of a Dove To fly unto the bosome of our Love There we should rest securely from all harmes Embracing and embraced in his armes But what is this behold another sight Two men or Angels rather clad in white Angels Leave gazing thus ye men of Galilee For this same Jesus you shall shortly see Returne again in the same manner as You now beheld him hence to Heaven pass He 's gone but to prepare for you a place Against the time that you have run your race Leave wishing too for wishes will not raise You to the mansions of those endlesse joies Where he resides but let your thoughts all bend In heavenly conversation to ascend Follow his holy steps for so you shall Have your Ascension bodie soul and all Apostles We thank you for your counsel and obey This having said they all depart away Th' Angels to heaven th' Apostles homeward went Expecting when the Spirit should be sent And they endu'd with power from the Lord To save the world by preaching of the Word Upon all Saints day SUch honour have all the Lords Saints that we Keep this day holy to their memorie And reason good for they examples are To us in life and death of vertues rare For though all vertues in some measure met In all the saints as lines i' th' center yet Some special grace in every one did dwel Wherein each one the other did excel Thus Abram for his Faith was most renown'd Job for his singular Patience was crown'd Moses for Meeknesse did all men surpasse Elias for his Zeale most famous was David is for an Upright heart commended Josias for a Tender heart transcended John the Evangelist for Charity And John the Baptist for Austerity Saint Paul for his Humility surmounted When chief of sinners he himself accounted And least of all th' Apostles though indeed For pains and parts he did the rest exceed Peter for Penitence the prize doth bear Who for his sinne shed many a bitter teare Now as their life to us serves for a light So is their death most precious in Gods sight By that we learn to live by this to die By both we come to immortality Since then they are such happy guides wel may We solemnize at least one annual day Unto their honour yet not guiltie be Of superstition or Idolatry When we observe this day we do no more Then reverence them as Saints not them adore God's the sole object of our invocation They but the pattern for our imitation And 't is our prayer alwaies on this day That we their godly living follow may Til we with them at last come to partake Of joyes unspeakable for Christ his sake Whiles thus we celebrate this festival None can us justly superstitious cal To Christ A Poem of Hugo Grot. Sil. lib. 1. p. 10. Translated O Christ which art the head of every thing From whom a better life then this doth spring Thy Fathers measure yet unmeasured Whom whiles that he himself contemplated In his high mind he streams forth light of light And sees himself in 's equal image bright Like whom the world and the worlds guardian man Was made but O he suddainly began To be rebellious his high honour lâ—st And prest with crimes which him most deerly cost Becoming guilty of the greatest pain In this state lay and had for ever laine But that thy Father his case pitying did Give thee who with himself before wast hid Under concealed light eternal love Unto his Church did him to mercy move His truth by dreams he wil reveal no more Nor visions by his Prophets as before But willing now a living Law to make And lasting league with men lo thou didst take A mortal body and a man-like face Yet not begot the way of humane race By filthy lust but thou conceived wast By power divine born of a Virgin chaste Though thou no purple hadst to cloth thee then Bâ—ing newly born nor bands of armed men To compasse thee about and be thy guard Yet Citizens of heaven keep watch and ward And divine Anthems sang about thy stal More royal thus then any Princes Hall The beasts and shepherds thee incircled there Poor but far happier then all Kings they were In that they knew thee thou a new come guest Wert by thy heaven to earth made manifest The Magi stood amaz'd a starre to see Ne're seen before how great say they is he That 's born to honour whom new stars appear Yee â—erie signes of heaven your light forbear Forbeare ye wandring stars and Charls his Wayne To guide the Passengers upon the Maine For through the various waves of things below And life's uncertainties this Star doth show The way not that which unto Babylon brings Proud in the Courts of her Arsâ—oian Kings Nor to the Palaces of Tibur stout Nor to Jerusalem's turrets but points out The Cottages of Bethlehem and the door Of shepherds tents Jewes seek your King no more Amongst the Cornets and the Trumpets sound And th' Arms wherewith mans furie doth surround Himself ye know not wretches as ye be How neer a thing to heaven is povertie How sweet to suffer tel the Parthians now Goe tel the Romans tel your Herod how Hee 'll make the blind to see the lame to walk Hee 'll make the deaf to hear the dumb to talke Hee 'll heal all plagues and sicknesses with ease By 's word not herbs and calm the raging seas Thousands he wil with little food sustain Himself long