Eternity Perfection infinite but that poor we With mind heart mouth acknowledge and confess His glory as he doeth it express In all his Works and in his holy Word And in the face of Jesus Christ our Lord And that in eating drinking in each thing We do God's Glory we may still design But surely it is wonderfully sweet To see Gods Glory and man's good unite In these same acts by which they glorifie The Lord they do enjoy his company And these same acts which do unite the soul Unto the Lord his Glory do extol By acting Faith and hoping in his Word They praise the Grace Truth Power of the Lord By acting Faith they in their heart receive The Lord to dwell in them great peace they have Whose mind and heart upon the Lord is staid Of evil tidings they are not afraid When they themselves most quietly do hide Under the shade of his wings and abide In the most secret place of the most high What harm of evil can to them come nigh Munition of Rocks doth them secure Their bread and water are to them made sure God with broad Rivers them surrounds that so No Ship nor Galley can against them go Since in them God is Glory and a wall Of sire about them surely they have all Glory within their mind and heart to fill A fire without to guard them from all ill How can they but be safe who have salvation For VValls and Bulwarks for their preservation The more they trust the more they glorifie God and his wondrous loving kindness see Which he to them hath greatly magnified Within a city that is fortified No outward force disturbeth their solace When they thus guarded see and taste his grace Love doth at once the Lord himself embrace And glorifies his goodness love and grace While we above all things the Lord do love We in our heart set him all things above While we desire him and do in him joy We move to him and God himself enjoy Yea every act whereby we glorifie The Lord in it we do the Lord draw nigh And God to us Thus are his servants blest For all their service is their interest Christ from himself servants sent not away His word is come follow me with me stay If any serve me let him follow me And where I am there shall my servant be Since Christ is foremost sure the way is right Since he 's the way the Leader and the Light The way is safe take courage talk no more Of fear and danger since God is before The way is pleasant it 's a sight most sweet To see the steps of Jesus lovely feet And to walk in them in them to walk on Since our fore-runner in these paths hath gone Tho he be gone before yet he is near He 's on the front and also on the rear And still on thy right hand thee to uphold Yea in thy heart to make thee humbly bold As he walks in them this of them is crav'd That they walk in him as they him receiv'd It is his promise to be with them still That they be still with him is his good will. Thus all the service he to them commends To Glory Union and Communion tends Their Master's Service is their interest In glorifying God they 're truly blest This is thy chief end God to glorifie And to enjoy him to eternity Come to the Mediator Jesus Christ In him alone the Lord with man's well-pleas'd Come unto God by him though thou be'st lost He will thee save unto the uttermost Come take himself and take his fulness all Deny thy self follow upon his call Follow him fully follow him with delight His yoke is easie and his burden light His holy Ordinances are most sweet His Rod is needful and his Cross is meet All service he requires is reasonable All Rods and Crosses needful seasonaable It 's only for a time if need there be That trials come in great variety And though they sadning be yet they are blest And tend to Holiness Praise Glory Rest Come come thy service all all thy distress Is for God's Glory and thy Happiness Now since by God the Father and the Spirit Thou art from sin and torments infinite Called to come through Christ the living way To Fellowship with God which lasts for aye Behold by whom from what through whom to whom Thou called art all calls on thee to come The Spirit and the Bride say Come let all who hear Say Come and let them come who thirsty are Here is Life's Fountain whosoever will Of living water freely take thy fill That all who hear may come Lord draw that we May come and run and follow after thee Come with thy Grace and Glory speedily Lord Jesus come Amen So let it be FINIS Twenty Five CONSIDERATIONS OF THE PAINS prepar'd for SIN After this Life WITH A SERMON Preached on Acts VII 60. I heard a voice from Heaven saying unto me Write From henceforth Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord even so saith the Spirit for they rest from their labours and their works follow them Rev. 14.13 LONDON Printed for Richard Butler in White-Lion-Court in Barbican 1688. Twenty Five CONSIDERATIONS OF THE PAINS prepared for SIN After this Life I. AMongst all the means which God useth towards the Children of Men to move them to this Resolution whereof I treat the strongest and most forcible to the common sort of men is the consideration of Punishments prepared by him for rebellious sinners and transgressors of his Commandments Wherefore he useth this Consideration often as may appear by all the Prophets who do nothing else almost but threaten plagues and destruction