Prison I must dwell May I not there converse with thee Save me from sin thy wrath and Hell Call me thy Child and I am free No walls or bars can keep thee out None can confine a holy Soul The Streets of Heav'n it walks about None can its Liberty controul Alas my darkened mind is chain'd To Earth and Flesh through unbelief It looks and longs by distance pain'd When wilt thou hear and send relief O loose these Chains of Sin and Flesh Enlarge my heart in thy Commands Could I but love thee as I wish How light would be all other bands 7. Must I feel Sicknesses and smart And spend my daies and nights in pain Yet if thy Love refresh my heart I need not overmuch complain This Flesh hath drawn my Soul to sin If it must smart Thy Will be done O fill me with thy Joyes within And then I 'll let it grieve alone Then to its sufferings I 'll consent To be avenged on my Foe That pain may help me to repent And sin may be consum'd by woe Pain will be short Joyes will be long Yet Lord remember man is weak Drop in thy Cordials make me strong Lest heart and hope with Flesh should break 8. I know my Flesh must turn to dust My parted Soul must come to thee And undergo thy Judgment just And in the endless world must be In this there 's most of Fear and Joy Because there 's most of Sin and Grace Sin will this mortal frame destroy But Christ will bring me to thy face Here 's Faith 's great Tryal Pain may force And Pride may willingness pretend A stupid Fool die like his Horse And Heathens make a Beast-like end Frail sinful Flesh is loth to die Sense to the unseen world is strange The doubting Soul dreads the Most High And trembleth at so great a change Yet Faith can see beyond the Skies Where now our Head in Glory is And above Flesh and Sense can rise Unto the World of Saints in bliss Cleansing the Soul from Flesh and Sin Abstracting it from things below It draws the Veil and entering in Love's glorious Mysteries can know Put forth thy Beams and Hand of Grace Open mine Eyes Take up my Heart Acquaint it with the Holy Place The Joyes and Glory where thou art O let me not be strange at home Strange to the Sun and Life of Souls Choosing this low and darkened Room Familiar with Worms and Moles Shall I be strange unto my Head The World of Knowledge Love and Joyes Conversing here among the Dead And taken up with Dreams and Toyes And strange to Angels who attend On Man and in his good delight And though unseen do us defend Ministring for us day and night Am I the first that go this way How many Saints are gone before How many enter every day Into thy Kingdom by this door Christ was once dead and in a Grave Yet conquer'd Death and rose again And by this Method he will save His Servants that with him shall Reign Shall I draw back and fear the End Of all my Sorrows Tears and Pain To which my Life and Labours tend Without which all had been in vain Can I for ever be content Without true Happiness and Rest Is Earth become so excellent That I should take it for my best Or can I think of finding here That which my Soul so long hath sought Should I refuse those Joyes through fear Which bounteous Love so dearly bought All that doth tast of Heav'n is good When Heavenly Light doth me inform When Heavenly Life stirs in my Blood When Heavenly Love my Heart doth warm No wonder if Time's womb be streight And Souls through pain and strangeness go Into the glorious World of Light Which Death translateth them unto This strangeness will be quickly over When once the Heaven-born Soul is there One sight of God will it recover From all this backwardness and fear To us Christ's lowest parts his feet Union and Faith must yet suffice To guide and comfort us It 's meet We trust our Head who hath our Eyes Christ seeth all that I would see The Way and End to Him are known He hath prepar'd the Place for me He 'l Love and Use me as his Own How many guiltless creatures die To be a feast or food for me Who love their Lives as well as I And hath not God more right to me Must I be priviledg'd alone Or no man Die until he please And God deposed from his Throne And humane generation cease Though all these Reasons I can see Why I should willingly submit And comfortably come to thee My God thou must accomplish it The Love which fill'd up all my daies Will not forsake me to the end This broken Body thou wilt raise My Spirit I to thee commend Decemb. 3. 1663. 4. Divine Love's Rest Written on Herbet's Poems THe amorous Needle knows no other REST But at its dear attractive Loadstone's breast Though lying dead before the Potent touch Its Object and Affection were not such The Oily Body married to a Spark Which some cold Flint had lockt up in the dark By the unseen Hot Soul is made so bright As if in it that Soul appear'd to sight Which in revenge for its restraint and toil Still working up wards wasts the loving Oil Having a higher Love is not content Until it reach its proper Element Thus Heav'n-born Souls but lately dead in sin By Faith and Love the heavenly Life begin And daily mounting upwards take their flight From Flesh and Earth unto the World of Light Where Darkness Sin or Grief shall never enter Where all the Saints are one in God their Center Where Love reveals it self with open face Ravishing Souls prepar'd by Saving Grace Love is their Kingdom it 's a world of Love Which they were hatcht for by the holy Dove Here he is kindling the coelestial fire Which knows its rise and doth to God aspire God who is all shall there have all my store And yet my Friends have not the less but more Love is now panting groaning in my breast Love will be then my Soul 's Eternal Feast Love now salutes us in the Gospel story But then Eternal Love will be our Glory Up then my Soul and swiftly Heavenward tend Where Love shall have no check no bounds no end 5. On David's Psalms MY God! since first thy Love this heart did touch It saith I cannot love my God too much It looketh up and panteth for that Grace Which may exalt it and unveil thy face Darkness and Distance are its grievous Chains Sad doubts and fears do feed its griping pains It sighs and wonders thou canst be so strange Where thou hast freely made so great a change Long it hath search't in hope to find the Art To raise and warm a dull and heavy Heart And now I find it practised by One That now is praising thee before thy Throne Here are the sacred words Here 's David's Lyre But
