not received but despised Although in him the Godhead be comprised But ay me ay me why should we rebuke Thee Bethleem for that thou didst ore-look Thy long long look'd-for Monarch and disdain'd That God within thy doores should be maintain'd We we our selves are guilty much much more Of pride and lewd contempt at whose hearts dore He knocketh by his word each day we live And yet the sluggards answer to him give 'T is night say we from sleep why dost thou wake me A Lion by the way shall tare and take me My cloaths are off how can I put them on Cant. 5.3 My feet are washt and shall contagion Of Earths bedurting puddle make them foule And so my quiet and my rest controll No no this is no fitting time to talke In bed I rest goe thou abroad and walke O God of mercy grant us mercy for Our sinnes are risen to so huge a score That perish needs we must unlesse that thou Who made the Cock for Peters cause to crow Crow by thy Spirit in us and so make clean Our hearts that thou in them mayst still remain Thus was my Saviour in disdain receiv'd Whilst worms wretches were with pomp embrav'd He 's made an abject subject to disdain That we poor wretches might be born again He 's wrap'd in rags his bed's a crib of Clay That we might weare his Righteousnesse alway His harbour is a Cave yet doth hee'nlarge The heav'n of heav'ns to be our heritage And he who in himselfe is Lord of life Hath but one mayd for mother and midwife Man when at first he sinn'd did put on cloaths Yet such as subject were to dust and moaths But Christ new born is cloth'd with rags though clean Yet sure I am both peevish poore and mean And yet 's no sooner clothed with our flesh Than subject to our cursed nakednesse Jacob to gain his Father Isacks blessing Array'd in Esau's cloaths obtain'd his wishing But Christ arrayed in my flesh that he Might steale a blessing from himselfe to me Takes on him both my curse my sinne and shame And joynes me Co-heire to his Diadem That as my cloaths doe tell me I am Man His cloaths may tell me I 'm a Christian Up then my Soule up up and change thy cheere For loe how base so ev'r this Babe appeare By him thy Manna from out heav'n thou hast And eke by him Rephydim to thy taste Sends out her cooling rills Heavn's made thy house The World thy walk the Creatures serve thy use Twice now hath Salem by her Enemies Sigh'd out her Funerall dying obsequies First by the hoast of stern Nebuchadnezar Then by the trophies of triumphing Caesar An Idumaean now in Sion's known Jordan now counts her streams no more her own And what 's the worst of ills Jury sits mute Augustus taxeth she doth contribute Judge yet a righteous judgement sure will I And rest upon Gods providence for why He drawes great Caesar here t'enact but that Which many Prophets earst prognostioat And chiefly I will scan that sacred truth Which he of old proclaim'd by Michu's mouth For loe 't is written Bethleem though thou be Mich. 5.2 Despis'd in Judu's voyd of Majestie Yet out of thee shall rise that Ruler who Shall by his wounds and stripes and bloody flow As Judah's righteous Shepherd straight regather All wandring Israels flocks to their true Father Then O the deepnes of thy wayes my God! Who knows thy Paths or treads thy Judgments road How secret are thy Counsels actions just And favors great to such as in thee trust Where but in Bethleem that 's the house of bread Should our Soules bread of Life be harboured Or where but in the house of David may The heire of David Davids Scepter sway No holy David now from farre I smell What made thee thirst to sip of Bethleems well 2 Sam. 23. And having got a draught from thence didst yet Powr 't on the ground and wouldst not drink of it Now now I see it was this living water Which Bethlehem doth from her bosom scatter That thou didst long for and desire to taste That it might give a coole refreshing Rest To those impoyson'd scorchings which did burn In thy affections and Soules sacred Urn Yet wouldst thou not so much as drench thy lip Therewith but made it on the ground to trip That so a sweet drink-offring it might be For safety of their lives who brought it thee Recalling to thy mind that time drew neare Wherein thy Sonne should in our flesh appeare And from thy Stem a glorious sprig should spring Whose blood should quench the fiery Serpents sting And from his side should send the sweetest water That ever Fountain from her sourse should scatter Come then sweet babe and by that nectar'd draught With which th' art richly furnished and fraught Revive my Soule refresh my scorch'd desires Which thirst for thee more then the Hart requires To taste the current of those chrystall brooks Whose windings kisse the earth's meandring crooks Come come and by this document of thine Wherein thou lay'st aside thy glories shine Teach us who are but worms and dust and ashes To lay aside our prides empampring flashes Whose smoke of vanity and humane glory Doe turn our best hopes to a tragick story For if the Master have no fitter fare Why should the servant grudg his sober share No no my soule content thy self 't is hee Who knows no sinne that 's now made sinne for thee And being richly-rich is now made poore That his distress might thy true wealth secure Hee 's base that thou maist be exalted scorn'd That thou with glory maist be still adorn'd Hee dies that thou maist live and lies in grave That death dominion o're thee may not have Why shouldst thou then or frown or faint or fret For change or alteration of thy state No know that thy Redeemer lives above And that hee doth chastize whom he doth love For standing waters putrifie and rot When they who in a restless current trot Live to themselves and also t' others use VVithout contagious sench or dregs abuse If then wee suffer with him so shall wee Reigne with him in his matchless royalty And if his Crosse we shall deny he shall Deny us to his fathers Angels all Why should we then for mis'rys blustring blasts Quit-claim that glory which for ever lasts No let our Crown be here like his of Thorn Glory thereafter shall our heads adorne And if with him wee taste a cup of gall His bowls of new wine suit our festivall The Advent CANTO 5o. AS they who for their Zenith have the Pole When Titan first renews his Caprioll In their Horizon on their tip-toes stand To get th' approach of his long look'd for brand And write the welcom of his good new yeer In bloody Rubricks of their Calender So now whilst long and desolate night of deep Discomforts have made Syon's daughters weep Their glorious new-born Titan's
