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(“Iesus met them, saying, All haile, etc.”)
OH how profound are all thy iudgments, Lord! | |
| How dost thou take my sorrowe to thy hart! | |
| How doth thy eyes such bleeding drops afford, | |
| To see my wounded loue and grieuous smart, | |
| That thy refusall late requited is | 5 |
| With such a grauut so free and full of blisse! | |
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| Oh milde phisition, how well didst thou know | |
| Thy corrasiue so sharp did grieue my wound, | |
| Which did by ignorance, not errour, growe, | |
| Therefore no sooner felt, but helpe was found; | 10 |
| Thy lenitiue applide did ease my paine, | |
| For though thou didst forbid, ’twas no restraine. | |
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| And now, to shew that thy deniall late, | |
| Was but a check to my vnsettled faith, | |
| And no reiecting of my fault with hate, | 15 |
| Thou let’st me wash thy feete in my teare-bath; | |
| I kisse them too, the seales of our redemption, | |
| My loue renew’d with endless consolation. | |
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| Thus hast thou, Lord, full finished my teares, | |
| Assured my hopes, contented my desires, | 20 |
| Repayd my loues, extirped quite my feares, | |
| Perfected ioyes with all that hart requires; | |
| And made the period of expiring griefes | |
| The preamble to euer-fresh reliefes. | |
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| How mercifull a Father art thou, Lord, | 25 |
| To poore forsaken orphans in distresse! | |
| How soft a Iudge, that iudegment doth afford | |
| With mildest grace to sinners comfortlesse! | |
| How sure a friend vnto a sincere louer, | |
| Whose pure and faithfull loue doth alter neuer! | 30 |
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| Tis true, good Lord, thou leauest none that loue thee, | |
| And such as trust in thee thou lou’st againe; | |
| Yea, they shall find that liberall thou wilt be | |
| Aboue desert, and bountifull remaine | |
| Beyond all hope: thy gifts bestow’d we see, | 35 |
| Not by our merits, but by thy mercy. | |
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| Oh Christian soule, take Mary for thy mirrhor; | |
| And if thou wilt the like effects obtaine, | |
| Then follow her in like affection’s feruour, | |
| And so with her like mercy shalt thou gaine: | 40 |
| Learne, sinfull man, of this one sinfull woman, | |
| That sinners may find Christ which sin abandon; | |
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| That loue recouereth him whom sin did lose; | |
| That firm beliefe recalleth that againe, | |
| Which fainting faith did quite forsake to chose; | 45 |
| That what nor force nor fauour can afford, 1 | |
| Nor pollicie by mortall means bring in, | |
| Continued teares of constant loue can win. | |
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| Learne thou of her for Christ no force to feare, | |
| And out of Christ no comfort to desire; | 50 |
| With Christ his loue all loue, though ne’re so deere, | |
| To ouer-rule, to quench fond fancie’s fire: | |
| Rise early, soule, in thy goode motion’s morne; | |
| Sleepe not in sloth, when dilligence may performe. | |
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| Runne with repentance to thy sinfull hart, | 55 |
| Which should the temple vndefil’d haue been; | |
| But though thy fault deserues no better part, | |
| Then be the tombe for Christ to bury in; | |
| For wanting life to tast this heauenly bread, | |
| He seem’d to thee as if he had been dead. | 60 |
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| Remoue the leads that presse thee downe in sin; | |
| The stone of former hardnes roule away: | |
| Looke to thy soule, if Christ be lodg’d therein; | |
| And if thou find that there he doe not stay, | |
| Then weepe without: in other creatures mind him, | 65 |
| Sith, had in all, in any thou maist find him. | |
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| Make faith thine eye, hope guide, and loue thy light; | |
| Seeke him, not his; for himselfe, not his meeds; | |
| If faith haue found him in a cloudy night, | |
| Let hope seeke for him when the day-spring breeds: | 70 |
| If hope to see him haue thee luckly led, | |
| Let loue seeke further in him to be fed. | |
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| To moue thee in a hot desire to finde, | |
| His goods are pretious; and when he is found, | |
| To seeke him still thy good desire to binde, | 75 |
| His treasures infinit doe still abound: | |
| Seeke him alone, he is thy soule’s pure health; | |
| Seeke him, he is thy hart’s contented wealth; | |
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| Seeke him alone, and nothing els beside; | |
| Though at the first not found, persist in teares; | 80 |
| Stand on the earth, suppressing sinne and pride; | |
| Preuent each vice which in this world appeares: | |
| Eschuing it, thou maist auoid that fall, | |
| Which, following it, thou canst not shun at all. | |
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| To looke thee better in the tombe, bow downe | 85 |
| Thy stubborn necke to beare humility; | |
| And stooping from each proud and lofty frowne, | |
| With lowly looks obtaine sweete clemency: | |
| An humble soule that sincks in selfe-contempt, | |
| Soone winneth heauen, and hell doth best preuent. | 90 |
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| If he vouchsafe thee with his glorious sight, | |
| Offering himselfe vnto thy inward eyes, | |
| Presume not of thyselfe to know his light, | |
| But as vnworthy still, thyselfe despise; | |
| Prostrate thyselfe all lowly at his feete, | 95 |
| That he to know him right will make thee meete. | |
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| And being thus with dilligence prepared, | |
| Going with speede, standing with hopes lift hie; | |
| Humbling thy hart, thy haughty will impaired, | |
| If thou with Mary none but Christ would see; | 100 |
| Himselfe will to thy teares an answeare giue, | |
| And his owne words assure thee he doth liue: | |
| That sweetly hee vnto thee being showne, | |
| To others thou maist runne, and make him knowne. | |
