both have much to do But sure ere long I hope the time to see VVhen English Laws shall so amended be That pride the subject now of admiration Shall be scorn's subject throughout all the Nation VVhen we shall glory not in gawdy cloaths New-fangled fashions or in horrid oaths Or spotted faces with like souls within Or hair like those that in a Mill have been Or self-conceited gestures speech or looks The Devils new devised baits and hooks To catch poor souls But shall with joynt accord Gloâ—y in this that we do know the Lord And that he is our God and will us own He knowing us and being of us known VVho will suppress the proud exalt the meek And then his people shall to Sion seek VVith joy and peace Oh haste the time dear Lord Let thy Church say Amen with one accord An Epigram on the same HEll-maker why so high I stile thee well For thou mad'st Devils and they made God make Hell Apollyon destruction is thy trade For thou marr'dst man and man marr'd all God made Let reason rule the rost quit thy old score Mend what thou marred hast or vaunt no more Avarice the Root of Sin HUnger-starv'd plenty what a Monster 's here A greedy stomach pin'd in midst of cheer Yet wants nor hands nor mouth nor teeth to feed With these she tears devours grinds those that need Opus and Vsus all the means of profit Opus that gets it makes not Vsus of it This gnawing worm its Mothers intrails rends To line fat bags nay it s own spirits spends Indangers soul and body that to gain Which is but kept with fear when got with pain And never us'd joy'd in but not injoy'd At fullest still complains of being voyd All put to Vse and yet none Us'd at all A fine Fools Paradise I may it call Wherein wise worldlings much delight to walk Though to their endless pain they think and talk Plot and project and waste out day and night In carking care to get by wrong or right Or any means what gotten but annoyes And is the worst of vanities and toyes This greedy Dame made thievish Achan run A course that Isr'el had almost undone That brought on him and his most sad confusion This cursed Caitiff caus'd the great effusion Of Ahabs Races blood a numerous crew Of Royal Imps whom furious Jehu slew Then out of pride and greediness to reign Return'd to Jeroboam's sin again Who had through Avarice in time of old Stock't Dan and Betâ—el with curst Calves of gold She made the great Assyrian Monarch plunder The sacred Temple once the worlds rare wonder 'T was greediness not neediness of wealth Provok'd that Prince to sacrilegious stealth She 't was when Christ did preach that deafness wrought In learned Scribes and Pharises who taught The people most exactly yet were blind Themselves the while through Avarice of minde And seeing could not see nor hearing hear Those Truths which in their Scriptures written were This hellish Hag betray'd our dearest Lord Made Judas sell him for a price abhor'd Who a self-strangling and damnation got As Over-plus of purchase for his lot She to the holy Ghost to lye inclin'd Poor Ananias and Sapphira's minde For which on them that fearful Judgement fell Of sudden Death if not of sudden Hell She made wise Simon Magus Sophimore Thinking by Coin which none but fools adore To purchass that unvaluable Gift Of God's most holy Spirit but his drift Was at his Gain and so he gained hath Lasting Reproach if not e'erlasting Death She wrought the Pythonesses girles masters On Paul and Silas to bring such disasters In old Philippi And at Ephesus Diana's Zealot blinde Demetrius To raise an uproar and an Idol prize Beyond the Lord of Life where were his eyes Not on his goddess but his god his gain For whose sole sake he that hot Zeal did fain This made unhappy Felix leave Paul bound Although no cause of his restraint he found Yet in that passage Avarice we see Procur'd unwonted affability And since that Scripture is undoubted true I 'll instance it to give the Dev'l his due Leprous Gehezi I could here bring forth And many more examples notice-worth In Histories sacred and forraign too But that will endless be for me to do It might be for my pleasure not my gains For sure no miser would requite my pains Covetousness might find me lasting work Should I into her secret corners lurk Survey her bags and baggage tricks together And yet in my expressions ' bate of either She 's prides sworn sister but that pride 's too dear Oft-times for her who still loves to go near She loaths prides hand-Maid Cost