〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shame with much commending 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 your 〈◊〉 liues shall ne're haue ending 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 remembrance of repentant teares 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 inlarge your feares 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 where death is eminent 〈◊〉 bubble of this life cannot secure thee There is an after-state most permanent 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in honour oâ—… in death assure thee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to honour now to die mure thee 〈◊〉 he whose life will mortifie no sinne 〈◊〉 finde the gate of Mercie shut to him Thy life is truely by resemblance said To be a shadowe shadoâ—…es from the Sun Deriued be for sure there is no shade Where â—…haebus doth not guild our horizon So we may say the pride of life is done When as the Sunne of Glorie shall denie To giue the beames of his resplendent Eye Change your corrupt opinions of delight Sometime delight in teares in bitter woe To launce and cut oft heales the wounded Knight If we to heauen we must as Pilgrims goe It is a Christian pleasure to doe so For he that doth appoint al times for pleasure To his repentance can admit no leisure Were it that he that over-loads the sense In surffetting the much forbidden tree Could with the habite of his sinnes dispense Whilst he might view his soules enormitie And with the judgement of Discretions eie Sentence his vaine exorbitant delight And all his pleasures that doe sinne invite Then might he see the powre of much offending The little powre of him that so offendeth That warre of soules that never can have ending Where sinne in opposition death intendeth To him that prodigall in sinne expendeth His very selfe and like a traitor thiefe In his owne treason makes himselfe a chiefe Who ever sawe a Generall in Armes Whenas the day determineth the warre To be imprison'd in the treacherous armes Of such as neerest to his person are Vnto himselfe may make a like compare For such are we when our delightfull pleasure Vpon our soules like traitors make a seasure 〈◊〉 like as when the man reported borned 〈◊〉 chased by the seruants of his pleasure 〈◊〉 â—…hen by monstrous sinne we are deformed 〈◊〉 finde offensiue what we held our treasure 〈◊〉 â—…ame affects like dogges doe make a seasure 〈◊〉 â—…on our soules and like the hunted Deere 〈◊〉 our loud yelping sinnes we stand in feere When we can truelie thus suruey our sinne Our state of death our death in our offending The warre intestine that we haue within 〈◊〉 infinite of griefe thereof depending 〈◊〉 little power we haue of our amending When this we know we know our stat 's not well 〈◊〉 doth the sicke that heares his passing bell â—…hen in the ballance of suspence we say Our little hope the mountaine of our care The scale of seare by much doth ouer sway Our owne assurances that nothings are 〈◊〉 makes this sicke man of his health despaire And were it not that grace did vs auaile We should not stand the triall of the scaile 〈◊〉 had I neede a new to inuocate That all sufficient to direct my verse My selfe much sinfull cannot sinne relate Whose largenesse disâ—…inables my rehearse O giue me power to beautifie the hearse Of Penitence which then is said to die When men liue most in their securitie If euer thing of greatest admiration Could draw the vulgar eye for to admire it Then let the subject of this poore relation Be powerfull in their harts that shall desire it It is a heauenly act for to inspire it For though our penance be a crabbed tree Yet is the fruit of rare proprietie Suppose thy selfe araigned at the barre Laden with fetters of thine owne offence Thy crying sinnes thy aduerse Lawyers are The Diuell doth his action here commence And for his witnesse hath thy conscience Suppose this court-house in thy soule to be Thy selfe to plead thy selfe to answere thee That part which best remembers plaies the Clarke Who when the word of silence is proclaim'd Intreates that great assemblie well to marke Th'inditement of that Traytor who asham'd Stands at the barre of death and being nam'd Holdes vp his guilty hand The Clarke then readeth Those treasons which my vtterance much exceedeth Yet as I may This I suppose was said Traytor thou art more ancient in thy sinne Then in thy dayes It cannot be denai'd But when thy first fore-father did beginne To listen to his wifes solliciting Thou in him then didst with him giue consent To further that his treasonous intent 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Patents did produce thee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thy soule more blinde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to execuse thee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—…n â—…y minde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bodie canâ—…t thou finde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Fathers