A Paraphrase on The Ten Commandments in Divine Poems Illustrated With Twelve Copper Plates, shewing how Personal Punishments has been inflicted on the Transgressors of these Commandments, as is Recorded in the Holy Scripture. Never before Printed. Also, a Metrical Paraphrase upon the Creed and Lord's-Prayer. Written by George Wither |
 |
| I. |
| I. |
| II. |
| II. | Command. II.
|
| III. |
| III. |
| IV. |
| IV. |
| V. |
| V. |
| VI. |
| VI. |
| VII. |
| VII. |
| VIII. |
| VIII. |
| IX. |
| IX. |
| X. |
| X. |
 | A Paraphrase on The Ten Commandments in Divine Poems |  |
16
Command. II.
[Three thousand suffered by their brethrens hand]
Let every Hand and Heart refrain
An Image of our God, to fain.
An Image of our God, to fain.
Three thousand suffered by their brethrens hand,
For offering violence to this Command;
And for committing of the same offence,
The Sword hath been in action, ever since,
(Some where or other) to the devastation
Of many a powerful and renowned Nation.
For offering violence to this Command;
And for committing of the same offence,
The Sword hath been in action, ever since,
(Some where or other) to the devastation
Of many a powerful and renowned Nation.
For to adore one Godhead, and no moe,
Save him, to whom such Duty all men owe,
Sufficeth not, unless our adoration
Be such as may obtain his approbation.
A forged worship meriteth a Rod
As truly as a falsified God;
And such as do their own Religion frame,
Serve but their Fancies; though God bear the name.
Save him, to whom such Duty all men owe,
Sufficeth not, unless our adoration
Be such as may obtain his approbation.
A forged worship meriteth a Rod
As truly as a falsified God;
And such as do their own Religion frame,
Serve but their Fancies; though God bear the name.
When humane wit, had fool'd away the notion
Of Gods true Being, and of true Devotion,
She calling to remembrance that each Creature
Had in it some impression of his nature,
Did blindly seek him, by that couz'ning light,
And lost at last the knowledge of him quite.
For, some did make him Figures like their own;
Some like to beasts, and some like forms unknown:
Then by degrees the Devil screwed in
To seem a God, and made the foulest Sin,
Thought pious worship: For, though vile it be
To picture him whose form we cannot see,
And to ascribe to him imperfect features
Who gave their bodies to the fairest Creatures;
And in whose Essence all perfections are,
Yet in their wickedness they staid not there,
By wicked Ceremonies they invited
The world to think the Godhead was delighted
With hellish actions for their living seed,
In horrid wise to death did often bleed
As acceptable offerings murtherous hands
Were thought the Actors of his just Commands.
And drunken Riots with lascivious Games
Seem'd holy Duties and had holy Names.
Of Gods true Being, and of true Devotion,
She calling to remembrance that each Creature
Had in it some impression of his nature,
17
And lost at last the knowledge of him quite.
For, some did make him Figures like their own;
Some like to beasts, and some like forms unknown:
Then by degrees the Devil screwed in
To seem a God, and made the foulest Sin,
Thought pious worship: For, though vile it be
To picture him whose form we cannot see,
And to ascribe to him imperfect features
Who gave their bodies to the fairest Creatures;
And in whose Essence all perfections are,
Yet in their wickedness they staid not there,
By wicked Ceremonies they invited
The world to think the Godhead was delighted
With hellish actions for their living seed,
In horrid wise to death did often bleed
As acceptable offerings murtherous hands
Were thought the Actors of his just Commands.
And drunken Riots with lascivious Games
Seem'd holy Duties and had holy Names.
Nor did the Gentiles only thus misdo
But many Jews, and many Christians too,
The self same sins in Essence did commit,
Though with new Vizzards they had covered it.
For how much better are their Festivals
Then Bacchanalian Riots, in whose Halls
And Parlours are assembled (in the stead
Of those poor Souls, whom Charity should feed)
A Rout of Roaring Ruffins, who are there
For nothing but to drink, or game and swear?
Except it be that they might soon undo
Those fools which do abuse Gods bounty so?
But many Jews, and many Christians too,
The self same sins in Essence did commit,
Though with new Vizzards they had covered it.
For how much better are their Festivals
Then Bacchanalian Riots, in whose Halls
And Parlours are assembled (in the stead
Of those poor Souls, whom Charity should feed)
18
For nothing but to drink, or game and swear?
Except it be that they might soon undo
Those fools which do abuse Gods bounty so?
Mens follies make them frequently to err,
And, then, they Vice for Vertue do prefer.
Their Superstition, makes them think amiss
Of God; And then their service of him, is
Accordingly devis'd: they favour not
That worship, which their wit hath not begot.
They fear him Tyrant-like, and dream that he
Is pleas'd with such like works as Tyrants be.
And, then, they Vice for Vertue do prefer.
Their Superstition, makes them think amiss
Of God; And then their service of him, is
Accordingly devis'd: they favour not
That worship, which their wit hath not begot.
They fear him Tyrant-like, and dream that he
Is pleas'd with such like works as Tyrants be.
For Carnal wisdom, cannot be content,
Unless it may be suffered to invent,
The Scænes, which make her Stage Religion seem
To Superarrogate in her esteem.
Some, tho' they Scoff Idolatry, are hardly brought
To serve a God of whom they have not thought.
A circumscribed Form, to which, they may
Address themselves, in that corporeal way,
Which they affect and therefore up they rear
Such Calves, as to their Fancies do appear:
Yea sometime such Ideas they devise,
As Piety would hate, and wit despise.
