 | Sonnets and Other Poems Chiefly Religious |  |
109
HYMNS.
[_]
[“Working and Waiting,” though a hymn, is printed among the “Poems in the stanza of ‘In Memoriam.’”]
110
THE KINGDOM, THE POWER, AND THE GLORY.
Thine, Father! is the kingdom;
Thine are the day and night;
Thou movest in the moving heavens,
And shinest in the light;
Thine are the day and night;
Thou movest in the moving heavens,
And shinest in the light;
And Thine the voice of wisdom
That speaks within the breast,
And giveth guidance to the strong,
And to the weary rest.
That speaks within the breast,
And giveth guidance to the strong,
And to the weary rest.
And Thine the power, O Father!
The powers we feel and see—
The powers of nature and of mind—
Have all their source in Thee;
The powers we feel and see—
The powers of nature and of mind—
Have all their source in Thee;
Thine are the rain and sunshine,
And Thine the lightning's blaze;
Thine is the power that glows in life,
And Thine the power that slays;
And Thine the lightning's blaze;
Thine is the power that glows in life,
And Thine the power that slays;
And Thine the power, O Saviour!
Which can alone be made
Perfect in weakness;—Thine the strength
Whereon the souls are stayed
Which can alone be made
Perfect in weakness;—Thine the strength
Whereon the souls are stayed
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Of heroes and of martyrs;
The power is Thine to free
From fear and sin, and over death
To give the victory.
The power is Thine to free
From fear and sin, and over death
To give the victory.
But where, O Lord, Thy glory?
Thy kingdom's brightness, where?
In wintry skies and stormy seas,
In hardly answered prayer,
Thy kingdom's brightness, where?
In wintry skies and stormy seas,
In hardly answered prayer,
In stars that burn to ashes,
In life that ends in dust,
Oh, must we seek Thy glory there,
Thou merciful and just?
In life that ends in dust,
Oh, must we seek Thy glory there,
Thou merciful and just?
It is not so. Thy glory,
O Father, must have shined
Where'er Thy power and kingdom are;
It is that we are blind.
O Father, must have shined
Where'er Thy power and kingdom are;
It is that we are blind.
We see but gleams and flashes
From a hidden brightness dart;
Oh, give us eyes to see Thee, Lord,
In glory, as Thou art!
From a hidden brightness dart;
Oh, give us eyes to see Thee, Lord,
In glory, as Thou art!
But are not gleams and flashes
Enough for such as we?
The full unveiling of Thy face
No mortal eye may see;
Enough for such as we?
The full unveiling of Thy face
No mortal eye may see;
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And is it not sufficient
For us, if we behold
Thy brightness where the sunbeams shine,
And where the stars are rolled;
For us, if we behold
Thy brightness where the sunbeams shine,
And where the stars are rolled;
And if we see Thy glory
Reflected in the face
Of those who live in Thee, and die
Victorious in Thy grace?
Reflected in the face
Of those who live in Thee, and die
Victorious in Thy grace?
Were I to hear Thee saying,
Servant of God, well done!
Thy work is proved, thy sins forgiven,
Thy battle fought and won;
Servant of God, well done!
Thy work is proved, thy sins forgiven,
Thy battle fought and won;
The harvest of thy sowing
The time to come shall reap;
Now lay thee down in perfect peace
For everlasting sleep;
The time to come shall reap;
Now lay thee down in perfect peace
For everlasting sleep;
So great would be the blessing,
My lips could ask no more;
No wish nor prayer my thought could frame—
I only could adore.
My lips could ask no more;
No wish nor prayer my thought could frame—
I only could adore.
But more than this we hope for;
And what we long for most
Is not to join the adoring throng
Of all the sainted host,
And what we long for most
Is not to join the adoring throng
Of all the sainted host,
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And not to meet the loved ones
Assembled round Thy throne;—
What most we long for, Lord, is this—
To know as we are known;
Assembled round Thy throne;—
What most we long for, Lord, is this—
To know as we are known;
To gaze upon Thy glory
With face to face, and live;
For this includes all blessings, Lord,
Which even Thou canst give.
With face to face, and live;
For this includes all blessings, Lord,
Which even Thou canst give.
114
DE PROFUNDIS.
