The Cathedral, or the Catholic and Apostolic Church in England Second edition [by Isaac Williams] |
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 | The Cathedral, or the Catholic and Apostolic Church in England |  |
THE CREED.
I. The vastness of the Creed. II. Its all-pervading charity. III. How to be impressed with its importance. IV. The same. V. Unsatisfying nature of earthly things. VI. The Creed paraphrased, as our only consolation. VII. The strong-hold of Faith. VIII. In the Occasional Servics. IX. The proportion of Faith. X. How received into the soul. XI. Its practical effects as thus held. XII. A Prayer to hold it aright, and find rest therein.
The greater height these Graces reach,
The clearer they the mystery teach;
Saints best in their own souls may read
The illustration of their Creed.
Ken, vol. i. 269.
The clearer they the mystery teach;
Saints best in their own souls may read
The illustration of their Creed.
Ken, vol. i. 269.
I.
Go, stand beneath some minster tall,
Stretching in aisles majestical;
In branchings of embowering length,
And avenues of pillar'd strength,
Mid arch and pile aloft array'd,
And clustering reach of vaulted shade,
Dwarf'd to a speck man there doth stand,
Mid the colossal mountain band.
Stretching in aisles majestical;
In branchings of embowering length,
And avenues of pillar'd strength,
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And clustering reach of vaulted shade,
Dwarf'd to a speck man there doth stand,
Mid the colossal mountain band.
Or go, and gaze, when mortals sleep,
Upon the wild ethereal deep!
Solemn and vast in night's stern dress,
Of worlds a very wilderness,
In their blue caves half seen they lie,
The many mansions of the sky.
Man sinks, his inmost soul within,
In littleness and conscious sin.
Upon the wild ethereal deep!
Solemn and vast in night's stern dress,
Of worlds a very wilderness,
In their blue caves half seen they lie,
The many mansions of the sky.
Man sinks, his inmost soul within,
In littleness and conscious sin.
Thus, in Christ's holy Creed display'd,
Truth on eternal pillars laid,
World beyond world, end without end,
Doth over man her vastness bend.
Far stooping from the deeps of night,
She stands reveal'd to mortal sight,
Like the broad Heav'n's o'er-arching span,
Divinity encircling man.
Truth on eternal pillars laid,
World beyond world, end without end,
Doth over man her vastness bend.
Far stooping from the deeps of night,
She stands reveal'd to mortal sight,
Like the broad Heav'n's o'er-arching span,
Divinity encircling man.
II.
What is the long Cathedral glade,
But Faith that in the structur'd shade
Herself embodies to the sense,
Leaning upon Omnipotence;
And Holiness, ennobling thought,
Into a living temple wrought?
There Strength and Beauty spring to life,
In contests of harmonious strife;
With blended glories high aloof,
Embracing on the gorgeous roof,
Till standing 'neath the giant throng
The soul expands, and feels her strong
With more than doth to man belong.
But Faith that in the structur'd shade
Herself embodies to the sense,
Leaning upon Omnipotence;
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Into a living temple wrought?
There Strength and Beauty spring to life,
In contests of harmonious strife;
With blended glories high aloof,
Embracing on the gorgeous roof,
Till standing 'neath the giant throng
The soul expands, and feels her strong
With more than doth to man belong.
Nor gazing on th'ethereal hall
Let thoughts of vastness thee appall!
Through the still arch, night's awful dome,
Love gleams from his eternal home,
With countenance unearthly bright
Lifting the curtains of dead Night,
And thro' the vast of that wild sea
Speaks peace to fall'n humanity.
Let thoughts of vastness thee appall!
Through the still arch, night's awful dome,
Love gleams from his eternal home,
With countenance unearthly bright
Lifting the curtains of dead Night,
And thro' the vast of that wild sea
Speaks peace to fall'n humanity.
E'en thus the Creed's eternal scroll
Doth awe, but not confound the soul;
Like tent of ether spread above,
All fostering, all sustaining love,
There stretches her unfailing strength,
And height, and depth, and breadth, and length
Doth to our aid itself unfold,
Exalt, ennoble, strengthen, hold,
'Neath whose encircling canopy
We may from Sin and Sorrow flee.
God the beginning whence it rose,
And everlasting life the close.
Doth awe, but not confound the soul;
Like tent of ether spread above,
All fostering, all sustaining love,
There stretches her unfailing strength,
And height, and depth, and breadth, and length
Doth to our aid itself unfold,
Exalt, ennoble, strengthen, hold,
'Neath whose encircling canopy
We may from Sin and Sorrow flee.
