Without his aid I have no sure defence, From troops of errors that besiege me round; Fast here, and never wanders hence, Infinite Truth! the life of my desires, 'Tis thy fair face alone my spirit burns to see. Speak to my soul, alone, no other hand Creatures be dumb at his command, And leave his single voice to whisper to my heart. Retire, my soul, within thyself retire, Away from sense and every outward show: May mount and spread above, surveying all below. The Lord grows lavish of his heavenly light, And pours whole floods on such a mind as this: Fled from the eyes she gains a piercing sight, She dives into the infinite, And sees unutterable things in that unknown abyss. TRUE WISDOM. PRONOUNCE him bless'd, my Muse, whom Wisdom guides In her own path to her own heavenly seat; That rise and roar around, supplant his steady feet. Earth, you may let your golden arrows fly, To lure his soul aside from her eternal rest. Our head-strong lusts, like a young fiery horse, Lord of himself, he rules his wildest thoughts, A plague like reigning passions, and a subject mind. But oh! 'tis mighty toil to reach this height, To vanquish self is a laborious art; What manly courage to sustain the fight, To bear the noble pain, and part [heart! With those dear charming tempters rooted in the 'Tis hard to stand when all the passions move, [finds. Hard; but it may be done. Come, heavenly fire, Come to my breast, and with one powerful ray Melt off my lusts, my fetters: I can bear A while to be a tenant here, But not be chain'd and prison'd in a cage of clay. Heaven is my home, and I must use my wings; And all their little glittering things; I have a soul was made for infinite desires. Loos'd from the earth, my heart is upward flown: Farewell, my friends, and all that once was mine; Nor, should you fix my feet on Cæsar's throne, Crown me, and call the world my own, The gold that binds my brows could ne'er my soul confine. I am the Lord's, and Jesus is my love; And nearer to my Saviour move; [spire. There all my soul shall centre, all my powers con Thus I with angels live; thus half divine I sit on high, nor mind inferior joys: Fill'd with his love, I feel that God is mine, His glory is my great design, That everlasting project all my thought employs. A SONG TO CREATING WISDOM. PART I. ETERNAL Wisdom, thee we praise, Thee the creation sings; With thy loud name, rocks, hills, and seas, And Heaven's high palace rings. Place me on the bright wings of day, With what amaze shall I survey Thy hand how wide it spread the sky, Ting'd with a blue of heavenly dye, There thou hast bid the globes of light There the pale planet rules the night, PART II. DOWNWARD I turn my wond'ring eyes Those under regions of the skies The noisy winds stand ready there Thy orders to obey, With sounding wings they sweep the air, There, like a trumpet, loud and strong, On the thin air, without a prop, At thy command they sink, and drop PART III. Now to the earth I bend my song, How did his wondrous skill array Tall oaks for future navies grow, The bleating flocks his pasture feeds : That bellow through the Lindian meads, |