that whereas I thought presently to apprehend it vpon the first onset without any further trouble I was cast downe suddenly by mine owne sinnes and infirmities euen to despaire of my selfe and there lay for a long time in a speakelesse misery till God of his free goodnesse at length restor'd me and brought me to the happy sight hereof by the sweee helpe and aydance of his Word and Spirit So that the readiest way to obtaine this happy assurance is to abandon all Papisticall presumings on selfe-abilities and to annihilate ourselues as t were by a faithfull humility that so wee may become the sonnes of God by that sole power of Christ Iesus and by a new Creation be transformed into his blessed likenesse till in his good time being found in him not hauing our owne righteousnesse which is of the Law but that which is through the faith of Christ the righteousnesse which is of God by faith we shall at length appeare vnspotted before the presence of our God in the highest heauens and there enioy that eternall weight of glory which hee hath prepared for vs. Now if you make this good vse of it you shall doe well Fare yee well S. A. AVSTIN'S VRANIA OR THE HEAVENLY MVSE THE SECOND BOOKE The Contents FRom out despaire my VRAN ' beere Begins to put on better cheere Because my God did now againe Refresh my soule with his sweet straine Of promis'd Grace which shew'd to me My debt was paid and I made free Free man of Grace But lo when I Thought straight t' haue seene this mystery My sinnes step in and cloud my sight From whence began so sore a fight Betwixt my flesh and spirit that I VVas forc'd e'en to despaire and die Vntill my God of his free Grace Reuiues me with a sweeter face And leades me on by his good Sp'rit Vnto his VVord which gaue me light VVhereby I clearely saw at length Onely enabled with his strength That happy Mystery which he 〈◊〉 Began whil'ere reueale to me I meane his loue in Christ and there In humbled faith and holy feare My Muse began againe to sing My Sauiours Life and Passioning VVhich earst it did but touch this done At last she cheerefully begun To sing my thanks and ends her Layes VVith periods of eternall prayse NOt long my soule in this vnhappy case Had laine her downe gasping as 't were for Grace With lowly sighes but here she seem'd to yeeld Her weapons vp and to giue death the field For when she lookt vpon her selfe and saw How deadly she was wounded by the Law But there was no Physician might be found That had a Balsome for so great a wound She gan despaire and with extremest breath To giue a forced welcome vnto death Thus did she of her selfe and could it bee Mans nature might doe otherwise to see His doome already past for well I knew There 's no escape the Law must haue its due The breach whereof is death and now that I Haue broke the same alas I needs must die Must die But what is this Is 't but to leaue This vitall breath as brutish beasts and cleaue Vnto my former earth there to remaine Impassible of any feeling paine And so ne'r to be thought on more nor be The subiect of a future miserie Oh no but as if my vnhappy sin Had neuer broke the Law I 'd alwayes been Aliue in endlesse happinesse euen so Now I haue sin'd I must in endlesse woe Die a ne'r-dying death I 〈◊〉 which is To be depriu'd of that eterâ— blisse Which else I should haue had or so much worse To be so long the subiect of that curse Of tortures inexpressible And here The very thought did touch my soule so neere That more then thousand present deaths my heart Did seeme to taste of an eternall smart The wofull pledge of what I was to drinke When I should come to that vnhappy sinke Of mine vnhappinesse that Hell wherein I should drinke vp the furious drugs of sinne But here behold in this my worst extreme As earst I well remember in my Dreame When I was mostly glozing downe vpon My selfe and miseries and there was none That would or could relieue I meane within These nether vales of vanitie of Sin Of Hell of Death where euery thing that I Could well conceiue had possibility Of suffring for our faults hath residence For suffrance goes no further then the sense Suffrance in paine I meane vnlesse it be That paine of losse which our Diuinitie Alone makes mention of Now there was none That 's subiect to a painefull passion But what is here contain'd when hap'lesse I As of my selfe would needs despaire and die Behold I say that great Omnipotence Which first gaue being to my soule and since With quickning trumpets made me to awake From out the deepe of that Lethean Lake Wherein I lay for dead I meane when I Had thrall'd my selfe to all iniquity With great delight and willingnesse and he The sacred power that gaue me eyes to see My deepes of misery and in extremes Did earst refresh me with such pleasing beames From off his