Preachynge repentaunce, hys hygh waye to prepare,
Whych now we entende, before yow to declare.
The lawe and Prophetes, draweth now fast to an ende,
Which were but shaddowes, and fygures of hys commynge.
Now shall he approche, that all grace wyll extende,
Of cleane remyssyon, our caucyon will he brynge,
To pacyfye God, hys father euerlastynge.
By sheadynge hys bloude, all thynges shall he renewe,
Makynge one people, of the Pagane and the lewe.
For so moch as we, are geuen to noueltees*,
Of very nature. Lete vs our selues applye,
To accepte these newes, and heauenlye verytees †,
Which are for our synne, most souerayne remedye,
And for our sowles helthe, so hygylye necessarye.
That without knowledge, of them, we can not haue,
A true fayth in him, which dyed our sowles to saue.
Whan man had synned, the harde preceptes of the lawe,
Moses proclamed, the prophetes gaue monycyons.
But non of them all, to the heauenly kyngedome drawe,
Tyll Iohan Baptist come, with clerar exposycyons.
The publycanes then, leaue their yll dysposycyons,
Vnto Christ to come, and hys most holy Gospell,
Where the frowarde sectes, contynuallye rebell.
Ye shall se Christ here, submyt hymself to baptym,
Of Iohan hys seruaunt, in most meke humble wyse.
In poorenesse of sprete, that we shuld folowe hym,
Whose lowlye doctryne, the hypocrytes despyse.
Folowe hym therfor, and shurne their deuylysh practyse.
Be gentyll in hart, and beare your good intent,
Towards hys Gospell, and godlye testament.
S a massenger, I come to geue yow warnynge,
That your lorde, ', your kynge, your sauer and redemer, With helth, grace and peace, to yow ys hydre commynge. Applye ye therfor, delaye the tyme no longer,
prepare hys waye, makynge the rough pathes smother. Stryke downe the mountaynes, fyll vp the valleyes agayne, For all men shall se, their mercyfull sauer playne.
The scate of Dauid, whych is the father heauenly,
He cometh to possesse, as a ruler spirytuall.
And in Iacobs howse, to reigne contynually,
Whych is of hys churche, the nombre unyuersall,
Not only of Lewes, but faythfull beleuers all.
That congregacyon, will he euermore defende,
And of hys kyngedome, shall neuer be an ende.
At these newe tydynges, whom thys good man doth brynge, My hart within me, for ioye doth leape and sprynge.
O myghty maker, what confort to vs is thys?
Thyne own sonne to sende, to reforme that is amys.
Miles armatus.
Soch confort to me, as I can not expresse,
Of tunges though I had, thre thousande and no lesse.
Ioannes Baptista.
Approche nyghar fryndes, and tell me what ye saye.
Turba uulgaris.
Ye tolde us, me thought, we shuld prepare a waye,
For the Lordes commynge. Was not your saynge so?
Ioannes Baptista.
My preachynge was it, from it can I not go. For grounded it is, on Gods myghty worde trulye, Vttered longe afore, by the prophet Esaye.
I praye ye tell vs, what ye meane by that waye?
Ioannes Baptista.
Your conuersacyon, which is in a sore decaye.
Laye apart your wrathe, your couetousnesse and pryde,
Your lustes unlaufull, with your other synnes besyde.
Knowledge your trespace, and cease from doynge yll,
Flee mennys tradycyons, and Gods hygh lawes fulfyll.
Make ye strayght the pathes, lete euery man haue bys,
In no wyse reuenge, whan men vse ye amys.
Seke God your father, in sprete and veryte,
But not in shaddowes, as doth the Pharyse,
Whych by outwarde workes, loketh to be justyfyed,
And neyther by faythe, nor by Gods worde wyll be tryed.
Euery depe valleye, to moch more hygthe wyll growe,
The mountaynes and hylles, shall be brought downe full lowe.
What meane ye by that? I praye ye hartely tell.
Mekenesse wyll aryse, and pryde abate by the Gospell :
The symple fysher, shall now be notable,
The spirytuall Pharyse, a wretche detestable.
The wyse and lerned, the idyote wyll deface,
Synners shall excede, the outward sayntes in grace.
Abiectes of the worlde, in knowledge wyll excell,
The consecrate Rabyes, by vertu of the Gospell.
The poore man by faythe, shall very clerely deme,
The clause that wyll harde unto the lawer seme.
All that afore tyme, vntowarde ded remayne,
The rule of Gods worde, wyll now make strayght and playne.
The couetouse iourer shall now be lyberall,
The malycyouse man wyll now to charyte fall.
The wratheful hater shall now loue ernestlye,
To temperate measure men wyll change glotonye.
Pryde shall so abate, that mekenesse wyll preuayle,
Lechery shall lye down, and clennesse set up sayle.
Slouthfulnesse shall slyde, and dylygence aryse,
To folowe the truthe, in godly exercyse.
Prepare ye therefor, so fast as euer ye can,
To thys lorde whych will, renue ye euery man,
In case ye repent the folye that is past.
Sory are we for it, and wyll be to our last.
Ioannes Baptista.
What are ye tell me, ych persone scuerallye.
Turba uulgaris.
I do represent the commen people of Jewry.
