Devovt Rhapsodies In Which, Is Treated, of the Excellencie of Divine Scriptvres ... By J: A: Rivers [i.e. John Abbot] |
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Sermo Sextus.
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35
Sermo Sextus.
To the right Honorable, Henry Parker, Lord Morlie, and Mount-Eagle, William Habington Esquire, and Mistris Lucie Habington.
The Argument.
What undiscovered pathes the Serpent treades,With what flye Engines, and darke wayes he leades
Mankinde to errour? with what subtiltie,
Invites he us to our owne miserie.
The Fowler and the Fisher-man may gaine,
Arts of deceipt from his more subtile braine.
Eve poysons Adam, and by his sad fall,
Conveyes pernicious venome to us all.
The folish Woman, and her female seed,
Tax'd worthily for this accursed deed.
Why does the Spouse in a Cygnean song,
Descant so dolefully of the great wrong
Her Brethren do her, and of battailes fought,
And stratagems wherein her life is sought;
Who are these barbarous Brethren so unkind?
Legions of evill Angels in Gods mind,
Our generall Mother, who, Idea'de there,
Were form'd, then fell, and after suffered were
To range abroad; these tempt, solicite Man,
And doe him all the injuries they can,
(Thinking erroneously tis some reliefe,
To have companions in their endlesse griefe,)
As Meagre envy made 'em first to fall,
So the same fury domineeres in all
Their actions: knowing man must weare that Crowne,
And fill those thrones from which they tumbled downe:
Knowing how no coinquinated thing,
Shall see the face of Sions glorious King.
At every step, and place they set their gins,
To intrap the passengers in snares of sins.
All creatures of the world are traps and nets,
Which to catch fooles the cunning Devill sets:
And Satan having long converst with man,
Is in his Volume deeply read, and can
Comply with all his appetites; invert
The order of his intellect; divert
Affections rightly plac't; perswade him choose
Evill cloth'd in the shape of God, refuse
Virtue look'd on, not in her proper guize,
But form'd by Fancy, or our carnall eyes:
For the grand workman of this earthly mole,
When in our body he infusde the soule,
He made the Intellect, Will, memory,
A true resemblance of the Trinity.
As they have power to issue severall,
Most distinct operations; yet they all
Are one, and the same soule; and though we name
Them diversly, yet they are all the same.
Descant so dolefully of the great wrong
Her Brethren do her, and of battailes fought,
And stratagems wherein her life is sought;
Who are these barbarous Brethren so unkind?
Legions of evill Angels in Gods mind,
Our generall Mother, who, Idea'de there,
Were form'd, then fell, and after suffered were
36
And doe him all the injuries they can,
(Thinking erroneously tis some reliefe,
To have companions in their endlesse griefe,)
As Meagre envy made 'em first to fall,
So the same fury domineeres in all
Their actions: knowing man must weare that Crowne,
And fill those thrones from which they tumbled downe:
Knowing how no coinquinated thing,
Shall see the face of Sions glorious King.
At every step, and place they set their gins,
To intrap the passengers in snares of sins.
All creatures of the world are traps and nets,
Which to catch fooles the cunning Devill sets:
And Satan having long converst with man,
Is in his Volume deeply read, and can
Comply with all his appetites; invert
The order of his intellect; divert
Affections rightly plac't; perswade him choose
Evill cloth'd in the shape of God, refuse
Virtue look'd on, not in her proper guize,
But form'd by Fancy, or our carnall eyes:
For the grand workman of this earthly mole,
When in our body he infusde the soule,
He made the Intellect, Will, memory,
A true resemblance of the Trinity.
As they have power to issue severall,
Most distinct operations; yet they all
Are one, and the same soule; and though we name
Them diversly, yet they are all the same.
These rule as some great Queene of many lands,
All the corporeal faculties commands;
And though she seeme to rule by Deputy,
Yet in all acts 'tis shee, and onely shee,
VVho records onely understands, wils onely, hoords
Onely in her vast Magazin records,
The specie of things present, past, to come,
And when shee will remember, to that roome,
Makes her recourse. These species Satan can
Stir up, when he intends to tempt a man,
Objects of riches, pleasure, and the height
Of honour; and propose with such delight,
That the Intellect obscured by the Will,
Shews in false glasses good, that which is ill:
Then sense, will, understanding headlong run,
Into transgression, and are all undone.
