University of Virginia Library

On servile Will, irrespective Election, and Reprobation.

Abyss of brightness, to whom light's a skreen,
VVho by not being visible, best art seen.
Time is no time, if relative to thee:
Ev'n an eyes twinkling's all Eternity.
Can he with whom all's present, pre-ordain?
Or what place for thy prescience can remain?
Less then a moment did the whole world make;
To understand it we need six dayes take;
And the seventh day thy goodness to admire,
Which in six thousand year we can't acquire:
Six thousand years are as six dayes to thee,
And the seventh day eternal Jubilee.
What stranger stories, Lord, of thee we tell,
While we mete Infinite with Reasons ell?
If that I have no power, or a decree
Before or Will or Act hath manacl'd me?
Do this, and live, God saies, who cannot lie;
If that I cannot do't, he bids me die.
Can God design a treachery 'gainst Mankinde?
Give him more light to make him the more blinde,
Sin is defin'd what's contrary to Gods will;
Yet abridge ours, and he's the cause of ill.
What God doth preordain, sure his will is:
If then the sin be done, the sin is his.
Thus nothing's left us to deliberate,
But follow th' duct of stars, obey out fate.
When sin's no longer sin, then it is free:
Who's guilty, or ordain'd, can't 'voided be.
Sin that is contrary thus they make Gods will;
God to himself make contrary by ill.
Hath God two Wills, one secret, one reveal'd?
Good in appearance, is he ill conceal'd?
Yet these who made God but in outside good,
Themselves for more then beasts ne're understood.
They rational faculties do deny of th' Soul,
Who Will and Understanding do controul.
If that we act not freely, where's our will?
How understand we? if we can't fly ill.
Like Horse and Mule, we're held in with a bit,
Take will, and vertues essence, gone with it.
Perswasions, terrors, laws, are thus made vain,
Where all are bound up in a fatal chain.
Thus in this age we through excess of light
Bring on our selves more then Egyptian night.
Though God made all, sin's a non entity.
By making sin thus nothing, God they'd free.
But oh! if nothing? why's man damn'd for th' same?
Damnation sure for nothing never came?
As from the Turks for fate they take advice,
They dream like theirs sure, carnal Paradice.
Lord, thou whose path's in deep, and way's ith' sea,
If I can't thee contain, contain thou me.
By passing understanding, understood,
Know that thou onely art, and onely good.