th' creature can For he hath most of God and who hath so He little cares which way the world will goe 'T shall never touch his heart nor taske his braine To lay about to fetch it backe againe As he whose lines are fallen in a faire Large pleasant place is made for th' worse to care If 't 'll come by faire meanes well and good hee 'le use It when and as he thinks convenient loose 'T he will ere hee 'le imploy the smallest foule Imploy't he doth that lets it pinch his soule T 's the soundest body that feeds o' th' simplest fare The soundest soule that makes his God his fare A happy man the spirit ' f a healthie mind Can in a health-injoying body finde A happie man the spirit ' f a healthy minde Can in a health-deprived body finde LIft up prevailing hands in praysing action ' Gainst Edom and the Edomitish faction There are they fallen proud Prilistims withall Their Ashdod brats so let them let them fall And never rise while on our Harpes we sing The song of Moses and the Lambe our King Victorious meekenesse gird thy all-conquering sword Unto thy potent thigh give give the word Unto thy Heavenly Host they 'l straight conjoyne With earths celestiall Armies then combine Rome Spaine France Hell take the devill and all The Mitred Captaines of the high Priests Hall Come on brave Borgias with your pransing horse Yee Popes deare Nephewes or which sounds the worse Though th' same his Base Sons whom he hath begot On an unwedded Church Change Cannon shot Into the shot of Cannon Tout d'an coup Devoure th' Presicians they 're a slender soup T' a Pulpit full of Sack a slippery yolke In lustie Muskadine they 'l never choake So well wash't downe with blood but if you thinke You'z finde as hard worke as ye had to get a drinke O' th' wary Scot close noddles constult together Hoord up i' th' deep'st Abbisse ' f y'r holy Father Jesuitick plots say a confederacie But 't shall not stand till truth it selfe can lie Come gather then together and be ye broke T'irrecomposible peeces He hath spoke Still will he thinke ye ride upon an Asse No no his white steed 's mounted Hee 'l surpasse Your forciblest finenesses Jerusalem Leape leape for joy Thy King comes and doth hem Thee round with mightie mountaines and his Hoste Is all prepar'd thine enemies to accoast For His are thine for thou art His then boast The in thee Lord thy God when thou art in th emost Inextricable dangers Here I here 's A Saint-like patience thus to chant the blisse Of bleeding wounds while their Te Deums charmes Fond soules with Swan-like songs our harmelesse harmes Shall sweetly breathe in sighes triumphant layes Of conquering Iös while our blood shall praise That name above the proudest wrath and raise A generation that shall Babell raze Stones shall be Churches and dead bones shall live E're God his glory unto Rome shall give Ther 's breath enough in heaven and dust on earth To build more men to ruine all her mirth How heaven derides these Gotham sages wu'd Drowne Eeles i' th' water drowne the Church in blood What 's the Parisian massacre forgot How crown'd with many a thousand Huganot Or th' Marian flames how oft th' Prelatique hands Were crowded with increasing Puritans Or those Ten Prim'tive persecutions what But more Christs-honourers hath their crueltio got But still the devill 's the divill although he know He workes the Saints more weale himselfe more woe So mad is envie 't had rather loose both eyes Then 'ts neighbour's one shud see 'ts deformities Courage my hearts we nor our cause can die Nay we may live to see proud Aegipt lie Dead on the shore What feare we Th' Wonderfull In Skill Power Peace Love 's ours what shall they pull The Palme from Him or shall they rend a Limbe Fro' th' Father of Spirits hurt the eye of Him Whose voyce is thunder and his eves are fire Who hands their breath then have they their desire And ne'r till then Thus in my Fort my Peace My Castle-Christ my flaming Wall ne'r cease There are they fallen yea though I thinke I fall And all my fellow souldiers for thus call We death because we thinke it so when 't is The onely rise unto our perfect blisse Th' irrevocable word 's past decree 's sign'd All things are present to a faithfull minde For hee sees all in God but he sees all At once and thus while he beholds hee 'le call Things past and future present things that are As they were not that are not as they were Let kingdomes clash and their foundations shake Haughtie hearts shrinke to their heele let fury take The loftiest Hills and hurle them in the Maine Let th' lively Sun his sprightly raies refraine And wraps 's in sable might let heaven and earth Meet in confusion while hell yawnes our mirth Shall that be swallowed up by this our joy That none can take away no foe n' annoy Rouse up brave spirits glorifie the name Of that great God that ever is the same And we in Him life death principalities Powers things present things to come shall these Disjoyne us from our God if once in Him One as He is One What is it that can dim Our glorious inutterable joy That sparkles purer luster from th' alloy That streames more radiant luster from th' alloy Of foyling griefe A joy whose native heate Growes stronger by the winter winds that beate Upon 'ts concentred spirits A joy that rises Higher yet higher by the fresh surprises Of 'ts Arke-secured braveries from all The Ocean-inundations can befall Nay leade me captive griefe yet one I know Shall captive thy captivitie and show Thy open spoyles as Trophes while I sing How sweet's the memory of sower to bring To minde those tempests past while hous'd in heaven I feast on Leelesse Wines rich marrow and leaven Untouched bread So great ill turn'd to well 'T is makes his glory-and-my good excell Ther 's nothing nothing ill but all is well Is alway well to those whose wayes excell Thus is th' upright as farre from 's neighbour as hell From heaven here well is ill there ill is well Nullius addictus jurare in verba Magistri NO give me A Philosophick Ingenuitie A Bacon Luther truth-exploring braine Can cull the Wheate from th' Chaffe and bring a graine To th' graynarie of knowledge no lazie pate Will nothing else but reade heare transcribe translate And take what 's brought it at adventure an idle drone Will suffer any thing ere 't will worke but one Whose naturalls can't indure t' be Aristotl'd With ipse dixits nor his spiritualls throtl'd W'th a Spirituall Lord's irrefragable propositions But h's free-borne spirit mak's exquisite inquisitions I' th' depths of grace and nature scornes to have His judgement strangled like a Turkish slave B' usurping tiranny a noble soule Whose understanding w'll suffer no controule But from
the world makes to their pride the consideration of their owne parts gifts indowments abilities eminencies whatsoever As then most truly and throughly humbled when thou risest to thy highest station and takest the fullest view of all thy excellencies As seeing nothing but what thou hast of him in him and for him the onely ground of humilitie because of glory To see thy selfe thus and thus richly qualified and yet to see thy selfe to be miserable poore blinde and naked to have so much and yet to have nothing argueth that the Candle of God hath shined over thy head in its brighter beames and his secrets have dwelt more intimately more abidingly in thy Tabernacle While seeing thy selfe of the noblest stocke of the choysest of nations as touching learning with the learned'st concerning zeale with the most active touching the righteousnesse in the Law blamelesse c. and yet to treade and trample all these things under thy feete with the utmost indignation and detestation as the most despicable drosse and dunge in comparison of one thought of revealed Christ that hast knowne or rather art knowne of Him that is the onely excellency I such a light shining in upon the soule and out-shining the most glorious Sunne even at mid day is that which will cast the greatest Apostle upon his face and make him cry out that he is lesse then the least of Saints And certainly there may be a due and selfe-denying acknowledgement of parts indowments performances c. while there may be an impudently modest and selfe-seeking selfe-denyall of all the most desperate the most detestable hypocrisie Besides for a man to carry himselfe lowly dejectedly discontentedly upon the meere convincements of his defects and faults may be meere basenesse and pusilanimitie that will soone upon the least conceit of its owne worth turne into and indeed narrowly looke into proceeds from and carries along with it pride and selfe-love Neither is that to bee thought true humilitie that is not a furtherance to thankefulnesse And the only course to keep from boasting being to learn how to know all of grace how to glory boast in the Lord. We being onely so farre humbled as outed of our selves so far outed of our selves as filled with God so far as he is pleased gloriously to condescend to humble himselfe unto us and graciously to take us up to advance us into himselfe There being nothing that layes the soule lower in its owne eyes then its highest exaltation in Gods Nothing that makes it better know better keepe its distance in an humble lovefull trembling joyfull every-way-duly-affectionate active obedient walking before him then the knowledge then the assurance of its communion of its union with him I know the wisedome of God is foolishnesse to the world it is ignorant it is wulfully ignorant of it But I speake to them whose hearts have the minde of Christ and can sensibly interpret the meaning of his spirit And certainly he that speaks not nonsence to nature speakes but little supernaturall sence Besides nature may have a kinde of Ahab-like Judas-like humilitie on the apprehensions of evills morrall or naturall But to be humbled at the thoughts of our selfe-sufficiency in him who is our onely sufficiency our new selfe this of grace While our hearts understand that sweet harmony of that seeming contradiction I and yet not I but the Spirit of Christ that dwelleth in me that humble meeke gentle spirit Thou whose maine whose principall study is to know all the excellencies of the World in the face of Christ to know it by them and them by it that through it thou maist know him who hath ordained it as the conveying Medium of the light of the knowledge of his Glory Thou whose world-and selfe-contemning behaviour speakes thee one of those finding seekers and seeking finders that with asweet sharpenesse and unsatisfied satisfaction followest on to the knowledge of him in whom are hid all the treasures of wisedome and knowledge Thou sweetly passionated heart that knowest what are those flutterings of the soule to flie those holy efforts those lanchings forth into the great depths what it is to be given up to to lye under the power of the Divine Spirit while on thy water-like diffused soule it hatcheth new formes of the Divine nature Thou tender humbled shivered and shivering spirits that worke out thy salvation with feare and trembling while thou biddest defiance to the gates of Hell and laughest death and destruction in the face Thou who though often assaulted with Thornes in the flesh with buffetings in thy spirit art kept in such a compleate peace in the sense of the Al-sufficient Grace and canst glory canst pleasure in count gaines of thy infirmities thy distresses necessities persecutions c. as the advancers of the overcomming strength of thy Christ thy only joy glory gaine Thou poore weake feeble wretch that canst doe nothing and yet canst doe all things through him that strengthens thee Thou whose inward and heart-disolving sighes are the daily harbingers for thy speedy admission to that great and eternall Supper of thy solemniz'd espousalls Thou whose love-sicke Christ-inamoured soule bursts for the longings that it hath that it alwayes hath after the full and never-interrupted imbraces of thy deare thy onely deare beloved Thou that countest every minute an age till thou art with Him and yet countest seaven and seaven yeares ages and ages spent in the greatest hardship he shall appoint thee but as a minut in thy sweete waitings on him Thou whose Heaven-visited soule cannot but break forth in exalting exclamations O the beauties the harmonies the sweetnesses the riches the glories the Crownes the inexpressiblenesses the inconceivablenesses of the knowledge of the love of God in Christ Jesus by his holy Spirit Thou who art Heaven inside and outside Who art cloathed with the Sunne and treadest the Moone under thy feete while thou hast that within thee that could it be seene would dazle the eyes of the world into an envious astonishment In whom is the Kingdome of Heaven the righteousnes the peace the joy in the Holy-ghost unspeakable glorious Thou that countest the doing of his Will on Earth as it is done in Heaven the turning of Heaven into Earth and men into Angels And therefore seest infinite more beautie in the poorest Priest-deridest Mecanicke conscionably and sincerely busied in his calling though but in the shoveling up of dirt and sweeping of Chimnies then thou dost in all the guildings and paintings the Copes and Surplusses c. all the sumptuous gallant trickings of the Beast in the wilfull sensuall hypocriticall worship of God Yea then in the hearing the reading of Sermons meditating praying conferring c. or whatever more immediate services more world-withdrawing exercises so as excluding the seasonable discharge of thy severall relations the performance of thy dutie to God in and through that to men As knowing the worth of every thing to be as it is to the will of God
