Classic and Contemporary Poetry
SPIRITUAL WORSHIP, by BERNARD BARTON Poet's Biography First Line: Though glorious, o god! Must thy temple have been Last Line: Where the fire burns unquench'd on the altar! Alternate Author Name(s): Quaker Poet Variant Title(s): Silent Worship Subject(s): Worship | ||||||||
THOUGH glorious, O God! must thy temple have been On the day of its first dedication, When the cherubim's wings widely waving were seen On high on the ark's holy station; When even the chosen of Levi, though skill'd To minister, standing before thee, Retired from the cloud which the temple then fill'd, And thy glory made Israel adore thee; Though awfully grand was thy majesty then, Yet the worship thy gospel discloses, Less splendid in pomp to the vision of men, Far surpasses the ritual of Moses. And by whom was that ritual for ever repeal'd, But by Him unto whom it was given To enter the oracle where is reveal'd Not the cloud, but the brightness of heaven? Who having once enter'd, hath shown us the way, O Lord! how to worship before thee; Not with shadowy forms of that earlier day, But in spirit and truth to adore thee; This, this is the worship the Saviour made known, When she of Samaria found him By the patriarch's well, sitting weary alone, With the stillness of noontide around him. How sublime, yet how simple, the homage he taught To her who inquired by that fountain, If Jehovah at Solyma's shrine would be sought, Or adored on Samaria's mountain! Woman, believe me, the hour is near, When He, if ye rightly would hail Him, Will neither be worshipp'd exclusively here, Nor yet at the altar of Salem. For God is a spirit, and they who aright Would perform the pure worship He loveth, In the heart's holy temple will seek, with delight, That spirit the Father approveth. And many that prophecy's truth can declare, Whose bosoms have livingly known it; Whom God hath instructed to worship him there, And convinc'd that his mercy will own it. The temple that Solomon built to his name, Now lives but in history's story; Extinquish'd long since is its altar's bright flame, And vanquish'd each glimpse of its glory. But the Christian, made by a wisdom divine, Though all human fabrics may falter, Still finds in his heart far holier shrine, Where the fire burns unquench'd on the altar! | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...COMPANIONSHIP by MALTBIE DAVENPORT BABCOCK FOR I WILL CONSIDER YOUR DOG MOLLY by DAVID LEHMAN RUSSIAN CATHEDRAL by CLAUDE MCKAY LITTLE WHITE CHURCH by MARILYN NELSON A STEEPLE ON THE HOUSE by ROBERT FROST MATE (1) by GEORGIA DOUGLAS JOHNSON ANSWER TO PRAYER by JAMES WELDON JOHNSON THE TEN COMMANDMENTS by GEORGE SANTAYANA BRUCE AND THE SPIDER by BERNARD BARTON |
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