Classic Poem

Now, mantle Muse , sith now thou straite must Tow 'r:
For lo, the modest East doth blush for shame
That shameles Night on it should haue such pow'r
To lie' with It, till Phaebus sees the same,
And partes them with a farre more blushing flame:
By which our Hemisphere Inhabiters
May see to toile in Ernest , or in Game
Then, vp betimes aboue the pale-fac'st Stars ,
Fear'd with that flame) to find their Gouerners.

Which is that blessed Essence , (Three, in One)
Blessed I well may call it: for, the same
Is truely blessed (past comparison)
For what Blisse can the highest Wisedome name,
But is most perfect in his formelesse Frame!
Al that delights the Soule , or ioyes the Sense ,
Or, makes Selfe-loue refinde, in him to flame;
Yea, all that can excell Selfe-E XCELLENCE ,
Is truely in his All -S VFFICIENCE !

Is't health of Body which thou dost desire?
He is the Fount of al Salubritie!
Is't strength , or Vallor? Hee is both intire!
Is't Fairenes? Then hees selfe-F ORMOSITY :
To see whose face is high'st F ELICITY :
Is't Pleasures? They, as in their Center , in Him rest!
Or Glory ist? Him, Angels glorifie!
Is't Riches? More then All is his, at least:
For, he hath more then can be all exprest!

Kings of the Earth , seeme blessed in their Crownes ,
Yet, they but onely seeme, but are not so:
Sith they sit reeling in their fastest Thrones ,
That eu'ry moment, threats their ouerthrow;
Which makes them sit on thorns, through pierc'd with wo,
And, though all mortall Knees to them do bow
Th' adore their Chairs not them; though to, and fro
Both reeling stand, till both are falne too low;
And then those Bowers none of both will know:

For, Men [like Paphflagonean Partriges]
Beare in their single Breast a double Heart :
With one of which, they seeme Gods Images;
But, with the other play the Deuils part;
Who, to all Shapes, for ill, themselues conuert:
These are the Things , [the Things I them do call,
Sith, for such Artists . I want Tearmes of Art ]
That crouching stand by Kings till Kings do fal;
Then fly these Swallowes lest they fall withall.

What blessednesse is then in Regall state,
That, as accurst, such cursed Things attend?
And, nought more subiect to the shocke of Fate ,
Nor, sooner brought, vntimely to an end:
For, oft they bow to them, that make them bend
But, this eternall most almighty K ING ,
(Thats K ING of Kings] on whom they all depend,
Is truely blest; sith there's no altering,
Of his State, Pow'r, Life, Blisse , or any thing!

Then, sith this vnborne K ING , that all vp-beares,
Is onely blessed; how accurst are those
That fall from Him, to rest on Prince , or Peeres
Who still are fair'st for foulest ouerthrowes:
" But, Carrion still, is best belou'd of Crowes
" And, where it is, the Eagles do resort:
Kites (I would say) like Eagles in their Nose
And Clawes , to smel & scratch for Budge of Court
And so, in others spoyle, make euer sport.

These, false to God , can ne're be true to Men:
If false to him, that is as Good , as G reat ,
How can they trusty be to Nothing , then?
For, Kings are (worse then Nothing) Vermins meat:
Then, what are they compar'd with Worth compleat?
These light Court-Locusts here, and there, do skippe
(Like Fleas ) to suck bloud; so, make Men their meat
(Like Cannibals ,) for, if they on the Hip
Haue frend, or foe, that Standard they will rip.

There is no trust in Men: for, Men, to Men
Are but meere Wolues, that one another rends:
Nay, worse, much worse, the best are now & then;
For Man to Man, in fury, are but Fiends
Who oft in vertue viciously contends
Then, none are blest, without they well do know
They are accursed, till their blessed Ends:
The End makes All , because the End doth show
Vnto the blest, Gods euer-blessed Brow!

