SUch a Cloud of Dust has risen up amongst us by the Tumultuous Courses of Igno­rant men, Running from the Orders of Our Church concerning things Indifferent (which themselves are sometimes pleas'd to call shadows, and Circumstances) that we can hardly discern the great Danger we are fallen into of becom­ming Guilty of a base Connivence to some Publick, and most Contagious Impieties, which are as it were established by a Law; I mean, are Obtruded upon us with such Confidence, as if there were nothing in the Laws of Our Church, or State to Oppugn and Suppress them: I shall Instance only in the Reprinting of several Verses of Mr. COWLEY'S (since his Death) some [Page 4] of them so Notoriously Lascivious, others so Profane, that it cannot be easily imagin'd how the DEVIL could be more Gratify'd in any thing, then in the Plausible recommendation of them to the Sprightly Youths, and Preg­nant Wits of this Nation. In Opposition to the Black Attempt of the Publisher of them, I shall here first Recite my Thoughts of them, which I Publisht in a certain Epistle about eleven years since: And then I shall make some Ani­madversions on what has been Written of late in the Defence of these Artifices of Baseness, and Impurity, for which I trust Mr. COWLEY was truly Penitent. For when He Dy'd He En­join'd the Person, whom Before GOD, and His Holy Angels I now Charge with the Guilt of this Impurity, to revise his Works, and to blot out whatsoever might seem the least offence to Reli­gion, or good Manners. The words in the Epi­stle above mention'd are these: ‘ And now Rea­der, if thou beest a CHRISTIAN indeed, I shall intreat thee by all the Love that thou ow­est to Him that was CRUCIFIED for thy sake, that thou wouldest Oppose with all thy Might, that Vain Spirit of Foolish Talking, and Writing, which is gone abroad into the [Page 5] World to the great Dishonour of HIS Name, who has told us that we shall give an Account of Every Idle Word. And here I cannot but Ex­claim aloud against some of Mr. COWLEY'S Verses; particularly that part of his Book, which he entitles The Mistress, in which there are several Expressions so provoking to Speculative Lust, and Uncleanness, that I can't conceive how a CHRISTIAN that casts his Eye on them, can think otherwise, then that the Author did either Forget that There is a GOD, or that 'tis Sinful to be Lascivious. What Prophaneness also is this Author guilty of, who uses these Sacred Words, HEAVEN, DEITY, DIVINE PRESENCE, FAITH, &c. to set forth his Dissolute Amorous Conceptions! (I should rather have said Wanton, or Lascivious, Amorous being too gentle a term) Let any man of Common Reason judge whether the Minds of any Readers Vi­tiously Inclin'd (and such surely are all those that Delight in those POEMS) be not as apt to be wholly Debauch't and Corrupted by a Work of this Nature, as those mens Bodies are to take Infection, when they are amongst Sick Folk, who are already dispos'd to the Di­sease. [Page 6] Alas! Alas! Are not men apt enough of themselves to be Vain in their Imaginations! Must the Froth, and Vanity of Wanton Minds be wrought up, and increased by the Wit, and Studies of such Learned Persons, and those owning the Name of CHRISTIANS! O Tempora! O Mores!’ I desire the Reader would take Notice, that This was Publisht in the Pha­natick Times, after Mr. COWLEY'S Book (as I was credibly inform'd) had been Publickly Commended without Exception by an Eminent Person then in Oxford. And now let us see what the Apologist can say for the things I so much Abhor.

‘If there needed any excuse to be made that his Love-Verses should take up so great a share in his Works, it may be alledg'd that they were compos'd, when he was very young. But it is a vain thing to make any kind of A­pology for that sort of Writings. If Devout, or Virtuous Men will superciliously forbid the minds of the young, to adorn those subjects about which they are most conversant: They would put them out of all capacity of perfor­ming graver matters, when they come to them. For the Exercises of all Mens Wits, must be [Page 7] always proper for their Age, and never too much above it: And by practice, and use in lighter Arguments, they grow up at last to excel in the most weighty. I am not therefore asham'd to commend Mr. Cowley's Mistress. I only except one or two Expressions, which I wish I could have prevail'd with those that had the right of the other Edition to have left out. But of all the rest I dare boldly pronounce that never yet so much was written on a Subject so Delicate, that can less offend the severest rules of Morality. The whole Passion of Love is intimately describ'd, with all its mighty Train of Hopes, and Joys, and Disquiets. Besides this amorous tenderness, I know not how in every Copy there is something of more useful Knowledge very naturally, and grace­fully insinuated, and every where there may be something found, to inform the minds of wise Men, as well as to move the hearts of young Men or Women.’

