The minor poems of William Lauder playwright, poet, and minister of the word of God, (mainly on the state of Scotland in and about 1568 A.D., that year of famine and plague) ... Edited from the unique originals belonging to S. Christie-Miller ... By F. J. Furnivall |
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| OF THE GREUOUS TORMENTIS PREORDINAT FOR THE WEKIT. |
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 | The minor poems of William Lauder |  |
OF THE GREUOUS TORMENTIS PREORDINAT FOR THE WEKIT.
Quhat end makis thir to proceid furthirmair?Tha ar cast furth, the Text this doith declair,
Maist lyke ane branche doun cuttit of ane stok,
That is becum ane drye and widderit blok.
Meit for no werk that man wald do desyre,
Bot to be brint, and cassin in ane fyre.
Euin so the curst Contemnaris of the treuth,
And wekit wirkars, for thair Sin and sleuth,
That will nocht do the wourd of Christ imbrace,
Ar clene dryit vp frome euerye kynd of grace,
And hes no pairt with Christ, nor with his glore,
Moir nor the widderit branche, the quhilk before
I said had Iusse or Sapour of the tre,
Quhen it is cuttit, and dois frome growing de.
Tha ar cum drye with Lust and carnall heit,
Because tha want the Sapour of the spreit
Of Christ Iesus, the Sauiour of man.
Wanting this Iusse, quhairfor ar tha meit than?
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Bot to sustene of Hellis fyre the pane,
As Nero sufferit for his tirrannye,
And Pharao for his grit Ydolatrie,
And as the gluttoun quho refusit Lazarus,
With mony mo nor heir I may discus.
So thus the wekit; tha get no vther hyre,
Bot for thair Sin ar brint in flam of fyre,
Aye daylie deand, and neuer ȝit can de;
Thus endis the wekit, for thair Iniquytie.
Bot lat ws heir the text perfytlie feill,
And lat ws merk the wourdis thairof richt weill,
As quhair it sayis nocht that, ‘that man sall be
‘Cast furth that bydis nocht in Christ constantlie,’
Bot speykand in the present tyme it sayis,
“He is reieckit now instantlie alwayis.”
Albeit on lyfe that ȝit he leuand be,
He is cast furth: the text this latts ws se.
So heir the text pronuncis till ws plat,
That Christ, he speykis heir of the reprobat;—
For as the faithfull, now leuyng heir but more,
Ar partakers with Christ in heauinnis glore,
And dois begin thair heauin in earth heir doun,
Quhen as tha thole soir persecutioun
For richtyusnes, takand in pacience
All earthlie trubill, knawand thair Innocence,
Hayfand respect, and still in memore,
The heauinnis Ioye and grit felicite
That thay at last be Christ ar till obtene,
Quhen as tha knaw thair conscience is clene
Of sik Iniury as wes thair accusatioun,
This earthlie trubill is thair grit consolatioun,
Quhilk consolatioun, it is the waye full euin,
And pleasand passage, vnto the port of heauin.
And lat ws merk the wourdis thairof richt weill,
As quhair it sayis nocht that, ‘that man sall be
‘Cast furth that bydis nocht in Christ constantlie,’
Bot speykand in the present tyme it sayis,
“He is reieckit now instantlie alwayis.”
Albeit on lyfe that ȝit he leuand be,
He is cast furth: the text this latts ws se.
So heir the text pronuncis till ws plat,
That Christ, he speykis heir of the reprobat;—
For as the faithfull, now leuyng heir but more,
Ar partakers with Christ in heauinnis glore,
And dois begin thair heauin in earth heir doun,
Quhen as tha thole soir persecutioun
For richtyusnes, takand in pacience
All earthlie trubill, knawand thair Innocence,
Hayfand respect, and still in memore,
The heauinnis Ioye and grit felicite
That thay at last be Christ ar till obtene,
Quhen as tha knaw thair conscience is clene
Of sik Iniury as wes thair accusatioun,
This earthlie trubill is thair grit consolatioun,
Quhilk consolatioun, it is the waye full euin,
And pleasand passage, vnto the port of heauin.
