The Doctrine of the Three Sacred Persons, Part 4
FAITH.
FRom thee, dear Dove,
Yet ſtill in thine embraces,
To Faith, Hope, Love
That Trinity of graces
Now let me paſs, and ſuccour ſo my Verſes
That I may expreſs what my muſe rehearſes.
Faith, I'll begin
With thee; for thou waſt th' firſt,
When bloody ſin
Had made me all accurſt,
That ſhew'd th' avenger poſting after me,
And bad me to ſome refuge-City flee.
Some men would make
Faith and Repentance ſtrive
Who ſhould place take;
But ſurely Faith's the hive
In which that buſie Bee, repentance, makes
Tears drop like honey from mans heart like wax.
For who can grieve
For that which they believe not?
Who can believe
Mans ſinfull ſtate, and grieve not?
I did believe the law, and ſo relented,
I did believe the Goſpell, and repented.
I did believe
That God, made all things good;
And then did grieve
That I had brought a flood
A flood of ſins, and ſo of miſeries
On all: this brought a deluge on mine eyes.
I did believe
That God took fleſh, loſt blood
So to relieve
Me, and to drown ſins flood:
Then girt like Peter did begin to ſwim
In a repentant Sea of tears to him.
Repentance lowers,
Yet (like ſad rainy daies)
Bring fruits and flow'rs
And floods to waſh our waies,
Its Clouds bee'ng-fill'd with what bright faith exhales.
But's dry as deſperation, when faith failes.
Yet have I heard
That ſome repented not
That afterward
They might believe. This knot
Is ſoon untied: Firſt Faith lends tears and grief
Unto repentance, then an handkerchief.
Thus Faith precedes
Repentance yet comes after;
Follows, yet leads;
As Mother and as Daughter:
As the bright Sun the brackiſh Sea doth round
Encompaſſing Repentance, Faith is found.
Faith, I would tell
Thy ſtory if I could,
Where thou doſt dwell
Or what thou art, behold:
But thou art Faith which ſenſe can no more reach
Then death Deity can praiſe, or preach.
I did ask at
Heav'ns gate for thee, dear grace,
But was told that
There viſion held thy place:
Then ſome infernall fiends ſaid they could ſhew thee
But took thee for no grace, for they did rue thee.
I lookt about
On earth to find thee there,
For there no doubt
Thou dwelſt if any where:
And yet again th' unerring Scripture ſaith
When Chriſt ſhall come, ſhall he on earth find Faith?
Surely not much:
When he ſhall that day bring
Unto the touch
Each one that wears a ring
All won't prove Gold that gliſters, and is ſpecious,
Nor feigned Faith be then approv'd as precious.
Oh! that I knew
Thee, precious Faith; and could
Thy reall hue
Thy luſtre but unfold
I ſhould ſoon draw all eyes from him that hath
Gold rings, to gaze on th' poor when rich in Faith.
Alas! moſt take
Thee for ſome pebble, they
Do nothing make
To believe any way
Only thoſe few that have thee, jealous are
Their Faith is not the right, the right's ſo rare.
Thou 'rt a rich ſtock,
A Diadem brought forth
Only by th' rock
Of ages, of ſuch worth
That who hath thee, although he hath no more
May well eſteem the golden Indies poore.
By thee the juſt
May live, when wants ſurround:
And ſo he muſt
When other things abound.
Faith makes the conſcience good and that well dreſt
Is a continuall food, a conſtant feaſt.
Of the houſhold
Of Faith I'm ſure I've read;
And dare be bold
They want no houſhold-bread:
Faith daily ſets on the believers board
The Heav'nly bread of th' everliving word.
Others look by
Their trades to be maintain'd:
Why ſhould not I
To be by faith ſuſtain'd?
Thou art the calling: man but miſapplies,
To other trades, the name of myſteries.
The myſtery
Thou art, yet th' Oedipu…
That doſt untye
All doubts and knots for us.
