The miscellaneous works (1739)

O thou! to whom the fairest angel veils
With folded wings, the beauties of his face,
'Tis thee, 'tis thee alone my wishes seek:
For thee I'd break the fondest ties below,
Forget the names of amity and love,
And ev'ry gentle blandishment of life.

O turn away the veil that hides thy face,
And holds the glorious vision from my view,
Pity the agonies of strong desire,
And stand in open majesty confest!
If when a few short moments are expir'd,
And this frail substance to its dust returns,
If thou wilt then unfold thy lovely face,
And in the heights of excellence appear;
Why wilt thou not indulge a moment's bliss,
Disclose one beam of thy unclouded light,
To chear the joyless gloom of mortal life?

Forgive the fond impatience of my soul,
Which dwells on thee, and has no other joy,
No entertainment in this lonesome world;
'Tis all a dismal solitude to me.

193

SOLILOQUY II.

Where am I? surely paradise is round me!
My soul, my sense is full of thy perfection.
Whatever nature boasts in all her pride,
The blooming fragrancy of thousand springs
Are open to my view; and thou art all
The charming, the delicious land of love.

I know not what to speak! for human words
Lose all their pow'r, their emphasis and force;
And grow insipid when I talk of thee,
The excellence supreme, the God of gods.
Whate'er the language of those gods, those pow'rs
In heav'nly places crown'd; however strong,
Or musical, or clear their language be,
Yet all falls short of thee; tho' set to strains
That hell would smile to hear, and wild despair,
Discord, and mad confusion stand compos'd
In fix'd attention to the charming song.

When wilt thou blow away these envious clouds,
And shew me all the dazzling scenes within?
Those heav'ns of beauty and essential glory;
Those sights which eyes of mortals never saw,
Nor ear has heard, nor boldest thought conceiv'd.
What will these wonders prove? how shall my pow'rs
Be to their full capacity employ'd
In ecstacy and love? how shall I rove
For ever thro' those regions of delight,
Those paths where joy ineffable leads on
Her smiling train, and wings the jocund hours.

194

Come, ye triumphant moments! come away
Thou glorious period! where I fix my eyes;
For which I hourly chide the ling'ring course
Of sun, and moon, and ev'ry tardy star.
Thou end of all my grief, the happy date
Of care, and pain, and ev'ry human ill!

SOLILOQUY III.

Absolve the penance of mortality,
And let me now commence the life divine.
I sicken for enlargement—Where's the bar?
Thy spirit is not straitned, thou canst raise
Thy creature to what eminence thou wilt.
Unmerited the brightest ranks above
Receiv'd their flame and purity from thee.

I dare not article with the Most-High,
Nor boast, but of my wants and indigence.
Let me be poor, necessitous and low,
Or any thing that thou mayst be advanc'd!
If I must glory, let me glory here,
That I can make no claim, nor ask reward.
O be thy goodness free! give like thy self,
And be thy own magnificence the rule!
Still undiminish'd from thy endless store,
Eternal bounty cannot lessen thee.

Why shouldst thou bound thy self, and check the course
Of thy own glorious nature; which is all
O'erflowing love, and pure beneficence?

195

'Tis thy delight and glory to dispense
Treasures of wisdom, life, and heav'nly love
To souls that pine and languish after thee.

O thou canst never lavish out thy store!
The sun, that from his radiant exaltation
Looks down, and blesses universal nature,
Nor from the meanest worm keeps back his rays,
That sun is but a feeble type of thee.

Millions of happy spirits draw in life
And pleasure from thy smiles; yet still the springs,
The fresh, the ever-rising springs of joy
Unwasted flow—Thou to thy glorious self
Art all-sufficient, the sum, the plenitude
Of thy own bliss; and canst thou not supply
The utmost wishes of created minds?

SOLILOQUY IV.

Let God himself, to whom I dare appeal,
Let God, my glorious judge, be witness here!
Unfold my inmost soul, for thou shalt find
To rival form, no image but thy own.
So sure I love thee, I would stake my bliss,
My immortality on this high truth.

Is this existence real, or a dream?
Is light, is life, or is the sacred name
Of virtue dear? Do I love happiness?
'Tis sure I do! and oh! 'tis full as sure
I love my God. If this is not a truth,

196

I do not breathe, I have nor hopes, nor fears,
I know not where, I know not what I am,
But wander in uncertainty and doubt.
If this is not a truth, why have I shut
My eyes on all the beauty of the world?
Why have I stopp'd my ears to ev'ry call
Of glory and delight? why do I shun
The paths of pleasure? why despise the joys,
The entertainments of society?
And lost to all in solitary shades
Give up my hours, and ev'ry thought to thee?
My God, I cry, the treasure of my soul,
Give me my God, and let the world forsake me!

My whole enjoyment in thy love consists;
Nor earth, nor heav'n, nor the high heav'n above,
Abstract from thee, can furnish out a bliss,
To entertain these infinite desires:
No, thou art all the solace of my life.
Shouldst thou but say thou hast no pleasure in me,
Lo! here I am—but oh! the most undone
And wretched thing that the creation names.
For I must love thee still; howe'er thou deal'st with me,
Still I must love thee for thy own perfections,
And languish for thee thro' eternal years.

SOLILOQUY V.

Can some fond lover, by the charming force
Of mortal beauty held, invoke the groves,
The fields, the floods, and all the sparkling stars
To witness his unshaken truth and love;

197

While the frail object of his boasted faith
Fades like a painted flow'r, and is no more:
And shall my heart, with heav'nly love inflam'd,
Grow doubtful, while I swear eternal truth
To the prime excellence, beauty divine?
Shall I protest with caution? shall my tongue
Speak with reserve, and yield but half assent?

No; let me find the most pathetic form;
Beyond the obligations men have known,
Beyond all human ties; solemn as when
Some mighty angel lifts his hand on high,
And by the living God attests his oath.

Thus let me bind my soul—and oh! be witness,
Ye shining ministers (for you surround,
And sanctify the place where holy vows
Ascend to heav'n) be witness when we meet
Upon th' immortal shores, as soon we must,
Be witness! for the solemn hour draws near;
That solemn hour, when with triumphant joy
Or exquisite confusion, I shall hear
Your approbation, or your just reproaches:
Your just reproaches if you find me false;
If this fond heart, ensnar'd by earthly charms,
Shall break its faith, and stain the sanctity
Of plighted vows and consecrated flames.

O thou! to whose all-seeing eye my soul
Lies all unveil'd, to thee I dare appeal:
If thou art not my chief, my only joy,

198

Let sacred peace for ever fly my breast,
And rest become an endless stranger there.
Let no harmonious sound delight mine ears
If thy lov'd name is not the sweetest accent,
The most transporting music they convey.
Let beauty ne'er again attract my eyes,
Shut out the sun, and ev'ry pleasant thing
Its rays disclose, if e'er I find a charm
In nature's lovely face, abstract from thee.
Let all my hopes, my gayest expectations
Be blasted, when they are not plac'd on thee.

O! I might speak a bolder language still,
And bid thee cut off all my future hopes
Of heavenly bliss, if thy transporting smiles
Are not the emphasis of all that bliss.

SOLILOQUY VI.

These eyes have never seen thy lovely face,
No accent of thy voice has reach'd my ear,
And yet my heart's acquainted well with thee;
To thee it opens all its secret store
Of joy and grief, and whispers ev'ry care.

I've known the names of father, husband, friend;
But when I think of thee, these tender ties,
These soft engagements vanish into air.

