A Solemne Passion of the Soules Loue. At London Printed by Simon Stafford for William Barley and are to be solde at his shop in Gratious street 1598. A solemne Passion of the Soules Loue. A Wake my soule out of the sleepe of sinne And shake off slouth the subiect of thy shame Search out the way how best thou maiest beginne To holy worke thine humble will to frame Then proue not weary of a little paine When fleshes griefe will breede the spirits gaine Confesse thy selfe vnworthy of the sence To learne the least of the supernall will Beseech the heauens in strength of their defence To saue and keepe thee from infernall ill Then fall to worke that all the world may see The ioyfull loue betwixt thy God and thee Tell of his goodnes how he did create thee And in his iustice how he doth correct thee And in his loue how he will neuer hate thee And that his mercy neuer will reiect thee And how he helpt thee when the world distrest thee And with his graces how he sweetly blest thee Say I was sicke and he did send me health I vvas in prison and he set me free And I vvas poore and he did send me wealth And I vvas blinde and he did make me see I vvas perplext and he did heale my paine And being dead he gaue me life againe VVhen I was lame he did my limmes restore VVhen I vvas deafe he made me heare his voice VVhen I vvas vvounded he did heale my sore VVhen I vvas sad he made my soule reioice VVhen I had sind he would not yet forsake me VVhen I vvas lost he did to mercy take me To say yet more what he hath done for me I needes must say his goodnes hath no ende Who when on earth he saw no friend to me Did make me feele I had a heauenly friend A heauenly friend whose helpe doth faile me neuer But is my comfort and my king for euer This is my Lord my life and all my loue My liuing Loue and louing life indeede This is the blessing of my best behoue The sacred fruit whereon I sweetely feede This is the ioy that makes my heart to sing Honour and glory to my heauenly king Oh king more glorious than the world can know thee From whom the day euen from on high doth spring Where glorious works vnto the world doe shew thee Of glorious loue the euerliuing king The king of life in whom the soule doth proue The highest glory of the heauenly Loue. By whose high hands were all things made at first By whose deepe wisedome they are gouernd still By whom alone are blessed or accurst That loue his word or disobay his will By whose sweete breath they liue that do attend him And by whose wrath they die that doe offend him For who can bide the fury of his yre Or halfe conceiue the comfort of his loue Who plagues his foes with an infernall fire And plants his seruants in the heauens aboue Who shakes the heauens makes the mountains bow If he but once begin to knit the brow And where he loues what will he leaue to doe To make the soule acquainted with his kindnes And with what ioy will he the spirit wooe To shun the woes that grow of worldly blindnes What paine or griefe or death did he refuse To saue their liues that he did sweetely chuse Now for the greatnes of his glorious power He is almighty and all glorie his He made the yeare the month day night and hower The heauens earth sea and vvhat in them there is In him alone doth all their being stand And liue or die in his almighty hand He spake the vvord and by his vvord they vvere And all vvas good his secret vvisedome did His vvill did vvorke his fauour vvithout feare And not a thought is from his knowledge hid He knowes the hearts searcheth through the raines And sees the roots euen of the smallest vaines Hee deckt the Skye with sunne moone starres And made the seas to flowe vpon the sand Vpon whose shore his hand did set the barres They shall not passe to ouerflowe the Land Amid the ayre he hath dispearst the Clowdes And onely man within his mercy shrowdes Within the depth the fish their holes doe keepe And in the rocks the Conny makes his house Into the earth the crawling wormes doe creepe And hollowe rocks are harbour for the mouse The Lion keepes his den the bird his nest And man alone doth but in mercy rest Yet these and all are guided by his power And may not passe the passage he hath giuen them The sun his course the Moone must know her houre And clouds must wander but where winds haue driuen thē Beasts know their times fishes know their tides And man alone in onely mercie bides To tell of vvonders by his wisedome vvrought Euen from the greatest to the very least Which time declares by true experience taught In fish and foule in bird in man and beast Marke but the power that doth in each abide And hovve it vveakens in their highest pride The Lyon first is fearefull of the Bee The Elephant doth dread the little mouse Acrovving Cocke the Dragon may not see The stoutest Engle subiect to the louse The greatest Oxe a little taint vvorme killeth And many a man a little Canker spilleth Yet is the Lyon feared for his force The Elephant a huge and mighty beast The fiery Dragon kills without remorse And Eagles carry lambes vnto their nest The Oxe the taint vvorme vnder foote doth tread And man sometimes doth kill the Cankers head But vvhen that power begins to gather pride Then see the strength of the almighty hand By vvhose high helpe the vveakest thinges are tride To spoile the strength vvherein the strongest stand That they may knovv there is a power on hie In vvhom they liue and at his pleasure die To shewe examples of the heauenly might Against the pride of the inferiour power The vvord of truth doth giue a