vain Projectors NO mortal Man can limit or restrain The boundless fansies of another's brain But may such Fetters on his own Thoughts lay As will keep them from wandring much astray But naturally Men add wings to try How high their vain ambitious Hearts can fly Until like Icarus their waxen wings Do melt and all their hopes to ruin brings But when our Souls do with Angellick Love Soar high they will Celest'al joys improve To flaming Zeal and raise our hearts so high As will discern our Immortality To my Rich Friend become Poor TEll me Old Friend and speak the truth If twenty Dishes in thy Youth Did then more please and gratifie Thy Stomach with that Gluttony Which did Diseases daily breed Till now thou dost on one Dish feed Tell me if now thy constant health Gives not more joys than thy lost Wealth Afforded by thy vast excess In frequent Treats and Wantonness Which made a noise more than content For all thy charge and time mispent When to the Poor half that expence Would have procur'd God's Providence And sav'd the loss of thy Estate Which thou hast thought upon too late Tho' now thou dost aloud profess Thy Poverty proves Blessedness On Injustice IF Charity to Men be God's Command Justice must in much higher favor stand If neither can in wicked Men find place They slight God's Anger and despise his Grace But these are petty Crimes when Avarice Doth harden hearts for gold and Souls intice To sell Salvation at so cheap a Rate Such villanous intentions aggravate When a design'd premeditated cheat With a bold-fac'd fraud shall just Right defeat And a false Cause by power shall justifie Hell only can reward such Infamy For God with indignation does declare He will Poor Men's Oppressors never spare Against Momentary Joys NOW let my Friend from sighs and sorrow cease For Crimes repented let thy joy increase For thy serene assurance lately gain'd Of pardon by thy Saviour's Blood obtain'd Let thoughts of thy Eternal Glory rise And scorn all Earthly Bawbles that surprise Unsteady Souls with present fading Toyes That cloud the brighter Beams of Heav'nly joys And boldly do those glist'ring bubbles try In hope they 'll last unto Eternity Who raise their idle fancies by their wit To practise Atheism rather than submit To part with present Moments of delight To purchase Heav'n with God's Beatick sight Who with his known Decrees will not comply But think to live till they are pleas'd to dye Tho of such Men it may be truly said They are that moment both alive and dead The Terror of Death by Death is cured IF Death were not for Sin from Heaven sent It could not be esteem'd a punishment To be deliver'd from our daily woe While'twixt our Roses Thorns and Thistles grow So that our care should be to weed our hearts From foul excrescents by such holy Arts As will that fatal sting of Sin destroy And so convert our sorrows into joy When we the Pangs of such a Death endure As doth produce both Punishment and Cure To my Old Friend on his Birth-day MY Friend thou dost well to celebrate thy Birth-day as a vow'd Sacrifice to God because he did reserve the first born to himself of Living Creatures and thou art one But let not thy Altar be adorn'd with a superfluous Treat with too many flagons of rich Wine and Tables throng'd with Wealthy Guests as if it were a Bacchanalian Feast But such a moderate Meal for thy own Servants with some Poor Neighbours that may soberly rejoyce to see a New Year begin with a propitious prospect of thy insuing happiness and pray thy Piety and charity may Shine round about thy Habitation here on Earth until thou art advanc'd to Heaven Death is the Beggars highest Holiday T IS but a faint Felicity that any Man can have in all the Honours Treasures and Pleasures of this World without a joyful inward assurance of his Salvation when the next moment an angry Neighbour or a Tyrant Prince can end his days Or Sickness by tormenting pains turn all his joy into sorrow while he lives with despairing terrors worse than all at the approach of Death when a poor pious Beggar will die transported full of Celestial Joys for his highest Holiday and be as welcome into Heaven as the greatest Monarch And therefore may be well and truly said Both Souls are of the same fine Substance made To my merry Friend WHY now so joyful my good Friend has thy Princes smiles this Morning added new feathers to thy Heart that makes it fly so high His frowns to morrow may turn those gay feathers into Lead tho' thou deserve not such a change Consider now such frequent sad Fates as do befal the craftiest Men that only trust in mortal accidents for their support in Princes favours and raise thy Souls delight in Service of the King of Kings whose favours will endure unto Eternity above the reach of Earthly Storms and then thy Prince's favours will have a sure foundation to subsist on with higher joys than any Sycophants black Arts by Malice or by Envy can disturb thy Peace or Pleasures