Songs of Zion, Poem 2 – Dedication 6
The first Song.
The spouse speakes to Christ.
1.
O that thou vvouldst on me so cast
Some lookes of thy svveete louelove,
That thou maist make me deere to thee
My hart vvith grace to moue
2.
Thy louelove o Christ is farre more deare,
And farre more sveete to me
Then wealth, or vvine, or limbe, or life,
Or ought that I can see.
3.
The svveete that I smell of thy name
Is like an oyle most pure,
And pourd it is on all thy saincts
Such is thy louelove soe sure.
4.
O dravve me, dravve me, I vvill runne
To bord, to bed vvith thee;
O pull me, pull me from my sinne
O rid me, set me free.
The spouses speakes.
5.
The good are glad in thee, thy louelove
They long, and looke for still
They vvalke to thee, they talke of thee
And all to doe thy vvill.
6.
Graunt this o Christ, and then vve shall
Be all in all that is,
And thou shalt find that none of v…
Of thy grace ought to misse.
7.
O shevve me, vvhom my soule doth louelove▪
Where thou dost feed at noone.
O vvhy should I thus freet, & feel…
The losse of thee so soone.
The second Song.
Christ speakes to his spouse.
1.
O Thou my church vvhom I doe louelove
For vvhō I shed my bloud
… thou knovve not vvhat thou dost craue,
& hast not seene the good
2.
…hen gett thee to those flockes of mine
where as they feed by those
Whom I hauehave sett as giuds for them
That I in louelove hauehave chose.
3.
…here feed, & fatt thy selfe vvith foode,
That Saincts doe touch, doe tast;
And tune their soules in thankes to me
For louelove that aye doth last.
4.
For deere thou art to me my louelove,
For shape, for strength, for speede:
That none is like to thee my deere
In thought, in vvord, in deede.
Christ speakes to his spouse.
5.
Those parts of thee vvhere louelove doth looke
Are set vvith pearls of grace
With stones of price, vvith chaynes of vvorth,
I louelove to see thy face.
6.
These signes of louelove, are seales to thee,
What shall be thine else vvhere
When thou shalt shine in bliss vvith me
O spouse, my louelove most deere.
7.
There spangs, & specks of gold most pure
Ile add to all the rest.
There shalt thou louelove, & liue vvith me
And eke for aye be blest.
The third Song.
The spouse speakes to her mates.
1.
SEe novve all ye that louelove the lord
Ye Nymphes, ye Mayds of grace
Whiles that my lord, & king novve seemes
Farre of from me in place
2.
And is in midst of troopes of saincts
On highe vvhere he doth dvvell;
Where all doe tend on him in louelove,
Where all things sure goes vvell.
3.
Yet see his grace doth stoope to me,
I feele him vvith me here,
By povver of spright, by gifts of light,
He comes to me most neere.
4.
And though I be much ioy to him,
Yet he is all to me;
As bunch of myrrhe tvvixt both my breasts,
So svveete to hart is he
The spouse to her mates.
5.
Oh is there ought in the wide world
That smells, that smiles as he
Ah svveete, ah svveete my soule doth feele
His louelove a life to me.
6.
His louelove layd close to my poore hart
To sence giues such a touch.
That for his louelove to dye, to dye.
I vvould not thinke it much.
7.
Watch then, & vvayte ye maids that mourne
For this my louelove vvill come;
And iudge he vvill in truth, & povver
The folke both all, & some.
The fourth Song.
Christ speakes to his spouse.
1.
DEere spouse noe louelove is lost on me
To me thou art most svveete,
To see thee clad in clothes of grace
With rings, & roabs most meete.
2.
… ioy, I like, I louelove thee deere,
Hovve faire, hovve fresh art thou?
None like to thee in shine of face,
As I looke on thee novve.
3.
Hovve chast, hovve choice art thou my deere?
Thine eies like doues doe looke.
Thine hart, thy mind, thy thoughts, thy all.
I vvrite thē in my booke
The spouse speakes to Christ.
4.
Nay thou my deere thou art the cheefe
The choice, the sunne, the shine.
From thee o Christ I hauehave these raies
For they are none of mine
Christ speakes to his spouse.
5.
Thou art o Christ full of this grace
Thou art the sea the spring;
And from thee I doe take these streames
& to thee thē doe bring
6.
As thankes for all thy louelove to me,
And to thy saincts each one;
Who troope in bands to serue thee still,
Though here they vveepe, & mone.
7.
For they are sure to rest in blisse
When thou shalt call them home
From out this sea of sobs, & sighes
That doth soe frett, & …ome
The fift Song.
CAP. 2.
Christ speakes to his spouse.
1.
DEere spouse I am both faire, and svveete
Of feild I am the rose,
And sure all such as liue by me
Full choice I am to those.
2.
All things else that this vvorld hath, be
Vile vveeds vvhichwhich are most base
… am the svveet, the sence, the smell
That yeald them all the grace.
3.
