golden Causie and a Road That 's leuell pleasant that is euen and broad But leads at length to death and endlesse griefe To torments and to paines without reliefe Iustice feares none but maketh all afraid And then falls hardest when 't is most delaid But thou reply'st Thy sinnes are daily great Yet thou sitt'st vncontrold vpon thy seat Thy wheat doth flourish and thy barnes doe thriue Thy sheepe encrease thy sonnes are all aliue And thou art buxom and hast nothing scant Finding no want of any thing but want Whil'st others whō the squint-e'yd world counts holy Sit sadly drooping in a melancholy With brow deiected and downe-hanging head Or take of almes or poorly beg their bread But Young man know there is a Day of doome The feast is good vntill the reck'ning come The time runnes fastest where is least regard The stone that 's long in falling falleth hard There is a Day a dying Day thou foole When all thy laughter shall be turn'd to Doole Thy roabes to tort'ring plagues and fell tormenting Thy whoops of Ioy to howles of sad lamenting Thy tongue shall yell and yawle and neuer stop And wish a world to giue for one poore drop To flatter thine intolerable paine The wealth of Pluto could not then obtaine A minutes freedome from that hellish rout Whose fire burnes and neuer goeth out Nor house nor land nor measur'd heapes of wealth Can render to a dying man his health Our life on earth is like a thrid of flax That all may touch and being toucht it cracks ¶ As when an Archer shooteth for his sport Sometimes his shaft is gone sometime 't is short Sometimes o' th' left hand wide sometimes o' th' right At last through often triall hits the White So Death sometimes with her vncertaine Rouer Hits our Superiours and so shootes ouer Sometimes for change she strikes the meaner sort Strikes our inferiours and then comes short Sometimes vpon the left hand wide she goes And so still wounding some she strikes our foes And sometimes wide vpon the right hand wends There with impartiall shafts she strikes our friends At length through often triall hits the White And so strikes vs into Eternall night ¶ Death is a Kalender compos'd by Fate Concerning all men neuer out of Date Her dayes Dominicall are writ in blood She shewes more bad dayes then she sheweth good She tells when dayes and months and termes expire And shewes thee strange aspects of fearefull fire ¶ Death is a Pursiuant with Eagles wings That knocks at poore mens dores and gates of Kings Worldling beware for lo Death sculks behind thee And as she leaues thee so will Iudgement finde thee THE ARGVMENT Within the bowels of the Fish Ionah laments in great anguish God heard his pray'r at whose command The Fish disgorg'd him on the Land Sect. 7. THen Ionah turn'd his face to heau'n and pray'd VVithin the bowels of the VVhale and sayd I cry'd out of my balefull misery Vnto the Lord and he hath heard my cry From out the paunch of hell I made a noyse And thou hast answer'd me and heard my voyce Into the Deepes and bottome thou hast throwne me Thy Surges and thy VVaues haue past vpon me Then Lord said I from out thy glorious sight I am reiected and forsaken quite Nath'lesse while these my wretched eyes remaine Vnto thy Temple will I looke againe The boyst'rous waters compasse me about My body threats to let her pris'ner out The boundlesse depth enclos'd me almost dead The weedes were wrapt about my fainting head I liu'd on earth reiected at thine hand And a perpetuall pris'ner in the Land Yet thou wilt cause my life t' ascend at length From out this pit O Lord my God my Strength When as my soule was ouer-whelm'd and faint I had recourse to thee did thee acquaint With the condition of my wofull case My cry came to thee in thine holy Place Whoso to Vanities themselues betake Renounce thy mercies and thy loue forsake To thee I 'le sacrifice in endlesse dayes With voyce of thanks and euer-sounding praise I 'le pay my vowes for all the world records With one consent Saluation is the Lords So God whose Word 's a deed whose Breath's a law Whose iust command implies a dreadfull awe Whose Word prepar'd