Bright Science dost dispel Those Lazy Mists exhal'd from Hell Which stifle Virtue cloud our Day Reflect or else Refract Heav'ns Ray. Thou rescu'st Reason purgest Sense From that Original Offence And as who Lovely Objects spies By the Soul's Spectacles and Burning-Glass the Eyes Catches Love's Fire With far more Vigorous Desire Than others could By what dull Sounds and Hearsay told Such is th' Advantage Thou win'st here As Sight are Sound and Eye o're Ear. Thy clear Proposals gather and draw Heaven in Thro' the Soul 's widen'd Pores and squeez out putrid Sin e Faith but supplies thy room and brings Heav'n wrapt in Words thou writ in Things Faith's Lesson all may read that look But thine 's the Clearer yet the Harder Book Oh Book Oh World Oh Sun clad in thin shade Oh Book the Best and All that God e're made Dull Clods Drops Sparks thou seem'st to be Small Atomes of Great Entity But Big with GOD is thy each part And Vaster Truths far than thy Whole Self art VI. The Architect and Owner of this All Delivered out in Gross The All-rich Ball In Number Measure Weight Proportioned aright And bid us Traffick with 't and thrive But we were at a Loss None could into it's hidden Treasures rightly dive 'Till his Wise Steward Science came Acquainted with her Master's Will And with rare Skill f Did subtly take in pieces the vast Frame And to Heav'ns Merchandize the more to wooe us Detail'd in Parcels and chaw'd small the too-great Morsel to us When Prudence the wise Governess Of Virtue 's Family would try A Pattern of her perfect Managery And Rational Actions her sweet Children dress Fixing upon them in fit places Her whole bright Set of Circumstantial Graces By thy square Science she each Line doth draw And makes thy Word her Rule thy Dictates Law VII g When Virtue her self to Heaven a Journey takes And quaintly dresses Her shining Tresses With the most Curious and Enamouring Art To ravish so the High King's Heart Fair Science thy Bright Eye her Looking-Glass she makes In thine Eye Reasons best Mirrour She can spy each slender Errour And the least Blemish of Deformity h What 's wrinkled loosely set or pinn'd awry i When Musick would the ravish'd Soul beguile To dwell in the Ear 's Labyrinth a while Nature's well-ecchoing Musick-room Whither repairs A pretty Quire of nimble light-foot Ayres Ferry'd o're in quavering Undulations Interwoven on a thousand Fashions And there presents an unseen Masque of Sounds Sent from the Tattling Strings or Whistling Pipes Rebounds While She makes Friends in Consort each Discording Part Her Art tunes Instruments but Science tunes her Art VIII Thou art that Bright Reserve of Light For the Wise Church when grown From Unripe Nonage to her Manly Noon Her Youth's School-Master dark Credulity Too weak to govern mankind now a Child no longer But fit for th' University Will her dear Charge to Thee in Part resign And those Soul-binding Charms of thine To govern such a Free-born Subject stronger GOD is the Fountain-Sun Thou his ne're-changing Moon That deal'st as great a share of Borrow'd Light As can consist with our Flesh-veiled sight Fair Dawning to Bright Bliss Dark Nature's fullest Noon IX But ah my lisping Lyre Is now quite spent yet Thou art still Intire Farewel Bright Science thrice farewel Yet part not from My Soul such kind of Houses use to be thy Home Nature has built Thee there fine k Christal Rooms And I will wooe Virtue her self to strow There for Thee her Best Perfumes The Fabrick thou 'lt embrave beyond all Art and Praise With thy own Soul-guilding Rayes There there vouchsafe to dwell There there farewel Farewel in me and thy Dear Self improve To Full Light in my Head and in my Heart Firm Love FINIS ANNOTATIONS a WHat is meant here by Science is already declar'd in the Preface viz. All those Knowledges whether acquir'd by Prayer or Study which superadded to Faith are apt to render it Lively And indeed should we restrain the common signification of that word which imports no more but Knowledge to the Stricter Sense in which the Schools take it nothing ought even speaking of Natural Objects in true speech to be called Science unless it be in some Sort deriv'd from God and by means of that Derivation be apt to raise us to the Knowledge of Him For since all Truths are Connected and Science is the Knowing of things by their Causes hence only such Knowledges as relate to the First Truth and inform us of the Derivation of Things from the First Cause or of their Connexion with it can pretend to the Honour of being reputed True Sciences For which reason the Epicureans who deny a First Cause and hold all things to be done by Chance can lay no Claim to Scientifical Knowledge of any thing in Nature Whence of all other Sects of Philosophers Their Principles are the most Absurd Precarious and Inconsistent Moreover Science is intended to Perfect the Understanding Faculty but when 't is Practical and fits the Soul for Action that is in our case for the Love of God then 't is Full Lively and in