Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
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A06203
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Sundry Christian passions contained in two hundred sonnets Diuided into two equall parts: the first consisting chiefly of meditations, humiliations, and praiers. The second of comfort, ioy, and thankesgiuing. By H.L.
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Lok, Henry.
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1593
(1593)
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STC 16697; ESTC S109643
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52,183
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128
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SVNDRY CHRISTIAN PASSIONS CONtained in two hundred Sonnets Diuided into two equall parts The first consisting chiefly of Meditations Humiliations and Praiers The second of Comfort Ioy and Thankesgiuing By H. L. Call vpon me in the day of trouble So will I deliuer thee and thou shalt glorifie me Imprinted at London by Richard Field 1593. To the rIght renoVVneD VertVoVs VIrgin ELIzabeth VVorthy QVeene of happIe EngLanD her hIghnesse faIthfVL subIeCt Henry Lok VVIsheth Long Lyfe VVIth eternaL bLIsse IVne VII MY worthlesse pen Presumeth to deuise To eternize Your peerles vertuâ—us fame In holy flame Of zeale my hart doth rise VVhich doth dispise A thâ—ame of vulgar frame The sacred dame The graces haue select That should protect The heire Muses hill Whose Phoenix quil Doth heauenly Crowne affect And those hath dect VVhich Romane Trophies fill Heauens do distill Their happie influence As come froÌ„ thence You there your portion haue Ioue long you saue VVhose Scepters you dispence For whose defence True English hearts he gaue Venus wold craue And Dian doth that due Which Pallas wils Me yeeld alone to you To the Christian Reader WHo so shall duly consider the whole Progresse of mans estate from life to death shall finde it gentle Reader to be nothing else but a verie pilgrimage through this earth to another world for whether we obserue the coÌ„mon course of all flesh which from the mothers wombe to the graue is still trauelling with change of bodily constitution from youth to age from health to sicknesse and so from one estate to another Or if we behold the particular incounters which each man findeth in himselfe in the variable change of his hopes and crossing of his purposes In both it shall by a generall experience of all mens calamities be assuredly confirmed to be too true But how much more may we finde in the direction of our soules to the prâ—per hâ—uen of their habitation euen to heauen a multitude of aduersaries lying in the way to hinder our trauell to that promised land how many afflictioÌ„s of the minde frailties of the flesh bayts of the world and snares of Satan are bent against vs to slacken if not cleane to diuert our due course thitherwardes in such sort as if God of his infinite mercie and prouidence did not oftentimes preuent and stop our willes and powers and bridle the malice of these aduersaries we should all assuredly perish by the way But now such is his fatherlie care and loue to vs in Christ that hee hath left vs a direction readie way of saftie in the midst of all assâ—ults â—r â—fflictioâ—s how periâ—â—ous soeuer euen praier whiâ—h being formed accorâ—ing to the rules prescribed vnto vs by his sonne and with feruencie of faith offered vp vnto him are of power to penetrate the heauen purchase our safetie pâ—y our debts procure vs peace of hart in the midst of all eâ—rtâ—ly perils yea knowing our coldnesse herein and feare of our owne guils deterring vs from his presence he doth not onlie licence vs to this boldnesse but allureth vs by manie sensible blessings felt in our owne consciences And calleth vs by a supernaturall courage sometimes with confidence to come vnto him and euen to hope against hope in our most desperate necessities He doth direct our tongues oftentimes herein before our mindes and our mindes before our hearts being himself readier to giue then we to aske and giuing with more regard of our good then we can craue or coÌ„ceiue for all which he expecteth nothing else at our hands but continuallie to flie vnto him to yeeld him due praise to relie on him onelie in the day of triall and to incourage others thereto for in this sort alone he will be honoured of vs. This our earthlie pilgrimage being then so dangerous to all flesh and so readie a way prescribed vnto vs for our safer passage therein he were verie vnwise that would not furnish himselfe with such prouâ—sion which costs so litle as our willes to haue it and more vncharitable that would not do his best to assist his companioÌ„ in his iourny with both counsell and comfort of the same For this cause gentle Reader I hauing through Gods great goodnesse fels in the direction and protection of my vnstable youth a plentifull portion of the wonderfull care he hath ouer vs and of the vnspeakeable force of praier and thansgiuing in all extremities the more to stirre vp my selfe to a memorie thereof haue thought good to set downe these abrupt passions of my passed afflictions as witnesses of the impediments most stopping me in my Christian pilgrimage and testimonies of the meanes of my euasion hitherto which may serue for presidents for my selfe in the like future occasions and not be altogither vnprofitable for others to imitate In which as in a glasse may be seene the state of a regenerate soule sicke with sinne sometimes Agus-like shiuering with cold dispaire straight waies inflamed with seruencie of faith and hope One while yeelding vnder the burthen of sinne to eternall death and presently incouraged to runne cheerfully forward the appointed course of this his pilgrimage and like a practized traueller vsed to the change of companie diet heate cold paine pleasure plentie and want not to amaze himselfe long with anie chaunge but by a consideration of pleasures passed or rest expected patientlie to passe ouer this world full of incomberances from a sence and feeling wherof in some measure no true childe of God is anie long time as I suppose exempt Now although I doubt not but euen these reasons will carrie the iudgement of the godlie Christian Reader to a fauourable interpretation of my purpose herein and to some delight in the tast thereof to whom no person or occasion stile or phrase will seeme vnseasonable being imployd to the glorifying of God profit of the Church or proceeding from a zeale of that effect yet the consideration that the greater number to whose handes this Treatise may happen to come are either not so well affected or so discreet and temperate as were to be wished maketh me thinke it needfull to saie something in declaration of my purpose herein not in excuse of my exercising my self in such theames which indeed ought to be the common action in some measure of all men as oft as necessarie affaires of this life will permit them neither in that I make common with others this my exercise which seemeth in secret onely to be practised by my selfe for that I take it not to be alwaies a token of pride or vaine glorie to make knowne for a common good to others that which may breed a suspect of ambition in the Author among the prophane or cauelling multitude though how herein I am carried my selfe I leaue to God the searcher of hearts to iudge onely I would satisfie them first in the cause of my writing them in verse then of the confused placing of them without speciall titles To the first I