nourishment prove thy greater destruction Desir'st to have the Father to hear thee to accept thee Say the Prayer that his Son taught thee Say it intentively zealously heartily understandingly and 't is enough The Son directs thee to the Father and puts words into thy mouth to that purpose If thou wilt be reckoned amongst the wise neglect them not If thou wilt not be numbred amongst the Froward and the Despisers refuse them not Seem not wiser then Wisdom it self lest the Wisdom that thou admirest so much in thine own eyes prove altogether foolishness A short prayer is too long for a wandring mind a short prayer is best for a weak Devotion Thy Devotion at the best is apt to tyre for a little way The Publicans Lord have mercy upon me A sinner may save thee sooner then a long Tautologie of Words then many a Lord Lord made use on to fill up disorderly vacuities immethodical matter and non-sence haesitations If thou wouldst have Prayers for thy particular wants for several occasions Go to holy David's box of precious Balsam Use this or the like Turn thee unto me and have mercy upon me for I am desolate and afflicted The troubles of my heart are enlarged O bring me out of my distresses Look upon mine afflictions and my pain and forgive all my sins Consider mine enemies for they are many and they hate me with cruel hatred O keep my soul and deliver me Let me not be ashamed For I put my trust in thee Then let thy mouth sing forth his praise and God even thy God shal give thee his blessing Rejoyce in his holy Name Yea let them that seek the the Lord rejoyce Psal. 105. 3. Desinat apte Liber non Laus pietate Secundus Wise Traveller through Wildernesse does lead The Christian Pilgrim teaching where to tread From Feind in Worlds Way Foes he warnes his Freind Through Deepe vp Steepe shewes Heavn's his Iourneys end F. Barlow fecit The Third Book THE Pilgrim's Passe TO THE LAND OF THE LIVING Sil. Ital. Explorant adversa viros perque aspera duro Nititur adlaudem Virtus interrita clivo Crosses the boldest Courages assail Let what can come stout Virtue must prevail OR Affliction tries the Man But 's Vertue strains Through all Opposals till the Top he gains The Encouragement NAture is so apt to tire especially in so great a journey as it was but reason to give her some repose And there could not be a fitter place wherein to rest her afflicted Head and wearied Feet then in the House of Prayer A place of no less safety then Refreshment where there are Viands of all sorts as well to entertain the strongest Appetites as to settle please and nourish the more crasie stomacks Through a Wilderness is an uncomfortable Passage no better is this World stuff't with Thorns and Bryars stor'd with Thicks and Woods fill'd with Rocks and stones inhabited by wilde Beasts and savage Creatures replenished with dangers and difficulties of all sorts But chear up The worst is behinde the and having so well Refreshed thou canst not faint Thou art a Pilgrim and art used to Travel Thou canst not now but with delight move on Get but up upon Faiths Mount and thou shalt discover the holy Land Such a sight will ravish thee such a Hope will sharpen thy Desires and keep thee from ever growing weary Thou wilt then on lively and rejoyce that thou art in the way to so excellent a Countrey that thou art so near thy journeys end A better End then thou couldest expect or hope for To this end mayst thou safely hasten It is thy happiness Thus mayst thou with a holy kind of Impatience long to be loosed but it must be that thou mayst be with Christ. I need not call away I find thee me thinks so reudy to go Then on in Gods name BOOK III. CANTO VII The Mount of Faith 1. THou canst not stay 'T is High 't is Craggie way That to the Mount of Faith does lead Hear'st not one call as if he preach't to Day Be wary of thy steps As he does call so tread 2. Now look about Th' ast past ore stumbling doubt See some asleep upon that side That blinde Guides cast the further way about With Images inarm'd in Dreams lay round about their Guid. 3. On th' other Hand A Rout there there a Band Imaginations way advance Each Zeal makes Noise as at it does understand Each does 'gainst t'other cry so to Pantheon dance 4. The Praeco calls Still still beware of Falls For now your way grows sharp and steep You must climb over rugged stones like Walls Set footing wisely Hold by hands And sometimes creep 5. That