| |
| MVSE, that art dull and weake, | |
| Opprest with worldly paine, | |
| If strength in thee remaine | |
| Of things diuine to speake, | |
| Thy thoughts awhile from vrgent cares restraine, | 5 |
| And with a cheareful voice thy wonted silence breake. | |
| No cold shall thee benumme, | |
| Nor darknesse taint thy sight; | |
| To thee new heate, new light, | |
| Shall from this obiect come, | 10 |
| Whose praises if thou now wilt sound aright, | |
| My pen shall giue thee leaue hereafter to be dumbe. | |
| Whence shall we then begin | |
| To sing, or write of this, | |
| Where no beginning is? | 15 |
| Or if we enter in | |
| Where shall we end? The end is endlesse blisse— | |
| Thrice happy we, if well, so rich a thread we spinne. | |
| For Thee our strings we touch, | |
| Thou that art Three and One, | 20 |
| Whose essence though vnknowne, | |
| Beleeu’d is to be such; | |
| To whom whatere we giue, we giue thine owne, | |
| And yet no mortal tongue can giue to thee so much. | |
| See how in vayne we trie | 25 |
| To finde some tipe t’agree | |
| With this great One in Three, | |
| Yet can none such descrie: | |
| If any like, or second were to Thee, | |
| Thy hidden nature then were not so deepe and high. | 30 |
| Here faile inferiour things,— | |
| The sunne, whose heate and light | |
| Make creatures warme and bright, | |
| A feeble shadow brings: | |
| The sunne shewes to the world his Father’s might, | 35 |
| With glorious raies fro’ forth, our fire, the spirit, sings. | |
| Now to the toplesse hill | |
| Let vs ascend more neare, | |
| Yet still within the spheare | |
| Of our connat’ral skill; | 40 |
| We may behold how in our soules we beare | |
| An vnderstanding power ioyn’d with effectual skill. | |
| We cannot higher goe | |
| To search this point diuine: | |
| Here it doth chiefly shine, | 45 |
| This image must it show: | |
| These steppes, as helpes, our humble minds incline | |
| T’ embrace those certaine grounds which from true faith must flow. | |
| To him these notes direct, | |
| Who not with outward hands, | 50 |
| Nor by his strong commands, | |
| Whence creatures take effect, | |
| While perfectly himselfe he vnderstands, | |
| Begets another selfe with equall glory deckt. | |
| From these, the spring of loue, | 55 |
| The Holy Ghost proceeds, | |
| Who our affection feeds | |
| With those cleare flames which moue | |
| From that eternal essence which them breeds, | |
| And strikes into our soules as lightning from aboue. | 60 |
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