The DARKNESS of the Heart. ROM. i. 21. Their foolish heart was darkened. EPIG. 3. SUCH cloudy shadows have eclips'd thine heart, Unless thou take my light of truth to guide thee, ODE III. 1. Tarry, O tarry, lest thine heedless haste See, see, thine heart's already half-way there; Q stay; and if thou lov'st not light, yet fear Such danger doth appear. 2. A night of ignorance hath overspread Thou wand'rest in the crooked ways of error, The course thou tak'st, if thou holdest on, In deep destruction. Whilst Heu tenebras Cordis: Tenebrae quibus exteriores The DARKNESS of the HEART. O the Hearts Darkness which without my Light, 3. Whilst thou art thus deprived of thy sight, Thou know'st no diff'rence between noon and night, What falleth to thy lot. 4. Thou art become unto thyself a stranger, Thou know'st not what thou dost, nor canst thou tell Whither thou goest: shooting in the dark, How canst thou ever hope to hit the mark? What expectation hast thou to do well, That art content to dwell Within the verge of hell? 5. Alas, thou hast not so much knowledge left, Of thine own eye-sight. But thou run'st, as tho' Thou sawest all before thee: whilst thy mind To nearest necessary things is blind. Thou knowest nothing as thou ought'st to know, The things that are below. 6. Would ever any, that had eyes, mistake As thou art wont to do: no diff'rence make Betwixt the way to heaven and to hell? But, But, desperately devoted to destruction," How yet thou may'st do well, 7. Oh that thou didst but see how blind thou art, On darkness doth attend. The |