Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
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A05379
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A crucifixe: or, A meditation vpon repentance, and, the holie passion. Written by Christopher Lever
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Lever, Christopher, fl. 1627.
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1607
(1607)
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STC 15535; ESTC S120020
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15,889
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44
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gaze vpon that sanctimonious tree The holy Crosse O sacred Worthinesse That beares the fruit of Immortalitie And with a greedy appetite doth eie This Crucifix this Christ that 's nailde thereon This God this man this our redemption Not soâ—…m'd in mettle or with curious paint Nor hallowed with earthen sanctitie We estimate not much a woodden Saint Nor can a Painter learne the mysterie To make a Christ or giue diuinitie Thus then of all I would be vnderstood This Crucifix nor mettle paint nor wood But very Christ which with a faithfull eie This sonne of Grace reuiews with good affection In euery part he earnestly doth prie For sacred bloud which is the soules refection For without bloud we seale not our election Now giue him wordes or else we doe him wrong To giue him much Desire and not a Tongue ¶ Sacred he saith most glorious most diuine Thou Word that mad'st thou Christ that sav'dst all Thou Sonne that euerlastingly dost shine Coequall God and consubstantiall Thou Gate of mercy way to life Eternall O sith thou giv'st me sorrow for my sinne Open thy Mercy gate and let me in Thou art that Foode and ever-liuing Spring Whereof who tastes shall neuer thirst againe O I am thirst with my much sorrowing Euen as the parched land that gaspes for raine Do not thy heauenly droppings then detaine If that my soule this holy water want What thriueth it I set I sowe or plant But want I cannot if I but desire it Thy mercy doth preuent my forwardnesse Thou giuest grace before wee can require it If in our hearts there be but willingnesse Thou com'st vnto vs ere we can expresse What we determine In this scarce one Of mortall rase loues imitation This and tenne thousand testaments of Loue T'vnworthy men are daily multiplide Which might their blunted vnderstandings moue To Loue and Honor whom they crucified Their King and Sauiour Iesus is denied For euer be it hatefull in the Iewes To choose a villaine and the Iust refuse Pilate thou canst not wash in Innocence Nor Cayphas how er'e in holy place You give a monstrous sinne a faire pretence Your greatnes cannot countenance the case Both Prince and Prelate and the vulgar base Conspire in one These discords can agree To plot and practise this conspiracie Traitors hold off your blacke and treasonous handes Touch not his pure and neuer-tainted flesh Villaines your King must he be lockt in bands How prodigall you be in wickednesse To buffet binde and whippe his sacred flesh Let me my sinfull body interpose The sinne was mine let me beare off the blowes See how his bloud spirts from their cruell stripes O sacred blood O sacred body bleeding These Iewes haue lesse compassion than their whippes To spâ—…ll that blood which is the holy feeding Of blessed soules O cruelty exceeding Traitors you little know one drop of blood Would be enough to doe all sinners good Sweete Iesâ—… may thy seruant begge this grace To be a vessell to receiue this spilling The earth my Lord 's a farre vnworthy place A place of bloud a slaughter-house of killing Sith I haue woundes O Iesu be thou willing That some of this these Iewes shed on the ground I may reserue to cure a mortall wound In this aray their God our Christ they bring Vnto the place of execution His enemies entitle him a King Yet that is done in their derision The Stage is Calueriâ—… they act vpon A place of Skulles the morall may be this We are but rotten bones without his blisse Looke as a Pyrate roauing at the Seas When by aduenture hitting on a prise Doth first vpon their stoage make a sease Then on their victor'd liues doth tyrannise These hel-houndes so their envie exercise First they doe strippe our Sauiour of his cloathing Then of his life and thus they leaue him nothing Is it not wonder this rebellious rout Trauells in sweat to worke their fatall woe See with what painefulnesse they goe about This horred act herein they are not slowe That to a worke of Grace could neuer goe They dragge they binde they naâ—…le they fasten on Our holy life but their damnation Betweene two malefactors they did place him In scorne of his most perfect innocence These Theeues there set of purpose to disgrace him Yet did these Varlets faile in their pretence Their neerenesse could not giâ—…e