SVNDRY CHRISTIAN PASSIONS CONtained in two hundred Sonnets. Diuided into two equall parts: The first consisting chiefly of Meditations, Humiliations, and Praiers. The second of Comfort, Ioy, and Thankesgiuing. By H. L.
Call vpon me in the day of trouble: So will I deliuer thee, and thou shalt glorifie me.
Imprinted at London by Richard Field. 1593.
To the rIght renoVVneD VertVoVs VIrgin ELIzabeth, VVorthy QVeene of happIe EngLanD, her hIghnesse faIthfVL subIeCt, Henry Lok, VVIsheth Long Lyfe, VVIth eternaL bLIsse. IVne. VII.
MY worthlesse pen Presumeth to deuise,
To eternize Your peerles vertu [...]us fame,
In holy flame Of zeale my hart doth rise,
VVhich doth dispise A th [...]ame of vulgar frame,
The sacred dame The graces haue select,
That should protect The heire Muses hill,
Whose Phoenix quil Doth heauenly Crowne affect,
And those hath dect VVhich Romane Trophies fill.
Heauens do distill Their happie influence,
As come frō thence, You there your portion haue,
Ioue long you saue, VVhose Scepters you dispence,
For whose defence, True English hearts he gaue,
Venus wold craue, And Dian doth that due,
Which Pallas wils Me yeeld alone to you.
To the Christian Reader.
WHo so shall duly consider the whole Progresse of mans estate from life to death, shall finde it gentle Reader, to be nothing else but a verie pilgrimage through this earth to another world; for whether we obserue the cōmon course of all flesh, which from the mothers wombe to the graue, is still trauelling with change of bodily constitution, from youth to age, from health to sicknesse, and so from one estate to another. Or if we behold the particular incounters which each man findeth in himselfe, in the variable change of his hopes and crossing of his purposes: In both it shall by a generall experience of all mens calamities be assuredly confirmed to be too true. But how much more may we finde in the direction of our soules to the pr [...]per h [...]uen of their habitation (euen to heauen) a multitude of aduersaries lying in the way to hinder our trauell to that promised land; how many afflictiōs of the minde, frailties of the flesh, bayts of the world, and snares of Satan, are bent against vs, to slacken (if not cleane to diuert, our due course thitherwardes, in such sort as if God of his infinite mercie and prouidence did not oftentimes preuent and stop [Page] our willes and powers, and bridle the malice of these aduersaries, we should all assuredly perish by the way. But now (such is his fatherlie care and loue to vs in Christ) that hee hath left vs a direction & readie way of saftie in the midst of all ass [...]ults [...]r [...]fflictio [...]s how peri [...]ous soeuer, euen praier; whi [...]h being formed accor [...]ing to the rules prescribed vnto vs by his sonne, and with feruencie of faith offered vp vnto him: are of power to penetrate the heauen, purchase our safetie, p [...]y our debts, & procure vs peace of hart in the midst of all e [...]rt [...]ly perils: yea (knowing our coldnesse herein, and feare of our owne guils, deterring vs from his presence) he doth not onlie licence vs to this boldnesse, but allureth vs by manie sensible blessings felt in our owne consciences. And calleth vs by a supernaturall courage, sometimes with confidence to come vnto him, and euen to hope against hope in our most desperate necessities. He doth direct our tongues oftentimes herein before our mindes, and our mindes before our hearts; being himself readier to giue then we to aske, and giuing with more regard of our good, then we can craue or cō ceiue: for all which he expecteth nothing else at our hands, but continuallie to flie vnto him, & to yeeld him due praise: to relie on him onelie in the day of triall, and to incourage others thereto, for in this sort alone he will be honoured of vs. This our earthlie pilgrimage being then so dangerous to all flesh, and so readie a way prescribed vnto vs for our safer passage therein, he were verie vnwise that would not furnish himselfe with such prou [...]sion (which costs so litle as our willes to haue it) and more vncharitable that would not do his best to assist his companiō in his iourny, with both counsell and comfort of the same. For this cause (gentle Reader) I hauing (through Gods great goodnesse) fels in the direction and [Page] protection of my vnstable youth, a plentifull portion of the wonderfull care he hath ouer vs, and of the vnspeakeable force of praier and thansgiuing in all extremities: the more to stirre vp my selfe to a memorie thereof, haue thought good to set downe these abrupt passions of my passed afflictions, as witnesses of the impediments most stopping me in my Christian pilgrimage, and testimonies of the meanes of my euasion hitherto, which may serue for presidents for my selfe in the like future occasions: and not be altogither vnprofitable for others to imitate. In which (as in a glasse) may be seene, the state of a regenerate soule, sicke with sinne, sometimes (Agus-like) shiuering with cold dispaire, straight waies inflamed with seruencie of faith and hope. One while yeelding vnder the burthen of sinne to eternall death, and presently incouraged to runne cheerfully forward the appointed course of this his pilgrimage, and like a practized traueller, vsed to the change of companie, diet, heate, cold, paine, pleasure, plentie, and want, not to amaze himselfe long with anie chaunge: but by a consideration of pleasures passed or rest expected, patientlie to passe ouer this world full of incomberances, from a sence and feeling wherof in some measure, no true childe of God is anie long time (as I suppose) exempt. Now although I doubt not but euen these reasons will carrie the iudgement of the godlie Christian Reader to a fauourable interpretation of my purpose herein, and to some delight in the tast thereof, to whom no person or occasion, stile or phrase, will seeme vnseasonable, being imployd to the glorifying of God, & profit of the Church, or proceeding from a zeale of that effect: yet the consideration that the greater number to whose handes this Treatise may happen to come, are either not so well affected, or so discreet and temperate [Page] as were to be wished, maketh me thinke it needfull to saie something in declaration of my purpose herein: not in excuse of my exercising my self in such theames which indeed ought to be the common action in some measure of all men, as oft as necessarie affaires of this life will permit them, neither in that I make common with others this my exercise which seemeth in secret onely to be practised by my selfe: for that I take it not to be alwaies a token of pride or vaine glorie, to make knowne for a common good to others, that which may breed a suspect of ambition in the Author among the prophane or cauelling multitude, though how herein I am carried my selfe, I leaue to God the searcher of hearts to iudge: onely I would satisfie them first in the cause of my writing them in verse, then of the confused placing of them without speciall titles. To the first I was induced, for that I find manie oftentimes (speciallie such as had most neede to praie and meditate) to reade bookes rather for the affection of words then liking of matter, and perhaps more to controll the compiling, then commend the contents, such yet (so as they read) shall giue me all that I craue, and find I hope that they looked not for, if not in all, yet in some among manie of these Sonnets. As for the apt nature of Poetrie, to delight, to contriue significat [...]ly in fewe words much matter, to pearce and penetrate [...]ections of men, with the aptnesse thereof, for helpe of [...]e [...]orie, I will not saie much: but for my deducing t [...]ese passions into Sonnets, it answereth (as I suppose) best for the shortn [...]sse, to the nature of passions, and common burner of men, who are either not long touched with so good motions, or by their worldly affaires not permitted to continue much reading; as for the cause of my so preposterous placing of them and deuision onely into two sorts, I confesse [Page] indeed I am perswaded their disorder doth best fit the nature of mankind, who commonly is delighted with contraries, and exercised with extreames, and also as they were by God ministred to my minde, to set downe by sundry accidents in my priuate estate and feeling; so I suppose my prouidence could not by a formall placing of them, so soone hit the aff [...]ctions of euerie Reader as Gods direction (by that which men call chaunce) might this way incounter the common inconstant forme of reading, which is by starts to turne ouer bookes, and peruse only, what by the praise of others told, is commended vnto them, or not sought for, falleth into their view. As they are therefore, I recommend them to thy curtesie in reading, and thee to Gods holie spirit in the perusing of them, if they may haue the same working in thee, that I praise God some of them had in me, they shall not be vtterly vnprofitable. If in matter they iumpe not to thy passions in all points, thinke among the great Arsenall of Satans armour, he hath choyce of weapons for sundry assaults, and disposeth of them diuersly according to the strength or weaknesse of the partie he besiegeth. Which (being as indifferent in particular persons as Gods gifts are to them) thou shalt do well to thy abilitie to reforme or supply my defect, who hereby do onely inuite the better able to imploy in so fit a Theame their more fruitfull spirit. If in maner of the verse or stile, they be (as I doubt not) to be amended much: I do not greatly seeke the praise of a curious Architect or, neither (without neglect of more necessarie dutie) could I attaine to the required obseruances that way: and therefore craue that thy dis [...]ression may regard my intentiō. And thus recommending my selfe to [...]y fauourable acceptance, who herein haue rather folowed the force of mine owne inward feeling, then outward ornaments of Poeticall [Page] fictions or amplifications, as best beseeming the naked cloathing of simple truth, & true Analogie of the nature of the Histories whereto they alude, and harmonie of scriptures whence they are borrowed. I heartely commend thee to the Almightie.
[Page] [...]
[Page] [...]
THE FIRST PART OF CHRISTIAN PASsions containing a hundreth Sonets of meditation, humiliation, and prayer.
PREFACE.
IT is not Lord the sound of many words,
The bowed knee or abstinence of man,
The filed phrase that cloquence affordes,
Or Poets pen that heauens do pearce or can:
By heauie cheere, of colour pale and wan,
By pined bodie of the Pharisay,
A mortall eye repentance oft doth scan,
Whose iudgement doth on outward shadows stay.
But thou (ô God) doest hearts entent bewray,
For from thy sight Lord nothing is conceald,
Thou formdst the frame fro out the verie clay,
To thee the thoughts of hearts are all reueald,
To thee therefore with hart and mind prostate,
With teares I thus deplore my sinfull state.
SONET I.
HOw should my soule Lord clad in earthly mold,
(The prison where it readie is to pine,
Where vilde affections captiue it do hold.
And threaten naught, but ruin in the fine)
Vnto one thought of hope or helpe incline.
Or raise the eyes vnto the heauens bright?
How may it, Lord take hold on mercies thine,
Or presse it selfe in presence of thy sight:
Or how canst thou therein at all delight,
If mercy be not spokesman in this case,
If merit of thy sonne should not acquite
The common gilt of Adams sinfull rase?
Which since by faith alone man may attaine,
Grant me first grace not faithlesse to remaine.
SON. II.
FRo out the darknesse of this sea of feare,
Where I in whale remaine deuourde of sin,
With true remorse of former life I reare
My heart to heauen, in hope some helpe to win:
I do confesse my fault, who did begin
To flie from thee ô Lord, and leaue vndone
Thy seruice which of right should first haue bin
performd, by woich so many should be wonne
To praise thy name. But feare alas begunne,
To represent to me my iourny long.
The dangers of the world my life should runne,
Which made me to my soule to offer wrong.
But since by show of death thou caldst me backe,
Thy gratious helpe at need let me not lacke.
SON. III.
WIthin this arke wherein my soule doth dwell,
My bodie floting on worldes troubled waue,
Which windes of fierce affections cause to swell,
And hardly can my power from sinking saue,
I crie to thee ô Lord and comfort craue:
Close vp this fountaine of this flowing sin,
Let me by faith againe once footing haue
On frutefull earth, and holie life begin;
Lighten the burden so vncleane within,
Of brutish vices raging in my minde,
Let cleane affects the greater partie win,
And so increase that plentie I may finde
Of sacrifices pleasing in thy sight,
Of faith and loue which are thy soules delight.
SON. IIII.
IN humble wise as fitteth best my state,
An abiect wretch deuoyd of all desert,
I here approch before thy mercy gate,
O Lord of life with broke and contrite hart
I need not to reueale to thee my smart,
A lump of sin and shame I am I know,
Wounded so deepe with deadly poysoned dart,
Of serpents sting which did from parents grow,
That now my humors so do ouerflow,
With foule affections of my feeble minde,
As presseth downe my eyes on earth so low,
As dares not search the heauens true helpe to finde.
Yet since thou hast made knowne to me my grief,
Guide me by grace to fountaine of relief.
SON. V.
VNto thy princely wedding Lord are bed,
Of euerie sort some guests to feast with thee,
One that a spouse but late before had wed,
One oxen bought, one taken land to fee:
They from the banket therefore absent bee,
Regarding not thy messengers of grace,
In number of the like, Lord hold not mee,
But let me haue I craue the offred place,
Yet ere that I appeare before thy face,
A wedding garment first I must put on,
My owne vnrighteous cloathing is too base,
And marchandise of merits now are gone,
Then since thou cal'st, with faith do thou me cloth
A lame blind begger Lord, do thou not loth.
SON. VI.
IN pride of youth when as vnbridled lust
Did force me forth, my follies to bewray,
I challenged as patrimony iust,
Each vaine affection leading to decay:
And trusting to that treasure, post away
I wandred in the worlds alluring sight,
Not reason, vertue, shame, or feare could stay,
My appetite from tasting each delite.
Till want and wearinesse began me bite,
And so perforce to father I retire,
To whom I prostrate kneele (vnworthie wight)
To name of sonne not daring to aspire,
Receiue me yet, sweet sauiour of thy grace,
Poore penitent, into a seruants place.
SON. VII.
LAme of my limmes, and sencelesse of my state,
Neere fortie yeares. Lord haue I groueling line,
Before Bethesda poole, yet still too late,
To wash me in the fountaine I encline,
Whence health wold come, when Angel giues the sine:
If any one to aide me readie were,
But helplesse thus, I readie am to pine,
My selfe vnable duly vp to reare.
Vouchsafe thou then me to this bath to beare,
By the assistance of thy heauenly grace,
Let not the force of foule affects me feare,
To prease forth first when Christ appeares in place,
Who is the fountaine, Angell, and the man,
That bath, that blisse, that cure my senses can.
SON. VIII.
THy thundring voice and Angell Lord of long,
Hath cald my soule from slumber where it laie,
The harmony of heauenly musickes song,
Hath made my wandring feete at last to staie:
Direct thou me also the readie way,
Vnto thy church, that in thy holy place
Thy word and law I may in heart [...]bay,
And worship thee before thy peoples face.
Grant me I say, such measure of thy grace,
That greedily by faith I swallow vp
The booke of truth, and so thy word imbrace,
That frutefully I taste saluations cup.
Thou who doest rule the earth, the sea and land:
In my defence, with power and glory stand.
SON. IX.
AMong thy sheepe ô Lord I seemd to feed,
By Sacraments receiu'd into thy flocke,
By preached word I watred was indeed,
And works with fleece did seeme inritch my stocke:
But at my doore true faith did neuer knocke,
(Which should be shepheard of my soules defence)
But thiefelike fond affections reason mocke,
And by the window of my wilfull sence
Do enter to my heart and steale from thence,
Each motion of amendment which doth rise,
And shepheardlesse of grace transported hence
By Sathan (rauening woolfe) in fearefull wise,
I call to thee (sweet Sauiour) shepheard true,
Teach me to know thy voice and thee insue.
SON. X.
BEhold ô Lord the Citie thou hast built,
Ierusalem this fleshly frame of mine,
By sin (Assyrians sword) is almost spilt,
And like to yeeld to Rabsake in fine:
Yet lo alas my soule doth much repine,
To see proud Satan so blaspheme thy name,
To threaten ruine to this temple thine,
Since thou art praysd and honord in the same.
Thou able art the rage of lust to tame,
The force of pride and furie to subdue,
Against Senacherib thy Angell came,
And all his host in one night ouerthrew.
So let thy holie spirit me defend,
And to my plaints and praiers comfort send.
SON. XI.
SInce with Goliah I am now to fight,
And lacke the flight of holie Dauids sling,
Arme thou me Lord with heauenly armor bright,
Which power of flesh & world to foile may bring.
Thy righteous brestplate gird on me with truth,
Prepare my feete with Gospel of thy peace,
The shield of faith (which firie dartes beare forth,
Of wicked Satan, whose assaults not sease)
The helmet of saluation and the sword
Of spirit which is founded on thy law;
All these my praiers are, that thou afford
To make me stedfast, spight of lyons claw,
Who roaring, daily seekes as wished pray,
My silly soule from thee to take away.
SON. XII.
NOw that thou hast prepard me to confesse,
Thy seruice Lord the which I vndertake,
I thee beseech, my purpose so to blesse,
That I a good account to thee may make:
A Nazarit I am, who do forsake
The delicacies of the worlds delight,
Whose thirst thy purest fountaine still shall slake,
With faith and truth the which with sin shall fight.
I will not tast the wine of Satans slight,
Which doth confound all reason and all sence,
My vow shall be to serue thee day and night,
And trust in thee shall be my true defence,
Till death dissolue this promise made to thee,
Whose strength herein thy heauenly graces be▪
SON. XIII.
I Seeke ô Lord to shew thy powrefull hand,
Which hath conuerted this my sinfull hart,
Into a rod of strength which still might stand,
Strong in thy truth, who powrefull onely art:
But Iamnes pride, and Iambres lustfull hart,
By slight imposture of slie Satans might.
Two Serpents frame, which will not thence depart,
But seeke against thy powrefull hand to fight.
But let my faith their fury put to flight,
And vertue thine, deuour these imps of sin,
Let not these fleshly frutes appeare in sight
Of truth, which only can the conquest win.
Let faith shew forth the finger of thy hand,
And cleane consume, ech power doth it withstand.
SON. XIIII.
