Satan There was none but he alone proper for so great an enterprize He alone who hath drawn us out of the path and slaughter of death to fill us with Triumphs He alone who is the Phaire and the Lanthorne who directs us to arive in a safe harbour and who hath ever his eyes open for our happinesse and watcheth over our affictions He alone who is the channel of perpetual sweetnesse which uncessantly distills on them who cast themselves into the Port of thy Clemency Great God The compasse of the Universs adores thy Grandure but as the glory of thy chiefest benefits are perpetually graved in the hearts of thy faithfull ones in whom by this holy sacrifice thou hast planted thy victorious lawrels Also it is requisite that I be the Temple in which for ever there may be chanting and sounding forth the Hymnes of thy Triumphs and that thou may'st be the sole object of my heart as thou art the cause of my repose and the end of my vowes as thou art the Redeemer and Conserver of my being what more beautyfull object my God can I enjoy then for ever to contemplate that Christ is the inexpugnable wall and Rampart of my life and that his charity heated with his watchfulnesse over me causeth without intermission to spring in thy compassions new sprouts of compassion This is the true Father of men who transported with the love of his children is offered for them in sacrifice and hath embraced their sorrowes and his death Up then my soul let thy thoughts be ravish't in the contemplation of this holy light of the world who shineth over the heaven and the earth and enlightneth with his flame the gloominesse of our most obscure night Up admire his compassion adore this Lamb without spot that holy Burnt-offering that eternal high Priest who hath given himself for thee Rejoyce thou oh my soul since thy clensing is so perfect and so pure since the merit of that death shall carry thee into the heavens Thou hast not my soul Heb. 7. one of those Sacrificers which are subject unto death made after the law of a carnal commandment who have need to offer continual sacrifices first for their own sinnes then for those of the people Thou hast one Sovereign high Priest made according to the power of an uncorruptible life and who hath one perpetual oblation one holy Priest Innocent separate from sinnes exalted far above all heavens who is consecrated for ever offering himself once to obtaine an eternal redemption The light of the world my soul chaseth the night and obscurity farre from thee but the knowledge of this sacrifice dissipateth all darknesse from thy eyes and renders thee capable happily to finish thy course on earth and attain with joy an aboad in Paradice Divine Trinity the only foundation of salvation Holy unity of three persons in whom consisteth all perfection and felicity whereof my soul can be render'd capable Grant me that I may worthily comprehend the majesty of this sacrifice and that all the dayes of my life I may meditate on its greatnesse Lord the Lamb is slain from the beginning of the world and both our fathers and we our selves have washed in one same blood and are redeemed by the same sacrifice 'T is what the Apostle saith our fathers were all under the cloud 1 Cor. 10.1 and have all passed throw the Sea and were all baptized in Moses in the Cloud and in the Sea and have all eaten of one and the same spiritual food and have all dranke of one and the same spiritual cup. For they drank of that spiritual Rock which followed them and that Rock was Christ So Lord the Patriarchs and Israelites have eaten and drank the same spiritual substance with us and have participated as we of the Communion of the body of the Saviour of the world The word Prophetick and Apostolick have the same efficacy Christ in the one and the other throw all equal to himself Their Sacraments giving them Jesus Christ to come to assume humane flesh and suffer for their sins and ours give to us the Saviour of the world come having taken flesh of the Virgin endured the Crosse and risen for our Justification The Manna and the water signified to them their future redemption and the bread and wine signifie to us the satisfaction of our Randsome acquitted by Christ come dead and risen after such a sort that we have but one like and same faith under divers signes Christ the only salvation of the Church in all its periods without the law under the law and under Grace He is prefigured in all the sacrifices exhibited in all Sacraments as well Old as New which are in all times unprofitable without Christ which is himself alone both the foundation and the sustance Abraham saw the day of the Lord and rejoyc't This great secret was revealed unto the Prophets who Publish't it through the world they were the signes of salvation to come Or Host and of the holy Bread which should be offered up for their sins and for our sakes the great Saviour of the world would rayse to the heavens at thy right hand the body which he had taken of the Virgin instituting