"Well, since that thou dost thus desire to know / What I do Judge this Light within will do; / To satisfie thee I will make no doubt: / Man by this Light may find a God-head out."
— Keach, Benjamin (1640-1704)
Author
Place of Publication
London
Publisher
Printed for B. Harris [etc.]
Date
1675
Metaphor
"Well, since that thou dost thus desire to know / What I do Judge this Light within will do; / To satisfie thee I will make no doubt: / Man by this Light may find a God-head out."
Metaphor in Context
PROFESSOR
Well, since that thou dost thus desire to know
What I do Judge this Light within will do;
To satisfie thee I will make no doubt:
Man by this Light may find a God-head out.
The Heathens which ne'r heard the Scripture's sound,
Yet by this Light most easily they found
There was a God who did all things Create,
When on his works they came to Meditate:
And when with care their Reason they did use,
And on God's works most seriously did muse:
They by this Light did also come to learn
To Worship him as the great Sovereign.
The more they did on the Creation pore,
The more they did God's Majesty adore.
Though th'manner of his Worship they can't find,
Gods works don't teach it, nor this Law of th'mind;
For if it would, Scriptures need not 'been pen'd,
Nor God poor Souls thither so often send
To know his will, and what he'd have them do,
As I before have clearly shew'd to you:
Moreover this the Light within hath done,
Heathens it taught to own no gods but one;
And by it also this they understood
That God alone was man's supremest good:
By th'Nature of the Soul this did they 'spye,
'Cause it nothing on Earth can satisfie.
This Light also it doth convince of sin,
As hath by me already hinted been.
But pray observe before I do proceed,
It don't convince of ev'ry sin I read
Of in the Scripture, for 'tis very clear,
The Heathens yet never convinced were:
It was a sin, or to them any shame
Not to believe on Christ's most Holy Name.
Well, since that thou dost thus desire to know
What I do Judge this Light within will do;
To satisfie thee I will make no doubt:
Man by this Light may find a God-head out.
The Heathens which ne'r heard the Scripture's sound,
Yet by this Light most easily they found
There was a God who did all things Create,
When on his works they came to Meditate:
And when with care their Reason they did use,
And on God's works most seriously did muse:
They by this Light did also come to learn
To Worship him as the great Sovereign.
The more they did on the Creation pore,
The more they did God's Majesty adore.
Though th'manner of his Worship they can't find,
Gods works don't teach it, nor this Law of th'mind;
For if it would, Scriptures need not 'been pen'd,
Nor God poor Souls thither so often send
To know his will, and what he'd have them do,
As I before have clearly shew'd to you:
Moreover this the Light within hath done,
Heathens it taught to own no gods but one;
And by it also this they understood
That God alone was man's supremest good:
By th'Nature of the Soul this did they 'spye,
'Cause it nothing on Earth can satisfie.
This Light also it doth convince of sin,
As hath by me already hinted been.
But pray observe before I do proceed,
It don't convince of ev'ry sin I read
Of in the Scripture, for 'tis very clear,
The Heathens yet never convinced were:
It was a sin, or to them any shame
Not to believe on Christ's most Holy Name.
Categories
Provenance
Searching in HDIS (Poetry)
Date of Entry
04/20/2005
Date of Review
04/15/2009
