Funeral Poem to Thomas Westrow
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Logan West
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www.puritansearch.org
WESTROW REVIVED.
A Funeral Poem without Fiction.
Composed by Geo: Wither Esq.
That GOD may be glorified in his Saints; That the memory of Thomas Westrow Esq; may be preserved, and that others by his exemplary Life and Death may be drawn to imitation of his Virtues.
Blest are the
Dead
who die in CHRIST;
For, from their Labors they do rest;
And, whether they do
live
or
die,
His
Saints
are precious in his eye.
To the
READER.
READER,
peruse
this
thorough: For, to
Thee
It most pertains, though
WESTROW
named be;
And, gives
(as by the way)
some short
hints,
there,
To what
Intents,
He, chiefly doth appear,
And whereof, if good heed shall not be took
Somwhat,
ere long, more fully will be spoke.
Both
Moses,
and the
Prophets,
many a day
Have spoken; and a
Greater one
then they.
Hear them:
For when
GOD
sendeth by the
DEAD,
His
Messages
will come with much more
Dread
Then
Comfort;
and few men; with good effect,
Shall hear
these,
the
former
do neglect.
Be wise,
or else; But, I will, now say no more,
The Feet of messengers are at the door.
LONDON: Printed by F: Neile in Aldersgatestreet: 1653.
WESTROW REVIVED.
The first CANTO.
The
Authors
musings here are shown
The
Night,
ere ought, to him was known
Of
Westrowes
death; whereof, the
Morrow
Assur'd him, to his greater sorrow:
Then, that which he hath more to say,
Is put off, to another day.
TWas
midnight;
and, I had
myself
undrest,
In hope, the
nights
remainder, for my rest
Had been allowd; and, in that hope, all those
Distractings, which my
mind
might discompose
Quite threw aside, and hastened to the place,
Where, that
refreshment,
offered an embrace.
But, in
sleeps
posture, ere I down was laid,
A
Thought,
within my heart, start up, and said,
Westrowe,
thy best, and most deserving
Friend,
Lies feeble, and approaching to his end,
By thee unvisited (though two days, now
Are past, since of his
weakness
thou didst know.)
How, canst thou answer such a gross neglecting,
Of one, so well, so truly thee affecting?
A second
Thought
thus answered thereunto,
(To make amends) to
morrow
I will go
In hope, (since I, for this
neglect
am grieved)
A just
excuse,
will kindly be received;
And, that
Love-real,
shall not through
defect
That's accidental, suffer by
suspect.
To
morrow,
said a third
thought,
comes too late;
His
Lifes Commission,
is quite out of date;
And, that, which might have been enjoyed to
day,
Is, by
procrastination,
lost for aye.
Thou, too too long, thy
purpose
hast forbore,
And, never now, shalt
hear,
or
see
him more.
Yet, be not grieved, that it happens thus,
For, he is safe. And, as good
Lazarus
Lost nothing, by a sickness unto death,
Save only that suspension of his breath
For some few days, which did a means provide,
Whereby, both GOD, and
he,
were glorifide
In greater measure; so, it may, be thou,
Shalt hereby, have
occasions
offered, now,
Of that, whereby, hereafter may be made
Advantages,
which could not else be had.
Advantages!
cride out, another
Thought,
Alas! what good
effect
can forth be brought
By such an
Accident,
if I shall hear
That, to be true, which yet, is but my
fear?
How can my
pretermission
ought produce
Of any future comfortable use?
Or, to what likely profitable end,
Can such a comfortless
privation
tend?
In
Fancies
Tennescourt, thus, to and fro
My
Thoughts
were tost, and plaid at
hazard
so,
That very much distempered I became,
With that unlook'd for, and unpleasing
game.
Their
silent Dialogue
made such impressions
Upon my heart, and so inhanc'd my
passion
That, all the night ensuing they did keep
My
mind
on him, and bard mine eyes from sleep.
I, likewise, have so frequently perceived
My souls
presagings
true, that
I
believed
This sad
surmise;
and thereon did proceed
To
muse,
as if he had been dead indeed
And buried too. From whence, broke in upon me,
Such apprehensions of the
Favors
done me,
And of his kindnesses in my oppressions,
That, they exacted from me those confessions
Which in the following pages will ensue
To give, what to his
memory
is due.
Dear GOD! if
human mercy
so indears
So swe
•
t, so precious, if that
Love
appears
(And so obliging) which enjoyed may be
By
Creatures!
what is that, which flows from thee?
If, little
sparklings,
may beget a
flame,
What may be thought of
that,
from whence they came?
And, why from
him
should not my
soul
ascend,
To clasp thy
love,
oh my
Eternal Friend!
Who
wert,
and
art,
and wilt
continue
so,
When all the
World
shall into
nothing
go!
Some will at
first,
perhaps, with prejudice
Peruse, what in this
Poem I
express,
On this
Occasion;
judging, that, hereby
I, somewhat
would, beyond the
verity,
Insinuate; to make
small things,
appear
More in the
show,
then they in
substance
are.
But they shall see at
last,
that,
I
pursue
My
Theame
no farther then
I
make it true:
And, bear me witness, ere this hath an end,
That,
I
have done but what becomes a
Friend:
That,
real cause,
occasioned my unrest:
And, that, of
him,
my thoughts are here expressed,
Without
hyperbo
•
es;
without
devising
Or adding, what the World cal
•
s
Poetizing:
And, that,
I
rather put upon the
score
Less,
then
I
ow his
memory,
then
more.
But, to the
matter:
being full of grief,
By what my fear had raised up to
belief,
To say, within myself,
I
thus began;
Westrowe,
that noble single hearted man,
Whom GOD, had in a time of need bestowed
To be my
Friend,
is now no more his
own.
Alas! nor
mine: Westrowe,
that heretofore,
Was, to the
Widow, Fatherless,
and
poor,
A
Husband, Friend,
and
Father,
them to feed,
To clothe, and harbor, in the time of need.
Westrowe,
GOD'S faithful
Almner;
he, from whom
No
needy soul,
who for relief did come,
Went
empty
(if his
needines
required,
Undoubtedly, the succor he deserved)
And, then, as GOD doth, he did
alms
bestow
Upon the
good,
and
bad,
on
Friend,
and
Foe.
Yea, and when none did
ask,
what he could grant,
Sought where to find out those, who stood in want:
And, often, was directed unto them,
By
Providence,
in acceptable time.
That
Westrowe,
now, hath left us to bemoan
Our losses. For thereby, he can have none,
Nor meant us any: But, is gone away
That, our
contentment,
he make perfect may
By his
well-being,
in a safe possessing,
His
portion,
in an
everlasting Blessing:
And, that, we may look off, from
him,
to heed
His
Love,
from whom, all
mercies
do proceed.
Westrowe
is gone, and we remaining have
No more of
him,
but what is in his
Grave:
There, now, he resteth, and exchanged hath
Life mortifide,
for an
enlivening death.
And, him I do behold in
contemplation,
So represented, by
transfiguration,
As having laid that
earthly veil
aside
(Which from the
World,
his
better parts
did hide)
That, I will now disclose them; therefore, stay
And, know him
Reader,
ere thou go away.
Nor few, nor mean
Advantages
he had
Relating to this
life,
But, these were made
Of small account, with him; and, used so,
As if with them, he little had to do,
Except, for others sakes: For, he denide
Himself,
to all things, but,
Christ crucifide;
And, in respect of
him,
placed those among
Such despicable things, as
dross
and
dung;
He therefore, let them pass, to be forgot;
And, will not mention, what he prized not.
He,
living,
walked
upright,
in
crooked ways,
And, chose the
best part,
in the
worst of days.
He,
dying,
cheerfully,
himself
denide,
That (being thereby wholly nudifide
From all that was his own), he might be clothd,
With what he
loved,
instead of what he
lothd.
And, he that can throw off, such Rags as these,
Shall find himself, exceedingly at ease.
How, can I know this, some, perhaps, may say,
If he be dead, and I now far away:
Thus;
when I saw him last, I, saw him then
Himself
undressing,
from that bane of men
Self-love,
and
selfness;
and I know, he never
Would fall from his intention, and endeavor,
Till that were done. For, I was always near him
In
spirit,
though, I did not
see,
nor
hear
him.
We did communicate (when not by
quill,
Or with our
tongues
) in
spirit,
and in
will
As
Angels
do: yea, many times, when we
In
words
and
terms,
appeared to disagree,
(Because of that defect which is in those)
Even then, in
will,
and
spirit,
we did close:
And, they whom such
experiments
acquaints
With that
communion
which belongs to
Saints
Do know, that men may credibly aver,
Sometimes, what they did neither
see,
nor
hear:
And, worthy my regard it doth not seem,
What, others, of this
mistery
shall deem.
This confidence of
Him,
is but the same
Which he expressed of
me,
when last I came
To
visit
him; at which time, I received
Assurance, of what is of him believed:
For, these, the
last words
were, which from his
tongue,
I heard; and, they, from this
occasion
sprung.
I told him, that I might be faulty judged,
(Considering how to him I was obliged)
That, nor by
conversation,
nor by
pen,
I,
lately had with
him,
(like other men)
My
thoughts
communicated; but persu'd
My own
affairs,
as if to be renu'd,
Our
Friendship,
needed not those complements
Which
discontinance of respect
prevents.
To such effect
I
spake; whereto, he gave
This answer (which I oft repeated have
With much contentment;) trouble not thyself,
With needless things, we are now past the
shelf,
That ship-wracks
friendship.
That, which seems
neglect
To others; and begets a
dis-respect,
Secures you more to me, then if you had
Left your
affairs
at hazard;
visits
made;
And added to your
frequent visitations,
Acknowledgments of Debts, and Obligations
As others do▪
It
would not give me more
Assurance
of you, then
I
had before.
For, my own heart, hath so informed me,
Of what you are; and of what you shall be
With an assurance, so undubitable,
(And everlastingly irrevocable)
That, whatsoever shall of you be told,
(Though we each other never more behold
Nor line comes from you)
I,
shall
live,
and
die,
More confident, of your
sincerity
Then, if it were expressed every day,
By all that
you,
or
other men
could say.
These
words
(though mine) give, really, the
sense,
Wherein, he did express his
confidence:
In this
sense,
his
last words
to me he spoke;
And, so, my
everlasting leave I
took.
I
think, it may inferred be, from hence,
Things may be known, beyond the reach of
sense,
Without
corporal presence;
and that we
Of
some things,
though but part of them we see,
May know the rest: He, that doth see me
go,
And hear me
speak,
may, without question, know
That,
I
have
heart,
and
lungs;
although his
eye
Ne'r saw them, or the
place
in which they lie:
And, he, that knows but what he
hears,
and
sees,
Is from a
beast
removed so few degrees,
That,
I
shall mention unto him, in vain
What to the
Saints communion
doth pertain.
Only to those
I,
therefore will proceed,
To speak, who can
believe,
as well
read:
To
be,
he rather labored, then to
seem;
And, sought his
honor
in
self-disesteem.
He wanted not repute, of being
good,
Save, where his
meaning
was
misunderstood;
Which seldom happened, but, where prepossession
Gain'd entrance, by a mis begot
suspicion,
And what he suffered by it, did produce,
Effects,
which were to him of some good use:
And such as gave sometimes
occasions,
too,
Of that, which
good
to other men will do.
Such, as did know him well, knew none to be
A truer Friend,
or
better man
then
he.
He,
by
youths frailties,
learned to improve
In riper years, th'increase of
Faith,
and
Love;
And, by his
life,
exemplified that,
Of which the
Formalist,
doth only prate
His
Charity,
was large; yet, what he did
As much as might be, he from others hid.
For, often, his
misdoings,
he would tell,
But, seldom mention, wherein, he
did well.
He
took more comfort, in a
needful giving,
Then pleasure, in
large benefits
receiving.
And (liking not their
thrift,
who do defer
Almsdeeds,
until their treasures useless are
Unto themselves) he did, by timely
giving,
Forgiving,
and a seasonable
relieving,
Shew, he
believed,
that, thereby leave he shall,
More to
his child,
then if he lest him
all.
And, that, he feared, should he not fructify,
(When, in his hungry members,
Christ,
passed by)
Till, that which may be called
his own time,
came,
He,
and the
cursed fig tree,
were the same.
He,
in his
judgment,
joined not in one,
With some good men: But, disagreed with
none
So far, as to infringe the
band of peace;
Or, hinder
Christian charities
increase:
Because, he knew, the
wisest,
here below,
Know but in
part,
the things they ought to know:
And, that, to clear his
sight,
GOD, now and then,
Did leave a
darkness
upon other men;
Yea, and sometimes, a
frowardness,
to prove
And exercise, his
patience.
and his
love.
The
Christian liberty,
he did profess,
Without allowing of
licentiousness.
He, labor'd, that, the
Conscience
might be
free,
From
force,
(yea though depravd it seemed to be,)
Because, he saw more
hypocrites
thereby
Then
Converts
made; and, that
hypocrisy
Is worse then error; For, it seldom
burns,
For
Conscience;
and, to
GOD,
as rarely
turns.
Because likewise, he was not without fears,
That,
some,
who burned in zeal,
to weed out tares,
Might
purposely,
or
causually,
instead
Of that which they pretended forth to
weed,
Either pluck up the
wheat,
or do it hurt,
By careless treading it, into the dirt.
