impudent face said unto him I have peace offerings with me this day have I payd my vowes Therefore came I forth to meet thee diligently to seek thy face and I have found thee I have deckt my bed with coverings of Tapestry with carved workes with fine linnen of Egypt I have perfumed my bed with myrrhe aloes and cynamen Come let us take our fill of love untill the morning let us solace our selves with loves For the good man is not at home he is gone a long journey Proverbs 7. vers 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19. But what is she end of all this if we look on the end of the chapter we shall see the end of the Adulterer Her house is the way to hell going down to the chambers of death verse 27. Thou dost not dreame thou shalt be blasted I tell thee ere long thou shalt be lopt off and flung into eternity I grant thou hast aspired to the top of thy Olympick Palace but thou shalt shortly fall thy life hath beene at best but a Tragicomedy and thou hast acted the fools part with pleasure but I tell thee death ere long shall strike the Epilogue and thou shalt goe away Secondly the Drunkard is a barren Branch Woe to the crowne of pride to the drunkards of Ephraim whose glorious beauty is a fading flowre which are on the head of the fat valleyes of them that are overcome with Wine Isaiah 28. vers 1. Thou Drunkard that carowsest care away and on thy Ale-bench blasphemest the God of Heaven that takest no felicity but in swinish company and knowest no other happines but the colour of the wine thou burdenest the earth thou inflamest the fire thou infectest the aire thou art as a flowre drowned with the dew of Heaven and bowest thy glory to the earth goe drunkard take thy fill of Wine untill the morning but I tell thee the houre is comming when it may be the hand of Heaven shall write thy doom upon the plaister of the wall Daniell 5.25 26. ere long thou mayst Read MENE MENE TEKEL UPHARSIN God hath numbred thy dayes and finisht them and being found too light thy glory is departed from thee then shall thy loynes be loosed thy countenance changed and thy false heart affrighted thou that drinkest iniquity like water I tell thee ere long thou shalt wash thy selfe away thy fruit is already withered and thou shalt be lopt from the Vine Thirdly the Robber is a barren Branch Leviticus 19. vers 11. Thou that by the Art of Leger-de-maine adoptest every mans goods thine owne I know thou wouldst have joy without sorrow wealth without want fruit without faith and life without death but remember the pitcher at last comes broken home There is a way seemes right in the eyes of man but the end thereof is the path of death Proverbs 14. vers 12. What though thou hast wheel'd off fairly once or twice or thrice yet thou shalt shortly fall Agememnon after all his 10 yeares wars at Troy was slain in one night among his freinds at Greece The valiant Hector whose temples were so often archt in a victorious Orbe while he was quitting his Countrey with gallantry and affronting his enemies in the height of bravery received in a moment the Embassage of death and upon the ground measured out his grave The mighty Achilles whose arme seemed a Postilion of death was slaine at last by a little winged Arrow and sent to his long home Tell me thou that canst draw thy sword and bid defiance upon the high way to truth and fidelity where lies thy brother Caine or Akan or Judas or Ahab does not their glory grovill in the ground or are they not sweltring in eternall flames It may be thou hast endured many a blast but there may come a blast ere long that may puffe thee quite away Thou that art acquainted with the Law so well that thou canst sometimes confute the Reverend Judges and yet performest never a tittle thereof believe mee thou canst not plead with death hee will come with a Habeas corpus and remove thee to eternity Forasmuch as thou art found unfruitfull in the Vineyard thou shalt be cut from the Vine and have thy portion in that lake of terrour where time shall be no more Fourthly the lyar is a barren Branch Leviticus 19. vers 11. Why boastest thou thy selfe in mischiefe O mighty man the goodnesse of God endureth continually Thy tongue deviseth mischiefes like a sharpe rasor working deceitfully Thou lovest evill more then good and lying rather then to speake righteousnesse Selah Thou lovest all devouring words O thou deceitfull tongue God shall likewise destroy thee for ever he shall take thee away and pluck thee out of thy dwelling place and root thee out of the Land of the living Psalme 52 vers 1 2 3 4 5. Thou that so oft dost call the God of heaven who is truth it selfe to witnesse to a lie tell me thou sordid peece of earth canst thou blinde the eies of heaven or canst thou draw a curtaine before the face of the most high does not his eie see thee does not his eare heare thee does not his heart ponder thy waies tell me is he excluded any where that can be comprehended no where if thou goest to heaven he is there if downe to hell he is there if thou take the wings of the morning and flye to the uttermost parts of the earth from thence the hand of God shall find thee out Come thou lyar Read the story of Ananias and Sapphira Acts 5. vers 1 2 3 4 5 5 7 8 9 10. The tree withers soone away that is perisht at the Root and thou shalt shortly fall who art rotten at the heart Alas thou art nothing but a walking shaddow a guilded peece of aire whose wealth is but poverty whose bravery but vanity whose truth infidelity and thou shalt ere long be â—hut out of eternity Revelation 22. vers 15. thy present tense ere long shal be made a preterimperâ—ectense and it shall shortly be said of thee he was and is not yet a little while and thou shalt be no more but shalt fade as the withering grasse and wither as the dying flowre Fifthly the Sabbath breaker is a barren Branch Ye shall keep my Sabbath therefore for it is holy unto you every one that breaketh it shall be cut off from among his people for whosoever doth any worke therein that soule shall surely be put to death Six dayes may worke be done but the seventh day is the Sabbath of rest holy to the Lord whosoever doth any worke therein shall surely be put to death Wherefore the Children of Israell shall keep the Sabbath to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations for a perpetuall memory It is a Covenant between me and the Children of Israeâ— for ever for in six dayes the Lord made heaven and earth and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed Exod.