spread downeward in the roote of my humble faith so much the more nourishment I draw and consequently thrive in bulke and stature towards the full measure of perfection in Christ Jesus We have according as we receive but we receive according to our humility-the hollow of the Palme the capacitie the capability of the hand of faith therefore we have according to it Againe Grace is the Indwelling of God in us and Humility the emptying and the unselfing us of our selves to live in him looke then as he comes in the very first forming of grace so we goe out and as wee goe out so he comes in with a daily and further transforming us into himselfe Or thus Christ is the patterne of Humility but in him dwelleth the fulnesse of the Godhead therefore Thc humblest man is the most gracious man Nay who 'twixt th' one and th' other difference can For indeed Grace is Humility-and Humility is Graceis godlinesse they having divers names in a divers respect Humilitie as we are made unlike to are outed of our selves Grace-and Godlinesse as made like to as Inned in our God The unselfdenying man therefore is the prond man-is the ungracious-the ungodly man Or thus God himselfe hath so humbled himselfe take upon him the forme of a servant to be God-with Phil. 2. ver 6 7. The Lord of Life hath shed blood hath been slaine and that on the Crosse for 〈◊〉 Acts 3.15 1 Cor. 11.27 In whom it is humility looke on the Earth to looke on the Heavens Psal 11 Grace then being but what a man hath of God it mâ— be but what he hath of humility The more truly then the more kindly the Sould humbled the more raised the more sublimed it is 〈◊〉 cause more filled with him who is Above all But of tâ— otherwhere God willing the Kingdome standing 〈◊〉 not overturned by these studie-disturbing Statestroying Over-looking Prides QVia des noixil en casse Et qui n'en a il s'en passe Hee that hath Nuts to h's teeth them puts Hee that hath none lets 'em alone 'S ne'r troubled about ' em Just such toyes are all the joyes This world can give and I can live As well without ' em It is not bread whereby I 'm fed I much may carve and yet may starve If Nature feed not But on the aire I can well fare If God shall make me all forsake So say they need not God is my portion all this spatious world â—S a little-tinie Nut that to me hurld â—'ve more adoe to get the Kernell forth Then all the world as but the shell is worth God 's in 't I know and God's without it too And I get him without with lesse adoe My Nuts are left I 'm off my childish stage Approach the Acme of m'eternall Age â—care f'r this ratling pleasure Counter-wealth These Hobby-horse Honours For this trumpery pelte â—arths puling sucklings stretch your throats I draw My Life fro'th ' Wisdome o' the Gospel-Law ARise my Harp my Heart is risen up Praise him hath fill'd hath overfill'd thy cup. â—rise my Heart my Harp is risen up â—raise him hath fill'd thy praise-o'rerunning cup. â—eart Harp arise mixe your melodious notes Whereon my soule my soule to him devotes â—ow praises vow thy selfe in praisefull blisse â—y Heart the Spirit my Harp the Organ is â—ay Harp and Heart and sweetly both agree 〈◊〉 Him my Life my life your Echo bee â—esse Heart Harp blesse with blest conspiracy â—y Life Earth Heaven your constant Echo be SIng pretty Bird and welcome in the Spring And mock my silence heark unthankfull soule How sweetly doth she chant it sing on sing My daintiest Bird how nimbly doth she rowle And poure out Roundelaies as if she wu'd Have all at once her concords understood Yet pretty wretch how well she keepes the time How gracefully she rests how entertaine Her Flats with Sharps how neatly doth she climbe Up note by note and run them downe againe VVith gentle breast breaths many a melting straine Harke harke unthankfull soule what still refraine Rouze up put in thou lacking in thy part Refuse so just a challenge Thou hast two Springs From Earth one Heaven another rise up my heart The winters past raine gone 't is time to sing The Flowers appeare heard is the Turtles voice The voice of thy Beloved Arise Rejoyce Up meditate his praises on thy Lute VVith a grave Higgaiion while like Seraphim Thou burst'st in t ' flams fails th' tongue 'to speak depuâ—â— Thine eyes They Let astonisht silence him Proclaime wondrous in doing in Sanctitie Glorious in praises fearefull I praise Thee Holy Holy Holy Lord God of Rest My rest yet restlesse I how faine wu'd speake But so o're powerd with dazling Light so prest VVith Humbling weight of Massie Glory breake M'imprisoning earth claime climbe my high degree Glory in its El'ment can't too heavy be O turne away thine eye No turne mine eye To a refulgent Sun whose steady view May feast upon unmixed Entitie 'S uncircumscribed and uncoulerd Hew Till * Ps 14.5 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 complectitur copiam affluentiam Fluminis Luminis cum celeritate lubentia ac pronitate Fosterus whelm'd in living floods of streaming beames I rise far far above these dunghill-steames To sing Blest God who to thy Pure in heart I' th' Sight of Thee all blessings dost impart LOrd I believe O help my unbeliefe My sins are great therefore my sins remit Are thy thoughts thy wayes mine To see the Chiefe Of sinners Chiefe of Saints a work befit Such free full grace O how my soule admires Rapt up in wonders lost in large desires How I expatiate in this Infinite I stretch I retch and yet still more 's before Still I put out my selfe so from Selfe quite Am drawne most happy losse to finde such store I 've lost my empty Barke * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 swift sailing come Inrich't with Glory to my Glorious Home Tosse World thy waves Heart harker for thy Earth Blow Divle thy blasts He he is in my Barke Shall quit me of you all Ravisht with mirth While to my Husband-Pilots Loves I harke With full assarance fleetly glide along Long longing t'sing that overlasting long Hallelujah Hallelujah But must I rest I heare A harshned touch what interchange here needs Or have I so fastidious an eare Or i' st Variety my joyings feeds But that that 's Grounded on Simplicity In Jah's the confluence of all Harmony T 'S a Princely Fabrick This. What curious rowes Of glittering windows stately Batiements How well compact proportion'd trim it showes A Master-piece of Arts imbellishments And what a bredth and length it runs as high As if it wu'd the spangled Cope outvie In lofty glory And if within you prie How neatly furnisht with rich Utensils How gorgeous deckt with broidred Tapestry What Paintings Carvings Guildings What so e're fills Th' eyes with content Yet be the Seat unsound Foundation shallow soon't salutes
Earth shall passe But an Iöta shall surpasse All saw I'n that one precious stone How full-rich-pleasant Glory 's shown How I more joy my sale of all Hath got m'one Pearle is more than all O Let thy Pleasantnesses be Ps 90.17 Amoenitates Upon me Lord how I shall flie About thy businesse how I 'le fight VVith oppositions and delight My self and thee with praise in all Thus speeds the works thus on thee call And what 's the Beauty that doth so Oh who will lead me to that show And tell me yet What is my Christ In whom all Beauties are compriz'd And whence if they receive not light They 're but the devill drest in white FRowne scowling VVorld frown I deride the brow Of all thy bended powres and scorn to bow Before the kneenest shafts o' th' fatal'st look VVherewith thy worldling's in a trembling shook Still look't I for these lookes and therefore Arm'd Me with the Armour ever keeps unharm'd And for thy favours they 're beneath th'desire Of him whose Heart-and-Treasure's far far higher Here while I keep me and not walk below My selfe what petty nothings all things show At their due distance and how Vast the Glories Seen in their place and not read o're for Stories HOw vaine is restlesse man Tost too and fro with Passions hurl'd A Tennis-ball throughout the World Now on he flies straite's beaten back again On this side now now that but still in Vain How vaine is restlesse man You know not where to have him found His earthy thoughts now creep the ground Now up an hoight he flies hee 'le over all Till caught in h's net or lost in 's miring fall How how unhappie's man How far his motion from his Line His rulelesse course from what 's divine Wu'd he but leave himself in 's Saviours hand How steedy seemly sure hee 'd him command How worse then wretched man Hee 'd ne'r keep such a Racquet ne'r come neere The Hazzard cou'd he tell where Heaven were Cou'd his Experience tell 't were in his Heart And 's Heart in it 't were a mysterious Art Of Peace and Righteous joy how quicki ' hee 'd part With toilsome Mock-blisse to be truly blest Hee 'd pleasure in his Rich and Glorious Rest GOe Till the Garden man Lord I shu'd learne Thy ten Commandements the Creed thy Prayer Before the World but I have these to learne Old Childe These known then knew I Thee and were That known I knew the World and All in All I 'm short Thee first I 'le learn so All. Thou art the only Agent act'st and yet Not suffer'st by the Patient might I be More Thee then only might I be more fit To work on that that else wu'd work on me And worldly make who doe desire to make The World more godly and the World forsake While make my Calling as a Christian The soule to act my Calling as a Man GOe Molelike Christian to the Heathen Eagle Thence take instructions how to disinveagle Thy earth beclogged spirits while thou soar'st Thy stately heaven approaching flight and poar'st Thence if thou wu't poare on 't upon this so Admired nothing which if ought it show Thou't see a little-tyney Hill of petty Ants Providing for their still successive wants With crawling up and down to tug and haule O'reburdning and o'retumbling luggage crawle Never up again but here and there a few With much adoe some Portering Feather-beds Tortured with pleasures some loading of their heads With break-neck Crowns some mumbling at the Mines Of poore Peru while one or two divines The end of this confused moyle gets wings And practises to flie to Nobler things O wu'dst thou mount thee from this dungie Globe To those Celestiall Regions there inrobe Thee with thy Royall vestures tishued Gold And take the Potent Scepters uncontroul'd Thy sacred Temple 's bound wi' illustrious Gemms Adorne the endlesse Circle of the Diadems The handy work of the Eternall wrought Before the world thou'tst say the world was Nought Was worse then Nought was Naught wu'dst take The faster gripes o'th'Kingdome ne'r can shake The undefil'd Inheritance where the Pure Heavenly soule 's Inheaven'd in Purity Fond soule that ever bat'st the wing to know Again the evils of the Goods below Is Heaven beneath the Moon what do'st above But i st above what do'st thou Fondling move Thy happy station What want'st thou there unlesse Eyes to behold thy blisse and tongues to blesse Here gaze admire adore and ne'r descend Hers entertainment that hath neither end In choice nor time all Goods resolv'd into Their Simple-and-Eternall Beeing who But mad wu'd stoop to catch a fleeting shade That hath the substance that will never fade But art thou call'd away What Calling i st Whereby thy given heart may be dismist From its true Owner What Imployment i st Is' t not a God-enjoyment where Earth hath No soule but Heaven and Sence no Life but Faith No quickning Flesh but Spirit Hee 's à la mort If Christ his strengthening influence don't resort Into his Carka'st actions who what e're H's Thoughts Words Deeds do doth in as he bears His Name from His Command through His Powre for His sake from whom and thorough whom and for Whom All things are his Life doth hold him forth To th' world as th' Name the Thing its Nature's worth Thus moves in these inferiour Spheares by th'bent O'th'Highest Mover Ascends in his Descent Goe then about thy businesses but know Hee 's not about his businesse that 's below Eat sleep work ' r not still doe to be with God God cloath'd i' th' Creature and a naked God The great contrivement of a godly aime To see'im in divers shapes and still the Same God manifest i'th'Flesh is in the Flesh Immanuel mysterious godlinesse Here then 's the top of that so rare an Art T'keep th' Heart in Heaven or Heaven i' the Heart 1 TIM 4.15 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 CAn they concoct well that not use to chew Disgest that not concoct assimulate That not disgest Hence 't is so few The Word into their Soules incorporate Hence 't is ensues a prophane atrophie Or hypocriticall cacochymy I 'le meditate be wholly in this thing Or else to none'll appeare my profiting Appeare I must or cannot be must feare Must meditate lest that I but appeare INwrap thy self in meditations then Goe forth and through them Converse with men That nothing finde thee naked but s'invest With heavenly apprehensions that the least Insinuating aire of the subtle world May finde no passage nor the storme that 's hurl'd About thine eares but thou thus wholly receiven Up to thy God maist be a walking Heaven MY soule 's Opace but may it be the Moone Unto the Sun of Righteousnesse full soone I 'le then reflect upon the world those Rayes In thy waies cleare them cleare them to thy praise Cast glimpses from that glorious Orbe of Light To guide them glade them through this dismall
