On the General Conflagration, and ensuing Judgment. A Pindaric Essay. I. Now the black Days of Universal Doom, Which wond'rous Prophecies foretold, are come; What strong Convulsions, what stupendous Woe, Must sinking Nature undergo, Amidst the dreadful Wreck, and final Overthrow. Methinks I hear her, conscious of her Fate, With fearful Groans, and hideous Cries, Fill the presaging Skies; Unable to support the weight, Or of the present, or approaching Miseries. Methinks I hear her summon all, Her guilty Off-spring, raving with Despair, And trembling, cry aloud, prepare, Ye Sublunary Pow'rs t' attend my Funeral! II. See, see the tragical Portents, Those dismal Harbingers of dire Events! Loud Thunders roar, and darting Light'nings fly Through the dark Concave of the troubled Sky: The fiery Ravage is begun, the End is nigh, See how the glaring Meteors blaze! Like baleful Torches, O they come, To light dissolving Nature to her Tomb! And scatt'ring round their pestilential Rays, Strike the affrighted Nations with a wild Amaze. Vast Sheets of Flame, and Globes of Fire, By an impetuous Wind are driven, Thro' all the Regions of th' inferior Heaven, Till hid in sulph'rous Smoke, they seemingly expire. III. Sad and amazing 'tis to see, What mad confusion rages over all This scorching Ball! No Country is exempt, no Nation free, But each partakes the Epidemic Misery. What dismal havock of Mankind is made By Wars, and Pestilence, and Dearth, Thro' the whole mournful Earth? Which with a murdering Fury they invade, Forsook by Providence, and all propitious Aid. Whilst Fiends let loose, their utmost Rage employ To ruin all things here below; Their Malice and Revenge no Limits know, But, in the universal tumult, all destroy. IV. Distracted Mortals from their Cities fly For safety to their Champian Ground, But there no safety can be found; The Vengeance of an angry Deity, With unrelenting Fury does inclose them round. And whilst for Mercy some aloud implore The God, they ridicul'd before; And others raving with their woe, (For Hunger, Thirst, Despair they undergo,) Blaspheme and curse the Power they should adore. The Earth, parch'd up with Drought, her Jaws extend, And opening wide a dreadful Tomb, The howling Multitude, at once, descends, Together all into her burning Womb. V. The trembling Alps abscond their aged Heads In mighty Pillars of Infernal Smoke, Which from their bellowing Caverns broke, And suffocates whole Nations where it spreads. Sometimes the Fire within divides The massy Rivers of those secret Chains, Which hold together their prodigious Sides, And hurls the shatter'd Rocks o'er all the Plains While Towns and Cities, ev'ry thing below, Is overwhelmed with the same burst of Woe. VI. No Showers descend from the malignant Sky, To cool the Burnings of the thirsty Field; The Trees no Leaves, no Grass the Meadows yield, But all is barren, all is dry. The little Rivulets no more To larger Streams their tribute pay, Nor to the ebbing Ocean, they Which with a strange unusual roar, Forsakes those antient Bounds it would have pass'd before, And to the monstrous Deep in vain retires; For ev'n the Deep it self is not secure, But belching subterraneous Fires, Increases still the scalding Calenture, Which neither Earth, nor Air, nor Water can endure. VII. The Sun by Sympathy concern'd, At those Convulsions, Pangs, and Agonies, Which on the whole Creation seize, Is to substantial Darkness turn'd. The neighb'ring Moon, as if a purple Flood, O'erflow'd her tottering Orb, appears Like a huge mass of black corrupting Blood; For she her self a Dissolution fears. The larger Planets, which once shone so bright, With the reflected Rays of borrow'd Light, Shook from their Center, without motion lie, Unweildy Globes of solid Night, And ruinous Lumber of the Sky. VIII. Amidst this dreadful Hurricane of Woes, (For Fire, Confusion, Horror and Despair, Fill ev'ry Region of the tortur'd Earth and Air;) The great Archangel his loud Trumpet blows, At whose amazing Sound, fresh Agonies Upon expiring Nature seize; For now she'll in few