sermonibus aures Et saltat Cytherae Caelica turba tua L. M. To his deare Friend Ier. Rich on his Mellificium Musarum NEstor was aged when he undertooke The Trojan Wars thou yong and writ this Book His age both wit and eloquence required Thou yong in yeares yet hast to that aspired T is strange sure all the Muses do agree In one in spite of fate to honour thee Oh that our Iron age could be refin'd To purest gold that thou reward mightst find To thy desert but worth shall make thy Name Ride through the world upon the wings of Fame JOHN AVIS The Entertainment VVAs it a Dreame or is the world bereaven Of all her glory what has the lamps of heaven Left mortalls in a maze and are the skies Orecast will Phoebus blind our darkned eyes Are Mars and Juno come to play their parts Againe on earth and shoot their fiery darts The worlds great fabrick sure will fall in sunder Being rockt so often with great cracks of thunder In dreadfull war Rise Phoeb and come away Why hast thou robd us of so fayre a day Our Tapours burne but dim our musick 's shrill The Poet heere may blunt his idle quill In writing Tragedies time changed our stage And turned our golden to an Iron age O Lord of glory beare my dulled Muse Through this sad Poem and doe thou infuse Love in my Lines and pleasure in my paine That all my labour may not be in vaine Guide me as thou didst Davids hand when he Writ to the world his divine Poetry Lift me on Eagles wings that I may flie Aloft and conquer death before I die Turne Poetry to piety crowne this story With grace and crown my grace with endlesse glory Where everlasting joy did dwell before All ages and shall be when time shal be no more J. RICH. The evill of Envy In the Example of Caine and Abell Genesis 4.8 I. GOe palt fac'd wrinkled envy flye away thou cam'st too soone Goe take thy horrid darknesse and display about the Moone Let not thy shadows dimme our dawning day or fairest Noone Because thy tempted Father fell What didst thou well To eclipse so faire a morne but born and then rebell II. How soone this bloody Tragedy began upon our stage The day growes darke before the morning Sun ha's three houres age O cursed Caine what has thy treachery done thy boyling rage Because thy sacrifice of sinne did smell what didst thou well To kill thy brother too but born and then rebell III. The night growes horribls both Sun and Moone are shadowed o're The boystrous whirlewinde now even at high noone begins to roare Now sin hath plaid her part ah me how soone death 's at the doore Because thou lost thy sacrifice Oh tell what didst thou well To lose high glory too but born and then rebell IV. What glory didst thou gaine to be so sly in that foule deed Caust thou not live unlesse thy Brother dye or must he bleed Because thou art not blest harke vengeante cries against thy seed Thy eares were shut when humble Abell fell but didst thou well To shut up Heaven to but born and then rebell V. Thus blinded worldings are you all befool'd in your false aime To thinke the fire of envy may be cool'd in furies flame What honour can you boast of if you should win endlesse Fame This flattring blast may blow thee into Hell ah dost thou well To sell thy heaven for hate but born and then rebell The first SOLILOQUIE IF love bee the Schoole of Arts the Modell of Vertue the Glory of Learning the Pallace of Pleasure the Whetstone of Memory the Castle of Delight the Mappe of Honour the Wonder of the World the Mystery of Mortallity and the Type of Eternity Then surely Envy must needs bee the Child of Ignorance the person of idlenesse the follower of foolishnesse the bringer of sadnesse it is a pit of poyson a cup of corruption a part of division a piece of delusion a hell of horrour a sinke of sinne a sea of shame a line of absurdity and a blot of deformity It is attended with contention with distraction with delusion with peevishnesse with palenesse with falsenesse with faintnesse with inconstancy with infidelity it shuts mans glory up in darkenesse and makes his memory dye in forgetfulnesse it doth eclipse the clearest morne and writes deformity upon the fairest brow He that is a Childe of envy is a burthen to the earth and an offence to heaven hee lives unregarded and dyes unlamented hee is borne to extremity and banisht out of glory What my son and what the son of my wombe and what the son of my vowes Give not thy strength unto women nor thy wayes to that which destroyeth Kings Prov 31.2.3 I. DRaw neare brave Lovers you that use to light your blazing Torch in Cupids flame That for a wanton Mistris dare to sight in face of death to purchase Fame And thou that sweetest Rhetorick canst indite To make a timerous Virgin tame Come hither if you please To purchase ease View but Loves vanity t will cure your disease II. Were she more fairer then the blushing morne Sweet as the Arabian spice Nâ—y were she Vertuous too and nobly borne and pure as high Paradice These rarities will leave thee soone forlorne and Love well vanish in a trice But Gallants