Prison-Pietie or, Meditations Divine and Moral. Digested into Poetical Heads, On Mixt and Various Subjects. Whereunto is added A Panegyrick to The Right Reverend, and most Nobly descended, Henry, Lord Bishop of London. By Samuel Speed, Prisoner in Ludgate, London |
The Believer. |
Prison-Pietie | ||
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The Believer.
Happy is he that dothThe truth
Believe; for he it is
Shall kiss
The Son of Righteousness, shall surely come
By his believing, to believers home.
Let thy belief be true;
But few
There are that do make that
Their State.
Abraham left a Pattern good behinde him;
But few there are that seek him, less that finde him.
I do believe a Tree
Will be
Pleasantly green, when I
With eye
In Winter judge how leaveless then it stood;
But I confirm it when I see the Bud.
In Thomas 'twas a fault
To hault
In waving Faith, until
His will
Was satisfied; but 'twould a madness been
So to continue, having felt and seen.
Belief, it may indeed
Exceed
The strength of Reason, yet
Doth let
No opposition in: Faith likewise will suspence,
'Twill get above, but not against the Sense.
Whilst Faith assures I eat
My sweet
Redeemer, with direct
Effect,
Sense cannot so in ignorance allure me,
As that I eat not bread, but will assure me.
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Yet those things that I see I must believe.
Christians must guard their mouths, and watch their actions;
Be pure in heart, and keep their faiths from factions.
Prison-Pietie | ||