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130

Poem by Oliver Heywood.

POEM.*

When Shall my dung-hill body give release
unto my sad imprison'd soule that lyes
thus cag'd in darknes? when shall I have ease
from all my sorrows and iniquitys?

When shall I cease to sin, begin to praise,
leave my complaints with this unhappy world,
when shall I see my blest redeemer's face?
whose heart-rejoycing words haue me extold:
Sometimes methinkes I feel but the first-fruits
of Cannan's fruitfull heart-rejoycing land,
which with such pleasing sweetnes me recruits
as makes my fainting heart admiring stand:
Lord, think I then, when shall my soule injoy
that happy state of which I haue a glance
when will my God this house of clay destroy,
that to thy glory my soule might advance?
How long shall this my dead, sad, carnall heart
within my pained, pining bosom lye.
How long shall satan catch me with his art
and lead me captive with proud victory?

When shall my heaven-born-soul mount up and sing
amongst those naked sonles the angels dittys?
whose heart-delighting tune make heavens ring
with Hallelujahs in th' imperiall city:

Ah, woe is me who sojourn like a stranger
in these rude tents of Meshech here below!
must Kedar keep my soul in dolefull danger
to be massacred by each deadly foe?
Ah wofull time of banishment from home!
must I an exile liue from my dear father?
Oh Absalom my case is now become

as thine my God and I must be togather!

Oh with what breathings doth my soule aspire
like low Zacheus in a lofty tree !

so by thine ordinances I desire

to see thee, tast thee, and to be with thee:

* The original is in the possession of G. H. Adshead, Esq., Pendleton.

Love Letter by Oliver Heywood.

Sometimes, I blesse thee thou dost me afford
a gracious smile and turn'st to me again
Sometimes I hear a heart-reviving word
fetch me to life and lenify my pain:
Lord it is good to be here then I cry
thus wonld I liue, here let me dwel for aye
mistaking earth for heaven and my joy
which is at home for comforts in my way:
But then alas my soul doth sadly feel
a dark eclipse and want of those sweet rays
which did me warm, and thus I madly reele
to all extremes, and thus I spend my days,

thus shall I end my days!

these verses I compile
in heat of my devotion,
not caring for the stile
nor yet intending notion
rouzing my heart the while
to some diviner motion :

[The following note is appended

per me O H

131

Written in my study at Coley-Hall may the 18 1667 :

This is an Autograph of the renouned Oliver Heywood, who was ejected from Coley Chapel, near Halifax, in 1662.

R. SLATE, Preston.]

LOVE LETTER.*

Endeared Sweetheart,

For such a privileged Title, God's good Providence, Friends' Consent, and my mutual Love admits of. When I was last with you there fell into my Bosom such a spark of Love that nothing will quench it but Yourself. The Nature of this Love, is, I hope sincere, the measure of it great, and as far as I know my own Heart it is right and genuine. The very bare probability of success ravished my Heart with Joy, and made me rest those Words of Elizabeth upon the Sight of Mary, that these Things are too good to prove true. But since the Finger of God hath carried it on in a slow pace, through dark and dubious Interruptions, and hath set this

* The original is in the possession of S. Vint, Esq., Idel.

132

Love Letter by Oliver Heywood.

Matter in a full and legal Light; my Heart was much affected with it, chiefly for the regard I have for a praying Family, whose Tears in God's Bottle, and Prayers in God's Book are the best inheritance in the World to a surviving Posterity. I have already found the advantage of it, which would not change for all the Gold in the Indies; and I hope the Lord has given You in part your father's Spirit, and has made You all glorious within, he has beautified your Body, very pleasant are You to me. You are in my Heart to live and die in waiting on You; and I extremely please Myself in loving You, and I like my Affections the better because they tell me they are only placed upon You; but here I stop lest I be suspected of flattery; it is indeed contrary to my natural Inclination, but more to my grave calling, as I am a Minister of the Gospel, to speak beyond the Truth: I rather beg Pardon for my purposed Plainness, but sweet Mrs. Betty as I have given my Heart to You, You ought in return to give me Yours, and You cannot in Equity deny it me. I have been very urgent at the Throne of Grace, and that which is won by Prayer, may be worn with praise; but I fear now I shall tire your Patience, and beg leave to conclude, who am by a thousand Links and Chains of pure affections

Your devoted servant till death

OLIVER HEYWOOD.