way deceives And them of wit bereaves For thinking still they upward go Hypocrisie them draws and never leaves Till she doth cast them down to Pride that 's fall'n Below 6. The Top appears The blew Skyes brightness clears Even into holy Heaven you see The fresh green grass is gemm'd with pearly Tears And Faith's Pavillion stands near Figs fruit bearing Tree 7. The Tents wide Door A Dam'sel sits before Within A Chair made like a Heart Her eyes to Heaven do plead for Mercies store Her Lefts erect Right hand on breast is plac't athwart 8. So Faith dispos'd Her Shield is there disclos'd Salvations Helmet also Shows Truth 's Girdle wrought all Lilli'd ore and Ros'd Th ' Righteous Brest-Plate Words Sword Gospel-Shooe deck Rows 9. Upon her Shield Of Gules the bloody Field To make her Foes amaz'd in Fight Resplendently a Cross of Or doth guild With which fierce World false Flesh Hels Craft she puts to flight 10. Nor far from hence On place of Eminence Atenariff that 's mounted high A Lady deck't with Beauties Excellence Stands firm by Cable holding Anchor'd in the skye 11. A Fount near these In dimpled Vale doth please A flying Statue bears Loves Name Whose Breasts run Cream into Pacifick Seas By Cestern fil'd from Milkie way in th' heavenly Frame 12. Where th'Hungry feed The Sick that Cordials need Cure from blest Hand of Charis finde Who still delights to do a Pious Deed And th'helpless helps the Naked clothes and leads the Blind PERSPECTIVE VII 1. THe Mount of Faith It is so called for the Loftinesse of the Position of the Place above the neighb'ring inferiour Earth To go to the Etymologie of the word A Mount which is the diminutive expression of a Mountain is derived a Monte which is the Latine word for it Whence it doth come there is no little Contest among the Grammarians Quidam a movendo per antiphrasin Some would have it as from Not moving because Mountains are steady in their places Such Vast Bodies stand fixed as irremoveable by Art as they are by Nature A little nearer the matter though much differing from the Sound of the word is their opinion for Moâ—s ab â—minendo quasi eminens as hath been first mentioned Scaliger backs the Sence of a non movendo but
timeri that the Lion is frighted by and stands in awe of the Cock Angui quoque Gallus terrori est The Serpent cannot endure him Basiliscus ipsum horret The Basilisk doth tremble at the sight of this Champion Hunc aiunt mirabile dictu cùm Gallum videre forte contingit animo tremere et cum cucurientem audit tanto terrore concuti ut emoriatur It is scarce to be beleeved what is said of him that when the Basilisk chanceth to see the Cock he is stricken with a strange terrour but when he hears him he is so wonderfully affrighted that he dies upon the place Quam rem non ignorantes qui per immensas Cyrenensium solitudines quae pestem illam et singulare in terris malum gignunt iter faciunt Gallum itineris comitem sibi adjungunt qui cantu suo truculentissimam illam bestiam longè abigat reporteth Aelian lib. 3. c. 31. Whereof those Travailers that passe the dangerous and vast Lybean Deserts which produce such a mischief and where onely a Creature of that pestilent nature is bred and brought forth for safety sake they make the Cock their companion in their Travell who at the Clapping of his wings and the shrillness of his crowing may drive away farr from them a Beast of that horrid countenance There is much more furniture of this sort if the roome were not so small and this place so straight Some are of Opinion that Christ is meant by the Cock in holy Scripture dormientes excitans et quasi calcaribus comminationum that I may use their words pungens stimulans Waking those that laid asleep in sin and security and as it were pricking with the spurs of his threats and striking with the sharp heel of his comminations So Vitriacus Cardinalis Venerable Bede lib. 9. Expos. Tob. c. 7. Interprets thus Gallum puto esse unumquemque Sanctorum qui in nocte tenebris hujus mundi accipiunt per fidem intelligentiam virtutis constantiam clamandi ad Deum ut aspiceret jam dies permanens et amoveantur umbrae vitae praesentis qui urgent item sequenti clamore precum suorum dicentes Emiâ—â—te Lucem tuam et veritatem tuam Quod de Prophetis intelligere possumus qui certatim annunciaverunt Diei et Solis adventum I conceive the Cock to be every one of the Saints that receive in the Night and Darknesse of