| THROUGH that pure Virgin-shrine, | |
| That sacred vail drawn o'r thy glorious noon | |
| That men might look and live as Glo-worms shine, | |
| And face the Moon: | |
| Wise Nicodemus saw such light | 5 |
| As made him know his God by night. | |
| |
| Most blest believer he! | |
| Who in that land of darkness and blinde eyes | |
| Thy long expected healing wings could see, | |
| When thou didst rise, | 10 |
| And what can never more be done, | |
| Did at mid-night speak with the Sun! | |
| |
| O who will tell me, where | |
| He found thee at that dead and silent hour! | |
| What hallow'd solitary ground did bear | 15 |
| So rare a flower, | |
| Within whose sacred leafs did lie | |
| The fulness of the Deity. | |
| |
| No mercy-seat of gold, | |
| No dead and dusty Cherub, nor carv'd stone, | 20 |
| But his own living works did my Lord hold | |
| And lodge alone; | |
| Where trees and herbs did watch and peep | |
| And wonder, while the Jews did sleep. | |
| |
| Dear night! this worlds defeat; | 25 |
| The stop to busie fools; cares check and curb; | |
| The day of Spirits; my souls calm retreat | |
| Which none disturb! | |
| Christs progress, and his prayer time; | |
| The hours to which high Heaven doth chime. | 30 |
| |
| Gods silent, searching flight: | |
| When my Lords head is fill'd with dew, and all | |
| His locks are wet with the clear drops of night; | |
| His still, soft call; | |
| His knocking time; The souls dumb watch, | 35 |
| When Spirits their fair kinred catch. | |
| |
| Were all my loud, evil days | |
| Calm and unhaunted as is thy dark Tent, | |
| Whose peace but by some Angels wing or voice | |
| Is seldom rent; | 40 |
| Then I in Heaven all the long year | |
| Would keep, and never wander here. | |
| |
| But living where the Sun | |
| Doth all things wake, and where all mix and tyre | |
| Themselves and others, I consent and run | 45 |
| To ev'ry myre, | |
| And by this worlds ill-guiding light, | |
| Erre more then I can do by night. | |
| |
| There is in God (some say) | |
| A deep, but dazzling darkness; As men here | 50 |
| Say it is late and dusky, because they | |
| See not all clear; | |
| O for that night! where I in him | |
| Might live invisible and dim. | |
| |
