University of Virginia Library

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An hymne or song. Of seauen straines, or strings set to the tone of seaven sobs, and sighes of a seaven times seauen sad soule for sinne

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The first straine.

1

Lord heare my suite, my plainte,
That my soule makes to thee.
Lord in thy truth one looke of grace
Grant in thy loue to me.

2

Lord see the moane I make,
Looke on me in thy grace
Let not my sighes come backe in vaine
But shewe to me thy face,

3

Loe I was borne in sinne,
My kind, my shape, my all,
My stocke, my flocke, my selfe from birth
O Lord from thee did fall.

4

And I poore soule am sett
In greefe, in paine, in woe,
My sinnes come on, my soule doth faint,
O quitt me of my foe.

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5

My sinnes the haires doe passe
That are set on my head,
My hart doth feare, and faint, and faile
And I am as one dead.

6

Thus goe I greeud, and goord,
And frett in hart, and spright
Thus am I faint vvith feare, & death
My sinnes they doe me fright.

7

The deeds that I haue done
Are sett in vevve of eie.
My faults, my thoughts, my sinne my shame
Thy lavves thy lookes doe spie.

1. Sighe.

O that my thoughts, vvords, vvorkes and vvaies vvere made so straight, and right, that I might keepe thy lavves of lord all the daies, & nights of my vvhole life so should I be clere, & cleane from the guilt of sinne, & shame.

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The second straine.

1

O God if thou shouldst vvaighe
My vvaies, and take a vevve,
I could not scape thy rod, thy vvrath
I should in vvoe it rue.

2

O iudge me not I pray,
O sheeld me from my fall,
For in thy sight none iust doth liue
No none I say at all.

3

Large is thy loue to me,
For it vvith thee I treate
O grant me it for Christ his sake
Gainst sinnes so huge, so great.

4

O Christ vvhat vvight doth knovve?
His sinne, & faults of life
O cleanse me from my sinnes at once
Which are in me most rife.

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5

And keepe me lord I craue
Least sinnes doe ore me svvay,
So shall I then be free, and faine,
To keepe thy lavve for aie.

6

This lord of thee I beg
To thee I hold vp hands,
And hart, & soule, both thirst, & gape
As doth the drought in lands.

7

As maids doe vvatch, and vvaite,
On Queenes some grace to haue
So doe I lord both day, and night
For grace both beg, and craue.

2. Sighe.

O that there vvere such an hart in me to feare thee, & to keepe all thy lavves that it might goe vvell vvith me & mine for aye.

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The third straine.

1

Lord turne thee to thy grace
That once thou shewedst to me
O saue me not for my good acts
I seeke, I sue to thee.

2

My soule vvhy dost thou faint?
And art vvith greefe soe prest?
My hart, my mind, vvhy doe you thus
Fret sore vvithin my brest.

3

Trust soule to god for aye,
And thou the time shalt see
When thou shalt thinke, & thanke him still
For health, & peace to thee.

4

For vvhy his vvrath doth last,
A space, and then doth slacke
But in his face, & grace for aye,
Thou canst not ioy long lacke.

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5

Though gripes, and greefes full sore
Doe lodge vvith thee all night
Yet ioy, and grace shal be at hand
Ere that the day be light.

6

The lord is kind, and meeke
When vve doe make him greeue,
He is full slovve his vvrath to shevv,
Great grace he doth vs giue.

7

And loe vvhat loue good men
To their ovvne seede doe beare,
Like grace the lord doth shevve to such
As searue him in his feare.

3. Sighe.

O that I had vvings like a doue (my svvete loue) that I might fly hence to thee, & so be at rest both in mind, in thought, in hart, in soule, and in mine vvhole.

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The fourth straine.

1

The lord that made me knovves
My shape my mould my lust
Hovve vveake, hovve vaine, hovve fraile, hovve fond,
And that I am but dust.

2

O god in me set vp
A pure hart in thy sight,
And eke in all my parts let be
A good, and meeke svveete spright

3

With thy svveete spright of povver
Cure thou o lord my sore,
And I shall teach the good, and ill
To bovve to thy svvete lore.

