Classic Poem

I.

Hail Sacred Spirit! Hail Immortal Dove!
Essential Purity, Uncomprehended Love!
Hail Vigour Emicant! Effulgent Beam!
The Uncreated, Co-existent Stream,
Proceeding from the Father, and the Word,
In a high mysterious Way,
That finite Wit can ne'er display;
'Tis not to be unfolded, but ador'd.
In Thee, Eternal Love and Grace Divine,
The full Perfections of the Godhead shine:
Thou art of Goodness an immense Abyss,
An ever-during Spring of perfect Joy and Bliss.

II.

Nature and all her numerous Progeny,
 Prolifick Spirit, sprung from Thee;
 The blest Inhabitants above,
That People all the Seats of Life and Love,
All Things, which these inferior Regions bear,
That range the Fields, or in the Ocean feed,
 That cut the Lakes, or beat the Air,
From Thy exhaustless Energy proceed.
Did'st Thou not move on the dark Water's Face,
And with expanded Wings the Deep embrace,
To form the Seeds of Light, and to produce
Enlivening Ferments fit for Nature's Use?
Thy fruitful Leven, with resistless Might,
Diffus'd its Vigour thro' the Plains of Night.
 Old Shade and Cold were soon depos'd,
And Heat and Light were from their Fetters loos'd:
All Chaos labour'd with the Genial Strife,
And felt the Struglings of prevailing Life.
 Soon did the crude and formless Mass
Put on Distinction, and a charming Face:
 Soon from the dark Abyss arose,
This, and the Worlds around, which the vast Whole compose.

III.

 In the Great Consult Thou did'st joyn
 To carry on the blest Design
Of raising wretched Man from Sin and Hell
To the high Station, whence th' Apostate fell.
This Project of Inimitable Love
Thou did'st from all Eternity approve.
 Mov'd with Compassion's tender Cries,
 Mankind to rescue and convert,
 Thou in the gracious Enterprize
Did'st condescend to bear a Glorious Part.

IV.

 The Mind, e'er Guilt had Man undone,
With Heav'nly Lustre, like blest Seraphs, shone.
 Of Fault unconscious and unstain'd
 In unpolluted Flames of Love,
 And pure Desires it upwards strove,
And full of Peace and Joy the happy Creature reign'd.
 Since Sin these Regions did invade,
What Desolation has the Tyrant made?
While Man a willing Slave to Guilt becomes,
The World a Scene of murder'd Souls appears,
 Interr'd in living Sepulchres,
And moved from Place to Place in walking Tombs.
Sad State of Things, the Human Being's Dead,
And the Brute Beast lives in his Shape and Stead.
Black Guilt involves the World in horrid Night,
 And clouds our Intellectual Sight.
The Soul is darker than the deepest Cave,
Hard as the Rock, and colder than the Grave;
 Which Hell wants Terrors to affright,
And Heav'n sufficient Pleasures to invite.
 Thou, to fulfil the high Decree,
Enroll'd in Heav'n from past Eternity,
Did'st undertake the Chosen to inspire,
With new enliv'ning Light, and pure Immortal Fire.

V.

Soon as the Sun of Righteousness appear'd,
 Emerging from the Shades beneath,
And from the Grave his Head in Triumph rear'd,
Leading his fetter'd Captives Sin and Death,
And then ascended thro' th' Etherial Road
 To his high Throne, and blest Abode,
 He on his gracious Purpose bent,
His promis'd Blessing Thee, Great Spirit, sent,
Of pious Minds to be th' unerring Guide,
And stretch his Heav'nly Empire far and wide.

VI.

These Regions Thy Almighty Fruitfulness
With a Celestial Progeny does bless.
 Seraphs look down from Heav'n to see
Th' Effects of Thy diffusive Energy,
Transported view th' Immortal Vigour spread,
Awak'ning, as it goes, the drousy Dead.
 Thy Light benighted Minds pervades,
Repairs their Ruins, and dispels their Shades,
Whence they regain their first exalted State,
A Work, as nobly Great, as to Create!
 And when the Sons of God are thriv'n
In this Terrestrial Nursery of Heav'n,
Thy Colonies Thou kindly dost remove,
From these low Seats to people those above.