this world understanding by Faith and the constancy of the virtue of crying to God that the ever living Day might behold them and that the shadowes of this present life may be removed still enforcing their continued cryes and petitions in these words Let thy light and thy trueth break forth Which we may likewise understand of the Prophets who in a manner strived to exceed one another in the annunciation of the comming of the Day and the Sun But nearer our matter is their Verdict that apply it to the Messengers of the Gospel Gallus succinctus lumbos id est praedicatores inter hujus noctis tenebras verum manè nunciantes The Cock that hath his loins girt is the Preacher of the word who declares the Truth betimes in the morning amidst the darknesse of this night Praedicator quisque plus actibus quam vocibus insonet et bene vivendo vestigia sequacibus imprimat ut potius agendo quam loquendo quo gradiatur ostendat quia et Gallus ipse cum jam edere cantus parat prius alas excutit et semetipsum feriens vigilantiorem reddit The Preacher must sound by his life as well as his doctrine and by living well Leave to his followers the footsteps of a good example that he may shew them their way whither they are to goe rather by good deeds than words by the hand and the foot rather than the Tongue Because the very Cock when he prepares himself to crow first smites his wings and striking himself makes himself the more watchful His Note is Hora est jam nos de somno surgere It is time that we should awake from sleep from sin Evigilate justi Nolite peccare Awake unto righteousnesse sin not The Cock then is the Preacher The wild Beasts are the World the Flesh and the Devill The crowing of the Cock is the Publication of the Cospel which remembred Peter when he denied his Master The frighting of those wild Beasts is the repelling and driving away Temptations But Simia odit Gallum the Ape the world doth hate despiseth his Voice and with the deaf Adder stoppeth his eares though the Charmer charmeth never so wisely Here Self by Self does Resignation dwell In the Farm in the Soul does Resignation inhabite In God's Promises in the obedience to his will and Commandements does Christianity rest self by self laying by and casting off all manner of self confidence or trust in any worldly help or strength onely submitting unto Divine Pleasure and God's Dispose Within a spatious Farm of doing well A godly Life and Conversation He payes Himself for Rent No coin needs tell Here the Will is taken for the whole Man so is the Will accepted at Gods Hands for the Deed. No Coin needs tell God delighteth in Obedience rather than Sacrifice Mans Self is the best payment to be tendred unto God being enstamped in his Creation with the Image of Himself and being as it were new minted in his Redemption But every New Year sends to 's Lord a Heart At his Regeneration and being renewed in the Spirit he presents what his Lord reserves Da mihi Cor Give me thy Heart that belongeth unto God only and is the best New Years Gift to the Master of All. A Wreath of Laurel Is Praise unto his Holy Name and everliving acknowledgement for all his Blessings especially for that of our Salvation Or a winged Dart Is Prayer that flies up to Heaven that sticketh and remaineth there which is for assisting Grace or for whatsoever the Soul standeth in need of Such is his Tenure which for all he payes in part This is the Jew and Christian commanded to do by the Commandments in the Law and by the Love that is required in the Gospel He that loveth me keepeth my Commandments saith our blessed Lord and Saviour Yet the most Righteous cannot be perfect in this World he payeth but part for all his Dutie and with an earnest Will it is accepted too through Faith in Christ. All is the Lords and he pleaseth to accept our acknowledgement He requireth only that we glorifie him for all his Benefits 5. The Lord say some and those say well All acknowledge not the Lord only his Elect know by Faith who God is and where he dwelleth Above th' Empyraean Hill aloft doth dwell Heaven is his Throne The Glory of his Seat can none that 's Mortal tell It is ineffable Neither Eye hath seen nor Ear hath heard nor can Heart conceive nor can it enter into the Thought of Man the wonderful things that are