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And everlasting life the close.
Tho' clouds and darkness mantle round
Those towers, disclos'd on heavenly ground,
Mercy with them her light is blending,
On embassies of grace descending.
Those towers, disclos'd on heavenly ground,
Mercy with them her light is blending,
On embassies of grace descending.
There, as within a darken'd glass,
Our God before us deigns to pass,
We 'neath His sheltering hand may hide,
And in our Rock unharm'd abide.
Our God before us deigns to pass,
We 'neath His sheltering hand may hide,
And in our Rock unharm'd abide.
No sooner in His might array'd,
He hath the world's foundations laid,
Holding in hollow of His hand,
The Heav'ns—and earth—and sea—and land,
When lo, the crystal skies descend,
He comes below of man the Friend,
To walk with man till time shall end—
In him, with him, the weary steep to climb,
And lead him to calm heights beyond the sea of time.
He hath the world's foundations laid,
Holding in hollow of His hand,
The Heav'ns—and earth—and sea—and land,
When lo, the crystal skies descend,
He comes below of man the Friend,
To walk with man till time shall end—
In him, with him, the weary steep to climb,
And lead him to calm heights beyond the sea of time.
III.
Good Angels, I would fain adore,
And trace the secrets of your shore,
In safety guide my feeble bark,
And lift the mantle of the dark!
How bring we near to mortal eyes
Those infinite realities,
That they may on our spirits dwell,
The Great, the Good, th'Unchangeable?
And trace the secrets of your shore,
In safety guide my feeble bark,
And lift the mantle of the dark!
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Those infinite realities,
That they may on our spirits dwell,
The Great, the Good, th'Unchangeable?
Upon the glass the creeping fly
Will shut out mightiest worlds on high,
And care, to earthly projects giv'n,
Will hide from man his God and Heav'n.
Will shut out mightiest worlds on high,
And care, to earthly projects giv'n,
Will hide from man his God and Heav'n.
'Tis distance dwarfs the mighty star,
In Night's blue caves scarce seen afar,
But the great God to us is near,
As mortal eye, or mortal ear,
And that vast sea, which knows no shore,
With all its floods is at the door.
In Night's blue caves scarce seen afar,
But the great God to us is near,
As mortal eye, or mortal ear,
And that vast sea, which knows no shore,
With all its floods is at the door.
'Tis in the holy Liturgy
We come to sit its margin nigh,
Till haply so familiar grown,
With glorious things to man made known,
We by that standard rightly scan
How little, and how great is man.
We come to sit its margin nigh,
Till haply so familiar grown,
With glorious things to man made known,
We by that standard rightly scan
How little, and how great is man.
It is the soul in love and fear,
Kindling to life th'eternal sphere,
Till mightiest things that fill the sky,
And walk in immortality,
Assemblages of light around,
Wakening throughout the dim profound,
All tremblingly begin to stir,
A living amphitheatre,
Where Jesus mid the dark serene
O'er the vast circuit walks unseen.
Kindling to life th'eternal sphere,
Till mightiest things that fill the sky,
And walk in immortality,
Assemblages of light around,
Wakening throughout the dim profound,
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A living amphitheatre,
Where Jesus mid the dark serene
O'er the vast circuit walks unseen.
'Tis thoughtfulness on brooding wing,
Earth's lowliest duties cherishing,
And prayer that bringeth down the skies
With dread immortal companies.
Earth's lowliest duties cherishing,
And prayer that bringeth down the skies
With dread immortal companies.
Thus in Thy hallow'd house on earth,
Breathing the breath of our new birth,
As thro' a portal we descry,
Growing upon the gazing eye,
The palace of eternity.
Breathing the breath of our new birth,
As thro' a portal we descry,
Growing upon the gazing eye,
The palace of eternity.
Without, forgetful we are Thine,
We seek for happiness, and pine,—
There, in the ocean of Thy love,
Remember that in Thee we move,
And breathe the life-restoring air
Of Thy calm presence;—earthly care
Looses her hold; Faith more and more
Admits to her celestial store.
We seek for happiness, and pine,—
There, in the ocean of Thy love,
Remember that in Thee we move,
And breathe the life-restoring air
Of Thy calm presence;—earthly care
Looses her hold; Faith more and more
Admits to her celestial store.
IV.
