he loueth vs each one eqnally and if so that yet not withstanding the desert of our vvicked wretched trespasses transgressions greiuous sinnes shall condemne vs to the pitt of Hell yea euen that is agreable conformable to his glory for herein shall his power be demonstrated cleerlie shewen to all and each one of those who would that so farre as concerne them his blood should be lost be of no worth spi◅t in vaine and remaining alwayes in perfidiousnes in peruersnes in wretchednes are neuer consoled comforted vvith liuelie hope of sauing themselues hence is it that God doth neuer turne the such eye of his mercie vvith which he looketh on them who are humble Hee hath respected the prayers of the humble and so hath hee donne for that the irrecouerable cause of losse is not the burthen the weight the greiuousnes nor the number of sinnes but the danger is placed hath his being and seate in the hardnes of minde hardnes of heart in that iniquitie that wretchednes of not being of good will to be conuerted and to remaine in such pride as not to haue recourse to God from hence ariseth it that they who liue in such like obstinacie are necessarilie damned for they lying dovvne wallowing in the dreggs the mire of sinne without euer turning themselues either with heart eyes or vvorkes to God it is all to nothing it is impossible to be otherwise thē that they dye in Gods disgrace as perfidious wretches and enimies of their ovvne safety and of their soules But they who looke not on the vveight the burthen nor on the number of their trespasses but rather rectifie and turne aright their mindes to his immense and inexhaustible mercie imploring humbly crauing pardon of their transgressiōs cōmitted against him procure vnto thēselues through teares through penitēt hearts-griefe that God neither will nor can refuse them deny them the grace of his mercie and be their sinnes as heauy burthesome greate as imagination can cōceiue as much as fully as farre as can be passibly he hath not onely not despi◅ed their prayers though coming from sinners voices but not hiding his face from them hath giuen full hearing full audience to them and fauorably hee heareth them he inclineth his gratious attentiue eare as hee doth to the benedictions and prayses vvhich those vvho are perfect in heart and spirit giue to his blessed name And such bounty of God shal be known to such an one vvho shal be vvorthy to know it These deliuered shall be written in another generation hereafter for the Ievves through their most vvicked and perfidious pertinacie obstinacie shall know them as the day is discouered by the Moles and the Sun by the ovvles and the wilfullie blind not seeing the lights of the new Testament shall not receiue the trueth preached by the word the Sonne to the justice of the first shall God's mercie assist nor hence can it be otherwise but that by the lewes hee suffer death whence the knowledg of this new law is taken away from them But the Gentiles which shall be certainlie thine faithfully thine on vvhom shall be transferred translated turned ouer this thy trueth vvill praise thee their Lord receiuing each part each parcell of it obseruing it as the lawes of diuine mercie ought to be obserued vvhich vvill neuer despise the prayers of what sinner soeuer who is contrite humbled euen as a people so farre as concernes the light of trueth new he created vvho heretofore were possessed altogether in beliefe of false Gods hence they vvill giue praise and thanks to thee Lord for that thou hast been to them boūtifull of those thy graces through which thy bounty man is made secure from death and from Hell and all this vvill come to passe wil be in it's time for that God hath vouchsafed to looke on them For our Lord hath looked downeward from on high for that he hath looked from Heauen on Earth ou◅ soules are made inhabitāts Citizens of his kingdome and this guift hath his goodnes bestowed on vs vvh◅ looking on the world foreseeth th◅ eternall danger on vs the woorkes o◅ his hands for that hee reguardet◅ those his workes loueth them with that affectiō vvith which God loueth him who alwaies loued him moued tenderlie to pitty commiseration of human kinde made his Sonne man and dying as man taking man out of the deepes hath receiued him in the bosome of his great mercie But I feare I tremble to thinke on vvhat vvill become of vs if God did not looke on vs from his residence on high if hee did not seriously affixe his eyes on the necessities of human kinde or if hee looked on vs vvith lesse affection then hee hath heretofore donne wo yea wo indeed to our soules nothing but los◅e vtter perdition for that vvould haue been another greife and torment another inexpressible-lamentable calamitie vvhich Hell vvould haue made for them then is that vvhich time vvorketh and the bringing to nothing these tresses this flesh and bones But in considering what thou hast donne from Heauen on Earth thou compleatlie finishedst gauest full effect to that vvhich thou thoughtest on decreedst on the day in vvhich thou createdst the vvorld and