life hath ouercome death and hath freed and cleared them quite from thence 21 To the end O Lord that they might set foorth thy praise in Sion and preach thy louing kindnesse in Ierusalem And although euery one of them had an hundreth mouthes and their voices as lowd as thy thunder yet should they neuer be able to attaine and reach vnto the greatnesse of thy glory All the parts of the world conspire not nor ioyne not themselues together saue onely to represent in their motions a part of thine infinite power and goodnesse howbeit they neuer looke to come neere thereunto for they are more then bottomlesse depths which haue neither bottom nor yet brinke and therfore they must onely behold them a farre of 22 And therefore I most humbly beseech thee my God to be contented that thy people assemble and reunite themselues both in bodies and minds deuoutly to offer vp vnto thee that holy will which they haue to honour thee for the effect can in no wise other wise be able to come neare that which thou deseruest Accept therefore O Lord the humble submission of the kings of the earth which come before thee to yeeld vnto thee their homage and seruice due vnto thee as vnto their soueraigne chiefe Lord. They shall cast their scepters vnto the earth and their crownes at their feete and present for a sacrifice vnto thy maiesty their humble praiers and innocent consciences And I will be the first my God which will cast downe my selfe before thee to worship and serue thee with all mine heart to thee alone will I consecrate my spirit Quicken it therefore O Lord that being purified by the holy zeale of thy loue it may receiue in it selfe as it were in a cleare looking Glasse the image of thine incomprehensible excellency perfections feele in it self the reflexion of thy sincere amitie aswel as thine infinite goodnesse accompanied with the number of thine elect to be an inheritor with them in euerlasting life 23 Now I haue already felt my good God that thou hast enlightened my soule with thy grace and haue presented the fauour which thou wouldest shew vnto all the children of the earth Heretofore hath my spirit a far of takeÌ„ a note how thou proceedest for the deliuerance of the world but it hath beene afraid to die before such time as thou wert come and that is because thou hast heard it call vpon thee saying Tell me Lard how long the course of mine age shall be and when thou wilt end my dayes 24 Go not about O Lord to cut of the thred of my life the first or second winding vp of the spindle neither stay it ouer short in the middest of the course Attend my God vntill the time be come when thou must set open the treasure of thy graces to make an entrance for men vnto the largenesse of saluation or if thou hast at least appointed mine end and that my life cannot stretch so farre yet remember my posteritie and let him be borne of my race that must sanctifie the world by his comming 25 I right well know O Lord that at the first thou madest heauen and earth and whatsoeuer excellent thing we see here in this world to be the worke of thine owne hands 26 But all this shall come to an end euen as an old worne garment a man shall enquire what is become of it and there shal be no mention made thereof at all It was made and it shall be vnmade it had a beginnings it must haue an end But thou alone O Lord which hast beene from all eternitie shalt be alwaies one and the same For age time which consume all things serue for none other purpose but to confirme thine euerlastingnesse and to set foorth thy Deitie men see me to remaine heere vpon the earth for none other cause but to behold round about them thine incomprehenâ—…ble greatnesse on the one side and their infirmitie on the other side 27 A man changeth not his shire so often but the earth oftner changeth her inhabitants one putteth forth another and all is renued euen in a moment But thou my God art euen the same at this day that thou wast at the beginning Euery prouince of the earth hath a great catalogue of kings who haue there commaunded one successiuely after another but the heauens and the earth continually sing vnto vs that thou hast alwaies beene alone euer like vnto thy selfe and that neither the time past ne yet the time to come can any wayes alter nor change thee 28 Now my Lord although we must depart from hence yet do I not doubt but that I shall one day taste of that sweet fruite which shall heale this contagious disease of ours which our fathers transferred ouer vnto vs hauing eaten the fruite of death and of sinne For our children shall come after vs and therefore O Lord shew vs this fauour as to continue our posteritie from age to age vntill such time