A garden of graue and godlie flowers :: :: University of Virginia Library

O God which art, great, good, and gratious,
Most holy powerfull, and glorious,
We that are ashes of the Earth, and dust,
When we fall down before the feet, (we must,)
Of thy high Maiestie confesse, that we,
Are Sinners vile, borne, and conceiued be,
In sinne, and that, by Nature we, no lesse,
Are nor a lumpe of Vice and wickednes,
Whose Naturall and propertie, appears,
To grow in sinne, as we increase in yeares,
And in the works of wickednes, and wrong,
Waxes and growes, ay more, and more, more strong,
As does the body, and the minde, their strength,
And force receiue, through tract of time and length.

Thair is in vs, no good affection found,
No knowledge cleir, wholesome, sincere nor sound,
Nor manner how thy bidding to obey,
Nor how aplease thy maiestie we may,
Last Lord their byds, into our flesh, and blood,
Nothing that is, or can be called good,
And thought our state, accursed doth herein,
Yea wratched most, apeare: yet is, our sinne,
More sinfull much, and out of measure maid,
By the exceeding grace, thou Lord hes laid,
And offred vs, in the Evangell cleir,
Of thy vndoubted diuine Sonne most deir.
Wharby from profiting, so much, we ar,
That of our selfe, we should waxe, war and war.

For moir the light, of knowledge is made plaine,
We would alace, the blinder more remaine,
The more t'obey, thee we are taught, we would,
Be froward moir, moir stubberner, and bold,
Giue that by mightie power of thy spriet,
It were not fruitefull made and mollifeit,
And thought that this, corruption Naturall,
VVe haue to gidder, and in common All,
VVith Adams putrified, and rotten race,
That fell from God, through misbeleif alace,
Yet we confesse, in vs, it buds much moir,
Nor into vthers, it hes done befoir,
And so much moir, set forth, increst, and grew,
Though we mo waies, the same had to subdue.
And we we had, yea much more meanes to kill,
Than others had, this wickednes and ill.

Whair first of all, the offer gratious,
Of that great treasure of thy word to vs,
Does make vs faultie, into many parts,
Of th'Adamantine, hardnes of our hearts,
For passing vther Nations thou hes lent,
And trusted vs, that Iewell excellent.
And yet it hes, (with no small number bot,
A slender and, a small intreatment got,
And felt as great, resistance obstinate,
As at those gates it neuer knocked at.
For in this land, a Portion is (O Lord,)
That partly neu'r, wold yeild vnto thy word,
And partly when, they had confes'd the same
Defection made, and Apostates became,
So proudly as, it weare, stands at defence.
(Jn their conceits,) Lord with thine excelēce
The rest which makes, therof profession,
And seemes t'assent and giues thereto submission,
They doe it not, accordingly, bot skant,
Of zeale they are, in their profession fant,
For first thair, many of our people be,
Which through affection fond, to Papistrie,
So blinded are, miscarried and led,
That straying still, in ignorance they tred,
Yea of the Truth, it selfe thought faithfully,
The word is preached in aboundancie,
Yet in thy Seruice true, and knowledge they,
Are now more raw, and inexpert alway,
Nor they before, haue beene, be many fold,
When blindly thay, idolatriz'd of old.

And whair a kind, of knowledge is, the which,
To any of sufficiencie is such,
Yea requisite, as is and should euin,
Sufficient for th'Inheritors of heauin,
Jt is yet seene, for the most part, to be,
Conioynd in league, with such hypocrasie,
As makes Thee that, does searse, the secret raen,
Detest, abhor, more hate, them and disdaine,
Then if they had, in all their Errors ill,
And in dark ignorance continued still,
Now for that few, of vs and remanant,
Which truly still, (of grace participant,)
And faithfully in thee beleeued haith,
It is with such, infirmitie of faith,
And with so small correction of our
Forepast trespasses and behauiour,
That our profession, that notorious,
Should be of thy great Gospell glorious
Supported is, and borne, with so few stuites,
And so small shaw, of good, and godly fruites,
Whose dignit' and excellencie alon,
Requireth more than we can minde vpon.
So that this makes, our Enemies, and Foes,
Condemne vs, and some also are of those,
That are our owne, which doubtingly suspect,
Giue we, or no, be thine, and thy elect,

The cause of this, our state, we grant whairin,
We stand it is, the hudgenes of our sinne.
That beeing put, in trust, for to possesse,
This treasure of, infinite worthines.
Thy Gospell great, and be preferred thus,
Before our neighbours Christians with vs,

And yet in grait Obedience, to Thee,
Behinde them all, (we will confesse) are wee
In knowledge first, bot we are last in zeale,
In Doctrine far before them, bot we faill
To practise what, is preach'd, and ay we finde
In Discipline, we ever are behinde,
The bands aod holie zock Lord of thy Law,
Full heavilie we suffer, thoill, and draw:
Whereby our liues too vitious and vaine,
We should amend, correct, reforme, and straine
Our fond affections all, and everie thing,
In vs enorme, we should in bondage bring.
The Gospell that vnto vs did aduce,
Of honors and, of pleasures frier vse?
It welcome was, and we did it embrace
Bot that same Gospell that our wickednes
Reproved, and did threatten punishment,
We was there-with, no thing so well content.
It that did our Ambition rebuke,
We skarcelie heard, or lent thereto a looke:
And that thereof, that does most neerlie touch,
Salvation of, the Soule, we make of much.
Bot that againe, that doeth directlie more,
Seme to respect, O Lord, thy heavenlie glore;
And to the profite of our Neighbours all,
We make no compt, nor care for it, bot small.
And though the treasure of thy Word hes bene
A pretious gift, as like was never seene.
Th'assured signe of our Salvation,
Which to vs bairlie came not, nor alone,
Bot with aboundance, plentifull, and peace,
And permanent, so long, and large a space.

As surelie never this (litle thankfull Land)
Before in many passed ages fand:
Which benefits our neighbour Nations long,
Haue looked for, and wish'd (thir) them among.
This makes vs Lord, herefore accursedlie,
A great deall more, in fault and giltie be;
Because we haue still proven our selfs so plaine,
Vngratfull for those thy great gifts againe.
There is likwise, an other Ledder heir,
Whereon our sins they seme, and they appeir
To mount and clim more high, in that, that Wee
Surmount into, this lifs commoditie.
Our old Ancestours, that profest with vs,
Even this thy holie Gospell glorious:
And yet we are, yea everie day be day,
A great deale worse, and wickeder nor thay.
In blessings out-ward we be far aboue,
Our Nightbours yet, far les to Thee in loue,
And grants we falt, even in the grosse offence,
Of th'outward tokens of Obedience.