Song 7: The Excellency and Preference of Love -

SECTION I .

The most excellent Gifts nothing without Love.

Could I with men and angels vie
In language, without love,
Nought, but a sounding brass would I,
Or tinkling cymbal, prove.

Could I both preach and prophecy,
All myst'ries understand;
Have knowledge all ingross'd in me,
All gifts at my command:

Yea, had I faith that could remove
Great mountains to the main,
Yet were I destitute of love,
All would be void and vain.

Should I, with Pharisaic shew,
Be lavish of my store,
And tender of my revenue,
To feed the starving poor.

Yea, wanting love, though to the flame
My body give should I,
To win the martyr's glorious name;
I nothing gain thereby.

[If without love to God and men,
Though most devout I seem,
Yet my religion all is vain,
And but an empty dream.]

SECTION II .

The praise of Love, and its Preference to Faith and Hope.

Love suffers long; love envies not;
But evermore is kind;
Ne'er opes the mouth to boast of ought,
Nor proudly puffs the mind.

Love carries not indecently;
Can selfish views exclude:
And lay her own advantage by,
To seek her neighbour's good.

Love thinks no ill; nor soon incens'd,
E'er studies to annoy:
She grieves when sin and error's fenc'd;
But in the truth's her joy.

Love bears all hard things well for peace:
Believes all good things still;
Nor, for her neighbour's prejudice,
Is credulous of ill.

Love hopes all things ev'n of the worst,
And wills their happy change;
Endures all things; nor can be forc'd
By wrongs to hug revenge.

Love shall remain, and shall prevail
In earth and heav'n above,
When tongues shall cease, and prophets fail,
And ev'ry gift, but Love.

For but in part, while here from home,
We know; but wait the day
When perfect interviews will come,
And partial fly away.

Here every notion, thought, and speech,
Our witless childhood shews;
But there our souls shall manhood reach,
And slight our present views.

For now we see but through a glass
Where light is darkly shown;
But then, by vision, face to face,
We'll known, as we are known.

On earth, faith, hope, and love have place,
The third shall reign above;
Of all, the greatest, fairest grace,
Nor God himself is love.
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