THE
COMPLAINT
OF
A
CHRISTIAN
SOVLE
.
Containing
certaine
remedies
and
comforts
against
the
trouble
and
conflict
of
Conscience
.
Newlie
written
in
meter
.
PRINTED
AT
EDINBVRGH
BY
RObert
Charters
,
Printer
to
the
Kings
most
Excellent
Majestie
.
M.D.C.X.
TO
THE
MOST
NOBLE
AND
HIS
singulare
good
Lord
IOHN
Earle
of
MONTROSE
Lord
Grahame
,
one
of
his
Majesties
privie
Counsell
,
we
wishe
long
life
with
incresse
of
honour
in
the
feare
of
the
Lord
ALthogh
,
most
Noble
Lord
,
I
(
as
one
ever
mindfull
of
your
L.
honorable
place
,
and
of
that
dewtie
we
all
ought
therevnto
)
did
not
lacke
a
will
to
haue
saluted
your
L.
with
some
fruites
of
my
travelles
this
long
time
ago
:
but
finding
in
my selfe
that
great
want
of
graces
which
my
Muse
should
haue
granted
,
and
not
being
bould
to
haue
presented
my selfe
emptie
into
your
presence
,
as
also
fearing
if
I
had
offered
anie
thing
that
my
barbarity
and
incongruous
speech
should
rather
haue
moued
your
L.
to
mislike
me
for
my
homelines
,
then
otherwise
to
haue
receiued
me
in
fauour
for
the
same
.
Yet
being
long
tosted
betwixt
two
extremities
,
sometimes
calling
to
minde
the
dewty
I
was
bound
to
,
and
sometimes
remembering
how
I
was
alwaies
vnable
(
because
of
my
manifold
defects
)
to
haue
satisfied
the
least
point
of
your
worthie
desire
,
haue
in
end
thoght
better
to
be
rude
then
vngrate
,
and
so
much
the
more
because
of
the
excellency
of
the
theam
proposed
vnto
me
,
I
must
with
your
favour
(
althogh
not
with
such
learning
as
you
merite
,
nor
with
such
holines
as
the
mater
requyres
)
take
the
boldnes
as
to
acquaint
your
L.
mith
my
small
beginning
,
and
to
speeke
a
little
of
this
subiect
concerning
a
troubled
soule
,
and
of
the
comforts
against
the
conflict
of
conscience
,
as
a
thing
prescrived
vnto
me
for
the
tyme
,
being
in
the
same
agonie
my selfe
(
for
my
owne
priuate
content
,
and
to
avoide
the
tediousnes
of
ill
imployed
tyme
)
I
was
perswaded
by
some
who
had
a
great
interest
to
the
disposition
of
my
will
,
to
publish
this
little
scrole
to
the
world
,
that
others
might
reape
some
profite
thereby
,
and
be
fortified
against
the
feare
and
apprehension
of
the
gilt
of
sinne
,
and
certainly
the
worthines
of
the
subiect
mooued
me
to
yeeld
the
more
easily
to
their
desires
.
Yet
knowing
that
students
in
their
beginning
(
how
worthie
so
ever
)
haue
but
a
cold
welcome
in
a
forren
land
without
the
support
and
countenance
of
some
great
&
worthie
personage
,
as
also
fearing
my
imperfections
,
in
handling
this
sukiect
,
might
happely
blemish
the
excellency
of
the
worke
,
and
giue
some
dstiaste
to
the
curious
reader
.
I
haue
therefore
in
my
boldnes
directed
it
to
your
L.
as
a
patron
,
hoping
ye
will
rather
be
a
preses
to
defend
my
weaknes
,
then
to
cavell
or
oppon
against
such
tender
propositions
.
For
since
all
that
I
haue
done
,
rather
proceedes
of
loue
and
bounden
dewry
,
then
any
fantasticall
toy
or
desire
of
renoun
:
I
must
therefore
commit
all
my
slips
and
ignorances
to
your
L.
subsidie
,
looking
rather
to
be
acceptable
for
my
good
will
,
then
to
be
loathed
for
that
quhilk
is
inlaiking
in
me
,
and
thought
vnsavorie
for
that
quhilk
in
due
affection
is
done
.
