Meditations OF MAN'S MORTALITY. OR, A WAY TO TRUE Blessedness.  
WRITTEN By Mrs. ALICE SUTCLIFFE wife of john Sutcliffe Esquire, Groom of his Majesty's most Honourable Privy Chamber.  
The Second EDITION, enlarged.  ROM. 6. 
The wages of Sin is Death, but the gift of GOD, is Eternal life, through JESUS CHRIST our Lord.  
LONDON Printed by B. A. and T. F. for Henry Seyle at the Tiger's head in St. Paul's Churchyard. 1634.   

TO THE MOST ILLUSTRIOUS AND GRACIOUS PRINCESS, KATHERINE DUCHESS OF BUCKINGHAM: AND THE RIGHT HONOURABLE AND VIRTUOUS LADY, SUSANNA, COUNTESS OF DENBEIGH her Sister.  
Gracious Princess:  
WHen I read how the Gods sooner accepted of a Handful of Frankincense offered by pure Devotion, then whole Hecatombs of Arabian Spices in Ostentation: I am encouraged, having duly considered Your unlimited Goodness, to present this my Mite unto your Grace, and your Honourable Sister, For as you are Twins in Virtues, so I have joined You in my Devotions: Where first, I most humbly crave of You to pass a favourable Censure of my proceed, it being, I know not usual for a Woman to do such things: Yet ELIHA saith, There is a Spirit in Man, and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them Understanding. And it is said again: Out of the mouths of Babes and Sucklings, thou shalt perfect Praise. I am assured, I shall meet with mocking Ishmaels', that will carp at Goodness; wherefore, I run to Yourselves for refuge; humbly craving to be assisted by your graciousness, which will appear as the Splendent Sun to disperse those Mists. I have chosen a subject not altogether Pleasing; but my aim is, that it may prove Profitable, having observed in this short course of my Pilgrimage, how apt Man is, not to think of his Mortality, which stealeth upon him as a Thief in the night: Experience teacheth me, that there is no Action wisely undertaken, whereof the End is not forecasted, in the first place, howsoever it be last put in execution; I have ever accounted Ingratitude, to be like a Beast, who having received benefits, thinks not of any acknowledgements. Owing therefore, a due Debt of Thankfulness for Your unexpressable undeserved Favours, and being no ways able to cause the desires of my Heart to appear worthy-your Acceptances, I have made choice of this, as being persuaded thereto, by that truly Noble virtuousness which hath evidently appeared in You, to the strengthening of Goodness, that here it may find admittance, which otherwise might want Entertainment; and for that you have been more than a Mother to me. I having only from her received life, but next under God from your Grace, & your honourable Sister the being both of me and mine. By which as there is none greater than your Self to whom in duty I am bound, so there is not any to whom I wish greater Prosperity both for Temporal and Spiritual blessings, then to your Grace; beseeching God to preserve you and your Honourable Offspring here upon Earth, with my no less virtuous Lady your Sister, to whom I am tied by the same bonds of Thankfulness, that as God hath made your Renowns great upon earth, so I beseech him to add to your Lives length of days, and after life, Eternal happiness in the Heavens, whither CHRIST is gone to prepare a place for You. I always remaining,  
Your Graces, and your Honours truly devoted Servant, Alice Sutcliffe.   

AN ACCROSTIQVE, Upon the Renowned Name of the most virtuous Princess, KATHERINE Duchess of Buckingham.  
KNow you this Princess, BVCKINGHAM'S  Duchess?  
Ask aged Time with his wormeaten Crutches,  
TO find amongst the numbers of his Role  
HEr-Paralell, of such a Heavenly mole,  
EXcelling so i'th' beauties of the Soul:  
RIch in all Treasures, that to Virtue tend:  
IN Faith, Hope, Charity; the blessed's end.  
NOr is there aught, that lives in Woman kind:  
EXceeding the rare prowess of her Mind.  
Born of High blood, from RUTLAND'S Family:  
United to a Duke of Royal state.  
Cvrsed be the time, more cursed his cruelty  
Killed him; and reaved this Turtle of her mate,  
IN peerless woe, we still lament that fate:  
NOr shall his memory e'er out of date.  
Go on then Gracious Princess, graced by Fame,  
HOnour shall still, attend your noble Name:  
ANd as your Goodness hath abounded, so  
MAy Heaven the greatest good on You bestow.   

AN ACCROSTIQVE, Upon the Name of the Right Honourable, and truly virtuous Lady; SUSANNA, Countess of Denheigh.  
SEe here a Lady, blessed in her birth,  
Unto whose Greatness, Goodness joined is still  
SUSANNA ne'er so famous was on Earth  
AS is this Lady, lead by virtuous will,  
NOthing so sweet to her, as heavenly mirth,  
NO Music sounds like Hallelujah still  
A Happy Soul, which those delights doth fill  
Deign then to view these lines, where truly I  
Express but truth, not using Flattery:  
NO Fallaces within my mouth once lurks,  
But hates all those, that use dissembling works.  
EVen as your Goodness merits, so speak I  
I Am your Servant, bound until I die  
GIve leave, then gracious Lady, for I find,  
HEaven hath endued you, with a virtuous mind.   

AN ACCROSTIQVE, Upon the name and Titles of the Right honourable and my ever honoured Lord, PHILIP Earl of Pembroke and Montgomery, Lord Chamberlain of his Majesty's Household, etc.  
PEMBROOKE's great Peer, your Princely favour I  
Here humbly crave, to guerdon my weak pen,  
IF this doth show my imbecility,  
LIke a good Patron, shrowded it from bad men  
I By your favours moved do this present,  
PRay then my Lord, accept my good intent,  
Poor are my weak endeavours, yet if you,  
ENcourage my Minerva's infant Muse  
MY cherished thoughts, by that, may frame anew  
Book of true thanks, unto your Lordship's use:  
RIght Noble then, view but the virtuous tract,  
OF this small Volume, and if you shall find,  
OVght good expressed, by our Sex's act,  
KNow honoured Lord, my stars are very kind,  
MOUNTGOMERY, my Caelique Muse doth mount  
ON Cherubs wing, from this low Orb to heaven,  
Virtue is here expressed, vices account;  
NOr is't a Tale, or Fable that is given  
TRuth never is ashamed to show its face:  
GReat man and good, but always loves the light.  
OMay it then, find an accepted Grace  
MOre cause a woman, did the same indite,  
EVen then as DERORAH's sweet tuned song,  
— Run;  
RVng out her sacred Peal, in holy Writ:  
OSo, I pray my heart, my pen, my tongue,  
YEa all my faculties, may follow it:  
Your Lordship's Devoted Servant, Alice Sutcliffe.   

TO Mrs. Alice Sutcliffe, on her divine Meditations.  
WHen I had read  
your holy Meditations,  
And in them viewed  
th' uncertainty of Life,  
The motives, and true Spurs  
to all good Nations.  
The Peace of Conscience,  
and the Godly's strife,  
The Danger of delaying  
to Repent,  
And the deceit of pleasures,  
by Consent.  
The comfort of weak Christians,  
with their warning,  
From fearful back-slides;  
And the debt we ' are in,  
To follow Goodness,  
by our own discerning  
Our great reward,  
th' eternal Crown to win.  
I said, who ' had supped so deep  
of this sweet Chalice,  
Must CELIA be,  
the Anagram of ALICE.  
Ben. jonson.   

Upon the Religious Meditations of Mrs. ALICE SUTCLIFFE.  
TO THE READER.  
Wouldst thou  
(frail Reader) thy  
true Nature see?  
Behold this Glass  
of thy Mortality.  
Digest the precepts  
of this pious Book,  
Thou canst not in  
a nobler Mirror look.  
Though sad it seem,  
and may lose mirth destroy,  
That is not sad  
which leads to perfect joy.  
Thank her fair Soul  
whose meditation makes  
Thee see thy frailty;  
nor disdain to take  
That knowledge, which  
a Woman's skill can bring.  
All are not Syren-notes  
that women sing.  
How true that Sex can write,  
how grave, how well,  
Let all the Muses,  
and the Graces tell.  
THO: MA   

To Mr. JOHN SUTCLIFFE Esq upon the receipt of this Book written by his Wife.  
SIr, I received your Book  
with acceptation,  
And, thus return  
a due congratulation,  
For that good Fortune,  
which hath blessed your life  
By making you  
the Spouse of such a Wife.  
Although I never saw her,  
yet I see,  
The Fruit, and by the Fruit  
I judge the Free.  
My Praise adds nothing to it:  
That which is  
Well done, can praise itself;  
and so may this.  
To be a woman, 'tis enough with me,  
To merit praise;  
For I can never be  
So much their Friend,  
as they have heretofore  
Deserved; although  
they merited no more.  
When, therefore  
to their Womanhood I find  
The love of sacred  
Piety conjoined,  
Me thinks I have  
my duty much forgot,  
Unless I praise  
(although I know them not)  
But, when to Womanhood  
and good Affections,  
Those rare Abilities,  
and those Perfections,  
United are,  
to which our Sex aspire,  
Then, forced I am  
to Love, and to admire.  
I am not of their mind,  
who if they see,  
Some Female-Studies  
fairly ripened be,  
(With Masculine success)  
do peevishly,  
Their worths due honour  
unto them deny,  
By overstrictly  
censuring the same;  
Or doubting whether  
from themselves it came,  
For, well I know.  
Dame Pallas and the Muses,  
Into that Sex,  
their faculties infuses,  
As freely as to Men;  
and they that know,  
How to improve their Gift,  
shall find it so.  
Then joy in your good Lot,  
and praises due  
To Him ascribe, that thus  
hath honoured you.  
Geo. Withers.   

Upon the Meditations of Mrs. ALICE SUTCLIFFE.  
I Have no Muse my own,  
but what I see.  
Worthy of praise,  
that is a Muse to me.  
Divinity (the highest theme)  
will find  
No fit subject  
than an humble mind,  
And as in scorn of them  
that are more fit  
By instruments less notable  
expresseth it.  
Alms and Devotion,  
Zeal and Charity.  
Might for thy Sex  
beseeming Scripture be,  
But when thou speakest  
of death, and that just doom  
Which shall on all  
conditions, ages, come,  
And thence descending  
to Philosophy,  
Teachest weak Nature  
how to learn to dye:  
It seems to me  
above thy Sex and State,  
Some heavenly spark  
doth thee Illuminate.  
Live still a praise,  
but no example to  
Others, to hope,  
as thou hast done, to do.  
Live still thy sex's honour,  
and when Death  
(With whom thou art acquainted)  
stops thy breath  
Fame to Posterity  
shall make thee shine  
And add thy Name  
unto the Muses nine.  
PET: HEYWOOD.   

AN ENCOMIUM upon the Authoress and Book.  

GReat Ladies that to virtue  
are inclined,  
See here the pious practice  
of a wife,  
Expressed by the beauties  
of the Mind,  
And now set forth  
in Pictures of the life,  
Wherein matter and form  
are both at strife  
Who shall be Master:  
but i'th' end hands shaken,  
For that they have  
a Mistress to their Book.   

Whose Language I must needs  
(in truth) admire,  
And how such Elegance  
should from her spring:  
Until I think of Zeal  
(that Caeliquefire)  
Which might transport her soul,  
by Cherubs wing  
In Prose or Numbers,  
piously to sing  
Precepts of Praise,  
worthy your approbation;  
For she is Rara Avis   

in our Nation.  
And though her youth,  
gives her no SIBYLS name  
Nor doth she Prophecy,  
as they of old:  
Yet she's endued  
with the most sacred flame  
Of Poesy Divine;  
and doth unfold  
Nought but the truth,  
and therefore may be bold.  
Whose holy pains,  
and study here expressed,  
Shall Register her name  
amongst the blessed.  
URANIA,  
is her most heavenly Muse.  
Which flieth upwards,  
where her mind is placed.  
She sings such Songs,  
as DEEORAH did use.  
When she, and BARUCH  
had their foes abased;  
For which, with Laurel  
she may well be graced.  
And styled the Paragon,  
of these our Times,  
In her sweet Prose,  
and true composed Rhymes.   

But think not Ladies  
that I do contrive,  
Numbers to mend  
aught that is done amiss;  
Or that I mean,  
to keep her name alive  
When she is gone:  
and passed to greater bliss,  
For I ne'er knew her,  
when I framed this.  
Only I read her lines,  
which forced me praise  
The Picture of her mind,  
with this course bays.   
FRA: LENTON   

THE Contents of the ensuing Treatise.  
I. 
Wherie the uncertainty of Man's life expressed, and of the fearful end of the Wicked. Fol. 1.  II. 
Motives and Jnducements to true Godliness. Fol. 53.  III. 
Of the Peace of a good Conscience, and the Joyful end of the godly. fol. 57  FOUR 
Of the deferring of Repentance, how dangerous it is, and of the deceivableness of Worldly Pleasures. fol. 74.  V 
Comforts for the weak Christian, and to be ware of Back-sliding. fol. 101.  VI 
That man ought to be won to follow Godliness, in respect of the Eternal happiness. fol. 114.    

