embrace Yet all this waight of sweat drew not a drop Ne made thee bow much lesse fall on thy face But now thou hast a load so heauie found That makes thee bow yea fall flat to the ground O sinne how huge and heauie is thy waight That waighest more then all the world beside Of which when Christ hath taken in his fraight The poyse thereof his flesh could not abide Alas if God himselfe sinke vnder sinne What will become of man that dyes therein First flat thou fell'st when earth did thee receiue In closet pure of Maries virgine breast And now thou fall'st of earth to take thy leaue Thou kissest it as cause of thy vnrest O louing Lord that so doest loue thy fo As thus to kisse the ground where he doth go Thou minded in thy heauen our earth to weare Do'st prostrate now thy heauen our earth to blisse As God to earth thou often wert seuere As man thou call'st a peace with bleeding kisse For as of soules thou common Father art So is she Mother of mans other part She shortly was to drinke thy dearest bloud And yeeld the soule a way to Satans caue She shortly was thy corse in tombe to shrowd And with them all thy Deitie to haue Now then in me thou ioyntly yeeldest all That seuerally to earth should shortly fall O prostrate Christ erect my crooked mind Lord let thy fall my flight from Earth obtaine Or if I needs must still in Earth be shrin'd Then Lord on Earth come fall yet once againe And either yeeld in Earth with me to lye Or else with thee to take me to the skie Iosephs Amazement WHen Christ by growth disclosed his descent Into the pure receipt of Maries breast Poore Ioseph stranger yet to Gods intent With doubts of iealous thoughts was sore opprest And wrought with diuers fits of feare and loue He neither can her free nor faulty proue Now since the wakefull spy of iealous minde By strong coniectures deemeth her defil'd But loue in doome of things best loued blinde Thinkes rather sense deceiu'd then her with child Yet proofes so pregnant were that no pretence Could cloake a thing so cleare and plaine to sense Then Ioseph daunted with a deadly wound Let loose the reines of vndeserued griefe His heart did throb his eyes in teares were drownd His life a losse death seem'd his best reliefe The pleasing rellish of his former loue In gaulish thoughts to bitter tast doth proue One foot he often setteth out of dore But t'other loath vncertaine wayes to tread He takes his fardell for his needfull store He casts his Inne where first he meanes to bed But still ere he can frame his feet to go Loue winneth time till all conclude in no. Sometimes griefe adding force he doth depart He will against his will keepe on his pase But straight remorse so rackes his raging heart That hasting thoughts yeeld to a pawsing pase Then mightie reasons presse him to remaine She whom he flyes doth winne him home againe But when his thought by sight of his aboad Presents the signe of misesteemed shame Repenting euery step that backe he troad Teares done the guide the tong the feet do blame Thus warring with himselfe a field he fights Where euery wound vpon the giuer lights And was quoth he my loue so lightly pris'd Or was our sacred league so soone forgot Could vowes be void could vertues be despis'd Could such a spouse be stain'd with such a spot O wretched Ioseph that hath liu'd so long Of faithfull loue to reape so grieuous wrong Could such a worme breed in so sweet a Wood Could in so chast demeanure lurke vntruth Could vice lye hid where Vertues image stood Where hoarie sagenesse graced tender youth Where can affiance rest to rest secure In vertues fairest seat faith is not sure All proofes did promise hope a pledge of grace Whose good might haue repay'd the deepest ill Sweet signes of purest thoughts in Saintly face Assur'd the eye of her vnstained will Yet in this seeming lustre seeme to lye Such crimes for which the Law condemnes to dye But Iosephs word shall neuer worke her wo I wish her leaue to liue not doome to dye Though Fortune mine yet am I not her fo She to her selfe lesse louing is then I. The most I will the least I can is this Sith none may salue to shun that is amisse Exile my home the wildes shall be my walke Complaint my ioy my Musicke mourning layes With pensiue griefes in silence will I talke Sad thoughts shall be my guides in sorrowes wayes This course best sutes the care of carelesse minde That seekes to lose what most it ioy'd to finde Like stocked tree whose branches all do fade Whose leaues do fall and perisht fruit decay Like hearbe that growes in cold and barren shade Where darknesse driues all quickning heat away So dye must I cut from my root of ioy And throwne in darkest shades of deepe annoy But who can flye from that his heart doth feele What change of place can change implanted paine Remouing moues no hardnesse from the steele Sicke hearts that shift no fits shift roomes in vaine Where thought can see what helpes the closed eye Where heart pursues what gaines the foot to fly Yet did I tread a maze of doubtfull end I go I come she drawes she driues away She wounds she heales she doth both marre and mend She makes me seeke and shun depart and stay She is a friend to loue a fo to lothe And in suspence I hang betweene them both New Prince new Pompe BEhold a silly tender Babe In freezing Winter night In homely Manger trembling lies Alas a piteous sight The Innes are full no man will yeeld This little Pilgrime bed But forc't he is with silly beasts In Crib to shrowd his head Despise him not for lying there First what he is enquire An orient pearle is often found In depth of dirtie mire Waigh not his Crib his woodden dish Nor beasts that by him feed Waigh not his Mothers poore attire Nor Iosephs simple weed This Stable is a Princes Court The Crib his chaire of State The Beasts are parcell of his Pompe The wooden dish his plate The persons in that poore attire His royall liueries weare The Prince himselfe is come from heauen This pompe is prized there With ioy approach O Christian wight Do homage to thy King And highly praise his humble Pompe Which he from Heauen doth bring The burning Babe AS I in hoarie Winters night stood shiuering in the snow Surpris'd I was with sudden heat which made my heart to glow And lifting vp a fearefull eye to view what fire was neare A prettie Babe all burning bright did in the ayre appeare Who scorched with excessiue heate such flouds of teares did shed As though his flouds should quench his flames which with his teares were bred Alas quoth he but newly borne in fierie heates I frie Yet none approach to warme their
