made Slaues Sinne hath made Slaues but let those Bands Grace breake That in our vvrongs thy Mercies may appeare Thy VVisdome not so meane is Povv'r so vveake But thousand vvayes they can make VVorlds thee feare O VVisdome boundlesse O 〈◊〉 Grace Grace VVisedome vvhich make 〈◊〉 dimme Reasons Eye And could Heauens King bring from his placelesse Place On this ignoble Stage of Care to dye To dye our Death and vvith the sacred Streaâ—â—e Of Bloud and VVater gushing from his Side To make vs cleane of that contagioâ—â— Blame First on vs brought by our first Parents Pride Thus thy great Loue and Pitye heauenlie King Loue Pittye vvhich so vvell our Losse preuent Of Euill it selfe loe could all Goodnesse bring And sad beginning cheare vvith glad euent O Loue and Pitye ill knovvne of these Times O Loue and Pitye carefull of our need O Bounties vvhich our horride Acts and Crimes Grovvne numberlesse contend neare to exceed Make this excessiue ardour of thy loue So vvarme our Coldnesse so our Lifes renevv That vvee from Sinne Sinne may from vs remoue Wit may our Will Faith may our Wit subdue Let thy pure Loue burne vp all worldlie Lust Hells candi'd Poison killing our best part Which makes vs ioye in Toyes adore fraile Dust In stead of Thee in Temple of our Heart Grant when at last our Soules these Bodies leaue Their loathsome Shops of sinne and Mansions blinde And Doome before thy royall Seat receaue They may a Sauiour not a Iudge thee finde A CYPRESSE GROVE BY W. D. A CYPRESSE GROVE THough it hath beene doubted if there be in the Soule such imperious and superexcellent Power as that it can by the vehement earnest working of it deliuer knowledge to another without bodily Organes by the onely Conceptions and Ideas of it produce reall Effects yet it hath beene euer and of all held as infallible and most certaine that it often either by outward inspiration or some secret motion in it selfe is augure of its owne Misfortunes and hath Shadowes of approching dangers presented vnto it before they fall forth Hence so many strange apparitions and signes true Visions vncouth heauinesse and causelesse vncomfortable languishings of which to seeke a reason vnlesse from the sparkling of GOD in the Soule or from the God-like sparkles of the Soule were to make Reason vnreasonable by reasoning of things transcending her reach Hauing often and diuerse times when I had giuen my selfe to rest in the quiet solitarinesse of the Night found my Imagination troubled with a confused feare no sorrow or horror which interrupting Sleepe did astonish my senses and rowse me all appalled and transported in a suddaine agonie and amazednesse of such an vnaccustomed perturbation not knowing nor being able to diue into any apparent Cause carried away with the streame of my then doubting Thoughts I beganne to ascribe it to that secret fore-knowledge and presaging Power of the Propheticke Minde and to interpret such an Agonie to be to the Spirit as a faintnesse and vniversall wearinesse vseth to be to the Body a signe of following sicknesse or as winter Lightnings or Earth-quakes are to Commonwealthes and great Cities-Herbingers of more wretched euents Heereupon not thinking it strange if whatsoeuer is humaine should befall mee knowing how Prouidence ouercomes Griefe and discountenances Crosses and that as we should not despaire of Euils which may happen vs wee should not bee too confident nor leane much to those Goods wee enjoy I beganne to turne ouer in my remembrance all that could afflict miserable Mortalitie and to forecast euery thing that with a Maske of horror could show it selâ—e to humaine Eyes Till in the end as by Unities and Points Mathematicians are brought to great numbers and huge greatnesse after many fantasticall glances of the VVoes of Mankinde and those incombrances which follow vpon Life I was brought to thinke and with amazement on the last of humaine Terrors or as one termed it the last of all dreadfull and terrible Euils Death For to easie censure it would appeare that the Soule if it fore-see that divorcement which it is to haue from the Body should not without great reason be thus ouer-grieued and plunged in inconsolable and vnaccustomed Sorrow considering their neare Vnion long familiaritie and loue with the great change Paine Vglinesse which are apprehended to be the inseparable attendants of Death They had their being together Parts they are of one reasonable Creature the harming of the one is the weakning of the working of the other what sweete contentments doth the Soule enjoy by