the Sacrament of his body and of his blood to the intent that That which was once offered for the satisfaction of our sinnes should continually be honoured by a mystery Baptisme admitteth us into an allyance with God instead of ciricumcision The holy Supper instead of the Passeover nourisheth and entertaineth us Baptisme is called Regeneration that is to say a new birth The holy Supper The Communion of the body and blood of our Lord to nourish us to life eternal Of Baptisme water is the sign The blood of Christ the thing signified The water which washeth the staines of the body The blood which clenseth the sins of the soul In the holy Supper the bread and the wine are the signes The Body and the blood of Christ the things signified and signified most conveniently and properly by these signes of bread and wine for as much as the nourishment of our souls which is in Christ could not be better express'd than by that of our Body which converteth into their sustance that which they eate and drink So in the Sacrament of the Eucharist the bread which is blest and which is broken and given to eate and the cup which is blessed and given mee to drink represents to me The body and blood of Jesus Christ given and shed for me on the Crosse to me are the sacred Symboles and assured earnests that I am received into the communication of his body and of his blood which I spiritually enjoy by Faith in the Participation of the supper When I see the bread broken in the celebration of the supper I meditate with my self of his body which hath suffered death on the Crosse for the remission of my sinnes When I behold the wine poured into the cup I
vanity of our Cogitations are but two apparent and their end cannot be hid The covetous wretch hath but a little gold and land this Mallady is not folly 't is Rage all to him is too little and a little to him is nothing The Ambitious knoweth no Serene dayes the ferver of his desire causes him every moment passe his life in renewing deaths And in conclusion he enjoyes nothing but winde The voluptuous man has but little pleasure which glides vanishes away and forsakes him sooner than thought or instant leaving him nought but a Boysing ☞ but a sad Repentance and all three are so inchain'd so fastned to the world and yet have secret Vultures which without intermission gnaw and tyre on their Hearts Let us not then like them Establish our hopes on Humane things which are leaves moved with every blast Let us not pursue these vaine Grandures neither plunge our selves in these Delights followed with so sad so miserable a conclusion Let us steere our vessels out of Perill and not linger till the Tempest by force cause us make Port after ship-wrack Let us not longer be slack to our good considering that all is vanity which the heavens encompasse defacing and razing one of our hearts all the Tracks of the world establishing our assurance on the force and right hand of him whose firme support shall no way be able to frustrate our expectation Our Ornament shall be quite different to theirs and the fruit of our labour shall far surpasse them They heap up these earthly vapors and exhalations which as suddenly vanish They fill the ayre with their clamours and wishes they sow to the winde and reap nought but vanity and emptinesse They Build on the sand and their edifices fall to ruine They paint on the floods and the Traits of their Pensill disappears They are carefull of nothing but their fraile Bodyes and permit their souls the immortal seed of heaven to lye neglected They wallow in Mud and Dirt and come forth desil'd ☞ They search for Paradise in Honours in Riches in the world and find nought but Passions but paine and sorrows Instead of meditating of and assuring the life after these ashes they close up against themselves the passage of heaven In the course of their vanity they are cleere seeing Owles and of that which is above blind Molds They suffocate their Reason in their Delights and live as creatures that have not other care but for their bellyes Instead of transforming themselves to Angels they degenerate into Beasts They abase instead of exalting themselves in lieu of elevating continually their hearts on high they pronounce not the Name of God but with Blasphemies In stead of dreading the powerful effects of his puissant arme they have nought but their desires for Law And if they sometimes talk of God 't is not but like Paretts with their lips without understanding what themselves say and are deafe to their own proper voyces Let us not then follow this path by the which men march retrograde but contrarily not give rest to our eyes till we have discovered the true path walking by the way that tends to our Original Neither let us aspire to any thing but our felicity being still mindfull of our salvation Let us build on the Rock and on the Free-boord to the end that we may remaine firme as the Mount of Syon Let 's oppose our spirits to our flesh by a solemn Protestation consecrating