Oh, had I seen her laid out a fair corse,
By death, on earth, I should have had remorse
On Nature for her; who did let her lie,
And saw that portion of herself to die.
Sleepy or stupid Nature, couldst thou part
With such a rarity, and not rouse Art,
With all her aids, to save her from the seize
Of vulture Death, and those relentless cleies ? 182
Thou wouldst have lost the Phoenix, had the kind
Been trusted to thee; not to 'tself assigned.
Look on thy sloth, and give thyself undone,
(For so thou art with me) now she is gone.
My wounded mind cannot sustain this stroke,
It rages, runs, flies, stands, and would provoke
The world to ruin with it; in her fall,
I sum up my own breaking, and wish all.
Thou hast no more blows, Fate, to drive at one;
What's left a poet when his muse is gone?
Sure I am dead, and know it not! I feel
Nothing I do; but, like a heavy wheel,
Am turned with another's powers: my passion
Whirls me about, and, to blaspheme in fashion,
I murmur against God, for having ta'en
Her blessed soul hence, forth this valley vain
Of tears, and dungeon of calamity!
I envy it the angels' amity,
The joy of saints, the crown for which it lives, The glory and gain of rest, which the place gives. Dare I, profane, so irreligious be,
182 Claws. The old spelling is generally clees.-B.
To greet or grieve her soft euthanasy!
So sweetly taken to the court of bliss,
As spirits had stolen her spirit in a kiss,
From off her pillow and deluded bed ;
And left her lovely body unthought dead!
Indeed she is not dead! but laid to sleep
In earth, till the last trump awake the sheep
And goats together, whither they must come
To hear their judge, and His eternal doom;
To have that final retribution,
Expected with the flesh's restitution.
For, as there are three natures, schoolmen call
One corporal only, th' other spiritual,
Like single; so there is a third commixed
Of body and spirit together, placed betwixt
Those other two; which must be judged or
crowned.
This, as it guilty is, or guiltless found,
Must come to take a sentence, by the sense
Of that great evidence, the Conscience,
Who will be there, against that day prepared,
T'accuse or quit all parties to be heard!
O day of joy, and surety to the just,
Who in that feast of resurrection trust!
That great eternal holy day of rest
To body and soul, where love is all the guest!
And the whole banquet is full sight of God!
Of joy the circle, and sole period!
All other gladness with the thought is barred; Hope hath her end, and Faith hath her reward!
This being thus, why should my tongue or
Presume to interpel that fulness, when
Nothing can more adorn it than the seat
That she is in, or make it more complete?
Better be dumb than superstitious:
Who violates the Godhead, is most vicious
Against the nature he would worship. He
Will honored be in all simplicity,
Have all his actions wondered at, and viewed
With silence and amazement; not with rude,
Dull and profane, weak and imperfect eyes,
Have busy search made in his mysteries!
He knows what work H' hath done, to call this guest
Out of her noble body to this feast,
And give her place according to her blood Amongst her peers, those princes of all good! Saints, Martyrs, Prophets, with those Hierarchies,
Angels, Archangels, Principalities,
The Dominations, Virtues, and the Powers,
The Thrones, the Cherubs, and Seraphic bowers,
That, planted round, there sing before the
Lamb
A new song to His praise, and great I AM:
And she doth know, out of the shade of death,
What 'tis t' enjoy an everlasting breath!
To have her captived spirit freed from flesh,
And on her innocence, a garment fresh
And white as that put on; and in her hand With boughs of palm, a crowned victrice stand!
And will you, worthy son, sir, knowing this, Put black and mourning on? and say you miss A wife, a friend, a lady, or a love;
Whom her Redeemer honored hath above
Her fellows, with the oil of gladness, bright
In heaven's empire, and with a robe of light?
Thither you hope to come; and there to find
That pure, that precious, and exalted mind.
You once enjoyed; a short space severs ye,
Compared unto that long eternity,
That shall rejoin ye. Was she, then, so dear,
When she departed? You will meet her there,
Much more desired, and dearer than before,
By all the wealth of blessings, and the store
Accumulated on her, by the Lord
Of life and light, the Son of God, the Word!
There all the happy souls that ever were,
Shall meet with gladness in one theatre;
And each shall know there one another's face,
By beatific virtue of the place.
There shall the brother with the sister walk,
And sons and daughters with their parents talk;
But all of God; they still shall have to say,
But make him All in All, their Theme, that day;
That happy day that never shall see night!
Where He will be all beauty to the sight;
Wine or delicious fruits unto their taste;
A music in the ears will ever last ;
Unto the scent, a spicery or balm;
And to the touch, a flower like soft as palm.
He will all glory, all perfection be,
God in the Union, and the Trinity!
That holy, great, and glorious mystery,
Will there revealed be in majesty!
By light and comfort of spiritual grace;
The vision of our Saviour face to face
In His humanity! to hear Him preach
The price of our redemption, and to teach
Through His inherent righteousness, in death,
The safety of our souls, and forfeit breath!
What fulness of beatitude is here!
What love with mercy mixèd doth appear,
To style us friends, who were by nature foes!
Adopt us heirs by grace, who were of those
Had lost ourselves, and prodigally spent
Our native portions, and possessed rent!
Yet have all debts forgiven us, and advance
B' imputed right to an inheritance
In his eternal kingdom, where we sit
Equal with angels, and co-heirs of it.
Nor dare we under blasphemy conceive
He that shall be our supreme judge, should leave
Himself so uninformed of His elect,
Who knows the hearts of all, and can dissect
The smallest fibre of our flesh; He can
Find all our atoms from a point t'a span; Our closest creeks and corners, and can trace Each line, as it were graphic, in the face.
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