Time Complaining, Poem – Prayer 1
Tyme complaineth, for that ſhe is ſo vainely conſumed of worldly men, as wearie of continuance.
WHen high Iehoue did men embrace
In Paradize, with great good wil,
Then Ladie Tyme had pleaſant face,
And did with him reioyce her fill:
But when man fell, and ſinned ſore,
She wyſht to die, and liue no more.
O worthie power, that me began,
And framed man a Saint of ioy
But oh alas to ſinfull man,
That did procure his owne annoy▪
Which cauſed Time to loath his lore,
And wiſh to end, and be no more.
Yea, though the Lord hath proffered peace.
In Chriſt his ſonne, for all his crime:
Yet Lo alas, men ſtill encreaſe
Their faithleſſe facts, and waſt out Time.
And ſhould not Time, then wiſh therefore,
To leaue her life, and liue no more.
Although it be mans proper crime,
Which doth deſerue the chiefe diſpraiſe:
Yet euerie man cries out of Time,
And ſayth, how euill are theſe our dayes?
As if Dame Time, and daies began,
This noyſome harme to euerie man.
What eares can heare to be belyed?
What tongue would taſt the bytter gall?
What noſe would poyſoned ayres abide?
What ſight would ſee his loftie fall?
What ſence can ſerue to daylie payne?
And how ſhould Time mens ſinnes ſuſtaine?
Old▪ Heuah cracks Gods right decree:
By Satans ſhiftes, and Adam falles.
Now Cayn killes Abell cruelly.
The ſonnes of Seth to luſt be thralls,
Cham can diſcloſe his fathers ſhame:
And breaſtes do burne in Sodoms flame.
The daughters both of aged Lot,
Can frame a frawde for ſoire Sire:
And Abſolon, now feareth not,
His fathers heart to ſet on fire.
Now Eſau voweth Iacobs bloud,
And Ioſephs breathren thinck no good.
Such are the ſinnes that ſwell and ſway,
In wofull wretched worldlie place:
Theſe be the dolours of this day,
That frame by fraud Time to deface:
And theſe be they (alas) which ſtand
Now entertayn'd in eueryevery Land.
Ah wretched wightes, may Time therefore,
With griefe complaine, with ſorrows crie:
Why ſhould I liue, and any more,
My ſelfe vntounto ſuch bondage tye?
Should worldlie men thus God requite
Ingratefullie with ſuch deſpite?
Should England now gin to recoile,
And yeld to that which God doth hate?
Then England ſhall full ſhortlie toyle,
and groane her griefes and ſtaggring ſtate:
Except Repentance timelie turne
From her the wrath, which now doeth burne.
For loe, the inſtrumentes of Ire
Are readie preſt, and draw them nye:
The Lion, Woulfe and dragon dire,
The Foxes with the Aſſyrian flie,
The Satyres, fawnes, and ſpirites of hell,
Do ſtand and daunce where men do dwell.
Therefore (O Land) thy languiſh flye,
Be wiſe in Time, looke well about,
Repent with auncient Niniuie,
Yer God do blotte thine honour out:
Els Ladie Time yet will implore,
That ſhe might ſleepe, and wake nomore.
Then ſhall thy friends lament thy lorne,
Then will thy foes clap hands and ioy:
Then may mens mindes be rent and torne,
And pleaſant places lodge annoy:
Then Ladie Time no more will turne,
To build the walles that foes ſhall burne.
O Gratious God that lodgeſt louelove
In breaſt diuine with mercies hie,
With pitie yet this people proue,
And ſaue our ſoules from miſerie.
Grant Grace and Time, as erſt of yore
That we may praiſe thee euermore.
Though mirth & paſtime hauehave their tydes,
when peace and ſafety Sway:
Yet now the Time exhorteth men,
to wepe, to faſt, to pray.
FINIS.
foreign. Here followeth a very profitable dialogue betweene Tyme and England: mouing all perſons within this land to eſteeme of Gods mercies thankefully, to repent, and tend to the end of their deliuerance, by ſeruing God in holineſſe & righteouſneſſe before him, without delaie.
Time
NOwe leaue and let me reſt in peace,
Oh England, be content:
It doth me good, to thinke on reſt,
For why, my Joyes be ſpent.
I louelove not thus to languiſh long,
Nay rather let me die,
Sith all the Creatures in their kinde
Reſound this Harmonie.
Oh come (O Chriſt) and ſet vsus free,
From bondage, Payne, and Synne:
And quickely ende the tedious toyles
That wee doe labour in.
Ah Lord! Sould I abide this thrall:
This anguiſh, Griefe and woe,
That for the ſinnes of ſinfull ſoules
I ſuffer? Surely, No.
Nor could I be content (except
That thou haddeſt ſo decreede)
To proffer foorth my tender pappes,
Their thankleſſe wombes to féede.
Oh land, now go therefore to God
before that I go hence:
Beſeeching him to ſtay the ſtrokes
of rightefull recompence.
England.
Ah Time; and art thou diſcontent
with me? And wilt thou fly?
Nay, rather tarrie as of yore:
oh liue and do not dye.
For Noah yet prepares his Arke
as glad with me to dwell,
And Lot is here (though faint for feare,
and preacheth paſſing well.
I hauehave the Arke in cuſtodie:
oh Time, feare not therefore.
And God is good and gratious yet
to me, as once of yore.
Yet Dauid liueth in the land,
yet Solomon doeth raigne:
Yet Hezekias is in place,
Ioſiah doth remaine.
