regard This transitorie honour which so flits Which to attaine so much doth tyre our wits And yet so niggardly to man is shard And afterward Doth leaue a sting behinde Of care of conscience and of griefe of minde SON LVII WHo seeketh not with all his power and might To eternize vnto himselfe his states That chance or time may not his blisse rebate Or death it selfe may not dissolue it quight Thus some therefore for honour fiercely fight And some for wealth do trauell far and nigh Some worldly wisedome with great studie buy To make them famous in this vaine worlds sight Which is the readiest way they do espye To keep their name from death which so they hate Yea all suppose posteritie the gate T'immortalize this flesh whose floure must dye But all go wry wealth honor wit haue end And children passe faith only life doth lend SON LVIII WHat wealth may be to this alone comparde To be co-heire with Christ of fathers loue To haue 〈◊〉 â—arthly thoughts so raysd aboue That world and worldly things we not regard To see by faith a kingdome rich preparde For vs which shall eternally remaine Aye free from worldly cares and troubles vaine Which is for children his a due reward Who can discouragde be with earthly paine Or tedious combats which the flesh doth proue Since care of vs our Partner Christ did moue To share our griefes his ioy to vs to gaine Which thoughts should waine Our wils froÌ„ base desire And vs incourage higher to aspire SON LIX IF Paradise were such a pleasant soyle Where all things flourished and prospered aye Wherein who liued neuer could decaye Till sin by Satans slight gaue man the foyle Which blessings afterward did cleane recoyle And left man naked in reproach and shame To dust to turne againe from whence he came On barren earth to liue with sweat and toyle Then is our state much better then that fame Our Paradise a place of blisse to staye Our Sauiour Abrams bosome doth displaye Wherein our soules shall rest free from all blame Where he our name Hath writ in booke of life To be exempt from feare of care or strife SON LX. WHat is felicitie whereof men wright Which to attaine our studies still are beat Which to procure such time and paine is spent By endlesse trauell therein day and night Sure if it be nought else but firme delight And that delight consist in peace of minde Then here on earth this treasure none shall finde Whose pleasures quickly vanish out of sight The earth doth chaunge as seas do rise with tyde And stormes insue the calme before that went This happinesse but for a time is lent And payd oft times with penance more vnkinde By fortune blinde Tâ—ue blisse consists herein To loue the Lord and to abandon sin SON LXI HOw many priuiledges great and rare Do we enioy that do thy name professe Euen many more by far I do confesse Then we obserue or how to vse be ware To giue thy onely sonne thou didst not spare Vs to redeeme from deaths eternall wound The sting of hell and sin he did confound And way to heauen for vs he did prepare Yea so his mercies do to vs abound That all the worldly creatures more and lesse Yea heauenly Angels do themselues addresse To serue mans needfull vse are readie found He doth propound In Christ all these to man And hauing him no want annoy vs can SON LXII BY many gifts ô Lord thou doest declare Thy mercies vnto man whom thou wilt saue The vse of all the which in Christ we haue By hand of faith that precious blessing rare That doth his righteousnesse for vs prepare Our stubbornnesse with his obedience hide His patience doth our grosse impatience guide His temperance with our intemperance share His continence our frailtie lets not slide For changing nature ours his strength it gaue Our pride it hides and hopes with faithlesse waue And shades our hart with loue which stil shal bide Thus euery tide It readie is at hand For our defence a buckler for to stand SON LXIII HOw should the quiet mind in peace and rest Possessed of the thing it most desirde A thing so precious none durst haue aspirde To gaine vnlesse the giuer had him blest How may she mourne how may she be opprest Who hath the bridegrome alwaies in her sight Who in her loue doth take so great delight As by his bountie hourely is exprest The dolefull darknesse fitteth blinded night The shining Sunne hath cloudes of care retirde O heauenly heare my heart it hath aspirde Since in thy sonne I saw thy fauour bright The which did fight As champion strong for mee From cloudes of darknesse and from sin to free SON LXIIII. WHo so of perfect temperature is framde Must needs delight in heauenly harmony His sences so shall be renude thereby As sauage beasts by Orpheus harpe were tamde Yong Dauids harpe Sauls furious spirit shamde And Dolfins did Aryons musicke beare Such sympathie in all things doth appeare That neuer musicke was by wisedome blamde But he that could conceiue with iudgement cleare The