[Poems by Wilson in] Handkerchiefs from Paul being pious and consolatory verses of Puritan Massachusetts |
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 | [Poems by Wilson in] Handkerchiefs from Paul |  |
77
OTHER POEMS BY JOHN WILSON
81
A FRAGMENT OF A POEM ON THE DEATH OF SAMUEL DANFORTH, AN INFANT, 1653
What if they part with their beloved one,Their first Begotten, and their Only Son?
What's this to that which Father Abram Suffer'd,
When his own hands his Only Darling offer'd,
In whom was bound up all his Joy in this
Life present, and his hope of future Bliss?
And what if God their Other Children Call,
Second, Third, Fourth, suppose it should be All?
What's this to Holy Job, his Trials sad,
Who neither these nor t'other Comforts had?
His Life was only given him for a Prey,
Yet all his Troubles were to Heaven the way;
Yea to far Greater Blessings on the Earth,
The Lord rewarding all his Tears with Mirth.
82
A COPY OF VERSES
Made by that Reverend Man of God Mr. John Wilson, Pastor to the first Church in Boston; On the sudden Death of Mr. Joseph Brisco,
Who was translated from Earth to Heaven Jan. 1. 1657.
Not by a Fiery Chariot as Elisha was,
But by the Water, which was the outward cause:
And now at Rest with Christ his Saviour dear,
Though he hath left his dear Relations here.
But by the Water, which was the outward cause:
And now at Rest with Christ his Saviour dear,
Though he hath left his dear Relations here.
Joseph Briscoe Job cries hopes. Anagram.
There is no Job but cries to God and hopes,And God his ear in Christ; to cries he opes,
Out of the deeps to him I cry'd and hop'd,
And unto me his gracious ear is op'd:
Doubt not of this ye that my death bewail,
What if it did so strangely me assail:
What if I was so soon in Waters drown'd,
And when I cry'd to men, no help I found:
There was a God in Heaven that heard my cry,
83
He that did pity Joseph in his grief,
Sent from above unto my soul relief:
He sent his Angels who did it conveigh
Into his Bosom, where poor Laz'rus lay:
Let none presume to censure my estate,
As Job his Friends did stumble at his Fate.
All things on Earth do fall alike to all,
To good Disciples, which on God that call;
To those that do Blaspheme his Holy Name,
And unto those that reverence the same:
He that from nature drew me unto Grace,
And look'd upon me with a Fathers face:
When in my blood upheld me to the last,
And now I do of joyes eternal tast.
Remember how Job's precious children Dy'd,
As also what the Prophet did betide: Jonah
What was the end of good Josiah's life,
And how it fared with Ezekiels Wife:
Remember what a Death it was that Christ
(Suffered for me) the Darling of the highest;
His Death of Deaths hath quite remov'd the sting,
No matter how or where the Lord doth bring
Us to our end, in Christ who live and die
And sure to live with Christ eternally.
85
THOMAS SHEPARD. Anagr: ô a map's thresh'd.
Loe her's a map, where we may seeWell thresh'd an heap of corn to be
By Thomas Shepard's happy hand
Which from the chaffe pure wheat hath fan'd:
The wheat is the Church-members right
(Both great and little ones) to witt
Unto the seal of Baptisme, all
That are within the Gospel call;
I mean Believers and their seed;
To whom the Lord hath Promised,
To be their God; and doth reveal
Their right to 's Covenant and the seal:
On whom through Grace the Blessing came
Of his dear servant Abraham.
Be they or Jewes or Gentiles, now
No difference the Lord doth know.
The promise is to us and ours,
As large, or larger: and God pour's
His Spirit now as much, or more
Then e're he did on them before.
And if that they were Circumcis'd
Then we are now to be Baptiz'd:
Our Babes must now no less then theirs
Be seal'd (as of his Kingdome heires)
Christ calleth them his little ones,
And as his darlings He them owne's
Denouncing against them a woe,
That are despisers of them, who
Offend the least of them, and such
As do their interest in him grutch.
86
With others, were not all through Grace
Baptis'd that of their Household were?
And Children who will doubt were there?
Then let us not to them deny,
Nor seem as if we did envy
The priviledge which God from heaven
Hath through his grace and favour given.
Nor let us limit his good Spirit
In applycation of Christ's merrit:
Whose bloud was shed for them, as well
As those who them in age excell:
If such be taught of God, who dare
Deny, they his Disciples are?
THOMAS SHEPARD Anagr: More hath pass'd
More from this holy pen hath pass'dThe Baptisme to defend
Of Infants that Church members are
(If well you do attend)
Then any Anti-baptists can
with solidness confute.
I wish with all my heart that God
will grant these labours fruit,
As good or better then the paines
by other Godly taken.
