CHRIST, the Pellican.
Christ bringeth into the field seuen liuely vertues, to fight against, and confound seuen deadly sinnes.
CHRIST the Sonne of GOD, is the Pellican, whose blood was shet out to feed vs: the Physition made of his owne bodie a medicine to cure vs; looke vpon him well, and behold his bodie hanging on a crosse, his wounds bleeding, his blood trickling on the earth, his head bowed downe (as it were to kisse vs) his verie sides opened, (as it were to shew how in his heart he loued vs) his armes stretched out to their length, (as it were to embrace vs.) And iudge by all these, if Christ be not our truest Pellican. He that was the Son of God, became the mockerie of men: He that was King of heauen and earth, suffered his browes to weare a crowne of thornes: He endured hunger that is our food: he drunk gal that is our fou¯taine of life: He receiued wounds, that is our health: He tasted the bitternesse of death, that is mans only saluatio¯ & what Pellican can do more for her yong ones?
Our bodies were ful of corruptio¯; our soules were spotted: our soules & bodies were forfeited to hell: sinne had pawnd them, sinne had lost them, sinne had made them foule. All the physicke in the world could not purge our corruption: all the fountains in the world could not wash out our spots: al the gold & siluer on earth could not redeeme our forfeitures: al the Kings vnder heauen could not pay our ra¯soms: nothing could free vs fro¯ captiuity, but to make Christ a prisoner Nothing could giue vs life, but the heauenly Pellicanes death, hell, was the goale into which we were to be throwe¯, diuels the keepers, that shold haue fettered vs for euer: our euill actions, the Iudges that should haue called vs to a bar: Conscience the euidence that should haue cast vs away: and sinnes, the executioners that were to bee our tormentors. But note the mercie of our Maker, note the courage of our Redeemer. Against seuen deadly and detestable sinnes, that came into the field (to set vpon all the children of Adam) in that great battell and worke of our Saluation, came Christ, armed with seuen liuely vertues. Thus was his combat, and thus was his victorie. Hee suffered himselfe to bee betrayed by a Iudas; there fought his humilitie, and ouercame pride. Hee left not our safetie, till hee had lost his owne life; there fought his loue, and ouercame enuy. Hee tooke buffets on the face, scourges on the backe, pricking briers on the forehead; there fought his patience, and triumphed ouer wrath. He was ready in all tempests to throw himself ouer-borde to saue vs from shipwrack; there fought his watchfulnesse, and slew the sinne of sloth. He gaue away himself and the world, that the world to come might by his Father be giuen to vs; there fought his liberalitie and ouercame couetousnes. He drunke of the sowrest and bitterest grape, that we might taste of the sweetest; there fought his temperance, and ouer gluttony got the conquest. He could not be tempted with al the kingdomes vpon earth, nor all the pleasures in those kingdomes; there fought his continence, and ouercame lust. Thus with seuen blows strooke hee off the heads of seuen dragons that stood gaping to deuoure vs. We are still in danger of them: let vs therefore arme our selues with those weapons, which Christ hath taught vs to handle in our owne defence, and those are these which follow.
1. A Prayer for the Morning.
WHen I rise from my bed (O my Redeemer) it puts mee in mind of my rising from the graue, when the last trumpet shall sound, & summon vs to the generalll resurrection: and as then I hope to behold thee comming in thy fulnesse of glorie, and thy Father sitting in the brightnes of his maiestie, and that I shall haue a place amongst those that are written in thy booke of life: so (O thou my mediator) make intercession for mee, that all the sinnes of my former dayes and nights being freely pardoned, I may this day be intertained againe into thy seruice. Receiue therefore (O Lord) this earely sacrifice both of my soule and bodie: I offer them vp into thy hands to be disposed at thy pleasure, and with them vnfained sighes for offending thee: & with those sighes my zealous Prayers, for thy pardon: and with those Prayers an assured hope, that (in thy mercie) and in the blood of that louing Pellican (Christ Iesus) that died for mee, I shall be forgiuen. Blessed bee thy Name for blessing me this night from danger. I read in the booke which was written by thine owne finger, that thou didst cast Adam into a sleepe, when thou madest (of his rib) a woman; by which I note, that man of himselfe hath no power to binde slu¯bers to his temples, vnlesse thou giue it him. All thankes therefore be thine, that this night hast couered me with the soft wings of quietnes, and so graciously dost now suffer mee to behold the light of the day. Goe on (O God) with thy fauours towards me thy humble seruant: goe on along by me, and with mee, all this day, and all the dayes of my life; that I may not step into the path of sinne. Grant this, I beseech thee, giue me thy grace, and forgiue mee my debts which I owe to sinne and death. So be it. Amen.
