O LORD, how long wilt thou forget
To send mee some reliefe?
For euer wilt thou hide thy face,
And so increase my griefe?
How long shall I, with waxed heart,
Seeke councell in my sprite?
How long shall my malicious foes
Triumph, and me despite?
O Lord, my God, heare my complaint,
Vttered with wofull breath;
Lighten mine eies; defend my life,
That I sleep not in death:
Least that mine enemie say, I haue
Against him, loe, preuayled:
At my downefall they will reioyce,
That thus haue me assayl'd.
But in thy mercie, Lord, I trust,
For that shall mee defend:
My hart doth ioy to see the help
Which thou to mee wilt send.
Vnto the Lord, therefore, I sing,
And doe lift vp my voyce;
And for his goodnesse shew'd to mee
I will alway reioyce.
CARE FOR THY SOULE.
CARE for thy soule as thing of greatest price, Made to the end to tast of powre deuine, Deuoide of guilt, abhorring sinne and vice, Apt by God's grace to vertue to incline:
Care for it so, as by thy retchless traine
It not be brought to tast eternall paine.
Care for thy corps, but chiefly for soule's sake;
Cut off excesse; susteining food is best;
To vanquish pride, but comely clothing take;
Seeke after skill; deepe ignorance detest:
Care so, I say, the flesh to feed and cloth,
That thou harme not thy soule and bodie both.
Care for the world to do thy bodie right;
Racke not thy wit to winne by wicked waies;
Seeke not to oppresse the weake by wrongfull
might;
To pay thy dew do banish all delayes:
Care to dispend according to thy store,
And in like sort be mindfull of the poore.
Care for thy soule, as for thy chiefest stay;
Care for thy bodie, for the soule's auaile;
Care for the world, for bodie's help alway;
Care, yet but so as vertue may preuaile :
Care in such sort that thou be sure of this,
Care keep thee not from heauen and heauenly
blisse.
How do I vse my paper, ink, and pen,
And call my wits to counsel what to say!
Such memories were made for mortall men-
I speak of saintes, whose names cannot decaye:
An angel's trump were fitter for to sound
Their glorious death, if such on earth were found.
That store of such were once on earth pursu'd,
The histories of auncient times record,
Whose constancie great tirants' rage subdued, Through patient death professing Christ their Lord:
As his apostles perfect witnesse bere,
With many more that blessed martirs were:
Whose patience rare and most couragious minde,
With fame renoun'd, perpetuall shall endure;
By whose examples we may rightly finde
Of holie life and death a patterne pure.
That we, therefore, their vertues may embrace,
Pray we to Christ to guide vs with his grace.
Declaring the uncertaintie of our earthly honor, the certaine account that we must all make of death; and therefore that we should make ourselues ready at all times, because we are ignorant of our latter howre.
WHAT state so sure but time subvarts?
What pleasure that is voide of paine?
What cheereful change of former smarts
But turnes straitwaie to greefe againe?
What credite may a man repose
Vppon so fraile a clod of clay,
Which as to-day in sollace goes,
To-morrow is brought to earthly bay?
Thinke, O man!
How thy glasse is daily sette to runne,
And how thy life shall passe when it is doone:
Thy graue hath then thy glory wun,
And all thy pompe in cinders laide full lowe.
Take example
By the fragrant flower in the feeld,
Which as to-day in brauery is beheld,
The parching sun hath ouer-quel'd.
O wretched man! euen thou thyselfe art so.
How then?
How canst thou bragge, or canst thou boast, How that thou maiest
Enjoy thy life untill to-morrow day?
That death subdues the strength of kings,
Of high and lowe,
Of rich and poore;
And all as one he dooth call awaie.
Put on your black aray; for needes you must away
Unto your house of clay:
Prepare your conscience gay against the dreadfull day,
That you may be
Christ's chosen flocke and sheepe,
Whom he will safely keepe,
Whether you doo wake or sleepe:
Then shall the hellish foe
Away in terror goe,
This joy to see.
Remember this, amidst your blisse,
That Christ hath redeemed vs by his blood. Then let vs kill our affections so ill,
To be elected in his seruants' good.
Then shall we be sure for aye to endure
On God's right hand among the pure;
When as the ill against their will
The endlesse paine shall passe untill.
God graunt us feruent constancie
To auoide so great extremitie,
That by his grace continuallie
We may purchase heauen's felicitie !
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