to Offenders And this means hath often times prevailed more than any others that could be used by reason of the Natural Love which we bear towards our selves and consequently the Natural Fears we have of our own danger So we read that nothing could move the Ninevites so much as the foretelling them of their imminent destruction And St. John the Baptist John the 5th Matth. the 3d. altho he came in a simple and contemptible way yet preaching unto the people the terror of Vengeance to come and that the Axe was now put to the Trees to cut for the fire all those which repented not he moved the very Publicans and Soldiers to fear which otherwise are people of very hard metal who came unto him upon his terrible Embassage and asked what they should do to avoid these punishments II. After then that we have considered of Death and of God's severe Judgment which ensueth after Death and wherein every man hath to receive according to his works in this life as the Scripture saith it followeth that we consider also of the punishments which are appointed for them that shall be found faulty in that account Hereby at leastwise no other consideration will serve to induce Christians to this Resolution of serving God For as I have noted before If
THE GOSPEL-CALL In METRE Compiled by W. V. Whereunto is added Twenty Five Considerations OF THE PAINS prepared for SIN After this Life WITH A SERMON Preached on Acts VII 60. Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound Psal 89.15 To day if you will â—ear his voice harden not your hearts Ps 95.7 8. Hear and your soul shall live Isa 55.3 Rise he calleth thee Mark 10.49 LONDON Printed for Richard Butler in White-Lion-Court in Barbican 1688. THE PUBLISHER TO THE READER Honest Reader THE sad Degeneracy of the Age we live in makes it appear but too great a Truth That such Books as these were never more necessary or more seasonable And therefore I hope there needs no Apology for publishing this The following Papers came recommended to me from Persons of known Honesty and Integrity Our Author has thought fit in Modesty to conceal his Name and I will not trouble my self or thee with impertinent Guesses Nor will I pretend positively to determine why he has cloath'd part of his Conceptions in a Poetick Dress since Examples are not wanting in all times in this kind The Royal Prophets David and Solomon have excell'd in Divine Poesie And we are not wanting in our own Age of great Men famous in our Generation who have oblig'd the World with their Excellent Labours of this Nature witness the Famous Quarles Inimitable Cowley Facetious Donne and the Divine Herbert to name no more who gives this Excellent Reason A Verse may find him who a Sermon flies And turn Delight into a Sacrifice As for the following Discourse 't is plain and honest fitted to the meanest Capacities which I hope will render it universally acceptable It treats of things of the greatest Moment and highest Consequence no less than the Concerns of Eternity I will no longer detain thee from the Perusal which I wish may redound to thy great benefit I heartily recommend it to thee and thee to the Grace of God. I am Thine R. B To the Author of the Gospel-Call THY Gospel-Call Dear Friend has out-done all Those gaudy florid Strains Which puzzle Vulgar Brains Thy Book has Worth Which needs no setting forth By my weak Pen The Praise is thine For which thy Name shall shine Bright like the Morning-Star Which ushers in the Day from far Until the Restitution of all things agen T. D. To the Author of the Gospel-Call AWake my Muse how can I silent be When I these pious Works of David see They that peruse this little Book may find The wise Suggestions of the Author's Mind How wittily this Worthy does impart His Sentiments with Judgment and with Art In Stile most Elegant in Sence profound In Morals practical and Doctrine sound Who like a Geographer does here display To Heaven the surest and the safest way In Gospel-Colours does delineate The lively Landschape of our future State. Dull Soul chear up here here 's thy chiefest Good 'T is not Terrestrial but Celestial Food A. T. THE GOSPEL-CALL In METRE READER awake awake my Soul and all That is within me hearken to the Call Of God most gracious who calleth thee His Name to hallow and to glorifie And from vile lusts vain glory cheating pelf Invites thee to Communion with himself This is thy chief end thy Felicity Thy greatest good thy highest dignity Here is Light Life Love all that 's meet Needful and useful holy right and sweet And all which truly fills the heart and eyes Elsewhere is nought but emptiness and lies Jehovah calls the Father and the Son The Holy Ghost Blest Three in Essence One. Nothing but God the Father Son and Spirit Can fit and fill thy Soul 's vast appetite The Soul 's a Spirit and while not unite To God who is a Spirit Infinite It wandreth seeking rest but findeth none Nor ought that gives it contentation Immortal Souls in things which fade with time Cannot find rest Come restless soul to him Who in Eternity hath his abode And is from and to everlasting God Who changeth not with whom is no mutation Nor any shadow of an alteration Who is and was and shall be still the same Whose Name alone is I am that I am When thy