as we altogether shall appeare before thy face not to receiue sharpe and seuere iudgement but to enter by the merite and intercession of thy deare beloued sonne into the enheritance of the eternall blessednesse which shall be purchased for all thy faithfull by the adoption of thy sonne in the house of thy seruant Dauid From the depth of depths Psalm 129. FRom the depth of depths haue I cryed vnto thee my God being lost and buried in the most fearefull caues of the earth I â—aue called vpon thy name hearken â—nto my voice and heare my praier For all hope of succour is taken from â—e and I see nothing about me but â—orror and trembling and yet haue I â—ot beene discouraged and do waite â—or at thy hands that which thou hast â—romised to all such as shall liue in the â—eare of thy name and in the obediâ—nce of thy commaundements 2 Giue thou therefore O Lord a fauourable eare vnto mine heartiâ— praier If my sinne stand betweene thee and me to whet thee againâ—… mine iniquitie and to make thee contrarie vnto the praiers which I maâ—… vnto thee beate back the same wiâ—… the looke of thy mercifull eye or 〈◊〉 O Lord shut vp for a time the eyes 〈◊〉 thy iustice vntill such time as the eaâ—… of thy louing kindnesse hath receiueâ— my confession and the humble requeâ—… which I make vnto thee for grace Foâ— I come not before thee to braggeâ— mine owne iustification but of 〈◊〉 great louing kindnesse and benigniâ—… 3 If thou shouldest keepe a registâ—… of our sinnes and we come to an â—…dite before thee who were able 〈◊〉 God to abide thy seuere iudgementâ— For what day of life is there that haâ— not deserued a world of tormentâ—… Thou mightest draw out O Lord 〈◊〉 the paines of hell and yet the greateâ— part of my sins should go vnpunished 4 But although we haue mightâ— offended yet for all that thou ceasâ— not to receiue any sinner that commeâ— vnto
other rocks as we must sayle and flote by in this voyage that we may feare And let vs consider that we are now so wounded and brused as that if an especiall fauour from heauen saue vs not we shall be hardly able to auoyd shipwracke This is the contritiō which should be in our souls this is that bitter repentance which shoulde drawe bloudie teares euen frō out of the bottome of our bowels This is it that should make vs hate euēn our own selues for the recōciling of vs vnto our God to renue our life of sin and wickednes into puritie and cleannesse This is it that should cause vs to enter into iudgement with our selues that we might not be reserued vnto the day of that most heauy iudgemēt For what man is he that is able at that day to iustifie himselfe Now it is not enough that we haue had this compunction and repentance in our harts but we must also lay open our sinnes and the iustice of God that we might receiue from him his mercy and comfort And it is he that must accept of our sorrow and griefe and he vnto whome we must make an honorable amends and simply and plainely confesse our errors For seeing it is his pleasure that his goodnes which he is able to keepe and reserue vnto himselfe should be poured out vpon all his creatures and that he hath made all things to manifest his glorie and bestowed the vse of our life only to glorifie him neither are we any way able to repare the offence which we commit against him by the corrupting of the vse of our life but in manifesting that he hath created vs to do good that we our selues haue conuerted our selues only to do ill And therefore we must of necessitie vndoubtedly declare that he is liberall we most vnthankfull we must say that he is good our selues to be most wicked we must also pronounce his righteousnesse and our sinne we must set forth our own griefs and his mercy we must protest that all the euill which is in vs commeth of our selues and all the good which we hope after to proceed from him alone For if so be we shall be silent after that we haue once acknowledged our euill it is to be belieued that we will perseuere with this silēce all the daies of our life past and so approue by this silēce that we cannot freely be found fault withall And Tertullian exhorting vs vnto this confession telleth vs that we do not confesse our selues vnto God as if he knew not our sinnes before hād but because confession is a counsel vnto satisfaction and maketh vs apt vnto reconciliation and reconciliation vnto mercy and mercy vnto euerlasting life Now the satisfaction which we looke for commeth from his fauour and grace by which only we must and may be restored vnto immortalitie and this grace is not geuen vnto any but vnto such as acknowledge themselues to be miserable sinners and not geuen by any but by him that is