FROM THE LIBRARY OF REV. LOUIS FITZGERALD BENSON, D. D.
BEQUEATHED BY HIM TO
THE LIBRARY OF
PRINCETON THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY
DMsioa Sectfoa
THE
GATES OF PRAISE.
DR. MACDUFF'S WORKS.
Memories of Patmos $2.00
Memories of Olivet 200
Comfort ye, Comfort ye 1.50
Noontide at Sychar 1.50
Memories of Gennesaret 1.50
The Footsteps of St. Paul 1 50
Sunsets on the Hebrew Mountains 1.50
The Shepherd and his Flock 1.50
The Prophet of Fire 1.50
Clefts of the Rock 1 50
St. Paul in Rome 1.25
The Gates of Prayer. A Book of Private Devotion
for Morning and Evening
Family Prayers 1.25
Memories of Bethany 1.00
The Healing Waters of Israel 1.25
Grapes of Eshcol 1.00
Tales of the Warrior-Judges 1.00
Altar Incense (Private Prayers) 1.00
The Story of Bethlehem 1 00
The Hart and Water-brooks 1.00
The Woodcutter and Exiles i-oo
Curfew Chimes 0.75
Words and Mind of Jesus ... 0.-0
Morning and Night Watches 0.5c
Thoughts of God 0.50
The Bow in the Cloud 0.50
G:ties of Refuge 050
Great Journey 0.50
Child's Book of Divinity 0.35
P'ergus Morton 0.35
A Golden Sunset 0.35
ROBERT CARTER AND BROTHERS, New York.
THE
GATES OF P
\nii otjjcr (Drigtnal JSnmns, poems, an& fragments of U*rst.
/ / BY
t y
J. R. MACDUFF, D.D.
AUTHOR OF " MORNING AND NIGHT WATCHES,' "MEMORIES OF BETHANY," ETC. ETC-
NEW YORK: ROBERT CARTER AND BROTHERS,
530 Broadway. 1S76.
Cambridge : Presswo7'k by John Wilson 6° Son.
THESE PAGES ABB
g*fcUat*ir
TO MY VENERATED FRIEND,
H. V. TEBBS, Esq.
(late of doctors commons),
WHO HAS SOOTHED MANY BY HIS POETRY,
MANY MORE BY HIS WORDS AND DEEDS OF KINDNESS,
AND MADE,
BOTH AT HOME AND ABROAD,
THE CHURCH OF CHRIST HIS DEBTOR,
preface.
Most of the following Verses were com- posed, in the midst of other studies, for this Volume. Some; however, have appeared in various shapes and at wide intervals else- where, and are now put in a collected form.
A few, as will be seen, were written with a purposed simplicity. They remain unaltered as originally cast.
The insertion of two pieces at the close, from a now silent pen, is explained in a foot- note.
Contents.
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PACK |
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The Gates of Praise . |
I |
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Song of Deborah . • . |
IO |
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The First Advent . . • |
22 |
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u The City of the Crystal Sea " . |
25 |
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Natures Hymn . . • |
35 |
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Sennacherib . . • |
3* |
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The Divine Sovereignty . |
69 |
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The Yearning of the Father and the Sigh |
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of the Prodigal . . |
73 |
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" But Thou Femaiuest" . . |
76 |
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Farewell to Palestine • . |
78 |
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What is a Noble Life ? . |
85 |
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David Livingstone: His Death and Burial |
92 |
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The Incorruptible . |
102 |
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Missionary Hymn — The Cross of Ch |
ist . |
103 |
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Mizfiah .... |
106 |
CONTENTS.
The Rock of Ages .
Early Graves
A Threefold Litany
Here and There .
Even So .
Ihe Possession of Iniquity .
The Strength of he Weary .
Barzillai the Gileadite • .
Sufficient Grace . . .
Be Ye also Ready . . .
Beyond the River .
The Co7iirite and Hujjible Spirit .
Ebe?iezer ....
Prayer . . • .
Scepticism and Faith . .
Life's Eventide . • •
Hy?nn of the Exiled Vaudois
" Love of Right, and Scorn of Wrong"
The Mutable and the Immutable .
Sins Cast into the Depths of the Sea
Paraphrase of Psalm xxiii.
Missionary Hymn — Millennial Glory
CONTENTS.
|
y&vish Missionary Hymn — The Captiz |
PAGE e |
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Daughter of Z ion |
167 |
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Morning Hymn . |
170 |
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A Mourner's Morning Hymn |
173 |
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Evening Hymn |
177 |
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Sunday Morning . |
179 |
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Christmas .... |
1S2 |
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Suffering and Victory — Passion Week ant |
i |
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Easter |
184 |
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Easter . |
, 187 |
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Whitsunday . . . |
189 |
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Second Advent . • . |
191 |
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Holy Communion . . |
193 |
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Hai-vest Hymn . . . |
195 |
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The All- Sufficiency of Christ's Love . |
197 |
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There are no Untimely Deaths . , |
199 |
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Where is Peace Found . . , |
202 |
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The Grave of Bethany . . , |
204 |
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Old Age Befriended . • , |
206 |
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The Fountain of Salvation • , |
208 |
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Bonus Pastor . . , |
210 |
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The Good Shepherd . . , |
211 |
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xii COX TEXTS. |
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PAGB |
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Life and Death . . • |
212 |
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" Comfort Ye" . • . , |
213 |
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A Warning Bell . |
217 |
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The Best Friend . . |
219 |
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Unbelief Rebuked . |
221 |
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The Song of the Redeemed in Heaven |
223 |
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The Day Breaketh |
226 |
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The Final Rest . • . , |
227 |
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I ?i Memoriam — |
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The Prince Consort . # |
231 |
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The Fallen Flower . . |
237 |
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Thomas Guthrie, D.D. |
239 |
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A. M. |
242 |
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Isabelle: a legend of Provence |
244 |
To a Mother on the Death of a?i Only Daughter ....
254
©ije ffiates of praise*
Temple of Praise ! while yet the world was
young Thy portals opened : when the morning star Over a new-born earth its matin sung, And all the Sons of God, from near and far, Shouted for joy : unwaged the direful war Of sin and death ; — unknown the Tempter's
thraU : No note discordant was allowed to mar Creation's tuneful harmonies ; but all Her harps were strung to keep high birthday
festival.
While thus remained unblighted Eden'a
bowers,
Her two unfallen minstrels loved to raise
A
THE GATES OF PRAISE.
Their pure and faultless orisons : — glad
hours, In grateful adoration of the ways Of their Supreme Creator : — blessed lays Chaunted by holy lips ; — a holy hymn That sanctified earth's earliest "Gates of
Praise," Ere yet transgression made their lustre dim, And o'er them waved the sword of naming
cherubim.
Ages roll by : — Apostacy, begat Of monster sin, is swept by flood away ; Till, on the rainbowed heights of Ararat, A Patriarch pilgrim hails the virgin ray Of a long sackclothed sun. Upon the day Which saw the bu.ied earth once more arise, Clad in new robes of bridal-like array, Hymns eucharistic to cerulean skies Rose sweetly blending with the flame of sacri- fice.
THE GATES OF PRAISE.
New and strange sight beheld on Red Sea
shores : The Gates of Praise festooned with feathery
palm ! What music this a coward host restores, Breathed amid jungle -groves of fragrant halm, As lute and timbrel lead the mighty psalm, Ascribing power and glorious victory Unto the Lord of Hosts — the Great I Am : Who, in the depths of the tumultuous sea, Rider and horse hath cast, and triumphed
gloriously ?
Yet wider open throw these Gates of Praise, To hail the advent of the Minstrel King ; And catch the music of his varying lays, Soaring triumphant upon eagle wing. It seemed as if some angel, hovering Between the earth and heaven, had dropt a
wire Of his celestial harp : the charmed string
THE GATES OF PRAISE.
The shepherd -boy seized for his mountain lyre, And sang thenceforth the songs of heaven's seraphic choir.
Hark ! how he calls all Nature to arise In homage to its Maker ! Earth and sea, Sun, moon, and stars, hymning in midnight
skies On silver harps their speechless minstrelsy : Fire, snow, and vapour ; stormy wind, and tree Of hoary Lebanon ; and mountain spring, Speeding its headlong course in babbling glee, Or in the valleys softly murmuring, By which the fowls of heaven among the
branches sing.
Now in an avalanche of rushing song, Now in sweet melody of psalm and hymn, The notes of magic music float along Of one who gazed on veiled Seraphim Within the sacred Temple. Not in dim
THE GATES OF PRAISE.
And dull perspective ; — for he saw the train Of the enthroned King, and spake of Him. The Prophet's harp awoke its loftiest strain When down the depths of Time it sang Mes- siah's reign.
Oh, favoured bard ! before whose vision passed The ghosts of shadowy empires — Edom, Tyre, Philistia, and Babylon ; each cast, Like the dead carcase, on its funeral pyre. But not the wind, the earthquake, or the fire Of such stern judgments, formed thy chief
behest, 'Twas when the slumbering music of thy lyre Taught thee to fold thy wings in Christ's sweet
rest, And in the Rock of Ages build the eternal nest !
Long years have passed ; — when lo ! the mid- night sky Teems with celestial hosts — a mighty throng,
THE GATES OF PRAISE.
Bearing their burning message from on high ; Ten thousand angel-harps the strains prolong. Ye Gates of Praise, wide open ! for among The sons of men is born the King of Kings. Let heaven and earth combine their loftiest
song To Him who pardon and salvation brings, And hail the Risen Sun with healing in His
wings !
The summons is obeyed. From earliest
hymn Of lowly gratitude and love, which rose From Virgin Mother's lips, adoring Him As her own Saviour ; to the song, of those Heroic martyrs, who, amid the throes Of death and torture, with attendant shame, Confronting demon rage of hellish foes, Ceased not in strains of triumph to proclaim, Unflinching, joyous trust in Christ's great love
and name !
THE GATES OF PRAISE,
And still the voice of praise ascends aloud ;
Waking the echoes in each corridor
Of the vast Christian Temple. Wondrous
crowd ! Who love the Name of Jesus to ador^ : From ransomed spirits on the heavenly shore, The golden harpers of the glassy sea, Standing as minstrel Levites evermore, To saints on earth who lowly b ml the knee, And hymn through tear - dimmed eyes their
plaintive melody.
Nor is Creation silent ; every wood, .
And tuneful grove, and stream that warbles
by,
Through flowery mead or lonely solitude. The lark shrill carolling in vernal sky, The nightingale with gushing minstrelsy, The ocean lifting its eternal voice, The thunder pealing through the vaults on high.
THE GATES OF PRAISE.
Majestic orchestra ! All. all rejoice To swell the lofty song and "make a joyful noise."
Thrice blessed will that promised era he, When this fair world, then fairer still, shall
rise In pristine beauty. When no minor key Shall mingle with her joyous harmonies : When all that's good remains, and evil dies. Nor sin, nor death, nor woe, shall e'er again Project their dismal shadows. Hushed the
cries Of cruel war, unloosed the bondsman's chain, And every harp attuned to sing Messiah's
reign.
0 gracious Lord of all ! Immortal King ! Dwelling in regions of unclouded day Within heaven's Temple-Gates — inhabiting The praises of Thine own Eternity ;
THE GATES OF PRAISE.
Accept the tribute of this feeble lay :
And grant, at last, that 'mid the burning
throng Of glorious spirits, who in bright array, Through endless years their anthem-peals pro- long, A humble strain be mine in the unending song!
•Sonij of iDeboral).
A Poetical Paraphrase and Traxsi ation. — Judges v. 1-31.*
In TFODUCTioN. — Key-note of the song — its purpose and theme.
Praise the name of Great Jehovah !
Israel's vengeance has been wrought. Silenced is the chariot's rattle, Willing people rushed to battle,
Nobly have her warriors fought.
Hear, ye kings ; give ear, ye princes ; Gather round, ye patriot throng.
* I have availed myself of the most approved recent readings and alterations of Hebrew scholars ; a'though our own authorised versiori preserves, with singular accuracy, the spirit of the original.
SONG OF DEBORAH. \\
As I now recount the story, And ascribe to God the glory,
Wake, my harp ! and aid the song.
The great victory of a former age. — The proudest me7iiory of the Hebrew annals is recalled.
0 Jehovah ! when Thou wentest Forth in Thy great might from Seir, When through Edom's field Thou sentest Storm and cloud in wild career ; — Quaked the earth with thunder riven, Mountain-heights asunder driven,
Forked arrows fell apace : Yea, the clouds down water poured, At Thine awful presence, Lord, Sinai trembled to its base.
The recent desolation of the land. — To enhance the greatness of the triumph, the previous demoralisation of the people is described.
In Jael's days, and those of Shamgar, Son of Anath — lion-hearted ;
12 SONG OF DEBORAH,
Panic-stricken was the nation, All its prowess had departed :
Every foeman cowered with fright From the warlike Canaanite.
Byways were by travellers taken, All the highways were forsaken ; Israel's hamlets, ceased had they, And in heaps of ruin lay. Stranger gods the people chose Till I, Deborah, arose,
To save them from their fate : Apostate race ! alas ! till then, Among her forty thousand men, No voice was heard to turn again
The war-cry from the gate : Shield there was none, nor spear noi
sword, To fight the battles of the Lord : —
The land degenerate !
SONG OF DEBORAH. 13
Tribute of thanks to the victorious army. — The brave of all ranks wJio willingly offered themselves in the hotir oj peril.
My spirit, grateful, turns to you, Ye chiefs of Israel noted ; And you, ye people, staunch and true, The loyal self devoted j Let us raise Our Hymn of Praise, Praise Jehovah !
A special call made to those who, by victory, have had their state and htxuries restored.
Ye who on white she-asses ride, Or seat yourselves on rich divans, Who at the Judgment -gate preside, Or march in gorgeous caravans ;
Ye who the highway walk along, Come, meditate with me the song !
14 SONG OF DEBORAH.
The contrast. — The Peace which followed a reign of terror. The women of Israel resume, without dread, the drawing of water at the village fcuntains ; and the gates of the cities are again opened.
No more the archers' shouts of plunder Rise now at the wells of water : There the matron and her daughter Listen with exulting wonder To the call to come and tell, What through God's great acts befel The tribes of chosen Israel. Silenced is the battle's roar, The bow is now unstrung, Up high the shield is hung, The gates which panic shut before Are now wide open flung !
The Invocation. — By a sudden transition she calls upon herself as the minstrel of the occasion, to rise to the dignity of the theme; — introducing the name of Israel's leader.
0 Deborah awake, Lift up the song,
SONG OF DF.no RAH. 15
Barak arise ! and break The serried throng. Son of Abinoam, forth to martial deed ! And in triumphal pride thy captive captives lead.
The muster of the tribes. — She praises the willing.
Down against the foemen mighty Came the valiant of Jehovah ; They went down against the heroes, Epliraim from the Mount of Amalek ; Benjamin then followed after ; Rulers of the ho st from Machir : Out of Zebulon, the favoured, Who the mustering warriors marshalled: Issachar, though once a wave re r, Came with me and all his princes — Issachar the strength of Barak. Oa they rushed into the Valley.
16 SOXG OF DEBORAH.
The I alf-Learted and cowardly are rebuked.
First, beside the streams of Reuben, There were heard some brave decis'ons : Why then sat'st thou 'mong thy sheep- folds ? Was it idly there to listen To the lo wings of thy cattle ; Peaceful pastorals preferring To the blare of martial trumpet ? Reuben ! thine unstable ardour Ended only in debatings. Gilead, 'cross the Jordan lingers : Dan — why tarry 'mong thy shipping? By the sea-shore sitteth Ashur, And rejoice th in his harbours.
Two loyal tribes.
Zebulon, the death-defying, Vied with Napthali in rushing To the thickest of the battle.
SONG OF DEBORAH. 1 7
The battle and the battle-field. — The gathering of the Canaanites, and the rush of the tempest which decided the fortunes of the day.
There the kings of Canaan came, Kings of Canaan came and fought
Near Megiddo's water : Bootless was their daring aim, Golden booty took they not,
In that day of slaughter.
Sisera !— the stars on high, Fought against thy myriad host ; Tempests gathered in the sky ; In the storm-blast thou wert lost !
More than sword, or sling, or stone, Was the hail from heaven which fell ;
God's own arrows had o'erthrown The foemen of His Israel.
Kishon with its gushing stream Swept the struggling ranks away ;
Vain all efforts to redeem
The fortunes of that direful day !
B
l8 SONG OF DEBORAH.
The heavens above in blackness frown, That ancient torrent bore them down.
The hosts of Sisera were scattering.
As the stars fought in their courses ; Broken hoofs heard wildly clattering
Of the prancing chariot horses : — But plungings, plungings were in vain, To drag these from the mire again.
A curse on Meroz for standing aloof from the vengeance iuh ich followed.
Thus doth God's messei ger proclaim; — " Curse ye Meroz— curse the name, Doubly curse her sons with shame, For the dastards never came
To the Great Jehovah's aid ;
Doubly curse the renegade ! "
The capture and death of Sisera. — His flight and tragical fate.
Above all women praised be Jael, Heroine Kenite — Heber's wife ;
SONG OF DEBORAH. 19
Bless'd be she above all women,
For her bea-'ng in the strife. When, within the curtained harem,
Water she was asked to give, Curdled milkun lordly vessel
Gave she to the fugitive. Sisera, the warrior- chieftain,
Lay in slumber deep and sound ; With her hand the wooden tent-peg
Wrenched she from the yielding ground. With the blow of workman's hammer
She the prostrate victim slew, And with this inglorious weapon
Clave his temples through and through.
At her feet he bowed, he lay ; At her feet he bowed, he fell : Fell — the hero of the fray Deemed so late invincible !
20 SONG OF DEBORAH.
The exi'ECTEd eooty. — Sisera* s mother and her maidens
watch the return of the conqueror.
The mother of Sisera,
Proud-hearted Queen,
Went to the lattice,
A chieftain in mien :
From the window she cried,
" Why tarries his car ?
What hinders his bringing
The trophies of war ? Impatient we look for the wreath on his brow, Why tany the wheels of his chariot now ? "
The princesses answer, She also replies, " They only thus tarry To portion the prize : One damsel — two damsels — Each hero will share, And bright divers colours Shall Sisera wear —
SONG OF DEBORAH. 21
Rich varments, embroidered And varied in hue, The ornaments stripped From the foemen he slew."
Close of the song. — Imprecation and ilessing.
