La scala santa, or, A scale of devotions musical and gradual being descants on the fifteen Psalms of Degrees, in metre : with contemplations and collects upon them, in prose, 1670.

THE SEVENTH Psalm of Degrees, BEING The CXXVI. PSALM,

Is thought to be composed by Esdras, or some of that time, after the Babylonish Bondage, because in the first part of the Psalm it joyfully Celebrates the Return of some, as in the second part heartily wishes the Restoration of all the rest of the Captivity, from the Land of the North, (as the Realm of Babylon is called,* 1.1 in regard of its site to Judea) making that apt and excellent resem∣blance of them to Streams, running into the dry and desolate parts of the South, which must needs be very welcome there, and are said to flow thither as Torrents in great abundance, upon the melting of the Snows, and producing of Showers by the South Wind: So that whether you take 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 for the South Wind, or South part of the World, the comparison may hold to either acceptation of the Word very full and elegant. The Jews flocking Southwards home, but (not all together) as the Spirit of God moved on the Waters in Babylon, in the Days of Cyrus, Darius, and Xerxes, stirring up Zerubbabel, Ezra, Nehemiah, and others, to bring back the Hebrews, restore Religion, rebuild the Temple, and repair Jerusalem, which had been demolished and burnt by Nebuzaradan in the fifth Month,* 1.2 (〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉) and in that same Month (about Harvest time) was the Return of the Jews with Ezra, c. 7. v. 9. who had been led away Captive at their Sowing time: There∣fore the Simile of the Husbandman here was rarely apposite, both to the occasion of their Joy, and season of the Year, and their manner of Exaltation.

This PSALM is very proper for our 23^d of April, and 29^th of May, or any such happy Time of recovery from Trouble, Danger, and Oppression.

〈♫〉〈♫〉

AFTER the long Night of a State; so dark as ours, so de—so—late; who could so much as Dream, that we should wake out of Cap—ti—vi—ty? But when God took that Plague a—way, that E—gypt which on Si—on lay; our Pangs, like Dreams, a—way did fly, and we had safe de—li—ve—ry.

Pleas'd, and transported with our Change, By a Recovery so strange; * 1.3(As Cripples cur'd by Wonders) we Soon got both Strength and Liberty.

Soon we got well, well home; and found Grief did no Soul; no Body wound: But Hearts and Tongues in Psalms agree, And they got Feet as well as we.

Then both our Chains and Silence broke; Then Pagans too, the Truth thus spoke: The Lord hath done great things for ye; The Lord hath done so, answer'd we.

Therefore God's Works with joy we tell, Which may convince the Infidel; And call up Pray'rs for such as be Not yet return'd from Slavery.

O! were our Friends (our Foes and all) Redeem'd from their Egyptian Thrall; From Satan, and from Sin set free, How welcome were their Liberty?

Welcom as Nilus in the South, And sweet as Show'rs in days of Drouth; For all, with us, we long to see Reap Mirth, who plough'd in Misery.

Sure, Lord, thy Lab'rers,* 1.4 in the heat Who take the pains, shall tast the Wheat; And may with shouts receive from thee A Largess of Prosperity.

We, who dropt little hopes in Tears, When driven hence by Foes or Fears; Now loaded back with Solace, see Rich Incomes from Captivity.

* 1.5Thus the poor Seeds-man sadly goes, While on the ground his Wealth he strows; But when the Harvest Crowns him, he * 1.6Jogs home with Sheaves and jollity.

So they who shed a few small Tears I'th' Seed-time of their Hopes and Fears, Shall glad Returns from Sadness see, And shock up more Felicity.

Nay, he that goes from hence, and bears To Earth his Dust, to Heav'n his Tears; Shall find those precious Grains to be Vast Crops in blest Eternity.

Gloria Patri, &c.

In the Lord's Praise let none be dumb, But Father, Son, and Ghost adore: Who was, and is, and is to come, Thrice Blessed God for evermore.

CONTEMPLATIONS and COLLECTS ON THE Seventh PSALM of DEGREES, BEING The CXXVI. PSALM.

