PPuritanSearch
Primary source research library
SearchNicholas Noyes
American Puritan & Colonial

Poem to James Bayley

Nicholas Noyes (1647-1717) · 888 words · 4 min

The source for this document is http://name.umdl.umich.edu/N29635.0001.001

Project Note

This is licensed under Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND. This license allows reusers to copy and distribute the material in any medium or format in unadapted form only, for noncommercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator.

The source of this document is the Early English Books Online (EEBO-TCP) website. Those books were transcribed in a character for character manner and can be very cumbersome to read since there was no standard spelling during that time. Many spelling variations such as "unlesse", "vnlesse", and "vnles" regularly appear.

This project was conceived to clean up those books as much as possible and make them more accessible to the interested reader, leading to the creation of a massive list of variant spellings and their corrections. This was used to clean up the text, but is of course only as complete as the list itself. Because of the nature of the original transcription, some words have missing characters or places where the original language (e.g., Greek) was not transcribed. This effort does not change that. Be aware that the original transcription can also be faulty and in some cases entire sentences may be missing.

Although this is no substitute for a properly compared, proofed, and scholarly edition, I believe that the result is a document which is far more accessible, particularly for searching for terms using standard spelling. The document has been cleaned and presented in what I hope is a pleasing and useful format for the vast majority of Christian brothers and sisters who just want access to read these spiritually nourishing works.

However, a word of warning: The Puritans were a very diverse group of people and their age was characterized with godliness, but also much upheaval, disputation and strife. They disagreed on many doctrines and some of these works contain less orthodox or Scriptural views than others. The reader is strongly advised to read with discernment, particularly if it is unknown whether author is trustworthy.

This project took a huge amount of time and skill to bring to fruition. I would particularly like to thank David Jonescue for the initial list of Puritans he found on EEBO and the concept behind this project as well as the continuous, unceasing efforts toward seeing this complete. Without his labor, this would not be available. Alex Sarrouf was invaluable in providing the initial list of over 7,000 spelling variations he had identified and corrected, as well as continuing to review more than 16,000 additions to that list for any typos.

Logan West
(with David Jonescue and Alex Sarrouf)
www.puritansearch.org

May 28th. 1706. To my Worthy Friend, Mr. James Bayley, Living (if Living) in Roxbury, A POEM.

MY Old Companion! and my Friend!
I cannot Come, and therefore send.
Some pity should be shown to One
That's heavy laden with the Stone;
That's wearied out with fits of pain
Returning like Clouds after Rain.
Alas! my Brother, what can I
Do for thee, more than Pray and Cry,
To Counsel, and to comfort try,
And bear a part by Sympathy?
Excuse me, though I Write in Verse,
It's usual on a Dead man's Hearse:
Thou many a Death hast under-gone,
And Elegies made of thine own.
Our Savior's Funeral Obsequies,
One Celebrates before His eyes;
And He the Ointment kindly takes,
That for His Burial she makes.
Two Saints array'd in glorious dress,
Appear, and talk of His Decease;
Whose Death from thine did take the Sting,
And wholesome make that Poison thing.
And I have seen thine hand, and Pen,
Play on that Cockatrices den
In measured Lines, as if inspired,
And Paroxisms had only fired
An holy Soul with flaming zeal,
That flesh-pains it could scarcely feel.
What, in one breath, both Live and Dye,
Groan, Laugh, Sigh, Smile, Cry, Versifie?
Is this the Stone? are these the pains
Of that Disease that plagues the Reins?
That slyly steals into the bladder?
Then bites, and stings like to the Adder.
Is this the Scourge of Studious men?
That leaves unwhipt scarce five of ten
And Whips them once, and over again.
In Christ's School there's smart Discipline,
To make His Scholars more divine;
Blest they who do not take offense,
Whose joy lies in the Future Tense;
Who when they are in most distress,
Love Christ the more, and not the less.
His Yoke is easy, burden light,
To them that understand things right;
And none will afterward complain,
Who Hell escape, and Heaven obtain.
Well! if this Stone should do its worst,
It cannot make thee be accurst:
For if thou shouldst be Ston'd to Death,
And this way Pelted out of Breath,
Thou wilt like Stephen fall asleep,
And free from pain forever keep.
Great Pains, with as great Patience, may
Fall little short of Martyrs Pay:
For Christ's Rewards are all of Grace,
No Merit but His, in either case.
Our Lord thee good Example offered,
Who learned Obedience while He suffered,
Who for the joy was set before Him,
Endur'd the Cross He bore, and bore Him,
Who though He Pray'd it might be gone,
Yet also said, Thy will be done.
That Stone which builders did refuse,
For thy Foundation choose, and use.
Think also when thine Agonies
Are most intense, and force loud cries;
They are not worthy to compare
With those that Christ for thee did bear:
Yea, think what Christ for thee hath done,
Who took an harder, heavier Stone
Out of thine Heart; and it is gone.
Who did thy Wounded Spirit cure
Of Soul-pains, that none can endure,
And this is easier to be borne,
For in the Flesh abides this thorn:
And if Christ do not it remove,
Sufficient is His Grace, and Love,
To give thee comfort, and Support,
Because this pain is light, and short;
And works for thee the Glory great,
That doth exceed in length, and weight.
Besides, these Torments cant compare,
With Torments that Eternal are:
For they are utterly undone,
That roll the Sisypean Stone;
Not they whose pains are limited,
And are released, as soon as dead.
Add one thought more; that this distress
Makes thee partake of Holiness:
The more the flesh is hack'd, and hew'd,
The more Corruption is subdued.
Life is to thee the less endeared,
And Death by 〈◊〉 is the less feared:
For it's but once thou hast to die,
And then Live to Eternity.
Thy weary Body shall have Rest,
Thy Soul from thence forth shall be blest;
Thy dust be 〈◊〉 ; for Christ shall find it,
And leave thi • cruel Stone behind it.
One Stone Gold's truth doth bring to light;
Another makes Iron sharp, and bright:
A third our grain doth Pulverize,
And Separate the chaff likewise.
Thine, all these profits bring to thee,
In nobler sense than th' other three.
Thine proves thy Grace to be Sincere;
Of rust, and dullness, doth thee clear.
And makes thee Watch, and Pray, and long
To change thy groans, for 〈◊〉 Song.
Though grinding pains thy nature bruise,
They fit thee for thy Masters use:
And when thy dust shall be resin'd;
Thou shalt be neither pained, nor pin'd;
Nor full of petrifying juice,
Hard Studies, Heats, and Colds produce.
Then shall hid Manna be thy fare,
In which no gritt, nor gravel are;
Yea, Christ will give thee a White Stone,
With a New Name engrav'd thereon,
To the Enjoyer only Known.
Lord, once thou saidst, Arise and Walk;
Thy Words Were Works; Mine are but Ta ••
Be pleased to bid thy son, Good cheer!
And say, Thy Sins forgiven are!
Then, Sink, or Swim; or Live, or Die,
He will thee greatly Glorify.
Say so to me too, so will I.
A Man of Sorrow once Thou wast,
And still a fellow-feeling hast,
So to Thy Pity, I commend
My self, and my afflicted Friend!

Nicholas Noyes