if you please To purchase ease View but Loves vanity t will cure loves disease III. See how victorious Sampson conquered lies rock'd in his Loves deluding armes How gallantly she sings him lullabies and drownes his thoughts in Loves dull Charms Poore soule he knows not what conspiracies his Foes did hold ' gainst him in swarms Ah! had he but addrest Him to the brest Of heaven he might have slept in glorious rest IV. Where is thy strength and daring valour now Thy skill and rare agillity Thy warlike arme that made whole Armies bow what rock'd upon a Ladies knee Wake sluggard wake or hast thou past a vow to live in infidelity Ah foole go be possest In Abrahams brest So mayst thou rest indeed in loves eternall rest V. There mayst thou flumber in eternall Joyes whose rarity so far excells Base earth that all her treasures are but toyes whose Alter smokes with fuming smells There are no plots no murthers no annoyes but there the highest glory dwells If love thou needst wilt try Goe goe and lye In thy sweet Saviours armes ravish a while and die VI. There is the most resplendent purest love alas what constant love is here The amorous sweet embraces dwell above in Titans golden Hemisphere Which time nor fortunes wheele can ne're remove Thou art his Darling he thy Deare If love thou needs wilt try Goe goe and lye In thy sweet Saviours armes ravish a while and die The second SOLILOQUIE VNconstancy of Earth are all extreame in love orescorcht in Envy or led by Folly or invelloped in Vanity are drowned in sensuality the strong man boasts of
well And yonder sits the Larke and turtle dove Come let 's goe walke and we will paralell Love with eternall glory in you Grove Wee 'le take the subtle Fox nor will we spare To hunt the light foot Deere or timerous Hare Come then my love my dove arise my fairest faire V. Rise Phoeb ' and come away thy blinded eye Is lul'd to ruine in dislumbring dreame Why art thou rockt in such a lullaby And drown'd in various wanton streames Come let us travell to eternity And languish in the purest sweet extreames Wherefore my deare so greedy dost thou crowd To danger why to darknesse dost thou shrowd And leave thy love alone wrapt in a sable Cloud VI. Rise Phoeb ' and come away thy short Reposes Are flattring slumbers leave thy slippry hold Of sordid earth come on a bed of Roses I le knit thy haire in knots of fringed gold Wee 'le pusse the flying day in entercloses Of dearest love with glory uncontroul'd I 'le teach thee how to surfet in the fire Of loves immortall flames while some desire To spēa their time in prais thou rather shalt admire VII Rise Phoeb ' and come away we 'le make great Jove To stop his fiery horses swift carere Whose nostrills vomit flames we 'le mount above And hold the Reines of Titans hemisphare sgrove And guide his Chariot wheeles through pleasures And view the hallowea walks Come come my dear Le ts wander to Elizium whose bright ray Out-shines great Phoebus in his new born day Or the most fairest noon rise Phoeb ' and come away The fourth SOLILOQUIE AH Lord thou commandest us to seeke thy face that we may shun death and yet thou sayest none can see thy face and live Ah! let me live that I may know thee or die that I may see thee It is the happinesse of those glorious Angels that they continually behold thee and therefore they incompasse thine Altar with sweet Odours unspeakeable Rhaptures and high Hallelujah's but we poore mortalls prest down with sinne with guilt with flesh with feare cannot worthily praise thee Ah me why doe I seeke thee If thou beest no where absent why doe I not finde thee if thou beest every where present sure to the eye of darknesse thou wrappest thy selfe in thicke darkenes and thou art discovered to the eye that is enlightned thou art seene in thy power to sinners in thy terrour to Sathan in thy Sonne to thy Saints thou art seene in thy judgement to them that are against thee in thy Justice to them that flye from thee in thy Sacraments to them that seeke thee in thy Lawes to them that love thee and in thy Love to them that know thee Whence proceedeth this thy condiscention and thine infinite humiliation that thou did'st leave thy Throne in Heaven to live in the forme of a servant on earth Why didst thou change thy Crowne of Royalty for a Crowne of Indignity Why should aninfinite Creatour love a finite Creature and Heaven stoope to Hell Alas oh Lord Jesus heere was no Royall Throne for thy Majesty no Glorious Temple to entertaine thee heere was no winged Cherubins to beare thee no Armies of Angells to stand before thee no sweete faced object to delight thine eyes no musicall Raptures to salute thine eares no costly odours to annoynt thy feete nor spangled Canopy to spread over thy head but sinne and shame guilt and feare hell and horrour blacknesse and darkenesse extremity poverty impurity deformity and canst thou love so poore a thing as man oh thou that inhabitest in Heaven in light inaccessible in glory incomprehensible who canst with a frowne overturne thine enemies fame and by their ruine purchase thy selfe glory and if the World should totally revolt from thee and set her selfe against thee Couldst thou not command a suddaine clap of thunder to spurne her from her Poles shake her from her Center crack her Axeltrees and breake her Chariot wheeles Couldst thou not let loose the Elements that the Heavens should bee hid in blacknesse and the Sunne should bee cloathed in darkenesse that the Waters should drowne the earth and the fire should devoure the aire or with an angry breath couldst thou not puffe them all away that earth and ayre and water and fire should vanish and the world should be no more and in the roome thereof create in a moment to perfect thy praises ten thousand severall