O Most dear Redeemer Jesus, who wouldest be the Lord our Righteousness, we must confess thou mightest justly become our Enemy, (as Joseph's Brethren became his Foes) because of the multitude of our Dreams; those vain conceits of Happiness which have been trusted and lean'd upon, though but Egy∣ptian Reeds, have greatly merited thy Punishment, and our farther deceptions. We have deserved to be most terribly mistaken, like the hungry wretch, who dreams he eats, but he awakes, and behold he is faint, and the more afamisht. Thus are our Souls but the more starved by those Visions of the Night; those short unsatisfying plea∣sures; those shadows, and fond imaginations, in which we have been lull'd asleep by the Flesh, the World, and the Evil one, leading us Captive by them at their pleasure. But, Lord, if thou wilt teach us like thy self, to lead Captivity Captive, and to subdue their triple Band that lies in Ambush against us, (as Abimelech's against the Men of Shechem) then shall we be like the Widow's Son raised even from the Dead: We shall not only recover our strength wonderfully, as did the Cripple, before we go hence, but be recalled with Lazarus to newness of Life, and have our Wills and Faculties unbound, our Mouths and Hearts opened, our Hands and Feet loosed and enlarged to sing the Praises of the Lord, to run the Paths of his Commands, and to teach Transgressors his ways, that so Sinners may be converted unto him, admiring the great things which God hath done for us, and we praise him for continually; for as God's Praise must be ever in our Mouths upon the account of his miraculous Redemption of us, (who were conquered and taken, enslaved and sold) so ought we incessantly to pray for the Conversion of others, (remembring those that are in Bonds as bound with them) and that thy Servants, O Christ! who are many, may be made one Bread, and they who sit in the darkness of Ignorance, or in the shadows of Error, may be delivered from the power of Satan, into the glorious Liberty of the Sons of God.

Blessed Lord! thou hast Brethren here that the World knows not, nor thinks to be such. O! that all the Sheep, though they have gone astray, may be reduced from their Wanderings, and brought out of their Wilderness, Condition, and desert State, by resting on the Shoulders of thy Power, and leaning on the Bosom of thy Love. O thou well-beloved and best loving Jesus! how grateful, gracious, and desirable, how profitable, sweet, and suitable will such a stream of Grace prove to thine Israel in their Pilgrimage? It will be a Well

springing up, and raising thy poor Creatures unto Life; it will be like drops upon the tender Herb, like showers upon the thirsty Ground, making the hard-hearted and barren Soul to rejoyce, and to break forth into gladness, and into fruitfulness: For when thy Word distills like the Dew, and thou sendest a gracious Rain upon thine Heritage, it must needs be refresh'd and renew'd like the face of the good Ground which thou hast Bless'd; for that which is sterile is nigh unto Cursing, but that which kindly receives the Rain that comes oft upon it, brings forth Food meet for him by whom it is dressed, what kind of Husbandry soever he useth towards it. So we beseech thee grant, O thou good Husbandman! that (since thou dost so plentifully shower amongst us thy benefits, and the good tidings of the Gospel) we may bring forth the fruits of thy Spirit, such as are proper for our places and con∣ditions, and for the Ages of our Lives, and of the World, what way soever thou takest with us, whether thou break us up by the Plough of Afflictions, or dig about us by forbearance and prosperities.

We know that he who Sows the good Seed of thy Grace in an honest Heart with the Tears of true Remorse (although the Enemy should mingle Tares among the Wheat, yet) being a painful Labourer, shall Reap a good Crop at the Harvest of the World, and that with Joy, and not with Grief; for godly Sorrow worketh Repentance unto Sal∣vation, not to be repented of. Let us not therefore sorrow, as do many, for Temporal losses, but rather let us rejoyce that thou pourest down plentifully of thy Grace upon us, which is better than abundance of Corn and Wine. And so even when we go forth, with Peter, weeping bitterly for our Sins, if we hear with us the precious Seeds of Adoption and Regeneration; and these abide with us, although we may lye down in the dust of Death, or go out of the Land of the Living here, yet shall we come again with Bosoms full of Joy, and with Arms full of a Jesus that went out before us bearing our Reproach, and who with Tears and strong Cries pleaded for the handful that was given him out of the World, and shall come again like a happy Reaper, bringing Sheaves of Corn with him, that the people whom he hath laboured for, and united unto himself, may be crowned with Victory, Prospe∣rity, and Glory, and compleated with Gladness with him for ever∣more. Amen.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Jer. 13.19, 20. Jer. 16.15.
• * 1.2

  2 Kin. 25.8.
• * 1.3

  Acts 3.9.
• * 1.4

  2 Thes. 3.7, 8, 9.
• * 1.5

  Endo ibit, & flendo portans pretium semi∣nis pretiosum ob caritatem.
• * 1.6

  Veniendo ve∣niet cum exui∣tatione.