The ever living God the mighty lord Hath sent abroad his pursevant his Word To all the Earth, to which in circling race Rising or falling Sun doth shew his Face Beauty of Beautys Sion is the place Which he will beautify by his appearing God comes, he comes and will not silent stay Consuming Flames shall usher him the way A guard of storms about him shall attend Then by his voice he for the Earth shall send And make the vaulted heav'n to earthward bend That he may judg his people in their hearing. Before me here let their appearance make My Saints saith he who league did undertake With me to hold my pledg of sacrifice (This justest doome the Audience of the skys Shall wondring shew, for no injustice lyes When God himself as judg the judgement frameth.) My people heare to you I speech will use Heare Israel, and I will Thee accuse For I am God, Thy God, and thus do say Because Thou dost not dayly offrings pay Nor Sacrifice to me present alway This is not that in Thee my censure blameth. Nor bullock I Thy house enstalled holds Nor goate will take selected from Thy folds For all the Cattle woody forests shield For all the flocks a thousand downs do yeeld All birds all beasts wide wanderers of the field Are mine, all known to mee, and me all knowing If I were hungry that I hungry were Since earth is mine, and all that earth doth beare I would not tell it Thee to begg thy meate But do I long the flesh of bulls to eate Or do I thirst to quench my thirsty heat With blood from throats of bearded cattle flowing A Sacrifice to God of Prayses frame Perform Thy vowes made in the Highest name In troublous times to me for succour send The playning voice, and when I succor lend For lending succour to my glory bend All that Thou art; these offrings I demand Thee This to the Good. Now to the Godles sort How fitts it Thee my statutes to report And of my Cov'enant in thy talk to prate Wheras to live in right reformed state Thou dost refuse, nay in Thy heart dost hate Casting behind Thy back what I command Thee. Seest Thou a thief? a theif with him Thou art Adulterers findst? Thou tak'st Adulterers part Thy mouth a denn where Serpent slaunder lyes Thy tongue a stamp that coines but fraud and lyes Ev'n to disgrace of him; whom to thee tyes The sweet strait band of calling one your mother Thus while Thou didst, because I silent staid This in Thy thought thy wicked fancy said God is like me, and like his like doth love But my true deeds shall Thy false thoughts reprove And to thy face from point to point shall prove Against thee all that thou hast sought to smother. Mark this all you, whose crazed holely braine Cannot one thought of God in you contain Mark this I say, least if with griping hand I once lay hold of you, none may withstand My matchless might, nor loose the pinching band So straitly straind, as to be loosed never In Summe who will that I take in good part His offring must on Altar of his heart Offer an earnest love of honouring me And He whose stepps aright be disposed be That man will I keep still from danger free And place with God in safty lasting ever. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...HYMN TO MONT BLANC [IN THE VALE OF CHAMOUNI] by SAMUEL TAYLOR COLERIDGE THE TUFT OF FLOWERS by ROBERT FROST WINTERTIME by ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON FIDELIA: 4. THE AUTHOR'S RESOLUTION IN A SONNET by GEORGE WITHER |