them to their faces what they do Look on our John if he this path had trod He might have kept his head but wrong'd his God Vpon Mat. 14. 9. Epigr. 2. HErod hath sworn and John must lose his head A poor man would be loth to have it sed That he had broke his Oath but Kings must stand Upon their honour here at any hand But who blind Tyrant bad thee swear at all Wise men would weigh what mischiefs may befall Before they ventur'd on so rash a vow Which if it must be kept thy children now And Mothers throats are not secure nor ought So vile but if she lists it must be wrought But plead not Conscience he that daily lies In lustful sheets will swallow perjuries Revenge the Prophet first in prison threw Whom now vain-glory and indulgence slew Vpon Mar. 6. 2. Epig. 3. BAte Herod but his incest and there 's none Will be a greater follower of John He hears him gladly and observes him too And many things accordingly doth do But here he sticks with this he cannot part Hypocrites will have something neer their heart Some lust or other which they prize before Their souls and him whom all good souls adore What profit is' t my Saviour to have gone Half way with Herod in Religion To be near heaven as that poor Lawyer was If I stay there and do no further pass Oh root out every sin which I possess Or 't is but vain to think of happiness September 1. NAme not this Month but let your thoughts withall Those old Mosaick mysteries recall Which in this sacred number couched lie And chalenge from us a solemnity Seven in a Christians mouth should never come But his quick soul should run ore all the sum Rehearse a short couch'd Catalogue by rote Of all the sevens which Holy Writ doth note Every small hint and word suggested brings A godly man in mind of heavenly things The Feasts of September 2. SEptember's twenty first is Matthew's right Great Michael doth in twenty nine delight Matthew Apostle Epig. 1. YOu 'l say Excise men seldome come to good Who by extortions gaine their lively-hood Yet see what Christ can do our Matthew here Was such a one yet 's saved I do not fear Let none condemn th' employment mercy can Of such a Vermine make an honest man Epig. 2. OF all the Gospels Matthew's onely writ In the Hebrew tongue as if he purpos'd it Meerely to save that Nation whom before With harsh exactions he had poll'd so sore And 't was a large amends we grant indeed For Earthly chaff to give them heavenly seed Epig. 3. GOod God what change is here our Matthew that Erewhile at the receipt of Custome sate And was so vile a wretch that none except The Divel himself a worser Conscience kept Is now become a Saint yea counted fit In one of the Apostolick chaires to sit Nor stayes he at this height but first of men Is chose his Saviours life and death to pen Which he discharg'd so well that now they fear Not to affirme an Angels hand did bear A part in the employment as if none Of humane race could write such things alone So soon he past through both extreams of late Almost a Devil and now an Angels Mate Michael Archangel Epig 1. AT Moses Barre if sinful men were try'd No flesh alive would ere be justified But him in mercy God hath lay'd so low That Devils themselves his burial do not know They strive indeed to find it out and faine Would bring him from his putrid Urne again To judge the World if they might have their will Moses should live and Christ be buried still But our Archangels powerful hand alone Nulls all their search and keeps his grave unknown Even so great Prince let him still buriedly For if he rise the whole wide world must dy Epig. 2. Ad Schismaticos quod Michael non sit Christus T Is no created Angel this you say But Christ the Lord whom holy Church to day Honors for that great combat which of old He with the Divel 'bout Moses corps did hold But tell us then what were those men the while That say he durst not that foul fiend revile What is' t that great Messias durst not do Who made the Devils and shal condemn them too Or whom doth God with his blest Spirit infuse That such harsh words of Christ their Lord will use Choose which you 'l hold or 't was a Creature this Or what th Apostles wrote were Blasphemies Epig. 3. Vpon Revelat. cap. 12. DIvels have their Prince and so have Angels too Monarchick power all creatures yield unto These fought in heaven this with desire to teare The woman thence but that to keep her there But rest poor Creature with thy Babe secure The Dragon is not able to endure Thy Michaels strength whom God hath arm'd to be A Prince and Guardian to thy seed and thee Rest happy Church and though this Serpents tail Over almost half the starres of heaven prevail To throw them down yet be not thou affright For whose defence such hosts of Angels fight October 1. EIght is the Gospels number on this day Our buried Lord triumphing broke away From Death's strong holds whom she suppos'd sh 'had