ELEVEN PIOVS Meditations.
1.
[VVithin the holy Legend I discover]
VVithin the holy Legend I discover
Three speciall Attributes of God; his Power,
His Iustice, and his Mercy, All uncreated,
Eternall all, and all unseparated
From Gods pure Essence, and from thence proceeding;
All very God, All perfect, All exceeding:
And from that selfe-same text three names I gather
Of great Iehova; Lord, and God, and Father;
The first denotes him mounted on his Throne,
In Power, Majesty, Dominion;
The second shewes him on his kingly Bench,
Rewarding Evill with equall punishments;
The third describes him on his Mercy-seat,
Full great in Grace; and in his Mercy, great;
All three I worship, and before all three
My heart shall humbly prostrate, with my knee;
But in my private choice, I fancy rather,
Then call him Lord, or God, to call him Father.
2.
[In hell no Life, in heaven no Death there is]
In hell no Life, in heaven no Death there is,
In earth both Life and Death, both Bale and Blis;
In Heaven's all Life, no end, nor new supplying;
In hell's all Death, and yet there is no dying;
Earth (like a partiall Ambidexter) doth
Prepare for Death, or Life, prepares for both;
Who lives to sinne, in Hell his portion's given,
Who dyes to sinne, shall after live in Heaven.
Though Earth my Nurse be, Heaven, bee thou my Father;
Ten thousand deaths let me endure rather
Within my Nurses armes, then One to Thee;
Earths honour with thy frownes is death to mee:
I live on Earth, as on a Stage of sorrow;
Lord, if thou pleasest, end the Play to morrow:
I live on Earth, as in a Dreame of pleasure,
Awake me when thou wilt, I wait thy leisure:
I live on Earth, but as of life bereaven,
My life's with thee, for (Lord) thou art in Heaven.
3.
[Nothing that e'r was made was made for nothing]
Nothing that e'r was made was made for nothing
Beasts for thy food, their skins were for thy clothing.
Flowers for thy smell, and hearbs for Cure good
Trees for thy shade, Their Fruit for pleasing Food:
The showers fall upon the fruitfull ground,
Whose kindly Dew makes tender Grasse abound,
The Grasse springs forth for beasts to feed upon,
And Beasts are food for Man: but Man alone
Is made to serve his Lord in all his wayes,
And be the Trumpet of his Makers praise:
Let Heav'n be then to me obdure as brasse,
The Earth as iron, unapt for graine or grasse,
Then let my Flocks consume, and never steed mee,
Let pinching Famine want wherewith to feed mee,
When I forget to honour thee, (my Lord)
Thy glorious Attributes, thy Workes, thy Word.
O let the Trump of thine eternall Fame,
Teach us to answer, Hallow'd be thy Name.
4.
[God built the World, and all that therein is]
God
built the World, and all that therein is
He framed, yet how poere a part is his?
Quarter the Earth, and see, how small a rome
Is stiled with the name of Christendome;
The rest (through blinded ignorance) rebels,
O're-runne with Pagans, Turkes, and Infidels:
Nor yet is all this little quarter his,
For (though all know him) halfe know him amisse,
Professing Christ for lucre, (as they list)
And serve the triple Crowne of Antichrist;
Yet is this little handfull much made lesser,
There's many Libertines, for one Professour:
Nor doe Professours all professe aright,
'Mong whom there often lurks an Hypocrite.
O where, and what's thy Kingdome (blessed God)
Where is thy Scepter? where's thine iron Rod?
Reduce thy reck'nings to their totall summe,
O let thy Power, and thy kingdome come.
5.
[Man in himselfe's a little World, Alone]
Man in himselfe's a little World, Alone,
His Soul's the Court, or high Imperiall throne
Wherein as Empresse sits the Vnderstanding
Gently directing, yet with awe Commanding:
Her Handmaid's will: Affections, Maids of Honour,
All following close, and duely waiting on her:
But Sin, that alwayes envi'd mans Condition,
Within this Kingdome raised up Division;
Withdrawne the Will, and brib'd the false Affection,
That This, no order hath; nor That Election;
The Will proves Traitor to the Vnderstanding;
Reason hath lost her power, and left commanding,
She's quite depos'd, and put to foule disgrace,
And Tyrant Passion now usurps her place.
Vouchsafe (Lord) in this little World of mine
To raigne, that I may raigne with Thee in thine:
And since my Will is quite of good bereaven,
Thy will be done in earth, as 'tis in Heaven.
6
[Who live to sin, are all but theeves to heavē]
Who live to sin, are all but theeves to heavē
And Earth; They steale frō God, & take ungivē,
Good men they rob, & such as live upright,
And (being bastards) share the freemans Right:
They're all as owners, in the owners stead,
And (like to Dogs) devoure the childrens bread;
They have, and Iacke, and want that they possesse,
Vnhappy most, in their most happinesse:
They are not goods, but riches, that they wast,
And not be'ng goods, to ev'ls they turne at last.
