Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
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A66466
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Divine poems and meditations in two parts / written by William Williams ...
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Williams, William, b. 1613.
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1677
(1677)
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Wing W2786; ESTC R8131
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55,180
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128
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from comfort nay the newest pain Of studied torments could not hinder their gain Or force them from their pious Christian love They ever bore to Christ who sits above He that so loves his Saviour will arise And stoop with Mary to enrich his eyes With the fruition of that desired sight That is so full of splendor power and might And not only stoop but step into a tomb And embrace a coffin in that dismal room And look on death but as the door to bliss The Messenger of glory and happiness And with St. Paul in raptures all in flame Begging a dissolution of this frame While his soul in extasies transports its sence Into a holy zeal to be mov'd hence O Lord with what regret do we forsake Earths vanishing pleasures in which we do take So great delight the which should make us sorry That we do strive so little for thy glory But are ever unwilling to let down Our lives our pleasures for an immortal Crown In obedience to the law of the blest Kingdom Which saith thy service is a perfect freedom And yet we count the sweetest sanctuary A Prison and trouble if we find it vary From our vile lusts and think our selves to blame If that we pay due honor to thy name Pardon O Lord the corruptions of our frame And teach us how to love and prize thy name But whether we live or die we may delight In that which is most pleasant in thy sight That when this Tabernacle shall dissolve Our earthy bodies may surely involve Into everlasting joyes the seat of bliss The only residence of happiness And stoop withal due reference and fear And look into a loathed Sepulchre Ecclesiastes 12.1 Remember thy Creator in the days of thy youth HOw sweet's the preachers voice that doth invite Youth to a plous care and doth excite A holy life it is the best expression In all his sermon checking youths transgression Here younger Ones are bid to have a care Of spending time least that they do ensuare Their souls in sin for none indeed can tell How soon young Men may hear their passing bell Toll the sad ditty of their latest breath Surrendring up their sences all to death The divine preachers chiefest aim is this To stir youth up to early holiness And yet the worlds not pleased with the strain It sounds too harsh though it design their gain Look on the creatures with a single eye And you this doctrine quickly will espy They plainly preach it yet we slug and slumber With open eyes our duller thoughts do cumber Our purer meditations which should be Of our backslidings and returns to thee Regardless youth delighteth not to hear This silver trumpet sounding in his ear It spoils his mirth and sours his sweeter Muse Stirs thoughts of Heaven too soon he 'd rather choose His Carnal sports than thus to dull his wit Make him look grave before he attain to it His spritely blood thinks it too hard a task To be religious he prefers a mask And rather ravel out his time in pleasure Whose vainest sports are held his chiefest treasure Fond youth call in these thoughts lament thy way Remember the approaching judgment day When we to God a sure account must give Of all our actions whilst we here do live Let not these fleshly objects of thy pleasure Transport our sences beyond a due measure From Heaven and heavenly things which should rejoyce Our very hearts to hear the Preachers voice And shall these lusts which we pursue in pleasure Bewreave us of our joy our only treasure Shall we have greater zeal for to transgress Than for to magnifie thy holiness And shall those pleasures that do quickly die Quite drown the thoughts of immortality My life that 's but a span let it decay And shorten rather than mispend my day Better this earthy tabernacle be Dissolved than I by sin should fall from thee Much better 't is that I should quickly pay Nature her debt and turn again to clay Than with thy justice run too far in score That so thy goodness may again restore Me to thy blessed self which cannot be But by thy mercies Lord alone to me 'T was thou didst bring me from the lowest dust To serve thy self not base and filthy lust Thou didst implant in me a sacred ray Of thine own self to light the ready way Of thy commands which if we do pursue With upright bearts then surely will ensue Such joyes as do accompany thy grace Then cause me Lord no longer to misplace My roving sence but henceforth fixt it fast In my desires to follow Christ at last Make me O God ever to prize thy glory Declining pleasures meerly transitory And teach me for to use this vain vain world As that which may again by thee be hurl'd Into a Chaos let me not lose thee Nor the blest mansions of eternity Dear friends prize virtue though your blood gainsay Love and delight therein 't is the true way Other are by pathes which do tend to sin Much joy you 'l find if that you walk therein Pursue it strictly 't is a serious truth Remember your Creator in your youth Luke 18.11 The Pharisee stood up and pray'd God I thank thee I am not as other Men are DId Christ reprove by parable these Men Which trusteth in themselves and rudely bin Despisers of others in a haughty pride An humble sanctity could not abide But overvalued in a fair pretence Of self conceit not giving reverence And humility to those parts they had receivid But boasting of themselves they had deceiv'd The world till Christ did sharply them reprove In which he shew'd his mercy and his love How proudly do the Pharisee give thanks He stands on tip-toe venting his vain pranks Ungrateful pride hath alter'd his disposition Which used long prayers and vain repetition The fits not now upon him for to pray He 's out of tune but opes his mouth to bray Not to adore his God but commend himself In such proud boasting but alas poor elf That is so highly ravisht with his parts Not caring for to study divine arts But with so cold a zeal a posture ill 'T were better he had bin unthankful still He exceeded other Men in his own sence In a superlative kind of impudence How largely doth he set forth his own worth Making no Apology for his filthy froth He thanks God with a mind that 's fully bent To praise himself 't is rather complement Than prayer he thinketh it Idolatry To worship images yet his vain folly Makes him adore himself with his own praise As do the Catholick Pharisees of our days In works of superarrogation high And think by it strait unto Heaven to fly Having numbred o're their beads their Ave-Mary's Their superstitions rights that fouly varies From the true Catholick Church that blessed spouse Of Christ whose splendid glory doth even rouse My soul in contemplations of its love Which will ne're be perfected till