The Act of seeing God , is Blessednesse:
For, we cannot be blest till him we see:
Which Act is ours, not his; yet, neuerthelesse
His Guift it is: but yet he cannot be
Our Act, though it with Him (pure A CT !) agree:
For, ours is but th' Effect of him, the Cause;
So then, it Caused is; so is not He:
Who draweth still; yet but the willing drawes:
Yet makes vs willing by his Graces Lawes!

So, all we haue, if good, he doth effect:
For, what we haue, that is not his, is Ill ;
Which still we giue him, though he it reiect;
Yet, for that Guift against, giues, by his W ILL
Our Greatest G OOD ; so good hee's to vs still!
With Goodnesse thus, He doth our il ore'come:
Yet we, orecome with ill, It still fulfil;
But though that wrong incurs his righteous doome,
Yet when we straie, his Mercy brings vs home!

How far that Mercy reacheth erst we toucht,
Then needelesse were it eft to handle it:
As pow'rfull as him selfe we It auoucht;
And Hee's omnipotent: then, if it fit
His Pow'r , it is at least most infinit!
Which Attribute of his Omnipotence
(That most is mentioned in Holy-writ )
Is the firm'st Pillar of our Confidence,
Sith it to Grace hath euer referrence.

Almightinesse includeth whatso'ere
That is most absolutlie good , or great:
Then it's the Prop, that all, in All , doth beare
More then most actiue in each glorious Feate ,
Which, by still actiue good , doth Ill defeate;
Though it seem'd Passiue when in flesh t'was show'n,
Yet in that flesh that Passion had her Seate:
God's pure Act [which ne're was Passiue know'n]
Who made that flesh hee tooke; and held his owne!

He is most perfect; but, he were not so
If he were Passiue , which imperfect is;
Then is he simply Actiue? simply? No:
Actiue, nor passiue so, is He, or His;
Sith his strict Purenesse will not carry This
His Action then, his Essence is, alone;
Which is his Pow'r, grace, wisedome, Iustice, blisse ,
And what be sides he is, sith hee's but One ,
Which brookes no shade of Composition.

But yet, the Sonne is said to haue receiu'd
All that he hath, or is of Him, his Sire:
If He his Essence then, of him receiu'd,
His Pow'r he must: for, both are most intire:
Then, must his Pow'r be Passiue , as its cleire:
But, so to sale, is foulest Heresie
For, like as without heate , can be no Fire
Eu'n so, without a Sonne , no Sire can be.
Thus Sire , and Sonne are equall in degree:

For, both are one selfe Substance , so, are One;
The fire is, of himselfe, omnipotent:
Then so, sith one in substance, is the Sonne ,
Who with the Sire's alike magnificent;
For, both Eternall are in their extent!
The Sonne is of the Father , most intire;
[As heate is of the Fire , both which are pent
In but one Substance of, but onely Fire ]
So equall's their degree, and their desire

The Sonne , not onely of himselfe, is such,
But, by himselfe he is, what ere he is:
Eternall generation still doth touch
The vtt'most reach of his Sires Properties:
He is begotten still: but yet by This
His Generation's not deficient:
For, as the Sunne still gets those Beames of his
Yet perfect are as That from which they went
So, G OD , begotten's, all- sufficient !

Then, this begetting Powir hath the Sire
Beyond the Sunne , sith that's his Property:
And personall Properties (though God's intire)
Cannot be common to the Diety ,
Least that confusion follow instantly:
Yet, this Powres want, in this almighty S ONNE ,
Is farre off from the least infirmity:
But, it doth strengthen that Relation
That truely shewe's Gods threefold Vnion!

Then, take away the Pers nall properties,
And take away the Persons: so, we shall
Be Godlesse quite: for, God's none otherwise
Then Three in Persons and one god in all:
So, pers'nall Powers cannot be mutuall:
In Nature , not in Order , then they be
Omnipotent, alike, in generall:
So is all Pow'r , that doth with P OWRE agree
Alike, and not alike, in their degree!

