Religious Rapture, Poem 1 – Poem 2
A moſt ELEGANT and RELIGIOUS RAPTURE, COMPOSED By Mr. Samuel Ward (that ſometime famous and pious Paſtor at Ipſwich) during his Epiſcopall Impriſonment in the GATE-HOƲSE, And by him Dedicated to King CHARLES the Firſt. Now, Moſt exactly Engliſhed by JOHN VICARS.
Precatiuncula de Theologico Magnete, Jeſu Chriſto, ad rhythmi Bernardini, genium & formam.
MAgne Magnes, Me dignare,
Ad Te totum inclinare;
Fac Cor meum anhelare,
Ʋt Se poſſit applicare
Devoto Tibi pectore.
Canem vilem, allatrantem,
Ovem perditam, balantem;
Cervum feſſum, anhelantem,
Servum tardum, & cunctantem,
Potentèr ad Te pertrahe.
Sic Me trahas, ut Te ſequar,
Sic convertas, ut convertar;
Cordi meo Te conjungas,
Ʋngas illud, & compungas,
Spiritus tui flamine,
Per medullam Cordis mei,
Peccatoris, atque rei;
Sic Vis tua tramittatur,
Ʋt, Cor totum conſtringatur,
Amoris tui Vinculis.
Da Cor, Cordi ſimilari,
Da Cor, Cordi ſociari;
Da Cor durum perforari,
Da Cor ferreum ſauciari,
Amoris tui Vulnere.
Meum poſſe, velle, ſcire,
Totum Tibi fac ſervire;
Vehementèr eſurire,
Et ardentèr Te ſitire,
Fac Cor meum aridum.
Roſa Sharon aperire,
Cujus Odor fragrat, mirè;
Nares meas fac ſentire
Illas, illum fac haurire,
Prae cunctis Suavitatibus.
Manna dulce, Mel ſincerum,
Vinum ſuave, Nectar merum;
In Quo, Nihil eſt amarum,
Eſto, Mihi, Tu, per-charum,
Prae omnibus Deliciis.
Ecce, Tibi appropinquo,
Parce Mihi, ſi delinquo;
Ecce, curro ad Te, ſponte,
Verecundà, tamen fronte,
Ne, Me, quaeſo, rejice.
Praebe, Mihi, Te benignum,
Ne repellas Me indignum;
Totum, ad Te, Cor impelle,
Totum impelle meum Velle,
Ʋt, Te, nunquam, deſeram.
S. W.
A ſhort and ſweet Prayer concerning the Theological Load-ſtone, Chriſt Jeſus, according to St Bernards manner and Metre.
LOvely Load-ſtone, grant to Me,
Wholely, ſolely, Thine to be;
Make my Heart for Thee to breath,
That it may It Self bequeath
With all fervour unto Thee.
Me, a baſe, a barking Hound,
Bleating Sheep, ſtray'd from my Bound;
Me, a panting, chaſed Deer,
Servant ſlack, and ſlow, moſt neer,
Strongly draw, to follow Thee.
So Me draw, as to keep nigh Thee,
So, Me turn, as turned by Thee;
O Unite Thee to my Heart,
And annoint It, make It ſmart,
With thy holy Spirits blaſt.
Through the marrow of my Soul,
A poor Sinner guilty, foul;
So, Thy Power, O Lord, tranſmit,
As my Heart to Thee to knit,
With thy pleaſing Love-chains, faſt.
Give Me ſuch a Heart as Thine,
Give my Heart to Thee to joyn;
Give Me my hard-Heart pierc'd quite,
Give't, though iron-hard, contrite,
By thy piercing Wound of Love.
My Power, my Will, and All I know,
Whole Obedience make to ſhow;
Deadly hungry Chriſt's to be,
Eagerly to thirſt for Thee,
My dry parched Soul, O, move!
Spread, Thou Roſe of Sharon, fairly,
Whoſe ſweet Savour ſents, moſt rarely;
Fill my Noſthrils with Thy Sent,
Drawing from Thee more Content,
Than from Earths Sweets, when at Faireſt.
Sweeteſt Manna, Honey cleer,
Pleaſant Wine, and Nectar meer;
And thou Sweet, where's Nothing bitter,
O, may I count Nothing fitter
Than Thee, for my Soul's All-rareſt!
Lo, I come, I flie to Thee,
Spare, if ought offenſive be;
Lo, I run to Thee, apaſe,
Yet, with baſhful, bluſhing face,
O, refuſe Me not, I pray.
Shew thy Self to Me propitious,
Shun Me not, though I be vitious;
Fully draw my Heart to Thee,
Fully fill Its Longs for Thee,
That, from Thee, I never ſtray.
J. V.
VOTUM MAGNETICUM, vel, Ejuſdem Samuelis Ward, Votum devotum, de eodem Magnete Theologico, Jeſu Chriſto.
PSAL. 27. 4.
Multa petunt à Te Multi, Queis multa dediſſe,
Multum laeſiſſe eſt; Sunt, Mihi, Pauca ſatis.
Pauca petunt à Te Pauci; Mihi Suſſicit*Luc. 10. 42. Ʋnum;
Ʋnum ſi dederis, non Ego Plura petam.
Hoc opus eſt*foreign. Ʋno opus eſt. Ʋnum, Satis Ʋnum, Plus-ſatis Ʋnum;
Ʋnum ſi dederis Tu, Mihi, Dives ero.
Hoc Ʋnum petii, repetam, bis, terque, quaterque;
Ʋnum ſi dederis Tu Mihi, gratus ero.
Ʋt trahar, utque traham ad Chriſtum, Quos, morte redemit,
Ʋnum hoc ſi dederis Tu, Mihi, Mille dabis.
Mille Tibi grates perſolvam, Votaque reddam
Mille, Tibi; Laudes, ſecula, mille, canam. Amen.
S. W.
A DEVOƲT VOTE, or, The holy Wiſh of the ſame Mr Samuel Ward, touching the foreſaid Theological Load ſtone, Chriſt Jeſus.
PSAL. 27. 4.
LORD, Many ask Thee Much, t' whom, Much, if had,
Would do much hurt; Few Things would make Me glad.
Few ask Thee few Things,*Luk. 10. 42. One would Me complete:
Give Me that One Thing. I'll no more intreat.
This*One thing is needful. One I need, One fills, makes Mee run-ore;
Give mee this One-Thing, Chriſt, and I have Store.
This One I crave, will crave twice, thrice, again;
This One-Thing granted, grateful I'll remain.
That I, once brought, to Chriſt, his Saints may bring,
This one Grace giv'n mee, Hence, a Thouſand ſpring.
For This a Thouſand Thanks, and Vows I'll pay;
To thee ten thouſand Praiſes ſing, for aye. Amen.
J. V.
LONDON, Printed for Tho. Maxey, and are to be ſold in Thames-ſtreet, neer St Benet Paul's Wharf. 1649.
End of the text · Samuel Ward, Religious Rapture (1649)