Oliver Newman A New-England Tale (Unfinished): With Other Poetical Remains. By the late Robert Southey |
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| SHORT PASSAGES OF SCRIPTURE,
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 | Oliver Newman |  |
96
SHORT PASSAGES OF SCRIPTURE,
RHYTHMICALLY ARRANGED OR PARAPHRASED.
Jerem. vi. 4.
Woe unto us!For the day goeth down,
For the shadows of evening
Are lengthen'd out.
Jer. ix. 23–4.
Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom,Let not the rich man glory in his riches,
Let not the mighty glory in his might,
But in only this let him that glorieth, glory,
That he knoweth the Lord, the Lord of infinite mercy,
Who exerciseth on the earth
His loving-kindness and his righteousness.
97
Jer. xiii. 16.
Give glory to the Lord your God!Lest, while ye look for light,
He bring the darkness on,
And the feet that advanced
With haughty step,
Marching astray in their pride,
Stumble and fail
In the shadow of death.
Jer. xlvii. 6, 7.
Sword of the Lord! how longEre thou be quiet? O thou sword, how long?
Put up thyself
Into thy scabbard,
Rest and be still.
Jer. xlix. 7.
From the prudent hath counsel departed?Is wisdom no more in the land?
Hath it utterly perish'd?
Is it vanish'd and gone?
Jer. l. 25.
... the LordOpen'd his armoury, and brought forth
The weapons of his wrath.
98
Jer. l. 15.
Ye nations, shout against her round about;Take vengeance upon her.
It is the vengeance of the Lord,
As she hath done, do unto her.
Luke, iii. 5.
When every valley shall be filled,And every mountain be brought low;
The crooked be made straight,
The rough ways smooth.
Lamentations, iii. 44.
The LordCover'd himself with a cloud,
That the prayer should not pass through.
Hosea, x. 12, 13.
Break up your fallow-ground,Sow to yourselves in righteousness, and reap
In mercy; it is time to seek the Lord.
Ye have plough'd wickedness, and ye have reap'd
Iniquity: the fruit of lies hath been
Your harvest and your food.
99
Daniel, ix. 7, 8, 9. 18.
To Thee belongeth righteousness, O Lord!Confusion and shame to us;
To our kings and our princes,
Our priests and our rulers,
Ourselves and our children,
Because we have sinned against Thee.
[But mercies and forgivenesses belong]
But mercies and forgivenesses belongTo Thee, O Lord our God,
Rebellious though we be.
[Incline thine ear, and hear]
Incline thine ear, and hear;Open thine eyes, and pitifully see
Our sins, our miseries,
The impending punishment,
Too long, too much deserved.
Amos, v. 8.
Who calleth for the waters of the sea,And poureth them in seasonable rain
Upon the face of earth.
100
Nahum, i. 3–8.
The Lord hath his way in the whirlwind,The Lord hath his way in the storm,
The clouds are the dust of his feet,
And darkness shall pursue his enemies.
Nahum, iii. 15. 17.
There shall the fire devour thee,The sword shall cut thee off.
Make thyself many as the canker-worm,
As the locusts make thyself many.
Thou hast multiplied thy merchants
Above the stars of heaven!
But the canker-worm spoileth,
Then fleeth away,
And his place is not found.
1 Kings, viii. 23. 27. 30.
Lord God of Israel!There is no God like Thee,
In heaven above, or on the earth beneath,
Who keepest covenant
And mercy with thy servants, when with all
Their heart they walk before Thee.
101
[.... will God indeed]
.... will God indeedDwell on the earth? Behold, the heaven, and heaven
Of heavens, cannot contain Thee; how much less
This house that man hath builded!
[.... hear Thou in heaven, thy dwelling-place]
.... hear Thou in heaven, thy dwelling-place;And when Thou hearest, O Lord God, forgive!
Isaiah, xxv. 1. 4. 7.
Thy counsels, Lord, of old,Are faithfulness and truth.
[A strength to the weak hast thou been]
A strength to the weak hast thou been,A help to the poor in his need,
A refuge from the storm,
A shadow from the heat.
[The covering that is cast]
The covering that is castOver all people shall be then removed,
And the veil that is spread
Over all nations be taken away.
102
Isaiah, xxvi. 3. 5. 8.
Thou wilt keep him in perfect peaceWhose mind is stay'd on Thee.
[He bringeth down them that dwell on high]
He bringeth down them that dwell on high;The lofty city He layeth it low,
He layeth it low to the ground,
He bringeth it down to the dust:
The foot shall tread it down,
The feet of the poor and the needy.
[In the way of thy judgments]
In the way of thy judgments,O Lord, have we waited for Thee.
Isaiah, xxviii. 15. 17. 18.
They have made lies their refuge,And under falsehood have they hid themselves;
Their covenant is with death, with hell
The agreement wherein they trust.
O fools! O miserables!
The covenant shall be annull'd,
The agreement shall not stand.
By the storm shall their refuge be swept away,
Their hiding-place
By the flood be overflown.
103
Isaiah. xxviii. 16.
In Zion the foundation hath been laid,A precious corner-stone, a sure foundation.
Isaiah, xxxi. 3.
When the Lord shall put forth his anger,Then both he that helpeth shall fall, and he that is holpen.
Isaiah, lvii. 1.
The righteous perisheth,And none layeth it to heart!
The merciful man
Is taken away
From the evil to come.
Ezekiel, vii. 5, 6, 7. 12.
An evil, an only evil,Behold, is come! an end
Is come,—the end is come!
It watcheth for thee, behold it is come.
The time of trouble is near,
The morning is gone forth;
Behold the day is come.
Let not the buyer rejoice,
Nor let the seller mourn,
For wrath, the wrath of God,
Is upon all the multitudes thereof.
104
Ezekiel, xxii. 7, 8. 14.
In thee have they set lightBy venerable age,
By natural piety.
In thee God's holy things have they despised,
God's sabbaths have profaned.
Oh can thine heart endure,
Or can thine hand be strong,
When God shall deal with thee?
| Oliver Newman | |