M\Z — — I a^iitl?#i#gfipli '■il t THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES THE C r I a I of Creation; AND OTHER POEMS. BY THE EEV. G. W. BIRKETT, A.M. OXFORD, JOHN HENRY PARKER; AND 377, STRAND, LONDON. MDCCCXLVIII. OXFORD : PRINTED BV I. SIlRIMl'TON. fR TO THE RIGHT REVEFvEND CONNOP, LORD BISHOP OF ST. DAVID'S, 3It)ts Itttlc Uolumc IS, MOST KESPECTPULLY DEDICATED, BY HIS FAITHFUL AND B L I G 10 D SEUVANT, THE AUTHOR. 853731 THE TRIAL OF CREATION. THE WORKS OF THE LORD ARE GREAT, SOUGHT OUT OF ALL THEM THAT HAVE PLEASURE THEREIN. — Ps. CXJ. 2. ARGUMENT. The perfection of the world at the Creation, and the change introduced by sin. Folly of Atheism. The majesty, power, and goodness of God exhibited in the various phenomena of tlie visible world. The panting after a better state of things. Opening of spring. Night scene at the commencement of autumn on the borders of Derwent-water. The only source of true peace. Conclusion. B THE TEIAL OP CREATION. "Why blow thy breezes, Eden ! not as erst Bearing oracular at eventide GtOd's wonted voice witb all His works weU pleased, But wild and gusty, oft witb muttering peals Of tbunder rising sad ? Wby thwart thy skies As if contaminate with Stygian fire, Grlare lurid Hghtniugs thro' the midnight gloom ? O blest abode of Joy and Innocence ! Alas ! fair garden, how thy groves are waste, Their amaranthine bloom and verdure gone, — Gone and deapoded for ever. — Weep and waU, Inheritor of seats so glorious once. From thy first state how faU'n ! thy forfeit life b2 4 THE TEIAL Is propagated death : thyself art dust Or florid clay : as autunin leaves turn sear. Thy hair grows hoar\', and thy proper garb Is a pale shroud ; thy couch the sepulchre : — And thy last friend the cold and sUmy worm. Ay — tremble at the serpent's vengeful fangs, His coils of teiTor, and his eye of flame, And view those fields of aconite ashamed, — Ah ! who shaU ease thy torment ? who for thee A cup \\'ith balm and healing draughts shall mix ? Gro — feed on ashes, food befitting sin ; Then slake their stifle with redundant tears, And drink of scalding brine ; no more thy hand Eich banquets from the tree of life may cull ; Eden's dark streams run poison, and the bowers Where Eve reposed her beauty, feet profane Now trample down unlieeded and unknown. Frequent the spirits that chaunt their endless praise Before the face of Him who sits enthroned In unimaginable bliss most high, OF CREATIOX. Have left the regions of supernal day, And on our earth descending shed abroad Effulgent glories. Man from angel's lip Dropping sublimest wisdom drank the lore Wliich God to hoHest seraphim expovmds, As from His radiant A-isage, beams of love Wide heaven iUume. Milton ! thine, great bard ! The lofty, sacred, melancholy strain. How " Man's first disobedience" and the taste Of fruit forbidden brought in mortal woe, Drave our grand parents from their blissful seat, The curse entailed, upon their seed, of Death, And made this world the sterile home of sin. View from her heights the drear expanse of earth. The abode accursed of rebellious man. See we no verdant plains, no vine-clad hills, No sapphire founts, or fertUizing streams ? But adamantine deserts to the verge Of the horizon stretched, adust and bare, THE TRIAL In mass chaotic, with no trace distinct Of Gob's creative energy imprest? Proclaim ye valleys ! and from pole to pole EesoundiBg Ocean ! from thy caves proclaim, Who reared this mighty fabric, and laid deep Its vast and firm foundations, when the song Burst from the morning stars, and shouts of joy From aU the sous of GrOD, serapliic hymns, Up to the empyreal throne symphonious swelled. Grlorious amid thy wreck and jubilant Through each prolific zone, O earth rejoice ! Leap, leap, ye hiUs, as rams or sportive kids, And ye, heavens, dissolving in your mirth ; Tell the salt billows who first made you glad. Thou sun arrested at the gates of morn To view the lewd idolaters, who paid To thee false worship, faU beneath the weight Of hailstones showered upon their headlong flight From Gribeon to Beth-horon ; and thou moon That pausing in the Vale of Ajalon OF CREATION. Didst \vitiiess their discomfitTire ; speed ou ; Shew what ye saw on that portentous day : — Spread the strange tidings as ye pass the isles, Ambassadors, not gods ; and tell their tribes, " Wlio bade you rim, the same can stop yoiir course. Or rather in the womb of torrid night Engendered, Avill you sound your awful trump Avenging hurricanes, and say who strung Now rides your pinions ? Lo ! the sullen -s^inds, Like some uneasy plaint at distance heard, Woimding suspicious stillness, sob and die. Sultry the air, and languid, but anon. As a vexed viper's hiss or eagle's scream, If chance some peasant with adventurous foot Hath scaled her fastnesses, and from her nest Hath ta'en the caUow unresisting young. Then borne them homeward — no inglorious prize — So loud and dread, afresh those angry sobs. Creation's groans, the hastening strife denounce. Heanly the clouds onward their massive load, 8 THE TRIAL Orb upon orb, impel : quick plays tbe forked, The living lightning round the ebon rim Of night's dark coronet enwreathed with flame. And midst the quivering fires, where'er the storm Careering sheets the gloom, and kindles up A blue siilphureous blaze, gigantic shapes Dimly revealed stand forth. The troubled eye Astounded views the hoary Alp arise. Or rifted Caucasus, whereon they feign In chains Prometheus fed Jove's tyrant wTath, Unconquered still : or thunder- stricken towers, Eemnants of ages gone, when Nimrod ruled. And Pharaoh reared swart Mizraim's lofty piles. The everlasting movuitains reel beneath The earthquake's rending stroke, and rudely strained Their sunken roots lay bare : and forest depths Since the primeval dawn by man untracked. Swayed by the blast, their kindling branches wave. Branch against branch by constant friction urged To dire combustion : as a flood outpoured^ OF CREATION. (The exultant winds commingling with the roar) — Impetuous raves the widening wake of fire. Then as the fury falls upon the deep, The uplifted waves to maddest phrenzy chafed Strike on the foundering ship. "With