All the corporeal faculties commands;
And though she seeme to rule by Deputy,
Yet in all acts 'tis shee, and onely shee,
VVho records onely understands, wils onely, hoords
Onely in her vast Magazin records,
The specie of things present, past, to come,
And when shee will remember, to that roome,
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Stir up, when he intends to tempt a man,
Objects of riches, pleasure, and the height
Of honour; and propose with such delight,
That the Intellect obscured by the Will,
Shews in false glasses good, that which is ill:
Then sense, will, understanding headlong run,
Into transgression, and are all undone.
The Serpent such a colour set on pride,
With a rich glosse of being Deifide,
And knowing much, that Eve lik'd it so well,
As having tasted Heaven, shee'd venture Hell.
To know what's ill. The Fiends not long a wooing,
But tels her if sheele know, shee must be doing.
‘Behold that goodly Apple, take and eate,
‘The choyse of Paradise, delicious meat;
‘This will bestow an immortality,
‘And make you sharers in the Deity.
‘God knowes this wel, ther'fore least you should be,
‘Partners with him, he has forbid this Tree.
With a rich glosse of being Deifide,
And knowing much, that Eve lik'd it so well,
As having tasted Heaven, shee'd venture Hell.
To know what's ill. The Fiends not long a wooing,
But tels her if sheele know, shee must be doing.
‘Behold that goodly Apple, take and eate,
‘The choyse of Paradise, delicious meat;
‘This will bestow an immortality,
‘And make you sharers in the Deity.
‘God knowes this wel, ther'fore least you should be,
‘Partners with him, he has forbid this Tree.
The liquorish Woman eyes, and eyes againe
The Apple; sees it lovely and would faine
Pluck it, but feares: at last demurreth so;
‘If not for use, why did this apple grow?
‘What Aromatick smell? how smooth the skin,
‘And gay? Can any poyson lurke within?
‘No sure: God in forbidding has some end,
‘That's envious, Ile beleeve my speckled friend;
‘Who gives the world to roame in, and excludes
‘But the least corner, all his gifts deludes,
‘And pens you in a prison; All the trees
‘Of Eden are but toyes; forbidding these
‘Choise fruits, what gave God when he gave command,
‘Ore fishes, foules of th' ayre, beasts of the land?
‘And then forsooth to say, dare not once touch
‘This Apple; bounty is not valued much,
‘Hedg'd in with lymits: I had rather have,
‘What he exempts, then all the rest he gave.
‘Had it not been forbid, it might have past,
‘Not car'd for, now I must needs, and will tast.
‘Be it what it will, Ile by experience try,
‘If it bring death, or immortality.
With this, maugre Jehovahs frownes and threats,
The bold Virago the Apple plucks and eates.
Shee scarce had gorgd it when the subtile Snake,
Tickling with laughter in such manner spake.
‘Are not your eyes now open? sure you know,
‘What's Good and Bad: but be not envious, go
‘Present your husband with an Apple, and
‘Both good and ill alike shall understand.
Lets to the Devill give what is his due,
Though he equivocate, yet he speakes true.
The Apple; sees it lovely and would faine
Pluck it, but feares: at last demurreth so;
‘If not for use, why did this apple grow?
‘What Aromatick smell? how smooth the skin,
‘And gay? Can any poyson lurke within?
‘No sure: God in forbidding has some end,
‘That's envious, Ile beleeve my speckled friend;
‘Who gives the world to roame in, and excludes
‘But the least corner, all his gifts deludes,
‘And pens you in a prison; All the trees
‘Of Eden are but toyes; forbidding these
‘Choise fruits, what gave God when he gave command,
‘Ore fishes, foules of th' ayre, beasts of the land?
‘And then forsooth to say, dare not once touch
‘This Apple; bounty is not valued much,
‘Hedg'd in with lymits: I had rather have,
‘What he exempts, then all the rest he gave.
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‘Not car'd for, now I must needs, and will tast.
‘Be it what it will, Ile by experience try,
‘If it bring death, or immortality.
With this, maugre Jehovahs frownes and threats,
The bold Virago the Apple plucks and eates.
