heard where shall that people be so farre from the sunne so confined and limitted in darknesse as will not vnseele their eyes to behold the cleare burning brightnesse of saluation which will shine vpon them Yea heauen it selfe shall encrease his flames to giue light vnto this thine entrance into the world and the kings shall run from all places to do homage vnto the king of kings vnto the gouernor both of heauen and earth 17 For he hath set vp and aduanced his kingly throne vpon Sion in great costly array there shall he be seene wholy encompassed with glory darkning the Sunne and Moone with the brightnesse of his face 18 But why hast thou O Lord so highly exalted the throne of thy glory hast thou done it because thou wouldest not vouchsafe to heare the praiers of thy faithfull seruants And because thou wouldest make no reckoning of the whole world which in deed is nothing in respect of thy greatnesse Alas no my God Thou hast lifted vp the self vpon an eminent place that all the inhabitants of the earth might see acknowledge thee and so run vnto thy grace and mercy for thou shouldest be alwaies ready to come at the humble summons of thy seruants neuer disdaine their pittifull petitions And behold them also standing as miserable offenders condemned vnto bolts shackles looking for the comming of some king that should set them free at the entrance into his kingdome Euen so ô Lord deliuer thou them who haue giuen themselues vp into the bondage of sinne and with the onely twinke of thine eye the mainacles shall fall from their wristes 19 Then shall they be all heard to sing a glorious song vnto the victorious king their voices shall be heard throughout al the corners of the earth and the remembrance of thy singular bountie and infinite mercy shall be engraued within the memory of men and so passe from age to age euen vnto the last posteritie The earth shall then be consumed all the waters dryed vp the ayre vanished and the heauens haue an end which shall as yet sing the glory of the eternall God 20 The eternall God who hath vouchsafed merely and ioyfully to cast downe his eyes from the highest heauens into the very deepest place of the bowels of the earth for the acknowledging of the torments of the miserable detained captiues in hell heard their groanes is himselfe suddenly runne thither to vnbinde and set at libertie his poore captiue prisoners and all their posteritie where death with the weapons of sinne had ouercome them and confined them in his most darke prisons But the God of life hath ouercome death and hath freed and cleared them quite from thence 21 To the end O Lord that they might set foorth thy praise in Sion and preach thy louing kindnesse in Ierusalem And although euery one of them had an hundreth mouthes and their voices as lowd as thy thunder yet should they neuer be able to attaine and reach vnto the greatnesse of thy glory All the parts of the world conspire not nor ioyne not themselues together saue onely to represent in their motions a part of thine infinite power and goodnesse howbeit they neuer looke to come neere thereunto for they are more then bottomlesse depths which haue neither bottom nor yet brinke and therfore they must onely behold them a farre of 22 And therefore I most humbly beseech thee my God to be contented that thy people assemble and reunite themselues both in bodies and minds deuoutly to offer vp vnto thee that holy will which they haue to honour thee for the effect can in no wise otherwise be able to come neare that which thou deseruest Accept therefore O Lord the humble submission of the kings of the earth which come before thee to yeeld vnto thee their homage and seruice due vnto thee as vnto their soueraigne chiefe Lord. They shall cast their scepters vnto the earth and their crownes at their feete and present for a sacrifice vnto thy maiesty their humble praiers and innocent consciences And I will be the first my God which will cast downe my selfe before thee to worship and serue thee with all mine heart to thee alone will I consecrate my spirit Quicken it therefore O Lord that being purified by the holy zeale of thy loue it may receiue in it selfe as it were in a cleare looking Glasse the image of thine incomprehensible excellency perfection feele in it self the reflexion of thy sincere amitie aswel as thine infinite goodnesse accompanied with the number of thine elect to be an inheritor with them in euerlasting life 23 Now I haue already felt my good God that thou hast enlightened my soule with thy grace and haue presented the fauour which thou wouldest shew vnto all the children of the earth Heretofore hath my spirit a far of takeÌ„ a note how