To Thomas Jefferson from Anonymous, 19 February 1808
[on or before 19 Feb. 1808]
Thou art The Man, thy People have ordain’d,
On all occations their rights to maintain
Thy precepts do shew forth Gods light within
He into Thee has pourd his holy Flame
On thine Heart his kind rays of Light does dawn
Mounting their Splendor like the Rosy Morn
Arraying of thine Head with Knowledge bright | } |
So sould thy Reason like the Sun Unite | |
Joining the Fountain which first gave it Light |
Every riseing thoughts God Spirit Makes | } |
For on the Heart it shines and life creates | |
For of Gods Son every one partakes |
Ever expanding their hearts: To perform
Rarefaction their Minds for to adorn
So does Mans thoughts arise that grace the head
Out of the heart begot; by Light: from Shade
Nothing but Infinite can guide aright
Purifying our thoughts by His own Light
Reason should unto concience then resort
Entering her cases at his holy cort
Sons should unto their sires always attend,
Instruction for to gain, their Life to Mend.
Due Rev’rence then is due, to Gods own Spirit
Every Pow’r our Reason does Inherit
Now we do see from concience doth arise
To the thoughts he does begit to make her wise
On concience then our Reason does depend
For Reason’s Pow’rs do all from Him descend
Then unto reason Sire, let each take heed
He’s a sure Guide our Souls to Heav’en to Lead
Every thing, the Universe contains
Unto this Spiri’t owes. For quickning Flames
Natures Great Parent animates the Whole.
It is his Spir’it that begits every Soul
The Earth’s Nutricious particles contains
Envigourateing Life, from Gods pure Flames;
Deriveing Energy from His own Light
So the Kind Son this Spirit does Unite
The Hidden blaze within the Mass is cheer’d
Attracted by Kind Heav’ns bright Eye Tis rear’d
Tow’ering aloft to vigitable birth
Enriching of the Earth with a New-Born-Life
So the Son giveth light & Life to Earth
On it He pours Gods influential Breath
For God first breathed Light within each seed
And has ordain this Light: His Fountain light should feed
Man who retains the Light of God within
Enjoys supplies from Gods undbounded Flame
Redemption with this Spirit our God Has wrought
In Christ who Obey’d what this Spirit Taught
Christ was begotten by this holy Spirit
A Second Adam New life did in Herit
Maintaind the Laws Gods Spirit did procribe;
And to the Heart, restor’d the holy guide;
Your concience, doth the truth of this Maintain
Gods light within around all Hearts does flame
On its dark Vale it shines createing Love
Does Accuse or excuse: While it does move
Those warm desires, to seek our Greatest Good
Heavn to Obtain, or bliss for its aboad
Ever unto this Son of God Attend
Enticeing Thee, thy own self to befriend:
Beloved Man, Kiss Thou, this Son of God,
Lest your Strength fail, on Lif’s dark tedious Road:
Ever unto His wooing charms attend; | } |
Strict to his counsils all thy reason bend | |
So shall Thou Open to Gods Son Mans Friend |
For if this Spir’it, receiv’d into The Heart
Remov’d Its fears will be: And Now life ’twill Impart
O, Kind refiner who alone can clonse
Mans heart from filth and purge out all his Sins
Instruction, May thy warming Glowes impart;
Of Light and Life; to my dark Fearful Heart
Now while I do salute my Guardean Friend
Awake O Heav’nly Dove, Loves warming Flame
Turne thou with sweet imbraces to my breast
Here in my Heart kindle the Heav’nly Feast
Awake the trembling Lamp Stifled with Fear | } |
New Oil restore th’ Neglected Lamp to cheer | |
Ever may I this holy Son revere |
Dim is my Lamp within because that I
My Talants have not us’d: nor sought supply
Embraceing the kind offers of His grace
Shunning unkindness Mercy to imbrace
Therefore Gods Candle I’ve not made my Guide
Ever in Wisdoms Path for to Abide
Returne Thou Reason from thy dark retreat;
Open thine Eyes; the Son of God to Greet.
