Womb Presaging as Aurora doth the Morn A welcome Infant shortly to be born Thus when Expiring Souls do vent their grones Their sighs their sobs and such like dying tones Conclude upon this struggle and this strife The souls new Birth into a better Life Thus shaking off this cold clay clod of Earth It joys to reassume its former birth Fast fixing on the center of its Rest Knows nothing but this one thing to be blest SOUL How doth the Soul forget her noble Birth When she 's confin'd within these Walls of Earth Kissing her shadow courting to her slave Thinking her self no bigger than a grave As if a Bird that 's soaring up on high Should cast her eyes down on the Earth and spie Her shadow there and say that it was I When she 's a climbing up the Towring Sky So doth the Soul by her dear Flesh inclin'd Impress her false opinions on her mind Counting that only true what 's in her sight And what she sees and feels of bulky weight As if a Child pent in its Mothers Womb Sould say the world affords no larger Room So Children fancy there 's no more of Sky Nor Earth than what is bounded by the Eye The folly of our Souls no less appears As in our fancies here so in our fears Fearful of Death who ne're had fearful been Till he put on the Vizard of our sin When e're he strikes me with his gentle Wand And takes me by the cold and clammy Hand He wounds my sin not me since that I dye Only in dear and tender sympathy To this vile Earth of mine which is not I. So have I heard a loving Mother cry When that her Child was stricken Ah! I dye When all 's but love and care and sympathy To her dear Babe for she 's alive as I. These Bodies we dwell in they are but Tents Tenants can live without their Tenements Or in some others dwell nor do we lose This Mortal Life when stripped of our Cloaths Paul wish'd to be dissolv'd to be with Christ Knowing that after death he should exist For tho it was his pleasure for to dye Yet as before so after he was I. And I with Christ and that is all in all St. Paul he was with Christ Christ with St. Paul Can Saints in Paradise e're faint and dye Having the Tree of Life thus standing by Can they fall in Gods Arms thirst at a Well Freeze at a Fire can ever Heaven be Hell Or can a Soul sun'd in the beams of Light Be wrapt in shades of everlasting Night Like to the dying Thief I beg thine Ear For to be open to my constant Pray'r When Death shall spred a cold shute on my Bed And wreath his Poppey Garland on my Head Then close the Casements of my tender Eyes My Soul may close with thee in Paradise Why doth th' Apostle Lord report thy crying With a loud voice when at the point of dying CHRIST When all my Members were upon the Wrack And all the sins o' th' World lay on my Back No wonder that they made so great a crack The Thunder never sent forth such a sound Nor ever Lightning pierc'd so deep a wound It rent the Rocks and made the Earth to quake The Heav'ns went into Mourning for my sake To th' lower parts o' th' Earth my Voice is fled It burst the Tomb-stones and awak'd the Dead Hell heard the Voice too the same poys'ned dart That pierc'd my side did rend the sinners heart All Creatures mourn at my sad obsequies Nature must sink when th' God of Nature dyes SOUL Grant that the Voice which clove the Rocky Pit May pierce my Heart too harder far than it Let my Soul eccho back to this thy grone Shall the Rocks find thee Ears and I have none I' th' Caverns of my Heart let thy voice sound And let it reach the Heav'ns at the rebound My sins thus smote by this thy weighty Rod I safe may say this was the Son of God Hear me Lord too when at the point of Death My strength doth fail me most strengthen my Faith Why is it said or can be said by thee My God! my God! why hast forsaken me CHRIST This is the fruit of that imbitter'd Tree Which once I tasted for the World and thee Which sets thy teeth on edg but mine much more Thou hast the kernells of it I the core O sting of sin all sorrows met in one Such sorrows as were felt but can't be known View O my Child what a great good God is And how thou wast Created for that Bliss As knifes were made to cut and stones do tend With their main force to th' center as their end As Vessels to be fill'd