"Let Thirst of Glory meaner Souls inspire, / And haunt their Dreams! these, nobler Things desire; / Nor envy such as Bodies only bind, / While they in Truth's soft Chains secure the Mind."
— Wesley, Samuel, The Elder (bap. 1662, d. 1735)
Place of Publication
London
Publisher
Printed for Charles Harper ... and Benj. Motte [etc.]
Date
1693
Metaphor
"Let Thirst of Glory meaner Souls inspire, / And haunt their Dreams! these, nobler Things desire; / Nor envy such as Bodies only bind, / While they in Truth's soft Chains secure the Mind."
Metaphor in Context
An active Principle inform'd their Breast,
The Love of Jesus would not let e'm rest.
Let Thirst of Glory meaner Souls inspire,
And haunt their Dreams! these, nobler Things desire;
Nor envy such as Bodies only bind,
While they in Truth's soft Chains secure the Mind.
Thus when their Hymns were o'r, and they came down
From Olivet to view the Sacred Town,
(Nor would their Master always private dwell,
Or rob the World t'enrich a lonely Cell,)
Like him, the only business they design'd,
Was th' universal Good of all Mankind:
Their Charity no narrow limits pent,
Open and free, as Light or Element;
And as their Lord himself did not disdain
The Sinner and the humble Publican,
So would their Conversation often be
With worse than both, the haughty Pharisee,
Vain, Supercilious, damning all beside,
Yet oft as full of ignorance as pride,
Oft did his Saint-like Face fowl lewdness hide:
But, as some Tares mix with the purest Grain,
Their Heaps of Dross some Sparks of Gold contain:
Such as not obstinately clos'd their Eyes,
When the bright Sun of Righteousness did rise;
Some glimm'rings in their Souls, some whispers there
Would Jesus the Messias oft declare;
Or, if their Infant-Faith but dawning be,
They wish'd tho' they could scarce believe, 'twas He.
Weak Nicodemus, not his Saviour's sight
Could make his bashful Faith endure the Light:
Yet him a Teacher sent from God confess'd,
And gladly from his Lips wou'd learn the rest.
Gamaliel in the Sacred Pandects read,
By which a Life unblamable he led;
Severely wise, and would known Truths receive,
But Truths well weigh'd, before he'd them believe:
Both in the Sanhedrim of Name and Note;
Both us'd to sway the Senate's weighty Vote:
To these was Joseph joyn'd--
Joseph, for Wisdom and for Counsel fam'd,
Of his fair Birth-place, antient Rama, nam'd:
Rama of old, but Time which changes all,
The Place does now Arimathæa call,
Who near the Town had a convenient Seat,
Still and retir'd, 'twas pleasant all and neat,
Tho' not with pompous Statues proudly great:
Nor poorly mean, but proper to supply
The wants of Nature, not of Luxury:
There borrow'd Streams from Siloam's neighb'ring Well,
In artificial Showers rose and fell;
With unknown Spring still bless'd the happy Ground,
And spread eternal Verdure all around.
There antient Gilead's odoriferous Balm,
(Mixt with tall Cedar and triumphant Palm)
Rich Balm, Judæas's Native, frequent grows,
And with big fragrant Tears inestimably flows.
A few choice Friends, with modest Mirth and Wine,
From Gaza's or Sarepta's noble Vine,
Here would he sometimes meet, and wear away
In no unactive Ease the scorching day:
Nor Vices sly Intrusion could they fear;
Intemp'rance could not hope to enter here;
For, as the wise Egyptians at their Feasts,
Serv'd up a Skull before their chearful Guests,
Around 'em they the same grave Objects see:
The Garden's on the side of Calvary,
Won from the Wast of Death, and wisely there
Good Joseph built himself a Sepulcher.
Who e'r like him is virtuous, wise and brave,
Dares to be chearful, tho' he sees his Grave:
Who sees his Grave, all Thoughts must needs disdain,
Unworthy, Eternity to entertain.
