Songs of Sion :: :: University of Virginia Library

Songs of Sion

Set for the ioy of gods deere ones, vvho sitt here by the brookes of this vvorlds Babel, & vveepe vvhen they thinke on Hierusalem vvhich is on highe. By W. L. [i.e. William Loe]

Loe, William

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[dedication]

[section]

An hymne or song. Of seauen straines, or strings set to the tone of seaven sobs, and sighes of a seaven times seauen sad soule for sinne

Seauen dumpes

To him that made these Hymnes.

To him that made these hymns

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Seauen dumpes

On the seauen words that Christ spake on the crosse which shevve the seauen depthes of the lavves curse, vvhich our lord did feele for our sinnes.

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And is set to the tune of I lift mine hart to thee. Psal. XXV.

To his much esteemed good frend Mr. GEORGE FRANKLYN on of the Assistants of the most vvorthy companie of marchants-Adventurers residing at Hamb: Grace here, Glory hereafter in Christ.

The vevve

1

O god my soule lift vp,
& stretch mine hart in tvvaine
That it may feele, & faile, & die
For life is in this paine.

2

My poore hart is so full,
& fraught vvith thought of thee
That its nighe rent to see thy loue
So much, so maine for me

3

O take thy crosse, and nailes,
And straine my hart at length
That thy deare loue may not be pent,
But shevve my soule thy strength

4

And novve my thoughts are free
Thy loue to vevve in sight
My hart doth pant for that noe more
It feeles here of thy might

5

O fill my hart once more,
And stretch, & straine it still
That I may lothe, & loue no more
My sinne that brought this ill.

6

But I vvant space in hart,
And grace in all my life,
To end my smart in sight of this,
And sinnes that are so rife.

7

But since my hart o god
Holds not a sight of thee
O doe thou lord hold fast my hart
And shevve thy loue to me.

The first Dumpe.

On the first word.

Father forgiue them for they knovve not vvhat they doe. Luck 23. verse 34.

1

What voice is this so shrill,
That soūds thus in mine eare
O put from them their sinns o god
That knovves not vvhats thy feare.

2

Is not thy voice o Christ?
On crosse vvhen thou didst hang,
And eke for those that did thee kill
Ist not thy voice that sang?

3

A tune to god on highe,
With vvhich his eare vvas pleasd,
To see thy deere loue stretch so farre
& made the vvorld so easd.

4

They knevve not vvhat they did
Was ere such a thing seene.
To pray for those that made a prey
In vvoes so sharp so keene.

5

O soule full oft thou hast
Not knovven vvhat thou hast done
Noe vvay for helpe to cure that greefe
But in thy Christ gods sonne.

6

O pray my soule for them
That hate thee to the graue,
And let not vvrath lodg vvith thee once
Its Christ that must thee saue.

7

When foes doe curse, blesse them
For Christ hath taught thee so;
who prayd for such as did him kill
And brought to curse, & vvoe.

The next dumpe.

ON THE NEXT WORD.

Verily I say vnto thee, This day shalt thou be vvith me in paradice. Luck. 23. v. 43.

1

O soule looke vp to this,
And harke vvhat voice thou hearst,
Thy Christ in midst of gripes of death
Doth heare, vvhat ist thou fearst?

2

Then sure he vvill thee heare,
And giue eare to thy crye,
Novve that he sitts on throne in state
& is thy god so nighe

3

A theefe doth cry, & call,
Christ heares him by, and by
O soule thy Christ vvill heare thee sure
If thou dost call, & cry

4

O learne it is but one
To vvhom Christ grants an eare
That sued to him in death at last,
And sought him in his feare.

5

Yet it is one my soule
Least thou shouldst faynt, & dye,
And that thy Christ vvould not thee heare
In death vvhen thou shalt cry.

6

And yet it is but one,
Least soule thou shouldst be proud,
And thinke that god vvould heare thee still
When that thy cry is loud

7

O learne svveet soule by this
To sue to god in life,
& driue not of till death doe come
To die in iarre, & strife.

The third Dumpe.

On the third word.

Behold thy mother, Behold thy sonne. John. 19. v. 26. 27

1

See soule if ere the like
Was hard that novve is seene.
That Christ should care in midst of death,
And greefes that vvere so keene.

2

For those that could not helpe,
But savve him in that plight.
Burst soule, and die to see his loue
To her that bare his might.

3

And eke to him vvhose Ioue
Was fixt sure in his breast
That Christ should care in midst of greefe
That he should liue in rest

4

She that vvhose seede did bruse
The head of hell, & death
Hath hart all prest vvith vvoe, and greefe
To see Christ lose his breath

5

O child see that thou loue,
And loke, and long for good
To those that haue thee borne, & bred,
& are thee nighe in bloud.