O Lord, we wander in the night;
The way is dark and lone and dread;
And yet we know with Thee is light;
Thou seest all the path we tread.
The way is dark and lone and dread;
And yet we know with Thee is light;
Thou seest all the path we tread.
And Thou alone, O Lord, canst see
The tears that must in silence flow.
The darkness hideth not from Thee;
Thou knowest all our secret woe.
The tears that must in silence flow.
The darkness hideth not from Thee;
Thou knowest all our secret woe.
O Thou who in Gethsemane
Hast for our souls the victory won,
Teach us with all the heart to say,
“Let not our will, but Thine, be done.”
Hast for our souls the victory won,
Teach us with all the heart to say,
“Let not our will, but Thine, be done.”
In desolation's darkest hour,
When flesh grows faint and spirit fails,
Teach us to trust Thy conquering power—
Teach us to trust that love prevails.
When flesh grows faint and spirit fails,
Teach us to trust Thy conquering power—
Teach us to trust that love prevails.
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Unseen by even the spirit's eye,
In sorrow's night Thyself reveal;
In deepest darkness, Lord, come nigh,
And make our souls Thy presence feel
In sorrow's night Thyself reveal;
In deepest darkness, Lord, come nigh,
And make our souls Thy presence feel
Till life and death are past; and He
Who ever liveth, though He died,
Shall touch our eyes; and we shall see
His glory, and be satisfied.
Who ever liveth, though He died,
Shall touch our eyes; and we shall see
His glory, and be satisfied.
116
THE POTTER AND THE CLAY.
Why hast Thou made me so,
My Maker? I would know
Wherefore Thou gav'st me such a mournful dower;—
Toil that is oft in vain,
Knowledge that deepens pain,
And longing to be pure, without the power?
My Maker? I would know
Wherefore Thou gav'st me such a mournful dower;—
Toil that is oft in vain,
Knowledge that deepens pain,
And longing to be pure, without the power?
“Shall the thing formed aspire
The purpose to require
Of Him who formed it?” Make not answer thus!
Beyond the Potter's wheel
There lieth an appeal
To Him who breathed the breath of life in us.
The purpose to require
Of Him who formed it?” Make not answer thus!
Beyond the Potter's wheel
There lieth an appeal
To Him who breathed the breath of life in us.
When the same Power that made
My being, has arrayed
Its nature with a dower of sin and woe,
And thoughts that question all;—
Why should the words appal
That ask the Maker why He made me so?
My being, has arrayed
Its nature with a dower of sin and woe,
And thoughts that question all;—
Why should the words appal
That ask the Maker why He made me so?
I know we are but clay,
Thus moulded to display
His wisdom and His power who rolls the years;
Whose wheel is Heaven and earth;—
Its motion, death and birth;—
Is Potter, then, the name that most endears?
Thus moulded to display
His wisdom and His power who rolls the years;
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Its motion, death and birth;—
Is Potter, then, the name that most endears?
To Him we bow as King;
As Lord His praise we sing;
To Him we pray as Father and as God;
Saviour in our distress;
Guide through the wilderness;
And Judge that beareth an avenging rod.
As Lord His praise we sing;
To Him we pray as Father and as God;
Saviour in our distress;
Guide through the wilderness;
And Judge that beareth an avenging rod.
I grudge not, Lord, to be
Of meanest use to Thee;—
Make me a trough for swine if so Thou wilt;—
But if my vessel's clay
Be marred and thrown away
Before it takes its form, is mine the guilt?
Of meanest use to Thee;—
Make me a trough for swine if so Thou wilt;—
But if my vessel's clay
Be marred and thrown away
Before it takes its form, is mine the guilt?
I trust Thee to the end,
Creator, Saviour, Friend,
Whatever name Thou deignest that we call.
Art Thou not good and just?
I wait, and watch, and trust
That Love is still Thy holiest name of all.
Creator, Saviour, Friend,
Whatever name Thou deignest that we call.
Art Thou not good and just?
I wait, and watch, and trust
That Love is still Thy holiest name of all.
I watch and strive all night;
And when the morning's light
Shines on the path I travelled here below;—
When day eternal breaks,
And life immortal wakes,
Then shalt Thou tell me why Thou mad'st me so.