sudden plunge, And shriU brief shriek of drowning mariners, Only by GrOD and their good angels heard, Plumb down it sinks. The deaf and pitiless sea. Hoarse and tumultuous roUs its terrors on. Almighty God ! whose slightest touch can heal The earthquake's rent, or make the mountains smoke, Thou di-ead Omnipotent ! whose breath can raise The crested tempest, or as quickly smooth Huge billows into blue tranquillity, Who metest ocean in Thy hoUow hand. Or bidd'st the proud aggressive tides restrain The encroaching surges lest they pass their boiuids — To Thee they clap their hands, or raise their voice Of elemental worship : Thee they laud. Or when the storm prevails, or when the gale 10 THE TRIAL In low serenest murmurs tells of peace. Oh why is man so impoteutly bold ? Poor worm, piirblind, what art thou ? Fool that dar'st The order of the universe arraigu ! Sayest thou that chance was architect supreme ? Did chance unfold the curtain of the skies, And let the lightnings loose ? Seem they to thee As glow-worm lamps ? Thy curious frame did chance Sapient contrive ? with nourishment supply Thy supple joints ? thy breath infuse ? thy speech Articulate ? and fashion out thy soul So big mth impious argument profound ? All sceptic ! wherefore doubt ? why thus foredoom Thine own perdition, till thy doubts be solved Bv the dread blast at which the dead shall wake, And crash of rending tombs, and that glad song The last and loudest to be heard on earth, — Ee-echoed by the flaming heavens, and sung By countless myriads of redeemed saints Rising to meet their Saviour in the air ? or CREATION. 11 ]>^ay — quit thy strong delusion, and unsay Thy creed of lies — awake, O dreamer, rise To light and life — lethargic or insane By turns thou sleepest on the crumbling brink Of hell's precipitous abyss ; by turns A sportive maniac in destruction's arms Thy fingers trifle vnth the sting of death. Oh ! it is fearful in the noon of night Midst bogs and quagmire pits to grope the way Where zigzag meteors flicker and mislead ; Be wise betimes, nor trust their treacherous spark ; Soon from the ruby portals of the east Shall issue forth the bright and cheering sun Which gilds revolving worlds, and shews the hand That traced their orbits and controlled their times, That built the immeasurable vaidt on high, And gemmed the firmament with globes of fire. Hast thou no eye those burning spheres to see ? No ear to hear their diapason close ? No lips attuned to join %vith theirs thy praise ? 12 THE TRIAL As blendJBg cataracts, methinks the noise, "VVlien fruitful valleys and resounding seas, And blazing sims and rolling worlds declare, " God, though v^e were not, called us and we came." Eejoice, earth, at each returning dawn. And raise, as on thy natal day, the h>Tnn Of high thanksgiving : cursed though thou be, By God's frown darkened, by His vengeance scathed, E'en in thy ruins thou art glorious still. Full oft, upon a cool and placid eve. The eye is fain contemplative to gaze. Where in resplendent floods of light embathed, The expanded disc of the great lord of day, Sinks on the breast of the vast tranquil ocean. As when a giant with long labour spent Falls into sleep profoixnd ; his mighty heart Pours yet the stream of imremitting life. Smooth tho' imceasing, so the slumbering deep. Along the bare and soKtary shore. OF CREATION. 13 Wavelet protruding wavelet, equably Rolls in its glistering tide ; vrhen if perchance Some skiff belated pHes the balanced oar, Phosphoric flashes track its liquid path, Sparkling at every stroke : in harmless gyres Around the keel the lambent radiance wheels. How beautiful the night-fall ! and how sweet That voice of rippling waters, murmuring on With still returning murmur ! sure it speaks Responsive to some song inaudible By guilt, some concords holier than of earth. Yet not of earth unmindfid, nor her plagues, From airy spirits habiting those clouds. Which yet lie burnished in the molten west. Therefore afar in that transparent clime (For Hope is brighter than the skies she views) Have bards and sages fixed Elysian bowers In isles of pure and unalloyed delight. Regions of bliss, a secondary heaven. Their panting souls woidd travel -with the sun, 14 THE TRIAL In liis perpetual and unwearied race, To find one islet in tlie stormy main, One lone oasis on the desert sand Grreen with the dews of righteousness. Descend Ye dews ! drop fatness, for the land is lean, And when dense thornbrakes, and unwholesome weeds Or woimd the feet, or taint the vital air, Let roses blossom, and the manthng \'ine On every slope its clustered fruitage hang. Lord of creation ! and its spoiler too. Thou shivered image of divinity ! Tliy crimes unhinge the crazy world still more, Thy sins with strength the wastmg curse supply — For were again an Eden to be dressed, Eenovate in bloom, and loveliness, and grace, A gift from Heaven appeased ; thy rage would foul. Ere the tenth dawn, its pearly streams with gore. O tliat my head were waters, and mine eyes Two fountains ever full, that night and day My tears might mingle with the crimson waves OF CREATION. 15 That swell tlie tide of time. The pregnant clouds Of battle meet and burst : man slaughters man, And the ten thousand voices of grim war Urge ruin swift of foot, with hatchet armed And desolating besom, to and fro. Peace is an empty name ; a breathing time For Death to plot new havoc ; — a dread pause, — A brief, insidious respite, tdl his hand Shall whet the blunt, insatiate sword afresh — - Nor stem ambition bellowing thro' the throat Of the strained trumpet, nor the miser's god. Bent and decrepid \\'ith his load of pelf, Shall ere allure me from the paradise Where mountain breezes play, and mountain streams Warble their wild and joyous melody. Thrice blest is he who, trained in Wisdom's school To lift the inward eye from off the dvill Material forms of sublunarj^ things. Sees God around, beneath him, and above. 