How like the Eyes quick winke His Cottage failes whose narrow span Begins even at the brink Nine months thy hands are fashioning us And many yeares alas E're we can lisp or ought discusse Concerning thee must passe Yet have I knowne thy slightest things A feather or a shell A stick or Rod which some Chance brings The best of us excell Yea I have knowne these shreds out last A faire-compacted frame And for one Twenty we have past Almost outlive our name Thus hast thou plac'd in mans outside Death to the Common Eye That heaven within him might abide And close eternitie Hence youth and folly mans first shame Are put unto the slaughter And serious thoughts begin to tame The wise-mans-madnes Laughter Dull wretched wormes that would not keepe Within our first faire bed But out of Paradise must creepe For ev'ry foote to tread Yet had our Pilgrimage bin free And smooth without a thorne Pleasures had foil'd Eternitie And â—aâ—e had choakt the Corne Thus by the Crosse Salvation runnes Affliction is a mother Whose painefull throws yield many sons Each fairer than the other A silent teare can peirce thy throne When lowd Joyes want a wing And sweeter aires streame from a grone Than any arted string Thus Lord I see my gaine is great My lesse but little to it Yet something more I must intreate And only thou canst doe it O let me like him know my End And be as glad to find it And whatsoe'r thou shalt Commend Still let thy Servant mind it Then make my soule white as his owne My faith as pure and steddy And deck me Lord with the same Crowne Thou hast crownd him already Vanity of Spirit QUite spent with thoughts I left my Cell and lay Where a shrill spring tun'd to the early day I beg'd here long and gron'd to know Who gave the Clouds so brave a bow Who bent the spheres and circled in Corruption with this glorious Ring What is his name and how I might Descry some part of his great light I summon'd nature peirc'd through all her store Broke up some seales which none had touch'd before Her wombe her bosome and her head Where all her secrets lay a bed I rifled quite and having past Through all the Creatures came at last To search my selfe where I did find Traces and sounds of a strange kind Here of this mighty spring I found some drills With Ecchoes beaten from th' eternall hills Weake beames and fires flash'd to my sight Like a young East or Moone-shine night Wich shew'd me in a nook cast by A peece of much antiquity With Hyerogliphicks quite dismembred And broken letters scarce remembred I tooke them up and much Joy'd went about T' unite those peeces hoping to find out The mystery but this neer done That little light I had was gone It griev'd me much At last said I Since in these veyls my Ecclips'd Eye May not approach thee for at night Who can have commerce with the light I 'le disapparell and to buy But one half glaunce most gladly dye The Retreate HAppy those early dayes when I Shin'd in my Angell-infancy Before I understood this place Appointed for my second race Or taught my soul to fancy ought But a white Celestiall thought When yet I had not walkt above A mile or two from my first love And looking back at that short space Could see a glimpse of his bright-face When on some gilded Cloud or flowre My gazing soul would dwell an houre And in those weaker glories spy Some shadows of eternity Before I taught my tongue to wound My Conscience with a sinfull sound Or had the black art to dispence A sev'rall sinne to ev'ry sence But felt through all this fleshly dresse Bright shootes of everlastingnesse O how I long to travell back And tread again that ancient track That I might once more reach that plaine Where first I left my glorious traine From whence th' Inlightned spirit sees That shady City of Palme trees But ah my soul with too much stay Is drunk and staggers in the way Some men a forward motion love But I by backward steps would move And when this dust falls to the urn In that state I came return COme come what doe I here Since he is gone Each day is grown a dozen year And each houre one Come come Cut off the sum By these soil'd teares Which only thou Know'st to be true Dayes are my feares 2. Ther 's not a wind can stir Or beam passe by But strait I think though far Thy hand is nigh Come come Strike these lips dumb This restles breath That soiles thy name Will ne'r be tame Untill in death 3. Perhaps some think a tombe No house of store But a dark and seal'd up wombe Which ne'r breeds more Come come Such thoughts benum But I would be With him I weep A bed and sleep To wake in thee Midnight WHen to my Eyes Whilst deep sleep others catches Thine hoast of spyes The starres shine in their watches I doe survey Each busie Ray And how they work and wind And wish each beame My soul doth streame With the like ardour shin'd What Emanations Quick vibrations And bright stirs are there What thin Ejections Cold Affections And slow motions here 2. Thy heav'ns some say Are a firie-liquid light Which mingling aye Streames and flames thus to the sight Come then my god Shine on this bloud And water in one beame And thou shalt see Kindled by thee Both liquors burne and streame O what bright quicknes Active brightnes And celestiall flowes Will follow after On that water Which thy spirit blowes Math. Cap. 3. ver. XI I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance but he that commeth after me is mightier than I whose shooes I am not worthy to beare he shall baptize you with the holy Ghost and