MEDITATIONS OF MAN'S Mortality.  

I. Wherein the uncertainty of Man's life is expressed, and of the fearful end of the Wicked.  
WHen I behold the Heavens & the earth, the workmanship of the Almighty, and see in 〈◊〉 all Creatures both for commodity and pleasure, which as a store-house, preserve all things for the behoof and benefit of Man: I cannot but use to myself, the saying of the Prophet DAVID; 
Psalm. 8.  Lord! what is Man, that thou shouldest think on him; or the Son of man, that thou shouldest be mindful of him, thou hast made him but a little lower than the Angels; thou hast crowned him with honour and worship; by reason of which, I think him to be only happy and a God upon earth; and that there is no blessedness beyond this: but looking into him with more deliberation; I find his breath is in his nostrils, and that he is as the Beast that perisheth; 
Eccles. 3.  I find his wife to be but a span, and the perpetuity of his Happiness, no better than a flower, which flourisheth to day, and to morrow is out down and withereth; and that his habitation is but a Pilgrimage, he hath no certain abiding, I perceive there is no building of Tabernacles here, this is no place of rest. I remember the fool, that said to his soul, 
Luke, 12.  There was much laid up for many years, but that night his soul was taken from him, and how that after Death he must give an account of his Stewardship, for they are not his, but lent him of the Lord; neither to abuse through excess, nor niggerdice, but to put them forth to the best use, and to the glory of him who is the giver of all good things.  
For it is true, that a Philosopher saith; He that seeketh for true Happiness in this world, followeth a shadow, which when he thinketh he is surest of, vanisheth and is nothing; and the Apostle PAUL saith; If in this life we were only happy, we were of all men most miserable.  
Seeing then it is so, 
job. 14.  That man which is borne of a woman hath but a short time to live, and that few and evil are the days of his Pilgrimage, pointed out but to Threescore and ten, and if Nature befriend him so fare, as to afford him life till Fourscore, yet is it so full of infirmities, that it becomes a burden to him, Life being a briitle and miserable fetter, which chaineth the pure and everlasting soul, to the vile, sinful, and corruptible body.  
Yet where is he, that takes the Wise man's counsel, 
Eccles. 12.  To remember his Creator in the days of his Youth, before the evil day comes, and the time approach, in the which, he shall say; I have no pleasure in them; for if a man live many years and rejoice in them all, yet let him remember the days of Darkness, for they are many; the Sun sets and riseth again; but thou alas, when thy glass is run, and the short gleam of thy Summer's Sun is spent, shall never return again. How soon alas, is thy span grasped, thy minute wasted, thy flower dead, thy vapour of life gone; without thought, without dread either of sins past, or accounts to come? Where is there one, that looks into the estate of his Soul, with a serious eye; that examines his conscience, unvayleth his heart, and considereth his ways, and how that he is every day of his life, a day's journey nearer his end, and nothing is wanting for the expiration thereof, but the stroke of death, which cometh in a moment; and then thou art gone, either to unexpressable end less joys, or caselesse and endless miseries. For no sooner art thou borne to possess this World, but death issueth forth incontinently out of his Sepulchre, to find thy life; neither doth he always send his harbinger before to acquaint thee with his coming, but many times entereth unexpected, unlooked for; and yet darest thou rest in security, me thinks it should make thee tremble, were not thy conscience seared; to think of the divineness of that justice, before whom, thou art to stand, being in the day of his Wrath, and at the bar of his judgement: canst thou think then, to be able to endure his angry eye, whose sight will pierce to the very centure of thy heart and soul, and rip up every festered corner of thy conscience? O then! bethink thyself in time, before that gloomy day comes, that day of Clouds and thick darkness, that day of desolation and confusion approach; when all the Inhabitants of the Earth shall mourn and lament, and all faces shall gather blackness. Joel. 2. Because, the time of their judgement is come; alas! with what a fearful hart and weeping eyes, and sorrowful countenance, & trembling loins, wilt thou at that last and great assize look upon CHRIST JESUS, when he shall most gloriously appear, with innumerable Angels in flaming fire, to render vengeance on them that know him not? What a cold damp will seize upon thy soul, when thou shalt behold him, whom thou hast all thy life long, rejected in his ordinances, despised in his members, and neglected in his love: what horror and terror of spirit will possess thee; how wilt thou cry to the Rocks and Mountains to fall upon thee, and cover thee from the fierceness of his Wrath; when thou shalt behold, the Heavens burning, the Elements melting, the Earth trembling, the Sea roaring, the Sun turn into darkness, and the Moon incobloud: how will thy numberless sins in hideous forms appear before thee, every one of them bearing the Ensigns of Gods heavy displeasure, dipped in a bloody coloured die; and crying out, for vengeance against thee: alas! if thy faltering tongue should go about to feign some seeming show of a colourable excuse, how soon would it be stopped, all thy actions both for thoughts, words, and deeds, being registered in a book, and kept within the Court of Heaven. Oh remember! how terrible his voice was when he gave his Law to his chosen people, and thinkest thou it will be less terrible, when he shall demand an account of that Law, which thou hast so many times carelessly broken. Oh then, whether will his wrath carry thee, where will the blast of his breath hurry thee, it was thy sins that inflamed his wrath, & his wrath will inflame that fire which will never go out: Oh then alas, whilst thou hast time, become thy own friend, look into thyself, and by a serious examination, prove the Pilot of thy own Ship, which now lieth floating on the Seas of this troublesome World, balanced only with cares, and disquieting pleasures of this life, and how thou sayl'st with a full course, towards the haven of endless Happiness; yet one blast of unprepared death will turn thy sails, and plunge thee irrecoverably into that bottomless Guife, where one hours' torment, will infinitely exceed all the pleasures thy whole life contained: and wilt thou now standing upon the very brim of Hell, melt in thy delights: Alas, slippery is thy footing, and thy hold but by the thread of life, which stretched to the length, soon cracks: yet how triflingly spendest thou thy precious time, tiring out thy spirits, and robbing thine eyes of their beloved sleep, for those things, to the which, the time will come, that the very remembrance of them will be bitter, and to the which, thou must bid an everlasting farewell.  
Yet not considering these things? how many are there, that only spend their time in jollity, and suddenly go down to the Grave; they cry to themselves; Peace, peace, when sudden Destruction overtakes them, not once thinking of IEREMIA'S lamentation for Jernsalem; wherein he complains, That she remembered not her last end. 
Lamen. 1.   
Would they but consider, that as the Tree falleth so it lieth; and as Death leaves them, so shall judgement find them; they would not draw Iniquity with cords of vanity, nor sin as with cart-ropes; did they think upon the reward of Sin; did they consider how full of grief and misery, how short and transitorious this present life is, and the vain Pleasures thereof: how on every side, their enemies compass them, and that Death lieth in wait against them, every where catching them suddenly and unawares. Did that saying often sound in their ears, Arise and come to Judgement, they would not defer their Repentance to their last end, or their old-age; when it can not be said, that they leave Sin, but sinne them. Shall they offer to the Devil, the World, and their own flesh, the flower and strength of their years, and serve God with the lees and dregs: 
●al. 1.  when the Prophet MALACHY complained of the people's evil Offerings, he said; Offer it now unto thy Governor, will he be pleased with thee or accept thy person: and can they think, this great GOD will be pleased with them. 
King. 18  If RABSHECHA and HOLOFERNES, 
judith. 5.  but Messengers for their Lords, took it so ill; that the jews came not forth to make their peace with them, that they threatened nothing should pacify their fury but their Destruction: How much more, shall this King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, whose wrath is so kindled for their wickedness, condemn them into utter Darkness, where shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth, (for no dead carrion so loathsomely stinketh in the nostrils of an earthly man, as doth the wicked, abominable unrepentant man, in the presence of God;) yet not considering this, they go on in a careless security, heaping one sin upon another, till the burden become unsupportable, and the vials of God's wrath ready to be poured on them, not once calling them, to their remembrance; or if they do, it is so fare from Contrition, that it is rather a delight to them, often glorying in the often committings thereof; they neither thinking of their account, nor their end, wherein yet they might have some happiness; if death were the dissolving both of their body & soul.  
For being rid of their bodies, they should also be rid of their Souls and Sins; But forasmuch, as it is evident, that the Soul is immortal, there is left no comfort for the wicked to trust in. Therefore, let such remember ESAV, Who having once rejected the Blessing, 
Gen. 27.  could not after obtain it, though he sought it with tears; when it is too late, with the five Foolish Virgins, they may cry; Lord, 
Math. 25  Lord, open to us; but the gates of Mercy will be shut, and it will be answered, I know you not.  
Then woe be to the sinful wicked men, that have not power to turn from the filthy works of this finfull and wretched World, that hindereth them from the blissful state, and keepeth back their Souls from the presence of God: For when God's Sergeant Death, shall arrest them, and they shall be summoned to appear before the Tribunal of the Almighty, with what terrible fear will that Soul be shaken and smitten, and with how many spears of a piercing Conscience, is he gored and thrust through; he will then begin to think of the time past, present, and that to come; the time past, he may behold with astonishment, to perceive how fast it fleeted, and the multitude of sins therein committed, the which were accounted pleasures, but are now terrors, for every one of which, he must answer; for as saith a Philosopher: An accusing Conscience is the secret, & most terrible thing that can be, at the approaching and coming of Death, and infinite & unspeakable are the fears and griefs it will bring with it; for than he will grieve, that the time of Repentance hath been so ill & lewdly passed, he seethe the divine Commandments which he hath contemned: he is afflicted, because he seethe the inevitable hour approach, of rendering an account, & of the divine just vengeance; he would tarry still, but he is constrained to departed; he would recover that is past, but time is not granted? if he look behind him, he seethe the course and race of his whole life led, as a moment of time; if he look before, he beholdeth the infinite space of Eternity which expecteth him, he sorroweth and sobbeth, because he hath lost the joy of everlasting Eternity, which he might have obtained in so short a time; he tormenteth himself, because he hath lost the ineffable sweetness of perpetual delight, for one sensual, carnal, and momentany pleasure; he blusheth, considering, that for that substance which is Wormsmeat, he hath despised that which Angels prise so highly; and weighing the glory of those immortal riches, he is confounded, that he hath changed them for the baseness and vildness of Temporal things; but when he casteth his eyes upon things below, and seethe the dark and obscure valley of this world, and beholdeth above it, the shining brightness of eternal Light, than he confesseth, that all that he loved in this world, was black night and ugly darkness.  
To behold the time present, is as ill; for there he can find nothing but weakness and pains; his friends either mourning by him, or else not able to stay with him, to see his torments, which in this life, God hath begun to let him taste; having painful Limbs, dark Eyes, a faltering Tongue, hard brows, short breath, and a panting heart, hasting to appear before God, whom he must behold; not as his Father, but a most fierce judge, whose pure eyes beheld all his actions, and that through all his life saw nothing but wickedness, no sorrowing tears to wash away those pollutions; and therefore that leprous life must receive a heavy condemnation: there will not be any to speak for him, neither will he be able to answer one word for a thousand; all those pleasures now stand up to accuse him, and his own Conscience gives in evidence against him, saying to himself the words of SALOMON; 
Pro. 5.  How have I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof, and I have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, nor inclined mine ear to them that instructed me; woe is me poor wretch, into what a labyrinth have my sins led me, how suddenly, and thinking nothing less, hath this hour entrapped me, how hath it rushed upon me, I never dreamt of it; what do now my Honour's profit me, what do now all my Dignities help me, what do all my friends for me, what profit do now my servants bring me, what fruit do I now reap of all my riches and goods which I was wont to possess; for now a small piece of ground of seven foot will contain me, and I must be content with a dwelling in a narrow Coffin, and with a lodging in a poor Winding sheet; my riches, shall remain here behind me, which I scraped together with so great toil, and sweeting, others shall enjoy them, and shall spend them on their pleasures, only my sins, which I have committed in gathering them, wait upon me, that I may suffer deserved punishment for them; what can I make now of all my Pleasures and Delights, seeing they are all overpast, only their dregges are my Potion, which are scruples and bitings of Conscience, which like Thorns do pierce me, and run through my miserable heart.  
In what taking is this poor Soul; if time were now again, with what an austere kind of life would he pass it, how would he shun all those alluring Sirens, sour sauce finds he for his sweets, and for a minute of Pleasures, must possess a world of Woes; nay, woes without end, soon ended those delights, endless are those miseries.  
O thou wretched man! thou that didst chose, rather to sit by the fleshpots of Egypt, then by enduring a little wearisome travails, to enter into the promised Land, which floweth with Milk and Honey; See! O see now, what a long chain of Miseries, those thy short Pleasures have wrought thee. O thou foolish and senseless! hadst thou no respect to the death of CHRIST, who died to redeem thee, but that by thy sins, thou must anew Crucify him, and make his Wounds to bleed afresh? Thou hast again, nailed him to the Cross by thy pollutions! thou hast again, pierced his side, not with one, but many spears of Blasphemy, and as it were piecemeal, tearing him from Heaven! thou hast grinded him, by thy oppressions, which thou didst to maintain thy superfluous delights.  
It was his love, that caused him to undergo his Father's wrath, for thy sake; but what one sin, hast thou left for his? Canst thou say, and that truly, that thou hast spared one dish from thy Belly, to feed his hungry Members; or one Garment from thy excessive apparel, to clothe the naked; or one hours' sleep, to meditate on his miseries: a poor requital of such infinite Love! Was CHRIST stretched on the Cross, and couldst thou recount it nothing to stretch thyself upon thy downy Beds of sin? Did CHRIST suck down Vinegar and Gall for thee, and couldst thou without prick of Conscience, surfeit with overflown Bowls? Was CHRIST crowned with Thorns, and couldst thou crown thyself with ease and pleasure? Then now behold, (O thou rich Glutton!) thou, who wouldst never cast up thine eyes to behold the true happiness, till it was too late, and consider what the allurements of the Flesh now profit you, which you then so much delighted in? What is become of your Riches? where are your Honours? where are your Treasures? where are your Delights? were are your joys; the seven years of Plenty are past, and other seven years of Dearth and scarcity are come, which have devoured up all your Plenty, no memory or footsteps being left of it. 
joh. 24.  As it is in JOB, Drought and heat, consume the Snow waters; so doth the Grave, those that have Sinned; your Glory is now perished, and your Felicity is drowned in the sea of Sorrows, not only your delights have not profited you, which you enjoyed in this World; but they shall be the causes of greater Torments: witness the Glutton in the Gospel, who fared deliciously every day, being in Hell; was not that member his Tongue, most tormented, which gave him the greatest delight in Sin.  
Nay, speedily and unexpected, this horror rusheth upon them; for, as everlasting Felicity, doth quickly follow the Godly, in the short race of their Misery; so everlasting Misery, quickly followeth the ungodly, in the short race of their worldly Felicity.  
It were better therefore, for a man to live poorly, being assured of the bliss of Heaven, then to be deprived thereof, though during life he possess all worldly riches; for intolerable, are the burdens they bring with them, seeing that the Scripture saith; Where much is given, much is again required: beside, the memory of the ungodly shall perish, as saith JOB; The pitiful man, 
joh, 24.  shall forget him, the Worm shall feel his sweetness, he shall be no more remembered, and the Wicked shall be broken like a Tree.   