the miserable lamentations of human kinde vvho seemed with loud voices to call out vpon thy Sonne to their helpe as it vvere enforced thee The hearing of the pittifull moanes of bondmen occasioned in thee caused in thee bred in thee the effect the issue of thy most sublime and most profound care hence thou vouch◅afedst to send thy sonne for our Redemption O my good and gratious Lord it being that all things that euer shal be are present to thee thou didst heare the vvaylings the moanes the compassionable outcryes and teares of Limbus vvhich shovvred like a tempest from their eyes vvho confined in darkenes vvere fauoured assisted by the goodnes of their workes vvhich they had donne in their liues time and deseruing pardon for the trespasses made by Eve's husband by Adam thou determinest thou decreest that they should taste of the fruite of ◅hy mercie as the sonnes of them vvho vvere dead likewise haue tasted I meane Christians whose ancestors dyed before that attonement v◅as made fully established betweene God and man vvho liued in thy disfauour in thy disgrace through the sinne of him vvho vvas the first who disobeyed thee and were it not that thou did'st humble thy selfe to incarnate thy diuinitie with thy humanitie neither from Limbus nor from Hell vvere they to be vntyed nor euer vvere they to be freed discharged no not thy friendes nor the sonnes of them that haue not known Christ. Thou shalt illuminate vvith thy grace the sonnes of them vvho are dead vvithout thy light to the end that they declare in Sion the name of thee our Lord and thy praises in Hierusalem vndoubtedlie these selfe same vvill preach thy name to the bene◅it to the safetie of soules for that from fruite of preaching
force and desire vvhich I haue of my not hauing power and of my willingnes to be recoÌ„cilled to thee are full of vaine empty idle phantasies doe dote like one who is besides himselfe become such by the great affliction occasioned by his feauer in so much as he is one while hot not vnlike to fire another while cold as ice and the same heate which dryeth yea parcheth his lips is found in me who onelie desire to drinke of the fountaine of thy mercy which doth more comfort him who drinketh thereof then doth water prejudice the sick Alas my good Lord grant vnto me that I may moisten my mouth from thy grace and goodnes for that elswhere is not health for me I doubt Lord lest I heape offence on offences by my importunity being vnworthy to craue thy mercy but my sinne which pierceth me quite though in such sort that it hath seated it selfe in my bones and marrow maketh me ouerbold and indeed as it were impatient my bones troubled notably disquieted yea wasted through my insupportable griefe are vnknit their sinnewes are vntyed but peradueÌ„ture the danger is more greiueous theÌ„ the sicknes for that I being composed of flesh and sensible of it's suffering doe feare lest I proue not valiant in the combate in which if I faile my eternall losse of soule might follow and vndoubtedly I shall yeild to the force of it's assaults if so be thou defeÌ„d me not vnder the buckler of thy mercy Lord my soule is beyond measure troubled so many and such like are the temptations which asseige it It hath for a receptacle yea and castle weake human flesh the hostile armes of wordly vanities haue conspired vsed stratagems against it and the senses which reanswere to their flatteries corrupted by stately and most magnificent sights by hearing the harmony of flattery and selfepraise by sweet and most odoriferous smellings by tasting the delicacie of meates and by feeling sensibly voluptuousnes endeauour to render it a prey to the pleasure of the world Hence the miserable soule flyeth for refuge to and vnder the shade of the hope which it hath in thee euen as a child vnder the skirt of his mothers garment The Hart so much feareth not the cruell and mortall bitings of doggs vvho is euen then ready to be sharply nipt as my soule feareth my aduersaries vvho inveigle it Since so it is with me support it with thy mercy if not I shall faile yea euen fall into my irrecouerable and vtter destruction and though it vvere so that I cannot at present merit so farre that thou grant me my petition how long wilt thou please to deferre thy such gratious aspect with which thou doest fill with joy and blisle the Angells Thou moouest the Heauens assignest bounds to the ElemeÌ„ts giuest motion to the Planets makest the Sunne to shine giuest light to the Moone brightnes to the Starres Alas yea and alas ô Lord take in thy attentiue consideration the misery into which the not hauing known as I might haue donne through thee to bridle my proud will hath brought me to I say and the not hauing hetherto reflected on my selfe knowingly vvho being composed of earth must necessarily returne againe to my mother earth and hence restored to my flesh and bones for my greater confusion must appeare before thy IudgmeÌ„t in the presence of all such who haue been vvho are and vvho as yet not in being shall hereafter be Grant vnto me Lord that I may imagin