with fire Content PEace peace I know 't was brave But this corse fleece I shelter in is slave To no such peece When I am gone I shall no ward-robes leave To friend or sonne But what their own homes weave 2. Such though not proud nor full May make them weep And mourn to see the wooll Outlast the sheep Poore Pious weare Hadst thou bin rich or fine Perhaps that teare Had mourn'd thy losse not mine 3. Why then these curl'd puff'd points Or a laced story Death sets all out of Joint And scornes their glory Some Love a Rose In hand some in the skin But crosse to those I would have mine within JOy of my life while left me here And still my Love How in thy absence thou dost steere Me from above A life well lead This truth commends With quick or dead It never ends 2. Stars are of mighty use The night Is dark and long The Rode foul and where one goes right Six may go wrong One twinkling ray Shot o'r some cloud May clear much way And guide a croud 3. Gods Saints are shining lights who stays Here long must passe
O're dark hills swift streames and steep ways As smooth as glasse But these all night Like Candles shed Their beams and light Us into Bed 4. They are indeed our Pillar-fires Seen as we go They are that Cities shining spires We travell too A swordlike gleame Kept man for sin First Out This beame Will guide him In. The Storm I See the use and know my bloud Is not a Sea But a shallow bounded floud Though red as he Yet have I flows as strong as his And boyling stremes that rave With the same curling force and hisse As doth the mountain'd wave 2. But when his waters billow thus Dark storms and wind Incite them to that fierce discusse Else not Inclin'd Thus the Enlarg'd inraged air Uncalmes these to a floud But still the weather that 's most fair Breeds tempests in my bloud 3. Lord then round me with weeping Clouds And let my mind In quick blasts sigh beneath those shrouds A spirit-wind So shall that storme purge this Recluse Which sinfull ease made foul And wind and water to thy use Both wash and wing my soul The Morning-watch O Joyes Infinite sweetnes with what flowres And shoots of glory my soul breakes and buds All the long houres Of night and Rest Through the still shrouds Of sleep and Clouds This Dew fell on my Breast O how it Blouds And Spirits all my Earth heark In what Rings And Hymning Circulations the quick world Awakes and sings The rising winds And falling springs Birds beasts all things Adore him in their kinds Thus all is hurl'd In sacred Hymnes and Order The great Chime And Symphony of nature Prayer is The world in tune A spirit-voyce And vocall joyes Whose Eccho is heav'ns blisse O let me climbe When I lye down The Pious soul by night Is like a clouded starre whose beames though sed To shed their light Under some Cloud Yet are above And shine and move Beyond that mistie shrowd So in my Bed That Curtain'd grave though sleep like ashes hide My lamp and life both shall in thee abide The Evening-watch A Dialogue FArewell I goe to sleep but when The day-star springs I 'le wake agen Goe sleep in peace and when thou lyest Unnumber'd in thy dust when all this frame Is but one dramme and what thou now descriest In sev'rall parts shall want a name Then may his peace be with thee and each dust Writ in his book who ne'r betray'd mans trust Amen! but hark e'r we two stray How many hours do'st think 'till day Ah! go th' art weak and sleepie Heav'n Is a plain watch and without figures winds All ages up who drew this Circle even He fils it Dayes and hours are Blinds Yet this take with thee The last gasp of time Is thy first breath and mans eternall Prime SIlence and stealth of dayes 't is now Since thou art gone Twelve hundred houres and not a brow But Clouds hang on As he that in some Caves thick damp Lockt from the light Fixeth a solitary lamp To brave the night And walking from his Sun when past That glim'ring Ray Cuts through the heavy mists in haste Back to his day So o'r fled minutes I retreat Unto that hour Which shew'd thee last but did defeat Thy light and pow'r I search and rack my soul to see Those beams again But nothing but the snuff to me Appeareth plain That dark and dead sleeps in its known And common urn But those fled to their Makers throne There shine and burn O could I track them but souls must Track one the other And now the spirit not the dust Must be thy brother Yet I have one Pearle by whose light All things I see And in the heart of Earth and night Find Heaven and thee Church-Service BLest be the God of Harmony and Love The God above And holy dove Whose Interceding spirituall grones Make restless mones For dust and stones For dust in every part But a hard stonic heart 2 O how in this thy Quire of Souls I stand Propt by thy hand A heap of sand Which busie thoughts like winds would scatter quite And put to flight But for thy might Thy hand alone doth tame Those blasts and knit my frame 3. So that both stones and dust and all of me Joyntly agree To cry to thee And in this Musick by thy Martyrs bloud Seal'd and made good Present O God! The Eccho of these stones My sighes and grones Buriall O Thou The first fruits of the dead And their dark bed When I am cast into that deep And senseless sleep The wages of my sinne O then Thou great Preserver of all men Watch o're that loose And empty house Which I sometimes liv'd in 2. It is in truth a ruin'd peece Not worth thy Eyes And scarce a room but wind and rain Beat through and stain The seats and Cells within Yet