Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n
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A62899
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An elegy on the His Grace John Lord Archbishop of Canterbury. A pindaric
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Tate, Nahum, 1652-1715.
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1695
(1695)
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Wing T185; ESTC R222176
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2,638
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11
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AN ELEGY On His GRACE JOHN Lord Archbishop OF CANTERBURY A Pindaric LONDON Printed And are to be Sold by John Whitlock near Stationers-Hall 1695. Price 3 d. AN ELEGY On His Grace JOHN Lord Archbishop of Canterbury I. WHEN from a Shapeless Lump of humble Clay The great Original of Humane Race Design'd the Empire of the World to Sway And Substituted in his Maker's place Was by th' Almighty Operator's Hand To just Proportion brought While ravish'd Angels that did round him stand Admir'd the curious Work Omnipotence had wrought How ev'ry Limb and ev'ry Joynt Which his Eternal Wisdom did produce He did to some peculiar Work appoint And fitted each to serve its proper use If here the God had giv'n his Labor o'er Pleas'd his chief Influ'ence to with-hold And not vouchsaf'd by an enliv'ning Pow'r To animate the well-compacted Mold How vain had been his Pains and Art How insignificant the Symmetry The just Adaption of each Part Since all alas wou'd useless be Because he did not their Perfection give The means their Operation to Exert And by his pow'rful Word make the rare Figure Live II. Nor wou'd that Life avail if only lent To actuate a while the Earthly Tenement If when its stinted days are Spent And its short Lease expires The Body that complain'd for want of room Tho' bounded only with the World's extent As soon as its Inhabitant retires Must be confin'd within a narrow Tomb Or crowded in a straiter Urn While what was made of Dust does there to Dust return And in this Revolution lies Depriv'd of Hope as well as Pow'r to rise Nor more its Being there shall boast It s Being in Annihilation lost Since the Endowments most desir'd The copious Learning and the ready Parts The pregnant Wit and cultivating Arts By Nature giv'n or Industry acquir'd Cannot oppose Mortality Nor raise our Humane Babel high The Builders with the Structure fall And strange Confusion seises All While equally the Wise and Foolish die And in the gen'ral Ruin Undistinguish'd lie III. Too Sad an Instance of this Fading State Death in one daring Stroke has giv'n Since He who was of Nature's Store possess'd And from Arts noblest Wardrobe richly dress'd Alike rever'd on Eearth and dear to Heav'n Cou'd not withstand the fierce Attack of Fate Since CANTERBURY whose Surviving Name Will give an Immortality to Fame The Great the Good the Just The Grave the Learn'd the Pious and the Wise Insensible of his Spoil'd Honours lies Not to be known from common Dust Till from their level Graves the Summon'd Dead arise When they whose Holy Blameless Lives on Earth Prov'd their Original Divine Before the Great Tribunal shall appear Distinguish'd from the Vulgar there By an Illustrious Character Shall claim the Privileges of their Birth And rais'd to a conspicuous height Shall in their Father's Starry Mansion Shine And add new Splendor to the Realms of Light IV. There while the Atheist whose ungrateful Breath Deny'd the Pow'r by whom it first was giv'n And spent it self in ridiculing Heav'n The Joys above and Miseries beneath The Wretch who did his Reason misimploy Reason by which alone he was prefer'd Before the Brutal Herd Reason that rais'd him to a lofty State Above the other Works his Maker did Create Reason not giv'n him vilely to abuse But for a Guide to everlasting Bliss And inconceiveable Felicities Converted to an Impious use Its Author's Glory to destroy And make him meaner to his Creatures seem Than the most Abject of them all to him As well as to exclude himself from Joy Is from the Beatifick Vision driv'n And from the Glory which he did despise Condemn'd to the Abyss of Hell Amidst the Flames he durst deride to dwell Heav'n shall reward our Pious Prelate's Zeal With that Eternal State above Which his Immortal Labours amply prove V. While he who dares the great Three-One deny And Scorns their Tripple Unity Condemn'd by the Divine Incarnate Word Shall Perish by his two-edg'd Flaming Sword This Glorious Champion for his Saviour's Cause Shall be receiv'd above with just Applause To triumph in the Joy and Glory of his Lord. Invited to the Father's Throne By the Coequal Coeternal Son And by the Spirit with new Ardor fir'd That Holy Spirit who his Zeal inspir'd With most profound Devotion Such as on Earth he paid before And scarce in Heav'n can offer more He shall Three Persons in One God adore And there delighted still to Love and Pray In Allelujahs spend the everlasting Day VI. While Sinners who in Impious Works deny The God whom they in fruitless Words confess And in such known Offences Live And unrepenting Dye As if they did not what they own believe Or thought the Pow'r whose Sanctions they transgress Wou'd with their Crimes against himself comply Deceiv'd by their Hypocrisie Perceive there is no Virtue in Pretence No Sly imposing on Omniscience And find the guilded Title of a Saint That only does the Out-side paint Too light to hide the Loathsom Sin The nauseous Rottenness within This Righteous Man this Friend of God indeed Who practis'd more than others boast And thro' a Sense of Duty did exceed The Good to which Vain Glory urg'd them most By Heaven's discerning Judge shall be preferr'd Whose Eyes do secret Piety regard Who thinks they most his Care deserve Who not for mercenary Reasons serve And best may claim who least design Reward VII While the Adorers of Rome's monstrous Beast Such as was ne'er admitted to the Ark Too Sacred for so foul a Guest Are branded with its Ignominious Mark And by their Vain Traditions are misled Traditions more by them prefer'd Than mighty Truths in Holy Writdeclard To boast an universal Head While they perceive themselves astray In the destructive easy Way And find neglected Heaven deride Their vain Pretence of an unerring Guide While they amidst their Terror and their Pain Call on their helpless Saints in vain And no Relief from Merits or Indulgences obtain He who against those Errors did dispute And them and their Defenders too confute Sav'd by the Virtue of that precious Blood On which alone his Hope reli'd The Power of which redeeming Flood To his Estatick Soul appli'd Shall fit it with Seraphick Love While with God's spotless Lamb he lives above The Lamb that once below for Man's Salvation died VIII Our happy Church while by this Pilot steer'd No dangerous Rocks or Quick Sands fear'd Judgment and Learning did direct this Way No Storms against him cou'd prevail While he by these unerring Stars did sail And Piety his faithful Cart Whose Dictates were imprinted in his Heart Wou'd never let him loosely stray But mauger meeting Tydes impetuous Force Still kept him steddy in his happy Course Nor less successful was his Care In managing the Steerage of the State While at the Helm thereof he sate Call'd by it's Prince for his Assistance there Where none more useful prov'd nor was more justly dear IX But Heaven which faithfully he serv'd And where alone he laboured to be great Exalts him now to a sublimer seat In Mansions for its Favorites reserved Where plac'd in the Celestial Hierarchy He does his happy Time employ In Hymns of loudest Gratitude and Joy And raises there his elevated Voice Which often grac'd the Pulpit here And with angelick Harmony Delighting each attentive Ear Made Crowds of Men below and Saints above rejoyce But silent as the Grave in which he lies He who revealed Heaven's Mysteries And did Truth 's sacred Oracles declare Withdrawn from our lamenting Eyes Informs the wretched World no more The World that in his Fall does its own Loss deplore FINIS