This is to say hello & is an experiment to see if the following post receives more response from a focus group.
Sabbath-breaking on the canal. A poem. By the Reverend John Clutton, A.M. Prebendary of Hereford.A copy sharing with you for discusion of the following snippet from this 1820 poem.
Yon bark, that sails the flowery bank beside,
Contains a soul for which the Saviour died,
Which in the heights of heav’n, or depths of hell,
Is destin’d through eternity to dwell:
The Sabbath smiles; but, bound with Satan’s chain,
On Mammon’s slave the Sabbath smiles in vain:
The bells that utter their melodious chime
Each Sabbath day, at morning’s hour of prime,
Convey no music to the boatman’s ear,
Intent his course towards ruin’s gulph to steer;
Still on the Sacred Day his bark he plies,
Nor stops to worship Him who rules the skies.
Will none commiserate his hapless case,
Nor bid him seek Jehovah’s saving grace?
“In Zion woe to them that are at ease” [2a]
Denounc’d the prophet; who themselves would please.
“The plague, the famine, noisome beasts, the sword,” [2b]
These are the judgments of th’ offended Lord.
Think not the great Jehovah sleeps supine,
Sooner yon radiant orb shall cease to shine:
For broken Sabbaths clouds of wrath will lower,
And who can stay “the thunder of his power?”
But judgment is the Lord’s unwonted deed,
Unwillingly He makes the sinner bleed:
Rev John Clifton, A.M.
[gutenberg.org]
None so righteous as?
I wonder what the Reverend would say about today's pandemic & worship of Mammon?
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2 comments
Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.A good example of the hypocrisy of the the 19th century clergy, an apparently "faith promoting" poem warning of the dangers of damnation awaiting the "profane" that however is filled with mysticism, Greek and Egyptian mythology and contemporary gnosticism/Theosophy so popular and powerful at the time.
LenHazell53
Level 9
Aug 24, 2020
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Comment text removed by group moderator LenHazell53.
Mofo1953
Level 9
Aug 24, 2020
0
Comment text removed by group moderator LenHazell53.
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