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
was the Sampler of Obedience A scandall made but never gave offence To any Order or Professions thus In 's Flesh he pleas'd the Jew in Water Us. So Mary mirrour of her sex appeares To th' Priest and th' common Thanksgiving heares Veyl'd as the Jewish custome was this done She doth present her Dove and Pigeon The poor childs commutation and ne're That Superstition thought which they did there Then with a lowly duty to the place She had retir'd but Simeon full of Grace And full of Prophecy takes up the Child In 's arms as much as his old arms could weild Then sings a Swan-like note Lord let me die Dissolve me in this instant Lord whil'st I Have my Salvation in my arms the Light Which doth dispell the Gentiles long dark night The Glory of thy people Israel Is in my feeble arms now visible So ended this old Custome and the Priest The Antheme sung dissolv'd and was with Christ. A Hymne of the Resurrection I. ARise arise Dead soul arise Alas I cannot ope ' my eyes The heavy Lethargy of sin Hangs on my faculties within II. Arise arise thy Saviour's rose Sin Death and Hell are conquer'd foes Why do'st thou yield to enemies Whose stings are lost arise arise III. Then lend thy hand thou blest First-fruit Of those who sleep i' th' Land o' th' Mute Say thou Come forth and quickned thus My soul shall rise like Lazarus IV. All Cords of Vanity I 'le break Propt up by thee their tyes are weak Like unshorn Sampson I 'le make way Through every Sin and Dalilah V. But if thou do thy Grace substract Alas I can no noble act Unless it be to pull on me My ruine and mortality VI. Yet from those Ruines and Grave-stones By thee shall rise my naked bones And from their Charnel-houses all Come forth new clad at thy last Call VII Those heaps of skulls with hollow eyes Unhair'd un-flesh'd shall clothed rise Dead tongues shall sing their song shall be My Lord is rose wee 'l follow thee Hymnus Ascensionis I. THe Lord 's ascended see the Fiends And their captiv'd Black Prince doth cleare the aire A cloud of all his martyr'd Friends Receive him while th' amused world doth stare II. Gone in a Cloud but in a Glory Returns with all his shining Heavenly Host In such a pomp this worlds vain-glory United ne're could make could never boast III. Gaze not Apostles gaze no more But lift your hearts up after not your eyes He is not gone but on this score To make good all his Royall Promises IV. As they continued all devout Praying and Fasting and with one accord Three things pretended by our rout Which never yet accorded but i' th' Sword V. At the good time of Pentecost The very time we now call Whitsontide In fiery-Tongues the Holy-ghost On them descended on his Church abide VI. No more Descents no other Light Unless by him who can himself disguise Into an Angel for deceit As at this day 's apparent to our eyes Upon the Pentecost I. O Holy Spirit help me to indite No pen can of thee unless by thee write Inspir'd by thee rude Fishermen speak high Meaner proportions lower Gifts ask I. II. Not such a bright Irradiation As was t'enlighten every Nation When the whole world was dumb and deaf and blind It was high time that fiery Tongues then shin'd III. The lisping of those tongues is speech enough We well may see by that Light 's twinkling snuff For with their persons that exceeding light Except some glimmerings is extinguisht quite IV. Those twelve inspir'd Illustrious Heads were all Thy Churches Rulers Apostolicall And their Successors are the envy'd Starrs At which both Heresie and Scisme make warrs V. To out that Light derivative from them How fierce these men blew off Ierusalem And when the Jew could not extinguish it He gave the Light to subtil Mahomet VI. Who blew that Light into a two-fold flame And dimmed Christ's and blew up his own name So that his Taper is of double twist A Mahomet extoll'd a deprest Christ. VII Yet still the Light doth shine do what you can Either by Talmud or by Alcoran Others I shame to name it have this Light But in dark Lanthorns keep it from our sight VIII Or as when Whirlwinds raise the numerous dust The interposed Atomes 'twixt us thrust And the bright beames of the eclipsed Sun Darkned by magnify'd tradition IX But ' ware of little bellowes these at last Have with some help made a most dang'rous blast Sectarian Puffers joyn'd to th' Jesuit Have e'n blown out our once Apostolick Light X. Come then and re-instate thy Candlestick Come Holy Ghost thy Church is more then sick Dead as to sight re-quicken her again And make Apostacy's Invasions vain XI Let Ignes fatui to their Fens return Let nothing but the Lamp o' th' Temple burn And let the Church-moths that in numbers flie About the light be sing'd and after die Upon the Festival of the Blessed Trinity falling upon May 29. 