2. A Prayer against pride.
O THOV Son of the euerliuing God, who euen in thy birth thou vouchsafedst to call Ioseph thy Father, and in thy cradle, which was but a poore manger, and who in the height of all thy passions and sorowes vpon the crosse; wert the true patern of true humilitie; teach me, O Lord, to tread that path in all my tribulations: make me thy scholler, and leaue me not till I haue that lesson perfectly by heart. God (thy father) is ouer all the world, the highest; but it is to expresse his Maiestie. Thou (that art God the sonne) of all those that are of thy fold, art the lowliest-minded; but that is to instruct vs (thy children) in obedience. For alack, whereof should I bee proud? Am I not dust and ashes? Am I not made of the clay of the earth? And must I not (in the end) like a potters earthen vessell be broken all into pieces? Thy Prophet Amos told the people, that thou didst hate the pride euen of Iacob, and didst abhorre his palaces: And can I haue any hope (being nothing so deere vnto thee as Iacob) that thou canst loue to behold that Serpent (of pride) with seuen heads, sleeping in my bosome? Now thy hand is armed against the hand of the proud man, and he cannot escape confusion. Pride was the first sin that crept into the world; but so vgly a sinne it was, that it could not be suffered to stay in heauen: for Lucifer (the father of it) from the glory of an Angel, was throwne headlong (for his insolence) into the pitte of hell. Pharaoh was proud, but Pharaoh and his host fell in their pride. Senacherib was proud, but Senacherib was trod vpon by the feete of his owne children. Hammon was proud, but his end was the gallow-tree, which hee set vp for another. Yea so odious a monster in thine eye (O God) is a proud man: that proud Nabuchodonozer being a king, was by thee turned into a beast and eat the grasse, till hee confessed himselfe to be but a man; and that thou onely (O God) wert the God of heauen and earth. And on the contrary side, so pretious a iewell is humilitie in thy sight, that none could bee Christs disciples, but such as wore the Garment of Lowlinesse. Pull therefore downe (O LORD) nay pull vp by the very roote, this tree of Pride, if thou perceiue it growing within me. Suffer (O GOD) none of the branches of this sinne to spread in the world, but lop them off euen in their budding forth: and for the purpose let not vaine glory (one of the pages of Pride) follow learning: let not disdaine sit in the eye of Greatnes, to cast terrifying looks vpo¯ the distressed: let not presu¯ptio¯ of thy mercies make vs tempt thee to destroy vs in our security; nor let thy long suffering and winking at our sinnes, stirre our soules vp to disobedience and rebellion. But turne thou all our affections in such concord, that we may count our glories but shadowes, our strength weakenesse, our riches but temptations, & snars to catch our souls, our wisedome but folly, our life but a bubble in water, and our death our euerlasting iourney to the land of sorrow, vnles at our setting forth thou vndertakest to be the Pilot. Be therefore so our merciful God, & in despite of all the rockes which sinne and her dreadfull Sea-monsters set in the way for our destruction, safely set vs, we beseech thee, vpon the shore of eternall felicity: Amen, O Lord, Amen, So be it, now, and for euer. Amen.
3. A Prayer against Enuie.
IT is a branch in thy heauenly statute (O King of heauen) that wee should loue our enemies, and blesse them that curse vs, and doe good to them that hate vs, and to pray for them that lay plots for our liues: these are the strings (O God) whose musicke is pleasing to thi
ne eare; these are the staires by which we climbe vp to charity, and holding her by the hand, we are led vp into heauen. Purge thou therefore (O Lord) our veines, and suffer not the stincking poison of enuy to infect our blood. But following the steps of Samuel, let vs euen pray for king Saul, albeit king Saul be an enemy to thy seruants: and with Moses, let vs not repine at the stubborne Iewes, though they rebell and threaten to kill vs with death. Enuy (O God) is the destroier of him that nourisheth it in his bosome: it is the tormentor of a mans owne selfe: thou hast commanded vs to loue our neighbours as our selues. But how can wee shew loue to them, when if enuy lie sucking of our owne blood, wee sucke euen the ruine of our owne bodies? As the rust eateth the iron, so doeth this vulture gnawe the soule.
Enuie turnes man into a Diuell; yea into the worser shape of a Diuell, doeth it turne him. The Iewes perished, because they chose rather to enuie Christ and his miracles, then to beleeue him.
Other sinnes haue their limits, but the streame of enuie keepeth within no bounds. If pride were barren, enuie would neuer haue beene borne: but that sinne is the mother to this, and this sin the fountaine of tenne thousand more. By meanes of this sinne the world was drowned, and by meanes of this sinne was thy Sonne betraid to death: cut it therefore off (O Lord) and suffer not the seede of it to grow in mens hearts. How dare we, O God, aske forgiuenes at thy hands, when we are out of charity, and wish the downefall of our neighbour? Poure therefore into our soules thy diuine grace, that wee may striue to be like thee; that is, to be al loue, and all mercy: so shall we liue with thee for euer; so shall wee die thy seruants, and being raised vp againe, shall be thy children. Amen.
