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Nothing defaced,

Nothing displaced

He likes; but most doth long and love to see
The living stones order'd as they should be.

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:
It prospers not that's by ourselves projected.

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.
Great odds it is

That we shall miss

Of what we looked for: Thine ends cannot
By any but by thine own means be got.

'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
We purposely

Choose to lay by,

Such decency and order, as did place us
In highest esteem, and guard as well as grace us.

Is not thy daughter glorious within,

When clothed in needle-work without?

Or is't not rather both their shame and sin,
That change her robe into a clout,
Too narrow, and

Too thin, to stand

Her need in any stead, much less to be
An ornament fit for her high degree.

Take pity on her, Lord, and heal her breaches;
Clothe all her enemies with shame :
All the despite that's done unto her reaches
To the dishonour of thy name.
Make all her sons

Rich precious stones,

To shine each of them in his proper place,
Receiving of thy fulness grace for grace.

XXIII. THE DEACON.

THE Deacon! That's the Minister.
True, taken generally;

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,
He doth what he should do,

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
No great necessity;

To what's commanded he agrees,
With all humility;

Knowing how highly God submission prizes,
Pleased with obedience more than sacrifices.

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
Enter'd thy servants in a low degree?

Thy way to exaltation
Was by humility;

But we, proud generation,

No difference of degree

In holy orders will allow, nay, more,
All holy orders would turn out of door.

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,
Whom thou hast left to be

Thy Vicar here, we may inherit,
And minister to thee,

Though not so well as thou mayst well expect,
Yet so, as thou wilt pleased be to accept.

XXIV. THE PRIEST.

THE Priest I say, the Presbyter, I mean,
As now adays he's call'd

By many men: but I choose to retain

The name wherewith install'd

He was at first in our own mother tongue:
And doing so, I hope, I do no wrong.

The Priest, I say, 's a middle Officer,
Between the Bishop and

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
Of mercy which he makes;

For them to him doth all their faults confess,
Their prayers and praises takes;
And offers for them, at the throne of grace,
Contentedly attending his own place.

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,
By advancing righteousness, and holiness.

The public censures of the Church he sees
To execution brought :

But nothing rashly of himself decrees,
Nor covets to be thought

Wiser than his superiors; whom always
He actively, or passively, obeys.

Lord Jesus, thou the Mediator art
Of the new Testament,

And fully didst perform thy double part
Of God and man, when sent

To reconcile the world, and to atone
'Twixt it and heaven, of two making one.

Yea, after the order of Melchisedeck,
Thou art a Priest for ever.

With perfect righteousness thyself dost deck,
Such as decayeth never.

Like to thyself make all thy Priests on earth,
Bless'd fathers to thy sons of the second birth.

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,
Before it ruin bring

Upon thy poor despised Church, transform'd
As if 'twere no such thing:

Thou that the God of order art, and peace,
Make cursed confusion and contention cease.

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