Gods true Sonne then let me see Some token of it that I may believe He hath a care of thee that thou mayst live Full forty dayes thou hast been here alone Wand'ring and wond'ring in this Mansion Earth yeelds no bread the brooks doe yeeld no water The Downes no Locust Combes no honney scatter Clouds yeeld no Manna Ravens take no care To feed thee with their flesh-pots late or ear Sarepta's widow doth not breake her Cake Which for her own last dinner she did bake Is this th' Almighties care is this his love Which he of late did unto thee improve As to his Sonne that thou should'st starve and dye By famine and extream necessity No get thee up exchange these stones to bread Eat freely then and be thou satisfi'd For skin to skin and all the worlds rich choise Man will renounce before his life he lose Full forty dayes I have been here proud Clown R. Replies my Saviour and have beaten down This flesh of mine with fasting all the while That in this Lent of mine I might beguile Thy pur-blinde eyes whose chiefest aime and straine Is but to crush my flesh because humane Moses my servant neere this place before Fasted as long whil'st Sinay's tops did rore And he who Baal's folly did proclame Full forty dayes did try the same extreame Yet neither th' one nor th' other sought to thee For help in their extream necessitie But by my Fathers strengthning power they Were without outward meanes maintain'd alway My Father without bread or water can Maintain that life which he hath giv'n to man The heav'ns on Israel did Manna powre Like Coriander in a snow-white showre To some he doth lifes meanes miraculously Beyond their expectation multiply That when they look'd t' have kept nothing in store Their nothing still increas'd and grew the more Then to distrust my Fathers providence T' abuse my power and under the pretence Of working miracles t' obey thy will Were base in me and a prodigious ill Indeed man lives by bread but that 's not all Each word which from my Fathers mouth doth fall Must either blesse the bread to man or then It shall not nourish him 't shall prove his bane Thus hath the venemous snake his first dart flung Yet hath it neither wounded hurt nor stung My Saviour for his still uncharmed eare Without impression that assault did heare A second dart therefore the Traitor tryes And that it may prevaile he proudly flies Unto the top of Salems Temple there To crush by pride what 's not crush'd by dispair The first tentation's ground was starving want Now doth presumptuous plenty charm in chant For where one poore extream can never doe it He hath another and he puts us to it Jerusalem is now the worlds chiefe glory The Temple is Jerus'lems highest story The Pinacle's the loftiest step of that There is my Saviour by the Tempter set I have desir'd thee to make bread of stones Saith the proud murth'rer but behold at once Thou didst reply Thy Fathers providence Would shelter thee from Natures indigence Come then come let us try thy Fathers power Cast thy selfe down from top of this high tower For well I know what 's writ in David's book And thou mayst learn it when thou list to look That he hath giv'n his Angels astrict charge To bear thee in their armes as in a Barge To keep thee safe and sound in flesh and bone Psal 81. Lest thou shouldst dash thy foot against a stone How long shall I now suffer thee damn d dogge R. Saith my Redeemer like a wallowing hogge Disturb my sacred Cisterns by such wiles The Sonnes of Adam alwaies thou beguiles It is no new thing to heare thee blaspheme This is the program of thy Academe Grace hath abounded man may sinne the more Elected and Redeem'd trip still therefore The spirit of bondage and of feare is gone Burst then the fetters of Adoption O how it wounds me thus to heare thee tare My sacred Oracles with poysoned aire As if in them there were not couch'd such truth As could both comfort age and confound youth I know 't is written but I know as well There 's something written there thou dost conceal And dar'st not utter for it would declare The snaky sophism of thy subtile snare In all thy wayes thou dost omit this stance Yet here 's the rule of Gods great providence If man would wish or hopefully expect The safe protection of the bless'd elect He must not wander in his fancies measure Or tread the wandring path of his own pleasure But in the path of that Saint-beaten rode That 's pointed out unto him by his God If so he walke he shall be safe and sure If otherwise his death he shall procure Art not thou now asham'd so treacherously To wrest th'Eternals truth impudently To cut asunder that which God conjoyns And with an endlesse falshood gird thy loyns Take then from out that sacred Scriptures fountain A stone cut without hands from out the mountain To split thy forehead from out David's sling And curb the poyson'd venome of thy sting Behold it 's written both to man and thee Tremble and feare doe not presume too high For