Poems on several subjects

CHILD.
I pray, Sir, give me leave to ask
Some things I cannot know;
And be so kind, if that you can,
All these unto me show.

COMPANION.
Say on, my child; I'll venture on the task;
I love it well to hear young children ask.

CHILD.

How came this world at first to be?
Or, who could reach so far,
As to fix up these heavens above,
The sun, moon, and each star?

291

Who made the mountains and the hills,
The rivers and the sea?
And whereof can all things be made
That round about us be?

Sure, they have been exceeding strong,
And also very high,
That could perform so great a work,
And reach up to the sky.

And whereupon are all things set?
How can they be upborn?
How runs the sun till it go down?
And how does it return?

Yet, tho' they were strong men and high,
That all these things have made;
How came they at the first to be?
Sure, they beginning had.

COMP.

My dearest child, those questions you propound
Such in your age to ask are rarely found:
And I am glad to solve you as I can,
In plainest terms, that you may understand.

There is a God who made all things of nought;
Which may indeed non-plus your tender thought:
But this great God no man can comprehend,
Who was, and is, and will be without end.
He of his goodness, by his word, made known
To us, that he these mighty works hath done:
That book we call the Bible is his word,
In which we have a very true record
Of all things needful for us here to know;
And 'twill an answer to your questions show.
There he declares, when he but spoke, and said,
“Let all things be,” then all things Being had;
And that it was his sacred will to take
Six days exactly every thing to make;

292

Such is his great Almighty Power, that he
Of nothing made all round us that we see:
Sun, moon and stars, he gave command to know
Their nat'ral courses, how and where to go:
And as you wonder whereon all things stand,
My dearest child, you ought to understand,
That the same pow'r, who gave them Beings all,
Supports and holds them that they cannot fall.

CHILD.
Oh wonderful! but God is great!
But yet how can it be,
That no beginning he has had?
Seems very strange to me.

COMP.

No wonder, tho' this seem most strange to thee;
For nat'ral men could ne'er that myst'ry see:
Philosophers, with all their nat'ral light,
Could ne'er conceive the world's beginning right;
Neither did their conjectures well agree,
For none can know't but by divinity.

Some thought that all things, at beginning, were
From earth itself; and other some from air;
And some from simples, some compounds, would have
All things at first; some, numbers did conceive
To be the first beginning of creation;
And some from atoms fetch their generation,
And some from fire; others the world to be
In its duration from eternity.

But God himself hath by his word made known
That He's the great Original alone:
Let this suffice us, since to search him more
Unlawful is; but let us him adore;
For if we trace him farther than he hath
Reveal'd himself, and wrought in us by faith,
We lose ourselves in that abyss of thought,
And our ideas dwindle down to nought.

293

Let us admire and still adore what we
Can never comprehend, nor fully see;
And so believe what he to us doth show:
And after death we more of him shall know.

CHILD.
What means your saying, After death
We more of him shall know?
Can we have knowledge after death,
When unto dust we go?

COMP.
But, my dear child, altho' our bodies may
Go to the grave, and into dust decay;
Yet we have all souls, that can never die
Thro' all the ages of eternity.

CHILD.
What is the soul? what is its shape?
From whence did it proceed?
Where goes it when our bodies die,
For ever to abide?

COMP.
My child, our souls by God created were,
And came from him into our bodies here:
Its form and shape no mortal man can tell;
But, when we die, it goes to heav'n or hell.

CHILD.
Where are those places, heav'n and hell,
To which, you say, they go?
Or is there in them light and joy,
Or darkness, grief and wo?

COMP.
Heav'n is above, and far beyond the sky;
Light shines in it, and joy eternally:

294

Hell is beneath, in the profoundest deep;
And all in it with torment groan and weep.

CHILD.
What causes joy in heav'n to be?
Or what in hell gives pain?
Or why do souls chuse to go there?
Or, when there, to remain?

COMP.

