Immanuel, or, The mistery of God, manifested in the flesh sung in the severall cantoes of Urania, Astræa, Melpomene / by Will. Wishartt ...

The Doctor

CANTO 3^o.

AS when the Sunne, obliqu'ly looking on A roride cloud, frames a Parelion; But looking with a streight oppos'd aspect On Phoebe, makes herhis full rayes reflect; So when from Jordans streams our great Messiah Went to the desert; our late born Eliah, Although the bridegrooms friend, yet seem'd to weep For fear a hyreling should disperse his sheep: But seeing him victoriously return, This joy-bred fire doth in's bosome burn; O how my Soule doth now rejoyce (sayth he) To see the Sonne of Man march valiantly, Returning from the desert, Sathans den, Cloth'd with the spoyle of sinne, for sinfull men!

Loe where he commeth, full of grace and truth, No man in such abundance opes his mouth; He was before me, though he now doth follow, Eternity his Majesty doth hollow, From out his fulnesse we doe all receive Grace upon grace, and what good else we have; The Law was giv'n by Moses, but by him Comes grace, and truth, and peace, wherein we swim: No man at any time hath seen the Father, Save this his sonne, from whose hid hands we gather That hidden Manna, and those Quailes by which Our soules are fed, and we to life made rich: He commeth to the world, for it he made, Yet in it hath no place to rest his head; He commeth to his own, yet they refuse him; He commeth to the builders, they abuse him: But unto all that doe receive him, he Shall give this glory and prime dignity, That they the sonnes of God shall all be call'd, And, as true heires of heaven, be there enstall'd; Even unto such as in his name believe, To whom nor Nature, flesh, nor blood can give The new-births note, but onely that great God Who in our flesh hath made his full abode: And that it may be known that this is he, Goe you my sonnes, goe, get you up, draw nigh Unto him, clasp him in your soules soft armes, For he's the Antidote for all your harmes.

At these fore-warnings John and Andrew goe And greet him thus: Great Rabbi, let us know Where thou dost dwell? so shall we joy to see The mansion of thy true felicity.

Where I doe dwell? saith he; let him that would My dwelling know, look on the foxes hold And sparrows nests; for they have rooms wherein Their young ones nestle, and their doune begin; O but the Sonne of man hath no place where To rest his head, save only this poore ayre That every creature breaths, and this is all He counteth his; and this at last shall fall: If you will therefore follow me, quit-clame What ever in this world doth sumptuous seem, Take up your crosse and follow me, and so You shall my dwelling, and my riches know; For who so shall reject my Crosse, and blame't, Of him in glory I shall be asham'd; But who so shall my Crosse with patience bear. He shall with me in glory rest coheire.

No sooner hath he spoke these words, when loe As swift as arrow shot from Indian bow, Andrew doth to his brother Symon run, And with these tydings of Salvation Accosts him; Brother, I have found the great Messith, whom the world expect'd of late, The Saviour Christ, the holy, and th'annoynted Great Peace-maker, by Prophets all forth pointed; Come, come, I pray th' let our hearts draw near him, And while 'tis call'd to day, ô let us heare him. Symon ariseth, and with Andrew go'th To see the miracle of Time and Truth; But ere he can within true distance come, Christ cals him by his name; Thou'rt welcome home Thou sonne of Jonah, saith he, this thy name Of Symon, hence I change, with better fame,

Thou shalt be call'd Cephas, that is, a Stone, For thou shalt help to lay a foundation, 'Gainst which the Devill and the gates of hell May freely push, but never shall prevaile.

A little after this, in Galile As Jesus walked, he did Philip see, And bids him follow him; he straight obeyeth, But by the way Nathaniel he espyeth; Nathaniel, saith he, come, we have sound The man, of whom the Scriptures doe abound, Whom Moses and the Prophets have fore-told According to the promises of old: Nathaniel gladly girdeth up his loynes, And with his fellow Philip journey joynes; But e're Nathaniel can come neere unto him, Christ spies him, and with these sweet words doth woe him: Come, come Nathaniel, come thou voyd of guile, The Sun on such another doth not smile In all Judaea's Coasts. What's this I heare, Saith just Nathaniel? e're I can come neere One cals me by my name: whence dost thou know me? For in the face, till now, I never saw thee. Nathaniel, saith Christ, that's nothing; for, E're Philip call'd thee, I thee knew before, When under the fig-tree thou naked stood, Copartiner with Adam in his blood. O now, my God, Nathaniel saith, I see Thou art the very Sonne of the most High, And promis'd King of Israel, who should give Life to all such as in thee doe believe.

