it confounds me nor leaues place for breath Oft I attempt to flie and meditation Contends to shake off my old yoke of death But to my bones cleaues the vncur'd vexation 10. O that at length my necke his yoke could cleare Which would be straite wouldst thou ô highest will it O that so angrie with my sinne I were That I could loue thee though thus late fulfill it 11. But much I feare it since my freedome is So with mine owne hands out of heart sterued And I must yeeld my torment iust in this Sorrow and labor wring me most deserued 12. Mad wretch what haue I to my selfe procured Mine owne hands forg'd the chains I haue endur'd 13. In deaths blacke ambush with my will I fell And wheresoeuer vulgar brode waies traine me Nets are disposde for me by him of hell When more retir'd more narrow paths containe me 14. There meete my feete with fitted snares as sure I wretch looke downeward and of one side euer And euerie slipperie way I walke secure My sins forget their traitrous flatteries neuer 15. I thought the grace of youth could neuer erre And follow'd where his boundles force wold driue me Said to my selfe Why should th'extremes deterre Before youths season of the meane depriue me 16. Each age is bounded in his proper ends God I know sees this but he laughs and sees it Pardon at any time on prayre attends Repentance still weeps when thy wish decrees it 17. Then vilest custome challengeth his slaue And laies on hand that all defence denies me And then no place reseru'd for flight I haue Subdu'd I am and farre my refuge flies me 17. Die'in my sinne I shall vnlesse my aide Stoopes from aloft of which deserts depriue me Yet haue thou mercie Lord helpe one dismaide Thy word retain from hell moâ—â—h retriue me All glorie to the Father be And to the Sonne as great as he With the coequall sacred Spirit Who all beginnings were before Are and shall be euermore Glorie all glorie to their merit A HYMNE TO OVR Sauiour on the Crosse. HAile great Redeemer man and God all haile Whose feruent agonie tore the temples vaile Let sacrifices out darke Prophesies And miracles and let in for all these A simple pietie a naked heart And humble spirit that no lesse impart And proue thy Godhead to vs being as rare And in all sacred powre as circulare Water and blood mixt were not swet from thee With deadlier hardnesse more diuinitie Of supportation then through flesh and blood Good doctrine is diffusde and life as good O open to me then like thy spread armes That East West reach all those misticke charmes That hold vs in thy life and discipline Thy merits in thy loue so thrice diuine It made thee being our God assume our man And like our Champion Olympian Come to the field gainst Sathan and our sinne Wrastle with torments and the garland winne From death hell which cannot crown our browes But blood must follow thornes mixe w t thy bowes Of conquering â—awâ—ell fast naild to thy Crosse Are all the glories we can here engrosse Proue then to those that in vaine glories place Their happinesse here thy hold not by thy grace To those whose powres proudly oppose thy lawes Oppressing Vertue giuing Vice applause They neuer manage iust authoritie But thee in thy deare members crucifie Thou couldst haue come in glorie past them all With powre to force thy pleasure and empale Thy Church with brasse Adamant that no swine Nor theeues nor hypocrites nor fiends diuine Could haue broke in or rooted or put on Vestments of Pietie when their hearts had none Or rapt to ruine with pretext to saue Would pompe and radiance rather not out braue Thy naked truth then cloath or countnance it With grace and such sincerenesse as is fit But since true pietie weares her pearles within And outward paintings onely pranke vp sinne Since bodies strengthned soules go to the wall Since God we cannot serue and Beliall Therefore thou putst on earths most abiect plight Hid'st thee in humblesse vnderwentst despight Mockerie detraction shame blowes vilest death These thou thy souldiers taughtst to fight beneath Mad'st a commanding President of these Perfect perpetuall bearing all the keyes To holinesse and heauen To these such lawes Thou in thy blood writst that were no more cause T' enflame our loues and feruent faiths in thee Then in them truths diuine simplicitie T were full enough for therein we may well See thy white finger furrowing blackest hell In turning vp the errors that our sence And sensuall powres incurre by negligence Of our eternall truth-exploring soule All Churches powres thy writ word doth controule And mixt it with the fabulous Alchoran A man might boult it out as floure from branne Easily discerning it a heauenly birth Brake it but now out and but crept on earth Yet as if God lackt mans election And shadowes were creators of the Sunne Men must authorise it antiquities Must be explor'd to spirit and giue it thies And controuersies thicke as flies at Spring Must be maintain'd about th' ingenuous meaning When no stile can