BEhold ô Lord a tree by high way side,
Vnfrutefull yet of any foode for thee,
In high way side as yet I do abide,
Where passers to Ierusalem I see:
Though sommer grow, I cannot frutefull be,
Vnplanted by thy grace in garden thine,
I do confesse I am a wild fig tree,
For want of moisture which am like to pine,
Vnto my praiers Lord do thou incline,
Remoue me home into thy garden faire,
Let me behold the face of thy sunne shine,
Which may my withered leaues with life repaire.
So maist thou tast a frute of wholesome kinde,
And leaue a marke of mercy great behinde.
SON. XV.
Within thy garden Lord I planted was,
And watred well with thy most carefull hand,
But yet vnfrutefull I remaind alas,
And these thy blessings did not vnderstand:
In vaine I did employ possessed land,
Ten times three yeares thy seruants did replant
My stocke, and sought to bend my crooked wand,
And did supply ech aide I seem'd to want.
At length my frutes which daily grew more scant,
Wild thee resolue to haue me weeded out,
My foule affections were with folly brant,
My roote of faith was shakt with feare and doubt.
And lo I pine, sweet Sauiour water me,
Paul and Appollos worke, else lost will be.
SON. XVI.
A Wicked Pharisie I long haue bene,
Whom sight of mercies thine allure to thee,
A shamed Lord of my faire clothed sinne,
In secret uight I seeke thy face to see:
That thou art God, thy workes reueale to me,
That thou art mine, thy sonne doth me assure,
Vouchsafe, that I regenerate may be,
And that my praiers pardon may procure.
Purge by thy sprite and faith, faire fountaine pure,
The senses dull that cannot vnderstand,
The heauenly birth which shall in blisse endure,
Not subiect vnto Satans sinfull band.
And with thy sonne let worldes affections die,
My soule from hell, with him ascend on hie.
SON. XVII.
FIue foolish virgins in my senses dwell,
And seeke to make me slumber ouer long,
They dreame, that all my deeds do fall out well,
Whereas indeed I headlong run to wrong:
To vanities their humors do belong,
And sin who doth their fancie chiefly feed,
They cheined are to linkes of lust so strong,
That their best soile, brings forth but bitter weed.
They lacke the oyle which should be vsde in deed,
To lead them to the euerlasting light:
It growes not Lord in frute of humane seed,
Man sleepes all day and gropes his way at night.
Vnlesse thou lend thy hand and fill our lampes,
Our light goes forth with smothering sinful damps
SON. XVIII.
OVt of the fountaine of eternall life,
I poore Samarytan here readie stand,
(To sinfull lust an old betrothed wife)
With pitcher readie in my trembling hand,
To draw a draught of liquor most diuine,
To quench the thirst of my inflamed hart
With heauenly de [...]: ere that my soule do pine,
And qualifie the rigor of my smart.
A Prophet true thou art I vnderstand,
Or rather father of all truth thou art,
A stranger I from faire Iudaea land,
With these thy blessings craue for to impart,
Then guide my hand and teach my soule to tast,
True faith the fountaine where all blisse is plast.
SON. XIX.
A Wicked soule sold to all fleshly sin,
Lord here I prostrate at thy feete to lie,
To gather crummes of grace, soules health to win,
Which Lord to giue me do thou not denie:
The pretious oyle of penitence will I
Powre forth with teares fro out my melting eyes,
o bath thy feete, and after will I drie
Them with my haires (which balms no treasure bies)
Though worldly loue when he my fact espies,
Repine to see my soule so well inclind:
To my defence ô Lord vouchsafe to rise,
And fructifie this first frute of my mind.
Vouchsafe to sup with humble seruant thine,
And that of seruice, better choyse be mine.
SON. XX.
A Poore Arabian whom base Agar bare,
First borne of flesh, but last of promist grace,
Of basterd kinde, bred vp with mothers care,
In wildernesse of world for a long space:
And famishing before my parents face,
Whose workes vnable were to lend me aide,
A bondman vnto sin as fleshly race,
To whom heauens heritage thy lawes denaide.
Amidst my wandring course by thee am staide,
And haue a promise not to die but liue,
Thy couenant Lord abundantly is paide,
If grace to seed by faith thou doest me giue.
My bondage thus release, make thou me free,
My barren branch shall frute bring forth to thee
SON. XXI.
A Merchant I, full long abroad haue straide,
By sea and land true happinesse to gaine,
The riches of the earth my eyes haue waide,
And see their profit to be light and vaine.
Such trifling trash my soule doth now disdaine,
And Iewels of more value I espye,
Among the rest, one doth all other staine,
Which with my wealth I wish that I might buye.
But this rare pearle is of a price so hie,
As all the earth cannot esteeme the same,
Much lesse to purchase it, can it come nie,
Yet doth the loue thereof my heart enflame.
Be thou the pledge (sweet Sauior) then for me,
That heauenly blisse shall so my riches be.
SON. XXII.
AMong the prease of many that draw neare,
Vnto the feast of grace in temple thine,
A silly widow I also appeare,
With humble heart o Lord, who here encline,
And vnto thee an offering of mine,
Present as precious, to my poore estate,
The heards or flocks, the store of corne and wine,
Without obedience Lord thou aye didst hate,
But broken hearts and soules which lye prostrate
Before thy throne of grace, and mercy craue,
Do mercie finde, though it be neare so late,
Thy promise this assurance to vs gaue,
In trust whereof, obeying thy behest,
My praiers to thy praise, o Lord are prest,
SON. XXIII.
INto thy vineyard Lord vnworthie I,
Desire to come, to trauell out the day,
Thou calledst me thereto, and didst espie
Me loytring idle, by the worldes high way:
At first to come my follies did me stay,
Whom cold and hunger now to worke compell,
Though halfe my daies be spent, say me not nay,
The other halfe to trie, employed well.
I do not hope my paines so deare to sell,
As they that beare the brunt of heat of day,
They merit most whose trauels most excell,
My slender seruice craues but single paye.
But if thy bountie giue, behold me prest,
With thanks thy grace to taste, among the rest.
SON. XXIIII.
AS thou art pure and iust in all thy waies,
(O Lord) so should thy offrings also bee:
The tongue vncleane, cannot set forth thy praise,
The wanton eye may not thy secrets see.
The lame of faith, the blind of skill not hee,
That thou alotst thy sacrifice to slay,
The heart that is found cleane in each degree,
Is fittest for thy church, wherein to stay,
Such is no flesh, ô Lord the truth to say,
But as thou pleasest them to purifie,
By faith and by repentance euerie day,
Who then with Christ, may boldly thee come nie.
Behold me then, thus thy adopted childe,
Let me not from thy temple be exilde.
SON. XXV.
I Follow thee ô Lord but far behinde,
As Peter did, when he did see thee led
To prison where the traitors did thee binde,
Amazed much with worldly seate and dred:
When as I saw the world all ouer spred,
With hatred and disdaine vnto the iust,
My courage it was quayld and quickly fled,
And had no liking to thy helpe to trust.
But Lord I know perforce I forward must,
If I intend to gaine the crowne I craue,
I must abandon flesh and fleshly lust,
And in thy promise all my hope must haue.
Grant thou me boldnesse then and constant will,
To perseuere in thy obedience still.
SON. XXVI.
OF parents first, two brothers borne that were,
The bodie and the soule did represent,
The elder Cain who Henocks wals did reare,
The yonger Abell dwelt in silly tent:
First man with plough the virgins soile he rent,
The other seru'd and shoare the silly sheepe:
To worldly lustes of flesh the one was bent,
Thy heauenly lawes the other sought to keepe.
A deadly discord twixt them so did creepe,
The elder did the giltlesse yonger slay;
That ancient hatred grounded is so deepe,
It striues in me (alas) vnto this day.
Accept my sacrifice, Lord me defend,
My powres vnto thy holie pleasure bend.
SON. XXVII.
LIke pined childe ô Lord from nurses brest,
Whom churlish stepdame ouer soone doth waine.
By wicked will alas I am opprest,
And crie to cruell flesh behold in vaine:
Who lets me languishing in sin remaine,
And sends no comfort to support my need,
My faults I know, I do confesse them plaine,
That folly doth my weake affections feed.
I see my ruine neare at hand in deed,
And cannot call for aide whose tong is dum,
My feete so feeble cannot helpe at need,
Although I see at hand thy vengeance come,
Vnlesse thou giue me grace to see and feare,
To pray in faith and thou thy hand forbeare.
SON. XXVIII.
POlluted with the curelesse leprosie
Of sin, which is heriditarie now,
So lothsome growne that I dare not come nie
Thy holy temple where my heart doth bow:
I craue ô Lord, it please thee to allow,
The high Priest Christ thy sonne to view my sore,
Whose holy hand may guide and teach me how
To cure this griefe it may returne no more.
I know ô Lord thou hast of mercy store,
And only thou doest pitie mans estate,
Which though my stubburne heart refusde before,
Repentance yet and faith comes not too late.
These sparrowes of repentance I present
An offering through this worldly desert sent.
SON. XXIX.
A Virgine pure ô Lord by birth I was,
The daughter of thy church adopt by grace:
But loth [...]ome lust (foule feend) did me alas,
Pursue and sought with me his dwelling place.
As many vertues as did seeke my grace,
By wedding [...] band to me to be vnight,
So many did this seend, first night deface,
So oft I was depriu'd of my delight.
Seuen times a widow, I with shame and spight
Am left, and liue now hopelesse of redresse:
Till thou with Raphaell send that medicine bright,
Of God to giue me grace sinne to suppresse.
Thy sonne my spouse shalbe, who shall restore
Tobias sight, wealth, comfort, lost before.
SON. XXX.
OF sinfull rase of mans licentious seed,
Whilst heauenly ofspring with faire humane kinde:
Do ioyne affects, where wicked lusts do breed,
And so pollute the frutes of vertuous minde.
A bastard brood my selfe alas I finde,
Whose nature doth in tyrannie consist,
Of grace and reason growne so dull and blinde,
That I in wrong with stubburnesse persist.
Who seeing father Nature ere he wist,
A sleepe with sottish wine of worldly loue:
To hide his shame by wisedome had no list,
Which iustly curse of God on me did moue.
A slaue to sin, therefore I did pursue
(Like Nymrod) grace of God, which now I rue.
SON. XXXI.
AS oft as thou by grace wouldst draw me backe,
From sin, whereto I am by nature thrall:
So oft alas I finde my will to lacke,
And power to follow thee when thou doest call.
From sin to sin, I headlong thus do fall,
And quench repentance by a peruerse will,
I see my fall, but haue no feare at all,
And to my vomit dog-like turne I still.
My frailtie doth thy wrathfull cup fulfill,
With flowing measure of reuenge and wo:
When I returne a litle backe from ill,
To wallow in the myre againe I go.
No power is in me Lord, my life to mend,
Vnlesse thy hand from heau'n me comfort send.
SON. XXXII.
FAine would I fence this feeble flesh of mine,
From Satans furie who me thus assailes,
Which doth besiege my soule and meanes to pine,
My conscience which my sin so sore bewailes.
His busie braine to win me neuer failes,
And leaues no stratagem at all vntride:
My fainting hope I know not what it ailes,
But it doth feare the battery to abide.
The safest way must be what ere betide,
To set a watch to looke vnto my waies:
Lest pride or lust, or wrath do let him slide,
Into my heart which yet vnyeelded staies.
But like a theefe he stealeth me vpon,
Watch thou me (Lord) ech houre else I am gon.
SON. XXXIII.
MY sinnes behold (ô Lord) are manifold,
Which do incamp my soule each houre about.
Still me intrenched with distrust they hold.
So that no frutes of faith can issue out:
Their fleshly champion is a soldiar stout,
Who is assist by world and Satans aide,
And foule affections readie are in rout,
To further force to lust, but hardly staide.
The earthly treasures are with pleasure paide,
The hatefull Army which doth hast to hell:
My natiue power their passage not denaide,
Which makes their pride and peruerse wil to swell.
I see no way to helpe to shun decaie,
But on thy graces rescue Lord to staie.
SON. XXXIIII.
THe greedinesse of this my corrupt minde,
Which tasteth not but of the earthly gaine,
And in thy glorie can no profit finde,
But seekes with symonie my soule to staine:
Makes me alas for carnall treasor vaine,
Like Elizeus seruant to desire,
A present of worldes pleasure mixt with paine,
As recompence of heauenly comforts hire.
I sorcerer like do also oft require,
Like marchandise thy graces for to buye,
Supposing morall vertues may aspire,
To saue my soule and sin to mortifie.
But lo I see soules leprosie herein,
And craue that praiers may my pardon win.
SON. XXXV.
VOyd of true life, and buried in the graue,
Of wicked flesh alas I long haue bin,
No earthly comfort can my conscience haue,
Which was corrupted with all lothsome sin.
My sister vertues to dispaire begin,
Of euer seeing once my lifes restore,
Ne is there any other way to win
True life indeed, which shall decay no more,
But prostrate Lord thy helpe for to implore,
And craue thy gratious presence at the last,
To aide the soule thy sonne hath lou'd before.
For time of grace with thee is neuer past.
Roll backe hard stonie heart, bid him arise,
Who slaue to sin in earthly coffin lies.
SON. XXXVI.
MY bodie Lord the house which hath bene long.
Possest with spirits to ruine of the same,
Which forst me forward vnto open wrong,
Of conscience by defacing of thy name:
Hath found some comfort since thy message came
Vnto my soule, which in thy word was sent,
Whose powerfull truth hath bound & seeks to tame
The furious lusts which to my ruine bent.
Graunt Lord from heart I may indeed repent,
And thereby chase these feends fro out of me,
Sweep cleane my house fro out of which they went,
And garnished with graces let it be.
Let puissant faith henceforth possesse the place,
Lest sin returne with legions of disgrace.
SON. XXXVII.
AMidst this famine of Sarepta soile,
Where I a widow dwell, poore and abiect:
Compeld by sin, by sweat of browes to toile,
To gather stickes, from cold me to protect:
Behold me Lord, a caitiue thus neglect.
Whom sin hath banished thy blessed land:
Who yet in heart thy Prophets do affect,
And with thy church to life and death will stand.
I offer all my treasures here in hand,
That litle sparke of grace yet left behinde,
Increase it Lord vnto a great fire-brand,
Of faith which may a frutefull haruest finde.
My meale and Oyle, ô Lord do thou encrease,
My selfe & sonne, shall praise thee so in pease.
SON. XXXVIII.
BOrne blind I was, through sinfull Adams fall,
And neuer since could see with carnall eies:
Ne know I where or how for helpe to call,
From out of sin to holie life to rise.
It pleased thee ô Lord that in this wise,
Thy power and glorie might to man appeare:
Who gracelesse groueling in earths darknesse lies,
And wants the eies of faith his soule to cheare.
But since thou sentst thy sonne my Sauiour deare,
To shine in light to those in darknesse weare:
To dvm the worldly wisedome seeming cleare,
And sinfull soules from hell to heauen to reare.
Touch thou my eies with faith, wash me with grace,
In Sylo po [...] [...] (thy word) which I embrace.
SON. XXXIX.
HOw drunken are my humors all alasse,
With wine of vanitie and sensuall lust,
Which from one sin do to an other passe,
And after euill daily more do thurst.
Of force my faults for shame confesse I must,
My lauish vsage of thy graces sent:
My soules consent to action so vniust,
As death of Prophets teaching to repent.
Like Herod I about the matter went,
To please the follies of my flesh delight:
Incest'ous I to sin so much was bent,
That offred mercie pleased not my sight.
But Lord prepare my heart to see my sin,
That sorrow may away to mends begin.
SON. XL.
THough with thy Saints ô Lord I choise haue made,
To spend my daies in praising of thy name:
And in the studie of thy word to wade,
To feed my faith with portion of the same.
Yet can I not my choice so rightly frame,
Amidst the spatious fieldes where truth doth grow:
But whilst to gather healthfull hearbe I came,
A bitter bud I found of fearfull show
Which threateth me with death and ouerthrow,
Vnto my soule which hungerly doth feed,
On sin the weed which Satan did bestow,
By poisoned tast thereof to pine in deed.
But Christ thy sonne by faith me helth shall bring▪
Discharge the law, and bruse this deadly sting.
SON. XLI.
ACcording to the promise of thy word,
To giue the victorie ô Lord to those,
That fight thy battels with a faithfull sword,
Against the world, flesh, diuell and thy soes:
So seeke I Lord proud Ierico t'inclose,
Incouragde by thy graces from aboue,
My shoes of soule affects I pray thee lose,
Before on holy earth my path I moue.
Thy powerfull hand by praier let me proue,
Which daily seuen times I to thee direct:
Shake thou the walles of sin for my behoue,
And in this skirmish do thou me protect.
The frutes of flesh, pride, lust, and error all,
So shall be wract, sin shall not raise a wall.
SON. XLII.
AMidst the graues of death these many a yeare,
My soule (possessed with all sorts of sin)
Hath liu'd and held that frutefull place so deare.
That from the same no counsell could me win:
To beat my selfe my follies neuer lin,
No reason can with chaines binde so my will,
But to vnlose my lusts I do begin,
With helpe of furious feend who aides me still.
But since thy sonne appeareth me vntill,
I craue I may no more tormented bee,
Lest that my soule eternally he kill,
But from the force of Satan make me free.
These brutish sinnes in swine more fit to dwell,
Drowne in repentant seas of teares which swell.
SON. XLIII.
IN deadly sleepe ô Lord sin hath me cast,
Wherein secure I lye and so remaine,
Raise me ô Lord out of this dreame at last,
And let me sight and light of heauen attaine:
The heauie humors which my iudgement staine,
And dazell so the reason of my minde,
Grant that they may their proper vse attaine,
And comfort in thy grace and promise finde.