chiefe in power It must needs therefore be that the word which he hath bestowed vpon vs to glorifie him withall must be employed to the manifestation of our misery because the confession of our sinnes iustifieth the goodnes of God which we haue as much as in vs lieth vtterly peruerted We must therefore pray vnto him to forgiue vs as if we should say that he may and ought to punish vs and so thereby testifie his power and righteousnes For this cause it is why the Prophet Isaiah calleth vs when as he sayth Goe your waye◠with those that are sanctified and present your Confession vnto God with the liuing O sayth Ecclesiastes it is a good thing when as he that is found in a fault will manifest his repentance And truly it were a great glorie for vs if we would be once so couragious as openly to confesse our sinnes and shew that as we haue been the first that haue sinned so also we are the first that do repent Howbeit there remaineth in vs a foolish shame which abideth with vs as the skarre of sinne and causeth vs the slowlier and hardlier to do it This was the cause why the auntient Fathers in fitting them selues vnto this our infirmitie and vnto the weakenesse of such also which might be offended in the reciting sometimes of very strange sinnes of ours were contented that we should put downe and poure out the secrets of our consciences into the bosoms of those vnto whome they had geuen power to binde and lose and apply vnto vs the grace by which we are redeemed And from this misterie we receiue a maruelous fruite when as it is worthely administred vnto vs. For first he that is appointed to the dispensation of this grace being made vnto vs the father of the spirit is to bring the same vnto vs for the comfort of the mistery which he findeth in vs by the trial of our life euen the very selfe same affection which a louing father in the behalfe of his very sick son vnto whom he bringeth besides help remedy the hope of health wherewith he feedeth him For he should in the fellow feeling of our misery and taking vpō him the burden of our sins help to relieue vs euē then whē we faint in the middest of our course This example which God hath set before vs who as Isaiah sayth came himselfe first and hath layd vpon his owne backe all our miseries and borne vpon his shoulders all our diseases After he hath thus imparted vnto vs this comfort he is to direct vs vnto the way of truth and with the instrumēt of the word of God wherin he is exercised to till the faith which he hath sowed in vs which by reason of the barrennesse of the ground wherein it is cast had always neede to haue the help and care of the husbandman For we are properly like vnto a small Boate which is forcibly rowed with ores against the streame but if the watermen neuer so litle leaue rowing she fleeteth back more in an hour then she did in a whole dayes rowing The end and consummation of this holy action is this that when we call vpon the holy Ghost our grace is pronounced vnto vs and confirmed as it were by the iudgement of the church which is a certaine pawne and testimonie that as we are heere in this world kept fine and cleane by him or them vpon whom such graces are bestowed so should we also be in the other by him vpon whom he hath appointed them There resteth thē nothing after this but that we humble our selues in acknowledging the grace which we haue receiued a thing that we hardly can obtaine at our own hands Now we will not greatlie stick to admire at this but we will neuer follow the example of our fathers which at that time vsed this holy repentance Yee should haue seene of these men saith this Tertullian kneeling at the feete of the Aulters
further it 23 They borrow and neuer pay againe all is fish that commeth to net and all is theirs that they may gayne by neither leaue they any thing behinde which they are able to carry away and yet notwithstanding all this profiteth them nothing for as the aboundance of meates fatteth not him that is in a consumption because the radycall humor of his life is dried vp euen so is the blessing of God which is the roote of all prosperitie withholden from the wicked But contrarywse the iust which is mercifull and full of compassion geueth his goods and dealeth liberally distributeth his money and is as the course an running of a liuely water which neuer dryeth vp 24 This is a blessing which is promised vnto all those that blesse the name of God that they shall enherit the land that is to say they shall haue a good title vnto the land as it were by enheritance And although they are striuen agaynst for it yet shall they neuer lose it For they are as Gods deere children whome hee hath created and