when a good Conscience is so center'd and so fix'd on God For no Man can imagine the constant felicity of a strict pious Life in all conditions but he that is so reconciled with a lively Faith to God as chearfully to part with all the glist'ring Bubbles of this World to enjoy everlasting Bliss in Heaven which ought to be the supreme hope of our best endeavours On the fear of Death THO Men by nature Born to fear to Die May still account it a great misery When Piety and Prayer can't prevail To change the pow'r of that severe Intail Tho' all our Hearts and Souls do still agree To frame our Minds to God's most bless'd Decree Because no other means like that the best To bring Mankind to his Eternal Rest. Yet our weak Faith cannot the credit gain By Heavenly joys and glory to obtain Such Courage and a Valour so Divine Rather to Die with joy than to repine To part with fading pleasures that no Age Can for one moments certain time engage They shall abide nor can find any cure That Men on Earth for ever shall endure How great a shame and folly then that we Should fear to go where we desire to be And so preferr our miseries on Earth Before a bless'd and glorious chearful Death That will in gratitude the surest way Our Souls to God in Paradise convey When Faith with such a Zeal shall so comply 'T will shew a Godly Gallantry to Die On the Art of Meditation WHO will the Art of meditation learn Must make each Paragraph his chief concern For some few moments to consider on Lest reading more create confusion And unavoidably disturb the Brain With more at once than what it can retain When Piety by Art is thus refin'd It will rejoyce the heart inrich the mind With sacred Thoughts beyond all Earthly care Till flesh be turn'd into Angelick Air All Men should live as ever in God's sight And make Devotion their supreme delight And then observe how God does Grace return To make Seraphick Joy the brighter burn FINIS * He shewes a great Goblet * He points to the Cup that had the poyson
hour of Death and ought to be the chief Business of all Men to live and die so who do march every moment from our Cradles dying towards our Graves On Heavenly Joy WHate'er we do on Earth we all pretend Heaven is our Home Heaven is our Journey's end That 's true Seraphick Joy when we do find Such elevated Bliss as fills the Mind With high transports of God's celestial Throne And all our meaner Objects we disown Yet sometimes spoil our bless'd angelick rest To rowl on Roses when on Thorns is best Vainly thinking some diviner Grace May smooth afflictions with a smiling face When sighs and tears if they come not too late More surely can our heavenly Joys create When God observes our Zeal to do our best To please we shall assuredly be bless'd And may expect to find more Penitents Encircling of God's Throne than Innocents Which shews sincere Repentance surely can With a fix'd Faith restore relapsed Man Thus may our high-rais'd warm addresses prove Bright Ecstasies of the divinest Love Then will our Souls from dross be clean refin'd And by our sacred Chymist be calcin'd Fit for a Choir of Angels to attend Such Saints and sing them to their Journey's end On taking heed of all our Ways WHen God reduces Sinners to take heed Of all their ways in thought in word and deed Repentance then will be of little use When all our actions will need no excuse We shall the World subdue and stoutly stand In full obedience unto God's Command And then will Death in glorious Robes descend To guide not fright us at our Journey's end So that if we take heed in all our ways We shall the Devil defeat and wear the Bays To a Friend My dear Friend I Have read in a divine Author That if God be with us he will make us see that he is with us and will not depart from our sight until he has brought us never to depart out of his Which is a Lesson of high concern to Men in this World for Thus to enjoy God here is to be in Heaven before we die When our Souls are thus transported with a continual divine Conversation with Almighty God we may taste and relish his celestial Joys to some degree so as to envite us to value his spiritual Comforts above all carnal Fruitions So that our great Business is to improve this Blessing to the highest reach of humane Fancy by a daily practice of holy Meditations to contemplate and observe how God doth infuse this joyful enjoying of Him into our Souls by the secret working of the Holy Ghost when we set our selves with zealous integrity to find him there to converse with us on this great lesson of his immense Mercy with our humble prayers to be enlightned from above to participate of such angelical Delights as far as our frail Nature will admit of which by frequent use will bring us to such an habit of holy living that God will manifest his presence ever with us by an inward Felicity of divine Comforts to such an assurance of our Election unto eternal Bliss as is ineffable to be described