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 significatâ—â—â—ly in fewe words much matter to pearce and penetrate â—â—â—ections of men with the aptnesse thereof for helpe of â—eâ—orie I will not saie much but for my deducing tâ—ese passions into Sonnets it answereth as I suppose best for the shortnâ—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 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 affâ—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 disâ—ression may regard my intentioÌ„ And thus recommending my selfe to â—â—y fauourable acceptance who herein haue rather folowed the force of mine owne inward feeling then outward ornaments of Poeticall 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 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
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
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 â—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 CoeÌ„quall 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