time with none and raise again The dead make water wine at his command And walk upon the sea as on dry land Let them whom jewels deck let Martial men Try if they can perform the like again These my poor Christ can doe nor doth he cure Bodies alone but minds of men make pure Purges their brests that are possest with sin And heals the plague-sick world which we live in Thus a right way he takes whiles those that stand And mightie are he puls down with his hand Those that are weak and fallen he erects But look what stirrs i' th' heavens What strange aspects And strife of things Whiles so great good in thee Is recompenc'd with hateful crueltie Not by the Sythian or the barbarous men Of Affrick or the north Pole Citizen But by good Abrahams off-spring who alone Of all the nations was thy chosen one Such mischiefe black ambition can do Whiles't being incens'd with pride and hatred too It rages under faigned piety A simple fate thou didst not perish by But as a thief thou di'dst though innocent To undergoe our sin and punishment The sins of all the world did lye on thee Since Adam ate of the forbidden tree From that first hour to this they prest thee all On us those bonds on us those blowes should fall Those sharp black thorns should prick our temple veins The Sergeant should us drag to endlesse pains The nails should pierce our hands the spear our side And we without delay
in you To whom a part is due We wish your Buckland house a Palace were That we might see you there For since the time that you went hence away We not our selves enjoy In losing you we lose our better part And now we have no heart Or quick'n us with your presence as before Or else we languish and can live no more To the no less honoured Lady the Lady P. SOmewhat I owe unto your honoured Name But cannot pay it yet you may not blame The Poet but your self as cause of it Since that your worth is far above his wit And either you below your self must fall Or else want his Encomium for all That he may say or write in your just praise Will but eclipse your Sun and cloud its raies 'T is true he knowes you not which is his grieâ— But by report and that hath made you cures Of all your Sexe within your Hemisphere There 's none in competition will appear Your vertues raise you to so high a state They may admire but hardly imitate You need not blush as if this were too high To write the Truth I hope's no flatterie Now Madam if you please to cast a look Or spend some spare time on this little Book And in it any thing that 's good do view Then challenge it for it belongs to you What 's vain or worthless in it that decline And pass it by I challenge that for mine To the eminent Scholer and Honor of our Church Dr. HAMMOND ALthough the times forbid you now to preach In publick yet your learned Writings teach Us how to live in these unhappy daies How we should upright walk in slipperie waies You are our Oedipus and do untie The knottiest points in all Divinitie Such is the power of your judicious pen It stops the mouthes of all gainsaying men The Presbyter is routed and undone He flies the field since you the day have won At last your greatest Work you have put forth But I 'm not able to express its worth So excellent it is and like good wine Commends it self it needs no bush of mine Go on t' instruct the world and with your light Shine out to guide us in the darkest night Of ignorance and Error which will soon Unless prevented make us grope at noon To the truly vertuous and his most esteemed Cousin Mrs. M. B. A Learned woman the an humble too May for a Miracle amongst us go She 's Mistris of all Arts and of one more To shew so little of so great a â—tore That woman which hath more then common worth Seldom wants tongue enough to set it forth But she that knowes much with Sobrietie Is somewhat like unto the Deitie Veild o're with humane flesh which seems to be God manifested yet a Mysterie Much more she is indeed then she 'l appear Her inside 's Velvet when her outside 's hair Like to a vessel full of precious wine Or like unto a rich concealed Mine The vessel makes no noise but pierce it then Iâ— liquor yeilds that chears the heart of men The Mine conceal'd though rich no profit brings But once discovered is a prize for Kings A miracle a Mistris of all Arts A mysterie made up of all choice parts A vessel fil'd with Nectar a rich Mine All these you are though you all these decline And make your self more then your self to be By letting us not half your merits see Thus Jacobs Vision is made good to you When e're you sleep you may the Ladder view Reaching from earth to heaven made without hands At foot whereof Humility there stands Knowledg above upon the highest round All other Graces like the Angels found Ascending and descending up and down To court you here a while and there you crown This makes us somewhat jealous and to fear Lest by this Ladder they attempt to bear You soon to heaven and leave us in the night Of ignorance when we have lost our light Stand still in our Horizon then we pray Like Joshuahs Sun and double make our day For you impart a greater influence here Then when you shall be