BEHOLD the Potter and the clay,— He forms his vessels as he please; Such is our God, and such are we, The subjects of his high decrees. Does not the workman's pow'r extend O'er all the mass—which part to choose And mould it for a nobler end, And which to leave for viler use? May not the Sov'reign Lord on high Dispense his favours as He will; Choose some to life, while others die, And yet be just and gracious still? What if, to make his terror known, He lets his patience long endure, Suff'ring vile rebels to go on, And seal their own destruction sure; What if He means to shew his grace, And his electing love employs, To mark out some of mortal race, And form them fit for heav'nly joys,— Shall man reply against the Lord? And call his Maker's ways unjust, The thunder of whose dreadful word Can crush a thousand worlds to dust? But, O my soul!—if truth so bright Should dazzle and confound thy sight, Yet still his written will obey, And wait the great decisive day. Then shall He make his justice known; And the whole world before his throne, With joy or terror, shall confess The glory of his righteousness. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...A BALLAD OF LONDON (TO H.W. MASSINGHAM) by RICHARD THOMAS LE GALLIENNE A BLESSING FOR THE BLESSED by LAWRENCE ALMA-TADEMA THE ONLY ORNAMENT by PHOEBE CARY THE MAN; ADDRESSED TO MY ALMA MATER by SAMUEL VALENTINE COLE THE PEACEMAKER by WILLIAM HENRY DAVIES |