to Gods Will a Christian Patience whereby Grace is obtained to have our wounded Souls healed Heat Signifies Presumption the effect of Prosperity Sharp Lemons Adversity or the Apprehension of God's Justice Sands Intimates dangerous Melancholy or Possession of Satan by Sin which is charmed by the Power of the Word the Harp of the Scripture Sweating Browes and digging up the Grounds Some labour against Temptations by Alteration of Former Life and take pains by Reformation of Bad Manners and Sinfull Courses to mortifie the Flesh. 7. Instead of Thorns The former wounding of Sin and the obscuring of Truth by wickednes appears A Bush of Rosemary which is a Strengthener of the Head and Memory Christ appears that is the Fountain of Knowledge and Pillar of Understanding By Him flowes the wisdome of the Father and in him is the Stedfastnesse of the Truth The Woodbine is Faith which is strengthned by the application of it self unto Christ. The Cuppes of Flowers Are pious workes which manifest such Faith in Christ unto the world 8. Briars Sinfulnesse did overrun our wild Lapsed Natures The Vine Is Our Saviour Our Redeemer With ripening Grapes With Joy and Comfort Escapes As overcomming Sufferings Persecutions c. For Soul's Comfort lifting up his rising Head For Salvation of those that were lost after his Passion here He is ascended up to become Mediatour and to come Judge 9. Ragged Souls Are Sinners who are liable to the Sentence of Condemnation by The Law that finding their desperate Condition Seem to plough the Earth with their shoulder make no account of Themselves are humbled and lay prostrate with the Confession of their Faults before The Throne of Grace that with Contrition of Heart Seem to tear up their Ungodly Courses Sowing the Droppes of Repentance with the Vow of Reformation entring into a new Covenant with God to walke and persevere in his wayes Such Grace causeth A Hopeful Crop appear by Faith in Gods promises the Assurance of Pardon Forgivenesse of Sins and Hope of Everlasting Hapinesse 10. Sad blest Place Are Sanctified Afflictions and Crosses Roughest way Difficulties that are unpleasant to Nature Rocks and Hills Are great Temptations and Smaller Trials Grinding Mils Are Persecution in this world While Shining Sun While Life lasts 11. Bottom flatt Is Adversity These Streams overflow Are Sorrowes and Tears Exceeding low Comfortlesse Neer Despair with dejection and no Opinion of Our Selves dwels profound Humility In a Cell In Solitude like A Hermit alone whom All love but Few Visit. 12. A Crown in A Clowd Is the Reward of Hereafter Seen onely by the Eye of Faith Eastern Place A hint of the Resurrection when Christ will come in Glory to Judge and reward Grace Comes towards us if we will turn to meet with it O happy then Then the Slight Affections of This World shall be recompenced with Eternal Joy and Blisse Everlasting MORAL IV. THough many Temptations do and must assault us for the better threshing out the Corn and winnowing out the Chaffe to sift away and Seperate the Drosle and Cockle from the Wheate if rightly understood they are the Friends though of a harsh Tongue yet Speake the best language For many Benefits arise from Tribulation to the better fitting and preparing us for the Journey to Heaven-ward which the godly man expecteth and a wise man ought to undertake And if Tribulation be well searcht into we shall find therein more reason of Reioycing than of Sorrow we shall rather love our Tears for Cleansing the Foulnesse of our Sinful Eyes and be cheared at Heart when our Repentance works upward that by Such watering the Mercy of God may be obtained whereby becoming fruitful we may grow from Grace to Grace having This Comfort That Sorrow may continue for a Night but Ioy cometh in the Morning Most sweetly speaks S. Bernard Lachrymae poenitentium sunt vinum Angelorum quia in illis odor vitae saepor Gratiae gustus indulgentiae sanitas redeuntis innocentiae reconciliationis jucunditas serenatae Conscientiae suavitas The Tears of the Penitent are the Wine of Angels For therein is the fragrant Perfume of Life the sweet smelling savour of Grace the quick and pleasant Taste of Forgivenesse the strong and Beautie-bringing health of returning Innocence the only Mirth the rejoycing of Reconciliation and no such sweetnesse to that Delight that Pleasure as after a dark and stormie day to enjoy a cleared Conscience So S. Chrysostom Sicut post vehementes imbres mundus Aer ac purus efficitur Ita post Lachrymarum pluvias serenitas mentis sequitur atque