agayn Syon is thy chyrche / for syon by interpretacyon sygnyfyeth a tootehyll / or a place where a man maye se farre aboute hym And euen so thy chyrche thrughe the grace of the holy ghoste beholdeth a farre of the glorye of god accordynge to the capacyte of this lyfe / and therfore sayed the apostle ij Corynth .iij. all we with an vncouered face beholdyng as in a glasse the glorye of the lorde / after the same ymage ar transformed from glorye to glorye as by the sprete of the lorde Lorde god howe small is thy Chyrche at this daye almost the hole worlde is fallen frome the for there are manye mo myscreauntes then chrysten / and yet amonge the chrystē how many are there which forsake worldly thynges and seke the glory of the lorde surely ye shall fynde very fewe in cōparyson of theym whiche are addycte to worldye thynges / whose god is thyr belye and glorye to theyr shame and confusyon Deale gentelye Lorde of thy fauourable beneuolence with Syon that it maye be encreased bothe in multytude and also in good lyuyng Beholde frome heauen and deale gentelye as thou arte wonte to do that thou wylte sende amonge vs the fyer of thy charyte / whiche maye consume all our synnes Deale lorde accordynge to thy fauourable beneuolence / and do not with vs after our deseruyng / nether yelde thou vs againe according to our iniquities / but ordre vs accordynge to thy greate mercye Thou art Lorde our father and redemer / thou art our hope and euerlastyng helche Euery man desyreth goodnes of the / yf thou geue it them / then shall they gather it yf thou open thy hande all shall be fylled with plenty / when thou turnest away thy face / then are they astonyed whē thou gatherest in theyr breth then are they dead and returne in to erthe And agayne when thou brethedst on them / then are they created anew and thus renuest thou the face of the earth Psalme C. iiij Lorde I praye the what profyt is there in the dampnacyon of so many thousande men Hell is fylled and thy churche doth daylye decrease Aryse Lorde / why sleapest thou so longe Aryse / and dyffer not vnto the ende / Deale gently of thy fauourable beneuolēce with Syon / that the walles of Ierusalem may be buylded agayne / what is Ierusalem whiche by interpretacyon signyfyeth the vysyon of peace but the holye congregacyon and cytye of the blessed whiche is our mother Her walles were decayed when Lucyfer with his aungels fel / in to whose places are the ryghtwyse men receyued Deale therfore gentlye Oh Lorde with Syon / that the numbre of thy chosen may shortlye be fulfylled / and that the walles of Ierusalem may be edefied and fynisshed with newe stones whiche shal euer prayse the and endure euerlastynglye Then shalte thou accepte the sacryfyce of ryghtwysnes / oblacyons and brente offerynges then shall they laye vpon thyne altare wanton calues ¶ When thou haste delt gentlye of thy fauourable will beneuolence with Syon / then shalte thou accepte the sacryfyce of ryghtwysnes / for thou shalte consume it with burnyng fier of thy loue and charite / so acceptedst thou the sacrifices of Woyses and Helyas And then acceptest thou the sacryfices of ryghtwysnes / when thou fattenest with thy grace the soules whiche endeuoure them selues to lyne rightwisly What profiteth to offer sacryfices vnto the when thou acceptest them not oh Lorde Howe manye sacryfyces offer we nowe a dayes whiche are not pleasaunt vnto the but rather abhomynable for we offre not the sacryfyces of ryghtwysnes / but oure owne ceremonyes and therfore are they not accepted nor regarded of the where is nowe the glorye of the Apostles where is the valyaunt perseueraunce of martyrs where is the frute of preachers where is that holye symplicyte of them that vsed to lyue solitarye where are now the vertues and workes of the christen whiche were in olde tyme Then shalt thou excepte theyr sacryfices / when thou shalt decke and garnyshe them with thy grace and vertues ¶ Also yf thou deale gently with Syon of thy fauourable beneuolence / then shalte thou delyght in sacryfyces of ryghtwisnes / for the people shall