glorious light Where may be seene in minute of an houre How greatest staies that on their strength were groūded With headlong fals vvere vtterly confounded How Pharaoh first the proud Egyptian king That vvould not suffer Israel to passe What plagues and griefes did the almighty bring Vpon the house euen vvhere his lodging vvas Frogges flies and lice did freely make their vvay Euen to the chamber vvhere proud Pharaoh lay A number plagues the Lord did further threaten His Land vvas strooken vvith a darkesome feare His grasse and corne by Grashoppers vvere eaten The plague destroied his people euery vvhere And last himselfe amidst his army crowned Was in a moment in the red sea drowned Yet through these seas his hand did make the way Where all his seruants went and wet no foote Which proues his loue was his elected stay While rebell hearts were torne vp by the roote Which true example to the world may proue The glorious greatnes
and let me in VVhere humble faith but at thy feete may fall VVith my soules seruice loue and life and all Forget O Lord my workes of wickednes VVhereby my soule with sorrow is oppressed And with the finger of thy holines In mercy touch my spirit so distressed And saue my life that draweth nigh to hel Loue mea little and I shal be wel Loue no sweete Lord mercie I craue no more My sinnes are such I dare not speake of loue But in thy mercie to thy loue restore My humble faith that may but mercie proue And so approue that al the world may see The ioyful loue betwixt my God and mee Oh call me home and make me heare thy call And heare thee so that I may runne vnto thee And hold me fast that I may neuer fall But that my soule may euer seruice do thee Shew some good token that the world may know My soule is blest whom thou hast loued so And while I liue here in this wretched vale Of feareful danger of infernal death Where earthly pleasures take those soules to sale VVhich haue their bargaine in the hel beneath Let my soules loue and life and labour be To seeke my ioy my loue and life in thee Make me not rich lest I forget to thinke From whence I haue the comfort of my hart Nor in such want let thy poore seruant sinke That I be driuen to craue the needy part Giue me but meanes the needie to relieue To feede thy flocke and not the wolfe to grieue Let me not listen to the sinners songs But to the Psalmes thy holy saints do sing Nor let me folow tyrants in their wrongs But kisse the rocke where righteousnes doth spring Let not mine eye affect the outward part But let me loue the vertue of the hart And let my loue be to behold thy loue And let my loue be but to liue in thee And so to liue that al the world may proue The gracious good my God hath done for me To call my soule out of this world of woe In faithful loue to serue my Sauiour so And when they see the blot of al their blame To loue the world but al in wretched toyes And do confesse with inward blushing shame They are but sorrowes vnto heauenly ioyes They may with me forsake al worldly pleasure And make thy loue an euerlasting treasure For Lord by thee we are in thee we liue And in thy loue the liuing cannot die And since thy death did our liues wholly giue For thy loues sake shall we affection flie No my deare Lord let life be death to me So I may die to liue in loue with thee A ioyfull life were such a death indeede From earthly paine to passe to heauenly pleasure A ioyfull line for louing hearts to reade To leaue the flesh to take the spirits treasure Whose glorious sence vnto the sunne doth fall That all is nothing to that all in all And I alas of many thousand soules Vnworthie most of his high worth to write Who in his mercies true record inrowles The louing substance of the soules delight Must mercie crie for feare my loues presuming Of too high sence may be my soules consuming And with the teares of true repentant loue Looking vppon the wonders of that wonder That in his least perfection may approue The greatest wisdome of the world put vnder Confesse my wit as short to penne his prayse As darkest nights in light of clearest daies And say but this in grace and glories height Where vertues loue doth liue for euer crowned And all the Hoast of heauen and heauens await Vpon the highest of the heauens renowned Whom Saints and Angels trembling do adore To him alone be praise for euermore If honour praise and glory euer bee Vnto my louing euerlasting King This King of life who so hath loued me To giue my soule this gratious power to sing In heart and minde in man and Angels loue All glorious glory be to God aboue Nicholas Britton FINIS
passions proue VVhat his high hand in mercy will bring forth And write but truth that may be truly proued My onely loue alonely to be loued Before all times al thoughts al things he was And euer is and will be aye the same That doth in wonder wonders wonder passe In Truths high triumph of eternall fame VVhere life and loue in grace and glory crownd Do sway the Scepter of the heauns renownd Now what he was cannot be comprehended VVho in himselfe doth al things comprehend And when that all things shall be wholy ended Himselfe his word his wil shal neuer end Whose gratious life al glorious loue beginning Doth adde all grace and endlesse glory winning And of his Essence this is al we finde A spirite fully incomprehensible A louing God vnto his seruants kind And in his humane nature sensible In wisedomes wonder knowledge quintessence And in that Essence highest excellence The high Creator of al creatures liuing The sweet Redeemer of