a Whale vpon the Deepe To tend and waite for Iona's fall and keepe His out-cast body safe and soule secure This very God whose mercy must endure When heau'n and earth and sea and all things faile Disclos'd his purpose and bespake the Whale To redeliuer Ionah to his hand Whereat the Whale disgorg'd him on the Land Meditatio septimu I Well record a holy Father sayes He teaches to denie that faintly prayes The suit surceases when desire failes But whoso prayes with feruencie preuailes For Pray'rs the key that opens heauen gate And findes admittance whether earl ' or late It forces audience it vnlocks the eare Of heau'nly God though deafe it makes him heare Vpon a time Babel the Worlds faire Queene Made drunke with choller and enrag'd with Spleene Through fell Disdaine derraigned Warre ' gainst them That tender Homage to Ierusalem A Mayden fight it was yet they were strong As men of Warre The Battaile lasted long Much bloud was shed and spilt on either side That all the ground with purple gore was dyde In fine a Souldier of Ierusalem Charissa hight the Almner of the Realme Chill'd with a Feuer and vnapt to fight Into Iustitia's Castle tooke her flight Whereat great Babels Queene commanded all To lay their siege against the Castle wall But poore Tymissa not with warre acquainted Fearing Charissa's death fell downe and fainted Dauntlesse Prudentia rear'd her from the ground VVhere she lay pale and sencelesse in swound She rubb'd her temples lost in swouny shade And gaue her water that Fidissa made And said Cheare vp deare Sister though our foe Hath ta'ne vs Captiues and inthrall'd vs so We haue a King puissant and of might Will see vs take no wrong and doe vs right If we possesse him with our sad complaint Cheare vp wee 'l send to him and him acquaint Timissa new awak'd from swound replies Our Castle is begirt with enemies And clouds of armed men besiege our walls Then suer Death or worse then Death befalls To her who ere she be that stirres a foote Or dares attempt this place to fally out Alas what hope haue we to finde reliefe And want the meanes that may diuulge our griefe Within that place a iolly Matron won'd With firie lookes and drawen-sword in hond Her eyes with age were waxen wond'rous dim With hoary locks and visage sterne and grim Her name Iustitia hight to her they make Their moane who well aduis'd them thus bespake Faire Maydens well I wot y' are ill bedight And rue the suffrance of your wofull plight But Pitty 's fond alone
Sackcloth and his Prayre Not faintly sent to heauen nor sparingly But piercing feruent and mightie cry ¶ Here maist thou see how Pray'r and true Repentance Doe striue with God preuaile and turne his sentence From strokes to stroking and from plagues infernall To boundlesse Mercies and to life Eternall ¶ Till Zepher lend my Bark a second Gale I flip mine Anchor and I strike my saile FINIS O Dulcis saluator Mundi vltima verba quae tu dixisti in Cruce sint vltima mea verba in Luce quando amplius affare non possum exaudi tu cordis mei desiderium A Hymne to God WHo giues me then an Adamantine Quill A Marble tablet And a Dauids skill To blazon foorth the praise of my dear Lord In deep grau'n letters aye vpon Record To last for times eternall processe suer So long as Sunne and Moone and Stars enduer Had I as many mouthes as Sands there are Had I a nimble tongue for euery Starre And euery word I speake a Caractere And euery minutes time ten ages were To chaunt foorth all thy praise it nought auaile For tongues and words and time and all would faile Much lesse can I poore Weakling tune my tongue To take a taske befits an Angels song Sing what thou canst when thou canst sing no more Weep then as fast that thou canst sing no more Be blurre thy booke with teares and goe thy wayes For euery blurre will proue a booke of praise Thine Eye that viewes the mouing Spheares aboue Let it giue praise to him that makes them moue Thou riches hast Thy Hands that hold and haue them Let them giue praise to him that freely gaue them Thine Armes defend thee then for recompence Let them praise him that gaue thee such defence