[Page 141]
TO Mr. C. and S. Fleetwood.
The World Vain AND The Soul Immortal.
1701.
I.
1 FLEETWOODS, Young Generous Pair,
2 Despise the Joys that Fools pursue;
3 Bubbles are light and brittle too,
4 Born of the Water and the Air.
5 Try'd by a Standard Bold and Just
6 Honour and Gold are Paint and Dust;
7 How vile the last is, and as vain the first:
[Page 142]8 Things that the Crowd calls Great and Brave,
9 With me how low their Value's brought!
10 Titles, and Names, and Life, and Breath,
11 Slaves to the Wind and born for Death;
12 The Soul's the only Thing We have
13 Worth an Important Thought.
II.
14 The Soul! 'tis of th' Immortal Kind,
15 Not form'd of Fire, or Earth, or Wind,
16 Outlives the mouldring Corps, and leaves the Globe behind.
17 In Limbs of Clay tho' She appears,
18 Drest up in Ears and Eyes,
19 The Flesh is but the Souls Disguise,
20 There's nothing in her Frame kin to the Rags she Wears.
21 From all the Laws of Matter free,
22 From all we feel, and all we see
23 She stands Eternally distinct, and must for ever Be.
III.
24 Rise then, my Thoughts, on high,
25 Soar beyond all that's made to Dye;
[Page 143]26 Lo! on an Awful Throne
27 Sits the Creatour and the Judge of Souls,
28 Whirling the Planets round the Poles,
29 Winds off our Threads of Life, and brings our Periods on.
30 Swift the Approach, and Solemn is the Day,
31 When this Immortal Mind
32 Strip't of the Body's coarse Array
33 To Endless Pain, or Endless Joy
34 Must be at once consign'd.
IV.
35 Think of the Sands run down to waste,
36 We possess none of all the Past,
37 None but the Present is our own;
38 Grace is not plac'd within our Power,
39 'Tis but one short, one shining Hour,
40 Bright and declining as a Setting Sun.
41 See the white Minutes wing'd with hast;
42 The NOW that flies may be the last,
43 Seize the Salvation e're 'tis past,
44 Nor mourn the Blessing gone:
[Page 144]45 A Thoughts Delay is Ruine here,
46 A Closing Eye, a Gasping Breath
47 Shuts up the Golden Scene in Death,
48 And drowns you in Despair.
Source edition
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. 141-144. [20],267,[1]p.; 8⁰. (ESTC T82397; OTA K067329.000) (Page images digitized from a copy in the Princeton Theological Seminary Library.)
Editorial principles
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.
Other works by Isaac Watts
- THE Absence of the Beloved. ()
- Against Tears. The beginning of Ode 23. Book 4. of Casimire Imitated. Si, quae flent mala, lugubres Auferrent Oculi, &c. ()
- BEWAILING My own Inconstancy. ()
- Breathing towards the Heavenly Country. Casimire. Book I. Od. 19. Imitated. Urit me Patriae Decor, &c. ()
- Brotherly Love. PSALM CXXXIII. ()
- Christ's Amazing Love AND My Amazing Coldness. ()
- Confession and Pardon. ()
- A CRADLE HYMN. ()
- THE Day of Judgment. An ODE, Attempted in English Sapphick. ()
- DEATH A Welcome Messenger. ()
- THE Death of MOSES, Deut. xxxii. 49, 50. and xxxiv. 5, 6. ()
- THE Divine Sovereignty. ()
- Doubts and Fears SUPPRES'D. PSALM III. ()
- Duty to God and our Neighbour. ()
- AN ELEGY ON THE Reverend Mr. Tho. Gouge. ()
- AN EPITAPH ON King WILLIAM III. Of Glorious Memory, Who Died March 8th. 1701. ()
- Forsaken, yet Hoping. ()
- Free Philosophy. ()
- FRIENDSHIP. ()
- A Funeral POEM ON Thomas Gunston Esq ()
- THE GLORIES of GOD Exceed all Worship. ()
- GOD Appears most Glorious IN OUR Salvation by CHRIST. ()
- GOD Incomprehensible. ()
- GOD Sovereign and Gracious. ()
- GOD's Infinity. ()
- THE HAPPY SAINT AND Cursed Sinner. PSALM I. ()
- THE HAZARD OF Loving the Creatures. ()