our hearts our voyce and our hands to the Glory of the Chief Universal and the Principal cause of all beings Let our desires terminate in him that his fear may be a Curb to our follyes That in his love these springing passions may be extinguisht To the intent that we may hold in chief of Heaven and not so much as relish of earth Joyning our voyces to the sweet and melodious accents of those Divine spirits and beautifull soules which glitter in the midst of our Darknesse as stars in the night And ever be mindfull that our other chiefest agitations proceed from artificial and ridiculous causes but that our prime and universal obligation is that of God in which consideration we ought freely to engage all the estate and our lives Casting behind us the Idolatry of perishing beauties being obliged to trample under foot that lustre we so blindly adored It 's expedient to be effected that the delights of the world should be despleasant to us it behoveth us not like mad men to weave the web of our proper destruction and building our felicity on a basse of so short a duration and which resembles a flash of fire which is extinguish't as soon as kindled The riches of men are fleeting and subiect to be lost James 1.10 there is no assurance in their favours the rich with their enterprizes will fade as the flower of the grasse having great designs yet know not what shall fall out to morrow their life is nothing but vapour and smoke He lives in pleasure upon earth James 5.2 he abounds and satisfies his heart but his Riches shall corrupt his garments shall be moth-eaten his money shall rust and it's rust shall be a testimony against him and shall gnaw his flesh like fire His fields shall yield a plentifull encrease he shall gather goods for many yeares but in the following night God shall require his soul Let 's not then more labour after the food that perisheth Luke 12.20 but after that which endureth to life eternal John 6.27 Let 's follow the steps of Jesus Christ and push from us with detestation the enchanting voyce of the world leaving our nets in the Sea after the example of Saint Peter and Saint Andrew quitting the ship and Zebede in imitation of St. James and St. John following the Saviour of the world who summons us The graces of the Omnipotent are the greatest happinesse we can attain to Tim 6.7 He forewarnes us that we set not our hearts on the uncertainty of riches but on him who bestoweth all things plentifully He hath advertis'd us Tim. 6.7 that covetousnesse is the root of all evil makes men wander from the faith and envolves them in many sorrowes Go to them ☞ let 's call to mind that there 's no felicity but in him and that none but his love is Permanent He hath caus'd the earth to yield fruits to nourish our Fathers he by its dayly productions releeves us after them and will effect it by his goodnesse that it shall still bring forth to sustain our Posterity He who hath satisfied five thousand mē with five loavs two little fishes Mat. 14.19 will ever supply us with means sufficient to pass the rest of our time which he will have us to live upon the earth The men of the world have their Heritage in this life their bellies are satisfi'd with food their children are glutted and leave the over-plus to their little ones They imagin themselves rich
and that nothing is wanting unto them but see not that they are blind and naked that they possesse nought but things transitory and that they are far from residing in the Courts of the Lord and to have an everlasting habitation within the holy place of his Palace ☜ 'T is then enough to have lived for riches for glory for delights Let us live for our selves for our souls let 's recollect our cogitations for our advantage let 's stand firm and fall no more principally let 's coragiously pursue our marke Let 's not proceed as those who commence their course eagerly and slack in running preserving our selves from the same Billowes from the same waves that at other times have overwhelmed us Considering that relapses are more fatall than diseases that desires interrupted encrease and augment by their intervals Let 's Rally our forces Reassemble our spirits let 's mortifie our Passions and render our selves parties against them chasing away these adversaries to our repose These are but slender and frivolous gins and cords that bind us to them and in the interim we budge not from their company not otherwise than if they had enchained us Shall we not more cheerefully smell to a heap of flowers than to stinking weeds to grasp lillyes than thistles to be confederate to heaven then to earth what difference 'twixt peace and war betwixt the love of God and this of the world life and death between that which is above the heaven where there is nothing not stable and the earth on which there is nothing but inconstancy To what intent follow we the world so violently and eagerly since we are but bladders which burst with the least pricking which hourely threatens us