All fleshly wisedome of it selfe is blinde,
Till thou by knowledge cleare their wandring sight,
Out of the snare of sin flesh cannot winde,
Vnlesse by faith they see thy sonne so bright.
Him let me still, both see and eke admire,
And thee in him ô Lord I thee desire.
SON. XLIIII.
MY wicked flesh ô Lord with sin full fraight,
Whose eye doth lust for euerie earthly thing,
By coueti [...]e allurde hath bit the baight,
That me to Satans seruitude will bring,
By violence I vertues right would wring,
Out of possession of the soule so weake,
Like vineyard which the wicked Acab king,
Possest by tyrants power which lawes do breake.
Let Prophets thine Lord to my soule so speake,
That in repentant sackcloth I may mone,
The murther of thy grace which I did wreake,
Whilst to my natiue strengh I trust alone.
And let my Sauiour so prolong my daies,
That henceforth I may turne from sinfull waies.
SON. XLV.
IF thou vouchsafst Lord of thy goodnesse rare,
To sanctifie with holie presence thine,
The Cana marriage where thou doest not spare,
First miracle of water turnd to wine,
Then be thou present at this wedding mine,
Which twixt thy church and me by faith is ment,
To see the want in me thy eyes encline,
Whose wine of grace by wanton youth is spent.
But being toucht with view thereof repent,
And craue that water of earthes healthles well,
May issue forth from heart with sorrow rent,
And turnd to wine, may so with grace excell,
That all that see and tast this change in me,
May grant this worke of thee alone to be.
SON. XLVI.
SInce it hath pleased thee ô Lord to send.
Now in my barren age of hope and grace:
Repentant childe from ruine to defend,
My name and soule to liue before thy face,
Thy blessings I do thankfully embrace,
And in thy feare will frame his tender yeare,
The worldes regard in me shall haue no place,
If once thy word and will my heart do heare.
And when thou calst, we both will then appeare,
Before thy Aulter in Moriath land:
To offer vp thy gift my sonne so deare,
Obedient childe to faithfull fathers hand.
Which sacrifice not worthie gift for thee,
With Christ my Sauior sufferings quit let bee.
SON. XLVII.
OF euerie creature vncleane to fore,
Whereof thy holie people might not tast,
Thou didst present o Lord to Peter store,
Which were from heauen in sheet before him plast,
Which he at first refusde with mind most chast,
Not touching things polluted or defilde:
But afterward thy counsell he embrast,
And saw himselfe had bene before beguilde,
To thinke all sinners were for aye exilde,
From presence of thy mercies which abound,
Whom oft thou doest receiue as father milde,
If faith in Christ thy sonne in them be found.
By praiers faith, by faith thy grace doth grow,
Cornelius blessing (Lord) on me bestow.
SON. XLVIII.
HOw hard it is ô Lord for man to frame,
His minde corrupt, to be preparde for thee:
With tongue vncleane to praise thy holie name,
With fleshly eies thy glorie for to see:
Homeward I bring thy blessings vnto me:
And make my soule their dwelling place to rest:
But so forgetfull of thy lawes we be,
That this my action Lord I see not blest,
Pride and contempt the waies haue so opprest,
That danger is the carriage ouerthrow,
Grant that thy grace to staie it may be prest,
That so my soule thy sauing health ma [...] [...]now.
Por to my flesh vnsanctified to trust,
Were aie to hasten death by iudge [...] iust.
SON. XLIX.
MY traitrous heart which long time hath rebeld
Against thy spirit, which should feed me still▪
A secret counsell in it selfe hath held,
To contrarie thy knowne reuealed will▪
Whose mutinie my sences so do fill,
With deeds repining to thy holie law,
That raging pride and lust lead me to ill,
Forgetting tokens of thy wrath they saw.
As Dathan and Abyram had no awe
Of Moyses and of Aron thine elect,
But sought away thy people for to drawe,
And Prophets thine by pride for to reiect:
So doth my soule alas thy grace resist▪
And in the follies of the flesh persist.
SON. L.
A Tenant most vntrue ô Lord to thee,
In vineyard of my bodie haue I bin:
To craue thy rent thy seruants came to me,
But nothing but intreatie bad they win:
My trauell therein was to nourish sin,
And wast the wine of thy abounding plant;
The more to call me backe thou didst begin▪
The more to thee my gratitude did want.
Ne would my lacke of grace let me recant,
When thou thy onely sonne to me didst send.
For sin and Satan did me so supplant,
That to his ruine I did also bend.
But Lord me lend In time repentant hart,
That from this vineyard I may not depart.
SON. LI.
WHilst in the garden of this earthly soile,
My selfe to solace and to bath I bend,
And fain wold quench sins heat which seems to boile
Amidst my secret thoughts which shadow lend:
My sence and reason which should me defend,
As iudges chosen to the common weale,
Allurde by lust my ruine do pretend,
By force of sin which shamelesse they reueale.
They secretly on my affections steale,
When modestie my maides I send away,
To whom for helpe I chiefly might appeale,
Whom grace did strengthen yet to say them nay,
Whom me accusde now Lord, and die I shall,
If Christ my Daniell be not iudge of all.
SON. LII.
I Iustly am accusde, and now am brought
By law and gilt of conscience I confesse,
Before thy throne conuict by deed and thought,
Of sinfull lust which did me so possesse,
That quickning graces thine I did suppresse,
By fading loue of world procliue to ill,
Whose dome eternall death and nothing lesse
My soule doth see, and threatneth to me still.
But since that frailtie so the world doth fill,
That no one fleshly wight thereof is free:
For mercy Lord to thee repaire I will,
Who seest the heart and canst best comfort me.
Quit me from death, grant I may fall no more,
But remnant of my daies thy grace implore.
SON. LIII.
A Husbandman within thy church by grace,
I am ô Lord and labour at the plough,
My hand holds fast, ne will I turne my face,
From following thee although the soile be rough.
The loue of world doth make it seeme more tough.
And burning lust doth scorch in heat of day:
Till fainting faith would seeke delightfull bough,
To shade my soule from danger of decaie.
But yet (in hope of grace from thee) I staie,
And do not yeeld, although my courage quaile,
To rescue me be prest, I do thee praie,
If sinfull death do seeke me to assaile.
Let me runne forth my race vnto the end,
Which by thy helpe ô Lord I do entend.
SON. LIIII.
A Base borne sonne to sin by kinde I am,
From natiue soile by want of grace exilde:
Of idle fancies captaine I became,
Whilst I in Tob my resting place did bilde.
With worldly vanities I was defilde,
Till home thou calst me by thy heauenly word:
Who trusting to my selfe was soone beguilde,
When I sought workes to be a conquering sword,
Whose vowes did seeme a present to afford,
Of frute of victorie at my returne:
Which rashnesse hath a mischiefe great incurd,
Compelling me my owne desertes to burne.
And now I mourne, and better frute do craue,
The blessing of thy sonne Lord let me haue.
SON. LV.
WHen thou vouchsafedst Lord to raise my state,
From base degree of common humane kinde:
And gau'st me knowledge and a will to hate,
Ech wickednesse contrarie to thy minde,
By promise thou didst me most strictlie binde,
To slaie each wicked seed which doth possesse,
My sinfull flesh (A malekite most blinde)
Which vertue and thy grace seekes to suppresse.
But wretched I alas I do confesse,
Haue kept a part of that accursed spoile
Vndaunted, which thou seest nere the lesse,
And therefore wilt accurse my sinfull soile.
And take from me the kingdome thou didst giue,
Except thy mercie do my soule relieue.
SON. LVI.
THe onelie daughter Lord of my delight,
Dina the vertue of my iudgement best:
Is rauished alas by Satans might,
Whil'st I secure in Hiuits countrie rest
In worldlie vanities a wandering guest,
Amongst the wicked I remainde a while,
Where sillie the, by foolish will addrest,
Gazde on those godlesse youths which her beguile:
For lustfull Sichem sonne to sin most vile,
Did laie a traine of loue which led to shame:
Whose flattering speech did modestie exile,
And left a spot of guilt and soule defame.
But faith & zeale (the first frutes of my strength)
By grace shall venge my honour iust at length.
SON. LVII.
THe silly babe the motion of the minde,
Which natiue vertue seeketh forth to bring,
Concupiscence (the midwife most vnkinde)
To deadly sin and Satan straight doth fling:
The mothers power suffiseth not to wring,
Out of this tyrants hands her dying childe,
Her mone to see, it is a pittious thing,
When reason lawes so leaudly are defilde.
But if thy fauour Lord be reconcilde,
By loue vnto thy sonne, by him to mee:
Then though my hope of grace be neare exilde,
Yet thou a childe Of faith wilt let me see.
A coffin Lord of comfort for me make,
Where safe I may swim in the worlds wilde lake.
SON. LVIII.
WHere shall I build ô Lord a quiet rest,
To bring forth birds of turtle Pigeons kinde▪
My wearied wings do wander without rest,
And cannot gaine a harbour to my minde.
The Swallow Lord a setling place doth finde,
Within thy temple free from Eagles claw,
Not moued with tempestuous stormes of winde,
Or dangers which their kind doth stand in awe.
A place as fit for me, my faith once saw,
Whereas my soule might safely be inclosd,
Thy Church inuisible to which I draw,
My life retirde therein to be reposd.
Make frutefull Lord my barren heart therein,
Shield me from storme of still assailing sin.
SON. LIX.
WHilst in the vale of carnall sense I dwell,
Foule Sodome sinke of sin and badge of shame,
Of whose polluted nature I do smell,
And aptly bend my selfe to them to frame:
Sent by thy mercie Lord thy Angels came,
And did vouchsafe a harbor to accept,
Within my soule which did professe thy name;
But Satan who a watch on me had kept,
When as these guests within my conscience slept,
Inuironed with lust my harbor weake,
For sorrow of this sin my soule it wept,
Whilst violently my bodies bands they breake.
But strike thou blinde their fury, them expell,
Take me Lord from the flame of burning hell.
SON. LX.
MY bodie Lord infected long with sin,
Whose running issue is almost past cure,
Which helpe by humane phisicke cannot win,
And without comfort cannot long endure,
By viewing mercies thine becommeth sure,
If but thy gratious hem my hand may reach,
That loue in Christ my pardon shall procure,
And reunite in strength healths former breach.
Through presse of worldly lets, faith shall me teach.
To seeke my safetie in thy promise true,
Vouchsafe thou eke repentance so to preach,
That I no more offending, health insue
Thy vertue Lord, which bidding me be cleane,
To yeeld me health of soule is readie meane.
SON. LXI.
NOw that I see ô Lord my open shame,
Conuict of sin and voyd of clothing pure:
Which couer might my soule which naked came
Of grace, and me from storme of world assure.
I do mistrust my selfe long to endure,
The heate and cold which feare and frailtie bring,
And clothing of my owne workes to procure,
I finde in deed to be a frutelesse thing.
To hide my selfe vnder thy mercies wing,
I therefore hasten now in hope of grace:
Grant I beseech the world no more me wring,
Out of thy handes, but let me see thy face,
With faith and comfort clothed by thy hand,
And Christ thy sonne in my defence to stand.
SON. LXII.
WHilst that the chosen chieftaines of thy word,
Do bend their power by preaching to subdue
The fleshly Canaan, and put sin to sword,
And giue the soule to be possest a new
With righteous Israel, vnto whom of due,
Those earthly blessings rather do pertaine:
They send two spies my secret thoughts to vew,
The law and Gospell which discouer plaine
My fainting force in feare for to remaine,
Where yet repentant Rahab readie is
To lodge them safe, whilst Satan seekes in vaine,
To slaie these messengers of heauenly blis.
I craue therefore sweet Sauiour for a sine,
Faith bearing frutes as pledge of safetie mine.
SON. LXIII.
HOw oft ô Lord with more then tender care,
Hast thou by Prophets cald me to repent,
How great thy loue by sonne which didst not spare,
To staie me backe from hell whereto I went:
Who to that end from heauen to earth was sent,
Whose graces daily preached offred peace,
And sought to stop my course to ruine bent,
And me from guilt of death for to release:
Like as the henne whose voice doth neuer cease,
To clocke her chickens close vnder her wings,
When furious soules on silly pray do prease,
And would deuour alas the helplesse things.
O Lord thy care I feele and loue of me,
That thrall to Satan wouldst not haue me be.
SON. LXIIII.
WHilst with the wholesome food of heauenly truth,
The Manna which thy written word doth giue,
Thou soughts ô Lord to feed my wandring youth,
That it in plenteous peace by grace might liue:
By lust to Satan sought my soule to giue,
To breake obedient bandes vnto thy law,
Which my offences I protest do grieue
My helplesse heart, the which delight did draw.
The memory of Egypts store I saw,
Of vanities which carnall senses feed,
And wisht at length to fill againe my maw,
With dishes such as to destruction lead.
Thou in thy wrath with quailes didst cloy me so,
That plagu'd with sin my error now I know.
SON. LXV.
SInce thou hast raysd my poore abiected spright,
From threshing floore, where captiue I did stand.
And callest me thy battels for to fight,
Gainst sin the Madianite which wasts thy land.
Giue me a token by thy mightie hand,
O Lord whereby my faith may be assurde,
And be to me a pledge of former band,
That victorie by me shall be procurde:
Let heauenly dew by praier be allurde,
To moysten this my freewill fleece of wooll,
Then dry the dregs thereof to sin inurde,
Whose heauy waight makes grace and vertue dull.
And offring mine of praiers to thy name,
Acc [...]t, and with a holy zeale inflame.
SON. LXVI.
WHilst that in wealth and ease I did possesse
The Empire of thy many blessings sent,
I tooke in hand poore vertue to suppresse,
And pride with lust my powers they wholly bent,
To conquere reason which thy grace had lent,
And quite forgetting worlds late floud for sin:
To build a tower of trust, wherein I spent
The strength of flesh & bloud, high heauen to win:
As though in natures strength the force had bin,
To shield themselues from floud or heauenly fire,
But now confusion iust my soule is in,
Makes labouring flesh from folly such retire.
And craues alone within thy church to dwell,
Whose wals of faith & truth may death expell.
SON. LXVII.
THe Temple Lord of this my bodie base,
Where thou vouchsafdst to place my soule to dwell,
And promisest to make thy chosen place,
Whence sacrifice of praises thou wouldst smell,
Behold against thy lawes doth now rebell,
By worldly vanities thereto allurde,
Where couetise and pride their packe doth sell.
At such a price as flesh and sin affoord,
But since ô Lord thy promise hath assurde
My soule, that thou art alwaies prest to heare
The plaints of penitents, which hath procurde
Thy sonne himselfe in temple this t'appeare.
Whip forth, fling down, this worldly wicked pack,
Fro out my soule, repell thou satan back.
SON. LXVIII.
WIthin thy house this bodie base of mine,
It pleased thee ô Lord my soule to plant,
A steward of the gifts the which were thine,
And nature fild with measure nothing scant,
Of bodie or of mind, no blessings want,
And fortunes fauours sharde with me no lesse,
In such proportion Lord I needs must grant,
As thou doest giue when thou doest vse to blesse:
But wantonly I wasted, I confesse,
Thy treasure put into my hands of trust,
And now alas though late I seeke redresse,
Wise steward like to liue, when dye I must.
I cast my count by Christ, my debt to paie,
And frutes of faith from hell my soule shall staie.
SON. LXIX.
NOw that it pleaseth thee Lord of thy grace,
To plucke me forth of sinfull Sodoms lake,
Where I haue dwelt alas this life long space,
Since I of holie Abram leaue did take.
Vouchsafe I pray thee for thy mercies sake,
To graunt thy church be refuge for my life,
The Zoar where I may my dwelling make,
Safe from reuenging Angels bloudie knife.
And though the frailtie of Lots lingering wife
Lookt back, with loue, on sinfull worlds delight,
(Which common weaknesse to all flesh is rife)
Yet keepe me constant by thy heauenly might,
And let me not grow drunke with blessings thine,
To procreate sin on lustfull daughters mine.
SON. LXX.
WHilst in this worldly wildernesse about,
For want of faith I backe am forst to go,
Affraid of sinnes which Giant-like are stout,
And soule affections, which like cruell foe
Of Esawes race, their might and power bestow,
To stop my passage to the promist land:
I gin to saint and to repine also,
Against the power of thy most mightie hand.
For which the Serpent Satan now doth stand,
In readinesse my silly soule to sting,
And close me vp in deaths eternall band,
Vnlesse to me thy mercie succour bring.
That brasen Serpent Christ nayld on the tree,
Whose sight by faith alone is cure to mee.
SON. LXXI.
WHat am I else Lord but a sinfull wretch,
In sin and in iniquitie begot,
In conscience guiltie of the common breach,
Of euerie law that may my honor spot:
Thy blessing giu'n me, I regarded not:
Thy threatned iugdements I did not esteeme,
My vowes to thee I wholly haue forgot,
My sinnes no sinnes to hardned heart do seeme.
Like to my selfe I did thy power deeme,
Because thou didst forbeare thy rod a while,
I sought by Idols ayd to heauen to clime,
Whilst worlds delight my senses did beguile:
But helplesse now, alas I turne to thee,
To stay my race, let grace Lord succour mee.
SON. LXXII.
THou formedst me at first out of the clay,
Vnto the image of thy glorious frame,
O Lord of might thou shewdst to me the way,
To magnifie thy pure and holie name.
