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diff --git a/old/67379-0.txt b/old/67379-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index bf59a5d..0000000 --- a/old/67379-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,40893 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of A Cyclopædia of Sacred Poetical -Quotations, by H. G. Adams - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: A Cyclopædia of Sacred Poetical Quotations - Consisting of Choice Passages from the Sacred Poetry of All Ages - and Countries, Classified and Arranged, for Facility of - Reference, Under Subject Headings; Illustrated by Striking - Passages from Scripture, and Forming Altogether a Complete Book - of Devotional Poetry. - -Editor: H. G. Adams - -Release Date: February 11, 2022 [eBook #67379] - -Language: English - -Produced by: Richard Hulse, Karin Spence and the Online Distributed - Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was - produced from images generously made available by The - Internet Archive/American Libraries.) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A CYCLOPÆDIA OF SACRED -POETICAL QUOTATIONS *** - - - - - - [Illustration: - - GEORGE HERBERT - - MILTON - - YOUNG - - COWPER - - MONTGOMERY - - HEBER - - _Engraved by P. P. Becker._ - - London, Groombridge and Sons.] - - - - - A - - CYCLOPÆDIA - - OF - - SACRED POETICAL - - QUOTATIONS; - - CONSISTING OF - CHOICE PASSAGES FROM THE SACRED POETRY - OF ALL AGES AND COUNTRIES, - - CLASSIFIED AND ARRANGED, FOR FACILITY OF REFERENCE, - UNDER SUBJECT HEADINGS; - - ILLUSTRATED BY STRIKING PASSAGES FROM SCRIPTURE, - - AND FORMING ALTOGETHER - - A COMPLETE BOOK OF DEVOTIONAL POETRY. - - EDITED BY H. G. ADAMS. - EDITOR OF THE “CYCLOPÆDIA OF POETICAL QUOTATIONS,” ETC. - - NEW EDITION. - - - “A verse may find him who a sermon flies, - And turn delight into a sacrifice.”--HERBERT. - - - ALEX. GARDNER, - PAISLEY; AND PATERNOSTER ROW, LONDON. - - - - - PREFACE. - - -The favour with which our former compilation--the “Cyclopædia of -Poetical Quotations”--was received, and the numerous calls which we had -for an extension of the plan of that work, induced us to determine on -the issue of this companion volume, which, although exactly similar in -size and price, and method of arrangement, yet possesses a decidedly -distinctive feature in the _sacred_ character of all the pieces -included. We have endeavoured to make it one of the most complete -collections of RELIGIOUS POETRY ever offered to the public; and cannot -doubt that, as such, it will be acceptable to a very large class of -readers. As the matter in this volume had to be arranged under a far -less number of distinct headings than that of the work above named, -there was space for the introduction of longer pieces, and thus many -of the most beautiful specimens of devotional poetry, which are to -be found in the literature of this and other nations, are given with -little or no curtailment. Although there is much poetry of a religious -character scattered through the former volume, yet--inasmuch as it -is presumed that most persons who possess the one will also desire -to have the other--none of the pieces which may there be found are -admitted into this compilation, except in some cases where it was -felt that by re-uniting the portions there arranged under several -headings, so complete and beautiful a whole could be presented, that -its insertion here was almost rendered necessary. - -As we wished to make our volume entirely _unsectarian_ in its -character, we have endeavoured to avoid the insertion of poems which -involve merely doctrinal points. Those grand truths and principles of -Christianity on which all denominations of the Saviour’s professed -followers are agreed, offered ample scope for poetic illustration; -and happily we could, alike from the pages of a Milton, a Watts, a -Doddridge, a Wesley, a Montgomery, and a Keble, find plenty of matter -for our purpose, without entering at all upon the thorny paths of -controversy. The introduction of Scripture quotations at the head of -each subject will, we apprehend, be considered a useful feature of our -compilation. As might be expected, the noblest poetry that ever was -written is to be found in the inspired volume, and those passages which -we have selected therefrom, as specimens of poetic composition alone, -will, we apprehend, be considered the true gems of the collection. - -While we are upon the subject of Scripture quotations, we may perhaps -be allowed to place before our readers a fine passage from Gilfillan’s -“Bards of the Bible,” in reference thereto:-- - -“The charm which Scripture quotation adds to writing, let those tell -who have read Milton, Bunyan, Burke, Foster, Southey, Croly, Carlyle, -Macaulay, yea, and even Byron, all of whom have sown their pages -with this ‘orient pearl’ and brought thus an impulse from divine -inspiration, to add to the effect of their own. Extracts from the -Bible always attest and vindicate their origin. They nerve what else -in the sentence in which they occur is pointless; they clear a space -for themselves, and cast a wide glory around the page where they are -found. Taken from the _classics_ of the _heart_, all hearts vibrate -more or less strongly to their voice. It is even as David felt of old -toward the sword of Goliath, when he visited the high-priest, and said, -‘There is none like that, give it me;’ so writers of true taste and -sympathies feel on great occasions, when they have certain thoughts and -feelings to express, a longing for that sharp two-edged sword, and an -irresistible inclination to cry ‘None like that, give it us; this right -Damascus blade alone can cut the way of our thought into full utterance -and victory.’” - -From the Psalms of David, as giving expression in the most poetical and -devotional form, to almost every variety of passion and emotion of -which the human mind is cognizant, we have, of course, taken a large -proportion of our Scripture passages, and therefore do we think it well -to quote the above author’s apostrophe to these sublime compositions. - -“Wild, holy, tameless strains, how have you run down through ages in -which large poems, systems, and religions have perished, firing the -souls of poets, kissing the lips of children, smoothing the pillows of -the dying, stirring the warrior to heroic rage, perfuming the chambers -of solitary saints, and clasping into one the hearts and voices of -thousands of assembled worshippers; tinging many a literature, and -finding a home in many a land; and still ye seem as fresh, and young, -and powerful as ever; yea, preparing for even mightier triumphs than -when first chanted! Britain, Germany, and America now sing you; but you -must yet awaken the dumb millions of China and Japan.” - -It has been beautifully and truly observed by the eloquent and learned -Bishop Lowth, that “We shall think of Poetry much more humbly than it -deserves, unless we direct our attention to that quarter where its -importance is most eminently conspicuous, or unless we contemplate it -as employed on sacred subjects, and in subservience to religion. This -indeed appears to have been the original office and destination of -Poetry, and this it still so happily performs, that in all other cases -it seems out of character, as if intended for this purpose alone. In -other instances Poetry appears to want the assistance of art, and in -this to shine forth with all its natural splendour, or rather to be -animated by that inspiration, which on other occasions is spoken of -without being felt.” - -These observations apply more especially to Hebrew Poetry, that -loftiest and noblest manifestation of true poetic inspiration; and are -quoted by Dr. Caunter in his able and judicious treatise on “The Poetry -of the Pentateuch,” in reference to which the learned writer observes -that “Sacred themes have inspired the greatest poets of almost every -age, and of every civilized country where the true God has been adored, -the doctrine of redemption promulgated, and the divine attributes -avowed. Those sublime themes have called forth the highest intellectual -endowments of man.” Herder, another profound critic, and lover of -Poetry in its most sublime forms, says of it, that “without God it is a -showy Papyrus without moisture; every system of morals without Him is a -mere parasitical plant. It makes a flowery display in fine words, and -sends forth its branches hither and thither; nay, it insinuates itself -into every weak spot and crevice of the human soul; but the sun rises -and it vanishes.” - -All true Poets have felt and known this, although they have not always -acknowledged it; sometimes it was but a dim confused perception of the -truth which they obtained; being dazzled by the blaze of their own -genius, they have mistaken that for a divine effluence, and worshipped -it in the place of that greater glory, of which it was but a faint -reflex and emanation. Sometimes it was pride of intellect which forbade -them to bow down to any other God than that which bore the impress of -self: sometimes it was a kind of pantheistic worship of nature, as an -abstract divinity; so enamoured were they of the fair face of creation, -that they forgot the Creator; the works, how beautiful! how perfect! -But the workman, what of Him? We have spoken in the past tense, and it -might be thought that our remarks were meant to apply to poets of pagan -lands, and of benighted ages of the world’s history; but alas! they are -equally applicable to all ages, and to all lands; and especially to our -own country and age of Christian enlightenment. Many of the most gifted -singers of the present day, of the most fervent and devoted spirits, -might have served as high-priests in the temple of Apollo, and offered -adoration at the shrine of Flora, Ceres, and the Bona Dea, and other -pagan impersonifications of the sun, and the earth, with its beauties -and riches. To such as these the flowers, those stars of earth, are -not the living, glowing, breathing “charactery” in which the Almighty -writes instructive lessons of His wisdom and goodness, telling the -sick, the weary, and the sad at heart, that - - “Whoso careth for the flowers - Will care much more for them.” - -To such the stars, those flowers of heaven, are not bright revelations -of the Deity who sustains and directs them in their courses. - - “For ever singing as they shine, - The hand that made us is divine.” - -To such the whispering gales, the rustling boughs, the humming insects, -the singing rills, and the warbling birds, speak not of an ever -watchful, ever wakeful Power, to which in every emergency the prayerful -soul may turn. Calm and soothing as is doubtless the influence of -nature, upon the troubled souls of all who submit themselves to her -gentle teachings, yet with how much greater satisfaction and delight -must those contemplate her beauties and share her calm enjoyments, -who see in her various changes and aspects but so many revelations of -Almighty love, and read in her fair lineaments the wondrous story of -redeeming grace. - - “Alas! that mankind sees Him not,--the Great - And Everlasting Framer of all worlds; - Who paints himself upon the leaves of flowers, - And flings his portrait on the breasted clouds, - And sheds his syllogisms in the shape - Of suns, and moons, and planetary systems,” - -as J. Stanyan Bigg, the latest, but not the least, of the true poets of -the present cycle, has finely said. We must give another extract from -his “Night and the Soul,” published too late for quotation in the body -of our volume:-- - - “Nature is still, as ever, the thin veil - Which half conceals, and half reveals the face - And lineaments supernal of our King,-- - The modifying medium through which - His glories are exhibited to man,-- - The grand repository where he hides - His mighty thoughts to be dug out like diamonds;-- - Still is the day irradiate with His glory, - Flowing in steady, sun-streaked, ocean gush - From His transcendant nature,--still at night - O’er our horizon trail the sable robes - Of the Eternal One, with all their rich - Embroidery and emblazonment of stars.” - -This is high and holy teaching. Well were it if every mere -nature-worshipper could be brought to the same conviction as the poet -of “Night and the Soul,” and confess that-- - - “Religion is the true Philosophy! - Faith is the last great link ’twixt God and man. - There is more wisdom in a whispered prayer - Than in the ancient lore of all the schools: - The soul upon its knees holds God by the hand. - Worship is wisdom as it is in heaven! - ‘I do believe! Help Thou mine unbelief!’ - Is the last greatest utterance of the soul.” - -“I do believe!” how few are there among the gifted children of song, -who can stoop from the lofty heights of intellectual glory, to utter -this confession of the insufficiency of human reason, the littleness of -human power.-- - - “Stoop, stoop, proud man! the gate of heaven is low, - And all who enter in thereat must bend! - Reason has fields to play in, wide as air, - But they have bounds; and if she soar beyond, - Lo! there are lightnings and the curse of God. - And the old thundered ‘Never!’ from the jaws - Of the black darkness and the mocking waste. - Come not to God with questions on thy lips, - He will have love--love and a holy trust. - And the self-abnegation of a child. - ’Tis a far higher wisdom to believe, - Than to cry ‘Question’ at the porch of truth. - Think not the Infinite will calmly brook - The plummet of the finite in its depths.” - -God and His attributes are undoubtedly the poet’s noblest themes, and -to celebrate the greatness and glory of His works, the wonders of His -power, and the riches of His grace, have the highest efforts of human -genius in all ages been directed. From the time when Moses sung his -song of triumph as the waters closed over Pharaoh and his host, when -the Prophets uttered their rapt predictions, and the inspired Psalmist -sent forth those strains of supplication and thanksgiving which are -still sounding daily in our ears, and stirring our hearts to devotion, -down to the period when Milton wrote his great epic, - - “Of man’s first disobedience, and the fruit - Of that forbidden tree, whose mortal taste - Brought death into the world,” - -has the lyre been consecrated to the service of religion--has -religious poetry been the most beautiful and touching, as well -as the most lofty and sublime of all poetry. As Dr. Caunter well -observes, “The noblest epics which have elicited the poetic genius of -different countries, have been based upon subjects either immediately -connected with, or remotely allied to, religion. The authors of the -Mahabarat and the Ramayana, two Hindoo epics of high celebrity and -extraordinary magnitude, extending each to several hundred thousand -lines, of the Iliad and the Odyssey, of the Inferno, of the Jerusalem -Delivered, of the Paradise Lost and Regained, have, either directly or -consequentially, all made the Deity and His illimitable perfections the -subjects of their immortal song.” - -And so it is; every true poet is essentially a religious poet; his -religion may not be Christianity, his views of the divine nature and -attributes may be distorted, and he may be altogether ignorant of -the great truths of scripture revelation, yet there will ever be in -minds of the greatest reach and capacity, a striving after that which -is good and holy, and a knowledge, approximating to the truth, of the -relationship between the Creator and the created; for - - “Spontaneously to God will tend the soul, - Like the magnetic needle to the pole.” - -Would that all whose “tranced hands have woke the lyre,” and chanted -such strains as the world would not willingly let die, had had such -clear views of the nature of the obligation which lay on them to -dedicate their powers to the service of true religion, as our own -Milton, who commenced his immortal epic thus:-- - - “And chiefly Thou, O Spirit, that dost prefer - Before all temples, the upright heart and pure, - Instruct me, for Thou know’st: Thou from the first - Wast present, and with mighty wings outspread - Dove-like sat’st brooding on the vast abyss, - And mad’st it pregnant. What in me is dark - Illumine; what is low, raise and support; - That to the height of this great argument - I may assert eternal Providence, - And justify the ways of God to men.” - -Would that all could bear some such testimony to the truth as it is in -Jesus, and exclaim with him-- - - “O, unexampled Love! - Love no where to be found less than Divine! - Hail, Son of God, Saviour of men, Thy Name - Shall be the copious matter of my song - Henceforth, and never shall my harp Thy praise - Forget, nor from Thy Father’s praise disjoin.” - -A similar spirit of fervent piety animated the breast of the Italian -poet Lorenzo de Medici, who made this solemn request at the footstool -of the Almighty, previous to entering on the composition of a poem:-- - - “In ardent adoration joined, - Obedient to Thy holy will, - Let all my faculties combined - Thy just desires, O God, fulfil! - From thee derived, eternal King, - To thee our noblest powers we bring: - O, may thy hand direct our wandering way! - O, bid thy light arise, and chase the clouds away!” - -Listen also to the author of the “Night Thoughts,” and hear his -acknowledgment of the true sources of poetic inspiration:-- - - “O Thou bless’d Spirit: whether the Supreme, - Great ante-mundane Father; in whose breast, - Embryo creation, unborn being, dwelt, - And all its various revolutions rolled, - Present, though future; prior to themselves; - Whose breath can blow it into nought again; - Or, from His throne some delegated power; - Who, studious of our peace, dost turn the thought - From vain and vile, to solid and sublime! - Unseen Thou lead’st me to delicious draughts - Of Inspiration, from a purer stream, - And fuller of the God, than that which burst - From famed Castalia.” - -Alas! how often has been, and is, this noble gift of poesy abused and -prostituted to base purposes; of how few could it be said that he had -written no line which dying he might wish to blot. Dryden, we may -remember, exclaims - - “O gracious God! How far have we - Profaned Thy heavenly gift of poesy! - Made prostitute and profligate the muse, - Debased to each obscene and impious use, - Whose harmony was first ordained above - For tongues of angels, and for hymns of love!” - -Yet even he cannot altogether escape the reproach conveyed in these -lines to such as have, at times, shown themselves unworthy of the -sacred gift, and of this he appears to be conscious when he says “how -far have _we_,” etc. Cowper might with great propriety act the censor -on such a dereliction of duty, and say-- - - “Debased to servile purposes of pride, - How are the powers of genius misapplied! - The gift, whose office is the Giver’s praise, - To trace Him in His word, His work, His ways, - Then spread the rich discovery, and invite - Mankind to share in the divine delight; - Distorted from its use and just design, - To make the pitiful possessor shine, - To purchase at the fool-frequented fair - Of vanity, a wreath for self to wear, - Is profanation of the basest kind-- - Proof of a trifling and a worthless mind.” - -So also might one of the sacred poets of our own day, many of whose -strains of simple, earnest, and pure devotion, will be found in our -volume. He has just passed from hence to sing in a heavenly choir; and -fain would we embody in this preface a slight tribute of our admiration -for his genius, and our gratitude for the service he has rendered to -the Christian Religion. - - - TO THE MEMORY OF JAMES MONTGOMERY. - - SWEET minstrel, who through life hast turned thy face - Unto the city of the heavenly king; - Of infinite mercy, and of boundless grace, - And God’s high attributes hast loved to sing; - E’en like a pilgrim onward journeying, - To whom this world was no abiding place; - But through whose mists of sin and sorrowing - Thou hadst a light the devious way to trace. - The river thou hast crossed, the shining gate - Hath oped to bid thee welcome to thy rest; - Thy voice, which sounded in our ears but late, - Now swells the chorus of the truly blest: - Thou hast departed, but hast left thy lays, - A rich bequest of holy prayer and praise. - - - - - CYCLOPÆDIA - - OF - - SACRED POETICAL QUOTATIONS. - - - - - AARON. - - -I will sanctify the tabernacle of the congregation and the altar: I -will sanctify also both _Aaron_ and his sons, to minister to me in the -priest’s office.--Exodus, xxix. 44. - -And Moses stripped _Aaron_ of his garments, and put them upon Eleazar -his son; and _Aaron_ died there in the top of the mount; and Moses and -Eleazar came down from the mount.--Numbers, xx. 28. - -_Aaron_ the saint of the Lord.--Psalm cvi. 16. - -Called of God, as was _Aaron_.--Hebrews, v. 4. - - - So, with trembling hand, - He hasted to unclasp the priestly robe, - And cast it o’er his son, and on his head - The mitre place; while, with a feeble voice, - He blessed, and bade him keep his garments pure - From blood of souls. But then, as Moses raised - The mystic breastplate, and that dying eye - Caught the last radiance of those precious stones, - By whose oracular and fearful light - Jehovah had so oft His will revealed - Unto the chosen tribes, whom _Aaron_ loved - In all their wanderings--but whose promised land - He might not look upon--he sadly laid - His head upon the mountain’s turfy breast, - And with one prayer, half-wrapped in stifled groans, - Gave up the ghost. - _Mrs. Sigourney._ - - - - - ABEL. - - -And _Abel_ brought of the firstlings of his flock, and of the -fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto _Abel_ and his -offering.--Genesis, iv. 4. - -They were wont to speak in old time, saying, They shall surely ask -counsel at _Abel_.--II. Samuel, xx. 18. - -By faith _Abel_ offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, -by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of -his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.--Hebrews, xi. 4. - - - Blood has a voice to pierce the skies; - Revenge! the blood of _Abel_ cries; - But the dear stream when Christ was slain, - Speaks peace aloud from every vein. - _Watts._ - - - Adjacent rose a myrtle-planted mound, - Whose spiry top a granite fragment crowned. - Tinctured with many-coloured moss the stone, - Rich as a cloud of summer-evening shone, - Amid encircling verdure that arrayed - The beauteous hillock with a cope of shade. - “Javan,” said Enoch, “on this spot began - The fatal curse;--man perished here by man. - The earliest death a son of Adam died - Was murder, and that murder fratricide! - Here _Abel_ fell a corse along the shore; - Here Cain’s recoiling footsteps reeked with gore. - Horror upraised his locks, unloosed his knees; - He heard a voice, he hid among the trees: - --‘Where is thy brother?’--from the whirlwind came - The voice of God amidst enfolding flame: - --‘Am I my brother’s keeper?’--hoarse and low, - Cain muttered from the copse--‘that I should know?’ - - * * * * * - - That mound of myrtles o’er her favourite child - Eve planted, and the hand of Adam piled - Yon mossy stone, above his ashes raised, - His altar once, with _Abel’s_ offering blazed, - When God well pleased beheld the flames arise, - And smiled acceptance on the sacrifice.” - _J. Montgomery._ - - - - - ABHORRENCE. - - -And now am I their song, yea, I am their by-word. They _abhor_ me, they -flee far from me.--Job, xxx. 9, 10. - -I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth -thee. Wherefore I _abhor_ myself, and repent in dust and ashes.--Job, -xlii. 5, 6. - -Let love be without dissimulation. _Abhor_ that which is evil; cleave -to that which is good.--Romans, xii. 9. - - - Father of lights! from whom proceeds - Whate’er thy every creature needs; - Whose goodness providently nigh, - Feeds the young ravens when they cry; - To thee I look, my heart prepare; - Suggest, and hearken to my prayer. - - Fain would I know, as known by thee, - And feel the indigence I see: - Fain would I all my vileness own, - And deep beneath the burden groan; - _Abhor_ the pride that lurks within, - Detest and loathe myself and sin. - _Wesley._ - - - ’Tis a point I long to know, - Oft it causes anxious thought, - Do I love the Lord, or no? - Am I his, or am I not? - Could I joy his saints to meet, - Choose the ways I once _abhorred_, - Find at times the promise sweet, - If I did not love the Lord? - _Newton._ - - - Were half the power that fills the world with terror, - Were half the wealth bestowed on camps and courts, - Given to redeem the human mind from error, - There were no need of arsenals nor forts. - The warrior’s name would be a name _abhorred_; - And every nation that should lift again - Its hand against a brother, on its forehead - Would wear for evermore the curse of Cain. - _Longfellow._ - - - - - ABIDE--ABODE. - - -For we are strangers before thee, and sojourners, as were all our -fathers: our days on the earth are as a shadow, and there is none -_abiding_.--I. Chronicles, xxix. 15. - -The fear of the Lord tendeth to life, and he that hath it shall _abide_ -satisfied.--Proverbs, xix. 23. - -They that trust in the Lord shall be as Mount Zion, which cannot be -removed, but _abideth_ for ever.--Psalm cxxv. 1. - -If ye _abide_ in me, and my words _abide_ in you, ye shall ask what ye -will, and it shall be done unto you.--John, xv. 7. - - - Eternal power! whose high _abode_ - Becomes the grandeur of a God-- - Infinite lengths beyond the bounds, - Where stars revolve their little rounds. - - The lowest step beneath thy seat - Rises too high for Gabriel’s feet: - In vain the tall archangel tries - To reach thine height with wondering eyes. - _Watts._ - - - “We’ve no _abiding_ city here:”-- - This may distress the worldly mind; - But should not cost the saint a tear, - Who hopes a better rest to find. - - “We’ve no _abiding_ city here;” - We seek a city out of sight; - Zion its name,--the Lord is there, - It shines with everlasting light. - - O! sweet _abode_ of peace and love, - Where pilgrims freed from toil are blest; - Had I the pinions of a dove, - I’d fly to thee and be at rest. - _Kelly._ - - - Sun of my soul! Thou Saviour dear, - It is not night if Thou be near: - Oh, may no earth-born cloud arise - To hide Thee from Thy servant’s eyes. - - _Abide_ with me from morn till eve, - For without Thee I cannot live. - _Abide_ with me when night is nigh, - For without Thee I dare not die. - _Keble._ - - - - - ABOUND--ABUNDANCE. - - -The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and -_abundant_ in goodness and truth.--Exodus, xxxiv. 6. - -A faithful man shall _abound_ with blessings; but he that maketh haste -to be rich, shall not be innocent.--Proverbs, xxviii. 20. - -Therefore as ye _abound_ in every thing, in faith and utterance, and -knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love to us, see that ye -_abound_ in this grace also.--II. Corinthians, viii. 7. - -We beseech you brethren and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye -have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would -_abound_ more and more.--I. Thessalonians, iv. 1. - -Unto Him that is able to do exceeding _abundantly_ above all that we -ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.--Ephesians, -iii. 20. - -Out of the _abundance_ of the heart the mouth speaketh.--Matthew, xii. -34. - - - God on thee - _Abundantly_ his gifts hath also poured, - Inward and outward both. - _Milton._ - - - Good the more - Communicated, more _abundant_ grows; - The author not impaired but honoured more. - _Milton._ - - - The God of Nature and of Grace - In all his works appears; - His goodness through the earth we trace, - His grandeur in the spheres. - - Behold this fair and fertile globe, - By Him in wisdom planned; - ’Twas He who girded, like a robe, - The ocean round the land. - - His blessings fall in plenteous showers - Upon the lap of earth, - That teems with foliage, fruit, and flowers, - And rings with infant mirth. - - If God hath made this world so fair, - Where sin and death _abound_; - How beautiful beyond compare - Will Paradise be found! - _J. Montgomery._ - - - - - ABOVE. - - -The Lord shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be -_above_ only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto -the commandments of the Lord thy God, which I command thee this day, to -observe and to do them.--Deuteronomy, xxviii. 13. - -The Lord is high _above_ all nations, and his glory _above_ the -heavens.--Psalm cxiii. 4. - -He that cometh from _above_ is _above_ all: he that is of the earth -is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is -_above_ all.--John, iii. 31. - - - Be this my one great business here, - With serious industry and fear, - Eternal bliss to ensure: - Thine utmost counsel to fulfil, - And suffer all thy righteous will, - And to the end endure. - - Then Saviour, then, my soul receive, - Transported from this vale to live - And reign with thee _above_; - Where faith is sweetly lost in sight, - And hope in full supreme delight, - And everlasting love. - _Wesley._ - - - Descend from heaven immortal Dove, - Stoop down and take us on thy wings, - And mount and bear us far _above_ - The reach of these inferior things. - - Beyond, beyond this lower sky, - Up where eternal ages roll; - Where solid pleasures never die, - And fruits immortal feast the soul. - _Watts._ - - - Rise my soul and stretch thy wings, - Thy better portion trace; - Rise from transitory things, - Towards heaven, thy native place. - - Sun, and moon, and stars decay; - Time shall soon this earth remove; - Rise, my soul, and haste away - To seats prepared _above_. - _Cennick._ - - - - - ABRAHAM. - - -By faith _Abraham_, when he was called to go out into a place which he -should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not -knowing whither he went. - -By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, -dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the -same promise: - -For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and -maker is God.--Hebrews, xi. 8, 9, 10. - -_Abraham_ believed God, and it was counted unto him for -righteousness.--Romans, iv. 3. - - - Him God the Most High, vouchsafed - To call by vision, from his father’s house, - His kindred, and false gods, into a land - Which he did show him, and from him did raise - A mighty nation; and upon him shower - His benedictions so, that in his seed - All nations shall be blest; he straight obeyed, - Not knowing to what land, yet firm believed: - He left his gods, his friends, and native soil, - Ur of Chaldea, passing now the ford - To Haran; after him a cumbrous train - Of herds and flocks, and numerous servitude, - Not wandering poor, but trusting all his wealth - To God, who called him, in a land unknown. - _Milton._ - - - Like _Abraham_ ascending up the hill - To sacrifice, his servants left below, - That he might act the great Commander’s will - Without impeach to his obedient blow: - Even so the soul, remote from earthly things, - Should mount salvation’s shelter,--mercy’s wings. - _Robert Southwell._ - - - Though round him numerous tribes, - Sworn foes to Heaven’s dread Ruler, pitch their tents, - No wayward doubts or coward fears appal - The Patriarch’s soul. By the bright hope sustained, - That in his seed all nations should be blest, - Calm and unmoved the delegated seer - Submissive bends to the Eternal Will. - _Samuel Hayes._ - - - - - ABSENCE. - - -I Paul myself beseech you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, -who in presence am base among you, but being _absent_ am bold toward -you.--II. Corinthians, x. 1. - -I write these things, being _absent_, lest being present I should use -sharpness, according to the power which the Lord hath given me.--II. -Corinthians, xiii. 10. - - - To Jesus, the crown of my hope, - My soul is in haste to be gone; - Oh, bear me, ye cherubim, up, - And waft me away to His throne! - - My Saviour, whom _absent_, I love, - Whom not having seen, I adore; - Whose name is exalted above - All glory, dominion, and pow’r. - _Cowper._ - - - Thus far my God hath led me on, - And made His truth and mercy known; - My hopes and fears alternate rise, - And comforts mingle with my sighs. - - Through this wild wilderness I roam, - Far distant from my blissful home; - Lord, let Thy presence be my stay, - And guard me in this dangerous way. - - Temptations everywhere annoy, - And sins and snares my peace destroy; - My earthly joys are from me torn, - And oft an _absent_ God I mourn. - _Fawcett._ - - - Had I the tongues of Greeks and Jews, - And nobler speech than angels use, - If love be _absent_, I am found, - Like tinkling brass, an empty sound. - - If love to God and love to men - Be _absent_, all my hopes are vain; - Nor tongues, nor gifts, nor fiery zeal, - The work of love can e’er fulfil. - _Watts._ - - - - - ACCEPTANCE. - - -Thus saith the Lord unto this people, thus have they loved to wander, -they have not refrained their feet; therefore the Lord doth not -_accept_ them; he will now remember their iniquity, and visit their -sins.--Jeremiah, xiv. 10. - -Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be -_acceptable_ in thy sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.--Psalm -xix. 14. - -Proving what is _acceptable_ unto the Lord.--Ephesians, v. 10. - -God is no respecter of persons; but in every nation, he that feareth -him, and worketh righteousness, is _accepted_ with him.--Acts, x. 34, -35. - - - This woman, whom thou mad’st to be my help, - And gav’st me as thy perfect gift, so good, - So fit, so _acceptable_, so divine. - _Milton._ - - - Thus I imboldened spake, and freedom and - Permission, and _acceptance_ found. - _Milton._ - - - God is a spirit just and wise; - He sees our inmost mind; - In vain to heaven we raise our cries, - And leave our souls behind. - - Nothing but truth before his throne - With honour can appear; - The painted hypocrites are known - Through the disguise they wear. - - Lord search my thoughts, and try my ways, - And make my soul sincere; - Then shall I stand before thy face, - And find _acceptance_ there. - _Watts._ - - - _Accept_ my prayer O Lord, - A contrite spirit cries, - And asks, depending on Thy word, - A pardon from the skies. - - Let me _acceptance_ find, - Unworthy though I be; - Be there a place in heaven assigned - To me, Lord, even me! - _Anon._ - - - - - ACQUAINTANCE. - - -Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace: thereby good shall -come unto thee.--Job, xxii. 21. - - - _Acquaint_ thee, O mortal! _acquaint_ thee with God; - And joy, like the sunshine, shall beam on thy road; - And peace, like the dewdrop, shall fall on thy head; - And sleep, like an angel, shall visit thy bed. - - _Acquaint_ thee, O mortal! _acquaint_ thee with God; - And he shall be with thee when fears are abroad, - Thy safeguard in danger that threatens thy path,-- - Thy joy in the valley and shadow of death. - _Knox._ - - - _Acquaint_ thyself with God, if thou would’st taste - His works. Admitted once to his embrace, - Thou shalt perceive that thou wast blind before: - Thine eye shall be instructed; and thine heart - Made pure, shall relish with divine delight - Till then unfelt, what hands divine have wrought. - Brutes graze the mountain-top, with faces prone, - And eyes intent upon the scanty herb - It yields them: or recumbent on its brow - Ruminate, heedless of the scene outspread - Beneath, beyond, and stretching far away - From inland regions to the distant main. - Man views it and admires; but rests content - With what he views. The landscape has his praise, - But not its Author. Unconcerned who framed - The Paradise he sees, he finds it such, - And such well pleased to find it, asks no more. - Not so the mind that has been touched from heaven, - And in the schools of sacred wisdom taught - To read his wonders, in whose thought the world, - Fair as it is, existed ere it was. - Not for its own sake merely, but for his - Much more who fashioned it, he gives it praise; - Praise that from earth resulting as it ought, - To earth’s acknowledged Sovereign, finds at once - Its only just proprietor in Him. - _Cowper._ - - - - - ADAM AND EVE. - - -So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he -him; male and female created he them.--Genesis, i. 27. - -By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death -passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.--Romans, v. 12. - -For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the -dead. - -For as in _Adam_ all die, even so in Christ shall all be made -alive.--I. Corinthians, xv. 21, 22. - -The first man _Adam_ was made a living soul; the last _Adam_ was made a -quickening spirit.--I. Corinthians, xv. 45. - - - Thou man thy image mad’st, in dignity, - In knowledge and in beauty like to thee; - Placed in a heaven on earth: without his toil, - The ever flourishing and fruitful soil - Unpurchased food produced: all creatures were - His subjects, serving more for love than fear. - _Sandys._ - - - For contemplation he, and valour formed; - For softness she, and sweet attractive grace; - He for God only, she for God in him: - His fair large front and eye sublime, declared - Absolute rule; and hyacinthine locks - Round from his parted forelock manly hung - Clustering, but not beneath his shoulders broad: - She as a veil down to the slender waist, - Her unadorned golden tresses wore - Dishevelled, but in wanton ringlets waved - As the vine curls her tendrils: which implied - Subjection, but required with gentle sway, - And by her yielded, by him best received. - _Milton._ - - - So spake our mother _Eve_; and _Adam_ heard - Well pleased, but answered not; for now, too nigh - The archangel stood; and from the other hill - To their fixed station, all in bright array, - The cherubim descended; on the ground - Gliding mysterious, as evening mist - Risen from a river, o’er the marish glides, - And gathers round, fast at the labourer’s heel - Homeward returning. High in front advanced, - The brandished sword of God before them blazed, - Fierce as a comet; which with torrid heat - And vap’rous as the Libyan air adust, - Began to parch that temperate clime; whereat - On either hand the hast’ning angels caught - Our lingering parents; and to th’ eastern gate - Led them direct, and down the cliff as fast - To the subjected plain; then disappeared. - They, looking back, all the eastern side beheld - Of Paradise, so late their happy seat, - Waved over by that flaming brand; the gate - With dreadful faces thronged, and fiery arms. - Some natural tears they dropped, but wiped them soon; - The world was all before them where to choose - Their place of rest, and Providence their guide; - They hand in hand, with wandering steps and slow, - Through Eden took their solitary way. - _Milton._ - - - Oft hast thou heard our elder patriarchs tell - How _Adam_ once by disobedience fell; - Would that my tongue were gifted to display - The terror and the glory of that day, - When seized and stricken by the hand of death, - The first transgressor yielded up his breath! - - * * * * * - - With him his noblest sons might not compare - In God-like features and majestic air; - Not out of weakness rose his gradual frame, - Perfect from his Creator’s hand he came; - And as in form excelling, so in mind - The sire of men transcended all mankind; - A soul was in his eye, and in his speech - A dialect of heaven no art could reach; - For oft of old to him the evening breeze - Had borne the voice of God among the trees; - Angels were wont their songs with his to blend, - And talk with him as their familiar friend. - But deep remorse for that mysterious crime, - Whose dire contagion through elapsing time - Diffused the curse of death beyond control, - Had wrought such self-abasement in his soul, - That he whose honour was approached by none, - Was yet the meekest man beneath the sun. - _J. Montgomery._ - - - - - ADMONITION. - - -The Lord hath said concerning you, O ye remnant of Judah; Go ye -not into Egypt: know certainly that I have _admonished_ you this -day.--Jeremiah, xlii. 19. - -And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that ye also are -full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to _admonish_ -one another.--Romans, xv. 14. - -Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are -written for our _admonition_, upon whom the ends of the world are -come.--I. Corinthians, x. 11. - - - Thou Power Supreme! who aiming to rebuke - Offenders, dost put off the gracious look, - And clothe thyself in terrors, like the flood - Of ocean roused into his fiercest mood, - Whatever discipline Thy will ordain - For the brief course that must for me remain; - Teach me with quick-eared spirit to rejoice - In _admonitions_ of thy softest voice! - Whate’er the path these mortal feet may trace, - Breathe through my soul the blessing of Thy grace; - Glad, through a perfect love, a faith sincere, - Drawn from the wisdom that begins with fear; - Glad to expand, and, for a season, free - From finite cares, to rest absorbed in Thee. - _Wordsworth._ - - - In every copse and sheltered dell, - Unveiled to the observant eye, - Are faithful _monitors_, who tell - How pass the hours and seasons by. - - The green-robed children of the spring, - Will mark the periods as they pass; - Mingle with leaves time’s feathered wing, - And bind with flowers his silent glass. - - Thus in each flower and simple bell, - That in our path betrodden lie; - Are sweet remembrancers, who tell - How fast the winged moments fly. - _Charlotte Smith._ - - - - - ADORATION. - - -Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to -come.--Revelations, iv. 8. - -Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto Him that sitteth -upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.--Revelations, v. -13. - - - In ardent _adoration_ joined, - Obedient to Thy holy will, - Let all my faculties combined - Thy just desires, O God, fulfil! - From thee derived, Eternal King, - To thee our noblest powers we bring: - O, may thy hand direct our wandering way! - O, bid thy light arise, and chase the clouds away! - _Lorenzo de Medici._ - - - Ye who spurn His righteous sway, - Yet, oh yet, He spares your breath; - Yet His hand, averse to slay, - Balances the bolt of death. - Ere that dreadful bolt descends, - Haste before His feet to fall; - Kiss the sceptre He extends, - And _adore_ Him “Lord of all.” - _Sir R. Grant._ - - - Eternal Power, whose high abode - Becomes the grandeur of a God, - Infinite lengths beyond the bounds - Where stars revolve their little rounds. - - Thee, while the first archangel sings, - He hides his face behind his wings, - And ranks of shining thrones around, - Fall worshipping and spread the ground. - - Lord, what shall earth and ashes do? - We would _adore_ our Maker too; - From sin and dust to Thee we cry, - The Great, the Holy, and the High. - _Wesley._ - - - - - ADVENT. - - -Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway -for our God. - -Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be -made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places -plain. - -And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it -together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.--Isaiah, xl. 3, 4, -5. - -The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord hath anointed -me to preach good tidings unto the meek; He hath sent me to bind up the -broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of -the prison to them that are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of -the Lord.--Isaiah, lxi. 1, 2. - -Let the floods clap their hands, let the hills be joyful together -before the Lord; for He cometh to judge the earth: with righteousness -shall He judge the world, and the people with equity.--Psalm xcviii. 8, -9. - - - Well then, my soul, joy in the midst of pain; - Thy Christ, that conquered hell, shall from above - With greater triumph yet return again, - And conquer His own justice with His love-- - Commanding earth and seas to render those - Unto His bliss, for whom he paid His woes. - _Henry Wotton._ - - - When Thou, attended gloriously from Heaven, - Shall in the sky appear, and from Thee send - The summoning archangels to proclaim - The dread tribunal, forthwith from all winds - The living, and forthwith the cited dead - Of all past ages, to the general doom - Shall hasten. - _Milton._ - - - Come then, and added to thy many crowns, - Deceive yet one, the crown of all the Earth, - Thou who alone art worthy! It was thine - By ancient covenant, ere Nature’s birth; - And thou hast made it thine by purchase since, - And overpaid its value with thy blood. - Thy saints proclaim thee king; and in their hearts - Thy title is engraven with a pen - Dipped in the fountain of eternal love. - Thy saints proclaim thee king; and thy delay - Gives courage to their foes, who could they see - The dawn of thy last _advent_ long desired, - Would creep into the bowels of the hills - And flee for safety to the falling rocks. - _Cowper._ - - - Messiah comes!--Let furious discord cease; - Be peace on earth before the Prince of Peace! - Disease and anguish feel His blest control, - And howling fiends release the tortured soul! - The beams of gladness Hell’s dark caves illume, - And mercy broods above the distant gloom. - _Bishop Heber._ - - - The Lord shall come! the earth shall quake; - The mountains to their centre shake; - And withering from the vault of night, - The stars shall pale their feeble light. - - The Lord shall come! but not the same - As once in lowliness he came; - A silent Lamb before His foes, - A weary man and full of woes. - - The Lord shall come! a dreadful form, - With rainbow wreath, and robes of storm; - On cherub wings and wings of wind, - Appointed Judge of all mankind! - _Bishop Heber._ - - - The chariot! the chariot! its wheels roll on fire, - As the Lord cometh down in the pomp of his ire; - Self-moving it drives on its pathway of cloud, - And the heavens with the burthen of Godhead are bowed! - - The glory! the glory! by myriads are pour’d - The host of the angels to wait on their Lord, - And the glorified saints and the martyrs are there, - And all who the palm-wreath of victory wear. - _H. H. Milman._ - - - Messiah comes! ye rugged paths be plain! - The Shiloh comes! ye towering cedars bend; - Swell forth, ye valleys; and, ye rocks, descend; - The withered branch let balmy fruits adorn, - And clustering roses twine the leafless thorn; - Burst forth, ye vocal groves, your joy to tell-- - The God of Peace redeems His Israel. - _C. H. Johnson._ - - - - - ADVERSITY. - - -He hath said in his heart, I shall not be moved, for I shall never be -in _adversity_.