The Citizens Flight With their Recall; To which is added Englands Tears and Englands Comforts: By John Quarles |
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 | The Citizens Flight |  |
My Muse is grown melodious and it sings
We need not fear our flight when Heaven gives wings;
Angelick plumes can neither flag nor tire
No air so pow'rful as a good desire;
A good desire is like a Chymick heat
Constant and fervent, not to small, nor great;
For if it be not constant, it retards
Putrefaction; and he's happy that regards
The end of his beginning; he that begins
In Mercy, is to blame to end in Sins:
He sins indeed that sins against the light
Of his own knowledge, let perpetual might
Be still intayl'd on him that will not say
He knows a difference betwixt night and day;
Yet sin and ignorance makes all things dark,
Light though contain'd in the smallest spark
Is light enough to let our darkness know
There is a God, whose goodness did bestow
These lights upon us; a dark Lanthorn may
Be light to others, yet to me 'tis day:
Though heaven himself did oftentimes appear
And speak in Clouds, yet was his language clear;
Though he appear'd in fire, he checkt the flame,
The bush was unconsum'd; though Moses came
To see his face; yet he was glad at heart
To know his fore-side, by his hinder part;
I'm sure oh Lord thou hast no other face,
But what I want; and what is that? 'tis grace
Lord I am satisfy'd, and I will be
Content to feel the thing I cannot see,
And let my last experience make it good,
Thy hand is seal'd with my Redeemers blood;
I hope the Bond's uncancel'd; if it be
Lord thou art paid, I hope, and I am free;
I mean from my Original; but Lord
I must confess, I've lately past my word,
And I have broke my promise, Lord the Gaol
Must be my refuge, for I have no Bail
Except thy Mercy, which I have so oft
Abused, Lord, and at thy Judgements scoft;
That should I now presume to make a tryal,
I 'Justly might expect thy just denial:
Yet why shouldst thou deny me? had the Thief
His pardon, and shall I have no relief?
Lord, pardon this my rashness, how dare I
Expostulate with thee; or ask a why
My lips are sealed, yet oh Lord, I dare?
Give me but Grace, to open them by Prayer;
As thou hast given Prayer for my heart,
So give my heart for prayer; let me not part
Till I am answer'd; nay, I will (if prayer)
Has any power, extenuate my care,
On purpose to enlarge it; I will be
An Orator, till thy Divinitie
Shall melt, as Clouds drop fruitful showers of Rain,
And make me only fit to beg again:
All other Judgments wispers, this cries loud;
Let's Judge the tempest, by th' approching cloud;
Oh how unhappy is that purblind Land
That takes the little Finger for the Hand?
Judgment will make us tremble by degrees,
Reader, remember great Belshazars knees;
Needs must that woful Nation be acurst,
(Suspect Religion) when Divines flie first;
They have forgot what was the Israelites hap,
When powerful Moses sentenell'd the gap:
Will Moses fly from Aaron, oh hard-heart!
'Tis a bad sign when loving Brothers part.
How shall poor hungry Infants get their bread
When their hard-hearted Nurses all are fled;
Oh cruel tyranny! what can be worse,
When the poor Infant's murther'd by the Nurse?
Hard-hearted Nurse; that can be so unkind,
To fly away and leave her Babe behinde;
Fly Nurses, fly, to any secret place,
But be so kind to leave the Babe of grace;
I mean, your Charities; and then we shall
By our Diseases thrive, when you will fall,
By your dispair; endeavour to be true,
Then praise your God with soul and body too;
For he that made them both, hath the same power
To save them both from an unhappy hour;
Be careful, and amidst your cares be just,
There is no greater sin then sad distrust:
Distrust invites a Plague, when humble zeal,
Can palliate by degrees th' infected weal.
Prayers, Sighs, and Tears, being well composed, can
Cure all distempers incident to man.
We need not fear our flight when Heaven gives wings;
Angelick plumes can neither flag nor tire
No air so pow'rful as a good desire;
5
Constant and fervent, not to small, nor great;
For if it be not constant, it retards
Putrefaction; and he's happy that regards
The end of his beginning; he that begins
In Mercy, is to blame to end in Sins:
He sins indeed that sins against the light
Of his own knowledge, let perpetual might
Be still intayl'd on him that will not say
He knows a difference betwixt night and day;
Yet sin and ignorance makes all things dark,
Light though contain'd in the smallest spark
Is light enough to let our darkness know
There is a God, whose goodness did bestow
These lights upon us; a dark Lanthorn may
Be light to others, yet to me 'tis day:
Though heaven himself did oftentimes appear
And speak in Clouds, yet was his language clear;
Though he appear'd in fire, he checkt the flame,
The bush was unconsum'd; though Moses came
To see his face; yet he was glad at heart
To know his fore-side, by his hinder part;
I'm sure oh Lord thou hast no other face,
But what I want; and what is that? 'tis grace
Lord I am satisfy'd, and I will be
Content to feel the thing I cannot see,
And let my last experience make it good,
Thy hand is seal'd with my Redeemers blood;
I hope the Bond's uncancel'd; if it be
Lord thou art paid, I hope, and I am free;
I mean from my Original; but Lord
I must confess, I've lately past my word,
6
Must be my refuge, for I have no Bail
Except thy Mercy, which I have so oft
Abused, Lord, and at thy Judgements scoft;
That should I now presume to make a tryal,
I 'Justly might expect thy just denial:
Yet why shouldst thou deny me? had the Thief
His pardon, and shall I have no relief?
Lord, pardon this my rashness, how dare I
Expostulate with thee; or ask a why
My lips are sealed, yet oh Lord, I dare?
Give me but Grace, to open them by Prayer;
As thou hast given Prayer for my heart,
So give my heart for prayer; let me not part
Till I am answer'd; nay, I will (if prayer)
Has any power, extenuate my care,
On purpose to enlarge it; I will be
An Orator, till thy Divinitie
Shall melt, as Clouds drop fruitful showers of Rain,
And make me only fit to beg again:
All other Judgments wispers, this cries loud;
Let's Judge the tempest, by th' approching cloud;
Oh how unhappy is that purblind Land
That takes the little Finger for the Hand?
Judgment will make us tremble by degrees,
Reader, remember great Belshazars knees;
Needs must that woful Nation be acurst,
(Suspect Religion) when Divines flie first;
They have forgot what was the Israelites hap,
When powerful Moses sentenell'd the gap:
Will Moses fly from Aaron, oh hard-heart!
'Tis a bad sign when loving Brothers part.
7
When their hard-hearted Nurses all are fled;
Oh cruel tyranny! what can be worse,
When the poor Infant's murther'd by the Nurse?
Hard-hearted Nurse; that can be so unkind,
To fly away and leave her Babe behinde;
Fly Nurses, fly, to any secret place,
But be so kind to leave the Babe of grace;
I mean, your Charities; and then we shall
By our Diseases thrive, when you will fall,
By your dispair; endeavour to be true,
Then praise your God with soul and body too;
For he that made them both, hath the same power
To save them both from an unhappy hour;
Be careful, and amidst your cares be just,
There is no greater sin then sad distrust:
Distrust invites a Plague, when humble zeal,
Can palliate by degrees th' infected weal.
Prayers, Sighs, and Tears, being well composed, can
Cure all distempers incident to man.
| The Citizens Flight | |