and as a Glass Was only made to represent thy Face So wast thou shap't and form'd for Happiness What Torment Nature finds hence may be guest When she 's with held from th' center of her rest The Object of mans Bliss is infinite Having a quick sense of it in his sprite And tending to it too with all his might To be rent from this bliss is such a loss As ne're was felt on Earth but on my Cross Embosom'd in my Fathers Brest were I None better knew where happiness did lie And must a Cloud withdraw it from my Eye Gods will was mine my nature of the same Born of a Virgin and dy'd like a Lamb Can innocence be made a publike shame I came from Heaven and know what joys were there Reveal'd them too and must I lose them here I was Gods Son Gods Darling too were I. Can God forsake himself his Son and dye The Eccho of thy sin my Child says I. SOUL Hear me O Lord and let thy dying throb Give all my cursed sins their mortal stob How can I bear sins damned Curse for ay Which bow'd the Back of God all in a day Well may the damned wish they ne're had been And call to th' Mountains for to hide them in More ease to bear a Mountain than a sin Lord pardon what is past and I 'le amend Why should I kiss that knife that kill'd my Friend Which cut a wound so deep as ne're did Thunder That rends the Rocks this God himself asunder VVhy did my Lord dying o' th' cursed Post Express his Death by giving up the Ghost CHRIST VVhen Nature most did fail my cries were most To shew how freely I gave up the Ghost None takes away my Life nor none can crave it But God from whence I had it he must have it Know that these dying words this truth implies The Fragrant Odour of my Sacrifice The Pagans thought their Gods would not impart Their favours to a Victim wanting heart Or if it came to pass the beast had cry'd Or loud or strugled before he dy'd VVhen e're the Jew did Sacrifice a Beast It was to be his own and of the best Chiefly a Lamb of pure and spotless Feature A meek a harmless and a gentle Creature
here my Lusts and dare to taste no more O' th' Fruit ' the Tree of Good and Evil bore Y' have tasted of the Apple view the Core Hear O supine Devotion his loud cry So strong so fervent that it pierc'd the Sky His very Prayer was an Agony VVhy didst thou deprecate thy Cup and say Father if possible pass it away 'T was thy Baptismal Cup thou long'st for how Could'st thou desire it once and dread it now CHRIST Oh 't was a dreadful Cup as ne'r was seen Poison'd with Wrath of God and dregs of Sin The greatest sorrow and the quickest sense Doth set the higher Price on Patience Once to desire it now to drink it loath Doth signifie my love and sorrow both SOUL Shall I take pleasure in those cups and cates VVhich my dear Lord so dreads and deprecates Shall I delight in that by which he dies And sport with ponyards and with Agonies Grant that thy Cup more dreadful than thy Cross is May sour my sins and sweeten all my losses Suffer me Lord thy love for to controul Thou sufferest in thy Body why in Soul CHRIST Sin from thy soul my child did first begin My sorrows did commence as did thy sin And why I sweat such drops of such a sort The burden of thy sins must answer for 't View how my soul 's surrounded for thy sin Sweats Blood without and feels a Hell within Such anguish as is never to be found Sweat without Heat and Blood without a Wound With God with Sin with Satan did I strive Mine was the Life of Death as Death of Life My Death was one yet in that all may be Who di'd before and after di'd in me Well may my Blood be squeez'd through all my Pores I had as many deaths as I had Doors SOUL And shall my sins dear Lord increase thy store And cause thee for to dye ten Thousand more Sin robb'd thee of thy life and 't is as true It kills thy death and stobs thy kindness too Mercy Love Truth and Goodness are a good More dear to thee than was thy Flesh and Blood This thou assum'st the other to display And yet in these thou suffer'dst every day Thy flesh ne'r felt so much from Daggers keen As did thy Heart and Mind feel by my sin O cursed sin far harder to be born Than VVhips than Deaths than Daggers Crowns of Thorn VVhy did the Jews all in a spiteful Vogue Prefer before thee Barabbas