A necessary Advertisement to a needfull Fortification.
My former Tables much good liking won,
The fate of this, may in the like line, run:
With Trading times, they suited; and (J guesse)
This with our sad condition suits no lesse.
AS now vve busily our selves apply,
(Sparing for neither care, nor cost, nor paines)
Our Cities and our Towns to fortifie,
Because a threatning danger so constraines:
Even so (
[...]sasters threatning) tis our parts
'Gainst their Assaults, to fortifie our hearts.
The settlement of outward peace among us
Hath been endeavoured for, but all in vaine:
Disturbers of our peace, so much doe wrong us,
That hopes of peace vve scarce can entertaine:
Those our endeavours having fruitlesse bin,
Now let us seek to settle peace vvithin.
This inward peace should first be sought, indeed;
That, vvithout this, is but an empty thing:
This will support the heart in time of need,
When that cannot a dram of comfort bring:
This vvill supply our vvant, vvhen that vve misse;
But that cannot supply our vvant of this.
He that upon his Maker rowles his mind,
And vvith sure confidence casts Anchor there:
Hee's in safe harbour, neither waves nor vvind,
Nor plundring Pyrats needeth he to feare.
For these cannot of inward peace bereave him,
Though destitute of outvvard helps they leave him.
To settle outward peace, the taske is hard,
For many must concur, that now doe jar;
This other easier is, in this regard,
To deale but with our selves, in this we are.
He that seeks inward peace, shall find the same,
If he can but bring his owne heart in frame.
And over our own hearts, we may (no doubt)
Prevaile, if we divine assistance crave:
And when this businesse shall be brought about,
So, that this peace we in our bosomes have:
Then are we fortifide, and may defie
The worst Malignants worst malignity.
If we our hearts to such a pitch can raise,
Patience, and confidence in God will arme us
'Gainst the calamities of these sad dayes,
They may assault, but cannot greatly harme us:
With losse of outward things we may dispence,
Not making them, but God our confidence.
Our plenty, peace, and long tranquillity
Had almost brought us to be of the mind
That patience, faith, hope and humility
Were not so needfull, as we now doe find.
How mainly necessary, now doe seeme
These graces, which were held in slight esteem?
Gold in the chest, perhaps, was priz'd as much
As these in heart, and more desir'd and sought:
But gold it selfe will not abide the touch
As these will doe, when thus to tryall brought:
We shall doe well, if we have these about us,
Though all our helps doe faile, that are without us.
How soone may we in outward things be crost?
How suddenly (of all) be dispossest?
And comfort took in them, with them is lost,
To make our God our portion then its best:
From whence may peace and comfort be deriv'd,
Whereof we know, vve cannot be depriv'd.
Our Land long time hath been like
Goshen Land,
Free from such plagues our neighbour-nations felt;
Enjoying blessings from Gods liberall hand,
But we vvith him ingratefully have dealt:
And by our sins have so provoakt his ire,
That now, it vvasting is, vvith sword and fire.
And in this case, now vvhat is to be done,
Since God is pleasd, to shew himselfe displeasd?
From him (as from a foe) vve cannot run,
Then vve must seek to have his vvrath appeasd:
And that's by offering up in sacrifice
A broken heart, vvhich he vvill not despise.
And vve must pray; but if vve look to speed,
Zeale, faith, and charity our prayers must vving:
It is not long—lip labour doth the deed,
So as a blessing downe on us to bring:
For like
Baals Priests, vve long may cry and call,
If these be vvanting, yet not speed at all.
He that (in Prayer) hath but a stammering tongue,
And shallow memory, and vvants the art
To vvord it smoothly, as he goes along,
Yet he may have a powerfull praying heart.
A currant method, takes the hearers eares;
But as for God, the heart he chiefly heares.
This I have here inserted, that I may
Take off discouragement from such as have
Fervent desires, and zealous hearts to pray,
But vvant a verball nimblenesse, to crave.
Such hearts, acquit such tongues, but certainly
The tongue cannot, the hearts defect, supply.
The grace of zealous heart is chiefe; and yet
The gift of ready tongue I value much:
And those in vvhom this gift and grace are met,
I hold, a double honour, due to such:
But if they severed be, in such a case,
Better to vvant the gift, then vvant the grace.
Let us all labour for sincerity,
That seasons all, and that God most respecteth;
And let us seek to shun hypocrisie,
That poysons all, and that God most rejecteth:
With bare appearances men pleased are,
But from mens wayes, Gods vvayes doe differ far.
VVe should be blest, if vve pure hearts could get,
VVe should see God, and see him vvork a vvonder:
Our Church and State he vvould in order set,
That like a broken clock are clasht asunder.