So perish Thine enemies, Lord, I implore
Thee \ Perish all those to Thy glory defiant : But let Thine own people, who love and adore
Thee, Be like to the sun going forth as a giant *
&fje JFtrat Sltibent
" 77/* Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto tJie meek ; He hath sent me to b nd up the broken- hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound ; to pro- claim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God ; to comfort all that motirn ; to appoint uiito ihem that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness." — Isa. lxi. i, 2, 3.
He comes ! in meek and lowly human form, Unheralded by dazzling pomp and noise, Not in the " fire, the earthquake, or the storm, n But with the accents of " the still small voice."
He comes ! to preach the gospel to the poor, Franchise the slave, and break the bondsman's
chain, To wrench the bars from off the dungeon-door, And set the pining captive free again.
THE FIRST ADVENT. 23
He comes ! the Messenger to broken hearts ; Affliction of its poignant sting disarms ; " To him that hath no helper " help imparts ; The little child smiles fearless in His arms.
He comes ! to give the groping blind their
sight, To wipe the tear from off the mourner's eye, To cheer the orphan's darkened home with
light,
And soothe the widow in her agony.
He comes ! to rescue from the guilt of sin, And from its tyrant power to grant release ; To hush the rage of demon storms within, And leave His own best legacy of " Peace."
He comes ! to stop the roll of conquering drum, Unyoke the steeds from Battle's iron car, To strike the fevered lips of cannon dumb, And hang in silent halls the trump of wTar.
24 THE FIRST ADVENT.
He conies ! 0 Earth give welcome to His voice ! He comes ! Thy tribes to pay Him homage
rise ! He comes ! to make thine arid wastes rejoice, And blossom like a second Paradise.
W&t £itp_ of tf)c Crgstal Sea,"
" I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem." — Rev. xxi. 2.
u And lie showed me a pure river of the water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the Throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it" &C. — Rev. xxii. 1, 2.
" Come, father, mother, Elsie dear, I like you
near me now, For I feel the icy finger laid already on my
brow ; Come near and sit beside me, as my strength
is failing fast ; Could I only take you with me, then Death's
anguish would be past ; My Saviour- God is calling me — I know it is
His voice, For you I grieve, but for myself I only can
rejoice :
26 CITY OF THE CRYSTAL SEA.
Oh, do not weep — for short the time our parting is to be :
We shall meet in the City of the Crystal Sea.
"I hoped to live for longer years, and even
now I seem At times to think this death-bed is but a
passing dream : I gladly would have lengthened out my child- hood's sunny years, I never liked to hear this earth miscalled a
Vale of Tears. As winte> came and winter went, I never
seemed to tire, As merrily our voices rang around the parlour
fire ; But round that winter hearth now, a vacant
seat must be ;
For I'm going to the City of the Crystal Sea.
CITY OF THE CRYSTAL SEA. 27
" I had hoped that, as in years gone by, so
still would I have been A happy joyous playmate upon the village
green : I had hoped to go in spring-time with my
basket and my hood, To search for yellow primroses with Elsie in
the wood. Yes, when spring and early summer came, to
pluck the hawthorn spray, And roam o'er banks of wild flowers through- out the livelong day : To listen to the singing birds and humming of
the bee ;
Far distant seemed the City of the Crystal Sea.
" It was this day, three months ago, I spoke of
Christmas time, When the bells above the snow-wreaths would
ring their merry chime,
28 CITY OF THE CRYSTAL SEA.
How busy then I thought, would my fingers
now have been, In decking porch and lych-gate in their drapery
of green ; In decking all the church too, till the short
day's sunshine fails, The pillars and the lectern and the pulpit's
oaken rails ; But other and far better things, are in reserve
for rue,
"When I enter God's own City of the Crystal Sea,
u I had wished, I own, to serve Him some time
longer here below, And on little kindly errands now and then to
come and go ; I had purposed, on next new year's day, to
walk to Poynder's mill "Witli the book-stand and the flower-glass for
Mabel's window-sill,
CITY OF THE CRYSTAL SEA. 29
The cushion and the pillows I was working for
her chair, A bunch of holly berries, and my plant of
maiden hair ; You can take her still these little things as keepsakes sent by me,
When I've left you for the City of the Crystal Sea.
"Oh ! often have I thought, too, when not so
strong as now, When age would overtake you with wrinkles
on your brow, How happy it would make me to help you,
parents dear, And do the little best I could your closing
days to cheer ; How nice for me and Elsie, in our turn to sit
at night, To smooth your ruffled pillows, and to watch
you till daylight ;
30 CITY OF THE CRYSTAL SEA.
I had hoped to pay you back again for all you've been to me ;
But we'll meet in the City of the Crystal Sea.
""When you come to visit the spot, mother,
where I shall silent lie, The thought may sometimes startle you, ' How
came she thus to die ? Why were the angels sent so soon to bear her
far away, Why did the sun of life go down while yet
'twas early day ? ' Oh, trust God's love and wisdom, which
though often now concealed, Will one day in His own bright world come all
to be revealed ; Yes, all that now is dark to us, we then shall
clearly see,
In the light of the City of the Crystal Sea.
CITY OF THE CRYSTAL SEA. 31
11 When first upon a couch of pain my throb- bing head was laid,
That God might raise me up again, how fer- vently I prayed ;
But He, perhaps, foresaw too well the briar and the thorn,
Which might, like other wand'ring sheep, my straying feet have torn ;
Too surely would His wisdom know, that with a longer life
I might have proved unequal for the battle and the strife,
And therefore the unanswered prayer was all in love to me,
So He took me to the City of the Crystal Sea.
"And when all this is over, and time has
onward rolled ; 0 father, mother, Elsie, never tnmk of me as
old.
32 CITY OF THE CRYSTAL SEA.
Never think of me out as 1 am, without an
earthly care, No wrinkle on my forehead— no white-lock in
my hair ; Never think of me as dying— never think of
me as dead, But think of me only, as by guardian angels
led: Yes, think of me, I pray you, as young as now
I be,
A child still in the City of the Crystal Sea.
"And if at any future time should sorrow be
in store, Should poverty or sickness come across your
cottage door ; Accept of every trial as God's messenger of
love To raise your hearts' affections to my better
home above ;
CITY OF THE CRYSTAL SKA.
33
A few short years at farthest, and beyond this
scene of woe We shall meet where partings are unknown,
and sorrow cannot go : From all temptations ' clean escaped ' — from all afflictions free,
Safe for ever in the City of the Crystal Sea.
"Yes, I'm going to a region which is ever fair
and bright, Where all the blessed angels walk in fields of
golden light, Where the cherubim and seraphim surround
the Great I AM, And the armies of the ransomed sing the
praises of the Lamb ; Oh, wondrous thought ! this feeble tongue
shall soon take up the strain, And join in 'Worthy is the Lamb— the Lamb
for sinners slain ; '
34 CITY OF THE CRYSTAL SEA.
My dearly loved Redeemer in His beauty I " shall see,
The glory of the City of the Crystal Sea.
"Come nearer, come yet nearer, I like you
near me now, For I feel Death's icy finger still colder on my
brow ; The Angels are all standing round, I hear my
Saviour's voice, The Gates of glory stand ajar, I cannot but
rejoice. My eye-sight fast is dimming — the lengthening
shadows fall, I dare not longer tarry and resist the Master's
call ; Farewell ! — I may'nt return to you : but you
can come to me "
§he entered then the City of the Crystal Sea.
Nature's $?umn.
"Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord" —Psalm cl. 6.
Praise Him, 0 praise Him, ye ministering
Seraphim ! Praise ye Jehovah enthroned on high : Awake every harp, ye archangels, and tell of
Him Shrouded in glory, yet graciously nigh.
Praise Him, "bright Sun, in the glow of thy
splendour ; Praise Him, thou Moon, silver queen of the
night ; Ye Stars, who like virgin retainers attend her, O praise the Great Lord who hath robed you
with light !
36 NATURES HYMN.
Praise Him, O praise Him, ye soft flowing
fountains, Amid the lone valleys go murmur your song ; Uplift the loud anthem, ye thunder-voiced
mountains, Let peak answer peak and re-echo the song !
Ye forests — ye need no cathedral of marble, No Thurifer's censer to perfume your shrine ; Your own winged choirs will His praises best
warble, Your woodland flowers scatter sweet incense
divine !
Praise Him, ye mists which on mountain-tops
hoary, Like white wings of cherub the rock -clefts
enfold ; Praise Him, ye sunset- clouds, piled in your
glory, Resplendent with amber, vermilion, and gold.
nature's HYMN. 37
Praise Him, O praise Him, ye deeps with your
wonders, Discourse of His glory to earth's farthest shore ; In lullaby ripples, in hoarse-booming thunders, In stillness and storm, lend your voice and
adore !
All Nature arise ! the great anthem intoning; And from your vast storehouse a tribute-lay
bring : No voice can be silent, let all join in owning Jehovah as Maker, Redeemer, and King 1
Sennacijerik
(Arranged for an Oratorio.)*
PART I.— OVERTURE.
Mustering of the distant nations like tJu waves of the sea. — Isa. v. 30.
Scene. — Tcmjile-gate of Jerusalem.
The Prophet Isaiah (Recti).
u Behold the Lord bringeth up upon them The waters of the river, strong and many, Even the King of Assyria and all his glory : And he shall come up over all his channels,
* In order to explain the peculiarity of what may be called the dramatic treatment, the author thinks it well to state, that he had this musical arrangement in view in the composition of what follows ; and that in cue time, and in competent hands, it will receive such rendering. It has often been to him a matter of wonder, that the master "Tone-poets" in Germany and England have hitherto omitted to include in their great works, a portion of sacred
SENNACHFRIB.
39
And go over all his banks :
And lie shall pass through Jiulah ;
lie shall overflow and go over.
And in that day they shall roar against them
like the roaring of the sea ; And if one look unto the land, Behold darkness and sorrow, And the light is darkened in the heavens
thereof."— Isa. viii. 7, 8 ; v. 30.
Scene.— Palace at Nineveh — Chorus in Cedar Hall, in presence of Sennacherib.
1st Chorus.
Sound, mighty King, the trump of war ! Prepare the bowstrings, yoke the steeds ;
story which is unsurpassed, or rather unequalled, in variety of interest; combining as it does so remarkably, the epic and elegaic. It may be added that, for the above reason, he has deemed it better not to give the pis-ages put into the lips of the principal personage (Isaiah) "rhytimical uniformity ;" he has preferred retaining for the purpose of recit, the varied and irregular structure in our authorised English version.
40 SENNA CHER IB,
They smell the battle from afar, Impatient for gigantic deeds.
2nd Chorus. Arise, valiant Warrior ! Thou " Cedar of
cedars," The favoured of heaven over millions to reign; Great Hero of heroes! great Leader of leaders; Add Zion and Rahab to the heaps of thy slain.
Queen of Sennacherib. Descendant of the mighty Nimrod, Winged Lion — Eagle King ! Thy royal spouse already counteth Up the trophies thou shalt bring.
Two Princesses. Broidered garment — golden tassel, Rarest hues of Tyrian dye : —
Double Chorus. Go ! make Hebrew cowards vassal, And their boasted God defy !
SENNACHERIB. 41
SCENE. — Temple of Nisroch — Sennacherib offers sacrifices.
Sennacherib.
Hear me ! Eagle-headed Nisroch
Take the lily and pomegranate
As the pledge of mighty conquests,
Like to those my hero-father *
Gained before the walls of Ashdod.
Thou dost know my glory : — Are not
Altogether kings my princes ?
Is not Calno as Carchemish ?
Is not Hamath too as A rphad ?
And Samaria as Damascus ?
As I did unto their idols
So, by lily and pomegranate,
So, by winged bull and lion,
Shall I do to haughty Zion.t
Priestess of Temple, Go, mighty King, undaunted on ; Fear not to pass the Lebanon ;
* Sa-gon. t Isa. x. 7-11.
42 SENNA CHER IB.
Thy chariots and thy men of might Shall climb its loftiest mountain-height. Before thee shall its cedars fall, Before thee bend its fir-trees tall. Thou shalt return in glittering car Triumphant with the spoils of Avar, With spears and shields of mighty men As votive offerings to this Fane ; And on its walls we shall inscribe Fresh glories of Sennacherib !
SCENE. — Front of Nineveh Palace. (Trumpets sounding. ) Military march on departure of the Assyrian army.
Chorus. Ye quarries of Ashur ! prepare your best
marble, Ye sculptors, make ready your tools for the
story ; Each hall of the Palace, each frieze of the
Temple, Shall have for all ages new legends of glory !
SENNACHERIB, 43
PART II.— Symphony.
Messengers 0/ evil tidings speeding in haste from various quarters.
Scene. — Temple-gate at Jerusalem: Hezekiah co n tin fj from the Evening Sacrifice.
Chorus. — list Band. Noblest of the Kings of Judah ! To thy feet we hasten bending ; Heavy tidings have we brought thee, Nought but gloomy woe impending !
Full Chorus. Asshur with his myriad host Fast advances ! We are lost !
2nd Band, Comes he like the eagle soaring, Like the rush of mighty river, Like the wild beasts savage roaring,* Who is able to deliver ?
* Isa. v. 29, 30.
4 4 SENNA CHER IB.
Full Chorus. Asslmr with his myriad host Fast advances ! "We are lost !
3rd Band. Already is he come to Aiath ; He has passed the heights of Migron ; Baggage-tents are pitched at Michmas\ Waggons have gone o'er the passage ; They have lodged the night at Geba, Ramah is aghast with terror ; Gibeah of Saul is fleeing ; Lift thy voice, 0 Gallim's daughter, Cause it to be heard to Laish. Anathoth, alas ! — Madmenah I Flee, ye villagers of Gebim ; One day only Nob will stay him, Then his hand shall shake with terr<- 1 'Gainst the Mount of Zion's daughter ; Day of vengeance ! day of slaughter ! *
* Isa. x. 28-32.
SENNACHERIB. 45
Full Chorus. Asshur with his myriad host Fast advances ! We are lost.
Fresh messengers arrive, hearing the ivail of surrounding nations at the approach 0/ the Conqueror.
A Shetkh of Moab. A Fugitive from plun- dered Dedan. A Warrior of Philistia. A Prince of Tyre. An Arab of Dlmah. A Shepherd of Kedar.
The Lion of Asslmr has pounced on his prey,* Each heart in its terror has melted away. The pastures of Moab lie waste with the foe, AndDedan has fled from his sword and hisbow.f Philistia trembles while gazing afar On the column of smoke and the red gleam of
war.t The Princes of Tyre stand aghast at the sight, The Watchmen of Dumah despair of the night. § The Shepherds of Kedar with wailing behold
* I.»a. v. 29. f Tsi. xxi 13-15. \ Isa xiv. 31.
§ Isa. x.\i. 11, 12.
j6 SENNACHERIB.
No tents on its desert — no flock in its fo d.* For Asslmr's proud Lion has pounced on his
prey, Each heart in its terror has melted away !
Isaiah's Wife {herself a Prophetess). In my son behold the sign, u Hasten booty, spoiling speed : f Yet, oh trust the power divine, He will save in time of need !
Weeping may the night endure, But there cometh joy at morn, Zion ! trust the promise sure, Thou wilt ne'er be left forlorn. Isaiah is seen approaching,
Arab of Dumah. u Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night? "J
* Isa. x\i. 16, 17.
t Translation of the name of Isaiah's so 1, Maher-shalal- hash-baz. — l>a. viii. 1. % Isa. xxi. 11.
SENNACHERIB. 47
Isaiah. " Thus saith the Lord God of Hosts, 0 my people that dwellest in Zion, he not afraid
of the Assyrian : He shall smite thee with a rod, And shall lift up his staff against thee after the
manner of Egypt. The Lord of Hosts shall stir up a scourge for him, According to the slaughter of Midian at the
rock of Oreh : And as his rod was upon the sea, So shall he lift it up after the manner of
Egypt."— Isa. x. 24-26.
Arab of Dumah. "Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night ? "
Isaiah. " Behold, the Lord, the Lord of Hosts, Shall lop the bough with terror :
48 SENNACHERIB.
And the high ones of stature shall "be hewn
down, And the haughty shall be humbled. And he shall cut down the thickets of the
forest with iron, And Lebanon shall fall by a mighty one."
— Isa. x. 33, 34.
Arab of Dumah. "Watchman, what of the night ? Watchman, what of the night ? "
Isaiah.
"Woe to the multitude of many people,
Which make a noise like the noise of the seas.
The nations shall rush like the rushing of many waters :
But God shall rebuke them, and they shall flee afar off,
And shall be chased as the chaff of the moun- tains before the wind,
And like a rolling tnmg before the whirl vvid<L
SENNACHERIB. 49
And behold at eventide trouble ; And before the morning he is not. This is the portion of them that spoil us, And the lot of them that rob us.::
— Isa. xvii. 12-14.
Full Chorus. " The light of Israel shall be for a fire, And His Holy One for a flame : And it shall burn and devour his thorns And his briers in one day." — Isa. x. 17.
PART III.— Symphony.
Wailhg over Hezekiatis wavering policy, and itnwoi thy submission in the paym nt of tJie tribute exacted by Sennac/ierib. *
Scene.—
Temple-Court. A Chorus of faithful Jews.
Chorus.
Alas ! for this day of fate, Pillage and plunder !
* 2 Kings xviii. 14-16.
D
50 SENNA CHERIB.
Brazen and cedar-gate Torn both in sunder.
Is it gold we rely on To stay the invader? Alas ! has our Zion No strong God to aid her ?
Aria (a Jewish maiden, daughter of the High Priest). Shame upon the name of regal, That would purchase peace with gold ; Bribing swoop of Asshur's eagle Down afresh on Zion's fold !
Israel's virgins saved from slaughter, Captive pine on foreign shore ; And shall also Judah's daughter, Exiled see her home no more ?
Isaiah utters a icoe for going to Egypt for
help.
" Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help ;
SENNACHERIB. 5 1
And stay on horses,
And trust in chariots because they are main ;
And on horsemen because they are very
strong ; But they look not to the Holy One of Israel, Neither seek the Lord ! " " Therefore shall the strength of Pharaoh be
your shame, And the trust in the shadow of Egypt your
confusion. Look away from me, I will weep bitterly ; Labour not to comfort me, because of the spoil- ing of the daughter of my people. For it is a day of trouble, and of treading down,
and of perplexity, By the Lord God of Hosts in the valley of
vision, Breaking down the walls and of crying to the
mountains."
— Isa. xxxi. 1 ; xxx. 3 ; xxii. 4, 5.
$ 2 SENNA CHER IB.
Scene. — Great Square before the City Gate.
[Hczekiah, just come from the Temple, in the midst of his officers, nobles, and guards, announces
the change in his unworthy policy.']
Hezekiah. Nobles, princes, mighty men ! Let ns be ourselves again : Coward deeds I now deplore, Faithless let us be no more.