therefore they are of a good and sure ground that they shall hold the same But they which blaspheme agaynst his name are disinherited of his grace and as vnthankefull children depriued of theyr fathers inheritance so as they hauing his curse can not choose but perish 25 For there is no saluation in this world but by trusting in God and by committing our selues vnto his tuition For he so directeth the wayes of a good man and so guideth all his actions as that it is impossible to be amended He aymeth his will at godlinesse and turneth away his eyes from the baytes of sinne he bringeth back the windings and crosse wayes of voluptuousnes into the broad beaten hye wayes of vertue and setteth it in the way of his commaundements 26 For this is a faire and smooth way wherein are no stones ne yet lets for it is altogether playne and smooth So as although the wicked one or the father of lyes casteth his leg before the iust man to make him trip stumble or yet set a snare for him thou thy selfe O Lord standest hard by him to life him vp againe and wilt not suffer him to be frushed and crushed And with thy mercifull hand yea euen with a most gentle and euen hand thou shorest him vp and redressest him 27 I haue bene yong and now an old and yet as far as I can remember I can not call to minde that euer I saâ—e God forsake the righteous man nor his children driuen to beg their bread Well may he haue sometimes a little trouble come vpon him to proue his constancie and to try his strength but â—t passeth and tottereth on without aâ—y fearing of him 28 I haue seene a man that hath â—one nothing all day long but geue â—…d lend so as a man would haue sayd â—hat he had taken great pleasure in â—cattering abroad his goods and yet â—e more abounded in wealth them eâ—er he did before He resembled proâ—erly the pipe of a pumpe which draâ—eth water by casting of it out for the â—ulnesse thereof can not abide that aâ—y emptinesse should be in it And so â—he rightuous man geueth and God â—orthwith filleth him againe his posteâ—itie feeleth no want of his largenesse â—or the blessing of God causeth his â—…one to bud forth euen as the Sunne maketh the fruits of the earth and â—ultiplieth an hundred for one 29 Seeing then that God is so good â—…d so liberall if thou louest to haue â—is fauour bethinke thee how thou â—ayest please him for it is the verie meane to turne him from doing hurt â—nd to do good For God loueth such a one as imitateth him for loue commeth of resemblance and his actions are to do good for he busieth hâ—…selfe about nothing else and he â—…gan this worke euen from the first bâ—ginning of the world and was 〈◊〉 wearyed therewith And therfore let 〈◊〉 do like vnto him and so long as 〈◊〉 shall dwell here in this world whâ—… he hath graunted vs meanes to seâ—… for his glorie and for the profiâ—… of our neighbors let vs neglect no â—…casion at all to discharge both the 〈◊〉 and the other and in so doing we shâ—… be sure to obteyne his fauour which 〈◊〉 the richest treasure that we possâ—… can recouer 30 For there is nothing that pleâ—seth him so much as to deale vprighâ—… and iustly for thereby we conseâ—… his workemanship as much as in 〈◊〉 lyeth and allow of his wise counsell 〈◊〉 rendring vnto euery man that whiâ—… is appoynted him and distributed 〈◊〉 the vniuersall law of the world whâ—… we call Nature and to thinke thâ—… when we iudge others we adminiâ—… his power and looke what iudgemeâ—… we geue against others the like will 〈◊〉 also geue against vs wheÌ„ as he shal â—…ter into his Throne to iudge the 〈◊〉 world Not that he can iudge corruptly as we do but will make vs feele by his iudgement the corrupt dealing which we haue made others feele by our owne For he will neuer forsake his holy ones he will gather them together at the end and couer them from the vniust dealing of men and will expressely enter into his iudgement seate to iudge all those that oppressed them 31 And there will he pronounce heauie iudgemeÌ„t against the vniust make the wicked perish They shall be fast bound in infernall paines where they shall be heard houle amiddest their torments and the paine shall exceed abound ouer their heads euen vnto their posteritie and their childreÌ„ shal draw their fathers sins after them and beare part of their miseries 32 And at that time shall the grace of God spread it self aboundantly vppon the righteous because their prosperitie might be a second paine vnto the wicked filling their harts with enny which shal coÌ„tinually gnaw the for they shal see the good godly me possesse their laÌ„d in peace their generatioÌ„ reigne in most assured rest and flourish as the tree planted fast alongeâ— hard by