shalt drunken fall verse 22 And make thee naked Zions daughter high The punishment of thine iniquity Accomplish'd is he will no more thee carry Captive away O Edom's daughter wary The Lord will visit thine iniquity He will thy sins discover and descry CHAP. V. verse 1 O Lord remember what upon us comes verse 2 Consider our reproach Behold our homes Are turn'd to aliens our inheritance verse 3 To strangers we are fatherless orphans verse 4 Our mothers widowes are We drunk our water For money wood is sold unto us after verse 5 Our necks are under persecution We labour and of rest have no fruition verse 6 To Egypt and to Ashur hands we gave That we to satisfie us bread might have verse 7 Our fathers sin'd and are not we bore their verse 8 Iniquities servants our rulers were And none out of their hands delivers us verse 9 Getting our bread our lives are perilous verse 10 Because of wildernesses sword Our skin Was ov'n-like black because of famine thin verse 11 But terrible In Zion ravish'd they The women and by force with maydens lay verse 12 In Judah's Cities Princes hang'd appear By their fierce hands the elders faces were verse 13 Not honoured They made the young men grinde The children fall under the wood behinde verse 14 The elders from the gate have ceas'd young men verse 15 From musick our heart's joy is ceased when verse 16 Our daunce is into mourning turn'd The crown Off from our head is likewise fallen down verse 17 Wo unto us that we have fin'd For this Our eyes are dim for these our heart faint is verse 18 Because of Zions mountain desolate verse 19 The foxes walke on it Thou Lord in state Remain'st for ever and thy throne is set verse 20 From age to age why dost thou us forget For ever and so long forsake us see verse 21 Turn us to thee and we shall turned be Return our days as in the time of old verse 22 But thou O Lord as if thy love grew cold Hast utterly rejected us thou art Exceeding wrath against us hence we smart Confessio Petitio 1. GOD hath chalk'd us out a way Leading unto peace and life We rebellious run astray In the pathes of death and strife Did not mercie us preserve VVhat we chuse we best deserve Peace and Life we loath and wave Death and Strife we love and have Turn us Lord or we shall never Turned be but stray for ever 2. Thou to us Lord hast made known What shall in the end bring peace VVhen the Rule shall be thine own And all Tyranny shall cease VVhen all Pow'rs on earth that be Shall depend alone on thee VVhen the Lord shall peace compose But we still thy ways oppose Turn us Lord or we shall never Turned be but stray for ever 3. When thou shalt our Rulers chuse Who can doubt of happy dayes Since no people ere did lose Ought by walking in thy wayes Oh that we that time might see When we shall be rul'd by thee Haste it Lord and let it come But we still do stray and roam Turn us Lord or we shall never Turned be but stray for ever 4. We in Changes run our course Not to change from bad to good But to change from bad to worse Though by thee to better woo'd Since in changes we delight Lord direct our changes right That from bad to good we change And us from our sins estrange Change us Lord or we shall never Changed be yet change for ever 5. Can a Blackmore change his skin Or a Leopard his spots Then may we forsake our sin VVhich accustom'd us besots And allures us more and more To worse courses then before So impossible a change Unto man to Thee 's not strange Change us Lord or we shall never Changed be yet change for ever 6. VVe are froward and perverse Cross to thee in all our wayes Prone to bad from good averse Cold in prayers thanks and praise Faith is bashful hope too bold Charity benum'd with cold Conscience in a Lethargy All religion like to dy Change us Lord or we shall never Changed be yet change for ever 7. Thine Almighty hand alone Can this pow'rful change effect To make supple hearts of stone And their secret depths detect Whose meandred windings lie Intricate beyond our eye And in us no pow'r is left Since thereof by sin bereft Turn us change us else we never Shall be turn'd or chang'd for ever Change us turn us then shall we Truly turn'd and changed be Amen Postscriptio sed Praemonitio BRitain thy sins have stupifi'd thy sense Of sin of danger though not purse-expence There thou' rt too quick of feeling ' ware the trash Thou striv'st to keep prove not thy fatal lash Thou' rt blind and seest not sweetest mercie 's guide In thy sweet way of peace wilt not confide In men or means that God hath rais'd for thee As instruments of thy felicity Thou' rt deaf yea wilful deaf and wilt not hear Thy Gods Prescripts nor his Election bear Thou' rt Nose-pent canst not smell the powder-plots Of thy grand foes whose craft thee quite besots Thy taste dis-relisheth the Cates of Heaven Yet chew'th the Cud upon thy musty leaven Thy Passover may not with that be tane Take heed thy love of old bring not new bane Accept what God doth give never confound Thy self and thine to run the world 's wild round Wilt not God's will feel see hear smell and taste Then do thine own But thou wilt rue't at last Yet when thou hast proclaim'd thy self God's foe His will shall stand whether thou wilt or no When thou mayst feel his Iron Rod strike home See this thy Paradise Desart become Hear the loath'd noise of thy triumphing foes Smell thy dead corpses to annoy thy nose Taste wanting what to taste through Famine thin The bitter fruits of thy unequall'd sin Reverte Te inverte diverte converte Ut se vertat Deus ad te haec avertat à te Ne te evertat Amen Amen Cura Malorum 1. ENgland why hanker'st in times fatal nick On various projects which dicotomize Thy vital parts why though at heart death-sick Wilt not accept of physick or advise Miss-dyet render will thy grief past cure Fie fie forbear doubtless thy doctor's skill Merits thy confidence his physick 's pure Nought can obstruct its working but thy will Accept Urania's bountiful advise Take for thy Lot the Lot be well be wise 2. Curb then thy wayward will sâ—…e selfâ— proud sway Let thy dissenting parties re-unite In the most equal sortilegious way Whereto both God and good men thee invite A fairer path freer from just exception To cement jars no Nation ere enjoy'd Nor ever shall it 's worthy thy reception Lest by refusal thou be soon destroy'd Accept Urania's bountiful advise Take for thy Lot the Lot be well be wise 3. Rinse thy obstructing sins with early tears Leâ—… Finer's fire and Fuller's sope supply Late penitences place prevent thy fears By turning to who calls thee lest thou dy Beloved Nation 't is thy dearest Lord Summons thy will to homage hailes thee in Strike sayls stoop in submit unto his word And flie his vengeance threatned for thy sin Accept Urania's bountiful advise Take for thy Lot the Lot be well be wise One and All. OFt' calls made unjust judge late notice take Take thou thy Lot lest thou thy Lot do take FINIS
1. LIfe thou dost flatter and betray My heedless soul to sin to day On thee presuming And hopes assuming Of penitence hereafter And so thou lead'st me sheep-like to the slaughter 2. Thou in thy warfare careless art Though Death hath got Letters of Mart Soon to surprize thee VVhere-e'er he spies thee A foe that will not trifle But surely speed and will thee shortly rifle 3. Why shouldst thou faithless to me be 'T is to thy self as well as me Cease then to flatter And thy baits scatter To hook my foolish fancie For thy allurements work like necromancie 4. 'T is a black Art and dark thou hast VVho danger vail'st till time is past Of it preventing And mak'st repenting Late unavailing to us And by thy Syren's songs dost quite undo us 5. VVe silly mortals quite mistake VVhen thee for our chief friend we take Death is more friendly And deals more kindly VVho summons us to heaven VVhen thou would'st keep us here of joy bereven 6. Nature on thee doth too much dote VVhose humour 't is to love by rote VVhil'st reason 's blinded And sense most minded Our souls by thee are lulled Secure asleep and of salvation gulled To DEATH 1. DEath how do sinners thee abuse VVho thee most grim to pourtray use They quite mistake thee VVho uglie make thee Thou to the good art comely Though worldlings deem thy presence course and homely 2. Thou art out Moses who dost show Our way from Egypt here below To Can'an's glory Thou dost us hurry From this worlds dayly sorrows To joyes eternal where to day wants morrows 3. It is thy father makes thee grim Thou lovely art wert not for him He dwells within us And he doth win us To hate thee without thy desert Thy Father's sin and thou his wages art 4. A father strange that hates his child And wages too you 'ld deem him wild As we count wildness For death's sweet mildness Is shown still to the holly Sin 's their chief foe and counts their goodness folly 5. Death is God's Hâ—… who calls away His servants to receive their pay But to his debtors And their abertors His under-Sheriff cruel Who them imprisons where flameâ— ne'er wantâ— fuel 6. Death lays our bodies here asleep Whilst festivals our souls shall keep 'Till our exciting And re-uniting In joys passing all beneath Ah fit me Lord for thee and welcome death The Resurrection DRead Lord what harmony my soul doth find In all the wondrous works by thee design'd Or consummate past present or to come Oh! how disorder bringeth order home This days confusion sure will far surpass The Chaos that at the Creation was And this days order will the perfect'st be That men or Angels ever yet did see The sad confusion of thy Goat herds train Exceeds all thoughts conceiv'd by mortals brain And the sweet order of thy shepherds sheep Will Angels strike with admiration deep What hurly-burly here shall we descry ' Mongst Nimrod's fell Tyrannick progeny How loath this day will their proud ashes be To re-unite when they thy Son shall see Whose members they have persecuted here In cloud-clad glory come what rueful cheer What horrour and amazement will confound Their loathsome souls when that last trump shall sound And they be summon'd