if God convey so much good by other men that are good, let us make much of them, as public persons, as instruments of our good; take away malice, and pride, and a poisonful spirit, and all their good is ours. What hinders that we have no good by them? Pride, and an envious spirit, &c.

A second thing that I observe hence is this: holy and gracious men, that are led by the Spirit of God, can deny themselves and their own best good for the Church's benefit. They know that God hath appointed them as instruments to convey good to others, and knowing this, they labour to come to Paul's spirit here, to desire to live, to have life in patience and death in desire in regard of themselves; for it were much better for a good man to be in heaven out of misery, out of this conflicting condition with the devil and devilish-minded

men.

The reason is, because a good man, as soon as he is a good man, hath the spirit of love in him; and love seeketh not its own, but the good of another; and as the love of Christ and the love of God possesseth and seizeth upon the soul, so selflove decays. What is gracious love but a decay of self-love? The more self-love decays the more we deny ourselves.

Again, God's people have the Spirit of Christ in them, who minded not His own things. If Christ had minded His own things, where had our salvation been? Christ was content to leave heaven, and to take our nature upon Him, to be Emanuel, God with us, that we might be with God for ever in heaven. He was content not only to leave heaven, but to be born in the womb of a virgin; He was content to stoop to the grave; He stooped as low as hell in love to us. Now where Christ's Spirit is, it will bring men from their altitudes and excellences, and make them to stoop to serve the Church, and account it an honour to be an instrument to do good. Christ was content to be accounted not only a servant of God, but of the Church's: "My righteous servant," &c. Those that have the Spirit of Christ have a spirit of selfdenial of their own; we see the blessed angels are content to be ministering spirits for us; and it is thought to be the sin of the devil, pride, when he scorned to stoop to the keeping of man, an inferior creature to himself. The blessed angels do not scorn to attend upon a poor child, little ones. A Christian is a consecrated person, and he is none of his own; he is a sacrifice as soon as he is a Christian-he is Christ's-he gives himself to Christ; and as he gives himself, so he gives his life and all to Christ, as Paul saith of the Corinths--they gave themselves and their goods to Him. When a Christian gives himself to Christ, he gives all to Christ--all his labour and pains, and whatsoever he knows that Christ can serve himself of him for His Church's good, and His glory; he knows that Christ is wiser than he, therefore he resigns himself to His disposal, resolving, if he live, he lives to the Lord; and if he die, he dies to the Lord; that so, whether he live or die, he may be the Lord's.

O beloved, that we had the spirit of St. Paul and the Spirit of Christ to set us a work to do good while we are here, to deny ourselves; oh, it would be meat and drink, as it was to our blessed Saviour Christ, to do good all kind of ways. Consider all the capacities and abilities we have to do good, this way and that way, in this relation and that relation, that we may be trees of righteousness, that the more we bear the more we may bear. God will mend His own trees, He will purge them and prune them to bring forth more fruit. God cherisheth fruitful trees. In the law of Moses, when they besieged any place, he commanded them to spare fruitful trees. God spares a fruitful person till he have done his work: we know not how much good one man may do, though he be a mean person; sometimes one poor wise man delivereth the city, and the righteous delivereth the island. We see for one

servant, Joseph, Potiphar's house was blessed. Naaman had a poor maid-servant that was the occasion of his conversion. Grace will set anybody a-work; it puts a dexterity into any, though never so mean; they carry God's blessing wheresoever they go, and they bethink themselves when they are in any condition to do good, as he saith in Hester, God hath called me to this place, perhaps for this end. We should often put this query to ourselves: Why hath God called me to this place? for such and such a purpose.

Now that we may be fruitful as Paul was, let us labour to have humble spirits. God delights in an humble spirit, and not in a proud spirit, for that takes all the glory to itself; God delights to use humble spirits that are content to stoop to any service for others, that think no office too mean.

Secondly, get loving hearts. Love is full of inventionHow shall I glorify God? How shall I do good to others? How shall I bring to heaven as many as I can? Love is a sweet and boundless affection, full of holy devices.

