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| BUT 1 wilt thou know what is the sinne of sinnes? | |
| It is contempt of God’s most holy worde. | |
| For that cast off, idolatrie beginnes; | |
| False god then sought, God draweth out his sword. | |
| His sword? yea, all his plagues therewith are sent, | 5 |
| When on false gods the mindes of his are bent. | |
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| Alas! how then can we escape his hand? | |
| Haue not all sortes his holy worde off cast? | |
| Not so; for then nought els but plagues in land, | |
| And it to ly both desolate and wast. | 10 |
| Wast? nay, worse: for Ohim therein then should dwel; | |
| Yea, Zim and Iem, instead of men to tell. | |
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| For wilt thou see, for this what God once wrought | |
| On his owne seate, Ierusalem of fame? | |
| In dust she lyeth, by Babel first so brought; | 15 |
| Once built againe; yet Rome hath spoylde the same. | |
| Too greeuous were her harmes all to be tolde; | |
| She lyeth in dust, that glittered so with golde. | |
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| Euen shee, whose beautie shone so cleare and bryght, | |
| That all the world Perfection did her call; | 20 |
| Yea, shee, the ioy of all that were vpright; | |
| None such there was, nor neuer like there shall: | |
| Yet downe she is, and neuer shall be buylt: | |
| Thou mayest so see in God’s booke, if thou wylt. | |
| |
| And so Aholah, sister hers lykewyse, | 25 |
| Before her long with Asshur’s rod was whypt, | |
| For that new goddes amongst them did aryse, | |
| God’s worde cast off, and Omrie’s lawes well kept: | |
| From Ahab’s house their manners still they sought, | |
| Wherefore to dust their glorious crowne was brought. | 30 |
| |
| And so in dayes of Iudges, long before, | |
| The Lorde his solde to spoylers round about; | |
| Because their goddes they dayly did adore, | |
| And praysed them, whom God had bid thrust out; | |
| But quite forgot the Lord, who did redeeme | 35 |
| Their neckes from thrall: him did they not esteeme. | |
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| And hath not this of vs yet taken holde? | |
| Not full, I hope: for though great store there be, | |
| Who make them gods of wealth and wedge of gold, | |
| Of lustes of flesh, and pleasures of the eye; | 40 |
| All those who loue their wealth or pleasure more | |
| Then they do God, to them gods they are sure: | |
| |
| But yet this sinne on all hath not layde holde; | |
| For though on some, yet many more there bee | |
| Who neuer sought to gods yet made of mould, | 45 |
| Or sunne or starres; for such ne heare nor see: | |
| To one they call, who can their sute well heare, | |
| And doth to them by worde and workes appeare. | |
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| To God alone we seeke in hope to finde, | |
| By meanes of Christ, eternall Sonne of his, | 50 |
| Who did our sinnes and foes to tree fast binde, | |
| When he on earth God’s statutes none did mis: | |
| Yet death he tooke, the wages due for sinne, | |
| And so by death spoyld him that death brought in: | |
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| Who after death all glorie was to haue, | 55 |
| Which earst he had with God before all time, | |
| And there doth sit, in shape of man, to craue | |
| The lyke for all that are of him, true vine. | |
| Wherefore by him our prayers we present, | |
| Which are to God a sweet and pleasing scent. | 60 |
| |
| We maruell much what foolysh doults do meane, | |
| To fall to blockes, or call to saincts on hie; | |
| Since none on earth or heauen yet doth raigne, | |
| But God alone, who can our thoughtes espie: | |
| For Abram knoweth vs not, doth Esai say, | 65 |
| And Iacob wanteth eares to heare vs pray. | |
| |
| That virgin pure most blessed was in deede, | |
| In whose small wombe the Lord of lyfe did dwell; | |
| Yet for to know, what time we stand in neede, | |
| She hath no skill, the scripture playne doth tell: | 70 |
| For God alone our prayers all doth heare; | |
| Wherefore to him by Christ we still draw neare. | |
| |
| We holde them fooles, that labour so in vayne | |
| To call on Paul, or Peter, or on Pope: | |
| For had they eies, Sainct Iohn hath told them playne, | 75 |
| That who now sinnes, Christ now must be his hope: | |
| For he now only Mediator is, | |
| Cause Aron’s trade our sinnes could not dismis. | |
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| We haue God’s word to teach vs fayth and feare; | |
| We learne by it all secrets meete to know. | 80 |
| No writ of man to vs yet is so deare, | |
| Or like esteem’d, God’s councels vs to shew: | |
| We are most sure that God by it must gayne | |
| Such wanderyng soules as must with Christ here raine. | |
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| We haue the sacraments in perfect sort, | 85 |
| As Christ himselfe at first did them ordayne. | |
| Our foes are false who giue vs this report, | |
| That we holde not that Christ doth there remayne. | |
| But how? Not really, as they do teach, | |
| But there by fayth, as learned heere do preach. | 90 |
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| Yf this be true, that all God’s trueth we holde, | |
| What neede we then of Spayne to be afrayde? | |
| For God, I say, hath neuer yet such solde | |
| To sworde of foe; but still hath sent them ayde. | |
| The trueth we haue, yet therein walke not wee; | 95 |
| Wherefore ofttimes God hisseth for a bee. | |
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| Indeede? then must we all looke for the same; | |
| For few there be that will of God do seeke; | |
| But all degrees contemne his holy name: | |
| Few, rich or poore, one saboth true do keepe: | 100 |
| And all are bent their owne willes to obey, | |
| But wille of God we seeke it no one day. | |
| |
| For whereas we should spend our lyues and time | |
| In God’s owne booke, his will to see therein; | |
| Great store there be, that neuer sought one lyne | 105 |
| To write in hart, that so they might know him: | |
| And so, God’s will of vs not being knowne, | |
| He castes vs off, to follow wayes our owne. | |
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| O Englande, then consider well thy state; | |
| Oft read God’s worde, and let it beare chiefe sway | 110 |
| Within thy hart: or els thou canst not scape | |
| The wrath of God; for he will surely pay. | |
| Yea, diuers rods the Lorde of hostes doth vse, | |
| To chasten such as do his worde refuse. * * * * * * | |
| Remember then thy former loue and zeale, | 115 |
| Which thou to God and to his worde didst beare, | |
| And let them now agayne with thee preuale: | |
| And so no force of forrayne shalt thou feare. | |
| None shall then moue thy candlesticke from thee, | |
| Yf thou from it a lyght wilt take to see. | 120 |