Nothing is hard to thee: where thou canſt not
Unriddle, thou'ſt a ſword to cut the knot.
How blind were man
But for thy piercing eye?
Who nothing can,
No, not himſelf, deſcrie.
Thy clue guides through both Laborinth-like waies
Of mine own heart and through the Scriptures maze.
I ſhould be ſet
And pos'd at firſt and laſt
Ith' Alphabet
But that, dear Faith, thou haſt
Taught me to know my letters. Who but thou
Could make me th' Alpha and Omega know!
Or to know him
Aright? alas! my ſight
Were dark and dim
But for thine eyes, thy light
Who ſeeſt him that is inviſible.
What fleſh and blood perceives not thou ſee'ſt well.
Pray'r's a blind beggar,
If it doe want but thee:
It may be eager,
But right it cannot bee.
Hope were an hopeleſs thing but that thou doſt
Allow it ſpend upon thy proper coſt.
Faith makes pray'r know
Where t' have its Amunition,
And teacheth how
To levell each petition.
Of clam'rous ſin, quick prayer, by Faith, gains cope,
And brings ſalvations tidings back to hope.
In pilgrimage,
I went to Calvery
That bitter ſtage
Where my dear Lord did dye;
Where miſſing him, I cri'd out where is he?
Faith whiſper'd to me, go along with me.
Faith brought me to
A door, but it was lockt:
Faith bad me go
And knock, and ſo I knockt:
Then th' door flew open and a Lamb did ſtand
Cry'ng take both fleece and fleſh. But I h'd no hand.
But as my moan
I made with tears and grief,
Faith lent me one
So I took the relief:
Which having got I found that this believing
Both gives me Chriſt, and is of Chriſts own giving.
But as I thought
To h've carri'd home this gift,
A Croſs was brought
Which I was bad to lift
Or leave the reſt: I try'd but could not bear it:
Said Faith, I'll lend thee ſhoulders, do not fear it.
With much ado
I got this bleſſed pack,
Chriſt and's Croſs too
By Faith upon my back:
But could nor go nor ſtand, till Faith did meet
Me juſt a ſinking with a pair of feet.
Faith hav'ng new vampt
My ſoul, I then could walk.
Reaſon's ſin-crampt;
And tis but idle talk
To ſpeak of marching in its ſtrength and might
Till Faith lends reaſon legs and ſets it right.
We ſtand by Faith
Saith Paul, we ſtand by reaſon.
Whoever ſaith
I doubt me, doth ſpeak treaſon
They ſhew their reaſon beſt that daily beg
Lord give us Faith, reaſon's a wodden leg.
Faith makes me ſee
What reaſon's asking ſtill,
How can it be?
Let him take heed that will
Believe no more then he finds reaſon for
Leſt he find reaſon to believe no more.
When Faith as Queen
Makes reaſon wait upon her,
Reaſon's then ſeen
Look like a maid of honour:
But let that ſaucy Courtier 'ware his head
That crowds the Queen into the truckle-bed.
In a few miles
March, betwixt this and Heaven
I found ſome ſtiles
Not few'r then ſix or ſeaven
That reaſon ſtumbling at; Faith, help me over,
Said I …ll poor Lame reaſon ſhall recover.
No ſooner ſaid
I ſo but Faith did lift,
Ev'n as I pray'd,
Me over with my gift:
Which done I fell aboard that ſacred fleſh
That ſo I might my fainting ſoul refreſh.
Bee'ng cold and thin
The fleece I had receiv'd
I went to ſpin
And weave, but as I weav'd
An enemy did caſt a fiery dart,
Which but for th' ſhield of Faith had kild my heart.
Where hadſt that fleece
Said Satan, thieviſh ſinner,
Of righteouſneſs
That thou'rt become a ſpinner?
I anſwer'd, falſe accuſer, not by thieving,
Had I my Righteouſneſs but by believing.