Why dwells the lover on the glance
Of some endeared countenance?
At each remembrance in him stirs
A man of strength, oft as recurs
Thought upon thought, a link remains,
Until the soul is found in chains.
Of some endeared countenance?
At each remembrance in him stirs
A man of strength, oft as recurs
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Until the soul is found in chains.
What binds the exile to his home?
Regretful memories, that come
With images that love to dwell
By some known tree or native well.
Regretful memories, that come
With images that love to dwell
By some known tree or native well.
What weds the traitorous soul to gold?
Cares which returning manifold
At morn and eve, grow on the soul,
And thence shut out the mighty whole,
Heav'n's heights and everlasting goal.
Cares which returning manifold
At morn and eve, grow on the soul,
And thence shut out the mighty whole,
Heav'n's heights and everlasting goal.
What lit in thee the lamp of love,
Great Saint of Patmos? Thoughts above
Ever conversing with the Word,
In cherish'd memory seen and heard.
Thine eagle eye was ever bent
Gazing upon the firmament,
Till on thee burst th'ethereal world,
Armies of God with signs unfurl'd,
And thou wast seen 'mong men to be
The o'er-flowing fount of charity.
Great Saint of Patmos? Thoughts above
Ever conversing with the Word,
In cherish'd memory seen and heard.
Thine eagle eye was ever bent
Gazing upon the firmament,
Till on thee burst th'ethereal world,
Armies of God with signs unfurl'd,
And thou wast seen 'mong men to be
The o'er-flowing fount of charity.
Thus Faith, her torch-light to repair,
Will oft return, and linger there,
Where Truth, unfolding her deep creed,
Opens the Heav'ns to meet our need,
And shews lights gleaming evermore,
On margin of th'eternal shore.
Will oft return, and linger there,
Where Truth, unfolding her deep creed,
Opens the Heav'ns to meet our need,
And shews lights gleaming evermore,
On margin of th'eternal shore.
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How shall I thank Thy Majesty,
That giv'st to know ourselves, and Thee;—
The mercies which with Thee abide,
The littleness of all beside;—
Not in the cloud spread forth above,
Not in the light on Aaron's breast,
But in this mantle of Thy love,
Which on each earthly scene doth rest!
That giv'st to know ourselves, and Thee;—
The mercies which with Thee abide,
The littleness of all beside;—
Not in the cloud spread forth above,
Not in the light on Aaron's breast,
But in this mantle of Thy love,
Which on each earthly scene doth rest!
V.
Spirit of awe, my fancy lead,
While thus mid holy things I tread,
Lay on my lips thy sweet control,
And touch them with the living coal!
While thus mid holy things I tread,
Lay on my lips thy sweet control,
And touch them with the living coal!
That Creed in the calm Liturgy,
Mid varied worship, prayer, and praise,
Concentrating their heavenly rays,
Mid varied worship, prayer, and praise,
Concentrating their heavenly rays,
Is like the lamp that came from high,
And mov'd, beneath the nightly skies,
Mid the divided sacrifice.
Then spake a voice to Terah's son,
‘Mid foes, meek stranger, hold thee on,
‘A little while—on either hand
‘They shall be gone, but thou shalt stand.’
Sweet words of holy embassage,
May ye my weary soul engage,
In this my house of pilgrimage!
While watchful foes around me throng,
Make me in your blest wisdom strong!
And mov'd, beneath the nightly skies,
Mid the divided sacrifice.
Then spake a voice to Terah's son,
‘Mid foes, meek stranger, hold thee on,
‘A little while—on either hand
‘They shall be gone, but thou shalt stand.’
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May ye my weary soul engage,
In this my house of pilgrimage!
While watchful foes around me throng,
Make me in your blest wisdom strong!
With throbbing head and aching breast,
I find no Elim's shade of rest.
I wander 'neath this desert Sun,
Shod with desires still fresh and bold;
My earthly weeds have not grown old,
But here of good I nought have won,
My hopes are yet where they begun.
Pride came, and whisper'd secretly,
To come unto her nest on high:
There was a gleam that slumber'd there,
It was the storm's bright harbinger.
That calm—it was the thunder's shroud—
For sorrow aye pursues the proud.
I find no Elim's shade of rest.
I wander 'neath this desert Sun,
Shod with desires still fresh and bold;
My earthly weeds have not grown old,
But here of good I nought have won,
My hopes are yet where they begun.
