Eliza's babes, or, The virgins-offering being divine poems and meditations / written by a lady, who onely desires to advance the glory of God and not her own.

The Acknowledgement.

MY Omnipotent God, faine would I say something to thee, but I am afraid. But shall my woman∣ish fear make thee loose thy glory; My God it must not! Thy glory must so dazle mine eyes, that I must not regard the censure of the world.

And if thou, O all-seeing eye! seest ought of my selfe, in what I write or say, restraine my hand from writing, and my tongue from speaking; but if thy glory be the intention of my heart, let not my hand and tongue be asham'd to confesse that I cannot but see those infinite blessings that thou hast bestowed on me, which thou hast not as yet bestowed on all. My Lord! I were a fool if I did not see them; I were a beast if I did not acknowledge them; but thou hast taught me to know the onely true God, and Iesus Christ whom thou hast sent into the world, to take away my sins; this wisdome given me by thee, inlightens mine eyes to see thy blessings, and that I must not be like a beast which receives many favours from thee, without acknowledg∣ment; Then with infinite thankes I doe acknowledge to thy glory, thou hast inriched me with a multitude of thy blessings.

And that I may know, that whatsoever is in me ten∣ding to good, is from thee: there are times that I can∣not see any thing that hath any appearance of good in me; for when, by thy mercies, I lay me down in peace to take my rest, being happy in the consideration of thy infinite mercies, and full of thy goodnes; yet in my sleep I finde my thoughts busied in nothing but a mul∣titude of confused follies, and vaine imaginations, which plainly represent to me my naturall condition; that by nature I cannot think a good thought; but thou re∣membring thy mercies in the morning againe, restorest to me thy gifts and graces in which I was happy the night before; So that thou makest me to lye downe in peace, and to rise with joy, when I see that thou dost each day renue to me thy heavenly gifts, for thou art to me as thou art to all that fear thee, the light of my eyes, the joy of my heart, and a Crowne of glory to my head.

My Lord! shall not these blessings of thine be ac∣knowledged by me, to thy praise and glory? for fear the world should say, I were proud of them: Most peo∣ple glory in something or other, and thou hast said, Let them that glory, glory in the Lord. My God! thou hast heard my prayer, that I leanrt of thy servant, that thou wouldst give me a glorying heart, and now thou makest me with him to rejoyce in the God of my Sal∣vation. My Lord! experience hath taught me to know, that if I delight in earthly things, thou wilt take them from me; for thou wilt not have thy children delight in any thing more then in thy selfe. But if we love thee thou wilt manifest thy selfe to us, and wilt give us more full possession of thy desired selfe. But my beloved Lord, if after the expression of my excessive joy, for being thine, I shall through the frailty of mine owne na∣ture, and thy sufferance fall into any great transgression, to make thee for a while to withdraw from me, the plea∣sing

and joyfull light of thy countenance. My tender Father, assure me that thou wilt againe restore me to the joy of thy salvation here in this world, or thou wilt in thy mercy take me to a more full possession of thee in the felicity of thy chosen, where I shall perpetually rejoyce with thy children. But to make me carefull of my selfe, let me remember thy warning, Let him tha thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.