generation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not giues it limitation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thy 〈◊〉 so doe thy sinnes augment 〈◊〉 they ouâ—…â—…trip thy time in forwardnesse â—…or long before thy childishnes be spent Thou wilâ—… be aged in thy wickednesse Childrens first aptitudes doe well expresse Whether the progresse of their liues intend For like beginning often hath like end What though thy Parents in their prouidence Couet to better thee by education Yet is their trauell but a vaine expence Thy time of youth will giue an intimation How much vnlike thou art thy first creation Neuer could any precepts from the wise Er'e rectifie a mans infirmities Thus dost thou make gradation in thy sinne Till thou attaine the vtmost step of life And like Report when it doth first beginne Is then the least yet when it waxeth rife It doth inlarge it selfe So sinfull life By custome and continuance in sinning Men are much worse then in their first beginning For when their time doth bring them to that state That makes a man the strength of nature then Doth their injurious parts corroborate The length of yeares doth euer giue to man Habilitie in wickednesse and whan Depraued man hath meanes of doing ill He makes them serue his much depraued will Like as the neighbour Riuers to the Sea Cannot support vpon their shallowe backes The huge proportion of an Argosie Because the little currant water lackes Yet when the Sea that all resistance wrackes Shall fill the emptie channell with his Tide The greatest vessell with great ease may glide 〈◊〉 are the first vnable yeares of man 〈◊〉 â—…eake â—…n moouing the huge bulke of sinne 〈◊〉 when the â—…ide of yeares approcheth than 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 more impudent in their committing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—…ceiue the mightiest vessels in 〈◊〉 haâ—…bour in their little streame of Time 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—…nd shall cut their little twine 〈◊〉 a wondrous taske to make relation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 grieuance in particular 〈◊〉 â—…nes of bloud of wanton agitation 〈◊〉 â—…inite in euerie kind they are Hearts may suppose but Speech cannot declare For when that man in Nature is most strong He is most powrefull then in doing wrong See if thy time grow aged with expence Of many yeares be lesse in thy offending Tâ—…me is the giuer of experience Old age will preach to youth their youthes offending â—…et â—…outhful sinnes in youth
haue not their ending For when old men are stepping to their graue â—…n youthfull sinning strong desires they haue â—…ld age though colde can neuer quench the fire Of â—…full youth Though age be in thy flesh Yet in thy thoughts thou dost maintaine desire â—…hich in performance thou canst not expresse By reason of thy bodies â—…eeblenesse Yet know that when Desire is in thy hart It is as much as thou an Actor wert This thy Desire incends the noble parts Of reason and blunteth thy discretion Makes a combustion in obdurate harts Depraues the sence and blindeth thy election Dries vp repentant teares thy soules refection And sure that man eternallie shall die Whose hart will not giue water to his eye Thus O thou worst of Gods creation Thou dost reuerse the ordinance of Nature All other Beings keepe their ordination Obedience liues in euery other creature Only in him that hath the goodliest feature He that from God most blessings hath deriued He against God most treasons hath conspired Search the immence circumference of Earth The many wondrous mouers in the Sea The Element of Ayre wherein we breathe The regiment of Heauen and sympathy Of moouing orbs and starrie deitie In all the parts of this circumference No one like man in dis-obedience If God command the Seas to patience They still their noise and smooth their horred face Let him againe be mooued to offence The raging wind the swelling billowes chase Vnto the daring rockes that doe imbrace Their violence and there doth bound the Seas Vntill a calme their troubles doâ—… appease 〈◊〉 â—…ommand 〈◊〉 â—…owdes 〈◊〉 â—…eare the Avrâ—… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the â—…lade 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Time â—…o giue the yeare 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—…oures for her distinction 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Time well ordered were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—…nd Time to Ordination 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vnto Gods creation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—…at Times â—…nconstant are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they are more certaine farre 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—…he Sea-deuouring 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—…oore â—…onas to the shoare 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Egâ—…pt doe auaile 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 warre â—…ay