sweet records that heauenly motions cry Their constant course that neuer swarues awry But by discords whose concords after cheate Would hold so deare The mouer of the same That loue of him should base affections tame SON LXV GReat is thy power and more then we conceiue Thy glorie more then can discerned bee Mans greatest gift is yet that he may see Or know that vertue thine doth his bereaue His dazeling eyes each shadow doth deceiue His iudgement builded on inconstant ground His strength but weaknesse in it selfe is found His glorie greater glorie must receiue From thee in whom all glorie doth abound What maiestie dare man compare with thee To whom all creatures bow obedient knee Whose contemplations thou doest cleane confound Vpon this ground True blisse wisdome stand To know our wisedome floweth from thy hand SON LXVI AS but vaine hope it is for man to trust To thing not promised or not in power Of speaker to performe at pointed hower Which is the case of flesh and bloud vniust So call that hope no wise man can or must Which is performance of expected thing When as possession doth assurance bring Of thing whereafter we tofore did lust The Saints in heauen in ioyfull rest do sing Whom hope nor feare do raise or yet deuower But men on earth haue hope a resting tower To shield them from despightfull Satans sting Faith is the wing Makes me to hope ascend And truth in Christ shall make my hope haue end SON LXVII GReat are the gifts ô Lord thou doest bestow On sinfull man by thy abounding grace Who when they want doest neuer hide thy face But still a patron of thy bountie show Which makes vs both thy power and mercy know And so with shame and sorrow to repent Our thanklesse natures so vnkindly bent So slacke to pay the praises which we owe.
did thy power deeme Because thou didst forbeare thy rod a while I sought by Idols ayd to heauen to clime Whilst worlds delight my senses did beguile But helplesse now alas I turne to thee To stay my race let grace Lord succour mee SON LXXII THou formedst me at first out of the clay Vnto the image of thy glorious frame O Lord of might thou shewdst to me the way To magnifie thy pure and holie name Like Potters vessell first my modell came Out of a rude vnformed lumpe of earth To holy vse it pleasd thee me reclaime Before my life tooke vse of carnall breath Thou fedst me in the common humane dearth Of knowledge of thy will with such a tast Of pleasing frute as fild my soule with mirth And readie makes me now no more to wast Thy offred mercies which so blesse in me Or glorie that I may a vessell be SON LXXIII A Seruant Lord euen from my day of byrth I vowed was by parents vnto thee A Nazarit I liued on the earth And kept the vowes as grace did strengthen mee Till satan made me worlds deceipt to see And trapt my senses with forbidden lust As Eue did tast of the restrained tree So fond affections did me forward thrust A sinfull Philistine of faith vniust To like to loue to craue to wed to wife Thy grace my strength to her reueale I must Till she to Satan sell my slumbring life A prisoner I thus scornd and voyd of sight Sinnes house to ouerthrow craue heauēly might SON LXXIIII WHilst in the plentie of thy blessings sent I seeke to solace Lord my selfe secure And gazing on worlds beautie long I went In pridefull tower which did prospect procure I saw the baytes of sin which did allure My idle thoughts to follow wicked lust My kindled passions could not long endure But vnto furious flames breake forth they must I did pollute my soule by fraude vniust And rest thy grace from his true wedded wife And that I might away all mendment thrust I did bereaue my knowledge of his life Whose bastard frutes slaie Lord but let her liue That penitent we may thee praises giue SON LXXV A Seruant sold to sin ô Lord I am Whom Satan Syrian proud doth sore assaile Nine hundred Chariots of desire there came Armed with lust which sought for to preuaile And to subdue my strength they cannot faile Vnlesse thou raise my fainting strength by grace Let constant faith the flying furie naile To ground where groueling is his resting place Then shall my soule with Debora imbrace In thankfull wise thy mercies I receiue And so pursue the fleshly Canaans race Till I the furie of the same bereaue And with my song thy seruants shall accord To yeeld due praise to thee the liuing Lord. SON LXXVI MY soule like silly Ioseph Lord was sold By fleshly brethren his vnkind alas To vanities the merchants which behold From far they saw to Egipt which do passe A seruant vnto Ismaels seed it was And sold from sin to death and so to hell Of humane frailtie Lord a looking glasse In which all soule affections long did dwell Yet lo alas when sin seekes most t' excell And haue my mind consent to traitrous lust With grace ô Lord that enemy repell And heare my praiers who in thee do trust Who though a space in bodies prison