Orbes Why then oh man art thou so much deluded Why is Heaven and his sweet invitations so much disregarded sure there bee foure dayes in which thou wilt call thy selfe foole for neglecting so great salvation And they be these The day of publick calamity The day of private extreamity The day of death The day of doome First in the day of publick calamity if the world should bee governed in blacknesse and darkeneste If natures fabrick should bee smitten if the powers of the world should bee shaken if the waters should bee loosed if the fire should bee kindled if the ayre should bee infected if the earth should bee poysoned if the sword should begin to range againe and thou shouldst see thousands of mangled bodies about the streets if the trumpets should sound the alarum of war againe and the drums beat dolefull funeralls for the souldiers if whisling bullets and fiery granadoes should fall like haile on the earth and roare like the thunderclaps in heaven if every mans sword should bee set against his fellow if the earth should bee paved with dead mens bones and the channels run downe with blood if this flourishing Kingdome should bee made a burnt offering her people lye beeding like a new slain sacrifice where then couldst thou finde a chamber to hide thee in but in thy beloveds armes and under the shaddow of his mighty wings when the Lord comes to make inquisition for blood and his fury shall breake out in fiery flames to lick up the sinners of the world then will Jesus Christ bee as a shadowed grove in a thundering storme as a cooling rock in a scorching day and a fountaine of water in a weary land when the worldling shall loose his anchor of hope and suffer shipwrack thou shalt safely bee set a shoare If the famine should run after the sword the stoutest heart should grow faint and the fairest face should begin to wax pale because of pining hunger If the pestilence should follow famine if terrour should walke in darkenesse and the arrowes of the Almighty fly at noone day if a thousand should fall on thy right hand and ten thousand on thy left hand and thou beginnest to feare because of the evill that is come upon the world who then can protect thee that judgements may not touch thee but Jesus Christ Tell mee then hath hee not cause to bee beloved would hee not bee worthy to bee desired Secondly in the day of private extremity when thine eyes shall bee opened and thy heart shall bee awaked when thy minde shall bee troubled
thee Alas we never saw thee Thou bidst us bee fruitfull and we be unprofitable thou commandest us to bee cleansed and wee be polluted when our eyes should be enlightned then our hearts are most darkened when we should be most washed then are we most defiled and when thou callest us to thee even then we fly from thee Wee lost our dignitie when our Father Adam lest his glory he breaking his League with Heaven left us his poore children nothing but our mother Earth who rocks us a while upon her idle knee of ignorance and then layes us to lullaby in eternall darkenesse Yet though wee have lost a Subjects loyalty thou hast not lost thy kingly dignity thou still retainest thy prerogative Royall yea Lord thou still hast power to command though we poore we have no ability to obey Oh that thou wouldst instead of commanding us compell us Oh thou that bidst us follow thee draw us and we shall run after thee Oh thou that commandest us to seeke thee shew thy selfe that wee may finde thee so though the world lies drowned in a sea of vanity yet we that follow thee shall live holily and dye happily forasmuch as our happinesse is wrapt up in heaven and dwells in the light of thy glory Now will I sing a Song to my welbeloved touching his Vineyard my welbeloved hath a Vineyard in a very fruitfull hill And he fenced it and gathered out the stones thereof and planted it with the choycest Vine and built a Tower in the midst of it and also made a Winepresse therein and he looked it should bring forth Grapes and it brought forth wilde Grapes Isa 5. v. 1 2. I. NO more Deluded England foole thy self no more But goe implore The heavens to ope thy dim and slumbring eyes No more Let blinde delusion keep thee shadowed ore And make thee soare Too high in wanton pleasures rarities Ah sin thou oft dost mix our sweets with soure Thou mak'st a Judgement in a short liv'd houre To blast the purest herb and crop the fairest flower II. Away Deluded England with thy workes away A new-borne Ray Begins to dawne and glorifie the aire Away Thou art discover'd poore can miry clay find power to pay Peace offrings no thou art more foule then faire The fig-tree brought forth leaves but we know who Did blast her is this all that thou canst doe Go vail thy Crown in dust lest thou be'st withred too III. Sit downe Ye glorious stars goe in the dust sit downe Whose glory shone Sometimes like Phoebus with his glittering traine Sit downe In silent sorrow goe and quench the frowne Of heaven thy Crowne Being vail'd then shalt thou wear the Crown again Why are we thus befool'd and do not cry To be transplanted Ah Reader thou and I Whose brach is withred here may soon lie down die IV. How soone Oh flouâ—ishing England didst thou swell how soon Thy fairest noone Was darkned o're and turn'd a glimmering day How soone Thou didst grow glorious prodigall and boone As the pale Moone In her blacke throne bids Phoebus flye away Oh it thou wilt have justice to reprieve thee If still thou wouldst have mercy to releive thee Trust not thy hollow self thy self wil but deceive thee V. Arise Oh then and ope thy unregenerate eyes How faire a prize Is there layd up in everlasting glorie Arise And be adorned in vertues rarities whose glory lies Drawne in the Records of this following story But if thy actions