with death where our feet dayly descend into the grave that time carryes away our yeares which returne not any more and leaves nought but a miserable sound of our name and after a few dayes incontinently defaces our trace upon the earth so that it shall not otherwise be known than that of an Eagle in the ayre and of a ship in the waves why do we not rather addresse our vowes unto that high place which is durable for ever than on this Empire of the world which shall burne to pieces and take end Know we not that in that great day which will rather make it self seen ☜ than fore-seen that these Rocks and these lofty hills shall dissolve That Jordan Ganges Euphrates and the Nile and all the other Rivers which Purle and Roul so proudly on a gilded sand shall dry up and that the great Otian the Father and nourisher of men shall become a flame with all his troopes who now divide with such swiftnesse his Billowes with their gliding finns Concive we not that the Sun shall suffer an eternal Eclips that that day shall be overcast the heaven shall cover his face the ayr shall change and stifle so many birds that beat it now so pleasantly with their wings That this all that seemes firme in its course shall be shivered in a moment shall be reverst Pell-Mell shall be consum'd and Reduc't to smoke So then let 's acknowledge out Error let 's not more abase our spirits to these mortall things let 's give the earth a bill of divorce let 's not breath any thing more but what 's eternal Let 's consider we are contrary to Rivers who arise from small streames of water and wax proud the farther they are from their spring Let 's immitate the flame which advances and ascends continually upwards as the Iron toucht with the Adamant which ever regardes the North. We have countenances erected towards heaven thither let us ellevate our cogitations Their infinite incredible Mervills will ravish our serious and solid spirits in the contemplation of the Almighty who in one twinkling of an eye causes the whole Universs to tremble who governs all the world and conducts it by his providence From thence we shall receive what is necessary to entertaine the rest of our dayes 'T is of this moone whereon depends the flux and Reflux of Humane affayres The Otian swells it self and is Iritated at her will This great Pilot who hath drawn men alive out of the bowels of fishes shall supply us with shipping convenient to passe the Seas of this world without perishing ☜ He causes us continually to behold his face to the intent that by the light of his Divine splendour we may guide our selves with all assurance He will crack the chaines by which the world fastens us to the earth he will cause that we escape her sorrows and free us from her Precipices He will give us a reward greater than our wish He will make us live content both in businesse and leasure in our Houses and in our Armies in the country and in the throng of the Court. And drawing our spirits by the power of his own upon the high Olimpus and will cause us with a steedy eye to behold these humane plaines on the which these worldlings follow their besotted Passions and these fields which serve them at Amphitheaters and stages to act their bloody Tragidyes Go to then Let us dash against the earth all our designes all our delights and if hitherto we have continued stupid let 's now being prick't forward by divine fury disdain this world and for the love of the Omnipotent cause that which pleased us more than him be the object of our indignation In the contempt of these vanities pure and innocent desires are produc't which will chase away all these shadowes and illusions that torment us In the contempt of these dreames we shall enter into an affection to the holy Scriptures the most certain the most prosound guide the Sun least overshadow'd with clouds least eclip'st the most resplendent star of all stars and in the light whereof we shall be ravish't with a desire to embrace the truth which we shall finde in these sacred volumes in this elegant text in these rich phrases so eloquent so pure so clear and which neverthelesse are to worldlings characters unknown and which they cannot conceive although one touch the letters and put their fingers on the syllables and shew them how they ought to be assembled and so retiring our selves from evils and approaching to vertue flying Hell and embracing Paradise our spirits shall incline all it's actions to that which is to its satisfaction and salvation it shall make war againt the body shall render it captive and subdue it he shall ever bear his greatest wealth about him he shall know the use of it during the rest of his dayes he shall lend himself onely to the World and shall not give himself but to God who is our Shepheard our Sheep-hook and our support who holdeth firme the Mountaines by his force and who is girded with strength 'T is necessary then that henceforward God be he alone to whom we addresse our vowes 'T is then expedient that our spirits and our pens