VII.

 Only the chosen, happy Few,
Whom Thou art pleas'd, pure Spirit, to renew,
Can aim at Bliss, and warm with Love Divine,
The worthless Trifles here, with Scorn, decline.
 The senseless Many, who possess
 This World, ah wretched Happiness!
Without a Vital Principle within,
Benumb'd with Guilt, and stupify'd with Sin,
 Bereft of Feeling, and of Sight,
Have no Perception of Divine Delight:
They strive no Heav'nly Pleasure to acquire,
For what they cannot taste, they can't desire.
 When the pale Dead shall in the Grave
Demand rich Wines, and Banquets crave;
When Beasts, to live with Men, the Forrest quit,
And show a Sense of Eloquence and Wit;
 Then shall th' Impure, unhallow'd Race,
 Unconscious of Celestial Grace,
Feel sacred Transports, and express
Relish of Joys Divine, and Endless Happiness.
Thy Radiance, which illuminates the Mind,
And all bright Virtues of Etherial Kind,
They censure, as a Visionary Dream,
 The Wonders of Thy Grace condemn,
Jews , Thy Acts of Power blaspheme.
Subjects Divine, which they illusive treat,
Are now the Priest's, and now the Statesman's Cheat,
Fanatick Cant, and Fancy's feverish Heat.

VIII.

When Christ had finish'd his Divine Intent,
 His Labour of unrivall'd Love,
 And made in Triumph his Ascent,
 To sit enthron'd in Light above,
 Dejected, and disconsolate,
 Th' afflicted Twelve in Counsel sate,
 And did Thy promis'd Coming wait:
Thou, from on high, did'st make a swift Descent,
 (A rushing Wind before Thee went,)
And resting on their Heads in Tongues of Fire,
With Fortitude Divine did'st their warm Breasts inspire,
Kindly Thou cam'st to strengthen their Belief,
Confirm their Courage, and abate their Grief,
To clear from Mists their Intellectual Sight,
And fill their Minds with Truth and Heav'nly Light.

IX.

The Saviour King sent Thee his Advocate,
To manage here the Int'rests of his State,
 To plead with Unbelieving Man his Cause,
And win him to obey, and love his equal Laws;
 Full Pow'rs to Thee, his Resident, were giv'n
  To treat and settle lasting Peace
  Between the guilty Earth and Heav'n,
And Sin's unhappy Captives to release.

X.

 Inmate Divine! Celestial Guest!
Who dost inhabit every pious Breast,
Vile Man becomes, when purify'd by Grace,
Thy Living Temple, and abiding Place.
 His Heart is made Thy Altar, whence
To Heav'n arise pure Flames of holy Fire,
It moves by Thy impulsive Influence,
And feels the God within, fresh Heat and Life inspire.
Minds, destitute of Native Purity,
Quicken'd, ennobled and refin'd by Thee,
 To the blest Seats above aspire,
Wing'd with Celestial Love, and strong Desire.
 They by their striving upward prove
 Th' attractive Center is above,
 Thither their Motions they direct,
All which the Sun of Righteousness respect:
 Govern'd by Him they take their Course,
Drawn by his Glorious Orb's Magnetic Force.

XI.

Thou in the Mind the noble Plant dost rear
Of Life Divine, and its Immortal Root,
With Heav'nly Dews, and Heat indulgent, cheer,
'Till fresh it springs, presaging generous Fruit;
 'Till all abroad its Branches spread,
And to the distant Regions of the Skies,
 Is raises swift its verdant Head,
 And thence all hostile Pow'r defies.
Let Persecution now her Ars'nals drain,
 And for sure Ruin arm'd employ
Her vet'ran Deaths, and most experienc'd Pain,
 Thy blest Production to destroy;
Let heavy Tempests groan along the Air,
Let Fire and Rain confed'rate Wrath prepare,
And must'ring Clouds denounce outrageous War,
Thy Offsspring will their rude Assaults sustain,
Which on its Head will spend their Rage in vain.
 Prest with the Storms impetuous Shock,
It may from Side to Side incline and rock,
But still it shall preserve its Root untorn,
Still shall its blooming Head its Parent Heav'n adorn.