Shee scarce had gorgd it when the subtile Snake,
Tickling with laughter in such manner spake.
‘Are not your eyes now open? sure you know,
‘What's Good and Bad: but be not envious, go
‘Present your husband with an Apple, and
‘Both good and ill alike shall understand.
Lets to the Devill give what is his due,
Though he equivocate, yet he speakes true.
But why did he assume the Serpents shape?
Are not there other beasts, the Fox, the Ape,
The Dog, the Elephant so wise as is
The Serpent? but he takes this vermins hisse,
To cheat our Grandame: Satan will declare,
How neare allyed he and the Serpent are.
All other creatures onely will defend
Themselves, not unprovoked man offend:
This venome still in ambush lyes like Dan,
To bite our heeles, and not toucht poysons man.
What harme did we the Devill? that he shou'd,
Envy our happinesse, prevent our good?
Then in the turnes and windings that he makes,
How does he represent the circling snakes?
Observe this plot, and by one wile guesse all,
As he made Eve, so he makes others fall.
Knowing the woman of the two more frayle,
He will the weaker vessell first assayle.
Knowing the man of sounder judgment, he
Sends his Embassadors to Adam, shee
Must play the Orator; commend the meate,
Turne Crocodile, peule, weep, unlesse he eate.
(By such seducers Solomon al-wise,
Forsooke his God, Sampson lost strength and eyes.)
If we dare trust the Jewes, their stories tell,
How Nathan saw before King David fell
His ardent love to Bershabe, and thought
To stay the Prince from his adulterous fault.
He trudges to the Court, but in the way,
The subtile Fiend as a dead carkasse lay:
The Prophet stops his course to interre the dead,
Meane while the King defiles Uriahs bed.
Are not there other beasts, the Fox, the Ape,
The Dog, the Elephant so wise as is
The Serpent? but he takes this vermins hisse,
To cheat our Grandame: Satan will declare,
How neare allyed he and the Serpent are.
All other creatures onely will defend
Themselves, not unprovoked man offend:
This venome still in ambush lyes like Dan,
To bite our heeles, and not toucht poysons man.
What harme did we the Devill? that he shou'd,
Envy our happinesse, prevent our good?
Then in the turnes and windings that he makes,
How does he represent the circling snakes?
Observe this plot, and by one wile guesse all,
As he made Eve, so he makes others fall.
Knowing the woman of the two more frayle,
He will the weaker vessell first assayle.
Knowing the man of sounder judgment, he
Sends his Embassadors to Adam, shee
Must play the Orator; commend the meate,
Turne Crocodile, peule, weep, unlesse he eate.
(By such seducers Solomon al-wise,
Forsooke his God, Sampson lost strength and eyes.)
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How Nathan saw before King David fell
His ardent love to Bershabe, and thought
To stay the Prince from his adulterous fault.
He trudges to the Court, but in the way,
The subtile Fiend as a dead carkasse lay:
The Prophet stops his course to interre the dead,
Meane while the King defiles Uriahs bed.
Shall we conceive Adam was so unwise,
To think an apple could make cleare his eyes?
Indude with grace, and a strong Intellect,
He could not but on Gods' command reflect,
Wherefore we must beleeve his chiefest end,
In the transgression was not to offend
His cogging wife. (A precedent of those,
Who to please others their owne soules dare lose.)
So Solomon his Queenes so much affects,
That for 'em to false Gods he Phanes erects:
But did the mischiefe end in Adams sin?
No sure! our misery must here begin.
A businesse of such consequence, that all,
Involv'd in him with him must joyntly fall.
Had he been single, there had staid the doome,
But he was Father of the World to come:
And in his sentence we were censur'd, who
Nere understood what appertained to
Transgression. Ist' not strange one single crime,
Should last, and blast all progresses of time?
Let Epictetus, let the Stagirit,
With Divine Plato, who have amply writ
Of vertues, and of vices, speak the cause,
Why man so easily transgresses Lawes.
When all are dumbe, our sacred Volumes can
Tell wherefore all these mischiefes lite on man.
Adam had all our wils in his, and we
Eate joyntly with him the forbidden Tree.
To think an apple could make cleare his eyes?
