Page:Elegy upon the death of that famous and faithful minister and martyr Mr. James Renwick.pdf/10

(10) Rather than pay an execrable cess,

Impos’d our gospel-meetings to suppress,

For raising forces, tyranny to strengthen,

Our much enthral’d misery to lengthen,

For ruin the weak remnant left devoting,

The church and state, supremacy promoting,

For tests of lawless loyalty enacted,

And for betraying liberty exacted.

The full amount then of his accusation,

Of all his troubles, the alone occasion,

Was that at wickedness he’d never wink;

But still speak out, what others durst but think;

From which unto the death he would not swerve,

But boldly spake, his mind without reserve,

To Prelatists and Papists in their fury,

And to professors sitting on his jury;

Invincibly he all their tricks withstood,

Inflexibly resisting unto blood:

And for his life to supplicate disdain’d,

Lest he should have his testimony stain’d;

By which through blood of Lamb he overcame,

And lov’d not life too dearly for the same;

Which fruitfully h’affirmed during breath,

And faithfully confirmed by his death;

In such a measure of humility,

Of patience meekness, zeal and constancy;

That it to enemies hath been confounding,

To Neutralists conviction much redounding,

To Hesitants and halters confirmation,

And to all Zion’s mourners consolation;

Hence in a bloody chariot he hath gone,

To see and stand before Emmanuel’s throne;

His hands with palms, his head with pleasant bays,

His clothes in white, do sprinkle glister’ring rays

Of glory, glory singing, and salvation

To him that brought him out of tribulation,

Unto the Throne and temple of his God,

Where everlastingly he hath abode;

Where without intermission night or day,

Where without interruption or delay,

Without all cares, without all faints or fears,

Without all snares, without all plaints or tears,

He serves, he sings, he sees the Lamb that's feeding,

And unto lovely living waters leading:

Where leave we him full of Jehovah's joy,

Whom no more sin, nor sorrow, can annoy;