Thy Tongue was giuen to praise thy Lord the giuer Then let thy Tongue praise highest God for euer Faith comes by hearing and thy faith will saue thee Then let thine Eares praise him that hearing gaue thee Thy heart is begg'd by him that first did make it My sonne giue me thy heart Lord freely take it Eyes hands and armes tongues eares and hearts of men Sing praise and let the people say Amen ¶ Tune you your Instruments and let them vary Praise him vpon them in his Sanctuary Praise him within the highest Firmament Which shewes his power and his gouernment Praise him for all his mighty Acts are knowne Praise him according to his high Renowne Praise him with Trump victorious shrill and sharp With Psaltry lowd and many-stringed Harp With sounding Tymbrell and delightfull Flute With Musicks full Interpreter the Lute Praise him vpon the Mayden Virginalls Vpon the clerick Organs and Cymballs Vpon the sweet maiestick Vyalls touch Double your ioyes and let your praise be such Let all in whom is life and breath giue praise To mighty God of Hosts in endlesse dayes Let euery Soule to whom a voyce is giuen Sing Holy Holy Holy Lord of heauen For loe a Lambe is found that vndertooke To breake the seuen-fold-seale and ope the Booke ¶ O let my life add number to my dayes To shew thy Glory and to sing thy praise Let euery minute in thy praise be spent Let euery head be bare and knee be bent To thee deare Lambe Who ere thy praises hide O let his lips be clos'd and tongue for euer ty'de Halelujah Gloria Deo in excelsis Eleuen Pious Meditations 1 ¶ WIthin the holy Writ I well discouer Three speciall Attributes of God His Power His Iustice and his Mercy All vncreated Eternall all and all Vnseparated From Gods pure Essence yet from thence proceeding All very God All perfect All exceeding And from that selfe-same Text three names I gather Of Great Iehoua Lord and God and Father The first denotes him mounted on his Throne In Power Maiesty Dominion The next descries him on his Kingly Bench Rewarding Euill with dreadfull punishments The third describes him on his Mercy-seate Full great in Grace and in his Mercy great ¶ All three I worship and before all three My heart shall humbly prostrate with my knee But in my priuate choice I fancie rather Then call him Lord or God to call him Father 2 ¶ IN Hell no Life in Heauen no Death there is In Earth both Life and Death both Bale and Blis In Heauen 's all Life no end nor new supplying In Hell 's all Death and yet there is no dying Earth like a partiall Ambidexter doth Prepare for Death or Life prepares for Both Who liues to sinne in Hell his portion 's giuen Who dyes to sinne shall after liue in Heauen ¶ Though Earth my Nurse be Heauen be thou my Father Ten thousand deaths let me enduer rather Within my Nurses armes then One to Thee Earths honor with thy frownes is death to mee I liue-on Earth as on a Stage of sorrow Lord if thou pleasest end the Play to morrow I liue on Earth as in a Dreame of pleasure Awake me when thou wilt I wait thy leisure I liue on Earth but as of life bereauen My life 's with thee for Lord thou art in Heauen 3 ¶ NOthing that e'r was made was made for nothing Beasts for thy food their skins were for thy clothing Flow'rs for thy smell and Herbs for Cuer good Trees for thy shade Their Fruit for pleasing Food The showers fall vpon the fruitfull ground Whose kindly Dew makes tender Grasse abound The Grasse is made for beasts to feed vpon And beasts are food for Man But Man alone Is made to serue his Lord in all his waies And be the Trumpet of his Makers praise ¶ Let Heau'n be then to me obdure as brasse The Earth as yron vnapt for graine or grasse Then let my Flocks consume and neuer steed me Let pinching Famine want wherewith to feed me When I forget to honour thee my Lord Thy glorious Attributes thy Works thy Word O let the Trump of thine eternall Fame Sound euer Euer hallow'd be thy Name 4 ¶ GOd made the World and all that therein is Yet what a little part of it is his Quarter the Earth and see how small a roome Is stiled with the name of Christendome The rest through blinded