In heav'n all pure, untainted pleasures are;
For God himself, the chiefest good, is there:
There is his throne which angels bright surround,
With golden harps his praises still they sound;
There the redeem'd are made both priests and kings,
And still the praise of their Redeemer sings,
All shining as so many stars of light:
Nor have they any intervals of night;
Of sun nor moon to shine they have no need,
For from God's glory all their light proceed,
That far surpass ten thousand times our day,
When Sol shines bright in his meridian ray:
There all that can immortal souls solace
Is to be found in that most blessed place;
A thousand years is there scarce thought a day,
Such happiness God doth in it display.

But lo! in hell, Satan and his black crew
Their dreadful groans with torments still renew:
With them the souls of unbelievers go
Down to that place of never-ending woe;
There, press'd with loads of divine wrath, they ly,
For ever dying, yet can never die:
There horror, darkness, and all mischief meet,
To make the miseries of the damn'd compleat:
No way is left how they in peace may be;
For death still meets them wheresoe'er they flee.

295

CHILD.
Who are they that believers are?
And angels, who are they?
And their Redeemer, who is he
That's praised as you say?
And who is Satan and his crew?
I pray you to me tell
Who unbelievers are, and damn'd,
That have their part in hell?

COMP.

Believers are those that believ'd the truth
Of their Redeemer from God's sacred mouth,
Which is reveal'd in his most holy Word,
That by his grace we have upon record.

Angels are these bless'd spirits that were made
To serve God e're this world beginning had.

To tell you who the great Redeemer is,
That brings his people to that place of bliss;
He's the eternal son of God, and he
Became a man, and for their sins did die.

Satan, as said is, and his cursed crew,
Were angels that thought heaven to subdue.
Satan himself the highest angel was
Of all so many chiefest and most fair;
Ambitious pride he entertain'd, whereby
He thought at last to equal the Most High;
Drew many thousands of inferior rank
To join with him in this rebellious prank:
But the Almighty soon perceiv'd their aim,
And down to hell in fury tumbled them.

The unbelievers and the damn'd are one
And the same people that to hell is gone,
Because they slighted mercy in their day,
And unto God would not for mercy pray.

296

CHILD.
But pray, Sir, tell me, if you can,
If these men did rebel
Against the Lord, in Satan's plot,
That they are sent to hell;
And why are some, as you have said,
From that dire place redeem'd,
While those who once were angels, yet
By God are not esteem'd?

COMP.

Man was not made when Satan did rebel,
And for his trespass was turn'd down to hell;
But afterwards God made the human race,
On purpose to fill up their empty space.
But to describe the story of man's fall
Will take long time: but yet, my child, I shall,
To satisfy you so far as I can.
And so, at first, God made one single man,
Both soul and body, like to you and me,
And will'd him to increase and multiply;
And for that end God made a woman fair,
And gave to him: and bad them have a care
To keep the laws that he prescrib'd to them;
And if they did continue without blame,
After sometime he would translate them from
That place, and bring them unto heaven home.

“But if (said he) you do what I forbid,
“I'll punish you as I the angels did:
“Free will they had to stand or fall; and lo,
“Satan soon wrought their dismal overthrow.”

But God's great goodness and free sov'reign choice
Saves some from hell to heav'n's eternal joys:
The angels sin'd, without temptation, sure,
And must for ever punishment endure;
But man was tempted; yet 'tis God's free grace
That ever sav'd one of the human race.

297

CHILD.
Pray be not angry, and I'll beg
One favour more of you;
That is, the way how we are sav'd
More plainly to me shew.

COMP.

My child, I shall before I go
An answer to your question show,
And plain, but briefly as I can,
Describe God's covenants with man.