hearts or feele my fire but I My faultlesse breast the fornace is the fuell wounding thornes Loue is the fire and sighes the smoake the ashes shames and scornes The fuell Iustice layeth on and mercie blowes the coales The mettall in this Fornace wrought are mens defiled soules For which as now on fire I am to worke them to their good So will I melt into a bath to wash them in my blood With this he vanisht out of sight and swiftly shronke away And straight I called vnto mind that it was Christmasse day New Heauen new Warre COme to your heauen you heauenly Quires Earth hath the heauen of your desires Remoue your dwelling to your God A stall is now his best abode Sith men their homage do deny Come Angels all their fault supply His chilling cold doth heat require Come Seraphins in lieu of fire This little Arke no couer hath Let Cherubs wings his body swathe Come Raphael this Babe must eate Prouide our little Toby meate Let Gabriel be now his groome That first tooke vp his earthly roome Let Michael stand in his defence Whom loue hath linkt to feeble sense Let graces rocke when he doth cry Let Angels sing his lullaby The same you saw in heauenly seate Is he that now suckes Maries teate Agnize your King a mortall wight His borrowed weed lets not your sight Come kisse the manger where he lyes That is your blisse aboue the skies This little Babe so few dayes old Is come to rifle Sathans fold All hell doth at his presence quake Though he himself for cold do shake For in this weake vnarmed wise The gates of hell he will surprise With teares he fights wins the field His naked breast stands for a shield His battering shot are babish cryes His arrowes lookes of weeping eyes His Martiall Ensignes cold and need And feeble flesh his warriers Steed His Campe is pitched in astall His bulwarke but a broken wall The Crib his trench hay-stalkes his stakes Of Shepheards he his Muster makes And thus as sure his fo to wound The Angels trumps alarum sound My soule with Christ ioyne thou in fight Sticke to the tents that he hath dight Within his crib is surest ward This little Babe will be thy guard If thou wilt foyle thy foes with ioy Then flit not from the heauenly Boy FINIS Moeoniae OR CERTAINE EXCELLENT POEMS AND SPIRITVAL Hymnes composed by R.S. AN CHO RA. SPEI LONDON Printed for W. Barret The Virgine Maries conception OVR second Eue puts on her mortall shrowd Earth breeds a heauen for Gods new dwelling place Now riseth vp Elias little cloud That growing shall distill the showre of grace Her being now begins who ere she end Shall bring our good that shall our ill amend Both Grace and Nature did their force vnite To make this babe the summe of all their best Our most her least our million but her mite She was at easiest rate worth all the rest What grace to men or Angels God did part Was all vnited in this infants heart Foure onely wights bred without fault are nam'd And all the rest conceiued were in sinne Without both man and wife was Adam fram'd Of man but not of wife did Eue beginne Wife without touch of man Christs mother was Of man and wife this babe was borne in grace Her Natiuitie IOy in the rising of our Orient starre That shall bring forth the Sunne that lent her light Ioy in the peace that shall conclude our warre And soone rebate the edge of Sathans spight Load-starre of all inclos'd in worldly waues The care and compasse that from ship-wracke saues The patriarkes and Prophets were the flowers Which time by course of ages did distill And call'd into his little clowd the showers Whose gracious drops the world with ioy shall fill Whose moisture suppleth euery soule with grace And bringeth life to Adams dying race For God on earth she is the royall throne The chosen cloth to make his mortall weede The quarry to cut out our corner stone Soile full of fruite yet free from mortall seede For heauenly flowre she is the Iessa rod The child of man the parent of a god Her Spousals WIfe did she liue yet virgine did she dye Vntoucht of man yet mother of a sonne To saue her selfe and child from fatall lie To end the web whereof the thred was spon In marriage knots to Ioseph she was tide Vnwonted workes with wonted wiles to hide God lent his Paradise to Iosephs care Wherein he was to plant the tree of life His sonne of Iosephs child the title bare Iust cause to make the mother Iosephs wife O blessed man betroth'd to such a spouse More blest to liue with such a child in house No carnall loue this sacred league procur'd All vaine delights were farre from their assent Though both themselues in wedlocke bands assur'd Yet chast by vow they seald their chast intent Thus had the Virgins wiues and widows crowne And by chaste child-birth doubled their renowne The virgins salutation SPell Eua backe and Aue shall you finde The first began the last reuerst our harmes An Angels Aue disinchants the charmes Death first by womans weaknesse entred in In womans vertue life doth now begin O Virgins breast the heauens to thee incline In thee they ioy and soueraigne they agnize Too meane their glorie is to match with thine Whose chast receit God more then heauen did