shall be still but vaine Led by the folly of a light haird braine Thou wilt be trampled down and withered ore again VI. Then shine For feare thy glimmering torch her light resigne And thou decline From thy first glory to a darkned shade Then shine Like Phoebus in the Equinoctiall line With fire divine Least thou art blasted and thy flower does sade So shalt thou flowrish in th' enlarged store Of wealth and Peace thy temples arched o're In a victorious Orb and war shall be no more The fift SOLILOQUIE A Gloomy Cloud may black the fairest Morne till Phoebus ariseth in his midday Majesty and with his glory cleares the darkned Aire when times black Daughter Night have wrapt her mantle about the virge of day and drowned the World in a forgotten dreame all things seeme alike to all the withered Weede the purest Herbe the comliest Blossome and the fairest flower But when the day starre appeares ushering in the morne and blushing Sol arises as from a bed of Roses whose burning Horses chafe up the Olympick hill and with their fiery fetlocks draw up the Golden Chariot of the day the World lyes then discovered Even thus the Gospel of our Lord Jesus haveing unmantled his glory from behinde a darkened cloud shining in full Majesty discovers the errours of our lower World but because time will bee too short to serve our turne and wee shall tyre the Readers eyes with too large a Soliloquie wee shall therefore looke upon but the latter part of our subject And first by the Vine wee can onely understand the Church of God and then our subject will lye as a stumbling block in the Readers way this seemes to bee strange say some that the Church of God should bee a fruitlesse Vine No this Vine beares pleasant fruit yet there are many worthlesse Branches that sprout among them bearing great show but little substance but when the wise Husbandman shall loppe them off the Branches that remaine shall sprout higher the fruit shall bee the sweeter and the Vine shall flourish the more And first wee shall endeavour to discover eight sorts of Branches that will bee cut from the Vine And they be these 1. The Adulterer 2. The Drunkard 3. The Robber 4. The Lyar. 5. The Sabboth-breaker 6. The Swearer 7. The Usurer 8. The Hypocrite First the Adulterer is a barren branch and shall bee cut off Thou Adulterer whose blood boyles in thy vaines and thy marrow is burnt in thy bones who art scorched in fire and sweltred in flames who swimmest in vanity and art drowned in a forgotten Dreame thy Morning is risen and thy Sunne hath aspired to the top of Noone-day thou seemest to ride upon the wings of Time commanding Pleasure as if shee were thy Captive Come wee will take a short survey of thy life which if the Scripture deceives us not is but the way to death For at the window of my house I looked through my casement and beheld among the simple ones I discerned among the youth a yong man void of understanding passing through the streete neere her corner and hee went the way to her house in the twilight in the evening in the blacke and darke night and behold there met him a woman with the attire of an Harlot and subtle of heart She is lowd and stubborne her feet abide not in her house Now is she without now in the streets and lieth in waite at every corner So she caught him and kissed him and with an
wavering Aegyptians the warlick Philistines Doe not they sleepe in the dust Thou knowest not how soone thou mayest bee gathered to thy Fathers The Earth in the Spring time puts on her mantle of greene to entertaine her Lover Phoebus but when the golden Chariot of the Sunne is fled to the Southerne World the Earth puts on her mourning withered weede the Moone shines fairely for some certaine nights but when time hath turned her from her silver throne shee resignes her glory to the following day The blazing candle for a time shines cleare but having past the age of a short lived houre it glimmers a while and dyes the glorious Lilly that is drest in such bravery is in a day disroabed of its glory and turned to withered Hay there is no such thing as a continuance heere though thou flourâ—â—◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 greene Bay-tree yet thou shalt perish like a withered weede For evill doers shall bee cut off but those that waite upon the Lord they shall inherite the Earth For yet a little while and the wicked shall not bee yea thou shalt diligently consider his place and it shall not be Ps 37. v. 9.10 Eightly the hypocrite is a barren branch Go march among thy fellowes painted earth and then sometimes retreate and yet march on againe thou lookest indeede to Heaven but thou travellest to Hell Go on yet know false Absolon 't is not thy beauty that can save thee no Judas 't is not a dissembling kisse shall secure thee no Simon Magus 't is not thy money shall redeeme thee thou art as various as the windes as dissembling as the seas as deceitfull as the grave as darke as hell as vile as villany as gracelesse as impurity and as black as horrour can see it selfe in the blackest glasse Thou washest thy hands indeed but thy heart is defiled thou trimmest thy body but thy soule is deformed honey indeede is in thy lips but thy tongue is poysoned well foole thy selfe no more though thou doest blinde the World thou canst not hide thy selfe from Heaven Psalm 94.8.9.10 Hee that planted the eare shall hee not heare Hee that formed the eye shall hee not see Oh yee fooles when will yee bee wise Hee that teacheth man knowledge shall hee not know Though thou hast the speech of Jacob thou hast the hands of Esau thou hast the devotion of Abel but the dissimulation of Achitophel the mantle of Elias but the hypocrisie of Judas thou hast fidelity in thy wordes but impurity in thy deeds a heaven in thy mouth but a hell in thy heart and though thou do'st prosper while blinded man adores thee yet thou shalt perish when God shall come to judge thee It is not thy smooth language nor thy Syrean tongue can take in Heavens eares no 't is not a painted face nor a garment of gold that dazeleth Christs eyes that did delude the yong man that Solomon entitles foole Prov. 7 vers 8. 