Thy Wise-knowing depth's unsounded be Since I cannot take Thee take take Thou mee Into Thy mercies Ocean be I receiven I know 't will beare me to my Haven Heaven That shall declare Thy righteousnesse that shall Thy Judgements manifest God's Judge of All Great Wonderfull Thy Workes Just true Thy Waies Shall be the ditty of Thy worthy Praise MY Head 's lost in my Heart sure I 'm in love Forget all yea m'own thoughts while thus above And now what 's this steales slily in my head My spirits thus in my heart concentered Don't I believe My heart my life wo'nt say it And for my thoughts what need I so much weigh it Thoughts oft confound themselves I love I live The God the Life that none but Christ can give Am crucified dead buried risen ascended Begin the Life that never shall he ended MY Head doth ake and yet my Head Doth feel no pain My Head is well and yet my Head Doth still complain Well I 'le goe lay it on my Husbands knee Where stroake it with His gentle hand shall Hee His Palm's a medecine Soveraign If He but touch The Feaver leaves if He refrain Yet I 'le not grutch Ther 's somewhat in 't He 's Wise Good ake's't still well 'Ts Thy mercy Lord 't shall never ake in Hell Ne'r ake in Hell then ever in Heaven Triumph o're griefe And sha'nt this all thy Sowers unleav'n With sweet reliefe But weigh them well they 'le overpoise them quite What 's Earth to Heaven Finite to Infinite And now my Faith what do'st where art What Yeeld to Sence Or hast forgot thy Heavenly Art How to dispence Joyes suiting every sorrow I wonder too Wer't in the Martyrs flames how Then thou 'dst doe Lord give me strength and Thou shalt take the praise Lord take my strength and That shall give Me praise NOw mouldring Earth why hang'st the head Hast not a Soul why why so dead Or shal't be more enslaved by Thy pains whose pleasures conquered lie No no 't is more ingenuous bred With courage as well as wisdome sped My spirit not mine 's egregious I 'M among the Exc'llent who so high That I not Aemulate And can I'ndure to see a Publican Thus match me He can blesse i' th' warme Sun but I 'd blesse i' th' sharpest storme I 'd pray I 'd praise my paines away And lull my griefe asleep a way Of sweet successe I 'd drown my swine This touchy grunting grumbling repine In my own waving passions Swage By reg'lar passions passions rage By this my heavenly indignation Appease this earth-fum'd perturbation Attempts to Shipwrack peace in vain That still 's afloat o' th' calmed Plaine Thy breath the windes did blow away Thy Word the boistrous billows stay Thou said'st I shu'd do greater things For Faith in 'ts power all things brings thou 'dst be commanded by 't I shu'd B' as sure of what so e're is good As if thou wert at their Commands Who humbly-bold wait watch thy hands But I wu'd doe what thou hast done I 'd make dim eyes play with the Sun Dead spirits from their graves wu'd bring And make deaf eares to heare them sing This dumb-grown tongue thy wonders tel I wu'd doe all things wondrous well I 'd th'lowest dullest flatnesse raise To th' highest tones of clearest praise I 'd fighting humours reconcile But if they 'le fight I 'd feast the while I 'd tune distempers to thy praise Turn cloudy nights to Sun-shine dayes Teach fainting hands to ring applaud And parched bones to spring with laud Smooth wrinkling gripings with a smile But if they wo'nt I 'd sing the while How ere it be yet Thou art good And better ditty I ne're wu'd Hold up declining Armes hold up Poure praises from an empty Cup For Grace is no more void then Nature Where th' creature wants ther 's the Creator Where that goes out there He comes in As well as where there goes out sin When then there 's place that 's empty o' thee Then not till then I 'le empty be Thy presence then when Thou sha't cease Then not till then I 'le cease to blesse Then never sha't Thou be unblest By him wh'hath thee a constant Guest Though in the dark a while we be Yet cause I see the Dark I see The world or want All 's one to me The while in either I ha'thee M'thinkes I can't but often pray That thou wu'dst take this world away For while 't is seen it bars my sight And I finde faith the sweet'st delight But all thy counsels have their beauty And all my comfort 's in my duty For thou hast taught my faith the way Through all to passe t' m'eternall stay Thee Thee O wu'dst thou take me now Thy childe that to thine armes doth bow Its straining soule loth to be held By th' world in'ts pleasing'st usage yeelds But paines O Thou that all things made And can'st revive them when they fade Thou that the Chaos fram'dst so faire And from foure discords match't so rare A set of healthy harmony Can'st when thou please make all agree And what 's my Musick but thy pleasure And but thy selfe what is my treasure Then let it goe and goe my health So will 's my musick so my wealth Be packing packing get thee gone No more dear friend He 's all or none Be packing packing get thee gone No more deare health Hee 's all or none Be packing packing get thee gone No more deare self He 's all or none Be packing packing get thee gone No more deare Nothing He 's all or none 'T is very well then I am ill If this be ill be I so still Till thou sha't see it fit to tell M'its very well that I am well 'T is very well friend I thee misse The misse o' th' world 's a world of Blisse Leave out thou sai'st this paltry Crotchet 'T will sound but ill and shall I botch it Into the Song sound it as 't will And so say I ha'th'better skill How too it grates my curious eares My tender Bowels wracks and teares M'observant head sets m'teeth on edge Against my self essay'd t' abridge My joy my stretching it besides Thy Will where all my joy resides And when all 's done so must I play The sweet the while lost by delay Strike off the sin strike as thou please Blot out th' offence I seek not ease And yet my ease because it is Thy pleasure t'keep me still in Blisse My ease my pleasure therefore is Or strike or not I 'm still in Blisse Nay this my ease my pleasure is Strike or forbeare the hand is His. Thankes thankes Think'st th'Angels now are still The just mens perfect spirits sill Not Heaven with their chanting voice Thou' rt o' the Choire my soul rejoyce Thou maist thou must praise with the gods The God makes musique with his rods He 's one Entire Pure Perfect Happinesse No shaddo ' o' change in him thou art e're Blest
e're Blesse 2 KINGS 4. ONce was I dead Authority then brought Applyed thy Word but nought till Thou cam'st wrought And now I languish i' this fainting fit The meanes begun my life best strengthens it Come lay then eyes to eyes mouth hands that I May see sing doe more wonders till I die To see to sing to doe thy Will above As here to have it seen sung done I love VVHen I lov'd death and ran away from life My wanton Circuits for some fresher sin Mercy pursued o'retooke and with its strife Inclin'd my will to know God Good againe Good God! and now I feare to step awry Thy hand 's as neare as thy ne'r slumbering eye I stumble but not fall fall off not fall That shoots me the more forward upward this Obliquely I ascend why why at all Dear'st God O love O feare the Lord that is So wondrous good O feare th'least temporall misse Of such a friend secures Eternall blisse Ne're leave me such company such for ever Infinite simplicity of joyes I sever My self a moment for a momentary Shadow of blisse These thoughts first must I vary Eternity is little enough t' imploy In him and shall I bate a moments joy Avant false loves I 'le lose you All for Ever E're I will misse a minute of this pleasure To lie infolded in my Saviours armes To feast upon his kisses while he warmes He melts my soule into his melting armes Presumptuous Rivals still your Syren charmes My soul is at her heighths and cannot stoop To lend an eare to your inchanting Cup. No no I 've Nectar I have Flagons here One drop's enough ten thousand Worlds to reare As far above themselves as now they are Below Him who is only worth compare Feed Sensualist on dreames of aiery Thrones Of golden Mountaines and of pleasure Own 's No parallel but give me leave to tell The ' hadst been in Heaven thou d'st say thou art in Hell VVho ere was thus imbedded in Thy breast Deare Lord and could finde other where his rest His Rest that moves in such an endlesse sweet VVhere all the Spirits of the Godhead meet VVith my diffused soul entwines it self In fresh rencounters with'ts imbettering Self I 'M in a straite prest hard on either hand I both wayes hast and yet am at a stand I here is Christ but there is more of Christ Here in my mouth and heart but there is nigh'st VVhat i st but love can keep me from the sight The perfect sight of my select delight But love's obedient if thou 't bid me goe And travell on this Pilgrimage below Doe suffer seaven and seaven yeares so to show How grounded's my affection that 't is no Fond fancy that the giddy world deceives I goe I run I flie yet give me leave To beare thy Picture next my heart to looke Upon th'adored Beauties of thy Book That they may be the covering of mine eyes So to preoccupy them from these lies O glories Can I hold Can I refraine But still thou sai'st and therefore I Remain Love 's not its own lives in'ts Belov'd thinkes good Not what the Subject but the Object wu'd COntent to live but covetous to die Glad here to doe more good but more to flie Above these sad temptations to doe ill Yet covetous again of life to fill Heaven with more saved soules and yet againe Death not t'occasion more Hell filling sin Thus while I waver in this blessed doubt This blest propensity thus helps me out Lord while thou wu't I 'd live and when thou wu't I 'd die my humble soul learn'd at the foot Of my deare Jesu no true rule 's t' be had To judge of right and wrong of good and bad But by thy Will and Nill Thus living die I still And dying live thus m'will he gives In both because I die and live Beset with Heaven on every hand Prepar'd for Heaven thy Command HIgh and happy is that pitch of Christianity that can so well reconcile the greatest of enemies Life and Death as that they both friendly take up their lodgings in the same Breast and see themselves entertained with the same respect at the same time without the least grudging or repining at each other The heart not vexed with any partiall peremptory desires of either But they quietly residing in it and officiously waiting on it with a dexterous serviceablenesse to discharge either of their duties according to the good pleasure of God signified to the God-well-pleased soule Then is a Christian like Himselfe when he hath that power over himselfe as to walke with his life in his hand as ready at the least sound of the word given either to lay it down or put it up againe in his heart When he weares it loose about him like an outer garment ready to slip on and off as occasion serves This is the onely man that is fit to Live who is fit to Die and fit to Die who is fit to Live He that knowes how to Live hereafter is well prepared how to Live here and hee is not prepared to depart hence that knowes not how to Live hereafter He that knowes no difference betwixt earth and heaven but more and lesse of God as he can not but be continually making more after heaven because after more of God so can he not but be as willing to stay on the earth while it is more agreeable to the will of God which is Himself the Heaven of a Christian Blessed blessed soule thus sented in his God! To whom the sound of the feete of death are delightfull and the drawing out of his dayes is pleasant When the withering'st age detaines not too long in life nor the flourishing'st youth hastens too soone to death As he that crowned with all the pomps and pleasures that the fragrant'st the fertilest Garden of the world can afford see 's nothing in the whole but meere vanity meere nothingnesse lesse than nothing And on the other hand cast forth into the driest and barrend'st Wildernesse the vast and howling Desart still digges up Fountaines of everliving and never exhausted waters and makes his Bacha his Baracha his vale of teares a mountaine of praises as * Psal 84. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 drinking Him for his Spring who is the Lord of Life and Glory SEest how this string untoucht doth quickly stir At th'sound of that they not who 're not so far Where are the soundings of thy Bowels Lord Our Bowels sound and shall not thine accord They touch Thee not but thine eyes-apple they touch And wu't not stir when their presumption 's such And though we cannot move our neighbours heart Yet in our griefe wu't not thou beare thy part Thou art our Father Oh let there never be Even in Inanimates more Simpathy Forget her Childe a mother may yet not Thou thine for if they are thy selfe 's forgot Draw out our Soules and make us follow thee For where thou art there only there are
