sweet Advantage of the Shorter Cut No cloudy Doubts do intercept its sight 'T is now embodied in a Vest of Light. Passion and prejudice are Things unknown And Ignorance that Brand of Sin is gon Organs and Opticks now would match it ill Saul's Armour did but cumber David's Skill These do but cheat and give a faithless Light Just like an Ignis Fatuus in the Night Which treacherously leads the Pilgrim on Pretending Kindness when it means him none It needs no painful searches to descry Where Truths tho' hid in Intricacy's lye For all in naked view and prospect sit Unfolding ev'n they Secrecies to it It spies a series of Things without A gradual Discourse to find them out It sees how amicably Truths cohere How diff'rent Notions clash and interfere A Glance now brings more secrets on the Stage Than the less-fruitful Studies of an Age Nor can Saints doubt or erre for what they know Is sure in Object and in Subject too Their Souls too thirsty to accept a stream Have here the Spring of Truth unlock't to them And ah how joyfully they bathe herein They drink till drinking makes them dry agen And sure this easie way of knowing can't But aggravate the pleasures of a Saint To know himself to be directed right By the sure Guide of undeceived Light To have all Cheats and Sophistry remov'd And see each Truth by its Exemplar prov'd This cannot chuse but please him and the more Because unhappy in his Doubts before Alas imperfect Knowledge here on Earth Tho' 〈◊〉 to gain and painful in the Birth Tho' mixt with Doubts and never sifted clean But some perplexities still intervene Is thought the best Endowment Nature can Give to compleat and gratifie a man. 'T is true the search is long and far about Yet when a latent Truth is started out How comfortable is it then how good To make a few Reviews and chew the Cud This Men call Pleasure and pursue as such But that of Saints surpasses it by much VVhat the Soul knows on Earth is hardly gain'd VVhat here like Jacobs Venison comes to hand Here 't has the Garb of Light wherewith 't is clad As cheap and easie as the Lillies had It never brings a Matter to debate But knows it e're it can deliberate Alas their Knowledge is as quick and free As the Conception of a Thought can be It takes the compass which their Fancies run Whate're they VVill or wish to know is known The Soul thus purg'd from Ignorance and Sin Is all Illumination within 'T is pleas'd in knowing how it knows and doth Draw Plesure from the Mode and Object both Truth is its standing Banquet and the Feast Has Plenty fitted for the greedy Guest The Understanding now awakned sees The Truth of Things it thought false Prophecies A state of endless Pleasure once did seem The fond Illusion of a sickly Dream Joys in Reversion were but gilded Lyes And Heaven it self but some Fools Paradise And tho' Faith taught it some believing Skill Yet Carnal Scruples kept it doubting still But now all faithless Jealousies are fled And full Assurance introduc'd instead And Reason taught by what it has receiv'd Owns with a Witness all it disbeliev'd The Will 's now rectify'd and setled well In that free happy Frame from whence it fell God's Goodness is its Object whose alone Yields an Infinity to act upon How greedily it fastens here it makes Eternal seisure on the Good it takes It feeds as hungrily as if it knew Some Famine would the present feast ensue And do's the Zeal of its Approaches prove By the strong efforts of a sprightly Love. It gapes as if it thought its Nature might Suck in and swallow down the Infinite It clasps about him grasps and grasps agen Still thrusting out it self to take him in It s passionate Embraces plainly shew That 't is enamour'd and transported too Thus 't is employ'd and will for ever be Raptur'd in one Eternal Extasie The Faculties of Soul being thus renew'd Are ballanc'd to their proper Rectitude The Reason governs by prudential Skill Ne're Taxes nor exacts upon the Will It s mild Decretals are embrac't so soon As the least Intimation makes them known The Will train'd up on purpose to submit Is wholly temper'd to comply with it No Prejudices interrupt its Choice No Passions bribe it to suspend its Voice But what its Guide enjoyns it strait obeys Without the least exceptionary Pause The Reason's pleas'd that his proposals have Such kind Acceptance from his willing Slave The Will is gladded too in that it knows Whate're unerring Wisdom shall propose Must