forthwith to appear Before that Judge whom they condemned here Pilate will wish his heart had washed been When he his hands did wash but for a screen To cover horrid murther Wilful Jews That roar'd out Crucifie him at this news Struck with astonishment will surely wish They had been all born dumb or mute as fish But empty wishes nought avayl them here For will they nill they all men must appear At this last great Assize and render in Compleat account of what hath acted been By them here in the flesh and not alone Of act 's but of their words and thoughts each one According whereunto they shall their doom Receive for all that endless time to come Save those for whom the Lamb was born and dy'd Who shall by faith not by deserts be try'd And bathed in his blood shall shine more bright Then Phaebus doth when he gives purest light These shall have all the tears wip'd off their eyes And be enthroned with the deities With great Tri-une Jehovah they shall be The Bridegroom's Bride to all eternitie And raign with him in bliss for evermore Who them redeemed hath and pay'd their score Lord these do groan for this great day and cry Come come Lord Jesus Oh come quickly hy To set us free from sin and from all those That persecute us thine and our fierce foes When shall we be avenged when wilt thou Ascend the throne and make all mortals bow Before thy foot-stool when again restore All pow'r unto thy self for evermore Lord re-assume it for it is thy due Thou hast it lent a while to men 't is true But they bad stewards prove and miss-employ Thy talents and deserve not to enjoy Thy slighted favour Lord call in again That pow'r and let the Lamb for ever raign Then shall the Church triumphant sing his song With Hallelujah's from the Angel-throng For he alone is worthy to ascend The throne eternal whose rule shall not end Whose Kingdom and dominion ne'er shall â—…se Who is the Prince of everlasting peace Who from beginning was ordain'd to die That he his chosen flock might glorifie To whom all glory be ascrib'd and then Shall Saints and Angels cry Amen amen The Epigram JUdas prepare thy bag thy day is come When for thy pains thou shalt be payd full home But Oh! thy mind is chang'd thou would'st Essoyn Thy self this court rather then take this Coin Though take it needs thou must and when thou hast it 'T will last for ever for time cannot waste it Yet thou wilt finde thy state had been more thriving Had'st thou refus'd those thirty pieces living This is a maxime though of my own making Men grow not always truly rich by taking Misers whom love of coin on earth o'er-sway'd Shall this day in their own coin be repay'd For Sion's Lamb when he ascends the throne Will prove himself a debtor unto none But will requite both good and ill that 's done By all man's off-spring since the world begun A Soliloquie on the Resurrection CHeer up my soul exalt thy head on high For thy long-look'd Redemption draweth nigh Lo thy sweet Saviour comes in glory bright This day to put an end to day and night Whence times alternate course away shall fly Issuing forth into eternity One everlasting day whose splendor clear Will need no Sun to give us light and chear Our Sun shall be the Sun of Righteousness Which never sets whose light no cloud makes less In his coruscant glory He shall shine Into thine eyes my soul with light divine And yet not dazzle them to hurt thereby They 'l dazled be with sweet satiety With joy and admiration to behold Israels shepherd with his flock and
makes them both Heav'n and Hell Her age in times meer infancy was vast Transcending all Arithmeticians skill The number of her fore-past years to cast Though they should use the stars that Heaven fill Each grass and grain of dust that Earth can shew And all the drops and sands in Sea and shore With the Ayre 's Atomes they would be too few Were each a thousand thousand millions more For figures that grand number to express To which they would amount Howe'er when time Shall be no more her youth will be no less Then at the first O wonder most sublime Here muse and stand amaz'd presumptuous man Who squandrest pretious time in seeking that VVhich when possess'd annoys Content ne'er can Be found in Treasures Honours Pleasures flat False titillations They the fancy please With momentaneous tickling but the foul Can no satiety receive from these Whilst her diviner eyes espie their foul And gross delusions winning us to waste Our time of grace short week of working dayes On toyes and trifles care away to cast Neglecting our creation's end his prayse That formed us and so to lose our pay In that eternal Sabbath's rest to come And gull us with false hopes that fade away When Judgement dooms us Hell for our sad home Whose everlasting flames should us deter From their allurements and our souls provoke No longer true repentance to defer But take upon us our Redeemers yoke Embrace his endless love And let that force Our souls to grace by holy violence Redeem our time by Faith and true remorse And giving neither God nor man offence For on the husbanding of this short span Of our frail life eternal life depends Or death eternal Oh! when this we scan It should unbottom us from all false ends And keep us firm in truths sincerest wayes And in the pathes of life that when times race Is run and all distinguishments by dayes Hours months years shall here no more have place We may enjoy Eternity above Whereof that we may not at last be mist But ponder still in heart what doth behove Eternity Ah dearest Lord assist AMEN The Epigram on the same ETernity my Muse doth quite confound Her true Description never Mortal found Rings Snakes and Globes with such round things as those Th' Ancients for her diâ—…e resemblance chose A boundless Plain a pointless Parallel A Circle that includes both Heaven and Hell Yet hath nor Centre nor Circumference Demonstrable to Reason or to sence Each Mathematick poinâ— of whose vast Ring Equals her whole Dimension Wondrous thing Yet true as strange Nay more I 'll tell you what Think what man cannot think and she is that She rounds my Verse no man her depth can sound Eternity my Muse doth quite confound Objections Solutions and Chorus Objection 1. WHy should onely Man desire To transgress his Makers Laws Who made him so high aspire That all earthly things he awes Solution 1. NOthing but corrupted Nature Made Man so perverse a creature Nothing but renewing Grace Can Mans guilt and filth deface Objection 2. WHy should Christ from glory come To be born in coursest home Live and die in pain and grief For unthankful mans relief Solution 2. NOthing but divinest Love Brought our Maker from above Who for all his grief and pain Craves but Love for Love again The CHORE OH admired Love divine Suit our hearts with love to thine Then adieu false creature-joys Welcom Truths and farewel Toys Man's Heart 1. A Curious triangle methinks I see Immur'd by Heav'ns Eternal Architect His seed-plot of each Grace divine to be A glorious Paradise without defect A Paradise in Paradise that 's slight The Paradise of Paradise the throne Of the worlds great Creator whose delight Was fiâ—… therein his Majesty thereon Such was Mans heart and such might still have bin Had he baulk'd Serpentine deceit of sin 2. But ah most horrid fate since Adam fell This Nursery a Wilderness is grown Eden of Eden is the Hell of Hell And Graces plants by Pride's puffs over-thrown Earth-mice have eat the seeds the thorns and briers Hemlock and Wormwood have o'er spread the ground Once till'd to grace Lusts and corrupt desires With all their base productions there abound And what was once the King of Glories home Is wholly now a Den for Fiends become 3. World flesh and devil this triangle have fill'd Having got full possession plac'd therein A cursed rabblement of Elves that build Fortifications and strong holds for Sin The blessed Founders greatest Enemy Who in them rests secure thence Grace repells Though profer'd by the Lord spontaneously And all good Inclinations quite expells Whence from a sp'ritual Cana-an it 's grown No less then a mysterious Babylon 4. It 's now the old Red Dragons Nursery A new Plantation of each hateful crime The Shop of that accurst Apothecary Who therein doth his pois'nous drugs sublime Pride's Mercury Zeal-chilling Ellebore Intemperancies Swine-bane Antimony Of Infidelity and thousands more The Opium of dull security And Lusts Cantharides these he refines By them to work his mischievous designes 5. The cunning Gardiner doth oft-times graft Bud and inoculate to shew his skill Produc'th fair-seeming flow'rs on stocks stark naught And specious fruits from roots corrupt and ill But these like Sodoms Apples vanish quite If try'd by touch which sorts he mostly plants In a close corner for his own delight Allotted to Hypocrisie where wants No dressing that the Devil can afford To nourish plants accursed and abhorr'd 6. Stand you but there at gaze and you will deem Your self in Heaven with Saints incircled round Whilst it is Hell and Devils for they but seem And are not real as will once be found The Angels trumpets that at last shall blow Our Resurrection-summons them shall blast And we their painted falsities shall know Themselves in everlasting flames be cast Their rotten Roots which all shall plainly see Proclaim who Impt them and whose Imps they be 7. Dread God! shall this Intruder still possess Thy sacred portion and thy choisest field 'T will make him question thine Almightiness Avenge thee Lord and force the fiend to yeild Root out his worthless plants and replant thine New turn the ground and sow thy seeds of grace Afresh therein and let thy power divine Cherish them there Satans rank weeds deface Batter his raised forts his forces rout Re-enter in thy Right and turn him out 8. Renew thy sin-demolish'd Image here Hallow this little frame to thy great praise New mold new make the model hence cashier Innate corruptions plain the crooked ways Throw down the hills and hillocks raise the vales Manure the barren ground more fertile make The erst unfallow'd plots re-build the walls Thy wonted pleasure in this fabrick take Lord it did cost thee dear when thou went'st hence To purchase it with thy heart-blood's expence An Epigram on the same COuld not Creations Title keep Gods Right In mans false heart that subtile Serpents spight Compell'd him to
