of men who dayly are betray'd By those insidious snares which Satan lay'd T' intrap their Souls Alas how void of care Is heedless man How subject to a snare But he whose more than superficial love Is always active lab'ring to improve Our hearts with thankfulness denies to let Our Souls be taken in th' eternal net Of unconceived misery and live In lasting death not having power to give The least of drops unto our howling tongues But suck the Flames until our sulphurous lungs Crackle and belch forth brimstone till we tire Our Carbonado'd members in a fire That 's inextinct the more we strive to turn Our parched Souls still more and more they burn Resolve these things within thy serious mind Oh Man let Love instruct thee to be kinde To him that 's loving do no disrespect A God whose Soul so dearly can affect Pour out thy thoughts and practise to relent And let thy thoughts induce thee to repent Grasp opportunity Time 's always flying God's always living and thou always dying Dye then before thou dy'st redeem the time Because thy days are evil learn to clime Jacobs erected ladder thou shalt see Th'adst better clime a Ladder than a Tree As Judas did Be wise and do not fan Thy Soul with air remember what a span Thou art remember whose inspired breath Made thee a Soul forget not whose sad death Made thee alive be mindful that thou art Th' Epitomy of Heav'n inure thy heart To love the best of loves so shall thy brest Be fill'd with comfort and thy Soul with rest Prepare and know the very fowls delight To prune their wings before they take their flight Although terrestial Kings will not permit A Traitor to his Courts nor let him sit Before his presence though they will not hear A Malefactors prayers yet Heav'ns blest ear Is always open and his tongue invites Repentant sinners for his eye delights To view them in his Courts when they appear For muddy waters may at last prove clear 'T is not unlike ill scented dunghils may At last bear flowers that which is foul to day To morrow may prove fair the thing that cost Millions of silver may as well be lost As things of smaller value Heav'n can spy A miâ—e as well as mountains for his eye Is lodg'd in every cranny of mans heart And he knows all that searches every part Where breathes that Mortal that can comprehend The ways thoughts of God who knows the end Of his beginning He that can break a rocky heart in twain And re-unite it if he please again He that can part the boiling waves and stand Upon the Seas as on the dryest Land He whose celestial power can make the graves To open and command their slumb'ring slaves To rise nay more to stand nay more to walk Nay more if more than this may be to talk He that can make a Whale to entertain A Jonah and to spue him out again He whose almighty power can unlock The flinty bowels of a scragged Rock And make her headlong-gushing streams abound To wash the bosom of the thirsty ground He that can transmutate by power divine The poorest water into richest wine He that can curb rude Boreas and asswage The lawless passion of the Oceans rage He that can rain down Manna to supply The craving stomacks of mortality He that can like an all-commanding God Make Almonds flourish from a sapless rod He that can make the Sun and Moon stand still Or run according to his sacred Will He that sav'd a Daniel from the paws Of Lyons and can muzzle up their jaws He that can make the greedy Raven carry Food to his Servants like a Commissary He that can with an unresisted hand Dash fire into Ice and counter-mand The wanton flames charm them that they dare But burn his Servants cords and not their hair He that can cause ten thousand to be fed With two small fishes and five loaves of bread He that can cloth himself with fire and name Himself I AM and make a bush to flame Without consuming He that can convert A Rod into a Serpent and not hurt He that can make his visage shine so bright That not a Moses can behold the light He that can strike a hand with leprosie And cure it in the twinkling of an eye He that can in a moment cut and break Tongue-tying cords make the dumb to speak He that can out of unregarded stones Raise unto Abraham many little ones He that can heal the Cripple with a touch And free him from the thraldom of his Crouch He that can cure the deaf and can expel A thousand Devils in despite of Hell He that can perfect what he first begun Expects that man should say Thy Will be done Consider man and thou shalt find it true Heav'n can do all but what he will not do Think not because thou art of low estate That he will scorn to love and love to hate Remember Dives whose unsumm'd up store Improv'd so much until he prov'd as poor As ever Job was Job unhappy I To speak it he was rich in poverty Heav'n made poor Job so rich that Satans wealth Could purchase nothing from him but his health And