What God hath promised in troth To Abrahams posterity And hath confirmed by an oath That cannot fail God cannot lie Then Isaac dead and Jacob slain No seed but Esau is to reigne Should I do this and Jsaac live In vain my labour would be spent God would him strength and courage give My wicked purpose to prevent And raise him seed in Iacob's stead Although Rebekahs wombe were dead Have I not once before been crost When I did think my self most sure Then Ishmael his birth-right lost God did old Abraham procure Another seed which then was bred In Sarahs wombe decaid and dead Revenge applauded this for good But hatred overcome with rage Could not contein her angry mood Nor could her passions asswage Her soul was ready to depart Vntill her tongue had eas'd her heart Thus was his project overthrown By trusting of his secret friend This rumour soon abroad was blown What mischief Esau did intend Which comming to Rebekahs eare The losse of both her sonnes did fear Wherefore she then without delay Call'd Iacob in her youngest sonne Sent him to Haran there to stay Vntill his brothers rage were done And Iacob willing to obey Receiv'd his charge and went his way As darknesse doth pursue the light And constantly his course doth run So doth the day expell the night At the arising of the Sunne Each one doth chase each one doth flie Till light at length gets victory Darknesse did claim the highest right Because he was the first in place But God did soon beget true light Proud darknesse from the earth to chase And that the day might bring to light What darknes had wrought in the night Darknesse betrothed was to lust Which did conceive beguiling sinne Who being born mans soul with rust Was cankred foul and eaten in Man scarcely had received breath But man was subject unto death But light took faith to be his wife Which did conceive unfained love Who being born abandon'd strife Did darknesse daunt and sinne reprove Bondage renounce and death affright And brought eternall life to light The Serpents craft his crown did gain By craft he made the woman fall The woman by her craft again Did thrust the Serpent out of all By craft he won by craft he lost Thus craft by craft was ever crost The Serpents seed by cruelty Did seek his crown for to maintain The womans seed as cruelly In time shall thrust him out again When bloud doth flow up to the brink Then bloud for bloud shall be his drink But once again for to return The Serpents malice to relate Who did through rage and fury burn To execute his deadly hate And did the shadow hunt and chase Vntill the substance came in place At him it was that he did aim At him which should his seed advance At him which did by promise claim True Canaans inheritance Could he bring him unto his fall The Serpent then was lord of all In time the substance did appear This Isaac was Gods onely sonne Which came to shed his bloud most dear To lose the works which sinne had done His life eternall life did win His death destroy and vanquish sinne The Wisemen from the East did spring When they did see his starre appear For to be hold this blessed King And worship him in love and fear And did enquire of the Iews To know where they should finde this news But Herod taking it in scorn Perceiving it for to be true The star did shew a King was born He called all the learned crue This King which shall subdue the earth Quoth he where shall he have his birth At Beth-lehem they did reply In Davids house he must arise According to the prophesie This hearing he did call the wise And sent them there to seek about Vntill that they had found him out When you have found him come and tell Me where he is that I may go And worship him I know it well This King is borne it must be so His star will go before your face Vntill you come unto the place These men they went as Herod told They found the babe and did him greet They did present incense and gold And did fall down before his feet But being warned of this thing They went not back unto the king But did return another way Vnto the place where they did dwell Which Herod hearing left delay And calling murder out of hell This cruell bloudy Edomite Did seek to cut off David's right David quoth he did Ioab send To trample Edom under foot And slay his males ev'n to the end And leave him neither branch nor root He thought he would not leave him one For to uphold his fathers throne But Hadad being then a childe Escaped David's tyranny And Ioab also was beguild For Hadad did to Aegypt flie Where he did finde a dwelling place For to preserve our kingly race This Hadad did escape alone Of all the kings posterity But Herod will leave David none He now shall prove my tyranny I le lay his males all at my foot And leave him neither branch nor root With that he sent his Horsemen out To execute his full command At Beth-lehem and there about All males to murder out of hand Even all from two years old and under Must feel the rage of Herod's thunder But Ioseph warned in the night This Persecutor then beguil'd And into Aegypt took his flight With Mary and this tender Childe There to preserve this Infants breath Vntill this cruell Tyrants death This Childe escap't the Tyrants rage For he was manifest to none Till he was thirty years of age And then baptized was of Iohn For John was sent to make him known Though not received of his own When he out of the water went Then presently faith hope and love Which God from heav'n unto him sent Came down upon him like a Dove This Spirit kept him from all evill When he was tempted of the Devill Twise twenty daies and nights arow He then did fast no more nor lesse And did to extream hunger grow Who being in the wildernesse A desolate and barren place Began to wail his wofull case And to his father he did cry Oh help me out of this distresse And suffer not thy sonne to dye For hunger in this wildernesse Let not my soul be overthrown Father thou know'st I am thine own When Ishmael did heare this cry As he was shooting in that place He did imagine presently This sure is he for whose disgrace I and my mother heretofore Were both of us thrust out of dore I was deprived of my right And brought into this wildernesse Where hunger did my soul affright And I did lie in great distresse Which did augment my mothers grief Till God from heav'n did send relief Now he is come into my case Hunger doth make him now complain Now will I mock him to his face And get my birth-right once again With meat I will delude his eye But keep him fasting till he
Loves Revenge VVHEREIN IS BRIEFLY SHEWED FROM THE HISTORIE OF the holy Scripture the rising grouth and finall fall of the Man of Sinne with the long and continuall strife betwixt the two Seeds how they have from time to time sought to disinherite each other and how that Christ by his righteous life and long sufferings in the end shall get the victory and justly revenge himself upon his adversarie Omnia vincit amor c. By Ios Speed HABAK. 