 | God's Controversy with New-England |  |
Thus ceast his Dreadful-threatning voice
The High & lofty-One.
The Heavens stood still Appal'd thereat;
The Earth beneath did groane:
Soon after I beheld and saw
A mortall dart come flying:
I lookt again, & quickly saw
Some fainting, others dying.
The High & lofty-One.
The Heavens stood still Appal'd thereat;
The Earth beneath did groane:
Soon after I beheld and saw
A mortall dart come flying:
I lookt again, & quickly saw
Some fainting, others dying.
The Heavens more began to lowre,
The welkin Blacker grew:
And all things seemed to forebode
Sad changes to ensew.
From that day forward hath the Lord
Apparently contended
With us in Anger, and in Wrath:
But we have not amended.
The welkin Blacker grew:
And all things seemed to forebode
Sad changes to ensew.
From that day forward hath the Lord
Apparently contended
With us in Anger, and in Wrath:
But we have not amended.
Our healthfull dayes are at an end,
And sicknesses come on
From yeer to yeer, becaus or hearts
Away from God are gone.
New-England, where for many yeers
You scarcely heard a cough,
And where Physicians had no work,
Now finds them work enough.
And sicknesses come on
From yeer to yeer, becaus or hearts
Away from God are gone.
New-England, where for many yeers
You scarcely heard a cough,
And where Physicians had no work,
Now finds them work enough.
Now colds and coughs, Rhewms, and sore-throats,
Do more & more abound:
Now Agues sore & Feavers strong
In every place are found.
How many houses have we seen
Last Autumn, and this spring,
Wherein the healthful were too few
To help the languishing.
Do more & more abound:
Now Agues sore & Feavers strong
In every place are found.
How many houses have we seen
Last Autumn, and this spring,
Wherein the healthful were too few
To help the languishing.
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One wave another followeth,
And one disease begins
Before another cease, becaus
We turn not from our sins.
We stopp our ear against reproof,
And hearken not to God:
God stops his ear against or prayer,
And takes not off his rod.
And one disease begins
Before another cease, becaus
We turn not from our sins.
We stopp our ear against reproof,
And hearken not to God:
God stops his ear against or prayer,
And takes not off his rod.
Our fruitful seasons have been turnd
Of late to barrenness,
Sometimes through great & parching drought,
Sometimes through rain's excess.
Yea now the pastures & corn fields
For want of rain do languish:
The cattell mourn, & hearts of men
Are fill'd with fear & anguish.
Of late to barrenness,
Sometimes through great & parching drought,
Sometimes through rain's excess.
Yea now the pastures & corn fields
For want of rain do languish:
The cattell mourn, & hearts of men
Are fill'd with fear & anguish.
The clouds are often gathered,
As if we should have rain:
But for or great unworthiness
Are scattered again.
We pray & fast, & make fair shewes,
As if we meant to turn:
But whilst we turn not, God goes on
Our field, & fruits to burn.
As if we should have rain:
But for or great unworthiness
Are scattered again.
We pray & fast, & make fair shewes,
As if we meant to turn:
But whilst we turn not, God goes on
Our field, & fruits to burn.
And burnt are all things in such sort,
That nothing now appears,
But what may wound our hearts with grief,
And draw foorth floods of teares.
All things a famine do presage
In that extremity,
As if both men, and also beasts,
Should soon be done to dy.
That nothing now appears,
But what may wound our hearts with grief,
And draw foorth floods of teares.
All things a famine do presage
In that extremity,
As if both men, and also beasts,
Should soon be done to dy.
This O New-England hast thou got
By riot, & excess:
This hast thou brought upon thy self
By pride & wantonness.
Thus must thy worldlyness be whipt.
They, that too much do crave,
Provoke the Lord to take away
Such blessings as they have.
By riot, & excess:
This hast thou brought upon thy self
By pride & wantonness.
Thus must thy worldlyness be whipt.
They, that too much do crave,
Provoke the Lord to take away
Such blessings as they have.
We have been also threatened
With worser things then these:
And God can bring them on us still,
To morrow if he please.
For if his mercy be abus'd,
Which holpe us at our need
And mov'd his heart to pitty us,
We shall be plagu'd indeed.
With worser things then these:
And God can bring them on us still,
To morrow if he please.
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Which holpe us at our need
And mov'd his heart to pitty us,
We shall be plagu'd indeed.
Beware, O sinful Land, beware;
And do not think it strange
That sorer judgements are at hand,
Unless thou quickly change.
Or God, or thou, must quickly change;
Or else thou art undon:
Wrath cannot cease, if sin remain,
Where judgement is begun.
And do not think it strange
That sorer judgements are at hand,
Unless thou quickly change.
Or God, or thou, must quickly change;
Or else thou art undon:
Wrath cannot cease, if sin remain,
Where judgement is begun.
Ah dear New England! dearest land to me;
Which unto God hast hitherto been dear,
And mayst be still more dear than formerlie,
If to his voice thou wilt incline thine ear.
Which unto God hast hitherto been dear,
And mayst be still more dear than formerlie,
If to his voice thou wilt incline thine ear.
Consider wel & wisely what the rod,
Wherewith thou art from yeer to yeer chastized,
Instructeth thee. Repent, & turn to God,
Who wil not have his nurture be despized.
Wherewith thou art from yeer to yeer chastized,
Instructeth thee. Repent, & turn to God,
Who wil not have his nurture be despized.
Thou still hast in thee many praying saints,
Of great account, and precious with the Lord,
Who dayly powre out unto him their plaints,
And strive to please him both in deed & word.
Of great account, and precious with the Lord,
Who dayly powre out unto him their plaints,
And strive to please him both in deed & word.
Cheer on, sweet souls, my heart is with you all,
And shall be with you, maugre Sathan's might:
And whereso'ere this body be a Thrall,
Still in New-England shall be my delight.
And shall be with you, maugre Sathan's might:
And whereso'ere this body be a Thrall,
Still in New-England shall be my delight.
| God's Controversy with New-England | |