staies Yet Lord at length vouchsafe to heauen to raise SON LXXVII SO blinde ô Lord haue my affections bin And so deceitfull hath bin Satans slight That to giue credit I did first begin To pride and lust as heauenly powers of might I offred all my sences with delight A sacrifice to feed those Idols vaine Of all the presents proffred day and night Naught vnconsumde I saw there did remaine Till that thy Prophets by thy word made plaine The falshood by the which I was deceiued How Satans kingdome made hereof againe And wickednesse my hope and faith bereaued But now the sifted ashes of thy word Bewraies Bels Priests slaies dragon without sword SON LXXVIII A Wicked theefe that oft haue robd and slaine Thy graces of their frute my selfe of blisse Now on the crosse of conscience I remaine To die the death the which eternall is I see no way to quit my selfe of this Vnlesse thou Lord whose kingdome is aboue Remember me and cansell life amisse Out of thy memorie through Christ thy loue Who in my flesh with me like death did proue That guiltlesse he might guilties ransome bee Loue to my soule it was that did him moue The bands of death to bide to make vs free Blesse thou my tong increase thou faith in mee This night to be in paradise with thee SON LXXIX IN bondage long to Satan haue I bin A maker of the bricke of Babell tower By birth a thrall to grosse and filthie sin Whom lusts taskmakers doth attend ech houre Affection to the flesh doth cleane defloure The memorie and loue of promist lands The fiend euen Pharo seeketh to deuoure My soule and chaine me to his dreadfull bands But Lord receiue me safe into thy hands Protect me from the rigor of his might Quench thou the force of lusts inflamed brands In my defence giue me true faith to fight Send Moyses Lord with power of heauenly sword And Aaron to direct me by thy word SON LXXX AMoabit I was of cursed kinde Vnkinde vnto thy church Lord and to thee Who sought by ayde of foolish Balaam blinde To captiuate the soule that should be free Incestuous frutes of that high climing tree Which doth subdue all reason and all grace A carnall kinsman by a neare degree Vnto the soule the which I haue in chase Whom I with lothsome sin sought to deface And basterdise with carnall fond affect Whose ofspring thou vnto the tenth mans race Didst once out of thy sanctuary reiect Yet now by faith made free of Iury land A suter here before thy throne doth stand SON LXXXI LO how I groueling vnder burden lie Of sin of shame of feare Lord of thy sight My guilt so manifold dare not come nie Thy throne of mercy mirror of thy might With hidden and with ignorant sinnes I fight Dispairing and presumptuous faults also All fleshly frailtie on my backe doth light Originall and actuall with me go Against a streame of lusts my will would roe To gaine the shoare of grace the port of peace But flouds of soule affections ouerfloe And sinke I must I see now no release Vnlesse my Sauior deare this burden take And faith a ship of safetie for me make SON LXXXII FRom Iuda wandring Lord to Iericho From holie law of thine to carnall lust Whilst midst the prease of leaud affects I go I robbed am of rayment pure and iust And wounded lye Lord groueling in the dust Not any passer by can giue me aide In fleshly strength or friendship is no trust By high way seene to helpe me few haue staide But since my Sauior Christ on crosse hath paide A
my heart doth bleed To see that bountie of a God so kinde And note the dulnesse of my nature blinde That should forget the Lord who me doth feed When I was almost lost he me did finde When I forgat him cleane on me he thought When I was sold to sin then he me bought When I was wounded he my sores did binde Yea when I pinde He gaue me plenteous store Which gifts I will record for euermore SON XC WHy should I faint or feare or doubt at all How fierce so euer fleshly combat show Since I so sure a succour readie know To shield me safe what euer do befall If he haue such regard of sparrows small As none of them till God appoint do dye If to our haires which fall he haue an eye That none of them vnnumbred perish shall Why should I thinke him deaffe when I do crye As though he had no care of vs below As though he would not needfull things bestow Although our patience he delight to trye Who can denye But floures that grow in field In glorie staine the beautie pride doth yeeld SON XCI HOw do Gods blessings to his Saints abound Whose gifts of grace although they be but small At first yet more and more increase they shall As seed well watred in a frutefull ground The proofe whereof I sinfull wretch haue found Whose faith nigh famished he now hath fed From heauen with great increase of fish and bread Which strengthen dying soule with comfort sound His word for table he did open spred His seruants for to feed me he did call Their dole so free I find more fragments fall Then in