Though Jericho pleasantly stood, <br />And looked like a promising soil; <br />The harvest produced little food, <br />To answer the husbandman's toil. <br />The water some property had, <br />Which poisonous proved to the ground; <br />The springs were corrupted and bad, <br />The streams spread a barrenness round. <br /> <br />But soon by the cruse and the salt, <br />Prepared by Elisha's command, <br />The water was cured of its fault, <br />And plenty enriched the land: <br />An emblem sure this of the grace <br />On fruitless dead sinners bestowed; <br />For man is in Jericho's case, <br />Till cured by the mercy of God. <br /> <br />How noble a creature he seems! <br />What knowledge, invention and skill! <br />How large and extensive his schemes! <br />How much can he do if he will! <br />His zeal to be learned and wise, <br />Will yield to no limits or bars; <br />He measures the earth and the skies, <br />And numbers and marshals the stars. <br /> <br />Yet still he is barren of good; <br />In vain are his talents and art; <br />For sin has infected his blood, <br />And poisoned the streams of his heart: <br />Though cockatrice eggs he can hatch, <br />Or, spider-like, cobwebs can weave; <br />'Tis madness to labor and watch <br />For what will destroy or deceive. <br /> <br />But grace, like the salt in the cruse, <br />When cast in the spring of the soul; <br />A wonderful change will produce, <br />Diffusing new life through the whole: <br />The wilderness blooms like a rose, <br />The heart which was vile and abhorred; <br />Now fruitful and beautiful grows, <br />The garden and joy of the Lord.<br /><br />John Newton<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/jericho-or-the-waters-healed/