thou proceedest for the deliuerance of the world but it hath beene afraid to die before such time as thou wert come and that is because thou hast heard it call vpon thee saying Tell me O Lord how long the course of mine age shall bâ— and when thou wilt end my dayes 24 Go not about O Lord to cut of the thred of my life at the first or second winding vp of the spindle neither stay it ouer short in the middest of the course Attend my God vntill the time be come when thou must set open the treasure of thy graces to make an entrance for men vnto the largenesse of saluation or if thou hast at least appointed mine end and that my life cannot stretch so farre yet remember my posteritie and let him be borne of my race that must sanctifie the world by his comming 25 I right well know O Lord that at the first thou madest heauen and earth and whatsoeuer excellent thing we see here in this world to be the worke of thine owne hands 26 But all this shall come to an end euen as an old worne garment a man shall enquire what is become of it and there shal be no mention made thereof at all It was made and it shall be vnmade it had a beginning it must haue an end But thou alone O Lord which hast beene from all eternitie shalt be alwaies one and the same For age time which consume all things serue for none other purpose but to confirme thine euerlastingnesse and to set foorth thy Deitie men seeme to remaine heere vpon the earth for none other cause but to behold round about them thine incomprehensâ—ble greatnesse on the one side and their infirmitie on the other side 27 A man changeth not his shirt so often but the earth oftner changeth her inhabitants one putteth forth another and all is renued euen in a moment But thou my God art euen the same at this day that thou wast at the beginning Euery prouince of the earth hath a great catalogue of kings who haue there commaunded one successiuely after
is not yet come which I haue appointed and in the meane while trust thou assuredly vnto my promise and looke whatsoeuer affliction thou â—…aâ—t endure be thou assured that I will geâ—… thee strength to ouercome it My courage ô Lord encreaseth wheÌ„ as I feele thee thus to second me and this thine exhortatioÌ„ emboldneth me more vnto patience then all the applause of the people doth him that fighteth a combat wheÌ„ he is most stroÌ„g and lusty in his fight There is nothing now that I am afeard of for all these conspiracies all these slanderous reports against mine head honor seme to me like vnto the foming raging billowes of the sea who roting far off furiously breake them-selues against the foot of a rock and scatter them-selues abroad at the first stroke and the blow is but a vaine sound which is the end of all these great threats Certainely the conscience of an innocent man founded and grounded vpoÌ„ thy grace is more stable sure then all the greatest rocks cannot be shaken nor moued by any iniurious brags 3 What shall I now feare any more Shall I feare a rout of the wicked that goe about to beset me round and cluster about me to see if they could take me They geue out sometime one signe sometime another to assay if they can lay hold on me Behold and see diligently how they note and marke me and how they bend theyr browes and grind theyr teeth at me I verely beleeue that the greatest thing which they desire is to eate me with their teeth to teare me in pieces to fill them-selues with my flesh to gnawe my bones and to drinke my bloud O cruell and sauage beasts how can you thus despise your owne flesh how can you thus abiure all humanitie Do you think that although you haue forgotten God that God hath forgotten his seruants Do you thinke that his seruants are so far from his hand as yours is farre from iustice 4 Well go too yee haue like mad Tygres fomed out vpon me your poyson yee haue cried out and houled at me fastned your teeth clutches vpoÌ„ me howbeit all your blowes slip ouer me as it were ouer a most cleare chrystall they cannot hurt me mine innocencie is not to be wounded with all that ye can deuise but are in the end enforced to retire all wearied and gasping for breath lying vpon the belly ye â—ay grin mutine with very anger but it is without power and there is but one weapon amongst all the rest left you and that is a will to do ill But neuerthelesse because your voyce is abhominable before God and that with your threats ye blaspheme him vnto his face he will vtterly roote ye out and throw vpon you the mountaines which your ambition and couetousnesse haue heaped vp so hye thinking thereby to scale his Throne and to rob him of his glory 5 O Lord what a spectacle hast thou made for mine eyes to behold nay I