The Love of Jesus would not let e'm rest.
Let Thirst of Glory meaner Souls inspire,
And haunt their Dreams! these, nobler Things desire;
Nor envy such as Bodies only bind,
While they in Truth's soft Chains secure the Mind.
Thus when their Hymns were o'r, and they came down
From Olivet to view the Sacred Town,
(Nor would their Master always private dwell,
Or rob the World t'enrich a lonely Cell,)
Like him, the only business they design'd,
Was th' universal Good of all Mankind:
Their Charity no narrow limits pent,
Open and free, as Light or Element;
And as their Lord himself did not disdain
The Sinner and the humble Publican,
So would their Conversation often be
With worse than both, the haughty Pharisee,
Vain, Supercilious, damning all beside,
Yet oft as full of ignorance as pride,
Oft did his Saint-like Face fowl lewdness hide:
But, as some Tares mix with the purest Grain,
Their Heaps of Dross some Sparks of Gold contain:
Such as not obstinately clos'd their Eyes,
When the bright Sun of Righteousness did rise;
Some glimm'rings in their Souls, some whispers there
Would Jesus the Messias oft declare;
Or, if their Infant-Faith but dawning be,
They wish'd tho' they could scarce believe, 'twas He.
Weak Nicodemus, not his Saviour's sight
Could make his bashful Faith endure the Light:
Yet him a Teacher sent from God confess'd,
And gladly from his Lips wou'd learn the rest.
Gamaliel in the Sacred Pandects read,
By which a Life unblamable he led;
Severely wise, and would known Truths receive,
But Truths well weigh'd, before he'd them believe:
Both in the Sanhedrim of Name and Note;
Both us'd to sway the Senate's weighty Vote:
To these was Joseph joyn'd--
Joseph, for Wisdom and for Counsel fam'd,
Of his fair Birth-place, antient Rama, nam'd:
Rama of old, but Time which changes all,
The Place does now Arimathæa call,
Who near the Town had a convenient Seat,
Still and retir'd, 'twas pleasant all and neat,
Tho' not with pompous Statues proudly great:
Nor poorly mean, but proper to supply
The wants of Nature, not of Luxury:
There borrow'd Streams from Siloam's neighb'ring Well,
In artificial Showers rose and fell;
With unknown Spring still bless'd the happy Ground,
And spread eternal Verdure all around.
There antient Gilead's odoriferous Balm,
(Mixt with tall Cedar and triumphant Palm)
Rich Balm, Judæas's Native, frequent grows,
And with big fragrant Tears inestimably flows.
A few choice Friends, with modest Mirth and Wine,
From Gaza's or Sarepta's noble Vine,
Here would he sometimes meet, and wear away
In no unactive Ease the scorching day:
Nor Vices sly Intrusion could they fear;
Intemp'rance could not hope to enter here;
For, as the wise Egyptians at their Feasts,
Serv'd up a Skull before their chearful Guests,
Around 'em they the same grave Objects see:
The Garden's on the side of Calvary,
Won from the Wast of Death, and wisely there
Good Joseph built himself a Sepulcher.
Who e'r like him is virtuous, wise and brave,
Dares to be chearful, tho' he sees his Grave:
Who sees his Grave, all Thoughts must needs disdain,
Unworthy, Eternity to entertain.
Categories
Provenance
Searching "mind" and "chain" in HDIS (Poetry)
Citation
Samuel Wesley, The Life of Our Blessed Lord & Saviour Jesus Christ. An Heroic Poem: Dedicated to Her Most Sacred Majesty. In Ten Books. Attempted by Samuel Wesley ... Each Book illustrated by necessary Notes, explaining all the more difficult Matters in the whole History: Also a Prefatory Discourse concerning Heroic Poetry. With Sixty Copper-Plates (London: Printed for Charles Harper ... and Benj. Motte, 1693).
Date of Entry
06/29/2011
