Nothing defaced, Nothing displaced He likes; but most doth long and love to see Lord, thou not only supervisor art Of all our works, but in all those, Which we dare own, thine is the chiefest part; For there is none of us, that knows How to do well; Nor can we tell What we should do, unless by thee directed: That which we think ourselves to mend, we mar, And often make it ten times worse: Reforming of religion by war Is the chymic blessing of a curse. That we shall miss Of what we looked for: Thine ends cannot 'Tis strange we so much dote upon our own Deformity, and others scorn: As if ourselves were beautiful alone; When that which did us most adorn Choose to lay by, Such decency and order, as did place us Is not thy daughter glorious within, When clothed in needle-work without? Or is't not rather both their shame and sin, Too thin, to stand Her need in any stead, much less to be Take pity on her, Lord, and heal her breaches; Rich precious stones, To shine each of them in his proper place, XXIII. THE DEACON. THE Deacon! That's the Minister. And without any sinister Intent, used specially, He's purposely ordain'd to Minister, In sacred things, to another officer. At whose appointment, in whose stead, In some things, not in all is led : By law, and custom too. Where that doth neither bid, nor forbid, he Thinks this sufficient authority: Loves not to vary, when he sees To what's commanded he agrees, Knowing how highly God submission prizes, Lord, thou didst of thyself profess Thou wast as one that served, And freely choosest to go less, Though none so much deserved. With what face can we then refuse to be Thy way to exaltation But we, proud generation, No difference of degree In holy orders will allow, nay, more, But, if thy precept cannot do't, To make us humbly serve, Nor thy example added to't, If still from both we swerve, Let none of us proceed, till he can tell, How to use the office of a Deacon well. Which by the blessing of thy spirit, Thy Vicar here, we may inherit, Though not so well as thou mayst well expect, XXIV. THE PRIEST. THE Priest I say, the Presbyter, I mean, By many men: but I choose to retain The name wherewith install'd He was at first in our own mother tongue: The Priest, I say, 's a middle Officer, The Deacon; as a middle officer, Which in the Church doth stand Between God and the people, ready press'd In the behalf of both to do his best. From him to them offers the promises For them to him doth all their faults confess, The word and sacraments, the means of grace, He duly doth dispense, The flourishes of falsehood to deface, With truth's clear evidence ; And sin's usurped tyranny suppress, The public censures of the Church he sees But nothing rashly of himself decrees, Wiser than his superiors; whom always Lord Jesus, thou the Mediator art And fully didst perform thy double part To reconcile the world, and to atone Yea, after the order of Melchisedeck, With perfect righteousness thyself dost deck, Like to thyself make all thy Priests on earth, Thou camest to do the will of him that sent thee, And didst his honour seek More than thine own: well may it then repent thee, Being thyself so meek, To have admitted them into the place Of sons, that seek their fathers to disgrace. Lord, grant that the abuse may be reform'd, Upon thy poor despised Church, transform'd Thou that the God of order art, and peace, |