II. Motives and Inducements to true Godliness.  
HAving already spoken of the unstability of Man's life, & the wretched estate the Wicked is in, at the hour of his Death; I will now also set down, some Motives for encouragements to true Godliness, wherein it shall easily be discerned, that Godliness excelleth Wickedness, as fare as Light excelleth Darkness; It is a thing, both usual and lamentable, to see how men go on in wickedness, and can neither be drawn, to think of their end by the daily examples of Mortality; nor won to remember, the infiniteness of God's Love by their daily preservations; they call not once to their remembrance, the saying of the Apostle PAUL, wherein he admonisheth them, to work out their Salvation with fear and trembling; by which, he depriveth them of all kind of security; and the Prophet JEREMIAH cryeth unto them and saith; 
Jerem. 22.  O earth! earth! earth! hear the Word of the Lord.  
Showing thereby, that howsoever they esteem of themselves, yet, they are but dust; whose glory is but for a moment, and all their Pleasures, but Deceptio visus; For that there is no Peace (saith the Lord) of the Wicked. 
Esa. 48.   
Wherefore, consider this ye that forget GOD, lest he tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver you; fear this God, for he is just; love this God, 
Psal. 4.  for he is Merciful; stand in awe and Sin not, common with your hearts, consider your ways, make your Peace with him, seek the Lord, 
Psal. 2.  whilst he may be found; If his wrath be kindled, yea but a little, blessed are all those that puts their trust in him.  
O taste, and see! how good GOD is, he is a God of Mercies, and delights not in the Death of a Sinner, as he saith; Have I any pleasure at all, 
Ezech. 18.  that the Wicked should dye, saith the Lord; and not that he should return from his ways and live: he will be found of them that seek him, he hath engaged his word for it, and again he saith; Those that come to me, I will not cast away; nay, he calleth with abundance of love: Come unto me, 
Math. 11.  all ye that are weary and heavy laden with the burden of your sins, and I will ease you; he is that good Samaritaine, he may pour in Wine to make those wounds of your Sins to smart, but he will again refresh you with the oil of his Mercies: O then! prostrate thyself at his feet, creep under the wing of his compassion; for he is slow to wrath, 
joel. 2.  and of much mercy, and repenteth him of the evil: alas! it was thy weakness that made thee sinful, and thy sins have made the miserable, & thy misery must now sue to his mercy; if thy misery were without sin, than thou mightest plead before his justice, and his justice would relieve thee; but for that it proceedeth from sin, approach the bar of his mercy, and thou shalt find the lustre thereof to shine through all his works; remember Christ's own words were: 
Math. 15.  I am not sent, but to the lost sheep of the house of Jsrael; what, though with the woman in the Gospel, he call thee dog, wilt thou therefore leave off thy suit; consider, that the tender mother many times for faults committed by her child, hideth her loving countenance and as it were altogether rejecteth it, not for any hatred she beareth to the child, but thereby to indere the obtaining of his favour, and to cause the greater fear of offending; if then, thou seizing thy suit goeth without mercy, whom wilt thou accuse: Christ said to jerusalem, Thy destruction is of thyself, O Jerusalem! but in me, is thy salvation. Christ came not, to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.  
He is infinitely good, and hurteth no man, unless the blame be in himself, through his own default; for, as the Sun beam, is clear and comfortable in itself, and so is it to the eye that is sound, yet to a sore eye, it is very grievous, not through any default in the sun, but by the diseased disposition of the eye; so albeit, he in himself, be perfectly good, and doth nothing but good; yet to an unrepentant sinner he is grievous and terrible, but if he return to him by unfeigned repentance, he soon inclineth to mercy; as is evident in that woe man, whom Christ so called; upon her humiliation and acknowledging herself to be no better, she receiveth this gracious answer; Be it unto the even as thou wilt; and again, in the Nenivites; though his decree was gone out against them, that yet forty days, and Niniveh should be destroyed, 
jonah. 3.  upon their unfeigned repentance, he also repent of that evil, and with abundance of mercy revoked that sentence; For the eyes of the Lord, 
● Chro. 16  beholds all the earth, to strengthen them, that with a perfect heart believe, and hope in him; and again, it is said; O how good is the Lord unto them, 
Lament. 3  that put their trust in him, and to the Soul that seeketh after him; never was there any forsaken, that put their trust in him: and though the hand of your Faith, be not strong enough to lay fast hold on him, as JACOB did, who said; I will not let thee go, unless thou bless me; 
Gen. 32.  yet, if he perceive thee creeping after him, he will embrace thee, for he hath said; The bruised Reed, 
Math. 12.  I will not break, and the smoking Flax, I will not quench; that is, he will not reject the desires of the heart, though in weak measure, if unfeigned, and what he hath promised, is Truth.  
He loveth not, as man loveth; for they in prosperity will regard us, but if Afflictions or wants come, they regard us not; but so fare is our good God from this, that his beloved Son CHRIST JESUS, took our shape upon him, suffering Hunger, Cold, Nakedness, Contempt, and Scorn; for his own mouth testified, That the Foxes had Holes, and the Birds of the Air had Nests, but the Son of Man, had not whereon to lay his head; showing thereby to us, how fare he was from contemning our Poverty, or refusing us for our wants; let us therefore, fly to this God, who will not fail us nor forsake us: let us cast our care upon him, for he careth for us, and set us first seek the Kingdom of heaven, and the righteousness thereof, and all things else shall be ministered unto us.  
How many have been known, which have gained to themselves, Riches, or Honours, by unlawful means, that have prospered, but if for a time they have seemed to do well, their Posterity have come to ruin, and their own ill-gathered treasure, like a dilating Gangrene, hath rotten their own memory, and consumed every part of their heir's possession; seeming as it were, a Curse and doom, entailed with the land upon the successor, and so proveth, not a Blessing, but the bane of him that Enjoyed it.  
They may for a time, flourish like a Bay Tree, but suddenly they fade and their place is no where to be found. Oh therefore! that they would consider, what great evils, and how many inconveniences, this small prosperity bringeth with it, they should find this love of Riches, more to afflict, by desire, then to delight, by use: for it inwrappeth the Soul, in diverse temptations, & bindeth it in infinite cares, it allureth it with sundry delights, provoketh it to sin, and disturbeth the quiet, no less of the body then of the Soul, and that which is greater; Riches are never gotten, without troubles, nor possessed, without care, nor lost, without grief; but that which is worst, they are seldom gathered, without sin and offence to GOD? Why then, should man be so greedy of this World's pelf, life being so short, and death following at our heels? What need is there of so great Provision, for so short a journey? What would man do with so great Riches; especially, seeing that the less he hath, the more lightly and freely he may walk, and when he shall come to the end of his Pilgrimage, if he be poor, his estate shall not be worse than rich men's, who are laden with much gold; the Grave shall both alike contain them, as saith JOB; 
job. 3.  The small and great are there, and the Servant is free from his Master.  
Nay, it is better with the poor, then with the rich; for they shall feel less grief in parting with this trash and pelf of the World, and a smaller account is to be rendered before GOD; whereas on the other side, Rich men leaves their Mountains of Gold, with great grief of heart, which they adored as GOD; neither are they, without exceeding gerat hazard and danger, in rendering an account for them: Besides, as he came forth of his Mother's Womb, 
Eccles. 5.  so naked shall he return, to go as he came; and shall take nothing of his labour which he may carry away in his hand. 
Psalm. 7.  Therefore a little that a Righteous man hath, is better than the Riches of many wicked. I have seen saith DAVID, in the same Psalm; The wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green Bay three, yet he passed away, and lo he was not; I sought him but he could not be found, the transgressors shall be destroyed together, the end of the Wicked shall be cut off; but mark the upright man, and behold the Just, for the end of that man is Peace.  
Thrice blessed then is that man, that feareth God, and they whose God the Lord is, and he that sots his fear always before his eyes; 
job. 5.  For they shall be delivered out of six troubles, and in the seaventh, no evils shall touch them, in Famine, he shall redeem them from Death, and in War, from the power of the sword, they shall come to the Grave in a full age, like as a shock of Corn cometh in, in his season: They may for a time be bungry, but they shall be filled, for God himself will feed them with blessings from above and from beneath. Even natural reason will not suffer them to doubt, for he that giveth meat in due season, to Aunts and Worms of the Earth, will he suffer Man to famish, who night and day, serve and obey him, as CHRIST himself saith in MATTHEW; 
Math. 6.  Behold the Fowls of the heaven, for they sow not, neither reap nor carry into Barnes, yet your heavenly Father feedeth them, are ye not much better than they; This happiness moved DAVID to invite us to serve the Lord, saying; O fear the Lord! ye that be his Saints, 
Psalm 34  for they that fear the Lord lack nothing, the Lions do lack and suffer hunger, but they that feeke the Lord, shall want no manner of thing that is good.  
The ungodly man, when he is full of wealth dyeth for hunger, and when they sit even up to the lips in water, yet they are slain with thirst, as the Poets in times past, fabled of TANTALUS. But though many and great be the troubles of the Righteous, yet the Lord delivereth them out of all. For the eyes of the Lord is over the Righteous, and his Ear is open to their cry, but the Face of the Lord is against them that do evil, 
Psalm. 3 4  to cut off their Remembrance from the Eatth.  
Who would be unwilling then, to suffer ignominies and scorn, rather then with the wicked, to enjoy the pleasures of Sin for a season; 
Revel. 2●.  God himself will wipe all tears from their eyes, he will give them joys for their Sorrows, as he saith; Blessed are ye that now Weep, for ye shall Rejoice, troubles in this life, are badges of God's Children, Whom the Lord loveth, 
Prov. 3.  he chastiseth, and correcteth every Son that he chooseth with Patience; 
Luke, 21.  Therefore, possess your Souls, 
john, 15.  and remember who it is, that said; You are not of the World, as I am not of the World, the world hateth you, because it hated me first, if you were of the world, the world would love you.  
Oh, blessed Sufferings! that makes us like to God himself, if we had the Wisdom of SALOMON, the Treasure of CRoeSVS, and the long life of METHUSALEM, and out of the favour and love of God, our Wisdom were Foolishness, for to know him, is perfect wisdom, our Riches were dross; for riches will not avail in the day of Wrath, and that life, so long and wickedly led, no better, than a man that dreams he is a King, honoured of all and wanting nothing, when waking, he finds himself hated of all, and wanting all things.   