I know not what you think him worthy sure I think him guilty shamefull death t' indure To this they all applaud with acclamation O let him die and perish from this Nation Yet once more proudly doth the Priest enquire Him of his Doctrine and Disciples Ire And rapid rage doth to his soule possesse That Truth and Conscience with him have no place Christ answers In your Synagogues have I Still taught and by me nothing secretly Is done or said enquire of them therefore Who heard me let them witnesse lesse or more By this one of those slaves who stood neer by Doth smite him on the face most vil'nously And ads this motto to his cruell blow What Villaine dost thou answer th' High-Priest so Christ meekly replyes If I have spoke wrong Beare witnesse of it but if thus my tongue Hath spoke the truth why smit'st thou me 't may be Some higher hand repay thy villanie Ah me my God how hath this High Priest still Spoke prophecy although against his will Of late he said it was expedient that One for the nation should be immolat And now he sayes he 's guilty to the death And so both truth and lye pronounced hath O what a vaticiny what a word Is this that Caiaphas doth now afford Guilty he was to die the death he come And yet not guilty to the death as some Man born in sinne to die the death is born Because by sinne he 's guilty and forelorne But he did neither sinne nor know trespasse For Gods 〈◊〉 ' â—â— Lambe and Sonne he was And therefore since he knew not sinne no death Ov'r him or power or jurisdiction hath Yet guilty was he for 〈◊〉 guilt he tooke And by the way for 〈…〉 of the brooke And so was guilty made to death for loe His bodies death must our soules death ov'rthrow Thus was he guilty to the death and yet Nor guilt nor death his innocence did fit His was the death the guilt was ours and so Both from the guilt and death w' are free to goe Next to this censure all those catyss still With excrements his glorious face doe spill And though the glorious hoast of heav'n are bold In him to gaze Gods wisdome manifold Yet muffling up his face they hood-wink's eyes Then crave in scorn to heare his Prophecies This not enough they be not yet content T' afflict his body and his soule torment But what is more to Pilat's civill power They lead him there to have his death made sure From out the High Priests house and hall he 's led And unto Pilat's hall is carried Tumultuous crowds of people run along To make their malice and their griefe more strong And in Iudibrious manner thus doe cry Here 's Naz'reths Propher pray you make him way Pilat affrighted with the Convocation Comes forth and cals the head o' th' Combination And asks the cause of this their concourse for Such stirre Jerus'lem had not seen before Yet ere the Roman Depute will approve Their combination he doth gravely move This question to them What hath this man done Or gainst the State or gainst Religion If he had nor a malefactour been Say they to Pilate sure thou hadst not seen Us stand as supplicants before thy doore Nor had we ever judg'd him by thy pow'r O cruell catiffes irreligious you Who act such murther under pieties show To Pilat's house you come but will not enter As if his house were hells condemning center Woe woe to you Scribes Pharisees and Priests You rav'ning Wolves dissembling Hypocrites Why doe you think by ' xternall rites and showes To purge that poyson in your hearts ov'rflowes Why doe you make your platter clean without While as the fountain's poyson'd round about Why doe you guild your graves with pretious stones Whose richest linings are but rotten bones Why doe you wash your hands so oft with water While as your hearts be lust and prides Theater It is not Pilat's roof nor Pilat's wall Nor the corruption of his Judgements hall Can make you so unclean or so impure As doth your sinfull soules distemp'rature For what is from without cannot so much Defile the Man as doth the hearts hid touch But thus th' Almighty hath decreed and thus You have determin'd by a secret push To catch the innocent unto your snare While as your words be soft and smoothly faire But he who in the highest heav'ns doth dwell Can both your fraud detect and pride repell And will in his own time your plots repay Upon your pates with woe and weal-away Jesus now stands before the Pagan Judge And from his fury findeth no refuge Pilat enquires him Art thou Juries King I am saith he without dissembling But in this world my Kingdome hath no place Nor hath this world a portion of my grace Pilat then on his Judgements feat fits down And once more asks him of Judaeas Crown And tels him that if he that Crown should claim Then should he wrong Augustus Diadem Not I saith he let Caesar have what 's his And God what 's God's no other thing I wish But while this Roman on his bench doth sit His wife did by her letter him intreat Yea she adjures him that he should not touch That just man for saith she I 've suffer'd much Concerning him this last night in my sleep The gods preserve thee and thy