Book IX, Chapter 53

BVt humaine Purenes none is such, but it to err[…] is knowne:
Thinke not we labour here your Faults, and o[…] uer-leape our Owne.
For in the best of men the Flesh and Spirit combat still:
One thing the Spirit, and the Flesh the contrarie doth will.
We Vertue praise, but practise Vice: possessed weale we flye,
And tract off woe. At Heauen we ayme, but with a worldly Eye.
Our selues we loue, yeat than our selues we haue no crosser Foe.
For peace we warre, a peruerse warre that doth our selues ore-throe.
At once we burne, and are key-cold. We seeme to stand that fall:
To heale that hutt. We brag of bad. We dye ere death doth call.
We triumph while we are subdude. We blisse our proper baine.
We gladly doe subiect our selues vnto each giddie Vaine.
Our gadding Thoughts conceite the Cloudes, our selues meane while for got.
Our Nay is Yea, our Yea is Nay: we will, and then will not.
Our Soules like this, our Flesh lusts that As Proteus changeth, so
Doe our Affections: and our Thoughts be shifting too and fro.
Euen Hydra-like we flesh our Faults: our Mindes doe wauer still.
Our selfe-Conceits be winged: and we flie from good to ill.
Our Peace with Discorde breedes our woe: the Contrarie our Ease.
We neuer doe but plague our selues, whilste that our selues we please.
We would be we, as if not we. Vs Plentie maketh poore.
We, partiall, blame, inable, and disable vs eremore.
All these, and wilfull Sinnes besides, to vs with you and all
Too common we confesse. But of our Doctrine speake we shall.
Propitious be to vs, O God, that Faith haue practise too:
Which we omit as Publicanes, as Pharisies ye doe.
Our Doctrine though is Gospell, yours Traditions but of Men:
Enough of Yours: Examine Ours by Touch of Scripture then,

VPon the onely Scriptures doth our Church Foundation lay:
Let Patriarchs, Prophets, Gospell, and th'Apostles for vs say:
For Soule and Body we affirme, are all sufficient thay:
Yeat ye adde Canons, part corrupt, some Bookes ye quite denaye.
We by the Hebrew, and the Greeke, their primer Pennes, expounde
Each Scripture, by the eldest Clarks, whē doubtful Textes be found:
Not by the Latin onely, as ye would that all weare bounde.
So farforth yeat the Fathers and the Councels we approue,
As doe their Expositions tende to sincere Faith and Loue.
Els fully Scriptures, in themselues, explaine themselues, say we:
I[…] searched with that humble Spirit by which they written be:
Through which is ofte from literall speech a spirituall sense set free,
Vpon which sense the Catholique Church did, doth, and must agree.
Nor doth our Church admit, at least allow, of those in her,
That teach not Faith sincerely, winne to Heauen, from Hell deter,
That with new Glozes tainte the Text, or such as be vnreade
In that sweete Promise of the Seede should broose the Serpents head:
The Alpha, and Omega, of all Scriptures, and whereby
Of grace, through faith in Christ, our Soules reuiue, and Sin doth die:
Our Church affects, how so effects, such pure Theologie,
And Guides, and to our Naturall Prince, graunts sole Supremacie.
Gods Cou'nant with the Patriarchs, and extending to the Seede,
Vs Gentiles to coequall is a Primate in our Creede:
And Christ we know the ende of it. In Circumcisions place
Is Baptisme. And intirely we the Tables Two imbrace
Which God himselfe in Synai wrote, and gaue to Moses then,
To publish to the people, Two Commandements in Ten:
Scriptures Idea, couched in our Loue to God and men.
Th'Apostles, Athanasian, Nice, and Bizain Creeds we hold
Autentick, by the holy Spirit in sacred Writ inrowld.
One Godhead of three Persons, in coequall Maiestie,
Doe we beleeue: of whom the Sonne did for Beleeuers die:
The only Ransome that redeemes from Sathans Tyrannie:
Euen Christ, the Way, the Truth, the Life, not crooked, glozed, fraile,
But right for Rule, in Promise firme, in Guerdon near to faile:
Who to reproue the bad, approue the good, and to assure
The Wau'ring, and against the Diuell our safetie to procure,
Did, giltles, die, that we, lost Soules, might liue: naught els did make
That he, his Deitie adiorn'd, did humaine Nature take:
Nor, glorifide, disclaimes he vs, vnles we him forsake:
And what is fruitles Faith, but such Apostasie? and what
Ensues Apostasie, but to be doomed Dam'd for that?
No Doctrine, or Traditions, we hold currant, saue the same
That Gospell, or th'Apostles Acts, or Pennes, include or name.
Baptisme, incorporating vs in Christ, and vs in one,
Christs misticall last Supper, whear in Signe his death is knowne,
Be Sacraments, except which twaine, doe we accept of none.
By only Christ our Aduocate we to the Father pray:
Nor thinke we Saints deceased can our Sutes to him conuay:
Howbeit still most reuerently of Saints we think and say.
Vnnecessarie Burthens, on our Christian Freedome laide,
Contrarie these, that but beleefe, and vertuous life perswaide.
Yea only Faith doth iustifie, say we, of Gods free grace,
By Christ: not Faith is idle, but doth Charitie imbrace.
Who may, but will not helpe doth hurt, we know: and curious thay
That, dribling Almes by Arte, disband wel-Meant frō wel-Dons pay:
And he that questions Ones distresse, and doth not helpe indeuour,
Than he that sees, and nothing sayes, or cares, is lesse Deceiuour.
Then hope we health when sinne is felt repentantly in heart:
Adde then new life, and we to God, God doth to vs conuart:
Thus Peter vsde his Keyes, not thus play Popes S. Peters part.
For Cleargie-men, and Laye, our Church hath godly Discipline:
Lawes worthie better than sometimes are those the Lawes define.
Our Princes in their Policies and Lawes doe we obay:
Though God his Cause they seek to crosse, yeat we for thē do pray,
In patience, not peruerse Attempts, for better times we stay.
Not as denide, but as deuout we doe and should abstaine
From Meates euen meete, the proude Flesh frō sins excesse to waine,
Which, shuld we skāt, & yet be dronk with lust or like were vaine:
Saue also publique Policie doth publique Sparing craue,
In Fasts or differences of Meates, no other keepe we haue.
Almes deedes, and workes of Charitie we practiuely professe,
And follow Saints as they did Christ, & leaue whear they trāsgresse:
Such, and so much, as sayd, are we: forgiue vs, God, if lesse.
For godly though Religion, Prince, and Policie they are,
Yeat things, that of themselues be good, abuse brings out of square,
And sundrie Faults in sundrie Folks we sometimes must forbare:
Howbeit with best gouernd States our State may now compare.