And when the morning's light
Shines on the path I travelled here below;—
When day eternal breaks,
And life immortal wakes,
Then shalt Thou tell me why Thou mad'st me so.
118
FORGIVENESS.
O Thou who dwellest alone in unapproachable light,
Higher than highest heaven, and yet dost bend Thine ear
To hear the cry of those who call to Thee out of the night
Of pain, and sorrow, and sin, of ignorance, doubt, and fear!
Higher than highest heaven, and yet dost bend Thine ear
To hear the cry of those who call to Thee out of the night
Of pain, and sorrow, and sin, of ignorance, doubt, and fear!
The darkness is full of fear, but the light is more awful still;—
The Light in which nothing is dark;—the Eye before whose sight
All thoughts of the heart are open, all secrets of good and of ill;—
O Father, help us to bear the glory of Thy might!
The Light in which nothing is dark;—the Eye before whose sight
All thoughts of the heart are open, all secrets of good and of ill;—
O Father, help us to bear the glory of Thy might!
But if Thou seest our thoughts of sin and of sorrow, we trust
That a Father's heart is Thine, Thy children's woes to feel;
Thou knowest our earthly frame, Thou rememberest that we are dust;
O send Thy Spirit of power and love, to forgive and to heal!
That a Father's heart is Thine, Thy children's woes to feel;
Thou knowest our earthly frame, Thou rememberest that we are dust;
O send Thy Spirit of power and love, to forgive and to heal!
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Save and forgive when the light of our life is overcast,
And the noise of toil and strife overpowers the adoring hymn;
When the future looms like impassable mountains misty and vast,
And all that we trusted fades like an island distant and dim.
And the noise of toil and strife overpowers the adoring hymn;
When the future looms like impassable mountains misty and vast,
And all that we trusted fades like an island distant and dim.
Forgive us all, O Father! and teach us all to forgive;
That all who have done and all who have suffered wrong, may rest
In the rest of Heaven, in the peace wherein our spirits shall live,
In the light of God which is life, eternally blessing and blest.
That all who have done and all who have suffered wrong, may rest
In the rest of Heaven, in the peace wherein our spirits shall live,
In the light of God which is life, eternally blessing and blest.
But is it true, O God, we must loathe ourselves in Heaven
For shame of the sins we wrought on Adam's natal sod?
Did not the Saviour die, that all might be forgiven?
Has not the Christ ascended, that all may ascend to God?
For shame of the sins we wrought on Adam's natal sod?
Did not the Saviour die, that all might be forgiven?
Has not the Christ ascended, that all may ascend to God?
We trust the quenchless fire of the wrath of God that burns
The chaff, when the chaff is consumed, shall cease in eternal calm;
And the breath that awakes the dead from their sleep shall breathe, and the thorns
Of the martyr's crown shall bud, and be changed to the conqueror's palm.
The chaff, when the chaff is consumed, shall cease in eternal calm;
And the breath that awakes the dead from their sleep shall breathe, and the thorns
Of the martyr's crown shall bud, and be changed to the conqueror's palm.
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All that is Thine is ours.
Oh, not to a hopeless Fate,
And not to a changeless Law, does our faith send up its prayer.
Thy name, O God, is Love!—no place can be left for hate;
Thou, God, art the God of Hope!—no room can be found for despair.
And not to a changeless Law, does our faith send up its prayer.
Thy name, O God, is Love!—no place can be left for hate;
Thou, God, art the God of Hope!—no room can be found for despair.
CONFIDENCE.
We scarcely know ourselves, O Father!
We know not where Thy guiding leads;
All that we know is, how to gather
Thy manna from earth's stones and weeds;
We know not where Thy guiding leads;
All that we know is, how to gather
Thy manna from earth's stones and weeds;
But for all blessing Thee we trust,
O Thou who doest all things well!
The gates of Hades Thou hast burst;
Thou wilt abolish death and hell.
O Thou who doest all things well!
The gates of Hades Thou hast burst;
Thou wilt abolish death and hell.
All suffering shall in bliss be hushed,
All idols into dust shall fall;
The Serpent shall in death be crushed,
And God the Father all in all.