Amidst the gentlest blandishments and charms,
The smiles and flatt'ring boasts of human things,
My soul springs forward, and lays hold on thee;

199

Calls thee her only portion and defence,
Nor knows a thought of diffidence or fear.

Let nature fail, let darkness hide the stars,
And cover with a sable veil the sun;
Unchang'd and fix'd the truth of God remains,
Nor knows the least decay.—Here let me rest,
With full assurance and unshaken faith.

O thou unbounded, self-sufficient being!
How rich am I! how happy! how secure!
How full my portion in possessing thee!
One gentle, one transporting smile of thine,
Thou darling of my soul! contains more wealth
Than this, or thousand brighter worlds can boast.
'Tis thou thy self art my immediate bliss,
My paradise, my everlasting heav'n!

SOLILOQUY VII.

I love thee—Here the pomp of language fails,
And leaves th' unutterable thought behind;
The eloquence of men, the muses art,
Their harmony and tuneful cadence sink.
Whatever names of tenderness and love,
Whatever holy union nature knows,
Are faint descriptions of celestial fires.

But oh! may sinful breathing dust presume
To talk to thee of love and warm desires?
To thee! who sit'st supreme enthron'd on heights
Of glory, which no human thought can reach?

200

Shall wretched man, whose dwelling is with dust,
That calls corruption his original,
And withers like the grass, shall he presume,
With heart and lips unsanctify'd, to speak
On subjects, where the holy seraphim
Would stop their lutes; and with a graceful pause
Confess the glorious theme too great for words,
For eloquence immortal to express.

Yet I must aim at subjects infinite,
For oh! my love-sick heart is full of thee.
In crowds, in solitude, the field, the temple,
All places hold an equal sanctity;
While thy lov'd name in humble invocation
Dwells on my tongue, and ev'ry gentle sigh
Breathes out my life, my very soul to thee.

SOLILOQUY VIII.

Fountain of love, in thy delightful streams
Let me for ever bathe my ravish'd soul,
Inebriated in the vast abyss,
The plenitude of joy; where all these wide,
These infinite desires shall die away
In endless plenty, and complete fruition.

O my dear God! have I a single joy,
A thought of happiness, remote from thee?
Am I at rest? tho' thou has crown'd my years
With smiling plenty, and unmingled peace.
Is not the joy, the solace of my life
Summ'd in thy smiles, and center'd in thy love?

201

What is this vain, this visionary scene
Of mortal things to me? my thoughts aspire
Beyond the narrow bounds of rolling spheres.
The world is crucify'd and dead to me,
And I am dead to all its empty shows;
But oh! for thee unbounded wishes warm
My panting soul, and call forth all her pow'rs.
Whate'er can raise desire, or give delight,
Or with full joys replenish ev'ry wish,
Is found in thee, thou infinite abyss
Of ecstasy and life!—How my free soul
Expatiates in these wide, these boundless joys!
How am I lost to ev'ry thought but thee,
Forgetting ev'n my self, forgetting all
But thee, my glorious, everlasting theme!

Thou wilt, thou must return upon my soul,
'Till death; and after death, while I exist,
Ages, ten thousand ages I will fix
My full attention on thy bright perfections.

SOLILOQUY IX.

O blow these clouds away, and let me see
Those distant glories that attract my love!
I must be satisfy'd, these longings quench'd,
These infinite desires must find an object;
Or thou hast made thy noblest work in vain.

The beasts are happy; they attain the end
Appointed for them by the course of nature,
They reach whate'er their senses can enjoy,

202

Nor seek, nor apprehend superior bliss;
Insensible of thee, whose potent word
Call'd out their various clans from empty nothing;
Yet unacquainted strangers to thy name,
Not knowing higher good, they are at rest.

But man, capacious of immortal bliss,
Pursues, unseen, an object infinite;
And only there can find the rest he seeks.

SOLILOQUY X.

My great Redeemer lives! I know he lives!
I feel the sacred, the transporting truth
Exulting in my soul: He lives to plead
My cause above (unworthy as I am!)
He there appears to intercede for me.

My record is on high, and the blest Spirit
With gentle attestations pleads within;
Divine the voice, 'tis all celestial truth,
I yield my glad assent; triumphant hope,
And heavenly consolations fill my soul.

I must, I will rejoice; 'tis God himself
Is my exceeding joy: he kindly smiles
And heav'n and earth look gay; while all the clouds
That conscious guilt spread o'er my shudd'ring soul
Vanish before those reconciling eyes.

Ye pow'rs of darkness, where are all your threats?
Speak out your charge, the black indictment read?
I own the dreadful, the amazing score;

203

But who condemns, when God does justify?
Who shall accuse, when freely he acquits;
He calls me blest, and what malignant pow'r
Shall call the blessing back? who shall reverse
What the Most-High has said?—Nor life, nor death,
Nor depth below, nor endless height above
Shall part me from his everlasting love.

SOLILOQUY XI.

Where are the boasts of nature? where its pride,
When reason looks within with humble view,
And sanctity of judment measures out
My conduct by the perfect laws of God?

But oh! let not my crimes recorded stand
Before thy sight, nor call me to account,
Thou righteous judge; for who can answer thee?
Can mortal man be just? can he be pure
Whose dwelling is with flesh? If thou shouldst pry
Into my secret guilt, I am undone;
But if thou pardon the unnumber'd score,
The glory will be thine, whose clemency
Can know no bounds; for thou art uncontroul'd,
And absolute in all thy ways: no rule
But thy own perfect nature limits thee.

I sink, this empty shadow pays thee homage,
And vanishes to nothing; thou art all.
I am but vanity; this is my share;
I am content; be thou alone advanc'd!
Thy grace is free, thy favours unconfin'd:

204

Whate'er my pride can boast, my righteousness
Can never profit thee—The saints above,
The highest angels stand not unreproach'd,
Nor spotless in the presence of thy glory.

O do not strictly mark my num'rous crimes,
Nor ask what I deserve, but what becomes
The grandeur of thy name, thy glorious nature,
Thy clemency, and gentle attributes:
Act thou up to th' heights of grace divine,
And be the glory and salvation thine!

SOLILOQUY XII.

When will the journey end? this weary race,
This tedious pilgrimage of life be o'er?
'Tis guilt, 'tis error, shades and darkness all!
Some hellish snare attends on ev'ry step,
And I shall stumble, fall, and be undone;
If thou one moment leave thy trembling charge,
And trust me to my self, my treach'rous heart
Will give up all the boundless joys to come,
The smiles of God, the raptures of his love,
For toys, for trifles, dross and empty dreams.
My foes are watchful; and my foolish heart,
Too credulous, unguarded and secure,
Gives easy entrance to the fatal arts
Of those infernal pow'rs that seek my ruin.

But thou canst break the snare; and hitherto
The Lord has help'd, be thine alone the praise!
O leave me not at last to bring reproach,
Or cast a blemish on thy holy ways.

205

Thou know'st my folly, impotence and guilt,
What darkness, what depravity controuls
My nobler pow'rs; how when my rising thoughts
Would fix on thee, this mortal part withstands.

O bring my soul from this detested prison,
Enlarge it, and my tongue shall speak thy praise!

SOLILOQUY XIII.

Come to my longing soul, that I may know
My union with thee in immortal love:
This is the secret language of my heart.
I dare appeal to thee, my awful judge,
Whose eyes can penetrate my inmost thought;
Thou art my first desire, my warmest wish:
These restless motions, these repeated sighs
Are all addrest to thee; at thee I aim,
In these imperfect flights, these upward views,
These frequent glances at the distant stars;
Fain would they peirce beyond the azure veil,
And gaze at those transporting sights within.

