Classic Poem

Now rouze thee Muse , preuent Apollos rising,
And ruminate on that which thou hast seen:
Thy Waie is old, then shun new waies deuising:
For all deuises from this way haue beene,
The waies to wracke, though nere so gaudy greene:
And though it be obscure as it is steepe,
(And thou in it maist soone be ouerseene)
Yet ( Snaile -like) cling to it, and climbing creep,
But fall not off it; for, the fal is deepe.

This soueraigne N AIVRE , (nature Stil'd is he
When that first Person oft is vnderstood
That is the Fountaine of the Trinity )
The substance cannot share of his Godhood
But to his Sonne, and to their Spirit, his brood:
Nor can he to his Sonne, as he is Man ,
His essence giue, in truth or likelyhood:
For he that is Eternall neuer can
His Beeing giue to that which once began.

Nor yet can he beget another Sonne
Of his owne substance: for, if so he could
He should be mutable by generation;
And so could Diety no longer holde:
For, that nere changeth as the other should
Or, could two Spirits come from the Sire and Sonne
As they are God, then God were manifold;
But he is meerely, singly-simply One,
One Trinity in perfect Vnion.

And if he could himselfe to ought impart
But them; in part or whole it needs must be:
In part he cannot: for, he hath no part;
And much Iesse wholy: for, he then should see
His Creature wholly God as well as he:
And were our Soules (that he made to his Forme)
Part of his Forme, it sinnes as wel as we;
But sinne he cannot, nor himselfe deforme
To share himselfe to man, a sinfull worme

And though we are his Generation ,
And are partakers of his Nature too:
Yet, are we not so of that only One.
As of his Substance; so, to make him two:
But we are borne of him when well we do:
That's of his grace, by his vniting Sp'rite .
And, when our Soules that Spirit is come into,
He makes vs act his Motions with delight:
And so are said to haue one Nature right.

But where some say, God , is Man, really;
And Man is God: thence falsely gathering
That the whole Essence of the Diety
Is grow'n to Man , though it from God did spring
As if the personall-Vnion wrought the thing:
But, though that God , and Man one person be
Yet they to either no confusion bring;
But are so bound, as they are euer free
From all confusion in their vnity.

Mans Body hath a Soule; both, make one Man
Yet each in each doth not themselues suffuse:
His Soule's immortall, (though it once began)
His Bodie's mortall; which the Soule doth vse;
And, in the seu'rall parts doth life infuse:
So, Man , and God , one compound person make;
And yet their compound doth not them confuse:
For, neither either's Essence doth pertake,
Yet eithers Essence neithers can forsake

For, though, the persons of the God-head are
Distinguish't, It must not diuided be:
So, doth it with that Man-Gods natures fare;
Which we diuide not, for diuersity,
But them distinguish, for their vnity!
Diuision argues imperfection;
But, true distinction still, the contrary;
Sith it discernes what's proper to each One;
And so preuenteth all confusion.

Then God, as Man, was synlesse passionate:
And, Man , as God , no passion can effect:
God suffered in the flesh, in wretched state;
But Man , as God , is free from such effect:
For, in Omnipotence is no defect!
True Miracles raised by the Godheads fame;
The Manhoods , iniuries did quite dyiect:
God died in flesh; as God , reuiu'd the same;
Thus neithers Forme transformeth eithers Frame.

And, of the whole Compound that's said, and ment,
That's said of any one; for, the Man-Christ
Is perfect God; and so omnipotent;
And perfect Man , so, lower then the high'st:
Yet happy Thou, that on the low'st reliest:
For, if the Compound cannot parted be
Thou diest in God (who ere thou art) that diest
In Christ , the Man sith God , and Man is he
But altogether, God in high'st degree.

If so, then so he must be euery where;
He is, and is not so: but sith this Straine
May straine my wit, I will the same forbeare,
While greater Clarkes about it beat their braine:
For Life or Deaths life-Blood, lies in this vaine
From questions of this kind, (sith questionlesse
They endles seeme) I willingly refraine,
And seeke a Pow'r expresseles to expresse
That is, to shew what God I do professe.

But some may say I cannot that effect,
Vnlesse I shew what God my Iesus is:
I grant no lesse, confessing my defect;
Nay, willingly confesse much more then this
I am vnworthy the least grace of his:
Yet by his pow'r, my silly strength ile straine
To shew, as he is God, his properties;
And though they bee too high to be too plaine.
I hope ile touch with truth , though try with paine .

Plato (surnam'd Deuine, for his deepe sight)
(Though seeing by nature in Diuinity)
Put God into the world (though most vnright)
But as the Soule thereof, and yet his eie
Espied withall a higher Diety ,
Which he the first Mind stil'd or this Souls Sire.
But heer's no Vnity in Trinity,
Heer's truth in part, but not Faiths truth intire,
Then this Truth is not squar'd by Platoes squire.

He thought that as Mans Soule his Body swaid,
So, God , the World: but, heere he truth deformes;
And, by her Test , appeares too much alaid;
For, our Soules rule our Bodies as their Formes;
But God , as th' acting Cause, the same performes:
How euer true; an vniuersall Soule
May sway the Vniuerse , yet he informes
That Soule with Skill, who all in all doth rule.
Else Order faire, would be disorder foule.

Then, Hee's the God of Order, ordering
All that doth Order keepe in all this All:
And yet, most simple is in euery thing;
For, nothing Spirituall, or Corporall
Into his Substance infinite can fall!
He is a Spirit so spirituall, that he
(Of purpose) doth himselfe Iehouah call:
The Letters of which Word all Spirituall be
Sith from our Spirit, or Breath alone they flee.