heart fails thy hearts strength he will be And thy sure Portion to Eternity God Infinite in wisdom only wise Calls Wilt thou fool Wisdom's advice despise It 's God Almighty who doth thee command Wilt thou frail wretch Omnipotence withstand Since the most Holy calleth upon thee To disobey were gross profanity Since the most Just most justly doth thee press To disobey were meer unrighteousness He who thee calls is good and gracious To anger slow in mercy plenteous He 's lovely loving Love who calls on thee Wilt thou from love grace goodness mercy flee He who doth call most faithful is and true Trust Truth it self and thou shalt never rue The Great Creator calls whose Word did call What was not and of nothing formed all Who all thy Members wrought most curiously And form'd thy Spirit in the midst of thee He gave and still he life to thee doth give Thou liv'st in him wilt thou without him live Thou mov'st in him from him move not away From him in whom thou go'st go not astray In him thou dost exist and canst thou be Without him who gives being unto thee Where art thou Adam when the Lord doth cry Where 's God my Maker Man should then reply When he in whom thou liv'st and doth consist Commands how dares thou for thy life resist When he in whom thou mov'st doth thee command To come to him how dares thou lingring stand Lord what is Man that thou so much should'st make Of such a nothing and such knowledge take Of Man who is but dust and fading grass And which is worse a loathsome filthy Mass Of darkness horror lust profanity Unrighteousness of sin and misery Conceiv'd in sin form'd in iniquity A slave to divers lusts lusts of the eye Lusts of the flesh and to the pride of life To anger hatred malice wrath and strife All in him is corrupt and vitiate His heart 's deceitful wicked desperate Estrang'd from God straying as soon as born Inclin'd to lies apostate and forlorn This Man whom thou O Lord didst once create In thine own Image in a happy state Hath quite dis-made himself He who was light Is darkness now he who was made upright Is now perverse ungodly and unjust Conform to Satan to his will and lust Without the Lord under Gods curse and wrath Liable to the first and second death To plagues in this life which were long to tell And to the easeless endless pains of Hell. Lord what but Grace and Mercy could thee move Upon thy hateful Foes to set such love To speak to them who hearken not to thee To follow them who from thy presence flee To shew thy self to them who shut their eyes On thee and turn them unto vanities To stretch thy arms to those which turn their
more He first forgiveth his Iniquity Then cures his body of its malady To teach the sick to seek more earnestly To be from sin than from their sickness free Christ sees a Widow following the Bier Of her dead only Son he draweth near And on the Widow hath compassion Restores to her alive her only Son. Thus he prevents her expectation With unexpected consolation His piercing eye is sharp to see to see His Israel's affliction his eye Affects his tender heart with feeling stounds And all his bowels mercies mercies sounds He quickly comes with all convenient speed And helps and succours in the time of need In Christ all persons of each rank and station May see a pattern for their imitation Church-Members learn of him to countenance God's Servants and each holy Ordinance Jesus when eight days old was circumcis'd He heard John preach would be by him baptiz'd He loved Church-communion for he When others were baptiz'd baptiz'd would be He kept the Passover and after that His own Supper he himself did eat He sought and took each fit occasion For spiritual communication And did from earthly things occasion take Of divine heavenly purposes to speak Vile men things holy wrest to vile abuse He sinful things drew to an holy use He pray'd with others taught them what to say And in what order they to God should pray To pray that God's Name may be hallowed His kingdom come his will accomplished In Earth as it 's in Heaven then he allows To seek for bread not things superfluous And to seek more for liberation From sin and snares than from affliction Our hearts when we begin our prayers to raise To God in Heaven and end them in praise Pastors from the great Pastor learn to preach Who truth with all authority did teach His words were right words plain and words of grace Sweet sharp and suited to his hearers case He smote proud Hypocrites with Thunder-darts He pour'd the Oil of Joy in broken hearts And as a Hen her brood under her wings Gathers so would he gather wandring things He call'd and prest his hearers to repent And to believe on him whom God had sent On fools who to believe of heart were slow He with much patience did great pains bestow In prayer he prais'd their knowledge tho but weak And of their little Faith right much did make He wept o're those who from him turn'd away And would not know nor ponder in their day The things which did belong unto their peace While they were visited with Gospel-grace And by their slighting of Christ's Visitation Brought on themselves ruine and desolation To Christ let Children Servants Subjects look How pleasantly he bare Subjections Yoak To Joseph and his Mother due respect He gave and did