fixt i' th' highest Spheer To the Right Honourable the Lady M. C. WEalth Honour Vertue once combin'd To make one perfect of the female kind At length they met with you and did protest To go no further but set up their rest Within your armes those now that mean to share In them must borrow what you please to spare You superrogate and there doth lye Such store of them in your rich Treasurie That you may well afford so much as will Some meaner persons in good measure fill The after droppings of a Catarackt Will raise the lesser brooks that water lack't The gleanings of your Vintage will go neer To make small Vessels run o're once a year Thus unto others you enough may give Yet in all fulness you your self may live Upon his losing his way in a mist I Thought I could not go astray So perfectly I knew the way Yet in a Mist I miss'd it and Err'd now on this now on that hand And till the fog was by the Sun Dispell'd I in a maze did run And ride as if'twere Fairie ground Or that the Puck had led me round So whiles I want a heavenly light The day 's to me as dark as night Which way I go I cannot tell Whether it be towards heaven or hell But this I know that there is odds I tread the divels track not Gods For Gods way strait and narrow is The divels broad and hard to miss O Sun of Righteousness then shine And soon disperse this mist of mine Lighten the darkness of my mind That I the way to heaven may find To two Parties going to Law about small matters LOok how the steel forceth with several knocks Fire from the flint into the Tinder-box So do you smite each other till you force Gold from your own into the Lawyers purse O how like foes they brawle on either side And yet like friends your money they divide Leaving you bare as an Anatomy All that you get you may put in your eye And never see the worse then take from me This Counsel freely and without a fee Agree between your selves and make an end Do you to him he to you condescend Thus whiles you both unto each other yeild You 'l both o'recome and losing with the field To an envious and malicious person WHy envi'st thou thy Neighbour canst thou tel Is 't 'cause in Wealth or worth he doth excel That will not make thee richer then thou art Nor him the poorer but t will vex thy heart That will not make thee better nor him worse But blessing bring on him on thee a curse Or why malignest thou thine enemy Is'â— 'cause he hath done thee some injury That will not mend the matter but incense Him to a second and more high offence Adding of wrong to wrong O then be wise And do him all the good thou canst
hel The Antipodes WHy art so sad and sullen O my Muse That now to make a verse thou dost refuse Must thou be mov'd by a reward to raise Thy fancie up Lo here 's a sprig of Bayes To make a lawrel if that wil not do it Meere indignation wil create a Poet Art thou not angry yet at these mad times Canst thou forbeare to write Satyrick rhimes A rod is good for mad men in their fits 'T wil them restrain if not restore their wits The world is a great Bedlam where men talke Distractedly and on their heads doe walk Treading Antipodes to all the Sages And sober minded of the former ages They were content good souls with slender meat Such as their gardens yeilded they did eate A sallet bread and water fresh that ran From the next spring did dine a Gentleman They were content good souls for to be clad In skins which from the beasts backs could be had And so it did them from the cold defend It was enough they had no other end They were content to sit under the shade Of their own Vine ne're offering to invade Their neighbours or take arms them to oppresse So they their own might quietly possesse They were content with such instructions as From their own Priests and Prophets mouths did passe And with that fear and reverence did them hear As though the only oracles they were It was the golden age of the world then When merit and not mony raised men Grace was their gold their hearts were the rich mine Where vertues most transparently did shine Faces about now and behold the sceane Turn'd topsie turvie all things changed cleane No fare contents us but what 's fetcht from far And deerly bought and cookt with curious care And dainty sauces thus with art we strive Our appetites to kil and to revive We of our bellies Gods do make and thus Are gluttons beyond Heliogabulus No drink contents us but the richest wine And strongest beer which we swil in like swine Keeping no meane but quaffing round about Til all the wine 's in and the wit is out No clothes content us but the richest stuffe And costâ—iest die else 't is not gay enough Nay it is nothing worth unlesse the fashion Come like Queen Sheba from a forraign nation We change our habits like the moon our shapes With Proteus and are made the Frenchmens Apes No living wil to us contentment yeild But we must stil be laying field to field Wishing this Lordship purchasing that Farme If mony wanting be then force of arm Shal make it ours or subtiltie of wit One way or other we wil compasse it No teaching now contents us the old way The Lay-man is inspired every day Can pray and preach ex