Like Potters vessell first my modell came,
Out of a rude vnformed lumpe of earth,
To holy vse it pleasd thee me reclaime,
Before my life tooke vse of carnall breath.
Thou fedst me in the common humane dearth,
Of knowledge of thy will, with such a tast
Of pleasing frute, as fild my soule with mirth,
And readie makes me now no more to wast,
Thy offred mercies, which so blesse in me,
Or glorie that I may a vessell be.
SON. LXXIII.
A Seruant Lord euen from my day of byrth,
I vowed was by parents vnto thee,
A Nazarit I liued on the earth,
And kept the vowes as grace did strengthen mee,
Till satan made me worlds deceipt to see,
And trapt my senses with forbidden lust,
As Eue did tast of the restrained tree,
So fond affections did me forward thrust:
A sinfull Philistine of faith vniust,
To like, to loue, to craue, to wed, to wife,
Thy grace my strength to her reueale I must,
Till she to Satan sell my slumbring life.
A prisoner I thus scornd and voyd of sight,
Sinnes house to ouerthrow, craue heauēly might.
SON. LXXIIII.
WHilst in the plentie of thy blessings sent,
I seeke to solace Lord my selfe secure,
And gazing on worlds beautie long I went,
In pridefull tower which did prospect procure:
I saw the baytes of sin, which did allure
My idle thoughts to follow wicked lust,
My kindled passions could not long endure,
But vnto furious flames breake forth they must,
I did pollute my soule, by fraude vniust,
And rest thy grace from his true wedded wife,
And that I might away all mendment thrust,
I did bereaue my knowledge of his life.
Whose bastard frutes slaie Lord, but let her liue,
That penitent we may thee praises giue.
SON. LXXV.
A Seruant sold to sin ô Lord I am,
Whom Satan (Syrian proud) doth sore assaile,
Nine hundred Chariots of desire there came,
Armed with lust which sought for to preuaile:
And to subdue my strength they cannot faile,
Vnlesse thou raise my fainting strength by grace,
Let constant faith the flying furie naile
To ground, where groueling is his resting place:
Then shall my soule with Debora imbrace,
In thankfull wise thy mercies I receiue,
And so pursue the fleshly Canaans race,
Till I the furie of the same bereaue.
And with my song thy seruants shall accord,
To yeeld due praise to thee the liuing Lord.
SON. LXXVI.
MY soule like silly Ioseph Lord was sold,
By fleshly brethren his, (vnkind alas,)
To vanities the merchants which behold
From far they saw to Egipt, which do passe.
A seruant vnto Ismaels seed it was,
And sold from sin to death, and so to hell,
Of humane frailtie Lord a looking glasse,
In which all soule affections long did dwell.
Yet lo alas when sin seekes most t' excell,
And haue my mind consent to traitrous lust,
With grace ô Lord, that enemy repell,
And heare my praiers, who in thee do trust.
Who though a space in bodies prison staies,
Yet Lord at length vouchsafe to heauen to raise.
SON. LXXVII.
SO blinde ô Lord haue my affections bin,
And so deceitfull hath bin Satans slight,
That to giue credit I did first begin,
To pride and lust as heauenly powers of might:
I offred all my sences with delight,
A sacrifice to feed those Idols vaine,
Of all the presents proffred day and night,
Naught vnconsumde I saw there did remaine;
Till that thy Prophets by thy word made plaine,
The falshood by the which I was deceiued,
How Satans kingdome made hereof againe,
And wickednesse my hope and faith bereaued.
But now the sifted ashes of thy word,
Bewraies Bels Priests: slaies dragon without sword
SON. LXXVIII.
A Wicked theefe that oft haue robd and slaine,
Thy graces of their frute, my selfe of blisse,
Now on the crosse of conscience I remaine,
To die the death the which eternall is:
I see no way to quit my selfe of this,
Vnlesse thou Lord whose kingdome is aboue,
Remember me and cansell life amisse,
Out of thy memorie through Christ thy loue:
Who in my flesh with me like death did proue,
That guiltlesse he, might guilties ransome bee,
Loue to my soule it was, that did him moue,
The bands of death to bide to make vs free:
Blesse thou my tong, increase thou faith in mee,
This night to be in paradise with thee.
SON. LXXIX.
IN bondage long to Satan haue I bin,
A maker of the bricke of Babell tower,
By birth a thrall to grosse and filthie sin,
Whom lusts taskmakers doth attend ech houre,
Affection to the flesh doth cleane defloure,
The memorie and loue of promist lands,
The fiend euen Pharo seeketh to deuoure
My soule, and chaine me to his dreadfull bands:
But Lord receiue me safe into thy hands,
Protect me from the rigor of his might,
Quench thou the force of lusts inflamed brands,
In my defence giue me true faith to fight.
Send Moyses Lord with power of heauenly sword,
And Aaron to direct me by thy word.
SON. LXXX.
AMoabit I was of cursed kinde,
Vnkinde vnto thy church Lord, and to thee,
Who sought by ayde of foolish Balaam blinde,
To captiuate the soule that should be free,
Incestuous frutes of that high climing tree,
Which doth subdue all reason and all grace,
A carnall kinsman by a neare degree
Vnto the soule, the which I haue in chase.
Whom I with lothsome sin sought to deface,
And basterdise with carnall fond affect,
Whose ofspring thou vnto the tenth mans race
Didst once out of thy sanctuary reiect.
Yet now by faith made free of Iury land,
A suter here before thy throne doth stand.
SON. LXXXI.
LO how I groueling vnder burden lie,
Of sin, of shame, of feare Lord of thy sight,
My guilt so manifold dare not come nie
Thy throne of mercy, mirror of thy might:
With hidden and with ignorant sinnes I fight.
Dispairing and presumptuous faults also,
All fleshly frailtie on my backe doth light.
Originall and actuall with me go.
Against a streame of lusts my will would roe
To gaine the shoare of grace, the port of peace,
But flouds of soule affections ouerfloe,
And sinke I must, I see now no release:
Vnlesse my Sauior deare this burden take,
And faith a ship of safetie for me make.
SON. LXXXII.
FRom Iuda wandring Lord to Iericho,
From holie law of thine to carnall lust,
Whilst midst the prease of leaud affects I go,
I robbed am, of rayment pure and iust
And wounded lye Lord groueling in the dust,
Not any passer by can giue me aide,
In fleshly strength, or friendship is no trust,
By high way seene, to helpe me few haue staide:
But since my Sauior Christ on crosse hath paide,
A raunsome rich to cure my bleeding sore,
By faith to craue the frutes I'am not affraide,
In hope my health thereby for to restore.
Bind vp my wounds with balme, lead me to rest,
Giue me such gifts of grace as like thee best.
SON. LXXXIII.
THis slender Citie Lord of strength behold,
Wherein I dwell, Bethulia my bower,
Of flesh whereto sin laies a battry bold,
And seeks with sword & dearth my soules deuowen
Suppresse thou hellish Holofernes power,
Who prides himselfe in praie of children thine,
I haue no trust in mountaines, wals, nor tower,
For want of faithes true fountaine we shall pine.
Raise vp this femalde couragde heart of mine,
Strengthen my hand to reue this monsters hed,
Let me not tast deceiptfull follies wine,
Nor be polluted with worlds sinfull bed.
But constantly by faith fight in defence
Of feeble flesh, and driue thy enemies thence.
SON. LXXXIIII.
NOt that my faith doth faint a while is cause,
That I so instant am on thee to call,
O God of life, but yeelding to thy lawes,
Before thy fight, my soule these teares lets fall:
Which in thy bottle kept I know are all,
And quench the fury of thy burning ire,
Which sin enflamde, and quallifie it shall
The quarrell which hath set thy wrath on fire,
If seruently the childe due food desire
Of father, he will not giue him a stone,
If of the wicked, iustice man require
Importunely, some iustice will be showne.
More righteous iudge and father thou to mee.
Art Lord indeed, and far more kind wilt bee.
SON. LXXXV.
THe many trials Lord that I haue found,
Since out of Egipt darknesse I am brought,
Might witnesse well how in thee still abound,
Power, mercy, truth, wherby thy workes are wrough [...] ▪
But soule dispaire against my faith hath fought,
Amidst the wildernesse wherein I stay,
And daintier food my fond affections sought,
Then Manna which thou sentst me euery day,
The desert Zyn doth fountaine pure denay,
Of grace wherewith to quench my fainting ghost,
Eternall death expects my soule as pray,
And lust assalts me with a hideous host.
Stretch forth hād lord, smite thou my hart of stone,
With rod of true repentance, griefe and mone.
SON. LXXXVI.
THou hast ô Lord of mercy me enricht,
With flocks of fauour, and of graces great,
Since I in Bethell first the piller pitcht,
Of praises to thy name and mercies seat,
Yet fleshly Esawes foule affections threat,
A ruine to the frute faith should forth bring,
With pleasing humors him for to intreat,
I feare it be too soule a dangerous thing.
Shield me Lord vnder thy protecting wing
Of mercy, which may saue from Satans rage,
My heart and voyce shall still thy praises sing,
If thou the malice of my foes asswage.
In Sychem shall my heart an alter reare,
The mightie God to loue, to serue, to feare.
SON. LXXXVII.
THe talent which thou pleasest Lord to giue,
To me thy seruant that I should bestow,
Whilst in thy seruice on the earth I liue,
My diligent increase thereof to show,
I haue abused Lord too long I know,
And feare thy comming to be nigh at hand,
I see for breach of dutie what I owe,
And of thy iudgements do in terror stand:
Thy grace hath left me in a forreine land,
Where vnexpert of vertue I do straie,
I shall be throwne to Satans thralfull band,
Voyd of thy heauenly ioy and blisse for aye,
Vnlesse thou helpe, for thou doest vse to giue,
Grace vnto grace, and faith from faithlesse driue.
SON. LXXXVIII.
SInce that it pleaseth thee thy selfe to show,
A iust reuenger Lord of Heath'nish sin,
And bring the pride of bold Philistines low,
Who thee defame, when holy Arke they win.
Now that to fetch it home I do begin,
And in the temple of my heart to place,
Grant so I may thy secrets see therein,
That plagues for my presumption do not chase
It so from me, as they that fled the face
Of glorie thine, which therein did appeare:
Let faith and loue draw home by trustie trace,
The constant cart whose carriage is so deare;
And let me order so this holie worke,
That dregs of sin not in my deeds may lurke.
SON. LXXXIX.
IN famine great of grace, and comfortlesse,
Thy seruant Lord doth in Samaria dwell,
For Lord fierce Aram doth with sin oppresse
The citie where my soule to harbour fell:
I want the strength his armies to repell,
Of lust and of affections most vncleane,
My mind whose loue doth mother like excell,
Her childrēs (thoughts of mēdment) sees so leaue:
That forst by famine she can find no meane,
To feed them long, her faith so poore is growne,
That natiue pitie now secluding cleane,
Her greedie nature doth deuour her owne.
Releeue in time this siege, Lord cause a feare
Of thee, this camp of cruell sin to reare.
SON. XC.
ON sweet and sauorie bread of wholesome kinde,
Which in thy word thou offrest store to mee,
To feed vpon the flesh doth lothing finde,
And leaues to leane ô Lord only on thee:
The leauen of the Pharisies will bee,
The surfet to my soule and death in fine,
Which coueting to tast forbidden tree,
To carnall rules and reasons do incline:
So lauishly my lusts do tast the wine,
Which sowrest grapes of sin filles in my cup,
That lo my teeth now set on edge I pine,
Not able wholesome food to swallow vp.
Vnlesse thou mend my tast, and heart doest frame,
To loue thy lawes, and praise thy holy name.
SON. XCI.
OVt of thy flock ô Lord through my defect,
A silly sheepe my selfe behold am lost,
To seeke me forth in time do not neglect,
Since I so precious price to thee haue cost:
By many by-paths Lord my seete haue crost,
And cannot find the way vnto thy fold,
Through many stormes of deep despaire thus tost.
To craue thy aide at last I now am bold:
If thou of silly groat that count doest hold,
That thou doest search the house to find the same.
No doubt my soule to sin by nature sold,
May mercy find by calling on thy name.
The Saints in heauen conuertits gaine reioyce,
On earth thy praise is song, in heart and voice.
SON. XCII.
BEhold amidst worlds desert all alone,
Seduced by the frailtie of the sprite,
Accompanied with fleshly comfort none,
My soule with sin compelled is to fight
Where suddenly alas before my sight,
I Satan see, me ready to assaile,
By two his seruants which are most of might,
Presumption and dispaire, which seldome faile,
The best perfection of mans strength to quaile,
By pride, or want of faith, or couetise,
By lust or gluttony, or fained vaile
Of vertue, which doth many sinnes disguise.
But chase him Lord away by written word,
Which is more sharpe then his two edged sword.
SON. XCIII.
THe dreame which thou to Pharo didst reueale,
Thou in my selfe hast made me see in deed,
The state alas of mans weake common weale,
Whereas affections of all sorts do feed,
The frutefull soyle of grace some whiles did breed,
Full faire effects in truth of heauenly kinde,
But many barren thoughts alas succeed,
And threaten famine to a vertuous minde.
Store of such yeares alas I feare behinde,
Which Lord will starue the comfort of my faith,
Vnlesse thy mercy and thy wisedome finde,
A store house to laie vp what scripture faith.
In hope of which thy goodnesse lo I liue,
Which of thy grace Lord do thou to me giue.
SON. XCIIII.
THe seed which thou the husbandman hast sowde,
Within my soule ô Lord by Prophets hand,
Hath taken roote at last by deaw bestowde,
From heauenly grace which fructifies my land:
But lo I saw the worlds deceipt to stand
In readinesse to mingle tares therein,
Whilst sleeping, me in vanities he sand,
He made my frutes to ouerflow with sin:
But ere thy haruest to approach begin,
Vouchsafe to weed these frailties so away,
That when thy corne is to be gathered in,
I may be cleane and in thy garner stay.
Burne Lord with chastisement my fleshly lust,
And clense my life by faith both pure and iust.
SON. XCV.
WHat strength hath man? wherin may he repose
A power to stay him in a vertuous way?
To loue thy flocke thou Lord my soule hast chose,
Whom to obey my vowes and words did say:
But in my power alas there is no stay,
For light temptations made me cleane forget
My dutie to my Lord, and to denay
Him who thus long I haue too lightly set:
But now my heart with teares my cheekes doth wet,
In sorrow of my so inconstant faith,
Repentance hath my sin before me set,
And conscience now my error duly way'th.
Grant that thy word crow thrise & thrise to mee,
And warne me of my dutie vnto thee.
SON. XCVI.
THe malice of this monster auncient foe
Of man, and of the church which thou didst plant
Euen Satan Herod-like about doth goe,
To make my frutes of faith to grow more scant,
Whilst yet with weaknesse feeble youth doth pant,
And wanteth grace to strengthen their estate,
The motions of the mind doth straight recant,
To see soules safetie which sin faine would hate.
The counsels of affections do debate,
And do conclude to murder vertues breed,
Lust, pride and enuy, open wide the gate,
To furious flesh, that doth the wicked deed.
My soule (their mother) mourns ô Lord their end,
My future frutes of grace do thou defend.
SON. XCVII.
SO foolish Lord haue my affections bin,
So carelesse of the blessing thou doest giue,
So proue my nature vnto euerie sin,
So thanklesse of thy grace by which I liue,
That violently thy loue away I driue,
And sell the patrimony to ensue,
I carry water in an open siue,
And change for lentil pottage birthright due.
Too late alas my folly I do rue,
Who worlds delight preferred haue so long,
Reiecting heauenly knowledge treasure true,
Vnto my soule imposing open wrong,
Yet not so late ô Lord I pardon craue,
But yet one blessing thou for me wilt haue.
SON. XCVIII.
A Sinfull Syrian Lord my father was,
Exilde from Paradise by iust desert,
I wandred into Egipt, there alas
To finde in world some food to please my heart:
Where seruill bondage vnto sin and smart,
I suffered so long through Satans rage,
That heauenly aide I crau'd thence to depart,
Which only able was my griefe t'asswage.
From silly seruant and an abiect page,
Thou broughtst me forth to knowledge of thy truth
(The blessed land) and showdst me on a stage,
A patterne how to guide my wandring youth,
Such frutes therfore as faithful soile doth yeeld,
I offer here first crop of blessed field.
SON. XCIX.
I See alas, proud Satan hath too long
Defrauded thee, ô Lord of that is thine,
And loue of world hath drawne me vnto wrong,
Whose heart thy off [...]ings to bestow repine:
My outward knees vnto thee do incline,
My tong doth promise present of my store,
I say these gratious gifts are none of mine,
But will them all thy Aulter laie before.
But vanities doth presse me euermore,
And want of faith to leaue some part behinde,
Although I see death readie at the dore,
My hollow heart and leaud deceipt to finde.
Grant that I may my soule, my power, my will,
Present ô Lord to serue thee only still.
SON. C.
SInce thou by grace out of wilde Oliue stocke,
Hast pleasd me Lord within thy church to plant,
And recken me as of thy proper flocke,
Who else all pleasant frute by nature want.
Vouchsafe my thankfull frutes be not so scant.
As cause thee to reiect me backe againe,
Of former bountie Lord do not recant,
But let me in thy garden still remaine:
By mercy not by merit I attaine,
This blessing promised so long before,
Let not this gift of thine returne in vaine,
But let thy goodnesse multiply the more.