begynne to lyue well / to kepe thy cōmaundementes and to deale iustlye and so shall thy people be endued with thy benefytes and blessynge Then shall the oblacyons of the preestes and of the clargie be acceptable vnto the / for they shall forsake theyr carnal affection and endeuoure them selues vnto a more perfeyte lyfe / and so shall the oyntment of thy blyssynge descende vpon theyr heades Then shall the brente offerynges of the relygyous be pleasaunte to the / for they shal cast out all drousye sluggyshnes and false confydence / and be hooly enflamed and made perfayte with the burnynge fyer of goddes loue Then shall the bysshoppes and preachers put calues vpō thyn altare / for after they at cōsummate in al kynde of vertue replenysshed with the holye spiryte / they shal not feare to geue theyr lyues for theyr sheepe What is thyne altare swete Iesu / but thy crosse where vpon thou wast offered What signifyeth a want on calfe / but our bodye Therfore / then shall they put calues on thyne altare / when they shal offer their owne bodies vnto the crosse / that is vnto all afflyctions and euen vnto the verye deathe for thy names sake ¶ Then shall the churche flory she and dilate her coostes / then shall thy prayse be noysed from the laste ende of the worlde / then shal ioye and gladnes fulfyll the hole worlde Then shall thy sayntes reioyce in glorye and shal make myrth in theyr mancyons waytynge for vs in the londe of the lyuynge Accomplyshe in me euen nowe Lorde that / then / whiche I so ofte name that thou mayste haue compassion on me accordīg to thy great mercy / the thou mayst receyue me for a sacryfice of ryghtwysnes / for a holy oblacyon for a brente sacryfyce of good lyuynge / and for a calfe to be offered on thyne altare or crosse / by the which I maye passe from this vale of miserye vnto that ioye whiche thou hast prepared for them that loue the. Amen ¶ To fyll vp the lefe we haue touched certeyne places whiche we thought most necessary to edefye the congregaciō of Christ ¶ Of faythe FIrst dere dretherne ye ought to geue dylygent hede that you maye purelye vnderstonde what faythe is and what frutes procede out of her / And to conclude the summe in fewe wordes / fayth is a sure perswasyon and full knowlege that god for his truthe and ryghtwysnes sake wyll fulfyll suche promyses / as he hathe made vnto vs of his mercye and fauoure / which sure perswasion must be geuen from god i. Corin .xij. For it can neither be goten by mannes power / nether yet retayned / therfore with feare and tremblynge performe that helthe whiche is begonne in you / for it is god
so come go But thou art suche a louer as do the neuer chaunge for thy loue is very god Thy loue therfore wherwith thou louest a creature / is to do it good and whom thou most truest / to them art thou moste beneficyall Therfore what meaneth / that thou louest truthe / but that of thy gracious mercy thou makest vs promyses / and fulfyllest them for thy truthes sake Thou dydest promyse vnto Abraham a sonne when he was aged / thou fulfilledst thy promyse in olde and baÌ„reyn Sara / because thou louedst truth Thou promisedst vnto the chyldren of Israell a lande that flowed with milke and honye / and at the last didest geue it theÌ„ / for thy truthes sake ¶ Thou madest a promyse to Dauid sayenge I shall set vp thy seate regall one of the frute of thy bodye and it came euen to passe / because thou woldest be founde true There are other iunumerable promystes in which thou hast euer bene faithful because thou louedst truthe Thou haste promysed to synners which wyll come vnto the / forgyuenesse and fauour / and thou hast neues defrauded man for thou hast loued truthe That vnthryftye Sonne Luce. xv that toke his iourney in to a farte countre and wasted all his goodes with royatous lyuynge / when he came to hym selfe / he retourned vnto the sayenge father I haue synned agaynst heuen and before the / now am I not worthye to be called thy sonne / make me as one of thy hyred seruauntes When he was yet a greate waye of / thou sawest hym and haddest coÌ„passion on