expresse it selfe so cleare Nor holds so euen and firme a character Those mysteries that are not to be reacht Still to be striu'd with make them more impeacht And as the Mill fares with an ill pickt grist When any stone the stones is got betwist Rumbling together fill the graine with grit Offends the eare sets teeth an edge with it Blunts the pict quarrie so t will grinde no more Spoyles bread and scants the Millars custom'd store So in the Church when controuersie fals It marres her musicke shakes her batterd wals Grates tender consciences and weakens faith The bread of life taints makes worke for Death Darkens truths light with her perplext Abysmes And dustlike grinds men into sects and schismes And what 's the cause the words deficiencie In volume matter perspicutitie Ambition lust and damned auarice Peruert and each the sacred word applies To his prophane ends all to profite giuen And puâ—snets lay to catch the ioyes of heauen Since truth and reall worth men seldome sease Impostors most and sleightest learnings please And where the true Church like the nest should be Of chast and prouident Alcione To which is onely one straight orifice Which is so strictly fitted to her sise That no bird bigger then her selfe or lesse Can pierce and keepe it or discerne th' accesse Nor which the sea it selfe on which t is made Can euer ouerflow or once inuade Now wayes so many to her Altars are So easie so prophane and populare That torrents charg'd with weeds and sin-drownd beasts Breake in lode cracke them sensuall ioyes and feasts Corrupt their pure fumes and the slendrest flash Of lust or profite makes a standing plash Of sinne about them which men will not passe Looke Lord vpon them build them wals
with it But he that knowing how diuine a frame The whole world is and of it all can name Without selfe flatterie no part so diuine As he himselfe and therefore will confine Freely his whole powres in his proper part Goes on most god-like He that striues t' inuert The vniuersall course with his poore way Not onely dustlike shiuers with the sway But crossing God in his great worke all earth Beares not so cursed and so damn'd a birth This then the vniuersall discipline Of manners comprehends a man to ioyne Himselfe with th'vniuerse and wish to be Made all with it and go on round as he Not plucking from the whole his wretched part And into streights or into nought reuert Wishing the complete vniuerse might be Subiect to such a ragge of it as he But to consider great necessitie All things as well refract as voluntarie Reduceth to the high celestiall cause Which he that yeelds to with a mans applause And cheeke by cheeke goes crossing it no breath But like Gods image followes to the death That man is perfect wise and euerie thing Each cause and euerie part distinguishing In nature with enough Art vnderstands And that full glorie merits at all hands That doth the whole world at all parts adorne And appertaines to one celestiall borne Of sodaine Death VVHat action wouldst y u wish to haue in hand If sodain death shold come for his coÌ„mand I would be doing good to most good men That most did need or to their childeren And in aduice to make them their true heires I would be giuing vp my soule to theirs To which effect if Death should find me giuen I would with both my hands held vp to heauen Make these my last words to my deitie Those faculties thou hast bestowd on me To vnderstand thy gouernment and will I haue in all fit actions offerd still To thy diuine acceptance and as farre As I had influence from thy bounties starre I haue made good thy forme infusde in me Th'anticipations giuen me naturally I haue with all my studie art and prayre Fitted to euerie obiect and affaire My life presented and my knowledge taught My poore saile as it hath bene euer fraught With thy free goodnesse hath bene ballast to With all my gratitude What is to do Supply it sacred Sauiour thy high grace In my poore gifts receiue againe and place Where it shall please thee thy gifts neuer die But hauing brought one to felicitie Descend againe and helpe another vp c. Height in Humilitie WHy should I speak impeâ—ious courtiers faire Lest they exclude thee at thy Court repaire If they shall see me enter willingly Let them exclude me If necessitie Driue me amongst them and they shut the dore I do my best and they can do no more Gods will and mine then weigh'd I his preferre Being his vow'd lackey and poore sufferer I trie what his will is and will with it No gate is shut to me that shame must fit Shamelesse intruders Why feare I disgrace To beare ill censure by a man of face Will any thinke that impudence can be An equall demonstration of me T is kingly Cyrus said Antisthenes When thou doest well to heare this ill of these But many pitie thy defects in thee I mocke them euer that so pittie me Strangers they are and know not what I am Where I place good and ill nor euer came Where my course lies but their 's the world may