Make sweet the frutes which bitter are by kinde,
Increase thy grace in bodie and in minde.
CONCLVSION.
MOurne thou no more my soule, thy plaint is hard,
The bill is canseld of the debt it owes,
The vaile is rent, which thee before debard,
And Christ his righteousnesse on thee bestowes.
Thus comfort to the patient alwaies growes,
If they attend the time God hath assignde,
Our strength to beare, our maker best he knowes,
And at a need is readie for to finde.
Our Sauiour is so mercifull and kinde,
Vnto our selues he will not leaue vs long,
He castes our faults through loue his back behinde,
And turnes our plaints into more pleasant song.
And when we are euen at the gates of hell,
His glorie, mercie, power, doth most excell.
THE SECOND part of Christian passions, Containing a hundred Sonets of comfort, ioy, and thankesgiuing.
PREFACE.
SOme men do mourne for suddeine ioy, they say,
And some likewise in midst of sorrow sing,
Such diuers frutes do passion often bring,
As reason cannot course of Nature stay,
And happie sure he is (I not denay)
That both these motions hath from heart contrite,
When frailtie of his flesh appeares to sight,
And mercy calling him backe from decay.
Who can behold the flesh and spirit fight,
The doubtfull issue and danger of the thing,
The losse whereto our nature might vs fling,
And gaine which grace doth giue, through Sauiors might,
And not delight, To glorifie his name,
And yet lament to see his natiue shame.
SONET I.
AS through a mist, or in a cloud a farre,
I see a glimse of heauenly grace to shine,
And to reuiue the fainting faith of mine,
And spirits which with darknesse shadowed are.
The fleshly fog of sin did iudgement barre,
Of proper vse, of power of reason sound,
Which in first patents franckly did abound,
And better part of natures strength did marre.
But since my eyes of grace a sight haue found,
Of that eternall light which doth incline,
Fro out these fogs of feare I hope t'vntwine,
And force of fainting faith for to confound,
And on a ground More sinne wil build my trust,
And that in Christ whose promises are iust.
SON. II.
CLeng'd are the cloudes and darknesse fled away,
And now in triumph doth my sauiour ride,
Sin, hell, nor death, dare not his fight abide,
The world nor Satan can his progresse stay.
This piercing light of truth shall so bewray
Ech stratagem their practise doth deuise
Against my soule, that there shall not arise
One cloud of care to darken this my day.
But that my thoughts (like to the Pilate wise)
Shall looke about, lest that my heart should slide,
And by this sonne my course so constant guide,
That all their slightes shall not my soule disguise,
Which now espies The malice they me owe,
Which lōg they clothd with shade of plesāt show.
SON. III.
WHen as my conscience layeth forth before
My thoughts the sinnes which daily I commit,
I thinke my selfe an instrument vnfit,
To witnesse forth thy glory any more:
But when I see that sin was first the dore,
By which death entred and such hold did take,
That death did first our want apparant make.
And want first cause that man did ayd implore.
That praiers first thy mercies do awake,
That mercies do renue our dulled wit,
That ioyed heart should not vnthankfull sit.
And thanks to thee doth fleshly glory shake,
It straight doth slake The fear which bad me stay,
And bids me still proceed to praise and pray.
SON. IIII.
SInce to so holy vse I consecrate
The silly talent Lord thou lentst to me,
That it a trumpe vnto thy praise might be,
And witnesse of their woe that thou doest hate.
Thou wilt ô Lord forget the abiect state
Of flesh and bloud, base mettle of my frame,
And since that thou hast sanctified the same.
Thou wilt giue grace my weaknesse to abate.
Thou that my former wandring will doest tame,
And me prepare in minde to honour thee,
Canst giue me gifts the which thereto agree,
How ere my proper power be weake and lame,
So shall thy name Be precious in my sight,
And in thy praise shall be my whole delight.
SON. V.
WOuld God I were as readie to confesse,
And yeeld thee praise sweet Sauiour day by day,
As for to craue my wants I'am forward ay,
And seruently at need I do thee presse,
To beg of thee alone, thou wilt no lesse,
Because thou onely able art to giue,
And with each needfull thing by which we liue,
Thou promisest our prayers for to blesse;
But we with vse of them should not so stay,
And onely seeke to thee when need doth driue,
(Whose blessings running through an open siue,
No praise for recompence vnto thee pay)
But when we pray, We should thee laud also:
Our thankful harts with bountie thine should go.
SON. VI.
I Haue begun ô Lord to run the race,
Where flesh and bloud against the world, must fight,
On heauenly kingdome gazing with my fight,
Where is appointed scope of resting place,
Wingd with the will of zeale of heauenly grace,
I do indeuor alwayes to proceed,
In constant course vnto the arke indeed,
Where in thy mercies I behold thy face.
A seruent faith it doth my courage feed,
And make my heauie limbs become more light,
When in thy sonne I see thy glorie bright,
The pledge vnto my soule that hope shall speed,
This blessed seed Thou hast Lord sowne in me,
And all the frutes shal to thee offred be.
SON. VII.
WHere shall I finde fit words or proper phrase,
Wherewith to witnesse all the loue I owe?
Whose gratefull minde in thankfulnesse doth grow,
And to the world thy worthinesse would blase.
Vnfrutefully the greater sort do gase,
Vpon thy workes and blessings they receiue,
And carelesly thy honor they bereaue,
And suffer chance or wit thy same to rase,
Whilst vnacknowledged thy loue they leaue,
Forgetting all the gifts thou doest bestow,
Whose blinded nature so doth ouerflow,
That most vnkind to thee, themselues they show.
But since I know By grace thy blessing great,
My pen thy praises alwaies shall repeat.
SON. VIII.
THe more I seeke to dedicate my power,
In celebrating of thy honour great,
Whose throne is fixed in thy mercies seat,
The more my dutie groweth euerie hower,
Some times with Eagles sight aloft I tower,
And seeme to see the glorie of thy sonne,
But ere my willing wings haue scarse begunne
To mount, they drop with clog of heauie shower:
Vpon the hill of truth I footing wonne,
By faith which laboureth with feruent heat,
Of worthie praises thine for to intreat,
But ere I haue begune my worke is donne,
So farre I runne, In seeking to begin,
I cannot write, such maze my muse is in.
SON. IX.
AS fareth with the man the which hath bin
In perill but of late to haue bene drownd,
Though afterward he do recouer grownd.
Knowes not at first the safetie he is in:
So when I thinke vpon the flouds of sin,
Wherein I was neare drenched ouerhed,
What time all hope of comfort cleane was fled,
And I into despaire to sinke begin.
My fainting faith with feare euen well nigh dead.
My minde amazed it doth so confound,
That though thy mercies freely do abound,
In port of peace I am not free from dred,
But being led Fro out the perils sight,
I shall enioy more pleasure and delight.
SON. X.
SInce thou ô Lord hast giuen to me at last,
The victorie against the deadly foe,
Who like a lyon roaring still doth goe,,
My soule (poote Lot my kinsman deare) to wast
Since grace at length his pride hath now defast,
And by the hand off i [...]h he is subdude,
And that my strength by thee is so renude.
That his affections almost are displast.
Since thy high Priest with present me pursude
Of bread and wine, the which he did bestow,
And with the same the blessing gaue also,
Whence life, whence libertie, whence peace ins [...]de,
I haue indude As proper vnto thee,
Thy church with tithe of faith thou gau'st to mee.
SON. XI.
IF he to whom his Lord did but remit
A silly debt was thankfull to him found,
And that the more the sinnes forgiuen abound,
The more he loues that pardond is of it,
Then sure it seemes it were good reason fit
That I whose soule was sold to death and hell,
Whose sinnes in multitude did so excell,
With idle braine should not ingratefull sit:
But as thy flowing fauours daily swell,
So should my voice thy praises euer sound;
And since thou hast powrde oyle into my wound.
I should not spare thy mercies forth to tell.
And so as well as thou shalt giue me grace,
I will thee laud, each season, time and place.
SON. XII.
NOw that I haue some safetie Lord attaind,
Fro out the laberinth wherein I was,
Since grace as guide therein to me did passe,
And loue was line with me my issue gaind:
Since that my wandring steps faith hath refraind,
And that thy word was Sybils braunch to mee,
Through hell and death away to let me see,
To Elizian fields where blisse for aye remaind,
I must not Lord so much vnthankfull bee,
To breake the vowes which once I made alas,
But I will show thy mercies in a glas,
That by thy words men may acknowledge thee.
The onely hee Hath any power to saue,
And raisd my soule fro out the verie graue▪
SON. XIII.
I Shame to see how large my promise are,
How slow my deeds that should performe the sam [...],
I know the constant meanings whence they came,
But will and power are falne at strife and iarre,
What soule begins to do doth bodie marre,
What loue would build, distrust would ouerthrow,
A plenteous offring, zeale doth bid bestow,
But fainting faith likes not to set it farre.
My will at least his good intent shall show,
Which thou ô Lord cause vnto better frame,
A free will offring Lord thou wilt not blame,
Of such weake frutes as are on earth below.
Which yet shal grow More fruteful by thy grace.
And as they be, wilt in thy sonne imbrace.
SON. XIIII.
THe end whereto we all created were,
And in this world were plast to liue and dwell,
(If we with iudgement do obserue it well)
Was nothing else but God to serue and feare,
In which we b [...]dges of his glorie beare,
To yeeld him right the most our weaknesse may,
Which to our strength we ought not him denay,
Who out of earth to heauen this dust shall rea [...]e:
Which when within my selfe I deeply way,
I do condemne the dulnesse which befell
To me, whose gifts in nothing do excell,
By which I might his glorie great display,
On whom do stay All things that being haue,
Who to each creature all things freely gaue.
SON. XV.
AS is the treasure frutelesse which is hid,
And blisse no blisse a man doth not enioy,
But rather is a meane to worke annoy,
To him that carefully preserue it did:
So often times the wisest sort haue slid,
Into like error whilst they do conseale
The gifts of grace, which God did them reueale,
And hide the talent which is them forbid:
As frutelesse is it to the common weale,
That men respectiuely become too coy,
And triflingly their time away do toy,
And without good to others let it steale,
I therefore deale To world and do impart,
These silly frutes which grow on feeling hart.
SON. XVI.
THe pleasures of this new possessed land,
Fore-promised long since to children thine,
Whereto I haue arriued safe in fine,
And to enioy the same assured stand,
To paint with praises I would take in hand,
That so I might incourage many more,
To follow forth the conquest where is store
Of corne, of wine, and oyle, for faithfull band:
Our Iosua Christ himselfe is gone before,
And showes the clusters of the healthfull wine,
Whereof who tasts, shall not with famine pine,
Nor starue when plentie is at Citie dore:
Ne need deplore The strength of Anaks race,
For he the power of hell will cleane deface.
SON. XVII.
BEtwixt two strong extreames my thoughts do flie,
Twixt heat and cold, twixt heigth and depth below,
And b [...]h of them from one desire do flow,
The s [...]rest way to sauing health to trie.
Faith bids me mount vnto the heauens hie,
Vpon the merits of my sauior deare,
A guiltie conscience bids me not come neare,
Lest in consuming iealousie I die.
A heart contrite doth will me to appeare,
With works of righteousnesse true faith which show
Faith saies, that god my strēgth & power doth know,
And that I cannot finde saluation heere,
But bids me cheere My soule, & nothing feare,
Loue in his sonne will make him me forbeare.
SON. XVIII.
FRom far I see the stars which guide the way,
From East to West, to finde my sauiour out,
I well might wander all the world about,
To seeke saluation and in no place stay:
If shining truth did not his house bewray,
Which in his word points forth his dwelling place.
By which directed, I will walke a pace,
Whilst yet I do enioy the light of day.
And when I come before his blessed face,
To offer vp my presents will not doubt,
Although their basenesse all the world should flout,
So that by faith I may him once imbrace,
Which giueth grace And makes accepted well,
Mean works as much as those which more excell.
SON. XIX.
NOw will I daunce ô Lord before the traine,
Of those which following thee seeke home to draw
Thy holy Arke the treasor of thy law,
That it with vs may pledge of peace remaine,
I care not though the world my deed disdaine,
And thinke it not beseeming thing for me,
In such a worke an instrument to be,
Whose yeares they deeme more fit for other vaine.
For so I Lord thy sauing health may see,
And scape the harme of cruell Satans paw,
Though all the scorners of the world me saw,
Yet would I not ashamed be of thee,
For being free Of holie promist land,
I care not how my stare on earth do stand.
SON. XX.
NO recompence ô Lord is fit for thee,
If duly thy desert we do regard,
Ne hast thou want or need of mans reward,
At whose command all creatures readie bee:
Yet if our thankfull minds thy goodnesse see,
Confessing whence to vs these blessings flow,
And in the vse of them obedience show,
Although alas it be in meane degree,
Thou yet doest frame thy loue to ours below,
And as thou findst the giuers heart preparde.
Who to his power his present hath not sparde,
So doest thou cansell debt which he did owe,
And doest bestow More graces then we craue,
For which naught els but thīks thou lookst to haue
SON. XXI.
HOw precious are the praiers of thy Saints,
Which able were thy threatned wrath to stay,
And make the sunne returne in pride of day,
When as Iosias heart for feare it faints,
Thy fauour vnto Abram vs acquaints,
Of how great force repentant heart is found,
When (hauing viewd vile Sodom to confound)
To staie at seruants sute thy wrath thou daints.
By praiers man hath power euen death to wound,
By praier he may moue a mount away,
A faithfull seruent praier finds no nay,
If that the thing we craue be pure and sound,
Yea God hath bound Him selfe by them to man,
Whose worthie praise no tongue forth vtter can.
SON. XXII.
THanks will I alwaies studie Lord to pay,
To thee, the giuer of all good and grace,
And thankfully thy mercies will imbrace,
And witnesse forth thy workes from day to day,
My heart, my mouth, my pen they neuer stay,
To take occasion freshly to renue,
The memorie of praises to thee due,
Lest natures weaknesse let them passe away:
My frailtie in this point indeed I rue,
Who till I see new blessings in the place,
Forget the fauours late before my face,
And mercies thine, fro which such bountie grew,
For it is true So dull our sences are,
That oft thy blessings do our iudgements marre.
SON. XXIII.
WHere so I cast about my wandring eye,
By chance or choice, by hap, or else by will.
Before my sight some obiect is there still,
Wherein thy power and loue I do espye.
In view whereof, if I my thoughts do trye,
To raise my heart in ioy, I matter finde,
And vnto thee my loue so firme to binde,
That tong nor pen should neuer idle lye;
Whose grace vnto thy creatures is so kinde,
As patrons of the same the world doth fill,
Who mad'st not only, but doest still instill,
Some feeling of the same vnto the minde,
Which is not blinde, Or too much obstinate,
Which later natures chiefly thou doest hate.
SON. XXIIII.
WHilst I do studie fitly to begin,
To vtter forth some part of my intent,
Which to thy praise with zeale and loue is bent,
Far freeing me from due reward of sin,
I finde a laberinth that I am in,
Of many merits which do me inclose,
Which as this holie motion in me role,
Of diuerse subiects for to treat do win.
Among the rest my heart hath chiefly chose,
To giue thee thanks for comfort to me sent,
In staying me the wandring course I went,
And feeling faith with knowledge where,
And though I lose Therwith the world▪
Yet will I ioy in hope of heauenly sight.
SOX. XXV.
SInce thou hast Lord vouchsaft to send me ayde,
By holie spirit thine in time of need,
(As Philip to the Eunuch came in deed)
Which in my wandring iourny me hath stayde;
Since he hath taught me what thy Prophets sayde,
And what humilitie was in thy sonne,
Whose patience like a lambe hath freedom wonne,
Vnto my soule, for which he raunsome payde.
I see no earthly things should stay vndone,
The duties which requirde of me I reed.
By faith vpon thy promises I feed,
And to thy Sacraments for strength I runne,
And thus begunne, I will continue still,
To learne thy lawes, and to obey thy will.
SON. XXVI.
HOw can I limit well my tong or pen?
Within what bownds may I my selfe inclose?
Who such a theame to write vpon haue chose,
Whereon the more I muse, more groweth it then,
It fares with me herein, euen right as when
A hastie mind forgetteth what to speake,
When stāmering words the perfect sence do breake,
And makes vs not be vnderstood of men.
Such worthie matter in my mind there growes,
So plentifull, and I of skill so weake,
[...] pleasing to me, and so proper cake,
[...] choyse of them I iudgement lose,
[...] euen as those Want matter silent be,
[...] plentie of thy praise confoundeth me.
SON. XXVII.
NOw that thy mercies do so much abound,
As thou vouchsafest Lord with me to dwell,
And glorious Arke of hope which doth excell,
Drawne home by hungry faith my heart hath found,
Since power thereof, did sinfull Dagon wound,
And yet disdaineth not my humble state,
I freely open Lord, my lowly gate
Of lips and tong, which may thy praises sound.
Thy blessings seeme to flow to me of late,
Since in my soule thy word I did embrace,
My zeale refreshed is with heauenly grace,
My comfort, wealth that hell cannot rebate,
In such a rate Thy fauour I do finde,
As bindes me loue a father found so kinde.
SON. XXVIII.
WHat should I render thee my Sauiour deare▪
For all the gifts thou doest on me bestow▪
Whose gratious measure so doth ouerflow,
As power of recompence cannot appeare,
I do imbrace thy gifts with ioyfull cheare,
And to thy alter speedily will runne,
To follow forth thy praise but new begunne,
Till all thy people may thy mercies heare.