a Rogue CHRIST To shew the sinners choice in every Vice Wh ' on God and Conscience sets so low a Price To gain his Lust will lose bis Paradise The value of a soul wer 't to be sold Weighs down a world yea tho a world of Gold Gods Glory 's more to be esteemed than Ten Thousand worlds than Millions of Men Put all into the scales they wont outpoise The wilful madness of the sinners choice There 's no unjust man sins but that in sinning He stabs the mighty God that is within him Lust stares you in the face heard in its groans Felt by its fires smelt in its rotten bones The Drunkard of all sinners not the least Tho God hath stampt his image in his breast Changes that coin and only buys a beast The Swearer sins not at the common rate Swallowing the Devils Hook without a Bait Pawning his soul but for a fruitless evil And not so much as cheapning with with the Devil Who fears man more than God I 'l answer for 't He kills himself for fear of being hurt Thus through the sinners choice it comes to pass Each sin crys out Not Him but Barabbas SOUL The sinner's wretched choice doth far outvy What 's said in Holy VVrit or Hystory Esau stands fool on record for his dotage Selling his Birthright for a mess of Pottage Glaucus chang'd Gold for Brass Crates they say To brave his folly cast his Gold away The Romans fram'd an Altar to apppease A feaverish God worshipping a Disease The Sinners folly doth them all excel Exchanging Life for Death and Heav'n for Hell If Souls more worth than Worlds infer from hence How cheap the're sold when sold for thirty Pence Nay for a filthy Lust when pass'd and gone Not to be found but in a Sigh or Groan Is this the Paramour that most doth please us Is this the Barabbas that Vyes with Jesus Is there such charming Magick in its hue As to be Wed without a Dowry too Nay pay a price down sor't and such a price As Health Wealth Life Soul Bliss and Paradice Since thou dost guard the Tree of Life so well With Cherubims of Death and Flames of Hell How can I break the Fence since to be blest It is my Duty both and Interest Why wast thou stript my Lord I cannot fathom CHRIST To take on me the state of sinning Adam He and thou naked were I naked am That thou may'st have my Robes to hide thy shame SOUL O Clothe me with the Robe of thy great Merit Adorn me with the Graces of thy Spirit Why wast thou bound my Lord why whipt with Cord My Faith begins to fail me help me Lord CHRIST Was Adams sin nought in respect to thee Who robb'd Gods Orchard the forbidden Tree Or did that Fruit ne're set thy Teeth on Edge Or Achan like did'st never steal a Wedg I for thy theft was like a thief fast bound Not guilty but for thee was guilty found Thy greater sins did Stob me to the heart The lesser were those Whips that made me smart Causing such ghastly Wounds in every part SOUL Let me not cherish Lord that viprous brood Which fed upon the reekings of thy Blood Oh wound my sins which caus'd such wounds in thee Then heal those wounds thy love hath made in me Why wast thou spit on Lord why mockt why made A Prophet Priest and King in Masquerade CHRIST Learn where the sin of sin doth chiefly lye Offring affront to th' glorious Majesty Profaness lays him open to Disgrace And Malice spits him in the very face Drunkards deface his Image spoil his Creature Lust would assoil his pure and spotless Nature The unbeliever fain would tye his hands From punishing the breach of his commands And what Injustice does you soon may guess It strips him of his Robes of Righteousness In Robes of Scarlet Scoffers make him stand And puts a Reeden Scepter in his hand Who with inflamed Blood revenge doth seek Doth smite his blessed Maker on the Cheek The Proud Crown him with Thorns the Swearers part Is for to strike his Ponyard through his heart All sin doth mean the same to th' Deity What the Jews meant and did effect in me SOUL To affront my God it is the Sinners sport God may be injur'd true can he be hurt CHRIST I was both God and Man conclude thou then What hurt sin brought to God what hurt to men My Body felt its pangs my Soul its fears My Eyes its taunts its mocks and scoffs my
