in sorrow weepe A man that liues in pleasures as his dayes Increase the dayes past ouer seeme a dreame Stil newer ioy more hope of ioy bewrayes And as he liues he liues still in extreame He wakes to sleepe and sleeps in hope to wake So here is all the pleasure he can take Is this a life O what a life is this To couet age which being come is hated Whose end is death which death the vtmost is Of eu'ry lease that in the graue is dated They that enioy what their owne hearts can craue Craue onely time which brings them to the graue And here they die and dying once die all Die al as they vnworthily haue liu'd No part of them suruiues but feeles the thral Of life in death and death of life depriu'd Thus then the promise of al the worlds desire Beares life to die then dies in life to tire Weary vnrest and restlesse wearie woe That leads to pleasures in their birth abortiue How much more better were it to forgoe A life so grieuous and a death so sportiue And rest the griefes so numberlesse and great In the sweet slumber of his bloody sweat When Pharaohs heart was hardned and deny'd Freedome to Israel the Lord to scourge Pharaohs ambition and detested pride Which mercy could not win nor mildnesse vrge Commanded Aaron when he toucht the flood Th' Aegyptian waters all were turnd to blood Water was turnd to blood but in this sweat Here blood is turnd to water as the first Betoken'd plagues for sins the last doth treat Redemption from those sins who were accursâ— The first his wrath the lass doth shew his loue His iustice this did that his mercy proue By blood offences in the written law Vnto the law of grace were reconciled By blood offences must redemption draw From blood which blood the Gospel now is stiled The law the blood of Goats and buls desired The Gospel hath the blood of Christ required A surety for his friend that is arrested Kept close in prison bound in yron chaines Is hungry cold and weary sicke and wrested To change of inward griefes and outward paines Deserues from him for whom he asseast If not a full reward yet thanks at least So he who in the absence of his friend Whom malice hath vpbraided with abuse Doth vndertake his quarrell to defend Clearing the imputation with excuse Fights and is wounded being wounded dyes May iustly claime the tribute of his eyes Iesus the sonne of God was at our suâ—e A rested and imprison'd in the frame Of flesh was fetter'd and of no repute Tyr'd with his griefes the by-word of defame All this he was and did yet to relieue him Wee scarce can in our hearts finde thankes to giue him Hee vndertooke our quarrell with the Deuill When we were all vnable to resist And in that quarrell to discharge our euill Was wounded to the death yet wee persist Too obstinate in malice and forbeare Vpon his bleeding wounds to shed one teare Wee see vpon his furrow-drowned face The print of sorrowes stampe yet not regard him Wee see his honour leuel'd with disgrace Yet with our only thankes will not â—eward him 'T is bad to sin sin 't is to be vngratefull Sin is abhorr'd vnthankfulnesse is hatefull Goe then Remembrance tell that Queene of Reason Fayre bride to Christ the Souâ—e her louer comes Deckt in his wedding robes and courts the season With choyce of pleasures and with many sinnes Of sure deserts inuites this wandring Queene To be as true as he to her hath beene Ladie quoth hee thy fortunes haue not won My heart to loue thy beauty cannot force mee To wanton dotage what my care hath done No time shall alter no repoâ—ts diuorce mee For to my chaster flames thy zeale gaue fuell And I will guard thee if thou be not cruell No dower from thy treasuries I craue No wanton dilâ—â—ance in a bed of lust Thy purenesse is the portion I would haue Artlesse simpliciue and steedy trust And if thou proue but constant to implore Vertue with goodnesse I will aske no more Heerâ— vowes the soule virginiâ—v and sweares Shee will bee only his and meanes to doe it Vntill distracted in her fleshly feares She shrinkes from her first troth when she comes to it And like a strumpet false she heere â—â—â—swore That plighted promise she had made before Simplicitie was woo'd by youthfull Iust And would not yeeld young Iust did fee old sinne Old sin assaults simplicitie whose trust Thus to make lesse she trimly doth beginne Faire daughter â—â—â—â—en time will come when thou Shalt change thy hue and be as I am now Vnhealthie old forsaken and despis'd I lead a life who was adored then Beautie amidst the â—roppe is only priz'd Faire soules in youth are chieâ—ly lik'd of men But when my time did court me I for-went it And lost my daies and now I doe repent it Daughter wilt thou alone liue vnpossest Of youths