conscience keep That unto him thou doe no wrong nor harm For feare hath giv'n my soule a sad alarme This Pilat reads but 's deafe to such a tale Where will doth govern words will not prevaile He therefore calls the multitude aloud Heare mut'nous you and hark you envious croud Whom will you that at this your solemne feast I should let loose to you what think you best Here have we Barrabas a murth'ring thiefe Will you that he goe loose and have reliefe Or shall we let this Jesus goe pray tell For your desire shall be my Centinell O Barrabas say they let him goe free But for this Jesus him let 's Crucifie VVell then saith Pilat since it must be so Him shall you have and Barrabas shall goe Yet bring me here some water water 's brought And for dissimulation lacketh nought His hands he washeth his dissembling heart Stands still corrupt and foul in every part Yet doth he call Come malecontented you To this just man take heed what you shall doe For in him I doe finde no fault at all Why one haire of his head to ground should fall I therefore to your conscience doe appeale To Church to Councell and to Common-weale That from his blood I stand this day as free As be my hands from their impurity Alas vain Pilot hadst thou cleans'd thy heart As thou hast wash'd thy hands then sure no part Of this mans blood should have against thee cry'd Then should both heart and hand been purifi'd But since one thing thou sayst and dost another Thy words shall not thy foule transgression smother In short time thou
are gone His foes are fill'd with feare amaze and wonder Like Latmos rent with heav'ns high ratling thunder Seraphick Spirits bow before his face Mortality to glory now gives place And all the Children of his wedding Chamber Whose lips are Corrall and whose locks are Amber Whose eyes Carbuncles are in dark of night Gladly doe now attend this mornings light And from the grave they role away that stone Which Caiaphas had fet his seale upon 'T were strange to see that was could make that sure That heav'ns had destin'd to distemp'tature But now the Scriptures are fulfill'd which say He gives his Angels charge 〈◊〉 thy way To keep thee lest thy foot should either slip Or'gainst a stone at any time should trip Yet was it neither Angels might nor power That did return life to my Saviour But that same Godhead which in him did dwell Restor'd his life and did his death expell For though his soule was from his body cut His Godhead from his Man hood was not shut For that great tye of Hypostatick union Shall never be dissolv'd or lose communion No no Mans nature which he did assume And unite to the Word i' th' Virgins wombe Shall in no after time or taste Confusion 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Or by a stronger hand ' plain of Division Or by a change smell any Alteration Or by or death or life have Separation But shall for ay that union retaine Where three are one and one is three againe No sooner doth my Soules brave Sampson draw Gaza's gate-barrs asunder then his aw Maketh earths wieghty globe to reatch and reele About him like Ixyons giddy wheele The dead arise and to the Citty goe As witnesse of his great triumphing show The Lyons to their dens return apace Because great Judah's Lyon shakes his tresse And all the beasts of neighb'ring Forrests feare Whilst they this matchlesse Lyon's roaring heare The chirping birds whose sweet melodious notes Bring sweeter crotchets from their carr'ling throats Then all Apollo's nymphs can straine or sing Unto his Harps delicious fingering Betake themselves unto their wings to flie Rather then in an Earthquakes arms to die The nibling Lambs which graze on Vesta's kirtle And sips her hony suckles and her mirtle Leaving their breakfast bleat and cry and call Each one to gaze anothers festivall Great Neptune and his Thetye now sing dumbe Because the Soveraign of the Seas is come To put a hooke in their nostrills and draw Leucotheo from Achelous maw But above all the long-liv'd Phenix seems As freshly wak'd from her reviving flames To greet him with the rarest welcome that E're Lark or Finch or Linot modulat And at his foot her starry Spangled Crown As to the righteous owner she throws down For she reviv'd hath thousand years in store But he requickneth lives for evermore In end comes Titan dayes bright shining eye Who lately slept in darknesse Cannopy And from his Orient or Eoan wave Where Neptune doth his steps in pearle engrave Seeing a clearer Sun i' th' West arise To all his Naids and his Napaeis cries Look here and see the rare yea rarest wonder That ever Earth held up or Heav'ns kept under Two Suns arise at once and in one day Two Titans to the world their lights display The one wherof although he rise must fall The other knowes no Occident at all Thus is my Saviour up and mangre hell And all the pow'rs of darknesse there doe dwell A new light life and liberty is given To all that hunger for the light of Heaven 'T is true no article o' th' Christian faith More faithlesse or reluctant en'mies hath Then hath the Doctrine of the Resurrection Whil'st it stands canvass'd by humane direction Yea nature ne'er requir'd a better sport Then tosse this Ball within her Tennis-court For faith it selfe can hardly sound this deep How a scatter'd non ens to an ens can creep Although that Nature and the Scriptures both Have writ the hieroglyphicks of this truth The Phoenix spicie nest her Mistris burneth Yet she from out her fatall Urne returneth When length of time sun-staring Eagles spills They doe revive by casting off their bills Hearbs trees and plants which in the winter wither I' th' spring receive both sap and life together The Corn we sow doth first corrupt and die Yet from that death their grains doe multiply And if 't be true Medaea for