The Paradox and Seldom Contentment of the God Loving Soul
In answer to a Letter which was full of Love, Comfort and Humility
FIRST PART
1.
In Jesus loving frind! What love does thou inherit!
How glows, & burns thy Heart in true drift of the Spirit!
In truth a Seraphim has thus thy Soul inflamed,
And has with his bright Glance, & Beams upon thee gleamed.
2.
Thy tongue does really drop with Honey, sweet affected
And ev'ry syllable is with a kiss directed:
And that beloved pair, & Eyes do run with Wine,
With which, they droping, wet, & Moisten ev'ry line.
3.
Thy Spirit deals not in sharp, witty words subborned,
Neither sitst thou at the foot stool of the Learned:
Thy Heart's only in love with Christ his thorny Crown:
The Soul sees Jesus on as frind before the Throne.
4.
There seek'st thou Help, & Means, & strength for Souls distressed;
This the Art to steal the Father's heart, most blessed:
That He would yet his Grace to a poor Sinner lend,
And him the Holy Ghost for lasting comfort send.
5.
This is Right well belov'd, This, this does strik exactly,
The Bolts of Heaven Door open to thee directly;
To receive Grace for Grace, for thee & also Me;
Thanks be for such kind love, to Love eternally.
SECOND PART
6.
Well who her not forsakes, that Once has tast her favour,
That so he might at last in full possession have her:
But who her once has tast'd thirsts for her evermore,
And waiteth Day & Night contented at her Door.
7.
Content, but without Rest, Content, but full desire;
Content, but wishing still, & longing to be by her:
Now hopest thou she will yet once more gracious be,
Then strikes a Thunder-clap and sadly frightens thee.
8.
So very seldom have the loving ones contentment.
They cannot conquer quite Surprise, fear, & Resentment:
Since Conquest maks them Weak, & strength does make them fear,
The best which they esteem it Nothingness, most dear.
9.
This thier greatest strength, here Life its growth does borrow,
Their chief delight & joy grows from the inmost sorrow:
Yet Trouble only grows when Love does love admire,
He sees his nothingness, who most does love desire.
10.
When strengthened by Love, then Weakness seems the dearest,
When seeming quite forsook, then are they Her the nearest:
When treated like a Dog, shall have a Child his store
When they are silent quite, their Saviour speaks the more.
11.
Like as the love does grow, so grows thier Discontentment,
Her deepest Wound doth make ith' Heart the sweet'st resentment:
And when the grief's so great that Soul & Body faints,
Then sings She first Love's praise in spite of all her plaints.
12.
Love is as strong as Death! for as this Kills & try's it,
So killeth she the Soul before she Deifies it:
Therefore He loveth most, who his own doth hate,
And all what e'er he hath, for love to love translate.
13.
But Who loves most sincere can hardly think he loveth,
But thinks in his best acts he still in crossways moveth:
His Love is much too Cold; his longing quite too weak,
To tedious & to slow his tears doth run down his Cheeks.
14.
His wishing for the Love he thinks but self-election,
His brightest Vertues dark, & only imperfection:
His heart enforced Oh! he deems as Lunacy,
His talking of the Love but meer hypocricy.
15.
His most delightful speech is of his Sins directly,
But since Humility is there by seen perfectly:
He's silent, highly griev'd, & to himself a sore,
Thus hates he his own works & doings evermore.
THIRD PART
16.
My frind, I write not this to cause thee any grieving,
Since thou has Cut thy self in this thy heat of loving:
In that thou hast too low demean'd thy self, & now
Me Father cal'st, & fearest not to call me Thou!
17.
What! is not then the Thou a name of God most Holy!
By whom exchange of Light & Darkness none is folly:
Since He is good & Light, but I am bad & good,
It changes yet in me the Spir't with flesh and Blood.
18.
Therefore I should be You , & nothing of thou savour,
But since thy heart in me the good will only favour,
Therefore it calls me Thou , I wish't to be alone.
Without duality, with Love one only One .
19.
And when shall I this One Behold & well perceive him!
When shall I quite in Him be lost & never leave him!
When falls my little Spark into his Light intire!
When will my Spir't with Him be one pure flaming fire!
20.
Hold inn thou strong Desire! Thou thus thy self discovers.
Wilt thou fall in the Pit, from which thou counsil'st others?
May not one hence conclud & truly thereby dite,
Thou wouldst be hereby seen by him to whome thou write?
21.
What does not Wit conclude? Bad be to them that thinks it,
True Love no Evil thinks, whereto this truly links it.
