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Meditation 3. Of Constancy.

So oft as I the Splendour do behold
Of heau'nly Graces, linkt in golden chaine,
Which them so firmely doth together hold,
That all they but as one seeme to remaine;
My Soule is so delighted with their traine,
That she desires to dwell with them for ay;
But oft employment, pleasures, cares and gaine,
Mine eyes and heart so draw another way,
I fleshly motions more than spirituall obay.
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And as these Graces ioyn'd, my soule delight,
So doth each singled out by Meditation,
Sing I of Loue, I loue with all my might:
If Humblenesse, she workes humiliation:
So Faith, Repentance, Hope, Justification,
By Righteousnesse imputed: Mercy kind,
Ioy, Patience, Fortitude, chast Conuersation,
Peace, Meeknesse, Prayer, Zeale, eu'n all I find
Do alwayes to my Song, both sute mine heart and mind.
But such are my Corruptions innate,
Hels malice, and the worlds enticements vaine,
I can no longer hold that happy state,
Than I in Contemplation remaine:
This is the cause my Muse is now so faine
To sing of Constancie, that heau'nly Grace,
Which all the rest doth ay with vs retaine
Most glorious Grace! the lustre of whose face,
Both heau'nly Loue, and all her Peeres for euer grace.
For, without Her, the rest are all but showes,
Like Corne by high-wayes side, flourish awhile,
And seemes more glorious, than that which grows
Vpon best bottom'd, dunged, tilled Soyle:
But as that onely doth our eyes beguile
With flourishes, in calme and gentle spring,
But Summers heate, and frosts, it's verdure spoile:
Eu'n so, these rootlesse Vertues flourishing,
Aduerse or prosp'rous Fortune to confusion bring.
Thou, that art from Eternity the same,
Without least shadow of Variety:
Like to the Sun, heau'ns pure world-lightning flame,
Constant in beate, course, and serenitie:
Three, yet subsisting in one Deitie,
Who, though thou seem'st to change with things below,
Art farre in truth from Mutability:
Oh make mine heart in vertue constant grow,
That thence, as from a Fountaine, this Discourse may flow.
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We Constancie a Perseuerance call
In some good purpose: for in eu'ry thing
We vndertake, right must be first of all
Resolu'd of, next, our firme perseuering:
A vaine, vnsettled, idle wauering
Without iust ground, by Proteus, Poets faine,
Who on himselfe as many formes will bring,
As he hath idle notions in his braine,
Or base desires and Lusts which in his heart remaine.
But in good purpose to stand fast and sound,
Not onely man-like is, but most diuine,
Like God, in whom no change was euer found:
For as the Sunne, this worlds pure crystall eyne,
In heau'n doth alwaies with like glory shine,
Though, by the varying Medium's here below,
It seeme more glorious in the Summer time,
Than when Eolian blasts darke clouds do blow:
So Constance is the same, though alt'ring oft in show.
This Constance is with Patience a twin,
Begot by Iupiter of Fortitude;
Mother and Babes as like, as neere of kin;
Who hath one, with all three must be indude:
These lift vp to heroicall habitude,
And come from Iustice, and a prudent mind.
If Fury, Rage, Wrong, Rashnesse do intrude,
We them no vertues faire, but vices find,
With whom Minerua, nor the Graces euer ioyn'd.
Patience and Constancie in this agree,
Effeminate faint hearts ay to oppose,
And men relieue in all extremitie,
Vndanted, resolute, who will not loose
That liberty, they haue the Good to choose:
Thus seeme they one: now marke their difference,
Patience all wrongs with courage vndergoes:
For without Suffering's no Patience:
But Constance is in ioy and paine a firme defence.
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Without Compulsion, free for Vertues sake,
Patience constrain'd, oft by necessity,
Most cheerefull valiantly doth vndertake
To beare, what cannot well auoyded be:
One good end Constancie propounds, which she
Onely regards: but noble patience,
Before her will all euils conquerd see,
Which her oppresse in flesh or conscience:
Both haue braue resolution, and sound confidence.
No fury of the headlesse Multitude,
No Tyrants rage a constant mind can shake;
Though all the world turne to a Chaos rude,
The ruines crush him may, but can not make
Him stagger, nor Ioues thunder make him quake.
The Sea may roare, the waues mount to the skies,
And threaten him to drowne in deepest Lake:
But Fury, Rage, Waues, all he doth despise,
And when hopes outward faile, his inward highest rise.