For if Thou draw nigh Unto God you’ll find, | } |
Mercy From God, will pour now light divine; | |
Around thine Heart his rays of Light will shine. |
Light’ing Thy mind, with new created thought
Driv’n from the Heart; they to the Head are brought
E’very thought that to the Head does Soar
Now would I bing to Concience; to Explore
Concience Shall be My counsellor, or guide;
Omniscience shall for My Reason precide
Unto unering Light, will I resort;
Natures unering Spirit, shall Me support.
Therefore My Concience, shall sift all my thoughts.
Young is My Reason which this Sire Supports
On thoughts My Reason Finds: on them she lives
Fear Mix’d with Love, the composition is
Mans Fear, from disobediance, does arise;
It is that two Edg’d Sword, which Light distroys
Death it doth bring to Man, by its imbrace
Dark Clouds of fear have prov’d Mankinds disgrace
Love is from light, Gods spirit it begits, | } |
Each humane breast, of this Spirit partakes. | |
So light’s compounded; or with dark fear Mix’d |
Enlight’ning concience, sifts the Good from Ill
X makes a Cross, & fear will cross Love still.
So concience sifteth fear, from out the Thought,
To shew that Love alone, to reason should be wrought.
Avoid all fear of Man; for God does rule
The Concience this doth teach, which should the mind controle.
Envy nor Fear: But pitty evil Men.
On all thy works, then God will kindly Shine.
Fear naught, but to offend against true Light:
Mercy, & truth, will guide, Thee then Aright
Armies, & Kings, are under Gods controle;
Sinners are scurges: but God rules the Whole
Shun Thou Injustice;: practice righteousness;
And God is sure, thyself, with grace, to bless.
Convince thyself, what’s just for to be, done
Hearken to concience, for this is Gods Son
Unite your Reason, to its still small Voice.
Seek Wisdoms Road, & in Her ways rejoice
Europe, Asia, & Africa Likewise;
Togeather Arm’d, should all Against you rise,
Thou needst not Fear their Numbers nor their Pow’r
So Long, As Righteous acts guides every Hour!!!!
This homespun Verse, is Ment this to convey,
That Righteousness and truth should Lead the way;
That Justice, never needs injustice fear;
Mercy and Love, will always have their shear.
That He who fears not, when He suffers wrong,
And dares be just amidst a G[ec]idy throng
Is a brave patriot, and a noble sage,
Deserveing of Respect thro’ every Age;
Whose Mind, does Soar Above the Storm of Pride;
And in the Car of Righteousness doth ride,
Blest with the Fountain, of Eternal Light.
Views hauty Fools,—drunk with their fears to fight:
While He stands firm, cloathed in righteousness;
A Tear of Pitty falls, for their distress
Hee sees vain fear, does all contention make
Begiting Lust make Man New methods take,
To seek unLawful gains, to create joy.
And by these Means their Strength & Peace distroy
Or Seek to raise their name, by Scorning Some
Which draws reveng to execute their doom
For Scorners reep the fruit that grows from Scorn
Envy, Wrath, Malice, Hatred, grows therefrom
Which is the food on Which Scorn does Live on,
For disrespect and discord to them doth belong;
Who fain would pull Another down for Fear
His Glory would out shine, the guilty here;
Or if His Glory shin’d ’twold sul their own
Ignorant from whence all glory did first come
That ’Twas from Light All Glory did first, rise
And in Man’s fear that all His Glory dies
Therefore the Man whom dark fear don’t controle
Acts from true Love Looks to the good of All.
Viewing the streight and Narrow Road of right
He walks therein b’eing guided by true Light
For Unto concience he always takes Heed
Loves Father, Reason Seer, & Wisdoms Guide
For conceince is Gods Spirit, which Shines in all;
His talants Lent does Animate the whole.
DLC: Papers of Thomas Jefferson.