Poems Occasioned by a melancholy vision Or A melancholy vision upon diuers Theames Englarged: Which by seuerall Arguments ensuinge is showed His gaudie musa tenebris: By H. M. [i.e. Humphrey Mill] |
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| OF LIFE. |
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 | Poems Occasioned by a melancholy vision |  |
OF LIFE.
The Charge and the Argument.
Of Life in Generall.
And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living
thing, according to his kinde, and the
Cattell according to his kinde, and every creeping
thing of the earth, according to his kinde,
and God saw that it was good.
Gen. 1. 25.
The Lord God also made man of the dust of the
ground, and breathed in his face the breath of
Life, &c.
Gen. 2. 7.
Neverthelesse I live, yet not I now, but Christ
liveth in me, and the life that I live in the flesh,
I live by the faith of the Sonne of God, who
hath loved me, and gave himselfe for me.
Gal. 2. 20.
The gift of God is eternall life, through Jesus
Christ our Lord.
Rom. 6. 23.
1
Muse, raise thy tune, with lively voice,Thy Theame is Life, now forthy choice,
Thou hast varieties to sing:
The Plants, the Beasts, doe yeeld thee store,
Mans life, by nature, gives thee more.
Both sweet and sowre, yet but one thing.
2
The life of grace, may call thee debter,If that thou dost not sing the better,
His worth, his beauty, and his praise:
The Life of glory doth excell,
But that thou canst not sing so well,
Except thou wert with him alwayes.
Of life in Generall,
and of the Vegetative Life of Plants.
3
Life thou wast breath'd from God above,And art a token of his Love,
To all his creatures thou wast best:
Himselfe in thee, he did set forth,
The living God, of glorious worth,
Shewes how in thee, his workes are blest.
4
Thou giv'st a Luster to the earth,All beauty, joy, and pleasant mirth,
Attend thy presence with good will:
Thou art the forme of orders frame,
And thou art blessed, in thy name:
And all the world doe praise thee still.
5
The plants that live a senselesse life,To shew thy vertue, are at strife,
For to exceed in growth each other:
They gratifie thy kindnesse when,
They bring forth fruit to pleasure men:
Thy fruitfulnesse they doe not smother.
6
Some for the taste so pleasant are,Some physicall, are found so rare,
As some are pleasant to the eye:
Thou in them all, hadst first a being.
In feeding, clothing, and in seeing.
And shew'st a lively majesty.
7
A little seed, thou mak'st to be,A comely, sweet, and fruitfull tree:
And colours shine, so in a flower,
That all may say thou art a guest,
To be esteem'd above the rest;
For all increase is by thy power.
8
And when they are besieg'd with cold,Which threatens death, yet thou art bold,
To keepe possession under ground:
Fast in the roots; there thou dost dwell,
So close, that none can thee expell;
Thy private holes cannot be found.
9
When thou with patience, and with strength,Hast overcome thy foes at length;
Then thou in triumph dost display,
Thy lively colours every where;
And thou dost smile with pleasing cheere,
Then all our sorrow turnes to joy.
10
Then sweet and mildely, thou dost raigne,Not tyrant-like, by force to gaine,
A kingdome: for it is thy due
Thou dost advance the feeble plants,
That hangs the head, and succour wants,
That gav'st them garments, fresh and new.
11
But if they doe receive a wound,Then thou dost languish in a sound,
With griefe; till thou art forc't to part:
But if he leave a stocke behinde,
Then for his sake thou art so kinde,
That thou dost cherish up his heart.
12
But if that we desire to use,The plants, thou wilt not us refuse,
But of them freely we may take
A better life, for to preserve:
So every meanes thou dost observe,
Deni'st thy selfe there for mans sake.
13
They put their mouthes, and suck reliefe,From earth their mother being chiefe,
For native soile, to feed them still:
She never yet was knowne to grutch,
Though they did draw never so much;
From her, but each one had his fill.
14
Unlesse they were from place to place,Remov'd, as strangers in that case;
So strange might be their welcome cheare:
But when acquaintance grew they found,
Such food; that profit to the ground
They brought, and blessings left they there.
