The Mother and the Child, Psalm 143
Pſalme 143. Domine exaudi.
O Lord,1 Heare my prayer O Lord, and conſider my deſire: hearken vntounto me for thy truth and righteouſnes ſake. man is weary in the ende of all things: the continuance of his courſe putteth him out of breath: too much ſeeing, dimmeth and dazeleth his eyes: the clatering ſound deafeth his eares: but the more I crye unto thee, the ſtronger is my voice, my courage increaſeth, and my prayer is the more pleaſing to mee: and all becauſe I begin my daily petitions, with Lord heare my prayer, and giuegive eare to my ſupplication: for in praying to thee my God, conſiſteth al my comfort. This is my prayer, O Lord, which doth coniure thy clemencie, to expiate my ſinnes; not by the rigour of thy puniſhment, but by the effect of thy grace, whereby thou haſt aboliſhed & caſt away from thy ſoueraigne and powerfull might and maieſty, the memory of mine offences.
2 And enter not into iudgement with thy ſeruant: for in thy ſight ſhall no man liuing bee iuſtified▪Deale not then in iuſtice, with thy ſeruant, neither giuegive him ouer to the rigour of thy lawe: for of all men …uing, that ſhal appeare before the ſeate of thy iudgement, no man ſhall bee iuſtified, no man ſhall eſcape this fearefull condemnation; the puniſhment whereof is horrible, and the horrour immortall. Alas, O Lord, who can iuſtifie himſelfe before thee? It is thou that art offended; it is thou that ſhalt accuſe vsus; it is thou that haſt ſeene our faults, and wilt beare witneſſe; it is thou that wilt iudge vsus. When the accuſer ſhall be witneſs, and the witneſſe iudge, what ſhall then become of the guiltie? what cauſe ſhall ſerue to cleare him? But I will not ſtand out O Lord, to come to this iſſue. I will arme me with thy grace, and oppoſe that as a buckler to thy iuſtice. Thy grace is procured by the acknowledgement of our faults, & humbling of our ſpirit. Loe, I lye proſtrate before thy feete, confeſsing my ſinne; O Lord hauehave merciemercy vponupon me.
3 For the enemie hath perſecuted my ſoule: hee hath ſmitten my life down to the groūd, he hath laid me in the darknes, as one that had been long dead.My ſinne O my God, the capitall enemie of my ſoule, hath ſo diſcomfited and beaten me down, that I goe groueling vppon the earth, not daring to lift vp mine eyes vntounto heauen. For as ſoone as I lift vp mine eyes; loe, the light ſhineth vponupon mee, to bring vntounto light, all my manifold offences, which accuſe my conſcience. And I feele withall ſhame to couer my face; a face vnworthy to looke vp vntounto heauen; the king whereof it hath ſo grieuouſly offended; a face too cowardly to caſt vp his eyes to thoſe places, where are ſo many thunders and lightning prepared, for the deſtruction of guiltie ſinners.
My ſpirit then hath led me into the darkneſſe,4 Therefore is my ſpirit vexed within mee, and my heart within mee is deſolate. and hath buried mee in the graue, as one that is dead. My ſoule within mee is heauie, & my heart is troubled: euen like him, vvho walking loftie with hye bent lookes, falleth vnawares into the bottome of ſome pitte, preſently his ſoule is troubled; he loſeth his vnderſtanding; he vexeth and tormenteth himſelfe; he knoweth, neither what to will, or what to do; vntill his ſpirits returning vntounto him, he beginneth to conſider his eſtate, and the place wherein hee is, and the manner of his fall: then hee beginneth by little and little to regaine the toppe, and with great paine and labour to winde himſelfe out of the place, into which he ſo eaſily fell: ſo I hauing called to minde, as much as is poſsible, things paſt,5 Yet doe I remember the time paſt, I muſe vponupon al thy workes: yea I exerciſe my ſelfe in the workes of thy hands. and hauing entred into a profound meditation of the workes of thine hands; and hauing exactly conſidered the perfection of all things, which thou haſt created; then calling to minde the eſtate wherein thou haſt created me; and then propoſing to my ſelfe, that wherein now I finde my ſelfe, as it were ouerwhelmed vnderunder the ruine of ſinne; I curſe to my ſelf the houre wherein my mother conceiued me, and the day that firſt opened my eyeliddes to make me ſee heauen and earth, the witneſſes of mine infirmitie: and in the ende finding nothing in this world that could comfort mee, in this diſtreſſe, I addreſſe my ſelfe yet further vntounto thee.
6 I ſtretch forth my hand vntounto thee: my ſoule gaſpeth vntounto thee, as a thirſty land.I fall down on my knees before thee, and ſtretch out my hands and armes to thee: and my ſoule thirſting after thy grace, doth attend with as great deſire, as the thirſtie and ſcorched earth, doth expect a gracious raine in the heat of ſummer.
Help me then, and that ſoone, O my GOD:7 Heare me O Lord: and that ſoone: for my ſpirit waxeth faint: hide not thy face from mee, leaſt I be like them that goe downe into the pit. for I am alreadie cleane out of breath; my heart faileth: loe, how I fall into a ſwoun. Wilt thou, Lord delay, till death hath ſeiſed on mee? I am euen alreadie at Deaths doore, if thou make not haſt: for my ſenſes decay by little and little; my ſoule is as it were in a trance, and my body without motion. If thou O Lord, be farre from mee, if thou hide thy face from mee, I ſhall bee like vntounto thoſe that goe downe into the depth of Hell: Pale death will ſit vponupon my face, and ſeize on my ſenſes: and which is worſt, ſpirituall death will ſlay my ſoule, fill it with fright and horrour, and vtterly depriue it of the knowledge of thy ſingular bountie, and the hope of grace, which ſhineth in thy miracles, as a glittering ſtarre, in the obſcure darkneſs of the night.
