thing God now is all Love makes all Common for it makes all One Zeal for good Works Patience in bearing wrong Were the true Marks by which Christs flock was known Had not Christ added this convincing Seal Tongues Miracles and Sanctifying Grace The Wonder of Redemption is so great That Faith to unbelief must needs give place Apostles Mortal were before they Die For future Ages they Christs sacred word His Deeds Laws Doctrine by the promis'd Spirit To guide the Church infallibly record As Moses gave the Iews the only Law Which following Priests and Prophets were to Teach So th' Holy Ghost by the Apostles wrote The word which after Ages were to Preach As Moses Law was Seal'd with Miracles When such the following Ages did not need So Christs Apostles did by Wonders Seal Those Records which the after Ages read The Spirit promis'd to the Apostles was To lead them to all needful saving Truth And bring Christs words to their rememberance What they by his Commission did Christ doth Their Writings are the Holy Ghosts own Book Though human Imperfection do appear In Modes and Phrases it 's no just offence But leaves the Truth and Use still sure and clear Words but the Vehicle of matter be Gods Spirit owns not the Translators words But if as signs they with his Words agree The Sense and Matter of them is the Lords This Spirit helps the Church but not to bring Another Gospel Law or Word from Heav'n Nor mend or change Gods Laws in word or sense But to preach and obey the word once given To bring new Laws or Messages from God A Prophets Office is and not a Priests To forge such or make Laws for all the Church The Authors prove false Prophets or false Christs Christian Religion is one stablisht thing Which all the Church from first to last may know It is not human changeable or new Nor doth by Mens decrees increase and grow If Canons no part of Religion be But Laws for Rites and things indifferent Why must all Christians needs in these agree Or not agreeing by Church-Wars be rent The Church hath all one Head one perfect Law All justified be by Christs Blood and Merit All that are true though weak Christ doth receive For all are Sanctified by one Spirit The Holy Ghost in all true Christians dwells He doth illuminate and make them New This is Christs Agent and his Body formes His Witness proving that his Word is true This Spirit did the Gospel first Indite And on it did Gods Image first Ingrave And then by it as his great Instrument That Image Prints on all that he will save Though it be long of their resisting Will That any of this Grace deprived be Yet Scripture and Experience clearly tell That diffrencing electing Grace is free In Children it appears when God doth choose He gives a reachable and willing Mind Good Dispositions and Capacity By Grace their Nature is to good inclin'd Grace chooseth Parents careful of their Souls Helps them to educate them in Gods fear To commend Virtue and disgrace all Vice Teach them Gods word causeth them to hear Gods Seed in such is often early Sowd And as they grow it springs up by degrees As Plants and Fruits by Sun Moisture grow'd Whose present growth and motion no Man sees The first beginnings of the Spirits work Is in a learning Mind and fear of Sin A love and liking of good things and Men 'Gainst Sins for Duty Conscience strives within Grace watcheth over them provides them helps Meet Teachers Books Examples Company Keeps off temptations causeth them to hate Lying bad Words and Deeds and Ribaldry Bad Childrens Hearts are quite averst to good They love not Virtue relish not Gods Law Tempting Discourse Examples Vanities Catch on their Hearts as Fire doth on Straw If early helps Parents and Teachers fail And Sin the childish Mind and Life pervert If Folly Flesh and tempting Baits prevail Yet God his chosen will in time convert Hee 'l either give them better Company Or better helps and Teachers whom hee 'l Bless Or bring some useful Book unto their Eye And make their Snares their Temptations less Or hee 'l some sharp Affliction on them lay Which may awake the hardened sleepy Heart Or Conscience shall some quickning motion feel Tell them their Sins their Danger and Desert O! How the Case with Sinners now is chang'd Things all appear now in another Shape Sin now is Madness Mad he calls himself For loving Death and thinks now how to Scape Now God is Holy Just his Word is