Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A60173
|
A sacred poem of the glory and happiness of heaven. By J. S.
|
J. S. (James Shute), 1664-1688.
|
1689
(1689)
|
Wing S3713A; ESTC R218088
|
16,412
|
22
|
sweet Advantage of the Shorter Cut No cloudy Doubts do intercept its sight 'T is now embodied in a Vest of Light. Passion and prejudice are Things unknown And Ignorance that Brand of Sin is gon Organs and Opticks now would match it ill Saul's Armour did but cumber David's Skill These do but cheat and give a faithless Light Just like an Ignis Fatuus in the Night Which treacherously leads the Pilgrim on Pretending Kindness when it means him none It needs no painful searches to descry Where Truths tho' hid in Intricacy's lye For all in naked view and prospect sit Unfolding ev'n they Secrecies to it It spies a series of Things without A gradual Discourse to find them out It sees how amicably Truths cohere How diff'rent Notions clash and interfere A Glance now brings more secrets on the Stage Than the less-fruitful Studies of an Age Nor can Saints doubt or erre for what they know Is sure in Object and in Subject too Their Souls too thirsty to accept a stream Have here the Spring of Truth unlock't to them And ah how joyfully they bathe herein They drink till drinking makes them dry agen And sure this easie way of knowing can't But aggravate the pleasures of a Saint To know himself to be directed right By the sure Guide of undeceived Light To have all Cheats and Sophistry remov'd And see each Truth by its Exemplar prov'd This cannot chuse but please him and the more Because unhappy in his Doubts before Alas imperfect Knowledge here on Earth Tho' 〈◊〉 to gain and painful in the Birth Tho' mixt with Doubts and never sifted clean But some perplexities still intervene Is thought the best Endowment Nature can Give to compleat and gratifie a man. 'T is true the search is long and far about Yet when a latent Truth is started out How comfortable is it then how good To make a few Reviews and chew the Cud This Men call Pleasure and pursue as such But that of Saints surpasses it by much VVhat the Soul knows on Earth is hardly gain'd VVhat here like Jacobs Venison comes to hand Here 't has the Garb of Light wherewith 't is clad As cheap and easie as the Lillies had It never brings a Matter to debate But knows it e're it can deliberate Alas their Knowledge is as quick and free As the Conception of a Thought can be It takes the compass which their Fancies run Whate're they VVill or wish to know is known The Soul thus purg'd from Ignorance and Sin Is all Illumination within 'T is pleas'd in knowing how it knows and doth Draw Plesure from the Mode and Object both Truth is its standing Banquet and the Feast Has Plenty fitted for the greedy Guest The Understanding now awakned sees The Truth of Things it thought false Prophecies A state of endless Pleasure once did seem The fond Illusion of a sickly Dream Joys in Reversion were but gilded Lyes And Heaven it self but some Fools Paradise And tho' Faith taught it some believing Skill Yet Carnal Scruples kept it doubting still But now all faithless Jealousies are fled And full Assurance introduc'd instead And Reason taught by what it has receiv'd Owns with a Witness all it disbeliev'd The Will 's now rectify'd and setled well In that free happy Frame from whence it fell God's Goodness is its Object whose alone Yields an Infinity to act upon How greedily it fastens here it makes Eternal seisure on the Good it takes It feeds as hungrily as if it knew Some Famine would the present feast ensue And do's the Zeal of its Approaches prove By the strong efforts of a sprightly Love. It gapes as if it thought its Nature might Suck in and swallow down the Infinite It clasps about him grasps and grasps agen Still thrusting out it self to take him in It s passionate Embraces plainly shew That 't is enamour'd and transported too Thus 't is employ'd and will for ever be Raptur'd in one Eternal Extasie The Faculties of Soul being thus renew'd Are ballanc'd to their proper Rectitude The Reason governs by prudential Skill Ne're Taxes nor exacts upon the Will It s mild Decretals are embrac't so soon As the least Intimation makes them known The Will train'd up on purpose to submit Is wholly temper'd to comply with it No Prejudices interrupt its Choice No Passions bribe it to suspend its Voice But what its Guide enjoyns it strait obeys Without the least exceptionary Pause The Reason's pleas'd that his proposals have Such kind