Songs of Zion, Poem 5 – Dedication 9
The first speach.
Christ speaketh.
1.
Her feet are svveet, her gate a grace
All shod vvith Peace, & Truth,
Of gods ovvne spell to runne the race
Frō bane, & vvoe, & ruth.
2.
Her loynes are girt fast vvith the same,
The price of it is rare.
The skill is framd vvith hand of might
All full of cost, & care
3.
Her vvombe like a round cup that vvants
Noe vvine to cheere her plants,
As heaps of vvheate sot all vvith flovvers
Pure graynes to helpe our vvāts
4.
Her breast the tvvo svveet leagues of grace
Are as to tvvins of birth
Whose milke doth feede the babs of god
Which dvvell here on the earth.
Christ speaketh.
5.
Those that doe rule, & guide h… folk…
Like necke doth beare vp head
So those doe stay as tovver of strength
Till they at full are fed.
6.
Her eies are like tvvo fonts most clea…
In which vve may vvell see
Our selues in face, in fact, in faith▪
And dravve thence life, & glee,
7.
Her nose from vvhence vve sent the good
Is as some tovver of state
For she can Iudg, & find it out
From tyme, to tyme past date
The second speach.
Christ speakes still.
1.
HEr tire of head is full of Grace
To all that doe it see,
And I am tyde by mine ovvne vvill
O louelove to be vvith thee.
2.
O louelove hovve full in all thy parts
Dvvells louelove, & life by me
Hovve svveet, & faire art thou in all
When I doe looke on thee,
3.
Thy grovvth is like a Palme tree tall,
For prest, thou dost rise more
Thy teats are full of milke, & mirth
And yeald thy babes great store
4.
I said I vvill goe to my tree
And ioyne me to my Palme,
& make it yeald all salues for sores
To cure all vvounds as Balme.
Christ speach still.
5.
And I vvill cause her for to ye…
Good vvorkes of faith, & life▪
And vv…h her povver to driue … her
The sinnes that a…e so rife▪
6.
The soules that thirsts shall hauehave their fill▪
Her vvords shall spring a… vvine
By mouthes of those that teach my lore,
And preach those lavves of mi…e
7.
Yea they shall cause the lipp… of hi…
That sleepes, & snorts in sinne
To speake, & praise the god of …
That rouzd him from that di….
The third speach.
The church speakes.
1.
Such as I am, I am not mine,
But his that loud me deere,
In none, but him vvill I be glad,
None but him vvill I feare.
2.
For he once gaue him selfe for me,
And made of me his choyce.
Him vvill I heare, he is my deere,
Its life to heare his voice.
3.
… come my louelove, letts lodg all night
In fields, in tovvnes, letts goe,
And see hovve all our flockes doe feede
Letts runne as svvift as roe.
4.
Vp to the vines letts hast in morne,
And vevve hovve they doe bud,
And see the signes of fruits, & grace
And looke if they be good.
The Church speakes.
5.
For hence vve shall knovve full our tyme
When vve shall ioyne in one
In all the blisse that I hauehave made
To quitt thee of thy mone.
6.
See louelove thy plants both in them selues
Doe bud, & bloome most fresh,
And yeald a sent to moe them by
That are but young, & neshe
7.
All plants that grovve in vsus I keepe,
Both old, & young I louelove,
And all for thee o Christ my god
Thy Grace, & lookes to moue.
The fourth speach.
The old Ievvish Church speaketh.
1.
O that I might my Christ once see
Clad in this flesh of mine,
& find him here on earth to dwell
Made one, once of my line.
2.
Thē vvould I kisse, & cull my Deere
The vvorld could not me touch,
But if it did I vvould not passe,
Nor think of it so much.
3.
Then vvould I bring thee to the light
Though novve pent vp in darke,
And then thou shouldst me teach to knovve
My Christ, my god, by marke
4.
Then vvould I feast thee vvith the best
with cupps of louelove, & grace.
Thē vvould the soules in Christ be glad
To vevve our rest, & place
The old Ievvish church speaketh
5.
His left hand then should stay my head
His right hand stay my hart▪
& thē I vvould not feare the vv…d
Nor hell, nor death his dart.
6.
His heat vvould giuegive me life halfe dead,
& raise me vp cleane gone,
His light vvould make me shine a… pearle
O like him there is none
7.
charge you o ye saincts that louelove
Dare not to greeue my decre▪
Nor once to stirre him vp in ire,
But learne his vvrath to feare,
The fift speach.
Christ speaketh▪
1.
WHo is this that from denns of sinne
From lusts, & life most leaud
Doth …and her selfe gainst all the ill▪
& shevves her vvrath, & feud
2.
