th' Almighties power Pleads still his owne Integrity Gods Wisedome no man can discouer Sect. 14. SAid Bildad then With whom dost thou contest But with thy Maker that liues euer blest His Powr's infinite mans light is dimme And knowledge darknesse not deriu'd from Him Say then Who can be iust before Him No man Can challenge Purity that 's borne of Woman The greater Torch of heauen in his sight Shall be asham'd and lose his purer light Much lesse can man that is but liuing Dust And but a fairer Worme be pure and iust Whereat Iob thus Doth heauens high Iudgement stand To be supported by the weaker hand Wants Hee thy helpe To whom dost thou extend These these thy lauish lips and to what end No Hee 's Almighty and his Power doth giue Each thing his Being and by Him they liue To him is nothing darke his soueraigne Hands Whirle round the restlesse Orbs his Pow'r cōmands Th' euen poys'd Earth The Water-pots of heauen He empties at his pleasure and hath giuen Appoynted lists to keepe the Waters vnder The trembling Skies he strikes amaz'd with thunder These these the Trophies of his Power be Where is there e're a such a God as He My friends These eares haue heard your censures on me And Heauens sharp hand doth waigh so hard vpō me So languishing in griefe that no defence Seemes to remaine to shield my Innocence Yet while my soule a gaspe of breath affords I 'le not distrust my Maker nor your words Deserue which Heauen forfend that euer I Proue true but I 'le plead guiltlesse till I dye While I haue breath my pangs shal ne'r perswade me To wander and reuolt from Him that made me Er'e such thoughts spring from this confused brest Let death and tortures doe their worst their best What gaines the Hypocrite although the whole Worlds wealth he purchase with the price on 's soule Will Heauen heare the voyce of his disease Can he repent and turne where-e're he please True God doth sometime plague with open shame The wicked often blurres he forth his Name From out the earth his children shall be slaine And who suruiue shall beg their bread in vaine What if his Gold be heap'd the Good man shall Possesse it as true Master of it All Like Moths their houses shall they build in doubt And danger euery houre to be cast out Besieg'd with Want their lips make fruitlesse moane Yet wanting succour be relieu'd by none The worme of Conscience shall torment his brest And he shall rore when others be at rest Gods hand shall scourge him that he cannot flye And men shall laugh and hisse to heare him cry The purest metall 's hid within the Mould Without is grauell but within is Gold Man digs and in his toyle he takes a pleasure He seekes and finds within the turfe the Treasure He neuer rests vnsped but vnderneath He mines and progs though in the fangs of death No secret how obscure soeuer can Earths bosome smother that 's vnfound by man But the Diuine and high Decrees of heauen What mind can search into No power 's giuen To mortall man whereby he may attaine The rare discouery of so high a straine Diue to the depth of darknesse and the deepes Renounce this Wisedome The wide Ocean keepes Her not inclos'd 'T is not the purest Gold Can purchase it or heapes of siluer told The Pearles and peerelesse Treasures of the East Resined Gold and Gemmes are all the least Of nothings if compar'd with It as which Earths masse of treasure summ'd is not so Rich Where rests this Wisedome then If men enquire Below they find her not or if they higher Soare with the Prince of Fowles they still despaire The more they seeke the further off they are Ah friends how more then men how Eagle-eyde Are you to see what to the world beside Was darke To you alone in trust was giuen To search into the high Decrees of Heauen You read his Oracles you vnderstand To riddle forth mans Fortunes by his Hand Your wisedomes haue a priuiledge to know His secret Smiling from his angry Brow Let shame preuent your lips recant and giue To the Almighty his Prerogatiue To him the searching of mens hearts belong Mans iudgement sinkes no deeper then the tongue Hee ouerlookes the World and in one space Of time his Eye is fixt on euery place He waigh'd the Waters ballanc'd out the Ayre What-e're hath Being did his Hands prepare He wills that Mortals be not ouer-wise Nor iudge his Secrets with censorious eyes Meditatio quartadecima T Is Vertue to flye Vice Ther 's none more stout Then he that ventures to pick Vertue out Betwixt a brace of vices Dangers stand Threatning his ruine vpon either hand His Card must guide him lest his Pinnace runne Vpon Charibdis while it Scylla shun In moderation all Vertue lyes 'T is greater folly to be ouer-wise Then rudely ignorant The golden meane Is but to know enough safer to leane To Ignorance then Curiositie For lightning blasts the Mountaines that are high The first of men from hence deseru'd his fall He sought for secrets and sought death withall Secrets are vnfit