He constant perseueres vnto the end,
Like some good traueller, who giues not in,
Till he attaine the place he doth intend:
And as the Souldier, that the towne would winne,
Fights stoutly, till he conquers all within:
Eu'n so in Buildings, Arts, or Merchandize,
In any Worke or Science we beginne,
It is the end where all our glory lyes;
He runs in vaine, that faints before he wins the Prize.
Though all her meanes, & all her strength do saile,
Yet feares she not to hold out to the end,
She's still the same, and nothing can preuaile,
To alter any Good she doth intend.
To whom the heau'ns true Constancie do send
Within their hearts to dwell, on all occasions
Effects most admirable thence transcend,
She fils the heart with such secure perswasions;
They it defend from all faint-hearted base inuasions.
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A constant man, the most disastrous fate,
With a most pleasing forehead entertaines:
Integrity so sweetens his estate,
As in a pleasant Calme he ay remaines:
With her he alwayes in his heart retaines,
Hope, Prudence, Fortitude, Right, Temperance:
And when him Troubles, Losses, Griefe or Paines
Assaile, so stoutly patience doth aduance,
He liueth most secure, not subiect vnto Chance.
Braue noble Constance! who art neuer sound,
Except dame Prudence thee accompany,
Thou on her counsels and aduice dost found
Thy setled resolutions all, whereby
Thou standst most firme for Truth and Honesty;
Nothing can thee, thus well resolu'd, withstand.
In vaine and euill things no constancie,
But base peruersnesse, we do vnderstand;
Iust, honest, profitable's all she takes in hand.
For perseuerance in a thing that's ill,
Is to this Vertue no lesse enemy,
Than they that by affections guide their will,
With vaine inconstancy and leuitie:
Who, of a wanton imbecillity,
Stagger and change at eu'ry idle motion;
Wind-shaken Reeds, whose instability,
Are like the brain-sicke, idle, vaine deuotion
Of Nouellists, drunke with hot humours giddy potion.
Prepost'rous fools! who when they should frequent
Assemblies, hide themselues at home alone;
From what they do approue, they soone dissent,
Hating what erst they lou'd, dispraise as soone,
What erst they liked well: Lo, such a one,
Appeares like Cato's Ape, wondrous seuere,
With rugged brow; but you may find him soone
Dissolu'd in Laughter, or eu'n dead with feare:
Such, any publike Office is vnfit to beare.
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No truth of Iudgement or Sinceritie,
In such a vaine inconstant mind is found:
But Slouth, Fraud, Wantonnesse, Iniquity,
With all the basest Vices there abound:
This Leuity in youth doth age confound
With doting madnesse; and a man declares
Wise onely then in shew, not inward sound:
But then a braue and constant mind appeares,
When constant Resolution honours siluer haires.
Well said th' old Cynicke, when him friends aduise
To leaue his study, and to take his rest:
I am, saith he, now running for a prize,
And therefore in the end must run my best.
The shorter time of Life to vs doth rest,
More constantly we to our ayme must rend.
Who runs, saith Paul, the race, is neuer blest
With due reward, that holds not to the end:
For Constance is the Grace doth all the rest commend.
And as the man, that hard things vndertakes,
Must alwaies haue respect vnto the end,
Which all precedent bitternesse sweet makes,
Be it for pleasure, glory, gaine, or friend;
So he that for Gods glory doth contend,
And makes it ay his constant end and ayme,
As that's immortall, so it him doth send
True immortality in heau'n to gaine,
Which comforts him for all his Labour, losse, and paine.
As Mountains huge stand fast on their foundation,
So constant minds on resolutions sound,
As they vnmou'd, so without alteration
Are good Conclusions built on Vertues ground:
A constant man stands on a rocke profound,
Which neither stormes, wind, waues, nor force can moue:
Crosses, afflictions, can no more confound
Him, than wind, waues, and stormes, the rocke remoue,
Whose strong foundation stands on faith, hope, truth and loue.
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Anselmus doth a constant man compare
Vnto a sixe-square dye, or hewed stone,
The sixe flat-sides, his sixe Conditions are,
Freedome, Prosperity, Subiection,
Aduersity, Life-publique, and alone:
On which soeuer side he chance to fall,
He stands vpright with resolution,
No changes can his constant mind appall,
But as he standeth firme on one side, so on all.