outbids the Devils market far Judg whether Vice or Virtue is more gainful Since Life to come's so sweet and Death so painful Nor canst thou say 't is thine unhappy state Sin never was thy choice but 't is thy Fate Can Life cause Death Good Evil Truth a lye Life Goodness Truth crys out why wilt thou dye Is man a Creature of a rank no higher Than artificial Puppet made of Wier Are praises promises rewards all one As if you should sing well to please a stone Is man no more blame worthy for his sin Than is a Watch not pointing right the Pin Conscience would never smite thee for a Vice Did not thy Nature prompt thee otherwise Is' t not the Drunkards choice to set at nought That cup where Aconite is made the draught And cannot Heaven nor Hell make him refrain Can Heaven e're lose its price or Hell its pain Strange Fate ne're fix'd on ought but what are evils As if God ne're made men but all were Devils If sin hath caught thee in its fatal gin Thy punishment's as fatal as thy sin But after all is there no strength and force In this that sin made God himself a curse Then sinner take thy fill carouse and quaff But canst thou drink o th' Cup that Christ drank of Or can thy back once bear that direful Rod Prest with the Arm of an Almighty God If sin made God so cursed Oh what can Make sin more cursed unto sinful man If innocence did under wrath so groan What comfort can the sinner look for none I beg thy Favour Lord for to relate Why thou wast Crucifi'd without the Gate CHRIST For to compleat a Jewish Type of note Th' accursed Sacrifice o' th' Scapen Goat Nor was it fit my Merits and my Grace Should be confin'd only to th' Jewish Race I dy'd a Pagan Death my erected wood Stood ' loft that all may view it for their good My Arms were stretched out from East to West To close with every Soul that would be Blest My Titles wrote in Hebrew Latin Greek All Nations in me may Salvation seek SOUL Thou dyd'st for all nought can it falsify But only cursed Infidelity Were not thy Death of Value infinite It could not make atonement for one sprite But being infinite it satisfi'd Both for this world and thousand worlds beside Let my name in thy Cross Engraven be Thou didst not dye for all if not for me But why in Holy Writ is' t verifi'd My Lord betwixt two Malefactors dy'd CHRIST There is a reason why th' Apostle said it Not only for to save the Prophets credit I was esteem'd a greater thief to be Than either of those Thieves that dy'd with me But yet by dying thus I mercy meant To th' greatest thief the greatest penitent When Adam robb'd the Tree to make him VVise And then deny'd it lost his Paradise Humble confession finds admission in To Paradise thus lost by Adams sin Wht one Thief lost you see the other found Who falls and riseth soon he gaineth ground But he that lives in sin in sin shall dye Yea tho his Lord and Saviour standeth by VVho hopes for Heaven but will not change his vice May find a Hell yea in a Paradise His very hopes are founded in his fears Since lust would fire a Heaven about his Ears Bateing my word each sinner can foretel Sin hath a Central force that points at Hell I need not say Depart out of my sight It never was nor can be his delight VVho to my sacred Laws hath small regard Hath less of reason to expect reward My Cross here seems to represent my Throne VVhich at the last day I shall sit upon O' th left hand stands the Goats my Sheep o' th' right As meet inheritors with Saints in light SOUL By these two Thieves my Lord hath clearly shown Justice and Mercy doth uphold his Throne Th' one aws my hopes th' other checks my fears Th' one hoists up Sail whil'st that the other stears To th' dying Thief much was thy mercy shown I won't presume on 't cause he was but one 'T was his first time he ever heard of thee The same can ne're be verifi'd of me He for his Lord and Saviour once did take thee In that weak state when all thy friends forsake thee Thou own'st him at thy death he thee at thine The same can ne're be truly said of mine I 'le now resolve God ne're held forth to morrow Or if he did did not repenting sorrow That I shall turn to God can it be said When that I scarce can turn me in my Bed My time is short way heavy long the course Shall all the burden lye o' th' weakest Horse My debts run on shall I discharge