"
_SONNET_.
TO FAITH.
Hail! Holy FAITH, on life's wide ocean tost,
I see thee sit calm in thy beaten bark;
As NOAH sat, thron'd in his high-borne ark,
Secure and fearless, while a world was lost!
In vain, contending storms thy head enzone,
Thy bosom shrinks not from the bolt that falls:
The dreadful shaft plays harmless, nor appals
Thy steadfast eye, fixt on Jehovah's throne!
E'en tho' thou saw'st the mighty fabric nod,
Of system'd worlds, thou bears't a sacred charm,
Grav'd on thy heart, to shelter thee from harm:
And thus it speaks:--"Thou art my trust, O GOD!
And thou canst bid the jarring powers be still,
Each ponderous orb, like me, subservient to thy will!
STANZAS.
Say why is the stern eye averted with scorn,
Of the stoic, who passes along?
And why frowns the maid, else as mild as the morn,
On the victim of falshood and wrong?
For the wretch sunk in sorrow, repentance, and shame,
The tear of compassion is won:
And alone, must she forfeit the wretch's sad claim,
Because she's deceiv'd and undone?
Oh! recall the stern look ere it reaches her heart,
To bid its wounds rankle anew,
Oh! smile, or embalm with a tear the sad smart,
And angels will smile upon you.
Pages:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25