Sound the trumpet, bare the sword, In the name of God the Lord ; Furbish helmet, spear, and shield, Proud to die but not to yield.
Be courageous and be strong, Fear not Asshur's martial throng; Though he boast of squadrons grim, There are more with us than him.
SENNACHERIB.
53
Arm of flesh is his alone, But Jehovah's help we own ; Victory to Him ascribe, Mightier than Sennacherib ! *
[And the people rested themselves on the words of Hezekiah King of Judah.] t
Shout of the assembled soldiers and people.
Full Chorus. Hezekiah ! live for ever ! Stoop to base surrender never ! God, our God will yet deliver !
[Iiabshakeh, the great cup-leaver, along with Tartan and Babsaris, under the walls of Jerusalem, addressing Eliakim, Shebna, and Joaft, make a demand of unconditional surrender.]^
* 2 Chron. xxxii. 7, 8. t 2 Chron. xxxii. 8.
J I a. xxxvi. 4-21.
54 SENNACHERIB.
Kabshakeh.
Thus saith the Great King, the King of
Assyria, What confidence is it wherein thou dost
stay? Thou lean'st on the staff of this broken reed
Egypt, Which, while thou art trusting, will crumble
away.
Permit not, ye minions, your King to deceive you:
As if the Jehovah he bids you to trust,
Could cope with the power of the mighty Sen- nacherib,
And save your proud walls being laid in the dust.
Where are the idols of Hamath and Arphad ? The gods who have fought to deliver their land,
SENNACHERIB. 55
Of Hena and Ivah, and far Sepharvaim, And able the gleam of our swords to with- stand ?
Go, tell Hezekiah, if he fail to surrender liis tribute of silver and talents of gold ; Then doomed is your Salem : no power will
defend her From reaping a harvest of vengeance untold ! *
Eliakim {aside). Let us hear the taunt in silence, f
Shebna and Jo ah. From our trust no taunts shall bend us, No such evils can portend us, Great Jehovah will defend us !
Kabshakeh [in a rage). Dogs ! no more shall I entreat you To evade the vengeful flood :
* Isa. xxxvi. 4, 18, 19, 20. t Isa. xxxvi. 21.
56 SENNACHERIB.
Now I go : — but next to meet you With your garments rolled in blood !
[Eabshakeh leaves for the camp at Lachish.]
PART I V.— Symphony and Chorus.
The Lord is in His Holy Temple. Let all the earth keep silence before Him. — Hab. ii. 20.
Scene. — Temple of Jerusalem. Holy of Holies. King Hezekiah spreading out, before the Divine Presence, the railing letter of Sen- nacherib. *
Hezekiah.
O God of Israel, Lord of Hosts, Between the cherubim who dwells, Thou art the God, even Thou alone, Thy glory all the earth excels.
* Isa. xxxvii. 14.
SENNACHERIB. 57
Incline Thine ear, 0 Lord, and hear, Open Thine eyes, 0 Lord, and see ; Hear all the words Sennacherib Hath uttered in reproaching Thee.
In truth, 0 Lord, hath Asshur's Kings Laid waste the nations and their lands ; Their gods into the fire have cast, Dumb idols made by mortal hands.
But now, 0 Lord onr God, us save, Let Thine Almighty power be shown ; That all the kingdoms of the earth May know that Thou art God alone ! *
[Choir in the Temple, as Hezeiciah comes forth from the Most Holy Place.]
Chorus. "Let the sighing of the prisoner come before Thee : according to the greatness of Thy power
* I^a. xxxvii 15-20.
58 SENNACHERIB,
preserve Thou those that are appointed to die." — Ps. Lxxix. 11.
Aria and other Jewish maidens. "They that trust in the Lord shall be as Mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth for ever." — Ps. cxxv. 1.
Answer sent by Isaiah to Hezeldah.
Isaiah.
u Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Whereas thou has prayed to me against Senna- cherib king of Assyria : this is the word which the Lord hath spoken concerning him.
Whom hast thou reproached and blas- phemed ?
And against whom hast thou exalted thy voice,
And lifted up thine eyes on high ? even against the Holy One of Israel.
SENNACHERIB.
59
By thy servants hast thou reproached the Lord,
and hast said, By the multitude of my chariots am I come
up To the height of the mountains, to the sides of
Lebanon ; And I will cut down the tall cedars thereof,
and the choice fir trees thereof : And I will enter into the height of his border,
and the forest of his Carmel. Because thy rage against me, and thy tumult,
is come up into mine ears, Therefore will I put my hook in thy nose, and
my bridle in thy lips, And I will turn thee back by the way by which
thou earnest. For I will defend this city to save it For mine own sake, and for my servant David's
sake."
— Isa. xxxvii. 21-24, 29, 35.
60 SENNA CHE RIB.
Scene. — Morning Camp at Lachish—the de- struction of the army of Sennacherib. *
Sennacherib. Oh, horror of horrors ! how ghastly the story, Which the dawn of the morning reveals to my
sight ! The eagle that soared upon pinions of glory, Lies dashed on the ground in the pride of his
flight !
My warriors have perished : 0 direful awaking ! Ye women of Asshur prepare your loud wail : They are hushed in a slumber which knows no
awaking, Scarce left is a handful to tell the sad tale !
Both rider and steed in dread silence are
blended ; No horse for the chariot, no hand for the sword;
* Isa. xxx vii. 36.
SENNACHERIB. 6 1
For the angel of death has at midnight de- scended,
And stilled every pulse with the breath of the Lord !
Like the wing'd bull of Nisroch, (they were not words idle,
Which the Seer of Jehovah had dared to pro- claim),
"With a hook in his nostril — his lip in a bridle,
Led back he shall be by the way that he came." *
Oh, horror of horrors ! how ghastly the story ! My warriors unconquered, unfallen in fight ; But the blast of the tempest has blown on their glory !
Let the trumpets be sounded, and prepare for the flight. [Blast of trumpets dying in the distance.]
* Isa. xxxvii. 29.
62 SEWXA CHER IB.
Scene. — Temple. Hezekiah, with Princes , Nobles, and Soldiers, oidside the gate, gone to render thanks for deliverance,
{Symphony of Praise.)
Hezekiah. "I shall not die but live, and declare the works of the Lord. Open to me the gates of righteousness : I will go into them, and I will praise the Lord." — Ps. cxviii. 17-19.
Chorus of Priests [respond as they open the gate).
"This gate of the Lord, into which the righteous shall enter." — Ps. cxviii. 20.
Hezekiah. u I will praise Thee ; for Thou hast heard me, and art become my salvation." — Ps. cxviii. 21.
SENNA CHER IB. 63
Aria. "The Lord is good : a stronghold in the day of trouble ; and He knoweth them that trust in Him."— Nalium i. 7.
Hezekiah inside the Temple, surrounded with Priests and Choristers*
1st Band of Choristers. God shall our strength and refuge be, A very present help is He ; And therefore never fear shall we, Although the earth removed be, And hills be cast in midst of sea ; Though waters thereof troubled be, And mountains shake tumultuously.
Full Chorus, The Lord on high is mightier far Than noise of many waters are ;
* The 46th and 76th Psalms are here incorporated and paraphrased ; — the two " Epinikia " or Hymns of Triumph, known, without doubt, to have been c mposed specially for this occasion of national thanksgiving.
64 SENNA CHER IB.
Some put trust in bow and quiver, Lord of Hosts, be ours for ever !
2nd Band of Choristers. Come, and behold the works of God, What desolations are abroad : His wondrous deeds admire ! Nations, stand aghast with wonder, As He breaks the spear in sunder, And the chariot bums with fire !
Full Chorus [with refrain).
God has helped us, that right early, " Helped us at the dawn of morn : " * Zion He doth love too dearly To be left the Gentile's scorn.
The Lord on high is mightier far Than noise of many waters are ; Some put trust in bow and quiver, Lord of Hosts, be ours for ever ! f
* Literal rendering. f Ps. xlvi.
SENNACHERIB. 65
Both Bands of Choristers United. The stout of heart and men of deed, The horseman hold — the noble steed,
Are hushed in slumber deep : The winged bow, the burnished shield, Lie silent on the battle-field,
No vigils now to keep !
No pulses throb, no bosoms stir With rage at their discomfiture,
No tears are there to weep : We hear no more the chariot rattle, The clash of sword, the clang of battle,
The proud have slept their sleep ! *
Full Chorus (with trumpets). The Lord on high is mightier far Than noise of many waters are ; Some put trust in bow and quiver, Lord of Hosts be ours for ever !
["And all the people said AMEH ! "]
*Ps. lxxvi 3l 5, 6.
66 SENNACHERIB.
PART V.— Symphony (Minor).
Scene. — The abodes of Hades. Sennacherib enters the place of departed spirits. The reception of the new inmate, as described by Isaiah in his magnificent hymn (Isa. xiv. 9-2.).
Hell from beneath is moved to meet thee,
At thy coming, mighty monarch !
Sleeping dead for thee it stirreth :
All the chief ones of the nations.
All they speak, and say unto thee,
Art thou also weak as we are ?
Art thou like to one among us ?
All thy pomp is brought to nothing,
And the music of thy viols ;
Noisome worms, spread underneath thee*
Give the lie to all thy glory.
Lucifer ! how art thou fallen
To the ground, thou Son of morning !
How the nations didst thou weaken !
For within thine heart thou boastedst
SENNACHERIB. 67
11 1 will climb to lofty heaven, Above the stars of God exalted ; O'er the height of clouds ascending, And be equal with the Highest ! " Yet thou shalt be brought to Hades, Down to dwell in pit of darkness ; They that see thee shall look on thee, And shall say as they consider; — "Is this he who made earth tremble? Is this he who shook the kingdoms ? Made the world a howling desert, And destroyed its mighty cities, Opening not his captives' prison?" All the monarchs of the nations, Each one lieth in his glory, Each one claims his house of silence. But like branch cut off and worthless, Thou shalt have no grave to keep thee ; Like a carcase trodden under, Never joined with them in burial ; For thou hast destroyed the nations !
68 SENNACHERIB.
Full Chorus.
"So let all Thine enemies perish, O Lord; But let them that love Him be as the Sun, When he goeth forth in his might."
— Judges v. 31.
&f)c Btirine Sobrrriijntg.
" T"//^ Lord reigncth." — Ps. xciii. i.
" Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and Thy do- minion endureth throughout all generations. The Lord upholdeth all that fall, arid raiseth up all those that be bowed down." — Ps. cxlv. 13, 14.
** Thy throne, O Cod, is for ever and ever : the sceptre of Thy kingdom is a right sceptre. " — Ps. xlv. 6.
I LOVE to think, Jehovah on the throne
Of Universal Empire seated is :
In all the regions of His vast domain,
Nothing too great to be beyond His sway,
Nothing too small to be beneath His care !
While it is He who wheels in realms of light
Worlds upon worlds ; gives to the wandering
comet Its tortuous course, tracking immensity, In cycles measuring a thousand years ;
70 THE DIVINE SOVEREIGNTY.
""lis He who "feeds the ravens when they
cry," Pencils the hue of ev'ry desert flower ; Its summer verdure upon ev'ry blade Of grass bestows ; of ev'ry forest leaf The fall He watches ; and of ev'ry pulse He marks the beat ! The swarming myriads In boundless space each movement owe to Him, From the small insect fluttering in the breeze, Up to the waving of the Angels' wing Before the throne. Ye votaries, who raise Your altar to an " Unknown God" ! — the God Ye deify as Chance and Accident, And call His will " inexorable fate" : There is no chance-work in the oracle Of llighteous Heaven ! — Each high behest
comes forth The ordination and supreme decree Of Wisdom, Love, and Mercy infinite. The Parent mourns his child's untimely end, Snatched fr )m him in the twinkling of an eve !
THE DIVINE SOVEREIGNTY. 71
Was it the lightning-flash that struck him down ?
Traced was the lightning's winged path by God!
Was it the waves ingulf d him ? Every bil- low
Roll'd at the bidding of Omnipotence.
Was it disease that hurried him away ?
The worm unseen which sapp'd the treasured gourd,
Was sent by Him. The suffering He ordain'd —
Prepared the sable shroud — and dug the grave !
Our times are His : — His the prerogative
To do with us and ours as pleaseth Him ;
We could not be in safer custody !
And, better still, to think, "the many crowns Are placed upon the brow once wreathed with
thorns : The God-Man Mediator rules on high." Jesus our Shepherd ! — choosing us our pasture,
72 THE DIVINE SOVEREIGNTY.
Selecting with unerring faithfulness For each their earthly lot ; — Thy heart com- bines The Might of Godhead with Humanity In all its tenderness. The same who counts The number of the stars, can also count The number of my sorrows, for Thyself Hast felt them all ! The mightiest of Beings Is thus the kindest. I can upwards look In trembling transport to Thy throne, and say, "God! yet my Brother! Brother! yet my God ! "
£fjc granting of tfjr jFatfjrt anb tfje Sttrfj of tfjr protottjal.
" And not many days after, tJie younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into afar country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. And when he Jiad spent all, there arose a mighty famine in t/uit land ; and he began to be in want." — Lukb xv. 13, 14.
u Return, Return, the way is long and
dreary ; Return, Return, 0 wand'rer sad and weary ;
Why so with sin beguiled ? Thy Father's heart is breaking, With this cruel long forsaking,
Come back, come back, my child ! "
74 THE YEARNING OF THE FATHER
11 Gladly I would, for with hunger I am
perishing, The memories of home still fondly I am cherishing,
I'm weary in the wild : No Sabbath bells now ringing, No loving voices bringing
Peace to this heart defiled ! "
" Return, Return, why any longer linger ? There are sandals for your feet, and a ring to deck your finger ;
Your Father, reconciled, With pity will behold you, In his arms He will enfold you,
Come back, come back, my child ! "
"I come, I come, my heart with joy is
beating, I come, I come, as I hear Thee thus entreating, With accents fond and mild :
AXD THE SIGH OF THE PRODIGAL. 75
I thought myself forsaken, But to-morrow I'll awaken,
Waken, once more, Thy child ! "
u Oh, joyful sight ! at last he is appearing, Light up the festal - hall — the wanderer is nearing ;
Go, let the board be piled : Let fatted calf be killed for him, And golden goblets tilled for him,
I've found, I've found my child ! "
K
But Cfjou ftrmamrst.'
: Thou art tJie same, and Thy years shall not fail" — Heb. i. 12.
All things are fleeting. Summer's burning
glow Is soon exchanged for Autumn's mellowed
skies : While Winter, surpliced in his robe of snow, Stands round the dying year's last obsequies.
Month after month some vacant chair is
seen, Some music of home voices hushed and gone ; The holy memories of what has been, Carved by loved hands on the sepulchral
stone.
"but THOU REMAINEST." 77
Ere long, the sun shall wear his sackeloth pall, The moon shall cease to lend her silvery gleam ; From their bright seats the vassal stars shall
fall, And earth shall vanish like a waking dream : —
"But Thou remainest ! " O'er no joys of Thine Can toll the requiem of the funeral bell; But like perennial streams from fount divine, Onward they flow unchanged — unchangeable !
Jfarebjcll to Palestine.
Banias, Mount Hermon, April?,, 1867. Though many be the shores and lands My pilgrim steps have wandered o'er, From Alpine heights to classic lands ; — Oh, never have I felt before
The effort, to pronounce farewell To all those varied scenes of thine ; No other spot can share thy spell, Unique, beloved Palestine!
Yet, not thy outward form can claim This tribute-tear in parting now ; These fields so drear, these hills so tame, The laurels faded on thy brow.
FAREWELL TO PALESTINE. 79
Dare I conceal the inward taunt, As over mount and vale I trod, "Is this indeed the Angel-haunt, The Seraph-land— the Home of God ? "
Beneath my childhood's skies, I ween, A thousand spots I can recall, Far lovelier than your loveliest scene, Of wood, and lake, and waterfall
In vain I looked for limpid rills, "Where Syrian shepherd led his flock, No herbage on your blighted hills, No pine-tree in "the rifted rock."
Greater your charms, ye streams of home, "Which verdant meadows gently lave, Than Jordan, with its turgid foam, Fast hastening to its Dead Sea grave.
SO FAREWELL TO PALESTINE.
Or Kishon, by whose crimsoned tide Confronting hosts their trumpets blew ; What is your scanty stream, beside My own loved Con, or Avondhu ?
What are the hills of Ephraim bared, What Moab's sombre mountain-chain, What Judah's limestone heights, compared With Grampians seen from Dunsinnane ?
Grander Ben Nevis' rugged slope Than Carmel's cliffs of sombre hue ; Tabor and Hermon vain can cope With Cruachan or Ben- Venue.
No bosky dells with lichen grey, No tresses wave on birchen -tree, No limpid torrent sings its way Mid copse and heather to the sea.
FAREWELL TO PALESTINE. %\
And as the golden daylight fades, No antlered monarchs of the hill Are seen to steal through forest glades And slake their thirst at lake or rill.
But hush : — the one absorbing thought Transfigures all the passing scene, And makes the present time forgot, In musing what the past has been : —
Here Patriarchs lived, here Prophets trod, Here Angels on their errands sped ; The home of sainted men of God, The resting-place of holy dead !
More wondrous still : — on these same hills
The eye of God Incarnate fell ;
He walked these paths, He drank these
rills, He sat Him by yon wayside well.
82 FAREWELL TO PALESTINE.
Oft, by that Kedron brook, He heard
The rustle of its olives grey,
Or carol of the matin-bird
Which greeted the first eastern ray.
In Temple court, or noisy street, When wearied with the wrangling cry, How oft He found a calm retreat In thee, thrice- hallowed Bethany :
Watching the evening shadows fall, Or glow of sunbeam from the west, Transmuting Moab's mountain- wall Into a blaze of amethyst !
Or Thou, Gennesaret ! favoured Lake, How fragrant with His presence still : The deeds of love — the words He spake Graved on thy shores indelible!
FAREWELL TO PALESTINE. 83
Thy green hills oft were altar stairs Up which His weary footsteps trod, For morning praise and midnight prayers, Away from man, alone with God.
He loved the flowers which fringed thy sea, He trod thy groves of stately palm, Thy carpets of anemone, Thy vine-clad hills, and bowers of balm.
Enough. With kindred interest teems
Each scene, where'er I gaze around : The land throughout a Bethel seems, And "every place is hallowed ground."
Adieu ! each shrine cf holy thought, Each ruined heap — each storied "Tel." I pluck the last " Forget-me-not," And now I take a fond farewell !
