from CHRISTIAN ETHICS
For man to act as if his soul did see
The very brightness of eternity;
For man to act as if his love did burn
Above the spheres, even while it's in its urn;
For man to act even in the wilderness,
As if he did those sovereign joys possess,
Which do at once confirm, stir up, enflame,
And perfect angels; having not the same!
It doth increase the value of his deeds,
In this man a Seraphim exceeds:
To act on obligations yet unknown,
To act upon rewards as yet unshown,
To keep commands whose beauty's yet unseen,
To cherish and retain a zeal between
Sleeping and waking; shows a constant care;
And that a deeper love, a love so rare,
That no eye-service may with it compare.
The angels, who are faithful while they view
His glory, know not what themselves would do,
Were they in our estate! A dimmer light
Perhaps would make them err as well as we;
And in the coldness of a darker night,
Forgetful and lukewarm themselves might be.
Our very rust shall cover us with gold,
Our dust shall sprinkle while their eyes behold
The glory springing from a feeble state,
Where mere belief doth, if not conquer fate,
Surmount, and pass what it doth antedate.
Thomas Traherne |
