Zion in Distress 2, Poem 1
The Authors Requeſt.
I.
SOme things, great God, my Soul doth long to have,
Before theſe mortal days of mine be o'er,
Which things, Lord of thee I do humbly crave,
Before I go from hence and be no more;
Until which things, O Lord, I do obtain,
I ſhall be fill'd with ſorrow, grief, and pain.
II.
Alas, my ſorrows they do greatly double;
O that thou wouldſt be pleas'd to hear me Lord,
So ſhould my Soul thereby be freed from trouble,
If that theſe things to me thou wouldſt afford;
Until, O Lord, thou grants me my requeſt,
I can't give o'er, nor give thee any reſt.
III.
'Tis not for riches of this wicked world,
Nor for vain honour, Lord that I do cry;
They with a puff alas, oft-times are hurl'd,
They get them wings and quite away dofly;
Theſe things I know, dear God, uncertain be,
I ask them not, ſome better things I ſee.
IV.
Nor are they earthly momentary pleaſures
For which, great God, I come now unto thee,
But it is for thy everlaſting Treaſures,
Which now I ſeek and beg, O Lord, for me;
Can Riches, Honours, Pleaſures to me give,
The things that I do want whilſt here I live?
V.
No, no, O Lord, the things I ask of thee
More precious are; the firſt that I ſhall urge,
Thy bleſſed preſence, Lord, give unto me;
My heart from ſin, Lord, alſo do thou purge.
Theſe are the things, in part, for which I cry,
Lord, grant me this before I come to die.
VI.
Thy preſence is more ſweet unto my heart
Then Hony, or the Hony-Comb, indeed;
And I will chuſe, O Lord, the better part,
From ſin therefore, O let my Soul be freed;
And I thy holy Name ſhall magnifie,
And happy be, when e'er I come to die.
VII.
Let thy good Spirit ever be my guide,
And in thy houſe for ever let me dwell;
And from thy Truths, Lord, never let me ſlide,
Nor find my Conſcience to be like a Hell.
And I thy Name, Lord, evermore ſhall praiſe,
And happy be, when ended are my daies.
VIII.
And whatſoever, Lord, my ſtate is here,
Let me therein alwayes be well content;
When I in trouble am, Lord, then be nere,
And from me never do thy ſelf abſent;
And then, O Lord, I never more will fear,
What e'er I ſuffer for thy Name-ſake dear.
IX.
Teach me alwayes, O Lord, that heavenly ſkill,
My dayes to number, as thy Saints have done;
And ever let me yeeld unto thy Will,
And wait on thee until my Glaſs is run;
So ſhall I then thy holy Name adore▪
And ſound thy praiſe, O Lord my God, therefore.
X.
Lord, bridle thou my tongue, and make me ſee
How few my dayes are, O how ſhort their length!
Incline my heart alwayes to truſt in thee;
Remove thy Scourge, O Lord, or give me ſtrength:
Be thou my Way, my Strength, my Truth, my Light,
So ſhall I learn to live and die upright.
XI.
When, Lord, I hungry am, be thou my Meat;
When I in darkneſs am, be light to me;
And when I weary am, Lord, be my Seat;
And when in Priſon, do thou ſet me free:
And I thy Name, O Lord, will glorifie,
And walk in thankfulneſs until I die.
XII.
In time of wrath, O Lord, and fury great,
Be unto me a Fence, and Tower ſtrong;
And let me to thy bleſſed Name retreat,
Till thou avenged art for all the wrong
That wicked men, O Lord, have done to me,
And unto all, dear God, that do love thee.
XIII.
Let me, with patience, run that bleſſed race,
And from my weights which grievious have bin;
Lord ſet me free, that I may run apace,
And the immortal Crown, the prize, may win:
Grant me thy fear, O Lord, guard well my Path,
O give me patience, and with patience, Faith.
XIV.
Make thy dear Saints, great God, all of one heart,
Let their diviſions end alſo by thee,
Let them unite again, and never part
Whilſt there is either Earth or Sea;
And then thy praiſes, Lord, I will declare,
For I ſhall then be freed from all my care.
XV.
Thy Saints, dear Lord, are many Members joyn'd
To make one body, whoſe bleſt Head thou art;
Let all thy Children, Lord, be of one mind,
Let this one Body, Lord, have but one heart;
Then ſhall I ſee indeed a bleſt increaſe,
Of Zions Glory, and of Iſraels Peace.
XVI.
Thy Children dear. O Lord, offended have,
Do thou in mercy all their ſins paſs by;
Have mercy, Lord, thy mercy do I crave,
That they may live thy name to magnifie;
And I thy mercy, Lord, will ſhew to all,
And warning take, l…ſt that I alſo fall.
XVII.
Zion remember, Lord, in all her grief,
She mourns, ſhe weeps, ſhe cries, and is in pain;
Do thou in mercy ſend her ſuch relief,
That ſhe with cauſe may never more complain;
And then, O Lord, my ſorrows will be o're▪
And I thy praiſes, Lord, will ſing therefore.
XVIII.
O'er all the world, now let thy Goſpel ſpread;
All Popiſh enterprizes Lord prevent:
Let Papiſts never here get any head,
As is their purpoſe, Lord, and full intent;
And then▪ I ſhall, O Lord, without all ſhame,
Aſcribe the Glory to thy Holy Name.
XIX.
Lord, caſt thine eyes upon thoſe cruel Foes;
Prevent their purpoſe, who this day combine
Againſt thy Flock, O God, that thou haſt choſe;
Do thou make them like Chaff before the wind;
Preſerve thy Heritage out of their hand,
Eſtabliſh Truth and Peace, Lord, in the Land.
XX.
O thou, great God, whoſe Judgements are ſevere,
Whoſe Mercies too are full of ſweet compaſſion;
Do thou, Lord, ſcourge thy Foes both far and near,
And grant to me the joy of thy Salvation;
And I will ſpend the remnant of my dayes
In Pſalms of thanks to thee, and Songs of praiſe.
XXI.
Make haſte, great God, to judge the bloody Whore▪
Thy Righteous Judgements do thou execute;
O let her fall, and never riſe no more,
Lord, don't deny me this my earneſt Suit:
But let me ſee her down before I die,
That I thy Name therefore may magnifie.
XXII.
Eſtabliſh, Lord, the Kingdom of the Juſt;
O let thy Son, upon his bleſſed Throne,
Deſtroy the Kingdom, Lord, of the vile Beaſt;
Let Chriſt, his foes to conquer, now go on,
That in the heights of Zion I may ſing,
Hoſanna, in the higheſt, to my King.
XXIII.
What thou, O Lord, haſt un…o Zion told,
Of bleſſings that thou haſt for her in ſtore;
Thoſe things, great God, O let my eyes behold,
And then let me go hence and be no more.
No more, dear God, I mean, as now am I,
For I ſhall live to all eternity.
XXIV.
There's one thing more, O Lord, I beg for me,
Let me alwayes be well prepar'd to die;
And this do I, Lord, alſo crave of thee,
To reign with Chriſt to all eternity.
And then, great God, when this ſhort life is o'er,
With Angels I will ſing for evermore.
XXV.
What ever of my Sute thou doſt deny,
Grant me true Faith, let me alwayes believe,
That through Chriſts death, when ere I come to die,
A Paradiſe from thee I ſhall receive.
O grant, dear God, to me this one requeſt,
Let me enjoy but thee, and I will reſt.
For having thee, O Lord, I all things have,
And having thee, there's nothing more I crave.