To the Christian Reader of " Short Rules of Good Life "
If Vertue be thy guide,
True comfort is thy path,
And thou secure from erring steps,
That leade to vengeance' wrath.
Not widest open doore,
Nor spacious wayes she goes;
To straight and narrow gate and way,
She cals, she leads, she shewes.
She cals, the fewest come:
She leades, the humble sprited;
She shews them rest at race's end,
Soule's rest to heauen inuited.
'Tis she that offers most;
'Tis she that most refuse;
'Tis she preuents the broad-way plagues,
Which most do wilfull chuse;
Doe choose the wide, the broad,
The left-hand way and gate:
These Vice applauds, these Vertue loaths
And teacheth hers to hate.
Her waies are pleasant waies,
Vpon the right-hand side;
And heauenly-happy is that soule
Takes Vertue for her guide.
A PREPARATIUE TO PRAYER.
When thou doest talke with God, by prayer I meane,
Lift vp pure hands, lay downe all Lust's desires:
Fix thoughts on heauen, present a conscience cleane:
Such holy balme, to mercie's throne aspires.
Confesse faults' guilt, craue pardon for thy sinne;
Tread holy paths, call grace to guide therein.
It is the spirit with reuerence must obey
Our Maker's will, to practise what He taught;
Make not the flesh thy counsell when thou pray:
'Tis enemie to euery vertuous thought:
It is the foe we daily feed and cloath:
It is the prison that the soule doth loath.
Euen as Elias, mounting to the skie,
Did cast his mantle to the Earth behind:
So, when the heart presents the prayer on high,
Exclude the world from traffike with the mind.
Lips neere to God, and ranging heart within,
Is but vaine babbling and conuerts to sinne.
Like Abraham, ascending vp the hill
To sacrifice; his seruants left below,
That he might act the great Commander's will,
Without impeach to his obedient blow;
Euen so the soule, remote from earthly things;
Should mount saluation's shelter, Mercie's wings.
THE EFFECTS OF PRAYER.
The sunne by prayer did cease his course, and staid;
The hungrie lions fawnd vpon their prey;
A walled passage through the sea it made;
From furious fire it banisht heat away;
It shut the heauens three yeares from giuing raine,
It opened heauens, and clouds powrd downe againe.
ENSAMPLES OF OUR SAVIOUR.
Ovr Sauiour, (patterne of true holinesse,)
Continuall praid, vs by ensample teaching, —
When He was baptized in the wildernesse,
In working miracles and in His preaching;
Vpon the mount, in garden-groues of death,
At His Last Supper, at His parting breath.
Oh! fortresse of the faithfull, sure defence,
In which doth Christians' cognizance consist;
Their victorie, their triumph comes from thence,
So forcible, hell-gates cannot resist:
A thing whereby both angels, clouds and starres,
At man's request fight God's reuengefull warres.
Nothing more gratefull in the Highest eyes,
Nothing more firme in danger to protect us,
Nothing more forcible to pierce the skies,
And not depart till Mercy doe respect vs:
And, as the soule life to the body giues,
So prayer reuiues the soule, by prayer it liues.
True comfort is thy path,
And thou secure from erring steps,
That leade to vengeance' wrath.
Not widest open doore,
Nor spacious wayes she goes;
To straight and narrow gate and way,
She cals, she leads, she shewes.
She cals, the fewest come:
She leades, the humble sprited;
She shews them rest at race's end,
Soule's rest to heauen inuited.
'Tis she that offers most;
'Tis she that most refuse;
'Tis she preuents the broad-way plagues,
Which most do wilfull chuse;
Doe choose the wide, the broad,
The left-hand way and gate:
These Vice applauds, these Vertue loaths
And teacheth hers to hate.
Her waies are pleasant waies,
Vpon the right-hand side;
And heauenly-happy is that soule
Takes Vertue for her guide.
A PREPARATIUE TO PRAYER.
When thou doest talke with God, by prayer I meane,
Lift vp pure hands, lay downe all Lust's desires:
Fix thoughts on heauen, present a conscience cleane:
Such holy balme, to mercie's throne aspires.
Confesse faults' guilt, craue pardon for thy sinne;
Tread holy paths, call grace to guide therein.
It is the spirit with reuerence must obey
Our Maker's will, to practise what He taught;
Make not the flesh thy counsell when thou pray:
'Tis enemie to euery vertuous thought:
It is the foe we daily feed and cloath:
It is the prison that the soule doth loath.
Euen as Elias, mounting to the skie,
Did cast his mantle to the Earth behind:
So, when the heart presents the prayer on high,
Exclude the world from traffike with the mind.
Lips neere to God, and ranging heart within,
Is but vaine babbling and conuerts to sinne.
Like Abraham, ascending vp the hill
To sacrifice; his seruants left below,
That he might act the great Commander's will,
Without impeach to his obedient blow;
Euen so the soule, remote from earthly things;
Should mount saluation's shelter, Mercie's wings.
THE EFFECTS OF PRAYER.
The sunne by prayer did cease his course, and staid;
The hungrie lions fawnd vpon their prey;
A walled passage through the sea it made;
From furious fire it banisht heat away;
It shut the heauens three yeares from giuing raine,
It opened heauens, and clouds powrd downe againe.
ENSAMPLES OF OUR SAVIOUR.
Ovr Sauiour, (patterne of true holinesse,)
Continuall praid, vs by ensample teaching, —
When He was baptized in the wildernesse,
In working miracles and in His preaching;
Vpon the mount, in garden-groues of death,
At His Last Supper, at His parting breath.
Oh! fortresse of the faithfull, sure defence,
In which doth Christians' cognizance consist;
Their victorie, their triumph comes from thence,
So forcible, hell-gates cannot resist:
A thing whereby both angels, clouds and starres,
At man's request fight God's reuengefull warres.
Nothing more gratefull in the Highest eyes,
Nothing more firme in danger to protect us,
Nothing more forcible to pierce the skies,
And not depart till Mercy doe respect vs:
And, as the soule life to the body giues,
So prayer reuiues the soule, by prayer it liues.
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