where 's the quickening coelestial fire I know the Eye of Heav'n is on my Heart God looks my Soul should bear the chiefest part It 's winged Faith and flaming Love within That must the pleasant Melody begin The holy Spirit must tune and touch each string Else smoothest Verse will be a harsh dull thing Display thy Love shoot down thy vital Raies Teach this cold heart the works of Love Praise O then what Life and Joy these Psalms will bring When it 's thy Spirit and my Soul that sing And though low streins with stops are here my best Yet Perfect Love and Praise shall be my REST. 6. The Threefold Nativity Prima dies hominem peperit sanctumque secunda Natalis pariet Mors tertia glorificatum MY first Birth-day brought forth a Man in sin But one that could not work nor go nor speak My second did a Life of Grace begin But such alas as yet 's diseas'd and weak The third from fleshly bonds will me release And bring me to the world of glorious Light Where all my sins and vexing griefs shall cease And Faith shall end in perfect Love and Sight This Death begins but 't is the Resurrection That fully shall obliterate sins story And state both Soul and Body in perfection Where Grace and Nature shall be crown'd with Glory As Nature taught me first complaining cryes Before it did acquaint me with Delight So Grace with grief first fill'd my Heart and Eyes Before it shewed me the joyful sight Why should not Death then be a straiter Door Than either that of Nature or of Grace Which brings us unto the Eternal Store Of Joy and Glory in God's shining face 7. Self-Denial A Dialogue between the Flesh the Spirit Flesh WHat become Nothing ne're perswade me to it God made me Something and I 'le not undo it Spirit Thy Something is not thine but his that gave it Resign it to him if thou mean to save it Flesh God gave me Life and shall I choose to die Before my time or pine in miserie Spirit God is thy Life If then thou fearest death Let him be all thy soul thy pulse and breath Flesh What! must I hate my self when as my brot her Must love me and I may not hate another Spirit Loath what is loathsom Love God in the rest He truly love's himself that love 's God best Flesh Doth God our ease and pleasure to us grudge Or doth Religion make a man a drudge Spirit That is thy Poyson which thou callest Pleasure And that thy drudgery which thou count'st thy treasure Flesh Who can endure to be thus mewed up And under Laws for every bit and cup Spirit God's Cage is better than the Wilderness When Winter comes Liberty brings distress Flesh Pleasure 's mans Happiness The Will 's not free To choose our misery This cannot be Spirit God is mans End with him are highest joyes Sensual pleasures are but dreams and toyes Should sin seem sweet Is Satan turn'd thy friend Will not thy sweet prove bitter in the end Hast thou found sweeter pleasures than Gods Love Is a fools laughter like the Joyes above Beauty surpasseth all deceitful paints What 's empty mirth to the delights of Saints God would not have thee have less joy but more And therefore shew's thee the eternal store Flesh Who can love baseness poverty and want And under pining sickness be content Spirit He that hath laid his treasure up above And plac't his portion only in Gods love That waits for Glory when his life is done This man will be content with God alone Flesh What good will sorrow do us Is not mirth Fitter to warm a cold heart here on earth Troubles will come whether we will or no I 'le never banish pleasure and choose we Spirit Then choose not sin touch not forbidden things Taste not the sweet that endless sorrow brings If thou love pleasure take in God thy fill Look not for lasting joyes in doing ill Flesh Affliction 's bitter life will soon be done Pleasure shall be my part ere all be gone Spirit Prosperity is barren all men say The soil is best where there 's the deepest way Life is for work and not to spend in play Now sow thy seed labour while it is day The Huntsman seeks his game in barren plains Dirty land answers best the Plowmans pains Passengers care not so the way be fair Husbandmen would have the best ground and air First think what 's safe and fruitful There 's no pleasure Like the beholding of thy chiefest Treasure Flesh Nature made me a Man and gave me sense Changing of Nature is a vain pretence It taught me to love women honour ease And every thing that doth my senses please Spirit Nature hath made thee Rational and Reason Must rule the sense in ends degrees and season Reason's the Rider Sense is but the Horse Which then is fittest to direct thy course Give up the reins and thou becom'st a beast Thy fall at death will sadly end thy feast Flesh Religion is a dull and heavy thing Whereas a merry Cup will make me sing Love's entertainments warm both heart and brain And wind my fancy to the highest strain Spirit Cupid hath stuck a Feather in thy Cap And lull'd thee dead asleep on Venu's lap Thy brains are tipled with some wantons eyes Thy Reason is become Lust's sacrifice Playing a game at Folly thou hast lost Thy wit and soul and winnest to thy cost Thy Soul now in a filthy channel lies While fancy seems to soar above the Skies Beauty will soon be stinking loathsom Earth Sickness and Death marr all the wanton 's mirth It is not all the pleasure thou canst find Will countervail the sting that 's left behind Blind brutish Souls that cannot love their God! And yet can dote on a defiled clod Why should I think of what will be to morrow An ounce of mirth is worth a pound of sorrow Spirit But where 's that mirth when sorrows overtake thee Will it then hold when Life and God forsake thee Forgetting Death or Hell will not prevent it Now lose thy day thou 'lt then too late repent it Flesh Must I be pain'd and wronged and not feel As if my heart were made of flint or steel Spirit Dost thou delight to feel thy hurt and smart Would not an Antidote preserve thy heart Impatience is but self-tormenting folly Patience is cordial easie sweet and holy Is not that better which turns grief to peace Than that which doth thy misery encrease Flesh When sport and wine and beauty do invite Who is it whom such baits will not incite Spirit He that perceives the hook and sees the end Whither it is that fleshly Pleasures tend He that by faith hath seen both Heav'n and Hell And what sin costeth at the last can tell He that hath try'd and tasted better things And felt that love from which all pleasure springs They that still watch and for Christs coming wait