Indude with grace, and a strong Intellect,
He could not but on Gods' command reflect,
Wherefore we must beleeve his chiefest end,
In the transgression was not to offend
His cogging wife. (A precedent of those,
Who to please others their owne soules dare lose.)
So Solomon his Queenes so much affects,
That for 'em to false Gods he Phanes erects:
But did the mischiefe end in Adams sin?
No sure! our misery must here begin.
A businesse of such consequence, that all,
Involv'd in him with him must joyntly fall.
Had he been single, there had staid the doome,
But he was Father of the World to come:
And in his sentence we were censur'd, who
Nere understood what appertained to
Transgression. Ist' not strange one single crime,
Should last, and blast all progresses of time?
Let Epictetus, let the Stagirit,
With Divine Plato, who have amply writ
Of vertues, and of vices, speak the cause,
Why man so easily transgresses Lawes.
When all are dumbe, our sacred Volumes can
Tell wherefore all these mischiefes lite on man.
Adam had all our wils in his, and we
Eate joyntly with him the forbidden Tree.
His onely act, that one pestiferous bit,
Had many thousand Aconites in it.
It scarce is swallowed when infernall gates,
With violence flye open, Iron grates
Of Hell are burst; anxieties, cares, feares,,
Sorrow with all her dropping children, teares,
Suspition, jealousie, lawlesse desire,
Unbridled lust, pretensions to aspire.
Fond joyes, sad discontent at present state,
Aversion from good: anger, envy, hate,
Avarice still greedy, griping penury,
Dogging at the heeles of Prodigality,
Darknesse of minde, perversity of will,
And what in both can be suspected ill.
Beguiling error, pervicatious schisme,
Crab-creeping heresie, impious atheisme:
Idolatry alwaies inventing where
New Gods may be adorde for love or feare.
Egypt to Ibis, Rome will sacrifice
To th' fire, and Cloaca a Goddesse is.
These monsters with their pale commander death,
(Kept hither to close prisoners beneath,
Nor should they ever have beheld the Sun)
Hearing what man against his God had done,
Scorne longer to obey prescribed Lawes,
But they will forth and vindicate Gods cause.
Had many thousand Aconites in it.
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With violence flye open, Iron grates
Of Hell are burst; anxieties, cares, feares,,
Sorrow with all her dropping children, teares,
Suspition, jealousie, lawlesse desire,
Unbridled lust, pretensions to aspire.
Fond joyes, sad discontent at present state,
Aversion from good: anger, envy, hate,
Avarice still greedy, griping penury,
Dogging at the heeles of Prodigality,
Darknesse of minde, perversity of will,
And what in both can be suspected ill.
Beguiling error, pervicatious schisme,
Crab-creeping heresie, impious atheisme:
Idolatry alwaies inventing where
New Gods may be adorde for love or feare.
Egypt to Ibis, Rome will sacrifice
To th' fire, and Cloaca a Goddesse is.
These monsters with their pale commander death,
(Kept hither to close prisoners beneath,
Nor should they ever have beheld the Sun)
Hearing what man against his God had done,
Scorne longer to obey prescribed Lawes,
But they will forth and vindicate Gods cause.
By the effects judge Adam of thy fault,
These mischiefes are the purchase thou hast bought,
Corruption is the house; the land sad woes,
In which though with teares watred no good growes.
Making at houre of death thy latest will,
Thou didst bequeath this Legacy of ill,
And for Executors, the Devill trust,
Who though a Bankrupt, yet in this is just,
And takes such care that jointly with our breath,
We doe receive thy testament of death.
Hence issue, if we well revolve our Fate,
Those woes which follow mans accursed state:
Hence those afflictions which attend our wayes,
Those sad catastroph's of our wretched dayes:
Hence that unequall share of joy and paine,
A drop of pleasure, but of woe a maine;
O, hadst thou lov'd God more, Eve not so well,
Thou wouldst have left us heires of Heaven, not Hell.
These mischiefes are the purchase thou hast bought,
Corruption is the house; the land sad woes,
In which though with teares watred no good growes.
Making at houre of death thy latest will,
Thou didst bequeath this Legacy of ill,
And for Executors, the Devill trust,
Who though a Bankrupt, yet in this is just,
And takes such care that jointly with our breath,
We doe receive thy testament of death.
