Abuses Stripped and Whipped, Book 2 · Epilogue
EPILOGVS.
SO in some measure I hauehave now made knowne.
What foule abuses Time to me hath showne
And what man is: I hauehave explain'd some Crimes
That I hauehave noted in these present times.
Then though I hauehave beene stil accounted idle,
This showes I hauehave not giuen time the bridle
To run away vnmannag'd; But did vse it
Then best, when I seem'd most for to abuse it?
Here sinfull man thou maist behold in part
Thy miserable state and what thou art:
Thy Passions, thy vanities heere see,
In part I say for all there cannot be:
Thy wauerings and thy frailties I'ue explain'd,
With thy Presumption, yet nothing fain'd;
If thou hast read it, then I hope thou know'st,
Though thou seem'st bad, thou art worse then thou show'st
And I do trust thy wretchednesse espide,
Will quell thy most intollerable pride;
I mus'd a while thou wert so prone to sinning,
But 'twas thy fault I see from the beginning:
And as the Lord himselfe once said, so stil,
T' immaginations of thy heart are ill:
Thats one maine cause; then to performe an euill,
Thou hast the pronenesse of the flesh, the Diuell,
With bad examples of his instigation,
Besides the worldes rash approbation:
But yet would I not hauehave thee think, oh man!
That I with Tymon the Athenian
Desire to make thee so much feele thy woe,
To goe and hang thy selfe; I meane not so,
Or for to driue thee thereby to dispaire,
'Tis not my purpose, my intent's more faire:
This I would hauehave thee doe, since flesh is fraile,
And Sathan will be busie to preuaile:
With heed and care watch ouer thy affection,
And in thy doings follow this direction.
First see if't be thy flesh that mooues thee to
Those thinges the which thou art about to doe,
Next to consider well it doth behooue thee,
What kind of men they are that do approoue thee:
For true it is as I hauehave oft beene taught,
What flesh desires, and most approoues is naught.
And since they thrust thee forward vntounto euill,
Thou hast an ill heart, proud flesh, and the Diuill
With bad example. Learne oh man to season,
Thy hart with sacred, thoughts, with truth & reason
Thy flesh with labour; and with fasting tame
And twil not be so subiect vntounto blame;
Preuent the Diuels baits and his temptations,
With earnest prayers and good meditations,
And see thou heed to thy companions giu'st,
Since thou wilt be as these with whom thou liu'st;
Yea since thou art so subiect vntounto sinne,
Shun all occasions that may draw thee in,
So when thy God shall see thou hast a will,
And true desire for to amend what's ill,
He will accept it for his sonnes deare sake,
And thee more willing, and more able make;
Yea should thy Sinnes more red then scarlet grow,
Yet he would make them whiter then the snow.
Thy now blacke soule, were it thrice more defilde,
As innocent as is the new borne child:
And thy most miserable body, farre
More glorious then is the brightest Starre:
But if thou, without care or heed, dost leane
VntoUnto those lusts of flesh that are vncleane;
If thou take pleasure and delight to doe them,
Quite giuing ouer thy desire vntounto them,
They both in soule and body toe, will make thee
So fowle a Leaper that God will forsake thee;
His holy Angels and his Saints abhor thee,
And onelyonly Diuels make entreaty for thee;
Yea thou must in Gehynnon waile with them,
That are excluded new Ierusalem.
The end of the second booke.