The Sire , of his owne Substance , gets the Sonne
Then, must the Sonne haue self-same Diety
Because that Substance is so strictly One,
That, by it's Pow'r it cannot parted be:
Though most almighty in the lowst degree
This shewes the Sires compleat Omnipotence
That still begets a Sonne as great as He:
Which Sonne is but the Sires Intelligence ,
Making another one Omnivalence

The Sonn's yet, said to be lesse then the Sire
Not in true Substance , but sith hee receiues
Of his owne Essence , what it doth require
Which the first Person to the second giues:
Geu'n and receau'd when each himselfe perceaues:
So that that Pow'r which in the first doth woone,
Shorts not the second's, which the same conceaues;
But, as the Sire it holds, and not the Sonne ,
It is the Sires , not Gods for God is One

Thus personall Properties are still distinct
As are the Persons by those Properties:
Then, with the last the first must be extinct:
For they can ne're be parted; otherwise
Each might be each; and so, Disorder rise
And, that the Sire cannot begotten be
It's no defect of Pow'r which in him lies;
Nor that the Sonne gets not as well as he,
Tis not Powres want, but Orders Regency.

Their Spirit (no more then They) Pow'r wanteth not:
Though he proceedes , which is his Property:
And, though he 'gets not; nor is he begot;
Yet, holds he with them equall Diety:
And, what he works, they work insep'rably
And yet, three seuerall Functions to them Three
Themselues assigne, their workes to varifie;
The Sire Creates: The Sonne Redeemes And he
That is the Holy Spirit doth Sanctifie

For, as the Sire is of himselfe, he acts
As of himselfe; yet, by the other Two;
None working by him, through their strait contracts;
The Sonne , as of his Sire , doth of him do;
Yet, by their equall Spirit , he worketh too.
The Father workes by him , He by that Sp'rit
Which Sp'rit , as he proceedeth from Them, so
He works from both, with euer-equall might;
Thus, these Respects their Workes in one, vnite!

Then in respect of ther Pow'r, Wisedome, Will ,
Their Workes are One as they are One in Three:
But, in respect their Persons differ still
Their Workes, (in sort of doing) diuers be;
But their externall deeds ne're disagree:
For by their common Essence they are done;
That's in their Vnity, not Trinity.
The Sire Creates, as God so doth the Sonne
And so their Sp'rit , without distinction!

The Father doth Redeeme , yet, by the Sonne
They Sanctifie , yet by their holy Sp'rit
So though their Workes in vnity be done,
Yet due distinctions do their workes vnite,
Which make their Workes to be most exquisite.
To eat much Honie hath no sweet effect;
And who too neere doth search Pow'r infinite
Shall be [ with Glory ouerwhelmed ] checkt
Then hold rash Muse retire ere thou be wreckt.

This wondrous Trinity in Vnity ,
Is vnderstood to Bee ; but how, ├┤ here
Is such a Gulph of deepest Mistery
As none (without bee'ng quit orewhelm'd with fear)
Can looke therein to tell the secrets there!
For, what beseeming that Good -evrie- Thing
Can we immagin (though we Angels were)
That is as farre past all immagining
As we are short of Paceing with his Wing

We erre in nought with danger more extreame,
Nor, in ought labour with more hard assay:
Yet, nought we know with more harts ioy then Them
But, in their search, if once we lose our Way,
We may be lost, and vtterly decay:
It's deadly dang'rous then, for them to looke
[Through Waies more sullen then the Foe of Day ]
Without Faiths Lanthorn, Truths most blessed Book ,
Which none ere left, but straight the way forsooke:

For, Iustice S ONNE was sent by Grace his Sire,
The Gospell to promulgate, from his B REST :
His Councels to disclose, our doubts to cliere:
Then if we go to seeke this B EEING blest
Without these Helpes , we strayeng, neuer rest:
But now, the Eye of Heau'n begins to close;
Sith rest it would, being wearie, in the West
Then wearie Muse , with It , thy selfe repose,
And wake with It , and go still as it goes.