Classic Poem

Who art thou Lord? thou Lord whose magnitude
admits no Name! and what, or who am I
That dare but thinke of such an Altitude ,
farre past the reach of highest Angels Eye?

What am I but a Sacke of sickenesses ,
Immodestic itselfe; Dust, Clay, Durt, Dung:
Slyine, Food for Wormes , lesse, slymie Carkesses
with filth , much more vncleanly mixt among!

Meere gall of bitternesse , true Heyre of Hell ,
begot twixt Sinne and Sathan, life of Death:
Rebellion in the abstract; Vices Shell:
the breath of Sinne that baneth but with breath.

Gods griefe, Mens plague, and Angels sole annoy,
sith sad I make them by vncessant sinne:
Let to the sorrow which doth cause their Ioy
sith mine example hinders some therein.

In Counsaile , blinde; in Actions , most vnwise;
In thought , vnstaid; vnconstant in desire:
Then Nothing, lesse; yet great in mine owne Eyes:
for, past myselfe myselfe would faine aspire!

In summe; I am the totall summe of Ill;
ill in my flesh , and euill in my sprit ,
Worse in my Wit , and worser in my Will:
this, Lord , is hee thou would'st to thee vnite!

But what? and who art thou? thou namelesse Great !
sith thou art great, beyond all quantitie!
How good art thou? thou goodnesse most compleate
for thou art good beyond all qualitie!

Beyond all measure, thou art (onely) wise,
thou art (alone) eternall without Time:
In pow'r almightie, with all-seeing Eyes;
in Iudgement , deepe: in Counsailes , most sublime.

But what! goe I about to bring thee here,
within the compasse of description:
Thou art as farre past Compasse, as past Peere ,
being immense and infinite alone.

If Men or Angels could, nay more, couldst thou
by deed or word , thine Essence once define,
Thou art no more thyselfe; in deed, or show;
for, thou all Bounds dost in thyselfe confine.

Of Thee, therefore, no search can notice giue,
further then that thou art most infinite;
And that to know, is onely to beleeue
that so thou art in wisedome, grace , and might .

The Sunne, Moone, Stars , with bright beames glorifide
in presence of thy glory , lose their Light:
The Cherubins (like Bastard Eaglets ) hide
their Eyes , that cannot brooke thy glories sight.

The sturdy Pillers of th Etheriall Frame
do trembling stand, when thou but knit st thy brow
Yea, all the Pow'rs therein shrincke at the same,
and (with those Props ) with feare and reu'rence bow.

Whose Voyce doth make the Mountaines melt like waxe
whose Check confounds the order of this All ,
Whose Breath consumes thy foes, as fire doth flaxe:
in few; thou art what thou thyselfe canst call.

Then how dare I (vile Clod of base Contempt )
approch the presence of such Maiesty:
That is from all impuritie exempt,
and I, a Sincke of all sordiditie?

To touch the Arke was death; and, one did dye
for touching It , being at the point to fall:
Then woe is me, how dare I (wretch) come nye
thy sacred selfe, that standest staying All?

The Bethshamites receiu'd a mortall checke,
for prying on that Arke too curiously:
And many thousands, for it, went to wrecke;
then dare I (Worme) cling to thy Deity?

How can thy grace so vile a Vermine brooke?
much lesse embosome such a lothed Thing ,
That leaues offence behinde but with a looke;
and, like a Viper, with a touch doth sting?

What Concord can there be twixt Contraries?
can good and euill be incorporate?
Then how shouldst thou selfe- goodnesse me comprise
that am selfe- euill , which thou most dost hate?

For I haue beene, ├┤ Lord, I shame to say ,
what, in times past, I did not shame to doe;
Who (worse than Treas n itselfe) did (ah) betray
God vnto Man , and Man to Satkan too.

There was a Time , I was that franticke Foole,
that said (at least in Heart) there is no God:
But since thy grace my Heart did better schoole.
I thinke not so, by reason of thy Rod .

Thy Rod recou'red that my straying thought ,
reducing It into the way of Truth :
I to myselfe, and thee , by force was brought:
and made repent that madnesse of my youth.

Thanks kindest Rod . I kisse thee, for thy grace,
which, like a Potion , did with Nature striue,
To conquere that which Nature did disgrace;
and made me (dead in Sinne ) in grace to liue.

But Lord, how blest, and better had I bin,
if thy smooth Staffe had staid me in the Way;
For, thy rough Rod doth Loue, by terror , win:
and, Loue is lame, that doth by terror slay.

But yet let terror (as loues Harbinger)
make way to lodge thy Loue within my Heart;
Which of thy Loue would faine be Harbourer,
because thou mak'st it faine by force of smart.

But let thy loue be of my Heart embrac'd
meerely for Loue: and kept with louing feare:
Let not my Loue with terror be disgrac'd,
but let It , free from terrors Let appeare.

O let me loue thee , as thou louest mee,
thou lou'st me for myselfe and thy Loues sake:
Then for thy selfe (alone) let me loue thee,
without respect of what Laue lame doth make.

I now desire (with more then hot desire),
to be new molt, and cast into the Molde
Of all perfection, by Afflictions fire;
sith, for thy Temple , that refines the Golde .

Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst; then make me cleane:
Draw me with Cords of Loue , made fast by Feare .
Though my Sinnes measure passe, thou hast no meane
in mercy; then, let mercy make me cleare

If thou requir'st contrition for my faults ,
with Sinne and Sorrow , lo, I labour sore;
A iarring Twin, each other that assaults ,
(within the wombe that breeds them) more and more.

If Satisfaction thou of me require,
Lo, here I offer vp my Flesh to thee ,
To be consumed in Afflictions fire,
so thou vouchsafe to saue the Soule of me

Poure out thy Vengeance Vials all there-on;
make, it like Vapor, cuaporate
The Humors ill, wherewith it's ouer-gone,
that Flesh from flesh, may so be separate.

O thou whose Loue enflames all good desires ,
quench thou the thirst of my desire , that flames
To be consum'd in those thrice-sacred fires,
which mend the formes of mind , & Spirits frames.

Giue me thy Loue , and throw me into Hell ,
for, there thy Loue will pleasure me in paine ,
Yea, paines , to bring me pleasures , will compell:
and make me Heau'n by Hell so to obtaine.

This onely Boone I craue, by Grace to be
armed with Patience , most inuincible,
In all thy fiery Tryals made of me;
that Sense make brooke them as insensible

Which Patience still consociates constant Loue;
which can endure more then Paine can inflict:
O then let me that Loue , in mercy, proue;
then proue me with all proofes though ne'er so strict.

Thy will be mine, and mine be euer thine;
giue me no pow'r to will or not to will
But as thou wilt; and let no will be mine,
but that which, maugre Flesh , may thine fulfill.

Thou know'st what's best for me; then, is that best,
which thou (whatere it be) for me shalt doe:
Then, let me locke my cares within thy Chest ,
when they, too strong, wold my weake Chest vndo.

Be thou the Centre of my Soules desires;
and, let them rest in Thee in all vnrest:
Be thou the Vnction , still to feede those fires,
till of eternall Light they be possest
To which, as to the utmost of their hope,
Bring thou them (Lord) that art their utmost scope.