Three Decads of Divine Meditations Whereof each one containeth three parts. 1. A History. 2. An Allegory. 3. A Prayer. With a commendation of the private Countrey life. By Alexander Rosse |
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| I. | THE FIRST DECAD. |
| II. |
| III. |
 | Three Decads of Divine Meditations |  |
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THE FIRST DECAD.
I. The Riuer of Paradise.
This Garden was refresh'dwith that sweet Riuer,
Which out of Eden sprang,
and which did seuer
His Azure channell in foure christall streames
Which haue from diuers Authors, diuers names.
This Garden is the Church of Christ, and Hee
The Riuer is, which watereth euery tree
Full of spirituall waters, full of graces,
And doth diuide these streames into all places.
From two maine springs this riuer doth proceed
As God from God, as man from womans seed.
O Well of Life, pure Riuer, water mee
With grace, that I may proue a fruitfull tree.
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II. Christ and Adam compared.
The Woman out of Adams side was formed:So was the Church out of Christs sid reformed
Adam did loose a ribbe, but Christ his blood
Hee in a Garden, Christ on a Crosse of wood.
They both were cast vnto a heauy traunce,
Mans side was op'ned, so Christs, but with a Lance.
The Church did cause Christs bitter death & Passion,
As Eua was the cause of mans transgression,
But by a tree man from his honour fell,
Christ by a tree hath daunted death and hell.
My soule Lord is thy wife, for thou did'st take her
Out of thy side, then doe not now forsake her,
Flesh of thy flesh shee is, bone of thy bone,
Thou art her Husband, leaue her not alone.
III. Noahs Doue.
Noah , the doue out of the Arke let fly,To see if that the waters still were high.
But shee could finde no resting for her feete,
Because the earth was yet with waters weate:
With weary wings shee flutters in the aire.
Then to the Arke againe makes her repaire.
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Out of the Arke of Heauen; this is the Doue
That brought the oliue branch, the signe of Peace
And caus'd the waters of Gods wrath to cease.
O Lord my soule like Noahs weary Doue,
Can finde no rest, but in thine Arke aboue:
Thē since she loathes the world, whē thou thinks best
Stretch out thine hand, & take hir to thy rest.
IIII. Noahs Drunkennesse.
After the Floud, Noah was greeu'd and sorry,To see the earth spoyld of her former glory:
He plants a vineyard, and with wine refresh'd,
His heart which was with so much greefe oppress'd
But being drunk he fell a sleepe, the Cham
Vncouer'd in the Tent his Fathers shame,
Noah perceiued that he was made naked:
And cursed Cham as soone as he awaked.
But blessed Sem and Iapheth who did hide,
His shame, which Cham tooke pleasure to deride
When sin had spoyl'd the world, God sent his Son
To plant vnto himselfe a Church, which done,
He dranke the red wine of his Fathers wrath,
Then sleep'd, & on the crosse gaue vp his breath,
The Iewes, his wicked Sons, did laugh and scorne,
To see his body naked, wounded, torne:
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Came straight to Pilat when it was nigh night,
And beg'd his corps: and as it was most meete,
Wash't it, and wrapt it in a linnen Sheete.
But when he did awake, he blessed those,
That honour'd him, and cursed all his foes,
This bitter Cup, Lord, could not passe from thee,
But thou wast forc'd to drinke it vp for mee.
Iniquity like water is drunke vp,
And Kings are drunke with Babels poys'ned Cup.
The Church is drunke with gall and wormewood
& thou hast made proud Rome to drinke her blood
But now Lord bring her, vnto thy Wine seller
Stay her with Flagons, and with new wine fill her:
Giue her of thy best graces a good measure,
And let Rome drinke the dreggs of thy displeasure
V. Isaac offered vp.
Abram vpon the Mount with his owne hands,Must kill his only Son, so God commands:
Isaac did carry wood, the fire is made,
The Child is bound, and on the Altar laid.