tranquillitas As the Air becomes fair and clear after the fiercenesse of stormie Showres the brightnesse and tranquillity of the minde appears after the sweet fall of Rainie Tears And S. Gregory upon the Twentieth Psalm Saepè quod torpentes latuit fletibus innotescit afflictae mens certius invenit malum quod fecerat reatum suum cujus secura non meminit hunc in se commota deprehendit Tears draw the Curtain and discover unto those whom Drowsinesse had lodg'd upon the Bed asleep what oftentimes hath laid so silent in the dark then is made manifest that evil to the afflicted Minde which it hath committed then in the strugling with and rowzing of its self the soul brings to light even that her own Guilt whereof while she slept secure before she was not mindful PROSPECT IV. OF Time-to come there dawns A Day That questions Now what Then to Say To That This seems A Gloomie Night How else forget so many Light A stormy Night of Rain and showers In which Tears bath our living Howers Wax Tapers burne and leave sweet Fume While Candles with ill Sent consume All ore A Storm the Clouds vnfold The Waters rage The Winds are bold The searchlesse Deep does open lay The roaring Seas make wide Death's way The woful Mariners do cry With whom The Pilot's Voice doth Vye Some throw out Goods And well For These Seem ' sswage the Fury of the Seas The winds forsake the late-torne Sails And change into the milder Gales How Happie 's He that gains his Port And is not Billowes Prey but Sport CONSOLATORY ESSAY IV. ADam had no sooner transgress'd in the Garden but Shame ran him into a Corner The Light was too bright for him He hid himself He thought he was Out of God's Eye but he found he was not out of His Call Adam where art thou It is his pleasure still to put The Question to His People And for whom He hath Love He most strictly examines Does He whip thee yea scourge thee till the bloud comes Thou answear'st Him by thy Patience or Repining Does He command thee crosse to thy will Thou answer'st him by thy Obedience or Perversenes Does He open the Door of thy Knowledge by Revealing Some things and Shutting it up Close in Others Thou answear'st Him by thy Humility or Curiosity All that He does is for Thy Good But He will Not
this groaning the crying out and roaring of thine afflictions Be patient thou art a Christian. Chear up Thou hast heaven before thee Thy journey is not long Blessed are they which mourn for they shall be comforted Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven Blessed are ye when men shall revile you and persecute you and say all manner of evil against you falsly for my sake So preached Christ in the Mount Rejoyce and be exceeding glad For great is your reward in Heaven For so persecuted they the Prophets that were before you In patience therefore possesse your souls saith this Apostle S. Paul Be patient Many are the troubles of the righteous but the Lord delivers them out of all CANTO X. The Ruins of Mortification 1. BEtween two Hills as those of Faith and Hope Thou goest into a gloomy Glade Where Groves of Yew do cast their shade Thou findest there a Pallace that had scope Balconies Rooms of pleasure large and long With Arras and with Pictures hung With Aviarie's sweets where wanton voices sung 2. All now dropt down within on Ruin's Tomb Lay buri'd in a rubbish Graff As Corn within a heap of Chaff The Persons and the lustie of each Room Where numbers dwelt before now 's desolate And whispers tell the walls their state The ruin'd place of flesh is sad Necrosis Gate 3. The Gate-house onely stands The other Walls Do seem to shoulder friendless Ayre There melancholy Bats repair Each screetching Owl to one another calls Aside this Gate-house down some steps do turn Into a Vault where 's many an Um Which she with Ashes fills of Flesh that late did burn 4. About this hollow room lye gasping sins That usually before they dye Do give a groan or make a cry Which nought from her of soft compassion wins She upward looketh with a pleased eye That dead their wickedness there lye While on a Tomb with Arm across she sitteth by 5. Her Right hand underneath her breast is plac't Her Left upon a Yoke doth lean Her right foot Fear-wash't very clean Upon an Earthly Globe treads that 's defac't Her bare Left 's set upon the gelid Ground That sheweth here and there a Wound Whose bleeding drops preserve her body ever sound 6. Upon her shoulders