So that when we raise our Thoughts with a divine Desire to know as much of God as we can know and of his being with us he will add of his Grace to enlarge our Capacities to such heavenly Trances in Devotion that we shall be with him and he with us as we do wish with such a joy as will dread all diverting Occasions that shall obstruct those Emanations of his holy Spirit working in us And thus if we do entertain our selves by such frequent addresses to find God he will daily meet and ever dwell with us if we unfelgnedly desire to dwell with him and will give us such a glimpse of his eternal Bliss as may fix our hearts on Heaven and make us live every moment in a joyful Expectation of Death's quickest Summons thither and by this frequent entertainment of thy Soul with God Thou my Friend wilt find such a communication with God on Earth to be the highest Perfection of Piety and a felicity much more delightful than all other Diversions which can never reach such Seraphick Joys as I wish to thee my Friend On the Fear of Death IF we fully consider our manifold Sins and the horrid Judgment due unto us for them it may well be said Happy is that Man who can obtain such a Reconciliation with God before he die as daily to delight in the meditation of a sudden death with inward assurance of his eternal Bliss the moment that he expires Because all our Ideas of the divine Felicities above do seldom invite Men to welcome Death with cheerful Hearts Our fears are so much stronger than our Faith that too many Men do rather think than find they do believe that Christ's plenteous Redemption will cancel all their Crimes and bring them into Heaven and therefore dare not really rejoyce to look on death but start back from such angelick Happiness as he brings good Men to participate of in God's eternal Glory which natural infirmity of doubting can only by an illustrious Faith be removed and that Faith by frequent Prayers be obtained Then thus to live and so to die will make us live and die in great tranquility though not to reach St. Stephen's Faith who saw Heaven open to him yet to so great a degree of divine Raptures in Devotion as to be filled with elevations of an inward assurance of our Election which must come from God when the Soul is in such a blessed Trance of celestial Delight that is ineffable to be described How near such joy is to the joy we read of in Paradise when fervent Zeal is by a lively Faith so raised and sixed in God by frequent Meditations it is a wonder that such Men can fear to die or doubt togo to God with cheerful Hearts when thus invited and thus led by his holy Spirit with such bright illuminations of surprizing joys while those divine Flames last as cannot be related When Men's hearts are warmed with such Seraphick high Transports of Love and Mercy from Almighty God to give true Penitents some taste of their eternal Glory that being thus enlightned they may not fear to die but rather welcome death who comes to carry them to Heaven which is the highest Exaltation of the Soul's joy so to delight in God that the expectation of Heaven may be more pleasant than all the momentary Fruitions of this World are compared unto a blessed incomprehensible Eternity Which neither Wit nor Fancy can express When multiplying numbers make it less When neither first nor last can e'er be known Points so far distant yet so join'd in one That the eternal Circle shews us none But is a secret known to God alone 'T is such a sacred Riddle soâ— profound That humane Wisdom never can expound But leaves us still to wonder and adore What will be after and what was before On
of Nature so Kings Of Jove But 't is our Oath the Sacrament We took which still holds us though our Lord be dead Until his Successor release us from it By taking of a New One We are not Subjects but Slaves to Him we now Obey And therefore as Slaves we ought to hate our Master He was born less than We and hides The Private Man under the Publick Gown The Purple which he wears was dipt deep in The blood of Innocents to colour 't so But I vainly waste my self in Words here Are no Minds to be perswaded nor Ears To be instructed The sins we are to punish VVe all know and the gods remember Our strength then is all we are to speak of VVhich is more than three parts o' th' Isle sixteen Years Undisturb'd Provision so carelesly VVas that secur'd which was got by Blood There 's but one Lord-ship small in respect Of others the Tyrants Own Possession That will be Cordial for him but they are So besotted with their Fortunes that their Greatest Aid will be but in their VVills to Do him Service They may offer up their Lives Like so many Sacrifices for his sake But not like Souldiers they are Unworthy Of that Name They may Dye but never Conquer VVar was never talk'd of but in their Banquets Nor dare they Fight beyond a Brawl Phro And if we would count part of our Strength In their VVeakness we have no Opposition