the senses They are the Gates and VVindowes of its Knowledge the Organes of its Delight If it be tedious to an excellent Player on the Lute to abide but a few Monthes the want of one how much more must the being without such noble Tooles and Engines bee plaintfull to the Soule And if two Pilgrimes which haue wandred some few miles together haue a hearts-griefe when they are neare to part what must the Sorrow be at the parting of two so louing Friends and neuer-loathing Louers as are the Body and Soule Death is the violent estranger of acquaintance the eternal Diuorcer of Mariage the Rauisher of the Children â—rom the Parents the Stealer of Parents from their Children the interrer of Fame the sole cause of forgetfulnesse by which the Liuing talke of those gone away as of so many Shadowes or age worne Stories all Strength by it is enfeebled Beautie turned into deformitie rottennesse Honor in contempt Glorie into basenesse It is the reasonlesse breaker off of all Actions by which we enjoy no more the sweet Pleasures of Earth nor gaze vpon the â—â—aâ—elie revolutions of the Heauens Sunne perpetuallie setteth Starâ—es neuer rise vnto vs It in one moment robbeth vs of what with so great toyle and care in many yeares wee haue heaped together By this are Successions of Linages cut short Kingdomes left heirelesse and greatest States orphaned it is not ouercome by Pride smoothed by Flatterie diuerted by Time Wisedome saue this can preuent and helpe euery thing By Death wee are exiled from this faire Citty of the World it is no more a World vnto vs nor we any more people into it The ruines of Phanes Palaces and other magnificent Frames yeeld a sad prospect to the Soule and how should it without horrour view the wracke of such a wonderfull Maister-piece as is the Body That Death naturally is torrible and to be abhorred it can not well and altogether be denied it beeing a priuation of Life and a not-being and euery priuation being abhorred of Nature and euill in it selfe the feare of it too being ingenerate vniversallie in all Creatures yet I haue often thought that euen naturally to a Minde by onely Nature resolued and prepared it is more terrible in Conceit than in Verity and at the first Glance than when well pryed into and that rather by the weaknesse of our Fantasie than by what is in it and
attired her selfe with And if wee would say the trueth of most of our Ioyes wee must confesse that they are but disguised sorrowes the drames of their Honney are sowred in pounds of Gall Remorse euer enseweth them and neuer doe they existe but by their opposite sadnesse nay in some they haue no effect at all if some wakning griefe hath not preceeded and forewent them Will some Ladies vaunt of their beautie that is but skinne-deepe of two senses onelie knowne short euen of Marble-Statues and Pictures not the same to all eyes dangerous to the beholder and hurtfull to the possessor an enemie to Chastitie a thing made to delight others more than those which haue it a superficiall luster hiding bones and the braines thinges fearfull to bee looked vpon growth in yeares doth blaste it or Sicknesse or Sorrow preuenting them Our strength matched with that of the vnreasonable Creatures is but weaknesse all wee can set our eyes on in these intricate mazes of life is but vaine perspectiue and deceiuing shadowes appearing farre other wayes a farre off than when enjoyed and gazed vpon in a neare distance If Death bee good why should it bee feared And if it bee the worke of Nature how should it not bee good For Nature is an ordinance and rule which GOD hath established in the creating this Vniuerse as is the Law of a King which can not erre For how should the Maker of that ordinance erre sith in him there is no impotencie and weaknesse by the which hee might bring forth what is vnperfect no peruersenesse of will of which might proceed any vicious action no ignorance by the which he might goe wrong in working beeing most powerfull most good most wise nay all-wise all-good all-powrefull He is the first orderer and marshalleth euery other order the highest Essence giuing essence to all other thinges of all causes the cause Hee worketh powerfullie bonteouâ—lie wiselie and maketh his artificiall Organ Nature doe the same How is not Death of Nature sith what is naturallie generate is subject to corruption and such an harmonie which is Life rising from the mixture of the foure Elements which are the Ingredients of our bodie can not euer endure The contraritie of their qualities as a consuming Rust in the