the score And pay them bitter when I owe the more I blush to think what 's dreadful for to own My lusts shall have the Marrow God the Bone When on the dying Thief thou cast thine Eyes Methinks thy words some potent truth implies This day thou shalt be with m' in Paradise CHRIST The Jews held forth a double Paradise That on the Earth and that above the Skies The place where earthly joys all met together The one the fitter umbrage of the other From hence th' Elysian Fields first took their rise Shades of the Trees that grew in Paradise Both Jew and Greek concur that men survive Their mortal clay and then are most alive Nothing to nothing tends and more say I 'T is by a Metaphor my Saints can dye God 's not the God o' th' dead but of the living The Souls of Abraham Isaac still surviving Moses Elias in the Mount appears Alive tho dead above two thousand years When Jacob saw the garment of his son Cries out some Beast hath kill'd him I 'm undone Whilst thus lamenting his unhappy fate Joseph's alive and Lives in Princely state Whilst mine and thy dear friend do spriteless lie Inexorable to thy sighs and cry They are not Dead but are alive as I Leaving their Grave-Cloaths for to wipe thine Eye Hast thou not seen a Student at his Book Close pent and pris'ned in some private nook He 's then all Mind all Soul all Life all Sprite And most alive when dead to Human sight Hast thou not seen two Combatants Engage Till one seems prostrate dead upon the Stage But when drawn off dragg'd through a Postern Door He is alive as e're he was before So have I seen the Branches of a Vine At Winters season faint away and pine When at that instant each luxuriant shoot Tho seeming dead yet is alive at Root And when the Sun imparts its gentle light Each branch appears again in pregnant plight Thy Life on Earth is hid with Christ above And when the Sun of Righteousness and Love Quickneth thy Soul all truth shall be display'd And latent forms of things which have been dead Hast thou not heard the pangs and pains that come From teeming Mothers of a pregnant
After the Victim had incurd his death He was consumed by a Heavenly Breath Nor did this sacrifice acceptance find Unless performed by a grateful mind That sweet Perfume that incense that did savour The sacrifice and so procured favour The Jewish Rites were relative of mine Who was a Sacrifice pure and Divine A Male the choicest first-born set apart Form'd fram'd and fashioned by Heavenly Art And when I did the wrath of God atone 'T was by a free-will Off'ring of my own Making the Jewish Mincha Off'ring good When freely pouring out my Life and Blood Led as a Lamb and as a Lamb too dy'd Closing my Mouth but opening wide my side My Sacrifice it was my precious Life My free consent the Sacrificing Knife My Godhead what the Altar did of Old It sanctifi'd the Gift and made it Gold I was consumed too as from above With Flagrant Flames of everlasting Love Look as Eliah when about to dye Mounts in a Fiery Chair then climbs the Sky Dropping his Mantle to the standers by In fervent Love to man from Heaven I came And thither went all in a Fiery Flame Expiring out to God my Vital Breath Casting my Bodies Mantle on the Earth So dying persons commonly commend Their choicest Treasure to their choicest friend To thee my Child I left my precious Merit My Body to my Friends for them to bury 't And to my God I did commend my spirit SOUL The Death of Saints as David doth Record Is precious in the aspect of the Lord * Psal 116.15 When Enoch walk'd with God God clos'd his eye Nor known nor heard nor seen he was to dye Abr'am gave up the Ghost and therefore blest Gods Bosome was the pillow of his rest When Moses dy'd such was the Jewish Faith 'T was by a Kiss from God his Soul in Death Being extracted by a Heavenly Breath Scaree can we say Eliah ever dy'd Since both in Soul and Body he bestired The Fiery Chair and unto Heaven did ride Lord let me now depart Old Simeon cryes And like a Swan sings sweet before he dies Sweetly expiring by such tempting Charms As he in Christs and Christ within his Arms. Saint Paul perceiving death a drawing on Calls it no more than dissolution And so the Tent-maker took down his Tent VVithout