For Christ hath paid the price of sinne,
With mercie and good will.
By his good will he flesh became
For sinfull fleshe's sake;
By his good will disdained not.
Most shamefull death to take.
By his good will his blood was spilt,
His bodie all-to rent;
By his good will to saue vs all
He therewith was content.
By his good will death hath no power
Our sinfull soules to kill;
For Christ hath paid the price of sinne
With mercie and good will.
Since Christ so dearelie loued vs,
Let us from sinne refraine;
For Christ desireth nothing els
In lieu of all his paine:
And that we should each other loue,
As he vs loou'd before;
So shall his loue abide in vs,
And dwell for euermore.
Let then our loue so dwell in him,
Our wicked lusts to kill:
For Christ hath paid the price of sinne
With mercie and good will.
THESE heares of age are messengers,
Which bidde me fast, repent, and pray:
They be of death the harbingers,
That dooth prepare and dresse the way.
Wherefore I ioie that you may see
Upon my head such heares to be.
They be the lines that lead the length,
How farre my race is for to runne:
They say my youth is fled with strength,
And how olde age is weake begunne.
The which I feele, and you may see
Upon my head such lines to be.
They be the stringes of sober sound,
Whose musicke is harmonicall:
Their tunes declare a time from ground
I came, and how thereto I shall.
Wherefore I ioie that you may see
Upon my head such stringes to be.
God graunt to those that white heares haue
No worse them take then I haue ment:
That after they be layde in graue,
Their soules may ioie their lives well spent.
God graunt likewise, that you may see
Upon your head such heares to be.
GOD'S COVENANT WITH NOAH.
To Noah and his sonnes with him
God spake, and thus sayd he:-
A cou'nant set I vp with you
And your posterity;
And with eche liuing creature els
That from the flood was free,
Both foule and beast and cattel all,
And what so ere it be,
Upon the earth that was with them,
And from the arke did passe,
According eu'ry lyuing thinge,
As then my pleasure was.
This is the cou'naunt that I make,
From henceforth neuermore
Whill I agayne the worlde destroye
With water, as before.
And of my cou'naunt this shall be
The sygne and token sure,
Twene me and you and all the world
For euer to indure.
My bowe in cloud I haue there set,
That when a clowde shall falle,
This bowe therein shall then be seene
Of liuing creatures all.
And I wil not vnmyndful be
Of this my cou'naunt past
Twixt me and you and euery flesh,
Whyles that the worlde shall last;
But stil will thinke vpon the same,
And loke vpon the bowe,
The token, signe, and seale most sure
Of couenaunt that I showe.
THIS BOOKE TO THE READER.
PERUSE with pacience, I ee praye,
My symple style, and metre base;
The works of God with wisdome waye,
The force of loue, the strength of grace.
Loue caused God his grace to giue
To such as shoulde for hym be slayne:
Grace wrougt in theym, while thei did liue,
For loue to loue their Christ agayne.
Now grace is of such strength and might,
That nothing may the same withstande:
Grace putteth death and hell to flight,
And guydes vs to the lyuing lande.
The force of loue also is suche,
That feare and payne it doeth expell:
Loue thynketh nothing ouermuche;
Loue doth all earthly thynges excell.
Thus loue and grace of God began
To worke in them to dooe hys wyll:
These, vertue's force, wrought loue in man,
That feare was past theyr bloude to spill.
WHEN worthy Wattes with constant crie
Continued in the flamyng fier;
When Simson, Hawkes, and Jhon Ardite,
Did tast the tyrante's raging yre;
When Chamberlaine was put to death,
We wisht for our Elizabeth.
When blessed Butter and Osmande
With force of fyre to death were brent;
When Shitterdun, Sir Franke, and Blande,
And Humfrey Middleton of Kent;
When Minge in Maistone toke his death,
We wisht, etc.
When Bradford, beautified with blisse, When yong Jhon Least in Smithfield died; When they like brethren both did kisse, And in the fyre were truely tried;
When teares were shed for Bradford's death, We wysht, etc.
When Dirick Harman lost his lyfe;
When Launder in their fume they fried;
When they sent Euerson from stryfe,
With moody mindes and puffed pride;
When Wade at Dartford died the death,
We wisht, etc.
When Richard Hooke, limlesse and lame,
At Chichester did beare the crosse;
When humble Hall for Christe's name
Ensued the same with worldly losse ;
When Jone Polley was brent to death,
We wysht, etc.
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