best ornaments and natures ioyes Wilt thou deny to be a mother blest In pretty daughters and more pretty boyes O no had not our mothers tooke their lot Wee had bene yet vnborne and vnbegot Heauen hath oâ— dained thee to be sweet on earth Both loue and youth do-homage to thine eyes And wilt thou curbe thy selfe of pleasures mirth By vainely striuing how to be precise She that hath fairenesse were as good haue none If foolishly she keepe it all for one Yet you forsooth young mistresse in the folly Of standing on some pleasure threatning text Dreame of some great renowne in being holly Reade this and that and that and what is next I know not what and euer vainly plod In hope to marry with the Sonne of God No doubt come yet I le tell a safer way If you will needs to that ambition clime Do it at last buâ—spend thy youth in play Reuell enioy the freedome of the time And when y' are old vnfit for sport bereauen Of youth and ioyes then you may think on heauen Tush daughter God respects thee in thine age As well as in thy prime and he will beare With flesh and blood then seeke not to ingage Best of delight before delights do weare And thou to God maist be my words are truth As welcome in thine age as in thy youth Wonne is the soule with this or rather lost Sins sweet temptation hath vndon the zone Of Maiden chastitye the feeld is lost Lust hath preuailde and Christ is left a lone For now the soule resolues that sports vnfold Law to the young repentance fits the old Yet thus that kinde good God will not giue ouer But once againe by parley doth attempt To court this perâ—uâ—'d dame and like a louer Scorn'd of his Lady from all hope exempt Pittyes the shipwracke of her taiuted name And yet by Manage would recure her fame I know quoth Christ I louethee els I would not Haueâ—â—â—â—nd vnto thee in a Sea
defend vs As he fore-thinks the means that must coÌ„mend vs. When Christ prepar'd himselfe to die and beare The wrath of God that we in him might liue The time of his sowre passion drawing neare In which he was his life for vs to giue Retird alone his father to intreat His agonies brought forth a bloody sweat So when vpon the crosse he had indur'd The bitter pangs of hell and breathd the last Confounding death that had his death procur'd When all the tide of cruell griefes was past A souldier with a speare did pierce his side When blood with water gushing was espide Water and blood what could it else intend Or wher-unto so likened could it be But to the bloody sweat his soule did send Before his death opprest in agonie That as the first before his death diminisht Death of the soule this in his death that finisht He di'd indeed not as an actor dies To die to day and liue againe to morrow In shew to please the audience or disguise The idle habit of inforced sorrow The Crosse his stage was and he plaid the part Of one that for his friend did pawne his heart His heart he pawnd and yet not for his friend For who was friend to him or who did loue him But to his deadly foe he did extend His dearest blood to them that did reproue him For such as tooke his life from him he gaue Such life as by his life they could not haue Great miracle of loue redemptions wonder Where he that should be su'd to sues to those Who would not sue to him but still kept vnder That better part which he in mercy chose Rare president of value which discouers How loue is scant where plenty is of louers If we but looke into the little home The home of our owne selues we may espie How many pyrates still make haste to come To wrecke our soules whom whiles we do defie We entertaine and freely but vnsought Make marchandize of what we neuer bought The pearle and the treasures which the Lord Did witnesse were of an vnualued price Iesus did purchase of his owne accord To free vs from our death deseruing vice And left vs for an heritage the gaine Of life immortall euer to remaine Hels gaping wombe which euery minute sunke Millions of soules and would not be content With streams of blood which greedily it drunke But still cryde more his mercy did preuent For he shut vp the lawes and did acquit The rau'nous gorge of that deuouring pit The euer empty swallow of the graue And bottomlesse confusion of the deepe His blood hath made in vaine and this doth saue From dangers such as dangers dayly keepe Deaths sting it hath rebated and vn-edg'd Such soules as were in sorrowes bondage pledg'd What should a sinner doe or whither flie To hide him from his shame that euer wakes Poore man lesse then a man who cannot die Nor cannot liue so much his Care mistakes And still he drawes destruction with his breath As t' is all one to suffer life or death Sad thoughts