The glorious lover a divine poem upon the adorable mystery of sinners redemption / by B.K., author of War with the Devil.

Apollyon.

Thou hit'st the case, and I agree thereto; Thou shalt be clothed new from top to to: And I'le transform my shape, and will appear, For thy assistance; haste, and nothing fear. With specious shews of love, do thou pretend, Thou com'st to reason with her as a Friend, Not meaning to perswade her to remove, Or to withdraw in any case her love From her great Soveraign, whom thou maist confess Can only her advance to happiness; Yet tell her she's too strict, she's too precise, She'l never hold it; bid her to be wise: Soft pace goes far; an over-heated zeal Ruins the Soul, and spoils the Common-weal. Go bid her carry 't in her Princes sight With Saint-like sweetness; bid her to delight In his presence, and there demurely stand; But when she's absent, let both heart and hand

Be still delighted, as they were before, With sense-deluding Objects. Furthermore, Tell her he's not so strict as to debar Her of these joys below, for her's they are: Of which Paul rightly speaks, this is the sum, All things are yours, both present and to come; Thus we'l combine, and all our pow'rs unite, And in this mode and curious dress incite Th' enligten'd Soul to play the Hypocrite. The flesh being thus with th' pow'rs of Hell a∣greed, The inward Foe bestirs himself with speed; Vile Traytor like, a Panther doth become, To work about the Soul's eternal doom. A cruel Serpent, in a Saint-like guize, The better to trapan the long'd-for prize. As Balaam, once, and Balak, so do they Seek to find out some curst infidious way, The poor unwary Soul for to betray To the last Death's dark and eternal shade. Balaam advises Balak to invade God's Heritage, 'twas by the beauteous train Of Moabite Damsels, who he thought might gain The Israelites affections, and thereby Make them offend against the Majesty Of God All-mighty, by whose powerful hand Jacob prevails, and Moab could no wise stand. Ah! see how the wise Fowler lays his snare To catch the poor enlighten'd Soul. Beware,

And do not close thy new-inlighten'd Eyes; Under the Golden clew the Panther lies. The Eye-intangled Creature stands to gaze Upon the lovely Panther in a maze, Till the deluded Beast doth by his stay Unwillingly become the Panther's prey. Just as you see sometimes the nimble fly, Dancing about the flame, advance so nigh, Until it's taken and doth burn its wings. Thus from it self its own destruction springs. Or like two Men, who running in a Race, With hopes the Golden Diadem shall grace The Victor's Temples, in the way doth lie A Golden Ball; one of them casts his Eye Upom the same, makes but a little stay To take it up, the other hasts away, And never turns aside to fix his Eyes On this or that, but runs and wins the prize: The other he the Ball espies, is loth To let it lie: in hopes to get them both, He loses both: for when he comes to try, Doth ••••nd the Golden Ball deceiv'd his Eye; For when he thought to lay it up in store, Finds it an Earthly Ball, but gilded o're. O! then he grieves, but then it is too late His Eye's the cause of his unhappy fate. A fit resemblance: for thus stands the case With every Soul. This mortal life's the Race. A blessed Kingdom crowns the Victor's brow With endless glory, but whilst here below

We're tempt by Earthly pleasures, that's the Ball; Satan's the Sopister, who lets it fall. Now look about thee, Soul, thy time's at hand, Thine Enemies approach, ••ay, ••o they stand Ready prepared, and resolv'd to try Both strength and craft to get the Victory. Thy precious Lord is the eternal Prize, Mind well thy Mark, take heed of wanton Eyes, If Pleasures thou, or Honours, shouldst espy, Stop not to gaze, run swift, and pass them by; Take no regard unto that painted Ball, Which Satan, to deceive thee has let fall. The Old-man's near (the flesh) in a new dress, And whose with him? Ah! thou mayst eas'ly guess. 'Tis to deceive thee he appears so trim, And thou mayst see the Devil plain in him. The pow'rs of Hell in thee will try their skill For to insnare Affections, and the Will; Nay, Satan has got them to take his side; Thus treacherously thy heart they do divide. Thus though the Soul obtains inlightned Eyes, Whilst thicker darkness vanishes and flies, Yet is she vex'd with sore perplexities 'Twixt two extreams and two contrary Laws, Judgment is led by one, Affection draws The other way; she can't tell which to please: She knows what's best, but strong temptations seize Upon her so, that she's at a great stand, This way she goes, then to the other hand.

Her faculties fall out, they disagree. O look, methinks I in the Soul do see Four mighty Warriours draw into the Field To try their Valour, and refuse to yield Unto each other: here's two against two: Judgment with Conscience are united so, That Will and the Affections do resolve The trembling Soul in Wars still to involve. Will rouses up, refuses to give way, That his great opposites should have the day; Apollyon also with him doth take part, To hold his own, and to beguile her heart. They meet, they strike, & blows exchange for blows, Darts are let fly, they with each other close. The conflict's sharp, 'tis very hard to know Which will the other beat and overthrow. Will's hard put to't, nay, had lost the day quite, But that more Traytors join'd him in the Fight. Th' Old-man rouses with rebellious flesh, And these domestick Wars renew afresh. They fight about the Soul, would know who must Have th' heart and its affections, Christ, or Lust. Satan by inward motions straight reply'd, My sentence is, we'l equally divide, And give alike, both can't have the whole heart; Christ take a piece, and I the other part. He'd have the question by the Sword decided, Knowing the Soul lies dead whilst 'tis divided. Thus 'tis with many. Ah! look well within, Judgment convinc'd may be, yet may thy sin

In thy affections live, and also thou Mayst not to th' pow'r of Grace and Jesus bow. Thou mayst have light, and speak as Balaam did, Whose Eyes Jehovah so far opened, That he cry'd out, O happy Israel! How goodly are the Tents where thou dost dwell! He (like to many Preachers) did commend God's holy ways, and wish'd that his last end Might be like his, who righteously doth live, And his whole heart doth unto Jesus give. He to this purpose spake, yet ne'r-the-less, Lov'd best the wages of unrighteousness. The Understanding may much light receive, And yet may not the Soul rightly believe, Nor be espous'd to Christ, may not rely On him alone in true simplicitie. But to proceed; with careful Eye let's view What follows here, what 'tis doth next ens••e. As Combatants sometimes a Parly beat After some sharp Encounter, or retreat. And with each other do expostulate About their rising, or their sinking fate. Even so likewise do these strong inward Foes, They pause as 'twere, parly, then fall to blows.