4. A Prayer against Wrath.
WRath is a short madnesse: madnesse is the murderer of reason; so that anger transformes a man into a brute beast. Giue vs therefore courage (O Lord) to fight against this strong enemy, and not to fight onely, but to ouercome him: sithence the conquest is harder, to triumph ouer our raging affections, then to subdue a Citie. All vengeance is thine (O God) and if wee offer to take it out of thy hand, it is high treason, for we doe as much as if wee went about to pull thee from thy throne: Inspire vs therefore with patience, that we may beare iniuries as thy Son did vpon earth, and may endure afflictions (as thy seruant Iob did) when it shall please thee to send them on thy message; and that we may not at any time either murmure against thy prouidence, or bee angry with thee for whatsoeuer thou sendest, be it health or sicknes, life or death; nor in the bitternes of our soules, powre downe curses (which are some of the droppes of wrath) vpon whatsoeuer Rulers or Teachers thou settest ouer vs; lest thy heauenly vengeance smite vs, (with Mirian, who murmured against Moses.): But cast (O Lord) such a bridle vppon our stiffe-necked affections, that all contention, quarrels, blood-shed, war, and murder (who are the sonnes of wrath) may bee curbed, and not suffered to doe violence to thy Church, to offer dishonour to thy Saints, or disturbance to the Common-wealth. Sign (O Lord) to this humble petition of thy seruants, that they may liue here like Doues one to another, without gall; and at their departure hence, they may mutually embrace and hold hands together, to meete thee in glory.
5. A Prayer against Sloth.
HOw hatefull the sinne of Sloth is in thine eyes (O Lord) we may gather by the life of our first father Adam; who albeit he had a whole world to himself, and al things made ready to his hand; yet to shew that he was not borne to liue idlely, thou placedst him in the garden of Eden, and there appointedst him to labour. And euen from the beginning hast thou enacted, that man should liue by the sweate of his brow; that he should earne his bread, ere hee tasted bread; and that hee who would not worke should not feede, for as a bird is created to flie in the ayre, as fishes are to swim in the waters, so is man made to take paines vpon earth. What were the sinnes of Sodom but pride, fulnesse of meate, wealth and idlenesse? Keepe these sinnes therefore O Lord, from the gates of our cities, lest they bring vpon vs the like confusion. Haue wee not examples (euen of those that were tender to thy loue) that wee should not nourish this disease in our blood, but that wee should spend our liues as the clouds execute their offices to be still in motion? were not Abraham, Lor, Isac, and Iacob ploughmen and shepheards? Did not thy seruant Moses keepe the sheepe of Iethro his father in law, the Priest of Midia? Was not Dauid, before he was an annointed king, a shepheard likewise? Yea, did not thine owne Sonne take paines continually, whilest hee liued amonst men? Were not his Apostles fishermen, and did not Luke (thy blessed Euangelist, and one of thy Sonnes Chroniclers) practise physicke & painting? In these men (O LORD) and in their liues hast thou set downe rules for vs to follow. Put therefore strength into our armes, that we may endure labour: kindle our mindes with courage, and liuely-hood, that in winter wee may not bee loath to take holde of the plough for feare of the colde, lest when summer commeth, we fall into beggerie. And aboue all things, so encourage vs with thy grace, and so quicken our vnderstandings with thy spirit, that we may not be dulled and so neglect the knowledge of thy lawes, nor by lasines be besotted with ignora¯ce, and so lose the remembrance of our duties. Suffer not (O Lord) this vnprofitable weede (of sloth) to grow vp amongst the Ministers of thy word: let no standing waters be in thy Church, but giue swiftnesse to them, that they may all bee running streames, so shall thy pastures bee watered and bring foorth encrease: so shall thy flockes bee well tended, when the sheepheards bee watchfull; so shall we all set ourhands to the raising vp of thy heauenly tabernacle, & so in the end shall we be lifted vp to sit with thee, and thy Sonne in Heauen. Amen.
