3477
Gibbons
Elegiac Poem to the Memory
of the Rev. Isaac Watts
THE LIBRARY
OF
THE UNIVERSITY
OF CALIFORNIA
LOS ANGELES
FREDERIC THOMAS BLANCHARD
ENDOWMENT FUND
A N
ELEGIAC POEM,
TO THE
MEMORY
OF THE
WATTS, D. D.
Who departed this Life November 25,
1748, in the 75th Year of his Age.
By r HO MAS GIBBONS.
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T O T H E
LADY A B N E T.
MADAM,
YOUR Efteem and Friendship for the
amiable Perfon who is the Subject of
the following Poem, together with the
many Obligations I am under to your
Ladyfhip's Favour, leave me no Room to
doubt to whom it ought to be infcrib'd.
Strangers may poffibly be apt to pro-
nounce that the Character I have drawn
has rather the falfe Glare of Fidion upon
it, than the genuine Luftre of Truth ; but,
when it feeks your Ladyfhip's Patronage,
it appeals to the Light for its Sentence, as
you had the beft Opportunities of know-
ing the real Worth of the Perfon defcrib'd,
and deteft Flattery in every^ Appearance
892216 Though
iv D E D I C A T I N.
Though the Removal of fuch valuable
Friends is a fevere Affliction, and opens
the Springs of Sorrow deep in our Breafts ;
yet we have Aflurances in the Divine
Word of a State of Bleffednefs beyond the
Grave for the immediate and everlafting
Reception of departed Saints ; and with
every Lofs of this Nature, we are freed from
another Tie to Earth, and have a new Ac-
ceffion of Motive to excite our warrneft
Tendencies towards Heaven.
That you, Madam, amidft all the Vi-
ciffitudes of Time may have an unclouded
Profpeft of the future Glory, feel a grow-
ing Meetnefs for, and at length obtain an
abundant Entrance into the heavenly
Kingdom, is the earneft Defire of your
Ladyfhip's
Moft Obliged,
and Obedient Servant,
THOMAS GIBBONS,
A N
ELEGIAC POEM
To the MEMORY of the
Rev. ISAAC WATTS, D. D,
FAIR SCIENCE blafted in its num'rous
Growth
Of Fruits mature, and VIRTUE'S radiant
Train
Remov'd from Earth, and fainted in the Skies,
Demand the MUSE. O ! for that tuneful POW'R j
That fung of GUNSTON * mingling with the Dead,
And fweetly warbled in that Night of Woe
Her mournful Numbers o'er the clofmg Grave :
* See the Elegy on Thomas Gunftov, Efq; in the Do&or's
Lyric Poems.
B
That
E * ]
That tuneful POW'R, that in feraphic Strains,
When -\- GOUGE afcended to the Realms of Light,
Purfu'd the Soil in its fublime Afcent,
With lafting Honours fwell'd the Trump of Fame,
And eccho'd back the Plaudit of the Skies.
But, O ! the MUSE, whofe confcious Pow'rs alone
Extended to her Worth, whofe lofty Strain
Alone cpuld found her Praifes, lives no more ;
Or rather, from corporeal Bands enlarg'd,
Soars all expanded active and fublime,
And triumphs in the Chorus of the Blefs'd.
But flill a MUSE that WATTS has deign'd to
hear,
A MUSE, that his celeftial Fires have warm'd
And kindled into Song, with bold Effay
Would tell how rich a Treafure left our World,
When, from the breaking Ruins of his Shell,
His Spirit, on an Angel's Pinion born,
f See the Elegy on the Rev. Mr. Gouge in the fame Volume.
Through
[ 3 ]
Through the bright .ffither held its joyful Courfe,
Till Heav'n's refulgent Lamps that blaze abroad
To light the Saint to his eternal Home,
Were loft below, and the exulting Soul
Enter 'd the Palace of Empyrean Day,
Heard its glad Welcome, and receiv'd its Crown,
WATTS, in the ample Regions of thy Soul
Innumerable Siores of SCIENCE lay ;
Like Gold or Gems, that, rip'ning at the Feet
Of the Peruvian Hills, imbibe the Sun,
And emulate his everlafting Fires :
Or like the Spices in the Eaftern Groves
That load with Fragrance ev'ry paffing Gale :
Old Ocean hails the Bleffing, and conveys
O'er his broad Wave the aromatic Joy,
Here * LOGIC, rifing o*er the dang'rous Fogs
Of mental Error, mot its orient Ray,
* Referring to the Treatife on Logic, or the right Ufe of Reafon.