Put out your gaudy lights, ye rolling spheres!
Could I but see the brighter worlds beyond,
I should with joy bid sun and stars adieu,
With all the beauteous scenes their beams display.

I'm tir'd, I'm sick of all these trifling things,
The show, the vain amusements of the world;
Thou art my only joy. Again my soul
Attests its first, its early, glorious choice,

206

Under my hand: behold, my present judge,
For thou art here a witness to my truth;
Under my hand I take thee for my portion,
My present bliss, and all my future hope.

I cast reproach on ev'ry lower good,
And look with scorn on transitory things;
Divide them where thou wilt; 'tis thou thy self
Thy smiles, the full fruition of thy love
My panting soul pursues: not all the pomp
Or pleasure of the skies, abstract from thee,
Could make me blest, or fill these large desires.

SOLILOQUY XIV.

The hour must come, the last important hour,
O let me meet it with expecting joy!
Nor let the king of terrors wear a frown,
Nor bring unwelcome tidings to my soul.

When all the springs of life are running low,
And ebbing fast in death; when nature tir'd,
Trembling and faint, gropes thro' the gloomy vale,
Nor human aid can give the least support;
Then may the cordials of eternal love
Pour in divine refreshments on my soul;
Then let him smile, whose gentle smiles could chear
The shades of hell, and scatter all its gloom.

Forget me not in that important hour;
Recal these earnest sighs, look kindly o'er
The long recorded file of humble pray'r

207

Sent to thy gracious seat. Thou, who at once
Dost past, and present, and the future view,
Give back an answer in that sullen moment,
When all things else shall fail.—No sound of joy,
No sight of beauty, no delightful scene
Shall ought avail; nor sun, nor sparkling stars
Shall yield one gentle, one propitious ray,
To gild the fatal dusk, or chear the soul.

Then let the sun of righteousness arise
With dawning light, and be the prospect clear
Beyond the dismal gulph; let darting beams
Of glory meet my view—Be hell defy'd,
On that triumphant day: O let me give
A parting challenge to infernal rage,
And sing salvation to the Lamb for ever!

SOLILOQUY XV.

Thou lovely object of my utmost hope,
Whate'er my soul stretch'd to its vast extent,
And wide capacity of bliss can grasp!
I would be from this moment free from all
Terrene delight, and joy in God alone.
Here I might still expatiate in the realms
Of boundless bliss, and drink the springs of life
Unsully'd at the native fountain head.

O thou that by a soft, but certain band
Of everlasting love hast drawn my soul;
Continue the attraction, bring me near,
Nor let us part for ever!—What words can paint

208

The horrors of that doom, that should divide
My soul from all its bliss? accurst division!
O be it ne'er my lot! Let dark oblivion
Extinguish this frail spark of entity,
Blot me, in mercy blot me from existence,
Rather than blot me from the book of life!

What pangs, what agonies would shake my soul
To take a last, a sad farewel of thee;
The rage of love, an everlasting fire,
Must prey for ever on the softest sense,
And feeling of the soul—Rather let loose
Thy mighty hand, and crush me into nothing;
At least efface thy image from my heart,
Those traces of an excellence divine.
Tormenting view! if ne'er to be enjoy'd,
Let me forget thee, and forget my self;
Lose all remembrance of thy favours past,
Nor e'er recal to mind those blissful hours,
Spent in a sweet communion with my God.

Should these transporting scenes return in view,
I sure shall curse my self, defy the saints
That in thy temple dwell, and see thy face:
Perhaps, this tongue (O emphasis of woe!
The lowest depth, the horror of damnation!)
Perhaps, this tongue urg'd with infernal rage,
With impious blasphemies may wound thy name;
That dear, adorable, transporting name,
That name imprinted on my inmost soul,
That now is all my joy, my final hope!

209

SOLILOQUY XVI.

Draw me, O draw me! then with eager haste
Unweary'd I shall run the sacred paths
Thy word directs; but if unmov'd by thee,
A lump of dull unanimated clay
As well might rise, and mean the lofty sky;
As well these cold, these senseless stones may wake,
May find a living voice, and call thee father.

I live, I move, but as thy quickning pow'r
Exerts itself, and animates my being;
And longer than thou draw'st, I cannot move.
For I am weak and vain, my nature sunk
From its primæval rectitude and grace,
Helpless and destitute of all that's good:
But thus I humbly cast my self on thee,
Imploring succour at thy gracious hands;
Imploring wisdom, to evade the wiles
Of my infernal foes, that hourly watch
My steps, to tempt them into fatal snares,
And labyrinths of darkness.—Take my hand,
And gently lead me in the dang'rous road
Of mortal life, this gloomy pilgrimage.
My great directing light, if thou withdraw
I wander, and inevitably perish.
And oh! 'tis endless ruin, deep perdition;
A loss (distracting thought!) a loss that ne'er
Thro' everlasting years can be repair'd;
The loss of God, and all the boundless joys,
Th' immortal rapture that his presence gives.

210

SOLILOQUY XVII.

Mine eyes have ne'er beheld, nor heart conceiv'd
The wonders of thy face; and yet unseen
Thou dost attract and raise my warmest love.
I live in thee, in thee alone am blest;
Thou art my darling thought; my soul exults,
It boasts in thee, and triumphs all the day.
That thou art happy gives me perfect joy;
I am at rest in thee—Let kingdoms sink,
Thou dost ordain their fall; or let them rise,
Thy pleasure is fulfill'd. Be thou supreme!
Be absolute!—I join my glad assent,
With all the prostrate angels round thy throne,
Unquestion'd be thy will! for thou art just,
And righteous all thy ways. Be thou ador'd
For ever in the heights of majesty!
Thy grandeur fills me with a just contempt
For all the pomp on earth; that thou art fair
(O how divinely fair!) gives fresh delight
And transport to my soul.—How I rejoice
To find thee still beyond similitude,
Still rising in superior excellence
To all the lovely things thy hands have made:
Ev'n seraphim in their immortal bloom
Those morning stars, the first-born smiles of heav'n
If once compar'd with thee, their brightest charms
Would fade away, and wither in thy sight.

211

SOLILOQUY XVIII.

I will not leave thee; bid me not be gone,
Repulse me not, for I will take no nay.
As thou dost live, I will pursue thee still,
Nor e'er let go my hold: I'm fix'd on this,
To wrestle with thee till I gain the blessing.
I cannot be deny'd; thy word is past,
'Tis seal'd, 'tis ratify'd; thou art oblig'd,
Engag'd, confin'd by thy own clemency,
And spotless truth, to listen to my call.

I come, I enter by the strength of faith
The holy place; thro' the atoning blood
I kneel, I humbly worship at thy seat:
My great request is to obtain thy grace,
Thro' my Redeemer's merits. Here's the way
By which I would approach thy sacred throne.
O let me never meet with a repulse,
While I invoke thee by that charming name;
That name in which is center'd thy delight,
That name which at thy own command I use;
Nor can it be in vain—Thy word is past;
Nor can'st thou vary, or deny thy self,
And change thy purposes, like fickle man.

The earth shall change her form, the shining skies
Shall lose their light, and vanish into shade;
But not a tittle of thy sacred word
Shall fail the hopes of them that rest on thee.

