|
Wisdom Quote
Father of all, whose love profound
Father of all, whose love profound
A ransom for our souls hath found,
Before thy throne we sinners bend;
To us thy pard'ning love extend.
Almighty Son, Incarnate Word,
Our Prophet, Priest, Redeemer, Lord,
Before thy throne we sinners bend;
To us thy saving grace extend.
Eternal Spirit, by whose breath
The soul is raised from sin and death,
Before thy throne we sinners bend;
To us thy quickening power extend.
Jehovah, Father, Spirit, Son!
Mysterious Godhead, Three in One!
Before thy throne we sinners bend;
Grace, pardon, life, to us extend.
Amen.
*Hymnal [of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the USA]: 1920. Author unknown. Hymn: John Bacchus Dykes, 1866; Edward Cooper, 1805.
But the particular notions and forms of things, acts of the imagination, and every other apprehension having form and figure are all lost and ignored in this absorbing love, and this for two reasons. First, the soul cannot actually attend to anything of the kind, because it is actually absorbed by this draught of love. Secondly, and this is the principal reason, its transformation in God so conforms it to His purity and simplicity — for there is no form or imaginary figure in Him — as to render it pure, cleansed and empty of all the forms and figures it entertained before, being now purified and enlightened in simple contemplation. All spots and stains in the glass become invisible when the sun shines upon it, but they appear again as soon as the light of the sun is withheld.
*St. John of the Cross (16th Century). Spiritual Canticle of the Soul and the Bridegroom Christ. Trans. David Lewis. Corrections by Benedict Zimmerman. June 28, 1909. Electronic Edition with Modernization of English by Harry Plantinga, 1995
Continued... |