were free 3. But while I sinned thou wast kind And sent'st thy Word and Spirit of Grace Thy Light did change my darkened mind And shewed me my wretched case Though I drew back thou didst prevail And I gave up my self to thee Thou undertook'st for wind and sail Both Ship and Pilot thou would'st be 4. I turn'd my back on worldly toyes And set my face toward Glory's Shore Where thou hast promis'd highest Joyes And Blessedness for evermore I took my leave of Sin and Earth What I had lov'd I now did hate Ashamed of my former birth I gave my Life a newer date 5. But since that time how am I tost Afraid of every storm and wave Almost concluding I am lost As if thou would'st not help and save If I look out beyond thine Ark Nothing but raging Seas I see On this side Heav'ns all 's deep and dark But I look further unto thee 6. Censures and scorns and frowns I hear Storms which before I never found And yet all these I should not fear If all at home were safe and sound But thy displeasure wounds my heart I have but two parts Flesh and Soul Both of thy wrath do bear their part And thou hast left me neither whole The Second Part. 7. All this is just Lord I confess I staid too long ere I came in And how should healing grace do less When I brought with me so much sin Much Pride and Vanity I kept Too oft my heart was looking back Though God stood by me yet I slept Heav'n was at hand yet I grew slack Spare Lord and pity thy poor dust That fled into thy Ark for Peace O cause my Soul on thee to trust And do not my distress increase O keep up life and peace within If I must feel thy chastening Rod Yet kill not me but kill my sin And let me know thou art My God 9. Folly dwelt in my childish breast Sin rob'd me of my youthful daies Let not thy wrath cut off the rest And stifle thine intended praise Whilst I forgot thee thou didst bear Thy kindness did invite me home O rack me not with grief and fear Kill me not Lord now I am come 10. The silent Dust speaks not thy fame Nor in dark Graves art thou renown'd The living Saints declare thy Name And in thy Church thy Praises sound Yet let me with thy houshold dwell Though I be numbred with thy Poor And with thy Saints thy Wonders tell Although I sit behind thy door 11. Set not thy strength against frail man O turn not yet this flesh to Clay My life thou know'st is but a span If I should see the longest day Break me not all to pieces Lord Or else let each piece have a tongue To cry till thou relief afford But not to say Thou dost me wrong 12. Pity this poor unworthy Soul That here devotes it self to thee Resolve my doubts my fears controul And let me thy Salvation see O let that Love which gave me groans And taught my needy Soul to pray Remove my fears and hear the moans Which sorrow breaths forth night and day The Third Part. 13. Why art thou fainting Soul cast down And thus disquieted with fears Art thou not passing to thy Crown Through storms of pain and floods of tears Fear not O thou of little Faith Art thou not in thy Saviour's hand Remember what his promise saith Life and Death are at his command 14. To him I did my self entrust When first I did for Heav'n imbark And he hath proved kind and just Still I am with him in his Ark. Could'st thou expect to see no Seas Nor feel no tossing wind or wave It is enough that from all these Thy faithful Pilot will thee save 15. Lord let me not my Covenant break Once I did all to thee resign Only the words of comfort speak And tell my Soul that I am thine It 's no Death when Souls hence depart If thou depart not from the Soul Fill with thy Love my fainting heart And I 'll not fading flesh condole 16. Health is but Sickness with thy frowns Life with thy wrath is worse than Death My comforts thy displeasure drowns And into groans tunes all my breath Where is that Faith and Hope and Love By which thou markest all thy Saints Thy Joyes would all my griefs remove And raise this heart that daily faints 17. Am I the Jonas dost thou mean To cast me out into the deep It shall not drown but make me clean Until thou raise me there I 'll sleep O Death where is thy poisonous sting O Grave where is thy Victory Thy dust shall shortly rise and sing God's Praise above the Starry Sky 18. My God my Love my Hope my Life Shall I be loth to see thy face As if this world of sin and strife Were for my Soul a better place O give my Soul some sweet foretast Of that which I shall shortly see Let Faith and Love cry to the last Come Lord I trust my self with thee John 11. 14. or 16. O let not unbelieving Thomas words Be now my answer But my dearest Lord's Amen 9. The Covenant and Confidence of Faith To the common Tunes 1. My whole though broken heart O Lord From henceforth shall be thine And here I do my Vow record This hand these words are mine All that I have without reserve I offer here to thee Thy Will and Honour all shall serve That thou bestow'dst on me 2. All that exceptions save I lose All that I lose I save The treasure of thy Love I choose And Thou art All I crave My God thou hast my heart and hand I all to thee resign I 'll ever to this Covenant stand Though flesh hereat repine 3. I know that thou wast willing first And then mad'st me consent Having thus lov'd meat the worst Thou wilt not now repent Now I have quit all Self-pretence Take charge of what 's thine own My Life my Health and my Defence Now lie on thee alone 4. Now it belongs not to my care Whether I die or live To love and serve thee is my share And this thy grace must give If life be long I will be glad That I may long obey If short yet why should I be sad That shall have the same pay 5. If Death shall bruise this springing seed Before it come to fruit The Will with thee goes for the Deed Thy life was in the root Long life is a long grief and toil And multiplieth faults In long wars he may have the foil That scapes in short assaults 6. Would I long bear my heavy load And keep my sorrows long Would I long sin against my God And his dear mercy wrong How much is sinful Flesh my Foe That doth my soul pervert To linger here in sin and woe And steals from God my heart 7. Christ leads me through no darker rooms Than he went through before He that into God's Kingdom comes Must enter by this Door