III. Of the Peace of a good Conscience, and the joyful end of the Godly.  
SALOMON, having set himself to behold all things that were under the Sun, & having taken to himself, all that could be delightful, for what can he do more that cometh after the King, at last concludeth; 
Eccles. 2.  That all the days of Man, are sorrows, and his travails, grief; therefore saith he; I hated life, for all is Vanity and vexation of Spirit; and perceiving how apt men were, to follow what delights this world could afford them, scoffs at their folly, and by way of derision saith: Rejoice O young man in thy Youth, 
Eccles. 11  & let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes, yet would he not let them go on thus, but gives them an Jtem, saying; But know, that for all these things, God will bring thee to judgement, for though, saith he: A Sinner do evil an hundred times, and his days be prolonged; yet surely I know, that it shall be well with them, that fear God.  
These Caveats, the godly man placeth before his remembrance, lest he should fall into errors, and making his life of no value to him, he despiseth all things, only aiming at that, may make him happy, which is, a good Conscience, for that will bring him peace at the last; death being to a godly man, the ending of Sorrows, and the beginning of joys; he doth then begin to live with God, when he dies to the World, 
Eccles. ●.  as it is said in Ecclesiastes; Who so feareth the Lord, it shall go well with him at the last, and in the day of his Death, he shall be blessed.  
And St. JOHN, was commanded to Write: Blessed are the Dead, 
Revel. 14.  that die in the Lord, even so saith the Spirit; that they may rest from their labours, & their works follow them. How can that man be discouraged, that heareth this of the Lord, in the hour of his Death, when he findeth himself hasting thither, where he shall receive that, which he hath all his life-time desired.  
And Saint AUGUSTINS, speaking of the Death of a Good man, saith; He that desireth to be dissolved, & be with Christ, dyeth not Patiently, but liveth Patiently, and dyeth delightsomely, and it may be said; That like a Swan, he dyeth singing, yielding the glory to God which calleth him. With what joy, doth that Soul behold his end, who hath all his Life-time possessed a good Conscience, nothing fearful, can present itself before him, he sees all his sins, not of a Crimson die, but White as wool, washed by the blood of Christ; he beholds him, not as his judge, but his Saviour and Mediator, his judge is, his Brother, God in Christ is become his Father, he hath no debts to pay, Christ jesus on the Cross hath Canceled the hand writing that was against him, and hath not only made him free, but also an heir of the Kingdom of Heaven. The presence of Death, is not terrible to him, for he feareth not Death, because he feared GOD, and he that feareth him need fear none other: he feareth not Death, because he feared Life, but fear of Death, are the effects of an evil Life; he feareth not Death, because through all his life he learned to dye, and prepared himself to dye; but a man prepared and provident, need not fear his Enemy; he feareth not Death, because so long as he lived, he sought for those things that might help him, that is, for Virtues and good Works; he feareth not Death, because to a Righteous man, Death is not death, but a sleep, it is not Death, but an end of all labours, it is not Death but away unto life, and a Ladder unto Paradise; for he knoweth, that Death; hath lost all the bitterness of Death, after it hath passed through the veins of Life, and that it hath received the sweetness of life: he feareth not the presence of Devils, because he hath CHRIST his defender and Captain: he feareth not the horror of the grave, because he knoweth that his body is sown a corrup tible body, but shall rise again, in incorruptible body, often boasting in the strength he hath gained by Christ, saying with cheerfulness of spirit; O Death, where is thy sting? 
2. Cor. 15.  O Grave, where is thy victory? The strong man, death comes not upon him unawares; for he hath laid up in store for himself a good foundation against this time, 
1. Tim. 6.  which was to come, that he might lay hold on Eternal life.  
Even the breastplate of righteousness, 
Ephes. 5.  the shield of Faith, the Helmet of Salvation, and the Sword of the Spirit, having his loins girt about with verity, and his feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of Peace, what hope now hath his enemy of any advantage, though helped by the weakness of his own flesh: Death was ever expected, and therefore provided for: he always lived as in the presence of GOD, having a strict eye over all his actions, and though now Satan bend all his Forces against him, because he hath but a small time, before his siege must be raised, and therefore presents that before him which he dearest loved, his Wife, Children, Father, and Friends, with his whole Estate, Honour, Riches, Youth, Health, Strength, and Life itself, thereby thinking to shake his hold; for this subtle enemy knoweth, they are not lost without grief, which are possessed with Love; yet fails he of his purpose, for it is certain, he that in this life knoweth of fewest delights, lest of all other, feareth Death, so he having never prized them otherways then they were in themselves, parteth from them with the less trouble, yet weak nature struggling with him, may a little dazzle him, but calling to mind the Words of his Saviour, who saith: 
Mark. 10.  He that forsaketh Father, Mother, Wife, Children, house and lands, for my sake, shall receive an hundred fold, he gains strength, and with the greater joy his Soul answers? Oh sweet JESUS I shall I not willingly forgo all these, who for my sake, suffered the Viols of thy Father's wrath due to me for sin, to be poured out upon thee, and in thy body endured that, which I deserved? It was for my sake, thou wast borne in a Stable, and laid in a Cratch; for me, thou flying into Egypt, livedst seven years in banishment; for me, thou didst fast, thou didst watch, thou didst run hither & thither, thou didst sweat Water and Blood, thou didst Weep, and thou didst prove by experience, those miseries which my sins deserved; and yet thou wast without sin, neither was there guile found in thy mouth, neither hadst thou offended, but wast offended; for me, thou wast taken, forsaken of thine, denied, sold, beaten with fists, spit upon, mocked, whipped, crowned with Thorns, reviled with blasphemies, hanged upon the Cross, Dead, and Buried, thou wert not only forsaken of all external things, but also of the Divine comfort, as thy own Mouth testified, when thou cried'st out, My God, my God, 
Math. 27.  why baste thou forsaken me; Oh the height of Loved Oh the depth of unmeasurable humility! Oh the greatness of Mercy! Oh the bottomless Pit of incomprehensible Goodness: Oh Lord! if I be so greatly indebted to thee, because thou hast redeemed me, what do I not owe thee, for the manner by which thou hast redeemed me: thou hast redeemed me with most great dolours! with contumelies, and ignominies, not to be borne; insomuch, that thou wast made a reproach of men, and the scorn of the whole world; through thy reproaches, thou hast honoured me; through thy accusations, thou hast defended me; through thy blood, thou hast washed me; through thy death, thou hast raised me; and through thy tears, thou hast freed me, from everlasting weeping and gnashing of teeth: thine were the Wounds, that healed my sores: thine was the back, that bore my sorrows; thine was the prize, that quit my scores: thou assumedst my flesh, to redeem me here, and thou raignest as King, to crown me hereafter. Thus by those miserable Torments, thou didst free me from all evil; and shall I be unwilling to suffer the deprivation of a little happiness, and the enduring of a few pains to come unto thee, who hast thus dear purchased me for thyself: these Meditations so ravished his soul, that with aint PAUL he thinks himself in the third Heaven, he hath drunk so freely of the River of Paradise, one drop of which is greater than the Ocean, which alone is able to quench the thirst of the whole World, that he loatheth these puddle Waters, accounting all things but dross and dung in respect of Christ, all is to him in comparison, no more than the light of a Candle, is to the glorious beams of the Sun, he is now so fare from esteeming either them, or life, that he desires to be dissolved and be with Christ, he longs for the day of his dissolution, life being to him a Prison, and with often groans and sighs, cryoth, Come Lord Jesus, come quickly; and with DAVID he saith: O how I long to appear before GOD. If life were offered him, with all the pleasures thereof, he would despise it, for he is fitted for God, he is no man for the World, his Soul hath too exactly looked into the worth of it, to be deceived with all the glithering shows thereof, the which he finds to be vain and fleeting, and nothing permanent in this Life.   

