Here had been Legs and Wings and Bones to pick. IV. Upon the Lord's Prayer OUr Father which in Heaven art Thy name be always hallowed Thy Kingdom come thy Will be done Thy Heav'nly path be followed By us on Earth as 't is with thee We humbly pray And let our Bread us given be From day to day Forgive our debts as we forgive Those that to us indebted are Into temptation lead us not But save us from the wicked's Snare The Kingdom 's thine the Power too We thee adore The Glory also shall be thine For evermore V Meditation upon Peep of day I Oft though it be peep of day do'nt know Whether 't is Night whether 't is Day or no. I fancy that I see a little light But cannot yet distinguish day from night I hope I doubt but steddy yet I be not I am not at a point the Sun I see not Thus 't is with such who Grace but now possest They know not yet if they are curst or blest VI. Upon the Flint in the Water This Flint time out of mind has there abode Where Chrystal Streams make their continual Road Yet it abides a Flint as much as 't were Before it touch'd the Water or came there It s hard obdurateness is not abated 'T is not at all by water penetrated Though water hath a softning vertue in 't This Stone it can't dissolve 'cause 't is a Flint Yea though it in the water doth remain It doth it's fiery nature still retain If you oppose it with it's Opposit At you yea in your face it's fire 't will spit Comparison This Flint an Emblem is of those that lye Like stones under the Word until they dye It 's Chrystal Streams hath not their nature changed They are not from their Lusts by Grace estranged VII Upon the Fish in the Water 1. The water is the Fishes Element Take her from thence none can her death prevent And some have said who have Transgressors been As good not be as to be kept from sin 2. The water is the Fishes Element Leave her but there and she is well content So 's he who in the path of Life doth plod Take all says he let me but have my God 3. The water is the Fishes Element â—er sportings there to her are excellent 〈◊〉 is God's Service unto Holy men They are not in their Element till then VIII Upon the Swallow THis pretty Bird oh how she flies and sings But could she do so if she had not Wings â—er Wings bespeak my Faith her Songs my Peace When I believe and sing my Doubtings cease IX Upon the Bee The Bee goes out and Honey home doth bring And some who seek that Hony find a sting â—ow wouldst thou have the Hony and be free â—om stinging in the first place kill the Bee Comparison This Bee an Emblem truly is of sin Whose Sweet unto a many death hath been â—ow would'st have Sweet from sin and yet not dye â—o thou it in the first place mortifie X. Upon the Creed I Do believe in God And in his only Son Born of a Woman yet begot Before the World begun I also do believe That he was crucifi'd Was dead and buried and yet Believe he never dy'd The Third day I believe He did rise from the dead Went up to Heav'n and is of God Of all things made the Head Also I do believe That he from thence shall come To judge the quick the dead and to Give unto all just Doom Moreover I believe In God the Holy Ghost And that there is an Holy Church An universal Host. Also I do believe That sin shall be forgiven And that the dead shall rise and that The Saints shall dwell in Heaven XI Upon a low'ring Morning Well with the day I see the Clouds appear And mix the light with darkness every where This threatning is to Travellers that go Long Journeys slabby Rain they 'l have or Snow Else while I gaze the Sun doth with his beams Belace the Clouds as 't were with bloody Streams This done they suddenly do watry grow And weep and pour their tears out where they go Comparison Thus 't is when Gospel-light doth usher in To us both sense of Grace and sense of Sin Yea when it makes sin red with Christ's blood Then we can weep till weeping does us good XII Upon over-much Niceness T Is much to see how over-Nice some are About the Body and Houshold Affair While what 's of worth they slightly pass it by Not doing or doing it slovenly Their house must be well furnisht be in print Mean while their Soul lies ley has no good in 't It s outside also they must beautifie When in it there 's scarce common Honesty Their Bodies they