84 FAREWELL TO PALESTINE.
To-night, on Hermon's northern brow, The stars upon our tents shall shine ; Set up the stone ! record the vow ! 1 ' Forget thee, never — Palestine ! "
The lifelong wish and dream to see Thy blessed acres, God has given : A lingering tear I drop to thee, Thou earthly vestibule of Heaven !
GEHjat is a 0oMe life?
[Answer to a question, written currente calamo.)*
What is a noble life?
From its early dawn to its evening time, From its morning prime to its curfew- chime, The golden ladder of riches to climb. To lay the head on a pillow of down, With villa in country and mansion in town ; With jewels to flash in the festive hall The star of the evening carnival : Money to gratify every whim, The howl of pleasure full to the brim : No common draughts — no common fare — A sparkling goblet everywhere : Without a thought and without a care.
* This will account for the colloquial style and irregu- larities in metre.
86 WHA T IS A NOBLE LIFE ?
A butterfly, speeding from flower to flower, And sipping its sweets from hour to hour : The cry of the needy heard in vain ; Never to give, but always to gain, The dominant thought of the fevered
brain : Self permitted supreme to reign. Leaving the widow and orphan to die : Nought to distract the ear and eye From the singing-birds and the azure sky ; And this the soul-soliloquy — "My brother's keeper I never shall be, I hate the sight of misery ; Legal provision there is to dispense With such things as benevolence. From my pillow of ease I shall not rise : I never was made to sympathise : Alms indiscriminate are unwise ; I see not the duty of sacrifice. Thou hast goods laid up for years, my
soul,
WHAT IS A NOBLE LIFE? 87
A life of pleasure in thy control, Go, quaff thy full at the brimming bowl : " — That's not a -noble life.
What is a noble life? To do and dare for others' weal ; The weary and stricken heart to heal ; To lessen the burden of earthly woe ; Over the outcast a shield to throw ; Scorning the seat of ignoble ease, 'With constant desire and aim to please ; Overlooking self for another's good, A blessing in the neighbourhood : Meeting the joyous with joyful smiles, The sad with kindness which sorrow beguiles ; The unforgiving, whose lip reviles, With the press of the hand which reconciles. Loving to climb the sick man's stair, Replenishing the cupboard bare ; Soothing the mind oppressed by care, With balm-words 'mid earth's tear and wear;
8S WHAT IS A NOBLE LlFtl
Owning a brother everywhere.
In the deep midnight of despair,
The grief of stricken hearts to share ;
To sit upon the empty chair,
And speak of those no longer there.
With an ear alert to the orphan's cry,
"With a hand to wipe the tear-dimmed eye,
Or to soothe the widow's agony.
With gentle words, from time to time,
To lift the outcast plunged in crime
Ont of the depths of their miry slime,
And reach them the ladder they still may
cli mb. Existence thus a jubilant hymn, A chalice of mercy, full to the brim : A giving of alms that is prudent and wise : "The singing of birds and the azure skies" Made sweeter by self-sacrifice. Scorning ambition, and pleasure, and pelf, The cringing to Mammon, the worship of self;
WHAT IS A NOBLE LIFE? 89
Freely receiving, as freely to give, For others to plan and to work and to live, — That is a noble life !
What is the noblest life? To add to all these a life for God : To follow the path the saints have trod : With the bended knee each day begun, On the bended knee when the day is done : With the love and the will of a dutiful
child, Maintaining the conscience undo filed. This the rudder by which to steer, When the way of duty is not clear, "How would my Lord have acted here?" Never to doubt and never to fear With Him as my Guide and Pioneer : Trusting His grace to bear me through, Whate'er be the work 1 have to do, Whether my talents be many or few ; Ever unselfish, faithful and true.
90
WHAT IS A NOBLE LlFtl
To enter on all I undertake,
Be what it may, for His dear sake ;
My every thought and my every aim
Enkindled at His altar-flame.
In going the sick-bed lamp to trim,
In seeking to aid the eyeball dim,
In soothing the weary and aching limb,
To do it all as if done for Him.
To see in each gift — in each trifling loan —
Each seed that is scattered — each handful
sown, No effort or deed I can call my own, But a debt which I owe to Him alone. Content with whate'er be the lot assigned, Thankful for blessings, — in trial resigned ; Assured that His dealings for good are de- signed. To Him every sorrow and w^ant to confide, His Holy Word my unerring guide, My watchword su:e, "The Lord will pro- vide : "
WHAT I H A NOBLE LIFE]
9*
My safety clinging to His side.
From morning dawn to eventide.
Careless of riches, honours, and fame,
Careful alone of a spotless name ;
Nothing to cause the blush of shame ;
With a single eye, and a single aim.
When death's booming waves are heard trom
afar, Heady to step in the fiery car, And mount to the place where the sainted are, To shine still for Christ as a lowly star, With no darkness to dim, and no sin to mar. To have fought the fight, the race to have run, To have heard pronounced His own " Wei]
done ; " To have gained the Crown and the Kingdom won. To have left the earth by the Seraph-road ; In love with man — at peace with God ; Lying calmly down on the pillow to die, And waking up in Eternity —
That is the noblest life !
BaiutJ 3Libtngst0iic: H? is Bcatij an to Burial
Chitambo, May isf, 1873 >' Westminster Abbey, April i8.7*, 1874.
Now the end of all was nearing
Underneath the tattered awning ;
Angels wonld relieve their vigils
Ere another morrow's dawning.
First they raised him from the mud-floor,
Leaves and grass his pallet only, Then they smoothed a downless pillow In that desert drear and lonely ; While the faithful hoy Majwara Lay close by his dying master, Knowing well how helpless was he To avert the dire disaster.
DAVID LIVINGSTONE. 93
As the waves of life were ebbing, Thoughts about the past were ever Mingling in the feverish wanderings Over mountain, lake, and river. "Say, is this the Luapula? This the chill Lofuko's water?" "No, my Bwana," * answered Susi, Nursing like a tender daughter ; — M We are near the Mulilamo, We are in Chitanibo's village, You may sleep assured of safety, Fearing neither blood nor pillage."
Then he Bank in broken slumber; Who can tell what he was dreaming ? Of his childhood days at Blantyre ; Of the golden sunlight gleaming Through old Both well's storied Castle, Lighting its umbrageous meadows ; Or when in the silver moonlight He had watched the tender shadows ?
"Master" — :be name by which they addressed him.
94 DAVID LIVINGSTONE :
Or it may be of the Mother Who the Mission torch first lighted, Which her son had borne to regions By the direst curse benighted ? Or, perchance, the sainted partner Who in life had shared his dangers, Dreaming she had closed his eyelids In the far-off land of strangers ?
Now his sight is quickly fading, — " Susi — come and light the candle ; Fill my med'cine-cup with water, Guide my fingers to the handle." Promptly were his wishes answered, Half were guessed from speech so broken ; " You can go," in feeble whispers, Wrere the last words that were spoken.
Tt was four in summer morning, When the herbs with dewdrops glisten, That the wakeful Negro rises, Creeping to the couch to listen.
HIS DEATH AND BURIAL. 95
But all watchinga now are needless, Footsteps gliding soft and slowly ; For his fond, devoted master Resteth with the Good and Holy !
Forth he speeds to faithful Susi,
Rousing him from fitful slumber ;
"Come to Bwana — follow quickly,
Chumah, come with all our number ! "
Hastily they ran together,
Entering the silent shieling,
There they gazed upon the dead man
To his God devoutly kneeling !
" Hush ! our master still is praying,"
For they deemed they were mistaken,
Thinking he had slept from weakness,
And would by-and-by awaken.
* ' Vet, come, feel how cold his cheek is ;
Matthew ! can you hear no breathing ?
Has the forehead ceased its throbbing?
And the chest its cruel heaving ? "
96
DAVID LIVINGSTONE :
Yes, indeed, it all was over ; Pain, unrest, and toil are ended ; He has gone to meet his kindred, Spirit hath with spirit blended : On Almighty strength, the hero In the hour of death reposes ; Prayer began his noble warfare, And with prayer the battle closes. He has gone to get the welcome, 1 ' Good and faithful servant enter ; " Summon in no hired minstrels, Africa ! be his lamenter. As "All Israel" mourned for Samuel, Let your millions, broken-hearted, Gather round in tears and sackcloth, And bewail the Great Departed !
Within England's reverend Minster, Proud custodier of the ages,
HIS DEATH AND BURIAL.
97
Resting-place of kings and princes, Poets, heroes, statesmen, sages ;
Every head is bowed in silence As the mourner's tread is sounding ; Strange, unwonted is the homage Of the tear-dimmed crowd surrounding. Who this honoured entrant ? counted Worthy of these precincts hoary ; Brotherhood assigned with sleepers " Each one lying in his glory ? "
'Tis the good man we have gazed on On his desert bier reposing, Tender children of his wanderings Closing eyes and limbs composing. When the burst of grief was over, And the public days to mourn him, Through a thousand miles of desert These his faithful sons had borne him. Only, first the clamant favour Africa had made with weeping,
DA VI D L I VIKGS TO NE :
11 If you will his dust to England, Let liis heart he in my keeping ! " It was done : — the lowly casket Safe was laid beneath a mvula ; * Then the funeral cortege slowly Wended towards the Luapula. Over sandy wastes they traversed, Scorning toil or leagues to measure ; Bating heart or hope no moment, On they bore their priceless treasure.
In that ancient Fane are gathered Men of every clime and order, Brothers from his native Clydesdale, Clansmen from beyond the border : Best and choicest sons of England In the common grief are sharing, Peer and statesman — royal depute, Each his immortelle is bearing :
* A large tree standing by the place, and on which Jacob Waiuwright carved the name and d.«te of death.
HIS DEATH AND BURIAL. 99
Hushed the Bliibboleth of party,
u All the creeds" these ais!es are thronging; Champion he of no mean faction, But to Christendom belonging. Rise ! ye warrior dead around him, Solemn shades of the departed ! Rise ! and give ungrudging welcome To the true and noble-hearted. "Well may costliest rites be paid him, Gush of song and organ pealing; Wake to life your holiest echoes, Fretted aisle and gilded ceiling !
Now the obsequies are over : Dust with kindred dust has blended ; But as Sabbath's sun is westering, Multitudes anew have wended To the shrine which holds his ashes : Crowds again of every station Throng within the spacious precincts For the funeral oration.
DAVID LIVINGSTONE.
Who among the favoured listeners Can forget that mn ic thrilling, Like the voice of many waters, Choir and nave and transept filling, As the words of Inspiration Sweetly told the Pilgrim's story, Or pourtrayed his noble life-work Haloed with prophetic glory ; — "When the wilderness shall blossom, Fountains in the desert springing, And like Lebanon and Carmel Break forth into joy and singing . M * Or when rose " 0 God of Bethel," t
* I -a. xxxi. i, 2. The Anthem selected, t The well-known paraphrase, placed at the end of Scottish Bibles, and so peculiarly appropriate to the occa- si n —
"O God of Bethel, by whose hand Thy people -till are fed ; Who through this weary pilgrimage Hast all cur fathers led.
"Oh spre- d Thy covering wings around Till all our wanderings cease, And at our Father's loved abode Our souls arrive in peace," &c.
HIS DEATH AND BURIAL, ioi
Simple words, so dearly cherished, By the Great man from his childhood, To the day he nobly perished.
Silent then the strains of music ; And amid a hush unbroken, Lofty words of panygeric By befitting lips were spoken.
Rites are ended : — and the ''Dead March,' With a cadence slow and measured, Wailed its dirges o'er the ashes Which the nation's crypt had treasured. Best in peace, thou hero-martyr ! Grandly simple is thy story : Scotland gave thee— England keeps thee, And to God we give the glory.
©ije Incorruptible.
" It is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorrupt ion,* — i Cor. xv. 42.
Earthly tabernacle shaking, Earthly beams and rafters breaking,
Tell the outward man's decay : — But through clinks of battered ceiling, Rays of heavenly glory stealing,
Harbinger eternal day.
Oh be mine that morn of brightness, "When, in robes of vestal whiteness,
Myriads rise no more to die ;
Gazing back on death's dark portal, Seeing all that once was mortal
Clothed with immortality !
iHisstonarg $ptn— ftfje Cross of Cfjrist
" Lift ye up a banner." — Isa. xiii. 2.
"And f, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me" — John xii. 32.
Lift, lift the Cross of Christ : — Tell of grace abounding ;
In every tribe and kingdom let His banner be unfurled.
Blow, blow the trumpet, loud and lofty sound- ing,
Till its tones of jubilee echo round the world.
Sow, sow the Gospel seed : — Forget the nigh I of weeping ;
The furrows are athirst, and invite the pre- cious grain :
104 MISSIONARY HYMN.
They that sow in tears, shall yet have a
glorious reaping, And bearing harvest treasure " shall rejoicing
come again."
Gird, gird the loins about, let the lights be burning ;
Be like servants waiting for the coming of their Lord :
Lest the Royal Bridegroom find on His return- ing
Lamps of faith untrimmed, and the oil of grace unstored.
Work, work while yet the spring flowers deck
the meadows ; While times of blessing linger, and working
seasons last : Before the landscape darken with evening's
lengthened shadows, The summer sunshine ended, and the joy of
harvest past.
THE CROSS OF CHRIST. 105
Lift, lift the Cross of Christ : — Tell of grace abounding;
In every tribe and kingdom let His banner be unfurled.
Blow, Wow the trumpet, loud and lofty sound- ing,
Till its tones of jubilee echo round the world !
fHtjpafj.
' And Mizpah : for he said, The Lord watch between me and :hee, when we are absent one front anotJur."— Ge\. xxxi. 49.
When far from the hearts where our fondest thoughts centre, Denied for a time their loved presence to share ; In spirit we meet, when the closet we enter, And hold sweet communion together in prayer.
Oh ! fondly I think, as night's curtains sur- round them, The Shepherd of Israel tenderly keeps ; The angels of light are encamping around them, They are watched by the eye that ne'er slumbers nor sleejjs.
MIZPAH. 107
When the voice of the morning once more shall awake them, And summon them forth to the calls of the day, I will leave them with Him who will never forsake them, The Friend ever near, though all else he away.
Then why should one thought of anxiety seize us, Though absence divide us from those whom we love ; They rest in the covenant mercy of Jesus, Their prayers meet with ours in the mansions above.
Oh, blest bond of friendship ! whate'er may betide us, Though on life's stormy billow our barks may be driven, !N or distance, nor trial, nor death may divide us, Eternal reunion awaits us in Heaven !
W$Z &0Cft Of &QC5.
" Whose goings forth have been from of old, from ever' lasting" — Micah v. 2.
"Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever." — Ps. xlv. 6.
" His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." — Is a. ix. 6.
" He hath on His vesture and on His thigh a name written, King of 'Kings, and Lord of Lords." — Rev. xix. 16.
"And a man shall be as an hidi7?g place from the wind, a?id a covert from the tempest ; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land" — Isa. xxxii. 2.
u And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, ajid all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, a7id hotiour, ajid glory, and power, be ?into Hi>?i that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever " — Rev. v. 13.
Great "Rock of Ages, swathed in clouds of light, Whose heights unclimbed, ne'er foot of angel trod : Ancient of Days — Almighty — Infinite !
Older than Nature's eldest-born : — Great God—
THE ROCK OF AGES. 109
We praise, we bless, we magnify Thy name !
And as before the birth of Time wert Thou, So, through unending ages still the same,
Past, present, future, one eternal Now !
Thou didst descend from everlasting bliss, In manger born, to raise us up on high ;
A woe -worn Pilgrim in earth's wilderness, Wedding our finite dust with Deity.
Around Thy path no blazoned banners wave ;
No jewelled diadem Thy brows adorned; Thy cradle borrowed, and a borrowed grave,
Servant of servants, poor, despised, and scorned ! -
The spotless Lamb is to the slaughter led, The Son of man and Lord of Glory dies ; For us ! for us ! He bowed His thorn-wreathed
head : 0 mystery transcending mysteries !
IIO THE ROCK OF AGES.
The mighty triumph is at last complete,
Hell's myriad hosts are vanquished and un- crowned, Death lays his sceptre at the Victor's feet, And captive millions rise with chains un- bound.
0 Saviour God, ascended up on high, Thou Great High Priest within the Temple- veil, To all that call upon Thee ever nigh,
"Prince who hast power with God, and must prevail ; "
Thou who dost reign Thy Church's Lord and Head, "With many crowns upon Thy regal brow, Thou who shalt come to judge both quick and dead, Unfailing Shelter ! hide Thy servant now ; —
That when archangel's trump is pealing loud, "When every mountain shall a Sinai be : "
THE ROCK OF AGES. m
When sun and moon shall wear their sackcloth shroud, Creation in her final agony ; —
"Found" in Thy clefts, and shielded by Thy might, From Thy blest love and presence nought may sever ; Earth's shadows merged in Heaven's unclouded light, Securely sheltered in THE Rock, FOR EVEB I
(Earlg ©ra&e*.
"Shall the dust praise TJieel shall it declare Thy truth t"— Vs. xxx. 8.
"To WHAT PURPOSE IS THIS WASTE?" — MATT. XXVL 8.
Oh, "to what purpose is this icaste?" The words kept ringing in my ear, As with a trembling hand, I placed A green wreath on her early bier.
It was not in life's winter time These blooming buds were wrenched away ; But in the blaze of summer's prime, "Her sun went down ere yet 'twas day."
The aged in God's acre lie, Their names are on its tombstones traced But why should early promise die ? Say, " to what purpose is this waste ?"
EARLY GRAVES. 113
Fondly I prized that lovely mind, Where all was gentle, sweet, and mild, A thousand fragrant flowers entwined The earth bower of my sainted child.
Forth sped the doom, " Return to dust;** In the cold grave my treasure lies ; Was I a traitor to my trust, Forgetting not to idolise ?
"Oh, to what purpose is this waste?" Last week I heard the ringing laugh ; To-day, through anguished tears are traced The letters of her epitaph !
I miss her footsteps at my door,
I miss her seated by my chair,
I miss her in the corridor,
When gathering at the hour of prayer.
H
H4
EARLY GRAVES,
I miss her, as the bell's sweet tone Is ringing in the Sabbath feast : In the draped pew I kneel alone, The music of her voice has ceased,
I miss her at the sunset glow, When seated by the greenwood tree ; I miss her wrheresoe'er I go, For she was all in all to me.
To-day I stood beside her tomb, The churchyard's silent wralk I paced ; And echo answered through the gloom, "Lord, to what purpose is this waste ?"
Hush these presumptuous thoughts : refrain
From judging with unseemly haste,
In His own time God will explain
His "purpose " in the seeming " waste."
EARLY GRAVES. 115
Oh mourn not, that in early prime They are removed whom He hath given : He rings this early morning chime To bring His loved ones safe to Heaven.