--Psalm x. 6. - -In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of _adversity_ -consider: God also hath set the one over against the other, to the end -that man should find nothing after him.--Ecclesiastes, vii. 14. - -Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which -suffer _adversity_, as being yourselves also in the body.--Hebrews, -xiii. 3. - - - Stern teacher! should’st thou come, and sit by me, - And fix upon me thy dread, stony eyes, - Calmly may I behold and welcome thee, - As one that hath a message from the skies, - Fraught with intelligence to make me wise: - God grant me strength to view thee steadfastly, - And listen to thy voice, though agonies - Should rack my soul or frame. _Adversity!_ - Full oft hast thou a friend to mortals been, - A blessing in disguise, though stern thy look; - Hard is thy hand, but still thy palms between - Thou hold’st outspread the pages of God’s Book; - Wherein who reads with humble, prayerful mind, - Will hope, and ease, and consolation find. - _Anon._ - - - When first thy sire to send on earth - Virtue, his darling child, designed, - To thee he gave the heavenly birth, - And bade thee form her infant mind. - Stern rugged nurse, thy rigid lore - With patience many a year she bore; - What sorrow was thou bad’st her know, - And, from her own, she learned to melt at other’s woe. - _Gray._ - - - _Adversity_ misunderstood, - Becomes a double curse: - Her chastening hand improves the good, - But makes the wicked worse. - Thus clay more obdurate becomes, - To the fierce flame consign’d; - While gold in the red ordeal melts, - But melts to be refin’d. - _C. C. Colton._ - - - - - AFFECTION. - - -Set your _affection_ upon my words; desire them, and ye shall be -instructed.--Wisdom, vi. 2. - -Set your _affection_ on things above, not on things on the -earth.--Colossians, iii. 2. - -Be kindly _affectioned_ one to another.--Romans, xii. 10. - - - Heavenly Father! God of love, - Look with mercy from above; - Let thy streams of comfort roll, - Let them fill and cheer my soul. - - Love celestial, ardent fire; - O extreme of sweet desire! - Spread thy bright, thy gentle flame, - Swift o’er all my mental frame. - - Sweet _affections_ flow from hence, - Sweet above the joys of sense; - Let me thus for ever be, - Full of gladness, full of thee. - _Parnel._ - - - Precious are the kind _affections_ - Which around this life entwine, - Making earth, with all its troubles, - Something more than half divine. - But, alas! they fade and perish, - Like the bright and fragrant flowers, - Sorrow blights, and death destroys them, - And their beauty time devours. - - ’Tis not so with those _affections_, - That are set on heavenly things; - They will bloom and flourish ever, - Watered by eternal springs; - Warmed by everlasting sunshine, - Sheltered from the storms of earth, - Ever growing and increasing, - Knowing nought of drought or dearth. - _Anon._ - - - - - AFFLICTION. - - -Before I was _afflicted_ I went astray; but now have I kept thy -word.--Psalm cxix. 67. - -It is good for me that I have been _afflicted_, that I might learn thy -statutes.--Psalm cxix. 71. - -I know that the Lord will maintain the cause of the _afflicted_, and -the right of the poor.--Psalm cxl. 12. - -He was oppressed, and He was _afflicted_, yet He opened not His mouth: -He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her -shearers is dumb, so He openeth not His mouth.--Isaiah, liii. 7. - -In all their _affliction_ He was _afflicted_, and the angel of His -presence saved them: in His love and in His pity He redeemed them; and -He bare them and carried them all the days of old.--Isaiah, lxiii. 9. - -Come, and let us return unto the Lord: for He hath torn, and He will -heal us; He hath smitten, and He will bind us up.--Hosea, vi. 1. - -For our light _affliction_, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a -far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.--II. Corinthians, iv. -17. - - - _Affliction_ has a taste as sweet - As any cordial comfort. - _Shakspere._ - - - Perfumes, the more they’re chafed, the more they render - Their pleasant scents, and so _affliction_ - Expresseth virtue fully. - _John Webster._ - - - _Afflictions_ clarify the soul, - And, like hard masters, give more hard directions, - Tutoring the non-age of uncurbed affections. - _Francis Quarles._ - - - To bear _affliction_ with a bended brow, - Or stubborn heart, is but to disallow - The speedy means to health. - _Francis Quarles._ - - - A life all ease is all abused;-- - O, precious grace that made the wise - To know--_affliction_, rightly used, - Is mercy in disguise. - _G. B. Cheever._ - - - Heaven but tries our virtues by _affliction_, - And oft the cloud which wraps the present hour - Serves but to brighten all our future days. - _Dr. Brown._ - - - I cannot call _affliction_ sweet, - And yet ’twas good to bear; - _Affliction_ brought me to Thy feet, - And I found comfort there. - - My wearied soul was all resigned - To Thy most gracious will; - Oh! had I kept that better mind, - Or been _afflicted_ still! - - Where are the vows which then I vowed, - The joys which then I knew? - Those vanished like the morning cloud, - These like the early dew. - - Lord, grant me grace for every day, - Whate’er my state may be; - Through life, in death, with truth to say, - “My God is all to me!” - _J. Montgomery._ - - - Come then, _Affliction_, if my Father bids, - And be my frowning friend: a friend that frowns, - Is better than a smiling enemy. - We welcome clouds that bring the former rain, - Though they the present prospect blacken round, - And shade the beauties of the opening year, - That, by their stores enriched, the earth may yield - A fruitful summer and a plenteous crop. - _Swaine._ - - - Mid pleasure, plenty, and success, - Freely we take from Him who lends; - We boast the blessings we possess, - Yet scarcely thank the one who sends. - - But let _affliction_ pour its smart, - How soon we quail beneath the rod! - With shattered pride, and prostrate heart, - We seek the long-forgotten God. - _Eliza Cook._ - - - - - AGE. - - -Great men are not always wise, neither do the _aged_ understand -judgment.--Job, xxxii. 9. - -And even to your old _age_ I am he; and even to hoar hairs will I carry -you.--Isaiah, xlvi. 4. - -Cast me not off in the time of old _age_; forsake me not when my -strength faileth.--Psalm lxxi. 9. - -Now also, when I am old and grey-headed, O God, forsake me not; until I -have showed thy strength unto this generation, and thy power to every -one that is to come.--Psalm lxxi. 18. - -They shall still bring forth fruit in old _age_; they shall be fat and -flourishing.--Psalm xcii. 14. - -That the _aged_ men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in -charity, in patience. The _aged_ women likewise, that they be in -behaviour as becometh holiness.--Titus, ii. 2, 3. - - - Ye gods! how easily the good man bears - His cumbrous honours of increasing years. - _Age_, oh my father, is not, as they say, - A load of evils heaped on mortal clay, - Unless impatient folly aids the curse, - And weak lamenting makes our sorrows worse. - He, whose soft soul, whose temper ever even, - Whose habits placid as a cloudless heaven, - Approve the partial blessings of the sky, - Smooths the rough road, and walks untroubled by; - Untimely wrinkles furrow not his brow, - And graceful wave his locks of reverend snow. - _M., from Anaxandrides._ - - - And next in order sad, _Old age_ we found, - His beard all hoar, his eyes hollow and blind; - With drooping cheer still pouring on the ground, - As on the place where nature him assign’d - To rest, when that the sisters had untwined - His vital thread, and ended with their knife - The fleeting course of fast-declining life: - There heard we him with broke and hollow plaint, - Rue with himself his end approaching fast, - And all for nought his wretched mind torment - With sweet remembrance of his pleasures past, - And fresh delights of lusty youth forewaste; - Recounting which, how would he sob and shriek, - And to be young again of Jove beseek! - Crook-backed he was, tooth-shaken, and blear-eyed, - Went on three feet and sometime crept on four, - With old lame bones that rattled by his side: - His scalp all piled, and he with eld forelore, - His wither’d fist still knocking at death’s door; - Fumbling and drivelling as he draws his breath; - For brief, the shape and messenger of death. - _Sackville._ - - - So mayest thou live till, like ripe fruit, thou drop - Into thy mother’s lap, or be with ease - Gathered, not harshly plucked, for death mature. - This is old _age_, but then thou must outlive - Thy youth, thy strength, thy beauty, which will change - To withered, weak, and grey. - _Milton._ - - - O my coevals! remnants of yourselves! - Poor human ruins, tottering o’er the grave! - Shall we, shall _aged_ men, like _aged_ trees, - Strike deeper their vile root, and closer cling, - Still more enamoured of this wretched soil? - Shall our pale, withered hands be still stretched out, - Trembling at once with eagerness and _age_? - With avarice and convulsions griping hard? - Grasping at air! For what has earth beside? - Man wants but little, nor that little long: - How soon must he resign his very dust, - Which frugal nature lent him for an hour! - _Young._ - - - _Age_ should fly concourse, cover in retreat - Defects of judgment, and the will subdue; - Walk thoughtful on the silent solemn shore - Of that vast ocean it must sail so soon; - And put good works on board; and wait the wind - That shortly blows us into worlds unknown. - _Young._ - - - But were death frightful, what has _age_ to fear? - If prudent, _age_ should meet the friendly foe, - And shelter in his hospitable gloom. - _Young._ - - - The seas are quiet when the winds are o’er, - So calm are we, when passions are no more! - For then we know how vain it was to boast - Of fleeting things, so certain to be lost. - Clouds of affection from our youthful eyes - Conceal the emptiness which _age_ descries: - The soul’s dark cottage, battered and decayed, - Lets in new lights through chinks that time has made. - Stronger by weakness, wiser men become - As they draw near to their eternal home; - Leaving the old, both worlds at once they view, - That stand upon the threshold of the new. - _Waller._ - - - The fruits of _age_, less fair, are yet more sound - Than those a brighter season pours around; - And, like the stores autumnal suns mature, - Through wintry regions unimpaired endure. - _Cowper._ - - - _Age_, by long experience well informed, - Well read, well tempered, with religion warmed, - That fire abated which impels rash youth, - Proud of his speed, to overshoot the truth, - As time improves the grape’s authentic juice, - Mellows and makes the speech more fit for use, - And claims a reverence, in his shortening day, - That ’tis an honour and a joy to pay. - _Cowper._ - - - How pure - The grace, the gentleness of virtuous _age_! - Though solemn, not austere; though wisely dead - To passion, and the wildering dreams of hope, - Not unalive to tenderness and truth,-- - The good old man is honoured and revered, - And breathes upon the young-limbed race around - A grey and venerable charm of years. - _Robert Montgomery._ - - - Youth, with swift feet, walks onward in the way, - The land of joy lies all before his eyes; - _Age_, stumbling, lingers slower day by day, - Still looking back, for it behind him lies. - _Frances Ann Kemble._ - - - Oh! Youth is firmly bound to earth, - When hope beams on each comrade’s glance: - His bosom-chords are tuned to mirth, - Like harp-strings in the cheerful dance; - But _Age_ has felt those ties unbound, - Which fixed him to that spot of ground - Where all his household comforts lay; - He feels his freezing heart grow cold, - He thinks of kindred in the mould, - And cries, amid his grief untold, - “I would not live alway.” - _William Knox._ - - - He passeth calmly from that sunny morn, - Where all the buds of youth are newly born, - Through varying intervals of onward years, - Until the eve of his decline appears; - And while the shadows round his path descend, - And down the vale of _age_ his footsteps tend, - Peace o’er his bosom sheds her soft control, - And throngs of gentlest memories charm the soul; - Then, weaned from earth, he turns his steadfast eye - Beyond the grave, whose verge he falters nigh, - Surveys the brightening regions of the blest, - And, like a wearied pilgrim, sinks to rest. - _Willis G. Clark._ - - - The _aged_ Christian stands upon the shore - Of Time, a storehouse of experience, - Filled with the treasures of rich heavenly lore; - I love to sit and hear him draw from thence - Sweet recollections of his journey past, - A journey crowned with blessings to the last. - _Mrs. St. Leon Loud._ - - - Why should old _age_ escape unnoticed here, - That sacred era to reflection dear; - That peaceful shore where passion dies away, - Like the last wave that ripples o’er the bay; - O, if old _age_ were cancelled from our lot, - Full soon would man deplore the unhallowed blot; - Life’s busy day would want its tranquil even, - And earth would lose her stepping-stone to Heaven. - _Caroline Gilman._ - - - - - ALMIGHTY. - - -I am the _Almighty_ God.--Genesis, xvii. 1. - -If thou return to the _Almighty_, thou shalt be built up, thou shalt -put away iniquity far from thy tabernacles. - -Yea, the _Almighty_ shall be thy defence, and thou shalt have plenty of -silver. - -For then shalt thou have thy delight in the _Almighty_, and shalt lift -up thy face unto God.--Job, xxii. 23, 25, 26. - -And when they went, I heard the noise of their wings, like the noise of -great waters, as the voice of the _Almighty_.--Ezekiel, i. 24. - - - These are thy glorious works, Parent of good; - _Almighty!_ this thy universal frame, - Thus wondrous fair; thyself how wondrous then; - Unspeakable! who sitt’st above the heavens, - To us invisible, or dimly seen - In these thy lowest works; yet these declare - Thy goodness beyond thought and power divine. - Speak, ye who best can tell, ye sons of light, - Angels! for ye behold him, and with songs - And choral symphonies, day without night, - Circle his throne rejoicing: ye in heaven, - On earth join all ye creatures to extol - Him first, him last, him midst, and without end. - _Milton._ - - - What though th’ _Almighty’s_ regal throne - High o’er yon azure heaven’s exalted dome, - By mortal eye unkenned; where east, nor west, - Nor south, nor blustering north has breath to blow: - Albeit he then with angels and with saints - Holds conference, and to his radiant host - E’en face to face, stands visibly confest; - Yet know that not in presence nor in power, - Shines he less perfect here: ’tis man’s dim eye - That makes the obscurity. - _Christopher Stuart._ - - - Tell me, hast ever thought upon the Being - Whom we _Almighty_ call? Hast ever sent - Thy prayerful thoughts unto His holy throne? - And felt His power, and trembled at the thought? - If not, I cannot call thee man! thou art - A stone, a clod, a dull insensate thing. - _Old Play._ - - - _Almighty_ Father, gracious Lord, - Kind guardian of my days, - Thy mercies let my heart record - In songs of grateful praise. - - In life’s first dawn, my tender frame, - Was thy indulgent care, - Long ere I could pronounce thy name, - Or breathe the infant prayer. - - Each rolling year new favours brought - From thy exhaustless store; - But ah! in vain my lab’ring thought, - Would count thy mercies o’er. - - While sweet reflection, through my days, - Thy bounteous hand would trace; - Still dearer blessings claim my praise, - The blessings of thy grace. - _Steele._ - - - _Almighty_ Father of mankind, - On thee my hopes remain; - And, when the day of trouble comes, - I shall not trust in vain. - - Thou art our kind preserver, from - The cradle to the tomb, - And I was cast upon thy care, - E’en from my mother’s womb. - - Thou wilt not cast me off, when age - And evil days descend; - Thou wilt not leave me in despair - To mourn my latter end. - - Therefore in life I’ll trust in thee, - In death I will adore; - And after death will sing thy praise, - When time shall be no more. - _Logan._ - - - - - AMBITION. - - -A high look, and a proud heart, and the ploughing of the wicked is -sin.--Proverbs, xxi. 4. - -Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou set thy -nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the -Lord.--Obadiah, 4. - -Woe unto you Pharisees, for ye love the uppermost seats in the -synagogues, and greetings in the markets.--Luke, xi. 43. - - - Twice told the period spent on stubborn Troy, - Court favour, yet untaken, I besiege; - _Ambition’s_ ill-judged efforts to be rich. - Alas! _Ambition_ makes my little, less; - Embittering the possessed: why wish for more? - Wishing, of all employments, is the worst. - _Young._ - - - Woe to thee, wild _Ambition_! I employ - Despair’s low notes thy dread effects to tell; - Born in high heaven, her peace thou could’st destroy; - And but for thee, there had not been a hell. - - Through the celestial domes thy clarion pealed; - Angels, entranced, beneath thy banners ranged, - And straight were fiends; hurled from the shrinking field, - They waked in agony to wail the change. - - Darting through all her veins the subtle fire, - The world’s fair mistress first inhaled thy breath; - To lot of higher beings learned to aspire; - Dared to attempt, and doomed the world to death. - _Maria A. Brooks._ - - - The sons of earth - Who, vexed with vain disquietude, pursue - _Ambition’s_ fatuous light through miry pools, - That yawn for their destruction, stray, foredoomed, - Amid delusive shadows to their end. - _William Herbert._ - - - _Ambition_, when the pinnacle is gained - With many a toilsome step, the power it sought - Wants to support itself, and sighs to find - The envied height but aggravates the fall. - _George Bally._ - - - - - ANGELS. - - -And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top -of it reached to Heaven: and behold the _angels_ of God ascending and -descending on it.--Genesis, xxviii. 12. - -The _angel_ of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear Him, and -delivereth them.--Psalm xxxiv. 7. - -For He shall give His _angels_ charge over thee, to keep thee in all -thy ways. - -They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against -a stone.--Psalm xci. 11, 12. - -Then the devil leaveth Him, and behold, _angels_ came and ministered -unto Him.--Matthew, iv. 11. - -Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and He shall -presently give me more than twelve legions of _angels_.--Matthew, xxvi. -53. - -There is joy in the presence of the _angels_ of God over one sinner -that repenteth.--Luke, xv. 10. - -Verily, verily, I say unto you, hereafter ye shall see Heaven open, -and the _angels_ of God ascending and descending upon the Son of -Man.--John, i. 51. - -And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many _angels_ round about the -throne, and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten -thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; Saying with -a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, -and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and -blessing.--Revelations, v. 11, 12. - -And I saw another _angel_ fly in the midst of Heaven, having -the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the -earth.--Revelations, xiv. 6. - - - And is there care in heaven? and is there love - In heavenly spirits to the creatures base, - That may compassion of their evils move? - There is; else much more wretched were the case - Of men than beasts. But O! th’ exceeding grace - Of highest God that loves his creatures so, - And all his works with mercy doth embrace, - That blessed _angels_ he sends to and fro, - To serve to wicked men, to serve his wicked foe. - _Spenser._ - - - The multitude of _angels_, with a shout - Loud as from numbers without number, sweet - As from blest voices uttering joy, Heaven rung - With jubilee, and loud Hosannas filled - The eternal regions: lowly reverent - Towards either throne they bow, and to the ground, - With solemn adoration down they cast - Their crowns inwove with amarant and gold. - _Milton._ - - - _Angels_ are men of a superior kind; - _Angels_ are men in lighter habit clad, - High o’er celestial mountains winged in flight; - And men are _angels_ loaded for an hour, - Who wade the miry vale, and climb with pain, - And slippery step, the bottom of the steep. - _Angels_ their failings, mortals have their praise; - While here, of corps ethereal, such enrolled, - And summoned to the glorious standard soon, - Which flames eternal crimson through the skies. - Nor are our brothers thoughtless of their kin, - Yet absent but not absent from their love. - Michael has fought our battles; Raphael sung - Our triumphs; Gabriel on our errands flown, - Sent by the Sovereign; and are these, O man! - Thy friends and warm allies, and thou (shame burn - Thy cheek to cinder!) rival to the brutes! - _Young._ - - - These are the haunts of meditation, these - The scenes where ancient bards the inspiring breath, - Ecstatic felt: and, from this world retired, - Conversed with _angels_, and immortal forms, - On gracious errands bent: to save the fall - Of virtue, struggling on the brink of vice; - In waking whispers, and repeated dreams; - To hint pure thought, and warn the favoured soul, - For future trials fated, to prepare. - _Thomson._ - - - They are God’s minist’ring spirits, and are sent, - His messengers of mercy, to fulfil - Good for salvation’s heirs. For us they still - Grieve when we sin, rejoice when we repent: - And on the last dread day they shall present - The severed righteous at His holy hill, - With them God’s face to see, to do His will, - And bear with them His likeness. Was it meant, - That we this knowledge should in secret seal, - Unthought of, unimproving? Rather say, - God deigned to man His _angel_ hosts reveal, - That man might learn, like _angels_, to obey; - And those who long their bliss in Heaven to feel, - Might strive on earth to serve him ev’n as they. - _Bp. Mant._ - - - When by a good man’s grave I muse alone, - Methinks an _angel_ sits upon the stone; - Like those of old on that thrice-hallowed night, - Who sate and watched in heavenly raiment bright; - And with a voice inspiring joy, not fear, - Said, pointing upward, that he is not here, - That he is risen! - _Samuel Rogers._ - - - Elysian race! while o’er their slumbering flocks - The Galilean shepherds watched, ye came - To sing hosannas to the heaven-born Babe, - And shed the brightness of your beauty round: - Nor have ye left the world, but still, unseen, - Surround the earth, as guardians of the good, - Inspiring souls, and leading them to heaven; - And oh! when shadows of the state unknown - Advance, and life endures the grasp of death, - ’Tis yours to hallow and illume the mind, - The starry wreath to bring, by _angels_ worn, - And crown the spirit for her native sphere. - _Robert Montgomery._ - - - Hark! what mean those holy voices, - Sweetly sounding through the skies? - Lo! the _angelic_ host rejoices, - Heavenly hallelujahs rise. - - Listen to the wond’rous story, - Which they chant in hymns of joy: - “Glory in the highest, glory! - Glory be to God most high! - - Peace on earth, good will from heaven, - Reaching far as man is found; - Souls redeemed, and sins forgiven:-- - Loud our golden harps shall sound!” - _Cawood._ - - - “Many in this world of cares,” - Truly hath the poet said, - “Sit with _angels_ unawares;” - Round our path, and round our bed, - _Angels_ ever watch and wait, - Striving still to turn our steps unto heaven’s gate. - _Anon._ - - - - - ANGER. - - -O Lord, rebuke me not in thine _anger_, neither chasten me in thy hot -displeasure.--Psalm vi. 1. - -A wrathful man stirreth up strife; but he that is slow to _anger_ -appeaseth strife.--Proverbs, xv. 18. - -Be not hasty in thy spirit to be _angry_; for _anger_ resteth in the -bosom of fools.--Ecclesiastes, vii. 9. - -Be ye _angry_, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your -wrath.--Ephesians, iv. 26. - - - The _anger_ of the Lord? Oh, dreadful thought! - How can a creature frail as man endure - The tempest of His wrath? Ah, whither flee - To ’scape the punishment he well deserves? - Flee to the cross! the great atonement there - Will shield the sinner, if he supplicate - For pardon with repentance true and deep, - And faith that questions not. Then will the frown - Of _anger_ pass from off the face of God, - Like a black tempest-cloud that hides the sun. - _Anon._ - - - The golden sun is going down, - Or melting in the west away: - Where are the clouds that seem’d to frown - So darkly on the rising day? - Molten is every gloomy fold, - In yonder sea of liquid gold. - - The winds, at morn so rude and hoarse, - Make music for an angel’s ear; - The sun, beclouded in his course, - Beholds the heavens, at evening, clear, - And now doth with the tempest’s wreck - His glorious pavilion deck. - - Lord, sure thy countenance is here; - Thy spirit all the vale informs: - Whatever, in this inward sphere, - Remains to tell of _angry_ storms, - Oh! let it melt away, and leave - No cloud to darken life’s calm eve! - _Joseph Gostick._ - - - _Angry_ words are likely spoken - In a rash and thoughtless hour; - Brightest links of life are broken, - By their deep insidious power. - Hearts inspired by warmest feeling, - Ne’er before by _anger_ stirred, - Oft are rent past human healing, - By a single _angry_ word. - - Poison drops of care and sorrow, - Bitter poison drops are they, - Weaving for the coming morrow, - Saddest memories of to-day. - _Angry_ words! oh, let them never - From thy tongue unbridled slip; - May the heart’s best impulse ever, - Check them ere they soil the lip. - - Love is much too pure and holy, - Friendship is too sacred far, - For a moment’s reckless folly - Thus to desolate and mar. - _Angry_ words are lightly spoken; - Bitterest thoughts are rashly stirred; - Brightest links of life are broken, - By a single _angry_ word. - _J. Middleton._ - - - _Angry_ looks can do no good, - And blows are dealt in blindness, - Words are better understood, - If spoken but in kindness. - - Simple love far more hath wrought, - Although by childhood muttered, - Then all the battles ever fought, - Or oaths that men have uttered. - - Foolish things are frowns and sneers, - _Angry_ thoughts revealing; - Better far to drown in tears, - Harsh and _angry_ feeling. - _J. Burbridge._ - - - - - APOSTLES. - - -He called unto Him His disciples, and of them He chose Twelve, whom -also He named _Apostles_.--Luke, vi. 13. - -And He said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel -to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, -but he that believeth not shall be damned.--Mark, xvi. 15, 16. - -Ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and -in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.--Acts, i. 8. - -By the hands of the _Apostles_ were many signs and wonders wrought -among the people.--Acts, v. 12. - -And He gave some, _apostles_; and some, prophets; and some, -evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers.--Ephesians, iv. 11. - -And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names -of the twelve _Apostles_ of the Lamb.--Revelations, xxi. 14. - - - But all his mind is bent to holiness, - His champions are the prophets and _apostles_. - _Shakspere._ - - - When because faith is in too low degree, - I thought it some _apostleship_ in me, - To speak things which by faith alone I see. - _Donne._ - - - For them the fullness of His might is shown, - O’erleaping the strong bounds of Nature’s law; - Grim death for them contracts his hasty stride, - And checks his dart, e’en in the act to strike; - His horrid messengers, disease and pain, - Loose their remorseless grasp unwillingly, - And leave their prey to ease and thankfulness; - For them bright wisdom opens all her stores, - Her golden treasures spreading to their view, - Whilst Inspiration’s all enlivening light - Hangs hovering o’er their heads in glittering blaze; - Warmed by the ray, they pour the sacred strain - In eloquence seraphic. - _Charles Jenner._ - - - Oh! who shall dare in this frail scene, - On holiest, happiest thoughts to lean, - On friendship, kindred, or on love? - Since not _Apostles’_ hands can clasp - Each other in so firm a grasp, - But they shall change, and variance prove. - - Yet deem not on such parting sad, - Shall dawn no welcome dear and glad; - Divided in this earthly race, - Together at the glorious goal, - Each leading many a rescued soul, - The faithful champions shall embrace. - _Keble._ - - - Sit down, and take thy fill of joy - At God’s right hand a bidden guest, - Drink of the cup that cannot cloy, - Eat of the bread that cannot waste. - - O great _Apostle_ rightly now - Thou readest all thy Saviour meant, - What time his grave, yet gentle brow, - In sweet reproof on thee was bent. - _Keble._ - - - Rash was the tongue, and unadvisedly bold, - Which sought, Salome, for thy favoured twain - Above their fellows, in Messiah’s reign - On right, on left, the foremost place to hold. - More rash, perhaps, and bolder, that which told - Of power the Saviour’s bitter cup to drain, - And, passing stretch of human strength, sustain - His bath baptismal. Lord, by Thee enrolled - Thy servant, grant me Thy Almighty grace, - My destined portion of Thy griefs to bear, - Ev’n what Thou wilt! But chiefly grant, Thy face - Within Thy glory’s realm to see, whene’er - Most meet Thy wisdom deems; whate’er the place, - It must be blest, for Thou, my God, art there. - _Bp. Mant._ - - - Thy eloquence, O _Paul_, thy matchless tongue, - With strong persuasion, as with magic’s voice, - From heathen darkness to the paths of light - Led the benighted wanderers, who, like thee, - Through superstition’s gloomy mazes strayed, - Till, Heaven’s effulgence bursting on the view. - To thy astonished and enraptured sight - Revealed the glories of unfading day. - _William Bolland._ - - - Whose is that sword--that voice and eye of flame, - That heart of unextinguishable ire? - Who bears the dungeon-keys; and bonds, and fire? - Along his dark and withering path he came-- - Death in his looks, and terror in his name, - Tempting the might of heaven’s Eternal Sire. - Lo, the Light shone! the sun’s veiled beams expire-- - A Saviour’s self a Saviour’s lips proclaim! - Whose is yon form stretched on the earth’s cold bed, - With smitten soul, and tears of agony, - Mourning the past? Bowed is the lofty head-- - Rayless the orbs that flushed with victory. - Over the raging waves of human will - The Saviour’s spirit walked--and all was still! - _Roscoe._ - - - ’Tis pitiful - To court a grin when you should woo a soul; - To break a jest, when pity would inspire - Pathetic exhortation; and to address - The skittish fancy with facetious tales, - When sent with God’s commission to the heart! - So did not _Paul_. Direct me to a quip - Or merry turn in all he ever wrote, - And I consent you take it for your text, - Your only one, till sides and benches fail. - No, he was serious in a serious cause, - And understood too well the mighty terms - That he had taken in charge. He would not stoop - To conquer those by jocular exploits, - Whom truth and soberness assailed in vain. - _Cowper._ - - - I think that look of Christ might seem to say;-- - ‘Thou _Peter_, art thou then a common stone, - Which I at last must break my head upon, - For all God’s charge to His high angels, may - Guard my foot better? Did I yesterday - Wash thy feet, my beloved, that they should run - Quick to deny me ’neath the morning sun,-- - And do thy kisses, like the rest, betray?’ - The cock crows coldly.--‘Go, and manifest - A late contrition, but no bootless fear! - For when the deathly need is bitterest, - Thou shalt not be denied, as I am here-- - My voice, to God and angels, shall attest,-- - Because I knew this man, let him be clear.’ - _Miss Barrett._ - - - With sudden burst, - A rushing noise, through all the sacred band - Silence profound, and fixed attention claimed. - A chilling terror crept through every heart, - Mute was each tongue, and pale was every face. - The rough roar ceased; when, borne on fiery wings, - The dazzling emanation from above - In brightest vision round each sacred head - Diffused its vivid beams: mysterious light! - That rushed impetuous through th’ awaking mind, - Whilst new ideas filled th’ impassive soul, - Fast crowding in, with sweetest violence. - ’Twas then amazed, they caught the glorious flame; - Spontaneous flowed their all-persuasive words, - Warm from the heart, and to the heart addressed. - _Charles Jenner._ - - - A Cæsar’s title less my envy moves, - Than to be styled the man whom Jesus loves; - What charms, what beauties in his face did shine, - Reflected ever from the face divine! - _Wesley._ - - - Ye hallowed martyrs, who with fervent zeal, - And more than mortal courage, greatly dared - To preach the name of Jesus; ye, who stood - The undaunted champions of eternal truth, - Though maddened priests conspired, though princes frowned, - And persecution, with ingenious rage, - Prepared ten thousand torments. - _William Bolland._ - - - These, O Lord, - Were all Thy scanty followers; by Thee - First called, first rescued from a world of woe, - To spread salvation into distant climes! - And tell the meanest habitant of earth - “Glad tidings of great joy.” - _Madan._ - - - - - ASCENSION. - - -Lift up your heads, O ye gates, even lift them up, ye everlasting -doors, and the King of glory shall come in. - -Who is this King of glory? The Lord of Hosts, He is the King of -glory.--Psalm xxiv. 9, 10. - -Thou hast _ascended_ on high, thou hast led captivity captive; thou -hast received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the -Lord God might dwell among them.--Psalm lxviii. 18. - -While they beheld, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of -their sight. - -And while they looked steadfastly toward Heaven, as He went up, behold -two men stood by them in white apparel; - -Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into Heaven? -This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into Heaven, shall so come -in like manner as ye have seen Him go into Heaven.--Acts, i. 9, 10, 11. - -Now that he _ascended_, what is it but that he also descended first -into the lower parts of the earth? - -He that descended is the same also that _ascended_ up far above all -heavens, that he might fill all things.--Ephesians, iv. 9, 10. - - - Lift up your heads, ye everlasting gates, - And give the King of glory to come in; - Who is the King of glory? He who left - His throne of glory for the pang of death; - Lift up your heads, ye everlasting gates, - And give the King of glory to come in; - Who is the King of glory? He who slew - The ravenous foe that gorged all human race! - The King of glory, He whose glory filled - Heaven with amazement at His love to man, - And with divine complacency beheld - Powers most illumined wildered in the theme. - _Young._ - - - Lift up your heads, ye gates, and O prepare, - Ye living orbs, your everlasting doors, - The King of glory comes! - What King of glory? He, whose puissant might - Subdued Abaddon, and the infernal powers - Of darkness bound in adamantine chains: - Who, wrapt in glory, with the Father reigns, - Omnipotent, immortal, infinite! - _James Scott._ - - - Majestical He rose - Upborne, and steered a flight of gentlest wing - His native Heaven to gain; whilst from their eye, - That to its centre fixed, in mute survey - Pursued the _ascending_ glory, a bright cloud, - Of bidden access, his latest presence caught: - By angel forms supported, who in song, - Not unperceived, and choral symphony, - Through Heaven’s wide empyrean loud rejoiced. - _Thomas Hughes._ - - - Now, O my soul, - On the blest summit light a holy flame! - From the last foot-print of the Prince of Peace, - The conqueror of death, let incense rise, - And enter Heaven with thine _ascending_ Lord! - Shake off the chains, and all the dust of earth! - Go up and breathe in the sweet atmosphere - His presence purified, as He arose! - _Hannah F. Gould._ - - - Oh! what a night was that which wrapt - The heathen world in gloom: - Oh! what a sun that broke this day - Triumphant from the tomb! - - Jesus, the friend of human kind, - With strong compassion moved, - Descended, like a pitying God, - To save the souls He loved. - - The powers of darkness leagued in vain - To bind His soul in death; - He shook their kingdom, when He fell, - With His expiring breath. - - And now His conquering chariot wheels - _Ascend_ the lofty skies; - While broke beneath His powerful cross, - Death’s iron sceptre lies. - _Mrs. Barbauld._ - - - - - ATHEISM. - - -The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after -God: God is not in all his thoughts.--Psalm x. 4. - -The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.--Psalm xiv. 1. - -And they say, How doth God know; and is there knowledge in the Most -High?--Psalm lxxiii. 11. - -Is not God in the height of Heaven? and behold the height of the stars, -how high they are! - -And thou sayest, How doth God know? can he judge through the dark -cloud?--Job, xxii. 12, 13. - -For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the -heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water, and in -the water.--II. Peter, iii. 5. - -Having no hope, and without God in the world.--Ephesians, ii. 12. - - - “There is no God,” the fool in secret said: - “There is no God that rules or earth or sky.” - Tear off the band that binds the wretch’s head, - That God may burst upon his faithless eye! - Is there no God?--The stars in myriads spread, - If he look up, the blasphemy deny; - While his own features, in the mirror read, - Reflect the image of Divinity. - Is there no God?--The stream that silver flows, - The air he breathes, the ground he treads, the trees, - The flowers, the grass, the sands, each wind that blows, - All speak of God; throughout, one voice agrees, - And, eloquent, His dread existence shows: - Blind to thyself, ah, see him, fool, in these! - _Giovanni Cotta._ - - - Hardening by degrees, till double steel’d, - Take leave of Nature’s God, and God reveal’d-- - Then laugh at all you trembled at before; - And joining the freethinker’s brutal war. - Swallow the two grand nostrums they dispense-- - That Scripture lies, and blasphemy is sense; - If clemency, revolted by abuse - Be damnable, then damn’d without excuse. - _Cowper._ - - - These are they - That strove to pull Jehovah from His throne, - And in the place of Heaven’s Eternal King, - Set up the phantom Chance. - _Glynn._ - - - The owlet _Atheism_, - Sailing on obscene wings across the noon, - Drops his blue-fringed lids, and shuts them close, - And, hooting at the glorious sun in Heaven, - Cries out, “Where is it?” - _Coleridge._ - - - They eat - Their daily bread, and draw the breath of Heaven - Without or thought or thanks; Heaven’s roof, to them, - Is but a painted ceiling hung with lamps, - No more, that lights them to their purposes. - They wander loose about; they nothing see, - Themselves except, and creatures like themselves, - Short-lived, short-sighted, impotent to save. - So on their dissolute spirits, soon or late, - Destruction cometh, like an armed man, - Or like a dream of murder in the night, - Withering their mortal faculties, and breaking - The bones of all their pride. - _Charles Lamb._ - - - No God! Who warms the heart to heave - With thousand feelings, soft and sweet, - And prompts the aspiring soul to leave - The earth we tread beneath our feet, - And soar away on pinions fleet, - Beyond the scene of mortal strife, - With fair ethereal forms to meet, - That tell us of an after life? - _William Knox._ - - - “There is no God,” the foolish saith-- - But none, “there is no sorrow:” - And Nature oft the cry of Faith - In bitter need will borrow. - Eyes which the preacher could not school, - By way-side graves are raised; - And lips say “God be pitiful,” - That ne’er said, “God be praised.” - _Miss Barrett._ - - - An _Atheist’s_ laugh’s a poor exchange, - For Deity offended. - _Burns._ - - - - - ATONEMENT. - - -As he hath done this day, so the Lord hath commanded to do, to make an -_atonement_ for you.--Leviticus, viii. 34. - -Wherewith shall I make the _atonement_, that ye may bless the -inheritance of the Lord?--II. Samuel, xxi. 3. - -We also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now -received the _atonement_.--Romans, v. 11. - -Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his -blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are -past.--Romans, iii. 25. - -He is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but for the -sins of the whole world.--I. John, ii. 2. - -Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that we -being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye -were healed.--I. Peter, ii. 24. - - - So Man, as is most just, - Shall satisfy for man, be judged and die, - And dying, rise, and rising, with Him raise - His brethren, ransomed with His own dear life. - - * * * * * - - Nor can this be, - But by fulfilling that which Thou didst want, - Obedience to the law of God, imposed - On penalty of death, and suffering death, - The penalty to Thy transgression due: - So only can high justice rest appaid. - _Milton._ - - - ’Tis nothing thou hast given; then add thy tears - For a long race of unrepenting years; - ’Tis nothing yet, yet all thou hast to give; - Then add those may-be years thou hast to live; - Yet nothing still; then poor and naked come; - Thy Father will receive his unthrift home, - And thy blest Saviour’s blood discharge the mighty sum. - _Dryden._ - - - Look humbly upward, see His will disclose - The forfeit first, and then the fine impose; - A mulct thy poverty could never pay, - Had not eternal wisdom found the way, - And with celestial wealth supplied thy store; - His justice makes the fine, His mercy quits the score. - See God descending in the human frame; - The offended suffering in the offender’s name: - All thy misdeeds to Him imputed see, - And all his righteousness devolved on thee. - _Dryden._ - - - Thou, rather than thy justice should be stained, - Did stain the cross. - - * * * * * - - O, what a groan was there! a groan not His. - He seized our dreadful right; the load sustained, - And heaved the mountain from a guilty world. - _Young._ - - - What needs my blood, since thine will do, - To pay the debt to justice due? - O, tender mercy’s art divine! - Thy sorrow proves the cure of mine! - Thy dropping wounds, thy woeful smart, - Allay the bleedings of my heart: - Thy death, in death’s extreme of pain, - Restores my soul to life again! - _Parnell._ - - - The Son of God - Only begotten, and well-beloved, between - Men and His Father’s justice interposed; - Put human nature on, His wrath sustained, - And in their name suffered, obeyed, and died; - Making His soul an offering for sin, - Just for unjust, and innocence for guilt. - - * * * * * - - Thus Truth with Mercy met, and Righteousness, - Stooping from highest heaven, embraced fair Peace, - That walked the earth in fellowship and love. - _Pollok._ - - - God’s own son, unblemished victim, gave - Himself a sacrifice, and by His blood, - Upon the cross poured forth, washed out the stain - Of primal sin. - _Samuel Hayes._ - - - And shall the sinful heart, alone, - Behold, unmoved, the _atoning_ hour, - When Nature trembles on her throne, - And death resigns his iron power? - O, shall the heart,--whose sinfulness - Gave keenness to His sore distress, - And added to His tears of blood-- - Refuse its trembling gratitude? - _Whittier._ - - - Jesus, thy name beyond all nature loud, - Peals like the trumpet of eternity, - Through all the chambers of responsive faith, - Making them echo with the name of Christ! - Nature was forfeit when the first man fell - To sin, and whatsoe’er in nature lives, - In reason, morals, or in mind enacts - Dominion, from His vast _atonement_ flows. - _R. Montgomery._ - - - Advance, O hopeless mortal, steeled in guilt, - Behold, and if thou canst, forbear to melt! - Shall Jesus die, thy freedom to regain, - And wilt thou drag the voluntary chain? - Wilt thou refuse thy kind assent to give, - When, dying, He looks down to bid thee live? - Perverse, wilt thou reject the proffered good, - Bought with His life, and streaming in His blood? - Whose virtue can thy deepest crimes efface, - Re-heal thy nature, and confirm thy peace! - Can all the errors of thy life _atone_, - And raise thee from a rebel to a son. - _Boyse._ - - - Lamb of God! Our Priest and Pastor, - Who canst bid all evil cease, - Ever dear and holy Master, - Make our feeble love increase! - So that when we seek Thee, owning - That Thy wrath is our deserts, - Thou, blest Lord, at whose _atonement_ - All iniquity departs, - Mayest speak forth from Thine enthronement, - To our rent and wearied hearts, - “Sinner, go in peace!” - _C. D. Mc’ Leod._ - - - Tune your harps anew, ye seraphs, - Join to sing the pleasing theme; - All on earth and all in heaven - Join to praise Immanuel’s name! - Hallelujah! - Glory to the bleeding Lamb! - _J. Evans._ - - - - - AVARICE. - - -Some remove the landmarks; they violently take away flocks, and feed -thereof. - -They drive away the ass of the fatherless, they take the widow’s ox for -a pledge. - -They turn the needy out of the way; the poor of the earth hide -themselves together.--Job, xxiv. 2, 3, 4. - -Woe unto them that join house to house, that lay field to field, till -there be no place, that they may be placed alone in the midst of the -earth!--Isaiah, v. 8. - -Your gold and silver is cankered, and the rust of them shall be a -witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have -heaped treasure together for the last days. - -Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, -which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which -have reaped, are entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.