when the season brings A flash of Good doth all things so unframe That earths content doth scarce deserve the name Of common happinesse which like the winde Varies still meeting with a various minde Vnconstant earth what can thy treasure show That is not like thy self unconstant too How full of Change How full of Alteration Nay fixt in nothing but thy meer foundation And like thy self our naturall parent wee Constant in nothing but in loving thee Vers 4 One while we plunge in teares and by and by We rage in laughter yet not knowing why To day the zeal of our affection 's such Vers 8 We burn in love tomorrow hate as much Sometimes we fear not when our ev'lls appear Sometimes affrighted at no Cause of fear One while we should and will not will and should not Nay at the selfe-same moment would and would not Vers 4 Today we feast and quaffe in frolique Bowles To morrow fast and pinch our guilty Soules Row Musick now a Knell salutes our ears At noon we swim in wine at night in tears Ore night our vowes are made our joy concluded To day the danger 's past and heav'n deluded The last six Months our fortune swell'd with store And now they break was never Job so poor Verse 8 Time was that peace enricht our joyfull Land Time is our martiall drum beats warre at hand Vnconstant earth O is it not enough Thy days are ev'll at best and but a puffe At longest At the fruitfullest but vain But sad at merryest and at sweetest pain Is not all this enough enough to make The miserable childe of man forsake The false protection of thy magick eye Without th' addition of inconstancy Is' t not enough that we poor Farmers pay Quit-rent to Nature at the very day And at our dying howre bequeath to thee Our whole subsistence for a Legacie But thou must leave our frailties as a prey To time-born Change that will permit no stay In one estate nor give us leave to lye Sad Patients in a quiet misery O but my soule why dost thou thus contend With thy Creators pleasure Cease to spend This needlesse breath Shall thy disorder'd will Confront his Providence or call that ill Which he thinks good Tell me my soule shall hee That gave thee being be prescrib'd by thee Hee made thee for his glory not to spend Thy days in slavish labour nor to end Thy painfull travell in the shades of death But thou hast tainted that immortall breath Which qualifi'd thy life and made thee free Of heav'n and earth and a joynt Patentee With smooth-fac'd Cherubims And too too proud Of thy short honor warpt thy thoughts and bow'd Thy straight desiers to unknowne delight And wrapt thy glory in the clouds of night Lost thy freewill to good didst overthrow Thy perfect knowledge with desire to know Bereft of wisdome labr'ing to be wise Vers 19 Now peer'd with beasts that only works and dyes Both borne to sorrow breathe the selfe same breath Live both alike both dye the selfe same death Sâ—nce then my soule thy hopes may not aspire To what thou wouldst suit thy supprest desire To what thou mayst and let thy wisdome play Bad Cards with best advantage what the day Brings in by Travell let the frolique night Vers 22 Consume in Mirth and spend in full Delight Take thou to day let others take to morrow He earnes the Solace that endures the sorrow CAP. IV. 1 Vanitie is increased unto men by oppression 4. By envy 5. By idlenesse 7. By covetousnesse 9. By solitarinesse 13. By wilfulnesse Vers 1 MY soule return'd and fixt her thoughts upon The hard oppressions made beneath the Sunne And loe the teares of captives in distresse Cry'd loud for Comfort yet were comfortlesse Great was th'oppressors power yet the griefe Of the opprest was void of all reliefe Vers 2 O then I counted their condition blest Whom death had lull'd in everlasting rest Yea farre more blest then those that live to stand Afflicted patients at th'oppressors hand Vers 3 Nay farre then both are they more blessed whom Conception never hansell'd in the womb Or those Abortives whom untimely birth Excus'd from all the sorrowes of the earth Vers 4 Imus'd againe and found when paines had crackt The harder shell to some Heroick act Pale envy strikes the kernell with taxation O this is vanity and soules vexation Vers 5 The sluggish fool that solitary stands With yauning lips and bosome-folded hands Consumes his empty dayes at last is fed With his own flesh that would not move for bread Vers 6 His idle tongue thus pleading for his sloth Better one hand be fill'd with rest then both Stretch'd forth in travell to prepare full diet With hearts vexation and the foules disquiet Vers 7 Thus pausing Contenplation shew'd mine eye A new prospect of humane vanity Vers 8 There is a lonely man that hath none other To foster then himselfe nor child nor brother Whose droyling hands thinke nothing can supply The greedy wants of his insatiate eye He robs himselfe nor knows for whose reliefe This is a vanity and wounding griefe Vers 9 The single state of him that lives alone Is double griefe Two better is then One For two can share the sorrows that befall To one One's worse then not to beat all Vers 10 If eithers drooping shoulders be betray'd To a sad burden there 's a mutuall ayd Woe to the man whom danger meets alone For there 's no arme to help him but his owne Vers 11 When two divide the comforts of a Bed If one gaines kindly warmth the other 's sped But warmth turnes back to him that lyes alone The steele will yeeld no sparkes without the stone Vers 12 If fury from a stronger arme assails One falls before the foe when two prevails But if a third put in a timely stroke The Cord that 's threefold is not quickly broke Verse 13 To be a poore wise child is judg'd a thing More honorable then to be a King That 's old and foolish and whose disposition Checks at advise and spumes at admonition Vers 14 The low and lanke estates are often knowne To clime from Prisons to the princely Throne And glorious Monarchs have been seen to faile And change their glittering Glory for a Gaole Vers 15 So have I seen the vulgar hearts grow cold To with'ring Greatnesse whilest their eyes behold The blooming heyre to whom Affections runne Like morning eyes to greet the rising Sunne Vers 16 Past Ages quench the fathers fading light In the Sons hopes and future dayes benight The Son in his Succeeders expecation O this is vanity and soules vexation SOLILOQUIE IV. MY soule to what a strange disguized Good Art thou bewitch O how hath flesh and Blood Betray'd thee to a happinesse that brings No comfort but from transitory Things How is thy freedome curb'd How art thou clogg'd With dull mortality beslow'd and bogg'd In thine owne frailty How art thou repos'd In
