The teares or lamentations of a sorrowfull Soule Set foorth by Sir William Leighton |
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A prayer for a good Conscience.
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 | The teares or lamentations of a sorrowfull Soule |  |
A prayer for a good Conscience.
1
To him Ile sing my songs and himmes,That rideth on the Cherubimes,
and heauens doth like a Courtaine spread:
My Madrigalls and roundelayes,
Shall be my makers name to praise,
whose mercie doth vphold my head.
2
I lust not drinke of Hellicon,To Poets that I leaue alone:
they climbe yt high Parnasous mountaine:
I will assend to Sions hill,
I long haue longd to drinke my fill,
of blessed Israells sacred fountaine.
179
3
Faith, hope, and loue, shalbe my proppes,In steede of Aganipes droppes,
on me God powre down showers of graces
His holy word and spirit Diuine,
In stead of all the Muses nine,
my heart my soule and minde imbraces.
4
I seeke not grace from graces three,But begge grace of the Trinity,
early at Morne, at Noone and Night:
I scorne a Sycophants applaudings,
I hate a flatterers base collaudings,
I way not blacke mouth'd Momus spight.
5
Great God that know'st each secret part,To thee I offer hand and heart,
and waite to doe thy gratious will:
And thee beseech for Christ his sake,
My meaning well for deed to take,
my heart for Art & cunning skill.
6
How wise and good is God by this,Each man may see, that euery misse,
in vs, and euery thought and word:
Both good and bad by conscience,
And power of his spirit influence,
is Regestered and of Record,
7
Iut all our actions, hit doth pry,Accust'h or excust'h, by and by,
and as a thousand witnesses:
Will speake before the iudge the truth,
Of all thinges done in age and youth,
of iustice and all wickednesse.
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8
If conscience to Hell doth runne,The same to vs shall sure be done,
we shall goe to, for company:
What thousands say, we neede not care,
Doe what they will, doe what they dare,
if conscience doe not testifie.
9
A conscience good doth make vs blest,T'is chearefull, a continewall feast,
a Paradice of passing pleasure:
The Temple of the holy Ghost,
This makes the blessed Martyres boast,
and is the Christian treasure.
10
A conscience good, let's striue to keepe,For though some-times it seemes to sleepe,
at iudgement t'will awake:
And in a booke all shall lie open,
Before the iudge what's done or spoken,
when we accompt must make.
FINIS.
| The teares or lamentations of a sorrowfull Soule | |