know They lay it out onely to name and show If comfort follow truth of knowledge still They meete with little truth for if their skill Get not applause their comfort comes to nought I studie still to be they to be thought Are they lesse frustrate of their ends then I Or fall they lesse into the ils they flie Are they industrious more lesse passionate Lesse faltring in their course more celebrate Truth in their comforts But they get before Much in opinion True they seeke it more For stay in competence THou that enioyst onely enough to liue Why grieu'st thou that the giuer does not giue Foode with the fullest when as much as thou He thinkes him emptie T is a state so low That I am fearefull euerie howre to sinke Well said Vnthankfull fearefull eate and drinke And feare to sterue still Knowst thou not who sings Before the theefe The penurie of things Whither conferres it Drawes it not one breath With great satietie End not both in death Thy entrailes with thy want together shrinke He bursts with cruditie and too much drinke Will not thy want then with a chearefull eye Make thee expect death whom sterne tyrannie Empire and all the glut of thirstie store Shun with pale cheekes affrighted â—uermore Earth is a whore and brings vp all her brats With her insatiate gadflie euen her flats High as her â—ilâ— looke lusting lusting still No earthly pleasure euer hath her fill Turne a new leafe then thirst for things past death And thou shalt neuer thinke of things beneath How should I thirst so hauing no such heatâ— Fast pray to haue it better neuer eate Then still the more thou 〈◊〉 the more desâ—re But wilt thou quench this ouerneedie fire Canst thou not write nor reade nor keepe a gateâ— Teach children be a porter That poore state Were base and hatefull Is that base to thee That is not thy worke That necessitie Inflicts vpon thee that inuades thee to Onely as head-aches and agues do That the great Ordrer of th'vniuerse sees So good he puts it in his master peece But men will scorne me Let them then go by They will not touch thee he that shifts his eye To others eye-browes must himselfe be blind Leau'st thou thy selfe for others t is the mind Of all that God and euery good forsakes If he goes thy way follow if he takes An opposite course canst thou still go along And end thy course Go right though all else wrong But you are learn'd and know Philosophie To be a shift to salue necessitie Loue syllogismes figures and to make All men admire how excellent you spake Your caution is to keepe a studious eye Lest you be caught with carpes of sophistrie To bâ— a man of reading when alas All these are caught in a Plebeians case None such poore fooles incontinent couetous Atheisticall deceitfull villanous Shew me thy studies end and what may be Those weights and measures that are vsde by thee To mete these ashes barreld vp in man Is not the wreath his that most truly can Make a man happie And in short is that Any way wrought more then in teaching what Will make a man most ioyfully embrace The course his end holds and his proper place Not suffering his affections to disperse But fit the maine sway of the vniuerse Of the Will THe empire of the Will is euer sau'd Except lost by it selfe when t is deprau'd Of Man MAn is so soueraigne and diuine a state That not contracted and elaborate The
of brasse To keepe prophane feete off do not thou In wounds and anguish euer ouerflow And suffer such in ease and sensualitie Dare to reiect thy rules of humble life The minds true peace turne their zeales to strife For obiects earthly and corporeall A tricke of humblesse now they practise all Confesse their no deserts habilities none Professe all frailties and amend not one As if a priuiledge they meant to claime In sinning by acknowledging the maime Sinne gaue in Adam Nor the surplussage Of thy redemption seeme to put in gage For his transgression that thy vertuous paines Deare Lord haue eate out all their former staines That thy most mightie innocence had powre To cleanse their guilts that the vnualued dowre Thou mad'st the Church thy spouse in pietie And to endure paines impious constancie Will and alacratie if they inuoke To beare the sweete lode and the easie yoke Of thy iniunctions in diffusing these In thy perfection through her faculties In euery fiuer suffering to her vse And perfecting the forme thou didst infuse In mans creation made him cleare as then Of all the frailties since defiling men And as a runner at th' Olympian games With all the luggage he can lay on frames His whole powres to y â— race bags pockets greaues Stuft full of sand he weares which when he leaues And doth his other weightie weeds vncouer With which halfe smotherd he is wrapt all ouer Then seemes he light and fresh as morning aire Guirds him with silkes swaddles with roulers faire His lightsome body and away he scoures So swift and light he scarce treads down the flowrs So to our game proposde of endlesse ioy Before thy deare