prize Haile fairest heauen that heauen and earth do blisse Where vertues starre Gods Sunne of iustice is With haughty mind to godhead man aspired And was by pride from place of pleasure chac'de With louing mind our manhood God desired And vs by loue in greater pleasure plac'de Man labouring to ascend procur'd our fall God yeelding to descend cut off our thrall The Visitation PRoclaimed Queene and mother of a God The light of earth the soueraigne of Saints With Pilgrime foote vp tyring hils she trod And heauenly stile with handmaids toile acquaints Her youth to age her selfe to sicke she lends Her heart to God to neighbour hand she bends A prince she is and mightier prince doth beare Yet pompe of princely traine she would not haue But doubtlesse heauenly Quires attendant were Her child from harme her selfe from fall to saue Word to the voice song to the tune she brings The voice her word the tune her ditty sings Eternall lights inclosed in her breast Shot out such piercing beames of burning loue That when her voice her cosins eares possest The force thereof did force her babe to moue With secret signes the children greet each other But open praise each leaueth to his mother His Circumcision THe head is launc't to worke the bodies cure With angrie salue it smarts to heale our wound To faultlesse Sonne from all offences pure The faulty vassals scourges do redound The Iudge is cast the guiltie to acquit The Sunne defac'd to lend the starre his light The vine of life distilleth drops of grace Our rocke
silly Eue Heire to thy Fathers foyles and borne to grieue In Thabors ioyes I eager was to dwell An earnest friend while pleasures light did shine But when eclipsed glory prostrate fell These zealous heates to sleepe I did resigne And now my mouth hath thrice his name defil'd That cry'd so loude three dwellings there to build When Christ attending the distressefull hower With his surcharged breast did blesse the ground Prostrate in pangs rayning a bleeding shower Me like my selfe a drowsie friend he found Thrice in his care sleepe clos'd by carelesse eye Presage how him my tongue should thrice deny Parting from Christ my fainting force declin'd With lingring foot I followed him aloofe Base feare out of my heart his loue vnshrin'd Huge in high words but impotent in proofe My vaunts did seeme hatcht vnder Sampsons locks Yet womans words did giue me murdering knocks So farre luke warme desires in crazie loue Farre off in neede with feeble foot they traine In tides they swim low ebbes they scorne to proue They seeke their friends delights but shun their paine Hire of an hireling minde is earned shame Take now thy due beare thy begotten blame Ah coole remisnesse vertues quartaine feuer Pyning of loue consumption of grace Old in the cradle languor dying euer Soules wilfull famine sinnes soft stealing pace The vndermining euill of zealous thought Seeming to bring no harmes till all be brought O portresse of the doore of my disgrace Whose tongue vnlockt the truth of vowed minde Whose words from Cowards heart did courage chase And let in death-full feares my soule to blind O hadst thou beene the portresse to my toombe When thou wert portresse to that cursed roome Yet loue was loth to part feare loth to die Stay danger life did counterpleade their causes I fauouring stay and life bad danger flie But danger did except against these clauses Yet stay and liue I would and danger shunne And lost my selfe while I my verdict wonne I stayd yet did my staying farthest part I liu'd but so that sauing life I lost it Danger I shunn'd but to my sorer smart I gained nought but deeper dammage crost it What danger distance death is worse then this That runnes from God and spoyles his soule of blisse O Iohn my guide into this earthly hell Too well acquainted in so ill a Court Where rayling mouthes with blasphemies did swell With tainted breath infecting all resort Why didst thou leade me to this hell of euils To shew my selfe a Fiend among the Deuils Euill president the tide that wafts to vice Dumme-Orator that wooes with silent deeds Writing in workes lessons of ill aduice The doing tale that eye in practice reeds Taster of ioyes to vnacquainted hunger With leauen of the old seasoning the yonger It seemes no fault to do that all haue done The number of offenders hide the sinne Coach drawne with many horse doth easely runne Soone followeth one where multitudes begin O had I in that Court much stronger bin Or not so strong as first to enter in Sharpe was the weather in that stormy place Best suting hearts benum'd with hellish frost Whos 's crusted malice could admit no grace Where coales are kindled to the warmers cost Where feare my thoughts canded with ycie cold Heate did my tongue to periuries vnfold O hatefull fire ah that I neuer saw it Too hard my heart was frozen for thy force Farre hotter flames it did require to thaw it Thy hell-resembling heate did freeze it worse O that I rather had congeal'd to yce Then bought thy warmth at such a damning price O wakefull bird proclaimer of the day Whose piercing note doth daunt the Lions rage Thy crowing did my selfe to me bewray My frights and brutish heates it did asswage But ô in this alone vnhappy Cocke That thou to count my foyles wert made the clocke O bird the iust rebuker of my crime The faithfull waker of my sleeping feares Be now the daily clocke to strike the time When stinted eyes shall pay their taske of teares Vpbraid mine eares with thine accusing crow To make me rue that first it made me know O milde reuenger of aspiring Pride Thou canst dismount high thoughts to low effects Thou mad'st a Cocke me for my fault to chide My lofty boasts this lowly bird corrects Well might a Cocke correct me with a crowe Whom hennish cackling first did ouerthrowe Weake weapons did Goliahs fumes abate Whose storming rage