Pride came, and whisper'd secretly,
To come unto her nest on high:
There was a gleam that slumber'd there,
It was the storm's bright harbinger.
That calm—it was the thunder's shroud—
For sorrow aye pursues the proud.
Peace came with tale of gentle springs,
Of valleys and sequesterings,
Where on the mirror of her breast,
Tranquilly I might lean and rest.
That vale was an unearthly land,
Guarded by some enchanted band,
Nor can I know that sweet recess,
Till friendly Death shall me undress.
Of valleys and sequesterings,
Where on the mirror of her breast,
Tranquilly I might lean and rest.
That vale was an unearthly land,
Guarded by some enchanted band,
Nor can I know that sweet recess,
Till friendly Death shall me undress.
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Then Friendship came with purest hope below,
Like dark-stol'd Una with her lambs of snow:
But, if to her I wed my days,
I should forget a holier praise!
Yet, so I love the sacred grace,
And angel calm of her dear face,
That I will leave her for awhile,
To gain her everlasting smile.
Like dark-stol'd Una with her lambs of snow:
But, if to her I wed my days,
I should forget a holier praise!
Yet, so I love the sacred grace,
And angel calm of her dear face,
That I will leave her for awhile,
To gain her everlasting smile.
Ah, well I know thee, Solitude,
Thy silent cell and sinking mood;
And hard the task with thee to dwell,
And love thy thoughtful citadel,
But for the star that lights thy page,
And cheers thine evening hermitage.
Thy silent cell and sinking mood;
And hard the task with thee to dwell,
And love thy thoughtful citadel,
But for the star that lights thy page,
And cheers thine evening hermitage.
Then Learning tun'd her classic lute
So touchingly—the vale hung mute;
I turn'd to seek one by my side,
But found not—there sat lonely Pride,
The heart still droop'd unsatisfied.
So touchingly—the vale hung mute;
I turn'd to seek one by my side,
But found not—there sat lonely Pride,
The heart still droop'd unsatisfied.
Then Nature oped her hidden treasure,
Defying bound, defying measure,
With beauty half-reveal'd, half shewn,
Still leading to her Lord unknown:
The soul amid the landscape fair,
For something sought which was not there.
Defying bound, defying measure,
With beauty half-reveal'd, half shewn,
Still leading to her Lord unknown:
The soul amid the landscape fair,
For something sought which was not there.
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Then pointed she with iron hand
Unto Religion's calm abode;
But gleams, that broke the twilight, shew'd
Dark Superstition's phantom band,
Which round her cave were seen to stand.
Pale Care was there, to whom Heav'n's bird
Sang her sweet lesson all unheard:
Distrust that scarce could light descry
Mid tangled woods—felt none was nigh:
And wan Despair mid places lone
Brooding o'er that which Time hath done,
And Time can ne'er undo again;—
Pharpar and Abana all vain,
Or Ocean's self to wash her stain.
Unto Religion's calm abode;
But gleams, that broke the twilight, shew'd
Dark Superstition's phantom band,
Which round her cave were seen to stand.
Pale Care was there, to whom Heav'n's bird
Sang her sweet lesson all unheard:
Distrust that scarce could light descry
Mid tangled woods—felt none was nigh:
And wan Despair mid places lone
Brooding o'er that which Time hath done,
And Time can ne'er undo again;—
Pharpar and Abana all vain,
Or Ocean's self to wash her stain.
VI.
The quiet of this Summer eve,
When birds are on their homeward wing,
Save night's sweet friend that wakes to sing,
Should sooth a heart unus'd to grieve.
But lights that fall on yonder glade,
Do but disclose a darker shade,
And Nature in her joyous mood
Were but a deeper solitude,
But for the gleams of heavenly love,
Which fall from our true home above.
The shadow sleeps upon the hill,
In Nature's temple all is still.
With rippling stir the leaflets move,
Tho' not a gale to wake the grove;
The lake hath caught a silver crest,
Tho' not a breath to break its rest.
Calm tremblings thro' the earth and sky
Speak some approaching Presence nigh;
Shadows of earth hold me no more,
Ah, glorious light, I see thee now,
Forth issuing from the eastern door,
I turn, and head and heart I bow.
When birds are on their homeward wing,
Save night's sweet friend that wakes to sing,
Should sooth a heart unus'd to grieve.
But lights that fall on yonder glade,
Do but disclose a darker shade,
And Nature in her joyous mood
Were but a deeper solitude,
But for the gleams of heavenly love,
Which fall from our true home above.