--James, -v. 3, 4. - - - For of his wicked pelf his god he made, - And unto hell himself for money sold: - Accursed usury was all his trade, - And right and wrong alike in equal balance weighed. - _Spenser._ - - - If thou art rich, thou art poor; - For, like an ass, whose back with ingots bows, - Thou bearest thy heavy riches but a journey, - And death unloads thee. - _Shakspere._ - - - Woe to the worldly man, whose covetous - Ambition labours to join house to house; - Lay field to field, till the enclosures edge - The plain, girdling a country with one hedge: - They leave no place unbought; no piece of earth - Which they will not engross; making a dearth - Of all inhabitants; until they stand - Unneighboured as unblest within the land. - _Bishop King._ - - - Gold glitters most where virtue shines no more, - As stars from absent suns, have leave to shine. - _Young._ - - - O cursed lust of gold! when for thy sake - The fool throws up his interest in both worlds; - First starved in this, then damned in that to come. - _Blair._ - - - Starve beside the chests, whose every corn - At the last day, shall in the court of Heaven - Witness against thee. - _Sir E. B. Lytton._ - - - _Avarice_ o’ershoots - Its destined mark; and with abundance cursed, - In wealth, the ills of poverty endures. - _George Bally._ - - - The thirst for gold - Hath made men demons, till the heart that feels - The impulse of impartial love, nor kneels - In worship foul to Mammon, is contemned. - _W. H. Burleigh._ - - - But should my destiny be quest of wealth, - Kind Heaven, oh! keep my tempted soul in health! - And should’st thou bless my toil with ample store, - Keep back the madness that would seek for more! - _Thomas Ward._ - - - Oh! life misspent--Oh! foulest waste of time! - No time has he his grovelling mind to store - With history’s truths, or philosophic lore. - No charms for him has God’s all-blooming earth-- - His only question this--“What are they worth?” - Art, nature, wisdom, are no match for gain; - And even religion bids him pause in vain. - _Thomas Ward._ - - - The miser comes, his heart to mammon sold-- - His life, his hope, his god, his all is gold. - “To-morrow, and to-morrow,” he will say, - “Soul, take thine ease, for thou hast many a day - Whose smiling dawns will make thee to rejoice.” - Hush! Hark the echoes of that awful voice! - “Thou fool! This night yield up thy earthly trust!” - Gaze once again, his treasures are but dust. - _B. D. Winslow._ - - - Gold! gold! in all ages the curse of mankind, - Thy fetters are forged for the soul and the mind: - The limbs may be free as the wings of a bird, - And the mind be the slave of a look or a word. - To gain thee, men barter eternity’s crown, - Yield honour, affection, and lasting renown. - _Park Benjamin._ - - - - - AWAKE--ARISE. - - -_Awake up_, my glory; _awake_ psaltery and harp; I myself will _awake_ -early.--Psalm lvii. 8. - -_Arise_, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is -_risen_ upon thee. - -And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness -of thy _rising_.--Isaiah, lx. 1, 3. - -_Arise_ ye, and depart, for this is not your rest; because it is -polluted.--Micah, ii. 10. - - - _Awake_, my soul, and with the sun, - Thy daily stage of duty run; - Shake off dull sloth, and early _rise_, - To pay thy morning sacrifice. - - _Wake_, and lift up thyself, my heart, - And with the angels bear a part, - Who all night long unwearied sing - High praises to the eternal King. - - Glory to God, who safe hath kept, - And hath refreshed me while I slept, - Grant Lord, when I from death shall _wake_, - I may of endless life partake. - _Kenn._ - - - _Awake_ our souls, and bless his name, - Whose mercies never fail; - Who opens wide a door of hope, - In Achor’s gloomy vale. - - Behold the portal wide displayed, - The buildings strong and fair; - Within are pastures fresh and green, - And living streams are there. - - Enter my soul with cheerful haste, - For Jesus is the door; - Nor fear the serpent’s wily arts, - Nor fear the lion’s roar. - - O may thy grace the nations lead, - And Jews and Gentiles come, - All travelling in one narrow path, - To one eternal home. - _Doddridge._ - - - _Arise_, thou bright and morning star, - And send thy silvery beams afar; - Dispel the shades of dreary night, - And let me hail the dawning light. - - Blinded by sin I went astray, - And, wand’ring, left the heavenly way; - Dart forth thy soul-reviving rays, - And guide me all my future days. - - With growing strength may I pursue - The course which heavenly wisdom drew, - Till I shall reach the blissful shore, - Where pilgrims rest, and stray no more. - _Beddome._ - - - Deathless principle _arise_! - Soar thou native of the skies! - Pearl of price by Jesus bought, - To his glorious likeness wrought; - Go, to shine before his throne, - Deck his mediatorial crown, - Go, his triumphs to adorn, - Made for God, to God return. - - See the haven full in view, - Love divine shall bear thee through; - Trust to that propitious gale, - Weigh thy anchor, spread the sail, - Saints in glory perfect made, - Wait thy passage through the shade, - Ardent for thy coming o’er, - See they throng the distant shore! - - Mount, their transports to improve, - Join the longing choirs above, - Swiftly to their wish be given, - Kindle higher joys in heaven! - --Such the prospects that _arise_ - To the dying christian’s eyes! - Such the glorious vista, faith - Opens through the shades of death. - _Toplady._ - - - - - AWE. - - -Stand in _awe_ and sin not; commune with your own heart upon your bed, -and be still.--Psalm iv. 4. - -Princes have persecuted me without a cause: but my heart standeth in -_awe_ of thy word.--Psalm cxix. 161. - - - ’T is dreadful! - How reverend is the place of this tall pile, - Whose ancient pillars rear their marble heads, - To bear aloft the arched and pond’rous roof, - By its own weight made steadfast and immoveable! - Looking tranquillity; it strikes an _awe_ - And terror to my aching sight. The tombs - And monumental caves of death look cold, - And shoot a chillness to my trembling heart. - _Congreve._ - - - So in the faces of all these there grew, - As by one impulse, a dark, freezing _awe_, - Which, with a fearful fascination, drew - All eyes towards the altar; damp and raw - The air grew suddenly, and no man knew - Whether perchance his silent neighbour saw - The dreadful thing, which all were sure would rise - To scare the strained lids wider from their eyes. - - The incense trembled as it upward sent - Its slow, uncertain thread of wandering blue, - As ’twere the only living element - In all the church, so deeply the stillness grew; - It seemed one might have heard it, as it went, - Give out an audible rustle, curling through - The midnight silence of the _awe_-struck air, - More hushed than death, though no such life was there. - _Jas. R. Lowell._ - - - When on Sinai’s top I see - God descend in majesty, - To proclaim His holy law, - All my spirit sinks with _awe_. - _J. Montgomery._ - - - With sacred _awe_ pronounce His name, - Whom words nor thoughts can reach. - _Needham._ - - - - - BAPTISM. - - -Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, _baptizing_ them in the name of -the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.--Matthew, xxviii. 19. - -One Lord, one Faith, one _Baptism_.--Ephesians, iv. 5. - -Buried with Him in _Baptism_, wherein also ye are risen with Him -through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised Him from the -dead.--Colossians, ii. 12. - -The like figure whereunto, even _Baptism_ doth also now save us, not -the putting away the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good -conscience toward God.--I. Peter, iii. 21. - - - Then who shall believe - _Baptizing_ in the profluent stream, the sign - Of washing them from guilt of sin, to life - Pure, and in mind prepared, if so befal, - For death like that which the Redeemer died. - _Milton._ - - - Since Lord to Thee - A narrow way and little gate - Is all the passage; on my infancy - Thou didst lay hold, and antedate - My faith in me. - - O let me still - Write Thee, great God, and me, a child: - Let me be soft and supple to Thy will, - Small to myself, to others mild, - Be-hither ill. - _George Herbert._ - - - _Baptized_ as for the dead, He rose - With prayer from Jordan’s hallowed flood: - Ere long by persecuting foes, - To be _baptized_ in His own blood: - The Father’s voice proclaimed the Son, - The Spirit witnessed;--these are one. - _James Montgomery._ - - - Thus, made partakers of Thy love, - The _Baptism_ of the Spirit ours, - Our grateful hearts shall rise above, - Renewed in purposes and powers; - And songs of joy again shall ring - Triumphant through the arch of heaven;-- - The glorious song which angels sing, - Exulting over souls forgiven! - _W. H. Burleigh._ - - - The heir of Heaven, henceforth I dread not Death! - In Christ I live, in Christ I draw the breath - Of the true life. Let Sea, and Earth, and Sky, - Wage war against me: on my front I show - The mighty Master’s seal! In vain they try - To end my life, who can but end its woe. - _Coleridge._ - - - Ere Christ ascended to his throne, - He issued forth his great command-- - Go preach the gospel to the world, - And spread my name to every land. - - To men declare their sinful state, - The methods of my grace explain; - He that believes, and is _baptized_, - Shall everlasting life obtain. - - Dear Saviour, we thy will obey, - Not of constraint, but with delight; - Hither thy servants come to-day, - To honour thine appointed rite. - - Descend again, celestial Dove, - On these dear followers of the Lord; - Exalted head of all the Church, - Thy promised aid to them afford. - - Let faith, assisted now by signs, - The mysteries of thy love explore; - And washed, in thy redeeming blood, - Let them depart, and sin no more. - _Beddome._ - - - The cross of Christ! The cross of Christ! - While yet my days were few, - ’Twas traced upon my infant brow, - Fresh with life’s morning dew; - In token that in after years, - Strong in its power and might, - I should beside Christ’s followers stand, - Under His banners fight. - _Matilda F. Dana._ - - - - - BAPTIST, JOHN THE. - - -In those days came _John the Baptist_, preaching in the wilderness of -Judea.--Matthew, iii. 1. - -And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of -Galilee, and was _baptized_ of _John_ in Jordan. - -And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the Heavens opened, -and the Spirit like a dove descending upon Him: - -And there came a voice from Heaven, saying, Thou art My Beloved Son, in -whom I am well pleased.--Mark, i. 9, 10, 11. - -I say unto you, among those that are born of women, there is not a -greater prophet than _John the Baptist_; but he that is least in the -kingdom of God is greater than he.--Luke, vii. 28. - - - Now had the great Proclaimer, with a voice - More awful than the sound of trumpet, cried - Repentance, and Heaven’s kingdom nigh at hand - To all _baptized_: to his great _baptism_ flocked - With awe, the regions round, and with them came - From Nazareth, the Son of Joseph deemed, - To the flood Jordan, came as then obscure, - Unmarked, unknown: but him the _Baptist_ soon - Descried, divinely warned; and witness bore - As to his worthier, and would have resigned - To Him this heavenly office, nor was long - His witness unconfirmed; on Him _baptized_ - Heaven opened, and in likeness of a dove - The Spirit descended, while the Father’s voice - From heaven pronounced Him His Beloved Son. - _Milton._ - - - Well mayest thou tremble, _Baptist_; well thy cheek, - Now flushed, now pale, thy labouring soul bespeak! - ’Tis He, the Christ, by every bard foretold! - Hear Him, ye nations, and ye Heavens behold! - The Virgin-born, to bruise the Serpent’s head, - The Paschal Lamb, to patient slaughter led, - The King of kings, to crush the gates of Hell, - Messiah, Shiloh, Jah, Emmanuel! - See, o’er His head, soft sinking from above, - With hovering radiance hangs the mystic Dove: - Dread from the cloud Jehovah’s voice is known, - “This is my Son, my own, my well-loved Son!” - _C. H. Johnson._ - - - Why crowd ye cities forth? some reed to find, - Some vain reed trembling to the careless wind? - Or throng ye here to view with doting eye, - Some chieftain stand in purple pageantry? - Some dwell in kingly domes--no silken form - Woos the stern wind and braves the mountain storm. - What rush ye there to seek? some Prophet-seer? - One mightier than the Prophets find ye here-- - The loftiest bard that waked the sacred lyre, - To him in rapture poured his lips of fire; - Attuned to him the voice of Sion fell-- - Thy name, Elias, closed the mystic shell. - _C. H. Johnson._ - - - In Judah’s rugged wilderness, - Where Jordan rolls his flood, - In manners strict, and rude of dress, - The holy _Baptist_ stood. - - And while upon the river’s side, - The people thronged to hear, - “Repent,” the sacred preacher cried, - “The heavenly kingdom’s near.” - - Now Jesus to the stream descends; - His feet the waters lave; - And o’er his head, that humbly bends, - The _Baptist_ pours the wave. - - When, lo! a heavenly form appears, - Descending as a dove; - And wondrous sounds the assembly hears, - Proclaiming from above.-- - - “This is my well-beloved Son, - On him my spirit rests; - Now is his reign of grace begun, - Attend his high behests.” - - The sacred voice has reached our ear, - And still through distant lands - Shall sound, till all His name revere, - And honour His commands. - _T. Fletcher._ - - - - - BEAUTIFUL. - - -One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I -may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold -the _beauty_ of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple.--Psalm xxvii. 4. - -When thou with rebukes dost correct man for iniquity, thou makest his -_beauty_ to consume away like a moth.--Psalm xxxix. 11. - -Favour is deceitful, and _beauty_ is vain: but a woman that feareth the -Lord, she shall be praised.--Proverbs, xxxi. 30. - -I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be -exercised in it. - -He hath made every thing _beautiful_ in his time.--Ecclesiastes, iii. -10, 11. - - - Oh, what is _Beauty’s_ power? - It flourishes and dies; - Will the cold earth its silence break. - To tell how soft, how smooth a cheek - Beneath its surface lies? - Mute, mute is all, - O’er _Beauty’s_ fall; - Her praise resounds no more, when mantled in her pall. - - The most beloved on earth - Not long survives to-day; - So music past is obsolete, - And yet ’twas sweet, ’twas passing sweet, - But now ’tis gone away. - Thus does the shade - In evening fade, - When in forsaken tomb the form beloved is laid. - _H. K. White._ - - - At Thy rebuke, the bloom - Of man’s vain _beauty_ flies; - And grief shall, like a moth, consume - All that delights our eyes. - _J. Montgomery._ - - - A sinful soul possessed of many gifts, - A spacious garden full of flowering weeds, - A glorious devil, large in heart and brain. - That did love _beauty_ only, (_beauty_ seen - In all varieties of mould and mind,) - And knowledge for its _beauty_; or if good, - Good only for its _beauty_. - _Tennyson._ - - - The _beautiful_, the _beautiful_! - Where do we find it not? - It is an all-pervading grace, - And lighteth every spot. - - It sparkles on the ocean-wave-- - It glitters in the dew; - We see it in the glorious sky, - And in the flow’ret’s hue. - - On mountain-top, in valley deep, - We find its presence there; - The _beautiful_, the _beautiful_! - It liveth every where. - - The glories of the noontide-day, - The still and solemn night, - The changing seasons, all can bring - Their tribute of delight. - - There’s _beauty_ in the dancing beam - That brightens childhood’s eye, - And in the Christian’s parting glance, - Whose hope is fix’d on high. - - And in the being whom our love - Hath chosen for its own, - How _beautiful_! how _beautiful_! - Is every look and tone. - - ’Twas in that glance that God threw o’er - The young created earth, - When he pronounced it “very good,” - The _beautiful_ had birth. - - Then who shall say this world is dull, - And all to sadness given, - While yet there lives on every side - The smile that came from heaven? - - If so much loveliness is sent - To grace our earthly home, - How _beautiful_--how _beautiful_ - Will be the world to come! - _Anon._ - - - - - BELIEF--UNBELIEF. - - -If ye will not _believe_, surely ye shall not be established.--Isaiah, -vii. 9. - -Lord, I _believe_; help thou mine _unbelief_.--Mark, ix. 24. - -Let not your heart be troubled: ye _believe_ in God, _believe_ also in -me.--John, xiv. 1. - -For what, if some did not _believe_? shall their _unbelief_ make the -faith of God without effect? God forbid.--Romans, iii. 3, 4. - -God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation, through -sanctification of the Spirit and _belief_ of the truth.--II. -Thessalonians, ii. 13. - - - Such my _belief_. Oh, that thou would’st thy bold, - Infatuated, withering doubt discard! - The flower would be more sweet, the moon more fresh, - The sun more bright, the sky more blue, the night - (The natural season for deep thought) less dark: - Life’s cares, and wan disease, would blessings be, - And death (annihilation’s herald now) - The harbinger of everlasting bliss. - Dare then be wise. Dash down the subtle web, - Thy pride of intellect had round thee wove, - Despised into the dust; _believe_ in God; - Obey His will;--and then thy rescued soul - Shall, on angelic pinions, wing its way - To heaven’s bright realms of pure beatitude. - _T. L. Merritt._ - - - _Believe_ and fear not! In the blackest cloud - A sunbeam hides; and from the deepest pang - Some hidden mercy may a God declare! - _R. Montgomery._ - - - Since fools alone all things _believe_ - In cloister hatch’d, or college, - Some, by believing nothing, think - They’re at the height of knowledge. - And yet to have no faith demands - More faith than is supposed, - For sceptics have their creed,--of things - Incredibly composed. - Some truths above our reason, we - Reject not, but receive: - Against all reason, infidels - Unnumber’d lies _believe_. - _C. C. Colton._ - - - - - BELLS. - - -And beneath upon the hem of it, thou shalt make pomegranates of blue, -and of purple, and of scarlet, round about the hem thereof; and _bells_ -of gold between them round about. - -And it shall be upon Aaron to minister: and his sound shall be heard -when he goeth in unto the holy place before the Lord, and when he -cometh out, that he die not.--Exodus, xxviii. 33, 35. - -In that day shall there be upon the _bells_ of the horses, Holiness -unto the Lord.--Zechariah, xiv. 20. - - - What a deep murmur on the night-air swells, - What a clear tone draws irresistibly - The goblet from my mouth. Ye hollow _bells_, - Proclaim ye Easter’s dawn is drawing nigh? - The word of hope in that sweet music ringing, - That once, when o’er his sepulchre did close - The shades of night, from angel lips arose, - Assurance of a covenant renew’d to mortals bringing. - - * * * * * - - What in your mighty sweetness, do you seek, - Ye tones of Heaven, with me that dwell in dust? - Seek elsewhere mortals flexible and weak. - I hear the message, but I cannot trust; - Faith’s chosen child is the miraculous. - I dare not strive those distant spheres to gain, - From whence these holy tidings came to us; - And yet it seems that long-remembered strain, - In youth, recalls me back to life again. - The kiss of heavenly love upon me fell, - In the deep stillness of the sabbath calm, - The heartfelt fullness of the sabbath _bell_, - A prayer to my glad soul sufficient balm, - Beyond conception sweet; a holy longing - Drove me to wander forth through wood and mead; - And in the thousand tear-drops warmly thronging, - I felt a world grow up, mine own indeed. - The joyous sports of youth those tones revealing, - Of the spring feast once more the joy unfolds, - And recollection, fraught with childish feeling, - Me from the last dread step of all withholds. - Oh sound, sound on, thou sweet celestial strain, - The tears well forth, the earth hath me again. - _Goethe’s “Faust.”_ - - - List not those cries! How strangely do they blend - With the sweet _bells_ from yonder gothic tower, - Pealing athwart the water. Such the contrast - Of wild religious awe to earthly clamour, - For on the morrow, and the morrow’s morrow, - At this still hour those _bells_ will still peal on; - But these harsh sinful cries, the moment’s offspring, - Will with the moment pass to nought away, - They, and the passions, even as briefly raging; - And, as the echo of those cries, borne far - Up the deep silvery Thames, there dies in air - In the dim distance, seeming well to blend - With the calm beauty of the hour, and heighten - The melody of silence; so the thought - On this vain uproar shall in future years - Prove but a gentle memory! since we shared - The cares it wooed to life, together. - _Archer Gurney._ - - - Stop, O stop the passing _bell_! - Painfully, too painfully, - It strikes against the heart, that knell, - I cannot bear its tones--they tell - Of misery, of misery! - All that soothed and sweetened life, - In the mother and the wife-- - All that would a charm have cast - O’er the future, as the past-- - All is torturing in that knell! - Stop, O stop the passing _bell_! - - Stop it! no--but change the tone, - And joyfully, ah, joyfully, - Let the altered chimes ring on, - For the spirit that hath flown, - Exultingly, exultingly! - She hath left her couch of pain, - She shall never feel again, - But as angels feel!--afar, - Chimed beyond the morning star, - Agony and death unknown! - Let the joyful chimes ring on! - _Robert Story._ - - - - - BENEFICENCE--BENEVOLENCE. - - -Thou openest thine hand, they are filled with good.--Psalm civ. 28. - -Give, and it shall be given unto you.--Luke, vi. 38. - -Let the husband render unto the wife due _benevolence_: and likewise -also the wife unto the husband.--I. Corinthians, vii. 3. - -Be rich in good works, ready to distribute.--I. Timothy, vi. 18. - - - Nature all - Is blooming and _beneficent_, like Thee. - _Thomson._ - - - Some high or humble enterprise of good - Contemplate, till it shall possess thy mind, - Become thy study, pastime, rest, and food, - And kindle in thy heart a flame refined. - Pray Heaven for firmness thy whole soul to bind - To this thy purpose--to begin, pursue, - With thoughts all fixed, and feelings purely kind; - Strength to complete, and with delight review, - And grace to give the praise where all is ever due. - - Rouse to some work of high and holy love, - And thou an angel’s happiness shalt know,-- - Shall bless the earth, while in the world above - The good begun by thee shall onward flow - In many a branching stream, and wider grow; - The seed that in these few and fleeting hours - Thy hands unsparing and unwearied sow, - Shall deck thy grave with amaranthine flowers, - And yield thee fruits divine in heaven’s immortal bowers. - _Charles Wilcox._ - - - The heart has tendrils like the vine, - Which round another’s bosom twine, - Outspringing from the parent tree - Of deeply-planted sympathy, - Whose flowers are hope, its fruits are bliss; - _Beneficence_ its harvest is. - _J. Bowring._ - - - Trees, and flowers, and streams, - Are social and _benevolent_; and he - Who oft communeth in their language pure, - Roaming among them at the cool of day, - Shall find, like him who Eden’s garden dressed, - His Maker there to teach his listening heart. - _Mrs. Sigourney._ - - - - - BENEFIT. - - -Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with _benefits_, even the God -of our salvation.--Psalm lxviii. 19. - -Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his _benefits_.--Psalm -ciii. 2. - -Without thy mind would I do nothing; that thy _benefit_ should not be -as it were of necessity, but willingly.--Philemon, 14. - - - Offered life - Neglect not, and the _benefit_ embrace - By faith, not void of works. - _Milton._ - - - I gaze upon the thousand stars - That fill the midnight sky; - And wish, so passionately wish, - A light like theirs on high. - I have such eagerness of hope - To _benefit_ my kind; - I feel as if immortal power - Were given to my mind. - _Miss Landon._ - - - Why are springs enthroned on high, - Where the mountains kiss the sky? - ’Tis that thence their streams may flow, - Fertilizing all below. - - Why have clouds such lofty flight, - Basking in the golden light? - ’T is to send down genial showers - On this lower world of ours. - - Why does God exalt the great? - ’T is that they may prop the state; - So that toil its sweets may yield, - And the sower reap the field. - - Riches why doth He confer? - That the rich may minister - To the children of distress, - To the poor and fatherless. - - Does He light a Newton’s mind? - ’T is to shine on all mankind. - Does He give to Virtue birth? - ’T is the salt of this poor earth. - _Josiah Conder._ - - - - - BENIGNITY. - - -Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my -life.--Psalm xxiii. 6. - -Thou Lord art good, and ready to forgive, and plenteous in mercy unto -all them that call upon thee.--Psalm lxxxvi. 5. - -The Lord is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his -works.--Psalm cxlv. 9. - - - This turn hath, made amends! Thou hast fulfilled - Thy words, Creator bounteous and _benign_, - Giver of all things fair! - _Milton._ - - - He comes not in the pride of martial pomp, - High in triumphal chariot, while around - The poor remains of vanquished kingdoms grace - The trophied car; not such as Judah’s sons, - By empire’s flattering dreams misled, conceived, - Vindictive monarch over prostrate Rome. - Beyond the confines of this nether world. - At the right hand of the Almighty Sire, - Enthroned he sits; no partial King, to all - Who unfeigned homage offer, He, _benign_, - The treasure of his boundless love vouchsafes. - _Samuel Hayes._ - - - Divinest creed! and worthy to be taught - By Him, the Saviour, who thy tidings brought; - Thou wert the first, descending from above, - To teach the nations that their God was love; - That ire eternal dwelt not on His face, - But love and pity, and redeeming grace. - And all the joy this world since then has known, - Springs from this creed, and springs from this alone; - Whatever triumphs have been gained by mind - O’er Error, Hate, and Ignorance combined; - Whatever progress man may yet have made, - Owes all its worth to Thy _benignant_ aid. - _C. Mackay._ - - - O, Saviour, gracious and _benign_, - Warm and illume this heart of mine, - Disperse the fogs and mists of sin, - And let no evil lurk therein: - Let me Thy love and goodness see-- - Thy merciful _benignity_. - _Anon._ - - - - - THE BIBLE. - - -And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in -all the scriptures the things concerning Himself.--Luke, xxiv. 27. - -Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and -they are they which testify of me.--John, v. 39. - -The holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation, -through faith which is in Christ Jesus. - -All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable -for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in -righteousness.--II. Timothy, iii. 15, 16. - -For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our -learning, that we, through patience and comfort of the scriptures, -might have hope.--Romans, xv. 4. - -The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.--Ephesians, vi. 17. - - - Whence, but from Heaven, could men unskilled in arts, - In several ages born, in several parts, - Weave such agreeing truths? or how, or why, - Should all conspire to cheat us with a lie! - Unasked their pains, ungrateful their advice, - Starving their gain, and martyrdom their price. - _Dryden._ - - - So has this book entitled us to Heaven. - And rules to guide us to that mansion given; - Tells the conditions how our peace was made, - And is our pledge for the great Author’s aid. - His power in nature’s ample book we find, - But the less volume doth express his mind. - _Waller._ - - - A critic on the sacred book should be - Candid and learned, dispassionate and free: - Free from the wayward bias bigots feel, - From fancy’s influence, and intemperate zeal. - _Cowper._ - - - Within this ample volume lies - The mystery of mysteries; - Happiest they of human race - To whom their God has given grace, - To read, to fear, to hope, to pray, - To lift the latch, to force the way: - And better had they ne’er been born, - That read to doubt, or read to scorn. - _Sir Walter Scott._ - - - Most wondrous book! bright candle of the Lord! - Star of eternity! the only star - By which the bark of man could navigate - The sea of life, and gain the coast of bliss - Securely; only star which rose in time - And on its dark and troubled billows, still - As generation driving swiftly by, - Succeeding generation, threw a ray - Of heaven’s own light, and to the hills of God-- - The everlasting hills--pointed the sinner’s eye. - By prophets, seers, and priests, and sacred bards, - Evangelists, apostles, men inspired, - And by the Holy Ghost anointed, set - Apart and consecrated to declare - On earth the counsels of the Eternal one, - This book--this holiest, this sublimest book - Was sent. Heaven’s will, Heaven’s code of laws entire - To man, this book contained; defined the bounds - Of vice and virtue, and of life and death; - And what was shadow, what was substance taught. - This book--this holy book, in every line - Marked with the seal of high divinity, - On every leaf bedewed with drops of love - Divine, and with the eternal heraldry - And signature of God Almighty stamped, - From first to last; this ray of sacred light, - This lamp from off the everlasting throne, - Mercy brought down, and in the night of time - Stands casting on the dark her gracious bow, - And evermore beseeching men with tears - And earnest sighs, to read, believe, and live. - - Hast thou ever heard - Of such a book? The author God Himself; - The subject, God and man, salvation, life, - And death--eternal life--eternal death. - _Pollok._ - - - The priest-like father reads the sacred page, - How Abram was the friend of God on high; - Or Moses bade eternal warfare wage - With Amalek’s ungracious progeny; - Or how the Royal Bard did groaning lie, - Beneath the stroke of Heaven’s avenging ire; - Or Job’s pathetic plaint and wailing cry; - Or wrapt Isaiah’s wild seraphic fire; - Or other holy seers that tune the sacred lyre. - - Perhaps the Christian volume is the theme, - How guiltless blood for guilty man was shed; - How He who bore in Heaven the second name, - Had not, on earth, whereon to lay His head; - How His first followers and servants sped; - The precepts sage they wrote to many a land: - How he who, lone in Patmos banished, - Saw, in the sun, a mighty angel stand; - And heard great Bab’lon’s doom pronounced by Heaven’s command. - _Burns._ - - - Look, Christian! in thy _Bible_, and that glass - Which sheds its sands through minutes, hours, and days, - And years; it speaks not: yet methinks it says - To every human heart--“so mortals pass - On to their dark and silent grave!” Alas! - For man:--an exile upon earth he stays, - Weary, and wandering through benighted ways; - To-day in strength, to-morrow like the grass - That withers at his feet. Lift up thy head, - Poor pilgrim, toiling in this vale of tears; - That book declares whose blood for thee was shed, - Who died to give thee life; and though thy years - Pass like a shade, pointing to thy death-bed, - Out of the deep thy cry an angel hears, - And by his guiding hand to heaven thy steps are led. - _W. Lisle Bowles._ - - - A book there is, of ancient date, - Where all the truly wise and great - Have found the pearls of wisdom spread, - Like gems upon the ocean-bed. - Brighter than Californian gold, - Are deeds inspired apostles told, - Greater than all that Milton thought, - Are truths that saints and prophets taught. - Oh! be it ours from tender age, - To gather wisdom from its page. - _J. Burbidge._ - - - The sacred page - With calm attention scan! If on thy soul, - As thou dost read, a ray of purer light - Break in, O, check it not, give it full scope! - Admitted, it will break the clouds which long - Have dimmed thy sight, and lead thee, till at last, - Convictions like the sun’s meridian beams, - Illuminate thy mind. - _Samuel Hayes._ - - - Father! that book - With whose worn leaves the careless infant plays, - Must be the _Bible_. Therein thy dim eyes - Will meet a cheering light; and silent words - Of mercy breathed from Heaven, will be exhaled - From the blest page unto thy withered heart. - _John Wilson._ - - - What is this world? a wildering maze - Where sin hath tracked ten thousand ways, - Her victims to ensnare. - All broad, all winding, and aslope, - All tempting with perfidious hope, - All ending in despair. - - Millions of pilgrims throng those roads, - Bearing their baubles or their loads, - Down to eternal night; - Our humble path that never bends, - Narrow, and rough, and steep, ascends - From darkness into light. - - Is there a guide to show that path? - The _Bible_! He alone who hath - The _Bible_, need not stray; - Yet he who hath, and will not give - That heavenly guide to all that live, - Himself shall lose the way. - _J. Montgomery._ - - - The _Bible_? That’s the Book, The Book indeed, - The Book of Books; - On which who looks, - As he should do, aright, shall never need - Wish for a better light - To guide him in the night. - - Or, when he hungry is, for better food - To feed upon, - Than this alone, - If he bring stomach and digestion good: - And if he be amiss, - This the best physic is. - - It is the looking-glass of souls, wherein - All men may see, - Whether they be - Still, as by nature they are, deform’d with sin; - Or in a better case, - As new adorn’d with grace. - - ’Tis the great Magazine of spiritual arms, - Wherein doth lie - The Artillery - Of heaven, ready charged against all harms, - That might come by the blows - Of our infernal foes. - - God’s cabinet of reveal’d counsel ’tis: - Where weal and woe - Are order’d so, - That every man may know which shall be his; - Unless his own mistake - False application make. - - It is the index of Eternity. - He cannot miss - Of endless bliss, - That takes this chart to steer his voyage by, - Nor can he be mistook, - That speaketh by this Book. - - A Book to which no other Book can be compared - For excellence; - Pre-eminence - Is proper to it, and cannot be shared. - Divinity alone - Belongs to it, or none. - - It is the Book of God. What if I should - Say, God of Books? - Let him that looks - Angry at this expression, as too bold - His thoughts in silence smother, - Till he find such another. - _George Herbert._ - - - But to outweigh all harm, the sacred book, - In dusty sequestration wrapped too long, - Assumes the accent of our native tongue; - And he who guides the plough, or wields the crook, - With understanding spirit now may look - Upon her records, listen to her song, - And sift her laws--much wondering that the wrong - Which faith hath suffered, Heaven could calmy brook. - Transcendent Boon! nobler than earthly King - Ever bestowed to equalize and bless, - Under the weight of mortal wretchedness! - But passions spread like plagues, and thousands wild - With bigotry shall tread the offering - Beneath their feet, detested and defiled. - _Wordsworth._ - - - What household thoughts around thee, as their shrine, - Cling reverently! Of anxious looks beguiled. - My mother’s eyes upon thy page divine - Were daily bent; her accents, gravely mild, - Breathed out thy love;--whilst I a dreaming child, - On breeze-like fancies wandered oft away - To some lone tuft of gleaming spring flowers wild, - Some fresh-discovered nook for woodland play, - Some secret nest: yet would the solemn word - At times with kindlings of young wonder heard, - Fall on my wakened spirit, there to be - A seed not lost; for which in darker years, - O Book of Heaven! I pour, with grateful tears, - Heart-blessings on the holy dead and thee. - _Mrs. Hemans._ - - - Friend of my early days, - Thou old, brown, folio tome, - Oft opened with amaze, - Within my childhood’s home; - Thy many-pictured pages, - Beheld with glad surprise, - Would lure me from my playmates, - To oriental skies. - - I found in thee for friends, - The wise and valiant men - Of Israel, whose heroic deeds - Are writ with holy pen; - And dark brown Jewish maidens, - With festive dance and song, - Or fairly dressed for bridal, - Thy pictured leaves among. - - The old life patriarchal - Did beautifully shine, - With angels hovering over, - The good old men divine; - Their long long pilgrimages - I traced through all the way; - While on the stool before me - The pages open lay. - _From the German of Freiligrath._ - - - Fancy, Hope, and Conscience could not prove - A future state, without the Word of God. - This is Hope’s charter, this gives Fancy power, - And this arms Conscience with authority. - This partly lifts the veil which else had hung - Before our eyes, concealing from our view - The Spirit Land. - _Joseph H. Wythes._ - - - Thou truest friend man ever knew, - Thy constancy I’ve tried; - When all were false I found thee true, - My counsellor and guide. - The mines of earth no treasures give - That could this volume buy: - In teaching me the way to live, - It taught me how to die. - _Geo. P. Morris._ - - - - - BIRDS--FOWLS. - - -And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature -that hath life, and _fowl_ that may fly above the earth in the open -firmament of heaven. - -And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the -waters in the seas, and let _fowl_ multiply in the earth.--Genesis, i. -20, 22. - -Where is God my maker, who giveth songs in the night; who teacheth us -more than the beasts of the earth, and maketh us wiser than the _fowls_ -of heaven?--Job, xxxv. 10, 11. - -In the Lord put I my trust: how say ye to my soul. Flee as a _bird_ to -your mountain?--Psalm xi. 1. - -I know all the _fowls_ of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the -field are mine.--Psalm l. 11. - -Our soul is escaped as a _bird_ out of the snare of the fowlers.--Psalm -cxxiv. 7. - -As a _bird_ hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it is for his -life.--Proverbs, vii. 23. - -As the _bird_ by wandering, as the swallow by flying, so the curse -causeless shall not come.--Proverbs, xxvi. 2. - -Curse not the rich in thy bedchamber: for a _bird_ of the air -shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the -matter.--Ecclesiastes, x. 20. - -Behold the _fowls_ of the air; for they sow not, neither do they reap, -nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye -not much better than they?--Matthew, vi. 26. - -The foxes have holes, and the _birds_ of the air have nests; but the -Son of man hath not where to lay his head.--Matthew, viii. 20. - -Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap: which neither have -storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better -than the _fowls_?--Luke, xii. 24. - - - Sweet _bird_! thou sing’st away the early hours - Of winter past, or coming, void of care, - Well pleased with delights, which present are,-- - Fair seasons, budding sprays, sweet smelling flowers, - To rocks, to springs, to rills, from leafy bowers, - Thou thy Creator’s goodness dost declare, - And what dear gifts on thee he did not spare, - A stain to human sense in sin that lowers; - What soul can be so sick, which by thy songs - (Alter’d in sweetness,) sweetly is not driven - Quite to forget earth’s turmoils, spites, and wrongs, - And lift a reverend eye and thought to Heaven? - Sweet artless songster, thou my mind dost raise - To air of spheres, yes, and to angels’ lays. - _W. Drummond._ - - - Behold! and look away your low despair, - See the light tenants of the barren air: - To them no stores nor granaries belong, - Nought but the woodland and the pleasing song; - Yet your kind Heavenly Father bends his eye - On the least wing that flits along the sky; - He hears their gay and their distressful call, - And with unsparing bounty fills them all. - _Thomson._ - - - What is this mighty breath, ye sages, say, - That in a powerful language, felt, not heard, - Instructs the _fowls_ of Heaven? - What but God! - Inspiring God! whose boundless spirit all - And unremitting energy pervades, - Adjusts, sustains, and agitates the whole. - _Thomson._ - - - Like an unfledged hungry _bird_, that in its nest - Hears its returning mother flap her wings, - Circling around when some choice food she brings; - The nestling’s love for both is then exprest-- - It strives to reach the food and be carest, - And rustles to begin its wanderings, - And thanks her with unwonted chiruppings, - In notes that seem too sweet for its young breast:-- - So do I feel whene’er the brilliant light - Of the almighty sun to which I gaze, - Cheers with unusual warmth my fainting soul; - Urged by internal love to bless and praise, - I take the pen, with joy beyond controul, - And fluttering, praise my God with all my might. - _Vittoria Colonna._ - - - Beautiful _birds_ of lightsome wing, - Bright creatures that come with the voice of spring; - We see you arrayed in the hues of the morn, - Yet ye dream not of pride, and ye wist not of scorn, - Though rainbow splendour around you glows, - Ye vaunt not the beauty which nature bestows: - Oh! what a lesson for glory are ye, - How ye preach the grace of humility. - - Swift _birds_ that skim o’er the stormy deep, - Who steadily onward your journey keep, - Who neither for rest nor for slumber stay, - But press still forward, by night or day-- - As on your unwearying course ye fly, - Beneath the clear and unclouded sky; - Oh! may we, without delay, like you, - The path of duty and right pursue. - - Sweet _birds_ that breathe the spirit of song, - And surround heaven’s gate in melodious throng; - Who rise with the earliest beams of day, - Your morning tribute of thanks to pay, - You remind me that we should likewise raise - The voice of devotion, and song of praise; - There’s something about you that points on high, - Ye beautiful tenants of earth and sky. - _C. W. Thompson._ - - - _Birds_, joyous _birds_, of the wandering wing! - Whence is it ye come with the flowers of spring? - --“We come from the shores of the green old Nile, - From the land where the roses of Sharon smile, - From the palms that wave through the Indian sky, - From the myrrh trees of glowing Araby. - - A change we have found, and many a change! - Faces, and footsteps, and all things strange! - Gone are the heads of the silvery hair, - And the young that were have a brow of care, - And the place is hushed where the children played-- - Nought looks the same, save the nests we made!” - - Sad is your tale of the beautiful earth, - _Birds_ that o’ersweep it in power and mirth! - Yet through the wastes of the trackless air - _Ye_ have a guide, and shall _we_ despair? - _Ye_ over desert and deep have passed-- - So shall _we_ reach our bright home at last. - _Mrs. Hemans._ - - - What time thy heavenly voice preludes - Unto the fair and silent night, - Winged minstrel of my solitudes, - Unknown to thee I trace its flight. - - Thy voice so touching and sublime, - Seems far too pure for this gross earth; - Surely we well may deem the chime - An instinct which with God has birth. - - Thy warblings and thy murmurs sweet, - Into melodious union bring - All fair sounds that in nature meet, - Or float from heaven on wand’ring wing. - - And that mysterious voice, that sound - Which angels listen to with me,-- - That sigh of pious night is found - In thee, melodious _bird_, in thee. - _Lamartine._ - - - Ye gentle _birds_, that perch aloof, - And smooth your pinions on my roof, - Preparing for departure hence, - Ere winter’s angry threats commence: - Like you my soul would smooth her plume, - For longer flights beyond the tomb. - - May God, by whom is seen and heard - Departing man and wandering _bird_, - In mercy mark me for His own, - And guide me to the land unknown! - _Hayley._ - - - The _bird_, let loose in eastern skies, - When hastening fondly home, - Ne’er stoops to earth her wing, nor flies - Where idler warblers roam. - - So grant me, Lord! from every stain - Of sinful passion free, - Aloft through virtue’s purer air, - To steer my course to Thee. - - No sin to cloud, no lure to stay - My soul, as home she springs; - The sunshine on her joyful way; - Thy freedom on her wings. - _Moore._ - - - The wild _bird’s_ song is a song of praise, - Which, thankful, he uplifts; - Ever, like him, thy voice upraise, - To the giver of all good gifts. - _Egone._ - - - - - BIRTH--BORN. - - -Judah prevailed above his brethren, and of him came the chief ruler; -but the _birthright_ was Joseph’s.--I. Chronicles, v. 2. - -Shall I bring to the _birth_, and not cause to bring forth? saith the -Lord.--Isaiah, lxvi. 9. - -And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his -_birth_.--Luke, i. 14. - -Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be _born_ again. - -The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, -but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every -one that is _born_ of the spirit.--John, iii. 7, 8. - -My little children, of whom I travail in _birth_ again until Christ be -formed in you.--Galatians, iv. 19. - -Whosoever is _born_ of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth -in him: and he cannot sin, because he is _born_ of God.--I. John, iii. -9. - - - Orient light, - Exhaling first from darkness, they beheld, - _Birthday_ of heaven and earth. - _Milton._ - - - Thou hast been found - By merit, more than _birthright_, Son of God. - _Milton._ - - - While no baseness in my breast I find, - I have not lost the _birthright_ of my mind. - _Dryden._ - - - They tell me ’tis my _birthday_, and I’ll keep it - With double pomp of sadness; - ’Tis what the day deserves which brought me forth. - _Dryden._ - - - Mysterious love! that thou must recommence - Life and existence, and be _born_ anew, - _Born_ both of water and of spirit, whence - Spirit comes only, as flesh must flesh ensue: - And where it lists the wind shall blow, whose sound - Thou hearest, but know’st not--none-- - Whence cometh it, nor whither it is bound; - And no man hath ascended into heaven - But he who thence came down, and bore the wound, - And perished that the world might be forgiven. - _J. A. Heraud._ - - - Let us learn the wondrous story, - Of our great Redeemer’s _birth_; - Spread the brightness of His glory, - Till it cover all the earth. - Hasten mortals to adore Him, - Till in heaven ye sing before Him. - _Cawood._ - - - Are all the memories of life - Buried when life has fled? - Are we forbid to keep again - The _birthdays_ of the dead? - - Time was when each successive year - Brought one bright day of mirth, - The looked-for anniversary - Of some belov’d one’s _birth_. - - The _birthday_ feasts of childhood’s age, - The feasts of riper years, - Remind us of like youthful joys - Remembered now with tears. - - For they with whom those days were spent, - Have done with all on earth, - The fond home circle’s broken up - That hailed each day of _birth_. - - Yet as the days come round again - Marked with affection’s seal, - Once more we think of those we’ve lost, - Once more their presence feel. - - The blessed spirits now in Heaven, - May not such cycles keep, - Time metes not out their happiness, - They know not night or sleep. - - Yet may they still retain the thoughts - Commemorating _birth_, - And haply still they keep in Heaven - The calender of Earth. - - Far off are they, but still towards them - Our loving arms we spread, - And ever in our hearts we’ll keep - The _birthdays_ of the dead. - _George E. Shirley._ - - - - - BLESSING--BLESSEDNESS--BLESS. - - -I will _bless_ the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be -in my mouth.