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The New Zealand Evangelist

Poetry — The Christian's Creed.

Poetry.

The Christian's Creed.

I own no God Most High but one,
The Triune Majesty,
The co-eternal Father, Son,
And Spirit, One in Three.
I own no Advocate with God
But Christ from God who came;
Close by his Cross apostles trode,
And publicans the same.
I own no Guide to Christ but Him,
Who from the Son proceeds;
Our strength how frail, our sight how dim,
Till God the spirit leads!
I own no good in guilty man,
Nought in my flesh but ill;
I serve not, choose not, Christ, nor can
Till Christ convert my will.
I own salvation all of Grace,
Remission but by Blood,
And Faith's sole power my heart to place
Beneath the cleansing Flood.
page 13 I own one Body—Christ the Head;
One Spirit—through the whole,
By God, who raised Him from the dead;
Breathed as a quickening soul.
One Gospel-Hope; one Lord; one Trust;
One Sign of death to sin;
One God and Father of the just,
Above, amongst, within.
I count each church—its Symbols, songs,
Communion, Elders—mine;
To all, in my charmed sight, belongs
The’ identity Divine.
A hundred banners, once unfurled,
Show the same Crown inwove:
Now hail! ye conquerors of the world,
Omnipotent in love!
I own, that light is shrined in heaven,
That, Lord, our heaven art Thou,
That heaven is opened, Thou art given,
In gleams and glimpses, now.
I own that heaven-lit joy and love
Through holy works must shine:
But still our right to palms above
Is from above—'tis Thine.
Yes, this my first and final faith,
The Gospel I profess;
This hope in death the righteous hath—
Thy death-wrought Righteousness!
My thoughts may range o'er truth, or roam
Where doubts and conflicts toss,—
But ever, as the dove flies home,
Light last upon the Cross.
Naked as now of human boast,
When I have reached my grave,
Then, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
Me, chief of Sinners, save!

W. M. Bunting.

Anger may be reconciled, Hatred cannot.—Watson.