Thirdly, labour to have sufficiency in our places, that you may have ability to do good. Oh, when these meet together, ability and sufficiency, and a willing, a large, and gracious heart, and a fit object to do good to, what a deal of good is done then!

Fourthly, and when we find opportunity of doing any good let us resolve upon it-resolve to honour God and serve him in spite of flesh and blood. For we must get every good work that we do out of the fire, as it were; we must get it out with travail and pains. We carry that about us that will hinder us, let us; therefore labour to have sincere aims in that we do to please God, and then resolve to do all the good

we can.

To stir us up to be more and more fruitful in our places, let us consider we live for others, and not for ourselves, when we are good Christians once. It was a good speech of that godly Palsgrave, great-grandfather to him that is (Frederick the Godly they called him), when he was to die, “Satis vobis," saith he, "I have hitherto lived for you, now let me live for myself." We live here all our life for others, therefore let us think while we live how we may do most good in the Church of God.

For encouragement hereunto, consider God will undertake to recompense all the good we do, to a cup of cold water; we shall not lose a sigh, a groan, for the Church; God would account himself dishonoured if it should not be rewarded, he hath pawned his faithfulness upon it. He is not unfaithful to be unmindful of your good works.

Nay, we have a present reward and contentment of conscience; as light accompanies fire, so peace and joy accompany every good action. All is not reserved for heaven; a Christian hath some beginnings of happiness here; when he doth that that is contrary to the flesh and blood. How full of sweet joy is a fruitful soul! Those that are fruitful in their places never want arguments of good assurance of salvation. It is your lazy lukewarm Christian that wants assurance. Therefore I beseech you be stirred up, to live desired in the world, and die lamented. Labour to be useful in your places all you can; to be as the olive and fig-tree, delighting God and man, and not to cumber the ground of the Church with barrenness; sins of omission, because men were not fruitful in their places, was a ground of damnation: "Cast the unprofitable servant into utter darkness." Put case he did no harm; ay, but he was unprofitable. Such was the cursed disposition of Ephraim; he brought forth fruit to himself. Oh this looking to ourselves! When we make ourselves

1 Let, delay, hinder.

Lest for our fruitlessness Thy light of grace Thou from our golden candlestick displace. We do methinks already, Lord, begin

20

the beginning and the end of all the good we do, it is an argument of a barren person. None ever came to heaven but those that denied themselves.

In 1635, year of the death of Richard Sibbes, George Wither and Francis Quarles each followed a fashion of the time, and published a book of Emblems. Wither's book was a handsome folio, with a good selection of emblem pictures, well engraved, and a fine portrait of the author. Quarles's volume was in 12mo, with somewhat rudely-executed woodcuts of emblems, usually ill-drawn. Quarles's book has been often reproduced with improved pictures, but there has been neglect of Wither's work, which is not inferior in merit. It is divided into four books, each containing fifty-six Emblems followed by a "Lottery," that ingeniously sums up their teaching in fifty-six This is George Wither's Emblem of

stanzas.

This modern Emblem is a mute expressing
Of God's great mercies in a modern blessing:
And gives me now just cause to sing His praise
For granting me my being in these days.
The much-desiréd messages of heaven

For which our fathers would their lives have given,
And in groves, caves, and mountains once a year
Were glad, with hazard of their goods, to hear,
Or in less bloody times at their own homes
To hear in private and obscuréd rooms,
Now those, those joyful tidings we do live
Divulged in every village to perceive;
And that the sounds of gladness echo may
Through all our goodly temples every day,
This was, O God, Thy doing; unto Thee
Ascribed for ever let all praises be!
Prolong this mercy, and vouchsafe the fruit
May to Thy labour in this vineyard suit :

10

I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with

Christ.-PHILIPPIANS i. 23.

What meant our careful parents so to wear

And lavish out their ill-extended hours

To purchase for us large possessions here

Which, though unpurchased, are too truly ours?
What meant they-ah, what meant they to endure
Such loads of needless labour to procure,

And make that thing our own which was our own too sure?

