1. O THOU who seest what is in man, And shew’st myself to me, Suffer a sinner to complain And groan his griefs to thee.
2. A sinner, that has cloak’d his shame With self-deceiving art, Thy worshipper _reform’d_ in name, But unrenew’d in heart.
3. The servants most unlike their Lord, How oft did I condemn; The persecuting church abhorr’d, Nor saw myself in them!
4. The ♦spirit of my foes I caught, The angry bitter zeal, And fierce for my own party fought, And breath’d the fire of hell
5. Threatning I did and slaughter breathe, (The flail of heresy) And doom the sects to bonds, or death, That did not think with me.
6. To propagate the truth, I fought With fury and despight, And in my zeal for _Israel_ fought, To slay the _Gibeonite_.
7. “The temple of the Lord are we!” And all who dared deny, I would not have their conscience free, But _force_ them to comply.
8. With wholsome discipline severe To conquer them I strove, And drive into the pale thro’ fear, Who would not _come_ thro’ love.
9. How vainly then the zealots blind Of _Rome_ did I disclaim? Still to the church of _Satan_ join’d, And differing but in name.
10. How could I, Lord, myself deceive While _unreform’d_ within, _Protest_ against their creed, and cleave The closer to their sin?
11. Their foulest sin my own I made, (And humbly now confess) While by my anger I essay’d To work thy righteousness.
12. A murtherer convict I come My vileness to bewail, By nature _born_ a son of _Rome_, A child of wrath and hell,
13. Lord, I at last recant, reject, Thro’ thy great strength alone, The madness of the _Romish_ sect, The _madness_ of my _own_.
14. Lord, I abhor, renounce, abjure The fiery spirit unclean, The persecuting zeal impure, The sin-opposing sin.
15. Let others draw with fierce despight, Th’ eradicating sword, And with the devil’s weapons fight The battles of the Lord:
16. But Oh! my gracious God, to me A better spirit impart, The gentle mind that was in thee, The meekly loving heart:
17. The heart whose charity o’erflows To all, far off, and near, True charity to friends and foes, Impartially sincere.
18. Heathens, and Jews, and Turks, may I And Heretics embrace, Nor ev’n to _Rome_ the love deny I owe to all the race.
♦ “sprit” replaced with “spirit”
A WORD to a FREEHOLDER.
WHAT are you going to do? To vote for a parliament man? I hope then you have taken no money. For doubtless you know the strictness of the oath, That you have received no “Gift or reward, directly or indirectly, nor any promise of any, on account of your vote” in the ensuing election. Surely you start at _perjury_! At calm, fore-thought, deliberate, wilful perjury. If you are guilty already, stop. Go no farther. ’Tis at the peril of your soul. Will you sell your country? Will you sell your own soul? Will you sell your God, your Saviour? Nay God forbid! rather cast down just now the thirty pieces of silver or gold, and say, “Sir, I will not sell heaven. Neither you, nor all the world is able to pay the purchase.”
I hope you have received nothing else, neither will receive; no entertainment, no meat, or drink. If this is _given_ you on account of your vote, you are perjured still. How can you make oath, you have received no _gift_? This was a gift, if you did not buy it. What will you sell your soul to the devil for a draught of drink, or for a morsel of bread? Oh consider what you do. Act, as if the whole election depended on your single vote: And as if the whole parliament depended (and therein the whole nation) on that single person whom you now chuse to be a member of it.
But if you take nothing of any, for whom shall you vote? For the man that loves God. He must love his country, and that from a steady, invariable principle. And by his fruits you shall know him. He is careful to abstain from all appearance of evil. He is zealous of good works, as he has opportunity, doing good to all men. He uses all the ordinances of God and that both constantly and carefully. And he does this, not barely as something he _must_ do; or what he would willingly be excused from. No; he rejoices in this his reasonable service, as a blessed privilege of the children of God.
But what if none of the candidates have these fruits? Then vote for him that loves the king: king GEORGE, whom the wise providence of God has appointed to reign over us. He ought to be highly esteemed in love, even for his office sake. A king is a lovely, sacred name. He is a minister of God unto thee for good. How much more, _such_ a king, as has been in many respects, a blessing to his subjects. You may easily know those who love him not. For they generally glory in their shame. They are not afraid to _speak evil_ of dignities: no, not even of the _ruler of their people_.