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In Nature's temple all is still.
With rippling stir the leaflets move,
Tho' not a gale to wake the grove;
The lake hath caught a silver crest,
Tho' not a breath to break its rest.
Calm tremblings thro' the earth and sky
Speak some approaching Presence nigh;
Shadows of earth hold me no more,
Ah, glorious light, I see thee now,
Forth issuing from the eastern door,
I turn, and head and heart I bow.
The Creed.
Do I believe in God above?
Then nought on earth my heart shall move,
Calm I unravel life's dull lore,
That I may so His goodness prove.
Away with sad distrust, no more
Come knocking at my heart's low door!
What shall th'Almighty's power withstand,
What shall withhold a Father's hand,
That hand which made of old the sky and sea and shore?
Then nought on earth my heart shall move,
Calm I unravel life's dull lore,
That I may so His goodness prove.
Away with sad distrust, no more
Come knocking at my heart's low door!
What shall th'Almighty's power withstand,
What shall withhold a Father's hand,
That hand which made of old the sky and sea and shore?
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One only Son within Thy breast,
In Jesus Christ made manifest,
He is my heav'n-born earth-born Lord,
I see Him and I find my rest;
Conceiv'd of Holy Ghost—the Word,—
Earth saw, and trembled, and ador'd.
But lest we call on rocks to hide,
A virgin mother's at Thy side,
The pure in heart behold, and own love's gentle chord.
In Jesus Christ made manifest,
He is my heav'n-born earth-born Lord,
I see Him and I find my rest;
Conceiv'd of Holy Ghost—the Word,—
Earth saw, and trembled, and ador'd.
But lest we call on rocks to hide,
A virgin mother's at Thy side,
The pure in heart behold, and own love's gentle chord.
Oh, that this heart were cleans'd to see!
Go, earthly good, and leave me free,
To see my God by sorrow torn,
In robes of rent humanity.
And now before me that dread morn,—
And that pale form is bleeding borne;
Of blending water and of blood
Flows forth the sacramental flood;
And we without the tomb with Mary sit and mourn.
Go, earthly good, and leave me free,
To see my God by sorrow torn,
In robes of rent humanity.
And now before me that dread morn,—
And that pale form is bleeding borne;
Of blending water and of blood
Flows forth the sacramental flood;
And we without the tomb with Mary sit and mourn.
E'en yet—disarming all our woe,
Thou goest down with us below!
May we behold where Thou hast been,
And night of Thy dark burial know;—
Thence see Thee by the moon serene,
Rising behind th'Eternal screen,
Now opening Heav'n's ethereal bar,
And golden portals from afar,
On the right hand on high by dying Stephen seen.
Thou goest down with us below!
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And night of Thy dark burial know;—
Thence see Thee by the moon serene,
Rising behind th'Eternal screen,
Now opening Heav'n's ethereal bar,
And golden portals from afar,
On the right hand on high by dying Stephen seen.
O, mercy with strange terrors blended!
Above, around, the skies are rended,
Christ sits on high, and far and wide
Are hurrying Angels,—all is ended!
Ah, hence with indolence and pride,
With vain hope in the Crucified!—
In those dread truths do I believe?
Then let me not Thy presence grieve,
But working in calm fear that fiery hour abide!
Above, around, the skies are rended,
Christ sits on high, and far and wide
Are hurrying Angels,—all is ended!
Ah, hence with indolence and pride,
With vain hope in the Crucified!—
In those dread truths do I believe?
Then let me not Thy presence grieve,
But working in calm fear that fiery hour abide!
Spirit, foretelling and foretold,
Lighting upon our Head of old,
And thence through all His priesthood sent,
With power to loose, and power to hold;
Like oil on Aaron's head besprent,
Till to his clothing's skirts it went:
Thence, to all time diffusing down,
Thou fill'st the Church from that blest crown
With odorous graces sweet, o'erflowing and unspent.
Lighting upon our Head of old,
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With power to loose, and power to hold;
Like oil on Aaron's head besprent,
Till to his clothing's skirts it went:
Thence, to all time diffusing down,
Thou fill'st the Church from that blest crown
With odorous graces sweet, o'erflowing and unspent.
Why mourn we left on earth alone?
When bound within that mystic zone
The dead and living are brought nigh,
And knit together all in one:—
O bond for mortal sense too high!
