THE MISERABLE STATE OF THE WICKED. Who feares not God shall not escape, His daies as shadows pas; Though wicked men triumph sometimes, WHEN as contrariwise the wicked one The pompe and glory of his passed pride Because he feared not the God of might, And yet in truth it is a wondrous case For you shall lightly see the better man SONNETS FROM THE "FIRST CENTURIE OF SONETS." SONET XLIIIII. My wicked flesh, O Lord, with sin full fraight, Whose eye doth lust for euerie earthly thing, By couetise allurde, hath bit the baight That me to Satan's seruitude will bring. By violence I vertue's right would wring Out of possession of the soule so weake, Like vineyard which the wicked Achab king Possest by tirant's power, which lawes do breake. Let prophets thine, Lord, to my soule so speake, That in repentant sackcloth I may mone The murther of thy grace which I did wreake, Whilst to my natiue strength I trust alone: And let my Sauiour so prolong my daies, That henceforth I may turne from sinfull waies. SONET LI. WHILST in the garden of this earthly soile And fain would quench sin's heat, which seems to boile Amidst my secret thoughts, which shadow lend: My sence and reasons which should me defend, As iudges chosen to the common weale, Allur'd by lust, my ruine do pretend By force of sin, which shamelesse they reueale : They secretly on my affections steale, When modestie my maides I sent away, SONET LIII, A HUSBANDMAN within thy Church by grace The loue of world doth make it seeme more tough, If sinfull death do seeke me to assaile. Let me runne forth my race vnto the end, SONNETS FROM THE "SECOND CENTURIE." So blinde, O Lord, haue my affections bin, To pride and lust, as heauenly powers of might: I offred all my sences with delight, A sacrifice to feede those idols vaine : Of all the presents proffred day and night, Nought vnconsumde I saw there did remaine, Till that thy prophets by thy word made plaine The falshood by the which I was deceived; How Satan's kingdome made hereof a gaine, And wickednesse my hope and faith bereaued. But now the sifted ashes of thy word Bewraies Bel's prists, slaies dragon without sword. SONET LXXXI. Lo, how I groueling vnder burden lie Against a streame of lusts my will would roe peace: But flouds of foule affections ouerfloe, And sinke I must; I see now no release, Vnlesse my Sauiour deare this burden take, SONET XC.. ON sweete and sauorie bread of wholesome kinde, Which in thy word thou offrest store to me, To feed vpon the flesh doth lothing finde, And leaues to leane, O Lord, alone on thee: The leauen of the Pharisees will bee The surfet of my soule, and death in fine, Which, coueting to tast forbidden tree, To carnall rules and reasons doth incline. So lauishly my lusts do tast the wine Which sowrest grapes of sin filles in my cup, That, lo, my teeth now set on edge I pine, Not able wholesome food to swallow vp, Vnlesse thou mend my tast, and hart doest frame To loue thy lawes, and praise thy holy name. XII. WILLIAM HUNNIS. PSALME VI. Domine, ne in furore. The first Part. And view the paths and waies I went, Againe to thinke vpon thy power, The weight of sinne is verie great; That one proud thought made angels once Adam likewise, and Eve his wife, Vpon them both, and on their seede, But that by faith in Christ thy Sonne |