thou Led by thy Love wouldst stoop thus low And in this Cort All filth and spott Didst with thy servant Inne 3. And nothing can I hourely see Drive thee from me Thou art the same faithfull and just In life or Dust Though then thus crumm'd I stray In blasts Or Exhalations and wasts Beyond all Eyes Yet thy love spies That Change and knows thy Clay 4. The world 's thy boxe how then there rost Can I be lost But the delay is all Tyme now Is old and slow His wings are dull and sickly Yet he Thy servant is and waits on thee Cutt then the summe Lord haste Lord come O come Lord Jesus quickly Rom. Cap. 8. ver. 23. And not only they but our selves also which have the first fruits of the spirit even wee our selves grone within our selves waiting for the adoption to wit the redemption of our body Chearfulness LOrd with what courage and delight I doe each thing When thy least breath sustaines my wing I shine and move Like those above And with much gladnesse Quitting sadnesse Make me faire dayes of every night 2. Affliction thus meere pleasure is And hap what will If thou be in 't 't is welcome still But since thy rayes In Sunnie dayes Thou dost thus lend And freely spend Ah! what shall I return for this 3. O that I were all Soul that thou Wouldst make each part Of this poor sinfull frame pure heart Then would I drown My single one And to thy praise A Consort raise Of Hallelujahs here below SUre there 's a tye of Bodyes and as they Dissolve with it to Clay Love languisheth and memory doth rust O'r-cast with that cold dust For things thus Center'd without Beames or Action Nor give nor take Contaction And man is such a Marygold these fled That shuts and hangs the head 2. Absents within the Line Conspire and Sense Things distant doth unite Herbs sleep unto the East and some fowles thence Watch the Returns of light But hearts are not so kind false short delights Tell us the world is brave And wrap us in Imaginary flights Wide of a
all That to it fall Nor are those births which we Thus suffering see Destroy'd at all But when times restles wave Their substance doth deprave And the more noble Essence finds his house Sickly and loose He ever young doth wing Unto that spring And source of spirits where he takes his lot Till time no more shall rot His passive Cottage which though laid aside Like some spruce Bride Shall one day rise and cloath'd with shining light All pure and bright Re-marry to the soule for 't is most plaine Thou only fal'st to be refin'd againe 3. Then I that here saw darkly in a glasse But mists and shadows passe And by their owne weake Shine did search the springs And Course of things Shall with Inlightned Rayes Peirce all their wayes And as thou saw'st I in a thought could goe To heav'n or Earth below To reade some Starre or Min'rall and in State There often sate So shalt thou then with me Both wing'd and free Rove in that mighty and eternall light Where no rude shade or night Shall dare approach us we shall there no more Watch stars or pore Through melancholly clouds and say Would it were Day One everlasting Saboth there shall runne Without Succession and without a Sunne Dan Cap 12. ver 13. But goe thou thy way untill the end be for thou shalt rest and stand up in thy lot at the end of the dayes Day of Judgement WHen through the North a fire shall rush And rowle into the East And like a firie torrent brush And sweepe up South and West When all shall streame and lighten round And with surprizing flames Both stars and Elements confound And quite blot out their names When thou shalt spend thy sacred store Of thunders in that heate And low as ere they lay before Thy six-dayes-buildings beate When like a scrowle the heavens shal passe And vanish cleane away And nought must stand of that vast space Which held up night and day When one lowd blast shall rend the deepe And from the wombe of earth Summon up all that are asleepe Unto a second birth When thou shalt make the Clouds thy seate And in the open aire The Quick and dead both small and great Must to thy barre repaire O then it wil be all too late To say what shall I doe Repentance there is out of date And so is mercy too Prepare prepare me then O God! And let me now begin To feele my loving fathers Rod Killing the man of sinne Give me O give me Crosses here Still more afflictions lend That pill though bitter is most deare That brings health in the end Lord God! I beg nor friends nor wealth But pray against them both Three things I 'de have my soules chief health And one of these seme loath A living FAITH a HEART of flesh The WORLD an Enemie This last will keepe the first two fresh And bring me where I 'de be 1 Pet. 4.7 Now the end of all things is at hand be you therefore sober and watching in prayer Religion MY God when I walke in those groves And leaves thy spirit doth still fan I see in each shade that there growes An Angell talking with a man Under a Juniper some house Or the coole Mirtles canopie Others beneath an Oakes greene boughs Or at some fountaines bubling Eye Here Jacob dreames and wrestles there Elias by a Raven is fed Another time by th' Angell where He brings him water with his bread In Abr'hams Tent the winged guests O how familiar then was heaven Eate drinke discourse sit downe and rest Untill the Coole and shady Even Nay thou thy selfe my God in fire Whirle-winds and Clouds and the soft voice Speak'st there so much that I admire We have no Conf'rence in these daies Is the truce broke or 'cause we have