XXIV. Thomas Tusser. The Author's Beliefe. Edward Farr, ed. 1845. Select Poetry, Chiefly Devotional, of the Reign of Queen Elizabeth

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Edward Farr, ed. Select Poetry of the Reign of Queen Elizabeth. 1845.

The Author’s Beliefe

XXIV. Thomas Tusser


THIS is my stedfast creede,
My faith and al my trust,
That in the heauens ther is a God,
Most mighty, mild, and just;
A God aboue all gods,	5
A King aboue all Kinges,
The Lord of lords, chief Gouernour
Of heauen and earthly things:

That power hath of life,
Of death, of heauen, and hell;	10
That al thing made as pleaseth him,
So wonderfull to tell:
That made the hanging skies,
So deckt with diuers lights;
Of darkenes made the chereful daies,	15
And al our restfull nights:

That clad this earth with herbe,
With trees of sundry fruits,
With beast, with bird, both wild and tame,
Of strange and sundry suits;	20
That intermixt the same
With mynes like veines of ore,
Of siluer, gold, of precious stones,
And treasures many more:

That joined brookes to dales,	25
To hils fresh water-springes,
With riuers sweete along the meedes,
To profit many thinges:
That made the hoary frostes,
The flaky snowes so trim,	30
The hony deaws, the blustring windes,
To serue as pleaseth him:

That made the surging seas
In course to ebbe and flowe,
That skilful man with sailing ship	35
Mought trauell to and fro;
And stored so the same
For man’s vnthankfull sake,
That euery nation vnder heauen
Mought thereby profit take:	40

That gaue to man a soule,
With reason how to liue,
That doth to him and al things els
His blessing daily giue:
That is not seen, yet seeth	45
How man doth run his race;
Whose daily works, both good and bad,
Stand knowne before his face:

That sendeth thundering claps
Like terrors out of hell,	50
That man may know a God ther is,
That in the heauens doth dwel:
That sendeth threatning plagues
To keep our liues in awe,
His benefites if we forget,	55
Or do contempne his lawe:

That dayly hateth sinne,
That loueth vertue well,
And is the God of Abraham,
Isaac and Israel:	60
That doth his pleasure take,
When we his laws offend;
And yet amids his heauy wrath
His mercy doth extend.

This is that Lord of hosts,	65
The Father of vs all,
The maker of whatere was made,
My God on whom I call;
Which for the loue of man
Sent downe his onely Sonne,	70
Begot of him before the worldes
Were any whit begonne.

This entred Marie’s womb,
As fayth affirmeth sure;
Conceyued by the Holy Ghost,	75
Borne of that virgin pure.
This was both God and man,
Of Jewes the hoped King;
And liued here, saue only sinne,
Like man in euery thing.	80

This is that virgin’s Child,
That same most Holy Priest,
The Lamb of God, the Prophet great,
Whom Scripture calleth Christ:
This that Messias was	85
Of whom the prophet spake,
That should tread down the serpent’s head,
And our atonement make.

This Judas did betray
To false dissembling Jewes,	90
Which vnto Pilat, being iudge,
Did falsly him accuse;
Who through that wicked judge,
And of those Jewes’ despight,
Condemned and tormented was	95
With all the force they might.

To liuing, with more euill
What could such wretches do?
More pearcing wounds, more bitter pains,
Than they did put him to?	100
They crowned him with thorne,
That was the King of kings,
That sought to saue the soule of man
Aboue all worldly things.

This was the Pascall Lamb,	105
Whose loue for vs so stoode,
That on the mount of Caluerine
Did shed for vs his bloud:
Where hanging on the crosse,
No shame he did forsake,	110
Till death giuen him by pearcing speare
An end of life did make.

This Joseph seeing dead,
The body thence did craue,
And took it forthwith from the crosse,	115
And layd it in his graue.
Downe thence he went to hell,
In vsing there his will—
His soule I meane,—his flayed corps
In tombe remaining still.	120

From death to life againe
The third day this did rise,
And seene on earth to his elect
Times oft in sundry wise;
And after into heauen	125
Ascende he did in sight,
And sitteth on the right hand there
Of God, the Father of might:

Where for vs wretches all
His Father he doth pray	130
To haue respect vnto his death,
And put our sinnes away.
From thence with sounded trump,
Which noyse all flesh shall dread,
He shal returne with glory againe,	135
To judg the quicke and dead.

In God the Holy Ghost
I firmely do beleue,
Which from the Father and the Sonne
Proceeding, life doth giue:	140
Which by the prophets spake;
Which doth all comfort send;
Which I do trust shal be my guide,
When this my life shal end.

A holy catholyke church	145
On earth I graunt there is,
And those which frame their liues by that
Shall neuer spede amisse:
The head whereof is Christ,
His woord the chiefes post;	150
Preseruer of this Temple great
Is God the Holy Ghost.

I do not doubt there is
A multitude of saintes:
More good is done resembling them	155
Then showing them our plaints.
Their faith and workes in Christ
That glory them did giue;
Which glory we shal likewise haue,
If lykewise we so liue.	160

At God of heauen there is
Forgiueness of our sinnes
Through Christe’s death, through faith in it,
And through none other ginnes:
If we repentant here	165
His mercy daily craue,
Through stedfast hope and faith in Christ
Forgiueness we shal haue.

I hope and trust vppon
The rising of the flesh:	170
This corps of mine, that first must dye,
Shall rise againe afresh.
The body and soule euen then
In one shall ioined bee:
As Christ did rise from death to life,	175
Euen so through Christ shal we.

As Christ is glorified,
And neuer more shal dye;
As Christ ascended is to heauen,
Through Christ euen so shall I:	180
As Christ I compt my head,
And I am member of his,
So God, I trust, for Christe’s sake,
Shall settle me in blisse.

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