The brides ornaments viz. fiue meditations, morall and diuine. 1. Knowledge, 2. zeale, 3. temperance, 4. bountie, 5. ioy.

MEDITAT. I. Of ZEALE and godly IEALOVSIE.

OH that some holy fire enlightening, My Soule now rauish would with thoughts diuine, Whilst I of Iealousie, Loues daughter sing, And godly Zeale, which like the Sunne doth shine, Alas! Minerua, and the Muses nine, Are too weake helpes their aide here to intreate, With Colefrom Altar let some Seraphine Touch my rude tongue, and set my braine on heate, The Glory of this Grace in loftie rhimes to sweate.

Fit Subiect, for a sacred Poets Verse, Which should it selfe in Extasie transcend, Zeales sacred Praise, with Knowledge to rehearse Both Method and Deuotion doe commend: Who as the houshold Chaplaine doth intend, To all that liue in Royall Court of Loue; And Prayers for them all, to heau'n doth send, For without Zeale none possible can moue, To high Olimpus Court, the Seate of mightie Ioue.

For Prayers that to Heau'n seeke to ascend, Without the Feruour of this sacred Zeale, Fall downe like smoakie vapours, that intend Into Aires middle region to steale: But those that are supported by her seale Like Fumes of incense by the Lamb contend Eu'n in th'Almighties presence to reueale Our wants, and craue his aid vs to defend: 'Gainst worlds and Serpents poyson to our latest end.

Oh! thou, to whom it was both drinke and meate, To finish and to doe thy Fathers Will, Whom Zeale of Gods owne house eu'n vp did eate, And made thee on the Crosse thy bloud to spill: Who whipst out Merchants that thy house did fill, With doues and money, theeues and merchandize, Some Zea-lous iuice into my pen distill, And raise my mind aboue her wonted guise, That so my Muse may with her matter sympathise.

All other holy Graces disposition, By rules of Art I formerly define; But Zeale so feruent is no definition Can her containe, or bound in any line; Onely shee is by nature, pure, diuine, Beloued daughter to the Queene of Loue, Whose mothers Graces, so in her doe shine, Shee well the primate of her Court may proue, And ranked be for place, all other Peares aboue.

I here omit that Zeale, which without hate Of others, doth to vertuous deeds contend, And vs enflames that good to emulate, Which we to be in others apprehend: I here that holy Iealousie commend, Which onely doth from Loue diuine proceed; When, not for our, but Gods cause, we intend To loue both him and his in word and deed, For this is that right Zea'le which of true Loue doth breed.

Truth comes by knowledge, and from zeale, deuotions; When therefore zeale doth with true knowledge meete, Shee doth inlarge our hearts with heav'nly notions, Sublime, transcendant, admirable, sweet; But where this knowledge wants, shee's vndiscreet, Rash, violent, seditious, rude and blind, Faults for so faire a Lady farre vnmeet; You see two zeales here of a differing kind, I leaue the worst, and seeke the fairest out to find.

Sweet Lady! daughter to the Queene of Loue; Which is the cause of Zeale and Iealousie, If you will aske mee what this Queene doth moue, To loue vs wretches that in sin doe lye; I answere, Goodnesse of her Maiestie. Most excellent is then this holy fire, Of zeale, proceeding from such ancestry, Goodnesse and Loue, which therefore wee require To true effects of Loue and Goodnesse to aspire.

Sweet zeale! How fairely dost thou beautifie Th'affection, where thou mak'st thy habitation, Like Temple, which thy Lord did purifie, When as his Soule with zeale and indignation, Was mou'd to see Gods Temples prophanation, Not suffering thy house of endlesse rest, To be abus'd by Pride or lustfull passion, Th'affection which doth lodge within my brest, The Temple where Christ and the Holy Ghost should rest.

Companions of Zeale are Pietie, Faith, Knowledge, Patience, Fortitude, and Right, In workes of Mercy, Peace, and Charitie, And sweet Humilitie is her delight: With all her Power shee is opposite Against all that Gods glory may oppose, Shee spends in feruent Prayers, day and night; And those by Knowledge doth so well compose, They bring Gods blessings down, and vp his Iudgements close.

Oh Zeale with Knowledge, Faith and Charitie, Who able is thy vertue to commend, Which doth the Church into one Body tye, And for Gods glory onely dost contend: For publike good, and not for priuate end. Lo! th' Angells-Being doth in zeale consist; Whose sacred ardour doth all flames transcend, Wherewith they oft enlight our minds darke mist, When flames of hottest zeale they to our soule suggest.