ignorance rebels O're-run with Pagans Turks and Infidels Nor yet is all this little Quarter his For though all know him halfe know him amisse Professing Christ for lucre as they list And serue the triple Crowne of Antichrist Yet is this little handfull much made lesser Ther 's many Libertines for one Professor Nor doe Professors all professe aright 'Mong whom there often lurks an Hypocrite ¶ O where and what 's thy Kingdome blessed God Where is thy Scepter wher 's thine yron Rod Reduce thy reck'nings to their totall summe O let thy Power and thy Kingdome Come 5 ¶ MAN in himselfe 's a little World Alone His Soul 's the Court or high Imperiall Throne Wherein as Empresse sits the Vnderstanding Gently directing yet with awe Commanding Her Handmaid's WILL Affections
The stint of Niniuey was forty dayes To cry for grace and turne from euill wayes To some the time is large To others small To some 't is many yeeres And not at all To others Some an hower haue and some Haue scarce a minute of their time to come Thy span of life Malfido is thy space To call for mercy and to cry for grace ¶ Lord what is man but like a worme that crawl's Open to danger euery foot that falls Death creeps vnheard and steales abroad vnseene Her darts are sudden and her arrowes keene Vncertaine when but certaine she will strike Respecting King and begger both alike The stroke is deadly come it earl ' or late And once being struck repenting's out of date Death is a minute full of sudden sorrow Then liue to day as thou maist dye to morrow THE ARGVMENT The Niniuites beleeue the Word Their hearts returne vnto the Lord In him they put their only trust They mourne in Sackcloth and in dust Sect. 9. SO said the Niniuites beleeu'd the Word Beleeued Ionas and beleeu'd the Lord They made no pause nor iested at the newes Nor slighted it because it was a Iew 's Denouncement No Nor did their gazing eyes As taken captiues with such nouelties Admire the strangers garb so quaint to theirs No idle chat possest their itching eares The whil'st he spake nor were their tongues on fier To raile vpon or interrupt the Cryer Nor did they question whether true the message Or false the Prophet were that brought th' embassage But they gaue faith to what he said relented And changing their mis-wandred wayes repented Before the searching Ayre could coole his word Their hearts returned and beleeu'd the Lord And they whose dainty palats cloy'd whileare With cates and vyands were and luscious cheare Doe now enioyne their lips not once to tast The offall bread for they proclaim'd a Fast And they whose wanton bodies once did lye Wrapt vp in Robes and Silkes of princely Dye Lo now in stead of Robes in Rags they mourne And all their Silkes doe into Sackcloth turne They reade themselues sad Lectures on the ground Learning to want as well as to abound The Prince was not exempted nor the Peere Nor yet the richest nor the poorest there The old man was not freed whose hoary age Had eu'n almost outworne his Pilgrimage Nor yet the young whose Glasse but new begun By course of nature had an age to run For when that fatall Word came to the King Conuay'd with speed vpon the nimble wing Of flitting Fame He strait dismounts his Throne Forsakes his Chaire of State he sate vpon Disrob'd his body and his head discrown'd In dust and ashes grou'ling on the ground And when he rear'd his trembling corpes againe His haire all filthy with the dust he lay in He clad in pensiue Sackcloth did depose Himselfe from state Imperiall and chose To liue a Vassall or a baser thing Then to vsurpe the Scepter of a King His golden cup of Honour and Authority Made him not drunke and so forget mortality Respectlesse of his pompe he quite forgate He was a King so mindlesse of his State That he forgate to rule or be obey'd Nor did he weild the Sword nor Scepter sway'd Meditatio nona ¶ IS fasting then the thing that God requires Can fasting expiate or slake those fires That Sinne hath blowne to such a mighty flame Can sackcloth clothe a fault or hide a shame Can ashes clense thy blot or purge thy ' offence Or doe thy hands make God