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Chapter XV.
[verse 1] But God will neuer die his hands with bloud,
His heart with hate, his throne with crueltie,
His face with furies map, his browe with cloud,
His raigne with rage, his crowne with tyrannie:
Gratious is he, long-suffering, and true,
Which ruleth all things with his mercies view.
Gratious, for where is grace but where he is?
The fountaine-head the euer-boundlesse streame,
Patient, for where is patience in amisse,
If not conducted by pure graces beame:
Truth is the moderator of them both,
For grace and patience are of truest groth.
[verse 2] For grace-beginning truth, doth end in grace,
As truth-beginning grace, doth end in truth,
Now patience takes the moderators place,
Yong-olde in suffering, olde-yong in ruth:
Patience is olde in being alwaies yong,
Not hauing right, nor euer offering wrong,
So this is moderator of Gods rage,
Pardoning those deeds, which wee in sin commit,
That if wee sin, shee is our freedomes gage,
And wee still thine, though to be thine vnfit:
In being thine (ô Lord) wee will not sin,
That we thy patience, grace, and truth may win.