That thereby all his precious Saints
he would please to awaken.
That none may any more oppose,
with Zeal preposterous,
87
commendeth unto us:
That who were less convinced by
this holy Shepard's voice,
Yet in his Letter left behind
they may the more rejoyce.
He was a shining Light indeed,
few other such are left,
The Lord vouchsafe we be not by
our Sinns of them bereft.
And poure down of his Spirit more
upon his Sons surviving;
That will be more and more unto
Truth's lovers a reviving.
THOMAS SHEPARD Anagr: Arm'd as the Shop.
Arm'd (as the shop of God's good wordDoth weapons unto him afford)
Defend's the right of little ones,
Whom God in the Church-Covenant ownes
The Children of his Church among,
To whom his Kingdome doth belong,
And therewithall the Seal thereof,
Through his free Mercy, Grace, and Love.
Yet are there some which them forbid
(As once his weak Disciples did)
To come to Christ, and scruple make,
Whether thereof they should partake?
But Christ was very angry for it,
As for such Zeale he did abhor it;
Oh come, said he, and welcom'd such,
88
As if that they and scarcely any
But such as they might chalenge any
Or part, or portion in his grace,
(So did his favour them embrace)
His Babes, his Lambs, his little creatures
He call's them. As for such defeatures,
Christ they defeat as well as them
Whom they presume so to contemn.
This holy Shepard is like David,
From Lyon's mouth and Beare's who saved
That little Kid; whom God did crown
With great and singular renown:
And so this Shepard hath (no doubt)
A glorious crown his head about.
For all his labours, (and for this;)
In high and everlasting bliss.
And as the Lord doth honour him
(For Christ his sake) so his esteem
Both is, and ought to be most rare,
'Mongst them who Christ his followers are:
And oh how should we bless his Name,
That on his Son he powr's the same
Good Spirit that was in the Father
Or doubles it upon him rather:
LORD these Epistles do thou bless!
And as thy Truth they do confess
So make them precious in the eyes
Of all that do thy Gospel prize.
Amen
JOHN WILSON Senior
90
Anagr. 2.
JESU! ANNON THRONOS?Johannes Nortonius.
91
Anagr. 3.
ANNON JESU HONOR SIT?
Annon dandus honor sit at omnibus omnis Jesu?
Est quibus in Jesu sanguine parta salus?
Annon dandus honor sit at omnibus omnis Jesu?
Est quibus in Jesu sanguine parta salus?
ENGLISH.
OH Iesu! hast not thou prepared Thrones
For us thy poor and ill deserving ones?
How should we then to Thee all Honour give,
And to thy Name, who in the Heav'ns dost live,
And there preparest Mansions for thine,
Where they may all in endless Glory shine?
For us thy poor and ill deserving ones?
How should we then to Thee all Honour give,
And to thy Name, who in the Heav'ns dost live,
And there preparest Mansions for thine,
Where they may all in endless Glory shine?
To the same purpose.
John Norton. Anagr.
INTO HONNOR.
INTO HONNOR.
From Honour into Honour go
(the Lord thus calling thee)
To higher Honour, then there could
on Earth obtained bee.
Heav'n is the Seat of Honour for
those whom he Crowns with Grace;
For the most honourable Crowns,
Heav'n is the onely place.
By men that are most ignorant
of Gods revealed Will,
Thou may'st be miserable thought;
for so they construe still
(Like bruitish ones) the minde of God
if Saints die in a swoon,
As if their Sun, all bright before,
Were now gone down at Noon.
As if their case were now by farre
the more to be deplor'd,
As that which doth but little hope
(or none) of Bliss afford.
Yea, holy Job his Friends to this
did too-too much incline,
[That sudden Changes, such us his,
do argue Wrath divine.]
But when the Saints do perish thus
(as foolish men conceive)
That is the time, and means whereby
more Honour they receive,
As being Crown'd with Royal Crowns
which are at Gods right hand.
Like Joseph from his Dungeon
rais'd by the Kings Command.
'Twas a translation marvellous
which did Enoch remove
From out this sinful world, to be
crown'd in the Heav'ns above,
Where now he lives, & reigns, with heaps
of highest honour fill'd,
All his Predictions to be
from time to time fulfill'd.
An unexpected death did seize
on Jobs posteritie,
But in the Heav'ns a glorious Lot
for them prepar'd did lie.
Moses and Aaron when as they
had suffer'd much, were bid
As 't were, before their time to die
(as in their Mounts they did)
What if the Land of Canaan
they might not visit? yet
A place more glorious in the Heav'ns
they, both of them, did get.
In flaming-fiery-Charet wrapt
from earth Elijah was,
And by the same convey'd he was
unto his bliss-ful place.
