a deformed one but a Virgin without wrinkle without spot when the Church is sanctified by the Spirit of Christ and nothing in your hearts but love fear and holiness then you have this beauty that is without spot or wrinkle sin does sully the soul but grace taketh away spots and wrinkles Likewise 2. The Church is compared to a Woman for her affection their affections ordinarily are more strong 'T is said of Jonathan his love did exceed the love of women The Holy Ghost compareth the Church to a Woman to signifie that all the members of Christ have a very ardent love and affection to Christ No love so strong as the love of a Saint to Christ and therefore 't is said That many waters cannot quench it There are few will be beggered for the sake of another or banished or hanged upon a Gallows for the sake of another burnt at a stake for anothers sake and yet the love of a Saint maketh nothing of all this it rejoiceth to see its goods spoil'd for Christ to think it self worthy to be whipt for Christ to go up a ladder and to be thrown down with a rope about its neck for Christ Water cannot quench a Saints love neither can fire hinder a Saint from Christ neither things present or things to come can sepaparate from Christ You would all be of this Church pray look that you have affections suitable for Christ You may have a time to try your affections if you want affections you are none of this Woman 3. The Church is compared to a Woman for her fruitfulness the Church of Christ is a fruitful Church that is the society of the Lord Jesus do bring forth daily children to God and as like the Father as they can look The Church does meet together to preach the Gospel and to pray and praise God together and God does so bless them with the Ordinances that they do convert sinners unto God they bring souls that were aliens in their mind they bring them to acquaintance with God The Church is always travelling and bringing forth and God does bless her to bring Sons and Daughters to himself and when they are born they are like Christ patient as Christ was patient meek as he was meek humble as he was humble and heavenly as he was heavenly Whoever pretend to be a Son or Daughter of this Woman and do not bear the Image of the Lord Jesus Christ they are bastards Barrenness under the Law 't was counted a very great curse So take this note to find out the Church of Christ upon earth and in England look upon the several societies professing the name of Christ see which look the most like him have they affections to Christ is there a beauty in their lives are they barren do they convert sinners to them Some cry with a loud voice The Temple of the Lord are we but I pray see if they are fruitful Are they travelling and bringing forth and have they Sons and Daughters brought forth daily to them or little conversion among them they are not fruitful they have not Sons and Daughters born to Jesus Christ and by that you may know where to find Christs Church Lastly The Church is compared to a Woman because of her weakness the Woman is the weaker sex she is not made for fighting but in case of danger for flying for this is the nature of the Church it is not of a domineering boisterous spirit but a womanly spirit modest humble and meek Where you see a people pretend to be this Woman pouring out malice and wrath a domineering people are they like this Woman that flyeth in time of danger but not from Christ vers 3. And there appeared another great wonder in Heaven behold a great red Dragon and that 's the Devil and the Dragon stood before the woman to devour her child as soon as it was born But what was the end did she fight no there were Angels stood to contend for her she took up no arms thought not upon fighting but presently the Angel rescued her vers 7. And there was war in Heaven Michael and his Angels fought against the Dragon and the Dragon and his Angels fought and prevailed not That is the host of Angels did contend with the Devil and his Angels and would not permit him to destroy her and she fled into the Wilderness vers 6. And she fled into the wilderness where she hath a place prepared of God that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days She fled into a Wilderness but in a secure state she was secur'd in her Wilderness and God lookt after her and we are in this thousand two hundred threescore days She is a weak Church but strong in Christ and if so my brethren though you be weak and meek as a sheep and compared to a Woman the weaker sex yet notwithstanding fear not for I cannot stand to speak of all the things in this Chapter Great wings were given her to fly with the whole earth stept out to help her and swallowed up the flood which the Dragon cast out of his mouth and the Angels helped her Well now let us come to the attire I have shewn you the reasons why she is compared to a Woman and we will begin at her head and so come down to her foot On her head a Crown of twelve Sâ—arâ— and her body was clothed with the Sun and under her foot the Moon What was this Crown of twelve Stars if you do but mark the H. Ghost through this book of the Revelations you will find him take a great deal of pleasure in this number twelve and he does always use it when he speaketh of the true Church the new Jerusalem it had twelve Gates and the Tree of life in the midst of this new