Acceptance from his willing Slave The Will is gladded too in that it knows Whate're unerring Wisdom shall propose Must needs be good and therefore loves to chuse What would appear Self-murther to refuse Thus both are pleas'd and from their being so Proceeds the greatest pleasure Spirits know The Fancy too has here a lovely Scene Of beauteous Visions to entertain All Heavens Glories in one Object meet That all at once may always ravish it Nay 't is delighted to so strange a Height It has the Joys it can it self create Those tempting pleasures which a working Brain Can paint in prospect to delude a man Their Fancy's here by an Almighty Pow'r Can reallize and raise ten Thousand more Thus 't is employ'd Eternally to seize Some New-found-Lands of Joy and Happiness The Soul thus pure the Body must be drest To welcom in this Honourable Guest Which when the Dormitories shall resign The Sacred Dust of Saints they did enshrine When Graves shall offer up their Dead and give All to an Atom which they did receive Shall be accomplish't to the great Delight Of all that view the Glory of the Sight The scatter'd Portions re-united then Shall to their Bodies be compos'd agen Which being new-inform'd and nobler made Shall re-assume the former Souls they had But no pale Face no feeble Joynts presume To enter here no peccant Humors come To usher Sickness in no sense of pain No Weaknesses or Lassitude remain All the Infirmities of Youth and Age Are forc'd to vanish and decline the Stage For tho' the Body rose yet these must stay Where the Soul left them when it fled away And here it do's a new Dimension gain As glorious as its Nature can sustain A just proportion is to it assign'd It leaves all gross ignoble parts behind Corruptions and Infirmities are gon And a new livelier Image fastened on Consistency must always be its state VVherein it shines pure and immaculate It can not Youth nor Age from Time receive But in Eternal Springs of Years shall live It lives but to Declension ne're shall grow Its budding Verdure shall no Autumn know It s Countenance do's such a freshness yield As baffles far the Glories of the Field Such Lights and Flames its Visage do's disperse As would illuminate the Universe Its Senses also great Advancements gain Fit for the Objects they must entertain Senses I call them still but 't is for want Of Terms more proper and significant Nor do all
praise in him And thus his Likeness is imprest and wrought In all the Parts and Pow'rs the Saints have got 'T is stampt in lively Lines its parts are all Drawn full and perfect clear and symmetral This Image is not like an outward Grace Drawn to imbellish and adorn a Face 'T is rather radicated and innate Wholly transformative and intimate It is the Principle that do's begin Eternal Peace and Harmony within By this the Soul in Act and Habit too Is taught its Good and Glory to pursue 'T is wholly bent on Duty and do's own That Happiness and That is all but one Now holy Actings are in Flux and run Free from their Souls like Atoms from the Sun. Each Action now is ravishing and sweet Such large Rewards of Pleasure wait on it Each Saint is now so beautiful and bright He is the Object of his own Delight Ah how it do's Solace his Soul to make Surveys upon himself to search and see How the Impression and the Seal agree To see how Glory has transform'd him all How the Draught answers the Original To see himself made one with God from whom All his sweet Incomes and Illapses come How do's this heighten and enhance their Bliss What Transports do their ravisht Looks confess They tune so many Anthems that the Host Do sing till Praise be in their Numbers lost They clap their Hands and Wings for Joy and run In endless Coronets about the Throne And this they do with as familiar Ease As they themselves can think of what they please For being like Orbs all to their Stations bound God's Central Magnetism draws them round Thus they are happily employ'd and feel More Joys than we or they themselves can tell Nay they are glorified to such Degree As to affirm must needs be Blasphemy Or high Presumption had not God the Lord Strongly confirm'd it in his Sacred VVord VVho else dares say for fear he should Blaspheme That Saints are one with Christ and He with Them Or say methinks ev'n now it sounds profane They dwell in God and God in Them I mean. These Heights of Speech which Reason can't conceive And therefore is engag'd to disbelieve We question not for Faith forbids Distrust And tells us This we would believe and must God's