must have trick'd up and trim Their inside full of Filth up to the brim Upon their cloths there must not be a spot But is their lives more then one common Blot How nice how coy are some about their Diet That can their crying Souls with Hogs-meat quiet All drest must to an hair be else 't is naught While of the living bread they have no thought Thus for their Outside they are clean and nice While their poor Inside stinks with sin and vice XII Meditations upon the Candle MAn 's like a Candle in a Candlestick Made up of Tallow and a little Wick And as the Candle is when 't is not lighted So is he who is in his sins benighted Nor can a man his Soul with Grace inspire More then can Candles set themselves on fire Candles receive their light from what they are not Men Grace from him for whom at first they care not We manage Candles when they take the fire God men when he with Grace doth them inspire And biggest Candles give the better light As Grace on biggest Sinners shines most bright The Candle shines to make another see A Saint unto his Neighbour light should be The blinking Candle we do much despise Saints dim of light are high in no mans eyes Again though it may seem to some a Riddle We use to light our Candle at the middle True light doth at the Candles end appear And Grace the heart first reaches by the Ear. But 't is the Wick the fire doth kindle on As 't is the heart that Grace first works upon Thus both doth fasten upon what 's the main And so their Life and Vigour do maintain The Tallow makes the Wick yield to the fire And sinsul Flesh doth make the Soul desire That Grace may kindle on it in it burn So Evil makes the Soul from Evil turn But Candles in the wind are apt to flare And Christ'ans in a Tempest to despair The flame also with Smoak attended is And in our holy lives there 's much amiss Sometimes a Thief will candle-light annoy And lusts do seek our Graces to destroy What brackish is will make a Candle sputter T'wixt sin and Grace there 's oft a heavy clutter Sometimes
miss This Sting is Sin the Laws it's Strength and he Or they will find it so who damned be True Jesus Christ indeed did Death destroy For those who worthy are him to enjoy He washes them in 's Blood from ev'ry Sin They 'r guilty of or subject to hath bin So here 's nor Sting nor Law nor Death to kill And yet Death always some men torment will But this seems Het'rodox or Mystery For Death to live to some to some to dye Yet 't is so when God doth man's Sin forgive Death dies but where 't is charged Death doth live LVII Upon the Snail SHe goes but softly but she goeth sure She stumbles not as stronger Creatures do Her Journeys shorter so she may endure Better than they which do much further go She makes no noise but stilly seizeth on The Flow'r or Herb appointed for her food The which she quietly doth feed upon While others range and gare but find no good And tho she doth but very softly go How ever 't is not fast nor slow but sure And certainly they that do travel so The prize they do aim at they do procure Comparison Although they seem not much to stir less go For Christ that hunger or from Wrath that flee Yet what they seek for quickly thy come to Tho it doth seem the farthest off to be One Act of Faith doth bring them to that Flow'r They so long for that they may eat and live Which to attain is not in others Pow'r Tho for it a King's Ransom they would give Then let none faint nor be at all dismaid That Life by Christ do seek they shall not fail To have it let them nothing be afraid The Herb and Flow'r is eaten by the Snail LVIII Of the Spouse of Christ. VVHo's this that cometh from the Wilderness Like Smoaky Pillars thus perfumed with Myrrhe Leaning upon her dearest in Distress Led into 's Bosom by the Comforter She 's clothed with the Sun crown'd with twelve Stars The spotted Moon her Footstool he hath made The Dragon her assaults fills her with Jarrs Yet rests she under her Beloved's Shade But whence was she what is her Pedigree Was not her Father a poor Amorite What was her Mother but as others be A poor a wretched and sinful Hittite Yea as for her the day that she was born As loathsome out of doors they did her cast Naked and Filthy Stinking and forlorn This was her Pedigree from first