John Byrom

This short Supplication, or Litany, read When the longer with us is not wont to be said, Tho' brief in Expression, as fully imports The Will to all Blessings, for "Men of all Sorts," — Same brotherly Love, by which Christians are taught To …

In the Praise ever due to the Gospel of Grace Its Universality holds the first Place.

The Church is indeed, in its real Intent, An Assembly where Nothing but Friendship is meant; And the utter Extinction of Foeship and Wrath By the Working of Love in the Strength of its Faith.

All which she entreats, for His Sake, to be done, Who suffer'd to save them, Christ Jesus, His Son,— In respect to the World, the Redeemer of All; "To the Church of the Faithful, most chiefly," saith Paul; And to them who shall suffer, …

An Heav'n within, — in other Words, Above.

Religion, then, is Love's Celestial Force That penetrates thro' all to Its True Source

The One Unbounded, Undivided Good, By all His Creatures partly understood. If therefore Sense of its apparent Parts Raise not His Love or Worship in our Hearts, Our selfish Wills or Notions we may feast, And have no more Religion than a …

Of all Religions if we take a View, There is but one that ever can be true, — One God, One Christ, One Spirit, none but He. All else is Idol, whatsoe'er it be,— A Good that our Imaginations make, Unless we love it purely for His Sake.

Whatever Forms or Ceremonies spring From Custom's Force, there lies the real Thing

Religion's Meaning when I would recall, Love is to me the plainest Word of all.

God bless the King! (I mean our faith's defender!) God bless! (No harm in blessing) the Pretender. But who Pretender is, and who is King, God bless us all! That's quite another thing!

No rest is to be found But in Thy blessèd love; O let my wish be crowned And send it from above.

My spirit longs for Thee, Within my troubled breast, Though I unworthy be Of so divine a Guest.

Here, all ye learned, full of all Dispute, Of true and false Religion lies the Root. The Mind of Christ, when He became a Man, With all Its Tempers, forms its real Plan, The Sheep from Goats distinguishing full well; — His Love is Heav'n, …

Of true Religion Works of Mercy seem To be the plainest Proof in Christ's Esteem; Who has Himself declar'd what He will say To all the Nations at the Judgment Day: "Come," or "Depart," is the predicted Lot Of brotherly Compassion shown, or …

"The Sabbath was made for Man; not Man for the Sabbath." — St. Mark, ii. 27 From this true Saying one may learn to draw The real Nature of all outward Law. In ev'ry Instance, rightly understood, Its Ground and Reason is the human Good;

Endless Perfections after all conspire, And to adore excite and to admire; But to plain Minds the Plainest Pow'r Above Is Native Goodness to attract our Love; Centre of all Its various Pow'r and Skill Is One Divine, Immutable Good Will.

From the Divine, Eternal Spirit springs Order and Rule and Rectitude of Things, Thro' outward Nature, His Apparent Throne, Visibly seen, intelligibly known, — Proofs of a Boundless Pow'r, a Wisdom's Aid, By Goodness us'd, Eternal and …

Th' Eternal Mind, ev'n Heathens understood, Was Infinitely Powerful, Wise, and Good. In their Conceptions, who conceiv'd aright, These Three Essential Attributes unite. They saw that, wanting any of the Three, Such an All-perfect Being …

In reading authors, when you find Bright passages that strike your mind, And which perhaps you may have reason To think on at another season, Be not contented with the sight, But take them down in black and white;

Were I a king (God bless me) I should hate My chaplains meddling with affairs of state; Nor would my subjects, I should think, be fond, Whenever theirs the Bible went beyond.

Thus adorned, the two heroes, 'twixt shoulder and elbow, Shook hands and went to 't; and the word it was bilbow.

Bone and Skin, two millers thin, Would starve us all, or near it; But be it known to Skin and Bone That Flesh and Blood can't bear it.

The point is plain as a pike-staff.