THOMAS LAW BELLMAN His Christmas Greeting to his Masters of St. Giles Cripplegate within the Freedom presenteth his Love and humble Endeavours as followeth I. For the King and Queen NN other Psalm this Morn I intent to sing But Lord thy prayers for our Sacred King And Sacred Consort his deserving Queen In which blessed Union Lord as thou wert seen From whose consent in mercy it did proceed So let be seen thy mercy in their Seed That from the most deserving Loins of theirs The Kingdom may obtain deserving Heirs II. Our Royal Navy Lord Protect and bless and Crown their just endeavours w●th success To vindicate our Cause that justly goes Against our unjust and encroaching Foes Whose thundering Cannons from the Goodings-Sands Rings peals of terror to their Neighbouring Lands Who if they might would use him as they please Whom the Lord hath deputed o'er the narrow Seas III. All you that on your beds in safety lie Call to your mind that all th●ngs borne must die And not the healthy'st of you all can say That he shall live a year a month a day And who knows but his glass so near is run That he may die before this morning Sun IV. Fly man the vanity of being proud And think how near thou may'st be to thy  Consider the condition of us right And frailty of our state by day and night Sleeping we death resemble and by day We are at best but walking lumps of clay V. The Housekeeper would watch if he but knew What hour of the night the Thief would venture And doubtless so would ever one of you knew you the certain hour when death would enter Strengthen our Souls Lord by thy gracious power That we may still keep watchful for that hour VI All you that on your feeble Beds do lie Lift up your hearts and hands to God on high And so reflect upon the day of Doom What time our Saviour through the Clouds will come With Troops of Angels and with Trumpets call To give us summons and to judge us all VII After your sweet repose of nightly rest Collect and think on God who hath you blessed And ere you do prepare yourselves to rise Offer to him your Morning Sacrifice Of faithful Prayers that God may still persever His mercies towards you and forsake you never VIII What a good Conscience still would man retain Could he avoid all pleasures that are vain If he could cast away all worldly care And only think on things that Heavenly are And wholly trust in God what joy of mind ●…ould he possess what comfort would he find IX COnsider man with diligence and care What harms thou may'st avoid if thou beware What comforts at Death's pinch may thee befriend If always thou be thinking on thy end And ever so endeavouring to live here Thou may'st at Death rather rejoice then fear X. Death Masters doth not use to knock nor call But like a Thief he st●aleth ●n us all And merciless as h● is he puts us ●ill In hope of living when he means to kill Unhappy is that man that doth depend On Death's Reprevement and neglects his End XI Squalled and Meagre is the face of Death And known by the shortness of h●s breath He speaks to 〈…〉 word but kill Yet has this Death power one Soul to spill Grace makes the 〈…〉 Joys aspire Or comm●… it to e●…●…al ●…re XII Doubtful and swift is in her course And Death takes all for better and for worse The rich and poor to him a●e all alike The weak and strong the healthy and the sick For the great Bridegroom then prepare thy heart And ha●g with mourning thy aspiring part Thy Soul which through a true repentance may Prevent some blushes on that Marriage day XIII We have no cause to wonder gentle friends Neither at timely nor untimely ends Death's common unto all both you and I And every living earthly thing must die Swift time doth carry all things to destruction All nature's frame is guilty of Corruption God grant we endeavour here whilst we have breath Not to be guilty of the second death XIV This world 's a Wilderness all set with snares A Labyrinth full of confused cares A Sea filled up with hos incensing Lusts Subject to all temptations hellish gusts Still raising billows in our flesh and blood More dangerous and threatening then the Flood This gulf hath foundered many a bark of clay And many an Owner of them cast away XV. Note that the gentle Crafts-man makes his end He doth his threads to several lengths extend So are we drawn from the Clue of life To the Fates heedless and uneven knife Let us be careful then that we do spin Our threads of life without the knots of sin And God will sure in Death's uncertain doles Grant us good ends to benefit our Souls XVI Remember man the weakness of thy frame And humble thee to God who knows the same And unto him for grace and mercy call That thou may'st hope to rise but fear to fall XVII Man's life is like a bubble in a brook That 's broken in the twinkling of a look Or Globe upon a point perami●al That still on every side is like to fall Lay hold upon Repentance man renew Thy peace with God and for his mercy sue That in Death's case and dismal times of danger Thou may'st not pass from hence to him a stranger XVIII Behold the grass so beautiful to sight Green in the morning and cut down  night So suddenly man falleth to decay And withers in his flesh as grass to hay Then le● all Christians early and late Be truly mindful of our mortal state In gracefulness may we daily thrive And glory our mortality survive XIX Like to the withered leaf before the wind Vain man on earth no resting place can find For wheresoever 〈…〉 nes his ear or eye He is encountered still with vanity How then must man order his resolution To obtain rest by nature's dissolution Beware man if thou unrepented fall Thy birth was better than thy burial XX. Uncertain is the distance that we have Between the Womb that bore us and the grave Some as the Gourd of jonas by the worm Are by Death strangled soon as they are borne Others perhaps bring seaventy years about Or live some longer date of Nature out But which of all come safest unto reft Not they who live the longest but the best XXI Although long life be a reward indeed By promise due to all obedient seed Yet 't is not th' age of old Mathusalem Can bring us safest to jerusalem To which most happy they that mind their course But heedless Souls that do through Babel's force Put their Conversions off from day to day The longer lived the more they lose their way XXII What Pestilence could not invite us to Nor cruel War compel our hearts to do London's sad chance may make us understand And tremble at the Rigour of God's hand Who with his flaming sword hath now at last Mowed down her streets and laid her all to waste Sad case but far more sad to tempt God's ire Or mind him not till he appears in fire XXIII No sooner hath Saint ANDREW crowned November But Boreas from the North brings cold December And I have often heard a many say He brings the Winter Month New Castle way For comfort here of poor distressed Souls Would he had with him brought a Fleet of Coles LONDON Printed in the Year 1666.