Yea thy estare advance To a degree of contentation here In time to come unto eternal cheer But oh it's uncouth harsh to flesh and blood In thy small volume to affect what 's good Though in thy youngers we with ease may ' spie An in-nate proneness to depravity VVell take thy course I here presented have Before thee life and death And now I crave And wish thy better choyce But if thou wilt Run nature's course shun grace and so be spilt Forget not what is told thee this withal God will to strict account thee shortly call Chant on my pretty Cricket but remember March-singing Thrushes meet a mute December An Epigram on the same CHildhood's a cyens of man's tree And lo As you it bend 't will straight or crooked grow Bend it betime to grace and humble make it Lest bigger grown a head-strong stiffness take it Then will your labour be to little end Such rugged stocks will rather break then bend And thou my little Mannikin give ear To good directions fit corrections bear They both are physick good they will procure Thy lasting health they 'll thee for ever cure Wilt thou not take them but keep on thy tomming Then take this pill WELL wanton winter's comming Youth FAirest of sub-celestials draw thee near Grace our great stage thou art an Angels pheâ—… If but with grace replete But i 'm mistaken And Lark-like with a stale and day-net taken Deeming a glass the Sun I see my error I finde from thee deep grounds of fear and terror Help help me store of manacles and gyves Stocks shackles pillories and all that gives Correction to untamed man yea call For bridles halters bits and curbs withall Ropes fetters barnacles and cables strong Nay bring the Ax and Gallows both along Whose pow'rs can briefly tame both man and beast Bring any Engine else not here exprest Then fetch me all earths Conjurers and Witches Whom Satan makes believe they wear the britches And can him rule bring Devil and all These forces May tame Bears Lyons Boars Bulls Tygers Horses And all wild beasts Ships under sayl and winds In roughest storms Sea where a way it finds Fire water earth and ayr yet cannot fear More untam'd youth from its most wild career Hark witless wild-oats though thou raunt'st it thus I 've got a lusty guard And some of us Shall one day tame thee Nay I 'll tell thee more He that brings up the Reâ—r hath quite o'erbore And captivated thee who know'st it not The sadder much thy case the worse thy lot His subtilty is Serpentine beware Give him an Inch hee 'll take an Ell who dare Allow him but the lordship of a thought Into his vassallage are sliely brought In thoughts words acts and all till he erect His kingdom in their souls a sad effect Of such a slighted cause Resolve therefore To free thee of his thraldom serve no more No more serve him But serve him who hath bought Thy freedom out by price unheard unthought Till Gospel it reveal'd By his heart-blood He freed thee from thy sin-bound prentice-hood And he makes all his servants perfect free The world yeelds no such master else for thee His silver 's only currant his gold pure Thy wages thousandfold thy payment sure Oh take him he thy Cov'nant long since seal'd Put seal to his lest thine should be repeal'd Christophorize and make the legend true Forsake the Devil and take a master new But know withal this master 's such a one As will a new man have or else have none Renew renew thy life imploy thy strength In those atchievements that bring bliss at length Squander not time and money both for that Which is not bread whose best contentment's flat Dull dead and low unsating to thy soul Yea mortal poyson venemous and foul Such are thy lusts which thou pursu'st amain They 'll neither end in pleasure nor in gain But rueful wo and loss Recal thy minde Summon thy senses in which reason blind ' Lure them to her subjection will suppress And give more sway to grace to nature less Ne'er man layd grain of honour in the dust By yeelding unto grace but unto lust I know thou look'st aloft thou prizest self Thou valu'st honour more then worldly pelf For this I should commend thee didst thou know But what true honour is not this below Not Scutchions fair not worm-fret monuments Nor large-dimension'd pettigrees great rents Millions of Mannors princely Fabricks rais'd By glorious Ancestors whose fame is blaz'd In dateless old Records to be descended From an Heroick stock whose worth transcended Earth's greatest Monarchs Nor from him that claims Her universal Crown whose boundless aims Lay title to the Heavens Earth and Hell When but the last's his due No no know well To be or come from such false honour is Whose affectation cheateth us of bliss It 's but imaginary Honour true Puts off the old man and puts on the new Strives not to seem but be more good then great To sinful thoughts words actions sounds retreat For them most mourns Of them is most asham'd Hating to be deform'd more then defam'd Deform'd in soul for that 's true ugliness As sanctity is truest comeliness Take God's Word for thy glass there see thy face Of soul and body both with tires of grace Adorn thy self So shalt thou fairer be Then the best beauty mortal ere did see Let faith repentance patience modesty Chastity temperance sobriety Charity justice mercy zeal and peace Fortitude meekness and such gems as these Give lustre to thy life they 'll make thee shine In humane eyes and more in eyes divine If gray hairs fraught with Grace a glory be 'T is much-more glory Grace in Youth to see Thou glory'st in thy beauty stature strength Activity wit wealth or cloaths at length All these will fade and fayl thee know'st how soon Thy morning's past and most will reach but noon But what relate I these thou glory'st in Horrid Impieties thou boast'st of sin Which might make thy bright Sun this minute set In everlasting Darkness That 's a Debt That dares Damnation wooes Eternal Death Makes love to vengeance shipwracks Hope and Faith Jeers God at 's Nose and deifies a sin That scarce by Mercie 's self hath pardon'd been Forbear forbear young Hotspur thy account Will one day to the vaster sum amount For this doth double charge thy debts and thou Art surely broke unless thou learn to bow It 's better bow then break Bow bow thee low Humilitie's a Grace whose heighth none know But the Lamb's lambs whose pasture is Mount Sion Who have thereby o'ercome the roaring Lyon It is a Star that fix'd in Youth's high Sphere Transcends the reach of each Astronomer For none can take it's Altitude but he Who 's above all and for whom all things be Let thy Grand-Siegnior Will that Turk-like swayes Thy soul and body by tyrannick wayes Submit in all things to his Will Divine Who gave thee Will
any more Yet sow good seed and plow thy furrows deep And thou shalt reap rich harvest in thy sleep Dotage AH what a sight is here a man turn'd child Nay infinitely worse with sin defil'd Yet knows it not See proud rebellious Chit Who vaunt'st of youth strength beauty wisdom wit Health and accursed Policie weigh well This rue-ful spectacle which might excel Thee in them all in time but now bereft Of all by his own natures trait'rous theft Thou the same nature hast of the same mold And may'st be such perhaps ere half so old Oh pride thee not in these indowments so Thou seest their frailty how they come and go This less then man worse then child once thoughâ— He never should have to this pass been brought Nor can believe he 's so which much augments His sad condition utterly prevents His Reformation makes him doat along In Hell's wide rode with a presumption strong That he 's in Heavens path and knows the way As well's the best and scorns to go astray When he no more that way doth know or minde Then new-born Infants know or plod to finde The North-west passage to the Indies hence Howe'er if you 'l him teach he takes offence Ah wayward froward and untoward man To God and all that 's good A Negro can Lâ—ave his black skin unto a snow-white hue Much sooner then man can himself renew It 's far more easie to make Earth change place Then change corrupted Nature into Grace 'T is madness to a truce to seek to win them The quintessence of Opposition's in them Cease therefore self-deluding-man to try To compass an impossibility Rouze up thy soul his pow'rful help to crave Who is Almighty and alone can save Who only can such change as this effect And all the fraud of thy false Heart detect Whose Will perverse is greatest foe to grace Cashier old Will and give new Will the place This poor anatomy of man doth still Retain in height of strength its wonted will Though totally of other strength depriv'd And would retain that if it were three-liv'd Oh saddest sight Let 's view it once again It 's a meer Magazine of grief and pain Mortalitie's Memorial here is limm'd Full to the life and with Death's shadows trimm'd The snuff of man half in half out if blown It seems the quicker Is but quicker gone Once it was man now a meer living creature Not prefect man nor beast of humane feature You 'll think I doat to doatage thus to speak Lest it miss-apprehend me for it 's weak Yet wilful too of reason quite bereft Almost of sence it hath no sences left Save pains-sense unimpair'd few active now Unless you lingua and non-sence allow For senses too as some loose wits would have them In women for their labour e'en beknave them Yet I to doaters on my harp may strike A note as well's to infants much alike But I 'll speak faire Father youâ—… run the ring Of nature like a man or some such thing A child you crawl'd from earth your mother's womb Now are a child crawling to earth your tomb You 're going whence you came are what you were Except that innocence which did appear First in your soul which sin deleted hath And made you the old man a child of wrath 'T were better