Trinitie Sunday

THose, oh, thrise holy Three in one,
Who seeke thy Nature to explaine,
By rules to humane Reason knowne,
Shall finde their labour all in vaine;
And in a shell they may intend,
The Sea, as well, to comprehend.

What therefore no man can conceaue,
Let vs not curious be to know;
But, when thou bid'st vs to beleeue,
Let vs obey, Let Reason goe:
Faith's obiects true, and surer bee,
Then those that Reasons eyes doe see.

Yet, as by looking on the Sunne,
(Though to his substance we are blinde)
And by the course we see him runne,
Some Notions we of him may finde:
So, what thy Brightnesse doth conceale,
Thy word, and workes in part reueale.

Most glorious Essence, we confesse
In Thee (whom by our faith we view)
Three Persons, neither moe nor lesse,
Whose workings them distinctly shew:
And sure we are, those persons Three
Make but one GOD, and thou art Hee.

The Sunne a Motion hath we know,
Which Motion doth beget vs Light;
The Heat proceedeth from those two,
And each doth proper acts delight:
The Motion drawes out Time a line,
The Heate doth warme, the Light doth shine.

Yet, though this Motion. Light, and Heate,
Distinctly by themselues we take;
Each in the other hath his seat,
And but one Sunne we see they make:
For whatso'ere the One will doe,
He workes it with the other two.

So, in the God-head there is knit
A wondrous threefold True-loue-knot,
And perfect Vnion fastens it,
Though flesh and blood perceaue it not;
And what each Person doth alone,
By all the Trinity is done.

Their Worke they ioyntly doe pursue,
Though they their Offices diuide;
And each one by himselfe hath due
His proper Attributes beside:
But one in Substance they are still,
In Vertue one, and one in Will.

Eternall all the Persons be,
And yet Eternall there's but One;
So likewise Infinite all three,
Yet Infinite but One alone:
And neither Person aught doth misse,
That of the God-heads essence is,

In Vnity and Trinity,
Thus, oh Creator, we adore
Thy euer-praised Deity,
And thee confesse for euermore,
One Father, one begotten Sonne,
One Holy-Ghost, in God-head one.