For, hardly, can
distinguishment
be made
Twixt
Ray,
and
Wheat,
when they are in the
blade.
Moreover, since the
owner
of the
Corn,
Commanded, that such
weeds
should be forborne
Till
Harvest,
to assent, he was afraid,
That, this
Commandment
should be disobaid,
Lest, to
himself,
he might contract the guilt
Of
blood,
that may be innocently spilled.
And, from this
tenderness,
some took
offense,
Not justly given, or arising thence.
If,
he
sometimes, did put himself to trouble,
By vainly building, with
wood, straw,
or
stubble,
(As all men do) which quite away consumes
To
nothing,
when the
fiery trial
comes;
The loss was his, which only did redound
To loss, of what, was better
lost,
then
found.
He was but
man;
and
man
at best, is
light,
And must have
grains
allowed to make him
weight.
As he had
fallings,
and his
human failings,
So he had also
risings,
and
prevailings;
And all GOD'S Saints have less advantaged been,
By their own
righteousness,
then by their
sin:
For, both must be disclaimed, and they brook worst,
And find it hardest, to renounce the
first.
He,
by still cleaving to the true
foundation,
(And gracious
Author
of our preservation)
Found
himself
safe, when all those
works
were gone,
Which he had vainly built thereupon.
And was well pleased to see that turned to
smoke,
Wherein, he, formerly had pleasure took.
Which▪ were it heeded well, would (sans all doubt)
Conclude those
Quarrels,
which arise about
Our
superstructures,
and must be denide
As useles, when by
fire
they shall be tried.
To
truth essential,
he did firm adhear
Although sometimes, in
terms,
he did appear
To leave it: And, when thither he retired,
Where, he in
quiet privacy,
expired;
His
mind,
he so composed, did so confute
All
self-mistakings,
by a
self-dispute;
And, so
examined,
and so
repented,
All,
whereto by mistakes he had assented,
Unwarrantably (whether, it related
To ought which had been
publicly
debated,
Or
privately;
For
Church,
or
Common-weal
For GOD or
men.
) And, there, so settled all
His
Interests;
that with a quiet mind,
He did enjoy the
peace,
he sought to find;
And▪ unto GOD, a resignation made,
Of
will, opinions,
and of all he had:
Even of his
selfnes;
and therein, found more
Enjoyment,
then, in all the world before.
His
body,
was consumed, by the zeal
He bore to GOD'S
house,
and this
Common-weal,
(And, by foreseeing, that he might outlive,
The honor of that
Representative
(Of which he was a
Member,
) For, when he
And
I,
our thoughts conferred, we might foresee,
That, in a short time (as my
muse
foretold,
Some
months
before it came) that happen would
Which now is come to pass, although those few,
Who to the
Public Interest
were true,
Had neither
counsel,
nor
endeavor
spared,
To help keep off the
mischief
that was feared.
Ere, therefore,
actually
it did ensue,
Tir'de out,
with vain endeav'rings, he withdrew▪
A
place
for his
retirement
he had chose,
Near to the Banks of
Thame,
where backward flows,
The
Tide
at highest, up against the stream;
That, he might neither be too far from them,
To whom he had
Relations,
nor too nigh
To such as might disturb his
privacy.
There, what he could not other waves promote,
He sought to further by a
zealous Vote.
There,
private prayers,
offered he at home,
That, GOD himself would (for the time to come)
Assume the
Work,
and call in those thereto
Who, might accomplish, what they could not do.
The
World,
thus left He, ere it him forsook:
Against the
Flesh,
the
Spirits
part he took;
And by their
combatings,
attained to have
A
Resurrection,
ere he had a
Grave.
But, lo, their long fought
Battle
now is past,
The
Spirit
triumphs, and the
flesh,
at last
By yielding to be
conquered,
hath won,
More, then by being
victor,
it had done;
And now is lodged, in her
withdrawing-room,
To rest, until the
tiumph-day
shall come.
There, from it
labors,
let it therefore, cease;
There, let it lie in
hope,
and rest in
peace,
Till, to a better
life,
that
Flesh,
and
we,
Rais'd by a second
Resurrection
be
There to appear, where we shall fully know
What is but darkly, apprehended now:
Where, we shall see the root of all those things,
Whence flow our needless bitter
Quarrellings;
And, where, accordingly we shall receive,
To what we
acted,
or, as we
believe.
Oh! come LORD JESUS come, and fetch us thithes▪
Gather thy
Saints,
and
chosen-ones
together;
And, mean time, in that
Saint
be glorified
For whose
commemoration I
provide.
By
thine,
and their
examples,
who do follow
Their steps, Oh! so inform us, how to hallow
Our
hearts,
so cleanse our
hands,
and guide our
feet,
That, they now gone before, and we may meet.
Thou,
that art both our
life,
and
way
thereto;
That
open door,
through which we are to go:
A
Fountain
always flowing, to refresh
The thirsting
Spirit,
and the fainting
Flesh;
Supply unto us, by thy
Holy Ghost,
What, by ourselves, and others, we have lost.
O thou! who (being GOD'S
eternal Son,
)
To free us, from a
dungeon,
leftst a
Throne,
And, underneath his heavy wrath didst lie
Till thou crid'st out
Lamasabakthani.
To
Heav'nly joys,
convert our
earthly greef;
Decrease our
doubtings,
and increase
Beleef;
Our
carnal love,
improve to
love divine,
Till our
Affections
loose themselves in thine?
Oh! let that
Love,
from whence all
beings
flow,
Which made all things
above,
and all
below:
Whose
Wisdom,
did first set them in their way,
Whose
Providence,
preserved them to this day,
And shall hereafter, govern and dispose,
That which keeps
Order,
and that, which
misgoes,
Oh! hasten to perfection! hasten on,
The work intended, ere the world begun;
And, let that
Glory,
which produce it shall,
Be
his
(and his alone) that's
ALL
in
ALL.
Thus,
mused I,
or, much (if not the same,)
To this effect, before the
morning
came.
These
contemplations,
ere I knew him dead,
By thinking on my
Friend,
conceived I had,
Which afterward, in
words,
thus, up I dressed;
To leave it thereby, vocally expressed,
What
penance,
I was put to, for omitting
A duty, my obligements well befitting
Then, as the dawning
Light
began to creep
About my Chamber, I fell fast asleep.
Next day, (no longer meaning to defer
A
Visit,
but till means prepared were)
I, meeting with a Friend of his and mine,
Informed him, what, I did
predivine;
What I had
suffered,
what, I have
done,
With what, I had that day resolved upon;
And, to prevent it, was assured by him,
That, my
Presagings,
were no idle dream;
For, he was
dead
indeed, and on the morrow
To be
interred;
which did renew my sorrow,
And, reingage me, further to pursue
What, to his pious
Memory
is due.
For, there is much behind, as yet unsaid;
Which, being truly
known,
and duly
weighd
Will add a fairer luster to his
Fame;
Not without some reflectings, to my shame,
For, leaving him, without a
Valediction,
Who was so true a
Friend
in my affliction.
As soon therefore, as I have gotten leisure,
What's yet remaining, forth in
Words,
to measure
Expect it; and in
pawn
thereof, (till I,
Shall to your view expose it) let this lie;
With this ensuing
Epitaph,
till
He
Shall honor'd, by a better
musing
be.
The EPITAPH.
HIs GRAVE (though he desired none
With
Name,
or
Title
thereupon)
Was made below this
Marble stone?
And, here, interred, now,
He
lies,
To wait CHRIST'S coming in the
Skies,
At whose approach the DEAD shall rise.
Yet, seek not here, among the DEAD,
(On
stones,
or
brass,
or
sheets of Lead
)
What, to his honor may be read:
But, if you more of
him,
would hear,
Peruse the
sheets,
whose
Forefronts
bear
His NAME inscribed; and read
him,
there.
For though that MONUMENT be built
Withou
cost graving paint,
or
guilt,
It shall remain, when
this
is spilled:
Yea, though it hath but
paper wings,
It shall out last, those lasting things,
Which, make up
Monuments
for
Kings.
CANTO the second.
After a due
preoccupation,
It offers to
commemoration,
Particulars:
Insists upon
A rarely
memorable-one
Illustrating a
matchles Friend;
And, so, this Canto hath an end.
THe foll'wing
evening,
after I had heard
That verifide, whereof I was afeard
The
night
before, I, then a fresh inspired,
To give my
Musings
utterance, retired.
And, that no
interruptions
I might find,
Put all my own
concernments,
out of mind.
For, he that honestly
one work,
would do,
Must not, the same time, be employ'd on
two.
But, on the paper, ere I fixed my pen,
Such things, as possibly by other men
Might be objected, questioned, or alleadg'd,
To hinder that, wherein I was engaged,
Rush'd in upon me; and,
delays,
had wrought,
Had I not on a sudden kicked them out;
And given some of them, (ere they would go;)
Areasonable civell answer too.
Among the rest,
One
(who scarce went away
Well satisfide with ought that
I
could say)
Thus questioned me: Art thou become so vain,
To think, by
charms,
and
words
to raise again
The
dead
to
life;
or, to preserve the
Name
Of
friends deceased,
by surviving
Fame,
Among this
Generation,
wherein none
Or few, regard what shall be
said,
or
done,
To that effect? Canst thou have hope to bring
By
poesie
(which an
unhallowed thing,
Is now accounted) any due respect
To
him,
whose memory thou dost affect?
Or, think that thou mayest dignify his
Herse,
By such a despicable thing, as
verse?
Canst thou hope this, when he that
versifies,
Seems but a coyner, of facetious
Lies?
When lovers of the
muses,
are so scanty,
That, there are hardly two, in five times twenty,
Who, if thy
Poem
serious be, will heed it;
Or, (if they will) that have the wit to read it,
More gracefully, then if an
Ass
should play
Upon a
Harp,
or to the
Viol
bray?
For, neither heeding
accents, points,
or
time,
They, only make a clinking on the
Rime.
More harshly grating on juditious ears,
Then
scraping trenchers,
which none gladly hears?
And, what, of all thy
musings,
have th'effects
Been hitherto, but
troubles,
and
neglects?
This being urged, I, thereto made reply
Thus, in myself: Admit all this, quoth
I:
Mo
wiseman
fears to do, what should be done
Through dread of that which may mis-fall thereon:
Nor, so much cares, what may thereof be thought,
As to be always doing, as he ought.
It is the
Muses
duty, to be there
Most
active,
where, most
Difficulties
are;
And, most courageously, there to advance
Their
Standards,
where appears most
Ignorance;
That to
succeeding Ages
they may leave
Those things, which
present times,
will not receive.
It is a
portion,
whereto they were born
To be exposed to contempt and scorn;
And, tis their
honor,
to have wisely dared
Just things,
for which, the world gives no reward.
Though
Poets
are despised, and, will yet more
Contemned be, (and thrust behind the door)
As
Ignorance
gets ground; and, as the
Base
Shall rise to sit in honorable place;
There was a time, when
Princes
did contend
In
Poetry,
and
Poets
to befriend;
And, when the
one
shall consecrate his
Muse,
True
Piety,
and
Virtue
to infuse;
And,
men in power,
by
Righteousness
maintain
Their dignity, it shall be so again.
The
Muses,
in times past, so awful were
That, they made
Kings
to fawn, and
Tyrants
fear.
The
Vulger,
they made
Hero's; Hero's GOD'S:
Drew
Trees
and
Beasts,
out of the salvage woods,
To follow them: That is, they drew together
Blockish
and
brutish men
(as rude as either
Wild
Plants,
or
Beasts,
and them allured unto
What
reasonable creatures
ought to do.
Their
Charm
threw down the
vicious
to that hell,
Where everlasting
Infamy
doth dwell:
Raisd up the
well deservers
from the
Grave,
The
life
of
never dying fame
to have,
Yea, by their
charms
they have expelled the
devil,
The furious, and the
melancholy evil.
And, not alone in former Generations,
Among the learned, and most
civil Nations,
Had Poesie esteem, and good effects,
In spite of
envy, malice,
and
neglects.
But, also, here, and lately some have lived
Who, by their
musings,
honor have received.
And been enabled, by their inspirations,
To vindicate the
Muses
reputations.
Yea, (in his measure) even the barbarous
Bard,
Is of his,
people,
so beloved, or feared;
That, whom soere he pleases (by his
rimes
)
He makes to be the
minion
of the times
Within his
Orb:
And, they among us here,
Who of this
faculty
the
masters
are
(As to the language) can th'
affections
raise,
And move the Readers
passions
various ways,
By their
composures;
though they do abuse
His gift, who did that
faculty
infuse;
As I myself have done, till he that gave it,
Inform'd me better, to what end
I
have it.
Then, why, with confidency may not I,
Hope by the help of sacred
poesie,
So to embalm my Friend, by that
perfume
(Which fluently will by extraction come
From his own
virtues
) that, a sweet breathed
fame,
Disfused from the
Orders
of his
Name,
May draw some after him? and make them grow
In love, with what doth from those
Orders
flow?
And, thereby woo them to an imitation
Of
him,
and to a virtuous emulation?