Jerusalem this Tree of Life bore twelve sorts of fruits this you have in the last Chapter And in the midst of the streets of it and of either side of the river was there the tree of life which bare twelve manner of fruits and yielded her fruit every month and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the Nations Why twelve Gates for the City and twelve fruits upon the tree and twelve Stars upon the Crown of this Church what is the meaning of this I will tell you what it is You know Jesus Christ when he went about to gather this Church out of the world he did chuse twelve men that were his Apostles and these twelve men he did acquaint with the whole mystery of the Gospel all the things that he would have them teach the world he gave them in commandment and they were to be under him the Fathers to beget this Church And Christ calleth them lights Ye are the lights of the world because they were to deliver forth this Doctrine of the Gospel this light from Heaven these truths that lead men like tapers through this dark Dungeon
well why only if it was for any thing it was to read of the Controversie of Mr. Goodwin Yet as it prov'd by the all disposing Providence it was indeed for another business For as soon as I was in my Chamber I was exceedingly melted for those former sins Oh happy time Oh blessed spirit that led me not with my Saviour into the Wilderness to be tempted but to the Table of my Lord to feed on his fat things Bless the Lord O my soul and all that is within me bless his holy name On Friday before Easter 1651 I had no small joy in prayer never to my remembrance found I such a spirit of indefatigability before O praise God my soul and hie to God! And elsewhere he writes I have found in the various dispensations of Gods love and his dealing with me such a temper as this I have gone to prayer and laboured under such indisposition of soul and hardness of mine heart that I could not tell how to speak to God all sparks of faith as to the casting of my soul upon God seem'd to be extinct all breathings after God and Christ seem'd to be dead sin seem'd as nothing I sought to lay them to my charge yea and according to their aggravations I laboured to set Hell as to its torments before me that by them I might be startled Mine heart was so hard sin and its aggravations did as it were rebound back and convictions would not stick Methought Hell and its torments in this case no more frighted me than a sword at a blind mans throat would startle him I sought indeed that mine heart might be softned yet then but in word desires came not kindly from mine heart and in such a case I left praying this being night The next morning I went to duty again with a perhaps God will be gracious but found my soul hard as before and having pray'd a while and finding no comfort in it I was thinking to break off and so I should had not God prevented me by putting such an argument into my mouth as this Lord canst thou that hast said thou art a Father of such tender bowels suffer thy poor child thy poor creature to plead thus with thee for a broken heart and thou with hold it so stifly from him Upon this mine heart was exceedingly full and broken dissolved even into tears Oh ye Saints remember that Gods workings are arbitrary XXV As he records the failings and comforts he had before in and after prayer so we have him noting It is a good means to keep a mans soul up in a constant frame If he every day call his soul to a question How he hath walked with God that whole day And those sins he finds he hath fallen into that day let him resolve to watch against more strictly the next day and beg strength against them and by doing of this he shall quickly find a growth in grace and victory over his corruptions He adds When thou art ever pleading with God against sins remember that they are Gods enemies as well as thine Tell God he hates sin and wickedness and these are the enemies that thou art conflicting with and assure thy self God will not stand as a neuter but will take thy souls part as David in the fifth Psalm And again consider that thy soul is as a Common-wealth Christ the King thy corruptions the enemies now you know that the King is as much or rather should be more engag'd against the enemies of his Kingdom than the subjects are because the destruction of them or their victory strikes more upon his honour XXVI It is an hard thing to believe that a mans prayers are heard except he finds some warmings in his spirit in prayer either in solid joy or an hearty mourning Here these cases came to be resolv'd viz. Seeing the Children of God are often drawn out in prayer at By times a poor soul begins to reflect upon his own experiences and finding no such matter perform'd by himself is apt to be discouraged and to doubt whether God ever loved him First Thou must know though such dispensations are ordinary yet not necessary The Spirit can work without them as doubtless he doth in many Secondly Perhaps it hath not been Christs want of love to thee but thy negligence towards him He hath knocked and thou hast not opened Oh! this is a repulse to the King of Glory a sad dealing with thy Jesus with a Christ that was all a-sweat for thee and had his sides running out water and blood for thee to let him stand and knock without and give him no lodging Object Yea but the soul