that state which makes Science be as it should be that is Unmixt with Ignorance Whereas when 't is meerly Speculative and Unactive 't is Weak Faint ofttimes Airy and alwayes as to Heaven Vseless and by reason of it's Imperfection being alloy'd with some degree of Ignorance it degenerates from the Sincere and Genuine nature of Knowledge For it is to be noted that Virtue and Science are here treated of as in their Abstracted Ideas or as perfectly depur'd from all their Imperfections as may be seen in the third Stanza upon Virtue and in the 7th and 8th Stanzas here With which it may well consist that there may be many inferior Degrees of both of them that are not acquired either by Art of Contemplation but are Instill'd by the Common Doctrine and Discipline of the Church which may suffice to bring Souls to Heaven sooner or later tho' they may not perhaps come so high as to dispose them Immediately for the Beatifical Vision this being only attainable by those who are Pure in Heart and cleans'd from all Inordinate By-Affections to Creatures which requires more than Common Illuminations b For the Connatural way to Love any things is to Know and Conceit Lively the Goodness that is in it and therefore Regularly and in due order of Nature according to the Express and Lively Knowledge a Soul has of Coelestial Goods so great in proportion is her Love of them Whence whenever she falls into Sin or Loves not Heaven as she ought 't is because some Temporary or False Good making a more Agreeable Appearance to her at that unlucky Season the Knowledge of the Incomparable Good of Heaven which she had before is Darken'd and Dimm'd by Passion or which is the same by too much affection to some Creature according to that saying of Divines Omnis
to the World they have a special Title to such Dedications I declare at the same time that their Virtuous Education and Personal Endowments are such as render them capable of understanding the most solid Grounds of Christian Morality and of benefiting Themselves by such Productions as exceed the reach of those Ladies who are not far above the common Levell of their Sex and Quality The Annotations may in one passage or two seem too speculative But I desire it may be consider'd that those speculations that are Aiery and Phantastick are indeed justly Blameable but that those which are nothing but a deep Search and Inspection into the Nature of the Thing which is under consideration as I am well assur'd these are cannot justly be taxed with any thing but their being too well-grounded and too solid which are such Good Faults that they can need no Excuse Nor can any thing be deem'd too Obscure which the dayly Course of our Christian Life with a due Reflexion on our Interiour will after a while beat out Plain to us and requite our Industry and Patience with the Evidence and Satisfaction it will bring along with it when 't is fully comprehended J. S. DEDICATION To Her GRACE The DUTCHESS of RICHMOND LO Madam here 's a Noble Guest Bespeaks a Room in your good Breast She seems a Stranger and Unknown Attir'd i' th' Mode of Helicon At a late Visit given her there By a Maiden Muse with Child of Her But if Y' unveil the Tiffany Dress Her Friend there lent her she 'll confess Her self Your Inmate vow'd to dwell Constantly in Your Heart 's dear Cell 'T was Orderd by Heaven's Kind Decree Your Soul should be her Landlady Your choicest Entertainment bring For this Great Daughter to Heavens King Of Your Heart Adorn each room With purest Thoughts with Prayer perfume Who thus receives her nothing loses She all her Father's Gifts disposes The Title she will give You is Heiress to Eternal Bliss And your Aim at True Glory to advance Whole Heaven will be your Rich Inheritance To VIRTUE His Soul's Mistress Stanza I. a FAir Maid of Honour to Heaven's Court What Pencil or what Colours be Fit to Resemble or even Emblem Thee To Fancy whom lifts Art into Transport I am all Extaâ—… When I mean Thee Dear Ravisher of Hearts and Brains Each High-Expressive Attribute Lisps or is mute Blazons of Honour prove but Blots and Stains Courtship which racks Truth is Detraction here Complements in Realities disappear II. Hence you Untutour'd Wits whose Vein Is onely Gallant when Prophane Your Chattering Muse is hoarse where the High Theme Leaves no Power to Blaspheme Your Aiery Art affords But Empty Lying Words Slandering Heav'n and All-rich Nature To Flatter one poor Clayie Creature Stars Violets Gems and Spice Roses and Paradise All are dissolv'd into Loose Rhyme Which to Hell's service movingly does Chime Are all distill'd by fulsome soultry Fires Of Cole-black Lust-enkindled Desires T' Extract alas a Motley Mistress thence Vice's and Vanity's Compound Quintessence Bold Chymists that dare try What God and Nature both deny Dust-creeping things be gone Your Highest Musick is but Hisses Th' Old Serpents Tone When he belov'd Corruption devours with Kisses Let Chloris Celia and that Idol-Crew Your Wanton Dotages pack all away with