Strong Son of God, immortal Love, Whom we, that have not seen thy face, By faith, and faith alone, embrace, Believing where we cannot prove; Thine are these orbs of light and shade ; Thou madest Life in man and brute ; . Thou wilt not leave us in the dust : Thou madest man, he knows not why ; He thinks he was not made to die ; And thou hast made him : thou art just. Thou seemest human and divine, The highest, holiest manhood, thou : Our wills are ours, we know not how ; Our wills are ours, to make them thine. Our little systems have their day ; They have their day and cease to be : They are but broken lights of thee, And thou, O Lord, art more than they. We have but faith : we cannot know ; For knowledge is of things we see ; And yet we trust it comes from thee, A beam in darkness : let it grow. Let knowledge grow from more to more, But more of reverence in us dwell ; That mind and soul, according well, May make one music as before, But vaster. We are fools and slight ; We mock thee when we do not fear : But help thy foolish ones to bear ; Help thy vain worlds to bear thy light. Forgive what seem'd my sin in me ; my worth since I began ; For merit lives from man to man, And not from man, O Lord, to thee. Forgive my grief for one removed, Thy creature, whom I found so fair. I trust he lives in thee, and there I find him worthier to be loved. Forgive these wild and wandering cries, Confusions of a wasted youth ; Forgive them where they fail in truth, And in thy wisdom make me wise. 1849. |