tempore he Priest With all his learning is despis'd and hist Out of the Church and some have lately fed He should be shortly brought to beg his bread We 've nothing of the golden age unlesse That Gold 's our Grace and Gaine 's our godlinesse Not manners now but monie makes a man Yea many think it makes a Christian As if none were religious but the rich And the poor body damn'd were for a witch Dost see my Muse the world turn'd upside down The Prince on foot whiles mounted is the clown The beggar now a purchaser and hee That was worth thousands brought to beggerie Dost thou behold all this and canst be mute Come take thy bow and arrowes aim and shoot The sharpest of them cast thy keenest dart At this mad age and strike it to the heart Come dip thy pen in vinegar and gall And never leave til thou hast vented all Thy just spleen on it if it stil grow worse Let it expect not thine but Gods great curse To a Gentlewoman that was extremely troubled with the Tooth-ach I Grieve and wonder so great pain You should from one smal tooth sustaine That you can neither eate nor drink Nor aâ—l the night scarce sleep a wink Yet to your comfort this I 'll say That to hell pains 't is but a toy A pleasure if compar'd it were To what the damned suffer there If in one tooth such anguish lies What torments from that fire arise This in a night or two is past But that doth infinitely last In this one member akes no more In that all members o're and o're In this the body doth but smart In that the soul too beats her part Think then that this is all the hell Which you shal feele and you are wel Upon a Passing Bel. HEark how the Passing Bel Rings out thy neighbours knel And thou for want of wit Or grace ne're think'st on it Because thou yet art well Fool in two dayes or three The same may ring for thee For deaths impartial dart Wil surely hit thy heart He will not take a fee Since then he wil not spare See thou thy self prepare Against that dreadful day When thou shalt turn to clay This bel bids thee beware Upon the setting of a Clock-Larum O What a drowzie lump of flesh is man Whose life being no longer then a span Great part of that short span is past away In sleep so that 't is hard for us to say Whether we live or no for whiles that we Repose our selves dead to our selves we be Without all motion and intelligence Till this shril Larum quicken our dulsense And make us living souls to th' day arise Like Adam when he opened first his eyes Yet this sleep 's short and sweet if we compare It to that other wherein many are Profoundly steep'd a spiritual sleep in sin The major part o' th' world is drowned in That but the Body's nap we know to be This the souls everlasting Lethargy Unlesse God waken it to that intent He hath to man a treble Larum sent His Word first from his Prophets mouth did beat A Parley and from sin sound a Retreat Saying Thou sleeper wake attention give To what I say hear and thy soul shall live Let not thy sins turn day into black night Rise from the dead and Christ shal give thee light And left this Larum should not be of force From this dead sleep in sin to raise a Course He sets a second that with secret art Besides the eare pierceth the very heart His spirit it is and when the other failes To rouze the sleepie sinner this prevailes But if his eares and heart be so fast barr'd That neither of these larums wil be heard Then sounds a third Gods judgements powring down Upon his head and making it ring noone Flashing like lightning ratling too like thunder Parting his soule and body far asunder Til so from sleep in sin he fal at last To sleep in death and in the grave is cast From which he shall not wake before he heare Th' Archangels dreadful larum in his eare Saying Arise ye dead to judgment come And from Christs mouth receive your final doome Scylla and Carybdis TWo gulfs there are 'twixt
which 't is hard to sail And not be shipwrackt here prophanenesse stands With all it's brood of vices at iâ—s tayle There superstition with its numerous bands Of false traditions 't was the main intent Of our late Pilots between both to steere But froward fate to seamen incident Made them mistake their way for whiles they fear To sink into the gulf of superstition They in the gulfe of profanation fal And in the furious heate of opposition 'Gainst Papists are like to turn Atheists all So some of th' ancient Fathers in dispute Against one heresie did too much bend Unto another and their arrow shoot Besides the mark thus marre what they would mend But cannot we keep in the middle region Except we sink too low or soar too high Is there no moderate temper in religion But we must either scorch'd or frozen die What hath the Church no habitable part Betwixt the torrid and the frozen Zone Nor hath the Churchman learnt as yet the Art O' th' moralist that vertue leans to none Of the extremes but in the center lyes So doth religious Truth if we could find It's track out but the fault is in our eyes That wil not see or rather in our mind That wil not keep the road and safest way Which by the best and wisest men is gone But rather through unbeaten deserts stray Which lead to