Ah! sweet Jesus, pierce the marrow of my soul with the healthful shafts of Thy love, that it may truly burn, and melt, and languish, with the only desire of Thee: that it may desire to be dissolved, and to be with Thee: let it hunger alone for the bread of life: let it thirst after Thee, the spring and fountain of eternal light, the stream of true pleasure: let it always desire Thee, seek Thee, and find Thee, and sweetly rest in Thee.

EPIGRAM.

What! will thy shackles neither loose nor break? Are they too strong, or is thine arm too weak? Art will prevail where knotty strength denies; My soul, there's aquafortis in thine eyes.

The measure of the verses attached by Quarles to this Emblem in 1635 was taken from "The Purple

1 Of alms, as alms.

* Prog, probably, toy or pry about; but to progue was to steal.

3 Weathering stock, the perch on which hawks were taken for an airing. This also is figured in the picture.

Bate, a term in falconry for the beating of the wings in preparing for a flight, probably from French "lattre."

Island," published by Phineas Fletcher, two years before, in 1633, but written much earlier. Quarles greatly admired Phineas Fletcher, and called him the Spenser of his age. Phineas Fletcher was, like his brother Giles, a clergyman. He had the living of

Hilgay in Norfolk. "The Purple Island, or the Isle of Man," is a poem in twelve cantos, opening with pastoral stanzas that dwell much upon the praise of Spenser, and then proceed

"Great Prince of Shepherds, than Thy heavens more high, Low as our earth, here serving, ruling there;

Who taught'st our death to live, Thy life to die;
Who, when we broke Thy bonds, our bonds wouldst bear;
Who reignedst in Thy heaven, yet felt'st our hell;
Who (God) bought'st man, whom man (tho' God) did fell,
Who in our flesh, our graves and, worse, our hearts wouldst
dwell.

"Great Prince of Shepherds, Thou who late didst deign To lodge Thyself within this wretched breast, (Most wretched breast, such guest to entertain, Yet oh most happy lodge in such a guest!) Thou first and last, inspire Thy sacred skill; Guide Thou my hand, grace Thou my artless quill; So shall I first begin, so last shall end Thy will.

"Hark then, ah, hark! ye gentle shepherd-crew;
An Isle I fain would sing, an Island fair;
A place too seldom viewed, yet still in view;
Near as ourselves, yet farthest from our care;
Which we by leaving find, by seeking lost;
A foreign home, a strange, though native coast;
Most obvious to all, yet most unknown to most.

"Coeval with the world in her nativity, Which though it now hath passed through many ages, And still retained a natural proclivity

To ruin, compassed with a thousand rages

Of spiteful foes, which still this island tosses;
Yet ever grows more prosperous by her crosses,

By withering, springing fresh, and rich by often losses."

God made man at the close of the first week of Creation.

"Now when the first week's life was almost spent;
And this world built, and richly furnished;
To store heaven's courts, He of each element,
Did cast to frame an Isle, the heart and head
Of all his works, composed with curious art;
Which like an index briefly should impart
The sum of all; the whole, yet of the whole a part.

"The tri-une God Himself in council sits,

And purple dust takes from the new-made earth; Part circular, and part triangular fits; 5 Endows it largely at the unborn birth; Deputes his favourite viceroy; doth invest With aptness thereunto, as seemed him best; And loved it more than all, and more than all it blessed."

5 Part circular and part triangular. In Spenser's description of the body as a castle ("Faerie Queene," bk. ii.)—

"The frame thereof was partly circular
And part triangular."