212

Be gone, ye impious, unbelieving fears!
I am a sinner, freely 'tis confest,
Unmeriting the least regard from thee;
But here the riches of thy grace will shine;
To thee immortal honour will arise,
When such a worthless wretch as I shall stand
Acquitted by an act of sov'reign will
Before thy gracious sight; cleans'd from my guilt
By a Redeemer's blood, that healing balm
For all the wounds within.—In heav'nly strains
My lips shall tell the story of thy grace;
Ages shall in a long succession roll,
While the blest theme employs my joyful tongue:
Unbounded gratitude shall swell my soul,
And all its nobler faculties enlarge.

SOLILOQUY XIX.

Vanish my doubts, and let me give the glory
Due to th' eternal name, by stedfast faith,
Hope against hope, believe above belief!
For he that said, is able to perform:
His word annihilates, his word creates;
And he can open the eternal stores,
And pour ten thousand blessings on my head.

Why should'st thou bound thy self? why should'st thou stay
The sacred byass of thy glorious nature?
For thou art love supreme, essential love.
Ev'n my unworthiness can be no bar.

213

Shall sinful man grow great by his offence,
And check the progress of almighty grace?
Shall dust and vanity obstruct the course
Of thy omnipotence, and spoil the boast
Of free, of absolute benignity?

Love is thy life, in its transcendent height
And full enjoyment; thy eternal thought,
In boundless wisdom, mark'd it as the end
Of all thy glorious works; and it shall rise
Triumphant and victorious over all
The obstacles that seem to check its course.

In this transporting, amiable form,
The mild, the gentle glories of thy nature,
Let me behold and meet thy gracious smiles:
Here I can triumph, here my hopes run high;
They know no bounds, but infinitely free
Grasp all a blest eternity contains.

SOLILOQUY XX.

O God of ages! view my narrow span,
Behold how short a period thou hast set
The limits of my life! how like a shade,
A passing cloud my vain existence flies!
Yet all my boundless hopes, my future views
For endless ages on this narrow span,
This little rivulet of time depend:
And oh! how fast the gliding current flows!
Nothing retards its everlasting course;

214

Ev'n now my hasty moments pass away,
For ever, O for ever they are gone!

I die with ev'ry breath; no calling back
The nicest point of all my vain duration,
'Tis past beyond retrieve!—but oh! there rest
Eternal things on this important point.
This span of life, this short allotted span
Is all I have to manage for the stake
Of an immortal soul; the glorious weight
Of heav'nly crowns and kingdoms are suspended,
And oh! if lost, can never be recalled.
This now, this fleeting transitory now,
Contains my all; and yet this awful truth
Sits lightly on my soul, and faintly moves
My drooping pow'rs to action.
Yet there's a strict account that must be made,
When the great day, the day of reck'ning comes.
The solemn hour draws nigh, nor sleeps my doom;
'Twill soon decide my everlasting state,
And no appeal will ever be allow'd.

SOLILOQUY XXI.

O thou! whose glorious, whose all-seeing eye
Marks all the dubious paths that lie before me;
Who from my mother's womb hast been my guide,
And led me thro' the various turns of life;
Conceal not now thy self in darksome shades,
But let me clearly know thy sacred will,
To guide me thro' the wild, uncertain scenes
Of mortal life, and let not hell deceive me:

215

For I am wholly thine; thou know'st I am
Devoted to thy fear. For this my soul,
Whose secrets thou canst tell, appeals to thee.
Oh! thou dost see my thought's most distant aims,
And art my glorious witness, how sincere,
How perfectly my will's resign'd to thine.

Behold me here attending thy commands,
With low submission oh! behold me here,
List'ning to catch the whispers of thy voice;
In humble silence I attend the sound,
And wait thy sacred orders.—O determine,
Determine all my steps, and mark my path!
For I am blind, and bent to vanity.
The pow'rs of hell conspire with my own heart
To lead me on to sin and fatal snares:
But leave me not in the last darksome tracks,
The closing part; let that be all serene;
Let that be spent in works of love and praise,
To fit me for the ecstacies above.

As the ascending sun new glories gains,
Till at bright noon he shines in full perfection;
Thus let me reach the highest point of virtue,
As far as frail mortality can rise:
Then let me set in glory, and in smiles.
Victoria let me sing: Be thine the crown,
Be thine alone, redeeming grace, the praise!

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SOLILOQUY XXII.

I have thy word, thou canst not call it back,
I have thy oath, by thy own glorious name
Attested and confirm'd—Lord, 'tis enough!
My unbelieving fears are all subdu'd.

God of my pious fathers! who didst set
Thy love on them, and chuse their worthless race;
Ev'n me, of all thy family the least,
To magnify thy own peculiar grace:
For thy prerogative is absolute,
And uncontroul'd thy will; whate'er has pleas'd
Thy own unerring counsel thou hast done.

O think on all thy kind and gracious words;
And what thy mouth hath spoken let thy hand
In ev'ry point fulfil, let nothing fail!
For thou art rich in grace, though I am poor
In merit, and can nothing claim from thee.
I dare not plead a debt; yet thou hast sworn,
Sworn by the glory of thy holiness,
That thou wilt not in any wise deceive me.
Thou all things canst; ev'n my unworthiness
Can be no bar, no obstacle to thee:
It is not what I am, but what thou art,
And what thy gracious influence can effect.

Can dust and ashes plead desert before thee?
The height of holiness and majesty
Can view no merit in the clay he form'd.

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But oh! what bounds has goodness infinite?
What limits shall almighty love confine?
Who works in all things as his counsel guides,
Mov'd by his own benignity; the spring,
The everlasting spring, from whence arise
All the bright schemes, and well-contriv'd designs
That love in its omnipotence could form.

Ye heights ineffable, ye wond'rous ways,
Ye glorious mysteries, ye trackless paths
Of the great sov'reign of the earth and skies;
Whate'er I am, whate'er I hope, thro' all
Futurity, in ev'ry blissful scene,
The fountain must be free, unbounded grace.

SOLILOQUY XXIII.

Lo here I stand divested of the world!
I give its empty glories to the wind:
Forsaking all that mortals covet here,
I come to thee, attesting thy great name,
That thou art singly in thy self my hope,
Renouncing all things else, my full delight.

Let me be banish'd to some place remote,
Where no created thing could give me joy:
Let me have sweet communion there with thee,
Breathe on me there the fragrance of thy love,
Those ever-blooming sweets, and let me hear
Immortal music, harmony divine
In thy transporting voice: Be this my lot,
And give the laughing world their jovial choice.

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How poor, how empty all its joys compar'd
To those sublime, to those exalted pleasures
That break upon my soul, when thou dost smile!

A time will come (O haste the blissful day!)
When I shall see thy lovely face unveil'd;
When these blest eyes shall recreate their views
With visions all divine, the dazzling scenes
Of uncreated excellence and light.

But now I love thee distant and unseen.
I feel a flame which these created things
In all their pride and studied elegance
Can never gratify; should they assume
The graces of the skies, the highest bloom
Of charms immortal, and unfading life;
Yet these are not my God.

Should angels open the eternal scenes,
And stand reveal'd before my wond'ring eyes
In all their pomp of splendor and perfection:
Or if beyond them there are fairer forms,
Beauties un-nam'd, and unreveal'd to men;
Where-e'er creation ends, the distance still
Is infinite from that for which I pine.

SOLILOQUY XXIV.

Where fly my wishes? what aspiring views
Are these that animate my tow'ring hopes?
What boundless aims does my ambition take?

219

'Tis God himself, the great eternal God,
That spread the heav'ns, and kindled all the lights
That roll on high, 'tis he is all my bliss!
My soaring thoughts can take no lower aim,
Thither alone my bold desires ascend.

