University of Virginia Library

In thee, we live; moove, Lord, by thee:
From thee pure mynds thee-knoweing light derive.
How then, save through thy grace, may wee
That honour high to sing thy bliss atchieve?
Then thow draw vp my lowe desire:
And love of thee let noble thoughts inspire.

Eternal God! whose boundles time, not led by circling sky,
Then former day, now later leves; whence wee som prime descry,
Whence first, time gan his coorse; thus parts which may arrange:
But thy blest time unmooving stands, ay perfect, void of change,
With thee eternal, present all, unknoweing first or last,
Deziring nothing yet to com, regretting nothing past.
Thow infinite, (great Self-beĕing Lord,) first, highest, pure, unmixt:
Vnbounded sole, to all thy woorks wel-mezured bounds hast fixt.
That glorious Sun, fair Moon, and Stars, finite since wee doo knowe;
Nor Gods themselfs, and made by thee, more glorious Light, may shew.
And dread we yet, who serve this Lord, have prov'd his helpful might,
Mans, Feends assalts? May earth with powĕr above-celestiăl fight?
But Hee, though world conteins and fils, comprended though of none;
Yet gracious, to his chozen train, his vieu in supreme throne
(Their eys with light of glori encleerd,) pure blessednes, prezents.
Abiss of ioy! that thought exceeds; yet woords fresh thought prevents.
For thow, Perfection ô entire, perfections all containst:
No good, not in thee; above thee, none; whole Good, pure Bliss remainst.
What Beauties ey, what mynd delight; what Sweetnes drawth desire;
What Maiesties we high revere; what Glorious states admire;
What Wisdom richly vests the mynd, and makes it All possess,
Redoubling all by right-drawn shapes, what Goodnes things dooth bless,
Diffuzing round it self; from thence what Vertues noble spring
By woorthi acts to cheer the world, and better age to bring;
What Happi life our thoughts conceive; (for ah how small a mite
Of happi life we here enioy?) what Ioy, what deer delight,
What flagrant Pleasures, full, and mere, in blessed state are found;
In thee, great Fountain of them all, united all abound.
From thee, as beams from beautĕous Sun, what evĕr is goodli seen
In heavĕn or earth; what rich, what fair, what evĕr we loveli deem,
And pleazed will alures; from thee, high Cause of All, derivĕd;
By thyn aspect is all maintaind; yea dead, by thee revivĕd.
That all thy creatures, supreme Lord, thee Goodnes high define:
Themselfs from thee agnize; to thee their praises all resign.
And dote we still on creatures mene; in their perfections dwell:
Nor raize our loves towărd Him, who them must thousand folds excell?
For as the matchles Sun, though one, imbuĕd with vertu high
From richnes thyn, in glorious walk brought round the broad-spred sky,
And lustring earth; (how poor a clod?) with beams and inflŭence sweet
Of spĭrit sublime, dooth various lifes (each gracĕd with beauties meet)
Through land and sea disperse; hence beasts, hence fish, each crauling thing,
Birds, trees, herbs, flours, fruits, spices rare, yea mettals deep respring:
All whose perfections, great and mene, in thousand kynds renued
Whom thousand graces deck, and yet with vertues more endued,
In Sun himself, thy master-woork, Cause whence they all proceed.
Must needs excell; not beĕing as here, (not so hast thow decreed,)
By matter course, embasĕd; empaird, by distance great; by site
Oblique, alaiĕd; diversified, (repugnant that they fight,)
By mixtures of ten thousand forms; but there they all refine;
Vnite in one; one uniform, high, rich perfection shine:
So (glorious Cause of all,) in thee; what lifeful Light in Sun;
What Greatnes fair in Heavĕns dooth shine; through Orbs what Beauties run;
What Powĕrs, what Vertues nobly rich, Intelligence what cleer,
What Wisdom, Freedom, Goodnes sweet, in Angels blest appear;
What slagrant Loves, what glorious Ioys, Celestiăl Coorts embless;
In thee unite; doost all in one eternally possess,
In infinite perfection more, so sort in more sublime.
O purenes high, whereto not mans, nor Angels thoughts can clime!
For thow, who Beeing art it self; doost Beeings all contain:
Perfections all, thence ô derivĕd, more perfect there remain.
Then Lord, from thee sith all proceed; to thee in iust desire
They bend: at thee, whence first they came, Content they last require.
For thow, First Cause; Great End of all. What ever true rest affects,
Perfection his what e're dooth seek, what happi state expects;
Thee, Lord, ô thee it still pursŭeth: som beam of bliss divine,
As due from bounti thyn it craves. Evĕn senseles creatures thyn,
Through natures force inclin'd by thee, woork out their Beeing best,
And place preserving seek. But man, with understanding blest,
And Spĭrits celestiăl, strive to knowe thee: who knowne, doost Love alure.
(Growe Knowelege; Love wil growe.) True love, dooth woorthi harts procure
Thy will to woork, thy Laws to keep: which kept, thow doost requite
With high Reward, with God himself. Here blest with glorious sight,
They thee enioy; to thee with love (Eternal Bliss) adhere.
O sourse of ioys! Towărd which our hope (unwoorthi though) we rear;
And thee, ah thee pursue. Thow Lord, in mortal life belowe,
(Where hundred snares our soules beset, where sin dooth all oreflowe,)
Conduct us with thy grace; and safe to life immortal bring:
With Angels, where triumphant wee shal ay thy praises sing.