the sake Of Jason made old Aesons youth t' awake But Scripture tells us that the first man hath By sinne subdu'd all mankinde unto death And that the second man doth yeeld more grace Requickning that which dy'd by our trespasse And unto Abram's seed the Lord hath said I am the livings God and not the dead Adde unto this that he who first did make All things of nothing can from something take With lesser pain this little world of Man Then when at first he from the dust it span Nor is it just that any coupled paire Who work together should not have like share Of glory after death who in their life ' Gainst Sin and Sathan kept a conjunct strife Why art thou then so sad my Soule and why Art thou cast down with such anxiety Dost not thou know that Christ is made thy head And thou by faith his living member made He is thy husband thou his wedded wife Whil'st he doth live how canst thou doubt of life He is the root and thou his ingraft-branch When thou art judg'd he sitteth on the bench He is our Main which by our faith 's hid pores Refreshing waters to our springs restores And till his never ebbing streams goe dry We need not fear to lack a new supply Naked from out our mothers wombe we come And thither naked must we once goe home Yet we believe earth shall not still enfold Us in her arms that were too base a hold For any in whose soule the sp'rit of grace Hath made his mansion or a dwelling place No sure suppose these putrid tents of clay Wherein we sojourn for a night or day Must be dissolved better buildings we In heav'n shall have For Immortalitie Shall this our Mortall swallow and devoure Our weaknes then shall be exchang'd to power Corruption shall to incorruption turne And shame shak'd off we shall no longer mourn For what by Nature we doe here inherit Shall there renew'd be by th'Eternals Sp'rit Though then the grave unto weak natures taste Relish no better then the hemlocks feast Yet from her arms we reap a richer store Then ever nature did possesse before For there the poore have peace from their oppression There earths horsleeches shrink from their possession There rich and poore the high the low and all To earthly tempest ly no more made thrall But waiting for the return of their Judge In secret for a while lye still and lodge Since then I know that my Redeemer liveth And that he shall perform what faith believeth In all the periods of my lifes poore
armes present The blessed seed that seales our Government That as unto the first-born did belong The double portion and revenge of wrong So in his double portion we may have Grace upon Grace and our destroying Grave May so bee shut that wee may sing and cry Death where 's thy sting Grave where 's thy victory And that this second Temples lofty frame May far exceed the first house prototheam And that which God by Haggai's mouth did speake May now in time a full perfection take Loe here the man to whom the hid desire Of all the nations in a zeal-bred fire Are captivate doth stand that all th' opprest By sin in him may find true ease and rest The first house sure by ceremonious rites And Typick emblems of spirituall sweets Did lead the Priests and people both to run And hope th'approach of this imperiall Sun But now the body 's come the shades evanish And Titan's new-born rayes night's clouds doth banish And though the Oracles be dumb though th' Ark Preserve no Manna nor no budding Mark Of Priest-hood for on him all those rely'd He finish'd them they him presignify'd Yet loe this day the never erring Word Of God is brought to pass and doth afford More lively consolation to the Soule And those sad raptures which our peace controle Then all the bathings purgings exhalations That great Jedidiah put for expiations Could furnish to the sinne perplexed hart For Antimony ' gainst the Serpents dart For now the long contesting jar doth cease That kept at ods Truth Mercy Justice Peace Whilst in our flesh our first begotten brother Makes all those Graces kisse each one another Blest then be God who when his Church is tost 'Twixt swallowing Calpe and Abila's coast Hath sent his Son as Palinure to guide And bring her safe to shore gainst Neptun's pride And make her when shee 's shut from out Shem's tents In Japhet's state-house hold her Parl'aments For he hath sworn that hee will ne're forsake her Till like a faithfull-Bridegroom homehee take her The Epiphany CANTO 6o. WHere am I now what splendor strangely rare Is this which darting through the Heav'ns and aire Dazles my sight with such a glorious ray As makes my Muse to stumble at mid-day For whil'st of late my weakly warbling quill Did only from her Virgin-snowt distill The tear-drown'd ditties of a Virgin milde And wofull accents of a wailing Childe Loe now perforce I soare and tread a march Alongst the confines of th' Etheraeal arch And in th' abortive birth of rhime descry The radiant troops of heav'ns brave Infantry Not that I mean by search of curious art T'investigat each circle zoane and part Wherewith our azur'd heav'ns being cut asunder Doe parallel our earthly globe that 's under No no who shall with roaving straines aspire To search these tapers of Celestiall fire T' unfold the Zodiak in his foure-fold Trine And heaven-divider Equinoctiall Line Our Tropiques colours and our Zeniths hight Our Pole Horizon and our Nadir right With Dand's daughters may attempt to bring From Lethe's never empty'd sourse and spring Their buckers full of water but in vain For by the way they empty still again I cease therefore t' inquire why Saturnes spheare Revolves his course but once in thirty yeare Why Jupiter by twelve yeares milde aspect Doth churlish Saturnes froward frownes correct Why cruell Mars with proud out-braving pace Doth in two twelve-months moderate his race Why Titan