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A51005
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A divine and moral essay on the Christian pilgrim's conduct with some glances on that of the secular / by John Macqueen ...
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Mackqueen, John, d. 1734.
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1699
(1699)
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Wing M225; ESTC R22482
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53,913
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158
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Calamitous State of the Episcopal Clergy of the Scotish Church and David's divine strain mixt with the high Fancy and dress'd with the Elegancy of this admirable Poet's Phrase affected me with a wonderful Ravishment in time of my troublesome damps and my frequent reciting it over surnisht me such satisfaction in my solitary Recesses and Mournful Soliloquies or Meditations upon the Banks of Welton and about the Arbours of Watford and first suggested to my mind the expediency of spending some thoughts on the few heads of the ensuing Treatise Buchan Paraphras in Lib. Psalm 137. Dum procul à patria maesti Babylonis in or is Fluminis ad liquidas forte sedemus aquas Illa animum subiit species miseranda Sionis Et nunquam patrii tect a videnda soli Flevimus gemitus luctantia verba repressit Inque sinus liquidae decidit imber aquae Muta super virides pendebant nablia ramos Et salices tacitas sustinuere lyras Eece ferox dominus Solymae populator opimae Exigit in mediis carmina laeta malis Qui patriam exilio nobis mutavit acerbo Nos jubet ad patrios verba referre modos Quale canebamus stetâ—rat dum celsa Sionis Regia finitimis invidiosa loc is Siccine divinos Babylon irrideat hymnos Audiat sanctos terra profana modos O solyma O adyta sacri penetralia templi Ullane vos animo deleat hora meo Comprecor ante meae capiant me oblivia dextrae Nec memor argutae sit mea dextra lyrae Os mihi destituat vox arescente palato Haereat ad fauces aspera lingna meas Prima mihi vestrae nisi sint praeconia laudis Hinc nisi laetitiae surgat origo meae At tu quae nostrae insultavit laeta rapinae Gentis Idumaeae tu memor esto Pater Diripite ex imis evertite fundament is Aequaque clamabant reddite tecta solo Tu quoque crudeles Babylon dabis impia paenas Et rerum instabiles experiere vices Felix qui nostris accedet cladibus ultor Reddet ad exemplum qui tibi damna tuum Felix qui tenero consperget saxa cerebro Eripiens gremio pignora cara tuo The pleasure I took in poring on this Paraphrase and often repeating of it in my retired wandring circuits through the Fields made me request from the Ingenious Mr. Thomas Yaldin Fellow of Magd Coll. in Oxford this Translation which the Concurrence of my Worthy and singularly Obliging Neighbour Mr. Charles Allestry Minister of Daventry prevail'd with him to grant as the Reader may perceive by the Letter prefixt to it TO THE REVEREND Mr. Charles Allestrey Minister of Daventry in Northampton-Shire Sir OUT of that intire Obedience which I shall ever pay to your Commands I writ the ensuing Paraphrase and unless the common Fate of all Poets which is to be fondest of their last Productions very much blinds my Judgment I think the honour you have lay'd upon me in this Request has informed the piece with a greater Genius and Spirit than usually attends my Writings I am not insensible that 't is as natural for a Poet to flatter himself as his Patrons but here my wishes conspire with my weakness to put the best varnish over the humble present and make it seem in some measure worthy your acceptance Buchannan Oldham and Woodford have been happiest in their versians of this Psalm till I finish'd my own I avoided seeing their Composures choosing rather to correct my thoughts by others Works than design by them The only one I may have seem'd to follow is Mr. Oldham the great respect I have for this Anthor cannot biass my judgment so far as to overlook his faults his Digressions are too long even for Pindarick Poetry his Verse wants Number and Cadence but the most unpardonable fault is that the Pathetick Air of this Psalm is not observed with Poetical Justice I would not in this immitate our modern Writers first to steal immediatly from an Author then Censure and Rail at him that the World may not suspect them I hope your leisure will permit you to Read him at once to justifie the Character I have given and to see how industriously I have avoided even the Resemblance of Thoughts and Expressions tho' the subject be the same But lest I make my Preface Resemble the head