am now so assured of thy mercie so comforted by reason of the care which I see thou hast of thy faithfull seruants as that although I should see the greatest armye that possibly could be yet would I not be afeard of it Let there an armye be brought against me composed of all the nations of the world and let there be placed in the vauntgard on the right hand a battell of Scythians and on the left hand a battell of Ethiopians and in the reregard the East India and America and all the rest of the world in the middest to serue for a battell and adde thereunto whatsoeuer Arte â—…d skill for the killing of men was euâ—… able to finde out or deuise and yet if my God be my conductor and leader I will passe through them all without any feare Agayne if hee bee angry with the world and shall like him to serue him-selfe with my hands to be aduenged of them for theyr vngodlynesse I my selfe will cut them all in peeces not leauing so much as a tayle of any of them 6 Nay I do now reioyce when as I heare saye that the wicked band them-selues against mee and doo assure my selfe that it is God which wiâ—… lend me matter wherein to glorie For be thou O Lord onely neere mee blesse my weapons and mine enemies are confounded But what weapons verely do thou but blowe onely vppon this people and thou shalt scatter them all as a great winde driueth the dust too and fro neuerthelesse O Lord I beseech thee blowe not vppon them the wind and blast of thy curse but tarrie a little while if thou please to see if thy patience will bring them backe to do their duties And as for my selfe although I be couered ouer with their wounds and defamed with their iniurious dealings yet had I rather haue them subiect vnto thy mercie then vnto thy iustice and desire if thou thinke it good that their iniustice might rather serue to try me withall then for their condemnation 7 Thou knowest O Lord my desires thou readest them in mine hart neither haue I euer called vppon thee for vengeance my vowes coniure nothing but thy mercie and my thoughts are addressed vnto nothing but vnto peace Wouldest thou vnderstand the summe of my desres and the end of all my prayers it is O Lord that I may passe my dayes in seruing thee faithfully and that thou wouldest graunt me thine holie house to dwell in and that all the while that I am seperated from thee and a great way off from thiâ—e heauenly Tabernacle tyed vnto the earth by reason of the counterpoise of my bodye I might vnite and tye 〈◊〉 my thoughtes vnto thee and conforme and frame my selfe wholy vnto thy will O blessed habitation that is able to couer vs from all worldly passions from all the lusts of the flesh and to be short from all the assaults of the Deuill For there ô Lord thou art present with vs and commest downe from the heauens to keepe companie with vs and fillest vs with thy selfe that we might be voyd of sinne and conuertest our carnall will into a liuing and quickning spirit that we might effectually feele thy maruellous works comprehend thy mercies and conceiue of thy power and almightinesse 8 Suffer therefore my God that I being incorporate â—…to theâ— so fâ—rre-forth as mine infirmitie and thine infinitenesse will permit I may be enlightened with the beames of thy wisedome to the end that mâ—ne vnderstanding being enlightened she may learne mee to knowe thy will For this is the thread ô Lord which may assuredly guide â—e through the windings and turnings of the laberinth of this world and this is the passeport which must being vs vnto that euerlasting life which we so â—…cessantly gape and sigh for Reueale vnto me therefore this thy will and lay it vp in my soule that I may there keepe it most dearely and in the middest of thy Church I may set vp an Aulter in my mouth presenting
side where the law iudgeth rightly Neither doth auarice make his hand shake nor fauour to hold vp his hand to take but keepeth him selfe alwayes equall and vpright and faithfull and iust vnto all others geuing by his wisedome authoritie vnto his iudgements 7 He that shall thus liue shall without doubt ascend vnto the height of this happy hill The Angels shall carry him vp in their armes guide his feet for feare of stumbling and in the end place him before the face of the eternall truth where he shall for euer enioy the pleasant abiding place of this most excellent hill lifted vp aboue the heauens to be the habitation of glorified innocencie and be reunited vnto the principall of his being which is that euerlasting Deitie and diuine eternitie All things here below altâ—… and change haue an end and are consâ—med but he whose vertue shall haue lifted him vp vnto this heauenly blessednes shall continue in