A paraphrase upon the canticles and some select hymns of the New and Old Testament, with other occasional compositions in English verse. By Samuel Woodford |
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 | A paraphrase upon the canticles |  |
I.
Since the Almighty has in Triumph led,Not by our Battels, but his Arm o're-thrown,
The Proud Egyptian King, and from his Head,
On ours to put it, tane the Crown,
What more accepted Trophy can we raise,
Than an eternal arch of Duty and of Praise?
Begin, my Song and thou Immortal Verse,
(Now truly such, since him Thou dost Record,
Who only is th' Immortal Lord)
I my self will begin too, and rehearse
The wondrous Conquests of his Word:
To him I'll Sing, who gloriously,
His Promise, and his Ancient Faith to keep,
Has gotten himself, and us the Victory,
And Horse, and Rider hurld, at once, into the Deep.
II.
God is my Strength, and he shall be my Song,From whom my great Salvation came;
Who is my God, approv'd in dangers long,
My Father's God, the Puissant, and the Strong,
Israel's tri'd Champion, and Jehovah is his Name.
Him will I Sing, of him shall be my Praise,
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Th' Eternal Glories he hath won,
But ours no less, than his own Fame to raise.
For Pharao and his host,
(Their way, their hopes, themselves ith' Ruine lost)
Into the Sea he hurld, the Red Sea, as a Stone
By a Giants arm is lightly thrown,
Him and his chosen Captains at a cast.
They flew; they sank; the wounded Sea did groan,
But into it's bottom headlong let them down,
Through thousand Waves that murmured, as along they whirling past.
III.
There were they Drownd; there cover'd with the Deep;There sank they, never to be rais'd again;
In Adamantine Chains Thou didst the Pris'ners keep,
The same Thou threwst before upon the Main,
And now on them, o're both to show Thy equal Reign.
Glorious Thou didst that Day, O Lord, appear;
Glorious in Power appear'd then thy Right Hand;
Thine Enemies the Shock could not withstand,
And found too late its Wrath was heavier than their fear;
When dasht in pieces they all scattered lay,
And to th' Leviathans became a Prey.
So on a sudden were they gone,
So soon, so eas'ly, by Thy Breath o're-thrown,
As when a raging Fire does Stubble seise,
And with it Thorns, to' unequal Battel press.
Such was Thy Wrath, tho in a different kind,
(And different was the Element,
But Death as certain, and as sudden sent)
Thy Wrath tow'rds them, which like a mighty Wind
Stood up and up the Floods bid stand,
As on an heap to let Thy People go;
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And like a Wall, on either Hand,
Of congeal'd Chrystal, in the heart of th' Sea did show.
IV.
This as the Spoyler saw, “Tis now, he said,“Now is the time an end to make;
“I will pursue, I will o're-take,
“Lo! how the Sea the Fugitives has betray'd,
“And, to leave us a way, its dri'd up Channel do's forsake!
“Now shall my Sword with slaughter glutted be,
“My Lust shall on them now be satisfied,
“Nor till they 'are totally destroyed,
“This Arm withdraw, or let them other Conquerors see;
“With Charms their Leader staind the sacred Flood,
“But I'll the Sea, or perish, new Dye with their Blood.
Scarce said; Thou with Thy Wind
Upon the parted Sea didst blow;
The parted Sea its hold invisible let go,
And hollow'd to its fellow Waves behind.
They came; and having traverst them around;
The Chamiam Hosts did in their Arms enclose;
A while they floated, diving where they rose,
Till touching thrice the fatal Ground,
Like Lead they sank, and all the Deaths they had threatned, found.
V.
Amongst the Gods, Who is there like the Lord?Or with Him, who can once compare?
So 'unsearchable His Counsels are,
So great the Wonders of His Word;
In holy Glories, who does all excel,
And Terrour strikes in us, who would his Praises tell.
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And Israels way was Egypts Grave,
Which th' opening Earth, and Seas, conspiring gave.
Thus perisht they: Thus sav'd by Thy Right Hand,
Thy ransom'd People hitherto Thou' hast brought;
Whilst of the Miracles it wrought,
We and our Children living Monuments here stand.
Nations shall hear this, Lord, and be afraid;
Horrour on Palestine fast hold shall take;
Courage the Dukes of Edom shall forsake:
And Moabs daring Warriers, ill appaid,
Shall on themselves feel unknown Terrors laid:
Whole Canaan ready to expire,
With dread dissolv'd, as Wax shall melt before the Fire.
VI.
Trembling and Fear, Anguish, Dispair, and Dread,On every Land shall fall, on every Head.
As Thine Arm is, such shall their Horrours be,
And not a Soul from the' Consternation free.
Close shall they lie within their Dens,
Still as the Rocks, wherewith they are cover'd, lie;
And fearful once to issue thence,
Scarce to their helpless Gods send forth a cry,
Or let their Groans be heard, while Israel passes by.
Till to Thy Promis'd Land they' are come,
And, where they have been strangers long, their ancient Home.
Thither, my God, through thousand dangers past,
To Sion, by Thy self prepar'd to be
Thy Dwelling Place to 'Eternity,
The Sanctuary, with Thy Presence grac'd,
Thither be pleas'd Thy purchas'd Flock to bring at last!
So shalt Thou through all Ages Reign,
And in all Lands new Subjects to Thy Empire gain.
30
Sumpsit ergo Maria Prophetissa soror
Aaron tympanum in manu suâ: egressæque sunt omnes Mulieres
post eam cum tympanis, & choris, quibus præcinebat dicens.
| A paraphrase upon the canticles | |