the Name Of bloody Rome Then shall the spotted Beast Put off her golden Trappings and undrest Of all her glory be turn'd out to graze In uncouth deserts and consume her dayes With Dragons Tigers and those salvage things Now pamper'd with the bloud of Saints and Kings O then the crooked Paths of Error fraud And Candle-light devotion trim'd and straw'd With sweet-lipt Roses shall appear as plain As tide-forsaken Rocks along the Main Then shall true wisdome like fair Sheba's Queen Begin her royall Progesse and now seen In perfect Beauty shall erect her Throne In every breast and every Solomon Shall court her Glory and intranc'd in pleasure Shall smell her spices and divide her treasure CAP. III. 1 Like things happen to good and bad 4 There is a necessity of death unto men 7 Comfort is all their portion in this life 11 Gods providence ruleth over all 13 Wisdome is better then strength Vers 1 ALL this I ponder'd and at length I found All actions whether just or wise are crown'd By secret providence And no man knows Gods love or hate by blessings or by blows Vers 2 All haps alike to all The same things doe Befall the righteous and th'unrighteous too Th'unclean and clean have here the self-same pay And he that prays and he that doth not pray Alike befals to good and bad and both To him that swears and him that fears an oath Vers 3 It is a grief that grates beneath the Sun That like events betide to every one Which makes the desp'rate hearts of men to rave With mischief till they drop into the Grave Vers 4 For the ambition of their hopes extend But to this life and with this life they end Better to be a living dog they plead Then to be known a Lyon that is dead Vers 5 For they that live know well that they shall die And therefore take their time But they that lie Rak'd up in deaths cold Embers they know not Or good or ill Their names are quite forgot Vers 6 They have no friends to love no foes to hate They know no vertue to spit venome at They fell no sweat for gaines nor doe they buy Pleasure with paines or trade beneath the sky Vers 7 Goe then rejoyce and eat Let a full boul Casheire thy cares and chear thy frolick soul What heaven hath lent thee with a liberal hand To serve and chear thy frailty up command Vers 8 Indulge thy carefull flesh with new supply And change of garments of the purest dy Refresh thy limbs annoy'd with sweat and toyle With costly bathes thy head with precious oyle Vers 9 Delight thy self in thy delicious wife All the vain days of thy vain wasting life Of all the works thy painfull hand hath done This this is all the price beneath the Sunne Vers 10 What ere thy hand endeavours that may gain Contentment spare not either cost or pain For there 's no hand to work no pow'r to have No wisdome to contrive within the grave Vers 11 I find the swift not always win the prize Nor strength of arm the battell nor the wise Grow rich in fortunes nor the men of skill In favour all as time and fortune will Vers 12 Man knoweth not his time As Fishes are Snar'd in the net Birds tangled in the snare So be the sons of men surpriz'd with snares When mischief fals upon them unawares Vers 13 This wisdome have I seen beneath the skye Which wisely weigh'd deserves a wise mans eye Vers 14 There was a little City poorly mann'd ' Gainst which a Potent King brought up a band Of Martiall strength besieg'd it and withall Built mighty Bulwarks ' gainst her slender wall Verse 15 In this half conquer'd City there was found A poor wise man whose wisdome did confound Both thē all the works their strength could plant Yet no reward reliev'd this poor mans want Verse 16 O then thought I poor wisdome will at length Discover greater worth then golden strength Yet is the poor mans wisdome poorly priz'd His word 's not heard or being heard despis'd Verse 17 The whisp'ring wise mans tongue prevaileth more Then when the lips of foolish Rulers roare Verse 18 Prudent advice is more transcendent far Then strength of Arm or Instruments of war But rash attempts of a misguided hand Defeat themselves and ruine all the land SOLILOQUIE IX BVt ah my soul what boots it to be wise Verse 2 Or what Advantage what great profit lies In a fair Journy to be well supply'd With all Accoutrements a knowing Guide A metled Steed a sweet and temperate sky Short miles and way-beguiling Company When armed death stands ready to attend Thy parting Stirrop at thy Journies end Thy wisdome cannot save thee ha's no power To keep thee Shotfree or to quit that hower Dull Nabals Howreglasse runs as slow a pace As active Solomons An equally space Divides their minuts Deaths impartiall hand Wounds all alike and death will give no sand What then my soul If wisdome should entaile Our happinesse on this life or fill our Saile In this wilde Ocean with perpetuall breath When should we find a Hav'n If partiall death Should favour wisdome and not exercise Her office there 't were misery to be wise The prudent Pilot whose marinall skill Makes the proud windes obedient to his will And ploughs the Billows with lesse fear then wrong Takes no delight to make his voyage long But with his wise endeavours seeks to guide His slender Pinnace and to curb the pride Of the rebellious waves and doth addresse His care to crown his voyage with successe Our life 's the voyage and this world the Ocean Our cares are waves tost in perpetuall motion Our thoughts are busie windes that often blow Too strong a Gale and tosses to and fro Our crazy Vessels Every soul does bear The office of a Pilot now to stear Now to advise and still to lay commands Vpon th' Affection-Saylors whose rude hands Are always active ready to fulfill The wise directions of the Pilots will It matters not my soul how long or short Thy voyage be if safe they gain the Port With best advantage that in peace arrive With Ribs unshook and all their men alive It lies not in the skilfull Pilots power T avoid tempestuous Seas but to endure 'T is wisdome to endure as well as doe Who bravely suffers is victorious too Then chear my soul Let not the frowns of earth Disturb thy peace or interrupt thy mirth Let not that rude that Apogean storm Of flesh and blood dismay thee or deform The beauty of thy thoughts or cast thy minde Into a base despondence Let the winde Blow where it please a well-prepared brest Will give thee shelter and afford thee rest When worldly crosses tempt thee understand Heav'n tryes thy temper then If then thou stand Vpright in Court and of unshaken mind The Test approves thee and thou art refin'd Then chear my soul Let not the rubs of