FOUR Of the deferring of Repentance, how dangerous it is, and of the deceivableness of worldly Pleasures.  
HAving now seen the quiet Happiness, and happy Blessedness of the Godly, at the hour of his Death, me thinks it should encourage every man to prepare himself for his end in the time of Prosperity, lest when the time of changing shall come, they be found naked and bare, and so lie open to all the assaults and batteries of Satan, many there, be to whom the Day of judgement seems terrible, not remembering the day of their Death, which is the first judgement, the which whosoever passeth, on such the second shall have no power; as Saint JOHN saith in the Revelation: The deferring of Repentance proves dangerous. Yet some inreligious man will say; When I am come to old Age, I will run to the remedy of Repentance: Dare man's frailty presume thus much of himself, seeing he hath not one day of all his Life, in his own power, for though God hath promised Pardon to the Penitent; yet he hath not promised to morrow to a sinner: therefore, whilst it is called to day, 
Hebr. 5.  hear his voice and hearden not your hearts, lest you enter into temptation. Fellow the counsel of that Kingly Preacher, make no tarrying to turn unto the Lord; 
Eccles. 5.  and put not off from day to day, for soda nly shall his wrath come, and in the time of vengeance he shall destroy thee: beside, there is another evil; sin having no restraint, but free liberty, to run on in his own current; how dangerous doth it prove, and how hard is it to stop the course thereof, being once grown to a custom: Is it not usually known, that he that driveth a Nail into a Post, fasteneth it at the first stroke that he giveth it, but more firmly at the second stroke, but so fast at the third, that it can hardly be pulled out again; and the oftener he striketh it, the faster it sticketh, and is pulled out again, with the greater difficulty: So in every one of man's wicked actions, vice is driven deeply into their souls, as if it were with a Mallet, and there it sticketh so fast, that it can by no means be pulled forth, but by the bitter tears of Repentance, which are seldom and very hardly found; this same thing our Saviour shown in the raising of LAZARUS, being four days dead; whom he called forth, 
joh. 1.  with groaning of spirit: whereas he raised others that were dead, with fare easier tokens of difficulty; signifying to us thereby, how great a miracle it is, that God should convert one buried in the custom of sinning; yet, not considering these things, how doth time pass on, and what numberless sins are committed without fear to offend, or care to provoke him to anger; through whose Gates thou must enter, before whose feet thou must lie prostrate, will thou nill thou; whose mercy thou must sue and deplore; Thou art piunged in the Gulf of sin, he only must raise there? thou art wounded, he only can healt thee? thou art sick to the death, he only can give thee life? Oh then, fear to offend him! of whose help thou standest in need every moment, 
Isa. 30.  tremble to provoke him to anger, who hath for unrepentant sinness, prepared a deep and large pit, the Pillar thereof is fire and much wood, the breath of the Lord, like a stream of brimstone doth kindle it; beware of going on in delights, without remembering your end, lest you be like the Fishes, that sports themselves so long in the delightsome streams of the River Jordan; that unawares they plunge themselves in Mare mertuum, from whence there is no Redemption; many are the baits and snares, which are laid for man in this life, covered over with glittering wealth, and delightsome Pleasures, but bare these deceits, and cause them to appear in their own likeness, and thou shalt find this World to be a Casket of sorrows and grievances, a School of Vanity, a labyrinth of Errors, a dungeon of Darkness, a Marketplace of Cousonages, a way beset with Thiefs, a ditch full of mud, and a Sea continually tossed and troubled with storms and Tempests: what other thing is the world, but a barren Land, a field full of Thistles and Weeds, a Wood full of Thorns, a flourishing Garden, but bringing forth no fruit, a River of Tears, a Fountain of Cares, a sweet poison; A Tragedy pleasantly framed, a delightful Frenzy; the World's rest hath labour, the Security of it without ground, the fear of it is without cause, the Labour of it without fruit, the Tears without purpose, and the purposes without success, the Hope of it is vain, the joy feigned, and the Sorrow true, the Glory of this World, is but the singing of Sirens, sweet, but a deadly Potion, a Viper, artificially painted without, but within full of venomous poison: If the World fawn upon thee, it doth it that it may deceive thee; if it Exalt thee, it doth it that thy fall may be the greater; if it 〈◊〉 thee merry, it doth it that it afterwards with sorrow may break thy heart; it giveth all her goods with a mixture of incomparable heaviness and griefs, and that with the greatest usury: if a Son be borne to thee and soon after dye, thy sorrow will be seven fold greater than was thy joy, the thing lost, more afflicteth, then found joyeth; Sickness more excruciateth, than Health gladdeth; Injury more tormenteth, than Honour contenteth; to conclude, what good things are found in the World, which are not counterfeit, and what 〈◊〉 vill which are not 〈◊〉 deed; If these things he so indeed as they are, wherefore should man desire to stay any longer in this land of Egypt to gather stubble, who would not fly out of this Babylon, who would not desire to be delivered from this fire of Sodom and Gomorrah: seeing therefore, that the World is beset with so many snares, and that so many downfals and break-neckes are in the way, and the flame of Vices do so burn us, who at any time can be secure and safe, as the Wise man saith; 
Prov. 6.  Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his  not be burnt, or can a man go upon Coals, 
Eccles. 13.  and his feet not burnt; he that toucheth Pitch, shall be defiled with the same; estrange then thy mind from these icy Vanities; listen and thou shalt hear CHRIST, who seethe the danger thou art falling into, calling unto thee, that he may teach thee a way to prevent thy hurt, and saying; Behold, I stand at the door and knock, run and open to this Physician of thy Soul. O refuse him not, neither delay his entrance, for thou art sick, and he will give thee to drink of the water of Life, neither for money, nor by measure, but freely, and taking thy fill, without limitation, and freely too, being of his own Grace and Mercy.  
Can you then, knowing to whom you are to open; stand with delays; as I cannot yet, I will anon, but this I cannot yet, I will anon; is deferred so long, that this heavenly guest goeth away without a Lodging, by reason of which, he will hardly be brought again, without many tears: Oh than I be ready at the first knock to open; I mean the first good motion, so shall you receive a guest, whose company is sweeter, than the honey and the honey Combe; On heart! more hard than stone, that can refuse him; if considered who it is, it is CHRIST, the wellbeloved Son of his Father, it is he, in whom, God the Father is so well pleased, that all thy sins are forgiven, being covered with the robe of his Righteousness; it is he, that suffered Rebukes, Buffet, Scorn, Spitting on, and at the last, death; I, and that, the most cursedst death, even the death of the Cross, as it is written: Cursed are every one that hang on a Tree. 
Galat. 3.   
These things being so, have you not hearts harder than an Adamant, thus to oppose his entrance: Oh do not defer this purchase to the time to come, for one minute of this time (which now vainly slideth from thee) is more precious, than the Treasure of the whole world.  
Be like unto a wise Merchant, 
Math. 13.  that having found a precious Pearl, goes and sells all he hath to purchase it; what thing more precious than the Son of God, which here offereth himself unto thee? why art thou so slack in giving him entertainment, thinkest thou him not worthy, because thou beholdest him in his Humility, poor and despised, or doth thy flesh puff thee up with a conceit beyond thy merits, if it do, cast thy eyes upon thyself, and consider what thou wast before thou wast borne, what thou art now, being borne, and what thou shalt be after Death: before thou wast borne, thou wast filthy and obscene matter, not worthy to be named; now thou art dung, covered over with snow, and a while after thou shalt be meat for Worms: why then, shouldest thou be proud, seeing thy Nativity is sin, thy Life misery, and thy End putrefaction and corruption.  
Having considered thus with thyself, tell me if thou hast not the greater reason to open with the more celerity, 
Semel.  he of himself, being willing to pass by these thy Infirmities, wouldst thou not account that man most heathenish, who having a Friend, that had endured seven year's imprisonment to keep him from that bondage, & at the last paid his Ransom, at so dear a rate, as thereby his estate were for ever ruined, otherwise he himself to endure perpetual Slavery: if this man, I say, should come and knock at the door of his Friend desiring admittance, and acquainting him, with who it was, and he for this his love, should seem not to know him, but bid him be gone and bar the door against him; I know thou wouldst account him most inhuman and ungrateful, 
Isa. 5 3.  and yet how fare short comes this of CHRIST'S love and bounty to thee, for the chastisement of thy Peace, was laid upon him, and with his stripes thou wast healed.  
O wretched Soul! to lose such a Friend, Oh unhappy man! by this opposition, to deprive thy self of all Happiness: for what greater Happiness canst thou have, then to enjoy that Fatherly providence by which God preserveth his, what sweeter Delights, than the Divine Grace, the Light of wisdom, the consolations of the holy Ghost, the joy and Peace of a good Conscience, the good event of Hope, the true liberty of the Soul, the inward peace of the Heart, to be heard in Prayer, to be helped in Tribulations, to be provided for temporal necessities, and to be aided and to taste of Heavenly Comforts in death: whilst I seriously meditate upon these things, my Soul is as in a Rapture, me thinks I see CHRIST JESUS coming in the Clouds, with thousand of Angels about him, the Heavens and Earth flying away at his presence, millions of damned Souls, yelling and crying to the Rocks and Mountains, to fall upon them, and to cover them, from the fierceness of his sight; The Devils quaking and trembling expecting the denouncing of their Torments; and the joys the Godly have at that hour: For as it is a day of horror and terror to the Wicked, so is it a day of joy and gladness to the godly; for as the body of the one rests in the earth, without taste of those miseries it hath deserved; even so the Righteous, by this sleep of Death, is deprived of this blessedness in their body, until corruption hath put on incorruption, and mortality hath put on immortality; and that they are wakened by the sound of the Trumpet; which summoneth them to appear before CHRIST; when then their souls become again reunited to their bodies, and both with joy, beholds the face of God, not as their judge, for he is their Brother; and therefore can expect from him, nothing but mercy; he hath purchased them for himself, with no meaner a 〈◊〉 price, than his own precious blood; and there fore, must needs be to him acceptable, this is their year of jubilee, this is the Marriage of the Lamb, with him they enter, 
Revel. 21.  and he is their God, and they are his Sons; they now behold his face, and his Name is in their foreheads; They now, receive the fullness of their joy, 
Revel. 22.  they now, possess that happiness their Souls thirsted for; they now, enjoy the reward of all their labours: this blessedness truly considered on, affordeth more pleasures than the tongue of Man can utter, or his Soul remaining in the Prison of his flesh, is able to receive, without crying out with the Spouse in the Canticles: 
Cant. 2.  I am sick of Love. It is no marvel, that the Church cryeth; Come Lord JESUS, come quickly: for in this his coming, consisteth all happiness. Here is the final end of all miseries and sins; it only, prooveth the waters of Mara to the ungodly; it is terrible to none, but the unrepentant, even they who had their eyes sealed from beholding any other Happiness, than what tended to their pleasures; They which took to them the Timbrel and the Harp, and rejoiced in the sound of the Organs, they spend their days in wealth, and were of them that said: Speak no more to us in the name of the Lord; they said to God, depart from us, for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways. What is the Almighty, that we should serve him? and what profit shall we have, if we pray unto him? Now alas! but too late, they see their own follies; now without hope of redress, they behold their own miseries; no marvel, though the mentioning of the day of judgement, be terrible to such a man; who by his wickedness, deprives himself of all those Blessednesses; for ill will it prove, if the day of Death, be not always in his remembrance; which is the first judgement, and wherein he must stand either convicted, or acquitted; either condemned for his bad works, or justified for his good, whereof he can have little hope, unless he meet his judge in the way, and make his peace with him, whilst he may be found; yet, there is time to furnish thy lamp with Oil, yet the Gates of Mercy are not shut, yet thou mayest so cry, as thou mayest be satisfied with this gracious answer; Come ye blessed of my Father; Whereas, if thou defer thy Repentance from time to time, putting fare from thee the evil day, if thou do not expect the coming of thy Lord, but become drunken, and fall to smiting thy fellow Servants, if thou hide thy Talon in the Earth, which God in his goodness hath bestowed on thee to better uses: Thy Lord will come when he is not looked for, 
Math. 21.  and in a time when thou art not ware of, and cast thee into utter Darkness, where shall be wailing and gnashing of Teeth, giving thee a just hire for thy careless security: It is not thy pleasures, that can defer thy calamities; it is not the enlarging thy Barns, that can resist thy misery; the greatness of Friends will not avail; thy judge is blind to Bribery, and deaf to all but justice, if his wrath be not appeased before he come to give sentence, it will then be too late to expect mercy.   

V Comforts for the weak Christian; and to beware of Backesliding.  
OUR most subtle malicious Enemy retaining still the hatred he bore our first Parents at the beginning, seeketh to bring us into ever lasting Perdition, and so to gain us to himself by one means or other; to a man nouzeled in Sin, he useth no other ways, than the lulling him still the faster asleep in worldly pleasures; the Miser he persuadeth still to covet Riches, thereby making his Gold his God; by which means he filleth up the measure of Wrath against the day of judgement: the Adulterer he draweth on more easily, by the delightsomeness of the sin, telling him that stolen bread is sweet, 
Prov. 5.  and hid waters pleasant: the Proud man, he hath hud-wincked, not to think of time, but to account all loft, but what is spent in decking and setting himself forth in the Devil's Feathers: Thus all sins he lessens, that so he may cause man to defer his repentance till the last, than the which, there is nothing more dangerous: but when he meets a child in religion, who is glad to suck milk from the sweet paps of God's word, him he so to sceth & shaketh, with telling him of his own unworthiness, and the severity of God's justice, that the poor Soul is ready to leave his hold and to fall into desperation, not daring scarce to look up to God's Mercy; but if his weakness become strength and he be raised by Faith, than he strives to cause him to become weary and backward in well doing,  
Therefore, thou O man I that wouldst do the good thou dost not, but through the deceivableness. of thy flesh standeth loitering, and with salomon's fluggard cryeth; Yet a little sleep, a little slumber; a wake and behold CHRIST coming in the Clouds. Stand up and gird thyself like a man, lift up thy eye of Faith and behold thy Saviour, whose merits plead for thee? See him dying for thee, and thereby paying thy debts? See thy judge a just one, and therefore will not require that again, which Christ hath already satisfied, he hath beheld the thoughts of thine heart, and found thy desires, are to serve him concerning, the inward Man, and though thou didst fall into sins most offensive to the eyes of his Divine Majesty, yet he knows, that the evil thou didst hate, that thou didst: But it was a Law in thy Members that led thee captive to the Law of sin: 
Rom. 7.  then if as a Captive forced, it was no longer thou, but sin that dwelled in thee.  
Let the remembrances of these Mercies, waken thy Soul from the drowsiness of Sin, and remember who hath said: Awake, 
Ephes. 5.  thou that sleepest and arise from the Dead, and CHRIST shall give thee light? He calleth thee? He biddeth thee awake, let not these sweet calls, strike thee dead, 
Math. 20.  as his presence did the Keepers, who became astonished, and were as dead men; but rather let that voice be of as great power to thee, as it was to LAZARUS; not only to raise thee from the sleep, 
john. 11.  but also from the death of Sin. And be as ready to entertain this love as THOMAS was, who no sooner touched his Saviour, but cried out: 
john. 20.  My Lord, and my God: Neither deceive thyself, with a soothing conceit of what is not in thee; 
I●th. 7.  For, the Tree is known by the fruit; for men cannot gather Grapes of Thorns, nor Figs of Thistles: A good man, out of the good Treasure of his Heart, 
Math. 7.  bringeth forth good things, and an evil man, out of the evil Treasure of his heart, bringeth forth evil things; so that howsoever thou mayst seem to the World, yet as a shadow doth always follow the body, so fear and desperation will at all times, and in all places, wait upon an evil Conscience.  
Let not thy Faith be as a House built upon the Sands, which will shake with every blast of Temptations, or Afflictions, but found it upon the Rock CHRIST JESUS; against which, whatsoever beateth shall return with a greater repulse to itself, as not being able to move it; and having once attained this perfection, take heed of recoiling, for CHRIST saith; He that layeth hand upon the Plough and looketh back, is not meet for the Kingdom of Heaven. 
Luke. 9   
What though the way to Heaven be narrow, and full of Difficulties? Wilt thou not therefore, being entered, persevere? Who would wish or desire to walk in a way strewed with Roses, and planted with diverse fragrant Flowers, if the assured end of it be death; and who would refuse a rough and difficult path, that leadeth unto life; is it not commonly seen, that many men to attain to Preferment, run into most apparent dangers, and hazard the loss of their life; (nay I know thou wouldst do it thyself) and shall it be troublesome and grievous to thee, to do that for thy Soul, which thou refuseth not to do for thy Body? Shall it seem a great thing unto thee, to suffer a little trouble here, that hereafter thou mayst escape eternal torment? What would not the rich covetous man buried in Hell, willingly do, if he might have licence to come into the World again, that he might amend his errors? Is it meet that thou shouldest do less now, than he would do; seeing, that if thou dost persever in thy wickedness, the same torments remain for thee.  
He that runneth a Race leaveth not till he come to the Goal; So run as you may obtain: Remember LOT'S Wife, who looking back became a Pillar of Salt; so take heed, lest thou by looking back upon the vanities of this life, forget the care of thy Soul, commanded thee by God; & so of his child, become not a Pillar of Salt, but a child of Perdition; a man having much riches, is still covetous of more, and what wealth to be compared to the Soul? A thing so great in itself; that what gaineth he, that getteth the whole world, and looseth his Soul; even as great a purchase, as he, who having with much Labour and great charge, obtained a precious jewel, strait giveth it for a trifle.  
Nay, were it so, it were the less, for that were but the undoing of the body, this the loss of the Soul; that friends again may raise, this is a loss irrecoverable: Wherefore, think no pains wearisome, no labours irksome, nor any troubles grievous, to attain true happiness; For our light afflictions, 
2. Cor. 4.  which is but for a moment, worketh for us a fare more exceeding & eternal weight of Glory, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen, are Temporal, but the things which are not seen, are Eternal: wherefore setting all hindrances apart, with cheerfulness of spirit, take up the Cross of CHRIST, and encourage thy feeble spirit, with the saying of the Apostle PAUL: The troubles of this Life, are not comparable to the joys that shall be hereafter: 
2. Cor. 6.  having therefore these promises, cleanse yourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting Holiness in the fear of GOD.   

