Prologue to Preparatory Meditations

Lord, Can a Crumb of Dust the Earth outweigh, Outmatch all mountains, nay the Chrystall Sky? Imbosom in’t designs that shall Display And trace into the Boundless Deity? Yea hand a Pen whose moysture doth guild ore Eternall Glory with a glorious glore. If it its Pen had of an Angels Quill, And Sharpend on a Pretious Stone ground tite, And dipt in Liquid Gold, and mov’de by Skill In Christall leaves should golden Letters write It would but blot and blur yea jag, and jar Unless thou mak’st the Pen, and Scribener. I am this Crumb of Dust which is design’d To make my Pen unto thy Praise Alone, And my dull Phancy I would gladly grinde Unto an Edge on Zions Pretious Stone. And Write in Liquid Gold upon thy Name My Letters till thy glory forth doth flame. Let not th’attempts breake down my Dust I pray Not laugh thou them to scorn but pardon give. Inspire this Crumb of Dust till it display Thy Glory through’t: and then thy dust shall live. Its failings then thou’lt overlook I trust, They being Slips slipt from thy Crumb of Dust. Thy Crumb of Dust breaths two words from its breast, That thou wult guide its pen to write aright To Prove thou art, and that thou art the best And shew thy Properties to shine most bright. And then thy Works will shine as flowers on Stems Or as in Jewellary Shops, do jems.