The Day of Doom; Or, a Poetical Description of the Great and Last JudgementWigglesworth, Michael
Religion
The Day of Doom; Or, a Poetical Description of the Great and Last Judgement
Wigglesworth, Michael
Judgment Day -- Poetry
“Your fancies fed on heav’nly Bread,
your hearts fed on some Lust;
You lov’d the Creature more than th’ Creator,
your souls clove to the dust.
And think you by Hypocrisy,
and cloakéd Wickedness,
To enter in laden with sin,
to lasting Happiness?
LXXX. [68]
“This your excuse shews your abuse
of things ordain’d for good.
And doth declare you guilty are
of my dear Flesh and Blood.
Wherefore those Seals and precious Meals
you put so much upon
As things Divine, they Seal and Sign
you to Perditi-on.“
_Another sort of Hypocrites make their pleas._
LXXXI.
Then forth issue another Crew
(those being silencéd),
Who drawing nigh to the Most High,
adventure thus to plead:
“We sinners were,” say they, “’tis clear,
deserving condemnation;
But did not we rely on thee,
O Christ, for whole Salvation?
LXXXII. [69]
“We did believe, and oft receive
thy gracious Promises;
We took great care to get a share
in endless Happiness.
We pray’d and wept, and Fast-days kept,
lewd ways we did eschew;
We joyful were thy Word to hear;
we form’d our lives anew.
LXXXIII.[70]
“We thought our sin had pardon’d been,
that our Estate was good,
Our debts all paid, our peace well made,
our Souls wash’d with thy Blood.
Lord, why dost though reject us now,
who have not thee rejected,
Nor utterly true sanctity
and holy life neglected?“
_The Judge uneaseth them._
LXXXIV. [71]
The Judge incens’d at their pretens’d
self-vaunting Piety,
With such a look as trembling strook
unto them made reply:
“O impudent, impenitent,
and guileful generation!
Think you that I cannot descry
your hearts’ abomination?
LXXXV. [72]
“You nor receiv’d, nor yet believ’d
my Promises of Grace,
Nor were you wise enough to prize
my reconciléd Face;
But did presume that to assume
which was not yours to take,
And challengéd the Children’s Bread,
yet would not sin forsake.
LXXXVI. [73]
“Being too bold you laid fast hold
where int’rest you had none,
Yourselves deceiving by your believing,
all which you might have known.
You ran away but ran astray
with Gospel Promises,
And perishéd, being still dead
in sins and trespasses.
LXXXVII. [74]
“How oft did I Hypocrisy
and Hearts’ deceits unmask
Before your sight, giving you light
know a Christian’s task?
But you held fast unto the last
your own conceits so vain,
No warning could prevail; you would
your own Deceits retain.
LXXXVIII. [75]
“As for your care to get a share
in Bliss; the fear of Hell,
And of a part in endless smart,
did thereunto compel.
Your holiness and ways redress,
such as it was, did spring
From no true love to things above,
But from some other thing.
LXXXIX. [76]
“You pray’d and wept, you Fast-days kept,
but did you this to me?
No, but for sin you sought to win
the greater liberty.
For all your vaunts, you had vile haunts,
which for your Consciences
Did you alarm, whose voice to charm
you us’d these practices.
XC. [77]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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