1659. WElcome thou double Jubilee such things Are dark the Mysteries of God and Kings Uncomprehended that and this unseen Yet we believe they are shall be have been Enthroned Elders fall and worship Thee Most Sacred and Eternall Trinity But our exalted Elders pull down Kings And do themselves create Omnipotent things Yet we who love th' Old Revelation Do as those Beasts which did surround the Throne Not ruine it cry a perpetuall Song To God and for the King O Lord how long Tri-unity and Uni-trinity Shall stand and a perpetuall Basis be Not so of Kings whose delegated Crowns Are in subjection to the Doners frowns By me Kings reigne is Gods Commission And he pulls down and setteth up alone Yet do the Heathen rage and do strange things Disturb the Offices and Rights of Kings Murder their Persons and the Heire throw out Kings are no better then Their Lord no doubt Yet shall the Anthem still the Beast become These Christs both are and were and are to come Is there an Evil that of punishment Or vengeance on a cursed Nation sent And is it not from him who raiseth Seas And can as soon the peoples rage appease Boast not thy self thou high Babelick-man The Lord hath hooks for thee Leviathan And though thou swell in thy conceited height With Asies thou must forrage this same night Nor with a multitude go on the cause Is not by number good but by the Lawes The earth the lowest of the people will Open and rise 'gainst such as their Kings kill What is it for a season a short day A vapouring Massinello for to play Murder and plunder burn and spoile and then Be made a laughing-stock of God and men Much better they who not being given to change Nor State nor their Religion never range From the Old way in which they firmly stood These sixteen hundred yeares accounted good That touch not Aarons Censers nor provoke The Earth it self with
all one Leprosie And Infant-blood prescrib'd the remedy O horrid sight see Troopers on their speares Carrying like spoyles Babes had not seen two years Snatc'd from their mothers breasts and sprawling yet Take the speares point instead of sucking Teat Was ever such a Monster to enjoyn Murder on Babes and Mercy unto Swine What will not Superstition spare or kill A sucking child must dye and a Hog swill Brave mighty men of War stout Curasiers How well your Victory in Story heares Your Countrey 's Parricides for pay do this Were ever such bloody Mercenaries Usurping Herod a false King half Jew Can make you murder the right King the true You are the instruments of all this evil And for your pay do serve this bloody Devil Take heed deceived Souldiers or your pay Will be a little higher in one day Pay-day will come for this nor will 't be good To plead you had commission to shed blood Saint Iohn the Baptist gives you other sense You must not do to any one offence How can we fight then you will streight reply Souldiers of Fortune serve for salery Examine not the Justice nor the Grounds O' th' Quarrel made to give and receive Wounds 'T is argu'd well and you may justly fight And in some cases question not the Right Where Lawfull Power doth muster you yet then They are two things To fight and murder men Iust War is lawfull but in your coole Blood To kill a child commanded Think y' it 's good Remember that brave Slave and gallant Man Redeem'd from th' Oare by Dioclesian When that the subtil Emperour did ask What desp'rate service or what rugged task He 'd undergo to gain his Liberty Bid him propose unto extremity Courted the worst of dangers any dress Of Death made not his valour spiritless But when the business was to act a Rape Upon a Virgin of Angelick shape Do 't thy self Tyrant said the Moral Slave Return me to the Moans or to my Grave I will not taint my soul with such a crime To gain the glory of thy Diadem Take heed then at no Generals command Act what with honest Justice will not stand Murder no Innocents enjoyn who will Say like the Slave do you Sir such things kill Christians are such in God Almighty's eyes Be tender then of such a Sacrifice For as that Rachel wept for children there So the Church-Rachel wailes hers every where On the Circumcision THe Eighth day Ceremony calls a Rite Of long observance a Covenant plight 'Twixt God and Abraham when his Faith gain'd That promis'd Blessing that this day 's obtain'd And Circumcision was the Seal whereby That Grant was past to his Posterity And not to his alone but the whole Earth Was to be blest i' th' product of that Birth Here it is tender'd in the Temple done Legall throughout as 't were 'twixt Sun and Sun And now the Covenant-maker doth submit To his own Law which is fulfill'd in it A Passion but continued his whole life How will he end that enters on the Knife Here the first stroke the last upon the Crosse Thy Agony then both a greater loss Of blood enter'd in discipline severe This Knife is but praeludium to thy Spear Here suffering under Law and there against Lamb-like from sheering thou to th' Shambles went'st Thy Fore-skin now is clipt but the next Dart Will pierce thee Man of Sorrow to the heart And yet nor Speares nor Whips nor Nailes nor Thorns Are so tormenting as unworthy