O no, I mind him not so as I ought; Nor seek him so as I by him was sought, But I have wounded him, that made me sound; Lost him again, by whom I first was found: Him, that exalted me, have cast to the ground; My sins his blood have drown'd. Tell me, oh! tell me (thou alone canst tell), Lord of my life, where thou art gone to dwell: For, in thy absence heaven itself is hell: Without thee none is well. Or, if thou beest not gone, but only hidest To seek and find thee by. Else here I'll lie, For, if thou live in me, and I in thee, For, though thou be the Judge thyself, I have Thy promise for it, which thou canst not wave, That who salvation at thine hands do crave, Thou wilt not fail to save. Oh! seek, and find me then; or else deny Thy truth, thyself. Oh! thou that canst not lie, Show thyself constant to thy word, draw nigh. Find me. Lo, here I lie. THE RETURN. Lo, now my Love appears; Have clear'd mine eyes: I see 'Tis he. Thanks, blessed Lord, thine absence was my hell ; And, now thou art returned, I am well. By this I see I must Not trust My joys unto myself: This shelf, Of too secure, and too presumptuous pleasure, And watch their opportunities of flight, But, is 't enough for me To be Instructed to be wise? And read a lecture unto them that are He that his joys would keep Must weep; And in the brine of tears And fears Must pickle them. That powder will preserve : Learn to make much of care: A rare And precious balsam 'tis For bliss ; Which oft resides, where mirth with sorrow meets : Heavenly joys on earth are bitter-sweets. INUNDATIONS. WE talk of Noah's flood, as of a wonder; The Scriptures say, The water did prevail, the hills were under, And yet there are two other floods surpass As heaven one star, Which many men regard, as little, as The one is Sin, the other is Salvation : Confess indeed, That either of them is an inundation, In Noah's flood he and his household lived: A whole Ark-load Of other creatures, that were then reprieved: All safely on the waters rode. But when Sin came, it overflowed all, And left none free: Nay, even he, That knew no sin, could not release my thrall, But that he was made sin for me; And, when Salvation came, my Saviour's blood Drown'd Sin again, With all its train Of evils, overflowing them with good, O, let there be one other inundation, Let Grace o'erflow In soul so, my That thankfulness may level with Salvation, And sorrow Sin may overgrow. Then will I praise my Lord and Saviour so, That Angels shall Admire man's fall, When they shall see God's greatest glory grow, SIN. SIN, I would fain define thee; but thou art All that I bring To show thee fully, shows thee but in part. I call thee the transgression of the Law, That Sin is dead Without the Law; and thence its strength doth draw. I say thou art the sting of death. 'Tis true: Death comes behind: The work is done before the pay be due. I say thou art the devil's work; Yet he Call thee father; For he had been no devil but for thee. What shall I call thee then? If death and devil, Be names too good, I'll say thou art the quintessence of evil. |