Christs Forgiveness of True Christians is a Preceptive Pattern, Poem
LOVE and UNITY ENCOURAGED, AND Contention and Diviſion DISSWADED, in a POEM.
THe Coſtly Nard, on Jeſus Feet,
Was dutifully Plac'd:
Light finger'd Judas vilely Cry'd,
What meaneth all this Waſte?
His Diſcontent at mild Reproof.
Shot forth in Wrath and Strife,
And Conſultations of Revenge
Againſt the Lord of Life.
By Giving of the Paſcal Sop,
The Traitor was detected,
The Supper of the Lord came on;
He being firſt Ejected.
Chriſt's Sufferings haſtened on apace,
And He Prepar'd to Die:
His Will and Teſtament Declar'd,
And His laſt Legacie:
And thus Began; The Son of Man
Is Glorify'd Hereby;
And in Him, God is Glorify'd,
And ſhall Him Glorify.
My Children Dear! Saith He, I go
Where yet you cannot Come,
(By Whom much Work is to be done,
Before your Martyrdome.)
Know All Me…, Ye are Mine: Let All
My NEW Commandment View,
That Ye muſt One Another Love,
As I have Loved you.
This New Command is Mine; This Teſt
If you Endure, when Try'd,
And keep my Law, you in my Love,
And Favour ſhall Abide.
This Precept I'l Repeat, and ſay
My Love, that's wondrous Great
Unto you all, you labour ſhall
By Love, to Imitate.
Yea to my Friends, I'l ſay't again,
(Leſt you Forgetful prove;)
I ſtrictly do Command, That you
Shall One Another Love.
My Loves ſweet Fruits, The Comfor…er
Shall then to you Impart,
A Life of Fruitfulneſs ſhall ſhew
Your Heav'nly Joyful Heart.
Abundantly when you ſhall Ask
The Father in My Name,
By all Our Truth, and Love, and Power,
We will Perform the ſame.
Much more He Spake, Ending at length,
His Farewel Exhortation;
Then to His Father turn'd, and made
His Fervent Supplication.
O FATHER! Glorify thy SON;
WHO Glorifys Thee ſtill,
And Gives to Men Eternal Life
According to Thy Will.
My Taught Apoſtles Sanctify;
From Evil keep them Free:
As Holy, FATHER! We are ONE,
ONE alſo Let Them be.
Not or the World, But Them I Pray,
And Such as ſhall Believe
On Me, by vertue of the Word,
They ſhall of Them receive,
As Thou …t in Me, & I in Thee,
In Glorious Unitie,
One in the Father and the Son,
That They may alſo be;
In Truth & Faith & Amitie
That ever… Chriſtian Brother
Be Joyned unto Me and Thee,
And All to One Another.
The World doth Hate 'em, & will Strive
To Rob their outward Reſt;
With God, with Conſcience, & with Saints
My Peace ſhall make them Bleſs'd.
My Peace to them I therefore give;
My Peace I with them leave;
May they Enjoy 't, till I ſhall them
Unto My Self Receive
To Purchaſe Love and Ʋnity,
Dear Saviour! Thou haſt bled.
And to purſue 'em, all thy Saints
Under ſtrong bands haſt laid.
That theſe thy precious Legacies,
They ſurely may Inherit,
Inherent and Aſſiſting Grace
Are offer'd, by Thy Spirit.
How is it then (ſince Thou haſt made
Such plentiful Proviſion,
For Love and Ʋnity) we find
Contention and Diviſion!
Thoſe Bleſſings, if we don't enjoy,
The Fault and Blame's our own:
We've ſhut up Heav'n, if they deſcend
Not from that Glorious Throne.
The Means and End lie cloſe Conjoyn'd
In the Divine Decree:
Thou wait'ſt but till we uſe the means,
And well prepared be:
Thy Laws neglected, loſe their Force;
Thy Promiſe is not Heeded;
Judgment on Murmurers takes Place;
So Grace is Superſeded.
Our Meribabs are Multiply'd,
As if we were Poſſeſs'd;
Our Looſe Affections ſoon Divide;
For Trifles, we Conteſt.
Our Honour's trampled under foot;
Our Crown is made Profane;
To many Souls, while Strife is rife,
The Means of Grace are vain.
The Storms grow long, the hopeful ſeeds.
Under the Clods grow rotten;
The Blaſted Years of ſtrife do make
The plenteous years forgotten;
By Hot Contention's Thunderbolts
Are Temples rent in twain;
Armies of Abels too, Advance,
Arm'd with the Clubs of Cain.
Batter'd and Shatter'd by ſuch Storms,
Are beſt mens Reputations;
In vain they talk, while strife is loud,
of working Reformations.
And by ſtrife's means, much Pray'r is ſtop'd
And much is turn'd to Sin:
It breaks all Dams; ſo Hells black Waves
Amain come tumbling in.
