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Voce mea ad Dominum.
TO thee my crying call, | |
| To thee my calling cry, | |
| I did, O God, addresse, | |
| And thou didst me attend: | |
| To nightly anguish thrall, | 5 |
| From thee I sought redresse; | |
| To thee unceassantly | |
| Did praying handes extend. | |
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| All comfort fled my soule; | |
| Yea, God to mind I call’d: | 10 |
| Yet calling God to mynde | |
| My thoughts could not appease: | |
| Nought els but bitter dole | |
| Could I in thincking finde: | |
| My sprite with paine appal’d | 15 |
| Could entertaine no ease. | |
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| Whole troupes of busy cares, | |
| Of cares that from thee came, | |
| Tooke up their restlesse rest | |
| In sleepie sleeplesse eies: | 20 |
| Soe lay I all opprest, | |
| My hart in office lame; | |
| My tongue as lamely fares; | |
| No part his part supplies. | |
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| At length, with turned thought, | 25 |
| Anew I fell to thinck | |
| Upon the auncient tymes, | |
| Upon the yeares of old | |
| Yea, to my mynd was brought, | |
| And in my hart did sinck, | 30 |
| What in my former rimes | |
| My self of thee had told. | |
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| Loe, then to search the truth | |
| I sent my thoughts abroade: | |
| Meane while my silent hart | 35 |
| Distracted thus did plaine: | |
| Will God no more take ruth? | |
| No further love impart? | |
| No longer be my God? | |
| Unmoved still remayne? | 40 |
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| Are all the conduites dry | |
| Of his erst flowing grace? | |
| Could rusty teeth of tyme | |
| To nought his promise turne? | |
| Can mercy no more clyme | 45 |
| And come before his face? | |
| Must all compassion dy? | |
| Must nought but anger burne? | |
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| Then lo, my wrack I see— | |
| Say I, and do I know | 50 |
| That change lies in his hand | |
| Who changelesse sitts aloft? | |
| Can I ought understand, | |
| And yet unmindfull be, | |
| What wonders from hym flow? | 55 |
| What workes his will hath wrought? | |
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| Nay, still thy acts I minde; | |
| Still of thy deedes I muse; | |
| Still see thy glorie’s light | |
| Within thy temple shine. | 60 |
| What God can any find | |
| (For tearme them so they use) | |
| Whose majesty, whose might, | |
| May strive, O God, with thine? | |
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| Thou only wonders dost; | 65 |
| The wonders by thee done | |
| All earth do wonder make: | |
| As when thy hand of old | |
| From servitude unjust | |
| Both Jacob’s sonnes did take, | 70 |
| And sonnes of Jacob’s sonne | |
| Whom Jacob’s sonnes had sold. | |
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| The waves thee saw; saw thee, | |
| And fearefull fledd the field: | |
| The deepe, with panting brest, | 75 |
| Engulphed quaking lay: | |
| The cloudes thy fingers prest | |
| Did rushing rivers yield; | |
| Thy shaftes did flaming flee | |
| Through fiery airy way. | 80 |
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| Thy voice’s thundring crash | |
| From one to other pole, | |
| Twixt roofe of starry sphere | |
| And earth’s then trembling flore, | |
| While light of lightning’s flash | 85 |
| Did pitchy cloudes encleare, | |
| Did round with terror role, | |
| And rattling horror rore. | |
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| Meane while through duskie deepe | |
| On sea’s discovered bed, | 90 |
| Where none thy trace could view, | |
| A path by thee was wrought: | |
| A path whereon thy crew, | |
| As shepherds use their sheepe, | |
| Moses and Aron ledd, | 95 |
| And to glad pastures brought. | |
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