The Author of this Empty Rhetorick must not be Over-Angry if I tell him that it puts me in mind of a far greater piece of Wit (and that Accompanied with Honesty) deliver'd by an Heathen Poet:

A Fine Colour for a Lascivious Poem, this, An Intimate Description of the whole Passion of Love! But what does the man Intend? Is he in good earnest of this Opinion, that 'tis Requi­site that those Ingenious Young men, that are much addicted to Venery, should Exercise their Phansies in Composing the most Accurate Ex­pressions of the Pleasures they take in the Imagi­nation only or in the Grossest Acts of Carnality; And that for this reason, that their Phansies so Ex­ercis'd in their Youth will make them the better Poets, or Rhetoricians, when they come to a Ri­per Age? It may be alledg'd, saies He, that they were compos'd when he was very young. But by Publishing them so many years after, He gave the World a sad Instance of that Saying, Quo semel est imbuta recens, &c. If He had Observ'd the Instruction of the Wise Man, Remember thy Crea­tor in the daies of thy youth, He would certainly even in those Daies have Apply'd his Mind to things Pleasing in His Sight, VVho tells us that we shall give Account in the Day of Judgment of every Idle Word.

[Page 9] It is a vain thing, &c. It is a vain thing indeed to make any kind of Apology for that sort of VVritings in any Part of the world, not altoge­ther Heathenish, or Apostate from the Practice of the CHRISTIAN Religion; for such an Apolo­gy will certainly redound to the Shame, at least to the Infamy of the (Unrelenting) Author.

If Devout, or Virtuous Men will superciliously forbid, &c. Since no Devout or Virtuous Men, as Such, can do any thing Superciliously, whether this passage be not most notoriously Foolish and Impertinent, let any one judg, who is himself a Person of True Honour and Virtue.

I am not asham'd, saies He, to commend Mr. COWLEY'S MISTRESS: And I trust I shall ne­ver be asham'd to Confess the Faith of CHRIST Crucifi'd, and manfully to fight under his Banner against Sin, the World, and the Devil: And with this Resolution I Bid Defyance to him as an E­nemy of the Cross of CHRIST; and Charge him with the Guilt of Violating the Obligation lay'd on him by Mr. COWLEY, (when he recom­mended to his Care the revising of all his works) That he should be sure to let nothing pass, that might seem the least offence to Religion, or Good Manners. To destroy all plausible Pretences of the Inno­cency [Page 10] of this [...] (expresly forbidden by the Holy Apostle, Coloss. 3.8.) I doubt not but by GODS Assistance I shall in a few words clearly Demonstrate that such a Te­nent, viz. that It is Inoffensive to good Manners, is wholly Destructive to the CHRISTIAN Religi­on, whose main Scope, and Drift is this, to make Man Partaker of the Divine Nature through a sense of His Interest in GOD Assuming the Humane Nature to Sanctifie Him wholly in SPIRIT, SOUL, and BODY. Now I boldly a­verr to All the world ( Despising the Shame of be­ing never so much Reproacht by men Puft up by their Fleshly Mind) that GOD INCARNATE is the Principal Object even of Our Passionate or Sensitive Love: And that the Habit of Exerci­sing this PASSION Directly upon CHRIST, and All Our other PASSIONS, or Sensitive Affections (upon their various Objects) in a way of Subserviency thereunto, is the thing Chiefly im­ply'd in the Sanctification of the SOUL and BO­DY, viz. as the SOUL is taken in Contradi­stinction to the SPIRIT: But I conceive that the Sensible Heats resulting from this Divine PASSION are in the Abhorrency of whatever is Inconsistent therewith, and Apt to Extinguish [Page 11] it, then in the Direct Embraces of its Object. If any Learned man shall find upon his thoughts any Objections or Scruples to be propos'd a­gainst what I have now written on this Mysti­cal Subject, I should be Glad to undertake the Solution of them, if he would propose them in Latine, but I am very Averse from speaking of These Things at large, Directly, and in the most Accurate Terms in the Hearing of the Vulgar, being well Assur'd that the Power, and Vertue of this Truth may be Convey'd into any Pious, and VVell-Dispos'd Soul in other Terms, then what will Convince Gain-Sayers, &c. Now whe­ther if so Great a WIT as Mr. COWLEY had Employ'd his Youthful FIRE in the Exercise of such a PASSION, as would have made him to Cry out unto GOD with the Spouse in the Can­ticles, Draw me, we will run after thee; And to say with that Glorious Martyr St. Ignatius [...], My Love was Crucified; and with that Mirrour of VVit, Learning and Virtue, Prudentius (speaking of the Name of CHRIST)

