Plague or Sickness.
“Have pity upon us, miserable sinners, who are now visited with
great sickness and mortality.”
—Prayer Book.
Almighty! in the midnight of Thy frown
Myriads are wither'd down:—
Walking in darkness, like a curtain'd Fiend
In power and presence screen'd,
Moves round our land a desolating Pest
No mortal cures arrest;
Since, onward, in its blast and blight of death,
Sweeps His contagious breath!
Tremendous art Thou, sin-avenging God!
When thus Thy penal rod
Is darkly wielded o'er an Empire's sin,
While guilt's own lash within
Harrows the conscience with a secret scourge,
As Past and Present urge
Home on the heart, what Priest, and Seer declares,—
Thy People are not “spared”
When truths are yielded to Rebellion's cries,
And faith in goodness dies,
Till loyalty from Church and Crown departs,
And Treason in base hearts
Fosters each faction proud Self-will approves,
And mad Opinion loves,—
To hail the Korahs, whose schismatic joy
Reels in the word—“Destroy!”
Guardian of Holiness! Thy frowns descend
On all who thus offend:
Plague, Pestilence, and Death, those awful Three!
So eloquent of Thee,
Proclaim Thy justice, and our guilt display
Clear as the Judgment-day;—
For, though from man dread Judgments oft arise,
Yet faith Thy rod descries.
When cureless Pestilence, with scorching blast
O'er hearts and homes hath past,
Then, pangs are preachers; and our graves reveal
Truths which the sternest feel.—
And grant, O Lord! in such deep hour of dread
Thine Own elect be led,
For punishment to find a moral cause
Which indicates Thy laws.
Incarnate Healer of the sin-plagued heart!
Thy Paraclete impart;
E'en as of old, the sworded
Angel-hand
Once paused at Thy command,
So, bid the terrible Inflictor now
Relax His deathful brow,
And in the mercy of thy pardoning word
Sheathe the Almighty sword!
Such precedents inspire the Church's prayer,
And seeds of promise are:
Atoned by David, if Thy People found
Their Lord with blessing crown'd,—
Not less, Jehovah! shall baptised ones see
Some token-smiles of Thee,
Gleaming around them with irradiant love
Fresh from Thy Face above.