In the City where They and their Vices Are daily seen nothing is so Contemptible And in Remoter Parts where Majesty Is more reverenc'd being known onely By the Power and Lawes and where the name of King Hears like the Name of God even there those sonns O' th' Earth as I may call 'em dare menace him And pile hills on hills to set their Bodyes Equal to their Hates Eury. Here we are thee my Lord Can each of raise such Forces which though They fail'd to effect it yet could make The Kingdome fear a Conquest Pall Your Highness Is a Souldier and though but Young perhaps Have seen already what others whole Lives Have not shewn them yet wee 'l play a Game VVe dare invite You to though you were Accompani'd with all the Ancient Heroes VVho had they leave but in their Aery shapes To set on a Tribunal Spectators Of the VVar this their second Leaving of The Earth should be more grievous to them than Their former Deaths and they would wish this Isle Might be their Elizium Ara. You see my Lord How each can bring his Forces in and prompt The other Those which have none on Earth Can bring them down from Heaven in stead of Men Bring Manly Spirits VVords and Looks confirming More than Armies Clear M Lords I must confess with no small pleasure I have heard the Justice the Strength the Courage Of your Cause And for the first of which although I never doubted or from the other two Meant ever to withdraw my Aid however VVeak yet I am glad to see the Enterprize So hopeful For though most greedily I Should imbrace all Hazards for two such Mistresses As Justice and the Excellent Princess Yet where their Interests are Disputed I cannot wish to see a Danger what Ever weight of Glory I might purchase By it My Lords the small Force I am Master of Either in my Person or those Commanded by me Reckon on till you see us Conquer or lye Upon the ground Ara. Our Designs are then succesful Above our wishes Phronimus introduct. The Priest we are now ready for him Though Exit Phronimus We need nothing to strengthen our Resolutions Yet we 'l take an Oath 't is good to have the Gods Along with us A Sacrament is the Tie No lesse of Loyaltie than of Treason Here let us all before this Sacred Witnesse Phronimus returnes with a Plamen bearing in his hand an Image Of Faith and Perjurie make a Holy Vow Of Loyalty to Our Selves and Cause And as we draw near to so Divine an Essence consider that 't is not Gold or Marble That we touch but a Moddle of a Sensible And Living Power which has Vouchsaft to be Imbrac'd by One Hand when the Vastnesse of Our Thoughts could not comprehend it Here they all seeâ— to take an Oath by Kissing of the Image Exit Eurylochus Now we are ready for the Prince Eurylochus Conduct him in Your Grace shall see a Stronger Perswasion than any you have yet heard The lively Image of Her you so much Serve He Knowes not yet his Fortunes but I dare Warrant He 'l bear them bravely He has read The Lives of Kings though he never acted Any and you shall perceive he 's Princely-Born Though not bred in Court Eurylochus returns with Cleander Royall Sir y' are welcome Start not at the Name it is your Due You Were born to the Title and I doubt not Though you never heard it thus appli'd before 'T is not altogether Strange unto you There was a Spark which in the first Womb After a Speciall Manner was infus'd Into you and is another Soul Within you as the One Informes your Body So this Informes your Soul we may call 't The Difference of a King That will tell you We are all here your Subjects and this No Strange Philosophie I teach And though This Rich Perfume hath hitherto been wrapt In this Disguise of Learning and defended From the air o' th Court 't is not decai'd But grown stronger by such keeping which when It shall be open'd will cast a fragrant Smell ore all the Kingdome and cure the Infections Of the Former Age To open it we Are met it is a Medicine we too long Have languisht for And Sir though it be a short Warning to so Great a Matter you must Presently resolve to be a King We Have no time now to instruct you in Your Right and how you lost it It was Yeares In doing and will require Yeares to relate it In the mean time let what you see perswade you Our Serious Lookes Respects and the Presence Of these Holy Rites Clean I need not excuse My want of Answer there 's nothing fit for me To say Which way so e're I shall declare My self to this Purpose will appear Foolish Whether I Refuse or Grant both are alike Ridiculous 'T is not with Me as with Elder Yeares They may refuse Offers like these And be admir'd for such their Moderation Or accept them and for that Magnanimitie Be honour'd But should I assume an Action So many Yeares above my Age I must Expose my self a Pagent to the Beholders Scorn and Laughter My Lord That which I have To say is onely this My Yeares are yet in Non-Age My Actions not my Own to Others Wills I am wholly Subject you may Command me Even to Wear a Crown and to submit to Accept the Highest Honours Set me if You please on the Throne you speak of and when You see a time again remove me Yet My Lord I 'd have you
Bloud Within me Pal. O say not so Forbeare at length To prophane the Divine Goodnesse that dwels In you It is a Sin though You Your self Commit it Shall Self-Slaughter be held a Sin A Self-Slander not be Noted as a Greater Crime If the first be Murder So much the Soul 's more Excellent than the Body That the Last must be held a Sacriledge a kind of Blaspheming of the Deity dwels in us Take heed while you would rather Dye than bear A Staine you pull not the Greatest on you By avoiding it Eud. They that will preserve A pure and Spotlesse Soul must punish even The least Affinity in themselves to Sin Pal. Be yet advised They that too Nicely Create Sin where t is not Condemn their Innocence When their Judgment 's Faulty Eud. Why do you thus Reward me Good for Evill VVhy would you VVith-hold me from Perishing Justly That sought to sink you in all your Innocence Could my Imprecations have drove you To Destruction I had had but the End I aimd at Pal. Y' are still a Judge too Cruell To your Self All those Imprecations I deserv'd as I then shew'd to you But doe you Ask Why I would save you from Destruction O you have set too High a Prize Happinesse in That your Question unlesse Your Bountie too would shew the Way that we Might Hope to Effect it How should I despise The proudest Honours that attend the Sword In which Robbers and Ruffians may be Sharers With me to win a Glory so perfectlie Illustrious And could I bestow So Matchlesse and Divine a Benefit As Your Preservation on the World People would stile me God! And though from the Earth I took my Being with the Noblest of The Ancient Heroes they 'd fix my Name in Heaven Invest me with Diadem of Starres And Robe of Immortallitie And what is it That Obstructs this Blessing to the World and Me If I look upon your Innocence I read a Book in which not onely a Few Finite Yeares are writ but see an Age Drawn out to all Eternitie If on your Losse of State no Injurie of the World No Shock of Fortune can diminish A True Greatnesse That which was your Own Is still On you and sets you forth th' Example And Adoration both of the Present And the Future World Is it then last Your Losse of Friends or all these joyn'd together That withholds this Blessing we would so Dearly Purchase What is there in your Condition That is not to be paralleld in Others Look upon my Misfortunes and you shall find A perfect Sceme of all your Saddest Evils I lost as you have done a Father a King The Second Hopes unto a Crown the Joyes And Glory which doe wait on these Nay more By you I lost them Remember what your Righ Hand your Father and your Brother did Take from me what your Left their Ministers And Servants Learn then a Strength of me that Is the Worst Name for it to bear a Change Of Fortune And pardon a Fathers Death Let the Innocence of Mine excuse my Violence to yours We are the Wretched'st Two Alive made so by Our Selves and can be Onely Happy in Our Selves No Beam of Joy yet No breaking of a Raie of Comfort From these Clouds of Sadnesse No Dancing After this Long Night of Sorrow Madam Yet look up Though hitherto my Comforts Have been Air and unable to remove The weight of Grief oppresses you yet here 's One remaining I dare pronounce will prove Successfull Vouchsafe to cast an Eye upon this Paper That beares the Characters of your Living Brother and other Friends He gives Her a Paper Eud. It is not so It cannot it must not be Your Safeties Will not Suffer this if the Sword of Warre Have spar'd him That of Policie hath Cut him off Forbear to Mock me thus such Delusions Drive my Sorrowes to Distraction Pall Madam He lives and with him all the Rest whose Names Are there Subscrib'd nor is there more than One Could you but pardon that of any Note Has lost a Life by these Late Troubles Think not I have mock'd you with a Deceitfull Shew I know to have given you Happinesse As you imagine had been Twice onely To have Snatch'd it from you I shall say no more To you But Live as you find the Hopes true I have promist you And believe when I Spoken this my Life my Honour all that I possesse and all that can be added To me are a Gage Short to that I have given you And till I present your Brother in Safetie To you I 'le never presse to enjoy again The Heaven of Looking on you Rod Madam clear Exit Pallantus Your Spirits yet at last from these Clouds Of Discontent Many Noble Comforts Court you on ev'ry Side make a Truce With Your Sorrowes but till you see the Issue Of 'em Eud. I shall at least so far as till I have prov'd this One that 's promist me Exeunt Omnes Enter Cleander Hianthe Clearchus Aratus Haimantus Phronimus and Eurilochus Shouts of the People as they Enter People Jove Neptune Apollo all the Powers That favour Crete preserve and blesse the King Clean Through the Happinesse