If
David,
in an
fun'rall song
preserved,
The memory of that, which well deserved,
In wicked
Saul
his foe; why may not I
Seek to preserve a good man's memory?
Why may not
I
with warranty commend
The matchles love of my deceased
Friend?
Why may not I, as fully as I can
Illustrate my beloved
Jonathan?
If, also, they, whose
poesie
affords
Little save empty shows, and swelling words,
Forced
Metaphors,
and frothy
strains of wit,
(Which on the
Jancy,
ticklings do beget)
Perused are with some effect that's good,
And, are most pleasing, when least understood)
Why may not I, be read by
two,
or
three,
With more advantage both to
them,
and
me,
Then, by a
thousand,
that are pleased with
chaff,
And, at my plain expressions jeer, and laugh.
Why may not
I,
who have advantages,
Of
truth,
and
real merits
(which helps, these
Impostures
had not)
trophies
hope to Rear
That shall more lasting, and more fair appear
Then such as they build, who
composures
fain
Out of the dirty notions of their
brain,
Or, from the
vapors,
that
strong drink
infuses,
To dignify the subject of their
mufes?
Why may not I, this faculty employ,
To build up that, which others do destroy,
By their abusing it? and, hope thereby
So to repreeve it from that
Obliquie.
Which now it suffers, that, the
best of men,
May fall in love with poesie agen,
And, not (as now they do) avert their eyes,
As if ashamed of him that
versifies?
For, this is part, whereto my
Poems
tend
Though, peradventure, I may miss my end.
Let it not therefore, seem a profanation
Of
Piety,
unto this
Generation,
That, I adventure to redeem from blame
The
gift,
by some employed to their shame;
Since, it was first conferred on each
receiver,
To raise up his own
spirit,
to the
giver:
And, then, to rouse up other men's affections,
From carnal, popular, and vain dejections?
Or that, to take my
Reader,
by the ear,
I lay among my
verses.
here and there,
Some books, with
reason
baited, which, sometime,
Doth eatch those who expected naught but
rime.
Nor, let this (though a long
preoccupation
)
Seem to be needless, or a vain digression;
For, though it nothing
adds,
to my
intents,
The taking
somewhat from them,
it prevents;
Which being done, ile now proceed to that
Wherof, I purpose, further to relate.
The
subject
of my
Musings,
being large
It is not within my graspings, to discharge
What's thereto due; nor can it be confined,
Within that
compass,
which I have designed.
To tell you therefore, fully,
what he was,
Or,
what he was not,
would so far surpass,
This
limit,
that I only must express
So much as may enable you to guess
At what remains untold, (though it be more
Then here ensues, or hath been said before)
And that I may, his
inside
lay to view
Which I much better, then his outside knew.
He was a
man,
endowed with no less
Of
piety,
then
moral Righteousness;
And in the practicing of both, so hearty
That, to the
honest,
and the
god'y party;
(As called some are) he brought a supplement,
Of
real worth,
as well as
Ornament:
And aimed at that reward, for which he ran,
Not in the
outward,
but the
inward-man.
From
youths extravagancies,
which, (as he
Hath oft confessed) he once thought to be
Th'accomplishments of
Gentry,
without which
They had in vain, been
nobly born,
or
rich,
From these (even when he most endanger'd seemed)
He was by GOD'S
especial grace
redeemd,
(And brought off, by his providential hand)
In seasonable time; even as a
brand
Snatchd from the
fire.
For, those commodious
places,
Prepared for the
Muses,
and the
Grace,
To coinhabite in, for education,
Of
youth
in knowledge; and to keep this
Nation
From
Barbarism;
Places, were become
So fraught with
Vices,
and so perilsome,
To
soul
and
hody,
that, he was almost
By
ill examples,
and
lewd consorts,
lost.
For which, a threatening
vengeance
hangeth over
Those
Seats,
that will admit of no
Remover
Of what is menaced, till their
Foundation
Is rooted up, or saved by
purgation.
With what
pr
•
varications,
he, was there
Impoyson'd, and what
principles
they were
Whereby he was indangerd, he to us
Rendr'd as baneful, and ridiculous
As words could make them; that, it might advance
GOD'S
grace
vouchsafd, for his deliverance;
And make them useful, unto those who heard
What he was saved from, and what was feared.
He was among the first, whose
knowing zeal,
Flamd our, to vindicate this
Common-weal
From
thralldom
and
oppression;
thereto moved
In
conscience,
and by
principles
approved.
Not stirred up, by
factious discontent,
By
rashness, want,
or by malevolent
Affections,
or
Designs;
though not without
Some
counterpleas,
in what he went about:
For, in immergencies, which do relate
To private conscience,
and
Affairs of State,
The wisest man, his
resolution
brings
To settlement, by various combatings.
With
him,
thus far'd it: Then he to withstand
The
public Fo,
was honored with
Command;
Wherein, he ventured not his
life
alone,
Without that profit, which by many a one
Was aimed at, and enjoyed) but
lent,
and
give,
And, wasted his
Estate,
to gard, and save
The
Public Interest,
without a
prayre
Exhibited, or
temporal repair.
Unsought for, (as I verily believe)
He, afterward, the honor did receive
Of
supreme trust;
and, without cause of blame,
According to his pour, discharged the same;
The speaking, of no needful truth forbearing;
The
pour,
or
presence,
of no person fearing;
Swaid nor by
hatred,
neither by
affection,
To others; nor by that which ha
•…
reflection
Upon himself; But, freely said his mind,
And conscience, as he did occasions find,
In whatsoever matter was debated;
Whether the thing proposed, to
GOD
related,
Or
Common-wealth:
if they who present were,
(As I believe they did) the truth aver.
And, if it so did happen that, sometime
A
tender pity,
did prevail with him
To plead for
mercy,
on behalf of some
Made liable, by
law
unto the doom
Of
mulct,
or
death;
the same he never pressed
Ought further, then the
Public Interest,
With safety might allow it: And altho,
He felt what other men are moov'd unto.
By
natural Affections,
he did still
Conform his
Judgment,
and confine his
will
To
Justice:
And, this, rather doth increase
His honor, then appear to make it less.
And, though the
Author,
of the
History
Of
Independents,
hath injuriously
(Among his other Leazings) added him
Unto his lying
Catalogue,
of them.
Who, to the damage of the
Common-weal,
By their
Commands, Gifts, Offices,
or
spoil,
Inriched, and aloft advanced be.
From
poor estates,
and from a
low degree;
On him, that sticks not; but, reflects disgrace
Apparently, upon that
Liers
face.
For, to all those, who knew him, tis well known,
That, with a large estate, by birth his own,
He was indow'd. His
Mother,
yet, in
Kent
Survive
•
; a
Lady,
rarely eminent
For
Charity,
and for a
open door,
To such as are in misery, and poor.
And, as he no way needed to enlarge
His
portion,
or the
Common-wealth
to charge
By such
supplies,
as others have desired
(And often
surreptitiously
acquired)
So, he was all his life, so far from craving,
From wishing, from receiving, and from having
Gift, place,
or
office,
whereby he might add
An augmentation, unto what he had,
That, many whom the
Common miseries
Had beggar'd, and whose
pub iek services,
And
wants
he saw neglected, he relieved
Out of his own
estate;
and them repriev'd
From ruining, when
helper
they had none:
Among which number,
I myself,
was
one.
And, that, which in this kind he lent or gave
Was meant (as
I
believe) as well to save
The
Nations
honor, as to do a deed
Of
simple Charity,
in time of need:
For, he prefer'd, the
Public Faith
before
His
private Credit;
and, did so abhor
Their
Avarice,
who by a mutual
Giving,
Forgiving,
and
unseasonably relieving,
Obstructed those
performances,
whereby
Our deep
Engagements
did neglected lie:
That, to prevent it, he thought fit to scatter
A
portion of his bread upon the
water
Lest after
private miseries,
things worse
Ensude; a
national,
a
public curse.
Then, those large
Legacies,
which he in death
To
Charitable uses,
did bequeath,
(Consider'd, with his frequent bounteous giving,
To such as were distrest whilst he was living.)
Do make it, without question evident
That he, both had enough, and such content
With what he had, that, he upon his score
Leaves nothing, that shall make his Children poor
As they will do, who
gave
and
took
the bread,
Wherewith the
Fatherless
should have been fed;
And, have, with what their
Servants
blood did buy,
Inlarg'd their
Fields,
and raised their
houses
high.
But,
I
to little purpose thus go on
To set my
Candle
up before the
Sun.
They who had eyes to see it did behold,
And knew as much before, as I have told.
They, who by willfulness,
dark-sighted
be
Set up what
light
we can, will never see.
Now, some of you, (it may be) will suppose
That my
conjectures
only,
I
disclose;
Or that a knowledge of such things
I
fain
Which to his
private actings
do pertain;
Or, take them up on
Trust. If,
so, they think,
So, let it be;
I
will not strive to sink
A millstone in a shallow dish of water;
Or seek to fill a
viol,
with such matter,
As it admits not. Things, which must be known
As well by
others eyes,
as by my own
To make them certain; I will no further mention,
Without proof it seem a
self invention
That, which hath passed 'twixt us two alone;
Those things, whereof my knowledge can by none
Be doubted of) to mind
I
will recall;
And, out of many, bring forth
one
for
all;
One, that shall set forth his
deserving
more
Then all that
I
have mentioned before;
(At lest according to that excellence
Which suits a
sensual Intelligence
)
And, when with that
expression I
have done,
I will rather leave it to be thought upon,
Then imitated; till
self-love
begins
To loose that ground, which hitherto it wins.
He, that is really a
faithful friend,
Hath that, which doth within it comprehend
All
moral virtues;
yea, and, therewith too
That
charity,
which from true
Faith
doth flow:
For, such a person cannot be alone
(In being so) a
faithful friend
to
ONE;
But also to all others▪ yea, extend;
His love to all GOD'S creatures, as his friends▪
And, doubtless▪ far above all those, to
him,
Who, for himself alone created them.
This
virtue
therefore, doth on men confer
The highest excellence they can have here;
And, this rare
virtue,
(whereof,
I,
the Sound
Had vainly heard before) in him,
I
found
And thereof, such experiment will give
That, you shall think of him, as
I
believe;
And that in
charity,
he did out go
Most men, who thereof, make the greatest
show.
That, you may know him; whom I knew so well,
My means of knowing him, thus, first ile tell.
The late intestine
Wars,
which with a
flood,
Of miseries, and with a sea of
blood
Ore flowed these
Nations,
like a raging
torrent
(Which bears down all with an impetuous current,)
Brake in, even at first rising▪ where then lay
My chief Estate, and swept it all away;
That, little thereof, which elsewhere was left,
Was also, by th'
Oppressors
hand bereft,
Save only some small part of my Estate,
Consisting in
rings, housholdstuff,
and
plate,
Which being portable, preserved were,
Or got together, by my future care,
That, which exposed my
portion
to the raging,
Of my
destroyers,
was, a free engaging
Against the
common foe:
And, they, with whom
I▪ for the
Public▪
did engaged become,
Gave me the
Public Faith,
that what
I
lost
Should be repaired at the
public cost;
And, that my Children, should be looked upon
With favor, and regard, when
I
was gone.
By these encouragements
I
did pursue
Their
services,
until
I
neither knew
Which way my
p
•
esent wants,
might have supply,
Or whereon, for the
future
to rely;
And then, perforce, retreated for recruit,
To prosecute the
Cause
with fresh pursuit:
Whereof
I
got some few effects in
show,
Which in the
substance,
proved not to be so.
But rather brought, much greater mischiefs on me,
Then all my open
enemies
had done me.
For, some who had but feinedly pretended,
To that, which
I
had seriously defended;
Perceiving, me, preparing to disclose
Their falsehood, did become my open Foes;
And through their Complices (who by the hand
Of
Providence
were weeded from the Land,
Soon after) they so wrought, that
Innocence
And
Faithfulness
were judged an offense,
Maugre apparent proofs and demonstrations
Yet extant, by their own examinations:
So, I was find, confinde, and on my head
That censure laid, which they had merited
With seven▪ fold more; and for my service past
Into disgrace, was innocently cast,
With nothing for subsistence, but, that poor
House-furniture,
which was within my door.
To add more burden to those heavy
weights,
And drive me, thereby, into greater
straits;
My
Friends,
and my
Acquaintance,
then began
To look upon me as a
faulty man
Who had deceived their hope▪ so that, if they
Who (though too few to help me) day by day
Were at my trial, had not seen and heard
Th'injustice done me, and the same declared;
I
had, in likelihood, ere this day, ended
My life in want; disgraced, and unbefriended.
For, as my
Friends
fell off, my
Foes
fell on
With fresh pursuit of what they had begun,
And▪ had not
GOD
in an unlook'd for hour
Deprived them of their abused
pour,
They had destroyed me quite. But,
I,
at last
Escap'd; and they into the pit were cast.
Mean while, they insolently domineer'd,
Made
songs
and
pamphlets
on me; scoffed and jeered,
And had so villifide my Reputation
To those who represented, then, this
Nation,
That, of
four thousand pounds
(to which account
My
due
(proved fully) truly did amount)
I
could not get one penny for relief
Of
me,
or
mine,
to mitigate our grief;
Though, I had forced
words
into their ears,
Which from
by-standers,
oft, extracted tears;
And, to compassion, might that
Judge
have wan
Who neither feared GOD, nor cared for
man.