Minutes know Th' ultimate Event and Fate of all below. Awake, ye Dead, awake he cries For all must come, All that had Human Breath, arise, To hear your last unalterable Doom. IX. At this the ghastly Tyrant, who had sway'd So many thousand Ages uncontroul'd, No longer could his Scepter hold, But gave up all, and was himself a Captive made. The scatter'd Particles of Human Clay, Which in the silent Grave's dark Chambers lay, Resume their pristine Forms agen, And now from mortal, grow immortal Men. Stupendous Energy of sacred Pow'r, Which can collect, where-ever cast; The smallest Atoms, and that shape restore, Which they had worn so many Years before, Tho' thro' strange Accidents and numerous Changes past. X. See how the joyful Angels fly From ev'ry Quarter of the Sky, To gather, and to convoy all, The pious Sons of human Race, To one capacious place, Above the Confines of this flaming Ball. See with what tenderness and love they bear Those righteous Souls thro' the tumultuous Air; Whilst the ungodly stand below, Raging with shame, confusion, and despair, Amidst the burning overthrow, Expecting fiercer Torments, and acuter Woe. Round them Infernal Spirits howling Fly; O Horror, Curses, Tortures, Chains, they cry, And roar aloud with execrable Blasphemy. XI. Hark how the daring Sons of Infamy Who once dissolv'd in Pleasures lay, And laugh'd at this tremendous Day, To Rocks and Mountains now to hide 'em cry; But Rocks and Mountains all in Ashes lie. Their Shame's so mighty, and so strong their Fear, That rather than appear Before a God incens'd, they would be hurl'd Amongst the burning Ruins of the World, And lie conceal'd, if possible, for ever there. Time was, they would not own a Deity, Nor after Death a future state; But now, by sad Experience find too late, There is, and terrible to that degree, That, rather than behold his Face, they'd cease to be. And sure 'tis better, if Heav'n would give consent, To have no Being; but they must remain For ever, and for ever be in pain. O inexpressible stupendous Punishment, Which cannot be endur'd, yet must be underwent. XII. But now the Eastern Skies expanding wide, The glorious Judge Omnipotent descends, And to the Sublunary World his Passage bends; Where, cloath'd with Human Nature, he did once reside. Round him the bright Ethereal Armies Fly, And loud triumphant Hallelujahs sing, With Songs of Praise, and Hymns of Victory To their Celestial King, All Glory, Pow'r, Dominion, Majesty, Now and for everlasting Ages be, To the Essential One, and Coeternal Three. Perish that World, as 'tis decreed, Which saw the God Incarnate bleed! Perish by thy Almighty Vengeance those Who durst thy Person, or thy Laws expose. The cursed Refuse of Mankind, and Hell's proud Seed Now to the unbelieving Nations show, Thou art a God from all Eternity; Not titular, or but by Office so; And let 'em the mysterious Union see, Of Human Nature with the Deity. XIII. With mighty transports, yet with awful fears, The Good behold this glorious Sight, Their God in all his Majesty appears, Ineffable, amazing bright, And seated on a Throne of everlasting Light. Round the Tribunal, next to the most High, In sacred Discipline and Order stand, The Peers and Princes of the Sky, As they excel in Glory or Command. Upon the Right Hand that Illustrious Croud In the white Bosom of a shining Cloud, Whose Souls abhorring all ignoble Crimes, Did with a steady Course pursue His holy Precepts, in the worst of times; Maugre what Earth, or Hell, what Men or Devils could And now that God they did to Death adore, For whom such Torments and such Pains they bore, Returns to place them on those Thrones above, Where undisturb'd, uncloy'd, they will possess Divine substantial Happiness, Unbounded as his Pow'r, and lasting as his Love. XIV. Go bring, the Judge impartial, frowning cries, Those Rebel Sons, who did my Laws despise; Whom neither threat, nor promises could move, Not all my Sufferings, nor all my Love, To save themselves from everlasting Miseries. At this ten Millions of Archangels Flew Swifter than Lightning, or