B 2 And
[ 4 1
And led our Footfteps to the Paths of Truth,
Steep of Afcent, but ftrow'd with flow'ry Sweets,
Angelic Pleafures, and the Blooms of Heav'n.
f- ASTRONOMY here rais'd her Tube fublime,
Explor'd the Wonders of the Worlds on high,
Mark'd in their Rounds the Planetary Choir,
Beheld the Sun with his unbounded Day
Illume their Orbs, and bend them to his Throne,
Here ROME and ATHENS all their Wealth dif*
clos'd,
Their Language grown familiar to the Mind,
And jev'ry Charm and Elegance of Thought
Wak'd from the Slumber of a thoufand Years,
And pour'd th' extatic Tranfport o'er the Soul.
Such were thy learned Stores, amazing Man,
And SCIENCE in thine ample Orb of Soul
In fuch Excefs concenter 'd ev'ry Ray,
f Referring to the Piece entitled the firft Principles of Aftro-
my and Geography.
That
[ 5 ]
That had a Beam of thine expanded Blaze
Another Mind with half its Luftre crown'd,
FAME had remark'd the Worth, and lifted high
The Name triumphant on her founding Wings ;
So Stars are honour'd for their Sparks of Light,
Tho' boundlefs are the Glories of the Sun.
But, O! how rich was thy -f POETIC Vein,
How fmooth thy Lays, and ev'ry Thought fublime :
Angels, defcending from their bright Abodes,
Have catch'd the tuneful Praifes from thy Tongue,
And wonder'd how a Spirit, cramp'd in Clay,
Could rival their Devotion, and their Blifs,
Exulting in its' own immortal Fires
Thy Song afcended from this dufky Vale,
And half-unfolded the celeftial Day.
Now in the Blaze of uncreated Light
We faw th* Almighty's Seat, and ample Round
Of Attributes, that fpread eternal Noon
f See the Dolor's Lyric Poems, Hymns, and Mifcellanies.
And
[ 6 ]
O'er all the blifsful Manfions of the Skies."
There with the Scars of Honour in his Flejh
And ^Triumph in his Eyes EM AN u EL flood,
While from, his Cenfer rofe the Groans of Earth,
And Heav'n was clouded with the rich Perfume.
Thy lofty Verfe, illuftrious Bard, difclos'd
The cryftal Fount, that iffuld from the Throne,
And water'd Heav'n through all its pearly Gates
And golden Pavement with unnumber'd Rills,
And unpolluted Plenitude of Joy,
Nor didft thou leave the Trees of Life unfung,
That flourifh'd high o'er all the Mount of God,
Whofe verdant Leaves were rich with healing Balm,
And from whofe Cluilers ev'ry Saint receiv'd
Delicious Banquet, and immortal Bloom.
Anon thy MUSE, from her celeftial Tour
Unbending, fung how Earth ejects her Dead
Rous'd by th' Archangel's Trump, how Flame ei>
wraps
The univerfal Ball, how Nature's Band
Afimder burfls, and Time himfelf expires.
Or, diving down to Hell's unbottom'd Gulph,
4 In
[ 7 ]
In correfpondent Sounds thy Song defcrib'd
That wafteful World of Vengeance, where no
Glimpfe
Of Light appears, but from the horrid Gleams
Of ever-burning Sulphur, where the Worm
OfConfcience gnaws in agonizing Pains,
And wild Defpair inflames the tort'ring Rage ;
Defpair, whofe Trump, refounding o'er the Deep,
Thunders immortal Pangs, and quenchlefs Fires.