True He is in earnest though Sinners be in jest The Face of all his Works and Ways seem New Those things seem worst which formerly seem'd best The common Texts and Truths he daily heard Do now begin to have some Life and Sence He wonders how he past them by before As if they had been of no Consequence That wounds shames and grieves and breaks his heart Which formerly was his Delight and Pleasure That 's Vanity and mortal Poyson now For which he hungred as his Food and Treasure Now the Mad Prodigal comes to himself Perhaps the World doth him its Husks deny Why saith he did I leave a Fathers House There none do want here I must starve and die O that I had not tasted Satans Bait Nor Pampred Flesh and pleas'd vain Appetite Neglected Grace and things of greatest Weight Nor medled with Sins poysonous Delight But the time lost can never be recal'd The works of Madness cannot be undone I have undone my self is there no help I know all else is Vain there is but one A Fathers Love affordeth me some hope The World gives none I must return or die I 'le go and humbly all my Sin confess And cast my self upon his Clemency But God is Just and Holy how can I Defil'd with Sin and Guilt stand in his sight Now the sick Soul a sure Physicion needs There is one Saviour who is Gods Delight He is the Way by whom Men come to God He is the Truth to save the World from Errour He is the Life to save from endless Death Self-Murdering Souls subject to Hellish Terrour And now the Gospel's better understood Redemption seemeth not a needless thing His Thoughts are precious of Christs precious Blood His Mediator Prophet Priest King The Gospel now is Tydings of great Joy Pardon of Sin Adoption Peace with God Freedom from Terrour Satan Sin and Hell Mans self-made and Gods just Revenging Rod. He sees why Love in Mans repair must be As much Admir'd as Power in our Creation Sinners cannot immediatly God see But by a Mediator have Salvation Now all things else seem loss and dung for Christ Wisdom is folly where Christ is left out To know him is the true Philosophy The rest doth teach Men but to prate and doubt Some glimps of God and Heav'n blurd Nature yields But it s but as a Candle to this Sun Others towards God
ADDITIONS TO THE POETICAL FRAGMENTS OF Rich Baxter Written for himself and Communicated to such as are more for serious Verse than smooth LONDON Printed for B. Simmons at the Three Golden Cocks at the West-end of St. Pauls 1683. A Supplement TO THE POETICAL FRAGMENTS I. Grace GOds perfect Power did this great World Create Gods perfect Wisdome all in Order Plac't Gods perfect Goodness made all very Good But Sin Gods Image on Mans Soul defac't Power caus'd Necessity and Wisdome Order And both by Goodness caused Harmony All in one perfect Frame Gods Glory shew Praise him and please him with pure Melody Sin could not change Necessity nor that Disorder which God fixt above Mans reach But the Free Lord Free Agents also made And there by Sin Fâ—â—â—e-Will did make the breach This Breach to Man was Punishment it self For God before had order'd Nature so That Poyson would cause Pain Wounds cause smart And Sin to Sinners Misery and Woe Goodness is Love delighting to do good Wisdome resolves this fowl breach to repair And make advantage of Mans Sin and Woe Iustice and Mercy largely to declare Hurt is soon done the Wound was quickly made The Cure must be performed by degrees A Saviours Grace must exercised be Wisdome with Love to do the Work decrees Mans Soul Incorruptible Substance is Essential Life not made it self to die It s final State then like it self will be Durable Happyness or Misery But it is plac't in Corruptible Flesh And the Compounded Frame that 's called Man Must be dissolv'd for Sin hath caused death And Flesh must turn to Earth whence it began But He who Mans Salvation undertook Is perfect Primitive Life Light and Love And will give Compound Life again to Man In joyful Glory with Himself above But as in Nature God great difference made Stones are not Men all have their proper place Men are not Stars and Stars are not the Sun So he will make great difference in Grace Man is not helpless left to mear despair Life is again made possible to all The former terms of Innocence now cease Mercies all Sinners to Repentance call A Law of saving Grace is newly made All that accept it and consent shall live Trust but a Saviour