Signs of Apostary LAMENTED.
DOST thou the Name of
Christian Profess?
Then let some Signs appear in
outward Dress;
Or else a fore Suspition thou dost leave,
That CHRIST indeed thy Soul did ne're receive:
So as of Him alone to make thy Choice,
In saddest Sorrows in Him to Rejoyce.
ART thou one of CHRIST's Sheep, where is the Mark?
Is that it on thy Head? it's very Dark;
It hardly will be own'd at the last Day,
But JESUS CHRIST unto all such will say,
Away be gone, be gone away from me,
I am displeas'd
both with thy Garb
and Thee.
LET thy
Attire be such in any case,
As may bear
outward Signs of
inward Grace;
Then sure those Signs some carry on their Head,
Do plainly show the inward Man is Dead.
LORD, pluck such Brands as these out of the Fire,
So we thy Rich Grace shall the more Admire,
And make us Blush, and be Asham'd that we
Should
Glory in that, which our
Shame should be.
THE Word of GOD calls things by the right name,
So do not we, lest we our selves should blame:
[Page 2] Pride by the name of Decency we call,
Although to
Adam it gave such a fall;
Which hath benumm'd our Senses, so that we
Remain stark Blind, till GOD doth make us see:
The greater is the Danger we are in,
By reason of that Toothsome Cursed Sin.
O WHAT a shame to
Christians should this be,
That
Sorcerers should so affected be,
As by
Paul's Preaching from their Sins to turn,
And readily all their ill Books to burn?
O that our
Top-knot wearers would do so,
Their foolish
Baubles readily forego;
O what an Honour it would be to them,
In sight of GOD, and of all sober men?
WHEN
Perriwigs in Thrones and
Pulpits get,
And
Hairy Top-knots in high Seats are set;
Then may we Pray, have Mercy LORD on us,
That in
New-England it should now be thus,
Which in time past a Land of Pray'r hath been,
But now is Pray'r turn'd out of Doors by Sin:
For
Pride and
Prayer can't together dwell,
One leads to Heaven, the
other leads to Hell.
ART thou a
Christian, O then why dost wear
Upon thy Sacred Head, the filthy
Hair
Of some vile Wretch, by foul Disease that fell,
Whose Soul perhaps is burning now in Hell?
O therefore I do you most humbly pray,
Your monstrous
Perriwigs cast quite away:
If JESUS CHRIST unto your Souls were sweet,
Those
Toys on Head you'd trample under Feet,
And say to them with indignation,
As
Ephraim to his Idols, be you gone;
We never will have more to do with you,
Lest GOD in's wrath out of his Land us spue.
A TENDER Conscience a great Blessing is,
Sure willingly such will not do amiss;
But carefully will watch against all Sin,
In
outward Man as well as Heart within:
Abstaining all appearances of Evil,
Lest they therein resemble should the Devil.
Many there are that say they do believe,
But they therein do but themselves deceive;
For Faith that's true will purifie the Heart,
And from the most beloved Sin will part.
WHAT Mercy is't, that GOD will chide and strike
His dearest Children; if they will walk like
The foolish World, who Lust and Pride do mind,
Reward thereof they in the end will find
Bitter to be, if on they yet do go,
Because Sin leads to final overthrow.
Then help us LORD to mend our way, that we
In Heart and Life may wholly turn to Thee;
And cast away our
Foolish Fancies all,
Lest GOD in wrath take
Head and
Crown and all.
I AM amazed much to think how we,
Are backward gone from GOD, and cannot see
Who'ere allow themselves in
one known Sin,
Satan hath got such safely in his Gin:
And if that their Repentance come too late,
All such will be shut out of Heavens Gate;
If you therefore this Gate would enter in,
You must be sure to fight against
all Sin.
No
Perriwig, or
Hairy Top-knot spare,
Though they as dear as Eye or Right-hand are;
Else thou canst not with
David say, Lord I
Have kept my self from
mine Iniquity!
A Caution to prevent Scandal.
A FALSE Report against thy Brother, thou
Shalt not take up, much less thy self allow
Him to defame, in Thought, in Deed, or Tongue:
GOD is a just Revenger of such Wrong.
And will
again them pay in their own Coin,
Who
thus their Brothers Credit do purloin;
And will on such his Righteous Sentence pass,
Which shall make them cry out, Woe and Alas!
That ever I my Brothers Name should tear,
Whom I in Love upon my Heart should bear!
As CHRIST my Saviour hath commanded me,
Whereby thou mayst know He hath Loved thee.
If thou dost not Love Him whom thou dost see,
How canst thou say in Heart thou Lovest me?
Which Love, O LORD, in me increase, that I,
Whilst I do Live, may longing be to Dye.
Benjamin Bosworth, of
New-England.
In the 81st Year of my Age, 1693.