Better the lamb with fleece unstained Thus early taken from the flock : Better the flower thus plucked untrained, And saved the wintry tempest-shock.
The orb which seems to disappear Behind earth's dull horizon-rim, Shines in a better hemisphere In the bright world of Seraphim,
Though from this lonely heart, too soon The blossom dropped ere yet full blown, I thank Him who bestowed the boon, I bless Him for the transient loan.
Il6 EARLY GRAVES.
Wipe then the eye that anguished weeps O'er ties thus early, rudely torn : "The damsel is not dead hut sleeps," I'll meet her in the heavenly morn.
Then will the Lord no more conceal
The way that cannot now be traced ;
In His own light He will reveal
The "purpose" of this seeming "WASTE."
E'en now,— as wakeful memory flings These saddening shades, — methinks I hear The rustle of her Angel-wings And words are whispered in mine ear, —
"Check the vain wish," she seems to say, "That would me from my bliss recall ; We meet in yonder realms of day, To keep Eternal Festival ! "
"Hr asked life of Thee, and Thou gavest him a
LONG LIFE : EVEN FOR EVER AND EVER." — Ps. xxi. 4.
{Prayer-Book Version.)
& Efjrccfolti .SLttang.
81 The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin." — i John i. 7.
" Jesus wept." — John xi. 35.
*' And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a dean linen cloth, and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed. So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a match." — Matt, xxvii. 59, 60,66.
By Thy cross and passion, Lord !
By Thy precious blood outpoured
By Thy untold woes for me,
Suffered in Gethsemane :
By Thy last expiring cries ;
By Thy priceless sacrifice ;
Jesus, bend Thy loving eye — Wash my sins of crimson dye !
Il8 A THREEFOLD LITANY.
By those touching accents spoken
To the lone heart crushed and broken :
Giving back "The Widow's Son,"
Her beloved — her only one ;
By that fond and tender tear
Falling on a Brother's bier ;
By each word bequeathed by Thee
At the grave of Bethany.
Jesus, bend Thy loving eye When bereaved to Thee I cry !
By Thy still, departed breath, Vanquished Vanquisher of death ! Once adored of cherubim, Now with rayless eyeballs dim ; By Thy passage through the tomb, Entering silent Hades' gloom : By the shroud the weepers saw, In the grave of Golgotha —
Jesus, bend Thy loving eye — Oh be with me when I diet
ft?crc anto Efjcre.
"Now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face" — i Cor. xiii. 12.
" Mortality shall be swallozved up of life ." — 2 Cor. v. 4.
" And there shall be no more death, ?ieither sorrow, nor crying, neitlier shall there be any more />ain : for the former things are passed away." — Rev. xxi. 4.
Here all our joys are fleeting,
Like tidal waves retreating,
And leaving rippled footprints upon the sandy
shore ; But, in that world of glory, No voice can wail the story Of pleasures that have faded and joys that are
no more.
Here there are vacant places, Here there are absent faces,
I?0 H! RE AXD THERE.
Or smiles that mutely greet us from portraits
on the wall ; But there, affliction never The dearest ties can sever, Or presence of bereavement sad memories recall*
Here there is oft disowning ;
The wounded heart bemoaning
The faithlessness of those we were born on earth to love :
But there, no heart is broken,
By cruel thoughts outspoken,
Estrangement is unknown 'mong the brother- hood above.
Here some uniooked for sorrow May cloud the sunniest morrow, And wreck our fragile barks upon a stormy sea : But there, no waves are rolling, No funeral bells heard tolling, Our loved and lost restored, and for ever, Lord, with Thee.
HERE AND THERE. 121
Here legion foes surround us,
The Tempter's chains have bound us,
Corruption, pride, and passion hold wild
revelry within. But there, the conflict ended, Each saint shall be defended From the tyranny of Satan — the demon power
of sin.
Here before every mortal,
There lies the gloomy portal,
Death waves his icy sceptre and the chilling
shadow falls. But there, through Gateway glorious, We enter shall victorious, Upon the Life eternal, within the Jaspar-
walls.
<&bm So,
u Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in Thy sight"— Matt. xi. 26.
0 ! my Father, even so ! Nought is stable earth can show ; Vanishing like wreaths of snow, Or like transient sunset-glow. Sorrows will their shadow throw,' Withered leaves the pathway strew, Gourds are smitten as they grow ; Friendships come, and friendships go : Billows tossing to and fro ; All at best a passing show. But, amid the ebb and flow, 'Tis enough for me to know, All that happens here below, Thou in love appointest so : Taking what Thou didst bestow, Raising up, and laying low, —
EVEN SO !
Cljr possession of Entquttg.
u Tkvu makest me to possess the iniquities of my youth? - Job xiii. 26.
Who would covet the possession Of a direful hoard like this ? Heritage of old transgression, Sin its own dread Nemesis ?
Mountain upon mountain towering With black summits to the skies, Conscience-stricken spirits cowering From avenging memories !
Furies with their "snaky tresses" Baring scourges long concealed, Hunting guilt from dark recesses Never dreamt to he revealed.
Contents of sin's poisoned chalice, Which perchance the guiltless shared,
124 THE POSSESSION OF INIQUITY.
Looks of envy — words of malice — Deeds of darkness — all unbared.
Nothing hidden — nothing perished — ■ Scarlet stain or crimson blot ; Vain the dream presumption cherished, " Surely God regardeth not."
Oh, when Angel-trump is pealing, Can the record be effaced ? How evade the dread revealing "Which the pen of Heaven has traced?
Go, in penitence bewailing, Go, and now bemoan thy guilt : Trust the promise never failing, " I will save thee if thou wilt."
Hasten, eveiy soul despairing, At the cross of Jesus fall ; Though with legion sins repairing, He will freely pardon all.
EIjc Streiujtfj of tfje Eftcary..
\ Wlw is this that coineth up from the wilderness leaning upon her beloved t" — Solomon's Song viii. 6.
What dejected form is this Coming from the wilderness ? Fee hie step, and languid eye, Tell a chequer'd history ; Weary one, art thou alone, With no arm to lean upon ?
" Everlasting arms of love Are beneath, around, above ; He who left His throne of light, And unnnmber'd angels bright ; He who faced the fiery flood, Braved the baptism of blood ; Who upon th' accursed tree Gave His precious life for me.
126 STRENGTH OF THE WEARY.
He it is that bears me on, His the arm I lean npon.
" He who marks each falling tear Of His burden'd pilgrims here ; He who wields creation's rod, He my Brother, yet my God, Never slumb'ring, never sleeping, Vigils ever wakeful keeping, Faithful He, whate'er betide, Is my Everlasting Guide !
" All things hasten to decay, Earth and seas must pass away ; Soon must yonder circling sun Cease his blazing course to run. Scenes may vary, friends grow strange, But The Changeless cannot change ; Fellowship that nought can sever, Loving once, He loves for ever ! Say, with such a Friend as this, Who would dread the wilderness ? "
Barjtllat tfjc ffiilralittf.
2 Samuel xvii. 27, 28 ; xix. 31-39.
[Prelude.] Noblest of all Arab chieftains, Old Barzillai, princely-hearted, From the fastnesses of Gilead, With his band of bold retainers, In the hour of adverse fortune, In the hour of sudden exile, To the outcast David hastens. Armed with words and deeds of kindness, Sped he 'cross his mountain-passes, With the produce of his meadows, Sympathising with the fallen. How the old man loved to bring Offerings to the crownless king !
128 BARZILLA1 THE GILEAD1TE.
Now the looming clouds have vanished ; Low is laid the base usurper, And his rebel horde are scattered. Once more do the sons of Juilah Welcome back their banished monarch ; Jubilant the path of triumph With the plaudits of his people, As they bear him home to Zion. Yet again does brave Barzillai Hasten from his desert stronghold, To partake in the ovation, And bestow his farewell blessing.
Hear the words that passed between them :—
David.
" Welcome, welcome, great BarziUai ! Not with gold can I repay thee : To my palace on Mount Zion Come with me, I fondly pray thee .
BARZILLAI THE G1LEADITE. 129
Choicest portions shall be thine, Pledges of a friendship stable ; Golden goblets filled with wine, Choicest seat around my table."
Barzillai.
"Nay," did the aged chief reply, M My only— best reward will be, That in thus hastening with relief, I loyal was to truth and thee ; Shunning the dastard's part and woe Who tramples on a humbled foe. Thanks for the kindly offer made To join thy princely cavalcade : But let me go, I dare not stay, But homeward I must bend my way."
David.
"Mighty chief, we must not sever:
Let my urgent wish decide thee :
Cross with me the border river,
Make thy home for life beside me :
I
BARZILLAI THE GILEADITE.
Though thou leave thy warrior clan, This right arm shall never fail thee ; Thou shalt share my own divan, Zion's music shall regale thee."
BARZILLAI.
" Nay, son of Jesse, speak not thus,
Nor seek to importune me so :
I know thee too magnanimous,
To urge unduly : — Let me go.
Remember, that full fourscore years
Have left their scars upon my brow,
I dare not leave my mountaineers
To seek another homestead now.
How long have I to live, that I
Should join thy royal caravan?
Songs to dull ears no joys supply,
No rest for age a rich divan.
Once was the time when such could please,
When glad I hailed the festive hour,
And revelled, in the couch of ease,
BARZILLM 'I HE GILEADI7E.
O'er trill of bird and breath of flower. When on this head no raven lock Was blanched with flake of winter snow, When I could brave the battle shock And take or give the warrior's blow. "When agile limbs could nimbly chase Up dizzy heights the wild gazelle, Or higher mount the precipice Where only could the eagle dwell. Or when these ears with joy could hear The dulcet notes of pastoral reed ; The shepherd boy or mountaineer Discoursing by the verdant mead. But now no songs can reach my ear, The gush of music fails to charm ; Nor can the war- trump, loud and clear, Wake to old deeds this faltering arm.
The pilgrim staff supplants the sword.
Return — Beloved of thy Lord :
I only would a burden be,
Illustrious warrior king, to thee !
BARZ1LLAI THE GILEADITE.
Pass, then, with your brilliant pageant,
Tempt me not to go from hence ;
On with your r. tainers valiant,
Nought seek I of recompense.
Age demands but one employment ;
Let me in my home abide ;
Suffer me the calm enjoyment
Of a quiet eventide
Let me go, and not detain me,
In my city let me die ;
Palace halls would only pain me,
Let me with my kindred lie.
This one boon alone I crave,
Lay me in my parents' grave."
Wlien the king came over Jordan, Then he gave the kiss of friendship ; And thus spake to old Barzillai, When the moment came for parting : —
barzillai the gileadite. 133
David. "Go ! and may Jehovah shield thee !
Aged chieftain — go in peace ! May thy fields abundance yield thee,
Ever may thy flocks increase.
" Be thy home in tent or city, Desert's fort or shepherd's fold ;
May He thine unselfish pity Recompense a thousand fold.
u And when full of years and hoary, Thou shalt with thy kindred lie,
May thy children learn the stoiy How to live and how to die ! "
Sufficient ©race.
" Take therefore no thought for the morroiv : for the morroiv shall take thought for the things of itself Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." — Matt. vi. 34-
"As thy days, so shall thy strength he."— Deut. xxxiii. 25.
How many linger on life's way, Forecasting vain their future sorrow : He who gives needed strength to-day, Will give it for that unknown morrow.
"Sufficient is My grace for thee ; " Be this the cure for care's corrodings : "As is thy day thy strength shall he," May well disperse all dark forhodings.
Then garner no redundant store ; Nor for the future seek to borrow ; Enough for present use — no more ; So "take no thought about to-morrow."
33e $e also ftcaDg.
liAnd at midnight tlure was a cry made. Behold, tki bridegroom cometh ; go ye out to meet him." — Matt. xxv. 6.
Chartered heirs of endless glory, Wondrous is the bliss before you ! Live with your salvation nigh, Ready for the midnight cry. Dying moments dread not so ; These are but the portico Opening to your Father's hall ; Shadows for a moment fall, Then Eternal festival ! Life, not death, is surely this, — Birthday of unending bliss ! Soon the Lord you love will come, Safely to conduct you home.
I36 BE YE ALSO READY.
Gird your loins, your lanterns trim, Watch, and wait, and work for Him : Be ye faithful servants all, Longing for the Master's call.
33egonli tfje fttbcr*
Hark ! a peal of heavenly bells,
Ringing, ringing, With ten thousand voices sweet,
Singing, singing — u Worthy is the Lamb once slain, Who hath purchased our salvation ; Made us kings and priests to reign, Out of every tribe and nation.
We are safe beyond the river ;
From His presence nought can sever ;
We shall sing His praise for ever ! "
Hark ! a peal of heavenly bells,
Ringing, ringing,
With ten thousand voices sweet,
Singing, singing —
138 BEYOND THE RIVER.
" We have gained our Home at last,
In His Palace bright and glorious ;
Every wave of Jordan past,
Over every foe victorious. Now across the border river, From His presence nought can sever ; We shall sing His praise for ever. "
Hark ! a peal of heavenly bells,
Ringing, ringing, With ten thousand voices sweet,
Singing, singing — ' ' Now we read God's ways aright : All that evil once portended, In the blaze of Heavenly light, Is with love and wisdom blended. Seen across the border river, From His presence nought can sever ; We shall sing His praise for ever."
BF.YOXD THE RIVER. 139
Hark ! a peal of heavenly bells,
Ringing, ringing,
With ten thousand voices sweet,
Singing, singing—
" Here beloved friends we meet ;
Here restored their smiles of gladness ;
Everlasting bliss complete,
Joys unmixed with aught of sadness.
Fought the fight — the kingdom won,
Death behind us — life before us,
While eternal ages run,
Never shall we cease the chorus — We are safe beyond the river, From His presence nought can sever ; We shall sing His praise for ever."
Viyz Contrite ano f&umWc Spirit.
"For thus saith the high atid lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy : I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit oj the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones." — Isa. lvii 15.
0 Thou, whose Palace is on high, By myriad angel-hosts adored : Who cease not day nor night to cry, " AU holy, holy, is the Lord ! "
A lowlier, humbler home than this, Is dignified as Thine abode : The heart for sin that broken is, Becomes Thy dwelling-place, 0 God !
Let no base things athwart its halls, Their dark, polluted shadow throw ; Let joy and love adorn its walls, And peace surmount its portico !
CONTRITE AND HUMBLE SPIRIT. 141
The myrtles grow not on the heights, The lily seeks the valley-shade, The lark in lowliest furrow lights, The fullest corn-ear droops its head.
Let such a lowly heart be mine ; Such incense from life's altar rise ; Conquer my pride, 0 grace Divine ! Its demon-spirit exorcise.
The High and Lofty One awaits To enter in. Prepare the way ; LTndo the bolts — lift up the gates — Welcome the Heavenly Guest to-day I
(gbtntttx.
'* Thou shalt remember all the way wh:ch the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble t/tee, and to prove thee." — Deut. viiL 2.
'■And when thev cam* to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the naine of it zuas called Marah." — Ex. xv. 23.
'And they came to Elim, where were twelve wells of water, and threescore and ten palm trees: a7id ihey encamped tltere by the waters." — Ex. xv. 27.
I will remember all the way By which the Lord my God hath led me ; A fire by night — a cloud by day — With heavenly manna He has fed me.
The Marah- streams of sorrow few,
Have with their bitter waters found me ;
While Elim's mercies, ever new,
Have spread their palm-shade oft around me !
EBENEZER. 143
While yet I tread this Yale of Tears,
While yet this tongue hath strength to praise
Thee ; Let me, throughout my waning years, New Ebenezers fondly raise Thee !
And, when I reach eternal day, —
The manna ceased, on earth which fed me, —
Still, I'll remember all the way
By which the Lord my God hath led me !
forager.
* He went out into a mountain to pray ■, and continued all
night in prayer to God." — Luke vi. 12.
* At night He -went out, and abode in the mount that is
called the Mount of Olives." — Luke xxi. 37. 1 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain utercy, and find grace to help in time oj need" — Heb. iv. 16.
Oft as the daylight hours were gone, When friends forsook, and foes beset,
The Saviour of the world, alone, Retired to pray on Olivet.
And still by faith I climb its steep, A respite from earth's cares to find ;
To hush distracting thoughts asleep, Amid this Sabbath of the mind.
PRAYER. 145
The saint in glory owns and sees A brother in the Man of prayer ;
The little infant on its knees Is kinsman to each seraph there.
Oh ! may I cherish more and more The shelter of this calm retreat,
And realise the bliss in store
For those who love the Mercy-seat.
When ends at last life's little day, The Master's final summons given ;
On Prayer I still shall soar away, Till changed to songs of Praise in heaven.
Scepticism atfo Jaitfj.
" The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God." — Ps. xiv. i.
" For God, ivho com?nanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." — 2 Cor. iv. 6.
" For the which cause 1 also suffer these things : neverthe* less I am not ashamed : for I kno7v whom I have bel/eved, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have coimnitted unto Him against that day." — 2 Tim. L 12.
Oh, sad is he who can descry,
No higher God than "Destiny,"
Ruling this world so fair :
Who in life's loom the shuttles see
Weaving their web capriciously,
Without Artificer :
A barque, unpiloted, astray, —
The sport of fitful winds and spray ;
Poor self-abandoned castaway,
Drifting he knows not where.
SCEPTICISM AND FAITH. 147
Thrice happy, Lord, are those who see This bright creation all in Thee, And there Thy footsteps trace : And happier those to Jesus led, Renew'd, forgiven, and comforted, The children of His grace ; Exulting in His boundless love ; Longing, on wings of soaring dove To mount to brighter worlds above, His glorious dwelling-place.
"I know in whom I have believed ;n He who by dying has achieved What I could ne'er have Avon ; 0 Saviour, I commit my soul Unto Thy loving, wise control ; And when my race is run,— When on that great and solemn day The heavens and earth shall pass away, My still unwavering trust and stay Shall be in Thee alone.
SLift's €fantfoe.
" The day goeth away, for the shadows of the evening are
stretched out." — Jer. vi. 4. " The Master is come, and calleth for thee" — John xi. 28.
The hour draws nigh, when evening shades Stretched out shall be in checkered glades, And earth's familiar landscape fades.
When death around its darkness flings, Be these mysterious shadowings, The shade of the Almighty's wings !
When the last summons comes to me,
Like Angel whispering let it be —
"The Master 's come, and calh for thee !"
And friends who final vigils keep,
With this glad thought will cease to weep^
" He giveth His beloved sleep ! "
fftgmn of tfje €xtIro Faufcois.
(" La Renlrce Glorieicse, 1 686.")
