Still seem, as to my childhood’s sight,
  A midway station given,
For happy spirits to alight,
  Betwixt the earth and heaven.

Can all that optics teach, unfold
  Thy form to please me so,
As when I dreamt of gems and gold
  Hid in thy radiant bow?

When science from creation’s face
  Enchantment’s veil withdraws,
What lovely visions yield their place
  To cold material laws!

And yet, fair bow, no fabling dreams,
  But words of the Most High,
Have told why first thy robe of beams
  Was woven in the sky.

When o’er the green undeluged earth
  Heaven’s covenant thou didst shine,
How came the world’s gray fathers forth
  To watch thy sacred sign!

And when its yellow lustre smiled
  O’er mountains yet untrod,
Each mother held aloft her child
  To bless the bow of God.

The earth to thee her incense yields,
  The lark thy welcome sings,
When, glittering in the freshen’d fields,
  The snowy mushroom springs.

How glorious is thy girdle, cast
  O’er mountain, tower, and town,
Or mirror’d in the ocean vast
  A thousand fathoms down!

As fresh in yon horizon dark,
  As young thy beauties seem,
As when the eagle from the ark
  First sported in thy beam.

For, faithful to its sacred page,
  Heaven still rebuilds thy span;
Nor lets the type grow pale with age
  That first spoke peace to man.

T. Campbell.

HERE FOLLOWETH THE LIFE OF ABRAHAM

The Sunday called Quinquagesima is read in the church the history of the holy patriarch Abraham which was the son of Terah.  This Terah was the tenth from Noah in the generation of Shem.  Japhet had seven sons and Ham four sons.  Out of the generation of Ham Nimrod came, which was a wicked man and cursed in his works, and began to make the tower of Babel which was great and high.  And at the making of this tower, God changed the languages, in such wise that no man understood other.  For tofore the building of that tower was but one manner speech in all the world, and there were made seventy-two speeches.  The tower was great, it was ten miles about and five thousand and eighty-four steps of height.  This Nimrod was the first man that found mawmetry and idolatry, which endured long and yet doth.  Then I turn again to Terah which had three sons, which was Abram, Nahor, and Haran.  Of Nahor came Us, Bus, and Batuel.  Of Us came Job, of Bus came Balaam, and of Batuel Rebekah and Laban.  Of Haran came Lot and two daughters, Melcha and Sara.

Now I shall speak of Abram of whom our blessed lady came.  He wedded Sara, daughter of his brother Haran.  Abram was ever faithful and true, he was sixty-five years old when his father died, for whom he mourned till our Lord comforted him, which said to Abram:  Abram, make thee ready and go out of thy land and kindred, and also from the house of thy father, and come into the land that I shall show to thee.  I shall make thee grow into much people; I shall bless thee and magnify thy name, and thou shalt be blessed, and I shall bless them that bless thee, and curse them that curse thee, and in thee shall be blessed all the kindreds of the earth.