Be it that good Josiah were
cut off with suddain stroke,
He dy'd in peace, and unto rest
eternal was he toke.
No funeral to Sion was
as his so lamentable,
Yet was his death as well as life
to him most honourable.
Theirs was the griefe, the joy was his.
God highly honourd him,
Although his death to carnal eyes
might miserable seem.
The cursed executioner
cut off John Baptist's head,
But how did Jesus honour him
both when alive, and dead.
The Crowned Martyr holy Stephen
in cruel wise was ston'd,
But by his blessed Saviour's
most sweet imbraces own'd.
Yea, Christ himself, Gods own dear Son,
whose death more woeful was
Yet from his cross how soon advanc'd
to that most glorious place!
So God his Christ with honour crown'd;
So Christ doth honour his,
To whom Gods Honour, and his Christ's,
most dear and precious is.
And such an one our Norton was
whose death we so lament,
Whose whole desire was upon Christ
and on his glory bent
None can deny it good nor bad,
like as to Samuel
They all were forced to confess
he had done all things well.
If any one should have an heart
with envy fill'd so much
As unto him his honour due,
malignantly to grutch
Yet this will adde unto the weight
of his most glorious Crown,
And both in sight of God and men
increase his high renown.
Tis true: he was a man, and none
himself abhorred more;
But none did more the Lords free grace
in Jesus Christ adore.
Nothing but this, to know, or preach,
or share in did he wish.
This was on Earth, as 't is in Heav'n
his blessed Paradice.
To Honour Christ, he was content
as well by Sea, as Land,
His Life to venture, yea his ALL,
was All at Christ's Command.
The care of all His Churches-dear
lay heavy on his heart,
As he did ever, but at last,
most fully it impart.
His life was nothing but of death
a daily meditation,
And to his happy end, at last,
a solemn preparation.
He was a man (if any were)
that loved truth, and peace,
Which to promote, in every kinde
he ne're at all did cease.
An Orthodox Divine he was
(his writings all do show,)
Both Englands, Holland, all the World,
or do or may it know.
His books do Antichrist confute
with all his viperous brood,
Especially where they eclipse
the merits of Christs blood.
Church-holy-order he maintain'd
against Morellianisme,
Decrying every sect, but most
abhorring Quakerisme.
His last both words, and works
(like Davids) were the best
And as his death more neer approach'd
more lively then the rest.
Nothing, but things at Gods right hand,
and heavenly Mansions
Was in his thoughts, at home, abroad,
breath'd in's expressions.
Ipswich was happy, Boston more,
(if it we had but known)
Whom two such Johns successively
God gave to be their own.
But John and Paul, so much admir'd
(and most deservedly)
Must be content to be abas'd
by some, before they dy:
And being dead, it will appeare
such Prophets once we had,
When God hath once abased us
with changes very sad.
The Lord, if his good pleasure be,
our miseries prevent,
And of our great unthankfulness
grant that we may repent.
Then will the Lord this Widow-Church,
that widows house relieve,
And make us all rejoyce again
whom now he makes to grieve.
We griev'd him first, and just it was
that he should grieve our hearts,
Though when at low'st we are, tis far
beneath our just deserts.
I speak of all New-England, but
chiefly of Boston Church,
Oh! let us all impartially
our wayes and spirits search;
And say as the Disciples did,
Lord, is it I? is't I?
And thou, my soule, beyond the rest
It to thy self applie.
Tis thou hast sinned: were there none,
but thy unworthiness
Well might the Lord both thee, and all,
because of thee, distress.
When such green trees, as were those Johns
Gods hand thus spareth not,
Of such a dry and withered one
Lord what will be the lot?
However we must bless thy name
(what ere of us become)
That thou takes up such fruitful ones
to thine eternal home.
Oh! that their rare Examples wee
to follow had the grace!
That thou may'st count us worthy once
of that most glorious place.
As for his Mary, let her say,
[Rabboni] unto him,
Who calls her [Mary] by her Name,
and did her Soul redeem.
(the Lord thus calling thee)
To higher Honour, then there could
on Earth obtained bee.
Heav'n is the Seat of Honour for
those whom he Crowns with Grace;
For the most honourable Crowns,
Heav'n is the onely place.
By men that are most ignorant
of Gods revealed Will,
Thou may'st be miserable thought;
for so they construe still
(Like bruitish ones) the minde of God
if Saints die in a swoon,
As if their Sun, all bright before,
Were now gone down at Noon.
92
the more to be deplor'd,
As that which doth but little hope
(or none) of Bliss afford.
Yea, holy Job his Friends to this
did too-too much incline,
[That sudden Changes, such us his,
do argue Wrath divine.]
But when the Saints do perish thus
(as foolish men conceive)
That is the time, and means whereby
more Honour they receive,
As being Crown'd with Royal Crowns
which are at Gods right hand.