needs be good and therefore loves to chuse What would appear Self-murther to refuse Thus both are pleas'd and from their being so Proceeds the greatest pleasure Spirits know The Fancy too has here a lovely Scene Of beauteous Visions to entertain All Heavens Glories in one Object meet That all at once may always ravish it Nay 't is delighted to so strange a Height It has the Joys it can it self create Those tempting pleasures which a working Brain Can paint in prospect to delude a man Their Fancy's here by an Almighty Pow'r Can reallize and raise ten Thousand more Thus 't is employ'd Eternally to seize Some New-found-Lands of Joy and Happiness The Soul thus pure the Body must be drest To welcom in this Honourable Guest Which when the Dormitories shall resign The Sacred Dust of Saints they did enshrine When Graves shall offer up their Dead and give All to an Atom which they did receive Shall be accomplish't to the great Delight Of all that view the Glory of the Sight The scatter'd Portions re-united then Shall to their Bodies be compos'd agen Which being new-inform'd and nobler made Shall re-assume the former Souls they had But no pale Face no feeble Joynts presume To enter here no peccant Humors come To usher Sickness in no sense of pain No Weaknesses or Lassitude remain All the Infirmities of Youth and Age Are forc'd to vanish and decline the Stage For tho' the Body rose yet these must stay Where the Soul left them when it fled away And here it do's a new Dimension gain As glorious as its Nature can sustain A just proportion is to it assign'd It leaves all gross ignoble parts behind Corruptions and Infirmities are gon And a new livelier Image fastened on Consistency must always be its state VVherein it shines pure and immaculate It can not Youth nor Age from Time receive But in Eternal Springs of Years shall live It lives but to Declension ne're shall grow Its budding Verdure shall no Autumn know It s Countenance do's such a freshness yield As baffles far the Glories of the Field Such Lights and Flames its Visage do's disperse As would illuminate the Universe Its Senses also great Advancements gain Fit for the Objects they must entertain Senses I call them still but 't is for want Of Terms more proper and significant Nor do all
A SACRED POEM OF THE Glory and Happiness OF HEAVEN By J. Shute LONDON Printed in the Year MDCLXXXIX THE GLORY and HAPPINESS OF HEAVEN ABove the tallest most exalted View When stretcht and lifted up by Opticks too Above the Convex of this Azure Vault So out of sight we can't tell what to call 't High above all that our Conceits can reach When sublimated to their utmost stretch There is what we call Heav'n a joyous State Too happy for a Guess to calculate The greatest Riches that a Miser's Dream E're conjur'd up to tempt and flatter him The most of Honour that a Monarchs Court Can give those Men that hunt and rival for 't The rarest Scenes that raptur'd Saints have view'd When Fancy wrought in a Prophetick Mood Fall infinitely short of Heav'n and can't Yield Joys enough to treat or tempt a Saint He to whose Palate nothing suits but Bliss Can't relish such ignoble Fare as this Alas his noble Soul can't stoop to esteem Things so inglorious and unworthy him Heav'n has more Glory couch'd within a Point Than all this worthless scanty World has in 't 'T is guarded round with double Walls of Gold As hard to force as stately to behold The Batteries which Damned Spirit 's make Can 't Scale its Bulwarks nor its Pillars shake Their Hellish Engines spend their Strength in vain For Bullets shot do but rebound again The gay Embroid'ry of the Place invites All Admiration and the gaudy Sights Which charm the Eye on ev'ry side proclaim The Pow'r and Skill of him that wrought the same 'T is garnish'd round with Light and blazon'd all With those bright Rays which from Gods Image fall Thrones and Dominions here in order stand Rankt in their Stations like a charging Band Mansions like Leaves in their Autumnal Falls Lye scatter'd up and down on Pedastalls Above hang Canopies of vast Extent Propt by the Pow'r of God Omnipotent Scepters and Crowns of costly sorts here are Rank't and enshrin'd like Magazines of War Pearls Rubies and Diamonds in Clusters shine And hang like Grapes upon a fruitful Vine The bright Piazza's of the Palace Court Are pav'd with Rubies of the richer sort Three Royal Thrones all curiously wrought Carv'd by the Skill