Ye splendors unconceiv'd, ye joys unknown,
Ye sights that mortal ken has ne'er explor'd;
O when in dazzling pomp will you unfold
Your fair transporting prospects to my soul?
This low creation gives me no delight;
The brightest objects sicken on my sense.
The sun and stars emit their chearful rays
In vain: in vain to me the beauteous spring
Her blooming sweets diffuses thro' the air;
In vain her gay variety, her pomp
Of party-colour'd beauties she displays:
Nothing can recreate my drooping thoughts,
Or fill the boundless vacancy within.

When shall I close my eyes on mortal things,
And bid these dark, these guilty seats adieu?
Break from this prison, drop this hated chain,
And spring with full enlargement to my God?

SOLILOQUY XXV.

The solemn hour draws near, when I must stand
Before the holy, the tremendous judge
Of all the earth, whose quick, all-searching eye
Views all the dark recesses of my soul;
Those secret, those impenetrable deeps

220

To mortal search unknown, the close disguise,
The specious flatteries, whose soothing wiles
Impose, with fair delusions, on my thoughts.
I know not what I am; mistaken views
And partial judgment hide me from my self.

O thou that know'st my heart! disclose its depths,
Take off the specious, the deceiving mask,
And shew me to my self. I am undone,
If here mistaken, flatter'd and deluded
With empty hopes, and airy expectations:
An error here will prove eternal ruin,
Remediless despair—O gracious Lord!
Avert the sad presage, the fatal doubt;
Nor leave me in this comfortless suspense,
If I shall see thy glorious face in peace,
If I shall meet the beatific light,
And view that glorious vision all unveil'd,
If those bright hopes are not a vain delusion,
O seal the blissful, the transporting truth
With sacred demonstration to my soul;
Dispel these cruel, these tormenting doubts,
With one propitious ray! for oh! my care
Is of important weight; 'tis vast eternity,
'Tis boundless glory hangs on the event.

O could I know my worthless name is writ
Among the chosen race; that in the book.
Of life (transporting thought!) eternal love,
And sov'reign grace has mark'd my glorious lot!

221

Where-e'er thou giv'st, the blessing must be free
And undeserv'd; for who among the ranks
That shine about thy throne can plead desert?
Who has presented thee with benefits,
That he should proudly claim a recompence?

SOLILOQUY XXVI.

Sweet name of Jesus! in whose syllables
The animating pow'rs of harmony,
The soul of music dwells; thou shalt inspire
My sweetest numbers on the immortal strings,
The golden harps of heav'n—My only hope!
I have no other refuge from the storm,
No rock for shelter, no refreshing shade,
No calm retreat to rest my weary soul.

Thou Saviour of the sinful race of men!
For whom descending from the heights of glory,
From songs, from triumphs, and the loud applause,
The shoutings of ten thousand times ten thousand,
Myriads of shining hosts, thy bright adorers,
Thou deign'st to quit them all, and veil the form
Of radiant god-head in a cloud of flesh.

Yet hast thou seen the travail of thy soul,
The purchase of thy blood? or is that blood,
(Tremendous thought!) or is that blood prophan'd,
Thy grace rejected, and thy love despis'd?

222

Why shines the sun? why are the stars unseal'd?
Why spreads the moon her mild indulgent beams
To chear the midnight shades? Why keeps the spring
Her annual round, and with her vital sweets
Perfumes the seasons for a miscreant race,
Ungrateful and profane! that dares blaspheme
The awful God of nature, and of grace.

SOLILOQUY XXVII.

How slowly moves the sun? how dull the wheels
Of nature? Roll along, ye planets, fly
In shorter rounds, and measure out my day,
This tedious day, this interval of woe!

I wait with longing looks, and mark the skies,
As men impatient for the breaking morn.
This world has nothing worth a careless thought;
I have no treasure here, 'tis all above,
And there my heart in fix'd attention dwells.
With just disdain I cast a languid look
Around the vain creation; then repine
And half pronounce those various products evil,
Which God himself approv'd, and call'd them good:
Yet independent of the sov'reign bliss,
They yield no solace, give me no repose.

What have I here to hold my soul from thee?
To entertain me one short, fleeting hour?
I have no friend on earth, and none would have.
I'm grown a stranger here, my heart disowns

223

Acquaintance here; I'm sick of this vain world,
Its tiresome repetitions load my sense:
The sun's bright eye, in all its circuit, views
No equal entertainment, none to hold
My heart in these inhospitable realms.

Yet if I must a stranger here remain,
O condescend to visit these abodes,
And speak in frequent whispers to my soul!
Let me converse with thee, and hear thy voice;
Retir'd from men in some wild solitude
My hours would sweetly pass, nor seek delight
Beyond that heav'nly bliss; there I could rest
Superior to the turns of human things.

These eyes no more should view the impious ways
Of human race; these ears no longer hear
The daring blasphemies that loudly rage
Against that gracious mediating pow'r,
That keeps avenging thunder from their heads.

O let me die in peace, dismiss me hence!
I'm but a sojourner, a stranger here;
Wand'ring thro' darksome ways and gloomy wilds,
Beset with hellish snares, and oft betray'd
By a deceitful, treach'rous heart within:
Tir'd with perpetual toil I cast my eyes,
To yonder peaceful worlds, and long for rest.

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SOLILOQUY. XXVIII.

O thou whose wisdom leads the countless stars
In constant order thro' their shining course,
And sets the blazing sun his annual race!
All nature owns thy law; the raging winds,
And foaming billows in their swelling pride
Reluctant sink at thy commanding voice.

But I with prostrate homage at thy feet
Devote my will obsequious to thy sway.
I have no choice, no conduct, no design,
No wav'ring wish that I can call my own;
For I am wholly, absolutely thine:
And as the potter turns the ductile clay
Am I in thy almighty forming hands.
O thou canst mould and fashion ev'ry thought,
My passions turn, and make me what thou wilt:
Thy hand can trace the characters divine,
And stamp celestial beauty on my soul.

Creating Spirit, speak the potent word,
Let there be light! and cloudless day will rise.
Dispel the clouds of ignorance and sin,
Banish whate'er opposes thy designs
Of love and grace, and freely work thy will.

Conform'd to thee, the harmony divine,
My soul would find the most exalted bliss.
Were there no future hell, no penalties
To guard thy righteous laws; were there no heav'n

225

No sparkling crowns to recompence the just;
Yet would my thoughts approve thy pure commands,
And find exalted pleasure in the rules
Thy sacred word enjoins. Could I but reach
The rectitude I wish, in serving thee
I meet a full reward, and gain the first,
The great design for which I had a being:
I breath'd at thy command; and 'tis the boast,
The glory of my life, to live for thee.

SOLILOQUY XXIX.

My God, support me in that gloomy hour,
When nature droops, and death's impending shade
With fatal darkness hovers o'er my head;
When honour, pleasure, wealth, and mortal friends
Shall prove but empty names, unmeaning sounds
And lying succours to my fainting soul;
While hell with all its complicated rage
Shall raise its last effort to break my peace.

Rebuke the tempest then, and let thy voice
In gentle accents bid the storm subside;
And dart a beam of glory on my soul,
When shiv'ring on the darksome verge of life,
She trembles at the first uncertain step,
That sets her on the strange, eternal coast;
Where all is new, amazing and unknown,
Nor ever yet conceiv'd by human thought,
In all its energy and liveliest flights.

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Then be the shore or gloomy, or serene,
On which the spirit freed from earthly chains
Shall set her dubious foot to meet her judge;
Whose doom will be exact, impartial, just;
And oh! when past, unchangeable and fix'd.

