University of Virginia Library

AN ODE TO JEHOVAH, Creator.

I.

Hear, O ye Heav'ns, ye Constellations hear,
And Thou, attentive Earth, give Ear:
Whirlwinds be gone, asleep ye Tempests lie,
Nor let ye gloomy Clouds, that float on high,
Your Thunder bellow, or your Light'nings fly:
And thou, O Ocean, Peace command,
Let all thy list'ning Waves erected stand
In Chrystal Heaps, as when the splitting Tide
Sav'd threaten'd Jacob from Egyptian Pride
Be each extended Vale, and rising Hill,
As Midnight husht, and as the Desart still,
Whil'st I of Seraphs æmulous, reherse
Allmighty Wonders in extatick Verse.

II.

Hail Independent, Perfect Excellence!
Of pure Immortal Light Abyss immense!
This and the Orbs around on Thee depend,
From Thee they came, in Thee they end.
Thou, Lord of Lords, Thou King of Kings,
Blest Source, whence all Dominion springs,
With Glory art adorn'd, and for Defence,
Begirt with dread Omnipotence.
Eternal, Mighty, Causeless God!
Heav'n is Thy Court, and Bliss is Thy Abode:
Nor can Thy Being but unchang'd endure
From Thy own Nature's Self-preserving Power,
While the vast Worlds, that roll in Air,
And all the various Equipage they bear,
Unable Beings, are upheld by Thee,
And, as Thou pleasest are, or cease to be.

III.

Above the Regions of Etherial Space,
And far extended Frontier of the Skies,
Beyond the Outlines of wide Nature's Face;
Where Void not yet inclos'd uncultivated lies,
Jehovah! Thy Eternal Throne,
With unprecarious Brightness ever shone,
Rais'd by Skill and Energy Divine,
From Thy rich Unfathomable Mine,
Whose Womb contains, without Decay,
Exhaustless Veins of Light, and glitt'ring Seeds of Day.
A Throne, whose Radiance cannot fade,
Of uncreated Beams, and Gems immortal made.
Pillars of vast interminable Size,
Such none but Hands Omnipotent can rear,
Which to a Height insuperable rise,
This mighty Weight of Glory bear.
Pillars of Adamant, Transcendent bright,
With blazing Heads of fine Celestial Gold;
Inwreath'd in Rays of Spiral Light,
Which Saints with dazled Eyes, and slanting View behold.
Here Thou, Great King, hast always sate,
Awful in blissful Robes of State.
Whence Trains, Divine Profusion, all below
Of long unmeasurable Glory flow;
Compleatly filling every Place,
And far outstretching all imaginary Space.

IV.

Collected in resistless Might,
With Majesty's bright Ensigns crown'd,
Here did'st Thou Reign, e'er Time began its Flight,
Or Orbs set out to run their Round.
Nothing, Supreme, Eternal King,
Father of Life, of Love, exhaustless Spring,
Nothing could e'er Thy happy State molest,
Which ne'er grows less, or is encreast.
Fixt on Thy Sacred Throne, Thou did'st possess
An all-sufficient Plenitude of Bliss;
And did'st unnumber'd Ages past employ
Whilst Thou, in full Delight, did'st Thy Blest Self enjoy.
Till Thou, Thy Goodness to display,
Beings of various Order did'st create,
To whom Thy Bounty might convey
Felicity, and not Thy own abate.

V.

The unfrequented Provinces of Night,
By hostile Motion never yet annoy'd,
Not yet discover'd by far trav'lling Light,
Profound Tranquility enjoy'd.
Thro' the void Regions of diffusive Space,
Unfruitful Solitude securely reign'd;
No Track appear'd on Desolation's Face,
And Silence undisturb'd her peaceful Throne maintain'd.
Till Troops of Matter, all unknown before,
New-rais'd by high creating Power,
Unregimented, raw, undisciplin'd,
Receiv'd the great Command to move,
And to intestine Feuds inclin'd,
Fiercely for Conquest with each other strove.
Confusion, Strife, discordant Noise,
And horrid Uproar's hateful Voice,
Vex the dark Regions of the Deep,
Where ancient Night her loneful Court did keep,
And where unactive Shade extended lay asleep.

