A Subpoena from the High Imperial Court of Heaven
The source for this document is https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo/A19521.0001.001
Project Note
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The source of this document is the Early English Books Online (EEBO-TCP) website. Those books were transcribed in a character for character manner and can be very cumbersome to read since there was no standard spelling during that time. Many spelling variations such as "unlesse", "vnlesse", and "vnles" regularly appear.
This project was conceived to clean up those books as much as possible and make them more accessible to the interested reader, leading to the creation of a massive list of variant spellings and their corrections. This was used to clean up the text, but is of course only as complete as the list itself. Because of the nature of the original transcription, some words have missing characters or places where the original language (e.g., Greek) was not transcribed. This effort does not change that. Be aware that the original transcription can also be faulty and in some cases entire sentences may be missing.
Although this is no substitute for a properly compared, proofed, and scholarly edition, I believe that the result is a document which is far more accessible, particularly for searching for terms using standard spelling. The document has been cleaned and presented in what I hope is a pleasing and useful format for the vast majority of Christian brothers and sisters who just want access to read these spiritually nourishing works.
However, a word of warning: The Puritans were a very diverse group of people and their age was characterized with godliness, but also much upheaval, disputation and strife. They disagreed on many doctrines and some of these works contain less orthodox or Scriptural views than others. The reader is strongly advised to read with discernment, particularly if it is unknown whether author is trustworthy.
This project took a huge amount of time and skill to bring to fruition. I would particularly like to thank David Jonescue for the initial list of Puritans he found on EEBO and the concept behind this project as well as the continuous, unceasing efforts toward seeing this complete. Without his labor, this would not be available. Alex Sarrouf was invaluable in providing the initial list of over 7,000 spelling variations he had identified and corrected, as well as continuing to review more than 16,000 additions to that list for any typos.
Logan West
(with David Jonescue and Alex Sarrouf)
www.puritansearch.org
〈1 page duplicate〉
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A SUBPAENA.
A SUBPAENA from the high Imperial Court of Heaven, to be served upon all men: upon an Information preferred by IVSTICE against Man-kind.
With the Answer, and Reply from MERCIE, and her directions how to come to Heaven, if we avoid Sin.
SHrinke not from this
Subpoena,
which is pend;
esteem it well, for sure thou must appear:
What thou hast been, and how thou doest offend.
each word & thought will be prescribed there.
Rightly that Judge, will thy Records forth call;
daily therefore prepare unto thy trial:
None is exempt, all must then prostrate fall
at
Deaths
command, no man can make denial.
Now then provide, on pain of thy damnation,
here to amend thy former evil ways:
Oh sinner, learn to seek for thy salvation,
if thou in Heaven wouldst have eternal loyes.
O Jesus ardens 〈◊〉 .
Imprinted at London by I. White.
1620.
The Information of Justice.
A
Lmighty GOD,
thou Monarch of all might.
Who made the Sea, the Earth,
the Heavens and all:
Whose Malestie,
whose power is infinite:
at whose command all powers do prostrare foll:
By whom all Monarchs of the world do reign;
who setteth up, and pulleth down again.
Instice
complains, whereas our of thy
Grace,
thou madest a Creature of the earthly frame,
And put him in a most delightful place,
with all abundance richly in the same,
Where nothing wanted to content desire,
which heart or soul for solace might require.
His Will and Wish were joined both in one,
his liberty was absolute in mind:
No fear of Death; for sinning there was none,
he had restraint but only in one kind:
On pain of Death, he was forbid to taste
the
Fruit
in midst of
Paradise
was plast.
Being alone thy Majesty thought good
to make a Woman for his more delight,
Which should be of the self same flesh & blood;
his consort and his comfort day and night:
But at her motion he forthwith rebelled,
and justly was from
Paradise
expelled.
By disobedience he did thus begin
to bring Man-kind in bondage to the Devil
He was the first original of sin,
which brought in death with all succeeding cu
•
That by his fall, posterity was stained,
both Hell and Death by disobedience, gained
Now did he see his nakedness and sin.
and might detest the cause of such a fall,
He lost that state he was created in,
to bring in Death upon himself and all,
He lost thy fauonr being so beloved:
to cast him off in
Justice
thou wast moved.
