English

W H en I excogitate the great Good turnes
thou hast done for me, ├┤ extreamest Good!
With heate of Zeale, my seathing Marrow burnes;
and flames of feruent Loue doe boile my bloud!

Especially, for that when thou had'st form'd
my Soule and body , I deforming each
Thou, with thine own diere wrack hast me reform'd
and, with thy precious bloud becam'st my Leach.

Thou mightst, for e'er, haue banish'd me thy sight,

L E st Thankelesnesse should close thy Bounties hand,
(which it alone (kind Lord) hath pow'r to do)
And sith thou giuest what thou dost command,
if we but stretch our Good wils hand thereto:

Kinde lib rall Lord, giue me an able will
to thanke thee for thy gifts ; that by one gift
I may be gratefull for another still;
which is of Willing-want the onely shift.

I thanke thee then, not onely for my Being ,

From out the Soule of my most happy Soule,
I praise thee, mighty Maker of this All ,
For that when I was nothing (faire nor foule)
thou mad'st me of thy Creatures Capitall!

For, to thine Image didst thou fashion me
giuing my Soule Intelligence and Will .
That so, at least, she might b'in loue with thee ,
sith all things loue their like, by Nature , still

Thou mightst haue made me some detested Worme;

Thou Eld of Dayes , teach me my dayes to count,
(deare Lord) mine End , learn me mine end to know;
That of the same I may yeeld iust account,
These secrets (Lord) to me, in secret, show.
To thinke of long life, is, in death, to liue:
To think of Death's long life, which Death doth giue

My Time is in thy hands; then It display,
That I may know It , so to vse It well:
A thousand yeeres, with thee, is scarse a day:
But they are more with me then Time can tell:

Who art thou Lord? thou Lord whose magnitude
admits no Name! and what, or who am I
That dare but thinke of such an Altitude ,
farre past the reach of highest Angels Eye?

What am I but a Sacke of sickenesses ,
Immodestic itselfe; Dust, Clay, Durt, Dung:
Slyine, Food for Wormes , lesse, slymie Carkesses
with filth , much more vncleanly mixt among!

Meere gall of bitternesse , true Heyre of Hell ,

With wounded Spirit I salute thy Wounds ,
O all-bewounding Sacrifice for Sinne!
For, my Soules health from thy Hearts hurt redounds,
Because thou dyedst to liue my Heart within.

With what loue shall I quite such wondrous Loue ,
That comes from such vnheard-of Clemencie?
Who art thou , and who am I , that can moue
Heau'ns God t'immure himselfe in misery?

That thou whose Glory, Glory itselfe admires,

If we for fading Gifts are euer bound
To loue our Friends (for Gifts still loue do breed)
And if the Fire doe more, or lesse abound,
According as the Fuell It doth feed:

Then ├┤! how great a Flame of endlesse loue
Should (├┤ deare Lord) still feede vpon mine All
Sith past all measure I thy bounties proue:
And feed'st this Fire with Vnction-spirituall!

If the whole frame of Nature; nay, sweet Lord,

Mine heau'nly Head giue me, thy Member, grace
Thee to desire; desiring thee to seeke;
Seeking, to finde; finding to loue thy face:
And, louing, lothe what is thee most vnlike.

To my Heart, Faith: to mine Eyes flouds of teares;
To my Soule, griefe , to that griefe, ioy of Spirit:
To my Faith, Hope; to my Hope, Loue and Feare ,
And, vnto all, giue all direction right.

O Loue essentiall! increated Loue!

In the vexation of an bumbled Spirit ,
Deuoured in the depth of wretched State:
With feare and trembling I approch thy sight,
As one deare Lord, as poore, as desolate!

Neare to thy mercies flouds , myselfe I set,
Vpon the Banckes of thy rich Graces streames;
That my dry Soule may so therewith be wet
Before the Sunne of Iustice scorching Beames .

Lo, I a masse of rude vnformed Clay ,

Soule-searching Lord , and sole selfe-searching God,
Let my poore Soule thy unknowne sweetnesse know
Thy staying Staffe , & sin-correcting Rod
On me, on me (sweet Loue ) in loue bestow.

Strength of my weaknes, my great weaknes strength,
guide thou my Goings stay my stumbling feete:
My stumbling feet establish ( Lord ) at length,
in pathes that are as pure, as sure and sweet.

Eye on mine Eye, let my dimme Eye behold thee,