may say I have often watcht mine heart and markt the breathings of my soul whither they tended Godward or no but alas I was hard and blind a sottish creature Ans First Let such a consideration as this serve to humble thee but not to deject thee Know that there is a time when God will not be found and that is upon thy slighting of his former tenders Oh! when ever thou findest thy self in such a case forementioned Go and bewail before God thine hard and rough dealings with him Secondly Consider that upon such a reflexion on thy self and finding thine heart dead and listless to prayer it is very probable that the Spirit of God calls thee out at that time to prayer against thine hardness thy listlesness and blindness as to the discoveries of thy self and Gods love towards thee Oh! take heed of slighting such a tender as this Perhaps thou maist never have more of such tenders as these are and that thou maist wrestle a blessing out of Gods hand urge God with his own promises in the 54th Chapter of Isaiah it is a most spiritual and raising Chapter Here it may be Queried How to know that God hides himself out of love to me This to me is a strong evidence that God hides himself out of love to me after some miscarriage of soul 1 When God by my fall into a sin makes me more cautious of that sin for the future 2 God by that sin discovers my base heart to me 3 When God draws out my soul to beg earnestly for strength of him against it But a man after he hath fallen into some sin may take up resolutions against it and yet fall into it again 'T is true there is scarce a Saint but hath experienc'd this very thing and the reasons of it are not dark 1 On Gods part he will make his Saints to know that resolutions nor prayers nor any duty else can conquer sin He would have them acknowledg when corruptions are subdued it came from God that so they may put the crown of mortification upon his head 2 On our part let us examine our selves whether we did resolve in the strength of Christ If not it 's no wonder if we fall If we say we did Let 's examine our souls whether we did apply our selves to God
that shall keep the Angels of Heaven company to all eternity in the Heavens to glorifie the Maker and the Redeemer of the world This is the Church a Church in a Kingdom is the glory of the Kingdom and God in the Church is the glory of the Church When God leaveth a Church or Kingdom you may name it this name the glory is departed the glory is departed from a Town or Kingdom when the Church of Christ is departed If it be so it will be worth our while to inquire which is this Church of Christ for there are many pretensions laid to the Church many would call themselves the Church the Jews they would be the Church of God the Turks would be a Church of God for they profess to worship the God of Heaven the Papists they would be a Church of God and in England there are many parties laying their claims to the Church of God No wonder my brethren that every one is so desirous to bear that title of being the Church of God 't is the most glorious title of the world as I have shewn you 't is the glory of the world But to help you to find out this Church in the midst of all these claims that are laid to it I have chosen this verse wherein the Holy Ghost giveth a description of it for by these characters you will be able to find it out for this verse is nothing else but a characterizing of the nature of the Church of God And there appeared a great wonder in Heaven a Woman clothed with the Sun and the Moon under her feet and upon her head a Crown of twelve Stars The Church is described two ways First In General Secondly More Particularly First in general There appeared a great wonder in Heaven that is in this Vision of John he did seem to see a very strange and unusual sight we call things wonders that are strange things it is no wonder to see the Sun shining because it is common and the Stars to give light because common but when we see a Blazing-star we call it a wonder so the meaning is I saw a great wonder saith John and what of that I saw a Woman I saw a Woman in the Heavens It is common to see the Sun and Moon and Stars there but to see a Woman is a wonder and so the Church is a wonder to see a fire keep alive in the midst of the Sea to see a people keeping themselves holy in the midst of a wicked and perverse generation to see a people live to the glory of God in a wicked and debaucht Kingdom is a wonder for in spite of all the wrath and rage of the Devil they are resolved to love God and follow the Lamb where ever he leads them this is a wonder and in many respects the Church may be said to be a wonder a wonder to Angels a wonder to Devils and a wonder to the wicked world A wonder to Angels we read they desire to peep into the mystery of Redemption of Christs coming into the world to die for a company of sinful creatures that deserve no better a condition than the dungeon of Hell but for you Angels to see God taking poor sinners from the dungeon of sin and wrath and raising them upon Thrones by giving them repentance and faith in Jesus Christ and adopting them Sons and Daughters and taking them to be his friends this the Angels wonder at And why may I not guess a wonder to the Devils for them to see the Son of God come and themselves to be past by to be forsaken eternally reserved in