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Title: The Servant's Address To His Master
Author: John Castillo [
More Titles by Castillo]
On deriding him for becoming a Methodist!
Master, I beg you’ll pardon, while I speak,
The liberty I now presume to take;
And trust the brief apology you’ll hear,
Will please, if you will please to lend an ear.
“Wilt thou forsake the Church?” did you not say?
“And strive to get to Heaven some nearer way?
A better way perhaps by you believ’d:—
But ’twill be well if you are not deceiv’d?”
Deceiv’d, or not, we are resolv’d to go;
If Christ be with us, all is well we know!
He is our Leader, He marks out the way,
Inviting all to come, and none to stay!
The Church, or doctrine, we’ve no cause to blame,
’Tis to ourselves that we ascribe the shame!
The way to heav’n was certainly made plain,
When told to “run so that we might obtain.”
Our prayers and praises were so faint and few,
We thought one day in seven would surely do,
To praise Him who is worthy of more praise,
Than our best powers are qualified to raise!
Oft when we did approach the throne of grace,
Our hearts and thoughts were in some other place.
O shameful truth! And yet it is most true!
But conscience told us this would never do!
The nearest way to Heaven that we can go,
Is cleaving close to Christ while here below;
’Tis He that can our sinking footsteps stay,
And vain the man who seeks another way!
The man who truly has this race begun,
Will see no time to stand, but strive to run;
The night is coming, and will soon be here,
He’ll therefore oft betake himself to prayer:
Lest strength should fail, or he should grow luke-warm,
And his weak soul, the enemy disarm!
That Book declares, whose Author is “The Truth,”
The careless soul, “He’ll spew out of his mouth!”
Hence, doth he see he must be cold or hot;
Must either have the Spirit of Christ, or not:—
If on examination he lacks this,
God’s Book declares that “he is none of His!”
If not a child of God, a child of hell,
And dying thus, he must with devils dwell;—
And when his earthly hopes have taken flight,
Be then shut up in everlasting night!
A sinner when he sees himself aright,
Sees that his brightest day is turned to night;
The things that once were his delight and joy,
Do all his fondest hopes at once destroy!
God’s Book like Sinai’s mount to him appears,
Its sentences like thunder stun his ears!
He strives to soothe himself, but strives in vain,
Till God, to him the secret doth explain.
He sees and feels the awful load of sin,
Nor can aught ease the grief that he is in,
Until he hears God’s cheering, still small voice,
Which calms his fears, and bids his soul rejoice!
A man must know his sins on earth forgiven,
Or he’ll not read his title clear for Heaven;
If this you think too strong to be believ’d,
I’m sure, in death, that you will be deceiv’d!
I am resolv’d a pilgrim now to be,
Let worldly men say what they will of me;
And through the grace of God, though Hell resist,
I’ll live and die a faithful Methodist!
I see the pilgrim’s life is far the best,
Scorn’d by the world, but yet by Jesus blest!
When death shall come, the Heav’nly land in view,
In peace, I’ll bid this world of sin Adieu!
[The end]
John Castillo's poem: Servant's Address To His Master
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