AN
ELEGY
On the DEATH of the REVEREND
Doctor JOHN GOAD,
Late Master of MERCHANT-TAYLORS-School, London,
Who Departed this Life the 28th. of October, 1689.
By Joshua Barnes, B.D.
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CAN then a Father of our Israel die,
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And none step forth to sound an Elegy?
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No Son of all the Prophets bring a Verse,
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T' Adorn the Holy, Venerable, Herse.
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Not one of those, whose All to him is due;
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Who from his Cistern Sacred Waters drew:
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Of those, whose Oracles are now so sought,
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Who at this Great Gamaliels Feet were Taught.
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Yet none is found to Offer at his Shrine,
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But I!--- And I--- but this poor Mite of mine!
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'Tis all, I may--- yet this I'd rather do,
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Than prove Forgetful and Ungrateful too.
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Tho' small the Offering; tho' but weak and faint;
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Great the Devotion is; more Great the Saint.
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Hail! Sacred Manes! Once a Foyl to Vice,
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Now a fair Scyon set in Paradice!
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There Happy Thou Eternal Joys dost find:
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But We unhappy, whom Thou'st left behind.
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Unhappy We, depriv'd of Strength and Head;
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Our Chariot and our Horses hence are fled;
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And Vertu's in Despair, now GOAD is Dead.
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GOAD's Loyalty in * Pharian Darkness shin'd,
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Nor could State-Tempests shake his Constant Mind.
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Th' OXONIAN * Baptist gave him all his Store
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Of Learning; yet from him received more.
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Fair Flocks of Chosen Youth, whose Rip'ning Years,
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Took Happy Culture from his Tutoring Cares.
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Nor doth the GRANTIAN Muse less Glory owe
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To Heads, whose Seeds of Wisdom GOAD did Sow.
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* St.
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John
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Baptist's
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Colledge
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Oxon.
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Long since Fair Isis and the Goodly Came
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Bemoan'd their Loss; when they were told by Fame,
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What Envious Fate remov'd him from the * Place;
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Whence still he us'd to send a Learned Race,
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That joyntly did both Came and Isis Grace.
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Had they but us'd less Cruelty, and Rage,
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Secur'd his Quiet, and sustain'd his Age,
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That without Want he might have look'd for Fate;
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Their Sin and Shame had not been then so Great.
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* Mer-
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chant-
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Taylors-
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School.
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etc.
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But who can Fathom the Eternal Mind,
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Or the deep Counsels of th' Almighty find?
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Ev'n He, whose Charity was Match'd by none,
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Was now by Charity Her Self undone!
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For surely he had heap'd up no small Store,
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Had he but--- Liberally sustain'd the Poor:
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But this Great Man Magnificently-- Brave,---
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Nought for his own Support, but Hope would save,
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Like * Phillips Son: The rest he freely gave.---
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* Alex.
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M. on his
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Expedi-
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tion into
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Asia,
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distribu-
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ted all
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his Pa-
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trimony
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among
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his
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Friends,
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saying,
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he left
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Hope
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for him-
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self.
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Surely the Comforts of his Soul were Great;
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And Vast the Bliss, he gained after Fate:
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For small Rewards of Charity he found
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On this side Heaven: But sure his Faith is Crown'd
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With full Fruition now.--- There Raptures flow;
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There Plenty doth in full Abundance grow;
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There endless, boundless Joys his Soul Embrace,
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And Bliss shines bright before th' Almightys Face.
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Go, Blessed Saint, enjoy that Peace above,
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That Candid Spirit and that Strifeless Love,
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Which thy Calm Soul foretasted here below,
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And Griev'd and Sigh'd; that all Men did not so.
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Harmless thy Days, blameless thy Life did pass;
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Learning and Piety thy Pleasure was;
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The Languages from thy Wise Lips did flow;
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And Heaven's High Secrets thy vast Mind did know:
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Air, Earth, Seas, Fire, thy Wisdom did Define;
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And Fates Dark Revolutions could Divine.
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Yet he was Meek and Humble and Content;
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Little suffic'd, where Heavenly Things were meant:
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Nought here he sought, nor did his Hope lye here;
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Upward he aim'd; He'd laid his Treasure there.
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Learn hence, base Worldlings! That so doat on Dross;
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What seems your Gain, was unto him but Loss:
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He laid aside the Heavy, Golden, Load;
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Then flew to Heaven; where now's his blest Aboad;
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Learn hence, base Worldlings! - think on Glorious GOAD.
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