Of Judgement
As 'tis appointed men should die,
So judgment is the next
That meets them most assuredly;
For so saith holy text.
Wherefore of judgment I shall now
Inform you what I may,
That you may see what 'tis, and how
'Twill be with men that day.
This world it hath a time to stand,
Which time when ended, then
Will issue judgment out of hand
Upon all sorts of men.
The Judge we find, in God's record,
The Son of man, for he
By God's appointment is made Lord
And Judge of all that be.
Wherefore this Son of man shall come
At last to count with all,
And unto them shall give just doom,
Whether they stand or fall.
Behold ye now the majesty
And state that shall attend
This Lord, this Judge, and Justice high
When he doth now descend.
He comes with head as white as snow,
With eyes like flames of fire;
In justice clad from top to toe,
Most glorious in attire.
His face is filled with gravity;
His tongue is like a sword;
His presence awes both stout and high,
The world shakes at his word.
He comes in flaming fire, and
With angels clear and bright,
Each with a trumpet in his hand,
Clothed in shining white.
The trump of God sounds in the air,
The dead do hear his voice;
The living too run here and there,
Who made not him their choice.
Thus to his place he doth repair,
Appointed for his throne,
Where he will sit to judge, and where
He'll count with every one.
Angels attending on his hand
By thousands on a row;
Yea, thousand thousands by him stand,
And at his beck do go.
Thus being set, the books do ope
In which all crimes are writ.
All virtues, too, of faith and hope,
Of love; and every whit
Of all that man hath done or said,
Or did intend to do;
Whether they sinn'd, or were afraid
Evil to come into.
Before this bar each sinner now
In person must appear;
Under his judgment there to bow
With trembling and with fear:
Within whose breast a witness then
Will certainly arise,
That to each charge will say Amen,
While they seek and devise
To shun the sentence which the Lord
Against them then will read,
Out of the books of God's record,
With majesty and dread.
But every heart shall opened be
Before this judge most high;
Yea, every thought to judgment he
Will bring assuredly.
And every word and action, too,
He there will manifest;
Yea, all that ever thou didst do,
Or keep within thy breast,
Shall then be seen and laid before
The world, that then will stand
To see thy judge open ev'ry sore,
And all thy evils scann'd.
Weighing each sin and wickedness
With so much equity,
Proportioning of thy distress
And woful misery.
With so much justice, doing right,
That thou thyself shalt say,
My sins have brought me to this plight,
I threw myself away.
Into that gulph my sins have brought
Me justly to possess,
For which I blame not Christ, I wrought
It out by wickedness.
But O! how willingly would these
That thus in judgment be,
If that they might have help or ease,
Unto the mountains flee.
They would rejoice if that they might
But underneath them creep,
To hide them from revenging right,
For fear of which they weep.
But all in vain, the mountains then
Will all be fled and gone;
No shelter will be found for men
That now are left alone.
For succour they did not regard
When Christ by grace did call
To them, therefore they are not heard,
No mountains on them fall.
Before this Judge no one shall shroud
Himself, under pretence
Of knowledge, which hath made him proud,
Nor seeming penitence.
No high profession here can stand,
Unless sincerity
Hath been therewith commixed, and
Brought forth simplicity.[7]
No mask nor vizor here can hide
The heart that rotten is;
All cloaks now must be laid aside,
No sinner must have bliss.
Though most approve of thee, and count
Thee upright in thy heart;
Yea, though preferred and made surmount
Most men to act thy part,
In treading where the godly trod,
As to an outward show;
Yet this hold still, the grace of God
Takes hold on but a few,
So as to make them truly such
As then shall stand before
This Judge with gladness; this is much
Yet true for evermore.
The tree of life this paradise
Doth always beautify,
'Cause of our health it is the rise
And perpetuity.
Here stands the golden throne of grace
From out of which do run
Those crystal streams that make this place
Far brighter than the sun.
Here stands mount Zion with her king.
Jerusalem above,
That holy and delightful thing,
So beautified with love.
That, as a mother succours those
Which of her body be,
So she far more, all such as close
In with her Lord; and she
Her grace, her everlasting doors
Will open wide unto
Them all, with welcome, welcome, poor,
Rich, bond, free, high and low,
Unto the kingdom which our Lord
Appointed hath for all
That hath his name and word ador'd;
Because he did them call
Unto that work, which also they
Sincerely did fulfil,
Not shunning always to obey
His gracious holy will.
Besides, this much doth beautify
This goodly paradise,
That from all quarters, constantly,
Whole thousands as the price
Of precious blood, do here arrive;
As safe escaping all,
Sin, hell, and satan did contrive
To bring them into thrall.
Each telling his deliverance
I' th' open face of heaven;
Still calling to remembrance
How fiercely they were driven
By deadly foe, who did pursue
As swift as eagles fly;
Which if thou have not, down thou must
With those that then shall die
The second death, and be accurs'd
Of God. For certainly,
The truth of grace shall only here
Without a blush be bold
To stand, whilst others quake and fear,
And dare not once behold.