most glorious estate and vanquish all times and ages Strengthen therefore ô Lord our courages and comfort vs in these worldly afflictions And seeing it is thy good will and pleasure that good men shall goe this way through the insolencies and iniuries of the wicked susteine thou their hope which is shaken by their afflictions and by the prosperitie of the wicked and graunt them constancie to continue vnto the end that they may see the repayment both of the good and of the bad A MEDITATION OF THE Lords Prayer ANCHORA SPEI 1594. A MEDITATION of the Lords Prayer I Come vnto thee my God as vnto the common Father of the whole world I come vnto thee I say who in the creation and conseruation of all thy works hast witnessed thy selfe to be a most affectioned louing Father To thee I come as to my right Father who hast not contented thy selfe with the geuing me of my being life and feeling as thou hast done vnto the rest of thy liuing creatures but hast sent downe on me thine holy spirit filled my soule with an heauenly light and beaâ—e of thy Diuinitie I come vnto thee my God regenerated reincorporated into thy familie by a new grace I come by reason I have appeased the wrath of my Father through the satisfaction of my Redeemer I come because thou thy selfe-hast called me vnto thee and holdest forth thine armes Receyue me therefore my God not after the austeritie of a iust Iudge but according to the compassion of a pitifull father and accept this mine earnest prayer which being conceyued in the bottome of mine hart hath disclosed it selfe by my lips â—nd flyeth with my voyce vnto the fauourable eare of mine heauenly Father seeing it hath pleased thee ô Lord to suffer me so to call thee Cause it ô Lord my God to pierce the heauens where thou thy selfe art I know right well that thy Throne is aboue and that thou keepest vnder thy feet both the Sunne and the Starres and the earth to be but a very tittle and my selfe being the least part thereof am a great deale lesse then nothing Who then shall dare to make me so saucy â—s to lift vp mine eyes vnto thee It is euen thou my God who fittest on hye to behold at once all the works of thine hands the better to vnderstand our wants and dayly to poure vpon vs thy grace as a most sweet showre Euen thou who hast thy selfe sayd Aske and yee shall be heard But thou wilt be prayed vnto with a constant faith cause it therefore to be borne and growe in my soule for it is a gift that cannot come but from the Treasure of thy grace and as at other times thou hast addressed the lips of infants to glorilye thee gouerne now the infancie and infirmitie of mine hart that it may deliuer vnto my mouth such a prayer as may very well like and please thee And because thou mayest know my God that my prayer is sooner conceyued in my soule then in my lips and that although the binden of my â—…esh greeueth and vexeth my spirit yet breatheth it out as much as it can thine honor and prayse And the first petition that I make vnto thee is this Hallowed be thy name or rather let thy name hallow and sanctifie me that I may be after able to blesse glorifie thee But which of thy names shall I blesse that wherwith thou hast confouded cast down the enemies of thy people or else that wherewith thou hast blessed all the nations of the earth Wilt thou be praysed as the God of hosts ô Lord God of all battailes or as the Sauiour and Redeemer of the world Shall I tell abroad how thou hast made all things of nothing how thou hast sowen the heauens with starres couered the earth with flowres fruites riuers and with all liuing creatures and Man like vnto thy selfe Or shall I speake but of that incredible loue by which thou hast deliuered thine owne only Sonne vnto death to purchase for vs life euerlasting I have not breath inough ô Lord for such an enterprise but let it content thee that I sanctifie thy name with an humble and chast thought and that my meditation be alwayes fixed vppon all the benefits wherwith it pleaseth thee continually to fauour me so as both my selfe and as many as thou hast placed here in this world as in the middest of a ritch Temple for the beholding and admiring on euery side the excellency of thy Deitie we neuer turne our vnderstandings vnto any other thing but to the comprehending and learning of thy will to the end that we being reunited in one and the selfe same desire to serue thee Thy kingdome may come and that after we shall haue cast off the yoke of sinne which so long time hath thralled and captiued vs thy loue alone may reigne in our consciences A most blessed and prosperous reigne for to obey thee is to commaund our vnruly appetites and to command them is for a