baser Metalles beeing an inward cause of a necessarie dissolution Againe how is not Death good sith it is the thaw of all those vanities which the frost of Life bindeth together If there bee a facietie in Life then must there bee a sweetnesse in Death The Earth were not ample enough to containe her of-spring if none dyed in two or three Ages without Death what an vnpleasant and lamentable Spectacle were the most flourishing Cities for what should there bee to bee seene in them saue bodies languishing and couâ—bing againe into the Earth pale disfigured faces Skelitons in stead of men and what to bee heard but the exclamations of the young complaintes of the olde with the pittifull cryes of sicke and pining persons there is almost no infirmitie worse than age If there bee any euill in death it would appeare to bee that paine and torment which we apprehend to arise from the breaking of those strait bands which keepe the Soule and body together which sith not without great struggling and motion seemes to proue it selfe vehement and most extreame The senses are the onely cause of paine but before the last Trances of death they are so brought vnder that they haue no or verie little strength and their strength lessening the strength of paine too must be lessened How should wee doubt but the weaknesse of senselesseneth paine Sith we know that weakened and maimed parts which receiue not nurishment are a great deale lesse sensible than the other partes of the bodie And see that old decrepit persons leaue this world almost without paine as in a sleepe If bodies of the most sound and wholesome constitution bee these which most vehemently feele paine it must then follow that they of a distemperate and crasie constitution haue least feeling of paine and by this reason all weake and sicke bodies should not much feele paine for if they were not distempered and euill complexioned they would not be sicke That the Sight Hearing Taste Smelling leaue vs without paine and vnawares we are vndoubtedlie assured and why should wee not thinke the same of the Feeling That which is capable of feeling are the vitall spirits which in a man in a perfite health are spred and extended through the whole bodie and hence is it that the whole body is capable of paine But in dying bodies we see that by pauses and degrees the partes which are furthest remoued from the heart become cold and being depriued of naturall heat all the paine which they feele is that they doe feele no paine Now euen as ere the sicke be aware the vitall spirits haue with drawne themselues from the whole extension of the bodie to succour the heart like distressed Citizens which finding their walls battered down flye to the defence of their Cittadell so doe they abandone the heart without any sensible touch As the flame the oyle failing leaueth the wicke or as light the Aire which it doeth inuest As to the shrinking motions and convulsions of sinewes and members which appeare to witnesse great paine let one represent to himselfe the strings of an high-tuned Lut which breaking retire to their naturall windings or a piece of Yce that without any out-ward violence cracketh at a Thawe No otherwise doe the sinewes of the bodie finding themselues slacke and vnbended from the braine and their wonted labours and motions cease struggle and seeme to stirre themselues but without either paine or sense Sowning is a true pourtrait of death or rather it is the same beeing a cessation from all action motion and function of sense and life But in Sowning there is no paine but a silent rest and so deepe and sound a sleepe that the naturall is nothing in comparison of it What great paine then can there bee in Death which is but a continued Sowning and a neuer againe returning to the workes and dolorous felicitie of life Now although Death were an extreame paine sith it is in an instant what can it bee why should wee feare it for while wee are it commeth not and it beeing come we are no more Nay though it were most painfull long continuing and terrible vglie why should wee feare it Sith feare is a foolish passion but where it may preserue but it can not preserue vs from Death yea rather the feare of it banishing the comfortes of present contentmentes makes Death to aduance and approach the more neare vnto vs. That is euer terrible which is vnknowne so doe litle children feare to goe in the darke and their feare is increased with tales But that perhaps which anguisheth thee most is to haue this glorious pageant of the World remoued from thee in the Spring and most delicious season of