obiects for our eyes They blind vs in beholding he that tryes To handle water the more hard he straines And gripes his hand the lesse his hand retaines The mind that 's troubled with that pleasing itch Of knowing Secrets hauing flowne a pitch Beyond it selfe the higher it ascends And striues to know the lesse it apprehends That secret Wiseman is an open Foole Which takes a Councel-chamber for a Schoole The eye of man desires no farther light Then to descry the obiect of his sight And rests contented with the Sunnes reflection But lab'ring to behold his bright complection If it presume t' outface his glorious Light The beames bereaue him iustly of his sight Euen so the mind should rest in what 's reueal'd But ouer-curious if in things conceald She wade too farre beyond her depth vnbounded Her knowledge will be lost and she confounded Farre safer 'tis of things vnsure to doubt Then vndertake to riddle secrets out It was demanded once What God did doe Before the World he framed Whereunto Answere was made He built a Hell for such As are too curious would know too much Who flies with Icarus his father shall Haue Icarus his fortunes and his fall A noble Prince whose bounteous hand was bent To recompence his seruants faith and vent The earnest of his fauours did not proffer But wil'd him boldly to preuent his offer Thankfull he thus reply'd Then grant vnto me This boone With-hold thy princely secrets from me That holy Man in whose familiar eare Heauen oft had thundred might not come too neare The Temple must haue Curtaines mortall hearts Must rest content to see his Hinder parts I care not Lord how farre thy Face be off If I but kisse thy Hand I haue enough
been plotting how to prompt the death Of Christian Princes and the bribed breath Of cheapned Iustice hath my Fire inflam'd With spirit of boldnesse for a while vnsham'd â—â—come from planting strife and sterne debate Twixt priuate man and man 'twixt State and State â—ubuerting Truth with all the power I can Accusing Man to God and God to Man I daily sow fresh Schismes among thy Saints I buffet them and laugh at their complaints The Earth is my Dominion Hell 's my Home I round the World and so from thence I come Said then th' Eternall True thou hast not faild Of what thou say'st Thy Spirit hath preuail'd To vex my little Flocke Thou hast been bold To make them stray a little from their Fold But say In all thy hard Aduentures hath Thine eye obserued Iob my Seruants Faith Hath open Force or secret Fraud beset His Bulwarks so impregnable as yet And hast thou without enuy yet beheld How that the World his second cannot yeeld Hast thou not found that hee 's of vpright Will Iust fearing God eschewing what is Ill True Lord replide the Fiend thy Champion hath A strong and feruent yet a crafty Faith A forced loue needs no such great applause He loues but ill that loues not for a cause Hast thou not heap'd his Garners with excesse Inricht his Pastures Doth not he possesse All that he hath or can demand from Thee His Coffers fil'd his Land stockt plentiously Hath not thy Loue surrounded him about And hedg'd him in to fence my practice out But small 's the tryall of a Faith in this If thou support him 't is thy strength not his Can then my power that stands by thy permission Encounter where Thou mak'st an Opposition Stretch forth thy Hand and smite but what he hath And prooue thou then the temper of his Faith Cease cock'ring his fond humour veyle thy Grace No doubt but hee 'l blaspheme thee to thy Face Lo said th' Eternall to thy cursed hand I here commit his mightie Stocke his Land His hopefull Issue and Wealth though ne'r so much Himselfe alone thou shalt forbeare to touch Meditatio secunda SAtan beg'd once and found his Pray'rs reward We often beg yet oft returne vnheard If granting be th' effect of Loue then we Conclude our selues to be lesse lou'd then he True Satan beg'd and beg'd his shame no lesse 'T was granted Shall we enuie his successe We beg and our request 's perchance not granted God knew perhaps it were worse had then wanted Can God and Belial both ioyne in one Will The One to aske the Other to fulfill Sooner shall Stygian Darknesse blend with Light The Frost with Fier sooner Day with Night True God and Satan wild the selfe same Will But God intended Good and Satan Ill That Will produc'd a seuerall conclusion He aym'd at Mans and God at his confusion He that drew Light from out the depth of Shade And made of Nothing whatsoere He made Can out of seeming Euill bring good Euents God worketh Good though by euill Instruments As in a Clocke one motion doth conuay And carry diuers wheeles a seuer all way Yet all together by the great wheeles force Direct the Hand vnto his proper course Euen so that sacred VVill although it vse Meanes seeming contrarie yet all conduce To one effect and in a free consent They bring to passe heauens high decreed Intent Takes God delight in