that corporeal too he could not boast His bargain for 't was Job that purchas'd most Happy is he that can at last inherit Riches obtain'd by an impov'rish'd spirit We'd better lick with Lazarus the crumbs Than gripe with Dives for Soul-damning sums Wealth cannot bribe the flames yet scraps may feed The hungry wretch he that has wealth may need The Crumbs of comfort David did condole Th' abundant famine of his hungry Soul Gods Love 's not mercenary to be sold For brain-distracting heart-confounding gold Hast thou not heard O Man the heav'nly cry Of him that says Ye that are poor come buy Come buy of me your pen'worth shall be such That for a little you shall purchase much Here 's Love that 's spun unto the smallest thred Though thou want'st mony yet thou mayst have bread Do thou but ask thou shalt not fail to have For God's more free to give than thou to crave Fear not to ask of him whose ready ear Before thy tongue can ask is apt to hear Heav'n loves the language of a broken heart And he will harken and with joy impart His love into thee and his milk and wine Without the price of mony shall be thine Th' ingrated Pris'ner whose dull tongue is whet With sharp'ned hunger will not fear to let His language fly to every ear that comes Within his audience and he always sums The totals of his grief in hungry words Whilst thousands pass along but few affords The blessing of an Alms perhaps they 'l grieve And seem to pity but will not relieve Yet will he not desist but hourly cry Bread bread for Heav'ns sake bread or else I die Hard hearted Man why wilt thou not relent To hear thy Brother almost hunger-spent
Craving thy succour Where 's thy love become Because th' art deaf ah wu'dst thou have him dumb Or dost thou think because thy panch is fill'd He cannot hunger He that first distill'd Those mercies on thy head expects that thou Shouldst feed thy Brother with a cheerful brow Say not thou canst not give thy treasure's light But let thy heart record the widows mite So Heav'n will fill thy Cisterns to the brim And feed thy Soul because thou hast sed him Should the Grandfather of true Charity Pass by the gates and hear thee beg and cry And not relieve thee should he slight thy prayers And scorn to take a survey of thy tears Wouldst thou not grieve and pine thy self to dust And almost say thy God was much unjust To turn away his ears from thy complaint And disrespect thy pray'rs and let thee faint For want of food Ah whither wouldst thou fly To feed thy famish'd Soul should Heav'n deny But ah he cannot for his melting Soul Is always free and willing to condole The sad conditions of distressed Man Who only strives to do but what he can To contradict him yet he 'l hear our grief In multitudes of mercies lies relief When our impris'ned Souls peep throw the grates Of this corrupting Earth our God dilates Himself unto us and he sends us meat From the rich store-house of his lofty seat He hears and hearing pities pitying sends And sending blesses and with blessing ends Even as the Sun which every day surrounds The sublime Globe and pries into the bounds Of this dark Center let his Beams reflect Upon a Molehil with as much respect As on a Mountain for his glorious Beams Shine always with equivalent extreams Even so the great and powerful Three in One That sits upon his all-inlight'ning Throne Does not deny to let his mercy crown The poorest Peasant with as much renown As the most stateliest Emperor though he Invests his body with more dignity Yet he 's but earth and must at last decay For Prince and Peasant go the self same way Their earth must turn to earth their Souls return To him that gave them or for ever burn There 's no distinction one infused breath Made them alike and both must live in death Or everlasting life both must commence Divines in Heav'n there 's no preheminence But all equality all must express With equal Joy their equal Happiness Rouse up dull man and let thy wak'ned Soul Be vigilant oh let thy thoughts enroul The love of God engrave it in thy brest That his resounding tongue may read thee blest O let thy sighs like Pens and let thy tears Like Ink transcribe the Love th'indulgent cares Of thy Creator that himself may find Within th' unblotted volume of thy mind Himself recorded so will he imbrace Thy spotless Soul and fill thee with his grace Incline thine ears and let thâ— heart rejoyce To hear the strains of his harmonious voice Harken and thou shalt hear his Prophets sing Th' admired Mercies of the glorious King Thus saith the great and ever-living One That rules the heav'ns governs earth alone 43. Thus saith the Lord that takes delight to dwel Amongst his Saints that formed Israel Created Jacob let thy sorrows flee Out of thy brest I have redeemed thee 'T was I that made thy clouded visage shine And call'd thee by my Name for thou art mine I