The night now come, Christ to the mountain goeth, Where all the while he to the heav'n upthroweth

His supplications, with strong cries and tears, And graciously is heard in what he fears: Next morning to his service he doth call Matthew, and Thomas, Barthol mew, and all The rest of those Disciples, whom he meant To make the Preachers of his Covenant?

O happy, blessed, blessed, happy Call! It doth no sooner touch their ears at all, When straight it doth their starving soules renew, And their affections to his will subdew: Speak alwaies so my God, and by thy grace Say to my fainting Soule, seek thou my face; And my poore Soule shall answer as appear'th, Speak what thou wilt ô Lord, thy servant heareth: When thou at first did'st lay the worlds foundation Thou did'st but speake, and all this all's creation Did to thy great Imperiall word obey, Loe, here shin'd light, their shady darknes lay; Here Hill's proud tops did on their tiptoes stand, There did the Ocean roare against the sand; Here on the floury bottoms fragrant mead The nibling troups securely prank and feed; There in the bosome of the glassie deep The scaly nations softly swim and creep; The ayrie legions scud along the skies, As if they meant the Welkin to surprise; And every thing that hath or life, or sense, To thy command'ment gave obedience: And whil'st thou com'st an old world new to make, No other toole nor mattock thou wilt take But that same word of thine, that thou mai'st still By thy great Word thy glorious Will fulfill.

Since by thy Word then, which is only wise. Thou dostillighten thy Disciples eyes, O let me heare thee, in great Moses chaire, Confound those Rabbins whom the world admire, That by thy Doctrine I may learn that wit Which never nat'rall man could teach as yet. To Nazareth he goeth, and entring there, Unto their Synagogue he doth repaire, And reads in Esayes volume, this sweet text; Jehovahs Sp'rit is me, let all vex'd With sinne afflicted hearts, come heare my word, For I am the annoynted of the Lord, Whom he hath sent his Gospell to proclame, To free the Captives, and restore the lame, Give sight unto the blinde, binde up the bruised, And give them grace, who doe not quite refuse it.

This day, saith he, this Text is now fulfil'd, This day is grace down from the heav'ns distill'd, And happy he, who heareth and believeth In him who this Salvation freely giveth; But veng'ance shall his portion be, who stops His ears against my heav'n elixer'd drops: Doe not you call to minde, how that of old From Ebals threatning tops it was foretold, A thousand curses should fall down upon A sinfull froward generation; But who so should their soules enclinet obey The sacred Sanctions of the mount Siney, Ten thousand blessings from Gerizims store Should on their heads be multiplied, and more: Now is the time, and here am I the man From out whose mouth or curse, or blessings can

Receive effect or force to save or kill, They heare my word, and they obey my will.

Blessed is he therefore, whose heart is pure, For of my heav'nly kingdome he is sure; Blessed are they who hunger for my grace, They shall be fill'd, and satisfied with peace; Blessed are they who doe in secret mourn, Their sorrows to their solace shall return; Blessed be you, when men, for my name sake. Shall of your life and goods proud havock make; Blessed be you, when 'gainst you men speak evill, And call you sonnes of Beliall and the Devill, For what they derogat from your regard They adde against their will to your reward, Yea bless'd, and more then blessed shall you be When you be thrust from their societie, Thrust from their Synagogu's, excommunicate, Rebuk'd, blaspheam'd, and all disconsolate, Be not dismaid, but rather be you glad, The Prophets old no better service had, The Sonne of man himselfe shall so be us'd, Contemn'd, reproach'd, disdain'd, and fouly brus'd, And sure I am, that when the master hath No softer shelter, and no surer path, The servant should not grudge, nor yet disdaine If with his master he shall share like paine: But wo to such whose riches shall abound, Whose heart and hands are in their store house sound; I tell you truly, they have their reward, No after pleasure is for them prepar'd: Woe, woe to those who laugh, and never weep, Destruction to their soules doth softly creep:

Woe, woe to such as vainly cry, peace, peace, Thinking the mountaine cannot change his place; For sorrow, griefe, and plagues shall on them come Like travell on a womans burth'ned wombe; Stoln bread and water sweet are to the taste, But gall and worm-wood's easier to digest: Blesse you therefore such as doe curse you, for If you shall blesse your friends, and doe no more, What honour can you crave of God, by them Who live estrang'd from God? they doe the same: Doe good to those who harm you; pray for those Who persecute your Soules with griefes and woes; Give to all such as aske you, freely len▪, And look for no requitall back agen; So shall you show your selves th' Almighty's sonnes, When you be cloath'd with his perfections: You are this worlds chief salt; while you have savour Your work with God and Men shall finde true favour; But if you lose your savour, then your taste Shall all your service to the dunghill cast: You are a Citty, set upon a hill, Which to the worlds proud gaze stands object still; Dream not you can be hid, all eyes are on you, And all mens motions doe depend upon you; If whil'st they wander in an oblique Car, Your course prove constant, like a fixed Star; If whil'st they stumble in Cymerian night, You walk in Goshen, like the sonnes of light; Whil'st muddy cares doe their best joyes controle, If your affections rest above the Pole; If whil'st their runnalls, Marah like, prove tart, Your springs drink sweet, and so rejoyce the heart;