Can turn away from or despise the bait Flesh Must I be made the foot-ball of disdain And call'd a precise fool or Puritane Spirit Remember him that did despise the shame And for thy sake bore undeserved blame Thy journey 's of small moment if thou stay Because dogs bark or stones lie in the way If life lay on it wouldst thou turn again For the winds blowing or a little rain Is this thy greatest love to thy dear Lord That canst not for his sake bear a foul word Wilt thou not bear for him a scorners breath That underwent for thee a cursed death Is not Heav'n worth the bearing of a flout Then blame not Justice when it shuts thee out Will these deriders stand to what they say And own their words at the great dreadful day Then they 'd be glad when wrath shall overtake them To eat their words and say they never spake them Flesh How Forsake all Ne're mention it more to me I 'le be of no Religion to undo me Spirit Is it not thine more in thy Fathers hand Then when it is laid out at sins command And is that sav'd that 's spent upon thy lust Or which must be a prey to thieves or rust And wouldst thou have thy riches in thy way Where thou art passing on and canst not stay And is that lost that 's sent to Heav'n before Hadst thou not rather have thy friends and store Where thou maist dwell for ever in the light Of that long glorious day that fears no night Flesh But who can willingly submit to Death Which will bereave us of our life and breath That laies our flesh to rot in loathsom graves Where brains and eyes were leaves but ugly caves Spirit So nature breaks and casts away the shell Where the now beauteous singing bird did dwell The secundine that once the infant cloath'd After the birth is cast away and loath'd Thus Roses drop there sweet leaves under-foot But the Spring shew's that life was in the root Souls are the Roots of Bodies Christ the Head Is Root of both and will revive the dead Our Sun still shineth when with us it's night When he return's we shall shine in his light Souls that behold and praise God with the Just Mourn not because their bodies are but dust Graves are but beds where flesh till morning sleep's Or Chests where God a while our garments keeps Our folly thinks he spoils them in the keeping Which causeth our excessive fears and weeping But God that doth our rising day foresee Pitties not rotting flesh so much as we The birth of Nature was deform'd by sin The birth of Grace did our repair begin The birth of Glory at the Resurrection Finisheth all and brings both to perfection Why should not fruit when it is mellow fall Why would we linger here when God doth call Flesh The things and persons in this world I see But after death I know not what will be Spirit Know'st thou not that which God himself hath spoken Thou hast his promise which was never broken Reason proclaims that noble heav'n-born Souls Are made for higher things than Worms Moles God hath not made such faculties in vain Nor made his Service a deluding pain But Faith resolves all doubts and hears the Lord Telling us plainly by his holy Word That uncloath'd Souls shall with their Savior dwell Triumphing over Sin and Death and Hell And by the Power of Almighty Love Stars shall arise from graves to shine above There we shall see the glorious face of God His blessed presence shall be our abode The face that banisheth all doubts and fears Shuts out all sins and dryeth up all tears That face which darkeneth the Sun's bright rayes Shall shine us into everlasting joyes Where Saints and Angels shall make up one Chore To praise the Great Jehovah evermore Flesh Reason not with me against sight and sense I doubt all this is but a â—ain pretence Words against Nature are not worth a rush One Bird in hand is worth two in the bush If God will give me Heav'n at last I 'le take it But for my Pleasure here I 'le not forsake it Spirit And wilt thou keep it brutish flesh how long Wilt thou not shortly sing another Song When Conscience is awakened keep thy mirth When sickness death comes hold fast this earth Live if thou canst when God saith Come away Try whether all thy friends can cause thy stay Wilt thou tell Death and God thou wilt not die And wilt thou the consuming fire defie Art thou not sure to let go what thou hast And doth not Reason bid thee then forecast And value the least hope of endless Joyes Before known vanities and dying toyes And can the Lord that is most just and wise Found all man's duty in deceit and lies Get thee behind me Satan thou dost savour The things of Flesh and not his dearest favour Who is my Life and Light and Love and All And so shall be whatever shall befall It is not thou but I that must discern And must Resolve It 's I that hold the stern Be silent Flesh speak not against my God Or else hee 'l teach thee better by the rod. I am resolved thou shalt live and die A servant or a conquered enemy Lord charge not on me what this rebell sayes That alwaies was against me and thy wayes Now stop its mouth by Grace that shortly must Through just but gainful death be stopt with dust The thoughts and words of Flesh are none of mine Let Flesh say what it will I will be thine Whatever this rebellious Flesh shall prate Let me but serve thee Lord at any rate Use me on earth as seemeth good to thee So I in Heav'n thy Glorious face may see Take down my Pride let me dwell at thy feet The humble are for earth and heav'n most meet Renouncing Flesh I Vow my self to thee With all the Talents thou hast lent to me Let me not stick at honour wealth or blood Let all my dayes be spent in doing good Let me not trifle out more precious hours But serve thee now with all my strength and powers If Flesh should tempt me to deny my hand Lord these are the Resolves to which I stand Octob. 29. 1659. Richard Baxter 8. The Prayer of the Sick in a Case like Hezekiahs To the Tune of the 51 Psalm The First Part. 1. ETernal God whose name is Love Whose mercy is my hope and stay O hear and help me from above That in distress to thee do pray Ashamed to lift up my face Hence from the dust to thee I cry Though I have sinn'd against thy Grace Yet unto it alone I fly 2. I was at first in sin conceiv'd Then liv'd a vain and sinful life Rebellious flesh which I receiv'd Is still against thy Grace in strife Long it was Lord alas too long Before I knew my self or thee Vanity rul'd my heart and tongue And O that yet my Soul