16 THE TKIAL At hand, afar off, He alone sustains, And rules, and fills the universal orb, Tet guides the fluttering sparrow in its flight, And aids the struggling worm. Eve's twilight dusk, The ruddy mom, the circling months, O GtOd, Are but the varied phases of Thy power. And they who seek their pleasure in Thy paths, Know "well its marvels. Early in the year O tread with me those paths, and woo the sweets Of infant spring, soon as, thro' genial wannth, Are snapped the brittle chains that bound the glebe. And dormant fields revive, while down the hills With prickly whin-bush dight, for nibbling sheep A dainty fare, and russet fern embrowned. The snow-wreaths trickle ; and the dulcet breath Of wakening zephyr sweeps o'er Flora's couch. She at his bidding rises, and with touch Half shrinking, lest the frown of winter chide. Opes cautiously her treasures. Snowdrop first (Not by too gaudy contrast to offend) OF CREATION. 17 Steps her white harbinger, and crocus soon Its saffron cup uncovers to the rays Of vivifying light ; then daffodil Flaunts in the gales of March ; nor long delay Forbids the blue-eyed violet to scent The dawn's fair tresses, nor the rath primrose. Each mossy glade, or sheltered copse to deck. Changes Hke these with curious look we scan. As life from death, and beauty from decay Emerging we behold, and eager Hope Leans on her anchor, and forthvdth conceives Unutterable thoughts, chameleon-hued. When lo, a sign ! In April's parting shower And moLdded of the bursting cloud itself, Unearthly hands a painted archway rear From side to side of the deep vale below. Straight by the Hours is led triumphant thro' Empurpled Flora. Winter surhly Draws off his storms, and bending his hoar head Beneath the cope of night, weeps frozen tears, c 18 THE TRIAL And like the mandrake vents expiring moans, Till morn awakened by a blither song Steeps her soft eye-lids in the dews of May. Then fragrant Zephyr waves the di-ipping boughs Of trees apparelled all in virgin green, And when the glittering pearl-drops fall perfumed With Zephyr's breath, far from the orient skies All glowing with the swift sun's fervid wheels, Some lengthened beams, in radiant glory sped, Mellow those drops to gold. Tell me, ye birds ! "Wlio with your carol make the day-spring glad, Linnet or thrush, or lover of the sun. Sky-lark hence named, that, poised in middle air, Outpourest shrill thy early orisons ; And ye who congregate in bush or brake, Completing with sweet undersong the charm. And lullaby of eve ; and you I ask. Ye lambs, brisk playmates of the mountain brow, Te cattle tenants of the lowly dale. Ye honey-bearing bees, with busy hum, OF CREATION. 19 And ye, vain insects of an hour, wlio fan The scented air through every swarming grove. Beats there one heart in vvhich the lamp of joy Hath not diflused its renovating light ? All times have order, and aU seasons grace : The fresh and juicy spring, its bursting buds, Its honeyed fragrance, and delicious airs, Grive way to summer parching the hot soutli, But clad in mantle green and cooled by showers. To us thrice welcome. Cheerly then the sun Visits Norwegian fiords, and wakes the Lapp, And midst relaxing fogs and thawing fields Of Hj'perborean ice, his chariot drives Exultant. Prom before his burning eye Darkness and storms to the utmost clime scud off. As round he wheels and round the hither pole, Nor deigns to dip his axle in the wave. So day is joined to day : the furthest north Basks in continuous light : the livelong dance, c2 20 THE TRIAI, The jocimd wake are there : the happy swains With pipe and feast and rustic merriment Bid frozen care and sluggish gloom farewell. Tet onward rolls the year : the march of time Is ever foreward and his footsteps swift. Now summer wanes towards autumn, still and mild, His leaf scarce tinged with yellow. Who is he That slowly wanders by the pebbly beach Of Derwent's lake, oft pausing as in thought ? Nor bards alone in high prophetic trance, Nor sages musing on Atlantic isles. Have in such mood their shadowy phantoms nursed, Hope's gladsome dreams. There is to all an hour, Eut chief when youth is yet untaught by pain, Wlien buoyant fancy sketches out strange forms, The scenes remote of visionary bliss. Then, heart-sick of the whirl and glare of day, The paler beauties of the brow of eve. Or night's unsullied robe intensely blue, With stars besprent as a fair mead with flowers, OF CREATION. 21 Tempt fortli the wayward footsteps to enjoy, Apart, the deep tranquillity and calm. Serener night ne'er hushed the world to rest Than now sits brooding where the expanded lake. Through many a sinuous curve retreating, lies Cool and translucent in its rocky scoop. "With smiles unnumbered sparkling to the moon The crisped waters play ; full-orbed she pours From her exhaustless urn unceasingly Harmonious light, pvu-e effluence of herself, O'er all the landscape. Broad and solemn groves And mazy ri\adets that thread their way Down heathery slopes or thro' the deep-earthed plain Drink her white beams : the mountain sides are white : The hollow valleys dark with mist condensed ; And as a silver tissue lightly spread Thin exhalations wreath around the isles, Those wood-crowned islands dotting the bright wave Beneath the brow of yonder rugged heights. First Skiddaw to the eastward trending off 22 THE TRIAL Towards grey Blencathra's crescent, huge uprears His bulk pre-eminent : Helvellyn next Deep fissured greets the skies : his azure head No vapour dims — the while recumbent clouds That on his ample breast reposing lie, Unfold their volume, and obscure at times, — More beauteous from brief interval of shade, — The lustrous moon. High o'er the rocks she moves, That close the south, tho' oft a hideous gap, Shews where the all-creating Hand hath left Eude fragments such as Chaos dwelt among Ere yet the world was formed. With jagged crest Stern Glaramara frowns abrupt : his robe Is scanty moss storm-fed : at his torn feet, Through strait defiles where loose and shattered crags Oft block its course, there glows a purer stream Than ere meandered thro' the plains of Greece, Or in Sicilian woodlands slaked the thirst Of hunter wearied with protracted chace ; — Though at the music of the Doric reed OF CREATIOX. 