did thunder threats in vaine His body huge harnest with massie plate Yet Dauids stone brought death into his braine With staffe and sling as to a dog he came And with contempt did boasting furie tame Yet Dauid had with Beare and Lion fought His skilfull might excus'd Goliahs foile The death is eas'd that worthy hand hath wrought Some honour liues in honorable spoile But I on whom all infamies must light Was hist to death with words of womans spight Small gnats enforst th' Egyptian King to stoupe Yet they in swarmes and arm'd with piercing stings Smart noyse annoyance made his courage droupe No small incombrance such small vermine brings I quaild at words that neither bit nor stong And those deliuerd from a womans tong Ah feare abortiue impe of drouping minde Selfe ouerthrowe false friend roote of remorse Sighted in seeing euils in shunning blinde Foyld without field by fancie not by force Ague of valour phrensie of the wise True honours staine loues frost the mint of lies Can vertue wisedome strength by women spild In Dauids Salomons and Sampsons falls With semblance of excuse my errour guild Or lend a marble glosse to muddy walls O no their fault had shew of some pretence No veyle can hide the shame of my offence The blaze of beauties beames allur'd their lookes Their lookes by seeing oft conceiued loue Loue by effecting swallowed pleasures hookes Thus beauty loue and pleasure them did moue These Syrens sugred tunes rockt them asleepe Inough to damne yet not to damne so deepe But gracious features dazled not mine eyes Two homely Droyles were authors of my death Not loue but feare my senses did surprize Not feare of force but feare of womans breath And those vnarm'd ill grac'd despis'd vnknowne So base a blast my truth hath ouerthrowne O women woe to men traps for their falls Still actors in all Tragicall mischances Earths necessary euils captiuing thralls Now murdering with your tongues now with your glances Parents of life and loue spoylers of both The theeues of hearts false do you loue or loth In time O Lord thine eyes with mine did meete In them I read the ruines of my fall Their cheering rayes that made misfortune sweet Into my guilty thoughts powrd flouds of gall Their heauenly lookes that blest where they beheld Darts of disdaine and angrie checks did yeeld O sacred eyes the springs of liuing light The earthly heauens where Angels ioy to dwell How could you deigne to view my deathfull plight Or let your heauenly beames looke on my hell But
meaning If saith she they came to ease my affliction they could not be ignorant of the cause and if they were not ignorant of it they would neuer aske it why then did they say Woman why weepest thou If their question did import a prohibition the necessitie of the occasion doth countermand their counsaile and fitter it were they should weepe with me than I in not weeping obey them If the Sunne were ashamed to shew his brightnesse when the father of lights was darkned with such disgrace if the heauens discolouring their beauties suted themselues to their makers fortune if the whole frame of nature were almost dissolued to see the author of nature so vnhaturally abused why may not Angels that best knew the indignitie of the case make vp a part in this lamentable consort And especially now that by the losse of his body the cause of weeping is increased and yet the number of mourners lessened sith the Apostles are fled all his friends afraid and poore I left alone to supply the teares of all creatures O who will giue water to my head and a fountaine of teares vnto mine eyes that I may weepe day and night and neuer ceasse weeping O my onely Lord thy griefe was the greatest that euer was in man and my griefe as great as euer happened to woman for my loue hath carued me no small portion of thine thy losse hath redoubled the torment of my owne and all creatures seeme to haue made ouer to me theirs leauing me as the vicegerent of all their sorrow Sorrow with me at the least ô thou Tombe and thaw into teares you hardest stones The time is now come that you are licensed to cry and bound to recompence the silence of your Lords Disciples of whom he himselfe sayd to the Pharises that if they held their peace the very stones should cry for them Now therefore sith feare hath locked vp their lips and sadnesse made them mute let the stones cry out against the murd erers of my Lord and bewray the robbers of his sacred body And I feare that were it well knowne who hath taken him away there is no stone so stony but should haue cause to lament It was doubtlesse the spite of some malicious Pharisee or bloudy Scribe that not contented with those torments that he suffered in life of which euery one to any other would haue bene a tyrannicall death hath now stolen away his dead body to practise vpon it some sauage cruelty and to glut their pitilesse eyes and brutish hearts with the vnnaturall vsage of his helplesse corps O yee rocks and stones if euer you must cry out now it is high time sith the light the life and the Lord of the world is thus darkned massacred and outragiously misused Doth not his tongue whose truth is infallible and whose word omnipotent commanding both winds and seas and neuer disobeyed of the most sensible creatures promise to arme the world and make the whole earth to fight against the senslesse persons in defence of the iust And who more iust than the Lord of iustice who more senslesse than his barbarous murtherers whose insatiable thirst of his innocent bloud could not be staunched with their cruell butchering him at his death vnlesse they proceeded further in this hellish impiety to his dead body Why then do not all creatures addresse themselues to reuenge so iust a quarrell vpon so senslesse wretches left of all reason forsaken of humanitie and bereaued of all feeling both of God and