gone Then since thou cal'st with faith do thou me cloth A lame blind begger Lord do thou not loth SON VI. IN pride of youth when as vnbridled lust Did force me forth my follies to bewray I challenged as patrimony iust Each vaine affection leading to decay And trusting to that treasure post away I wandred in the worlds alluring sight Not reason vertue shame or feare could stay My appetite from tasting each delite Till want and wearinesse began me bite And so perforce to father I retire To whom I prostrate kneele vnworthie wight To name of sonne not daring to aspire Receiue me yet sweet sauiour of thy grace Poore penitent into a seruants place SON VII LAme of my limmes and sencelesse of my state Neere fortie yeares Lord haue I groueling line Before Bethesda poole yet still too late To wash me in the fountaine I encline Whence health wold come when Angel giues the sine If any one to aide me readie were But helplesse thus I readie am to pine My selfe vnable duly vp to reare Vouchsafe thou then me to this bath to beare By the assistance of thy heauenly grace Let not the force of foule affects me feare To prease forth first when Christ appeares in place Who is the fountaine Angell and the man That bath that blisse that cure my senses can SON VIII THy thundring voice and Angell Lord of long Hath cald my soule from slumber where it laie The harmony of heauenly musickes song Hath made my wandring feete at last to staie Direct thou me also the readie way Vnto thy church that in thy holy place Thy word and law I may in heart â—bay And worship thee before thy peoples face Grant me I say such measure of thy grace That greedily by faith I swallow vp The booke of truth and so thy word imbrace That frutefully I taste saluations cup. Thou who doest rule the earth the sea and land In my defence with power and glory stand SON IX AMong thy sheepe ô Lord I seemd to feed By Sacraments receiu'd into thy flocke By preached word I watred was indeed And works with fleece did seeme inritch my stocke But at my doore true faith did neuer knocke Which should be shepheard of my soules defence But thiefelike fond affections reason mocke And by the window of my wilfull sence Do enter to my heart and steale from thence Each motion of amendment which doth rise And shepheardlesse of grace transported hence By Sathan rauening woolfe in fearefull wise I call to thee sweet Sauiour shepheard true Teach me to know thy voice and thee insue SON X. BEhold ô Lord the Citie thou hast built Ierusalem this fleshly frame of mine By sin Assyrians sword is almost spilt And like to yeeld to Rabsake in fine Yet lo alas my soule doth much repine To see proud Satan so blaspheme thy name To threaten ruine to this temple thine Since thou art praysd and honord in the same Thou able art the rage of lust to tame The force of pride and furie to subdue Against Senacherib thy Angell came And all his host in one night ouerthrew So let thy holie spirit me defend And to my plaints and praiers comfort send SON XI SInce with Goliah I am now to fight And lacke the flight of holie Dauids sling Arme thou me Lord with heauenly armor bright Which power of flesh world to foile may bring Thy righteous brestplate gird on me with truth Prepare my feete with Gospel of thy peace The shield of faith which firie dartes beare forth Of wicked Satan whose assaults not sease The helmet of saluation and the sword Of spirit which is founded on thy law All these my praiers are that thou afford To make me stedfast spight of lyons claw Who roaring daily seekes as wished pray My silly soule from thee to take away SON XII NOw that thou hast prepard me to confesse Thy seruice Lord the which I vndertake I thee beseech my purpose so to blesse That I a good account to thee may make A Nazarit I am who do forsake The delicacies of the worlds delight Whose thirst thy purest fountaine still shall slake With faith and truth the which with sin shall fight I will not tast the wine of Satans slight Which doth confound all reason and all sence My vow shall be to serue thee day and night And trust in thee shall be my true defence Till death dissolue this promise made to thee Whose strength herein thy heauenly graces be SON XIII I Seeke ô Lord to shew thy powrefull hand Which hath conuerted this my sinfull hart Into a rod of strength which still might stand Strong in thy truth who powrefull onely art But Iamnes