like burning furies still pursue him And seeke his life who them aliue doth cherrish Fond thoughts whose inward eyes nosooner view him But kill that Maister who once dead they perish His thoughts do tell his conscience of his thrall His conscience makes him thinke that he must fall What shall he crie to mountaines to conceale him Or shall he beg the seas to ouer-drench him The mountaines are remou'd and cannot heale him The Seas are dry and they cannot entrench him But euer as he hopes the light to shun In groping for the night he findes the sunne A Sonne whose glory doth disclose abroade The secrets of his hearts and layes all open Lines out the sundry paths that he hath trode Vnfolds the seuerall treasons he hath spoken The inside of his bosome is apparant And he hath none excuse to pleade his warrant What can he now resolue but to retire Vnto the sweat of Christ and cleft in mind Humbled in meeke astonishment desire Comfort in this his bloody Bath to find Which bloody sweat when euery helpe doth faile To cure the soule that onely doth auaile Pure distillations are but vaine receits Curious to draine but comfortlesse in tast Compounded Cordials are vnwise deceits Whose vertue doth but with the present last Christs body is the Limbecke that must yeeld Distilled blood our soules from death to shield If pleasures honors money gifts promotion Phisicke restoratiues repasted diet Ease cost delights cold heate prophane deuotion Drinkes purges obseruation courtly quiet Or one or all the soules spots could expell Great Kings had neuer ran so fast to hell The Princes of the Sodomites the chiefes Of Aegypt Achab Eserod and the rest Had neuer felt the terrours of their griefes If art could haue a remedy exprest But therefore di'd they cause they know no good To purge them in the streame of Christ his blood The womans painting Iesabel the whore Of th' Israelitish monarch could not hide Her sins from God but as her selfe was poore In virtue so she dy'd in naked pride O had she feâ—ne Christs bloody sweat contâ—iâ—'d In his Eliahs griefe she might haue liâ—'d But they whom worldly pleasures wrap in woe Esteemd this sweat a fancie or a fable Which one day they will find was nothing so When to recall againe they are not able And their this blood which hath procurda crowne Shal be a flood not to refresh but drowne What is a man but dust made vp in forme Fraile weake corrupted keeping tiâ—e in motion A ship at sea â—re-turnd with euery storme Eates sleeps and dies vnsetled in deuotion In health vnbridled in his yeares a span A sading bloome and such a thing is man Mans beautie but a frame made vp in snow Immixt with waxe which melts with euery Sun Euen so experience teacheth men to know How soone this worke of frailtie is vndone A winters frost or summers parching heate Doth soone this pictures ornament defeate Yet as a cunning fire-worke lighted glowes Spits and with hissing wonders dares the skies Till being wasted downe it fal and showes No more his matter spent it weakely dies And vanisheth to aire and smoke so men In health are strong but dying vanish then Man as a cunning fire-worke in his power Dares God and heauen and kicks against the Lord Till all his force be spent then in an hower Abates decaies fals of his owne accord Being indeed as nothing in dcspaire Of doing ill fumes into smoke and aire But here is not the end of all his ilsâ— His greater soules vexation is behindâ— A death which both the soule and body kils To which the miserable are confind And then too late they wish to coâ—â—e the heate Of flames and brimstone in Christs bloody sweate If one condemnd for some notorious fact Labour his pardon and doth surely thinke His life is safe
forgets his former act Doth reuell sweare prophane carouse and drinke Whiles thus his iolly time he doth apply One sayes that he within an howeâ— must die How cold that newes strikes to his heart his checks How soone they change their merriment and he With what submission pensiue humbly seekes For grace to alter that unâ—op't decree How would he promise beg protest oâ— giue All that he had or could procure to liue Such is the case who till the day draw neare Wherein we must 〈◊〉 â—p the rightâ— We hold of liuing do our soules appeare Slaues to disorder seruants to delight But when we are arrested to depart Then we can feele the dolours of our heart Yet Christ is not regarded who stood vp And in the last day of the feast cride out Hâ— come to me all ye who thirst and sup Riuers of life drinke freely round about And if there come a scarcitie of food My flesh shal be your bread your drinke my blood Dull eares who will not listen to this call Dull eyes who will