Old Satan foams and yells aloud, [the wheels. And gnaws th' eternal brafs that binds him to The opening gates of blifs receive their king, The Father God fmiles on his Son, Pays him the honours he has won, The lofty thrones adore, and little cherubs fing. Behold him on his native throne, Glory fits faft upon his head; Drefs'd in new light, and beamy robes, His hand rolls on the feafons, and the fhining While every ear in rapture hung. Upon the charming wonders of his tongue! Life's bufy cares a facred filence bound, Attention ftood with all her powers, With fixed eyes and awe profound, Chain'd to the pleasure of the found, Nor knew the flying hours. But O my everlasting grief! Heaven has recall'd his envoy from our eyes, Ye remnants of the facred tribe Or language fo divine? Our paflions want the heavenly flame, Stands yet, but with his ftarry pinions on, Eternal God, command his ftay, Stretch the dear months of his delay; O we could with his age were one immortal day! But when the flaming chariot's come, And fhining guards, t' attend thy prophet home, Amidft a thoufand weeping eyes, Send an Elitha down, a foul of equal fize, Or burn this worthless globe, and take us to the fkies. DIVINE SONGS FOR CHILDREN. PREFACE. TO ALL TAAT ARE CONCERNED IN THE EDUCATION OF CHILDREN, MY FRIENDS, It is an awful and important charge that is committed to you. The wisdom and welfare of the fucceeding generation are intrusted with you beforehand, and depend much on your conduct. The feeds of mifery or happiness in this world, and that to come, are oftentimes fown very early? and therefore, whatever may conduce to give the minds of children a relish for virtue and religion, ught, in the first place, to be proposed to you. Verfe was at firft defigned for the fervice of God, though it hath been wretchedly abused fince. The ancients, among the Jews and the Heathens, taught their children and difciples the precepts of morality and worship in verfe. The children of Ifrael were fes, Deut. xxxi. 19, 30, and we are directed in the New Testament, not only to fing" with grace "in the heart, but to teach and admonish one an"other by hymns and fongs," Ephef. v. 19. And there are thefe four advantages in it. I. There is a great delight in the very learning of truths and duties this way. There is fome thing fo amufing and entertaining in rhymes and metre, that will incline children to make this part of their business a diverfion. And you may turn their very duty into a reward, by giving them the privilege of learning one of these fongs every week, if they fulfil the bufinefs of the week well, have learnt ten or twenty fongs out of it. and promifing them the book itself, when they The glories of his power, and glories of his grace: Of those celeftial facred things, In that majestic face. That face did all his gazing powers employ, He ftood adoring by; With all his fhining kindred of the sky. Ye feraphs that furround the throne, Tell how his name was through the palace known, How warm his zeal was, and how like your own: Speak it aloud, let half the nation hear, And bold blafphemers fhrink and fear † : Impudent tongues! to blaft a prophet's name! The poifon fure was fetch'd from hell, Where the old blafphemers dwell, To taint the pureft duft, and blot the whiteft fame' [through, Impudent tongues! You should be darted Nail'd to your own black mouths, and lie Ufelefs and dead till flander die, Till flander die with you. "We faw him, faid th' ethereal throng, "We faw his warm devotions rife, "We heard the fervour of his cries, We knew the fecret flights of his retiring hours, Nightly he wak'd his inward powers, Young Ifrael rofe to wrestle with his God, "And with unconquer'd force fcal'd the celestial 66 towers, Draw the paft fcenes of thy delight, My mufe, and bring the wondrous man to fight. Place him furrounded as he flood With pious crowds, while from his tongue Till warm devotion rais'd the current strong: O might we dwell for ever there! Though he was fo great and good a man, he did not escape cenfure. Behold the man, whofe awful voice Round the high roof the curfes flew His arrows ftrike the atheist through, And o'er his inmoft powers a fhuddering horror fpread. The marble heart groans with an inward wound; Shriek out amaz'd at the new pangs they feel, In gaudy pride finks down his impious head, Now, mufe, affume a fofter ftrain, To calm the farging confcience, and affwage the He from a bleeding God derives Life for the fouls that guilt had flain, And ftrait the dying rebel lives, The dead arife again; The opening fkies almoft obey [pain; [day. Awakes defpair to light, and sheds a cheerful His wondrous voice rolls back the spheres, Recalls the fcenes of ancient years, To make the Saviour known; Sweetly the flying charmer roves Through all his labours and his loves, The anguish of his crofs, and triumphs of his throne. Come, he invites our feet to try Afresh the purple fountain flow'd; God. Down to the manfions of the dead, There the dear prince of light reclines his head With pleafing horror we furvey Where the belov'd Redeemer lay, While every ear in rapture hung