pride and Iambres lustfull hart By slight imposture of slie Satans might Two Serpents frame which will not thence depart But seeke against thy powrefull hand to fight But let my faith their fury put to flight And vertue thine deuour these imps of sin Let not these fleshly frutes appeare in sight Of truth which only can the conquest win Let faith shew forth the finger of thy hand And cleane consume ech power doth it withstand SON XIIII BEhold ô Lord a tree by high way side Vnfrutefull yet of any foode for thee In high way side as yet I do abide Where passers to Ierusalem I see Though sommer grow I cannot frutefull be Vnplanted by thy grace in garden thine I do confesse I am a wild fig tree For want of moisture which am like to pine Vnto my praiers Lord do thou incline Remoue me home into thy garden faire Let me behold the face of thy sunne shine Which may my withered leaues with life repaire So maist thou tast a frute of wholesome kinde And leaue a marke of mercy great behinde SON XV. Within thy garden Lord I planted was And watred well with thy most carefull hand But yet vnfrutefull I remaind alas And these thy blessings did not vnderstand In vaine I did employ possessed land Ten times three yeares thy seruants did replant My stocke and sought to bend my crooked wand And did supply ech aide I seem'd to want At length my frutes which daily grew more scant Wild thee resolue to haue me weeded out My foule affections were with folly brant My roote of faith was shakt with feare and doubt And lo I pine sweet Sauiour water me Paul and Appollos worke else lost will be SON XVI A Wicked Pharisie I long haue bene Whom sight of mercies thine allure to thee A shamed Lord of my faire clothed sinne In secret uight I seeke thy face to see That thou art God thy workes reueale to me That thou art mine thy sonne doth me assure Vouchsafe that I regenerate may be And that my praiers pardon may procure Purge by thy sprite and faith faire fountaine pure The senses dull that cannot vnderstand The heauenly birth which shall in blisse endure Not subiect vnto Satans sinfull band And with thy sonne let worldes affections die My
minde Which is not blinde Or too much obstinate Which later natures chiefly thou doest hate SON XXIIII WHilst I do studie fitly to begin To vtter forth some part of my intent Which to thy praise with zeale and loue is bent Far freeing me from due reward of sin I finde a laberinth that I am in Of many merits which do me inclose Which as this holie motion in me role Of diuerse subiects for to treat do win Among the rest my heart hath chiefly chose To giue thee thanks for comfort to me sent In staying me the wandring course I went And feeling faith with knowledge where And though I lose Therwith the world Yet will I ioy in hope of heauenly sight SOX. XXV SInce thou hast Lord vouchsaft to send me ayde By holie spirit thine in time of need As Philip to the Eunuch came in deed Which in my wandring iourny me hath stayde Since he hath taught me what thy Prophets sayde And what humilitie was in thy sonne Whose patience like a lambe hath freedom wonne Vnto my soule for which he raunsome payde I see no earthly things should stay vndone The duties which requirde of me I reed By faith vpon thy promises I feed And to thy Sacraments for strength I runne And thus begunne I will continue still To learne thy lawes and to obey thy will SON XXVI HOw can I limit well my tong or pen Within what bownds may I my selfe inclose Who such a theame to write vpon haue chose Whereon the more I muse more groweth it then It fares with me herein euen right as when A hastie mind forgetteth what to speake When stāmering words the perfect sence do breake And makes vs not be vnderstood of men Such worthie matter in my mind there growes So plentifull and I of skill so weake 〈◊〉 pleasing to me and so proper cake 〈…〉 choyse of them I iudgement lose 〈…〉 euen as those Want matter silent be 〈…〉 plentie of thy praise confoundeth me SON XXVII NOw that thy mercies do so much abound As thou vouchsafest Lord with me to dwell And glorious Arke of hope which doth excell Drawne home by hungry faith my heart hath found Since power thereof did sinfull Dagon wound And yet disdaineth not my humble state I freely open Lord my lowly gate Of lips and tong which may thy praises sound Thy blessings seeme to flow to me of late Since in my soule thy word I did embrace My