1.5 ACT. 13.41 Behold ye despisers and wonder and vanish away for I work a work in your daies a work which ye shall not believe if a man should declare it you At AMSTERDAM Printed by Richard Raven 1631. The Preface WHen darknesse is supprest by light That nights black shadows shun the day True faith doth give the soul clear sight To see and finde the living way Then must proud Death give place to Life In vain it is his strength to try For Hope will end that deadly strife And swallow Death in victory And Errour must acknowledge Truth For all his fierce and cruell rage For Loue hath threatned him in youth And will not spare him in his age When Faith hath light for to discerne And Hope can hold in storm and rain If Love be there to guid the stern The wished shore they shall attain No travell can unfruitfull prove When Faith Hope do work by Love When unbelief is beaten down And Faith hath got the upper hand Then light doth shew true faith her crown Which she shall have if she do stand And then despair of force must flie In vain it is if she contend For life will give Hope victory If she continue to the end And hatred must of force depart And give true Love free place to dwell For truth will give Love true desert And hatred due reward in hell Light is the glance of Faiths clear sight Life is the crown which Hope requires Truth is the guide which leads both right Through Love to finish their desires Where Light and Life and Truth agree Faith Hope and Love make unitie To the Reader LEt prejudice be laid aside Christian Reader in thy reading Let love unfained be thy guide Thy thoughts to equall judgement leading The labour and the charge is mine I wish the profit may be thine To think that I should all men please All men would think such thoughts were vain Esteeming it a fools disease Arising from an idle brain That labour which I here bestow Is but to pay the debt I owe Vnto my Countrey and my Friends And all which do professe Christs name In him our faith begins and ends By him we hope to purchase fame If then our love be like to his We all shall see him as he is If any thing displeaseth thee When thou my Faith and hope dost prove Yet fasten malice to that tree On which she once did murder love And break in twain that Serpents head For love shall reigne when hate is dead I seek to trouble no mans minde Nor yet to give offence to any Yet dare not hide nor leave behind That good which may redound to many Whereat if any kick or hinch Were he not gauld he should not winch The mark whereat I chiefly aim Is to unfould the fraud of sinne What rightes and titles he doth claim The evill daies that we live in Our present danger his desire To bring us to eternall fire If then by chance I hit the mark At which my bow is holy bent Or if I misse this subtle Clark T is but one headlesse arow spent Yet hit or misse thus much I know The blinde by chance may kill a Crow The Authors Faith I Do believe in God alone Whose love doth passe all breadth length And do relie on other none To make the arm of flesh my strength My faith is such not to remove Such is my Hope such is my Love He is the onely Lord of lords A King of mighty strength and fame His Majesty with truth accords And great Iehovah is his name The first the last the totall summe Which is which was which is to come He is the God of Israel Their root and generation The vanquisher of Death and Hell The horn of our salvation Before whole throne all flesh shall come The wicked to their finall doom Then why should I fear mortall man Whose breath within his nostrills lies His life for length is but a span Although his malice never dies My body he may keep in thrall But cannot hurt my soul at all Let cursed Cain then fret and rage And wicked Lamech boast his fill Let scoffing Ham come on the stage Let bloudy Nimrod work his will Let Babels Tow'r through Satans pride Be once again re-edifi'd Let pharaoh with his hoast pursue Let Amaleck stand in the way Let Og and Sihons hatefull crue Their bloudy banners still display Let proud Goliah's hellish cry The God of Israel defie Let Balaam lay a stumbling block Let Rabshecah come railing down Let dogged Doeg accuse Christs flock Let Shemey curse let Nabal frown Let Philistines their battells pitch Let Saul ask counsell of a Witch Let the ten tribes of Israel Give care to Ieraboam's call Let Ahab marry Iesabel And build an altar unto Baal Let Baals Priests cry till heare doth break Their God can neither hear nor speak Let Nebuchadnezar pour out His thundring threats rage and revile Let Baltazar his drunken rout The vessells of the Lord defile Let haughtie Hamans pride bewray His hatefull thoughts to Mordekay Antiochus that wicked root Let him run on his wretched race To waste and trample under foot Gods Temple and his dwelling place Let Holofernes rule and sway Till Iudith take his head away Let Samballat the Horonite With all his cursed crue accord To race to sack to vanquish quite The walls and building of the Lord. Let men conspire with malice fraught Yet shall their counsells come to nought Let cruell Herod still assail The tender infants for to stay Let Scribes and Pharisees prevail Give Iudas money to betray My faith is fixt on him above So is my hope so is my love His waies are right his judgements just His mercy alwaies firm and sure To such as on his goodnesse trust And stedfast to the end endure He giveth all men life and breath And grieveth at the sinners death He did admonish wretched Cain To leave his wicked enterprise Suffer said he not sinne to reigne Least Abels bloud for vengeance cries Abandon wrath ther 's grace in store If not lo sinne is at thy door And when he saw and well perceiv'd All flesh corrupting of their waies His spirit strove his soul was griev'd Contain'd his wrath yet many daies Had true repentance there been found The world had sur'ly not been drown'd When Sodom and Gomorahs cries Ascended up unto his throne Yet was there mercy in his eyes He would have saved them each one Could he have found some godly
men He would have spar'd them all for ten But Cain which was through malice led Quite to renounce his chiefest good Did in his wicked collar shed His brother Abels guiltlesse bloud And wrath commixt with deadly hate Brought Cain to be a Runagate And boasting Lamech could not scape Which in his heart a man would slaie The wicked world for filthy rape Was drown'd and taken all away And Ham which in the Ark was nurst Was after for his sinne accurst And Nimrod was not quite forgot Which hunted sonnes of Shem away The wicked ones which vexed Lot The Lord at length did them repay They suffer for their foul desire The vengeance of eternall fire And Pharaoh with his hoast was drown'd The waters ouerwhelm'd them all When Israel did finde drie ground And passed through both great and small Thus can the Lord from Satans rage Preserve his own from age to age For Amalech was rooted out And Sihon was cast headlong down And mighty Og in battell stout Was dispossessed of his Crown And proud Goliah wicked bred Returned back without his head When Balaam came at Balacks call To bring his wickednesse to passe To work the means of Isr'els fall He was rebuked by his Asse And Ashurs king could not prevail Though Rabshecah ceas't not to rail Doeg Shemey Nabal and the rest Vilde instruments of Satans rage Whose mindes with malice be possest Quite to supplant Gods heritage With Dives shall in flaming fire Receive their due deserved hire And Israels anointed King Saul did himself of grace deprive Sinne struck him with a mortall sting For sparing Amalec alive His heart and hand was wholly bent To persecute the innocent And Ieroboam could not stand Because he was a wicked man God struck him with a with'red hand When he did sacrifice at Dan. For money he wrought many evills Made Priests which sacrific'd to Devills And Ahab wicked imp of hell Which built an altar unto Ball Was rooted out with Iesabel None left to pisse against a wall For in that place where Naboth stood The dogs lick't up the Tyrants bloud And Nebuchadnezar for pride Was metamorpos'd to a beast And Baltazar whom lust did guide Received judgement at his feast A hand prescribing on the wall His overthrow before them all And haughty Hamans sudden fall Whose thoughts all good men did deride May be a president to all Whose mindes be puffed up with pride That Gallows did his malice slay Which he set up for Mordecay Antiochus that wicked root Which did Ierusalem deface And trode Gods Temple under foot And set an idoll in the place God did him strange diseases send And brought him to a fearfull end And Sanballat must taste wraths cup For his proclaiming up and down That such as build Gods Temple up Be rebells to their King and Crown And Holofernes on his bed Must pay his ransome with his head And cruell Herod was accurst That he the tender Infants smote And Iudas for his trason burst Which never more shall be forgot And Christs dear bloud still vengeance cries Vpon the Scribes and Pharisees Behold and see what hath been past How sinne hath raged from his birth Such was the first such is the last There is no new thing on the earth Yet can no storm nor