humane weakenesse then What Glory reapes he from Afflicted men The Spirit gone can Flesh and Blood endure God burnes his Gold to make his Gold more pure Euen as a Nurse whose childs imperfect pace Can hardly leade his foot from place to place Leaues her fond kissing sets him downe to goe Nor does vphold him for a step or two But when she sindes that he begins to fall She holds him vp and kisses him withall So God from man sometimes withdrawes his Hand A while to teach his Infant-faith to stand But when he sees his feeble strength begin To faile He gently takes him vp againe Lord I 'm a child so guide my paces than That I may learne to walke an vpright man So shield my Faith that I may neuer doubt thee For I shall fall if ere I walke without thee THE ARGVMENT The frighted Messengers tell Iob His foure-fold losse He rends his Robe Submits him to his Makers trust Whom he concludeth to be lust Sect. 3. VPon that very day when all the rest Were frollike at their elder Brothers feast A breathless maÌ„ prickt on with winged feare With staring eyes distracted here and there Like kindled Exhalations in the aire At midnight glowing his stiffe-bolting haire Not much vnlike the pennes of Porcupines Crossing his armes and making wofull signes Purboyld in sweat shaking his fearefull head That often lookt behind him as hee fled He ran to Iob still ne'rethelesse afraid His broken blast breath'd forth these words and said Alas deare Lord the whiles thy seruants plide Thy painfull Plough and whilest on euery side Thy Asses fed about vs as we wrought There sallied forth on vs suspecting nought Nor ought intending but our chearfull paine A rout of rude Sabaeans with their Traine Armed with Death and deafe to all our Cries Which with strong Hand did in an houre surprize All that thou hadst and whilest we stroue in vaine To gard them their impartiall hands haue slaine Thy faithfull seruants with their thirsty Sword I onely scap't to bring this wofull word No sooner had he clos'd his lips but see Another comes as much agast as he A flash of Fire said he new falne from Heauen Hath all thy Seruants of their liues bereauen And burnt thy Sheepe I I alone am He That 's left vnslaine to bring the Newes to thee This Tale not fully told a third ensues Whose lips in labour with more heauie Newes Brake thus The forces of a triple Band Brought from the fierce Caldaeans with strong hand Hath seyz'd thy Camels murther'd with the Sword Thy seruants all but Mee that brings thee word Before the ayre had cool'd his hasty Breath Rusht in a fourth with visage pale as death The while said he thy children all were sharing Mirth at a Feast of thy first sonnes preparing Arose a Wind whose errand had more hast Then happy speed which with a full-mouth Blast Hath smote the house which hath thy children reft Of all their liues and thou art childlesse left Thy children all are slaine all slaine together I onely scap't to bring the Tidings hither So said Behold the man whose wealth did flow Like to a spring-tide one bare houre agoe With the vnpattern'd height of Fortunes blest Aboue the greatest Dweller in the East He that was Syre of many Sonnes but now Lord of much People and while-ere could show Such Heards of Cattell He whose fleecy stocke Of Sheepe could boast seuen thousand in a flocke See
for sleepe are fill'd with griefe I looke in vaine for the next dayes reliefe With Dust and Wormes my flesh is hid my sorrow 's Haue plough'd my skin and filth lyes in her furrowes My dayes of ioy are in a moment gone And hopelesse of returning spent and done Remember Lord my life is but a puffe I but a man that 's Misery enough And when pale Death hath once seald vp my sight I ne're shall see the pleasures of the light The eye of man shall not discouer me No nor thine Lord for I shall cease to be When mortals dye they passe like clouds before The Sunne and back returne they neuer more T' his earthly house he ne're shall come agin And then shall be as if he ne're had bin Therfore my tongue shall speak while it hath breath Prompted with griefe and with the pangs of death Am I not weake and saint What need'st thou stretch Thy direfull hand vpon so poore a Wretch When as I thinke that night shall stop the streames Of my distresse thou fright'st me then with dreames So that my soule doth rather chuse to dye Then be inuolued in such miserie My life 's a burthen and will end O grieue No longer him that would no longer liue Ah! what is Man that thou should'st raise him so High at first then sinke him downe so low What 's Mā Thy glory 's great enough without him Why dost thou thus disturbe thy mind about him Lord I haue sin'd Great Helper of mankind I am but Dust and Ashes I haue sin'd Against thee as a marke why hast thou fixt me How haue I trespas't that thou thus afflict'st me Why rather didst thou not remoue my sin And salue the sorrowes that I raued in For thou hast heapt