man to be master of his owne selfe and for a man to be master of him selfe is the most souereigne principalitie It is an easy matter my God to obey thee thy yoke is gratious and the tribute which thou exactest on vs is nothing else but to haue vs to be blessed Confirme vs therefore ô Lord in this thy will and assist the zeale of thy good seruants repressing the insolencie of all such as blaspheme against thy Maiestie because that thy lawe and thy truth do reigne throughout the world O King of kings which hast the dominion of our hearts who by our humilitie and obedience hast established thine Empire bend our wills vnder thy law to the end that we looking all to one end aspire not but to the aduancing of thy glory and that our good actions may testifie the good discipline of the King of heauen vnto whome we do homage and who alloweth vs for his subiects of whome we hold so many benefits and graces as that we can not possibly
the iudgement which therein is denounced and the paines that are prepared for the wicked is it possible that that man will euer haue the heart to deceiue him whome the lawe hath commaunded to loue as him selfe will he by defrauding of his neighbour deceiue his owne soule of that euerlasting blessednesse whereof those men can neuer be partakers who communicate with the father of lying and of lyes For truth commeth from heauen falshood in the daughter of darkenesse All kinds of fiction coulored and counterfeit shewes and all leasings are the craftie deuises of the deuill and he that entertaineth them and vseth them couenanteth with the wicked spirits and maketh himselfe the bondslaue of sin And therefore all our actions should be sincere and faithfull but especially their actions who are in authoritie to gouerne the people and are put in trust to render iustice vnto euery particular man They must not do as the Egiptian Iudges did that ware the image of Iustice about their necks but they must haue it imprinted in the bottome of their hearts and betweene their lips for she alone it is that must direct their iudgements so as neither loue nor hatred must at any hand make the ballance or scales which they hold in their hands leane either one way or other but reason alone must cause the lawe spurne and kick against iniquitie Surely no man can haue a better testimonie vnto his conscience of his election then when as he feeleth himself to take pleasure in dealing iustly and rightuously for whosoeuer he is that loueth iustice is a man of God for the light shineth on the righteous man and vpoÌ„ him that is of an vpright hart The way and path of the iust is like vnto the dawning of the day her light encreaseth by little and little and becommeth like vnto the noonetide The wise man could not more properly compare iustice vnto any thing then vnto the light for as the light shineth not for it selfe but causeth others to see euen so this most excellent sound vertue of it selfe looketh not but vnto the benefit profit of another hauing none other end but by a well willing righteous affection to conioyne entertaine one another of vs. When this vertue is growne vnto a full perfectioÌ„ she straightwayes beginneth to loue may very wel take vnto her that name because that she hauing vnited conioined vs together teacheth vs to accompt our selues to be one anothers flesh as being the members of one body or rather the body of one head leauing in vs a charitable affection which is the souldering sinowing of our bodies together For as we see in the constitution of our persons euery member to be so framed therein as that that which is fardest off moueth it selfe forthwith in affectioÌ„ good liking vnto the rest so as if we haue any paine in our foot by by the eye looketh vnto it straightways we put to the hand in the end bend the whole force of our body to help to do it good Euen so fareth it with the mistical coniunction of the body in the holy coÌ„gregation of the faithfull whereof we are all members and the spirit of God which doth rule and gouerne vs teacheth vs that for our owne conseruation we must needs make one of another and make both our aduersitie and prosperitie common that we might contribute vnto the necessities of one another For our christian righteousnes restraineth not vs only to discharge the ciuile and politick bands which may be amongst vs but also acquiteth this naturall obligation which bindeth one man to another by mutuall good will and loue It remayneth now that this righteousnesse must conioyne vs vnto God and bring forth her most excelleÌ„t effects which kepeth our soule vpright quiet capable of the wil of God and as it were fast tied vnto the loue of euerlasting blisse