'T is thy heart that God pondereth and as the Sunne of Heaven will show thee the foulenesse of the house so the Sonne of glory with his all descerning eye will soone discover the blacknesse of the heart though to the world thou seemest a piece of purity a flash of fidelity a gloriou star a glittring spheare yet to Heavens eye thou wilt appeare but an Heire of Hell a childe of darkenesse a servant of sinne a sonne of shame and thou that hast so often deluded others in thy life shalt deceive thy self at thy death and thy departing soule shall but exchange misery for mortallity though by thy actions the deluded world shall thinke thou art transported into glory And shall our story have a period heere And shall wee vaile our subject with a blanck Shall wee present to the Reader the black and darke night and draw a Curtaine before the shining day Shall wee discover the barren branches that are in the Vineyard and wrap a black cloud about the lofty flourisht Vine No though many have the marke of the Beast yet some are loyall to the Lambe though there bee thousands doe bow their knees to Baall Yet there is a remnant doe humble their hearts to heaven though there bee a seed of falling Adam yet there is a generation of faithfull Abraham though many are not Israelits yet all are not Sodomites among the thousands that shall perish there is a remnant that shall flourish whose united beauty shall make one glorious body And this is shee that looketh forth as the Morning faire as the Moone cleare as the Sunne terrible as an Army with Banners Cantie 6. vers 10. whose heroicke heads looke higher then this inferior World who are not drowned in the dirt of earth but watered with the dew of Heaven who are not branches of infamy but clusters layd up to inherite glory And indeed believerâ— you have done well while you have made so faire a choyce though you suffer here a little paine hereafter you shall have endlesse pleasure though ye have had a time of heavinesse ye shall have heereafter eternall happynesse though ye have had tokens of infamy yee shall bee adorned with Robes of glory though you have beene acquainted with the terrour of the Crosse yee shall bee required with the glory of the Crowne Alas how momentany are the pleasures of the World What is heere to bee desired Nay rather what is there not heere that may well be quickly loathed Is it honour That is but a blast that will deceive thee Is it dignity That is but a dreame that will delude thee Is it beauty That is but a shaddow that will inslave thee Is it credit That is but flattery that will befoole thee Is it wealth That will take wings and quickly flye from thee Come then let us get up early in the Vineyards Let us see if the Vine flourish if the tender Grapes appeare or the Pomgranats bud forth Can. 2. I am sure if the hand that planted you did not protect you your fruit would bee blasted and your blossome would bee withered How soone would your honour turne to disgrace your credit to shame your beauty into vanity your affection to delusion your winde of wealth to a weather-cock of woe your full sea of plenty to an ebbing tide of poverty Did not the Vine flourish How soone would you poore branches perish Did not the head finde power to stand how soone would you the weaker members fall I thinke the World can better subsist without the Sunne then you without a Saviour if the Sunne were gone would not the forsaken Universe put on a mantle of mourning Would not the World returne to her first confused Chaos Would not all our Chariot wheeles drive on heavily Would not our actions prosper slowly The Philosophers say wee are beholding to the Sunne for all secondary causes and Divines affirme wee are ingaged to our Saviour for his secret cares while you bring forth the fruits of the spirit which is not Rebellion but Humiliation not expressions
but Actions not Chaffe but Wheate not Pibbles but Pearles not Leaves but Fruit not Drosse but Gold I meane Unity Fidelity Meekenesse long suffering Patience and Perseverance ye shall have a shield to save you a chamber to hide you an arme to protect you a Fountaine to coole you and a Rock to over-shaddow shaddow you and a Pillar of fire to guide you while you travell through the vally of the shaddow of death and while you are sayling through the red sea of sorrow In that day sing yee unto her A Vineyard of red Wine I the Lord doe keepe it I will water it every morning lest any hurt it I will keepe it night and day Isa 27. v. 2 3. Thus were you not protected alas how soone would you bee destroyed How weake would bee your strength How strong your weakenesse How soone would your persons bee abused your sence deceived your wills corrupted your apprehensions deluded your constancy contemned and your fidelity befooled But now had I a quill snatcht from the lofty Eagles wings or were my inke distilled from Gold had I the Curiosity of Cleo the Learning of Plato the Poetry of Apollo the Eloquence of Cicero or the Love of Queene Dido I should rather darken their Dignity then illustrate their Royalty I thinke Readers I must deceive you all and â—hut the Booke and make an end of my subject For hee that will speake of the worth of a Picture must himselfe bee a Painter so hee that will discourse of the Saints dignity must himselfe bee wrapt first in the Pallace of high glory this onely may suffice they shall have wealth without