she doth bear a Cross Which makes her bend a little down Shee 's very lovely but shee 's brown And listens not to oft-brought News of losse From off a stone a Lamp doth glimmer light As day were mixt with some of night And near the Wall Sculs Letters form words Life does write 7. Such even composure of each mortal Head Seems lively Truth in death to speak Whose Language doth not silence break Your life is hid with Christ in God Y' are dead When Christ that dy'd to make us living here Who is Our Life brings glory near In Glory then shall also ye with him appear 8. Without the Gate an aged Porter stands Most gravely casting up his eye Neglecting who so passeth by On Crosier leaning both his clasped hands And to the curious does deny his Name He has a reason for the same He he expecteth Glory for his scorned fame 9. Behold pursu'd by many furious Hounds From ore the hills a deadly Chase In that spoyl'd Grove's his heavy Case The Stagge doth fall and weepeth to his wounds While th'Huntsmen winde the death of this their prize A live Hart from dead Stagge doth rise Starts up they all pursue for Prey Past reach he flies 10. A wanton woman see in this fair Grove Drest all with fashions and with toys Discarding powdred Singing-boys Does change her Vest as she does change her Love She bids them all Be gone And leave her there That shade admits no fierce heat near They gone On firie breast oft drops a cooling tear 11. But see a Hagge that 's filthy and obscene Descends into a purging Spring How 'bout her water she does fling Throw by her putrid clothes And make her clean Sweet Youth and Beauty then to her return Her scorn does former Garments spurn She hideth 'mong the trees Desires to Death doth mourn 12. There lyes by wrath fell Anger 's Garment torn From whom wild Fury rends his cloaths Away throws Blasphemy his Oaths Her wrought long Gown layes Malice by forlorn Concupiscence does naked run and cry All follow her to th' Vault that 's nigh And falling there before Necrosis howl and dye PERSPECTIVE X. THe Sense and meaning of the Title of this Canto is Obvious enough to learned Understandings But Feminine mindes are of a weaker Apprehension for whom since there hath been already so much pains taken as to translate all the Latine Sentences and Verses related out of several Authors upon necessary occasion by the writer hereof He thinketh it very convenient to set down his intention likewise herein Ruins are the Monuments of a former building the carkass of some goodly body the Yesterday of strength and beauty The Reliques and deformity of Rage and sad spectacle of sins disorder Ruins nest is made by War in ashes Ruins Bed is made by peace in Dust. Wrath throws down and demolishes Age brings to decay and discomposes what former Art with many a laborious hand had made for use and fashion'd comely Ruins are the fall of a late standing building Mortification is a making dead a Consumption of life Ruin is a destruction to a building Mortification the Ruine to a Body But this is not the sense of Mortification here Here it is derived à morte from death too but applyed to a greater purpose Totam hominis miseriam Deus complectitur mortis vocabulo The breach of one word of Command introduc't it Disobedience against one Not undid was the Ruine of All. For so we find it in the 17. of the Second of Genesis But of the tree of knowledge of Good and Evil thou shalt not eat of it For in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt dye the death To know Mortification the better let us enquire into the divers sorts or degrees of death and those are four The first is Mors spiritualis a Spiritual death which is the privation of the Spiritual life whereby the whole man is Ruin'd and destroy'd Vivit tantùm peccato He lives to sinne onely And that kinde of Life is the worst of Death Then there is Mors affectionum a death of Affections Quae est privatio primaevae foelicitatis The privation of former Happinesse And that is immissio omnis generis calamitatum The sad inlet of that raging Tide of all sorts of Calamities and all kindes of evil The third is Mors spiritualis vel corporalis a death of the soul and body mistake me not I pray this we call a Natural death which is a privation of this Animal life The last is Mors Aeterna Everlasting death which in holy Scriptures is called a Second death Mortification here claims the nearest kindred to the