not see this fount of ease Dull heart that will not shun temptations gall Dull soule that will not seeke this God to please Dul eares dul eyes dul heart dul soule whose strife Nor heares nor sees nor thinks nor seeks for life Life may be freed from euerlasting wrath Which is prepar'd for those which will not liue If they but aime to bathe them in the bath Of Christ his blood which he doth frankly giue To cleanse and wash away each leprous spot That vse of sinne doth feed as sinne begot Besieged man-kind when the foe assaults Of number-lesse temptations shrikes or feares Mew'd vp in care and yeeldeth to the faults Whom as a weighty burthen still he beares And ere hâ— loose the honour of the field Doth like a turne-coate to his weaknesse yeeld Where now is faith where is that courage now Which prouâ— mortalitie prefumes it hath Base seruile frailtie doth despairing bow To weare the fetters of consuning wrath So cowards boast in time of peace but flie When warres increase and vnremembred die Others there are who smooth the front of sin And maske his vgly fore-head with the coulour Of lust ingendred nouelties to win Grace to their arts by making art seeme fuller And they their foolish wits with pride to proue Will striue forsooth to make a God of loue They are the diuels secretaries right Whose rules haue drawne whole troopes of soules to hell That might haue else bene sau'd they day and night Toyle out their braines that mischiefe might excell They feele the whips whiles as they kisse the rod By making lust the diuell and the god Loue is no god as some of wicked times Led with the dreaming dotage of their folly Haue set him foorth in their lasciuious rimes Bewitch'd with errors and conceits vnholy It is raging blood affections blind Which boiles both in the body and the mind But such whose lawfull thoughts and honest heat Doth temperately moue with chast desires To choose an equall partner and beget Like comforts by alike inkindled fires Such find no doubt in vnion made so euen Sweet fruits of succors and on earth a heauen Such find the pastures of their soules and hearts Refreshed by the soft distilling dew Of Christs deare bloody sweate which still imparts Plenty of life and ioyes so surely trew As like a barren ground they drinke the pleasure Of that in estimable showre of treasure If euery word we write and speake or thought We thinke or deeds we do or hower we spend Shall one day to aâ—stâ—ict account be brought When shall be made a whole and finall end Then all in vaine we shall condemnd that wit Which hath in sinne or thought or spoke or writ Those Angels who as Porters guard the gate Of Gods eternall kingdome will controule All entrance there and curiously debate Questions of quarrel with the trembling soule And like some churlish officer at court Keepe backe the presse of all the worser fort Here now the soule is baffaild whiles they chide What are ye soules opprest but whither presse ye Into the court of God here to abide What sicke yes sicke whom seeke ye to dresse ye Christ our physition who hath sent ye to him Our faith what faith such faith as coms to wo him Woe him for what for life where are your seales Of pietie and truth lost O fooles Get hence our wounded care appeales To mercy promised in the sacred schooles To Iustice no to mercy we behaue vs Iustice condemns you yet will mercy saue vs. Haue you then bathd your sins in what in sweat What sweat his bloody sweat we haue not knowâ— it Ah haue you not no then you are to great In sins sins sins and those haue ouerthrowne it Hence soules away ye are too late deluded Thus are the wicked soules from heauen excluded Thus are the wicked soules from heauen excluded And torturd in the horror of their feares Heauens gate is shut when they would haue intruded And al because they were too slacke in teares Which are the ready tokens Christ hath lent His bloody sweate on earth to represent Neuer was teare from any heart let fall In true repentance but the Lord of grace Hath seene and botled vp and kept it all For such as must his sauing health embrace This is a rule in text for certaine giuen An eye still drie doth seldome come to heauen He who can gush out teares as t were a flood Of christall sorrows and a zeale vnfained Dâ—th purge his faults in Christ his sweat of blood And with his faults shal neuer more be stained Stars in their brightnes shall not shine so glorious Nor all the Kings on earth be so victorious T is not enough to reade the Bible ouer Here to fold downe a leafe and there to quote it Now to behold the Lord in blood then houer And range but freely in thy heart to note it For where the Word doth tel vs Christ did bleed