but not see that thou forgettest me for by meanes of such imaginatioÌ„ I shall learne to put thee in minde of my exigents my great wants extreame necessities as well by fasting as prayer in seeing here of I might not vnlikely despaire of pardon mercy vvhich they finde vvho though they haue disobayed thee yet chastise theÌ„selues vvith the scourge working to amendment of life Looke againe on my soule my Lord vvith the selfe same benigne countenance vvith vvhich thou fauourably dost behold him vvho by long penitence is more worthy then am I poore wretch and consider it to haue more shame and confusion in it's trangresse of thy coÌ„mandements then in it's feare of eternall banishment and vtter losse vvhich attend's it for it's foule sinnes My hearts quelling heauines vvould bee singularly cheered if so be that thou wouldst with thy fauorable aspect appease the contestation afflicting it vvhich presents to my Phantasie to my minde thoughts raised from the day-booke of my sinnes Surely I shall henceforth be more solicitous to serue thee then heretofore I haue been as hauing been slow carelesse and altogether dully sottish O my Lord if without all feare and trembling I might call vpon thee vvould'st thou not vouchsafe an answere to me at least should my dayes proue long vvhich thou lendest me to liue I should truely hope that sack cloath teares sorrow vvatching fasting would obtaine yea vvinneso much in my behalfe that thy grace vvould shower on me in such manner that I should be receiued no otherwile then as they are vvho through their truely humbling themselues haue returned into thy grace their peace so made My sinnes indeed deserue any whatsoeuer paine may be inuented yea but it would not be conuenient it alas would be my vtter vndoing that thy benignity should retard it selfe be slow ought remisse to shew it selfe vnto me and that with plentifull mercy on my greiuous offences which I deny not I hide not but if sinne were not thy clemeÌ„cy would not appeare what it is admitt that there is no clemency by which way should sinners acknowledge their good God in his mercy Euen now Lord giue quiet to the soule which vvith an adueâ—…se eye of enemity troubledly gazeth on the body not vvithout iust cause of offence for that through it's inordinate appetites the soule is euâ—…n condeÌ„ned to the euerlasting punishments of Hell as for my body which dayly nightly incessantly is gnawne and worne by its consciences affliction soone vvill fall soone become ashes if thou be not to it it 's sustentacle it 's strength it 's full vigour alas my my soule dying in such state vvill goe to a place which I haue horror to name yea to thinke of But if I dy my Lord not being among the dead vvho can call thee to minde how shall I make mentioÌ„ of thee how shall I call on thy name on vvhose name neuer any called in vaine vnprofitably and most true it is that there is no comfort so fully consoling the heart so restoratiue to it as is the hearing voiced the harmonious sound thereof Thy name appeaseth the afflictedst vexations greifes and addeth increase of ioy yea euen to those vvho vvere before in state of comfort Hence let me not periâ—…h vntill I write of the great vertue the swetnes the ioy the povver the health vvhich is in it Let the world heare and vnderstand by my vvords vvith what coÌ„fident security vvith vvhat grace and vvith vvhat abundant felicitie
owne state vnder pretext of scnding Vrias the Hittite husband of this his Idol to secure victory gaue him vp a prey to the enimies sword that he being made away he migh become husband to the others w◅fe vvhom he loued more then God or himselfe and such his desire obteined that lasciuious bed enioyed by vvhose like the vvorld's conceiued notable offence and heart-burning hath often turned Empires and Kingdomes Nathan the Prophet deeply vveighed his enormities yet compass◅onating him in plaine termes laid before his vnderstāding his iniustice asvvell in murder as also in adultery contrary to his Maker's commands The good old man astonished vvith the punishments vvhich Heauen prepared for his sinne felt asvvell from his soule heart as also his senses his desire his fire his ouer vveaning delight to for sake him to departe to vanish euen as heate from the limbs and the heart in the encounter of ought vvhich maketh it shake for feare yea miserably tremble sovvas he taken on the sodaine so liuely and sprightly vvas his apprehension that he forth vvith rent from his head and body his crovvne royall purple garment flung his scepter on the ground made an exchange of the great height pride of his dignity for an humble p◅nitency couering againe his euen naked body with sackeloth the haire of his head and venerable beard negligently disordered the one and other white in honor of his age thinking vvith himselfe that he vvas a sinner not a King he seemed in his countenance euen penitence it self ◅ He tooke to him his Harpe vvhich instrument euermore offered vp his lamentations sent from his heart to the happy blessing of his soule Moreouer he retired himselfe