who so wanders from this beaten rode Doth tempt the Lord and lift his heel ' gainst God Deut. 6.16 Yet once more must this murtherer goe fling His last and finall dart against our King The blast of fainting and of black dispaire Nor of presumptions fire-ball thrown i'th'aire Have not prevail'd yet will he not be quiet But ayming at his envies richer diet He sets my Saviour on a steep high mountain From which each river and each bubling fountain Each pearly mead and shady shelt'ring grove Where either Serpents hisse or Satyrs rove Each vinyard drunk with grapes or cloi'd with clusters And ev'ry place where pleasure makes her musters And ev'ry other sense-contenting thing Which to a carnall minde content can bring Are in an eyes short twinkling set before him And promis'd to him if he would adore him See'st thou not those sayes he all those be mine View take possesse them I will make them thine And with their title I will here endow thee If thou wilt once but bow thy knees unto mee Now now and ne'er till now did my Redeemer Waxe fierce with fury ' gainst this bold blasphemer R. What Bow to thee thou foul abortive slave Thou dust eater thou canker of the grave Thou down-faln star thou filthy proud glow-worm Whose fall yet fils both Earth and Seas with storm Proud begger slave thou saist the world is thine And yet it is the Lords and all therein The treasures of the winds the cloudes of Raine The wine press'd grapes and all the sheaves of graine The fishes of the Sea the fowls o' th' aire The beasts o' th' Earth that nibble here and there The floods the rivers watry ponds and lakes Which from the clouds or ocean welspring takes
thoughts espy With a loud voyce he boldly thus doth say Alas I now perceive it for a truth This people doe draw neer me with their mouth Whil'st as their hearts are farre from me for loe Not for my Doctrine sake they doe me know But for the barlie loaves they did partake When I did feed them for my mercy sake But travell not I pray you for that meat Which is as quickly gone as it is eate But labour for that bread which lasts for ever Which I the sonne of man to you deliver Your Fathers in the deserts did eate Manna And prais'd the giver with a loud Hosanna Yet did they perish dye and eke consume In their stifnecked murmuring A mertume But he who eats the bread that I shall give him Shall never perish for it shall revive him I am the bread of life which came from heaven My father unto you this bread hath given That by his bread of life which is supernall He may your soules maintain to life Eternall As many then as come to me shall neither Have thirst nor hunger for my glorious Father Sent me from heav'n not my own will to doe But mans hard heart unto his yoak to bow That so man may eschew his burning wrath And scape the sorrows of the second death No man hath seen the Father but the Sonne Who in the Fathers bosome dwels alone He doth reveale him unto whom he pleaseth Whose crosse he lightneth and whose soule he easeth No man ascendeth unto heav'n but he Who came from heav'n and doth in Majestie Though base on earth yet when he thinketh sit Doth on his Fathers right hands glory sit And at his second comming saves his sheep From sinking in that never fathom'd deep Whereas the sulpher of th'Eternalls breath Layes hold upon the vessels of his wrath And makes the faithfull and the righteous all Be fill'd with glories endlesse festivall The Metamorphose CANTO 6o. FOre-chosen Jacob Isaac's second Swaine Jah-struggling champion and victorious man Thou royall she apheard and tresprudent Siere Whom Palestina's Princes did admire Vouchsafe me but t' approach thy dying throne And charge thee with this Gordian knot alone And like Apollo thou thy front shalt see Deckt with a garland from the Lawrell tree Whence come th' Enthusiasm and that sacred sury Which made thee all thy carnall senses bury In Lethe's lap and with religious rage Divide Chams tents to Israels heritage VVhence hadst thou wisdome and sweet inspiration To precognose and with true divination Foretell that Juda's tribe should beare the sway Till Shilo should ecclipse his Majesty How madest thou Joseph like a fruitfull Vine That doth her arms about her Bridegroom twine Drunk with the grapes of Ephraims royall cup Which weak Manasseh's hands could not beare up But above all I stand amaz'd to see Lewd Levi's scatt'rings dare t' approach so nigh To Joves Ariell offring there upon For sinne and sinners expiation Is Dinah dead or Sechem's blood gone dry That thou dost thus forget his villany And without smarting for his foule offence Exalt him to the high-Priests eminence 'T is strange that divine Justice should permit Him who i th' chaire of sinners so hath sit Without corrections rod possesse the throne And sing the carrols of exemption O now I see thy tongue was not thy own A higher power hath it rul'd and thrown Even He great He whose wayes we cannot spy Because his will 