HOLY CHVRCHES Complaint, for her childrens disobedience.
HE which the Church, for Mother will not haue,
And still continues in his stubborne will,
May be assurde, that God him wil not saue,
But let him head-long runne, from worse, to ill:
If thou for euer then, with him wilt bee,
Come home againe, the Keys he left with mee.
[...]
Holie Churches Complaint.
VVHiles Adam soundly sléep did take,
Gods wisedome did prouide:
A louing Spouse to be his make,
Created from his side.
So Christ our Lord vpon the roode,
By death on sléepe did fall:
And from his side water and blood
Did runne to rinse vs all.
Whereby his Church he did ordaine
His louing Spouse and make:
The cause why all that bitter paine
He suffered for her sake.
And cleansed her from filthy crime
By Baptisme bath, by blood:
And wanne her strait from time to time,
By conquest on the Roode.
And warned all, obediently
To heare his Churches voyce:
Math. 18.17.
Or else, as heathen men to be,
And of no better choyce.
Wherefore (O man) take thou good keep
What holy Church doth say:
Vnto all such like wandring shéepe
As runne from her astray.
O erring flocke, with all thy powre,
Returne to me againe:
Iohn 10.
Or hellish wolfes will thée deuoure,
Vnto eternall paine.
You should be children of Gods house,
Come séeke your dwelling there:
Gods holy Church, and louing Spouse,
Which is your Mother deare.
Aug. in psa. 88. & de lymb. lib. 4. Cip. c. 10. de simplicitate prelat. Prouerb. 1.9. Iohn 14.16, 26. Iohn 15.26. Iohn 16.7.
As holy Doctors all write this,And constantly agrée:
To whom Christs Church no mother is,
God will no father be.
The holy Ghost Christ promised
To me his Spouse to send:
That in all truth I might be led,
Vntill this world should end.
The 2 Testamēts Malach. 2.7. Esa. 12 3. Rom. 10.15. Iohn 10.
From my two dugges the foode of lifeDoe all Gods children drawe:
Submissiuely, without all strife,
Vnto my sacred Lawe.
If any man contend vpon
The mysteries of our faith:
Then should you answer such a one,
As sacred scripture saith.
1. Cor. 11.16. 1. Reg. 15.22. 2. Cor. 10.5. 1. Pet. 1.14.
No such custome haue we in this,Nor holy church likewise:
For we wel know, Obedience is
Excéeding sacrifice.
Take Credite and Authoritie
From me, Christs Spouse away:
Then all true faith vndoubtedly,
Wil fall to déepe decay.
By me you know, God, and his word,
And the true sense thereof:
Though heretikes will not accord,
But prowdly scorne and scoffe.
And schismatikes that seperate
Themselues from grace and peace:
How do you thinke your sinfull state
Alas shall finde release?
O thinke on what our Sauiour deare
Hath suffered for thy sake:
The space of thrée and thirty yeare,
Most bitter paines to take.
And poorely borne, it is wel knowne,
Thou needst not to be tolde:
Descending from his heauenly throne
To bring thée to his folde.
And in this worldly wildernesse,
With loue long hath thee sought:
The poerelesse price who can expresse
Wherewith he hath thée bought.
For loue of thée his griefe was great,
The like was neuer found:
From his swéete face a bloudy sweate,
Did trickle to the ground.
Marke how his blessed flesh was rent,
With whips on euery side:
Yet for thy sake he was content
Such torments to abide.
Vpon his head, him to disgrace,
They set a crowne of thorne:
That streams of bloud ranne downe apace,
Which patiently was borne.
Condemned was this Innocent,
Vpon a Crosse to die:
The which he bare incontinent
Towards mount Caluerie.
His blessed hands and féete thereto
With nailes were fixed fast:
Three houres so, most bitter woe
For thee thy Lord did taste.
All passengers that pitteously
Behold this bitter paine:
Thren. 1.12.
Declare to me, like cruelty
Did euer man sustaine?
His head with thorns, his eies with tears,
His mouth is filld with gall:
And bloudy wounds (as well appeares)
Doe paine his members all.
This heauenly bridegroome on the Roode
His Church to Spouse did take:
And others all as bastards broode
Did vtterly forsake.
Then all his paine it is in vaine,
O sinfull wretch to thée:
Except in me thou wilt remaine
In perfect vnitie.
Galat 7. 1 Pet 3 21. Ephet. 5.24.
As well Noes Arke did signifie,When all the world was drownd:
So in my lap assuredly
Is all true safetie sound.
Symbol. Athan. Iohn 15.1.5, & 6
Séeke where thou wilt, no other placeFrom sinne can set thée frée:
Of all the treasures of his grace
The Keyes he left with me.
My Spouse ascending left with me,
His treasure and his store:
That I might giue, as cause I sée,
A salue to euery sore.
The seauen sacraments.
Giue eare to me a little space,And marke attentiuely:
How seauen conduits of God's grace,
I open vnto thée.
And first in Baptisme I do beare
The sacrament of Baptisme.
(Through God the holy ghost)Most faithfull children farre and neare
To him in euery coast.
Then do I strengthen them also,
Confirmation.
With further gifts of grace:To fight against their deadly foe,
That seekes them to displace.
If they, through sinne, and Satans guile
Penance.
Receiue some deadly wound:I can them salue and reconcile,
Repentance being found.
