was the Sampler of Obedience A scandall made but never gave offence To any Order or Professions thus In 's Flesh he pleas'd the Jew in Water Us. So Mary mirrour of her sex appeares To th' Priest and th' common Thanksgiving heares Veyl'd as the Jewish custome was this done She doth present her Dove and Pigeon The poor childs commutation and ne're That Superstition thought which they did there Then with a lowly duty to the place She had retir'd but Simeon full of Grace And full of Prophecy takes up the Child In 's arms as much as his old arms could weild Then sings a Swan-like note Lord let me die Dissolve me in this instant Lord whil'st I Have my Salvation in my arms the Light Which doth dispell the Gentiles long dark night The Glory of thy people Israel Is in my feeble arms now visible So ended this old Custome and the Priest The Antheme sung dissolv'd and was with Christ. A Hymne of the Resurrection I. ARise arise Dead soul arise Alas I cannot ope ' my eyes The heavy Lethargy of sin Hangs on my faculties within II. Arise arise thy Saviour's rose Sin Death and Hell are conquer'd foes Why do'st thou yield to enemies Whose stings are lost arise arise III. Then lend thy hand thou blest First-fruit Of those who sleep i' th' Land o' th' Mute Say thou Come forth and quickned thus My soul shall rise like Lazarus IV. All Cords of Vanity I 'le break Propt up by thee their tyes are weak Like unshorn Sampson I 'le make way Through every Sin and Dalilah V. But if thou do thy Grace substract Alas I can no noble act Unless it be to pull on me My ruine and mortality VI. Yet from those Ruines and Grave-stones By thee shall rise my naked bones And from their Charnel-houses all Come forth new clad at thy last Call VII Those heaps of skulls with hollow eyes Unhair'd un-flesh'd shall clothed rise Dead tongues shall sing their song shall be My Lord is rose wee 'l follow thee Hymnus Ascensionis I. THe Lord 's ascended see the Fiends And their captiv'd Black Prince doth cleare the aire A cloud of all his martyr'd Friends Receive him while th' amused world doth stare II. Gone in a Cloud but in a Glory Returns with all his shining Heavenly Host In such a pomp this worlds vain-glory United ne're could make could never boast III. Gaze not Apostles gaze no more But lift your hearts up after not your eyes He is not gone but on this score To make good all his Royall Promises IV. As they continued all devout Praying and Fasting and with one accord Three things pretended by our rout Which never yet accorded but i' th' Sword V. At the good time of Pentecost The very time we now call Whitsontide In fiery-Tongues the Holy-ghost On them descended on his Church abide VI. No more Descents no other Light Unless by him who can himself disguise Into an Angel for deceit As at this day 's apparent to our eyes Upon the Pentecost I. O Holy Spirit help me to indite No pen can of thee unless by thee write Inspir'd by thee rude Fishermen speak high Meaner proportions lower Gifts ask I. II. Not such a bright Irradiation As was t'enlighten every Nation When the whole world was dumb and deaf and blind It was high time that fiery Tongues then shin'd III. The lisping of those tongues is speech enough We well may see by that Light 's twinkling snuff For with their persons that exceeding light Except some glimmerings is extinguisht quite IV. Those twelve inspir'd Illustrious Heads were all Thy Churches Rulers Apostolicall And their Successors are the envy'd Starrs At which both Heresie and Scisme make warrs V. To out that Light derivative from them How fierce these men blew off Ierusalem And when the Jew could not extinguish it He gave the Light to subtil Mahomet VI. Who blew that Light into a two-fold flame And dimmed Christ's and blew up his own name So that his Taper is of double twist A Mahomet extoll'd a deprest Christ. VII Yet still the Light doth shine do what you can Either by Talmud or by Alcoran Others I shame to name it have this Light But in dark Lanthorns keep it from our sight VIII Or as when Whirlwinds raise the numerous dust The interposed Atomes 'twixt us thrust And the bright beames of the eclipsed Sun Darkned by magnify'd tradition IX But ' ware of little bellowes these at last Have with some help made a most dang'rous blast Sectarian Puffers joyn'd to th' Jesuit Have e'n blown out our once Apostolick Light X. Come then and re-instate thy Candlestick Come Holy Ghost thy Church is more then sick Dead as to sight re-quicken her again And make Apostacy's Invasions vain XI Let Ignes fatui to their Fens return Let nothing but the Lamp o' th' Temple burn And let the Church-moths that in numbers flie About the light be sing'd and after die Upon the Festival of the Blessed Trinity falling upon May 29. 