To add yet further, to my great
afflictions,
GOD, with a
sickness,
(spreading forth infections)
Visits my house, and drove all those from thence,
Who were some comfort in my
indigence,
That, being shut up, and excluded from
All other
helpers, I,
to him might come.
My
children
were all sick of that disease;
Their
single keeper,
to her little ease,
Was their
sad Mother,
whilst (as sad as she)
I,
sought, whereby they might supported be.
And we, who served were, a while before
With sixteen
household servants,
(sometimes more)
Had then, but one Boy (who, sick also lay)
And one
poor woman,
hired by the day.
To pay, and feed those,
I
my plate had sold:
My
Wife,
the silver, and the lace of gold
Which lately trimmed her
Garm
•
nts,
ripped away;
To buy things needful, for the present day:
Her Ornaments
she changed for
bread,
to eat:
Then, sold the dishes, which did hold our meat:
And last of all, our highest valued things,
The
precious stones,
the
jewels,
and the
rings,
To us, from
honorable Persons
sent,
As tokens of respect (the same way went.
And what was left, ill spared though it could be)
To follow, for ought
I
then could see.
Only this hope remained, that
GOD
had sent
A
sickness,
which by
death,
would wants prevent;
Or, give us by his own hand, some
repair:
For, of his
love,
I, never shall despair.
In this good hope, the
Worlds
neglect
I
scorned,
And my
petitions,
into prayers turned,
Directed unto him; who only knew
My wants, and what was likely to ensue.
But, he likewise, to answer me delaid;
And for a while seemed deaf to what I prayed:
Yet knowing not, what else remained to do,
Or whether, or to whom, for help to go;
Nor caring (if GOD left me) for
supplies
From other hands;
I
still renewed my cries
To him alone, and suddenly was cheered
With somewhat, which to
sense
nowhere appeared,
And, as a
Loves,
thinking (in a dream)
He hears his
best Be oued
calling him,
Starts up in hast, and runneth out to meet
The
voice
that calls him, ere he find his
feet,
And goes he knows not whether: So, with me
It far'd, who (hoping not deceived to be)
Walk'd forth to see, if
providence divine,
Would bring to
sight,
or
mind,
some Friend of mine,
Or his, from whom,
I
might that aid receive
Which to obtain from GOD,
I
did believe.
And, mark his goodness, Oh! all you that read it
So mark it, and with seriousnes so heed it
That; (if
I
should forget it) you may be
Remembrancers,
hereafter unto me
As
I
have been to you, in former time,
Of what concerns this Nation, and this
Clime.
In this
distress,
he, meets me, of whom here
I
am discoursing; And with pleasing cheer
Salutes me thus: Amid thy troubles now
How is it with thee
George?
how farest thou?
I,
answered,
SIR, I
live, though
I
am poor;
And, of my
welfare,
cannot say much more.
Take heart said he; These days will have an end,
And future times will better thee befriend.
I
sought thee at thy house, not with intent
To trifle out an hour in
complement
But, lovingly brought thither, by a fear
Lest more lay on thee, then thou well mightest bear.
For, thy
Petitions
I, have heard, and seen,
Of those transactions I have witness been,
Whereby thou, wert oppressed; and wherein
Thy Country hath no less abused been.
I,
also publicly have heard debated
Thy claims, and when they were allowed, and stated;
Saw what was justly, or unjustly done;
And am assured GOD will look thereon
Yea,
I
have so well heeded what thou hast
Both lately and in former time expressed
For
GOD,
and also for thy Countries sake,
Whereof ensuing times will notice take
That,
I,
myself to be obliged, thought
To seek thy welfare; and from GOD have brought
This
token of his love▪
thus having said,
Just twenty pounds into my hand he laid
Of
currant gold;
whereat (as one amazed)
On him with overflowing eyes
I
gaz'd;
Not able, for the present, to afford
The retribution of one
thankful word.
For, out of me, my
heart
away was gone
To GOD, who made him do, what he had done.
But, after
recollection, SIR,
said
I,
He
•
hat hath moved you, to this
charity
Will doubtlesly with interest repay
What you have ministered to me this day;
For,
GOD
himself alone, and none but he
(Who knows in what distresses all men be)
Could, you, to me so timely have directed
Opprest with wants, and of all friends neglected
Or, so enlarged your heart, to bring relief
Proportionable to my present grief.
And, therefore, now il'e tell you, in what state
You find me, that you may rejoice thereat,
By making you assured, that you have wrought
A
work,
which in itself rewards hath brought
That will requite it fully, though I lived,
To let slip out of mind, what I received.
Then, told him all, that is before expressed,
And so much more as did infer the rest
That might have followed, if GOD had not sent
His
charity,
my ruin to prevent.
The same
impression,
which his
Act
had made
On
me,
my
words
on him, effected had;
And, I am confident, that, had
I
given
To him, the greatest
gift,
on this side Heaven,
He had not gone away, with more content
Then, in his being made an
instrument,
Of such a
timely mercy;
and, that he
So opportunely too, should meet with me.
Now judge, if this be true, which I protest
(Except the words, wherein it is expressed,
And, some few circumstances, to supply
The
story,
with a
formal decency,
)
Is
real truth;
and no
poetick strain,
More adding, then the
Essence
did contain.
Judge now, what, I, could honestly have less
Hereof declared, then here I do express,
Consid'ring what he was to me, till then;
And, what
I
was to many other men.
For, at their
door,
for whom
I
had of late,
My life adventured; lost my whole Estate;
(And those exposed, who were more dear to me
Then
life,
and
livelihood,
destroyed to be)
Even at their
door,
I, perishing was left
Of
credit,
and
Estate,
at once bereft:
To let me thereby know, and knowing, heed,
That in the
times of trial,
and of need,
It is none of those
Acquaintance,
or those
Friends,
Which
we ourselves
get, or whose
love
attends
On our
Prosperities;
nor that, which we
Think,
obligations,
upon them to be;
Nor
public Faith,
nor
Vows,
nor
Protestations,
Either of
Princes, Parliaments
or
Nations;
Nor that which is, nor that, which we suppose
A
merit
in Us, (or, for
Virtue
goes)
Which, for
helps,
are to be relide upon,
In great extremities; But,
GOD,
alone,
And, that, in our
Desertions,
he, can make
Not only,
strangers,
pity on us take;
But, also, from the malice of our
Foes,
Raise us up
help,
salve
mortal wounds,
by
blows;
Cure us by
sickness;
make us rich, by losses:
Give us true
joy,
in
grief;
Content, in
Crosses;
A
life,
by
dying;
and the first beginning
Of
justifying righteousness,
by
sinning:
Yea, by the hiding (for a time) his
Face,
Assurances
of
everlasting grace:
And to confirm my oft
experiment
Hereof; GOD, made this
Friend
an
Instrument,
To give me, of that
mercy,
one
pledge
more,
Of which, he gave me many, heretofore.
And yet, this is not all; for, ere those
weights
Which lay upon me; and the many
straits,
Then pressing me, removed were and past,
(Which, some years, and some months to boot, did last)
In times of like need, he continued on
That
work of mercy,
thus by him began;
Till, in this manner, he, upon his score,
Had set me,
twenty hundred Crowns,
and more,
Without desiring,
Band,
or
Bill,
or
Note,
To testify the lending of one groat;
Or urging me, betwixt
ourselves,
to say
I ow'd him ought, or that I would
repay.
Thus much for this time: For, tis cold, and late;
And, that you may have time to ruminate
On what is said; ile now break off, and borrow
An hour or two, from my
affairs
tomorrow,
So much, of what remaineth, to recite
As seemeth pertinent: And so,
good night.
The third CANTO.
The
Author,
showeth to what
end,
This
Poem,
was
designed,
and
penned.
Next, he proceeedeth to unfold
What, is begun, and left untold
Relating to his
Friend,
and Him;
And, gives you then, a breathing time.
WHen I have spent the
day,
as oft I do,
In wheeling round, and trudging to and fro,
Through that
meander,
which do what I can
Still further leads, (then when I first began)
From my desired rest; and, nothing leaves me,
But new assurance, that the
World
deceives me;
And yet still keeps me active, with a thought
That, I am thereby doing what I ought;
(Because, even by pursuing what is vain,
A knowledge of some usefulnes I gain,
Which else could not be had)
I
take content
In suffering what I labor to prevent;
Permitting
GOD,
to order as he pleases,
Me,
and my
something,
and my
nothing nesses.
And, in the
night,
when all to rest are gone;
I muse on things more worthy thinking on,
And, how, to others, and myself, I may
Add somewhat, by our losses in the day.
Nor are my watchings, in that stolen leisure,
So painful, as some think; but full of pleasure.
Nor do my solitary
Musings
tend
To that deceitful, and unfruitful
end,
As is perhaps thought, in those lucubrations,
Wherein I take my loanly recreations;
For, that, which me all night doth waking keep,
Refresheth more my
spirit,
then my
sleep.
The
subject,
which this hour employs my pen,
Makes my
dead friend,
to live with me agen:
I,
visit him, and oft he visits me
With inter-courses, which no eyes can see.
Within my
Chamber;
(none else being there)
Me thinks, we two, as if alone we were
Converse together, and he brings unto
My memory, and thought, what
I
should do
To order so my
life,
that when
I
die,
No
living soul
may be more glad as
I.
Sometime, with him
I
walk unto his grave,
To view what kind of lodgings
dead men
have,
And whether
I
can, see among them, there,
Such dreadful things, as
flesh and blood
doth fear.
Yea, there, at midnight
I
have with him been,
And every corner of the grave have seen,
By
Contemplation,
(which sees many sights,
Not to be viewed by ordinary lights)
Yet there
I
did behold no greater dread,
Then when
I
sleep most sweetly in my bed.
Sometimes, he comes into my
mind,
and brings
A multitude of
temporary things
To be by many thought of, who yet live,
And were of that late
Representative,
Which from it honor, and, it being, fell,
Because they nor
believed,
nor
acted
well.
Of some things too, that nearly will concern
The
wise,
(till they are grown too
wise
to learn)
He me remembers, by those
conferences
Which we oft had, when he enjoyed his
senses.
And, whereupon,
I
oft did more then guess
At what was verifide in their
success:
Yea, and sometimes, he makes me think upon
The
present Pour,
and on what's yet undone,
And should be done, and will be done, ere long,
Unles, it grows, in self opinion strong,
And sleights that counsel, which may save the State,
As their
Foregoers
did, till 'twas too late
Sometime, the thought of him, translates me hence
To Heaven; where, what transcends intelligence
And my expression, is to me disclos'd,
By fraction, and by notions discompos'd;
Which, nay the less a certainty declare
Of some things, which for edifying are.
Sometime again (for we can any whither
Go safely) we descend to
Hell
together
By
contemplation;
and there, take full views
Of that which on Hypocrisy ensues;
And, on each other failing, and offense,
Perpetuating an
Impenitence;
And, thence, assume occasion to improve
My thank fullness, for that eternal love
By whom I am secured from that place,
Through his
preventing,
and
assisting grace.
By thinking upon him, who in his grave
Lies thoughtles, of what thinkings I can have
Thus, I myself employ; and, by
things past,
The ordering of
future things
forecast;
And, find a means whereby I do refresh
My
Spirit,
whilst imprisoned in the
Flesh
And wherefore, judge you, I my time thus spend?
Is it to tell the
World I
had a
Friend?
How vain were that! since,
I
am not to know
It cares not, whether
I
have
Friends,
or no.
And, loves to hear of no respect that's shown
To any, whom she takes not for her own.
Is it to gain a gratiousnes with those
Who, have, what he hath left at their dispose?
That were to fall, ten thousand leagues below
My
spirit;
and more base in
me,
would show
Then it would do in them, to look upon
With such a thought, what, here, by me is done,
For, these my
retributions,
are as free
From
self ends,
as his
bounty
was to me,
And, rather should be paid back, ten time double,
Then
I
would loose my freedom for that buble.
It is to please, his near and dear
relations,
With large
applauses,
and
commemorations
Of him that's gone? Alas! that doth but keep
Sorrows
awake, which else would fall asleep.
Doth but his knowledge in the
fiesh
renew,
Which keeps his better being, from their view;
Adds brine to thirst; and to devouring fire
Casts Oil, which makes it but to flame the higher:
And, if no better use, could hence be raised,
It came to far less, then, not to be praised.
Is it to
honor him,
that's in his
Grave?
That were the simplest thought the
fool
could have,
What
honor
can they want, who triumph there,
Where sulnes of eternal
glories
are?
What honor can he have from earthly things,
Or
glory,
from a
fame
with paper wings,
Which cannot make a flight for many miles,
Beyond the compass of these
British Isles?
Or, from an
Epitaph,
on stone, or brass
Read by a few, in some obscured place?
Or, how will it concern, or please him now,
Who, to himself, would not, in life, allow
Those
attributes
of
honor,
which appeared
Then due; nor, for an empty
title
cared?
And, would have been displeased, if he had knowwn
I, would on him, this
trifle,
have bestowed,
(Only because, it to his honor tends)
Although, therewith, composed to other ends?
