The teares or lamentations of a sorrowfull Soule Set foorth by Sir William Leighton |
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Precepts of duties.
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 | The teares or lamentations of a sorrowfull Soule |  |
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Precepts of duties.
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High mightie God of righteousnes,in wrath, a dread consuming fire:
Thou did'st in perfect happines,
make man, that dar'd gain'st thee conspire
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And breake thy lawes with all dispightwhē thou had'st made him pure & holy
Plac'd him in garden of delight,
(so great and wicked was his folly.
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That hauing leaue, to take or leaue,to chuse, refuse or vse, at pleasure:
He did himselfe by sinne deceaue,
of that Diuine surpassing treasure.
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And by his mutabilitie,(regardles of thy sacred sawes)
He brought in instabillitie,
lost his free will, made breach of lawes.
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Thou God of iustice must doe right,man wanting grace, with want of grace:
By grace substraction did'st requite,
& bannishe him, that blessed place.
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By meanes of which we are inclin'd,from thy behests to runne astray:
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by sinne is carried cleane away.
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Thine honor first is stedfast faith,in Christ, and in thine holy booke:
And in thy truth that thy spirit saith,
which in mine hart for faith doth looke
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The next obedience to thy will,as thou cōmanded'st by thy sweet word
From Syna and from Sions hill,
to teach vs do thine hests O Lord.
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Vs for thy children hast elected,and vs adopted to inherit:
Thy blisse (if thy blisse be respected)
and seal'd vs with thine holy spirit.
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Thou mad'st vs free, by thy sons bloudto th'end thou mayest be glorifi'd
In soules and bodies for our good,
his passion hath vs purified.
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thou freed'st vs to that end we moughtserue thee in holy righteousnes:
Thou gau'st thy sonne, and he vs bought
from thraldome of our sinfullnes.
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Thou would'st he should for al men dieto make him liue in thine elect:
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and with his graces hast them deckt.
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By grace and holy inspiration,rebellious nature seek'st to tame:
With precepts for instruction,
& leau'st vs lawes in thine owne name.
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The readie way of seruing thee,and profit to our neighboures bring:
And louing thee most zealously,
who art our father, Lord and King.
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Though by thy Gospell we be free,from lawes of sinne, and Punishment:
Yet rules of life and pietie.
thou hast prescrib'd, and to vs lent.
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Thereby to mannage all our deeds,and guide vs, least we stepp awry:
And rightly vse our natures seedes,
both well to liue, and well to die.
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These lawes did'st write in tables twowith the pure finger of thine hand:
Deliuered them Moyses vnto,
that we thy will might vnderstand.
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The first containeth precepts foure,of duties due vnto thy feare:
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of loue we should to neighbours beare
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The summe and substance of them alland that fulfilleth euery part,
Is thee to loue, on thee to call,
with all our soule, might, minde, & heart
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To other men (especially,thine houshold that are firme in faith)
As to our selues to giue supply,
with all our helpe as scripture saith.
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But we are weake, our case thus standsin this fraile mortall life of ours,
No man can keepe these thy commaunds
but breakes them at all times & houres.
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Yet thou thy children oft dost will,them selues to comfort hopeingly:
Ther's left for them some measure still,
t'approach to thee acceptablie.
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Namely when they bend their whole strength,(dayly preuented by thy spirit)
And stand in hope t'attaine at length,
what now they want, by Christ his merit
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Walking and dayly going on,by stepps thereof to Paradice:
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sighes yet for their infirmities.
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The faithfull know all and beleeue,with thee our father mercie is:
For with thy sonne do'st all thinges giue,
how can we then of mercy misse.
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Therefore my God now giue to me,all that thou giu'st to thine elect:
Of thine eternall clemencie,
let not thy spirit my soule reiect.
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Illuminate my knowledge darke,Possesse my heart the Lord to loue:
What's don amisse, Lord doe not marke,
but let thy spirit, my spirit still moue.
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That I most constantly may walke,the steps & path's of thy iust lawes:
And of thy goodnes dayly talke,
with feare and loue and all applause.
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To whom I wholie owe my selfe,(for thou hast Lord created me:
And bought me not with worldly pelfe,
but by thy sonne hast made me free)
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Whence I doe also learne to loue,all men in thee and for thy sake:
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and my vocation surer make.
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O let me thus thy fauour finde,and peace of consience vnderstand:
Thy blessings and thy mercies kinde,
to God the work's of mine ill hand.
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That fil'd with daies, I leaue my life,rest to inioy with all contents:
And liue eternally from strife,
and keepe thy ten Commaundements.
Finis.
| The teares or lamentations of a sorrowfull Soule | |