Prince that ever blest a Nation Found all things vain and when enjoy'd Vexation CAP. II. 1 The vanity of humane courses in the works of pleasure 12 Though the wise be better then the foole yet both have but one event 18 The vanity of humane labour in leaving it they know not to whom 24 Nothing better then joy in our labour but that is Gods gift Vers 1 SInce knowledge then affords my soul no rest My roving thoughts try'd mirth and were possest Of all the pleasures earth could lend yet I Found mirth and pleasure all but vanity Vers 2 I laugh'd at laughter as atoyish Antick And counted all my mirth no lesse then frantick Vers 3 My heart but wisely foolish did encline To costly fare and frolick cups of wine That in these pleasures I might find some good To crown the short lif'd days of flesh and blood Vers 4 I built magnifick Palaces did frame Great buildings to the glory of my name I planted Vineyards whose plump Clusters might Rejoyce my heart and lend my soule delight Vers 5 I made me fruitfull Orchards for my pleasure And curious Gardens to refresh my leisure I stored them with trees and these with Bowers And made a Paradise of fruits and flowers Vers 6 I made me standing pooles to entertain My breathlesse guests and all their num'rous train I cut me Aquiducts whose current flees And waters all my wildernesse of trees Vers 7 Armies of servants doe attend my state Both foreiners and borne within my gate Herds I possest and flocks above all them That reign'd before me in Jerusalem Vers 8 Abundant silver gold and precious stones By Kings presented my Exchequer ownes All sorts of Musick earths delight had I To feed mine ear Beauties to please mine eye Vers 9 Such State magnificence and princely store Wondring Jerus'lem never saw before In all this pomp my heart had not forgot The lawfull use My wisdome fail'd me not Vers 10 I gave mine eyes what ere mine eyes requir'd Deny'd my heart no mirth my heart desir'd For my poor hearts delight was all my gains My pleasure was the portion of my pains Vers 11 At length I cast my serious eye upon My painfull works and what my hands have done But loe beneath the Sun no Contentation All all was vanity and soules vexation Vers 12 With that I turn'd my weary thoughts agen On wisdome and the foolishnesse of men Search they that please to search alas there 's none Can search the truth more strict then Solomon Vers 13 When my impartiall Judgement did compare Folly with wisdome this doth ev'n as farre Excell the other as Meridian light Excels the shadows of the darkest night Vers 14 The wise mans eyes are in his head They stand Like Watchmen in the Towre to guard the land But fools haunt darknesse yet my self perceive The self-same lot both fools and wisemen have Vers 15 Ah! then said I if equall fortune lies For fools and me what vantage to be wise What profit hath my wisdome Then thought I The height of wisdome hath her Vanity Verse 16 The foolish Bauble and the learned Bayes Are both forgotten in succeeding dayes Impartiall death shall close the dying eyes Both of the fool and also of the wise Verse 17 Therefore I hated life for from th' events Of humane actions flow my discontents Life spent in action or in contemplation Is all but vanity and souls Vexation Verse 18 I hated all that e'r my hands had done In seeking happinesse beneath the Sunne For what I did I cannot call mine own Anothers hand must reap what mine hath sown Verse 19 Who knows if my successor is to be A wise man or a fool Howe'r 't is he Must spend with ease what I have earn'd with pain And soules Vexation This is also vain Verse 20 For which my soul thus fool'd with vain pursuit Of blossom'd happinesse that bears no fruit Whisper'd despair of all that I had done To purchase perfect good beneath the Sunne Verse 21 Some men there be whose more elaborate gains The fruits of lawfull cares and prudent pains Descend to those that knew nor pains nor Art This is a vanity and afflicts the heart Verse 22 For what reward hath man of all his droyle His ev'ning trouble and his morning toyle His hearts vexation and his griefs that run Through all his labours underneath the Sun Verse 23 His days are sorrows tedious griefs attend His travail hopelesse of a Journies end His restlesse nights afford his closed eye No slumbers This is also vanity Vers 24 There 's nothing sweeter then to take repast Of meats and drinks and now and then to cast Griefs burthen off and gently loose the rains By intermingling pleasures with our pains But this I know lies not in our command It is a blessing from th' Almighties hand Vers 25 For who can eat what mortall can apply His heart to force a pleasure more then I Vers 26 Heav'n gives the just man wisdome knowledge mirth To sinners travell to heap earth to earth Wherewith t' enrich the righteous Generation This is his vanity and soules Vexation SOLILOQUIE II. BVt stay my Soul Art thou resolved than T' abjure delight and turn Capuccian Because thy earth hath thus eclips'd the light Of thy Contentment wilt thou make it night Wert thou condemn'd to sorrows Wert thou born To live in languishment and die forlorn Abuse not thy Creation Thou wert made Not thus to sterve thy blossomes in the shade Of barren melancholy or to wast Thy pensive howres in the boysterous blast Of stormy discontent Come come my soule Vers 1 Hoyst up thy Sailes to mirth Let others houle And whine Let such as always art at wars With their own fortunes curse their ill-fac'd stars Passe thou thy frolique youth in Revels sports And fresh delights frequent the purple Courts Of prosperous Princes Stue thy heart in mirth And crush the childe of sorrow in her birth Vers 2 O but my soule what profit can accrew From lavish mirth What pleasure is' t to skrue An Antick face and grimme or to enforce An empty laughter in a vain discourse Vers 3 Why then my soul Goe winde the Plummets up Of thy down spirits with a chirping Cup Redeem thee from the gripes of Care and rapes Of Grief and drench them in the blood of Grapes I but perchance in that sad heart of thine There is a wound craves rather Oyle then wine If then thy cure prove worse then thy disease That Grief thou dar'st not cure attempt to ease Forget thy sorrows or if rugged sense Will not be woo'd by language to dispence With her provoking foe advise with Art Those stubborn streams thou canst not stop divert And like a pain-afflicted stripling play With some new Toy to while thy grief away Vers 4 Goe raise great works whose structure may impart The Masters wisdome and the Builders Art Build houses whose magnificence may proclaime Thy worth as lasting
