SONNET_. TO FAITH

Hail! Holy FAITH, on life\'s wide ocean tost,
I see thee sit calm in thy beaten bark;
As NOAH sat, thron\'d in his high-borne ark,
Secure and fearless, while a world was lost!
In vain, contending storms thy head enzone,
Thy bosom shrinks not from the bolt that falls:
The dreadful shaft plays harmless, nor appals
Thy steadfast eye, fixt on Jehovah\'s throne!
E\'en tho\' thou saw\'st the mighty fabric nod,
Of system\'d worlds, thou bears\'t a sacred charm,
Grav\'d on thy heart, to shelter thee from harm:
And thus it speaks:--"Thou art my trust, O GOD!,
And thou canst bid the jarring powers be still,
Each ponderous orb, like me, subservient to thy will!