for that blessed Life And he will freely Grace and Glory give But yet Mans Life on Earth a Warfar is Gods Grace and Satans Malice daily Fight And all that will be Sav'd must overcome Sin 's vanquished by Grace Darkness by Light Each part their Captain have they their bands Not made by Force but Doctrine and Consent Each Man as Rational and Free Commands One draws to Sin the other to Repent Sin hath its Punishment the worst within When for neglect of Grace God it suspends But the correction of the Flesh for Sin Furthers Repentance and the Soul amends Thus all on Earth have some degrees of Grace Which Reason tells us they should not abuse Which bringeth some so far to Adam's case They stand or fall as they these Mercies use But God will not his Grace at randome give And leave the event to uncertainty But hath his Chosen who shall surely live In whom his saving Grace shall never die The two first Brothers did this War begin he killed and conquer'd who was first by birth He that seemd Conquer'd Triumphed by death The Victor's a curst Vagabond on Earth This War continu'd is unto this day Between the Holy and the Serpents seed These Brothers the prognostick Instance were Of all that ever after should succeed But the worst War is inward Grace and Sin The controversie daily there debate That which the Final Victory doth win Determineth Mans everlasting state A Law of Grace thus made to all Mankind In Adam and Noe common roots of all Ill entertainment with fall'n Man did find Who mostly to Idolaty did fall The strength of Sin is Love to Flesh and World And averse strangness to a better life It stronger grew by custome and abhor'd All motions tending to the Souls relief But Gods Electing Grace shall not be void In Abel Henoch Noe he this declar'd But specially in Abraham whose great Faith He with a special Promise did reward Not calling back the common Law of Grace He chose his Seed as a peculiar Nation Gave them a proper Law and of them rais'd The Lord Incarnate Author of Salvation Yet was their Dignity most Typical As was their Law to shew what God would doe When he the Nations unto Christ would call And build his Church as Catholick anew Sin soon prevail'd their Land was dry and small Seldome from under Enemies and Wast But they Gods Oracles preserv'd for us And from their Vine we all Salvation tast But as in Nature God works by degrees From Seed to Infancy from thence to Youth From thence to Manhood and Maturity So did he in revealing Grace and Truth Faln Man his Infancy and Childhood had In the old Laws dark Types and Prophesies But in times fulness God Incarnate came The Sun of Righteousness to Man did rise Three Laws he did fulfil one as a Man Once made for all Another as a Jew The third as Saviour proper to himself Then for his Church he made another new He Preacht Gods Will Proclamed saving Grace Brought to light Life and Immortality Declar'd Gods Love shew'd Man Gods pleased Face A Sacrifice for sinful Man did die He came to conquer Satan destroy Sin And heal sick Souls of Worldly Fleshly Love To raise the Earthly Mind of Man to God And bring him to a better Life above Words were too weak for this his works must do it He was to teach Man how to bear the Cross To deny Life and live above this World For Heav'n to count all here as Dung and Loss Wonder of Wonders God appears in Flesh Preacheth to Sinners calls them home to God Dies for them as a Sinner on a Cross Till the Third day among the Dead Abode Himself the greatest Wonder many wrought Heal'd all diseases gave the blind their Sight Raised the Dead by present bare Command Long before many in the open Light The Third day rose from Death stay'd Forty days Describes his Laws Church-Covenant and Seals Commissions his Apostles promiseth His Spirit which all saving truth Reveals Ascendeth up to Heaven before their Eyes And before Multitudes at Pentecost Gives them the gift of Miracles and Tongues By giving them the promis'd Holy Ghost They Preach Christ to the World speak various Tongues Work Miracles Heal Sickness Raise the Dead Convey this Power and Spirit unto others Thus through the World the word of Life they Spread These many Wonders not in Corners wrought Converted Thousands Conquer'd unbelief But above all his great Convincing Works The Spirits Sanctifying Grace was Cheif The erring know the Truth Fools are made Wise The Proud made humble Wrathful ones made meek The worlds fondâ—lovers now do it despise Kill fleshly Lusts and Heavenly Glory seek Sin is a hated