23 Anapus wondering paused ; and when the Nine Struck loud the Athenian lyre, Cephisus bade His nightingales accord, and winding slow Through marble banks with stately temples crowned In limpid freshness bright Ilissus flowed. Of Alpine shapes a long continuous range Westward recedes, vast and confused, \\ ith crag On crag up-piled, and peak surmounting peak. O mortal, are thine eye-balls close pent up "With sleep's oblivious signet on their lids ? Or keeps thy soid late vigil, vdth the breath Of praise as incense, and sweet sacrifice Of adoration spread before His throne Wlio spake, who bowed the infinite concave, And worlds as dust in nicest balance weighs ? Potent the charm of solitude and night ! Here Time himself his wings might seem to fold And rest entranced, did not the practised ken Mark how the stars slow-paced and stealthily In clustering troops draw near those steeps and pass. 24 THE TKIAL Still silence reigns around ; save when the low And distant mui'umr of the gushing riU With varied cadence greets the attentive ear, And lulls the ravished sense ; save when the breeze, Fraught with perfumes from buds of thousand lilies That deck the bays and haunted islets round. On dewy wing gHdes whispering thro' this scene (^f fairest nature. Beauty gently wild In horror's open lap reclining heaves Her swelling breast with odoriferous sighs, Bids mirth be cakn, and wounded grief surcease From harsh lament, and sigh soft sighs with her. 'Twas in like meads Arcadian damsels dreamed ( )f Syrinx and the hot pursuit of Pan, And listened as the viewless feet passed by. And hence — the tale is old — on Ladon's banks, Along his torrent bed with asphodel And golden broom and oleander fringed, What time the night-breeze stirs his pliant reeds, Eise meek complainings as jfrom one that mourns, OF CEEATION. 25 Forgiving yet the wrong. Their oaten pipe Awhile the shepherds drop : awe-stnick and mute They to the soul-subduing sounds give ear. Thy tuneful lisp, young streamlet of the rock ! Dripping the shelvy precipice adown, Thy modulations smoother than the strains That fall from Hps enamoured on the gale, How softly answered by the waving pine That bends o'ershadowdng thy gelid fount ! Eoll on chaste stream ! a goodlier shade than his, Who spake so sweetly as he waved his head, Awaits thee on the brink of yon blue lake Thy quiet home awhile, vmtil, once more, Turmoiling to the rough inclement sea. Thou hastest on : here rest a little space, Beneath the bank whereon those wallows weep. And in thy lymph their pendent tresses lave. So loosely hung sad Mary's golden hair, And (tho' no eye was near) with comely veil Concealed the farewell kiss the warrior gave 26 THE TRIAL When pibrocli roused him from the nuptial couch. See what luxuriant foliage spreads around, With opening glades between, autumnal pomp. The aged oak with stiff contorted boughs, And ivy roimd his knotty trunk entwined, The overarching sycamore, broad-leaved, And lime that sweeps the ground, and straight-limbed ash, The beech umbrageous, and the spiiy fir. Tall elm and drooping birch, like cork-tree bent And whitened in the blast, and underneath, Of holly evergreen the glossy fence. The hazel's slender rod, and flinging far Its scent abroad, the luscious eglantine. O'er turfy knolls and jutting cliffs they moimt And guard with sylvan skreen the sheltered bay. There in a natural mirror heaven's concave, And all below of ridgy steep or dale, A hollow orb complete ; one half reflex And smoothed to mildest beauty. Stars with light OF CREATION. 27 Attempered shine ; the thin and fleecy clouds From peak to peak with gentlest motion sail, And pictured groves, with all their tapering twigs And shaded canopies, inverted bound, Enamelled lawns beneath the crystal flood. Tree answers unto tree, and leaf to leaf; 'Tis but an image, yet how passing fair : Awhile, oh stay ! too soon some rufiling breath In mountain clefts now slumbering shall awake. And from thy gaze the soft illusion sweep. In such a night as this, in such a place, (Where the sad aspen quakes, and oak uplifts His fearless arm to shield the chaste retreat Which naiad of a gurgling fount, with moss Of varying dies encircled, loves to shade With the light spray she dashes from the rock. Forming a small faint rainbow with a gleam Of moonshine wandering 'mong the osiers dank,) Would Gothic legend teU that fays resort A festival to hold. The tiny throng. 28 THE TRIAL Met on the grassy margin of a brook, Join in an elfin dance ; tlien quick disperse Eacli ere the dawn to end his separate task — To guide the dew-drop to some fainting flower, To brush the mildew from the golden ear. Or bee, ^\^th laden thigh by evening chill Benumbed, perchance, at distance from its home. Nimbly to bear to its well-peopled hive Near shepherd's cot in diy and sunny nook Of his hereditary orchard set, To be his davighter's care, as his the flock, A party haste ; while others up the hill. Or in the tangles of a leafy bower The mimic strains of fairy music wake. Loose as the foam upon the wave disporting, As echo playful, and as zephyr bland, The sounds mellifluous float upon the air. And, ever changeful, as they list, they mock The chime of holy bells, heard from afar O'er moor and mountain when the hamlet rests OF CKEATION. 29 Fi'om weeldy labour ; nor with art less nice The ditty which the lone wayfarer sings, Easing his toilsome steps ,' or hymn more blest Of hsping infancy. Their symphonies Anon they mingle, and the concords swell With undulations as when fitful gusts Sweep o'er the strings of an ^oliau harp. Enchant the coast and animate the isles, Or with the distant wailing of Lodore, Or with the sigh from maiden breast escaped. In mournful plaints now slowly melt away And leave the vale as silent as before. Is Man thus tranquil ? can these barrier hiUs Engirdle vrith their rocky belt the soul ? Is that sea calm ? and can the night with spells Say to the upbraiding conscience " Peace, be still " ? Ah ! whence is peace ? I pressed the flowery lawn, In woods I roamed, and by the tinkling rill, The margin of the dimpled lake I trod, 30 THE TEIAIi Inhaled the aromatic gales and heard The choir of birds bid welcome to the spring, Then stirred the placid sea at eve to play- Its melancholy music on the beach- In vain ! o'er all his shadow Death had