And sweat there must our thoghtâ— both drink feed Did but a King before a publicke view Imbrace and kisse his subiect how would fame Speed such such a fauour how would people sue To grace their seruice by his onely name So here doth Christ a much more griefe impare And cryes to all My sonne giue me thy heart My sonne giue me thy heart and in exchange Take mine I both will kisse thee and embrace thee What heauenly words are in this voyce O strange See sinner how the God of loue doth grace thee My sonne giue me thy heart but giue me thine And I will sweat in blood to pawne thee mine God knocks then let vs open let not hell Barre out the King of mercie he intreates Let not the diuell distwade God comes to dwell With men let men him entertaine he sweates For vs let vs for him like dutie keepe He sweated blood let vs
of blood More testifie my loue thou know'st I could not Long haue I stroue to bring they soule to good And witnesse here this crimson sweat howe I O soule of man doe for thy whoredomes dye How often in my bosome did I sue To haue thee lodg'd how often did I call thee From strange imbracements from affections new Whose only surfeit did too soone inthrall thee And yet thou would'st not come till age bereftthee Then I must take thee when all els haue left thee When yeeres haue made thee all vnfit for action When lust hath suckt thy Marrow drye and those With whom thou hadst conspir'd in trothles faction Shall shun thy lewdnesse and deride thy woes To mee thou then wilt come and I must hide The knowne defects of thy declined prid Call but to minde what 't is to bee a whoore A whoore the worst of creatures trades her pleasures With all diseases liues till she be poore Sels all to buy damnation neuer measuresâ— Or shame or health but makes her bodies mart Her soules confusion such an one thou art And though perhaps temptation might perswade thee That euen the winter of thine age shall finde If thou repent mercie from him that made thee Bee not secure for thou shalt feele thy minde So farre deuided so currupâ—ly bent As then thou canst not if thou wouldst repent Redeeme the poore remainder of thy daies Deaden the life of thy lasciuious lust Take pittie on thy selfe forsake thy waies Of licorish bondage hate what is vniust Be trew to my desires when sin assaults And I le forget thy wrongs forgiue thy faults Did euer man speake thus was euer crcature In such a language courted when the heat Of wilfull madnesse wrought the soules defeature The God that should haue punisht doth intreat Hee in whose power it is to scourge the sinner With words of mildnesse doth assay to win her Reade in this morrall if it may be term'd so Christs loue the soules infection this is willing That wilfull and eschues to be confirm'd soâ— That from his loue she may behold distilling A sweat of blood as if his blood complaines To tell her of the horrors he sustaines Guilt reades a lecture of her foule misdeeds And bids her looke vpon this streame of red Layes to her view the speaking sweat that bleeds When she lyes gasping on her death full bed And then her conscience summon'd to the doome Of Iudgement hastes vnto her toombe When now O God she cries and haue Iliu'd Ah shall I liue no more Is grace and beautie Vanisht so soone of all respect depriu'd Must pompe and state renounce her wonted dutie Must my deuided soule contemn'd and lost Surrender vp my short appalled Ghâ—st Inconstant fate and wilt thou change thy course And leaue mee to the terrors of my dread Can gold prolong no life Must life by force Be shadowed with the ruines of the dead 'T is bad to die but oh I feele the curse Of my owne conscience doth accuse mee worse Oh had I twentie thousand mints of treasure Kingdoms to morgage worlds within my power I would giue all but for a litâ—le leasure A little little minute one small hower That I might sue for grace from grace cast downe But oh I see my anger God doth frowne Bee not O be not mou'd thou glorious sonne Time was when thou didst sue to mee I craue Thy bountie of thy bloodie sweat and runne With confident assurance to my graue Thou art my spouse I am thy bride â—steeme mee None but my Christ none did but he redeeme mee Heare I disclaime the follies of my will Heare I returne the sinnes my frailties gaue mee Heare I forsake my heart-inueigling ill Heare fly I to his oâ—lie blood did saue me Mercie O mercie I commend as euen My whordomes to the dust my soule to heauen Christ is appeas'd and where the soule is prest With sence of knowinge shee hath done amisse Asking for grace shee is with grace redrest Her case is pittied shee for giuen is But this so seldome hapneth and so rare Scant two such soules