THE WORKS OF MERCY, BOTH CORPORALL
AND SPIRITUALL.
MAN of polluted lips, dar'st thou aspire
So high a worke? Call for celestiall fire;
Invoke some holy hand to guide thy pen,
Some circumcized heart to teach thee: when
Thou but conceiv'st a verse, sett'st doune a line,
Sigh for thy state, weepe for those sinnes of thine,
Those actuall ones, that justice have cal'd downe,
And made th' Almightie, with an angrie frowne,
Fright blessednesse from thee, making thy life
A vale of miserie, a den of strife,
Scarce suff'ring thee, in almost sixtie yeeres,
See ought but dangers, mischiefes, debts, and feares,
Laying on thy soule such heavinesse, such woe,
As, but His mercy helpe thee, thou must goe
(And speedily) unto a grave, forlorne,
Wayling, and wishing thou hadst nev'r beene borne.
Alas! but what am I, that he should daigne,
In his abundant grace, to raise againe,—
Me (groveling earth) that in confusion lies,
Not daring to his throne erect mine eyes!
O my deiected spirit, rouse thy selfe,
Be not with cares (as worldlings are with pelfe)
Wholly be-numm'd: thy God (benigne and good)
Knowes ev'n for thee thy Saviour shed his bloud:
Be thou but penitent, and he will smile,
Wash thee with teares, and he with sacred oyle
Will cheere thy lookes, and thou shalt cleerely see The loving kindnesse he intends to thee.
The scales are falne already: I behold Divine infusion, (happy man,) am told That his blest Providence (never forsaking) Did first excite thee to this undertaking; He bids thee write; relie on him, and send Thy prayers up, and he will fairely end This thy designe, and thou shalt comforts finde, Both to thy travail'd life and troubled minde. Lead by this fiery-conduct (this darke night), Loe, thus I wander, (hopefull Israelite.)
HALLOWED BE THY NAME.
CUR Father, which doest sit on heauen's high throne,
All praise and glory be to thee alone.
Our Father-where or how shall we begin?
Thou high and pure, we deeply fraught with sin.
Can we the organs be to sound thy praise,
Which, chain'd to earthly clogs, can no way raise
Our thoughts on high beyond our earthly leuell?
We cannot raise ourselues, but when we reuell
In anticke pleasures, or in fond delights,
Or when we feede our eyes with pleasing sights,
When we to thee do pray, we feare like blockes ;
When thou to vs dost speake, we stand like stockes.
We have no sence of thy great loue or powre,
Or that the zeale of thee should vs deuoure,
We neede not feare. Wee vnderstand thee not;
No, nor our selues: we are the staine and blot
Of all thy workmanship; for we recoile
When we should doe our charge, and alwayes soile
Our best performance with some muddy thought.
What shall we say, Lord? we are worse than
nought.
From the first moouing spheare vnto earth's center All creatures faile thee not; but man dares venture To stray and wander, like a blazing starre,
Foreshewing troubles, change, dearth, and warre. Thou lookest down from heaven, thy statefull
And doing good thou didst behold not one.
We have our naturall corruption within,
Which since our fall is alwayes prone to sinne :
We have the world without vs, and the diuell
To draw and lead us to a world of euill.
We are not worth the silly widowe's mite;
How canst thou then in our poore gifts delight?
'Tis true, O Lord, the widowe's gift was small-
A lesser gift could not be giuen at all;
Yet was the mite accepted well from her,
Which, being poore, did all she had conferre.
But we have nothing good; no, not a motion;
Nor one poore drop of grace but from thine ocean.
And all our store is but meere pouerty,
Except thine all-sufficient grace supply;
But so supplied, thou takest recreation
In one good thought, or one eiaculation :
Our poore endeauors and desires of good
By thee as reall acts are vnderstood.
Our Father, then, we may thee iustly call,
Our Treasure, King, our Lord, our All in all.
Let Three in One be ioyn'd in adoration,
As Three in One were in the world's creation.
WHO would have thought there could have bin
Such joy in tears wept for our sin?
Mine eyes have seen, my heart hath proved,
The most and best of earthly joys,
The sweets of love and being loved,
Masks, feasts, and playes, and such like toyes;
Yet this one tear which now doth fall
In true delight exceeds them all.
Indeed, mine eyes at first let in
Those guests that did these woes begin;
Therefore mine eyes in tears and grief
Are justly drown'd: but that those tears
Should comfort bring, is past belief,-
Oh God, in this thy grace appears;
Thou that mak'st light from darkness spring,
Mak'st joyes to weep, and sorrowes sing.
Oh where am I? what may
Help, help! alass, my heart doth sink:
Thus lost in seas of wo,
Thus laden with my sin,
Waves of despair dash in,
And threat my overthrow.
What heart opprest with such a weight
Can chuse but break, and perish streight?
Yet as at sea in storms men choose
The ship to save, their goods to loose :
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