The Amaranth Or, religious poems; consisting of fables, visions, emblems, etc. Adorned with copper-plates from the best masters [by Walter Harte] |
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| MEDITATIONS ON CHRIST's Death and Passion.
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 | The Amaranth |  |
MEDITATIONS ON CHRIST's Death and Passion.
An EMBLEM.
I
Haste not so fast, on worldly cares employ'd,Thy bleeding Saviour asks a short delay:
What trifling bliss is still to be enjoy'd,
What change of folly wings thee on thy way?
Look back a moment, pause a while , and stay.
For thee thy God assum'd the human frame;
For thee the Guiltless pains and anguish try'd;
Thy passions [sin excepted] His became:
Like thee he suffer'd, hunger'd, wept, and dy'd.
II
Nor wealth nor plenty did he ever taste,The moss his pillow oft, his couch the ground;
The poor man's bread completed his repast;
Home he had none, and quiet never found,
For fell reproach pursu'd, and aim'd the wound :
The wise men mock'd him, and the learned scorn'd;
Th'ambitious worldling other patrons try'd;
The pow'r that judg'd him, ev'ry foe suborn'd;
He wept un-pity'd, and un-honour'd dy'd.
III
For ever mournful, but for ever dear,O love stupendous! glorious degradation!
No soft extinction claims our sorrows here;
But anguish, shame, and agonizing passion!
The riches of the world, and worldly praise,
No monument of gratitude can prove;
Obedience only the great debt repays,
An imitative heart, and undivided love!
IV
To see the image of th'All-glorious Pow'rSuspend his immortality, and dwell
In mortal bondage, tortur'd ev'ry hour;
A self-made pris'ner in a dolesome cell,
Victim for sin, and conqueror of hell !
Lustration for offences not his own!
Th'Unspotted for th'impure resign'd his breath;
Then blame thy Saviour's love, but not his death.
V
From this one prospect draw thy sole relief,Here learn submission, passive duties learn;
Here drink the calm oblivion of thy grief:
Eschew each danger, ev'ry good discern,
And the true wages of thy virtue earn.
Reflect, O man, on such stupendous love,
Such sympathy divine, and tender care ;
Beseech the Paraclete thine heart to move,
And offer up to Heav'n this silent pray'r.
VI
Great God, thy judgements are with justice crown'd,To human crimes and errors gracious still;
Yet, tho' thy mercies more and more abound,
Right reason spares not fresh-existing ill,
Nor can thy goodness counter-work thy will.
Ah no! The gloom of sin so dreadful shows,
That horror, guilt, and death the conscience fill:
Eternal laws our happiness oppose;
Thy nature and our lives are everlasting foes!
VII
Severe thy truth, yet glorious is thy scheme;Complete the vengeance of thy just desire;
See from our eyes the gushing torrents stream,
Yet strike us, blast us with celestial fire;
Our doom, and thy decrees, alike conspire.
Where shall the flaming flashes of thy ire
Transpierce our bodies? Ev'ry nerve and pore
With Christ's immaculate blood is cover'd o'er and o'er.
“When we praise God we may speak much, and yet come short: Wherefore in sum, He is all. When you glorify Him, exalt Him as much as you can: For even yet He will far exceed. And when you exalt Him, put forth all your strength, and be not weary: For you can never go far enough.”
Ecclus. Ch. xliii, v. 27–30.“Christ is the way, the truth, and the life. The way wherein thou oughtest to walk; the truth which thou desirest to obtain; and the life of happiness which thou longest to enjoy.” St. August.
“If you labour for a time, you will afterwards enjoy an eternity of rest. Your sufferings are of a short duration, your joy will last for ever: And if your resolution wavers, and is going to desert you, turn your eyes towards Mount Calvary, and consider what Christ suffered for you, innocent as he was. This consideration will enable you to say in the event, that your sufferings lasted only for a moment.” Idem.
“Thro' Envy proceeded the fall of the world and death of Christ.” St. August.
“For he (Pilate) knew that the chief priests had delivered him for envy.” Mark Ch. xv, v. 10.
An antient Heathen also hath personified Envy, and painted her in a mischievous attitude:
“—Gnara malorum,“Invidia Infelix! animi vitalia vidit,
“Lædendiq; vias.”
“Nolo vivere sine vulnere, cum Te videam vulneratum.” Bonavent.
“To know God, without knowing our misery, creates pride: To know misery, without knowing Christ, causes despondence.” St. Augustin.
“They make a free-will offering to God, who in the midst of their sufferings preserve their gratitude and acknowledgements.” Cassian.
| The Amaranth | |