1659. WElcome thou double Jubilee such things Are dark the Mysteries of God and Kings Uncomprehended that and this unseen Yet we believe they are shall be have been Enthroned Elders fall and worship Thee Most Sacred and Eternall Trinity But our exalted Elders pull down Kings And do themselves create Omnipotent things Yet we who love th' Old Revelation Do as those Beasts which did surround the Throne Not ruine it cry a perpetuall Song To God and for the King O Lord how long Tri-unity and Uni-trinity Shall stand and a perpetuall Basis be Not so of Kings whose delegated Crowns Are in subjection to the Doners frowns By me Kings reigne is Gods Commission And he pulls down and setteth up alone Yet do the Heathen rage and do strange things Disturb the Offices and Rights of Kings Murder their Persons and the Heire throw out Kings are no better then Their Lord no doubt Yet shall the Anthem still the Beast become These Christs both are and were and are to come Is there an Evil that of punishment Or vengeance on a cursed Nation sent And is it not from him who raiseth Seas And can as soon the peoples rage appease Boast not thy self thou high Babelick-man The Lord hath hooks for thee Leviathan And though thou swell in thy conceited height With Asies thou must forrage this same night Nor with a multitude go on the cause Is not by number good but by the Lawes The earth the lowest of the people will Open and rise 'gainst such as their Kings kill What is it for a season a short day A vapouring Massinello for to play Murder and plunder burn and spoile and then Be made a laughing-stock of God and men Much better they who not being given to change Nor State nor their Religion never range From the Old way in which they firmly stood These sixteen hundred yeares accounted good That touch not Aarons Censers nor provoke The Earth it self with
all one Leprosie And Infant-blood prescrib'd the remedy O horrid sight see Troopers on their speares Carrying like spoyles Babes had not seen two years Snatc'd from their mothers breasts and sprawling yet Take the speares point instead of sucking Teat Was ever such a Monster to enjoyn Murder on Babes and Mercy unto Swine What will not Superstition spare or kill A sucking child must dye and a Hog swill Brave mighty men of War stout Curasiers How well your Victory in Story heares Your Countrey 's Parricides for pay do this Were ever such bloody Mercenaries Usurping Herod a false King half Jew Can make you murder the right King the true You are the instruments of all this evil And for your pay do serve this bloody Devil Take heed deceived Souldiers or your pay Will be a little higher in one day Pay-day will come for this nor will 't be good To plead you had commission to shed blood Saint Iohn the Baptist gives you other sense You must not do to any one offence How can we fight then you will streight reply Souldiers of Fortune serve for salery Examine not the Justice nor the Grounds O' th' Quarrel made to give and receive Wounds 'T is argu'd well and you may justly fight And in some cases question not the Right Where Lawfull Power doth muster you yet then They are two things To fight and murder men Iust War is lawfull but in your coole Blood To kill a child commanded Think y' it 's good Remember that brave Slave and gallant Man Redeem'd from th' Oare by Dioclesian When that the subtil Emperour did ask What desp'rate service or what rugged task He 'd undergo to gain his Liberty Bid him propose unto extremity Courted the worst of dangers any dress Of Death made not his valour spiritless But when the business was to act a Rape Upon a Virgin of Angelick shape Do 't thy self Tyrant said the Moral Slave Return me to the Moans or to my Grave I will not taint my soul with such a crime To gain the glory of thy Diadem Take heed then at no Generals command Act what with honest Justice will not stand Murder no Innocents enjoyn who will Say like the Slave do you Sir such things kill Christians are such in God Almighty's eyes Be tender then of such a Sacrifice For as that Rachel wept for children there So the Church-Rachel wailes hers every where On the