so were all his Christian vertues more refined and remarkable during the time of his sicknesse His patience was wouderfull insomuch as he would confesse no pain even then when all his friends perceived his disease to be mortall but still rendred thanks to God for his especiall love to him in taking him into his own hands to chastise while others were exposed to the fury of their enemies the power of pistols and the trampling of horses He exprest great sorrow for his sins and when it was told him that his friends conceived he did thereby much harm to himselfe he answered They were not his friends that would not give him leave to be penitent His Exhortations to his friends that came to visit him were most divine wishing them to have a care of the expence of their time and every day to call themselves to an accompt that so when they come to their bed of sicknesse they might lie upon it with a rejoycing heart And doubtlesse such an one was his Insomuch as he thanked God that whereas he might have justly expected that his conscience should look him in the face like a Lyon it rather looked upon him like a Lamb and that God had forgiven him his sins and that night sealed him his pardon And many other heavenly expressions to the like effect I might here add what blessed advice he gave to me in particular still to trust in God whose promise is to provide for the Widow and Fatherlesse c. but this is already imprinted in my heart and therefore I shall not need here again to insert it His charity was extraordinary in freely forgiving his greatest enemies even those who were the cause of his sicknesse and by consequence of his death For whereas a Petition full of unjust aspersions was preferred against him by eight men whereof he knew not any two nor they him save only by sight the first news of it struck him so to the heart that he never recovered it but said plainly it would be his death And when his friends to comfort him told him that Mr I. S. the chief promoter thereof was called to an accompt for it and would goe neer to be punished his answer was God forbid I seek not revenge I freely forgive him and the rest only I desire to be vindicated from their unjust aspersions especially that that for ought they know I may be a Papist whereas I never spake word to any of them in my life Which imputation how slanderous it was may easily be discovered by a passage in his greatest extremity wherein his discretion may perhaps be taxed by some but his religion cannot be questioned by any For a very able Doctor of the Romish religion being sent unto him by a friend he would not take what he had prescribed only because he was a Papist These were the most remarkable passages in him during his sicknesse The rest of the time he spent in Contemplation of God and meditating upon his Word especially upon Christs sufferings and what a benefit those have that by faith could lay hold on him and what vertue there was in the least drop of his precious blood intermingling here and there many devout prayers and ejaculations which continued with him as long as his speech and after as we could perceive by some imperfect expressions At which time a friend of his exhorting him to apply himself to finish his course here and prepare himself for the world to come he spake in Latin * O dulcis Salvator mundi sint tua ultima verba in Cruce mea ultima verba in luce In manus tuas Domine commendo spiritum meum El quae ore meo sari non possint ab animo corde sint à te accepta to this effect as I am told O sweet Saviour of the world let thy last words upon the Crosse be my last words in this world Into thy hands Lord I commend my spirit And what I cannot utter with my mouth accept from my heart and soul Which words being uttered distinctly to the understanding of his friend he fell again into his former Contemplations and Prayers and so quietly gave up his soul to God the eight day of September 1644. after he had lived two and fifty years and lyeth buried in the Parish Church of S. Leonards in Foster-lane Thus departed that blessed soul whose losse I have great reason to bewaile and many others in time will be sensible of But my particular comfort is in his dying words that God will be a Husband to the Widow And that which may comfort others as well as me is what a reverend Divine wrote to a friend concerning his death that our losse is gain to him who could not live in a worse age nor dye in a better time And here again I humbly beg the Readers pardon For I cannot expect but to be censured by some for writing thus much and by others for writing no more To both which my excuse is my want of ability and judgment in matters of this nature I was more averse indeed from medling with the Petition then any other thing I have touched upon lest perhaps it should be thought to savour a little of revenge but God is my witnesse I had no such intention My only aim and scope was to fulfill the desires and commands of my dying husband Who wished all his friends to take notice and make it known that as he was trained up and lived in the true Protestant Religion so in that Religion he dyed URSULA QUARLES A Letter from a Learned Divine upon the news of the death of Mr QUARLES My worthy Friend Mr Hawkins Postscript I Received your Letter joyfully but the news therein contained sadly and heavily It met me upon my return home from Sturbridge and did work on my self and wife I pray God it way work kindly on us all We have lost a true friend and were the losse only mine or yours it were the lesse but thousands have a losse in him yea the Generations which shall come after will lament it But our losse is gain to him who could not live in a worse age nor die in a better time let us endeavour like good Gamesters to make the best we may of this throw cast us by the band of Gods good Providence that it may likewise prove gain to us which will be if in case we draw neerer unto him and take off our hearts from all earthly hopes and comforts using this world as if we used it not so shall we rejoyce as if we rejoyced not in their using and mourn as if we mourned not in the parting with them Your assured friend NEHEMIAH ROGERS Essex Sept. 12. 1644. SOLOMONS Recantation INTITULED ECCLESIASTES CAP. I. 1 The Preacher sheweth that all humane courses are vain 4 Because the creatures are restlesse in their courses 9 They bring forth nothing new and all old things are forgotten 12 And because he hath
