Ecclesiastes, othervvise called The preacher Containing Salomons sermons or commentaries (as it may probably be collected) vpon the 49. Psalme of Dauid his father. Compendiously abridged, and also paraphrastically dilated in English poesie, according to the analogie of Scripture, and consent of the most approued writer thereof. Composed by H.L. Gentleman. Whereunto are annexed sundrie sonets of Christian passions heretofore printed, and now corrected and augmented, with other affectionate sonets of a feeling conscience of the same authors.

AN INTRODVCTION TO PECVLIAR PRAYERS.

TO thee (ô Lord) who only knowst my sin, And only able art, my state redresse, To thee alone my plaints directed bin, To thee my guilt alone I do confesse: In hope thy gracious aide at need to win, Who giuest me grace, these prayers to addresse: My words can not expresse, My inward griefe, My deedes declare too well my true disease, Yet doubt I not to craue of thee reliefe, Because thy Sonne did first thy wrath appease: These are my wants, and many more then these, But of them all, vnfaithfulnesse is chiefe: Yet as repentant thiefe, On crosse found grace, Vouchsafe my plaints with mercie to imbrace.

SON. CI. Craues grace to pray.

O Powrefull God in Christ our father deare, Who mad'st and rul'st all things euen by thy will, Whose truth and loue, the heauens and earth do fill, Vouchsafe my will to frame, and prayers heare, Touch thou my heart, my blinded iudgement cleare, That sorrow for my sinnes may teares distill: Let true repentance kill. All carnall lust, Let purpose to amend, my soule direct, To craue thy aide, who only canst protect Mans feeble strength from thoughts, words, deeds vniust: Fraile is mans powre and will, his substance dust, His purest actions, hourely it detect; Yet do thou not reiect, Thy worke in me, Who craue a will to pray, and faithfull be.

SON. CII. Salutation of the Church.

HAile sacred seat of Gods eternall peace, Where all his blessings kept in treasure are, Twixt soule and bodie, which accords the iarre, And causest cumbers of discord to cease; From wandring worldly thoughts, thou doest release My doubtfull hope, which sought for help from farre: In Sathans fiercest warre A bulwarke strong, In natures hote assault a sure defence, An Arke of safety for our feeble sence, A watchmans towre to those to thee belong, A harmony of heauenly musicks song: Kind shepherd to the soule, which strayes not thence, For still with sweet insence Thy lights do flame, And Christ thy Priest & Captaine gards the same.

SON. CIII. For constancie.

ALas ô Lord, how fraile the flesh I find; How readie to reuolt vnto distrust; How willing to seeke helpe in flesh vniust; Vngratefull fruit of gracelesse humane kind, Which harboreth such monsters in the mind, As soule and bodie both needs ruine must: Like wauering sand or dust, With winds which moue, From good to ill, from ill to worse we fall, We haue not sooner grace for helpe to call, And budding faith thy mercies for to proue, But weary long to seeke our ioyes aboue, We quench this spright, and haue no helpe at all: The perill is not small, (Lord) I am in, Inflame the faith, and zeale thou didst begin.

SON. CIIII. For faith.

SInce thus myselfe I find to be vncleane, Vnfit to bide before Gods iustice throne, Who recompence for sinne accepteth none, But to the rigor of desert doth leane, To fly to thee my Sauiour Christ I meane, Who paydst my debt sufficiently alone: I need but make my mone To thee I know, For thou art readie to relieue my want, Thy fathers loue, and thy obedience brant With zeale, thy mercies on vs to bestow: Whereof since faith the vse to vs must show, And as it is more feruent or more scant, More powrefull is to dant Deaths bitter sting, craunt faith may prayers frame, & comfort bring.

SON. CV. For grace to iudge of good & euill.

AMidst these dangerous dayes wherein I liue, Poore silly Orphane distitute of skill, By parents fall forlorne, by nature ill, Craue grace of thee ô Lord: and therwith giue, Powre to my weaknesse sin away to driue, That so I may thee serue and honour still: Reforme my feeble will, And it incline, To haue henceforth a wise and solide tast, Of truth and falshod; let my choyse be plast On perfect patterne drawne with vertuous line: With serpents wisedome let my iudgment shine, To shun the snares whereto my lust would hast: Vouchsafe my sute be grast, With help from thee, Thy word the lampe of light vnto me bee.

SON. CVI. For innocencie in euill.

SInce so simplicitie, thy word doth prayse (O Lord) as that thy Sonne example gaue By all his life, and workes that he did craue, His seruants wherein to direct their wayes, Like to the babe on mothers breast that stayes, And sylly Lambes, and doues which no guile haue. Since he is prest to faue, And to imbrace The lame, blind, naked, leaporous, reiect; Since to yeeld health to all, and such protect As simply do with faith approch the place, When he in mercies seat doth shew his face, And prayers heare, and needfull suites effect: Lord do me not neglect, Poore, silly, blind, Who meritelesse, yet mercy hope to find.

