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.

〈♫〉〈♫〉 WHO on the Lord do build their Trust, like Si╌on they command; up in╌to Heav'n their Heads they thrust, their Feet un╌mo╌ved stand.

Right safe, high, strong, they always stand, Like God's most Holy ground; The Rock of Ages on each hand Doth shade them, and surround.

As Hills Jerusalem surround To deck her, and defend; So God encircles, and hath crown'd His folk, World without end.

As Hills, &c.

For least in Sin their Suff'rings end, Though an Egyptian Rod To th' Goshen of the good extend; 'Tis thence remov'd by God.

Do good still to the Good, O Lord, To him whose Heart and Line Bend not to wrong; whose Feet ne're trod Ways which to Hell encline.

Since such, as crooked ways encline To do, or cherish ill, God shall drive from him; but design Peace to his Israel.

For such, &c.

Gloria Patri, &c.

To Father, Son, and Ghost, we bow, One glorious God w' adore: As in beginning was, is now, And shall be evermore.

Notes

• For S. John's day.
• For the Rod or Scepter of Wickedness is the Tyranny of a Pharaonick Oppression over the lot of the Righteous, that is, the Church of God; which he may lay on, but will not leave, nor suffer to lye still, God having the Rod of their Portion in his hand, (alluding to the old way of Sor∣tition by Staves, whereof see Numb. 17. and Josh. 18.) For the Reasons mentioned ob∣serve how aptly the Portions of the Wicked (let them be never so fat or fair, like Esau's here) are termed Rods to plague oft∣times both themselves and others, as Dives's Portion did: But the Portion of the Godly is stiled a Lot, and a pleasant one, as David's 16 Psal. 6. or a Cup of Blessing indeed, like Jacob's; and of abun∣dance, like Benjamin's, Gen. 33.11. Gen. 44.2.
• The suddain change in the expression of God, from the second Person to the third: As it is an elegancy in the Original, so it may note, such shall not know God (in the second Person of the Trinity) as a Saviour, but at a far greater distance as a Judge; Heb. 10.38, 39. who draw back, and turn aside (per∣verting their way which is already crooked, Prov. 14.2.) to more depraved Obliquities, and desperate Apo∣stacy, after a profession of the right way: But they shall be tortured with Hypocrites and Unbelievers, while he shall be kept (like Israel, Gen. 32.) in perfect Peace, whose Mind is stayed on God, Isa. 26.3. to the greater vexation of those Edomites, who perhaps sometime persecuted him.