of an Almighty Thought Are fix'd on a commanding Place wherein The Father Son and Spirit Sit and Reign Their Crowns are charg'd with richer Pearls and more Than India yields or ever Aaron wore And being triple-shap'd they do imply The deep-lay'd Myst'ry of the Trinity In Godhead these are One in Will the same Yet Three in Personality and Name The Fathers Looks are so divine his Face Bears in its Visage such Majestick Grace That 't is a Happiness it self compleat To be enabled to contemplate it His aspect is so gravely great and shews So much of Deity to him that views That 't is a Question manag'd in Disputes Which do's it most This or his Attributes He 's happy in himself and 's Creatures are Happy so far as they his Image bear The Prospect of his Glory shines as bright In Hellish Darkness as in Heavens Light He do's enjoy his happy self as well Amidst the daring Blasphemies of Hell As the Saints Songs but he has praise of Them Because they bless themselves in blessing Him He is to them both Theatre and Stage And all they act is in his Personage His Self-sufficiency compleatly fills His Breast with Goodness some of which distills In Drops of Love on all his Works but this Is only what o'reflows from his Abyss The Son the Second of the Three appears Bright with that Glory which his Image bears His Throne is such as He that fills it none Can fancy to be less than Three in One. The Host salute him God and joyntly sing Hosannah's to their Prophet Priest and King That yet these Functions are in act is true For Honour 's paid him to each Office due He 's Prophet for his Spirit do's reveal The dark Intendments of his Fathers Will And working with his Word affords us Light That shews us all the deep Designs of it He 's Priest and makes an Altar of his Throne To offer up the Church her Prayers on His Intercession makes an Off ring good When hallow'd with the Merits of his Blood. He 's King this by his Scepter may be guest Besides his Presence speaks him such at least His Church on Earth entitles him Supream And all Heav'ns Hierarchies second them Embroider'd thus with Offices and drest With all that speak one Beautiful or Blest He sits enthron'd and naked to the View Of those that wonder and adore him too The Holy Ghost the Last in Order shews Himself as great as Son or Father do's His Presence is Divine his looks do own A Grandeur proper to a God alone The Beauty of his Image do's express A shining pure untainted Holiness His Graces sweeter Odours do present Than e're Arabia from her Spices sent The Gifts wherewith he is embalm'd descry The Sweetnesses that in his Nature lye The Grace and Greatness of his Presence draws The Eyes of all Spectators where they pause Not out of Fear but Wonder while they see So much of Sweetness Love and Majesty Before these Thrones the whole Celeftial throng Do Homage Couching as they dance along Where each devoutly on his bended Knee Lauds the distinct but undivided Three The Fathers mighty Will and matchless Pow'r Are what in Him they most of all adore The Saints rejoyce in these because they know These made them happy and will keep them so They bless that Word whose mighty sound awoke Dull lifeless Nothing to a World and spoke A lumpish Chaos to a curious Frame And still has govern'd and upheld the same They reverence his Greatness most and bow To the grave Grandeur of his Godly Brow. Their low respectful postures plainly prove Their filial Sense of his Paternal Love. They praise his Works below and sing them forth In Numbers measur'd to express their Worth But when they view those Instances of Love That make more Figure in his Works Above When they survey the whole Celestial Sphere And paraphrase on all the Wonders there They tune to higher strains and make their praise Keep pace with what Deserts its Object has So then Gods Power most applauded seems Nay 't is the Burden of their Sacred Hymns The Sons Perfections they as much proclaim Couching in Homage to his Sacred Name They honour him as Soveraign and own How much they hold by Vertue of his Crown They Stile him Prince of Peace and all accord In dutiful Allegiance to their Lord His Name of Saviour sounds so sweet to all It makes their Raptures Epidemical His bright unmantled Glory spreads it's Rays And heats their spirits to delight and praise Some his Humility extol and some His Love that made Man from his Mansion come Some his Example some his Doctrine bless Some his Compassion some his Holiness All joyn his Incarnation to adore That