a recompence By strowing dust vpon thy bryny face Are these the tricks to purchase heau'nly grace No though thou pine thy selfe with willing want Or face looke thinne or Carkas ne r so gaunt Although thou worser weeds then sackcloth weare Or naked goe or sleep in shirts of haire Or though thou chuse an ash-tub for thy bed Or make a daily dunghill on thy head Thy labour is not poysd with equall Gaines For thou hast nought but labour for thy paines Such idle madnesse God reiects and loaths That sinkes no deeper than the skinne or cloaths 'T is not thine eyes which taught to weep by art Looke red with teares not guilty of thy hart 'T is not the holding of thy hands so hye Nor yet the purer squinting of thine eye 'T is not your Mimmick mouthes nor Antick faces Nor Scripture phrases nor affected Graces Nor prodigall vp-banding of thine eyes Whose gashfull balls doe seeme to pelt the skyes 'T is no the strict reforming of your haire So close that all the neighbour skull is bare 'T is not the drooping of thy head so low Nor yet the lowring of thy sullen brow Nor howling wherewithall you fill the ayre Nor repetitions of your tedious pray'r No no 't is none of this that God regards Such sort of fooles their owne applause rewards Such Puppit-playes to heau'n are strange and quaint Their seruice is vnsweet and foully taint Their words fall fruitlesse from their idle braine But true Repentance runnes in other straine Where sad contrition harbours there thy hart Is first acquainted with an inly smart And restlesse grones within thy mournfull brest Where sorrow finds her selfe a welcome ghest It throbs it sighes it mournes in decent wise Dissolu's and fills the Cisternes of thine eyes It frights thy pensiue soule with strange aspects Of crying sinnes committed It detects Thy wounded conscience It cryes amaine For mercy mercy cryes and cryes againe It vowes it sadly grieues and sore laments It yernes for grace Reformes Returnes Repents I this is Incense whose accepted sauour Mounts vp the heauenly Throne and findeth fauour I this is it whose valour neuer failes With God it stoutly wrestles and preuailes I this is it that pierces heauen aboue Neuer returning home like Noah's Doue But brings an Oliffe leafe or some encrease That works Saluation and eternall Peace THE ARGVMENT The Prince and people fasts and prayes God heard accepted lik'd their wayes Vpon their timely true repentance God reuerst and chang'd his sentence Sect. 10. THen suddenly with holy zeale inflam'd He caus'd a Generall act to be proclam'd By good aduice and counsell of his Peeres Let neither Man nor child of youth or yeeres From greatest in the City to the least Nor Heard nor pining Flock nor hungry beast Nor any thing that draweth ayre or breath On forfeiture of life or present death Presume to taste of nourishment or food Or moue their hungry lips to chew the cud From out their eyes let Springs of water burst With teares or nothing let them slake their thurst Moreo're let euery man what e're he be Of high preferment or of low degree D' off all they weare excepting but the same That nature craues and that which couers shame Their nakednesse with sackcloth let them hide And mue the vest'ments of their silken pride And let the braue cariering Horse of warre Whose rich Caparisons and Trappings
my seruants heart to swell Can anger helpe thee Ionah Doest thou well Meditatio vndecima ¶ HOw poore a thing is man How vain 's his mind How strange base And wau'ring like the wind How vncouth are his wayes How full of danger How to himselfe is he himselfe a stranger His heart 's corrupt and all his thoughts are vaine His actions sinfull and his words prophane His will 's deprau'd his senses all beguil'd His reason 's darke His members all defil'd His hastie feet are swift and prone to ill His guilty hands are euer bent to kill His tongue 's a spunge of venome or of worse Her practice is to sweare her skill to curse His eyes are fierballs of lustfull fire And outward spyes to inward foule desire His body is a well erected station But full of filth and foule corrupted passion Fond