Beside, (although it somewhat may concern
His
reputation
) I am not to learn
That these
Blasts,
for the most part, oftener rear
A dust, to cloud it, then preserve it clear;
Or, stirs up,
envy, hate,
or
evil-will,
To brawl, which else (it may be) had lain still.
For, to the Flower that spreads the fairest blooms,
The Cankerworm and Caterpillar comes.
Moreover, they,
who least deserving
are
May in this kind of honor have a share
With best Desert; and buy, with what was theirs,
A better
Monument
then this appears.
Is it for some advantages designed
Unto myself? sure no; for none I find
Hereby acquirable; nor had I brought
My poverty to light, if I had sought
Self-honor;
seeing, there is nothing more
Dishonourable thought, then to be
poor.
Well then; if it were neither so nor so,
What is my purpose, in what now I do?
Even this, That, from the
best man
whom I knew
Here living,
I
might set forth to your view
A
self-denial,
through the want of which
The Common-wealth grows poor, and poor men rich.
That, also, by him, in whose
charity,
GOD,
did appear, in my necessity,
Others may be provoked, through his examples,
To show more love unto those
living Temples,
In which he dwelleth; and, at least, forbear
To ruin them, although they have no care
Of their Repair: For, this is one of those
Deficiencies,
which multiplies our woes,
And, through defect, whereof our
former cost,
And
present hopes,
will suddenly be lost,
As they have been; unless we do with speed
Put, what is yet but
words,
into a Deed;
Not dreaming still, that, we from GOD can hide,
What is by
men,
apparently espide:
For, though we will not see, what we behold,
Nor credit what we know true, being told,
It shall, in spite of all our impudence,
Let in a
Fear,
against which, no defense
Can possibly be made; and, then, the
doom
We feared in secret, openly shall come.
He, of this
self-denial
was a
Teacher,
Yea, and as well a
Pattern
as a
Preacher
Who, taught with
power,
such principles as these,
And, not as do our
Scribes
and
Pharisees.
I wrote this partly likewise, in requital
Of his rare
kindness;
and by his recital
Of what he was, to stir up imitation
In all those who had any near relation
Unto his
fleshly being;
and thereby,
To pay my debt to his
posterity;
And, that (if well improved) it might be
Some
retribution,
for his love to me.
But, (in the
first place,
though
I
name it
l
•
st
)
This
opportunity I
have embraced,
To keep still visible, before mine eyes,
That
Object,
which the world doth most despise
To look upon; even that, disgraceful, poor,
And low estate, in which
I,
heretofore
Was friendless left; and, in how just a time,
GOD, sent me full Deliverance, by
him;
One,
from a
Thousand
chose, to signify
Thus much; that, (notwithstanding they whom,
I,
Remembered often; me remembered not)
His
everlasting love,
was not forgot.
Having now shewn the
Reason
of my
Rime,
I
will return again to speak of him
Who caused this
discourse,
which I am in;
And, where I left
•
ff, there, I will begin.
Before, the bounty, which from him did come,
Amounted to the fore expressed sum,
Ashamed in myself, to see how far
He had engaged me, without taking care
Of reimbursement; unto him I sent
Unask, a true and full acknowledgment
Of all I had received: But, to my hand,
He back returned it, with this command
That, to no Person,
I
a word should say
Of what had past betwixt us, in that way.
For, well
I
know, said he, both
you,
and
I,
Shall get but disadvantages thereby.
The World, is full of envy, and malicious,
Making to us, our best works most pernicious.
They who in her affairs, are chiefly wise,
And, view, our actions, with mere carnal eyes,
Will judge me but a fool; and, think perchance,
Your
wit,
hath wrought out of my ignorance
Or
easines,
that, which is an effect
Of GOD'S good
providence,
and my
respect:
Keep it in secret therefore; for, from thence,
There can arise no mischief, or offense.
These Reasons charmed me; and, with much ado,
I
silence kept, because, he willed it so.
Only, (some few days after he forbid
This to be mentioned) him,
I
friendly chid
By these ensuing
Verses,
which are next
Inserted here, as not beside my
Text.
SIR, though, so friendly, you to me have been,
That, to forget it, were a
mortal sin,
Yet, I am
one,
whom divers do suppose
To make no difference, betwixt
Friends,
and
Foes
In my
reproovings;
And, if that be true,
My
worthy noble Friend,
then, have at
You.
For, you forget yourself, and strive to clime
To heights, so unfrequented at this time,
That, I suppose, I am in conscience tide
Your
temper,
and your
practices,
to chide,
Lest by soft-hearted kindness, and compassion
(With such like
virtues,
now grown out of fashion)
It may deservedly be said, by some,
One of these
Sectary
you are become,
(
And, of these
Heretics
thought worse then
Turks)
Who show their true
believing,
by their
works;
And, seem to bring their simple custom hither,
Of living well, and lovingly together.
Fy! have you honored been to sit among
The wisest of this
Common-wealth
so long?
And where, the men, who do themselves suppese
To be (at least) the wisest part of these,
Can many days, weeks, months, yea many years,
Hear
Widows
out-cries, and see Orphans tears,
Without the casting of one look aside
On those, who by their path, stand Crucifide?
And will you so degenerate from them
Whose
practices,
are
patterns
for the
time
To look on him, whom they have trampled on,
And lest, as to the world-ward, quite undone?
Can you descend so low, to fix your eyes
On those, whom
men in honor
do despise?
Yea, in a manner, seek unto them, too,
Who are distrest, (before they seek to you?)
W
••
e them to be releev'd, by your expen
•
e?
(As if you suffered, by their indigence)
And charge them, that they tell it unto none,
As if a
deed of darkness,
you had done?
Believe, it SIR, this is a
novelty,
Which doth betray you, so apparently
That, were it known, your
best Friends
would not stick,
To voice you, publicly, a
Schismatic.
Scarce paralleled: For, you in this divide
From all I know, in all the World beside,
Excepting one or two; and
you,
and
they
Make up that little
Congregation
may,
With whom CHRIST promised he would present be
Though it consisted but of
two,
or
three:
And which was promised, (for ought I hear)
Though none of them, a
Priest,
or
Prelate
were.
The circumstances heeded in your
acts,
Do very strangely aggravate the
facts.
Had it been only, in a
humor
done,
Or, in a
fit,
but
once,
or
twice
alone
(As works of
charity,
are, now and then,
Performed, and repented of agen,)
Or, had that charity, from you distil'd,
But, drop by drop; or had it forth been filed
By thimbles full, (as unto those we give,
Our
Aquavitae,
whom we faint perceive)
Had it been so, or so, I should have thought
So much thereof, as I in reason ought;
(Though, with much more respect then yet I see,
My public services, will thought on be)
And would have striv'd, as far as I was able
To make the
gifts,
and
thanks,
proportionable,
As wise men do; or, some way complemented,
And customary services presented,
According to the fashion: But, the
course,
That you have took, Acknowledgments enforce
Beyond all
Presidents:
For, Sir, you stretch
Your noblenes so far beyond the reach
Of my weak
faculties,
to retribute
Acknowledgments,
which thereunto may suit;
Yea, and so
oft,
so
long,
so
gen'rously
You have relieved my necessity;
That, therewith overcharged, I am fain,
To break out of the ro de, into a strain,
Some way extravagantly to declare,
As often in such
straights
as these we are
Constrain'd to do; And, as once
Peter
did
When through CHRIST'S
manhood,
he the
Godhead
spid;
And, when, he having fish'd all night for naught,
And drew a
whole ship lading
at one draught,
He cride out, LORD,
go from me
(get thee gone)
For I confess myself a sinful one.
As, is the
Fruit,
so, may the
season
be
A token of the nature of the
Tree:
(As that which cometh by the Rivers side,
And, whereby
Righteous men
are typifide
Illustrates well,) I, therefore, in respect
Even of the time, may somewhat here object,
To show, yet farther, how you rend from those
Who have our
earthly things,
at their dispose.
For, at such times of need, still, aid you lent,
As if by GOD himself, it had been sent,
Who, only, knew my wants; and unto whom
I, only show them, when such great ones come:
Because, in greatest wants, I do perceive
Men readier to
destroy,
then to
relieve.
Such, is the state of many in distress;
Such, is the hate, of those, who do oppress.
The rightly timing of a
benefit,
Doth, very often, more then double it:
And, though such
charity,
may, in these days,
Return you little present
gain,
or
praise,
Yet, GOD observes it; and, as sure, as he
Will of a
cup of Water
heed full be
Bestow'd on him who doth assume the name,
Of his
Disciple,
(although not the same)
You
timely,
and your
large benevolence,
Shall have a timely, and large recompense.
Me, in due season, GOD not only shall
Enable too, some way, to pay you all;
But, add mean time, a blessing to defray
That interest which he doth yet delay:
And, in that place, where some of those (I fear)
Who, me oppressed, will tremble to appear,
You, shall be welcomed, with
come ye blessed,
Who fed, and clothed me, when I was distressed.
These things considered,
this,
which I begun,
Pretending some
reproof,
intendeth none:
But, rather, is, (that debts be not forgot)
A
memorandum
only, or a
note,
Subscribed with my hand, for intimation,
That,
you,
with
me,
shall have his
obligation
Whose word is passed already to restore
Whatever shall be lent unto the poor:
And, who, doth good to everyone intend,
Whose heart he moves, the
needy
to befriend.
Yet, that, mean time, I may not failing be
To pay as much in hand, as lies in me;
Receive this
Benediction.
Whensoere
The day of
fiery trial
shall appear,
To prove your
Faith,
and purge you quite from all
Your
selfnes:
which ere long time will befall:
Let, then, your
Faith
be strong, and GOD be seen
A
friend
to
you,
as
you
to
me
have been:
And let your charity before him stand,
To manacle, and weaken every hand,
That would oppress those, whom you leave behind:
Let them GOD'S favor, in all troubles find:
Be safe preserved, in all
times, and
places,
By his
free mercies,
and
preventing Graces;
And let this
prayer,
still, about GOD'S Throne
Be fluttering, till he saith,
so be it done.
These
Verses,
for his large
benevolence
Were, for a long time, all his evidence.
Nor would he more receive, though many a time
Security was offered unto him.
And, once, it was in words like these, denide:
When first I your necessity supplide,
My
purpose
was not, merely to relieve
Your present need; but, likewise, aid to give
That, by your own
endeavor,
(with my cost)
You might recover that which you have lost.
The
State,
hath no part satisfied, yet,
Of your allowed, and overlong due
debt:
And, till that shall be done, I will expect
No
payment,
neither ought to that
effect.
But, his
assistance
having made me strong,
That, to recover, which had been by wrong
Detained from me, in a private hand;
(And having somewhat more at my command)
I thought myself obliged (as I was able)
To render some returns proportionable
To my Estate. So, he accepts, at last,
Security
for part, and left the rest;
(Of which, to him, I somewhat yearly brought)
Without his asking, as expecting ought
(By anything expressed) until that,
Were paid me, which is owing by the
State;
Or, till the residue, I could repay,
By some enablement another way.
This, shows it is no frivolous occasion
From whence this
Poem
springs; or,
Obligation
To be as inconsiderable, slighted
Which
me
to this acknowledgment invited:
But rather, in regard of GOD, and
Man,
An act, which ought, as fully as
I
can
To be expressed; That, for it I might give
The
praise
to GOD, and, men th'
example
have.
For, by his
charity,
GOD'S love appears:
I was,
thereby, preserved many years
From perishing: Thereby, likewise, together
With that assistance, which I had from other
Concurring helps, (which have the same way, been
To me by
GOD'S
good providence, sent in.)
I got to be possessor of the
gate,
Of those, who were mine enemies of late;
And, thereby, also, partly to express
To others, in their need, my
thankfulness.
Thereto, the Noble, and much Honored
Bradshaw,
and
Dixwell,
aid contributed,
Among some others, who are not forgot.
Although their kindness I here mention not;
Yea, GOD, for me, so likewise, did dispose
The
purpose,
of my avaricious
foes,
That, doubly, it advantaged me, and more
Then all those
loving friends
had done before.
Which, suddenly improoving my Estate
Beyond, what I did hope, or aimed at;
The
World
doth seem to think, and some do say,
That,
I,
to thrive, have practiced her way;
And, on my conscience, would now love me too,
If, truly, she believed it had been so:
For, nothing renders her, a
Foe
to me
But, that she fears my
words,
and
deeds
agree.
And, that, though baits, and snares for me are laid
To serve her ends, I shall not be betrayed.
Now, having finished this little
story,
Which hath a near relation to GOD'S glory
As well as to the honor of my
Friend,
With some brief
inferences, I
will end.
But, lest, these may detain you overlong,
Here pause; and read them, in the following
Song.
The fourth CANTO.
Of
Christian love,
the large extents;
The sad, the bad, the mad events
Of
discord,
here the
Muse
displaies;
That Idol SELFNES open lays.
Some other things to heed commends,
And, then, with
praise,
and
Prayer
ends.
WHat shall that
Musing
profir, which affords
Nothing but bare
Relations,
or mere
words?
Or, what will things avail, that shall be read,
Concerning those, who sleep among the
dead
If no advantages at all they give
To benefit, or better those that
live?
Sure none; Lest, therefore, these may justly pass
For tingling
Cymbals,
or for sounding
Brasse,
Some useful
notes,
or
notions,
ile discover
On this
occasion,
ere
I
pass it over.