8 O let me heare of thy louing kindnes betimes in the morning, for in thee is my truſt: ſhew me then the way that I ſhould walk in, for I lift vp my ſoule vntounto thee.Cauſe mee then to vnderſtand and feele the effects of thy mercy betimes: and in the morning vvhen the ſunne beginneth to riſe vponupon the earth, let thy merciemercy alſo riſe vponupon me to enlighten mine ignorance, and conduct mee in the wayes of thy commandements. Yet let it not, O Lord, bee wholly like the ſunne, which at the ende of his courſe goes to plunge himſelfe in the ſea, hiding for a time his light from ſilly men: but let it aſsiſt mee perpetually, & be as indiuidual a guide vntounto my ſoule, as is my ſoule vntounto my bodie: for the life of my ſoul, doth more ſtrictly depend vponupon thy mercy, then the life of my bodie doth vponupon my ſoule. O then let her neuer forſake mee: but let her light alwaies direct my goings in thy wayes, that I neuer wander out of that path through which alone I muſt come vntounto thee. For otherwiſe my ſpirit which is entangled amongſt the briers and brambles of this world, and wandereth in the thickets, were neuer able to finde out the right way; but poſting along at aduenture, might loſe both labour and trauell, neuer neere that place where ſhee deſireth to arriue. But my hope is alwaies in thine aide, and I look for ſuccour from aboue.
9 Deliuer me O Lord, from my enemies: for I flye vntounto thee to hide me.I am held captiue of thoſe that cruelly thirſt after my life: haſten thee O Lord, to my deliuerance: to thee I flye for ſuccour: O receiue me into thy protection; teach mee what I ſhall doe: for to thee alone my God, doe I tender my ſeruice.
Away, away from mee,10 Teach mee to doe the thing that pleaſeth thee, for thou art my God: let thy louing ſpirit leade me forth into the land of righteouſnes. thou deceitfull▪ pleaſure, which heretofore haſt bewitched my ſoule, and poiſoned my ſpirit: thou haſt fedde me with thy too too pleaſing delicates, to make me with a little hony ſwallow down a deadly poiſon of hemlocke; which diſtilling into all my members, hath made them half dead and voide of ſenſe: ſo that now I am little better then a dead man. But which is worſe; not my body alone, but euen my ſoule alſo, the fountain of my life preſent and to come is benumm'd.
11 Quicken me O Lord for thy name ſake: and for thy righteouſnes ſake bring my ſoule out of trouble.It is time thē that thy ſpirit come to rouſe vp my dying ſoule, to take her by the hand, and leade her into a place of ſafetie, to quicken her and imprint in her the image of thy iuſtice; that, that may bee her ſhield againſt all temptations, which beſiege her on eueryevery ſide, and threaten her finall ruine. Thou ſhalt come then, and by thy comming drawe my ſoule out of tribulation, receiue mee vntounto to merciemercy, and deſtroy all thoſe that hauehave conſpired againſt me.
Then ſhall my warre be at an ende,12 And of thy goodnes ſlay mine enemies, and deſtroy all them that vexe my ſoule, for I am thy ſeruant. and theirs beginne: yea, with ſuch a beginning as ſhall continue in endleſſe griefe: and as the riuers running from their fountaine ſtill enlarge themſelues vntil they come into the ſea; ſo ſhall their miſerie increaſe from day to day, and in the ende plunge them into extreame languor and hopeleſſe diſtreſſe. And this ſhall bee the ende of all thoſe that vexe my ſoule: for I am thy faithfull ſeruant O Lord, and thou wilt not caſt me out of thy remembrance; but wilt call thoſe to account, who in reproach of my GOD, hauehave ſo ſhamefully handled mee. They laughed at my harme; but loe, the time is at hand, vvhen they ſhall bewaile their owne. Thy vengeance beginneth to flame againſt them, and men ſhal ſee them fall away, as leaues from the trees at the approaching of vvinter. How ſhall I glorifie thy name O GOD? And where ſhall I beginne to ſet forth thy praiſe? Shall I declare thy bountie in the creation of ſo many admirable vvorkes as are vnderunder the Sunne? and thy wiſedome in preſeruing them?
Shall I proclaime thy iuſtice in condemning and taking vengeance of the pride of Angels, and diſobedience of men?
Shall I ſing of thy mercy in redeeming of thoſe, who by forſaking of thy law fell headlong into the ſlauerie of eternal death?
To what part of thy praiſes is the baſe tune of my voice able to ſtretch? or were my voice ſufficient, what eares were able to receiue it?
All things faile mee O Lord, in this enterpriſe, ſaue onelyonly courage, and will: vvhichwhich, filled with a vehement and feruent affection, cry out vntounto thee as lowde as they can.
Aſsiſt their vveake eſſayes with thy grace: and ſince the teares of my repentance hauehave vvaſhed away the fouleneſſe of my ſinnes, vvherewith my ſpirit vvas ouercharged, deiected and preſſed downe; giuegive mee henceforth the wings of faith and hope, whoſe ſwift flight may carrie mee into thy boſome, to bee revnited to his firſt originall: that I may neuer hereafter entertaine any other thought, then vvhat may tende to the furtherance of thy ſeruice, and the aduancement of thy glorie.
FINIS.
End of the text · John Craig, The Mother and the Child (1611)