HBBH ""^■^ " O^ V^'^a^ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) /. ^ A f/ 1.0 If I.I 11.25 :!i i£ 12.0 U III 1.6 ^ ^p^ ^^^ /: 01 ^m %>.^^^ x-^ /A °m Phote^iraphic Sciences Corporation ^ nr iV <^ N> '9> V 6^ <^*'.i >^' wee Remt or lei N W Laid And 1 Displ Eternal King ! who dwell'st enthron'd on higlij All-glorious God, of awful majesty ! Mysterious— dread — and potent to fulfil Th' unerring dictates of thy holy will :— How should weak mortals tremble at thy might I In all thy fearful judgments just and right. The storm is thine wherewith to sweep tlie hind : And the fierce whirlwind moves at thy command ! Thy voice all-dreadful thunders in the sky, Terrific wrath denouncing from on high, On guilty man— while the rod lightning's blaze Darts, thro' the parting clouds, vindictive rays : — Vengeance and punishment hast thou in store, And canst, from fiery phials, fiercely pour, E'en as thou listest, on rebellious worms. Thy desolating wrath in fire and storms ; While swift destruction driven by thy breath, Sweeps thro' the world, and does the work of death Remember, O ! my soul, that fearful day, — Nor let the solemn feeling pass away, When God, arising in his righteous ire. Laid waste our City with devcurins: fire ; And for the sins of men against his name Displayed his wrath in whirlwind and in flame ; 4 Scattering destruction from his throne on high, And breathing vengeance from the redd'ning sky : To teach rebellious sinners what his power, When roused, can do — in compass of an hour ; And what, in other worlds, they have to fear, Who mock the fury of his anger here : — That men may pause, and conscience-stricken, stay Their course ungodly, ere the dreaded day That seals for ever their eternal doom, Consign them, unrepenting, to the tomb ; — Then may they dread a more vindictive power, A liercer vengeance, and a fierier hour. — Know then, O ! thoughtless man, nor to thy crimes Add wilful blindness in these sinful times. When bold transgressors, hardened fearfully. No hand of God or Providence, can see. No power divine in visitations sent ; — And hear no warning voice, that bids ** repent" : — Know, that when God Almighty bares his arm, And the earth trembles 'neath the dire alarm Of judgments swiftly coming — wasting wide — While woe and terror reign on every side — Know that the sins of men. abounding high. Have pleaded hard for vengeance from the sky ; Have ope'd the wrath-stored phials of our God, And lifted in his hand th' avenging rod : — This to believe, is penitence begun ; Who impiously denies it, is undone ; At least, if persevering to the last, Light springs — but, when the day of grace is past.- There was a day of solemn pomp and glee, When gravity combined with pageantry ; iky : , stay :rimes t":~. 8 past. — 5 And superstition bore religion's name, — But in that '* holy Church" 'tis all the same, — ' Pomp, pageantry and superstition there Are more accounted than the voice of prayer ; — And outward show, and forms of specious dress, Whate'er they are, may look like righteousness, And pass for such, when man is blinded well, Believing, duteous, all the priest may tell. — It was a day, a Sabbath day, and all The sons of Rome, obedient to the call, From far and near in thronging numbers meet To view their Saviour borne along the street, Whom in their pious hands the priesthood bear, And raise aloft th' incarnate God in air ; — To sight display'd, that every eye may see The grand procession of the Deity. There gaudy colours mark the wondrous day, And waving streamers make a fair display : Their varied hues attract the gazing eye. And fill Ihe madden'd soul with vanitv : And sprightly sounds, and music's voice are there, Unhallow'd soijgs, and more unhallow'd prayer : — Tempestuous mirth, idolatrous delight : — Such was the scene when soar'd the Host in sight. And every anxious trembling devotee Enraptured turn'd the solemn pomp to see ; Much marvelling how priestly power and skill, Amazing thought ! could make a God a«; will : — Transform the common elements of food To their Redeemer's sacred flesh and blood : 'Tis wondrous strange : — but what the church declares And priests proclaim, to disbelieve 'jvho dares f ! how delusion has the power to bind liJ chains of darkness the misguided mind ; Defrauding reason with a vain pretence, And robbing man of even common sense ! Pass we this scene :— there came another day, And with it, vengeance that would not delay : A day of darkness, fire, and stormy wind. Commingling wrath, and left no trace behind, No trace, no vestige of the guilty scene ; Scarce what might tell where such display had been. The gather'd wrath of the AU-seeincj God Fell in the scourge of his avenging rod ; So much had men against the truth presumed Their pride and pomp must be at once consumed. Lo ! from yon crackling roof the flames as()ire ; The rapid bell proclaims the alarm of fire. Yet 'twas a flickering flame, scarce heeded then, Such oft occur, will oft occur again : So thought the common mind ; but ne'ertheless As man must pity fellow-man's distress. Some gather round to quench the rising blaze, While others listless stand, and heedless faze. Alas ! how man can look on other's grief. And scarcely pity, and give no relief. Calmly survey his fellow creature's woe So he himself can but escape the blow : — But general judgments all are doom'd to share, And each his part, at least, of ill must bear. — Few who beheld that morn the risinsr sun His daily glorious course commence to run, B Could e'er have pictured the .^^d scene of woe H.s setting beams, at close of day, would sl.ow- Vet there was darkness in the threatening skv rhe gloomy heaven seemed low'ring fcarfull'y'- And fitful gusts of sudden wind were sent With angry howl, and ominous portent ; And all appearance seem'd to indicate Some coming wrath, and near impending fate tor now, at mid-day, when with busy aid The gathering crowds the blazing streets invade, VV.th engines-water^and whate'er became I o stay the progress of the spreading ihme ■ Which, 'spite all efforts-now too fa.e applied, And long neglected, scatter'd far and wide ;— 'i'he spiry blazes shoot into the sky. And dark and volumed smoke ascends on high, From numerous roofs enveloped in a cloud Of wreathing flame that glows, and crackles loud • While fear and horror dwell on every face And dire confusion reigns thro'out the place.— Such was the scene, the hurrying to and fro. The noise, the shouting, and'the voice of woe ; The vain attempts of multitudes to save The little all long years of labour gave. As loaded vehicles with haste convey The relics of their property away, And pile the general aggregation where 'Twas hoped, but vainly hoped, the flame would s[ But hark ! the gathering thunder roars on high, And the fork'd lightning flashes through the sky'. tsnavi In sudilon blaze ; and growing in its might T!iu strong wind rises to a fearful height, Borne whirling on with such impetuous force As nought opposing may resist its course : Then, — as the breath of heaven had fann'd tho flame, Swept fierce along the fiery deluge came, With triple fury spreading far and wide The multiplying blaze on every side, As burning shingles furiously were driven, Toss'd round and whirlM, athwart the darken'd hcavtu, And clouds of cinders and black blazes rise, And volumed smoke commingling with the ^kil•s In awful grandeur, — while the lurid glare Intensely glows, and heats the heavy air. — Then rose the voice of woe in fearful wail, And the loud shriek was heard above the gale. The flying masses rush in mingled throng. And the pursuing flames are borne along, (. 'basing before them in tumultous tide, Th' assembled hosts that flee on every side : No steady gale that blows its even course. But sudden whirl-blasts of resistless force, Scattering the glowing embers divers ways, And kindling up one universal blaze ; A moment's work, so furiously it blew. And carried conflagration as it flew. Then might the calm and watchful eye behold A scene of woe no language can unfold : — In that fierce flight, amid the general strife. All seek to save — not property, but life ; Rush in a torrent thro' the burning street. flame, ?aven, 9 While o'er their !. .