Believing? what
Doſt thou, poor fooliſh wretch
Tell me of that?
Said Satan, go and fetch
Gods Law-Book, and thy Conſcience Book and ſay
If thou canſt ſtand as righteous any way.
Malicious foe,
Said I, ceaſe troubling me,
Or elſe lets go
To ſuit ith' Chancery.
Gods Common-Law admits of mine appeales
To th' Law of Faith that Righteouſneſs reveales.
But equity
Requires thy debts be paid;
Said he; ſaid I,
And ſatisfaction's made
By one that left his Croſs, when he was ſlain,
That I therewith might thee, foul ſerpent! brain.
Then Satan flew,
Quitting the field. Anon
A numerous crew,
A WORLD it was, came on.
Thronging ſo thick and threefold in upon me,
That, had nor Faith preſt in, they had undone me.
Earth ſhew'd her ſtrength,
Her treaſures, pleaſures, pride:
Giddy at length
Poor I began to ſlide,
Hold, man! ſaid Faith, thou haſt a ſtaff by thee
Chriſts Croſs can help thee ſtand, & force theſe flee.
But in this broil
Ere I the Croſs could uſe,
I had a foil,
And got at inward bruiſe,
Conſcience ſpat blood, pain pierc'd and wrung my ſide,
Till Faith ſome better blood like balm applied.
Faith alſo bad
A vein ſhoul op'ned be,
Urging I had
Much putrid blood in me:
Content, ſaid I, for I had heard oth' art
Of ſaving Faith to purifie the heart.
But leſt I ſhould
In bleeding faint, Faith took
Some Cordialls roll'd
In Bible leaves, a Book
Whoſe ev'ry leafe, ſaid Faith, rich drugs conteins
As I compound them, ſov'raign for heart-pains
Alas! ſaid I,
Many thoſe drugs have got,
But do decry,
Finding they profit not;
But ſtrait remembred what the Sripture ſaith
Th' word did not profit be'ng unmix'd with Faith.
O pow'rfull Faith!
Whoſe ev'ry ſmalleſt grain,
If ſound, who hath
May ſay, and not in vain,
Mountains of guilt that here ſo long have ſtood
Get hence into the Sea of Saviours blood.
This skillfull grace
Did firſt Phlebotomize,
Then waſh the place.
And after wipe mine eyes.
Dear Faith! ſaid I, I ſee that thou doſt mean
Not only for to make me whole but clean.
As ſoon as I
Was cur'd of this my pain,
Impetuouſly
The world comes on again.
I took Faith's Croſs, and found what Scripture ſaith
Our victory over the world's our Faith.
Vain world be gone
Said I, vex me no more,
Vexation
And vanity's thy ſtore
This Jacobs ladder helps me to diſcrye
A ſurer ſweeter world beyond the skye.
By this dear Croſs
My deareſt Lord did climb:
I'll count thee loſs
That I may follow him.
His and my Kingdom's not ith' worlds enjoyment
If 'twere who knows where it would be next moment?
World thou muſt be
Set one day all on fire,
Witchchrafts in thee,
And blood deſerve this hire.
Then ſhall my duſt ſee by thy bright fire-light
To riſe that morning that ſhall nere have night.
We do but jeſt,
Great Alexanders ſtory
Is beſt expreſt
When we ſay this worlds glory
Vanquiſh'd that ſeeming victor; ſure I am
Nothing but Faith this world ere overcame.
When I begin
To fight, and want ſupplies;
Faith ſummons in
Heavens Auxiliaries;
And ſtores with precious promiſes that are
The very ſinews of that holy war.
And more then this
Brings in a rare commander
Jeſus it is,
Not Mars, or Alexander:
But he that taught all fingers fight, can quell
All foes, ev'n Chriſt ith' heart, by faith, doth dwell.
