ot say he lives; for truly without
this, to me there is no heat under the tropic; nor any light, though I
dwelt in the body of the sun.

As when the labouring sun hath wrought his track
Up to the top of lofty Cancer's back,
The icy ocean cracks, the frozen pole
Thaws with the heat of the celestial coal;
So when Thy absent beams begin t'impart
Again a solstice on my frozen heart,
My winter's o'er, my drooping spirits sing,
And every part revives into a spring.
But if Thy quick'ning beams awhile decline,
And with their light bless not this orb of mine,
A chilly frost surpriseth every member,
And in the midst of June I feel December.
O how this earthly temper doth debase
The noble soul, in this her humble place!
Whose wingy nature ever doth aspire
To reach that place whence first it took its fire.
These flames I feel, which in my heart do dwell,
Are not Thy beams, but take their fire from hell.
O quench them all, and let Thy light divine,
Be as the sun to this poor orb of mine:
And to Thy sacred spirit convert those fires,
Whose earthly fumes choke my devout aspires.

ON THE MERCY OF GOD

The great attribute of God--His mercy; and, to be true, and speak my
soul, when I survey the occurrences of my life, and call into account the
finger of God, I can perceive nothing but an abyss and mass of mercies,
either in general to mankind, or in particular to myself: and whether out
of the prejudice of my affection, or an inverting and partial conceit of
His mercies, I know not; but those which others term crosses,
afflictions, judgments, misfortunes, to me, who inquire further into them
than their visible effects, they both appear, and in event have ever
proved, the secret and dissembled favours of His affection. It is a
singular piece of wisdom to apprehend truly, and without passion, the
works of God; and so well to distinguish His justice from His mercy, as
not to miscall those noble attributes; yet it is likewise an honest piece
of logic, so to dispute and argue the proceedings of God, as to
distinguish even His judgments into mercies. For God is merciful unto
all, because better to the worst than the best deserve; and to say He
punisheth none in this world, though it be a paradox, is no absurdity. To
one that hath committed murder, if the judge should only ordain a fine,
it were a madness to call this a punishment, and to repine at the
sentence