praise in him And thus his Likeness is imprest and wrought In all the Parts and Pow'rs the Saints have got 'T is stampt in lively Lines its parts are all Drawn full and perfect clear and symmetral This Image is not like an outward Grace Drawn to imbellish and adorn a Face 'T is rather radicated and innate Wholly transformative and intimate It is the Principle that do's begin Eternal Peace and Harmony within By this the Soul in Act and Habit too Is taught its Good and Glory to pursue 'T is wholly bent on Duty and do's own That Happiness and That is all but one Now holy Actings are in Flux and run Free from their Souls like Atoms from the Sun. Each Action now is ravishing and sweet Such large Rewards of Pleasure wait on it Each Saint is now so beautiful and bright He is the Object of his own Delight Ah how it do's Solace his Soul to make Surveys upon himself to search and see How the Impression and the Seal agree To see how Glory has transform'd him all How the Draught answers the Original To see himself made one with God from whom All his sweet Incomes and Illapses come How do's this heighten and enhance their Bliss What Transports do their ravisht Looks confess They tune so many Anthems that the Host Do sing till Praise be in their Numbers lost They clap their Hands and Wings for Joy and run In endless Coronets about the Throne And this they do with as familiar Ease As they themselves can think of what they please For being like Orbs all to their Stations bound God's Central Magnetism draws them round Thus they are happily employ'd and feel More Joys than we or they themselves can tell Nay they are glorified to such Degree As to affirm must needs be Blasphemy Or high Presumption had not God the Lord Strongly confirm'd it in his Sacred VVord VVho else dares say for fear he should Blaspheme That Saints are one with Christ and He with Them Or say methinks ev'n now it sounds profane They dwell in God and God in Them I mean. These Heights of Speech which Reason can't conceive And therefore is engag'd to disbelieve We question not for Faith forbids Distrust And tells us This we would believe and must God's more to Them than Souls to Bodies are Thro' him they act and ever acting were He and They truly correspond like Doves In joynt Reciprocation of Loves They possess Him and are of Him possest Thus He in Them and They in Him are blest From which uniting Juncture do's ensue Immediate Intercourse of Action too On Earth we Interceptions meet but here Their Joys with Grief ne're interrupted are Gladness is all their Soul they can't conceive What 't is to be disconsolate or grieve Their pamper'd Wills no Disappointments know They 're always pleas'd and always would be so Delights no Measure Joys no mixture bring But both from pure unwasted Fountains Spring They have a Heaven fully to enjoy Where neither Want do's pinch nor Plenty cloy Their luscious Pleasures surfeit to delight They always eat to gain an Appetite Joys in Reversion once are now possest And Love in Motion 's chang'd to Love in Rest Desire is made Delight and Hopes that were Mixt with Mis-givings have Assurance here They swim in pleasantness and always find Fresh Banquets to caress and feast the Mind Nay what yet swells their Joy they know its date Is too long-liv'd for Time to terminate They know their Sun of Glory shall ne're set They 'd lose Heav'n did they fear the losing it 'T is sure for Christ has sign'd it with his Blood And God has bail'd his Truth to make it good Their Paradise is built too firm to fall For Truth and Promises compos'd it all Love is its Cement Christ the Corner Stone And God the Basis which 't is built upon What great Additions do the Thoughts of This Bring to enlarge and stretch their Happiness To think that Heaven when Time is past and gone Shall be as new as when it first begun That when innumerable Years are past Their Joys shall still retain their Virgin Tast This makes their Mirth more pallateable still As sweet Infusions in a Cordial will To think the Feast they eat so gladly now Shall still be plentiful and pleasant too To think their Appetites shall ne're forbear To be as keen as they at present are And that their Feast shall be as luscious still And as continual as their Stomachs will This blest Assurance glads their Spirits more Than any single Joy they had before For taking