Seven Treatises, Poem
A SWEET MEDITATION OF THE AVTHORS, (LONG AGOE) of the benefit of reading, conference, muſing on holy things, and praier: conteining a complaint, that theſe holy exerciſes are neglected for that which is worſe than nothing, euen mens ſinfull will.
1
OH, what a bleſſed thing it is
with godly learn'd to talke,
By reading and by conference,
both as we ſit and walke!
2
And oft to thinke vponupon the ioy
by God for his prepar'd,
And eke to pray with groanes to him!
the like hath not beene hard.
3
It doth reuiue our hearts moſt dull,
and bring our mindes in frame:
It doth indue our ſoules with light,
made fit to praiſe Gods name.
4
It cauſeth vsus our time to ſpend
in fruit, and heauenly ſort:
It keeps from eueryevery euill way,
and ſo from ill report.
5
It holds our minds frō earthly thoghts
and vanities moſt vaine:
It doth become pleaſant and ſweet,
inſtead of irkeſome paine.
6
By this, ill tidings are not fear'd,
afflictions are not heard:
But from impatience and ire,
hereby we are preſeru'd.
7
By meditation and reading,
with prayer annext thereto,
We make our gaine of that which we
are loth once to forgo.
8
It maketh vsus a ſauour ſweet
in places where we come;
That ſome are gain'd to God thereby,
and folly hath no roome.
9
Bleſſed is he whoſe portion this,
in ſtead of toile is giuen
Whereby ſome cannot read a line
from morning vntounto euen.
10
And as his lot in fairer ground
is caſt whom this behighteth,
In reading and in ſtudie ſweet
that ioyfully delighteth:
11
So he that ſeeth not this grace
and priuiledge moſt great,
Sorrow and ſhame ſhall him purſue,
and folly be his meat.
12
I ſpeake of thoſe whoſe calling is
by learning for to liue:
Whom God would hauehave be free from world,
and good example giuegive.
13
And ſo of eueryevery one, as he
hath liberty and leaue,
That he do not for fond delight…
himſelfe hereof bereaue.
14
But Lord, what griefe it is to thinke
that this ſo happie a lot
Should be trod downe, as pearles of ſwine,
of many a drunken ſot!
15
That this deceitfull merchandiſe
of profit and of gaine,
Should darken ſo & blinde mens eies,
that they ſhould loath this paine:
16
That ſome ſhould dreame of honour high,
and of promotion, ſo
That this ſweet ſtate with all her fruits,
they ſhould gladly forgo:
17
That neither Scripture giuē by God,
nor books by learned made,
Can cauſe them be in louelove with them,
and ſo forſake their trade.
18
Indeed it doth require the heart
from euill to be brought,
That louers of pleaſures more than God,
may come to better thought:
19
I meane, that they may ſin abhorre
of eueryevery loathſome kind:
And that their chiefeſt ioy may be,
from thence to weane their mind:
19
And with no leſſe delight of heart
they wiſdome may imbrace,
Till godlineſſe hath got in them
a roome and ſetled place.
20
Such ſhall it finde a pleaſure ſweet,
their yeeres and time to ſpend
In authours holy and diuine,
vntill their life do end.
21
And ſuch therefore may be full ſure
the forenam'd fruites to reape:
And to inioy all good delights,
in meaſure and in heape.
22
If any thinke this too great toile,
and ſtate of life to hard:
Let him againe thinke, that full great
and ſweet is the reward.
23
… for my ſelfe, with Salomon
this one thing I may ſay:
Tha… … hauehave had experience
of … a happy day:
24
Such as deceitfull world doth yeeld
to ſuch as it imbrace;
Yet neuer ſaw I pleaſure like
vntounto this heauenly grace.
25
What did I ſay, Not like to it?
no, nor to be compar'd:
For one it yeeldeth twenty fold
in pleaſure and reward.
26
And leſt I ſhould be thought to ſay
(like to the Poets vaine)
More then the truth in praiſe therof,
and ſo ſhould ſeeme to faine:
27
Full many a thouſand, euen of them
who hauehave their time ill ſpent,
And vntounto vaine delights their yeres
and all their ſtrength hauehave lent:
28
And hauehave not choſe the better part
in wiſdome for to grow;
HaueHave cri'd out fearefully at length,
and ſaid: It hath beene ſo.
29
All pleaſure, Folly they did call,
which heeretofore they found:
And ſorrow'd, that they had no part
in that which was moſt ſound.
30
They hauehave cried out of idle life
and of their youth miſpent:
That to the reading of good bookes
their hearts they hauehave not bent.
31
For what though men ſhould ſet themſelues
to ſeeke a pleaſant life:
In all things, eaſe and peace to finde,
and to be voide of ſtrife?
32.
Full true it is, that without this
their pleaſure is but paine:
Right ſoone it ſhall depart from them
and ſorrow come againe.
33
Where are the mighty and the proud
and flanting ones become?
Some 100 yeeres agone they died,
and ſuch as had their roome.
34
The rolls of kings and princes great
and chronicles of late,
Record to vsus full many a one
who liu'd in pompe and ſtate.
35
A time they had, their time is gone,
their glory is decaied:
And ſinne to ſuch as died not well,
a wofull hire is paide.
36
And as for men of lower place,
whom better we did know,
Whoſe crowne was beauty, eaſe and wealth
and did in dainties flow:
37
Behold it is with them, as if
they neuer heere had beene,
As if no pleaſure or no pompe
of theirs had once beene ſeene.
38
And ſuch as doe remaine as yet,
and liue as they hauehave done,
Shalt finde the ſame which they hauehave found
when once their race is run.
39
So that ſmall cauſe there is, we ſee,
this kinde of life to chooſe,
And for the ſame the ſauour ſweet
of heauenly life to looſe.
40
But ſuch as doe in wiſdome ioy
and take delight therein,
Shall hauehave with peace a place on earth
and greater gaine ſhal win.
41
Therefore mine owne deſire ſhall be,
to take this for my part,
The water ſtreames and paſtures ſweet
of Gods word, with my heart.
42
And ſuch as theſe few reaſons may
perſwade vntounto the ſame,
I wiſh them that which to my ſelfe:
at this that they may aime.
43
Then happy we throughout our life
what euer vsus befall:
Thrice happy eke, when we go hence
and God vsus home ſhall call.
44
Let the words of my mouth pleaſe thee
and thoughts of heart, ô God:
And in the ſame continually
let me make mine abode.
45
As hauehave the daies of ſorrow beene,
ſo may our comfort be:
That as we did not praiſe thee then,
ſo may we now praiſe thee.