tempest move True Faith firm Hope and constant Love Ioshuah Speed Loves Revenge Wherein is briefly shewed from the history of the Holy Scripture the rising growth and finall fall of the man of sinne with the long and continuall strife betwixt the two Seeds THe Serpent which did first begin The powers of mans soul to draw To separate himself through sinne From God by breaking of his law Having by craft our Parents slain Did Tyrant-like begin to reigne For man did lose his first renown The world through justice to maintain Sinne swaies his scepter wears his crown And by injustice now doth reigne And will do still both far and near Vntill the righteous Iudge appear For man could now no man acquit Which was a breaker of Gods law Not any man condemne by right And not himself to judgement draw For man by sinne once overthrown Then judging sin condemnes his own This was the Serpents subtle bait Which did unto mans crown aspire To draw the woman by deceit To win her man to his desire That he might in his first-born Cain Begin and end his wicked reigne This Viper bred in Paradice No sooner born but instantly Drew Adam unto sinne and vice By changing truth into a lye And Adam caught in Satans gyn Became a bondslave under sinne By hearing Evah was deceiv'd By seeing Evah was beguilde By tasting Evah hath conceiv'd This man of sinne that cursed childe By taking in the Serpents breath Lust brought forth sin sin brought forth death Eare eye foot hand lips tongue and all Did band themselves against Gods law To work mans ruine by his fall And man through sin to judgement draw Thus was man brought in Satans thrall Eare eye foot hand lips tongue all But God whose love doth far exceed The fraud and malice of the Devill Did then make known his truth decreed To raise man out this lake of evill To quicken him which then lay dead And break in twain the Serpents head But Adam which could not discerne Twixt good and evill but through sinne Must now another lesson learne By grace to seek by faith to win That crown of glory joy and blisse Which he had lost for him and his For he which once was lord of all Had sole command did rule and sway Must now attend an others call Another rule and he obey For he once lending sinne his eare Must now for sin sins burthen beare And with a sad and heavy heart No vows nor prayers might avail Out of the Paradice depart His sinfull act there to bewail His mother Earth to plow and furrow And sweating eat the bread of sorrow And with his poore distressed wife Our mother Evah first misled Excluded from the tree of life whereof before they might have fed Their first neglect of Gods free grace Lost them the freedome of that place For now the way was full of fear No entring in but by the sword The Cherubims stood Centre there That none might passe without the Word Which word is Christ who on the Crosse Must pay mans debt redeem his losse Then Adam having known his wife In time brought forth her first-born Cain Next Abel whose unspotted life Did shew his life which must be slain And by his death and bloud then spild Declare his death which since was kild But Cain who in the flower of youth The supream power did obtain To judge with equitie and truth And by true justice for to reigne And by the vertue of his birth To be sole ruler of the earth In time true justice did pervert And was to wickednesse inclinde The Serpent did possesse his heart And made his eyes through malice blinde He which by
sinne gave Adam sight By sinne extinguish't Cains true light When he by offering did finde That God no persons did respect But look't unto an humble minde A contrite heart the proud reject Then was his countenance cast down And on his brother gan to frown For then the Serpent did beget Strong jealousie within his brest A fire which made him rage and fret That he could have no peace nor rest No love could his desires further But foul revenge and cruell murther And thus distracted trembling fear Benumb'd his senses made him doubt The Serpent rounds him in the eare Thy brother seeks to root thee out To get thy throne and sit on hie Cain cannot live lest Abel die Though thou by birth art first in place God hath elected him to reigne Thou art already in disgrace T is Abel now no longer Cain Though Cain by birth the crown inherite The crown depends on Abels merit While jealousie and ill surmise False witnesse-bearers thus complain'd Disdainfull wrath call'd an Assise Poore Abel must be now araign'd Revenge is judge bloud bloud Cain cries Till murther clos'd up Abels eies Thus wicked Cain through malice led The Serpents instruments to use To strike the nail upon the head His guiltlesse brother to accuse Who judging him throuh hate to die Condemn'd himselfe eternally But Abel though unjustly did Receive sinnes just reward from Cain Yet doth his life in Christ lie hid And shall with Christ appeare again Cains foul injustice to relate And justly punish Cain for hate Now sounds an eccho in mine eares Rebounding from sad Adams cries Me thinks I see a floud of teares Run gushing out from Evahs eies She mourns for Abel he for Cain Each one wails one both weep for twain What stony heart would not relent To think on this distressed pair Whose teares whose groans at this event Did dew the earth did pierce the aire Yet helplesse still all was in vain One sonne was curst the other slain Oh Cain quoth he renowned fair My first-born Cain and onely might No no quoth she t is vertues heir Abel my sonne and souls delight For Cain doth live 't was Abel bled Nay Abel lives but Cain is dead Doth Abel live quoth mournfull Eve Yes Abel lives weep not in vain Do thou no more for Abel grieve But let us both lament for Cain For he though dead still lives to dye yet living dead eternally Wher 's Abel then my onely joy And doth he still possesse the light Oh let me see that lovely Boy Hide him no longer from my sight Doth Abel live I le cease to crie Is Abel dead let Evah die Peace foolish woman weep no more For Abels losse thy sonne is blest And is arived at the shore Of perfect joy eternall rest To mourn for Abel is in vain For Abels losse is Evahs gain But Cain Oh Cain my first-born Cain Beginning of my royall Race Oh let mine eies gush out amain To think on thy distressed case E're while a Lord a Prince of state And now a vagrant Runagate That Viper which Eve once did bear And made me father him unknown Which with sinnes dart and bloudy spear Did stricke me dead to get my crown Hath Cain by sinnes allurements won My first-born Cain his first-born sonne Where shall I seek relief for Cain His fact can no way be excus'd If of the Lord it is in vain His loving counsell he refus'd Nor dares he come before his face Himselfe to seek or sue for grace Oh where shall Cain finde rest or peace Anguish and fear do him pursue The earth denies him her encrease The heav'ns refuse to give him dew Guilt and despair ring murders knell Wrath and revenge drive Cain to hell His brothers bloud is not yet drie If on the earth he fix his eies If then his thoughts ascend on hie There Abels bloud for vengeance cries Thus did Cain Gods displeasure win And thus tormented live for sinne Thus Adam spent his daies in grief And Evahs sorrows were not done Till God did send them both relief And gave to Eve another sonne In place of Abel which was slain And separated him from Cain His name was Sheth which Evah bare To be a holy nation Gods truth and justice to declare Gods sonne by imputation By Abels bloud from death set free As Adam was even so was he And unto Sheth was Enoch born Succeeding in that godly race Gods holy temple to adorn And beautifie his holy place For to set forth his worthy fame And magnifie his holy name But Cain then destitute of grace Excluded from the face of God Must seek another dwelling place Who went into the land of Nod To spend his daies and weary life And there did Cain first know his wife Who unto Cain a sonne did beare Henoch by name so was he call'd Then did he soone erect and reare A Citie strong and well bewall'd For his defence he built