the joyfull matter you may guess Glory to God good will to men t' Earth peace When such a Song shall ever more be heard Or when such Choristers 't is to be fear'd The Saints are black and of another tone Hatred to men War and Destruction Upon the Sons o' th' Earth and yet they cry All 's done to the glory of God on High Away then Sheepherds to the humble place And kiss his feet view your sweet Saviours face What Glory shines about the Babe the Hay And Straw all on a fire make no such day The Beasts affrighted with such flames here gaze And run about the Infant as it blaze What need we care where us our Mothers lay A Manger is Gods Incunabula Mary incircled with a glorious Light Is in a cloud her self her thoughts in night Deliver'd of a Son but not of Doubt Her heart was joy'd but yet was pierc'd throughout Certain 't is hers uncertain how 't is hers Shee does believe 'fore Reason Faith preferrs The births of all men do depend upon Their Mothers here the Mother trusts the Son Whose Incarnation to himself was known And Mary Mothers it Father there 's none Upon S. Stephen the Proto-martyr HOw shall I write thy Legend who am all Extremely bad as bad as either Saul What though I threw no stones as Saul I had A hand in thy Lords Lords death and that 's as bad The Sins preceding present and to come Are all upon account the cursed summe And hand-writing against us which stood good Untill Christ had expung'd it with his Blood The Jewes cry'd Crucifie their voice prevailes But every Sin of mine was Goad and Nailes Mount Calvary the Stage the World the Cause And He condemn'd for our not keeping Lawes And every one that does profess that name Hath for his Badge Death Poverty and Shame While devout Stephen preaches him and spake A Poniard-Sermon made the heart to ake Like the smart penn'd Philippicks word and blow Th' eternal Life and Death of Cicero What is contriv'd his fate a Sermon friend Of truth doth th' utterer to th' Scaffold send But what should anger them Stephen you know Was no Apostle that 's no Bishop no He was a fervent Deacon had he been O' th' higher Form he 'd been the Man of Sin No Order scapes their malice no Degree Exempts the Clergie from their Tyranny If he speak truth and boldly reprehend Bishop or Deacon it shall be his end 'T is not thy Miracles or Wisdome Saint Though it convince them shall obtain a Grant They are o'recome convicted Guilt proves Rage Not onely then but now in this our Age. Look what a crew and crowd of Enemies Are rais'd against apparent Verities Which Libertines convene they will dispute And Sense and Wonders shan't a man confute Just like the enemies to David's Throne A line of wicked Combination Edom and Ishm'el Moab Hagarens Gebal and Ammon Tyre and Philistines Conspire 'gainst Iudah all so here a Nest Of Sectaries oppose the Truth profest And all in vain then to the old Designe Make a Malignant of the best Divine Blasphemer Innovator one that doth Act against God in words and the State both This will prevaile if that the people cry Iustice aloud good Stephen thou must die Thus do false cryers up o' th' Temple kill The truest Props and Churches Pillars still Upon S. John Evangelist and Apostle BElov'd Disciple pillow'd on the breast Of Christ which was a favour 'bove the rest From whence thou suck'dst sublime Divinity And soarst aloft with Eagles piercing eye Into the Mysteries of Faith To thee We owe the profound arguments whereby The Ebionites and Arrian Hereticks Socinians and their late invented tricks Are all confounded and whosoe're do fight Against Christs Incarnation or his Right In the Blest Trinity th' c Eternal Word As in a scabbard is inclos'd a sword Couch'd in the Flesh shewn thorow that shadowing veyle And 'bove the Hood the Glory did prevail It was not possible to shrowd him so But by his works his Father he must know He prov'd his Father by his wondrous Deeds Than those his Acts there need no other Creeds Believe me for my Works they 'r his own words These speak me God these speak me onely Lord. To make men eyes and legs were blind and lame It is as to create the very same To raise the dead to life redeem restore To raise himself from death what would you more More if he would have done his own self saith Could not if what he did would not gain Faith The reason of this Unbelief 't is this Men hated Light for its discoveries Mischiefs in Lanthorns lodge in Mists and clouds And flie whatsoe're their dark designs inshrowds Deluding Oracles are dumb when Truth Doth speak the Divel himself hath ne'r a mouth When that the Word Essential is in place Darkness and Light can't joyn Malice and Grace Forc'd and extort confessions may come From Devils themselves who would like men be dumb But when th' Effective Word exerts its pow'rs Both Devils and Men must then be Confessors But in his Umbrage of Divinity These combin'd parties dare affront him high Call him a VVine-bibber companion With Publicans and Sinners any one Harlots Samaritans he made no choice Rather