Songs of Zion, Hymn – Dedication 3
The first straine.
1.
LOrd heare my suite, my plainte,
That my soule makes to thee.
Lord in thy truth one looke of grace
Grant in thy louelove to me.
2.
Lord see the moane I make,
Looke on me in thy grace
Let not my sighes come backe in vaine
But shewe to me thy face,
3.
Loe I was borne in sinne.
My kind, my shape, my all,
My stocke, my flocke, my selfe from birth
O Lord from thee did fall.
4.
And I poore soule am sett
In greefe, in paine, in woe,
My sinnes come on, my soule doth faint,
O quitt me of my foe.
5.
My sinnes the haires doe passe
That are set on my head,
My hart doth feare, and faint, and faile
And I am as one dead.
6.
Thus goe I greeud, and goord,
And frett in hart, and spright
Thus am I faint vvith feare, & death
My sinnes they doe me fright.
7.
The deeds that I hauehave done
Are sett in vevve of eie.
My faults, my thoughts, my sinne my shame
Thy lavves thy lookes doe spie.
1. SIGHE.
O that my thoughts, vvords, vvorkes and vvaies vvere made so straight, and right, that I might keepe thy lavves … lord all the daies, & nights of my vvhole life so should I be clere, & cleane from the guilt of sinne, & shame.
The second straine.
1.
O God if thou shouldst vvaighe
My vvaies, and take a vevve,
…ould not scape thy rod, thy vvrath
I should in vvoe it rue.
2.
…iudge me not I pray,
O sheeld me from my fall,
…r in thy sight none iust doth liue
No none I say at all.
3.
…rge is thy louelove to me,
For it vvith thee I treate
… grant me it for Christ his sake
Gainst sinnes so huge, so great.
4.
O Christ vvhat vvight doth knovve?
His sinne, & faults of life
O cleanse me from my sinnes at once
Which are in me most rife.
5.
And keepe me lord I craue
Least sinnes doe ore me svvay,
So shall I then be free, and faine,
To keepe thy lavve for aie.
6.
This lord of thee I beg
To thee I hold vp hands,
And hart, & soule, both thirst, & gape
As doth the drought in lands.
7.
As maids doe vvatch, and vvaite,
On Queenes some grace to hauehave
So doe I lord both day, and night
For grace both beg, and craue.
2. SIGHE.
O that there vvere such an hart i… me to feare thee, & to keepe all th… lavves that it might goe vvell vvith me & mine for aye.
The third straine.
1.
LOrd turne thee to thy grace
That once thou shewedst to me
O saue me not for my good acts
I seeke, I sue to thee.
2.
My soule vvhy dost thou faint?
And art vvith greefe soe prest?
My hart, my mind, vvhy doe you thus
Fret …ore vvithin my brest.
3.
Trust soule to god for aye,
And thou the time shalt see
When thou shalt thinke, & thanke him still
For health, & peace to thee.
4.
For vvhy his vvrath doth last,
A space, and then doth slacke
But in his face, & grace for aye,
Thou canst not ioy long lacke.
5.
Though gripes, and greefes full sor…
Doe lodge vvith thee all night
Yet ioy, and grace shal be at hand
Ere that the day be light.
6.
The lord is kind, and meeke
When vve doe make him greeue,
He is full slovve his vvrath to shevv,
Great grace he doth vsus giuegive.
7.
And loe vvhat louelove good men
To their ovvne seede doe beare,
Like grace the lord doth shevve to such
As searue him in his feare.
3. SIGHE.
O that I had vvings like a doue (my svvete louelove) that I might fly hence to thee, & so be at rest both in mind, in thought, in hart, in soule, and in mine vvhole.
The fourth straine.
1.
THE lord that made me knovves
My shape my mould my lust
…vve vveake, hovve vaine, hovve fraile, hovve fond,
And that I am but dust.
2.
god in me set vp
A pure hart in thy sight,
…d eke in all my parts let be
A good, and meeke svveete spright
3.
With thy svveete spright of povver
Cure thou o lord my sore,
And I shall teach the good, and ill
To bovve to thy svvete lore.
4.
My soule doth pant, and bray
Mine hart is neere at rest
…t seekes to knovve thy lavve thy vvill,
And vvhat may please thee best.
5.
O vvould it might thee please
My vvaies to sett in right
That I might both in hart, and deed.
Thy lavves to keepe in sight.
6.
O lord I doe tend still
My daies, my time to serue
That I, nor miē may hauehave a thought
From thy lavves once to svverue
7.
O saue me then o god,
Looke on me vvith thy health
For that I rate at such a price
More thē the vvide vvorlds wealth
4. SIGHE.
O let the vvords of my mouth, the thoughts of my hart, the tune of my voice, & touch of my tongue be euer in thy sight o lord as a svveet smell for Christ his sake both at morne, Eue, & none daye.
The fift straine.
1.
WIth ioy lord of the Iust
Let my poore soule be fraught
That I may liue in peace, and glee,
And free from all thats naught
2.
Lord keepe me for in thee
I stay, and stand and feed
Thou art my god, and of my goods
O lord thou hast noe need
3.
