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Lord in thy wrath reprooue me not. &c.
Psalme. 6.
TAke away (ô Lord) the arme of thy seueare and heauy vengeance from me, for it will else driue me downe headlong as a violent streame into euerlasting death and condemnation, and consume mee like fier, and the rest of my bodie shall be turned into ashes. And what eye shall be able to abide, but must needs perish with feare, to behold the onely looke of thine angrie face, when as in casting thine eye vppon vs, thou shalt pierce the
verie bottoms of our hearts, and disco∣uer the secrets of our vncleane con∣sciences? For our abhominable sinnes will blowe the bellowes of thy iust anger vpon our heads, and thine hote burning wrath will all at once cast vs downe headlong into that fearefull gulfe of paines, torments, and mise∣ries. And therefore before such time as thy furie doth arise against me, and that thou with iust disdaine commest to ouerthrow and destroy me, I be∣seech thee to geue eare vnto the humble and grieuous groanes which my fearefull heart powreth out vnto thee.
2 Mercie therefore ô Lord, mer∣cie I craue: Oh my God, what wilt thou do? Shall thy mightie power and strength make tryall of mine infirmi∣ties? Thinkest thou my God, that I come before thee to wrastle against thy mightie power? No, no, O Lord, it is vnto thy clemencie that I runne, it is vnder her wing that I place my selfe, that she might arme herselfe against the rigour of the condem∣nation which I most iustlie haue deserued. Appease therefore some∣what
what thy countenance, and seeing that I haue a long while called vp∣on thy goodnesse, helpe and deli•…•… me from all those euils which do •…•…∣siege me, for behold I leade my life in most pittifull manner, and me thin∣keth that all my bones are brused and broken.
3 Howbeit, it is not my poore bo∣die onely that is thus cruelly afflicted, but my miserable soule also doth sor∣row and grieue. This soule of mine, O Lord, yea euen this soule of mine, who is fully and wholy purposed with her voice to glorifie the author of her life, is cast downe and become desolate, without either courage or strength. And as the fearfull Doue hideth her selfe in some small hole or creauie at the noise of thunder, euen so my soule when she beholdeth thine heauie in∣dignation, seeketh the darkest and ob∣scurest places for her retraite. But how long O Lord will thine anger last?
4 Howbeit, come O my Lord, come, and looke vpon me with thy pittifull eyes, with which thou canst not blot out my sinne alone, but all the sinnes of the world also. For, I feele my ••oul••
sticke fast in a most filthie and deepe puddle of iniquitie, therein she lieth drowned ouer head and eares, and stretcheth out her hand, O Lord vnto thee: alas, pluck her out of it, O Lord, and set her againe into the way of sal∣uation. Saue her, O Lord, for she con∣iureth thee therunto, by thine infinite goodnesse, and incredible mercy. True it is, O Lord, that she no whit deser∣ueth the same, neither oughteth she to hope for any helpe at his hand, whom she hath so cowardly forsaken, against whose honour she hath so wic∣kedly conspired: the reward of whose sinne deserueth no fauour, but hell fier and eternall death.
5 But who, O Lord, shall sing thy praises, and sound thy name in the infernall pit; and in the bottomlesse depth of death? For it is the house of sorrow, for there is nothing heard and seene, but howling & torments, where contrariwise, thy praise consisteth one∣ly in setting forth of thine infinit mer∣cy, goodnesse and clemencie.
6 And besides, behold on the one side, how humble repentance maketh intercession for me, and hath sworne
that she will neuer depart from me vn∣till such time as she hath reconciled me vnto thee. And on the other side, consider how humble praier importu∣neth thee for me, and hath sworne also that she will neuer be frō thine heeles, vntill such time as she hath reconciled me vnto thee. O my God, thou hast of∣ten times seene my teares & heard my grones. I daily wash my face with tears, through the remēbrance of my sins, & I cause my bed to swim with the teares that trickle down my eyes what is that O Lord, which repentance cōmandeth me, that I do not religiously obserue?
7 I cast downe mine eies, & tremble with feare, when I behold thy angry countenance. I patiently beare the re∣bukes of mine enemies, & take in good part their reproches, as a iust punish∣mēt for my sinnes, I walke before their faces in sackcloth & ashes, and with the confession of my mouth, I kneele at the feete of thine aulters. I with rods make leane my flesh, which caused my soule to sin, howbeit mine enemies do but laugh at my trouble, which place them selues round about me, with mocks to betray me.
8 But when as thou hast mercie vp∣on me, I will say vnto them. Away from me yee children of iniquitie, yee shall no longer laugh at my miserie: The Lord hath heard my praier, and my teares haue appeased his anger, and behold I now enioy the fruite of his holy fauour. The light of his goodnesse hath shined vpon me, and behold the stormes that came about my head, are calmed and dasht in a moment.
9 With much a do haue I opened my lips to call vpon him for aide, with much a do could I get mine heart to crie him mercy, and I haue found his grace to be powred vpon me, comfor∣ting and quickening my languishing and sick soule, euen as warme water refresheth a poore surbatred trauller. O incredible clemency! how ready O Lord art thou to pardon and forgiue? I runne to offend thee, and yet thou wilt shew me fauour, I haue bestowed all the daies of my life both by sea and by land, to hunt after ambition co∣uetousnesse, and filthie lust, and when I haue beene ouer head and eares, and vtterly vndone in my beastly delights, yet hast thou in a moment pierced the hea∣uens
and the cloud•• to come downe to deliuer me: so as behold me now tri∣umphing ouer my sinne; which most humbly followed the trophes of my re∣pentance, which hath found grace be∣fore thee. And so, the hope, which my sinnes had as it were strangled, is now more liuely then euer it was before, which promiseth me not onely the Empires of the world, that bend them∣selues which way soeuer the Lord en∣clineth them, but also openeth vnto me the highest heauens, and assureth me after an happy life here in this world, to enioy the heauenly immor∣talitie.
10 What will mine enemies the•• do, when as they shall see me stored with so great felicitie? They will then surely blush with shanie, & their soules will be greatly troubled, and returne altogether confounded and amazed: for he, whom they thought to be vtter∣ly ouerthrowne, is now set in an high∣er degree, then euer before he was. Alas, they all made a scorne at my ashes, they laughed at my fastings, and whilst I with abstinence straue against my flesh, the very enemy vnto my
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soule, they bathed themselues in the pleasures of the worlde but loe the arme of the Lord is ready to thunder & lighten vpon their insolencie. O my God, giue them a long time a acknow∣ledge the extreame danger wherein they are, and to call vnto thee from on high, for the onely remedy of their dis∣ease: and as for my selfe, who feele my soule purge her selfe of the filthy mat∣ters which are in and about ••er, who feele my spirit inflamed with the fier of thy loue, teach my lips to set forth thy praises, lift vp my voice to resound thy mercies, and guide mine affections sincerely to loue thee, and to establish in the knowledge of thy t•…•…th, my so∣ueraigne happine•• & ch••efest felicitie.