sin-polluted dust embrac'd enclos'd In the foule armes of thy owne base Corruptions How is thy will disturb'd with th'interruptions Of crosse desires desires not knowing where To finde a Center rambling here and there Which like their objects alterable rome Like idle Vagrants without Passe or home Review thy selfe my soule Cast up thy dayes They are but few Thy life is but a blaze Goe take take an Inventory of those Joyes Which thy false Earth allowes They are but Toyes To mock the frailty of thy flatter'd Sense Attended with a thousand discontents Hath Heaven enricht thy paynes with thriving drifts Of mighty Gold endow'd thy wind with gifts Of sacred Art Or glorifi'd thy thy name With honor posted on the wings of Fame What is there then that lyes in earths election To rayse thy happinesse to more high perfection I but my soule what great what higher hand Vers 4 Shall stop the mouth of Envy Or command Her snake-devouring fangs to keep the peace Vpon thy worryed Name To every Lease Of earths best granted happinesse belongs The sharp Proviso of malicious tongues They they shall blast thy fortunes leave a Tang Vpon thy new-broach'd Honor They shall hang Like Burres upon thy welfare and destroy Like th' Easterne worm the Gourd of all thy Joy Or if thou chance to scape the whispering tongue Vers 1 Of secret Envy Force and bold-fac'd Wrong May hap to roar upon thy full-mouth'd Sailes And rude Oppression with her Harpy nailes May gripe thy fair Prosperity and grate Vpon the vastnesse of thy great estate Or if those forain dangers should forbeare To make assault or made prove lesse severe From out thy very bosome may arise Intestine Foes to make thy peace their prize Verse 5 If that dull worme that cloaths the mossy land With rags but kisse thy bosome-folded hand It eats thy Treasure with a secret Rust And layes thy bed-rid Honour in the Dust Or if thy droyling hand should once beslave Verse 8 Thy glorious freedome with a thirst to have And take thee prisner to thy loose desires Thy happinesse even whilst enjoy'd expires Or if a liberall Content should crown Thy Gold with Rest and make thine own thine own Verse 9 Perchance thou want'st a Partner that may share In all thy fortunes or if sped an heyre Whose worth and hopefull merits may revive Thy honor'd Dust and keep thy name alive Or if the pleased hand of heaven subscribe Verse 13 To those desires a self-conceipt may bribe Thy passion-guided Will to take up Arms ' Gainst soveraign Reason at whose bold Alarm's Thy false affections may rise up and shake Thy fancy-baffled Judgment and so make A Gap for mischief which may recommend Thy reeling Fortunes to a ruinous End Now tell me O my soule wherein can earth Deserve thy pains or gratify thy birth In framing equall happinesse nay in freeing Thy partiall heart from unrepented Beeing O is' t not better not to thirst at all Then thirst in vain or quench thy thirst with Gall Vers 3 Are not the Cloysters of the Barren wombe Far more desiderable then to come Into the wilde into the common Hall Of troubled Natures factious Court where all Move in their Orbs of Care and severall wayes Fulfill their Revolutions of sad dayes Vers 2 Are not the shady Bowres of death more sweet Then the bold Sunshine where we howrely meet Fresh ev'lls like Atomes whose deluding breath Tickles our fancies till we laugh to death Our day of birth leads in our days of Trouble My soul prize not this earth this Toy this Bubble Cap. V. 1 Vanities in divine service 8 in murmuring against oppression 9 and in riches 18 Joy in riches is the gift of God Vers 1 ATtend thy footsteps when thou drawest near The house of God and be more apt to hear Then give the Sacrifice of fools which know Not in their sacrifice whatev'll they doe Vers 2 Let not thy tongue be rash Commit no wast Of words before thy God by over hast Since he from heav'n beholds thy actions here All lavish babling let thy lips forbeare Vers 3 As dreams and rest-disturbing fancies flow From floods of businesse which by day we doe So multitude of words are daily sprung From th' idle fountain of a foolish tongue Verse 4 When thou hast bound thee to thy God by vow Defer not payment but perform it thou Discharge thy bonds for heaven takes no delight In fools that violate the faith they plight Verse 5 Far safer 't is thy vows were never made Then having promis'd payment never pai'd Verse 6 Let not thy lips ensnare thee plead not thou Before thy Angel 'T was too rash a vow O why shoutd'st thou provoke thy God and dare His curse upon thy practise and thy pray'r Verse 7 Dreams oft are vain and folly ' is mixt among The language of a multiloquious tongue But let the wisdome of thy lips appear Before thy God with reverentiall fear Verse 8 Seest thou perverted Justice in the land And poor men grip'd beneath th'oppressours hand Stand not amaz'd Th' Almighty views their way And there be pow'rs at hand more high then they Verse 9 The fruitfull surface of the pregnant soyl Enrich'd by the laborious ploughmans toyl Brings forth to all nay very Kings doe build Their whole subsistence from the fertil field Verse 10 'T is not full heaps of eye-rejoycing gold Can feed or screen thy nakednesse from cold Nor can the piles of treasur d wealth sustain Thy drooping spirits This is also vain Verse 11 As goods encrease ev'n so their number who Must share thy goods encrease encreaseth too What hath the owner more then they but this What they consume his eyes behold as his Verse 12 How sweetly pleasant is the sleep of such As labour eat they little or eat much When as the wealth of idle Owners keep Their heart from quiet and their eyes from sleep Verse 13 There is an ev'll that happens now and then Beneath the Sun among the sons of men Oft have I seen encreasing riches grow To be their great-made O wners overthrow And vex their souls with Care and then repay Unprosp'rous pains with grief and melt away Verse 14 His wealth is fled and when he should transfer it Upon his heire there 's nothing to inherit Verse 15 Look how he came into the world the same He shall goe out as naked as he came Of what his lab'ring arm hath brought about His dying hand shall carry nothing out Verse 16 This is a wounding Grief that as he came In ev'ry point he shall return the same What profit can his soules affliction find That toyls for ayre and travels but for wind Verse 17 The pilgrimage of his laborious days Is sordid and obscure and all his ways Are blockt with troubles and his souls disquiet To gain his very life-sustaining diet Verse 18 I hold it therefore the most happy lot To eat and drink and reap what pains hath got To