So
I
haue
presumed
to
shrewd
both
my selfe
and
my
labours
vnder
your
L.
protection
,
besceching
you
receaue
these
strangers
(
as
you
vsually
do
all
men
)
with
a
gratious
and
a
gentle
eie
,
and
to
accept
of
my
poore
endevours
,
as
a
testimonie
and
a
pledge
of
my
humble
dewty
and
service
:
that
by
your
L.
honourable
acceptance
and
exemple
,
others
may
be
drawne
to
entertaine
them
kindely
,
and
bid
them
the
better
welcome
:
so
shall
your
L
,
incourage
me
to
some
stronger
attempt
,
and
bind
me
to
continew
alwaies
,
promising
certemly
if
mymuse
shall
afford
any
better
things
thereafter
,
neither
shall
your
person
nor
your
place
be
forge
,
but
as
my
taient
incresses
your
L.
shall
know
.
MY
greatest
reverence
is
not
halfe
my
dew
,
For
more
nor
all
my
worth
thy
worth
requyres
:
By
my
attempt
I
wishe
there
might
ensew
But
some
contentment
to
thy
hie
desires
:
And
as
before
the
Sun
no
darknes
bides
,
Thy
Sunnie
cies
my
imperfections
hides
.
Vertue
quhilk
dwels
into
the
inward
thoght
,
Makes
good
the
seed
what
ever
be
the
smell
:
The
outwarde
glosse
some
time
doth
seeme
but
noght
,
Quhill
as
the
inward
stuffe
doeth
much
excell
:
Gold
thogh
not
finde
some
men
do
well
esteeme
,
I
rather
loue
to
be
then
so
to
seeme
.
Your
Lordships
humble
oratour
in
Christ
M.
George
Muschet
.
THE
PREFACE
.
AS
it
is
a
great
happines
to
fle
al
vicious
extreams
,
and
to
hold
a
commend
able
mediocritie
:
so
it
is
a
miserie
quhilk
we
cannot
sufficiently
lament
,
to
see
(
in
thir
latter
daies
amongst
men
quhilk
make
profession
to
beleeue
in
a
better
life
)
some
who
haue
so
sold
them selfe
to
the
loue
of
this
world
that
they
seeke
not
for
an
vther
,
and
some
who
are
so
violently
caried
away
with
the
feare
and
apprehension
of
Death
,
so
that
vpon
any
shew
of
alteration
in
their
health
there
is
nothing
to
be
heard
bot
strange
sighs
and
grones
,
the
witnesses
of
abject
thoghts
,
and
the
vnworthie
contesting
of
a
soule
that
wolde
dispute
with
God
.
The
remedies
against
so
great
mischieues
are
very
necessary
:
and
I
hope
this
treatise
following
will
furnish
some-what
for
the
purpose
(
gathered
not
in
the
bogs
and
mures
of
humane
wisdome
,
but
in
the
garden
of
life
)
quhilk
is
the
Scriptures
of
the
Prophets
and
Apostles
of
the
ever-living
God
:
The
savory
juce
of
the
quhilk
remedies
digested
in
our
soules
,
will
make
vs
neither
be
too
much
rejoisd
with
the
pleasures
of
this
world
,
neither
too
much
feard
to
passe
out
of
this
world
,
but
that
with
a
holy
care
,
a
vigilant
feare
,
and
a
filiall
reverence
,
we
shall
haue
the
eies
of
our
soules
and
eares
of
our
heartes
open
to
the
voice
of
the
Lord
,
crying
to
all
mankinde
,
Sonnes
of
men
returne
,
yea
it
wolde
cure
vs
of
that
lethargie
,
palsie
,
and
spirituall
apoplexie
,
where-with
so
many
poore
soules
are
daily
infected
,
quhilk
never
thinking
of
death
are
dead
living
,
or
rather
are
as
the
dead
quhilk
bury
the
dead
,
noknowing
what
the
kingdome
of
God
is
,
neither
hauing
any
care
to
be
of
it
,
or
to
procure
or
advance
it
.