I giuegive them to the Saincts
That in the vvorld doe dvvell
Yea to the folke of faith, and louelove
Whose care is to doe vvell.
4.
My hart is prest for aye,
And eke my tongue is soe
I vvill raise vp my soule in song
In spight of hell, and foe.
5.
To praise my god that hath
Shevvd louelove and life to me,
And made me scape both bloud, & blovve
And soe did sett me free.
6.
O lord vvhat shall I pay
To thee for this thy grace
I vovve to thee, my selfe, my life
My louelove, and all my race.
7.
Grant lord I beg, and pray
In thee that vve may rest
So shall our soules sing to thy praise
And aye in thee be blest.
5. SIGHE.
O my god vvhy art thou gone from me, and vvhy dost thou hide th… svveete face from my prayer for seeke thee, & sue to thee vvith all m… hart, and that thou knovvst full vvell.
The sixt straine.
1.
MY soule giuegive praise to god
My spright shall doe the same,
…d all the parts of hart, and mind
Shall praise for aye his name
2.
…ue thankes for all his gifts
Shevv soule thy selfe most kind,
…d let not his good deeds to thee
Once slipp out of thy mind
3.
…e quitt thee of thy faults
He rid thy life from death
…is good, his grace doth vvaite on thee
His vvord doth giuegive thee breath
4.
If thou vvert brought to graue,
And turnd to mould, & dust
Yet he vvill giuegive thee life in store
As he to thee is iust.
5.
Teach me then, lord to knovve
Thy lavve, thy louelove, thy lore,
Thy vvorkes, thy vvords, as signes▪ seal…
Ile lay them vp in store
6.
O day of ioy to me
When I learnd first to knovve
Hovve for to scape my selfe, my sin…
And hell that is soe lovve
7.
I giuegive mine all to thee,
My bud my branch, my fruite
I beg of thee, o lord, my god
To grant to me my suite.
6. SIGHE.
O my god to thy hands I giuegive … spright thou hast bine a pledge for m… and that to death o god. Thou art th… the god both of my health, life, & r… for aye.
The seuenth straine.
1.
O Lord thou hast me tride,
And day by day dost knovve
… thoughts, my vvords, my lookes my deeds,
My sighs, my groans, my vvoe.
2.
…y bones they are not hid
Thou knevvst them all each one
…r in thy note they vvere all vvrote
Each ioynt, and bone, by bone,
3.
…ie still, and search mine hart,
My thoughts proue day, & night
…d if the ill doe touch me lord
O leade me to the right.
4.
…r thou canst rule my raines
As vvhen I vvas in vvombe.
giude me in this life of mine,
And rest me in my tombe.
5.
Keepe me from men that muse
Of bloud of bane of ill,
O let me thinke of thee o lord,
And hovve to doe thy vvill.
6.
So shall noe shame me taynt
My corps, my goods, my nam…
So shall I rest in ioy, and peace,
And touch noe blot of sham…
7.
So shall thy folke for me,
Be glad, and sing thy praise,
So shall my selfe, my seed, my so…
Be thine in all my daies.
7. SIGHE.
O let not my suite come in … to thee, but heare o my god, an… to my soule I am, and vvill be thy … from hell, thy port from the sea of … vvorld, and vvill bring thee to the… ▪ of blisse.
A months minde.
…o Thinke on death, & muse … the graue, that the feare of death …ay not be fierce vvhen Christ shall call vsus out of this vvorld, & is to be song in the tune of.
I sayd I vvill looke to my vvaie
PSALM XXXIX.
death I vvill be thy death (saith …rist) for he is the death of death, the …eath of sinne, the life of man, & the breath of god for man to liue there in vvorld vvith out end.
HAMBOROUGH Januarij 24. 1620.
To his much respected good frend Mr. THOMAS BARKER one of …e assistants of the worthy cōpanie …f the Marchants Aduenturers residing at Hamborough.
The blessing of both vvorlds in …rist Iesus.
WElbeloued. There is nothing more comfortable to a spirituall minded mā …n to muse, & meditate of his …arture hence into the blessed …t of Christ in the other life: … to a vvordling that vvould …ld vp a rest for his body here, & …g a requiem to his soule in this …le of teares nothing is more fearefull, & hiddeous then for hi… to heare death spoken of. We m… therefore examine our selues vvhether vve can sing a song of… in this exile, and banishmēt, vvhther vve can solace our selues, in hymnes, & songs of our ends, a… departure hence. For vve m… hence Nothing more sure, but t… tyme vvhen, the place vvhere, … the manner hovv Nothing mor… vnsure. It is sufficient that g… telleth vsus our life is but a flov… that fadeth, an hovver th… passeth a shadovve that depart… a vanity that vexeth, a momēt t… vvarneth, a nothing vvhen vv… hauehave done all vve can. For … thoughts, our faults, our purpos… our proiects, our loues, our liu… vvhen our breath departet… perisheth in the tvvinckling of O then let vsus meditate, & muse our selues, and sing, & say to our …les, that our end, & the last …ings are not the least, but the best …ngs that vve can consider of to …rtifie vsus, & make vsus meete for …e sauing mercies of god in Christ, vvhichwhich I recomend you in my …arest louelove, & rest.
Yours in life, & death. W. LOE.