to last Nor was she pittied in this Estate All let her lie polluted in her Blood None her Condition did commiserate Their was no Heart that sought to do her good Yet she unto these Ornaments is come Her Breasts are fashioned her Hair is grown She is made Heiress of the best Kingdom All her Indignities away are blown Cast out she was but now she home is taken Naked sometimes but now you see she 's clo'd Now made the Darling though before forsaken Bare-foot but now as Princes Daughters shod Instead of Filth she now has her Persumes Instead of Ignominy her Chains of Gold Instead of what the Beauty most consumes Her Beauty 's perfect lovely to behold Those that attend and wait upon her be Princes of Honour cloth'd in white Aray Upon her Head 's a Crown of Gold and she Eats Wheat Honey and Oil from day to day For her Beloved he 's the High'st of all The only Potentate the King of Kings Angels and Men do him Jehovah call And from him Life and Glory always springs He 's white and ruddy and of all the Chief His Head his Locks his Eyes his Hands and Feet Do for Compleatness out-go all Belief His checks like Flowers are his Mouth 's most sweet As for his Wealth he is made Heir of all What is in Heav'n what is on Earth is his And he this Lady his Joynt-Heir doth call Of all that shall be or at present is Well Lady well God has been good to thee Thou of an Out-cast now art made a Queen Few or none may with thee compared be A Beggar made thus high is seldome seen Take heed of Pride remember what thou art By Nature tho thou hast in Grace a share Thou in thy self doth yet retain a part Of thine own Filthiness wherefore beware LIX Upon a Skilful Player on an Instrument HE that can play well on an Instrument Will take the Ear and captivate the Mind With Mirth or Sadness For that it is bent Thereto as Musick in it place doth find But if one hears that hath therein no skill As often Musick lights of such a chance Of its brave Notes they soon be weary will And there are some can neither sing nor dance Comparison Unto him that thus skilfully doth play God doth compare a Gospel-Minister That rightly preacheth and doth Godly pray Applying truly what doth thence infer This man whether of Wrath or Grace he preach So skilfully doth handle ev'ry Word And by his Saying doth the heart so reach That it doth joy or sigh before the Lord. But some there be which as the Bruit doth lie Under the Word without the least advance God-ward Such do despise the Ministry They weep not at it neither to it dance LX. Upon Fly-blows THere is good Meat provided for man's Health To this the Flesh-fly comes as 't were by Stealth Bloweth thereon and so Be-maggots it As that it is tho wholsome quite unfit For queazy Stomachs they must pass it by Now is not this a prejudicial Fly Comparison Let this good Meat good Doctrine signify And call him which reproaches it this Fly For as this Flesh-fly blows this wholsome meat That it the queazy Stomach cannot eat So they which do good Doctrine scandalize Present it unto some in such Disguize That they cannot accept nor with it close But slight it and themselves to Death expose Reproach it then thou art a mauling Club This Fly yea and the Son of Belzebub LXI Of Man by Nature FRom God he 's a Back-slider Of Ways he loves the wider With Wickedness a Sider More Venom than a Spider In Sin he 's a Consider A Make-bate and Divider Blind Reason is his Guider The Devil is his Rider LXII Of Physick PUrging Physick taken to heat or cool Worketh by Vomit Urine Sweat or Stool But if it worketh not then we do fear The danger 's great the Person 's Death is near If more be added and it worketh not And more and yet the same 's the Patients Lot All hope of Life from Standers-by is fled The Party sick is counted now as dead Comparison Count ye the Sick one that 's not yet converted Impenitent Incredulous Hard hearted In whom vile Sin is so predominant And the Soul in it's Acts so conversant That like one with Diseases over-run This man with it at present is undone Now let the Physick be the Holy Word The Blessed Doctrine of our Dearest Lord. And let the Doses to the Patient given Be by Directions of the God of