loue and raging lust and foolish feares Excessiue ioy and griefe o'rwhelm'd with teares Immoderate and couetous Desier And sinfull anger red and hot as fier These daily clog the soule that 's fast in prison From whose encrease this lucklesse brood is risen Respectlesse Pride and lustfull Idlenes Foule ribbauld talke and lothsome Drunkennes Fruitlesse Despayre and needlesse Curiositie Odious Ingratitude Double Hypocrisie Base Flattery and haughty-ey'd Ambition Heart-gnawing Hatred and squint-ey'd Suspition Self-eating Enuie Enuious Detraction Hopelesse Distrust and too-too sad Deiection Reuengefull Malice Hellish Blasphemie Idolatry and light Inconstancie Daring Presumption wry-mouth'd Derision Fearefull Apostacie vaine Superstition ¶ What heedfull watch And what contin'all ward How great respect and howerly regard Stands man in hand to haue when such a brood Of furious hell-hounds seeke to suck his blood Day night and hower they rebell and wrastle And neuer cease till they subdue the Castle ¶ How sleight a thing is man How fraile and brittle How seeming great is he How truly little Within the bosome of his holiest works Some hidden Embers of old Adam lurks Which oftentimes in men of righteous wayes Burst out in flame and for a season blaze ¶ Lord teach our hearts giue our soules directions Subdue our Passions Curb our stout Affections Nip thou the bud before the Bloome begins Lord keep all good men from presumptuous sins THE ARGVMENT A Booth for shelter Ionah made God sent a Gourd for better shade But by the next approching light God sent a Worme consum'd it quite Sect. 12. SO Ionah sore opprest and heauy-hearted From out the Cities circuit straight departed Departed to the Easterne borders of it Where sick with anguish sate this sullen Prophet He built a Booth and in the Booth he sate Vntill some few daies had expir'd their date With ouer-tedious pace where he might see What would betide to threatned Niniuie A trunk that wanteth sap is soone decay'd The slender Booth of boughs and branches made Soone yeelded to the fire of Phoebus Ray So dri'd to Dust consuming quite away Whereat the great Iehoua spake the word And ouer Iona's head there sprang a Gourd Whose roots were fixt within the quickning earth Which gaue it nourishment as well as birth God raised vp a Gourd a Gourd should last Let wind or scortching Sunne or blow or blast As coales of fier rak'd in Embers lye Obscure and vndiscerned by the eye But being stird regaine a glimm'ring light Reuiue and glow burning a-fresh and bright So Ionah 'gan to cheare through this reliefe And ioyfull was deuoyded all his griefe He ioy'd to see that God had not forgot His drooping seruant nor forsooke him not He ioy'd in hope the Gourds strange wonder will Perswade the people he 's a Prophet still The fresh aspect did much content his sight The herball sauour gaue his sense delight So Ionah much delighted in his Gourd Enioy'd the pleasures that it did affoord But Lord what earthly thing can long remaine How momentary are they and how vaine How vaine is earth that man 's delighted in it Her pleasures rise and vanish in a minnit How fleeting are the ioyes we find below Whose tides vncertaine alwayes ebbe and flow For lo this Gourd that was so faire and sound Is quite consum'd and eaten to the ground No sooner Titan had vp-heau'd his head From off the pillow of his Saffron bed But God prepar'd a silly silly worme Perchance brought thither by an Easterne storme The worme that must obey and well knew how Consum'd it quite ne left it root nor bow Consum'd it straight within a minut's space Left nought but sleeping Ionas in the place Meditatio duodecima ¶ THe Pleasures of the world which soone abate Are liuely Emblems of our owne estate Which like a Banquet at a Fun'rall show But sweeten griefe and serue to flatter woe ¶ Pleasure is fleeting still and makes no stay It lends a smile or twaine and steales away ¶ Man's life is fickle full of winged haste It mocks the sense with ioy and soone does waste ¶ Pleasure does crowne thy youth and lulls thy wants But sullen age approching straight