Great God of armies ! King of kings ! O spread Thine everlasting wings
Around our pilgrim band ; S'Ul o'er us may Thy banner stream, And in Thy strength we shall redeem
Our cherished Fatherland !
Soon shall this night of trouble end, If Thou from Zion help wilt send
And cause Thy face to shine : For neither buckler, spear, nor shield Can win for us the battle-field,
The victory is Thine :
Remember, Lord, Thine ancient fold ; The hero-martyrs, who of old
Bled on these mountains bare ;
ISO
HYMN OF THE EXILED VAUDOIS.
Their couch the sod, their home the cave, Their only resting-place, the grave,
The snow their sepulchre. And let Thy grace and power appear, To us, their children, banished here,
When unto Thee we cry ; See, they have laid our altars low, And, wasted by the cruel foe,
Our sanctuaries lie. Hear us, 0 God ! and peace impart To many a broken, bleeding heart,
From home and kindred torn ; Wilt Thou refuse the exiled race Their father's peaceful dwelling-place,
And cast us off forlorn ? Jehovah is our sure defence, And, guarded by nmipotence,
Our onward march shall be; Supported by our living Head, And by the God of battles led
To death or victory !'
"lobe of fctgfjt, anb Scorn of
'Fraudulent bankruptcy of the old established fl> ;n of , &c. &>c" — Daily Paper.
Must we wail in dirgeful numbers, Over an apostate age ; And arraign a nation — faithless To her noblest heritage ? Why these stoops to base intriguing? Where has high-soul'd Honour fled ? Why the beauteous shrine so empty Where she once was worshipped ? What ere while was England's glory, Chronicled in prose and song, Reckoned an effete old story — "Love of rigid, and scorn of wrong.'''
152 LOVE OF RIGHT,
Vain to boast, "her meteor-pennon Braves the battle and the breeze ; " That her adamantine navies Ride the champions of the seas : Vain that on gigantic anvils Hundred thousand hammers ring, Wealth of brain and power of muscle Cyclop trophies fashioning : — If she suffer pelf and mammon, Lording o'er her million throng, To eclipse her yeoman motto — "Love of right, and scorn of wrong."
Owners of her fields of plenty, Ye who reap the golden grain, As ye store your harvest treasures, Hold in scom illicit gain. As ye walk the marts of commerce, As ye plant, or build, or sell, Let all arts of over-reaching Shunned be as the <;ates of hell
AND SCORN" OF WRONG, 153
Keep your conscience pure, untainted ; Be existence short or long, Hold aloft the golden watchword — "Love of right, and scorn of wrong"
GHjr iHuta&Ic uvto tljc Immutable.
(Translation of a prose chapter into blank verse.')
1 They shall perish, but Thou shall endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment / as a vesture shall Thou change them, and they shall be changed: But Thou art the same, and Thy years shall have no end" — Ps. cii. 26, 27.
'Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, and to-day, and for ever." — Heb. xiii. 8.
Let the dumb earth bear witness ! for her hills
And rocks are stony tablets : — nature's scroll,
On which with iron pen she has inscribed
The story of her own vicissitude :
Strata on strata piled — a shelved museum
And sepulchre of races long extinct.
Where forests grew and living creatines
roamed, To-day a waste of waters : while where hum Of cities now ascends or mountains rise, The boom of sounding billows once was heard.
MUTABLE AND IMMUTABLE. 155
Behold her mighty empires passed away, " Like as a dream when one awakeneth ! " The night owl screeches, and the jackal
howls Amid the wastes of Babylon. See how The pick-axe and the shovel have exhumed The winged symbols of Assyrian power, Long buried in their desert sepulchre ! Where stood the palaces of Queenly Tyre And the green waters laved her marble
walls, The fisher's net is spread. The Roman
Eagle Steered its stupendous flight for centuries Over a prostrate world. At last it falls With wings collapsed ; and other harpy birds Of evil omen, from the forest swamps Of hyperborean regions, build their nests On the proud summits of her Capitol.
Such is the story of earth's proudest tribes ;
156 MUTABLE AND IMMUTABLE.
The web of nations weaving and unweaved ; Empires dismembered ; jewelled sceptres
crushed, Which dreamt of nought but immortality !
Each human life a miniature of this ; From infant smiles, on to the tears of death, The roll and record of incessant change. Manhood ! attest it : — where th' ancestral tree Beneath whose shadow childhood loved to play; The willow-branch that kissed the purling
brook ; The smiles that greeted at the garden gate : Or worshippers, at sound of Sabbath bell Hasting their steps across the village green To pay their weekly homage ? Where the
group That sat unbroken round the cheerful hearth ? u The place that knew them knoweth them no
more ! " Scattered are some to hold their varied ways
MUTABLE AND IMMUTABLE.
In the great world : — while others have set
sail, Shipload on shipload to the si'ent land, Bequeathing empty chairs and vacant hearts ! How many cherished flowers of promise fair Have drooped and paled and died ere summer
came ! How many waving harvests has the flood At reaping time remorseless swept away ! How many beauteous piles of amber-cloud, Condensing into vap'rous showers, have fallen ! Rainbows dissolving quickly as they formed ! The bough, on which the treasured nest was
built, Felled by the axe, or broken by the storm ! The golden viaduct of early morn Changed, ere the evening, to a "Bridge of
Sighs ! "
Such are life's airy bubbles ; — passing joys, Dancing their little moment on the stream,
158 MUTABLE AXD IMMUTABLE.
Then vanishing for ever ! Say, amid
These severed friendships, — buried earthly
loves, — The rude heart- shocks of passion, and caprice Of changing fortune ; — are no Rock-clefts found Wherein to fold the wing and sink to rest ?
Oh ! turn to Him, who amid every change Remaineth changeless. Like yon Alpine peak, By human foot unsealed — uuscaleable ; Summer and winter clad with virgin snow. With kingly mien it downwards seems to
gaze Upon the riot of the elements : No jewel in its icy crown displaced; No wrinkle on its everlasting brow. Type of the Rock of Ages ! high above All fluctuations. Human props may fail ; The dearest fellowships of earth may cease ; Estranged from brother may a brother be, Sister from sister, friend grow cold to friend.
MUTABLE AXD IMMUTABLE. 159
But One upon the Throne of Heaven remains More faithful than a brother ! Lift your gaze Above these leafless boughs, and wintry skies, And slanting shadows ; and exulting say, " Thou art the same, Thy years they shall not
fail ! " He sitteth in His world of calm, beyond The reach of mutability : unchanged 'Mid fitful storm and sunshine, births and
deaths, Glad marriage peals and doleful funeral knells. No desolating billow which has swept Away our earthly moorings, can dislodge The soul thus sheltered in the Living Rock. LTpon the stormy billows we can see The lustrous rainbow of the covenant Arching the angry spray. And on its scroll Of blended ruby, emerald, and gold, The glorious superscription can be read — "I am Jehovah and I cannot change ' "
Sins Cast into tfje ©eptfjs of ttre Sea.
" Thou wilt cast all their sius into the depths of the sea,** — MiCAH vii. 19.
Deep sea ! in whose unfathomed caves Our sins are cast and found no more ; No tempest rage, no surging waves, Can beat them back upon the shore.
Low in unsounded depths they lie, Like Egypt's submerged chivalry. Like the army and horse, the shield, bow, and
quiver, That slumbered deep down on the coral-paved
floor : So our legion transgressions are buried for ever : In judgment they rise to condemn us no more ; Buried for ever ! Evermore !
S/XS CAST IXTO THE SEA. 161
"Thou wilt cast all their sins in the depths of
the sea " : — How gracious the tidings for you and for me !
Deep sea ! the load from sight is lost ;
But where the mighty burden fell.
Though many a gallant ship has crossed,
There is no milestone left to tell.
Unsounded caverns low and deep
For ever will the secret keep.
Oh yes ! the great burden is sunk in no river,
Which the drought of the summer to sight
might restore ;
It is plunged in the ocean-depths, — buried for
ever,
In judgment to rise and condemn us no more :
Buried for ever !
Evermore !
" Thou wilt cast all their sins in the depths of
the sea " : —
Thrice blessed the tidings for you and for me !
L
^arapfjrasc of lisalm xxtit.
" The Lord is my Shepherd" — Ps. xxiii. i.
The Lord is my Shepherd, nought else shall I
need ! Once far from His fold in my loneliness pining, To His own verdant pastures He brought me
to feed, And by the still waters I now am reclining.
Though darkness, at times, should be shroud- ing my sky,
And I gaze on a wilderness blighted and dreary ;
The meadows seem withered, the rivulets dry,
I wander through thorny-brakes, footsore and weary : —
FA RAPHRA SE OF PSA LM XXIII. i 63
'Tis only in order my soul to restore,
And for His Name's sake in a right path to
guide me : My Shepherd would teach me to seek for no
more Save the pastures His wisdom sees meet to
provide me.
Yea, though I should journey through Death's
shadow'd vale, No evil I fear, for His arms will enfold me : "With His Presence vouchsafed, not a foe can
assail, His rod and His staff through the gloom will
uphold me.
The Keeper of Israel a table has spread, Prepared in the presence of foes that surround
me ; With oil, rare and precious, anointing my head; The wastes of the desert made fragrant around
me.
164 PARAPHRASE OF PSALM XXI II,
Surely Goodness and Mercy, with blessings
anew, Will follow me on to the brink of the river : The rush of its waters conducting me through, To dwell in the house of Jehovah for ever !
Millennial Glory.
"Let the wilderness and the cities thereof life up their
voice, t/ie villages that Kedar doth inhabit: let tlie
inhabitants of the rock sing, let them shout Jrom the
top of the mountains." — Isa. xlii. IX. " The glory of Lebanon shall come unto thee, the fir-tree,
the pine-tree, and the box together, to beautify tlie place of my sanctuary ; and I will make the place of
my feet glorious."— Isa. Ix. 13. ** The Lord hath made bare His holy arm in the eys of
all the nations ; and all the ends of rhe earth shall see
th£ salvation of our God" — Isa. lii. 10.
Hasten, Lord, that morn of glory When the world shall groan no more :
When the Gospel's joyous story Shall be spread from shore to shore.
Speed the glorious proclamation, Let Messiah's power increase ;
Every tribe and tongue and nation Welcome in the Prince of Peace !
1 66 MISS ION A RY H\ 'MX.
Wake your echoes, rocks of Kedar !
Midi an ! Ephah ! own His grace ! "Fir, and pine, and box, and cedar,
Beautify His holy place ! "
Blessed time, when every dwelling Shall the joyful anthem raise ;
Every heart with rapture swelling, Thrilling every tongue with praise.
When the leopard and the lion With the lamb in peace shall lie,
And within the earthly Zion
Dwells the love that reigns on high !
Firmament, now glowing o'er us !
Mountains, rivers, isles, and sea ! All combine to swell the chorus
That will ring earth's jubilee !
Sefotsfj fHtsstonarg fftgrniu
The Captive Daughter of Zion.
" O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the Prophets, eind stonest them that are sent unto thee ; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not I" — Luke xiii. 34.
*' But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create : for, behold, I create Jerusa !em a rejoicing, and her people a joy. And I will rijoice in Jerusii- fem, and joy in my people : and the voice of weeping shall be no 7iiore heard, in her, nor ihe voice of crying." — Isa. lxv. 18, 19.
Tell me, 0 thou captive daughter,
Why this sackcloth on thy brow ?
Why thy children given to slaughter,
Made in servitude to bow ?
Heaven proclaims the awful story : "She has slain the Lord of Glory ! "
1 68 JE WISH MISS ION A R Y HYMN.
She who once in peerless splendour 'Mid the kingdoms sat enthroned ; Alien now, without defender, Scorned, rejected, and disowned !
Nations ! read the thrilling story, Lest ye scorn the Lord of Glory !
Zion ! shall there then be spoken
" Glorious things " of thee no more ?
Does thy God, thy ramparts broken,
Still forbid thee to restore ?
Go and wail with tears the story, How ye slew the Lord of Glory !
Lord ! make bare Thine arm to save her ;
Let her exiles cease to roam ;
Let the promised time to favour,
Yea, the set time, let it come !
Heralds ! spread the joyful story, Judah owns the Lord of Glory !
JE WISH MISSION A R Y II J rMtf. i 69
Rise ! ye prostrate sons of Salem ;
God once more is on your side.
Weeping aliens ! come and hail Him
Whom your fathers crucified.
Teach a wondering world the story, How ye love the Lord of Glory.
fflorntng fftgtnn.
"I laid me down and slept; I awaked ; for the Lord
sustained me." — Ps. iii. 5. " Behold, He that keefieth Israel^ shall neither slumber
nor sleep." — Ps. cxxi. 4.
0 God, to Thy keeping This day I commend me ; Both waking and sleeping In mercy defend me.
The radiance now gleaming Through morning's bright portal, Be type of the beaming Of sunshine immortal.
1 know not ere nightfall The joys that may cheer me ; The bliss sent to light all The path that is dreary.
.
MORNING HYMN, 171
I know not ere nightfall What comforts may perish, What trials may blight all I now fondly cherish.
But this doth sustain me, Whate'er is betiding, Let pleasure or pain be, 'Tis all Thy providing.
May mine be the Christ-life, Meek, gentle, and lowly, Evading the world's strife, And following the holy.
On Thee ever casting All cares that surround me, Thine arms everlasting Beneath and around me.
172
MORNING HYMN.
Then shall I go boldly To-day to my calling, Thy grace will uphold me, And keep me from falling.
With faith ever clearer, Life's hours shall be given, To pitch my tent nearer To Thee and to Heaven,
£ iHoumcr's fHormng Iftptn.
*'0 satisfy us early with Thy mercy; that we ?nay rejoice and be glad all our days. Make us glad acco? ding to t/ie days wherein Thou hast afflicted us, and the years wherein we have seen evil." — Ps. xc. 14, 15-
Abide with me, Thou gracious Guide, My lamp by night, my sun by day ; Thy gracious presence at my side Bids every anxious fear away.
Ere I begin life's "common task," Hush'd be its feverish cares awhile, That calm reposing, I may bask, Eternal One ! beneath Thy smile.
Vouchsafe this day Thy pardoning grace, My countless sins, 0 God, forgive ; If Thou shine on me with Thy face, It must, indeed, be bliss to live.
174 A MOURNER S MORXIXG HYMX.
Earth's fondest hopes, and cherished dreams Are fitful, fugitive, and vain ; The best of its polluted streams I only drink to thirst again.
Earth's brightest suns may cease to shine, Earth's shelters fail to give defence : Not so the Sun — the Shield Divine, The " strong tower" of Omnipotence !
Yes, " even youth shall weary grow, And young men utterly shall fall ; " But never faintness those shall know Who have made Thee, 0 God, their all.
Oft in a gloomy, chequered past, When human hopes appeared in vain, A gracious look from Thee was cast, And sadness turned to joy again !
A mourner's MORNING HVM.V. 175
Still would I feel Thee, ever near ; Ne'er at Thy will may I repine ; Thy presence dries each falling tear; Proclaims all — " needful discipline.'1
Teach me resigned to kiss the rod, And in each stroke Thy hand to own ; Or let me trust Thee, 0 my God, If now the "need he " is unknown.
Soon shall Thy dealings be unroll'd, The wondrous chart will fix my gaze ; And heaven's revolving years unfold New matter and new theme for praise.
Wave upon wave which roll'd before Tempestuous o'er this ruffled breast ; Then lull'd asleep, shall break no more The rapture of eternal rest.
176 a mourner's morning hymn.
Glad thought ! to reach Thy blest domain, Where pleasure reigns without alloy ; Where trial is unknown, and pain Shall never break the tfance of joy.
Oh cheering hope ! the desert past, And life's illusive visions o'er ; The longed-for Canaan reached at last, "Where sin is felt and fear'd no more.
To taste Thy love — to see Thy face — My endless happiness shall be ; Lord ! independent of all place. Where'er Thou art is Heaven to me,
<£bcmrt(j f&jmttu
11 Abide with ns : for it is toward evening-, and the day is
far spent." — Llke xxiv. 29. " So He giveih His beloved sleep." — Ps. exxvii. 2.
As nature tolls her curfew-hell,
Draw near Thou Great Invisible !
The turmoil of the day is o'er ;
The last wave breaks upon the shore ;
The vanished sun has left in sight
No legacy of golden light.
The moon takes up her silver lyre,
"While round her stand the starry choir,
Like choristers in vestures white
In the great Temple-Court of night.
The tuneful tenants of the air,
Warbling their closing vesper prayer,
M
178 EVENING HYMN,
Have sunk with folded wing to rest In their uncurtained woodland nest. 0 Thou, enthroned mid scaphim, Who listenest to their silent hymn ; Come and accept the meed of praise, Which from these feeble lips I raise. Hear me, 0 Father reconciled ! Smooth the night pillow of thy child ; Till morning break, sweet vigil keep, And givre to Thy Beloved sleep !
Statftag ftformng.
**/ ivas glad ivheti they said unto me, Let us go into the
house of the Lord." — Ps. cxxii. i. "He is not here : for He is risen, as He said. Come, see
tJie place where tlie Lord lay." — Matt, xxviii. 6.
0 Thou, who hast a Temple-shrine, In every lowly contrite soul, Kindle this heart and lip of mine, As with a living altar- coal !
No costly rites I need prepare, No rich oblations need I bring ; The spirit meek — the fervent prayer Are Thine accepted offering.
Come, blessed Saviour, from above Thy faithful promises fulfil ; Speak as of old Thy words of love, And breathe Thy sacred " Peace be still."
1 80 S UN DA Y MORNING,
Let no distracting cares this day, From holier themes my thoughts beguile, As now Thy summons I obey, " Turn ye aside and rest awhile."
On this great weekly Easter-morn Faith leads me to Thy hallowed grave, To hear the blessed tidings borne Which white-robed angel- watchers gave; —
"Why seek the living 'mong the dead? The buried Victor is not here, He has arisen as He said, Come, see His vacant sepulchre."
"The Lord is risen ! " a captive world Has now its iron chains unbound ; Sin from its despot-throne is hurFd, Satan is vanquished — Death uncrowned !
SUNDA V MORNING. 1 8 1
Let cherubim and seraphim — Let all the ransomed hosts on high, Awake their loudest songs to Him Who captive led captivity.
The blessings, Lord, be mine to share, Thy resurrection-morn has given : And make to-day, Thy House of Prayer None other tlinn the Gate of Heaven I
(KJjristmas,
" And the?e were in the sajne country she/>Jierds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, io 1 the angel of tJie Lord came upon them, and the glory of tJie Lord shone roimd about t/iem" &c.— Luke ii. 8, 9.