say nay To learn Chil-dren to spell a-right their names Names of Boys Tho-mas James Si-mon Ed-ward John Ro-bert Ri-chard Ad-am Ti-mo-thy Ja-cob A-bra-ham Mo-ses Aa-ron Phi-lip Mat-thew Bar-tho-lo-mew Wil-li-am Hen-ry Ralph Stephen Je-re-mi-ah Pe-ter George Jo-nas A-mos Ni-cholus Job Da-vid Names of Girls An-na Su-san-na Rebe-kah Mag-da-lene E-li-za-beth Sa-rah Ma-ry Jane Dor-cas Ra-chel Di-nah Do-ro-thy Joanna Ly-di-a Da-ma-ris A-bi-gail Mi-chal Han-nah Ruth Mar-tha Ag-nis Mar-ga-ret Ju-dith Joan. Alice Phe-be Grace Chris-ti-a-na Ka-the-rine Fran-ces To learn Children to know Figures and Numeral Letters Figures 1. One 2. Two 3. Three 4. Four 5. Five 6. Six 7. Seven 8. Eight 9. Nine 10. Ten. 11. Eleven 12. Twelve 13. Thirteen 14. Fourteen 15. Fifteen 16. Sixteen 17. Seventeen 18. Eighteen 19. Nineteen 20. Twenty 30. Thirty 40. Forty 50. Fifty 60. Sixty 70. Seventy 80. Eighty 90. Ninety 100. a Hundred 500. Five hundred 1000. a Thousand Numeral Letters I. One II. Two III. Three IV. Four V. Five VI. Six VII Seven VIII Eight IX Nine X. Ten. XI Eleven XII Twelve XIII Thirteen XIV Fourteen XV. Fifteen XVI Sixteen XVII Seventeen XVIII Eighteen XIX Nineteen XX. Twenty XXX Thirty XL. Forty L. Fifty LX. Sixty LXX Seventy LXXX Eighty XC Ninety C. a Hundred D. Five hundred M. a Thousand I shall forbear to add more being perswaded this is enough for little Children to prepare themselves for Psalter or Bible A BOOK FOR Boys and Girls c. I. Upon the Ten Commandments 1. THou shalt not have another God than me 2. Thou shalt not to an Image bow thy Knee 3. Thou shalt not take the Name of God in vain 4. See that the Sabbath thou do not profain 5. Honour thy Father and thy Mother to 6. In Act or Thought see thou no Murder do 7. From Fornication keep thy body clean 8. Thou shalt not steal though thou be very mean 9. Bear no false Witness keep thee without Spot 10. What is thy Neighbours see thou Covet not II The awakened Childs Lamentation 1. VVhen Adam was deceived I was of Life bereaved Of late too I perceived I was in sin conceived 2. And as I was born naked I was with filth bespaked At which when I awaked My Soul and Spirit shaked 3. My Filth grew strong and boyled And me throughout defiled Its pleasures me beguiled My Soul how art thou spoyled 4. My Joys with sinwere painted My mind with sin is tainted My heart with Guilt is fainted I wa'nt with God acquainted 5. I have in sin abounded My heart therewith is wounded With fears I am surrounded My Spirit is confounded 6. I have been often called By sin as oft enthralled Pleasures hath me fore-stalled How is my Spirit gauled 7. As sin has me infected I am thereof detected Mercy I have neglected I fear I am rejected 8. The Word I have mis-used Good Council too refused Thus I my Self abused How can I be excused 9. When other Children prayed That work I then delayed Ran up and down and played And thus from God have strayed 10. Had I in God delighted And my wrong doings righted I had not thus been frighted Nor as I am benighted 11. O! That God would be pleased T'wards me to be appeased And heal me thus diseased How should I then be eased 12. But Truth I have despised My follies idolized Saints with Reproach disguised Salvation nothing prized 13. O Lord I am ashamed When I do hear thee named 'Cause thee I have defamed And liv'd like Beasts untamed 14. Would God I might be saved Might have an heart like David This I have sometimes craved Yet am by sin enslaved 15. Vanity I have loved My heart from God removed And not as me behoved The means of Grace improved 16. O Lord if I had cryed When I told tales and lyed For Mercy and denyed My Lusts I had not died 17. But Mercies-Gate is locked Yea up that way is blocked Yea some that there have knocked God at their cryes hath mocked 18. 