Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n
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A26856
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Additions to the poetical fragments of Rich. Baxter written for himself and communicated to such as are more for serious verse than smooth.
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Baxter, Richard, 1615-1691.
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1683
(1683)
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Wing B1180A; ESTC R26683
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25,832
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82
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ADDITIONS TO THE POETICAL FRAGMENTS OF Rich Baxter Written for himself and Communicated to such as are more for serious Verse than smooth LONDON Printed for B. Simmons at the Three Golden Cocks at the West-end of St. Pauls 1683. A Supplement TO THE POETICAL FRAGMENTS I. Grace GOds perfect Power did this great World Create Gods perfect Wisdome all in Order Plac't Gods perfect Goodness made all very Good But Sin Gods Image on Mans Soul defac't Power caus'd Necessity and Wisdome Order And both by Goodness caused Harmony All in one perfect Frame Gods Glory shew Praise him and please him with pure Melody Sin could not change Necessity nor that Disorder which God fixt above Mans reach But the Free Lord Free Agents also made And there by Sin Fâ—â—â—e-Will did make the breach This Breach to Man was Punishment it self For God before had order'd Nature so That Poyson would cause Pain Wounds cause smart And Sin to Sinners Misery and Woe Goodness is Love delighting to do good Wisdome resolves this fowl breach to repair And make advantage of Mans Sin and Woe Iustice and Mercy largely to declare Hurt is soon done the Wound was quickly made The Cure must be performed by degrees A Saviours Grace must exercised be Wisdome with Love to do the Work decrees Mans Soul Incorruptible Substance is Essential Life not made it self to die It s final State then like it self will be Durable Happyness or Misery But it is plac't in Corruptible Flesh And the Compounded Frame that 's called Man Must be dissolv'd for Sin hath caused death And Flesh must turn to Earth whence it began But He who Mans Salvation undertook Is perfect Primitive Life Light and Love And will give Compound Life again to Man In joyful Glory with Himself above But as in Nature God great difference made Stones are not Men all have their proper place Men are not Stars and Stars are not the Sun So he will make great difference in Grace Man is not helpless left to mear despair Life is again made possible to all The former terms of Innocence now cease Mercies all Sinners to Repentance call A Law of saving Grace is newly made All that accept it and consent shall live Trust but a Saviour for that blessed Life And he will freely Grace and Glory give But yet Mans Life on Earth a Warfar is Gods Grace and Satans Malice daily Fight And all that will be Sav'd must overcome Sin 's vanquished by Grace Darkness by Light Each part their Captain have they their bands Not made by Force but Doctrine and Consent Each Man as Rational and Free Commands One draws to Sin the other to Repent Sin hath its Punishment the worst within When for neglect of Grace God it suspends But the correction of the Flesh for Sin Furthers Repentance and the Soul amends Thus all on Earth have some degrees of Grace Which Reason tells us they should not abuse Which bringeth some so far to Adam's case They stand or fall as they these Mercies use But God will not his Grace at randome give And leave the event to uncertainty But hath his Chosen who shall surely live In whom his saving Grace shall never die The two first Brothers did this War begin he killed and conquer'd who was first by birth He that seemd Conquer'd Triumphed by death The Victor's a curst Vagabond on Earth This War continu'd is unto this day Between the Holy and the Serpents seed These Brothers the prognostick Instance were Of all that ever after should succeed But the worst War is inward Grace and Sin The controversie daily there debate That which the Final Victory doth win Determineth Mans everlasting state A Law of Grace thus made to all Mankind In Adam and Noe common roots of all Ill entertainment with fall'n Man did find Who mostly to Idolaty did fall The strength of Sin is Love to Flesh and World And averse strangness to a better life It stronger grew by custome and abhor'd All motions tending to the Souls relief But Gods Electing Grace shall not be void In Abel Henoch Noe he this declar'd But specially in Abraham