A mediatour now with thee Doest thou therefore old Treaties wave And by appeales from him decree Or is 't so as some green heads say That now all miracles must cease Though thou hast promis'd they should stay The tokens of the Church and peace No no Religion is a Spring That from some secret golden Mine Derives her birth and thence doth bring Cordials in every drop and Wine But in her long and hidden Course Passing through the Earths darke veines Growes still from better unto worse And both her taste and colour staines Then drilling on learnes to encrease False Ecchoes and Confused sounds And unawares doth often seize On veines of Sulphur under ground So poison'd breaks forth in some Clime And at first sight doth many please But drunk is puddle or meere slime And ' stead of Phisick a disease Just such a tainted sink we have Like that Samaritans dead Well Nor must we for the Kernell crave Because most voices like the shell Heale then these waters Lord or bring thy flock Since these are troubled to the springing rock Looke downe great Master of the feast O shine And turn once more our Water into Wine Cant. cap. 4. ver. 12. My sister my spouse is as a garden Inclosed as a Spring shut up and a fountain sealed up The Search 'T Is now cleare day I see a Rose Bud in the bright East and disclose The Pilgrim-Sunne all night have I Spent in a roving Extasie To find my Saviour I have been As far as Bethlem and have seen His Inne and Cradle Being there I met the Wise-men askt them where He might be found or what starre can Now point him out grown up a Man To Egypt hence I fled ran o're All her parcht bosome to Nile's shore Her yearly nurse came back enquir'd Amongst the Doctors and desir'd To see the Temple but was shown A little dust and for the Town A heap of ashes where some sed A small bright sparkle was a bed Which would one day beneath the pole Awake and then refine the whole Tyr'd here I come to Sychar thence To Jacobs wel bequeathed since Unto his sonnes where often they In those calme golden Evenings lay Watring their flocks and having spent Those white dayes drove home to the Tent Their well-fleec'd traine And here O fate I sit where once my Saviour sate The angry Spring in bubbles swell'd Which broke in sighes still as they fill'd And whisper'd Jesus had been there But Jacobs children would not heare Loath hence to part at last I rise But with the fountain in my Eyes And here a fresh search is decreed He must be found where he did bleed I walke the garden and there see Idaea's of his Agonie And moving anguishments that set His blest face in a bloudy sweat I climb'd the Hill perus'd the Crosse Hung with my gaine and his great losse Never did tree beare fruit like this Balsam of Soules the bodyes blisse But O his grave where I saw lent For he had none a Monument An undefil'd and new-heaw'd one But there was not the Corner-stone Sure then said I my Quest is vaine Hee 'le not be found where he was
shade Awake awake And in his Resurrection partake Who on this day that thou might'st rise as he Rose up and cancell'd two deaths due to thee Awake awake and like the Sun disperse All mists that would usurp this day Where are thy Palmes thy branches and thy verse Hosanna heark why doest thou stay Arise arise And with his healing bloud anoint thine Eys Thy inward Eys his bloud will cure thy mind Whose spittle only could restore the blind Easter Hymn DEath and darkness get you packing Nothing now to man is lacking All your triumphs now are ended And what Adam marr'd is mended Graves are beds now for the weary Death a nap to wake more merry Youth now full of pious duty Seeks in thee for perfect beauty The weak and aged tir'd with length Of daies from thee look for new strength And Infants with thy pangs Contest As pleasant as if with the brest Then unto him who thus hath thrown Even to Contempt thy kingdome down And by his blood did us advance Unto his own Inheritance To him be glory power praise From this unto the last of daies The Holy Communion WElcome sweet and sacred feast welcome life Dead I was and deep in trouble But grace and blessings came with thee so rife That they have quicken'd even drie stubble Thus soules their bodies animate And thus at first when things were rude Dark void and Crude They by thy Word their beauty had and date All were by thee And stil must be Nothing that is or lives But hath his Quicknings and reprieves As thy hand opes or shuts Healings and Cuts Darkness and day-light life and death Are but meer leaves turn'd by thy breath Spirits without thee die And blackness sits On the divinest wits As on the Sun Ecclipses lie But that great darkness at thy death When the veyl broke with thy last breath Did make us see The way to thee And now by these sure sacred ties After thy blood Our sov'rain good Had clear'd our eies And given us sight Thou dost unto thy self betroth Our souls and bodies both In everlasting light Was 't not enough that thou hadst payd the price And given us eies When we had none but thou must also take Us by the hand And keep us still awake When we would sleep Or from thee creep Who without thee cannot stand Was 't not enough to lose thy breath And blood by an accursed death But thou must also leave To us that did bereave Thee of them both these seals the means That should both cleanse And keep us so Who wrought thy wo O rose of Sharon O the Lilly Of the valley How art thou now thy flock to keep Become both food and Shepheard to thy sheep