SON. CVII. Shame of sinne.

HOw could I Lord but be asham'd indeed, To lift my eyes to thee, to craue for ayde; When I of thought, word, deed, haue sins displayd, With multitude of monstrous of springs breed, The true portrait of Adams carnall seed, Which made him hide himselfe when he it wayd: I therefore am affrayd, And shun to show Vnto the world, the shamefull brood I beare, Which thoughts do hatch, and vile affections reare; Too hatefull for a Christian soule to know, And do so hastily to hugenesse grow, As vaine it is a figge-tree leafe to weare: I know no other where My shame to hide, But with thy merits; or thy wrath to bide.

SON. CVIII. Against defection.

VVHen I (ô Lord) vnto my mind do call, The fearefull records of the Patriarkes best, In whom great gifts of grace did seeme to rest, And yet to foule and fearefull sinnes did fall; I do deplore the frailty of vs all, And feare defection euen in those are blest. And since I am the least, O Lord (alas) Of many, that in word professe thy name, And I some feeling tast haue of the same, Which doth not forward to perfection pas; It makes me see (as in a looking glasse) The feeble strength of this my present frame, Which clogd with sin is lame, And wold look back To hell (from which I fly) if grace should lack.

SON. CIX. Not to trust in flesh.

WHat trust may I, ô Lord, on flesh repose? Whose mould is earth, whose substance is but dust, His thoughts vncleane, his actions all vniust, As is the stocke of parents, whence it growes; Whome fraud, vntruth, pride, lust, distrust inclose, By which (by nature) rul'd wee are and must: I know the feeble trust, I may expect, And safety which on such a frame is found; Where weake foundation is the sand vnsound, Which may ••••t byde the brunt of stormie day, When as temptations shall their powre display, Or yet afflictions vs enuiron round: Vpon a surer ground, Faith must me build, And Christ my sauiour so my soule may shield.

SON. CX. Praye for humilitie.

SInce thou ô Lord and Sauiour doest confesse Thy selfe a true Phi••ition, vnto those Who with humilitie their griefes disclose, And vnto thee for ayd, by prayers presse; Vouchsafe thou so my heart to thee addresse, That on thy helpe alone my faith repose. Vouchsafe my sight vnlose, Make me to see The naked show of natures powre and shame; Let me behold my workes, weake, lewd, and lame; And let my heart with sorrow pierced be, And pressed downe, procure such mone in me, As may in fine repentance truely frame: That humbly so thy name, I may adore, And faithfully in fine thy helpe implore,

SON. CXI. For Comfort in affliction.

LEaue me not Lord, most humbly I thee craue, In this distresse, whereto my sinsme bring, VVhich headlong vnto hell, my soule would fling, And make me thinke, there were no powre could ••aue My wretched state from deaths eternall graue, Which poysoned is by Satans deadly sting▪ But teach thou me to sing, O Lord thy praise, Amids thy saints which see thy mercies still, With ioy and comfort do my courage fill: Once Lord my soule, which yet in terror staies, Make me to bend vnto thy will my waies, And frame my powers vnto thy holy will: The powre of Satan kill, And so increase My soule with comfort of thy lasting peace.

SON. CXII. I•• prosperity not to forsake God.

THe more ô Lord I see before my face, The daily blessings, which thow doest bestow On me vnworthie wretch, who well do know, How farre affections vile in me haue place: The more I see, iust cause to call for grace, Lest for abuse of them thou vengance s••ow; For then most soone we grow, For to forget The giuer, when the giftes we once haue gaind, Ingratitude our natures so hath staind, Thy greatest blessing we most lightly set, So far we are from paying praise for debt, VVe do forget the nurse vs fed and wainde: As Israell not refraind, Thee most t'offend, VVhen most thou them didst feed & comfort send.

SON. CXIII. Mans Sorrow for sin.

I Must commend the thing the world doth hate, And like the thing that flesh and bloud detest; The cares and griefes by which I was opprest, Which made me see and know my wretched state: Wisdome is dearely bought, but not too late; Who tasts true frute of care, knowes cumfort best: Make me then Lord disgest each bitter pill, Which for correction of my sin is sent: Purge thou thereby, my drosse, make me repent Each lewd affect offensiue to thy will: A new and better nature Lord in still, Which to thy seruice alwaies may be bent: With sorrow often rent, My hardoned heart, And let repentance purchase cure of smart.

SON. CXIIII. For true feare.