you And in their ill-fill'd Room Let Virtue Heavens-Enamouring Darling come III. Virtue dear Virtue Hark how the lovely Sound Climbing its Native Sky Compendiously Ecchoes the Sphere's whole Consort at each sweet Rebound While my Joy-ravish't Soul sweet Virtue sings All Heaven 's concern'd and Counter-rings Tun'd to the Self-same Key By Mysterious Sympathy Such sweet and secret Force has Correspondency Dear Virtue my Soul's Queen b Come and come Glorious as thou would'st be seen By they Dread Lord when at his Session's Day He shall the Palsy'd World in Flames survey And with the purest Beam of his Bright Eye Thy Mettal try And with one Powerful Glance Purge all thy Gross Allay In that dazling Form appear Nor fear Lest our Flesh-veiled Sight Cannot sustain thy pure Meridian Light True we are dim-ey'd Bats and dwell Bright Virtue in a dark and gloomy Cell Yet Starry Lights and Thine More needfully do shine Cimmerian Midnight to expel Deal forth a gentle Ray And create a New-born Day Which in Red Letters We Will Write and Consecrate to thy Dear Memory We with Devoutest Incense will it feast And every Sweet of the Arabian Nest IV. Lo where she comes she comes amain c And Nature's whole Great Houshold in her Train All prest by Reason's Law to follow Her Th' Obedient Well-train'd Band Stands still moves forward turns at Her Command To Heaven their Procession is and she The Van does lead Nor ought they tread In their Calm March One Step until her Beck they see Or if some grow disorder'd and do All Natures Well-Rank't Army grows Disorder'd too 'T is She allies Our Sublunary World to the Bright Skies She is the Wedding-Ring 'twixt God and Nature If any poor Exalted Creature Heav'n's Blest Affinity partakes Virtue the Marriage and Relation makes She stands between A Reconciling not Dividing Screen 'T is Love alone That can Two Spirits joyn in One. V. Being which in its Notion's spacious room All possible Perfections does enwomb Could not in her whole Line a Scale contrive By Steps at Heav'n t' arrive Add new Gradations until You fill All the far-stretched Length in Numbers Row In multiply'd Excesses let Proportions grow and grow Still still that Entity sinks infinitely Infinity below Let Great Creation exert its utmost Skill It's Product's but deep Nothing 's Valley to Heav'n's Topless Hill Whither t' arrive transcends oh far transcends Impossible Unless Great Virtue Heav'n's next Neighbour stand On th' top of Causes Climax and there lend a hand To help the Lame tho' Winged Spirits on high T' attain and reach th' else-Inaccess'ble Deity VI. d Thy Essence is of Harmony composed e That Old Philosopher had said true Had he meant You Soul to the World and our Souls too A Map of Symmetry Best Epitomizes Thee In Order's perfect'st Mould disposed f Order as when New Coyn'd in Heav'n's High Mint Retaining still the All-Wise All-Good Finger's Print A Calm Sereneness is thy proper Grace Smooth as a smiling Angel's Face g Oh thou' rt all Smile Smile shadows best thy Feature One constant serious Smile of well-pleas'd Nature A never-clouded Genuine Smile Not coyn'd fond Lovers to beguile To tempt Loose Vanity Or guild some Complemental Lye Thou 'st better Arts T'eamour Hearts Thy Strict Chast Cold yet Mild and Sweet Indifferency All Love is Feavour and Physick needs Which thy Just Temperament exceeds VII When thou breath'st thy Breath is Prayer Exhaling Thee in Perfum'd Ayre In such Ayr Angels wave their Wings With such Ayr the Seraph sings Such Ayr the Heavenly Dove Wafts down or if above h Seemingly a while it stays i This Ayr our interchanged sighs conveys Thro' such Ayr Kind Heav'n
peccans ignorat Every one that sins is to some degree Ignorant How far Ignorance is Culpable or Excusable belongs to that Great Judge to determine who knows the Heart Only this we can certainly affirm in common by the Light we have from Christian Principles that whenever the affection to any Creature so besots and Blinds us that we do not Love Heaven above all things but fail in those Duties which only can dispose us to attain it we are plunging our Souls into that sad condition which unrepented of must inevitably bring us to Eternal Misery when our Jolly Days so carelesly spent are past which God only knows how few they may be c To illustrate this Point held by some Great Divines we may reflect that as when in other Animals the Brain is Full of Species or Particles receiv'd from any Object that is agreeable to their Natures it happens that by this Total possessing of the Fancy abundance of Spirits are sent forth thence into other parts whence the Animal becomes Active and Eager to pursue it which Principle or Power of Acting we use to call Appetite or Sensitive Love of it In the same manner when in a Rational Creature or Man the Vnderstanding is Wholly taken up with the Knowledge of Heaven clearly appearing to it as its onely True and Eternal Good that Fullness of Heavenly Thoughts excludes and hinders the Co-existence much more the Competition