Setting aſide the Fear of God,
And violently mov'd
By Inſtigation of the Devil,
Thouſands of times (it's prov'd)
This wicked ſtrife has broke the Peace
In Chriſtian Families,
In Kingdoms, Provinces and Towns,
Churches and Colonies;
It has Eclips'd, to great Degree,
Each Radiant Quality,
That gave 'em greateſt likeneſs to
Th' Eternal Deity.
Their Wiſdom, Juſtice, Holineſs,
Long ſuffering, Clemency,
Their Meekneſs and Indulgence too,
Love and Benignity,
God's Great and Glorious Name alſo
Strife vilely doth Deſpiſe,
And what God's Soul Abominates
Doth to Him Sacrifice.
The Halt and Sick and Mutilated
(Which God doth not deſire)
It doth upon His Altar burn,
All with Ʋnballowed Fire.
An Enemy to the Vitals 'tis;
Seiz'ng both Heart and Head;
Many that ſeem'd Alive before,
It's Poyſonous Breath ſtrikes Dead.
To ſlay this fiery Dragon ſtrife,
Where's the Effectual Dart?
O Saints! God's Word's the pow'rful ſword
That Stabs it to the Heart:
Let Faith God's Promiſes improve,
And Fear His Threatnings Weild,
And Conſcience ſtand by His Command,
And Strife will ſoon be Kill'd.
And is't a Plague, then call for Pray'r;
Our Churches often prove it;
No Hand but what inflicted it
Is able to Remove it.
Then ſet His Hand on work by Pray'r,
Add Faith and Faſting to it;
If 't's poſſible to caſt it out,
This Heav'nly Courſe will do it.
Cutting Rebukes for to forbear
No ſuch Forbearance is
As Chriſt will own, when milder means
Encourage the Diſeaſe.
Yet when Conſtrain'd to Cut and Lance,
Be ſure you mourn and weep,
And tremble, leſt by any means,
Your Lancet pierce too deep.
For things, in Notion, Diſputable,
Not inconſiſtent with
Faith, Love, and New-Obedience,
Do not Strifes Sword Unſheath.
If you muſt needs come to Debate,
You greatly ought to fear it:
And for ſuch Trial of Self-denial,
Bring a ſubmitting Spirit,
Knowing your weakneſs, come (I ſay)
With ſome degree of terrour,
Leſt truth and right you would aſſert,
Should ſuffer by your Errour.
Be not of Evil Overcome;
Be good invincibly;
That ill men by your goodneſs great,
At length may vanquiſh't be.
Do Churliſh Neighbours not deſerve,
Your Pardons Peace and Kindneſs,
Yet Chriſt deſerves; if you can't ſee't
'Tis owing to your Blindneſs.
Whoſo deſires that He himſelf,
And others live at Reſt,
Muſt Hear and See, with Charity,
And wiſely ſay the beſt.
Be deaf to Tatling Tale-bearers;
Credit not all Reports;
Avoid the Charms of whiſperers;
Forbear all ſharp Retorts;
Would you not have the Sun ſeem Red,
Put by the Heliotrope;
If you'd not hear the Clapper ſtrike,
Then do not pull the Rope;
If you'd not have the Blood burſt forth,
The noſe then do not wring;
Do not diſturb the waſps or bees,
If you'd avoid their ſting;
Would you not have your Glaſs-houſe broke,
Then throwing ſtones forbear;
Would you prevent a Powder blaſt,
Then let no Coals come near;
Remove the Leaven you ſee laid
Before it be fermented;
Occaſions of Diſturbance, let
Be Carefully Prevented;
Forbear when Cenſures you receive,
Like Cenſures to return;
Of Fire-balls make no Foot balls, leſt
You Towns and Churches burn.
Are Spirits roil'd and blood inflam'd
With Feavour to Convulſion;
Purge ſharp and peccant humours well,
And make a quick Revulſion.
From he hot Caldron pluck the brands,
If you'd not have it boil;
VVould you not have the ſwelling burſt,
Then ſupple it with Oyl.
Although for outward quietneſs,
POWERS are and LOTS ordain'd,
Yet Lotts, and Law-ſuits rarely uſe,
Leſt they and Peace be ſtain'd.
Common Received Cuſtoms Good
R ſolve, not to oppoſe;
Nor violently to impoſe
What e're you ſhall propoſe.
In Doubtful Things and Difficult,
Be not too Peremptory;
Suſpect, ſuſpend your judgment then,
And be not Refractory.
Would you've good Peace and Unity
And Friendſhip with a Brother,
In Lawful Things let ev'ry one
Both ſerve and pleaſe each other.
Offences neither give nor take;
Pray God to make you Wiſe;
Let Patience have its perfect work;
Meekneſs it's Exerciſe;
All Envy and Vexatious Wrath,
Well mortify you muſt;
Contention comes by Pride, this Pride
It muſt be ground to Duſt;
Laſtly, break not your Peace with God;
His Laws keep as your Life,
If you'l ſecure your mutual Peace
And not be plagu'd with Strife.
Prov. 16.7.
FINIS.
End of the text · Peter Thatcher, Christs Forgiveness of True Christians is a Preceptive Pattern (1712)