thus Eternity in View Makes all its future Pleasures present too Each single Comfort carries in its Womb The luscious Foretast of still more to come One brings the relish of the rest in hand As Joshua's Grapes did of the Promis'd Land. Their Joys are ne're adjourn'd but always near For Expectation is Enjoyment here Thus all have now Eternity of Bliss And yet 't is still in prospect to possess This aggravates their Joys and scrues their Thoughts To Heights scarce vented in Seraphick Notes Each in his proper Sphere of Duty pays His honorary Tribute of Applause Just as the thankful Birds devoutly sing Their Mattins to the Goddess of the Spring Hymns and Hosannahs from all Quarters sung Is all that can be heard amidst the Throng And that must needs be an Harmonious Noise Where Mirth and Melody do counterpoise Anthems and Halelujahs rise in Swarms And sound to Praise as Trumpets do to Arms They sing so sweetly and so long they seem To be all Lungs or what 's instead of Them Ah with what Joy these jocund Spirits move Round in the Orb of God's suffusive Love Their Souls so strut with Joyfulness that some Take up ev'n Heav'n it self for Elbow-room Ointments of Love still sweetning as they fall Bedew embalm and over-run them all Thus are they all delighting in their God And gladed with their Being and Abode Glory is shar'd in common all unite In one Community of Love and Light Here are no Guardians of forbidden Fruit But Happiness is free and prostitute Yet Blessedness has its Degrees nay such As make the Blessed Spirits differ much Glory is carv'd and parcell'd out but yet Its Portions are not all commensurate Heav'n is no lawless lev'lling Anarchy But a Monarchical Theocrisie And therefore we 've no reason to conclude That all are uniformly Great or Good. In Monarchies we own the King Supream The Princes next the Viceroy next to Them And so thro' all Degrees which represent The great Decorum of a Government So Here JEHOVAH supersedes the State Beneath his Footstool Seraphims are set Next Cherubims and Thrones Dominions then So till we take the Hierarchy in As Angels so no doubt but Saints do bear Their gradual subordinations here The Elders are a Rank of Worth but yet Th' Apostles Order is transcending that For They with Christ as Sacred Writings tell Shall judge the Tribes the
Twelve of Israel To each God gives that Portion of his Love To which by Faith he did a Title prove Each Order and Degree of Grace shall meet A Form in Glory that shall answer it He whose five Talents gain'd five more and He Whos 's Two gat Two do differ in Degree A Patron of Religion shall have Store Of Glorious Dowry's but a Martyr more A late Repentant shall have Room prepar'd But long Obedience shall have large Reward Yet tho they differ he that has the least Has what contents his Will and fills his Breast He has as much as he can grasp his soul Is complacentially stufft and full He murmurs not that other Saints have more Or He has least but rather do's adore In Love and Gratitude his God that gave What He enjoys and all his Fellows have Such are the Dignities they here abide As those to whom they 're giv'n are qualify'd All their Perfections are array'd and drest To suit those Pow'rs by which they are possest For were they modell'd more or less to crave Than by Eternal Charter they can have 'T would bate so much of Happiness 't would be The long complaint of Endless Misery If they had more than they could bear the Weight Finding no Powers to preponderate Would in the Cruelty of Kindness kill And press their Souls from Heaven into Hell. If less they'd still be hunting in Pursuit Of what must ever be forbidden Fruit. Thus disappointments would torment the Mind Finding it self for Misery design'd So that if This This also must be true That Saints are happy and unhappy too There 's none but Graduates in Grace that e're Commenced a Degree in Glory Here. But those good Works which usher'd in the Saints Now being useless are excluded hence Mercy is needless in this happy state For Misery can no Admittance get Here are no sick to visit or bemoan For all are healthy and Immortal grown Here Hospitality unpractic'd lies And Burial of the Dead for Nothing dies Here are no Foes to reconcile no Need Of Interceding They are all agreed And sure where works of Mercy find no Room Those of Necessity must never come No Heat nor Cold can ever them molest For by a wonder not to be exprest