Come Lord when Grace hath made me meet Thy blessed Face to see For if thy work on Earth be sweet What will thy Glory be 8. Then I shall end my sad complaints And weary sinful daies And joyn with the triumphant Saints That sing Jehovah's Praise My Knowledge of that Life is small The Eye of Faith is dim But it 's enough that Christ knows all And I shall be with him This Covenant my Dear Wife in her former Sickness subscribed with a cheerful will Joh. 12. 26. 10. A Psalm of Praise To the Tune of the 148 Psalm 1. YE holy Angels bright Which stand before God's Throne And dwell in glorious Light Praise ye the Lord each one You there so nigh Are much more meet Than we the feet For things so high 2. You blessed Souls at Rest That see your Saviour's face Whose Glory even the least Is far above our Grace God's Praises sound As in his sight With sweet delight You do abound 3. All Nations of the Earth Extol the World's Great King With Melody and Mirth His glorious Praises sing For he still reigns And will bring low The proudest Foe That him disdains 4. Sing forth Jehovah's Praise Ye Saints that on him call Magnifie him alwaies His holy Churches all In him rejoyce And there proclaim His Holy Name With sounding voice 5. My Soul bear thou thy part Triumph in God above With a well-tuned heart Sing thou the Songs of Love Thou art his own Whose precious Blood Shed for thy good His Love made known 6. He did in Loves begin Renewing thee by Grace Forgiving all thy sin Shew'd thee his pleased face He did thee heal By his Son's Merit And by his Spirit For Glory Seal 7. In saddest thoughts and grief In sickness fears and pain I cry'd for his relief And it was not in vain He heard with speed And still I found Mercy abound In time of need 8. Let not his Praises grow On prosperous heights alone But in the Vales below Let his great Love be known Let no distress Curb and controul My winged Soul And praise suppress 9. Let not the fear or smart Of his chastizing Rod Take off my fervent heart From praising my Dear God What ere I feel Still let me bring This Offering And to him kneel 10. Though I lose friends and wealth And bear reproach and shame Though I lose ease and health Still let me praise God's Name That fear and pain Which would destroy My Thanks and Joy Do thou restrain 11. Though humane help depart And flesh draw near to dust Let Faith keep up my heart To love God true and just And all my daies Let no disease Cause me to cease His joyful Praise 12. Though sin would make me doubt And fill my Soul with fears Though God seem to shut out My daily cries and tears By no such frost Of sad delayes Let thy sweet Praise Be nipt and lost 13. Away distrustful care I have thy Promise Lord. To banish all Despair I have thy Oath and Word And therefore I Shall see thy face And there thy grace Shall magnifie 14. Though Sin and Death conspire To rob thee of thy Praise Still towards thee I 'll aspire And thou dull hearts canst raise Open thy Door And when grim Death Shall stop this Breath I 'll praise thee more 15. With thy Triumphant Flock Then I shall numbered be Built on th' Eternal Rock His Glory we shall see The Heav'ns so high With Praise shall ring And all shall sing In Harmony 16. The Sun is but a Spark From the Eternal Light It s brightest beams are dark To that most glorious sight There the whole Chore With one accord Shall praise the Lord For evermore 11. The Complaint WHat mean impatient men to call it Pain That do the creatures wrath alone sustain But alas how much greater is my woe That must God's sharp displeasure undergo If a Worm's fury seemeth hard to bear Who dare before an angry God appear I thought my God had blotted out my sin And it no more remembred should have bin And wilt thou now call up what 's past and gone And charge upon me all that I have done Why then where is my Saviour ' where 's his blood Shall not thy Promises be all made good Where are thy tender bowels where 's that grace That shew'd me once thy reconciled face Dost thou repent or can God changed be O no! it 's I that falsly turn'd from thee Yet be not angry with me O my God! If thy Child cry and plead against the Rod Not daring to accuse thy narrow path But humbly bold to deprecate thy wrath Is it thy pleasure to behold my grief When thou canst with a word send full relief Dost thou delight to see me drencht in tears And overwhelm'd with doubts and horrid fears Wilt thou stand by and see my Soul thus sink While wasting flesh doth stand at the pits brink Shall grief and sickness leave but skin and bones And shall I know no breath but sighs and groans Have I no passions left but griefs and fears Are groans the only musick for thine ears And have I sense only to feel my woe And reason only misery to know And wilt thou suffer sinful unbelief To banish Joy and keep out all Relief How can that gracious Lord my woe desire That did so much to save me from the fire How can that Saviour be against my good That dy'd in love and washt me by his blood Can the same voice now pass so sad a doom That from my sin so lately call'd me home Wilt thou now frown me down to fears death That lately gav'st me a new life and breath Or can that hand that snatcht me from the flame Tear me and cast me back into the same Pity my God this sinking trembling Soul And let the hand that wounds me make me whole Friends would but cannot all their help is vain But thou canst quickly give me joy for pain What can friends do but make my grief their own And will not give me leave to die alone They can but add their fruitless tears and moans To joyn in a sad consort with my groans Their pity doth but make my wounds more deep While in compassion they stand by and weep Through me thou woundest them my pains are theirs And every tender friend a portion bears They can but pray for that which thou must give They strive in vain if thou wilt not relieve O spare me Lord and press me not too low Lest I should pievish and impatient grow Lest I should have unworthy thoughts of thee Forgetting what thy Love hath done for me Lest blind distrust get ground against my faith And I grow mindless what thy Promise saith Lest griefs consume the soul which thou hast made And lest thy Praises with my Comforts fade Lest I thine antient Loves no more rehearse But all my Thanks as a mistake reverse And lest unruly grief should make me break