amongst amillion are Presumption leads the readie path to hell For whilst wee looke on mercie we forget The equallnes of Iustice and compell Our soules to runne into a greater debt That God is mercifull 't is true so must Our bouldnes eke remember hee is iust Ost hath bin seene a woman who hath lou'd Some constant friend who black mischance hath slain How looking on his wounds shee hath bin mou'd To rent her haire and faâ—allie complaine Cursing her birth and life refraining food Kissinge the silent murmur of his bloode Weeping vppon his bodie as if teares Could make the gaping windowes that let in Vngentell Death close vp and then inferres Wrech wreched villiane could not such lookes win Remorce in thy hard hart with manie words Which then against the butcher griefe affords Can this a woman doe And should the â—ule Behold her louer Christ slaine not lamenting Or should she entertaine a thought so foule As to gaze vpon his wounds without repenting Should wanton carnall loue so much deplore And shall not true religion doe much more A Soule which in the Gospell reads the Storie Of Christs most bloodie sweat and deadly wounds Cannot in rules of zeale but be most â—orie Whilst sorrow mingled with remorce confoundâ— Reason and sence that spectacle to pittie Whilst both sigh out this lamentable dittie And art thou dead and must mine eyes behold The Lord of glorie crucifi'd for mee And is he dead is his sweet bodie coldâ— Made earth with earth and doe I liue to â—â—e The great acquittance of my debt discharg'd Seal'd with his blood that I might be inlarg'd Vnhappie hand that gaue the fatall stroke Which wrought the subiect of my weeping eyes But most vnhappie mee who did prouoke With blushlesse sinnes the cause for which hee dies But I if it were possible would 〈◊〉 With kissing of his wounds fetch life againe Take heere â—he tribute of my mourning heart A poore weake widowed souls complaints remaining Fit earnest of my death desiring 〈◊〉 Smarting in death and dying in complaining As my offences did my Sauiour 〈◊〉 So with my sorrowes will I decâ—â—e his heaâ—â—e First I abiure all sin-contriuing thoughts Heere I renounce each sin-inuiting word Then eu'ry sin-effecting acte which dotes On flesh I will no more let Heauen record My fast indissoluble vowes I striue For Christ alone his votarie to liue His wounds shall be my cloyster heere immur'd I le sequester my solace from the liuing His drops of blood my beads with which secur'd I le score the prayers of my heart mis-giuing My waxen Taper whose cleere light applies Light to my blindnesse shall be his faire eyes My booke the Legend of his Storie Zeale The incense I will offer vp Contrition My penance the confession I reueale My guilt my Hope the comforts of
one accord They boast the glorie of their owne desert Damning the sâ—mpe and the poore in minde As serues their lusts Blinde guides to lead the blinde All those the Lord foresaw and gron'd in Spirit Sweated in blood was heauie to the death That so his precious passion blamelesse merit Should be abus'd that he had giu'n his breath His life his ghost his soule yet could not win Such wretched creatures from inchanting sin Inchanting sinne that with it's cunning charmes Luls men in death-full sleepes and slily makes Impostum'd vlcers of vnsenced harmes Rockes them in Lethargies and neuer wakes Reason to feele the bane-impotion'd wrath Which by such dead securitie it hath This was the cause that from our Sauiour drew A bloodie sweat so grieuous to be borne As did the eyes of cruell men but view How with this bloodie tempest he was worne Humane compassion could not choose but melt To thinke vpon the sorrowes which he felt No measure did his payned soule acquaint With case or respite no Arithmeticke Cast vp the summe of his vnheard complaint No heart conceiue the dolours that did pricke With fiery stings his manhood and appall His face with streames which burst in twain his gall For as a Riuer running in a round Hauing no vent or sluce to slide away Will make by force eruptions in the ground Drowne all the neighbour-land and neuer stay Till with a violent course and headlong rage It slacke his strength and of it selfe asswage Euen so the tide of many griefes abounding Sweld in the bosome of the Sonne of God Still growing to a head and still confounding His fraile mortalitie deepe horrors rod Till bursting foorth with might and furie great It drown'd his bodie in a bloodie sweat Who euer saw as often hath beene seene A shoure of blood but thought it did portend Some doome of Iudgement or some angry teene Of heauens-incensed King So heere the end Of this strange bloodie raine doth shew in briefe How