[Page 138]

TO My Sisters S. and M. W.

An Epistle.

Dear Sisters,
READ the Love of my Heart in the first Line of my Letter, and believe it. I'me much concern'd to bear of my Mother's continued Weakness; we take our Share of those painful Disorders of Nature which afflict her whom we Honour and Love: I know also that your Hurries of Business must be more than doubled thereby; but we are daily leaving Care and Sin behind us: The past Temptations shall vex us no more,[Page 139] the Months that are gone return not, and the Sorrows that we hourly feel lessen the decreed Number; every Pulse beats a Moment of Pain away, and thus by Degrees we arrive nearer to the sweet Period of Life and Trouble.
1 Bear up (my dear Ones) thro' the ruffling Storms
2 Of a vain vexing World: Tread down the Cares
3 Those ragged Thorns that lie across the Road,
4 Nor spend a Tear upon 'em. Trust me, Sisters,
5 The Dew of Eyes will make the Briars grow.
6 Nor let the distant Phantom of Delight
7 Too long allure your Gaze, or swell your Hope
8 To dangerous size: If it approach your Feet
9 And court your Hand, forbid the Intruding Joy
10 To sit too near your Heart: Still may our Souls
11 Claim Kindred with the Skies, nor mix with Dust
12 Our betterborn Affections: Leave the Globe
13 A Nest for Worms, and hasten to our Home.
14 O there are Gardens of th' Immortal Kind
15 That Crown the Heavenly Edens rising Hills
16 With Beauty and with Sweets; no Lurking Mischief
17 Dwells in the Fruit, nor Serpent twines the Boughs:
[Page 140]
18 The Branches bend Laden with Life and Bliss
19 Ripe for the Taste; but 'tis a steep Ascent:
20 Hold fast the
* The Gospel.
Golden Chain let down from Heaven,
21 'Twill help your Feet and Wings; I feel its Force
22 Draw upward: Fasten'd to the Pearly Gate
23 It Guides the Way unerring: Happy Clue
24 Thro' this dark Wild! 'Twas Wisdom's Noblest Work,
25 All joyn'd by Power Divine, and every Link is Love.

Sisters, Accept the sudden Rapture kindly. The Muse is not awake every Day, if she has a Moments Release from the Lethargy, see, 'tis devoted to serve and please you &c.

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Title (in Source Edition): TO My Sisters S. and M. W.
Author: Isaac Watts
Themes:
Genres: blank verse; epistle

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Watts, Isaac, 1674-1748. Horæ lyricæ: Poems, chiefly of the lyric kind. In two books. ... By I. Watts. London: Printed by S. and D. Bridge, for John Lawrence at the Sign of the Angel in the Poultrey. MDCCVI., 1706, pp. 138-140. [20],267,[1]p.; 8⁰. (ESTC T82397; OTA K067329.000) (Page images digitized from a copy in the Princeton Theological Seminary Library.)

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The text has been typographically modernized, but without any silent modernization of spelling, capitalization, or punctuation. The source of the text is given and all editorial interventions have been recorded in textual notes. Based on the electronic text originally produced by the TCP project, this ECPA text has been edited to conform to the recommendations found in Level 5 of the Best Practices for TEI in Libraries version 4.0.0.

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