am the prodigal child famish't covered with raggs I have sinned against thee embrace me my Father Extinguish with thy hand these burning Torches which consume me these fire-brands of desolation these so abominable crimes To the intent that these chaines of my captivity being broken I may recover my liberty in thy grace to my salvation to the glory of thy Name and the confusion of Satan Lord my end is certaine if thou stanch'st not the blood which streams from my wounds Banish me not from my presence turne no thy countenance from me with-draw not thy clemency which sheweth it selfe after thy displeasure and which should not be of use if men lived innocently Drive far from me that cursed spirit who from the beginning separated thy creature from thee Chase away that old enemy whose ambushes are so prom't and whose assaults so rude Adorne and Decke my heart with the spoyles of my sinnes dispose me to walke with thee from the dawning facilitate my teares and fill me with a desire of my salvation Cause me to forsake all mundane contagion and plunge me in the pleasant streames of a holy and a peaceable life give me an esteeme of this chast and ravishing penetence which opens me a passage into thy holy habitation which may bury my transgressions and swallow my vanities under an eternal oblivion Lord I lament bitterly before thee I poure forth my teares of complaint which without drying drench my soul in bitternesse and dissolves it in displeasures I present my self to thee with an humbled and frozen spirit a soul afflicted and touch't with true repentance Receive then my God this penetent sinner be thou apt to pardon destroy not thine own worke Approach unto me my God cause to wither in me this multitude of plants of perdition who produce these fruits of iniquity and helpe my Mallady without indignation Manasses prostrated himself before Idols he profaned thy Altars yet never the lesse he being converted unto thee and repenting his impieties he appeased thee Thou delivered'st him from the hands of the Assyrians and from the fetters wherein thou had'st caused him to fall and returnd'st him a glorious King commander of Palestine And I Lord I present thee my homage with a contrite spirit stifle and choke not then my heavynesse and my life Exercise not thy power on me to my destruction who am thine cause not to descend on me thy punishments from heaven stigmatise me not with an eternal infamy but open Lord unto me the gate of thy mercy Dan. 10.12 and give eare to my supplycation as thou did'st unto Daniel from the first day he afflicted himself before thee Thy coming was to call sinners to repentance Luke 5.32 Thou commandest thy Apostles to go unto the lost sheep Mat. 10.6 I am of that number cause me then in the midst of this displeasure to experience thy comiseration Luk. 8.24 the Tempest is descended on the lake my bark leakes I am in hazzard awake thy self my God rebuke the wind appease the waves and make it calm By the example of Daniel with fasting sackcloth and ashes I addresse my face toward thee Thou strong Thou great Thou terrible God I have sinned I have committed iniquity I am estranged from thy Law Lord to thee belongs Justice to me confusion but mercies and compassions are likewise from thee Turne away then thy displeasure and indignation hearken to my supplycations and cause thy holy Spirit to shine on thy desolate servant I belong to thine election I am an inheritor of the merit of thy Son and have my lot and portion in heaven Regard me then Lord in him for in his countenance in his wounds thou canst not deny me pardon The father defers till the last to cut off his members He weeps he grones in severing them Thou art my Father good God suspend thy stroaks restrain them have compassion on my ashes who am lesse then ashes and of the lees and scum of the world Purifie them after such a manner that they be not annihilated let them not be forsaken of thee who have deserted thee If they be reduc't to nought thou canst not extract glory from them for in nothing nought is found but nothing it self I say not my God that thou hast created these eyes to make them endure so much and to dissolve themselves into streames For Lord their eye-lids have exalted themselves against thee They are the reason that thou assistest me not farther with thy favours after such a manner that they ought to distill into teares untill they have encountered the port of thy clemency which now files them and with-drawes it selfe away from their sight Lord wilt thou be stedfast in thy wrath wilt thou wage war with an earth-worme wilt thou regard the weight of my offences and not that of thy goodnesse I am guilty of errours and crimes but I am cover'd with ashes and teares I am a sinner but created with the sweet and fragrant breath of thy mouth I am cover'd with offences but thou art the Father of grace the Father of salvation the Father of compassion and in saving me thou conservest the work of thy hands