For any other Life than this short Span. If Cloathing hide thee from thy Neighbours sight Let it not hide thee also from thine own Look on thy self thy Nature is a Light Shall knowing Souls be to themselves unknown Now know thy self before thou art undrest And tho through flesh Men cannot see thy heart Open thy Eyes unveil thy Face at least That Men may see thou hast a better part How vile a thing is Man if Flesh be he Can he look high who thinks himself so base His bruitish sleepy Thoughts and Life must be A dreaming doating or despairing Case Where was that Flesh one Year before thy birth What is it now but warmed moving Clay What will it be e're long but common Earth To this thy Pomp and Pleasure is the way Where did Gods Art that curious Body form As in a Dunghil even in Natures sink Though Skin and Cloathing now do it Adorn 'T was bred between the Dung and Urins stink What was it made of but the Mothers Food Curdled and quickned by the Makers pow'r And there it lay in darkness filth and blood Unmeet for sight till Births appointed hour In pain and danger then it is brought forth A speechless helpless and polluted thing Entring the World with crying at its Birth Foretelling greater griefs which time will bring How long by patient Mothers care and love Doth feeble useless troubling Age subsist Should Man continue such we could not prove That he in kind is better than a Beast Long do these unripe fleshly Bodies keep The Soul from shewing its essential Power Sense Rules while Reason lyeth half asleep Vain toys and folly spend our Childish hours By use and prepossession flesh gets strength Resisting Light and all that 's Wise and Holy Till Reason be its servile slave at length And greatest Wit become the greatest Folly Then Carnal Man lives like a crafty Beast Only to pamper Flesh and please its Lust To make the Worms and Hell a costly Feast When Souls must part and leave Flesh to the Dust. If Flesh be Man how many Men are one From Birth to Death when as the Rivers flow Daily new Flesh succeeds that which is gone And none is what he was one Year ago That beauteous Face that pamperd Body stood But lately on thy Table as thy Meat 'T was Mutton Bief Pork Chicken or such Food What now thou art is what thou then didst eat Part of a Fish a Swine a Calf or Lamb Is turn'd into a Lady Lord or King This Metamorphosis of Beast to Man Is surely done by some great unseen thing Yea all of Man that 's seen did lately grow In Fields and that was Corn or Fruit or Grass Which now is Flesh or from the Springs did flow To shew what Flesh will be by what it was Vain Man knowst thou no deeper than thy Skin Go see an opend Corps and that will shew What Garbage Filth and Dung are hid Within What thy vile Body is thou there maist know Think that thy noisom stinking Excrement Is one part of that Sumptuous Pleasant Food Whose other part a while of better scent Is turned into that proud Flesh and Blood If yet deceitful Beauty cheat thy Eyes Look on a Face that 's crusted with the Pocks Or a white Breast where stinking Cancers rise And pity fools whom Fleshly Pleasure mocks If Health Wealth Pomp or Pow'r delude thy mind Go to the greatest dying sick Mans Bed Ask him what safety he in these doth find Yea go yet further look upon the Dead Here much unlike to what it was before Is that now loathsom Flesh that ghastly Face What hath it now of all its Power and Store Remember this must shortly be thy Case How long the sight and scent can you abide Of your Dead greatest wisest dearest Friend Unless some Art the frightful Visage hide And from the smell your tender Sense defend We can devise no better a dispose Of dearest Friends than a deep darksom Grave Where to lie rotting we may them repose The living from their sight and scent to save The worms without repulse there feasted be They feed on Heart and Face without offence VVhat pamperd Bodies are there you may see If you dig up that Corps a few Months hence But though what 's out of sight grows out of mind Pictures and guilded Tombs are also set The sensless Hearts of Men further to blind That what Flesh is they may the more forget Yet the next opened Grave casts up in sight The Skull whose holes of Eyes Mouth you see Where enter'd formerly the