In sweate of my browes, my lyuynge I procure,
By daylye labours, and mynde so to endure.
A publicane I am, and moch do lyve by pollage,
For my offyce is, to gather taxe and toilage.
Moch am I hated, of the Pharyse and Scrybe,
For axyng trybute, it iudgynge vnlaufull brybe.
Miles armatus,
A souldyour I am, or valeaunt man of warre,
The lande to defende, and hys enemyes to conquarre.
Whan my wages are too lyttle for my expence,
To get a botye, I spare no vyolence.
For Gods loue repent, and turne ye to the lorde, That by him ye maye, to hys kyngedome be restorde.
Ad Deum conuertitur turba uulgaris, & peccata sic confitetur.
Turba uulgaris.
I knowe blessed lorde, by playne experiment,
Most nygh vnto helth, is he that sheweth hys sore.
Wherefor I confesse, in place here euydent,
The synnefull lyuynge, that I haue vsed afore.
A wretched synnar 1 haue bene cuermore,
Vnthankfull to thee, to man vncharytable,
And in all my workes, both false and deceyuable.
Hunc tunc baptisat Ioannes flectentem genua.
Ioannes Baptista.
Then take my baptyme, whych is a preparacyon,
Vnto faythe in Christ, wherin rest your saluacyon.
To Christes Gospell your conuersacyon applye,
And lerne by thys sygne, with hym to lyue and dye.
Turba uulgaris.
Myne vsage (ye knowe) is outwarde and externe,
Some godly preceptes for that fayne wolde I lerne.
Ioannes Baptista.
I wyll not moue ye to offer calfe nor gote,
But to charyte, whych is of hyghar note.
With no sacryfyce is God more hyghly pleased,
Than with that good hart, wherby the poore is eased.
For that he accepteth, as though hymselfe it had.
Thys helthsome counsell, maketh my hart ioyfull and glad. Ioannes Baptista.
He that hath two coates, lete hym geue one to the nedye, And he that hath vytayle, lykewyse releue the hungrye. Helpe alwayes the poore, with herbour, foode and aparell, With socour, solace, with doctryne and ghostlye counsell. These thynges done in faythe maye mollyfye Gods yre. Turba uulgaris.
Farwell to ye then, for I haue my desyre.
Eo exeunte, publicanus coram Deo peccatum agnoscit.
Thy worde blessed lorde, by this good man declared,
Causeth my conscyence of synne to have remorce.
And to remembre, how that I haue not spared
The poore to oppresse, by crueltie and force.
I consydre yet, how I oft haue bene horce,
Cryenge for custome, exactynge more than due,
To my neyber lorde I haue bene full vntrue.
Illum tunc baptista Ioannes incuruantem genua.
Ioannes Baptista.
Be baptysed then, in token of repentaunce,
And take to ye faythe, with a newe remembraunce.
Thynkynge by thys sygne, ye are from hensfourth bounde
Vyces to resyst, acceptynge Christ for your grounde.
Geue me some precept, or rule, whereon to staye,
That I, in my sort, my lorde God maye obaye.
Ioannes Baptista.
I wyll not bynde ye, your substaunce to dyspence,
But I requyre yow, to abstayne from vyolence.
Though your offyce be to gather and to pull,
Yet be no tyrauntes, but rather mercyfull.
A good waye thys were, foryour estate, I thynke.
Publicanus.
Perfourme it I shall, I wolde els I shuld synke.
Ioannes Baptista.
For your peynes ye haue appoynted by the
Your stypende wages, no creature ye ought to deuoure;
For Gods loue therfor, do not man iniury
In taking tollage, aduauntage to haue therby.
Non otherwyse than, it is to yow prescrybed.
By me from hens fourth, nought from the poore shall be brybed.
Eo decedente, Miles sua confitetur scelera.
Miles armatus.
Experyence doth shewe, where as are good monycyons,
Maye be auoyded all ieopardy and daunger.
At thys mannys counsell, all synnefull disposycyons
I wyll therfor change to a lyfe (I hope) moch better.
No man so wycked, nor so farre out of order,
As I wretche haue bene, in murther, rape and thefte.
Swete lorde forgeue me, and those wayes shall be lefte.
Illum tunc baptisat Ioannes in genua procumbentem.
Ioannes Baptista.
Thys baptyme of myne, to yow doth represent
Remyssyon in Christ, in case your synnes ye repent.
In hys blessed deathe, it assureth yow of grace,
Sealynge your pasport, vnto the hyghar place.
Miles armatus.
My maker I thanke, of hys most specyall gyfte,
For my vsage now, shewe me some ghostly dryfte.
Ioannes Baptista.
Of warre ye haue lawes, vse them with ryght alwayes,
Do no spoyle nor rape, take no vnlaufull prayes.
The offyce ye haue, for the publyque vnyte,
Mynde to exercyse, to the landes tranquyllyte.
Ye maye thus please God, in doynge your feate, ryght well.
Father go forewarde, for I moch delyght your counsell.
Ioannes Baptista.
For the publique peace, Gods lawe doth yow permyt,
Stronge weapon to weare, but in no case to abuse it.
If ye mynde therfor, of God to auoyde the daunger,
For couetouse lucre, hurt neyther frynde nor stranger.
But with your wages, yche man be satysfyed.
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