Epigram 3: When God had all things out of

When God had all things out of nothing fram'd,
And man had named all things that are nam'd:
God shewed to man the way he should behaue him,
What ill would dam him, or what good would saue him.
All Creatures that the world did then containe,
Were all made subiects to mans Lordly raigne.
Faire Paradice was princely ADAMS walke,
Where God himselfe did often with him talke:
At which the Angels, enuious and proud,
Striu'd to ascend aboue the highest :
And with the mighty God to make compare,
And of his glory to haue greatest share:
Because they saw Gods loue to man so great,
They striud to throw their maker from his seat.
But he, whose power is All-sufficient,
Did headlong hurle them from Heauens battlement:
And for with enuious pride they so did swell,
They lost Heauens glory for the paines of Hell.
In all this time man liuing at his ease,
His wife nor he not knowing to displease
Their glorious maker, till the sonne of night
Full fraught with rage, and poyson bursting spight,
Finding alone, our antient Grandam EVE,
With false perswasions makes her to beleeue,
If she would eat the fruit she was forbidden,
She should Gods secrets know, were from her hidden.
Supposing all was true, the Serpent told,
They both to ADAM straightway did vnfold,
This treacherous horrid vile soule-killing treason,
And he ambitious, past the bounds of reason,
(To his posterities sole detriment)
Doth to the Woman and the Fiend consent.
Yet Adam neuer had the Deuill obayd,
Had he not had the woman for his ayd.
Loe thus the sex that God made, man to cherish,
Was by the Deuill intic'te to cause him perish.
Sathan supposing he had wonne the field,
(In making man to his obedience yeeld)
Poore Adam now in corps and minde deiected,
From head to foote with shamefull sinne infected:
Is now a slaue to sinne, the Deuill, and death,
Dreading the danger of th'almighties wrath.
From Eden banisht, from Gods presence thrust,
And all the earth being for his crime accurst:
Opprest with griefe and selfe consuming care,
at the brim of bottomeles dispaire.
Yet God in mercy thinking of his frailty,
Though sinnefull man to him had broken fealty;
Did promise he would send his onely Sonne,
To satisfy for faults by man misdone.
At last he came, in his appoynted time,
And on his faultles shoulders tooke our crime:
And like a malefactor death he fusferd,
And once for all, himselfe himselfe hath offerd.
And yet the Deuill will not be satisfide,
(Although the Sonne of God for sinners dide)
But dayly hellish damned enterprises,
His ministers and he gainst man deuises,
Vnder the shelter of Religions cloake,
Seditiously he doth the world prouoke,
Gainst God in traytrous maner to rebell,
To amplifie his euerlasting hell,
Attempting mankinde still by fraud or forcc,
His soule from his redeemer to diuorce:
And yet not man alone must feele his sting,
But he dares venter on our heauenly King,
Whose power, though Sathan knowes is euerlasting,
Yet after forty dayes and nights long fasting,
Thinking him weake, attempts now to inuade him,
And with illusions seeking to perswade him:
Carries our Sauiour vp vnto a hill,
And told him if he would obey his will,
In adoration to fall downe before him,
He of this worlds great glory would so store him,
That he should Lord and Master be of all,
If he in reuerence would before him fall.
Christ knowing him to be the roote of euill,
With God-like power commaunds, auoyd thou deuill:
Tis writ, thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God,
But serue and feare the fury of his rod.
Sathan perceiuing all his labour lost,
Runnes through the world more swifter then a post:
Proclaimes large kingdomes, and a tryple Crowne,
To him that in his reuerence would fall downe.
Ambitious thirst of sickle fading fame,
Did quickely mindes of worldly men inflame:
Making them dreame on pleasures transitory,
And to esteeme earths pompe aboue heauens glory.
This made the Pope, with poysnous pride infusde,
T accept those honors Christ before refusde:
Now hath he wonne great fame, on this condition,
That fore the deuill he fall in base submission:
So hauing won this great magnificence,
To countermaund the earths circumference:
The Idiot World he proudly ouer-swayes,
Vnder the name of heauens immortall Kayes,
Ore all the Globe he raignes as Lord & King,
And to Hells Goate-folde aye doth millions bring
Of soules, seduc'd with buzard blinded zeale,
From men besotted he doth honor steale.
And yet with his effrontit shamles face,
Seemes to commaund the Deuill that gaue him place.
A haynous fault in my dull vnderstanding,
The seruant o're his Lord should be commanding:
But yet I thinke tis but for pollicy,
More to th'infernall monarchy:
He seemes to hate the Deuill, he most doth serue,
Else would the world from Romes obedience swerue,
And leaue the Pope and papists in the lurch,
And then might Sathan whistle for a Church.
The Ile of Brittaine hath perceiu'd their tricks,
And in rebellion gainst the Pope she kicks:
For whome they haue inuented hell-hatcht plots,
Quite to extirp the English and the Scots.
I wot not which of Rome or hell roard lowder,
But they had like t'haue peperd vs with powder.
Yea all estates from Scepter to the Clowne
Should topsie turuy all be tumbled downe.
Without respect of person, sex, or age,
All had their doome, t'abide the Romane rage.
But he that by his sacred selfe had sworne,
To guard his Church, did laugh them all to scorne:
For when those vassels of eternall night,
Thought all secure, then God brought all to light,
Casting their painted glory in the dust,
That any power besides his power doth trust:
Leauing their Corps a prey for Crowes and Kites,
That brauely so for Signior Sathan fights.
But in this matter Ile no longer trauell,
Least want of water make my Ship to grauell:
Knowing theres many wits of farre more worth,
That to the life hath limd this treason forth:
But Ile conclude as I hegan before,
Because that Christ would not the Deuill adore,
Christ lost this glorious worldly pompous raigne,
Which happy losse the haples Pope did gaine.