in blessing me thou repleatest thy selfe with joy and delight Receive then Lord my prayer that it be not lost and vanish into ayre Hearken to my mouth and my throat which consumes with crying and give eare to their groans Give remedy to that distemper whose birth I ought to avoyd stretch forth and abase thy hand here below to succour me drive back by the powerfull motions of thy browes the plagues which threaten me Speak unto me as unto the Paralitick and save me by thy grace I resemble blind Bartimeus Mat. 10.47 who lifted up his voyce to thee and redoubled his intercessions equal to their reproofs and rebuks to the intent he should hold his peace My offences by the brute of their obscure gloominess will drowne the cleernesse of my voyce but being fortified by thy holy Spirit I take courage I reinforce my self and attaine the victory Mat. 5.1 Lord thou hast expelled Legions of unclean spirits out of their bodyes who presented themselves before thee Chase then from the those offences which I cannot tame drive away these miseries which by a divine vengeance vissibly torment me Lord glory not in thy Puissance against me to make thy self Renowned Display not thy force against me since with one glance of an eye thou may'st discomfit me neither can I sustaine thy presence Rifle me dart thy flames from heaven I acknowledge I have deserved more The World But Lord this great City would become desolate if nothing should remain is' t but what thou would'st absolve in the severity of thy justice and thou art the pitiful Father who givest more terrour than stripes and delightest rather to restore than to destroy Thou hastest to receive the cryes of one penitent sinner if he repents himself thou pardonest him and as he addes
Temple of my God Rev. 3.12 and he shall never go forth more and I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the City of my God which is the new Jerusalem Who overcometh Rev. 3.21 I will cause to sit with me upon my Throne even as I also have overcome and am set with my Father in his Throne What hinders us now what doth obstruct us then to bear afflictions and miseries with constancy who hinders to surmount and overcome these things Is it this World are they our riches Alas why change we not chearfully and willingly our lands our habitations and our lives for repose for felicity for eternal beatitude Our life is short wherefore for so short a time do we renounce a perpetuity of blessednesse of the ages of Paradise Our life passeth in an instant why for to preserve a few dayes do we precipitate our soules in the Abisme Our life is precious to God he holds it he keeps it in his hands i◠he dispose it 't is for his honour 't is for our preservation ☞ why deny we him this glory and to our selves this profit Do we dread torments there is more of grief and anguish to finish ones life by a long and continued distemper than by a violent stroak death is more languishing and tormenting in a bed than in the sight of heaven in an assembly The Feavers Convulsions Catarrhs are more insupportable and fatal than torments Christ is present he exhorts us he offers himself to us he invites us he spreads his armes to receive us he will open the heavens for our consolation as to Saint Steven than when the enemies of the Gospel stoned him He will assist us with his strength and augment our courage as he hath done to so many Martyrs who have endured for his name Let us not then loyter any longer committing our selves into his hands The Lawrels and the Palmes never cast their leaves the true Children of God never quail The love of heaven doth so ravish them they are after such a manner fil'd with that divine fury so that when nothing remaines to them but their heart wherewith they are accustomed to contemne the most dreadful things that continues sound even to the end of their lives their souls are invincible untameable free and generous Let 's suffer then with patience lifting up our hearts to heaven Let those savage Beasts which are not satisfi'd but with blood and wounds who are not asswaged but with murthers who are not delighted but with the sounds of racks having nothing agreeable but to dismember Christians Let us suffer if it be the pleasure of God to deliver us into the hands of these Butchers if they cause our bodies to stoop under the weight of Martyrdome Let us suffer if they redouble their rage if they do not forbear any kind of cruelty and as Lyons Whelps fil'd with flesh they feed their eyes on our dead bodies and dabble their hands in our bloody effusions God will assist us with his power and will raise us by his Omnipotent Spirit when 't is for the honour of his Name above the racks and flames The most cruel torments shall not be considerable to us the greatest most ponderous punishments shall be pleasant unto us these cruelties cannot astonish us death it self shall be life Our faith shall sustain our bodies seeing them torn it shall the more encourage us to suffer Our holy zeal