15
They cannot walke, but being fixt,Their profit is with pleasure mixt,
Thou dost not vagrants of them make,
But where we leave them, there they stay,
And thou dost watch them, that we may,
Still of their fruits in plentie take.
16
Thou art in fruit, when it is drie,Being scortcht or drown'd still thou dost lye,
In it, the quintessenee to prove;
Or else our meate, and drinke would be,
But dead steps, to our miserie:
In this we finde thy constant love.
OF THE SENSITIVE Life of Beasts.
17
The beasts that live of reason voide,Thou art by sense of them enjoy'd,
They love thy presence, and they shew,
That they beholding to thee are:
They to preserve thee have a care,
As though they did thy goodnesse know.
18
They know the meanes, and doe desire,Their food, as wages for their hire:
To maintaine life, the ground of all:
The worke or service that they doe,
Thy principles doe manage too.
If thou dost leave them downe they fall.
19
They seeke to finde a place of ease,And as a friend they would thee please,
To shew that they doe thee regard;
And if they finde it, then they take,
Delight, it's all still for thy sake,
But thou dost them for this reward.
20
They shun the meanes that would destroyThee, they resist, or run away,
When feare of losing thee they doubt:
They use thy power, claime a right
In thee: as Beasts they doe delight,
Yet cannot rightly set thee out.
21
They live in pastures pleasantly,And never thinke of dangers nigh,
Thou giv'st them freely such content,
By sense they know no time but that,
Till with thy friendship, they grow fat:
Then death their pleasures doe prevent.
22
At last they struggle so for life,And with the butchers are at strife,
To keepe thee still, and thou dost greeve,
But yet by force, thou must depart,
Though it doth vexe thee to the heart.
They cry, thou canst not them releeve.
23
Thou mak'st them nimble, active, strong,And comely too, but then ere long,
When thou dost part, deformed they,
Remaine: and never have thee more.
Thou hast no life for them in store,
When once thou tak'st thy flight away.
OF THE LIFE OF Reason in men:
Or, Naturall Life.
24
Tdis doth not trouble thee so much,To part with plants, or beasts as such
As live a life of Reason, then,
Thou hadst thy being here below,
That thou thy selfe, might'st now bestow,
Most freely on the Sonnes of men.
25
The grasse that lives for Beasts, does die,And beasts for men, good reason why,
That they might live to serve the Lord,
In this let Life with us agree,
To differ plants, and beasts, from we,
Then we with Life shall still agree.
26
To man thou art the sweetest thing,For thou all comfort still dost bring.
Thy presence gives content to all.
They spend their meanes thee to maintaine,
What ere they lose, if thee they gaine,
Thou dost delight both great and small.
27
Thou giv'st a beautie to the face,And thou art still the comeli'st grace,
To all; there's nothing like to thee,
Though thou art seated in the heart,
Thou do'st appeare in every part,
And thou alone, thy selfe canst see.
28
And thou of all, art much desir'd,And with the world they'l not be hir'd.
To leave thee: but to thee as right,
Doe yeeld themselves, and doe obey
Thee; and by walking on their way,
They shew thy glory, and thy might.
29
Thou causest clods of earth to walke,And giv'st us breath, by thee we talke,
And knowledge too, for to discerne,
What's good, what's bad, and so we chuse
The good, and doe the bad refuse.
And by thee we may ever learne.
30
Thou stil desirest for our good,Such naturall convenient food,
That thou thy freedome might'st enlarge,
To us thy love thou dost expresse.
To have us shun all vaine excesse:
And thou at all times bear'st the charge.
31
When once thou dost a danger spie,Thou giv'st us warning presently,
And shew'st that thou dost us esteeme,
But if we cannot it avoid,
But must with trouble be annoyd,
Thou dost us labour to redeeme.
32
But if thou canst not with thy skill,Relieve us in our sorrow still,
With us thou stay'st to beare apart;
For thou dost greeve to see us weepe,
And wait'st our leisures while we sleepe,
Which brings some ease, unto the heart.