zeale refreshed is with heauenly grace My comfort wealth that hell cannot rebate In such a rate Thy fauour I do finde As bindes me loue a father found so kinde SON XXVIII WHat should I render thee my Sauiour deare For all the gifts thou doest on me bestow Whose gratious measure so doth ouerflow As power of recompence cannot appeare I do imbrace thy gifts with ioyfull cheare And to thy alter speedily will runne To follow forth thy praise but new begunne Till all thy people may thy mercies heare Thy glorious image shineth in the sonne Thy loue to man did his obedience show His loue and mercy vnto man hath wonne The gifts of grace whence faith comfort grow Where through we know That we are thy elect And these our feeble frutes wilt not reiect SON XXIX THe powerfull pen the which records thy praise O Lord of life hath many volumes made Thy wondrous works each leafe doth ouerlade Which aye increase as growing are my dayes Vnsearchable indeed are all thy wayes In multitude thy numbers do exceed In glorie they do admiration breed Their goodnesse power of recompence denayes The hungry thou with plenteous hand doest feed Thy sauour to thy creatures doth not fade The more in view of all thy works I wade The more I finde my sence confound indeed But yet insteed of Eccho to thy fame I will giue thanks and laud vnto thy name SON XXX THis stately stage wherein we players stande To represent the part to vs assignde Was built by God that he might pleasure finde In beautie of the works of his owne band All creatures of the ayre the sea and land Are players at his appointment of some thing Which to the world a proper vse may bring And may not breake assigned bownds or band Some do in ioy still forth his praises sing Some mourne make their mone with heauy mind Some shew the frutes of nature weake and blind Some shew how grace base sin away doth fling God like a king Beholds Christ doth attire The plaiers with the shape their states require SON XXXI WHo so beholds with constant fixed eye The fauour and perfection of my choyce He cannot chuse but must in heart reioyce That mortall sight may heauenly blisse espie All earthly beautie he will straight defie As things too base to occupie his braine Whose fading pleasures so are payd with paine That they true tast of pleasure do denie But who so can this perfect sight attaine Cannot containe but yeeld with cheerfull voyce An eccho to the Angels heauenly noyse Who to his praise do singing still remaine They then are vaine Who fix their sight so low That such a glorious God they will not know SON XXXII O Heauenly beautie of loue the fountaine true Whose shining beames do penetrate my soule With such a zeale as former thoughts controll And drawes heart power and will thee to insue Thou mak'st my fainting sight for to renue And dazeling eyes new strength thus to attaine To whom alone perfection faire is due Thou mak'st earths bewtious shadow seeme but vain Thy works of glorie and of power remain Ingrauen in thankfull hearts which them inroll Thy loue and mercy made thee pay the toll Which to our dying soules true life did gain Thy loue doth wain My thoughts frō baser loue And mak'st my heart and mind to sore aboue SON XXXIII IF beautie be as men on earth suppose The comely shape and colours which agree In true proportion to the thing we see Which grace and fauour both do neuer lose If white and red be borrowed from the Rose If bright and shining to the sonne compar'd If high and straight to godlinesse w'award And beautie haue such base descriptions chose Then let the wise this beautie true regard Where all perfections in one subiect be Surpassing frute of the forbidden tree Which but to tast man suffred deaths reward Which is prepard And offred to our sight In Christ to loue and feed vs day and night SON XXXIIII HOw may this be that men of searching mind Whose curious eyes in beautie do delight The pleasing obiect of their fancies sight In outward shape and colour comfort find And yet the better beautie leaue behind Vnsought or vnregarded of at all Compard to which none can it beautie call Vnlesse a buzzard whom affections blind This earthly forme of flesh it is so small Of worth to charme the sence of noble spright As is a starre before faire Phoebus bright Whose glory doth their borrowed beauti ' apall
