Lord, as I am, I have no pow'r at all The gloomy clouds of mine own guilt benight me; Thy glorious beams, not dainty sweets invite me; They neither can direct, nor these at all delight me. See how my sin-bemangled body lies, Give me the pow'r to will, the will to do; Draw me, O draw me with thy treble twist, O lend me strength to do, and then command thy list! My soul's a clock, whose wheels (for want of use Of eating rust) wants vigour to fulfil Her twelve-hours task, and shew her Maker's skill, But idly sleeps unmov'd, and standeth vainly still. Great God, it is thy work, and therefore good; S. BERN S. BERN. Ser. xxi. in Cant. Let us run, let us run, but in the savour of thy ointment, not in the confidence of our merits, not in the greatness of our strength we trust to run, but in the multitude of thy mercies; for though we run and are willing, it is not in him that willeth, nor in him that runneth, but in God that sheweth mercy. O let thy mercy return, and we will run : thou, like a giant, runnest by thy own power; we, unless thy ointment breathe upon us, cannot run. EPIG. 8. Look not, my watch, being once repair'd, to stand He 'as wound thee up, and cleans'd thy cogs with blood: CANTI IX. CANTICLES viii. 1. O that thou wert as my brother, that sucked the breasts of my mother! when I should find thee without, I would kiss thee. 1. YOME, come, my blessed infant, and immure thee Within the temple of my sacred arms; Secure mine arms, mine arms shall then secure thee My folded arms shall turn thy dying cross. 2. But ah! what savage tyrant can behold 3. O had the tetrarch, as he knew thy birth, And laid the sceptre of his glory down, Illustrious 4. Illustrious babe how is thy handmaid grac'd 5. But must the treason of a traitor's hail These alabaster sides with knotted whips? The blows of scorn, and flurts of base disdain ? 6. Ah! must these dainty little springs*, that twine Ah! must the blessed infant taste the pain 7. Sweet babe! at what dear rates do wretched I And ev'ry jav'lin wounds thy bleeding heart : *Springs; i. e. arms. †Thy neck; read my neck. S. BONA S. BONAVENT. Soliloq. Cap. 1. O sweet Jesu, I knew not that thy kisses were so sweet, nor thy society so delectable, nor thy attraction so virtuous: for when I love thee, I am clean; when I touch thee, I am chaste; when I receive thee, I am a virgin. O most sweet Jesu, thy embraces defile not, but cleanse; thy attraction polluteth not, but sanctifieth. O Jesu the fountain of universal sweetness, pardon me that I believed so late, that so much sweetness is in thy embraces. EPIG. 9. My burden's greatest; let not Atlas boast : CANTICLES |