cast, And the slow smile reluctantly that gleamed O'er nature's countenance revealed how dimmed Her joys ! when in the wilderness I spied A fountain by a grove of feathery pahns Of cool refreshing waters ; they who drank "Went on their way renewed, such inward strength The virtues of that healing well-spring gave. My quest here ended, for I heard a voice That whispered, " Peace, di'int thou and be renewed. And all that thirst, ho ! drink, and thirst no more." So straight we drauk, nor strength alone imbibed But peace surpassing thought. The peace of GrOD Needs not the shelter of ambrosial groves, It is not bought at mart by griping men. It blesseth not the board of pampered wealth ; OF CREATIOJT, 31 But oft in peasant's lowliest cot, yea oft In dungeon cell is found. There Peace abides, Peace through the atonement of a Saviour's blood, And Faith intelligent of things unseen, And Hope aspiring on that sordid bed. Where Sickness and Infirmity have chained The vmwearied pilgrim. Lo ! within those walls Of shattered loathsome and dissolving clay, There is a shrine whose habitant is God The Holt Ghost the Comfoeteb, That eye Waxed ghastly dim, a stream of light receives, Invisible, essential, uncreate. Pure emanation from the throne of light. Brighter than Indian sunbeams, yet more mild Than ray of evening star. His tree of life Grows rooted in his grave : beneath its boughs Dying he lives and plucks immortal fruit ; And as in last and parting strife with death His sharpened features he lifts up to heaven. Joyous his soul her rest anticipates, 32 THE TRIAL OF CREATION. Where sun shall scorch, and moon shall smite no more, But God shall be his temple and his sun, With beams effiised of everlasting love. ON ANGELIC AGENCY, ETC., ETC. P ON ANGELIC AGENCY. 1. "Who that hath seen the first pale star arise, Eve's sacrifice Of first-fruits from a thick-sown hemisphere ; Nor, sti'aight witli fear And joy commingling, hath sent forth the breath Of prayer, ere Nature's temporary death ? - 2. Man sleeps beneath a spangled canopy Of tented sky. In calm oblivious trance ; while to and fro Pass friend and foe, Good angels or accm-sed on the wing. To mortal man, or boon or bale to bring. D 2 36 ON ANGELIC AGENCY. 3. And, if in winter's dark tempestuous night, No gleam of light Can pierce the impervious swathing of a star, And yet afar The sun lies buried deep in ocean bed, They wheel their files around th' unconscious head. 4. Swifter than lightning, and than air more free. Their motions be ; Wor night nor day, in ceaseless interchange, Impedes their range : Invisible in sooth to mortal eye, Tet ever watchful and for ever nigh. 5. Te Morning Stars, ye sons of God, your shout Sounded throughout Heaven's concave, when the corner-stone was laid Of earth new-made, And from the womb out-biirsting, GrOD around The raging seas His folds of darkness bound. ON ANGELIC AGENCY. 37 6. Mount Sinai saw, and seeing, trembled sore, And more and more Did quake exceedingly, when, wrapped in flame, God's armies came ; Tea, Horeb trembled, for he heard and saw, Amid those marshalled hosts, GrOD speak the law. 7. Next sang they of Gtod's glory, and His peace, No more to cease From earth to favour and good-will restored, Sithence the Lord Descending, veiled beneath the form of man Tlie glory which He had ere time began. 8. To shreds their fray the Universe would rend. And this world end ; But God restrains the fiend's vindictive rage Lest they engage ; And clothes with flame the ministers of grace. To guard the chosen flock that seek His face ; 38 ON ANGELIC AGENCY. 9. AVho still shall guard, imtil the crash of doom Shall burst the tomb, Aud the Ai'diaiigel's trumpet terribly Shall rend the sky. And Death's infernal shadow flee away, Before the splendours of eternal day. 10. Eemember Dothan and the prophet's prayer, And banish care. And slavish dread, and trust in strength Divine. And be it thine. When dangers press, with purged eye to see Protecting hosts in fiery panoply. FOE ASH WEDNESDAY. 1. Give me, O give me, Lord ! to know Tliee and myself. In weal or woe Sucli Imowledge shall suffice. Ali me ! From Sin and Eolly keep me free ! I deemed Thee once, consuming fire, Essential wrath, eternal ire : — When lo ! a breath, I knew not whence It came, nor wafted whither hence. Yet did that breath assurance leave, Soft as the sigh of parting eve, Soft as the fluttering of a dove, That Thou wert everlasting love. 40 FOR ASH "\VEDNESDA.y. 2. Still in myself I oft did scan The lineaments of fallen Man ; And knowing Thee of purer eye Than to behold iniquity ; — ■ By turns despair, by turns 'twas pride That drew me from Thy paths aside ; But now my soul in sackcloth clad, And, (for I know that Thou art just,) My spirit humbled in the dust, I wait till Thou shalt make me glad , I wait Thine all-commanding voice Bid wasted health return, and broken bones rejoice. MISSPENT TIME. FOR THE END OF THE TEAR. 1. I GRIEVE o'er moments past recal, Irrevocably sped ; As sunbeams dancing on the wall, They glitter and are dead. 2. 'Tis not their pomp or glee I seek ; I bear a sorer pain, In purpose strong, through passion weak, My hours have nm in vain ; 3. Or worse than vain ; — to GrOD denied, "Who every blessing sent — "With enyj filled, or rebel pride, Or gloomy discontent. 42 MISSPENT TIME. 4. A thousand rivers join the deep, The clouds the sea supplies, Those clovids ashore rough tempests sweep. They burst and springs arise. 5. And thus the fertilizing loan, Shall Sea to Land restore ; But who returning Time hath known ? Ah ! gone for evermore. G. And coming Time, on ceaseless wing, We therefore "futixre" name, For though successive days He bring. He cannot bring the same. 7. In darkness swathed, th' approaching year Hides terribly his face ; But Hope is mine, and chast'ning Fear, And, Lord ! Thy chast'ning grace. H Y M N. 1. Ah ! why forsake me ! shall I taste Thy bounty and Thy love no more ? Horn of Salvation ! haste, oh ! haste, My GrOD ! Sole Eefuge in the sore And heavy conflict A\dth my foes ; On Thee I rest, And on Thy breast Trembling and anxious supplicate repose. 