Upon the charming wonders of his tongue! Life's bufy cares a facred filence bound, Attention ftood with all her powers, With fixed eyes and awe profound, Chain'd to the pleafure of the found, Nor knew the flying hours. But O my everlasting grief! Ye remnants of the facred tribe Or language fo divine? Our paflions want the heavenly flame, Almighty Love breathes faintly in our fongs, And awful threatenings languish on our tongues; Howe is a great but fingle name: Amidft the crowd he stands alone : Stands yet, but with his ftarry pinions on, Dreft for the flight, and ready to be gone. Eternal God, command his stay, Stretch the dear months of his delay; O we could with his age were one immortal day! But when the flaming chariot's come, And fhining guards, t' attend thy prophet home, Amidst a thousand weeping eyes, Send an Elitha down, a foul of equal fize, Or burn this worthless globe, and take us to the fkies. DIVINE SONGS FOR CHILDREN. PREFACE. TO ALL TAAT ARE CONCERNED IN THE EDUCATION OF CHILDREN MY FRIENDS, It is an awful and important charge that is committed to you. The wisdom and welfare of the fucceeding generation are intrufted with you beforehand, and depend much on your conduct. The feeds of mifery or happiness in this world, and that to come, are oftentimes fown very early? and therefore, whatever may conduce to give the minds of children a relish for virtue and religion, ought, in the first place, to be proposed to you. Verfe was at firft defigned for the fervice of God, though it hath been wretchedly abufed fince. The ancients, among the Jews and the Heathens, taught their children, and difciples the precepts of morality and worship in verfe. The children of Ifrael were fes, Deut. xxxi. 19, 30, and we are directed in' the New Teftament, not only to fing" with grace "in the heart, but to teach and admonish one an"other by hymns and fongs," Ephef. v. 19. And there are thefe four advantages in it. I. There is a great delight in the very learning of truths and duties this way. There is fomething fo amusing and entertaining in rhymes and metre, that will incline children to make this part of their business a diverĥion. And you may turn their very duty into a reward, by giving them the privilege of learning one of these fongs every week, if they fulfil the bufinefs of the week well, have learnt ten or twenty fongs out of it. and promifing them the book itself, when they 1 Hither our fouls their conftant offerings brought, The burthens of the breast, and labours of the thought; Our opening bofoms on the confcious ground By turns we comfort, and by turns complain, powers Support thy fway, and charm these minds of ours? Yet we are fond of thine imperious reign, Virtue, forgive the thought! the raving mufe thine. The linnet and the lark their vefpers fung, Mourn, ye gardens, ye unfinish'd gates, Oh for a general grief! let all things share Our woes, that knew our loves: The neigbouring air Let it be laden with immortal fighs, And tell the gales, that every breath that flies Yet my fond hope would hear him speak again, But whither am I led? This artless grief Hurries the mufe on, obftinate and deaf To all the nicer rules, and bears her down From the tall fabric to the neighbouring ground: The pleafing hours, the happy moments paft In thefe fweet fields reviving on my tafte Snatch me away refiftlefs with impetous hafte. Spread thy ftrong pinions once again, my fong, And reach the turret thou haft left fo long: O'er the wide roof its lofty head it rears, Long waiting our converie; but only hears The noify tumults of the realms on high; The winds falute it whistling as they fly, Or jarring round the windows; rattling fhowers Lath the fair fides; above, loud thunder roars; But ftill the matter fleeps; nor hears the voice Of facred friendship, nor the tempeit's noife: An iron flumber fits on every fente, In vain the heavenly thunders ftrive to rouse it thence. One labour more, my mufe, the golden sphere But not one ray can reach the darkfome grave, ftars; "Sofhines thy Gunston's foul above the spheres," Raphael replies, and wipes away my tears. AN ELEGY ON MR. THOMAS GOUGE. TO MR. ARTHUR SHALLET, MERCHANT. Worthy Sir, THE fubject of the following elegy was high in Your obliged humble fervant, TO THE MEMORY OF THE REVEREND MR. THOMAS GOUGE, Who died Jan. 8th. 1699-1700. YE virgin fouls, whofe fweet complaint No vulgar mortal dy'd When he refign'd his breath. And order'd to be born. His foul was of th' angelic frame, How would he mount, how would he fly Scarce could the mufe purfue him with her fight For oft you meet his wonderous flight, And knew the stranger well; Say, how he past the radiant spheres. And vifited your happy feats, And trac'd the well-known turnings of the golden And walk'd among the stars. Tell how he climb'd the everlasting hills Surveying all the realms above, [treets Borne on a strong-wing'd faith, and on the fiery Of an immortal love. 'Twas there he took a glorious fight And with your tuneful forrows drets a prophet's Of the inheritance of faints in light, urn. [wheels And read their title in their Saviour's right. |