6. A Prayer against couetousnesse.
O Father of heauen and giuer of all blessings open thy hand, but so open it, that the powring downe of thy benefits, may not make vs swell into a desire to hoord vp more then is fit for vs to receiue. The loue of worldly honours, maketh vs onely in loue with the world, and to forget thee; the loue of gold & siluer, maketh vs to forsake heauen, and to lose thee. O let not therefore the griping talants of couetousnesse seize vpon our soules. It is a golden diuell that tempteth vs into hell. It is a Mar-maid, whose songs are sweet but full of sorcerie. It is a sinne that turneth courtiers into beggers, and yet maketh them weare monopolies on their backes, when the common-wealth shiuereth through cold. It is a sinne, that sels thy Church (by simonie) and sends soules away at an easie rate. It is a sinne, that blindeth the eye of iustice; It is a bell, whose sound so deafes the poore mans voice, that his wrongs cannot bee heard. Driue therefore this plague out of our land (O Lord) and make vs couetous of nothing but of thy glorie, & of the riches of thy Gospel: let vs bee couetous of doing well one to another, so shall we be sure to stand in fan our with thee. A couetous man is like hell, euer deuouring, neuer satisfied; hee is an insatiable drunkard of gold. Quench, O Lord, this thirst of money in vs: keepe our hands clean from touching riches vnlawfully, lest with Achab and Iezabel wee commit murder, and shed Naboths blood, to wring from him his vineyard: or with Achan bee stoned to death fos taking goods that are to vs forbidden. Grant these blessings (O FATHER Almightie) and with them, giue vs grace to bee content with such estate (how meane soeuer) as thou shalt lay vpon vs: let the wealth we desire be thy kingdome, and the gold we thirst after, be our Saluation. Amen.
7. A Prayer against gluttonie.
HOw manie woes (O Lord) are thundred out by thy Prophets against this bestiall and deuouring sinne of gluttony? Where is woe (crieth out that proclaimer of all wisedome king Salomon) where is wailing? Where is strife? Where are snares laid? Where are wounds taken? Where are bloody eyes? but where the drunkard filleth out his wine, and the epicure feeds on his varietie of dishes? Preserue vs therefore, O God, from falling into this bottomles gulfe. All creatures hast thou giuen to man, to serue his vse, but let not man turne that to his destruction, which was ordained for his comfort. This sinne of intemperance, was the sin of our first parents: it was a lickorish sin, but it was sowerly & seuerely punished: the eating of one apple lost Paradise fro¯ the¯, & brought thy heauie curse vpon vs. This sinne of inordinate eating and drinking, kindled vnnatura
ll lust in the Sodomites, which afterwards in flakes of burning brimstone fell from heauen, and destroyed their cities. This sinne in Lot, made him fall into incest: and this in the people of Israel, turned the¯ into idolatrie. Strengthen therefore our hearts (O God) with thy grace, and not with the fulnesse of meates: giue vs the waters of life to taste, & not strong wines to ouercome vs: sithence drunkards shall not inherite the kingdome of heauen: and lastly, set still before our eyes the pictures of the rich glutton, and of poore Lazarus; the one fared deliciously euery day, and drunke of the purest grape, but afterwards hee lay howling in hel & could not get a drop of cold water to quench his burning thirst. The other fed vpon crummes, and he was caried into Abrahams bosome. To vs: that place, O Lord, send & grant that we may sit at that table of thy Saints, where neither hunger nor thirst shal afflict, but where is all fulnesse, all gladnesse, all riches, all rest, all happinesse. Amen.
8. A Prayer against lust.
MY bodie (O Lord) is a temple consecrated to thee, keep it then, I beseech thee, cleane and free from the pollution of sinne, and amongst all that lay siege to destroy it, defend it from vnbrideled flames of lust: with which poison, who so are infected, haue their part in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone, which is the second death. Close vp my lippes (O God) from speaking vnchast language; sanctifie my thoughts, that no wanton desires may burne in my bosome: be thou present in all my actions, that no temptations of the flesh may lead my soule into wickednesse. The sinne of lust (O Lord) is a couetous sinne, and not content with the spoile of one bodie, but worketh the euerlasting perdition of two at once. It is a sinne so foule, that by a strait law thou hast forbidden it in thy tables: yea, and hast vowed that the offender therein shall goe downe into hell, whereas hee that goeth from it shall be saued. Place modesty therefore in mine eye, that lasciuious glances may not there haue entrance: let mee with Ioseph rather suffer imprisonment, then to make any body a slaue to intemperate lust. It is written vpon those Records of thine which cannot lie, that foure & twentie thousand Iewes were slaine for the whoredomes by them committed; yea the deflowring of a Leuites wife, cost the liues of an hundred thousand people. And so hatefull vnto thee (O God) was Dauids adultery with the wife of Vrias; that albeit he were thy chosen seruant, hee could not scape thy punishment. Forgiue therefore the follies of my youth and let my body hereafter be a vessell of purity, that at the last day when all creatures must stand before thee, I may appeare in whitenes, and receiue that crowne of glory, prepared for the blessed. Amen.
Complete Dramatic Works of Thomas Dekker Page 224