Like Joseph from his Dungeon
rais'd by the Kings Command.
'Twas a translation marvellous
which did Enoch remove
From out this sinful world, to be
crown'd in the Heav'ns above,
Where now he lives, & reigns, with heaps
of highest honour fill'd,
All his Predictions to be
from time to time fulfill'd.
An unexpected death did seize
on Jobs posteritie,
But in the Heav'ns a glorious Lot
for them prepar'd did lie.
Moses and Aaron when as they
had suffer'd much, were bid
As 't were, before their time to die
(as in their Mounts they did)
What if the Land of Canaan
they might not visit? yet
93
they, both of them, did get.
In flaming-fiery-Charet wrapt
from earth Elijah was,
And by the same convey'd he was
unto his bliss-ful place.
Be it that good Josiah were
cut off with suddain stroke,
He dy'd in peace, and unto rest
eternal was he toke.
No funeral to Sion was
as his so lamentable,
Yet was his death as well as life
to him most honourable.
Theirs was the griefe, the joy was his.
God highly honourd him,
Although his death to carnal eyes
might miserable seem.
The cursed executioner
cut off John Baptist's head,
But how did Jesus honour him
both when alive, and dead.
The Crowned Martyr holy Stephen
in cruel wise was ston'd,
But by his blessed Saviour's
most sweet imbraces own'd.
Yea, Christ himself, Gods own dear Son,
whose death more woeful was
Yet from his cross how soon advanc'd
to that most glorious place!
So God his Christ with honour crown'd;
So Christ doth honour his,
To whom Gods Honour, and his Christ's,
most dear and precious is.
94
whose death we so lament,
Whose whole desire was upon Christ
and on his glory bent
None can deny it good nor bad,
like as to Samuel
They all were forced to confess
he had done all things well.
If any one should have an heart
with envy fill'd so much
As unto him his honour due,
malignantly to grutch
Yet this will adde unto the weight
of his most glorious Crown,
And both in sight of God and men
increase his high renown.
Tis true: he was a man, and none
himself abhorred more;
But none did more the Lords free grace
in Jesus Christ adore.
Nothing but this, to know, or preach,
or share in did he wish.
This was on Earth, as 't is in Heav'n
his blessed Paradice.
To Honour Christ, he was content
as well by Sea, as Land,
His Life to venture, yea his ALL,
was All at Christ's Command.
The care of all His Churches-dear
lay heavy on his heart,
As he did ever, but at last,
most fully it impart.
His life was nothing but of death
a daily meditation,
95
a solemn preparation.
He was a man (if any were)
that loved truth, and peace,
Which to promote, in every kinde
he ne're at all did cease.
An Orthodox Divine he was
(his writings all do show,)
Both Englands, Holland, all the World,
or do or may it know.
His books do Antichrist confute
with all his viperous brood,
Especially where they eclipse
the merits of Christs blood.
Church-holy-order he maintain'd
against Morellianisme,
Decrying every sect, but most
abhorring Quakerisme.
His last both words, and works
(like Davids) were the best
And as his death more neer approach'd
more lively then the rest.
Nothing, but things at Gods right hand,
and heavenly Mansions
Was in his thoughts, at home, abroad,
breath'd in's expressions.
Ipswich was happy, Boston more,
(if it we had but known)
Whom two such Johns successively
God gave to be their own.
But John and Paul, so much admir'd
(and most deservedly)
Must be content to be abas'd
by some, before they dy:
96
such Prophets once we had,
When God hath once abased us
with changes very sad.
The Lord, if his good pleasure be,
our miseries prevent,
And of our great unthankfulness
grant that we may repent.
Then will the Lord this Widow-Church,
that widows house relieve,
And make us all rejoyce again
whom now he makes to grieve.
We griev'd him first, and just it was
that he should grieve our hearts,
Though when at low'st we are, tis far
beneath our just deserts.
I speak of all New-England, but
chiefly of Boston Church,
Oh! let us all impartially
our wayes and spirits search;
And say as the Disciples did,
Lord, is it I? is't I?
And thou, my soule, beyond the rest
It to thy self applie.
Tis thou hast sinned: were there none,
but thy unworthiness
Well might the Lord both thee, and all,
because of thee, distress.
When such green trees, as were those Johns
Gods hand thus spareth not,
Of such a dry and withered one
Lord what will be the lot?
However we must bless thy name
(what ere of us become)
97
to thine eternal home.
Oh! that their rare Examples wee
to follow had the grace!
That thou may'st count us worthy once
of that most glorious place.
As for his Mary, let her say,
[Rabboni] unto him,
Who calls her [Mary] by her Name,
and did her Soul redeem.
Iohn Wilson Sen.
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