of a Rickety Child that is vastly disproportioned to the smallness of the body I shall only beg your favourable Acceptance of this and to think I always retain a grateful acknowledgment of those many favours you have confer'd on Magdalen Colledge in Oxford June 1697. Your dutiful Son and very humble Servant Thom. Yalden A PARAPHRASE On the 137th Psalm A Pindarick ODE WHere fam'd Euphrates winding Current Flows And Tribute pays to losty Babylon There by a strange Reverse of Fate A-round the mournful Shores we laid us down And wept in sad Remembrance of our Woes And in pathetick Words deplor'd our abject State But Sion when we call'd to Mind The beauteous Sion left behind When lov'd Judea to remembrance came Our native Palestine and Jordan's Stream A wild Excess of grief we shew'd The Tears in lavish Torrents flow'd When Sion to our fond remembrance Judea's pleasant Soil and Jordan's Stream Unhappy Sion lost and Desolate That once in Glory far out-Shone The boasted Walls of Babylon In Beauty Strength and Empire great Sion rever'd by Men our God 's exalted Seat Our useless Harps mute and unstrung Our Harps and Instruments renown'd For matchless Harmony and Tuneful Sound Were on the shady Willows hung Or lay neglected on the Ground Oft would the Proud insulting Victors erie Come on your Harps and Voices try Sing sing us a Gay Melodious Song Songs of Triumph let them be Full of Wit and Harmony Such as to Sions joyful Courts belong Such as of old Immortal David Sung When he in Triumph Rode When Victory inspir'd his Tongue And Prince of the Harmonious Band A Harp employ'd the Hero's Hand Of Sion was his Song and worthy Sion's God Shall Babylon our Hymns of Triumph Hear Or curst Euphrates Streams the Accents bear Shall Israel prostitute their Sacred Lays What Sions Harmony prophane And the inimitable David's Strain Or in a foreign Land attempt Jehova's Praise Ah no ye cruel ye Inhuman Race Tho' Israel suffers your afflicting Scorn Though you in Triumph smile at our Disgrace And insolently laugh to see the Wretched mourn A Song you shall in vain demand In vain compel the skilful Hand Or Harmony require in proud Assyria's Land Do mournful Chains with Harps agree Or Songs of Triumph suit with Misery Curst be the Voice and Curst the Lute That pays Obedience to the haughty Foe But tho' our Instruments are Mute Ye shall have Sighs and Groans the Consorts of our Woe Jerusalem lov'd Object of my Thought When thou art absent from my Mind When mourning Palestine's forgot Our Native Shores and all we left behind Then may my unperforming
Hand Forget its boasted Art No more the Tuneful Harp Command Nor to the Lute soft Harmony Impart Sion thou darling of my Muse When I forget thy Venerable Name Thy suff'ring Majesty and injur'd Fame Let my right Hand forget its use Let my right Hand its Artful cunning Lose Sion if I prefer not thee In all my Hours of Mirth and Harmony Thou subject of my nobler Song Then let my inauspicious Tongue Cleave to its vaulted Roof and cease to speak Let motion every Vocal nerve forsake Let Discord Seize my Harp and Lute Oh let my perjur'd Tongue eternally be Mute Remember Edom's unrelenting Race On that detested Day That Day of Infamy and dire Disgrace When lost Jerusalem became the Victors Prey With how much Insolence and Pride With what Imperious Brows they Cry'd Level their Sion's Walls their sacred Shrines deface Shall Edom's cruel Off-spring be forgot Latest Posterity shall never cease To brand the Infamously Savage Race With an Eternal Blot That cry'd aloud Come hurl their Sion down The beauteous Rival of our Babylon To future Times let no Remains be found But Furrow up the desolated Ground Now Mourn thou proud Assyria Mourn In sadder Accents let Euphrates Flow To Tears let Tigris and Hydaspis turn Tears to supply the Scenes of thy approaching Woe O Babylon ill F'ated Babylon Mature for Ruin to destruction led How Num'rous are thy Horrours grown How are our Curses fall'n on thy devoted Head Blest be the Sword ah doubly blest the Hand That executes Revenge and Lust That with repeated Plagues infests thy Land That makes thy wasted Shores Accurst And sheds Assyrian Blood with an insatiate Thirst But he that Pity that Compassion shew's May he be Curst Curst to partake thy Woes Let mercy to thy Anguish be unknown And fly the Sighs and Tears of Babylon Whilst wild Ambition Lust and Rage Urge every Arm each Sword ingage And Steel the Victors Hearts obdurate as thy own Happy thrice happy shall the Victors be That Babylon destroy That Triumph o're thy Misery And Treat thy Anguish with insulting Joy That Cast thee down with scornful Pride Thy Palaces and splendid