But now thy Lyre to milder Notes was ftrung,
And in the lilly'd Vale by limpid Springs,
While feather'd Innocents withheld their Lays,
And Eccho anfwer'd from her mofly Cave,
It warbled high of FRIEND SHIP'S pleafing Pow'r
To fmooth the rufled Plume of weary Life,
Shed a foft Radiance o'er the Brow of Care,
And with its gentle Balm aflvvage our Woes.
GUNSTON andHARTOpp then were all thy Theme,
GUNSTON andHARTOpp Souls of kindred Mould,
And in whofe free Converfe ten thoufand Joys
Spontaneous flow'd on the enraptur'd Mind,
Bed
[ 8 ]
Befl Foretafte of the Amity of Heav'n.-
Or elfe thy MUSE, with mournful Sables clad,
And Eyes faft-ftreaming with redundant Tears;
Follow'd fome Child of Virtue to the Tomb,
Redeem'd his Honours from the Grafp of Death,
And gave them to th' eternal Rolls of FAME ,
So * ABNEY'S Name in thine illuftrious Page,
Engrav'd in golden Characters, mall fhine
Beyond the Wafte of Age, and livid Blight
Of Raven -plum'd Oblivion, and poffefs
A glorious Immortality with THINE;
But ftill fublimer Themes remain behind
Of heav'nly Import, and eternal Weight :
The GRACES and the VIRTUES all Divine^
O WATTS, that in the Manfion of thy Soul,
Maintain'd their radiant Court, and o'er thy Life
Full and unclouded their Effulgence threw,
Who {hall unfold ? " 'Tis my appointed Tafk,
RAPHAEL replies, as from a filver Cloud
(A Cloud that pour'd its Fragrance like the Morn,
* See his Elegiac Ode at the Death of Sir Thomas Abney in
his Mifcellanies in Profe and Verfe.
When
t 9 ]
When o'er the Mead her waving Luftre fpreads,
And wakes the breathing Blooms of Fruits and
Flowers)
His Splendors broke on my aftonim'd View.
" I was the Guardian Angel of the Saint
" That crowns thy Numbers, from his natal Day
** 'Till Death's o'er whelming Shadow clos'd his
" Sight.
" I watch'd him in the various Tracts of Life,
<c His publick Labours, and retiring Hours,
" And half-fuftain'd him in the dang'rous Field
" Of foothing Flatt'ries, and infernal Storms j
" And, when his fated Sands of Time were run,
" I fpread my ftarry Pinion, and convey'd
" His Spirit, tow'ring from its ruin'd Earth,
" In glorious Triumph through the Roads of
Light,
" To take its Dwelling in congenial Skies,
" And now, commiffion'd from the Throne, I
come
" .T' unveil the heavenly Treafures of his Bread,
C And
" And kindle thine Ambition's ftrong Refolve
<c To heir a facred Portion of his Soul.
<c Be all Attention to my juft Applaufe,
" And ftamp his living Image on thine Heart.
" Of GRACES, FAITH the nobleft, and the
" firft,
" The Parent and the Guardian of the reft,
" PofTefs'd with full Dominion all his Mind.
" -f- Behind the Strength of this unconquer'd
" Shield
<f lie flood fecure amidft the flying Shafts
" From INFIDELITY'S opprobrious Camp,
" Defi'd its wildeft War of Rage and Scorn,
f c And fnatch'd the Prey from its devouring Ja\Vs.
By * FAITH the Saviour for his Rock he
" chofe,
" His Rock of Strength, amidft the moving Sands
" Of rolling Time, and Hell's engulphing Fires.
-J- See the Do&or's Caveat againft Infidelity.
* See his Piece intitled, The Redeemer and Sanfifar, and
feveral of his Sermons.
f On
t j
w On him his Structure of Salvation rofe
" Fair and fublime, and look'd ferenely down
" On all the Wafle of Storms, that rag'd below.
" This GRACE, amidft Afflictions darkeft Shades
< f And heavieft Tempeft, pour'd its Gleams of
" Day:
Cf The Darknefs prais'd its Luftre, and the Blaft
" Serv'd but to aid its ever-burning Flame.