ty'd There fast enough for ever to abide That day till he ascended hence he still Met and inform'd his Brethren with what skill They in and out before his Church should go That day his Spirit in streams of fire did flow Into the Apostles bosomes and between Their knees to sit like cloven tongues was seen That day the Lord for all his Churches weal To his belov'd Disciple did reveal In Pathmos Isle a gracious sight of all Those changes which hereafter must befall His wearied Spouse till She at last do come To feast it with him in the wedding room In memory of all which things his will Is that this Eight day shall be honored still Throughout the world till he us all remove To keep an everlasting Eight above The Feasts of October 2. OCtober's eighteenth day on Luke doth wait Simon and Jude are pleas'd with twenty eight Luke Evangelist Epigr. 1. THat you may see that Galen's Pupills are Not all such Atheists as reports declare Reade those two books that Luke's sweet hand did pen In this the Acts of God in that of men And tell me whether the Church ere had a man That wrote more truths then our Physitian To these if you demand my Faith I flie And say here 's my Religio Medici Epigr. 2. LVke the belov'd Physitian 's styl'd a name At which would God our Tribe did chiefly aime Let others scrape for wealth but let us be Deservedly belov'd as well as he Let us still wait upon our Patients side Take such account of all things that betide Their sleeps their wakings coolings heats and all Those very nauseous excrements that fall Bear all their wayward moods speak still so fair Give
Valentine a Valendo Epig. 1. THy name imports a Power and justly too For no Power else can work what thine can do Kings rule the earth fire sword and torturing racks The body with a thousand death's distracts But can proceed no further only thine Thy power commands the soul great Valentine Epigr. 2. THere 's no resisting I must serve thee too Great Saint as well as all the Creatures do Feirce untam'd Beasts and winged Foules betray A sense of Love and feel thy power to day And so do I but in a lawful fire Whose heat oh may it never more expire Epigr. 3. NO more vayne men to Cupids Altars sue We have a better Saint to go unto A Saint that breaths chast flames whose hand doth hold Arrowes compacted all of purest gold No leaden mixtures no blew wounds that show The venom'd point from whence their rancors flow If then to blesse your amorous hopes you need Some favoring Powers let Valentine succeed The Cyprian fondling Pious souls may seek The sweets of Love without a blushing cheek Matthias de seipso Epigr. 1. ACcurst Iscariots vacant roome I fill See's make their Bishops neither good nor ill All are not rocks that sit in Peters chaire Nor Divels that Judas his successors are Judas ad Romanos Epigr. 2. FOnd Romans Peters dubious chaire resigne 'T is for your honor more to sit in mine None of the twelve themselves will not deny Left an Apostle in his seat but I. Their meaner followers meaner titles bare Mine with th' eleven assum'd an equal chaire If you would needs aspire my name had bin Apter t' have mask'd your vast ambition in Then Peter's claime of whom 't is hard to know Whe'r ere indeed he were at Rome or no. But my opprobrious death is that alone Which your else shameless cheeks do blush to own As for the rest the conscious world doth see That you recede from Cephas more then me In outward show I seem'd for Jesus's sake To quit the world and his sharp cross to take But play'd the thief the while and made no spare So I might fill the cursed bagge I bare To rob the poor and as if that were small To set to sale even Christ himself and all Yet mask'd my treasons still with sacred guile And cry'd hail Lord and kiss'd him too the while And is not this your guise I pray you tell Can any actions be more parallel Did ever any to one chaire succeed Whose lives exactly view'd so well agreed But go to since you think it yet a shame Though you approve my works to own my name Know this your Seat's not so asham'd of me As my Successor of your seat would be Vpon Joseph sirnamed Justus that was passed by and Matthias that was chosen by lot into the roome of Judas Act. 1. 24 26. Epigr. 3. JOseph the Just refus'd Heavens righteous doom Lots out Matthias unto Judas's room God looks not with mans eyes the thing and name His wisdome oft finds not to be the same The Just one could not but the Just approve Conformity's the surest ground of love But his discerning eyes no doubt did see One not so stil'd to be more Just then he March 1. CHange but the names the Heathen Fables are Our Christian Gospels what 's their God of war But our dread Lord of Hoasts their vestal Nun And great Quirinus her immortal Son Romes God-like Founder by his Patriots slayn But from the eating grave reviv'd again And in his Fathers Chariot mounted high Above Heavens star-enamel'd canopy If you will note it what doth this proclaime But Jesus and his Virgin-Mothers name Give things this sense and you shall nothing erre Though you this Month to Mars his name referr Though Rhea Syluia have her Festal day And Romulus his Quirinalia All if you thus interpret things will be Who ere gain-saies it good Divinitie The Feasts of March 2. WAles for her David March his first doth claime The sixteenth bears the Irish Patricks name Bright Gabriel on the twenty fifth doth bear Glad tidings to the Virgin-Mothers eare Saint David Epigr. 