A Comfortable Epistle to Gods Faithful People in England, Psalm 1 – Psalm 2
☞ The .C. iij. Psalme / made in Englishe meter / by Thomas Becon, for a thankesgeuing vntounto God / immediatly after hys deliueraunce out of pryson / whose emprysonmente began the. 16. daye of August / the yeare of oure Lorde / 15 53. and ended the 22. of Marche / then nexte ensuynge.
¶ Psalm. 103.
BE thanckefull o my soule vntounto the LORDE
And all that within me hauehave theyr beynge /
Laude / prayse & magnifye with one accorde
Hys holy & blessed name aboue all thynge.
O my soule / once agayn to the I saye
Be thankeful vntounto the Lord euer more /
And looke thou forget not night nor daye
All hys benefites that thou haste in store.
For he it is / yea / he it is alone
Which pardoneth al thy synnes / both more and les /
He deliuereth the from all griefe & mone
And sendeth the health in tyme of sykenes.
He saueth thy lyfe from destruccion
Which otherwyse should perish withoute doubte /
He of mere, 'grace' and tender compassion
Crouneth the with louing kyndnes round aboute.
He with good thinges / thy mouth doth satisfye
To eate & drinke gyuing the abundance /
He maketh the ioyful / yonge and lustye
Euen as an Egle that is ful of pleasaunce.
The LORD dothe minister iustice and iudgement
To suche as are oppreste with violence /
He defendeth the good and innocent
But the wicked he casteth frō his presence.
He shewed hys wayes vntounto faythfull Moses.
And his workes to the sonnes of Israel /
That all hys people myghte knowe bothe more and les
In all kynde of vertue for to excel.
O the Lord God euē of his own nature
Is bent vntounto gentilnes and mercye /
Yea / frendly is he aboue all measure
Longe suffering & eke of great petye.
For though oure synnes be bothe greate and many
Yet wil not the Lord be alway chyding /
Neither will he for euer be angry
But shew him self toe vsus bothe gentle and louyng.
After our synnes he dealeth not with vsus
Neither according to our wickednes /
But lyke a father / bothe gentle & gracious
He forgeueth al our sinnes / both more & les.
For loke how hye is the heauen supernal
In comparison of the earth full lowe /
So great is hys mercy toward them all
That feare hī & wickednes away throwe.
And loke howe wyde the Easte is frome the West
So farre hath he set all our synnes frō vsus /
Because oure conscience should be at rest
And nomore trobled with workes odious.
Yea / lyke as a father gentle and tender
Pittieth hys owne chyldren natural /
Euen so is the Lorde merciful euer
Unto thē that feare him both great & smal.
For he beyng our maker knoweth cer…es
Of what mater we be made and formed /
He remembreth / we are but dust and ashes
All of vyle and slymye earth created.
A man in his lyfe is like vntounto grasse
Hys dayes are few / & but a whyle endure /
Lyke the floure of the felde awaye he passe
Flori…ing for a tyme / but nothing sure.
For as a flour with fears w…d assayled
Fadeth shortly away & cometh to nought /
So dothe man of cruel death oppressed
Departe hēce / & vntounto nothing is brought.
But the mercifull goodnes of the Lorde
Dothe continew for euer and euer /
Upon thē that feare him with one accorde
And hys iustice vpō their chylders chylder.
I meane vponupon such as kepe his coucnaūt
And do them selfs diligently applye /
To kepe hys preceptes / & likewise do graūte
To frame their whole lyfe accordingly.
In heauē hath the Lorde a seat prepared
For him self / both glorious and royall /
And his prince like power is so outstretched
That it raygneth & ruleth ouer all.
O prayse the Lorde all ye aungels of hys
Ye that excel bothe in strengthe and vertue /
Ye that do hys will without any mys
Ye that harken to hys voyce / & that ensue.
O prayse the Lorde our God omnipotēt
All ye hys hostes and armies supernall /
Ye seruauntes of hys / whiche alwayes are bent
To do hys wil / o prayse the Lord aboue all.
Yea / all thinges that euer God created
Prayse ye the Lorde that God of myghte and poure /
But thou o my soule / with hart vnfayned
Looke that thou prayse the LORDE at eueryevery houre.
¶ Geue the glory to God alone.
¶ Psal. 112.
O Blessed is the man at eche season
That feareth the LORDE God omnipotent /
For suche one hath all his delectation
To accomplysh the Lordes commaūdemēt.
Hys sede vponupon the earth shall be mighty
Florishing aye lyke the grene olyue tree /
The generacion of the godly
Shall be blessed in eueryevery degree.
Suche a man in hys house shall hauehave alwaye
Of honour and ryches great abundaunce /
And hys righteousnes shall neuer decaye
But in all ages hauehave continuaunce.
Whan that other in darkenes do remain
Unto the godly pleasaunt / light shal spyne /
For such one dothe louelove mercy to mayntain
To kyndnes & iustice / his hart he enclyne.
A good man is bent all vntounto mercy
And gladly lendeth to such as hauehave nede /
As for his talke he ordreth discretly
So that his wordes vntounto vertue do lede.
From hys place shal he neuer be moued
But alway abyde both constante & sure /
The remēbraunce of the iuste & true harted
Shall for euer and euer styll endure.
The righteous shalbe nothinge afrayde
Of any euel tidinges / whā they be brought /
For hys hart on the Lord is wholy stayde
Thorow stronge faythe / that God therein hath wrought.
Yea / his hart is so throughly stablished
That he wil not thrynke in no condicion /
Untyl he seeth hys desyre satisfyed
On hys enemies and their destruccion.
He disperseth abrode plenteously
And geueth to the pore their nede to sustain
Remembred therfore continually
Shal he be / & his prayse euer remayn.
The vngodlye seynge these thinges / shall ware woode
Gnathe with hys teeth / & consume away /
Yet shal the vngodly with all his moode
Shortely come to nought / perish & decay.
¶ Geue the glorie to GOD alone.
End of the text · Thomas Becon, A Comfortable Epistle to Gods Faithful People in England (1554)