off spring It is not for Kings O Man-King it is not for Kings to drink the Gall and Poyson of Wine which intoxicates the Senses Nor for Princes of the Divine Monarchy to drink that which inebriates the Brain and causeth Pain in the Bowels Lest