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.

CONTEMPLATIONS and COLLECTS ON THE Eighth PSALM of DEGREES, BEING The GXXVII. PSALM.

GRacious Father! who workest hitherto as thy Son also worketh, look upon us thy Workmanship, make us thy Building, who as lively Stones, well wrought and figured, would be built up a Spiritual House unto thee: And we know, except thy Divine Wisdom thus frame and raise us, bearing up the Pillars of our Strength, hewing out the Stones of our hard Hearts to be polished Corners of thy Temple, we shall prove but sorry Tabernacles, but foolish Builders, and Labourers in vain: For who amongst us can say, that he hath made his Heart clean? Who can come to the Rock to lay a good Foundation, except it be given him from above? Or who can keep himself so clean, as that the foul and wicked Spirit touch him not, nor enter in again after he hath been cast out of a Man, except thou, O Lord! who art stronger than the Enemy, dost watch and defend the House of the poor Soul? Thou must work all our Works in us, and for us, for without thee we can do nothing. O therefore! raise, strengthen, stablish, and compleat us thou glorious Solomon, thou who must edifie us by thy Apostles and Teachers, and instruct us how to be Temples for thy holiest Spirit, and the Heritage of the Lord for evermore.

We must acknowledge that our best Skill, and carefullest Actions, our Watchings and Fastings, our Righteousness and Charities, are as Stones which thou, O Master Builder! mightest refuse, being fit for nothing but to debase and throw us down to Hell, affording us no prop or safe reliance upon them. 'Tis thou alone, O truest Jedidiah! that foundest thy beloved Church upon the Corner-Stone of Faith, which edifies with joy and peace, with rest and firmness in believing. So build us up, we beseech thee, and watch over our Souls, that we may not be found to have watch'd, or to have work'd, to have instructed our Hearts, to have cleansed our Hands in vain, but to have done the Work, and compleated the Task which thou hast appointed us to do, by edifying both our selves and others in our most holy Faith. We throw our selves, Lord Jesus, on thy gentlest Bosom of Compassions, to be regarded and instructed by thee, and trust that we are not Judas's whilst we eat of thy Bread, and drink of thy Cup, but shall be unto thee Sons and Daughters, such an Inheritance as may be the Crown of thy Rejoycing, the purchase of thy Labours, the proof of thy Power, the Arrows in thy Quiver, with which thou mayest triumphantly come to the Almighty, and say, Behold me, and the Children which thou hast given me.

Let not thine Arms be full or weary, dear Lord, 'till thou hast enclo∣sed our Souls within them, and made us so the Children of thy strength, as that we may be able to come with boldness to the Throne of Grace, and neither be affrighted when we meet with our Enemies in the Gate of Death, nor when we shall speak with our Accuser, and our Judge, at the great Tribunal of the last day.

From the various Proofs of thy tenderness over thy Flock, in giving them repose and comfort, and blest content, in the midst of their hard fare, hard work, and harder want, O skilful Shepherd of our Souls, let us learn to cast our Care upon thee for our protection and provision, for thy presérvation of our Persons, and propagation of our Families; and if thou carest for us, we need take no more care than Abraham did, for God will provide for us, for our Off-spring, for our chief Good, and for his Glory. The Lord shall build his David a House, and he will be an exceeding great Reward (even above that of the Fruit of the Womb) unto his Friend Abraham, whose Children we are if we believe as he: Lord, we believe, help our unbelief, that we might not throw away our loved sleep, much less our best beloved Souls, in carking after the things of this Life, whether they be Pleasures, Profits, Power, Posterity, Preferments, or vain Past-times; for what are these in re∣spect of a Soul? But giving up our Souls, Estates, and Concernments, into the hands of a faithful Creator, who is able to keep them and us to the very uttermost, let us be preserved not only in perfect Peace and Prosperity in this Life, but also in a happy and safe Repose even in Death it self, when we expect to rest from our Labours, and to sleep in Jesus. Amen.