As bodily eyes all need Light of Sunne,
Whereby they may attaine vnto their end,
So on all good and vertuous workes begun,
This holy Vertue Constance must attend:
And as except the Sunne his Light doth lend,
We open in the darke our eyes in vaine,
So vainely we good holy workes intend,
Except we constant to the end remaine,
Like Pilot drown'd in hau'n, when he hath scapt the Maine.
Is't not absur'd, that we should early rise,
Lose sleepe, broile with Suns heat, and take great paine,
Onely to winne a fading worthlesse prize,
And giue in, when we sure be to obtaine
A Crowne, which shall for euer make vs raigne?
Except the Souldier Constant be and bold,
His Captaines fauour he shall neuer gaine,
Vnlesse our spirituall fight we constant hold,
Gods comfortable face we neuer shall behold.
She is the Nurse of Merit, friend of Peace,
Way to Reward, sister of Patience,
True friendships Band, pure Sanctities increase:
Take away Constance, Bounties excellence
Doth fade, and Duty wants her recompence;
High Fortitude doth want her commendation.
She is alone the noble Grace, from whence
All other Graces haue their Consummation:
To her is giu'n, or rather she giues man saluation.
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What more like vnto God than Constancie?
Who ay like Sunne in heau'n remaines the same,
Though to descend to mans capacity,
He often seeme to change his mind and name.
The Scriptures then mans changing closely blame,
When they affirme, God grieues, or doth repent:
'Tis flesh that alters, God is still the same:
So clouds seeme oft to change the Firmament,
Which till the Day of Doome stands firme and permanent.
When as she hath a constat of the right,
She therein perseueres vnto the end:
Therefore of constat she is Constance hight;
And well this name her nature doth commend.
Her vnderstanding first doth apprehend
Things to be good, before she doth beginne:
Then she most constantly doth ay intend,
When she consid'rately hath entred in:
Thus all the Saints on earth, a roome in heau'n must win.
And though all flesh, by our first Parents fall,
Are so vnconstant, vaine, and wauering,
They haue in words, thoughts, actions, and all,
Of Eues fond ficklenesse a relishing:
Lo Enoch yet constant perseuering
To walke with God, till he him takes away:
And Noah, constant in the publishing
Of true Repentance, eu'n vntill the day,
Flouds come and drowne all Flesh without the Arke that stay.
Abram most constant in beleefe we find:
No feare nor terror Iacob could dismay:
Joseph had rather yron linkes should bind
His lims, than from chast Constancie to stray.
So long as hard'ned Memphians disobay,
Moses most constantly for plagues doth call:
Lo Iosuahs courage lengthens out the day,
Till he Gods enemies destroyeth all;
No force, nor fury can his constant mind appall.
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I number may the Starres of heau'n as well,
As here the Mirrors all of Constance count,
Who champions braue against world, flesh, and hell,
In Fortitude and Patience surmount:
Many of them I formerly recount,
In Fortitudes and Patience Meditation,
They all arise from one faire heau'nly fount,
That clensing Lauer of Regeneration,
Though glittring shows we find oft with the heathen nation.
Ile name one

Regulus

Carthage prisoner for all,
Who, vpon promise to returne againe,
Was sent to Rome, the Senate there to call,
Them to perswade against their Cities gaine:
But he most nobly will not yeeld to staine
His Countries glory, for his priuate good,
But constantly perswades them to maintaine
Their honour, though he seal'd it with his blood,
And constant still the same against all tortures stood.
His noble mind their cruelties derides,
His Executioners are wearied,
Yet constant he and cheerefull all abides,
Griefe, gaine, for Countries good, he reckoned.
Yet hath this Constancie beene conquered
By thousand Martyrs, which most willingly
For Syons glory haue beene martyred;
Who when their flesh doth broile, and bowels frie,
Sing ioyfull Hallelujahs to God on hie.
Yet are these, but as Candles to the Sunne,
Compared with the constant Lord of all:
Beginne we with his apprehension,
When his Disciples all from him do fall,
Behold him in the high Priests Iudgment-hall.
See Herods men of warre him foule deride:
Condemn'd by Pilate, scorn'd, abus'd of all:
The theefe that raileth, hanging by his side,
Yet he most valiant, constant, patient, doth abide.