& thou o louelove art mongst the maids
All choice, & cheefe in vevve
Nought in the earth is like to thee,
In face, in shine, in hue.
The spouse speakes to Christ.
4.
… thou my deare, that one I louelove
Thou art the tree of life;
Thy shade let sheeld me from all harms
And I vvill be thy vvife.
The spouse speakes.
5.
Thou vvith thy spright shalt lead me forth
To the svveete streames of good,
And I shall be fresht vvith thy louelove
Wrought to me in thy bloud.
6.
O stay me, stay me take a care,
O cheare my soule that faints,
O come for I am sicke of louelove
To liue in midst of saincts.
7.
O put thy left hand to my head
Thy right hand to my side
O stay me vp both head, & hart
And still be thou my giude.
The sixt Song.
The spouse speakes.
1.
… charge ye o you soules of saincts,
By roes, & hindes of louelove,
…ake heed hovve you doo…vexe, & greeue
The spright of my svveete doue.
2.
…ake heed you vvrong not his great name,
with life soe leaud so vaine
And doe not dare to moue his ire
Who vvould saue you so fayne.
3.
…oe I doe call, & he doth heare,
And sends to me his voice;
My moūts of sinnes, & hills of shame
HaueHave not so lovvd a noice.
4.
Noe roe, noe hind soe svvift cā rūne
Nor make such speede as he
When I doe call, or cr…e for him
He comes, he runnes to me.
The spouse speakes.
5.
And though this vaile of my baseflesh
A full sight bares me fro,
Yet vvit… mine eye of …aith, I looke
On him that loues me soe.
6.
I see him as in a cleare glasse,
I see him shine full bright;
Through grates of vvords, & gates of life
My soule of him hath sight.
7.
And novve me thinkes I heare him▪ speake
And thus to me doth say
O church, o spouse lift vp thy head
O faire one come thy vvay.
The seuenth Song.
Christ speakes.
1.
…he storme is past of greefe, & woe
The spring of ioy is seene
all things novve are fresh, & faire
And full, & nevve, & greene.
2.
…n highe is ioy, on earth is peace,
To men a great good vvill;
…d all the quire of saincts doe sing
To shevve their louelove, their skill.
3.
…ot buds, but …iggs, & fruits are seene
Of grace, of ioy, of louelove;
come my deere, shake of thy sleepe
Come on my milke vvhite doue.
4.
… let me heare thy voice my deere
O plye me vvith thy plaints,
… looke thou vp though face be sad
Ile place thee vvith my saincts.
Christ speakes.
5.
O all ye that vvishe vvell to me,
And to my church, & name
Put frō my deere all those that seek…
Her faith, her louelove to blame.
The spouse speakes.
6.
For he is mine by faith, & trust,
And I am his by louelove.
We both are one by his great pow…
I long to see my do…e.
7.
O come as svvift as Roe, or Hind
My louelove, my life to me
Till day doe breake, till sunne do… shin…
Till shade of death doth flee.
A Canticle, or song.
Of the third & fourth chapters of the song of Solomon being Meta…hrased into Monosylables of Great Brittains language, & is to be vsed by eueryevery deuout soule in his priuat conference vvith his god.
And is set to the tune of Helpe lord for good, & godly men PSAL. XII.
To his much esteemed good frend Mr. ISAAC LEE one of the assistants of the most vvorthy companie of the marchants-Adventurers residing at Hamb:
Encrease of glory.
MOre thē much beloued when god brought man forth at the first he put him not into a vvildernes, but into a garden, a paradise, & place of pleasure wherby I see that his sacred maiestie did not reioyce in the misery, but in the delight & happines of his creatures. Cheerefulnes therefore pleaseth god better then dulnes, … & heauines of hart. Let vsus be▪ godly, & good in our pleasures, & it vvill neuer displease our maker) neither vvill he grudge, or repin… at our ioy. To this purpose hauehave I framed certayne hymns for th… priuat solace of such as shall take delight there in. One portion vvhereof I hauehave consecrated to you▪ Let yt hauehave acceptance of you by your practice of yt▪ I expect … other guerdon for my paines. For the highest knovves vvith vvhat an honest hart I composed this, & the rest, & vvhat a desire I had in the framing thereof for the good of many. I hauehave euer hated epicurean resolution▪ Let vsus eate, & drinke to morrovve vve shall dye. But I hauehave euer loued entyre … exhortacion. Let … vsus pray, & praise god, To morrovve vve shall liue For to louelove, is to liue, & vvhere vve louelove, the…e vve liue▪ If vve louelove god, vve shall liue in him by our prayers, by our prayses, & all by one spirit. O then let vsus so louelove him, that vve may liue in him in our daylie voices, that they may be hard to his glory, our comfort, & good example of our brethren. The god of heauen ioy your …art in all your life, & in your death that vve may all meete to sing together in the quire of heauen vvith the angells in the sauing mercies of our Sauiour Christ.
Yours much more then mine ovvne. W. LOE.