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Edward Farr, ed. Select Poetry of the Reign of Queen Elizabeth. 1845.

The Conversion of St. Paul

XXXVIII. George Wither

A BLEST conuersion and a strange

Was that, when Saul a Paul became;

And, Lord, for making such a change

We praise and glorifie thy name;

For whil’st he went from place to place

To persecute thy truth and thee,

And running to perdition was,

By powerful grace cal’d backe was hee.

When from thy truth we goe astray,

Or wrong it through our pointed zeale,

Oh, come and stop vs in the way,

And then thy will to vs reveale.

That brightnesse show vs from above,

Which proues the sensuall eyesight blinde;

And from our eyes those scales remoue

That hinder vs thy way to finde.

And as thy blessed servant Paul,

When he a conuert once became,

Exceeded thy apostles all

In painefull preaching of thy name;

So grant that those who haue in sinne

Exceeded others heretofore,

The start of them in faith may winne—

Loue, serue, and honour thee the more.