Collection of Poems, Verse paraphrases
A Metricall Paraphraſe vponupon the CREEDE.
SInce it befits, that I account ſhould giuegive
What way vntounto ſaluation I beleeue;
Of my profeſſion here the ſumme I gather.
Firſt, I confeſſe a Faith in God the Father:
In God, who (without Helper or Pertaker)
Was of himſelfe the Worlds Almighty Maker,
And firſt gaue Time his being: who gaue birth
To all the Creatures, both of Heauen and Earth.
Our euerlaſting wel-fare doth conſiſt
In his great mercies, and in Ieſus Chriſt:
(The ſecond perſon of that Three in one)
The Father's equall, and his onelyonly Sonne;
That euer-bleſſed, and incarnate Word,
Which our Redeemer is, our life, Our Lord.
For when by Sathans guile we were deceiued,
Chriſt was that meanes of helpe, which was conceiued;
Yea, (when we were in danger to be loſt)
Conceiued for VsUs, by the Holy Ghoſt.
And that we might not euer be for-lorne,
For our eternall ſafety he was Borne;
Borne as a Man (that Man might not miſeary)
Euen of the ſubſtance of the Virgin Mary,
And loe, a greater mercy, and a wonder;
He that can make All, ſuffer, ſuffered vnderunder
The Iewiſh ſpite (which all the world reuile at)
And Romiſh tyrannies of Pontius Pilate.
In him doe I beleeue, who was enuied,
Who with extreameſt hate was Crucified:
Who being Life it ſelfe (to make aſſured
Our ſoules of ſafety) was both dead, and buried;
And that no ſeruile feare in vsus might dwell,
To conquere, Hee deſcended into Hell:
Where no infernall Power had power to lay
Command vponupon him; but on the third day
The force of Death and Hell he did conſtraine,
And ſo in Triumph, He aroſe againe.
Yea, the Almighty power aduanc'd his head,
Aſwell aboue all things, as from the dead.
Then, that from thence gifts might to men be giuen,
With glory, Hee aſcended into Heauen:
Where, that ſupreame and euerlaſting throne,
Which was prepar'd, he climb'd; and ſitteth on
That bleſſed ſeate, where he ſhall make abode
To plead for vsus, at the right hand of God.
And no where ſhould he be enthroned rather,
Then there: for, he is God, as is the Father.
And therefore, with an equall louelove delight I
To praiſe and ſerue them both, as one Almighty:
…et in their office there's a difference.
And I beleeue, that Ieſus Chriſt, from thence,
Shall in the great and vniuerſall doome,
Returne; and that with Angels He ſhall come,
To queſtion ſuch as at his Empire grudge;
Euen thoſe who hauehave preſumed him to iudge.
And that blacke day ſhall be ſo Catholicke,
As I beleeue not onelyonly that the quicke
To that aſſiſe ſhall all be ſummoned;
But, he will both adiudge them, and the dead.
Moreouer, in the Godhead I conceiue
Another Perſon, in whom I beleeue:
For all my hope of bleſſedneſſe were loſt,
If I beleeu'd not in the holy Ghoſt.
And though vaine Schiſmatickes through pride & folly
Contemne her power, I doe beleeue the holy
Chaſt Spouſe of Chriſt (for whom ſo many ſearch
By markes vncertaine) the true Cath'like Church.
I doe beleeue (God keepe vsus in this vnion,)
That there ſhall be for euer the Communion
Of Gods Elect: and that he ſtill acquaints
His Children in the fellowſhip of Saints.
Though damned be Mans naturall condition,
By grace in Chriſt I looke for the remiſſion
Of all my foule miſdeeds; for, there begins
Deaths end, which is the puniſhment of ſinnes.
Moreouer, I the Sadduces infection
Abhorre, and doe beleeue the Reſurrection:
Yea, though I turne to duſt; yet through God, I
Expect a glorious riſing of the body;
And that, exempted from the cares here riſe,
I ſhall enioy perfection and the life
That is not ſubiect vntounto change or waſting;
But euer bleſſed, and for euerlaſting.
This is my Faith, which that it faile not when
It moſt ſhould ſteed me, let God ſay, Amen.
A Metricall Paraphaſe vponupon the Lords Prayer
To whom, that he ſo much vouchſafe me may,
Thus as a member of his Church, I pray:
LOrd, at thy Mercy-ſeat, ourſelues we gather,
To doe our duties vntounto thee, Our Father.
To whom all praiſe, al honor, ſhould be giuen:
For, thou art that great God which art in heauē.
Thou by thy wiſdome rul'ſt the worlds whole frame,
For euer, therefore, Hallowed be thy Name.
Let neuer more delayes diuide vsus from
Thy glories view, but let Thy Kingdome come.
Let thy commands oppoſed be by none,
But thy good pleaſure, and Thy will be done.
And let our promptneſſe to obey, be euen
The very ſame in earth, as 'tis in heauen.
Then, for our ſelues, O Lord, we alſo pray,
Thou wouldſt be pleaſed to GiueGive vsus this day,
That food of life wherewith our ſoules are fed,
Contented raiment, and our daily bread.
With eu'ry needfull thing doe thou relieue vsus:
And, of thy mercy, pitty And forgiue vsus
All our miſdeeds, in him whom thou didſt pleaſe,
To take in offering for our treſpaſſes.
And for as much, O Lord, as we beleeue,
Thou ſo wilt pardon vsus, as we forgiue;
Let that louelove teach vsus, wherewith thou acquaints vsus,
To pardon all them, that treſpaſſe againſt vsus.
And though ſometime thou findſt we hauehave forgot
This LoueLove, or thee; yet helpe, And leade vsus not
Through Soule or bodies want, to deſperation
Nor let abundance driue, into temptation.See Pro. 30. 8. 9.
Let not the ſoule of any true Beleeuer,
Fall in the time of tryall: But deliuer
Yea, ſaue him from the malice of the Diuell;
And both in life and death keepe vsus from euill.
Thus pray we Lord: And but of thee, from whom
Can this be had? For thine is the Kingdome.
The world is of thy workes the grauen ſtory,
To thee belongs the power, and the glory.
And this thy happineſſe hath ending neuer:
But ſhall remaine for euer, and for euer.
This we confeſſe; and will confeſſe agen,
Till we ſhall ſay eternally, Amen.
Thou ſhalt write them vponupon the poſtes of thy houſe, and vponupon thy Gates. Deut. 6. 9.
FINIS.
End of the text · George Wither, Collection of Poems (1622)