shortly Christ was to be wrapt in griefe The pangs of death th'ntollerable paines Which wofull creatures were to vndergoe The man Christ Iesus in this sweat sustaines Consuming wrath and soule-deuouring woe He felt that he vs men might timely free From Gods vnchanging and diuine Decree Not that his death could abrogate the will Of his great Father for he aym'd not to it But that in death he wholly might fulfill The eternall Iustice as hee came to doe it Who as hee death from men for sin required Had in his Sons death more than death desired Yet neither did the Death or Bloodie sweat Of Christ extend to soules ordain'd to Hell But to the chosen and elect beget A double life although the Scriptures tell How this meeke Lambe of God did chiefly come To call the lost sheepe and the strayers home Looke how the blessed doe pertake the good Sweete pledge of bountie precious Seale of Ioyes Which issues from his Water and his Blood So both alike the Reprobate destroyes Gods mercies to the Righteous to his foes Are Iustice to augment their enlesse woes When Isack's seede fled from th' Egyptian force And through the Red Sea tooke the readie way The waters stood on heapes and slaid their course Both waues and windes the passage did obey And in those waters safely paston ground In which whiles Pharaoh follow'd he was drown'd Whereby as water sau'd the Lords Elect And led them through the terrors of the deepe So water to them of a deulish sect Prou'd sod ine death and neuer-waking sleepe Christs blooâ—ie sweat is that Red Sea whose power Secures the good and doth the bad deuoure The Cloude and fierie â—illeâ— that gaue lightâ— Vnto the children in the desert plainesâ— The one by day the other shin'd by night Guiding their iourneis comforting their paines Were to the Hoast of Egypt mistes obscure To blind their eyes and certaine death procure Which burning Pillar and which shining Cloud Is Christ vnto whose blood such are baptiz'd As by the Holy Spirit are allow'd When otherwise all such as are despis'd Are darkned in the comforts of their sight And loose the glorie of this holy light A greater ligh more holy and Diuine Surpâ—ssing all the splendour of the Sun Could neuer to the eyes of mortals shine Then this most sacred Blood which hath vndon And laid to publick view the Mount of Euill Which both was fram'd and colourd by the Deuill In after-times when in the winters cold Folkes vse to warme them by their nightly fires Such Parents as the time of life termes old Wasting the season as the night requires In stead of tales may to their children tell What to the Lord of glorie once befell Once may they say my childe a time there was When men were beasts so cruelly they liu'd As they did nights and dayes in pleasure passe Like some of Reason and of Sence depriu'd Not fearing God or louing man giu'n ore To Lust and Will as beasts could doe no more The naughtie Deuill slylie did intice By sensuall sports and pittilesse deceits Our weake fore-fathers to insnaring vice Masking his tyrannie with wanton baites And wee in them did euery thing he wil'd vs Till the foule feind my childe had almost kild vs. But straight when our good God almightie saw How neere vnto the Pit-hole wee were brought For being not obedient to his Law He forthwith of a remedie bethought And hee to saue vs from this wicked Feind His onely Sonne into the world did send A louely Sonne my childe a daintie boy Who had a cheeke as red as any cherie Sweete babie was his mothers only ioy And made her â—eauie heart full often merie Who though he were Gods Son yet like a stranger Hee in a Stable borne was in a Manger And poore God knowes he was my childe not fine Or like a gentleman in gay attyre But simple clothes hee had which was a signe How little to be proud hee did desire Yet if hee would haue sought for worldly grace Hee might haue gone in silke and golden lace When he was twelue yeeres old marke this my child Hee was a perfect Scholer and did pose Great learned clarkes and Doctors but so milde As hee would neuer chide but rather chose To teach then anger and one might perswade him To doe whats'uer any bodie bad him Thirtie good yeeres and odde this blessed man Liu'd on the earth in all which time he seem'd So comfortlesse with lookes so pale and wan As if he had not bin by men esteem'd Full many an hungry meale he made and lay Bare leg'd and bare-foote many a day Hee neuer laugh'd but he did euermore Weepe weepe continually and O my child Hee neuer did none harme he holpt the poore Cur'd tht diseas'd and such as were beguild With witches and with wicked things God blesse vs He droue them from vs when they would oppres vs. And hee made much of