33
Much miserie thou dost endure,With us, and yet thou nere art sure,
To be rewarded for thy paines;
Thou stay'st with us a little while,
Thou dost but come and give a smile,
We cannot call thee here our gaine.
34
Alas, I cannot but lament,For thou hast still a true intent,
To doe us good, thou dost indeavour;
But we thy proffers doe abuse,
Or else so sleightly doe them use,
There's cause of feare, to lose thee ever.
35
Thou'rt gone sometimes, before we know,How to enjoy thee herebelow,
Thou dost on sudden take thy time,
We judge thee comming on a pace,
But thou dost leave us in disgrace,
When we are comming to our prime.
36
If thou dost tarry with old age,Then like a Bird within the cage,
Thou long'st still for thy libertie:
For there thou canst not use thy strength,
Yet thou art quiet, then at length,
You both are freed from miserie.
37
God breath'd thee first, in the beginning,In man, but he lost thee by sinning.
And ever since thou art so strange,
Thou art a tennant here at will,
There is no lease, though we try still,
We cannot know our time of change.
38
We cannot say, 'tis long of thee,That we endure such miserie,
But 'tis from change we doe receive,
Such bitter potions in this world,
But when we in our graves are hurl'd,
Then thou of us dost take thy leave.
39
Thou dost not bring us to distresse,But we bring thee into no lesse,
Our sins thy vigor so doe quell,
That if there were no other course,
To drive thee out, we should grow worse,
Till we did thee from us expell.
40
Thy foes are many, great and strong,They dwell in Garrisons among
Thy souldiers: and they pitch their tents,
Surpriz'd thou art within the field,
And death doth come, which makes thee yeeld
With engines, and with instruments.
41
Men have not here enough of thee,That live in pride and jollitie,
Thou act'st thy part, then thou art gone,
Alas thy Scene here is so short,
They cannot shew their sinfull sport,
As they would, then they make their mone,
42
They doe not draw their Cesternes dry,Nor suck the sweet, nor sore so high,
Nor do that mischiefe they desire,
They have not time to bring to passe,
Their cursed ends; their emptie glasse,
Doth shew death comes, and brings their hire.
43
Men make thee shorter, than thou art,By playing here so vile a part,
They drinke, or curse thee out of doore,
They love thee not, so well as those,
Things that take thee away; and foes
They to themselves appeare therefore.
44
How few are there, that set thee forth,In practice, or to spread thy worth;
Doe praise thee in a living frame?
They hide thee so in heapes of dust,
That thou art eaten up with rust:
Men cannot know thee, but by name,
45
Thou wilt away, ere it be long,Who would not use thee being strong,
Set out thy beautie inits kinde:
Let's all indeavour while we may,
With life t'enjoy a happie day,
Shew that we live in heart and minde.
46
Let principles within us move,Still to the fruits of living love,
Towards God and man, that we may shew,
That we have not our lives in vaine,
But of them make such blessed gaine.
That others may its power know.
47
Thy props decay, ere thou dost fall,With want, disease, afflictions all,
Conspire against thy living breath,
Thy comforts die, and leave thee here,
Thy joyfull presence turnes to feare,
And who so welcome then as death.
48
Thou hid'st thy selfe within the breast,But death will never let thee rest,
But hunts thee till he drives thee thence,
Life takes his leave upon the lips,
Away in silence, then he skips
Unseene, but mist with present sense.
49
But thee, I cannot chuse but blame,Me thinkes thou hast an emptie name,
How can I truly call thee Life?
When evils come, thou giv'st us sense,
And so we have for recompence,
The fruits of sin, which turnes to strife.
50
Most men doe thee desire long,When they are active, rich and strong,
And live in pleasure, health, and ease,
If they old age and sorrow see,
Thou dost increase their miserie,
Thy friendship turnes unto disease.
51
A stab, disease, or gust of winde,Will turne thee out, thou art inclin'd,
For small occasions to distaste,
Thou leav'st us still to pay the rent,
We for thy sake, are often shent,
Thou leav'st the house ruin'd and waste.