the swiftest thought, And less than in an instant brought, The wretched, curs'd infernal Crew, Who with distorted Aspects come, To hear their sad intolerable Doom. Alas! they cry, one Beam of Mercy show, Thou all-forgiving Deity! To pardon Crimes is natural to thee; Crush us to nothing, or suspend our Woe: But if it cannot, cannot be, And we must go into a Gulph of Fire, (For who can with Omnipotence contend;) Grant, for thou art a God, it may at last expire, And all our Tortures have an end. Eternal Burnings, O we cannot bear! Tho' now our Bodies too Immortal are, Let 'em be pungent to the last degree; And let our Pains innumerable be, But let 'em not extend to all Eternity. XV. Loe now, there does no place remain For penitence, and tears, but all Must by their Actions stand or fall: To hope for pity is in vain, The Dye is cast, and not to be recall'd again. Two mighty Books are by two Angels brought, In this, impartially recorded, stands The Laws of Nature, and Divine Commands, In that, each Action, Word and Thought, Whate'er was said in secret, or in secret wrought. Then first the Virtuous, and the Good, Who all the Fury of Temptation stood, And bravely pass'd thro' Ignominy, Chains and Blood; Attended by their Guardian Angels, come To the tremendous Bar of final Doom. In vain the grand Accuser, railing brings, A long Indictment of enormous Things, Whose Guilt wip'd off by penitential Tears, And their Redeemer's Blood and Agonies, No more to their astonishment appears, But in the secret Womb of dark Oblivion lies. XVI. Come now, my Friends, he cries, ye Sons of Grace, Partakers once of all my Wrongs and Shame, Despis'd and hated for my Name. Come to your Saviour's, and your God's Embrace! Ascend, and those bright Diadems possess, For you by my Eternal Father made, E'er the Foundation of the World was laid; And that surprizing Happiness, Immense as my own Godhead, and will ne'er be less. For when I languishing in Prison lay, Naked and starv'd almost for want of Bread, You did your kindly Visits pay, Both cloath'd my Body, and my Hunger fed. Wearied with Sickness, or oppress'd with Grief, Your hand was always ready to supply: When-e'er I wanted, you were always by, To share my Sorrows, or to give Relief. In all Distress, so tender was your Love, I could no anxious trouble bear, No black Misfortune, or vexatious Care, But you were still impatient to remove, And mourn'd, your charitable Hand, should unsuccessful prove, All this you did, tho' not to me In Person, yet to mine in Misery; And shall for ever live In all the Glories that a God can give, Or a created Being's able to receive. XVII. At this the Architects Divine on high Innumerable Thrones of Glory raise, On which they, in appointed Order, place The Human Coheirs of Eternity; And with united Hymns the God Incarnate praise. O Holy, Holy, Holy Lord, Eternal God, Almighty One, Be thou for ever, and be thou alone, By all thy Creatures constantly ador'd! Ineffable Coequal Three, Who from Non-entity gave Birth To Angels, and to Men, to Heaven and to Earth; Yet always was thy self, and will for ever be. But for thy Mercy, we had ne'er possest These Thrones, and this immense Felicity, Could ne'er have been so infinitely blest: Therefore all Glory, Power, Dominion, Majesty, To thee, O Lamb of God, to thee, For ever, longer than for ever be. XVIII. Then the Incarnate Godhead turns his Face To those upon the Left, and cries, (Almighty Vengeance Flashing in his Eyes) Ye impious, unbelieving Race, To those eternal Torments go, Prepar'd for those Rebellious Sons of Light, In burning Darkness, and in Flaming Night; Which shall no limit or cessation know, But always are extream, and always will be so. The final Sentence pass'd, a dreadful Cloud, Inclosing all the miserable Croud, A mighty Hurricane of Thunder rose, And hurl'd 'em all into a Lake of Fire, Which never, never, never can expire: The vast Abyss of endless Woes. Whilst with their God, the Righteous mount on high, In glorious triumph passing thro' the Sky, To Joys immense, and everlasting Extasy.