All idols into dust shall fall;
The Serpent shall in death be crushed,
And God the Father all in all.
121
THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD.
“Every good gift and every perfect boon is from above,
coming down from the Father of lights, with whom can be no
variation, neither shadow that is cast by turning.”
Epistle of James, i. 17, Revised Version.
O Thou, from whom all blessing flows!
Lamp of the world, whose holy light
No rising and no setting knows,
And maketh every shadow bright!
Lamp of the world, whose holy light
No rising and no setting knows,
And maketh every shadow bright!
Because the Light of Light Thou art,
From whom the darkness cannot hide,
This weak and fearful human heart
Can dare in darkness to abide.
From whom the darkness cannot hide,
This weak and fearful human heart
Can dare in darkness to abide.
No evil can have power on me,
Under Thy shelter safely kept;
And “when I wake I am still with Thee,”
For Thou wast with me while I slept.
Under Thy shelter safely kept;
And “when I wake I am still with Thee,”
For Thou wast with me while I slept.
122
THANKSGIVING.
Thanks be to Thee, O Christ! who left
Thy heavenly throne,
And didst the crimson wine-press tread
Of wrath, alone;
And dare the bitterest pangs of death
To make us all Thine own.
Thy heavenly throne,
And didst the crimson wine-press tread
Of wrath, alone;
And dare the bitterest pangs of death
To make us all Thine own.
Thanks for the martyrs that have trod
Thy path since then;
Proving the Spirit of their Lord
Abides with men;
Suffering with Thee, in hope to reign
With Thee in life again.
Thy path since then;
Proving the Spirit of their Lord
Abides with men;
Suffering with Thee, in hope to reign
With Thee in life again.
Thanks for the fruitless tears that fall
For others' woe;
The hard and tearless grief for sins
Of long ago;
The hopeless faith that cries to God,
“Why hast Thou made me so?’
For others' woe;
The hard and tearless grief for sins
Of long ago;
The hopeless faith that cries to God,
“Why hast Thou made me so?’
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Thanks when a groundless fear or hope
Away is cast;
When, gazing toward its prize, the soul
Forgets the past;
Thanks for the deep unrest of heart
That rests in Thee at last.
Away is cast;
When, gazing toward its prize, the soul
Forgets the past;
Thanks for the deep unrest of heart
That rests in Thee at last.
Thanks when the veil is torn that hid
A truth from view;
Thanks when we find the letter false,
The spirit true;
Thanks for eternal hope revealed,
Though seen at first by few.
A truth from view;
Thanks when we find the letter false,
The spirit true;
Thanks for eternal hope revealed,
Though seen at first by few.
Thanks for the bitter joy that finds
Its idols clay;
Thanks for the quenchless fires that cleanse
The chaff away;
For morning stars of time, that fade
In Heaven's eternal day.
Its idols clay;
Thanks for the quenchless fires that cleanse
The chaff away;
For morning stars of time, that fade
In Heaven's eternal day.
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HOLY COMMUNION.
O Thou from whom no heart is hidden,
Thou to whom every thought is known!
We come, the guests whom Thou hast bidden,
The people Thou hast made Thine own.
Thou to whom every thought is known!
We come, the guests whom Thou hast bidden,
The people Thou hast made Thine own.
Thine own we are, and not in vain
We seek, O Christ, from Thee to win
A painless pity for our pain,
A sinless pity for our sin.
We seek, O Christ, from Thee to win
A painless pity for our pain,
A sinless pity for our sin.
Though sin and weakness be our dower,
We come for healing, Lord, to Thee;
We come to eat Thy bread of power,
And drink Thy wine of purity;—
We come for healing, Lord, to Thee;
We come to eat Thy bread of power,
And drink Thy wine of purity;—
To eat the bread that came from Heaven,
When Christ first drew a human breath;
To drink the wine that Christ has given
In pouring out His soul to death;
When Christ first drew a human breath;
To drink the wine that Christ has given
In pouring out His soul to death;
To live the life that first began
When Christ the vale of sorrow trod;
For Thou, O Son of God, art Man,
And Thou, O Son of man, art God.
When Christ the vale of sorrow trod;
For Thou, O Son of God, art Man,
And Thou, O Son of man, art God.
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