O no, I mind him not so as I ought;
Nor seek him so as I by him was sought,
When I had lost myself: he dearly bought

Me, that was sold for nought.

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 Thy presence in the place where thou abidest, Teach me the sacred art, which thou providest

For all them, whom thou guidest,

To seek and find thee by. Else here I'll lie,
Until thou find me. If thou let me die,
That only unto thee for life do cry,

Thou diest as well as I.

For, if thou live in me, and I in thee,
Then either both alive, or dead must be:
At least I'll lay my death on thee, and see

If thou wilt not agree.

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 ;

My tears
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,
Had almost sunk my ship, and drown'd my treasure.

And go

So suddenly away? As if enjoying
Full pleasure and contentment, were annoying.

Hereafter I had need

Take heed.
Joys, amongst other things,

Have wings,

And watch their opportunities of flight,
Converting in a moment day to night.

But, is 't enough for me

To be
Instructed to be wise ?

I'll rise,
And read a lecture unto them that are
Willing to learn, how comfort dwells with care.

He that his joys would keep

Must weep;

And in the brine of tears

And fears
Must pickle them. That powder will preserve :
Faith with repentance is the soul's conserve.

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;

And well we may ;

The Scriptures say, The water did prevail

, the hills were under, And nothing could be seen but sea.

And yet there are two other floods surpass

That flood, as far,

As heaven one star, Which many men regard, as little, as

The ordinariest things that are.

The one is Sin, the other is Salvation :

And we must need

Confess indeed,
That either of them is an inundation,

Which doth the deluge far exceed.

In Noah's flood he and his household lived :

And there abode

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,

With good that ever shall remain.

O, let there be one other inundation,

Let Grace oʻerflow

In my soul so,
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,

Where Satan thought to root out all.

SIN.

Sin, I would fain define thee; but thou art

An uncouth thing :

All that I bring
To show thee fully, shows thee but in part.

yet I read

I call thee the transgression of the Law,

And

That Sin is dead Without the Law; and thence its strength doth draw.

I
say thou art the sting of death. 'Tis true :

And yet I find

Death comes behind : The work is done before the pay be due.

I
say thou art the devil's work ; Yet he

Should much rather

Call thee father ;
For he had been no devil but for thee.

What shall I call thee then? If death and devil,

Right understood

Be names too good,
I'll say thou art the quintessence of evil.