VVhose joynts and vvheeles are scattered & disperst
Not by the vvit of man to be reverst.
For most unhappy differences are grown
Between our King and his high Parliament,
To such a height, that none but God alone
Can reconcile, what's so in sunder rent.
Oh that his ancient love to this our Land
Would move him now to take this vvork in hand!
It was not our deserts, that him did move,
Truth, Peace, and Plenty, here, so long to send;
But it was his free mercie and his love,
And whom he loves, he loves unto the end.
If (of his love) those blessings tokens were,
That (hee'l forsake us quite) we need not feare.
Then let our faith sure footing take from hence,
He hath been good to us, we all doe know;
Whereon we well may ground this confidence,
That hee'l againe, in his good time, be so:
No doubt, if we, on him, with patience wait,
Hee'l bring us out, that brought us in this strait.
He that did frame the world, most easily he
Can bring our Land againe in its due frame;
He can, and he will do't (no doubt) if we
Doe beg this blessing in his deare Sons name.
What so we aske, we shall obtaine, he saith,
If we (not wavering) doe aske in faith.
We must beleeve hee'l do't, but when hee'l do't,
That to his will and vvisdome vve must leave:
But we, meane while, by Prayer may urge him to't,
He bids us ask, and saith vve shall receive.
But for this mercie, first he us must fit,
Which being done, we then may look for it.
VVe did not thankfulnesse enough expresse,
For that long happy peace our land enjoy'd:
VVe almost weary vvere of happinesse,
And seem'd to be with peace and plenty cloy'd.
Therefore, by vvant of peace, vve now are taught
To know its vvorth, and prize it as vve ought.
And like as our unthankfulnesse before
Appear'd, by our unworthy vvalking then;
So novv (if God vvill peace to us restore)
VVe must resolve to be far better men:
So that our lives, more lively may expresse
(Then can our tongues) our hearts true thankfulnes.
VVould every one take up this resolution,
And send up zealous prayers to Mercies throne;
God vvould forbeare his Angers execution,
And graciously, vvould be vvith us, at one.
And of one mind vvould make us, curing so
This our distemper, vvhich thus vvorks our vvoe.
O that our 'God' would cause his truth to shine
In all our hearts, that all may it embrace;
And then to peace vvould all our hearts encline,
And from amongst us, all dissention chace:
And that he vvould (lest ruine should betide us)
Into the vvay of peace be pleas'd to guide us.
But if Almighty God shall not be pleasd
To turne to us, and cause us turne to him,
So that we shall not of this vvar be eas'd,
But still be frighted with its visage grim:
We must, if still, we thus must be annoyd,
Prepare to beare what we cannot avoid.
And it behoves, that then vve seek to store
Our hearts, with more then humane fortitude;
That being thrust out from the quiet shore
Into the Maine, 'mongst vvaves and billows rude:
VVe may above them keep, and as they rise,
So raise our minds, and more the vvorld despise.
If God on us doe lay adversity,
VVe thereunto must patiently submit,
Because our happinesse doth rather lye
In patient bearing, then not feeling it.
Let patience have its perfect work, and we
The quiet fruits of righteousnesse shall see.
If our estates vve lose, vve lose but that
VVhich vve enjoyd but at the Donors will:
And therefore why should vve repine thereat?
If vve vvere good, vve may be good men still.
Crosses, that are not mingled vvith a curse,
Doe use to make men better, and not vvorse.
Perhaps, some feare, if losses on them fall,
Their children then may want, and suffer need:
Yet they that give their children most of all,
Can surely settle nothing on their seed.
If God (vvhat vve bequeath) to them shall blesse,
It is enough for them, be't more or lesse.
On earthly things vve must not set our love,
On pleasure, profit, or on high estate,
For all is vanity, as all doe prove
One time or other, either soone or late:
For vvhat in all this vvorld doth pleasing seem,
But first or last, it grows out of esteem?
Children delight in every childish toy,
VVhich vvhen they once grow men, they doe reject;
And many men in many things doe joy,
VVhich yet before they die, they disaffect:
But howsoere, when death once calls away,
That all is vanity, then all will say.
Then comfort needeth most, vvhen death doth call,
But vvorldly comforts then prove most unsound,
In profit theres no profit then at all,
In pleasure then, no pleasure can be found:
But when all comforts faile the vvorld holds deare,
A heart endued with grace it selfe will cheare.
VVhich grace, he grant us, that hath dearly bought us,
And daily in our hearts the same increase,
Till by his blessed guidance he hath brought us
To everlasting happinesse and peace:
To him be praise, whose mercie faileth never,
By Angels and by men, ascrib'd for ever.
FINIS.