THE SIGHTS RETREAT A POEM BY H.W. GENT,
[...]
To the Honoured DR. SLOANE,
SIR,
THE Ensuing POEM, Entitul'd, the Sight's Retreat, being the Off-spring of an obscure Muse, is, with all Deference, Dedicated by the Author himself, to your Discreet Compassion, who being of late almost o'rewhelm'd with Darkness, and his Candle at present quite Extinguish'd, humbly takes leave on a just Consideration of your manifold Virtues and Perfections, to Illuminate the same, and Light it again at your Honour's Altar, who am with all due Submission,
Your Honour's Unfortunate, but Dark and Dutiful Servant.
Henry Wari
[...].
DARK in a
Closet all alone,
(But not to Muse on
Pelf,
Nor no Man's
Business, but my own
Bewail I will
My Self.
I who have
Seen and likewise
Gon
as Far, ('tween Shore and Shore)
As most hath done, except the
Sun,
am like to See
no more.
For as the
Earth doth Intervene
'tween
Sol and
Luna's Light,
So by a Turn of
Fortune's Spleen,
Eclisped is my
Sight:
For what's the
World without a
Sun,
but
'Chaos as at First?
And what is
Man, when
Sight is gone,
but a meer lump of
Dust?
EYES I have got but cannot
See,
so Blind I am of Late,
That all, but sad
Obscurity,
has quitted my Estate.
But GOD is
Good as well as
Just,
He slights not the Distrest;
For what we think to be the
Worst,
may prove, hereafter,
Best,
Eclips'd from Me are all
Good Things
contain'd in
Nature's Fold;
The
Sun, nor
Moon, nor
Courts of Kings,
No More! must I behold.
But all is best from Him that's Blest,
to thee no
Harm can fall;
For if his
Grace shines in thy Breast,
thou art not
Blind at all.
No Need in
Heav'n of
Carnal Sight,
the Eye of
Man can't bear
One
Glimpse of the
Eternal Light;
for GOD Himself is there.
Tobit was
Blind, but not in
Mind,
Within he had his
Sight.
So he who is to GOD Resign'd,
is
always in the
Light.
Sensual
Saul (but now St.
Paul)
had not his Sight so well
Before his
Visionary Fall,
as after him befel.
He in the
Dark mistook the
Mark,
for want of
Inward Sight,
But when his
Dove had reach'd the
Ark,
he then beheld the
Light.
From whose
False Zeal was no Appeal,
so Head-strong was his
Sin,
Till JESUS did Himself Reveal,
And then he saw
Within.
But when from his obscur'd Sight
the Scales of
Sin did fall,
He then became a
Shining Light,
and
Burning Lamp to all.
Dark in his Sight but not in
Mind
perhaps he then might be;
But who can say that he was
Blind,
who did our
Saviour See.
Who is the
Light and
Supream Light,
on whom we should depend,
Which yet no Light nor Sensual Sight,
could ever Comprehend.
And this is
Truth, That
Light Divine,
which
Light its self begot,
Which here in
Darkness once did shine,
and
Darkness knew it not,
This is the
Light and
perfect Light,
the
Ignis of the Mind;
For tho' your
Sight be ne'er so Bright,
without it you are
Blind.
Give Me this
Light, oh,
Heavenly Light!
that I the
Light may see,
And in thy Bright,
Caelestial Sight,
be always Lauding Thee.
Whose Heav'nly
Goodness I'll adore,
in thee will put my Trust,
Before I leave this Sinful Shore,
and turn to Natal
Dust.
But while I'm Fated Here to stay,
and seek my
Sight in vain,
Instruct Me
Goodness how I may
Lost
Charity Regain.
For how can he Contented be
whose
Sight and
Wealth is Flown,
Unless he find out
Charity
his Trouble to bemoan.
OH!
CHARITY, thou
Heav'nly Fire,
whose
Absence breeds Debate,
Oh! Where from hence dost thou Retire,
When thou absconds the State?
Oh! Where art thou at Present gone,
so far from my
Distress?
To what Remoted Province flown?
and where is thy Recess?
If still on
Earth we sure should be,
more Prone to dole
Relief,
More Prone to shew
Humanity,
and ease each others
Grief.
A
Helpless Friend would not Forsake,
but Vile
Ambition Curb,
Which does in State
False Faction make,
the Nation to disturb.
