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| THE STATELY heavens, which glory doth array, | |
| Are mirrours of God’s admirable might; | |
| There, whence forth spreads the night, forth springs the day, | |
| He fix’d the fountaines of this temporall light, | |
| Where stately stars enstall’d, some stand, some stray, | 5 |
| All sparks of his great power (though small yet bright), | |
| By what none utter can, no, not conceive, | |
| All of his greatnesse, shadowes may perceive. | |
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| What glorious lights through christall lanternes glance, | |
| (As alwaies burning with their Maker’s love); | 10 |
| Spheares keepe one musicke, they one measure dance, | |
| Like influence below, like course above; | |
| And all by order led, not drawne by chance, | |
| With majestie (as still in triumph) move, | |
| And (liberall of their store) seeme shouting thus: | 15 |
| “Look up, all soules, and gaze on God through us.” | |
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| This pond’rous masse (though oft deform’d) still faire, | |
| Great in our sight, yet then a starre more small, | |
| Is ballanc’d (as a mote) amid’st the ayre; | |
| None knowes what way, yet to no side doth fall, | 20 |
| And yearely springs, growes ripe, fades, falles, rich, bare; | |
| Men’s mother first, still mistresse, yet their thrall, | |
| It centers heavens, heavens compasse it; both be | |
| Bookes where God’s power the ignorant may see. | |
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| What ebbes, flowes, swels, and sinks, who firme doth keep? | 25 |
| Whilst flouds from the earth burst in abundance out, | |
| As she her brood did wash, or for them weepe: | |
| Who (having life) what dead things prove, dare doubt | |
| Who first did found the dungeons of the deepe? | |
| But one in all, ore all, above, about; | 30 |
| The flouds, for our delight, first calme were set, | |
| But storme and roare, since men did God forget. | |
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| Who parts the swelling spouts that sift the raine? | |
| Who reines the windes, the waters doth empale? | |
| Who frownes in stormes, then smiles in calmes againe, | 35 |
| And doth dispense the treasures of the haile? | |
| Whose bow doth bended in the clouds remaine? | |
| Whose darts (dread thunderbolts) make men looke pale? | |
| Even thus these things to show his power aspire, | |
| As shadowes doe the sunne, as smoke doth fire. | 40 |
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| God visibly invisible who raignes, | |
| Soule of all soules, whose light each light directs, | |
| All first did freely make, and still maintaines, | |
| The greatest rules, the meanest not neglects; | |
| Fore-knowes the end of all that he ordaines, | 45 |
| His will each cause, each cause breeds fit effects; | |
| Who did make all, all thus could onely leade, | |
| None could make all, but who was never made. | |
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