XIII. Anonymous

HOW good art thou, O Lord! when we, unkind,

Forgetting that thou art our life and joy,

In following thee are deafe, in loving blind,

And change thy comforte for the meanest toy:

Thou still pursuest us with thy kisse and rod,

And rod and kisse, till we do owne thee God.

And when to ravell out thy worke againe,

Our enemy consults with flesh and bloud,

Makes strong assaults and charges us amaine,

We foolish yeild—that foile is turn’d to good:

Our Lord by death did Death most overcome,

And our great foiles give sin its greatest doome.

Yet must we not this circle overtread;

Thy love will force us out, or else thy wrath:

When sin befriends us, ’tis y^t we should dread

The mighty one, that sin unpoisoned hath:

He that from sin by sinning God hath rid,

Must sin defy with this, Now God forbid!