--Psalm xxxiv. 1. - -_Blessed_ are they that dwell in thy house: they will be still praising -thee. - -_Blessed_ is the man whose strength is in thee.--Psalm lxxxiv. 4, 5. - -_Blessings_ are upon the head of the just, but violence covereth the -mouth of the wicked.--Proverbs, x. 6. - -The _blessing_ of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow -with it.--Proverbs, x. 22. - -_Blessed_ are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.--Matthew, v. 8. - -I say unto you, love your enemies, _bless_ them that curse you, do -good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use -you.--Matthew, v. 44. - -_Blessing_; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should -inherit a _blessing_.--I. Peter, iii. 9. - - - O All-Sufficient, All-Beneficent! - Thou God of Goodness and of glory, hear! - Thou who to lowest minds dost condescend, - Assuming passions to enforce thy laws, - Adopting jealousy to prove thy love! - Thou who resigned humility upholdest, - E’en as the florist props the drooping rose; - But quellest tyrannic pride with peerless power, - E’en as the tempest drives the stubborn oak! - O All-Sufficient, All-Beneficent! - Thou God of goodness and of glory, hear! - _Bless_ all mankind, and bring them in the end - To heaven, to immortality, and Thee! - _Smart._ - - - O my soul, with all thy powers, - _Bless_ the Lord’s most holy name; - O my soul, till life’s last hours, - _Bless_ the Lord, his praise proclaim; - Thine infirmities He healed; - He thy peace and pardon sealed. - - As in Heaven, His throne and dwelling. - King on earth He holds his sway; - Angels, ye in strength excelling, - _Bless_ the Lord, his voice obey; - All his works beneath the pole, - _Bless_ the Lord, with thee, my soul. - _J. Montgomery._ - - - Author of being! life-sustaining king! - Lo! want’s dependant eye from Thee implores - The seasons, which provide nutritious stores; - Give to her prayers the renovating spring, - And summer’s heats all perfecting, that bring - The fruits which autumn, from a thousand shores - Selecteth provident! when earth adores - Her God, and all her vales exultory sing. - Without thy _blessing_ the submissive steer - Bends to the ploughman’s galling yoke in vain; - Without thy _blessing_ on the varied year, - Can the swarth reaper grasp the golden grain? - Without thy _blessing_ all is blank and drear; - With it the joys of Eden bloom again. - _Wordsworth._ - - - _Blessed_ be thy name for ever, - Thou of life the guard and giver; - Thou canst guard the creatures sleeping, - Heal the heart long broke with weeping. - God of stillness and of motion, - Of the desert and the ocean, - Of the mountain, rock, and river, - _Blessed_ be thy name for ever. - - Thou who slumberest not, nor sleepest, - _Blest_ are they thou kindly keepest; - God of evening’s parting ray, - Of midnight’s gloom, and dawning day, - That rises from the azure sea, - Like breathings of eternity; - God of life! that fade shall never, - _Blessed_ be thy name for ever. - _James Hogg._ - - - Oh! ’tis a sight the soul to cheer, - The promise of the fruitful year, - When God abroad his bounty flings, - And answering nature laughs and sings! - He, “for the evil and the good,” - For them, who with heart’s gratitude, - For them, who thanklessly receive - The _blessings_ He vouchsafes to give, - Bids from his storehouse in the skies, - “His rain descend, his sun arise.” - _Mant._ - - - Thrice _blessed_ they who dwell - Within thine house, my God, - Where daily praises swell, - And still the floor is trod - By those who in thy presence bow, - By those whose King and God art thou. - _J. Montgomery._ - - - _Blessed_ are the pure in heart, - For they shall see our God; - The secret of the Lord is theirs, - Their soul is Christ’s abode. - - Spotless their robes and pure, - Dipped in the sea of light, - That hides the unapproached shrine - From men’s and angels’ sight. - _Keble._ - - - From darkness here, and dreariness, - We ask not full repose, - Only be thou at hand to _bless_ - Our trial hour of woes. - Is not the pilgrim’s toil o’erpaid - By the clear rill and palmy shade? - And see we not, up earth’s dark glade, - The gate of Heaven unclose? - _Keble._ - - - Thou that created’st all! Thou fountain - Of our sun’s light--who dwellest far - From man, beyond the farthest star, - Yet, ever present; who dost heed - Our spirits in their human need; - We _bless_ thee, Father, that we are! - - We _bless_ thee for our inward life; - For its immortal date decreeing; - For that which comprehendeth thee, - A spark of thy divinity, - Which is the being of our being! - - We _bless_ thee for this bounteous earth; - For its increase--for corn and wine; - For forest-oaks, for mountain-rills; - For cattle “on a thousand hills;” - We _bless_ thee--for all good is thine! - _Mary Howitt._ - - - We have the promise of th’ eternal truth, - Those who live well, and pious paths pursue, - To man and to their Maker true; - Let them expire in age or youth, - Can never miss - Their way to everlasting _bliss_; - But from a world of misery and care, - To mansions of eternal ease repair; - Where joy in full perfection flows, - And in an endless circle moves - Through the vast round of beatific love, - Which no cessation knows. - _John Pomfret._ - - - No, ’tis in vain to seek for _bliss_, - For _bliss_ can ne’er be found - Till we arrive where Jesus is, - And tread on heav’nly ground. - _Watts._ - - - When we have slept that dreamless sleep, - Which dearest hearts must sever; - O may we wake no more to weep, - But live in _bliss_ for ever. - _John Linden._ - - - True _bliss_, the flower of Paradise, - Lives not in this ungenial clime; - It blossoms in celestial skies, - Beyond the ravages of time; - The joy to christian pilgrims given, - Is but the rich perfume of heaven. - _W. J. Brock._ - - - True _bliss_, the flower of Paradise, - Why seek it here below? - It groweth only ’neath those skies - With love divine that glow. - Warmed by the sun of righteousness, - And watered by the dews - Of mercy, and redeeming grace, - How lively are its hues! - In heaven, an amaranthine flower, - On earth, it blossoms but an hour. - _Egone._ - - - - - BLINDNESS. - - -The Lord openeth the eyes of the _blind_.--Psalm cxlvi. 8. - -Then the eyes of the _blind_ shall be opened.--Isaiah, xxxv. 5. - -He hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to -the captives, and recovering of sight to the _blind_.--Luke, iv. 18. - -Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God -through the ignorance that is in them, because of the _blindness_ of -their heart.--Ephesians, iv. 18. - - - When I consider how my light is spent - Ere half my days in this dark world and wide, - And that one talent which is death to hide, - Lodged with me useless, though my soul more bent - To serve therewith my Maker, and present - My true account, lest he returning chide; - “Doth God exact day-labour, light denied?” - I fondly ask: but patience, to prevent - That murmur, soon replies, “God doth not need - Either man’s works, or his own gifts; who best - Bear His mild yoke, they serve Him best: His state - Is kingly, thousands at his bidding speed, - And post o’er land and ocean without rest; - They also serve, who only stand and wait.” - _Milton._ - - - There is a poor _Blind_ Man, who every day, - In summer sunshine, or in winter’s rain, - Duly as tolls the bell to the high fane, - Explores, with faltering footsteps, his dark way, - To kneel before his Maker, and to hear - The chanted service pealing full and clear. - - Ask why, alone, in the same spot he kneels - Through the long year? Oh! the wide world is cold, - As dark to him; here, he no longer feels - His sad bereavement--Faith and Hope uphold - His heart--he feels not he is poor and _blind_, - Amid the unpitying tumult of mankind: - As thro’ the aisles the choral anthems roll, - His soul is in the choirs above the skies, - And songs, far off, of angel companies. - - Oh! happy, if the Rich--the Vain--the Proud-- - The plumed Actors in life’s motley crowd,-- - Since pride is dust, and life itself a span,-- - Would learn one Lesson from a poor _Blind_ Man. - _Lisle Bowles._ - - - I see, and yet I see not; outward things - Are visible unto me: I behold - The fresh, cool verdure of succeeding springs; - The glories of the summer manifold; - The forests rich with their autumnal gold; - The creatures beautiful, that spread their wings - In the warm sunshine; blossoms that unfold - Bright as man’s hopes and vain imaginings. - The glories of the universe are spread - Before me, and I see them with delight: - Yet am I _blind_ of heart, and cold, and dead - To spiritual things. God grant me light - To understand, and warmth to feel, and grace - Thy message to receive--Thy wondrous power to trace. - _Egone._ - - - But in God’s temple the great lamp is out, - And he must worship glory in the dark! - Till death, in midnight mystery, hath brought - The veiled soul’s re-illuminating spark-- - The pillar of the cloud enfolds the Ark! - And, like a man that prayeth underground - In Bethlehem’s rocky shrine, he can but mark - The lingering hours by circumstance and sound, - And break, with gentle hymns, the solemn silence round. - - Yet still life’s better light shines out above! - And in that village church, where first he learned - To bear his cheerless doom, for heaven’s dear love, - He sits, with wistful face, for ever turned - To hear of those who heavenly pity earned; - _Blind_ Bartimæus, and him desolate, - Who for Bethesda’s waters vainly yearned: - And only sighs, condemned so long to wait, - Baffled and helpless still, beyond the Temple gate! - _Mrs. Norton._ - - - - - BLOOD. - - -And Moses took the _blood_, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, -Behold the _blood_ of the covenant, which the Lord hath made with -you.--Exodus, xxiv. 8. - -Deliver me from _blood_-guiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: -and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.--Psalm li. 14. - -By the _blood_ of thy covenant I have sent forth thy prisoners out of -the pit.--Zechariah, ix. 11. - -God hath made of one _blood_ all nations of men for to dwell on all the -face of the earth.--Acts, xvii. 26. - -Neither by the _blood_ of goats and calves, but by his own _blood_, he -entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption -for us.--Hebrews, ix. 12. - -Almost all things are by the law purged with _blood_; and without -shedding of _blood_ is no remission.--Hebrews, ix. 22. - -The _blood_ of Jesus Christ, his son, cleanseth us from all sin.--I. -John, i. 7. - - - Strange is it that our _bloods_, - Of colour, weight, and heat, poured all together, - Would quite confound distinction, yet stand off - In difference so mighty. - _Shakspere._ - - - Ye Sacred Writings! on whose antique leaves - The wondrous deeds of heaven recorded lie, - Say, what might be the cause, that mercy heaves - The dust of sin above the starry sky, - And lets it not in dust and ashes fly? - Could Justice be of sin so over-wooed, - Or so great ill because of so great good, - That, _bloody_ man to save, man’s Saviour shed his _blood_. - _Giles Fletcher._ - - - O, thou great Power! in whom we move, - By whom we live, to whom we die, - Behold me through thy beams of love, - Whilst on this couch of tears I lie, - And cleanse my sordid soul within - By thy Christ’s _blood_, the bath of sin. - - No hallowed oils, no gums I need, - No new-born drams of purging fire: - One rosy drop from David’s seed - Was worlds of seas to quench thine ire: - O, precious ransom! which once paid, - The _Consummatum est_ was said. - - And said by him, that said no more, - But sealed it with his sacred breath: - Thou, then, thus hast dispurged our score, - And dying wert the death of death; - Be now whilst on thy name we call, - Our life, our strength, our joy, our all. - _Sir Henry Wotton._ - - - Stretched on the cross, the Saviour dies, - Hark! his expiring groans arise! - See, how the sacred crimson tide - Flows from his hands, his feet, his side. - - But life attends the deathful sound, - And flows from every _bleeding_ wound; - The vital stream, how free it flows, - To save and cleanse his rebel foes! - - Lord! didst thou _bleed_? for sinners _bleed_? - And could the sun behold the deed? - No! he withdrew his sickening ray, - And darkness veiled the mourning day. - _Steele._ - - - There is a fountain filled with _blood_, - Drawn from Immanuel’s veins; - And sinners plunged beneath that flood, - Lose all their guilty stains. - - The dying thief rejoiced to see - That fountain in his day; - O may I there, though vile as he, - Wash all my sins away! - - Dear dying Lamb! thy precious _blood_ - Shall never lose its power, - Till all the ransomed church of God - Be saved, to sin no more. - _Cowper._ - - - Not all the _blood_ of beasts - On Jewish altars slain, - Could give the guilty conscience peace, - Or wash away the stain. - - But Christ the heavenly Lamb, - Takes all our sins away; - A sacrifice of nobler name, - And richer _blood_ than they. - _Watts._ - - - - - BLOSSOM. - - -Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth -the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their _blossom_ -shall go up as dust: because they have cast away the law of the Lord of -hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.--Isaiah, v. 24. - -The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the -desert shall rejoice, and _blossom_ as the rose. It shall _blossom_ -abundantly.--Isaiah, xxxv. 1, 2. - - - Fair pledges of a fruitful tree, - Why do you fall so fast? - Your date is not so past - But you may stay yet here awhile, - To blush and gently smile, - And go at last. - - What! were ye born to be - An hour and half’s delight - And so to bid good-night? - ’Twas pity nature brought ye forth - Merely to show your worth, - And lose you quite. - - But you are lovely leaves, where we - May read how soon things have - Their end, though ne’er so brave, - And after they have shown their pride - Like you awhile, they glide - Into the grave. - _Herrick._ - - - Our life hath many a wintry scene, - Deciduous are our sweetest joys; - And _blossoms_ that have loveliest been, - Some withering demon oft destroys. - - But there are germs that inly lie, - Waiting the touch of some kind hand, - Germs that destruction’s power defy, - And soon in _bloom_ of hope expand. - _W. J. Brock._ - - - Lo, the arid desert - Shall _blossom_ as the rose, - Wheresoe’er the messenger - Of the Saviour goes. - _Egone._ - - - - - BOLDNESS. - - -I speak as concerning reproach, as though we had been weak. Howbeit -whereinsoever any is _bold_, (I speak foolishly,) I am _bold_ -also.--II. Corinthians, xi. 21. - -Great is my _boldness_ of speech towards you.--II. Corinthians, vii. 4. - -Christ Jesus our Lord: In whom we have _boldness_ and access with -confidence by the faith of him.--Ephesians, iii. 11, 12. - -Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have _boldness_ in the day -of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.--I. John, iv. -17. - -We were _bold_ in our God to speak unto you the gospel of God with much -contention.--I. Thessalonians, ii. 2. - -The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are _bold_ as a -lion.--Proverbs, xxviii. 1. - - - Where high the heavenly temple stands, - The house of God not made with hands, - A great High Priest our nature wears, - The guardian of mankind appears. - - He who for men their surety stood, - And poured on earth His precious blood, - Pursues in heaven His mighty plan, - The Saviour and the friend of man. - - With _boldness_, therefore, at the throne - Let us make all our sorrows known, - And ask the aid of heavenly power - To help us in the evil hour. - _Logan._ - - - Jesus! Thy blood and righteousness - My beauty are my glorious dress; - ’Midst flaming worlds, in these array’d, - With joy shall I lift up my head. - - _Bold_ shall I stand in Thy great day; - For who aught to my charge shall lay? - Fully absolv’d through these I am - From sin and fear, from guilt and shame. - _Wesley._ - - - The man is _bold_ who fronts the cannon’s mouth, - And trembles not when danger leads the way; - But _bolder_ far is he who speaks the truth - Regardless who may stand around and hear, - And with a kindly spirit dares reprove - The fool that cavils at a world to come. - _J. Burbidge._ - - - - - BONDAGE. - - -The _bondage_ was heavy upon this people.--Nehemiah, v. 18. - -They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in _bondage_ to -any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free.--John, viii. 33. - -And God spake on this wise, That his seed should sojourn in a strange -land: and that they should bring them into _bondage_, and entreat them -evil four hundred years.--Acts, vii. 6. - -The creature itself also shall be delivered from the _bondage_ of -corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.--Romans, -viii. 21. - -Put on charity, which is the _bond_ of perfectness.--Colossians, iii. -14. - -Deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject -to _bondage_.--Hebrews, ii. 15. - - - Get up, my soul; redeem thy sluggish eyes - From drowsy _bondage_: O beware; be wise: - Thy foe’s before thee; thou must fight or fly: - Life lies most open in a closed eye. - _Quarles._ - - - Lamb of God, for sinners slain, - To thee I feebly pray; - Heal me of my grief and pain, - O take my sins away; - - From this _bondage_ Lord release; - No longer let me be opprest; - Jesus, Master, seal my peace, - And take me to thy breast. - _Wesley._ - - - My God, what silken cords are thine! - How soft, and yet how strong! - While power, and truth, and love combine, - To draw our souls along. - - Thou sawest us crushed beneath the yoke - Of Satan and of sin: - Thy hand the iron _bondage_ broke, - Our worthless hearts to win. - - Drawn by such cords, we onward move, - Till round thy throne we meet; - And, captive in the chains of love, - Embrace our conqueror’s feet. - _Doddridge._ - - - - - BOOK. - - -And he took the _book_ of the covenant, and read in the audience of the -people.--Exodus, xxiv. 7. - -Ezra opened the _book_ in the sight of all the people; (for he was -above all the people;) and when he opened it, all the people stood -up.--Nehemiah, viii. 5. - -Oh that my words were now written! oh that they were printed in a -_book_!--Job, xix. 23. - -Of making many _books_ there is no end; and much study is a weariness -of the flesh.--Ecclesiastes, xii. 12. - -There shall in no wise enter into it (the holy city) any thing that -defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but -they which are written in the Lamb’s _book_ of life.--Revelation, xxi. -27. - - - Thy glass will shew thee how thy beauties wear, - Thy dial how thy precious minutes waste, - Thy vacant leaves thy mind’s imprint will bear, - And of this _book_ this learning may’st thou taste: - The wrinkles which thy glass will truly show, - Of mouthed graves will give thee memory; - Thou by the dial’s shady stealth may’st know - Time’s thievish progress to eternity; - Look, what thy memory cannot contain, - Commit to these waste blanks, and thou shall find - Those children nursed delivered from thy brain - To take a new acquaintance of thy mind. - These offices so oft as thou wilt look, - Will profit thee, and much enrich thy _book_. - _Shakspere._ - - - But what strange art, what magic can dispose - The troubled mind to change its native woes, - Or lead us willing from ourselves, to see - Others more wretched, more undone than we? - This _books_ can do;--nor this alone, they give - New views of life, and teach us how to live. - They soothe the grieved, the stubborn they chastise, - Fools they admonish, and confound the wise; - Their aid they lead to all; they never shun - The man of sorrow, nor the wretch undone. - Unlike the hard, the selfish, and the proud, - They fly not sullen from the suppliant crowd; - Nor tell to various people various things, - But show to subjects what they show to kings. - Blessed be the gracious Power! who taught mankind - To stamp a lasting image of the mind. - Beasts may convey and tuneful birds may sing - their mutual feelings in the opening spring, - But man alone has skill and power to send - The heart’s warm dictates to a distant friend; - ’Tis his alone to please, instruct, advise - Ages remote, and nations yet to rise. - _Crabbe._ - - - I love the sacred _book_ of God, - No other can its place supply; - It points me to the saints’ abode, - It gives me wings, and bids me fly. - - Blest _book_! in thee my eyes discern - The image of my absent Lord; - From thine instructive page I learn - The joys his presence will afford. - - Then shall I need thy light no more, - For nothing shall be there concealed; - When I have reached the heavenly shore - The Lord himself will stand revealed. - - When, ’midst the throng celestial placed, - The bright original I see, - From which thy sacred page was traced, - Blest _book_! I’ve no more need of thee. - - But while I’m here thou shalt supply - His place, and tell me of His love; - I’ll read with faith’s discerning eye, - And thus partake of joys above. - _Kelly._ - - - There is a _book_, who runs may read, - Which heavenly truth imparts, - And all the lore its scholars need - Pure eyes and Christian hearts. - - The works of God above, below, - Within us, and around, - Are pages in that _book_, to show - How God Himself is found. - _Keble._ - - - - - BOUNTY. - - -I will sing unto the Lord, because he hath dealt _bountifully_ with -me.--Psalm xiii. 6. - -Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the Lord hath dealt _bountifully_ -with thee.--Psalm cxvi. 7. - -Being enriched in every thing to all _bountifulness_, which causeth -through us thanksgiving to God.--II. Corinthians, ix. 11. - - - This goodly frame of temperance, - Formerly grounded, and fast settled - On firm foundation of true _bountihood_. - _Spenser._ - - - Those godlike men, to wanting virtue kind, - _Bounty_ well placed preferred, and well designed, - To all their titles. - _Dryden._ - - - How full of cheer, - Joyous, devout, and grateful is the soul - To see again its unexhausted God - Thus pile the table of a world with bread! - For what’s the globe on which we all subsist? - The table of immortal _bounty_ ’tis, - A feast perpetual, where unnumbered sons - Sit down to banquet as their sires withdraw, - And in succession generations feed, - Contented rise, give thanks, and pass away. - _Hurdis._ - - - The hand that built the palace of the sky, - Formed the light wings that decorate a fly; - The power that wheels the circling planets round, - Rears every infant floweret on the ground; - That _bounty_ which the mightiest beings share, - Feeds the least gnat that gilds the evening air. - _J. Montgomery._ - - - I love the Lord;--he lent an ear - When I for help implored; - He rescued me from all my fear, - Therefore I love the Lord. - - * * * * * - - Return, my soul, unto my rest, - From God no longer roam; - His hand hath _bountifully_ blest, - His goodness called thee home. - _J. Montgomery._ - - - - - BREAD. - - -Then said the Lord unto Moses, Behold, I will rain _bread_ from heaven -for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every -day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or -no.--Exodus, xvi. 4. - -Man doth not live by _bread_ only, but by every word that proceedeth -out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live.--Deuteronomy, viii. 3. - -_Bread_ which strengtheneth man’s heart.--Psalm civ. 15. - -Cast thy _bread_ upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many -days.--Ecclesiastes, xi. 1. - -He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth -the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, -that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes -from seeing evil; he shall dwell on high: his place of defence shall be -the munitions of rocks: _bread_ shall be given him; his waters shall be -sure.--Isaiah, xxxiii. 15, 16. - -Give us this day our daily _bread_.--Matthew, vi. 11. - -The _bread_ of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life -unto the world.--John, vi. 33. - - - O King of earth, and air, and sea! - The hungry ravens cry to thee; - To thee the scaly tribes that sweep - The bosom of the boundless deep. - - Thy bounteous hand with food can bless - The bleak and lonely wilderness; - And thou has taught us, Lord, to pray - For daily _bread_ from day to day. - - And O, when through the wilds we roam, - That part us from our heavenly home; - When lost in danger, want, and woe, - Our faithless tears begin to flow; - - Do thou thy gracious comfort give, - By which alone the soul may live; - And grant thy servants, Lord, we pray, - The _bread_ of life, from day to day. - _Heber._ - - - _Bread_ of Heaven! on thee I feed, - For thy flesh is meat indeed. - Ever may my soul be fed - With this true and living _bread_; - Day by day with strength supplied, - Through the life of Him who died. - _Conder._ - - - “Give us our daily _bread_,”--and was that prayer - Unanswered from high Heav’n’s eternal dome? - No, poor man, no!--its music entered there, - And blessings dropp’d upon our earthly home: - Let thy sad eye look round thee everywhere, - When the rich showers or golden sunbeams come, - And plenty greets thee from the teeming sod-- - The fruit that blossoms from the hand of God? - - “Give us our daily _bread_;” Heaven whispers, “Yes.” - “Give us our daily _bread_;” Earth mutters, “No,” - And mocks the weepings of her sons’ distress: - Bright hours of change are coming, sure though slow, - When pride, and want, and error shall be less, - And more of Heaven be registered below; - Even now the half of Slavery’s flag is furled, - And Thought’s free sunshine circles the wide world. - _Burrington._ - - - Kill not the flower that feeds the useful bee, - For more than beauteous is that sweet flower’s blush; - ’Tis toil’s reward that sweetens industry, - As love inspires with strength th’ enraptured thrush. - - To fall’n humanity our Father said, - That food and bliss should not be found unsought: - That man should labour for his daily _bread_; - But not that man should toil and sweat for nought. - - Not that the best should live a living death, - To give the worst a beastly sense of life; - And waste in servitude their fleeting breath, - Weeping with care and want a hopeless strife. - _E. Elliott._ - - - Father in heaven! thy sacred name - In hallowed strains be sung! - Thy kingdom spread o’er all the earth; - Thy praise fill every tongue. - - By happy spirits round thy throne, - As thy commands are done; - So be thy perfect will obeyed - By all beneath the sun. - - Our numerous wants are known to thee, - Who canst alone supply; - O grant each day our daily _bread_, - Nor other good deny. - _Hancox._ - - - - - BREAK--BREAKING. - - -Our heart is not turned back, neither have our steps declined from thy -way; though thou hast sore _broken_ us in the place of dragons, and -covered us with the shadow of death.--Psalm xliv. 18, 19. - -The Lord doth build up Jerusalem; he gathereth together the outcasts of -Israel. - -He healeth the _broken_ in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.--Psalm -cxlvii. 2, 3. - -The Lord hath annointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he -hath sent me to bind up the _broken_-hearted, to proclaim liberty -to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are -bound.--Isaiah, lxi. 1. - -A bruised reed shall he not _break_.--Isaiah, xlii. 3. - -For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law; but -if thou be a _breaker_ of the law, thy circumcision is made -uncircumcision.--Romans, ii. 25. - - - O many - Have _broke_ their backs with laying manors on ’em - For this great journey. - _Shakspere._ - - - Virtues like these - Make human nature shine, reform the soul, - And _break_ our fierce barbarians into men. - _Addison._ - - - Unhappy man, to _break_ the pious laws - Of nature, pleading in his children’s cause. - _Dryden._ - - - Almighty Power, by whose most wise command, - Helpless, forlorn, uncertain, here I stand; - Take this faint glimmering of thyself away, - And _break_ into my soul with perfect day! - _Arbuthnot._ - - - See Heaven its sparkling portals wide display, - And _break_ upon thee in a flood of day. - _Pope._ - - - Not streaming blood, nor purging fire, - Thy righteous anger can appease; - Burnt-offerings thou dost not require, - Or gladly I would render these. - - The _broken_ heart in sacrifice, - Alone may thine acceptance meet; - My heart, O God, do not despise, - _Broken_ and contrite, at thy feet. - _J. Montgomery._ - - - - - BREATH--BREATHING. - - -By the blast of God they perish, and by the _breath_ of his nostrils -are they consumed.--Job, iv. 9. - -Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled: thou takest away their -_breath_, they die, and return to their dust.--Psalm civ. 29. - -Behold, the name of the Lord cometh from far, burning with his anger, -and the burden thereof is heavy: his lips are full of indignation, and -his tongue as a devouring fire. - -And his _breath_, as an overflowing stream, shall reach to the midst of -the neck.--Isaiah, xxx. 27, 28. - -Thou hast heard my voice: hide not thine ear at my _breathing_, at my -cry.--Lamentations, iii. 56. - - - Since I in storms most used to be, - And seldom yielded flowers, - How shall I get a wreath for thee - From those rude barren hours? - The softer dressings of the spring, - Or summer’s later store, - I will not for thy temples bring, - Which thorns, not roses, wore: - But a twined wreath of grief and praise, - Praise soiled with tears, and tears again - Shining with joy, like dewy days, - This day I bring for all thy pain, - Thy causeless pain; and as sad death, - Which sadness breeds in the most vain, - O not in vain; now beg thy _breath_, - Thy quick’ning _breath_, which gladly bears - Through saddest clouds to that glad place - Where cloudless quires sing without tears, - Sing thy just praise, and see thy face. - _Henry Vaughan._ - - - As those we love decay, we die in part, - String after string is severed from the heart; - Till loosened life, at last, but _breathing_ clay, - Without one pang is glad to fall away. - Unhappy he who latest feels the blow, - Whose eyes have wept o’er every friend, laid low, - Dragged lingering on, from partial death to death, - Till, dying, all he can resign is _breath_. - _Thomson._ - - - - - BRIGHTNESS. - - -Through the _brightness_ before him were coals of fire kindled.--II. -Samuel, xxii. 13. - -God came from Teman, and the Holy One from Mount Paran. His glory -covered the heavens, and the earth was full of his praise. And his -_brightness_ was as the light.--Habakkuk, iii. 3, 4. - -Then shall that wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with -the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the _brightness_ of his -coming.--II. Thessalonians, ii. 8. - - - Impotent words, weak lines, that strive in vain, - In vain, alas! to tell so heavenly sight! - So heavenly sight as none can greater feign, - Feign what he can, that seems of greatest might: - Could any yet compare with Infinite? - Infinite sure these joys; my words but light: - Light is the palace where she dwells--O then how _bright_! - _Giles Fletcher._ - - - Through a cloud, - Drawn round about thee like a radiant shrine, - Dark with excessive _bright_ thy skirts appear. - _Milton._ - - - Hope elevates, and joy - _Brightens_ his crest. - _Milton._ - - - High in yonder realms of light, - Far above these lower skies, - Fair and exquisitely _bright_, - Heaven’s unfading mansions rise. - - Built of pure and massy gold, - Strong and durable are they; - Deck’d with gems of worth untold, - Subjected to no decay. - _Raffles._ - - - My Father’s house on high, - Home of my soul, how near - At times, to faith’s foreseeing eye, - Thy golden gates appear! - - Ah! then my spirit faints - To reach the land I love, - The _bright_ inheritance of saints, - Jerusalem above. - _J. Montgomery._ - - - - - BROTHERHOOD. - - -Thou shalt not hate thy _brother_ in thine heart.--Leviticus, xix. 17. - -If thy _brother_ be waxen poor, and hath sold away some of his -possession, and if any of his kin come to redeem it, then shall he -redeem that which his _brother_ sold.--Leviticus, xxv. 25. - -If there be among you a poor man of one of thy _brethren_ within any of -thy gates, in thy land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou shalt -not harden thine heart, nor shut thy hand from thy poor _brother_: but -thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him, and shalt surely lend him -sufficient for his need, in that which he wanteth.--Deuteronomy, xv. 7, -8. - -If thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy -_brother_ hath aught against thee; leave there thy gift before the -altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy _brother_, and then -come and offer thy gift.--Matthew, v. 23, 24. - -Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my _brother_ sin -against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? - -Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, -Until seventy times seven.--Matthew, xviii. 21, 22. - -Whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth -nor his _brother_.--I. John, iii. 10. - - - Come, Christian _brethren_, ere we part, - Join every voice and every heart, - Our solemn hymn to God we raise - Our final song of grateful praise. - - Christians we here may meet no more, - But there is yet a happier shore; - And there, released from toil and pain, - _Brethren_, we all shall meet again. - _H. Kirke White._ - - - Even now a radiant angel goeth forth, - A spirit that hath healing in its wings-- - And flyeth east and west, and south and north, - To do the bidding of the King of Kings; - Stirring men’s hearts to compass better things, - And teaching _Brotherhood_ as that sweet source, - Which holdeth in itself all blessed springs; - And showeth how to guide its silver course, - When it shall flood the world with deep exulting force. - _Mrs. Norton._ - - - A _brother’s_ grave oft leads the soul - Up to a _brother’s_ joys; - Joys which ne’er yield to time’s controul, - Beyond the jewelled skies. - _W. J. Brock._ - - - Oh, if the thought be beautiful, if it be wise and kind, - To weave the bond of _brotherhood_, the whole wide world to bind; - And if to sheathe the murderous sword be called a holy deed, - Let all the praise be given to Thee, from whom all such proceed! - Hail, manifested Saviour King! _Brother_ of every man! - Of the poor negro in his chains, the roving mountain clan; - Redeemer of the forest child, and of the fettered slave; - Lover of every human soul, in city, waste, or wave. - _Emma Tatham._ - - - Give me thy hand, _brother_--give me thy hand, - But not as our fathers did, dropping with gore; - Dash down the gauntlet, and shiver the brand, - But not in the fashion they did so of yore; - Throw away war’s array,--come let us prove - Which has the heart that is strongest in love. - - Dost thou come from Columbia, afar o’er the deep, - Where the forest its requiem sings in the storm; - Where the bison and elk o’er the broad prairie sweep, - And the hero of labour has conquered a farm? - Ah, then come away, as a _brother_ should come, - For our fathers had birth in the same island home. - _J. B. Syme._ - - - Oh! never let us lightly fling - The barb of woe to wound another; - Oh! let us never haste to bring - The cup of sorrow to a _brother_. - - Each has the power to wound, but he - Who wounds that he may witness pain, - Has learnt no law of charity, - Which ne’er inflicts a pang in vain. - - ’Tis godlike to awaken joy, - Or sorrow’s influence to subdue: - But not to wound, nor to annoy, - Is part of virtue’s lesson too;-- - - Peace, winged in fairer worlds above, - Shall lend her dawn and brighten this, - When all man’s labour shall be love, - And all his thoughts a _brother’s_ bliss. - _J. Bowring._ - - - In all around we see - Links of the chain that binds the soul of man - Unto his _brother_ man. No human eye - Can gaze undazzled where those links begin, - Nor trace them to their end. Alone to Faith, - With her far eagle-gaze, ’tis given to see - That the all-loving heart of Nature’s God, - And man’s Redeemer, is the burning clasp - That joins in one that all-embracing zone, - Round as the circle of eternity. - - * * * * * - - This truth, more beautiful than all beside, - That He, whose name is Love, and from whose heart, - As from a living and immortal root, - The whole fair universe hath budded forth, - Hath granted him the high and holy right - To call him “Father”--So all things speak - God’s Fatherhood, and _Brotherhood_ of man. - _H. M. P._ - - - Not with the flashing steel, - Not with the cannon’s peal, - Nor stir of drum; - But in the bonds of love, - Our white flag floats above; - Its emblem is the dove,-- - Thus we come. - - Oh, then! in God’s great name, - Let each pure spirit’s flame - Burn bright and clear; - Stand firmly in your lot, - Cry ye aloud, doubt not, - Be every fear forgot, - Christ leads us here. - - So shall earth’s distant lands, - In happy, holy bands, - One _brotherhood_, - Together rise and sing, - Gifts to one altar bring, - And heaven’s eternal King - Pronounce it good. - _Elnathan Davis._ - - - In these romantic regions man grows wild: - Here dwells the Negro, nature’s outcast child; - Scorned by his _brethren_; but his mother’s eye, - That gazes on him from her warmest sky, - Sees in his flexile limbs untutored grace, - Power on his forehead, beauty in his face; - Sees in his breast, where lawless passions rove, - The heart of friendship, and the home of love; - Sees in his mind, where desolation reigns, - Fierce as his clime, uncultured as his plains, - A soil where virtue’s fairest flowers might shoot, - And trees of science bend with glorious fruit; - Sees in his soul, involved in thickest night, - An emanation of eternal light, - Ordained,’midst sinking worlds, his dust to fire, - And shine for ever when the stars expire. - Is he not man, though Knowledge never shed - Her quickening beams on his neglected head? - Is he not man, though sweet Religion’s voice - Ne’er made the mourner in his God rejoice? - Is he not man, by sin and suffering tried? - Is he not man, for whom the Saviour died? - Belie the Negro’s powers:--in headlong will, - Christian! thy _brother_ thou shalt prove him still: - Belie his virtues; since his wrongs began, - His follies and his crimes have stamped him man. - _J. Montgomery._ - - - For God, who made this teeming earth so full, - And made the proud dependent on the dull-- - The strong upon the weak, thereby would show - One common bond should link us all below. - _Mrs. Norton._ - - - If I were a voice, a convincing voice, - I’d travel with the wind, - And wherever I saw the nations torn - By warfare, jealousy, or scorn, - Or hatred of their kind, - I’d fly, I’d fly, on the thunder crash, - And into their blinded bosoms flash; - And all their evil thoughts subdued, - I’d teach them Christian _Brotherhood_. - _C. Mackay._ - - - - - CALAMITY. - - -They prevented me in the day of my _calamity_: but the Lord was my -stay.--II. Samuel, xxii. 19. - -Oh that my grief were thoroughly weighed, and my _calamity_ laid in the -balances together!--Job, vi. 2. - -Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth -in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until -these _calamities_ be overpast.--Psalm lvii. 1. - -He that is glad at _calamities_ shall not be unpunished.--Proverbs, -xvii. 5. - - - Strict necessity - Subdues me, and _calamitous_ constraint! - Lest in my hand both sin and punishment, - However insupportable, be all - Devolved. - _Milton._ - - - Much rather I shall choose - To live the poorest in my tribe, than richest - To be in that _calamitous_ prison left. - _Milton._ - - - From adverse shores in safety let her hear - Foreign _calamity_, and distant war; - Of which, great heav’n, let her no portion bear. - _Prior._ - - - Friends counsel quick dismission of our grief; - Mistaken kindness! Our hearts heal too soon, - Are they more kind than He who struck the blow? - Who bids it do His errand in our hearts, - And banish peace till nobler guests arrive, - And bring it back, a true and endless peace? - _Calamities_ are friends. - _Young._ - - - When great _calamities_ afflict the soul, - Then, God of Mercy, then, we cry to Thee! - Thou the physician art to make us whole; - Thou art the help in our _calamity_. - But when the clouds of grief be overpast, - And we may bask in sunshine once again, - Then praise and prayer become a weary task; - Thee we forget, and so neglect to ask - The aid we implored amid our grief and pain. - _Calamities_ are links of that bright chain - Of love divine around us ever cast, - Weaning us from the world, and all things light and vain. - _Egone._ - - - - - CALMNESS. - - -Then said they unto him, What shall we do unto thee, that the sea may -be _calm_ unto us? for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous. - -And he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so -shall the sea be _calm_ unto you: for I know that for my sake this -great tempest is upon you. - -So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea -ceased from her raging.--Jonah, i. 11, 12, 15. - -As they sailed he fell asleep: and there came down a storm of wind on -the lake; and they were filled with water, and were in jeopardy. - -And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, master, we perish! -Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and -they ceased, and there was a _calm_.--Luke, viii. 23, 24. - - - Be _calm_ in arguing--for fierceness makes - Error a fault, and truth discourtesy. - Why should I feel another man’s mistakes, - More than his sicknesses or poverty? - In love I should, but anger is not love, - Nor wisdom neither: therefore gently move. - _Calmness_ is great advantage--he that lets - Another chafe, may warm him at his fire, - Mark all his wanderings, and enjoy his frets, - As cunning fencers suffer heat to tire. - Truth dwells not in the clouds: the bow that’s there - Doth often aim at, never hit the sphere. - _Herbert._ - - - There is a _calm_ the poor in spirit know, - That softens sorrow, and that sweetens woe; - There is a peace that dwells within the breast, - When all without is stormy and distrest; - There is a light that gilds the darkest hour, - When dangers thicken, and when tempests lower; - That _calm_ is faith, and hope and love is given; - That peace remains when all beside is riven, - That light shines down to man direct from heaven. - _James Edmeston._ - - - The roaring tumult of the billowed sea - Awakes him not: high on the crested surge, - Now heaved, his locks flowed streaming to the blast: - And now descending, ’tween the sheltering waves, - The falling tresses veil the face divine: - Meek through that veil, a momentary gleam, - Benignant shines; he dreams that he beholds - The opening eyes,--that hopeless long had rolled - In darkness,--look around bedimmed with tears - Of joy; but suddenly the voice of fear - Dispelled the happy vision. Awful he rose, - Rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, - “Peace, be thou still!” and straight there was a _calm_. - With terror-mingled gladness in their looks, - The mariners exclaim--“What man is this, - That even the wind and sea obey his voice?” - _Grahame._ - - - Earth has not anything to show more fair! - Dull would he be of soul who could pass by - A sight so touching in its majesty! - This city now doth like a garment wear - The beauty of the morning; silent, bare, - Ships, towers, domes, theatres, and temples lie - Open unto the fields and to the sky-- - All bright and glittering in the smokeless air, - Never did sun more beautifully steep - In his first splendour valley, rock, or hill; - Ne’er saw I, never felt, a _calm_ so deep! - The river glideth at its own sweet will; - Dear God! the very houses seem asleep; - And all that mighty heart is lying still. - _Wordsworth._ - - - Like a frail bark upon an angry sea - Is man, o’erburdened with a weight of sin; - Tossed to and fro, and like to perish, he - Seeks how he best may ’scape, and safety win: - What trembling Jonah is it hides within, - That from the Lord would vainly strive to flee? - Seek till ye find him, straight the quest begin! - And cast him forth that ye may lightened be. - Then with a prayer approach the throne of grace, - The Saviour’s with thee, though he seems to sleep; - Have ye but faith, and wait a little space, - He will arise, and say unto the deep-- - “Be still!” The waves will sink, like your alarm, - O’er troubled heart and soul will come a mighty _calm_. - _Egone._ - - - - - CALVARY. - - -And when they were come to the place which is called _Calvary_, there -they crucified him.--Luke, xxiii. 33. - - - O _Calvary_! how blessed are thy borders, - More holy than God’s sanctuary mount, - Of whose high praise be Angels the recorders; - But grateful Man thy praises shall recount, - There Jesus is adored, but here he died! - O _Calvary_! that road is as a fount, - Whence with a sanguine stream thou art supplied, - Yet healing as Bethesda.--_Calvary!