him their offence For that is said to be the vertuous meane That on each hand hath neighbour'd the extreame Now they haue reared vp this Crucifix See how their resting time they entertaine Some vinegre and gall togither mix Others deride and all of them disdaine In scorne they call him Lord and Soueraigne The souldiers that aboue the rest doe raue Doe cast the Dice who should his garment haue My Lord is now in other businesse Building the frame of mans saluation These drops of bloud and water doe expresse His inward griefe he giues a demonstration Of torment that exceedeth all relation For he that would bring merit vnto man Must suffer more then any other can O what is man whome thou regardest so A stayned cloath a beautie withered Yet did my Lord his greatnesse humble so As he inuests our Nature that was dead He brings againe what erst was perished Now by his Bloud and euer by his Grace He makes vs worthie that before were base What though they heape iniquitie on sinne He layeth not his sauing worke away He helpeth most when they most torture him To giue vs life he doth his owne defray Lord Christ thou didst for thy tormentors pray Father forgiue them thus thy innocence Forgiue them gratious Father their offence The horror of this act did blind the Sunne Remoue the Earth the holy Temple rend Dead bodies from their Sepulchers did runne And preach to many how these Iewes offend All things reprou'd and nothing did commend The Sunne the Earth the Temple and the Graue Haue more of Grace then these Tormentors haue The Sunne doth hide his euer-burning face Abhorring to suruey their damned fact The Earth did shame it as her owne disgrace Because vpon her body they did act The Graues disclaime and dis-alowe the fact The holy Temple doth it selfe diuide Because a holier they haue crucifide Now giue me breath O sacred breathing spirit With faithfull affectation to applie This Death this Christ this compotence of merit Vnto my soule that in it selfe would die If not supported by the hand of Mercie How helpeth it the hurt-man to be sound Vnlesse the Salue be plasterd to the wound And as the holy Prophet that did spread His liuing body on the liuelesse corse And so brought backe the spirit vanished And made a contract where there was diuorse So when our soules are mantled with this crosse That life of Grace we erst had lost with sinning Hath then a second time in vs beginning And to make sit for good digestion This bread of life we must the loafe diuide Our faithfull soules in morsels
A Crucifixe OR A Meditation vpon Repentance and The holie Passion Written by CHRISTOPHER LEVER Nocet indulgentia nobis AT LONDON Printed by V. S. for Iohn Budge and are to be sold at his shop at the great south doore of Paules 1607. To the Reader THe Writings of Men as they are divers so are they diuersly affected yet euer in this inequalitie that mo to the bad than to the better be disposed The reason is corruption in Iudgement dulnesse of Vnderstanding blindenesse in Election and a deprauednesse in the whole frame of Nature whereof it commeth that many deceiue themselues in their choise neglecting what is of neerest consideration yet embrace that with strong appetite which is most pernitious and pestilent I write not this to offend any one but to remember all for I had rather profite than please and to giue friendly admonishment is better than silence That great Apostle Saint Paule defired to knowe nothing but Iesus Christ and him crucified and dooth detest to reioyce in aught saue in the Crosse and sufferings of his Lorde and Maister A lesson woorthy so great a Doctour and worth our immitation This is that one thing which is onely necessary whereof who hath true knowledge hath all knowledge This Crosse this Crucifix and this Passion I present thee gentle Reader not in their exact formes for that exceedes the power of Mortalitie but in a little resemblance wishing thee to reade not for Mirth but for Matter and with holy Paul faithfully to apply to thy soule the glorie and reioycings of the holy Passion Farewell To the most reuerend father in God RICHARD by Diuine prouidence Archbishop of Canterbury Primate and Metropolitane of England My singular good Lord and Patron RIght Reuerend Lord There is a disease in the Natures of men most powerful in the vulgar and base multitude to mis-interpret yet to interpret all mens proceedings Therefore the best cause doth most neede protection lest otherwise it receiue wrong in their iniurious and false constructions For this particular the frame and disposition is my owne and therefore I willingly submitte that to a mercifull Iudgement The Subject is not mine but Gods being extract from sacred Authorities and therefore of it selfe able to resist all opposition Here-hence I deriue my comfort that the worthinesse of the Subject may giue supplyment to my verse that wants woorth and