heav'ns Lieutenant once a yeare Confines and crownes his still renew'd Cariere Why Paphian Venus and old Juno's foe Are not asham'd once every yeer to goe And tread a March behind Apollo's wheeles Like Lacquayes waiting on their Masters heeles And why Luciua in her Love-bred-passion Should each Month once in fresh new-fangled fashion Greet her Apollo that by his bright shine Of twelve stolne kisses she may make thirteen No leaving those and their unsearehed sourses Their Apogae's and Pyrogae's in courses Their Progresse Transits and their Applications Directions Revolutions Separations Their Quadrats Sextiles Trines and Oppositions Conjunctions Lights-translations Prohibitions Their House their Exaltation and Triplicity Their Term their Face and such essentiall dignity How Fortitude stands here and doth importune And how Debility there threats a misfortune How this Sâ—ar's fix'd that strayes and proves erratique How this Conjuction's partile and that platique I leave to Chalda-Star-gazers and those Whom Nile and Tigris in their armes inclose And in a modest path shall onely bring My Muse to quiver on a maiden string How he by whom heavn's starres both rise and fall Makes Starres doe homage at his Pedestall Come then thou great irradiat morning Starre By whom Oryon and the Pleyads are Thou Star of Jacob by whose power and might The Stars were made ' gainst sisera to fight Thou thou whose dread and uncontroll'd command Enforc'd the Sun in Gibeah to stand And Moon i'th'Vaile of Aialon to stay Till thou thy force didst to thy foes display Thou whose right hand seven rut'lant Stars dost hold And crown'st thy Church with radiant Stars of Gold Even thou whose light so decks thy smallest Saint That he exceeds the Stars o'th'Firmament And by thy light dost make their light more rare Then brave Aurora when she cleeres the aire And finally Great thou whose dreadfull rage Hath thrust that wandring Star from out lights stage Whose name is Wormwood and hast plac'd his Cell In chaines of darknesse and the depth of hell Come thou I say and by that Spirit of thine Whose light lends light to every Star to shine Rouze up my Muse to that all-conquering Verse Which may in sacred hymnes and Odes rehearse The unmatch'd love and the immortall glory Of thee my God in pain-born Rhimes best story For when thou like the Bride-groom of our Soul Didst for our sake thy Majesty controll 'T is true that no externall pompe or show Which lacquaies humane greatnesse here below Did waite upon thy birth or yet advance Their footstools to support thy radiance Thy head no royall Diadem did wear Thy back no curious Tissue roab did bear Thy bed did smell no incense thy reposes Knew neither Turn-sols Lyllies Pinks nor Roses But all thou hadst thy nakednesse t' ore shade Was a poore hole to hide thy glorious head Yet as the heav'ns of late in love sent forth Their Gabriel to Annunce thy wondrous birth So now in still unwearied love they send This blazing Star thy cradle to attend By whose direction three great forraign Sages Scorning their home-bred wealth and heritages Are now content to come from farre and see Earth wedded to th' Prince of Eternitie Thy starre they saw and wrapt with dread amaze To see a starre dart forth so splendid raies And smother all her neighbr'ing lamps as farre As Titan doth his sister Cynthia's carre Straight way they run and with industrious care They search their antient Annalls every where Their Oracles and Sybils more and lesse Their Journals and their Ephimerides
at hand Yet 't is not he such transmigrations now Dare plead no place amidst a Christian crew For by th'Eternals uncontrol'd decree As dust we are so to the dust goe we And till the time that heav'ns shall be no more Our bodies are not what they were before Nor shall our soules or lifes true quickâ—ing spirit Their wonted dwelling houses re-inherit Who is it then Now I perceive 't is he Concerning whom the Prophet Malachy Hath by a divine wisedome thus foretold Wonder you fooles come come you wise Behold Before the comming of that dreadfull day Wherein the Lord his glory shall display Eliah first shall come and by his voyce The father in his children shall rejoyce The children to their fathers wiser Will Shall bow their necks and be obedient still Lest comming to them with a searching fan His vengeance finish what their finnes began Yea sure I am 't is he for now I finde The Scribes and Pharises whose judgement 's blinde I. â— Run to his Baptisme though in scorn that so They may th ' Eternals Counsell overthrow But all in vain he with a soaring eye Rips up their hidden deep hypocrisie And by his threatning duely milde and grave Their hid dissimulation doth outbrave O vip'rous brood ô froward generation O Serpent-Issue of a sinfull Nation Who hath fore-warn'd you to eschew the doome And scape the scorching wrath that is to come Bring forth therefore bring forth I charge you here Those fruits of new-birth which makes faith appeare And glory not that Abraham's sonnes you are For he who calls what 's not as though it were Can make those senssesse stones if he have need Bring forth to Abra'm a Religious seed No rather know that these be now the times Wherein the hand of Justice fannes our crimes And trenching axes laid unto the Root Cut down the wither'd sticks are void of fruit 'T is true indeed I baptize you with water But loe there 's one to come who what I scatter Shall recollect he reaps where none was sown And but advantage will not have his own He 's great indeed and mightier farre then I I am not worthy his shoo-straps t'untye With water I baptize you ô but he Shall baptize with a fire of Deitie For in his hand he holds that searching fan Wherewith he doth his barn-floores treasure scan If we be found true