When man at first, as I have said,
Was by his great Creator made,
He plac'd him in a garden fair,
Where he had all things necessar'
To make him happy in this life,
Except it was one thing—a wife.
For when the creatures of each kind
Were brought to him, he could not find,
Among them all, a social mate
To suit his nature and estate:
Wherefore the great Creator made,
Him soundly sleep, as he'd been dead,
And took a rib out of his side,
Whereof he made a lovely bride:
An helper meet, a woman fair,
And brought her unto Adam there.

Then Adam said, “This is my bone,
My flesh and blood, we both are one:
Hence let all men that come to life
Leave all their friends, and take a wife.”

Then said the great Creator, “Lo,
I've made you happy persons two:
I give you pow'r; you I command
To multiply, and fill the land:
I give you sovereignty
O'er all things in the earth and sea;

298

Only one thing I want of you,
And that is a superior's due,
Whate'er my will is to command,
You'll not rebelliously gainstand:
Wherefore I give you leave to eat
Of all this garden's fruits for meat;
Only one tree I do design
To keep, because the right is mine;
Wherefore if you shall eat the same,
I here do solemnly proclaim
You and your whole posterity
Shall for the same for ever die:
Therefore free-will I give you here,
Either to eat or to forbear;
Still to retain your innocence,
Or show your disobedience;
Thereby t'incur my wrath for ever,
From which none else can thee deliver.
Chuse what you think is best; and so
In happiness I leave you two.”

Thus when the great Creator had
This covenant with Adam made,
Adam consented thereuntil,
And promis'd to obey his will:
When God had giv'n them good advice,
He left them both in paradise.

But Satan, as I said before,
Who still doth like a lion roar,
Ay seeking whom he may devour,
Envying the lovely happy pair,
Straight to seduce them did prepare:

The serpent was a subtil beast
By nature; and he thought it best
Therein to enter, that he might
Thereby at first seduce their sight,
And gain upon their outward sense,
To violate their innocence.

299

So when the woman did repair
Near by the tree, to take the air;
Satan, in shape of serpent, came,
And up the tree straightway he clamb;
Pluck'd off the fruit, began to eat,
And said, “This is delicious meat.”

The woman, wond'ring all the time,
Supposing that it was a crime
He had committed, said, “Base elf!
How can you thus destroy yourself?
Sure you and your posterity
Must for this crime for ever die
Our great Creator said we should
Be free to eat all that we would,
Excepting this one single tree,
Which by his great supreme decree
He hath forbid, on penalty
That if we eat thereof, we die.”

Then Satan said, “Great noble queen,
You with your eyes have fairly seen
How that I, who inferior are,
Below your nature very far,
Am free to eat whate'er I please,
Without ought to molest my ease;
Then why should you be thus confin'd,
More than the brute inferior kind?”

The woman said, “I cannot say,
But freely we ought to obey
Our sovereign great Creator, who
All good things on us doth destow.”

Then Satan said, “I grant, 'tis true
Obedience is a sovereign's due,
As we the creatures yield to you:
But your Creator doth impose
On you, and leads you by the nose;
For well he knows if you should eat
This fruit, you would be wise and great;

300

For see, great queen of the creation,
What great and sudden alteration
That fruit hath wrought on me a brute,
Who all my life before was mute:
Now I by virtue of this choice,
Can speak, you see, with human voice.
Now what great influence, think ye,
Would it not have on such as thee?
I can assure you from the sense
I have of my experience,
It would make you as gods to know
Both good and evil, and would show
What politics your Maker did
Intend when he did you forbid.”

With these, and such like flatt'ring tales
He on her innocence prevails:
So that she said, “Mine eyes, behold
The fruit looks beautiful as gold;
Yea, since it hath so chang'd this beast,
I'll try its virtue and its taste.”

With that she pluck'd and eat also;
Straight to her husband she did go,
Gave him thereof; so likewise he
Did eat of that forbidden tree.