But thou (although by so rebellious deed,
he was to death and just damnation brought)
Didst make a promise, by the
Woman's seed,
death and damnation should be over wrought:
And what he lost by his committed crime,
both that and more, should be regain'd in time:
In the mean space, thou leftst him
Natures
law,
a
Chancery
within his secret breast:
Which Conscience might keep his flesh in awe,
in flying sin, and following what was best:
But weak or willful whether was the cause,
he flieth out and breaketh
Natures
laws.
A second
Law
thou didst by
Moses
give,
more full and which did
Natures
law express:
But after neither of them he doth live,
his sinful actions evermore increase:
He doth complain and says, they Laws are such
his weakness great, their burden is too much.
Fullness of time brings in the Law of
Grace,
the promised
Seed
to
Eve
was foretold,
Should clear the guilt, and help all
Adams
race,
is now performed; and what hath been in hold,
In debted thrals to death, to Hel for sin,
Jesus
frees all, and calls the reckoning in.
This Law of
Grace,
which as himself hath said,
the burden's light, and easy for to bear:
Who bears this yoke, was never ouerlaid,
when love bears all, and not enforced fear;
But for this law, as all-the rest he careth,
for love or fear, the breach of neither spareth.
For heavenly joys thou didst man create,
Though
Lucisor
through pride from thence did fall
Thou wouldst advance him to that glorious state
what Angels lost, man should attains to all:
Where Angels fell, they had no reparation,
their fall was willful, and without temptation.
But man was tempted by a potent foe,
who most envying that an earthly wight
Should by his Maker be advanced so:
sought by all means with hate of malice might
To wrest him our of favor and of grace.
to put him from that everlasting place.
Man that did fall through
Adams
strong temptatio
•
him to redeem, thou sent'st thy only Son,
Resoring him to favor and salvation:
What
Adam
lost, the
Woman's seed
hath won
Who fell not tempted, is adiud'gd to Hell:
Man is redeemed, who by temptation fell.
Eternal God, what should thy
Mercy
move,
for to forbear this deadly sinner so?
He yields no show of thanks for all thy love,
no benefits make him his sin forgo:
What thou dost hate, that wicked life he follows;
as Hogs in dirt, in filthy ways he wallows.
Thy Laws cannot his sinful life restrain,
his care is for thy benefits but small:
His life declares thy threats he holds but vain:
his works do show he loves thee not at all;
Long suffering
Mercy
makes him so to trust,
that he forgets that thou art also
Just.
Like as the Child cares not for Fathers threats,
words are but wind, he follows on his play:
This creature so himself and thee forgets,
till thou thy Rodde of
Justice
on him lay:
In all his pleasures, from thee he doth fly,
he seeks thee not, but when he fears to die.
What is that seeking, forced by constraint,
all youthful days to run it out in pleasure,
And when that Death, or sickness makes him faint,
then he seeks homeward; thou must wait his leisure:
Not like to
Abel,
offering thee the best,
but like to
Cain,
the worst of all the rest.
His prime of Youth, and all his golden years,
his wits and, wealth, all given to the Devil:
When fe
•
ble age drawn on, with hoary Hayres,
that now
〈◊◊〉
to practice former evil:
When sin
〈◊〉
him that he can sin no more▪
he seeks to thee, who seru'd thy foe before.
Caust thou in
Justice
such presumption like,
the benefit thou giu'st him out of
Grace,
To draw him, home, before thy hand would strike
to turn all to a clean contrary case?
God's
Mercy
passeth all his Works (he saith,)
therefore presuming, he his sin delayeth,
Thy
Mercy
is to such as do repent;
but not to sinners, which remain in sin:
Who was a sinner, if he have intent
to change his life, he may thy
Mercy
win:
But who presuming, sinneth in that kind,
by
Justice,
he may never
Mercy
find.
He runneth on, such arguments are rise,
with him who takes in sin so great delight,
They may give color to a sinful life,
presuming thou in
Justice
wilt not smite:
A damned life doth evermore invent,
such reasons which may further his intent.
This creature cares not that thy
Son
was slain,
the only cause such pains he did abide,
To pay his debts, and bring him home again;
wounded in hands, in heart, head, feet, and side:
Though for his sin, thy dearest
Son
did die;
his howrely sins do still him crucify.
Virtue
•
〈◊〉
fled and banished away.
what virtue now at all is put in ure?
All deadly sins do each where bear the swaye
Oh great
Jehovah,
how canst thou endure?
Fullness of sin doth now so much abound,
it anoyes the heavens, & overcharge the ground.