the same And call'd it by his first bornes name Then when the Lord had separated The good from bad the wheat from tares And had the Serpents strength abated And freed his Church from Tyrants fears He led her by his Holy Spirit By faith to win by love to merit He took her to his wedded wife He freed her from that wicked Elf In Abel he laid down his life To purchase her unto himself That none could part with wicked hands What God had knit through wedlocks bands Then did the Serpent change his hue New mischief on her head to heap Another poyson'd drink to brue To cast her in a deadly sleep Where love doth beare the greatest venter There murder hath no place to enter For now he doth begin afresh And labours with all might and main To change the spirit into flesh And bring her under sinne again Defiling of the lawfull bed To rend the body from the head For he which led Cain unto wrath And laid his honour in the dust Brought her into the sinfull path Of fond desire and fleshly lust wherein she walked without fear Till she was catch't in beauties snare He set mens daughters fore their eies Inticing beauty made them paires By his inchanting sorceries Gods sonnes became the Devils heyres Christs spouse made drunk with harlots wine Became the Serpents Concubine Then he which first accused Cain Of cruell murder pleaded right Did call for justice once again Gainst wedlocks breach through sins delight This Quean quoth he is void of grace She plaies the Harlot fore thy face Why dost thou suffer her so long Shall justice now no more have place This is a plain and open wrong This is a great and foul disgrace Who so commits adultery Is by the law condemn'd to die Take vengeace then and do not stay Let justice be no longer slack't Much danger lurketh in delay Reprove the sinne condemne the fact Reward her for her fleshly lust So shall I know that God is just She hath defil'd her lawfull bed The band
is broke the knot unknit The body parted from the head And fall'n into the stinking pit Of fleshly lust and foul desite Where she lies wallowing in the mire No man may part what God doth joyne Without transgressing of his law What God doth part none may combine And not himself to judgement draw Yet hath she rent what God had joyn'd What God did part she hath combin'd Dost thou not yet begin to frown She hath conceived Gyants seed Her children seek for worlds renown Such monsters doth this Harlot breed Thy lowly gesture they disdain For vertue dies and sinne doth reigne Thus ceast he not for to complain But calls for justice now afresh Then quoth the Lord I strive in vain With mortall man he is but flesh Yet will I crosse his wicked waies By shortning of his sinfull daies Oh now I see mans heart and minde And all his thoughts to mischief bent Oh love can be no longer blinde My soul doth grieve I do repent That I made man upon the earth His waies are evill from his birth Oh now I see they do disdain My loving counsell to embrace My bloud I see is spent in vain For they be destitute of grace They are by sinnes allurements led As seeing blinde and living dead Now wrath is seated in my breast I will with man no longer strive But will destroy both man and beast I le leave no fowl nor worm alive What on the earth doth creep and move Shall now my wrath vengeance prove All are corrupted in their waies The earth is full of cruelty Therefore I will cut off their daies All what doth live and breathe shall die One onely Noe just and upright Hath grace and favour in my sight He and his family shall live Eight souls in number will I save But to the rest strong vengeance give Sinne calls for justice sinne shall have Sinnes just reward sinne to confound When all the world for sin is drown'd And thus the Serpent which had slain Mankinde through sinne even at the first Who when he saw them live again Through faith in Christ and he was curst Was then to further malice bent That he Gods grace could not prevent For now he laid his plot more sure To strike the nail upon the head Man first from grace for to allure And there through sin to strike him dead Then hold him snared in this gyn Till justice had rewarded sinne And thus he wrought his vile intent Mans nature being weak and frail To hould him back for to repent Lest grace and mercy should prevail And keep him in sinnes fetters bound Till all the world for sin was drown'd Yet still he had a futher mark Man was not from his malice freed By stealth he crept into the Ark There to preserve his wicked seed Who comming forth was curst by name For laughing at his fathers shame The world again grown to his flower The people one all had one speech Did soon devise to build a tower Whose top unto the heav'ns should reach To keep them from the waters rage Which had destroy'd the former age The Lord awaking at this sound To crosse them in their proud intent Their language did forthwith confound One knew not what another meant And scattred them both far and near Vpon the earth as doth appear Then from Shems race he did make choise Of Abram to inherite all Who did give eare unto his voice And did attend upon his call His wife was Sarah meek and milde But she was barren had no childe His kindred and his fathers house He did forsake and God obey And with his dear and loving Spouse His countrey leave and took his way Vnto a land to seek his chance Where he had no inheritance With him God made a covenant Which Devill death nor hell could sever The Serpents malice to adant He gave by covenant for ever To him and to his seed alone That land where sin had plac't his throne When he was come at Gods command And did behold before his face A pleasant and a fruitfull land Which God had giv'n unto his race God did his promise then renue And he believe that God was true The Serpent then was full of grief For then he knew and did not doubt Gods promise Abrahams belief Did both conspire to root him out Therefore did ponder in his minde Some other issue for to finde To strive quoth he is all in vain No power can withstand Gods might To go to God and there complain Will not avail I have no right What God hath spoken will ensue Abram is just and God is true My land is gone my crown is lost And I almost driv'n to despair I will go haunt the womans ghost And be her sonne and Abrams heir So shall it stand what God decreed And I still reigne in Abrams seed Have I not Evah once deceiv'd Before her Adam she had known Which brought forth sin through lust conceiv'd And Adam took him for his own Why then not Sarah be beguilde By mothering of Hagars childe I le once again put on sinnes mask Wherein Gods handmaid I misled And Abrams wife I le take to task And her unto my fancy wed Thus like a stout and bold-fac't woer This wily Serpent went unto her Sarah quoth he prince Abrams wife Beauties prime flower lovely dame Whose vertues whose unspotted life Have merited eternall fame Shall beauty vertue chastitie In Sarah live with Sarah die Thy man a Prince of high renown Who with his bow his sword and spear Four Kings at once threw headlong down And holds the world in servile fear Shall vertue valour honours right Obscured lie in darksome night Thy wealth and substance hath no end Of corn and cattle thou hast store No servants wanting to attend Yet God doth still increase the more And yet alas this princely paire Live destitute still of an heire This pleasant land and fertile ground Which thou dost see before thy face With milk and hony to abound Which God hath giv'n to Abrams race Must stay with Chams posterity If blessed Abram seedlesse die Be thou no longer then misled By Abrams faith all is in vain Abram is old thy wombe is dead What hope is there a childe to gain Reason doth shew without dispute A barren womb can yeeld no fruit Then be not slack do not refuse Let not Gods promise be in vain For God doth give but man must use The means whereby for to attain Take counsell then and be not nice Be ruled once by my advice For thou art old thy womb decai'd And hast been barren all thy life Take Hagar thy Aegyptian maid Give her to Abram for a wife For she is young and fit to breed By her may Abram have a seed These words did sound well in her cares And she forthwith to end this strife And to avoid all further fears Gave Abram Hagar to a wife And herein Sarah was beguilde Thus coveting to have
