Golding, Arthur / Beza, Theodore · published 1577 · first performed or written 1575 (Annals) biblical play T5 Christian faith, sin and salvation typicality 0.74 · 496 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T5: god, christ, david, sin, holy, israel, lord, mercy, sins, faith.
Thus saith the Lord, I promise thee By my eternal majesty, And by my Godhead: sith that thou Hast showed thyself so willing now, Me to obey, as to forbear Thy only Isaks life: I swear, That maugre Satan to his face, I will thee bliss and all thy race. Considerest thou the lighsom sky, And on the shore the gravel dry? I will increase thine offspring more, Than stars in heaven, or sand on shore. Their enemies they shall overcome, And of thy body one shall come, By whom my blessing shall spread forth On all the nations of the earth. By him the treasures of my love And mighty power, shall from above Be shedded down on all mankind, Because thou hast obeyed my mind. SEE here the mighty power of earnest faith, And what reward the true obedience payth Wherefore ye Lords & Ladies I you pray▪ When you from hence shall go again away, Let not this true and noble story part Out of the mind and tables of your heart. It is no lie, it is no painted tale, It is no feigned jest nor fable stolen. It is a deed, a deed right true, of one That was Gods faithful servant long agone. Wherefore ye masters and ye mistresses, You Lords and Ladies all both more and less, You rich and poor, ye sorry and ye sad, And you also whose hearts with mirth are glad, Behold, and look upon yourselves each one, In this so fair example here foregone. Such are true glasses, showing to our sight, The fair, the fowl, the crooked, and the right. For whoso doth unfeignedly endeavour (As Abraham) to keep God's sayings ever, And (notwithstanding all the reasons which His mind allegeth backward him to twitch) Doth still refer himself and all his deeds To God: with much more happy issue speeds, Than he can wish: for come there storms or winds, Come grief, come death, come cares of sundry kinds, Let earthquake come▪ let heaven & skies down fall, Let dark confusion overcovet all: The faithful heart so steadfastly is grounded, As it abideth ever unconfownded. Contrariwise the man that trust 〈◊〉 His own selfwit, thereafter for to do, And standeth in his own conceit shall found, The more he goes, the more he comes behind. And every little puff and sudden blast From his right course shall quite & clean him cast Again, his own selfwilled nature will Him overthrow and all his doings spill. Now thou great God which makest us to know The great abuses which do plainly show The wretched world to be perverted quite, Make all of us to take such warning by't, As each of us may far the better by The lively faith set forth before our eye In Abraham that holy parsonage, Whose doings have been played upon this stage. Lo masters here the happy recompense Which God doth give you for your gentle silence.
seed 43: T4 · seed 44: T5 — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
Thus sayth the Lord, I promis thee By my eternall maiestie, And by my Godhead: sith that thow Hast shewed thy self so willing now, Me to obey, as to forbeare Thine only Isaks life: I sweare, That mawgre Satan to his face, I will thee blisse and all thy race. Considrest thou the lighsom skye, And on the shore the grauell drye? I will increace thyne ofspring more, Than starres in heauen, or sand on shore. Their enmies they shall ouercome, And of thy bodie one shall come, By whom my blissing shall spred foorth On all the nations of the earth. By him the treasures of my loue And mightie power, shall from aboue Be sheaded downe on all mankind, Bycause thou hast obeyd my mind. SEE here the mightie power of earnest faith, And what reward the trew obedience payth VVherfore ye Lords & Ladies I you pray▪ VVhen you from hence shall go agein away, Let not this trew and noble storie part Out of the mind and tables of your hart. It is no lye, it is no peynted tale, It is no feyned iest nor fable stale. It is a deede, a deede right trew, of one That was Gods faithfull seruant long agone. VVherfore ye maisters and ye mistresses, Ye Lords and Ladies all both more and lesse, Ye rich and poore, ye sorie and ye sad, And you also whose harts with mirth are glad, Behold, and looke vpon your selues ech one, In this so fayre example heere foregone. Such are trew glasses, shewing to our sight, The fayre, the fowle, the crooked, and the right. For whoso doth vnfeynedly indeuer (As Abraham) to keepe Gods sayings euer, And (notwithstanding all the reasons which His mind alledgeth backward him to twich) Doth still referre him selfe and all his deedes To God: with much more happy yssue speeds, Than he can wish: for come there stormes or winds, Come greef, come death, come cares of sūdry kinds, Let earthquake come▪ let heauen & skyes downe fall, Let dark confuzion ouercouet all: The faithfull hart so stedfastly is grownded, As it abideth euer vnconfownded. Contrariwise the man that trust His owne selfwit, therafter for to doe, And standeth in his owne conceyt shall find, The more he goes, the more he comes behind. And euery litle puffe and sodein blast From his right course shal quite & cleane him cast Agein, his owne selfwilled nature will Him ouerthrowe and all his dooings spill. Now thou great God which makest vs to knowe The great abuses which doo plainly showe The wretched world to be peruerted quite, Make all of vs to take such warning by'te, As ech of vs may fare the better by The liuely faith set foorth before our eye In Abraham that holy personage, VVhose dooings haue bin playd vpon this stage. Lo maisters heere the happie recompence VVhich God doth giue you for your gentle silence.