world since findes that store within That fils me most when most I 've empty been Here 's that that when my Oyle seemes almost gone O'reflowes my neighbours vessels with mine owne Here 's that that shu'd my feet be ready slide Into the Wise mans Paradise doth guide Cries be thou e'ry minute of the day In' th ' feare o' th' Lord nor let thy envy stray To catch a tempting apple paltry pleasure A bladderd name a rag of dunghill treasure Men look to Ends and beasts unto the present Full Moones will waine and full will be the crescent Thy crescent and n'er waine O here 's a word How m'thinks it stillest silent'st whisperings heard Through th'most tumultuous insurrection broiles My flesh can make s' amidst these Coiles What high resolves I take deepe pleasure draw VVhile know my broyles my spoyles my griefe my joy Shall multiply In what a peace is Hee VVhose minde is staid on Thee great God! He He O man of admirations This is he 'S in perfect peace although he cannot see Not say 't himselfe For what is that but a Stay And where 's that perfect but where 's no decay The roote of joy is Peace and Peace it's nature Follower it's ground sound joy 's onely i th' Creature Hee 's in his Peace As hast thou ever beene Upon the Rouling Maine conveyed within Some well trim'd Barque and under deckes wud'st doubt Thou' rt not within because thou heard'st without The tumbling Billowes beate against her sides VVhile thy clos'd Cabbin from thy selfe Thee hides So is he In his Peace His Christ His Arke Though windes waves tempests roare and hee 's i' th' darke Blest soule that rides to heaven on the world I' th' Bottome like a Mussell Shel is spurl'd Ath ' foote of pride So dost thou spurl't proud wretch Thinke as thou please that build'st thy selfe a Catch O' th' owne to swimme upon the flattering calme Of sence-delight and never fear'st the storme Till finds't and when thou seest the danger in Thou thought'st not of thy folly then thou 't swim From off thy broken vessell unto him To save thee from thy death though not thy sinne The life of death Mad soule thou 'dst have him bee Thy Saviour but sav'd thou wou'dst not be But be inslav'd unto thy deadly lusts The while for life on him thou madly trust'st But know till thou hast learn't the way to live In him by with him thou sha't never live Till thou hast learnt to doe be all in him Thy brightest light thy livelyest joyes shall dimne Shall die as not o' th' Sanctuarie's Fire That nere goes out but that that dies i' th' ire O' th' everlasting burnings know no fire Not zeale not spirituall joyes themselves but such As tine their Tapers by the faithfull touch Of that celestiall and unmixed flame Th' cleare uncorrupted Light is still the same VVHat meanes deare Friend this lot-misliking moane Who 's not content with any's content with none What had he who possest the world alone But not his soule as not enough in one What had he not wh ' had not where t' lay his head But in his fathers bosome made his bed The way to true content it 's but one that hit Straight leads thee to the Presence where there sit Millions of smiling graces that imbrace Thee in their welcome armes glanc't from the face Whos 's every beame raines golden showers of love Upon thy sugred soule i' th' floods of love Melts and 's exhal'd unto those Thrones above Where all thy Tryalls but thy Trophes prove Cheare up blest heart who tremblest at his word Hath promist hee 'le looke to thee nurse thee afford Thee what hee 's able and wu'd'st have more He cannot then be rich if thou art poore Hee 'l no good thing withhold and wu'd'st have bad 'T were better farre thou cu'd'st be poore then mad Hee 's onely poore whom God doth hate but he Hates onely them that love themselves but yee That loath leave all for him but crave A hundred fold more such in him and have Hee 's infinite hee 's nothing more too scant To helpe ten thousand great then one small want Hee 'd first create another world for his E're they should want a Pointile of their blisse But earth and heaven and all I Ciphers call The number 's onely one who makes is all He ne're injoyes the world that makes't his joy He e're injoyes't that makes it his annoy Such difference makes hope and feare to part With what he spurnes at 's heele he laies to 's heart Whence had he keep 't t 'had never gone toth'quick When pluct away nor left him sorrow-sicke Whose comfort lives on healthier principles Substracted crutches Criples onely Criples At th' best 't is childish not to goe alone But grow in knowledge of that All in-one And that shall make thee grow in strengthning grace That makes foule way to mend they homeward pace A Naball seated in 's sufficiencie Is still i' th' creatures stockes when Job can flie His heaven-free circuits in 's proverbiall needs And fetch the selfe-sufficiencie exceeds The gain of worlds on worlds and makes him blesse His God for th'endlesse wealth of godlinesse Ther 's nothing that 's without can blesse or curse Saies the Philos'pher and shall we be worse VVe Philochrists vvho if he be vvithin And vve in him all wi'thout's not worth a pin Fling fling away the vvorld vvhen he shall bid You 'l sweeter taste those sweeter Cates he hid For 's hidden ones before the world was made And vvhereupon they feast vuhen it shall fade Or could thy heedy faith as clearely espy His vviser hand vvithdrawing thy pelfe as I The hand that drawes these lines how cu'd'st thou cry But Hallelujah to the God on high VVho is thence doth onl ' good long then to learne Obedience unto vvhat thou shalt discerne Appointed by him So make the smallest crosse Crowne thee a Martyr vvhile thy thankfull losse Shall vvitnesse vvhat a powerfull God he is Glads thee vvith that from vvhence thy sorrow rise Bids thee for nothing care but how to care For nothing by thy praise-requesting prayer To see to sing vvhat rare what plentious fare VVhat store of all select delights there are In this thy Pallace-Castle-Christ secur'd For ever thus in thy boundlesse bounds immur'd Abide view round about thee Mercies stand Above belovv b'fore b'hinde on either hand Compast vvith mercy as a fiery vvall But tri'd refin'd to thee comes nought of all Conspire then trecherous vvorld vvith that belovv And vvhat Come make us sport to see yee so Ridiculously foolish to attempt To force the Fort so far from force exempt So shall thy understanding passing peace Guard th'understanding heart whose joyes increase By opposition while th' experience knowes The freedome from i'th'benefit by blowes Six troubles and seaven m'assault with thundring bands But still their ill at th'greatest distance stands Nay act thy faith in Heaven for all
in its balbutient age Instruct the Father or what more can ingage Me to content then 't is my Fathers pleasure In whose contentment 's lain up all my treasure Of joy and blisse But th'want o'th'laying th'foundation Well and well building on 't makes all th'mutation So oft befall us else might we steady stand Upright unshaken mov'd on neither hand God is my Diapason rise or fall Above all thorough all the ground of all And so he is to All his workes but they Can heare no concords that will disobey But wee that put our selves into his hand Obedient instr'ments of his just command Who with his crosse-division running art Gives such mysterious pleasure to the heart Of 's understanding ones a stranger can't Conceive whose judgement 's too too rude too scant To compasse such an odde variety Into a sweeter-sounding unity Nor sees th'decorum now with smarter strokes Of 'ts valour excitating tones provokes Our rouzed spirits unto Martiall feates To quiet combates with the enemies threats Now w'th soft retreatings recollects them by it 'S remisser touches to a watchfull quiet Strike hard or gently stroke this know we still We 're th' better musick of his gracefull skill Prosperity's a Triall too and he that uses 'T not in that notion exceedingly abuses Himselfe and it and never sooner looses His every-way ensnared soul then when he chooses It not as pleasing God but him refuses Adversity not because his minde induces Him t'think it 's not thought good of God but hee Wu'd ever prosperous never afflicted be And wu'd'st thou so know every state 's a triall And all prosperity lies in self-deniall While thou surrounded with the confluence Of all the earths indearements that presents Thee with its goodliest heart-alluring'st offers Tak'st them as not ta'ne of them daily proffer'st A glad resignment having learn'd the art To have thy Food-indeed ev'r hungring heart More fil'd with Heaven then thy hands with Earth Count'st Myriades of Worlds a starving dearth Till Him thou seest in All gets Him through All Above all livest with Him 's in through 'bove all O such a man this man of Millions he 'S well bottom'd beares so well so high degree Be rooted grounded stablisht in the Faith So maist thou reare that superstructure hath A winde-and-storme-out-facing firmitude Whos 's Capstone shu'd be constant gratitude Whose corner stone is Christ whom while we see How can we unchearefull how unthankfull be In every thing give thankes ' cause every thing Brings good to us ' cause glory to him brings This is the will of God Sweet will The will Of God concerning me What me What still More sweetnesse What am I that I should be To be the subject of such Majesty That thou shud'st once bestow a thought on me But such a such a thought concerning me In Christ In Him even now translate into The Kingdome of thy dearest Son might view My Crosse triumph't o're by a patient and Long suffering joy while strengthned strengthned stand With might all might according to his power His glorious power doth all things over-power O' th' joy the joy the over-flowing joy Tides on the Heaven-ward soule wherein the Law Of comforts God's a hidden spring delights The inward man whose chiefe whose sole delight 's To be the subject of Gods will a joy Whose boundlesse inundations can destroy And beare before it like a wispe of Straw The hugest oppositions sad'st annoy That Earth and Hell can raise a joy redoubles T 's augmented forces by'ts increasing troubles The while he makes the more retir'd repaires Unto h's entowring Name views th' Legions there Attend him how heavens souldiers flock about Him with their profer'd service and his doubts Fly far away the while hee 's more intent To th' secrets of his heart more represent Him purity integrity simplicity Sincerity truth th' face of God vvhereby H's's inlargedly spirited with joyfull love 'T dares wrastle a fall with death and longs to prove The mastery and like some mighty Gyant fil'd With generous Wines speeds sprightly to the field Of high exploits that th' world and he might see Th'o'repowring arme of Al-sufficiency What wonders 't acts in feeble flesh a joy That can the most blood-sucking sorrow cloy With superabundant sweetnesses a joy Sings nothing sweeter then it's wisht envoy Unto the world a joy whose skill is showne ' N extracting marrow from the dryest bone A joy of that extended pure delight ' I's impossible the heart b' in such a plight Shut up in selfish ridgid austere constriction No't can be hard while such a blest affection Dissolves it all in pitty drawes powres it out In streames of meek compassions run about On every side with heedy tendernesse To see what wayes of succouring redresse 'T may finde while still it makes this gentlenesse prove More flaming oyle to its Seraphicke Love Thus thus annoint with this Celestiall joy Diffuses weighty spirits and imployes M' in such a sadnesse t' which all th' rest is madnesse A grave confulting serious sober sadnesse Consist's with is the Basis of true gladnesse 'T which all other's is but a merry madnesse A joy 's no light slight frothy vapouring bubble That disappeares at th'softliest-blasting trouble But a perspicuous solidity Transplendent firmnesse agile stability Thus kindly may the influented Art Of that bright morning Star that rules this heart Temper thee to it selfe and warm thy soule VVith spirits may raise th' above the worlds controule 'T is not thy Musicke Stories Company Thy forc'd ungenuin mirth can remedie Thy wound no i'ts but a palliated cure 'T will fester more and thou wilt lesse indure T 's returning smart but leave this Mountebanke trick And search toth ' coare better once be throughly sicke Then never truly well Out with this odde This peevish humour that oppugnes thy God His sacred will for then and not till then Thou't say to all his workes a glad Amen 'T is onely this our inconformitie 'S the cause of all our sinne and miserie And wu'dst thou not conforme did'st firmely beleeve Him all good thou all bad but hence we grieve Fond soules the griefes must be griev'd over again Cause our weake faith this maxime can't maintaine How can we be in our repining mood But in our heart we say he is not good No no it 's not it 's not so easie a thing To b'leeve him good for whether wud 't not bring Us duely truly creedited keepe then to this Say God is good for that is all our blisse Our blisse is all in Christ by whom alone The selfe denying soule God good hath knowne Worke waite pray praise This part 's thine God's the rest 'T is daring sacriledge to be unblest Gods glorie 's rob'd ere thine owne good but pray Thy Will be done let thankefull patience pray Blest man how ever There 's nothing comes amisse Toth ' man harh ta'ne the will of God for his Is now no more himselfe is ruled by Another soule his sole