" The Eye of FAITH on his eternal Crown
" Supremely hung, and voided all the Length
" Of ling'ring Pains, and flow-revolving Years :
<c Heav'n flood reveal'd, and in its boundlefs
Blaze
<( Seem'd to inveft the Soul, and o'er the Vale
<c Of troubled Life its golden Radiance threw.
" Alli'd to FAITH, and equal in its Pow'rs
<{ His HOPE was feen j that, when the adverfe
<{ Waves
*< Tumultuous roar'd and roll'd to whelm his
c Soul
C 2 "In
t '2 ]
c< In black Perdition's bottomlete Abyfs,
* c Anchor'd its flable Strength within the Veil,
* And ftruck the deeper as the Tempeft rofe.
J c When Life, like Sun-beam?, fparklod from
<c his Eyes,
cc Bloom'd in full Vigour, and indulg'd itsPow'rs,
" Active and unextinguim'd was his ZEAL
(f To burn and mine in Honours to his God.
" Now, while Attention held the InTning Throng,
<c And Pignity and Eafe adorn'd his Mien,
cc And moulded ev'ry Accent, he unveil'd
" Th' Extent of his Commiflion 3 now he rous'd
C The Trump of SINAI, and defcrib'd the Curfc
c< Swift- wing'd and pointed at the Rebel's Head,
<c And warn'd him to efcape the flaming Blow.
<c Then fhew'd the Refuge of the Crofs, and told
cc How JESUS ipread inviting Arms t' embrace
" The guilty Soul, and pour'd his vital Blood
<c To quench the thirfly Vengeance of the Law,
^ Fierce and keen-waving at the Sinner's Heel.
<< Now
[ '3 J
Now ELOQUENCE, like the fair vernal Sun
<( That melts the Bands of Winter's freezing Reign,
" And o'er the World its ample Radiance throws,
" In lovely Charms difplay'd celeftial TRUTH,
" Diflblv'd the ftubborn Coldnefs of the Sou!,
(f And ftamp'd the Maker's Image on the Heart,
" Anon each VICE in its detefted Forms
<l Of Horror glar'd, malevolent and wild,
<f The monftrous Growth of Hell, itfelf the Food
" Of its own Vipers, and purfu'd behind
" By that infernal Gulph from whence it rofe. (-
" Thefe were the Themes that dwelt upon his
" Tongue
<( When he addrefs'd the Crowd, and this his
<c ZEAL!
" No trivial Subjedl e'er debas'd his Strain,
" No Pomp of Language fmother'd half the
<f Senfe,
" No learned Difquifitions ftarv'd the Mind,
f Alluding to Rev. vi. 8. And I looked^ and behold a pals
Herfe, and hh Name that fat on him was DEATH, AND
FOLLOWEP WITH HIM.
" Np
[ 14 I
" No rough Inveftives wak'd the Soul to Rage,
" But all was free, fubftantial, and refin'd,
c< Humble, and fofr, as Angels once were heard,
" Nor was his private Converfe lefs divine,
" For oft amidft the Circle of his Friends,
" Bleft in his Love, and Sharers of his Heart,
c< With undiiTembl'd Sanctity he fpread
" Celefiial Flame, and kindled all their Souls j
" As dying Lamps with fome refulgent Blaze
" Mix their dim Lights, and catch the living
Fires,
c< Now in his Clofet, fcreen'd from human Eye,
*' (But there I watch'd him, and difplay'd my
" Shield)
ee He in the facred Vehemence of Pray 'r,
ct Wreftlcd with Heav'n for it enliv'ning Dews
<c To nurfe the pretious Seed, and urg'd his Cries
<e With all the melting Eloquence of Tears.
l 'T was there his Soul with Plans of Labour glow'd
ce And grafp'd celeftial Themes : * to aged Saints,
* See hisDifcour&s on the Deaths of Sir John Hartopp and
bis Lady t
<f Doubtful
[ '5 1
" Doubtful and trembling on the Verge of Life,
" He fliew'd the wild Deftroyer, DEATH, dif-
" arm'd
" Of his tremendous Dart, his Throne o'erturn'd,
" A radiant PafTage through his dreary Shades,
" Gain'd by the Prince of Life, and left fecure,
<c And ever-open to his faithful Friends,
" The Pledge of Glory and the Dawn of Heav'n.
c< Now to the facred Tribe whom -f- JESUS fends
" To found his Vengeance and proclaim his Love,
<c He well unfolded ev'ry GRACE fublime,
< And focial VIRTUE that in all their Hearts
" Should ftrike immortal Root, and flourifh high
<c O'er all their Lives with ever-riling Growth,
" And blefs the World with their divine Per-
" fumes.