life of all that liues Eternall Bountie which each good thing giues How could Death mounte so hie No wit this Point can reach Faith onely doth vs teach For vs Hee dyed at all who could not dye LIfe to giue life depriued is of Life And Death display'd hath Ensigne against Death So violent the Rigour was of Death That nought could daunte it but the Life of Life No Power had Pow'r to thrall Lifes Pow'rs to Death But willinglie Life downe hath layed Life Loue gaue the wound which wrought this worke of Death His Bow and Shafts were of the Tree of Life Now quakes the Author of eternall Death To finde that they whom earst he reâ—t of Life Shall fill his Roome aboue the listes of Death Now all rejoyce in Death who hope for Life Dead IESVS lyes who Death hath kill'd by Death No Tombe his Tombe is but new Source of Life RIse from those fragrant Climes thee now embrace Vnto this World of ours O haste thy Race Faire Sunne and though contrarie wayes all yeare Thou hold thy course now with the highest Spheare Ioyne thy blew Wheeles to hasten Time that lowres And lazie Minutes turne in perfect Houres The Night and Death too long a league haue made To stow the World in Horrors vglie shade Shake from thy Lockes a Day with saffron rayes So faire that it out-shine all other dayes And yet doe not presume great Eye of light To be that which this Day must make so bright See an eternall Sunne hastes to arise Not from the Easterne blushing Seas or Skies Or any stranger Worlds Heauens Concaues haue But from the Darknes of an hollow Graue And this is that all-powerfull Sunne aboue That crown'd thy Browes with Rayes first made thee moue Lights Trumpetters yee need not from your Bowres Proclaime this Day this the angelicke Powres Haue done for you But now an opall hew Bepaintes Heauens Christall to the longing view Earths late hid Colours glance Light doth adorne The World and weeping Ioy forth comes the Morne And with her as from a Lethargicke Transe Breath com'd againe that Bodie doth aduance Which two sad Nights in rocke lay coffin'd dead And with au iron Guard invironed Life out of Death Light out of Darknessâ— springs From a base Iaile forth comes the King of kings What late was mortall thrall'd to euerie woe That lackeyes life or vpon sense doth grow Immortall is of an eternall Stampe Farre brighter beaming than the morning Lampe So from a blacke Ecclipse outâ—peares the Sunne Such when a huge of Dayes haue on her runne In a farre Forest in the pearlie East And shee her selfe hath burnt and spicie Nest The lonlie Bird with youthfull Pennes and Combe Doth soare from out her Cradle and her Tombe So a small seed that in the Earth lies hidde And dies reviâ—ing burstes her cloddie Side Adorn'd with yellow Lockes of new is borne And doth become a Mother great with Corne Of Graines brings hundreths with it which when old Enrich the Furrowes with a Sea of Gold Haile holie Victor greatest Victor haile That Hell dost raâ—sacke against Death preuaile O how thou long'd for comes with Iubeling cries The all-triumphing Palladines of Skies Salute thy rising Earth would Ioyes no more Beare if thou rising didst them not restore A sillie Tombe should not his Flesh enclose Who did Heauens trembling Tarasses dispose No Monument should such a Iewell hold No Rocke though Rubye Diamond and Gold Thou onelie pittie didst vs humane Race Bestowing on vs of thy freeâ—giuen Grace More than wee forfaited and loosed first In Edens Rebell when wee were accurst Then Earth our portion was Earths Ioyes but giuen Earth and Earths Blisse thou hast exchang'd with Heauen O what a hight of good vpon vs streames From the great splendor of thy Bounties Beames When we deseru'd shame horrour flames of wrath Thou bled our wounds and suffer didst our Death But Fathers Iustice pleas'd Hell Death o'rcome In triumph now thou risest from thy Tombe With Glories which past Sorrowes contervaile Haile holy Victor greatest Victor haile Hence humble sense and hence yee Guides of sense Wee now reach Heauen your weake intelligence And searching Pow'rs were in a flash made dim To learne from all eternitie that him The Father bred then that hee heere did come His Bearers Parent in a Virgins Wombe But then when sold betray'd crown'd scourg'd with Thorne Naill'd to a Tree all breathlcsse bloodlesse torne Entomb'd him risen from a Graue to finde Confounds your Cunning turnes like Moles you blinde Death theu that heeretofore still barren wast Nay didst each other Birth eate vp and waste Imperious hatefull