my basket sences home haue led Yet he hath bed To such more to bestow As greatest store of former treasor show SON XCII I Know not Lord how to discharge aright The dutie that for graces great I owe No need thou hast of me at all I know Yet in thy seruice shall be my delight To publish forth thy praises day and night To serue thy Saints with gifts I shall possesse Thy wondrous works by all meanes to confesse I will imploy my substance wit and might The remnant of my life shall well expresse That dead to sin in Christ to life I grew Which shall to world my mind regenerate show Although that I cannot sin cleane suppresse And will adresse My thoughts to thee alone Because on earth true ioy or blisse is none SON XCIII IF I did hope by pen to patterne out The many merits of thy Maiestie Which of thy mercies we do daily trie An endlesse matter I should go about But I alas my strength so much do doubt That nothing lesse then such a thought I haue To point forth others to a thought I craue Whose confidence in skill is much more stout Yet dare I say that nature neuer gaue The power to flesh and bloud to looke so hye Nor gifts of grace full few there are apply To giue him laude aright that did them saue How to behaue My selfe herein I learne And wish my will might others likewise warne SON XCIIII WHat tong or pen can show it selfe vnkinde Vnto a father full of mercy so Who freely doth such benefits bestow And of your case hath such a carefull minde Before we were a way he forth did finde Whereby to purchase vs in heauen a place When natiue strength our glory should deface A remedie therefore his loue assignde He giues vs knowledge of the same by grace Which offered is to them the which will go Vnto the word where sauing health doth grow And saith through which our Sauiour we imbrace And being base By birth and thrall to hell He vs adopts in childrens roome to dwell SON XCV WHy should this worldly care haue now such power To quēch the comfort which the soule shall find In this our God who is to vs so kind The memorie of which should feare deuower If faith were watred well with heauenly shower Of grace and knowledge of our happie state It would the force of all assaults abate And be a bulwarke strong at trials hower If we the world and flesh did truly hate And made his will a law vnto our minde If doubt of power or will did not vs blinde Which to distrust sets open wide the gate Then would this rate Of worldly care be lesse And he our faith with fauour more would blesse SON XCVI HOw loth this flesh of mine remaineth still To part from sin his old companion deare Of death or of a change he would not heare But would imbrace him aye with his good will The verie thought of death his thought doth kill The verie feare thereof his sorrow brings So sweet the pleasures seeme of earthly things That nought else can our fond affections kill But who is wise fro out the snare he wrings Before perforce death doth approach him neare That abstinence no vertue doth appeare When want of power subdues affections stings But who so flings From them when they pursue To him pure name of vertue indeed is due SON XCVII WHo so would liue of force he first must dye Death is the doore which leadeth vnto life Life which shall be deuoyd of change and strife Whose comfort shall our teares of sorrow drye The way is straight the which man must go by If to the heauens he purpose to ascend His grosse corruption must to graue descend And dead the power of sin therein must lye If he to be regenerate intend First must he mortifie the motions rise Of lust which kill the soule with cruell knife And eke his ruine presently pretend For God will send A happie change indeed As haruest paies with plentie plow mans seed SON XCVIII WHen I with griefe sometimes to mind do call The wofull losse that sin to man hath brought And want which to all creatures it hath wrought By Satans slight and Adams fearfull fall I finde no comfort in worlds vse at all But wish to be dissolu'd with Christ to dwell From whom all blessings flow and do excell In thought whereof my comfort is not small Yea I do grow by thinking hereof well Into a doubt if that in truth I ought More sorrow parents fall which death hath brought Or ioy the life through Christ to me befell Yet truth to tell I finde the change so good Our state is better now then when we stood SON XCIX IF I can speake and like a coward crake If I can tell the thing the which is best If I in muster seeme to battell prest And yet shrinke backe when I should triall make If I indeuour others to awake Fro out the deadly slumber they are in And yet my selfe cannot reuolt from sin But in the pride thereof do pleasure take By all my trauell I no game shall win Although my paine might proue to others blest But as the Symball sound doth to the rest I might haps mourne when others mirth begin The feast but thin Would be vnto