Thy glorious image shineth in the sonne,
Thy loue to man did his obedience show,
His loue and mercy vnto man hath wonne
The gifts of grace, whence faith & comfort grow,
Where through we know That we are thy elect.
And these our feeble frutes wilt not reiect.
SON. XXIX.
THe powerfull pen the which records thy praise,
O Lord of life, hath many volumes made,
Thy wondrous works each leafe doth ouerlade,
Which aye increase as growing are my dayes,
Vnsearchable indeed are all thy wayes,
In multitude thy numbers do exceed,
In glorie they do admiration breed,
Their goodnesse power of recompence denayes.
The hungry thou with plenteous hand doest feed,
Thy sauour to thy creatures doth not fade.
The more in view of all thy works I wade,
The more I finde my sence confound indeed,
But yet insteed of Eccho to thy fame,
I will giue thanks and laud vnto thy name.
SON. XXX.
THis stately stage wherein we players stande,
To represent the part to vs assignde,
Was built by God, that he might pleasure finde,
In beautie of the works of his owne band,
All creatures of the ayre, the sea and land,
Are players at his appointment of some thing,
Which to the world a proper vse may bring,
And may not breake assigned bownds or band:
Some do in ioy still forth his praises sing,
Some mourne & make their mone with heauy mind,
Some shew the frutes of nature weake and blind,
Some shew how grace base sin away doth fling,
God (like a king) Beholds, Christ doth attire,
The plaiers with the shape, their states require.
SON. XXXI.
WHo so beholds with constant fixed eye,
The fauour and perfection of my choyce.
He cannot chuse but must in heart reioyce,
That mortall sight may heauenly blisse espie,
All earthly beautie he will straight defie,
As things too base to occupie his braine,
Whose fading pleasures so are payd with paine,
That they true tast of pleasure do denie.
But who so can this perfect sight attaine,
Cannot containe, but yeeld with cheerfull voyce.
An eccho to the Angels heauenly noyse,
Who to his praise do singing still remaine,
They then are vaine Who fix their sight so low,
That such a glorious God they will not know.
SON. XXXII.
O Heauenly beautie of loue the fountaine true,
Whose shining beames do penetrate my soule,
With such a zeale as former thoughts controll,
And drawes heart, power, and will thee to insue,
Thou mak'st my fainting sight for to renue,
And dazeling eyes new strength thus to attaine,
To whom alone perfection faire is due,
Thou mak'st earths bewtious shadow seeme but vain,
Thy works of glorie, and of power remain,
Ingrauen in thankfull hearts which them inroll;
Thy loue and mercy made thee pay the toll,
Which to our dying soules true life did gain.
Thy loue doth wain, My thoughts frō baser loue,
And mak'st my heart and mind to sore aboue.
SON. XXXIII.
IF beautie be as men on earth suppose,
The comely shape and colours which agree,
In true proportion to the thing we see,
Which grace and fauour both do neuer lose.
If white and red be borrowed from the Rose,
If bright and shining to the sonne compar'd,
If high and straight to godlinesse w'award,
And beautie haue such base descriptions chose,
Then let the wise this beautie true regard,
Where all perfections in one subiect be,
Surpassing frute of the forbidden tree,
Which but to tast man suffred deaths reward,
Which is prepard, And offred to our sight.
In Christ to loue and feed vs day and night.
SON. XXXIIII.
HOw may this be that men of searching mind.
Whose curious eyes in beautie do delight.
The pleasing obiect of their fancies sight,
In outward shape and colour, comfort find:
And yet the better beautie leaue behind
Vnsought, or vnregarded of at all,
Compard to which, none can it beautie call,
Vnlesse a buzzard whom affections blind,
This earthly forme of flesh it is so small
Of worth to charme the sence of noble spright,
As is a starre before faire Phoebus bright,
Whose glory doth their borrowed beauti' apall,
Thus wise men fall, Whom carnall eies do guide,
Whose iudgements may not vertues sight abide.
SON. XXXV.
O Heauenly loue with God thou dwelst for aye,
Thou passest faith and hope in dignitie,
Thou keepst the law, thy feet step not awrie,
In all mens danger, thou the surest stay,
To our request, thou neuer sayest nay,
Ne wrath, ne enuy, moue thee ere a whit,
Thou multitude of sinnes in man doest quit,
Thou law and Gospell both doest ouer sway:
Thou doest with God aloft in heauens sit,
With God in counsell thou art alwaies by,
Thou causest Christ mans weaknesse to supply,
And makest vs receiue the frute of it,
And euery whit Of goodnesse that we haue,
Loue made him send, who loue therfore doth craue
SON. XXXVI.
THe shining face of my faire Phoebus deare,
Whose glory doth eclipse each other light,
Presents himselfe vnto worlds open fight,
Their blinded eyes with ioyfull view to cheare,
But sluggish so the greater sort appeare,
That sleeping in selfe-loue and mind secure,
The cleare aspect of truth they not indure,
Nor of their blindnesse willingly would heare.
But so my sences do his beautie allure,
To gaze vpon his louely fauour bright.
That therein only haue I my delight.
Where is all happinesse I do assure,
He doth procure A plenteous increase,
Vnto my soule, of perfect loue and peac [...].
SON. XXXVII.
AVant base thoughts incomber me no more,
By laying forth these earthly wants of mine,
As though thou wouldst perswade me to repine,
Because of wealth I haue not needlesse store,
If thou didst know thy nakednesse before,
He cloth'd thy soule, and fed thy fainting minde,
(With righteousnesse and faith in Sauiour kinde)
Thou wouldst that former state much more deplore.
And then confesse the comfort thou doest finde,
By peace of conscience in this flesh of thine,
Is greatest riches truly to define,
(So that contentment be not left behinde)
These gifts me binde To praise his holy name,
And place chief wealth in knowledge of the same.
SON. XXXVIII.
I Will not feare with feruency of zeale.
To follow forth this faire affect of mine,
(To loue of thee which doth my soule incline)
O Sauiour deare, who sure my griefe wilt heale,
Vnto thy proffred kindnesse I appeale,
Who of thy selfe didst call me vnto thee,
And promisedst I should thy darling bee,
Made free within thy Church and common weale.
Disparidgement there is not now in mee,
Ne shall distrust forbid me to be thine,
But faith shall flie aloft to thee in fine,
Where all thy treasures safely I may see,
And happie hee Bestows his loue so well,
Whose hope is payd with pleasures that excell.
SON. XXXIX.
LOue then I will, and loue thee Lord alone,
For fellowship in loue there may not bee,
Loue for thy loue ô Lord shall be thy see,
For other recompence thou crauest none.
My vowes and deeds they shall be alwaies one,
All dedicated to adore thy name,
My heart, my soule, my strength shall do the same,
Thy loue shall be my faithes true corner stone;
The loue of thee shall my affections frame,
To follow that may pleasing be to thee,
My eyes no beautie but in thee shall see,
And thy regard my wandring will shall tame,
Yea I will blame, And scorne each other thing▪
Saue what shall me vnto thy fauour bring.
SON. XL.
FAine would I praise thee Lord with such a zeale,
And feruencie as might my loue expresse,
Faine would my loue yeeld vnto thee no lesse,
Due praise then thou didst loue to me reueale,
But wanting power thereto I yet appeale,
To [...]hat thy goodnesse which thee first did moue,
In fragill flesh of mine the strength to proue,
Whose weaknes thou by heauēly power didst heale.
Mans wit in words comes short in this be [...]oue,
To recompence, nay only to confesse,
The many waies thou doest our bodies blesse.
Much more our soules which freely thou didst loue,
Thy trustie done, Thy holy spright of grace,
Makes yet our weaknesse stand before thy face.
SON. XLI.
O Perfect Sunne, whereof this shadow is
A slender light, though it some beautie show,
On whom thy influence thou doest bestow,
Whose constant course still shines in endlesse blisse▪
To scan thy glorie, wit of man doth misse,
How far thy mercies beames abroad extend,
Tong cannot speake, nor wit can comprehend,
And humane frailtie is bewrayd in this;
The fire, ayre, water, earth they wholly bend,
The host of heauen, and creatures belowe,
To paye their dutie vnto thee they owe,
Which didst their being and their vertue send,
And I intend With them (in what I may)
To witnesse forth thy laud and praise for aye.
SON. XLII.
WHat present should I bring of worthie prise,
To witnesse well the loue to thee I owe,
I nothing haue but what thou didst bestow,
Ne likest thou the toyes of mans deuise.
I would not spare my power in any wise,
No treasure seemes to me for thee too deare,
The pleasures of the world the which are here,
Too base they are, how ere wit them disguise.
To yeeld thee faith, it doth the best appeare,
But it is very weake alas I know,
To yeeld thee praise, doth make a decent show,
But to thy merit neither doth come neare,
With garment cleare Yet clothd of righteous son,
My selfe to offer vnto thee, I run.
SON. XLIII.
WHo so beholds the works ô Lord of thine,
The stretched heauens, the seat where thou doest dwel
the earth thy footstoole, which dares not rebel,
Which all vnto thy will do aye incline,
The Sunne and Moone by day & night which shine,
The changing flouds, the firme and frutefull land,
The Planets which do firme for euer stand,
All which gainst thy behest dare not repine.
The host of Angels in thy heauenly band,
Th' infernall feends with Lucifar which fell,
The fish, the fowle, the beast agreeing well,
And all obedient to thy heauenly hand,
May vnderstand Thy glorie, loue, and power,
Without whose help, ma could not liue one houre.
SON. XLIIII.
AS doth the Moone by daily change of hew,
By growing, or decreasing, beautie show,
The influence, the greater lights bestow,
Whose absence, or whose presence, her renue,
So must all flesh confesse, and thinke most true,
The faith or feare they haue for to proceed,
From heauenly grace, which heauēly gifts doth feed,
Without whose face blind darknesse doth insue.
Mans proper power is so obscurde indeed,
With shades which rise frō earthly thoughts below,
That nothing but blind ignorance would grow,
Vnlesse this sonne did shining comfort breed,
Which serues in steed Of fire vnto the same,
Fro whence this light of faith receiues his flame.
SON. XLV.
IF Saba Queene a iourney tooke in hand,
From South to North, wise Salomon to heare,
If humane wisedome was to her so deare,
That she did visit thus this holy land,
Then do I muse why men so idle stand,
In pride of youth when wit and meanes abound,
Their tender braines to feed with wisedome sound,
Far passing that this Queene for trauell found.
This error is the scarre of Adam [...] wound,
Who sought his knowledge not in fountain cleare,
To whom forbidden skill did best appeare,
Neglecting graces him inclosing round,
But on the sound And written word I build,
Not Salomon such Oracles could yeeld.
SON. XLVI.
HOw fond a thing it is which men do vse,
To beat their braines, and so torment their hart,
In compassing the thing which breeds their smart,
And do not know what is the thing they chuse,
They childishly the name of loue abuse,
And would define the nature of the same,
By passions which belong to hatreds name,
Wherein to pine with pleasure they do chuse.
Who euer saw that figs on thorne tree came,
Or thistles roses beare by any art?
With pain, with grief, with shame, with losse impart,
Their passions which they for their loue do frame,
With iudgement lame; Loue is a heauenly thing,
Where being plast, it perfect loue doth bring.
SON. XLVII.
LEt earthly things in earth their loue repose,
For flesh and bloud on faith they cannot feed.
It is a frute indeed of heauenly seed,
Which who disgesteth well life cannot lose;
The soule fro out of other matter growes,
And vnto other matter turnes againe,
Immortally to liue in ioy or paine,
As grace to sundry vses it hath chose.
Then is it time my thoughts at length to waine,
For laying vp my treasure for my need,
Where mothes and canker do so common breed.
As in the world whose wealth is meerly vaine,
If I attaine, But faith layd vp in store,
In Christ my Sauiour, I desire no more.
SON. XLVIII.
FYe fainting faith disswade me not so much,
From following of my louely heauenly choyce,
To thinke on whom, I can sot but reioyce,
Whose name or memorie [...]y heart doth touch,
What trauell ere befall, I will not grutch,
Through fire and water I will him pursue,
Whose sight my fainting soule doth straight renue.
His loue and mercy both to me are such:
If I should dye for him it were but due,
By him I liue, and follow will his voyce,
Regarding lightly fame or common noyse,
Which threaten paine and trauell to insue,
There are but few That passe the narrow way,
But crowne of honor doth their trauell pay.
SON. XLIX.
I Finde my heart is bent for to amend,
And follow thee forsaking wonted way,
From wickednesse, my footsteps for to stay,
And to thy will my works henceforth to bend:
But yet the cause which makes me this intend,
I finde is rather feare then loue of right.
Yet free-will offrings do thee more delight,
And to such works thou doest thy blessing send.
It is not ill to set before my sight,
Thy heauie plagues for sin from day to day,
But I had rather forth thy fauour lay,
And for their loue in quarrell thine to sight,
Which if I might By feruent zeale attaine,
Then should I hope the victorie to gaine.
SON. L.
NO sooner loue intirely me possest,
But see how iealousie doth me assaile,
She seekes with deepe distrust my faith to quaile,
And to remoue from conscience quiet guest.
She telleth me my Lord doth sin detest,
And that my deeds they too vnworthie are,
That from his fauour they will me debarre,
Whose loue is fixed only on the best.
Feare had begun to worke in me so farre,
That to amaze my minde it could not faile,
Till to my loue my state I did bewaile,
Who shining sweetly like the morning starre,
Did stay their iarre, And bid my soule to rest
In Christ, by whom I surely shall be blest.
SON. LI.
HE is vnworthie to receiue a gift,
From any man, that him mistrusts before,
I will not ought of thee Lord doubt therefore,
Although no reason can my hope vplift,
I know in deed it is flye Satans drift,
To laie before me this my vilde estate,
Which being sinfull, thou of force must hate,
And I reiected be without all shift.
But when I with my selfe thy works debate,
Which haue examples of thy mercies store,
His reasons are of force with me no more,
Because that faith sets open wide the gate,
To me of late, Which leades to treasure thine,
Where in thy sonne thou doest in mercy shine.
SON. LII.
FAine would I follow thee through sea and land,
My louely Sauiour whom farre off I see,
Zeale makes my mind with speed to hast to thee,
But natiue weaknesse makes me doubtfull stand,
If to my ayde thou gau'st not forth thy hand,
And by thy word incouragde me to row,
I should so shun affections which do flow,
That feare should bend my faith like feeble wand.
But by thy offred grace now strong I grow,
And through the troubles of the world will be
Bold to proceed, and faith shall succour me,
To witnesse forth the thankfulnesse I owe;
Thou doest bestow On me both power & will.
And with them both, I will thee honour still.
SON. LIII.
AS do the starres amidst the firmament,
With borrowed light beare reccord vnto thee,
(O Lord of might) in which we men do see,
The image of thy power to them but lent,
So when our weake indeuors Lord are bent,
To publish forth thy praises which excell,
These silly sparkes of light which in vs dwell.
Do shew thy grace which vs this motion sent.
Although therefore no speech or toong can tell.
How infinit thy glory ought to bee,
Which passeth humane sence by high degree,
As wisest men to grant, they do compell,
Yet thou lik'st well, We show herein our will,
Which I haue vowd vnto thy seruice still.
SON. LIIII.
CAll me ô Lord, for lo I do attend,
To follow thee where so thou doest direct,
I know thou wilt not my intent reiect,
Who gladly would proceed where so thou send,
I doubtfull stand, which way my course to bend,
Because I finde such ignorance of skill,
To follow forth according to my will,
A frutefull course the which I did intend,
As thou with forward zeale my mind didst fill,
So shew me Lord whereto I am select,
And I shall carefully the same effect,
And feruently thereto go forward still,
Depend I will, Vpon occasion fit,
That faithfully I may accomplish it.
SON. LV.
LIke silly babes such must thy seruants bee,
In innocencie and obedience still,
Vnto thy holy lawes ô Lord and will,
From wrath, pride, malice, lust, and enuy free,
With Serpents eyes of wisedome must they see,
And stop their eares which Sathan would deceiue,
With charmes of pleasure which a scar do leaue,
And lend obedient care onely to thee.
Yet with simplicitie of done receaue,
The yoke of law whose rule they must fulfill,
And suffer patiently the word to kill
The force of sin, which would soules health bereaue,
Such thou wilt heaue, And hold in heauenly arme,
And with protecting hand, defend from harme.
SON. LVI.
WHo so could like to Steu'n behold and see,
The throne triumphant where our Sauior fits,
In Maiestie aloft, as best him fits,
A Iudge and Sauior to his Saints to be,
Coēquall with his father in degree,
Possessor of the place for vs prepard,
Who readie stands our weake works to reward,
And from the fury of the world to free.
He were but base if ought he did regard,
This transitorie honour which so flits,
Which to attaine so much doth tyre our wits,
And yet so niggardly to man is shard,
And afterward Doth leaue a sting behinde,
Of care of conscience, and of griefe of minde.
SON. LVII.
WHo seeketh not with all his power and might,
To eternize vnto himselfe his states?
That chance or time may not his blisse rebate,
Or death it selfe may not dissolue it quight.
Thus some therefore for honour fiercely fight,
And some for wealth do trauell far and nigh,
Some worldly wisedome with great studie buy,
To make them famous in this vaine worlds sight.