Abram pulls out the kniffe and lifts his arme,
To giue the blow, yet Isaac had no harme:
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And by Gods voice, the blow was intercepted.
In stead of Isaac, Abram kills a Ram,
Caught in a bush, but knew not whence it came.
Iesus, Gods onely Sonne, vpon a Hill,
Must suffer death, such was his Fathers will.
He bore the crosse, as Isaac bore the wood,
And did bedew this Altar with his blood,
As God he could not die, as man he suffred,
This is the Ram, which was for Isaac offred.
The Ram was slaine and burned in the fire,
So Christ as man was scorched with Gods Ire.
The same God that from death did Isaac saue,
Did also raise Christ Iesus from the graue.
o' thou whose sacred head with thorns was croun'd
As Abrams Ram amongst the thornes was found:
My heart is barren as the briar or thorne,
Make her of thy good seed bring forth good corne
Lord bind my sins, and on thine Altar lay them,
Pull out thy sword, and in thy mercy slay them.
Make me to offer them with like affection,
As Abram did his Sonne by thy direction.
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VI. Rebeccas Twins.
Rebeccas Twins no sooner were aliue,But in her wombe they did begin to striue.
And whē her time was come that she should bear
Her Twins, the one was redd, and full of haire.
This came out first, and afterward the other,
Who by the heele, held fast his elder brother.
The one was cunning, greedy, fierce and wilde,
The other simple, honest, plaine, and milde.
This was a Shepheard, and dwelt in a Cottage,
And bought the Birthright for a messe of pottage.
Esau seru'd Iacob: for the Edomits,
We know, seru'd David and the Israelits.
The Iews our Elder Brethren were Elected
Before vs, yet they are to vs subiected.
As in Rebeccas wombe so still there are;
Strifes in the Church of Christ, and ciuill warre.
Between rough Esau and his younger Brother,
Strugling within the belly of their Mother.
I meane the Sonnes of God and Satans brood,
These alwayes hunt and persecute the good.
But yet at last, Gods children shall subdue them,
And Christ out of his blessed mouth wil spue them
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So in my heart are twins which always vexe her.
The flesh and spirit are conceiu'd in me,
Though they be twins yet they cannot agree.
The flesh like Esau, is the elder brother,
But yet the Spirit doth best please his mother.
The flesh is rough & red, and hunts for pleasure,
And romes abroad, and's cunning aboue measure.
The mild and simple Spirit is content
To liue here in this world, as in a Tent.
O Lord command the Flesh to serue the Spirit,
Grant him the Birth-right that he may inherit
Thy blessing; lo, he brings thee sauoury meat,
The sins which he hath kill'd: then rise and eat.
Command him to draw nere to thee, & kisse him
And in the name and cloathes of Iesu, blesse him.
VII. Iacobs Ladder.
As Iacob trauel'd towards Haran Towne,He stay'd one night at Luz, and there lay down,
Heauens starry curtain ouer him was spred
His pillow was a Stone, the Earth his bed.
He slept, and thought he saw a Ladder there,
Reaching from earth to heauen in the ayre.
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And God stood on the top himselfe aboue.
Iacob awoake out of his sleepe, and sayd,
How fearefull is this place; and was a frayd,
This can be nothing els (quoth he) but euen,
The very house of God, and gate of Heauen.
He did anoynt the stone on which he lay,
And call'd it Bethel, then he went his way.
Christ is this Ladder, who hath ioyn'd in one,
The Earth and Heauen by his passion.
His foote is on the Earth, in Heauen his head,
Hee's God and man, Emanuell indeed.
As God he is from Heauen without a Mother,
As Man he is of Earth, our elder Brother.
By him from God, Angels to vs descends,
By him to God, Prayers from vs ascends.
He is like wise the Churches corner stone,
It is on him, on whome we rest alone.
O sweet Redeemer of my soule I pray,
Seeing thou art the truth, the Life, the way.
