Classic Poem

Eternal Gospel, my unerring guide,
The worldling's hatred, and the scorn of pride,
No visionary's dream, nor fabling wile,
Frenzy's illusion, or imposture's guile;
Mean were thy heralds, but their mission sure,
The doctrines humbling, and the moral pure,
Benevolence sublime; stupendous scheme
God to exalt, and a lost world redeem.

In vain the mighty storm'd, the learned strove,
Thy truth is strong, it issu'd from above:
Scoffs, chains, and death in all the shapes of fear
Menac'd in vain; resistless its career:
By wonder-working pow'rs and native charms,
Its sole enticement and its only arms,
From land to land its rapid conquests spread,
And joy and beauty on the nations shed.

O when shall this divine religion run
In its full glory with the circling sun?
Come, long foretold, long wish'd, triumphing day;
Fly, intervening ages, fly away.

'Mong opening clouds, amidst a flood of light,
A man majestic awes the dazzled sight.
High on a courser white as virgin snow,
He sits; in act to bend a silver bow;

A golden crown upon his head behold.
Victor , his name, in characters of Gold,
Flames on a silver cross his losty crest;
And M ERCY with soft lustre sparkles on his chest.

Rome trembling drops her chalice and her rod,
And the freed nations mock her viceroy God.
Their startled eyes the seed of Israel turn
To him their fathers crucify'd, and mourn.
Mecca abjures her Ishmael's spurious fane,
Her prophet faithless, and his Koran vain.
India her Viedam burns. The polish'd land
Of China owns the Nazarene's command:
Ador'd Confucius is no more divine,
And pagods fall before Jehovah's shrine.

In Scythian wilds, beneath the freezing bear,
I see Immanuel his ensign rear.
O'er Lybia's burning plains he sends his name,
And all her sable sons resound his fame.
Salvation with a swift effulgence beams,
On the vast western world's remote extremes;
Caciques and Sachems lay their axes down:
Barbarian fierceness and the savage frown
Melt into social love, the look humane,
And the mild spirit of Messiah's reign.

A new creation springs, the hallow'd earth
Is fill'd with children of celestial birth;
A race divine, to life immortal born;
Whom God's own virtues with renown adorn.
O times, O manners, innocent and blest!
Joy to the swelling womb and milky breast.
No pirate roves the flood, the trading sail,
Securely flies before the fanning gale.
Safe is the travell'd shore, the pilgrim takes
His fearless journey when the morn awakes.
The villages rejoice; th' exulting hind
Eyes his sure harvest waving in the wind.
Nor in the hut alone contentment sings,
But, wond'ring, comes to statesmen and to kings.
Cities rejoice; no sons of Belial tear
With bacchanalian roar the midnight air.
Nor lewdness prowls at eve, nor villains creep
Through windows in th' unwary hour of sleep.
Justice her fasces breaks, fierce war his lance,
Order and peace the social bliss advance:
All kind affections through all hearts extend,
And every man knows every man a friend.
Messiah reigns, th' Almighty Father smiles,
Discord no more his holy mount defiles:
One faith, one hope, the happy nations bind,
The world his Zion, and his fold mankind.

Fly, intervening ages, fly away;
Come long foretoid, long wish'd, triumphing day.