far you had continu'd still Such innocent yet I can teach you skill How you more innocency may recover If you 'll re-act your childs paâ—… rightly over Weep heartily and cry for your sins past Neglect of duties want of true fore-cast In your unlawful actions and desire The Gospels milk sincere blow in the fire Of that small spark of grace that God affords Your half-extinguisht soul and blaze records Of your true zeal though weak hugg the sweet breasts Of divine consolation make attests Of good desires by lifting up your eyes And hands to him that gave them let your cries Be for the bread of life cast off the toys Of this deluding world slight her false joys Allot to alms the treasures earth affords Chaunt out your tuneless songs your phraseless words To his great glory who such love hath shown To your poor soul when you deserved none Play with the babes of grace and take delight In little children such in God's pure sight If any beat thee to thy father cry Thy moan to him brings certain remedy Hang fast upon thy elder brothers neck Kiss kiss the Lamb his Bride with garlands deck Such plays content the soul whereas your joys Unsatisfying are yea sinful toys Look on the se-ven candlestick's bright lights Insite in purest gold joy in such sights Reject world's worthless trifles catch the crown To thee held forth and so in peace lye down In earth's great cradle hush'd in silence shy Where earthquakes rock and windes sing lullaby 'Till thy exciting by those trumpets blasts who 'll summon dead to life that ever lasts In Resurrections morn whose joys transcend Immensly voyd of measure as of end The Epigram BRave man what doating now who would have thought Thou to this market wouldst thy hoggs bave brought Love is youth's doatage make thy doatage love Then doat on spare not on the things above They 're worth thy doating on and thou shalt see Thy doatage seeds spring to eternity Death GReat King of terrours Sythe-man of the earth Whose harvest rounds the year thou ne'er hadst dearth Since the world first was peopled nor shalt have Till it unpeopled be the silent grave Is thy head-quarters where all mankind keep Their gen'ral Rendevouz lull'd fast asleep In equal darkness yet in quiet rest There 's no distinction of the worst from best Great small friends foes all undisturbed ly Of Sympathy void and Antipathy Lay Calvin with Calvus a popish Priest Their arguments a child may here untwist Put Alexander into Codrus toomb He 'll never justle for more elbow-room Cesar's with Pompey's dust will co-unite As well as Jonathan's with David's might Death is the truest Leveller that smoothes The lofti'st turrets with the lowest boothes No controversies in her court arise No titles question'd there in any wise The plaintiff and defendant there may ly In peace together with their Lawyers by Each on both sides as here perhaps they were Much to their prejudice but not so there The taxing souldier and the taxed clown Shall be joynt-tenants when they here ly down In sweet ungrumbling silence land-lords great And tenants poor shall have a like estate In this demesnes the Emperour and groom Partake without precedency this room No fears or jealousies disturb their rests No Herauld needs to place this princes ghests 'T is a Decree in this great Court alone TAKE PLACES AS YOU COME or else have none Yet no distaste is taken if it hap A beggar placed be in Caesar's lap Death strikes with equal stroak lays equal rates All Adam's progeny with her are mates More perfect order never yet hath been In any Monarch's Court that Earth
hath seen Say Princess great why is thy look so grim To what 's meer man being so fair and trim To gracious souls it's but the fear of change That makes thee so And yet oh wonder strange Want of change caus'th that fear man hear my breath Change but thy self thou'lt ne'er fear change by death Death's visage is a looking-glass wherein Thou view'st thy foul deformity by sin It 's guilt of that breeds fear of death in man Whilst rinsed souls with joy embrace it can See see besotted earth-worm who hast run The race of man and nought but cob-webs spun Sow'd rotten seed death thy race terminates Cuts off thy warp thy harvest antidates And makes it dreadful which might joyful be If thou thy way of safety couldst but see Death is a bond-mark-bridge to Heav'n and Hell On yonder side On this to earth as well Three spatious Kingdoms yea the three and all On this side are two roads which equal fall At the bridge-end the roads of joy and wo And every man in one of them doth go On t'other side two spatious Inns are built The one for innocence t'other for guilt To entertain the Travellers that pass The former roads In these a boundless mass Of joyes and woes are treasur'd up in store Where they shall joy or mourn for evermore Both Inns are at Bridge-end on t'other side One hath a narrow gate the other wide Whoe'er in either enters ne'er returns But there eternally or joys or mourns Joy's road is narrow rough and thorny woe 's Broad plain and smooth wherein the whole world goes Have care to chuse thy path and rightly judge For there 's no changing paths beyond the bridge But each of all the num'rous pilgrims throngs Lies in that Inn that to his path belongs And there remains for ever Heed thy walk It 's of concernment high whereof we talk Tread the straight path then death will be thy friend And guide thee to joy's Inn at journey's end For she presents the ghests in both the places And is chief Umpire in all doubtful cases For many seem to walk in way of zeal Whose specious shews do good opinion steal Ev'n of the best Yet tri'd by death's true test Lie down in sorrows Inn among the rest Others but few may seem to walk the ways That lead to wo whom death at last displays To be the joy-house ghests who there sit down And for their crosses here enjoy a crown Death is both ferry-man and boat whereby We launch the Ocean of eternity The Poets Charon who doth waft alone Souls to Elysium or to Acheron It is the intermitting point whereby We time divide from perpetuity Our time dies with us though time 's self remain Unto the time when we shall rise again In brief it 's but a blank at life's line 's end To bad men mortal foe to good a friend It 's amiable in a faithful eye But horrible to Belial's progeny Fond man cease death to fear make right thy heart Faith steeps in Balsamum death's surest dart Trans-forms its wounds to cures for thou shalt live Eternally by the wound death doth give The Epigram PAle Princess spare thy threats we know thy force Thou su'st the soul and bodies short divorce It lasts but one night's rest and that 's a toy For in the morning they shall meet with joy Thou wounded'st once our brother Lord and King And in that wound drone-like didst lose thy sting Now thou canst hurt no more save such mad elves As bring thee a new sting to kill themselves 'T were better for them death had kept his sting Then they be stung to death by stings they bring Though plain perire be a fate past jest Pennis perire propriis grave est Judgment HArk hark rebellious man the trumpet sounds Thy judgment-march the earth for fear rebounds Rocks rock the mountains tremble all the world Is ague-shook into hearts passion hurl'd Tellus keeps open house the grave 's unfraught Thetis re-renders up the dead she caught Both now their captives forth to judgment bring Before the throne of Heav'ns eternal King They can't detaine a dust of good nor bad But re-deliver must whate'er they had The ratling flames with horrid whirling roar Drink up the Sea and eat at once the shoar It 's quite in vain to mountains now to cry Or rocks to hide they all like atoms fly Hence in the beams of fire-light Oh! look look Sun Moon and Stars have Firmament forsook They fall like mellow fruit in blustring storms The spheres are shrivel'd up and loose their forms The Elements do melt the fixed Stars Fall down pel-mel as soldiers drop in wars The Heavens can no canopy afford No curtain thee to hide for in a word Both Heav'n and earth are nonplus'd at this blast And shall together in new molds be cast Thou' rt past advising now appear thou must Thy sentence to receive which will be just That 's all thy comfort and small comfort 't is To those who in this life have done amiss For all accounts shall here be fully cast And each man have full pay for labour past See yonder where the Judges books are come Whereby he judges and will pay all home According as appears by those records Whose counterparts thy own scar'd soul affords And still hath kept lockt up in conscience-chest But now must bring them forth among the rest Both she and thou and all know all is true In those records so there needs no review Sentence will soon be past the judge will say To you of his left-handed herd Away Depart from me ye cursed into fire That lasts for ever fitted for your Sire The Devil and his Angels Oh sad doom Yet ne'er to be revok'd for time to come Wer 't but to death or to annihilation The pains would end by senses deprivation But in these torments life and sense remain Yet neither life nor sense save those of pain Pains measureless and endless pour'd on thee Where wronged mercy will most cruel be Millions of ages past thy pains appear As far from end as when thou first wast there Their measure is as much as Devils can Devise of torment to inflict on Man Or an Almighty God can storm on those Who have declar'd themselves his mortal Foes There needs no more be spoke Ah wretched wight Think on this day before eternal night Prevent thy thinking on 't by being in 't Fence off the blow before thou feel the dint It 's true in God's as well's in Nature's school QUIS EXPECTAVIT is a cure-less fool If hearing man be told that death is nigh And scorns to heed it he must surely die Heed heed thy way of peace in this thy time Repent each former shun each future crime Redeem thy time to come none can what 's past Spend thy first hour as if it were thy last Think still thou dost the trumps loud summons hear ARISE you Dead to Judgement quick appear With penitential water