into an obscure place vnder ground as it vvere a prison of his sinne No sooner entred he but his thoughts vvere further affrighted by the darkenes of the caue He notvvithstanding neglecting these horrors vvithout any delay tooke deeply yea and to heart hovv he ought to doe to appease his God he humbly kneeled tooke his instrumēt aptely placing it to his breast rarely composing his countenāce erecting it to Heauen the sorrovvfull sound of his sighes acquieted touching the strings and most tenderly vvith a svveet feruour deliuered to God these follovving vvords THE FIRST PSALME OF THE PENITENCY OF DAVID Domine ne in furore Psalme 6. LORD since thou giuest leaue to me to pronounce thy name and that my tongue may call thee my Lord my heart hence taking an happy coniecture fauoureth my hope that it's penitēcy hath in thy clemency and mercy where with thou doest comfort those vvho are truely sad for their offences against thee Hēce I am emboldened with my voice and teares in such manner to conjure thee by thy goodnes that thou please not although th◅u art incensed against me for my sinnes to chastise me in thine anger O God I feare thee and repent me from the bottome of my heart that I haue not feared thee and am fully resolued to feare thee truely hence behold me not with that wrathfull aspect vvith vvhich thou lookedst on humane kinde when as the pride of their wickednes thought not onely to equalize but to trālcēd thy mercy for which cause thy then present will and command did scatter the clouds through the ai◅e and did breake the prisons of the winds laid open the cataracts or sluices of the heauē tooke dayes light away confounded all by whales and shooke it by thunder lightning trees crashing by stormes human kinde rooted out with all liuing creatures ouerthrowne beaten downe Thou did'st not onely drowne the face of the Earth but the brow of the Alpes and tops of the mountaines in like manner Hence tookest thou away the foule soile vvherevvith the common and generall vice had sullied and defiled all the parts of the vniuerse the most abominable ofspring of the people destroyed thou did'st in such sort purifie it as I desire by meanes of my penitency to cleanse yea purifie my soule lo as behold me not with the countenance vvherevvith thou lookedst on the rebells in that time vvhen Noah and the rest were saued in the A◅ke but reflect on me be mindefull of me as thou vvert of him vvhom thy diuine favour and singular benignity saued from the dreadfull deluge and cleare my minde too too much busied with phantasies and those yea such most vaine euen as sometymes thou clearedst the heauens troubled by clouds vvhich lay ouerthwart before the lampe of the vvorld and let it please thee to secure me frō the punishmēt vvhich is euen ready to be inflicted on my sinne the reflecting on which mooueth in me a quiuering not vnlike to a twigge in y e water Let it suffice that I cōfesse my errors my greiueous offences the feare which I apprehend of thine anger at the day of Iudgmēt at vvhich time the teares and sighes of the culpable of the vvicked shall haue no more place in thy mercy nor vvilt thou in their behalfe be further for them as novv benignely thou art and thou wilt be for euer and euer our good and pious Lord. Lord euen for feare meditating on thy iudgment vvhich possesseth me yea euen all my spirits keepe back retaine altogether thy vvord in that dire◅ull day Vouchsafe not onely not to chastise me but also not too seuerely inflict on me punihment conformable to the tenor of thy iust ire prouoked by our greiueous faults vvhich although thou pardonest vs whilst thou correctest vs for our offēces make me yet not withstanding trēble For the correctiōs of the sinne of makinde are cōflicts banishmēts plagues stripes hūger wāts bondage dishonor hostility losse of children and stings of conscience Pacifie thine ire good Lord vvith vvhich my greiueous trespasses haue inflamed thee for the good that I am ready to worke by thy pitty haue mercy on me for that I alas am sick My very heart is wounded by that selfsame arrovv vvhich the bow of feare of damnation hath shott at it my soule bewailing languisheth for that my infirme body giueth it an inckling yea as it vvere a notable signe of estrangeing it selfe from it not ought reguarding the state of my disgrace vvich thee My senses are not sensible my tast hath no tast mine eyes see not my sense of feeling doth not apprehēd it's obiect my smelling doth not distinguish odors nay smell at all my hearing heareth not my infirmity is such as that it is not content vvith the help of plants nor the force of charmes Earthly physiek cannot be a salue to my sores in it there is no validity to cure my such heauy suffrances for thou onely cāst cure them and if thou composest not remedies for my maladies I cannot recouer my health hence lament I and with the teares which euen come from my heartes veines I beseech thee my Lord that thou deigne to heale me fully and compleatly My senses and my soule vvhi◅h are in their hot and cold fitts promooued by the