Oh! Loue as strong as Death and Iealousie, Cruell as graue: Thy flames like coales of fire Consume and burne vp all most violently, No Streames or Flouds can quench her sacred ire, Should we sell all we haue, we could not buy her: The Daughter zeale is like the Mother free, Them both from Heau'n th' Almightie doth inspire, And therefore neither will affronted bee, With Riualls, Heathen Gods most base Idolatree.

Fond Zeale that's fitly called which doth want Faith, Knowledge, Loue diuine, and Graces all, It still doth most vaine superstitions haunt, And to most base Idolatry doth fall, Vnhumane Fury; Madnesse tragicall! Of men, whom thus blind zeale and strange desire, Transports beyond rage diabolicall, To offer vp their children in the fire Of some offended deuill to appease the ire.

Strange is this zealous fury of the rude, When Ignorance doth guide their blind deuotion, The gathering of the froward multitude, When they be stirred with some feruent motion: All following some braine-sicke idle notion, With discontent, against authoritie, Raise Schismes in Church, in Common-wealth Commotion; Pretending all their Conscience-liberty, Alas! these be no fruits of holy Iealousie.

God often by an Anthropopathy, By which his nature best wee vnderstand, Ascribes vnto himselfe this Iealousie, As being link'd in Hymens holy band; Vnto his Church, his vndefiled: And His Church againe, to shew her feruent Loue, And Ioy shee takes in her new ioyned hand, Like Loue-sicke Bride the Bridegroome oft doth proue, And him with zeale inuites her to imbrace and Loue.

Neuer new wedded Bridegroome was more faine Of his new-Bride, than Christ is of his Doue, Neuer did truest Turtle more complaine, For losse of Mate, than this Spouse of her Loue; It would a stony heart to fountaines moue Of teares to heare the Churches piteous mone, When shee doth misse him whom her Soule doth loue, Where's my belou'd? Ah whither is shee gone? And left his saddest Deare, to sigh and sit alone.

And therefore as a Signet on his heart, And as the Seale that is on his right hand, Shee would be ioyn'd, that shee might neuer part, But alwayes in his Grace and presence stand. No Keeper in Christs Vineyard must command, Hee will his Vineyard prune and dresse alone, Whereby his Iealousie wee vnderstand, His Vine the Bridegroome will haue drest of none, The Bride out of his presence neuer will be gone.

Doth mine inuention faile? that wont to flow In Similes, that make hard things seeme plaine? Or doth the whole Creation here below, Nothing affoord zeales nature to explaine? Alas all earthly Similes are vaine T'expresse the nature of this Heau'nly fire, Which in the glorious Angells doth remaine, And in the Spirits of that blessed Quire, Which here with Hymnes and Praises doe Gods loue admire.

Shall dust and ashes dare yet be so bold, Her to the holy fire to compare Which in the Bush thy seruant did behold Flaming, but did the Bush not singe or seare: Such flames of zeale oft in our hearts there are, Which doe enlighten them, but not consume These flames our Prayers to Iehoua beare, By these our Praises spiritually vp fume, And in Gods nostrils are like incense and perfume.

Or shall I like her to some Lionesse Rob'd of her whelps, by some aduenturous hand, Who in her wondrous woe, and furiousnesse, Deuour's and slayes all in her way that stand: Who can the force of Iealousie withstand? Being of so great strength and wondrous might, God grant our zeale the Truth may vnderstand, And that true Knowledge may your minds inlight, To make vs zealous for Gods glory and the right.

May I not like her to strong churlish wine, Which doth confound the braine, inflame the blood: But cool'd with water pure, and sugar fine, For both of them is soueraigne and good: Eu'n so doth Iealousies most feruent mood, Allaid with sugar of sweet Charitie, And coold with sweetest Christalline pure floud, The silent streames of soft Humilitie, Transcend in all good workes, of Loue and Pietic.

This is the zeale and sacred emulation, Which the Originall doth signifie; Which hath with Loue in Heau'n her habitation, And all our actions here doth sanctifie, And when our Maker vs shall glorifie, Behold! our zeale shall in perfection shine, Begun on earth in true sinceritie, And as our Fleshly courage doth decline, Our zeale will grow more hot, and neerest to diuine.

Zeale made old Abram, Hagars sonne reiect, For scoffing at his holy promisd seed, And Moses Pharaohs Court and grace neglect, When hee th' Egyptians Destiny did reed, That smote a brother of the holy breed: This zeale made noble Phineas with his speare, Slay Zimry and Cosbi in their damned deed, Though Saul the fat of Amalec would spare; Yet Samuels zeale doth Agags flesh in pieces teare.

Oh had his Master Eli's burnt so hot Against his sonnes, when they by violence The fattest of Gods offrings from him got, And with foule Lust defil'd the sacred Tents: Had he like Phineas punish't this offence? Our eares then should not haue so tingeled, To heare of Gods great wrath and sore offence, He and his sonnes in one day slaughtered, And all his race from th' Arke for euer banished.