'Cause him they had disdained Their wicked ways maintained From Godliness refrained And on his word complained 19. I would I were converted Would sin and I were parted For folly I have smarted God make me honest-hearted 20. I have to Grace appealed Would 't were to me revealed And Pardon to me sealed Then should I soon be healed 21 Whos 's Nature God hath mended Whose sinful course is ended who is to life ascended Of God is much befriended 22. Oh! Were I reconciled To God I tho desiled Should be as one that smiled To think my death was spoiled 23. Lord thou wast crucified For Sinners bled and dyed I have for Mercy cryed Let me not be denyed 24 I have thy Spirit grieved Yet is my life reprieved Would I in thee believed Then I should be relieved 25. Were but Repentance gained And had I Faith unfeigned Then Joy would be maintained In me and sin restrained 26. But this is to be noted I have on Folly doted My Vanities promoted My self to them devoted 27. Thus I have sin committed And so my self out-witted Yea and my Soul unfitted To be to Heaven admitted 28. But God has condescended And pardon has extended To such as have offended Before their lives were ended 29. O Lord do not disdain me But kindly entertain me Yea in thy Faith maintain me And let thy Love constrain me III Meditations upon an Egg. 1 THe Egg 's no Chick by falling from the Hen Nor man a Christian till he 's born agen The Egg 's at first contained in the Shell Men afore Grace in sins and darkness dwell The Egg when laid by Warmth is made a Chicken And Christ by Grace those dead in sin doth quicken The Egg when first a Chick the shell's its Prison So 's flesh to th' Soul who yet with Christ is risen The Shell doth crack the Chick doth chirp and peep The flesh decays as men do pray and weep The Shell doth break the Chick's at liberty The flesh falls off the Soul mounts up on high But both do not enjoy the self-same plight The Soul is safe the Chick now fears the Kite 2. But Chick's from rotten Eggs do not proceed Nor is an Hypocrite a Saint indeed The rotten Egg though underneath the Hen If crack'd stinks and is loathsome unto men Nor doth her Warmth make what is rotten found What 's rotten rotten will at last be found The Hyppocrite sin has him in Possession He is a rotten Egg under Profession 3. Some Eggs bring Cockatrices and some men Seem hatcht and brooded in the Vipers Den. Some Eggs bring wild-Fowls and some men there be As wild as are the wildest Fowls that flee Some Eggs bring Spiders and some men appear More venom than the worst of Spiders are Some Eggs bring Piss-ants and some seem to me As much for trifles as the Piss-ants be Thus divers Eggs do produce divers shapes As like some Men as Monkeys are like Apes But this is but an Egg were it a Chick
pray To God for Mercy and will take no Nay But wait and count that all his hard Gain-says Are nothing else but fatherly Delays Then imitate him praying Souls and cry There 's nothing like to Importunity XL. Upon an Instrument of Musick in an unskilful Hand SUppose a Viol Cittern Lute or Harp Committed unto him that wanteth Skill Can he by Strokes suppose them flat or sharp The Ear of him that hears with Musick fill No no he can do little else then scrape Or put all out of tune or break a string Or make thereon a mutt'ring like an Ape Or like one which can neither say nor sing Comparison The unlearn'd Novices in things Divine With this unskill'd Musician I compare For such instead of making Truth to shine Abuse the Bible and unsavoury are XLI Upon the Horse and his Rider THere 's one rides very sagely on the Road Shewing that he affects the gravest Mode Another rides Tantivy or full Trot To shew much Gravity he matters not Lo here comes one amain he rides full speed Hedge Ditch nor Myry Bog he doth not heed One claws it up Hill without stop or check Another down as if he 'd break his Neck Now ev'ry Horse has his especial Guider Then by his going you may know the Rider Comparison Now let us turn our Horse into a Man His Rider to a Spirit if we can Then let us by the Methods of the Guider Tell ev'ry Horse how he should know his Rider Some go as Men direct in a right way Nor are they suffered to go astray As with a Bridle they are governed And kept from Paths which lead unto the dead Now this good man has his especial Guider Then by his going let him know his Rider Some go as if they did not greatly care Whether of Heaven or Hell they should be Heir The Rein it seems as laid upon their Neck They seem to go their way without a check Now this man too has his especial Guider And by his going he may know his Rider Some again run as if resolv'd to dye Body and Soul to all Eternity Good Counsel they by no means can abide They 'l have their course whatever them betide Now these poor Men have their especial Guider