_ - _J. A. Heraud._ - - - From _Calvary_ a cry was heard, - A long reiterated cry; - My Saviour’s every mournful word - Bespeaks thy soul’s deep agony. - - * * * * * - - Let the dumb world her silence break; - Let pealing anthems rend the sky! - Awake, my sluggish soul, awake! - He died, that we may never die. - _Cunningham._ - - - When on Sinai’s top I see - God descend in Majesty, - To proclaim His holy law, - All my spirit sinks with awe. - - When, in ecstacy sublime, - Tabor’s glorious steep I climb, - At the too transporting light, - Darkness rushes o’er my sight. - - When on _Calvary_ I rest, - God, in flesh made manifest, - Shines in my Redeemer’s face, - Full of beauty, truth, and grace. - - Here I would for ever stay, - Weep and gaze my soul away; - Thou art heaven on earth to me, - Lovely, mournful _Calvary_. - _J. Montgomery._ - - - - - CANAAN. - - -And I have also established my covenant with them, to give them the -land of _Canaan_, the land of their pilgrimage, wherein they were -strangers.--Exodus, vi. 4. - -Behold the land of _Canaan_, which I give unto the children of Israel -for a possession.--Deuteronomy, xxxii. 49. - -Unto thee will I give the land of _Canaan_, the lot of your -inheritance.--I. Chronicles, xvi. 18. - - - O! could we make our doubts remove - Those gloomy doubts that rise, - And see the _Canaan_ that we love, - With unbeclouded eyes. - - Could we but climb where Moses stood, - And view the landscape o’er; - Nor Jordan’s streams, nor death’s cold flood, - Should fright us from the shore. - _Watts._ - - - On Jordan’s stormy banks I stand, - And cast a wishful eye - To _Canaan’s_ fair and happy land, - Where my possessions lie. - - O the transporting, rapt’rous scene, - That rises to my sight! - Sweet fields, arrayed in living green, - And rivers of delight. - - All o’er those wide extended plains, - Shines one eternal day; - There God the Son for ever reigns, - And scatters night away. - - When shall I reach that happy place, - And be for ever blest? - When shall I see my Father’s face, - And in his bosom rest? - _Stennet._ - - - Tell me, where is the promised land-- - The _Canaan_ of our earthly hopes, - Where Peace and Joy go hand in hand, - By sparkling streams, and flowery slopes? - It may be far, it may be near, - Oh, Pilgrim, faith must be thy guide - Across the desert wild and drear, - And o’er the Jordan’s swelling tide. - _Egone._ - - - - - CAPTIVITY. - - -By the rivers of Babylon there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we -remembered Zion. - -We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof. - -For there they that carried us away _captive_ required of us a song, -saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion. - -How shall we sing the Lord’s song in a strange land?--Psalm cxxxvii. 1, -2, 3, 4. - -The Lord their God shall visit them, and turn away their -_captivity_.--Zephaniah, ii. 7. - -That they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil who are -taken _captive_ by him at his will.--II. Timothy, ii. 26. - -He that leadeth into _captivity_ shall go into -_captivity_.--Revelations, xiii. 10. - - - We sat by Babel’s waters; and our tears - Mingled in silence with the silent stream; - For, oh! our hearts went back to happier years, - And brighter scenes, that faded like a dream. - - Our harps, neglected, hung upon the trees, - That threw their shadows o’er the wave’s dark rest, - And sighed, responsive to each passing breeze - That stirred a ripple on its slumbering breast. - - But they who led us _captive_ touched the string, - And waked its music with unhallowed hand, - And--mocking all our sadness--bade us sing - The song of Zion in a foreign land. - - Oh! never, never!--hushed be now its strains, - Far, far away her exiled children roam; - And never will they sound on other plains, - The holy music of their native home. - _T. K. Hervey._ - - - Thousands of Angels at Thy gate, - And great archangels stand, - And twenty thousand chariots wait, - Great Lord, Thy dread command! - Through all Thy great, Thy vast domain, - With Godlike honours clad, - _Captivity_ in _captive_ chains - Triumphing Thou hast led. - _Mickle._ - - - - - CARE--CAREFUL. - - -And the _cares_ of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and -the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh -unfruitful.--Mark, iv. 19. - -That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should -have the same _care_ one for another.--I. Corinthians, xii. 25. - -Be _careful_ for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and -supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto -God.--Philippians, iv. 6. - -Casting all your _care_ upon him; for he _careth_ for you.--I. Peter, -v. 7. - - - Esteem none happy by their outward air; - All have their portion of allotted _care_, - Though wisdom wears the semblance of content, - When the full heart with agony is rent, - Secludes its anguish from the public view, - And by secluding, learns to conquer too; - Denied the fond indulgence to complain, - The aching heart its peace may best regain. - By love directed, and in mercy meant, - Are trials suffer’d, and afflictions sent; - To stem imperious passion’s furious tide, - To curb the insolence of prosperous pride, - To wean from earth, and bid our wishes soar - To that blest clime where pain shall be no more; - Where wearied virtue shall for refuge fly, - And every tear be wiped from every eye. - _Hannah More._ - - - The insect that with puny wing, - Just shoots along one summer ray; - The flow’ret, which the breath of spring - Wakes into life for half a day. - The smallest mote, the tenderest hair, - All feel our heavenly Father’s _care_. - - E’en from the glories of His throne, - He bends to view this earthly ball; - Sees all as if that all were one, - Loves as if that one were all; - Rolls the swift planets in their spheres, - And counts the sinner’s lonely tears. - _Cunningham._ - - - Will then the merciful One, who stamped our race - With his own image, and who gave them sway - O’er earth, and the glad dwellers on her face, - Now that our flourishing nations far away - Are spread, where’er the moist earth drinks the day, - Forget the ancient _care_ that taught and nursed - His latest offspring? will he quench the ray - Infused by his own forming smile at first, - And leave a work so fair all blighted and accursed? - - Oh, no! a thousand cheerful omens give - Hope of yet happier days whose dawn is nigh. - He who has tamed the elements, shall not live - The slave of his own passions; he whose eye - Unwinds the eternal dances of the sky, - And in the abyss of brightness dares to span - The sun’s broad circle, rising yet more high, - In God’s magnificent works his will shall scan-- - And love and peace shall make their paradise with man. - _W. C. Bryant._ - - - Father of earth and heaven, - Whose arm upholds creation, - To thee we raise the voice of praise, - And bend in adoration. - We praise the Power that made us, - We praise the love that blesses, - While every day that rolls away, - Thy gracious _care_ confesses. - _Henry Ware, Jun._ - - - Faithful servant of the Lord, - Sower of the gracious Word, - Scattering thy seed abroad,-- - - Much of it will fall, and sink - Where the cattle come to drink, - Trodden in the river’s brink; - - Much of it on bogs unsound, - Much on hard and stony ground, - Much where thorns and briers abound. - - In the path of daily life - Worldly _cares_, like thorns, are rife, - Ever with the word at strife. - _Egone._ - - - - - CHANGE. - - -Because they have no _changes_, therefore they fear not God.--Psalm lv. -19. - -My son, fear thou the Lord and the king: and meddle not with them that -are given to _change_.--Proverbs, xxiv. 21. - -For I am the Lord, I _change_ not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not -consumed.--Malachi, iii. 6. - -Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all -be _changed_.--I. Corinthians, xv. 51. - - - Emblem of life! see _changeful_ April sail - In varying vest along the shadowy skies, - Now bidding summer’s stormy zephyrs rise, - Anon, recalling winter’s softest gale, - And pouring from the cloud her sudden hail; - Then, smiling through the tear that dims her eyes, - While Iris with her braid the welkin dyes, - Promise of sunshine, not so prone to fail. - So to us sojourners in life’s low vale, - The smiles of fortune flatter to deceive, - While still the fates the web of misery weave; - So hope exultant spreads her airy sail, - And from the present gloom the soul conveys - To distant summers, and far happier days. - _H. K. White._ - - - Still on its march, unnoticed and unfelt, - Moves on our being. We do live and breathe, - And we are gone. The spoiler heeds us not. - We have our spring-time and our rottenness; - And as we fall, another race succeeds, - To perish likewise. Meanwhile nature smiles-- - The seasons run their round--the sun fulfils - His annual course--and heaven and earth remain - Still _changing_, yet _unchang’d_--still doomed to feel - Endless mutation in perpetual rest. - _H. K. White._ - - - Not seldom, clad in radiant vest, - Deceitfully goes forth the morn; - Not seldom, evening in the west, - Sinks smilingly forsworn. - The smoothest seas will sometimes prove - To the confiding bark untrue; - And if she trust the stars above, - They can be treacherous too. - The umbrageous oak, in pomp outspread, - Full oft when storms the welkin rend, - Draws lightening down upon the head - It promised to defend. - But Thou art true, incarnate Lord! - Who didst vouchsafe for man to die; - Thy smile is sure, thy plighted word - No _change_ can falsify. - I bent before Thy gracious throne, - And asked for peace with suppliant knee; - And peace was given,--nor peace alone, - But faith, and hope, and ecstacy! - _Wordsworth._ - - - Of chance, or _change_, O let not man complain, - Else shall he never, never cease to wail; - For, from the imperial dome, to where the swain - Rears the lone cottage in the silent dale, - All feel the assault of fortune’s fickle gale; - Art, empire, earth itself, to _change_ are doomed; - Earthquakes have raised to heaven the humble vale, - And gulfs the mountain’s mighty mass entombed, - And where the Atlantic rolls, wide continents have bloomed. - _Beattie._ - - - The day was dark and stormy; but the night - Dawns into brightness, and the silvery moon - Pours over sea and land her urn of light, - Making of midnight a most pleasant noon. - The autumn blasts were withering, and their blight - Brought desolation: but a richer boon - The balmy showers and breathing zephyrs bring; - And the cold earth, fanned by the breath of spring, - Again shall start into luxuriant life, - Deformity and beauty--storm and calm-- - The day-dawn and the darkness--quiet and calm-- - Throughout all nature, mix and mingle rife. - Then why should man expect a fixed state, - Where all is _change_--or shrink beneath his fate? - _A. Bethune._ - - - - - CHARITY. - - -_Charity_ suffereth long and is kind; _charity_ envieth not; _charity_ -vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, - -Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily -provoked, thinketh no evil; - -Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; - -Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth -all things. - -And now abideth faith, hope, _charity_, these three; but the greatest -of these is _charity_.--I. Corinthians, xiii. 4, 5, 6, 7, 13. - -Above all these things put on _charity_, which is the bond of -perfectness.--Colossians, iii. 14. - -Now the end of the commandment is _charity_.--I. Timothy, i. 5. - -Above all things have fervent _charity_ among yourselves; for _charity_ -shall cover the multitude of sins.--I. Peter, iv. 8. - - - Attain the sum - Of Wisdom; hope no higher, though all the stars - Thou knew’st by name, and all the ethereal powers, - All secrets of the deep, all Nature’s works, - Or works of God in heaven, air, earth, and sea, - And all the riches of the world enjoyedst, - And all the rule, one empire; only add - Deeds to thy knowledge answerable; add faith, - Add virtue, patience, temperance; add love, - By name to some called _charity_, the soul - Of all the rest. - _Milton._ - - - Did sweeter sounds adorn my flowing tongue - Than ever man pronounced, or angel sung; - Had I all knowledge, human and divine, - That thought can reach, or Science can define: - And had I power to give that knowledge birth - In all the speeches of the babbling earth; - Did Shadrach’s zeal my glowing breast inspire, - To weary tortures, and rejoice in fire: - Or had I faith like that which Israel saw, - When Moses gave them miracles and law; - Yet gracious _Charity_, indulgent guest, - Were not thy power exerted in my breast, - Those speeches would send up unheeded prayer, - That scorn of life would be but wild despair; - A tymbal’s sound were better than my voice; - My faith were form; my eloquence were noise. - - * * * * * - - Each other gift, which God on man bestows, - Its proper bounds and due restriction knows, - To one fixt purpose dedicates its power, - And finishing its act, exists no more. - Thus in obedience to what heaven decrees, - Knowledge shall fail, and prophecy decrease, - But lasting _Charity’s_ more ample sway, - Ne’er bound by time, nor subject to decay, - In happy triumph shall for ever live, - And endless good diffuse, and endless praise receive. - _Prior._ - - - Here see, acquitted of all vain pretence, - The reign of genuine _charity_ commence. - Though scorn repay her sympathetic tears, - She still is kind and still she perseveres; - The truth she loves a sightless world blaspheme, - ’Tis childish dotage, a delirious dream; - The danger they discern not, they deny; - Laugh at their only remedy, and die. - But still a soul thus touch’d can never cease, - Whoever threatens war, to speak of peace. - Pure in her aim, and in her temper mild, - Her wisdom seems the weakness of a child: - She makes excuses where she might condemn, - Reviled by those that hate her, prays for them; - Suspicion lurks not in her artless breast, - The worst suggested, she believes the best; - Not soon provoked, however stung and teazed, - And if perhaps made angry, soon appeased, - She rather waives than will dispute her right, - And, injured, makes forgiveness her delight. - _Cowper._ - - - Man is dear to man; the poorest poor - Long for some moments in a weary life, - When they can know and feel what they have been; - Themselves the fathers and the dealers out - Of some small blessings, have been kind to such - As needed kindness, for this single cause - That we have all of us one human heart. - Such pleasure is to one kind being known, - My neighbour, when with punctual care, each week - Duly as Friday comes, though press’d herself - By all her wants, she from her store of meal - Takes one unsparing handful for the scrip - Of this old mendicant, and from her door - Returning with exhilarated heart, - Sits by her fire, and builds her hope in heaven. - _Wordsworth._ - - - Gentle reader, see in me, - An emblem of true _charity_; - That while my bounty I bestow, - I’m neither heard nor seen to flow; - And I have fresh supplies from heaven - For every cup of water given. - _Bishop Hoadly, on a Spring._ - - - Were we as rich in _charity_ of deed - As gold--what rock would bloom not with the seed? - We give our alms, and cry “What can we more?” - One hour of time were worth a load of ore! - Give to the ignorant our wisdom!--give - Sorrow our comfort!--lend to those who live - In crime, the counsels of our virtue!--share - With souls our souls, and Satan shall despair! - Alas! what converts one man, who would take - The cross, and staff, and house with Guilt, could make! - - * * * * * - - Search the material tribes of earth, sea, air, - And the fierce SELF, which strives and slays, is there; - What but that SELF to man doth Nature teach? - Where the charmed link that binds the all to each? - Where the sweet law, (doth Nature boast its birth?) - “Good will to man, and _charity_ on earth?” - _Sir E. B. Lytton._ - - - What though to poverty’s imploring voice - I give my earthly goods; though to the pile - I yield my body, if thy genuine love - Inspire not, this alike is void and vain. - - * * * * * - - Thou, mild and gentle nature, art estranged - From envy, hatred, insolence, or pride; - Thou seekest not thy own, but others’ weal; - Slow to reprove, but studious to applaud, - And from the eyes of malice to conceal - The weakness thou lamentest to behold: - For thou of each forgiv’st and hop’st the best, - Forbearing and forgiving every ill. - - * * * * * - - The time shall come when prophecy itself, - And all the knowledge which exalts mankind, - Shall lose their use; these, while the state of man - In imperfection lies, by Heaven are made - To compass ends sublime; but when that state - Imperfect, for perfection shall be changed, - Shall fade away, and boast that use no more. - But, subject to no change, through endless time - Shall Faith, and Hope, and _Charity_ endure; - And thou, O _Charity_, of these the chief, - In high pre-eminence shalt ever reign! - _C. P. Layard._ - - - The consciousness of wrong, in wills not evil - Brings _charity_. - _Leigh Hunt._ - - - When prophecies shall fail, - When tongues shall cease, when knowledge is no more, - And the Great Day is come, thou by the throne - Shalt sit triumphant. - _Glynn._ - - - “Chief grace below, and all in all above!” - What shall I call thee? _Charity_ or Love? - Thy name is bliss; for let but grace remove - The Serpent, Selfishness, and lo! the Dove, - Cover’d with silver wings, or plumes of gold,[1] - Enters the rescued heart, and keeps her hold: - Then love to God on high, good will to men, - With all the gentle virtues in their train, - Flourish together, and together prove - That bliss is but another name for Love! - Blest affluence of that bright flame that glows - Amid the Seraphim, “in burning rows,” - Fill my whole soul! since who has most of Love, - Knows most of Heaven, and of the joys above. - _Mary Milner._ - -[1] Psalm lxviii. 13. - - - - - CHARGE. - - -The Lord spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, and gave them a _charge_ unto -the children of Israel.--Exodus, vi. 13. - -He shall give his angels _charge_ over thee, to keep thee in all thy -ways.--Psalm xci. 11. - -Who shall lay any thing to the _charge_ of God’s elect. It is God that -justifieth.--Romans, viii. 33. - - - A _charge_ to keep I have, - A God to glorify; - A never-dying soul to save, - And fit it for the sky. - - To serve the present age, - My calling to fulfil;-- - O may it all my powers engage - To do my Master’s will. - - Arm me with jealous care, - As in thy sight to live; - And Oh! thy servant Lord prepare, - A strict account to give. - - Help me to watch and pray, - And on thyself rely; - Assured if I my trust betray, - I shall for ever die. - _Wesley._ - - - Since, with pure and firm affection, - Thou on God hast set thy love, - With the wings of His protection, - He will shield thee from above: - Thou shalt call on Him in trouble, - He will hearken, He will save, - Here for grief reward thee double, - Crown with life beyond the grave. - - He shall _charge_ His angel legions - Watch and ward o’er thee to keep, - Though thou walk through hostile regions, - Though in desert wilds thou sleep; - On the lion vainly roaring, - On his young, thy foot shall tread, - And, the dragon’s den exploring, - Thou shalt bruise the serpent’s head. - _J. Montgomery._ - - - - - CHASTENING. - - -O Lord, rebuke me not in thine anger, neither _chasten_ me in thy hot -displeasure.--Psalm vi. 1. - -Blessed is the man whom thou _chastenest_, O Lord, and teachest him out -of thy law.--Psalm xciv. 12. - -Whom the Lord loveth he _chasteneth_, and scourgeth every son whom he -receiveth.--Hebrews, xii. 6. - - - O keep up life and peace within, - If I must feel thy _chastening_ rod! - Yet kill not me, but kill my sin; - And let me know Thou art my God. - O give my soul some sweet foretaste - Of that which I shall shortly see! - Let faith and love cry to the last, - “Come, Lord, I trust myself with Thee!” - _Baxter._ - - - When urged by strong temptation to the brink - Of guilt and ruin, stands the virtuous mind - With scarce a step between; all-pitying Heaven, - Severe in mercy, _chastening_ in its love, - Ofttimes in dark and awful visitation, - Doth interpose, and call the wanderer back - To the straight path, to be for ever after - A firm, undaunted, onward-bearing traveller, - Strong in humility, who swerves no more. - _Joanna Baillie._ - - - So, Christian! though gloomy and sad be thy days, - And the tempest of sorrow encompass thee black; - Though no sunshine of promise or hope sheds its rays - To illumine and cheer thy life’s desolate track: - Though thy soul writhes in anguish, and bitter tears flow - O’er the wreck of fond joys from thy bleeding heart riven, - Check thy murmuring sorrows, thou lorn one, and know - That the _chastened_ on earth are the purest for Heaven; - And remember, though gloomy thy present may be, - That “the Master is coming,” and coming to thee. - _S. D. Patterson._ - - - - - CHERUB--SERAPH. - - -Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; -thou that dwellest between the _cherubims_, shine forth.--Psalm lxxx. 1. - -I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up.... Above -it stood the _seraphims_.... And one cried unto another, and said, -Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his -glory.--Isaiah, vi. 1, 2, 3. - -And the sound of the _cherubims’_ wings was heard even to the outer -court, as the voice of the Almighty God when he speaketh.--Ezekiel, x. -5. - - - Thou shepherd that doth Israel keep, - Give ear in time of need, - Who leadeth like a flock of sheep - Thy loved of Joseph’s seed; - That sitt’st between the _cherubs_ bright-- - Between their wings outspread, - Shine forth, and from Thy cloud give light, - And on Thy foes Thy dread. - _Milton._ - - - The Lord descended from above, - And bowed the heavens most high; - And underneath His feet He cast - The darkness of the sky. - - On _cherub_ and on _cherubim_ - Full royally He rode; - And on the wings of mighty winds - Came flying all abroad. - _Sternhold._ - - - High on a throne of burnish’d gold, - With rays of Godhead crown’d, - Jehovah sat; His thunders roll’d, - And glory sparkled round. - - His flowing train, of glittering white, - The spacious temple fill’d; - The angels, dazzled at the sight, - With wings their faces veil’d. - - Around the throne, in burning row, - The six-winged _seraphs_ stood; - While millions, flying to and fro, - Tun’d all their harps to God. - - Thrice holy, holy, Lord, they cry, - The God of Sabaoth’s Thou; - Thy glory fills the worlds on high, - And fills the world below. - _Cowper._ - - - - - CHILDHOOD--INFANCY. - - -Verily I say unto you, except ye be converted, and become as little -_children_, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.--Matthew, -xviii. 3. - -Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto -you, That in Heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father -which is in Heaven.--Matthew, xviii. 10. - -Have ye never read, Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings thou hast -perfected praise?--Matthew, xxi. 16. - -And they brought unto him also _infants_, that he would touch them: but -when his disciples saw it, they rebuked them. - -But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little _children_ -to come unto me, and forbid them not; for of such is the kingdom of -God.--Luke, xviii. 15, 16. - - - When little tripping _children_ follow God, - And leave old doting sinners to his rod, - ’Tis like those days wherein the young ones cried, - Hosanna! while the old ones did deride. - _Bunyan._ - - - At his first aptness the maternal love - Those rudiments of wisdom did improve; - The tender age was pliant to command; - Like wax it yielded to the forming hand: - True to the artificer, the laboured mind - With ease was pious, generous, just, and kind; - Soft for impression, from the first prepared, - Till virtue, with long exercise, grew hard; - With every act confirmed and made at last, - So durable as not to be effaced, - It turned to habit; and from vices free, - Goodness resolved into necessity. - _Dryden._ - - - The _child_ between her parents knelt, - Who prayed the more to God above, - Because so close to them they felt - The dearest gift of Heavenly love. - - * * * * * - - To her new beauty largely given - From deeper fountains, looked and smiled, - And, like a morning dream from heaven, - The woman gleamed within the _child_. - _John Sterling._ - - - O! how I love the prattling of that _child_, - Frisking so blithely in its nurse’s hand! - Fair as her face who first in Eden smiled, - Ere blissful innocence had left the land! - Thy dimpled cheeks remind me of a time, - When first I ventured on life’s thorny way! - May no false joys consume thy early prime, - No friend mislead thee, and no friend betray; - Thy bark, like mine, is on a rocky sea; - For life’s a voyage far from shore to shore, - No resting-place, unless thine anchor be - The hope of glory when the course is o’er; - Blest hope for thee, just entering into bloom, - Thrice blessed hope for me just hast’ning to the tomb. - _J. Mayne._ - - - “Suffer these little ones to come to me,” - Was the command of Him who, on the cross, - Bowed His anointed head, and with His blood - Purchased redemption for our fallen race-- - And blessed they, who to that holy task - Devote the energies of their young years, - Teaching, with pious care, the dawning light - Of _infant_ intellect to know the Lord. - _C. Huntingdon._ - - - The life that makes the heart to beat, - The light that from the heavens doth shine, - My daily strength,--the bread I eat,-- - All, all, great Lord of Life, are thine. - Then let me seek Thee daily, Lord, - At morn, at noontide, and at even; - And do Thy will, and know Thy word, - That I may be Thy _child_ in heaven! - _W. Martin._ - - - I remember, I remember, - The fir-trees dark and high, - I used to think their tiny tops - Were close against the sky: - It was a _childish_ ignorance, - But now ’tis little joy, - To know I’m farther off from heaven - Than when I was a boy! - _T. Hood._ - - - Blessed Jesus ever loved to trace - The innocent brightness of an _infant’s_ face; - He raised them in His holy arms; - He blessed them from the world and all its harms: - Heirs though they were of sin and shame, - He blessed them in His own, and in His Father’s Name. - _Keble._ - - - Christian! thy dream is now--it was not then: - O, it were strange if _childhood_ were a dream. - Strife, and the world, are dreams: to wakeful men - _Childhood_ and home as jealous angels seem: - Like shapes and hues that play in clouds at even, - They have but shifted from Thee into Heaven! - _F. W. Faber._ - - - Something divine about an _Infant_ seems - To them, who watch it in that holy light - Of meaning, caught from these celestial words - Of Christ--“Forbid them not, but let them come.” - Fresh buds of being! beautiful as frail. - Types of that kingdom which our souls profess - To enter! Symbols of that docile love - And meek compliancy of creed and mind, - Which Heaven hath canonized, and for its own - Acknowledged,--well may thoughtful hearts perceive - A mystery, beyond mere nature’s law, - Around them girdled like a moral zone. - _R. Montgomery._ - - - Death found strange beauty on that polished brow, - And dashed it out. There was a tint of rose - On cheek and lip. He touched the veins with ice, - And the rose faded. Forth from those blue eyes - There spake a wishful tenderness--a doubt - Whether to grieve or sleep--which innocence - Alone may wear. With ruthless hand he bound - The silken fringes of those curtaining lids - For ever. There had been a murmuring sound - With which the babe would claim its mother’s ear, - Charming her even to tears. The spoiler set - The seal of silence. But there beamed a smile - So fixed, so holy, from that cherub brow, - Death gazed, and left it there. He dared not steal - The signet-ring of heaven. - _L. H. Sigourney._ - - - _Child_, there is One, the High above all Height, - Who doth not scorn thee-- - Ever, from Him, may beams of Heavenly light - Comfort--but warn thee-- - That from youth’s innocence each proud removal - Is a departure from His best approval. - _H. H. Weld._ - - - The Lord of Heaven, who, from his throne above, - Governs the universe, yet deigns to hear - The praise which from the mouths of sucklings flows, - And from the lisping babe ordaineth strength. - _C. P. Layard._ - - - There are smiles and tears in the mother’s eyes, - For her new-born _infant_ beside her lies. - O, hour of bliss! when the heart o’erflows - With rapture a mother only knows. - Let it gush forth in words of fervent prayer; - Let it swell up to heaven for her precious care. - _Henry Ware, Jun._ - - - How soft and fresh he breathes! - Look, he is dreaming! Visions sure of joy - Are gladdening his rest; and ah, who knows - But waiting angels do converse in sleep - With babes like this! - _Arthur C. Coxe._ - - - Little _children_, not alone - On the wide earth are ye thrown, - ’Mid its labour and its cares; - ’Mid its sufferings and its snares, - Free from sorrow, free from strife, - In the world of love and life, - Where no sinful thing has trod - In the presence of our God! - Spotless, blameless, glorified, - Little _children_, ye abide! - _Mary Howitt._ - - - How oft, heart-sick and sore, - I’ve wished I were, once more, - A little _child_! - _Mrs. Southey._ - - - - - CHRIST--CHRISTMAS. - - -We have heard out of the law that _Christ_ abideth for ever.--John, -xii. 34. - -We preach _Christ_ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling-block, and unto -the Greeks foolishness; - -But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, _Christ_ the -power of God, and the wisdom of God.--I. Corinthians, i. 23, 24. - -We preach not ourselves, but _Christ_ Jesus the Lord.--II. Corinthians, -iv. 5. - -_Christ_ is all, and in all.--Colossians, iii. 11. - -For even hereunto were ye called: because _Christ_ also suffered for -us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow His steps; - -Who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth: - -Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when He suffered, -He threatened not; but committed Himself to Him that judgeth -righteously--I. Peter, ii. 21, 22, 23. - - - With force of arms we nothing can, - Full soon were we down-ridden; - But for us fights the proper man, - Whom God himself hath bidden. - Ask ye, who is the same? _Christ_ Jesus is His name, - The Lord Zebaoth’s Son, He, and no other one, - Shall conquer in the battle. - _Martin Luther._ - - - _Christ_ is a path,--if any be misled; - He is a robe,--if any naked be; - If any chance to hunger,--He is bread; - If any be a bondman,--He is free; - If any be but weak,--how strong is he! - To dead men life he is; to sick men health; - To blind men sight; and to the needy wealth; - A pleasure without loss, a pleasure without stealth. - _Giles Fletcher._ - - - He that alone would wise and mighty be, - Commands that others love, as well as He. - Love as He loved! how can we soar so high? - He can add wings when He commands to fly. - Nor should we be with this command dismayed, - He that examples gives, will give His aid; - For He took flesh, that where His precepts fail, - His practice as a pattern might prevail. - _Waller._ - - - In what torn ship soever I embark, - That ship shall be an emblem of Thy ark; - What sea soever swallow me, that flood - Shall be to me an emblem of Thy blood: - Though Thou with clouds of anger do disguise - Thy face, yet through that mask I know those eyes, - Which, though they turn away sometimes, - They never will despise. - - I sacrifice this Island unto Thee, - And all whom I loved there, and who loved me; - When I have put our seas ’twixt them and me, - Put Thou Thy seas betwixt my sins and Thee: - As the tree’s sap doth seek the root below - In winter, in my winter now I go - Where none but Thee, th’ eternal root - Of true love, I may know. - _Dr. Donne._ - - - Without _Christ_ all gain is loss, - All hope despair, that stands not on his cross; - Except the few his God may have impress’d, - A tenfold phrenzy seizes all the rest. - _Cowper._ - - - Father! in _Christ_ we live, and _Christ_ in Thee! - Eternal Thou, and everlasting we. - The heir of heaven, henceforth I fear not death: - In _Christ_ I live! in _Christ_ I draw the breath - Of the true life! Let then earth, sea, and sky - Make war against me! on my front I show - Their mighty Master’s seal. In vain they try - To end my life, that can but end its woe. - Is that a death-bed where the _Christian_ lies? - Yes! but not his--’tis death itself there dies. - _S. T. Coleridge._ - - - Heaven is within of magnitude immense; - No human thought can its dimensions grasp; - Yet heaven has but one door. _Christ_ is the way-- - The only way--to God. Whoever seeks - By other ways to enter, must, ashamed, - Confused, and disappointed, see too late - The gates of hell expanded to his view! - No other name is published under heaven, - Wherein salvation can be found, but His. - _Anon._ - - - Some say that ever ’gainst that season comes - Wherein our Saviour’s birth is celebrated, - The bird of dawning singeth all night long: - And then they say no spirit walks abroad; - The nights are wholesome; then no planets strike; - No fairy tales; no witch has power to charm; - So hallowed and so gracious is the time! - _Shakspere._ - - - Sweet rest ye, happie _Christians_, - ’Tis earlie _Christmas_ daye, - When _Christ_ our Lord and Savioure - Became the sinner’s staye. - Arise, and for such benefits - His precepts all obeye. - Joyful tidings let us singe, - _Christ_ our refuge, _Christ_ our kinge, - To hallowe _Christmas_ daye. - - In Judah’s lands, in Bethlehem, - The lovelie babe was born, - Upon a manger poorlie laid, - On _Christmas_ happie morn. - God speed ye, merrie gentlemen, - And _Christian_ grace adorn. - Joyful tidings let us singe, - _Christ_ our refuge, _Christ_ our kinge, - To hallowe _Christmas_ morn. - _Stuart Farquharson._ - - - Hark! what mean those holy voices, - Sweetly sounding through the skies? - Lo! the angelic host rejoices; - Heavenly hallelujahs rise. - Listen to the wondrous story, - Which they chant in hymns of joy:-- - “Glory in the highest, glory! - Glory be to God most high! - _Christ_ is born, the Great Anointed, - Heaven and earth His praises sing; - O receive whom God appointed, - For your Prophet, Priest, and King!” - _Cawood._ - - - - - CHRISTIANITY. - - -And the disciples were called _Christians_ first in Antioch.--Acts, xi. -26. - -Stand fast, therefore, in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us -free.--Galatians, v. 1. - -Walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called.--Ephesians, iv. 1. - -Yet if any man suffer as a _christian_, let him not be ashamed; but let -him glorify God on this behalf.--I. Peter, iv. 16. - - - But for that contention and brave strife - The _Christian_ hath to enjoy, the future life, - He were the wretchedest of the race of men; - But as he soars at that, he bruiseth then - The serpent’s head; gets above death and sin, - And, sure of Heaven, rides triumphing in. - _Ben Jonson._ - - - All faiths beside, or did by arms ascend; - Or sense indulged has made mankind their friend: - This only doctrine does our lusts oppose; - Unfed by nature’s soil in which it grows; - Cross to our interests, curbing sense and sin; - Oppressed without and undermined within, - It thrives through pain, its own tormentors tires; - And with a stubborn patience still aspires. - To what can reason such effects assign, - Transcending nature, but to laws divine, - Which in that sacred volume are contained, - Sufficient, clear, and for that use ordained? - _Dryden._ - - - Well hast thou fought - The better fight, who, singly, hast maintained - Against revolted multitudes the cause - Of truth, in word mightier than they in arms; - And for the testimony of truth hast borne - Universal reproach, far worse to bear - Than violence. - _Milton._ - - - A _Christian_ is the highest style of man; - And is there who the blessed cross wipes of - As a foul blot from his dishonour’d brow?-- - If angels tremble, ’tis at such a sight. - _Young._ - - - O Antioch, thou teacher of the world!-- - From out thy portals passed the feet of those, - Who, banished and despised, have made thy name - The next in rank to proud Jerusalem. - Within thy gates the persecuted few, - Who dared to rally round the Holy Cross, - And worship Him whose sacred form it bore, - Were first called _Christians_. In thy sad conceit, - Thou mad’st a stigma of reproach and shame, - This noblest title of the sons of earth: - While, save for this, thy name were scarcely known, - Except among the mouldering vestiges - Of dim antiquity. So doth our God - Make all men’s folly ever praise His name. - _J. L. Chester._ - - - To be an humble follower of Him, - Who left the bliss of Heaven, to be for us - A man on earth in spotless virtue living - As man ne’er lived; such words of comfort speaking, - To raise, and elevate, and cheer the heart, - As man ne’er spake; and suffering poverty, - Contempt, and wrong, and pain, and death itself, - As man ne’er suffered. - _Joanna Baillie._ - - - The _Christian’s_ faith had many mysteries too. - The uncreated Holy Three in One; - Divine Incarnate, Human in Divine; - The inward call; the Sanctifying Dew; - Coming unseen, unseen departing thence; - Anew creating all, and yet not heard; - Compelling, yet not felt:--mysterious these; - Not that Jehovah to conceal them wished; - Not that Religion wished. The _Christian_ faith, - Unlike the timorous creeds of Pagan priest, - Was frank, stood forth to view, invited all - To prove, examine, search, investigate, - And gave herself a light to see her by. - Mysterious these--because too large for eye - Of man, too long for human arm to mete. - _Pollok._ - - - - - CHURCH. - - -Whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven: -and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in -Heaven.--Matthew, xvi. 19. - -Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.--Matthew, -xxviii. 20. - -So were the _churches_ established in the faith, and increased in -number daily.--Acts, xvi. 5. - -And God hath set some in the _church_, first, apostles, secondarily, -prophets, thirdly, teachers.--I. Corinthians, xii. 28. - -And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head -over all things to the _church_, - -Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in -all.--Ephesians, i. 22, 23. - -Christ also loved the _church_, and gave himself for it.--Ephesians, v. -25. - -That thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house -of God, which is the _church_ of the living God, the pillar and ground -of the truth.--I. Timothy, iii. 15. - -Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of -some is.--Hebrews, x. 25. - - - The solemn scene - The sun, through storied panes, surveys with awe, - And bashfully withholds each bolder beam. - _Smart._ - - - Think, when the bells do chime, - ’Tis angels’ music; therefore come not late. - God then deals blessings: if a king did so, - Who would not haste, nay give, to see the show? - - When once thy foot enters the _church_, be bare. - God is more there than thou: for thou art there - Only by His permission. Then beware; - And make thyself all reverence and fear. - Kneeling ne’er spoil’d silk stocking. Quit thy state. - All equal are within the _church’s_ gate. - - Resort to sermons, but to prayers most: - Praying’s the end of preaching. O be drest; - Stay not for the other pin: why thou hast lost - A joy for it worth worlds. Thus hell doth jest - Away thy blessings, and extremely flout thee, - Thy clothes being fast, but thy soul loose about thee. - - In time of service seal up both thine eyes, - And send them to thy heart; that spying sin, - They may weep out the stains by them did rise: - Those doors being shut, all by the ear comes in. - Who marks in _church_-time others’ symmetry, - Makes all their beauty his deformity. - - Let vain or busy thoughts have there no part; - Bring not thy plots, thy plough, thy pleasure thither. - Christ purged His temple--so must thou thy heart. - All worldly thoughts are but thieves met together - To cozen thee. Look to thy actions well, - For _churches_ either are our heaven or hell. - _George Herbert._ - - - Dear is the ancient village _church_, which rears - By the lone yew, or lime, or elm-girt mound, - Its modest fabric: clear, and pleasant sound - Of bells, the grey embattled tower that wears - Of changeful hue the marks of bye-gone years, - Buttress, and porch, and arch with mazy round - Of curious feet or shapes fantastic crown’d; - Tall pinnacles and mingled window tiers, - Norman, or misnamed Gothic. Fairer spot - Thou givest not, England, to the tasteful eye, - Nor to the heart more soothing. Blest their lot! - Know they their bliss, who own their dwelling nigh - Such resting-place; there by the world forgot, - In life to worship, and when dead to lie! - _Bishop Mant._ - - - Some there are - Who hold it meet to linger now at home, - And some o’er fields and the wide hills to roam, - And worship in the temple of the air! - For me, not heedless of the lone address, - Nor slack to meet my Maker on the height, - By wood, or living stream; yet not the less - Seek I His presence in each social rite - Of His own temple: that He deigns to bless, - There still He dwells, and that is His delight. - _Bishop Mant._ - - - I love to hear the sound of holy bell, - And peaceful men, their praises lift to Heaven. - _Joanna Baillie._ - - - Clad in a robe of pure and spotless white, - The youthful bride, with timid steps, comes forth - To greet the hand to which she plights her troth, - Her soft eyes radiant with a strange delight. - The snowy veil which circles her around, - Shades the sweet face from every gazer’s eye, - And thus enwrapt, she passes calmly by-- - Nor casts a look, but on the unconscious ground. - So should the _Church_, the bride elect of Heaven,-- - Remembering whom she goeth forth to meet, - And with a truth that cannot brook deceit, - Holding the faith which unto her is given-- - Pass through this world, which claims her for a while, - Nor cast about her longing look nor smile. - _Mrs. Neal._ - - - Thy best type, Desire - Of the sad heart,--the Heaven-ascending spire! - _Sir E. B. Lytton._ - - - To Thee the _churches_ here rejoice, - The solemn organs aid the voice; - To sacred roofs the sound we raise, - The sacred roofs re-sound Thy praise; - And while our notes in one agree, - Oh! bless the _church_ that sings to Thee! - _Parnell._ - - - The _Church_ of Christ, the school of grace, - The Spirit teaching by the Word; - In these our Saviour’s steps we trace, - By this His living voice is heard. - _J. Montgomery._ - - - So shall her holy bounds increase, - With walls of praise and gates of peace; - So shall the Vine which martyr tears - And blood sustained, in other years, - With fresher life be clothed upon; - And to the world in beauty show - Like the rose-plant of Jericho, - And glorious as Lebanon. - _J. G. Whittier._ - - - O, prayer is good when many pour - Their voices in one solemn tone; - Conning their sacred lessons o’er, - Or yielding thanks for mercies shown. - ’Tis good to see the quiet train - Forget their worldly joy and care, - While loud response, and choral strain, - Re-echo in the House of Prayer. - _Eliza Cook._ - - - There is a Presence spiritually vast - Around Thy _Church_, arisen Saviour! cast; - A holy effluence, an unspoken awe, - A sanctity which carnal eye ne’er saw,-- - A pure, impalpable, almighty sense - Of peace, by reconciled Omnipotence,-- - That hallows, haunts, and makes a Christian mind - Rich in all grace, celestially refined: - Mere Nature’s worshippers can never feel - The fulness of that high seraphic zeal - Which veileth all things with religious light, - And works unwearied in Jehovah’s sight; - Thought, dream, and action, ev’ry pulse of soul - The awe of Christ will solemnly control: - Girt by the Spirit, wheresoe’er they rove, - True faith is feeding on His breath of love. - _R. Montgomery._ - - - How sweetly wide this Sabbath morn - The chime of village bells is sent - O’er the hamlets, o’er the fields, - With Sabbath sunshine blent. - The noble hears and quits his hall-- - The peasant quits his cottage-home; - All cheerfully, all pleasantly, - To _church_ the people come. - They come from far-off heathy moors, - From lonely farms, from quiet dells, - Led strongly, irresistibly, - By the sweet chime of Sabbath bells. - Across the fields, across the green, - From shades emerge they to the light; - And seen in groups, or singly seen, - It is a charming sight. - _Richard Howitt._ - - - - - CITY. - - -Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, the -_city_ of the great King.--Psalm xlviii. 2. - -Except the Lord keep the _city_, the watchman waketh but in -vain.--Psalm cxxvii. 1. - -Thou shalt be called The _city_ of righteousness; the faithful -_city_.--Isaiah, i. 26. - -How doth the _city_ sit solitary that was full of people! All her gates -are desolate.--Lamentations, i. 1, 4. - -For he looked for a _city_ which hath foundations, whose builder and -maker is God.--Hebrews, xi. 10. - -And the _city_ had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine -in it; for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light -thereof.--Revelations, 21, 23. - - - Where are the _cities_ which of old in mighty grandeur rose! - Amid the desert’s burning sands, or girt with frozen snows; - Is there no vestige now remains their wondrous tale to tell, - Of how they blazed, like meteor-stars, and how, like them, they - fell? - Hark! hark! the voice of prophecy comes o’er the desert wide, - Come down, come down, and in the dust thy virgin beauties hide; - Oh “Daughter of Chaldea,” thou no more enthroned shall be, - For the desert and the wilderness alone shall tell of thee. - Though old Euphrates still rolls in his everlasting stream, - Thy brazen gates and golden halls, as though they ne’er had been; - Where stood thy massy tower-crowned walls, and palaces of pride, - The dragon and the wild beast now therein securely hide. - The “besom of destruction” o’er thee hath swept its way - In wrath, because thine impious hand on God’s Anointed lay. - _H. Brownlee._ - - - This is the _city_ John did once discern - Descend from heaven apocalyptical, - Whereof “his thoughts do breathe, his words do burn.” - - Beautiful _city_! Mother of us all! - Vision of Peace! white bride of Deity! - Whose Glory clothes thine apostolic walls! - Angels thy gates encompass lovingly, - Equal in all dimensions as beseems, - And like an angel’s thy capacity. - Death is not in thee, nor the fierce extremes - Of pain or sorrow, nor anxiety. - Here evil comes not, neither evil dreams; - No temple hast thou, for the Lord Most High - Thy temple is. No sun thou hast, nor moon, - His Glory is thy light eternally. - Lo! every nation brings to thee a boon; - Thy gates shall not be shut at all by day, - Nor night be thine, land of perpetual noon; - The kings of earth to thee their homage pay. - But no defiled thing shall enter thee, - Loving a lie, or tempting to betray. - _J. A. Heraud._ - - - Jehovah is great, and great be his praise; - In the _city_ of God He is King; - Proclaim ye his triumphs in jubilant lays, - On the mount of his holiness sing. - - The joy of the earth, from her beautiful height, - Is Zion’s impregnable hill; - The Lord in her temple still taketh delight, - God reigns in her palaces still. - - Go walk about Zion, and measure the length, - Her walls and her bulwarks mark well; - Contemplate her palaces, glorious in strength, - Her towers and her pinnacles tell. - - Then say to your children:--Our stronghold is tried; - This God is our God to the end; - His people for ever his counsel shall guide; - His arm shall for ever defend. - _J. Montgomery._ - - - - - CLOTHES. - - -Then all the princes of the sea shall come down from their thrones, and -lay away their robes, and put off their broidered garments: they shall -_clothe_ themselves with trembling.