No sooner had they broke this law,
Than they themselves both naked saw;
And were asham'd when they did hear
The voice of God did reach their ear;
And hid themselves among the boughs,
For fear that he would them accuse:
For he who knows all that is done
Above, yea and below the sun,
He knew it instantly, that they
Had from his precepts gone astray.
So, coming to the garden, he
Cry'd, “Adam, Adam, where are ye?”
But when they heard the voice of God
Reach to the place of their abode,

301

A terror seiz'd their guilty hearts,
And like two hares affrighted starts
Up from the covert where they lay,
Their great Creator to obey.
When he call'd, “Adam, where art thou?”
Poor Adam did before him bow,
All prostrate on the ground; and said,
I'm naked, Lord, and was afraid,
When I thy dreadful voice did hear,
Before thy presence to appear.”

The great Creator said, “Who told
Thee thou art naked? Wast thou bold
To take and eat of that one tree
Which I at first deny'd to thee?”

Then Adam said, “The woman, who
Thou gav'st to me, did from me go,
And took and eat, and to me gave,
Which I confess I did receive.”

The Lord God said unto the woman,
“Had'st thou not all the fruits in common?
Why didst thou touch or taste this tree?”
Said she, “The serpent cheated me.”

Th'Almighty to the serpent said,
“Because thou hast man thus betray'd,
Above all creatures thou art curs'd,
And all thy life eat nought but dust;
Upon thy belly thou shalt go,
For a perpetual mark of wo;
Betwixt the woman's seed and thee
I'll put a lasting enmity;
Thy head it shall his bruises feel,
But thou indeed shalt bruise his heel.”

Unto the woman next he said,
“Thy sorrows shall be multiply'd
In thy conception, and in birth
With sorrow shalt thou still bring forth;
And thy desire shall always be
Towards thy husband ruling thee.”

302

Then unto Adam did he say,
“Because thy wife you did obey,
The ground is cursed for thy sake;
Henceforth it shall be poor and weak,
Its strength to thee it shall not yield,
And thou shalt eat herbs of the field;
With sorrow, toil, and sweat of face
Thy daily bread thou shalt purchase,
Till thou return again to dust,
From whence thou taken wast at first.”

Yet notwithstanding of their sin,
The Lord God made them coats of skin,
And clothed them; but drove them from
Sweet paradise, their native home;
And cherubims he plac'd to wait
The entry of the garden gate,
And a great flaming sword, that went
Each way, their access to prevent
Towards the tree of life, lest they
Should eat thereof, and live alway.

Thus they, and their posterity,
Involved were in misery;
Depriv'd the presence of their God,
And left to range the world abroad,
Not knowing where or how to live;
And beasts, that did obedience give
To them before, rebelled now,
And man as prey they would pursue;
The lion, tyger, wolf and boar
Them greedily they would devour.
Besides corruption seiz'd them so,
And did like poison thro' them go,
Still rip'ning on apace, till they
Return'd to their origin, clay.

But Adam he some comfort had,
From what his great Creator said
When he the serpent did accuse,
To wit, that woman's seed should bruise

303

The serpent's head, and man should feel
The serpent's bruises in his heel.

Thus Adam by reflection knew
That God to them would mercy shew;
For God, by secret inspiration,
Gave him an ample revelation
Of all things afterwards should be
Concerning his posterity:
By this he came to apprehend
That myst'ry none can comprehend.
That there's one God, yet persons three
In that same very Godhead be,
To wit, the Father and the Son
And Holy Ghost, yet all in one.
That God was from eternity,
And will the same for ever be;
That he is present every where,
And sees at once all things that are;
That he's infinite in his pow'r,
The Maker, and the Governor
Of all and ev'ry thing that be,
Above, below, heav'n, earth and sea,
His works and providence declare;
All's attributes infinite are:
His wisdom, pow'r and holiness,
And justice, truth and great goodness;
These divine attributes he saw
Implead each other, as at law:
Each advocate his client's right
Did vindicate with all his might.

For Justice, he insisted on
The truth of God, and it alone.
“Since God hath said, who cannot lie,
If man shall sin, then shall he die;
Now man hath sinn'd, then let him go
To hell t'endure eternal wo.”