scorns Thus in the rigour of exacting Law Blood from thy Infant-flesh the Priest doth draw Blood from thy side doth after spring that we Might from sanguineous Rites be ever free Water suffices to the same intents And Bread and Wine more kinder Elements Our Sacramentall Dues are easie mild Which will not hurt i' th' duty the least child Take then them not in opere in fact But let us doe what those sweet Rites exact Be circumciz'd in Heart our Will 's the Knife Whetted by Grace the Mulct is a new Life Besprinkled Facesintimate cleans'd Hearts And bread and Wine Faith unto Blood converts Easie conversion who can less require But he that dy'd that it should be no higher The torment of Redemption that was His Ours are the fruits of that hard purchas'd Bliss No longer Jew gash thy unmeriting skin The Wounds that are expected are within A sad and contrite spirit Teares and Sighs Such Sacrifices will ascend on high Gratefull and pleasing Christian be thou sure To wash too after Lavor and the Ewre It is not often dipping is requir'd Wash oft as Naaman did and yet be mir'd Unless Repentance cleanse the Hands and Heart And a good Life by Hysops purging Art Render thee born a new thou' rt still a Jew All Aâ—ana nay Iordan will not do Signe are but outward Covenants and take place If they be seconded with inward Grace His Circumcision and my Baptism's naught Unless we 'r wash'd and circumciz'd in thought Upon the Epiphany THough in a Manger laid Portentous then Heavens did declare for thee and wisest Men A proper Star pracursor of thy Birth Blazons thy Lineage to the duller Earth Concentrick to thy self thy Star doth move Onely to th' Cradle of the God of Love Astrologers be your conjectures thus We will allow your Art judicious But if like Balaam as too like I fear For gain you 'l cant then Asse-rebuke beware If your Stars tell what after shall arise And point out Christ again you may be wise Have you not found it in some obscure skie Which makes this noyse for a Fifth Monarchy That all the Kings o' th' Earth are troubled more About this news then Herod was before Take heed of such predictions but chief When you see men in arms for that belief Whom Broughton hath made mad and ready stand To take Commissions give no Command All listed Officer in martial Equipage onely want the Generall How bloody was his first approach what drumming And Trumpets shall we have at his next coming Then Infants went to wrack now Men must fall For Saints must rule and they 'r a portion small Few are that number but a little flock What Hecatombs of Goats must to the block That these belov'd Sheep may have their full And plump their bare-bone sides with sinners wooll But not so hasty friends before that day Most horrid signes the Heavens will display The Sun Body of Light must darkned be No borrowed beames the Moon shall clarifie When her Light-fountain's out Heav'n-quakes shall turn Stars from their Orbs which then shall downward burn And the vast frame of that Convex and round Above our heads shall crumble to the ground The ground to nothing as at first then see If that the Lightnings volatility You can discern and tell us where it goes Your observations we will not oppose But you and I alas all but a few Who shall pass death by a translation new Shall
like Ezekiel's Vision dry bones lie Look to be raised from mortality But then how naked shall we be how far From any thoughts of an unnatural war That we shall Mountains wish and highest Hills To cover us for acting here such Ills. For as at Herod's Inquisition And bloody Quest away fled Mary's Son And as when Peter drew th' revengefull sword No countenance was given by his Lord But a V ae Gladio and a certain doom Pronounc'd upon blood-drawing men to come So will his second coming be to right The suff'ring Christian punish them that fight That will he will he will not be controul'd But say His Kingdome shall in this world hold These men are Star-gazers led out o' th' way With whom false Ignes fatui do play And run them into pit-falls but beware Come regulate your motions by this Star This Star the Gentils conduct let it be The Badge and Order of Christianity This Star our Phosphorus which did fore-run The rising of th' Eternal Righteous Son VVhich doth enlighten that which rules the day And clears all Heathen Ignorance away Let stars the VVise men lead and VVise men Fooles Let Shepherds teach their Sheep Pastors the Schooles So that this Stars renown'd Epiphany An Universal Guide to Christ may be Upon the Conversion of S. Paul IS Saul among th' Apostles what that Saul Who men and women to the Judge did hale Who held the cloaths of those accursed ones Did devout Stephen unto death with stones 'T is strange but it is he Stephen no doubt Thy dying words this wonder brought about When at thy Vision of the Trinity Thou pray'dst that charge might not against him lie How potent are the words of martyr'd Saints VVho from the Scaffold can obtain such grants VVhich shall