But the Island, not content with its own happiness, "would try whate'er is in the continent, and seek out ill and search for wretchedness," allured by the serpent from the peaceful shore. The first canto Phineas ends with loving reference to his brother Giles, and allusion to his own youth, from which it must be inferred that the Purple Island, although not published until 1633, was written in the reign of James I. In the second, third, fourth, and fifth cantos Man's Body is described as geography and economy of an island with over-elaborate allegory. Spenser, in the second book of the "Faerie Queene," had described the Body as a castle, the castle of the Soul, and Du Bartas had been ingeniously descriptive. Then in the sixth canto Justice and Mercy plead in heaven against and for the rebellious Island, and this gives Phineas occasion again to refer lovingly to his brother Giles's poem. Within the Purple Island there is fierce dissension. The Prince of the Island is allseeing Intellect.

"He knows nor death, nor years, nor feeble age;
But as his time, his strength and vigour grows:
And when his kingdom by intestine rage
Lies broke and wasted, open to his foes;

And battered sconce now flat and even lies; Sooner than thought to that Great Judge he flies, Who weighs him just reward of good, or injuries.

"For he the Judge's viceroy here is placed;

Where if he lives as knowing he may die, He never dies, but with fresh pleasures graced, Bathes his crowned head in blessed eternity; Where thousand joys and pleasures ever new, And blessings thicker than the morning dew, With endless sweets rain down on that immortal crew.

"There golden stars set in the crystal snow;

There dainty joys, laugh at uneasy care; There day no night, delight no end shall know; Sweets without surfeit, fulness without spare, And by its spending, grows in happiness : There God Himself in glory's lavishness Diffused in all, to all, is all full blessedness.

"But if he here neglects his master's law,

And with those traitors 'gainst his Lord rebels, Down to the deep ten thousand fiends him draw; A deep, where night, and death, and horror dwells, And in worst ills, still worse expecting, fears: Where fell despite for spite his bowels tears; And still increasing grief, and torments endless bears.

"Prayers there are idle, death is woo'd in vain,

In midst of death, poor wretches long to die: Night without day, or rest, still doubling pain, Woes spending still, yet still their end less nigh: The soul there restless, helpless, hopeless lies; The body frying roars, and roaring fries:

There's life that never lives, there's death that never dies.

"Hence while unsettled here he fighting reigns, Shut in a tower where thousand enemies Assault the fort; with wary care and pains

He guards all entrance, and by divers spies

Searcheth into his friend's designs, and foes: But subjects most he fears, for well he knows This tower's most like to fall if treason 'mongst them rose.

"Therefore while yet he lurks in earthly tent,

Disguised in worthless robes and poor attire,
Try we to view his glory's wonderment,
And get a sight of what we so admire:

For when away from this sad place he flies, And in the skies abides, more bright than skies; Too glorious is his sight for our dim mortal eyes."

Then we have pictured allegorically the inmates of the Castle of Intellect, in a way suggested by Spenser's description of the Castle of Alma (the Soul).

The seventh and eighth cantos set forth the enemies by whom the Prince is besieged, "the enraged Dragon and his serpents bold," with him Caro (the Flesh), "accursed dam of sin," and the chief ills personified that are at war with the true life of man. The ninth and tenth cantos set forth, as warriors ranged to "beat back these hellish sprites," the several parts of the true spiritual life; and the two remaining cantos then set forth, as war for and against the Dragon, the long contest between good and evil in the Purple Island. It is ended by the help of the Saviour at the prayer of Electa (the chosen), and is heralded by King James I. in the form of an angel.

"So he arose upon his outstretched sails,

Fearless expecting his approaching death;

So he arose, that th' air both starts and fails,
And over-presséd, sinks his load beneath:

So he arose, as doth a thunder-cloud,

Which all the earth with shadows black doth shroud: So he arose, and through the weary air he rowed.

"Now his Almighty Foe far off he spies;

Whose sun-like arms eclipsed the brightest day, Confounding with their beams less glittering skies, Firing the air with more than heavenly ray,

Like thousand suns in one :-such is their light,
A subject only for immortal spright,

Which never can be seen, but by immortal sight.

"His threat'ning eyes shine like that dreadful flame,
With which the thunderer arms his angry hand:
Himself had fairly wrote His wondrous Name,
Which neither earth nor heaven could understand:
A hundred crowns, like towers, beset around
His conquering head: well may they there abound,
When all his limbs, and troops, with gold are richly crown'd.