And, pale Remorse, repress thy sigh;
See the baptismal seal of Heav'n,
The pledge of penitence forgiven;
Go, sin no more, but learn a better strength to try!
When bound within that mystic zone
The dead and living are brought nigh,
And knit together all in one:—
O bond for mortal sense too high!
And, pale Remorse, repress thy sigh;
See the baptismal seal of Heav'n,
The pledge of penitence forgiven;
Go, sin no more, but learn a better strength to try!
Let me not mourn that stern decay
Is busy with this shed of clay,
And wither'd leaves from off me fall;—
I shall put on a fairer day
Beyond my wintry funeral.—
O thought that doth the heart appal,
Bidding adieu to laggard time,
The unimagin'd steep to climb,
With bars of night around, or Heav'n's eternal hall!
Is busy with this shed of clay,
And wither'd leaves from off me fall;—
I shall put on a fairer day
Beyond my wintry funeral.—
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Bidding adieu to laggard time,
The unimagin'd steep to climb,
With bars of night around, or Heav'n's eternal hall!
VII.
Thus rising, like a living mine,From quarries of the Word divine,
The Apostolic symbol stands,
Moulded of old by saintly hands.
Within, o'ershadowing holy things,
Love stretches her cherubic wings.
Wind and rain they have no power,
To impair this heaven-built tower;
Time, that beats down earthly things
With his “multitudinous wings,”
Serves but to strengthen and disclose
This temple in its dread repose.
Thus from a world of stern reproof,
From storm and wind which fitful go,
And shake each hope-built tower below,
We flee to an embowering roof,
Thence see the shower—the shade—the sun,
O'er all without their courses run.
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We seem in friendless solitude,
And seek in vain some holding hand;—
But entering on that holy ground,
The veil is rais'd,—the mountains stand
With fiery coursers girt, and fiery cars around.
VIII.
Nor only in the holy shrine
The Faith holds forth this shield divine;—
As with the traveller on his way,
Social or lonely, grave or gay,
The sky extends its circling bound,
The cloud-hung blue expanding round,—
Thus, wheresoe'er on earth we rove,
Its omnipresent form doth move,
Wherein the image of the skies,
And the eternal Gospel lies,
Infinity of strength and light,
And love e'en more than infinite.
The Faith holds forth this shield divine;—
As with the traveller on his way,
Social or lonely, grave or gay,
The sky extends its circling bound,
The cloud-hung blue expanding round,—
Thus, wheresoe'er on earth we rove,
Its omnipresent form doth move,
Wherein the image of the skies,
And the eternal Gospel lies,
Infinity of strength and light,
And love e'en more than infinite.
It is the breath of our new birth,
It is the light of our new morn,
Whence hues upon the soul are born,
It is the light of our new morn,
Whence hues upon the soul are born,
More durable than aught on earth.
When dawning life first let us in,
Into this house of grief and sin,
And Death stood by to mark his prey,—
Protectingly, our sheltering stay,
That Creed stood o'er the dangerous way—
An arch that open'd to the dome,
The ancient Church's sacred home;
An arch which, at Death's twilight bourne,
Lets out into the heavenly morn,
And over-stretching the dread road
Props on each side th'incumbent load,
Until the ransom'd have pass'd by,
In soberness most meet to bear the Judge's eye.
When dawning life first let us in,
Into this house of grief and sin,
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Protectingly, our sheltering stay,
That Creed stood o'er the dangerous way—
An arch that open'd to the dome,
The ancient Church's sacred home;
An arch which, at Death's twilight bourne,
Lets out into the heavenly morn,
And over-stretching the dread road
Props on each side th'incumbent load,
Until the ransom'd have pass'd by,
In soberness most meet to bear the Judge's eye.
IX.
Behold in Heav'n yon glorious bow,
Which spans the gleaming world below!
The hues distinct in order glow,
Yet each in each doth melt unseen,
That none can mark the bound between:
Lo, such is Faith's mysterious scroll,
A multiform harmonious whole,
Together gather'd for our aid,
And in the darken'd heights display'd:
The Church shall ne'er that emblem want
Of her eternal covenant.
As on th'horizon's cloudy wall,
Where'er the golden sunbeams fall,
The colours in the rainbow found
Blend in a secret union bound.
E'en thus, where the true light hath shone,
The heart all truths shall hold, which rightly holdeth one.
Which spans the gleaming world below!