*' The || Student too enjoy'd his watchful ZEAL,
ci Led by his Hand through all the ample Range
ct Of various SCIENCE, nor forfal^en there,
i But
f Sec his humble Attempt for the Revival of pra&ical Religion.
|| Referring to his Improvement of the Mind, and his Quef-
tions for a Candidate, for the Miniftry.
[ ,6 ]
" But the kind Monitor informs his Soul
" Of their bright Afpe&s, and important Ties
" With holy Labours, and the Paths of Heav'n.
<c Nor was the Child beneath his pious Care,
" For Children + WATTS has form'd the humble
Phrafe
" With gentle Eafe, though rich in facred Truth,
<f And fung in tuneful Verfe familiar Scenes
" Of Earth, and thence in fweet Allufion drawn,
" Divine Inftruction for the Infant-Mind.
<c So haft thou feen the Rivers fruitful Courfe
<c Water the mighty Growth of Oaks and Pines,
<c Then branch a filver Rill, and nurfe the Flow'r,
" Vi'let or Primrofe, in the humble Vale.
<e To purify the Fervors of his ZEAL,
" And guard the facred Limits of its Flame,
<c Fair CHARITY, the Darling of the Skies,
cc Firft-born of Heav'n, and Image of her Sire,
J See his three Sets of Catechifms, and his divine Songs for
the Ufe of Children.
" Mild
[ '7 1
" Mild as the Dove, defcended on his Soul,
" And fcatter'd from her Wings aetherial Dews.
" To Minds, where Knowledge blufh'd in feeble
" Gleams,
" Or Minds, purfuing ERROR'S wand'ring Fires
" For TRUTH'S unchanging Ray, his candid
" Bread
<e With Chriftian Pity mov'd, and Thefe he ftrove
" T'enlighten and reftore, not by the Force
" Of Rage unhallow'd, but the milder Voice
" Of Reafon, fuch as erft th' Almighty breath'd
" Soft-gliding on the Prophet's lift'ning Ear,
" When he refus'd to found his high Commands
" From burning Thunders, and a Night of Storms.
" With Tears, that wept the Anguifh of his Heart,
" He faw the Friends and Foll'wers of the Lamb,
" Incens'd with Anger, and in Factions torn,
'* Then * aim'd ('twas CHARITY infpir'd the
" Aim)
<c To harmonize theif fierce contending Minds,
* Sec his Piece intituled Orthodoxy and Charity united.
D And
8] '.
" And in eternal Bands unite their Love :
" Minds,' that may vary in inferior Things,
" But in the vaft EfTentials mix their Faith.
' c When long Affliction overcaft his Brow
" With heavy Glooms, and Nature's crazy Load
" Opprefs'd the Soul, and trembled to its Fall,
" His Spirit, from the Breaches of his Clay
<c Wide-opening, ey'd th' approaching Shores of
<c Reft,
" The Fields of Light, and Paradife of Sweets,
" And chid the Hours flow-moving to his Joy.
" But PATIENCE fat th' Attendant at his Side,
" Faithful Attendant in Difeafe and Age,
*' And told of lafent Purpofes of Heav'n,
<c Though wife and good, of JESUS' ling'ring
" Pains,
" Of Clouds of Saints, from Chains, and Racks,
and Fires,
" Tranfmitted to the cryftal Ports of Light,
<c Of the full Comment on the Maze of Life
" In
[ ,19 1
<c In Heav'ns unclouded Day, and all the Lines
'* In vaft Eternity's unfolding Plan :
" Then fprinkled on his Heart her lenient Balm,
<{ And each impetuous Ardor funk to Reft.
.