auaunts ¶ Man's life is Ioy and Dolor seekes to banish It doth lament and mourne in age and vanish ¶ The time of pleasure 's like the life of man Both ioyfull both contained in a span Both highly priz'd and both on sudden lost When most we trust them they deceiue vs most What fit of madnes makes vs loue them thus We leaue our liues and pleasure leaueth vs Why what are Pleasures But a golden dreame Which waking makes our wants the more extreame And what is Life A bubble full of care Which prickt by death straight empties into ayre The flowers clad in far more rich array Then earst was Salomon doe soone decay What thing more sweet or fairer then a flowre Nath'les it blooms and fades within an howre What thing more pleasing then a morning Sun And yet this pleasure euery Day is dun But thou art heire to Croesus and thy treasure Being great and endlesse endlesse is thy pleasure But thou thou Croesus heire consider must Thy wealth and thou came from and goes to dust Another's noble and his name is great And takes his place vpon a loftie seat True 't is but yet his many wants are such That better 't were he were not knowne so much Another binds his soule in Hymens knot His Spouse is chaste and faire withouten spot But yet his comfort is bedasht and done His grounds are stock't and now he want's a sonne ¶ How fickle and vnconstant's mans Estate Man faine would haue but then he knowes not what And hauing rightly knowes not how to prize it But like the foolish Dunghill-cock imploy's it But who desires to liue a life content Wherein his Cruze of ioy shall ne'r be spent Let him consider what may be desir'd The date whereof is not to be expir'd For that 's not worth the crauing to obtaine A happinesse that must be lost againe Nor
Maids of Honor All following close and duly wayting on her But Sin that alwaies enui'd mans Condition Within this kingdome raised vp Diuision Withdrawne mans Will and brib'd his false Affection That This no order hath nor That Election The Will proues traitor to the Vnderstanding Reason hath lost her power and left commanding She 's quite depos'd and put to foule disgrace And Tyrant Will vsurps her Empty place ¶ Vouchsafe Lord in this little World of mine To raigne that I may raigne with Thee in thine And since my will is quite of good bereauen Thy will be done in earth as 't is in heauen 6 ¶ WHo liue to sin they all are theeues to Heauen And Earth They steale frō God take vngiuen Good men they rob and such as liue vpright And being bastards share the free-mans Right They 're all as owners in the owners stead And like to Dogs deuoure the childrens bread They haue and lack and want what they possesse They 're most vnhappy in their most happinesse They are not goods but riches that thou hast And not be'ng goods to eu'ls they turne at last ¶ Lord what I haue let me enioy in thee And thee in it or else take it from mee My store or want make thou or fade or flourish So shall my comforts neither change nor perish That little I enioy Lord make it mine In making me that am a Sinner thine 'T is thou or none that shall supply my need O Lord Giue vs this day our daily bread 7 ¶ THe quick-conceited Schoole-men well approue A difference 'twixt Charitie and Loue Loue is a vertue whereby we explaine Our selues to God and God to vs againe But Charity 's imparted to our Brother Whereby we traffick one man with another The first extends to God The last belongs To man In giuing right and bearing wrongs In number they are twaine In vertue One For one not truly being t' others none ¶ In louing God if I neglect my Neighbour My loue hath lost his proofe and I my labour My Zeale my Faith my Hope that neuer failes me If Charitie be wanting nought auailes me ¶ Lord in my Soule a spirit of Loue create me And I will loue my Brother if he hate me In nought but loue le ts me enuy my betters And then Forgiue my debts as I may detters 8 ¶ I Finde a true resemblance in the growth Of Sin and Man Alike in breeding both The Soul 's the Mother and the Diuell Syer Who lusting long in mutuall hot desier Enioy their wils and ioyne in Copulation