dear delight Think then thus shortly it will be with me The harmless pretty Bird with Pleasure sings Not so deform'd in Life or Death as we The cruel Bowels of great Lords and Kings To her an honourable Tomb may be Save that to be devoured by bad Men Turns guiltless things into a guilty wight And makes them sinful and more fetide than If they had rotted in the open light The labouring Ant less burdensome Flesh hath Thousands in peace in one stor'd heap can dwell In peace by crowds they travel the same path And being dead annoy none by their smell The working Bees in peace together live Fetching their Hony home from many Flowers Dwelling in quiet order in one Hive But Man destroys them and their store devours God who by Nature gives them flying Wings And their rare mellifying power gave Doth give them also their defensive Stings Their House and Young and Property to save Men kill them and eat up their gathered Food But make the like no King no Artist can Their Work yea their dead Corps are sweet good But sweetest things corrupt and stink in Man How swiftly do thâ— unwearied Swallows flee And mount and sport even to an unseen height Their active fiery part is quick and free Not clog'd as Men are by a fleshly weight The mounted Lark hovering with nimble wings Dwells above Earth till strength and spirits sail And peering towards the Sun she sweetly sings But falls down mute when earthly parts prevail Some say all motion tends to ceasing rest Of Earths forc't lifeless motion this is true To Spirits perfect Action is the best Uncessant Love and Pleasure is their due Experience sadly tells Man that his Soul Is clog'd by Flesh perverted by its bent So that dark heathens did its case condole As for old Sins into this Body sent Did not Gods Holy Spirit quicken ours And cause us unseen things by Faith to see Renew and raise our dead corrupted powers None could from Flesh Lust Sin Hell saved be Flesh is not Sin it s made for Holy use In it Souls here must seek and serve the Lord But it s the tempting object of abuse While we its Life and Lust too much regard The Body as a Servant we must love But Souls have Sense and Sense to Flesh is ty'd And so drawn down from God and things above The Soul that hath
and Heav'n may grope and creep Christians with joyful hope believe run But will Christ to such Sinners Saviour be Who long and wilfully contemn'd his Grace Yes if they have but hearts to him to come He excepts none Hee 'l all their Sins deface The Prodigal now hopefully resolves In Christ I 'le trust and to my Father go When there 's but one way who should stand doubt The Vanity of all things else I know If in his House I may the lowest be His wonderous Grace I will with thanks proclaim My Sin and Misery I will confess And in Repentance take deserved Shame And when repenting Souls are thus resolv'd And with design do towards their Father come They are surpriz'd with unexpected love Grace feasts forgiv's them bids them welcom home Now the returned Soul doth dwell with God And God in him for there his Spirit dwells God hath his highest Love Heaven his chief hope Christ is his Life he trusteth to none else O how much better is it with him now How wise how safe to what he was before What hee 's yet short of Faith hath in its view Hee 'l choose the way of Sin and Hell no more Now farewel mortal Sin stoop bruitish Flesh Now Pride Lust come down submit to Faith Farewel ensnaring Sports and Company Farewel Deceit I 'le hear what Scripture saith Now all is New new Judgments Love and Life New Hopes Delights a new intended End The means then must be new or better us'd New friends new thoughts all that to it tend But yet though out of Aegypt he be come Through the Red Sea he 's in a Wilderness Faith must be try'd by many Enemies Hard Journeys Wants delayed Hopes Distress And Flesh still strives Satan still busie is The World will tempt Sin 's not quite overcome Dark Fears and Unbelief do yet hang on We are in hope but are not yet at home But yet we have the leading Fire and Cloud The Law the Angels presence as we pass Moses fell in the Wilderness but there The Tempter by our Saviour vanquisht was The Law was weak and nothing perfect made Grace giveth light and life love and strength And though it long and oft assaulted be It Conquereth and Triumpheth at length It is the work of God who knows his own And makes them