Prison-Pietie or, Meditations Divine and Moral. Digested into Poetical Heads, On Mixt and Various Subjects. Whereunto is added A Panegyrick to The Right Reverend, and most Nobly descended, Henry, Lord Bishop of London. By Samuel Speed, Prisoner in Ludgate, London |
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On Blasphemy. |
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On Blasphemy.
It sets its mouth against each holy place,And shoots out words like darts, against the face
Of God; despising his great Majesty,
Imposing things upon the Deity.
Thus written 'tis by the Historian,
Speaking of the Apostate Julian,
When he engag'd against the Parthian Bands,
And then receiv'd a wound, with outstretch'd hand:
He took his blood (to shew he did persist)
And in derision threw it toward Christ,
Thus saying, to augment his sinful sum,
O Galilean, thou hast overcome.
So by an outward gesture we may finde
The secret indignation of the minde:
And he that doth blaspheme his God, doth broach
Designes to cast upon him all reproach
His little Wit or Folly can invent,
Vainly to shew the reach of his intent.
But Julian being wounded with a Dart
(Unknown from whence) that reach'd his wretched heart,
In scorn to Christ, he Galilean cri'd,
Perish'd in sin, so this Blasphemer di'd.
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His Statue fix'd, that men might worship him.
The holy Temple, with profane abuse,
He dedicated to his proper use,
Making himself a God; but it appear'd
At length, that Vengeance this Blasphemes heard.
It is a sin that studies how to fight
Against the dictates of Dame Nature's light;
Which Princess oft have punished with death:
The very Turks will not endure that breath
That wounds the Ears of Heaven, but punish those
That to blaspheming Christ their lips dispose.
If Turks to this great sin give a restraint,
How piercing must it be unto a Saint?
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