of my People May I know no other Joy or Blisse but what First passes you the Middle-Way of Blessings Between the Gods and Me People The Gods preserve Your Majestie Enter Pallantus and Kneeles and kisses the Kings Hand Pall Sir I humbly crave your Pardon That thus tardily after the People And your Enemies I present my Dutie To you and wish you Happinesse King I cannot Be deceiv'd thou must be th' Inimitable Matchlesse not to be Counterfeited or Resembl'd Great Pallantus Whom as none Can Reach to in a Noble Action so none Can Equall in a Gallant Presence Nor Doe I wonder to see the Change wrought in thee Thy Deed hath thus Transform'd thee It sits upon Thy Brow and casts a Glorie round about Thy Face Ara. Me thinks till this Day the Times had Likewise a Vizor on a Look'd not with A True Face before Sir you shall hourly see New Graces and New Glories break forth from him Pall My Lord you promise too Highlie for me Ara. Thou look'st sadlie after all thy Honours King So my-thoughts What can be the Cause Can He That has given a Nation Happinesse want it Himself Speak thy Discontent If it lie not In my own Power to Remedie I 'le Sacrifice In thy behalf Pall Sir low as the Earth I bow To you But that which is my Grief will be No longer mine alone than while I doe Conceal it 't is a Disease that all Good Men Will catch with the first Fancie and Conceit Justice could never yet with all her Care So carve out her Punishment but that the Innocent Were Wounded with the Stroke and felt the Judgement Of anothers Sin While with her Sword She Cuts off the Offending Parent the Child Is made an Orphan in the Cradle and mourns In after daies the Crime he
and Rain soon tumbled down And if we mind those mighty Miracles of the first Ages they all relate unto Faith Our blessed Saviour also used to say Whosoever believeth in me shall never die Do you believe that I can do this and then Be it done according to your Faith Thy Faith has made thee whole The Woman with the bloody Issue had no other application for her Cure but Faith Without Faith what signifies our Creed And to what purpose did our Saviour bleed If we all Doubting could from Faith divide Pure Faith would then in greatest triumph ride God grant all those the Power of Faith that die In joyful Hopes of bless'd eternity When their departing Souls will gladly own By faith they rise from Dunghills to a Throne How to delight in GOD THe Text says Delight in the Lord and he will give thee thy hearts desire And no doubt but if we delight in him with the highest faculty of our Souls above all carnal appetites with contemplation of his glorious Essence and Attributes in frequent fervent Prayers with continual Gratitude for his daily Mercies To adore him as we might we should find such a rejoycing in God to be the most voluptuous felicity that the heart of Man is capable of But we mock our selves too often with a belief of this Felicity by a careless searching short in our own Hearts for a clear proof of the divine Perfection of this delighting in God which every Man must find in himself for no Man can correct the unseen Errours of his Neighbour's heart So that it must be every Man's concern to examine his own Conscience how much he rejoyces in God more than in all worldly Fruitions and according to his proportion in excelling therein his peace of Conscience will prove the more exalted joyful Feast and will create in him the greatest hope of his heart 's promised desire and is the surest way to remove our natural Fear of Death who only can lead us to glory which all Men ought to think on more than all other affairs in this World For if we delight in God as we ought We should the clear intrinsick value find When Grace enriches a delighted Mind That trusts in God and by such bless'd converse Excells all pleasures of the Universe Which no Man's Faith nor Fancy can conceive Till that delightful practice gives him leave Then Souls enlightned by that holy fire Will pass to Paradise when they expire An higher Bliss can no Man's heart desire Though worldly joys may all our Senses please The Soul's joy makes them all but a disease But when God's glory in our Souls doth shine It shews those holy Raptures are divine Yet we ought not to think that every petty pleasing Object that assaults our Senses doth deserve the Name of a Delight more than little Children have for every new Baby they do see But when the Soul's supreme delight is so fixed on God that every address brings men as near to him as Souls can come while they are involved in Clay yet by a flaming Zeal and such high mounting Faith as doth believe that God is every-where and Heaven with him and them are altogether at that time there Where such joys may grow up to such a divine Delight in God as will come nearest unto his beatick sight tho' few Men seek it by such practice as we might and therefore cannot fansie such transcending Bliss on Earth as those her metick