with Poor then Pharisees rejoyce Christ was no Seperatist onely from Sin He liv'd up Love and preach'd Communion in So did his lov'd Apostle whose works show The Fountain whence those streames of love did flow How sweet his Trias of Epistles run And to his last he sang as he begun Love one another when his aged eyes By guides came to his Pulpit-offices Love one another his last text so prove Your selves to be of God to be in love So ended this Saints life for he alone Escap'd the Cross the Fire the Sword the Stone Of all the Twelve yet was the Caldron heat And the amanded Fires did streight retreat And could not hurt his Sacred Person for Long life was promis'd by his Saviour Not a No Death as was mistook so he In Patmos was an Exile then did die VVhere lies the Body of this Sacred Man Banish't to th' Isle by proud Domitian Upon the death of the Innocents LOe here a company of sucking Saints Suffring before the knowledge of their wants Their Saviours Proxies Vicar-Sacrifice Whilst He by Angels guide to Aegypt flies Aegypt the succour now of Israel Which did to its own cost them once expell Away false gods and Garden Deities No Superstition neer this cradle lies The Land is Goshen all and Light by thee And cursed Cham a greater Child doth see Then Moses or that fam'd Interpreter Made the chief Ruler from a prisonar Not so in Israel where the cruel King Slayes without mercy every sucking thing Nor spares his own young Infants but lets Rage Arm it self keen 'gainst that Innocent Age As if the Land were
Gods Word and Commandements which is now called The new Light Good Lord deliver us Thus fast and you shall obtain not out of the work done by you which is acceptable but in his fasting who is onely gracious and in whose merits all our lame and imperfect works are sanctified For by his holy Incarnation our flesh is purified by his holy Nativity and Circumcision our new life is raised our old Adam buried by his Baptism Fasting and Temptation our Fonts our Abstinence our Trials are all made in some measure holy so in the procession of his glorious Merits By his Agony and bloody Sweat by his Crosse and Passion our Sufferings Plunderings and Martyrdomes are crowned by his precious Death and Burial by his Resurrection and Ascension our pious Exits and goings out of the sad Stage of this World our Sursum corda our lifted-up souls our awakenings from the Lethargie and Death of our past Sins are gracious with his Father and beneficial to our selves And by the coming of the Holy Ghost we are fortified and double guarded intrench'd and pallissado'd against all the malice of our invading enemie the World the Flesh and the Devil Feare not little Garrison though you fast a while relief is coming yea by a party of Horse by an Army such as Elias was upon the Mountain greater in number then your enemies Fear not besieged soul for God will rescue thee and he shall bring you forth from this Garrison of the World with Colours flying Drumms beating all but your Moneys which must be left behind that bunch in the Camels back which must be crush'd and pash'd and wire-drawn before you can be fitted to take that narrow pass the eye of the needle and then look before you the strait way of Christian Discipline the Gauntlet run what joy doe you enter into what variety of Heavenly Mansions where every Souldier for his earthly services hath a Patrimony which cannot be taken from him which cannot suffer waste but is upon improvement for ever where every Souldier hath a Medall of his Chieftaines Donation the Seal of the Everliving God which is the Badge of his fidelity and a perpetual and indelible character of his Loyalty to his Master No more shall be heard the word of Indigent Officers or any such Sarcastick sound against them for they shall hunger no more nor thirst any more neither shall the Sun of Persecution nor any heat of Oppression light on them But the Lamb which is in the midst of the Throne shall lead them to Fountaines of living waters and God shall wipe away all teares from their eyes Amen A MEDITATION ON THE PASSION Of Our SAVIOUR I Do present Your Royall Highnesse with such a Scene of Sorrow such a Tragedy as that Age onely beheld and no Age after it shall see The Prince of Peace the Councellor Murthered by his own People Crucified at his own Gates Was there any Sorrow like this Sorrow which is magnified by the Dignity of his Person by the Basenesse of his Accusers the Falsenesse of the Accusations the Impudence of his Judges From which unjust Tribunal those that loved him fled at whose sufferings the ashamed Sun withdrew its light testifying by its miraculous opacity and darknesse that the God of Light was extinguished the Earth opened and had not the God of Mercy and Love forbad would have swallowed the Nation as it did once before a part of them whilest his helplesse Spectators the ever Blessed Virgin his Mother with his belov'd Disciple stood by pierc'd at the heart to see him so pierc'd to see her Son the Son of God so