Selected quad for the lemma: love_n
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A19155
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The penitent publican his confession of mouth. Contrition of heart. Vnfained repentance. An feruent prayer vnto God, for mercie and forgiuenesse.
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Collins, Thomas, fl. 1610-1615.
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1610
(1610)
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STC 5566; ESTC S116067
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19,881
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53
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more worthie and more worth then golde Then gold of Ophyr or the Onix stone Thou whom the Lord delighteth to behold Thou that like to Eliahs fierie Throne Conuey'st to heauen Thou blest and powerfull one Plead thou my cause and oh my sute nere cease Vntill from GOD thou getst me full release Of all my sinnes and of the punishment Which for the same I ought to vndergoe And for m' assurance and my soules content Oh get me thou his Seale of grace to show That for what 's past I doe him nothing owe But loue and thanks which till my dying day My hart and soule shall neuer cease to pay As from the hand Diomedes did wound A dulcid humor daintilie distilled So from the heart where sinne did once abound Prickt by Repentance wherewith sinne is killed Sweet motions issue by Gods grace instilled Which like as Arons oyntment did descend Vnto each member straight-wayes do extend Teaching the tongue what words it ought to vse Teaching the eies what things they ought to viewe Teaching the eares what sounds they should refuse Teaching the hands what things they should eschewe Teaching the feete the perfit pathes and true That leade to life Thus like a King the hart Doth rule direct and order euery part Blessed are those that walke not sinners way Nor take delight to sit in scorners chaire But cursed I not once but euerie day Vnto those odious places did repaire For oh to me they seem'd exceeding faire Gainefull and good But now I see right well Hee that retires not shall arriue in hell Didst thou not loue vs Lord exceedinglie Thou wouldest not haue giuen thy lawes vnto vs Nor bid thy Prophets in our eares to crie What mightie fauours thou didst meane to doe vs Much lesse haue sent thy blessed Sonne to wooe vs. Which breake thy lawes thy Prophets doe mis vse And Christ thy Sonne each day and houre abuse Yet doth hee pray for vs his enemies And at thy right hand Intercession make That thou wouldst pardon our iniquities Euen for his death and painfull Passions sake Oh blest be hee that did such pittie take On sinfull soules that hee himselfe would giue To die for vs that wee with him might liue Great was that loue great was that mercie Lord And farre more great then euer man expected Vntill thy selfe did blaze that blessed word That though thou hadst mankinde for sinne reiected Yet thou in mercie hadst a meanes selected Whereby againe we should restored bee And be adopted sonnes and heires to thee Mine eyes haue seene that sweete saluation Though fully yet I haue not him imbraced But now that Christ that consolation Shall in my heart for euermore be placed That so my sinnes like cloudes by Phoebus chased May vanish hence And I with Simeon say Lord now in peace let mee depart away Thou that art more then most delitious Thou that for sweetnes doest all sweets exceed Thou whom the Angells hold most precious Thou vpon whom the soules of men doe feed Thou that most pure and perfit art indeed Thou word of Truth by which all things were made Thou which shalt stand when heauen and earth shall fade Be thou to mee a Lanthorne and a Light Be thou my Rocke and Castle of defence Be thou my sword against foule sinne to fight That I may put the diuell from his pretence And by thy power expell him quite from hence That so my selfe poore Byrd insnarde may say The Net is broke and I escap'd away Ti 's mercy Lord for which I thus implore thee Ti 's onely mercy that I humbly craue Because thy lawe saith if I come before thee Except thy goodnes which no end can haue Send mercy forth my sin-sicke soule to saue I shall by iustice be condemned to die A liuing death that lasts eternally Like to a mastlesse shippe vpon the Sea Tost too and fro by force of forward windes That euery houre lookes to be cast away Yet lo at length she happie harbour findes Such is my soule when sin so beats and blindes So toyles and turmoyles that hell seemes to haue her Yet faith steps forth and saith Gods grace will saue