bent to hate nor strife Quoth Iacob then t is hunger slayes Isaac's first born so Esau die Thou shouldst provide so well as I. That man doth kill that will not save A man from death if in his power For God I say will mercy have Not cruelty for to devoure Quoth Esau then let mercy move And do not break the band of love Sell me thy birth-right then quoth he And I will lave thy hungry soul But thou shalt sweare twixt thee and me That it shall stand without controul Which being done I then will save Thy fainting body from the grave Then Esau with himself at strife Began to reason in his minde Should I through hunger lose my life VVhat comfort should I therein finde To sell my birth-right were a shame An endlesse blemish to my name Should I refuse for to consent And yeeld unto my brothers will And perish so through discontent The law which saies Thou shalt not kill Would soon reprove this evill fact And judge it for a murdrous act Should I unto my brother give My birth-right for a messe of broth I were unworthy for to live I should exclude my self by oath From Canaan the worlds delight Mine heritage by law and right Should Esau Jsaac's first-born die VVithout his blessing he would grieve Should he through hungers cruelty Perish unblest who should relieve His dying soul in this distresse And bring him unto happinesse Two evills hold my soul in thrall I must choose one I le choose the least Lose life I lose my land and all And more then that shall die unblest To live is bad to die is worse To lose a crown and win a curse Should I not shun sharp hungers blow And seek my self for to defend How should my father Isaac know VVho brought his first-born to his end I le sell my land and hold my blisse For live or die the land is his And yet to live in this disgrace Is worse then languishing to die For where shall Esau finde a place For him and his posterity When Jacob is by oath possest For Esau's seed there is no rest Better had Esau been unborn And never to have seen the light Then thus to be with hunger torn And live or die to lose his right Oh Jacob heare thy brothers cry Give me some broath I faint I die Sell me thy birth-right thou shalt have Both bread and broth to save thy life But thou must yeeld to what I crave And by an oath must end this strife What hopes can Esaus birthright give If Esau die and Jacob live Thus Esau was at length compel'd When he was weak could hardly stand Through cruell hunger for to yeeld Vnto his brothers full demand To sell renounce and binde by oath His birthright for a messe of broth But yet alas this was not all A greater wo was yet to come This but an entry to his fall A passage to his finall dome For now he lost laws right alone The promise lost then all was gone As he grew up in yeres and strength So did he grow in worlds delights And took to him two wives at length Both daughters of the Cananites Whereat Rebekah mourn'd and pin'd They were a grief to Isaac's minde But Isaac waxing old and blinde His glasse then being almost run His first-born came into his minde He called for his eldest sonne Let Esau come let him appear Father quoth he thy sonne is here My sonne quoth Jsaac I am old And almost ready to depart My first-born Esau is enrold Within the bowells of my heart Make haste my sonne and be not slow Take thou thy quiver and thy bow And get thee gone into the field Provide for me some pleasant meat Such as the woods and forrests yeeld Such as thy father loves to eate That I may feed thou standing by My soul may blesse thee fore I die Rebekah hearing what had past When Esau to the field was gone She called then in all the haste For Iacob her beloved sonne Who letting other matters fall Attended on his mothers call Thy father hath sent Esau out With all his instruments to hunt My sonne quoth she be bold and stout Thou must yet stand another brunt And I will be thy instrument Thy brothers blessings to prevent He that our mother Eye misled And did beget that wicked seed VVhich stroke our father Adam dead And made our brother Abel bleed And held mankinde in fetters bound Till God the world in justice dround Then did deride his fathers shame Almost brought Sarah to despair That vertuous and godly dame Distrusting how to have an heir And in my wombe did make such strife That I was weary of my life Shall he which was accurst in Cham In Hagars sonne was made a slave Be blest again in Abraham And in Isaac the promise have Then will he still himself advance In Iacobs true inheritance VVhile Esau Venison doth kill Bring thou two kids out of the fold It shall misse of a womans will If he which then his birth-right sold Lose not his blessing now again And Jacob unto both attain I will provide thee dainty meat And thou shalt bring it unto him Such as his soul desires to eate He cannot see his eies be dim Stand thou but by while he doth feed Thou shalt be blest in Esau's stead Then Iacob to his mother said My brother Esau he is rough And I am smooth therefore afraid With Esau's Heifer for to plough Though he be blinde I stand in doubt That he will feel and finde it out Thus doing I may him provoke Sharply to punish this offence And bring me under Esau's yoak A just reward and recompence For such a fact Nay that is worse My blessing may turn to a curse My sonne quoth she be not afraid But hearken to thy mothers voice Thou onely do what I have said Out of the goats take thou the choise Bring me two kids fat and well fed Then let the curse light on my head In all the haste then Iacob went And did his mothers minde fulfill His brother Esau to prevent He brought two kids and did them kill Rebekah she made pleasant meat Even such as he did love to eate And to attain to her desire All other things then being done She took her eldest sonnes attire And put it on her yongest sonne The yong goats skins she then did take His neck and hands rough for to make Then she did put into his hand That pleasant meat which she had drest Go thou quoth she at my command And bring it him thou shalt be blest When he came to his father near He said My father I am here Quoth Isaac then but who art thou Thy first-born Esau then quoth he I bring thee pleasant meat even now I have done as thou baddest me Arise and eate father t is I Give me thy blessing fore thou die Then Jsaac rising from his bed Began again for to demand How is my sonne so
before thine eies The royall kingdomes of the earth For all that is under the skies Is mine inheritance by birth All glory majesty divine Honour and power all is mine Nebuchadnezar wore my crown And did my royall scepter sway He did maintain my high renown All men must his command obey Now will I give all this to thee If thou wilt bowe and worship me Satan avoid I am forbod And must obey if I will live To worship any other God Then him which doth the power give All honour majesty divine Belongs to him t is none of thine Nebuchadnezar did not love The God of heaven whom I adore Nor knew his power came from above But was his own my God therefore Did his ambition deride Even in the height of all his pride And made him like another beast Seven winters long in frost and snow Among the oxen for to feast That he at length might come to know And in this time might justly prove All power comming from above The Serpent then thought in his minde This must be sure that blessed Lambe For in my tempting I do finde That he is more then Abraham Then Isaac Iacob more is he Nay he is more then all these three For Abrams faith was weak and frail When God did promise him a seed And Isaac's hope began to fail When he lay ready for to bleed And Iacob's love that was not great When he refus'd his brother meat Yet Abraham when hope was past By faith did blessed Isaac gain Isaac also while hope did last Praid for a sonne God gave him twain But