Were they not Fools they soon might know their Rider There 's one makes head against all Godliness Those too that do profess it he 'l distress He 'l taunt and flout if Goodness doth appear And at its Countenancers mock and jear Now this man too has his especial Guider And by his going he might know his Rider XLII Upon the Sight of a Pound of Candles falling to the Ground BUt be the Candles down and scatt'red too Some lying here some there What shall we do Hold light the Candle there that stands on high It you may find the other Candles by Light that I say and so take up the Pound You did let fall and scatter on the Ground Comparison The fallen Candles to us intimate The bulk of God's Elect in their lapst State Their lying scatt'red in the dark may be To shew by Man's lapst State his Misery The Candle that was taken down and lighted Thereby to find them fallen and benighted Is Jesus Christ God by his Light doth gather Who he will save and be unto a Father XLIII Of Fowls flying in the Air. MEthinks I see a Sight most excellent All Sorts of Birds fly in the Firmament Some great some small all of a divers kind Mine Eye affecting pleasant to my Mind Look how they tumble in the wholesom Air Above the World of Wordlings and their care And as they divers are in Bulk and Hue So are they in their way of flying too So many Birds so many various things Tumbling i'th'Element upon their Wings Comparison These Birds are Emblems of those men that shall Ere long possess the Heavens their All in All. They are each of a divers shape and kind To teach we of all Nations there shall find They are some great some little as we see To shew some great some small in Glory be Their flying diversly as we behold Do shew Saints Joys will there be manifold Some glide some mount some flutter and some do In a mixt way of flying glory too And all to shew each Saint to his content Shall roul and tumble in that Firmament XLIV Upon a Penny Loaf THy Price one Penny is in time of Plenty In Famine doubled 't is from one to twenty Yea no man knows what Price on thee to set When there is but one Penny Loaf to get Comparison THis Loaf's an Emblem of the Word of God A thing of low Esteem before the Rod Of Famine smites the Soul with Fear of Death But then it is our All our Life our Breath XLV Upon the Vine-tree VVHat is the Vine more than another Tree Nay most than it more tall more comly be What Work-man thence will take a Beam or Pin To make ought which may be delighted in It 's Excellency in it's Fruit doth lie A fruitless Vine It is not worth a Fly Comparison What are Professors more than other men Nothing at all Nay there 's not one in ten Either for Wealth or Wit that may compare In many things with some that Carnal are Good are they if they mortifie their Sin But without that they are not worth a Pin. XLVI The Boy and Watch-maker THis Watch my Father did on me bestow A Golden one it is but 't will not go Unless it be at an Uncertainty But as good none as one to tell a Lye When 't is high Day my Hand will stand at nine I think there 's no man's Watch so bad as mine Sometimes 't is â—â—llen 't will not go at all And yet 't was never broke nor had a Fall Watch-maker Your Watch tho it be good through want of skill May fail to do according to your will Suppose the Ballance Wheels and Spring be good And all things else unless you understood To manage it as Watches ought to be Your Watch will still be at Uncertainty Come tell me do you keep it from the Dust Yea wind it also duly up you must Take heed too that you do not strain the String You must be circumspect in ev'ry thing Or else your Watch were it as good again Would not with Time and Tide you entertain Comparison This Boy an Emblem is of a Convert His Watch of th'work of Grace within his heart The Watch-maker is Jesus Christ our Lord His Counsel the Directions of his Word Then Convert if thy heart be out of frame Of this Watch-maker learn to mend the same Do not lay ope'thy heart to worldly Dust Nor let thy Graces over-grow with Rust. Be oft renew'd in th' Spirit of thy mind Or else uncertain thou thy Watch wilt find XLVII Upon the Boy and his Paper of Plumbs VVHat hast thou there my pretty Boy Plumbs How Yes Sir a Paper full I thought 't was so because with