of a differing kind I leaue the worst and seeke the fairest out to find Sweet Lady daughter to the Queene of Loue Which is the cause of Zeale and Iealousie If you will aske mee what this Queene doth moue To loue vs wretches that in sin doe lye I answere Goodnesse of her Maiestie Most excellent is then this holy fire Of zeale proceeding from such ancestry Goodnesse and Loue which therefore wee require To true effects of Loue and Goodnesse to aspire Sweet zeale How fairely dost thou beautifie Th' affection where thou mak'st thy habitation Like Temple which thy Lord did purifie When as his Soule with zeale and indignation Was mou'd to see Gods Temples prophanation Not suffering thy house of endlesse rest To be abus'd by Pride or lustfull passion Th' affection which doth lodge within my brest The Temple where Christ and the Holy Ghost should rest Companions of Zeale are Pietie Faith Knowledge Patience Fortitude and Right In workes of Mercy Peace and Charitie And sweet Humilitie is her delight With all her Power shee is opposite Against all that Gods glory may oppose Shee spends in feruent Prayers day and night And those by Knowledge doth so well compose They bring Gods blessings down and vp his Iudgements close Oh Zeale with Knowledge Faith and Charitie Who able is thy vertue to commend Which doth the Church into one Body tye And for Gods glory onely dost contend For publike good and not for priuate end Lo th' Angells-Being doth in zeale consist Whose sacred ardour doth all flames transcend Wherewith they oft enlight our minds darke mist When flames of hottest zeale they to our soule suggest Oh! Loue as strong as Death and Iealousie Cruell as graue Thy flames like coales of fire Consume and burne vp all most violently No Streames or Flouds can quench her sacred ire Should we sell all we haue we could not buy her The Daughter zeale is like the Mother free Them both from Heau'n th' Almightie doth inspire And therefore neither will affronted bee With Riualls Heathen Gods most base Idolatree Fond Zeale that 's fitly called which doth want Faith Knowledge Loue diuine and Graces all It still doth most vaine superstitions haunt And to most base Idolatry doth fall Vnhumane Fury Madnesse tragicall Of men whom thus blind zeale and strange desire Transports beyond rage diabolicall To offer vp their children in the fire Of some offended deuill to appease the ire Strange is this zealous fury of the rude When Ignorance doth guide their blind deuotion The gathering of the froward multitude When they be stirred with some feruent motion All following some braine-sicke idle notion With discontent against authoritie Raise Schismes in Church in Common-wealth Commotion Pretending all their Conscience-liberty Alas these be no fruits of holy Iealousie God often by an Anthropopathy By which his nature best wee vnderstand Ascribes vnto himselfe this Iealousie As being link'd in Hymens holy band Vnto his Church his vndefiled And His Church againe to shew her feruent Loue And Ioy shee takes in her new ioyned hand Like Loue-sicke Bride the Bridegroome oft doth proue And him with zeale inuites her to imbrace and Loue. Neuer new wedded Bridegroome was more faine Of his new-Bride than Christ is of his Doue Neuer did truest Turtle more complaine For losse of Mate than this Spouse of her Loue It would a stony heart to fountaines moue Of teares to heare the Churches piteous mone When shee doth misse him whom her Soule doth loue Where 's my belou'd Ah whither is shee gone And left his saddest Deare to sigh and sit alone And therefore as a Signet on his heart And as the Seale that is on his right hand Shee would be ioyn'd that shee might neuer part But alwayes in his Grace and presence stand No Keeper in Christs Vineyard must command Hee will his Vineyard prune and dresse alone Whereby his Iealousie wee vnderstand His Vine the Bridegroome will haue drest of none The Bride out of his presence neuer will be gone Doth mine inuention faile that wont to flow In Similes that make hard things seeme plaine Or doth the whole Creation here below Nothing affoord zeales nature to explaine Alas all earthly Similes are vaine T' expresse the nature of this Heau'nly fire Which in the glorious Angells doth remaine And in the Spirits of that blessed Quire Which here with Hymnes and Praises doe Gods loue admire Shall dust and ashes dare yet be so bold Her to the holy fire to compare Which in the Bush thy seruant did behold Flaming but did the Bush not singe or seare Such flames of zeale oft in our hearts there are Which doe enlighten them but not consume These flames our Prayers to Iehoua beare By these our Praises spiritually vp fume And in Gods nostrils are like incense and perfume Or shall I like her to some Lionesse Rob'd of her whelps by some aduenturous hand Who in her wondrous woe and furiousnesse Deuour's and slayes all in her way that stand Who can the force of Iealousie withstand Being of so great strength and wondrous might God grant our zeale the Truth may vnderstand And that true Knowledge may your minds inlight To make