And though I cannot
talk,
as others do,
He
preach
my way; and, preach to purpose too.
Of many things, which merit mention may,
Wherein my
Friend,
hath pattern'd out the
way
Of
walking,
and of
practice;
three things, here,
Shall be insisted on, as those that are
Deserving special heed: Such, as (if we
Well imitate) a true
ALL HEAL
shall be:
End all
Quarrels;
Take off, from our eyes
The blinding
scales,
and
films
of
prejudice
Which keeps us dark, and from a right perceiving,
of
truth,
and, in a willful
misheleeving.
An
imitation
thereof, would bring hither
Outward, and inward
peace;
and knit together
CHRIST'S
disunited
members
so, that
love
Would ripen knowledge;
Knowledge
help improve
A
saving Faith;
That
Faith
renew the
Will;
A
will renewed,
would GOD'S mind fulfill,
And therewith, so acquainted make us grow
That, we should learn to
Act,
as well as
know.
The first of these is
Love; love,
not extending
It self, to
these,
or
those,
but comprehending
All things
created,
with an
imitation
Of
CHRIST,
by meekness in his
conversation
With
Publicans
and sinners; and, with such
As
knew
but little, and
believed
not much.
Such, was
CHRIST'S love;
and (if
I
do not miss)
According to
man's measure,
such was his.
For, though, that
veil of flesh
which others wear,
And, that, which clothed him, when he was here,
Disguiz'd his
inward man,
and made him pass
For one of those, who running of a
Race
Doth beat the air in vain; yet, they, whose eyes
Observed him when he was near the
prize,
Saw, he had usde the
means,
and chose the
ground,
Which best advantaged him, and would be crowned,
When, many, at a loss themselves would find.
Who, better
dieted,
and
disciplined
Were thought to be; For, none could know so well
What best befitted him, as he might tell.
Near to his latter end, he had attained
Such love to all, and, therewith, so unfain'd
A longing both to win, and to be won
Unto the
Truth,
that, he was
Fo
to none
So much, as to himself: and, by
forbearing,
By
hopefulness, longsuffering, patient hearing,
And
meekness,
without
bitterness of spirit,
True
quietness of heart
he did inherit
Within himself; and waited, when GOD'S leisure
Would of his
grace,
to others, fill the measure.
My cognizance of him, persuades me so,
And, whether he thus perfect were, or no,
It serves the turn, as well to let us see
What
you,
and
I,
and every man should be.
Yet, of this Christian temper
I
had proof,
To make it forth, with evidence enough.
For, though in
fundamentals
we agreed,
Essentially (as by what did succeed,
Is manifest) yea, though we did accord
In one GOD, in one
CHRIST,
one
Faith,
one
word.
One
will,
and
hope;
(as all true
Christians
do,)
Yet, in some accidental means thereto
We disagree'd; yea, often, did dissent
In some things, which 'twixt others made a
rent.
And,
I
was oft, so earnest in dispute,
His
tenets
to disprove, and to confute,
That, they who should have heard us, might have judged
Not
me
to
him,
but
him
to
me,
obliged,
And that like
Paul
••
d
Barnabas,
at least,
A parting, would ha
•
e followed our contest.
Yet, though we both stood firm, to what we thought
Nor loss of
love,
nor breach 'twixt us, it wrought;
But, rather, to each other kept us nearer,
The firmer in our friendship, and the dearer:
Because we both knew, that, one
Judge
we had,
In whom
Atonement,
would, at last, be made:
Because, we both intended, not that
He,
Or,
I,
might conquer, but, Truth victor be:
And,
I,
might conquer, but, Truth victor be:
And, this declareth his
deserving,
more
Then all, that
I
have said of him before.
For, what man else, but he, would not have thought
My
Obligations,
should my soul have brought
In bondage to his
Judgment?
or, at least
Kept me from owning mine, by
hot contest?
Who else but he, would have continued on
His love, and bounty, unto such a
One
As thwarted his opinions? and, not rather
Have made me scatter what he holp to gather?
Converted former
friendship,
into hate,
And, sought to ruin me, in my Estate?
Which had with ease been done; since, at that time,
My chief
subsistence,
was received from him.
But, of his
judgment,
what ere think
I
might
I knew his
love
was firm; his heart upright;
And, this belief of no man,
I
could have
Who gave his
charity,
to make a
slave:
Or, who from bondage did my flesh unbind
To lay a greater Thraldom, on my mind.
No, (though from
servitude,
he set me free)
If he, thus cruel, should to others be.
Nay, though a
King,
with me should share his
Throne,
And prize me, as his chief
elected one,
Were he a
Tyrant
over other men,
I
could not give him
love,
for
love
agen:
Nay, further (be it spoke with reverence
To him I speak of, and without offense)
Could
I
believe that GOD, in whom
I
trust
Were (though he loved me) cruel and unjust,
I
would not seek with him in Heaven to dwell,
But, rather, go, and live alone in Hell.
For, he, that's with essential GOD delighted,
And, thereunto by hearty
love
united;
Should therewith feel to him, such virtue given,
As would translate the
lowest Hell
to
Heaven.
I
fear,
I
go too high in my
expressions,
I will therefore stoop again, from these
digressions
To speak what's possible to be believed
Of those, by whom this cannot be received.
And show them, in my common
strain,
how far
From
Christian love,
the greatest number are,
Who most profess it; that, affect they may
A far more excellent, and better way,
If
carnal lusts,
will give them time to read it,
And, their
self-love,
admit of
Grace
to heed it.
It is not
love,
but cruelty in those,
Who, would on others
consciences
impose
Their
Yoaks,
or break the bands of
loving kindness,
Because, their
friends
have
weaknesses,
or
blindness:
Nay, (which of
cruelties
appears the worst)
Because, they would not be, from that divorst,
Which is their
comforts
chief preservative;
And, without which, none happily can live
Here, or hereafter; And, when doing so,
To these
imposers,
no true good can do.
What is a
friend
for; or, what better are
Those
friends,
then
foes,
who neither can forbear
Nor help to bear, that Friends infirmities
With meekness, whom he hath been pleased to prize?
But, beat the
lame,
because, they cannot
run;
Leave him that's
blind,
because he sees no
Sun;
And, separate from them, for that, which they
Would willingly disclaim, and cast away
If they were able; or, else, did not fear
They, thereby,
sinners
against
Conscience,
were?
Whereas, they rather should with these abide,
To lead the
lame;
to be the
blind-man's
guide:
And, with
long-suffering,
to instruct the other,
Till he becomes a true
believing Brother.
Oh! how far off! how far! are such as those
From imitating him, who loved his Foes?
(And dide to save them?) who persue with hate
Their
friends,
for those concerments, which relate
Unto themselves alone? How far are such
From loving them, who have offended much?
This temper at this time, is very rare,
For gen'rally almost, we bite and tear,
So barbarously, each others
flesh,
and
fleeces,
And rend
CHRIST'S
Robes into so many pieces,
That, we seem rather
Wolves,
and
dogs,
then
sheep,
Belonging to that
Flock
which he doth keep.
Nor are
they,
only, Wolves in sheep's array,
Who, thus their Woolvish nature do betray,
But, even on some of
us,
who of his Fold
Are
Members,
this, distemper doth lay hold.
Even we forsooth, for whom our GOD hath done
So much of late; we,
we,
who look upon
Our selves at this time, as a People chose
By special
providence,
to scourge his
Foes;
And, to be they, whom he first calls to bring
Unto his
Throne,
our
Everlasting King,
Whose
Banners LOVE;
Even we, have here of late,
Instead thereof, advanced the
Flagg
of
HATE
To be our
Standard;
and, the same display
With as much virulency as we may
Against each other: Yea, against those, too,
Who seek
GOD'S face,
as truly as we do.
Some of us, so aloft, ourselves do carry
With hope of great achievements
temporary,
That, we forget from whence we first ascended;
Slight them, for whose sakes, we have been befriended;
None loving, but ourselves; and looking on
All else, as if the
Earth,
for us alone,
Had been created; and all others, born
For objects of our hatred, or our scorn:
And, leave them unrewarded, by whose hands
The
ground
was won, on which our
building
stands.
Some of us, on a
spiritual account,
To such an
overweningnes
do mount,
As if, we only, were the men, to whom
Belongs that
Kingdom,
which is yet to come:
Or, as if
Heaven,
for none else were ordained,
But, those, who are among us entertained;
Bound up to our
Rules;
marked, with our
Prints;
Or, qualifide with our
distinguishments:
And, so bewitchit are we, by our own
Dreams,
With that, which we have Preach'd upon those
Theams,
That, if we take not heed, 'twill bring about
That
mischief,
which we purpose to keep out.
For, we through want of
love,
are so divided,
By having
this way,
or else
that way,
sided
To raise what others build up, or, in striving
To raise a
Babel,
of our own contriving;
That, some perchance, may see the
Dragons tail,
Swing once more over us, ere we prevail.
Yea, want of
love,
on all sides, so
misteaches,
Here, sucn
Obstructions
makes, and there, such
breaches
That, we are like to make our
common Foe,
An easy passage, where he could not go.
Yet, 'tis not possible to make us wake
From our vain
Dreams,
a safer course to take;
Unles, GOD, shall, our
Adderlike deaf ear,
Pence by some stranger
charms,
then, yet, we hear:
For, they are thought to speak words most in season,
Who speak most
impudently,
and least
reason:
In which besottednes, if he walk on
Much longer, as too long time we have done,
(Acting, as if we thought, to show, our folly
Would be an argument to prove
us holy.
And drive still furiously against each other,
As if all shortly would be mad together,)
They, will not much mistake therein, who shall
This Isle, Great
BEDLAM,
now Great
BRITAN
call.
The other
virtue,
of my now
dead Friend,
Which to our
imitation,
I will commend,
Is, to be zealous, in the pulling down
Of our great
Idol.
now, more famous grown,
Then was
Diana;
and, adored by us,
Much more then she was once, at
Ephesus.
That weak, that base, that despicable
ELFE,
Cal'd
SELFNES,
which, man sets up in himself;
And, for whose services, and
adoration,
We from all things within the whole
Creation,
Make
patterns
to ourselves: And, not of these
Alone, make we
fantastic images.
But, of things also, which had neither
birth,
Or
being,
on, or underneath the earth;
Neither within the
water, air,
or
fire,
Or anywhere, in lower place, or higher.
This, is that
God,
which now is worshipped more,
Then
Baal,
and all those
Idols
heretofore,
Which did provoke to wrath. There, are our
loves
Most fixed. Thereto, our
Temples, Altars, Groves
Are consecrated; and, what else, beside
Whereby, an
Idol
may be glorifide.
Thereto, those
Tithes,
those
Duties,
those
Oblations,
Thanksgivings, Prayers,
solemn
Observations,
All
forms,
and
ceremonies,
(whether taught
By
truth,
or,
superstitiously
in brought;)
Our
Governments,
our
Parliaments,
our Laws,
Our
Armies,
our unjust, and
righteous Cause;
Our
Conquests,
all our
wisdom,
all our
wealth;
Our
honor, beauty,
with our
youth,
and
health;
Our
righteousness
(if we in us, have any;
Our
wickednesses,
(whereof we have many;)
Even
Scriptures, Judgments, mercies, Sacraments,
With what else,
GOD
ordains, or
man
invents,
Are all, by some among us, now converted,
(Or, rather, to speak properly, perverted)
Some way to serve, as to advance the praise
Of
SELFNES,
that great
Idol
of our days.
And, some, who
vote,
and speak against it more
Then
many;
more, then
any, her
adore.
Most, who pretend, to serve the
Common-weal,
Do most intend, from thence to rob and steal
Wherewith, to sacrifice before the
shrine,
Of that loved
Idol;
which doth glare, and shine,
With
jewels, gold,
and those
embellishments,
Which should have been the public
Ornaments.
They, from poor
Orphans,
and sad
Widows,
tear
Their Garments, for that pseudo-god to wear:
Pluck from their hungry mouths, their bread and meat,
For that devouring
God
of theirs to eat:
And, then, for his
drink-offerings,
pour forth floods
Of faithful servants, Friends, and Children's bloods.
Most, who pretend true
Justice
to maintain,
Do more contend, to wrong those who complain,
Then how to right them; that, thereby they may
Make
innocents,
this cursed
Idols pray:
And, to their
faithful friends,
are most severe;
Either, to make a show, as if they were
Impartiall, or, perhaps, thereby, to pay
A
good
desert,
the clean contrary way.
Most, who pretend to
charity,
do give
Either, in hope they, thereby shall receive
Some benefit; or, else in hope to raise
A
Monument, or Trophie of
self praise:
And few out of a tenderness of heart,
Give, to relieve, or to reward
desert.
Most, who pretend to
friendship,
do but buy
With complements, or some cheap courtesy,
Their
self
advantages; and, to more charge,
When they are put, it is but to enlarge
Their
selfnes;
and, some way thereby, among
Such other ends, to make their party strong:
For, when unserviceable, these are grown,
They cast them off, as Persons never known.
Yea, when the times doth come, which truly shows
Who is a
Friends,
they then become their
Foes.