No Spirits are mixed; then, much lesse their Sire
Our Soules are simple, though by synne impure:
For, were they mixt, they should againe retire
To their first Compound; so, could not endure
Immortally; and so were Faith vnsure
And nought can mix, or make it selfe: for, then
It is , before it is , in act, or pow'r:
Which cannot be in neither: and agen
No Time , or Place were for it where or when:

For, Place was made in time, and Time was made
By motion of the Heau'n (the cheefest place)
And nought doth moue (as Reason doth perswade)
That moues not by a greater Pow'r , and Grace .
Which [without blending doth All enterlace:]
Yet there was Place e're Time , where er'e it were;
For, God was somewhere, who doth both embrace:
But, if Place compast him. It should appeare
More then most infinite, which nought can beare.

Then was he no where? No, somewhere he was;
That is, himselfe within, that's Place without:
So, kept, eternally, his owne Compasse .
Where he (with time) brought Time , & Place about;
Whereof the Eye of Reason cannot doubt:
For, past a boundlesse Compasse what can go
Though it wer strong as Strength , as Courage Stout )
No, not Omnipotence (and he is so:)
Can, past it selfe, the least appearance sho.

And, were he mixt, eternall were he not:
For, ere he could be ming'd, he was vnmixt:
If so it be; then, Time hath him begot:
For, as he is, he was not euer (fixt)
Sith Time must needs his compound come betwixt:
But He (Prime- Cause effecting all Effects! )
From all eternity was thus confixt;
Three Persons, and one God [without Affects ]
Bee'ng a Pure A CT , that mixture still reiects!

Mixion, vnites Things mixible, by change;
Or intermingling of their Substances:
Things mixible, are they, which, though they range,
Are yet contain'd in eithers Essences ;
Suff'ring of other in their passages:
(As th' Elements each one, by other, do)
And, may be seuer'd through their diffrences;
Then were it so with God , it might vndoe
That vndeuided O NE , and make him two:

For, if his Substance were deuisible
A Body it were: for, so is eu'ry such:
But were it so, then t'wer not possible,
But Place should hold it, were it ne're so much;
Sith Nature there, of force, the Same must couch:
For, then t'had Magnitude , and Quantity ,
Whose vtt'most bounds Place should, containing, touch:
If so, it could not haue Immensity
And, if not That, it cannot Diety .

Sith God is then so simply infinite,
Filling each place incomprehensibly
What need Saints feare, by death, their Spirits flight
Sith in the Spheare of his Vbiquity
They needs must fall to rest eternally:
In him, in whom, before, they liu'd by grace;
To him, in whom, they shall liue gloriously:
Beeing Center to the Soules he doth embrace.
And of the highest Rest , the lowest Base?

Seeing then hee's pure, and purely eu'ry where,
We him, as much as in vs lies, defile
When we do sinne; sith in him we do steere
And haue our beeing, (though we sinne the while
And so in greatest Goodnesse are too vile:)
Yet sinne distracts vs, from his Grace , at least;
Did not that Grace againe vs reconcile:
So, Grace being wrong'd, the iniury doth wrest
To humble vs; so, makes our worst, our best!

He is in all alike essentially,
Or else he could not eu'ry where remaine:
But not in all alike effectually:
For, then the good should nought by goodnes gain,
More then the ill, by ill: So, grace were vaine:
But, where so e're he absent is, by Grace ,
He present is by Iustice , and by paine .
So, he is present still, in euery place;
Then, blessed they that do him best imbrace.

But, to returne to his simplicity
To answere one Obiection which some make
Who say, that he must needs compounded be
Sith that his Beeing, Essence doth pertake;
Then composition he cannot forsake:
Beeing , and Essence they distinguish, then,
As well they may: for, fowly they mistake
Which weene them one (though they be Brethren)
Whose diff'rence Reasons Eye doth clearely ken:

For, that which actually Is , is said to Bee ,
Be it a Substance , or an Accident:
But, that's an Essence which is really
That which it is, in its kind remanent;
As by our humane nature's euident:
In Soule , and Body Man is said to Bee
But, in his nature is his Essence pent:
But yet, this Compound neuer can agree
(Though nere so subtle) with Simplicity .

And though that This , and That do seeme to show
A mixture in the Things wherein they are,
Yet in this simple Essence tis not so;
Though This and That same person, stil be there:
For, al three persons but one Substance share.
If so; then, though the Persons diuers be,
Their Essence is as pure, as it is rare:
As in the Sunne a Beame wee likewise see;
Yet both make but one light essentially.

Yet Sunne and Beame are diuerse; sith they do
In their subsisting differ really:
For, both subsist; then both must needs be two;
Yet differ nothing but respectiuely,
As do the Persons of the Trinity:
Then by subsisting, in a diuerse kind,
The Persons differ in the Diety:
Which three In-beeings in one single Mind
One simple Substance doth together bind!

Now, sets the Sunne that lights our pen to write;
Then, with him, Muse , set downe thy weary Pen
And in the Sunne , that lights thee to indite,
More Wonders marke, till th' other rise agen;
And then with care divulge the same to Men .
These Steepes haue made thy trauell hard to day:
That thou mayst hold out, thy slight fauour then:
For, nought they do, that more do then they may,
Then Wit must rest, when Wisedome bids it stay.