Eternity! amazing dreadful word!
Eternity! in vain I would explore
Thy distant bounds; my wand'ring thoughts are lost,
I know not where to fix, 'tis all confusion.

SOLILOQUY XXX.

Almighty love, thou great mysterious theme,
What eloquence of man can talk of thee?
What thought has fathom'd thy eternal depths,
Or measur'd out thy lengths? What angel's wing
Has reach'd thy heights? What seraph's flowing song,
In all the pow'rs of heav'nly harmony,
Can paint thy charms, and to the ravish'd soul
Unfold thy beauties in their native light?

Thou art the splendor of the face divine,
The bliss of angels, the delight of saints,
The life, the triumph, and the happiness
Of him in whom the springs of joy remain.

O when with smiles ineffable, with looks
That dart eternal ecstasy and life,
And all the peace of paradise unfold,
Wilt thou, my God, shine on my raptur'd soul?

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When shall I meet their quick'ning influence,
And see that glorious vision all unveil'd?
The fairest copies of creating pow'r,
Where with transcendent art thy skilful hand
Has drawn bright beauty in her heav'nly prime,
Will fade before the splendor of thy face.

SOLILOQUY XXXI.

What shall I speak? how celebrate thy praise!
What language use to paint my gratitude?
The boldest words would poorly speak the sense
Of what my soul experiences within.

O how thou dost attract my warmest thoughts!
How am I lost to all delights, but those
That from thy love proceed! how vain this world,
How empty all its low delights, compar'd
To those divine, those pure, exalted joys,
That sparkle on my soul, when thou dost smile!

And yet I see but darkly thro' the cloud,
And catch a glimm'ring ray with eager eyes;
While thou dost keep the fuller glories back,
And hide the sacred splendor of thy throne.

O turn the veil aside! I can but die:
Shine out, and let the dazzling sight o'ercome
The pow'rs of nature—Thus I would expire,
Thus yield my spirit up in ecstasy.

228

If this must be deny'd; yet come, my Lord,
Let me have such communion with thee here,
As saints in holy raptures have enjoy'd;
Such as may kindle up the life divine,
Imprint the image of thy holiness,
And feed the heav'nly flame; 'till dead to sense,
And all the false attractions of the world,
I live alone completely blest in thee.

SOLILOQUY XXXII.

O let me shrink to nothing in thy sight,
And lay the boasts of nature at thy feet!
Be all my pride abas'd to lowest dust,
There lie whate'er my vanity calls worth.
Corruption, misery and guilt is all
I have to boast; this is indeed my own,
My rightful claim, my just inheritance.

But hence thy praise shall spring, thy glories rise:
My indigence shall raise thy triumphs high.
A wond'rous instance of forgivlng love,
In its divine magnificence display'd,
I shall for ever stand: for ever stand
A monument of free, unbounded grace,
That chose a wretch like me to show its pow'r;
That triumph'd in its own victorious strength,
O'er ev'ry opposition hell could raise.

How wond'rous are thy ways, almighty love!
How much above the narrow thoughts of men!
Lord, whence is this to me? to me, so vile,

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So guilty, so unworthy of thy grace?
When thousands pass unbridled to perdition,
O why am I thus graciously restrain'd?
'Tis thou hast done it by thy sov'reign right,
And who shall ask thee why?

What can I speak? I must be silent here,
Or lost in wonder, breathe imperfect sounds;
Yet read my thought, the gratitude, the praise
I would return—for human language fails.

SOLILOQUY XXXIII.

Blest Jesus! 'tis thy name to which I trust
My noblest interest, my superior hopes;
Thou covert from the storm, a hiding place
From the black tempest of avenging wrath!
I see my guilt, but this augments the debt
Of gratitude and love; I see my guilt,
But see it cancell'd by redeeming blood.

Transporting thought! how shall I speak my joy?
In what gay figures paint the ecstasy?
O may'st thou reign exalted and ador'd,
Ador'd on earth as in the highest heav'n!
With all the shouting myriads round thy throne
I join my grateful voice—Ye glitt'ring crowds,
Receive a mortal militant below
To your triumphant choir; with you I'll bless
My great Redeemer's name—transporting name!
'Tis graven on my heart, 'tis deep imprest,

230

Immortal is the stamp; nor life, nor death,
Nor hell, with all its pow'rs, shall blot it thence.

Thou joy of angels, the desire of nations,
The hope, the glorious hope of all mankind!
What shall I speak? what gentle language use,
When thou art my transporting tender theme?
The tongues of angels cannot reach a strain
Too solemn, too pathetic to express
The charming sentiments I feel for thee.

How dear thou art, how precious to my soul,
'Tis thou alone can'st tell—O fairer far
Than all thy wond'rous works! what excellence
Bears thy similitude? Thy father's image,
The plenitude, the brightness of his glory.
The eloquence of heav'n is far below
Thy worth; for thou art infinite perfection,
The fulness of the godhead dwells in thee.
Thine is the pow'r, the kingdom, and the glory;
All, all is thine in the high heav'ns above,
On earth, and in the deep.—May ev'ry tongue
In blessing thee be blest; may blessings fall
In torrents on their heads that plead thy cause;
Smile on their active piety and zeal,
Strengthen their hands, and fortify their hearts.
With peace divine and holy consolation.
Let them appear bright as the vig'rous sun,
When tow'ring from his clear, meridian height,
He sills the spacious firmament with glory.

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So let them prosper, while thy vanquish'd foes
In humble homage bow beneath thy feet.

From sea to sea be thy great empire spread,
And let the utmost isles thy glory see:
The eastern kings their incense then shall bring,
And sweet Sabæa's groves shall bloom for thee.

SOLILOQUY XXXIV.

Look down, with pity, gracious Lord, look down,
From thy unbounded heights of happiness,
On me a wretched, but a suppliant sinner.
Thy times are always; mine will soon be past,
And measur'd out; while thine are still unchang'd:
In boundless life, and undiminish'd bliss
Thou sitt'st secure; while all created things
In a perpetual motion glide along,
And ev'ry instant change their fleeting forms.

O be not slack to hear! my time is wing'd,
See how my sun declines! 'tis sinking fast,
And dying into darkness; the night is near,
The fatal night of death, when I shall sleep
Unactive in the damp and gloomy grave.

This is th' important hour, the hour of grace
And offer'd life; salvation hangs upon it.
Nor let my importunity offend thee,
'Tis now, 'tis now or never I must speed;
This day, this hour, this fleeting moment's more

232

Than I can boast, or truly call my own;
Ev'n now it flies—'tis gone—'tis past for ever!

But oh! the strict account I have to give
Remains uncancel'd; yet my pardon stands
Perhaps unseal'd, or not to me confirm'd.
Regard my anguish while I call aloud
For mercy, and a signal of thy love.
Before I die, O let my longing soul
Receive an earnest of its future bliss!

SOLILOQUY XXXV.

Be thou alone advanc'd!—If there's a thought
Of favour plac'd on me, let it be all
Devoted to the Lord. May'st thou stand high
In ev'ry heart, tho' I am wholly lost
In dark obscurity—Be thou advanc'd!
This is my noblest, my superior end,
My great design, my everlasting view.

O be thy interest safe, thy cause secure!
Whatever clouds hang on my future hours
I pass them all, thy sacred will be done!
I am of no importance to my self,
Be thou alone exalted! All my soul
Bows to thy grandeur, offers ev'ry thought
Of love and honour, friendship and esteem
To thee; whatever kind impression's rais'd
In any heart for me, let it be thine!