vs zealous for Gods glory and the right May I not like her to strong churlish wine Which doth confound the braine inflame the blood But cool'd with water pure and sugar fine For both of them is soueraigne and good Eu'n so doth Iealousies most feruent mood Allaid with sugar of sweet Charitie And coold with sweetest Christalline pure floud The silent streames of soft Humilitie Transcend in all good workes of Loue and Pietic This is the zeale and sacred emulation Which the Originall doth signifie Which hath with Loue in Heau'n her habitation And all our actions here doth sanctifie And when our Maker vs shall glorifie Behold our zeale shall in perfection shine Begun on earth in true sinceritie And as our Fleshly courage doth decline Our zeale will grow more hot and neerest to diuine Zeale made old Abram Hagars sonne reiect For scoffing at his holy promisd seed And Moses Pharaohs Court and grace neglect When hee th' Egyptians Destiny did reed That smote a brother of the holy breed This zeale made noble Phineas with his speare Slay Zimry and Cosbi in their damned deed Though Saul the fat of Amalec would spare Yet Samuels zeale doth Agags flesh in pieces teare Oh had his Master Eli's burnt so hot Against his sonnes when they by violence The fattest of Gods offrings from him got And with foule Lust defil'd the sacred Tents Had he like Phineas punish't this offence Our eares then should not haue so tingeled To heare of Gods great wrath and sore offence He and his sonnes in one day slaughtered And all his race from th' Arke for euer banished Zeale made the warlike Dauid to aspire To build an house for Gods owne habitation And though warres crost his zeale and good desire Yet made he for it royall preparation And
I were better Crosse and Prison proue Than in Gehenna fry from whence is no remoue And as in all humane societies The meaner Power the greater doth obay Till to the Peramount it doth arise Which Power all inferiour powers sway So in this Power Spirituall we may Behold like order for Obedience The Peramount is Gods high Power ay For though we doe all Powers reuerence Yet to the highest we haue alway's reference What more vniust than looke to be obay'd By our inferiours and to disobay Those God hath plac'd aboue vs for our aid Ah how Thy will be done may we here pray As Angells doe the same in Heau'n for ay Which we so often crosse by doing ill More often then are minutes in a day Oh let my Heart be ready to fulfill Mine Heart be ready Lord to learne and doe thy will Ready in all things lawfull to obay Superiours all to doe things iust and right To Loue my Neighbour for mine enemy's pray Grace to embrace and with Corruptions fight To cast off earthly things and to delight Wholly in God and heau'nly contemplation To worke by day to watch and pray by night To learne of Christ Meeknesse Humiliation With trembling and with Feare to worke out my Saluation Since I must be obedient to the end How should I end to beg Obedience Obedience which to Liberty doth tend And vs restores vnto that excellence Which Adam lost by Disobedience Let others glory in their mightie traine And large command of many Continents By Meeknesse and Obedience I shall gaine With Meeke obedient Lamb in Heau'n for ay to raigne MEDITAT III. Of MEEKNESSE AS in faire Garden where variety Of choisest Flowers the senses to delight Are plac't by cunning hand most curiously Their diuers colours most effect the sight That broad and fairest shew and stand vpright But oft we find low creeping on the ground An hearb whose odour sweet doth more inuite Our smells than all the Tuslips there are found So is it with this Grace which I doe next propound For though the goodliest Garden of the Bride Like Eden is so faire embelished With richest Fruits and Flowers from side to side Their names and hues cannot be numbered Much lesse their Force and Natures be aread And though all are more glorious to be seene Than Meeknesse which is next disciphered Yet none more pleasing to our smell I weene Nor more than her respected of Loues royall Queene Obedience Meeknesse and Humility Are Flowers more for profit than for show Pleasing the smell and taste more than the eye And lowly like sweet Thyme and Hysope grow These by the outward face we must not know Their inward vertue 't is that we esteeme Their Force is heau'nly though their dwellings low And may the greatest Monarch here be-seeme For sure the King of Kings like these himselfe did deeme And vs commandeth all of him to learne Meeknesse and lowlinesse which rest doth bring Eternall Rest which doth our Soules concerne Here more than any vaine and worldly thing Most mighty God and yet the meekest King Fit thou my Soule for this sweet Meditation And teach me meeknesse whil'st I meeknesse sing Which base and meane in mans vaine estimation Is with the Lord of Lords of highest valuation Some her define to be a Moderation Of Anger And would haue her to abstaine From all reuengefull furious enuious passion Thereby possession of her soule to gaine For who doth gentle meeknesse entertaine With her