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The Shorter Poems of Ralph Knevet

A Critical Edition by Amy M. Charles

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[25] Bounty
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[25] Bounty

(Lord) all the praise,
Which I can attribute to thee,

321

Is like a sparke, added to the sunnes rayes,
Or droppe of water, powr'd into the sea;
Yet let thy glory bright,
Vouchsafe t'accept of a poore widowes mite.
I want the skill,
To take thy latitude (oh Lord)
A Jacobs staffe in this serves not my will,
Though Jacobs ladder may some help afford,
But by a Cross-staffe, wee
May some dimensions of thy goodnes see:
Thou didst (oh Lord)
At first, create this fabricke great
Of th' Heavens, and Elements, and by thy word
Dids't cause things to their centers to retreate;
The fire aloft did flame,
And Earth became the basis of the Frame.
In various shapes,
And formes, mixte things Thou didst contrive,
Which did from foure originalls elapse,
In numbers infinite: Thy love did strive
With wisedome, and foresight,
T'ordaine thy worke for profit, and delight./
Then Thou didst make,
Man, thy Vicegerent over all,
Who sudainly did thy commands forsake,
And from the height of happynes did fall,
Ere some few houres were gone,
His raigne was finished, and Hee undone.
But then thy love,
To us, more clearely did appeare,

322

For by a second Eve Thou didst remove,
That curse, which the first Eve brought in whilere
The second Adam, on
A second Tree, did us with Thee attone.
No love, like this
Was ever seene, or knowne before;
Thou gavs't thy sonne for our iniquityes,
Who with his pretious blood unlock'd Heaven doore;
Hee dying on the Crosse,
Made satisfaction full for Adams losse.
But when our Lord,
Had triumph'd over Death, and Hell,
Hee to his Fathers bosome was restor'd,
Where in eternall glory Hee doth dwell;
Then did Hee call to mind
That little flocke, which Hee had left behind.
And downe He sent,
The Comforter, the God of peace,
That Hee might by his wise arbitrement,
Us guide in all our wayes, and passages:
But with His Father, Hee,
Still mediates, for our indemnitye.
God doth protect;
While God the Sonne doth intercede;
And God the Holy Ghost cheeres the Elect:
(Lord) what is Man that thou shouldst thus him heede?
Man is a thing of nought:
Why for his safegard shoulds't thou take such thought?
(Oh God) Thou ar't
In bounty most superlative,

323

Yet for thy gifts, askds't but a thankfull heart;
A recompence not very hard to give,
Yet many so forgett
Their duetyes, that they perish in thy debt.
(Oh Lord) I crave
That Thou one blessing more wolds't adde
Unto thy former gifts, oh let mee have
A gratefull heart, then shall my heart bee glad,
And in this rejoyce more,
Then for all gifts which I receiv'd before.