The Doctrine of the Three Sacred Persons, Part 8 – Part 9
HEARING.
FRom Pray'r to Hearing I proceed
For that prepares for this indeed
But who from Hearing turns his ear away
The Lord abominates to hear him pray,
Heark? tis Gods voice: can man forbear
To hear Him ſpeak that made the Ear?
Why ſhould the Head of hearing Ears make ſhow
Since ſuch Deaf Ears upon Mans Heart do grow?
Heav'n did to poor Mans miſery
Give ear before he gave the Cry.
Methinks a Saviours words ſhould all ſound loud,
Acuted with the Accents of his Blood.
What vile Diſhoneſty appears
By Mans diſgracefull loſs of Ears?
And y… let Syrens frog, and Satan knock;
… Hear can … too …ight, too ſoon unlock;
No Cords can hold, or Luſts be bound,
Till All is over-board and drown'd.
When th'Serpent charms this Add…r hears, but when
Heav'n charm's more wiſely, th' Ears are charm'd agen.
Moſt what I ſee a monſtrous ſight
Moſt have two Ears, yet neither's Right,
God gave them two, yet they'l by no means lend
So much as one to ſuch a bounteous Friend.
Sure ſuch a Friend would ſoon repay,
By giving ear to what they pray.
God ever takes up Ears on Intereſt,
And doth his greateſt Creditors pay beſt.
They teach their very Ears to pray
Who liſten well what God ſhall ſay.
Th' uncircumcis'd in Ear bid God deny,
Refuſing Him that speaketh, when they cry.
The Deaf Ear'd-Idoll is abhord
And Men like Idols, of the Lord:
Who deafneſs plagues with deafneſs, and doth turn
His Ear from Dives whileſt his Tongue doth burn.
Lord therefore to Deaf Hearers give
To live to hear, to hear and live.
Yea into th' Harveſt ſend forth Labourers
To fill thy floor by gathering in of Ears.
Thou ſow'ſt thy Word as Seed, and then,
'Tis fit thou reap the Ears of Men,
As Mary weeping heard till ſhowrs of tears,
Full ripe for thine own reaping made her Ears.
What Heaps ſhall in thy Garnets bee
When Ears are Circumcis'd by Thee?
Fair Sion ſhall be like an heap of Wheat
That round about with Lillies is beſet.
When Malchus loſt an Ear thy touch
(A Saviours skill and virtue's ſuch)
R…pair'd that Loſs: Lord 'tis but Ask and Have:
Thou canſt find Ears in Lazarus his Grave.
Thou Davids Heir of Davids Keys
Canſt ſhut and open as thou pleaſe,
Thy ſtill voice loud winds, and proud waves obey;
Unto thy Word, let not Mens Ears ſay Nay.
Thou didſt a Pris'ner once impow'r
(Judg Felix bee'ng Auditour)
To give the Charge that took the Judg by th' Ear
More Bonds did then on th' Bench then Barr appear.
When Heav'ns great Guns from tire to tire,
According to thy Word give fire
Kadeſh doth tremble: Hindes do calve for fear:
The howling Deſarts, and deaf Rocks give ear.
And is Mars Heart more wild? more hard?
More full of noiſes? ſtronger barr'd?
Yet is the ſtar the key-hole: Lord put in
Thy finger, then the gentleſt word will win.
All turns and moves: One Eph…phatha.
Removes obſtructions out of th' way;
Then th' Ear ſhall welcome every ſecond word
Wi…h a Come in thou Bleſſed of the Lord!
The Scriptures ſpeak of th' Learned Ear;
S… then thy tongue muſt teach to hear,
Morning by morning let thy Muſick make
The heavy Ears of Mans dull mind to wake.
If Sons of God, fair Angels, ſtand
Waiting the Son of Gods command,
(Which when it comes, who ſees theſe Holy things,
Might ſee their Ears converted into wings)
If the Deaf Divell lends an Ear
Not led by Love but forc'd by Fear
And if the ſworn, plague, famine only know
By hearkning to his Word they Come and Goe;
In vain doth poor Man ſtop his Ear
And ſay in's Heart Hee'l never hear:
Harveſts bring Ears: and ſuch is the Worlds end:
Graves muſt find Hearers then; The Dead attend.