finds happy Peace and quiet Rest And who from furious rage will not refraine But harbours wrath and malice in his Brest Possesseth not himselfe but is by them possest Meeke gentle milde soft affable and kind In words though diuers are in sense the same And come from gentle habit of the mind Which like it selfe our words and acts doth frame Making wild sauage furious creatures tame For all are mad and wild since Adams fall And burne in furious and reuengfull flame But meeknesse mitigates appeasing all And blessed here in peace the earth inherit shall Meeknesse which pleaseth God and profits man For God the meeke exalteth to Saluation And those which here abstaine from Anger can In multitude of Peace haue delectation With meeke far better is humiliation Than greatest spoiles with proud ones to diuide Heau'nly Hierusalem's no habitation For those which Right by Duells doe decide But those which can with meeknesse iniury's abide She ire and rancour in her heart can brooke But doth all with an equall mind sustaine Prouok'd by none nor doth she one prouoke Though oft offended hurteth none againe She doth from all improbity abstaine Resists not euill but the same with good Still ouercomes And doth more glory gaine By gentle yeelding than if she withstood The wicked in his raging furious angry mood Oh Grace most glorious when God Her sends To dwell in breast of some great Potentate His Heart She from all Crueltie defends And though he be a Lord of Life and Fate His hands with bloud doth not contaminate She such a Prince to Heau'n at length will bring Too soone for vs though he may thinke it late Let Homer fierce Achilles praises sing Giue me a mercifull meeke mild and gentle King For Meeknesse brings more honour to a King Than Purple Scepter Diademe or Crowne And richer triumphs doth to Emperours bring Than winning any Castle Fort or Towne He gets eternall Glory and renowne Who can by meeknesse bridle passions right Let Tyrants rage and let the Fury's frowne They can no more a good meeke man affright Than Arrow 's hurt the water that thereon doe light Inhumane cruelty's taught in the schoole Of Satan who would like himselfe haue all But he whose seats in Heau'n and his footstoole Vpon the earth Before whose presence fall Downe all the Angells and him Maker call Bids vs like to himselfe be meeke and low For he that turn'd to sweet that cup of gall Can make the meeke and lowly highest grow And with one blast the proud and cruell ouerthrow I labour not to keepe downe or depresse That humane natures high sublimitie Without which creatures beare no awfulnesse Nor due respect vnto the Maiesty God hath annexed to mans Soueraignty I seeke to suit his mind and conscience Vnto his outward Grace and Dignity And raise him by an inward confidence Of wel-knowne worth to an angelike excellence Yet not by this sublimity to swell Beyond the bounds of Mortalls He that 's wise Will as his worth and due deserts excell Be still more low and humble in 's owne eyes And as his State and Honour here doe rise Hee is more modest gentle meeke and kind Preferring not himselfe in any wise Before his equalls thus he grace doth find By gentle manswetude with God and all mankind For whilst by an obsequious conuersation And by ingenuous manners pleasing sweet Far from base flattery as vaine ostentation Hee doth inferiours equalls betters greet By loosing of his owne Lo he doth get
wormes if once abused He that for Egypts Flesh-pots hath refused This Heau'nly Food And mans tradition vaine His base false lying Legends rather chused Shall whilst this Flesh betweene his jawes remaine Be with his great and wealthiest chosen shauelings slain Fountaine of liuing water which doth more And faster spring as it is emptied Most fruitfull Vine which bringeth still more store Of heau'nly grapes as they are gathered Th' epistle of Heau'ns King which rightly read Brings vs the gladsome tidings of Saluation Whose harder sense strong men may chuse as bread The plainer babes may suck for sustentation We both aright concort by heau'nly meditation The Sword that doth spiritually diuide From vs all manner of concupiscence Our youths reformer and our ages guide Transcending reason more than reason sence Truths ground the Fountaine of Intelligence Loues complement the root of humblenesse Faiths hold the Rule of all Obedience Hopes anchor and the path of Rrighteousnesse The ladder which we climbe from hence to Happinesse Would you haue more it is the milke sincere Which can alone quench Hells eternall fire The only Daughter to her Mother deare The mystery which Angells doe admire The sweetest song of blessed heau'nly Quire Whose Praise eu'n all the heau'nly Powers sing Apostles Prophets Martyrs all desire With all their might to strike this lofty string Which Dauid in one Psalme a thousand times doth ring As Iacob with the Angell wrestled Nor let him goe without a blessing would So when words mysteries by vs are read We striue and struggle for the meaning should A goodly strife if we contending could Hold out till what we seeke we doe obtaine