Psalm 121. UP to those bright and gladsome hils Whence flowes my weal and mirth I look and sigh for him who fils Unseen both heaven and earth He is alone my help and hope that I shall not be moved His watchful Eye is ever ope And guardeth his beloved The glorious God is my sole stay He is my Sun and shade The cold by night the heat by day Neither shall me invade He keeps me from the spite of foes Doth all their plots controul And is a shield not reckoning those Unto my very soul Whether abroad amidst the Crowd Or els within my door He is my Pillar and my Cloud Now and for evermore Affliction PEace peace It is not so Thou doest miscall Thy Physick Pils that change Thy sick Accessions into setled health This is the great Elixir that turns gall To wine and sweetness Poverty to wealth And brings man home when he doth range Did not he who ordain'd the day Ordain night too And in the greater world display What in the lesser he would do All flesh is Clay thou know'st and but that God Doth use his rod And by a fruitfull Change of frosts and showres Cherish and bind thy pow'rs Thou wouldst to weeds and thistles quite disperse And be more wild than is thy verse Sickness is wholsome and Crosses are but curbs To check the mule unruly man They are heavens husbandry the famous fan Purging the floor which Chaff disturbs Were all the year one constant Sun-shine wee should have no flowres All would be drought and leanness not a tree would make us bowres Beauty consists in colours and that 's best Which is not fixt but flies and flowes The settled Red is dull and whites that rest Something of sickness would disclose Vicissitude plaies all the game nothing that stirrs Or hath a name But waits upon this wheel Kingdomes too have their Physick and for steel Exchange their peace and furrs Thus doth God Key disorder'd man which none else can Tuning his brest to rise or fall And by a sacred needfull art Like strings stretch ev'ry part Making the whole most Musicall The Tempest HOw is man parcell'd out how ev'ry hour Shews him himself or somthing he should see This late long heaâ— may his Instruction be And tempests have more in them than a showr When nature on her bosome saw Her Infants die And all her flowres wither'd to straw Her brests grown dry She made the Earth their nurse tomb Sigh to the sky ' Til to those sighes fetch'd from her womb Rain did reply So in the midst of all her scars And faint requests Her Earnest sighes procur'd her tears And fill'd her brests O that man could do so that he would hear The world read to him all the vast expence In the Creation shed and slav'd to sence Makes up but lectures for his eie and ear Sure mighty love foreseeing the discent Of this poor Creature by a gracious art Hid in these low things snares to gain his heart And layd surprizes in each Element All things here shew him heaven waters that fall Chide and fly up Mists of corruptest some Quit their first beds mount trees herbs flowres all Strive upwards stil and point him the way home How do they cast off grossness only Earth And Man like Issachar in lodes delight Water 's refin'd to Motion Aire to Light Fire to all * three but man hath no such mirth Plants in the root with Earth do most Comply Their Leafs with water and humiditie The Flowres to air draw neer and subtiltie And seeds a kinred fire have with the sky All have their keyes and set ascents but man Though he knows these and hath more of his own Sleeps at the ladders foot alas what can These new discoveries do except they drown Thus groveling in the shade and darkness he Sinks to a dead oblivion and though all He sees like Pyramids shoot from this ball And less'ning still grow up invisibly Yet hugs he stil his durt The stuffe he wears And painted trimming take down both his eies Heaven hath less beauty than the dust he spies And money better musick than the Spheres Life 's but a blast he knows it what shal straw And bul-rush-fetters temper
his short hour Must he nor sip nor sing grows ne'r a flowr To crown his temples shal dreams be his law O foolish man how hast thou lost thy sight How is it that the Sun to thee alone Is grown thick darkness and thy bread a stone Hath flesh no softness now mid-day no light Lord thou didst put a soul here If I must Be broke again for flints will give no fire Without a steel O let thy power cleer Thy gift once more and grind this flint to dust Retirement WHo on yon throne of Azure sits Keeping close house Above the morning-starre Whose meaner showes And outward utensils these glories are That shine and share Part of his mansion He one day When I went quite astray Out of meer love By his mild Dove Did shew me home and put me in the way 2. Let it suffice at length thy fits And lusts said he Have had their wish and way Presse not to be Still thy own foe and mine for to this day I did delay And would not see but chose to wink Nay at the very brink And edge of all When thou wouldst fall My love-twist held thee up my unseen link 3. I know thee well for I have fram'd And hate thee not Thy spirit too is mine I know thy lot Extent and end for my hands drew the line Assigned thine If then thou would'st unto my seat 'T is not th' applause and feat Of dust and clay Leads to that way But from those follies a resolv'd Retreat 4. Now here below where yet untam'd Thou doest thus rove I have a house as well As there above In it my Name and honour both do dwell And shall untill I make all new there nothing gay In perfumes