Dear theme of my wonder and praise, I cry, who is worthy as thou! I can only be silent and gaze: "Tis all that is left to me now. Oh glory in which I am lost, Too deep for the plummet of thought; On an ocean of deity toss'd, I am swallow'd, I sink into nought. Yet, lost and absorb'd as I seem, I chant to the praise of my king; And, though overwhelm'd by the theme, Am happy whenever I sing. GRATITUDE AND LOVE TO GOD. ALL are indebted much to thee, From many a deadly snare set free, Overwhelm me, from above, What bonds of gratitude I feel 'Tis more than I can bear: To return thee love for love? Spirit of charity, dispense Drive self from every part; Break the chains in which we lie! All selfish souls, whate'er they feign, He whose bosom glows with thee, Oh blessedness, all bliss above, We learn its name, but not its powers, HAPPY SOLITUDE-UNHAPPY MEN. My heart is easy, and my burden light; Thy creatures wrong thee, O thou sovereign good! Thou art not loved, because not understood; This grieves me most, that vain pursuits beguile Frail beauty and false honour are adored; LIVING WATER. THE fountain in its source No drought of summer fears; But shallow cisterns yield A scanty short supply; The morning sees them amply fill'd, At evening they are dry. TRUTH AND DIVINE LOVE REJECTED BY O LOVE, of pure and heavenly birth! Whence comes it, that, your power the same As His is on high, from whence you came, Ye rarely find a listening ear, Or heart that makes you welcome here?— Because ye bring reproach and pain, Where'er ye visit, in your train. The world is proud, and cannot bear Then, let the price be what it may, Though poor, I am prepared to pay; DIVINE JUSTICE AMIABLE. THOU hast no lightnings, O thou just! And, if thou strike me into dust, The heart, that values less its ease In thine avenging anger sees Pleased I could lie, conceal'd and lost, Not to avoid thy wrath, thou know'st, Smite me, O thou, whom I provoke! The well deserved, and righteous stroke, Am I not worthy to sustain The worst thou canst devise; Far from afflicting, thou art kind; Alas! thou sparest me yet again; I have no punishment to fear; |