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I. IF 1 in a three-square glasse, as thick as cleare, | |
| (Being but dark earth, though made diaphanall) | |
| Beauties diuine, that rauish, seme appeare, | |
| Making the soule with ioy in trance to fall; | |
| What then, my soule, shalt thou in heau’n behold, | 5 |
| In that cleare mirror of the TRINITY? | |
| What though it were not that it could be told? | |
| For ’tis a glorious yet dark mistery! | |
| It is that which is furthest from description, | |
| Whose beaming beauty’s more then infinite: | 10 |
| It’s glorie’s monument, whose superscription | |
| Is, Here lies Light, alone indefinite: | |
| Then, O light limitlesse, let me, poore me, | |
| Still liue obscure, so I may still see thee. | |
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II. WERE manne’s thoughts to be measured by daies, | 15 |
| Ten thousand thoughts ten thousand daies should haue, | |
| Which in a day the mynd doth daily raise; | |
| For still the mind’s in motion like a waue: | |
| Or should his daies be measured by thought, | |
| Then times shortst moment they would faster flee: | 20 |
| Yet thought doth make his life both long and nought— | |
| That’s nought if longe, and longe if nought it bee! | |
| If longe it bee, for being nought, though short, | |
| The shortest thought of longe life is too longe, | |
| Which thinkes it longe in laboure, short in sport; | 25 |
| So thought makes life to be still old, or yonge: | |
| But sith its full of thought, sith full of synnes, | |
| Think it may ende, as thought of it beginnes. | |
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III. WHILES in my soule I feel the soft warme hand | |
| Of grace, to thaw the frozen dregs of sin, | 30 |
| She, angell arm’d, on Eden’s walls doth stand, | |
| To keep out outward ioyes that would come in. | |
| But when that holy hand is tane away, | |
| And that my soule congealeth, as before, | |
| She outward comfort seeks with care each way, | 35 |
| And runs to meet them at each sence’s door. | |
| Yet they but at the first sight only please; | |
| They shrink, or breed abhorr’d satiety. | |
| But diuine comforts, far vnlike to these, | |
| Do please the more, the more they stay and be. | 40 |
| Then outward ioyes I inwardly detest, | |
| Sith they stay not, or stay but in vnrest. | |
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IV. TRUE loue is Charity begun to be, | |
| Which is when Loue beginneth to be true; | |
| But to the high’st growes louing Charity, | 45 |
| When she the High’st alone doth loue to view. | |
| O Charity! that euermore doost flame | |
| In that dread Maiestie’s eternall brest, | |
| When by thy heate shall my loue lose hir name, | |
| And made to flame, like thee, in restlesse rest? | 50 |
| Well-featured flesh too base a subiect is | |
| For sour’raign loue’s diuine ay blest imbrace: | |
| The loue of flesh loues nought but flesh; but this | |
| Loues nought that sauors of a thing so base. | |
| Then be the priest, and as an host I’le dy, | 55 |
| Offerd to heau’n in flames of Charity. | |
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V. THE OFTER sinne, the more griefe, shewes a saint; | |
| The ofter sinne, the less griefe, notes a fiend: | |
| But oft with griefe to sinne the soule doth taint; | |
| And oft to sinne with ioy the soule doth rend. | 60 |
| To sinne on hope is sinne most full of feare; | |
| To sinne of malice is the diuel’s sinne: | |
| One is that Christ may greater burden beare, | |
| The other, that his death might still beginne. | |
| To sinne of frailtie is a sinne but weake; | 65 |
| To sinne in strength the stronger makes the blame: | |
| The first the reed Christ bare hath powre to breake, | |
| The last his thornie crowne can scarce vnframe: | |
| But, finally, to sinne malitiously, | |
| Reed, crowne, nor crosse, hath power to crucifie. | 70 |
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VI. A RIGHTEOUS man still feareth all his deeds, | |
| Lest done for feare or in hypocrisie: | |
| Hypocrisie, as with the corne doe weeds, | |
| Still growes vp with faith, hope, and charitie. | |
| But it bewraies they are no hypocrites, | 75 |
| That most of all hypocrisie doe feare: | |
| For who are worst of all in their owne sights, | |
| In God’s deere sight doe best of all appeare. | |
| To feare that we nor loue nor feare aright | |
| Is no lesse perfect feare, than rightest loue: | 80 |
| And to suspect our steps in greatest light | |
| Doth argue, God our hearts and steps doth moue: | |
| But right to run, and feare no whit at all, | |
| Presageth we are neere a fearefull fall. | |
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VII. IN th’ act of sinne the guilt of conscience | 85 |
| Doth spoile our sport, sith our soules fainting bleed; | |
| For that worme feeds vpon our inward sense | |
| More than sinne’s manna outward sense doth feed: | |
| But he on whom God’s glorious face doth shine, | |
| The more his griefes, the more his ioyes abound; | 90 |
| For who are drunke with diuine pleasures’ wine | |
| Can feele no torments which the senses wound. | |
| Then ’tis a torment nere to be tormented | |
| In vertue’s cause, nor for sinne’s fowle default: | |
| And no worse tempting, than nere to be tempted; | 95 |
| For we must peace attaine by sinne’s assault. | |
| Then blessed is the crosse that brings the crowne, | |
| And glorious is the shame that gaines renowne. | |