Jacob's love did win the crown When faith hope were both put down This man he is but one alone Yet with them all he doth agree So that I now see three in one And yet this one more then these three They were like shadows on a wall And this the substance of them all Moses and Aaron both did fail They were not perfect in Gods sight And Ioshuah could not prevail For he was put unto the flight And could not win nor conquer aie Till Achans sinne was put away What need I any more repeat All men have failed in their time Yea all have sinned small and great This man alone is void of crime His faith his hope his love will draw Sinnes strength power from the law Oh this is he which was foretold That of a Virgin should be born For thirty pence he should be sold And made a curse and open scorn Yet when his guiltlesse bloud is shed The curse will light upon my head This is that Abel which was slain Whose bloud was poured on the ground And yet in Sheth did rise again Deaths fetters could not hold him bound This is that Henoch other none VVhich God did take up to his throne When all men fell this man did stand His faith alone did mercy crave He built an Ark at Gods command Him and his family to save Which being done he entred in And did condemn the world for sinne This is that blessed Abraham VVhich did not spare his onely sonne But went to offer up that lambe And said Oh Lord thy will be done This is that Isaac now I say Which was as ready to obey This is that Iacob which did flie His brothers malice to prevent And went to Haran speedily There where his father had him sent VVithin his mothers house to finde A wife unto his fathers minde This is that Iudah born to reign Levi to offer sacrifice That Ioseph which did gather grain Against a famine should arise His hatefull bretheren to feed When they did stand in extream need This is that Moses which did smite The proud Aegyptian to ground Seeing him with an Hebrew fight He gave him there a deadly wound He thought they would on him depend As one that should their right defend Coming again the other day He found two Hebrews at debate My bretheren then he did say VVhy do yee one another hate Love teacheth men to suffer long And not to do his brother wrong The wrongfull would not understand But in his heart began to grudge Thrust Moses from him with his hand Saying Who hath made thee a judge Or art thou come my bloud to spill As thou didst the Aegyptian kill This Moses fled but came again For to release them from their bands But then his coming was not vain He pluck't them out of Pharaoh's hands And by a strong and mighty hand He brought them out of Aegypt land This is that Ioshuah whose might Possest them in the holy Land Slue one and thirty kings in fight The Sunne and Moon both still did stand Vntill his enemies did flie And he return with victory This is that David which took care His fathers sheep from Wolves to hold He kild a Lyon and a Bear VVhich would have broke into his fold And after that Goliah slue The proudest Gyant of the crue He was a Shepheard so is this Yet chosen king while Saul did reigne This must be he how should it misse For Gods anointing is not vain The Crown doth hang over his head And he shall reigne when I am dead Saul's unbelief despair and hate Deprived him of his renown Faith hope and love did David's state Advance and brought him to the Crown The more I do the Shadow see The more I know that this is he I must of force now give him scope I can by no means him allure For Abram 's faith and Isaac's hope Have made his birth-right firm and sure And Iacob's love that perfect band Hath bound the blessing in his hand And thus he left him there he stood Through hunger fainting almost dead But then the Angels brought him food VVherewith his hungry soul was fed And then he went from coast to coast To seek the sheep which he had lost He brought glad tidings to the poor The broken hearted he did binde And opened the prison door That captives liberty might finde And shew'd them the reward of sinne To comfort those which strove to win He made the blinde receive their sight The Lepers he made whol and clean The lame and creple go upright The deaf to hear the dead were seen To rise again out of their grave He did help all that help did crave For all diseases he did cure He did the Divells dispossesse And sought all men for to allure To purchase life and happinesse Sinnes fetters he did break asunder That all men did behold and wonder While that the sunne did shine thus bright The Serpent overspread the skie With misty clouds to damp the light And make his beams reflect and flie That men could not by humane sight Know night from day nor day from night You look for a deliverer A King quoth he to set you free But Joseph's sonne the Carpenter You may be sure is none of he Will you on basenesse fix your eies And feed your eares with fantasies Suppose he were of David's race Yet can
once again might live In Paradice to rule and reigne And cast the Serpent out again He did not seek to be made known But his Desciples daily prove To see how far that they were grown In stedfast faith in hope and love And trying them all one by one He pick't out Peter James and John These three forthwith along he led With him unto a mountain high Where he himself transfigured That they might see his majestie And in what glory he should reigne When he should come on earth again Behold quoth he and take a glance For all what is under the skies That is my sole inheritance Ev'n all what stands before your eies Faith hope and love my crown did gain Faith hope and love with me shall reigne As flesh and bloud cannot attain True faith to stand out constantly Ev'n so where flesh and bloud doth reign Faith hope and love of force must die Therefore he set before their eyes What flesh doth hate and bloud denyes Two witnesses he there did call That Peter Iames and Iohn might see It was no shadow on a wall No idle dream nor fantasie Then God from heav'n this being done Gave witnesse to his onely Sonne This pleased Peter passing well Master quoth he lot us here make Three Tabernacles here to dwell That Moses one of them may take Eliah one for making three There yet remaineth one for thee No Peter no here is no place The enemie will not permit I onely set before thy face A marke to aim at and to hit A royall kingdome for to win If thou by faith canst enter in And Iames can lay hopes ankor fast By casting it upon this rock Then Iohn shall by his love at last Preserve and keep my little flock And nourish them by love alone When faith is lost and hope is gone For faith and hope were born of man And therefore cannot long endure They both shall end as they began For they were born but to allure Eternall love to be mans friend That man may live when they do end Faith did finde out the holy Land Hope led them in the wildernesse But love did bear the chief command For he our fathers did possesse In Canaan that mighty hoast When faith was gone and hope was lost Faith first doth bring man under awe Then hope attends upon Gods will But love alone must end the law Each royall precept to fulfill For Love he is that onely one Which makes a servant prove a sonne Moses my servant gave my law Eliah did attend my will And kept all men in servile aw Now I am come for to fulfill Each royall precept and to give True grace that man by faith may live These are my faithfull witnesses These men have overcome by love These men have seen my holinesse On earth beneath in heaven above Their witnesse doth in one agree To testifie that I am he Faithfull Moses stands me by Hopefull Eliah doth the same And love from heav'n doth testifie That I am he which bears his name Faith hope and love in one agree That you may know that I am he Moses was sent for to destroy Not sparing either man or beast Proud Pharaoh's kingdome to annoy With sundry plagues till he releast His bond-slave and did let him go Moses did daily work his wo. But I am sent for to preserve And call all men unto a feast From grace and truth I may not swerve Vntill