deep remorse tells me What I have done What have I done It 's graven all in Stone This heart of flint feels now What I have done What have I done my pained flesh and bone Cry out with anguish O what have I done What have I done I see I feel I groan The sad effects proclaim What I have done What have I done My friends distress and moan Cry to me night and day This thou hast done Melt sinful heart and spare not welcome grief Away delights I 'le none of your relief Shew me the Wilderness the secret Cell Where grief and I may still together dwell Where Hills and Woods may eccho all my groans And hearers may not interrupt my moans Where mortal Eyes may see no more the face Which folly hath confounded with disgrace Where I may Die alive and Live in Death And spend in Lamentation all my breath Seeing deceitful heart-tormenting sin So cunningly is crept and woven in Break it in pieces turn this Heart to dust Melt out the dross purge out the filth and rust Spare not the Lance Or if that will do good Drench it in tears Stop not this brinish flood Jesus Peace troubled Soul I 'le wash it in my blood Woman why weepest thou was the first word After his Rising spoken by our Lord To which his Angels Preface did accord John 20. 13. 15. The Relief Jesus PEace troubled Soul It 's not thy brinish flood Nor troubling Passions that must do thee good Come freely drank and bathe thee in this Blood Sinner What I so vile a wretch it cannot be Alas I fear it was not shed for me Jesus Yea even for thee So far 't was shed for all That they may come and welcome at my Call Sinner Alas Lord I have trampled on thy Blood And thy Reproofs and Calls of Grace withstood Jesus And yet I call thee Take my Mercy yet I 'le answer for thee I have paid thy debt Sinner What mine that have provoked thee so long And done thy Blood and Spirit so much wrong Jesus I dy'd for Enemies It is my Glory To wash foul hearts and blot out all their story Sinner What! one so long so terrible so sad Love one so hateful pardon one so bad Jesus Hast thou such sins as I cannot forgive Or any wants which I cannot relieve Sinner I know thy Blood can wash away my guilt I doubt not thou canst heal me if thou wilt Jesus How hath my Will deserved thy suspicion When I have made Acceptance the condition Consent and all is thine My Gift is free The purchase is not to be made by thee Sinner â— know what thou wilt do shall sure be done â—ut some God hates I fear that I am one Jesus And must the Love declar'd at such a rate So vail'd by the suspicion of Hate For this I came to Men from God above To manifest his great abundant Love Mark what my Doctrine Life and Death intend This is their principal design and end God's Power and Skill But chiefly his Great Mercy and Good Will Sinner Yet he will save none but his own Elect Not those that his Salvation neglect Jesus My Promise and thy Duty thou may'st see But canst not search the depth of God's Decree Mercy intreats thee here it 's brought unto thee Take it and God's Decree shall not undo thee All are Elect that do not to the last Refuse me and my Grace behind them cast Sinner This I have done and fear I shall do still Till I the measure of my sins fulfil Though God be Love it self I shall have none I fear my Day of Grace is past and gone Methinks I feel Grace doth my Soul forsake Thy Holy Spirit thou dost from me take Jesus Here thou art yet alive my Grace attends thee And from the jaws of Death and Hell defends thee Satan would fain at once thy Soul devour What dangers dost thou walk in every hour Yet thou art safe and hear'st the Preacher's voice Come close with Mercy and Heav'n will rejoyce Dost thou not feel my Spirit still contend And tell thee what it is that thou must mend If yet thou 'lt be but willing to be mine I and my Benefits will sure be thine I seek I knock thou find'st I have not done Yet dost thou say thy Day of Grace is gone Sinner O but I have a Heart as hard as Steel I see my misery but cannot feel Jesus Fully to feel what thou deserv'st is Hell What measure 's best it 's I that best can tell Sinner I can scarce weep a tear for sin This Heart Was never melted yet by all thine Art Sure it 's a sign my Day of Grace is gone When this unhumbled Heart remains a Stone Jesus Consent but to my Covenant and be sure The remnant of thy Hardness I will cure I 'le put a tender heart into thy breast Believe in me and I 'le forgive the rest It is no Mortal Hardness if thou chuse My Covenant and dost not me refuse Should'st thou but fully feel thy sin thou 'dst die None could sustain so great a load but I. I felt it for thee Leave it to my care To wound or heal to break afflict or spare Sinner My sin my wants my misery is such That I can never feel and grieve too much Jesus Such breaking 's good as breaks the heart of sin And maketh way for Love to enter in But not the grief that only breaketh ease Weakning the Soul and strengthning the Disease Hinder not Love and Joy but grieve in measure My Blood and not thy Tears must be thy Treasure Sinner Indeed my purest streams are too impure And cannot thy severity endure The grief of an impatient selfish spirit Cannot thy Pardon or Acceptance merit But if this hardened Heart do not relent And so great sin and misery lament How canst thou smile on such a brazen face As never felt the want and worth of grace Jesus Whence 〈◊〉 I this complaining language hear If neither want nor worth of grace appear I 'le save thee if but so far thou Repent As to my Gospel-Covenant to consent Wilt thou be healed Truly say I will And trust the cure on thy Physicians skill Sinner O there 's my sin and woe though Grace be free I cannot take thy Grace or come to thee My heart is hardened I cannot repent My Will 's enthrall'd I cannot consent This will condemn me at the dreadful day I may have Life but will not when I may Jesus Art thou not willing why then dost thou crave it Dost thou complain for grace wouldst not have it If thou hadst rather be ungodly still It seems thou speak'st all this against thy will Sinner Would not the worst of men be sav'd from Hell And in delight and endless pleasure dwell But to be Holy I have no desire But as a means to keep me from Hell fire When I seem to do good or ill forbear It is not out of
