That It Is In Vain To Pray For The Dead Poem by Rees Prichard

My dear Relation, and the Friend I love,
You've put to me a question I approve:
I therefore think myself in duty bound
To give it a solution safe and sound.

You thus before me did the question lay -
'Is any Clergyman allow'd to pray
For him, that is of sense and life bereft,
Whose soul already has his body left?'

To this demand I make this clear reply -
That holy scripture always does deny
Us leave, by prohibition strong and plain,
To pray for the deceas'd with efforts vain.

Our God obliges ev'ry soul to dwell,
Either in heav'n, or with the damn'd in hell,
When once it from the body takes its flight,
According as its works are wrong, or right.

The souls of those, who properly believe,
As soon as they their clay-built mansions leave,
Like holy Lazarus, above the sky,
Immediately among the angels fly.

Whilst the ungodly, in the pit below,
(Whene'er their souls from their pale bodies go)
Are forc'd for ever in fierce flames to roll,
Like worldly Dives's unhappy soul.

The former, with true joys and bliss abound,
And are with honours and with glory crown'd -
So great, they need not any more request,
But quite contented with their station rest.

They need not any one for them to pray,
So happy! so supremely blest are they!
For each of them is an invited guest,
And with the Lamb sits at his sumptuous feast.

The latter, ne'er shall quit the dens of hell,
But there incessantly in torment yell,
Whatever off'rings for their souls you pray -
However oft you for their pardons pray.

Whene'er a man, whoe'er he be, is dead,
And has been once to God's tribunal led,
It is in vain, for any human pow'r,
For his forgiveness ever to implore,

Though Job and Daniel, many times a day -
Though Abraham, Moses, Samuel, shou'd pray
For such a one - yet they cou'd ne'er assuage,
By all their efforts, hell's tremendous rage.

Shou'd all the priests, in all the world, unite,
And supplicate the Lord with all their might,
And place before him gifts of ev'ry kind,
The God of truth wou'd never change his mind.

Shou'd all the globe unto the Godhead pray,
The dead-man's dreadful torments to allay,
Their supplications wou'd be all in vain -
A drop of water he shou'd not obtain.

God's sentence pass'd, can ne'er be done away.
Where the tree falls, it there must ever stay.
God ne'er will alter, what he once design'd.
He never yet was known to change his mind.

God, from his purpose, ne'er can be remov'd -
He'll ne'er reverse the doom, he once approv'd -
Not all the world, was all the world agree'd,
Nor heav'n, nor earth, his sentence can impede.

The time for pray'r is, e'er each mortal dies;
It nought avails him, after his demise -
A prayer, after one's decease preferr'd,
Can ne'er prevail, and never shall be heard.

I therefore ev'ry man on earth advise
(If he wou'd be unto salvation wise)
To pray, whilst yet alive, if he wou'd fain
Any advantage from his prayers gain.

Get thou thy wedding-dress, get oil, get light,
Get grace, ere thou'rt surpriz'd by death and night -
When one the day of grace is pass'd, 'tis plain,
The least request thou canst not then obtain.

All of us shou'd, before our death, implore,
With application warm, th' eternal Pow'r -
That is the time, our suit shou'd be preferr'd,
That is the time, our prayer may be heard.

Before we die, and shall from hence be gone,
It is that heav'n is either lost, or won -
The simple sot, when dead, no profit gains,
Since nought, but judgement, for him then remains.

Before we die, we must reform our hearts,
Whilst yet 'tis day, we all must act our parts,
Our Saviour says, that, when it once is night,
No mortal can perform his work aright.

Christ orders each oppressor to agree
With all, with whom he may at variance be,
Whilst he is yet upon the way, and not
As yet into his Judge's presence brought :

Lest, hand and foot, in durance strict confin'd,
He be at last to penal flames consign'd:
Because in time he did not justice choose;
Not all the world from thence can get him loose.

King David knew full well, the time was past,
(When once his fav'rite child had breath'd his last)
And that 'twas vain for him to shed a tear,
Or importune the Deity with pray'r.

It is not therefore right for any one
To pray for any friend, that's dead and gone -
Whom he believes to have been sent to rest
In endless happiness, among the blest.

Nor is there room for any man to pray,
(When from this world he once is gone away)
Whom you believe, as naked here he came,
To have gone naked hence to hell's fierce flame.

There are two places only to us known,
For any man, when he from hence is gone,
Or heaven above, or hell's infernal vale:
For purgatory's but an idle tale.

There is no need, for any one to pray,
For him, that is allow'd in heav'n to stay,
Or shou'd he make the infernal lake his home,
He ne'er shall have permission thence to come.

It therefore was a custom most absurd,
For any priest to speak a single word,
In favour of the soul that hence is fled,
Only to rob the heedless of their bread.

The best amongst them will not now admit
Of those impostures, or such pray'rs permit,
Or none but cheats, whose aim is to impose,
And gain alone unto themselves propose.

It is a duty, that upon them lies,
When any good and righteous person dies,
Due thanks unto the Lord above to give,
In certain hopes that he again shall live.

But that a priest shou'd any favour crave
For one that's dead, and buri'd in the grave,
It is a thing forbidden and unfit,
Which no one but a fool will e'er permit.

Thus to the question ask'd, my friend, by you,
I've given a solution just and true:
May God increase your faith, and grant you grace,
Among the saints above, to shew your face!