convert their enemies such words Like those of thy late crucified Lord's Are of a vast effect Father forgive They know not what their malice doth contrive Did intimate that Providence ore-rules All humane Projects bad men are the Tooles VVhereby it works unseen the greatest good VVho'd think a Salve should rise from shedding blood VVhat Iudas Pilat Jewes act 'gainst thy Son Proves their own Guilts the worlds Redemption Thus the Salvation of Mankind was struck As Light once out of Darkness Chaos-muck From flints and stony hearts and blest events May issue yet from bloody Presidents VVho could imagine a blood-thirsty Saul Should mount a Pulpit and turn preaching Paul But many are not call'd like Saul few are VVe must not then presume or mischiefs dare Upon some singular Examples Saul And one Thief are precedents that is all Two that no man despaire and yet but two That no man should presume like acts to do Then view this form Champion of the Devil Commission'd from the Synagogue for evil The High Priests Letters in his pockets are And what these VVarrants for such speciall care Hast Secrecy and Guards alas to seize Poore people at their holy Services Now to Damascus full of bitter spleen His sword then his enraged heart less keen He and his Troopers march poor upper roomes Look to your selves and Votaries Saul comes But his design is frustrate for a Light This Fury and his Firebrands doth benight See the struck man whose eyes did sparkle now VVith rage hath ne'r an eye his way to shew The Horseman is dismounted hurl'd to th' ground And his Horse-party all in a sad sound How weak is humane force when Heav'n will fight One Angel puts an Assyrian Host to flight A word or two's an army of such force Enough to scatter a good Troop of Horse Trust not in wrong and robbery trust not In Horse nor Guns nor Iron Chariot Look upon Pharaoh and his vanquish'd Host By weakest means a heap of waters lost Look upon furious Saul who did rejoyce His work so nigh confounded with a voice Look on Belshazzar Fortunes Tennis-ball Dis-Emperor'd by a writing on a wall Thus is this Heros in an instant quell'd The Billow-brook with so much malice swell'd Tame as his persecuted souls he 's led To Ananias for new eyes to 's head It is in vain to kick against such pricks VVhich wound the striker hurt the person kicks New light with his new eyes appeares the man Is chang'd a very perfect Christian A Souldier for the Cross to which he stood Stout to the last and with his life made good Read his Engagements what set Battels he In person pass'd and got the victory How many dangers both of Sea and Land Tempests and Starvings Frosts and Iron bands Torments Imprisonments Scourges Stocks and Stones VVhat had he not of Persecutions At Lystra some at Ephesus come see His prize with Beasts oh Inhumanity In Chains led through Ierusalem and beat His death so long'd for some forswore their meat They 'l fast for ever but his blood they 'l have Religious Murderers what Food they crave But that all mischief might be heap'd on thee Nero thou Prince of vast Impiety Paul is reserv'd for Rome there is the stage VVhere this most active Saint shall feel the rage Of that fierce Lion who had burnt his Rome And quench'd the Flame with Christian Martyrdome He playes and sings away their lives what other Usage from one the murderer of 's Mother Peter and Paul in one day felt his rage Two Saints not parallel'd in any age Saint Peter crucify'd with reverst head A bashfull Martyr in that honour'd Bed Saint Paul indulg'd as learned Seneca Bled by high courtesie his life away So because He a Roman was by Birth The Ax dispatch'd his headed Corps to th' earth Upon the Purification of the Blessed Virgin THe first and onely birth of the chast Womb Is by a long us'd Rite to th' Temple come A holy Offering to his Father he Was offer'd thus from all Eternity The Priest for ever the Melchisedeck Both Priest and Sacrifice without a speak Now in the Temple on the Cross anon Offer'd but not in shew as Abrahams son Who by a bleating Proxie dy'd this Lamb Dies pers'nally relieved by no Ramme In this all Sacrifices Bulls and Goats Whose impure blood and insufficient throats Had neither worth nor vertue ceas'd the Creature Was then redeem'd by th' death of the Creator The Type unto the Antitype gives place This onely is the Holocaust of Grace But what had Mary's Virgin-womb just cause To give submission to these womens Lawes Who had Lucina's help or rather none The Holy Ghost being present cause alone Both of Conception and Delivery Mary was laid without their Midwifery No need of them of this same Rite no need For Defaecation after produc'd Seed Of a Piamen but as her great Heire Endur'd the Knife when eight dayes ended were Then took Baptismall washing when from Above Father in Voice was Witness Spirit in Dove So all these Ceremonies were undergone Not for Necessity or Good thereon Unto His sacred Person but to shew What We not He unto the Law did owe He