Apart; or fuch their horrid Rage for Ruin, The World, in vain corrected, to destroy, Seeft thou, LORENZO! what depends on Man? Eruptions, Earthquakes, Comets, Lightnings, play This Amazing Period! when each Mountain-Height Stars Stars rush; and final Ruin fiercely drives Her Ploughfhare o'er Creation!-While aloft, Than e'er was thought by Man! Far other Stars! LORENZO! Welcome to this Scene; the Last In Nature's Course; the First in Wisdom's Thought. This ftrikes, if aught can strike thee; This awakes The most Supine; This fnatches Man from Death. Roufe, roufe, LORENZO, then, and follow me, Where Truth, the most momentous Man can hear, Loud calls my Soul, and Ardor wings her Flight. I find my Infpiration in my Theme; The Grandeur of my Subject is my Mufe. At Midnight, when Mankind is wrapt in Peace, And worldly Fancy feeds on golden Dreams; To give more Dread to Man's most dreadful Hour, At Midnight, 'tis prefum'd, this Pomp will burst From tenfold Darkness; fudden, as the Spark From fmitten Steel; from nitrous Grain, the Blaze. Man, ftarting from his Couch, fhall fleep no more! The Day is broke, which never more fhall clofe! Above, around, beneath, Amazement All! Terror and Glory join'd in their Extremes! Our GOD in Grandeur, and our World on Fire! All Nature struggling in the Pangs of Death! Doft thou not hear her? Doft thou not deplore Her ftrong Convulfions, and her final Groan ? Where are we now? Ah me! The Ground is gone, On which we stood, LORENZO! While thou may'ft, Provide more firm Support, or fink for Ever! Where? How? From whence? Vain Hope! It is too late! Where, where, for Shelter, fhall the Guilty fly, When Confternation turns the Good Man pale? Great Day! for which all other Days were made; For which Earth rofe from Chaos; Man from Earth; And an Eternity, the Date of Gods, Defcended on poor Earth-created Man! Great Great Day of Dread, Decifion, and Despair! In Thee, in All: Deputed Confcience scales Who Confcience fent, her Sentence will fupport, Thrice happy They! that enter now the Court Heav'n opens in their Bofoms: But, how rare, Ah me! That Magnanimity, how rare! What Hero, like the Man who stands Himself; Who dares to meet his naked Heart alone; Who hears, intrepid, the full Charge it brings, Refolv'd to filence future Murmurs There? The Coward flies; and, flying, is undone. (Art thou a Coward? No): The Coward flies; Thinks, but thinks flightly; afks, but fears to know ; Afks, "What is Truth?" with PILATE; and retires; Diffolves the Court, and mingles with the Throng; Asylum fad; from Reason, Hope, and Heav'n! Shall Shall All, but Man, look out with ardent Eye, Angels look out for Thee, for Thee, their LORD, To dif-involve the moral World, and give Shall Man alone, whofe Fate, whofe final Fate, Hangs on that Hour, exclude it from his Thought? I think of nothing elfe; I fee! I feel it! All Nature, like an Earthquake, trembling round! I fee the JUDGE inthron'd! The flaming Guard! The sweet, the clement, Mediatorial Hour! Nor |