the pleasant riuers side which casteth our his branches at length anâ— spreadeth forth his boughes into the ayre flourish beautifully bring forth leaues aboundantly and fructifie moâ—… excellently 33 But what shall be the fruites oâ— the rightuous man shall they be his goods which he hath scraped and scratched together or the castles and goodly houses which hee hath built Nay nay they are fruites most vnworthy oâ— such a tree which will wither away aâ— the very first feeling of any frost yea fruites that will fall at the first blast No no they are those good and sweet sauouring fruites which growe within the beautifull and fat greene soyle of the diuine wisedome They shall be holie and religious thoughts meditations full of zeale and deuotion by the which hee shall ioyne his spirit vnto God and withall opening his soule shall receyue the beames of the holie Ghost which shall animate in him a thousand gratious and vertuous actions as the
and open your eares that I may open the spirit close vp the eyes of your bodies that I may make your soules so clearely forsake this stepmother of earth that I may make you know your heauenly father Come ye therefore together both poore rich for ye are vnworthy of the goods that I meane largely to bestow vpon you 3 Come for I go about to discouer lay wide opeÌ„ vnto you the treasures of eternal wisdom And in opening my mouth being inspired with the grace of Almighty God I meane to vnfold vnto you in my words his wonderfull wisedome I haue long held my soule in a deep thought and after I had a great while dreamed I conceiued in the end of a strange discourse of Gods wisedome by which I vnderstood his goodnesse and mercie in all things and the folly misery infirmitie of mankinde 4 Whereupon I being as it were beside my selfe about the wondring at his greatnes the feeling of our own infirmitie I was forthwith desirous to geue eare vnto that which my spirit taught me and began carefully to consider of those things which it couertly shewed me vnder a disguised maner the knowledge the truth And after I had carefully vnderstood examined the same I tooke my harp in my hand according my voyce vnto the sweet tune of my harp I was ready to put abroad my conceits and to make my meditations to be heard vnto all those that would heare them that they might be acceptable vnto God the author of so holie thoughts and wholesome instruction vnto the fauourable hearer of my discourses 5 If thou wilt then know what I sayd within my selfe this I sayd what shall I feare in the hardest time of my life Why should I feare when death shall come to lay hold on me and to cause me to get me out of this world Alas deat is a strange busibody I know not who should not feare him seeing no man can keepe him-selfe from him How shall I be able to defend my selfe from his arrowes What armour shall I put on against his pick-axe which ouerthroweth and razeth Castels Cities Kingdomes and Empires yea which threatneth to bring the world to an end and who at last shall make an end of him-selfe I shall need no kinde of weapons but innocencie that is able to be a steely an assured buckler for me for if I take not good heed vnto it that traytor sinne whome death hath appoynted will neuer be from my heeles will lodge in my concupisceÌ„ce and deliuer me presently at an assault into the hands of damnation 6 O deare and wholesome innocencie in thee alone resteth all our assurance vnder thy faith we constantly abide whatsoeuer shall come vppon vs and we beleeue that thou art strong inough to defende vs from death O foolish and mad men who leauing this faithfull protection assure them-selues in their greatnesse and mightinesse make an accompt of their ritches and magnificences They accompt the Nations which are vnder their gouernments and recken vp the treasure which they keepe vnder lock and key and to what purpose serueth all this against death 7 If one brother can not redeeme the life of another for money nay and if one would dye for another yet inexorable death will not receyue him what then shall man geue vnto death for his owne ransome Shall he geue the goods that are none of his or his dominions which he loseth as soone as he is dead No no there is nothing which hee hath left vnto him-selfe wherewith God is appaised and pacified when his iudgement is once pronounced against mortall men He â—ill not compound with him for any thing whatsoeuer This is his creature this is the slime of the earth out of â—hich hee will take when it pleaseth him the spirit of life whcih he breathed into him and therefore man can no way gaynsay nor yet reply against him 8 Let vs I beseech thee a little value the soule of