his seruants lost The glorious grace all grace and glory giuing The ioy of ioyes that glads the spirit most The loue of life and life of loue indeed Gainst death and hell that standes the soule in steed His seate is heauen the earth his footstoole is His chiefest dwelling with his soules elected His ioy to loue and to be lou'd of his His fauour life vnto his loues affected His word is truth which doth the spirit try Where fruitfull faith shall liue and neuer die His blessing is the peace of conscience His comfort mercies contemplation His pretious gift the spirites patience His mercy vertues meditation His grace the oyle that kils the spirits euill His death the life that did subdue the deuill His garments are the sundry sortes of graces His tribute is but sinners sacrifice His worke the planting vertues in their places His gaine the loue of humble spirits seruice His musicke Psalmes that angels neuer cease To sing in glory of the King of Peace This King of peace this God of life and loue Who in himselfe doth al and only holde The highest blessings of the hearts behoue That faithful truth hath to the spirit tolde This is the substance of my soules delight Vnworthy subiect of his worth to write Yet as his mercy will vouchsafe me grace With intercession of his high assistance Against the power that would my thoughts deface And proudly make against the soule resistance I will a little giue his loue a tuch Whose smallest praise is for my penne too much What loue was that which made him like man best Of all the workes that euer he created What loue againe did in that liking rest To loue him so he neuer can be hated What loue was more to giue the man a wife What loue was most to die to giue him life The earth within with siluer gemmes and gold Without with trees and herbs and fruits and flowers The waters deepe where fishes keepe their hold The Elements with all their inward powers These hath my Love all made for man to chuse And to his pleasure in his seruice vse The fire was made to kill the chilling cold The water made to slacke the burning heate The subtile ayre a secret breath to hold The earth to drie when moisture is too great These crosse in natures yet doe meete in one Onely to serue the vse of man alone Each bird each beast each foule and euery fish The flesh of man must serue to cloath and feede What eye can see or heart of man can wish But some way serues to stand poore men in steede And for that cause their being first began From mercies Loue to serue the life of man The light was made to glad the lightsome eie The sound to please the pure attentiue eare The aire to drawe a liuing breath thereby The earth the body and the limmes to beare The clouds the stars the sunne the moone the Skie Were made for man to make him looke on high All these were made out of the mould of Loue Was neuer Loue came euer neere to this Which doth a wonder in affection proue Euen when we least deserude the loue of his For when our soules did most offences do him He came himselfe in loue to call vs to him To make redeeme preserue defend and cherish His faithfull soules and so in loue to nourish As in his loue their liues shall neuer perish But like the Lilly liue and euer flourish Are these not points sufficient to approue The true affection of a pierelesse Loue Yet more to say that truely may be said In humble honour of this heauenly Loue In mercies sweete to make the soule dismaide To see the blessing of his God aboue The louing spirit liuely to refresh He let his seruants see him in the flesh To see him so as might not hurt their sight For none might see his high supernall power But in his loue to see that glorious light That gaines that sweete that cuts off euery sower The second person of himselfe his sonne In whom are all things to his glory done And see the cause why so he came vnto vs His onely loue the onely cause we liue And when we came what comfort did he doe vs To saue our liues his Loue his life did giue And so to saue vs from the fire of hell That with his Loue we might for euer dwell What Loue was this to leaue his heauenly seate Among his angels all in glory serued To come to man who did too ill intreate The sacred Loue that hath his life preserued From being honourde praisde and glorifide To be disgraced whipte and crucifide In loue he left his highest heauenly pleasures Aboue his Angels in their heapes of ioyes To liue on earth in sorrowes out of measures With change of nothing but the worlds annoies In toile and trauell long in loue he sought vs And with his death at last full dearely bought vs. Oh woful trauaile that he vndertooke To bring our liues vnto his sacred loue Which paine nor crosse nor death it selfe forsooke That to our faith might his affection proue Which left the spirite of his loue behinde him To shew the loue that seekes him how to finde him In loue he came that he might comfort doe vs In loue went from vs to prouide our places In loue he sent his comforter vnto vs In loue he guides vs with his holy graces In loue he made bought keepes and guides vs thus And shal not we loue him that so loued vs Yes my deare Lord be thou my dearest loue For Christ his sake let my soule neuer leaue thee Who in thy loue thy liuing truth doth proue That makes me find the world doth all deceiue me And were there truth on earth as there is none Yet were thy loue the ioy of life alone And let these teares be witnes of my loue Which first do begge remission of my sinne And in repentance do but mercy moue To ope the gates of grace