him / and rannest vnto hym / fallynge vpon his necke and kyssynge hym / thou broughtest forth the best garment and puttest a rynge on his finger and showes on his fete / thou kylledst that fatted calfe and madest all the house mery saieng let vs eate and be mery / for this my sonne was deade and is alyue agayne / he was lost and is now founde ¶ Why didest thou al this lorde god surelye because thou louedst truth Loue therfore o father of mercies this truthe in me / which returne vnto the froÌ„ a far cuÌ„tre runne 〈◊〉 wardê me geue me a kys of thi mouth / geue me those chefe garmeÌ„tê / draw me iÌ„ to thy house / kyll the fatted calfe that all which truste in the maye reioyce in me / and lette vs eate together in spyrytuall feastes On lorde wylte thou exclude me alone wylte thou not kepe this truth vnto me yf thou shuldest loke narowly on our wickednesse a lorde Lorde who myght abyde the But lorde thou wylte not be soo strayte vnto vs / for thou louest truth ye and that with a feruent and incomprehensyble loue ¶ Whiche is the truth that thou so louest is it not thy sonne that sayde Iohan .xiiij. I am the waye / truth / and lyfe he is the very truthe of whom all truthe is named in heuen and in earthe / this is it that thou haste loued and in it only haste thou delyted for thou dydeste fynde it pure and with out spotte and woldeste that it shulde dye for synners Kepe therfore Oh god this truthe / beholde I am a greate synner in whome thou mayste kepe it / to whome thou mayst forgeue many synnes / whome thou mayste purifye in the bloude of thy Chryste / and whome thou mayste redeme through his passion why Oh Lorde hast thou geueÌ„ me this knowlege of thi sonne / and this sayth of hym Because I sholde se my redempcyon and not to attayne it that I myght by that meanes be the more vexed with sorowe God forbyd But rather that I maye perceyue the remission of my synnes purchased by Christes bloude / and so by his grace maye obteyne it Purge me therefore redeme me oh lorde for thou hast vttered vnto me the vnknowne and secret poyntes of thy wysdome that this knowlege maye helpe me and brynge me vnto health / for truely the Phylosophers neuer knewe these thyngê they were vnknowne vnto them / yea and vtterly hyd froÌ„ them And no man knewe these thynges excepte a fewe whom thou louedste entyrelye before thy sonnes incarnacyon ¶ The moste curious serchers of the worlde I meanet the wyse men of this worlde lifted vp theyr eyes aboue heuen yet coulde not fynde this thy wysdom / for thou haste hyd these thynges from the wyse and prudente / and haste opened them vnto babes / that is / to huÌ„ble fysshers and thy holy propehtes which also haue vittered them vnto vs. And so hast thou vttered the vnknowne and secrete thynges of thy wysdom and of thy scryptures vnto me / why do I knowe them in vayne I knowe theym surelye in vayne if they profyt me not vnto my helth and saluacion For the philosophers when they knewe god by his meruelous creatures they gloryfied hym not as god neyther were thankefull / but vexed full of vanities in theyr imaginacyons and theyr folysshe hertes were blynded When they counted them selues wyse / they became toles Wylt thou suffer me lorde to be or theyr numbre God forbyd For thou arte euen mercye it selfe which doth neuer vtterly forsake any man Fauoure therefore lorde / fauour and spare thy seruaunt / and coÌ„maunde hym to be of the numbre of thy babes / that the vnknowne secretes of thy wysdome whiche is an hye / that thou mayste be praysed in the worke of thy mercye whiche thou doste exercyse towardes thy seruante Lorde whiche neuer forsakest them that truste in the. Sprynkle me Lorde with ysope and so shall I be clene / thou shalt washe me / and then shall I be whytter then snowe ¶ Because lorde that thou haste loued the truthe and haste opened vnto me the vnknowne secretes of thy wisdom / I am wel counforted and I trust that thou wylt not cast me out of thy fauoure / but thou wylte sprynkle me with ysope and so shall I be etensed Ysope is a lowe herbe / it is hore and of a good sauour / whiche sygnyfyeth nothynge els / but thy onely sone our lord Iesu chryst / which humbled hym self vnto deth euen vnto the deth of the crosse Which with the hete of his feruent charyte loued vs / and washed vs from our synnes in his bloude Which with the redolent sauoure of his beneuolence and ryghtuousnes replenyshed the hole worlde Therfore with this ysope shalte thou spryncle me / when thou poureste vpon me the vertue of his bloude when Chryste thrughe fayth shall dwell in me when thrughe loue I am ioyned with hym when I shall countrefayte his humylyte and passyon / then shall I be clensed frome all myne vnclennes Then shalte thou washe me with myne owne teares which flowe out of the loue of christ / then shall I syghe vntyll I be weeye / I shall water my bed euery nyght with my teares / so that it shall swymme in them / then shalte thou wasshe me and I shall be whytter then snowe Snowe is whyte and
¶ An exposition after the maner of a cōtemplacyon vpon the .li. psalme called Miserere mei Deus ALas wretche the I am / confortlesse forsaken of all men / which haue offended both heuen earth Whether shall I go or whether shall I turne me To who shall I flye for socoure Who shall haue pytye or cōpassion on me vnto heuē dare I not lifte vp myne eyes / for I haue greuously synned agaynst it And in the earthe can I fynde no place of defence / for I haue bene noysom vnto it What shall I nowe do shall I despayre God forbyd full mercyfull is god / and my sauiour is meke and louyng / therfore only god is my refuge he wyll not despyse his creature neither forsake his owne ymage Vnto the therfore most meke and merciful god come I all sad and sorowfull for thou onely art my hope / and thou art onely the toure of my defence But what shall I say vnto the / syth I dare not lyft vp myne eyes I wyll poure oute the wordes of sorowe / I wyll hartelye beseche the for mercye and wyll saye Haue mercy vpon me oh god accordynge to thy greate mercye ¶ God whiche dwellest in lyghte that no man can attayne / God whiche art hid and canst not be sene with bodely eyes / nor cōprehended with ony vnderstondynge that euer was made / nether expressed with the tongues of men or angels My god the / which art incomprehensible do I seke the which canst not be expressed do I cal vpon what thinge so euer thou art which art in euery place I knowe that thou art the most hye excellent thyng yf thou be a thynge / and not rather the cause of all thynge yf I may so call the for I fynde no name by the whiche I maye name or expresse thyne in enarrable maiesty God I saye whiche art all thynges that are in the for thou art euen thyne owne wysdom thy power and thy moste gloriouse felycyte Seynge therfore that thou art mercyful what art thou but euen the very mercy it selfe And what am I / but very myserye Beholde therfore a god whiche art mercye beholde myserye is before the what shalt thou do mercye truely thy worke canst thou do otherwyse then thy nature is And what is thy worke verely to take awaye mysery and to lyfte vp them that are in wretched condicyon therfore haue mercy on me oh god God I saie whiche art mercye take awaye my misery / take awaye my synnes for they are myne extreme miserye Lyfte vp me which am so miserable / shew thy worke in me and exersyse thy power vpon me One depth requireth another the depthe of myserye requireth the depthe of mercye The depthe of synne axeth the depthe of grace fauoure Greater is the depthe of mercy then the depth of mserye Let therfore the one depth swalow vp the other Let the botomlesse depthe of mercye swalow vp the profounde depth of myserye ¶ Haue mercy on me oh god according to thy greate mercye Not after the mercye of men whiche is but small but after thyne owne mercy whiche is greate which is vnmesurable which is incōprehēsible which passeth all synnes without comparison Accordynge to that thy greate mercy with the whiche thou hast so loued the world that thou woldest geue thyne only sonne What mercye can be greater What loue can be more Who can despayre Who shulde not haue good confidence