- [Hymn I.] The Hosanna; or Salvation ascribed to CHRIST. ()
- [Hymn II.] GLORY to the FATHER and the SON, &c. ()
- AN Hymn of Praise TO The God of ENGLAND, FOR Three Great Salvations. (VIZ.) ()
- JESUS THE Only SAVIOUR. ()
- The Law and Gospel. ()
- LONGING FOR HEAVEN, OR, THE Song of Angels Above. ()
- LONGING FOR The Second Coming OF CHRIST. ()
- THE Love of CHRIST ON His CROSS AND On His THRONE. ()
- [MORAL SONG] I. The SLUGGARD. ()
- [MORAL SONG] II. Innocent Play. ()
- [MORAL SONG] III. The ROSE. ()
- [MORAL SONG] IV. The THIEF. ()
- [MORAL SONG] V. The ANT or EMMET. ()
- [MORAL SONG] VI. Good Resolutions. ()
- ON The Sudden Death OF Mrs. Mary Peacock. ()
- Our Saviour's Golden Rule. ()
- THE PLEASURE OF Love to CHRIST Present or Absent. ()
- Praise to the LORD FROM All NATIONS. PSALM C. ()
- THE REVERSE; ON THE View of some of my Friends remaining Comforts. ()
- Sick of Love. Solom. Song, i. 3. ()
- SICKNESS GIVES A Sight of HEAVEN. ()
- A Sight of CHRIST. ()
- Sincere Praise. ()
- Sitting in an Arbour. ()
- SONG I. A general Song of Praise to GOD. ()
- SONG II. Praise for Creation and Providence. ()
- SONG III. Praise to GOD for our Redemption. ()
- SONG IV. Praise for Mercies Spiritual and Temporal. ()
- A Song of Praise TO GOD. PSALM C. In Trissyllable Feet. ()
- SONG V. Praise for Birth and Education in a Christian Land. ()
- SONG VI. Praise for the Gospel. ()
- SONG VII. The Excellency of the BIBLE. ()
- SONG VIII. Praise to GOD for learning to Read. ()
- SONG IX. The All-seeing GOD. ()
- SONG X. Solemn Thoughts of GOD and Death. ()
- SONG XI. Heaven and Hell. ()
- SONG XII. The Advantages of early Religion. ()
- SONG XIII. The Danger of Delay. ()
- SONG XIV. Examples of early Piety. ()
- SONG XV. Against Lying. ()
- SONG XVI. Against Quarrelling and Fighting. ()
- SONG XVII. Love between Brothers and Sisters. ()
- SONG XVIII. Against Scoffing and calling Names. ()
- SONG XIX. Against Swearing, and Cursing, and taking God's Name in vain. ()
- SONG XX. Against Idleness and Mischief. ()
- SONG XXI. Against Evil Company. ()
- SONG XXII. Against Pride in Clothes. ()
- SONG XXIII. Obedience to Parents. ()
- SONG XXIV. The Child's Complaint. ()
- SONG XXV. A MORNING SONG: ()
- SONG XXVI. An EVENING SONG. ()
- SONG XXVII. For the LORD's-DAY MORNING. ()
- SONG XXVIII. For the LORD'S-DAY EVENING. ()
- THE Sufferings and Glories OF CHRIST. A SONG In Trisyllable Feet. ()
- A SUMMER EVENING. ()
- The TEN COMMANDMENTS, out of the Old Testament, put into short Rhyme for Children. ()
- TO David Polhill Esq ()
- TO David Polhill Esq ()
- TO Dr. JOHN SPEED of Southampton. ()
- TO Dr. Thomas Gibson. ()
- TO Her MAJESTY. ()
- TO John Hartopp Esq ()
- TO John Hartopp Esq ()
- TO Mr. A. S. and Mr. T. H. ()
- TO Mr. Henry Bendish. ()
- TO Mr. John Lock Retired from The World of Business. ()
- TO Mr. JOHN SHUTE ON Mr. LOCK's Dangerous Sickness sometime after he had retired to study the Scriptures. ()
- TO Mr. Nicholas Clark. ()
- TO Mr. Robert Atwood. ()
- TO Mr. William Blackbourn. ()
- TO My Brothers E. and T. W. ()
- TO My Sisters S. and M. W. ()
- TO Nathanael Gould Esq ()
- TO THE Discontented and Unquiet. ()
- TO THE Reverend Mr. B. Rowe. ()
- To the Reverend Mr. John Howe. ()
- To the Right Honourable JOHN Lord CUTTS. [At the Siege of Namure.] ()
- TO Thomas Gunston Esq ()
- THE Transcendent Glories OF THE DEITY. ()
- THE Universal Hallelujah, OR, PSALM 148. PARAPHRAS'D. ()
- UPON The Dismal Narrative OF THE Afflictions of a Friend. ()
- Wishing him ever with me. ()
- A Word of Warning, OR Few Happy Marriages. ()