nothing but confusion O God be thou out Pilot once again Or put some Pharos up that by the light Our ship the Church may saile safe through the main And not be swallow'd by these gulfs i' th' night Upon Lay-mens preaching ART thou offended because thou dost see Eldad and Medad both to prophesie Within the camp although they came not neer The Tabernacle nor inabled were Til th' instant by the Spirit Do not say Moses forbid them rather wish and pray That all Gods people Prophets were for so The meekest man on earth Moses did do But when an Ignoramus shall professe Himself a Prophet and inspir'd no lâ—sse Then Moses or Elias and pretend The Spirit is on him to no other end Then to foment a faction and decry All learning in the University When that Mechanick fellows from their trade Shall Aarons office offer to invade And mount the Pulpit publickly expound The Sacred Scripture though they have no ground For what they say but meerly what proceeds From spleen or fancie so they sow their weeds I' th' furrowes of weak hearts which grow apace Choaking the good seed and the herbs of grace Sowne by the Ministers of God before 'T is time high time that they be bid give o're And that with Joshua we cry My Lord Moses forbid them to abuse Gods word But if both we and Moses silent are And none the madnesse of these Prophets dare Reprove either the simple Asse wil do 't The vulgar sort and spurne them with his foot Scorning to learn of those who nothing know But what they bring from shopboard or from plough Or else let them expect their doome to hear From Gods own mouth which the worst Judgment were These Prophets run yet them I have not sent I have not spoken to them yet they went And prophesied deceits even in my name I am against them therefore to their shame And wil confound all those that lies do teach No more my people do you hear such preach But seek the word at their mouths who are wel Train'd up at feet of learn'd Gamaliel Elisha's double portion do inherit Being call'd both by the Church and by the Spirit Who can my holy mysteries unfold And forth their treasures bring things new and old Who can confirm their truths by strength of reason Mercy and judgment sing each in their season That can their several portions give to all Humble the proud and raise up them that fall Have milk for babes and meat for stronger men Can teach both by their preaching and their pen Prune the luxuriant prop the weaker plants Have fords for lambs and depths for Elephants The men thus qualified are those I send To such and only such you must attend Upon the contrary effects of Tobacco in himself and his friend IS it not wondrous strange that there should be Such different tempers 'twixt my friend and me I burn with heat when I Tobacco take But he on th' other side with cold doth shake 'To both t is Physick and like Physick works The cause o' th' various operation lurks Not in Tobacco which is stil the same But in the difference of our bodies frame What 's meat to this man poison is to that And what makes this man lean makes that man fat What quenches ones thirst makes another dry And what makes this man wel makes that man dye So the same Sun we see hardneth the clay By his reflex but melts the wax away So the same word of God doth Saul convert And softneth his but hardneth Pharaoh's heart What ere the difference of our bodies be Lord let the temper of our souls agree That so thy Word the same effect may have On both of us not to condemne but save Upon a good yeer of Corn and a quick harvest HAve we not had a fruitful yeer of grain Fair weather too to bring it in amaine And shall we not an offering to him pay Who gives us richly all things to enjoy Did not the heathens shew their thankfulnesse To their Corn goddesse Ceres and expresse The same by sacrifices of the best And shal we faile our thanks to manifest To our true God who bears the Christian name O let not us fall short of them for shame But what wil he accept What shal we bring A sheafe of wheat or some such trivial thing That were but paying him in his own coyne A single penny out of his whole Mine We should present the best we can devise A reasonable living sacrifice Our souls and bodies purified from sin That ô that 's it which he delighteth in That is the Corn which Angels shal with joy Reap and into Gods heavenly Barne convey Upon his walking one day abroad when sometimes the Sun shone warm an sometimes the winde blew cold on him THis emblem 's forth the world aright Which now shines on me hot and bright Now it blowes cold on me But ne're wil constant be 'T is just like the weather Hot and cold together One while it mee with many favours crownes Anon it stabs me with as many frownes Why do I then my trust put in it Seeing it varies every minute I may goe court the moon And stop her course as soon As bind the world to stay My faithful friend a day If it be so inconstant I intend To seek out if I can a surer friend But where is he Not here below Where Sun doth shine and wind doth blow But in the heaven above There do I fix my love On one that changeth never Being the same for ever It is my God who is so fast