As Incense doth no pleasing smell vnfold Nor Spice till it be in a Morter braine So are words mysteries till study makes them plaine This makes the lips of Christs endeared Bride Than any Hony combe to drop more sweet And vnderneath her daintiest tongue abide Hony and Milke The Hony is most meet To heale the wounds Sin makes from head to feet The Milke for Babes Loe thus her either Brest Which like two twining Roes doe equall meet Yeeld most abundant Food if softly prest And both with Roses sweet and Lilly's faire are drest This is the Tower of Dauid which is built By th' holy Spirit of most costly stone Whereon a thousand Shields doe hang all guilt With swords and weapons for the mightiest One This is the Priuie Garden where alone The Spouse with Bridgroome doth her selfe delight Planted with Nardus Saffron Cinamon And all trees good for medicine tast or sight Through which doth flow a well of liuing waters bright Most heau'nly Paradise where tree of Life My Soule most heau'nly Fruits doth daily bring Fit for the Lamb to walke in with his wife And for the Spouse most Angell-like to sing The Soueraigne Grace and Bounty of her King Where though I often seeke to hide in vaine Mee from my Nakednesse discouering My blessed Bridegroome calleth me againe And clothes me with the Robes of Lamb most righteous slaine There Manna-like Loe eur'y Fruit doth tast Iust as we would none iustly can complaine Though his vnweeded garden lieth wast God send to good and bad alike his raine Let him where thornes and bryers doe remaine Take heed how he this heau'nly deaw accuse It is the root thy euill heart and vaine Which doth the sweetnesse of this raine abuse Which for to water weeds and nettles doth it vse How should this Word be sweet vnto the mouth Wherein is nought but Gall and Bitternesse Or how should heau'nly deaws from West or South Moisten that Heart which by maliciousnesse More hardned is than Flint in wickednesse Alas what Corne can sweetest raine forth bring In Ground that choked is with worldlinesse Where as the thornes vp with the wheat doe spring And from the root suck vp all heau'nly nourishing Ev'n as a Lamp without supply of Oyle Being daily had is soone extinguished So though we seeme to prosper here awhile In Faith and Grace all 's soone abolished Vnlesse that they be daily nourished With Hearing Reading Prayer Meditation In vaine it with our mouths is vttered Except it in our hearts makes habitation And we expresse it in our liues and conuersation Oh let this holy Words most heau'nly Fire My secret sound affections inflame And burne vp all vaine fleshly worlds desire Oh blessed Fire like that in Bush did flame But neuer did consume or burne the same The fire whereby Gold Catholike is tride And straw and ' stubbled errour brought to shame In whom this inward fire doth ay refide He well the scorching heat of outward may abide But as no fleshly ey 's can here behold The glorious Sunne but by that Suns sweet sight So no man vnderstanding may be bold To know this Word but where it doth enlight Lord in thy Light then let mee see this Light Whereby I may my sinfull life amend And in thy Statutes set my whole delight And wholly in the way 's of wisdome tend So shall my foot stand fast with ioy vnto the end For as the snow and raine from Heav'n descend But neuer thither doe returne againe Till that be done for which thou didst them send To make the fruitfull soile fit for the graine So neuer shall thy Word returne in vaine But sure accomplish what thou dost intend Then moisten daily with this heav'nly raine My hardned Heart that all my powers may bend To glorifie thy name who dost these showers send How should he feare to want his daily Food Who with this Word of Life is nourished Or who can thirst that drinketh of his bloud Let not this Word be vnderualued He that is with this Heau'nly Manna fed Eates of the fattest of Gods spirituall store Wherewith Christs tender Spouse is fostered Till Shee growes strong and faire to stand before Her Head And neuer thirst nor hunger any more This Words Eternall therefore hath no end I no beginning nor conclusion find I could herein my Life and Spirits spend It doth so feed my Soule and glad my mind But now my Muse to Prayer is assign'd And bow 's her knees to end her Meditation With Praise to Him who first mine Heart inclin'd To seeke this Heau'nly Food of Contemplation I hope vnto his Glory and mine owne Saluation MEDITAT V. Of PRAYER AS wise experienc'd valiant Generall When 's Souldier armed is from Foot to Head And hath at hand his Shield and Sword and all His Armour with his Belt fast buckled Yet him into the Battell will not lead Till he be taught his Sword aright to wield To take Aduantages if offered And to defend his Body with his Sheild Then him thus taught and train'd he leads into the Field So wee that in these Spirituall Battells fight Not with fraile Flesh but Principality's And powers of exceeding foce and might Besides their treason plots and policies Must first be taught in Armes to exercise That all in complete Armour ordered