gracious countenance that I Did highly prize so great a misery For here at length he comes when there was none That would or could releeue but him alone And with the sweetest words that e'r were sung Not to be vtter'd by another tongue But his that authoriz'd them Thus he gan To comfort me O thou forsaken Man The worke that I my selfe haue made full deare To me thy God although thou would'st not heare My sweet â—nuites but with the Prodigall Wouldst needs be wandring till thou'dst lauisht all Thy Portion out and bought experience Of what thou art by miserable sense Of thine vnhappinesse Alas I see â—arre better then thy selfe canst tell to mee Thy many wants I see thy great extremes Thy teares of penitence thy earnest threanes And longings after me I see I say And now behold I can no longer stay From pitying thee my bowels yerne to show My mercies forth whereby to make thee know My wondrous loue to thee Come then Arise Distressed soule shake off thy miseries And all thy former heauy dumps for lo I here intend to terminate thy wo. Thy day of happinesse is come and I Will here reueale so sweet a remedy For these thy grieuances that soone as ere Thou shalt but see a glimpse of it thy feare Will vanish quite away and thou wilt be So rauisht straight with new felicitie That all thy senses will be dispossest Of thy first miseries and wholly blest With such expresselesse ioy that tongue or pen Though led by all the choicest Art of men With all their shaddowes cannot halfe expresse The substance of so great a happinesse Come then and solace here a while till I Haue rays'd thee vp vnto a pitch so high Where when thy speculations sweetly see The wondrous things that I haue done for thee Thou wilt so farre
goes not well With me I 'm sure and how-soe'r if I May speake the truth for sure I dare not lye Before my God to them thinke what they will That all is well when nothing is not ill Because they haue a faire flesh-pleasing calme Whiles thus they run to vanitie for Balme To cure their wounds yet let them know how e'r They dreame themselues the farthest off from feare Because they doe not feele the same that they Are in the gall of woe and though they may Seeme senslesse for a while yet lo the day That dolefull day will come when they shall say We haue no pleasure in 't when they that keepe The house shall tremble when the strong men creepe And bow themselues the grinders cease and when Those Seers of the vanities of men That looke out at the windowes lose their light And when the doores are shut because 't is night And when the grinding-sound is low and all The Maides of musicke take their lowest fall And when there 's nothing left but trembling feares And all desire shall faile and when the teares Of mourners flow about the streets ' cause they Are going then to their long home the way Of all mankind for that eternall One Shall bring each worke before his Iudgement Throne Bee 't good or bad and there will doome the ill Downe to the vales of lasting death but will Receiue the good into his holy place Where they shall alwaies see him face to face And when as earst I said these dayes of woe Are come Oh then they will begin to know All 's not so well as thought with them altho The flesh did slyly seeme perswade them so I meane when drearie daies of sicknesse come Or death to call them to their latest home For these will come O then they will begin To feele so many armies hid within Of fearefull sinnes beset their sleepie soules So suddenly that they 'le haue nought but howles And sad despairing cries to be their fence ' Gainst these resistlesse enemies and sense Will then be quicke to feele but all too late What earst alas they did not feele to hate Their cursed peace with flesh and vanitie Which is indeed a mortall enmitie With God himselfe for sure the flesh and he Are enemies and they can ne'r agree So then to be at peace with flesh is this To be a meerely wicked one which is Not to haue peace at all for such haue none There is no peace vnto the wicked one So saies my God Thus may they learne and see What t is to bee at peace if not with thee Alas 't is death But to returne againe From whence I straid Since all these helpes are vaine For I am troubled still so sore that I Can haue no rest while clouded from thine eie Good God what shall I doe where shall I goe To be deliuer'd of this child of woe This heauy burden of my sin whereby My soule is prest so low shee cannot flye To thee her God there to behold and see Those wondrous things which thou hast done for mee Alas why dost thou leaue mee then and why Dost thou so long in anger hide thine Eye Thus to prorogue my griefes Shall humane sense Dare striue it out with thy Omnipotence On selfe presumes as though it could withstand Thy mightinesse or wrest from