of the deluding and seducing Appearances of Transitory Goods whence the whole Man strains towards the attainment of it and becomes Active to pursue which Knowledge now made a strong Practical Judgment and Operative does the same that the Will uses and is to do and therefore say they 't is the same Power which we call the Will Whence the Great St. Austin no less solidly than acutely says that the Understanding and Will do differ as Luna semiplena and plena that is as the Moon Half-full and Full. To apply this to our Point in hand In the same manner that these Powers called the Understanding and Will do differ so in the same proportion according to this Opinion must Knowledge and Love of Heaven that is Science and Virtue which are the Acts or rather Habits of those Powers be distinct also and the Difference between them if we take Knowledge as in its perfect State is this that the One is consider'd as receiv'd from Outward Objects and perfecting the Soul interiourly as it is Intellective and the Other as it has respect to those Acts it is to produce and to the End it is apt to work for or pursue The Usefulness of this Doctrine may seem to evince its Truth For hence we may clearly see that the only secure way to resist Temptations to avoid Sin to raise our Souls to Heaven and keep them up at that pitch and in a word to manage our Actions so as to attain to Salvation consists in this that either we fix and rivet in our Minds by wise Reflexions strong and steady Habitual Judgments of the Incomparable Good of Heavenly Bliss and of the Nothingness in comparison of all Temporary Goods which is the Way Proper for the Learned and more Elevated Souls Or else by Frequent Dints and Impressions made by constant Prayer Devout Reading Pious Discourses Vse of Sacraments c. To lay up in our Souls Great store of Spiritual Ideas and Express conceits of Heavenly Objects so that they may be ready and at hand to make head against and subdue the Weaker Band of the Impressions made by False Goods assaulting our Fancies with their Glossy and Sophisticate appearances and Tempting us to follow their Sinful Suggestions For our constant Experience informs us upon a Cursory Reflexion that we never Conquer in our Spiritual Warfare but when we are well furnisht with such Heavenly Ideas which keep our Soul upon her Guard and Fortify her with the Lively Representations of our True Good and that on the other side we are never Overcome but when thro' our Neglecting to stand prepared for our Christian Battel we have either Rang'd but a Thin Troop of Heavenly Thoughts on Reasons fide or else thro' our Slack Discipline we keep them not Watchful to repell the Fiery Darts of Concupiscence which our Ghostly Enemy makes use of when he assails us Whence Assiduity and Constancy in our Spiritual Exercises and Devout Duties not for Fashions sake but out of a Sincere and True Intention to bear up to Heaven is the Only Sure and Effectual way to attain it and whenever we grow Careless and Negligent in performing those Duties we do most certainly lie Expos'd to the Stratagems of our Adversary the Devil and are in imminent danger of being Spiritually Wounded by Sin and if that Wound be Mortal of Spiritual Death Eternal Damnation e Had all Men Perfect Science of the Excellency of Heavenly Bliss of which we onely Treat here Faith would not be needful for that particular neither if all other Respects were Equal would there be so much Sin in the World Which is one Reason why the Saints in Heaven are absolutely incapable of Sinning or falling from their Happy State f By considering the Particularities found in each Piece of Nature apart which thus singled out become fit to be the Objects of the several Sciences that Treat of them Whereas were those Distinct Considerations blended together confusedly as they are found in the Thing it self our Imperfect way of Knowing being unable to comprehend the whole Object and all the several Respects that belong to it at one Intuitive View as do the Angels and consequently not being able to fathom it we could not have any Science at all of it g To accomplish a Soul in Exact Virtue either our own Knowledge enabling us to look thorowly into Christian Principles and our own Interiour or the Guidance of Skilful and Knowing Spiritual Directors is absolutely necessary without which many Imperfections and Deviations from the straight Rule of Christian Morality must needs happen h That is what 's Uneven and Inconsistent what Tepid and Weak thro' want of Habitual Steadiness and â—â—rmness and what 's against the Exact Rule of Christ's most Immaculate Law or beside that Rule i It being too tedious and indeed impertinent to mention the other Liberal Sciences notice is here taken of Musick onely which is us'd in all Publick Solemnities as an Incitement to Devotion and absolutely necessary for Sacred Poesie Psalms and Hymns in which the most Soul-melting Strains of Piety are deliver'd k An Intellectual or Spiritual Nature FINIS