FEare is a frailtie knowne to humane kind, Which witnesseth a guilt where it doth dwell: Since Adams fall, his ofspring knew it well, And euery man in conscience doth it find; It takes possession in atroubled mind, And (if grace want) dispaire driues downe to hell: Yet these thy praises tell, O Lord they shall, Who danted for their frailties, do require Grace to resist their lustes, and doe aspire For strength of true perfection for to call, And haue a feare of sin (though neare so small) For loue of right, as well as shunning ire, Kindle their loue with fire, Sprinkle it with feare, That incense of obedient smoke it reare.

SON. CXV. Sorow for coldnesse of compassion.

I Feele ô Lord, and sorrow for the same, The slender feeling, and compassion small, The which I haue of neighbours case at all; Which to assist their states my heart should frame, Who with my lips, professe a Christian name, But stop my eares when they for help do call, So easily we fall, And do forgett, The lesson which our Maister Christ vs gaue, Who vs with mourners to lament would haue, And on our brothers good, chiefe care should set: But selfe-loue and cold charitie, doth let No frute of faith proceed, though neighbour craue: Yet thou didst freely saue Me wretch cleane lost, Whose life the blud of thy deare Sonne hath cost.

SON. CXVI. For Patience.

WHen I ô Lord in troubles sore opprest, My heauie state with carefull thoughts do way, Which hope of happie issue doth denay, A••d frailtie of the flesh can scarse digest; I onely find here in at length some rest, When on thy mercy promised I stay; And when from day to day, I see with shame, My new offences, which do trespasse thee, And note how long thy iudgements spared me, Which iustly might burst forth in vengeance flame; Ye when my Sauiours sufferings show the same, Which ought a rule to his elect to be: I craue that I might see, Like fruites of grace, So that impatience hold in me no place.

SON. CXVII. For continuance of Gods word.

THe greatest plague that I see cause to feare, To such as I, who haue so carelesse bin, By reading and by preaching, for to win True knowledg, which our harts to thee might reare Is, lest thy Prophets sound should so forbeare To preach thy word, that we should dwell in sin: And wallowing therein, We should delight In ignorance (the headlong path to hell) And wickedly in carnall tents to dwell; And so surcease with sinne, or lust to fight: Grant therfore (Lord) thy sword may alwaies smight My soule, till sinne it from me cleane expell: Let Prophets alwaies tell To vs thy will, And keepe vs vnder thy obedience still.

SON. CXVIII. For grace to bring forth fruits.

ALthough (ô Lord) I do as truth confesse, No powre in humane art that can thee please; That all polluted are with first disease Of sinne originall, which did transgresse By parents fall, and workes in vs no lesse, On whom by iust succession sindoth cease: Yet since Christ doth appease The penance due, By bearing burden on his backe for me, And faith herein sufficeth me to free; Which faith must fruitfull be if it be true, And workes of grace regenerate insue, Which perfect pledge of safetie ought to bee: I craue (ô Lord) of thee, From day to day, To guide my steps vnto a righteous way.

SON. CXIX. Aide in conflict with sin.

VVEake are my Chāpions Lord which fight with sin; I meane my will, and powre which take in hand, The furie of their assaults for to withstand, And victory of him do hope to win: Some signe it is of courage, to begin To fight, but cowards part to leaue the land. I faine would come in band, And leige would make With thee my Sauiour, ere I be assayld: No other comfort euer man auayld, But trust in thee, when troubles them did take; Thou helpst thy flocke, thou dost not them forsake, If so their faith in thee be nothing quayld: No sillable is fayld Of all thy word, Thy truth sub dues the force of wrathfull sword.

SON. CXX. Comfort in affliction.

VVHy do we not reioyce, whilst Christ we haue Our bridgrome, wedded sure to faithfull band? His owne free liking made our merit stand, And by his word, his loue to vs he gaue; First pledge wherof was Baptisme, which forth draue Our feare, and lent a gracious helping hand. And that in sacred land We might be free, And there possession haue of endlesse rest, His Testament he made, and with the blest, Our heritage (by faith) he made vs see: He signd the writ with his assurance best, Of bread and wine, which might a Simboll bee, His corps nayld on the tree, For our discharge From sin, hell, death, which sets our soule at large.

CONCLVSION.

THough long (my soule) thou banished hast bin, From place of thy repose, by tyrants might; By world and worldly cares, by flesh, wherein Thy wandring thoghts haue dazeld iudgemēts sight: Learne yet at length to guide thy course aright, Vnto that end which must begin thy rest; Learne once for shame, so constantly to fight Against affections, which please fancie best, That all vnfruitfull thoughts thou maist detest, And hold those common pleasures, combers great, Whose issue, age and time with ruine threat, VVhen death vnlookt for, seemes a fearefull guest, Retire thy selfe, as wise Barzilla did, From worldly cares, thy purer thoughts to rid.