man O Mary why doest thou thus torment thy self with these tragicall surmises Doest thou thinke that the Angels would sit still if their maister were not well Did they serue him after his fasting and would they despise him after his deceasse Did they comfort him before he was apprehended and would not defend him when he was dead If in the garden he might haue had twelue Legions of them is his power so quite dead with his body that he could not now command them Was there an Angell found to helpe Daniel to his dinner to saue Toby from the fish yea and to defend Balaams poore beast from his maisters rage and is the Lord of Angels of so little reckoning that if his body stood in need neuer an Angell would defend it Thou seest two here present to honour his Tombe and how much more carefull would they be to do homage to his person Beleeue not Mary that they would smile if thou haddest such occasion to weepe They would not so gloriously shine in white if a blacke and mourning weede did better become them or were a fitter liuery for thy maister to giue or them to weare Yeeld not more to thy vncertaine feare and deceiued loue than to their assured knowledge and neuer erring charitie Can a materiall eye see more than an heauenly spirit or the glimmering of the twi-light giue better aime than the beams of their eternall Sunne Would they thinkest thou waite vpon the winding sheete while the coarse were abused or be here for thy comfort if their Lord did need their seruice No no he was neither any theeues booty nor Pharisees pray neither are the Angels so carelesse of him as thy suspition presumeth And if their presence and demeanour cannot alter thy conceit looke vpon the clothes and they will teach thee thine errour and cleare thee of thy doubt Would any thiefe thinkest thou haue bene so religious as to haue stolen the body and left the clothes yea would he haue bene so venturous as to haue stayed the vnshrowding of the coarse the well ordering of the sheets and folding vp the napkins Thou knowest that the Mirrhe maketh linnen cleaue as fast as pitch or glue and was a thiefe at so much leisure as to dissolue the Myrrhe and vncloath the dead what did the watch while the scales were broken the Tombe opened the body vnfolded all other things ordered as now thou seest And if all this cannot yet perswade thee beleeue at the least thy owne experience When thy maister was stripped at the crosse thou knowest that his onely garment being congealed to his goarie backe came not off without many parts of his skin doubtlesse would haue torne off many more if he had bene annointed with Myrrhe Looke then into the sheete whether there remaine any parcell of skin or any one haire of his head and sith there is none to be found beleeue some better issue of thy maisters absence than thy feare suggesteth A guiltie conscience doubteth want of time and therefore dispatcheth hastily It is in hazard to be discouered and therefore practiseth in darknesse and secresie It euer worketh in extreame feare and therefore hath no leisure to place things orderly But to vnwrap so mangled a body out of Mirrhed cloathes without tearing of any skinne or leauing on any Mirrhe is a thing either to man impossible or not possible to be done with such speed without light or helpe and with so good order Assure
dying heart with taking in the first gaspes of his liuing breath or to haue heard the first words of his pleasing voice Finally if thou haddest thought to haue seene his iniuries turned to honours the markes of his miserie to ornaments of glorie and the depth of thy heauinesse to such an height of felicity whatsoeuer thou haddest done to obtaine him had bene but a mite for a million and too slender a price for so soueraigne a peniworth But hauing no such hopes to vphold thee and so many motiues to plonge thee in despaire how could thy loue be so mighty as neither to feele a womans feare of so deformed a coarse nor to thinke the weight of the burthen too heauy for thy feeble armes nor to be amated with a world of dangers that this attempt did carry with it But affection cannot feare whom it affecteth loue feeleth no load of him it loueth neither can true frendship be frighted from rescuing so affied a friend What meanest thou then ô comfort of her life to leaue so constant a wel-willer so long vncomforted and to punish her so much that so well deserueth pardon Dally no longer with so knowne a loue which so many trials auouch most true And sith she is nothing but what it pleaseth thee let her tast the benefit of being onely thine She did not follow the tide of thy better fortune to shift saile when the streame did alter course She began not to loue thee in thy life to leaue thee after death Neither was she such a guest at thy table that meant to be a stranger in thy necessitie She left thee not in thy lowest ebbe she reuolted not from thy last extremitie In thy life she serued thee with her goods in thy death she departed not from the Crosse after death she came to dwell with thee at thy graue Why then doest thou not say with Naomi Blessed be she of our Lord because what courtesie she afforded to the quicke she hath also continued towards the dead A thing so much the more to be esteemed in that it is most rare Do not sweete Lord any longer delay her Behold she hath attended thee these three dayes and she hath not what to eate nor wherewith to foster her famished soule vnlesse thou by discouering thy selfe doest minister vnto her the bread of thy body and feede her with the food that hath in it all taste of sweetnesse If therefore thou wilt not haue her to faint in the way refresh her with that which her hunger requireth For surely she cannot long enioy the life of her soule But feare not Mary for thy teares will obtaine They are to o mighty oratours to let any suit fall and though