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121

A Canticle, or song.

Betweene Christ, & his church of the fift, & sixt chapters of the Song of Solomon metaphrased into Monosyllabls of Great Brittains language, & is to be vsed by euery deuout soule in his priuat conference vvith his god.

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And is set to the tune of Lord be my iudge, & thou shalt see Psal. CXXVI.

123

To his much esteemed good frend Mr. WALTER PELL one of the assistants of the most vvorthy cōpanie of the marchants-Adventurers residing at Hamb: Ioy of both vvorlds.
127

The first speach.

Christ speakes to his spouse.

1

I am come dovvne o spouse most deere
To take those fruits of thine,
Which thou vvith hart of grace, & loue
Dost knovve of erst vvere mine.

2

I haue thought vvell of all thy workes,
As vvell of vvill as deede.
I dranke thy vvine vvith milke so svveet
With loue they doe me feede.

3

o you my frēds, & saincts most blest
Cheere vp your selues vvith me,
And ioy your harts vvith this my spouse
whose cates of love you see

The church speakes.

4

When once this vvorld had luld in sleepe
Of sinne, my selfe, my sēce
Yet vvakt mine hart to Christ my Deere,
& thou didst dravve me thence.
128

Christ speakes to his spouse.

5

Thou camst to me, & knockst full oft
At doore of my poore hart
Thou knockst I say full oft my deere
And pearst me vvith thy dart.

6

And saidst Ile come, & lodge vvith thee,
And dvvell vvith thee in grace,
Shut out the vvorld, thy sinns, thy shame,
& let me come in place.

7

For all the night I vvayte for thee,
My lockes vvith dropps of paine
Are vvett, & all to stay for thee
That I thy loue might gaine.
129

The second speach.

The Church speakes.

1

I haue put of my coate sayd I,
Hovve shall I put it on.
My feete I vvasht, shall I them file
Oh noe, my loue be gone.

2

Thus did I plead for my long stay
For vvho so loues my deere
Must eare, & carke, & strang things tast
Of vvoe him to come neere.

3

For cleane of foyle, of vvoe, & ill
Who liues that seekes my deere
No, No, the vvorld vvill plague thē all
That serues our god in feare

4

But vvhē my loue these vvords did heare
He shrunke, & vvent me fro,
& hid him selfe, & spake noe more
That I had searud him so.
130

The Church speakes.

5

And then I rouzd my hart I yearnd
That had him lost so sone
I rose, & lokt, & chid my selfe
For that vvhich I had done.

6

I sought him but he hid him selfe,
And vvould not me come nigh
I roard, & cride, & vsd all meanes
I card not for to die.

7

For that I had lost him my deere
That sought me for his doue,
But yet I foūd him not, nor knewe
He hard my voice in loue.
131

The third speach.

The church speakes still.

1

The men that should haue had a care
They smote, & did me vvound,
With vvords most false, & vaine they sought,
To ding me to the ground.

2

I charge you all that loue the lord
If that you shall him find
Tell him hovve sicke I am of loue
In hart, in soule, in mind.

3

O vvhat (say they) is this thy Deere
More then the sonnes of men
That thou art thus farre gō in loue,
And aye doe not him ken.

4

My loue sayd I is vvhite, & red
His face is pure, & bright
He is the cheefe, & choice, of all
In him is all the light
132

The church speakes still.

5

For god in him is full, & faire
In grace, in face, in all.
His head fine gold, his lockes faire flockes
In him there is no gall

6

His eies like doues full of pure loue
His cheeks as beds of spice,
His lips as svveet, as flovvers in May
To me he is not nice.

7

His hāds are sett vvith port, & price
Pure myrrhe doth dropp him fro
His vvill is rule of truth, & faith
This is most true I knovve
133

The fourth speach.

The spouses speaketh.

1

Yea all his acts are firme, & strong
As sett in gold most sure.
No shevve of change, but streight, & cleere
Both sound, & safe, & pure

2

His mouth is as svveet things of choice
Frō vvhēce doth flovve my blysse
He is all svveet, in part, in vvhole,
And I poore soule am his.

