The Muses Sacrifice :: :: University of Virginia Library

Sith thou, of thy vnlimitable grace,
hast deign'd to make me know thy grace and pow'r.
Nay, show'd to me the splendor of thy face,
which doth my loue, much more then much allure.

For giuing me my Being, being nought
before; and since, and since, for mending me:
Though yet (deare Lord) I am not as I ought;
yet, as I am, I am most bound to thee.

For that thou dost conserue me in such case;
that, as a liuely Member, I doe feele
Thy liuely Members dolor, or disgrace;
and sinck in Soule, when they (neere falling) reele.

For that thou dost my Natures essence keepe
from running to the wracke of grace and nature:
And, of a Wolfe, for making me a Sheepe;
and, of a Cast-away, a costly Creature.

A costly Creature I right well may say;
sith it thy Heart-bloud cost to make me such;
Euen, then, when I was worse then cast away:
for, I was damn'd before I knew so much.

By thee I am, in sinfull state, preseru'd
from sinful state; which stands where Sin doth raign.

By thee I am from prides contrect conseru'd;
that faine would take out of thy hand thy raigne.

If I doe fall, it's when Thou stai'st me not;
if I doe rise, it's by thy helping Hand:
But, I ne'er fall but when I haue forgot
that by thy Rod, and Staffe, I rise, and stand.

As many good thoughts as my heart ere held,
he held, in Capite, of Thee his Head:
If well my little-World I ere did weild,
I did it with thy Pow'r, but in thy stead.

If none can say Lord Iesu but by Thee,
much lesse, without thee, thee can any serue;
No more then Boughs yeeld Fruit, cut from the tree:
then what we worke for (Lord) thou dost deserue.

Therefore, if I haue fasted, watcht, or praid,
if I haue Crosses borne, with Backe vnbroke,
If I haue shed Contritions Teares, vnstaid,
or crost my Will, or vp thy Crosse haue tooke:

If in my prayers I haue thought on Thee,
or that they haue preuail'd, or I relieu'd;
Or if my Will to Vertue hath beene free;
all these, as gifts, from Thee I haue receiu'd.

How many vertuous Friends, and Ghostly Guides,
how many good Examples, Lights of life,

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What like Bookes hast thou sent me, these besides,
as Loue-signes whilst thou woo'dst me for thy Wife?

All which, to thee, I freely doe referre,
that they, from thee, more freely may reflow:
For, sith thou didst all these on me conferre
ere I was thine; now all Thine I doe owe.

But, to recount the Perils I haue past
(thou being present, pointing out the way)
Is more then well Arithmetick can cast,
which doe thy mercies, numberlesse, bewray!

And, into what, more than prodigious, Crimes
I might haue fall'n, hadst thou not me vpheld,
(Yea, hadst thou not preuented me betimes)
appeares by those that haue in sinne excell'd:

For, neuer did the Diuell sinne so much,
but that a fraile Man may commit as great
If, with thy grace, his Heart thou doe not touch,
and, with thy Pow'r, the pow'r of Sinne defeate.

As many Meanes, then, as I had to sinne,
and, fit Occasions as I had to fall;
So many might my Sinnes, and Fals haue bin,
if I by thee had had no help at all.

Occasions, are so violent, in Pow'r
that they could Giant-foyling Dauid fall:

For, they once tooke him vp into his Tow'r,
from whence he fell, in part; and after, all.

Occasion is a Ianus, which doth looke
to Vice and Vertue most indifferently;
But, by Sinnes watching him, he oft is tooke,
and made the meane of much Impietie.

Hee's fain'd to stand vpon an vpright Bowle,
to show his course is most indifferent:
Except he meetes with rubs, which make him roule
out of the way, which way those Rubs are bent.

But, ô! how often hast thou, with strong hand,
tane him out of my way, lest I should fall,
By reason he, in my way, right, did stand:
for oft I stumble at Occasion small.

How oft hast Thou the FOES hand manacled,
because he should not fight, or if he should
I should be Victor, and not vanquished;
and so get Grace, sith (tride) I held my Hold?

How often haue I march'd vpon my Foes,
(the Adder, Viper, and the Cocatrice)
And neuer was once stung, or hurt by those,
thou had'st so charm'd the malice of their vice!

How oft hast thou walk'd hand, in hand, with me,
through Fire and Water, all vntoucht of eyther;

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Nay, so their Pow'rs were tempered by thee,
that they wrought for my comfort altogether!

And, how oft haue they quite consumed bin
who (for not worshipping their senslesse Sawes)
Haue, in Afflictions Furnace, kept me in,
the whiles I sang, for ioy, in Sorrowes Iawes!

That with the Psalmist, I may iustly say
I was sore thrust at, that I (so) might fall;
But, thou o'er-threw'st my thrusters, with my stay;
as Bals quite breake, throwne hard against a wall.

How oft haue my Sinnes sold me to thy wrath?
how often haue I fall'n, yet neuer fell!
For, in thy Mercy, which no measure hath,
(though I did passing ill) I haue done well!

Though I gaue, that, to Nature, due to Grace,
and, to my selfe, that, which belong'd to Thee;
(Who might'st haue grac'd Thee (then) with my disgrace
yet gau'st thou grace, not shame, eu'n then to me!

And, though the Angels fell for lesse offence,
and, that proud Babel-Monarch, for the same,
Yet I, as one of more preheminence,
escap'd vnskarr'd, in Body, Goods and Name!

I Perils lou'd, yet perisht not therein;
by many by-wayes I found out the right:

With Grace familiar was I made by Sinne:
so, foild I Sinne by Sinne, and not by fight,

Was euer Loue so wonne? was euer Man
so woo'd by God! or can my Soule conceiue
How much thy Mercies may, that so much can!
or can I thee of Loue (deare Loue) deceiue!

O rather of my Being quite bereaue me,
and, turne me to my pristrine Nihil-hood,
Then I should, so, of but meere Loue deceiue thee;
that mak'st mine Euils doe me so much good.

Burne me (kinde Love) to Nothing, that of nought
thou mai'st, in Loue, make some-thing, good for thee:
Of nought, thou mad'st me good; mine Ill, I wrought:
then, now, of nought, good make me euer be.

Perfect, great Master-builder of mine All,
thy Worke begunne; and let my Nothing be
Apt to be-come, in Forme, materiall;
and, be conform'd to matter lou'd of Thee.

Breathe on this CHAOS (Lord) and let thy Spirit
walke on the Waters of my Humors, vaine:
My Darknesse, palpable, couert to Light;
so, my Confusion shall, in Order, raigne.

O'er Sinne, and Death, and darke-darke Ignorance,
in datelesse Tearmes of all Eternities;

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The value of thy Vertue to aduance,
which, of thy selfe, aboue all Heights doth rise!
This is my Hope, which is, because thou ART
Iust in thy Word, and Deede; in All, and Part!