wheat his hand shall keep Our soules from falling in th' infernall deep But if like chaffe we prove his swallowing ire Shall thrust us headlong in a quenchlesse fire Stray then no more through those poor desert fields Which neither state nor pomp nor glory yeelds To gaze on me a Reed toss'd too and fro Where any whirl-windes puffe delights to blow But rather in a wise discretion learn Your gracious Visitation to discern For this is he that should be sent expect None other to relieve your soules defect Looke on his wayes and by his works goe try The true prognosticks of his Majesty By him the blinde have eyes the lame their hands The deafe their eares the dead are loos'd from bands The Leaper's cleans'd and what is more the poore Receive the Gospell and the Crosse endure And that your Judgements may lack all excuse Behold the stone you builders did refuse Shall be approv'd and on the Corners top Shall stand that there by faith by love by hope His children may a living house be made To hold him for foundation and for head Loe where he comes my soul doth sweetly know him Bow bow your haughty necks yeeld what you ow him For he 's that great immac'lat Lamb of God Who having layd aside his wraths sharp rod Doth by a love-sick Mercies bloody gore So purge our sinnes that sinne stands ours no more Ne're did the swallowing Nilus rapid waves Provok'd to anger by th' Aeolian slaves Hurle down his streames to the Asphaltick lake With greater force than doth the Baptist shake By those his roaring thunders the proud knees Of these dissembling Scribes and Pharisees Yet scarce hath he like that fore-running starre VVhich doth proclaim th'approach of Titan's carre Fore-warn'd the world of that Imperiall Sun Whose race in Truths eccliptick line is run When loe that spotlesse Lamb whose spotlesse love And suffrings weds us to the Lord above Comes straight unto him and in modest fashion Without or pomp or pride or ostentation Requires to be baptiz'd in Jordan's flood The typick Emblem of his saving blood But John remembring what he was replies O sacred thou whose throne transcends our skies Why dost thou crave to be baptiz'd of me Since I should rather be baptiz'd of thee The servants state is not above his Lord Nor can my weaknesse that true strain afford Of due obedience that belongs unto thee O get thee from me for thy eyes undoe me Peace saith Immanuel John thy flesh is weak Th'Eternals hidden Counsels to partake For ne're hath flesh his riddles truly view'd But he who with his Heifer first hath plough'd Wouldst thou then know wherefore I doe desire To be baptiz'd of thee who can with fire Rebaptize thee Know that my Charge is such As without Unction none usurps to touch I doe not run unsent my Father hath Before all time decreed That by my death The sting of death and of deaths Lords great power Should so be curb'd that they no more devoure That I may then obey my Fathers will Ambros in Luc. c. 3. And all the law of Righteousnesse fulfill VVhich may contemper Mercies milde sweet yoak To Justice proud though just revenging stroak And so become a righteous Mediator Betwixt the Creature and the dread Creator I must be baptiz'd first that so I may My heav'nly function to the world display Adde hereunto that in this flesh of mine Which from the earth is earth from heav'n divine I must the state of of every thing renew And to my Gospell Moses Law subdue Man must be new the old man now must perish And by a new-born faith his soule must cherish The heav'ns shall be renew'd th' old flie away The Earth renew'd shall smell like maiden-May The Law is old a new command I give That men henceforth by faith love hope must live And as the Covenant's chang'd so must the Seale Make room for Grace and bid the Law farewell And what is more That Man may see I love To make his mansion in the heav'ns above Loe here his badg and cognizance I take On mee not for my own but for his sake That when my father Man's great Seale shall see On my fore-head and man made one with me He may from man his furious wrath withdraw And make him Heyre by Grace not by the Law And that vain man may never scorn those rites By which as Canals of coelestiall sweets Th' Almighty pours his Grace upon their Soule Men may their haughty hearts and necks controule To bow unto his Ordinances for No soule shall enter in at mercies door
date I for my last and glorious change shall waite For He who was dead is alive and shall To me be Alpha and Omega All. The Trophee CANTO 7o. CHrist had not come from heav'n to earth but that He might our dying soules re-animat He had not liv'd on earth so long to try Cares watches griefes reproaches misery Had he not meant to write us an example In patience upon their necks to trample Nor had he took our flesh if not to die That by his suff'rings he might satisfie The wrath of God due unto mans offence And reconcile that sin-bred difference Nor had he dy'd were 't not to rise again And reunite us to our Soveraigne Nor did he rise but that he might ascend And so bring our Redemptions to an end Thus was he born thus did he live and thus He hath both dy'd and rose againe for us That our new birth new life and new death may By him be turn'd to an eternall day Now if that any ask who shall perswade VVeake man that he such mighty power had The trembling earth the darkned sunne the grave The quickned dead the rent vaile and that slave VVhich in earths centers dwels can all declare The Virgins sonne and eke th' Almighties heire True God and Man earths Monarch heav'ns great King Did those stupendious works t' effect forth bring But if sublunar things subject to errour Can neither work our joy nor strike with terrour Our hardned hearts let glorious Angels then Serve to extirpate misbeliefe from men For they