Lively Hope and Gracious Fear
July 6, 2023Joy and Peace in Believing
July 6, 2023Lines Written During A Period Of Insanity
Hatred and vengence—my eternal portion
Scarce can endure delay of execution—
Wait with impatient readiness to seize my
Soul in a moment.
Damned below Judas; more abhorred than he was,
Who for a few pence sold his holy Master!
Twice betrayed, Jesus me, the last delinquent,
Deems the profanest.
Man disavows, and Deity disowns me:
Hell might afford my miseries a shelter;
Therefore Hell keeps her ever-hungry mouths all
Bolted against me.
Hard lot! encompassed with a thousand dangers;
Weary, faint, trembling with a thousand terrors,
I’m called, if vanquished, to receive a sentence
Worse than Abiram’s.
Him the vindictive rod of angry Justice
Sent quick and howling to the centre headlong;
I, fed with judgment, in a fleshy tomb am
Buried above ground.
William Cowper
William Cowper (1731-1800) was an English poet and hymnodist who is best known for his works that dealt with religious themes. His most famous works include "The Task" and "John Gilpin." Cowper was also known for his struggles with mental illness and his openness about his experiences helped to destigmatize mental illness in the 18th century.