chains and to see such creatures as we are to be brought into a state of fellowship and communion with God may make them stand and wonder And truly how can it chuse but be a wonder to our selves if David in seeing the Heaven Sun Moon and Stars could cry out Lord what is man that thou art mindful of him How can we chuse but wonder when we look upon our selves being guilty of all manner of sins either in heart or life to see God take us and wash us like swine out of the mire and cleanse us and make us live like his children and call us his own and write his name upon us and seal us up for an eternal state in the Heavens And so the wicked world do wonder that we do not follow them in the same excess of riot drunkenness and singing and ranting in the Taverns and Alehouses they wonder at it Well I saw this wonder in Heaven that is in a most exalted state and so my Brethren it is in its own self in its nature it is highly exalted in the heavens of Gods favour and affections and when the time shall come that God will perfect his Church she shall shine in glory as in a most exalted state and condition and it is this she expecteth and for this she saith Come Lord Jesus and for this he saith I come quickly But more particularly to the nature of this wonder What is it 1. It is described by a Woman 2. The Attire And 3. the place of her standing First A Woman and her attire and that is first of her head a Crown of twelve Stars 2. The attire of her body clothed with the Sun And then 3dly Here is her standing She standeth upon the Moon trampleth that under her feet and this is a description of you so many of you as are true members of the Lord Jesus Christ what great things are here spoken are spoken of every believer here First a Woman why is the Church compared to a Woman that the Church is compared to a Woman in Scripture that is plain the Book of Canticles which is Solomons Song is a Song of the Church represented as a Spouse to Jesus Christ the Prophets frequently compar'd the Church to a Woman in the Old Testament and God is her Husband the Apostles compared it to a Woman I have endeavoured as a Virgin to present you to God without spot And the Church is called the Lambs Wife But for what reason does the Holy Ghost compare the Church to a Woman For these four Reasons 1. For her Beauty 2. For her Affection 3. For her Fruitfulness 4. For her Weakness For these four she may well be compared to a Woman 1. For her Beauty I speak not of that outward that skin-deep beauty which a little time will bring to wrinkles but I speak of an inward beauty a soul beauty the Church of Christ is beautiful that is soul-beautiful the Graces of the Saints upon the soul of the Saints is the red and white nothing enamours Christ so much as your faith in his Promises love to his Glory patience in afflictions obedience to his Commandments Thou art fair my beloved saith Christ to his Spouse The Church is compar'd to a Woman for her beauty and therefore the Apostle saith I have endeavoured to present you as a Virgin how not
setled up he mounts Upon his Royal Steed Who prancing through the streets is prais'd For his victorious deed Just so my glorious blessed Prince With vict'ry on his side Being won with ghastly gaping wounds In triumph he must ride Down with a Chariot made of clouds From th' Palace-yard on high His Father sent to setch his Son In great solemnity Before he steps up to his seat Like Royal Prince he gave Rich-wonder-working gifts to 's friends And then he took his leave Strait at command the foaming winds With prancings up they fly Proud of the burthen that they drew A load of Majesty When he got home Oh! with what shouts Of joy did Heav'n resound When th' Father sat him on his Throne And there himself him crown'd Angels and Saints do all at once The Song of the Lamb sing As worthy of all honour praise Yea worthy to be King Sit there thou great Victorious Prince At thy Fathers right hand Bring down thine en'mies to thy feet Rule all by thy command HYMN V. The Souls Access LOrd hear my knocking 's hark my crys Want drives me to thy door Oh! chide not do not say Away I was here once before Where shall I go thou only hast That life none gives beside I went about the world to beg For life but all deni'd Thou art my God and Saviour To thee I naked creep Besmear'd in blood and tears I lie Lord pity see I weep If I have sin'd Lord thou hast di'd To free me thou wast sent And thou hast said I shall not die If that I will repent Justice Oh hold a while thy stroke Suffer a sinner plead It 's for my life one word and then Strike on and make me bleed If I had sin'd and would not yield But stoutly stand it out Thy wrath might then have broacht my heart And let my life run out If I had heard a Christ was come With open arms to save Had I not run for refuge there Mercy I might not crave Now Justice strike 't is done but see Where I incircled lye Within the folds of Jesus arms Strike in his arms I 'le die Chear up my heart the storm is o're Justice is ris'n and gone All thy accusers creep away Thy Christ is lest alone What blessed voice was that I heard My Son rise off thy knees Thy sins are pardon'd thou art free And I have paid thy fees Lord what a quick dispatch hast thou In grace giv'n to my cause I am arraign'd acquit set free By thy most gracious Laws Had I not guilty dar'd