Circumcision THe Eighth day Ceremony calls a Rite Of long observance a Covenant plight 'Twixt God and Abraham when his Faith gain'd That promis'd Blessing that this day 's obtain'd And Circumcision was the Seal whereby That Grant was past to his Posterity And not to his alone but the whole Earth Was to be blest i' th' product of that Birth Here it is tender'd in the Temple done Legall throughout as 't were 'twixt Sun and Sun And now the Covenant-maker doth submit To his own Law which is fulfill'd in it A Passion but continued his whole life How will he end that enters on the Knife Here the first stroke the last upon the Crosse Thy Agony then both a greater loss Of blood enter'd in discipline severe This Knife is but praeludium to thy Spear Here suffering under Law and there against Lamb-like from sheering thou to th' Shambles went'st Thy Fore-skin now is clipt but the next Dart Will pierce thee Man of Sorrow to the heart And yet nor Speares nor Whips nor Nailes nor Thorns Are so tormenting as unworthy scorns Thus in the rigour of exacting Law Blood from thy Infant-flesh the Priest doth draw Blood from thy side doth after spring that we Might from sanguineous Rites be ever free Water suffices to the same intents And Bread and Wine more kinder Elements Our Sacramentall Dues are easie mild Which will not hurt i' th' duty the least child Take then them not in opere in fact But let us doe what those sweet Rites exact Be circumciz'd in Heart our Will 's the Knife Whetted by Grace the Mulct is a new Life Besprinkled Facesintimate cleans'd Hearts And bread and Wine Faith unto Blood converts Easie conversion who can less require But he that dy'd that it should be no higher The torment of Redemption that was His Ours are the fruits of that hard purchas'd Bliss No longer Jew gash thy unmeriting skin The Wounds that are expected are within A sad and contrite spirit Teares and Sighs Such Sacrifices will ascend on high Gratefull and pleasing Christian be thou sure To wash too after Lavor and the Ewre It is not often dipping is requir'd Wash oft as Naaman did and yet be mir'd Unless Repentance cleanse the Hands and Heart And a good Life by Hysops purging Art Render thee born a new thou' rt still a Jew All Aâ—ana nay Iordan will not do Signe are but outward Covenants and take place If they be seconded with inward Grace His Circumcision and my Baptism's naught Unless we 'r wash'd and circumciz'd in thought Upon the Epiphany THough in a Manger laid Portentous then Heavens did declare for thee and wisest Men A proper Star pracursor of thy Birth Blazons thy Lineage to the duller Earth Concentrick to thy self thy Star doth move Onely to th' Cradle of the God of Love Astrologers be your conjectures thus We will allow your Art judicious But if like Balaam as too like I fear For gain you 'l cant then Asse-rebuke beware If your Stars tell what after shall arise And point out Christ again you may be wise Have you not found it in some obscure skie Which makes this noyse for a Fifth Monarchy That all the Kings o' th' Earth are troubled more About this news then Herod was before Take heed of such predictions but chief When you see men in arms for that belief Whom Broughton hath made mad and ready stand To take Commissions give no Command All listed Officer in martial Equipage onely want the Generall How bloody was his first approach what drumming And Trumpets shall we have at his next coming Then Infants went to wrack now Men must fall For Saints must rule and they 'r a portion small Few are that number but a little flock What Hecatombs of Goats must to the block That these belov'd Sheep may have their full And plump their bare-bone sides with sinners wooll But not so hasty friends before that day Most horrid signes the Heavens will display The Sun Body of Light must darkned be No borrowed beames the Moon shall clarifie When her Light-fountain's out Heav'n-quakes shall turn Stars from their Orbs which then shall downward burn And the vast frame of that Convex and round Above our heads shall crumble to the ground The ground to nothing as at first then see If that the Lightnings volatility You can discern and tell us where it goes Your observations we will not oppose But you and I alas all but a few Who shall pass death by a translation new Shall