2. Thy Light effuse, send out Thy Truth ; For Thou art Light and Truth and Love : Whilst I aspiring from my youth Have sought the blessed dawn above, And from thick darkness to the day Struggling in vain With toil and pain, My strength hath failed me in the upward way. 44 HYMN. 3. My staiF uplield me, and I deemed My strength sufficient ; — but I found My strength was weakness, and what seemed So straight and firm was all unsound ; It snapped and pierced like a reed : My God to Thee Alone I flee, Lead me to refuge, O most Mighty ! lead. 4. And when upon Thy holy hill My footsteps rest, my zealous hand Thy harp shall touch, and chaiinting stiU Eternal praises, I shall stand. Erect, imdaunted, and elate. Thy ransom' d Son, Erom Satan won, And by Thyself array 'd in regal state. THE SOUL'S RELEASE. A HYMN. 1. How cheerful dawns the op'ning ray Of jocvmd health's returning day ! If sick upon thy hed reclined, Thou e'er through tedious months hast pined. 2. Now morning breezes fresher blow And brighter is the noontide's glow ; The skies assume a deeper blue, And ilow'rets bud of lovelier hue. 3. In every sound a soothing voice Is whisp'ring in thy ear, "Eejoice," For every sound and every sight Is heard and view'd with fresh delight. 46 THE soul's release. 4. Yet happier far to yield the breath, And close the eyes in shades of death, To sink at once to placid rest, Nor wake again but with the blest. 5. Then murmur not to quit the ties Of dearest himiau sympathies ; Though dark and loathsome be the tomb, Hope's kindling ray dispels the gloom. 6. Grrave ! art vanquished ? lo ! I see The saint's imprison' d soul set free ; Unwearied borne on wings of love, It heaven-ward seeks its home above. 7. Nor Grief nor Fever e'er again Shall spread the thorny couch of pain ; The things of earth are left below, Its empty mirth, its transient woe. THE soul's release. 47 8. With hymns of gratulation sweet, Shall radiant troops their brother greet ; Nor long delay the heavenly choir, To wake to joy the willing lyre. 9. And Jesus, from His fiery throne Shall stoop His ransom' d sheep to own ; And bid the glory-robe prepare For God's adopted Child and Heir. 10. With trembling heart and suppliant knee, O Lord ! this boon we crave from Thee : Be this the last best gift of grace, To live and see Thee face to face. THE HERMITS INVITATION TO THE TRAVELLER. AN ALLEGORY. Welcome, Traveller, from afar, Twilight glimmers in the west, Rising dim the evening star, Warns thee of the hoiu' of rest. Trust not now thy weary sight ; Swiftly flies the parting day ; And the spangled veil of night Soon shall hide the moimtain way. And I'll halve my meal with thee ; — Curded milk and berries sweet ; Honey of the thrifty bee, Choice repast for stranger meet. THE hermit's invitation. 49 Then we'll talk of Life and Death, Life we know is on the wing ; Death is Sleep without his breath ; Sleep is Death without his sting. Life to Death is hurrying fast, Death meets Life beyond the grave ; Death then dies, and yields at last Crown and sceptre, dart and glave. Lift then ere thou sleep' st to-night, Holy hands and heart in prayer, And when morning brings the light, On thy Father cast thy care. He shall guide thee on the way That thy Savioiu* trod afore, He shall be thy staff and stay, Till thy footsteps toil no more. 50 THE HEUJIIT's INVITATION. "Welcome stranger to the dell Where my peaceful hoiu*s are spent, Tor within this time-worn cell Hope I join to blest Content. CHRISTIAN PRECEPTS AND PROVERBS. 1. GiTE God the praise : good works ascribe to grace: In prayer be constant — constant in the race. 2. "Wouldst thou love Christ? The widow's cause defend: Assist the orphan ; be the poor man's friend. 3. In sunshine labour, and in darkness trust, No trap shall snare the footsteps of the just. 4. Gird on thine annour : smite thy favourite Sin ; Nor think to finish where thou shoiddst begin. 5. Nor deem thy days thine own — but His who gave His life for thine ; for thee who filled the grave. 6. If strength be wanting, at the Lord's command Stretch forthwith strength renewed the withered h.ind. E 2 52 CHRISTIAN PRECEPTS 7. Keep well thy promise ; but be slow to make ; The first for truth's, the last for prudence' sake. 8. Sin's wage is death ; through dying love to thee, The gift of God, eternal life is free. 9. As spendthrifts lose some little day by day ; So fritter not thy store of faith away. 10. "Water is naught : but God's enlivening breath, "With water working, quells the sting of Death. 11. Glad tidings from afar, as waters roll Their limpid freshness o'er the thirsty soul. 12. If Sickness press, the Lord shall make thy bed, And on Hope's pillow rest thy aching head. 13. God loves not sin but sinners, — therefore He, The sin abolished, sets the sinner free. AND PROVERBS. 53 14. Sin draws a veil, througli which we see not God, But GrOD sees us and lifts th' avenging rod. 15. One side the grave is gloomy, one is bright, Death's shadowy valley this, — that heavenly light. 16. 'Tis Satan's snare, his customary lie, " The sin is small, thou shalt not surely die." 17. Far hence old Time shall chase the envious Night, And Truth his fairest daughter clothe with light. 18. The Church is free to all ; the rich and poor, God's offspring both, pass through its open door. 19. A fool is crafty, quibbles, tricks, and lies. He may be cunning but he can't be wise. 20. "Who are the blessed ? They and only they Who trust God's word,andownHisrighteoussway. PAEAPHEASE OF TE DEUM. We praise, O God, Tliy Name ! Jehovah Thou ! Father Omnipotent ; Earth telleth forth, Tea, telleth to the Heavens Thy everlasting glory. To Thee all Angels cry aloud : to Thee Heaven and the blazing Hierarchs therein, Princedoms, Dominions, Powers, The ceaseless anthem raise. The shouts of Seraphim proclaim Thee Lord : Lord God of Sabaoth, alone thrice blessed : The glad acclaim prolong Eesponsive Cherubim. PARAPHRASE OF TE DEUM. 55 Lord GrOD of Sabaoth, alone thrice blessed : Thrice Holt, Holy, Holt, Sell-Subsistent ! Eternal, Sole, Supreme! Omnipotent, Immense ! Thy uncreated Majesty fulfils The Heavens with glory, and with glory Earth, Yet Heavens cannot contain Nor Earth, Infinitude. The glorious Apostolic Band praise Thee : The goodly Eellowship of Prophets praise : Nobly the martyred Hosts Their Hymns of praise conjoin. Throughout the World the Holy Church accords Acknowledgment to Thee : — Thee and Thy Son, Thee Infinite, O Father ! Thy Son, the only Lord : 56 PARAPHRASE OF TE DEUM. Thy Sole-Begotten, iu Thine Honour clad, Immutably, O God, the same with Thee, And with the Holy Ghost The Comforter, Triune. Thou art the King of glory : Thou, Christ, Li vest the Father's everlasting Son : Yet Thou to rescue Man Didst veil Thy form divine. Alone as Man deliveredst man, conceiv'd By God Most Hian, a Child iu Virgin's womb. Nor didst that womb abhor. Nor loathe our flesh to wear. And when in sharp and agonizing fight Thou Death, the last of foes, hadst overcome. Thou didst unbar the gates Of everlasting life. PAEAPHRARE OF TE DEUM. 57 Partaker of tlie Father's glory, Thou ! Thy stedfast throne hast fix'd at God's right hand, P From whence to be our Judge Thine Advent we await. Therefore we pray Thee, help Thy servants. Lord ! Thy precious blood their ransom hath discharged : Them number with Thy saints In glory without end. Save Thou Thy people, and with blessings crown Thine heritage ! for ever lift them up : For they Thy people be ; Thou their anointed Lord. Day telleth unto Day Thy Majesty : Daily we laud and magnify Thy Name ; And thanks and worship give Eternal as Thy reign. 58 PARAPHRASE OF TE DEUM. Vouclisafe to keep iis free this day from Sin, O let Thy IMercy lighten on oiu' heads ; Have mercy, Lord, on ns. As we put trust in Thee. have Thou mercy, for Thy Name's sake. Lord ! And as on Thee my constant trust doth rest, So never, by ray foes Confounded, let me fall. A TARAPHRASE FROM THE LORD'S PRAYER, AND VARIOUS OTHER SCRIPTURES. 1. Pathee ! as a little child Cast I all my care on Thee, Calm my passions rude and wild, Guide me, so shall I be free. 2. Father ! by that Name Thy Son Taught us how immense Thy love ! He, Thy best-beloved, hath done All His errand from above. 3. And our ransom He hath paid With a gushing tide of blood ; Down for us His life He laid. In our guilty place He stood. 60 A PARAPHRASE 4. For His sake I plead my cause, View me in the Saviour's face, Oft I slight and break Thy laws, Judgment seek I not, but grace. 5. Dwelling in the heavens high, Low Thou bend'st a willing ear ; Hearken to each contrite sigh. Wipe away each starting tear. 6. Teach me Thy blest Name to know, Send Thy Spirit as a Dove ; May I do Thy will below. As Thy will is done above. 7. To the sheep-fold of the Lord Lead the scattered Nations home ; Soon without the ruthless sword May Thy happy kingdom come. PROM THE lord's PRAYER. 61 8. Day by day my daily bread Grive me with a liberal band ; By Thy boimty I am fed, Upright by Thine aid I stand. 9. Many are the debts I owe, Tet a fuU release I crave ; Ever in Thine anger slow, Mercy finds Thee prompt to save. 10. If my brother owe a mite, Preely I forego my claim ; Dare my lips, defiled with spite. E'er poUute Thy holy Name ? 11. From temptation's luring snare, Open foe and treach'rous friend ; Sinfid thoughts and wasting care, Father ! me Thy child defend. G2 A PARAPHRASE FKOM THE LORD's PRAYER. 12. So for ever shall I sing "With the glad celestial host, Might and glory to my King, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. PSALM I. 1. How blest is the man, Avhose footsteps ne'er stray Allur'd by the careless from duty away ; Nor, shamelessly deaf to God's will and commands, Where Sinners assemble, presumptuously stands. Nor spuming at all that is holiest and best. Sits down with the scornful and makes it his jest. 2. But the law of the Lord is his constant delight, Directs him by day, and illumines his night, Like a tree shall he stand, with its branches outspread O'er the waters by which it is freshen'd and fed, Deep fix'd by its firm and tenacious root, "With verdure unwither'd, and laden with fruit. 64 PSALM I. 3. And thus shall he flourish, exempt from decay, While the godless as chaff" shall be scattered away At the breatli of eacli vague and capricious breeze, Or as foam lightly dash'd by tempestuous seas, Or as mist unsubstantial, or transient and vain, As meteors shall vanish and be ne'er seen again. 4. "Wlien summon' d to judgment, the trumpet's dread blast Shall scare them away from the righteous aghast, AVhomthe Lord of compassions, all-beauteous in love, And radiant in glories, shall own and approve ; Yet His mercies despis'd shall He proffer no more, But the vials of His wrath on the wicked shall pour. PSALM II. 1. Leagu'd with infuriate lieatlieu 'gaiast your King, Sons of Israel, is it Ye, Who soar so high on craz'd ambition's wing, Tempting Heaven's dread Majesty ! Banded thus in proud array, Weakest folly ye display. 2. Against the Anointed of the Lord combin'd. In arms Eartli's crafty tyrants meet : " Let us," they cry, " their galling chains unbind, And ope the prison of our feet ; The cords that cramp our hands divide. And cast the slavish load aside." 66 PSALM II. 3. The laugh of scorn shall roll along the skies, For He, our Lord, is Lord alone : He in derision on the strong and wise Looks from His solitary throne, And as in wTath His thunders break, Heaven and earth convulsive quake. 4. And while inflam'd His indignation glows, Grasping quick terrors, He shall ^^Teak A righteous vengeance on His abject foes, And thus to trembhug nations speak : — " My King behold on Zion's hill, My holy seat, to work My will." 5. To Me He spake with altered mien benign. His siu-e decree will I declare : " Thou art My Son, eternal and divine : Tet given to death, again mine Heir, To-day begotten. Thou My Son Take the crown Thyself hast won. PSALM II. 67 6. " Wliere'er the limits of the earth extend, Or the heathen now rebel, To Thee each tribe the suppUant knee shaU bend. Thy praises every tongue shall swell : To Thee I give them : rule, My Sou, O'er the realm Thyself hast won. 7. "All that shall dare Thy righteous laws withstand. Thine iron rod shall crash and break As vessels brittle from the potter's hand : Such utter vengeance shalt Thou take, That ne'er again with strength renew'd Shall they o'er hostile projects brood." 