"His armour all was dyed with purple blood;

In purple blood of thousand rebel kings;
In vain their stubborn powers His arm withstood:

Their proud necks chained, He them in triumph brings,
And breaks their spears, and all their trait' rous swords;
Upon whose arms and thigh in fairest words
Was written, The King of kings, and Lord of lords.

"His snow-white steed appeared of heavenly kind,
Begot by Boreas on the Thracian hills;
More strong and speedy than his parent wind:
And (which His foes with fear and horror fills)
Out from His mouth a two-edged sword He darts;
Whose sharpest steel the bone and marrow parts,
And with his keenest point unbreasts the naked hearts.1

"The Dragon, wounded with His powerful hand,

They take, and in strong bonds and fetters tie: Short was the fight, nor could he long withstand Him, whose appearance is His victory.

So now he's bound in adamantine chain; He storms, he roars, he yells for high disdain: His net is broke, the fowl go free, the fowler ta'en.

"Thence by a Mighty Swain he soon was led

Unto a thousand thousand torturings:

His tail, whose folds were wont the stars to shed, Now stretched at length, close to his body clings: Soon as the pit he sees, he back retires,

And battle new, but all in vain, respires:

So there he deeply lies, burning in quenchless fires.

"As when Alcides from forced hell had drawn

The three-head Dog, and mastered all his pride; Basely the fiend did on his victor fawn, With serpent tail clapping his hollow side:

At length arrived upon the brink of light, He shuts the day out from his dullard sight, And swelling all in vain, renews unhappy fight.

1 "For the word of the Lord is quick and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of the soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." (Heb. iv. 12.)

"Soon at this fight the Knights revive again,

As fresh as when the flowers from winter's tomb, When now the sun brings back his nearer wain Peep out again from their fresh mother's womb: The primrose, lighted new, her flame displays, And frights the neighbour hedge with fiery rays: And all the world renew their mirth and sportive plays.

"The Prince, who saw his long imprisonment
Now end in never ending liberty,

To meet the victor from his castle went,
And falling down, clasping his royal knee,

Pours out deserved thanks in grateful praise: But him the heavenly Saviour soon doth raise, And bids him spend in joy his never-ending days."

Then the poem ends with the marriage joy of Electa, to whom the Saviour is bridegroom, she a gladsome bride.

George Sandys, younger brother of Richard Hooker's pupil, Edwin Sandys, and son to the Archbishop of York, was born in 1577, and died in 1644. He travelled in the East, translated Ovid's "Metamorphoses," and in 1636 published a "Paraphrase of the Psalms," with music by Henry Lawes, the great composer of the day. In the same volume were his paraphrases of Job, of the Lamentations of Jeremiah, and of other songs out of the Old and New Testaments. This is George Sandys's version of

PSALM XV.

Who shall in Thy tent abide?
On Thy holy hill reside?
He that's just and innocent;
Tells the truth of his intent ;

Slanders none with venomed tongue;
Fears to do his neighbour wrong;
Fosters not base infamies;

Vice beholds with scornful eyes; Honours those who fear the Lord; Keeps, though to his loss, his word; Takes no bribes for wicked ends,

Nor to use his money lends :

Who by these directions guide

Their pure steps, shall never slide.

Richard Crashaw, who was expelled from the University of Cambridge in 1644 for refusing to sign the Covenant, then became a Roman Catholic, and died in 1650 a canon of Loretto. He first published his "Steps to the Temple" in 1646. There was a second edition in 1649. It was another collection of religious poems in a form suggested by the "Temple" of George Herbert. Among his poems are these lines on sending Herbert's "Temple " to a lady :

ON MR. G. HERBERT'S BOOK. Know you, fair, on what you look? Divinest love lies in this book, Expecting fire from your eyes, To kindle this His sacrifice. When your hands untie these strings, Think you've an angel by the wings;