Thomas Fuller · 2 of 4
Davids Hainous Sinne.
1
HOW Zions Psalmist grievously offended, How Israels Harper did most foulely slide, Yet how that Psalmist amended, And how thar Harper patient did Deserved chastisement, (so fitly stil’d, Which wrath inflicted not, but love most mild, Not for to hurt, but heale a wanton child.)
2
How one by her owne Brother was defiled; And how that Brother by a Brother slaine; And how a Farher, by his Sonne exiled: And by a Subject, how a Soveraigne: How Peace procured after Battels fierce, As Sol at length doth sullen cloudes dispierce; My Muse intends the subject of her Verse.
3
Great God of might, whose power most Soveraigne, Depends of none, yet all of thee depend, Time cannot measure, neither place containe, Nor wit of man thy Being comprehend: For whil’st I thinke on Three, I am confin’d To One, and when I One conceive in minde I am recal’d to Three, in One combin’d.
4
Thy helpe I crave, thy furtherance I aske, My head, my heart, my hand direct and guide, That whilst I undertake this weighty taske, I from thy written lore start not aside: Alas, ’tis nothing Lord with thee to breake The strong, ’tis nothing to support the weake, To make men dumbe, to make an Infant speake.
5
EACH one begotten by immortall seed, Becomes the pitcht feild of two deadly foes, Spirit and Flesh, these never are agreed, With trucelesse warre each other doth oppose; And though the Spirit oft the Flesh doth quell, It may subdue but can it not expell, So stoutly doth the Jebusite rebell.
6
Now David when on Bathsheba loose eyes He fixt, his heavenly halfe did him disswade; Turne, turne away thy sight from , Exchange thy object, else thou wilt be made Unmindfull of thy Soule, her corps to minde, Made for to lose the truth, such toyes to finde, By looking long, made at the last, starke blinde.
7
What though her face, and body be most faire, Behold, the Sun her beauty doth surpass; His golden beames surmount her yellow hayre, As far as purest Cristall, dyrtie glasse: Her skinne, as is the skie, not halfe so cleare, Her curious veines, for colour come not neare Those azure streaks, that in the Heavens appeare.
8
There let thy hungry sight her famine feede, Whereon it cannot surfet with excesse: Whil’st tongue, heart, harp are tuned up with speed, The grand-contrivers glory to expresse: Framing with words, to rayse his mighty name, That with a mighty word, did rayse this frame, And by his preserves the same.
9
But let no lustfull thoughts lodge in thy minde, Before that they be borne, they must be kill’d, Or else the man is cruell that is kinde, To spare the foes, wherewith his Soule is spill’d: And if a wanton motion may request, Leave for to lodge a limbe, th’ incroaching guest, Will soone command roome to receive the rest.
10
Looke towards the midday Sun, and thou shalt see, A little tower, o’re topps of hills to peepe; That is the birth place of thy pedygree: Full oft there hast thou fed thy fathers sheepe, And kept his flockes upon the flowry plaine. But now the Sheepe-hook of a country swaine Is turn’d the Scepter of of a Soveraigne.
11
God made thee great, oh doe not him disgrace, And by his weighty Statutes lightly set, Hee honour’d thee, oh doe not him debase, Hee thee remembred, doe not him forget: Why should fat Jeshurun so wanton grow, As at his Maisters head, his heeles to throw? Maister; that all his feeding did bestow.
12
Behold high Cedars in the valley set, They in thy eyes like little shrubbs doe show, Whil’st little shrubbs upon mount Olivet, Seeme lofty Cedars; men whose states are low Their sinnes are not so obvious to sense, In Princes persons of great eminence, A smaller fault doth seeme a great offence.
13
But grant, no man thy wickednes espies, Surely the Searcher of the reines doth marke Even infant lust, can figg-leaves bleare his eyes? Or can thy shame bee shrowded in the darke? Darknes shall then be turned into light, Yea Darknes, is no Darknes, in his sight, But seeme the same to him, both day and night.
14
The Spirit had resolved more to speake, But her halfe-spoken words, the Flesh confounds, Nor wonder is it, she so us’d to breake Gods Lawes, not passing for to passe their bounds, Against mans rules of manners should offend, Which now impatient longer to attend, Began before her Rivall made an end.