(Lord) what I have, let me enjoy in thee,
And thee in it, or else take it from mee;
My store or want, make thou, or fade, or flourish,
So shall my comforts neither change, nor perish;
That little I enjoy, (Lord) make it mine,
In making mee (that am a Sinner) thine;
'Tis thou or none, that shall supply my need,
Great God, Give us this day our daily bread.
7.
[The quick conceited Schoole-men doe approve]
The quick conceited Schoole-men doe approve
A difference 'twixt Charity and Love:
Love is a vertue, whereby we explaine
Our selves to God, and God to us againe:
But Charitie's imparted to our Brother,
Whereby we trafficke, one man with another:
The first extends to God; The last belongs
To Man, in giving right, and bearing wrongs;
In number, they are twaine, In vertue one;
For one not truely being, t'other's none.
In loving God, if I neglect my Neighbour,
My love hath lost his proofe, and I my labour:
My Zeale, my Faith, my Hope, that never failes me,
(If Charity be wanting) nought a vailes me.
(Lord) in my Soule, a spirit of Love create me,
And I will love my Brother, if he hate me:
In nought but love, let me envy my betters;
And then, Forgive my debts, as I my detters.
8.
[I finde a true resemblance in the growth]
I finde a true resemblance in the growth
Of Sin, and Man; Alike in breeding, both;
The Soul's the Mother, and the Devill, Syer;
Who lusting long in mutuall desier
Enjoy their Wils, and joyne in Copulation;
The Seed that fils her wombe, is foule Tentation;
The sinnes Conception, is the Soules consent;
And then it quickens, when it breeds content;
The birth of Sin is finisht in the action,
And Custome brings it to its full perfection.
O let my fruitlesse Soule be barren rather,
Then bring forth such a Child for such a Father:
Or if my Soule breed Sinne (not being wary)
Let not her wombe bring forth, or else miscarry;
She is thy Spouse (O Lord) doe thou advise her,
Keepe thou her chast, Let not the Fiend entice her:
Try thou my heart, Thy Trials bring Salvation.
But let me not be led into temptation.
9.
[Fortune (that blinde supposed Goddesse) is]
Fortune
(that blinde supposed Goddesse) is
Still rated at, if ought suceed amisse;
'Tis shee (the vaine abuse of Providence)
That beares the blame, whē others make th'offence;
When this mans barne finds not her wonted store,
Fortun's condemn'd, because she sent no more;
If this man dye, or that man live too long,
Fortun's accus'd, and she hath done the wrong;
Ah foolish Dolis and (like your Goddesse) blinde!
You make the fault, and call your Saint unkinde;
For when the cause of Ev'll begins in Man,
Th'effect ensues from whence the cause began;
Then know the reason of thy discontent,
Thy ev'll of Sinne, makes the Ev'll of punishment.
(Lord) hold me up, or spurre mee when I fall;
So shall my Ev'll bee just, or not at all:
Defend me from the World, the Flesh, the Devill,
And so thou shalt deliver me from Evill.
10.
[The Priestly Skirts of A'rons holy coate]
The Priestly Skirts of A'rons holy coate
I kisse; and to my morning Muse devote:
Had never King, in any age, or Nation,
Such glorious Robes, set forth in such a fashion,
With Gold, and Gemmes, and Silks of Princely Dye,
And Stones befitting more than Majesty:
The Persian Sophies, and rich Shæba's Queene
Had n'er the like, nor e'r the like had seene;
Vpon the Skirts (in order as they fell)
First, a Pomegranat was, and then a Bell;
By each Pomegranat did a Bell appeare;
Many Pomegranats, many Bels there were;
Pomegranats nourish, Bels doe make a sound;
As blessings fall, Thanksgiving must rebound.
If thou wilt cloth my heart with A'rons tyer,
My tongue shall praise, as well as heart desier.
My tongue, and pen, shall dwell upon thy Story,
(Great God) for thine is Kingdome, Power, Glory.
11.
[The Ancient Sophists, that were so precise]
The Ancient Sophists, that were so precise,
(and oftentimes (perchance) too curious nice)
Averre, that Nature hath bestow'd on Man,
Three perfect Soules: When this I truly scan,
Me thinks, their Learning swath'd in Errour, lyes;
They were not wise enough, and yet too wise;
Too curious wise, because they mention more
Then one; Not wise enough, because not foure;
Nature, not Grace, is Mistris of their Schooles;
Grace counts them wisest, that are veriest Fooles:
Three Soules in man? Grace doth a fourth allow,
The Soule of Faith: But this is Greeke to you:
'Tis Faith that makes man truly wise; 'Tis Faith
Makes him possesse that thing he never hath.
This Glorious Soule of Faith bestow on me,
(O Lord) or else take thou the other three:
Faith makes men lesse then Children, more then Men,
It makes the Soule cry Abba, and Amen.
The End.