[Page 12] Whether, I say, if he had so Employ'd his Youthful FIRE, or Amorous Constitution, it would not have been more to the Advantage of himself, and others, then the Pleasing himself with the Writing of those wanton Imaginations, I leave to the Consideration of those to whom this Paper is chiefly Directed, viz. those that LOVE the LORD JESUS in Sincerity. But to evince this great and important Truth to the meanest Capacity, viz. that this cursed Tenent, that the Writing, or Reading of such Verses, as I here pronounce so Odious, and Detestable (un­less with an Holy Scorn and Indignation) is not Offensive to Religion, or Good Manners; is wholly Destructive to the CHRISTIAN Reli­gion, I shall produce this plain Text of Scri­pture: Whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the Name of the LORD JESUS, giving thanks to GOD, and the FATHER by him. Coloss. 3.17. Now if any man shall say that the making of such Verses, &c. may be judg'd to be a work done in the Name of the LORD JESUS, I shall only bid him to consider that our GOD is a Consuming Fire!

Iamblicus witnesses that Pythagoras and his Followers did hold that all our Actions should [Page 13] tend to the sincere Acknowledgment, and ser­vice of the DEITY: His very words are these ( De Vitâ Pythag. c. 28) [...]. A blush would well become the youthful cheeks of those whom this Apologist encourages in their witty impieties, at the reading of this. Here I cannot but use the words of the truly Learned Dr. CASAUBON (in a late Treatise of Cre­dulity, and Incredulity, p. 140.) O that Christi­ans, or rather men professing Christianity, had as much conscience, and sense of goodness, and piety as some Heathens have had! I shall take the Confi­dence to tell this Gentleman (who contrary to the Request of his dying Friend) has disturb'd the CHRISTIAN world with the publication of these filthy Lines (which certainly may be rightly term'd Simulachra & pabula amoris) that even the Epicurean Lucretius would have scorn'd this Action of his.

Perhaps those who flight my words will be somewhat affected with what I shall here col­lect [Page 14] out of Mr. Henry Vaughans Preface to his Book entitled Silex Scintillans: SACRED PO­EMS, and private EJACULATIONS. A large Encomium of this excellent Gentleman I find amongst the Poems of the incomparable Mrs. Katherine Philips, (who I presume) by her acquaintance with Mr. COWLEY was the in­strument of the great and good GOD to excite him to that sense of Piety, which he discover'd in that desire above mentioned, that his works should be revis'd, &c. O that he had liv'd to have blotted out those naughty things (particu­larly his wicked Encomium of that disgrace of Our Nation, that detestable Apostate, that LE­VIATHAN Infidel) and to have testifi'd his Re­pentance with his own Pen! But the Judgments of GOD are unsearchable, and his ways past find­ing out.

Mr. Vaughans Repentance for the like Fol­lies is by himself largely declar'd in these fol­lowing words:

The Divine PASSION I have been speaking of is exprest rarely well in several of his Poems, particularly in one which he entitles Mount of Olives, which begins thus.

[Page 18]That the World is indeed such a Lyar, they shall find by woful experience, who give Ear to the Songs of the SYRENS of this age, the charming Rhetorick of seditious or lascivious Phansies.

If any Person of Learning, and Gravity find himself inclin'd to judg me Guilty of Impru­dence in publishing this Paper, I shall beseech him by the Mercies of GOD to consider the advice I shall here give him in the Speech of that Noble Martyr ROMANUS, as it is Recorded by Pru­dentius ( [...] Hymn. 10)

For satisfaction to any man who shall think himself concern'd in the controversie I have here undertaken, I shall hereunto subscribe my Name: And I do solemnly Promise, that if any Learned Person whatsoever shall undertake to oppose me (either in publick or in private) in this design to render such Writings most odious and detestable to all those that have named the Name of [Page 19] CHRIST; I shall give him an answer upon this condition, that he shall not oblige me to conceal any Letters to be written upon this occasion (ei­ther his or mine) if I shall conceive that the pub­lication of them may any way conduce to the Glory of GOD and the good of Men.

I shall conclude with that exhortation of the Blessed Apostle, Be not deceived: Evil Communi­cations corrupt good Manners. By those words of an Heathen Poet: [...]. He plainly upbraids those foolish men, who professing Christianity, make excuses for that kind of wick­edness which I here oppose, as if (forsooth) much excess were to be allow'd in Love, and even more in Poetry.

DIXI, & nulla meam vertet sententia mentem.