That Sun who by his Heat do's them relieve Do's by his Shadow also shelter give Thro' Exercise they neither sleep nor faint Because their Labours no Repose do's want Their hardest Work is easie to Delight And ne're impairs but re-inforces Might And as their Pow'r is able so their Will Is likewise vigorous and active still Love consecrates their Services and Zeal Gives Oil and Motion unto Duties Wheel Nor is it servile to obey the Saints While they submit are in their Elements Nay they attend Gods Will as much or more Than Artick Needles do the Magnet's Pow'r And being delighted in the Work they do They act in Rest and rest in Action too Their Wills are tun'd to Gods and all in One Do Eccho in Consent when his is known These and innumerable Millions more Of unknown Pleasures treasur'd up in store Are plentifully on the Saints bestow'd By their free-hearted openhanded God. It can't be thought with what Delight they move In endless Circles of repeated Love With what exalted Melody they sing The Song of Canaan unto Judah's King Their dissolved Souls ev'n drop in Mirth and Zeal And run as Metals melt with Lightning will Pleasure is all they know or do possess They breath no Air but Joy and Happiness Now Glory Triumphs Praise is fully Crown'd And Songs of Jubilee whose joyous sound Eccho's in Tune are ravishingly Sung By the joynt Voices of the Jolly Throng Joys do commence the Height of Heights and flow From Springs that neither Banks nor Bottom know Their Souls are lost like Things in an Abyss In Trances of ungovernable Bliss Their Joys ne're fail them but are still renew'd In endless Transports of Beatitude For this they ever bless their God and seem As sacrific'd in Flames of Love to him Let Silence speak the rest and Faith believe 'T is far beyond their Hopes what Saints receive Our Thoughts of Glory are too dwarfish still And all drop short as charmed Bullets will 'T is neither Faith nor Fancy can pretend To know its Height or Depth its Breadth or End. The only Thought that can describe this State Is to think what you cannot Think 'T is That THE REVIEW IS it thus then Is all that Reason saith As short of Heav'n as Folly is of Faith Is Glory hid from our presumptuous sight By the dark Vail of its obscuring Light Do's Reason after Tryal made confess Its Depth unfathomably Bottomless And is my Soul whom Toys and Follies please Born Heir expectant of such Joys as these Will Faith and Patience by an Act of Grace Entitle me to this Triumphant Place Farewel all sublunary Joys be gon You empty Shadows I once doted on All Earths evanid Glories I despise Here are no Objects that shall tempt my Eyes I am resolv'd to follow and pursue The Heav'n which Faith not Fancy leads me to 'T is thee O God I will design who art The Peace and Portion of my Better Part. Farewel ye fruitless Vanity of Youth The frothy Fits of Pride and Passion both Farewel those thrifty and ambitious Crimes Which pass for Virtues in these Modish Times What 's an Estate that I should toil and sweat Or pawn this Happiness to purchase it Misers are happy only in their dream When fancy'd Heaps of Riches real seem For when the Visionary cheat is o're With a rich Sigh they Sigh for waking Poor What is a Name 'T is Nothing in disguise A Bubble drest in gilded Vanities There 's Nothing solid in it to be found 'T is empty Things that yield and spread a sound The Noise that do's from Mens Applauses come Is like the empty Loudness of a Drum. These Toys so highly priz'd so much embrac't By some I once more bid Farewel in Hast Farewel my Friends and dear Enjoyments too Nay I must bid my former self adieu I have but one thing of this World to crave And that 's the parting Kindness of a Grave If I must pay for 't I 'le not give Receipt But leave my Body Pris'ner for the Debt I am design'd if nothing spoils my Aim A Pilgrim to the New Jerusalem This is my Purpose and I hope 't will stand Till I set Footing in the Holy Land Let Egypt be forgotten and forsook I wont give Sodom a recanting Look But let the progress of my Journey shew That I was willing and Believing too Mount then my Soul and make thy full Career Ne're stop till thou must stop thy Courser there Lift up thy lowly Stature now and View What 't is the Promises invite Thee to Rouze up thy self shake of these Bands that keep Thy Pow'rs entomb'd in a Lethargic sleep Get th' Innocence and Pinions of a Dove Then clip away unto thy Rest above