lave the blurs That in thy book appear Make no demurs In thy great suit for pardon get it out With restless speed in thy proceedings doubt Lest Errour be in thy Original Or any other Writ and make sure all As thou go'st on cast often thy account And see to what thy sums receiv'd amount And how expended what thou see'st amiss Amend in future by more carefulness For past debts take Repentances keen knife And raze them out then to avoid all strife Smooth it with Faith's rough pummice o'er and o'er Thy Creditor never will charge it more This play seems foul but is not though he know Thy crafty trick he loves to have it so And though such tricks may Merchants seem to stain It both augments his glory and thy gain Now shall the Earth-amazing Dooms-day be A day of joy and comfort unto thee Thy hearts chief solace in the saddest fits Whose thoughts might formerly have scar'd thy wits Look how the chased Hart desires the Brooks The blind Gods Herd their living Idols looks As Mariners nigh shipwrack'd wish for shore Or tyred School-boyes learning to give o'er As poor deserted Souls for faith do long The faithful for Plerophory so strong Will thy desires wishes and longings be To see that day once terrible to thee Thy soul once thus sublim'd will ever cry With yerning Bowels Come Lord Jesus Hye And with the Spirit and the Bride will say Come come Lord quickly while it is to day That Trump whose very thought the world doth fray Will be thy Cock-crow to eternal day The Epigram STout Man why quak'st to think on this days sound Thy fear doth from thy inward guilt redound Sweep clean thy conscience mundifie thy Heart Through-captivate thy will to his whose art Of love did thee redeem thence Judgements trump Will cheer thy soul whose thought now doth it dump At this Assizes fear not to appear The Judge will read thy Neck-Verse for thee here Plead guilty and condemn thy self before Confess and so be sav'd for evermore Lord what vast difference herein appear'th Betwixt thy Laws of Heaven and ours of earth Hell HOrrid'st of Creatures who wast solely made To please Eternal Justice thy black shade Abounds with Contradictions freezing fires With torrid chilness Infinite desires Void of the least attainments Howling theams Compos'd all of Exordiums fiery beams Flashing yet light-less This school's Alphabet Abjures Omega they who there are met To roar out Palinodes and Elegies Are still beginning Cain if there he lies Is no whit farther in his lesson come Then he that last went hence to that sad home Nay Lucifer grand-paedagogue of all Hath not learn'd A. B. C. since his first fall Though our and his great Master taught him better The Dullard is not yet past the first letter His lesson's now as far from learning out As 't was when first he troopt the Angel-rout Into Rebellion and the Lesson's dire 'T is wo and lamentations in a fire Tormenting not consuming burning still Still killing yet doth never fully kill Eternal labour with eternal loss Uncessant cares and yet uncessant cross A death-less death a life-less life remains Which multiplies the terrour of the pains Measureless endless hapless hopeless fate Whoe'er comes here findes it too soon too late Too soon to sense the pain but to prevent That sense too late since too late to repent Ah careless cureless heedless headless man Leap not into the fire out of the pan Whilst here Afflictions Cauldron thou dost shun Thou darest Hell and so art quite undone Temporal crosses may be better born Then those eternal do not counsel scorn That 's good and given gratis strike thy sails Stoop thy top-gallant Will it nought avails Poor Sculler these to mount in a Bravado When he 's in viron'd with a strong Armado If thou stand out thou' rt sunk and lost for ever Submit submit to change thy will endeavour Look ere thou leap thy foot is at pits brink Move but a hairs-breadth forward thou must sink And sink eternally see here the Chasm Against whose wounds there is no Cataplasm Who falls here wounded is beyond all cure And must beyond all time his pains endure This Dungeon hath nor joy nor rest nor ease Nor comforts nor a hope of ought like these But desperation of them and assurance Of perpetuity of pain 's endurance View view bewitched man this place of wo Jehovah's Magazine of Terrour Lo This Den from beatifick Vision is Excentrick quite exterminate from bliss Its Ghests all captive mourners who delight Each other to torment and to affright Mutual Assassinates and merciless Unsatiate in fiercest cruelness VVhose hideous howlings raving roaring cries Gnashing of teeth loud shreeks would rend the skies Shake all the earth to shivers melt proud man Into a floud of tears make beauty wan Strength feeble and his specious frame dissolve To nothing once to hear them Oh! revolve This frequently in heart lest Hells dark flame The thought whereof should wildest Mortals tame Prove the first light that gives thee sight of sin And sense of second death when once thou' rt in There 's no Redemption Poenitence too late VVill but increase thy torment not abate Here shalt thou see Nimrod's stern progeny Tyranniz'd o'er as they lov'd tyranny Gygantick Cyclops may tormented be By Pygmey feinds t' augment their misery The pompous Dives there shall not command One drop of water from a Lazar's hand Nor it obtain yet begging heartily To cool his parched tongue although it fry Abaddon and Apoll'on here do raign Great Lords of mis-rule o'er the damned train ' Mongst whom confusion is the perfect'st order And greatest mercy worse then horrid'st murder Where Lucifer and Beelzebub now ly Inflicting pains and pain'd eternally These lapsed Angels knowing their own fate Irrevocable are incens'd with hate Against both God and man but wanting power God to infest they seek man to devour Whom living they by flatt'ry strive to win But dead torment most justly for his sin Their first plot is Gods image to deface Once stampt on us now re-ingrav'd by grace Since our base forfeitute of that great favour In Paradise by breach of good behaviour Whilst sweet redemption crusht that curst design They now do re-inforce to undermine Us by our neerest friends the world and flesh Yea self on self fiercely assaults afresh And did not an Almighty pow'r defend us These our three friends to those our soes would send us Blessed Redeemer with thy banner shield us Oh let thy Spirit still assistance yeild us Against those subtile falshoods fly devices VVhereby Hell 's regent our poor souls intices Confound his plots and by thy grace relieve us And from this dismal dungeon Lord reprieve us The Epigram SEâ— man thy creature's creature this curst place Of endless torment thy sweet meats sow'r sawce Thy honey's gall house of thy sins foundation Tophet the cell of thy deserv'd damnation Critical Atheists have a question stirr'd VVhere it should
be thereto wise men demurr'd But I 'll resolve that doubt whoe'er thou be Atheist approach and feel draw neer and see And doubtless thou shalt have full satisfaction For thy nice question and each godless action Thou' rt right i' th' way no guide needs yet know this Death will most surely shew thee where it is Heaven ETernal Majesty who here dost raign My Muse assistance by thy Spirit daign In mercy pardon this my bold adventure The holiest of holies thus to enter Oh! circumcise my heart my foul lips touch VVith thy great Altar's cole ere I approach Thy honour's dwelling Sanctifie my verse Let this its Our ano-graphy rehearse Soul-charming strains that ravish may with love My self and others of the things above I kiss thy threshold Lord and so creep in VVhere 's no approach for ought defil'd with sin Not that i 'm pure but foul yet purged cleer Lo Lord my sacrifice and Priest are here At thy right hand of glory with thee one The glory both of thy right hand and throne The wonder of thy mercy love and grace VVho bears all Heavens joys summ'd in his face The Heav'n of Heav'n Men cannot wish more bliss Then to behold thy sacred face and his Though but a moment who such sight might have Would hug the silent hushtness of the grave Kiss death yea woo Hells self on the condition When time 's spent to the snuff to have fruition Of that transcendent joy Oh grace divine Incomprehensible save by the Tri'ne It forc'th my tongue-ty'd Muse rapt with delight To stutter forth a far-short Epithite Oh su-per-su-per-su-su-per-la-tive Stupendious Love Into whose depth to dive Would non-plus Heav'ns Angelick Hierarchy VVonder-strike all the Saints to Lethargy Yet as if these essentials of that joy VVere too too small for mankinde to enjoy Too slight a guerdon for a sinful worm VVhose sting death-stung the Lord of Life whose form First most divine is self-deform'd by guilt God for augmenting circumstantials built This New Jerusalem Joys splendid throne A City whose high walls are precious stone Her streets transparent gold her unshut gates Of Orient pearls all of unvalu'd rates VVhere needs nor Sun by day nor Moon by night For God's great glory gives eternal light The Lamb 's the Lamp thereof within it walk Earth's saved Tribes whose musick and whose talk Are Allelu-iahs whose white Robes out vie The purest snow in candor such no eye Of Mortal ever saw nor heart of man Can half conceive where Jesus leads the Van Of sacred Myriades host of Lord of hosts VVith millions of Angels for the posts And scouts of that Coelestial Army grac'd VVith many thousand-thousand Kings all plac'd In thrones of glory crown'd with endless peace And sceptred with triumphant Palms where cease All oppositions to eternity For all their Enemies subdued lie Chain'd up in deathless flames in sulph'ry smother Tormenting and tormented by each other Doom'd to so horrid and immense a curse As God himself can wish his Foes no worse But what need Joys Antipathetical Where Sympathetical drown heart and all In sweet satiety and pleasing fulness Blessedly void of nauseating dulness This feast's cates cloy not ne'er so freely ta'en The Ghests need fear no surfeiting or bane Yet it 's a lasting