Certaine Serious Thoughts which at severall times & upon sundry Occasions have stollen themselves into Verse and now into the Publike View from the Author: Together w[i]th a Chronologicall table denoeting the names of such Princes as ruled the neighbor States and were con-temporary to our English Kings, observeing throughout ye number of yeares w[hi]ch every one of them reigned [by Christopher Wyvill] |
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CHARITY.
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 | Certaine Serious Thoughts |  |
CHARITY.
And from the fruitfull teeming womb of Faith
Each work of Charity beginning hath;
From these the happy evidence is had
Which prove's them sons of God, whom faith hath made.
What e're thy God or Neighbours good requires
Must be the serious bent of thy desires.
Else know that to those things which heavenly bee
A mis-call'd Faith cannot entitle thee.
How dare presumptous hast once think to make
Christ, Saviour and not Lord: sit down and take
A survey of thine heart; though nothing there
Can justifie thee, yet unlesse thou beare
The Image of thy God, and strive to frame
Thy likened conversation to the same,
Thou hast no part nor share in him who gave
Himselfe to death, repentant man to save.
Each work of Charity beginning hath;
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Which prove's them sons of God, whom faith hath made.
What e're thy God or Neighbours good requires
Must be the serious bent of thy desires.
Else know that to those things which heavenly bee
A mis-call'd Faith cannot entitle thee.
How dare presumptous hast once think to make
Christ, Saviour and not Lord: sit down and take
A survey of thine heart; though nothing there
Can justifie thee, yet unlesse thou beare
The Image of thy God, and strive to frame
Thy likened conversation to the same,
Thou hast no part nor share in him who gave
Himselfe to death, repentant man to save.
Now blush you Rhemish factors who have lay'd
Your envious heads together to upbray'd
With liberty a doctrin which hath shown
Far better, 'strickter precepts then your owne;
Perhaps you pick halfe sentences, and thence
Extract an unmeant Heresie and sence.
A cloud of reverend witnesses I might
Produce, which neither more nor lesse do write
As to this point (though not in rime) then lye
Here recollected, for the readers eye.
Your envious heads together to upbray'd
With liberty a doctrin which hath shown
Far better, 'strickter precepts then your owne;
Perhaps you pick halfe sentences, and thence
Extract an unmeant Heresie and sence.
A cloud of reverend witnesses I might
Produce, which neither more nor lesse do write
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Here recollected, for the readers eye.
| Certaine Serious Thoughts | |