What are these ethereal strains Floating o'er Judea's plains ? Burning spirits throng the sky, With their lofty minstrelsy ! Hark ! they break the midnight trance With the joyous utterance, "Glory to God, and peace to men, Christ is born in Bethlehem I "
Quench, ye types, your feeble ray, Shadows, ye may melt away ! Prophecy, your work is done ; Gospel ages have begun.
CHRISTMAS. 183
Temple ! quench your altar fires, For these radiant angel-choir3 To a ruined world proclaim — Christ is born in Bethlehem !
Pillow' d is His infant head
On a borrow'd manger-bed.
He around whose throne above
Angels hymn'd their songs of love,
Now is wrapt by virgin hands
In earth's meanest swaddling bands $
Once adored by seraphim,
Now a Babe of Bethlehem I
Eastern sages from afar, Guided by a mystic star, ' Follow 'd, till its lustre mild Brought them to the heav'nly Child. May each providence to me Like a guiding meteor be, Bringing nearer unto Him, Once the Babe of Bethlehem !
Suffering anlr Utctorg.
Passion Week and Easter.
u Then conteth Jesus with them unto a place called Geth-
semane." — Matt. xxvi. 36. " And when tJiey were come to tJie place, which is called
Calvary, there they crucified Him." — Luke xxiii. 33. "He sJiall see of the travail of His soul, and shall be
satisfied."*'' '—Is a. liii. 11.
Come, the Great Prince of Sufferers view,
As underneath its olives grey, With the pale moonbeams struggling through,
He wrestled in Gethsemane !
His anguished soul, in horror hound, Sent up to heaven its "burdened cry ;
Trembling He clasped the quaking ground, And blood-drops told His agony !
SUFFERING AND VICTORY. 185
In that dread hour He stood alone,
His own disciples basely fled ; He looked for pity, there was none,
For comforters — uncomforted !
Stretch'd on the cross — the holts of Heaven Are on the spotless Victim hurl'd ;
The rocks proclaim, in fragments riven, u He bears the burden of a world ! "
Around Him darkness spreads her pall, As if creation's knell had rung ;
The sun forbade its light to fall, Where its Almighty Maker hung.
In vain His quivering lips implored ;
"My God, my God ! " in vain He cries : Justice unsheaths her glittering sword,
And claims the bleeding sacrifice !
1 86 SUFFERING AND VICTORY.
'Tis done ! — the mighty work is done ;
Messiah bows His thorn-crowned head ; The fight is fought — the battle won,
Captivity is captive led.
The Sufferer once, the Victor now, Through everlasting years adored :
With many crowns upon His brow, He reigns the universal Lord.
And counting o'er the muster-roll Of the Redeemed for whom He died ;
He sees the travail of His soul, And seeing, He is satisfied I
(faster.
" The Lord is risen indeed." — Luke xxiv. 34.
Hallelujah — raise the song, "Jesus Christ is risen ; "
Let the Church the note prolong, "Jesus Christ is risen ! "
Her living and triumphant Head,
Captivity has captive led,
And every foe has vanquished,
Hallelujah !
Hallelujah — let the cry,
"Jesus Christ is risen," Wake each harpstring of the sky,
" Jesus Christ is risen ! " The sealed stone is rolled away, Death and the grave have lost their prey, For Jesus Christ is risen to-day,
Hallelujah !
FASTER.
Hallelujah — dry the tear,
1 ' Jesus Christ is risen ; "
Sound o'er every silent bier — "Jesus Christ is risen ! "
Thrice blessed pledge, ye mourners keep,
Who for your loved and lost ones weep ;
Because He lives, they only sleep ; — Hallelujah. !
Hallelujah — let the sound,
"Jesus Christ is risen, " Circulate the world around,
" Jesus Christ is risen ! " Soon may the Earth's great Easter be, When, her now bondaged children free, Exultant, Lord, shall reign with Thee, — Hallelujah I
eHijttsuntias.
"He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass: as showers that water the earth." — Ps. Ixxii. 6.
Spirit Divine ! grant us Thy gracious leadings; Come and erect Thy dwelling in each heart. And while before Thee rise our fervent plead- ings, More and still more Thy promised aids impart.
Come, like the gentle dove, with olive-token ; Come, like the balmy wind, soft breathing peace ; Come to all those whom sin has crushed and broken ; Loose every fetter, and vouchsafe release.
1 90 WHITS UNDA Y.
Come, like the dew which on Mount Hermon falleth ; Come, when bereavement dims the mourner's eye ; Come, when " the deep to deep" responsive calleth ; And with Thy comforts gem our starless sky.
Come to the world, new life and healing bringing, Cheer its parched souls with rills of heavenly bliss ; Make them like willows by the water spring- ing, "The Lord's own planting" — " Trees of righteousness."
.Sccontr gftfttltt
"Behold, He Cometh with clouds : and every eye shall see Him, and th:y also which pierced Him: and all Aindreds of tlie earth shall wail because of Him. Even so, Amen.''''— Rev. i. 7.
"He which testifeth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Eera Jesus." — Rev. xxii. 20.
Christ is coming ! Let creation Bid her groans and travail cease ;
Let the glorious proclamation
Hope restore, and faith increase —
Christ is coming, Come, Thou blessed Prince of Peace !
Earth can now hut tell the story Of Thy hitter Cross and pain ;
She shall yet behold Thy glory,
When Thou comest back to reign — Christ is coming, Let each heart repeat the strain I
I92 SECOND ADVENT,
Long Thine exiles have been pining, Far from rest, and home, and Thee ;
But, in heavenly vestures shining, Soon they shall Thy glory see ! —
Christ is coming, Haste the joyous jubilee !
With that " blessed hope" before us, Let no harp remain unstrung ;
Let the mighty advent-chorus
Onward roll from tongue to tongue ;-
Christ is coming, Come ! Lord Jesus, — quickly come .
$olo. Communion*
" This dc in remembrance of me." — Luke xxii. 19.
Blessed Feast ! most gracious token Of Thy dying love, 0 Lord !
Memorial of Thy body broken,
And Thy precious blood outpoured.
May the holy rite partaking Help me on my pilgrim way :
Sin in every shape forsaking, Be my vow afresh to-day.
Sacred pledge, that nought can sever,
Blessed Saviour, from Thy love ;
Sealed to be Thy guest for ever
At the better Feast above :
N
194
HOLY COMMUNION.
"Where, in sweet communion blending, With the vast ingathered throng,
Mine shall be a bliss unending, An eternal Festal-song !
S&arbrst ipn.
GREAT God of the harvest, Now waving around ; Who the year with Thy bounty- Hast graciously crowned ! 0 make the glad season More joyous to me, By the message of grace Having brought me to Thee !
On the Great Da}' of Judgment,
"When sentence is passed,
When the bundle of tares
In the fire shall be cast ;
The wheat in the garner
Of glory is stored,
Rejoicing for ever
In the bliss of the Lord.
196
HARVEST HYMN.
No sheaf shall be missing, Nor lost he one grain, In that harvest of glory- When Christ comes again. We now may he reaping In sorrow and tears, But cease shall our weeping, 'When Jesus appears.
Great Lord of the harvest, Now reigning above ! Oh, gather more sheaves To the home of Thy love. Ten thousand already Have been reaped at Thy call, And still there is room In Thy garners for all.
W&t a&Suffirfencg of prist's Mr.
* And to know the Io7>e of Christy which passe th knowledge ." — Epk. iii. 19.
Jesus, Immanuel, Friend unseen ! Who often hast my helper been ; Permit no cloud to intervene
Between me and Thy love.
If in some dark and evil day My wayward steps should go astray, And wander from the narrow way, Restore me in Thy love.
If unbefriended be my lot, By some misjudged, by some forgot, Oh, gracious One, who chaugest not, Bestow on me Thy love.
198 ALL-SUFFICIEXCY OF CHRISES LOVE.
If Thou see meet to take away Those who have proved my earthly stay ; Let this my comfort be — that they Are resting in Thy love.
When on the bed of death I lie, The last and closing moments nigh, To Thy bright home beyond the sky Receive me in Thy love !
©fjere are no ffltatimeljj ©eatfjs.
11 There is ... a time to die." — Eccles. iii. 2.
" Th->u t -truest man to destruction ; and sayesl, Return,
ye children of men." — Ps. xc 3. " Thncst in thy sickle, and reap : for the time is come for
thee to reap ; for the harvest of the earth is ripef —
Rev. xiv. 15.
Let those who make this fleeting earth their all,
And its horizon bound their happiness,
Talk of untimely Graves I No flower can drop
Too soon, if ripe for glory. Early pluck'd,
Is early bliss. Tt only hastens Heaven.
An early death-bed is an early crown.
If with high festival we keep the day
Of the frail body's entrance into life,
And earthly friends are gathered in to offer
Their joyous gratulations, shall it be
With sighs we celebrate the natal hour
Of the undying spirit, entering
A Sinless, Deathless, Sorrowless ior-ever?
NO UNTIMELY DEATHS.
How diverse Earth and Heaven the closing
scene Kegard ! On Earth, a spectacle of tears 1 In speechless agony, each knee is bent Around the couch, importunate for life, While still life's pulses beat. In Heaven, is
heard An invocation also, from the lips Of Mightier than mortal intercessor. Immanuel pleads : but His is not the prayer For an extension of the transient breath : He pleads for life immortal as His own : — "Father, I will, this dying sufferer I have redeem'd, be with me where I am, To share the glory Thou hast given me." His voice is heard ! Omnipotence responds — " Son, Thou art ever with me, all I have Is Thine." To execute that gracious " Will" Eager, a glorious retinue attend. " Go, Angels, — speed ye to the bed of death, And bear the spirit home to Paradise ! "
NO UNTIMELY DEATHS.
Say, mourner, wouldst thou have preferr'd,
that heard Had been the prayer of Earth, or that of
Heaven ? Eternal bliss deferred, or realised ? The Cross continued, or the Kingdom won ? Warfare protracted, or eternal rest ; Keep in abeyance selfish love, and say Wouldst thou arrest these bright celestials, As up they bear their trophy to the skies ? When victory was bursting on his lips, Couldst thou recall the Pilgrim to resume The din of battle, and the vale of tears ?
Wfyttt is $cace JFounti?
1 The fence of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.1 — Phil. iv. 7.
While wandering still from God and heaven, "With sin uncancelled — imforgiven,
Vain shall the world, with syren voice, Bid the unpardoned one rejoice.
Where shall I find a holy calm,
But in Thy blood, Thou dying Lamb ?
My only hope of mercy lies In Thine atoning sacrifice.
The world's temptations may assail, Its friendships cease — its comforts fail ;
But if Thy peace, dear Lord, be mine, All else submissive I resign.
WHERE IS PEACE FOUND ?
203
Oh, let my spirit meekly rest
In whatsoe'er Thy love sees best ;
Confiding in Thy sovereign grace, And trusting where I fail to trace.
Oft, while on earth, short-sighted man Sees but the half-developed plan ;
But inner meanings now unknown, Shall be evolved before the throne !
Lord, let Thy peace meanwhile sustain, 'Mid mingled scenes of joy and pain,
Till in the fulness of Thy love, I reach the Fountain-head above.
Z\)t ©rafoc of Brtfjang.
" Jesus ivept.y' — John xi. 35.
Who is this, in silence bending O'er a dark sepulchral cave? Sympathetic sorrow blending
"With the tears around that grave ? Christ the Lord is standing by, At the tomb of Bethany !
" Jesus wept ! " — these tears are over,
But His heart is still the same. Kinsman, Friend, and Elder Brother, Is His everlasting name.
Saviour ! who can love like Thee, Gracious One of Bethany ?
THE GRAVE OF BETHANY. 205
When the pangs of trial seize ns, When the waves of sorrow roll, I will lay my head on Jesus, Refuge of the troubled sonl ;
Surely none can feel like Thee, Weeping One of Bethany !
"Jesus wept ! " — and still in glory
He can mark each mourner's tear, Loving to retrace the story Of the hearts He solaced here.
Lord ! when I am called to die, Let me think of Bethany !
"Jesus wept ! " — that tear of sorrow
Is a legacy of love, Yesterday — to-day — to-morrow — He the same doth ever prove : Thou art all in all to me, Living One of Bethany !
©fcr&fle Befncntirti.
'For He hath said, I will never leave thee (lit. never,
nez'er), nor forsake thee" — Heb. xiii. 5. i Lo, I am with tou alway, even unto the end of tlu
world." — Matt, xxviii. 20.
Evening shades fall fast around me ; Cherished ones no more surround me : Gone for ever ! —
"I will never, Never leave thee nor forsake."
Hushed are voices full of gladness. Must I float in lonely sadness Down Time's river ? —
"I will never, Never leave thee nor forsake."
OLD AGE BEFRIENDED.
207
Earth's most treasured joys may perish ; From each gourd I fondly cherish Death may sever ! —
* ' I will never, Never leave thee uor forsake."
GTije JFountatn of Sal&atton.
"In th'it day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David, and to tJie inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness? — Zkch. xiii. i.
11 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden^ arid I will give you rest." — Matt. xi. 28.
"And let him that is a thirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely ." — Rev. audi. 17.
Hark ! what distant heavenly chorus Wakes the echoes of the sky ?
What bright spirits these before us Throng the blissful realms on high ?
Once they were in tribulation, Sin obscured their bright array,
Till the Fountain of Salvation "Wash'd their guilty stains away.
THE FOUNTAIN OF SALVA TION
209
Still that Fountain, full as ever,
All alike arc free to share ; Nor can guilty sinners ever
Come too heavy laden there.
Come ! all ye whose souls are dreary,
Toss'd with fears, with doubts distress'd \ . Here is shelter for the weary, To the heavy-laden rest.
Lord, we come ! let none be wanting ;
By Thy grace our souls redeem ; Like the hart for water panting,
All would drink the sacred stream.
We come ! to hear the joyous story, And to wash our garments white ;
Free to all these realms of glory, Endless day which knows no night !
Bonus pastor.
tlI am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am
known oj mine" — John x. 14. " I am the living bread which came down from heaven:
if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever"—
John vi. 51.
' ' Bone Pastor — panis vere, Jesu, nostri miserere, Tu nos pasce, nos tuere ; Tu nos bona fac videre,
In terra viventium.
Tu, qui cuncta scis et vales, Qui nos pascis hie mortales, Tuos ibi commensales C0ha3red.es et sodales
Fac sanctorum civium."
Thomas Aquinas.
(Free translation. )
Good and tender Shepherd, hear us ! Bread of Heaven, in love come near us I Feed us, lead us, and defend us ; Make us see whate'er Thou send us, In the land of earthly living, Is Thy wise and gracious giving !
Thou who feed'st us here as mortals, Ordering all things that befall us, Safe within celestial portals, Oh ! at last in mercy call us.
Take us to the realms of love, Fold us with Thy flock above, Let the peerless name be given, " Heirs and denizens of Heaven ! "
Hife anti ©eatfj.
" We spend our years as a tale that is told." — Ps. xc. 9. " With long life will I satisfy him and show him my saljation." — Ps. xci. 16.
How long have I to live ?
Are threescore years and ten All that this life can give ? Poor passing tale — and then,
To DIE !
How long have I to die ?
A moment's pang — no more ; And then, to yonder sky Mounting, for evermore
To LIVE I
(Comfort ge."
Cod's latest messages of comfort to His Church by the mouth of the Prophet Isaiah.
"Comfort ye, comfort ye mv f>eofle, saith your God"—
ISA. xl. I.
94 Comfort ye, comfort ye," thus saith thy
God to thee, — Comfort my people, and " speak to their
heart " * (xl. 1, 2) ; Though the hills may he shaken, the mountains
removed he, Love such as mine cannot change or depart
(liv. 10).
"Comfort ye, comfort ye," lift up your
eyes and see Who hath created these star-hosts so "bright ;
* Marginal rendering.
214 " COMFORT YE."
Each name of the glittering phalanx is called
by me ; Marshalled their ranks by the word of my
might (xl. 26).
Why, then, 0 Israel, faithless and craven be, Doubting my power, and distrusting my grace ?
(xl. 27). On the palms of my hands, I have, Zion,
engraven thee ; Nothing can ever thine image efface (xlix. 16).
"Comfort ye, comfort ye," mothers untrue
may be, Instincts, most sacred, may wither and die
(xlix. 15), Or the tongue, by the cradle which sang its
fond lullaby, Silent in death's gloomy regions may lie ; —
But ne'er shall my requiem, " COMFORT YE, COMFORT YE,"
Cease to resound o'er the death-stricken heart,
'COMFORT YE;
215
( )r fail in its mission with those who in sorrow
be, Peace, consolation, and joy to impart (xlix. 15 ;
lvii. IS, 19).
"Comfort ye, comfort ye," tell forth that
none can be Left uninvited the blessing to share (Iv. 1) ; For a welcome is waiting to all who repair to
me — Rest in my love, and a home in my care.
"Comfort ye, comfort ye," wide let the
message flee, Say unto Zion, "Thy God on high reigns"
(Hi. 7), Proclaim to all nations, l Messiah has come to
free Captives from prison and bondsmen from
chains' (xlii. 7 ; lxi. 1).
216 "comfort ye.
'•Comfort ye, comfort ye," soon shall these
Avoids to tliee, (Words for the weeping) be needed no more : Soon from earth's willow-tree taken thy harp
shall be — Taken and tuned for the joys evermore !
(lxv. 18, 19).
£ BHamfofl BrII.
1 To-day, after so long a time ; as it is said, To-day if ye will Jtcar His voice, harden not your hearts." — Haa. iv. 7.
"To-day, if ye win hear His voice," — Who would not listen and rejoice ? " To-day [after so long a time) " — Thus mercy ringeth her golden chime. So long a time monitions given ; So long a time my Spirit striven; By mercies present, mercies fled, Gourds "blossoming or withered ; By voices living, — voices dumb, — By jubilant or muffled drum ; By warnings of my chastening hand, Effaced like writing on the sand : Why still reject my offered grace ? Why still pursue life's phantom chase?
2l8 A WARNING BELL,
Oh, listen, scorners, while I call Amidst earth's giddy carnival : — Still is forgiveness in your choice : "To-day, if ye will hear my voice ; To-day (after so long a time) " — Thus mercy ringeth her golden chime.
To-morrow ! No ! you cannot tell !
To-morrow ! it may toll your knell !
To-morrow ! it may come with ire,
With seated Judge and flaming fire ! " Tell me, watchman, what of the night ? "
"The shadows are dimming in evening light;
The portals of death are looming in sight ;
Hasten, oh, hasten life's winter flight ! " While yet there is hope — while yet there is
time ; Ere mercy be ringing her farewell chime : — "To-day, if ye will hear His voice," Arise ! Repent, Believe, Rejoice !