roughly and barbarously butcher'd by those who liv'd and mov'd and had their Being from him while God look'd through the Cloud permitting what was from Eternity designed Men and Devils to act a piece of Wickednesse which was the ruine of the Contrivers the Devils fatal overthrow the destruction of Ierusalem the abandoning of the Iewes and Redemption of the whole World Pardon me Sir if in honour to my Saviours Sufferings I undertake what would ask the pen of the most Ready Writer and he onely could truly blazon that Princely Prophet from whose Loyns as to the Flesh he was descended I had need of a Protection Royal nay an Army Royal for a Guard while I enter upon the History As many Enemies hath Christ himself as had his Father David Gebal and Ammon and Amaleck the Philistines with they of Tyre Hagarens Moabites and Ishmalites and a number of confederate and associate Conspirators united against the Tribe of Iudah So against this Lion of that Tribe are combin'd Marcionites Ebionites Eutichians Nicolaitans Arrians Socinians and a Hidra of Schismaticks all of them either enemies of his Humanity or Divinity These crucifie not his Person on the Crosse but his Natures in their Heretical Writings they untext the Gospel of S. Iohn and with false and pitiful glosses would perswade their Sectaries that Tempus erat quando non suit that there was some time when he was not and so labour to null his Eternal and coessential Being with his Father before all Worlds deprive him of his just Right of Creation of the World testified by that Eagle-ey'd Evangelist who sayes directed by the Holy Ghost By him all things were made and without him nothing was made that was made who being the Wisdome of his Father was the most accomplish'd Agent through the Holy Spirit to effect that stupendious Convex that hoops in this lower Orb. And how bravely were these Blasphemies introduc'd by the assassination of a most Christian King Aurelius that murder proving successeful per scelera sceleribus iter est they march in a procession of wickednesse and streight stab the Deity of him that is anoynted for evermore That inhuman butchery got an Empire to Phocas and a triple Crown to his sacrificing Priest who ever since usurps the Purple Robe a fit Die and eternal Testimony of his Blood-got Supremacy over his fellow-Bishops These crucifie the Scriptures as the Jewes did Christ and expunge the sense though not the words and whereas the letter sayes None shall be greater then another they say one shall and is above them all nay not onely their Apostolick Overseers but in Ecclesiasticis over Emperours and Kings Well gratified old Phocas that by the base acquisition of a Diadem straight didst part with the best Flower in it No such Regimen was left by our Saviour nor no such Vicar nor no such Peter with a brandisht Sword no such Boanerges with a sublunary Fire Cellars of Gun-powder and spiritual Ammunition that shall more expeditely conveigh three estates to heaven then Elias fiery Chariot yet this usurpation still obtains upon some Princes who for politick ends or for fear of Raviliacks and Jesuited Daggers or which is worse for covetous and ambitious designes suffer that Christ that is in them to have his head stuck with Thornes and his mouth imbitter'd
with this damnable Doctrine the Lees of the Cup of the Lady of Babylon How far short are our Sectarians at home who hold not forth indeed a Golden Cup but a worse an Antinomial Cup which if the Princes of this World drink the rough emetick will make them void all the just prerogatives belonging to their sacred Authorities Up comes first the Militia without which Kings are as powerful as our Saviour with his Reed in his hand Arundinem pro Sceptro they must hold forth a Bulrush instead of a Scepter The next reach or straine of this vomitary Purge is Potestas vitae naecis without which there can be no Magistrate the Administration of Justice the Dispensations of Rewards and Punishments being the Charter of God delegated to his servant the King for the encouragement of the good and punishment of evil persons The third operation is as bad which fetches all his jurisdiction Ecclesiastical up at one heave and throwes that precious Right into the Classical Bason first and then into the great Caldron of a Provincial Synod in which his own head must boil if he dissent from that Consistorian sentence and Assembly suffrage What Jew what Loyolist of Ignatius could ever desire more These are the Abisgah of our Adonirams Adonijah's humble petition to his Majesty and let his answer be as I hope his wisdome is like Solomon's aske the Kingdome also to be tripartite and divided betwixt Abiathar a covenanting Presbyter and Ioab the Son of Zervia a traiterous Generall So let the King serve them as Solomon did who dare to intreat him from his power with bended knees and hands lift up to Heaven yet carry short swords to destroy the loyal Abners the Kings most trusty and well-beloved friends So let the King displace such