1. BRutes Sons shall never say great Saint that I Have thrust thy name out of our Liturgy Let others doubt thy History to me It is enough that Cambrians honor thee Epigr. 2. BIshop or Champion whether name be due Or whether both great Saint and thou like to That other David in one person bear Prophet and Souldiers equal character I cannot tell but this I am assur'd Under thy auspice Wales hath long endur'd Epigr. 3. WHen my observing thoughts revolv how long Brutes warlike Sons have kept their name and tongue With what stout hands they their own fields have held Maugre the rage of those feirce stormes which swell'd From the rough Saxons Danes and Nonmans hate Which like the none-excepting doom of fate Fell upon all this Isle and rouled with An irresisted stream from Thames to Frith Yet Brutes stern children kept their own and stood Colossi like athwart those Seas of blood Unshaken with the tempest When I weigh These things great David I am forc'd to say That either thou their Champion dost excell Or they no Champion need they fight so well S. Patrick Epig. 1. VEnice sometimes chose Theodore to be Her guardian Saint but when she found that he Gave no success to her designs she laid Him by and call'd in Mark unto her aid Which course unless the ruin'd Ireland run And change her Saint too she is quite undone For either her Patrick cannot ease her needs Or which is worse he cares not how she speeds Epig. 2. PAtrick his prayers they say to pass did bring That in the Irish soil no venom'd thing May breed no Toads no Serpents Spiders there Nor other poisonous creatures do appear A blessed gift if what in them is lost The men have not within their brests ingrost Epig. 3. VVIse Romans when they first commenced wars Against a Town call'd out her Tutelars And gave them worship least perhaps they might In favour of the place against them fight Which course whether England took when long ago Sh' assail'd the Irish Kings I do not know But this I 'me sure their Patricks hand since then Was ne're lift up against the English-men Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Epig. 1. HAd Adam known his wife before the fall The blessing doubtless had been virtual To propagation and her first-born Son Had been conceiv'd without corruption But 't was not so the guilt which she convei'd To all her Issue proves she sinn'd a Maid Before coition the Impostor knew Too well accursed what he had to do When he the fountain did infect that all The lower streams might suck from thence their gall Which yet least it might bring a blot upon That glorious state the Angels portion The lot of Spirits the life of heaven and we For her crimes sake might loath virginity His Grace our all-wise Saviour did dispense In such an
sin Prince Peeres and People all at once might flie Like Manaoh's Angel to those joyes on high who 'le now hereafter charge the Popish rabble Of shaveling Priests to be uncharitable Who would at their own charge kind soules convey Their Enemies to Heaven so near a way Andrew Apostle Epig. 1. ANdrew having found the Christ brings Peter in True Converts still strive others souls to win Nor lose they by 't for grace is such a thing The more men spend the more their waters spring Like Christ his loaves whereof the more do share The fuller still the emptied baskets are Or like the widdows oyle which never stayed Till she an end of pouring out had made A sparing hand here makes the Owner poor They that do dole most out have most in store Vpon John 1. 38 39. Epig. 2. ANdrew enquires where Jesus dwelleth he Answers him truly he must come and see 'T is not the hearing of the eare O man That is enough to make a Christian Unlesse thou come to Christ and with thine eye Of faith survey the place where he doth lie Thousands have heard his own sweet mouth to tell Where his abode and yet are gone to Hell But none e're came to him that went away And perisht in his sins another day Epigr. 