felicitie What 's Heaven if not a seeing face to face Sung heart to heart were here that full seene grace Sung to a perfect harmony of wills We might on Earth of Heaven take our fills Bless't God hath given us such an Heavenly Brother To tune us all to Thee and each to other O what a consort 's here but ah where finde I two or three strick Unisons in minde Yet were they thirds fifts eights yet unitie Runs sweetely through with a sweet Symphonie There 's one blest One i' th' mid'st who where he is In turning all to One turnes all to blisse One reconcil'd One Smpathy agree How full's my soule with heavenly melodie What 's sinne shame griefe what whatsoever's bad But discord from the good the God we had What else th' all-sinning sinne this Tree I will A sign of Soveraigntie I will not Hell Hell but what th' all-saving grace come doe Come suffer m'will thy will I come I doe Heaven Heaven How harsh'n answ'r t' a sweet injuction How sweet an answer to so harsh a function Thus fin-and-sorrow follow self-will'd pride And grace-and-peace the self that is denide To will thy will 's the sole humilitie Wherein thou dwel'st and that 's in Heaven to be How sweet a Heaven 's the heart still say it wu'd It is my God do he what seemes him good Here 's a belov'd sweet singing Israel Whose heart 's full set to God's consent's as well In all notes as in one and if he strike A jarre jarres with himselfe till strikes alike And that 's a jarre that playes a pleasant moane I'th'eares of Heaven and therefore in his owne VVhat to give Grace and Glory but to give According to thy sacred will to live VVhat i st to be in Hell To be at ods Men with themselves friends neighbours devils God's Cursing the cause of this their sad discent From th' just inflicter of their punishment Gnashing their teeth for envy at the thought Of that Salvation Reconcilement brought Thou only blest in being only One Make us to be One spirit with thine owne And so with one another ere may I be VVith them thee feare they feare to disagree VVhat was our blessers dying blessing His prayer VVe might be One as He and 's Father are O were I were I able to unfold The riches that one sillable doth hold There 's only One thing that is necessary Met we all there how cu'd we thus contrary One body one spirit one hope one faith one Lord Baptim God Father so many Ones afford Their help to keep all One and yet how few VVhose boysterous spirits will not bussle throw Soft peaces bounds so lewse loose unity For none but humble-candid-wise agree But proud-contentious-fooles will ne'r agree Nor vvith themselves nor others nor with Thee Their friendship 's but dissembled enmity Unto th'r owne soules Thee all since not agree In Christ they 're not at peace wi'th ' very stones O' th' field the whole Creation groanes Under this universall enmity It feeles by man his parting friends with Thee Now this Commune Vinculum is broke All flies in pieces and we doe but cloke Our differences if not seem to be Each for himselfe and then what friends we be How now afraid of injury from each other Shrink up our selves into our selves and smother At least our mutuall hatred and not discover The depths of malice that our hearts doe cover Stor'd up against th'all-good all-powrefull God while self-wills and fond desires wu'd pull The Crowne from off his head so ' gainst our selves Who love they hate who hate they love themselves But whether are we brought by this sad breach Or what was 't brought it but our selfish reach Or what can binde it up but only Hee In whom alone we reconciled bee That bundle o'life b'whom His are gathered in To One to never part their hearts again Deare Saviour Cu'd we pattern lowly Thee How willing to our Farhers will wee 'd be Blest Love that spy'st so rare a policy Th'Athistick Florentine cu'd ne'r descry Stand soule this ground while Heaven can provide Himselfe of joy thy joy must needs abide Let him have all have all though I get none My joy 's my Gods content and not my owne Thou canst not Lord displease me ' nlesse thou wu't Displease thy selfe for I will what thou wu't Take take thee all deare Lord though I get none My joy 's my Gods content and so my owne So will the wilfull'st but passive instruments they But of thy grace we actively obey My care 's to please my husband so my self He that so loves so foolish fond an else Wu'd undoe all againe to put in selfe Though taught so well in him t' injoy it selfe Th' issue I nor know nor care t 's my blisse His pleasure 's mine and my displeasure's his He beares our burthen we injoy his yoake He weares our Thornes that hath our Thrones bespoke O cu'd we ever keep us at this pitch What an untroubled life wee 'd leade how rich In all contents nor wu'd there need descents To lower arguments that can't dispence Us sollid true substantiall comfort till We 're rais'd to sing it is our God his will The great'st content is none whose grounds not this Th' great'st discontent's swallow'd up in this vast blisse That beares the soule in an unstopped streame Of mightie force to 'th pleasure o' th' Suprearme The strength of all obedience is this It is his will and not it is my blisse The man that 's not alive can he be strong 'T is Love's the life of God beares all along With speed with ease the Councell ta'ne word given No parley 's with the flesh On on 's straite driven With conquering flames and if his blood shall rise Hee 'le lose his blood e're hee 'le his God despise What chalenge wo'nt he take what frowns what blows What death 's on deaths who such a Guerdon knowes Awaites his certaine victory such a Beautie As cheares him to and cleares him through his dutie VVhos 's thence infused vigour feares nothing more Then want of dangert ' make the world adore Those Heart'ning Splendors that in every Ray Th' all conquering strength o' th' Deity convey VVith what Luxuriances the turgent soule 'S borne up beyond the world and hells controule O how it longs it longs to be imploi'd I' th greatest worke the greater love 's injoy'd How't runnes at halfe a word how 't markes the lippes And heares before they speake away it trip VVith speedy dilligence and cannot stay Though th' thrungin'st pressing'st diff'culties beats it way Snaps off the strongest cords like rotten threads Dissects the massiest barres in shivering shreds And drives before it all the joyned force O' th' mighti'st obstacles oppugne its course And if it feele the least repulse returnes VVith thrice-redoubl'd couragious onsets burnes VVith spirit-incensing indignation to Be stop't in ought that for his Christ hee 'd doe The man 's in love
The man 's in love VVhose reason 's in his Mistresse ' will This th' Primum Mobile doth move His mind her madnesse to fulfill The man 's in love and loves with skill VVhose reason 's in his Master's will The man is mad her will 's no reason The man 's wise Reason is his Will The man 's a Rebell his love is Treason Loyall he whose love His Law fulfils Hee 's wise that knowes it he knows that loves it He loves that doth it He doth that loves it PUrities foes swell like a tottering wall Threatning whole Kingdoms with their shaking fall But they proud fooles are sure to have the worst Our shaking settles us they fall and burst Courage my hearts the joy of God's our strength Then joy we most when most we 've need of strength Courage my hearts what shall such men as wee Such men as wee shall we once thinke to flee Conquerours of Mell and shrinke before a flie Sons of the everliving God and feare to die Nor is it death 't is but the end of death Our life 's our death our death 't is gives us breath Unprison'd once ever in the open ayre Perfus'd with spirits by a spirit so rare Pure simple life O that we once were not That we might be Courage my hearts 't is but This wall of mud that us and heaven parts So ne'r our Center and so slow our hearts No holy efforts Let th' unfaithfull know Their valour's cowardize to that we show Laugh death i' th' face and shout at his Alarmes Imbrace him kisse him leap into his armes Hee 's a nimble messenger will quickly beare us Where unconceived endlesse joyes shall cheare us 'S th' word given Sa Sa sa sa sa brave hearts T 's this wall of mud that us and heaven parts The wicked is Gods hand there Sword his Lancet Pricks our importun'd soule and so advance it Which cu'd we as fully espy as when we see The Chirurgion breathe a veine how glad wee 'd be T'come under th'cure of such a skilfull hand Translates us with a touch to th' holy Land Feare not he bids he 's with us now see I Our soules on Angels wings surmount the skie Come let 's ascend our Thrones against our Judges Sit wth our Judge while th'gnashtheir teeth wth grudges Wee'z see them naked trembling at our sight Devest of stollen Honours borrowed might Heare them implore the Mountaines come end them But sha'nt so ward the blows our mouths shal send them They shall not scot-free scape and who can tell How soon the quiet of the Land may dwell In homes as quiet as their soules who knowes But we may get even this day of our foes Th're many cunning false strong watch malicious He 's One wise true ne'r slumbring strength propitious And shall th'e're-waking Judah's Lion wake And rouze his heart-dead-striking head hee 'le take Hee 'le touze them in his teeth like baffling whelps And shake them into Atomes None ther 's helps From his own ceasing straite dismembring paw Of all contemners of his Gospell-Law Come let the Spirits mighty rushing winde Dispell those clouds from the corrupted mind The muddy grounds of humane braines exhald By that false Lucifer at length b'unvail'd That beauteous Light of Truth at length Traditions Damn'd with the Man of Sin Sonne of Perdition Let 's cleare our passage t'immateriat joye From these materiate obstructions cloy The Subtle veines of Sin-refined soules And in the sence the Spirits sweets withholds Come le ts unstoppe the Conduit pipes of Grace From mud and trash the sullied glasse the face Of Christ that shewes let 's cleare let 's cleare our way Through Antichrists to Christ work wait praise pray Hold up prevailing hands in praying action ' Gainst Babylon and the Babylonish faction Let God arise display his glorious rayes Dispell the infernall mists obscure his praise Undraw the Curtaines intercept his face Precipitate each Judah's to his place Betrayes him with a Ceremonious kisse Their Bishopricks be others Benefice Clothe him with Purple cry haile King bow th'knee Yet spit yet smight yet naile him to the Tree Base spirits can hold and see him so blasphem'd Not take his part by who we 've been redeem'd Courage my hearts then courage to observe All 's written in his Law on no hand swerve Help us to help thee Lord against their might In thy Pavilion hide 's and let them fight I' th secret of thy presence lead thy Lambes In gentle safe conveyance from the hands Pride-cruell hands of men of bloods then damne Then damnifie men-devils if you can Die live we are the Lords are in our way Now beare the Crosse shall weare the Crown That day Nay th' Crosse is boar'n the shame despis'd and wee Are glorious in the greatest infamie The Crosse is boar'n the feare despis'd and wee May must exult i' th' daring'st jeopardie The Crosse is boar'n the griefe despis'd and we Are Crown'd with Heaven i' th' Crossing'st miserie VVHat ailes me thus this morning why so dull The flesh the flesh my life even in the flesh 'S by th'faith o' th' Son of God O were I full Of this I 'd walk I 'd run I 'd flie afresh Nor faint nor wearies God nor I I know Shall be but reap for as he 's I am so Up Eagle-wing'd faith up remount thy mount Of Prayer mount of Transfiguration Still in this vaile of Teares Still shall I count The tedious houres of this sad alteration Still buffeted Thornes still Lord perfect then Thy strength in weaknesse thy glory 's mine Amen HAd I the faith I could doe all things cu'd Turne earth to water water into ayre Aire into fire from melancholly wu'd Extract a fluent mildnesse from that reare Spirituall breathings and they wu'd soon take fire And beare my soul unto its high desire So may my faith not only goe beyond My sence but go against it and beyond Not only lead my joyes above the earth But make my sorrows vanish into mirth T 's an infant faith that must be handed on By th'worlds supports and a decrepit one That stoops unto the ground and cannot goe Without th'upholdings of these Reedes below But mine 's more ag'd and shu'd the stronger grow Int 's oldest yeares So make me Lord to goe From strength to strength I may goe all alone When but thy Hand Word Spirit help I 've none When but this help What Make a But of That Which made the world that Al-sufficient That What have I'n Heaven but Thee in all the Earth But Thee My Heaven my Earth my All what mirth Can all the world possest afford me'if Thou Art wanting But Jehovah present how Can Worlds can Hells once move m'with all their ill Who have the God that All things hath at will When thou that mad'st the Sun to shine on all Sha't make th' worlds favours round about me fall Shu'd I salute thee with a cheerefull thankes That may be mine and not
