Psalm 45 Publications

The death-stroke fell; still reeling at the blow,
The Dragon roared in mortal agony
And spewed hot venom at the woman’s seed,
Contesting fiercely him who crushed him so.
Ah, vainly! for his people straight did flee
Into the arms that stripped their ancient Foe:
Yes, he was strong to save the falt’ring least,
And he was fairer than the Dragon dread,
And his sweet strength prevailed against the Beast. Continue Reading

Out of the depths, O Lord, I cry to thee:
Carest thou not, nor markest how I grieve?
The pangs of loneliness rack cruelly:
My friends have left; my God, wilt thou too leave?
With one unyielding hand thou tearest me,
Preservest with the other, so that I
Can neither love life, nor yet senseless be:
God! only let me live or let me die.
For I thy handiwork, Lord, am not mine:
Thou hast redeemed me at how dear! a price;
Thou loved me, called me, saved me, – I am thine:
Dost thou not care for thine own sacrifice?
Wherefore lift up my soul from its soul-grave,
And rend no longer whom thou shouldest save. Continue Reading

In the night watches, in the night watches,
When the gloom of the know-less falls like a numbing chill,
And the ghost-breath of sad confusion sudden touches
The quick of the soul, and life and time grow still, –
My God! I cry to you. Continue Reading

Come to me, darling of my soul,
My spirit’s truest gain;
Your touch alone, which made me whole,
Can thrill my heart again. Continue Reading

The far-flung echoes die:
We who the prophet-whispers long have heard
Now tune our ears to the fuller voice on high,
Now hear the mind of God in one live Word.
We bow, O Christ, at your glorious name. Continue Reading

Jesus, how sweet your virgin birth,
Deep, lovely mystery:
Out from the unsewn womb sprang forth
God of eternity!
I kneel before your bed so rough,
My Savior in a feeding trough,
Divine before the world began,
And now in time become a man. Continue Reading

True Son of God, true Son of Man,
Both terrible and fair,
What various attributes you span!
Perfections ah! how rare,
How vast are in your person blent,
And all diversely excellent. Continue Reading

Great is the mystery,
The godly-fashioned plan
That God should stoop from heaven on high
To take the form of man! Continue Reading

Here is the riddle of eternity,
And here the mighty conflict of the ages:
Shall God contend with God in unity
With God’s own will? How fierce a war he wages! Continue Reading

He breathed his last, –
And died.
And the beat of the rain came hard and fast,
And the lightnings writhed in the sudden blast,
And the fierce winds cried. Continue Reading

Once more I take my pen in hand, once more
I lay it down, and still the page is bare.
A dullness seeps into my soul. I fear
That I have nothing left to say. I fear
My heart will finally be left as blank
As this blank page. – No, blanker yet (alas!)
As blank as these poor, naked, labored words
Betraying naked thoughts.
There was a time,
When, teeming with a thousand grand designs,
And fueled by a passion not to waste
My fleeting life, I had but one complaint, –
That time was short; each moment rushing by
I wrested to my purpose, to speak forth,
With pen and ink, the glories of the King. Continue Reading

Trace the sunbeam to the sun;
Trace the river to the sea;
Trace all pleasures to the One
Who is Pleasure perfectly.

Standing in my shame,
Naked and alone;
No one left to blame;
The fault was all my own. Continue Reading

Apostrophe to Nebuchadnezzar [ii] – Reflection upon the same – Petition to the Spirit of Truth – The theme laid out in brief

O Head of gold [iii]! whose Babylonian might
Subdued the nations, at whose outstretched hand
Innumerable minions, scarlet-clad [iv],
O’erswept earth’s mighty kingdoms, riding forth
Conquering and to conquer, till the world
Came trembling forth to stoop before your throne,
Entreating mercy; nor, O gracious king,
Were they rejected; thus your kingdom grew
And far excelled all others that had been
Or yet would be, as Bashan’s mighty oak [v]
Excels the flowers of the field – free grace,
Administered in royal wisdom, worked
Together with unswayed dominion
And made the tree no human hand could fell [vi]
A haven for all creatures of the earth, –
Fair haven! splendor as had not been seen
Since cherubs barred the gates of Paradise [vii]
Against mankind decked Babylon the Great;
Unconquerable city! This you made
A garden fit for gods [viii], your sovereign sway
Adorned in splendor fitted for a king. Continue Reading

The covenant made with David – the decline of the Kingdom – the promise of the prophets – the rise of Rome and the Idumean king – 1st portent: the Star of the East – 2nd portent: Gabriel’s message to Mary and Joseph – 3rd portent: the conception of John – 4th portent: Gabriel’s appearance to the shepherds – the birth of the King – his humility considered – his greatness considered – the conjunction of greatness and humility evidenced by his first visitors – the testimony of Simeon and Anna – the wrath of the Idumean – the flight to Egypt – the rage of the Dragon

King David meant to build the Lord a house [i],
And this is how it happened: after that
The Lord had given rest on every side,
And made secure the kingdom in his hand,
And so confirmed the promises he made
By Samuel the prophet (this is he
Who by divine decree made David king,
Anointing him with oil when a boy [ii]) –
After all this, enriched by victory,
And pleased that God should dwell in Israel
As he had told their father Abraham [iii],
He set aside a vast and plenteous store
To make the temple where might ever dwell
God’s presence. So he purposed, but that night
The Lord appeared to Nathan in a dream,
Commanding thus: Tell David now, your king
And my servant, that what he purposes
He shall not do. Have I commanded this,
Or do I need a house in which to dwell,
When all the earth is mine, and all the heavens
Cannot contain me [iv]? Tell him this instead:
I took him from the pasture, for I planned
To give to him a kingdom that should be
Eternal as the heavens; I decreed,
And will not take it back, that I should have
A people and a kingdom, priests to me,
And I will be their God forever; when
The first man, Adam, turned away from me
And cleaved unto the Serpent, then I spoke,
And will fulfill it, that of Adam’s race
I still will have my people – from his seed
Will rise One who shall crush the Serpent’s head,
And win redemption [v]. Now, will David build
A house for me? No, I will build for him
A house that cannot fall, for of his seed
I will raise up the King of whom I spoke,
The everlasting King, who shall destroy
The Serpent’s work, and win a glorious name
And people as the stars of heaven. He
Will sit upon the throne that I have given
To David, my beloved servant; of
His kingdom and increase shall be no end [vi].
So Nathan spoke, and David was content,
And Solomon, his son, then built the house. Continue Reading