No More Learning

135


XVI.

From needing danger, to bee good,
From owing thee yesterdaies teares to day,
From trusting so much to thy blood,
That in that hope, wee wound our soule away,
From bribing thee with Almes, to excuse 140
Some sinne more burdenous,
From light affecting, in religion, newes,
From thinking us all soule, neglecting thus
Our mutuall duties, Lord deliver us.


XVII.

From tempting Satan to tempt us, 145
By our connivence, or slack companie,
From measuring ill by vitious,
Neglecting to choake sins spawne, Vanitie,
From indiscreet humilitie,
Which might be scandalous, 150
And cast reproach on Christianitie,
From being spies, or to spies pervious,
From thirst, or scorne of fame, deliver us.


XVIII.

Deliver us for thy descent
Into the Virgin, whose wombe was a place 155
Of middle kind; and thou being sent
To'ungratious us, staid'st at her full of grace;
And through thy poore birth, where first thou
Glorifiedst Povertie,
And yet soone after riches didst allow, 160
By accepting Kings gifts in the Epiphanie,
Deliver, and make us, to both waies free.


XIX.

And through that bitter agonie,
Which is still the agonie of pious wits,
Disputing what distorted thee, 165
And interrupted evennesse, with fits;
And through thy free confession
Though thereby they were then
Made blind, so that thou might'st from them have gone,
Good Lord deliver us, and teach us when 170
Wee may not, and we may blinde unjust men.


XX.

Through thy submitting all, to blowes
Thy face, thy clothes to spoile; thy fame to scorne,
All waies, which rage, or Justice knowes,
And by which thou could'st shew, that thou wast born; 175
And through thy gallant humblenesse
Which thou in death did'st shew,
Dying before thy soule they could expresse,
Deliver us from death, by dying so,
To this world, ere this world doe bid us goe. 180


XXI.

When senses, which thy souldiers are,
Wee arme against thee, and they fight for sinne,
When want, sent but to tame, doth warre
And worke despaire a breach to enter in,
When plenty, Gods image, and seale 185
Makes us Idolatrous,
And love it, not him, whom it should reveale,
When wee are mov'd to seeme religious
Only to vent wit, Lord deliver us.


XXII.

In Churches, when the'infirmitie 190
Of him which speakes, diminishes the Word,
When Magistrates doe mis-apply
To us, as we judge, lay or ghostly sword,
When plague, which is thine Angell, raignes,
Or wars, thy Champions, swaie, 195
When Heresie, thy second deluge, gaines;
In th'houre of death, the'Eve of last judgement day,
Deliver us from the sinister way.


XXIII.
Heare us, O heare us Lord; to thee
A sinner is more musique, when he prayes, 200
Then spheares, or Angels praises bee,
In Panegyrique Allelujaes;
Heare us, for till thou heare us, Lord
We know not what to say;
Thine eare to'our sighes, teares, thoughts gives voice and word. 205
O Thou who Satan heard'st in Jobs sicke day,
Heare thy selfe now, for thou in us dost pray.


XXIV.

That wee may change to evennesse
This intermitting aguish Pietie;
That snatching cramps of wickednesse 210
And Apoplexies of fast sin, may die;
That musique of thy promises,
Not threats in Thunder may
Awaken us to our just offices;
What in thy booke, thou dost, or creatures say, 215
That we may heare, Lord heare us, when wee pray.


XXV.

That our eares sicknesse wee may cure,
And rectifie those Labyrinths aright,
That wee, by harkning, not procure
Our praise, nor others dispraise so invite, 220
That wee get not a slipperinesse
And senslesly decline,
From hearing bold wits jeast at Kings excesse,
To'admit the like of majestie divine,
That we may locke our eares, Lord open thine. 225


XXVI.

That living law, the Magistrate,
Which to give us, and make us physicke, doth
Our vices often aggravate,
That Preachers taxing sinne, before her growth,
That Satan, and invenom'd men 230
Which well, if we starve, dine,
When they doe most accuse us, may see then
Us, to amendment, heare them; thee decline:
That we may open our eares, Lord lock thine.


XXVII.

That learning, thine Ambassador, 235
From thine allegeance wee never tempt,
That beauty, paradises flower
For physicke made, from poyson be exempt,
That wit, borne apt high good to doe,
By dwelling lazily 240
On Natures nothing, be not nothing too,
That our affections kill us not, nor dye,
Heare us, weake ecchoes, O thou eare, and cry.


XXVIII.

Sonne of God heare us, and since thou
By taking our blood, owest it us againe, 245
Gaine to thy self, or us allow;
And let not both us and thy selfe be slaine;
O Lambe of God, which took'st our sinne
Which could not stick to thee,
O let it not returne to us againe, 250
But Patient and Physition being free,
As sinne is nothing, let it no where be.


[The Litanie. _1633-69:_ A Letanie. _A18_, _B_, _D_, _H49_,
_JC_, _Lec_, _N_, _O'F_, _S_, _S96_, _TCC_, _TCD_]

[17 be, _D:_ be _1633-69_]

[30 serpents, _Ed:_ serpents _1633-69_]

[34 a such _1633:_ such _1635-69_, _JC:_ such a _A18_, _D_,
_H49_, _Lec_, _N_, _S_, _TC_

instinct _1633:_ instinct, _1635-69_]

[35 these; _Ed:_ these, _D_, _H49_, _Lec:_ these _1633-69:_
thee _A18_, _N_, _TC_]

[48 Native] Natives _B_, _JC_, _S_

in heavens faire Palaces, _D:_ in heavens faire Palaces
_1633-39:_ in heavens Palaces, _1650-69_]

[52 which _1633:_ what _1635-69_]

[56 Grandfathers] Grandfathers, _1633_]

[58 then] that _1635-39_]

[58 Grace and Law, _D:_ grace and law, _1633-69_]

[61 satisfy'd, _1635-69_, _A18_, _D_, _H49_, _JC_, _N_, _S96_,
_TC:_ sanctified, _1633_

fructifie] fructified _A18_, _JC_]

[63 Faith, _D:_ Faith _1633-69_]

[93 were, _Ed:_ were; _1633-69_]

[97 grow; _Ed:_ grow, _1633-69_]

[100 The] Thy _B_, _D_, _H49_, _O'F_, _S_, _S96_]

[109 Thy] The _1635-69_

Academie _1633_, _D_, _H49_, _Lec:_ Academ _1635-69:_ Academe
_N_, _O'F_, _S96_, _TC_]

[112 thy] the _1650-69_

Scriptures] Scripture _1669_

wrote] _spelt_ wrought _1633 and MSS. _]

[115 adhere; _Ed:_ adhere, _1633-69_]

[122 too, _D:_ too _1633-69_]

[125 Lord: _Ed:_ Lord, _1633-69_]

[128 clods _1633:_ clouds _1635-69_, _B_, _O'F_ (_which
corrects_), _S96_]

[133 whom] _om.