which is done by the gifts of faith hope For after we haue purged our selues of the peruerse filthy affectioÌ„s which our soul hath gotteÌ„ into her by liuing on erth so blinded our wil as that she caÌ„not returne to ill yet must she go on to her mark guide her self vnto her resting place Now as we are cast downe into the darkenesse of this world into the deserts of sin bottomlesse deapths of perdition we cannot see our end without light nor find our way without a guide ne yet sustaine our selues go forward without stay and our light guide and stay is the reuelation which God hath shewed vnto vs out of his will the knowledge which he hath geuen vnto vs by his grace the spirit by which he communicateth himself with vs and in the end commeth himselfe vnto vs because we are so feeble as that we cannot go vnto him We call faith the sound and right affection whereby wee receiue that which he declareth vnto vs and which we constaÌ„tly beleeue and by which we iudge of him in the goodnes simplicitie of our harts This is it with which we humble our senses and with which we deny our selues to geue credit vnto his truth in acknowledging our infirmitie by which we allow his almightines reuereÌ„ce admire the effects so often reiterated for the reconquering of our saluation deliueraÌ„ce froÌ„ eternall death Now wheÌ„ as our soule hath once found her self disposed to belieue this and receiued this impression froÌ„ the word of God she then cleerly seeth the marke whereat she aimeth knowing thereby the benefit which is set before her she is touched with a certain effectual feeling of pleasure which eggeth her coÌ„tinually forward to wish looke for the saluation which is prepared for her This is that hope by the which she foreseeth the happy hour of her felicitie by which she is kept for the loking for her blessednes vpholden double strengthened against all the griefes and miseries which mâ—ght shake the same and crosse her in the way Here then wee see how we must prepare our soule to make it capable of this felicitie We must now then necessarily see behold by her dealing how she delighteth her self in this most excelleÌ„t pleasure And it is to be considered two maner of wayes the one is that whilst she is clad about with this flesh and detained here in this vile world yet she still ioyneth and vniteth her selfe vnto God her creator by meanes of her pure holy disposition and of her good and charitable works The other is that wheÌ„ she is deliuered despoiled of the earth the world she wholy vniteth her self vnto her first originall being In this first estate we shal see her reioice in such happinesse pleasure contentment as infinitely surpasseth all the other delights which we possibly are able to wish or desire here below And such in very deed as are no way comparable vnto those pleasures which we know to be prepared for vs in the life to
was not long they were acquitted once for all But to dye of cruell famine and to see and feele one so long a dying is a most miserable thing they felt them selues continually wither away and knew not how their strength went froÌ„ them without a man would haue sayd the earth had consumed it For they were like vnto a plant whose roote was cleane dried vp which in the beginning waxeth yellow in the neither parts and so by little and little the boughes and armes thereof dye and in the end the whole body dryeth vp and is good for nothing else but to be cast into the fire Iod. Ye may thinke that I haue very much spoken of things and yet they are but flowres in respect of the rest of the miseries which necessitie hath suggested vnto vs and which if I had an hundreth tongs I were neuer able to expresse Shall I tell them ô Lord Alasse I will not for then I should accuse thine ouergreat seueritie in deliuering out the excessiue miseries wherein thou hast plunged vs. Notwithstanding I will do it I will tell them ô Lord to the end thou mightest at the last haue compassion of vs and somewhat hold backe thy reuengefull arme For thou hast layd it ouer heauely vpon vs we haue seene it and must we needs see it ô Lord and shall our eyes be our owne still after we haue seene it We haue seene the mothers I say through famine and want so degenerate from their kind as that they haue dismembred their owne children puld them in pieces boyled them on the fire and deuoured them with their teeth to satisfie that cruell famine wherewith they were afflicted Coph Ha ô Lord our God what thoughtest thou to haue done with vs meantest thou to shew thy selfe to be almightie as well in thy fury as in thy mercy to shew all thine actions to be infinite to shew that when thou goest about to set thy selfe to be