I Write in Innocence, & for thy Soul intend
And it most earnestly to God his love commend.
FIRST PART
1.
In Jesus loving frind! What love does thou inherit!
How glows, & burns thy Heart in true drift of the Spirit!
In truth a Seraphim has thus thy Soul inflamed,
And has with his bright Glance, & Beams upon thee gleamed.
2.
Thy tongue does really drop with Honey, sweet affected
And ev'ry syllable is with a kiss directed:
And that beloved pair, & Eyes do run with Wine,
With which, they droping, wet, & Moisten ev'ry line.
3.
Thy Spirit deals not in sharp, witty words subborned,
Neither sitst thou at the foot stool of the Learned:
Thy Heart's only in love with Christ his thorny Crown:
The Soul sees Jesus on as frind before the Throne.
4.
There seek'st thou Help, & Means, & strength for Souls distressed;
This the Art to steal the Father's heart, most blessed:
That He would yet his Grace to a poor Sinner lend,
And him the Holy Ghost for lasting comfort send.
5.
This is Right well belov'd, This, this does strik exactly,
The Bolts of Heaven Door open to thee directly;
To receive Grace for Grace, for thee & also Me;
Thanks be for such kind love, to Love eternally.
SECOND PART
6.
Well who her not forsakes, that Once has tast her favour,
That so he might at last in full possession have her:
But who her once has tast'd thirsts for her evermore,
And waiteth Day & Night contented at her Door.
7.
Content, but without Rest, Content, but full desire;
Content, but wishing still, & longing to be by her:
Now hopest thou she will yet once more gracious be,
Then strikes a Thunder-clap and sadly frightens thee.
8.
So very seldom have the loving ones contentment.
They cannot conquer quite Surprise, fear, & Resentment:
Since Conquest maks them Weak, & strength does make them fear,
The best which they esteem it Nothingness, most dear.
9.
This thier greatest strength, here Life its growth does borrow,
Their chief delight & joy grows from the inmost sorrow:
Yet Trouble only grows when Love does love admire,
He sees his nothingness, who most does love desire.
10.
When strengthened by Love, then Weakness seems the dearest,
When seeming quite forsook, then are they Her the nearest:
When treated like a Dog, shall have a Child his store
When they are silent quite, their Saviour speaks the more.
11.
Like as the love does grow, so grows thier Discontentment,
Her deepest Wound doth make ith' Heart the sweet'st resentment:
And when the grief's so great that Soul & Body faints,
Then sings She first Love's praise in spite of all her plaints.
12.
Love is as strong as Death! for as this Kills & try's it,
So killeth she the Soul before she Deifies it:
Therefore He loveth most, who his own doth hate,
And all what e'er he hath, for love to love translate.
13.
But Who loves most sincere can hardly think he loveth,
But thinks in his best acts he still in crossways moveth:
His Love is much too Cold; his longing quite too weak,
To tedious & to slow his tears doth run down his Cheeks.
14.
His wishing for the Love he thinks but self-election,
His brightest Vertues dark, & only imperfection:
His heart enforced Oh! he deems as Lunacy,
His talking of the Love but meer hypocricy.
15.
His most delightful speech is of his Sins directly,
But since Humility is there by seen perfectly:
He's silent, highly griev'd, & to himself a sore,
Thus hates he his own works & doings evermore.
THIRD PART
16.
My frind, I write not this to cause thee any grieving,
Since thou has Cut thy self in this thy heat of loving:
In that thou hast too low demean'd thy self, & now
Me Father cal'st, & fearest not to call me Thou!
17.
What! is not then the Thou a name of God most Holy!
By whom exchange of Light & Darkness none is folly:
Since He is good & Light, but I am bad & good,
It changes yet in me the Spir't with flesh and Blood.
18.
Therefore I should be You , & nothing of thou savour,
But since thy heart in me the good will only favour,
Therefore it calls me Thou , I wish't to be alone.
Without duality, with Love one only One .
19.
And when shall I this One Behold & well perceive him!
When shall I quite in Him be lost & never leave him!
When falls my little Spark into his Light intire!
When will my Spir't with Him be one pure flaming fire!
20.
Hold inn thou strong Desire! Thou thus thy self discovers.
Wilt thou fall in the Pit, from which thou counsil'st others?
May not one hence conclud & truly thereby dite,
Thou wouldst be hereby seen by him to whome thou write?
21.
What does not Wit conclude? Bad be to them that thinks it,
True Love no Evil thinks, whereto this truly links it.
I Write in Innocence, & for thy Soul intend
And it most earnestly to God his love commend.
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