52
When thou art parting, then the eye,Growes dimme, the visage presently,
Doth looke so dreadfull, and so pale,
The feet and hands doe grow so cold,
The bodie fashions to the moulde,
The tongue that falters in the tale.
53
If we could see thee there, we'd stay,But thou dost slily glide away,
And leave the creature, deafe and dumbe,
Me thinkes thou shouldst thy house repaire,
And make it wholsome, sweet and faire,
What, wilt thou to it, no more come?
54
But when thou art thus forc't to part,And tak'st thy vale of the heart,
Then sad and dismall is thy voice,
That heavie parting, wrings out teares,
With greefe and anguish, mixt with feares.
Our friends will grieve, our foes rejoyce.
55
What horrour doe poore men conceive,When thou dost take thy solemne leave,
Which leaves no hope to meet againe,
The shadow then of death indeed,
Makes way for hell, he sowes such seed,
The fruit of which, is endlesse paine.
56
VVe are arrested for thy debt,And in a prison we are set,
A yard at least, within the ground;
And thou the principall art gone,
And we must beare the brunt alone,
Non est inventus, gives a sound.
57
Now life doe thou my counsell take,'Gainst sin and death, a partie make,
And in defiance ever stand:
Take courage to thee, shew thy power.
And let them not the world devoure,
Then live thou blessed in the land.
OF THE NEW LIFE.
OR, THE LIFE OF Grace in the Soule.
58
New Life and true, when thou art made,Within the soule, thou dost not fade,
But dost thy freshnesse still retaine,
Thou art not subject then to die,
Above all ill thou dost espie,
Such things: as brings in perfect gaine.
59
Thou li'st so close unto the soule,There is no power can controule,
Thy blessed state, or yet remove,
Thy siege; for thou hast made it strong:
And thou hast patience us among,
There thou art constant in thy love.
60
Confusion, deadnesse, did beset,Our hearts, till vict'ry thou did'st get,
Ore us, and brought us into frame,
And thou at all times dost thy best,
To settle living peace and rest,
Ore us: to bring a blessed name.
61
We cannot see nor apprehend,Thee; but thou dost thy power bend,
Which doth thy presence then discover,
That men unskild in art may read,
Thy booke of life, being open spread,
Thou art an upright constant lover.
62
Though thou art weakned there sometimes,By treachery, and hainous crimes,
That men doe thinke thy force is rais'd,
Yet cause thou canst with fresh supply,
Of new fetcht power from on high,
Quicken repentant soules, thou'rt prais'd.
63
And if thou dost receive a wound,Or else through faintnesse in a swound,
Fall: then thou hast a present cure,
The bloud of him, that once was slaine,
By death, he did thy freedome gaine,
This thou apply'st, and dost endure.
64
Thou art a shelter to all those,To whom thou dost thy selfe disclose:
A faithfull friend thou art indeed,
What they doe lend thee, thou dost pay,
And with increase, much every day,
Thou dost returne their fruitfull seed.
65
In troubles thou dost us defend,If thou canst not our sorrowes end,
Thou dost support us in the same:
Thou dost our parts then ever take,
We are belov'd, 'tis for thy sake,
Who would not joy, to heare thy name.
66
Thou little wast at first, bur thouDost much increase, we know not how,
Thou dost not alwayes grow by sence;
But afterwards we may perceive,
That thou dost with us vigor leave,
So fruitfull is thy recompence.
67
Comely and sweet, needs thou must be,Thou cam'st from heaven, so that we.
Doe entertaine the heavens guest;
And this is all thy drift I know,
For to instruct us here below,
And then to lead us to our rest.
68
In heaven still remaines thy spring,While we on earth thy praises sing,
So we can never draw thee dry:
The more we have, the more we may,
Draw from thy fulnesse; more I say,
We have it free, we need not buy.
69
Thy root's above, yet thou art here,I nere knew any graffe to beare,
So distant as you seeme to be;
But when I finde thy root doe grow,
By faith in men, as thou dost now,
My differing thoughts doe then agree.