her And by that grace I boldned am to beg And in submissiue manner Lord to pray thee Thy grace may breake that Cockatrices egge Which serpent breeding sin that would betray mee Hath in my pathes on purpose laid to slay mee If I come neer 't as by defect of nature I cannot shun that soule-consuming creature Vnles thy grace which all-sufficient is Vouchsafe to lead me in the waies of truth Which hitherto haue alwaies gone amis Led by my folly and fantasticke youth Of which repentance onely now ensuthe For that 's the fruit of 't if we looke into it And happie's he that hath the grace to do it For looke how spices when th' are pounded small Doe in our nostrills smell more excellent Then those that neuer broken were at all Euen so a sinner when his heart is rent With the remembrance of his life fore-spent His prayers are more pleasing vnto God Then their 's that ne're were beaten with his rod. For whom he loueth them he doth correct And thereby brings them to obey his will But as for them whom he doth not respect He lets them follow their owne fancie still And headlong runne into all kinde of ill As I did Lord till thou did'st ope mine eyes And let my soule see her infirmities Great is thy goodnes I must needs confesse To giue me grace that grace-lesse euer was To see and waile my sin and wickednes Which blessed deed hadst thou not brought to passe My soule and body both of them alas Should haue bin damned in the pit of hell Which by thy grace now hope in heauen to dwell For now I le breake off sin by righteousnes I l'e o'recome lust by vsing chastitie By abstinence I 'le punish greedines And foule intemperance by sobrietie Euict iniustice by integritie Euill affections and vngodly motions I 'le purge by prayer and hearts pure deuotions I 'le banish plasphemie by blessed words By patience I my anger will o'rethrowe Boundlesse desire by what content affords Base Auarice by bountie I 'le bring lowe By zeale I will hypocrisie o'reflowe Fraude and deceit good dealing shall expell And where vice did there now shall vertue dwell By following truth my errors I 'le subdue By deeds of mercy I 'le kill crueltie I 'le plant sweet pittie where oppression grewe I 'le put out pride and place humilitie By doing right I 'le beat downe iniurie Distrust by confidence harted by loue And thus by good I will my euills remoue Each night with Dauid I will wash my bed With trickly teares distilling from mine eyes Each day with Daniell by Gods spirit led I 'le kneele and pray in spight of enemies Both day and night with Iob in humble wise My soule shall fast that teares fasts prayers may Appease Gods wrath and wash my sins away I
THE PENITENT PVBLICAN HIS CONFESSION OF MOVTH Contrition of heart Vnfained Repentance And feruent Prayer vnto God for Mercie and forgiuenesse AT LONDON Printed for Arthur Iohnson dwelling in Paules Churchyard at the signe of the white Horse neere the great North doore of Paules Church 1620. TO THE RIGHT HONOVRABLE GRAVE VERtuous and Religious Lady the Lady Katherine Hastings Countesse of Huntington T. C. wisheth health and happines in this life and in the life to come Eternall felicitie IT may seeme somewhat strange vnto your Ladiship that I should thus presume to publish this my poore Penitent Publican vnder your Honorable protection yet in regard of your Ladiships Integritie of heart vnto God manifested by your most vertuous life and zealous loue vnto true Religion I am animated to aduenture him in the worlds view being shadowed vnder the shield of your sacred vertues which like the bright beames of Phoebus may Illustrate and giue a long life to this my illiterate litle-worth labour which wanting your fauorable reflection might without regard For Madame I am not ignorant that Enuie attends vpon all good attempts Ismael will scoffe and mocke at Isaack euen in Abrahams house and Shemy will reuile Dauid to his teeth and therefore the godlie in these dayes may well say with holy Iob my soule is cut off though I liue Iob the 10. and 1. verse The righteous as the prophet speaketh are most despised for let Elisha goe vp to Bethel and euen the little children will call him Bald-pate and so he that labours to liue vprightly and to keepe the true path he is accounted precise and called a Puritan the consideration whereof makes manie men that would be feruent to be fearefull and like Peter to follow a far off and rather to denie him that died for vs then to the face of his enemies affirme that we knowe him such is the times impietie and our infirmitie that we are easily intreated to retire from any godly action or good intention And with Demas