they pleaded at the most rigorous barre yet haue they so perswading a silence so conquering a complaint that by yeelding they ouercome and by intreating they command They tie the tongues of all accusers and soften the rigour of the seuerest Iudge Yea they winne the inuincible and binde the omnipotent When they seeme most pitifull they haue great power and being most forsaken they are more victorious Repentant eyes are the Cellers of Angels and penitent teares their sweetest wines which the sauour of life perfumeth the taste of grace sweeteneth and the purest colours of returning innocencie highly beautifieth This deaw of deuotion neuer faileth but the Sunne of iustice draweth it vp and vpon what face soeuer it droppeth it maketh it amiable in Gods eye For this water hath thy heart bene long a limbecke sometimes distilling it out of the weedes of thy owne offences with the fire of true contrition Sometimes out of the flowers of spirituall comforts with the flames of contemplation and now out of the bitter hearbes of thy maisters miseries with the heat of a tender compassion This water hath better graced thy lookes than thy former alluring glances It hath setled worthier beauties in thy face than all thy artificiall paintings Yea this onely water hath quenched Gods anger qualified his iustice recouered his mercy merited his loue purchased his pardon and brought forth the spring of all thy fauours Thy teares were the procters for thy brothers life the inuiters of those Angels for thy comfort and the suters that shall be rewarded with the first sight of thy reuiued Sauiour Rewarded they shall be but not refrained altered in their cause but their course continued Heauen would weepe at the losse of so precious a water and earth lament the absence of so fruitfull showers No no the Angels must still bath themselues in the pure streames of thine eyes and thy face shall still be set with this liquid pearle that as out of thy teares were stroken the first sparkes of thy Lords loue so thy teares may be the oyle to nourish and feede his fame Till death dam vp the springs they shall neuer ceasse running and then shall thy soule be ferried in them to the harbour of life that as by them it was first passed from sinne to grace so in them it may be wasted from grace to glorie In the meane time reare vp thy fallen hopes and gather confidence both of thy speedy comfort and thy Lords well being Iesus saith vnto her Marie She turning saith vnto him Rabboni O louing maister thou diddest onely deferre her consolation to increase it that the delight of thy presence might be so much the more welcome in that through thy long absence it was with so little hope so much desired Thou wert content she should lay out for thee so many sighes teares and plaints and diddest purposely adiourne the date of her payment to requite the length of these delayes with a larger loane of ioy It may be she knew not her former happinesse till she was weaned from it nor had a right estimate in valuing the treasures with which thy presence did inrich her vntill her extreame pouertie taught her their vnestimable rate But now thou shewest by a sweete experience that though she payde thee with the dearest water of her eyes with her best breath and tenderest loue yet small was the price that she bestowed in respect of the worth she receiued She sought thee dead and imprisoned in a stonie gayle and now she findeth thee both aliue and at full libertie She sought thee shrined in a shrowd more like a leaper than thy selfe left as the modell of the vttermost miserie and the onely patterne of the bitterest vnhappinesse and now she findeth thee inuested in the robes of glorie the president of the highest and both the owner and giuer of all felicitie And as all this while she hath sought without finding wept without comfort and called without answers so now thou diddest satisfie her seeking with thy comming her teares with thy triumph and all her cryes with this one word Mary For when she heard thee call her in thy wonted manner and with thy vsuall voice her onely name issuing frō thy mouth wrought so strange an alteration in her
me and redeemed me in whom all things are possible vnto me and without whom I am able to do nothing thou seest who I am that here prostrate my prayers and poure out my heart vnto thee What I would haue and what is fit for me thou knowest My soule is buried in flesh and bloud and would faine be dissolued and come vnto thee I am vrged against my will and violently drawne to thinke that which from my heart I detest and to haue in mind the poyson and bane of my soule O Lord thou knowest my mould and making for thy hands haue framed me and with flesh and skin thou hast cloathed me And lo this flesh which thou hast giuen me draweth me to my ruine and fighteth against the spirit If thou helpe not ô gracious aide I am ouercome and vanquished If thou forsakest me I must needs faint with all discouragement Why doest thou set me contrary vnto thee and makest me grieuous and a burthen to my selfe Didst thou create me to cast me away Didst thou redeeme me to damne me for euer It had bene good for me neuer to haue bene borne if I were borne to perish Oh most mercifull father where are thy old and wonted mercies where is thy gracious sweetnesse and loue How long shall mine enemies reioyce ouer me and humble my life vpon earth and place me in darknesse like the dead of the world What am I ô Lord that thou settest me to fight alone against so mightie subtill and cruell enemies that neuer ceasse to bid me a perpetuall battaile O Lord why doest thou shew thy might against a leafe that is tossed with euery winde and persecutest a drie stubble Wilt thou therefore damne the work of thy hands Wilt thou throw me from thy face and take thy holy spirit from me Alas ô Lord whither shall I