Zeale made the warlike Dauid to aspire To build an house for Gods owne habitation, And though warres crost his zeale and good desire, Yet made he for it royall preparation, And's Sonne it finisht on his laid foundation, Who gold and siluer vessels in did bring, It making Iudahs Ioy, the admiration Of all the World, the Seat of the great King, Whither the Tribes goe vp, for his true worshipping.

I may with this example dignifie The noble zeale of our late famous Queene, Who much desired to reedifie Paules Temples ruines, which so fearefull seeme, And make her faire as euer shee was seene: But warres abroad, and broiles within her Land, Most fatall to this pious worke haue beene; So as it still most ruinous doth stand, Expecting helpe from Solomons pacificke hand.

Zeale like a Torch it owne selfe doth consume, whil'st burning it to others giueth light, And like to sweetest incense and perfume For others Good, spends all her force and might, Oh blessed fire! if kindled aright, It burne with Loue of Heauen, and holy things, Retaining in our hearts, both day and night, His sweet imbraces, who is King of Kings, Loathing the worlds vaine wanton wicked dallyings.

This Cupid be thy soules and hearts delight, Whose Bow and golden shafts of Zeale and Loue, Doe conquer Fury's, Fates, and worlds despight, And stay the thunderbolts of angry Ioue: Oh see the force of Loue and Zeale doth moue All powers that in Heau'n, Earth, Hell transcend; Grant thee alone I zealously may Loue; And let thy Iealousie me safe defend, That neuer to strange Gods I my affection bend.

Let vs learne zeale of him that in the day's Of's slesh, did offer Prayers, supplication With strongest cry's and teares to God alwayes, That able was to saue him from his Passion; And learne of him true holy indignation, To be ev'n eaten vp with feruent zeale, To see theeues den, in Gods owne habitation, But first let Knowledge our Commission seale That where this Feruour wounds, our Charitie may heale.

But ah our zeale of Prayer now growes cold, Zeale of Gods glory like our Charitie, And as the world declines, now waxing old, Ev'n so doth all our zeale and pietie: We raise our houses ev'n to dare the skie, But raze Gods Temples equall with the ground, Our Fathers built them for posteritie, And left with Ornaments adorned round, But we them with their Ornaments seeke to confound.

As for the Temples of the Holy Ghost, I meane our hearts the Bridegroomes habitation, We will bestow on them no spirituall cost, But leaue them foil'd with vilest prophanation; Pride, Lust, Vaine-glory, all abomination, Tis time to wish this holy Bishops zeale Would make of them to God new consecration, And that the Holy Ghost their doores would seale, Against all spirituall theeues, that holy goods would steale.

Oh that some holy fit of Heau'nly fire, Raising my Muse to zealous contemplation, Would in mine heart that feruent flame inspire, And zealous Loue Saint Paul bare to his nation, When, as hee could haue wish't eu'n reprobation For their sakes, from whose flesh Christ did descend; Or of the Prophet, by predestination Most sure, his name in Booke of Life was pen'd Yet wisht it wiped out Gods glory to defend.

But I confesse, we rather doe enuy, Gods gifts and graces in our Bretheren, And Iosuah-like forbid them prophesie, Shewing more zeale to honour Greatnesse, then To Glorifie the King of Heau'n, yea when We in our hearts find any emulation, 'Tis for vaine-glory, and the praise of men, To build our houses, not Gods habitation, And leaue faire large possessions to our generation.

Let vs with Dauid make a sacred vow, And to th'Almightie God of Iacob sweare Neuer to come within our house, nor bow Our Limbs vpon our Beds, till we prepare A place Gods spirituall Temple vp to reare: Nor euer suffer sleepe within our eyes, Or slumber in our eye-lids to appeare, Till we an habitation doe deuise, Where we may to th'Almightie offer sacrifice.

My mind inflame Lord with that hot desire And zeale to glorifie thy holy name, That like thy Martyrs I may dread no fire, Because I feele within a hotter flame. Hot Coles therefore shall be to mee the same, As to the Martyr was the Boiling Oyle, Which did more coole indeed than him inflame, Because his zeale within did hotter boile, Sweet heau'nly dewes doe most inrich the hottest soile.

Oh were mine head a conduit full of teares, Mine eyes two rocks continually to run, As well to cleanse foule Lusts of youthfull yeeres, As coole the zealous slames in me begun; Had I thus once my Bridegroomes presence won, I neuer would let goe my well-laid hold, Till hee into my Mothers chamber come, With sweet embraces ay, mee to infold, His ardent Loue would neuer let my zeale grow cold.