that in the opinion of good men I shall be thought to haue done more in giuing a religious matter this poore forme than others that with much industry and arte haue painted the deformed face of profane and idle Inuentions The reasons my good Lord that moue me to this dedication are these First the many testimonies I haue of your Lordships gratious respecting me which earnestly presse me to returne this little demonstration of thankes where I haue receiued so much fauor Next your Lordships trauell to continue the body of Religion vnited or rather to make vp the rent and diuision Wherein God hath made you prosperous giuing you spirite to enterprise and victory to finish a care of that religious importance And because this Crucifix I present is a Meditation of the sufferings and death of Christ represented to vs in the ceremony of the Crosse in the holy vse whereof your Lordshippe hath fortunately trauelled I haue therfore thought this Dedication of right to belong vnto your Grace assuring my selfe that where the Shadow there the Substance where the Figure there the Trueth and where the Crosse there the Christ shall finde gratious and glad acceptance The which with all respects of duety and humblenesse I offer vnto your Lordship beseeching God to giue you to support the reputation of Learning helpfull to both the States of Church and kingdom and after this life perpetuity with the holy Angells and Saints Your Graces in all duety and seruice CHRISTOPHER LEVER A CRVCIFIX OR A Meditation vpon Repentance and the holy Passion THere is a griefe which farre exceedes the skill Of many learned spirits to define And this deriued is from doing ill Yet doth it rectifie and much refine The blurred Image of that power diuine Which in our purer soules at our creation Made vs beloued and of estimation Such is the terrour of a wounded Soule Stretched vpon the painefull racke of try all Presented with that blacke accusing scroule The register of sinne the Lords espiall Authorities that ne'r admit deniall For when our Conscience doth display our sinne Then true affected griefe doth first beginne It were in vaine I labour'd to expresse The just proportion and the qualitie Of horred griefe nor what amazednesse Attends this court of lawe and equitie The Soule must here implead impietie Against the Soule The Iudge that here preceedeth Against himselfe himselfe the law impleadeth 〈◊〉 that haue 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for your sinnes 〈◊〉 bath d your 〈◊〉 in your repentanâ—…â—…eares 〈◊〉 when your reformation first beginnes 〈◊〉 â—…ur 〈◊〉 harts tell me what feares 〈◊〉 horrednesse remorsefull conscience beares 〈◊〉 rather doe confesse as doth my verse There is no power of words can it reherse The Father Iudge that sits his Sonne to trie Cannot resist the torture of his minde When he denounceth sentence thou must die Examples may be fitted to this kinde But to resemble ours no like we finde For here the Iudge that giues the dying word Condemnes himselfe euen of his owne accord The eye condemnes the sight the sight the eye The power of speach our much offending tongue All qualities their instruments envie And say their aptnesse to offence and wrong Impels the sence the weaker by the strong Is captâ—…uate And sinne that hath the reynes The common wealth in man to sinne constraines Like as that Bull Perillus fram'd of brasse To be a wond'rous instrument of woe Within whose wombe when the offendor was In brutish sort he as a Bull did lowe The organe of the beast did cause it so Right so our bodies beastlie by our sinne Doe bestifie the soule that liues within In opposition to this formall plea The body to the soule againe replyeth The state of sinne hath his estate in thee Our soules without sinne in our bodies dyeth Nature to liuelesse things all act denyeth For as the Ayre is mooued with the wind So are our subject bodies by the mind Who euer yet accus'd the murderous knife As actor of that horrible effect The agent must be somewhat that hath life It is the liuing hand that doth direct The mortall blade Nor is there had respect To instrumentall causes of offending For in the agent guilt hath his depending 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of hoâ—… contention 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 himselfe diuide 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which judâ—…ment hath descride 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the conscience anght can hide 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 state of wretchednesse doth dwell 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 them my verse 〈◊〉 tell 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the 〈◊〉 cup of pleasure 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in nothing but expending 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fall his treasure