Gods Word and Commandements which is now called The new Light Good Lord deliver us Thus fast and you shall obtain not out of the work done by you which is acceptable but in his fasting who is onely gracious and in whose merits all our lame and imperfect works are sanctified For by his holy Incarnation our flesh is purified by his holy Nativity and Circumcision our new life is raised our old Adam buried by his Baptism Fasting and Temptation our Fonts our Abstinence our Trials are all made in some measure holy so in the procession of his glorious Merits By his Agony and bloody Sweat by his Crosse and Passion our Sufferings Plunderings and Martyrdomes are crowned by his precious Death and Burial by his Resurrection and Ascension our pious Exits and goings out of the sad Stage of this World our Sursum corda our lifted-up souls our awakenings from the Lethargie and Death of our past Sins are gracious with his Father and beneficial to our selves And by the coming of the Holy Ghost we are fortified and double guarded intrench'd and pallissado'd against all the malice of our invading enemie the World the Flesh and the Devil Feare not little Garrison though you fast a while relief is coming yea by a party of Horse by an Army such as Elias was upon the Mountain greater in number then your enemies Fear not besieged soul for God will rescue thee and he shall bring you forth from this Garrison of the World with Colours flying Drumms beating all but your Moneys which must be left behind that bunch in the Camels back which must be crush'd and pash'd and wire-drawn before you can be fitted to take that narrow pass the eye of the needle and then look before you the strait way of Christian Discipline the Gauntlet run what joy doe you enter into what variety of Heavenly Mansions where every Souldier for his earthly services hath a Patrimony which cannot be taken from him which cannot suffer waste but is upon improvement for ever where every Souldier hath a Medall of his Chieftaines Donation the Seal of the Everliving God which is the Badge of his fidelity and a perpetual and indelible character of his Loyalty to his Master No more shall be heard the word of Indigent Officers or any such Sarcastick sound against them for they shall hunger no more nor thirst any more neither shall the Sun of Persecution nor any heat of Oppression light on them But the Lamb which is in the midst of the Throne shall lead them to Fountaines of living waters and God shall wipe away all teares from their eyes Amen A MEDITATION ON THE PASSION Of Our SAVIOUR I Do present Your Royall Highnesse with such a Scene of Sorrow such a Tragedy as that Age onely beheld and no Age after it shall see The Prince of Peace the Councellor Murthered by his own People Crucified at his own Gates Was there any Sorrow like this Sorrow which is magnified by the Dignity of his Person by the Basenesse of his Accusers the Falsenesse of the Accusations the Impudence of his Judges From which unjust Tribunal those that loved him fled at whose sufferings the ashamed Sun withdrew its light testifying by its miraculous opacity and darknesse that the God of Light was extinguished the Earth opened and had not the God of Mercy and Love forbad would have swallowed the Nation as it did once before a part of them whilest his helplesse Spectators the ever Blessed Virgin his Mother with his belov'd Disciple stood by pierc'd at the heart to see him so pierc'd to see her Son the Son of God so roughly and barbarously butcher'd by those who liv'd and mov'd and had their Being from him while God look'd through the Cloud permitting what was from Eternity designed Men and Devils to act a piece of Wickednesse which was the ruine of the Contrivers the Devils fatal overthrow the destruction of Ierusalem the abandoning of the Iewes and Redemption of the whole World Pardon me Sir if in honour to my Saviours Sufferings I undertake what would ask the pen of the most Ready Writer and he onely could truly blazon that Princely Prophet from whose Loyns as to the Flesh he was descended I had need of a Protection Royal nay an Army Royal for a Guard while I enter upon the History As many Enemies hath Christ himself as had his Father David Gebal and Ammon and Amaleck the Philistines with they of Tyre Hagarens Moabites and Ishmalites and a number of confederate and associate Conspirators united against the Tribe of Iudah So against this Lion of that Tribe are combin'd Marcionites Ebionites Eutichians Nicolaitans Arrians Socinians and a Hidra of Schismaticks all of them either enemies of his Humanity or Divinity