The Morning is at hand, my Soule awake,

Rise from the sleep of dull security;

Now is the time, anon ’twill be to late,

Now hast thou golden opportunity

For to behold thy naturall estate

And to repent and be regenerate.

Delay no longer though the Flesh thee tell,

Tis time enough hereafter to repent,

Strive earnestly such mocions to expell,

Remember this thy courage to augment

The first fruits God requir’d for sacrifice,

The later he esteemed of no price.

First let’s behold our natural estate

How dangerous and damnable it is,

And thereupon grow to exceeding hate

With that which is the onely cause of this;

The which is Sin, yea Disobedience

Even that which was our first parents offence.

The reasonable Soule undoubtedly

Created was at first free from offence,

In Wisdom, Holinesse, and Purity,

It did resemble the Divine Essence,

Which being lost, the Soule of man became

Like to the Serpent, causer of the same.

The Understanding, Will, Affections cleare,

Each part of Soule and Body instantly

Losing their purity, corrupted were

Throughout as by a loathsom Leprocy

The rayes of Vertu were extinguisht quite

And Vice usurpeth rule with force and might.

This sudden change from sanctitude to sin

Could but prognosticat a fearfull end,

Immediatly the dollour did begin,

The Curse that was pronounc’d, none might defend,

Which Curse is in this life a part of some,

The fulnesse thereof in the life to come.

The Curse that to the Body common is

The sence of Hunger, Thirst, of Sicknes, Pain:

The Soules Calamities exceedeth this,

A Tast of Hell shee often doth sustain,

Rebukes of Conscience, threatning plagues for sin,

A world of Torments oft shee hath within.

Unlesse the Conscience dead and feared be,

Then runs the soule in errors manifold,

Her danger deep shee can in no wise see,

And therefore unto every sin is bold,

The Conscience sleeps, the Soule is dead in sin,

Nere thinks of Hell untill shee comes therein.

Thus is the Conscience of the Reprobate,

Either accusing unto desperacion,

Or elce benummed, cannot instigate

Nor put the Soule in mind of reformacion;

Both work for ill unto the castaway,

Though here they spent their time in mirth and play.

Yet can they have no sound contentment here,

In midst of laughter oft the heart is sad:

This world is full of woe & hellish feare

And yeelds forth nothing long to make us glad

As they that in the state of nature dy

Passe but from misery to misery.

Consider this my soule, yet not despaire,

To comfort thee again let this suffice,

There is a Well of grace, whereto repaire,

First wash away thy foul enormities

With teares proceeding from a contrite heart,

With thy beloved sins thou must depart.

Inordinate affections, and thy Will,

And carnall wisdom, must thou mortify,

For why, they are corrupt, prophane and ill,

And prone to nothing but impiety,

Yet shalt thou not their nature quite deface,

Their ruines must renewed be by grace.

If that thou canst unfainedly repent,

With hatred therunto thy sins confesse,

And not because thou fearest punishment

But that therby thou didst Gods Laws transgress

Resolving henceforth to be circumspect,

Desiring God to frame thy wayes direct.

Each member of thy body thou dost guide,

Then exercise them in Gods service most

Let every part be throughly sanctifide

As a meet Temple for the Holy Ghost;

Sin must not in our mortall bodies raign

It must expelled be although with pain

Thou must not willingly one sin detain,

For so thou mayst debarred be of blis,

Grace with inniquity will not remain,

Twixt Christ and Belial no communion is,

Therefore be carefull every sin to fly,

And see thou persevere in piety.

So mayst thou be perswaded certainly,

The Curse shall in no wise endanger thee,

Although the body suffer misery

Yet from the second death thou shalt be free;

They that are called here to Holinesse

Are sure elected to eternall blisse.

A Taste of blessednesse here shalt thou say,

Thy Conscience shall be at Tranquility,

And in the Life to com thou shalt enjoy

The sweet fruition of the Trinity,

Society with Saints then shalt thou have,

Which in this life thou didst so often crave.

Let this then stir thee up to purity,

Newnesse of life, and speedy Conversion,

To Holinesse and to integrity,

Make conscience of impure thoughts unknown

Pray in the Spirit with sweet Contemplacion

Be vigilant for to avoid Temptacion.