Sweetly didst thou expire: thy soul
Flew home unstain'd by his new kin;
For ere thou knew'st how to be foul,
Death wean'd thee from the world and sin.
Softly rest all thy virgin-crums!
Lapt in the sweets of thy young breath,
Expecting till thy Saviour comes
To dresse them, and unswadle death.
BRIGHT and blest beame! whose strong projection, Equall to all,
Reacheth as well things of dejection
As th' high and tall;
How hath my God by raying thee
Inlarg'd his spouse,
And of a private familie
Made open house!
All may be now co-heirs; no noise
Of bond or free
Can interdict us from those joys
That wait on thee.
The law and ceremonies made
A glorious night,
Where stars and clouds, both light and shade,
Had equal right;
But, as in nature, when the day
Breaks, night adjourns,
Stars shut up shop, mists pack away,
And the moon mourns ;
So when the Sun of righteousness
Did once appear,
That scene was chang'd, and a new dresse
Left for us here;
Veiles became useles, altars fell,
Fires smoking die;
And all that sacred pomp, and shell
Of things did flie.
Then did he shine forth, whose sad fall
And bitter fights
Were figur'd in those mystical
And cloudie rites;
And as i'th' natural sun, these three,
Light, motion, heat,
So are now Faith, Hope, Charity
Through him compleat;
Faith spans up blisse; what sin and death
Put us quite from,
Lest we should run for't out of breath,
Faith brings us home;
So that I need no more, but say
I do believe,
And my most loving Lord straitway
Doth answer, Live!
AH! what time wilt thou come? when shall that crie
"The bridegroome's comming!" fill the sky? Shall it in the evening run
When our words and works are done?
Or will thy all-surprizing light
Break at midnight,
When either sleep or some dark pleasure
Possesseth mad man without measure?
Or shall these early, fragrant hours
Unlock thy bowres?
And with their blush of light descry
Thy locks crown'd with eternitie?
Indeed, it is the only time
That with thy glory doth best chime;
All now are stirring, ev'ry field
Full hymns doth yield;
The whole creation shakes off night,
And for thy shadow looks the light;
Stars now vanish without number,
Sleepie planets set and slumber,
The pursie clouds disband and scatter,
All expect some sudden matter;
Not one beam triumphs, but from far
That morning star.
O at what time soever thou,
Unknown to us, the heavens wilt bow,
And, with thy angels in the van,
Descend to judge poor careless man,
Grant I may not like puddle lie
In a corrupt securitie,
Where, if a traveller water crave,
He finds it dead, and in a grave;
But as this restless, vocal spring
All day and night doth run and sing,
And though here born, yet is acquainted
Elsewhere, and flowing keeps untainted,
So let me all my busie age
In thy free services ingage;
And though (while here) of force I must
Have commerce somtimes with poor dust,
And in my flesh, though vile and low,
As this doth in her channel flow,
Yet let my course, my aym, my love,
And chief acquaintance, be above;
So when that day and hour shall come,
In which thyself will be the sun,
Thou❜lt find me drest, and on my way,
Watching the break of thy great day.
I.
How shrill are silent tears? when sin got head
And all my bowels turn'd
To brasse and iron, when my stock lay dead,
And all my powers mourn'd:
Then did these drops (for marble sweats,
And rocks have tears),
As rain here at our windows beats,
Chide in thine ears.
II.
No quiet could'st thou have; nor didst thou wink, And let thy begger lie,
But, e'r my eies could overflow their brink,
Didst to each drop reply;
Bowels of love! at what low rate,
And slight a price,
Dost thou relieve us at thy gate,
And still our cries!
III.
Wee are thy infants, and suck thee: if thou
But hide or turn thy face,
Because where thou art yet we cannot go,
We send tears to the place.
These find thee out; and though our sins
Drove thee away,
Yet with thy love that absence wins
Us double pay.
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