whose great Faith He with a special Promise did reward Not calling back the common Law of Grace He chose his Seed as a peculiar Nation Gave them a proper Law and of them rais'd The Lord Incarnate Author of Salvation Yet was their Dignity most Typical As was their Law to shew what God would doe When he the Nations unto Christ would call And build his Church as Catholick anew Sin soon prevail'd their Land was dry and small Seldome from under Enemies and Wast But they Gods Oracles preserv'd for us And from their Vine we all Salvation tast But as in Nature God works by degrees From Seed to Infancy from thence to Youth From thence to Manhood and Maturity So did he in revealing Grace and Truth Faln Man his Infancy and Childhood had In the old Laws dark Types and Prophesies But in times fulness God Incarnate came The Sun of Righteousness to Man did rise Three Laws he did fulfil one as a Man Once made for all Another as a Jew The third as Saviour proper to himself Then for his Church he made another new He Preacht Gods Will Proclamed saving Grace Brought to light Life and Immortality Declar'd Gods Love shew'd Man Gods pleased Face A Sacrifice for sinful Man did die He came to conquer Satan destroy Sin And heal sick Souls of Worldly Fleshly Love To raise the Earthly Mind of Man to God And bring him to a better Life above Words were too weak for this his works must do it He was to teach Man how to bear the Cross To deny Life and live above this World For Heav'n to count all here as Dung and Loss Wonder of Wonders God appears in Flesh Preacheth to Sinners calls them home to God Dies for them as a Sinner on a Cross Till the Third day among the Dead Abode Himself the greatest Wonder many wrought Heal'd all diseases gave the blind their Sight Raised the Dead by present bare Command Long before many in the open Light The Third day rose from Death stay'd Forty days Describes his Laws Church-Covenant and Seals Commissions his Apostles promiseth His Spirit which all saving truth Reveals Ascendeth up to Heaven before their Eyes And before Multitudes at Pentecost Gives them the gift of Miracles and Tongues By giving them the promis'd Holy Ghost They Preach Christ to the World speak various Tongues Work Miracles Heal Sickness Raise the Dead Convey this Power and Spirit unto others Thus through the World the word of Life they Spread These many Wonders not in Corners wrought Converted Thousands Conquer'd unbelief But above all his great Convincing Works The Spirits Sanctifying Grace was Cheif The erring know the Truth Fools are made Wise The Proud made humble Wrathful ones made meek The worlds fondâ—lovers now do it despise Kill fleshly Lusts and Heavenly Glory seek Sin is a hated
great Turk Tartarian or Mogul No King so Mighty as the Devil is Nor hath Dominions so large as his Yet would no wise Man such a Devil be That he might be as powerful as he If any would be such his own desire Makes him a Devil fitted for Hell Fire Madness cal'd Wisdom is and Rules in chief With all that cannot see beyond this Life To them that see not beyond Flesh and Blood And tast no better than these Senses Food That know not the true everlasting good Nothing on Earth is rightly understood The Heavenly Light must open Sinners Eyes Before they ever will be truly Wise One real prospect of the Life to come A true belief whither Mens Souls are gone Would more felicitating Wisdom give Than foolish sensual Men will now believe Call not that Wisdom which will end in shame VVhich undoes him who by it wins the Game A Wit that can decieve himself and others VVit to destroy his own Soul and his Brothers VVit that can prove that Sins a harmless thing That Sin 's no Sin or no great hurt will bring That with the Serpent can give God the Lie And say believe not God you shall not die VVit that can prove that God speaks but in jest That present Fleshly Pleasue is Mans best VVit that can prove Gods Wisdom is deceiv'd And sacred Scriptures should not be receiv'd VVit to confute Gods Word reject his Grace Lose time Sin boldly post toward Hell apace Defend the Devils Cause his own Damnation Slight God neglect a Saviour and Salvation Call not that Wisdom which Men would disown And wish at last that they had never known To go with honour ease and sport to Hell And there with shame late repentance dwell Truth is for Goodness Wisdom's Use and End To which true Learning and just Studies tend Is that this may be throughly understood To be Good do Good and get endless Good False Wit emploi'd in hurting other Men VVrites its own Death in Blood with its own Pen It forceth many to their self-defence VVho fain would live in quiet