VI That Man ought to be won to follow Godliness, in respect of the Eternal Happiness.  
HAving now set before thee, 
Deut. 30.  Life and good. Death and evil: I desire thee, to choose Life, that both thou and thy seed mayest live, for having beheld, the deceiveableness of worldly pleasures, and how this momentany felicity is attended on, by sorrow and her Confederates, me thinks thou shouldest be weary of this house of Clay, situated in a Wilderness of miseries, which hourly produceth Monsters, that ravenously seeketh to pray on thy destruction: and withdrawing thy mind from these fleeting delights, elevate thy thoughts to Heaven, and contemplate with thyself, of those Celestial pleasures; note the beauty of the place, the gloriousness of the company, and the durableness of that Happiness, which is Eternity; for the beauty of this place, this Heavenly jerusalem, look into the Revelation, 
Revel. 21.  and thou shalt find; It hath the glory of GOD, the light thereof to be like a jasper stone, clear as Crystal; glorious must it needs be, when the Wall is of jasper, and the City of pure gold, clear like glass, and the Foundations of the Wall garnished with all manner of precious stones; the twelve Gates were twelve Pearls; every several gate, was of one pearl; 
Revel. 15  for the company, there are Angels, and Martyrs, with the four and twenty Elders, that offer up golden Vials full of odours, which are the Prayers of Saints; but, which is chief of all delights, there will be GOD himself who will be a Lookingglass to the eyes of his Elect, Music to their ears, Nectar and Ambrosia to their Palates, odoriferous Balsamum to their Smelling; There thou shalt see, the variety and beauty of the seasons, the pleasantness of the Spring, the brightness of Summer, the fruitfulness of Autumn, and the quiet of Winter, and there shall be whatsoever may delight thy senses, and every faculty of thy Soul; there will be, the fullness of light to thy understanding, the abundance of Peace to thy will, and the contitinuance of Eternity to thy memory; there, the Wisdom of SALOMON, shall seem ignorance; there, the beauty of ABSASOM shall seem deformity; there, the strength of SAMPSOM, shall seem weakness; there, the long life of METHUSALEM, shall seem a span; there, the Riches of CRoeSVS, shall seem dross: for there, thou mayst worthily call the treasures of all Emperors and Kings, stark poverty and beggary.  
These things being thus? Why shouldest thou OH man! delight to beg, and live of Alms, when thou shalt find such abundance in Heaven, look upon thyself and consider, how the Lord hath bestowed upon thee a countenance of Majesty, with thy face erected towards Heaven, and thy eyelids to move upwards, thereby to teach thee, that thou wert not form, to spend thy days in the moiling cares of this troublesome world, but to aspire to that true Happiness, that maketh all the other Misery.  
Mark the Seaman's Needle, whose nature of that Iron is, that in what part it hath touched the Loadstone, that part always looketh towards the North, and remaineth unsettled, till it hath found the Pole: even so hath God created Man, and hath infused into him a natural inclination and readiness, that he should always look to his Maker, as to the Pole and only true happiness.  
When the Children of Jsrael in the Wilderness, were stung by fiery Serpents, none could live, but those, that looked up to that brazen Serpent, which MOSES erected; so no man being stung by those fiery Serpents of sin, can live; but those, that by the eye of Faith look up to CHRIST JESUS, beholding him, dying upon the Cross, and applying his death and merits, to their otherwise deadlywounded Soul, whereby that Ulcer is cured and they assured of life.  
After ADAM had sinned in eating the forbidden fruit, 
Gen. 3.  GOD sent him to Till the Earth, out of which he was taken; but the soul of man was infused into him by the breath of God; 
Gen. 2.  let therefore the cogitations of thy heart and Soul be turned towards him, from whence it had the being, seeing, as saith Saint AUGUSTINE: There is nothing more blessed, than this life, where there is no fear of Poverty, no infirmity of Sickness, no deceits of the Devil, neither Death of body or Soul, but, a pleasant life through the gift of Immortality, than there shall be no mischiefs, no discords, but all agreement; because there shall be one concord, of all the Saints, peace and joy embrace all things.  
What is it, that thou canst desire here upon Earth, that thou shalt not there freely possess? If thou defirest pleasures, lift up thy heart and see how delightful that Good is, that containeth in it, the delight and pleasure of all good things? If this life created doth please thee, how much more shall that life please thee, which hath created all things? If health given make thee merry, how much more shall he make thee merry, that giveth all health? If the knowledge of the Creatures be sweet, how much more sweeter shall the Creator himself be? if beauty be acceptable unto thee, it is he, at whose beauty, the Sun and Moon admire; the glory of which, was so great, that when MOSES went up to the Mount, though he saw but the hinder part thereof, his Face became so bright and shining, that the Israelites could not behold him; what should I stand longer to set forth the beauty of that, which if I had the tongue of Men and Angels, I could not do; for as the Apostle faith; 
1. Cor. 2.  Eye hath not seen, Ear hath not heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of Man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.  
Wilt thou then choose with the Prodigal Son, to eat Husks with the Swine, rather than to return home to thy Heavenly Father, will not all these delights move thee, nor cause thee to desire it; it may be thou art timorous, knowing thy own unworthiness; but be encouraged by the words of thy Saviour, who seeing thy faint heartedness, saith: Fear not little flock, 
Luke. 15.  for it is your father's pleasure to give you a Kingdom. Thou art one of the flock, and this Kingdom is prepared for thee; why dost thou not long to take possession of thy own, pu chased for thee by CHRIST, who though he be thy Elder brother; yet thou shalt be co-heyre with him, whose love, thou mayst see expressed, by his infinite care; for in his Prayer to his Father for his Disciples, he remembered thee, when he said, I pray not for these alone, 
john. 117.  but for those that shall believe on me, that they may all be one as thou Father art in me, and I in thee, and the glory which thou hast given me, I have given them, that they may be one even as we are one, I will also, that those thou hast given me, be with me.  
Canst thou now have any doubts or waver in thy Mind? Repair unto him, and in true humility of Soul confess thyself unto him, and say; Father I have sinned against Heaven and against thee, and I am no more worthy to be called thy Son: This done, doubt not but he will embrace thee in the Arms of his Mercy, the Ring and Robe shall be brought, and the fatted Calf shall be killed: for there is more joy in Heaven, over one sinner that repenteth, than of ninety and nine just persons: It is a place prepared for thee, before the Foundations of the World were laid. O happy Soul! that art made possessor of this blessedness! How art thou able to behold any thing in this life, with true contentment, having seriously beheld this; though thou didst daily suffer torments, if for a long time thou didst endure Hell itself, so that at the length thou mightest see CHRIST in his glory, and enjoy this blessedness, and have society with the Saints; were it not worthy all Sufferings? All Bitterness? and all Crosses, that thou mightest be partaker of all this good. At last, what though the world account not of thee, but deride thee for thy virtuous living? Remember ELIZEUS the Prophet of the Lord, who was mocked and called Bald-head, in contempt; Resolve with thyself, no sooner to enter into the path of Godliness, but such is the maliciousness of thy Mortal Enemy, that he will set his members in the way against thee; that if it be possible, they may hinder thy proceed, and turn thee back again into the broad way of Errors, that leadeth to destruction.  
No sooner did SAUL Prophesy, but the wicked and the men of BELIAL, had him in derision, who better affected, than PAUL the Apostle, whilst he remained a Persecutor of CHRIST in his members, and carried with him the authority of the High Priests, to strengthen his proceed; but no sooner was he converted, but how many enemies had he, which straight sought his destruction, hailing him to Prisons, to Scourging, and to Stoning to death. Yet so fare were they from being disheartened by this, as that they rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer for the name of CHRIST.  
When we enter into Baptism, we profess to become CHRIST'S soldiers, and to fight under his banner; and is it the part of a Soldier, to fly at the first onset, he that endureth to the end, gaineth not only the honour, but the reward; nay, the fiercer the assault is, the more we ought to oppose ourselves against it, and though through the roughness of the encounter, we may think we have the worst, yet if with patience we strive to persever, our Captain CHRIST JESUS will be at hand to help us, for careful is he of his own, as his own mouth testifieth; when he saith, to his Father, All thou hast given me, I have kept, and none of them is lost. Let all these proofs arm thy mind, to be resolute in going on in goodness, till thou attain the end where thou shalt gain the reward of thy abours, and take with theel, the Counsel of the Philosopher HERMES, who saith, It is better, to suffer shame for virtuous dealing, then to win honour by vicious living.  
When SALOMON had builded the Teinple and sanctified it, none might enter into Sanctum Sanctorum, the holiest of all, but the Priest only. So none can enter into this Kingdom, which is the true Sanctum Sanctorum; but those who have by a Religious course of life, put off the vanities of this world, and clothed themselves with the Robe of CHRIST'S Righteousness, whereby they are Consecrated & made fit to enter.  
When the Children of Jsraell were in the Wilderness, they were commanded every day to gather. Manna, but on the Sabbath they that went to gather, found none for that they were on the Even to provide for that day: so fail not thou every day of thy life, to gather this Manna, the food of thy soul, and to lay up in store against this day of thy rest, lest when thou hopest to find, thou become frustrate, and so thy soul starve with want thereof, feed not thyself with hopes of entertainment, unless thou have furnished thyself with the wedding garment, neither think to pass with one that is counterfeit, though never so near the colour; for if it be not found the right one, thou shalt be taken and bound hand and foot, and cast into utter darkness; therefore it is that the Apostle saith, Examine yourselves whither ye be in the Faith, 
2. Cor. 13.  prove yourselves.  
There are many, nay most that understanding the infinitnesee of the happiness of this place, that with BALAAM will desire to dye the death of the Righteous, 
Numb. 33  but they will not live the life of the Righteous: because they exempt themselves from many things, in the which the wicked place their whole felicity, they accounting this world their Heaven, shall therefore find none other hereafter, as in the parable, Abraham said to the rich man in Hell; Son remember that thou in thy life-time, received thy good things; they were his, becausein them consisted all his happiness: therefore possessing of them here, he could not expect a future: For as the Apostle saith, Be not deceived, God is not mocked, for what a man soweth, that shall he reap; for he that soweth to the flesh, shall of the flesh reap corruption: but he that soweth to the spirit, shall of the spirit, reap life everlasting. For true blessedness, consisteth not in meat or drink, or in richness of apparel, but in Righteousness and Peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.  
A man who hath been long kept from his father and mother, wife or children, by imprisonment, being once at liberty, and entered on his lourney toward them, regardeth not neither the length of the way, the wearisomeness of his own steps, nor the dangerousness of the places he is to pass, but goeth on with cheerfulness and long, till he attain the end, and as a spur to whet on his speed, placeth before the eye of his remembrance the sweet content he shall find at meeting, can these earthly delights cause a man to undergo so many difficulties, and shall not the delights which God hath prepared for his and whereof I have given thee a glimpse, cause thee with much more fervency, to long to attain to this place of happiness, and setting a part all hindrances whatsoever, six thy eye of Faith upon those unspeakable pleasures which thy soul shall then gain, & in joy when thou shalt meet with God thy Father, Christ jesus thy Brother and Saviour, who hath by the infiniteness of his love espoused thee unto himself; and made the possessor of Heaven, where thou shalt as saith Saint AUGUST. embrace a certain embracing above all embrace.  
Thou shalt find a sweetness above all sweetness, thou shalt see alight above all lights, thou shalt smell a savour above all savours, most delectable, thou shalt hear a voice above all voices for rareness, for that voice doth sound where no air doth move it, this light doth shine, where no place doth receive it, this savour doth smell where no blast doth carry it, and this embrace is there touched, where it is not sundered; to conclude if thou desirest to enjoy all blessedness, and to escape all kind of punishments, tribulations, and miseries, there thou shalt find liberty & freedom from them all. The God of our Lord JESUS CHRIST, the Father of Glory, give unto us, the spirit of wisdom & knowledge of him, that the eyes of our understanding being enlightened, we may know, what is the hope of his calling, and what the Riches of the Glory of the inheritance of his Saints, Amen.    

