LYRIC 2 There's nothing round these painted skies; Or round this dusty clod ; Nothing, mysoul, that's worth thy joys, Or lovely as thy God. 3 'Tis heav' n on earth to taste Isis love, To feel his quickning grace; And all the heav'n I hope above Is but to see his face. 4 Why move my years in slow delay? O God cif ages! why ? Let thespherescleave ,arid makemyway To the superior sky. 5 Dear sov'reign, break thesevital strings That bind me to my clay; Take me, Uriel, on thy wings, And stretch and soar away. God',s Dominion and Decrees. 1 KEEP silence, all created things, And wait your Maker's nod: The muse stands trembling while she sings The honours of her God. 2 Life, death, and hell, and worlds un- known Hang on his firm decree He sits on no precarious throne, Nor borrows leave to be. S Th' almighty voice bid ancient night Her endless realms resign, And lo, ten thousand globes of light In fields of azure shine. 4 Now wisdom with superior sway Guides the vast moving frame, Whilst all the ranks of beings pay Deep rev'rence to his name. 6 He spake: The sun obedient stood, And held the fallingday. Old Jordan backwarddrives his flood, And disappoints the sea. 6 Lord of the armies of the sky, Hemarshals all the stars; Red comets lift their banners high, And wide proclaim his wars. 9 Chain'd to his throne a volume lies, With all the fates of men, With ev'ry angel's form and size Drawn by th' eternal pen. 9 His providence unfolds the book, And makes his counsels shine: Each opening leaf, and ev'ry stroke, Fulfils some deep design. 9 Here he exalts neglected worms To sceptres and a crown; Anon the following page he turns, And treads the monarch down. 3* Not Gabriel asks the reason why, Nor God the reason gives; Nor dares the fav'rite-angel pry Between the folded leaves, 11 My God, I never long'd to see My fate with curious eyes, POEMS. 234 What gloomy lines are writ for me, Or what bright scenes shall rise. 12 In thy fair book of life and grace. May I but find my name, Recorded in some humble place Beneath my Lord the Lamb. Self- Consecration. 1 IT grieves me, Lord,it grieves meters, That I have lied to thee no more, And wasted half my days; Myini'vard pow'rs shall burn and flame, With zeal and passion for thy name, I would not speak, but for my God, normove, but to his praise. 2 What are my eyes but aids to see The glories of the deity Inscrib'd with beams of light On flow'rs and stars ? Lord I behold The shining azure, green and gold; But when I try to -read thy name, a dimness veils my sight. 3 Mine ears arerais'd when Virgil singt Sicilian swains, or Trojan Kings, And drink the music in ; Whyshouldthe trumpet'sbrazenvoice, Oroaten reed awake my joys And yet my heart so stupid lie whe11 sacred hymns begin. 4 Change -me, O God.; my flesh shall be An instrument of song to thee, And thou the notes inspire: My tongue shall keep the heav'nly chime, My cheerful pulse shall beatthe time, And sweet variety of sound shall in thy praise conspire. e The dearest nerve about my heart, Should it refuse to bear a part, With, my melodious breath, I'd tear away the vital cord, A bloody victim to my Lord, And livewithout that impious string, or shew my zeal in death. The Creator. and Creatures. 1 GOD is a name my soul adores, Th' almighty Three, th' eternal One; Nature.and 5race,with all their pow'rs,. Confess the infinite Unknown. 2 From thy great self thy being springs: Thon art thy own original, Made up of untreated things, And sett-sufficience bears them all. 3 Thyvoice produc'd theseas and spheres, Bid the waves roar, and planets shine; But nothing like thy self appears, Thro' all these spacious works of thine. 4 Still restless nature dies and grows; From change to change the creatures
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