Then Goodness said, “Can mercy now
Bring no relief man to rescue?

304

Must he and his posterity
All in hell's flames for ever ly?”

Said Holiness, “I do abhor
All Sin, and therefore can no more
Admit of mankind in my sight,
Since he my holy laws did slight.”

Wisdom, who heard them all the while,
Did with compassion sweetly smile;
Said, “Justice must be satisfied,
And Holiness too dignified,
The sinner sav'd, and man set free
From hell and endless misery.”

This did astonish the creation,
To hear such news of consolation:
But how it could be brought about
No finite being could find out.
Thus Adam he was made to see,
That God, from all eternity,
Foresaw man's fall, and its effect;
And that he certain did elect,
And chus'd to be redeem'd from wrath,
And effects of the second death.

The great and glorious Trinity,
As they are One, did all agree:
The Father, he did condescend
Into the world his Son to send
In form and nature of a man,
Because that Justice did demand
The nature that hath sinn'd must die,
The truth of God to verify.

The Son consented thereunto,
In all things he would have him do:
Thus was the covenant agreed
Betwixt them, and determined.

The Father promis'd to the Son
Support till all his work was done:
The Son, upon the other part,
Engag'd from's glory to depart,

305

Become a man, and suffer all
Due to the elect by the fall.

So some in ev'ry generation
Of this had clearer revelation,
Until th'appointed time drew near,
That Christ the Son was to appear.

CHILD.
That in the Godhead there should be
Three persons, yet but one,
Seems very wonderful to me.
And hard to think upon.

COMP.

My dearest child, as I have said before,
This is a myst'ry wherein none should pore.
We must believe what in his word he shows;
For there's no creature this great myst'ry knows:
The persons of the glorious Trinity
Were Three in One from all eternity.

The Father's pers'nal property alone
Is that he only doth beget the Son;
The Son's to be begotten of the Father;
The Holy Ghost is to descend from either:

And, in that wond'rous method of salvation,
Each of the Three stands in their own relation;
For God the Father did contrive the way
Of man's salvation, Wisdom to display;
The Son did purchas't at th'expence and loss
Of his own blood and life upon the cross;
The Holy Ghost applies the same to those
Whom God from all eternity had chose.

CHILD.
God, as you say, who sees all things
Past, present and to come,
Knew those that would do good or ill,
That made him chuse but some.

306

COMP.
No, it was neither foreseen good nor ill
Of any one that moved him theretill,
But his own free and gracious sov'reign will:
For ever since the first man Adam fell,
All men are guilty, and so heirs of hell;
Guilty so soon as to the world we come;
And therefore not the foreseen good of some;
For no man lives and sinneth not: and ev'n
The best of men cannot lay claim to heav'n;
For none are sav'd but by free sov'reign grace,
And who by faith do Jesus Christ embrace.

CHILD.
Why may not all believe and him embrace,
And so all sav'd, as you have said, by grace?

COMP.
None can believe so as to go to heav'n,
But those to whom the grace of faith is giv'n.
Though God requires of us that we believe,
And for our sins that we repent and grieve,
Those are conditions on our part, if we
Unto God's covenant of grace agree;
Yet wrought in us by God's most holy Spirit,
Abstracting from our own desert or merit;
Yea he works in us both to will and do
Of his good pleasure, and renews us too
In ev'ry part, and turns our hearts from evil,
And frees us from the bondage of the devil,
From sin, and from our own corruptions all,
When he doth us effectually call.

CHILD.
What you have said, Sir, I approve;
And I admire God's grace and love

307

In saving some, as you have said,
That no good thing about them had.
But tell me, Sir, doth't not appear
That God is some way too severe,
In making creatures some to be
Doom'd to eternal misery?