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But now the Sunne ascended is aboue,
Th' Apostles will their Light no longer hide,
They constantly before the Rulers proue,
That they the Lord of Life had crucifide:
And when they are before those Rulers tride,
And charg'd to preach no more in Jesus name,
They most couragious, constantly replide,
Be iudges, whether it were greater blame,
You now to disobay or God who vs did frame.
Paul ready is not onely to be bound,
But at Hierusalem for Christ to die,
He patient is in all afflictions found,
Constant in losses, ioy, prosperity:
Read his imprisonments braue history,
You there shall more diuine Idea's find,
Than Homer, Virgil, Spencer, can supply,
Though they in loftiest straines the form haue lin'd
Of a most braue, heroicke, constant, noble mind.
These, as they saw their patterne set before,
Vnto the Races end most constant run,
But yet their Fortitude's increased more,
By Confidence, that he which hath begun
So good a worke, it will not leaue vndone:
Let Diuels try by crosses and tentation,
Hold constant to the end, the Crowne is won.
Though for a while we suffer tribulation,
A noble, constant mind stands without perturbation.
I do confesse 'tis difficult and rare,
To know ones-selfe; but to be still the same,
Is chiefest worke, of all the workes that are:
He that so constantly his mind can frame,
Deserues the honour of a constant name:
He's neere to glorious vertues consummation;
His soule minds only heau'n, from whence it came,
Secure and free from worlds vaine molestation,
And waites heau'ns leisure only for his glad translation.
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Not that I constant Jdlenesse commend,
Or a retired Life monasticall;
No, Constance alwayes Labour doth intend,
And is the same approu'd and seene of all:
Her words, lookes, gesture, are heroicall;
She makes the Body strong, confirmes the mind.
Ah! wo to them, that from her fauour fall,
And leaue the right, the crooked way to find;
These grieue the Angels, which to guard them are assign'd.
Grant in Prosperity a prudent heart,
And in Aduersity a mind vpright;
So shall no pleasures vaine my Soule peruert,
Nor crosses or tentations me affright:
My selfe I with Gods blessings will delight,
So long as please his Bounty them to lend.
If I must suffer here for doing right,
I to the Iust one will my cause commend,
Where I am sure to haue a iust and equall end.
The end, whereon all that is past depends,
If then we haue a constant resolution,
A holy Life shall bring vs happy ends,
Then comes our Fate, to iustest reuolution:
We then of Adams losse haue restitution,
Ah! all our Labour hath but beene in vaine,
If Courage faint in point of Dissolution:
This is the howre we happinesse attaine,
Or else for euer in hels torments must remaine.
Lord make me euer mindfull of this Hower,
That constant alwayes I may stand prepar'd,
Grant me with boldnesse to declare thy power,
And in the right of none to be afeard:
True happinesse is Constancies reward,
A high reward, but he it sure shall gaine,
That to the end holds out with due regard.
Things hardest, Perseuerance will attaine,
And Constancy will make them ay with vs remaine.
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Then stand we firme, in what we haue begun,
And labour constantly more to obtaine,
Lo, thus we heau'n vpon the earth haue won:
Thus we that true Security attaine,
Which eu'ry wise and good man seeks to gaine:
No Greatnesse, King, or Kesar is so high,
As those that ouer their affections raigne:
Here Peace of Conscience brings Security,
Saints wished true content, and Angels Dignity.
Most blessed Port, that Pilgrims can attaine!
Till they arriue at hau'n of Happinesse,
Pure Ioy of heart, which onely they do gaine,
Where heau'ns sweet Comforter doth dwel in peace:
God of all Comfort, in my heart increase
This Constancie, that she may me defend
In priuate, publicke, losse, gaine, paine, and ease,
And grant, as I the Graces do commend,
I may in all continue constant to the end.

Authoris Uotum.

Might I a Life enioy to my desire,
I would no wealth, or honor vaine require,
Nor troups of Horsemen after me to ride,
Nor clouds of Seruants trouping by my side:
In priuate fields, and gardens I would walke;
Now with my Muse, now with my Friends to talke:
(By Muse, I prayer meane; and Meditation,
By Friends, a holy louing Conuersation)
At Peace with all, but Ill: My Conscience
Both good and quiet, free from foule offence:
So when the hower of my change shall come,
I with a willing heart will leaue my roome,
To whom it is ordain'd by Destiny:
Thus I desire to liue, and thus to die.
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