man and let vs see what he will offer vnto God for his ransoming of him let him trauell a little all his life long let him go and trauell awhile all the dayes of his life let him goe and ferrit out all the corners of the earth let him go and draâ— out the bowels of the mines let him draw dry the golden dugs of both the Indies let him dispeople the Easterne parts of the world of all her pearles and when he hath heaped vp all this geare let him then come and bargain with God for the prolonging of his life and wee shall heare his reasons What other thing shall he be but like vnto a prisoner which offreth to cast off his bolts and shackles if he might haue libertie geuen him O miserable man that thou art for that thing which thou thinkest should serue thee for thy safegard is the very window whereat death must enter For death commeth by reason of sin 〈◊〉 by reason of concupiscence and thâ— concupiscence is nourished encreased and kindled by all these For God will speake all naked vnto thee euen aâ— â—e placed thee here in the world and will before he begin to capitulate with thee haue thee deliuer vnto him that which thou hast robbed him of I meane those graces and benefits whcih thou hast misused then shalt thou thinke with thy self whether thou hast of thine owne to pay him double yea quadruple for the punishment due vnto thee for thine ill life 9 Alasse poore senselesse thing if thou once commest to that what shalt thou be able to say against death seeing that the wisest and valiantest men are enforced to be courbed vnder his yoke Shalt thou who hast made no accompt but of corruptible and perishing ritches shalt thou I say be preserued from corruption and the wise man who sought by all the meanes possible he could to immortalize himselfe here in this life conuersed with the Angels cannot warrant himselfe from him Thou thy selfe seest him come to an end and hopest thou to be immortall No no for both wise men fooles dye but after a diuerse sundry manner for the death of the wise man shal be but a passage he shal fâ—nd at his returne his talent infinitely multiplied and encreased and the glorie which he hath sowne shal encrease aboundantly and ouershadow the generation of his children 10 Howbeit all these poore wretched blind soules who continually hold down their heads vnto the earth and whose spirits are shut vp in their purses who haue none other vnderstanding but to loue those things which are not to be beloued who neglect and contemne both Sunne and Moone the verie principall works of nature to admire stones and marble gold and siluer which vainely scatter and disperse the vertues of intelligeÌ„ce and vnderstanding for the getting together and heaping vp of the excrements of the earth shall forgoe the ritches which they haue so greatly loued and for which they hated all
things are not brought to passe nor made perfect but with patience and long suffering And let vs not despaire if so be things fall not out as we would wish at the first chop For he doth nothing but for our good for as he is Almightie so is he also only good and as he is only good so i◠he also only wise and that which we thinke many times to be most against vs is most profitable for vs and the wholesomest medecines are commonly most bitter Beleeue me it is a good thing for a man a little to be are the yoke in his youth that is to say to haue afflictions which may somewhat bow and bend his neck and abate his pride Iod. Let a wise man therefore which seeth him selfe fallen into any great calamine be quiet and say nothing but patiently beare his yoke and the more that his miserie encreaseth let him be the more couragious and yet neuerthelesse let him lift vp his eyes vnto heauen and cry God mercy and imagine thus with him selfe that it can not be but that he hath done amisse seeing that the hand of God doth so visit him Let him prostrate him selfe vpon the ground and clothe him selfe with sacke and cast ashes on his head to see if he can any way appease the wrath of God and although he hath no hope thereof yet let him quiet him selfe and let him patiently beare the iniuries that are done him offer his cheeke to him that will strike him and satisfie him selfe as well with reproch as another man would fill him selfe with bread Coph And why so forsooth because he right well knoweth that God will in the end appease his wrath and that after that men shall haue driuen him to the ground that God will take him vp in his lap and although he let him alone for once yet will he in the end haue compassion vpon him according to the greatnes and multitude of his mercies For God taketh no pleasure in seeing men afflicted and it is much