" Believe me, Mortal, thus enrich'd with
j rj J, GRACE
" Was that tranfcendent Soul I late convey'd
" On my expanded Pinion to the Skies,
ce With GRACE, that nourim'd every pretious
Seed
" Of VIRTUE, and unnumber'd Blooms diffus'd.
" In WATTS enthron'd, unblemim'd TRUTH was
" heard
" In all he fpoke, but MEEKNESS temper'd
" fweet
" The faithful Senfe in her mellifluent Stream.
" No Soul was better form'd for FRIENDSHIP'S
Pow'rs,
" Or more poffefs'd j hence no fallacious Smile
" To hide the working Rancor of the He irt ;
D 2 " Hence
" Hence prefent no cxtatic Praife was heard,
" And abfent no invcnom'd Arrow flew :
" His Heart was Love, and prov'd the gen'roa.
" Flame
<e By wife Advices, and by wife Applaufe.
" BENEVOLENCE in never-ceafing Streams
<c Flow'd from the fecret Fulnefs of his Soul ;
"And hence the tender Counfel he vouchfafd
" To lower Ranks of Life ; as drops the Dew
" yEtherial on the Vineyards of the Hills,
<e And feeds the humble Verdure of the Vale.
<c If mournful POVERTY e'er met his Eye,
<{ Shiv'ring in Groans, and eloquent in Tears,
" His Heart beat quick the fympathetic Woe,
" And with the inftant Bleffing crown'd his Hand :
" Ambitious he to imitate his God,
" Who fhow'rs his wide unbounded Bleflings down,
" And with the Joy rewards the gracious Deeds.
" That CONTEMPL AT i ON might indulge its Pow'rs
u Uninjur'd from the rifing Fogs of Senfe,
" TEMP* RANGE the Sceptre held, and taught the
Flcfh
" To
< To bend obedient to its fov'reign Sway:
" But oft his Mind unbent from Thoughts fevere^
*' And focial PLEASURE fmil'd upon his Brow,
" As Rainbows glitter on the dying Cloud j
* c A Pleafure with celeftial Sapience rul'd,
" So Joy and Luflre mingling in the Sun
" Defcend, and fparkle in his golden Ray.
" Thefe were his HONOURS ; but fhould I
" attempt
" Diftinft to count them o'er, their Train would
" rife
" Like Stars, that gild th* unclouded Arch of
" Heav'n,
" Or Beams, that dart from the Meridian Sun :
" And why mould I recite what thou haft feen
" Refulgent from the Life, and Life mould leave
* Th' eternal Stamp on thy deceptive Mind ?"
Here paus'd the Angel : As when vernal Gales,
Wak'd by the dewy Footfteps of the Dawn,
That all the Morning wander'd o'er the Mead,
And
C ** }
And dipt their Wings in ev'ry choice Perfume,
At Noon-. day's Beam hufh ev'ry murm'ring Breath^
And not a Motion ftirs through Earth or Skies ;
But foon, like Zephyr rifing from his Reft
T* attend the downward Progrefs of- the Day,
In gentle Sounds the Vifion thus refumes.
:
" This Miracle of Men, mature for Heav'n,
" Unfetter'd from tlie. Bondage of his Clay,
" With vig'rous Pow'rs, and Freedom unconfin'd,
" Has now afcemled to the Worlds on high,
4< And there enjoys Society Divine,
" With kindred Spirits, and feraphic Flames,
c< With his own Saviour and incarnate God.
" NO longer (hall this dark terreftrial Vale,
" Theforrowful Abode of Soul in Flcfli,
<' Where diftant Heav'n fheds but a feeble Ray,
<l And KNOWLEDGE bloflbms on the piercing
c< Thorp,
" While ERROR thrufts her baleful Leaves be-
" tween,
41 Perplex his Soul 5 but ev'ry Doubt refolves,
And
f 23 ]
" And kindles into Light before the Blaze
" Of HeavVs eternal Noon : there on his Heart
<c The confcious Pleafure of his Father's Smile
" For ever glows ; and Pain, and Guilt, and Fear,
" Die in the blifsful Beam : no more in Hints,
" Or dubious Footfteps, (hall he trace his God,
" But, ev'ry cloudy Veil remov'd away,
" The Attributes fupreme of Pow'r, and Love,
" Wifdom, and Sanftity, (land all difclos'd,
" As Riv'lets trac'd to their perpetual Springs,
" Or Rays purfu'd to their parental Sun,
" Ravim with Wonder, and unfold a Deep
" Of boundlefs Searches, and perennial Joys.