Yet Chriſt is in Ieruſalem,
the Apoſtles preach and pray,
I hauehave the peace, and grace of God:
oh Time, now therefore ſtay.
Time.
Theſe godlie Saints, theſe graces great,
this peace, thou haſt miſuſed
Vnthankfully: and Lady Time
full often haſt abuſed.
Therefore the righteous do departe;Iſa. 57. 1. pſal. 12. 1.
and periſh from the land,
And faith and trueth from ſinfull Soules,
will vaniſh out of hand.
Which if it come, calamities
will ſhortlie fall on thee:
And thou no longer ſhalt diſdaine
theſe godlie Saintes, and me.
For when that Noah is embarke,Gen. 7. 1. 10. Gen. 19. 22. 23. 24. 1. Sam. 4. 21. 22. 1. King. 2. and 11. and. 12. 2. King. 20. 17. 19. and 22. 19. 20.
the flouds will flaſh from ſkie,
And when from Sodom Lot departs,
with fire will Sodom frie.
If once the Arke be tane from thee,
thy glory wil departe:
If Dauid die, and Solomon,
then woe ſhalbe thine heart.
If Hezekias thou entumb,
and Ioſias enterre:
Alas, who will praie for thy peace?
who can thy plagues deferre?
And if thy Sauiour thee forſakeMath. 23. 37.
and holie Saintes, for ſinne:
Alas, how can thy peace be kept:
and Candle holden in?Eccles. 3. 1. 2.
And as for me: If once I fly,
I am not ſtayd with hands:
As balde occaſion, that is turn'd,
and byrds ſcapt out of bands:
Therefore, ſith Chriſt knocks at thy gate,
in Time him entertayne:Reu. 3. 20.
And pray him heartilie that Time
may longer yet remaine.
Then as one bound, I will abide,Ro. 8. 20.
in hope, and him obey.
But ah, againſt his holie will,
entreate me not to ſtaye.
England.
Dan. 9. 3.Therefore to thee (O Chriſt) I come,
my Refuge ſure and ſtrong:
And I confeſſe with weeping eyes,
that I hauehave doone thee wrong.
For though with manie a benefite
thou haſt enriched me:
Yet moſt vnthanckfully I tooke
the ſame (as all men ſee)
I am the grateleſſe vine which noughtIſa. 5. 4.
but ſharp Labruſcas yeld:
I am the fruitles figge tree ſetLuk 13. … ▪
within the fruitefull field.
I am the ſonne, that promiſed
to worke, but went aſtray:Mat. 21. 30. Luk. 17. 17. 18.
I am one of thoſe lepers nine,
which thanckleſſe went away.
I am not worthie of thy word:
not worthie to be graced:
Nor worthie of this peace, and prince,
which thou in louelove haſt placed.
Therefore thy wiſdome worthily
hath threatned to mee payn:Iſa. ….
To take away my Soueraigne Queene,
and grace from me againe.
And well I know: If thus I ſhould
conſume out pretious Time,
By liuing in my lewd delight,
encreaſing ſinfull crime:
That plagues will ſoone light on my head,
and vengeance ſhall enſue,Deut 28.
To caſt a downe my hawtie hornes,
and bring my fearefull rue.
That all my fayre profeſſion, then
ſhall nothing helpe at all,
Nor beautie, policie nor ſtrength
ſhall ſaue me from a fall.
Then they that would not learne by lawes
by wiſdom, threats and ſcholes:
Shall learne at length by painfull proofe
the rodde of froward fooles.
And finallie, then ſhall I crie,
as forced thereupon,
With tired Time, to vtter forth
my Cairopenthicon.That is the complaint of peereles time.
But ſeeing thy mercy (O good God) Dan. 9. 9
in goodnes thou haſt ment
VntoUnto the ſinner that returnes
in time, and doth repent:
Lette me reteine a faithfull hope
of merciemercy, I thee praie:
And graunt thy grace, and healthfull Time,
in peace, with me to ſtay.
Oh let thy Candle giuegive me light:
and baniſh night away.
Oh let my Princeſſe raigne in peace,
and let her foes decay.
Oh giuegive her ioye, and comfort me,
that Time no more may ſing,
Her heauie Chronopenthicon,
but praiſe thee heauenly King.
Amen.
❧ That Praier is neceſſarie in this our dangerous time.
WHen that proud Senacherib had ſent to blaſpheme the God of Iſraell, to the greate diſcomfort and horror of godly king Hezekias and his people: Hezekias, notwithſtanding the ordinary meane of defence by the calling of his ſtrong men together, and fortifieng the walles of Jeruſalem, knowing that the ſtrength of the Lord is farre aboue the might of man, and hee guideth euerie battell, as pleaſeth himſelf, repaireth vntounto the Lord, humbleth himſelfe, proclaimeth a faſt, and praieth before the Lord with a faithfull heart, and hereby hee found the ſhining beames of Gods merciemercy on himſelf and his people. By this example, let vsus bee moued in this time of extremitie, when all our enemies conſpire together againſt vsus, to runne vntounto our good God and craue the ayde of his hand to help and defend vsus. For as he was to Hezekias, ſo to the godly now: as hee might ſay then, ſo wee ſay now: the Lord is our God, our rock, our defender in whom wee truſt, by whome we eſcape death: And turning vntounto him with faithfull hearts and repentance let vsus pray vntounto him in this maner.