University of Virginia Library

Inward Peace.

Who can conceive, much less express,
The inward Peace which they possess,
Who, by the Indwelling of the Light,
Have put satanic Pow'rs to flight;
In whom, renew'd and born again,
The Lord of Life doth live and reign:
Renew'd, restor'd, purg'd, purify'd,
And nat'ral Rovings laid aside;
Cleans'd by the Blood, kept by the Grace,
That Sin in them scarce finds a Place;
The Temple swept, prepar'd, then blest
With Presence of an heav'nly Guest,
A Guest, not for a Night or twain,
But one that always will remain;
Yea, such a Guest as doth impart,
That Joy which overcomes the Heart,
A Joy so great, no Tongue of Man,
Express the Fullness of it can;
And this unutterable Bliss,
Flows from the Love of God to His.
O! Love immense, and without Bound,
To all that in the Truth are found,
Words are too short to set it forth
In its Extent, and real Worth.
The Wife, that in the Bosom lies,
Is precious in the Husband's Eyes;
The sucking Babe is very near,
The only Son, exceeding dear;
Tender the Apple of the Eye,
Friends and Relations very nigh;
But yet this Love doth far transcend
That to Wife, Child, Eye, Parent, Friend.
These Metaphors are all too low,
The Nature of this Love to show;
No Tongue is able to declare,
How dear to God His Children are;
Only the Sense of it is felt,
Which breaks the Heart and makes it melt.