And there his awe-struck soul before And now before his ravish'd eyes, The faith sown by His martyrs' blood, O Lord, the power baptismal give The better things that are above. All glory and dominion To God the Father, Spirit, Son, Who hath broke through our prison-bars, The Transfiguration. 1. The sun shall be ashamed when the Lord of hosts shall reign in Mount Zion, and before His ancients gloriously.-Is. xxiv. Bring, happy day, to light Things which dark mantling Night In envious silence hath so long been stealing; When on the mountain floor, Before the three of yore, The Son of man His glory was revealing : And, through His flesh's shrouding shrine, Illuminating ran the effluence Divine. The full irradiance flows, To every limb it goes, With snowy light His fiery garments blending: Now awe-struck silence quakes, And the live thunder speaks, From the bright cloud in majesty descending : There sounds the unutterable Voice, Proclaiming His dear Son, the everlasting choice. With low-brow'd awe profound, Be silent on the ground, The Lord of all is in His holy hill; And now, with voice of fear, Let angel hosts draw near, While all the listening world is still, To sing the Spirit and the Word, And Father, whose dread voice was in the thunder heard. 2. O Lord my God, Thou art become exceeding glorious, Thou art clothed with majesty and honour. Thou deckest Thyself with light as it were with a garment.-PSALM Civ. How strongly and how sweetly still Whether Thou dost Thyself reveal, Or from our senses dost conceal, The Father calls, and for Thy sake And, through Heaven's door, The glory which doth break on Thee That go before. What saith the Father, speaking loud? And what the Son beneath the cloud? Now all are gone, The shadows fleet, around again Silence keeps watch, there doth remain The truth alone. Again Thou dost Thy form resume, A victim ready for the tomb, And thence descend In lowliness ineffable, Thy Father's mandate to fulfil, Unto the end. O Christ, who now Thyself dost hide, May faith our darkling spirits guide, And firmly hold, That when these fleshly vessels break, We of Thy goodness may partake, And Thce behold. |