The hues distinct in order glow,
Yet each in each doth melt unseen,
That none can mark the bound between:
Lo, such is Faith's mysterious scroll,
A multiform harmonious whole,
Together gather'd for our aid,
And in the darken'd heights display'd:
The Church shall ne'er that emblem want
Of her eternal covenant.
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Where'er the golden sunbeams fall,
The colours in the rainbow found
Blend in a secret union bound.
E'en thus, where the true light hath shone,
The heart all truths shall hold, which rightly holdeth one.
First Fear, which is the shadow true
Of wrath divine to sinners due,
Looks out upon the deep, and tries
To sound her endless destinies;—
That Fear with falling, falling wing,
Will to nought less than Godhead cling:
And he with eager heart and eyes
Who feeds on that dread sacrifice,
In aid Divine will seek to hide,
And on the living Word abide:
Feeling His presence, which doth bear,
And hold him buoyant in mid air.
O wondrous spell the heart to move,
And all her dark recesses prove!
Of wrath divine to sinners due,
Looks out upon the deep, and tries
To sound her endless destinies;—
That Fear with falling, falling wing,
Will to nought less than Godhead cling:
And he with eager heart and eyes
Who feeds on that dread sacrifice,
In aid Divine will seek to hide,
And on the living Word abide:
Feeling His presence, which doth bear,
And hold him buoyant in mid air.
O wondrous spell the heart to move,
And all her dark recesses prove!
Lord, wake in me that holy awe,
Which thro' obedience learns Thy law,
Till all my soul responsive own
That Faith's mysterious union!
Which thro' obedience learns Thy law,
Till all my soul responsive own
That Faith's mysterious union!
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X.
Yea, what is the Liturgic storeOf prayer and praise and sacred lore,
But changing notes as they proceed,
Unfolding all that wondrous Creed;
Now rising to sublimer lays
In the Ambrosian song of praise,
Now calling pity from the skies
In penitential Litanies?—
Or what the characters combin'd
In gifted holiness of mind,
But, in the secret spirit found,
The Creed contracting its vast bound?
As all in one earth, sea, and sky,
Are pictur'd in the gazing eye;
Or some calm-bosom'd wave below
Mirrors the Sun's life-giving brow,
And holds unbroken and entire,
The image of celestial fire;
So may my heart reflective own
That Faith's all-perfect union!
XI.
Shadows with us and phantoms dwell,
Nor can I now the vastness tell,
Wherein abides the Unchangeable.
Nor can I now the vastness tell,
Wherein abides the Unchangeable.
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The things which mightiest seem'd erewhile,
The tree—the lake—the rustic pile—
Thro' memory's glass in childhood seen,
When manhood re-beholds, how mean
Poor and contracted is the scene!
Then what will all things seem below,
When opes the heart our God to know?
Fain would I learn heart-stilling awe,
While to that change I nearer draw;
One who is doom'd to rove the main
Will gaze on that untravell'd plain,
Early and late will thither come,
Forgetful of his rural home,
And view th'expanse that boundless lies,
Form'd of the blending sea and skies.
The tree—the lake—the rustic pile—
Thro' memory's glass in childhood seen,
When manhood re-beholds, how mean
Poor and contracted is the scene!
Then what will all things seem below,
When opes the heart our God to know?
Fain would I learn heart-stilling awe,
While to that change I nearer draw;
One who is doom'd to rove the main
Will gaze on that untravell'd plain,
Early and late will thither come,
Forgetful of his rural home,
And view th'expanse that boundless lies,
Form'd of the blending sea and skies.
So would I gaze, e'er I depart,
On that dread scene, and fill my heart,
Till gazing on reality,
All here shall shadows seem to me.
If freed from clouds of earthly care
The soul becomes a mirror fair,
Where Truth from her empyreal shrines
As in a secret palace shines,
Impregnating the crystal deeps,
Lightening the bed where darkness sleeps.
On that dread scene, and fill my heart,
Till gazing on reality,
All here shall shadows seem to me.
If freed from clouds of earthly care
The soul becomes a mirror fair,
Where Truth from her empyreal shrines
As in a secret palace shines,
Impregnating the crystal deeps,
Lightening the bed where darkness sleeps.
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If music of that calmer sphere,
Find in the heart a mansion clear,
It with each virtue fills the soul,
And moulds to an harmonious whole;
As runs the air the organ round,
And modulates the varied sound,
Each pipe and stop in breathing gold
Answers with voices manifold.