or Array Dust lies with dust And hath but just The same Respect and room with ev'ry clay 5. A faithful school where thou maist see In Heraldrie Of stones and speechless Earth Thy true descent Where dead men preach who can turn feasts and mirth To funerals and Lent There dust that out of doors might fill Thy eies and blind thee still Is fast asleep Up then and keep Within those doors my doors dost hear I will Love and Discipline SInce in a land not barren stil Because thou dost thy grace distil My lott is faln Blest be thy will And since these biting frosts but kil Some tares in me which choke or spil That seed thou sow'st Blest be thy skil Blest be thy Dew and blest thy frost And happy I to be so crost And cur'd by Crosses at thy cost The Dew doth Cheer what is distrest The frosts ill weeds nip and molest In both thou work'st unto the best Thus while thy sev'ral mercies plot And work on me now cold now hot The work goes on and slacketh not For as thy hand the weather steers So thrive I best 'twixt joyes and tears And all the year have some grean Ears The Pilgrimage AS travellours when the twilight 's come And in the sky the stars appear The past daies accidents do summe With Thus wee saw there and thus here Then Jacob-like lodge in a place A place and no more is set down Where till the day restore the race They rest and dream homes of their own So for this night I linger here And full of tossings too and fro Expect stil when thou wilt appear That I may get me up and go I long and grone and grieve for thee For thee my words my tears do gush O that I were but where I see Is all the note within my Bush As Birds rob'd of their native wood Although their Diet may be fine Yet neither sing nor like their food But with the thought of home do pine So do I mourn and hang my head And though thou dost me fullnes give Yet look I for far better bread Because by this man cannot live O feed me then and since I may Have yet more days more nights to Count So strengthen me Lord all the way That I may travel to thy Mount Heb. Cap. xi ver. 13. And they Confessed thus they were strangers and Pilgrims on the earth The Law and the Gospel LOrd when thou didst on Sinai pitch And shine from Paran when a firie Law Pronounc'd with thunder and thy threats did thaw Thy Peoples hearts when all thy weeds were rich And Inaccessible for light Terrour and might How did poor flesh which after thou didst weare Then faint and fear Thy Chosen flock like leafs in a high wind Whisper'd obedience and their heads Inclin'd 2. But now since we to Sion came And through thy bloud thy glory see With filial Confidence we touch ev'n thee And where the other mount all clad in flame And threatning Clouds would not so much As ' bide the touch We Climb up this and have too all the way Thy hand our stay Nay thou tak'st ours and which ful Comfort brings Thy Dove too bears us on her sacred wings 3. Yet since man is a very brute And after all thy Acts of grace doth kick Slighting that health thou gav'st when he was sick Be not displeas'd If I who have a sute To thee each houre beg at thy door For this one more O plant in me thy Gospel and thy Law Both Faith and Awe So twist them in my heart that ever there I may as wel as Love find too thy fear 4. Let me not spil but drink thy bloud Not break thy fence and by a black Excess Force down a Just Curse when thy hands would bless Let me not scatter and despise my food Or nail those blessed limbs again Which bore my pain So Shall thy mercies flow for while I fear I know thou 'lt bear But should thy mild Injunction nothing move me I would both think and Judge I did not love thee John Cap. 14. ver. 15. If ye love me keep my Commandements The World I Saw Eternity the other night Like a great Ring of pure and endless light All calm as it was bright And round beneath it Time in hours days years Driv'n by the spheres Like a vast shadow mov'd In which the world And all her train were hurl'd The doting Lover in his queintest strain Did their Complain Neer him his Lute his fancy and his flights Wits so our delights With gloves and knots the silly snares of pleasure Yet his dear Treasure All scatter'd lay while he his eys did pour Upon a flowr 2. The darksome States-man hung with weights and woe Like a thick midnight-fog mov'd there so slow He did nor stay nor go Condemning thoughts like sad Ecclipses scowl Upon his soul And Clouds of crying witnesses without Pursued him with one shout Yet dig'd the Mole and lest his ways be found Workt under ground Where he did Clutch his prey but one did see That policie Churches and altars fed him Perjuries Were gnats and flies It rain'd about him bloud and tears but he Drank them as free 3. The fearfull miser on a heap of rust Sate