who makes her smart For none but she and loss do pierce her heart The world and coin of all round things she loves And of square dealings mostly she approves Save in her self for there she 'l all confound Make that seem square which others know is round Uneven even basest wrong seem right Light make of darkness and bright day of night Her train are Under-Sheriffs Bayliffs Brokers Pursivants keepers and such men-provokers Their loading is of papers parchments waxes Which terrifie men more then new-rais'd taxes These all like Cannibals the coast do scour And Devil-like seek whom they may devour These Anthropophagi are nearest friends To avarice by whom she works her ends Mercy 's her wonder mildness she deems wild And thinks severest justice much too mild If harshest cruelty her gain procure She will baptize it courtesie most pure If not meer charity she 's Satans bawd And can like him by her sublimed fraud Assume an Angel's shape whilst she commits Rapes on poor innocents and racks her wits Widdows and Orphans to devour her faith Is Pharisaick falshood which betray'th All those that trust her though relations near Vicinity's forgot if gain appear It 's she wise Heathens term'd the root of evils VVhich in no Garden grows except the Devils Unfit for Christian heart to entertain Or to be lodged in a Converts brain Her heart 's the mint of all dcceits the sink Of bloodi'st crimes that heart of man can think The Devil is chief coiner in this Cell And stamps the Cash to buy him slaves for Hell Her she insinuation screws into Corrupted nature and doth us undo Insensibly her none-such subtilties ' Mongst men inveigles mostly the most wise And ablest parted masters of most reason Before perversion If a heart she season VVith love of gain that heart 's bewitched quite And ' reft of reason truth peace love delight Of mercy conscience and of all that 's good And grudgâ—th its sole-lov'd self both cloaths and food Scrapes all it may from whomsoe'er it can Without respect of friend foe God or man Yet gotten cannot will not use it why If you know not no more doth he nor I Unless the Devils inchantments so prevail To blind his sense and make his reason fail For inclinations unto other sins Mostly
glory still increase Be thou Lord ours and make us to be thine And bless these Isles with Christian joy and peace Then shalt thou joy in us and we in thee And spread thy glory through earth's spatious rounds That all its Nations may come in and see Thy saving health and how thy grace abounds Amen Epigram HOw crooked in this age is mankind grown Some give offence and others take where's none All flock like Larks to Day nets and most flie To a false glass in stead of Heavens bright eye Opinion guideth most and she by faction Is quite beside her self in high distraction Our wanton hearts each spark take tinder-like That Rome's and Spain's false steel stone do strike But ah beware lest blown into a flame Those sparks devour our Nation and our Name They had ere now did he not them prevent From whose pure truths they charm us to dissent By broaching sapless Schisms fruitless Dissentions Teaching for truths their own accurst inventions Lord re-unite us ere we ruin'd be Make us at odds with them but one with thee Amen The bitter sweet 1. LOrd it's a time of changes oh be pleas'd To change us so that we may be appeas'd In every change submit our stormie wills To thy disposals silence passion stills And meek embracement of sharp dispensations To us-wards for our great prevarications Retard ensuing judgements I might say Prevents them since it doth thy wrath allay 2. Lord it's a time of troubles trouble me Most for my sins since they most trouble thee Impow'r me Lord to trouble them as well Who are the Achans of thy Isra-el Let them have trouble 'till they troubled die Sunk in oblivion to eternity These curs'd Aegyptians still have thee withstood Drown them in the Red-sea of thy Sons blood 3. Lord it's a time of war arm thou my soul Against my lusts and my corruptions foul Which with world flesh and devil united stand Encampt against me Thine Almighty hand Alone can save make me resolv'd and stout That I by grace these restless foes may rout Teach me thy sp'ritual armour so to weild That they subdu'd with shame may flie the field 4. Lord it's a time of sickness oh I faint Sin is my sickness make it my complaint Dear Christ be thou my doctor or I die No doctor else can cure my malady It 's