John Byrom

“Profile at The Cyber Hymnal”

“The John Byrom Collection, Chetham's Library”

“Profile at Kirjasto (Pegasus) as preserved at the Internet Archive”

“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 "pray without ceasing," or limiting Thought; That Religion may flourish upon its true Plan Of Glory to God and Salvation to Man.”

“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, whoever they be, In the Spirit of Christ, in the highest Degree. How ought such a Goodness all Minds to prepare For an hearty "Amen" to this Catholic Pray'r!”

“Religion, then, is Love's Celestial Force That penetrates thro' all to Its True Source; Loves all along, but with proportion'd Bent, As Creatures further the Divine Ascent, Not to the Skies or Stars, but to the part That will be always uppermost, — the Heart, There is the Seat, as Holy Writings tell, Where the Most High Himself delights to dwell; Whither attracting the desirous Will To its true Rest, He saves it from all Ill, Gives it to find in His Abyssal Love An Heav'n within, — in other Words, Above.”

“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 Beast.”

“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.”

“Religion's Meaning when I would recall, Love is to me the plainest Word of all. Plainest, — because that what I love, or hate, Shews me directly my internal State; By its own Consciousness is best defin'd Which way the Heart within me stands inclin'd. On what it lets its Inclination rest, To that its real Worship is address'd; Whatever Forms or Ceremonies spring From Custom's Force, there lies the real Thing; Jew, Turk or Christian be the Lover's Name, If same the Love, Religion is the same.”

“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, and Want of It is Hell.”

“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 not.”

“"The Sabbath was made for Man; not Man for the Sabbath."”

“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 Unmade.”

“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 could not be.”

“In reading authors, when you findBright passages that strike your mind,And which perhaps you may have reasonTo think on at another season,Be not contented with the sight,But take them down in black and white;Such a respect is wisely shownThat makes another's sense one's own.”

“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.”