so true Such perfect Ease and such a lively sense Of grace against all sins That you 'l Confess the Comfort such as even Brings to and comes from Heaven Mount of Olives WHen first I saw true beauty and thy Joys Active as light and calm without all noise Shin'd on my soul I felt through all my powr's Such a rich air of sweets as Evening showrs Fand by a gentle gale Convey and breath On some parch'd bank crown'd with a flowrie wreath Odors and Myrth and balm in one rich floud O'r-ran my heart and spirited my bloud My thoughts did swim in Comforts and mine eie Confest The world did only paint and lie And where before I did no safe Course steer But wander'd under tempests all the year Went bleak and bare in body as in mind And was blow'n through by ev'ry storm and wind I am so warm'd now by this glance on me That midst all storms I feel a Ray of thee So have I known some beauteous Paisage rise In suddain flowres and arbours to my Eies And in the depth and dead of winter bring To my Cold thoughts a lively sense of spring Thus fed by thee who dost all beings nourish My wither'd leafs again look green and flourish I shine and shelter underneath thy wing Where sick with love strive thy name to sing Thy glorious name which grant I may so do That these may be thy Praise and my Joy too Man WEighing the stedfastness and state Of some mean things which here below reside Where birds like watchful Clocks the noiseless date And Intercourse of times divide Where Bees at night get home and hive and flowrs Early aswel as late Rise with the Sun and set in the same bowrâ— 2. I would said I my God would give The staidness of these things to man for these To his divine appointments ever cleave And no new business breaks their peace The birds nor sow nor reap yet sup and dine The flowres without clothes live Yet Solomon was never drest so fine 3. Man hath stil either toyes or Care He hath no root nor to one place is ty'd But ever restless and Irregular About this Earth doth run and ride He knows he hath a home but scarce knows where He sayes it is so far That he hath quite forgot how to go there 4. He knocks at all doors strays and roams Nay hath not so much wit as some stones have Which in the darkest nights point to their homes By some hid sense their Maker gave Man is the shuttle to whose winding quest And passage through these looms God order'd motion but ordain'd no rest I Walkt the other day to spend my hour Into a field Where I sometimes had seen the soil to yield A gallant flowre But Winter now had ruffled all the bowre And curious store I knew there heretofore 2. Yet I whose search lov'd not to peep and peer I' th' face of things Thought with my self there might be other springs Besides this here Which like cold friends sees us but once a year And so the flowre Might have some other bowre 3. Then taking up what I could neerest spie I digg'd about That place where I had seen him to grow out And by and by I saw the warm Recluse alone to lie Where fresh and green He lived of us unseen 4. Many a question Intricate and rare Did I there strow But all I could extort was that he now Did there repair Such losses as befel him in this air And would e'r long Come forth most fair and young 5. This past I threw the Clothes quite o'r his head And stung with fear Of my own frailty dropt down many a tear upon his bed Then sighing whisper'd Happy are the dead What peace doth now Rock him asleep below 6. And yet how few believe such doctrine springs From a poor root Which all the Winter sleeps here under foot And hath no wings To raise it to the truth and light of things But is stil trod By ev'ry wandring clod 7. O thou whose spirit did at first inflame And warm the dead And by a sacred Incubation fed With life this frame Which once had neither being forme nor name Grant I may so Thy steps track here below 8. That in these Masques and shadows I may see Thy sacred way And by those hid ascents climb to that day Which breaks from thee Who art in all things though invisibly Shew me thy peace Thy mercy love and ease 9. And from this Care where dreams and sorrows raign Lead me above Where Light Joy Leisure and true Comforts move Without all pain There hid in thee shew me his life again At whose dumbe urn Thus all the year I mourn Begging KIng of Mercy King of Love In whom I live in whom I move Perfect what thou hast begun Let no night put out this Sun Grant I may my chief desire Long for thee to thee aspire Let my youth my bloom of dayes Be my Comfort and thy praise That hereafter when I look O'r the sullyed sinful book I may find thy hand therein Wiping out my shame and sin O it is thy only Art To reduce a stubborn heart And since thine is victorie Strong holds should belong to thee Lord then take it leave it not Unto my dispose or lot But since I would not have it mine O my God let it be thine Jude ver. 24 25. Now unto him that is able to keep us from falling and to present us faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy To the only wise God our Saviour be glory and majesty Dominion and power now and ever Amen FINIS * A wel in the South Country where Jacob dwelt betweene Cadesh Bered Heb. the wel of him that liveth and seeth me Body Soul Body Soul * Light Motion heat
Authoris de se Emblema TEntasti fateor sine vulnere soepius me Consultū voluit Vox sine voce frequens Ambivit placido divinior aur a meatu Et frustrà sancto murmure praemonuit Sur dus eram mutusqueSilex Tu quanta tuorum Cura tibi est aliâ das renovare viâ Permutas Curam Iamque irritatus Amorem Posse negas vim Vi superare paras Accedis propior molemque Saxea rumpis Pectora fitqueCaro quod fuit ante Lapis En lacerum Coelosque tuos ardentia tandem Fragmenta liquidas ex Adamante genas Sic olim undantes Petras Scopulosque vomentes Curâsti O populi providus usque tui Quam Miranda tibi manus est Moriendo revixi Et fractas jam sum ditior inter opes Silex Scintillans or SACRED POEMS and Private Eiaculations By Henry Vaughan Silurist LONDON Printed by T W. for H. Blunden at ye Castle in Cornehill 1650 The Dedication MY God thou that didst dye for me These thy deaths fruits I offer thee Death that to me was life and light But darke and deep pangs to thy sight Some