crown those days which his Creator gave 'T is all the portion he is like to have Verse 19 All such to whom the bounteous hand of heav'n Gives wealth and licence to enjoy it giv'n To sweeten labour may they understands It is a favour from th' Almighties hand Verse 20 Such doubtlesse in their labour shall forget Their painfull sorrows and their toylsome sweat For heav'n hath crown'd their fair desires and sent A peacefull conscience and a pleas'd content SOLILOQUIE V. BVt hark my soul the morning Bels invite thy early paces to a new delight Away away the holy Saints-bell rings Put on thy robes and oyle thy sacred wings Call home thy heart and bid thy Thoughts surcease To be thy Thoughts Go bind them to the peace Take good security or if such fail Commit them to the all-commanding Jail Of thy cram'd bags there to lie close and fast Vntill thy heav'n-atoning vomes be past Confine thy rambling pleasures to the trust of vacant howres And let thy wisdome thrust Indulgent Hagar and her base-born child From thy sad Gates Let them be both exil'd From thy soft bosome Let not Ishmael share With holy Isa'c Isa'c must be heire Nor let thy sorrow-melted heart bemone Thy banisht bondslave nor her thirsty sonne Take thou no care for them Heav'n will supply Their craving thirst with bottles from thine eye Leave all thy servill Fancies in the vaile Mount thou the sacred Hill and there bewaile Thy dying Isa'c whose free gift may be A living pledge betwixt thy God and thee Here maist thou feast thy soule and fill thy brest With heavenly Raptures and with holy Rest Here shall thy Piety sweeten all thy Rains And Grace shall here replieve what Grief distrains Here maist thou shrowd thee from those ev'ls that wait Vpon the frailty of thy frail estate Here may thy Griefs unbosome all their grones And find redresse from the high Throne of Thrones Hast them ô hie thee to that sacred place Why stay'st thou See the widened Armes of Grace Invite thy presence And with open brest Promise fair welcome to so fair a Guest O but my zeal-transported soul take heed Too rash a hast brings oft too dear a Speed Vers 1 Observe thy steps Thy feet are apt to slide If thy misguided paces swerve aside Death waits at either hand to make a prize Of wavering footsteps and miswandring eyes Near the best blessings neighb'ring dangers dwell The very Suburbs of blest Heaven is Hell Thus when thy awfull presence shall draw near These Hallalujous Courts advise and fear Put off thy shoes 'T is holy ground thou tread'st Be not too bold thou dy'st unlesse thou dread'st Now may thy holy boldnesse safely venture To passe these delectable Port and enter Now cloath thy heart with Reverence Be fill'd With secret Raptures Let thy fancy build No Castles here Beware thou banish hence The sinfull objects of invited Sense Make heav'ns command and let thy zealous motion Subscribe to that the cause of thy devotion Let heav'ns direction be thy form and bend Thy endfull heart to make heav'ns glory th' end Worship that 's moulded in Traditious Schooles Is but the Sensuall Sacrifice of Fooles Vers 2 Be wisely carefull what thy lip impart Bring thy soft tongue acquainted with thy heart Be slow to speak and be as quick to hear Heaven loves a single tongue a double eare Vers 4 Make hast to pay what thy vow'd Promise owes Destruction dwels in unperformed Vowes Thus mayst thou break the heart-corroding Fangs Of griping Care and scape the dying Pangs Of living death Here here thou mayst controul Earths power and imparadise thy soul In soft and sacred Rest beyond th'extent Of whining Grief and murm'ring discontent I but my soul grosse vanity even dwels In thy devotion whose ranck offering smels So strong of earth that very heavens deride Our very Altars and abhorre the Pride Of our disguis'd humility which brings Asecret curse upon our holyest things Hence hence my soul proceed those boystrous waves That plunge our frailties This ô this enslaves Our craven'd Spirits so that we even faile Or shrink before the Combat and turn taile To every slight affliction this unlevells Thy even-way'd Peace with indigested evills This sowers all thy sweets sads all thy Rest Nay dispossesses thee even whilst possest Of thy Imperious Treasure O then my soule where shall thy wounds obtain That soveraign balsome who shall ease thy pain In what blest ear will thy complaints find place What holy Altar shall thy arms embrace If here be no protection for opprest And lab'ring souls where shall poor souls have Rest Earths Joyes are vain and they that shall commit Trust in vaine earth are far more vain then it Cap. VI. 1 The vanity of riches without use 3 Of children 6 and old age without riches 9 The vanity of sight and wandring desires 11 The conclusion of vanities Vers 1 THere is an Ev'll which my observing eye Hath taken notice of beneath the skye It is an ev'll frequents the troubled brest Of wretched man and robs him of his rest Vers 2 To see where God hath multipli'd and giv'n What wealth and honor earth can beg of heav'n And yet no pow'r to use it but descends To very strangers O this Grief transcends Vers 3 Who multiply their loynes and years yet have Souls unsuffic'd with good and soil the grave With blemisht and dishonor'd names I say Abortive births are better far then they Vers 4 For he can hardly own a being whom Nature casts forth from the untimely womb Darknesse infolds him in her secret shades His name 's forgotten and his mem'ry fades Vers 5 The worlds surveighing Lamp does not affright The pleasing slumbers of his peacefull night There be no ears no eyes to hear to see The living soul hath not such rest as he Vers 6 Yea though he live a thousand years twice told What worth his eyes can his sad eyes behold Doe they not both arrive not both resort To the dull portals of the self-same Port Vers 7 The best reward of mans laborious sweat Is but a morsell of quotidian meat This may suffice his body Verse but the will Of his insatiate soule what hand can fill Verse 8 What is it then the wisemans labour gains More then the painfull foole by all his pains What wants the poore man that by prudent labour Knowes how to live more then his wealthy neighbour Verse 9 Better enjoy a competence and crave not More wealth then stil desire the wealth we have not To wish what if enjoy'd brings molestation Is but meere vanity and soules vexation Verse 10 The worldly confluence of treasure can Exempt no mortall from the lot of man Nor can his wealth instruct him to withstands The angry strokes of the Almighties hand Verse 11 Since the encrease of wealth procur'd by pain Preserv'd with feare with sorrow lost again Encreaseth griefe in the possessors brest What vantage then hath