Love but slavish fear All my Religion is but from Self-love I find no pleasure in the things above Jesus Natural Love of Self is the foundation Which Grace builds on and useth for Salvation He that loves not himself loves not another It 's as thy Self that thou must love thy Brother Thy own Salvation is the lawful end Which Grace and Nature bind thee to intend Why was I made man but for man's Salvation I suffer'd Death to hinder thy Damnation These are the ends for which thou must believe Life through a Saviour's that thou must receive â—t's Carnal Self that wicked men do love The Lawful Love of Self they 'l not improve They all prefer sin's pleasure for a season Their fleshly appetite doth rule their Reason Me and my healing Grace they will not have They 'l not endure that Mercy should them save They hate the Light that would their sin display And would direct them in the holy way Though they fear Hell they alwaies fear much more The loss of honour pleasure health or store No fear of Hell will take their Idol down And make them seek first the Eternal Crown The Fear of God is Wisdom's true beginning It calls to Duty and preserves from sinning God must be fear'd as one that can destroy The Soul and shut it out of endless Joy The Fear of God's the Just man's Character They fear not God indeed that wished are God would be fear'd as a consuming fire This is no sin but what he doth require Love may lie hidden as a covered seed When Fear in troubling Passion doth exceed If angry Parents make the Child afraid He feels not Love till Passion be allaid Excessive Fear may hinder active Love And yet the 〈…〉 not 〈◊〉 When God's rebukes and frowns the Soul affright It may dispose his Children unto flight Where Love is true some Hatred may arise When terrours and despair the Soul surprise A loving Child will not his Father own When through mistake or distance he 's unknown The pleasing part of Love cannot appear Under prevailing Grief and too much Fear Until the Soul be calm'd and these abate Love is opprest and seemeth turn'd to hate But doth not Love appear in thy Desire Would'st thou not Love God more fain get higher Would it not please thee more if thou couldst find His Image clearly printed on thy mind His Love and Spirit dwelling in thy heart Then of this World to have the choicest part Wouldst thou not have a heart that can Repent And hate sin more and tenderly relent A heart more fit to Meditate and Pray And walk exactly and God's Laws obey A clearer Light which may God's mind reveal More life and feeling greater heat of Zeal A stronger Faith to live on things above Where endless Praise shall be the breath of Love Sinner Whether I should desire these I doubt If possibly I could be sav'd without Jesus What 's Grace for but to bring thee to Salvation To heal thy Soul and keep thee from Damnation Wilt thou its Nature and its Use destroy And then conceit thou dost it not enjoy Think on 't as that which doth Salvation bring Or else thou mak'st it quite another thing Grace were not Grace if it did not intend Thy Happiness and Glory as its End The means is nullifi'd by separation From the just End to which it hath relation What do men trade for but their lawful wealth And what is Food and Physick for but Health Look not on Grace in one divided notion But the concordant perfect frame and motion Take not one single part but view the whole As it 's the Health and Beauty of the Soul The Life the Strength the Glory the Delight And that which makes it lovely in God's sight The honour safety gain and true content And that which must the pains of Hell prevent Take these as undivided all in one And view not one disjoynted part alone If all together seem a choicer treasure Than worldly gain and sinful fading pleasure And turn the scales in thy deliberation Then doubt not of thy Title to Salvation But dost thou not desire that God would love thee And make thee just and lovely and approve thee Would'st thou not see his face in Glorious Light And there sing Allelujah 's in his sight And love him perfectly world without end More deerly than thou lov'st thy deerest friend Where thou shalt be replenished with joy And no disturbance shall thy Soul annoy Where no temptation sin or grief shall come Where my own Love and Joy shall be thy home Abiding with the Host of Heav'n alwaies In the sweet Musick of Jehovah 's Praise This Glorious Life with God thou must love best Yet as thy own Felicity and Rest In Union and Fruition of a Friend Not one but both the Lovers are the End And hast thou no Desire or Will to this Would'st thou not live with God in endless bliss Sinner Some cold Desires of Heav'n the worst may have But dreaming lazy Wishes will not save Jesus Judge by these three for ending all the strife Thy Estimation Choice and Bent of Life These fleshly pleasures stand in competition Know which thou Chusest as thy best Condition If thou the Everlasting sure Reward More than sins fading pleasures dost regard If GOD and thy Salvation be the part Whose Interest stands highest in thy Heart If thus his Kingdom thou first seek and crave Both it and all things needful thou shalt have Sinner I fear I do not these thy terms fulfil And have not truly a Consenting Will Because so great averseness I still find To God and Holiness upon my mind Such deadness to Believe Love and Repent That there seems more of Hatred than Consent Necessity and Reason use a force Against my Will and Nature's bent and sourse Jesus No man can conquer and obtain Salvation But by resisting carnal inclination Fleshly desires run with speedy course And need not Faith 's or Reason's help and force Earthward you sink propensly as a cold But not so easily ascend to God One motion 's downward th' other 's all uphill Against the byas of the carnal will Too much of flesh remaineth in the best Some enmity to good sticks in their breast Something of Hatred even to God and Grace Contends with Love and troubleth your race In the most mortifi'd the flesh yet liveth And constantly against the Spirit striveth You cannot hear read meditate or pray Or any thing that 's good think do or say But Flesh makes war and stifly doth resist And would prevail did not my Grace assist Conflict and Conquest of this in-bred Foe Must be the way of all the good you do The Question is not Whether Flesh do strive But Whether after Flesh or Spirit you live It is not opposition that will prove That thou art void of Faith or Hope or Love The Law that 's in thy Members will still find Weapons against the Law that 's in
