Davids Harp, Part 3
¶ The thyrde verse.
Uvhat shall I gyue agen vntounto the Lord for al those thynges / that he hath gyuen me.
¶ The fyfte strynge.
AFter that our Mynstrell Dauid hath diligently pondered with hiselfe, what he is of his owne nature, euen a very lyare, and one that is replete with all synne & iniquite, thynkyng, breathynge, speakynge and doynge all that euer is nought & vnthankefull in the sight of God, & whan on the othersyde he hath agayne consydered howe that God of his mere marcy, fre bounte & vnspeakable goodnes hath deliue red hym frō all these greuo us enor mities without his merites or deser tes, he begynneth nowe to delighte no more in carnall & trāsitory thin ges, but in spirituall and heauenly thynges, & weyeth, pondreth, & con siderethe howe he maye shewe hym selfe thanckefull agayne vntounto God for ye innumerable benefites, which he hath receaued at y• hand of God. What shall I gyue agen, saythe he, vntounto the LORDE for all those thynges, that he hath gyuē me? O kynd & thanckefull harte, farre estraunged from al ingratitude & vnthāke fulnes. He knowethe full well, that to recōpence & make God amendes for y• kyndnes that he hathe shewed vntounto him, it lieth not in his power, notwithstandyng he desyreth very greatly to do somewhat, wherby he maye shewe hys thanckefull harte agayne toward God. For he confes seth that all that euer he hathe beyng good, he receyued it of God, as S. Paule sayth: What hast thou, y• …. Lor. iiii.thou hast not receued? If thou hast receaued it, why doste thou reioyce as though yu haddest not receued it? S. Iames also saythe: EueryEvery good Iacob. ….& perfecte gyfte is from aboue, com mynge downe from the Father of lyghtes.
On this manner oughte we to We ought… …ut to set before oure … ye bene fytes of godpōder with our selues the inestima ble benefites & great giftes of God towarde vsus. Fyrst that he made vsus not lyke to brute beastes, but lyke vntounto his owne ymage, neyther dyd he place vsus in hell, or in some other dolorous & sorowefull place, but in ioyfull Paradise, where all kynd of pleasures dyd abound. He endewed Gen. 1.vsus with wyt, reason, discrecion, pru dence, wisdome, knowledge & wyth al other thynges, that should moue Gene. ….vsus vntounto godlynes & vertue, setting vsus at oure owne liberte to do what so euer we woulde, only he gaue vsus a cōmaundement to abstayne from the tree of lyfe, & told vsus lyke a mer cifull father before, that whan so euer we did taste of yt, we should dye the death. Notwithstondynge this his moost gentle premonicion thorowe Gene. iii.y• subtilite of Satā, we brake his moost godly precepte, & throwe our selues into ye deathe, wherof he tolde vsus before, so that no we of all earthly creatures we ware become moost miserable. Yet beholde agen the great goodnes of God towarde vsus, whā we had worthely deserued to be damned for euermore, he dyd not, as he handled the Aungelles, Iob. iiii. ii. Petre. iii.streyghtwayes cast vsus ito hell fyre, but marcyfully sente vsus into thys world, that we myght here repent, deplore, lament, & bewayle our synfull & abhominable offence, that by this meanes thorow the diuine pro uidence we myght afterward be re stored to our olde innocency & be sa ued. Neyther sent he vsus hyther as into a salte, barrē, & desolate place, or wyld forest, but rather into such a kyngdome, as florysheth with all kyndes of rytches, treasures, pleasures, & moost goodly possessions, so that we can desyre nothynge, but yt we hauehave it here redy at hande. He hath garnysshed the earth wt grene grasse, swete herbes & moost plesant floures. He hath gyuen vsus all kyndes of grayne to sowe in the earthe for our sustenaunce. He sendeth vsus rayne & temperate heate in conuenient tyme for ye fortunate encrease therof. He hath planted vsus trees, & garnysshed thē in tyme of the yeare withe moost goodly grene leaues & fruites to serue our necessary businesses, for diuers causes. And as he hath replenyshed the earth with all kyndes of beastes, so hath he stuffed the sea & other waters with inumerable sortes of fysshes. And of all these thinges with many other mo Psal. viii. Heb. ii.hath he made vsus Lordes, rulars, go uernours, owners. Neyther do the his kyndenes here cease concerning temporall thynges. For he hath also set ouer vsus as a moost beautiful roofe & goodly seelynge, the firmamēt or ayer, which in the day tyme sheweth vsus lyght thorow the clerenes therof, wherin for our great cō solacion & cōforte, he hath also set a goodly great lyght, whiche we call the sonne, by the vertue & operaciō wherof, ye erth brigeth forth her fru ites in due season, yeldyng them to vsus bothe rype, apte & mete for oure vse, whan conuenient tyme requireth. For the nyghte tyme agayne, because we should not be dismayde thorowe the great darkenes, wher with ye earth is than ouerwhelmed seynge it is a tyme appoynted not to laboure but vntounto reste, not vntounto trouble, but vntounto quietnes, not vn to watchynge, but vntounto slepynge, God hath moost gorgiously garnisshed the firmament withe a goodly great lyght, called the moone, & wt innumerable Starres mo for oure great ioye, pleasure & cōfort, so yt no gardē, be it neuer so plesaūtly refer ted & stuffed full of herbes moost amiable in aspecte, maye be cōpared vntounto it. And al these thynges hath God wrought and done not for his owne sake, but for ours, not for his owne wealth & felicite, but for oure profyt and commodite.