That heart that here was right for God
Shall there be comforted;
But those that evil ways have trod,
Shall then hang down the head.
As sore confounded with the guilt
That now upon them lies,
Because they did delight in filth
And beastly vanities.
Or else because they did deceive
With hypocritical
Disguises, their own souls, and leave
Or shun that best of all
Approved word of righteousness,
They were invited to
Embrace, therefore they no access
Now to him have, but woe.
For every one must now receive
According to their ways;
They that unto the Lord did cleave,
The everlasting joys.
Those that did die in wickedness,
To execution sent,
There still to grapple with distress,
Which nothing can prevent.
Of which two states I next shall write,
Wherefore I pray give ear,
And to them bend with all our might
Your heart with filial fear.
Of Heaven
Heaven is a place, also a state,
It doth all things excel,
No man can fully it relate,
Nor of its glory tell.
God made it for his residence,
To sit on as a throne,
Which shows to us the excellence
Whereby it may be known.
Doubtless the fabric that was built
For this so great a king,
Must needs surprise thee, if thou wilt
But duly mind the thing.
If all that build do build to suit
The glory of their state,
What orator, though most acute,
Can fully heaven relate?
If palaces that princes build,
Which yet are made of clay,
Do so amaze when much beheld,
Of heaven what shall we say?
It is the high and holy place;
No moth can there annoy,
Nor make to fade that goodly grace
That saints shall there enjoy.
Mansions for glory and for rest
Do there prepared stand;
Buildings eternal for the blest
Are there provided, and
The glory and the comeliness
By deepest thought none may
With heart or mouth fully express,
Nor can before that day.
These heav'ns we see, be as a scroll,
Or garment folded up,
Before they do together roll,
And we call'd in to sup.
There with the king, the bridegroom, and
By him are led into
His palace chambers, there to stand
With his prospect to our view.
And taste and smell, and be inflam'd,
And ravished to see
The buildings he hath for us fram'd,
How full of heaven they be.
Its state also is marvellous,
For beauty to behold;
All goodness there is plenteous,
And better far than gold.
Adorn'd with grace and righteousness,
While fragrant scents of love
O'erflow with everlasting bliss,
All that do dwell above.
The heavenly majesty, whose face
Doth far exceed the sun,
Will there cast forth its rays of grace
After this world is done.
Which rays and beams will so possess
All things that there shall dwell,
With so much glory, light, and bliss,
That none can think or tell.
That wisdom which doth order all
Shall there be fully shown;
That strength that bears the world there shall
By every one be known.
That holiness and sanctity
Which doth all thought surpass,
Shall there in present purity
Outshine the crystal glass.
The beauty and the comeliness
Of this Almighty shall
Make amiable with lasting bliss
Those he thereto shall call.
The presence of this God will be
Eternal life in all,
And health and gladness, while we see
Thy face, O immortal!
Here will the Lord make clear and plain
How sweetly did agree
His attributes, when Christ was slain
Our Saviour to be.
How wisdom did find out the way,
How strength did make him stand,
How holiness did bear the sway,
And answer just demand.
How all these attributes did bend
Themselves to work our life,
Through the Christ whom God did send
To save us by his might.
All this will sparkle in our eye
Within the holy place,
And greatly raise our melody,
And flow our hearts with grace.
The largest thought that can arise
Within the widest heart
Shall then be filled with surprize,
And pleas'd in every part.
All mysteries shall here be seen,
And every knot, unty'd;
Electing love, that hid hath been,
Shall shine on every side.
The God of glory here will be
The life of every one;
Whose goodly attributes shall we
Possess them as our own.
By wisdom we all things shall know,
By light all things shall see,
By strength, too, all things we shall do,
When we in glory be.
The Holy Lamb of God, also,
Who for our sakes did die,
The holy ones of God shall know,
And that most perfectly.
Those small and short discoveries
That we have of him here,
Will there be seen with open eyes,
In visions full and clear.
Those many thousand acts of grace
That here we feel and find,
Shall there be real with open face
Upon his heart most kind.
There he will show us how he was
Our prophet, priest, and king;
And how he did maintain our cause,
And us to glory bring.
There we shall see how he was touch'd
With all our grief and pain
(As in his word he hath avouch'd),
When we with him shall reign;
He'll show us, also, how he did
Maintain our faith and love,
And why his face sometimes he hid
From us, who are his dove;
These tempting times that here we have,
We there shall see were good;
Also that hidden strength he gave,
The purchase of his blood.
That he should stand for us before
His Father, thus we read.
But then shall see, and shall adore
Him for his gracious deed.
Though we are vile, he without shame
Before the angels all
Lays out his strength, his worth, and name,
For us, who are in thrall.
This is he who was mock'd and beat,
Spit on, and crown'd with thorns;
Who for us had a bloody sweat,
Whose heart was broke with scorns.
'Tis he who stands so much our friend,
As shortly we shall see,
With open face, world without end,
And in his presence be.