death when we did employ Our tainted powres we felt them clogd and chain'd With sinne and bondage which did rust and raign'd In our most mortall bodiâ—â— but when thou Strip'dst vs of these bands and from foote to brow Guirt â—old and trimd vs vp in thy deserts Free were our feete and handâ— and spritely hearts Leapt in our bosoms and ascribing still All to thy merits both our powre and will To euery thought of goodnesse wrought by thee That diuine scarlet in which thou didst die Our cleansd consistens lasting still in powre T' enable acts in vs as the next howre To thy most sauing glorious sufferance We may make all our manly powres aduance Vp to thy Image and these formes of earth Beauties and mockeries match in beastly birth We may despise with still aspiring spirits To thy high graces in thy still fresh merits Not â—ouching at this base and spongie mould For â—â—y springs of lust or mines of gold For else milde Sauiour pardon me to speake How did thy foote the Serpents forhead breake How hath the Nectar of thy vertuous blood The sinke of Adams forfeit oueâ—flow'd How doth it set vs free if we still stand For all thy sufferings bound both foote and hand Vassals to Sathan Didst thou onely die Thine owne diuine deserts to glorifie And shew thou couldst do this O were not those Giuen to our vse in powre If we shall lose By damn'd relapse grace to enact that powre And basely giue vp our redemptions towre Before we trie our strengths built all on thine And with a humblesse false and Asinine Flattering our senses lay vpon our soules The burthens of their conquests and like Moules Grouell in earth still being aduanc't to heauen Cowes that we arre in heards how are we driuen To Sathans shambles Wherein stand we for Thy heauenly image Hels great Conqueror Didst thou not offer to restore our fall Thy sacrifice full once and one for all If we be still downe how then can we rise Againe with thee and seeke crownes in the skies But we excuse this saying We are but men And must erre must fall what thou didst sustaine To free our beastly frailties neuer can With all thy grace by any powre in man Make good thy Rise to vs O blasphemie In hypocriticall humilitie As we are men we death and hell controule Since thou createdst man a liuing soule As euerie houre we sinne we do like beasts Needlesse and wilfull murthering in our breasts Thy saued image out of which one cals Our humane soules mortall celestials When casting off a good lifes godlike grace We fall from God and then make good our place When we returne to him and â—o are said To liue when life like his true forme we leade And die as much as an immortall creature Not that we vtterly can ceasse to be But that we fall from lifes best qualitie But we are tost out of our humane Throne By pied and Protean opinion We vouch thee onely for pretext and fashion And are not inward with thy death and passion We slauishly renounce the royaltie With which thou crownst vs in thy victorie Spend all our manhood in the fiends defence And drowne thy right in beastly negligence God neuer is deceiu'd so to respect His shade in Angels beauties to neglect His owne most cleare and rapting louelinesse Nor Angels dote so on the species And grace giuen to our soule which is their shade That therefore they will let their owne formes fade And yet our soule which most deserues our woe And that from which our whole mishap doth flow So softn'd is and rapt as with a storme With flatteries of our base corporeall forme Which is her shadow that she quite forsakes Her proper noblesse and for nothing takes The beauties that for her loue thou putst on In torments rarefied farre past the Sunne Hence came the cruell fate that Orpheus Sings of Narcissus who being amorous Of his shade in the water which denotes Beautie in bodies that like water flotes Despisd himselfe his soule and so let fade His substance for a neuer-purchast shade Since soules of their vse ignorant are still With this vile bodies vse men neuer fill And as the Suns light in streames ne're so faire Is but a shadow to his light in aire His splendor that in aire we so admire Is but a shadow to his beames in fire In fire his brightnesâ—e but a shadow is To radiance fir'd in that pure brest of his So as the subiect on which thy grace shines Is thicke or cleare to earth or heauen inclines So that truths light showes so thy passion takes With which who inward is and thy breast makes Bulwarke to his breast against all the darts The foe stâ—l shoots more more his late blow smarts And sea-like raues most where t is most withstood He tasts the strength and vertue of thy blood He knows that when flesh is most sooth'd grac't Admir'd and magnified ador'd and plac't In height of all the blouds Idolatry And fed with all the spirits of Luxury One thought of ioy in any soule that knowes Her owne true strength and thereon doth repose Bringing her bodies organs to attend Chiefly her powres to her eternall end Makes all