Of our loss by ADAM, and our gain by CHRIST; The first Adam was made a living Soul, the second Adam a quickening Spirit; For as in ADAM we all die, so in CHRIST, shall all be made alive. 1. Corinth. 15.  

GOD by his Wisedame,  
and allseeing Power  
Ordained Man  
unto Eternity,  
Satan through malice,  
turns that sweet to sour,  
Man eating the forbidden Fruit  
must Die:  
No remedy was left  
to scape this Curse,  
The sore still looked on  
became the worse.   

He out of that delightsome  
place is thrown  
To travel in the World  
with woe distressed,  
Through all his life  
a Pilgrim he is known,  
With Cares and Sorrows,  
and with griefs oppressed:  
The more he looks  
into his wretched state,  
The more he rues his fact  
but all too late.   

Whereas he was  
created King of all  
The Creatures  
God on Earth created had,  
His Glory bated is  
by this his Fall,  
No creature now on Earth  
remains so bad:  
The senseless Beast  
the sense of this hath found,  
And having Man possessed  
with death doth wound.   

The Earth disdains  
to yield to him her strength  
But pricking Thorns  
and Brambles forth doth send,  
Till with his sweat  
and labours she at length  
Only for sustenance  
some food doth lend:  
Thus he that was  
a heavenly Creature formed,  
By disobedience  
to a wretch is turned.   

Of all the Trees  
that in the Garden grew,  
He only was forbidden  
that alone,  
His Wife from that obedience  
soon him drew,  
And taste thereof  
he did although but one:  
O wretched man!  
what hast thou lost hereby  
Wicked woman  
to cause thy husband dye.   

'tis not saying,  
the Serpent thee deceived,  
That can excuse the fault  
thou didst commit;  
For of all joys  
thou hast thyself bereaved,  
And by thy Conscience  
thou dost stand convict.  
Thy husband not alone  
the fault must rue,  
A punishment for sin  
to thee is due.   

For as thou now conceives  
thy seed in sin,  
So in great sorrow  
thou must bring it forth,  
The gain which thou  
by that same fruit didst win,  
Thou now dost find  
to be but little worth:  
Obedience to thy Husband  
yield thou must,  
And both must Die  
and turned be to Dust.   

The Truth sometimes  
is used by the Devil  
When as he said,  
Your eyes, should opened be,  
And that you should  
discern the good from evil,  
When you the Fruit had tasted  
of that tree:  
But he told not  
your actions, should be sin,  
And Death should be the good  
which you should win.   

For now your strength  
to weakness turned is,  
You know the Good  
but have no power to chuseed,  
Your eyes is , to see  
your own amiss,  
And to behold the bliss  
you have refused:  
You see your nakedness  
made vild by Sin,  
And now seeks for a place  
to hide you in.   

But O alas!  
your deeds discovered are,  
You naked lie  
to those allseeing eyes,  
He views your actions  
and doth see you bare,  
Bare of all Goodness,  
vild deformities:  
And in yourselves  
you have no power to mend,  
For all your strength, is sin  
Satan doth lend.   

Now seizes on your sickness  
Griefs and Fears,  
Which night and day  
with trouble will torment;  
Your sweet Delights,  
are turned all to tears,  
And now what you have done,  
with woerepent!  
Nothing but Griefs and Fears  
and sad annoys,  
You now possess,  
in stead of endless joys.   

You were immortal,  
but are mortal made;  
You were created pure,  
but now are vild;  
Your splendent Glories  
turned all to shade,  
Your Innocence  
the Devil hath beguiled:  
You were created  
Children of the Lord,  
But now are loathsome Dung,  
to be abhorred.   

Which way, can you  
recover this your loss?  
What friend have you,  
that will this great debt pay?  
Can you gain, pure gold  
from filthy dross?  
Or have you power  
to call again that Day;  
No, you are in  
a labyrinth of woe,  
And endless is the maze  
in which you go.   

Yet courage Woman,  
whose weak spirit's dead,  
GOD in his love  
a help for thee hath found,  
Be sure thy Seed  
shall bruise the Serpent's head,  
CHRIST by his Death  
shall Satan deadly wound:  
This Lion of judea  
resist who can,  
In him is blessed  
the whole Offspring of man.   

This Promise in due time  
fulfilled hath GOD,  
Unto the comfort  
of each mortal weight;  
CHRIST pays our Debt  
he's beaten with that rod  
That doth belong  
unto our Souls of right:  
His Father's wrath  
was poured upon him,  
Which doth belong  
as due to us for Sinne.   

He died upon the Cross  
and conquered Death.  
That though we die  
yet live again we must,  
He buried was  
and risen is from Earth,  
And reigns with God  
in Heaven amongst the Just:  
With him, our Souls and Bodies  
raised hath he,  
And from death's thraldom  
now, hath set us free:   

This causeth Satan  
stir himself amain,  
To see, if he can win  
what he hath lost:  
He strives to make  
our overthrow his gain.  
He stormeth now,  
that he, by CHRIST is crossed:  
And to his aid,  
he all his forces draws,  
That he may cause us  
to obey his Laws.   

Whole Armies of his Furies  
forth he sends,  
In shape transformed,  
to delude our minds;  
And unto them  
his greatest force he lends,  
To seize, where fittest  
for his turn he finds:  
He marks, to what men  
are by nature given,  
And unto that,  
he turns his Compass even.   

Satan's deceits  
are covered, all with smiles.  
That sin seems pleasing,  
which our Souls destroys,  
With acquaint allurements,  
he man still beguiles.  
With sweet delights  
he breeds Man's sad annoys,  
He imitates a Poison  
rarely framed,  
But once being taken  
all the life blood's stained.   

Old and crafty  
is our Enemy grown,  
He knows all Fish  
at one bait will not bite,  
he'll try a thousand ways  
to gain his own,  
He will not leave  
till he the mark hits right.  
Some with Drunkenness,  
Murders, Lust beside,  
Others with Idleness,  
exessive Pride.   

BACCHUS that drunken God  
from Hell comes forth,  
And reeling here and there  
few escapes his knocks,  
Who shuns his blows  
esteemed are of no worth,  
One Drunkard at another's  
weakness mocks:  
What ISAIAH saith,  
thereon they never think;  
Woe be to them!  
are strong to pw'r in drink.   

GOD, in his love  
formed all things for man's use,  
That for his Comfort  
they might daily be,  
But they prove poison  
through man's vild abuse,  
Sin changeth all  
into deformity:  
PAUL for man's health,  
to drink Wine doth advise.  
But through excess,  
both Soul and Body dies.   

Man, by this Sin  
more vile is, than a Beast;  
For but sufficient,  
they will never take,  
Man's senses fails him  
sins are still increased,  
He tracing vices,  
doth all good forsake:  
In Drunkenness,  
LOT doth to Incest fall,  
NOAN in his Wine,  
his secrets shows to all   

Then Lust, and Murder  
hands together take,  
Like full fed Beasts,  
they neigh at neighbour's wife,  
Stolen bread is sweet,  
hid water their thirsts slake,  
They fall to Murder,  
through discord and strife.  
For when man's reason fails,  
to guide his will;  
He into mischief,  
runneth headlong still.   

Most people takes  
Idleness, for no sin:  
Thus in Simplicity,  
Satan deludes,  
That precious time is lost,  
that Grace might win.  
And want of action,  
many sins includes:  
That mind, which unto  
Idleness gives way,  
Doth open lie  
to be the Devil's prey.   

When DAVID unto ease  
himself had given,  
His eyes extravagantly  
look about,  
VRIAH's wife he spyeth  
in the Even,  
He must, and did enjoy her  
without doubt:  
Satan by this his fall  
more strength doth gain,  
For DAVID bids  
VRIAH should be slain.  
Thus by one means or other  
Satan snares  
Man's soul in Sin,  
and hoodwinked tills him on;  
His cup of Gold  
is filled up with tears  
A bitter pittance  
to their sweets belong:  
Pride, in itself  
doth bear a poisoned breath,  
No Sin so small  
but punished is with Death.   

That sin's's thought least  
that's spent in trimming fine  
That Carcase vild,  
on which the Worms must pray,  
They think not how  
their hungry Soul doth pine,  
They count not  
of their reckoning at last day.  
But time of Grace, once lost,  
is without call,  
So headlong to destruction  
they do fall.   

Pride, of all other  
sembleth most the Devil?  
'Twas Pride, threw Satan  
down from Heaven to Hell:  
'Twas Pride, that Author was  
of all man's evil:  
'Twas Pride, made EVE  
desire still to excel;  
When Satan said,  
as Gods, you then shall be;  
Incontinent, she tasted  
of that Tree.  
This Lep'rous sin,  
infected so the blood,  
That through her offspring,  
it hath who lie run;  
Before the child can know,  
the bad from good;  
It strait is proud,  
Nature, this hure hath done.  
A female sin,  
it counted was to be,  
But now Hermaphrodite,  
proved is she.   

Like JUDAS, Satan  
with each mortal deals,  
His hail, is Hate,  
his flattering kiss, is death,  
He every where  
still watching, creeping steals,  
With armed troops  
to stifle his soul's breath:  
His Siren's songs,  
man's mortal Death intends,  
And he must Die  
that thereto his care lends.   

As a Physician  
with his Patient still  
Applies his potion  
as he finds it fit;  
Giving to some, more strong  
because their ill  
Disposed body,  
oft requireth it:  
Even so, doth Satan  
with each Creature deal,  
But his is meant for death  
and not to heal.  
Nature and Satan,  
are sworn Brothers still,  
For neither of them  
moveth man to good;  
By Nature, we incline  
to all that's ill,  
Which runneth through  
our body with our blood:  
And by our Nature  
oft he us assails,  
And through our weakness  
he oft times prevails.   

He, by our Nature sees  
to what we bend,  
Whether to goodness  
or to mischiefs run;  
And if he sinned man aim  
at the best end,  
Then strives he for to mar  
all he hath done,  
And by a pride of Goodness  
makes him be,  
Towards his God,  
like the proud Pharisie.   

The blessings, God to man  
doth often give,  
As beauty, health, riches,  
honours and fame,  
That he, in thankfulness  
for them shouldst live,  
Still using them  
to glorify his Name:  
Satan transeformeth  
all this unto sin,  
Through vild abuse,  
or confidence therein.  
This thing, the Scripture  
evidently shows,  
By Davids' numbering  
of Israel,  
Whereby he thought  
more trust for to repose  
In his great army,  
this to sin befell:  
And drawing on  
God's judgement for the same,  
A heavy plague  
he on his Realine did gain.   

There is a sin, on which  
small count is made,  
And that is Disobedience;  
for which sin,  
SAMVEL the Prophet  
unto SAUL once said;  
From being King  
God had rejected him:  
When as he AMELECK  
all should have slain,  
Satan moved him  
to let the best remain.   

This sin, so great  
in God's pure sight doth seem,  
As that the Prophet  
plainly doth him tell:  
The Lord, no better  
of it doth esteem;  
Then, of vild Witchcraft  
which in Israel,  
The Lord commanded  
banished quite to be;  
This, like to that  
and to Idolatry.  
This only sin  
on all Mankind did draw,  
God's heavy wrath,  
for this, we suffer still.  
By ADAM'S breaking  
Gods commanded Law;  
Sin with a poisoned dart  
our souls did kill:  
For through the breach thereof  
there entered death,  
For so 'twas sentenced  
by Gods own breath.   

O this same sin,  
as an accusing one  
On all occasions  
still it guilty saith:  
Fulfil God's Law, who did  
ne'er yet, was known,  
But CHRIST who came  
for to appease God's wrath:  
Then by his Law  
we all convicted stand,  
And hourly may  
look for God's wrath at hand.   

Deferring off Repentance  
is a bait  
So closely laid  
by that old Enemy,  
That sew doth dive  
the depth of his deceit,  
But unprovided  
many men do die:  
He bids them on the good thief  
their eyes cast,  
Who never did, repent him  
till the last.  
O sly, deceitful  
cruel enemy,  
How deadly, is thy hatred  
to us all  
Thou EHUD like  
hides that will cause us dye,  
And sith thou fellest  
thou aim'st still at our fall:  
In Paradise the Tree  
death did us give,  
But by the Tree  
in Golgotha, we live.   

From a decline in goodness  
let each Soul,  
With heedful care  
still study to beware;  
Lest in the end  
for it he doth condole,  
When as his foot  
is fettered in the snare:  
Who once his hand  
upon the Plough doth lay,  
Must by no means  
look back another way.   