I… not my church? o it is shee
Whom I hauehave loud of old,
And did her take from povvers of hell
When she vvas bought, & sold.
3.
And her frō ire of sinne, & shame
Where shee had falne from me
I raisd to life from depth of hell.
I quitt, I sett her free.
4.
For there by faith she leand on me,
And I to her gaue vvay.
Then shee to me did ope her hart▪
And thus to me did say.
The Ievvisch church speaketh
5.
O sett me as a signe, a seale
On hart, on arme, on all.
O hold me deere, my louelove, my Christ
For I to thee doe call.
6.
Let naught me moue from thy svveet louelove
Lest greefe me gore, & vvoe,
For the least shade vvhen thou art gone
Doth shevv to me my foe.
7.
The zeale vvhere vvith I louelove my Deere
Is like the graue most …ell
And burnes me vp like coles of fire
To saue my soule from hell.
The sixt speach.
The Ievvish church speaketh.
1.
YEa more then fire, or flame it is
Noe source can quench this louelove▪
… paines, noe gaines, or loss, or crosse
From him my hart can moue.
2.
…oe vvealth, noe peelfe, noe feare, no force
All this I scorne should me
…nce moue to thinke, or ioy in▪ ought
But in his grace, & glee
3.
…e hauehave a plant deere louelove thou knovvst
The church that thou hast chose,
…rom out the Iles so farre frō hēce.
O vve vvould not her lose.
4.
…he is but smale of grovvth as yet
For vvant of thy good grace,
…ut if thou cast a looke on her.
And let her see thy face.
The Ievvish speaketh.
5.
Hovve fresh, hovve faire vvill the come forth
And grovve, & beare to thee
H…r buds, her bloomes, her fruits of faith
All good, & faire to see,
Christ speaketh.
6.
If she be firme, & fast to me
As vvall, as tovver of strength
Ile make her pure, & sure in league
By vvord, & deed at length.
7.
And if she vvill giuegive vvay to me,
And to my vvords giuegive eare
Ile make her safe in league of peace
And she shall be my deere,
The seuenth speach.
The Ievvish Church speaketh.
1.
The faith, & louelove that thou dost seeke
In her, thou findst in me
…y plea of faith found Grace, & Peace,
& Ivvas ioynd to thee.
2.
The vvant of vvords to feed thy saincts
Which thou in her dost craue
…s not in me to doe thy vvill
Hovve then should, she it hauehave.
3.
Grat thee to her thy Grace in good
And shee vvill to thee bend.
…he vvill thee serue in vvord, & deede
If thou thy grace her send
Christ speaketh
4.
My spouse is as a vine to me,
She flovvers, & fruits doth yeald
…he is the corne that brings me thrift
& grovves faire in my feild.
The Ievvish church speaketh.
5.
My vine shall aye be in my sight,
Yea till the vvorld hauehave end.
I vvill it dress, & keepe my selfe,
And grace, & peace it lend.
6.
Sith thus I care for thee my deere
Shevv thou thy louelove in praise,
& teach my name, my fame to all▪
So long as last thy daies.
The spouse speaketh.
7.
If thou my deere vvouldst hauehave … do…
As thou hast bid to me,
Then grāt me grace to act the sam…
And thou it sone shalt see.
A METAPHRASE.
Of the first, and second chap…ers of Ieremies Lamentations for …he sacking, & burning of Ierusalem, and …he temple, by Nebuchadnezer king of Babell, and by Nebuzaradan the captaine of his gard, put into monosyllables of great Brittains language.
And is set to the tune of I lift mine hart to thee. PSAL. XXV.
To his much esteemed good frend Mr. EDWARD MEEDE one of the assistants of the most vvorthy companie of Merchants Aduenturers residing at Hamborough.
Grace in this vvorld, and ioy in the other.
ALL happines in the lord Iesus. I present vntounto you a part of Ieremies Lamentations metaphrased. You may see herein my true hart vntounto you all. In the midst of lamentable discōtents I tuned my soule, tongue, & pen to the land of god. And the rather in these lamentations for that they sorted some vvhat to my retired meditations. One tyme, or other all men are not as they vvould be. It is the condition of gods children. Happie is that man that can vse gods scourge to his amen dement. The great moderator of all things knovves his children fittest to be made palmes, to be spread vvith burthens, & vvaights, & not to be Oliues. That so vve might more thinke of our victorie, then of our rest. It is enoughe for vsus that vve shall once triumph in heauen, & rest for all. To this holy rest, and eternall tranquillity godgiude vsus all, into vvhose blessed keeping I recommend you in Christ sauing mercies. And rest.
Yours much deuoted. W. LOE.