Which is the readiest way they do espye,
To keep their name from death which so they hate,
Yea all suppose posteritie the gate,
T'immortalize this flesh, whose floure must dye,
But all go wry, wealth, honor, wit haue end,
And children passe, faith only life doth lend.
SON. LVIII.
WHat wealth may be to this alone comparde,
To be co-heire with Christ of fathers loue?
To haue [...] [...]arthly thoughts so raysd aboue,
That world and worldly things we not regard?
To see by faith a kingdome rich preparde
For vs, which shall eternally remaine,
Aye free from worldly cares and troubles vaine,
Which is for children his, a due reward?
Who can discouragde be with earthly paine,
Or tedious combats which the flesh doth proue?
Since care of vs our Partner Christ did moue,
To share our griefes, his ioy to vs to gaine:
Which thoughts should waine Our wils frō base desire
And vs incourage higher to aspire.
SON. LIX.
IF Paradise were such a pleasant soyle,
Where all things flourished and prospered aye,
Wherein who liued, neuer could decaye,
Till sin by Satans slight gaue man the foyle:
Which blessings afterward did cleane recoyle,
And left man naked in reproach and shame,
To dust to turne againe from whence he came,
On barren earth to liue with sweat and toyle.
Then is our state much better then that fame,
Our Paradise a place of blisse to staye,
Our Sauiour (Abrams bosome) doth displaye
Wherein our soules shall rest free from all blame,
Where he our name Hath writ in booke of life,
To be exempt from feare of care, or strife.
SON. LX.
WHat is felicitie whereof men wright?
Which to attaine, our studies still are beat,
Which to procure, such time and paine is spent,
By endlesse trauell therein day and night:
Sure if it be nought else but firme delight,
And that delight consist in peace of minde,
Then here on earth this treasure none shall finde,
Whose pleasures quickly vanish out of sight.
The earth doth chaunge, as seas do rise with tyde,
And stormes insue the calme before that went,
This happinesse but for a time is lent,
And payd oft times with penance more vnkinde
By fortune blinde. T [...]ue blisse consists herein,
To loue the Lord, and to abandon sin.
SON. LXI.
HOw many priuiledges great and rare,
Do we enioy that do thy name professe?
Euen many more by far I do confesse,
Then we obserue, or how to vse be ware:
To giue thy onely sonne thou didst not spare,
Vs to redeeme from deaths eternall wound,
The sting of hell and sin he did confound,
And way to heauen for vs he did prepare.
Yea so his mercies do to vs abound,
That all the worldly creatures more and lesse,
Yea heauenly Angels do themselues addresse,
To serue mans needfull vse are readie found,
He doth propound, In Christ all these to man,
And hauing him, no want annoy vs can.
SON. LXII.
BY many gifts ô Lord thou doest declare,
Thy mercies vnto man whom thou wilt saue,
The vse of all the which in Christ we haue,
By hand of faith, that precious blessing rare,
That doth his righteousnesse for vs prepare,
Our stubbornnesse with his obedience hide,
His patience doth our grosse impatience guide,
His temperance with our intemperance share,
His continence our frailtie lets not slide.
(For changing nature ours, his strength it gaue)
Our pride it hides, and hopes with faithlesse waue,
And shades our hart with loue which stil shal bide,
Thus euery tide, It readie is at hand,
For our defence a buckler for to stand.
SON. LXIII.
HOw should the quiet mind in peace and rest,
Possessed of the thing it most desirde,
(A thing so precious none durst haue aspirde,
To gaine, vnlesse the giuer had him blest)
How may she mourne, how may she be opprest,
Who hath the bridegrome alwaies in her sight:
Who in her loue doth take so great delight,
As by his bountie hourely is exprest?
The dolefull darknesse fitteth blinded night,
The shining Sunne hath cloudes of care retirde,
O heauenly heare my heart it hath aspirde,
Since in thy sonne I saw thy fauour bright,
The which did fight, As champion strong for mee,
From cloudes of darknesse and from sin to free.
SON. LXIIII.
WHo so of perfect temperature is framde,
Must needs delight in heauenly harmony,
His sences so shall be renude thereby,
As sauage beasts by Orpheus harpe were tamde,
Yong Dauids harpe Sauls furious spirit shamde,
And Dolfins did Aryons musicke beare,
Such sympathie in all things doth appeare,
That neuer musicke was by wisedome blamde,
But he that could conceiue with iudgement cleare▪
The sweet records that heauenly motions cry,
Their constant course that neuer swarues awry.
But by discords, whose concords after cheate,
Would hold so deare, The mouer of the same.
That loue of him should base affections tame.
SON. LXV.
GReat is thy power, and more then we conceiue,
Thy glorie more then can discerned bee:
Mans greatest gift is yet that he may see,
Or know, that vertue thine doth his bereaue,
His dazeling eyes each shadow doth deceiue,
His iudgement builded on inconstant ground,
His strength but weaknesse in it selfe is found,
His glorie, greater glorie must receiue
From thee, in whom all glorie doth abound:
What maiestie dare man compare with thee,
To whom all creatures bow obedient knee?
Whose contemplations thou doest cleane confound,
Vpon this ground? True blisse & wisdome stand,
To know our wisedome floweth from thy hand.
SON. LXVI.
AS but vaine hope it is for man to trust,
To thing not promised, or not in power,
Of speaker to performe at pointed hower,
Which is the case of flesh and bloud vniust:
So call that hope no wise man can or must,
Which is performance of expected thing,
When as possession doth assurance bring,
Of thing whereafter we tofore did lust.
The Saints in heauen in ioyfull rest do sing,
Whom hope nor feare do raise or yet deuower,
But men on earth haue hope a resting tower,
To shield them from despightfull Satans sting.
Faith is the wing Makes me to hope ascend,
And truth in Christ shall make my hope haue end.
SON. LXVII.
GReat are the gifts ô Lord thou doest bestow
On sinfull man, by thy abounding grace,
Who when they want doest neuer hide thy face,
But still a patron of thy bountie show:
Which makes vs both thy power and mercy know,
And so with shame and sorrow to repent,
Our thanklesse natures so vnkindly bent:
So slacke to pay the praises which we owe.
But when I do consider thou hast sent
Thy sonne himselfe for to supply our place,
Whose patience did the death on crosse imbrace,
Those to acquite, who did with faith assent:
All speeches spent, Seeme then to me in vaine,
And only I admyring do remaine.
SON. LXVIII.
I Haue bene blind, and yet I thought I saw,
And now I see, yet feare that I am blind,
No blindnesse like to that is of the mind,
Which doth the soule to deadly danger draw:
My carelesse steps did stumble at a straw,
And yet supposd my walke had bene so ware,
That to haue err'd had bene a matter rare,
When euery thought did violate thy law.
But since to search my selfe I do prepare,
So darke of sight my soule and sence I find,
That if thy Christ (my loue) were not more kind,
Eternall death I see should be my share.
But now I dare In spight of wicked foe,
A better course with constant courage goe.
SON. LXIX.
WHy should he faint or thinke his burden great,
That hath a partner to support the same?
Why coward-like should he his honor shame,
That hath a champion readie at intreat,
Who can and doth death and confusion threat,
To all impediments which stop our way?
On whom repose our trust we boldly may,
He being iudge and plast in mercies seat?
He sees our thoughts, and knows what we would say,
He doth our mouthes to fit petitions frame,
He hides our errors if our faith be lame,
And he himselfe doth also for vs pray,
We need but stay, And trust to his good will,
And we are sure he will our want fulfill.
SON. LXX.
ALthough the world do seek to stop my way,
By many stumbling blocks of feare and doubt,
And bid me seeke a farther way about,
And on the staffe of carnall strength to stay,
Though sin, though hell, though death do me denay,
That any power shall bridle their intent,
But would compell me walke as worldlings went,
The hedlong path of pleasure to decay,
Yet will I not this purpose mine repent,
So long as faith will be my souldier stout,
To ouerthrow this fearfull thronging rout.
Whom to subdue, this grace was to me sent,
Ne shall be spent, In vaine this paine of mine,
Hope against hope, shall win the field in fine.
SON. LXXI.
IT were vnfit a concubine to keepe,
Or that her children should possession haue,
Among the frutes which lawfull wedding gaue,
By vertuous spowse which in the soule doth sleepe;
And yet behold how shamefully do creepe,
Into possession of my power and will,
These thoughts and works which motions are to ill,
And trench themselues in fleshly fortresse deepe:
Whose base societie will with vices fill,
The holy brood which grace would spotlesse saue,
In such a doubt my yong affections waue,
That they consent I should them foster still,
But that would spill, More vertuous heritage,
Therefore exilde these be, though hell do rage.
SON. LXXII.
SOmetimes my nature seemeth to repine,
To see the pleasure and the plenteous store,
The wicked do enioy for euermore,
Abounding in their corne, their oyle and wine,
But when I see my weaknesse so encline,
To the abuse of portion I possesse,
My heart with ioy, full often doth confesse,
Thy loue doth much in earthly scarstie shine,
These thing are good and bad, as thou doest blesse,
Which I dare not directly craue therefore,
Such danger followes them euen at the dore,
That plentie lightly doth the soule oppresse,
And as I guesse, Contentednesse doth grow,
In gratefull mind though state be neare so low.
SON. LXXIII.
IF he vnworthie be the sweet to tast,
That shuns the sower as we in prouerbe say,
To honor, pleasure, profit, in the way
Great perill, paine, and cost, so often plast.
If as vnworthie health, he be disgrast,
That will refuse a bitter purge to take,
When he doth know it wi [...]l his feauer slake.
So do temptations proue the mind more chast,
If we with courage do the combat make,
And to the end immoueable do stay,
The more that Satan doth his spight display,
The more the pride and power of him we shake,
And he will quake, And sin shall haue a fall,
And faith in Christ shall triumph ouer all.
SON. LXXIIII.
TO shun the rocks of dangers which appeare,
Amidst the troubled waues of worldly life.
Which in each company are alwaies rife,
Which with soules perill most men buy full deare,
I feare almost to keep my course so neare,
The conuersation of such tickle tides,
And thinke him blest, that banished abides,
In desert, where of sin he may not heare.
But when I note where so a man him hides,
That still affections breed an inward strife,
That nature beares about the bloudie knife,
And to the death the proper soule it guides,
That fancie slides Away, and I prepare,
In combats of the world to fight my share.
SON. LXXV.
WEre it not straunge, that members of the same
One liuing bodie, and one parents childe,
Should by the other daily be defilde?
And of vnseemly thing should haue no shame?
And yet we which of Christ do beare the name,
And children of his father vs do call,
At discord with this parent daily fall,
And Christ our eldest brother do defame.
It seemeth well we be but bastards all,
Though stock be true, we be but Oliues wilde,
Who thinks vs better, he is but beguilde,
Our frutes are bitter, and increase but small,
And who so shall Examine well his works,
Shall see that gall in purest thoughts there lurks.
SON. LXXVI.
IT is no light or curious conceipt,
O Lord thou knowest, that maketh me to straine
My feeble powers, which blindfold did remaine,
Vpon thy seruice now at length to waight,
But only shame to see mans nature fraight,
So full of pregnant speech to litle vse,
Or rather oftentimes to thy abuse,
Whilst to deceiue, they laie a golden baight:
And do not rather thinke it fit to chuse,
By praises thine, true praise themselues to gaine,
And leaue those fond inuentions which do staine
Their name, and cause them better works refuse,
Which doth abuse The gifts thou doest bestow,
And oftentimes thy high contempt do show.
SON. LXXVII.
FOr common matter common speech may serue,
But for this theame both wit and words do want.
For he that heauen and earth and all did plant,
The frutes of all he iustly doth deserue,
No maruell then though oft my pen do swarue,
In middle of the matter I intend,
Since oft so high, my thoughts seeke to ascend.
As want of wisedome makes my will to starue.
But thou ô Lord who clouen tongs didst send,
Vnto thy seruants when their skills were scant,
And such a zeale vnto thy praise that brant,
As made them fearelesse speake, and neuer bend,
Vnto the end, One iot from thy behest,
Shall guide my stile, as fits thy glory best.
SON. LXXVIII.
HOw happily my riches haue I found,
Which I no sooner sought but it is wonne,
Which to attaine, my will had scarce begunne.
But I did finde it readie to abound,
The silly faith I had was setled sound
In Christ, although for feare it oft did pant.
Which I did wish more constantly to plant.
That it might all temptations so confound,
With feruency this litle sparkle brant,
Till it inflamde my zeale and so did runne,
Vnto the fountaine of true light (the sonne)
Whose gratious soyle to feed it was not scant:
Men finde more want, The more they couet still,
But if man couet this, it aye doth fill.
SON. LXXIX.
WHen desolate I was of worldly ayde,
Vnable to releeue my selfe at need,
Thou hadst a care my fainting soule to feed,
Because my faith vpon thy fauour stayde,
My dying hope thou hast with mercy payde,
And as thou didst releeue thy seruant deare,
Elias whom the Rauens in desert cheare,
So am I comforted whom sin affrayde.
The cries of litle Rauens thine eare doth heare,
And slakst their hunger kindly Lord indeed,
When parents do forsake [...],
That so thy prouidence might more appeare,
Which shineth cleare, In blessings euery day,
To me much more then I can duly way.
SON. LXXX.
AMidst this pilgrimage where wandring I,
Do trace the steps which flesh and bloud hath tred,
My comfort is, that aye mine eyes are led,
By gratious obiect which in faith I spy,
Whose brightnesse guides my steps, which else awry
Were like to slide, through Satans subtil slight,
Gainst whom his holy Angels alwaies sight,
And suffer not my strength too farre to try.
By day his word and works are in my sight.
Like to a cloud to comfort me in dread,
By fife through deserts, and the sea so red,
His hand doth gouerne me in dangerous night,
His fauour bright, Conducting this my way,
An host of steps shall not my iourny stay.
SON. LXXXI.
I See a storme me thinks approach a farre,
In darkned skie, which threatens woe at hand,
Vnto my tackle I had need to stand,
Lest sudden puffs my purposd course debarre.
These tempting thoughts full oft forerunners are,
Of fierce affections which do moue the minde,
Which if resistance not in time they finde,
The strongest tackling they do stretch or marre,
I closely therefore will my conscience binde,
And arme [...] vessell with couragious band,
Of [...] do know the land,
Whose [...] safetie are most kinde:
And in my minde Shall faith the Pylate bee,
Whose skill shall make me wished port to see.
SON. LXXXII.
HOw is it that my course so soone would stay,
Before I haue begun the thing I thought?
If ease or pleasure I herein had sought.
I had not then made choyse of such a way:
More facill [...]s the course vnto decay,
More fauour with the world it will attaine;
But I mis [...]ke the [...]y requit with paine,
And faining words, not meaning as they say.
Men breake their sleeps some silly pelse to gaine:
With losse of life small honor some haue bought,
Yea Philosophers pleasure set at nought,
To win a name of vertue to remaine:
Then I will waine My selfe from earthly rest,
With heauenly crowne and honor to the blest.
SON. LXXXIII.
WHen I begin to faint in my conceipt,
To see the litle power I haue to good,
How sin hath vertue in me still withstood,
And frailtie on my flesh doth alwaies waigh [...].
I am confounded and amazed straight,
And readily could turne and flie the field,
And all my trauell to the tempter yeeld,
Before I would aduenture more to fight.
But when I duly note whereon I build,
My faith, which watered is with Christ his bloud.
Of force sufficient to withstand the floud,
And me from perill and destruction shield,
I easily welde Each burden on me layd,
And of my safetie nothing am affrayd.
SON. LXXXIIII.
THe chastisements which often do befall,
Vnto the most belou'd of God and blest,
Doth breed vnto their soules both peace and rest,
And home from wandring thoughts their mind doth call,
And sure are tokens not of fauour small,
Who father like doth vs in time correct,
Who else the care of him would soone reiect,
And haue no heed vnto our waies at all.
The good Phisition that would life protect,
Cuts of a limb sometimes as it seemes best,
And yet the patient doth the same disgest,
Or any paine that worketh good effect,
Should God neglect Vs then to exercise?
With rods wherby to make vs grow more wise.
SON. LXXXV.
HOw should my feare or sorrow long remaine,
(Although the world did swell, and ouerflow
With dangers which nought else but death do show)
When I by death do finde a present gaine:
Faith me assures that all assaults are vaine,
That seeke to seuer me from heauenly blis,
The loue of Christ assureth me of this,
That I with him shall safely still remaine,
What though of earthly pleasures I do misse,
And though the care of them vnpleasing grow,
Yet this by good experience I do know,
All things turne to the best to children his,
I therefore kis, The crosse with ioyfull cheare,
Because in chastisement doth loue appeare.
SON. LXXXVI.
ALthough those Gibeonites the natiue borne,
Of sinfull flesh haue slily me beguilde,
When as I thought all lust to haue exilde,
By showing faynd repentance raggd and torne,
Though flesh and bloud vnto this league haue sworne,
Not asking counsell of the Lord at all,
By which into a snare my soule did fall,
And deepe hypocrisie my power did scorne,
Yet meane I them vnto account to call,
And since they haue my holy thoughts defilde,
Accursed I will hold them and as vilde,
Will hate their offprings all, both great and small,
And be they shall, But bondmen to my soule,
Who daily may their proud attempts controwle.
SON. LXXXVII.