Livers have who daily do converse in Heaven with great delight in expectation of a quick Summons thither and such Piety may be truly called Delighting in God 'T is said my Book does need apology To beg a Pardon for tautology Which is a Crime I never understood If the repeated matter be all good David's Example as my Pattern may Excuse that Errour and for pardon pray On the Power of Divine Meditation DAvid says God requires no Sacrifice But Penitence and Faith he does despise The Blood of Beasts We are to thank and praise His holy Name and honour him always And if we trust him as we ought Mankind Will be by frequent Comforts so refin'd That we on Earth shall have a daily taste Of his eternal Peace and joys at last If David's Rules authentick be That God Had rather use his Mercy than his Rod And proffers Heaven at so cheap a rate T' invite us to become regenerate What labour less can mortal Men invent To gain God's favour and 'scape his punishment If thus our Duty may his Favour claim All Men will trust and honour his great Name Such Ecstasies in Meditation will Men's heads with glorious heavenly Visions fill And by degrees our Souls with joys advance To think that we are there in such a trance And find that such enlightning Zeal as this Is emanation for our future Bliss A Dream of Heaven THough Sleep Death's Image be I have been now I know not where convey'd I know not how Where something did appear so dazling bright I could not see its Glory for the Light My Soul supriz'd with Wonder and amaze Methought I pray'd and did forbear to gaze Frighted and pleased at what I lik'd and fear'd I found it was a Dream of Heaven appear'd Which waking fled but did my Fancy fill With blessed Ideas which abide there still With such transporting joy that I can weep To think of what I had and could not keep On a Dream of Hell STart not my Soul 't is but a Dream to show The dismal Terrors of eternal Woe Which unrepenting Sinners feel below Where Satan with his cursed Crue do dwell For their Ambition tumbled down to Hell While we rejoice on the Divine Presence Of our exalted Bliss by Penitence Those fiery Streams we seem to see May give us joy to find that we are free From that sad Doom where Torments never cease But rather to Eternity increase While our Conversion doth aloud proclaim What mighty Honour due to God's great Name Who will in Mercy save a Reprobate If his Repentance do not come too late On Death 'T Is very strange the World should still comply To think that Death is sent to make us dye By leading us to Immortality And the same moment does our sonls convoy From worldly slavery to eternal joy So that we ought to find some other Name For God's great Messenger that bears our blame Alone tho' Life and Death are both the same Moment our eternal Lot to end this strife We may treat Death as our first step to Life No terror find by our remove from hence When all our Happiness proceeds from thence The POSTSCRIPT IF Heaven be what we read or hear and see or do believe to be the glorious Habitation of the more glorious Trinity that we pretend to love to obey to trust worship and adore as one united God who has created Heaven and Earth the Sea and all therein and from whom we do expect eternal happiness when our Souls expire How
Perfumes laid there on purpose the which wraps the Pile in smoak and smells ore all the Roome At the End of the Song the Curtain falls and shuts both the Scene and Actors from the Beholders Sight FINIS Mid-night and Daily THOUGHTS To a careless Sinner THou dost not sure believe that thou shalt die Or never think'st upon it seriously Because thou liv'st as if thou didst disdain After this life ever to rise again Else thou wouldst set a higher price upon The Glories of thy Resurrection For 't is not possible a Man of sense Can always hold so ill intelligence With Heaven as not to wish or not to fear He never may or never would come there Some Caveats WHen petty Pleasures are procur'd with Gold When youth is gone and we decrpeid old There 's no more Gusto than a Tale twice told The greatest Monarchs while they flourished Were honour'd and ador'd but being dead Were soon forgot and only pitied So that whatever Marble Tombs pretend All their gay glories never can defend Their pamper'd bodies from the Beggar 's end Caesar and Alexander both became The highest splendor of a glorious Name And yet in some things both deserved blame So that when Men have all the World subdu'd They may themselves and all their Fame delude Unless they do in Piety conclude Those mighty Hero's car'd not to be good But brave because they never understood The sacred Sanction of our Saviour's Blood But those who saw the Miracles he did And heard how boldly he their Crimes forbid Are justly scourg'd instead of being chid What 's our due then who do believe yet run The course which that accursed Crew begun To slight God and re-crucifie his Son Which shews Men want