Most, who pretend for GOD, that
virtue
fain
For naught; with them, is
godliness,
but gain.
They frequently, more bold with him do make,
Then with all others; and from him dare take
What ere they can, to sacrifice unto,
This
Idol;
and suppose no wrong they do.
Yea, those pert
Jewish women,
who had given
And, would
give
spice Cakes to the
Queen of Heaven
(And had befoold their Husbands to consent
That, them they should, in
GOD'S
despite, present,
Took not his Oil, his pure Wheat▪ and his spices,
To make, their wicked willful
Sacrifices,
With bolder impudence, then many a one
Among us, for this to Idols use have done.
A
Spirit,
being,
GOD,
in no need stands
Either of
Churches, Tithes,
or
Rents,
or
Lands,
Or
Forms,
or any of those other things,
Which, for
GOD'S
worship, our
devotion
brings:
For, these will do his
deity
no good:
But,
selfnes,
is a God of
flesh,
and
blood,
That will be highly pleased, with those
oblations
Which
GOD
Almighty, counts abominations,
If not made use of, with all circumstances,
Which, in a right way,
piety
advances.
And, therefore, we do purpose (if we may)
To take them, for this
Idol,
quite away.
But peradventure, ere effect that finds
We may be taken hence, or change our minds.
This, is in every heart, the
Antichrist,
Which doth usurp
CHRIST'S
Temples, and resist
His reigning there. There,
paramount
is he
(Though other
Antichrists,
there, also be)
His chiefest opposite; and gives offense,
More then his
Foes
of greater eminence.
The
Devil,
doth in the World, against him rant,
As his chief Foe; In his
Church militant,
(At large)
The man of sin;
And,
this,
or
that
Corruption
in each individual
State
Or
Congregation:
But,
this,
hath alone
In every
single man,
the
supreme Throne
Of
opposition;
though, sometimes, appearing
In one
beloved sin,
and sometimes wearing
Another
habit,
as it best befits
The
place,
or
person,
where, inthron'd it sits:
And, though the
Devil, Turk,
and
Pope,
and all
Whom, in their
spheres, The Antichrist
we call
Should down be thrown; we shall rejoice in vain
If, in our
hearts,
this
Antichrist
still reign.
This, is that
Idol,
which prolongs our woes:
This, is that
Idol,
which, if ere we lose
Our present
hopes,
is that, which will effect it:
And, I do more then probably suspect it.
This, is the last thing, my
deceased friend,
Declaim'd against, before his latter end,
As likely to be that
abomination,
Which will occasion here, a
desolation;
If not destroyed, or, at least, debased
Within those
Temples,
wherein it is placed.
This
Idol,
hath in every heart a
shrine;
Yea, (though I hatert) doth possess in
mine
The
inmost room;
there, screwed in so fast,
That, thence, I fear, it hardly will be cast
Till all that
Fabric
shall be broken down,
Wherewith it is incorporated grown,
It knows what now I think, what now I
write,
And sticks the closer to me, in despite
Of all that I can think, or
say,
or
do:
Yea, and by means of this
performance
too,
The more exalted in my heart will be,
If,
GOD
himself, shall not deliver me.
But, he will add sufficiency of
Grace;
For, I intend even in that very place,
Where fixed it stands, to sacrifice the
Beast
With all the
trinkets
of
self Interest:
Which, if
I
can do, while 'tis fixed there,
Will better please, then if
destroyed
it were.
Another
Virtue
in my
Friend,
no less
Deserving heed, was
Conscientiousness
In
words
and works; whereof, an imitation,
Would bring much happiness unto this
Nation.
For whise
good Conscience,
entertain we shall,
It keeps a never-ending
Festival,
Which gladdeth more the heart, then when we seast
To entertain our best beloved
Guest.
If slighted; it becomes our greatest
Fo:
If cherished; it such a Friend will grow,
That, when all else forsake us, and abuse us;
When they oppress, and causelessly accuse us;
When opportunity the
Devil
wins,
To muster up against us, all our sins;
When,
GOD
perhaps, doth lay upon us too,
A heavy hand: when
Death
(as it will do)
Arresteth us, our
countless debts
to pay,
And, to his
dungeon
carries us away;
Even then, when all our
honors
and our
wealth,
Our
youth,
our
strength,
our
pleasures,
and our
health,
Shrink from us: when, our
best beloved Friends,
Our
wives
and
children,
upon whom depends
Our greatest earthly comforts, will forgo us;
Lodg us among the dead, where none shall know us;
And, leave us without succor, all alone,
To give account for that which we have done:
Then, will this
Friend,
if well we cherish her;
(Yea, though she formerly abused were,
If we be sorrowful for our offense
And reconciled by true
penitence,
Will go along with us unto the
Grave;
Remove all thence, whereof, we dread may have;
Sleep
there with us, whilst there we shall remain;
Rise
with us, when we shall arise again;
And, make us there, with joyfulness appear
Before that
Judge,
whom other men shall fear:
For, having in this life, the privileges,
Of our
Accusers, Witnesses,
and
Judges,
(Which none else hath by our
terrestrial Laws,
)
Before hand, she determineth our
Cause.
She, by the
Law
that's written in our hearts,
Doth judge us; and no jot from that departs;
So that no
Soul,
can justly counter-plead,
An
Ignorance;
or stand in any need
Of an Interpreter, or,
witness
brought,
To testify, of what, was
good or naught:
For, none, will she condemn for that
offense,
Whereof, he bringeth not an evidence
Within
himself,
to clear, or to condemn.
For that, which is objected unto them.
And, whosoever to this
judgment
comes,
Shall blame
themselves,
and justify her dooms.
Look therefore that you
keep
this
Judge
your friend,
And that, by your fault, she who will pretend
To be this
Conscience,
be not entertained
Instead thereof: For,
Conscience
may be strained
So far, and by accustomed refusing
Good counsel; and by willfully abusing
Her just reproofs, till her away we chase
And let an evil conscience take her place.
And, what events, may afterward ensue,
I
leave it, to be thought upon, by you.
How, we may know a
Conscience
rectifide;
How, to preserve it, we may means provide;
How to recover it again when lost;
Time to compose a large discourse would cost:
To sound these
depths, I
therefore will forbear,
And only add, for your example here,
What, by occasion of my
Friend,
that's gone,
I
have, since his departure, mused on.
Good Conscience,
whereof high esteem he made
Three
Objects
hath; to which there must be had
A due respect, asunder, and together,
Without neglecting, what belongs to either;
Except in things, wherein the
less
is debtor,
To wave his due, for that, which is the
greater.
GOD
is the
first;
our
neighbors,
or our
brother
(In some respects) the
next;
our
selves
the
other;
Whose welfare, in some cases, may before
The
second
be prefer'd, and tendered more:
Because, it is the
Rule
whereby to square,
That
•
ove,
which to our
neighbors,
we should bear.
Our
duties
to all these, were in the
heart
First written; and renewed again, in part,
By
common grace:
But,
sin
hath so defaced
That
Table,
and that
writing
so much rased,
That, we must seek to make up that
Record
By what,
GOD
hath supplied in his
Word;
And, they, who would preserve the
conscience
fair
And blameless, to that
Glass,
must oft repair;
Which, (by that aid, which GOD to add will please)
Shows us, our several duties, to all
these.
All they, whose
Conscience
is this way renewed,
Know what should be embraced, and what eschew'd.
Such, will not of his honor, God, bereave,
To save their
Country;
nor, their lives to save,
Spoil or betray that; nor, themselves deprive
Of ought, which they to serve
these,
did receive
Through
cowardice
or
sloth;
nor, to enjoy
The pleasures of the
flesh,
the
Soul
destroy.
To
GOD,
they will not make a sacrifice
Of
guiltless blood;
or, honor him with
lies:
Or, offer to him things achiev'd by stealth,
By fraud or rapine; nor their
Common-wealth
Repair, enrich, or strengthen, by
oppressions;
By tolerating any known transgressions,
To
Piety
destructive; or, to that
True
Justice,
whose defect, may ruinate
Human society;
either, by searing
To draw their swords against a
Tyrants
daring;
Or seeking, by a
warlike way of murder,
How, to enlarge their
territories
further;
In hope of needles gain, or fruitless glory,
hais'd out of
black deeds,
by a
bloody story:
But, prosecute the troublers of their peace,
Till
safety,
may be settled; and, then, cease:
That, throughout all the World it may be known,
They sought not to enlarge, but save their own;
And to disable those from doing wrong,
Who, else, would all the World embroyl, ere long.
Such, will not make their
Public Faith
a scorn.
That they who live, and they who are
unborn
May in times future, be discouraged from
Assisting, when another
need
shall come;
And, let all, rather unto ruin run,
Then trust, what is not to be trusted on.
Such, will not (as in times of need they may)
Take some men's lands, and lively hoods away,
The
Public
to secure, without supply,
For loss of that, which it was saved by:
But, to each
private sufferer,
reimburse
Their
private damage,
from the
Public purse.
Such, will not misemploy their
Powr,
in place
Of
supreme Trust,
unjustly, to disgrace
Their
faithful servants,
upon bare surmises,
On misreports, which
evil will
devises
To blast their credit, ruin their
Estate,
(Perhaps their lives too) by objecting hate
Which is untrue- For, they not being there
Who could refute that, wherewith charged they were,
(Nor suffered to take notice, from whose tongue
They, in their absence, did receive that wrong)
A
prejudice,
doth bring a censure on them,
Which ere they can prevent it, hath undone them.
If they
good conscience
have, who thus can do;
I will think, the
devil
hath some conscience too;
How seared are the
consciences
of those,
Who, give their
friends,
much less respect then
foes?
Obliging them by favors whom they fear,
Would else be traitors, (or perhaps so are)
And disoblige
true men,
because, they know
No injury can make them less then so?
What conscience, have they who do pretend,
The
Public
hath not, to relieve a friend
That's perishing; and, yet the self-same day
(Though no need were) profusely give away
Large sums among themselves; and gratify
Those men, who with their faction do comply?
(And own their ways, opinions, and designs)
As if they did possess, the
Indian
Mines?
What
Consciences
have they, who pay some worst,
Who merit best; and last, who served them first:
Provide for those; who for
self-ends
do serve;
And let the
Common-wealths
true servant starve?
Give ready Coyn to some; and unto them
Who did the same
work,
at the
self-same time,
Not anything at all? except, perchance,
A
Warrant, Order,
or an
Ordinance
Which by begetting others, doth still add
New troubles, and expense to what they had;
And without profit, so enlarge their cost,
By precious time, and redious labor lost;
That, if at first, their debts they had forgiven
(And added so much more, to make all even)
To get a flat denial; some, had gained
Much more thereby, then will be now obtained,
Though they were paid tomorrow? One,
I
know
Who by experiment, hath found it so;
Yet, some of them, who may this conscience own,
Woe uld seem to think, great things on him, bestowed:
Because, God's mercy, other ways supplies
That, which to him, their
Justice
yet denies.
What partial
Consciences
are also theirs?
Who, in establishing of just
Arrears,
Gave some full
Interest
for debts delayed,
And none to others, for like debts unpay'd
Ten summers after; and, which may, before
They are discharged, stand charged ten years more
And then at last, perhaps, aside be laid
Among those debts, that never shall be paid?
From such corrupted
consciences
as these,
Hath sprung our
Epidemical disease:
Those many fold complainings, in our streets,
Wherewith each friend his sad companion greets:
Those scandals, which are published in disgrace
Of persons, who were lately in the place
Sapream Trust:
hence, also, flows that hate
The Quarrels, discontentment, and debate,
Which is amongst us: Hence, those hazards rise
Which make us fearful, and our Enemies
Still hopeful, that, it either shall occasion
Some broyl
within,
or, some without
Invasion.
And, if I may believe what my heart tells,
That, which they do expect, or somewhat else
Equivalent, will shortly come to pass,
If we
below,
and they who are in place
Above us,
make not conscience of our ways
More then we have done, in preceding days.
For, if there be a GOD, as my soul knows
There is, by that, which daily from him flows:
If there be
devils,
as I know well to,
There are by what,
I
see their servants do.
GOD, or the
Devil
will to us appear
By some new
Act
of
Grace,
or
work
of
fear,
To purge hearts, from death procuring
works,
And that
hypocrisy
within them lurks;
And keep us to the
rule
of doing
so,
To others, as we would be done unto.
Of which good practice, whilst he here was living
My
Westrow
(having by examples of giving)
Deserved to be a pattern,
I,
contrived,
This way, of having him, again revived;
That,
I,
and you, and others, by the light
From henoe reflecting, may walk more upright.
Lord, let these overflowings of my
Spirit,
Which, in themselves have neither pour, nor merit.
Produce forth good effects; and not be found
Like that, which gives an useles, emyty sound.
Let it be some way, fruitful unto them,
Who had relations in the
flesh
to him,
Who, hereof gave
occasion;
and, some way
To every Reader, who peruse it may;
And, not a memorandum only be
To other men; but, likewise unto
me.
Vouchsafe me grace, whilst, here I live to serve
(
In this my
Generation)
not to swerve
From my appointed
work;
but to persevere
In doing it, with vigilant endeavor;
That, of my
Talent,
when I must appear
To give account (which time approacheth near)
I may be
faithful
found, and to that
joy
Admittance have, which nothing can destroy.