That head that once was crown'd with thorns,
Shall now with glory shine;
That heart that broken was with scorns,
Shall flow with life divine;
That man that here met with disgrace,
We there shall see so bright;
That angels can't behold his face
For its exceeding light.
What gladness will possess our heart
When we shall see these things!
What light and life, in every part,
Will rise like lasting springs!
O blessed face and holy grace,
When shall we see this day?
Lord, fetch us to this goodly place
We humbly do thee pray.
Next to this Lamb we shall behold
All saints, both more and less,
With whit'ned robes in glory roll'd,
'Cause him they did confess.
Each walking in his righteousness
With shining crowns of gold,
Triumphing still in heav'nly bliss,
Amazing to behold.
Each person for his majesty
Doth represent a king;
Yea, angel-like for dignity,
And seraphims that sing.
Each motion of their mind, and so
Each twinkling of their eye;
Each word they speak, and step they go,
It is in purity.
Immortal are they every one,
Wrapt up in health and light,
Mortality from them is gone,
Weakness is turn'd to might.
The stars are not so clear as they,
They equalize the sun;
Their glory shines to perfect day,
Which day will ne'er be done.
No sorrow can them now annoy,
Nor weakness, grief or pain;
No faintness can abate their joy,
They now in life do reign.
They shall not there, as here, be vex'd
With Satan, men, or sin;
Nor with their wicked hearts perplex'd,
The heavens have cop'd[8] them in.
Thus, as they shine in their estate,
So, too, in their degree;
Which is most goodly to relate,
And ravishing to see.
The majesty whom they adore,
Doth them in wisdom place
Upon the thrones, and that before
The angels, to their grace.
The saints of the Old Testament,
Full right to their degree;
Likewise the New, in excellent
Magnificency be.
Each one his badge of glory wears,
According to his place;
According as was his affairs
Here, in the time of grace.
Some on the right hand of the Lamb,
Likewise some on the left,
With robes and golden chains do stand
Most grave, most sage, and deft.[9]
The martyr here is known from him
Who peaceably did die,
Both by the place he sitteth in,
And by his dignity.
Each father, saint, and prophet shall,
According to his worth,
Enjoy the honour of his call,
And plainly hold it forth.
Those bodies which sometimes were torn,
And bones that broken were
For God's word; he doth now adorn
With health and glory fair.
Thus, when in heav'nly harmony
These blessed saints appear,
Adorn'd with grace and majesty,
What gladness will be there!
The light, and grace, and countenance,
The least of these shall have,
Will so with terror them advance,
And make their face so grave,
That at them all the world will shake,
When they lift up their head;
Princes and kings will at them quake,
And fall before them dead.
This shall we see, thus shall we be,
O would the day were come,
Lord Jesus take us up to thee,
To this desired home.
Angels also we shall behold,
When we on high ascend,
Each shining like to men of gold,
And on the Lord attend.
These goodly creatures, full of grace,
Shall stand about the throne,
Each one with lightning in his face,
And shall to us be known.
These cherubims with one accord
Shall cry continually,
Ah, holy, holy, holy, Lord,
And heavenly majesty.
These will us in their arms embrace,
And welcome us to rest,
And joy to see us clad with grace,
And of the heavens possess'd.
This we shall hear, this we shall see,
While raptures take us up,
When we with blessed Jesus be,
And at his table sup.
Oh shining angels! what, must we
With you lift up our voice?
We must; and with you ever be,
And with you must rejoice.
Our friends that lived godly here,
Shall there be found again;
The wife, the child, and father dear,
With others of our train.
Each one down to the foot in white,
Fill'd to the brim with grace,
Walking among the saints in light,
With glad and joyful face.
Those God did use us to convert,
We there with joy shall meet,
And jointly shall, with all our heart,
In life each other greet.
A crown to them we then shall be,
A glory and a joy;
And that before the Lord, when he
The world comes to destroy.
This is the place, this is the state,
Of all that fear the Lord;
Which men nor angels may relate
With tongue, or pen, or word.
No night is here, for to eclipse
Its spangling rays so bright;
Nor doubt, nor fear to shut the lips,
Of those within this light.
The strings of music here are tun'd
For heavenly harmony,
And every spirit here perfum'd
With perfect sanctity.
Here runs the crystal streams of life,
Quite through all our veins.
And here by love we do unite
With glory's golden chains.
Now that which sweet'neth all will be
The lasting of this state;
This heightens all we hear or see
To a transcendant rate.
For should the saints enjoy all this
But for a certain time,
O, how would they their mark then miss,
And at this thing repine?
Yea, 'tis not possible that they
Who then shall dwell on high,
Should be content, unless they may
Dwell there eternally.
A thought of parting with this place
Would bitter all their sweet,
And darkness put upon the face
Of all they there do meet.
But far from this the saints shall be,
Their portion is the Lord,
Whose face for ever they shall see,
As saith the holy word.
And that with everlasting peace,
Joy, and felicity,
From this time forth they shall increase
Unto eternity.