did by their presence shake those fooles VVho by their spears and staves and murth'ring tools Sought to detaine the Lord of Life i' th' grave Let all such guardians such reward still have Then to some weaker women whose true care And love to life had quickly brought them there They furnish matter of true consolation Declaring his true life whose death and passion Had but of late their soule so pierc'd with woe That naturall comfort could not cure their blow Such as our conscience is or good or bad Accordingly we are rejoyc'd or sad When God to us his countenance doth show Or in a cheerfull smile or frowning aw The righteous Man is like the Lyon bold The wicked shrink for feare within their hold And one day when their joyes away shall fly Then shall they shrink and feare eternally One woman there was of a speciall note The Magdalen of late known by her spot But now by penitentiall tears made clean She greater grace and favour doth obtain For he whodwelleth in the heav'ns doth weigh The hearts of men in scales of Veritie And looks not on our outward carnall things But on that treasure which the heart forth brings To this poore woman then they first doe talk And with her in the way of comfort walk That she who sometime was a sinner might To after-sinners shew the wondrous hight The depth the length and breadth of mercy that Unto the penitent's accumulat For God doth not take heed to what we were But unto what we by adoption are For still his mercies supr'abound and more Where sinnes abundant plenty dwelt before If he can see our tears our cheeks distaine And bubble up from true repentance vaine Some eight dayes hence this Nymph began to weep And make her tears bedew her Masters feet Her eyes as yet have not shut up their sluces So deep 's the memoyr of her youths abuses And eke so fresh the relish of his smart Who spent his blood to purge her sinfull heart That she cannot her throbbing sighs restrain Nor from her restlesse seas of teares refraine But when sh'ath weep'd enough she still weeps more And ' gainst her sorrowes cannot shut the doore VVhil'st thus she weeps she turnes unto her stay And bowing down beholds where Jesus lay And loe two Angels there doe sit the one VVhere Jesus head did lye and rest anon Another she espies there where his feet Had their impression in the hard rock set They see the woman weep and thus enquire VVoman why weep'st thou what dost thou desire She answers Sure I weep not without cause For here of late in deaths devouring jawes My Lord did lye but now alas he 's gone And none can tell me whither no not one They thus reply what foole art thou to seek The living ' mongst the dead did he not speak And preach to you last day in Galile The sonne of man must suffer and third day Rise up again he is not here goe goe Tell his Disciples that he 's rise But loe VVhil'st thus they parley Jesus comes and still Rebukes her for her mis-informed will VVoman saith he woman what dost thou mean VVhat wilt thou never from thy teares abstain She takes him for the Gardner and saith Sir If you have took him hence pray let me heare VVhere you have layd him and be sure from thence I will re-bring him at what-ere expence To those fond words my Saviour saith But Mary She answers him Rabboni Without tary Falls down before his feet to kisse them but He to that fond affection yeeldeth not O doe not touch me Mary saith he for I am not yet ascended but what 's more Expedient for the world goe quickly tell My weak Disciples that the gates of hell Which gap'd against me now have no more pow'r To hedge me in for I have broke their door And to my members doe propine Lifes cup That they may dine with me I with them sup O what a masse or magazen is here Of pretious comfort by a Gardiner Breath'd to a woman O what large extent Of pardon 's sealed to a Penitenâ—â— For whil'st I see her thus so sadly weep And him comfort her ' gainst her griefs I keep In minde that Program which of late he told Blessed are they who mourn for loe behold They shall reap comfort and thrice blessed they Who ask seek knock for verily I say They shall receive and finde and enter for To such my Father doth not shut his door Next this whil'st I behold the great mistake Wherein her true affection although weake Made her believe a Gardner she had seen I doe impute it to her tear-drown'd eyn I cannot choose but make my soule to smile At this so happy fraud and sweet beguile For never man did to my weak esteem Give him a fitter stile or truer name For where did ever garden in the stower Of stormy rage produce so sweet a flower Or where did ever Gardner plant or frame So rich an imp in such a withring stem Did he not first in Paradise re-plant The promis'd Primrose of the Covenant In Baal-haman graft'd he not that Vine About the which the Saints their armes doe twine Is not he Sharons Rose the Valleyes Lilly Engeddies Camphire Bethleems Daffadilly Gethsemans Gilly-flow'r and Golgaths Rheu And Arimathea's Turn-sol ever true It is not then a great mistake to call Him Gardner who makes those to rise and fall O glorious Gardner
