Classic Poem

A Dialogue between the Flesh and Spirit.

Flesh.

1

But oh methinks the Lord
Is angry with my Prayers,
The more I cry to him for help
The worse it with me fares.
The more I sue for grace
And beg for some relief:
The more he lets me be distrest,
And doubled is my grief.

2

I fear he reckoneth
My Prayers to me for sin,
And rather is displeas'd therewith
Then takes delight therein
If God reject my Prayer,
I fear he me rejects,
For how can he despise their Prayer
Whose persons he respects?

Spirit.

3

Against his People's Prayers
The Lord sometimes may smoke,
When some sin unrepented of
His anger doth provoke.
If David sin regard
God will not hear his Prayer:
To search for, find out, mourn for sin,
My Soul make this thy care.

4

God puts thee upon search,
Would have thee diligent
To find out what offensive is
And to be Penitent
Be thou displeas'd with sin,
And he'll be pleas'd with thee:
He'll turn to thee his face, if thou
Turn from iniquitie.

5

Some-Times the Lord delayes,
And makes us long to wait,
For other ends; as for to make
Us more importunate;
To try our Self-denial,
Our Faith, Love, Patience.
Sometimes to make his Power shine forth
In our deliverance.

6

He lets our troubles grow
Unto the greater height,
That his Salvation might appear
More glorious in our sight.
For these, and other more,
Such great and gracious Ends
The Lord defers to hear our prayer,
For he no hurt intends.

7

Our Prayers are sometimes heard,
Not just unto our mind,
Yet heard they are, and answered
In some far better kind
God may deny to grant
That thing that we request,
Yet answer in a better thing,
For he knows what is best

8

Be silent then frail Flesh,
Thou savourest not these things:
Thy wisdom doth but vex my Soul;
Leave off thy Reasonings
Satan by Serpents mouth
Mankind did undermine:
And I perceive he now assayes
To ruine me by thine.