These crucifie not his Person on the Crosse but his Natures in their Heretical Writings they untext the Gospel of S. Iohn and with false and pitiful glosses would perswade their Sectaries that Tempus erat quando non suit that there was some time when he was not and so labour to null his Eternal and coessential Being with his Father before all Worlds deprive him of his just Right of Creation of the World testified by that Eagle-ey'd Evangelist who sayes directed by the Holy Ghost By him all things were made and without him nothing was made that was made who being the Wisdome of his Father was the most accomplish'd Agent through the Holy Spirit to effect that stupendious Convex that hoops in this lower Orb. And how bravely were these Blasphemies introduc'd by the assassination of a most Christian King Aurelius that murder proving successeful per scelera sceleribus iter est they march in a procession of wickednesse and streight stab the Deity of him that is anoynted for evermore That inhuman butchery got an Empire to Phocas and a triple Crown to his sacrificing Priest who ever since usurps the Purple Robe a fit Die and eternal Testimony of his Blood-got Supremacy over his fellow-Bishops These crucifie the Scriptures as the Jewes did Christ and expunge the sense though not the words and whereas the letter sayes None shall be greater then another they say one shall and is above them all nay not onely their Apostolick Overseers but in Ecclesiasticis over Emperours and Kings Well gratified old Phocas that by the base acquisition of a Diadem straight didst part with the best Flower in it No such Regimen was left by our Saviour nor no such Vicar nor no such Peter with a brandisht Sword no such Boanerges with a sublunary Fire Cellars of Gun-powder and spiritual Ammunition that shall more expeditely conveigh three estates to heaven then Elias fiery Chariot yet this usurpation still obtains upon some Princes who for politick ends or for fear of Raviliacks and Jesuited Daggers or which is worse for covetous and ambitious designes suffer that Christ that is in them to have his head stuck with Thornes and his mouth imbitter'd
with this damnable Doctrine the Lees of the Cup of the Lady of Babylon How far short are our Sectarians at home who hold not forth indeed a Golden Cup but a worse an Antinomial Cup which if the Princes of this World drink the rough emetick will make them void all the just prerogatives belonging to their sacred Authorities Up comes first the Militia without which Kings are as powerful as our Saviour with his Reed in his hand Arundinem pro Sceptro they must hold forth a Bulrush instead of a Scepter The next reach or straine of this vomitary Purge is Potestas vitae naecis without which there can be no Magistrate the Administration of Justice the Dispensations of Rewards and Punishments being the Charter of God delegated to his servant the King for the encouragement of the good and punishment of evil persons The third operation is as bad which fetches all his jurisdiction Ecclesiastical up at one heave and throwes that precious Right into the Classical Bason first and then into the great Caldron of a Provincial Synod in which his own head must boil if he dissent from that Consistorian sentence and Assembly suffrage What Jew what Loyolist of Ignatius could ever desire more These are the Abisgah of our Adonirams Adonijah's humble petition to his Majesty and let his answer be as I hope his wisdome is like Solomon's aske the Kingdome also to be tripartite and divided betwixt Abiathar a covenanting Presbyter and Ioab the Son of Zervia a traiterous Generall So let the King serve them as Solomon did who dare to intreat him from his power with bended knees and hands lift up to Heaven yet carry short swords to destroy the loyal Abners the Kings most trusty and well-beloved friends So let the King displace such Abiathars who not subscribing to the enacted Lawes of the Land under pretence of weak conscience have the consciences to disturb the Peace of the Land and affront the Government thereof There is no fear Royal Sir that your Majestick Brother should want Zadocks Orthodox and Loyal Priests For look Sir in the Cave where God hath hid from cruel persecution five thousand who never bowed to the Baal of those dayes nor fell down to worship the Calfe though made of the Ear-rings Whistles Bodkins and Silver Spoons of the deluded Sisters of the Nation Let them