233

All glory be to thee! 'tis justly due;
Mine is but borrow'd at thy gracious hands;
My light is but a faint reflected ray,
From thee its sacred source—O may it guide
My soul with constant energy to thee!

Thou art my boast, my treasure, and my joy!
Content with thee, in solitary shades
I am at rest, nor miss the vain delights
This world can give, or with deceiving shews,
And lying visions, promise to my hopes.

Mine eyes have ne'er beheld, nor heart conceiv'd
The wonders of thy face; and yet unseen
Thou dost attract and raise my warmest love:
The cause is all divine, above the reach
Of reason's boldest and most daring flight.

SOLILOQUY XXXVI.

O fairest of ten thousand! whose bright smiles
Enlighten heav'n, and open paradise
In all its blissful and transporting scenes,
Vouchsafe me but a short, a transient glimpse
Of thy fair face, if I can gain no more.

Forgive the fond impatience of my heart,
Which dwells on thee, and has no other joy,
No entertainment in this lonesome world;
'Tis all a dismal emptiness to me.

234

Hence all ye clouds, ye separating shades,
Which hide his charming face! Ye days and hours
Dance on your speedy course, and let us meet!
Rise thou bright morning star, the joy of heav'n,
The beauty and the pride of paradise,
The bliss of angels, their eternal theme,
While in high transports they enjoy thy smiles!

I must talk on, the glorious subject warms
My wid'ning soul; I feel immortal life,
And taste the joys of heav'n—Thou art my heav'n,
The land of light and love, my fullest hope!
I have no other wish in all the round
Of endless years. Thou from the morning's womb
Hast still the dew, the fragrant dew of youth.
Eternal bloom sits smiling in thy looks,
Heav'n opens in the splendor of thine eyes,
And streams in torrents of eternal light.

Thy voice is music, harmony it self
In its transporting charms—Ye golden harps
Which angels tune, for ever silent lie;
Let me but hear my Lord's sweet, gentle voice,
Breathing celestial solace to my soul,
And peace ineffable, the peace of God.

SOLILOQUY XXXVII.

O Jesus! let eternal blessings dwell
On thy transporting name; let ev'ry tongue
In heav'n and earth conspire, above, below,

235

Where'er creation stretches out its bounds;
Let them with me unite to praise my King,
My Lord, my Life, my gracious Ransomer!
Who bought my soul from hell at the high price
Of his own sacred blood; amazing love!
Unutterable grace! Here let me fix
My soul in an eternal ecstasy.

Let me be wholly thine from this blest hour.
Let thy lov'd image be for ever present;
Of thee be all my thoughts, and let my tongue
Be sanctify'd with the celestial theme.
Dwell on my lips, thou dearest, sweetest name!
Dwell on my lips, till the last parting breath!
Then let me die, and bear the charming sound
In triumph to the skies.—In other strains,
In language all divine, I'll praise thee then;
While all the Godhead opens in the view
Of a Redeemer's love—Here let me gaze,
For ever gaze; the bright variety
Will endless joy and admiration yield.

Let me be wholly thine from this blest hour.
Fly from my soul all images of sense,
Leave me in silence to possess my Lord.
My life, my pleasures flow from him alone,
My strength, my great salvation, and my hope.
Thy name is all my trust—O name divine!
Be thou engraven on my inmost soul,
And let me own thee with my latest breath,
Confess thee in the face of ev'ry horror

236

That threat'ning death or envious hell can raise;
'Till all their strength subdu'd, my parting soul
Shall give a challenge to infernal rage,
And sing salvation to the Lamb for ever.

To him, my glorious Ransomer, I'll sing;
To him my heart shall gratefully ascribe
The crown of conquest, his unquestion'd right:
While list'ning angels pleas'd shall hear me tell
The wonders of his love, the strange event
Of his surprizing grace.—Transporting theme!
Where shall the song begin?—Turn back the rolls
Of vast eternity—still, backward still
The dazzling records turn—Where shall I find
The glorious point? where fix the shining date
When everlasting love design'd my bliss?

SOLILOQUY XXXVIII.

Thou who canst make a passage thro' the sea,
And find a way amidst the rolling waves;
Thou who canst open wide and none can shut,
Unfold the gates of brass! break all the bars
Of opposition! let the mountains sink,
And ev'ry valley rise to level plains!
Be darkness light, and let the smiling sun
Of righteousness, the bright, the morning star
Arise in all the glories of the Godhead!

Shine out, and let the clear distinguish'd rays
Convince thy proudest foes, and chear the hopes
Of those that love thee, love thee, tho' unseen;

237

Whose wounded ears now bear the loud reproach
Of thy insulting foes, whose fainting hearts
Bleed in the wide dishonours of thy name.

O rend the skies! divide the firmament!
Break the long standing pillars of the earth!
Let the hills tremble! let the forests flame,
To make thy greatness known! Be thou confest!
Be thou in full Divinity reveal'd!
And let the wreck of nature grace thy triumph!

Set open wide the everlasting gates!
Ye heav'nly arches, lift your heads on high,
And let the king of glory in the pomp
Of majesty ineffable descend!
The nations then shall own thee for their God,
And ev'ry tongue confess th' almighty judge.

When shall these eyes behold that welcome day,
That glorious, happy, long-expected period?
When shall my voice join with the gen'ral shout
Of nations, languages, and tribes redeem'd?
When shall I hail the triumphs of that day,
When thou shalt rise in the full heights of glory,
Darken the sun, confound the brightest star,
Blaze in the splendor of the Deity,
Thy Father's image perfectly exprest?

Then shall the loud, the universal shout,
'Tis finish'd! echo thro' the wide creation;
Loud triumphs sound, and hallelujahs ring,

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The glory, the dominion is the Lord's,
And God omnipotent shall reign for ever.

SOLILOQUY XXXIX.

Thy word is past, look on these sacred lines,
This heav'nly volume; here, great God, is writ
The records of thy truth, thy ancient works
The bright memorials of thy pow'r and love;
To thy immortal honour, to the joy
Of ev'ry saint, they stand collected here.

Confirm thy promis'd grace, which I have made
My boast, my triumph and peculiar aid.
O make me not asham'd! for I have spoke
With confidence undaunted for thy name,
Thy honour and approv'd veracity.
And now I come distrest, and looking round
On human helps in vain; these lying aids
Excite my scorn, I view them with contempt.
Counsel and wisdom, friendship's gentle voice
Is a deceitful sound: I dare not rest
Below the skies for guidance or protection;
On thee alone, and not on erring man
I cast my self: O kindly guide my steps
In all the paths of righteousness and peace!
On thee alone, the everlasting rock,
On thee alone I rest; my father's God,
My mother's early trust, to thee I look,
O let my soul rejoice, rejoice in God,
Boast in his truth, and triumph all the day

239

In his almighty name, and gracious aid!
Be his veracity and truth my song!

There is no help, no confidence below:
But who relies on thy almighty arm,
A sure defence shall find; who on thy word
Securely rests, shall never be deceiv'd.

Can the Most-High repent? can he recal
His sacred oath, and make his promise vain?
O that be far from thee, the truth divine,
Th' eternal rectitude, whose plighted word
Stands firmer than the basis of the earth!
And when its mighty pillars to the depth
Of their foundations sink, when yonder skies,
Grown old, shall crack thro' all their crystal orbs;
Thou undecay'd in endless equity,
In glory and unspotted truth shalt shine.

SOLILOQUY XL.

