The Message to Leave Babylon
By J. Clarke
BABYLON IS FALLEN! COME OUT OF HER, MY PEOPLE!—Rev. xviii. O'er hill and mountain, o'er valley and plain,
O'er river and lake, and the boistrous main;
To the prince and the peasant, and the king on his throne,
Sounds the fearful message, in thunder tone. From the icy north, where the winter king reigns,
To the sunny south, with its fertile plains;
From Atlantic's wave, to Pacific's strand,
Sounds the mighty message, all over the land. From the forests of Maine, to Mexico,
Where the fruits of the South in luxuriance grow;
From East to West, from South to North,
The fearful message is going forth. From Andes' heights, to the coast of Brazil,
O'er prairie and forest, o'er valley and hill;
From the cape of storms, to the gulf on the North,
The wonderful sound will yet go forth. O'er the snow-clad Alps, o'er Carpathia's chain,
O'er Siberian wastes, o'er the Tartar plain;
From the British isles, to the river Amoor,
The message is sent to the rich and the poor. From city to city, from State to State,
From village to village, it will not wait;
In school and hamlet, 'twill be faithfully given,
The angel's cry from the midst of heaven. To the man at the plow, the boy at his task,
To the clerk at the counter, and sailor at mast;
To the crafty statesman, and warrior bold,
The fearful message will soon be told. To the frowning Papist, and confident Greek,
To the selfish Jew, and the Christian meek;
To the silly Mormon, and stubborn Turk,
The awful message will do its work. The sects have decided, their houses are closed,
And the truth which would save them, is blindly opposed.
Habitations of devils they now have become,
While the message so fitly is tracing their doom. Tradition for Bible, and fables for truth,
Beguile the unwary, the children and youth;
The man of gray hairs, and the man in his prime,
Then heed ye the message, ere the close of time. With their skilled musicians, and gay attire,
With their mighty men, and their roads of fire,
With their wise men and Sophists, both Christians and Jews,
They hear not the message, nor heed the sad news. As the ancient Hebrews their king ignored,
So the churches now have despised their Lord;
They scorn his people and hate his word,
But the cry of the angel still is heard. Though heathen rage, and though scoffers sneer,
Though priests forbid, and hypocrites leer:
Though teachers frown and friends oppose,
The cry waxes louder as onward it goes. Let the boisterous Atlantic, be calm at the sound,
And the calm Pacific be more profound;
Let lake, sea and ocean, be peaceful and still,
While the cry of the angel sounds clear and shrill,
Babylon is fallen! come out of her my people!
J. CLARKE.