Behold my case, O God, I may be bold
to say, my Sword and balance are sore shaken:
Canst thou endure I should be bought and sold,
that poor men's suits for bribs should be forsakē:
Descend, O God, to earth down from the skies,
for none but thou, redresseth poor men's cries.
Who cares for poor? yet poor as dear to thee,
as is the greatest Monarch which doth reign;
His ransom like, and Heaven for him as free:
yet poverty is held in great disdain:
So did the Glutton
Lazarus
despise,
but now this joys, and he in torment lies.
Do they love thee, when thou thyself hast said,
who doth relieve and giveth to the Poor,
Doth all to me, and they shall be repaid
full weight and measure, yea an hundred more?
They show their trust and love to thee is small,
the Poor get nothing, though thou givest all.
Thy Creatures made for man in thy creation,
in Sea, on Land, in and above the Skies,
They all agree in making exclamation,
they still pour out for
Justice
gricuous cries:
Thou gau'st them Man, for to be rightly used;
but clean contrary they are all abused.
For natures use, Apparel is charged quite,
all is converted to excessive pride:
The Sun, the Moon, the Stars, the day, and night.
cry their abuse may be in
Justice
tried;
Thy meats & drinks, thy Gold & earthly treasure
are all abused in Just and fleshly pleasure.
Shorten the time (Almighty:) tis too long
that man runs on in wickeanes and sin:
Hastenin
Iustise
to revenge thy wrong,
send
Death
abroad to call all sinners in;
Grant out
Subp
•
nass,
let not
Death
make stay,
but to thy
Iudgemeus
bring all flesh away.
A Subpoena from the Court Imperial.
THE GOD of God's,
who all the world hath wrought,
And out of Nothing,
made the worlds wide frame:
Who man's salvation by all means hath sought,
and by his blood hath ransomed the same:
By this
Subpoena
giveth charge to thee,
thou fail not at his
Judgment
feat to be.
And that thou fail not for to bring in place,
all those Records thy Conscience doth hold;
That
Chauncery
can best declare thy case,
what it is now, what it hath been of old:
Of this thy charge thou mayst not make denial,
for that's the day appointed for thy trial.
Faile not upon the hope of thy salvation,
to clear thy reckoning at that dreadful day:
Prouide thyself on pain of thy damnation,
to free thy charge; and answer as thou may:
Within this world thou mayst to
Mercy
trust,
but I have sworn that day I will be
Just.
Witness myself, who at thy first creation,
made thee a Man; the Heavens and all for thee,
Witness myself, who to work thy Salvation,
sent my dear
Somie,
by Blood to set thee free,
Doc not refuse these
Mercies,
which are mine,
least Hels damnation fall out to be thine.
The Speaches of Death, provided to execute the Subpaenae.
IAm at hand (full well I know my charge)
with all post hast I will make a quick dispatch
But let me have Commission at large,
then shall I frustrate many a sinful match:
Then God by man shall not be so offended,
for with my Dart, all flesh shall soon be ended.
I will make the proud to stoop, for all his pride:
I will'bring the Rich for all his Gold away:
The Leecher shall not in his silth abide:
the Glutton shall not for his dainties stay:
They are now careless, but when I do wound,
I terrify the loftiest lives on ground.
Oh how they offer to redeem their days,
they would give all so death would set them free;
If
Death
would be corrupted any ways,
not all the world so rich as
Death
might be:
In health and youth, who value
Death
but small,
when death doth strike, to
Death
they offer all.
But what says
Mercy,
she doth look as if
she would endeavor to procure my stay:
She loves me not, she holds me as a thelfe,
who would so soon her dearling bring away,
If she begin to speak, I know her mind,
out of her love, she pleadeth for Man-kind.
Mercy her speech for Man-kind.
GReat King of Heaven,
Justice
speaketh true,
Man justly doth provoke
thy wrath and ire:
If thou in
Justice
shouldst pay him his due,
he hath deserved everlasting fire;
But in this World thy
Mercy
thou hast plast,
whilst it endures, so let thy
Mercy
last.
Send out
Subp
•••
s
that I grant it fit.
to let men know they have a reckoning day,
For execution, stay thy
Justice
yet,
their lives amend perhaps some sinners may;
T'is known thy
Mercy
yields the more content;
then
Iustica
can, if sinners would repent.
T'is not the sinners death thou doest desire,
'twas his conversion thou hast ever sought:
If man receive for sin a sinners hire,
it comes frō that which he himself hath wrought:
Grace and Salvation thy desire is known:
if Hell and Death, the sin and fault his own.
