T Affurance.
Spitefull bitter thought!
Mitterly fpitefull thought! Couldst thou invent
So high a torture? Is fuch poyfon bought?
Doubtleffe,but in the way of punishment,
When wit contrives to meet with thee,
No fuch rank poyfon can there be,
Thou faid'ft but even now,
That all was not fo fair as I conceiv'd,
Betwixt my God and me; that I allow
And coyn large hopes; but, that I was deceiv'd s
Either the league was broke,or neare it 3
And, that I had great cause to fear it.
And what to this ? what more
Could poyfon,if it had a tongue, expreffe ?
What is thy aim? wouldst thou unlock the doore
To cold defpairs and gnawing penfiveneffe?
Wouldft thou raife devils? I fee, I know,
I writ thy purpose long ago.
But I will to my Father,
Who heard thee fay it. Omoft gracious Lord,
If all the hope and comfort that I gather,
Were from my self, I had not half a word,
Not half a letter to oppose
What is objected by my foes.
But thou art my defert:
And in this league, which now my foes invade,
Thou art not onely to perform thy part,
But also mine; as when the league was made,
Thou didst at once thy felf endite,
And hold my hand, while I did write.
Wherefore if thou canst fail,
Then can thy truth and I: but while rocks ftand,
And rivers ftirre,thou canst not shrink or quail :
Yea, when both rocks and all things fhall disband,
Then fhalt thou be my rock and towre,
And make their ruine praise thy power.
Now foolish thought go on,
Spin out thy threed, and make thereof a coat
To hide thy fhame: for thou hast cast a bone
Which bounds on thee,and will not down thy throat,
What for it felf love once began,
Now love and truth will end in man.
Ome,my Way,my Truth, my Life :
Such a Way,as gives us breath:
Such a Truth, as ends all ftrife:
Such a Life,as killeth death,
Come,my Light, my Feaft,my Strength:
Such a Light,as fhows a feast:
Such a Feast, as mends in length:
Such a Strength,as makes his guest.
Come,my Joy, my Love, my Heart:
Such a Joy,as none can move :
Such a Love,as none can part:
Such a Heart, as joyes in love.
¶ Clasping of hands.
Ord,thou art mine,and I am thine,
Lif mine I am : and thine much more,
Then I or ought, or can be mine.
Yet to be thine,doth mereftore;
So that again I now am mine,
And with advantage mine the more:
Since this being mine, brings with it thine,
And thou with me doft thee restore.
If I without thee would be mine,
I neither fhould be mine nor thine.
Lord, I am thine,and thou art mine:
So mine thou art, that fomething more
I may prefume thee mine then thine.
For thou didst fuffer to reflore
Not thee, but me, and to be mine:
And with advantage mine the more,
Since thou in death waft none of thine,
Yet then as mine didft me reftore.
O be mine ftill! ftill make me thine :
Or rather make no Thine and Mine.
Ord, I will mean and speak thy praife,
My bufie heart fhall fpinne it all my dayes:
And when it ftops for want of ftore,
Then will I wring it with a figh or grone,
That thou mayft yet have more.
G 4
When thou doft favour any action,
It runnes, it flies :
All things concurre to give it a perfection.
That which had but two legs before,
When thou doft bleffe, hath twelve: one wheel doth
Totwenty then, or more.
But when thou doft on bufineffe blow
It hangs, it clogs :
Not all the teams of Albion in a row
Can hale or draw it out of doore.
Legs are but ftumps, and Pharaohs wheels but logs,
And ruggling binders more.
Thousands of things do thee employ
In ruling all
This fpacious globe: Angels muft have their joy,
Devils their rod, the fea his fhore,
The winds their fint: and yet when I did call,
Thou heardft my call, and more.
I have not loft one fingle tear:
But when mine eyes
Did weep to heav'n, they found a bottle there
(As we have boxes for the poore)
Ready to take them in; yet of a fize
That would contain much more.
But after thou hadst flipt a drop
From thy right eye,
(Which there did hang like ftreamers neare the top
Of fome fair church, to fhow the fore
And bloudy battel which thou once didst trie)
The glaffe was full and more.
Wherefore I fing. Yet fince my heart,
Though prefs'd, runnes thin;
O that I might fome other hearts convert,
And to take up at use good store;
That to thy chefts there might be coming in
Both all my praife,and more!
¶ Jofephs coat.
Ounded I fing, tormented I endite,
WV Thrown down I fall into a bed, and reft
Sorrow hath chang'd its note: fuch is his will,
Who changeth all things as him pleafeth beft.
For well he knows,if but one grief and smart
Among my many had his full career,
Sure it would carry with it ev'n my heart,
And both would runne untill they found a beer
To fetch the bodie; both being due to grief.
But he hath spoil'd the race,and giv'n to anguish
One of Joyes coats,ticing it with relief
To linger in me,and together languish.
I live to fhew his power, who once did bring
My joyes to weep, and now my griefs to fing.
The Pulley..
WHen God at firft made Min,,
Having a glaffe of bleffings ftanding by;
Let us (faid he) poure on him all we can
Let the worlds riches, which difperfed lie,
Contra&t into a fpan.
G.S
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