drops of thy all-quickning bloud Fell on my heart these made it bud And put forth thus though Lord before The ground was curs'd and void of store Indeed I had some here to hire Which long resisted thy desire That ston'd thy Servants and did move To have thee murther'd for thy Love But Lord I have expell'd them and so bent Begge thou wouldst take thy Tenants Rent Silex Scintillans c. Regeneration A Ward and still in bonds one day I stole abroad It was high-spring and all the way Primros'd and hung with shade Yet was it frost within And surly winds Blasted my infant buds and sinne Like Clouds ecclips'd my mind 2. Storm'd thus I straight perceiv'd my spring Meere stage and show My walke a monstrous mountain'd thing Rough-cast with Rocks and snow And as a Pilgrims Eye Far from reliefe Measures the melancholy skye Then drops and rains for griefe 3. So sigh'd I upwards still at last 'Twixt steps and falls I reach'd the pinacle where plac'd I found a paire of scales I tooke them up and layd In th'one late paines The other smoake and pleasures weigh'd But prov'd the heavier graines 4. With that some cryed Away straight I Obey'd and led Full East a faire fresh field could spy Some call'd it Jacobs Bed A Virgin-soile which no Rude feet ere trod Where since he stept there only go Prophets and friends of God 5. Here I repos'd but scarse well set A grove descryed Of stately height whose branches met And mixt on every side I entred and once in Amaz'd to see 't Found all was chang'd and a new spring Did all my senses greet 6. The unthrift Sunne shot vitall gold A thousand peeces And heaven its azure did unfold Checqur'd with snowie fleeces The aire was all in spice And every bush A garland wore Thus fed my Eyes But all the Eare lay hush 7. Only a little Fountain lent Some use for Eares And on the dumbe shades language spent The Musick of her teares I drew her neere and found The Cisterne full Of divers stones some bright and round Others ill-shap'd and dull 8. The first pray marke as quick as light Danc'd through the floud But th' last more heavy then the night Nail'd to the Center stood I wonder'd much but tyr'd At last with thought My restless Eye that still desir'd As strange an object brought 9. It was a banke of flowers where I descried Though 't was mid-day Some fast asleepe others broad-eyed And taking in the Ray Here musing long I heard A rushing wind Which still increas'd but whence it stirr'd No where I could not find 10. I turn'd me round and to each shade Dispatch'd an Eye To see if any leafe had made Least motion or Reply But while I listning sought My mind to ease By knowing where 't was or where not It whisper'd where I please Lord then said I On me one breath And let me dye before my death Cant. Cap. 5. ver. 17. Arise O North and come thou South-wind and blow upon my garden that the spices thereof may flow out Death A Dialogue Soule 'T Is a sad Land that in one day Hath dull'd thee thus when death shall freeze Thy bloud to Ice and thou must stay Tenant for Yeares and Centuries How wilt thou brook 't Body I cannot tell But if all sence wings not with thee And something still be left the dead I 'le wish my Curtaines off to free Me from so darke and sad a bed A neast of nights a gloomie sphere Where shadowes thicken and the Cloud Sits on the Suns brow all the yeare And nothing moves without a shrowd Soule 'T is so But as thou sawest that night Wee travell'd in our first attempts Were dull and blind but Custome straight Our feares and falls brought to contempt Then when the gastly twelve was past We breath'd still for a blushing East And bad the lazie Sunne make hast And on sure hopes though long did feast But when we saw the Clouds to crack And in those Cranies light appear'd We thought the day then was not slack And pleas'd our selves with what wee feard Just so it is in death But thou Shalt in thy mothers bosome sleepe Whilst I each minute grone to know How neere Redemption creepes Then shall wee meet to mixe again and met 'T is last good-night our Sunne shall never set Job Cap 10. ver. 21.22 Before I goe whence I shall not returne even to the land of darknesse and the shadow of death A Land of darknesse as darkenesse it selfe and of the shadow of death without any order and where the light is as darknesse Resurrection and Immortality Heb. cap. 10. ve 20. By that new and living way which he hath prepared for us through the veile which is his flesh Body 1. OFt have I seen when that renewing breath That binds and loosens death Inspir'd a quickning power through the dead Creatures a bed Some drowsie silk-worme creepe From that long sleepe And in weake infant hummings chime and knell About her silent Cell Untill at last full with the vitall Ray She wing'd away And proud with life and sence Heav'ns rich Expence Esteem'd vaine things of two whole Elements As meane and span-extents Shall I then thinke such providence will be Lesse friend to me Or that he can endure to be unjust Who keeps his Covenant even with our dust Soule 2. Poore querulous handfull was 't for this I taught thee all that is Unbowel'd nature shew'd thee her recruits And Change of suits And how of death we make A meere mistake For no thing can to Nothing fall but still Incorporates by skill And then returns and from the wombe of things Such treasure brings As Phenix-like renew'th Both life and youth For a preserving spirit doth still passe Untainted through this Masse Which doth resolve produce and ripen