such vengeance on my head That when thou seek'st me thou wilt find me dead Meditatio octaua TH' Egyptians amidst their solemne Feasts Vsed to welcome and present their Ghests With the sad sight of Mans Anatomie Seru'd in with this loud Motto All must dye Fooles often goe about when as they may Take better vantage of a neerer way Looke well into your bosomes doe not slatter Your knowne infirmities Behold what matter Your flesh was made of Man cast back thine eye Vpon the weaknesse of thine Infancie See how thy lips hang on thy mothers Brest Bawling for helpe more helplesse then a Beast Liu'st thou to Childhood Then behold what toyes Doe mocke the sense how shallow are thy ioyes Com'st thou to Downy yeeres see how deceits Gull thee with golden fruit and with false baits Slily beguile the prime of thine affection Art thou attaind at length to full perfection Of ripened yeeres Ambition now hath sent Thee on her frothy errand Discontent Payes thee thy Wages Doe thy grizly haires Begin to cast account of many cares Vpon thy head The sacred lust of gold Now fires thy spirit for fleshly lust too cold Makes thee a slaue to thine owne base desire Which melts and hardens at the selfe same Fire Art thou Decrepit Then thy very breath Is grieuous to thee and each griefe 's a Death Looke where thou list thy life is but a span Thou art but Dust and to conclude A Man Thy life 's a Warfare Thou a Souldier art Satan's thy Foe-man and a faithfull Heart Thy two edg'd Weapon Patience thy Shield Heauen is thy Chiefetaine and the world thy Field To be afraid to dye or wish for death Are words and passions of despairing breath Who doth the first the Day doth faintly yeeld And who the second basely flies the Field Man 's not a lawfull Steares-man of his dayes His bootlesse wish nor hastens nor delayes We are Gods hired Workmen He discharges Some late at Night and when he list inlarges Others at Noone and in the Morning some None may relieue himselfe till He bid Come If we receiue for one halfe day as much As they that toyle till Euening shall we grutch Our life 's a Road in death our Iourney ends We goe on Gods Embassage some he sends Call'd with the trotting of hard Misery And others pacing on Prosperity Some lagge whilest others gallop on before All goe an end some faster and some slower Lead me that pace great God that thou think'st best And I will follow with a dauntlesse brest VVhich ne'rthelesse if I refuse to doe I shall be wicked and yet follow too Assist me in my Combate with the flesh Relieue my fainting powers and refresh My feeble spirit I will not wish to be Cast from the world Lord cast the world from me THE ARGVMENT Bildad man 's either state expresses Gods Mercy ' and Iustice Iob confesses He pleads his cause and begs reliefe Foyl'd with the burthen of his griefe Sect. 9. SO Bildads silence great with tongue did breake And like a heartlesse Comforter did speake How long wilt thou persist to breath thy mind In words that vanish as a storme of wind Will God forsake the Innocent or will His Iustice smite thee vndeseruing ill Though righteous death thy sinfull sons hath rent From thy sad bosome yet if thou repent And wash thy waies with vndissembled teares Tuning thy Troubles to th' Almighties eares The mercy of his eyes shall shine vpon thee And showre the sweetnesse of his Blessings on thee And though a while thou plunge in misery At length hee 'l crowne thee with prosperity Run back and learne of sage Antiquity What our late births to present times deny See how and what in the worlds downy age Befell our fathers in their Pilgrimage If Rushes haue no myre and Grasse no raine They cease to flourish droope their heads wayne So fades the man whose heart is not vpright So perisheth the double Hypocrite His hopes are like the Spiders web to day That 's flourishing to morrow swept away But he that 's iust is like a flowring tree Rooted by Christall springs that cannot be Scorcht by the noone of day nor stir'd from thence Where firmely fixt it hath a residence Heauen neuer failes the soule that is vpright Nor offers arme to the base Hypocrite The one he blesses with eternall ioyes The other his auenging hand destroyes I yeeld it for a truth sad Iob reply'd Compar'd with God can man be iustifi'd If man should giue account what he hath done Not of a thousand could he answere one His hand 's all-Power and his heart all pure Against this God what flesh can stand secure He shakes the Mountaines and the Sun he barres From circling his due course shuts vp the Starres He spreads the Heauens and rideth on the Flood His Workes may be admir'd not vnderstood No eye can see no heart can apprehend him Lists he to spoyle What 's he can reprehend him His Will 's his Law The smoothest pleader hath No power in his lips to slake his Wrath Much lesse can I pleade faire Immunitie Which could my guiltlesse Tongue attaine yet I Would kisse the Footstep of