will be with thee when thy feet shall wade Thorow the waters I will be thy aid I le make thee walk through Rivers and the waves Shall prove ambitious to become thy slaves And when thou walkest through the raging fire Th' unruly flames shall not presume t' aspire Or kindle on thy garments I alone The Lord thy God and Israels holy One And thy dear Saviour that was always true Gave Aegppt Seba and Ethiopia too To ransome thee for thou wert my delight And always pretious in my gracious sight Honors were heapt upon thee and thou wert The tender love of my affecting heart Therefore even I that am well pleas'd will give People for thy dear sake that thou mayst live Fear not for I am with thee and I 'le stand In thy defence and my all-grasping hand Shall bring thy seed from the remotest places And fill thee with my satisfying graces 6. My tongue shall call unto the North and say Unto the South Give and they shall obey Bring from a far my Sons and Daughters all Hear my loud voice be active when I call 7 I have created them and I proclaim They shall be call'd and honour'd by my Name I 'le usher forth the blind and make them see The splendent Glories of my Majestie I le cure the deaf and make their hearts rejoyce To hear the Ecchoes of my warbling voice Thus hath our God unty'd the tongues and broke His Prophets lips thus have his Prophets spoke And wilt thou be O man so much obdure As not to credit him that will assure Perpetual happiness Thou canst not ask That which he cannot give do but unmask Thy shamefac'd Soul that so thou mayst discry Jehovahs mercies with a faithful eye Descant upon his promises advise With thy own thoughts let reason make thee wise Inspect thy self weigh well thy own condition And thou shalt find thou want'st a good Physitian To cure thy maculated Soul Alas Thou art like water stop'd up in a glass So weakly fortifi'd and fenc'd about That one weak knock soon lets the Pris'ner out Vain lump of vanity what can this Earth Afford thy thoughts more than a short-liv'd mirth A mirth that fills thee with deluding toys And like a Tyrant afterwards destroys Dot'st thou on Earth For what because her pleasure Can guild thy wanton eye because her treasure Can cram thy bags because her Syrens song Can ravish thee because her power can throng Thy Soul with luxury because her charms Can court thee with delight because her arms Can pleasingly imbrace thee and impost Thy heart with gold and lull thee when th' ast lost Thy self in sleep Is this the little All That this great World can boast of Must we call These things our pleasures No they 'l prove our Our golden Fetters and our silken Snares These are the Joys we love these are the things cares That make us fly with our Icarian wings Up to Ambitions Court and there presume To gaze so long until our waxen plume Dissolve with heat and like presumptuous slaves Tumble our selves into the raging waves Of speedy Ruine Ruine's all that we Must hope t' obtain from Earths base treasurie Let 's scorn her wealth and say O Earth thou art A painted Mistress with a rotten heart Let 's hate to love that we may love to hate Th'unconstant glory of her fickle state Even as the subtile Crocodile prepares Her flatt'ring heart and eye-commanding tears To woo her Prey to come within the power Of her command that so she may devour With more facility and make her jaws To
thy pleasure Sou. and corrupt my state Sat. Have I not proffer'd all that can be given To a sick Soul Sou. To drive my Soul from Heaven San. Did I not promise to be true and just Sou. Did I not say I 'de neither try nor trust Sat. Did I not promise that I 'de make thee wise Sou. Did I not say thou wert compos'd of lies Sat. Did I not promise to encrease thy store So. Did I not say such wealth would make me poor Sat. Did I not promise to advance thy fame Sou. Did I not say thy honors were thy shame Sat. Did I not promise to uphold thy peace Sou. Did I not say such wars would never cease Sat. Did I not promise thee a Crown of life Sou. Did I not say that Crown would Crown my Sat. Did I not promise thee eternal glory strife Sou. Did I not say that promise was a story Sat. Did I not promise I would give thee all Sou. Did I not say such promises were small Sat Did I not tell thee I was great and good Sou. Did I not answer 't was in shedding blood Sat. Did I not tell thee that my ways were best Sou. Did I not answer that they were unblest Sat. Did I not tel thee that thou shouldst have joy Sou. Did I not answer such as would destroy Sat. Did I not tell thee that I did lament Sou. Did I not answer that I was content Sat. Did I not tell thee what a friend I 'd prove Sou. Did I not answer that I could not love Sat. Thus by fair terms I labour'd to obtain Sou. Thus in foul terms I told thee 't was in vain Sat. Then I began to threaten thee with grief Sou. And then I