A MEMORIAL TO PRESERVE Unspotted to Posterity the Name and Memory of Doctor CRISPE.  

YOu that know what truth is, and do now fear,  
You shall no more her pleasing doctrines hear,  
Since Doctor Crispe is dead, unless it be  
From unglosed Scripture, truth's pure treasury.  
You that were lately pressed with sin, and found  
A hell in your own hearts, you that were bound  
In errors, fetters, and could never see,  
Though you were Christians called, your liberty  
Wherein Christ made you free, till this man drew  
Your veil of darkness off, and formed you new.  
You all know how to prize his worth, and can  
Bear witness with me that he was a man  
That best deserved the Pulpit, that his breast  
Was full of what he spoke, and did digest  
His Doctrines first in his own heart, his brain  
Laboured with no devices or forced strain  
To please the easy people, or beget  
An audience basely by delighting it.  
He scorned that truth should stoop, or be made stolen  
To vicious ends, he hated more to veil  
Her glorious lustre, or eclipse her light  
By mingling false lights with her, 'cause men's sight  
Is weak and dazzled at her brightness; no  
He might men's common errors foster so.  
Such as do use such arts do rather aim  
T'advance themselves then truth, to get a name,  
And so a living: But this Doctor strove  
Rather to draw men up to truth and love.  
To allure them with her sweetness, for no by-  
Respect, but their own Souls felicity.  
He knew the power of truth, and therefore used  
No artificial baits, but rather chused  
Instead of words, and the deceitful dress  
Of popular Eloquence, her own nakedness.  
'Twas from his Soul he spoke, and not because  
He might obtain a Legacy, or applause,  
Not to enhance his tithes or quarter-gifts,  
Nor that he might seem learned: such vile shifts  
And mercenary arts he did despise  
(Though much in fashion now) as a fit guise  
For holy seeming Hypocrites, who have made  
Religion not their practice, but their trade.  
Truth was his end, and each man's good his aim,  
men's persons he respected not, but came  
Freely t'impart glad tidings unto all,  
The love of God he knew was general.  
The man in Plush and braver was no more  
In his esteem then whom the world calls poor;  
He looked upon men's Souls, for their array,  
'Tis no part of the man whether't be gay  
Or for necessity, virtue may lie  
And oftener under rags than Taffeta.   

He was compoed of love, meek as a Lamb,  
Without all affectation still the same.  
Mild in discourse, impassionate, and free  
From wild contentions of Philosophy,  
And other nice disputes; 'bout what is vain,  
He troubled not his own or others brain.  
He knew the Apostles no such customs used,  
And therefore only useful Subjects chus'd;  
Such as had greatest vigour to remove  
Long settled errors, and beget true love,  
To God and man: All his abilities,  
His Labour, study, health, and faculties,  
He did employ to do his brethren good,  
'Twas chief of his delight, his Souls best food  
To make men real Christians not in name,  
But in belief and practice, to the shame  
Of what most men that bear that title are.  
His Doctrines (though since scandaled) were so fare  
From giving reins to vice, or Liberty  
To a lose life and all obscenity,  
As some that fear their trade will down, object,  
Whose teaching on their profits still reflect:  
That there's no precepts, no instructions can  
Beget a godly life, and make a man  
An honour to that faith he doth profess,  
To abandon lust and all ungodliness,  
But those firm truths he preached; for what can more  
Persuade with men to live well and give o'er  
What ever misbeseemes them or beget  
Our Saviour's own mind in them, then to set  
Before their eyes what he for them hath done,  
His boundless love and his Compassion;  
How he did pay their desperate debts and free  
Their Souls from Deaths, hells, conscience, Tyranny;  
How he did die that death they should have died,  
Cleared the law, God's justice satisfied,  
Atoned us with his Father, all our fears  
Dispeld, adopted us his Sons, Coheires  
With Christ himself, cast all our proud foes down,  
Purchased a Kingdom for us, and a Crown;  
And all this too not when we were his friends,  
Obedient to his sacred laws, and ends;  
But when we were his foes, ye when we lay  
Weltering in blood and sin, and did betray  
Our only friend, when we did crucisie  
Our Master, and more wicked yet deny  
The Lord that bought us, that his grace might be  
Above our wonder, and our eyes might see  
That he was goodness self, and that his love  
To man, was all his other works, above,  
Even in this state he died for us, and paid  
His precious blood our ransom, than he laid  
His life down for us and his dignity,  
That we might live to all eternity.  
This having done, and knowing 'twas above  
Us men to comprehend this divine love,  
(Nought being within our reach but what doth lie  
In reasons circumscribed capacity)  
Gods love extended further, knowing well  
Without the knowledge of his love, a Hell  
Would still possesseus, and a thousand fears  
Distract our minds, and drown us in sad tears,  
Our sins being ever present 'fore our eyes,  
Our sad Souls frighted at our conscience cries,  
That we might not be left thus comfortless,  
And ignorant of all our happiness.  
He sent his blessed Spirit to declare  
Peace to our Souls, and what our comforts are.  
Which the same Spirit hath done, to those were sent  
To tell the same to all, to the intent  
All tears might be wiped off from our sad eyes,  
And we left fearless of hell's miseries.   

