A Subpoena from the High Imperial Court of Heaven, Meditation
A daily Meditation, which Mercy offereth to Man-kind.
The day of Death.
THinke now thou lyeſt on thy dying bed,
thy heart, thy head, thy Sences all doe falle,
Striuing for life, each member gaſtly ſpred,
trembling at death, which makes ſo fierce aſſaile:
If at Deaths houre, thy ſinnes thou doſt deſie,
then dare not liue, in ſtate thou darſt not die.
Think furthermore thou haſt all worldly pleaſure,
and eueryevery thing which may the fleſh delight:
Suppoſe thou haſt thy fill of worldly treaſure,
what is all worth, whē death ſhal claim his right:
What was once ſweet, is turned now to ſowre,
the caſe quite altered in this dreadfull howre.
For now thoſe things that were thy harte content
thy wealth and pleaſure, force thy bitter woe:
With trembling conſcience, now thou doſt repent
the day, the houre, thou didſt abuſe them ſo.
The Iudgement day.
THinke furthermore,
thou heardſt the dreadfull ſound,
The Trumpet calling of the dead to riſe:
And all the world of flaming fire round,
the Iudge appearing dreadfull in the skies:
Aske now thy conſcience, durſt it in bad thought
… wicked life before that ſeate be brought?
If that thy conſcience tremble for to thinke
vponupon the terrour of that dreadfull day:
If that Tribunall make thy heart to ſhrinke,
let thē this thought driue ſinfull thoughts away
And dare not doe thoſe wicked actions here
in which thou darſt not at that day appeare.
Conſide thou who now in health doſt liue,
the day of death, & dreadfull houre will come,
Of all thy debts thou muſt a reckoning giuegive,
thou canſt not void this dreadful day of doom:
No wit, no wealth, no beauty, force, nor ſtrength,
but muſt come to this Iudgement at the length.
The paines of Hell.
THe paines of Hell they muſt indured be,
moſt infinite for torment and for date;
For ſinne is wrought gainſt infinite degree,
gainſt God whoſe power exceeds all eſtimate:
When infinite that God-head is offended,
thoſe paines in Iuſtice, neuer ſhall be ended.
Eternall torments correſpond the Will:
ſhouldſt thou liue euer, thou wouldſt euer ſinn:
Thou iuſtly then deſerueſt torments ſtill,
who would ſtill run that courſe thou liueſt in?
Eternall torments iuſtly doe agree,
where Will and Sinne would both eternall be.
No thought, no tongue, can comprehend or tell
what are the torments of that damned Fire:
The plagues, the ſcourges, tortures are in Hell,
which Iuſtice doth prouide for ſinners hire:
A rufull noyſe, when damned Soules forlorne,
cry euer, woe the howre we were borne.
The ioyes of Heauen.
THinke what it is to come to heauenly bliſſe;
to liue with God, where Saints & angels dwel
Thoſe glorious ioyes which God prouides for his
no heart, no tongue, can comprehend or tell:
No care hath heard, or eye did euer ſee
the heauenly bliſſe, or ioyes of that degree.
Where Maieſtie ſo infinite excelleth,
hath all aboundance Maieſtie may hauehave:
Where the omnipotent in glorie dwelleth,
with thoſe elect whom Ieſus blood did ſaue,
All Ioyes muſt be ſtill flowing in that place,
where Saints behold the glory of his face.
Theſe heauenly ioyes are certaine, without date,
Old-age renewes to youth without decaying:
Eternall health and treaſures without rate:
no feare of croſſe or trouble ouerſwaying.
Who would doat on the worldly pleaſures ſo,
for louelove of them to let the Heauenly goe?
Loe heere's the end of eueryevery mortall man,
which he comes to at firſt or at the laſt:
There's no avoydance ſince the world began,
Time flies away, and Death approacheth faſt:
Conſider then of things that ſhall indure,
take Mercies offer, and thy Soule is ſure.
The young man ſaies, theſe are too graue for me,
the old man ſaies, theſe thoughts do charge me ſore
To pleaſe their humors each of theſe agree,
to ſlight them off, and thinke of them no more,
Shift as they will and let them take their pleaſure:
but let them know Death ſtaieth no mans leaſure.
Counſell to prepare our ſelues to returne to God, before the day of our Death; for after death there is no repentance.
IF yee louelove God, or feare yee Hels damnation;
O then repent, deferre the time no more:
Heere in this life you may obtaine ſaluation,
now ſeeke, O ſeeke, for heauenly ioyes therefore
After that Death thy ſoule away hath taken,
none can repent the time is then too late:
Duly therefore let ſince away be ſhaken,
remooue thy ſelfe from wicked ſinners ſtates▪
Each day or night, ye… … the time doth know
when Chriſt our Iudge, in iudgmēt ſeat wil ſtand
Euer doe thinke thou hearſt his trumpet blow
ſure the time is euen now at hand.
The Books to the Reader.
THis debt is due vponupon Doomes day,
which you are ſummoned to pay:
Wherefore my Author well content,
becauſe he warnes you to repent:
Repentance true God doth require,
it keepes you from eternall fire.
FINIS.
Ʋi veneranda Sones.
End of the text · John Andrewes, A Subpoena from the High Imperial Court of Heaven (1620)