The Seed that fils her wombe is foule Tentation The sinnes Conception is the Soules Consent And then it quickens when it giues content The birth of Sin is finisht in the action And Custome brings it to its full perfection ¶ O let my fruitlesse Soule be barren rather Then bring foorth such a Child for such a Father Or if my Soule breed Sin not being wary O let it either dye or else miscarry She is thy Spouse O Lord doe thou aduise her Keepe thou her chaste Let not the Fiend entice her Trie thou my heart Thy Trials bring Saluation But let me not be led into Temptation 9 ¶ FOrtune that blind supposed Goddesse is Still rated at if ought succeed amisse 'T is she the vaine abuse of Prouidence That beares the blame when others make th' offence When this mans barne finds not her wonted store Fortune's condemn'd because she sent no more If this man dye or that man liue too long Fortune's accus'd and she hath done the wrong Ah foolish Dolts and like your Goddesse blind You make the fault and call your Saint vnkind For when the cause of Eu'll begins in Man Th' effect ensues from whence the cause began Then know the reason of thy discontent The eu'll of Sinne makes Eu'll of punishment ¶ Lord hold me vp or spurre me when I fall So shall my Eu'll be iust or not at all Defend me from the World the Flesh the Deuill And so thou shalt deliuer me from Euill 10 ¶ THe Priestly skirts of A'rons holy coate I kisse and to my morning Muse deuote Had neuer King in any age or Nation Such glorious Robes set foorth in such a fashion With Gold and Gemmes and Silks of Princely Dye And Stones befitting more then Maiestie The Persian Sophies and rich Shaeba's Queene Had ne'r the like nor e'r the like had seene Vpon the skirts in order as they fell First a Pomegranat was and then a Bell By each Pomegranat did a Bell appeare Many Pomegranats many Bels there were Pomegranats nourish Bels doe make a sound As blessings fall Thanksgiuings must abound ¶ If thou wilt clothe my heart with A'rons tyer My tongue shall praise as well as heart desier My tongue and pen shall dwell vpon thy Story O Lord for thine is Kingdome Power Glory ¶ THe Ancient Sophists that were so precise And often-times perchance too curious nice Auerre that Nature hath bestow'd on Man Three perfect Soules When this I truly scan Me thinks their Learning swath'd in Errour lyes They were not wise enough and yet too wise Too curious wise because they mention more Then one Not wise enough because not foure Nature not Grace is Mistres of their Schooles Grace counts them wisest that are veriest Fooles Three Soules in man Grace doth a fourth allow The Soule of Faith But this is Greeke to you 'T is Faith that makes man truly wise 'T is Faith Makes him possesse that thing he neuer hath ¶ This Glorious Soule of Faith bestow on mee O Lord or else take thou the other three Faith makes men lesse then Children more then Men It makes the Soule crie Abba and Amen FINIS PENTELOGIA Or THE QVINTESSENCE OF MEDITATION Mors tua Mors Christi Fraus Mundi Gloria Coeli Et Dolor Inferni sunt meditanda tibi Thy Death the Death of Christ the Worlds Tentation Heauens Ioy Hells Torment be thy Meditation AT LONDON Imprinted by Felix Kyngston for Richard Moore and are to be sold at his shop in Saint Dunstans Church-yard 1620. Mors tua 1 ¶ ME thinks I see the nimble-aged Syre Passe by amaine with feete vnapt to tyre Vpon his head an Hower-glasse he weares And in his wrinkled hand a Sithe he beares Both Instruments to take the liues from Men Th' one shewes with what the other sheweth when Me thinkes I heare the Dolefull Passing-bell Setting an onset to his lowder knell This moody musick of impartiall Death Who daunces after daunces out of breath Me thinkes I see my dearest friends lament With sighs and teares and wofull dryriment My tender Wife and Children standing by Dewing the Death-bed whereupon I lye Me thinkes I heare a Voyce in secret say Thy Glasse is runne and thou must dye to day Mors Christi 2 ¶ ANd am I here and my Redeemer gone Can He be dead and is not my life done Was he tormented in excesse of measure And doe I