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| O HOLY essence of all holynes; | |
| Grace of all glory; glory of all grace; | |
| Perfection’s vertue; vertue’s perfectnes; | |
| Place of all beawtie; beawtie of all place; | |
| Truthe’s only tryall; tyme’s æternitie; | 5 |
| Incomprehensible in thy Deitie: | |
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| Wisdome’s deuiser; father of her loue; | |
| Constancie’s proofe, and life of patience; | |
| Humilitie’s essence; fayth’s true turtle-doue; | |
| Mercie’s almighty glorious residence: | 10 |
| Sweete Jesus Christ, mine humble sowle enflame, | |
| To sing the glory of thy holy name. | |
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| Before what was, but that which euer is, | |
| The Godhead, all incomprehensible; | |
| Sweete Jesus Christ, the essence of all blisse, | 15 |
| But in his manhood only sensible, | |
| My Sauiour was, and in himselfe alone | |
| Contayning all things, but contaynd in none. | |
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| The nature of all vertues in his nature | |
| Had all theyr essence of theyr only being, | 20 |
| When in creation of each kinde of creature | |
| Wisdome in him had only all her seeing, | |
| Whose loue in him yet constant patience found, | |
| That of her grace and glory was the grownd. | |
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| His spotless vertue all his life did prove, | 25 |
| In doing good to all, and ill to none; | |
| His wisedome did the doctors’ wonder moue; | |
| His loue the touchstone of all truth alone; | |
| His constancie euen to his dying hower | |
| Did shew his patience had a heauenly power. | 30 |
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| And for the note of his humilitie | |
| His crosse bare witness in his lyfe and death, | |
| Who bare all basenes’ inciuilitie, | |
| Yitt neuer breath’d the smallest angry breath: | |
| O glorious King, that came from heauen on high, | 35 |
| Vpon this earth for beggars so to dye. | |
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| His vertue in his will his woorde doth showe; | |
| His wisedome in election and creation; | |
| His loue his louers by his death do knowe; | |
| His constancy his patience confirmation; | 40 |
| His patience his humilitie did proue; | |
| And all, in summe, his glory from aboue. | |
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| Whose vertue such as his that could not sinne? | |
| Whose wisdome such as woorketh vertues’ witt? | |
| Whose loue is such as wisedome liueth in? | 45 |
| Whose constancy doth shew such kindnes still? | |
| Whose patience such as did his passion showe? | |
| Or who so high and euer brought so low? | |
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| What vertue doth, his wisedome doth express; | |
| What wisedome doth, his loue doth manifest; | 50 |
| What loue doth, doth his constancy confesse; | |
| What constancy doth, in his patience blest; | |
| What patience doth, humilitie doth tell; | |
| In him alone they all and only dwell. | |
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| Then lett the vertuous for all vertue loue him; | 55 |
| And lett the wise in wisedome’s loue admire him; | |
| And let the constant in all kindenes proue him; | |
| And lett the patient patiently desire him; | |
| And lett the humble humbly fall before him; | |
| And all together all in all adore him. | 60 |
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| Oh that the world could see his vertues’ beawty; | |
| Or witt of man his wisedome’s maiestie; | |
| Or loue could looke into his constancy; | |
| Or patience into his humilitie! | |
| Then vice, nor folly, frailtie, rage, nor pride, | 65 |
| Should in the minds of men so much abide. | |
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| His vertue made the first perfection’s nature; | |
| His wisedome made the forme of all perfection; | |
| His loue did giue the lyfe to euery creature; | |
| His constancy the care of loue’s direction; | 70 |
| His patience medicine for all miseries, | |
| His humblenes the waye to Paradice. | |
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| Wouldst thow be perfect? in his vertues knowe itt; | |
| Wouldst thow be vertuous? in his wisedome learne itt; | |
| Wouldst thow be wise? in his loue only show itt; | 75 |
| Wouldst thow be louing? in his life discerne itt; | |
| Wouldst thow be constant? in his care conceiue itt; | |
| Wouldst thow be patient? in his death perceiue itt. | |
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| Wouldst thow be humble? in his lowliness | |
| Learne to submitt thyself to higher powers. | 80 |
| Wouldst thow be blessed? in his blessednes | |
| Learne to bestow the labour of thine howers. | |
| Wouldst thow be holy, and liue happie euer? | |
| Liue in his loue, and thow shalt liue for euer. | |
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| The infinite good thoughts his vertue giueth, | 85 |
| The infinite good woorks his will perfecteth, | |
| The infinite good lyfe in his loue liueth, | |
| The infinite loue his constancie effecteth, | |
| The infinite constancy his patience proueth, | |
| Doe humblie shew with infinitenes loueth. | 90 |
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| Since vertues, then, good thoughts are infinite, | |
| And infinite in vertue is good thought; | |
| And infinite in wisedome is good witt; | |
| And infinite is loue by wisedome wrought; | |
| And infinite is constancy in loue, | 95 |
| Which infinitely patience doth prooue: | |
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| In infinite humilitie of harte, | |
| Vnto the height of all infinitie, | |
| In infinite perfection of each parte | |
| That makes the infinite Diuinitie; | 100 |
| The Father, Soonne, and Holy Ghost, all three | |
| In one, one God, all infinite glory bee. | |
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| And since no harte is able to attayne | |
| Vnto his holy and æternall praise, | |
| To whom alone doth duly appertayne | 105 |
| The date of glories’ neuer-ending dayes; | |
| When angells in theyr halleluiah dwell, | |
| Lett me but sing Amen, and I am well. | |
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