133

Rev. O. Heywood's Autobiography.

[num 16 22
gen 2 7
[1 cor 2 11

[ps 4 4

[lam 3 40

2 cor 13 5 [gal 6 4

Since the god of the spirits of al flesh hath breathed into me the breath of life and made me a living soul, since he hath put into my soul that godlike reflecting faculty of conscience, since also he hath so frequently called upon me to descend into mine oune hart, to commune therewith, to search and try my wayes, to examine my selfe, to proue my worke, I desire as the lord wil helpe me to deal freely, plainly, & ingeniously with my selfe in so weighty & necessary a busines as this is that concernes the weal or woe of my immortal soul to al eternity: Altho I am lesse then the least of gods mercye not meet to be called a christian much lesse a minister, [1 cor 15 9 10 & tho I be nothing, can doe nothing, defend

[gen 32 10

[ps 22 6
[pro 30 2

[exod 20 16

[job 5 31

nothing, yet I hope I may say, by the grace of god I am what I am : & I dare not deny or bely the lord and say it is not he that hath been at worke in my hart, tho I be sinful dust and ashes, a worme & no man, more bruitish then any man, yet god forbid I should deforme any fruit of grace that haue appeared in & to my poore soul, as I dare not beare false witnes agt my selfe, so if I doe alone bear witnes of my selfe without the concurrent testimony of the word & spirit of god my witnes is not true as my dear saviour said in another case: therfore in my searchings of my self I desire to keep aloofe from that soulundoing systems of merit, either of condignity or congruity, also what is sorry man to procure by right improving nature or grace any good from god either first or second grace. I dare not ascend to heaven on Acesine laddar, but by jacobs onely. I dare not build my hopes of heaven on so sandy a foundation as mine owne righteousness, nay I cannot lean upon the fruite & grace of the spirit in me in point of justification, it is onely the lord our righteousness that brings in everlasting righteousness, and is the surety of a better covenant then the old, on him alone I lean, & rest and trust for other foundation can no man lay that wil abide

[jer 23 6
[dan 9 24
[heb 7 22
[1 cor 3 11

2 pet 1 10]

the test, on whom the stresse of scales can be 1 pet 2 4 5] laid, this is the rock on wch he builds his church this is the stone wch the builders refused wch now is the corner stone; yet tis my desire to search & see what obedience & grounds of hope I haue to beleeue & be persuaded that my soul is built upon the rock of ages, that I am within the bond of the covenant, and sealed up to the day of redemption, wch I doe to this end that I may giue diligence to make my calling, and election sure, not in itselfe, but to my selfe, that I may see whether I haue that wedding garment, those gospel qualifications wch the word of god requires & to wch it promiseth the good things of this life & that wch is to come, upon my comparing my state with the rule of the word I haue by the help of divine grace found out these several fruits of the spirit, and characters of a saint, which are not the fruits of reading or meditation but the language of my hart:

mat 22 12]

1 tim 4 8]

gal 5 21]

act 96] 16 29

eph 2 12]

1 I haue long agoe when I was a child found the lord awakening my conscience, & shaking the foundations of my soul with strange & strong confusions, convictions, & convulsions, wherby my woeful doleful & undone estate by nature was discovered. I saw my selfe graceles, christles, & therby hopeles & helples. I had thoght I had had some good in me, an ingenious & religious education, had restrained the exorbitancy of my hart, & constrained me to a conformity of life, & I slided insensibly into civil & spiritual formalitys wch made me whole & ful in mine owne conceit, but the spiritual nature of the loue of god shewed me that the least evil thought was a breach of the law, many a time haue I sadly reflected upon my breaking every command of god, and therfore I saw the law shut me up under wrath, & gods curse wherby I saw my selfe as a condemned malefactor leading towards execution, this made me cry out woe is me I am undone, I am a damned wretch, an enemy to god, I can doe nothing thats truely good, inclined to al sin the black brand of reprobation is upon me, & tho these dreadful thoghts were most violent at first yet I had many returnes of

Rom 7 7] 8 9 10 11

Rom 8 15]

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