a Crack or Noise or any Rent This is the truth of what the Wiseman ‖ Prov. 10.22 saith That Righteousness deliv'reth from death Since that his Darts can ne'r be felt as keen Till they be whetted at the forge of sin Nor doth he ever ride the pale-fac'd †Revel 6.8 Horse Till Guilt and Hell engageth in the Course Who wrongs his Prince and what is more his God Must dread the Usher of the sable Rod. So have I seen a Pris'ner in a swound When at th' Assize he heard the Trumpet sound The Musick 's good but such he cannot find it Since that he knows the Judg comes close behind it Such is the Musick of a Passing-Bell Each sinner knows the meaning too too well Death goes before and after follows Hell Who makes his soul and body of one crust Of Heaven and heavenly things can have no gust Nor can with ease be turned into dust Who stews his flesh in Riot and Excess And lull'd asleep with steams of drunkenness That soul can never hope in Heav'n to dwell Since he 's descended to the lowest Hell Aethereal Mansions are too pure and clear For him to hope to have a dwelling there That state of bliss 't would be his state of pain His lusts would poise him down to Hell again Who strives to make his Prison strong within As 't is without by gratifying sin That captive must conclude without all doubt His labour must be painful to get out And that which pains him most and grieves him more He 's worse got out than e're he was before Nor could that Gospel-fool this world †Luke 12.20 depart Till death by force of arms tore out his heart Knock off my chains dear Lord and make me free Dead to the world and the world dead to me Thus dying in the flesh and to it more Death can compleat but what is done before Laying his gentle hand upon my back My soul may part from hence without a crack My spirit failing and my strength exhaust I freely may like thee give up the Ghost Why did the Sun my Lord withdraw his Light Changing bright day into a darksom night CHRIST At a full Moon the Sun eclips'd to see It was both Miracle and Mystery A Glorious Star points out my Glorious Birth A greater Star's eclipsed at my death By both conclude this truth was verifi'd 'T was God that once was born 't was God that dy'd This dreadful darkness child had ne'r been seen Wer't not for Thine the Jews and Adam's sin For so in Holy Writ 't is often ¶ Ezek. 32.7 8. said Gods Wrath to sin by darkness was ‖ Joel 2.10 displaid When God was wroth with Pharaoh and his †Amos 8.9 10. Host Thick darkness overspread th' Egyptian Coast That dreadful day of doom shall make this good The Sun to darkness turns the Moon to blood So base is sin and of so foul a feature That neither God can view it nor his creature SOUL Who would not hate his sin and fear his God That for its baseness and this for his Rod. Tho God 's not cloath'd with passions of man His anger far outgoes mans Passion What Tyrants frown like to the louring sky Ratling down Fire and Brimstone from on high The Lions roaring and the Thunders noise Is but the Eccho of his angry Voice Night-hag of Hell clad in its black Attire Is but the shadow of his dreadful Ire If darkness be so full of fear and fright What is the darkness of Eternal Night O sin of Hell or rather Hell of sin Darkness without and darkness too within But here my doubts return to me again Why was the Vail o' th' Temple rent in twain CHRIST The Temple of the Jews did typifie This lower World and that above the sky The outward Court this outward world did mean Where all do meet in and where beasts are slain That inward Court wherein God had his Throne By that the Heaven of Heavens is clearly shown To this most Holy Place none could prevail To enter in 't was guarded with a Vail Now this Vail was thy sins that dismal shroud Which on the place of glory draws a cloud This is that Cherub who with flaming Rod Bars up thy passage to the Living God Nor was it meet till th' bars of Hell be broken This passage-gate to Heav'n should e're be open Whose sins do chain them to the posts of Hell In heav'nly places are unfit to dwell In likeness of thy sinful flesh and blood Thy sins I did atone upon the Wood And when my flesh was torn with dying pain Thy sins with Temples vail were rent in