pittilesse vniust Vnpartiall equaller of all with dust Sterne Executioner of heauâ—nlie doome Made fruitfull now Lifes Mother art become A sweete reliefe of Cares the Soule molest An Harbenger to Glorie Peace and Rest Put off thy mourning Weedes yeeld all thy Gall To daylie sinning Life proud of thy fall Assemble thy Captiues bide all haste to rise And euerie Corse in earth-quakes where it lies Sound from each flowrie Graue and rockie Iaile Haile holy Victor greatest Victor haile The World that waâ—ning late and faint did lie Applauding to our Ioyes thy Victorie To a yong Prime essayes to turne againe And as ere soyl'd with Sinne yet to remaine Her chilling Agâ—es shee beginnes to misse All Blisse returning with the LORD of Blisse With greater light Heauens Temples opened shine Mornes smiling rise Euens blushing doe decline Cloudes dappled glister boistrous Windes are calme Soft Zephyres doe the Fields with sighes embalme In ammell blew the Sea hath â—usht his Râ—ares And with enamour'd Curles doth kisse the Shoares All-bearing Earth like a new-married Queene Her Beauties hightenes in a Gowne of Greene Perfumes the Aire her Meades are wrought with Flowres In colours various figures smelling powres Trees wantone in the Groues with leauie Lockes Her Hilles empampred stand The Vales the Rockes Ring peales of Ioy her Floods and pratling Brookes Starres liquid Mirrors with serpinting Crookes And whispering murmures sound vnto the Maine That Worlds pure Age returned is againe The honnye People leaue their golden Bâ—wres And innocentlie pray on budding Flowres In gloomie Shades pearcht on the tender Sprayes The painted Singers fill the Aire with Layes Seas Floods Earth Aire all diuerslie doe sound Yet all their diuerse Notes hath but one ground Re-echoed heeredowne from Heauens azure Vaile Haile holy Victor greatest Victor haile O Day on which Deathes Adamantine Chaine The LORD did breake ransacking Satans Raigne And in triumphing Pompe his Trophees rear'd Be thou blest euer henceforth still endear'd With Name of his owne Day the Law to Grace Types to their substance yeeld to thee giue place The old New-Moones with all festiuall Dayes And what aboue the rest deserueth praise The reuerend Saboath what could else they bee Than golden Heraulds telling what by thee Wee should enjoy shades past now shine thou cleare And henceforth be thou Empresse of the yeare This
great vnto thee and great things small Follie appeareth Wisedome and Wisedome Follie. Fred of thy fleshlie care thou shalt rightlie discerne the beautie of thy selfe and haue perfect fruition of that all-sufficient and all-suffizing Happinesse which is GOD himselfe to whom thou owest thy being to Him thou owest thy well being He and Happinesse are the same For if GOD had not Happinesse Hee were not GOD because Happinesse is the highest and greatest Good If then GOD haue Happinesse it can not bee a a thing differing from Him for if there were any thing in Him differing from Him Hee should bee an essence composed and not simple more what is differing in any thing is either an accident or a part of it selfe In GOD Happinesse can not bee an accident because Hee is not subject to anie accidents if it were a part of Him since the part is before the whole wee should bee forced to grant that some thing was before GOD. Bedded and bathed in these earthlie ordures thou canst not come neare this soueraigne Good nor haue any glimpse of the farre-off dawning of his vncessable brightnesse no not so much as the eyes of the Birds of the night haue of the Sunne Thinke then by Death that thy shell is broken and thou then but euen hatched that thou art a Pearle raised from thy Mother to bee enchaced in Gold and that the death-day of thy body is thy birth-day to Eternitie Why shouldst thou bee feare-stroken and discomforted for thy parting from this mortall Bride thy bodie sith it is but for a tyme and such a time as shee shall not care for nor feele any thing in nor thou haue much neede of her Nay sith thou shalt receiue her againe more goodly and beautifull than when in her fullest perfection thou enjoyed her beeing by her absence made like vnto that Indian Christall which after some reuolutions of Ages is turned into purest Diamond If the Soule bee the forme of the Bodie and the forme separated from the matter of it can not euer so continue but is inclined and disposed to be reunited thereinto What can let and hinder this desire but that some time it bee accomplished and obtaining the exspected end rejoyne it selfe againe vnto the