Abiathars who not subscribing to the enacted Lawes of the Land under pretence of weak conscience have the consciences to disturb the Peace of the Land and affront the Government thereof There is no fear Royal Sir that your Majestick Brother should want Zadocks Orthodox and Loyal Priests For look Sir in the Cave where God hath hid from cruel persecution five thousand who never bowed to the Baal of those dayes nor fell down to worship the Calfe though made of the Ear-rings Whistles Bodkins and Silver Spoons of the deluded Sisters of the Nation Let them bite upon the bit and stoop to the sentence of the house of Eli and Abiathar till they snap at a morsel of bread out of the inferiour tables belonging to your High Priests If upon any threats or solicitations these Prerogatives be parted with then take heed of a Tolle crucifige away with him crucifie him as your Martyr'd Father saith in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Kings once divested of their power are soon imprisoned and then murdered For truly Royal Sir the Lives of Princes run almost parallel with their Saviours Their whole Reignes are but continued Passions Damocles did well in his Item of Regal Care and Danger to suspend a naked Sword with the point downward by a slender twist over his head as he sate at table How early was thy Persecution my deare Redeemer when thy Cradle was not free from a murtherous Herod whose life he so much thirsted for that many Hecatombs of Infants were musthered for fear Thy tender Person should escape That streame of Innocent Blood was praeludium to the Death of the Lamb that the Red Sea wherein thou didst float to Aegypt which harbour'd Thee in Thy flight the onely Goshen of the Land No Pharaoh's daughter now to suckle this Divine Exile but Angels were thy Rockers and Nurses and the Apis of Aegypt I mean the Cow was prostrate and fed the onely Via Lactea or milky way to Heaven Herod dead and the Wise men thy Worshippers Star-guided home thou didst return to thy Ierusalem a while to preach anon to die 'T is true indeed the loaf-fed multitude very pious by qualmes and fits especially when their bellies are full would have made an earthly Prince of the King of Heaven But Thou that knewest the danger of such Principalities didst flie from a Scepter with more hast then Richard the Third came to it of whom it is storied That he came from the womb with his feet forward and he made wicked speed and in a crimson flood swom to the Crowne which he did not long enjoy the Duke of Richmond soon after avenging the blood of his slain Kindred in Bosworth Field which was his just Aceldama Just got Diadem Regal Inheritances are insecure but ill acquired Thrones never sit safe and Tyrants seldome make a drie end but are wet and bedewed in blood to their graves Neque enim Lex justior ulla est Quam necis artifices arte perire sua 'T is just th' Inventers of great Torments have The Executions they to others gave There is a Bull for a Phalaris nay his owne Bull a Thomaris for Cyrus a Gibbet for Haman an Axe for a Bloody Rump and a Pole Rampant higher then the rest for an aspiring Oliver Our Saviour said His Kingdome was not of this world he was Lord over it Lord Paramount and these the Fifth Monarchists who so much contend for his reign upon earth though they make themselves onely his subjects shall never see their adopted King whom the Heaven of Heavens must contain untill all Kingdomes Levellers and all are levelled with the Earth He came not to wear a Crown of Gold but Thorns which made his head so many Fontinells of blood every prick opening an Orifice whence issued salvation to the world In the Garden this bloody Fight began when by his strong apprehension of the imminent danger he sweat thick drops of blood the soveraigne water of that Garden then he prayed that man of sorrow deprecated that that Cup might pass Vox hominem sonat the Prayer shewes him Man but his Suffering and his Submission God not My will not the will of me as Man for what man can court Death but thine and my will as God be done Therefore his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his vehement Groaning and Weeping were the strong and emphatick Emanations of his sad Soul laden with the Sins of the whole earth as a Cart is laden with sheaves in which are millions of millions of Grains the complicated vices of the Seed of Adam so was this Winepress-treader burthened who alone trod the Grapes in garments sprinkled with his own Blood Can we heare this and not compassionate weep Daughters of Ierusalem a little for him but more for your selves for whose defections whose spiritual Fornications for whose Pride and Luxury Covetousnesse and Hypocrisie this Hen that so oft would have gathered you as Chickens under his healing wings is pull'd and torn to pieces hash'd by barbarous Souldiers and tumultuous villaines If we can let us with watery eyes follow the pomp and prowess of his Sufferings through Water and Tears Objects are magnified but this Shew