Unless it may be suffered to invent,
The Scænes, which make her Stage Religion seem
To Superarrogate in her esteem.
Some, tho' they Scoff Idolatry, are hardly brought
To serve a God of whom they have not thought.
A circumscribed Form, to which, they may
Address themselves, in that corporeal way,
Which they affect and therefore up they rear
Such Calves, as to their Fancies do appear:
Yea sometime such Ideas they devise,
As Piety would hate, and wit despise.
Some others are too homely, and too bold
Another way, and no man layeth hold
Upon the Truth, who thinks to seize thereon,
By searching for it, in himself alone.
Another way, and no man layeth hold
Upon the Truth, who thinks to seize thereon,
By searching for it, in himself alone.
19
These Sins against this Precept justly blam'd
As thereto accessary have been nam'd,
In what we mused, on the Law before
To which are added here, three other more,
Vain Curiosity, blind Superstition,
Prophaneness, and a changeable Condition.
As thereto accessary have been nam'd,
In what we mused, on the Law before
To which are added here, three other more,
Vain Curiosity, blind Superstition,
Prophaneness, and a changeable Condition.
By these we are perverted, yea, by these
Our God is formed as our fancies please;
Sometime (like those of whom the Psalmist speaks)
The God which to it self mans Fancy makes;
Is either blind or careless. God, (says one)
Beholdeth not those evils that are done,
Tush, God regardeth not, another says,
The folly or perverseness of our waies.
Our God is formed as our fancies please;
Sometime (like those of whom the Psalmist speaks)
The God which to it self mans Fancy makes;
Is either blind or careless. God, (says one)
Beholdeth not those evils that are done,
Tush, God regardeth not, another says,
The folly or perverseness of our waies.
Some others make unto themselves, a God
So mild, as if he never us'd a Rod.
And, some again do fancy him to be
So cruel; that their God appears to me
To be that Saturn, now set up again,
Who (as the ancient heathen Poets fain)
Devour'd his Children; And they fain him, for
That which the God-like nature doth abhor.
So mild, as if he never us'd a Rod.
And, some again do fancy him to be
So cruel; that their God appears to me
To be that Saturn, now set up again,
Who (as the ancient heathen Poets fain)
Devour'd his Children; And they fain him, for
That which the God-like nature doth abhor.
These Evils to prevent; This Law divine
The wandring humane Fancy doth confine
All men in Sacred worshipings restraining
As well, from Intellectual Objects faining,
As from Corporeal forms: And him God threats
Who due performance of this Law forgets.
The wandring humane Fancy doth confine
All men in Sacred worshipings restraining
As well, from Intellectual Objects faining,
As from Corporeal forms: And him God threats
Who due performance of this Law forgets.
20
For God himself who knoweth best how far
By representments, it convenient were,
To shadow forth his nature, did devize
As many and as few as might suffize.
By representments, it convenient were,
To shadow forth his nature, did devize
As many and as few as might suffize.
God knew, that if mans frailty might not see
Some objects, whereupon might fixed be
His weak Devotion, he would either make
Vain Fictions, or Devotion, quite forsake.
Some objects, whereupon might fixed be
His weak Devotion, he would either make
Vain Fictions, or Devotion, quite forsake.
It therefore, pleas'd, his goodness to prepare
Those objects for the Jews, which fitting were
For them, such was the Serpent made of brass
Till by Idolators abus'd it was.
Such were their Temple and the Mercy Seat
On which or towards which their eyes were set,
In their Devotion; that the wandring sence
There being fixed, Faith might raise from thence
The safer flight, and that Religion may
A body have, wherein her Soul may stay,
For, doubtless that Religion is untrue,
Which hath no outward shape for men to view.
As for the Jews: Our weakness, tendring too
God, hath vouchsaft the like, for us to do.
Those objects for the Jews, which fitting were
For them, such was the Serpent made of brass
Till by Idolators abus'd it was.
Such were their Temple and the Mercy Seat
On which or towards which their eyes were set,
In their Devotion; that the wandring sence
There being fixed, Faith might raise from thence
The safer flight, and that Religion may
A body have, wherein her Soul may stay,
For, doubtless that Religion is untrue,
Which hath no outward shape for men to view.
As for the Jews: Our weakness, tendring too
God, hath vouchsaft the like, for us to do.
He hath advanc'd for us to look upon
The Image of his Crucified Son,
And limb'd him in his word with such dimensions
As may, and should employ our Apprehensions,
Without all vain additions of our own,
Until, the Essence of it, may be known.
The Image of his Crucified Son,
And limb'd him in his word with such dimensions
As may, and should employ our Apprehensions,
Without all vain additions of our own,
Until, the Essence of it, may be known.
21
Nor of our selves nor to our selves was made
This Image; But, the same, from God we had.
He set it up, for us to fall before it;
To contemplate; to honour; to adore it.
This Image; But, the same, from God we had.
He set it up, for us to fall before it;
To contemplate; to honour; to adore it.
This Image he that faithfully shall view,
Thereby, that long left Image may renew,
Wherein Mankind was framed by God's hand,
And in that likeness we shall ever stand.
Thereby, that long left Image may renew,
Wherein Mankind was framed by God's hand,
And in that likeness we shall ever stand.
Still praised be that Image, which hath power
To perfect such Imperfectness as our:
And let all those who shall the same despise
Be guilty of the worst Idolatries.
Oh Christ so perfect my renewed will
To perfect such Imperfectness as our:
And let all those who shall the same despise
Be guilty of the worst Idolatries.
That I this holy precept may fulfil.
Amen.
| A Paraphrase on The Ten Commandments in Divine Poems | |