I féede them all with Angels foode,
And heauenly Manna pure:
The holy Eucharist.
Which hung for them vpon the Roode
Saluation to procure.
I giue them grace to multiply,
In such as married be:
Matrimony.
Two in one flesh coniunctiuely,
Resembling Christ and me.
For godly gouernement, I giue
High Orders in degree:
Holy Orders.
Vnder whose charge my children liue,
And walke obediently.
As Dauid sung in prophecie
Psal. 44.17.
For parents past, againe
Should children borne still placed be
As Princes for to raigne.
When languishing sore sicke they lie
In weake and feeble state:
To comfort them my Pastors hie,
In that most dreadfull gate.
The sacrament of extreame Vnction.
The gate that all mankinde must goe,
Wherefore I them annoynt:
With holy oyle against their foe,
Iacob. 5.14.
As Scriptures do appoynt.
Moreouer this,
The holy sacrifice of the masse.
I haue a pureAnd dayly sacrifice:
Which to my children doth procure
Mercy, and Grace likewise.
As Malachi foretold, by name,
Malac. 1.11.
From rising of the Sunne:
Vnto the setting of the same
This sacrifice is done.
With other giftes and graces moe,
Eccl. 24.
I haue for to dispose:
Which all that thus vnkindely goe
From me, of force must lose.
Returne then to repentance méeke,
Mercy in time require:
I groane, I sigh, I sobbe and séeke
To saue thée from hell fire.
Thy Fathers force, and potent hand
In furious rage will strike:
Luc. 10.16.
If thou thy Mother dost withstand,And sacred Lawes mislike.
Ose 1, & 2.
Forsake that stepdame Heresie,Come walke my holy way:
Esa. 35.8.
Wherein, by Esaies prophecie,Fooles cannot runne astray.
Embrace me then obediently,
Sée in Gods sacred Booke:
Esai. 49, 23.
How mighty Kings shall foster me,And Quéenes must giue me sucke.
O how should I forgotten be
Thus in so short a space:
For neuer since Christ planted me,
That I did hide my face.
Although that harlot Heresie
Would maske in mine attire:
Yet may the simplest plainely sée
How hell and she conspire.
To seeke my vtter ouerthrow
Is all their whole intent:
Yet spurning at the pricke, you know,
Is time but vainely spent.
Full falsly they doe me accuse
Matth. 13.25.
Their owne darke cause to cleare:That I Gods truth did cleane refuse
For many a hundred yeare.
Math. 28.20. Iohn 14.16.26 Iohn 15.26 Iohn 16.7.
Though Christ my Spouse, and only aide,The holy Ghost my guide:
As is in Scripture plainely saide,
And cannot be denide.
If that a Bird cannot incline
Math 10.20. Luc. 12.6.
To fall, nor to ascend:
Without Gods prouidence diuine,
Whereon she doth depend.
If to each creature he doe yéelde
Reliefe in their degrée:
And to the Lillies of the field
Will not vnmindfull be.
Math. 1.26.28.
He cannot be forgetfull in
His honor, and renowne:
Esai. 49, 15, 16.
And suffer so hell gates to win,
Math. 16.18.
His kingdome and his crowne.
My feete are placed on the rocke,
My God is my defence:
Gala. 15.1. Psal. 17.31.
The force of all the hellish flocke
Cannot remoue me thence.
Of Trueth I am the onely ground,
1. Tim. 3.15.
As holy Paul doth tell:
In me Gods will is onely found,
In me all grace doth dwell.
I am the Tabernacle still,
Psal. 18.6.
Set in the Sunne to shine:
I am that citty on a hill,
Math. 5.15.
Thats hid from no mans eine.
I am cut forth of Christ his side,
As is in Daniel found:
Dan. 2.35.
To fill the world both farre and wide,
With force of doctrine sound.
Therefore my name is Catholike,
For euery time and place:
Vnto that faith then firmely sticke
That most men still embrace.
By Dauids words I hold this plea,
Psal. 2.8. Psal. [...]1.8.
That Christ must rule and raigne:
From sea to sea, and from the sea
Through all the world againe.
How can they charge me that I should
Gods holy truth deny:
For, so his promise cannot holde,
But Scriptures falsly lie?
He prayd for me most feruently,
How could he but preuaile?
And therefore did assure to me,
Luc. 22.31. Luc. 12.49. Math. 13.24, 30
My faith should neuer faile.O you poore soules so purchased,
With Christs most pretious bloud:
What fury hath so fondly led
You from your chiefest good?
Especially to thée my deare,
Standing in this estate:
Through wicked wealth, or worldly feare,
O most accursed Fate.
Lesse to estéeme of God then golde,
Of soule than carkasse vile:
O that such sensuall pleasure should
Put reason in exile.
Heb. 12.1 & 2. Math. 16.24. Math. 10.37, 38.
If here thy crosse thou wilt not takeWith Christ thy captaine kinde:
For euermore in Limbo lake,
Be sure thou shalt it finde.
But if like Christs disciple sound,
Thy crosse thou wilt indure:
In heauenly wealth thou shalt abound,
And lasting ioy procure.
Alas, you runne your course in vaine,
You loose your heauenly crowne:
Returne to Noes Arke againe,
Or else you néedes must drowne.
Conuert all erring hearts (O Lord)
Thy louing Spouse defend:
That we alwayes with her accord,
And so make vp, and end.
Finis.
Deo gratias.