Innocence Kites Foxes Wolves have wit to cath their prey Yet harmless Sheep live quietter than they Men keep their Flocks that they may multiply So that but few by Wolves and Lyons die But hurtful ravenous Beasts all men pursue While all destroy them there remains but few Some slight Gods Word because weak Men abuse it VVhat 's Law or Reason then when all misuse it Men will not despise God nor sin nor die But they will give a learned Reason why What is so false which Wit cannot defend And that by Volumes confidently pen'd Reason can justifie the greatest wrong The basest lie can hire a Learned Tongue What Cause so vile that cannot Wit Suborn Men will not without Reason be forsworn Reason can make Rogues of the best of Men And make a Church of Saints a Serpents Den Can make usurping Lucifer a Saint And Holy Martyrs like to Devils paint Even Reverend Wit can by transforming Skill Make Hereticks and Schismaticks at will It can prove white is black and black is white That night is day and grossest darkness Light Say what you will Reason can prove it true What is 't that drunken Reason cannot do How rare is that blest place that Age or Season Which may not own this Character of Reason And must we therefore brutishness prefer Because well used Reason is so rare But when the Drunken frenzie fit is gone And Devils their deceiving work have done VVhen Death the dreaming Sinner doth awake O what a dreadful change doth God then make Then wise Men only are the pure and just VVho Christ who God obey and in him trust III. Madness LOrd is not Man though lodg'd in Flesh and Blood A noble Vital intellectual Spirit Thou maid'st him in thine Image wise and good Earths Paradise Heav'ns Suburbs to inherit How comes a Reasonable human Soul Transform'd by such a Monstrous ugly change Into a Bruitish Raging Wicked Fool To God himself and wisdom blind and strange Thou gav'st him sight who hath put out his Eyes Thou gav'st him knowledg who hath made him mad Ev'n Satan promising to make him wise Thou mad'st him holy Sin hath made him bad Did not endeavours blessed by thy Grace Restore some Holy Wisdom in thine own The Souls which Sin and Satan did deface Would not from Bruits Devils well be known It s strange in Man how these two twisted be To be a Bruit and a Malignant Devil Folly and wickedness too well agree A fool to goodness is wise to do evil Children do quickly learn to serve the Flesh Their Pride their Appetite and their Self-will Eager for every thing that these can wish But little knowing what is good or ill Their Sense and Fancie do so strongly Rage That Teachers speak in vain Flesh will not hear Bruitishness gets advantage by their Age Till Grace comes in and opens heart and eare Depraved Nature made by custom worse Makes Reason now a fetter'd slave to Sense Increased Sin becomes a double Curse Fights against God and is its own Defence As Flesh grows up so Sense and Fancie grow Lust and vain Pleasure now do Tyranize What crosseth these they hate would not know And raging Flesh abhoreth to be wise Yet wise in wickedness they needs will seem They can confute their Teachers with a breath All that reproves them they as error deem And become Advocates for Sin and Death And now the same who Infant-Christians were And did renounce the Flesh the World Devil Flesh World and Devils serious Servants are And Christ blaspheme as Patron of their Evil. Now God and Conscience seem their greatest foes God as above them doth controle their lust He that pleads Conscience for an Enemy goes And all that 's done against him goes for just God's call'd to Sinners Bar and there condemn'd As heading Rebels that do him obey Before those fools his Laws are all contemn'd Christ must be taught to think and say as they And being once engag'd in Satans war His daring Souldiers they are quickly made But little wit and labour needful are To learn the Lying Hating Hurting Trade Now valiant Bedlam drunken devillish wit Conquers resistance Triumphs over all Fights against all that help not or submit To bring Church Kingdoms Souls to Satans thral O what a busie Trade mad worldlings drive They talk they ride they run contend fight With craft they plot with fraud and force they strive For fleshly Lust and poysonous Delight As the fleet Swallows glides to catch a Flie And toylsom Ants do gather Sticks and Straw At dearer rates Men purchase Vanity For Satan Lust and Madness make their Law May they but a sick Mortal Lust fulfil Get Money Houses Land and large Revenews Look big and make all stoop to their proud will Feast drink and play and keep a great Retinue This is the dreaming happiness of Fools Life spent for this and