Christs beloved interest All that are given him he loves and keeps And brings them to the promis'd Land of Rest. Grace suited is to every Time and State To Childhood Manhood and decrepid Age An Antidote against contagious Pleasures Yet grief wrath fear and suffering doth asswage It useth every State for the true end It sanctifies Prosperity and VVealth Still doing good and doth to Godward tend To him devoteth time life wit and health It useth Friends and Enemies for God Improveth kindness easily bears wrong Loves others as our selves doth Right to all Hopes for a blessed end when sufferings long It takes not too much part with pained Flesh It ruleth Reason Appetite and Sense Conquers Temptation keepeth inward Peace Keeps neer to God who is our sure Defence It all the way foresees the blessed end Motives to Duty Comfort in all Grief It fetcheth more from God Heav'n than Earth In every Case from Christ it finds Relief It spendeth Health and Life in Preparation For foreseen Death and the Souls final change It s not surprized without expectation It trusteth Christ when things unseen seem strange All this Grace doth in various degrees In most but weak Imperfect in the best Clog'd here with Flesh and contradicting Sin But ends in Glory and Eternal Rest. It s whole work is to bring Mans VVill to God As our Original our Guid and End Thankfully take his Grace obey his Word And wholly love him as our chiefest Friend And more than so to love him for himself The final Object of Created Love This only perfect ones perfectly do VVho see Gods Glory in the world above Amen Ian. 6. 1682 3. II. Wisdom HE that by Faith sees not the World of Spirits Which Christ with his blest Family Inherits The Sense of Providence can never know Nor Judge aright of any thing below Things seem confused and neglected here Because in broken parcels they appear Who knows a Work in Arras by one Piece Small parcels shew not Workmens Artifice The Beauty of a Picture is not known When one small part or Limb alone is shewn They that on some few Letters only look Can never know the meaning of Gods Book Who knows a stately Building by one Post â—ts but short scraps that one Age sees at most Heav'n seeth all and therefore knows the Sense Of the whole beauteous frame of Providence His Judgment of Gods Kingdom needs must fail Who knows no more of it than this dark Goal If Heaven and Hell were open to mens sight Most Men of present things would judge aright Who would be griev'd at prosperous sinners reign Who did foresee their everlasting pain Who would grudge pride rage so short a pow'r Who did foresee its fall and dismal hour who 'd grudg Gods Patience to the greatest crime Which will scape Vengeance for so short a time who 'd grudge at any wrong or suffering here Who saw the World of happiness so neer If that one Sun a Thousand Fold excel This Earth in bigness where we Sinners dwell And what 's one Sun to all the Heav'n beside Is not Gods Kingdom Glorious and wide Who then dare say Gods work is not well done Because an Ant-hill is not made a Sun Or because Sin and devillish Rage do dwell In this vile Prison which is next to Hell who 'd measure Gods great Kingdom or his Love By us poor Prisners who in Fetters move God placed Man in Earthly Paradise Heav'ns outward Court the way to highest bliss And Man himself doing what God forbade His House a Bedlam and a Bridewel made Man turn'd it by his sinful base defection Into Gods Prison and House of Correction Gods wondrous Mercies which do never fail Fetch many Sons to Heav'n out of this Goal If the rest finally neglect Gods Grace And choose no better than this sinful place The Dream of Pleasure which will end in shame They had their choice and whom else can they blame who 'd censure God for one poor Bedlams sake But such as of his Madness do partake And though he rage and sober Men disdains Who loves his Case or longeth for his Chains Who envy wicked Men their hurting Power Who do believe their sad approaching hour VVho the Toads hurtful Venom envieth VVho'd have the Basalisks pernicious Breath VVho longs to be a Serpent for the Sting It s worse to be a Great but hurtful King Christians by Patience win a better Crown Than all the Bloody Conquerors Renown True Christian Kings who Rule in Peace Love A better Kingdom have with Christ above Our King may with more peace and safety Rule Than the