himself to them subject He payed Tribute he would not offend And in his Doctrine he did recommend To give to Caesar what to him belong'd He was most patient when by Rulers wrong'd He served Rulers yea he thought it meet To serve his servants and to wash their feet Let all whom the most High hath set above Their Fellow-Creatures learn of Christ to love And condescend to those of low degree This lowly love adorns Authority Meekness and Mercy Lowliness in Christ With Majesty and Justice well consist Because of Truth Meekness and Justice he Rides prosperously in stately Majesty He glorieth in goodness mercy grace His kingdom stands in righteousness and peace And Joy spiritual O! happy they Who learn of Christ to rule and to obey Learn of Christ to suffer and to die He had his sufferings often in his eye And to Jerusalem did set his face Went foremost in a more than usual pace Went to the Garden which his Foes did know And when they came himself to them did show He did meet Death before his strength was lost He cried loud when he gave up the Ghost He from his Father's Hand the bitter Cup Receiv'd most pleasantly and drank it up Pure Nature hath a sinless aversation From wrath and death and loves self-preservation So that it cannot chuse but fear and shrink When sin-revenging wrath doth mix the drink This Humane harmless will Christ giveth up Unto his Father's will and drinks the Cup Freely submits his inclination And says Lord not my will but thine be done With fervent cries and tender tears he pray'th And multiplies the acts of Love and Faith. For my God my God Abba Father prove The strength of Faith and fervency of Love. When that the Sword through his pure Soul was thrust He did his Spirit to his Father truft And to the hand which did him bruise and smite In Faith and Love he did his Sp'rit commit And as his love was wonderful to men At all times so it was most wondrous then When sorrows fill'd and did his soul surround His kindness and compassion did abound Tho he fore-saw his torment and reproach And saw the Prince of this World make approach And found his soul with trouble so much prest That its grief could not be by words exprest Yet none of these his loving heart diverts From comforting his sad Disciples hearts Before the Passover when Jesus saw His hour was come and that he should withdraw From this world to the Father having lov'd His own t'ward the world he constant prov'd Lov'd them unto the end Since now he went To God from whom he came his love must vent Like a kind Friend who from his Friends must part In his farewel pours out his loving heart In words and deeds and sufferings O! how His love bursts out and doth all bands o're-flow He girds himself to be for service meet He stands stoops washes wipes his servants feet To teach them not to lord it as above Their fellow-servants but to serve in love The Passover he did most heartily Desire to eat with them e're he did die The Paschal-Lamb slain roasted which they eat Meant Christ slain scorch't in Wrath's just burning heat But Christ Death Pains Agony Sweat of blood Lov'd as they were our life ease peace and food He straitned was till all was finished And his blood-baptism accomplished Behold again his love will represent His death our life in a new Sacrament Two feasts one end O rare in such a night â—n which he was betray'd to take delight To act his own sad death once and again A death in which blood shame and lingring pain And which was worst of all a Curse did meet To make his terror every way compleat He ante-dates his death for their behoof Turns his sad death in a sweet feast of love He gives his broken body for their food And for their drink he gives his precious blood The Sword of Justice against him awoke It stroke him broke him he did bear the stroak The Shepherd bore it who God's equal is That the poor little ones the stroak might miss His body broken for them in their stead Is life-procuring and life-giving bread The
Sword of Justice the blood-thirsty blade Pursues for blood rests not till blood be shed The blood of beasts cannot God's wrath appease Nor purge the Conscience nor give it ease Vile finite man could never satisfie For sin against God infinite tho he Should bleed for ever in this helpless case Christ cometh in for his poor sheep's release He saith I come I come behold and see As in the book it written is of me A Body Lord thou hast for me prepar'd Draw blood of me and let the sheep be spar'd I do delight even my hearts blood to shed For them that their sin may be pardoned Come all ye whom the fiery law doth charge With guilt and wrath and who your hearts enlarge For righteousness and who for pardon pant Come drink the blood of the new covenant This drink will quench thy thirst and scorching heat Which guilt and wrath do in thy soul beget Christ gives himself for food to intimate That he himself is ours in us and that He is one with us by a lively union And that our life consisteth in communion With him who gives us life and growth and strength And perfects what concerneth us at length This puts his loving kindness out of doubt That he comes in and will not stand without And comes in that he with his Friends may feast And gives himself for food to every guest He gives his