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VERSES Occasioned by the EARTHQUAKES in the Month of November, 1755.
O God of Mercy thou art good,
Thou Care for us did take,
When by thy Hand thou did Command,
the Earth and Sea to shake.
What Heart so hard that can't be jarr'd,
when thou the Earth doth shake:
O Lord what Eye can then be dry,
in terrible EARTHQUAKE.
Thy terrible Hand is on the Land,
by bloody War and Death;
It is because we broke thy Laws,
that thou didst shake the Earth.
Is ten good Men in each Town then?
because our Towns are spar'd!
Bless God that they have made a Way,
that God might us Regard.
God looked strait in Sodom's Gate,
but ten good Men were not;
But yet we see he did agree,
with Abraham and Lot.
God would be just if he had thrust
us in the gaping Ground;
When we did shake by the Earthquake,
clean is his guiltless Throne.
Come to the Lord with one Accord,
and forth his Praises sound;
For seeing he so kind to thee,
and not to sink the Ground.
For by God's Hand, New-England
was spared from much hurt;
Tho' some buildings he down did fling,
and lev'led with the durt.
We see O Lord, that thou hast jarr'd
most every Habitation;
By that we know, thou'rt strong enough
to sink the whole Creation.
Let every Tongue, both Old and Young,
and every Nation praise
The God of Host and Holy Ghost, for Christ, his Saints will raise.
By rending Rocks and by Earth Shocks,
graves open by Direction;
The Saints arose and that to see
our Saviour's Crucifixion.
The old must dye, you can't deny,
the young he doth command;
The middle-age when death engage,
though strong, yet can't withstand.
What Age or Sect will then neglect,
a Pardon for to seek;
When God hath told the Young and Old
as plain as Words can speak.
Then do not say old People may
be e'er too old for Death;
For it is sent in a Moment,
'twill snatch away their Breath.
Then O young Man, don't say you can
your self from Death deliver;
Your Fathers surely now are dead;
Can Prophets live for ever?
O how can we who sinners be
expect a dwelling here?
When God doth call, both great and small
to Judgment must appear.
What shall I say, of Youth, I pray;
O! Can they Conquer Death?
For when it goes with deadly Blows,
'twill strike away their Breath.
There comes a Day, the Scriptures say,
when every Tribe must meet,
To see the Judge of Quick and Dead,
at his Tribunal Seat.
O what a Day the Scriptures say,
the EARTHQUAKE doth foretell;
O turn to God, lest by his Rod,
he cast thee down to Hell.
Mountains like Rams & Hills like Lambs,
they Skipping till declin'd;
The Rocks then clifts so fast,
no Shelter could I find.
Where shall I run for Shelter then,
but unto Christ my Rock,
And pray that he will Shelter me
amongst his chosen Flock.
That I might stand at Christ's right Hand
the Day of Great Assize;
And sing most sweet and fly to meet,
my Jesus in the Skies.
O God of Grace shine on my Face,
The Beams of Glory shine;
That I might Sing to Christ my King,
when he says I am thine.
Then do attend, O Lord and send,
thy Jonah unto us;
That he may Preach and ever Teach,
and take away the Curse.
Then give us Space and give us Grace,
that we may give thee praise;
We know not but we shall be sunk
in less than forty Days.
Blessed be God that I have trod
the Earth that might have fell;
For it is he that maketh me,
in Safety for to dwell.
Lord guide our Way in every Day,
and give us Hearts of Prayer;
That so we may not go the Way
into the Devil's Snare.
Pardon the Sin we was born in,
that's the Original;
And keep us from the Way that goes
into the Gate of Hell.
And let O Lord, thy Spirit guard,
our Bodies Day and Night;
Thou might most justly cut us off,
and cast us out of Sight.
The Lord hath told he can't behold,
the Face of a Deceiver;
But he delights and so invites
the penitent Believer.
If you deceive and can't believe,
you surely then shall feel,
The Weight of Wrath the Curse for Sloth,
that God will then reveal.
Believe I pray what God did say,
the Words are of his Mouth;
For what he said he'll make it good,
he sware it with an Oath.
Blest three in one, Father and Son,
the Holy Ghost, thy Spirit;
Because that he's the way to thee,
tho' he's not our Merit.
And O therefore we must adore
our Jesus for his Merit;
For 'tis by the Eternal three,
the Father, Son and Spirit.
And pray that he would take from thee
if it should be his Will;
That heavy Judgment which he sent,
and send us Mercies still.
Let every knee, Lord bow to thee,
and every Tongue confess;
That thou art Lord, and by thy Word,
dost Judge in Righteousness.
Take away Sin that cursed thing,
in which we did delight:
Make us a People near to God,
and form our Spirits Right.
Let us in Time, whilst we have Prime,
for to be getting Store:
Whilst in our Health, for to get Wealth
that last for ever more.
Dont covet more, nor cheat the Poor,
dont scorn thy Enemies;
For what you get, by false deceit,
wisdom calls vanity.
If you be great in your Estate,
'twill lead you in a snare;
The little that the poor Man gets
is Blessed, tho' he's Poor.
Dont think that we more Righteous be,
because we did Escape:
Altho' some Towns were totter'd down,
when as the Earth did Shake.
Let us not stand at Babels hand,
Let's not a Tower have;
Lest we come down unto the Ground,
and loose our Language then.
O Jesus! send Angels to tend
and fetch us home from far;
That we may run to that bright Sun
which is the Morning Star.
And so O Lord, send forth thy word,
into our inward Parts:
And write a Law of Gratitude,
and set it on our Hearts.
Don't when you look despise these Lines,
tho' you may the inditer,
Because my Tongue, is not like one
that is a ready Writer.
And do not look upon these Lines,
to make a merry Story;
But when you read do then proceed,
to give to God the Glory.
Then let us join with one Design,
our thankful Voices raise;
And sing to him that dy'd for Sin,
who's worthy of our Praise.
For in his Face shines Beams of Grace,
a Pardon hath in Store;
He dy'd for Sin and rose again,
who lives for Evermore.
And don't I say forget that Day,
the Eighteenth of November;
On Tuesday Morn the Lord did warn,
let us always remember.
FINIS.