The Mother and the Child, Psalm 6
Domine ne in furore. Pſalme 6.
1 LEt not the arme of thy heauie diſpleaſure bee lifted vp againſt mee, O Lord.O Lord rebuke me not in thine indignation: neither chaſten me in thy diſpleaſure! For that would be as a torrent and violent ſtreame, to carrie me headlong into death and eternall damnation. It would bee as a fire to eate vp my fleſh, and turne my carcaſſe into aſhes. What eye is able to looke vp, and not to conſume at the very fight of thy wrathful countenance? when caſting thine eye vponupon vsus, thou ſhalt pierce the bottome of our hearts, and diſcouer al the ſecrets of our impure conſciences. Our abhominable ſins will draw down vponupon our heads thy iuſt indignation: and thine anger once kindled againſt vsus, wil violently caſt and plunge vsus into that horrid and griefly gulfe of hopeleſſe tormēts, and endleſſe miſery. O then let the ſorrowfull ſobs of a trembling heart, preuent thy fury and indignanation; and before thy ſin-reuenging hand be ſtretched out for my ruine and deſtruction, giuegive eare vntounto my feeble & fainting voice, which with woful laments, crieth vntounto thee,
HaueHave mercy, O Lord,2 HaueHave mercy vponupon me O Lord, for I am weake: O Lord heale me, for my bones are vexed. hauehave mercy vponupon me. Alas, my God, what wilt thou doe? Wilt thou proue the ſtrength of thy forces, vponupon mine infirmities? and will thy matchleſſe might wreſtle with my weaknes? Is it to contend with thy puiſſance, that I preſent my ſelfe before thee? Oh no: it is thy clemencie, O Lord, to which I flye for ſuccour: ſhe it is vnderunder whoſe wings I ſhrowde my ſelfe, as the onelyonly ſhielde and Sanctuarie, which can preſerue me from the rigour of that iuſt doome, which I hauehave moſt iuſtly deſerued. Lord, vouchſafe me, a calme and mercifull aſpect. And ſince I hauehave made haſte to flye vntounto thy Mercy-ſeate, make no long tarrying, O my God, but ſend mee ſuccour and deliuer me, from ſo many euills, which hauehave compaſſed and hemm'd me in on eueryevery ſide: and wherwith I hauehave been ſo ſore aſſailed, that my bones are bruiſed and broken, and my feeble body languiſheth. But well were it, if my body alone were oppreſſed by theſe cruell encounters: my very ſoule is euen ouerlayed, with anguiſh and heauineſs.
This ſoule, O Lord,3 My ſoule is alſo ſore troubled: but Lord how long wilt thou puniſh me! which hath ſometime been enflamed with the zeale of thy glorie, and hath ſung of thy praiſe, in the great Congregation, is now become deſolate & deiected, deſtitute of comfort, and depriued of all courage: & as the fearefull doue at the voice of thy thunder, haſteth to hide her ſelfe in her hole; ſo is ſhe ready to flye into the moſt obſcure darknes, from the terror of thy fearfull indignation.
4 Turne thee O Lord and deliuer my ſoule: oh ſaue me for thy mercies ſake.But how long ſhall thine anger continue, O Lord? Come, O come my God, and caſt downe thine eye of pitty and compaſsion vponupon mee, which is ſufficient to deface and aboliſh not my ſinnes alone, but euen the ſinnes of the whole world. My ſoule is plunged in the filth & foule puddle of iniquitie, ſhee ſticketh faſt in the bottom, the floods run ouer her: vntounto thee O Lord, doth ſhee ſtretch out her hand; O plucke her out, and bring her againe into the wayes of thy ſauing health. Saue her O Lord, euen for thy boundleſſe bounty, and thy matchleſſe mercies ſake. True it is, that merite ſhee hath none; and how ſhould ſhee expect ſuccour from him, whom ſhee hath ſo ſhamefully forſaken, and againſt whoſe honour ſhee hath ſo treacherouſly conſpired? The price of ſuch a forfeit, is not grace and fauour, but hell and neuer-dying death.
5 For in death no man remembreth thee: and who will giuegive thee thankes in the pit?But who ſhall praiſe thee O Lord in the pit, or who ſhall ſing of thy name amongſt the dead? There is the houſe of mourning, weeping, & howling. Who hath there any feeling ſaue only of vnſupportable torments, and hopeleſſe miſeries? whereas on the contrarie, thy praiſe conſiſteth in the publiſhing of thy infinite louing kindnes, bounty, and clemency.
