The South Aisle: The Creed IX

Behold in Heaven yon glorious bow,
Which spans the gleaming world below !
The hues distinct in order glow,
Yet each in each doth melt unseen,
That none can mark the bound between :
Lo, such is Faith's mysterious scroll,
A multiform harmonious whole,
Together gather'd for our aid,
And in the darken'd heights displayed :
The Church shall ne'er that emblem want
Of her eternal covenant.

As on th' horizon's cloudy wall,
Where'er the golden sunbeams fall,
The colours in the rainbow found
Blend in a secret union bound.

E'en thus, where the true light hath shone,
The heart all truths shall hold, which rightly holdeth one.
First Fear, which is the shadow true
Of wrath divine to sinners due,
Looks out upon the deep, and tries
To sound her endless destinies ; —
That Fear with falling, falling wing,
Will to nought less than Godhead cling :
And he with eager heart and eyes
Who feeds on that dread sacrifice,
In aid Divine will seek to hide,
And on the living Word abide :
Feeling His presence, which doth bear,
And hold him buoyant in mid air.
O wondrous spell the heart to move,
And all her dark recesses prove !

Lord, wake in me that holy awe,
Which through obedience learns Thy Law,
Till all my soul responsive own,
That Faith's mysterious union !