DOCTOR

Grace, peace and rest from the High Trinity, Mote rest among this godly company: Heir ar we cumde as ȝour obedients, For to fulfil ȝour joust commandments. Quhat ever it please ȝour Grace us to command, Sir, it shall be obeyit evin fra-hand. Sovereign I shall obey ȝow humbillie, With ane short sermon presently in this place: And schaw the word of God vnfeinȝeitlie, And sinceirlie as God will give me grace. Devoit peopill Sanct Paull the preichour says, The fervent luife and father lie pity, Quhilk God almichtie hes schawin money ways To man in his corrupt fragility, Exceids all luife in earth, sa far that we May never to God make recompense conding As quhasa lists to reid the verity, In holy Scripture he may find this thing. Touching nathing the great prerogative, Quhilk God to man in his creation lent: How man of nought create superlative Was to the Image of God omnipotent Let us consider that special luife ingent, God had to man when our foir-father fell, Drawing us all in his loynis immanent, Captive from gloir in thirlage to the hell. When Angels fell, their miserabil ruin Was never restored: bot for our misery, The Sun of God secund person divine, In ane pure Virgin took humanity: Sin for our saik great harmis suffered he In fasting, walking, in preaching, cauld and heit, And at the last ane shameful death deit he, Betwixt twa theifis on Croce he ȝeild the Spreit: And where and drop of his mayest precious Blood Was recompense sufficient and conding, Ane thousand worlds to ransoun from that wood Infernal fiend, Satan, notwithstanding He luifit us sa, that for our ransoning, He sched forth all the Blood of his body, Riven rend and sair wondit where he did hing, Nailed on the Croce on the Mont Calvary. Oh cruel death, be the the venomous Dragon, the Devil infernal lost his pray: Be the the stinkand, mirk, Contagious, Deip pit of hell mankind escaipit fray. Be the the port of Paradise alsway Was patent maid unto the heavin sa High: Opinnit to man and maid ane ready way, To gloir eternal with th'haly Trinity. And ȝit for all thisluife incomparabill, God askis nam reward From us again Bot luife for luife: in his command but fabill, Conteinit ar all hail the laws ten: Baith ald and new and commandments ilk ane, Luife be the ledder quhilk hes bot steppis twa: Be quhilk we may clime up to life again, Out of this vaill of misery and uva. The first step suithlie of this ledder is, To luife thy God as the fontaine and well Of luife and grace: and the secund I wis, To luife thy nichtbour as thou luifis thy fell, Quha tynis ane stop of their twa gais to hell, Bot he repent and turn to Christ anon, Hauld this nam fabill, the holy Evangel Bears in effect their words every one. They tyne their steps all they quha ever did sin In pride, invy, in ire and lechery: In covetice or any extreme win, Into sweirnes or into gluttony. Or quha dois nought the deids of mercy, Give hungry meit and give the naikit clayis. Brother I pray the Trinity, Ȝour faith and charity to support: Causand ȝow knaw the verity, That ȝe ȝour subjects may comfort. To ȝour prayers peopill I recommend, The rewlars of this noble region: That our Lord God his grace mote to them send, On trespassers to make punition. Prayand to God from fiend ȝow defend, And of ȝour sins to give ȝow full remission: I say nam More, to God I ȝow commend. God and the Kirk hes giving command, That all Good Christian men refuse them: