Scriptural Poems, Part 3
CHRIST'S Sermon on the Mount Matth.
Chap. V.
AND Jesus, seeing the Multitudes, ascended
Up to a Mount, where sitting, and attended
By his Disciples; he began to Preach,
And on this manner following did them teach.
Blessed are all such as are poor in Spirit,
For they the Heav'nly Kingdom do inherit.
Blessed are they that Mourn: For in the stead
Thereof shall Comfort be administred.
Blessed are they, whose Meekness doth excel:
For on the Earth their Portion is to dwell.
Blessed are they, who after Righteousness
Hunger and Thrist: For they shall it possess.
Blessed are they, for they shall Mercy find,
Who to do mercifully are enclin'd.
Blessed are all such as are pure in Heart:
For God his Presence shall to them impart.
Blessed are they that do make Peace: For why?
They shall be call'd the Sons of the Most High.
Blessed are they which suffer for the sake
Of Righteousness: For they of Heav'n partake.
Blessed are ye, when Men shall falsly speak
All kind of Ill against you for my sake,
And shall revile, and persecute you sore;
Rejoyce, and be exceeding glad therefore:
For your Reward in Heav'n will be great:
For thus of Old they did the Prophets treat.
Ye are the Salt o'th' Earth; but wherewith must
The Salt be season'd when the savour's lost?
It is from thenceforth good for nothing, but
To be cast out, and trodd'n under foot.
Ye are the Light o'th' World: A City set
Upon an Hill cannot be hid: Nor yet
Do Men a Candle with a Bushel cover,
But set it where it lights the whole House over.
So shine your Light, your Good Work's seen there
Men may your Heavenly Father Glorifie.
Think not that to destroy the Law I came,
Or Prophets; no, but to fulfil the same.
For till the Heav'n and Earth shall pass away,
One jot or tittle from the Law, I say,
Shall never pass, till all shall be complete.
Whoso therefore presumes to violate,
One of these least Commands, and teacheth so,
Shall in God's Kingdom be accounted low:
But he that doth, and teacheth them likewise,
Shall in God's Kingdom have great Dignities.
For I declare unto you, that unless
You shall exceed the Scribes and Pharisees
In Righteousness: You shall on no condition,
Into the Heavenly Kingdom gain admission.
Ye've heard 'twas said of Old; Thou shalt not kill:
And he incurs the Judgment who shall spill
His Brothers Blood: But I to you declare,
That he that's wroth without a cause, shall bear
The Judgment: Likewise of the Council he
That sayeth Racha shall in danger be:
But whosoe'er shall say thou Fool, the same
Shall be in danger of Eternal Flame.
When therefore to the Altar thou dost bring
Thy Gift, and there remembrest any thing
Thy Brother hath against thee: Leave it there
Before the Altar, and come thou not near,
Till thou hast first made Reconciliation,
Then may'st thou come and offer thine Oblation.
Make an Agreement with thine Adversary
Whilst thou art in the way, and do not tarry;
Lest he at any time deliver thee
Unto the Judge, and by the Judge thou be
Unto the Officer forthwith resign'd,
And to Imprisonment thou be confin'd;
I do affirm thou shalt not be enlarg'd,
Till thou the utmost Farthing hast discharg'd.
Ye've heard, that they of Old did testifie,
That Men should not commit Adultery:
But I pronounce him an Adulterer,
Who views a Woman to lust after her.
And if thy Right Eye shall offensive be,
Pluck thou it out and cast the same from thee;
For it is better lose one, than that all
Thy Members shou'd into Hell Torments fall.
And if thy Right Hand doth offend cut off it,
And cast it from thee, for it will thee profit
Much rather, that one of thy Members fell,
Than that they should be all condemn'd to Hell.
It hath been said, whoso away shall force
His Wife, shall give her a Bill of Divorce:
But whosoe'er shall put his Wife away,
Except for Fornication's sake, I say,
Makes her Adult'ress, and who Marries her,
So put away, is an Adulterer.
Again: Ye've heard, Thou shalt not be forsworn,
Was ancient Doctrine, but thou shalt perform
Unto the Lord thine Oaths: But I declare,
That you shall not at all presume to Swear,
Neither by Heaven, for it is Gods Throne;
Nor by the Earth, for his Foot stands thereon:
Neither Swear by Jerusalem, for why?