but gull His seeming sweet straite turnes to gall And vomits straite his stollen all His Done joy 's cooled by and by With reall ills in Fieri But stay all this is but to seek my selfe While I am studying how to loose it I Must flie a braver pitch far far more high Above the thoughts of all this selfish pelfe ACtion is the life of a Christian it is death to him not to be stirring He cannot rest in himself though nay becausefill'd with the greatest contents He receiveth to doe but the wicked doth to receive His pleasures his joys his delights are displeasures are troubles to him if they doe not run forth themselves into God Hence the soule at his stillest and retiredest recesses is still putting out its heart and breathing forth it selfe in praises studying and contriving wayes of activenesse for the glory of its God and hence the poore soule though indeed only rich when it lyes at an under in truth the very heighth of Christianity cries out O it cannot doe it cannot doe Blessed soule that art estranged to thy self that hast forgotten thy selfe and all thy good deeds as things not worth the looking after and hast got so forward in the wayes of holinesse to be still more pressing onward to the marke in a more speedy and active course by how much the nearer thou commest to it Thou that knowest what it is to cry out enough Lord mercy enough vvhat are those sweet pangs and blessed conflicts of soule under a divers notion the while thou over-powred with apprehension of that Unspeakable Gift in whom is given thee all things richly to enjoy now labouring under some present distemper and being thereby led back to the remembrance of its roote and originall art so overcome with the sight of thine owne altogether unworthinesse of the least mercy thou dost even sinke and fall under such weighty and over-bearing thoughts with a sweet-humble-resignment of thy selfe as now no more thy selfe and so with an holy kinde of carelesnesse as concerning thy selfe art become willing to suffer to doe to be any thing for thy God and in that respect the while thou tacitely and most effectually deprecatst these petitionst for the removall of these distempers disturbances indispositions c. as of themselves impediments to the more active duty and the more manifest expression of the divine glory though indeed these sweet impressions are not a little tending to it The sinceritie the humilitie the love the zeale that is more intentively active within breaking forth with so much the more strength and vigour And what can the most eminent lively stirring and active Christian doe of himselfe since the strongest is as weake as the weakest without God and the weakest as strong as the strongest with him who accepteth the sincere heartie studious indeavoring will for the deed and will thus accept of thy mite that thus throwes away thy self as it were that throwes in heart and all although in the meanest and weakest performance as desiring no mercies to thy selfe but to returne them as tributary streames to their first spring even this shall he accept before all the Rivers of Oyle all the bodies that may be given to be burnt by a selfe seeking Pharisee that is still returning and winding about to himselfe like those waters of Ponds Meers and Lakes that run into themselves 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Psal 58. that are not acted by an inward principle to a selfe-withdrawing selfe-outing end but are meerely agitated by winds by externall motions and still move within the compasse of themselves and therefore dry away and perish with the hypocrite And this doing is no doing or if any is aliud agere is male agere that thus beginnes and ends in it selfe But what dost thou O man of whom God requires onely that thou shouldest doe justice and walke humbly with thy God And what is it to doe justice but to give every man his right and for every man to give thee O Lord thine all he doth he hath he is all his pleasures all his possessions all his abilities of which all since he can give thee nothing what cause hath he to walke humbly with his God And what infinitely sweet humble action and active humilitie is that that brings us to walke to converse to have fellowship with such an infinitely sweete God the author the finisher of our ever infinitely sweete humilitie O who would not now humbly act in all and aske his mirth what Doth it and account his laughter madnesse runnes a round of selfe conceited pleasure and is not like a line that takes its beginning and ending in thee that conveyes not the soule along to thee onely Who would not Ecco to the command of Come doe my will with a readie and speedy I come I come to doe thy will If there be any truth even in naturall love is it not when it not receives for it selfe but doth for its beloved even to the undergoing the greatest paine the losing of the dearest life can nature live by doe die for love and shall not grace make nature subservient to Thee in all these and what ever there may be more then these where can the man finde himselfe that knowes thee that loves Thee as he should as hee would here is the man that sees so much of Heaven that nothing but the love of God can make him meddle with a thought of the earth while the God-unacquainted soule sees so much of earth that nothing but the love of himselfe can make him to meddle with a thought of heaven all the glories of the Kingdomes of the world may well passe away as shaddowes vanities nothings before the soule that in his Christ sees his God when the least tempting Apple may loose him that is not secured in this blest premunition And to that happie condition is the soule brought and that is it which brings the soule to that happy condition that lookes after the world and Heaven for God when the other after God for the world and Heaven so while hee makes himselfe his God makes himselfe a devill while the other in making himselfe Gods makes God himselfe while he drawes in onely that hee might poure out God poures in unto them while he is drawing forth while he takes his graces themselves drinkes and fills his belly with those living waters to this prime and principall end that the overflowing thereof may make glad the city of God and carry both himselfe and it to be swallowed up of that infinite ocean of loves and sweetnesses A Christian is at least should be so rich with content so superabounding with such an exuberancy of the milke and hony of Canaan that like the distended udders of high fed Kine it even lookes to be drawne forth and longs for some to be taken into the partnership of its joyes and graces so far should he be out of any impotencie and incontinencie of spirit to be carried out to
Christ working on us in us and through us beginning continuing and ending all in it selfe happy Soule that knowes what is the study of selfe-deniall never can wee finde any where more of sweetnesse because no where more of God O could we make this our Hoc age our businesse our one thing whether wud it leade us where wud it loose us even to the following of God fully to be full of him and still to follow him to emptie and fill fill and emptie in a most sweet and blessed exercise of soule till we lay downe in everlasting rest and peace wholly emptied of our old and dying wholly filled with our new everliving selves O the unserchablenesse the unconceiveablenesse of the Love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord O the depth of its humility the heighth of its zeal the latitude and length of its obedience what thing what time can bound it O what is it can so free can so enlarge so sublime the heart as the giving it up to the hands of its God to be guided by him at his pleasure Can the soule contain it selfe within it selfe that hath these thoughts O when shall we know what it is that singlenesse of heart that being but one soule but one heart When shall we be like so many closing pieces of tender waxe before the fervent heat of the Sun When shall we be dissolved when runne into one another and all into one holy Lumpe Even so Lord Jesus come quickly 1 Cor. 10.24 Phil. 2.4 5. c. 21. Sic nos non nobis So we not for our selves have fame So we not for our selves have gaine Nobis nâ— nati sumâ— So we not for our selves have pleasure So we not for our selves have * Omnia mea temp amicorum temporibâ— absumend putavi Câ— Perdididâ— em quunâ— nemini be nefecisset Titus Impâ—rator leasure So have nor mind's nor bodie 's health To keep t' our selves our selves is stealth So nothing for our selves we have But have for Him that all things gave So all things for our selves we have Since He who all Himselfe us gave GOes th' Boate uneaven Leane the other way So with more safetie and with lesse delay In joying grieve and in thy grieving joy So neither change shall worke thee such annoy 'Ts the man that makes his fortune Ever 's he Prosperous thar learnes loves wills adversitie Then learne this lesson and 't is worth the while Let sorrow be the shaddow of thy smile Be not so joviall frolicke so profuse Least plung'd up swimme thou canst not through disuse That mirth is madnesse where's no ponderousnesse For reason's weightie and imports no lesse Then God the moving cause who once in thought The faithfull soule in fearefull joy is brought Great God! I sinke w'th that All-contayning name Good God! my burthen and my Heaven 's the same What heart-betraying world wu'dst have me joy I le turne my joy to my God-joying grace And that will quickly give true griefe its place While both together sit with sweet accord And make my heart the musicke of my Lord. Or think'st to quell me with thy fell Annoâ— I le turne my griefe to my God-grieving sinne And that will quickly turne to joy agin Nay they are one for they agree in one Blest Father sorrow smiles while joy doth moane Both fall about his necke and kisse brave sight To see Griefe weepe for joy the day through night Thrice happy man this happy temper keeps As th' golden Sunne through th' Silver droppings peeps Upon the flowring earth or softly playes O' th' gliding streames with'ts gently glittering Rayes As th' modest smilings o' the native Heat Nor Chronick nor acute diseases threat Thus wud'st thy sence-refined faith imploy thou d'st th' one from th' other reciprocally draw And in the Trinessence of both compose The temper wu'd heaven in earth God-man disclose Thus griefe should loose its name and nature be Swallowed up of Glorying Humilitie Humble I shall be in Heaven O! ' th' weight o' th' Love O' th' Love presses my soule to solid joyes My spungy soule so often shrunk and swel'd Glorious I am on earth O! th' heighth o' th' Love O' th' Love raises my soule t'an humble poyse A temper ad pon dus might exactnesse dwell On this side th' Empyraean so be I still Tempered to Justice till on Sions Hill The Spirit-pondering-God shall find me weight Made me meete to live at such a glorious height LOok not so much at the present as the future having eye in adversitie to prosperity and prosperitie to adversitie learne to estrange neither from your thoughts that you may welcome either they are guests that looke for successive entertainement be not so free to one as that the other take you unprovided they are enemies to each other and yet an indifferent respect may make them both friends to you be acquainted yea familiar with both but indeare your selfe to neither deny neither of them admission to your head so shall you both the possession of your heart keepe correspondency with both and you are safe but give your selfe to either and it will leade you you know not whither you are betrayed you are lost you shall be set upon now by the one now by the other and become a slave to both you shall then learne that it is better to observe ten then serve two be not led so much by sight of what is as foresight what may be not so much by sence as by reason and not so much by reason as faith for that is beast-like and lookes but downeright this man-like and lookes forward but this last Christian-like and looks upward Labour then to know no such things as adversitie and prosperitie but as the will or not the will of God in your having or not having these outward things and learne this excellent Art of composing a meane out of two extreames Take somewhat of the sweet to qualifie the soure and of the soure to qualifie the sweet yet let it savour most of the most benigne to which the other is but subservient It is the soure griefe and fulsome joy that distempers but it is the joyfull griefe and grieving joy that is the sweete the onely gracefull temper I deny not but changes of State may move you but they must not remove you they may somewhat alter the affection but must nothing alter your station suppose you sing the more cheerefully in the Sun shine and weepe the more freely in the storme yet must you mourne in this singing and rejoyce in this weeping this Aequanimity unwaveringnesse standing even upright posture of soule is that which may be demonstrated the best in that the excellency of every thing is according to its likenesse or rather partaking of that onely excellency and therefore as of his simplicitie and infinitie in the inlargednesse and puritie of heart so its immutabilitie in the steadfastnesse and immoveablenesse of our mind these being as necessarily concomitant