everlasting feast Like free for all the greatest or the least Here winged Cherubims bring in the Ghests From all Earth's quarters after Death's arrests That Vinegar prepares their appetites To feed on unexpressible delights For that 's Gods wonted way as all Saints know who 'll feast above must taste sowre sauce below Afflictions are Preparatives to bliss VVho rightly bear one rarely t'other miss I might say never Lord what fools are we VVhom sense misseads to doat on what we see Hear feel smell taste with Organs physical Sense-comforts have Soul-poyson in them all The Spider sucks them thence and heedless Bees Fixing on them their ' fore-got honey leese And labour too Avaunt avaunt dear souls Let Faith's bright eye aspire beyond the Poles And view those everlasting Mansions there Void of disturbance anguish care or fear Of all that discontents all that annoys And full refert with boundless endless joys Here the celestial choristers declare Their maker's glory chaunting hymns most rare Sweet odes and Epithalamies they 'll sing To celebrate the nuptials of their king Mount Sion's Lamb Lyon of Judah's tribe Whose bless'd inauguration they 'll describe In soul-amazing notes that ravish quite All ears with sweet excess of choice delight The Heav'n and Heav'n of Heavens ring with peals Of acclamations at the open'd seals The mystery of God fulfill'd they 'll see And joy therein to all eternitie Methinks I hear the most melodious songs The none-such ditties warbled by those throngs My towring soul transmounts the cast back skies Sensing in her degree those rhapsodies Hyper-noetick strains that quite transform My lowly muse into a lofty form Make nature lethe-drunk inflame my heart With restless longing there to bear a part Where who the least part bears shall bear a weight Of countless endless glory great yet light A crowning burthen burthenless who bear The Cross right here shall there the crown right wear An Amarantine Crown of glory lasting Further beyond then 't is to everlasting Lord why doth this dull lump of earth detain My mounting soul from their consort that raign With thee in glory I should groan to be Dissolv'd that I thy presence bright might see Whereof a glympse I spy but sinful flesh Still conjures up desires of life afresh Of life not worth desiring now I view The difference 'twixt it and this that 's true True life is only here our life below Is but a mock-mock-life meerly life in show But real death Lord that I here might stay And wait at my Redeemer's feet for aye But ah it cannot be I must descend And re-invested be in flesh to end My task by thee appointed me beneath Till summon'd by thy Pursevant grim death Or judgement's change I re-appear before Thy throne to be with thee for evermore Dear God in mercy dangers all prevent That may affayl my soul in this descent From sin-defilement keep her pure and free And then thy will be done O Lord on me Yet ah i 'm loath to part my soul much fear'th To fall from highest heav'n to lowest earth Guide me and her Lord while we there remain And then ere long we shall return again The Epigram OH what all-dazling lustre's here whose bright Corruscancy deprives all eyes of sight All tongues of words expressive and all hearts Of comprehensive thoughts all these weak parts Are stupifi'd hereat yet this great throne Was made for worthless man's fruition What miracles hath mercy more to do What! forgive sins give sinners heaven too There needs no more of mercy for man's lot Get hea-ven and get all that need be got Of getting other things learn the forgetting For when all 's got heav'n's all that 's worth the getting Valedictio
vanitatibus 1. FArewel fond Cupid with thy gamesome pleasure Childhood and youth inchanting Whose self-betraying leasure Thy pathes of vanity is always haunting And whose fanatick souls Like Dotterels those foolish fowls Are caught by imitation And train'd to death by doating on the fashion 2. Honour Our manhood's bubble and her bauble Charming us with vain-glory To seek what is not stable And dare damnation for fame transitory Chameleon-like to live By airy praise that others give And slight our souls salvation Farewel there 's danger in so high a station 3. Farewel old Ages folly cheating treasure False deâ—ity of worldly wife Who crave that past all measure Which needless is What most they need despise Who Ant-like without rest Labour to fill their borrow'd nest Then Cuckoo-like leave unto strangers Eggs nest and all to finde eternal dangers I must acknowledge the ensuing-valedictions to be unto more relations then I ever had at one and the same time in being But ayming to express according to my low power the nothingness in worth of our temporal to our eternal enjoyments at sight of the blessed society above I have briefly and abruptly bid farwel to all below Amen Sequuntur Quatuordecem Valedictionis Quatuordecimales 1. To the World and its Inhabitants FArewel my fellow-citizens of Earth Frail self-like Mortals made of flesh and blood Whose greatest fear 's death sickness war and dearth Though you I love I 'll leave your Neighbourhood For I am bent for new discoveries My faith another world hath in her eye Far situate beyond the azure skies Whose subjects all are Saints thither go I There shall this drossy flesh and blood refin'd Immortal grow and free from all your fears Where whilst my Saviour's presence cheers my mind My heart shall vent no sighs my eyes no tears But fill'd with joy from age to age I 'll sing Sweet Allelu-iahs to my God and King 2. To Europe and Europaeans FArewel my worldly fellow-quarterers Plac'd in the Earths Right eye by grace divine Who gives more knowledge to thy sojourners Then to all quarters else where Sol doth shine Ye are most civiliz'd of all the rest Of this worlds pilgrims though proud China boast Of her two eyes compar'd with thee at best She must confess at least one of them lost I must remove my quarters though so good For I have took up new beyond the poles Dear-purchas'd by my General 's heart-blood To those that quarter there you 're blind as moles There I shall know as I am known and be Perfect in Knowledge to Eternity 3. To Britain and Britain's FArewel dear Country-men Heav'ns Paramours For God hath choycest blessings heap'd on you Beyond all other lands That Isle of yours Earth's Cornucopiae may be lik'ned to Wherein are all things needful for man's life Plenty of most But oh the means of grace By Gospel-Ministers though now at strife So plentiful in no Land ever was But I must take my leave lest your dissention About the way to life should error breed In my frail heart I 'll therefore for prevention To everlasting unity with speed To Grace's Crown of glory I ascend What needs the means when l 've attain'd the end 4. To Shire-mates FArewel my Shire-mates whom this Isle's division Hath neighbouriz'd to me and me to you Whose rights have in one Counties Courts decision Peace to maintain and to give each his due Native vicinity commands my love Yet I must traverse all my actions hence I 'll get out an injunction from above To try at God's tribunal each offence There I a righteous Chancery shall finde Yet have my Judge my advocate to be And have no costs unto my foe assign'd The Playntiff Satan who impleadeth me On trespasses oft' done against the Judge Who will release me pray then who can grudge 5. To Parishioners FArewel Parochial Neighbours whom this Nation By custome in one Register inrols And hath held of one Church one Congregation And chosen one for Curate of our souls These civil ties and neighbour-hood endear You much to me But I must from you part Amongst you I of Schism and faction fear Another Congregation hath my heart Where one-ness indivisible appears Whose Curate is the Bishop of our souls Melchi-zedeck whose flock is free from fears Of Wolf or Fox of ravenous beasts and fouls Yet guarded by a Lamb whose song we 'll sing With Saints and Angels till the heavens ring 6. To Servants FArewel my Servants for my Covenant Requires me to depart mourn not for me For your attendance I no more shall want Your Master and mine own I go to see I must confess a truant I have been And in his service faith-less dull and dead Yet he hath sworn he 'll pay my wages in If I but with his only Son will wed Serve I him but the twinckling of an eye I shall have wages payd eternally His Debtor deep and desperate was I Who sent his Son to die to ransome me Oh love stronger then death my soul away Make speed lest thy dear Master for thee stay 7. To familiar acquaintance FArewel acquaintance I 'll acquaint you where Are better to be got then you and I I 'll challenge you to dare to meet me there And promise you rich fare and melody Ambrosia Nectar and the Poet's cates Are husks and gall to that celestial fare The Spheres harmonious musick jars and grates To their Diviner Quavers warbled there Where no associates we so base shall find As Earth's most potent King or Emperour True joy shall fill the body soul and mind With contentation lasting evermore What poor society doth earth afford Draw up my heart of steel dear loadstone Lord. 8. To intimate friends FArewel my mind 's embosom'd darlings dear ' Mongst whom one heart may many bodies serve And act unitely in them all It 's clear I highly prize your love Yet needs must swerve From hugging your enjoyment for I 'm call'd By the great friend of friends the god of love VVith his triumphant friends to be install'd In Love's great Principality above The King of Kings commands me I must hence To more and greater friends then Earth affords Detain me not Nor count this an offence If I cease to be yours to be the Lords I 'll be both his and yours if you 'll his be And you in him again shall meet with me 9. To Brothers Sisters and Kindred FArewel my flesh and blood my kindred here Our homogeneal parts at first were one 'Till rib-made Eve made two who still one were Millions of millions now in number grown Adieu t' ye all but most to those most near I have attain'd new consanguinity All of my elder Brothers blood d' ye hear Yet not of mine but of divine affinity A breed of quondam men now glorifi'd Who sing sweet Requiems eternally To their inthroned souls not to be ey'd By Mortals opticks where the starry Skie Their foot-stool is their seat the glorious flore Of his great Throne