Then Happy He that ſooner heard,
Hearing before for afterward;
God had his Eares on Earth, and doubtleſs He
Shall with full ſheaves repaid in Heaven be.
If Sol'mons ſervants were ſo bleſt
That coun'd their Leſſon from his breast,
How Happy're thoſe Diſciples then whoſe Ears
Are tun'd to the true Muſick of the Sphears?
Where the Firſt-Mover is Free Grace,
Free Purpoſe moves ith' ſecond place:
Third Orbe's the Word of Grace in which do ſhine
As many Stars as Promiſes Divine
Theſe Leſſons ſo Divine, ſo good
(The Orbes bee'ng Oyl'd in Saviours blood)
Do ſo divinely correſpond, that ſo
Needs muſt the Hearer the Diviner grow.
Then comes that holy Turtle Dove,
Gently deſcending from above;
And ſtealing through the Earth-hole into th' heart,
Doth Heav'ns Intelligence on Earth impart.
This is a joyfull ſound indeed
What Halcyon dayes ſhall hence ſucceed,
Whileſt Thunders terror makes Deaf Rebels quail,
Chriſt… voice to his Diſciples is All hail!
If God that rules all otherwhere
Love ſo to move the Orb of th' Ear,
Sure then the Bleſſed of the Lord are they
That Hearing hearken, Hearkening that Obey.
The Humble Hearer may invite
God Gueſt-wiſe to a Diſht Delight
A fervent whole-broke-heart ſerv'd vp in Tears
The Bread bee'ng made oth' Contrite hearers Ears.
Nay God invites Himſelf to ſup
Where ſuch delights are ſo ſerv'd up
By a clean hand, whereth' ear and the heart's kept hot
God is Mans Gueſt, and Heav'n will pay the ſhot
A letter H is not ſay we
Let HEARING then mine EARING be.
Thou God of Iſrael bore thy ſervants Ear,
That I in i… this Jewel ſtill may wear.
Let every one be ſwift to HEARE. But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own Souls,
Jam. 1.21, 22.
MEDITATION.
I come to ſing the laſt but not the leaſt,
Be'ng that that Clencheth in mans mind and breaſt
Thoſe Nails th' Aſſemblies Maſters drive
Not t' eat but to Digeſt, makes thrive.
Sweet, ſacred thing! Caeleſtiall Contemplation!
Old Enochs Trade, young Iſaac… Recreation.
That furniſheſt Mans thoughtfull breaſt
With Greateſt Work, and Sweeteſt Reſt.
Iſrael's ſweet Singer us'd when firſt awake,
His Lark-like Riſe, upon thy wings, to take;
With which, he made his morning-flight:
Of which, his Feather-bed at night.
The nimble Life-guard of that Royal mind,
Were Thoughts, by thee divinely Diſciplin'd:
Marſhall'd in each dayes front and rear,
Greatneſs thus guarded know's no fear.
When anxious Muſings would invade that ſoul;
When Cares would clog, or make it ſtomack-foul,
Thou didſt exo…erate, Thy skill,
Did ſtill prepare the Stomack-pill.
Thy Phyſick having wrought; and hungry health
Thine hopefull Patient re-ſurpriz'd by ſtealth
Then thou that hony-comb didſt drain;
And break the Bone, that did contein
The fat, the ſweet, which from the Promiſe flow's
(Whereof the ſenſuall worldling nothing knows)
Thus Meditation firſt ſets right
Then ſa…iat's the ſouls Appetite.
Man's fed with Manna; void of ſurfets fear:
Where Meditation's Cook, Digeſtions clear:
Mortals, thus fed with Angels fare;
Converted into Angels are.
By Contemplation was that Darling dreſt,
When Gueſt-wife Heaven bad him to a feaſt.
John's cloath'd in ſpirit, when they call
To keep the Lords daies feſtivall.
In Contemplations Mount who dwell, can ſtretch
Their hand to Heav'n that Starry Crown to reach:
And dreſs themſelves in that bright Sun
Whileſt under-foot they tread the Moon.
In Contemplations Piſgah they, that have
At once a view of Canaan, and their grave.
(In this worlds Deſart wearied)
Do willingly undreſs to Bed.
Sweet ſacred Meditation! may I bee
Wrought, recreated, garded thus by thee:
Phyſick'd and fed by thy Diſpenſatory:
By thee be dreſt with Grace, prepar'd for glory.