3. Vpon the Scots Arrogating Saint Andrew for their Patron SCotland we grant feels Andrews powerful hand But 't is to punish not to guard their land Their King their God their Souls and all they 'll sell For a few pence and run themselves to Hell But this sad curse their Saint on them hath laid That they shall still be poor for all their Trade December 1. MEthinks this Moneth to Sinai sadly leades And in our ears the ten Commandments reads Those ten sad words which none e're kept and none E're broke but 't was to his own destruction Sad words indeed but that this Month before It doth expire brings in a Saviour One that doth keep them from us and doth bear That death himself which our sad souls did fear O happy Advent that hath power to make This yoak so easie now to undertake That takes all dread from these ten words away And turns our Serpent to a helping stay Which way so e're we look this Number now Hath no more threatning wrinkles in its brow Look upon Christ and this tenth Month will bring Him clad in flesh to be our offering Look on the Law and all the thunder 's gone And it hath nothing in 't but light alone Thus thou my God can'st make December snow With more sweet joyes then verdant May to flow December his Feasts 2 DEcember's twenty first is Thomas Fee The twenty fift is Christ's Nativity Stephen upon the twenty sixt they stone The twenty seventh's assign'd to aged John The twenty eight by Herods cruelty At Bethlehem the poor Innocents did dy Thomas Apostle Epig. 1. THy faith was weak it cannot be deny'd Such doubtings are not to be justifi'd When such a cloud of Witnesses do meet To clear a truth then Thomas not to see 't Is willful blindness which doth not admit Of any just excuse to cover it But yet blest Saint when by thy Lords consent Thy hands had felt those holes the nails had rent And that the spear had made within his side Then never man with greater fervour cry'd My Lord my God O happy happy tongue That feelingly so sweet an Anthem sung Thomas thy failings they were great indeed But thy great faith I 'm sure did more exceed Epig. 2. THomas had not thy failings been so sad Our Faith had not so firm a footing had Thy weakness is our strength and by thy fall W' are now so setled as no tempest shall Unfix our holds or make us doubt again O God what cannot thy great power attain Who mak'st thy Saints miscarriages to be An Antidote to all Posteritie Well may we by their graces look to win That do become such gainers by their sin Epig. 3. Vpon John 20. 21. THomas 't is true thy late dead Master stands Before thy eyes thou feel'st his side and hands Such is his grace and now beleev'st indeed But 't is weak faith that such strong proofs doth need Blessed are they whom lesser means will draw To rest upon that Christ they never saw Thou dost not want thy wages but their Faith No doubt my God a double portion hath Christmas Day Epig. 1. Vpon Luke 2. 7. STruck with a new Instinct me thinks I spy The Beasts before thy manger prostrate lie And strait cry out Lord now 't is true indeed That which we in thy Holy Book do read The Oxe and th' Asse their Masters crib do know But Israel thine own people do not so Epig. 2. Vers eod There was no room for them in the Inne VVHo'd think that Davids heir in Davids town With child should find no lodging to lay down Her precious burthen but poor creature must Into the stable with the Beasts be thrust But thus in common Inns t' hath always bin They thrust out Christ whilst Ruffians vaunt within Epigr. 3. Vpon Luke 2. 8 9 10 11. VVHy didst thou send thine Angel Lord to tell Poor Shepherds first of this great Miracle The birth of thy Messias which had bin News for the stateliest Courts to have gloried in Was it to show that in these heavenly things Poor Swains oft get the start of mighty Kings Or was 't because that he whose birth was told Himself was the great Shepherd of the fold And 't was but meet that such as Shepherds were The birth of the great Shepherd first should hear Or wouldst thou have these Shepherds know that Lambe Of God was now brought forth whom it became Them to look after more then all their own A Lamb that whosome're doth wait upon They are kept safe by that same Lamb they keep The Shepherds are preserved by the Sheep Whether this or that induc'd thee Lord to show This grace to these poor men I do not know But this I know they 've seen such things to day As never men beheld before but they Go happy Shepherds leave your flocks and hie To Beth'lem where your Infant Lord doth lie And when you have view'd his sacred person well Spare not aloud what you have seen to tell Write volums of these things and let them bear The title of the Shepherds Calender This I assure you never shepherds knew With all their studies half so much as you Saint Stephen Epig. 1. THy name great Stephen doth a Crown denote And thou indeed a goodly Crown has got The first rich Crown that ever Martyr ware That witness to his glorious Master bare Christ by his sufferings past into his Throne And thou the self same-way to thine art gone Where thou now reignest with him O happy man That by one Combat such a Kingdome wan Had I great Saint that learned Graecian's skill And could drop golden raptures from my quill I 'de