want puâ—ity without perjury health without sicknesse wisdome without folly life without mortallity there shall they have eternity for time gloâ—y for indignity a Crowne for a Crosse and a Kingdome with a Crowne But since the heart is too narrow to conceive it it is unlawfull for the tongue to utter it 2 Cor. 12. ver 4. Thus are wee forced to draw a Curtaine about our subject and hide our glorious sceane and because wee dare not speake of such a price silence shall now bee the Epilogue of the Play How lovely lookt the Sonne of Glory in our terestiall spheare earth was too unworthy to bee possest of such a glorious guest how powerfull was that tongue that with a short command could dispossesse the divel make his enemies in a moment drop downe and dye that could give feete to the lame eyes to the blinde health to the sick salvation to sinners and life to death How did his lips out passe the sweete lipt orator while in sundry places hee poured forth the sweetest words that Art or Love could frame enough to melt the beholders hearts and charme the hearers eares How full of sweetnesse is that bosome that was wounded with a speare I thinke Love lay there intomb'd having power enough to bring the lost soule to seeke for sanctuary in his circled armes how full of comlinesse was that face that so often was hit with the blowes of scorne and flurts of disdaine that head the fountaine of knowledge that was crowned with the thornes had power enough by wisedome to controle the world How full of Majesty were those faire eyes that so often were drowned in silent teares Had the ungratefull world no better entertainment for so Royall a babe but must mantle him in a Manger and from his Cradle hurry him to his Crosse Ah man how obdurate was thy heart to him that was as kinde as heaven well mayest thou cast dust on thy head since thou art so foule in thy heart goe weep thy selfe away goe goe be sad all mortalls let your downe east eyes present a silent sorrow let your dayes be as darke as the silent grave as when the eclipsed Sunne leaves the world in a mist or the angry aire covers heavens glory in a sable Cloud let every mortall mourn and be like a monument cut out of marble But is it so that Jesus Christ is the Vine and that so many of the branches shall be cut off then our subject sounds an alarum in the eares of all mortals and bids the Inhabitants of the world looke about them Is it so that none but the ingrafted Members shall stand and the others fall then this tels us that your condition is not so good as you imagine If those that seeme to be Members shall be cut away what shall be done to them that are enemies to the body if some of the branches shall fall that grow on the Vine what shall become of them that come not neare the Vineyard How hath the Prince of darknesse besotted all Mortalls how is poore man befooled perhaps thou measurest by another man and thou art higher by the head and shoulders and thou thinkest God must love thee because of thy person King Saul was higher then all his brethren yet little David was advanced to the Crowne and he was flung from the Throne Perhaps thou art a Scholar and for thy wisedome and learning thou thinkest God must love thee and thou must needs be a branch in the Vine I tell thee thy wit is but like a sharpe Rasor when God shall come and set thy wit to gnaw on thy accused Conscience Oh the anguish of thy soule in that day there is no such torment as a sharpe with will inflict upon it selfe Perhaps thou art a rich man and thou thinkest God must needs love thee because of thy Riches and ingraft thee in the Vine no I tell thee Jesus Christ can passe by all the Kings Courts and the Princes Palaces and enter in the house of poore Martha and be a companion for Lazarus that had nothing to entertaine him If Christ had been taken with gold he could have planted his Vineyard among the Indies where his Temple might have been all dawbed with gold Perhaps thou art beautifull and thou thinkest Heaven must love thee because thou art lovely Beleeve me that will wither away when sicknesse with her afly hand shall sweep off thy colour thou shalt resemble earth though thou art like Jezebell death will pluck thy feathers and thou shalt be banisht to the Grave and call the worme thy sister and thy Brother Therefore if thou hast any excellency in thee or parts it is but cumbred stuffe and the harder it is to pull thee into heaven God must be faine to take more paines with thee then with a poore creature that hath nothing to boast of every externall part thou hast is but a block to lye in thy way and thou must leave them behinde thee or thou wilt never crowd through the straight Gate Thy table that 's a snare to thee while sometimes thou eatest more then does thee good Thy gold that 's a snare to thee while thou settest thy heart upon it and forgettest Heaven Thy portly body thou mayst boast of it well enough it may be it is all thou art like to enjoy make much of
