casting crowns

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The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.
     Revelations, Chapter 4.

William Blake, The Four and Twenty Elders Casting their Crowns before the Divine Throne.

Love Divine John Wesley, 1747.		Simple Twist of Fate Bob Dylan, 1974.
Love divine, all loves excelling, Joy of heaven to earth come down; Fix in us thy humble dwelling; All thy faithful mercies crown! Jesus, Thou art all compassion, Pure unbounded love Thou art; Visit us with Thy salvation; Enter every trembling heart. Breathe, O breathe Thy loving Spirit, Into every troubled breast! Let us all in Thee inherit; Let us find that second rest. Take away our bent to sinning; Alpha and Omega be; End of faith, as its Beginning, Set our hearts at liberty. Come, Almighty to deliver, Let us all Thy life receive; Suddenly return and never, Never more Thy temples leave. Thee we would be always blessing, Serve Thee as Thy hosts above, Pray and praise Thee without ceasing, Glory in Thy perfect love. Finish, then, Thy new creation; Pure and spotless let us be. Let us see Thy great salvation Perfectly restored in Thee; Changed from glory into glory, Till in heaven we take our place, Till we cast our crowns before Thee, Lost in wonder, love, and praise.		They sat together in the park As the evening sky grew dark, She looked at him and he felt a spark Tingle to his bones. 'Twas then he felt alone And wished that he'd gone straight And watched out for a simple twist of fate. They walked along by the old canal A little confused, I remember well They stopped into a strange hotel With the neon burnin' bright. He felt the heat of the night Hit him like a freight train Moving with a simple twist of fate. A saxophone someplace far off played As she was walkin' by the arcade. As the light bust through a beat-up shade Where he was wakin' up, She dropped a coin into the cup Of a blind man at the gate And forgot about a simple twist of fate. He woke up, the room was bare He didn't see her anywhere. He told himself he didn't care, Pushed the window open wide, Felt an emptiness inside To which he just could not relate Brought on by a simple twist of fate.
		He hears the ticking of the clocks And walks along with a parrot that talks, Hunts her down by the waterfront docks Where the sailors all come in. Maybe she'll pick him out again, How long must he wait Once more for a simple twist of fate. People tell me it's a sin To know and feel too much within. I still believe she is my twin, But I lost the ring. She was born in spring, But I was born too late To blame it on a simple twist of fate.

So I knelt there at the delta,
at the alpha and the omega,
at the cradle of the river and the seas.
And like a blessing come from heaven
for something like a second
I was healed and my heart was at ease.
     Leonard Cohen, Light as the Breeze.

Tags: Revelations, John Wesley, Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, William Blake.
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