4

My soule doth pant, and bray
Mine hart is neere at rest
But seekes to knovve thy lavve thy vvill,
And vvhat may please thee best.

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5

O vvould it might thee please
My vvaies to sett in right
That I might both in hart, and deed.
Thy lavves to keepe in sight.

6

O lord I doe tend still
My daies, my time to serue
That I, nor miē may haue a thought
From thy lavves once to svverue

7

O saue me then o god,
Looke on me vvith thy health
For that I rate at such a price
More thē the vvide vvorlds wealth

4. Sighe.

O let the vvords of my mouth, the thoughts of my hart, the tune of my voice, & touch of my tongue be euer in thy sight o lord as a svveet smell for Christ his sake both at morne, Eue, & none daye.

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The fift straine.

1

With ioy lord of the Iust
Let my poore soule be fraught
That I may liue in peace, and glee,
And free from all thats naught

2

Lord keepe me for in thee
I stay, and stand and feed
Thou art my god, and of my goods
O lord thou hast noe need

3

I giue them to the Saincts
That in the vvorld doe dvvell
Yea to the folke of faith, and loue
Whose care is to doe vvell.

4

My hart is prest for aye,
And eke my tongue is soe
I vvill raise vp my soule in song
In spight of hell, and foe.

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5

To praise my god that hath
Shevvd loue and life to me,
And made me scape both bloud, & blovve
And soe did sett me free.

6

O lord vvhat shall I pay
To thee for this thy grace
I vovve to thee, my selfe, my life
My loue, and all my race.

7

Grant lord I beg, and pray
In thee that vve may rest
So shall our soules sing to thy praise
And aye in thee be blest.

5. Sighe.

O my god vvhy art thou gone from me, and vvhy dost thou hide thy svveete face from my prayer for seeke thee, & sue to thee vvith all my hart, and that thou knovvst full vvell.

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The sixt straine.

1

My soule giue praise to god
My spright shall doe the same,
And all the parts of hart, and mind
Shall praise for aye his name

2

Giue thankes for all his gifts
Shevv soule thy selfe most kind,
And let not his good deeds to thee
Once slipp out of thy mind

3

He quitt thee of thy faults
He rid thy life from death
His good, his grace doth vvaite on thee
His vvord doth giue thee breath

4

If thou vvert brought to graue,
And turnd to mould, & dust
Yet he vvill giue thee life in store
As he to thee is iust.

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5

Teach me then, lord to knovve
Thy lavve, thy loue, thy lore,
Thy vvorkes, thy vvords, as signes, seals
Ile lay them vp in store

6

O day of ioy to me
When I learnd first to knovve
Hovve for to scape my selfe, my sinne
And hell that is soe lovve

7

I giue mine all to thee,
My bud my branch, my fruite
I beg of thee, o lord, my god
To grant to me my suite.

6. Sighe.

O my god to thy hands I giue my spright thou hast bine a pledge for me and that to death o god. Thou art [illeg.] the god both of my health, life, & rest for aye.

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The seuenth straine.

1

O Lord thou hast me tride,
And day by day dost knovve
My thoughts, my vvords, my lookes my deeds,
My sighs, my groans, my vvoe.

2

My bones they are not hid
Thou knevvst them all each one
For in thy note they vvere all vvrote
Each ioynt, and bone, by bone,

3

Trie still, and search mine hart,
My thoughts proue day, & night
And if the ill doe touch me lord
O leade me to the right.

4

For thou canst rule my raines
As vvhen I vvas in vvombe.
O giude me in this life of mine,
And rest me in my tombe.

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5

Keepe me from men that muse
Of bloud of bane of ill,
O let me thinke of thee o lord,
And hovve to doe thy vvill.

6

So shall noe shame me taynt
My corps, my goods, my name
So shall I rest in ioy, and peace,
And touch noe blot of shame

7

So shall thy folke for me,
Be glad, and sing thy praise,
So shall my selfe, my seed, my solue
Be thine in all my daies.

7. Sighe.

O let not my suite come in vaine to thee, but heare o my god, and say to my soule I am, and vvill be thy asse from hell, thy port from the sea of this vvorld, and vvill bring thee to the bay of blisse.