Courts deface Thy Sighs thy piercing Groans deride Shake their disdainful Heads and Laugh at thy disgrace Thy kneeling Matrons shall Implore in Vain In Vain for Mercy raise their Hands and Eyes Whil'st Streams of Blood thy Temples stain Triumphant Slaughter round thee Flies Neglects the Orphans Tears and prostrate Virgins cryes With Conquest may his Arms be Blest With Fame distinguish'd far above the Rest That Drags the Clasping Infant from the Mothers Breast That hurls thy sprawling Off-spring round and stains The marble Pillars with their living Brains That strews with mangled Limbs thy Pavements ore And makes thy Channels swell with Streams of Reaking Gore But before I conclude this long Epistle let me tell you my Friends and Acquaintances in Edinborough who long to hear any advantagious thing of me or from me that since I came to Welton the Civilities of some of the Gentry in this Country the Pious and Learned Converse of some of the Clergy the Humanity of some of the Commons and the particular kindness of my own Parishioners and and some other Neighbours have and do very much allay the grief which arises from the Consideration of any uneasiness I have in my present Circumstances I have great comfort in the success of my Ministry among this people and in the returns of the Affection and Esteem I meet with from them and I Magnifie the Grace of God for any good I either hove done or may do to Souls wherever Providence pleases to dispose of me I Reverence the Divine Wisdom in the tossings tumblings and all the disappointments I have met with and I heartily bless the Name of my God for the smalness my Living in this Obscure place where if any light communicated to me from the Raies of the Sun of Righteousness may shine to the benefit of others for the advancement of his glory my departure from you and diminution of of my temporal State shall not afflict me nor will I repine at any disadvantagious change as to Externals which may befal me if where-ever I come or whatever my outward condition be I may through God's blessing be an instrument to set forth his Gospel or set up his honour in any station though never so low whereon these can be raised For as to worldly Accommodations I have by the Divine Aid acquired some degrees of such a holy Indifferency that I can say in some measure and my servent desire is that more and more from entire Resignation I may freely and sincerely assert I am willing to want what God is not willing to give It is no small felicity to be able to redeem time by the evils of our days and if by the distress that has hapned me I can recover the Mortgage of some of the neglected portions of my past life by the right improvement of the Remainder I 'll conclude my self happy and it is not unlikely that what I now say in this small Essay may prove beneficial to others who for as firmly fixed as they seem to be in their warm Nests may undergo the same or the like disastrous Alterations or Vicissitudes and if I can be serviceable to any among you to any of my well affected Reverend Brethren where-ever they are or to others to any of my Friends Acquaintances or Relations by the Fruits of my Retirement or absence from them in this or any other discourse I intend to publish I hope I may say whatever has befallen me howsoever intended by some was ordered by that All-seeing Providence which governs all things by the Highest Wisdom exactest Reason and profoundest justice for their and my wellfare in which my daily request to God is that the Event of his future dealings toward either of us may terminate to which purpose the Assistance of your Prayers is earnestly entreated by Your very humble and most devoted servant Jo. Macqueen THE CONTENTS THE Preface setteth forth the folly of Men who are unwilling to think on their Transitory State when so many things serve to awake them to the same With some short Reflections on the taking Methods by which the Scriptures would engage us thereto The Pen-men of the Sacred Oracles no Enemies to Acts of Insinuation The difference betwixt Stranger and Pilgrim To Page 10. The Characters of the Pilgrim CHAR. I. How accurately he observes every thing in his way Whether they be the Curious productions of Art or the various and more wonderful Effects of Nature and the use he makes of the same P. 10. CHAR. II. The Pilgrim's Discourse P. 17. CHAR. III. The Pilgrim's Affection to his Country the Energy thereof P. 25. CHAR. IV. The Pilgrim for his more expedite Travelling strips himself of Incumbrances P. 30. CHAR. V. The Pilgrim's indifferency as to all accidental Occurrences his equality of Mind and firm Resolution upon all Emergents