bodie The Soule separate hath a desire because it hath a will and knowes it shall by this reunion receiue perfection too as the matter is disposed and inclineth to its forme when it is without it so would it seeme that the Forme should be towards its matter in the absence of it How is not the Soule the forme of the bodie fith by it it is and is the beginning and cause of all the actions and functions of it For though in excellencie it passe euerie other forme yet doth not that excellencie take from it the nature of a forme If the abiding of the Soule from the bodie be violent then can it not bee euerlasting but haue a regresse How is not such an estate of beeing and abiding not violent to the Soule if it bee naturall to it to be in matter and separate after a strange manner many of the powers and faculties of it which neuer leaue it are not duelie exercised This Vnion seemeth not aboue the Horizon of naturall reason farre lesse imposible to bee done by GOD and though Reason can not euidentlie heere demonstrate yet hath shee a mistie and groping notice If the bodie shall not arise how can the onelie Soueraigne Good be perfectlie and infinitlie good For how shall hee bee just nay haue so much justice as Man if Hee suffer the euill and vicious to haue a more prosperous and happie life than the followers of Religion and Vertue which ordinarlie vseth to fall forth in this life For the most wicked are Lords and Gods of this Earth sleeping in the lee port of honour as if the spacious habitation of the World had beene made onelie for them and the Vertuous and good are but forlorne cast-awayes floting in the surges of distresse seeming heere either of the eye of prouidence not pityed or not regarded beeing subject to all dishonours wronges wrackes in their best estate passing away their dayes like the Dâ—zies in the Field in silence and contempt Sith then hee is most good must just of necessitie there must bee appointed by him an other time and place of 〈◊〉 in the which there shall bee a reward for leauing well and a punishment for doing euill with a life whereinto both shall receiue their due and not onelie in their Soules diâ—â—â—ted for â—ith both the parts of man did act a part in the right or wrong it carrieth great reason with it that they both bee araigned before that high Iustice to receiue their owne Man is not a Soule onelie but a Soule and Bodie to which either guerdon or punishment is due This seemeth to be the voice of Nature in almost all the Religions of the World this is that generall testimonie charactered in the minds of the most barbarous and sauage people for all haue had some rouing gesses at Ages to come and a dimme duâ—kish light of another life all appealing to one generall Iudgement Throne To what else could serue so many expiations sacrifices prayers solemnities and misticall ceremonies To what such sumptuous Temples and care of the dead to what all Religion If not to showe that they expected a more excellent manner of beeing after the nauigation of this life did take an end And who doth denie it must denie that there is a Prouidence a GOD confesse that his worship and all studie and reason of vertue are vaine and not beleeue that there is a World are creatures and that Hee Himselfe is not what Hee is But it is not of Death perhaps that we complaine but of Tyme vnder the fatall shadow of whose â—inges all things decay and wether This is that Tyrant which executing against vs his diamantine lawes altereth the harmonious constitution of our bodies benumning the Organes of our knowledge turneth our best Senses senslesse makes vs loathsome to others and a burthen to our selues Of which euills Death releiueth vs. So that if wee could bee transported O happie colonie to a place exempted from the lawes and conditions of Tyme where neither change motion nor other affection of materiall and corruptible things were but an immortall vnchangeable impassible all-sufficient kind of life it were the last of things wishible the tearme and center of all our deâ—ires Death maketh this transplantation for the last instant of corruption or leauing off of any thing to bee what it was is the first of generation or beeing of that which succeedeth Death then beeing the end of this miserable transitory life of necessitie must bee the beginning of that other all excellent and eternall And so causleslie of a vertuous Soule it is either feared or complained on As those Images were pourtraited in my minde the morning Starre now almost arising in the East I found my thoughts