Michael Wigglesworth (1631—1705)

“Your blinded spirit hoping to merit
by your own Righteousness,
Needed no Savior but your behavior,
and blameless carriages.
You trusted to what you could do,
and in no need you stood;
Your haughty pride laid me aside.
And trampled on my Blood.

CIII.

“All men have gone astray, and done
that which God’s laws condemn;
But my Purchase and offer’d Grace
All men did not contemn.
The Ninevites and Sodomites
had no such sin as this;
Yet as if all your sins were small,
you say, ‘All did amiss.’

CIV.

“Again you thought and mainly sought
a name with men t’ acquire;
Pride bare the Bell that made you swell,
and your own selves admire.
Mean fruit it is, and vile, I wiss,
that springs from such a root;
Virtue divine and genuine
wonts not from pride to shoot.

CV.

“Such deeds as your are worse than poor;
they are but sins gilt over
With silver dross, whose glist’ring gloss
can them no longer cover.
The best of them would you condemn,
and ruin you alone.
Although you were from faults so clear,
that other you had none.

CVI.

“Your gold is brass, your silver dross,
your righteousness is sin;
And think you by such honesty
Eternal life to win?
You much mistake, if for its sake
you dream of acceptation;
Whereas the same deserveth shame
and meriteth damnation.“

Michael Wigglesworth (1631—1705)

XCVI.

Then answeréd unto their dread,
the Judge: “True Piety
God doth desire and eke require,
no less than honesty.
Justice demands at all your hands
perfect Obedience;
If but in part you have come short,
that is a just offense.

XCVII.

“On Earth below, where men did owe
a thousand pounds and more.
Could twenty pence it recompense?
Could that have clear’d the score?
Think you to buy Felicity
with part of what’s due debt?
Or for desert of one small part,
the whole should off be set?

XCVIII.

“And yet that part whose great desert
you think to reach so far,
For your excuse doth you accuse,
and will your boasting mar.
However fair, however square
your way and work hath been
Before men’s eyes, yet God espies
iniquity therein.

XCIX.

“God looks upon th’ affecti-on
and temper of the heart;
Not only on the acti-on,
and the external part.
Whatever end vain men pretend,
God knows the verity,
And by the end which they intend
their words and deeds doth try.

C.

“Without true Faith, the Scripture saith,
God cannot take delight
In any deed that doth proceed
from any sinful wight.
And without love all actions prove
but barren empty things;
Dead works they be and vanity,
the which vexation brings.

CI.

“Nor from true Faith, which quencheth wrath,
hath your obedience flown;
Nor from true Love, which wont to move
Believers, hath it grown.
Your argument shews your intent
in all that you have done;
You thought to scale Heav’n’s lofty Wall
by Ladders of your own.

Michael Wigglesworth (1631—1705)

Civil honest men’s pleas.

XCII.

Then were brought nigh a Company
of Civil honest Men,
That lov’d true dealing and hated stealing,
ne’er wrong’d their Bretheren;
Who pleaded thus: “Thou knowest us
that we were blameless livers;
No Whoremongers, no Murderers,
no quarrelers nor strivers.

XCIII.

“Idolaters, Adulterers,
Church-robbers we were none,
Nor false dealers, nor cozeners,
but paid each man his own.
Our way was fair, our dealing square,
we were no wasteful spenders,
No lewd toss-pots, no drunken sots,
no scandalous offenders.

XCIV.

“We hated vice and set great price,
by virtuous conversation;
And by the same we got a name
and no small commendation.
God’s Laws express that righteousness
is that which he doth prize;
And to obey, as he doth say,
is more than sacrifice.

XCV.

“Thus to obey hath been our way;
let our good deeds, we pray,
Find some regard and some reward
with thee, Lord, this day.
And whereas we transgressors be,
of Adam’s race were none,
No, not the best, but have confess’d
themselves to have misdone.“

Michael Wigglesworth (1631—1705)

LXXXI.

Then forth issue another Crew
(those being silencéd),
Who drawing nigh to the Most High,
adventure thus to plead:
“We sinners were,” say they, “’tis clear,
deserving condemnation;
But did not we rely on thee,
O Christ, for whole Salvation?

LXXXII.

“We did believe, and oft receive
thy gracious Promises;
We took great care to get a share
in endless Happiness.
We pray’d and wept, and Fast-days kept,
lewd ways we did eschew;
We joyful were thy Word to hear;
we form’d our lives anew.

LXXXIII.

“We thought our sin had pardon’d been,
that our Estate was good,
Our debts all paid, our peace well made,
our Souls wash’d with thy Blood.
Lord, why dost though reject us now,
who have not thee rejected,
Nor utterly true sanctity
and holy life neglected?“

XCI.

“Thus from yourselves unto yourselves,
your duties all do tend;
And as self-love the wheels doth move,
so in self-love they end.“
Thus Christ detects their vain projects,
and close Impiety,
And plainly shews that all their shows
were but Hypocrisy.