Respite the time, that I may do my best,
to let men know the danger they stand in:
Thy hate to sin, by
Justice
is expressed:
I will try if
Love
may move him from his sin.
Justice
is stern,
Seueritie
plays his part,
Mercy
(perhaps) may sooner move the heart.
The speech of Mercy to Mankind.
WHen all Mankind by
Adams
fall had lost
both
Paradise,
the hope of Heaven & all:
In those distresses, then I helped most;
I promised upon that grievous fall,
In time a
Fruit
should spring from
Woman's
seed,
should clear the guilt, and cancel
Adams
deed.
What I did promise, I performed truly,
the precious choice I took for mankind's sake
God's dearest
Son,
who did perform it duly,
for man's salvation, did man's Nature take;
And by his Passion, whereas man was thrall
to Death and Hell, he freed him out of all.
Justice
doth now as ever heretofore,
call on that sinners may receive their due;
And I endeavor now as evermore,
for man's repentance, and Salvation sue:
At
Mercies
suit, God ever granteth
Grace,
and for repentance giveth sinners space.
O that I might make suit, with that success
to mortal men, as when I do to God;
That they would yield to me that readiness,
to fly the danger of his heavy rod:
I ever found God ready upon trial,
why then should man give
Mercies
sure denial?
I sue not for myself, but for thy gain,
to make them heyren of Heaven & those joys:
I will show them how they may thereto attain,
and reason why to sly all worldly toys,
If Man will put what I direct in
••
e,
of Heavenly bliss and joys he shall be sure.
The true state of a Sinner.
FIrst let me show what is his grievous state,
who doth in sin, and sinful life delight:
Which misery may force a man to hate
the causes which do work that woeful plight:
What mischief more, then live in fear and grief,
when heaven or earth can yield him no relief?
If to the Heavens he dare lift up his eyes,
his heart & soul with trembling fear do grudge
His Bird in breast most heavy on him lies,
and tells him thence he must look for his Judge:
Whose terror is to all which run astray,
most dreadful at the main tribunal day.
If he the World and all her creatures view
upon the earth which creep, that fly, or swim,
Their thought & sight will make his heart to rue,
that all were made for him, abused by him,
No thought that is, will sinners more dismay,
then things abused, at their dying day.
The Usurer how is he racked with Gold
when he is dying, gasping out his breath?
What torment hath the Leacher to behold
fair Dames, when he is yielding unto death?
In life, what did delight the sinner chief,
at Death, doth force the greatest woe and grief.
To hear of Death, the sinners heart doth shrink,
the day of Doome doth rent his soul in twain
Ti's terrible to call to mind, and think
how
Death
and
Judgment
hast to him amaine:
No day nor night the sinner findeth quiet
a spotted soul and conscience doth deny it,
Those black
Records
within the dismal book,
fast locked within the closet of the Breast,
When as the sinner thereupon doth look,
with fears and terrors then is he oppressed:
In all the world no torment, grief, or pain,
are like the thoughts which do the conscience stain.
These are the foes which inwardly do dwell
which sinners do about them ever bear,
Who still torment them in their inward Hell.
racking and rending of them everywhere,
When others laugh they make a pleasant show,
with face dissembling in the mainest woe.
Let mortal men consider in this case,
think of the time they are to tarry here;
Behold the Sun how swift he runs his race;
so do man's days, their death approacheth near:
Forfeit not Heaven for the flowers of May,
what are they worth once withered away?
Let man consider in his Conscience thi
•
,
when he hath rashly done some deadly sin,
And comes to think that he hath done amiss,
what grief of mind he forth with falleth in:
But when the time of doing good is spent,
those thoughts do yield him joy & all content.
Man was provided for eternal joys,
his proper Country is with God above:
Why should he dote upon these worldly toys?
what is the gain of all this worldly love?
A Conscience cloyd, and naked sent away,
a sore accuser at the latter day.
Consider on the work of thy Creation,
how far thou art in debt to God therefore,
Then think upon the work of thy Redemption,
in which thy debt is multiplied more:
Let these two things thy heart & conscience move
urge not his wrath who thou art bound to love.
When wicked thoughts, or motions breeding sin
within thy heart temptations do inflame:
When that thou findest Reason doth begin
to yield consent to execute the same;
Then have recourse to meditate on this,
and hardly thou shalt dare to do amiss.