that I have all releast Both Iew and Gentile in their kinde I may not leave one hoof behinde Moses obeyed my command And did the Passover ordain That Iacobs heritage might stand When Aegypts first-born all were slain And be preserved by that Lambe When the devouring Angell came Moses the red sea did divide An Angell went before his face Which did him through the waters guide When Pharaoh did pursue and chase A fiery pillar in a cloud Did this preserving Angell shrowd Now I am come for to fulfill I am that Lambe which shall be slain I must obey my fathers will My coming cannot be in vain I am that Angell which shall slay The Serpents first-born in one day Moses the Red-sea and the Cloud The fiery Pillar all am I That Angell which the Serpent proud Shall overthrow ev'n when I die My bloud shall Aegypts slave defend And bring the Serpent to his end In flaming fire I once came down And did desend upon the mount That men might fear when I did frown And Moses calling to account Both high low might trembling stand For breaking of my least command Eliah with consuming fire Did prosecute this fiery law To execute my wrath and ire On such as would not live in aw He made both high and low obey And in his zeal Ball 's prophets slay That law which I did once reveal In fire unto my servant true And after by Eliah's zeal With burning fire again renue Now love hath found a faithfull friend This law in fierie love to end All what by Moses was begun And never had been taught before Shall now by me be all undone Shall vanish and appear no more And circumcision shall fall And end in me for I am all This law is minister of death And sheweth the reward of sinne It must be ended with my breath My guiltlesse bloud the crown must win I must by death Gods wrath expell And overcome sinne death and hell This law I gave in flaming fire Thunder and lightning made men quake The trumpet did blow wrath and ire The burning mount did trembling shake Curse upon curse did there begin Thunder and fire did threaten sinne But now in love I did appear No thunder lightning smoak nor fire No trumpet blew the skie was clear All men might come which did desire Into the mount to heare what is Vertues reward blisse upon blisse That curse which I did then pronounce Is due to all men by desert Yet I will beare it ev'ry ounce No man shall beare with me a part All men be guilty and in thrall I guiltlesse free must pay for all That blessing which I now did give Is due to all men which deserve For love which would that all should live Gives food of life that none should sterve If men do come again in thrall The guilty then must pay for all In fiery love I gave this law That men might one another love And love hereafter might men draw To fix their eies on him above Who sitting at the righter hand Shall have the rule and sole command In fiery love I will proceed I will not banish scourge nor kill No tares nor cockles will I weed Out of my wheat they shall grow still Both shall have place both shall have room To grow untill the harvest come And then the wheat which love did sow By love shall reaped be again Hates cockles shall no longer grow For love will then in great disdain Burn and consume in wrath and ire Hate and his tares
water for her childe And fil'd her bottle to the brink And gave her sonne thereof to drink But now when Jshmael did flout Abram's faith and Isaac's hope And Hagar did cast Isaac out The Serpent did provide a rope To strangle love and hatred send To bring true love unto his end Hate would not wait for a command And malice would be nothing slack For she did take him by the hand And lay a tree upon his back And made him bring it to the place Where hatred would true love disgrace She nailed him fast hand and foot Vnto the tree which he had born For to complain it was no boot Thus he was made an open skorn And gainst all nature law and grace She mock't her sonne ev'n to his face She thought he was the most accurst And at his torments she did wink When pangs of death did make him thirst She gave him Vineger to drink VVhich done he yeeled up his breath And dying he did vanquish death Herode and Pilate did consent They did agree upon one day Isaac and Jacob to prevent But guiltlesse Isaac first to slay Then scatter Iacob by their might To take away his lawfull right VVhen Jshmael had Isaac slain He thought to lock him in the grave But Isaac did come forth again And made proud Ishmael deaths slave And bound him fast in mortall bands Till he be slain by Isaac's hands VVhen Herode heard he rose again Edom his maliee did renue And Jsaac's males he would have slain For hopefull James this tyrant slue And faithfull Peter kept in bands To murder him by cruell hands VVhen he escaped Edom's rage And that Gods Angell set him free Then Jshmael came on the stage To act his cruell tragedie And faithfull Peter did deride For to cut off the Christian guide When faith and hope had lost their right The Serpent did through malice move These tyrants both with all their might To murder and to vanquish love That Ishm'el might for Isaac reigne And Esau Jacobs blessing gain Then John they catcht within their claws On him their tortures they did prove Love pluck't him out the Lyons jaws For malice could not murder love Love had before his life laid down For Jsaac's promise Iacob's crown VVhen Isaac shall come down again His childeren for to advance That they with him might live and reigne In Canaans inheritance Then Jshmael shall play his part That he may have his due desert For Pilate then shall work his will By his edicts and tyranny The Males in Galile to kill Or bring them into slavery That Jsaac comming there may see All boued again what he set free But then Rebecca shall complain To Herode of this open wrong This is the land where thou dost reigne VVhy dost thou suffer him so long My Males be slain by Pilate's hand Where thou dost rule bear command Herode shall give her good content And say I will thy Males set free And Pilate's malice will prevent If thou wilt vow and swear to me Never to injure me nor mine Then will I stand for thee and thine And thus Rebecca to get free And be releast from Jshm'els bands Shall enter into slaverie She and her Males in Edom's hands That when as Isaac comes in fight They all shall lose their lawfull right For when as Isaac shall appeare Her love and constancy to try She will not then of Isaac heare But flatly shall her man denye Then Bashemath and Edom stout Shall thrust both her and Iacob out When Edom hath by cruellty Got Iacobs birthright for to reigne He then shall think as subtlely His blessing likewise to obtayne But when this thing shall come about Jsaac will feel and smell him out For though he once deceived was And cast his first-born out the nest Yet God did bring it so to pas He blest him whom God would have blest Which Jsaac soone did understand To be the work of Gods own hand When Edom subtlely therefore Shall come unto his father first Isaac shall turn him out a dore And curse him whom God will have curst The blessing shall on Jacob rest He blessed him he must be blest But when as Edom bould and stout Hath by a strong and cruell hand Thrust Iacob and Rebecca out For to possesse their native land Then shall the Iew come in again Which hath so long liv'd in disdain For then the Lord he will awake And unto his remembrance call The covenante which he did make With Abraham and Sarah shall Conceive and beare that promis'd seed Which on the Serpents head shall tread His judgments shall be just and pure And he shall reigne from Sea to Sea So long as Sun and Moon endure In glory strength and majesty The Kings to him shall bring their store All Kings I say shall him adore Then Sarahs love shall not be vain Though she did offer up that Lambe For she shall then come in again Her constant love to Abraham In all her troubles then shall win The love of God to bring her in If then Rebecca do the same VVhen like temptations provoke She shall again come out of blame And Iacob cast off Esau's yoak So he do not his promise