thy Mind The Flesh will so rebel and put thee to it That when thou wouldst do good thou canst not do it There 's in one breast a twofold Will and Heart Actingreach of them a contrary part There is a Will to Good and Will to evil One's Rul'd by God the other by the Devil A Will to read and pray and meditate A Will that doth all this oppose and hate Do not now stand and whine nor yield nor flie But use thy weapons thou must fight or die Now live by Faith Be glad thou hast a Christ Whose Spirit fortifies thee to resist Making the greatest things thy chiefest scope Keeping alive a secret spark of Hope Which will not only strive but overcome And through all Foes will safely bring thee home Sinner But how can I find favour in thy sight That have sinn'd wilfully even in the Light Jesus Though they that wholly to the last reject My Sacrifice no other can expect All kind of sin is pardon'd by my Merit Save the grand blasphemy against the Spirit Sinner Alas this is the thing that I fear most Lest I have thus blasphem'd the Holy Ghost Jesus No man that fears or thinks he hath this sin Hath ever truly guilty of it been For they deny me all to be the Lord Think it no sin to violate my Word They set themselves against me with despight And justifie the sin which they commit Sinner But wilt thou take this Lord for true Consent From a hard heart that can no more relent From one that loveth thee no more than I That is constrained by Necessity And while he thus subscribeth to thy Will Knowingly crosseth it and sinneth still Jesus If thou Consent it 's Good that doth thee move And to Consent to Good is truly Love Believe if thou would'st Love And in my face God's Love and Grace If His abounding Love thou didst but know Thy heart with Love to him would everflow Love kindleth Love but Faith must hold the Glass This sight would win thy heart before thou pass He that will Love God must not think him Evil Nor paint him in his fancy like the Devil Satan will make thee fly from God with hate If he can make thee throughly desperate Think'st thou to find thy Love before by Faith Thou 'lt come to Me and hear what Mercy saith Thou may'st as wisely search for marks to prove Thou lovest God before thou wilt him love Believe Consent Give up Thy Self to Me And I will give my Self and Spirit to thee I will inable thee to do the rest And take the stony heart out of thy breast I 'le put God's Fear and Love into thy heart That thou may'st never more from him depart I 'le quench the flames of thy corrupt desire And save thee from God's wrath and from Hell fire Sinner And wilt thou pardon all the crimson sin Of which my wilful heart hath guilty been Jesus Have I not told thee I will pardon all Hast thou sinn'd more than raging bloody Soul Or than Manasseh 's long and matchless flood Of Witchcraft Rage Idolatry and Blood That yet was pardon'd when he did return And in his Prison-Irons pray and mourn Trust Me Subscribe My Covenant and be Mine And I and All My Benefits are Thine Sinner O wondrous Love where this is kindly felt The heart must needs with Love Sorrow melt Wilt thou accept so vile a wretch as I I 'le cast my self upon thee live or die My Soul and Body here to Thee I tender All that I called Mine I Here Surrender To this Consent here I subscribe my Hand Whatever Changes come to this I stand Not by my strength I trust on Thee My Lord That for performance thou wilt Grace afford January 26. 1660 1. 13. Upon the sight of Mr. VINES His Posthumous TREATISE OF THE SACRAMENT October 18. 1656. Who Dyed a little before WHile thou grew'st here thy fruit made glad The hearts that sin and death made sad Lest we should surfeit of thy fruit Thy Life retired to the Root Desiring with us first to keep A Passover before thy sleep Weary of Earth thou took'st thine Ease Passing into the Land of Peace The threatned Evil we fore-see But hope to hide our selves with Thee Though thou art gone while we must fight We 'l call it Victory not Flight When God hath taken up this VINE We thought no more to taste its Wine Till in the Land of Salem's King We drink it new even from the Spring But unexpectedly we find Some Clusters which are left behind This Mantle from thy Chariot fell We know it by the pleasant smell Who knows but from this little seed Some more such fruitful Vines may breed The Tree of Death bears precious Fruit Though in the Earth it have no Root Dear Brother thou art gone before And I a wretch wait at the door Sin doth not only keep me thence But makes me loth to go from hence When Christ hath heal'd me of this sin And made me fit he 'l let me in Till then may I but in a Glass See what you see with open face Sure it will raise my heavy Soul And these distrustful fears controul And make me willing to be gone As knowing Whither and to Whom If Time be Nothing as some say You that were with us yesterday Are with us still or we with you Which is the better of the two The Soul imbodied in those lines Doth make us say that This is VINES And if our hearts with you could be Our Lord would say that there are we But as acccording to desert The Heavens have got thy better part And left us but some of the Wine Whil'st they have taken up the Vine So we look up and wait and pray And yet still feel we live in Clay Here we are keeping sin's account While some small sparks do upward mount Crying How long Holy and True Till we are taken up to you Thus also we must follow LOVE To find our HEAD and LIFE above He that is made by the New-Birth A BURGESS of the Church on Earth And then by Faith can rise so high In Divine LOVE to Live and Die Shall be translated to your soil Remov'd from sin and fear and toil And from this House of Worms and Moles Unto that Element of Souls Where every Branch becomes a VINE And where these Clods like Stars will shine God is not there known by the Book You need not there the Pruning Hook There you have Wine without the Press And God his Praise without Distress There we shall find our Eyes and Sight When we come to our Head and Light The Kernel is where you now dwell And we here strive about the Shell You have the Reconciling Light Who are past Faith and live by Sight No wonder then if you are One When Peace from Earth is almost gone We croud about a little Spark Learnedly striving in the Dark Never so bold as when most Blind