Classic Poem

Adam, where art thou? Soul, where art thou now?
Oh! art thou saying, Sir, what shall I do?
I dare not use that proud self-raising strain,
Go help yourself, and God will help you then.
Nay, rather know, O Israel, that thou hast
Destroy'd thyself, and canst not in the least
From sin nor wrath thyself the captive free,
Thy help, says Jesus, only lies in me:
Heav'n's oracles direct to him alone,
Full help is laid upon thy mighty One.
In him, in him complete salvation dwells;
He's God the helper, and there is none else.
Fig leaves won't hide thee from the fiery show'r,
'Tis he alone that saves by price and pow'r.
 Must we do nothing then, will mockers say,
But rest in sloth till Heav'n the help convey?
Pray, stop a little, sinner; don't abuse
God's awful word, that charges thee to use
Means, ordinances, which he's pleas'd to place
As precious channels of his pow'rful grace.
Restless improve all these, until from heav'n
The whole salvation needless thus be giv'n.
Wait in his path, according to his call,
On him whose pow'r alone affecteth all.
Would'st thou him wed? In duties wait, I say;
But marry not thy duties by the way.
Thou'lt wofully come short of saving grace,
If duties only be thy resting place.
Nay, go a little further through them all,
To him whose office is to save from thrall,
Thus in a gospel-manner hopeful wait,
Striving to enter by the narrow gate:
So strait and narrow, that it won't admit
The bunch upon thy back to enter it.
Not only bulky lusts may cease to press,
But even the bunch of boasted righteousness.
 Many, as in the sacred page we see,
Shall strive to enter, but unable be:
Because, mistaking this new way of life,
They push a legal not a gospel strife:
As if their duties did J EHOVAH bind,
Because 'tis written, “Seek, and ye shall find.”
Perverted scripture does their error fence,
They read the letter, but neglect the sense.
While to the word no gospel-gloss they give;
Their seek and find's the same with do and live .
Hence would they a connection native place
Between their moral pains and saving grace:
Their nat'ral poor essays the Judge wont miss,
In justice, to infer eternal bliss.
 Thus commentaries on the word they make,
Which to their ruin are a grand mistake:
For, though the legal bias in their breast,
They scripture to their own destruction wrest,
Why, if we seek, we get, they gather hence;
Which is not truth save in the scripture sense.
There Jesus deals with friends, and elsewhere saith,
These seekers only speed that ask in faith.
“The prayer of the wicked is abhorr'd,
As an abomination to the Lord.”
Their suits are sins, but their neglects no less,
Which can't their guilt diminish but increase.
They ought, like beggars, lie in grace's way:
Hence Peter taught the sorcerer to pray;
For though mere nat'ral men's address or pray'rs
Can no acceptance gain as work of theirs,
Nor have, as their performance, any sway;
Yet as a divine ordinance they may.
But spotless truth has bound itself to grant
The suit of none but the believing saint.
In Jesus persons once accepted, do
Acceptance find in him for duties too.
For he, whose Son they do in marriage take,
Is bound to hear them for their husband's sake.
 But let no Christless soul, at pray'r appear,
As if J EHOVAH were oblig'd to hear:
But use a means, because a sov'reign God
May come with alms in this his wonted road.
He wills thee to frequent kind wisdom's gate,
To read, hear, meditate, to pray and wait;
Thy Spirit then be on these duties bent,
As gospel means, but not as legal rent,
From these don't thy salvation hope nor claim,
But from J EHOVAH in the use of them.
The beggar's spirit never was so dull,
While waiting at the gate call'd Beautiful,
To hope for succour at the temple-gate,
At which he daily did so careful wait:
But from the rich and charitable sort,
Who to the temple daily made resort.
Means, ordinances, are the comely gate,
At which kind heav'n has bid us constant wait:
Not that from these we have our alms, but from
The lib'ral God, who there is wont to come.
If either we these means shall dare neglect,
Or yet from these th' enriching bliss expect,
We from the glory of the King defalk;
Who in the galleries is wont to walk;
We move not regular in duties' road,
But base, invert them to an idol-god.
 Seek then, if gospel-means you would essay,
Through grace to use them in a gospel-way:
Nor deeming that your duties are the price
Of divine favour, or of Paradise;
Not that your best efforts employ'd in these
Are fit exploits your awful Judge to please.
Why thus you basely idolize your trash,
And make it with the blood of Jesus clash.
You'd buy the blessing with your vile refuse,
And so his precious righteousness abuse.
What! buy his gifts with filthy lumber? nay,
Whoever offers this, must hear him say,
“Thy money perish with thy soul for ay.”
 Duties are means, which to the marriage-bed
Should chastely lead us like the chamber-maid;
But if with her, instead of Christ, we match,
We not our safety but our ruin hatch.
To Cæsar, what is Cæsar's, should be giv'n;
But Cæsar must not have what's due to Heav'n:
So duties must have duty's room 'tis true;
But nothing of the glorious Husband's due.
While means the debt of close attendance crave,
Our whole dependence God alone must have.
If duties, tears, our conscience pacify,
They with the blood of Christ presume to vie.
Means are his vassals; shall we without grudge
Discard the master, and espouse the drudge?
The hypocrite, the leaglist does sin,
To live on duties, not on Christ therein.
He only feeds on empty dishes, plates,
Who dotes on means, but at the manna frets.
Let never means content thy soul at all,
Without the Husband, who is all in all.
Cry daily for the happy marriage hour:
To him belongs the mean, to him the pow'r.