earth Disturb thy peace or interrupt thy mirth If heav'n hath crown'd thy labours with successe Enjoy it freely Eat and drink and blesse The gracious Giver Let thy soul rejoyce And take a chearfull pleasure in the choice Of all delights and what his bounty gave With a free hand fear not thou to receive With a free heart Refresh thy fainting head Verse 8 With precious Oyles and change thy carefull bread To feasts of Joy Or if a Crosse should greet Thy frolique soul march bravely on and meet Adversity half way and with a heart Too great for earth to wrong shake hands and part Chear then my soul Let not the rubs of earth Disturb thy peace or interrupt thy mirth Goe sweeten up thy labours and thy life Verse 9 With fresh delights Rejoyce thee in the wife And partner of thy bosome Let her brest Suffice thee as the Center of thy rest Deny thy heart no pleasure that may lye Within the lawfull limits of thine eye Verse 10 Take time while time shall serve To morrow may Be none of ours Come come be wise to day And teach thy labours to bestow their sorrow On those that practise to be fooles to morrow CAP X. 1 observations of wisdome and folly 16 Of Riot 18 Slothfulnesse 19 and money 20 Mens thoughts of Kings ought to be reverenced Verse 1 LOok how dead flies though few in number soil Corrupt and putrefy the purest Oil Ev'n so a little folly stains his fame Whom fair Repute for Wisdome lends a name Verse 2 A wise mans heart is plac'd at his right hand His plots and counsels are of strong command But hearts of fools are weak and rash bereft Of sage advice their hearts are at their left Verse 3 Nay if their steps but measure out the way Their Garb their Looks their Language do betray Their folly read by whomsoere they meet Themselves proclaime their selves in ev'ry street Vers 4 If thy Superior happen to incense His jealous wrath at thy suppos'd offence Doe thou thy part and yeild for yeilding slakes The raging flame that great transgression makes Verse 5 I see an ev'll beneath the Sun that springs From error reigning in the breasts of Kings Verse 6 Fools are made Statesmen and command at Court And men of parts are made the lower sort Verse 7 So have I seen proud servants mounted high On Lordly Steeds and Lords to lackey by Verse 8 He that shall dig a pit that shall prepare A snare shall be ensnar'd in his own snare And he that tramples down a hedge shall meet A Serpent to salute his trampling feet Vers 9 He that shall shake a stone-compacted wall Shall undergoe the danger of the fall Who undertakes to cleave the knotty Oak Shall be a painfull Partner in the stroak Vers 10 But if th'unwhetted edge be blunt the arm Must give more strength and so receive more harm But if he challenge wisdome for his guide Wisdome will doe what painfull strength deni'd Vers 11 The rash reproving mouth of fools are arm'd Like unenchaunted serpents if not charm'd Vers 12 The wise mans words are gracious where they goe But foolish language doth themselves o'rethrow Vers 13 Folly brings in the Prologue with his tongue Whose Epilogue is Rage and open wrong Vers 14 The fool abounds in tongue there 's none can know What his words mean or what he means to doe Vers 15 The tedious actions of a fool doth try The patience of the weary stander by Because his weaknesse knows not how to lay His actions posture in a Civill way Vers 16 Woe to the Land whose Princes wisdome sways The scepter in the nonage of her days And whose grave Rulers that should haunt the seat Of sacred Justice rise betime to eat Vers 17 Blessed art thou ô Land when as thy King Derives his royall blood from th' ancient spring Of Majesty and Rulers timely diet Serves to maintain their strength and not their riot Vers 18 By too much slothfulnesse the building fals Into decay and ruine strikes her wals And through the sluggish posture of his hand The weather-beaten house forgets to stand Vers 19 Who eats and drinks and frolicks uncontrol'd Maintaining riot with his wanton gold Vers 20 Curse not the King nor them that bear the sword No not in thought tho thought express no word The fowls of heav'n shall vent such hideous things And swift Report shall fly with secret wings SOLILOQUIE X. BVt ah my soul How closely folly cleaves To flesh and blood How mungrell nature weaves Wisdome and Folly in the self-same Loome Like webbe and woof whereby they both become One perfect Webbe to cloathe our imperfections With Linsy-woolsy and our mixt affections With foolish wisdome O how full of earth Was our first Ore which at our sinfull birth Was taken from the Womb Now purifi'd In sacred Fires and more then seven times tri'd In sharp afflictions furnace yes how base Our Bullion is not worthy of the Face That makes us currant O how apt and prone Is flesh and blood to fall if let alone But one poor Minute Most in danger then To be surpris'd and foyl'd with Folly when Our bold Presumption tempts our thoughts to prise Our wisdoms overmuch and seem too wise Vers 1 How one rash action O how one dead Flie Embalm'd in thy sweet Oyle does putrefie Thy Box of Spikenard How it casts a shame Vpon the beauty of thy honour'd Name O then my soul take heed to keep thy heart Vers 2 At thy right hand There there she will impart Continuall secrets and direct thy ways In sacred Ethicks sweetning out thy days With season'd Knowledge knowledge past the reach Of black-mouth'd Error shall instruct and teach Thy tongue wise silence Wisdome when to break Thy closed lips and Judgement how to speak Shee 'l teach thee Christian Policy and how Vers 4 To keep thee safe when as thy Princes brow Shall threaten death even when the flame shall flye Like horrid Lightning from his wrathfull Eye I but the rage of Princes oftentimes Darts Lightning at the Person not his Crimes And their misguided will oft times demands Obedience there where Conscience countermands Take heed my soul Thou tread'st upon the Ice Be not too vent'rous here nor too too nice Rush not too bold thou mayst as soon convince An â—rror in thy Conscience as thy Prince To lay commands upon indifferent things Is a sole Royalty belongs to Kings If here thy conscience doubt the Book of Life Must cast the balance and decide the strife If this way thy enforc'd obedience then Must stoop If that Please rather God then men If th' Embers of his rage should chance to lye Rak'd up or furnace from his angry eye Vers 4 Quit not thy duty 'T is thy part t' asswage The jealous flames of his consuming rage What if through Error or misguided will He leaves the way to Good and cleaves to Ill Lend him thy Prayers Lament advise perswade Lift
