Poetical Works Author:James Montgomery Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: ESCAPE FROM THE DELUGE OF OLD. A Wokld of sinners once was drowned, A deluge swept them all away; One family alone had found Mercy in that great judgme... more »nt day. Forewarned of wrath to come, they feared, And, taught by God, prepared an ark, Which o'er the waves in sunshine steered, Where all below was dead and dark. Again the Spirit of the Lord Moved on the formless deep and void, And to the patriarch's sight restored The relics of that world destroyed : A world without a breathing soul, Or sign of life in plant or tree; Stretched like a corpse from pole to pole, Untravelled land, unvoyaged sea! Then from their hiding-place they came, And straightway built an altar there; Whence rose to heaven the double flame Of pure burnt sacrifice and prayer. We, in an ark not made with hands, God's own new covenant of peace, Which on the rock of ages stands, Seek refuge till his anger cease. Then, as the cloud-born rainbow smiled On Noah's ransomed ones, we trace Our heavenly Father reconciled In our incarnate Saviour's face. THE BUILDING OF ANOTHER TOWER THAN BABEL. When men once more were multiplied, In language and in heart the same, " Come, let us build a tower," they cried, " To heaven, and get ourselves a name." The Lord came down to see their boast, Troubled their speech, perplexed their hands, And drove the panic-smitten host From Shinar's plains through unknown lands. A tower and temple more sublime, Whose top, indeed, to heaven shall reach, Is raised, — that men of every clime Again may have one heart, one speech. As varying instruments accord To form the sweetest minstrelsy, All hearts, as one, may love the Lord, All tongues, as one, in praise agree. Thus, till the head-stone be brough...« less