And teach my grievingst griefe delight Heavens harpers did Romes Epicedium play Hundreds of yeares before her fatall day Then come sweet Lute with gentle Aires Come kindly touch me with the Cares Of Christs-Crosse-bearing soules whose share Of common woe and weale I beare With Voltos then come raise my spirits Unto the Triumphs they inherit Whose wo's their weale whose wound 's their cure whose Heaven 'S their sweet whose want's their wealth whose hel's their Heaven VVHere am I How this turne hath giddied mee Decemb. 1640. Can hardly credit what I plainly see So farre fro'th doore so backward on the stage Still to protract this wearie pilgrimage Blest Lord so turnd'st our feare-led captive thoughts As those that dreampt we saw devouring Vaultes Heapt by the foaming Beast with Virgin Slaine Indign'd his I doll-lust We dreampt againe Christs-warre-preventing Throne became the Theame Of speedy praise but fear'd this was a dreame But we awake in Paradise And that no fooles be we but wise To keepe our hold'our God so close Nor becks nor blowes shall make us loase Then prove the former dreame yet true Change but the time the latter's too AS he whose braines are weak and businesse much Walks here there now this now that will touch Takes up layes down wu'd somewhat knows not what Even so my Good my God I had forgot Craz'd by my fall Still were my braines imploy'd With swarmes of busie follies still annoy'd With great paines taking in great trifles void Of all successe and got as soone was cloy'd Thus hither thither flew but ne'r cu'd finde An object sutable unto my minde Beauty honour riches seem'd an empty shade Before I saw the substance ere I 'd made Discovery of the Truth they seem'd a lie But that being seen they seem'd a lying lie A shade of shades Natures dim glimmering light Burnt clearer in my heart and shew'd me a sight Far worthyer choyce A soule a beautious soule Inrich'd with rarer honour a prudent soule A meek-sweet lovefull heart whose noble spirit Scornes a few-thousand-miled world shu'd bury it ' N a petty speck of dirt but pleasures in Its larger glories by the eye unseen Then after this while carefull search I made Straite shun a light shew'd this too but a shade A Heaven-sent light was darted in my heart And made me this perverting course divert The world in 'ts richest ornaments is but A show a show th'compleat'st nature but Thon only good and therefore only true Give m' in a recapitulated view Those Scripture-scattered Glories O cu'd I those Thy analysized Graces well compose Into their lovely face How deep I de fall In love and say thy beauty darkens all The creatures beautie's but a skin-deep lawne That by some slight distemper soon undrawne Reveales the lurking messengers of death That lie in waite to snatch away the breath And so possesse their Master of the face That seem'd but now above a creatures grace But take the purest in 'ts admired'st hew If modest else 't is none it dares but shew Its hands and face but He but alwayes Hee Is altogether Lovelinesses Hee Is Lovelinesses altogether every one Is in Him and but in Him there is none The creatures Vertue 's but a fairer foule Lodg'd in too straite a roome t' content my soule That only recreated splendors loves Whereon simplicity and infin'ty moves And where may I enjoy it better then Admitted to its near'st approaches when No intervenient object bars my sight In its impure and narrow Channell Light Pure perfect boundlesse inaccessible light VVhen shall I live in thy delighting sight I live but I wu'd live another life VVhere light and darknesse know no longer strife I live but I wu'd live another life That might informe me what a death 's this life How how m'abhorring spirit starts me back When by thy faire I see their ugly black VVhen by thy wisdome I their folly see And by their folly may the wiser be With what a mightier force my soule returnes To thee in thee with mightier fervour burnes O Light of Lights when shall I see Thee as I 'm seen VVhen shall I bee Thou Love of Loves with Thee i' th' high'st VVho long to learn yet what 's my Christ May Thoughts Men Bookes may all I see But answers to this question be May Thoughts Men Bookes may all I see Be Thoughts Men Bookes be All of Thee May every Sermon that I heare But breake the Clouds this Sun may cleare May every thing I heare or see Be all but Testaments of Thee And when th 'ave told me all they can I still must aske as I began VVell satisfied in seeking till My search with satisfaction fill VVHat 's white compar'd to blacke to browne to gray What mar'le 't excels but take the lightest gray Nay th'purest white the strongest sight e're saw Sublime thy apprehension yet and draw A purer unto which this bright'st's as black As th' face of Hell and yet beleeve there lacks As much resemblance in this draught to th' Life As Earth of Heaven of Heaven for all our strife 'S but pourtrai'd with a coale revealed God In h's holyest glories by a dirty Clod O' th' work-besoiling Clay and yet beleeve Thou' rt altogether unable to beleeve The difference till thou seest it Thou't see a light Is able to discerne an Hypocrite A man s'inlightned he hath skill enough To cheate himselfe and all the world this snuffe This dying snuffe shall burne as black as Hell When with its Christ sincerity shall dwell But what 's that all-surpassing splendor O Where 's he Where 's he will lead me to that show And teach my thoughts my rude and artlesse lines To draw the features of that face divine Divine That every foolish fondling w'll blurt On a neat piece of finer-formed durt O beauty Cu'd I speak but I have lost Expressions in impressions I 'de rather lie Admiring Adoring More sweetnesses suck I So but fire will out must speak of him Rightly if I can however speak of him The best of things so earnestly I covet Th'Unspeakable Gift yet can I say I love it And love will praise its object so must I And yet now I begin to praise I die O may my life so porutrait forth my Love To win Corrivals mount their spirits above With sacred flames while I stand peering there Where all Terrestriall beauties shad dowes are O see prie gaze b'inamour'd here is fare For Myriads of Love-sick worlds and spare O see prie gaze b'inamour'd here is fare Whose Rivals bring each other greater share For many eyes hearts see love more then one Fresh Graces spie to feed fresh hungers on O here 's a banquet where the guests finde ever The more the merrier for the cheare failes never Discovered such a goodly plenty show's Whose there can grieve but that his friends it loose Whose there can grieve but that his griefe 's his sauce To make him rellish more his wiser choice
thought rul'd in Thy princely mind thou cou'dst not cou'dst not sinne 'T is death to such a one to sinnne Nay death thou d'st runne to death to free thee from this death Live like thy selfe then Christian act act act Set keepe thy faith on worke in every fact In vain 's the power that 's not produc'd to act Where what is had 's not us'd what 's had is lack't O Leave me not my head O stint the strife Canst pull my head off Canst see me so to flutter Bustle and struggle So labour for my life Do'st pleasure in my paine or hear'st me utter ' Blasphemous word yet with the tender Fowle Or quiet lambe I de faine retaine my soule My soule Thou art 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Psal 31.24 Hold fast and now I 'm ' ready die Canst see me gripe and graspe the cloathes my heart Not strength yet Canst heare me say I die I die griev'd nothing but with Thee to part Deare friend dear'st husband and yet thou my death What shall our children doe too O give breath Breath still blest spirit and while I am alive I le have a care to see thy graces thrive VVHat sweet repasts when God and hunger meet And stay the hungry soule whose hunger's sweet How sweet the draughts when God and thirstings meet And stay not quench their thirsts whose thirst's so sweet I here 's the soule shall eate drinke once for all When want of praise no more for prayer shall Oh cu'd I praise what need I pray But I shall praise shall praise for aye That 's m' onely worke both here and there What is no praise can be no prayer I 'M dull I 'm dull with this my clod O breath these earth-rejecting veines and make Them full with praise of purer worth I 'm full I 'm full of Thee my God O breath my blessing-turgent veines and make Them run them spring Thy prayses forth Winde up my soule to those Seraphique straines Wherewith that noble Quire entertaines Their farre-above all praise-exalted Maker That joyes in this that thou art his partaker Whose joy 's his glory glory will will thine Thine his will-pleased joy his glory thine Who onely happy will not happy be Unlesse thee as himselfe hee happy see I tremble and this shaking gives a grace Unto my singing voice VVhat This my place I tremble and this shaking opes my pores And thrusts my sluggish humors out of doores I tremble and this shaking makes me catch My God more fast in h's faster foulds doth catch I tremble and this shaking cleares my wings Rouses my spirits up the speedier brings To sit among the gods t' exalt the name That deignes to Christian creatures by the same To sit among the gods to give receive Eternall blessings thus to interweave My joy inseparably with his glory Be all my pleasures hushed with this story Admire Let this still musicke still my griefe Till sence supply what 's wanting in beleefe For carnall sence is not so farre below My faith but spirituall may overflow To powre out mutuall blessings and to be Most blessed by my blessing so to see It is more blest to give then to receive Honor'd by him all honour with him leave To power out mutuall blessings whilst I lie Drown'd in the fountaine where no sooner I Cry blessed but my blessing strait redounds With millions to my brest and heaven resounds With Echoed praises of those beautious creatures Are all in love with one anothers features Spirits spiritualiz'd rarifide to such Sublim'd simplicitie there 's not so much As th' smallest specke of dust the Atom'st moate With 'ts interpos'd obscurity to floate Betwixt their light and beautie God and them Their every-way-surrounding glorious stem I tremble and this shaking gives a grace Unto my singing voyce is this my place I heare eternitie speake and say I love Thee as my selfe whom no affections move I 'le be thy crowne of everlasting glory While thou sha't banquet on the endlesse story Of all my councells and survey the depths Highth breadths lengths of my er'st-untracted steps While thou sha't heare my thwarting feet agree I' th' perfect'st set o' th' pleasant'st melodie While still perfused i' the richest savours Th' art fed with kisses e're refreshing favours Still lost in admiration of thy blisse Thou't finde so blessed ' cause s'admir'd it is Well if the master of the feast shall say Friend sit up here shall I dare disobey God knowes no compl'ments hee 's sinceritie A word 's enough where all 's realitie Mount mount my soule and keepe upon the winge Jehovah see and Hallelujah sing O How my soule 's inheaven'd in the sound That descants on so beautifull a ground See eye love heart sing glory and all accord To make my life the musicke of my Lord. Rejoyce my spirits and all my thoughts within Ride triumph with the speedie Cherubim While death and hell attend my conquering Carre Whose glory duskes the brightest glizning Starre The brightest Sun in all his Summers pride 'S a cloud of darkenesse when together ey'd Thankes thankes my soule for when my soule sings thanks Then onely then my joy 'ore flowes its bankes Praise praise my spirit for while my spirit sings praise Then onely then I weare the crowning bayes Blesse blesse my heart for when my heart sings blesse Then onely then my heart feeles blessednesse Heart soule spirit spirit heart soule zeale fire Breake breath burne blaze and in his brest expire Earth hold me not O pinnion me no more When shall I be whence I shall be no more Still hold me earth for heaven wu'd be no heaven Shu'd not my will keepe time and fall in eaven With his O could I blesse thee here here were My heaven but want both heart and art how ere Can 't hold while some want matter for their words I words f'r Immatteriatnesse yet like the tender Birds That in the silent shadow sit forlorne Bill dresse their feathers by the dawning morne Stand perking pearing in the blooming Sunne And teach their light-delighted tongues to run Their chirping welcomes to its glorious raies So doe I strive to chatter forth Thy praise Praise praise him soule I le never cease to praise And when I cry I le cry I cannot praise Why sorry but for sinne t is folly why For sinne but that unthankfull praiselesse I Praise my petitions praise him my confessions Praise deprecations praise him intercessions And if my tongue cease praise in griefes and feares I le make my tongue recant in praysing teares In every thing give thankes for 't is his will That gives me cause to sing 't is well 't is ill O praise praise praise let me no longer live Then doe my masters businesse prayses give Nay life is praise for then I truly live When joy then truly joy when praises give The life is best 's most like the life above Hence I so much Psalme-singing tempers love The man is best comes nearest to