's the square he worketh by Who where he will have mercy there he pardons And where he will with draw his grace he hardens From his good pleasure then and no where else It is that Levi's tribe the rest excels And on his Ephod whiter then the snow Hath tyed his breast plate where in sumptuous show Stands Vrim and great Thummims true direction For light of knowledge and for lifes perfection So then from loyns of that unhallowed stem Which Jacob thrust from Israels diadem The Lord hath chosen a successive race Of royall Priesthood who before his face Shall in that course which David did prescribe Burn incense and their sacrifice contrive With never alter'd though alternat order Till Melchizedeck come and crush their border All those like Comets when they first appeare In our sublunar regions hemispheare Did draw mens wandring eyes and wondring hearts To scan their sequels whether smiles or smarts But all in vaine nature can ne'er unty The clasped books of heav'ns great mystery For till the Word was Flesh great Judah's throne Ne'er knew her perfect exaltation And Aarons rod did ne'er her top bow down With reverence to Melchizedecks Crown But when thou cam'st those figures types and tropes Had reall Essence for unreall hopes For where the Sun doth shine in lights aray All clouds evanish night gives place to day Since then thou art true light and since with thee Darknesse dare plead for no societie O let me but be bold this once to follow Thee to thy Tabor that my sp'rit being shallow May by the lustre of thy glories shine Taste of that light that never shall decline But aye me whil'st I see the hill so steep The gulfe of my poore misery so deep The flesh so fraile the sp'rit so soone o'retak'n The flax so quench'd the bruised reed so shak'n The load of sinne so great my faith so faint So strickt the forfeit of the Covenant I cannot choose but feare lest by the way My hasting doe defraud me of my pray Unlesse thou help who help'd the faithfull thiefe For I believe Lord help my unbeliefe Come then dread Saviour let me search the time Wherein thou didst to Tabors fastege clime Thy Scriv'ners differ many therefore doubt Thy journies Epoche how they shall finde out One sayes that it was fully six daies after That thou didst make their soules o'reflow with laughter By promising that some who stood thee by Should not see death nor taste mortality Till they being witnesse of thy raptures story Should see the Sonne of man come in his glory Another saith the dayes were almost eight After that promise that thou scal'dst this height Thus doe some weake mindes stumble whilst they spy Amidst thy truth so great variety But foolish we in vanity still wallow We straine a Gnat yet doe a Camel swallow We grope at noone day and make known our blot Whil'st in a rush we seek a Gordian knot For where the eight day's neere and six are spent By true arithmetick the seventh is meant Upon this day when heav'ns and earth were made And all their frame and fabrick finished Th' Eternall seeing all his creatures good Proclam'd the seventh dayes rest and so it stood Upon this day from Mysraims darkned Cell God did redeem his first born Israel Upon this day from Baalz phons shoare To Migdoll he his people dry-foot bore Upon this day from Syna's thundering jaw He gave the Sanctions of his sacred Law Upon this day in Cana's wedding shrine He turned fountaine water unto wine And
diffembling hearts To goe and take him where soere they could And for their paines doe promise heaps of gold Me thinks I see that foul malignant spirit Who doth eternall darknesse pit inherit Sitting at top of this lewd Councell-table Breath this advice to his unhallow'd rabble My friends saith he you descant on a theam Whereon depends or ignominious shame Or never fading honour strive therefore T' acquit your selves as men for I bhorre That in such exployts those which follow me Should faint for feare or swerve for infamie Dally no more with strangers for this fact A home-bred traitor's fittest for this act For when a stranger stands afarre for fear A bold Dome stique dar'th and draweth near 'T is long since I did know the wayes of man 'T is long since I his greatest strength did scan Yet did I never finde so safe a way As by a friend upon a friend to pray With Adam when at first I meant to wrestle I caught the Linot in his breast did nestle And by that rib which from his side was taken I knock'd his pate since then 't is alwayes shaken Whil'st Sampson as a Naâ—'rite kept his haire Nor Gath nor Ekron could with him compare But when in Gaza Dalilah pinn'd his harp He found that Sorecks Scissers were 〈◊〉 sharp When no man could prevaile for Ahais fall At Ramoth Gilead then did I enstall A lying spirit in Zedekiah's mouth He play'd the Prophet Achab felt the truth In vain therefore you doe this man assaile By strength of hand Desire you to prevaile Conduce with Judas let him have some gain I fire the match he