God speaketh to him. And happy is he
That finds the light, and grace that in them be.
Be not too forward therefore to conclude,
That I want solidness, that I am rude:
All things solid in shew, not solid be;
All things in parables despise not we,
Lest things most hurtful lightly we receive,
And things that good are, of our souls bereave.
My dark and cloudy words they do but hold
The Truth, as Cabinets inclose the Gold.
The Prophets used much by Metaphors
To set forth Truth; Yea, whoso considers
Christ, his Apostles too, shall plainly see,
That Truths to this day in such Mantles be.
Am I afraid to say that holy Writ,
Which for its Stile, and Phrase puts down all Wit,
Is every where so full of all these things,
(Dark Figures, Allegories,) yet there springs
From that same Book that lustre, and those rays
Of light, that turns our darkest nights to days.
Come, let my Carper, to his Life now look,
And find There darker lines than in my Book
He findeth any. Yea, and let him know,
That in his best things there are worse lines too.
May we but stand before impartial men,
To his poor One, I dare adventure Ten,
That they will take my meaning in these lines
Far better than his Lies in Silver Shrines.
Come, Truth, although in Swaddling clouts, I find
Informs the Judgment, rectifies the Mind,
Pleases the Understanding, makes the Will
Submit; the Memory too it doth fill
With what doth our Imagination please;
Likewise, it tends our troubles to appease.
Sound words, I know Timothy is to use;
And old Wives' Fables he is to refuse,
But yet grave Paul, him nowhere did forbid
The use of Parables; in which lay hid
That Gold, those Pearls, and precious stones that were
Worth digging for; and that with greatest care.
Let me add one word more, O man of God!
Art thou offended? dost thou wish I had
Put forth my matter in another dress,
Or that I had in things been more express?
Three things let me propound, then I submit
To those that are my betters, (as is fit,)
1. I find not that I am denied the use Of this my method, so I no abuse
Put on the Words, Things, Readers, or be rude
In handling Figure, or Similitude,
In application; but, all that I may,
Seek the advance of Truth, this or that way:
Denied, did I say? Nay, I have leave,
(Example too, and that from them that have
God better pleased by their words or ways,
Then any man that breatheth now a days,)
Thus to express my mind, thus to declare
Things unto thee, that excellentest are.
2. I find that men (as high as Trees) will write Dialogue-wise; yet no man doth them slight For writing so: Indeed if they abuse
Truth, cursed be they, and, the craft they use ̧
To that intent; But yet let Truth be free
To make her Sallies upon Thee, and Me,
Which way it pleases God. For who knows how,
Better than he that taught us first to Plow,
To guide our Mind and Pens for his Design?
And he makes base things usher in Divine.
3. I find that holy Writ in many places
Hath semblance with this method, where the cases
Do call for one thing, to set forth another:
Use it I may then, and yet nothing smother
Truth's golden Beams; Nay, by this method may
Make it cast forth its rays as light as day.
And now, before I do put up my Pen,
I'll shew the profit of my Book, and then
Commit both thee, and it unto that hand
That pulls the strong down, and makes weak ones stand.
This Book it chalketh out before thine eyes
The man that seeks the everlasting Prize :
It shews you whence he comes, whither he goes,
What he leaves undone; also what he does:
It also shews you how he runs, and runs
Till he unto the Gate of Glory comes.
It shews too, who set out for life amain,
As if the lasting Crown they would attain:
Here also you may see the reason why
They lose their labour, and like Fools do die.
This Book will make a Traveller of thee,
If by its Counsel thou wilt ruled be ;
It will direct thee to the Holy Land,
If thou wilt its Directions understand:
Yea, it will make the slothful active be;
The Blind also, delightful things to see.
Art thou for something rare, and profitable?
Wouldest thou see a Truth within a Fable?
Art thou forgetful? wouldest thou remember
From New-years-day to the last of December?
Then read my fancies, they will stick like Burs,
And may be to the Helpless, Comforters.
This Book is writ in such a Dialect,
As
may
the minds of listless men affect:
It seems a Novelty, and yet contains
Nothing but sound, and honest Gospel-strains.
Would'st thou divert thyself from Melancholy? Would'st thou be pleasant, yet be far from folly? Would'st thou read Riddles, & their Explanation? Or else be drowned in thy Contemplation? Dost thou love picking meat? or would'st thou see A man i'th Clouds, and hear him speak to thee? Would'st thou be in a Dream, and yet not sleep? Or would'st thou in a moment laugh, and weep? Wouldest thou lose thyself, and catch no harm? And find thyself again without a charm? Would'st read thyself, and read thou know'st not what And yet know whether thou art blest or not, By reading the same lines? O then come hither, And lay my Book, thy Head, and Heart together.
As I walked through the wilderness of this world, I lighted on a certain place, where was a Den; And I laid The Gaol. me down in that place to sleep: And as I slept I dreamed
Lu. 14. 33.
Hab. 2. 2.
Acts 16. 31.
a dream. I dreamed, and behold I saw a Man cloathed Isa. 64. 6. with Rags, standing in a certain place, with his face from Ps. 38. 4. his own House, a Book in his hand, and a great burden upon his back. I looked, and saw him open the Book, and read therein; and as he read, he wept and trembled: and not being able longer to contain, he brake out with a lamentable cry; saying, what shall I do?
In this plight therefore he went home, and refrained Acts 2. 37. himself as long as he could, that his Wife and Children should not perceive his distress; but he could not be silent long, because that his trouble increased: wherefore at length he brake his mind to his Wife and Children ; and thus he began to talk to them, O my dear Wife, said he, and you the Children of my bowels, I your dear
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