I call not you that on Parnassus sit,
And by the flow'ry banks of Helicon,
Circle your brows with fading coronets;
While some romantic hero you adorn
With lying epithets, and airy praise:
Or some fantastic lover's fate rehearse
In notes that with a soft, enticing art,
A charming, but pernicious magic draw
The chastest minds from virtue's sacred paths.

240

Too long inspir'd by these unhappy flames,
In rural shades I sung the boasted pow'r,
And own'd the false divinity of love;
Reclaim'd, no longer I your aid implore,
But you, celestial muses, I invoke.
Ye muses, who above the lofty sky
Sit crown'd with wreaths of never-fading light,
And on your silver lutes immortal songs,
Along the blissful streams that warbling flow,
With soft inimitable skill recite;
Assist me, while with an advent'rous flight
To everlasting glories I aspire;
While He, the first almighty cause with you
In flowing numbers I attempt to sing.
From him, like you, I took the vital ray,
Him, as the spring of my existence, praise;
Tho' not with you, his happier race, allow'd
To view the bright unveil'd divinity.
By no audacious glance from mortal eyes
Those mystic glories are to be profan'd:
Yet safely we may in reflection meet
His scatter'd beams, and find in all his works
The God in shining characters imprest.

I trace him round me now with vast delight,
Among the lavish springs that proudly roll
Their silver riches o'er the painted meads:
Here spreading into broad transparent lakes,
Smooth as the face of heav'n they silent flow;
The sparkling sun the beauteous surface gilds,

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Which double glory to the sky reflects:
Here under close impending shades they creep,
And roll along complaining to their shores.
The verdant meadows, and extended plains,
In all their pride and springing beauties drest,
The winding valleys and ascending hills,
The mossy rocks, the bow'rs and lofty groves,
The ev'ning close, and chaunt of various birds,
The sportive wind, and softly whisp'ring breeze,
Consenting all acknowledge thou art far
More lovely and surpassing fair than they.

Thy glory in her silent course the moon,
And nightly lamps in their obscure sojourn,
The morning star with its bright circlet crown'd,
And early blushes of the day reveal.

The circling sun thy glory manifests;
Whether ascending from the eastern wave,
With glancing smiles he chears the dewy fields;
Or mounted to the zenith's lofty height,
He blazes with transcendent glory crown'd;
Or down the steep of heav'n he rolls amain
And ends his flaming progress in the sea;
From east to west thy greatness he proclaims,
And thro' his radiant kingdoms spreads thy praise.

Thou rid'st upon the wild, tempestuous wind,
And flying storms obey thy pow'rful voice;
Sublime on clouds thy dark pavilion's set,
With shades and gloomy majesty involv'd.

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Thy hands the pointed lightnings lance around,
While peals of thunder shake the firmament:
At thy approach the kindling forests smoke,
And from their base the trembling mountains start;
The rivers ebb and flow at thy command,
Observe their wonted course, or run reverse;
At thy rebuke the frighted waves divide,
And with stupendous motion backward roll
Their crystal volumes to their inmost springs.

Thou all things canst—thy mighty mandates heard,
Necessity and nature are no more;
Th' obedient elements dissolve their league,
And wonderful effects attest the God.

Thus far we trace thee by unerring lights,
But what thou art beyond is still unknown;
We launch in vain into the deep abyss,
Thro' vast infinity thou fly'st our search.

SOLILOQUY XLI.

Ye lagging months and years, take swifter wings,
And bring the promis'd day, when all my hopes
Shall be fulfill'd; when that resplendent face,
Which yonder folding clouds conceal, shall dawn
With everlasting smiles, smiles that inspire
Immortal life and undecaying joy.
Blest period! why art thou so long delay'd?

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O stretch thy shining wings, and leave behind
The lazy minutes in their tedious course!

I call in vain; the hours must be fulfill'd,
And all their winding circles measur'd out;
In grief and wild complaints I yet must wait
The day, and tell my sorrows to the winds;
Forlorn I thro' the gloomy woods must stray,
And teach the murm'ring streams my tender theme:
The woods and streams already know my grief,
And oft are witness to the mournful tale;
While the pale moon in silent majesty
Her midnight empire holds, and all the stars
In solemn order on her state attend.

Thou moon, I cry, and all ye ling'ring stars,
How long must you these tedious circles roll!
When shall the great commission'd angel stay
Your shining course, and with uplifted hand
Swear by the dread unutterable name,
That time shall be no more?

Then you no more shall turn the rolling year,
Nor lead the flow'ry spring, nor gently guide
The summer on with all her various store;
Great nature then thro' all her diff'rent works
Shall be transform'd, the earth and those gay skies
Shall be no more the same! A brighter scene
Succeeds, and paradise in all its charms
Shall be renew'd; but far the blissful state improv'd,
And fit for minds to whom the mighty maker

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Shall give the glorious vision of his face,
Unveil'd and smiling with eternal love.

O infinite delight! my eager soul
Springs forward to embrace the promis'd joy
And antedates its heav'n. The lightsome fields,
And blissful groves are open to my view,
The songs of angels and their silver lutes
Delight me, while th' Omnipotent they sing.
On all his glorious titles long they dwell,
But love, unbounded love, commands the song;
Their darling subject this, and noblest theme.
Here let my ravish'd soul for ever dwell,
Here let me gaze, nor turn one careless look
On yonder hated world, here let me drink
Full draughts of bliss, and bathe in boundless floods
Of life and joy, here let me still converse.

It cannot be! mortality returns.
Ye radiant skies, adieu! ye starry worlds,
Ye blissful scenes, and walks of paradise!
I must fulfil my day, and wait the hour
That brings eternal liberty and rest.

Yet while I sojourn in this gloomy waste,
And trace with weary steps life's doubtful road:
Permit me, ye gay realms, permit me oft
To visit you, and meditate your joys.
Whether my part in this great theatre
Be joyous or severe, let the fair hopes,
The charming prospect of eternal rest

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Be present with my soul, mix with my joys,
And soften all my intervals of grief.

SOLILOQUY XLII.

I will not let thee go without a blessing;
By thy great name I enter my protest
Never to leave thee, till I see thy word
Accomplish'd to my vows, till thou with full
And cloudless demonstration to my soul
Reveal thy promis'd grace—Regard my sighs,
My secret pantings to be near to thee!
Wilt thou for ever fly my earnest search,
Shut out my pray'r, and keep this painful distance?

Where is the obstacle, the fatal bar,
The curst partition, that divides my soul
From all its joys? 'Tis sin, detested sin!
From hence arise these separating clouds,
These sullen shadows that conceal thy face,
And darken all the prospect of my bliss.

But thou the fair, the bright, the morning star,
Canst with thy darting glories chase these shades,
And break the thick, the complicated night.
In great forgiveness thou wilt raise thy name;
And much forgiven, I shall love thee much,
And stand a glorious instance of thy grace:
Where sin abounds, its lustre shall abound.
My grateful heart and tongue to praises tun'd,
Shall tell with transport the amazing heights
Of love, of wisdom, of redeeming grace.

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Jesus! my only hope, my advocate,
My gracious mediator, O defend
My trembling guilty soul, from all the storms
Of wrath divine! be thou a hiding place,
A covert from the wind, a safe retreat
From all the terror of avenging pow'r,
And justice infinite! Thy blood can cleanse
My deepest stains, and purify my soul
From all its native, and contracted guilt:
In that clear fountain of immortal life
Let me be cleans'd and throughly sactify'd.
I come a helpless, miserable wretch,
And throw my self, and all my future hopes
On mercy infinite; reject me not,
Thou Saviour of the sinful race of men!

University of Virginia Library

Devout Soliloquies. In blank verse.

SOLILOQUY I.