out thy hand Thy mercies by constraint when with one breath Thou canst consume vs euery one to death Oh no my God such lawlesse thoughts as these May not come neere my heart then would it please Thy goodnesse pitty mee at length for why Thou know'st full well I cannot choose but die Vnlesse thou come and pitty mee Oh then Delay mee not my God but come agen O quickly come reuiue mee with thy Grace And with those beames those issues of thy face The ioy of thy sweet countenance which when My soule is fully blest withall Oh then I le craue no more saue only this thereby Still to enioy that blessed Theorie Of thine eternall loue to mee in him Whom earst thou didst reueale that so my sin Might bee abolisht quite and I may bee Knit in inseparable Tyes to thee O meet me here my God this is the place The time the opportunitie for Grace Fitter thou canst not haue then this for lo I 'm wearied out and can no further go For want of Grace My soule is quiâ—â— bereft Of all her strength and here alas I 'm left As one for-lorne that neither can relieue Himselfe nor call to any else to giue Him some Reliefe for sure I 'm growne so cold And senslesse of my griefes that now behold I cannot draw one teare from out my head To plaine my selfe alas I am so dead So dead in sin I meane for want of Grace To quicken mee that so mine eies and face Might flow with teares springing from liuely sense Of what I am true teares of penitence And euery word I speake might tell my woes By weeping all along the way it goes O this were well were it so well with mee That I could bee so good as I would bee Thus penitent I meane vntill mine eies Had throughly wept away my miseries And sins at once and there were none behind As enuious clouds to interrupt and blind My heau'n-bâ—â—t soule when faine shee 'd vp and see Those wondrous things which thou hast done for mee Alas but 't is not so my God there lyes That massie lumpe of my infirmities Betwixt my soule and thee which alwaies presse Mee downe so low that I must needs confesse Mine owne vnhappy wants whose bleared eie Can neuer reach this sacred Mysterie Of thine eternall loue although it bee No lesse then lifes eternall losse to mee In that I cannot reach the same and Blisse Againe as endlesse if I could doe this Yet all is one my poore humanitie Alas is too too weake and cannot fly It selfe to thee to apprehend that Light For man could neuer saue himselfe by sight Without thy Grace which only purifies And takes ' way those ill humours from our eyes That hinder blessed sights and in their steed Inspires vs with those that are eyes indeed Those eyes of faith I meane which only may Approach that treasure of eternall day Thy holy hill there to behold and see The Riches of that Glory hid with thee From all eternity the depth the hight Which none can comprehend without the light Of thy all-seeing Sprite that mystery Of euerlasting loue which now mine eie Doth long so much to see and till I see Alas there 's nothing that can comfort mee Oh then my God here let thy Grace descend Here let it come and put a happy end To this my tedious night of griefe and here Let that sweet Sunne of Righteousnesse appeare Which earst gan shine in such maiestick hue That all these gloomy
in their ills let them â—ke vp The seeming sweets of sins impoys'ned cup Let them carouse in vanity and draw Iniquity with ropes ne'r stand in aw ' Of future iudgements Let them prosper still As they suppose by adding ill to ill Let them be carelesse of themselues and spend Their precious daies ne'r thinking on the end Let them make flesh their guide taking delight In their owne lusts still glorying in the hight Of their ambitious titles and their wealth Got by obliquitie and lawlesse stealth Let them be-pride themselues in rich attires And robes of State burning with lawlesse fires Of lusts not to be nam'd let them be fed With choycest meates and glutted vp with bread Like pampred Horses to the full I say Let them spend all their happinesse away In these and such like vanities nor thinke On death at all thou standing at the brinke Of their vncertaine graues and heau'ns high hand Of vengeance ouer them doth alwaies stand Readie to strike them downe to hell but we Will ioy alone in this sweet libertie We haue in Christ we will delight I say Our selues in him in him wee 'l vow and pay Our dues of praise vnto our God in him Wee 'll hence triumph o're all the pow'rs of Sin Of death and Hell in Him we will expresse Our vtmost thanks by liues of holinesse And walking in his waies till by the hand Of his good Sprite hee'th brought vs to the Land Of righteousnesse where we would be on Him We will build all our confidence and clim To Heau'n alone by Him vnder his wings Wee 'l alwaies shrowd our selues nor shall the Kings Of th' earth