bite upon the bit and stoop to the sentence of the house of Eli and Abiathar till they snap at a morsel of bread out of the inferiour tables belonging to your High Priests If upon any threats or solicitations these Prerogatives be parted with then take heed of a Tolle crucifige away with him crucifie him as your Martyr'd Father saith in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Kings once divested of their power are soon imprisoned and then murdered For truly Royal Sir the Lives of Princes run almost parallel with their Saviours Their whole Reignes are but continued Passions Damocles did well in his Item of Regal Care and Danger to suspend a naked Sword with the point downward by a slender twist over his head as he sate at table How early was thy Persecution my deare Redeemer when thy Cradle was not free from a murtherous Herod whose life he so much thirsted for that many Hecatombs of Infants were musthered for fear Thy tender Person should escape That streame of Innocent Blood was praeludium to the Death of the Lamb that the Red Sea wherein thou didst float to Aegypt which harbour'd Thee in Thy flight the onely Goshen of the Land No Pharaoh's daughter now to suckle this Divine Exile but Angels were thy Rockers and Nurses and the Apis of Aegypt I mean the Cow was prostrate and fed the onely Via Lactea or milky way to Heaven Herod dead and the Wise men thy Worshippers Star-guided home thou didst return to thy Ierusalem a while to preach anon to die 'T is true indeed the loaf-fed multitude very pious by qualmes and fits especially when their bellies are full would have made an earthly Prince of the King of Heaven But Thou that knewest the danger of such Principalities didst flie from a Scepter with more hast then Richard the Third came to it of whom it is storied That he came from the womb with his feet forward and he made wicked speed and in a crimson flood swom to the Crowne which he did not long enjoy the Duke of Richmond soon after avenging the blood of his slain Kindred in Bosworth Field which was his just Aceldama Just got Diadem Regal Inheritances are insecure but ill acquired Thrones never sit safe and Tyrants seldome make a drie end but are wet and bedewed in blood to their graves Neque enim Lex justior ulla est Quam necis artifices arte perire sua 'T is just th' Inventers of great Torments have The Executions they to others gave There is a Bull for a Phalaris nay his owne Bull a Thomaris for Cyrus a Gibbet for Haman an Axe for a Bloody Rump and a Pole Rampant higher then the rest for an aspiring Oliver Our Saviour said His Kingdome was not of this world he was Lord over it Lord Paramount and these the Fifth Monarchists who so much contend for his reign upon earth though they make themselves onely his subjects shall never see their adopted King whom the Heaven of Heavens must contain untill all Kingdomes Levellers and all are levelled with the Earth He came not to wear a Crown of Gold but Thorns which made his head so many Fontinells of blood every prick opening an Orifice whence issued salvation to the world In the Garden this bloody Fight began when by his strong apprehension of the imminent danger he sweat thick drops of blood the soveraigne water of that Garden then he prayed that man of sorrow deprecated that that Cup might pass Vox hominem sonat the Prayer shewes him Man but his Suffering and his Submission God not My will not the will of me as Man for what man can court Death but thine and my will as God be done Therefore his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his vehement Groaning and Weeping were the strong and emphatick Emanations of his sad Soul laden with the Sins of the whole earth as a Cart is laden with sheaves in which are millions of millions of Grains the complicated vices of the Seed of Adam so was this Winepress-treader burthened who alone trod the Grapes in garments sprinkled with his own Blood Can we heare this and not compassionate weep Daughters of Ierusalem a little for him but more for your selves for whose defections whose spiritual Fornications for whose Pride and Luxury Covetousnesse and Hypocrisie this Hen that so oft would have gathered you as Chickens under his healing wings is pull'd and torn to pieces hash'd by barbarous Souldiers and tumultuous villaines If we can let us with watery eyes follow the pomp and prowess of his Sufferings through Water and Tears Objects are magnified but this Shew