rarely found Sow closely what thou sow'st and least in sight The eyes of Doves will make thy harvest light But stay Thou mayst surcharge as well as sterve The soile But wise men know what seed will serve Thy work thus wisely done what then remains Give Heav'n the glory and expect the Gains CAP. XII 1 The Creatour rs to be remembred in due time 8 The Preachers care to edifie 13 The feare of God is the chief Antidote of vanity Vers 1 REmember thy Creator in thy prime Of present youth before the black-mouth'd time Of sullen age approach before the day Thy dying pleasures find a dull decay Vers 2 Before the Sun and Moon and Stars appear Dark in thy Microcosmal Hemisphear Vers 3 Before the Clouds of sorrows multiply And hide the Crystall of thy gloomy sky Before the Keepers of thy crazy Tow'r I 'e palsie-stricken and thy men of pow'r Sink as they march and Grinders cease to grind Distastfull bread and windows are grown blind Vers 4 Then shall the Castles two-leafd gates be barr'd When as the Milstones language is not heard The horn-mouth Belman shal affright thy slumbers Thy untun'd ear shall loath harmonious numbers Vers 5 Each obvious mole-hill shall encrease thy fears And carefull snow shall blanch thy falling hairs A fly shall load thy shoulders Thy desire And all thy bed-rid passions shall expire Pale death 's at hand and mourners come to meet Thy tear-bedabled fun'rals in the Street Vers 6 Then shall the sinews silver cord be los'd Thy brains gold bowle be broke The undispos'd And idle liver 's ruby fountain dri'd The blouds Meandring Cisterns unsuppli'd Vers 7 Then shall the dust her dust to dust deliver Whose spirit shall return to God the Giver Vers 8 Whereto th'Ecclesiastick thus replies All all is vain and vainest vanities Vers 9 Because his true repentant soul was wise He read this wisdome-lecture did advise And search the Fountain whence he did convay The fruitfull streams in a Proverbiall way Vers 10 He sought and found such words which had the might To entermingle profit with delight And what his spirit-prompted pen did write Was truth it self and most exact upright Verse 11 The wise mans words are like to Goads that doe Stir up the drowzy and spur up the slow And like to nailes to be made fast and driv'n By hands to th' hearts of mē sent down from heav'n Verse 12 Make use my Son of what this hand hath penn'd There is no end of Pamphlets to no end These tire the flesh and after age is spent They breathe some knowledge but no true content Verse 13 Mark then the ground where the main building Fear thou thy God Observe his just Commands Within the limits of this sacred Ground stands Mans duty lies true Happinesse is found Verse 14 No work shall passe untri'd No hand hath done What shall not plead at heav'ns Tribunall Throne All secrets good and bad attend his Eye His Eyes behold where day could never prye Deus his quoque finem SOLILOQUIE XII NOw launch my soul into this Sea of Tears Fear storms and Rocks yet smile upon thy fears Weigh Anchor Hoist thy weather-beaten Sailes The Tides run smooth The wind breaths prosp'rous Gales Tridented Neptune now hath struck a peace With full-mouth'd Aeolus and the wars surcease They sound a parley and begin to treat And Sea-green Triton sounds a shrill Retreat March new my soul through Hadadrimmons Vale Without a tear or if thou must bewaile Mourn for vain Earth and drop in alms one teare For him that finds no happinesse but there Now mayst thou trample on the Asp and tread on the young Lyon and th' old Dragons head Wisdome shall guide thee Love shall circumclose thee That fraud shall not beguile or force oppose thee Thy Prince shall honor thee thy Peers embrace thee No Crime shall shame thee and no tongue disgrace thee The rich shall rev'rence thee the poor shall blesse thee Wrath shall not over-rule nor pride oppresse thee Thy want shall not afflict nor wealth betray thee This shall not puffe thee up nor that dismay thee Pleasure shall not ensnare nor pains torment thee This shall not make thee sad nor that repent thee Blest shall thy Labours be and sweet thy Rest Blest shall thy Thoughts be and thy Actions blest Blest in thy peace and blest in thy promotion Blest in thy sports and blest in thy devotion Blest in thy losses blest in thy encreases Blest in thy health and blest in thy diseases Blest in thy Knowledge blest in thy Corrections Blest in thy Soul and blest in thy Affections O then my soul let thy Affections flow In streams of love to Him that lov'd thee so Let not his high-priz'd benefits depart From thy remembrance grave them in thy heart With Tools of Adamant that they may last To after times that when thy days be past Thy well-instructed children may emblaze Thy Makers goodnesse to the last of days Blesse thou the Lord my soul Let thy whole frame And all within thee magnifie that Name That blest thee so Blesse thou the Lord my soul Report his precious favour◠and enroll His numerous mercies in thy gratefull brest Vers 1 Remember thy Creator O protest His praises to the world and let thy tongue Make him the subject of thy youthfull song Give him the firstlings of thy strength even than When fading Childehood seeks to ripen man Vpon thy downy cheeks when vigour trains The sparkling blood through thy Meandring veins Before thy flowing marrow shall foment Thy lust full fires before the false content Of frothy pleasures shall begin t' invite Thy fond Affections to a vain delight Then then my soul whilst thy supplies are fresh And strong wage war with thy rebellious ftesh Gird up thy loyns and march spare neither sweat Nor blood take courage strike subdue defeat Sing a triumphant song sing Io Paean Adorn thy brows with Palm and again sing Io Paean Take time while time shall serve 't is thine to day But secret danger still attends delay Doe while thou mayst To day has eagle wings And who can tell what change to morrow brings Advantage wasts and strength of body wears Life has no Lease and Youth no Tearm for years Vers 3 When creeping Age shall quench thy sprightly fires And breathe cold Winter on thy chill desires Vers 2 What fire shall burn thy offerings O what praise Can issue forth from cold decrepit dayes When ebbing bloods neap-tides shall strike thy lims With trembling Palsies when dry Age bedims The optick sunshine of thy bed-rid days What boots thy cold thy Paralytick praise When secret Vlcers shall attaint thy breath With fumes more noysome then the sinks of death What pleasure shall thy great Creator raise From thy breath-tainted and unsav'ry praise Come then my soul Rouze up thy dull desire And quicken thy faint coals of sacred fire That lie rak'd up in th'Embers of thy flesh Fetch