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The quhilk begynnis in to this wrachit ground,
As in the Scripture cleirlie may be found,
Quhair as it sayis, and writtin is expres,
“Be mony trublis, sorrowis, and distres,
“The godlie sall in heauin haue thair Intrance,
Thair to posses thair Iust inheritance.”
Euin so all thay, to speyk in wourdis breue,
As in the Scripture cleirlie may be found,
Quhair as it sayis, and writtin is expres,
“Be mony trublis, sorrowis, and distres,
“The godlie sall in heauin haue thair Intrance,
Thair to posses thair Iust inheritance.”
That godlie will in to Christ Iesus leue,
Man thame addres, his Croce for to vptake,
And suffer persecutioun for his saike,
As the Appostilis and Propheits nocht possest
The heauinnis glore in earth with wardlie rest,
Bot sum tholit death, and sum richt sore torment,
Heir vpon earth, or tha till heauin vp went;—
Directlie speakand in the contrarie,
Of wekit pepill that leuis sinfullie,
To quhome also is knawin the wourd of God,
And wilfullie dois rin the contrair rod
In werk and wourd, in thocht and in Intent
Expresse aganis the Lordis commandiment,
Contynewand thus in thair Sin and offence,
This man can neuer haue peace in conscience;
Quhilk peace quho wantis, the treuth most trew to tel,
Is the begynning of the paynis of Hell.
Of wekit pepill that leuis sinfullie,
To quhome also is knawin the wourd of God,
And wilfullie dois rin the contrair rod
In werk and wourd, in thocht and in Intent
Expresse aganis the Lordis commandiment,
Contynewand thus in thair Sin and offence,
This man can neuer haue peace in conscience;
Quhilk peace quho wantis, the treuth most trew to tel,
Is the begynning of the paynis of Hell.
Quhilk paynis infernal begynnis lykewyse, we se,
In to this earth, and Uaill of miserie.
Quho wants this rest and peace of conscience,
Of this may haue ane sure experience.
For quhill he leuis, his conscience tryis and berks
Gods wraith to wrak him for his wekit werks;
Quhen he is dead, his conscience sall accuse him,
And him condamp, quhair he hes done abuse him.
And as the faithfull, now leuand heir on lyfe,
In to this earth, and Uaill of miserie.
Quho wants this rest and peace of conscience,
Of this may haue ane sure experience.
For quhill he leuis, his conscience tryis and berks
Gods wraith to wrak him for his wekit werks;
Quhen he is dead, his conscience sall accuse him,
And him condamp, quhair he hes done abuse him.
Of all degre, baith Infant, man, and wyfe,
Hes now in Heauin, of Gods especiall grace,
Ilk ane thair awin preparit roum and place,
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Ilk ane thair awin appoyntit rowmes in Hell.
To tell quho ar Eleckit or refusit,
I can nocht saye; thairin hald me excusit;
Can nane thair-of haue sik experience
As man him self, grapand his awin conscience.
Lyke as the man that finds his lyfe aggre
To Gods command and wourd of verite,
And hes ane feruent mynd to perseueir
Under the reull of God[i]s wourd sinceir,
Syne dois continew as Gods word dois direc him,
That man may knaw that God hes done elec him;
And with the wekit, thocht still he be suspeckit,
Ȝit still the faithfull may compt him as eleckit.
And in the contrair, accompt this for no bourd,
Quho dois contempne of God the lyuelie wourd.
And dois menteine peruerst Idolatrie,
And will nocht cum to heir the veritie,
And quha that cummis to heir, and dois abuse it,
And quha hes hard, syne efter dois refuse it,
Turnand as Tykis vnto thair vomatyue,—
As sum hes done, that leuand ar on lyue,—
Contynewand this in to thair odius Sin,
Ending thair lyuis as than tha do begin;
I can nocht say, nor on na wayis excuse thame,
Bot force man grant that God hes done refuse thame.
| The minor poems of William Lauder | |