God was made mā and crucyfied for men Therfore haue mercye on me oh God accordynge to this thy greate mercye by the whiche thou hast geuen thy sonne for vs by whiche throughe hym thou haste taken awaye the synne of the worlde by whiche through his crosse thou haste lyghtened all men by whiche through hym thou hast redressed all thynges in heuen and erth Wash me oh lorde in his bloude lyghten me in his humilite / redresse me in his resurreccion Haue mercye on me oh god not after thy smal mercy for that is but thy small mercy in comparison when thou helpest men of theyr bodely euylles but it is greate when thou forgeuest synnes and dost eleuate men by thy fauoure aboue the toppe of the erth Euen so Lorde haue mercye on me accordinge to this thy greate mercye that thou turne me vnto the that thou put out my synnes that thou iustefie me by thy grace fauoure And accordinge to the multitude of thy compassions wype awaye myne iniquite ¶ Thy mercy lorde is the habundaunce of thy pytye by the whiche thou lokest gentely on the poore and wretched Thy compassions are the workes and processes of thy mercy Marie Magdalene came vnto thy fete good Iesu she wasshed thē with her teares wyped thē with her here thou forgauest her and sentest her awaye in peace this was Lorde one of thy compassions Petre denyed the and forsoke the with an othe / thou lokedste vpō hym and he wepte bitterly / thou forgaueste hym and madeste hym one of the chyef amonge thyne Apostles this was lorde a nother of thy cōpassions The these on the crosse was saued with one worde Paule in the furious wodnes of his persecution was called and by by fulfylled with the holy ghoste these are lorde thy compassions The tyme shulde fayle me yf I sholde numbre all thy merciable cōpassions for loke how many ryghtwyse men there be so many at thy godly compassions There is none that can glorye in hym selfe Let them all come that at ryghtwyse other in erth or in heauen and let vs axe them before the whether they be saued by theyr owne power and vertue And surely all they wyll answere with one herte and one mouthe sayenge Not vnto vs Lorde not vnto vs but vnto thy name geue all the prayse / for thy mercye and for thy truthes sake For they in theyr owne swerde possessed not the lande theyr owne arme or power saued thē not but thy right hande thyne arme the lyghtēing of thy coūtenaūce for thou delytedste in thē that is they are not saued for theyr owne deseruynges lest ony man shold boste him selfe / but because it pleased the so to be whiche thynge the prophet doth also more expreslye witnesse of the when he sayth he saued me because he wolde haue me Sith therfore that thou art the same god with whō is no alteration or variablenesse neyther art thou chaūged vnto darknesse and we thy creatures as well as our fathers whiche were borne vnder cōcupiscence synners as well as we / and syth there is but one mediator atonemente betwene god and man that is Christ Iesus which endureth for euer / why doste thou not poure on thy plentuous compassyons vpon vs / as well as thou didest vpon our fathers hast thou forgoten vs or are we only synners dyd not Christe dye for vs Are all thy mercies spent and none lefte ¶ Lorde our god I desyre and hertely beseche the / to put out myne iniquite accordyng
that worketh in you both the wil and also the dede / euen at his owne pleasure And se that with all mekenes ye submyt your selues vnto the vocacion of god / not seking the lyberty of the fleshe / nether yet despysyng good workes / for faith doth mortefye the fleshe and her workes / the spirite of god whiche resteth in a faythfull man helpeth our insurmitie and fyghteth without intermission agaynste synne / the deuyll and the worlde ¶ The power of faythe THe power of fayth is to iustefye vs that is / to dispoyle vs frome all our vices and laye them on Christê backe whiche hathe pacefyed the fathers wrathe towardes vs and to endue vs with an others ryhtwysnes / that is Christê / so that I and all my synnes are Christes / Christ with all his vertues are myne / for he was borne