€§£ 13cst JFrimlJ.
"Whom hive I in heaven but Theet arid there is none upon earth that I desire besides Thee- My fiesh and my heart faileth : but God is the strength of my heart and >uy portion for ever ;" — Ps. Ixxiii. 25, 26.
"Lo, I am with you aizuay, even to the end of the world" — Matt, xxviii. 20.
Blessed Saviour, to defend me None I have compared with Thee ;
None so willing to befriend me, Thou art all in all to me.
In the past, Thy grace unfailing Hath sustained me, hour "by hour ;
Over every foe prevailing,
Vanquishing the tempter's power.
220 THE BEST FRIEND.
Still upon Thine arm relying, On my heavenly way I hold ;
Keep the smouldering flame from dying, Keep my love frGin waxing cold.
What is life ? a scene of troubles, Following swiftly, one hy one,
Phantom visions — airy "bubbles, Which appear and then are gone !
What at best the world's vain fashion ?
Quickly it must pass away : Vexing care and whirlwind passion
Surging like the angry spray.
Friends may fail and bonds may sever;
Cherished refuges may fall ; But Thy friendship is for ever, —
It survives the wreck of all
ffltoficltef IXefruftctr.
'* Who is among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth tJie voice of His servant, that walketh in darkness* and hath 710 light t let him trust in the name of tJie Lord, and stay upon his Cod." — Isa. 1. 10.
" But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; tltey shall mount up with wings as eagles ; they shall run and not be weary J and they shall walkt and not fault." — Isa. xl. 31.
Why, faithless soul, with drooping wings,
To unbelief make base surrender, When each returning morning brings Proofs of God's love so vast and tender?
Though thou may'st weary grow of Him, His love to thee can ne'er grow dim.
Though now, perchance, His gracious 'ace Veil for a time its former shining.
222 UNBELIEF REBUKED,
Yet trust Him where thou canst not trace, Clouds yet will have their silver lining ; The sun which midday storms enfold, Will set in amethyst and gold.
Up ! up ! with eagle pinion rise,
Nor seek to pause on perch inglorious, Till in the blue of heavenward skies, O'er every cloud and storm victorious, You come, with eye no longer dim, To fold your wings with seraphim.
HL\)C Sonof of tfjc ftcocrmco in Sjcabcu.
1 And after these things I heard a great voice of muck People in heaven, saying, Alleluia." — Rev. xix. i.
'And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many a?igels round about the throne, and the beasts, and the elders ; and the number of tJiem zvas ten thousand tunes ten thousand, and thousands of thousands : Saying, with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain." — Rev. v. ii, is.
'Tis done — the world's long night is o'er ; At last is reach'd the long'd-for shore,
Life's transient tale is told ; The Crystal City bursts on sight, With gates of pearl and sapphire bright,
And streets of purest gold !
224 THE SONG OF THE
One theme each angel-bosom fires, The thunder of the myriad choirs
The anthem-peals prolong ; No wearied frame, no languid eye Suspends the swelling minstrelsy
Of the exultant throng.
Enthroned in bowers of glistening light, With crowns of gold, and robes of white,
And wreaths of fadeless palm ; Down at His feet each crown is flung, And onward rolls from tongue to tongue,
" All-worthy is the Lamb ! "
But of the myriads round the throne, The ransorrfd multitudes alone
Take up the chorus strain ! With bounding hearts they sweep their strings, And thus each blood-bought sinner sings,
"The Lamb FOR US was slain !
REDEEMED IN FIE A VEN. 225
" All blessing, honour, glory, power, Redound to Him for evermore,
From all the hosts of heaven : The Prince of Life who once was slain ; Who through eternal years shall reign,
To Him all praise be given ! "
And higher still their palms they wave, And deeper in the ocean lave
Of Heavenly bliss divine ! But ne'er the plummet can be found, By which, 0 Lamb of God, to sound
Such depths of love as Thine !
€ty Bag Breaftetfj,
' And He said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let Thee go, except Thou bless me"— Gen. xxxii. 26.
"Let me go ! the day is breaking ! " Christ and His salvation taking : Christ my only portion making : Every other trust forsaking. Oh, amid last thunders quaking, Earth and hills' foundations shaking, Grant me, Lord, a joyful waking. In this hope of life partaking, " Let me go, the day is breaking."
W$t JFmal Erst
•4 Thy sun shall no more go down ; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself; for the Lord shall be thine ever- lasting light ', and the days of iky mourning shall be ended" — Is a. lx. 20.
" There remaineth therefore a rest to tlie people of God." — Hfc.B. iv. 9.
The eventide is past : Past is life's sunset hour • No more do tempests lower ; No more are skies o'ercast.
Thenceforth the Lord shall be Thine everlasting light : Before His sunshine bright, The mists of earth shall flee.
22S THE FIXAL REST.
The vale of sorrow trod, The Shepherd ever nigh, The flock shall pasture high Upon the hills of God !
No more shall wane thy moon, Nor pale thy sun its light ; In day which knows no night ; One never-ending noon !
IN MEMORIAM.
hi ftfcmortam:
The Prince Consort. Balmoral, 14th Dec. 1861.
Go silence your pibrochs ; go sound the wild
coronach ; Wail loudest dirges o'er mountain and vale : The Chief of our chieftains lies silent and
shrouded, The Prince of the land, and the pride of the
Gael!
This morning our hill-tops were gloomy with mist- clouds,
They curtained each crag, and then melted in rain :
It was Nature attired in her garments of sack- cloth,
And weeping for him she shall ne'er see again.
232 IW MEMO R 1AM :
Ye dumb mountain mourners, how fondly he
loved you ! In glory of sunshine or grandeur of gloom : Your carpets of heather, your jungles of
bracken, The plumes of your rock-pines, the gold of
your broom !
Begin the plaint moaning, ye forests of Athole \ For yours are the conies his eyes first beheld : Let it sigh through the glens of the Garry and
Tummel, The straths of Breadalbane — the woods of
Dunkeld.
Grampian heights echo it! Bold Ben-muich-
dhui ; BenDearg, Ben-e-vrackie, and lone Ben-y-Gloe; Schehallion, respond to the wail of Ben-
Voirlich, Till it die far away in the wilds of Glencoe.
THE PRINCE CONSORT. 233
Come, Dee's gentle waters, and lend your soft
music, As plaintive ye flow through the forests of
Mar ; "While louder your dirges, ye torrents of Muick, Your tribute-grief "bringing from loved Loch-
nagar.
Garrawalt, pour out your thunder of tear- drops ;
The rainbow forbid to encircle your spray :
More fitting, by far, are the wrack and the driftwood,
Which chafe in each eddy and cauldron to-day !
Take up the coronach, cottage and clachan ; Shepherd's lone shieling on mountain or
moor ; For he whom we moum-had alike ever ready A word for the great and a smile for the poor.
234 IN MEM0R1AM ;
Sad change ! Oh, how lately these heights
that surround me Were silvered with birches or purple with
bloom : To-day, the moist winds seem to sob all around
me, And load the bared tresses with tears for his
tomb !
How recent the Castle-halls rang with the
bagpipe, As mustered his gillies in pride to display, By long Autumn's "gloamin'," or weird blaze
of torchlight, The spoils Balloch-buie had yielded each day !
The stag-hounds, unheeded, now bay in their
kennels ; The torch-light no longer shall redden the hills ; The wild deer may slumber in peace in their
corries, Or drink undisturbed at their lone mountain rills.
THE PRINCE CONSORT. 235
He lived not in times when our bale-fires were
lighted ; When yelled forth the war-pipes o'er moorland
and glade ; The fiery cross carried from hamlet to hamlet, And shieling and homestead in ashes were laid.
Not his were the lips that could sound the
fierce slogan, When claymore met broadsword in battle
array ; "When chieftain and clansmen stood shoulder
to shoulder, Impatient to join in the heat of the fray.
Far nobler his mission, far grander his
triumphs ; Their glories unreckoned by booty and slain ; The battle with wrong, and the conquest of
baseness, The proudest of trophies — a life without stain.
236 IN MEMORIAM.
We wail for the dead, — but we wail for the
living ; Great God of the mourner ! with Thee do we
plead For the heart that is broken with anguish
unspoken ; Alone in her greatness, — "a widow indeed !"
For her are the dirges — for her the wild coro- nach—
For her we may weep till our eyes become dim :
But with our thoughts centred on the bliss he has entered,
All tears may be dried that are falling for him !
In jjHemortam:
Ihe Fallen Flower. J. H . 1838. Aged 12.
''My Beloved is gone down into His garden . . • to
gcther lilies" — Sol. Song vi. 2.
Whtn the fruit is ripe^ immediately He j>utteth in the sickle" — Mark iv. 29.
Why weep for the beautiful flower,
As if premature pluck'd away? Survived had its blossoms that hour,
It had lived, but had lived to decay.
But now it has left this cold scene,
To blossom in regions above, "Where no storms, where no clouds intervene,
To darken the sunshine of love.
238 THE FALLEN FLOWER.
The rose in the garden that falls, Has its vacant place filled up again ;
No gap in the branches recalls That a transient blank had e'er been.
Not so with the hearts that bewail The blight of the tender home -flower 1
No subsequent leaves can avail To fill its missed place in the bower I
Oh, happy, — thrice happy the time, When again we shall meet, ne'er to sever ;
With that f»owftr in that happier clime, To bask in bright sunshine for ever !
In IHcmoriam:
Thomas Guthrie, D.D. Funeral Day March 1873.
u A Prince in Israel and great man has fallen," Loved and revered by peasant and by peer ;
No pompous rites — no hired minstrels call in : A mourning nation gathers round his bier.
On comes the funeral car ! All heads uncover Down the long surging crowd which line the way ;
With bated breath each whispers to the other— " A prince and great man fallen has to-day ! '*
By whom shall best the funeral hymn be chanted ?
Who on his sod shall lay the immortelle ? Shall some cathedral's chancel-choir be wanted,
And courtly fingers strew the mute farewell?
240 IN MEMORIAM :
No! Call the "Arabs" of his much-loved city, Those once of ragged dress and weary limb —
The outcasts who engrossed his manly pity ; No surpliced choristers so dear to him.
Still are his words of burning pathos ringing : Who can forget the magic of their power ?
New strength imparting — fresh resolves up- bringing That long survived the fleeting Sabbath hour.
He's gone ! yet not, with folded wing inglorious, To cease his loves and labours in the skies ;
But to still nobler heights to soar victorious, New wastes reclaim— new worlds evangelise.
Lay him to slumber full of years, and hoary, Where rests his chief with chieftains all around ; No mighty minster with its sculptured story, Garners such dust as does that hallowed ground.
THOMAS GUTHRIE, D.D. 24 1
He needs no funeral bell from tower or steeple, No salvo loud, no roll of muffled drain ;
His panegyric is a mourning people, His unhired minstrel — wailing Christendom.
To the loved turf, baptized to-day with weeping,
No age will cease its tribute -tear to bring. This choice " God's Acre " is in angel-keepmg ;
Leave him to slumber, " every inch a king."
Q
In jUUmoriam:
A. M. ob : 1866. [Dedication Lines.] *
These to life's oldest — latest guide ; Translated to an early crown ; Whose sun, while yet 'tv, as day, went down, Ere fell the shades of eventide.
In worth of heart, and wealth of brain, In all that noble was and pure — All that is destined to endure, I ne'er shall see his like again.
* These lines may fittingly introduce the verses which follow on the succeeding pages. The latter may be ac- ceptable to not a few who prized the worth of a life of rare unselfishness and consecration. They were found, with several others, in a MS. volume of poetry, secular and sacred ; the contents of which had evidently formed the recreation of leisure moments. One of each kind is given.
AV MEMOK1AM, 243
For long retains the western sky The vanished orb's resplendent hue ; In gleaming memories, ever new, That life survives. It ^cannot die.
This tribute of most sacred love
I lay upon his honoured bier ;
Jf I could do it, not a tear
Would weep him from his bliss above.
'Tis better far to be with Him, Whose work gave zest to life while here ; Oh, grudge him not the wider sphere, The Brotherhood with Seraphim !
Jfea&eHej & Urgcnti of $)roucnce.
Ax aged man, with tresses grey, "Whose eyes bespoke familiar tears, "With trembling lips poured forth this lay To sympathising ears : —
1 Oh ! many a sweet beguiles the bee In gay Provence's lovely bowers, And roses garland many a tree
Entwined with fragrant flowers.
In light festoons, the clustering vine O'ercanopies the sylvan glade, And countless flow'rets gaily shine Beneath its graceful shade.
The hum of glittering insect wing "Wakes music in these fairy groves, And nightingales delight to sing, In silvery notes, their loves !
A LEGEND OF PROVENCE. 245
I've seen that land of beauty dressed In radiant summer's mantle green, And oft does pensive memory rest Upon each witching scene I
But sacred above all the themes, On which in lonely hours I dwell, Is she whose image haunts my dreams— The gentle Isabelle I
Oft had I blessed the path T took That led me to her cottage door ; Methought it wore a hallowed look I ne'er had seen before.
The aged father welcomed me Within his humble, peaceful cot, And bade his duteous daughter see My wants were not forgot.
246 is a belle:
"Oh yes," she answered, "father dear, I'll make a fragrant flowery bed, And welcome is the stranger here To rest his weary head."
Away she tripped, with noiseless tread, As if some Heavenly Being fair Had left the regions of the dead
To dwell with mortals there.
I gazed upon the spot, where she Had nimbly vanished from my sight, The old man marked my ecstasy
And smiled with fond delight.
" Thou'rt right," he said, in accents mild — " Yes, by my troth, thou judgest well, She is indeed a blessed child My darling Isabelle !
A LEGEND OF PROVENCE. 247
"She is my sole surviving friend, All other joys from me are fled ; And she alone is left, to tend Her aged father's head :
" The angel of my closing years,
In undeserved mercy given,
To o-uide, amid this Vale of tears,
My feeble steps — to heaven ! "
Oft I recall the guileless joy
In which that summer glided by !
As cloudless as the canopy
Of fair Provence's sky.
The hour of prayer together spent, Adoring Him in accents meet, When with united hearts we bent Before the Mercy-seat !
248 IS A BELLE :
Who can describe the hymn of praise, Its soft and silvery sweetness tell, Poured from her lips in holiest lays As evening shadows felL
How shall I paint the thornless bliss In which the fleeting hours went past, Mid joys — in such a world as this — Too exquisite to last ?
Methinks I see the trembling tear Which stole from eyes unused to sorrow, When first I whispered in her ear,
" We part— upon the morrow ! "
The old man raised his withered head, And gazed upon the azure sky : Then — "Fare thee well cm^7e," he said, "We vet shall meet — on high ! "
A LEGEND OF PROVENCE. 249
"Nay — speak not thus, my father dear, But one short year away " — and then, "Make promise — thou wilt wander here, And visit us again.
"Daily I'll watch thy favourite vine Put forth its verdant shade of leaves, And train its tendrils to entwine And trellis all the eaves.
" Fondly I'll note, when budding flowers O'erhang thy favourite window-seat ; — And eager count the passing hours Until, at length, ice 'meet !
" Oh, quickly speed thee hack again ! And now," she cried, "a fond farewell! Soon will a year elapse :— till then Remember Isabelle ! "
250 IS A BELLE :
Even now, metliinks, her parting words, As if prolonged by magic spell, Still vibrate on my spirit's chords : " Bemember Isahelle ! "
The tedious years at length went past 2 Again I reached a foreign shore : With joyful steps, I trode at last Provence's soil once more.
I stood upon a vine-clad spot O'erhanging yon romantic dell, Where stands the lone sequestered cot That sheltered Isabelle.
The balmy breath of summer eve (Exhaled from many a fragrant flower), Seemed to my fancy to receive
Fresh sweetness in that hour.
A LEGEND OF PROVENCE. 25 1
With eager steps, I culled a flower, And quickly cleared the briery brake, "And Jiere," said I, " we'll form a bower Beside that fairy lake."
What though the gathering clouds at last Were shrouding all the sunset sky, And evening's hues were yielding fast To the fair moon on high ?
I knew the scenes of former days,
Familiar every nook to me ;
The names of all the friendly fays
That owned each haunted tree !
Each blooming plant that smiled around, Each ivied root — eacli grassy swell ; "For oft I've trode the hallowed ground With her I loved so well.
252 ISABELLE,
" The rose-slip on the churchyard wall Has now become a verdant tree, The orange-plants are now grown tall, Can time have altered thee ?
"Oh yes," methought, " thine eye will
show A deeper shade of heavenly blue, Thy cheek will have a ruddier glow — Tinged with a brighter hue.
"Thy hair in richer tresses shine, Thy voice have lost its childish tone ; But still, thy faithful heart is mine — My beautiful ! my own ! "
I trode the path along the dell,
Down by the spreading churchyard tree,
Beneath whose shade my Isabelle
First pledged her troth to me !
A LEGEND OF PROVENCE. 253
I passed the holy precincts, where Her sainted mother's ashes lay : The moonlight cold was shaded there, Across my grave-strewn way.
On new-laid turf, with daisies fair, The chilly moonbeams gently fell : But what ! oh ! — what was graven there! " Remember Isabelle ! " '
Zo a fHotfjer, on tfje Qratfj of an onlg ©aucjfjter*
She is in Heaven ! — That thought alone Should chase the grief which clouds thy brow. 'TVas said from her Redeemer's throne, My Glory enter thom
She is in Heaven ! — lest earthly love, So sweet, so strong as hers and thine, To both might too attractive prove, Displacing Love Divine,
She is in Heaven ! — but still unseen With hers thy notes of praise may blend ; On the same Rock thy soul may lean, To the same Centre tend.
TO A MOTHER, ETC. 255
She is in Heaven ! — a gleaming star, To cheer thee in thy daikened lot, And guide, 'mid joys which fleeting are, To One who changeth not.
She is in Heaven ! — at times when prone
To mourn the race so early run ;
A white-robed saint before the Throne
Whispers — "The prize is won."
She is in Heaven ! — has reached ere noon
In safety yon celestial shore ;
And oh ! the bliss to meet her soon —
"Not lost, but gone before ."
256 LINES.
[The following lines are from the same pen, written on the tiile-page of the MS. -volume referred to. ]
Calm sleeps the sea, when storms are o'er, With bosom silent and serene ; — And but the plank upon the shore Reveals what wrecks have been ! So, some frail leaves like these may be Left floating on Time's silent tide ; The sole remaining trace of me To tell, I lived, — and — died !
THE END.
■ ir+rrmm*