go from thy face or whither shall I fly from thy spirit whither shall I flie from thee incensed but to thee appeased whither from thee as iust but vnto thee as mercifull Do with me Lord that which is good in thine eyes for thou wilt do all things in righteous iudgement onely remember that I am flesh and bloud fraile of my selfe and impotent to resist Shew thy selfe a Sauiour vnto me and either take away mine enemies or graunt me such a supplie of thy grace to enable my defects that without wound or fault by thee and with thee I may ouercome them sweet Iesus Amen A godly deuout prayer O Gracious Lord and sweete Sauiour giue me a pure intention a cleane heart and a regard to thy glory in all my actions Possesse my mind with thy presence and rauish it with thy loue that my delight may be to be imbraced in the armes of thy protection Be thou light vnto mine eyes musicke to mine ears sweetnesse to my tast and contentment to my heart O Iesu I giue thee my body my soule my substance my fame my friends my libertie and life dispose of me and all that is mine as shall be most to thy glory I am not mine but thine therefore claime me as thy right keepe me as thy charge loue me as thy child fight for me when I am assaulted heale me when I am wounded reuiue me when I am spiritually killed receiue me when I flie and let me neuer be quite confounded giue me patience in trouble humility in comfort constancie in temptations and victorie against my ghostly enemies graunt me good Father modestie in countenance grauitie in my behauiour deliberation in my speeches puritie in my thoughts and righteousnesse in mine actions Be my sunshine in the day my foode at the table my repose in the night my clothing in nakednesse and my succour in all needes Let thy bloud runne in my minde as a water of life to cleanse the filth of my sinnes and to bring forth the fruite of life euerlasting Stay mine inclinations from beating downe my soule bridle mine appetites with thy grace and quench in me the fire of all vnlawfull desires Make my will pliable to thy pleasure and resigned wholly to thy prouidence and graunt me perfect contentment in that which thou allottest Strengthen me against occasions of sinne and make me stedfast in not yeelding to euill yea rather to die then to offend thee Lord make me ready to pleasure all loth to offend any louing to my friends and charitable to mine enemies Forsake me not lest I perish leaue me not to mine owne weakenesse lest I fall without recouerie Graunt me an earnest desire to amend my faults to renew my good purposes and to performe my good intentions Make me humble to my superiours friendly to my equals charitable to my inferiors and carefull to yeeld due respect to all sortes Lastly graunt me sorrow for my sinnes thankfulnesse for thy benefits feare of thy iudgements loue of thy mercies and mindfulnesse of thy presence Amen Considerations to settle the mind in the course of Vertue THe first consideration How waightie a thing the businesse of mans soule is Whosoeuer being desirous to take due care of his soule commencing a spirituall course must consider that he hath taken such a businesse in hand that for importance necessity and profit summoneth all other traffickes and affaires of the world yea and to which onely all other businesse ought to be addressed for herein our menage is about the saluation of our soule our chiefe iewell and treasure of which if in the short passage of our brittle and vncertaine life we take not the due care that we ought for a whole eternity after we shall euermore repent and be sorrie for it and yet neuer haue the like oportunitie againe to helpe it Secondly the better to conceiue the moment and waight of this businesse let vs consider what men vse to do for their bodily health for we see they make so principall a reckoning of it they spare no cost nor toyle nor leaue any thing vnattempted that may auaile them to attaine it They suffer themselues to be launced wounded pined burnt with red hot irons besides diuerse other extreame torments onely for this end How much greater miseries ought we to endure how much greater paines and diligence ought we to employ for this health of our soule which is to suruiue when the body is dead rotten and deuoured with wormes And to suruiue in such sort that it must be perpetually tormented in hell with intollerable torments or enioy endlesse felicitie in heauen And therefore of how much greater worth and waight we thinke the soule and the eternall saluation or damnation thereof then the momentarie health or sicknesse of our bodies so much greater account and esteeme ought we to make of the businesse of our soule then of any other worldly or bodily affaire whatsoeuer For what auaileth it a man saith Christ to gaine the whole world and make wracke of his soule If therefore we keepe diuers men for diuers offices about our bodie and many thousands do liue
by seruing and prouiding things for euery part thereof If we spend so much time in feeding refreshing and reposing the same If the greatest portion of our reuenewes be they neuer so large be consumed in the meates pompe sports and pleasures thereof how much more ought we to seeke as many helpes seruices and purueyers for our soule for whose onely sake our bodie was giuen and of whose good the welfare of the body onely proceedeth Thirdly the necessitie and poise of this care of our soule may be gathered of this that all other matters are intreated with men or some other creatures but this businesse of our soule with God himselfe who by how much he is nobler worthier then any of his creatures so much more is the weight of this matter and cannot be dealt with any without him and so much more diligence ought there to be employed therein especially in this time wherein God is still ready to further our endeuours in this