break Which unto Laban he did make VVhen Sarahs time is come to bear That she delivered shall be Then cruell Pharaoh shall appear He shall arise out of the sea And come again upon the earth To kill this childe ev'n at his birth But God attending to her cry VVhen she is ready for to bear Shall with his power stand her by And free her from the Dragon's fear And take her sonne up to his thronc For he must reigne and rule alone For her he shall prepare a way Into the wildernesse to flie Lest that the Dragon should her slay And shew on her his tyranny There shall she learn to know his waies Thousand two hundred threescore daies There shall she learn to live in aw And from her God no more depart For there the Lord will write his law Within the tables of her heart All shall his holy name confesse Ev'n from the greater to the lesse Then shall those witnesses appear Which were with Jesus in the mount To bring the world in servile fear And call them to their last account For murder theft adultery And all their other cruelty If any man will do them wrong Then fire out of their mouthes shall go They shall be powerfull and strong To work their adversaries wo And Moses Rod which once did bud Shall turn the waters into bloud And sundry plagues bring on the earth If they their prophesie disdain Eliah he shall bring a dearth Vpon the world for want of rain And so their enemies shall kill Till they their prophesie fulfill But when their prophesie is done Then Ishmael and Edom stout Their strength shall both combine in one To cast these holy Prophets out These witnesses shall then be slain And then the world shall laugh
a childe For Abram did obey her voice Went in to Hager she conceive He was content with Sarahs choise For he did stedfastly believe God would not fail in time of need To raise him up a holy seed When Hager found her self with childe She presently gan to disdain Sarah her Mistrisse meek and milde Who unto Abram did complain I put my handmaid in my place And now she holds me in disgrace Quoth Abram then to end this strife Peace loving Sarah I am thine Thou art my spouse and lawfull wife And Hagar but my concubine Thy maid is bound but thou art free Do with thy maid what pleaseth thee Then Sarah did rebuke her maid for her disdain and haughtinesse And Hagar being sore afraid Did flie into the wildernesse Where sitting by a fountain fair An Angel found her in despair Hagar quoth he what makes thee cry How art thou come into this place My Dames displeasure made me flie Quoth she I dare not see her face Return quoth he remove this blame Submit thy self unto thy Dame Thou art with childe and from this birth I will encrease and multiply Thy seed to overspread the earth Like as the stars do fill the skie For multitude so infinite That none shall number them aright To Abram thou a sonne shalt beare Amongst his brethren he shall dwell He shall be wilde and full of haire He shall be called Ishmael The course and tenor of his life Shall be to live in hate and strife When Hagar brought forth Abrams sonne The Serpent did begin to vaunt The day is got the field is won Quoth he this is Gods covenant Though Cham may here no longer dwell Yet I shall reigne in Ishmael But Abram being full of yeares They were in number ninety nine The Lord again to him appears I am the God of thee and thine Quoth he thou art my sole delight Walk thou before me be upright With thee I le make a covenant VVith thee I say with thee alone Thy seed shall be inheritant VVithin this land and other none Yea thou shalt many nations breed And kings shall from thy loyns proceed Thou shalt be called Abraham And Sarah be thy Spouses name Which shall bring forth that blessed Lamb At least the shadow of the same For Sarah hath the blessing won She shall conceive and beare a sonne Then Abraham fell on his face And laughing said within his heart I have almost run out my race Am almost ready to depart An hundred years have spent in care My wife ten lesse shall she now beare Quoth Abraham then at the length Let Ishmael live in thy sight He is the first-born of my strength Let him not lose his lawfull right He is as yet my onely sonne I say no more thy will be done Then quoth the Lord I heare thy cry Concerning Ishmaels first birth I will increase and multiply And make him fruitfull on the earth Do thou not languish faint nor fret Twelve Princes shall thy sonne beget But will establish my decree My covenant shall firmely stand Which I before did make with thee When thou didst leave thy native land In Isaac will I plant my fear Which Sarah shall to Abram beare The Serpent then found little chance For now he plain and clearly saw That Canaans inheritance Was giv'n by promise not by law And neither craft nor birth nor merit Could make the handmaids son inherite Wherefore he grew much discontent Yet knew not where first to assault But like a Hound which lost the sent Run back again to finde the fault He did no time nor travell spare Thinking at length to kill the hare And while the game was yet afoot His first exploit that would not addle Now laies the axe unto the root To win the horse or lose the saddle He now did think to make all sure To get this crown and sit secure For Isaac grown to yeares and strength And Abraham through yeares decai'd He took to him a wife at length A vertuous a godly maid Rebekah she was cal'd by name A comely sweet and lovely dame But she was barren could not breed VVhich caused her to mourn and grieve But Isaac praid to God for seed VVho soon was heard she did conceive Now quoth the Serpent I le entombe My self within Rebekahs wombe I now have found that onely pair Though Hagars son could have no chance Rebekahs sonne and Isaac's heire Must have the sole inheritance Then though Rebekahs womb should burst Yet will I strive to be the first VVhen as Rebekah felt this strife VVithin her wombe she gan to muse And almost weary of her life VVent to the Lord to know this news VVhat hath quoth she my wombe possest That thus deprives me of my rest Within thy wombe two nations Are bred quoth he be not derided Two sundry generations Shall out thy bowels be devided The greater shall for honour hunger Yet shall the elder serve the yonger VVhen she came to deliverance Twins did appear she had a pair The first born to inheritance VVas ragged red and rough with hair The yongest white and smooth to feell VVho held his brother by the heel The Serpent now did nothing want He was no longer under awe For he was in the Covenant By birth by promise and by law By birth by law the land possessing By promise to obtain the blessing He which rebuked was at first That he our father had undone Then by the sonne in Cain accurst For hatefull murdring of the sonne In Ham a treble curse did merit For vexing of Gods holy Spirit Yet now he thought the field was won He from the curse should now be freed For he was Isaac's lawfull sonne And one of blessed Abrams seed The former curse was all in vain He which did curse had blest again But now the story to relate What time in time did bring to passe These boyes grew up to mans estate Esau a cunning Hunter was And in the field much time he spent Plain Iacob dwelling in a tent Esau was Isaac's onely boy He brought his father pleasant meat But Jacob was Rebekaes joy His mothers love to him was great In him she had her whole delight And kept him alwaies in her sight Vpon a time it came to passe That Esau weary almost spent In great distresse through hunger was Who comming to his brothers tent Give me quoth he some broth bread For I am faint and almost dead Then Jacob thought he would requite His brother for his former wrong That he by strength had got his right When he was weak and Esau strong I le strive quoth he yet once again Though he be rough and I be plain I faint I languish I despaire Shut not thine eares unto my cry Quoth Esau then shall Jsaac's heire Through hunger perish fainting die What shall our father Jsaac say If Jacob do his first-born slay I do not seek to have thy life Nor shorten any of thy dayes I am not