flesh for bread and to make up The feast he pours his blood into the Cup. White others have but Bread and Wine for food Believers eat Christ's Body drink his Blood. He will not live without them he doth give Life unto them and Christ in them doth live Yea the life which they in the flesh do live They live it as they on the Son believe Behold again his Love behold him die Behold him leave his little ones a legacy In a most sure well order'd Testament And gives it sealed by a Sacrament This Testament containeth all that 's good All that is purchased by Jesus blood It cannot changed be it must endure The great Testator's death doth make it sure He dies to ratifie his latter Will He lives Executor it to fulfil He gave himself for them to them he gives Himself for them he dies for them he lives Yet still here 's more of love the loving art Is learned best from Christ's most loving heart He leaves a token of his love most kind To keep him and his death still in their mind A token which he will have to remain With them until he come from Heaven again He says This is my body for you broken Take this as of my love a sign and token Take eat and when this braken bread you see And take and eat it then remember me And drink this Cup and drink ye of it all As often as this Bread and Cup ye shall Eat and drink ye shew forth and do record The bloody breaking death of Christ the Lord. Since these Love tokens are most excellent Which do to us most clearly represent An absent friend to shew what he hath done For us what hardships for us undergone And those most charming and endearing prove Which represent his loveliness and love This Sacrament is an illustrious Symbol of love presenting Christ to us As broken bleeding dying in our stead Broken that he might unto us be bread Bleeding that he might us with drink relieve And dying that we by his death might live His Farewell Sermon register'd by John Is full of love and consolation Where you will find most kindly compellations Comforting Truths strengthening Exhortations And promises most great and precious Most fit for them most sweet and gracious His Sermon sweet in a sweet Prayer ends Where he them to his Father recommends And prays for all that should believe upon His Name through the Word that ye might be one As thou says he O Father art in me And I in thee they one in us may be I will that they whom thou hast given me Be with me that they may my Glory see I have declared unto them thy Name And will continue to declare the same That the love wherewith thou hast loved me May be in them and I in them might be Himself his Glory and his Father's love To him he gives to them and this doth prove He will no good deny but all impart Unto his Spouse who ravisheth his heart For her his hands feet side and heart did bleed These streams did from the Spring of Love proceed His bleeding hands feet side and heart do prove That our Lord Jesus Christ did die for love In suffering he acted finished His work his Father's will accomplished Payed the price Justice to satisfie His Prisoners to ransom and set free And when he ignominiously did die His Foes he vanquished most gloriously Heroick Facts which Histories record Are nothing to the acts of Christ the Lord Who the Red Dragons the old Serpent's head Bruised and all Hell's Powers vanquished Destroyed Death and took away its sting And rend'red it tho grim a harmless thing O'recame the world and made an end of sin And everlasting righteousness brought in To God he Glory gave to Earth brought Peace And towards worthless men good will and grace The feigned Loves which are in forg'd Romances Tho they be strain'd are dull and cloudy Fancies And nothing to his matchless wondrous love Which is all finite minds and thoughts above The Spirit did the Gospel oft indite And moved four Evangelists to write That we might often read and hear and see Of godliness the true great mystery That in beholding we might be transform'd Into Christ's Image and to him conform'd If thou take pleasure to read Prophesies Again into the Scripture turn thine eyes Where thou wilt find that in the days of old Things future were long e're they came foretold The Promises of Christ are there most clear And were fulfilled when he did appear They who had eyes to see could not mistake Him of whom Moses and the Prophets spake All circumstances here did meet and twift What they foretold fulfilled was in Christ The Promises so great and precious Assures us that the Lord is gracious His Word and Oath which ever do endure Do make his mercies to his people sure May worthless I these Promises embrace Thou maist for they are Promises of Grace If thou be miserable and impure They promise cleansing they are mercies sure As cleansing purgeth from impurity So mercy pities saves from misery If thou do thirst and hunger after all The Promises thine own thou maist them call The needy soul that longs for righteousness May claim the Promise fulness blessedness Since Christ hath blest the hungry thirsty foul Such sure are blest none can his Word controul Once close with Christ all Promises are then Thine for in him they are Yea and Amen If thou embrace all his Commands aright Thou maist in all his Promises delight Would you read laws in Scripture