whose right hand doth plant The rut'lant starres amidst the Firmament Who pav'st the Ocean with thy orient gem Plant in my soule thy Artimesian stem And like the lotos in Euphrates bosome Be thou the Sun that still re-clears my blossome But ay me what is this I now doe heare Thee say to Mary Mary come not neare And touch me not Art thou that fi'ry bush Which made old Moses stand afar no tush The flames and threats of Sinay now are gone And thou art made our very flesh and bone Yea thou hast bid us touch and taste and feele How good thou art to Isr'els Common-weale And yet as if thou wouldst some distance try Thou stopp'st our wonted famil'arity It is not long since thou endur'dst a touch Which justly tearmed might have been Non-such A Traitor kissed thee a Rascall knave Did with his buffet and his spit out-brave Thy glorious face thy head was crown'd with thorns Thy hands and feet were pierc'd and with proud scorns Of thy unlook'd for death a speare did part The water and the blood from out thy heart Those touches thou endur'dst but ay me now Thou call'st for distance but I know not how It can subsist with thy unchanged love To change a sweet imbracet'a sad remove But pardon me my God for now I finde That too much love hath made her judgment blinde For since she saw thee put in porta mortis Her eyes have still been drown'd in aqua fortis And in her rapture whil'st she cryes Rabboni She turnes her Benjamini to Benoni For though thou still be what thou wast before True God and Man yet art thou now some more Then man and mortall but immortall now Kodesh laihova is writ on thy brow The Vrim and the Thummim on thy breast Tels Aaron's dead and Melchisedeck â—s Priest And since true life hath triumph over death Now must we live no more by sense but faith And by the spirit not the flesh must we Now seek our God and his felicitie Some eight dayes hence Christs Disciples meet And in a private chamber closely sit The doores being shut Christ Jesus commeth in And greets them with his 〈◊〉 then doth begin To rouz their 〈…〉 Soulles from â—eare to â—aith Which oâ— salvaâ—ion 〈…〉 promise hath To waken Thomas from his misbeliefe For lack of faith ' mongst many sins is chiefe Thomas saith he thou hast of late deny'd To trust my Resurrection till my side My hands my feet and all my wounds doe give Thee by thy touch true reason to believe I pitty this thy weaknes for I know The sourse and fountain whence this stream doth flow Is not proud malice but infirmitie The sp'rit speaks faith flesh infidelitie T is true that when those wounds I did receive And from my Crosse was carried to my grave Thou didst not see me for thou rann'st away When Judas by his kisse did me betray But now thou art return'd and so am I Thou from thy fears I from mortality And since I see upon thy fingers end Thy faith and resolution doth depend Come come thy touch not only shall be fed But al 's ' thy other senses satisfied Come come I say behold those wounds of mine And let not misbeliefe ' gainst faith repine Reach here thy fingers boldly touch my hands Touch those my feet see how my side yet stands Wide open with those wounds which did of late My harmlesse body cru'ly penetrate And be not thou a faith lesse Did'mus more But make true faith ov'rflow thy hard hearts shore Thomas no sooner doth stretch out his fingers To touch Christs side when loe from off her hingers Christ pulls his heart which then was hard as stone And with the touch of true contrition Makes him bewaile his infidel'ty more Then he was bent to harden it before O now I finde saith he and cryes aloud Thou art the Christ my very Lord my God O happy Thomas what a happy change Is this which now doth in thy bosome range Of late thou saidst Unlesse I surely see The stamps of death in his mortalitie I will not trust what ever can be sed That he from death can be recovered But now behold what nature could not see Faith doth perceive behold that Mustard tree Of faith in thee hath been most shrewdly shaken Yet from the root it hath not quite been taken O what a forcelesse force of heav'ns high thought This alteration in thy brest hath wrought For one thing thou didst see believe another And this made Faith and Nature joyn together One thing thy eyes did see that he was Man Thy heart believes him God 't is more than can By natures rules or documents of art Couch in thy conscience or confirm thy heart But ô the power of the Almighty who Unto the weak joyns grace and nature so That what weak nature cannot work for want Of strength grace there doth furnish supplement And though that faith doth build her house on that Which to the nat'rall eye 's unseen yet what May help weak nature and procure her strength She doth amasse together and at length From both their Magazens draws forth that store Of grace which Sathan can deface no more Thrice happy Thomas who didst thus believe Because thou saw'st but if that God shall give The grace to such as never saw to trust Thrice happy they their faith shall make them just For when they by the heav'ns great power shall Arise to make their last Judiciall Account their unseen faith shall make them see Death hath no sting Grave hath no vietorie Thus standeth Thomas to the faith converted From him a hard heart by a touch is parted Christ to the rest of those his brethren saith Brethren these times require much strength of faith Harken therefore to what I to you say 'T is long since I first said I goe my way And you were heavy that I so should speak For then your faith was wav'ring faint and weak But now your eares have heard youe eyes have seen What I have suffred yet my wounds be green Gird up your loynes therefore henceforth be strong For he who wrongeth you to me doth wrong And whoso harmeth you he harmeth me I love you as the apple of mine eye Yet must not I alwayes on earth remain I to my Father must return again And to your Father to my God I goe And to your holy one and God also My God is your God and my Father 's yours The gates of hell and all their darkned powr's Shall not be able ' gainst you to prevaile My Scepter and my Rod their strength shall quaile Full forty times brave Titan now hath run About the world and stay'd where he begun Full forty dayes hath he yea each day once Saluted and adieu'd both Horizons Full forty times hath Pha'ton's Chariots wheel Bid Flora both good morrow and farewell Now now 't is time that Jesus should goe hence T' enjoy the throne of his magnificence Not