70
Thou art so comely to behold,If I had art, thee to unfold,
I'd shew the beautie of thy face,
That men should thee so much admire,
And love should kindle such desire,
As for thy love, to sue apace.
71
But thou art shadow'd so with sin,Men cannot know thee so within,
As otherwise, thou would'st appeare,
And misconceits, doe vale thee too,
We cannot finde with much adoe
Thy glory out, though ne're so cleare.
72
And men that are but poore and base,In outward things, yet in this case,
Excell: they seeme thy face to hide,
The world thinkes not, that poore aray,
Can harbour thee, that art so gay,
The truth of this is dayly tri'd.
73
Men thinke there is no difference,'Twixt thee, and thy sweet influence,
And naturall life, that is so poore,
They prize that more, for that they know,
Which lives by sense, like beasts below,
Till they have spent their fading store.
74
Thou dost preserve the chiefest part,The soule; and guardest so the heart,
And living comforts dost bring in,
All other sweetnesse dies apace,
And leaves their masters in disgrace,
They are like blanks, which nothing winne.
75
Men cannot have of thee too much,Nor yet dost thou to any grutch,
Thy strength at need, if they thee chuse,
And thou dost use thy mighty power,
Against all those that would devoure,
Them, or their life seeke to abuse.
76
All things that furthers thy increase,The fruit of joy, the word of peace,
Thou dost them use as excellent,
With all good meanes, thou dost agree,
To helpe our growth's as we may see,
To make us lively, is thy bent.
77
Thy fruit is pleasant, for to taste,And faire, plentifull and vaste,
They onely know it, that doe finde,
Thee, in their soules; and they can tell,
How thou in goodnesse dost excell,
Thy praises please well such a minde.
78
But they that to this life are strange,And never knew what 'tis to change,
They see no favour in thy face,
Nay, some will ever be at strife,
For such as stand for thee their life,
And would thy Image quite deface.
79
Thou art not stain'd with hatefull pride,Nor any other sin beside;
Thou keep'st thy selfe, still free from all,
Though we sin here, 'tis so we must,
Till we are levell with the dust,
But thou dost bring our soules from thrall.
80
Thou art so like a Turtle true,When death doth claime us for his due.
Thou would'st not leave us, till the last;
The soule then too, enjoyes her fill,
Of thee, and dwels in heaven still,
Wishing that that black storme were past.
OF THE LIFE OF Glorie.
81
At last the bodie thou wilt meet,With triumph and with joy so sweet,
To welcome home thy ancient friend;
The bodie and the soule rejoyce,
That ever they made thee their choyce,
This joy shall never have an end.
82
Now thou in heaven dost excell,Thy glory there, I cannot tell,
How to expresse the least degree:
The Saints above, that weare thy crowne,
Can truly blaze, thy rich renowne,
I wish that I were there to see.
83
No death, nor sorrow there doth waite,There is no sin, to lay a baite,
Nor yet the shadow of distresse,
There is no cause of feare, for ever,
The Divell durst nere to indeavour,
For to attempt thee more or lesse.
84
Thou art so full of beautie then,Thou shin'st so in the soules of men,
Their bodies doe enjoy the same,
Their soules and bodies are more bright,
Than starres are in the clearest night,
All life to this, doth seeme but lame.
85
That's nothing else but light divine,Thou in the meanest Saint dost shine,
Transparently, and sweetly still,
All Saints and Angels doe accord,
With thee to praise the living Lord,
And all of them there have their fill.
86
Thou art so active too, that now,All things are pleasure to thee; thou,
No stop at all haste in thy wayes;
Thy vigor's quicke and nimble too,
The worke that thou hast there to doe,
The living God, 'tis still to praise.
87
Thy glory is exceeding great,O tree of life, who of thee eate,
Are no way subject to decay,
And all that doe enjoy thee there,
Their glory doth in thee appeare,
Most blessed evermore are they.
88
The God of life doth honour give,To thee himselfe doth with thee live,
Thy worth is farre above the skie,
He rules by thee, and in his Love,
Thou shalt be blest with him above,
Past time, to all eternitie.
FINIS.
| Poems Occasioned by a melancholy vision | |