Lead me to Bethel, to that sacred place,
Where I may sleepe all night and see thy face.
Thou art the God of consolation,
Then comfort me in my tentation.
And when the night of death shall ouer take me,
When all my friends and neighbours shall forsake me
Be thou with me, Lord leaue me not alone,
But let me sleepe with Iacob on the stone.
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VIII. Jacobs Wrestling.
When Iacobs people ouer the brooke were gone,He wrestled with a Man that night alone.
And did preuaile, and when it was neere day,
He would not let the Angell goe a way.
Till he had blest him first, which instantly
He did, and touch'd the hallow of his thigh.
And then he named Iacob, Israel,
And Iacob named that place Peniel.
The Sonnes of Iacob in this latter age,
Against the Sonne of God did storme and rage.
They Wrestled with him, and they did preuaile,
And to the Crosse his blessed Corps did naile.
But the third Morning after he was Slaine,
They let him goe, for then he Rose againe.
He blessed Iacobs Sonnes that fear'd his name,
But such as would not, he did wound and lame.
These wrestle with him still, and still they halt.
O Iew, yeeld to thy Lord, confesse thy fault.
Sticke not, so closely to the Lawes dead Letter:
Beleeue the Gospell, for that is much better.
My Soule like Iacob is afraid of Esau,
I meane the Flesh, then comfort her sweet Iesu.
For now she is alone, now it is night:
Shee trauells homeward, let her see thy light,
Thou wrestles with her still, by feares and cares;
And she againe doth wrestle with thee by prayers.
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Pray to thy Father, that it may not faile.
Weaken her carnall lusts, and make them lame,
Blesse her before thou goe, then change her name.
Marke how she holds, and will not let thee goe,
Vntill thou giue her strength against her foe.
Lord make thy Church a Peniel, or place
Wherein my soule may see thee face to face.
IX. The fiery Bush.
Moses vpon Mount Horeb saw a flameWhich burn'd the Bush, but not consum'd the same.
To which when he drew neere to see the wonder,
From thence he heard the voice of God to thunder.
Moses put off thy shooes, and hide thy face,
I am the Lord, this is a holy place.
He troubled at the splendor of Gods presence,
Straight hid his face, and did him reuerence.
The Church is like this Bush: fire may annoy her
The Crosse I meane, but it can not destroy her.
For why? God dwels in her, hee's her defence,
She needes not then to feare fires violence.
O Lord be thou my helpe and sure protection,
Make me to cast off euery foule affection.
Make me to walke in feare as in thy sight,
And in the midd'st of darkenesse be my light,
When thou with fire shall trie me, I presume,
Although I burne, yet I shall not consume.
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X. The Cloude and firy Pillar.
Fvll forty yeares in feare and pensiuenesse,The people wandred in the Wildernesse,
Vntill they came vnto the holy Land,
Which God did giue them, by his mighty hand;
And all the while, because they knew no way,
Fire was their guide by night, a Cloud by day.
Christ Iesus is a shadowie Cloud to those
That loues him, but a fire vnto his foes.
He is to all the Children of the day
A Cloude to coole and guide them in their way;
Betweene them and the Sun, their great Creator,
He is a Hedge, a Cloude, a Mediator;
But to the Sonnes of darkenesse there's a fire,
And will like chaffe consume them in his ire.
This Cloude was not begot of Sun or showres,
Neither was Christs conception like ours:
But he was formed of the Holy Ghost,
As this Cloud was by God, to guide the Host.
O thou who on Mount Sin in clowdes descended,
And on Mount Oliue in a clowde ascended:
Who rides vpon the Clowdes as in a Waine,
And in the Clowdes will come to vs againe.
Be thou my Clowde, my shelter, and defence,
Against Gods wrath, and Satans violence.
And to that heauenly Canaan be my guide,
Where I with thee for euer may abide.
| Three Decads of Divine Meditations | |