some Caveats to restrain The idle Fancies of a busie Brain That frequent losses bring instead of gain These serious Thoughts are Caveats to despise Such Crimes as from our idle hours may rise And captivate our Senses in disguise Till by a power divine we can obtain Such bright serener joys as will sustain Our Souls and to eternity remain For we are born to learn and to express By daily actions what we do profess To purchase everlasting happiness On Poverty PUre honest Poverty in former times Was no disgrace but now our latter Crimes Have introduc'd new kinds of punishments To expiate our sins for old Contempts In luxury and such profuse expence That we are now chastiz'd for that offence With Penury to make us own our shame And free all present accidents from blame Which from God's mercy now to us is sent To make our most obdurate hearts repent And yet there may such poverty proceed From wicked Men whose malice have decreed Our ruine to get wealth for their support In spight of right or their damnation for 't And such absurd base scandals do invent That no man's innocence can e'er prevent From such Devils good Lord deliver me As hate all those who truly worship thee And with profound repentance do submit To all the judgments that our God thinks fit And make the poverty I now endure For all excesses past a perfect cure On Pride OF all the Vanities I know 't is Pride Which all the World most justly may deride That like an Ass with golden Trappings dress'd Thinks himself 'bove all other Beasts the best And when he brays does all that hear him fright Mistaking their amazement for delight Like gilded Fools that only learn of late To strut and make loud noise when they do prate For Pride did ne'er the greatest man adorn Nor free him from God's hate and wise Men's scorn Satan for Pride and for Ambition fell With his accursed Crew from Heav'n to Hell On Pride's Kindred PRide 's next of kin are such as do despise Their Neighbours for the Motes in their dark Eyes Who first their own Beams should remove then learn That Rule by which they may such Motes discern And by this caution constantly prevent Such rash Censures that do raise discontent Between good Friends who seldom will endure A blind Man's Precepts till himself he cure Septemb. 3. 1693. On this Day's Sacrament received LORD I Did believe but not such joy conceive As since I did thy Sacrament receive To ratifie thy mercy and my zeal By adding of thy Holy Spirit's Seal Upon my heart to manifest thy love And all my doubts and fears by faith remove Which made me shrink from death but now my voice Shall Hallelujah's sing and Soul rejoice To celebrate this Victory obtain'd O'er all my sins by thy bless'd Conduct gain'd How great then is my Obligation grown If thou wilt this day my Election own By adding joys on joys and grace on grace Till I in glory come to see thy face And now adore and worship thy great Name With warm addresses from this sacred flame On Adoption I Have read that he who lives in a constant uniform Obedience to the Gospel and performs the Conditions required in it departs sincerely from iniquity and shuts up the ways that lead him into temptation may give himself as strong and comfortable an assurance that he is an adopted Child of God as if a voice from the Clouds should tell him so and is a good argument for frequent Meditations How to know when our Sins are forgiven IT has been asked How a Soul may know when her Sins are forgiven and answered thus When she finds the same affection to God with his that said I hate iniquity and all false ways I utterly abhorr Yet David who said so did die and so must we Tho' our Souls may by the same grace become of the same temper with his and our sins be forgiven too yet we may consider how few Men do slip out of this World into eternity with a joyful hearty delight to be with God through divine Love which is the highest perfection of an holy life and is our greatest assurance to manifest our sins forgiven when our Souls are by faith so fixed on God as to know no joy so great as such spiritual Comforts do raise when we desire to be in Heaven which taught David to hate iniquity and to abhorr all false ways and so reduced him from all his sins to become a man after God's own Heart On Reconciliation before we die IF we fully consider our manifold sins and the horrid Punishment due unto us for them if not forgiven before we die 't will make us tremble at the approach of Death But if we do believe in Christ's plenteous Redemption with GOD's immense Mercy to deliver us from Hell's eternal Torments and exalt us unto Heaven's eternal Joy and Glory it may be justly said Happy is that Man who can obtain such a Reconciliation with GOD before he die as daily to delight in the Meditation of a sudden Death with inward assurance of his eternal Bliss the moment he expires which is the highest Exaltation of Joy on Earth and will be the greatest Comfort at the