behalfe whereas when time is expired condemne he may for our negligence or reward vs for our carefulnesse but not helpe vs any more to alter the state of our soule be it neuer so miserable Fourthly we may gather how materiall and important this matter is by the life of Christ and his Saints who withdrawing themselues from all other worldly affaires thought it work enough to attend to this businesse of the soule and whosoeuer at this day are honoured in Gods Church they are honoured onely in this that they haue with a glorious conclusion happily and constantly accomplished this businesse to Gods glorie and their owne saluation and who so considereth the intollerable tormâ—â—ts of Martyrs the painefull agonies conflicts rough stormes and troubles of all Gods Saints and doth remember withall that they vndertooke them for no other respect but onely for the better bringing this businesse of their soule to an end it will soone appeare how waighty a thing and how precious the saluation of the soule is which they did thinke nothing too deare bought with all the miseries sorrowes and paines that this world could affoord Let vs also consider that whatsoeuer moued them to such care and earnestnesse in this behalfe hath no lesse place in vs doubtlesse then in them seeing that our soule is as deare bought as much worth and created to as great glorie as theirs the danger of our saluation rather more then any way lesse then theirs God hath as much right in vs as in thâ—â— and we as many titles of bond and dutie to serue him as they Finally we are assaulted by the same enemies enuironed with the like hazardes and subiect to as many yea more occasions of sinne and allurements to damnation then they Who therefore seeth not that we are in euery respect to account the care of our soules as important and necessarie to vs as euer it hath bene to any Wherefore let not the wise man glory in his wisedome nor the strong man in his might nor the rich man in his riches saith God by his Prophet Ieremie 9. But let him that glorieth glorie in this that he knoweth me for I am the onely Lord that worketh mercy iudgement and iustice vpon the earth and these things please me saith the Lord. As who would say it is follie and vanitie to glotie and reioyce in any other thing then in the knowledge and seruice of God and procuring mercy and mild iudgement for our soules The second Consideration How we ought to arme our minds against temptations that happen when we seeke earnestly to serue God FIrst seeing this businesse of our soule is of so great moment he that earnestly goeth about the same must offer himselfe vp vnto God and be most ready to endure constantly all the dangers combers and difficulties that shall happen and resolue neuer by Gods grace to be dismayed and beaten backe from his purpose by any trouble or encounter whatsoeuer knowing that glorious and honorable enterprises can neuer be atchieued without many contradictions Wherefore let him perswade himselfe that when he hath setled his mind seriously to follow this businesse Hell it selfe and all the enemies of God and mans soule will conspire against him The flesh to allure him to delights of the senses and to recall to the vomit of his abandoned pleasures The world to entice him with pompes and vanities with ministring occasion of sinne and prouoking by euill examples Yea if that will not serue by terrifying him with persecutions extortions obloquies slanders and torments and with all kinde of disgrace Finally the diuell a professed enemie to all that take care of their soules will seeke to intrap him with a thousand traines passions and subtill temptations leauing nothing that he thinketh may remoue a man from these endeuours tending to his saluation Secondly the case standing thus let that saying of Scripture come to our mind My sonne comming to the seruice of God stand in iustice and feare and prepare thy soule vnto temptation Wherefore he that entreth into the way of life must remember that he is not come to a play pastime or pleasure but to a continuall rough battaile and fight against most vnplacable enemies And let him resolue himselfe neuer in this world to look for quiet and peace no not so much as for any truce for a moment of time but arme himselfe for a perpetuall combat and rather thinke of a multitude of happie victories which by Gods grace he may attaine then of any repose or quietnesse from the rage and assaults of his enemies Let him see and peruse the patterne of his Captaines course who from his birth to his death was in a restlesse battaile persecuted in his swathling cloutes by Herod annoyed the rest of his infancy by banishment wandring and neede In the flower of his age slandered hated pursued whipped crucified and most barbarously misused In the same sort were all his Apostles and all his principall souldiers handled for whom he loueth he chastiseth and proueth like gold in the fornace And therefore no man must thinke it a new thing to be tempted and troubled when he once runneth a vertuous course contrary to the liking of his enemies For The Disciple is not aboue his maister nor the seruant aboue his Lord who as we see had the same intreaty Thirdly lest we should be agaste and discouraged at the expectation and feare of so many discomforts and the vncessant malice of so spitefull enemies let vs remember the words of Elizeus That more stand with vs then against vs. Against the corruption of nature we haue grace Against the Diuell we haue God who will neuer suffer vs to be tempted aboue our force and strength Against the power of hell we haue the prayers of the faithfull Against the miseries of the body we haue the spirituall comfort of the minde which God allotteth in such measure as our necessity requireth and if there were nothing else this were enough to make troubles welcome in