It is the City of the King Most High:
Nor Swear thou by thine Head, for thou canst make
No Hair thereof to be or white or black:
But let Yea, yea; Nay, nay, in Speech suffice,
For what is more from Evil doth arise.
Ye've heard, it hath been said; Eye for an Eye,
And Tooth for Tooth: But I do testifie,
That you shall not resist; but let him smite
Thy left Cheek also, who assaults thy right.
And if that any by a Law Suit shall
Demand thy Coat, let them have Cloak and all.
And whosoe'er compelleth thee to go.
A Mile, refuse not to go with him two.
Give him that asketh, and from him that may
Have need to borrow, turn not thou away.
Ye've heard, 'twas said: that thou shalt love thy Friend
And hate thy Foe: But let your love extend
Unto your Enemies: Thus I declare,
Bless them that Curse, do good to them that bear
Ill will, and for your Persecutors pray,
And them that do reproach you; that you may
Be Children of your Father that's in Heaven;
For he on good and bad alike hath given
His Sun to rise, and in like manner doth
Send Rain upon the Just and Unjust both.
For what is your Reward, if you love them
That love you? Do not Publicans the same?
And if your Brethren only you salute,
What more than they do ye? They also do't:
I will therefore that you be perfect, ev'n
As is your Father perfect that's in Heav'n.
CHAP. VI.
TAke heed you do not your Alms-deeds bestow
Before Men, purposely to make a show;
For then there will no recompence be given
Unto you of your Father that's in Heaven:
With sound of Trumpet do not thou therefore
Proclaim what thou art giving to the Poor;
As is the manner of the Hypocrites
To do i'th' Synagogues, and in the Streets;
That Men may give them Praises. Verily
They have their Recompence I testifie.
But when thou dost Alms, let thy left hand know
Not what thy right hand is about to do:
That giving secretly, thy Father may,
Who sees in secret openly repay.
And when thou Pray'st be not as Hypocrites;
For they love in the corners of the Streets,
And in the Synagogues to stand and Pray,
There to be seen: They've their Reward I say.
But thou, when thou dost make thy Pray'r, go thee
Into thy Closet, shut thy Door unto thee,
And there in secret to thy Father cry,
Who se'ing thee shall reward thee openly.
But when ye Pray use not vain Repetitions,
As Heathens do, for they think their Petitions
Prevail, when they the same do multiply:
Be ye not like to them therefore; for why;
Your Father knows what things you need before
You ask him, on this wise pray ye therefore.
' Our Father which art in Heav'n, thy Name alone
' Be hallowed. Thy glorious Kingdom come.
Thy Will be done on Earth as 'tis in Heav'n.
Give us this day our daily Bread. And ev'n
As we remit our Debtors, grant Remission
To us. And lead us not into Temptation,
' But from all Evil do thou us deliver,
' For th' Kingdom, Pow'r and Glory's thine for ever.
Amen.
For if you do forgive Men that offend,
Your Heavenly Father will to you extend
Forgiveness; but if not, nor will he spare,
At any time when you Offenders are.
Moreover when you Fast beware lest you
Look sad, as Hypocrites are wont to do;
For they disguise their Faces, that they may
Appear to Fast: They've their reward I say.
But thou, when thou dost Fast, anoint thine Head
And wash thy Face, that undiscovered
Thy Fasting may be unto Men, but rather
That thou be seen in secret of thy Father:
And then thy Father who in secrecy
Beholds thee, shall reward thee openly.
Lay not up Treasure for your selves in store
Upon the Earth, where Moth and Rust devour,
And where by Thieves you may be quite bereaven.
But lay up Treasure for your Selves in Heav'n,
Where neither Moth, nor Rust, nor Thieves can enter;
For where's your Treasure there your Hearts will center.
The Eye's the light o'th' Body, which if right
Then thy whole Body will be full of Light:
But if thine Eye be evil, then there will
A total Darkness thy whole Body fill.
If therefore all the Light that is in thee
Be Darkness, How great must that Darkness be?
No Man can serve Two Masters, either he
Will hate one, and love t'other, or will be
Faithful to one, and t'other will forego.
Ye cannot serve both God and Mammon too.