These were his Doctrines, thus he preached, the same  
Glad tidings from God's blessed Spirit came.  
That Christ hath purchased our Redemption  
Without our aid, without condition,  
That'tis already done, and freely too,  
Wants no addition from what we can do.  
Therefore let's please our lusts: Perverse man, no,  
He nor the Scripture did not conclude so.  
What wast constrained th'Apostles to deny  
All worldly lusts and to live soberly,  
To abound in all good works? What wast say you?  
The love of God constrained him so to do.  
Why should the same love then by us be thought  
The ready way to make us vile and nought?  
The holy Scriptures motive for to tie  
Our Souls and bodies, God to glorify,  
Is because he hath bought us with a price,  
And for us paid himself a Sacrifice.  
The greatest bond on earth is love, if so  
What greater love than this did man ere know?  
Look on his Auditors, see their lives, and say  
Who have more virtue or more love than they.   

This was his way to allure men's Souls with sight  
Of the most glorious comfortable light  
Of God's eternal truth, and not to awe  
Their saddened Souls, with terrors of the law,  
Or keep 'em down that so he might subject  
Their purses and obedience, and erect  
Their spirits as their contributions risen,  
He loathed such Tyrannous practices, and chose  
To make men wise and good for their own sake,  
Strict against Vice, chief against such as make  
Their liberty a cloak to wickedness,  
And turn the grace of God to wantonness;  
'Gainst such as these, the shame of men, he would  
Express an anger great as good men should,  
They were the chiefest foes Religion had,  
No enemies so great as they, so bad,  
Although he knew none of them but by fame  
Of their ill life, and rumours of their shame.  
For such howe'er that thus abuse the free  
Goodness of God he knew this remedy.   

See what good Counsel first will do, and when  
They'll not return, publicly shame'em, then  
If they shall still persist, let justice draw  
Forth her correcting rod to overaw  
Their stubborn hearts with fear of punishment;  
If then they shall consider and relent  
With arms of love embrace them, let them see  
The difference twixt good life and vanity.  
If when all this is done they shall remain  
Vicious men still, or shall return again  
To their lose life and manners, let them be  
Excluded quite from all society.  
Thus discipline should meet with vice, and free  
The Church from slander, vice, and Calumny.   

After this brief express of what is true  
Of my dead Friend, and short of what's his due,  
Let no man's forward malice strive to cast  
Dirt on his fame, or with false rumours blast  
His honest life or Doctrines, because they  
Perceive some of their audience drop away;  
If they shall yet persist and vainly show  
They fear truth will yet thrive, let such men know  
I do denounce 'em mine and plain truths foes:  
He that can by't in verse, can sting in prose.   
FINIS.   

Printed at London for John Sweeting. 1643.