But thou art gone where none does know,
long since from
Hence art fled;
For if thou wert with Us
'Below,
thou couldst not hide thy Head.
For as the
Sun is often hid
by
Mist or else by
Rain;
But when those
Mists are Vanished
the
Sun appears again.
But she seems gone for
good and all,
has tan'e from
Hence her Flight,
Above the Reach of
Human Call,
so Wretched is our
Plight.
But yet, Methinks some
Part of thee,
must still on
Earth Remain;
For if there was no
Charity
the World would
Drown again.
But where that
Part does here abide
comes not within my View,
In
Court she seems not to Reside,
nor with the
Common Crew.
Where then must I her
Footsteps trace,
some one to Me declare,
That I may to that
Sacred Place
with my
Complaint repair.
Where or where not she here doth Dwell,
there's no Man can Decypher,
Unless the
Mendicant can tell,
who cannot Live beside her.
But where she's not we all my guess;
all may suppose in Part,
That with the
Rich she seldom is,
nor with the
Proud of Heart.
With such she has not much to do,
nor they with her the same,
She is as much above their View,
as they beneath my
Theam.
The
Proud in Purse and
Person too,
her Business is to shun,
As They from her here Daily do,
so She from Them doth Run.
Good GOD! to what a Height of
Pride,
and Latitude of
Sin,
Are they that won't in Her Confide,
dayly involved in?
Diogenes with
Torch at Noon,
where Persons Most appear,
Might find an
Honest Man as soon!
as find this Precept Here.
You may as well expect to View,
this precept hid in Wealth,
As with a
Jew and Miser Crew,
or such as Worship Pelf.
In
Skellum Land where
Boors abound,
as well the
Cinnique might
Go Seek her, (where she ne'er was found)
as with these
sordid Wights.
Then tell to me, Dear
Charity,
since Thou at Once I know,
As well on
Earth as Heav'n can be,
Where Thou abid'st Below.
For if the
Court (as some Report)
Nor
Town doth Thee Conceal,
I know not where I can Resort
to bring in my
Appeal.
If to the
Fields my Course I steer,
and search the distant Plains,
I find she seldom does appear
among the
Rural Swains.
From
Nabal's Breed she flyes with Speed,
and from all Churlish Elves,
Who in their
Neighbours greatest
Need
only
Regard Themselves.
As well I may in ev'ry Part,
where yet the ne'er could Rest,
Go seek her in a
Miser's Heart,
or in an
Atheist's Breast.
Then since my Search is
Here in Vain,
I will to
Heav'n by
Pray'r.
Ascend and mount the Starry Wane,
and strive to find her there.
But hold, Methinks I hear some say,
My Friend, thou art too Bold;
You must in Course quite lose your Way
if you this Method hold.
'Tis Good, indeed, what you intend,
'tis Good to practise Prayer;
But she must first be here your Friend
e'er you can well get there.
In Me 'tis Base then to Comply
with e ery False
Negation,
And slight the Rule of
Charity,
which leadeth to
Salvation.
Tis She, unless you'd go aside,
and Wander in the
Dark,
That in your Way must be your
Guide,
or you will miss the Mark.
Patience she gives to them that Toyls,
from no Man's
Wants e'er Fled;
The
Virgins Lamps she feeds with
Oyl,
the
Hungary with
Bread.
'Tis she prevents our
Second Fall,
saves us from one another:
'Tis she that does preserve us all
from Ruining each other.
As
Satan was to
Tophet hurl'd
for Practising
Sedition;
So
Charity props up the World
from sinking to
Perdition.
Good GOD! Let Me Who cannot See,
from hence all Vice detest,
And all who slight not
Charity
be at her
Altar Blest.
Bavus the Rich on
Belus Poor
look'd with Contempt and Scorn,
'Cause
Belus Hat he did not low'r,
he being better Born.
But this is
Pride not
Charity;
for
Charity will bend,
Show Courtesie with Cap and Knee,
either to Foe or Friend.
To JESUS then the
God of Light
my Soul I will display,
And to his
Name, with all my Might,
Sing
Anthems all the Day.
But
Charity to seek indeed
no Place more Proper Here
Than in the
Creed, or
Pilgrim's
Weed
and you will find Her there.
Where in
Church Militant Below,
Communes with
Church Above,
And daily does on Both bestow
the Sacred Band of Love.
Sacred indeed! tho' by Some deem'd
to be but Common
Food.