blows't lay you the train This spoke like to a Persian Decree Dagon doth seale the Statute hence go'th he But ô how wofull wretches be all you Who to this statute and decree doe how It had been good that you had ne're been born Better not be at all than be forlorn They call anon for Judas he doth come They greet him with applauding welcome home They doe intreat him that he would betray His master to them he at first sayes nay But being urg'd he sayes what will you give And I shall bring him to you safe alive They give him thirty silv'rings for his pay And he to catch his master goes away Of late that spirit who feeds on endlesse fire Did put a snare of Mammons foul desire Before my Master that worlds plenteous store Might make him worship him and what is more Of late I heard thee very Judas say To Mary Magdalen what meanes this pray And store of pretious oyntment were it sold And put in treasure for the poor it would Afford three hundred pence to ease their need Their backs to cover and their bellies feed Where 's now thy Piety and pirty gone How is thy soft heart turn'd â—'a heart of stone Ah now I see th' art sent to Mammons schoole For he is peâ—â—â—y-wiâ—e and thou pound-foole I will deliver him to you thou say'st But this is more proud wormling then thou may'st Had not his Father giv'n him by Decree Had he not giv'n himselfe most willinglie Had not the holy Ghost anoynted him To be a sacrifice for human crime Nor damned thou nor all the Dev'ls of hell Could make one haire from off his head to fall But now the bargain 's made the price is payd The Sonne of Man to sinners is betray'd The Passeover that night must needs be kill'd And so th' Almighty-father's will sufill'd No man doth shew himselfe more apt or bent To snatch the seale of the old Testament Then he whostands the better Cov'nants foe That he partakes and lets this other goe O foul hypocrifie I deep induration That cares not for true piety but fashion And by hid fraud seeks to blind-fold the eyes Of that great God who unseen all things sees They sit at table and the Passeov'r eat Jesus beholding this white Dev'll at meat Cries Verily some one that sits nigh by Hath sold me and this night shall me betray Who would not think but shame in Judas face Should have bewray'd both him and his trespasse But sinnes bad custome hath so steel'd his brow That he to blush for shame forgetteth now Of all the rest each one can search and say Tell me good Master is it I or I The Master for a time doth hold his peace Then opes his mouth and boldly to his face Layes down the modell of his treach'rous way That so his future state he might display It cannot be saith Christ but needs must come Offences but woe to the man by whom The sonne of man shall be berray'd it had Been good for him a mill-stone had been layd About his neck and then perfidiou he Should have been thrown into the deepest Sea Yea good it had been for him that his mother Had never borne him All this he doth smother And with a bold out facing count'nar cecry Speak plainly Master rell me is it I Christ having charg'd him by his accusation For his indictment addes this affirmation Now thou hast said it what thou dost goe doe Take here the sop I reach thee goe goe too And what thou dost doe quickly for the will Of my great Father I thirst to fulfill Nor will I drink more of this grape of wine Till in the heav'ns I drink it fresh and fine No sooner hath he spoke those words when loe Sathan mans hatefull and orewarching foe Entreth in Judas and doth take possession Of his foule heart for all his faire profession Some ignorant by stander would have thought Surely this man some speciall good hath wrought That thus his Master doth the rest ore-top And onely greet him with this speel all sop O but by outward gifts no man can prove Either Gods righteous justice or his love For many times the wicked have excesse While as the righteous perish its distresse Better it had been for that false Disciple That he no lamb should eat or wine could tipple Then that by their big morsels Bathan should Make his foul heart his secret den and hold Not that or bread or wine could keep within Their secret bosoms such a snare for finne Or that a sop dipt in so fowre a sauce Of such a bad effect could be the cause No that were hard no man should then digest His daily bread but Sathan should arest Their soules as capriues act him were it so That by their food he could their soules ov'rthrow No no that bread and wine were then no more A common dyet as they were before But Sacramentall then they were and thus Exchang'd from common to a sacred use He who did eat them without faith and love Did reap no profit to his soules behove But he who in true faith those morsels ear Receiv'd a better and spirituall meat Even that true bread of life that came from heaven And that true wine which to the Saints is given Judas foul heart being emptl'd of all grace It was no wonder