This
juce
will
free
vs
from
that
feare
quhilk
congeils
our
spirits
,
and
from
that
frencie
quhilk
makes
vs
doubt
of
our
saife
delivery
,
and
from
that
spirituall
melancholy
quhilk
subverts
all
true
judgement
in
vs
,
and
thrusts
vs
(
as
it
were
)
in
a
brutishe
childishnes
,
estranging
vs
from
these
things
quhilk
should
cause
most
joy
and
consolation
in
vs
.
This
present
collection
is
the
box
conteining
the
precious
oyle
the
quhilk
being
carefully
digested
by
you
will
(
I
hope
)
produce
some
profitable
effect
.
Bot
to
giue
you
some
greater
taist
of
the
samin
,
and
to
shew
the
summe
or
this
little
scrole
.
In
thir
few
&
vnadvised
lynes
,
there
is
breeflie
(
or
as
it
wer
)
in
a
certaine
a
bridgment
set
down
two
things
,
the
one
is
the
vehement
calamitie
quhilk
proceedes
not
from
a
sleeping
soule
,
but
from
the
feeling
disease
and
excessiue
trouble
of
a
wakned
conscience
,
not
onely
accused
but
convicted
of
her
persewers
,
and
broght
to
the
straite
,
farther
nor
the
scaffold
,
even
almost
to
the
doore
of
the
graue
,
by
the
rememberance
of
sin
.
In
the
other
part
there
is
adjoind
,
althogh
not
separately
by
it selfe
but
mixtly
throgh
the
whole
,
some
speciall
remedies
for
the
most
diseased
soule
,
and
some
medicens
equivalent
for
the
farrest
dijected
conscience
,
and
some
salues
very
necessarie
for
that
spirituail
palsie
,
quhilk
if
it
be
rightly
applyed
,
will
not
onely
banish
all
present
feare
of
death
,
but
even
that
quhilk
no
other
Phisick
can
afford
,
it
will
furnishe
perpetuall
health
to
the
soule
,
and
leaue
the
minde
so
at
ease
,
that
no
inconvenient
(
how
great
so
ever
)
shall
be
able
heereafter
to
ty
the
man
to
the
bed
.
This
is
the
summe
Christian
Reader
,
and
albeit
it
be
not
so
ripely
digested
,
nor
vttered
with
such
grace
,
as
he
ought
to
haue
who
lets
any
thing
go
from
him
to
the
censure
of
this
age
:
yet
impudencie
hes
so
prevailde
with
me
for
the
time
,
and
a
care
to
do
good
with
my
small
talent
,
did
so
continually
push
my
lukles
muse
that
I
could
finde
no
rest
in
silence
.
But
as
Michall
did
laugh
when
David
did
dance
,
so
I
know
some
Michals
will
scorne
at
my
singing
,
and
yet
I
hope
otherwaies
to
be
welcomed
of
some
,
for
if
any
good
Davids
be
in
this
land
there
I
shall
be
harbored
,
because
this
is
a
song
whereat
Davids
should
be
delyted
.
So
not
caring
for
Michals
taunting
,
nor
Rabschek
as
railings
,
nor
Ischmaels
scofs
,
because
it
is
not
with
such
I
craue
to
be
mirrie
,
neither
with
them
to
communicate
our
spirituall
melodie
,
to
the
well
effected
Christian
(
who
giues
lodging
to
the
Hebrew
Harpes
,
and
who
intertaines
the
musicall
instruments
of
Sion
)
I
direct
this
Ballad
,
to
be
set
vpon
their
strings
,
to
be
played
in
their
Palaces
,
and
to
be
sung
in
their
Innes
,
knowing
this
one
that
if
the
pleasantnes
do
not
delite
you
,
the
longsomnes
shall
not
wearie
you
.
And
if
all
be
not
so
well
ordered
,
as
you
merite
(
worthie
Reader
)
nor
so
Poeticallie
composed
as
the
writer
wolde
wishe
,
let
my
want
be
countervailed
by
my
good
will
,
and
when
better
things
shall
be
offered
,
you
shall
not
lacke
.
Fair
well
.