Bleft NYMPH, the pious foul's celeftial bride,
Be thou my refuge and my friendly guide;
On thee, my PISGAH, I may fafely stand,
And take a profpect of the promis'd land:
Like MOSES far the blissful scene pursue,
But with this difference: all its fweets may view,
And thro' thy paths convey'd poffefs 'em too!
When dire diseases over life prevail,
And my weak powers in their last struggle fail,
My foul fhall thither foar with upward wing,
And her Creator's praise in happier numbers fing.
WRITTEN AFTER HEARING A SERMON PREACHED
FROM MATT. XIV. XXIX.
AND WHEN PETER WAS COME DOWN OUT OF
THE SHIP, HE WALKED ON THE WATER
TO GO TO JESUS.
MIGHTY FAITH, what matchlefs power is thine!
Thy facred impulse made a PETER brave,
The rushing vengeance of the fwelling wave,
At once could draw his doubting heart to thee,
And straight confolidate the liquid fea
XPANDED now hell's fpacious portal lay,
And fhew'd to gloomy courts a winding way:
Th' infernal monarch, thro' the drear abodes,
Summon'd his curs'd divan of STYGIAN gods.
The dusky hoft to horrid counsel fly,
And, now alighting, ease the burthen'd sky.
Rais'd on his throne, exalted o'er the rest,
Th' IMPERIAL fiend th' affembled fiends addrefs'd:
YE outcaft wretched crew, abhorr'd of heav'n,
And hither by vindictive thunders driv❜n,
Are thus, ftill thus, inglorious daftard herd!
The great behefts of LUCIFER rever'd?
By HELL your vengeance fleeps, fupine you lie,
Nor dare conspire 'gainst yon' forbidden sky.
See! how on earth they smile in Halcyon peace,
Polemic jars and pulpit tumults cease;
See where abafh'd pale fuperftition lies,
And error chac'd thro' all its mazes flies;
Their idle rage the baffled furies mourn,
And all our envoys with disgrace return;
Each miffionary dæmon loud complains,
And fell ERYNNIS shakes her useless chains;
Uproar triumphant fills the states below,
And fwells the horrors of infernal woe.
E 4
HELL cannot now enforce one nation's doom,
Tho' SPAIN's armada's join the wiles of ROME.
Truth and religion; how the monsters rife!
How earth is taught to gain upon the skies!
Confirm'd by blood the reformation stands,
And fpreads its poison to remotest lands;
Fresh profelytes the hostile preachers gain,
And, by example, all they get maintain.
Thro' those rude climes where gospel light ne'er fhone,
Where I, the prince of darkness, fix'd my throne,
Now wav'd aloft the chriftian banner plays,
And the new world the MARTYR'D GOD obeys.
Can you, degenerate fouls, inactive lie,
You, who once fhook the empire of the fky?
Can you, who grasp'd at heaven and greatly fell,
From flaves above, to be the lords of hell,
Who fac'd the thunder in a burning fhower,
And fought intrepid with Almighty power?
Can you, thus tame, behold your abject fate?
Nor prop the ruins of our falling state?
Can mighty cherubs, unconcern'd, behold
Their power by man, by earth-born man, controul'd?
Ætherial beings own a mortal fway,
By human emmets aw'd! mere duft and clay?
But you, perhaps, forget your ancient feud,
And, pious flaves! degenerate into good,
Best seek those honours you enjoy'd before,
Suppliant with pray'rs the thunderer adore.
Perhaps you'll fhine with cherubim again,
Resume your harps and hug once more your
Once more with flaming minifters enroll❜d,
Th' effulgence of divinity behold
But, could repentance for my crime atone,
Waft me from hell and place me near the throne,
Rather than fink fo defpicably low,
I'd ftill howl on amidst this glorious woe;
That eafy GOD I'd fcorn, whom now I hate *,
If he had punish'd with a milder fate-
For yon' bright throne did my revolt begin,
And less than hell's unworthy of the fin.
Victorious yet-in my unconquer'd will,
Were power but mine, I would defy him still;
Confound yon' envy'd heaven with vaft alarms,
And rouze contending feraphims to arms.
Once more with brave confed'rate dæmons rise,
And grapple with the tyrant of the skies.
If yet your thoughts with gen'rous vengeance glow,
By fhame reproach'd to fear fo weak a foe:
If yet with noble indignation fir'd,`
Anxious for hell with burning rage infpir'd,
Awake! arife! be glorious mischiefs hurl❜d,
And spread damnation thro' yon' gewgaw world.
*This idea is very oppofite to thofe, who imagine that the damned fouls in hell feel a forrow for their own fins, or a concern for the welfare of their relations or friends in the prefent life. To me, the ingenious author's character of LUCIFER feems far preferable, and truly defcriptive of that state of mind, in which the DEVILS and every damned fpirit will eternally remain, without one moment's intermiffion.
is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living GOD." Heb. x.
Rife! I conjure you, by yon' boiling flood,
By thofe great pow'rs inflexible to good,
By conq'ring heaven, by your immortal hate,
Rife in defence of our declining state!
Vengeance fhall urge your bolder fouls to dare,
Or ftratagem affift clandeftine war.
Look round, behold our folitary reign,
A nook fcarce peopled is our whole domain.
Think how we muft, if thus our tribute cease,
And thus the vaffal-damn'd of earth decrease,
Still unreveng'd in living burnings dwell,
Or, yet more curft, look round in vacant hell.
Oh! were your fouls like mine, unconquer'd ftill,
You'd rife in hate and perfevere in ill.
Yes, my firm mind heroic powers imbue,
Me danger quells not, nor can pain fubdue.
And shall I now, oh fhame! behold you yield,
Meek and refign'd, the long contended field!
It looks as hell of wiles was barren grown,
And wanted mifchief to fupport her throne;
Ev'n fimple Indians fhall difdain our yoke,
Nor more with human blood our altars smoak:
Not thus you shrunk when in my cause engag'd,
Tho' all the thunders of th' Almighty rag'd,
Tho' prefs'd by guilt, you charg'd with impious might,
And with archangels join'd in equal fight.
In vain-fince all to man's prefumptuous fway,
What once to heaven they fcorn'd, fubmiffion pay-
Could we once hope an all-deftroying fire
Could Being in one gen'ral blaze expire,
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