to plead Though fraught with Angels skill How sure my impannel'd conscience would Have sought and found the bill HYMN VI. The descent of the Spirit WHO knows the winds from whence they come Or whither they do go The holy breathings we receive Are from the Spirit ev'n so Sometimes its cooling gales we feel On Conscience all on fire Sometimes its cooling heats we find Our nummed hearts inspire This is that Holy Ghost that Christ Did promise for to send This is that pow'rful Spirit that Our stubborn hearts must bend Jerusalem the City was Design'd for his descent Thither the Christians at th' command Of th' Heavenly Angel went No sooner were they set but straight A mighty tempest rose Shook the foundations of the house Which they for pray'rs had chose Struck with amazement soon there fell Flames shap't both flat and long Which hovering light upon each head Much like a Cloven-tongue Those little fiery bushes were But wonders for to shew That th' wonder-working Spirit was Come down to men below For straight he tun'd each Christians tongue All Languages to speak The Parthians Medes and Elamites To them their minds might break Thousands of Salem flock to see This strange unheard-of thing They flock too fast for they forget Good hearts with faith to bring Some are amaz'd but others scoff Some praise but others say They have too much of tongue they 'r drunk With much new wine to day Oh injur'd God! how can'st thou bear These dreadful Blasphemies These wonders speak thy Gospel true They say it 's nought but lyes Scarce fifty days now past thy Son With nails they Crucifi'd And now to heap up sin on sin Thy Spirit they deride Instead of wrath Gods bowels yern Yet thinks them thoughts of Grace The bleeding Christ while Peter preacht The Spirit gave them chace Three thousand hearts at once he struck Who bleeding came and cri'd What shall we do we do believe On Christ we Crucifi'd O holy conquering Spirit thou Those souls did'st captivate This is a second wonder wrought Which we with Songs relate Oh let me find thy heats within As a refiners fire Purge from my heart all dross and sin This this is my desire HYMN VII First Part. THOU dreadful Judg whose Majesty Angels themselves adore That can't with open face thee see But clap their wings before When thou with whispers dost but chide The arch of Heaven doth quake Big-bellied clouds forth lightning bring And into thunders break When that thy wrath it doth but breathe Great storms of whirlwinds rise Hail snow and rain come tumbling down Whilest th' trembling sinner flies The lofty mountains stoop their heads To hide them in their vales Great men and Princes shrink for fear Their hearts and courage fails Some high and mighty Angels hatcht Treason against his Crown He spar'd them not but from their Throne With vengeance pull'd them down He chains of darkness on them laid As pris'ners doth them keep Against the great and terrible day When hardest hearts shall weep When the old world thy name forgot And laid aside their fears The gentle wrathful Heavens wept Drowns it with showers of tears When Sodom and Gomorrah burnt With fires of wanton lust With flakes of fir'd brimstone thou Those Cities burnd'st to dust Sion it self that darling hill In Salem that did stand Them both for slaying of thy Son Thou mad'st a fire-brand Our bleeding carcasses thy sword leaves reeking on the ground Yet after this we no more fear Than men fall'n in a swound Second Part. When thou O mighty God shalt come Riding upon the wind To judg the world Oh! in what place Will th' wicked refuge find How shall we hear thy shrill voice't trump Cleaving th' air asunder To wake our ashes in their graves With noise like claps of thunder Lord what a glorious train is that That on their wings do ride Look how they post in full career Thronging on either side Oh! they 're the Angels of the Lord Egypt's first-born that slay'd That took poor Lazarus soul that di'd And him in bosom laid The Trump shall sound and Michael then Th' Archangel strait shall cry Arise you dead to judgment come The Lord your lives must try Look how the wicked's bodies crawl Like Toads out of their den What ghastly fearful looks they bear They look like frighted men Why do you sinners now thus quake Call for your
each chink or cranny you had best Yet that is vain through brazen walls they 'l pass As easie as a Sun-beam through a glass Thus when proud Pharoah scorn'd his sail to strike To th' Crown of Heaven proudly did dislike To own an equal God his warrant gave To bring th' Egyptians first-born to the grave In th' dead or night when all their doors were fast Fast lockt and bolted through his Angel's past Stifles them round no bars bolts doors could keep The infant safe in th' mothers arms asleep Thus when sweet slumber seiz'd the pris'ners eyes Whilst Peter 'twixt two Soldiers fleeping lies Closely confin'd within close prison walls Angels whip in and up the pris'ner calls Opens the doors sets free the shackled man Thus walls doors windows penetrate they can Amazing Natures somewhere you exist Now here now there yea where so e're you list Yet in no place no circumscribing air Can fit you with a garb that you can wear Your spungy parts sometimes so puff and swell That what wo'ld shroud a mountain can't you well Again you bend and fold up every joint Into the compass of a Needles