O thou that hast the key of David, who
Open'st and shuttest so,

That none can shut or open after thee,
Vouchsafe thyself to be

Our soul's door-keeper, by thy blessed spirit:
The lock and key's thy mercy, not our merit.

Cleanse thou our sin-soiled souls from the dirt and

Of every noisome lust,

Brought in by the foul feet of our affections:
The besom of afflictions,

With the blessing of thy spirit added to it.
If thou be pleased to say it shall, will do it.

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Lord, ringing changes all our bells hath marr'd,
Jangled they have, and jarr'd

So long, they're out of tune, and out of frame,
They seem not now the same.

Put them in frame anew, and once begin
To tune them so, that they may chime all in.

Let all our sins be buried in thy grave
No longer rant and rave,

As they have done, to our eternal shame,
And the scandal of thy name.

Let's as door-keepers in thine house attend,
Rather than the throne of wickedness ascend.

XX. THE CLERK.

THE Church's Bible-Clerk attends
Her Utensils, and ends

Her Prayers with Amen;
Tunes Psalms, and to the Sacraments
Brings in the Elements,

And takes them out again;

Is humble minded, and industrious handed, Doth nothing of himself, but as commanded.

All that the vessels of the Lord
Do bear with one accord

Must study to be pure,

As they are if his holy eye

Do any spot espy,

He cannot it endure;

But most expecteth to be sanctified

In those come nearest him, and glorified.

Psalms then are always tuned best,
When there is most exprest

The holy Penman's heart:

All Music is but discord where

That wants, or doth not bear
The first and chiefest part.

Voices, without affections answerable,

When best, to God are most abominable.

Though in the blessed Sacraments
The outward Elements

Are but as husks and shells;

Yet he that knows the kernel's worth,

If even those send forth

Some Aromatic smells,

Will not esteem it waste, lest, Judas-like, Through Mary's side he Christ himself should strike.

Lord, without whom we cannot tell
How to speak or think, well,
Lend us thy helping hand,
That what we do may pleasing be,
Not to ourselves but thee,

And answer thy command:

So that, not we alone, but thou mayst say Amen to all our prayers, pray'd the right way.

XXI. THE OVERSEER OF THE POOR.

THE Church's Almoner takes care, that none
In their necessity
Shall unprovided be

Of maintenance, or employment; those alone,
Whom careless idleness,

Or riotous excess,

Condemns to needless want, he leaves to be
Chasten'd a while by their own poverty.

Thou gracious Lord, rich in thyself, dost give
To all men liberally,
Upbraiding none.

Is open upon all.

Thine eye

In thee we live,

We move, and have our being :

But there is more than seeing.

For the poor with thee: they are thy special charge; To them thou dost thine heart and hand enlarge.

Four sorts of poor there are, with whom thou deal'st, Though always differently,

With such indifferency,

That none hath reason to complain: thou heal'st All those whom thou dost wound :

If there be any found

Hurt by themselves, thou leavest them to endure The pain, till the pain render them fit for cure.

Some in the world are poor, but rich in faith:
Their outward poverty
A plentiful supply

Of inward comforts and contentments hath.

And their estate is blest,

In this above the rest,

It was thy choice, whilst thou on earth didst stay, And hadst not whereupon thy head to lay.

Some poor

in spirit in the world are rich,
Although not many such :

And no man needs to grutch

Their happiness, who to maintain that pitch,
Have an hard task in hand,
Nor easily can withstand

The strong temptations that attend on riches:
Mountains are more exposed to storms than ditches.

Some rich in the world are spiritually poor,.

And destitute of

grace,

Who may perchance have place

In the Church upon earth; but heaven's door Too narrow is to admit

Such camels in at it,

Till they sell all they have, that field to buy,
Wherein the true treasure doth hidden lie.

Some spiritually poor, and destitute

Of grace in the world are poor,
Begging from door to door,

Accursed both in God's and man's repute,
Till by their miseries

Tutor❜d they learn to prize

Hungering and thirsting after righteousness, Whilst they're on earth, their greatest happiness.

Lord, make me poor in spirit, and relieve

Me how thou wilt thyself,

No want of worldly pelf

Shall make me discontented, fret and grieve.
I know thine alms are best :

But, above all the rest,

Condemn me not unto the hell of riches,
Without thy grace to countercharm the witches.

XXII. THE CHURCH-WARDEN.

THE Church's guardian takes care to keep
Her buildings always in repair,

Unwilling that any decay should creep
On them, before he is aware,