be able doe vs harme though they Rage ere so much Our foes shall melt away Like Snow against the Sun and ' cause wee 'ue made The Lord our dwelling place vnder his shade We shall be surely safe yeâ— though the earth Be mou'd with all the pow'rs thereof though death Triumph on euerie side of vs yet wee Shall surely be preseru'd and liue to see The wondrous riches of his loue wherein He hath endear'd himselfe to vs through him We shall passe all these nether-stormes and spight Of all with-stands walke onwards in the light Of his sweet countenance still singing praise Vnto his Name till he at length shall raise Our Muses to a higher pitch where we Shall sing his praises to eternitie In his ne'r-ending place of blisse euen there Where he himselfe remaines where neither feare Nor griefe shall interrupt our ioyes but we Shall haue our fills of all felicitie And glory inexpressible the hight And chiefe of which is in the blessed sight Of this our glorious God whom we shall see There face to face euen as he is yea bee Made like to him what would you haue me say Mine eyes are dazled at this glorious day And reason stands amaz'd when it would reach This wondrous hight how shall a Mortall preach Of this immortall state O had mine eye But one sweet glimpse of this how should I tye Your eares vnto my tongue when I should speake Of what I saw 't would make your hearts to breake With earnest longings after it and you Would scorne from hence so much as take a view Of these inferiour vanities which be But toyes as 't were not worth your thoughts and flee Away almost as soone as come withall Leauing behind them nought but cursed gall And bitternesse to vex and gripe and grieue Those foolish soules which did ere-while beleeue Their false pretended sweets but here alone Is fulnesse of all true delight where none Can euer be deceiu'd vnlesse it be As that wise Queene of Sheba was when she Heard of the glory of King Salâ—â—on And of his happinesse but when anon She came and saw it with her eyes she than In great amazednesse thereat began Confesse that all was true yea sure the fame Said she came farre too short If then the name Of Salomon were such behold here 's one That 's greater farre then was King Salomon What shall I say of him sure my report Will speake but truth and yet come so farre short As finite doth of infinite what then She spake of Salomon and of his men So may I speake to thee my God O how How happie are thy Saints which fall and bow Before thy Maiestie Happie I say Are those that haue the priuiledge to stay Continually with thee there to behold Thy glorious face wherein as Dauid told Are ioyes at full and sit at thy right hand VVhere pleasures liue for euermore where stand Thy blessed troopes of glorious Saints that sing Eternall Halleluia's to their King To thee their King to thee alone for thou Art onely worthy O my God And now Here doe I craue to ioyne with them euen I Though yet on earth here doe I thankefully Fall downe before thy glorious Throne and here In humbled confidence and holy feare I offer my poore mite to thee of praise And thankfulnesse in these my lowly Layes All glorie be to thee my God to Thee And to the Lambe which hath redeemed mee By his deare blood and to the sacred Sprite The Comforter and pledge of true delight Which hath been with me hitherto and brought My soule into thy peace Sure I haue nought That 's worth thy great acceptance Lord for I Am poore thou know'st and full of miserie Happie in nothing else but thee I meane By being thine and yet I 〈◊〉 vncleane Vncleane alas vncleane well may I cry Come thou and wash away my Leprosie And make me fit for being thine O then What shall I pay who am the worst of men To thee for all thy mercies Lord VVhy here I le pay thee with thine owne the case is cleare I offer vp my selfe to thee with all That here I haue hence may it please thee call And count me wholly for thine owne for now I bid farwell vnto the world and vow In thy sweet aide eternall enmitie To all my wonted sinnes to vanitie And euery luring baite of hell And here I humbly doe deuote my selfe in feare And holinesse to thee my God that I May still be praysing thee vntill I die In all my thoughts and words and acts and hence May walke along by faith and not by sense Still gladded with thy countenance till I Haue ouer-past the present miserie Of this short life and till my soule at length Being cloath'd vpon with that immortall strength Of my blest Sauiour Christ shall sweetly flee Into thine hands there to remaine with thee In thy expreslesse happinesse till thou In that last day shalt swiftly come and bow The heau'ns and raise my body vp though dead And rotned dust and ioyne it to my Head And Sauiour Christ where it againe shall bee Vnited to my soule and I shall see My