Take no thought therefore for your Life, I say,
What you shall eat or drink; or how you may
Your Bodies cloath: Is not the life much more
Than meat, is not the Body far before
The cloaths thereof? behold the fowls o'th' air,
Nor sow nor reap, nor take they any care:
How they provision into barns may gather;
Yet they are nourish'd by your Heavenly Father:
Are ye not worth much more? Which of you can
By taking thought add to his height one span?
And why for raiment are ye taking thought?
See how the Lilies grow, they labour not,
Nor do they spin; yet Solomon, I say,
In all his Pomp had no such gay Array.
If in the Field God so doth cloath the Grass,
Which is to Day, and doth to Morrow pass
Into the Oven, shall he not therefore
O ye of little Faith, cloath you much more?
Take no thought therefore, saying, What shall we eat,
Or drink, or where shall we our Raiment get?
(For thus the Heathen People use to do)
For that you need them doth your Father know.
But seek God's Kingdom, and his Righteousness
First, and then all these things you shall possess.
Be not then exercis'd with Care and Sorrow,
In making Preparation for the Morrow;
The Morrow shall things for it self prepare:
Sufficient to the Day is each Day's Care.
CHAP. VII.
JUdge not that you may not be judg'd; for even
As you pass Judgment, Judgment shall be given:
And with such Measure as you meet to Men,
It shall be measur'd unto you agen.
And why dost thou take notice of the Mote
That's in thy Brother's Eye, but dost not note
The Beam that's in thine own? How wilt thou say
Unto thy Brother, let me take away
The Mote that's in thine Eye, when yet'tis plain
The Beam that's in thine own doth still remain?
First cast away the Bean, thou Hypocrite,
From thine own Eye, so shall thy clearer Sight
The better be enabled to descry,
And pluck the Mote out of thy Brother's Eye.
Give not to Dogs the things that are Divine,
Neither cast ye your Pearls before the Swine,
Least that they should their Feet them trample under,
And turn upon you, and rent you asunder.
Ask, and obtain, seek, and ye shall find; do ye
Knock, and it shall be opened unto ye:
For he that seeks, shall find, that asks, obtain,
And he that knocks, shall an Admittance gain.
Or what Man is there of you, if his Son
Shall ask him Bread, will he give him a Stone?
Or if he ask a Fish, will he bestow
A Serpent? If then ye being evil know
To give your Children good Gifts, how much rather
To them that ask him, shall your Heav'nly Father?
Then what you wou'd Men shou'd to you, so do
To them: for that's the Law and Prophets too.
Enter in at the strait Gate, for the Road
That doth unto Destruction lead is broad,
And wide the Gate, and many there be that
Enter therein: because strait is the Gate,
And narrow is the way that is inclin'd
To Life, and which there are but few that find.
False Prophets shun, who in Sheeps Cloaths appear,
But inwardly devouring Wolves they are:
Ye by their Fruits shall know them. Do Men either
Pluck Grapes of Thorns, or Figs of Thistles gather?
Even so each good Tree good Fruit will produce;
But a corrupt Tree Fruit unfit for use:
A good Tree cannot bring forth evil Food,
Nor can an evil Tree bear Fruit that's good:
Each Tree that bears not good Fruit's hewen down
And burnt; thus by their Fruits they shall be known.
Not every one that saith Lord, Lord, but he
That doth my Heav'nly Father's Will, shall be
An Heir of Heaven: many in that day
Will call Lord, Lord, and thus to me will say;
Have we not Prophesied in thy Name?
Cast Devils out, done Wonders in the same?
And then will I profess I know you not:
Depart from me ye that have Evil wrought.
Whoso therefore these Sayings of mine doth hear,
And doth them, to a Wise Man I'll compare,
The which upon a Rock his Building sounded;
The Rain descended and the Floods surrounded,
The Winds arose, and gave it many a shock,
And it fell not, being founded on a Rock.
And ev'ry one that hears these Sayings of mine,
And not to do them doth his Heart encline,
Unto a Foolish Man shall be compar'd,
Who his Foundation on the Sand prepar'd;
The Rain descended and the Floods were great,
The Winds did blow, and vehemently beat
Against that House; and down the Building came,
And mighty was the downfal of the same.
And now when Jesus thus had finished
His Sayings, the People were astonished
Thereat: for not as do the Scribes taught he
Them, but as one that had Authority.
The End of Christ's Sermon on the Mount.