shall delude the most sowre afflictions will cause us to advance into flames without amazement we shalconsume our selves with satisfaction embracing Martyrdome We shall imitate those Martyrs who for such a subject have endured a thousand afflictions have a thousand times spilt their blood have sustained a thousand flames These Martyrs whose Names and Renowns have found the earth too narrow to comprehend them These Martyrs who have magnifi'd Christianity by their blood who have accepted Martyrdome for their Crown These Martyrs who by a few torments are gone for ever into Supreme felicity Up then Barbarians what havock and slaughter soever you make of our bodies we remain firme and resolv'd to die Our bodies are vanquish't our spirits remain Conquerors You shall behold us languish full of delight in a divine Martyrdome You shall see our blood boyling with devotion to distill and trickle into the flames That our death shall be lovely and beautiful to be for ever famous to Christianity That our bodies shall be blessed to be consumed for the glory of the Saviour of the World That our blood shall be precious to witnesse and trace out the way to heaven That those flames shall be exquisite which set a lustre on the truth in the eyes of a throng and croud of poor Ignorants That our ashes shall be pretious to celebrate publish and to spread the Gospel among men If the earth be glutted with our blood the example of our Martyrdome will make us re-created by Miriads if they consume us as the Phenix we shall be renewed within our ashes Meditations for one that is sick FRail Creature in the midst of thy imaginations thou wastest and consumest thy self thou straglest thou wanderest and losest thy self amongst the vanities of the World Thou runnest out of knowledge in these slippery paths without understanding thy feeblenesse without considering that at the first step upon the first advance thou mayst stumble that a sprain may turn thee quite short and that thou hast no sooner weighed anchor than thou art in danger of Ship-wrack thy health hath puft thee up thy courage hath raised thee up precipitating thee into pleasures and delights and suddenly a chilnesse surpriseth thee some heat a pain in the head thou art dejected thou tremblest thou doubtest whether it be some light distemper or rather a disease tending unto death O Lord the World to this moment hath possessed me her delusions have intoxicated me at this instant my sinnes stare in my face as if I were awaked from a prosound slumber I begin to recover my spirits my eyes retort their looks upon my self to behold my weaknesse and my body tyred and consum'd with the feavour which is mixt with my blood and with the pain which torments it is constrain'd to acknowledge her misery to reject her Presumption Lord these fogs which obscure heaven to me begin to fall off my Soul so long blinded recovers some glimmering I have lived to this very instant swimming and floating at the pleasure of the Tide give me grace that I may arrive at the Port I have passed my time in darknesse give me light in the rest of my dayes Poor Carcasse thy Original is in infection thy habitation in a station fil'd with tempests with diseases with torments with bloody wars in a place common to the savage beasts upon an ingrateful earth out of which thou can'st extract nothing but with the Plow-share and edge of the Iron For thy end thy flesh is the prey and triumph of wormes thy
which shall Harp before the Saviour of the world who shall gloriously descend from the vaults of heaven all those whom the Sea hath overwhelm'd or the earth received to the intent that being clothed with their bodyes before the great Judge they may receive their definitive sentence of life or death O Lord that I may be of their number who shall arise to their glory and not of them who shall arise to their infamy that I may be of them who shall rejoyce with perpetual Triumph and not of those who shall for ever remain slaves of that horrible Monster That I may be of that number that may be borne into the brightnesse of heaven and not of those that shall be tumbled down into gloomy places and to eternal night That I may be a Citizen of thy heavenly habitation that I may inherit thy Paradice that my seat may be near my Saviour that my place may be there designed that I may not be of those victims prepar'd for Hell that I may not be of that number that shall be precipated into the abism of death which shall have their abode in darknesse and their habitation in the grave O good God suffer not my Barke to fall into so cruel so sad and dismal a storme It should be more expedient for me never to have been born than be ranck't in the number of them who were created to their destruction Bring to passe then at that great day that my rotten cossin may be listed up enlighten this extinguish't carcase cause it to live and shine with my soul make them to flourish together for ever and ever I am nothing Lord but a lump of mud