that raigns for evermore 10. To Father FArewel my being's instrumental Cause Assign'd by him from whom all beings flow Who my new Father is and old one was Ere you were so methinks my heart doth grow With grief to part But yet part needs I must From all relations that Heav'ns Canopy Surrounds to find the merciful and just Who 's Father to us all whose Progeny Are all man-kind whose wonderful affection By his Son's blood redeem'd me who before Made love sole ground of my poor souls election For which I 'll sing his praise for evermore Father if you are loath I gone should be Come but to him you 'll surely come to me 11. To Mother FArewel dear mold where in my mortal clay First by th' eternal potter formed was In pain that baâ—'st me nine months night and day And after grievous travel gav'st me pass Into this vale of tears thy torments bind Me to a boundless love yet wonder not If I now leave thee for a new I find Who hath me born again since 't was thy lot A mother militant who hath prepar'd A third triumphant for me who doth dwell Where never to approach a foe yet dar'd Above the fear and spite of Earth and Hell Oh let me fly and haste thee after me For she to both of us will mother be 12. To Children FArewel sweet implings quick Epitomes Of me and my dear second I must leave Your lov'd society death 's Writ of Ease Doth me remove yet not of life bereave That 's length'ned by my change you I commit Unto a faithful guardian yea a father To me and you with whom I go to sit In everlasting glory who will gather You all to me again when his time comes Only be faithful to the death and he Will give you crowns of life when your bless'd homes Shall be th' imperial Heaven where with me With Angels Saints and Martyr's crowned throng You 'll sing for ever Sion's Lamb 's sweet song 13. To Wife FArewel my better half life of my life And sub-celestial comforts we must cleave One heart in two at parting dearest wife As we made one of two at meeting leave Spare those heart-melting cries those thriftless tears Thy frailties to bewail in those streams swim Home to thy harbour where my faith me bears There my Bridegroom and thine doth mansions trim For us with everlasting ornaments With whom we both shall newly marri'd be And raign eternally fill'd with contents Passing what heart can think ear hear eye see I do but go before and thee expect Among the number of the Lord's Elect. 14. To all Joyntly FArewel World Europe Britain native Shire And Parish too servants acquaintance friâ—…ds Kindred with Father Mother children dear And dearest Wise have all contented mindes Fot I am to so high preferment call'd That if you lov'd me you would urge me on To haste away that I may be install'd A death-less prince crown'd King by him whose throne Is over all whose Scepter sways at once Heav'n Earth and Hell with their inhabitants That Triple Crown that girts the pride-puft sconce Of Antichrist who there of falsly vaunts Is this Kings right alone stil'd in truth's words The only King of Kings and Lord of Lords The Charge BRitain thy glory 's sunk swoln are thy sins To an o'erwhelming torrent that begins Thee to o'erwhelm thy erst indulgent God Hath turn'd his hand against thee see his rod Begins to whip thy follies whose dread sword Did lately fight thy battels whose pure word Made the earth's Goshen thou begin'st to grope In an Egyptian darkness many hope To see th' unbottom'd pits black mists o'ercloud Thy splendent Sun yea thy own sons have vow'd To put out that great light to raise thereby Their ignis fatuus light of phantasie Father of lights frustrate their curs'd design The comfort shall be ours but glory thine Let not the pit's black torches smokie fumes Eclipse thy Sun-shine here though he presumes To see it so who is the man of sin Who among us those false fires usher'd in To light us on to darkness Lord return Those fires into his bosom let them burn Mysterious Babylon their heat calcine The scarlet whore and beast to ashes fine Their light discover Antichrist to all That they and their false fires together fall Quench'd in eternal flames and then on high And here beneath thy Church shall glorifie Thy aweful name But ah Lord we betray Our selves to them by sin wildely display Our nakedness and what defects we have Thy hand 's not shortned that it cannot save Nor thine ear heavie that it will not hear But our iniquities O God most dear Have separated us from thee our sins Have stockt our feet in their intangling gins Our gross abominations in thy sight Have thee provok'd to take from us the light That we so long unworthily enjoy'd Thanklesly too which made the favour void Our disesteeming of thy sacred light Perverting it to doctrines of the night To schisms and errours heresies and factions Have justly brought on us these sad distractions And since so many of us dare to scoft it Thou justly may'st henceforth deprive us of it Thou may'st remove our candlestick to those who 'll bring forth better fruit then our vain shows Our painted leaves and blossoms which discrie Our faith but fain'd our zeal hypocrisie Provoke thy patience to fierce wrath's effusion And woo thy vengeance to our own confusion But Lord forbid forbid dear God the sins Of us poor nothings who have nothing in 's But sin and folly ever should out-vie Thy boundless mercy force thee to defie Fond weakling worms yet thy own creatures Lord Create ' Redeem'd preserved by thy word And those whom thou hast lov'd Oh rather turn Us from our sins to thee for them to mourn Then thee from us to view them and in wrath For them to punish Lord thy mercy hath Ways to prevent thy justice and can give Light unto all that all may see to live Hoping to live to see the gen'ral call Of nations to the light by all in all Who shall have all the glory that redounds Eccho'd from Heav'ns and earth's remotest bounds And when all other Kingdoms are o'erthrown Pow'r and dominion shall be all his own Which hasten Lord that we may see with joy To thine Elect and to their foes annoy And oh prepare us for that glorious day Turn us from each perverse and crooked way Wherein we wander fit this Island 's ghests For thy bright coming and for the arrests Of death and judgment that whate'er befal The glory may be thine joy ours in all But Lord our sins have at such height o'erbore us That they transcend all Nations past before us It well may make at sight of our base pride Lucifer blush to see himself out-vi'd And we have those by us'ry and oppression Who would wrest Mammon's self out of possession Fraud and deceit to such a height are grown That most men
that hate verse 18 All comfortless Zion spreads forth her hands Concerning Jacob God his foes commands To hem him round and poor Jerusalem Is as a menstrous woman made by them verse 19 The Lord is righteous for against his Laws I have rebelled Oh! I pray you pawse All people hear and see my sorrow bred By my young men and Virgins captive led verse 20 I call'd my lovers but they me deceiv'd My Priests and Elders were of life bereav'd In City while they sought meat for relief verse 21 Behold O Lord me in distress and grief My bowels vexed and my heart is quelled Since against thee I grievously rebelled The sword abroad bereaves and death at home verse 22 My foes have heard i 'm comfortless become And that I sigh in trouble They rejoyce That thou hast done it Lord thy sacred voyce Hath call'd a day which thou wilt bring to be And they shall then be all like unto me verse 23 Look on their wickedness and them reward As thou hast me for my transgressions Lord For many are my sighs and numerous My heart is faint for thy afflicting us CHAP. II. verse 1 HOw hath the Lord in anger covered Poor Zions Daughter with a cloud o'eâ— spreaâ— And cast from Heaven his imperial City Down to this dunghil earth the splendid beauty Of Israel and calls not now to minde His foot-stool in his day of wrath assign'd verse 2 The Lord hath swallow'd up all Jacob's Tents And pitiless in Judah's holds made rents And brought them to the ground he hath defil'd The Kingdom and the Princes all exil'd verse 3 In his fierce wrath he'th cut off Isr'els horn His right hand from foes presence back is born ' Gainst Jacob like a flaming fire he burneth Which round about devoureth and o'erturneth verse 4 His bowe he foe like bent with his right hand He stood as adversary with death fan'd All those that pleasant were unto the eye In Zions daughters Tabernacle high He pour'd his fury forth like flaming fire verse 5 The Lord was foe and swallow'd in his ire All Israel her palaces and all Strong holds and mourning hath increas'd withall verse 6 With Judah's daughters wo with violence His Tabernacle he remov'd from thence Even as a garden and destroyed rests The place of his assembly solemn feasts And Sabbaths he hath caus'd to be forgot In Zion King and Priest he heeded not verse 7 In his wrath's indignation God hath cast His Altars off abhorr'd his Temple wast Her Palace-walls he gave up to her foes By them a noise in the Lord's house arose verse 8 As in a solemn feast God purpos'd hath Destroying Zion's daughter's wall in wrath He hath stretch'd out a line neither withdraw'd His hand from ruining he therefore made The rampart and the wall both to lament They languish'd joyntly both in discontent verse 9 Her gates are all interr'd her bars are broke Her King and Princes under Gentiles yoke The law is fled Prophets no vision see verse 10 And Zion's daughters elders silenc'd be Sitting on ground dust-headed sack-cloth-girt Jebus her Virgins hang down heads in dirt verse 11 Mine eyes do fail with tears my bowels vex'd My liver poured out on earth perplex'd For the destruction which my people meets Children and sucklings swoon in City-streets verse 12 They ask of Mothers corn