Let neither
fears,
nor hopes, neglects, or wrongs,
Deter from doing what to me belongs:
And, though my
faculty
hath small esteem,
And needles to the
World,
perhaps, may seem,
In those
affairs
which may be pertinent
To thy great work: make it a supplement
Of some good use; that, times to come may see
My withered
leaves,
did help adorn the Tree
During that season, wherein clothed it stood;
And, were for cure of some diseases good.
Of what, in others, to be good, or ill,
I have observed; let application, still,
So to myself be made, that what I saw,
To be amiss in them, may me withdraw
From erring paths; and, in their steps to tread,
Who nave uprightly walked, (alive or dead.)
That, I may truly
foot thy measures,
too,
As well as pipe them out, to those that do:
Lest, I myself, a Reprobate be found,
When all things have completely daunc'd their round.
Let not the
Revolutions,
or the
changes,
Or, that
prevarication
which now ranges
Throughout the
World,
me, from my
station
carry;
Or, cause me from good Principles to vary.
But, in the
stream,
of all those great
distractions,
Diffring opinions, counter-marching actions,
Plottings, designings, threatenings, and pertakings,
Whimsies, Chimeras, doubtings, and mistakings,
Fawnings, and frownings, praises, or disgraces,
Wants, and aboundings, in all times, and places,
So steady keep my
Judgment,
and so clear,
That, all my Life, I firmly may adhear
To
truth,
and
honesty;
and, plainly see
What
man
intends, or is designed by thee,
And, whatsoever, without me, makes a din;
Let, me have always, peace, and
joy,
within,
My life, hath been a
warfar
to this day;
And troubles multiply: Yet, if it lay
Within my pour, to choose what other
lot
The best man living hath, (or I have not)
And, might myself, my own
self being
make;
Let me no comfort, in my
Portion
take,
If, I, would choose ought else, but that which now
I have, and thy
free mercy,
shall allow:
For, of thy
love,
so well assured am I;
And, how, thou best knowest, what for me is best;
That, on thy
Wisdom, Powr,
and
Love
I will rest.
I, love to see the doing what thou dost,
(
Oh GOD! most
holy, powrful, wise,
and
just)
And, therefore, though my
flesh
be terrifide
By thy approaches, and, oft loath to bide
Where, I may stand to see thee marching on,
And doing, here, such things as thou hast done:
Yea, though sometime, such horrors on me cease,
That, they do shake my bones; yet naytheles,
My spirit,
so is pleased, to behold
Those
Judgments,
and those
mercies
manifold,
Which I observe; that, in no other
time,
Nor, (might I choose) in any other
Clime,
Would I have lived, save where I might have seen
Such things, as have to me discovered been:
No, though thy
Judgments,
which, now on us be,
Have in the
flesh,
with others, wrapped up me,
For, whatsoever
former times
afford;
Whatever, hath been written in the
Word;
What
signs,
or
wonders,
have been to thy glory
Recorded in
profane,
or
sacred story;
Hath been a new transacted, in my days.
So, have I seen the
River,
and the Seas
Made passable: So, have I seen thy
wonders
In
blood,
and
Vermin;
in
fire, hail,
and
thunders;
And, in those other dreadful
signs,
whereby
Thou, heretofore didst
Pharaoh
terrify;
Mysteriously, or morally (at least)
If not in all things, lit'rally expressed:
And, have abserv'd, that, they on other men
Have now, the same effects, which they had then.
To
carnal wisdom,
but events of chance
They do appear; and, such, to ignorance.
Great
Kings,
and
Princes,
will not yet be wise,
But fool themselves, with
vanities,
and
lies;
And, are like
Pharaoh,
daily hardened so,
As if they dared thee, thy worst to do.
Yea, their
enchanters,
though they cannot stand
Before thee, (and acknowledge 'tis thy hand,
Which is upon them) do endeavor still,
To seek themselves, and to resist thy
will.
And, all of us, almost as heedles are,
Of what thou dost, as
Jacob's
offspring were.
Thy
judgments, mercies, threatenings, promises;
The several
causes,
and
effects
of these,
Have been to me,
exemplifide
a new,
By that, which hath been offered to my view:
Th' occurrances, betwixt thy
Friends,
and
Foes,
Long time ago, foretipifying those
That should succeed, (and, were for
Presidents,
That like
proceedings,
would have like
Events
Throughout all ages) I have seem paralleled
By those, which with mine eyes, I beheld:
And, by those
types,
compared with what I saw,
Did, sometimes from them such
conclusions
draw,
That, I foretold, when few believed me,
What, they and I, have lived, fulfilled to see.
And, though, thou art not pleased to let me know,
Perspicuously, what is approaching now:
Yet, I see
dim appearances,
whereby
I may suspect a
mischief
drawing nigh.
A
Cloud,
which like a
man's hand
seems to be,
Or, else, a
man's hand,
like
a Cloud
I see
Threatning a
storm.
I see, me thinks, Ob
Father!
Vapours
far off dispersed, begin to gather
Into divided bodies, whence may break
A
voice of Thunder,
and things dreadful; speak,
With sad events; If we with speed repent not;
And,
thou,
the
plagues,
which we deserve, prevent not.
Oh! therefore, turn our hearts; and unto thee
So, from our own ways let us turned be,
That, thou mayest still continue thy
compassion,
With thy accustomed
favors,
to this
Nation.
And, my beloved
Brethren,
for whose warnings,
I, thus adventure my dim
fore-discernings
To public censure, though not for my sake,
(For your own safety, notice of them take:
And, of your vanities, repent with speed;
That,
Judgments,
but conditionally decreed,
May be averted: And, that, those
good things,
Of whose approach the
season
symptoms brings,
Deferred may not be: For, there is, yet,
Somwhat, to be
removed,
which doth
LET,
That
Kingdoms
coming, for which, many pray;
And, that
Removall,
must prepare the
Way.
If, GOD,
this
way,
by
judgments,
must enforce,
It will, for us, now living, be the worse;
And, we shall bear the strong pangs of that
BIRTH
Which, that mysterious
WOMAN
will bring forth,
On whom, the
DRAGON
waiteth to devour
The
MANCHILD,
who (delivered from his power
By his
Almighty Father,
and our
GOD
)
Shall rule the
Nations,
with an
IRON ROD.
But, if we willingly remove from hence,
That
LET;
it shall produce a
recompense,
Which will requite our labor, and destroy
The great
Obstructer
of our promised
Joy.
Here,
I
had done. But somewhat, presseth in,
On which,
I
could anew again begin.
It doth not much concern my
Theam, I
know;
But, what, of that? It may concern you, though.
My
Muse,
oft times, when she is on her wings,
Wheels from her Game, to unexpected things
Which come to view; and, thereby more hath won
Somtimes, then if aside she had not gone.
So, may she now; I will therefore, let her fly
At what she sees, although
I
know not why.
The
Kingdom
looked for, seems to be near
By many tokens, which to me appear,
As well upon the
Governments
of those
Who, there to are professed, or secret
Foes,
As on the
SAINIS:
For, when I was but young,
(And ever since my
child-hood,
all along)
I, thereto had an eye: And, in this
clime,
(Or
little world
) I have seen within my time
Four
Governments,
almost as differing
Both in the
roots,
from which they forth did spring,
And
discipline,
as
DANIELS Monarchies:
And, much, to be considered, in them lies,
To make me to believe, that,
CHRIST
is shaking
The
Worlds foundations;
and, approaches making.
The first was, when much sam'd
ELIZABETH,
Raig'nd here; In whose time, (though I drew my breath
Not thirteen years) I, observations made
Of things, then said and done, both
good,
and
bad,
More then my age did promise; and, er'c taught,
Was to the best part, of my
knowledge
brought.
During this
Monarchy, I
did perceive,
Sincerity,
begin to take her leave;
That,
Christian zeal
abate, and cool again.
Which was so hot, when she began to Raign;
And, introductions of such
deviations,
As, both forego, and foreshow
alterations.
Yet, that, which then did seem to keep in awe
These
Nations,
was, the
GOSPEL,
and the
LAW.
Next her, out from the
Caledonian Wood,
A
ramping Lyon
came; and, up he stood.
As, he first got this power, he kept the same,
By acting of the
Fox,
and seeming tame.
To his devourings, he imposed no measure:
The
Law
he governed by, was
WILL,
and
PLEASURE;
And, he pursude, what he designed at first,
As far, as any
crafty coward
durst.
More stoutly, his
Successor,
carried on,
Then politically, what his
SIRE
begun;
And after many strugglings, and much cost,
Himself,
his
Kingdoms,
and
desigments
he lost.
Yet, for that
Government,
thus much I will say,
Justice,
and
piety,
wore in that day,
The fairest
outside;
and, were trimmed about
With many
Ornaments,
now, nigh worn out;
And,
goodness,
had a very glorious
shell,
Although the
kernels
therein proved not well.
Against this
Government,
the People rose,
In throaning them, whom they themselves had chose;
And whilst they were continued on the
Throne,
NECESSITIE,
was law, for what was done:
Which
Law,
to lengthen, and corroborate,
They, new
NECESSITIES
did still create;
Till their
Adorers,
did their Power contemn,
And, found great need of all things, but of
THEM.
For, by indulging
selfnes,
they destroyed,
What had by
self-denial
been en
•
oy'd;
And made themselves so rich, and some so poor,
That, now, the
Peoples choice,
is out of door.
Yet, whilst they kept the
Throne, GOD,
by them wrought
Effects, which will not wholly come to naught:
For, though
self-seeking,
most prevailed then,
There were among them,
good, and righteous men,
(To
GOD,
and to their
Country
serviceable)
Whose
number,
had it been proportionable
To
ten,
for each five
Cities, Towns,
or
Shiers;
Had made the
work,
reserved for others, theirs.
The
SWORD,
hath now, obtained the
sovereign power,
Let it, Oh
LORD!
protect, and not devou'r.
Let, it take notice, that it is prepared,
The
Vineyard,
only, to secure and gard,
(Or, cut away those Plants, which might annoy
The fruitful
Vines,
and their sweet grapes destroy)
Not to possess the same as if it own.
Let us (although the
power
thereon bestowed,
Should be abused) obediently attend,
Till to the
reign,
thereof, thou setst an end:
For, when thou pleasest, thou, canst in one hour,
Make it destroy itself, by it
own Powr.
To rule us, thou hast now advanced it;
Let us, for conscience sake, therefore, submit,
Whether it be for
future good,
or
ill;
Because, to have it so, it is thy
will.
Thou canst as well by
Arms,
as by the
Gown
Rule peaceably, and make thy
mercy
known.
Although it be a
Sword,
that bears the sway,
Let, it thine
Adversaries,
only, slay;
Let none of thine, have any cause to fear it:
And, let it no ways damage those that wear it.
Still, mindful make it, for whose good, and aid
'Twas first advanced, disciplined, and paid:
Who, did contribute, what, first, made it strong
To conquer: who, still adds, what doth belong
To keeping of that
Powr;
and, let it not
Endanger those by whom it was begot;
Wrong their
propriety,
whom it defended;
And whose just preservation was intended;
Nor, break those ancient
bounds
which kept should be
'Twixt
man
and
man;
and, betwixt
man,
and
Thee;
And, upon whose
Infringers
thou hast laid,
Curse,
whereof, all, ought to be afraid.
Let it perform the works thereto appointed;
Make way for
Justice,
and for thy
Anointed:
And, when the time designed thereto is done,
Let it, to what must follow, yield the
Throne.
The next, I hope shall be the
LIVING-WORD.
Let his long looked for
KINGDOM
come, Oh
LORD!
Let over us, that
King of Nations
reign,
To whom, all
praise,
and
Glory
doth pertain.
For, whatsoer'e this proves, that best will please us.
Come therefore, quickly Quickly come,
LORD JESUS.
Mean while, accept a sacrifice of
praise,
For what hath been vouchsafed in these days,
By way of
preparation,
to that
End,
For which, in
Faith,
and
hope,
we do attend.
Accept of pra
•
ses, from the
single hearted,
For all thy
Saints,
which are from hence departed;
And, for all those, who shall make up the sum,
By which thy Kingdom, will complete become.
Accept my
Thanks,
for what thou didst confer
On me, by him that's gone, and those, yet here:
Accept it rather, for that
love
of thine,
Vouchsafed from thyself, to
me
and
mine,
By frequent
pledges;
and, for that
Free grace,
Whereby before all time,
I
chosen was,
To be eternally made One with Thee;
And, in thy
self,
accept them
LORD,
of me.
Thus, having my
Friends
Obit, truly truly kept.
Six nights,
(whilst others round about me slept)
Here, that
Contexture,
which conceived I had,
Is now produced,
spun,
and
weav'd,
and
made.
'It is true the
Object,
of my
contemplations,
Was WESIROW: But, from him, my
Meditations,
Rose higher; and my soul did contemplate
Things, which conce
•
n these
Nations,
and this
State;
And, thereupon, some
hints,
are interweaved,
Which will (if passed by, as unperceived).
Make th
…
which is, the
Muses
way of giving
Life
to the
Dead;
to be, unto the
Living,
An
on
〈◊〉
presage;
at least to some,
Of
death,
of
shame,
or, of worse things to come.
FINIS.