point Like to the candle beams that can emit Yet can again themselves so closely croud That in dark lanthorn they themselves can shrowd Or like a silken robe we can command Into the hollow of a Ladies hand Yet long and wide enough to cover o're The body of that she I nam'd before Or take a shadow from another thing The glove that 〈…〉 â—â—ine hand can pass my ring Witness the various Spectres that have been The sport and maygame of the Magick sin Sometimes they flirt and caper here and there In shapes of flies about the flexile air Then shifting coats they make a Mouses skin The utmost confines of their room within Dislodging thence the next-made randevow Is in a figur'd Hog a wanton Goat or Cow Or else that spirit within a Fly contract Can the dimension of Giant act And turn a weavers-beam about the sky As nimbly as it did the wings of th' fly Speak Holy Pen-man how many spirits can Crowd in the body of one living man More than six thousand as his name doth tell Being called Legion that sum's known full well Thus they contract and squeeze themselves together Thus they dilate and spread I know not whither Now for self-motion to them propriate My winged quill doth fly to explicate Source of all action and the genuine spring Of motion lodg'd in th' center of each thing Matter 's too dull too lumpish for to raise It self or stir When I with wonder gaze On th' foaming Planets that do swiftly fly Prancing their rounds on th' pavement of the sky My thoughts do rise and inly ask my mind Whence is that motion that outstrips the wind When I a stone mountain or rock behold I find them to all motion stark and cold Yet have they limbs as able for to move As Luna Mars or else triumphant Jove Whence should it come surely it cannot be That from themselves comes that ability Then from some other 't must but tell what is' t Not other matter that h 'as little list To move as they what then may we it call What is the spring or the original Of all this swiftness sure it was some sp'rite That put this world first in this moving plight Casting mine eye now downward I behold Mine animate flesh strange motions t' infold Whence so spontaneously have I the skill To move my flexile members where I will Whence move my sinews muscles I command My joints to bend and then again to stand Is' t from my spirits that in purple-flood Now ebbs now flows in them as they think good But what moves them is it from Chance or is' t From deep consults Or tell me do they wist What they are doing By Chance fain I 'de know Why only when I need them they do flow Is chance so constant can it their forces bend And stedily direct to th' thing I intend The Clock may well count th' hours of the day But can I think that sturdy iron may Direct it self or else by chance may strike This hour one next two our case is like When I believe I run when I do set That water dries and the fire it is wet That with mine eyes I hear or with my Toes 〈◊〉 see and that my taste lies in my nose Then I 'le conceive that less than a sp'rite can Point out the motion that I see in man But how can that which is without extension As spirits are perform the thing I mention Having no parts but such are penetrable How to unite with matter are they able How can they thrust or force dull matter on And yet themselves want parts to fasten ' pon The parts they move who can then this avouch That this move that yet neither of them touch Answer me this and I will that What sight So pierceth that sees matter to unite With matter how do they cleave together That hammers chissels axes cannot sever How do they fasten is' t by certain glew But that hath parts What then why fain I knew Is' t from their rest or stillness as they lie Why doth not then each stick or stone fast tye It self to th' ground when there it 's cast Would not all things incrustate hard at last Should not we need a Chissel for to pick Up what with ease we take be 't stone or stick Yet this we know that parts of bodies bind And tye themselves most fast and yet our mind Spies not the manner how what if then Union of sp'rits to body's hard to men Oh! my brains sweat some gentle breathing wind Of finer fancies chear up a tir'd mind Pollish this rug'd discourse make it so bright That it may sparkle in the darkest night I know no motion but from sp'rits arise And mostly from their presence lives or dies The wheels of Heav'n now working we 'd seen stand If not been turn'd first by th' Almighty's hand What is' t that hoists the feather'd sails of birds And nimbly wasts them through the airy floods What rudder turns those Pinnaces around Steers them now upwards then slopes to the ground What can it be that sports and plays within The center of the scaly peoples skin With bended tails when they do skip above Their glassie ceilings that they mostly love The Fox Horse Hare and Greyhound see them run Observe their jerks how they proceed and turn Tell me if sluggish matter could produce Such pretty freaks or any purple sluce Of blood that opens and now shuts again Could make these machins post the way amain O're hedg and ditch bushes of briar and thorn And mend their pace by switch or wind of horn Tell me in July it doth fiercely freez I will believe 't as soon as I can these Yet more prodigious motions I can tell Acted by sp'rits on matter sprung from Hell A cloud is seen by many to