If whil'st they hold in hand a fruitlesse goad, You bud ripe Almonds, like to Arons rod; If whil'st a stranger cals you, you repine, And know no shepheards voice but only mine; In all your wayes if you shall still intend Your masters glory and no other end, Then ô how happy, happy thrice you be! Life is your lot, your term eternitie.

Then feare not man, whose hand can doe no more But kill the body; feare God rather, for When he hath kil'd the body, yet he can Powre out destruction on the soule of man, And send both soule and body down to hell. In chains of darknesse, and of death to dwell. 'Tis true, those precepts which I now doe Preach Exceed the narrow bounds of humane reach; Yet though the flesh be weak, the Spirit's strong, And grace can rectifie stern natures wrong: Think not I come to put the law at under, Or what the Lord hath joyn'd to cut asunder; No, no, the Law and Gospell be two brothers, The sonnes of one man, though of severall mothers, That, Hagars brood, who unto bondage beareth, This Sarahs sonne, who's free, and nothing feareth; That's Sinays suckling, who with terrour shaketh, This Syons nursling, whom no feare awaketh; That first, this last, that strong, but this the stronger, And so the elder must needs serve the younger; The Law requireth works, the Gospell Faith, Both have one ayme, though in a severall path, For he who sweetly speaketh in them both Is but one God, and one same sp'rit of truth;

Works without faith are like to fig-tree leaves, Which seem to shelter, but in end deceive's; And faith, unlesse good works doe crown her head, May seem to live, yet's spirit'ally dead; For as faith laying hold on th' Mediator, Makes man stand just before the just Creator, So works joyn'd unto faith, tells, that faith's true Which works by love, and doth mens lusts subdue: Then preach them both, keep both, and so you shall Your selves and others both to rest recall.

Doe not you know when many run a Race With panting breasts, and sweat-besmeared face, He onely who proves constant to the end Obtaines the Crown; but if he shall offend And stumble at the stumbling stones i'th' way, His stumbling makes his honour to decay: If men, then, for a temporall Crown take pain, And strive so hardly for a sading gain, How much more should the uncorrupted Crown Of glory, honour, and dominion, Make you to run your race without cessation, Since your reward's eternall consolation: Be carefull therefore that your masters name By your neglect be not expos'd to shame; And that whil'st others by your words be saved, You of your masters joy be not be reaved.

A certaine Sower on a time went forth To sow his seed of rich and pretions worth; And as he sow'd, some by the way-side fell, And that the soules of th'aire did quickly smell, And pickt it up; Some fell in stony ground, That took no root, because no earth it found;

Some amongst thorns did fall, that straight did spring, And yet was choak'd by their o're-shadowing; Some fell in fertile ground, and taking root, Did to the Sower bring expected fruit According to his travell, toyl, and pain, The thirty, sixty, and the hundreth grain. I am the husband-man, my word's the seed; If that doth perish, it doth not proceed From Sower, from the seed, or from the season, For those were all combin'd in right and reason To work a happy harvest, But mans heart Is that unhappy ground, in whose each part Such hidden store of deep corruptions lye As turn'th my toil unto fond vanrtie: For sometime Sathan vultur-like doth pray Upon the word, and beares it quite away; Sometime mans obdur'd heart more hard then stone Rejects my word by induration; Sometime the thorny cares of humane life Mix'd with the word, are at such mutuall strife, That what at first takes root, doth very now To persecutions storm and tempest bow, In such a sort, that root, and stalk, and blade In this their conflict's quickly vanquished; The fertile ground's the faithfull heart, that doth Return unto th'industrious hand that sow'th So rich an increase, that for every ten The master hath a thousand back again: Watch therefore, lest while as you sleep there come The envious man, who in the good seeds roome Sowes darnell, cockle, and those cursed tares Which cursed and malignant ground forth-beares:

For to your master you must make accompt Of what you sow, and eke what doth surmount, He will not have his own true seed alone, He needs must have reduplication; The heav'ns and earth may perish, but one jot Of this my Doctrine shall not be forgot, Till all things be accomplished, which either Concerns my glory, or my glorious Father.

Notes

• Esay 61.1.