COMP.
God is supreme; “None can, or yet dare say,
Unto him, Why or what dost thou? or stay
His hand from working; when, or where he pleases,
He puts down one, another up he raises.”
Since ev'ry man from Adam did descend,
All are partakers of that sin he sinn'd:
He was our head and representative;
As he behav'd we were to die or live;
For if the fountain be corrupt, be sure
The streams thereof they never can be pure.
If he in innocence had persever'd,
We of that happiness had also shar'd:
Most just 'tis then, since he has sinn'd, that we
Should be partakers of the misery.

CHILD.
But, Sir, I have some scruple yet,
With rev'rence: I suppose
That God is wond'rous good to all
He for his elect chose:
But still something appears to me
That's cruel and unkind,
Concerning these poor miscreants
That he hath left behind:
Can love and goodness pleasure take
Those creatures to torment,
For ever to eternity,
And not at all relent?

308

COMP.

Though God is good and merciful, yet he
Is also just; and therefore cannot be
Said to be cruel, though he never had
Sav'd one of all the human race he made.

Crimes in proportion punish'd are as they
Committed are 'gainst great or lesser sway;
So man sinn'd 'gainst Infinite Majesty,
And must be punish'd too infinitely:
Besides, if sinners should for ever live,
Still they would sin, and God's good Spirit grieve;
And ev'n in hell they curse, blaspheme and roar
Against that God whom saints in heav'n adore;
Most just it is they should for ever ly
In hell, and suffer to eternity.

CHILD.
But why might not Almighty God,
By his infinite pow'r,
Establish man, when he was made,
From sin and death secure?

COMP.
Because 'twas not according to his will;
For what he pleases that he does fulfil:
Besides, his glorious attributes had not
Been so display'd, nor he such praise had got.

CHILD.
But ah! methinks the curses he
Shall get by those in hell,
Will counter-balance all the praise
By these in heav'n that dwell.

COMP.
Child, you mistake it: tho' the damn'd in hell
Shall howl, and cry, curse, roar, blaspheme, and yell;

309

Yet they can blame none but themselves for all
The miseries that ever them befal.

CHILD.
Dear Sir, I pray make this appear;
For that's the thing I long to hear.

COMP.

Child, read the scriptures, and you'll find
Enough to satisfy your mind:
There you will see, since Adam fell,
God had a church on earth to dwell;
And all that would come in were free,
Tho' sinners ne'er so great they be.

Abel was humble, wise and good;
But Cain vicious was and rude;
Instead of joining with his brother,
He slew him, and his blood did smother;
So that he was without excuse,
When God to punish him did chuse:
Enoch he walk'd with God, and did
The wickedness of men forbid;
And did emit a prophecy,
That they for sin should judged be;
Yet they no warning took, and so
Without excuse to hell did go.

Noah again, when wickedness
Grew rampant, preached righteousness
Six score of years, and warned all
A flood upon them was to fall;
Yet they no warning took, till they
Were by the deluge swept away.

Next Abraham, he did not chuse,
When God did call him, to refuse;
But when God call'd him, forth he went,
Not knowing where to pitch his tent;
Submissive unto God's command,
He sojourn'd in a foreign land;

310

While those he left behind did chuse
Their old idolatry to use:
So that excuse they could have none,
When they by God were overthrown.

Lot, vex'd in Sodom ev'ry day,
Did often them beseech and pray
To leave the place, repent and turn,
Before God did their city burn:
But yet no argument could gain
On them, to make them sin refrain;
Till by experience they found
Themselves by fire and brimstone drown'd.

Isaac in midst of heathens led
A pious life; and all he had
Was bless'd therefore with good success,
That all around him might confess,
That if they had led such a life,
As honest Isaac and his wife,
For ever happy they had been;
But no excuse they had to screen
Them from the punishment of sin,
Since they in no ways would come in.