--Ezekiel, xxvi. 16. - -Take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? -or, Wherewithal shall we be _clothed_? for your heavenly Father knoweth -that ye have need of all these things.--Matthew, vi. 31, 32. - -For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for -that we would be _unclothed_, but _clothed_ upon, that mortality might -be swallowed up of life.--II. Corinthians, v. 4. - -If there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly -apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment: - -And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay _clothing_, and say -unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand -thou there, or sit here under my footstool: - -Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil -thoughts?--James, ii. 2, 3, 4. - - - If thou beest he; but O how fall’n! how changed - From him who in the happy realms of light, - _Clothed_ with transcendent brightness, did’st outshine - Myriads, though bright! - _Milton._ - - - The golden palace of my God, - Towering above the clouds I see; - Beyond the cherub’s bright abode, - Higher than angels’ thoughts can be! - How can I in those courts appear - Without a wedding garment on? - Conduct me, Thou life-giver, there, - Conduct me to thy glorious throne! - And _clothe_ me with thy robes of light, - And lead me through sin’s darksome night. - _Bowring, from the Russian._ - - - All _clothed_ with majesty and power, - The Lord of glory and of might, - He comes, who can abide the hour? - Who can behold the dreadful sight? - He, even he, who hath put on - The spotless robe of righteousness, - Washed in the blood of God’s dear Son: - Thus _clothed_, the ransomed soul may press - Into the presence bright with songs of thankfulness. - _Egone._ - - - - - CLOUDS. - - -Behold, God is great, and we know him not, neither can the number of -His years be searched out. - -For He maketh small the drops of water: they pour down rain according -to the vapour thereof; - -Which the _clouds_ do drop and distil upon man abundantly. - -With _clouds_ He covereth the light; and commandeth it not to shine by -the _cloud_ that cometh betwixt.--Job, xxxvi. 26, 27, 28, 32. - -Who maketh the _clouds_ His chariot; who walketh upon the wings of the -wind.--Psalm civ. 3. - -While they beheld, He was taken up; and a _cloud_ received Him out of -their sight.--Acts, i. 9. - -Behold He cometh with _clouds_; and every eye shall see -Him.--Revelation, i. 7. - - - A _cloud_ lay cradled near the setting sun, - A gleam of crimson tinged its braided snow, - Long had I watch’d the glory moving on, - O’er the still radiance of the lake below: - Tranquil its spirit seem’d, and floated slow, - Even in its very motion there was rest, - While every breath of eve that chanced to blow, - Wafted the traveller to the beauteous west. - Emblem, methought, of the departed soul, - To whose white robe the gleam of bliss is given, - And by the breath of mercy made to roll - Right onward to the golden gates of heaven, - Where to the eye of faith it peaceful lies, - And tells to man his glorious destinies. - _J. Wilson._ - - - See’st yon light _cloud_, the wind is hurrying by? - The eagle’s scarce more rapid in his flight, - ’Tis thus the years of youth,--hope--rapture fly, - Clad in attractive hues and robes of light, - Swiftly they fly, but ah! a weary night - Their reign succeeds--a more than midnight gloom, - That gives no peace to morn’s uprising bright, - Nor bids sweet Hope her wonted smile resume. - Ah! yes; though dark our night and drear the tomb, - Through its long vista, lo! the glorious star, - Whose rays from heaven’s bright vestibule illume - Death’s deepest vaults with radiance from afar, - Sun of immortal day! victorious faith - Eyes thy uprising blaze, and triumphs over death. - _G. M. J._ - - - I asked the _clouds_, in their pomp of light, - As they sat in the crimson west at night, - Wherefore they gathered around the sun, - And brightened although his race was run; - When, perhaps, the breezes of night might strew - Their fragile folds into mist and dew? - The _clouds_ replied, “Though we should be driven - Away from our rest, we shall still be in heaven.” - _M. A. Browne._ - - - When gathering _clouds_ around I view, - And days are dark, and friends are few; - On Him I lean, who not in vain - Experienced every human pain: - He sees my wants, allays my fears, - And counts and treasures up my tears. - - And, oh! when I have safely past - Through every conflict--but the last; - Still, still unchanging, watch beside - My dying bed,--for thou hast died. - Then point to realms of _cloudless_ day, - And wipe the latest tear away. - _Grant._ - - - See where yonder _cloudlet_ lingers - On the tranquil verge of day; - The golden sunset with its fingers, - Gilds it with its burnished ray; - Swiftly, calmly, on it glides, - Mingling, melting, into air, - Fainter, fainter--now it hides - In the bosom of its lair. - - So I’ve seen the gentle spirit - Linger as it pass’d away, - Softly, brightly glowing, ere it - Faded in eternal day. - Glowing with the light of Heaven-- - Light of God’s eternal love:-- - Like the _cloudlet_ of the even, - So it pass’d to realms above. - _Rev. E. Case._ - - - - - COMFORT. - - -Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I -will fear no evil: for Thou art with me: thy rod and thy staff they -_comfort_ me.--Psalm xxiii. 4. - -This is my _comfort_ in my affliction: for thy word hath quickened -me.--Psalm cxix. 50. - -_Comfort_ ye, _comfort_ ye my people, saith your God.--Isaiah, xl. 1. - -I, even I, am He that _comforteth_ you: who art thou, that thou -shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the Son of -Man which shall be made as grass; and forgettest the Lord thy -Maker.--Isaiah, li. 12, 13. - -The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed -me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the -broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of -the prison to them that are bound; - -To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance -of our God; to _comfort_ all that mourn.--Isaiah, lxi. 1, 2. - -Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of -mercies, and the God of all _comfort_; - -Who _comforteth_ us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to -_comfort_ them which are in any trouble, by the _comfort_ wherewith we -ourselves are _comforted_ of God.--II. Corinthians, i. 3, 4. - - - There is a haven yet to rest my soul on, - In midst of all unhappiness, which I look on - With the same _comfort_ as a distressed seaman - Afar off views the coast he would enjoy, - When yet the seas do toss his reeling barque, - ’Twixt hope and danger. - _Shirley._ - - - In the hour of my distress, - When temptations me oppress, - And when I my sins confess, - Sweet Spirit, _comfort_ me! - - When I lie within my bed, - Sick in heart and sick in head, - And with doubts discomforted, - Sweet Spirit, _comfort_ me! - - When the house doth sigh and weep, - And the world is drowned in sleep, - Yet mine eyes the watch do keep, - Sweet Spirit, _comfort_ me! - - When the priest his last hath prayed, - And I nod to what is said, - ’Cause my speech is now decayed, - Sweet Spirit, _comfort_ me! - - When the judgment is revealed, - And that open which was sealed, - When to thee I have appealed, - Sweet Spirit, _comfort_ me! - _Robert Herrick._ - - - The voice which I did more esteem - Than music in her sweetest key; - Those eyes which unto me did seem - More _comfortable_ than the day! - Those now by me, as they have been, - Shall never more be heard or seen; - But what I once enjoyed in them, - Shall seem hereafter as a dream. - - All earthly _comforts_ vanish thus; - So little hold of them have we, - That we from them, or they from us, - May in a moment ravished be. - Yet we are neither just nor wise, - If present mercies we despise; - Or mind not how there may be made - A thankful use of what we had. - _Wither._ - - - Beside the bed where parting life was laid, - And sorrow, guilt, and pain by turns dismay’d, - The reverend champion stood. At his control, - Despair and anguish fled the struggling soul: - _Comfort_ came down, the trembling wretch to raise, - And his last, faltering accents whisper’d praise. - _Goldsmith._ - - - _Comfort_, ye ministers of grace, - _Comfort_ my people, saith your God! - Ye soon shall see his smiling face, - His golden sceptre, not his rod; - And own, when now the cloud’s removed, - He only chasten’d whom he loved. - - Who sow in tears, in joy shall reap, - The Lord shall _comfort_ all that mourn, - Who now go on their way and weep, - With joy they doubtless shall return, - And bring their sheaves with vast increase, - And have their fruit to holiness. - _Wesley._ - - - They sank amid the wilderness, - The weary and forsaken; - She gave the boy one faint caress, - And prayed it might not waken. - - Far, far away the desert spread; - Ah! love is fain to cherish - The vainest hopes, but now she said, - “Let me not see him perish.” - - Then spoke the Lord, and at his word - Sprang forth a little fountain, - Pure, cold as those whose crystal hoard - Is in some pine-clad mountain. - - O blessed God! thus doth thy power, - When, worn and broken-hearted, - We sink beneath some evil hour, - And deem all hope departed. - - Then doth the fountain of thy grace - Rise up within the spirit, - And we are strengthened for that race, - Whose prize we shall inherit. - - When least we hope, our prayer is heard, - The judgment is averted, - And comes the _comfort_ of thy word, - When most we seem deserted. - _Miss Landon._ - - - On wings of everlasting love - The _Comforter_ is come; - All terrors at his voice disperse, - And endless pleasures bloom. - _Doddridge._ - - - - - COMMAND--COMMANDMENT. - - -Moses went up unto mount Sinai, as the Lord had _commanded_ him, and -took in his hand the two tables of stone. - -And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten -_commandments_.--Exodus, xxxiv. 4, 28. - -Jesus said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and -with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. - -This is the first and great _commandment_. - -And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as -thyself. - -On these two _commandments_ hang all the law and the -prophets.--Matthew, xxii. 37, 38, 39, 40. - - - How, in one house, - Should many people, under two _commands_ - Hold amity? - _Shakspere._ - - - Whatever hypocrites austerely talk - Of purity, and place, and innocence, - Reforming as impure what God declares - Pure, and _commands_ to some, leaves free to all - Our Maker bids increase; who bids abstain - But our destroyer, foe to God and man. - _Milton._ - - - Heralds of creation cry, - --Praise the Lord, the Lord most high; - Heaven and earth, obey the call, - Praise the Lord, the Lord of all. - - For He spake, and forth from night - Sprang the universe to light; - He _commanded_,--Nature heard, - And stood fast upon his word. - _J. Montgomery._ - - - What is the first and great _command_?-- - To love thy God above: - And what the second?--As thyself - Thy neighbour thou shalt love: - Who is my neighbour?--He who wants - The help that thou canst give: - Jesus, our blessed Saviour, said-- - This do, and thou shalt live. - _Anon._ - - - - - COMPASSION. - - -Thou O Lord, art a God full of _compassion_, and gracious, -long-suffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.--Psalm lxxxvi. 15. - -It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his -_compassions_ fail not.--Lamentations, iii. 22. - -Have _compassion_ on us, and help us.--Mark, ix. 22. - -Ye had _compassion_ of me in my bonds.--Hebrews, x. 34. - -Be ye all of one mind, having _compassion_ one of another.--I. Peter, -iii. 8. - - - Jesus, the friend of human kind, - With strong _compassion_ moved, - Descended, like a pitying God, - To save the souls he loved. - - Exalted high at God’s right hand, - And Lord of all below, - Through him is pardoning love dispensed, - And boundless blessings flow. - - And still, for erring, guilty man, - A brother’s pity flows; - And still his bleeding heart is touched - With memory of our woes. - _Barbauld._ - - - The light of love and glory - Has shone through Christ the Saviour, - The holy Guide, who lived and died, - That we might live for ever. - - And since thy great _compassion_ - Thus brings thy children near thee, - May we to praise devote our days, - And love as well as fear thee. - _Henry Ware, Jun._ - - - Lord, what offerings shall we bring, - At thine altars when we bow? - Hearts, the pure unsullied spring, - Whence the kind affections flow; - Soft _compassion’s_ feeling soul, - By the melting eye exprest, - Sympathy, at whose control - Sorrow leaves the wounded breast. - _John Taylor._ - - - - - CONCORD. - - -What _concord_ hath Christ with Belial?--II. Corinthians, vi. 15. - - - But lovely _concord_, and most sacred peace, - Doth nourish virtue, and fast friendship breedes; - Weake she makes strong, and strong things does increase, - Till it the pitch of highest praise exceedes-- - Brave be her warres, as honourable deedes, - By which she triumphs over ire and pride, - And winnes an olive garden for her meedes. - _Spenser._ - - - One shall rise - Of proud ambitious heart, who, not content - With fair equality, fraternal state, - Will arrogate dominion undeserved - Over his brethren, and quite dispossess - _Concord_, and law of nature from the earth. - _Milton._ - - - E’en as the dew, that, at the break of morning, - All nature with its beauty is adorning, - And flows for Heaven, calm and still, - And bathes the tender grass on Zion’s hill, - And to the young and withering herb resigns - The drops for which it pines: - So are fraternal peace and _concord_ ever - The cherishers without whose guidance, never - Would sainted quiet seek the breast,-- - The life, the soul of unmolested rest,-- - The antidote to sorrow and distress, - And prop of human happiness. - _Kamphuyzen._ - - - It is not once an age two hearts are set - So well in unison, that not a note - Jars in their music; but a skilful hand - Slurs lightly over the discordant tones, - And wakens only the full power of those - That sound in _concord_. - Happy, happy those - Who thus perform in the grand concert--life. - _Mrs. Southey._ - - - - - CONQUEST. - - -As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are -accounted as sheep for the slaughter. - -Nay, in all these things we are more than _conquerors_ through Him that -loved us.--Romans, viii. 36, 37. - -And I saw, and behold a white horse; and he that sat on him had a bow; -and a crown was given unto him; and he went forth _conquering_ and to -_conquer_.--Revelations, vi. 2. - - - The _conquered_ also, and enslaved by war, - Shall, with their freedom lost, all virtue lose, - And fear of God. - _Milton._ - - - Well then, my soul, joy in the midst of pain; - Thy Christ, that _conquered_ hell, shall from above - With greater triumph yet return again, - And _conquer_ his own justice with his love-- - Commanding earth and seas to render those - Unto His bliss, for whom He paid His woes. - _Henry Wotton._ - - - Strange _conquest_, when the _conqueror_ must die, - And he is slain who wins the victory, - And yet another _conquest_ he must gain, - Or all our faith and highest hopes are vain. - _Anon._ - - - He on whose eyes sweet light revealed hath been, - He on whose ears the mysteries of sound, - The lame who now can walk, he who hath seen - The gate of death and he whom death hath bound, - Rejoice aloud--a choral company! - And had they not, the stones from out the ground - Witness of Him, whom Patriarchs longed to see, - Had borne; such was the aspiration then, - The rapture and procession. And lo, He - Went like a _conqueror_ on his way, while men - Cowered as before a God. - _J. A. Heraud._ - - - To Thee, who dying, _conquerest_, all hail! - Son of the virgin! Hero of the blest! - Over the gates of death and hell prevail; - Warrior who hast alone the wine-press trod. - _J. A. Heraud._ - - - - - CONSCIENCE. - - -And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a _conscience_ void of -offence toward God, and toward men.--Acts, xxiv. 16. - -Their _conscience_ also bearing witness, and their thoughts the -meanwhile accusing or else excusing one another.--Romans, ii. 15. - -Ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for _conscience_ -sake.--Romans, xiii. 5. - -Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure _conscience_.--I. Timothy, -iii. 9. - -Purge your _conscience_ from dead works to serve the living -God.--Hebrews, ix. 14. - -We trust we have a good _conscience_.--Hebrews, xiii. 18. - - - Guilt still alarms, and _conscience_, ne’er asleep, - Wounds with incessant strokes, not loud but deep; - While the vexed mind her own tormentor flies, - A scorpion scourge unmark’d by human eyes! - Trust me no tortures that the poets feign, - Can match the fierce, the unutterable pain - He feels, who day and night, devoid of rest, - Carries his own accuser in his breast. - _Juvenal._ - - - Study _conscience_, more than thou wouldst fame; - Though both be good, the latter yet is worst, - And ever is ill got, without the first. - _Ben Jonson._ - - - For though the plain judge, _Conscience_, makes no show, - But silently to her dark session comes, - Not as red law does to arraignment go, - Or war to execution, with loud drums; - - Though she on hills sets not her gibbets high, - Where frightful law sets hers; nor bloody seems, - Like war in colours spread, yet secretly - She does her work, and many men condemns; - - Chokes in the seed what law, till ripe, ne’er sees; - What law would punish, _Conscience_ can prevent; - And so the world from many mischiefs frees; - Known by her cures, as law by punishment. - _Sir William Davenant._ - - - So gnaws the grief of _conscience_ evermore, - And in the heart it is so deeply grave, - That they may never sleep nor rest therefor, - Nor think one thought but on the dread they have. - _Earl of Dorset._ - - - The soul’s rough file that smoothness does impart; - The hammer that does break the stony heart! - The worm that never dies! the “thorn within,” - That pricks and pains! the whip and scourge of sin! - The voice of God in man! that without rest - Does softly cry within a troubled breast-- - “To all temptations is that soul set free - That makes not to itself a curb of me.” - _Sir E. Sherburne._ - - - For him a waking bloodhound, yelling loud, - (That in his bosom long had sleeping laid, - A guilty _conscience_ lurking after blood,) - Pursued eagerly, nor ever stayed, - Till the betrayer’s self it had betrayed; - Oft changed he place in hope away to wind, - But change of place could never change his mind, - Himself he flies to lose, but follows but to find. - _Giles Fletcher._ - - - There is a kind of _conscience_ some men keep, - Is like a member that’s benumbed with sleep; - Which, as it gathers blood, and wakes again, - It shoots, and pricks, and feels as big as ten. - _Quarles._ - - - The swelling of an outward fortune can - Create a prosperous, not a happy, man; - A peaceful _conscience_ is the true content, - And wealth is but her golden ornament. - _Quarles._ - - - Divine authority, within man’s breast, - Brings every thought, word, action, to the test; - Warns him or prompts, approves him or restrains, - As reason, or as passion takes the reins. - Heaven from above, and _Conscience_ from within, - Cries in his startled ear,--Abstain from sin. - _Cowper._ - - - From behind her secret stand, - The sly informer minutes every fault, - And her dread diary with horror fills. - Not the gross act alone employs her pen; - She reconnoitres fancy’s airy band, - Our dawning purposes of heart explores, - And steals our embryos of iniquity. - _Young._ - - - ’Tis ever thus - With noble minds; if chance they slide to folly, - Remorse stings deeper, and relentless _conscience_ - Pours more of gall into the bitter cup - Of their severe repentance. - _Mason._ - - - Knowledge or wealth to few are given, - But mark how just the ways of heaven: - True joy to all is free. - Nor wealth nor knowledge grant the boon, - ’Tis thine, O _Conscience_! thine alone-- - It all belongs to thee. - _Mickle._ - - - What terrestial woe can match - The self-convicted bosom, which hath wrought - The bane of others, or enslaved itself - With shackles vile? Not poison, nor sharp fire, - Nor the worst pangs that ever monkish hate - Suggested, or despotic rage imposed, - Were at that season an unwished exchange; - When the soul loathes herself, when flying thence, - To crowds, on every brow she sees pourtrayed - Fell demons, hate or scorn, which drive her back - To solitude, her Judge’s voice divine, - To hear in secret, haply sounding through - The troubled dreams of midnight, and still, still - Demanding for his violated laws - Fit recompense; or charging her own tongue - To speak the award of justice on herself. - _Akenside._ - - - _Conscience_ distasteful truths may tell, - But mark her sacred lessons well, - With her whoever lives at strife, - Loses his better friend for life. - _Anon._ - - - _Conscience_, tremendous _conscience_, in his fits - Of inspiration, whencesoe’er it came, - Rose like a ghost, inflicting fear of death - On those who feared not death in fiercest battle, - And mocked him in their martyrdoms of torments; - That secret, swift, and silent messenger, - Broke on them in their lonely hours;--in sleep, - In sickness; haunting them with dire suspicions - Of something in themselves that would not die-- - Of an existence elsewhere, and hereafter; - Of which tradition was not wholly silent, - Yet spake not out; its dreary oracles - Confounded superstition to conceive, - And baffled scepticism to reject, - What fear of death is like the fear beyond it? - _J. Montgomery._ - - - Nothing they saw, but a low voice was heard - Threading the ominous silence of that fear, - Gentle and terrorless, as if a bird, - Wakened by some volcano’s glare, should cheer - The murk air with his song; yet every word - In the cathedral’s farthest arch seemed near, - As if it spoke to every one apart, - Like the clear voice of _conscience_ to each heart. - _Lowell._ - - - Lest too powerful passions should propel - Headlong to acts immoral, nor allow - Time for slow Reason to deduce a rule - To curb their mad career, _Conscience_ kind heaven - Appointed her assistant; _Conscience_ quick - To heed the call of duty, to discern - ’Twixt right and wrong, and bias to the best. - _William Gibson._ - - - Oh, that folk would well consider - What it is to lose a name, - What this world is altogether, - If bereft of honest fame. - Poverty ne’er brings dishonour, - Hardship ne’er breeds sorrow’s smart, - If bright _conscience_ takes upon her - To shed sunshine round the heart. - _Hector Mc’ Neill._ - - - - - CONSOLATION. - - -Are the _consolations_ of God small with thee?--Job, xv. 11. - -Woe unto you that are rich; for you have received your -_consolation_.--Luke, vi. 24. - -Barnabas, which is, being interpreted, the son of _consolation_.--Acts, -iv. 36. - -For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our _consolation_ also -aboundeth by Christ.--II. Corinthians, i. 5. - - - Many are the sayings of the wise, - In ancient and in modern books enroll’d, - Extolling patience as the truest fortitude; - And to the bearing well of all calamities, - All chances incident to man’s frail life - _Consolatories_ writ - With studied argument, and much persuasion sought - Lenient of grief and anxious thought; - But with the afflicted, in his pangs their sound - Little prevails, or rather seems a time - Harsh, and of dissonant mood from his complaint; - Unless he feels within - Some source of _consolation_ from above, - Secret refreshings, that repair his strength, - And fainting spirits uphold. - _Milton._ - - - A faded flower, a bud of beauty blasted, - A broken lute, a precious diamond shattered, - A stream of purest water, early wasted, - A priceless essence on the desert scattered, - Like these thou hast perished, in thy beauty mild. - To which shall we compare thee, lovely child? - - If to the faded flower, we know its fruit - Is garner’d up midst Heaven’s holy treasures; - If to the lovely-toned, but broken lute, - Its echo mingleth now, in heavenly measures; - The diamond is not lost; its fragments gather - Into a star before the Eternal Father. - - The stream beside the stream of life is flowing, - And ever fed from their celestial springs; - The essence round the Throne eternal, going - Embodied on a Seraph’s radiant wings; - Oh, lost one!--let us call thee what we will, - The very name hath _consolation_ still. - _Anon._ - - - - - CONTENT. - - -But godliness, with _contentment_, is great gain. - -For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry -nothing out. - -And having food and raiment, let us be therewith _content_.--I. -Timothy, vi. 6, 7, 8. - -I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be -_content_.--Philippians, iv. 11. - -Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be _content_ with -such things as ye have: for He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor -forsake thee.--Hebrews, xiii. 5. - - - Poor and _content_ is rich and rich enough. - _Shakspere._ - - - My conscience is my crown, - _Contented_ thoughts my rest; - My heart is happy in itself, - My bliss is in my breast. - - Enough I reckon wealth, - A mean the surest lot; - That lies too high for base contempt, - Too low for envy’s shot. - _Robert Southwell._ - - - Though still thou get’st, yet is thy want not spent, - But, as thy wealth, so grows thy wealthy itch; - But with my little I have much _content_-- - _Content_ hath all; and who hath all, is rich: - Then this in reason thou must needs confess-- - If I have little, yet that thou hast less. - - Whatever man possesses, God hath lent, - And to his audit liable is, ever, - To reckon how, and when, and where he spent; - Then this thou bragg’st--thou art a great receiver: - Little my debt, when little is my store-- - The more thou hast, the debt still grows the more. - _Phineas Fletcher._ - - - I grieve, and dare not show my dis_content_; - I love, and yet am forced to seem to hate; - I do, yet dare not say I ever meant, - I seem stark mute, but inwardly do prate: - I am, and not, I freeze, and yet am burn’d, - Since from myself my other self I turn’d. - - My care is like my shadow in the sun-- - Follows me flying, flies when I pursue it; - Stands and lies by me, does what I have done, - This too-familiar care does make me rue it. - No means I find to rid him from my breast, - Till by the end of things it is suppress’d. - - Some gentler passions slide into my mind, - For I am soft, and made of melting snow; - Or be more cruel, love, and so be kind, - Let me or float or sink, be high or low, - Or let me live with some more sweet _content_, - Or die, and so forget what love e’er meant. - _Queen Elizabeth._ - - - Welcome pure thoughts, welcome ye silent groves, - These guests, these courts, my soul most dearly loves: - Now the wing’d people of the sky shall sing - My cheerful anthems to the gladsome spring: - A prayer book now shall be my looking-glass, - In which I will adore sweet virtue’s face. - Here dwell no hateful looks, no palace-cares, - No broken vows dwell here, no pale-faced fears: - Then here I’ll sit, and sigh my hot love’s folly, - And learn ’t affect an holy melancholy; - And if _Contentment_ be a stranger then, - I’ll ne’er look for it but in Heaven again. - _Sir Henry Wotton._ - - - There’s _discontent_ from sceptre to the swain, - And from the peasant to the king again. - Then whatsoever in thy will afflict thee, - Or in thy pleasure seem to contradict thee, - Give it a welcome as a wholesome friend, - That would instruct thee to a better end. - Since no condition from defect is free, - Think not to find what here can never be. - _Alexander Nicholas._ - - - Unfit for greatness, I her snares defy, - And look on riches with untainted eye. - To others let the glittering baubles fall, - _Content_ shall place us far above them all. - _Churchill._ - - - O may I with myself agree, - And never covet what I see! - _Content_ me with an humble shade; - My passions tamed, my wishes laid; - For while our wishes idly roll, - We banish quiet from the soul; - ’Tis then we busy beat the air, - And misers gather wealth and care. - _Dyer._ - - - Happy is he, who, though the cup of bliss - Has ever shunn’d him when he thought to kiss, - Who still in abject poverty or pain, - Can count with pleasure what small joys remain; - Though, were his sight convey’d from zone to zone, - He would not find one spot of ground his own; - Yet as he looks around, he cries with glee, - These bounding prospects all are made for me: - For me yon waving fields their burden bear, - For me yon labourer guides the shining share; - While happy I, in idle ease recline, - And mark the glorious visions as they shine. - This is the charm, by sages often told, - Converting all it touches into gold. - _Content_ can soothe, where’er by fortune placed, - Can rear a garden in the desert waste. - _H. K. White._ - - - O Thou, who kindly dost provide - For every creature’s want! - We bless Thee, God of Nature wide, - For all thy goodness lent; - And if it please Thee, Heavenly Guide, - May never worse be sent; - But whether granted, or denied, - Lord! bless us with _content_! - _Burns._ - - - There is a jewel which no Indian mine can buy, - No chemic art can counterfeit; - It makes men rich in greatest poverty, - Makes water wine, turns wooden cups to gold, - The homely whistle to sweet music’s strain; - Seldom it comes, to few from heaven sent, - That much in little--all in nought--_content_. - _Anon._ - - - Ye venerable groves! whose open glades - Invite the musing wanderer to your shades, - Ye birds! whose honied notes enthral the ear, - Wake the bright morn, the darksome evening cheer, - Ye fountains! murmuring music as ye flow, - Ye flowers! that on their purple margins glow, - Ye winds! that o’er those flowers soft breathing play, - Calm the hot sky, and mitigate the day;-- - Take me, O take me to your loved retreats; - All, all conspire to bless me with your sweets. - Here in your soft enclosure let me prove - The shade and silence of the life I love! - Not idle here;--for, as I rove along, - I form the verse, and meditate the song; - Or mend my mind by what the wise have taught, - Studious to be the very thing I ought - Here will I taste the blessings of _content_, - No hope shall flatter, and no fear torment: - Unlike the sea, the sport of every wind, - And rich with wrecks, the ruin of mankind, - My life an honest, humble praise shall claim, - As the small stream, scarce honoured with a name, - Whose gladdening waters through my garden play, - Give a few flowers to smile, then glide away. - _Bishop Hurd._ - - - The wisest, happiest, of our kind are they - That ever walk _content_ with Nature’s way, - God’s goodness measuring bounty as it may; - For whom the gravest thought of what they miss, - Chastening the fulness of a present bliss, - Is with that wholesome office satisfied; - While unrepining sadness is allied - In thankful bosoms to a modest pride. - _Wordsworth._ - - - Grant, gracious Lord, as through this troubled scene - I walk unsafely, stumbling as I go, - Glimpses of hope, the murky clouds between, - May break at times, and light the way below; - But if I may not such sweet solace find, - Give me a prayerful and _contented_ mind. - _Egone._ - - - - - CONTRITION. - - -The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such -as be of a _contrite_ spirit.--Psalm xxxiv. 18. - -The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a _contrite_ -heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise.--Psalm li. 17. - -Thus saith the high and 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 of the humble, and -to revive the heart of the _contrite_ ones.--Isaiah, lvii. 15. - -To this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a _contrite_ -spirit, and trembleth at my word.--Isaiah, lxvi. 2. - - - Fruits of more pleasing savour from thy seed - Sown with _contrition_ in his heart, than those - Which, his own hand manuring, all the trees - Of Paradise could have produced. - _Milton._ - - - I, who have gone so far and long astray, - Adding to primal guilt the mountains high - Of trespass day by day, as if to try - Thy long forbearance, still for mercy pray; - For mercy even yet. Look ere thou slay, - Great God! upon my tears; look where I lie - Repentant; give, O give, before I die, - Thy grace, and guide my feet into thy way. - Reveal thy sufferings, thy blood and sweat: - Short is my time; reveal thy bitter cross - To my dark eyes, all used to other sight. - Quench, O my God! all that unhallowed heat - Of former life, which now I count but loss: - Lord, thou hast ne’er despised a heart _contrite_. - _From the Italian of Gabriel Fiamma._ - - - Where sad _contrition_ harbours, there the heart - Is truly acquainted with the secret smart - Of past offences, hates the bosom sin - The most, which most the soul took pleasure in; - No crime unsifted, no sin unpresented - Can lurk unseen, and seen, none unlamented; - The troubled soul’s amazed with dire aspects - Of lesser sins committed, and detects - The wounded conscience; it cries amain - For mercy--mercy; cries, and cries again. - - It sadly grieves, and soberly laments, - It yearns for grace, reforms, returns, repents. - Aye, this is incense whose accepted savour - Mounts up the heavenly throne, and findeth favour: - Aye, this it is whose valour never fails-- - With God it stoutly wrestles and prevails: - Aye, this it is that pierces heaven above, - Never returning home, (like Noah’s dove,) - But brings an olive leaf, or some increase, - That works salvation and eternal peace. - _Quarles._ - - - All powerful is the penitential sigh - Of true _contrition_; like the placid wreaths - Of incense, wafted from the righteous shrine - Where Abel ministered, to the blest seat - Of Mercy, an accepted sacrifice, - Humiliation’s conscious plaint ascends. - _Samuel Hayes._ - - - Lord! who art merciful as well as just, - Incline thine ear to me, a child of dust! - Not what I would, O Lord! I offer thee, - Alas! but what I can. - Father Almighty, who hast made me man, - And bade me look to heaven, for thou art there, - Accept my sacrifice and humble prayer. - Four things which are not in my treasury, - I lay before thee, Lord, with this petition:-- - My nothingness, my wants, - My sins, and my _contrition_. - _Southey, imitated from the Persian._ - - - O, my soul! thy lost condition - Brought the gentle Saviour low! - Hast thou felt one hour’s _contrition_ - For those sins that pierced him so? - Dost thou bear the love thou owest - For such proof of grace divine? - Can’st thou answer,--Lord thou knowest - That this heart is wholly Thine? - _C. Bowles._ - - - - - COURAGE. - - -Wait on the Lord: be of good _courage_.--Psalm xxvii. 14. - -Be of good _courage_, and He shall strengthen your heart, all ye that -hope in the Lord.--Psalm xxxi. 24. - -And he that is _courageous_ among the mighty shall flee away naked in -that day, saith the Lord.--Amos, ii. 16. - -When the brethren heard of us they came to meet us: whom when Paul saw, -he thanked God, and took _courage_.--Acts, xxviii. 15. - - - That _courage_ which the vain for valour take, - Who proudly danger seek for glory’s sake, - Is impudence; and what they rashly do, - Has no excuse, but that ’tis madness too. - _Sir William Davenant._ - - - Stand but your ground, your ghostly foes will fly-- - Hell trembles at a heaven-directed eye; - Choose rather to defend than to assail-- - Self-confidence will in the conflict fail: - When you are challenged, you may dangers meet-- - True _courage_ is a fixed, not sudden heat; - Is always humble, lives in self-distrust, - And will itself into no danger thrust. - Devote yourself to God, and you will find - God fights the battles of a will resigned. - Love Jesus! Love will no base fear endure-- - Love Jesus! And of conquest rest secure. - _Bishop Ken._ - - - True _courage_ is not moved by breath of words; - While the rash bravery of boiling blood, - Impetuous, knows no settled principle. - A feverish tide, it has its ebbs and flows, - As spirits rise or fall, as wine inflames, - Or circumstances change: but inborn _courage_, - The generous child of fortitude and faith, - Holds its firm empire in the constant soul; - And like the steadfast pole-star, never once - From the same fixed and faithful point declines. - _Hannah More._ - - - - - COURT. - - -Blessed is the man whom Thou choosest, and causest to approach unto -Thee, that he may dwell in Thy _courts_.--Psalm lxv. 4. - -Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the -_courts_ of our God.--Psalm xcii. 13. - -Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. - -Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His _courts_ with -praise.--Psalm c. 1, 4. - -It shall be an habitation of dragons, and a _court_ for owls.--Isaiah, -xxxiv. 13. - - - Gaze but upon the house where man doth live, - With flowers and verdure to adorn his way; - Where all the creatures due obedience give; - The winds to sweep his chambers every day; - The clouds to wash his rooms, the ceiling gay - With glittering stars, that night’s dark empire brave; - If such an house God to another gave, - How shine those splendid _courts_ He for Himself will have? - - And if a heavy cloud, opaque at night, - In which the sun may seem embodied, - Deprived of all its dregs we see so white, - Burning in liquid gold its watery head, - Or round with ivory edges silvered; - What lustre supereminent will HE - Lighten on those who shall his sunshine see - In that all-glorious _court_, in which all glories be. - _Giles Fletcher._ - - - Quivering fears, heart-tearing cares, - Anxious sighs, untimely tears. - Fly, fly to _courts_; - Fly to fond worldlings’ sports, - Where strain’d sardonic smiles are glossing still, - And grief is forced to laugh against her will; - Where mirth’s but mummery; - And sorrows only real be! - _Sir Walter Raleigh._ - - - - - COVENANT--RAINBOW. - - -And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me. - -But with thee will I establish my _covenant_.--Genesis, vi. 13, 18. - -And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that -the bow shall be seen in the cloud. - -And I will remember my _covenant_, which is between me and you, and -every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become -a flood to destroy all flesh.--Genesis, ix. 14, 15. - -Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, -which keepeth _covenant_ and mercy with them that love Him and keep His -commandments to a thousand generations.--Deuteronomy, vii. 9. - -For if that first _covenant_ had been faultless, then should no place -have been sought for the second.--Hebrews, viii. 7. - - - Still young and fine, but what is still in view, - We slight as old and soil’d, though fresh and new; - How bright wert thou when Shem’s admiring eye - Thy burnished flaming arch did first descry; - When Zarah, Nahor, Haran, Abram, Lot, - The youthful world’s grey fathers, in one knot, - Did, with intentive looks, watch every hour - For thy new light, and trembled at each shower! - When thou dost shine, darkness looks white and fair; - Forms turn to music, clouds to smiles and air; - Rain gently spreads his honey-drops, and pours - Balm on the cleft earth, milk on grass and flowers. - Bright pledge of peace and sunshine, the sure tye - Of the Lord’s hand, the object of his eye; - When I behold thee, though my light be dim, - Distant, and low, I can in thine see Him - Who looks upon thee from His glorious throne, - And minds the _covenant_ betwixt all and One. - _Henry Vaughan._ - - - The _rainbow_ bending in the sky, - Bedecked with sundry hues, - Is like the seat of God on high, - And seems to tell these news:-- - That as, thereby, He promised - To drown the world no more, - So, by the blood which Christ has shed, - He will our souls restore. - _George Gascoigne._ - - - When Science from Creation’s face - Enchantment’s veil withdraws, - What lovely visions yield their place, - To cold material laws! - - And yet, fair _bow_, no fabling beams, - But words of the Most High, - Have told why first thy robe of beams - Was woven in the sky. - - When o’er the green undeluged earth, - Heaven’s _covenant_ thou didst shine, - How came the world’s grey fathers forth, - To watch thy sacred sign! - - And when the yellow lustre smiled - O’er mountains yet untrod, - Each mother held aloft her child, - To bless the _bow_ of God. - - Methinks, thy jubilee to keep, - The first-made anthem rang - On earth delivered from the deep, - And the first poet sang. - - Nor ever shall the Muse’s eye, - Unraptured greet thy beam: - Theme of primeval prophecy, - Be still the poet’s theme! - _Campbell._ - - - _Bow_ in the cloud, what token dost thou bear? - --That justice still cries “strike,” and mercy “spare.” - _J. Montgomery._ - - - Such thou hast shone, bright _rainbow_! when the sky - Has clothed in clouds its blue serenity; - And such shall shine, while, grateful for the vow. - All nations of the earth to heaven shall bow. - Curbing the tempest on its thunder path, - Chaining the boisterous billows in their wrath; - Majestic symbol of their Maker’s might! - Girdle of beauty! coronal of light! - God’s own blest handmark, mystic, sure, sublime, - Graven in glory to the end of time! - _Anon._ - - - - - CREATION. - - -In the beginning, God _created_ the heavens and the earth.--Genesis, i. -1. - -Let them praise the name of the Lord: for He commanded, and they were -_created_.--Psalm cxlviii. 5. - -Remember now thy _Creator_ in the days of thy youth.--Ecclesiastes, -xii. 1. - -Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath _created_ these things. - -Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the -Lord, the _Creator_ of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is -weary?--Isaiah, xl. 26, 28. - -Have we not all one father? hath not one God _created_ us?--Malachi, -ii. 10. - -Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for -Thou hast _created_ all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were -_created_.--Revelation, iv. 11. - - - Here finished he, and all that he had made - Viewed, and behold all is entirely good; - So even and morn accomplished the sixth day; - Yet not till the _Creator_ from his work - Desisting, though unwearied, up returned, - Up to the heaven of heavens his high abode, - Thence to behold his new _created_ world, - Th’ addition of his empire, how it showed - In prospect from his throne, how good, how fair, - Answering his great idea. Up he rode, - Followed by acclamation, and the sound - Symphonious of ten thousand harps, that tuned - Angelic harmonies; the earth, the air, - Resounded, - The heavens and all the constellations rang, - The planets in their stations listening stood, - While the bright pomp ascended jubilant:-- - Open, ye everlasting gates, they sang, - Open, ye heavens, your everlasting doors; let in - The great _Creator_ from his work returned - Magnificent, his six days’ work--a world. - _Milton._ - - - My heart is awed within me, when I think - Of the great miracle that still goes on, - In silence, round me--the perpetual work - Of thy _creation_, finished, yet renewed - For ever. - _W. C. Bryant._ - - - From the throne of the Highest the mandate came forth, - From the word of Omnipotent God; - And the elements fashioned his footstool the earth, - And the Heavens his holy abode: - And his Spirit moved over the fathomless flood - Of waters that fretted in darkness around, - Until at his bidding, their turbulent mood - Was hushed to a calm, and obedient they stood - Where he fixed their perpetual bound. - - From the work of _creation_, which rose by his word, - When finished the heavens and the earth; - On the seventh day rested th’ Omnipotent Lord, - As he looked on each beautiful birth:-- - On the firmament, stretched from the east to the west, - On the far flowing sea, and the fast teeming land, - And he saw they were good, and the Sabbath was blest, - The Sabbath! the sanctified season of rest - To the _creatures_ that came from his hand. - _Knox._ - - - Mysterious power! which guides by night - Through darkest wood the illumined sight; - Which prompts them, by the unerring smell, - The appointed prey’s abode to tell; - Bore with long bill the investing mould, - And feel, and from the secret hold - Dislodge the reptile spoil! But who - Can look _Creation’s_ volume through, - And not fresh proofs, at every turn, - Of the _Creator’s_ mind discern: - The end to which his actions tend, - The means adapted to the end, - The reasoning thought, the effective skill, - And, ruling all, the Almighty will. - _Bishop Mant._ - - - In the Beginning primal darkness flung - Her veil o’er chaos, void and formless all; - The brooding Spirit o’er the waters hung; - The father’s fiat moved the empty pall: - “Let there be Light!” Forthwith _Creation_ sprung - Glad into being. Thy _Creating_ Love, - Lord, I believe! Mine unbelief remove. - _H. H. Weld._ - - - - - CROWN. - - -In that day shall the Lord of Hosts be for a _crown_ of glory, and for -a diadem of beauty, unto the residue of his people.