8. Ye Kings and Judges of the earth, be wise ; Serve in holy fear the Lord : And let the voice of exidtation rise Through all the world with full accord. Eejoice, rejoice with loud acclaim. And trembling, bless His holy Name. i'2 68 PSALM ir. 9. Before the enthroned Son, bow down submiss, Wliose wrath is as consuming fire ; Avert destruction with a duteous kiss, K^or dare provoke His kindUng ire : Por blessed, more than blessed they, Wlio trust His word and own His sway. PSALM III. 1. O Lord ! how numerous are my foes, How full their furious squadrons swell, Wlio now on every side disclose Their hatred, long conceal' d and weU, "Whilst fear forbad them to rebel. 2. They little reck Thy truth and power. They little heed Thy fix'd decree ; " His God," tliey cry, in this dark hour Deserts Him, as a withered tree, Sapless and dry with misery. 3. In Thee, Lord ! my trust I place, To Thee in adoration bow ; O lift Thou up Thy supphant's face, And hear his prayer ; for only Thou With majesty canst clothe his brow. 70 PSALM III. 4. To Him, the Loed, my voice I rais'd, He heard me from His holy Hill, I laid me down : His Name be prais'd Who bless' d my sleep ; whose might and wall, "When risen again, sustain' d me still. 5. Though hostile myriads throng around, I will not fear their fierce array : Arise, Loed ! their schemes confound ; Save me, my God, my only stay, 'Not leave me to their spite a prey. 6. As hungry beasts they madly rush, But Thou their sharpen' d teeth canst break ; Their impious rage and malice crush, "With shame abash, with terror shake, K once Thy righteous vengeance wake. PSALM III. 71 7. Salvation, blessing, peace, and grace, From GtOd's higli throne unceasing flow ; To us may He disclose His face. Or redeem' d from every foe, May He each gift divine bestow. PSALM IV. 1. Sole Eefuge in my sore distress, Tliou Guardian of my righteousness ! In mercy, Lord ! Oh hear my cry, Unbind my load of misery. 2. "With taunt and jeer and swelling pride, The Sons of men my boast deride ; They lightly use Thy holy Name, My glory turning into shame, 3. How long, vain scoifers ! Know the Lord "Will aid to His elect afford : Is Danger nigh ? do Foes oppress ? His ready arm shaU bring redress. PSALM IV. 73 4. His laws revere and seek His face, In meek depentlance on His grace ; And self-reproving vigils keep Ere yielding to the stealth of sleep. 5. The sacrifice of pure intent, The oifering of a life weU spent. Be these thy gifts, and then upraise With nie the song of thankful praise. 6. "What though the Many vainly say, " Who shall befriend him ?" Lord display That visage bright of matchless love, That fills ^^-ith bliss Thy coiu-ts above. 7. A joy is theirs who press the wine, Eich product of the clust'ring vine ; A joy is theirs, whose bending floors Receive the weight of harvest stores : 74 PSALM IT. 8. On Tliee reposing, eas'd of cares, A joy is mine exceeding theirs ; By Thy divine protection blest, I'll lay me down and take my rest. PSALM VIII. 1. How excellent, O Lord ! Thy Name, Supreme and everlasting King ! Thee Angels praise ; Thy bomidless fame Man's feebler tongue shall sti-ive to sing ; For Thou art GrOD, the God alone, Whose sceptre Men and Angels own. 2. Above the heavens Thy glories shine ; Around Thee brightest Seraphim, Thy height immense, Thy power divine, "With glad acclaim enraptur'd hymn ; But half Thy praises ne'er can teU, Though loud and full their voices swell. 76 PSALM VIII. 3. Yet, Holy Father ! infinite In love as well as majesty, To infant lips Thou gav'st the might, (O condescension worthy Thee !) To infant lips Thou didst impart The strength to bless Thee from the heart. 4. Full many a spirit from Hell's profound. Let loose to work th' Avenger's will, In that sweet lisping, artless sound, Hears Thy dread voice command " Be still," Then flees amain the Sun's blest light To seek the depths of endless Night. 5. Thou mad'st the spacious vault on high, And Thou, in gorgeous wide display, Spanglest with Stars the deep blue sky. And bidd'st the Moon a milder day Difiuse, what time the flaming Sun, With giant speed, his course hath run. PSALM Till. i ' 6. what is Man, Corruption's heir ! To him no debt from Thee is due : Still, still with never-failing care Tliv mercies Thou dost aye renew, In each temptation, by his side His constant friend and gracious guide. 7. A little lower than the crowd That fill the courts of bliss above "With hallelujahs sweet and loud. That spring from happiness and love ; A little lower in Thy plan. Creator wise, Thou madest Man. 8. A crown of glory he shall wear. His brow resplendent wreaths shall bind. He through the Heavens shall rise, and there His final destination find. Oh ! what is Man, Creator great, That him such honours should await ! 78 PSALM YIII. 9. Meanwhile witli lenient sway on earth Thou bidd'st him rule ; and to his care Committ'st the things of lowlier birth, The grazing herds, the fowls of air. And tenants of tlie stormy sea Tliroughout its waste immensity. 10. How excellent, O Lord ! Thy Name, Supreme and everlasting King ! Thee Angels praise ; Thy boundless fame Man's feebler tongue shall strive to sing : For Thou art God, the GrOD alone. Whose sceptre Men and Angels own. PSALM CXXI. 1. To Zion's hiU I'll lift mine eyes, From Zion's hiU my help shall rise ; For there He dwells the Heavens who made, Whose hands the Earth's foundations laid. 2. Tea, He, thy constant Gruide, shall stay Thy tottering foot, and watch thy way. And with a Father's tender care Thy bread and staff" and couch prepare. 3. Shall He that keepeth Israel's sheep, His wearied eyelids yield to sleep ? No slvunber e'er suspends His might ; No gloom impedes His piercing sight. 80 PSALM CXXI. 4. 'Tis He that keeps thee : He, the Lord, On thy right hand shall help afford, To shade thee from the mid-day heat, Or veil the moon from thy retreat. 5. The Lord all evdl shall control ; The Lord from ill shall guard thy soul ; Where'er thou goest, to endless days, Thy eager tongue shall sound His praise. OXFORD: PRINTED BY I. SHRIMPTON. This book is DUE on the last date stamped below. REMINGTON RAND INC. 2 'J 813 (533 THE UBRAKY MNIV BRSITY OF : ALlt