The Poetical Works of Robert Montgomery Collected and Revised by the Author |
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GOD IN MATERIALISM. |
 | The Poetical Works of Robert Montgomery |  |
GOD IN MATERIALISM.
God in creation is a glorious thought;
Making the Matter, which we touch, or see,
Like mute religion on our senses act;
And to all forms and faculties of Things
A power imparting, more than mere delight.
'Tis thus, in nature God alone we hail
The ground of Being, and the grace of all
That in this temple of Creation stands.
No dead Abstraction, no almighty Law
To faith suffices:—Life itself is God
In will, and wisdom, actively employ'd:
It spurns the idol, Second Cause, and springs
On to the Infinite and only First!
Creation a Theocracy becomes,
When thus perceived; intelligibly ruled
By that Great King, Whose hidden sceptre sways
Alike the dew-drop, and the host of worlds.
And, blest is he, who thus through nature walks
Companion'd by its Author! Scenes and sounds
Are unto him as Tokens of His power,
Perpetual Teachers of mysterious love.
Making the Matter, which we touch, or see,
Like mute religion on our senses act;
And to all forms and faculties of Things
A power imparting, more than mere delight.
'Tis thus, in nature God alone we hail
The ground of Being, and the grace of all
That in this temple of Creation stands.
No dead Abstraction, no almighty Law
To faith suffices:—Life itself is God
In will, and wisdom, actively employ'd:
It spurns the idol, Second Cause, and springs
On to the Infinite and only First!
Creation a Theocracy becomes,
When thus perceived; intelligibly ruled
By that Great King, Whose hidden sceptre sways
Alike the dew-drop, and the host of worlds.
And, blest is he, who thus through nature walks
Companion'd by its Author! Scenes and sounds
Are unto him as Tokens of His power,
Perpetual Teachers of mysterious love.
Feeling the work, but Faith the worker views
Devoutly: and the pomp of heaven's display,
The floor of ocean, the green face of earth,
And each variety which Objects wear,
With more than language to his mind appeals,
Proclaiming Him, Whose Power no sabbath keeps
But quickens nature with incessant laws.
And how this acts where'er we walk, or muse!
Freshens the grass, and beautifies the flower,
Gives to the canopy of heaven a grace
Beyond the symmetry of clouds to form;
And so with reverence the soul attunes,
The very air-song seems to warble truths
Celestial; syllables by Angels toned,
Haunt the pure breathings of the balmy wind
Around us heard: and when along the shore
Haply we roam, in some reflective dream
When life hangs heavy on the grief-worn heart,
The billows make a litany of sound
Which half interprets what sad Thought suggests.
Devoutly: and the pomp of heaven's display,
The floor of ocean, the green face of earth,
And each variety which Objects wear,
With more than language to his mind appeals,
Proclaiming Him, Whose Power no sabbath keeps
But quickens nature with incessant laws.
And how this acts where'er we walk, or muse!
Freshens the grass, and beautifies the flower,
Gives to the canopy of heaven a grace
Beyond the symmetry of clouds to form;
And so with reverence the soul attunes,
The very air-song seems to warble truths
Celestial; syllables by Angels toned,
Haunt the pure breathings of the balmy wind
Around us heard: and when along the shore
Haply we roam, in some reflective dream
When life hangs heavy on the grief-worn heart,
The billows make a litany of sound
Which half interprets what sad Thought suggests.
God in creation!—'tis a Creed sublime
Which makes all nature solemn; and the mind
With such desire for veneration fills,
The universe one vast Shechinah grows
Whence Piety, creation's priestess, draws
Prophetic glimpses, as the tribes of old
Drew from the Breastplate, where the Urim gave
Responsive radiance and unerring law.
Which makes all nature solemn; and the mind
With such desire for veneration fills,
The universe one vast Shechinah grows
Whence Piety, creation's priestess, draws
Prophetic glimpses, as the tribes of old
Drew from the Breastplate, where the Urim gave
Responsive radiance and unerring law.
| The Poetical Works of Robert Montgomery | |