" His Love, that in this colder Clime below,
" Put forth its living Blooms, and fragrant Sweets,
" Tranfplanted to the Paradife of God,
'* Now flourishes in its immortal Strength,
"-Spreads its rich Clufters, and perfumes the
" Skies.
<c Sublime Obedience, fuch as wing'd his Soul ,
" Through all the long laborious Tradt of Life,
V He now performs without a Damp malign,
3 " Or
L 24 ]
cc Or feeble Languor from his mould'ring Clay,
" Once his dark Prifon, and his cumb'rous Load.
" Or now he takes the golden Lyre, and fweeps
" The living Strings ; the Melody Divine,
" Superior ev'n to Praife he tun'd below,
" Sounds through the cryftal Kingdoms of the
" Skies:
" ETERNITY fits IhTning, and her Age
" Immeafurable fhall prolong the Joy.
tf With Rapture he furveys a Train of Souls,
<e Of Souls, that hail him with a loud Acclaim,
" That left the downward Road, and gain'd the
" Skies,
" Taught from his Page, and kindled by his
<e Fires:
" And future Crowds, in ev'ry rolling Age,
<c He fliall behold, tir'd of the guilty Scenes
" Of Earth and Time, contending to their Home,
<c Rais'd by the ftrong Devotion that inflames
" His facred Volumes and feraphic Strains ;
cc And each fhall aid the Current of his Joy,
" And
1 25 ]
* c Nor is his meaner Part, his earthly Mould,
" Where his immortal Riches were inclos'd,
" Beneath celeftial Care ; he fleeps in Hope*
" In JESUS fleeps - y and Hill the Saviour owns
<c The near Relation, for his facred Blood
" Has bought the Saint entire, and Death that
c< cuts
" With his wide-wafting Scythe terreftrial Ties,
" Dares not attempt th' inviolable Bond,
" Connective of the Members and the Head,
" The dying Saints and their afcended Lord.
" Mean time 'tis my delightful Tafk to watch
" The honour'd Grave, to med ferene Repofe,
ce And mark the crumbling Duft, for ev'ry
Nerve
<c And ev'ry Member is infcrib'd above
i
t( In that eternal Regifter, that's chain'd
ct Faft to the Throne of God ; but there's a
Day,
u When JESUS mail unloofe its facred Seals,
E " And
[ 26 ]
< And with th' expanded Volume in his Hand,
" Shall leave the Confines of Empyrean Day,
< And in his Pomp of Glory journey down
" To this inferior Ball : wide {hall be heard,
" By Angels thunder'd through the vaft Expanfe,
" The deeprefounding Trump, ARISE, YE DEAD ;
" DEATH mail obey, and flarting through his
" Realms,
" His burfting Caverns, and unfolding Graves,
<c Shall fpring to boundlefs Life j in that glad Hour
" The now-diflblving Duft of WATTS {hall rife
Cf Bright and immortal, join its former Soul,
" And with a Flight of Cherubs tow'r away
<c To meet the Saviour on his Throne of Cloud?,
" Drink his bleft Beam, and hear the loud Ap-
" plaufe. .
* c Then, while the Earth confumes in penal Fires,
" And Nature heaves ,her laft tremendous Groan,
" He, with the full triumphal Choir, (hall fliout
The
t The Prince of Life returning to the Skies ;
" There enter with his Lord, and all his Hoft
" Of Saints and Angels, and for ever {hine
" In that untroubled Realm of Peace and Joy,
" An Hek of Glory, and a Peer of Heav'n."
F I N / S.
Publijhed by tie fame AUTHOR.
i. f i ^HE Mourner's Complaint conildered and
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William Beldam. By T. GittonsSen. To which are
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