I flung away, and with full cry Of wild affections, rid In post for pleasures, bent to try All gamesters that would bid. I played with fire, did counsel spurn, But never thought that fire would burn, Pieces of sackcloth with silk lists, These were my prime delights. I sought choice bowers, haunted the spring, Gave my fond humours their full wing, But at the height of this career Who, noting well my vain abear, 'Desist, fond fool, be not undone; Will fade at night, and with this sun 2 Flowers gathered in this world, die here; if thou LOVE-SICK. Jesus, my life! how shall I truly love thee? As to make man all pure love, flesh a star! At constant war with them. Oh, come, and rend Or bow the heavens! Lord, bow them and descend, And at thy presence make these mountains flow, These mountains of cold ice in me! Thou art Refining fire; oh, then, refine my heart, My foul, foul heart! Thou art immortal heat; Heat motion gives; then warm it, till it beat; So beat for thee, till thou in mercy hear; So hear, that thou must open; open to A sinful wretch, a wretch that caused thy woe; Thy woe, who caused his weal; so far his weal That thou forgott'st thine own, for thou didst seal Mine with thy blood, thy blood which makes thee mine, Mine ever, ever; and me ever thine. PSALM CIV. 1 Up, O my soul, and bless the Lord! O God, My God, how great, how very great art thou! Honour and majesty have their abode With thee, and crown thy brow. 2 Thou cloth'st thyself with light as with a robe, And the high, glorious heavens thy mighty hand Doth spread like curtains round about this globe Of air, and sea, and land. 3 The beams of thy bright chambers thou dost lay 4 In thy celestial, gladsome messages Despatched to holy souls, sick with desire 5 Thy arm unmoveable for ever laid And founded the firm earth; then with the deep As with a vail thou hidd'st it; thy floods played Above the mountains steep. 6 At thy rebuke they fled, at the known voice 7 For thou to them a bound hast set, a bound Which, though but sand, keeps in and curbs whole seas: There all their fury, foam, and hideous sound, 8 And as thy care bounds these, so thy rich love Doth broach the earth; and lesser brooks lets forth, Which run from hills to valleys, and improve Their pleasure and their worth. 9 These to the beasts of every field give drink; There the wild asses swallow the cool spring: 10 Thou from thy upper springs above, from those Chambers of rain, where heaven's large bottles lie, Dost water the parched hills, whose breaches close, Healed by the showers from high. 11 Grass for the cattle, and herbs for man's use Thou mak'st to grow; these, blessed by thee, the Brings forth, with wine, oil, bread; all which infuse 12 Thou giv'st the trees their greenness, even to those Cedars in Lebanon, in whose thick boughs The birds their nests build; though the stork doth [choose 13 To the wild goats the high hills serve for folds, Above them the cool moon her known course holds, 14 Thou makest darkness, and then comes the night, 15 The lion's whelps, impatient of delay, 16 This past, the sun shines on the earth; and they Retire into their dens; man goes abroad Unto his work, and at the close of day Returns home with his load. 17 O Lord my God, how many and how rare Are thy great works! In wisdom hast thou made 18 So doth the deep and wide sea, wherein are Innumerable creeping things, both small And great; there ships go, and the shipmen's fear, 19 These all upon thee wait, that thou mayst feed 20 When thou dost hide thy face, (thy face which keeps All things in being,) they consume and mourn: When thou withdraw'st their breath their vigour And they to dust return. [sleeps, 21 Thou send'st thy Spirit forth, and they revive, 22 Thine eyes behold the earth, and the whole stage 23 Therefore as long as thou wilt give me breath 24 I'll spice my thoughts with thee, and from thy word |