6

Shall not our Christ loue those
Thinke you, that searue him still,
And haue a care of all such folke
That seeke to doe his vvill?

7

My soule they are all deare
He cares for all their seede,
Ne shall there one that serues our god
Be void of his full meede.

The fourth dumpe.

ON THE FOURTH WORD.

My god, my god vvhy hast thou forsaken me? Mat. 27. Vers. 46.

1

O novve my soule giue eare
To this great cry, and yell.
That shakes the heauens, & moues the earth
And teares the povvers of hell.

2

My god, my god cries Christ
Why putts thou me thee fro,
And vvhy, dost hide thy face frō me
As if I vvere thy foe.

3

O soule he cries for thee
That thou maist haue gods light,
And nere be cast in pit full lovve,
And hid out of his sight.

4

This cry did darke the sunne
In full smyle of its beames
O soule doth not it dymme thy sight,
And cause of teares full streames?

5

My soule great is our sinnes
That causd these groanes, & cries
My eares that heare, are dull, and deafe.
My hart it faynts, & dies.

6

What paine didst thou o Christ
For me base vvretch then beare
That thou didst yell, & cry, & roare
In such great greefe, & feare.

7

Wast not that I might nere
Feele god goe from my hart?
Wast not o Christ that I might not
Of hell once feele the smart?

The fift dumpe.

On the fift word.

I thirst. Iohn. 19. v. 28.

1

What thirst vvas this o Christ
That thou dist feele so fell
That made thee call for drinke in drought
That causd thee thus to yell.

2

Wast not for my poore soule
Thou didst cry in thy thirst?
That I might tast the streames of ioy
That man had at the first

3

And nere to thirst for aye,
But haue the streames full glad
That ioy the hart, & soule, & all,
And blesse the mind thats sad.

4

Thou art the rocke o Christ
From vvhence the source doth flovve
That makes vs feele noe thirst at all
But vp vvards for to grovve.

5

Come to this source my soule,
And drench thy deepe sad mind
Thou cāst not chuse but here thou must
A vvell of blisse sure find

6

For Christ didst thirst for thee
That thou mights drinke I say
The streames that flovve from throne of god
vvhere Christ doth dvvell for aye

7

All soules doe thirst for this
All saincts for this doe crye,
& bray as harts doe for the flouds,
And so to faynt, & dye.

The sixt dumpe.

ON THE SIXT VVORD

It is finished. Iohan 19. vers. 30.

1

Novve all is done my soule
That can be done for thee
The houres of death, & povvers of hell
Are all put farre from me

2

Christ novve hath paid the debt,
The bond in tvvo is rent
The lavve, the curse, the vvoe, the crosse
Is laid on him thats sent.

3

Loe Christ hath tane from thee
Thy sinne, thy shame, thy crosse,
And rid thee from the hags of hell
That vvould haue vvrought thy losse

4

Novve is the vvorld all iudgd
All povvers of death, & hell
Haue done their vvorst, & novve in vvoe
Doe cry, & roare, & yell.

5

Its done, Its done saith Christ
Ye all is past, & cleare
That thou my soule maist liue in blisse,
& be to god most deare

6

Is this the vvay o Christ,
That vve tast vvoe vvith thee,
That so vve may once rule, & raigne
And thy svveet face still see.

7

O lett thy vvill o lord,
Be done of vs in fine,
And by vs let thy vvill be done
That still vve may be thine.

The seuenth dumpe.

ON THE SEVENTH WORD.

Father into thy hands doe I commend my spirit. Luck. 23. vers. 46.

1

O come ioy of mine hart,
& seaze my soule vvith this,
What is there ought in the vvide vvorld
That cā be more to blisse.

2

Then for my soule to heare
My Christ his soule to giue,
In to the hands of god my lord
There still for aye to liue.

3

Novve soule thou seest thy blisse,
And vvhere thou maist be sure,
To haue thy rest, thy ioy, thy stay
Thy loue, thy life, thy cure.

4

O blest are they that dye,
They rest from all their care
When once the lord doth sett them free
What Death, or Hell can dare?

5

In his o soule thy Christ
For thine made suite to god
Thou needst not feare the day of death
Nor graue, nor hell his rod

6

For thou art safe in him
That keepes thy life in store,
And it is hid in Christ thy lord
What canst thou vvishe novve more.

7

O soule Die in these vvords
Giue vp thy selfe in fine
To god in Christ, & feare no ill
For he saies, Thou art mine.