Thus wise men fall Whom carnall eies do guide Whose iudgements may not vertues sight abide SON XXXV O Heauenly loue with God thou dwelst for aye Thou passest faith and hope in dignitie Thou keepst the law thy feet step not awrie In all mens danger thou the surest stay To our request thou neuer sayest nay Ne wrath ne enuy moue thee ere a whit Thou multitude of sinnes in man doest quit Thou law and Gospell both doest ouer sway Thou doest with God aloft in heauens sit With God in counsell thou art alwaies by Thou causest Christ mans weaknesse to supply And makest vs receiue the frute of it And euery whit Of goodnesse that we haue Loue made him send who loue therfore doth craue SON XXXVI THe shining face of my faire Phoebus deare Whose glory doth eclipse each other light Presents himselfe vnto worlds open fight Their blinded eyes with ioyfull view to cheare But sluggish so the greater sort appeare That sleeping in selfe-loue and mind secure The cleare aspect of truth they not indure Nor of their blindnesse willingly would heare But so my sences do his beautie allure To gaze vpon his louely fauour bright That therein only haue I my delight Where is all happinesse I do assure He doth procure A plenteous increase Vnto my soule of perfect loue and peacâ— SON XXXVII AVant base thoughts incomber me no more By laying forth these earthly wants of mine As though thou wouldst perswade me to repine Because of wealth I haue not needlesse store If thou didst know thy nakednesse before He cloth'd thy soule and fed thy fainting minde With righteousnesse and faith in Sauiour kinde Thou wouldst that former state much more deplore And then confesse the comfort thou doest finde By peace of conscience in this flesh of thine Is greatest riches truly to define So that contentment be not left behinde These gifts me binde To praise his holy name And place chief wealth in knowledge of the same SON XXXVIII I Will not feare with feruency of zeale To follow forth this faire affect of mine To loue of thee which doth my soule incline O Sauiour deare who sure my griefe wilt heale Vnto thy proffred kindnesse I appeale Who of thy selfe didst call me vnto thee And promisedst I should thy darling bee Made free within thy Church and common weale Disparidgement there is not now in mee Ne shall distrust forbid me to be thine But faith shall flie aloft to thee in fine Where all thy treasures safely I may see And happie hee Bestows his loue so well Whose hope is payd with pleasures that excell SON XXXIX LOue then I will and loue thee Lord alone For fellowship in loue there may not bee Loue for thy loue ô Lord shall be thy see For other recompence thou crauest none My vowes and deeds they shall be alwaies one All dedicated to adore thy name My heart my soule my strength shall do the same Thy loue shall be my faithes true corner stone The loue of thee shall my affections frame To follow that may pleasing be to thee My eyes no beautie but in thee shall see And thy regard my wandring will shall tame Yea I will blame And scorne each other thing Saue what shall me vnto thy fauour bring SON XL. FAine would I praise thee Lord with such a zeale And feruencie as might my loue expresse Faine would my loue yeeld vnto thee no lesse Due praise then thou didst loue to me reueale But wanting power thereto I yet appeale To â—hat thy goodnesse which thee first did moue In fragill flesh of mine the strength to proue Whose weaknes thou by heaueÌ„ly power didst heale Mans wit in words comes short in this beâ—oue To recompence nay only to confesse The many waies thou doest our bodies blesse Much more our soules which freely thou didst loue Thy trustie done Thy holy spright of grace Makes yet our weaknesse stand before thy face SON XLI O Perfect Sunne whereof this shadow is A slender light though it some beautie show On whom thy influence thou doest bestow Whose constant course still shines in endlesse blisse To scan thy glorie wit of man doth misse How far thy mercies beames abroad extend Tong cannot speake nor wit can comprehend And humane frailtie is bewrayd in this The fire ayre water earth they wholly bend The host of heauen and creatures belowe To paye their dutie vnto thee they owe Which didst their being and their vertue send And I intend With them in what I may To witnesse forth thy laud and praise for aye SON XLII WHat present should I bring of worthie prise To witnesse well the loue to thee I owe I nothing haue but what thou didst bestow Ne