yet never the lesse thy hands have compast me I am nothing but corruption but I bear on my brow thine Image drawn to the life I am all vice all sinne all abomination in thy sight Thy love makes no impression farther than my lips Thy Divine flame pierces not within my soul But Lord I have been washed with the water of holy Baptism I have participated of thy Sacraments I have received a seal a token a sacred testimony of my pardon I have sucked that powerful antidote that immortal Ambrosia that heavenly nourishment which shall concerve me against the poyson and venome of my sinnes and against the power of Satan Lord A lively Description of the last Judgment it seems to me that I already behold thee descending from on high set on thy Throne of Glory filling all with astonishment environed with a Million of Angels holding the sword of vengeance in thy hand It appears to me that I now behold an infinite company of scatter'd men delving the earth to hide themselves not daring ot sustain the bring flames of thy countenance that I behold the flock of thy chosen postrate at thy feet crying out that the squadrons of thy holy Angels dare not appears in reverence of thy just severity crying out that their souls were purchase by the precious blood of thy body That their sinnes are surmounted by thy grace that the honour of thy goodnesse is manifest in their salvation that thou wilt not cut and prune off thy members and reject those whose names are written in thy book of life It seems that I behold thy countenance turn'd toward them standing at thy right hand and thy mouth pronouncing their absolution and saying to them Come ye blessed of my Father possesse for heritage the Kingdome which was prepared for you from the foundation of the World Methinks I behold them rejoycing and filling themselves with splendour while thou art speaking beholding them transported by a sweet and delightful ravishment by an ardure full of zeal for thee and for thy glory to remain there for ever O good God 't is thither that we must direct all our vowes and confine all the desires of our soules 'T is the lustre of that glorious and holy day that should dazle our eyes and not the riches of this world 'T is the remembrance of these extream bright and perfect beauties which should ever entertain our thoughts and not the dark shadowes of our cares Bestir thee then let 's not longer stay on these earthly cares which are so many spiritual Divorces and Adulteries My Soul entertain not other discourse my heart have no other wishes my mouth pronounce no other name than that of our Saviour and thy salvation Let 's up and anchor here our bark in these fair desires let 's perfect this man finish this body let 's forbear to corrupt and ulcerate our wounds to encrease our woes to open again our miseries that our dolors that our convulsions that our fleames if it seem good to them hail us quick and drag us alive to the Tomb that our carcasses be consum'd with wormes that our bones may be reduc't to dust it matters not seeing that the Saviour of the world renders as possessors of the fruit of so signaland happy a victory that he bestowes on us our share and lot in his land that he covers us with Lawrels and with Palmes O God this Crown is very high 't is above this aspiring rock whose way is narrow and uneven incumber'd with thornes and bryars I lye tumbling on my Bed I cannot pull up my feet not raise my head above my bolster my carcasse is nothing but dung and my Soul then corruption I am laden with a counter-wait which ever presseth me down my offences are bolts and shackles on my feet which makes me ever stumble The Devil places them near the avenues to close up the passage to render the way dreadful and to drive me to despair of my salvation But what shall I say good God! I must not require the endeavours of my attenuated legs and my carcasse half benum'd to climb this Mountain to pierce the thicknesse of the clouds and raise my self even to the heighth 'T is onely requisite that I dive into the contrition of my heart the confession of my month I need but lift up my eyes and taise up my cogitations toward the great Saviour of the World who openeth his armes to transport me O my Rock thou art not then any longer hard for me to prevail with Christ the object of my faith Christ the only medicine who can close and consolidate my wounds Christ in whom I establish all my present and future felicity Christ my guide and my Bare star who must conduct me to the light of his ensign he shall open to me the way shall make my faith to surmount all despaires he shall deliver me from these hindrances he shall raise me up free and conduct me even into heaven making me mount by his divine degrees and shall guide by the might of his holy Spirit my blessed and happy soul into his high place where the seasons passe eternally I will leave to him this Triumph I will leave to him the accomplishment of this great work the honour shall be to his blood to his blood