of his love In sending us his Son which from above Hast left a holy Ministry to be our guide Oh keep us safe that we may never slide Into such pathes that may lead us astray But follow our shepherds in a holy way And from a peevish zeal good Lord restore us And grant us shepherds that may go before us Matthew 5.8 Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God c. GOd of his abundant love did send his Son Into the world to preach salvation Upon the mount whereon he freely taught His blessed precepts unto all that sought To him in faith and obedience to his will Minding his holy precepts to fulfil He pronounced nine blessings with their recompence If we observe them with true reverence And keep his holy Lawes not from it start Surely blessed are they are pure in heart Who would not then strive earnest to be pure See David's fervent zeal for to assure His panting soul which long'd full sore to find A place of rest for his so grieved mind To attain the which he passionately cri'd Lord from thy precepts let me never slide That he would cleanse his heart he might inherit The gifts and graces of his holy spirit Hath piety such a reward no disgrace Shall the pure in heart behold him face to face And with blest spirits ever happy raign In endless glory and true peace obtain Who will not labor to imitate the just VVho have such heavenly visions in their dust Shall the treacherous vanities we enjoy Steal off our hearts and rob us of true joy And bereave us of the glory of that light VVhich is of endless splendor power and might So strengthen me That I may rather choose The divine light and all false lights refuse A sight the which in glory doth surpass All triumphs in the world that ever was VVhat splenders are there compared to this It is an empty air Nothing less A sight which no eye ever saw but may If the worlds objects lead them not astray After the harmony of deluding Charms VVhich lulls frail flesh a sleep in natures arms The Idea of this sight cannot be drawn In lively colors least we do prophane The speculations of the brain can never Portract him truly that doth live for ever Then cease thy fancie and forbear thy art His liveless Character is in thy heart The divine Traveller though but newly there Could give no full description of that sphear Scripture Characters doth but even allude And set it forth but in similitude And shew how infinitely transcendent Is that glory which is omnipotent VVere diamonds all join'd to make one splendor They were but Attoms to the Sun not render The smallest glimps to that luminary Of life and heat the which by motions vary And feed a throng of sparkling stars that are Inlivened with his light which from a far VVe do behold each one in 's proper place How dim's it to the glory of thy face VVho then would thus so vainly sacrifies Himself to sin and so bewreave his eyes Of that blest vision and the chiefest good To gratifie his wild extravagant blood And revel in delights of sin and shame And stiffle his nobler passions and that flame Of holy zeal that should chiefly delight us To the triumphs of thy bliss Good Lord unite us He that would dwell amongst those sacred fires And holy spirits by whose true light inspires The mind with holy motions he must turn His heart unto an altar and their burn The holy sacrifice of penitence And lively faith with all due reverence And humbleness of heart which will do well For the graces of Gods spirit there do dwell The heart that mourns within us there must be The only seat of life and love to thee The graces of the spirit there must rest And be so firmly fixed in the brest Naturalists do well observe that to the heart Is first giv'n life then death it doth them part Oh Lord our hearts are frail there cannot be Strength to support unless it come from thee Give thy supporting graces we are weak Touch thou our hearts and tongues that we may speak To the glory of thy name and so dispise The vanities of the world with its disguise O raise our contemplations to thy glory Cast down our vain affections transitory That proudly do oppose it self in error Correct our thoughts oh let it be a terror Unto our hearts and make us plainly see The horror of our crimes Lord against thee Sanctifie to thy self our whole devotion That we live holy lives in godly motion Oh let our chiefest contemplations raise A holy zeal in us to give thee praise Let it be our delight to do thy will And all thy holy precepts to fulfill That when we shall lay down our lives in dust VVe may be glorified with the Just And sweetly seated in that blessed place VVhere we may all behold thee face to face Daniel 12.3 And they that be wise shall shine as the Brightness of the firmament and they that turn many to Righteousness as the Stars for ever and ever DId Michael th'archangel not stir thence But stood most valiant like a mighty prince To assist Gods people in their times of trouble And said their sufferings would be requited double If that their hearts would be to wisdom bent Should shine for ever in the firmament And such as by their pious pains do turn Others from sin so that they sigh and mourn Shall shine as starrs and be for ever blest VVith glory in everlasting rest Who then would not be studious for to gain True knowledge that he might thereby attain Such promised glory and become most pure Holy Celestial to be ever sure To shine forth as the Sun oh blessed sight In whose most glorious raies is the chief light Where man 's diviner part not only lives As living splendor it for ever gives Transcending beams of lustre which shall shine In the imperial heavens most divine And there be ever fixt and never sever But shine as stars for ever and for ever Look here ye blind admirers of Earths bubble A robe of purple or some glorious trouble A diadem of honor in this Earth Which brings forth care small comfort after death So vain is Man that fondly doth desire Such trifling honors that do soon expire Which carrieth not that light will give access And by its virtue turn to righteousness Which would make them Stars but some desire t' enjoy Their fading pleasures such a splendid toy Hear this all ye that can on shadows dote And you that can to Transitory pomp devote Your souls and care not for immortal bliss And think there is no other Heaven but this Sublunary pleasures couldst thou call down A robe of morning Stars to deck thee round Such Royal luminaries it would be But gloomy splendor a bright obscurity Compared to that lustre 'T will shine but faint Not like that glory that enwraps a Saint That