--Isaiah, xxviii. 5. - -Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth -the prize? - -Now they do it to obtain a corruptible _crown_; but we an -incorruptible.--I. Corinthians, ix. 24, 25. - -I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the -faith: - -Henceforth there is laid up for me a _crown_ of righteousness.--II. -Timothy, iv. 7, 8. - - - They who die in Christ are bless’d-- - Ours be, then, no thought of grieving! - Sweetly with their God they rest, - All their toils and troubles leaving: - So be ours the faith that saveth, - Hope that every trial braveth, - Love that to the end endureth, - And, through Christ, the _crown_ secureth! - _Bishop Doane._ - - - The way to bliss lies not on bed of down, - And he that had no cross deserves no _crown_. - _Quarles._ - - - How much do they mistake, how little know - Of kings, and kingdoms, and the pains which flow - From royalty, who fancy that a _crown_, - Because it glistens, must be lin’d with down. - With outside show, and vain appearance caught, - They look no further, and by folly taught, - Prize high the toys of thrones, but never find - One of the many cares which lurk behind. - The gem they worship, which a _crown_ adorns, - Nor once suspects that _crown_ is lin’d with thorns. - O might reflection folly’s place supply, - Would we one moment use her piercing eye, - Then should we know what woe from grandeur springs, - And learn to pity, not to envy kings. - _Churchill._ - - - - - CROSS--CRUCIFIXION. - - -And he that taketh not his _cross_, and followeth after me, is not -worthy of me.--Matthew, x. 38. - -Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus which is called -Christ? They all say unto him, Let Him be _crucified_. - -And the governor said, Why, what evil hath He done? But they cried out -the more, saying, Let Him be _crucified_.--Matthew, xxxvii. 22, 23. - -For the preaching of the _cross_, is to them that perish, foolishness; -but unto us, which are saved, it is the power of God.--I. Corinthians, -i. 18. - -But we preach Christ _crucified_, unto the Jews a stumbling-block, and -unto the Greeks foolishness; - -But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power -of God, and the wisdom of God.--I. Corinthians, i. 23, 24. - -I am _crucified_ with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but -Christ liveth in me.--Galatians, ii. 20. - -But God forbid that I should glory, save in the _cross_ of our Lord -Jesus Christ, by whom the world is _crucified_ unto me, and I unto the -world.--Galatians, vi. 14. - - - Now my frail bark through this tempestuous flood - Is steered, and full in view that port is seen, - Where all must answer what their course has been, - And every work be tried if bad or good. - Now do those lofty dreams, my fancy’s brood, - Which made of art an idol and a queen, - Melt into air; and now I feel, how keen! - That what I needed most I most withstood. - Ye fabled joys, ye tales of empty love, - What are ye now if two-fold death be nigh? - The first is certain, and the last I dread. - Ah! what does sculpture, what does painting prove, - When we have seen the _cross_, and fixed our eye - On him whose arms of love were thus outspread. - _From the Italian of Michael Angelo._ - - - My trust is in the _Cross_, there lies my rest, - My fast, my sole delight. - Let cold-mouthed Boreas, or the hot-mouthed East, - Blow till they burst with spite; - Let earth and hell conspire their worst, their best, - And join their twisted might; - Let showers of thunderbolts dart round and round me, - And troops of fiends surround me: - All this may well confront; all this shall ne’er confound me. - _Francis Quarles._ - - - Christ, when he died, - Denied the _cross_, - And on death’s side, - Threw all the loss: - The captive world awak’d and found - The prisoners loose, the jailor bound. - - O dear and sweet dispute, - ’Twixt death’s and love’s far different fruit, - Different as far - As antidotes and poisons are: - By the first fatal tree, - Both life and liberty - Were sold and slain; - By this, they both look up and live again. - - O strange mysterious strife, - Of open death and hidden life! - When on the _cross_ my kind did bleed, - Life seemed to die, death died indeed. - _Richard Crawshaw._ - - - The sun beheld it--No, the shocking scene - Drove back his chariot: midnight veiled his face; - Not such as this; not such as nature makes; - A midnight nature shuddered to behold; - A midnight new! a dread eclipse (without - Opposing spheres.) from her Creator’s frown! - Sun! didst thou fly thy Maker’s pain? or start - At that enormous load of human guilt, - Which bowed his blessed head; o’erwhelmed his _cross_; - Made groan the centre; burst earth’s marble womb - With pangs, strange pangs! delivered of her dead? - Hell howled, and Heaven that hour let fall a tear; - Heaven wept that man might smile! Heaven bled that man - Might never die! - _Young._ - - - My soul is caught: - Heaven’s sovereign blessings, clustering from the _cross_, - Rush on her in a throng, and close her round, - The prisoner of amaze!--In his blessed life - I see the path, and, in His death, the price, - And in His great ascent, the proof supreme - Of immortality. - _Young._ - - - Man, know thyself; all wisdom centres there, - To none man seems ignoble but to man; - Angels that grandeur, men o’erlook, admire, - How long shall human nature be their book, - Degenerate mortal! and unread by thee? - The beam dim reason sheds, shows wonders there; - What high contents! illustrious faculties! - But the grand comment which displays at full - Our human height, scarce sever’d from divine, - By heaven composed, was publish’d on the _cross_. - _Young._ - - - There, where the _cross_ in hoary ruin nods, - And weeping yews o’ershade the lettered stones; - While midnight silence wraps these dark abodes, - And soothes me, wand’ring o’er my kindred bones; - Let kindled fancy view the glorious morn, - When from the bursting graves the dust shall rise, - All nature smiling; and, by angels borne, - Messiah’s _cross_, far blazing o’er the skies. - _Mickle._ - - - Hear the just law, the judgment of the skies; - He that hates truth shall be the dupe of lies; - And he that will be cheated to the last, - Delusions strong as hell shall bind him fast. - But if the wanderer his mistake discern, - Judge his own ways, and sigh for a return, - Bewildered once, must he bewail his loss - For ever and for ever? No--the _cross_! - There, and there only, (though the Deist rave, - And Atheist, if earth bear so base a slave;) - There, and there only, is the power to save. - There no delusive hope invites despair; - No mockery meets you, no delusion there; - The spells and charms that blinded you before, - All vanish there, and fascinate no more. - _Cowper._ - - - The _cross_ once seen is death to every vice: - Else He that died there suffered all His pain, - Bled, groaned, and agonized, and died, in vain. - _Cowper._ - - - Thou who for me didst feel such pain, - Whose precious blood the _cross_ did stain, - Let not those agonies be vain. - _Roscommon._ - - - Guide me there, for here I burn - To make my Saviour some return. - I’ll rise (if that will please thee, still, - And sure I’ve heard thee own it will;) - I’ll trace His steps and bear my _cross_, - Despising every grief and loss: - Since He, despising pain and shame, - First took up His, and did the same. - _Parnell._ - - - How blessed the man, how fully so, - As far as man is blessed below, - Who, taking up his _cross_, essays - To follow Jesus all his days. - _Parnell._ - - - Through _cross_ to crown! And, through the spirit’s life, - Trials untold assail with giant strength. - Good cheer! good cheer! Soon ends the bitter strife, - And thou shalt reign, in peace, with Christ, at length. - _Rosegarten._ - - - Or if, at times, wild storms shall hover, dark, - Still fix thy gaze upon that hallowed mark - Which gilds the tempest with hope’s bow divine-- - Cling to the _Cross_, and conquer in that sign. - _B. D. Winslow._ - - - Lovely was the death - Of Him whose life was love! Holy, with power, - He on the thought-benighted sceptic beamed - Manifest Godhead. - _Coleridge._ - - - Thou palsied earth, with noon-day night o’erspread; - Thou sickening sun, so dark, so deep, so red! - Ye hovering ghosts, that throng the starless air, - Why shakes the earth? Why fades the light? Declare! - Are those His limbs, with ruthless scourges torn? - His brows, all bleeding with the twisted thorn? - His the pale form, the meek, forgiving eye, - Raised from the _cross_ in patient agony? - _Bishop Heber._ - - - - - DANGER. - - -Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not -kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in _danger_ of the judgment: - -But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a -cause shall be in _danger_ of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to -his brother, Raca, shall be in _danger_ of the council: but whosoever -shall say, Thou fool, shall be in _danger_ of hell fire.--Matthew, v. -21, 22. - - - What is _danger_ - More than the weakness of our apprehension? - A poor cold part o’ the blood; whom takes it hold of? - Cowards and wicked livers; valiant minds - Were made the masters of it. - _Beaumont and Fletcher._ - - - _Dangers_ of every shape and name - Attend the followers of the Lamb, - Who leave the World’s deceitful shore, - And leave it to return no more. - _Cowper._ - - - _Dangers_ stand thick through all the ground - To push us to the tomb, - And fierce diseases wait around - To hurry mortals home. - - Waken, O Lord, our drowsy sense - To walk this _dangerous_ road, - And if our souls be hurried hence, - May they be found with God. - _Watts._ - - - When _dangers_ compass me around, - And unto Thee I cry, - An ark of safety will be found, - Whereto my soul may fly. - - I know that my Redeemer’s hand - Will be outstretched to save, - If _dangers_ meet me on the land, - Or on the stormy wave. - - And wheresoe’er my feet may go, - Though perilous the road, - My soul assured will keep, and know - That there His feet have trod. - _Egone._ - - - - - DARKNESS. - - -In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. - -And the earth was without form, and void; and _darkness_ was upon the -face of the deep.--Genesis, i. 1, 2. - -Thou makest _darkness_, and it is night: wherein all the beasts of the -forest do creep forth.--Psalm civ. 20. - -The people which sat in _darkness_ saw great light; and to them which -sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.--Matthew, iv. -16. - -But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer -_darkness_: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.--Matthew, -viii. 12. - - - He here with us to be - Forsook the courts of everlasting day, - And chose with us a _darksome_ house of mortal clay. - _Milton._ - - - When joy no longer soothes or cheers, - And even the hope that threw - A moment’s sparkle o’er our tears - Is dimm’d and vanish’d too! - - O who would bear life’s stormy doom, - Did not thy wing of love - Come brightly wafting through the gloom - One peace-branch from above! - - Then sorrow touched by thee grows bright - With more than rapture’s ray, - As _darkness_ shows us worlds of light - We never saw by day. - _Moore._ - - - ’Tis gone, that bright and orbed blaze, - Fast fading from our wistful gaze; - Yon mantling cloud has hid from sight - The last faint pulse of quivering light. - - In _darkness_ and in weariness - The traveller on his way must press, - No gleam to watch on tree or tower, - Whiling away the lonesome hour. - - Thou Framer of the light and _dark_, - Steer through the tempest thine own ark: - Amid the howling wintry sea - We are in port if we have Thee. - _Keble._ - - - - - DAVID. - - -_David_, the son of Jesse, the man who was raised up on high, the -anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet psalmist of Israel.--II. -Samuel, xxiii. 1. - -He chose _David_ also his servant, and took him from the sheep-folds: - -From following the ewes great with young, he brought him to feed Jacob -his people, and Israel his inheritance.--Psalm lxxviii. 70, 71. - -I have found _David_ my servant; with my holy oil have I anointed -him.--Psalm lxxxix. 20. - -Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his -people, - -And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his -servant _David_.--Luke, i. 68, 69. - -For _David_ speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before -my face.--Acts, ii. 25. - - - Beauteous and bright is he among the tribes; - As when the sun attired in glistering robe - Comes dancing from his oriental gate, - And, bridegroom-like, hurls through the gloomy air - His radiant beams: such doth King _David_ show, - Crowned with the honour of his enemies’ town, - Shining in riches like the firmament, - The starry vault that overhangs the earth: - So looketh _David_, King of Israel. - _George Peele._ - - - See Judah’s promised king bereft of all: - Driven out an exile from the face of Saul. - To distant caves the lonely wanderer flies, - To seek that peace a tyrant’s frown denies. - Hear the sweet accents of his tuneful voice; - Hear him, o’erwhelmed with sorrows, yet rejoice; - No womanish or wailing grief has part, - No, not a moment, in his royal heart; - ’Tis manly music, such as martyrs make, - Suffering with gladness for a Saviour’s sake; - His soul exults; hope animates his lays; - The sense of mercy kindles into praise; - And wilds, familiar with the lion’s roar, - Ring with ecstatic sounds unheard before. - _Cowper._ - - - And lo! the glories of the illustrious line - At their first dawn with ripened splendours shine, - In _David_ all expressed; the good, the great, - The king, the hero, and the man, complete. - Serene he sits, and sweeps the golden lyre, - And blends the prophet’s with the poet’s fire. - See, with what art he strikes the vocal strings - The God, his theme, inspiring what he sings! - _Bishop Lowth._ - - - Thy living lyre alone, whose dulcet sounds - In gentlest murmurs floating on the air, - Could calm the fury of the woe-struck king, - And soothe the agony which pierced his heart. - Or when thou swept the master strings, and rolled’st - The deep impetuous tide along with more - Than mortal sound, could’st raise his raptured soul - To ecstacy; or from the tortured strings - Harsh discord shaking, sink him in the gulf - Of dire despair, while horror chilled his blood, - And from each pore the agonizing sweat - Distilled! that deep-toned lyre alone can sing - Thy fervent piety, thy glowing zeal. - _William Hodson._ - - - One struggle of might, and the giant of Gath - With a crash like the oak in the hurricane’s path, - And a clangour of arms, as of hosts in the fray, - At the feet of the stripling of Ephratah lay. - - A hush of amazement;--a calm as of death, - When the watcher lists long for that spasm-drawn breath, - Then a shout like the roll of artillery rose, - And the armies of Israel swept on to their foes. - - For a space the Philistine had paused, as in doubt, - Ere the Israelite triumph rang gloriously out; - Then, scattering his arms on the mountains, he fled, - Till the valley of Elah was strewn with the dead. - - The carnage moved on, and alone in the vale, - The Shepherd knelt down by the dead in his mail, - And there, with his arm on that still reeking sword, - Poured forth his thanksgiving in prayer to the Lord. - _Anon._ - - - - - DAY. - - -And God called the light _Day_.--Genesis, i. 5. - -The _day_ of the Lord is great and very terrible; and who can abide -it?--Joel, ii. 11. - -But of that _day_ and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of -heaven, but my Father only.--Matthew, xxiv. 36. - -The _dayspring_ from on high hath visited us.--Luke, i. 78. - -Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the _day_ of -salvation.--II. Corinthians, vi. 2. - - - How many hours bring about the _day_? - How many _days_ will finish up the year? - _Shakspere._ - - - The breath of heaven, blowing pure and sweet, - With _dayspring_ born, here leaves us to respire. - _Milton._ - - - Yet are we able only to survey - Dawnings of beams, and promises of _day_. - _Prior._ - - - Once more, my soul, the rising _day_ - Salutes my waking eyes; - Once more, my voice, thy tribute pay - To Him that rules the skies. - - Night unto night His name repeats, - The _day_ renews the sound, - Wide as the heaven on which he sits, - To turn the seasons round. - _Watts._ - - - See, where the falling _day_ - In silence steals away, - Behind the western hills withdrawn; - Her fires are quench’d, her beauty fled, - With blushes all her face o’erspread, - As conscious she had ill fulfill’d - The promise of the dawn. - - Another morning soon shall rise, - Another _day_ salute our eyes, - As smiling and as fair as she, - And make as many promises: - But do not thou - The tale believe. - They’re sisters all, - And all deceive. - _Barbauld._ - - - Sudden in the sky - Stands the great sun! Like the first glorious breath - Of Freedom to the slave, like Hope upon - The hush of woe, or through the mists of death - The pardoning Angel--comes to earth the Sun. - Ice still on land--still vapour in the air, - But Light--the victor Lord--but Light is there! - - On siege-worn cities, when their war is spent, - From the far hill as gleam on gleam, arise - The spears of some great aiding armament, - Grow the dim splendours, broadening up the skies; - Till, bright and brighter, the sublime array - Flings o’er the world the banners of the _Day_! - _Sir E. Bulwer Lytton._ - - - That _day_ of wrath, that dreadful _day_, - When heaven and earth shall pass away; - What power shall be the sinner’s stay? - How will ye meet that dreadful _day_? - - When shrivelling like a parched scroll, - The flaming heavens together roll; - When louder yet, and yet more dread, - Swells the high trump that wakes the dead. - - O! on that _day_, that wrathful _day_, - When man to judgment wakes from clay; - Be Thou the trembling sinner’s stay, - Though heaven and earth shall pass away. - _Scott._ - - - Oh! _day_ of _days_! shall hearts set free, - No “minstrel rapture” find for thee? - Thou art the Sun of other _days_, - They shine by giving back thy rays: - - Enthroned in thy sovereign sphere, - Thou shedd’st thy light on all the year, - Sundays by thee more glorious break, - An Easter _day_ in every week. - - And week _days_ following in their train, - The fullness of thy blessing gain, - Till all, both resting and employ, - Be one Lord’s _day_ of holy joy. - _Keble._ - - - - - DEATH. - - -Let me _die_ the _death_ of the righteous, and let my last end be like -his!--Numbers, xxiii. 10. - -But now he is _dead_, wherefore should I fast? Can I bring him back -again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me. II. Samuel, -xii. 23. - -What man is he that liveth, and shall not see _death_? Shall he deliver -his soul from the hand of the grave?--Psalm lxxxix. 48. - -Precious in the sight of the Lord is the _death_ of His saints.--Psalm -cxvi. 15. - -Weep ye not for the _dead_, neither bemoan him: but weep sore for -him that goeth away: for he shall return no more, nor see his native -country.--Jeremiah, xxii. 10. - -O _death_, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? - -The sting of _death_ is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. - -But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord -Jesus Christ.--I. Corinthians, xv. 55, 56, 57. - -But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them -which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. - -For if we believe that Jesus _died_ and rose again, even so them also -which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.--I. Thessalonians, iv. -13, 14. - -Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He -also himself likewise took part of the same; that through _death_ He -might destroy him that had the power of _death_, that is, the devil, - -And deliver them who through fear of _death_ were all their lifetime -subject to bondage.--Hebrews, ii. 14, 15. - -Blessed are the _dead_ which _die_ in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, -saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their -works do follow them.--Revelations, xiv. 13. - - - Ah, but to _die_, and go we know not where; - To lie in cold obstruction, and to rot; - This sensible warm motion to become - A kneaded clod; and the delighted spirit - To bathe in fiery floods, or to reside - In thrilling regions of thick-ribbed ice: - To be imprison’d in the viewless winds, - And blown with restless violence round about - The pendant world; or to be worse than worst - Of those, that lawless and uncertain thoughts - Imagine howling! ’tis too horrible! - The weariest and most loathed worldly life - That age, ache, penury, imprisonment, - Can lay on nature, is a paradise - To what we fear of _death_. - _Shakspere._ - - - O harmless _Death_! whom still the valiant brave, - The wise expect, the sorrowful invite; - And all the good embrace, who know the Grave, - A short dark passage to eternal light. - _Sir W. Davenant._ - - - This world _death’s_ region is, the other, life’s: - And here it should be one of our first strifes, - So to front _death_, as each might judge us past it: - For good men but see _death_, the others taste it. - _Ben Jonson._ - - - The glories of our birth and state - Are shadows, not substantial things; - There is no armour against fate: - _Death_ lays his icy hands on kings: - Sceptre and crown - Must tumble down, - And in the dust be equal made - With the poor crooked scythe and spade. - - Some men with swords may reap the field, - And plant fresh laurels where they kill; - But their strong nerves at last must yield, - They tame but one another still. - Early or late - They stoop to fate, - And must give up their murmuring breath, - When they, pale captives, creep to _death_. - - The garlands wither on your brow, - Then boast no more your mighty deeds, - Upon _death’s_ purple altar now - See where the victor victim bleeds: - All heads must come - To the cold tomb: - Only the actions of the just - Smell sweet, and blossom in the dust. - _Shirley._ - - - He patient show’d us the wise course to steer, - A candid censor, and a friend sincere; - He taught us how to live; and (Oh! too high - The price of knowledge,) taught us how to _die_. - _Tickell._ - - - That I must _die_, it is my only comfort; - _Death_ is the privilege of human nature, - And life without it were not worth our taking; - Thither the poor, the prisoner, and the mourner, - Fly for relief, and lay their burdens down. - Come then, and take me into thy cold arms, - Thou meagre shade; here let me breathe my last. - Charmed with my Father’s pity and forgiveness, - More than if angels tuned their golden viols, - And sung a requiem to my parting soul. - _Rowe._ - - - _Death_ comes with irrespective feet - And beats upon the door, - That shuts the palace of the great, - The cabin of the poor. - _Howell, from Horace._ - - - And since ’tis certain then that we must _die_, - No hope, no chance, no prospect of redress; - Be it our constant aim, unswervingly, - To tread God’s narrow path of holiness: - For He is first, last, midst--O, let us press - Onwards--and when _death’s_ monitory glance - Shall summon us to join his mortal dance, - Even then shall hope and joy our footsteps bless. - _From the Spanish of R. de Carrion._ - - - I fled and cried out _Death_-- - Hell trembled at the hideous name, and sighed - From all her caves, and back resounded _Death_. - _Milton._ - - - Thou dost, O _Death_, a peaceful harbour lie - Upon the margin of Eternity; - Where the rough waves of Time’s impetuous tide - Their motion lose, and quietly subside. - Weary, they roll their drowsy heads asleep - At the dark entrance of Duration’s deep. - Hither our vessels in their turn retreat; - Here still they find a safe untroubled seat, - When worn with adverse passions, furious strife, - And the hard passage of tempestuous life. - _Blackmore._ - - - Dear, beauteous _Death_, the jewel of the just, - Shining nowhere but in the dark, - What mysteries do lie beyond thy dust, - Could man outlook that mark! - He that hath found some fledg’d bird’s nest may know - At first sight, if the bird be flown; - But what fair field or grove he sings in now, - That is to him unknown. - _Henry Vaughan._ - - - The man, how wise, who, sick of gaudy scenes, - Is led by choice to take his favourite walk - Beneath _death’s_ gloomy, silent cypress shades, - Unpierced by vanity’s fantastic ray! - To read his monuments, to weigh his dust, - Visit his vaults, and dwell among the tombs! - _Young._ - - - Why should man’s high aspiring mind - Burn in him, with so proud a breath: - When all his haughty views can find - In this world, yields to _death_; - The fair, the brave, the vain, the wise, - The rich, the poor, the great, and small, - Are each, but worm’s anatomies, - To strew his quiet hall. - - Power may make many earthly gods, - Where gold, and bribery’s guilt, prevails; - But _death’s_ unwelcome honest odds, - Kicks o’er the unequal scales. - The flatter’d great, may clamours raise - Of power,--and their own weakness hide; - But _death_ shall find unlooked-for ways - To end the farce of pride. - - _Death_ levels all things, in his march - Nought can resist his mighty strength; - The palace proud,--triumphal arch, - Shall mete their shadow’s length: - The rich, the poor, one common bed - Shall find, in the unhonoured grave, - Where weeds shall crown alike the head - Of tyrant, and of slave. - _Andrew Marvell._ - - - The prince, who kept the world in awe, - The judge, whose dictate fix’d the law, - The rich, the poor, the great, the small, - Are levell’d: _death_ confounds them all. - _Gay._ - - - There was, ’tis said, and I believe, a time - When humble Christians _died_ with views sublime; - When all were ready for their faith to bleed, - And few to write or wrangle for their creed; - When lively faith upheld the sinking heart, - And friends assured to meet prepared to part; - When love felt hope, when sorrow grew serene, - And all felt comfort in the _death_-bed scene. - _Crabbe._ - - - On this side, and on that, men see their friends - Drop off, like leaves in autumn; yet launch out - Into fantastic schemes, which the long-livers, - In the world’s hale and degenerate days, - Could scarce have leisure for: fools that we are! - Never to think of _death_, and of ourselves, - At the same time! As if, to learn to _die_, - Were no concern of ours! - _Blair._ - - - Sweet day, so cool, so calm, so bright, - Bridal of earth and sky, - The dew shall weep thy fall to-night, - For thou, alas! must _die_! - - Sweet rose, in air whose odours wave, - And colour charms the eye, - Thy root is ever in its grave, - And thou, alas! must _die_! - - Sweet spring, of days and roses made, - Whose charms for beauty vie; - Thy days depart, thy roses fade-- - Thou, too, alas! must _die_! - - Be wise, then, christian, while you may, - For swiftly time is flying; - The thoughtless man may laugh to-day, - To-morrow may be _dying_! - _Bishop Horne._ - - - _Death_ distant!--no alas! he’s ever with us, - And shakes the dart at us in all our actings; - He lurks within our cup, while we’re in health; - Sits by our sick-bed, mocks our medicines; - We cannot walk, or sit, or ride, or travel, - But _death_ is by to seize us when he lists. - _Sir Walter Scott._ - - - Since we can _die_ but once, and after _death_ - Our state no alteration knows, - But when we have resign’d our breath, - Th’ immortal spirit goes - To endless joys, or everlasting woes; - Wise is the man who labours to secure - That mighty and important stake; - And by all methods strives to make - His passage safe, and his reception sure. - _J. Pomfret._ - - - _Death_ rides on every passing breeze, - He lurks in every flower; - Each season has its own disease, - Its perils every hour! - Our eyes have seen the rosy light - Of youth’s soft cheek decay, - And fate descend in sudden night - On manhood’s middle day. - _Heber._ - - - _Death_’s but a path that must be trod, - If man would ever pass to God; - A port of calms, a state to ease - From the rough rage of swelling seas. - _Parnell._ - - - Happy the babe, who, privileged by fate - To shorter labour, and a lighter weight, - Received but yesterday the gift of breath, - Ordered to-morrow to return to _Death_. - _Prior._ - - - Leaves have their time to fall, - And flowers to wither at the north wind’s breath, - And stars to set--but all, - Thou hast all seasons for thine own, O _Death_! - _Mrs. Hemans._ - - - O what is _Death_? ’Tis life’s last shore, - Where vanities are vain no more! - Where all pursuits their goal obtain, - And life is all retouched again; - Where, in their bright results, shall rise - Thought, virtues, friendships, griefs, and joys. - _Leigh Richmond._ - - - Cold hand, I touch thee! Perished friend! I know - What years of mutual joy are gone with thee; - And yet from those benumbed remains there flow - Calm thoughts, that best with chastened hopes agree. - - How strange is _Death_ to life! and yet how sure - The law which dooms all living things to _die_! - Whate’er is outward cannot long endure, - And all that lasts, eludes the subtlest eye. - _John Sterling._ - - - Ere sin could blight, or sorrow fade, - _Death_ came with friendly care, - The opening bud to Heaven conveyed, - And bade it blossom there. - _Coleridge._ - - - O _Death_! Thou great invisible, - Pale monarch of the unending Past, - Who shall thy countless trophies tell, - Or when shall be thy last! - By thee high thrones to earth are flung-- - By thee the sword and sceptre rust-- - By thee the beautiful and young - Lie mouldering in the dust. - Into thy cold and faded reign - All glorious things of earth depart; - The fairest forms are early slain, - And quenched the fiery heart. - But in yon world thou hast not been, - Where joy can fade, nor beauty fall: - O, mightiest of the things unseen, - Save One that ruleth all! - _Geo. H. Colton._ - - - To _die_ is landing on some peaceful shore, - Where billows never beat, nor tempests roar, - Ere well we feel the friendly stroke ’tis o’er. - _Garth._ - - - The air of _death_ breathes through our souls, - The _dead_ all round us lie; - By day and night the _death_-bell tolls, - And says, “Prepare to _die_!” - - The loving ones we love the best, - Like music all are gone! - And the wan moonlight bathes in rest - Their monumental stone. - - But not when the _death_-prayer is said, - The life of life departs; - The body in the grave is laid, - Its beauty in our hearts. - _Professor Wilson._ - - - Sleep on, sleep on, ye resting _dead_; - The grass is o’er ye growing - In dewy greenness. Ever fled - From you hath Care; and in its stead - Peace hath with you its dwelling made, - Where tears do cease from flowing-- - Sleep on! - _Robert Nicol._ - - - All at rest now--all dust!--wave flows on wave; - But the sea dries not!--what to us the grave? - It brings no real homily; we sigh, - Pause for awhile and murmur, “all must _die_!” - Then rush to pleasure, action, sin once more, - Swell the loud tide, and fret unto the shore. - _Sir E. Bulwer Lytton._ - - - Ah! it is sad when one thus link’d departs! - When _Death_, that mighty sev’rer of true hearts, - Sweeps through the halls so lately loud in mirth, - And leaves pale Sorrow weeping by the hearth! - _Mrs. Norton._ - - - So live, that when thy summons comes, - The innumerable caravan that moves - To that mysterious realm, where each shall take - His chamber in the silent halls of _death_, - That thou, sustained and soothed, approach thy grave - Like one who wraps the drapery of his couch - Around him, and lies down to pleasant dreams. - _W. C. Bryant._ - - - - - DEFENCE. - - -Be thou my strong rock, for an house of _defence_ to save me.--Psalm -xxxi. 2. - -Deliver me from my enemies, O my God: _defend_ me from them that rise -up against me.--Psalm lix. 1. - - - Who trust in thee, O let not shame deject! - Thou ever just, my chased soule secure: - Lord lend a willing eare, with speede protect; - Be thou my rock; with thy strong arme immure. - - My rock, my fortresse, for thy honour aid, - And my engaged feet from danger guide, - Pull from their subtile snares in secret laid, - O thou, my only strength, so often try’d. - - O let thy face upon thy servant shine; - Save for thy mercies sake, from shame _defend_. - Shame cover those who keepe no lawes of thine, - And undeplored to the grave descend! - _Sandys._ - - - How are thy servants blest O Lord! - How sure is their _defence_! - Eternal wisdom is their guide, - Their help omnipotence. - - In midst of dangers, fears, and death, - Thy goodness I’ll adore; - And praise thee for thy mercies past, - And humbly hope for more. - - My life, if thou preserv’st my life, - Thy sacrifice shall be; - And death, if death must be my doom, - Shall join my soul to Thee. - _Addison._ - - - From common accidents of life - His care shall guard thee still; - From the blind strokes of chance, and foes - That lie in wait to kill. - - At home, abroad, in peace, in war, - Thy God shall thee _defend_; - Conduct thee, through life’s pilgrimage, - Safe to thy journey’s end. - _Brady and Tate._ - - - - - DELIGHT. - - -_Delight_ thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desire -of thine heart.--Psalm xxxvii. 4. - -Then I was by him, as one brought up with him; and I was daily his -_delight_, rejoicing always before him; rejoicing in the habitable part -of his earth; and my _delights_ were with the sons of men.--Proverbs, -viii. 30, 31. - -Correct thy son, and he shall give thee rest; yea, he shall give -_delight_ unto thy soul.--Proverbs, xxix. 17. - - - O voice! once heard - _Delightfully_, increase and multiply; - Now death to him. - _Milton._ - - - Holy and reverend is the name - Of our Eternal King: - Thrice holy Lord! the angels cry; - Thrice holy let us sing. - - Holy is He in all His works, - And truth is His _delight_! - But sinners and their wicked ways, - Shall perish from His sight. - _Needham._ - - - And was the day of my _delight_ - As pure and perfect as I say? - We know the very Lord of Day - Is dash’d with wandering isles of night. - - If all was good and fair we met, - This earth had been a paradise; - It never look’d to human eyes - Since Adam left his garden yet. - _Tennyson._ - - - Amid a round of vain _delights_ he lived, - And took his fill of pleasure; never thought - That life had higher objects, nobler aims - Than just to eat, and drink, and pass away - The precious hours in revelry and mirth. - Born to a priceless heritage, he went - Down to his grave, and knew it not, and all - The everlasting pleasures and _delights_ - Of heaven he forfeited--great loss was his! - _Egone._ - - - - - DELIVERANCE. - - -Thou art my King, O God: command _deliverances_ for Jacob.--Psalm xliv. -4. - -_Deliver_ me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked, out of the hand -of the unrighteous and cruel man.--Psalm lxxi. 4. - -And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the -Lord shall be _delivered_: for in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be -_deliverance_, as the Lord hath said.--Joel, ii. 32. - -The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me -to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the -broken-hearted, to preach _deliverance_ to the captives, and recovering -of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised.--Luke, -iv. 18. - - - Break off your tears, ye saints, and tell - How high our great _Deliverer_ reigns; - Sing how He spoiled the hosts of hell, - And led the monster, Death, in chains. - _Watts._ - - - Lord, I have put my trust in Thee, - Turn not my confidence to shame; - Thy promise is a rock to me, - A tower of refuge is Thy name. - - Thou hast upheld me from the womb; - Thou wert my strength and hope in youth; - Now, trembling, bending o’er the tomb, - I lean upon Thine arm of truth. - - Cast me not off in mine old age, - Forsake me not in my last hour; - The foe hath not forgone his rage, - The lion ravens to devour. - - Me, through what troubles hast Thou brought! - Me, with what consolations crown’d! - Now be Thy last _deliverance_ wrought: - My soul in peace with Thee be found! - _J. Montgomery._ - - - Open now the crystal fountain, - Whence the healing streams do flow; - Let the fiery cloudy pillar - Lead me all my journey through: - Strong _Deliverer_, - Be thou still my strength and shield. - _Oliver._ - - - - - DELUSIONS. - - -I also will choose their _delusions_, and will bring their fears upon -them; because when I called, none did answer; when I spake, they did -not hear: but they did evil before mine eyes, and chose that in which I -delighted not.--Isaiah, lxvi. 4. - -God shall send them strong _delusion_, that they should believe a -lie.--II. Thessalonians, ii. 11. - - - Who therefore seeks in these - True wisdom, finds her not, or by _delusion_. - _Milton._ - - - Dreams and _delusions_ play - With man: he thinks not of his mortal fate: - Death treads his silent way; - The earth turns round, and then, too late, - Man finds no beam is left of all his fancied state. - - Rise from your sleep, vain men! - Look round, and ask if spirits born of Heaven, - And bound to Heaven again, - Were only lent or given - To be in this mean round of shades and follies driven. - - Turn your unclouded eye - Up to yon bright, to yon eternal spheres; - And spurn the vanity - Of time’s _delusive_ years, - And all its flattering hopes, and all its frowning fears. - - What is the ground ye tread - But a mere point compared with that vast space - Around, above you spread-- - Where, in the Almighty’s face, - The present, future, past, hold an eternal place? - _From the Spanish of Luis Ponce de Leon._ - - - We walk amid _delusions_ here, - Our joys are unsubstantial things, - Though glorious our dreams appear, - They have their quick evanishings; - They cheat the sense, with vain pretence, - The heart that on them leans deceive; - _Delusive_ all, they rise and fall, - And nought but sad remembrance leave. - _Egone._ - - - - - DENIAL. - - -Whosoever shall _deny_ me before men, him will I also _deny_ before my -Father which is in heaven.--Matthew, x. 33. - -Peter answered and said unto him, Though all men shall be offended -because of thee, yet will I never be offended. - -Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, that this night, before -the cock crow, thou shalt _deny_ me thrice. - -Peter said unto him, Though I should die with thee, yet will I not -_deny_ thee. Likewise also said all the disciples.--Matthew, xxvi. 33, -34, 35. - - - I think that look of Christ might seem to say:-- - “Thou, Peter! art thou then a common stone, - Which I at last must break my heart upon, - For all God’s charge to His high angels may - Guard my foot better? Did I yesterday - Wash my feet, my beloved, that they should run - Quick to _deny_ me, ’neath the morning sun,-- - And do thy kisses, like the rest, betray? - The cock crows coldly,--Go, and manifest - A late contrition, but no bootless fear! - For when thy deathly need is bitterest, - Thou shalt not be _denied_, as I am here-- - My voice to God and angels shall attest,-- - ‘Because I know this man let him go clear.’” - _Elizabeth Barrett._ - - - She in her Saviour’s ranks had done - A veteran’s service, and with Polycarp - Might say to Death, “For more than fourscore years - He was my Lord--shall I _deny_ Him now?” - No! no! thou could’st not turn away from Him - Who was thy hope in youth, and on whose arm - The feebleness of hoary hairs were staid. - Before His Father, and the Angel host, - He will adjudge thee faithful. So farewell, - Blessed and full of days. - _Mrs. Sigourney._ - - - Numbers before have try’d, - And found the promise true; - Nor yet one been _deny’d_, - Then why should I or you? - Let us by faith our footsteps trace, - And hasten to the throne of grace. - _John Newton._ - - - - - DESIRE--DESIRES. - - -Lord, all my _desire_ is before thee; and my groaning is not hid from -thee.--Psalm xxxviii. 9. - -And I will shake all nations, and the _desire_ of all nations shall -come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the Lord of -hosts.--Haggai, ii. 7. - -For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a _desire_ to depart, and to -be with Christ; which is far better.--Philippians, i. 23. - - - But our _desires’_ tyrannical extortion - Doth force us there to set our chief delightfulness, - When but a baiting-place is all our portion. - _Sir P. Sidney._ - - - Thou blind man’s mark; thou fool’s self-chosen snare, - Fond fancy’s scum, and dregs of scatter’d thought; - Band of all evils; cradle of causeless care; - Thou web of ill, whose end is never wrought, - _Desire! Desire!_ I have too dearly bought, - With price of mangled mind thy worthless ware; - Too long, too long, asleep thou hast me brought, - Who should’st my mind to higher things prepare. - _Sir P. Sidney._ - - - _Desire_’s the vast extent of human mind, - It mounts above, and leaves poor hope behind. - _Dryden._ - - - How large are our _desires_! and yet how few - Events are answerable! So the dew, - Which early on the top of mountains stood, - Meaning, at least, to imitate a flood; - When once the sun appears, appears no more, - And leaves that parch’d which was too moist before. - _Gomersall._ - - - Sages leave your contemplations, - Brighter visions beam afar; - Seek the great _Desire_ of nations, - Ye have seen its natal star; - Come and worship, - Worship Christ the new-born King. - _J. Montgomery._ - - - The _desire_ of the moth for the star-- - Of the night for the morrow-- - The devotion to something afar - From the sphere of our sorrow. - _Shelley._ - - - - - DESOLATION. - - -Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the _desolation_ of the -wicked, when it cometh.--Proverbs, iii. 25. - -And what will ye do in the day of visitation, and in the _desolation_ -which shall come from far? to whom will ye flee for help? and where -will ye leave your glory?--Isaiah, x. 3. - -O my God, incline thine ear, and hear; open thine eyes and behold our -_desolations_, and the city which is called by thy name.--Daniel, ix. -18. - -How is Babylon become a _desolation_ among the nations!--Jeremiah, l. -23. - - - Let us seek some _desolate_ shades, and there - Weep our sad bosoms empty. - _Shakespere._ - - - My _desolation_ does begin to make - A better life. - _Shakespere._ - - - God hath created nights - As well as days to deck the varied globe; - Grace comes as oft clad in the dusky robe - Of _desolation_, as in white attire. - _John Beaumont._ - - - ’Tis well to be a mourner, well to feel - My glad hope die; - And sicken at the tears that daily steal - O’er the dimmed eye, - If this strong _desolation_ should reveal - Where my sins lie. - _E. L. Montague._ - - - I sometimes deem their pleasant smiles - Still on me sweetly fall, - Their tones of love I faintly hear - My name in sadness call. - I know that they are happy - With their angel plumage on, - But my heat is very _desolate_, - To think that they are gone. - _Park Benjamin._ - - - But this was like those sudden blasts that - Unlook’d for, wonder on the face of spring; - And worst woe for the heart, whose early fate - Leaves it so young, and, oh, so _desolate_. - _Miss Landon._ - - - - - DESTRUCTION. - - -Is not _destruction_ to the wicked? and a strange punishment to the -workers of iniquity?--Job, xxxi. 3. - -O thou enemy, _destructions_ are come to a perpetual end; and thou hast -_destroyed_ cities; their memorial is perished with them.--Psalm ix. 6. - -Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is -the way that leadeth to _destruction_, and many there be which go in -thereat.--Matthew, vii. 13. - - - ’Tis safer far to be that which we _destroy_, - Than by _destruction_ swell in doubtful joy. - _Shakspere._ - - - What a scene of misery - Hath thine obdurate frowardness, old man, - Drawn on thy country’s bosom! and, for that, - Thy proud ambition could not mount so high - As to be styled thy country’s only patron; - Thy malice hath descended to the depth - Of hell, to be renowned in the title - Of her _destroyer_. - _Beaumont and Fletcher._ - - - To _destruction_, sacred and devote, - He with his whole posterity must die. - _Milton._ - - - Thus saith the righteous Lord, - My vengeance shall unsheath the flaming sword, - O’er all thy realms my fury shall be poured. - Where yon proud city stood, - I’ll spread the stagnant flood! - And there the bittern in the sedge shall lurk, - Moaning with sullen strain, - While sweeping o’er the plain, - _Destruction_ ends her work. - _Mason._ - - - While like a tide our minutes flow, - The present and the past, - He fills his own immortal now, - And sees our ages waste. - - The sea and sky must perish too, - And vast _destruction_ come; - The creatures--look, how old they grow, - And wait their fiery doom! - _Watts._ - - - - - DEVOTION--DEVOUT. - - -No _devoted_ thing, that a man shall _devote_ unto the Lord of all that -he hath, both of man and beast, and of the field of his possession, -shall be sold or redeemed: every _devoted_ thing is most holy unto the -Lord.--Leviticus, xxvii. 28. - -A _devout_ man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave -much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway.--Acts, x. 2. - -For as I passed by, and beheld your _devotions_, I found an altar with -this inscription, To the Unknown God. Whom therefore ye ignorantly -worship, him declare I unto you.--Acts, xvii. 23. - - - An aged holy man, - That day and night said his _devotion_, - No other worldly business did apply. - _Spenser._ - - - One grain of incense with _devotion_ offer’d, - ’S beyond all perfumes or Sabæan spices, - By one that proudly thinks he merits it. - _Massinger._ - - - I fly - Those wicked tents _devoted_, lest the wrath - Impendent, raging into sudden flame, - Distinguish not. - _Milton._ - - - In vain doth man the name of just expect, - If he _devotion_ to his God neglect. - _Denham._ - - - Man at home, within himself, may find - The Deity immense, and in that frame - So fearfully, so wonderfully made, - See and adore His providence and power. - I see, and I adore! O God most bounteous! - O Infinite of goodness and of glory! - The knee that Thou hast shaped, shall bend to Thee; - The tongue which Thou hast tuned, shall chant Thy praise. - And Thine own image, the immortal soul, - Shall consecrate herself to Thee, for ever! - _Christopher Smart._ - - - _Devotion_, when lukewarm, is un_devout_; - But when it glows, its heat is struck to heaven: - To human hearts her golden harps are strung; - High Heaven’s orchestra chants Amen to man. - _Young._ - - - - - DEW. - - -Therefore God give thee of the _dew_ of heaven, and the fatness of the -earth, and plenty of corn and wine.