A forraigne congregatiō speakes.

3

Since then o deere such is thy loue,
Shevve vs vvhere he is found,
And vve vvill seeke this loue vvith thee
In all the vvorld so round

4

For nōe, but thee o church cāst him
Make knowne, in vvord, in deed
O tell vs then, & vve vvill ioyne,
And he shall be our meede.
134

The spouses speaketh.

5

Thē sayd I to those that him sought
He is gone dovvne to be
In beds of spice vvith soules, & saincts
That is my loue, thats he

6

Yea I am his in his sweet loue,
And he is mine by faith.
In spight of hell, or sinne, or shame
His vvord to me so saith.

7

And both of vs are one in god,
And knitt in soule, & spright
By loue most svveete, & ioy of hart
I liue still in his sight.
135

The fift speach.

Christ speakes to his church

1

Though thou my church didst me not seeke,
But putts me farre thee fro,
Yet novve thou dost looke back to me
I vvill not serue thee so.

2

But I vill come, & dvvell vvith thee
In grace, in loue, in avve.
I vvill thee ioy, in mirth, & glee,
And teach to thee my lavve.

3

Turne backe thine eies frō me my deere
That are thus fixt on me
Thy strength of faith doth ioy me so
That I mind none, but thee.

4

The men that feede thy soule vvith foode
Haue all one hart, one tongue
They tune all like a quire of saincts
They sound forth all one songe.
136

Christ speaketh to his church.

5

So that their paines are not in vaine
They bring to me much fruit.
They cry, & call to me for helpe,
And I doe heare their suite.

6

Thy locks, thy lookes, are seene so faire
Thy blush, thy smile so svveet.
That I doe ioy in them that teach
Those things that are so meete

7

Though kings, & queenes, & all folk else
My name, my loue doe vse,
Yet on thee, on thee loue I looke
On thee I thinke I muse.
137

The sixt speach.

Christ speakes to his spouse.

1

Thou art my spouse most chast most pure
Whom all the vvorld doth loue
Thou art my deere, my peere, my ioy,
Noe spott in thee my Doue.

2

Those that doe looke, & see thy face
Do praise, & plaud thee still,
And bless thee that hast god thy lord,
& didst yeald to his vvill.

3

& thus they say rapt vvith thy state
Whats shee so faire as morne
So pure as sūne, so bright as mone,
Of vvhat state is shee borne.

4

Her face is faire through force of faith
She is most bright in heue
Yea in her looks is feare, & dread
To cause her foes to rue.
138

The spouse speakes to Christ.

5

And thus all gast, & rapt vvith sight
Of thy svveet port, & state
They stand in stond all pale, & wan
For thee they can not mate.

6

No more then glympse of starre cādashe
The sūne in hight of skye,
Or light on earth the mone at full
Can darke or once come nigh.

7

Cheare vp thy selfe deere loue I say
For though thou didst me miss,
I meane not thee my loue to leaue
For all the vvorld that is.
139

The seuenth speach.

Christ speakes to his spouse

1

I did but goe to see my vine
Hovve it did bud, & sprout
To see vvhat fruits my plants did yeald
And hovve they vvere come out.

2

And novve I see they bud, & blooe,
And yeald me fruit good store.
Ile care for them, & they for me
That they may haue the more.

4

The soules that came to me of late
I prune, I plash, I purge
That they may bring forth farre more fruite
With this my rod, & scourge.

5

And novve they are vvell grovvne my Deere
I hast, I runne to thee,
With speed at need I hast, I post
With vvings of vvind to see.
140

Christ speakes to his spouse.

5

What thou dost vvant, or vvouldst novve haue
Speake loue, Ile giue thee it.
Thou shalt not feare my loue to thee
In rest by thee ile sitt.

6

Come then my loue to me full fast
Let all Saincts ioy, & sing.
To house of god ile safe, & sound
My Deere shall my loue bring.

7

Novve all ye Saincts, & soules on high
Looke, see, fixe fast your eie,
On this my loue, marke vvell her grace.
No fault in her I spie.
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