Save a Thief from the Gallows, and hee'l hang thee if he can.
Or, The Mercifull Father, and the Mercilesse Sonne,
The tune is,
Fortune my Foe.
YOu disobedient Children mark my fall.
And by my timelesse end take warning all.
Against my own dear Father I have done
A déed, the like did never gracelesse Son.
In blooming years I was entic'd to sin.
E'r I perceiv'd what danger lay therein.
And so from day to day untill this hour
To leave the same as yet I had no power.
My Mother dead, my Father cockered me,
As men will do when Motherlesse wée be,
And nothing then for me he thought too dear.
Which brought me thus unto a gracelesse fear.
And when as I to elder years did grow,
By wicked courses got I timely woe.
Each vain delight belonging to Young-men,
Deceived me and wrought my ruine then.
The deadly sins that are in number seven
Without more grace have lost my joyes in Heaven
From first to last of these most cursed crimes,
Have made me now a wonder of these times.
For wanting means to nourish my delight,
I went the wrong, and left the wayes of right.
Which to maintain, my Father growing poor
Forgetting God I daily rob'd for more.
Thrée times he sav'd me from the Gallow trée,
Thrée times he cast himself in debt for me,
Three times he set me up in good estate,
In hope to kéep me from untimely fate.
By me the Proverb is fulfilled here,
‘
Who saves a thief from gallows finds it dear.’
For saving me I sought his dear life's woe,
My gentle Fathers timelesse overthrow.
For wanting means still to relieve my néed,
Put me in mind to do a wofull déed,
And séek his blood the high-way unto sin.
Who wanting grace, I soon grew perfect in.
My Fathers brother of good living known,
Being dead, as next of kin they were mine own
the which I wrought with these accursed hands,
To be the Heir of all my Vncles Lands.
With mind prepar'd for murder thus I went,
Vnto the field where he did much frequent,
where méeting him, with my own Fathers knife
Which I hav stolen, I took away his life.
And laid it down all bloody by his side,
That all might sée my Vncle there-with dy'd.
And challeng'd it my Fathers knife to be,
When people came the murdered corps to sée.
O Homicide! O cursed viprous brood,
Like
Cain, to séek thy Fathers dearest blood,
My own dear Father being thus betray'd,
I his own Child the Evidence was made.
So judg'd to death for that he never did,
The Lord in mercy did the same forbid,
For as he was to Execution led
A world of torments in my bosome bred.
To sée him stand upon the Gallow trée,
From which before good man he saved me,
I could not chuse but tell what I had done,
And so confesse my self a wicked son.
The Confession and Repentance of George Sanders, Gentleman, l [...]te of Sugh, in the Coun [...]y of Hertford, who killed his own Uncle, and accused his own Father for the murder, but by Gods providence being discovered he dy [...]d for the same where he wrote this Song with his own hand.
GOds judgements now are rightly séen said I
Dear Father I have slain him let me dye,
O let me dye, and set my Father free,
Or else like
Judas damned shall I be.
Whereat the people in that very place,
There praised God that gave me so much grace,
To quit my Father from that crying sin,
Where I with red-blood streams am drowned in.
My Father sav'd, and I to Prison s
[...]nt,
Where I remain with many a sad lament,
Which when you see, you cannot chuse but say
Repentance comes before my dying day.
His Repentance in Prison.
To the same tune.
MOngst Lyons fell in
Daniels Den am
I
In lowest prison cast with
Jeremy,
Fed with
Elias by the Ravens fel,
And plac'd with
Judas in the maw of hell.
Naked with
Esau fearfull do
I walk,
Dumb with old
Zachary silent do I talk,
Afflictions bred with
Micha is my food,
And with the Prophets drink I sorrows flood.
As poor as
Job even now so poor am I,
Despis'd with
Lazarus in great misery,
Banisht with
David from my native land,
Cast up with
Ionas on the Ninivites sand.
Made blind with
Toby by the Swallows dung,
And with poor
Ioseph cast in prison strong,
I weep with
Mary who had lost her Master,
And run with
Peter who should run the faster,
I sinned have, for sin God curst the ground,
I sinned have for sin the world was drown'd:
I sinned have, sin
Sodom set on fire:
Also for sin did
Egypt feel Gods ire.
I sinned have, for sin did
Adam die:
I sinned have, sin caused
David
[...] cry:
I sinned have and for sin Satan fell
From an high Angel to a Devil in Hell.
Did
David weep, and shall I not then cry?
Did
Mary weep, and shall mine eyes be dry:
Did
Esau weep, and shall not I weep more?
Did
Peter weep such tears? let me have store.
Did
Mary weep for loss of Master dear?
Did
Martha weep with sorrow toucht full near?
Spring eyes with tears to wash his sacred feet,
That for my sin did shed his blood most sweet.
Lark-like I fly unto the living spring,
Desiring pardon of my heavenly King,
Past worldly hope now like the thief on tree,
I onely fix my faith and hope on thee.
Look back on me as thou didst unto
Peter,
Speak to my soul, as to the thief most sweeter,
O spy me out with
Zache on the tree,
And with sweet
Bartholomew call me Lord to thee.
O let me now with holy
Abraham spy,
A saving Ram that
Isaac may not die.
O let me live for to sound forth thy praise,
That I may shew thy mercy in my days.
Make me a sparrow in thy house, O King.
That swallow-like I may sit there and sing:
O let me in thy Temple keep a door,
That
I may praise thy name for evermore.
George Sanders.
Printed for F.C. T.V. and W. Gilbertson.