and wine and swoonded As those that in the City-streets are wounded VVhilst in their mothers bosoms thus they cry'd They poured out their souls expir'd and dy'd verse 13 VVhat thing shall I to witness take for thee To what by me may'st thou compared be verse 14 O daughter of Jerusalem what shall I equal to thee that I may let fall Some drop of comfort thy sad soul to chear O Virgin Sions daughter it is clear Thy breach is Ocean-like in magnitude verse 15 Who can thee heal thy Prophets have seen rude Vain foolish things for thee would not display Thy sins thy captive state to turn away But have for thee seen burthens false and causes verse 16 Of banishment By-passers all make pauses Clap hands and hiss and wag their heads at thee Daughter of Jebus crying Is this she Beautie 's perfection term'd joy of the earth verse 17 Thy foes all gape against thee and in mirth Hiss gnash their teeth now certainly they say VVe have her swallow'd up this is the day VVe looked for which we have found and see verse 18 God hath what he devised done and he Fulfilled hath his word of old commanded He hath thrown down not piti'd and hath banded Thine enemies against thee to rejoyce Set up thine adversaries horn and voice verse 19 Their heart unto thee Lord aloud did cry O wall of Sions daughter from thine eye Let tears run down like rivers night and day And give thy self no rest thine eyes no stay verse 20 Arise make nightly cries when watch begins Pour out thy heart like water for thy sins Before God's face and lift thy hands on high To Him for thy young babes that fainting lie verse 21 On top of every street O Lord behold Consider to whom thou hast done what 's told Shall women eat their fruit a span-long child Prophet and Priest be in the Temple kill'd verse 22 The young and old lie groveling in the streets The sword my virgins and my young men meets Thou in thy day of wrath hast slain them all Thou hast them kill'd and let no pity fall verse 23 Thou summon'd hast as in a solemne day My terrours round about that none away In thy wrath's day escaped or remain'd The children that I swaddeled and train'd Brought up and cherish'd and to keep presum'd My mortal enemy hath all consum'd CHAP. III. verse 1 I Am the man that hath affliction seen verse 2 By his wrath's rod. By him led have I been Into obscurest darkness grief to tell But not into the light save that like Hell verse 3 Surely against me is he turned right His hand is turn'd against me day and night verse 4 He hath made old my flesh and skin and spilt verse 5 My broken bones He hath against me built With gall and travel he hath compass'd me verse 6 Like dead of old in the dark places he Me fet He hath me hedged round about verse 7 Made my chain heavy that I can't get out verse 8 My pray'r he shuts out when I shout and cry verse 9 He curv'd my paths and wall'd my ways up high verse 10 VVith squared stone He was a bear to me Lying in wait and lyon-like was he verse 11 In secret place My wayes he turn'd aside And into pieces he did me divide verse 12 And made me desolate He bent his bowe Made me his shafts-mark so to shoot me through verse 13 He caus'd his quiver's arrows in my reins verse 14 To enter deep And in their merry veins Distressed I the people's laughter was verse 15 And song all day He me hath fill'd alas VVith bitterness with
warming-pan all this is Hope Fear 's Antidote the Proto-pharmacon Of grim despair or else sure there is none Doubt's prime discusser who doth her arraign At mercie 's bar where she by faith is slain Hope's Jacob's ladder which doth pierce the Sky Whereby enfeebled faith may mount on high Strength to renew and act more lively on In order to the souls salvation She is the constant'st grace that can be nam'd To stead us here and never makes asham'd Charity SWeet cement of the Bridegroom 's sweetest Bride Whereby her distant parts are unifi'd Strong Ligament of love that linkest fast Her dislocated joynt's thy very tast Is full of Heav'n and thy corruscant face Transcends the Cherubims and ev'ry grace However good and great is without thee Like a dead corpse whose limbs unfouled be Miracle-working faith is void and vain Unless the soul thee likewise entertain And God-compelling prayer 's an empty blast Where thou art absent and shall off be cast When thou unit'st no distance earth affords That can divide their hearts that are the Lords Thou joyn'st the members militant of Christ All in one bodie and so joyned ty'st Them in firm union with the rest above Who are triumphant so that all by love Joy the same joy think the same thoughts and pray The self same pray'rs in heart both we and they In Spirit now are one and so shall we One bodie mystical hereafter be Though now this flesh polluted taint our pray'rs Our thoughts and joys whence ours come short of theirs In actual perfection soul-desire Wing's our Intentionalls as high to spire As theirs inthron'd though we imprison'd lye And unreleasable until we die But then eternal love shall work alone When Hopes fruition and faith's vision Shall them determine in immortal glory And they be needless as these transitory Unsatisfying sublunary joys We dote on here the quintessence of â—oys Divinest love was privie counseller When God elected us and she past o'er His six days labour with delight when he Created us and what for us shâ—ld be All these loves wonders pass our admiration But oh when we relapst our renovation By a redeeming Jesus makes us see Much more then love if more then love can be Yet sure 't was love alone procur'd that bliss But such a love as neer was love like this Love is the glew that hold's so long together Heav'ns goodly frame and all that is beneath her For did not she prevent it our least sin Would ruine us the world and all therein And tumble all the creatures down pell-mell Into the lowest worst of creatures Hell Ah sacred Charity what tongue can raise A Trophy fitting thy deserved praise The Cherubims and Seraphims that be Most glorious creatures stand amaz'd at thee Thy lustre dazles them their pure eyes fail To view thy purer face without a vail And none but three in one and one in three Hath pow'r with fixed eyes to look on thee I 'm sure thou blindst my muse for she is flown A flight beyond what common sense will own And now she 's at her pitch must re-decline To Christians Charity from love divine Charity suffers long and kind she is She envies not nor vaunts her self amiss She is not puffed up nor doth behave Her self unseemly nor her own doth crave She is not soon provoked thinks no ill Nor in iniquity rejoyce she will But in the truth she beareth all things too All things believes and her hopes all things woo And she all things endures she 'l never fail When prophecies and tongues shall nought avail And knowledge quite shall vanish for all these Are but in part and consequently cease When our prefection comes but Charity Remaines entire to all eternity This sacred writ records of her perfection A testimony that should win affection As will as credit Sure were man not blind With pride and envy and too much inclin'd To base self-love sheep of our shepherd's fold Would never let their Charity grow cold As many do in this sad age who by A false-fir'd Zeal extinguish Charity Had we hearts to let Charity work in us She from our schismes and factions so would win us Which now nigh prove what we have earst heard told Quot homines sententiae toâ— of old As to unanimate both Church and State Which both are grown inanimate through hate And interchanged jealousies that neither Can well endure what 's good for both or either And God would soon foundations settle here Of that bless'd government which shall appear Ere long in all opposers spite and last When all Dominions else shall down be cast And shall in perfect peace all scepters sway In earth's vast round and all shall it obey When Jews shall called be as Scriptures told And with the Gentiles fulness make one fold And have one faithful shepherd o're them all Melchisedeck whom we Christ Jesus call Lord re-unite our hearts in love that thou May'st perfect that great work and all may bow Before thy throne when thou in peace shalt raign Through Heav'n and earth through the sea main Epigram on Charity SHall I by rules of convertibles pry Into a secret and not soar too high If God be love love God then Charity Is elder sister to eternity Or rather morher as is plain to see If one Creator t'other creature be These theo-critical conceits may enter Into thy thoughts my muse but do not venture To scan them far lest thou shouldst lose thereby The god of love the love of god and dy Weak-winged â—ouls whâ—… stormy winds do roar Flutter below dare not a loft to soar Forbear poor flea to wade within the brim Of that abyss where Elephants must swim PATIENCE 1. VIctorious Queen that foyl'st all Potentates That dare assail thee By thee prevail we When Faith and Hope are non-plus'd by cross fates Thou can'st them both recover And keep us that we give not over Nor yeeld the day before the field be won Wer 't not for thee poor Christians were undone 2. In persecution thou the Cordial art That our hearts easest And us releasest From passions that would else breed endless smart Thou mak'st our burthen lighter Though thou disclaim'st to be a fighter No Christian Champion ever won the field Where thy tri'd valour forc'd not foes to yeeld 3. Our God-man general by thee o'ercame Earth and Hell's crosses And salv'd our losses Whose Patience unparallel'd became She was the primest feather In his triumphant plume And either She in our Helmets must be worn or foes Will win the day and we the prize shall lose 4. She from the manger to the garden chear'd Our dearest Saviour VVhose meek behaviour Astonish'd men and his Condemner fear'd Gethsemane nigh tiring VVith blood-sweat passion fear inspiring VVhen God and Man were both nigh at a loss She chears to Golgotha and climbs the Cross Epigram on Patience AS Palm-tree press'd or Plantine trod best grows So Patience by suff'rings foes o'erthrows To LIFE