likest thou the toyes of mans deuise I would not spare my power in any wise No treasure seemes to me for thee too deare The pleasures of the world the which are here Too base they are how ere wit them disguise To yeeld thee faith it doth the best appeare But it is very weake alas I know To yeeld thee praise doth make a decent show But to thy merit neither doth come neare With garment cleare Yet clothd of righteous son My selfe to offer vnto thee I run SON XLIII WHo so beholds the works ô Lord of thine The stretched heauens the seat where thou doest dwel the earth thy footstoole which dares not rebel Which all vnto thy will do aye incline The Sunne and Moone by day night which shine The changing flouds the firme and frutefull land The Planets which do firme for euer stand All which gainst thy behest dare not repine The host of Angels in thy heauenly band Th' infernall feends with Lucifar which fell The fish the fowle the beast agreeing well And all obedient to thy heauenly hand May vnderstand Thy glorie loue and power Without whose help ma could not liue one houre SON XLIIII AS doth the Moone by daily change of hew By growing or decreasing beautie show The influence the greater lights bestow Whose absence or whose presence her renue So must all flesh confesse and thinke most true The faith or feare they haue for to proceed From heauenly grace which heaueÌ„ly gifts doth feed Without whose face blind darknesse doth insue Mans proper power is so obscurde indeed With shades which rise froÌ„ earthly thoughts below That nothing but blind ignorance would grow Vnlesse this sonne did shining comfort breed Which serues in steed Of fire vnto the same Fro whence this light of faith receiues his flame SON XLV IF Saba Queene a iourney tooke in hand From South to North wise Salomon to heare If humane wisedome was to her so deare That she did visit thus this holy land Then do I muse why men so idle stand In pride of youth when wit and meanes abound Their tender braines to feed with wisedome sound Far passing that this Queene for trauell found This error is the scarre of Adamâ— wound Who sought his knowledge not in fountain cleare
was induced for that I find manie oftentimes speciallie such as had most neede to praie and meditate to reade bookes rather for the affection of words then liking of matter and perhaps more to controll the compiling then commend the contents such yet so as they read shall giue me all that I craue and find I hope that they looked not for if not in all yet in some among manie of these Sonnets As for the apt nature of Poetrie to delight to contriue significatâ—â—â—ly in fewe words much matter to pearce and penetrate â—â—â—ections of men with the aptnesse thereof for helpe of â—eâ—orie I will not saie much but for my deducing tâ—ese passions into Sonnets it answereth as I suppose best for the shortnâ—sse to the nature of passions and common burner of men who are either not long touched with so good motions or by their worldly affaires not permitted to continue much reading as for the cause of my so preposterous placing of them and deuision onely into two sorts I confesse indeed I am perswaded their disorder doth best fit the nature of mankind who commonly is delighted with contraries and exercised with extreames and also as they were by God ministred to my minde to set downe by sundry accidents in my priuate estate and feeling so I suppose my prouidence could not by a formall placing of them so soone hit the affâ—ctions of euerie Reader as Gods direction by that which men call chaunce might this way incounter the common inconstant forme of reading which is by starts to turne ouer bookes and peruse only what by the praise of others told is commended vnto them or not sought for falleth into their view As they are therefore I recommend them to thy curtesie in reading and thee to Gods holie spirit in the perusing of them if they may haue the same working in thee that I praise God some of them had in me they shall not be vtterly vnprofitable If in matter they iumpe not to thy passions in all points thinke among the great Arsenall of Satans armour he hath choyce of weapons for sundry assaults and disposeth of them diuersly according to the strength or weaknesse of the partie he besiegeth Which being as indifferent in particular persons as Gods gifts are to them thou shalt do well to thy abilitie to reforme or