Hytherto hauehave I spoken of his tēporal gyftes, which though they seme to be muche precious, as they are in dede, yet are they nothynge to be compared vntounto those that fol low. For looke howe muche the spirite excelleth the body, so muche do these gyftes excell the other beynge incōparable, & not able by ony mea nes to be recōpēsed of ony creature neyther in heauen nor in earth.
Fyrst what an excedynge gentle nes of God was this, whā we were worthely condemned for our offēce, & had no hope of health, to promise vsus streightwayes, bicause we shuld despayre, yt his only begotten sonne the highest treasure that he hadde, Gen. iii. Esa. vii. Math. i. Luke. i. Colloss. i. Ephe. i. Esa. …iii. Ephe. v. i. Ioan. i. Math. i.shoulde come downe from his right hand, be conceaued by y• holy ghost, take very flesh & be borne of y• moost pure virgin Mary, yea and yt with oute the seed of ony man, reconcyle vsus to his fauoure, make an attonemēt for vsus, purchased grace, mercy, & remission of our synnes, offer his moost blissed body a swete smellyng sacrifice for our iniquite, sufferhis moost precious bloud to be shed for the purgacion & clensynge of oure synnes, & become a perfecte & ful satisfaccion for all the synnes of hys people, that is, of so many as repēt, beleue in him, and lead a godly and innocent lyfe. This promised God the father oftentimes, & accordyng to his promyse at his tyme, predefined and tofore appoynted he moost faythfully performed it vntounto y• perpetuall ioye & conforte of all true Christiās. But in the meane season howe great sees of kyndnes dyd he opē vntounto vsus? After that he had set vsus in this world, howe dyd he prosper vsus in all thynges, that we wēt about? How dyd he giuegive vsus y• victory of our enemies? Howe wonderfully dyd he delyuer vsus from oure Exo xiiii.cruell enemy Pharao? How maruelously preserued he vsus whē he made the red see to gyue place vntounto vsus? How fauourably dealt he with vsus, Ex. xvi. xviiwhen he gaue vsus meate frō heauen and water out of the harde rocke? What a londe dyd he gyue vsus flowynge with mylke & honye. And bycause we should lyue an honest and godly lyfe before hym, dydde not he Exo. …x. …ere. xxxi.gyue vsus his moost holy lawe, yea & that not only … tables of stone, but also wrytten in our hartes by ye holy Ghoste? What goodly ceremonies also receaued we of hym, whiche were mysteries, figures types, cloudes & shadowes of good thi ges to come, euen of Christe, of hys moost holy passion, glorious resurreccion. &c. All these thynges ware great consolacion to the true, spirituall, & christen men, in asmuche as they preched Christ vntounto thē, which accordynge vntounto theyr fayth whol ly fixed on ye promyse of God, came at the tyme appoynted ito this miserable world toke flesh of the moost glorious virginne Marye, became lyke to vsus in all thynges, syn alone excepte, preached vntounto vsus the wyll of his heauenly father, wrought mi racles, suffered & dyed for oure synnes, & on the thyrd day rose agayne for our iustificacion. Certayne day es after he ascended into Heauen, Mar…. xvi. Luke. xxiiii. Act. i. H…. ix. i. Tim. ii. i. Ioan. ii. Math. xxv. i. Cor. xv. i. Thes. iiii.where he nowe sytteth on ye ryghte hande of god the father almyghty, beynge there not ydle, for he incessauntly prayeth for vsus, beynge our mediatoure & aduocate, apeasynge dayly the fathers wrath & purchasynge for vsus all good thynges. And at the latter daye, he shall come agē to iudge bothe the quicke and the dead, both the faythfull & vnfaythfull, bothe the shepe & the goates, & than shal he take vsus both body and soule enunied togyther withe hym into eternall glory, where we shall remayne wyth him for euermore.
If ony man desyrethe to knowe more of the benefites of god, and of his vnmesurable kyndenes toward vsus, let hī resorte vntounto ye Pathwaye of prayer, & read, where I entreate Search th… Paythway vntounto prayerof thanckes gyuyng from the xlii. Chap. vntounto the xlix. & there shall he se this matter entreted of at large.
If we dyd consyder on this wise the inestimable benefites of god to ward vsus, vndoubtedly we woulde leaue our vnthanckefulnes, & saye wyth Dauid, what shall I gyue agayne vntounto the Lorde, for all those thynges, that he hathe gyuen me? But let vsus se what our Mynstrell entendeth to gyue agen vntounto god, that we maye followe hym and do so lykewyse.