6 I am wearie of my grouing; eueryevery night waſh I my bed, and water my couch with my teares.6 And now behold, on the one ſide, true Repentance intercedeth, on the other ſide humble Prayer importuneth, for me; both of them hauing ſworne neuer to depart from me, vntill they hauehave procured a recōciliation for me. Thou haſt ſeen my teares O Lord, and heard my ſighes: eueryevery day waſh I my cheekes with teares, at the remembrance of my ſinnes, and water my couch euerie night with the ſtreames of of water that guſh out of mine eyes. Yea, what is it, that Repentance commandeth and I obſerue not?
7 Mine eyes are caſt down,7 My beauty is gone for very trouble: & worn away becauſe of all mine enemies. as trembling at the terror of thine angry countenance. I doe not anſwere to the reproach of mine enemies, duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page and their contumelious taunts I patiently put vp, as a iuſt puniſhment for my faults. Euen in their ſight doe I walke with ſack-cloth and aſhes vponupon mine head, and confeſsion in my mouth: I lye proſtrate at the foote of thine aultar: I macerate and fight againſt the fleſh, which hath betraied my ſoule to ſinne; and all my griefe is but a ſport vntounto mine enemies: they come about mee, but to laugh at mee: and the drunkards make ſongs on me.
8 Away from me all ye that worke vanity▪ for the Lord hath heard the voice of my weeping.But, now, ſince it hath pleaſed thee to hauehave mercy on me, I wil ſay vntounto them, Away, away, from mee all ye children of iniquitie, and ceaſe henceforth to reioice at my miſerie: the Lord hath heard my prayer, my teares hauehave quencht his anger; and loe, now hath hee reſtored me ioy and peace, with the full fruition of his bounty: the glorious ſplendour of his grace hath ſhined vponupon me; and loe, the darke clouds and threatening tempeſts which hanged ouer my head, are, in a trice, all diſpearſed and gone.
No ſooner had I opened my lippes to call vponupon him for ſuccour; yea,9 The Lord hath heard my petition: the Lord ſhall receiue my prayer. no ſooner had my heart reſolued to cry to him for merciemercy, but ſtraight I perceiued his grace ſpread ouer me, to comfort and refreſh my languiſhing ſoule; no leſſe then the benumd members of a wearied pilgrim, are ſuppled and refreſht by a warme bath after his toilſome trauell. O incredible clemencie! how ready art thou O Lord to forgiue? I runne to offend thee, and thou flyeſt to beſtowe thy grace on mee. I hauehave employed all the daies of my life, to finde out by ſea and by land, matter for my ambition, couetouſnes, luſtes, and inconſtancy: and when I had plunged & ruined my ſelfe in my pleaſures, thou in a moment camſt downe, and didſt deliuer mee. So that now behold how I triumph ouer my ſins, which baſe and abiect, doe follow the trophees of my repentance, ſince it hath found fauour in thy fight. And now alſo my hope, which before was as it were ſtrangled with my many miſdeedes, being reuiued, and his ſpirits quickened, doth promiſe and aſſure vntounto mee more then all the Empires of the world, opening vntounto mee the higheſt heauens, where after the bleſſed end of an hopefull life in this world, I ſhall enioy the full fruition, of diuine immortalitie.
10 All mine enemies ſhal be confounded, and ſore vexed: they ſhal be turned back, and put to ſhame ſuddenly.What will then become of mine enemies, when they ſhall ſee my felicitie? Their meed ſhall bee confuſion of face, and diſquietnes of ſoule; they ſhal flye with diſtraction and amazement, to ſee him ſo highly exalted, vvhome they had ſought to lay ſo lowe. Theſe are they that made a mock at mine aſhes, that derided my faſtings, that reioyced at my teares, and (whileſt I through abſtinence did fight againſt the fleſh, the bitter enemy of my ſoule) did euen ſwim in the delights of this bewitching world: but lo, the arme of the Lord is ſtretched out to beate downe their inſolency. O my God giuegive them a feeling of their offences, and cauſe them to know & acknowledge the extreame danger wherein they are; that ſo they may call vponupon thee the onelyonly remedie for all their miſchief. And as for me, ſince thou haſt cleanſed my ſoule from that filth wherewith it was ſtained, and enflamed my ſpirit with the fire of thy louelove; teach my lippes that they may ſound forth thy praiſe: addreſſe my voice to reſound thy mercy: and ſo conduct and guide mine affection, that I may louelove thee ſincerely, and account it my greateſt happineſſe and ſoueraigne felicitie, to know thee, and thy ſacred truth.