more 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the 〈◊〉 chamber â—…ore 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 person of a mightie King 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they had a warranting 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his sacred breath on 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 countervaile the Angels that erst fell â—…ing thy soule of his Eternitie Yet thrust thy betters for lesse sinne to hell Did God refuse those Spirits that excell In holy worship to partake thy nature He did for thy redemption this O Traytor If God command let this or that be done The little Creature that is bid to doe it Is wondrous quicke in execution Yet vnto man that hath the power of 〈◊〉 And in the verie place of God doth sit Is giuen a law the which was neuer kept By any one The sonne of God except Now to inlarge the huge proportion Of thy offence Traytor thou didst attempt That treason which exceedes comparison Whose horrour did bed imme the Element Both Heauen and Earth in wonders did consent To point it out for greatest admiration Which farre exceeds the power of all relation This little out of much God to redeeme The lost integritie of man his creature Did his defaced Image so esteeme As he inuested in thy humane nature The sonne of God the word that made each creature Eternall Christ who in his flesh did merit Eternall life for each beleeuing spirit See how thou dost returne him recompence Thou gau'st him pouertie that was a King Iustice it selfe yet blam'st his innocence Great majestie had but the poore attending Nor had thy treasons in these wrongs their ending But didst with wicked Iewes conspire his death That first did giue thy first fore-father breath And didst preuaile Thy tongue did sentence him Thy hands O wicked instruments of sinne Bound the most free and tortur'd euery lim Nor so content labour'd to vex within His sacred Spirit with most vile profaning And last to please the spirits of thine eye The Holy Lambe betweene two thieues must die Was this enough or art thou still more great In thy offence O still thou dost augment it Thou want'st not sinne but I wordes to repeate Thy infinites thy soule cannot repent it For thy delight is euer to augment it Witnes thy horred customary swearing Wherewith each day his body thou art tearing â—… Here let the Conscience make some little pause Whilst that the Diuell that intends the plea Produceth witnesses to prooue the cause Shewing large recordes of impietie And with a wondrous skill in Sophistrie Giues a proportion to his sinful state Hoping to make the Guiltie desperate Hoping to make the guiltie desperate He doth augment the Volume of our sinning Adding inlargements to exasperate The Iudge that stands to sentence our offending Euen from our birth to these our dayes of ending It hath and will be still his exercise Against our happy beings to deuise Witnes his enuy at our first creation That did deny our state of innocence A little breathing rest from his temptation But with the smoothed face of faire pretence Suggests into our natures his offence Witnesse againe this time of our repentance How he incites the Iudge to cruell sentence No one howeuer skilfull in his Art Can giue more fit expressing formes to sinne He makes a priuie search within the heart And laies that open that was hid within And with most curious workemanship doth limme The vgly formes of our impieties And then presents their Terror to our eyes This and much more this enemy of man And then the Conscience doth againe beginne Traitor how i st this thy accuser can Produce these certaine probats of thy sinne Speake canst thou cleare thy selfe of guilt heerein Thy cause will not finde help in thy deniall For in the court of Conscience is thy triall Like vnto him that in a mighty throng Labors to hasten to some businesse With heate and sweate doth vex himselfe among The moouing multitude that in their prease Arrest his haste and stoppe his forwardnesse So doe our sighes our teares and griefe within Arrest our words when gladly we beginne Alas what else but Guiltie in the weake Which he in broken accents would relate He puffes it out in sighes that cannot speake The sence of sinne doth so exanimate Those faculties that on our soules doe waâ—…te As with a lawfull warrant may be said In this estate our verie Soules are dead Our Reason then demandes our guilty spirit What for our justice we can argument Whether our Iudgement correspond our merit Or if corruption in this parlament Heere in thy owne free holde we doe conuent The Iurie that doth sentence what thou art Are of thy Tenants dwelling in thy hart Nothing alas the Conscience can replie Nothing indeede nor no word to excuse vs Where all is Sinne ther 's no integrity All our cuasions in this case refuse vs Nothing in vs can comfort but accuse vs. For he that hath this sorrowe in his flesh Hath least of joy and most of heauinesse The judgement then for
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