WHen I began a conquest of my will
To make, and yeeld it vnto reasons law,
My reason to the rule of God to draw,
And by that rule to guide my actions still,
It had bine wisdome first the flesh to kill,
VVho breeds affections, which do still withstand
The building of the woorke I haue in hand,
And thornes are in my sides to worke me ill,
But now my error I do vnderstand,
And must by feare of wrath keepe them in awe,
And by the chastisements of sin they saw,
Make them to yeeld vnto obedient band,
Then shall my land With faithfull soldiers be
Replenished, and armed strengthen me.
SON. LXXXVIII.
NOt euerie one that with his lips doth pray,
Or praise thy name is gratefull in thy sight,
Thy searching eyes haue not so much delight,
In those that cry, Lord, Lord each houre of day,
But such as in thy bownds obedient stay,
And make thy will a law vnto their minde,
That in thy promises do comfort finde,
And follow not the worlds deceitfull way,
To such thou showest thy selfe a father kinde,
And doest illuminate their heart with might,
Against all powers which do against them fight,
Their fores thou tak'st to cure, and doest vpbinde,
Angels assingde, Do them inuiron round,
And to their comfort, mercies do abound.
SON. LXXXIX.
HOw should I quicken vp my selfe indeed,
To true and faithfull loue euen as I ought,
Vnlesse I call to mind whence I was brought,
And by whose ayde, who did this kindnesse breed,
Which when I only waigh, my heart doth bleed,
To see that bountie of a God so kinde,
And note the dulnesse of my nature blinde,
That should forget the Lord who me doth feed.
When I was almost lost he me did finde,
When I forgat him cleane, on me he thought,
When I was sold to sin then he me bought.
When I was wounded, he my sores did binde,
Yea when I pinde, He gaue me plenteous store,
Which gifts I will record for euermore.
SON. XC.
WHy should I faint or feare, or doubt at all.
How fierce so euer fleshly combat show,
Since I so sure a succour readie know,
To shield me safe, what euer do befall?
If he haue such regard of sparrows small,
As none of them (till God appoint) do dye,
If to our haires which fall, he haue an eye,
That none of them vnnumbred perish shall:
Why should I thinke him deaffe when I do crye,
As though he had no care of vs below,
As though he would not needfull things bestow,
Although our patience he delight to trye,
Who can denye, But floures that grow in field,
In glorie staine the beautie pride doth yeeld.
SON. XCI.
HOw do Gods blessings to his Saints abound,
Whose gifts of grace although they be but small,
At first yet more and more increase they shall,
As seed well watred in a frutefull ground,
The proofe whereof I sinfull wretch haue found,
Whose faith nigh famished, he now hath fed
From heauen, with great increase of fish and bread,
Which strengthen dying soule with comfort sound,
His word for table he did open spred,
His seruants for to feed, me he did call,
Their dole so free, I find more fragments fall,
Then in my basket sences home haue led,
Yet he hath bed To such more to bestow,
As greatest store of former treasor show.
SON. XCII.
I Know not Lord how to discharge aright,
The dutie that for graces great I owe,
No need thou hast of me at all I know,
Yet in thy seruice shall be my delight,
To publish forth thy praises day and night,
To serue thy Saints with gifts I shall possesse,
Thy wondrous works by all meanes to confesse,
I will imploy my substance, wit, and might.
The remnant of my life shall well expresse,
That dead to sin in Christ to life I grew,
Which shall to world, my mind regenerate show,
Although that I cannot sin cleane suppresse,
And will adresse My thoughts to thee alone,
Because on earth true ioy or blisse is none.
SON. XCIII.
IF I did hope by pen to patterne out
The many merits of thy Maiestie,
Which of thy mercies we do daily trie,
An endlesse matter I should go about,
But I alas my strength so much do doubt,
That nothing lesse then such a thought I haue,
To point forth others to a thought I craue,
Whose confidence in skill is much more stout.
Yet dare I say that nature neuer gaue
The power to flesh and bloud to looke so hye,
Nor gifts of grace full few there are apply,
To giue him laude aright that did them saue.
How to behaue My selfe herein I learne,
And wish my will might others likewise warne.
SON. XCIIII.
WHat tong or pen can show it selfe vnkinde,
Vnto a father full of mercy so,
Who freely doth such benefits bestow,
And of your case hath such a carefull minde?
Before we were, a way he forth did finde,
Whereby to purchase vs in heauen a place,
When natiue strength our glory should deface,
A remedie therefore his loue assignde:
He giues vs knowledge of the same by grace,
Which offered is to them the which will go
Vnto the word where sauing health doth grow,
And saith through which our Sauiour we imbrace,
And being base, By birth, and thrall to hell,
He vs adopts in childrens roome to dwell.
SON. XCV.
WHy should this worldly care haue now such power
To quēch the comfort which the soule shall find
In this our God, who is to vs so kind,
The memorie of which should feare deuower?
If faith were watred well with heauenly shower
Of grace, and knowledge of our happie state,
It would the force of all assaults abate,
And be a bulwarke strong at trials hower.
If we the world and flesh did truly hate,
And made his will a law vnto our minde,
If doubt of power or will, did not vs blinde,
Which to distrust, sets open wide the gate,
Then would this rate Of worldly care be lesse,
And he our faith with fauour more would blesse.
SON. XCVI.
HOw loth this flesh of mine remaineth still,
To part from sin his old companion deare,
Of death or of a change, he would not heare,
But would imbrace him aye with his good will,
The verie thought of death his thought doth kill,
The verie feare thereof his sorrow brings,
So sweet the pleasures seeme of earthly things,
That nought else can our fond affections kill.
But who is wise, fro out the snare he wrings,
Before perforce, death doth approach him neare,
That abstinence no vertue doth appeare,
When want of power subdues affections stings,
But who so flings, From them when they pursue,
To him pure name of vertue indeed is due.
SON. XCVII.
WHo so would liue, of force he first must dye,
Death is the doore which leadeth vnto life,
Life which shall be deuoyd of change and strife,
Whose comfort shall our teares of sorrow drye,
The way is straight the which man must go by.
If to the heauens he purpose to ascend,
His grosse corruption must to graue descend,
And dead, the power of sin therein must lye,
If he to be regenerate intend,
First must he mortifie the motions rise,
Of lust, which kill the soule with cruell knife,
And eke his ruine presently pretend,
For God will send A happie change indeed,
As haruest paies with plentie plow mans seed.
SON. XCVIII.
WHen I with griefe sometimes to mind do call,
The wofull losse that sin to man hath brought,
And want which to all creatures it hath wrought,
By Satans slight, and Adams fearfull fall,
I finde no comfort in worlds vse at all,
But wish to be dissolu'd with Christ to dwell,
From whom all blessings flow and do excell,
In thought whereof my comfort is not small.
Yea I do grow by thinking hereof well,
Into a doubt, if that in truth I ought,
More sorrow parents fall, which death hath brought,
Or ioy the life through Christ to me befell,
Yet truth to tell, I finde the change so good,
Our state is better now then when we stood.
SON. XCIX.
IF I can speake and like a coward crake,
If I can tell the thing the which is best,
If I in muster seeme to battell prest,
And yet shrinke backe when I should triall make,
If I indeuour others to awake,
Fro out the deadly slumber they are in,
And yet my selfe cannot reuolt from sin,
But in the pride thereof do pleasure take,
By all my trauell I no game shall win,
Although my paine might proue to others blest,
But as the Symball sound doth to the rest,
I might haps mourne, when others mirth begin,
The feast but thin, Would be vnto my share,
Though many dishes to the guests I bare.
SON. C.
FOrtune and chance, blind guides to blisse farewell,
Vpon your leasures I no more attend,
I not regard what good or ill you send,
Not in your tents of pleasures wish to dwell,
A greater blisse then ere through you befell,
Ye made me to neglect I now do see,
Whose hope from feare could neare continue free,
But aye distrust did gainst my faith rebell.
The earths delight the which ye promist me,
Could not my soule from sorrow ought defend,
Your sweet with sower was mixed in the end,
So vaine and variable both they be,
Then happie he That seeketh blessed rest,
In Christ alone, and doth the world detest.
CONCLVSION.
WOrds may well want, both Inke and paper faile,
Wits may grow dull, and will may weary grow,
And worlds attaires may make my pen more slow,
But yet my heart and courage shall not quaile,
Though cares and troubles do my peace assaile,
And driue me to delay thy praise awhile,
Yet all the world shall not from thoughts exile,
Thy mercies Lord by which my plaints preuaile.
And though the world with face should gratefull smile,
And me her pedlers packe of pleasures show,
No heartie loue on her I will bestow,
Because I know she seekes me to beguile,
Ne will defile My happie peace of minde,
For all the solace I in earth may finde.
FINIS.
A TABLE DIRECTING by part of the first verse of each, to the
| Booke. | Sonet. | |
| A Base borne | 1. | 54 |
| According to thy | 1. | 41 |
| A husbandman | 1. | 53 |
| Although the world | 2. | 70 |
| Although these | 2. | 86 |
| Amidst the graues | 1. | 42 |
| A merchant | 1. | 21 |
| Among the prease | 1. | 22 |
| Among thy sheepe | 1. | 9 |
| Amidst this famine | 1. | 37 |
| A Moabite | 1. | 80 |
| Amidst this pilgrimage | 2. | 80 |
| A poore Arabian | 1. | 20 |
| A tenant | 1. | 50 |
| As thou art pure | 1. | 24 |
| As oft as thou | 1. | 31 |
| A sinfull Syrian | 1. | 98 |
| A seruant Lord | 1. | 73 |
| A seruant sold | 1. | 75 |
| As through a mist | 2. | 1 |
| As fareth with | 2. | 9 |
| As is the treasure | 2. | 15 |
| As but vaine | 2. | 66 |
| As doth the starres | 2. | 53 |
| As doth the M [...]one | 2. | 44 |
| A virgin pure | 1. | 29 |
| [Page]Auant base thoughts | 2. | 37 |
| A wi [...]ked Pharisie | 1. | 16 |
| A wicked theefe | 1. | 78 |
| A wi [...]ked soule | 1. | 19 |
| BEhold ô Lord the Citie | 1. | 10 |
| Behold ô Lord a tree | 1. | 14 |
| Behold a midst worlds | 1. | 92 |
| Betwixt two strong | 2. | 17 |
| By many gifts | 2. | 62 |
| Borne blinde I was | 1. | 38 |
| CAll me ô Lord | 2. | 54 |
| Cleansde are the | 2. | 2 |
| FAine would I fence | 1. | 32 |
| Faine would I follow thee | 2. | 52 |
| Faine would I praise | 2. | 40 |
| Fiue foolish virgins | 1. | 17 |
| F [...]e fainting faith | 2. | [...]8 |
| For common matter | 2. | 77 |
| Fortune and chance | 2. | 100 |
| Fro out the darkenesse | 1. | 2 |
| From Iuda wandering | 8. | 81 |
| From farre I see | 2. | 18 |
| GReat are the | 2. | 67 |
| Great is thy | 2. | 65 |
| HE is vnworthie | 2. | 21 |
| How should my soule | 1. | 1 |
| [Page]HOw hard it is | 1. | 48 |
| How oft ô Lord | 1. | 63 |
| How drunken are | 1. | 39 |
| How precious | 2. | 21 |
| How can I limit | 2. | 26 |
| How may this be | 2. | 34 |
| How fond a thing | 2. | 46 |
| How many priuiledges | 2. | 61 |
| How should the quiet | 2. | 63 |
| How happily | 2. | 78 |
| How is it that | 2. | 82 |
| How loth this | 2. | 96 |
| How should my | 2. | 85 |
| How should I | 2. | 89 |
| How do Gods blessings | 2. | 91 |
| I Follow thee | 1. | 25 |
| I seeke ô Lord | 1. | 13 |
| I will not feare | 2. | 38 |
| I iustly am | 1. | 52 |
| I see alas | 1. | 99 |
| I finde my heart | 2. | 49 |
| I haue bene blinde | 2. | 68 |
| I haue begunne | 2. | 6 |
| I see a storme | 2. | 81 |
| I shame to see | 2. | 13 |
| I know not | 2. | 92 |
| In humble wise | 1. | 4 |
| Into thy vineyard | 1. | 23 |
| In bondage long | 1. | 79 |
| In famine great | 1. | 89 |
| [Page]In deadly sleepe | 1. | 43 |
| In pride of you [...]h | 1. | 6 |
| If thou vouchsafest | 1. | 45 |
| If he to whom | 2. | 11 |
| If Saba Queene | 2. | 45 |
| If beautie be | 2. | 33 |
| If Paradise | 2. | 59 |
| If he vnworthie be | 2. | 73 |
| If I did hope | 2. | 93 |
| If I can speake | 2. | 99 |
| It is not Lord | 1. | Preface |
| It were vnfit | 2. | 71 |
| It is no light. | 2. | 76 |
| LAme of my limbs | 1. | 7 |
| Let earthly things | 2. | 47 |
| Like pined childe | 1. | 27 |
| Like silly babes | 2. | 55 |
| Lo how I groueling | 1. | 81 |
| Loue then I will | 2. | 39 |
| MY bodie Lord the house | 1. | 36 |
| My bodie Lord infected | 1. | 60 |
| My soule like | 1. | 76 |
| My sinnes behold | 1. | 33 |
| My wicked flesh | 1. | 44 |
| Mourne thou no more | 1. | 101 |
| My traytrous heart | 1. | 49 |
| NO recompence | 2. | 20 |
| No sooner loue | 2. | 50 |
| [Page]Not that my faith | 1. | 84 |
| Not euer [...]e one | 2. | 88 |
| Now that thou hast | 1. | 12 |
| Now that I see | 1. | 61 |
| Now that it pleaseth | 1. | 69 |
| Now that I haue | 2. | 12 |
| Now will I daunce | 2. | 19 |
| Now that thy mercies | 2. | 27 |
| O Heauenly beautie | 2. | 32 |
| O heauenly loue | 2. | 35 |
| O perfect sonne | 2. | 41 |
| Of sinfull race | 1. | 30 |
| Of euerie creature | 1. | 47 |
| Of parents first | 1. | 26 |
| Of sweet and sauorie | 1. | 90 |
| Out of the fountaine | 1. | 18 |
| Out of thy | 1. | 92 |
| Polluted with | 1. | 28 |
| SInce it hath pleased | 1. | 46 |
| Since with Goliath | 1. | 11 |
| Since thou hast raisd | 1. | 65 |
| Since thou by grace | 1. | 100 |
| Since that it pleaseth | 1. | 88 |
| Since to so holy | 2. | 3 |
| Since thou ô Lord | 2. | 10 |
| Since thou hast | 2. | 25 |
| So blinde ô Lord | 1. | 77 |
| So foolish Lord | 1. | 97 |
| [Page]Some men do mourne | 2. | 1 |
| Sometimes my nature | 2. | 72 |
| THe temple Lord | 1. | 67 |
| The silly bab [...]s | 1. | [...]7 |
| The greedinesse | 1. | 34 |
| The many trials | 1. | 85 |
| The dreame which thou | 1. | 93 |
| The seed which thou | 1. | 94 |
| The malice of | 1. | 96 |
| The talents which | 1. | 87 |
| The onely daughter | 1. | 56 |
| The more I seeke | 2. | 8 |
| The end vvhereto | 2. | 14 |
| The pleasures of | 2. | 16 |
| The povverfull penne | 2. | 29 |
| The shining face | 2. | 36 |
| The chastisements | 2. | 84 |
| Thy thundring voice | 1. | 8 |
| The slender Citie | 1. | 83 |
| This stately stage | 2. | 30 |
| Thou formedst me | 1. | 72 |
| Though vvith thy Saints | 1. | 40 |
| Thou hast ô Lord | 1. | 86 |
| Thanks vvill I | 2. | 22 |
| To shun the rocks | 2. | 74 |
| VNto thy princely | 1. | 5 |
| Voyd of true life | 1. | 35 |
| WEre it not straunge | 2. | 75 |
| [Page]Where shall I build | 1. | 58 |
| Where shall I finde | 2. | 9 |
| What am I else | 1. | 71 |
| Whilst in this world | 1. | 70 |
| Whilst with the vvholesome | 1. | 64 |
| Whilst in the garden | 1. | 51 |
| Whereso I cast about | 2. | 23 |
| When thou vouchsafest | 1. | 55 |
| Whilst in the vaile | 1. | 59 |
| Whilst that the chosen | 1. | 62 |
| Whilst that in vvealth | 1. | 66 |
| What strength hath | 1. | 95 |
| When I begin | 2. | 83 |
| When as my | 2. | 3 |
| What tong or pen | 2. | 94 |
| What should I render | 2. | 42 |
| What present | 2. | 42 |
| What vvealth | 2 | 58 |
| What is felicitie | 2. | 60 |
| When I began | 2. | 87 |
| When I vvith griefe | 2. | 98 |
| When desolate I vvas | 2. | 79 |
| Who so beholds | 2. | 43 |
| Whilst in the plentie | 1. | 74 |
| Whilst I do studie | 2. | 24 |
| Why should be faeint | 2. | 69 |
| Why should this | 2. | 95 |
| Why should I | 2. | 90 |
| Within this Arke | 1. | 3 |
| Within thy garden | 1. | 15 |
| Within thy house | 1. | 68 |
| [Page]Who vvill be [...]old | 2. | 31 |
| Who so could | 2. | 56 |
| Who seeketh not | 2. | 57 |
| Who so of perfect | 2. | 64 |
| Who so would liue | 2. | 97 |
| Would God | 2. | 5 |
| Words may vvell vvant | 2. | Conclusiō |
FINIS.