more to Them than Souls to Bodies are Thro' him they act and ever acting were He and They truly correspond like Doves In joynt Reciprocation of Loves They possess Him and are of Him possest Thus He in Them and They in Him are blest From which uniting Juncture do's ensue Immediate Intercourse of Action too On Earth we Interceptions meet but here Their Joys with Grief ne're interrupted are Gladness is all their Soul they can't conceive What 't is to be disconsolate or grieve Their pamper'd Wills no Disappointments know They 're always pleas'd and always would be so Delights no Measure Joys no mixture bring But both from pure unwasted Fountains Spring They have a Heaven fully to enjoy Where neither Want do's pinch nor Plenty cloy Their luscious Pleasures surfeit to delight They always eat to gain an Appetite Joys in Reversion once are now possest And Love in Motion 's chang'd to Love in Rest Desire is made Delight and Hopes that were Mixt with Mis-givings have Assurance here They swim in pleasantness and always find Fresh Banquets to caress and feast the Mind Nay what yet swells their Joy they know its date Is too long-liv'd for Time to terminate They know their Sun of Glory shall ne're set They 'd lose Heav'n did they fear the losing it 'T is sure for Christ has sign'd it with his Blood And God has bail'd his Truth to make it good Their Paradise is built too firm to fall For Truth and Promises compos'd it all Love is its Cement Christ the Corner Stone And God the Basis which 't is built upon What great Additions do the Thoughts of This Bring to enlarge and stretch their Happiness To think that Heaven when Time is past and gone Shall be as new as when it first begun That when innumerable Years are past Their Joys shall still retain their Virgin Tast This makes their Mirth more pallateable still As sweet Infusions in a Cordial will To think the Feast they eat so gladly now Shall still be plentiful and pleasant too To think their Appetites shall ne're forbear To be as keen as they at present are And that their Feast shall be as luscious still And as continual as their Stomachs will This blest Assurance glads their Spirits more Than any single Joy they had before For taking thus Eternity in View Makes all its future Pleasures present too Each single Comfort carries in its Womb The luscious Foretast of still more to come One brings the relish of the rest in hand As Joshua's Grapes did of the Promis'd Land. Their Joys are ne're adjourn'd but always near For Expectation is Enjoyment here Thus all have now Eternity of Bliss And yet 't is still in prospect to possess This aggravates their Joys and scrues their Thoughts To Heights scarce vented in Seraphick Notes Each in his proper Sphere of Duty pays His honorary Tribute of Applause Just as the thankful Birds devoutly sing Their Mattins to the Goddess of the Spring Hymns and Hosannahs from all Quarters sung Is all that can be heard amidst the Throng And that must needs be an Harmonious Noise Where Mirth and Melody do counterpoise Anthems and Halelujahs rise in Swarms And sound to Praise as Trumpets do to Arms They sing so sweetly and so long they seem To be all Lungs or what 's instead of Them Ah with what Joy these jocund Spirits move Round in the Orb of God's suffusive Love Their Souls so strut with Joyfulness that some Take up ev'n Heav'n it self for Elbow-room Ointments of Love still sweetning as they fall Bedew embalm and over-run them all Thus are they all delighting in their God And gladed with their Being and Abode Glory is shar'd in common all unite In one Community of Love and Light Here are no Guardians of forbidden Fruit But Happiness is free and prostitute Yet Blessedness has its Degrees nay such As make the Blessed Spirits differ much Glory is carv'd and parcell'd out but yet Its Portions are not all commensurate Heav'n is no lawless lev'lling Anarchy But a Monarchical Theocrisie And therefore we 've no reason to conclude That all are uniformly Great or Good. In Monarchies we own the King Supream The Princes next the Viceroy next to Them And so thro' all Degrees which represent The great Decorum of a Government So Here JEHOVAH supersedes the State Beneath his Footstool Seraphims are set Next Cherubims and Thrones Dominions then So till we take the Hierarchy in As Angels so no doubt but Saints do bear Their gradual subordinations here The Elders are a Rank of Worth but yet Th' Apostles Order is transcending that For They with Christ as Sacred Writings tell Shall judge the Tribes the