then thou among the rest of those dreadfull Comets appointed for horrour shalt fry for ever in this unquenchable fiery Chaos But here 's good newes now for thee that art prepared to dye thou poore soule that standest upon thy watch tower expecting the dawning of the day thou sayest my Love he dwells in Heaven that hath Captivated my heart with the glory of his Graces before whom I offer up my hourly oblations with silent teares from these my weeping eyes but sure he regards me not but leaves me here as a monument of misery or an object of the worlds soorne remember poore soule All flesh is grasse and grasse you know hath no long continuance on the ground believe me thou shalt shortly goe thou mayst heare thy beloved almost every day telling thee thy time is but short and thou shalt ere long be transpoâ—ted to eternity thou mayest heare his sweet voice to charme thine eares though thou canst not see his face to wound thy heart thou receivest love-Letters from him but yet thou canst not see him for this wall of flesh doth stand between but ere long it shall be taken downe that you may enter together in Communion and talke of the time of trouble that you may inherit eternall joyes while your eyes shoot equall flames that you may ravish in the sweetest embraces and lose your selves in love And further by these my sonne be admonished of making many bookes there is no end and much study is a wearinesse of the flesh Let us heare the conclusion of the whole matter Feare God and keep his Commandements for this is the whole duty of man Eccles 12. vers 12 13. I. ALas and is this all come spur away My Muse and let 's have done before the day Be downe let 's leave the Helliconian springs And sacred Delphice let our untuned stringe Be screw'd up higher yet untill our eares Can counterfeit the Musique of the spheares Then drown your selves no more this glorious prize Is given free the purchase cannot rise From floods of flowing teares no more my wearied eyes II. But does the Crowne of high immortall glory Arch his victorious browes that keeps this story True Yea and his undefiled soule shall shine Like Stars of the first magnitude divine And glorious ornaments he shall weare And sit inthroned above the hemisphere In a garb of purest gold this is the same That Heaven Will honour and his honored name Shal live and rise up higher then the trump of fame III. Foole that I was because the verse was soone Read o're I thought 't was easily done But thou O Lord that mad'st this little span Of earth must recollect poore uncollected man Keepe thy commands O Lord Is it not more Then all the World can doe am I before Them all Oh drown these unregenerate eyes that shine Too cleare that I may offer to thy shrine A shower of teares for every drop of blood of thine IV. Oh I am lost how shall poore I aspire Thine Altar Without diviner fire Whose hallowed smoake may make a sacred fume Before thy throne Ah how dare I presume To come Thou shalt have power from above I le be thy Lord and thou shalt be my Love Onely confesse thy sinnes and I le adorne Thy brow with beauty teach thee how to scorne The World and make thee fairer then the fairest morne V. Well then my honoured Lord I le come and trye To tread the path of immortality Oh that my wandring eyes could see the way That I might travell to it every day Where once arrived our lips shall strike up loves Alarmes in the blest hallowed Groves Doe soule shun death for earth is transitory True Lord But shall I if I keep this story Live I 'le give thee life wrapt in immortall glory VI. Too soone I wandred in an unknowne way Till I was almost lost had not the day Star rise to guide my wandring Orbe for all My power I had stoop'd to the imperiall thrall Of some temptation which had cryed aloud To Heaven and left me in a sable Cloud I knew not then to whom I could repaire To have one houre of ease but now my care Being past I 'le put a period to a well-tun'd aire The last SOLILOQUIE Or The Authours Farewell THE day breakes glorious in our darkened Orbe t is an illustrious morne cleare up my glimmering eyes Ah me now I see how much I was abused I wondred indeed the way to Heaven should be so hard and that such extremity should lye in the path to immortality alas I was befool'd it is not care can conquer a kingdome nor industry winne the Crowne of glory it is not heavinesse that workes holinesse nor holinesse that merits happinesse nor can the price of labour purchase the Palace of Love I wonder not now why the skilfull Astronomer has beene misguided by his star and why the fancies of the Learned Poets have been befool'd alas can ingenuity merit eternity no t is love t is love that unlocks the gate of glory Poore man where is thy power now that with thy triangle heart invelopest the water buildest Castles in the aire backest the windes devourest the earth and sometimes darest Heaven yet when thou commest to trye thy force a feather will scarce wag at thy fury alas though thou crawlest thou canst not climbe though by thy feare thou mayest rule on earth yet without Faith thou shalt not Raigne in Heaven though by thy policy thou mayest comprehend all things yet by thy power thou canst command nothing Hence let your wing'd battlements grapple goe vaile your transitory glory let your dignity lye downe and dye let him that has the most rarity study humility and be like a monument cut out of marble let the Astrologer put no confidence in Astronomy nor the Naturalist study curiosity let the learning of the Law be turned to the language of love and yet let the sweet lipt Orator lay downe his Rhetorick and plead no more it is not the language of learning nor a life of labour nor ingenuity nor sidelity nor greatnesse nor gallantry nor profit nor pleasure nor glory nor honour it is not a garment of gold nor a lofty looke nor the charming tongue nor the inchanting eye nor the fairest face nor the heroick heart nor the conquering arme that can win heaven no these doe but chaine thee to the world and hinders the soule from climbing up the Ladded to his Joy I should rather looke for heat in painted fire then think to finde ability in the creature I should rather believe the winde comes but to fanne us with a gentle gale when Eolus unlocks his blustering Gates and rocks the world in a tempestuous storme or that the Cloudes doe but shade us from the flaming Chariot of the Sunne when by their thundering noises they seeme to crack the Axeltrees of the World and by their dismall darknesse banish out the day or that the Sea when he furrows up