A

I.

THE CREATOR.

UTHOR of Being, Source of Light,
With unfading beauties bright;
Fulness, Goodness, rolling round,
Thy own fair orb without a bound;
Whether Thee, Thy suppliants call,
Truth, or Good, or One, or All,
EI*, or IAQ: Thee we hail,
Essence that can never fail,
Grecian or Barbaric name,
Thy stedfast Being still the same,

Thee will I sing, O Father, Jove,

And teach the world to praise and love.

* The Grecian name EI, 'Thou art,' inscribed on the Temple of Apollo at Delphi, is supposed to be taken from the Saite inscription I am,' and corresponds with Exodus iii. 14, meaning 'Unchangeable.'

IAO was the 'Barbaric name,' for Jehovah, or Jao, as the Greeks wrote it, intimating His Unity, whence the Phoenician IEYO, and from thence the Grecian ZEYΣ.

Yonder azure vault on high,
Yonder blue, low liquid sky,
Earth on its firm basis plac'd,
And with circling waves embrac'd,
All creating power confess,
All their mighty Maker bless.
Thou shak'st all nature with thy nod,
Sea, earth, and air confess the God.
Yet does Thy powerful hand sustain

Both earth and heaven, both firm and main.

Scarce can our daring thoughts arise
To Thy pavilion in the skies ;
Nor can Plato's self declare

The bliss, the joy, the rapture there.
Barren above, Thou dost not reign,
But circled with a glorious train;
The Sons of God, the Sons of light,
Ever joying in Thy sight:

For Thee their silver harps are strung,

Ever beauteous, ever young;

Angelic forms their voices raise,

And through heaven's arch resound Thy praise.

The feather'd tribes that skim the air,

And bathe in liquid æther there ;
The lark, precentor of their choir,
Leading them higher still and higher,
Listen and learn; th' angelic notes
Repeating in their warbling throats;
And ere to soft repose they go,
Teach them to mankind below,
On the green turf, their mossy nest,
The evening anthem swells their breast;
Thus like Thy golden chain from high
Their praise unites the earth and sky.

Source of Light, Thou bidst the sun
On his burning axles run;

The stars like dust around him fly,
And strew the area of the sky.

He drives so swift his race above,
Mortals can't perceive him move :

So smooth his course, oblique or straight,
Olympus shakes not with his weight.
As the Queen of solemn night
Fills at his vase her orb of light,
Imparted lustre; thus we see
The solar virtue shines by Thee.

And yet, a greater Hero far
(Unless great Socrates could err),
Shall rise to bless some future day,
And teach to live, and teach to pray.

Come, UNKNOWN INSTRUCTOR, come! Our leaping hearts shall make Thee room; Thou with Jove our vows shalt share,

Of JOVE and THEE we are the care.

O FATHER, KING, whose Heavenly Face Shines serene on all Thy race, We Thy magnificence adore, And Thy well-known aid implore; Nor vainly for Thy help we call,

Nor can we want, for THOU ART ALL!

Eupolis, 5th cent. B.C.

II.

CHRIST.

HEPHERD of tender youth!

Guiding, in love and truth,
Through devious ways ;

Christ, our triumphant King,

We love Thy name to sing;
And here our children bring
To shout Thy praise.

Thou art our only Lord!
The all-subduing Word!
Healer of strife!

Thou didst Thyself abase,
That from sin's deep disgrace
Thou mightest save our race
And give us light.

Thou art Wisdom's High Priest,
Thou hast prepared the feast
Of perfect love—

When racked with mortal pain,
None calls on Thee in vain,
Help Thou dost not disdain-
Help from above.

Ever be thus our Guide,

Our Shepherd, and our Pride,
Our staff and song-

Jesus! Thou Christ of God!

By Thy perennial Word,

Lead us where Thou hast trod,
Make our faith strong.

So now, and till we die,

Sound we Thy praises high,
And joyful sing;

Babes and the gladsome throng
Who to Thy Church belong,

Unite to swell the song

TO CHRIST OUR KING.*

Clemens Alex.

*The above hymn, though found in the works of Clemens Alexandrinus, is believed to have been of earlier date than his time, and may have been the hymn which Pliny speaks of in his letter to the Emperor Trajan, A. D. 104, as being sung 'Christo, quasi Deo, secum invicem.'

III.

THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD.

AIL! gladd'ning Light, of His pure
glory poured,

Who is th' Immortal Father, Heavenly,
Blest,

Holiest of Holies-Jesus Christ our Lord!
Now are we come to the Son's hour of rest,
The lights of Evening round us shine,
We sing the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost Divine!
Worthiest art Thou at all times to be sung
With undefiled tongue,

Son of our God, Giver of Life, alone!

Therefore, in all the world, Thy glories, Lord, we own.*

IV.

St. Basil.

GOD.

HE great, august, Immortal King,
Th' Eternal Potentate, I sing!

Let earth be silent while I raise

The voice of prayer, the note of praise.
Hushed be the moaning of the breeze;
The murmur of the waving trees :
Be stilled the soft, melodious note
Of each aerial warbler's throat :
Let tranquil æther, tranquil air,
Attend the hymn, attend the prayer ;
And deep in ocean's charmed breast,
Let all the gathered waters rest!

Synesius.t

* Hymn of the 2nd century, preserved by St. Basil, vide Routh's Reliq. Sacræ, iii. p. 299.

† A Platonist, converted to Christianity in the 3rd century.