A Warning for all Worldlings to learn to Dye.
The tune [...]s, The Ladies Fall.
GOod people all repent with speed▪
high time it is to pray,
Tempt not the just and righteous God
with vain and long delay:
And while it is the day indéed,
for mercy call and cry,
O would that men would bear in mind,
that one day they must dye.
Thy self in thy security,
why dost thou flatter so?
Deferring thy repenting days,
till age doth bring thee low;
And further, till thy Sickest hour
that e're thou hast to lye,
O would that men, &c.
O dust and ashes, dost thou think
the Glorious God of might,
will take in worth these wicked things
and wait on thy delight?
O mark how sore and suddenly,
his Wrath on him will lye;
O would that men, &c.
For what is he upon the earth,
that can himself secure,
Or say that for an hours space
my life it can endure:
No man on earth can warrant life,
the twinkling of an eye,
O would that men, &c.
And after death thy self assure,
repentance comes too late,
Not all the wealth within the world,
that can thy pains abate;
For as a tree doth take his fall,
even so the same doth lye:
Therefore in chiefest of thy health,
prepare thy self to dye.
And se
[...]st not thou in Sickness oft,
mens memories decay,
Who many times do Rove and Rage,
when they have need to pray,
Whose hearts are
[...]ent to
[...]an & curse,
till death doth close their eye:
Therefore, &c.
The second Part to the same Tune:
ANd if thou hast thy memory
and understanding right,
And of thy speech the perfect use,
and brightness of thy sight:
Yet may the Lord with-hold his grace
and take thy Faith from thee,
That to repent thy folly past,
thou shalt not able be.
But yet admit, our gracious God,
in mercy for to deal,
That in thy Sickness he
[...]ouch-safe,
his mercy to reveal;
Yet thou shalt have a thousand griefs,
to wring thy mind awry;
Therefore, &c.
For thou shalt have thy body then
disquieted with pain,
Thy head and heart will vexed be,
and so will every vain:
The pangs of death will fear thee sore
whose force thou canst n of flye;
Therefore, &c.
The love of life will tempt thée much
whose favour was so swéet,
And thou wilt muse of many things
that for thy health is meet:
To think thou must forgoe thy Goods
will nip thy heart full nigh:
Therefore, &c.
To see thy Friends and Neighbors all
thy dying hour abide:
To see thy Wife and Children small
cry out on every side;
To think thou must for goe them all
will nip thy heart full nigh;
Therefore, &c.
Besides, to think upon thy Sins,
will much molest thy mind,
The fresh remembrance of the same
thou shalt most bitter find;
Despair & dread will drown thy heart,
for living so awry:
Therefore, &c.
And thy accusing conscience then
will witness to thy woe,
How wickedly upon the earth
thou didst thy days bestow:
And this wi
[...]hin thy pensive breast
most grievously will lye:
Therefore, &c.
Then will the Devil most busie be
Gods Justice to declare,
And of his mercy he will still
procure thee to despair:
Perswading thee thy grievous Sins
do for Hell ever cry:
Therefore, &c.
Here maist thou sée, (oh, wretched man)
how hard a time thou ha
[...]t
Prepared to repent thy Sins,
at this thy latter cast;
Therefore put not repentance back
do not Gods Grace deny;
But in the chiefest of
[...]hy health, &c.
Let every one pray that the Lord
may bless our King and Queen,
And grant that they in all their days
may joyfully be seen:
And after death that they may live
in
[...]oy eternally.
Then let all people say, Amen,
And so Amen, say I.
London, Printed for F. Coles, T. Vere, and J. Wright.