quickly drawne to abandon God and imbrace the world yea euen this vild vaine world which many excellent wise and worthy men haue most fitly compared vnto a sea of glasse of the which S. Iohn speakes Reuelat. the 4. and the 6. verse for it is both so slipperie and so vncertaine so full of troubles tempestious waues one wallowing vpon the necke of another that it is high time for vs to say with the Disciples Maister saue vs or else we perish Mathew 8. and the 25. verse for so small is our faith that we soone faint especially in Gods affaires Yet wee seeme vnto men as though wee were both so constant and so confident in God that we might say with Iob Though he kill mee yet will I trust in him Iob. the 13. and the 14. verse But alas if we do behold but a litle persecution lay hand vpon our profession for feare of the one wee are readie to flie from the other Forgetting the charge that Saint Paul giues vnto Timothie Fight the good fight of Faith and lay holde of Eternall life Timot. the 6. and the 12. verse Wee are not onely cold in loue but also carelesse in Religion For like the readie yet recanting sonne some say they wil come into Christs congregation but come not others say they wil not come yet they do but it is at the end of the day before they will drawe neere And long doth Wisedome crie in the streetes before she can call them together to goe to the Tabernacle and returne to the Lord who by his Prophet Ezekiell makes this proclamation Ezek. the 18. and the 23. verse Haue I any desire saith hee that the wicked should die or shall hee not liue if hee returne from his owne wayes And againe in the 31. verse of the same chapter he saith Cast away your trangressions wherewith you haue transgressed and make you a new heart and anew spirit for why will yee die oh yee house of Israel Nay more hee promiseth by the same Prophet in the 34. and the 16. verse I will seeke that which was lost and bring againe that which was driuen away and builde vp that which was broken and will strengthen the weake wherby we may see that the Lord would haue none to be lost but with the penitent Publican to confesse our sinnes and to reforme our selues and according to the counsell of Saint Peter in his 2. chap. and 1. verse laying aside all maliciousnes all guile and dissimulation all Enuie and euill speaking as new borne babes let vs desire the sincere milke of the word that wee may growe thereby from vertue to vertue and from grace to grace vntill we be come perfit men in CHRIST IESVS which wee can neuer be vnlesse with the Penitent Publican we doe truely humble our selues before the Almighty and vnfainedly craue mercie and remission The which that we may the more be animated vnto I haue here though but in a homely habit set him to be a patterne of true penitence to all such persons as haue any desire to imitate him in prayer and repentance by whose example if any be incited as I hope there shall to confesse their sinnes and craue pardon for the same let them first giue glorie vnto God by whose holy aide I did indite it and then thankes vnto your Honour vnder whose protection I haue presumed to publish it that it may thereby as with a buckler be defended from the venemous tongues of the Enuious And thus with my most humble and hartie praiers vnto the Almightie for your Ladiships long life and prosperitie I ende this 6. of Iulie 1610. Your Honors most humblie deuoted Thomas Collins To the Reader whosoeuer MVch to insert and make too long a matter As an Apologie for my Publican Were as on fire-lesse Fuell to cast water And shewe my selfe a sence-besotted man Then as it is accept it or reiect it For cringing Complements I list not vse I know the wise and vertuous will affect it The rest I care not though they it refuse Pebbles are fitter then rich Pearles for swine For both alike th'eyle trample in the mire The Gordian knot is easier to vntwine Then bring bad men good matters to desire But you deuout ones of diuiner spirit Doe you my labour with my loue inherit Yours euer most vnfainedlie T. C. THE PENITENT PVBLICAN ON bended knees and with a broken heart Eyes cast on earth hands beating of my brest I come to act a penitentiall part Before th' almightie who is pleased best With sinfull soules when they are thus addrest In whose dread presence caitiffe that I am Prepared thus till now I neuer came Knees euer bow and standing beare no more Eyes euer weepe and nere be drie againe Hands beat my brest and make it euer sore Heart neuer cease but sigh and sob amaine Tongue euer pray and for my sinnes complaine Till teares blowes sighs sobbs prayers and complaints