my brest Thence Councells furnish take thee to my rest Thou jealous of mine honour did Thy thoughts Run on my beauties day and night that nought Cud please thee else thy feet i' th' pleasant wayes Of my commands did'st count them so How sayes saith Thy heart and they is this thy holy faith Cleane feare God ' ndwelling love Now now what saith Thy conscience Did thy heart er'e feele a dagger yet Survive the thorough-strucken wound and yet Thy-heart-still-killing smart survive the hope Of Cure this daggers it kills heart and hope With minute mortall stabbes of quicke dispaire Myriads of endlesse living dyings are I tell thee man Th' art not a man or art a Puritan A beast a dog a hog a what-he-will Whose Jesu-countermands thy lustes fulfill I tell thee man Thou art a Devill or a Puritan There are but two unelimentary spirits Good bad God the divill and justly he demerits T' be counted th'latter who 'l not be the first Who scoffes at th' blessed spirit to be th' accurs'd Bad in th' extreame who wu'd be i' th' meane Of absolute good who wu'd no nearer come To God then needs t' be cast i' th' farthest roome Of utmost darkenesse there to learne too late Th' remotest distance of the middle state Of wilfull neutralists a semblance make Of friends to heaven when Tophets part they take HOw now mad sparke what pride thee in thy wit When pride 's the Principle follie and what is it What is thy wit when it is at the best And worth the name but judgement neately drest The wit that 's made the judgements recreation This play the ground while that the variation That made the sauce unto a weaker braine That else wu'd of the stronger meate complaine And what is judgement but a childish thought When to the full'st maturitie 't is brought What all our parts but parts and those received And in a moment may be quite bereav'd The best are bad for else they never cu'd Be tane away but are th' parts of that good That onely good compleate then not our owne So then who hath th' great'st the best hath none But what in Him but what in Him we see We see 't we feel 't in humbling humilitie VVEll say thou saydst thou thought'st 't were somewhat well Why not confesse his gratious gifts as free As of th' ungracious retributions tell By that that humbly thankefull thou mayst be By this thankfully humble be sincere Nor shame nor praises need'st thou then so feare I Have sat downe and councell held I cannot fight I cannot build And yet I can't but fight and build The warre the building 's great Great wants do threate My strength my stocke is small Is none at all What shall I doe I le doe thy word A Toole in this that hand a sword My Christ will helpe and wealth afford My strength my stock 's not small For they are all The building warre shall thrive While hee 's alive Here then I le minutely repaire Nay hence not budge a foot my care ' Sonl ' he who ' h's life so freely'd spare Me and I not fetch 't but spare Such gainefull care Such life such strength whereby 'T is I am I Ungratefull sloath had rather fall and die Then stretch his bosom'd hand to ' th' life so nie THe world 's uncertaine and my knowledge too But I desire to be certified Of nothing but Christ and him crucisied Christ from this head all goods all grace convay And on him crucified all ills sinnes lay So see my all while see my Christ My evills on my goods in Christ So has my foote a sure place Nor will I longer wandring trace The world to finde a setling stay For I have one and that 's my way VVArre peace life death A harbour and a shelfe The death of death The Image of himselfe Th' omnipotent Prophet and the Priestly King That Learnt Obedience by his Suffering A sacrificing sacrifice Simplicitie Lodg'd in a house of clay Omnipotencie Sensible of humane frailties The Lord of life Slaine The God of glory undergoing the strife Of vilifying tongues The administrator Of heaven and earth administred to th' Creator Poore reliev'd by th' Creature Aeternall happinesse Afflicted stupendious godlinesse Great mistery and they that thinke it small As doe all worldlings they know nought of all God manifest i' th' flesh heaven dwell in earth Descend in hell O how divine's my mirth When I can in my flesh my earth my hell See Him See in my flesh my earth my hell This spirit this heaven O spiritualize me more Him more t' approve whom Angels so explore Adore A God poore heathen gospells th' God to whom The sensuall sense-refined world doth come Drawne by beleeving hearts Unbonnded glory Caught up to glory what created oratory Can reach can teach these wonders so sublime Profound Th' celestiall theame of timelesse time How humble shu'd I be cu'd I still bow My selfe to pry into this mistery How Heighthned inlarg'd cu'd I still soare aloft In this so broad so long deep-heighth t' be taught Gen. 1.31 2 Cor. 3.18 THou Lord mad'st onely good my object be 'T is onely good then I shud see But I wu'd ill and ill now onely see 'T is onely sinne then I 'de not be But I 'd be Christ when shall I onely be T is onely God then I shall see Thou Lord madst onely good my object be 'T is only good then I shu'd see But I wud ill and ill now only see 'T is onely I then I 'd not be But I 'd be thee when shall I onely be 'T is onely thee then I shall see Thou' rt only good and I wu'd see All but as spots to draughts of Thee All but as spots to draughts of Thee Who art the only good I see The world 's the Image of thy Image word The mire sin that Satan blur'd Man with the stain straite through th'Creation crept But this untouch't him selfe hath kept And h's glorious-face-resplendent glasse hath left To daily dresse me quite bereft Of sight by that foule filth His Spirits breath Upon this Mirror quicks my death Struck-eyes And now since such a foulnesse in My fairest I see I 'le never lin To eye to pry to dresse redresse me by This God-conforming Theory VVHy shu'd I envie grace insult o're sinne Are not the Saints sins mine my graces theirs All sinn's in one in one all grace we in Them both he onely well himselfe compares Whose humble thankfull watchfull soule makes true One flesh one spirit one Adam old and new THou art Thou onely art Man 's but a But An adj'ctive accident a what-Thou-wut Thou art art onely excellent to be 'T is that 't is that 's the onely excellencie Bee 't all my businesse t' get more Thee That being more Thee I may more be More be in more to be To Thee PAsse world along with all thy pompous traine Goe ruffling in thy pride thy richest
command them off is indeede to command a mans selfe the most noble conquest And surely this magnanimitie this inlargeing this heighthning heate and vigour of heart is conveyed in equally with those beames of divine illumination Which wonderfully marvellous light which kingdome of Heaven first entering into us and wee into it at our first entrance on Mount Sion workes thus diffusively on the understanding-the-heart-the whole All things are as they are compared to God but him in the face of Christ I see the onely good and therefore as contraries illulustrate each other whom have I in earth in Heaven but Thee I see nothing in the whole creation in its best and setledest state but a blacke and horrid Caos of vanitie of deformitie farther then it partakes of him farther then I can espie in it the scatterings of the divine Raies And surely the men of the world comparing themselves with themselves and the things with the things of the world are not wise Rectum est index sui obliqui The light of the manifestation of it selfe and darkenesse He then that doth truth commeth to this light to see whether his workes be of God T 's the shining Sunne discovers those motes of sinne Those subtler mists of fleshie steames betweene Our spirit our light our life and us those beames Of shadowing lusts that darke our lightfull beames Still shine lo'd Sunne discovering still dispell And in dispelling discover our heart-bred hell Those uncouth Cells those shades of dismall death Those haunts of horrid Fiends whose mickle skeath Of mortall wounds hous'd in a golden sheath Of minion comforts steale away the breath With fatall kisses whilst th' guile-favouring night Maskes their infernall shapes till th' friendly light Of faithfull truth appeare and put to flight Their wilely force b' its wisely succouring might Thus more commended it my triumph more Increast such enemies so triumphed o're Thus the sincere heart brings himselfe and all the world to this all-revealing Sunne to see what they have of him in whom hee hath approved the onely and onely fincere-making excellencies by that single eye of faith that singles him out as its onely object as desiring to see nothing but him at least mediately if not immediately And though this latter is the way wherein the earnestly heartie desires of the soule run after the full and uninterrupted in oyment of God yet in regard of the frailtie of the flesh the weakenesse slendernesse imbecilitie of the intermediate spirits that are as the ties and ligaments betwixt the foule and the body and could not long conteine themselves without being utterly dissolved shud they be unintermittedly bent and held up to that extensive intensivenesse whereunto they are wrought by those great and glorious thoughts of those savoury and cordiall apprehensions which in the Lord Christ they have and without him they cannot have of that simple and infinite good which not onely carry forth the soule in a glad venture but transport it in an eager pursuit of this happy dissolution yet bethinking it self that there may be a selfe-seeking in this selfe-loosing that it is to live to others not it selfe to doe not receive it is willingly forced with a kind of unpleasant pleasantnesse to further entertaine its faith in naturall sense least it should wholly vanish into supernaturall So may our soules O Lord be incessantly continually devoted to thy feare so may they be devout even in all their earthly affaires may se devovere vow themselves from themselves and pay their vowes continually So may they ever live in thy fight in thy light that they may never depart from thy feare that they may never more give the lie to their professed knowledge fellowship with the light by walking in the wayes of darknes but shew forth the glory of their father in Heaven by the reflection of their serene sincere light some conversation on earth And certainly could we stand with this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this stretching forth of the head in an earnest looking on him and longing for him wee shu'd have such an assuence of light and life breake in upon our soules and shine on our wayes that we shu'd walke up and downe like starres shot from Heaven till having dazled the eyes of the world into an envious astonishment wee shu'd remount for ever fixed in our highest spheare Now according as our aspect is on Him so is it also to others if that but oblique this but dimme and obscure but if that perpendicular this lively and glorious O that wee were more excellently skilled in these holy optickes we cu'd not but be in Theologie and therefore in Ethicks Oeconomicks c. And cu'd we but live soberly righteously and godlily upon as we ran not but cannot chuse but upon the sight of God avant then false lights false comforts for ever then he that shall come will come and will not tarry for the Lord is certainly waiting to bee gratious to that soule that is thus stedfastly waiting to be guided by him This indeed being the product the effect of the sense of that Neither know I any such if any other sincere and constant seeking as that when I thought of an absent God I was troubled and refused to be comforted by any thing but himselfe as knowing nothing else true comfort Neither can there be such seeking but from a true and lively saith not such a waiting but from a sincere-and-fervent love therefore not unlikely the Apostle thus intimating the nature of these graces translates those passages of Esaiah 11.10 with Rom. 15.12 1 Cor. 2.9 with Isa 64.4 seeke trust waite love Seeking faith and waiting love Here is that great Art of a Christian to be seeking still seeking the face of God I have set the Lord Alwayes before my face therefore c. Seeke yee the Lord and seeke his face Evermore I am Continually With thee Be in the feare of the Lord all the day long Here is that great difference of sinceritie and hypocrisie Will the hypocrite pray alwayes Will he seeke God in prosperitie as well as in adversitie At mid day in his businesse all the day long hourely and minutely as well as morning evening and at the solemne assembly Will he live the life of faith in the flesh in all sensuall things is he crucified to the world and the world to him Is he dead and this that even his mortall body lives is it by the quickning of the spirit doth hee walke up and downe the world as a man that hath neither life nor soule but onely as inlivened as animated hence is he ever lifting up his face to God that that flood of light and life that thence with such mighty incomes flowes in upon the soule might beare downe before it every thought that exalts it selfe against the kingdome of the Lord Christ c. that wholy given over to the power sway and guidance of it wholly casting it selfe into its imbracings while it