Good and great God! how should I fear To come to Thee if Christ not there! Could I but think He would not be Present to plead my cause for me, To hell I’d rather run than I Would see Thy face and He not by.

Before man’s fall the rose was born, St. Ambrose says, without the thorn; But for man’s fault then was the thorn Without the fragrant rose-bud born; But ne’er the rose without the thorn.

God hates the dual number, being known The luckless number of division; And when He bless’d each sev’ral day whereon He did His curious operation, ‘Tis never read there, as the fathers say, God bless’d His work done on the second day; Wherefore two prayers ought not to be said, Or by ourselves, or from […]

When well we speak and nothing do that’s good, We not divide the hoof, but chew the cud; But when good words by good works have their proof, We then both chew the cud and cleave the hoof.

God doth not promise here to man that He Will free him quickly from his misery; But in His own time, and when He thinks fit, Then He will give a happy end to it.

As my little pot doth boil, We will keep this level-coil, That a wave and I will bring To my God a heave-offering. Level-coil, the old Christmas game of changing chairs; to “keep level-coil” means to change about.

Thy former coming was to cure My soul’s most desp’rate calenture; Thy second advent, that must be To heal my earth’s infirmity. Calenture, delirium caused by excessive heat.

God can’t be wrathful: but we may conclude Wrathful He may be by similitude: God’s wrathful said to be, when He doth do That without wrath which wrath doth force us to.

Put off Thy robe of purple, then go on To the sad place of execution: Thine hour is come, and the tormentor stands Ready to pierce Thy tender feet and hands. Long before this, the base, the dull, the rude, Th’ inconstant and unpurged multitude Yawn for Thy coming; some ere this time cry, How […]

If I have played the truant, or have here Failed in my part, oh! Thou that art my dear, My mild, my loving tutor, Lord and God! Correct my errors gently with Thy rod. I know that faults will many here be found, But where sin swells there let Thy grace abound.

If Thou be’st taken, God forbid I fly from Thee, as others did: But if Thou wilt so honour me As to accept my company, I’ll follow Thee, hap hap what shall, Both to the judge and judgment hall: And, if I see Thee posted there, To be all-flayed with whipping-cheer, I’ll take my share; […]

When Thou wast taken, Lord, I oft have read, All Thy disciples Thee forsook and fled. Let their example not a pattern be For me to fly, but now to follow Thee.

This crosstree here Doth Jesus bear, Who sweet’ned first The death accurs’d. Here all things ready are, make haste, make haste away; For long this work will be, and very short this day. Why then, go on to act: here’s wonders to be done Before the last least sand of Thy ninth hour be run; […]

Have, have ye no regard, all ye Who pass this way, to pity Me, Who am a man of misery! A man both bruis’d, and broke, and one Who suffers not here for Mine own, But for My friends’ transgression! Ah! Sion’s daughters, do not fear The cross, the cords, the nails, the spear, The […]

To join with them who here confer Gifts to my Saviour’s sepulchre, Devotion bids me hither bring Somewhat for my thank-offering. Lo! thus I bring a virgin flower, To dress my Maiden Saviour.

Hail, holy and all-honour’d tomb, By no ill haunted; here I come, With shoes put off, to tread thy room. I’ll not profane by soil of sin Thy door as I do enter in; For I have washed both hand and heart, This, that, and every other part, So that I dare, with far less […]

Whose head, befringed with bescattered tresses, Shows like Apollo’s when the morn he dresses,[B] Or like Aurora when with pearl she sets Her long, dishevell’d, rose-crown’d trammelets: Her forehead smooth, full, polish’d, bright and high Bears in itself a graceful majesty, Under the which two crawling eyebrows twine Like to the tendrils of a flatt’ring […]

Hence they have borne my Lord; behold! the stone Is rolled away and my sweet Saviour’s gone. Tell me, white angel, what is now become Of Him we lately sealed up in this tomb? Is He, from hence, gone to the shades beneath, To vanquish hell as here He conquered death? If so, I’ll thither […]

I have beheld two lovers in a night Hatched o’er with moonshine from their stolen delight (When this to that, and that to this, had given A kiss to such a jewel of the heaven, Or while that each from other’s breath did drink Health to the rose, the violet, or pink), Call’d on the […]

Ere I go hence and be no more Seen to the world, I’ll give the score I owe unto a female child, And that is this, a verse enstyled My daughter’s dowry; having which, I’ll leave thee then completely rich. Instead of gold, pearl, rubies, bonds Long forfeit, pawned diamonds Or antique pledges, house or […]