A godly new ballad, intituled, A dozen of poynts

Godly new ballad, intituled, A dozen of Poynts. A Dozen of Poynts you here may read, VVhereon each Chriſtian ſoul may feed.

THe gift is ſmall, a Douzen of Points, wherewith i'd wiſh you knit your joynts • éep well the ſame, and credit me, • hy life moſt pure and juſt ſhall be. • he firſt Point's this, I wiſh you keep, • s that at night before you ſleep, • ée ſtill you ask God forgiveneſs, Of all your ſins and wickedneſs. The ſecond Point is this, I ſay, Then thou doſt ſee the chearful day, • riſe and praiſe the God of might, That hath defended thee all night. The third is this that thou ſhouldſt require: • nd on thy bended knees deſire, • he God of Heaven to be thy ſtay, For to preſerve thee night and day. The fourth doth bid thee to beware, • nd to avo •• the ſubtile ſnare, For Satan with his crafty power, Doth ſeek mens ſouls for to devour. The fift good counſel doth thee give, And warn thee well whilſt thou doth live, To keep thy conſcience clear and pure, Then God will bleſs thee to be ſure. The ſixth of theſe my Points, do will, That thou deviſe no ſubtile skill, Whereby to work thy Neighbours wo, Take heed, I ſay, and do not ſo▪ The ſeventh ſaith, defraud no man, But deal as juſtly as you can, The widdow and the fatherleſs defend, So God will bleſs thee to the end. The eight doth bid thee more or leſs, Still to beware of drunkenneſs. For drunkenneſs is abhor'd of God, On whom he lays his heavy Rod. The ninth ſaith, Fornication flye, Thoſe wicked Harlots will makè thee dye, Thy body they'l conſume, I ſay, And bring thy ſoul unto decay. The tenth doth ſay do not forſwear. Falſe witneſs againſt no man bear: Let no affection ſway thy mind, The eye of juſtice ſo to blind. The eleventh enjoyns thee not to deſire Thy Neighbours goods for to require; But the ten Commandements obſerve, So ſhalt thou ſtand and never ſwerve. The twelfth ſaith ſerve the God of might, And truely ſerve him day and night, Obey the King as 'tis thy part, And to thy Country bear a faithful heart. See theſe my Points thou doſt poſſeſs, Even when thou thy ſelf doth reſt: Keep well each one in his degree; And knit them faſt, and credit me.

The Angel Gabriel, his Salutation to the bleſſed Virgin Mary. Tune is, the blazing torch.

WHen righteous Joſeph weded was, to Iſraels Hebrew Maid, A glorious Angel came from heaven, who to the Uirgin ſaid, Hall bleſſed Mary full of Grace, the Lord remains in thee, Thou ſhalt conceive and bear a Son, thy Saviour to be. That's wondrous ſtrange, quoth Mary then, I ſhould conceive and breed, Being never toucht by Mortal man▪ but pure in thought and deed: Fear not (quoth Gabriel) by and by, it is no work of man, But only God ordain • d at firſt, before the world began. Which heavenly meſſage ſhe believes, and did to Jury go, Three months with her friends to ſtay, Gods bleſſed will to ſhow, And then return'd to Joſeph back, her Husband meek and mild, Who thought it ſtrange his wife ſhould be, untouch'd, thus grown with child. VVherefore, thought he, to ſhun the ſame he thought her to forſake, But that Gods Angel in his ſleep, Gods mind did undertake. Fear not juſt Joſeph this thy wife, is ſtill a ſpotleſs maid, And no conſent to ſin, quoth he, againſt her can be laid. For ſhe is a pure maid and wife, the mother of Gods own Heir, The Babe of heaven, and bleſſed Lamb, of Iſraels flock ſo fair: To ſave loſt ſheep to Satan ſold, whom Adam loſt by fraud, When firſt in Edens Paradice, the Lord had him beſtow'd. Thus Mary with her husband kind together did remain, Until the time of Jeſus birth, as Scripture doth make plai • Thus mother, wife, and virgin 〈…〉 our Saviour ſweet conceiv •• 〈…〉 All three in one, to bring us 〈…〉 of which we were bereav' • 〈…〉 Sing praiſes then both old an • 〈…〉 to him which wrought ſuch • 〈…〉 That thus without the help o • 〈…〉 ſent us the King of Kings 〈…〉 Which is of ſuch a bleſſed p 〈…〉 that with his word can qu 〈…〉 The world, the fleſh, and by 〈…〉 could conquer Death and 〈…〉

Printed for F. Coles, T. Vere, I. Wright, and I. Cla 〈…〉