supply my defect who hereby do onely inuite the better able to imploy in so fit a Theame their more fruitfull spirit If in maner of the verse or stile they be as I doubt not to be amended much I do not greatly seeke the praise of a curious Architect or neither without neglect of more necessarie dutie could I attaine to the required obseruances that way and therefore craue that thy disâ—ression may regard my intentioÌ„ And thus recommending my selfe to â—â—y fauourable acceptance who herein haue rather folowed the force of mine owne inward feeling then outward ornaments of Poeticall fictions or amplifications as best beseeming the naked cloathing of simple truth true Analogie of the nature of the Histories whereto they alude and harmonie of scriptures whence they are borrowed I heartely commend thee to the Almightie THE FIRST PART OF CHRISTIAN PASsions containing a hundreth Sonets of meditation humiliation and prayer PREFACE IT is not Lord the sound of many words The bowed knee or abstinence of man The filed phrase that cloquence affordes Or Poets pen that heauens do pearce or can By heauie cheere of colour pale and wan By pined bodie of the Pharisay A mortall eye repentance oft doth scan Whose iudgement doth on outward shadows stay But thou ô God doest hearts entent bewray For from thy sight Lord nothing is conceald Thou formdst the frame fro out the verie clay To thee the thoughts of hearts are all reueald To thee therefore with hart and mind prostate With teares I thus deplore my sinfull state SONET I. HOw should my soule Lord clad in earthly mold The prison where it readie is to pine Where vilde affections captiue it do hold And threaten naught but ruin in the fine Vnto one thought of hope or helpe incline Or raise the eyes vnto the heauens bright How may it Lord take hold on mercies thine Or presse it selfe in presence of thy sight Or how canst thou therein at all delight If mercy be not spokesman in this case If merit of thy sonne should not acquite The common gilt of Adams sinfull rase Which since by faith alone man may attaine Grant me first grace not faithlesse to remaine SON II. FRo out the darknesse of this sea of feare Where I in whale remaine deuourde of sin With true remorse of former life I reare My heart to heauen in hope some helpe to win I do confesse my fault who did begin To flie from thee ô Lord and leaue vndone Thy seruice which of right should first haue bin performd by woich so many should be wonne To praise thy name But feare alas begunne To represent to me my iourny long The dangers of the world my life should runne Which made me to my soule to offer wrong But since by show of death thou caldst me backe Thy gratious helpe at need let me not lacke SON III. WIthin this arke wherein my soule doth dwell My bodie floting on worldes troubled waue Which windes of fierce affections cause to swell And hardly can my power from sinking saue I crie to thee ô Lord and comfort craue Close vp this fountaine of this flowing sin Let me by faith againe once footing haue On frutefull earth and holie life begin Lighten the burden so vncleane within Of brutish vices raging in my minde Let cleane affects the greater partie win And so increase that plentie I may finde Of sacrifices pleasing in thy sight Of faith and loue which are thy soules delight SON IIII. IN humble wise as fitteth best my state An abiect wretch deuoyd of all desert I here approch before thy mercy gate O Lord of life with broke and contrite hart I need not to reueale to thee my smart A lump of sin and shame I am I know Wounded so deepe with deadly poysoned dart Of serpents sting which did from parents grow That now my humors so do ouerflow With foule affections of my feeble minde As presseth downe my eyes on earth so low As dares not search the heauens true helpe to finde Yet since thou hast made knowne to me my grief Guide me by grace to fountaine of relief SON V. VNto thy princely wedding Lord are bed Of euerie sort some guests to feast with thee One that a spouse but late before had wed One oxen bought one taken land to fee They from the banket therefore absent bee Regarding not thy messengers of grace In number of the like Lord hold not mee But let me haue I craue the offred place Yet ere that I appeare before thy face A wedding garment first I must put on My owne vnrighteous cloathing is too base And marchandise of merits now are