() thou that hast the key of David, who

Open'st and shuttest so,
That none can shut or open after thee,

Vouchsafe thyself to be
Our soul's door-keeper, by thy blessed spirit :
The lock and key's thy mercy, not our merit.

Cleanse thou our sin-soiled souls from the dirt and

Of every noisome lust, [dust Brought in by the foul feet of our affections :

The besom of afflictions,
With the blessing of thy spirit added to it.
If thou be pleased to say it shall, will do it.

Lord, ringing changes all our bells hath marr'd,

Jangled they have, and jarr'd
So long, they're out of tune, and out of frame,

They seem not now the same.
Put them in fraine anew, and once begin
To tune them so, that they may chime all in.

Let all our sins be buried in thy graves

No longer rant and rave,
As they have done, to our eternal shame,

And the scandal of thy name.
Let's as door-keepers in thine house attend,
Rather than the throne of wickedness ascend.

XX. THE CLERK.

The Church's Bible-Clerk attends

Her Utensils, and ends

Her Prayers with Amen;
Tunes Psalms, and to the Sacraments

Brings in the Elements,

And takes them out again ; Is humble minded, and industrious handed, Doth nothing of himself, but as commanded.

All that the vessels of the Lord

Do bear with one accord

Must study to be pure,
As they are : if his holy eye

Do any spot espy,

He cannot it endure;
But most expecteth to be sanctified
In those come nearest him, and glorified,

Psalms then are always tuned best,

When there is most exprest

The holy Penman's heart:
All Music is but discord where

That wants, or doth not bear

The first and chiefest part. Voices, without affections answerable, When best, to God are most abominable.

Though in the blessed Sacraments

The outward Elements

Are but as husks and shells;
Yet he that knows the kernel's worth,

If even those send forth

Some Aromatic smells, Will not esteem it waste, lest, Judas-like, Through Mary's side he Christ himselfshould strike.

Lord, without whom we cannot tell

How to speak or think, well,

Lend us thy helping hand,
That what we do may pleasing be,

Not to ourselves but thee,

And answer thy command : So that, not we alone, but thou mayst say Amen to all our prayers, pray'd the right way.

XXI. THE OVERSEER OF THE POOR.

The Church's Almoner takes care,

that none
In their necessity

Shall unprovided be
Of maintenance, or employment; those alone,

Whom careless idleness,

Or riotous excess,
Condemns to needless want, he leaves to be
Chasten'd a while by their own poverty.

Thou gracious Lord, rich in thyself, dost give

To all men liberally,

Upbraiding none. Thine eye Is open upon all. In thee we live,

We

e move, and have our being :

But there is more than seeing. For the poor with thee: they are thy special charge; To them thou dost thine heart and hand enlarge.

Four sorts of poor there are, with whom thou deal’st,

Though always differently,

With such indifferency, That none hath reason to complain : thou heal'st

All those whom thou dost wound :

If there be any found Hurt by themselves, thou leavest them to endure The pain, till the pain render them fit for cure.

Some in the world are poor, but rich in faith :

Their outward poverty

A plentiful supply
Of inward comforts and contentments hath.

And their estate is blest,

In this above the rest, It was thy choice, whilst thou on earth didst stay, And hadst not whereupon thy head to lay.

Some poor in spirit in the world are rich,

Although not many such :

And no man needs to grutch Their happiness, who to maintain that pitch,

Have an hard task in hand,

Nor easily can withstand The strong temptations that attend on riches : Mountains are more exposed to storms than ditches.

Some rich in the world are spiritually poor, .

And destitute of grace,

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Who may perchance have place In the Church upon earth ; but heaven's door

Too narrow is to admit

Such camels in at it,
Till they sell all they have, that field to buy,
Wherein the true treasure doth hidden lie.

Some spiritually poor, and destitute

Of grace in the world are poor,

Begging from door to door, Accursed both in God's and man's repute,

Till by their miseries

Tutor’d they learn to prize Hungering and thirsting after righteousness, Whilst they're on earth, their greatest happiness.

Lord, make me poor in spirit, and relieve

Me how thou wilt thyself,

No want of worldly pelf
Shall make me discontented, fret and grieve.

I know thine alms are best :

But, above all the rest, Condemn me not unto the hell of riches, Without thy grace to countercharm the witches.

XXII. THE CHURCH-WARDEN.

The Church's guardian takes care to keep

Her buildings always in repair, Unwilling that any decay should creep

On them, before he is aware,