for vs and geuen vnto vs. Esaye ix Roma .viii. To obteyne this ryghtwisnes god the father requireth nothing of vs but that we beleue in hym and make hym no lyar He that beleueth that god of his mercye hath made vs these promises that for his truthes sake he wil fulfyl them / he setteth to his seale the god is true But he that beleueth not or doubteth of this as much as in him is he maketh him a liar .i. IohnÌ„ v. for why sholdest thou doubte in hym excepte thou thoughtest that he were a lyar wold not kepe his pro messe which he made Now yf thou counte God whiche is the verye truthe to be a lyar / arte thou not worthye a thousande dampnacyones ¶ The worke of faythe FAyth worketh by charite / for when my ragyng conscience which fealeth her synÌ„e is pacefied set at one with God thrughe fayth / then remembrynge the feruent loue of god towardes me I can not but loue my neyghboure agayne / for there is no man that hertelye loueth the father and can hate the sone / and althoughe the sonne be naught and vnthriftye yet for his fathers sake he wyll helpe to better hym and euen lament and be sorye for the sonnes wyckednesse Lykewyse yf we hertely loue god for his infinyte benefytes done vnto vs / then can we not hate that creature which he hath made after his own lykenes / whoÌ„ god the father loueth so tenderly that he gaue his owne sonne vnto the death to redeme him / yea whom he hath adopted thrugh Christe to be his sonne and heyre Nowe all be it we se no kyndenes in this man for whiche we sholde loue hym yet hath god shewed vs kyndnes ynough for the which we ought to loue hym so coure hym at al tymes Let vs therfore loue hym for the loue that god his creatoure hathe shewed vs / beare his infyrmitye / yf he faule let vs lyft hym vp agayne / and endue hym with our mysdome all our workes euen as Christ hath done with vs / and this is an euydent token that thou louest god / when thou louest thy brother .i. IohnÌ„ .iiij. and seakest al meanes to helpe hym / these are the good workes that folow fayth / and are euydent tokens that thy faythe is ryght and pure Thus seest thou how good workes / flowe out of faythe through charite / charite or loue is the fulfilling of that hole lawe Ro .xiij. ¶ Good workes AMonge good workes the chyef are to be obedyente in all thynges vnto kynges / prynces / Iudges / and suche other offycers as farre as they coÌ„maunde ciuyle thynges that is to say such thynges as are indyfferente / and not contrarye vnto the coÌ„maundemeÌ„tes of god / for then must we rather obaye God then men / actes in the fyrst chapitre although we shold lese both our substauÌ„ce and lyfe therto To honour rulers To promote peace To praye for all comynaltyes And to applye al our studyes to profyte them ¶ The nexte are to be obedyent vnto father mother To prouyde for our householde both nouryshyng our famylye with bodelye sustenaunce / and also to enstructe them with the worde of god / and so to be theyr gouernour carnall and spirituall ¶ Then muste we loke howe we oughte to behaue our selues towardes our neygh boures knowlegynge that al the gyftê which are geuen vs of god / are not geuen vs for our owne selfe but for the edefyenge of the coÌ„gregacyoÌ„ .j. Corynth .xij. yf we bestow them not on that maner we shall surelye geue a rekenyng for them before the lorde Emonge these ought we to haue respecte vnto the preachers and mynesters of the worde / that they maye be had in honoure and well prouyded for And aboue all thinges good bretherne addresse your selues vnto that necessary worke prayer Remembre to praye for all estates / for that is a worke that Chryst his apostles full dylygently exhorted all men vnto / promysynge them that they sholde obtayne theyr perycyons IohnÌ„ .xvj. also .j. IohnÌ„ .iij. yf they be accordynge to the wyll of god and for his glorye .j. IohnÌ„ .v. ¶ Here endeth the exposition vpon the lj Psalme called Miserece meidens Imprented at LondoÌ„ in Flete strete by IohnÌ„ Byddeii / dwellynge next to Flete brydge at the sygne of our lady of pytye / for wyllyam Marshall Cum priuilegio Regali