A daily Meditation, which Mercy offereth to Man-kind.
The day of Death.
THinke now thou liest on thy dying bed,
thy heart, thy head, thy Sences all do fall,
Striuing for life, each member gastly spread,
trembling at
death,
which makes so fierce assail:
If at
Deaths
hour, thy sins thou dost desie,
then dare not live, in state thou darst not die.
Think furthermore thou hast all worldly pleasure,
and everything which may the flesh delight:
Suppose thou hast thy fill of worldly treasure,
what is all worth, whē
death
shall claim his right:
What was once sweet, is turned now to sour,
the case quite altered in this dreadful hour.
For now those things that were thy heart content
thy wealth and pleasure, force thy bitter woe:
With trembling conscience, now thou dost repent
the day, the hour, thou didst abuse them so.
The Judgment day.
THinke furthermore,
thou heardest the dreadful sound,
The Trumpet calling of the dead to rise:
And all the world of flaming fire round,
the Judge appearing dreadful in the skies:
Ask now thy conscience, durst it in bad thought
〈◊〉
wicked life before that seat be brought?
If that thy conscience tremble for to think
upon the terror of that dreadful day:
If that Tribunal make thy heart to shrink,
let thē this thought drive sinful thoughts away
And dare not do those wicked actions here
in which thou darst not at that day appear.
Conside thou who now in health dost live,
the day of death, & dreadful hour will come,
Of all thy debts thou must a reckoning give,
thou canst not void this dreadful day of doom:
No wit, no wealth, no beauty, force, nor strength,
but must come to this Judgment at the length.
The pains of Hell.
THe pains of Hell they must endured be,
most infinite for torment and for date;
For sin is wrought gainst infinite degree,
gainst God whose power exceeds all estimate:
When infinite that God-head is offended,
those pains in
Justice,
never shall be ended.
Eternal torments correspond the Will:
shouldst thou live ever, thou wouldst ever sin:
Thou justly then deseruest torments still,
who would still run that course thou livest in?
Eternal torments justly do agree,
where Will and Sin would both eternal be.
No thought, no tongue, can comprehend or tell
what are the torments of that damned Fire:
The plagues, the scourges, tortures are in Hell,
which
Justice
doth provide for sinners hire:
A rueful noise, when damned Souls forlorn,
cry ever, woe the hour we were borne.
The joys of Heaven.
THinke what it is to come to heavenly bliss;
to live with God, where Saints & angels dwell
Those glorious joys which God provides for his
no heart, no tongue, can comprehend or tell:
No care hath heard, or eye did ever see
the heavenly bliss, or joys of that degree.
Where Majesty so infinite excelleth,
hath all abundance Majesty may have:
Where the omnipotent in glory dwelleth,
with those elect whom
Jesus
blood did save,
All
Ioyes
must be still flowing in that place,
where Saints behold the glory of his face.
These heavenly joys are certain, without date,
Old-age renews to youth without decaying:
Eternal health and treasures without rate:
no fear of cross or trouble ouerswaying.
Who would doat on the worldly pleasures so,
for love of them to let the Heavenly go?
Loe here's the end of every mortal man,
which he comes to at first or at the last:
There's no avoidance since the world began,
Time flies away, and Death approacheth fast:
Consider then of things that shall endure,
take
Mercies
offer, and thy Soul is sure.
The young man says, these are too grave for me,
the old man says, these thoughts do charge me sore
To please their humors each of these agree,
to slight them off, and think of them no more,
Shift as they will and let them take their pleasure:
but let them know
Death
stayeth no man's leisure.
Counsel to prepare our selves to return to God, before the day of our Death; for after death there is no repentance.
IF ye love God, or fear ye Hels damnation;
O then repent, defer the time no more:
Here in this life you may obtain salvation,
now seek, O seek, for heavenly joys therefore
After that
Death
thy soul away hath taken,
none can repent the time is then too late:
Duly therefore let since away be shaken,
remove thyself from wicked sinners states▪
Each day or night, ye
•
〈◊〉
the time doth know
when Christ our Judge, in judgment seat will stand
Euer do think thou hearst his trumpet blow
sure the time is even now at hand.
The Books to the Reader.
THis debt is due upon Doomes day,
which you are summoned to pay:
Wherefore my Author well content,
because he warns you to repent:
Repentance true God doth require,
it keeps you from eternal fire.
FINIS.
Ui veneranda Sones.