Find in the heart a mansion clear,
It with each virtue fills the soul,
And moulds to an harmonious whole;
As runs the air the organ round,
And modulates the varied sound,
Each pipe and stop in breathing gold
Answers with voices manifold.
Nor marvel that, where'er it range,
Heav'n's breath should work such wondrous change.
At spring goes forth a viewless Power,
On leaf, on wing, on bird, on flower,
From buried winter's winding-sheet
Wakening a sound or colour sweet,
Sky-tinctur'd plants, and feather'd things,
Fluttering upon melodious wings.
'Tis so with meaner sights of earth;—
The light of our Baptismal birth,—
Shall it not turn each cross and care
Into some glorious form as fair,
Tho' eye and ear see nothing there?
Heav'n's breath should work such wondrous change.
At spring goes forth a viewless Power,
On leaf, on wing, on bird, on flower,
From buried winter's winding-sheet
Wakening a sound or colour sweet,
Sky-tinctur'd plants, and feather'd things,
Fluttering upon melodious wings.
'Tis so with meaner sights of earth;—
The light of our Baptismal birth,—
Shall it not turn each cross and care
Into some glorious form as fair,
Tho' eye and ear see nothing there?
I know not much, I cannot tell,
I cannot see th'Invisible;
But much I see for thoughtful praise;
Tho' hedg'd with ill our mortal days,
The darker is the avenue,
More bright beyond Heav'n's portal blue;
And if a cloud should linger there,
'Tis pass'd—Heav'n's gate again is fair.
If pride should lead to wanderings vain,
Remorse will oft restore;—again
Awe-struck beneath that Creed we stand,
Its glories opening on each hand,
As vastness of the Heavens beyond
Bursts forth, struck by Night's ebon wand.
I cannot see th'Invisible;
But much I see for thoughtful praise;
Tho' hedg'd with ill our mortal days,
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More bright beyond Heav'n's portal blue;
And if a cloud should linger there,
'Tis pass'd—Heav'n's gate again is fair.
If pride should lead to wanderings vain,
Remorse will oft restore;—again
Awe-struck beneath that Creed we stand,
Its glories opening on each hand,
As vastness of the Heavens beyond
Bursts forth, struck by Night's ebon wand.
XII.
Lord, who to set Thy pardon's seal
To us Thy Godhead dost reveal,
And on our skies the signal plant
Of the life-giving covenant:
Grant I may so obedience learn,
That I may thus those truths discern!
Grant I may so those truths discern,
That I may thus obedience learn!
Until their mutual benison
Disclose in me th'Eternal Son.
To us Thy Godhead dost reveal,
And on our skies the signal plant
Of the life-giving covenant:
Grant I may so obedience learn,
That I may thus those truths discern!
Grant I may so those truths discern,
That I may thus obedience learn!
Until their mutual benison
Disclose in me th'Eternal Son.
So order me, without Thy shrine,
To walk in holy discipline,
Thy treasures in my soul to hide,
To steer me from the rocks of pride,
The lowliness of place to love,
And holiest truth's by practice prove,
Resign'd, resolv'd, in meekness bold,
Thy steps to watch, Thy hand to hold,
That so Faith's scroll, which I repeat,
May find in me accordance meet.
To walk in holy discipline,
Thy treasures in my soul to hide,
To steer me from the rocks of pride,
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And holiest truth's by practice prove,
Resign'd, resolv'd, in meekness bold,
Thy steps to watch, Thy hand to hold,
That so Faith's scroll, which I repeat,
May find in me accordance meet.
And teach me so, Thy shrine within,
Calm'd by Thy peace from worldly din,
The everlasting Faith to hear,
With fancy warm and spirit clear,
That, going thence, mid worldly strife
I wear a charm in daily life;
That wisdom, like a living well,
Within my heart of hearts may dwell,
Strengthening and freshening, as we go,
The vale of sorrows here below;
Till Truth no more, in Nature's glass,
Shall like a shadow by us pass,
But we shall see her fountain bright,
And dwell with her in seas of light.
Calm'd by Thy peace from worldly din,
The everlasting Faith to hear,
With fancy warm and spirit clear,
That, going thence, mid worldly strife
I wear a charm in daily life;
That wisdom, like a living well,
Within my heart of hearts may dwell,
Strengthening and freshening, as we go,
The vale of sorrows here below;
Till Truth no more, in Nature's glass,
Shall like a shadow by us pass,
But we shall see her fountain bright,
And dwell with her in seas of light.
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