Godly Exhortations To A Child Poem by Rees Prichard

MY dearest child, to me draw near,
Unto my precepts lend an ear,
And, all thy life, to them attend,
If thou wou'dst unto God ascend.

Thy God, whilst thou hast being, fear,
Ever his aweful name revere,
With all thy heart obey his will,
His gospel hear, his laws fulfil.

Still let the word of God preside,
Both as thy councillor and guide,
Let it thy conduct wholly sway,
Whatever thou dost do, or say.

Be it a lamp - thy path to light -
Thy tutor - to direct thee right,
To take thee from all ill away,
And lead thee to the source of day.

Do nothing, be it small, or great,
According to thy own conceit:
For sin thy nature has deprav'd,
'Till thou, thro' grace, again art sav'd.

Strive then thy wayward will to rein,
Since virtue is to it a pain,
And, 'till by God's word, thou'rt set right,
It still in evil takes delight.

Of sin, however small, take heed;
Beneath her robe a sting is hid:
Short pleasures bring a long regret,
Sin owes to Death a certain debt.

If Adam did endure so much,
Who only did one apple touch:
What punishment must they sustain,
Who all their lives in sin remain?

If tho, to err, dost once begin,
Beware, lest thou again shou'dst sin:
No price for the least sin is known,
Besides the Blood of Christ alone.

Once free from sin, pollution shun,
Nor dog-like, to thy vomit run,
Or like to hogs, which tho' wash'd clean,
To their lov'd mire return agen.

If Moses, from the promis'd land,
Was for a single sin restrain'd;
They sure, who've sinn'd a thousand times,
Must forfeit heaven for their crimes.

Worse than a serpent, pride detest ;
Who soars too high, shall be deprest :
Disgrace attends the haughty stride,
And sudden slips the foot of pride.

If for his pride th' archangel fell
From Heaven, to th' abyss of Hell;
Where shall we, dust and dirt, be tost,
If we our self-importance boast?

Never defile thy Neighbour's bed,
To such crimes, fools alone are led:
For he that treads on glowing coals,
Must needs expect to burn his soles.

If Pharaoh, for that sin did smart,
Who only lusted in his heart
For Abraham's wife - what grievous pain
Must they, who've done the deed, sustain?

Swear not by God's tremendous name,
All causeless oaths from Satan came:
The curse of God, like smoke, will fill
The house, wherein men God revile.

If king Senacherib was slain,
Because he took God's name in vain:
How can the Christian 'scape from ill,
Who shall Christ, and his blood revile?

Observe with awe, the Seventh day,
Attend the church - hear, watch and pray -
Thy God invoke - thy pot forsake -
Nor the fiend's feast, the Sabbath make.

For if our God the man did slay,
Who gather'd wood upon that day,
Their bones shall He not rather break,
Who spend it worse than all the week?

No portion of thy tithes detain,
Nor from thy offerings refrain;
Thou robbest an avenging God,
If thou committest any fraud.

Who robs his God, shall feel his curse;
For he, who tithes by fraud or force
With-holds, does heaven's blessings stop
And hinders th' earth to yield its crop.

Think drunkenness thy greatest foe;
No drunkard shall to Heaven go:
Hell opes her jaws, and yawns amain,
The bloated brute to entertain.

If Esau was reproach'd of old,
Who for a mess his birthright sold:
What keen reproaches shall he hear,
Who sells his soul, and heav'n, for beer?

Nor churl, nor usurer, e'er be;
Churls are the stewards of the free:
What fathers hoard thro' avarice,
Their lavish heirs spend in a trice.

Sooner a camel, to and fro,
May through a small-ey'd needle go,
Than misers cruel, and unkind,
To heaven can an entrance find.

To grind the poor, be thou afraid;
Christ is a justice can't be sway'd:
To rob them, whosoever tries,
Flies in his Saviour's face and eyes.

Ahab, because (altho' in vain)
He Naboth's vineyard sought to gain,
Soon found his error to his cost,
His children slain, his kingdom lost!

If Dives fell to Satan's pow'r,
Who his own goods deny'd the poor;
Where shall the wealthy churls be thrown
Who strip the poor, of all they own?

Take heed of theft, of fraud take heed;
No real gains can thence proceed:
Where-e'er they are, there's always loss,
The curse of God, and ev'ry cross.

If none of Achan's race were left,
Who only hid a trivial theft;
W'o'nt God his wrath on them pour down,
Who rob the poor, of all they own?

Keep not (or thou shalt suffer for't)
Unequal weights, or measures short :
For odious, in th' Almighty's sight,
Is the false scale, and scanty weight.

Whate'er a man thro' fraud obtains,
Or by an unjust balance gains,
Into a ragged bag is plac'd,
And, through the bottom, runs to waste.

Touch not, whate'er thou dost, a bribe;
'Twill eat thee up, with all thy tribe,
And will not leave a mite, among
Thy race, that did to thee belong.

The leprosy Gehazi caught,
Amongst the clothes he so much sought:
So bribes will, 'tis as plain a case!
Undo a man, and all his race.

Beware of lying, whilst on earth;
The serpent gave to lying birth:
The truth, and nought but truth, still tell;
Lies owe their origin to hell!

If Ananias quickly di'd,
Because he to the Spirit li'd,
And, with his wife, met a swift fate:
Still, whilst we live, let's lying hate.

For his defects, no one miscall
(God is the Maker of us all!)
Or fool, or blind, or hunch'd, or lame:
Who man reviles, reviles God's name.

If Christ will doom him to hell's pool,
Who only calls his brother, fool:
The man, who calls his parents names,
Must sure be doom'd to fiercer flames!

Wou'dst thou the Son of God be stil'd?
Ne'er ill for ill return, my child!
Aid, and assist thy greatest foe,
Nor harm to any mortal do.

For, pray, what diff'rence canst thou shew,
Betwixt the Christian, and the Jew,
If 'tis allow'd thee to requite
Evil for evil, spite for spite?

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