a contagious botch hereditary A leprosie that doth infection carry Through all man's generations all man's line 'T is blood must cure't and no blood can but thine 5. Lord it's a time of death teach me to die Aright to sin that I may live thereby To righteousness then as that death pleas'th thee Death natural will pleasing prove to me Whilst in thee I shall die death shall but hurry Me from this vale of tears to endless glory Grant these two deaths who once didst die for me I first may die to sin next die in thee Chorus IN changes troubles war sickness and death My sweet's above my bitter still beneath Mos Mundi The broad way 1. TO drink to drab to dance and sing To swear and swagger roar and raunt Carouse and Hats up fling Laugh boast and vaunt Jeer and taunt Jest and Jibe Like Thraso's tribe To flatter cog and lye Pack Cards and trip a Dye Frolick and feast And play the beast Have mirthful parts accounted been Yea noble qualities esteem'd But wise men when they such have seen Them rather mad then merâ—y deem'd 2. To fast be chaste demurely talk Hate Oathes debauch'd behaviour flie And soberly to walk Jests to defie And each lye Truth to speak Wrath not to wreak But leave revenge to God Are all held humours odd Who such is turn'd Is mosily scorn'd The world so impudent is grown That sin gains glory vertue shame Astraea is to Heaven flown And Grace on Earth hath lost her name Sic transit gloria mundi Praesentis non futuri Eternity ETernity Ah dearest Lord assist My shallow Muse for she 's quite overwhelm'd In this vast Ocean she 's of footing miss't Toss'd on the surging waves like ship unhelm'd Depriv'd of terminus à quo from whence Her voyage to begin and the ad quem Where it should end since he 's depriv'd of sence Who in eternity doth seek for them She no beginning had nor end shall have But from eternal to eternal be VVas is and shall be when death and the grave The Earth the Sea the Heavens which we see Were all meer nothing unborn unbegotten Whilst they their time ordain'd continue shall And when they all are vanish'd and forgotten She 'll stay unmetamorphosed at all In her nor time nor age can change effect Nor all the pow'rs of Earth and Hell prevayl To make a wrinkle in her sweet aspect Nor frost one hair though joyntly they assayl VVhen Heav'n shall moult her Stars like a roul Involved be in flames that shall consume The world's whole fabrick save mans deathless soul And God shall in a moment us assume Chang'd to himself Yet she shall still remain Immutable by his divine decree Who her impowr'd that sameness to retain In self-fruition to eternity Old Idol-makers emblemiz'd her by A snake turn'd round whose mouth and tayl did meet VVhich endless form shew'd forth a deity VVhose everlasting being could not fleet Nor end receive but still revert again To its beginning Others pourtray'd her In youthful shape so ever to remain Both in the right and yet both out on 't were Though everlasting and unchangeable She 's but a creature so they erred both In de-ifying her yet no man's able Of her deep Essence to conceive the troth She 's of too lofty birth too deep conception For our low shallow apprehensions reach The thought whereof should move us to reception Of humbled hearts and soul-submission teach To our and her great God whose wonders woo Our way-ward hearts from transitorie joyes To will what he doth will and that to do To fix on him and so abandon toyes Sacred Eternity should make us slight These shadow-pleasures short delights below False creature-comforts and to eye that light That leads to true and lasting joyes we know Those soon shall fade And our immortal souls Run parallel unto Eternity In wo or weal. Who then but heedless fools Will loose firm joyes to joy in vanity Heark fearless Dolt hammer thy steeled heart On this firm Anvil Oft in minde revolve Eternity that she may make thee part From thy embosom'd lusts the stone dissolve That 's in thy breast thy crusted conscience soften Impow'r thee Satans wiles more to resist To do good oftner and not sin so often For fear of everlasting had I wist This single word in brief doth comprehend All the surpassing joys that Heav'n affords And all the torments that the damned find In Hell them to express need no more words For though the joys of one be infinite In number weight and measure and as well The others torments no less infinite Eternity
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