What bonds of Gratitude I feel,
No language can declare;
Beneath th' oppressive weight I reel,

'Tis more than I can bear:
When shall I that blessing prove,
To return thee Love for Love?
Spirit of Charity, dispense
Thy grace to ev'ry heart;
Expell all other spirits thence,
Drive self from ev'ry part;
Charity divine, draw nigh,

12

Break the chains in which we lie!

18

All selfish souls, whate'er they feign,
Have still a slavish lot;

They boast of Liberty in vain,

We learn its name, but not its pow'rs,
Experience only makes it ours.

30

HAPPY SOLITUDE-UNHAPPY MEN

VOL. 2, CANTIQUE 89

My heart is easy, and my burthen light;
I smile, though sad, when thou art in my sight:
The more my woes in secret I deplore,

I taste thy goodness, and I love, the more.
There, while a solemn stillness reigns around,
Faith, Love, and Hope, within my soul abound;
And while the world suppose me lost in care,
The joys of angels, unperceiv'd, I share.
Thy creatures wrong thee, O thou sov'reign Good!
Thou art not lov'd, because not understood;
This grieves me most, that vain pursuits beguile
Ungrateful men, regardless of thy smile.
Frail beauty, and false honour, are ador'd;
While thee they scorn, and trifle with thy word;
Pass, unconcern'd, a Saviour's sorrows by;
And hunt their ruin, with a zeal to die.

Gratitude-12 repay 4. 14 grace] self A.
glows with] heart is warm'd by A.

23 bosom

8

16

LIVING WATER

VOL. 4, CANTIQUE 81

THE fountain in its source,

No drought of summer fears;
The farther it pursues its course,
The nobler it appears.

But shallow cisterns yield

A scanty, short supply;

The morning sees them amply fill'd,
At ev'ning they are dry.

TRUTH AND DIVINE LOVE REJECTED BY THE WORLD

VOL. 2, CANTIQUE 22

O LOVE, of pure and heav'nly birth!
O simple Truth, scarce known on earth!
Whom men resist with stubborn will;
And more perverse and daring still,
Smother and quench, with reas'nings vain,
While error and deception reign.

Whence comes it, that, your pow'r the same
As his on high, from whom you came,
Ye rarely find a list'ning ear,

Or heart that makes you welcome here?
-Because ye bring reproach and pain,

Where'er ye visit, in your train.

The world is proud, and cannot bear
The scorn and calumny ye share;

The praise of men the mark they mean,

6

12

They fly the place where ye are seen;

Pure Love, with scandal in the rear,

Suits not the vain; it costs too dear.

18

Then, let the price be what it may,

Though poor, I am prepar'd to pay ;

Come shame, come sorrow; spite of tears,
Weakness, and heart-oppressing fears;

One soul, at least, shall not repine,

To give you room; come, reign in mine!

24

Title] Truth and pure Love rejected and accepted, by whom A. 3 resist] oppose A.

11, 12 ye.. visit] reproach and

...

grief and pain Are sure to follow 4. 23 least 4. last Bull.

DIVINE JUSTICE AMIABLE

VOL. 2, CANTIQUE 119

THOU hast no lightnings, O thou Just!
Or I their force should know;
And if thou strike me into dust,
My soul approves the blow.

The heart, that values less its ease,
Than it adores thy ways;

In thine avenging anger, sees
A subject of its praise.

Pleas'd, I could lie conceal'd, and lost
In shades of central night;

Not to avoid thy wrath, thou know'st,
But lest I grieve thy sight.

8

Smite me, O thou whom I provoke!

And I will love thee still :

The well deserv'd and righteous stroke

Shall please me, though it kill.

16

Am I not worthy, to sustain

The worst thou canst devise;

And dare I seek thy throne again,
And meet thy sacred eyes?

Far from afflicting, thou art kind;
And in my saddest hours,

An unction of thy grace I find,
Pervading all my pow'rs.

Alas! thou spar'st me yet again;

And when thy wrath should move,

Too gentle to endure my pain,
Thou sooth'st me with thy Love.

I have no punishment to fear;
But Ah! that smile from thee,
Imparts a pang, far more severe
Than woe itself would be.

THE SOUL THAT LOVES GOD FINDS HIM

EVERY WHERE

VOL. 2, CANTIQUE 108

OH thou, by long experience tried,
Near whom no grief can long abide;
My Love! how full of sweet content
pass my years of banishment!

I

10 shades] caves A. 30 from thee] I see 4.
The Soul-4 years of] long, long 4.

24

32

All scenes alike engaging prove,

To souls impress'd with sacred love!

Where'er they dwell, they dwell in thee;
In heav'n, in earth, or on the sea.

8

To me remains nor place nor time;
My country is in ev'ry clime;
I can be calm and free from care
On any shore, since God is there.

While place we seek, or place we shun,
The soul finds happiness in none ;
But with a God to guide our way,

'Tis equal joy to go or stay.

16

Could I be cast where thou art not,

That were indeed a dreadful lot;
But regions none remote I call,
Secure of finding God in all,

My country, Lord, art thou alone;
Nor other can I claim or own;

The point where all my wishes meet;

My Law, my Love; life's only sweet!

24

I hold by nothing here below;
Appoint my journey, and I go;

Though pierc'd by scorn, opprest by pride,
I feel thee good-feel nought beside.

No frowns of men can hurtful prove
To souls on fire with heav'nly Love;
Though men and devils both condemn,
No gloomy days arise for them.

Ah then! to his embrace repair;
My soul thou art no stranger there;
There Love divine shall be thy guard,
And peace and safety thy reward,

THE TESTIMONY OF DIVINE ADOPTION

VOL. 2, CANTIQUE 78

How happy are the new-born race,
Partakers of adopting grace;

How pure the bliss they share!
Hid from the world and all its eyes,
Within their heart the blessing lies,
And Conscience feels it there.

Title om. A. 3 joy A.

32

6

The moment we believe, 'tis ours;
And if we love with all our pow'rs

The God from whom it came,
And if we serve with hearts sincere,
'Tis still discernible and clear,
An undisputed claim.

But ah! if foul and wilful sin
Stain and dishonour us within,
Farewell the joy we knew ;
Again the slaves of Nature's sway,
In lab'rinths of our own we stray,
Without a guide or clue.

12

18

The chaste and pure, who fear to grieve

The gracious Spirit they receive,

His work distinctly trace;

And strong in undissembling love,
Boldly assert, and clearly prove,
Their hearts his dwelling place.

O messenger of dear delight,

Whose voice dispells the deepest night,
Sweet peace-proclaiming Dove!

With thee at hand to sooth our pains,
No wish unsatisfied remains,

No task, but that of Love.

'Tis Love unites what Sin divides;

24

30

The centre where all bliss resides ;
To which the soul once brought,
Reclining on the first great Cause,
From his abounding sweetness draws
Peace passing human thought.

Sorrow foregoes its nature there,
And life assumes a tranquil air,

Divested of its woes;

There, sov'reign goodness sooths the breast,
Till then incapable of rest,

In sacred sure repose.

11 'Tis still discernible] It still is visible A. connects A.

37-39 There pain and sorrow lose their sting,
And toil becomes a trivial thing
Scarce worthy of a thought, A.

36

42

31 unites]