against his heart to torment them yea euen when his iustice enforceth and strayneth him thereto And he doth it for the benefit of men because he feareth that his ouer-great indulgence will cast them downe so headlong into sinne as that they shall neuer be able to recouer them selues any more For he correcteth them as a good father doth who in chastising his sonne weepeth with griefe that he driueth him thereunto not meaning thereby to do him any hurt but rather good Lamed It is not beleeue me the purpose of God to tread men vnder his feet and to triumph ouer them in their afflictions much lesse to hold them fast bound and posternd as the trophees of his power Neither is it his meaning to throw them into miscrie pouertie and there to leaue them for he knoweth best what they haue need of and iudgeth aright what is most profitable for them He is nothing like vnto those wicked Iudges which take pleasure in nothing but in cuffing and boxing of men and to haue occasion to hang and torture them vpon the wheele He neuer beholdeth our sinnes but with sorrow of heart neither hateth he any thing so much as to punish And so all the calamities which he layeth vpon vs are but as threatning words to aduertise vs to runne vnto his grace before he enter into iudgement with vs to the end that whē he would cōdemne vs we might plead the pardon and remission of our sins which he shall haue graunted vs. Mem. It may be ye will say vnto me what is it then that so tormēteth men seeing ye say that it commeth not frō God who is altogether good and that it is not hee which commanded it Commeth not both good and ill from the most high Doth not he distribute the same vnto vs in such manner and measure as pleaseth him selfe O wretched poore man why murmurest thou against God Is it not enough that he hath geuen thee life and that without him thou shouldest be nothing Thou wilt contest against him euen thou a creature against thy creator thou a vile sinner against him that is altogether iust thou that art altogether weake against him that is Almightie Nun. Our miseries come not from God but from our selues let vs examine our liues and lay open our actions and if we search well we shall finde the cause of them to proceede from our selues For the roote of them is in our owne hearts which being infected corrupt and marre what so euer commeth out of them Let vs therefore cut off sinne by the stumps let vs teare and pull in pieces the hart strings of iniquitie and in stead of this concupiscence which buddeth and bringeth forth naught else but sinne and damnation replant therein the liuely and pure loue of God which flourisheth and fructifieth vnder the husbandrie of his discipline Let our hearts lift vp them selues straight vnto heauen as noble and vpright plants and put foorth their thoughts as the branches and lift vp their motions thither as the slowres or blossoms and place their words as leaues let them bring foorth their good workes as their fruites and in looking vp alwayes vnto heauen make thern selues worthie thereof and from thence looke for the growing and ripening of them And as yong plants in the hoatest time of sommer when as the yawning earth chappeth through drinesse looke for rayne from aboue to be refreshed euen so let vs also in the extremitie of our necessitie looke and call for the sweet milke of the grace of God to be deaw our lips and sustayne our selues Now to the end that we might obtaine this grace let vs lift vp our hearts hands vnto him bowe our knees and prostrate our selues before his face in cōfessing our sins beseeching him of mercy And let vs say vnto him It is true ô Lord that we haue sinned and do protest that we haue kindled thy wrath against vs and this is the iust occasion for which thou hast vnto this day made thy selfe inexorable vnto our prayers Samech But how inexorable Forsooth euen thus farre that when we haue thought to haue lifted vp our eyes vnto thee thy fury hath bleared them like thunder lightning Thou hast beaten and broken vs without all pitie or mercy All the world hath miserably forsaken vs we are like vnto the loppings and shreddings of trees and vnto the beesoms of an house which serue for none other purpose but to be cast into the fire To be short we haue bene thrust out amongst all the nations of the earth as a matter of opprobie and wrong Phe. Which of our enemies ô Lord is there that haue not had their mouths open to rayle against vs and looke which way soeuer we haue turned our selues we haue alwaves found that which we most eschued Our ruine and desolation lyeth wayting for vs like traps and snares set in the wayes where we might haue escaped and as one being in