VI.

Thou Necessary, Self-existent God,
With One Divine pacifick Smile,
With One Allmighty Nod,
Did'st all this fierce Contention reconcile.
Obedient to the Word Divine,
In friendly Leagues the new Allies combine.
To their respective Tasks they all repair,
The mighty Fabrick of the World to rear,
Of Providence supreme th' intended Theater.
The lighter Parts at Thy Command disjoyn'd,
Leave the dull Earth and pond'rous Dreggs behind,
'Twas Thou did'st give 'em Wings, and bid 'em rise,
Refin'd Materials for the Skies.
Aloft th' Etherial Rudiments ascend,
Around th' immense Expansion hung;
The Spheres their vast Circumference extend,
And tune Themselves preluding to their lasting Song.
At Thy Command th' unfetter'd Light
Emerging from the dark Abyss of Night,
At the appointed Rendezvous on high,
Muster'd its shining Legions in the Sky:
Th' assembled Beams themselves dispose
In glorious Ranks as Thou had'st Order giv'n,
And with their sep'rate Lines compose
All the bright Squadrons of the Host of Heav'n.

VII.

Thou did'st extend the waving Fields of Air,
And dress the Magazines of Meteors there.
How do's Thy Chimistry Divine
In full Perfection shine
Thro' the low Regions of the Atmosphere,
Thy vast Elabratory, where
Aerial Furnaces Thy curious Works prepare?
From Flow'rs and Plants beneath exhaling Steams
Persuaded by the Sun's insinuating Beams
Forget their Center, and forsake their Place,
And mount to fill the Liquid Space:
Then by Thy cool Alembicks chill'd,
They soon regain their Weight, and are in Drops distill'd,
In Drops of healing Virtue, which revive
The thirsty Earth, and make faint Nature thrive.
The Compositions for Thy Works of Fire
Digested here, Maturity acquire;
Thunder and Light'ning Thy Arcana, here
Concocted ring, or flame around the Air.
The hov'ring Snow descends at Thy Command,
And spreads its downy Fleeces o'er the Land:
Tempestuous Show'rs of rushing Hail,
Pour'd from the Crystal Quarries of the Sky,
The Earth's unguarded Face assail,
And on the Wounds they make, they weeping lie.

VIII.

Thou, Pow'r Divine and Wisdom to display,
The deep Foundations of the Earth did'st lay;
The beauteous Structure frame with artful Care,
And weigh the pond'rous Mass, and hang the Pile in Air;
Th' unshaken Pillars which sustain it, stand
Fixt on no Base but Thy upholding Hand.
Thou spak'st, th' aspiring Hills appear'd,
Their everlasting Heads the Mountains rear'd,
The Rocks of vast unmeasur'd Size
Obey'd th' impulsive Word, and sprung amid'st the Skies:
The humble Vallies now subside,
And with their Wealth upbraid the fruitless Mountain's Pride.
The starting Streams begin their Race,
And with their winding Arms the flow'ry Mead embrace.
Now Birds for Flight, their untry'd Wings display,
Beat thro' Aerial Waves, and cut the liquid Way.
The Flocks adorn'd the Hills, the Herds the Mead.
The bellowing Bull advancing at their Head.
The Woods with various Beasts were stor'd,
Where uncontroul'd their Yellow Lord
Slept in his Den, or thro' the Forrest roar'd.
The mighty Whale rolls in his weedy Court,
While Finny Trains around their Monarch sport
More Energy and more amzing Art
In Man at last Thou did'st exert,
Thy godlike Creature destin'd to command
The spacious Empires of the Sea and Land:
Thy wide Creation then review'd,
Pleas'd with Thy Works, Thou did'st pronounce them good.

IX.