Hence issue, if we well revolve our Fate,
Those woes which follow mans accursed state:
Hence those afflictions which attend our wayes,
Those sad catastroph's of our wretched dayes:
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A drop of pleasure, but of woe a maine;
O, hadst thou lov'd God more, Eve not so well,
Thou wouldst have left us heires of Heaven, not Hell.
Who can describe what's sin? Nothing at all,
And must the masse of man for nothing fall?
All things ith' world God made, and God was glad,
That by his making hand they being had,
Onely thou misbegotten Monster, sin,
As Bastards use stolest at the Window in,
Ashamed of thy birth: God never put
Least finger to thy Essence: Hell was shut.
Thou wert' the Key to open it; day light
Changde by thy birth into eternall night.
Curst be thy birth day: let it not appeare,
Nor once be nam'd with th'other dayes o'th yeare.
Be long expected, and as thou shalt faile,
Be curs'd of those, who watch to chase the Whale:
On that black day let the Universe be sad,
And Furies onely at thy birth be glad,
For thou hast on us all these mischiefes hurld,
And made a Pristine Chaos of the World.
And must the masse of man for nothing fall?
All things ith' world God made, and God was glad,
That by his making hand they being had,
Onely thou misbegotten Monster, sin,
As Bastards use stolest at the Window in,
Ashamed of thy birth: God never put
Least finger to thy Essence: Hell was shut.
Thou wert' the Key to open it; day light
Changde by thy birth into eternall night.
Curst be thy birth day: let it not appeare,
Nor once be nam'd with th'other dayes o'th yeare.
Be long expected, and as thou shalt faile,
Be curs'd of those, who watch to chase the Whale:
On that black day let the Universe be sad,
And Furies onely at thy birth be glad,
For thou hast on us all these mischiefes hurld,
And made a Pristine Chaos of the World.
And weele be angry with thee, Grandam Eve,
The Mother of this Child: thou didst conceive
The odious Monster: Satan was his Sire,
But you adulterous Paramours conspire,
And with such slights juggle the businesse, that
Adam must father the mis-gotten brat.
God form'd thee of the mans selected bone,
To helpe him, that he should not be alone:
This was your taske: Have you not help'd him well,
And all his progeny to goe to Hell?
The Mother of this Child: thou didst conceive
The odious Monster: Satan was his Sire,
But you adulterous Paramours conspire,
And with such slights juggle the businesse, that
Adam must father the mis-gotten brat.
God form'd thee of the mans selected bone,
To helpe him, that he should not be alone:
This was your taske: Have you not help'd him well,
And all his progeny to goe to Hell?
Eve must bring children forth in pangs and throes,
And make a joyfull father by her woes,
Which shee performes, with a delight in paine,
(One teeming past, another hasts againe.)
Eve must be subject to her Husband, and
A Vassaile alwayes be at his command.
Grounded on this, some Common-weales ordaine,
A Salique Law, the Distaffe shall not raigne;
Esteeming those God censured to obey,
Unfit for Government, and Regall sway.
And this first fault all mankind so has vext,
That men take all the Nation for a text
Of their invectives, dip in gaule their quill,
And with Satyrick lines whole Volumes fill
Against Eves sex, who in much ignorance bred,
Unable are their proper cause to plead.
But had they pens, as good as are their tongues,
They amply would retaliate such great wrongs:
And we should read, as well as loudly heare,
With how much patience they these scandals beare.
And make a joyfull father by her woes,
Which shee performes, with a delight in paine,
(One teeming past, another hasts againe.)
Eve must be subject to her Husband, and
A Vassaile alwayes be at his command.
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A Salique Law, the Distaffe shall not raigne;
Esteeming those God censured to obey,
Unfit for Government, and Regall sway.
And this first fault all mankind so has vext,
That men take all the Nation for a text
Of their invectives, dip in gaule their quill,
And with Satyrick lines whole Volumes fill
Against Eves sex, who in much ignorance bred,
Unable are their proper cause to plead.
But had they pens, as good as are their tongues,
They amply would retaliate such great wrongs:
And we should read, as well as loudly heare,
With how much patience they these scandals beare.
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