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THE SOUL.
What is the Soul? It may not be
A light which chance hath waked to birth;
Nor is that power, Necessity,
The mother of the earth.
Materialists in vain may teach
That Nature form'd this glorious whole;
In worlds which science cannot reach,
“God!—God made man a living soul!”
A light which chance hath waked to birth;
Nor is that power, Necessity,
The mother of the earth.
Materialists in vain may teach
That Nature form'd this glorious whole;
In worlds which science cannot reach,
“God!—God made man a living soul!”
What is the Soul?—A deathless ray—
A gift of that immortal Hand
Which from blind chaos struck the day,
And held, unpoised, the sea and land;
Who o'er the earth shed beauty rife,
Who gave the Elements their might,
Who waked the planets into life,
And bowed the starry globe of night.
A gift of that immortal Hand
Which from blind chaos struck the day,
And held, unpoised, the sea and land;
Who o'er the earth shed beauty rife,
Who gave the Elements their might,
Who waked the planets into life,
And bowed the starry globe of night.
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From stern Necessity call grace—
Call order from the dreams of chance—
Bid your material god replace
The heavenly fountain we advance:
The seasons would return no more,
The erring planets lose their track,
Confusion stalk from shore to shore,
And Ruin shout to Chaos back!
Call order from the dreams of chance—
Bid your material god replace
The heavenly fountain we advance:
The seasons would return no more,
The erring planets lose their track,
Confusion stalk from shore to shore,
And Ruin shout to Chaos back!
Can knowledge, then, oppress the brain,
O'erload the reason's glorious might;
Imagination's wing restrain,
And blind our intellectual sight?—
No: the rivers of the world combined
Have never fill'd the boundless sea;
And what is ocean to the mind?
Like time unto eternity!
O'erload the reason's glorious might;
Imagination's wing restrain,
And blind our intellectual sight?—
No: the rivers of the world combined
Have never fill'd the boundless sea;
And what is ocean to the mind?
Like time unto eternity!
Not knowledge hath debased the sense,
But vice—that, even in our youth,
Saith to Religion's light—“Go hence!
I will not, dare not, know the truth!
If I deceive myself, 'tis well:
Let me live on, and still deceive;
If sinners tread the brink of hell,
'Twere death to Tremble and believe!”
But vice—that, even in our youth,
Saith to Religion's light—“Go hence!
I will not, dare not, know the truth!
If I deceive myself, 'tis well:
Let me live on, and still deceive;
If sinners tread the brink of hell,
'Twere death to Tremble and believe!”
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O God, the Father of the Soul!
O Jesus, Saviour of the world!
Bid knowledge spread from pole to pole,
Be Faith's bright banner wide unfurl'd.
For whatsoe'er the soul may be,
Or wheresoe'er the soul may dwell,
To live for God's eternity
Is better than to live for hell!
O Jesus, Saviour of the world!
Bid knowledge spread from pole to pole,
Be Faith's bright banner wide unfurl'd.
For whatsoe'er the soul may be,
Or wheresoe'er the soul may dwell,
To live for God's eternity
Is better than to live for hell!
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