Easie it is, to plunge  
ourselves in sin,  
But, O alas!  
hard to get forth again;  
If by our faults  
our Souls be black with in,  
We then shall find  
all his delusions vain;  
His voice of peace  
all peace doth from us take,  
Then shun that herb  
where under lies the Snake.  
Man aught at all times  
have a careful eye;  
For many are the Snares  
which Satan lays:  
When lest he thinketh on  
to cause him dye,  
He hides the bait  
the which man's soul betrays:  
Of ease and pleasures  
he will always tell,  
But his smooth path  
the broad way is to Hell.   

Who on this Panther's skin  
doth gazing stand,  
Had need beware  
who lies in wait to catch,  
Who holds a Wolf by th'ears  
but with one hand,  
Must with the other  
muzzle up his chaps:  
If better thou dost get  
leave not off so,  
But of all means to hurt,  
deprive thy Foe.   

That man, the which  
his Enemy foiled hath,  
Must strait unarm him  
lest he gather strength;  
BENHADADS' servants  
after AHABS' wrath,  
With feigned words  
did come to him at length  
And from his kindness  
they advantage draw,  
For he, that feared to dye  
now made a Law.  
By his Example  
let us warned be,  
God's Prophet unto AHAB  
strait doth come,  
And said, Because from death  
thou didst him free,  
Be sure thy life shall stand  
in his life's room.  
Leave thou not Satan,  
till thou seest him dead,  
And JABL like,  
kill SISERA in the head.   

He aims not at thy slips,  
but overthrow;  
Small hurts content him not,  
he life would spill:  
With slight advantages,  
he will not go:  
When thou securest art,  
he waits to kill:  
And JOAS like  
of thy health he'll inquire,  
But 'tis not life,  
but death he doth desire.   

Can this old Serpent,  
this deceiving Devil,  
Get in his head,  
then follow shall his tail,  
If man but yield a little,  
unto evil,  
Sin will increase,  
though creeping like a Snail.  
And if unto a Custom,  
it doth come,  
He feels it not,  
his soul is now grown num.  
All Satan baits,  
are glittering to the eye,  
He leads man on,  
in a delight some train:  
Till death arrests them,  
saying thou must dye,  
And then he lets them see  
all was but vain:  
Then in the vgli'st form  
he shows them all,  
That into Desperation  
man may fall.   

Now having such a strong  
and powerful foe,  
What need hath Man  
with heedful care to watch,  
Lest on a sudden  
he from hence do go,  
For Death as well  
doth lie in wait to catch:  
Who proves a welcome guest  
to a good man,  
For unprovided, come  
he never can.   

Death's ghastly looks  
to a gtod man seems sweet,  
Who still prepared hath  
for that his end,  
As ESAY JACOB, did  
embracing meet,  
So doth he death  
accounting him his friend:  
If tears do fall  
they are not shed through fears  
For joy he's come  
forceth from him those tears.  
Can he expect Death  
Enemy to be,  
Who by his Present  
hath his force allayed:  
He sent before good works,  
much Charity,  
Blessings of Orphans  
which for him have prayed:  
His sighs and tears,  
appeased hath his King,  
And this supposed Foe  
glad news doth bring.   

Death is our guide  
unto Eternal bliss,  
Portall of Heaven,  
by which we enter must,  
The Ladder reaching  
a true happiness,  
Which bringeth man  
to live amongst the Just:  
By him we come  
Gods glorious face to see,  
From which by life  
deprined we still shall be.   

Our flesh a prison is  
unto our soul,  
Which doth deprive it  
of that heavenly light;  
With spiritual groans & sighs  
it doth condole,  
Till it attain  
unto that wished sight:  
Death is the key  
unlocks our misery;  
Loseth our bonds  
and gives us liberty.  
Death's fangs are pared  
his bitter potions sweet,  
His edge abaited  
all his hurt is done,  
A godly man  
most kindly he doth meet,  
And of a Foe  
he is a Friend become:  
His stroke is like  
the striking of a vein,  
By which small smart  
sick men their health do gain:   

Death is the ending  
of our days, not life,  
For having closed these eyes  
we wake to live,  
Death having finished  
once this mortal strife,  
Our Faith in CHRIST  
new life to us doth give:  
Our Night is passed  
our Day star doth appear,  
Our Cloud is vanished  
and our Morn shines clear.   

Now ends all sorrows,  
now all griefs are done,  
Sin takes his leave  
and weakness hath his end;  
And now behold  
our jubilee is come,  
The Harvest of our labours  
we attend:  
Death's potion only  
bitter is in show,  
The taste once past  
no operation so.  
Man's Glass once run  
his flower of Life once dead,  
That vapour vanished  
and that span once grasped,  
His breath once failing  
all his bodies Led,  
In senseless, coldness  
all his parts are clasped:  
He came from earth,  
earth houseroom now him gives.  
His spirit from God  
with God for ever lives.   

The carnal wicked  
worldly minded men,  
Who in this life  
their whole content have placed  
Doth tremble, when Death  
mentioned is to them,  
Because by him  
all joys from them are chased:  
Their ease and pleasures  
changed quite will be,  
All mirth is dashed  
by present misery.   

The sight of him  
unto their minds do bring  
Remembrance of their sins  
they slightly passed,  
The which with woe  
their souls do sorely sting:  
For that they see  
the count called on at last:  
Which sure on earth  
a hell may deemed be,  
When without mercy  
man his sin's death see.  
Those men which only  
to delights are given,  
At the approach of death  
doth fear and quake,  
What earth afforded  
they accounted heaven,  
And now perforce  
they must those joys forsake,  
God's blessings they  
most vildly have abused,  
And proffered time of Grace,  
they have refused.   

And now those words  
which ABRAHAM did say,  
To DIVES, when for water  
he did call;  
He finds too true  
whose smarts without allay,  
His Sorrows fare more better  
are then gall:  
His good things only  
were upon this Earth,  
But life and them, are parted  
quite by death.   

Terrors and fears  
must needs their souls affright,  
When guilty Conscience  
shows God's angry eye,  
O how they tremble!  
to approach that sight,  
To whom their sin  
will out for vengeance cry;  
He who on earth  
to grieve, they did not fear,  
Will give a sentence  
which their Souls will tear.  
O how man's sins  
that mild aspect doth change,  
He, which for man did bleed  
doth man condemn,  
If by their sins  
from the right path they range,  
Wanting their guide  
dangers approacheth them:  
The Wolf once seizing  
'tis in vain to fly,  
Their Shepherd hears not  
bootless 'tis to cry.   

Alas, who would this world  
as ought esteem,  
If truly he consider  
every thing,  
Those pleasures which to man  
most happy seem,  
Doth soon fade  
and gone they leave a sting:  
Man upon Earth  
no sure abiding hath,  
Then fear betime  
before thou feel God's wrath.   

BELSHAZAR when he was  
carrousing set,  
Amongst his Princes  
in his royal Throne;  
A writing turns  
those fair delights to jet,  
A hand then showed  
makes bone encounter bone,  
He fearful sits  
whilst thus it doth indite,  
thou'rt weighed in balance  
and art found too light,  
Man's life's a scene  
and tragic ke woe' succeed,  
A Comet always  
future harms foretell,  
The happiest life  
by death is made to bleed,  
If unprepared he die  
he goes to hell:  
The gate is shut,  
and they must take their lot,  
For 'twill be answered;  
lo, I know you not.   

Unto a thorney field  
and barren land,  
How fitly may man's life  
compared be,  
What cares, what fears,  
what griefs, are still at hand,  
And for one joy  
ten discontents we see:  
We always walk  
as on a bridge of glass,  
And oft it cracks  
as over it we pass.   

Still barren is this world  
of true content,  
Fruitful enough  
in procreating wees,  
Thorny afflictions  
towards us are bend,  
But certain joys  
still backwards from us goes:  
Who thinks to catch them  
doth a shadow chase,  
And like IXION  
doth a cloud embrace  
Then why should man  
thus waste his precious time  
And triflingly let slip  
his golden days;  
O! turn to God,  
whilst thou art in thy prime  
And put not off  
repentance with delays:  
For when death comes  
it then will be too late,  
By tears or vows  
for to prorogue thy state.   

Boast not of youth, or honour's  
wealth, or strength,  
Who trusts to them  
upon a reed doth lean,  
The which be sure  
deceive thee will at length.  
Then strive from these vain  
thyself to wean,  
And fill thy Lamp with oil thoughts  
whilst thou hast space,  
Lest afterward too late  
thou call for grace.   

Break off thy sins  
by true repentant tears,  
And turn to God  
whilst it is called to day,  
And rest assured  
he their prayers hears,  
That unto him  
uncessantly do pray;  
For to encourage thee,  
he this did say,  
Who comes to me  
I will not cast away.  
Is not man's life  
compared unto a flower,  
And, O how soon! alas,  
the same doth fade and dye,  
Then let man live  
prepared (each day and hour)  
Lest unawares  
the force of death he try:  
And bear this saying  
always in thy mind;  
As death, thee leaves  
so judgement will thee find.   

And as the Flower  
in the chiefest prime,  
Doth fade and dye  
when Sun his face doth hide,  
For 'tis not in the earth's  
vast slippery clime,  
An ever fading being  
to provide:  
No more can strength  
or skill prevail at all,  
To lengthen life  
when God by death doth call.   

And as the spring  
the water forth doth put,  
And by the earth drunk up  
no more is seen,  
So when by death  
our third of life is cut,  
On earth we are  
as we had never been:  
Then whilst we live  
let's strive to purchase Grace,  
That after Death  
in Heaven we may have place.  
Alas! how many are  
the snares and baits,  
Which Satan lays,  
our poor souls to betray,  
HYENA like,  
he murders by deceits,  
Through false delights  
to cause us miss our way,  
His Mermaid's Songs  
are only sweet in sound,  
Approach them not,  
lest Death thy life doth wound.   

Therefore the safest way  
unto our bliss,  
Is meditation  
of our certain Death  
And though we tread  
the steps of carefulness,  
And all our life  
in sorrow draw our breath,  
The guerdon of our pains  
our CHRIST will give  
In causing us  
eternally to live.   

Thus by a godly  
and an upright life,  
Man of a deadly foe  
may make a friend  
And by a wise provision  
stint that strife,  
Which Satan laid  
to bring us to our end:  
And though our flesh  
prove false, our God is Just,  
By death our soul  
gains heaven, our body dust.  
Be ever vigilant  
in all thy ways,  
And always live  
as in the sight of God,  
Perform good actions  
and use no delays,  
Then fear not Death  
it brings with it no rod:  
With care attend  
that sure uncertainty,  
And live, as every hour  
thou shouldest dye.   

This watchful care  
wounds Satan in the head,  
For he that thinks of Death  
doth shun all Sin,  
By thought of this  
man to the world proves dead  
He counts all dross  
and only CHRIST would win:  
No earthly joys  
can cause him life to love,  
His Soul is fixed  
and nothing can him move.   

Thus each weak Christian  
may this tyrant foil,  
For by CHRIST's Death  
man armed is with strength,  
Though in this Combat  
he a while may toil,  
But Faith in CHRIST,  
gives victory at length;  
And with a courage hold,  
man now may cry  
Death where's thy sting?  
Grave where's thy victory?  
What though we die,  
as dye we surely must,  
Yet by this death,  
we now are gainers made.  
For when our bodies  
are consumed to dust,  
We shall be raised,  
from that Eternal shade:  
Our mortal bodies,  
shall immortal be,  
And with our Souls,  
enjoy Eternity.   

Our troubles in this life,  
now changed are;  
From tokens of his wrath,  
unto his love.  
For though a while  
upon the Earth me share;  
Of griefs and troubles,  
yet when God above:  
Shall by death call us  
from the veil of sin,  
We shall enjoy.  
Eternal bliss with him.   

Where all tears shall  
be wiped from our eyes,  
All griefs and sorrows  
than shall ended be,  
We shall be freed  
from all clamorous cries,  
No discontents nor troubles  
shall we see:  
But Peace, and joys  
and comforts shall be found,  
And always in our ears  
a heavenly sound.  
Our Senses shall partake  
all of this Bliss,  
Our Eyes shall evermore  
behold our King,  
Our Hearing heavenly music  
shall possess,  
Our Tongues shall evermore  
his Praises sing:  
Thus Smell, and Taste,  
thus hands, and ears, and sight,  
Shall evermore enjoy  
a full delight.   

Unto this Happiness  
and place of joy,  
In thy good time  
sweet Saviour Christ us bring,  
Where being freed  
from Sorrows and annoy,  
We evermore  
thy blessed Praise may sing:  
Where we shall never cease  
but Night and Day,  
Sing Praise and Glory,  
unto Thee always.   
FINIS.