When Jacob was oblig'd to fly
From wicked Esan's tyranny,
God so remarkably him bless'd,
That Laban he himself confess'd,
That while he lodging there did take,
He found God bless'd him for his sake:
So that when men of common sense
Could learn this by experience,
And yet would not religious be,
Without excuse be sure they'll see
God's righteous judgments on them fall,
Who would not hearken to his call.

Esau had opportunity
A devout holy man to be;
Good education and example,
Altho' he on the same did trample,

311

Both from his father and his mother,
And also from his younger brother:
But all for nought, it was in vain,
He turned graceless and profane,
Despis'd his birth-right, good refus'd,
So that he cannot be excus'd.

Joseph was tempt'd to be unjust,
To satisfy his mistress' lust;
Yet would he not yield thereunto,
For all that she could say or do:
So, when she could not gain her end,
Revenge on him she did intend.

There is no doubt this good man had
The ill of sin before her laid;
So that she no excuse can frame,
Altho' she fry in endless flame.

Moses was sent by God's command
To Pharoah king of Egypt's land,
To fetch his people thence, that they
Might serve their God and him obey:
But the hard-hearted tyrant slew
Their males, and did no mercy shew;
And when that Moses him besought,
And many signs and wonders wrought,
Pharoah, still hard'ned, still denied,
Until all the first born died;
And tho' he was convinc'd that all
The judgments that on him did fall
Were purely God's Almighty hand,
Yet his good-will he did withstand;
So he none but himself can blame,
Tho' he's condemned to endless flame.

And many more examples be
That in the scriptures you may see,
That God is good, and just, and holy,
And men themselves to blame are wholly.

312

CHILD.
But one thing, Sir, before you go
You'll be so kind as to me show;
And that is, what religion I
Shall chuse, and also which deny.

COMP.

My child, religions there's no more
In all the universe but four;
And that's Mahomet', Pagan, Jew,
And Christian lastly; that's for you:

For there's no name in earth or heav'n,
Nor yet among men, that is giv'n,
By which we can be sav'd, 'tis plain,
But Christ, who died and rose again;
And him hath God exalted high
A Prince and Saviour to be,
To give repentance and remission
Of all our sins for our salvation.

CHILD.
No Pagan, Jew, nor Mahomet',
Is to be seen upon our street;
Yet there, on Sunday, when I stand,
The people flock on ev'ry hand
To diff'rent quarters of the town,
To their respective meetings bound.
To follow which I do not know;
I pray you therefore to me show
Which of them all I ought to chuse,
And which of them I should refuse.

COMP.

What makes such diff'rence in communion
Is that old wretched word Opinion,
Hatch'd sure by corrupt men's invention,
That bred great trouble and contention:

313

Opinion makes a man suppose
That he all others should oppose,
And that no man is safe but he
That is of his community:
Such is the folly of mankind,
Where prejudice hoodwinks the mind.

But be thou, child, advis'd by me,
From party-prejudice keep free;
Believe in Christ, and him alone
Take for your whole salvation.
Pray unto God, that he would make
You know the truth for Jesus' sake;
Pray for repentance, faith and love,
And all the graces from above;
Observe and keep God's holy law,
And of his threat'nings stand in awe;
Believe his promises, and he
Will surely make them good to thee;
A narrow watch keep o'er your heart,
And from appearing ills depart,
Especially whate'er you see
Against God's holy laws to be;
And strive to keep a conscience
To God and man void of offence;
Read ev'ry day God's word with care,
You'll find your duties fully there.

And since it must be so that ye
Must join with some community,
Join those whose tenets are most pure,
According to God's word, be sure;
Neglect their errors which you see
By scripture light, and then you'll be
A Christian, not a party pleader:
May God himself still be your leader!
And so, my child, I bid adieu,
Till the next time I meet with you.

University of Virginia Library

THE CHILD's COMPANION; IN A NATURAL DIALOGUE BETWIXT A Child and One of riper Years: Useful for Young Ones.

To my young Reader.

An Advice to Children. By another Hand.

The CHILD's COMPANION, &c.