Jeruſalem
Above, that City is
Where Davids ſtem
Raigns and remains in bliſs
Yet 'tis his royall pleaſure here in us
To dwell by Faith as in his Country-houſe.
Faith makes mans heart
That dark, low, ruin'd thing,
By its rare art,
A pallace for a King;
High'r then proud Babels tow'r by many a ſtory,
By faith Chriſt dwels in us the hope of Glory.
Thus Faith doth raiſe
Out of vile duſt a Court,
Imputing praiſe,
Honour, and good report.
Hearts, Rahab like, when once they entertain
Heav'ns ſpies by Faith, a good report do gain.
If thou believe
All things are poſſible:
Faith can relieve
Ev'n to a miracle:
This Faith can waſh an Aethiopian clean,
Witneſs the Eunuch of Candace the Queen.
And as Faith makes
Us Courts, ſo Courtiers too:
God pleaſure takes
In us when all we do
Is done in Faith, then reck'ning that he hath
Moſt glory by us, when moſt ſtrong in Faith.
And as by this
Our ſervice proves his pleaſure;
Ev'n ſo doth his
Hereby become our treaſure:
One day in Gods Cour… Faith doth far prefer
Before a thouſand any other where.
'Tis unbelief
Ith' evill, evill heart,
His and my grief,
That makes us ever part:
That Bleſſed Man whoſe feet this Faith hath ſh…d
With, Noah and Enoch ſtill can walk with God.
By Faith who ſtrives
To walk with God whilſt here
Doth live two lives
At once each day oth' year:
And dying Joſeph like commands his bones
To Canaan there to dwell with living ones.
Dear Faith ſaid I
My joy, my crown, my treaſure!
Tell me whereby
I may do thee a pleaſure.
Thou art that lock in which my ſtrength doth lye,
Thee not to tender were ſelf-cruelty.
If thou wouldſt pleaſe
Me better, work me more;
Said Faith, 'tis caſe
Only that makes me poore.
But I do uſe to bid my workmen eat,
Said I; dear Faith, inform me what's thy meat.
Said Faith I came
Out of the eaſtern lands,
Old Abraham
And I have oft ſhook hands:
My food's an Hebrew root that Gardners dreſſe
On Lords Days moſtly call'd the root of Ieſſe.
By hearing I
Came firſt; and we are fed
Moſt kindly by
The things whereof we're bred.
Forget not, if you love me, the Church-path:
Line upon Line's the way from Faith to Faith.
The carefull foot,
That walks by Scripture-LEAVES,
Shall find th's ROOT,
Which happy who receives;
So nutritive, Antidotive and good
Who feeds on it, needs ſcarce fear any food.
Make but my bread
Of this root when I Sup
Let th' Dragons head
Be then broke and ſerv'd up:
Yet Toad-ſtools, one would think, need be well dreſt
Ere they will make a good diſh for a feaſt.
Art I did gain
Sometime, and that by book,
The Temters brain
To wholeſomeneſs to cook.
Only have care as ever thou doſt mean
To keep me long in health to lodg me clean.
Good conſcience is
An old comrade of mine,
Whom I cant miſs:
If thou wouldſt make me thine,
And keep me, thou muſt keep him too; that day
Thou partſt with him, look I ſhould pack away.
Self confidence,
My nat'rall enemy,
Muſt be packt hence.
An hand, a foot, an eye
Who hath of's own, will ſcorn to be my debtour:
Who parts with theſe, works, walks and ſees the better.
Prove that thou art
A Pilgrim: daily dye:
Of death get th' ſtart
And live eternally.
I that in Abrah'ms heart dwelt many a day,
To Abrah'ms boſom now ſhew thee the way.
Fear alwaies; Yet
Faint never: Eye the cloud
That doth beſet
Thee, that triumphant Croud:
Look unto Jeſus: watch th' word of command,
Which, when thou haſt done all theſe things, is STAND.
By grace ye are ſaved, through Faith,
Epheſſ. 2.8.