cruell that thou art out of all measure cruell and to shew thy self wheresoeuer thou passest when thou art in choller to be a deuouring fire which setteth on fire raueneth consumeth and to be such a one as thou hast shewed thy self to be in visiting poore Syon euen vnto the coÌ„suming the very foundatioÌ„s thereof Lamed O most strange and most incredible thing these newes haue bene told vnto other Kings and Princes of the earth to all other strange people but they could neuer beleeue any iote of it For thus they haue sayd What is it possible that this holy Ciâ—… which God hath chosen for his dwelling place where he hath set vp his throne on the earth where he will be worshipped whither all nations haue carried their offrings where he hath appeared and answered vnto the cryes of those that haue prayed vnto him the same onely to be taken and to fall into the hands of her enemies Surely we will neuer beleeue it nay we do not beleeue that if they found the gates thereof stand wide open that they durst once enter into it Mem. And â—et for all this ô Lord it is euen so the poore cittie is vtterly vndone and razed but after what sort and wherfore Forsooth for the sinnes ô Lord of our prophets and for the sinnes of our priests who haue shed the bloud of the righteous euen in the middest of Ierusalem Nun. They haue run vp and downe in the streats like mad men and reeled too and fro' as men drunken with the bloud of innocents They are so polluted and defiled as that all the world is a feard to touch them for feare of being imbrued with them Yea and they themselues are ashamed to go into the temple for feare of violating it with the bloud which commeth froÌ„ their cloths Samech I do assure ye that the very heathen themselues haue bene afeard of them I say euen they that know not God but by the light of nature and haue cried out against them saying O ye wicked and cruell caitiues hence and away and defile not the place which is delicated vnto your God and they againe with great indignity despitefully haue said no no. Beleeue verily that God dwelleth not amongst such kinde of people Phe. For a man may easily see that their God hath forsaken them hath dabd them in the necks and set them at diuision and discord They haue tasted of nothing so little as of godlines and therfore they must looke no more for any helpe from heauen What the very ancient seruants of God appointed to serue at his aulter haue not so much as once blushed in committing most horrible and great wickednesses the elder sort which should haue bin the most modest haue bin most mad and had no compassion of their equals neither could the age of their afflicted companions driue them to any compassion And seeing that all humanitie is rooted out of their harts how is it possible for God to dwell in them Beleeue me these are no men but counterfet Tygres And therefore God will deale with them as he dealeth with brute beasts and make one of them praye vpon another Ain Ha ô Lord these people haue sayd rightly Thou hast made vs to feele it in deed for after all these our furious pranks the time of punishment came vpon vs for our enemies enuironed vs on euery side and whilst we were gaping and looking for ayd from men and looked so wishlie for them as that we were weery of looking could see none at all come wee were very foolish in looking for helpe from men to defend vs from thee ô Lorde which makest warre against vs. Alasse what are mens forces able to do against thee What rampart in all the whole world is able to defend vs against thy wrath Sade We haue bene taken as Partriges in the cod of a net thou hast driuen vs together on a Couie and afterward coueredst vs wee thought to haue escaped and our feete slid we are fallen and are snared in the net we haue assaied to fleet from one place to another and we haue bene alwaies staied And why so forsooth because the day was come We haue hastened the punishment by our perseuering in euill doing and haue in the end enforced God to pronounce the ineuitable iudgement of our condemnation against vs. Coph When God hath resolued to do a thing all things both in heauen and earth are ready to execute his will euery thing maketh it selfe ready to serue his purpose our enemies are more swift to pursue vs then are the Eagles the Stock doues For they haue followed vs euen to the tops of the mountaines and met with vs in the deserts I do verely beleeue that if we were in the deepest dungeons that euer were that they would there finde vs out Resch And what shall I say where found they out our good Iosias euen him whom thou haddest annointed to raigne ouer vs and whom we esteemed and made more of then of our owne liues