A Sign-Post is as much Esteem'd,
as is the
Holy Rood.
Yet I with Heart and Supple Knee
to this Blest
Cross will creep,
And there
Absorpt, as I should be,
another
Deluge Weep.
Where to the Good of the
First Class,
to whom these
Lines I send,
She may Prefer a
Pauper's Case,
and raise Him up a Friend.
For if we all were in one State,
and She should all forgo,
Who could prevent a
Sodom Fate
from Burning all below?
From Woes at Present and to Come,
Destruction, Death and Hell,
And all the Plagues
Abroad or
Home,
or ever yet Befell.
What will ye do, Oh! Sons of
Men,
when
Christ Returns with Ire,
To Visit
Jacobs Race again,
and Judge the World by Fire:
Then shall we wish as all will do,
that
Charity had Stay'd,
And that to Her we'd been more True,
and in Her Robe aray'd.
When Trembling from the Grave you must,
like a Poor wite Dismay'd,
Once more put on your Native Dust,
and quit the Naucious Shade;
Instead of being then a Friend,
will Agravate Your Case,
No more will on Your State attend,
but stand tween You and Grace.
Occult and hid then will She be,
will leave You to Your Fate,
To Gods Desicive Equity,
and Heav'ns impending Hate,
Therefore in
Closset Dark will I,
once more in this sad State,
Delate on my Obscurity,
and my Dark Lanthorne Fate.
When
Sol withdraws his Splendid Ray,
and Rain on Earth does Power,
When Clouds does Skreen us from the Day,
and Heav'n above does Lower,
But worse it tis in my Dark way;
now quite Depriv'd of Light,
In
Green-Land, Bears sees more of Day,
and less then I of Night.
But 'tis not so with my Blind Fate,
Devoid of Earthly Bliss,
For whilst I'm in this Gloomy State,
the World a Dung'on is,
Cemerian Darkness is my Lott,
with me in this Tereen,
Tho' Wonders more I have forgot,
then Half the World has seen.
Wretched and Sad is that Mans Case,
that nothing here can Spy,
In this Confused Wretched Place,
But his own Misery,
But what availeth Wonders here,
on Sea or yet on Shore,
To one whose Sight does Disappear,
and is to See no more.
Helpful are all things in their kind,
that are to Care allay'd,
Except the Sick that nought can mind,
nor for themselves provide,
Before the Great Fiat was said,
and Sin did Grace invade,
Apollo slept in
Thetis Bed,
and all the World was Shade.
Then Sinful Manhood came in Play,
whose utmost Care has been,
His Souls Salvation to Betray,
and more and more to Sin,
With which Contaminating Vice,
undone was all Mankind,
And with the same Sin in a Trice,
was I my Self made Blind.
Great is that Darkness
Christ does Say,
Surprizes ev'ry Part,
Of this our Transitory Clay,
as well as of the Heart:
The Eye of Heav'n or
Phaebus Bright,
His Beams to all Reveals,
But if Mans Sight saw not his Light,
what wou'd the
Sun avail.
For any good that can from thence
redown unto the Blind,
Having no other Providence,
to keep Sedate the Mind,
Useless the Carnal Eye is there
where this true Light is found,
No
Pearls nor
Chataraks are where,
Such Lustre does abound.
Faith is my Eye and Heav'n my Hope,
with Faith instead of Sight,
To
Paradice my way I'le Grope,
and There enjoy the Light,
But Darkness proves my Fatal Share,
with me to Live in Sorrow,
And for a Life to Day take Care,
which may be gone to Morrow.
But fincc I'm here Constrain'd to Dwell,
nor no good thing to View,
God keep me from the way to Hell,
and let what will Ensue,
All others may all things behold,
and State their Greedy Eyes,
The Avariceous Man with
Gold,
as Fopps and Fools with
Toys.
So may they still, but let my Heart,
O God which is thy Right,
For Thee alone be set apart,
and in Thy Law Delight,
But since from Sin we shou'd live clear,
and keep our selves from Strife,
My Self I will not sancy here,
but in another Life.
Where Chaff from the good Seed is fann'd,
and Piety sits Crown'd,
Where
Christ is Plac'd at
Gods Right Hand,
and Tryumphs does abound,
In which Blest Mansion may the just,
who here does Vice Detest,
And in the Lord do put their Trust,
with my good Reader Rest.
FINIS.