fled to Heav'n and found relief Sat. I threatened to afflict thee with large pains Sou. I told thee such afflictions were my gains Sat. I told thee more than now I will express Sou. My answers made thee wish I had spoke less Sat. But now I see my real words can find No rest within the Center of thy mind For 't is in vain to sow the seeds of life In a dead heart that is manur'd with strife I 'le therefore cease my importuning love I 'le shew my Serpent and keep close my Dove Do do thy worst vile wretch I le make thee know Griefs abstract and the quintessence of woe I 'le load thee with extremities thy brest Shall always crave but find no place of rest Had but my grave advice receiv'd a place Within thy heart thou hadst been fil'd with grace But now the inundations of thy trouble Shall overflow thee and I will redouble My new-contrived plagues I 'le make thee feel My melting heart is now transform'd to steel Thy tongue shall like a bolt of thunder roul And roar within thy mouth thy sulphurous Soul Shall flash forth lightning and thy blood-red eyes Shall blaze like Comets in the troubled Skies Thy teeth shall gnash as if they scorn'd to be Concomitants in so much misery Oh how I 'le carbonado every part And fill thy body with increasing smart Thy Soul shall lure for death but that shall hate To pierch upon thee and contemn thy state Life shall be still incroaching but thy breath Shall scorn that life and hate it unto death Thy flesh shall drop forth brimston and thy bones Shall court each other in their crackling tones Horror shall be thy watchman curses shall Possess thy rongue one torment still shall call Upon another when thy voice shall cry But for a drop Confusion shall reply No no thou shalt not if a golden Myne Could buy a drop that drop should not be thine Then shalt thou say if thou hadst been at first Advis'd by me thou hadst not been accurst Thus in this sad Dilemma shalt thou roar And crave my succour but I 'le not deplore Thy woful state because thou wert averse To goodness after folly comes a curse Then shalt thou know and find I will exile All thoughts of pity and I 'le rather smile Than grieve at thy distress ah know 't is bard To force an entrance where the gates are bar'd Fond Soul be serious let thy thoughts reflect On my indulgency and give respect Unto my clemency believe I will Be good to thee do but forsake thy ill Forsake forsake that evil which will turn To thy destruction do not do not burn The precious fuel of thy chaste desires In idle wanton all-consuming fires The post of time is swift and knows no stay 'T is time to go when Reason calls away Protraction's dangerous it is not good To strive with that which scorns to be withstood Then do not thou procrastinate but take This opportunity do but forsake Thy former ways and readily incline Thy self to me and I will make thee shine With so much lustre that all eyes shall gaze Upon thy brightness and admire with praise Oh may my language reach thee too believe That so my torments may not make thee grieve In utter darkness that thou mayst imbrace Those glories which adorn my peaceful place Repent dear Soul repent what thou hast done Then call me Father and I 'le love my son Thus having told thee all I 'le here desist Be thou more apt to yield than to resist Sou. I find I find you first in flict a wound And then with balsome strive to make it sound You make me smile at first but after groan One hand incloses bread the other stone I fain would take the bread but that I stand In fear and danger of the stony hand Therefore to shun all danger I 'le despise Your fond advice and practise to be wise If all should prove that you have told me true I know the best and worst that thou canst do As for your threatnings they shall not disturb My peaceful thoughts my faith shall be their curb Urge me no mote but let me rest in quiet Strong is that stomack can digest thy dyet Sat. And is it so will no perswasions work Upon thy thoughts Those pregnant crimes that lurk Within thy brest will like to Scorpions gnaw Thy groaning heart such sorrow knows no Law But since thou wilt not be advis'd expect To find reward as I have found neglect Ah why fond wretch why dost thou thus provide Thy feeble self to strive against the tyde Alas alas why art thou lull'd asleep In follies Lap Rouze up for shame and weep For thine infirmities be not thus cross To him that would preserve thee from a Loss 'T is time to cast away the works of night And cloath thee with the shining robes of light Sou. If your strong Oratory had the skill To make me yield to your unsatiate will It were enough what more could you desire Than a bad period to your bad desire But stay bold friend I 'le meditate and see What fruit will spring from thine infernal tree Sat. What must I stay vile wretch till you dispute And prove the goodness of