--Genesis, xxviii. 28. - -My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the -_dew_.--Deuteronomy, xxxii. 2. - -As the _dew_ of Hermon, and as the _dew_ that descended upon the -mountains of Zion: for there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life -for evermore.--Psalm cxxxiii. 3. - -O Ephraim, what shall I do unto thee? O Judah, what shall I do unto -thee? For your goodness is as a morning cloud, and as the early _dew_ -it goeth away.--Hosea, vi. 4. - - - See how the orient _dew_, - Shed from the bosom of the morn, - Into the blowing roses, - Yet careless of its mansion new, - For the clear region where ’twas born, - Round in itself incloses: - And in its little globe’s extent, - Frames as it can its native element. - How it the purple flower does slight! - Scarce touching where it lies; - But gazing back upon the skies, - Shines with a mournful light, - Like its own tear, - Because so long divided from the sphere. - Restless it rolls and insecure, - Trembling lest it grow impure, - Till the warm sun pities its pain, - And to the skies exhales it back again. - - So the soul, that drop, that ray - Of the clear fountain of eternal day, - Could it within the human flower be seen, - Remembering still its former height, - Shuns the sweet leaves and blossoms green. - And recollecting its own light, - Does in its pure and circling thoughts express - The greater heaven in an heaven less. - In how coy a figure wound, - Every way it turns away; - So the world excluding round, - Yet receiving in the day; - Dark beneath but bright above, - Here disdaining, there in love: - How loose and easy hence to go; - How girt and ready to ascend; - Moving but on a point below, - It all about does upwards bend, - Such did the manna’s sacred _dew_ distil, - White and entire although congeal’d and chill; - Congeal’d on earth; but does dissolving run - Into the glories of the Almighty sun. - _Andrew Marvell._ - - - The starlight _dews_ - All silently their tears of love instil, - Weeping themselves away, till they infuse, - Deep into nature’s breast, the spirit of her hues. - _Byron._ - - - Within these leaves the holy _dew_ - That falls from heaven, hath won anew - A glory--in declining. - _Miss Barrett._ - - - Those verdant hills now bathed in morning _dews_, - Whose every drop outvies Golconda’s gem. - Lo! one hangs glittering on yon blade of grass: - Spurn not that lucid trembler, but admire - Its glorious hues, and trace them to their source; - The nice arrangement of its particles. - Draw nigh;--through microscopic lens inspect - That single drop’s profound elaborateness-- - Most delicate, and wonderfully wrought. - Is it a work of chance? It is a world - Replete with life, and love, and feud. Its crowds - Dart swift from verge to verge (their ocean depths.) - How nervous and minute each supple fin! - What made that film-like hinge on which it plays? - What hand, what eye, save God’s could fashion it? - _T. L. Merritt._ - - - _Dews_ of the morning! wherefore were ye given? - --To shine on earth, then rise to heaven. - _J. Montgomery._ - - - See how the _dewdrops_ in the morning flowers - Stand glistening, brighter than the precious gem - Whose worth exalts the kingly diadem! - Clear, tiny droplets, which some April showers - Born of big, listed clouds, did weep o’er them, - In their pure joy that summer’s rosy bowers - Were bursting into bloom. Oh! _dewdrops_ pale, - How bountiful His hand, who sends the blessing - Of your surpassing coolness to th’ oppressing - Thirst of the dying flowers, whose juices fail - (But for such timely aid) ’neath noontide’s sun. - There is no storm-wind with its rushing wail, - There is no storm-cloud lowers o’er the vale, - But scatters blessings as it passeth on. - _G. J. O. Allmann._ - - - But, ah! what numbers still are dead, - Though under means of grace they lie! - The _dew_ still falling round their head, - And yet their heart untouched and dry. - Dear Saviour! hear us when we call, - To wrestling pray’r an answer give; - Pour down thy _dew_ upon us all, - That all may feel, and all may live. - _John Newton._ - - - One morn I mark’d two _dewdrops_ bright, - Impendent on a thorny spray: - The gems had caught my roving sight, - Gay glittering in the sunny ray. - - A sudden breeze pass’d o’er the ground, - And shook their faithless resting-place; - They trembled--waver’d--with a bound, - Commingled in a kind embrace, - - ’Tis thus, thought I, with loving hearts, - When adverse storms sweep o’er their sky, - In closer union, each imparts - To each, aid, comfort, soothing joy. - - The mingled _dewdrops_ by the sun - Were cherish’d, then exhaled together: - Thus virtuous love, on earth begun, - Renew’d in Heaven, exists for ever. - _George Taylor._ - - - - - DISTRESS. - - -Let us arise, and go up to Bethel; and I will make there an altar unto -God, who answered me in the day of my _distress_, and was with me in -the way which I went.--Genesis, xxxv. 3. - -I called upon the Lord in _distress_: the Lord answered me, and set me -in a large place.--Psalm cxviii. 5. - -There shall be great _distress_ in the land, and wrath upon this -people.--Luke, xxi. 23. - - - Through all the changing scenes of life, - In trouble and in joy, - The praises of my God shall still - My heart and tongue employ. - - Of His deliverance I will boast, - Till all who are _distrest_ - From my example comfort take, - And charm their griefs to rest. - _Brady and Tate._ - - - He can, He will, from out the dust, - Raise the blest spirits of the just; - Heal every wound, hush every fear, - From every eye wipe every tear; - And place them where _distress_ is o’er, - And pleasures dwell for evermore. - _Bishop Mant._ - - - Lo! through the gloom of guilty fears, - My faith discerns a dawn of grace; - The Sun of Righteousness appears - In Jesus’ reconciling face. - - My suffering, slain, and risen Lord! - In deep _distress_ I turn to Thee-- - I claim acceptance in thy word, - My God! my God! forsake not me! - _James Montgomery._ - - - Teach me in times of deep _distress_ - To own Thy hand, my God! - And in submissive silence learn - The lessons of Thy rod. - _Heginbotham._ - - - - - DOUBT. - - -And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some -_doubted_.--Matthew, xxviii. 17. - -Then came the Jews round about Him, and said unto Him, How long dost -thou make us to _doubt_? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly.--John, -x. 24. - -Now when the high priest and the captain of the temple, and the chief -priests heard these things, they _doubted_ of them whereunto this would -grow.--Acts, v. 24. - - - Attempt the end, and never stand to _doubt_; - Nothing’s so hard, but search will find it out. - _Herrick._ - - - But desperate is their doom whom _doubt_ has driven - To censure fate, and pious hope forego; - Like yonder blasted boughs by lightning riven, - Perfection, beauty, life, they never know, - But frown on all who pass, a monument of woe. - _Beattie._ - - - Ah! thou knowest not the war of struggling thought - That agitates my soul. I find in all - Some peril still to dread. I choose, and then - My choice repent; and then again regret - Having repented; while protracted _doubt_ - Wearies her mind, so that the ill from good - No longer I distinguish; till at length - The flight of time impels me to the worst! - _From the Italian of Pietre Metastasio._ - - - _Doubt!_ anarch old, that staggers all-- - The mighty vulgar as the small, - Claims from all hearts th’ allegiance won, - Yet satisfaction gives to none; - - And still resisted, still must reign, - Dreaded, abhorred, reviled in vain; - Sole tyrant he, that still must thrive, - While any of his subjects live; - - The stoutest arm he fastest binds, - Still strongest in the strongest minds; - Who struggles hardest, suffers most; - And tightens bands be cannot burst. - _C. C. Colton._ - - - - - DREAD--DREADFUL. - - -Shall not his excellency make you afraid? and his _dread_ fall upon -you?--Job, xiii. 11. - -Withdraw thine hand far from me: and let not thy _dread_ make me -afraid.--Job, xiii. 21. - -They were so high, that they were _dreadful_.--Ezekiel, i. 18. - -I am a great King, saith the Lord of hosts, and my name is _dreadful_ -among the heathen.--Malachi, i. 14. - - - Next saw we _Dread_, all trembling, how he shook, - With foot uncertain, proffer’d here and there; - Benumb’d with speech; and with a ghastly look, - Search’d every place, all pale and _dread_ for fear; - His cap borne up with starting of his hair; - ’Stoun’d and amazed at his own share for _dread_, - And fearing greater dangers than was need. - _Sackville._ - - - Thou attended gloriously from Heaven, - Shall in the sky appear, and from thee send - The summoning archangels to proclaim - Thy _dread_ tribunal. - _Milton._ - - - Who the Creator love, created might - _Dread_ not; within their tents no terrors walk. - _Coleridge._ - - - As if a lark should suddenly drop dead - While the blue air yet trembled with his song, - So snapped at once that music’s golden thread, - Struck by a nameless fear, that leapt along - From heart to heart, and like a shadow sped - With instantaneous shiver through the throng; - So that some glanced behind, as half aware - A hideous shape of _dread_ were standing there. - - As when a crowd of pale men gather round, - Watching an eddy in the leaden deep, - From which they deemed the body of one drowned - Will be cast forth; from face to face doth creep - An eager _dread_, that holds all tongues fast bound, - Until the horror, with a ghastly leap, - Starts up, its dead blue arms stretched aimlessly, - Heaved with the swinging of the careless sea. - _J. R. Lowell._ - - - - - DUST. - - -In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto -the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for _dust_ thou art, and -unto _dust_ shalt thou return.--Genesis, iii. 19. - -All flesh shall perish together, and man shall turn again unto -_dust_.--Job, xxxiv. 15. - -All go unto one place; all are of the _dust_, and all turn to _dust_ -again.--Ecclesiastes, iii. 20. - -Then shall the _dust_ return to the earth as it was: and the spirit -shall return unto God who gave it.--Ecclesiastes, xii. 7. - - - Fear no more the frown o’ the great, - Thou art past the tyrant’s stroke: - Care no more to clothe and eat, - To thee the reed is as the oak. - The sceptre, learning, physic, must - All follow this, and come to _dust_. - _Shakspere._ - - - Why all this toil for triumphs of an hour? - What though we wade in wealth, or soar in fame, - Earth’s highest station ends in “here he lies;” - And “_dust_ to _dust_” concludes her noblest song. - _Young._ - - - What is this passing scene? - A peevish April day! - A little sun--a little rain, - And then night sweeps along the plain, - And all things fade away. - Man (soon discussed,) - Yields up his trust, - And all his hopes and fears lie with him in the _dust_. - - Then, since this world is vain, - And volatile and fleet, - Why should I lay up worldly joys, - When _dust_ corrupts, and moth destroys, - And cares and sorrows eat? - Why fly from ill - With anxious skill, - When soon the hand will freeze, the throbbing heart be still? - _H. K. White._ - - - - - DUTY. - - -Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole _duty_ of -man.--Ecclesiastes, xii. 13. - -So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are -commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that -which was our _duty_ to do.--Luke, xvii. 10. - - - Who shall, O God! ascend thy holy hill? - Ev’n he whose hands are clean, whose heart is pure, - Faithful of Word, and _dutiful_ of Will. - _J. A. Heraud._ - - - Between ourselves and our desires, too oft, - We build a wall impassable. We mar - By futile artifice what honest skill - In either would alone effect.--Straight on, - And up the mountain, heavenwards aloft, - Should be the chosen path; however far - The goal may be; to reach it wants but will - To trust in God, and prudent courage drawn - From honourable purpose. Hard may be - The track, and steep to climb, but walls are none - To scale, nor ladders lack we, ’midst the chill - Of mental Alps, but only eyes to see - These words of truth light-written in the sun-- - “The path of _duty_ aye runs up the hill.” - _Calder Campbell._ - - - Rugged strength and radiant beauty-- - These were one in nature’s plan; - Humble toil and heavenward _duty_-- - These will form the perfect man. - _Mrs. Hale._ - - - Stern daughter of the voice of God! - O _Duty_! if that name thou love - Who art a light to guide, a rod - To check the erring, and reprove; - Thou who art victory and law - When empty terrors overawe, - Give unto me, made lowly wise, - The spirit of self-sacrifice. - _Wordsworth._ - - - - - DWELL--DWELLING. - - -Depart from evil, and do good; and _dwell_ for evermore.--Psalm xxxvii. -27. - -My people shall _dwell_ in a peaceable habitation, and in sure -_dwellings_, and in quiet resting-places.--Isaiah, xxxii. 18. - -No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God -_dwelleth_ in us, and his love is perfected in us. - -Hereby know we that we _dwell_ in him, and he in us, because he hath -given us of his Spirit.--I. John, iv. 12, 13. - - - I prais’d the sea, whose ample field - Shone glorious as a silver shield; - I prais’d the earth in beauty seen, - With garlands gay of various green; - And earth and ocean seem’d to say, - “Our beauties are but for a day.” - - I prais’d the sun, whose chariot roll’d - On wheels of amber and of gold: - I prais’d the moon, whose softer eye - Gleam’d sweetly through the summer sky; - And moon and sun in answer said, - “Our days of light are numbered.” - - O God! O good beyond compare! - If thus thy meaner works are fair; - If thus thy bounties gild the span - Of ruin’d earth and sinful man, - How glorious must the mansion be, - Where thy redeem’d shall _dwell_ with thee. - _Bishop Heber._ - - - O, come and _dwell_ with me, - Spirit of power within, - And bring the glorious liberty - From sorrow, fear, and sin. - _Wesley._ - - - Think on th’ eternal home - The Saviour left for you; - Think on the Lord most holy, come - To _dwell_ with hearts untrue. - So shall ye tread untired his pastoral ways, - And in the darkness sing your carol of high praise. - _Keble._ - - - - - EARTH. - - -And God called the dry land _Earth_.--Genesis, i. 10. - -The _earth_ is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they -that dwell therein.--Psalm xxiv. 1. - -The _earth_, O Lord, is full of thy mercy.--Psalm cxix. 64. - -The _earth_ shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters -cover the sea.--Isaiah, xi. 9. - -The _earth_ also and the works that are therein shall be burned -up.--II. Peter, iii. 10. - - - Unconstant _Earth_! why do not mortals cease - To build their hopes upon so short a lease? - Uncertain lease, whose term but once begun, - Tells never when it ends till it be done: - We dote upon thy smiles, not knowing why, - And whiles we but prepare to live, we die: - We spring like flowers for a day’s delight, - At noon we flourish, and we fade at night: - We toil for kingdoms, conquer crowns, and then - We that were Gods, but now, now less than men. - If wisdom, learning, knowledge, cannot dwell - Secure from change, vain bubble _earth_, farewell. - _Francis Quarles._ - - - _Earth’s_ cup - Is poisoned; her renown, most infamous; - Her gold, seem as it may, is really dust; - Her titles, slanderous names; her praise, reproach; - Her strength, an idiot’s boast; her wisdom, blind; - Her gain, eternal loss; her hope, a dream; - Her love, her friendship, enmity with God; - Her promises, a lie; her smile, a harlot’s; - Her beauty, paint, and rotten within; her pleasures, - Deadly assassins masked; her laughter, grief; - Her breasts, the stings of death; her total sum, - Her all, most total vanity. - _Pollok._ - - - And had _earth_, then, no joys? no native sweets, - No happiness, that one who spoke the truth, - Might call her own? She had, true native sweets, - Indigenous delights, which up the Tree - Of Holiness, embracing as they grew, - Ascended, and bore fruit of Heavenly taste. - _Pollok._ - - - Lean not on _earth_; ’t will pierce thee to the heart: - A broken reed at best, but oft a spear: - On its sharp point peace bleeds, and hope expires. - There’s nothing here but what as nothing weighs; - The more our joy, the more we know it vain; - And by success are tutored to despair. - Nor is it only thus, but must be so. - Who knows not this, though grey, is still a child; - Loose then from _earth_ the grasp of fond desire, - Weigh anchor, and some happier clime explore. - _Young._ - - - _Earth_, thou great footstool of our God - Who reigns on high; thou fruitful source - Of all our raiment, life, and food, - Our house, our parent, and our nurse. - Mighty stage of mortal scenes, - Drest with strong and gay machines, - Hung with golden lamps around, - And flowery carpets spread the ground-- - Thou bulky globe, prodigious map, - That hangs unpillared in an empty space, - While thy unwieldly weight hangs in the feeble air, - Bless that Almighty word that fix’d and holds thee there. - _Watts._ - - - A puff of honour fills the mind, - And yellow dust is solid good; - Thus, like the ass of savage kind, - We snuff the breezes of the wind, - Or steal the serpent’s food. - Could all the choirs - That charms the poles - But strike one doleful sound, - ’T would be employed to mourn our souls; - Souls that were formed of sprightly fires - In floods of folly drowned. - Souls made of glory seek a brutal joy; - How they disclaim their heavenly birth, - Melt their bright substance down with drossy _earth_, - And hate to be refined from that impure alloy. - _Watts._ - - - There are wondrous things on the aged _earth_; ’tis speeding - to its close; - From the very heart of the prosperous world the prophet-thunder - grows; - And as this sphere whirls round and round upon its endless way, - And as the laws of the universe from their boundless centres sway, - From the everlasting hills of heaven look down a seraph-race, - And gaze upon the mighty change that speaks aloud through space: - With joy they hymn the Eternal, in whose embrace they live, - And strike the harp to him who loves to pity and forgive. - - Stands the archangel Lucifer on a stormy planet near, - And the hollow sound of his mighty voice fills many worlds with - fear; - “Vain _earth_,” he said, “thy pigmy lords may strive from - thee to rise, - May gasp their hopes in frequent verse, they half philosophize, - Build temples to the monarch steam, be victors o’er the sea-- - Their pride, their power shall disappear at one dark glance from - me! - O for the fierce wild rapture of that fast approaching day, - When man and his brief dwelling in the storm are swept away.” - - Far in the centre of all space burns the eternal throne, - Where God, unseen, ineffable, dwells in his light alone. - “My Son,” the one existence saith, “_earth_ speeds its course - to thee, - And soon beneath thy rule of love its kingdoms shall be free. - The demons dream of fury, of swift, consuming fire, - Dream that the spirit of the Lord is stern resentful ire: - But the whole universe shall know that mercy is divine-- - Beloved Son! Men, angels, friends, for evermore are thine.” - _Carrera._ - - - I believe this _earth_ on which we stand - Is but the vestibule to glorious mansions, - Through which a moving crowd for ever press. - _Joanna Baillie._ - - - As trees beneath the soil must shoot, - Before they form the grove, - So man in _earth_ must spread his root, - That hopes to bloom above. - _Thomas Ward._ - - - _Earth_ hath of thee had glimpses, shaped to suit - The contemplative Spirit, suffering - From occultation of the absolute, - The shadow of the spiritual thing - That passing, veils the Truth. Let it pass on! - Shine forth, O Sun! the universal King, - Intelligible God. Thy steadfast Throne - For ever is immovable, and _Earth_ - Light from thine aspect borrows, and, anon, - In constant revolution, giveth birth - To darkness, not forsaken: for the Moon - And Stars reflect thy glory faintly forth, - In night, most holy night, in whose high noon - Majestic Heaven itself alone reveals - To faith,--a starry spell,--a visible tune,-- - Until thy reappearing opes the seals - Of the mysterious Tome, and supersedes - Their borrowed lights--their spirit-motioned wheels. - Yet are they God’s! how happy he who reads - Their office rightly;--oracles _Earth_ hears - In visionary slumber, hears and heeds; - The Deities of darkness, on the spheres - Enthroned, Angels of Night, whose choral gleams - Echo the word unto the worlds He cheers. - _J. A. Heraud._ - - - - - ELEMENTS. - - -Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the _elements_ -of the world.--Galatians, iv. 3. - -But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how -turn ye again to the weak and beggarly _elements_, whereunto ye desire -again to be in bondage?--Galatians, iv. 9. - -But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which -the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the _elements_ -shall melt with fervent heat.--II. Peter, iii. 10. - - - I cavilled at the _elements_--what is earth? - A huge congestion of unmethodized matter - With but a skin of life--a mighty solid, - Which nature’s prodigal of space provides - For superficial uses; and what air? - A motion and a pressure; fire? a change; - And light? the language of the things called dumb. - - Last came the troubled question--what am I? - A blade, a sapling of the growth of life - Wherewith the outside of the earth is covered; - A comprehensive atom, all the world - In act of thought embracing; in the world - A grain scarce filling a particular place. - _Henry Taylor._ - - - Father, I know my frame is all composed - Of _elements_ that perish; and I know - The bondage whereunto my grovelling soul - Still turns, in spite of higher aspirations. - Oh, grant me strength to burst the chains of sense! - That in the _elemental_ wreck to come, - I may not perish utterly, but live - To praise and bless Thee for my great salvation. - _Egone._ - - - Let every _element_ rejoice; - Ye thunders, burst with awful voice - To Him who bade you roll. - His praise in softened notes declare, - Each whispering breeze of yielding air, - And breathe it to the soul. - _Ogilvie._ - - - - - ENVY. - - -Be not thou _envious_ against evil men, neither desire to be with -them.--Proverbs, xxiv. 1. - -Wrath is cruel, and anger is outrageous; but who is able to stand -before _envy_?--Proverbs, xxvii. 4. - -But Pilate answered them, saying, Will ye that I release unto you the -King of the Jews? - -For he knew that the chief priests had delivered him for _envy_.--Mark, -xv. 9, 10. - -For where _envying_ and strife is, there is confusion and every evil -work.--James, iii. 16. - - - And next to him malicious _Envy_ rode - Upon a ravenous wolfe, and still did chaw - Between his cankered teeth a venomous tode, - That all the poison ran about his jaw: - But inwardly he chawed his own maw - At neighbour’s wealth that made him ever sad, - For death it was when any good he saw; - And wept, that cause of weeping none he had; - And when he heard of harme he waxed wondrous glad. - _Spenser._ - - - I _envy_ not their hap - Whom favour doth advance; - I take no pleasure in their pain - That have less happy chance. - - To rise by others’ fall - I deem a losing gain; - All states with others’ ruin built, - To ruin run amain. - _Southwell._ - - - Here are no false entrapping baits, - To hasten too, too hasty fates; - Unless it be - The fond credulity - Of silly fish, which, worldling like, still look - Upon the bait, but never on the hook: - Nor _envy_, unless among - The birds, for prize of their sweet song. - _Sir Walter Raleigh._ - - - For every thing contains within itself - The seeds and sources of its own corruption; - The cankering rust corrodes the brightest steel; - The moth frets out your garment, and the worm - Eats its slow way into the solid oak: - But _Envy_, of all evil things the worst, - The same to-day, to-morrow, and for ever, - Saps and consumes the heart in which it works. - _Cumberland._ - - - _Envy_’s a sharper spur than pay, - And, unprovok’d,’t will court the fray. - - * * * * * - - Fools may our scorn, not _envy_, raise, - For _envy_ is a kind of praise. - - * * * * * - - Canst thou discern another’s mind? - What is’t you _envy_? _Envy_’s blind. - Tell _Envy_, when she would annoy, - That thousands want what you enjoy. - _Gay._ - - - The lion craved the fox’s art; - The fox the lion’s force and heart; - The cock implored the pigeon’s flight, - Whose wings were rapid, strong, and light; - The pigeon strength of wing despised, - And the cock’s matchless valour prized. - The fishes wish’d to graze the plain; - The beasts to skim beneath the main. - Thus, _envious_ of another’s state, - Each blam’d the partial hand of fate. - _Gay._ - - - Slander’d in vain, enjoy the spleen of foes; - Let these from _envy_ hate--from interest those! - Guilt, like the first, your gratitude requires, - Since none can _envy_ till he first admires; - And nature tells the last his crime is none, - Who to your interest but prefers his own. - _Aaron Hill._ - - - What made the man of _Envy_ what he was, - Was worth in others, vileness in himself, - A lust of praise, with undeserving deeds, - And conscience poverty of soul; and still - It was his earnest work and daily toil, - With lying tongue, to make the noble seem - Mean as himself. - _Pollok._ - - - - - ERROR. - - -Who can understand his _errors_? cleanse thou me from secret -faults.--Psalm xix. 12. - -For the vile person will speak villany, and his heart will work -iniquity, to practise hypocrisy, and to utter _error_ against the -Lord.--Isaiah, xxxii. 6. - -Beware lest ye also, being led away with the _error_ of the wicked, -fall from your own stedfastness.--II. Peter, iii. 17. - - - A good that never satisfies the mind, - A beauty fading like the April flowers, - A sweet with floods of gall that runs combined, - A pleasure passing ere in thought made ours, - An honour that more fickle is than wind, - A glory at opinion’s frown that lowers, - A treasury which bankrupt time devours, - A knowledge than grave ignorance more blind; - A vain delight our equals to command, - A style of greatness, in effect a dream, - A swelling thought of holding sea and land, - A servile lot, decked with a pompous name; - Are the strange ends we toil for here below, - Till wisest death makes us our _errors_ know. - _Drummond._ - - - Swifter than feathered arrow in the wind, - Than winged vessel on the yielding tide, - Than river shooting down the mountain side, - Than foot o’er champaign of the slender hind, - To _error’s_ flowery vale, the headlong mind - Is prone, without a curb, to fly aside; - Neither by dangers of the path untried, - Nor roughest road, nor highest Alp confined. - But if the way of truth upon the right - It follows, like slow worm, or bird unfledged, - At every twig it checks, and stone, and rill. - Great guide! make strong my pinions for the flight - In that true course; by every other hedged, - And lift and bring me to thy holy hill! - _From the Italian of Tarsia._ - - - “But what is _error_?--Answer he who can!” - The Sceptic somewhat haughtily exclaimed: - “Love, Hope, and Admiration--are they not - Mad Fancy’s favourite vassals? Does not life - Use them, full oft, as pioneers to ruin, - Guides to destruction? Is it well to trust - Imagination’s light when Reason’s fails, - The unguarded taper where the guarded faints? - --Stoop from those heights, and soberly declare - What _error_ is; and of our _errors_, which - Doth most debase the mind; the genuine seats - Of power, where are they? Who shall regulate, - With truth, the scale of intellectual rank?” - _Wordsworth._ - - - Thus _error’s_ monstrous shapes from earth are driven; - They fade, they fly--but truth survives their flight; - Earth has no shades to quench that beam of heaven; - Each ray that shone, in early time, to light - The faltering footsteps in the path of right, - Each gleam of clearer, brightness, shed to aid - In man’s maturer day his bolder sight, - All blended, like the rainbow’s radiant braid, - Pour yet, and still shall pour, the blaze that cannot fade. - _W. C. Bryant._ - - - _Error_ is a hardy plant; it flourisheth in every soil; - In the heart of the wise and good, alike with the wicked and - foolish: - For there is no _error_ so crooked, but it hath in it some - lines of truth: - Nor is any poison so deadly, that it serveth not some wholesome - use: - And the just man, enamoured of the right, is blinded by the - speciousness of wrong, - And the prudent, perceiving an advantage, is content to overlook - the harm. - On all things created remaineth the half-effaced signature of God, - Somewhat of fair and good, though blotted by the finger of - corruption: - And if _error_ cometh in like a flood, it mixeth with the streams - of truth; - And the adversary loveth to have it so, for thereby many are - decoyed. - _Martin F. Tupper._ - - - - - ESTATE. - - -O give thanks unto the God of Gods: for His mercy endureth for ever. - -Who remembered us in our low _estate_: for His mercy endureth for -ever.--Psalm cxxxvi. 2, 23. - -And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, - -And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. - -For he hath regarded the low _estate_ of His handmaiden.--Luke, i. 46, -47, 48. - -Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low _estate_.--Romans, -xii. 16. - - - Go, miser! go; for lucre sell thy soul; - Truck wares for wares, and trudge from pole to pole, - That men may say, when thou art dead and gone, - See what a vast _estate_ he left his son. - _Dryden._ - - - Wherever in the world I am, - In whatsoe’er _estate_, - I have a fellowship with hearts - To keep and cultivate; - And a work of lowly love to do, - For the Lord on whom I wait. - _Ann L. Waring._ - - - Oh yes! I have a goodly heritage, - A vast _estate_ is mine; - My title deeds are on the sacred page, - Writ by a hand divine. - - The land is fruitful, yielding all things good, - An overflowing store; - To satisfy the utmost wish, nor could - My spirit ask for more. - - ’Tis in a pleasant country--this _estate_-- - Of ever-new delight; - No storms are there to chill and devastate, - There comes no gloomy night. - - My tenor is inviolate; for death - Signs, seals, and opes the door, - That me into possession ushereth, - There to dwell evermore. - _Egone._ - - - - - ETERNITY. - - -For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth _eternity_, whose -name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place.--Isaiah, lvii. 15. - -For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were -dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, -_eternal_ in the heavens.--II. Corinthians, v. 1. - - - Of that same time when no more change shall be, - But stedfastly rest all things, firmly stayed - Upon the pillars of _eternity_, - That is contraire to mutability; - For all that moveth doth in change delight; - But thenceforth all shall rest _eternally_, - With Him that is the God of Sabaoth hight. - _Spenser._ - - - Him, blessed Shepherd, - His flocks shall follow through the maze of life, - And shades that tend to day spring from on high; - And as the radiant roses, after fading, - In fuller foliage, and more fragrant breath, - Revive in smiling spring, so shall it be - With those that love Him: for sweet is their savour, - And all _eternity_ shall be their spring. - _Smart._ - - - Man, (mortal creature,) fram’d to feel decays, - Thine unresisted power at pleasure sways, - Thou say’st return, and parting souls obey, - Thou say’st return, and bodies fall to-day. - For what’s a thousand fleeting years with Thee? - Or Time compared with long _eternity_? - Whose wings expanding infinitely vast, - O’erstretched its utmost ends of first and last. - _Parnell._ - - - We strive with earthly imagings, - To reach and understand - The wondrous and the fearful things - Of an _eternal_ land. - - But soon the doubt, the toil, the strife - Of earth shall all be done, - And knowledge of our endless life - Be in a moment won. - _Otway Curry._ - - - Why shrinks the soul - Back on herself, and startles at destruction? - ’Tis the Divinity that stirs within us; - ’Tis Heaven itself that points out an hereafter, - And intimates _eternity_ to man. - _Addison._ - - - The _Eternal_ Life, beyond the sky, - Wealth cannot purchase, nor the high - And proud estate; - The soul in dalliance laid,--the spirit - Corrupt with sin,--shall not inherit - A joy so great. - _Longfellow, from the Spanish._ - - - Our better nature pineth--let it be! - Thou human soul--earth is no home for thee; - Thy starry rest is in _eternity_. - _Miss Landon._ - - - He of the lion-voice, the rainbow-crowned, - Shall stand upon the mountains and the sea, - And swear by earth, by Heaven’s throne, and Him - Who sitteth on the throne, there shall be Time - No more, no more! Then veiled _Eternity_ - Shall straight unveil her awful countenance - Unto the reeling world, and take the place - Of seasons, years and ages. Aye and aye - Shall be the time of day! - _Miss Barrett._ - - - Time! whither dost thou flee? - --I travel to _eternity_, - _Eternity!_ what art thou?--say! - --Time past--time present--time to come--to-day. - _J. Montgomery._ - - - See, how beneath the moonbeams’ smile - Yon little billow heaves its breast, - And foams and sparkles for awhile, - And murmuring then subsides to rest. - - Thus man, the sport of bliss and care, - Rises on time’s eventful sea; - And having swelled a moment there, - Thus melts into _eternity_. - _Moore._ - - - - - EVENING. - - -_Evening_, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he -shall hear my voice.--Psalm lv. 17. - -It shall come to pass, that at _evening_ time it shall be -light.--Zechariah, xiv. 7. - -Abide with us: for it is toward _evening_, and the day is far -spent.--Luke, xxiv. 29. - - - Now came still _evening_ on, and twilight grey - Had in her sober livery all things clad; - Silence accompanied; for beast and bird-- - They to their grassy couch, these to their nests-- - Were shrunk, all but the wakeful nightingale: - She all night long her beauteous descant sung: - Silence was pleased. Now glow’d the firmament - With living sapphires. Hesperus, that led - The starry host, rode brightest, till the moon, - Rising in clouded majesty, at length, - Apparent queen, unveil’d her peerless light, - And o’er the dark her silver mantle threw: - When Adam thus to Eve, “Fair consort, the hour - Of night, and all things now retired to rest, - Mind us of long repose, since God has set - Labour and rest, as day and night to men - Successive, and the timely dew of sleep, - Now falling with soft cumbrous weight, inclines - Our eyelids. Other creatures all day long - Rove idle unemployed, and less need rest: - Man hath his daily work of body or mind - Appointed, which declares his dignity, - And the regard of heaven on all his ways, - While other animals inactive range, - And of their doings God takes no account.” - _Milton._ - - - Then is the time - For those whom wisdom, and whom nature charm, - To steal themselves from the degenerate crowd, - And soar above this little scene of things; - To tread low-thoughted vice beneath their feet, - To soothe the throbbing passions into peace, - And woo lone quiet in her silent walks. - _Thomson._ - - - The sun hath sunk behind the hill, - But over earth, and sky, and air, - _Eve’s_ crimson tints are glowing still, - And tidings of to-morrow bear. - - Thus hope, when sinks life’s happiness, - Upon our night of sorrow glows, - Promising brighter, endless bliss, - After our pilgrimage of woes. - - The longing heart, whose wishes spring - To fond foreboding’s unknown land, - Borrows imagination’s wing, - Though fettered here in reason’s band. - - Presumptuous! whither would’st thou fly? - Earth’s vapours mock thine eye of clay. - Mark crimson _evening’s_ golden sky, - And hope the morrow’s promised day. - _From the Swedish of Ingelgren._ - - - Few bring back at _eve_, - Immaculate, the manners of the morn. - Something we thought is blotted; we resolved, - Is shaken; we renounced, returns again. - _Young._ - - - Sweet after showers, ambrosial air, - That rollest from the gorgeous gloom - Of _evening_, over brake, and bloom, - And meadow, slowly breathing bare - - The round of space, and rapt below - Through all the dewy-tassell’d wood, - And shadowing down the horned flood - In ripples, fan my brows and blow - - The fever from my cheek, and sigh - The full new life that feeds thy breath - Throughout my frame, till doubt and death, - Ill brethren, let the fancy fly - - From belt to belt of crimson seas - On leagues of odour streaming far, - To where in yonder orient star - A hundred spirits whisper “Peace.” - _Tennyson._ - - - Pleasantly comest thou, - Dew of the _evening_, to the crisp’d up grass; - And the curl’d corn-blades bow, - And the light breezes pass, - That their parch’d lips may feel thee, and expand, - Thou sweet reviver of the fever’d land. - - So, to the thirsting soul, - Cometh the dew of the Almighty’s love; - And the scathed heart, made whole, - Turneth in joy above, - To where the spirit freely may expand, - And rove, untrammelled, in that better “land.” - _W. D. Gallagher._ - - - Behold the western _evening_-light! - It melts in deepening gloom; - So calmly Christians sink away, - Descending to the tomb. - - The winds breathe low; the withering leaf - Scarce whispers from the tree; - So gently flows the parting breath, - When good men cease to be. - - How beautiful on all the hills - The crimson light is shed! - ’Tis like the peace the Christian gives - To mourners round his bed. - - How mildly on the wandering cloud - The sunset beam is cast; - ’Tis like the memory left behind, - When loved ones breathe their last. - - And now above the dews of night, - The yellow star appears; - So faith springs in the heart of those - Whose eyes are bathed in tears. - - But soon the morning’s happier light - Its glory shall restore, - And eyelids that are seal’d in death. - Shall wake, to close no more. - _Peabody._ - - - - - EXAMPLE. - - -If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet: ye also ought -to wash one another’s feet. - -For I have given you an _example_, that ye should do as I have done to -you.--John, xiii. 14, 15. - -Be thou an _example_ of the believers, in word, in conversation, in -charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.--I. Timothy, iv. 12. - -Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name -of the Lord, for an _example_ of suffering affliction, and of -patience.--James, v. 10. - -Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving -themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set -forth for an _example_, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.--Jude, -i. 7. - - - Taught this by his _example_, whom I now - Acknowledge my Redeemer, ever blest! - _Milton._ - - - Since great _examples_ justify command, - Let glorious acts more glorious acts inspire, - And catch from breast to breast the noble fire. - _Pope, from Homer._ - - - His faults, that in a private station sits, - Do mainly harm him only that commits: - Those placed on high a bright _example_ owe,-- - Much to themselves, more to the crowd below. - - A paltry watch, in private pocket borne, - Misleads but him alone by whom ’tis worn: - But the town-clock that domes or towers display, - By going wrong, leads half the world astray. - _C. C. Colton._ - - - Ye who look for great _examples_ - O’er the wide historic page:-- - Teachers, who with good ensamples - Would the thoughts of youth engage! - To the sacred record turning, - There behold the perfect man! - There the light, for ever burning; - Match its lustre, if you can! - Imitate the Great _Example_, - Humbly as a Christian should, - Ever like that bright ensample, - Speaking well and doing good. - _Egone._ - - - - - FAITH. - - -For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from _faith_ to -_faith_: as it is written, the just shall live by _faith_.--Romans, i. -17. - -So then _faith_ cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of -God.--Romans, x. 17. - -By grace are ye saved through _faith_.--Ephesians, ii. 8. - -The shield of _faith_, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the -fiery darts of the wicked.--Ephesians, vi. 16. - -Now _faith_ is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of -things not seen.--Hebrews, xi. 1. - -But without _faith_ it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh -to God, must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that -diligently seek Him.--Hebrews, xi. 6. - -For as the body without the spirit is dead, so _faith_ without works is -dead also.--James, ii. 26. - - - If bliss had lien in art or strength, - None but the wise and strong had gained it; - Where now, by _faith_, all arms are of a length; - One size doth all conditions fit. - - A peasant may believe as much - As a great clerk, and reach the highest stature; - Thus dost thou make proud knowledge bend and crouch, - While grace fills up uneven nature. - - _Faith_ makes me any thing, or all - That I believe is in the sacred story; - And when sin placeth me in Adam’s fall, - _Faith_ sets me higher in his glory. - _George Herbert._ - - - From purer manners to sublimer _faith_, - Is nature’s unavoidable ascent; - An honest deist, where the gospel shines, - Matured to nobler, in the christian ends. - _Young._ - - - If weak thy _faith_, why choose the harder side? - We nothing know but what is marvellous; - Yet what is marvellous, we can’t believe. - So weak our reason, and so great our God, - What most surprises in the sacred page, - Or full as strange, or stranger, must be true. - _Faith_ is not reason’s labour, but repose. - _Young._ - - - O ye, whom, struggling on life’s craggy road, - With obstacles and dangers, secret foes - Supplant, false friends betray, disastrous rage - Of elements, of war, of civil broil - Brings down to Poverty’s cold floor, while grief - Preys on the heart, and dims the sinking eye; - Faint not! There is, who rules the storm, whose hand - Feeds the young ravens, nor permits blind chance - To close one sparrow’s flagging wing in death. - Trust in the rock of ages. Now, even now - He speaks, and all is calm. Or if, to prove - Your inmost soul, the hurricane still spread - Its licensed ravages. He whispers hope, - Earnest of comfort; and through blackest night - Bids keen-eyed _Faith_ on heaven’s pure sunshine gaze, - And learn the glories of her future home. - _Gisborne._ - - - The pious man - In this bad world, when mists and couchant storms - Hide heaven’s fine circlet, spring aloft in _faith_ - Above the clouds that threat him, to the fields - Of ether, where the day is never veiled - With intervening vapours, and looks down - Serene upon the troublous sea, which hides - The earth’s fair breast; that sea whose nether face - To grovelling mortals frowns and darkens all, - But on whose billowy back, from man conceal’d - The glowing sunbeams play. - _H. K. White._ - - - Through _Faith_ on earth, man holds a life sublime, - And in the past and future, as he lists, - Expatiates, and confers with every clime. - Through _faith_ he knows whereby the frame subsists, - Of the expanded universe, by whom - Created, and whereto it yet exists; - A stranger and a pilgrim till the tomb - Opens the way to the celestial land, - Where God prepares a city, as a womb. - So hopeful o’er the grave the _faithful_ stand, - Wherein their brethren in the dust repose, - Grasped in the Father’s Omnipresent hand. - _J. A. Heraud._ - - - I saw in visions of still thought reveal’d, - Two silent forms before me; both were fair, - But yet how much unlike that voiceless pair, - Except in outward beauty. One appeal’d - To all, save hearts by pride and passion steel’d, - With meek-eyed gentleness; and seem’d to wear - Mixt with each human charm, an heavenlier air, - To which humanity had wisely kneel’d. - Beautiful was the other’s speechless shade, - And called herself Philosophy; but proud, - Cold, statue-like, she look’d upon the crowd, - Who to the lovelier spirit homage paid-- - Her name was Scepticism! That gentler maid - Was titled _Faith_ by acclamation loud! - _B. Barton._ - - - Behold the chamber where the Christian sleeps, - And where, from year to year, he prays and weeps; - Whence, in the midnight watch, his prayers arise - To those bright mansions where his treasure lies, - How near it is to all that _Faith_ can see; - How short and peaceful may his passage be! - One beating pulse, one feeble struggle o’er, - May open wide the everlasting door; - Yes, for that bliss unspeakable unseen, - Is ready, and the veil of flesh between - A gentle sigh may rend, and then display - The broad full splendour of an endless day. - --This bright conviction elevates his mind, - He presses forward, leaving all behind. - Thus from his throne the tyrant foe is hurl’d-- - This is the _Faith_ that overcomes the world. - _Jane Taylor._ - - - Thou ask’st why Christ so lenient to the deed, - So sternly claims the _Faith_ which founds the creed; - Because, reposed in _Faith_, the soul has calm; - The hope a haven, and the wound a balm; - Because the light, dim seen in Reason’s dream, - On all alike, through _faith_ alone, could stream. - God willed support to weakness, joy to grief, - And so descended from His throne, BELIEF! - _Sir E. B. Lytton._ - - - To reason less is to imagine more; - They most aspire, who, meekly, most adore-- - Therefore the God-like Comforter’s decree-- - “His sins be loosened who hath _faith_ in me.” - _Sir E. B. Lytton._ - - - O, thou that rearest with celestial aim - Thy future seraph in my mortal frame, - Thrice holy _Faith_! whatever thorns I meet, - As on I totter with unpractised feet, - Still let me stretch my arms, and cling to thee, - Meek nurse of souls, through my long infancy! - _Coleridge._ - - - As evening’s pale and solitary star - But brightens while the darkness gathers round; - So _Faith_, unmoved amid surrounding storms, - Is fairest seen in darkness most profound. - - However deep be the mysterious word, - However dark, she disbelieves it not; - Where reason would examine, _Faith_ obeys, - And “It is written” answers every doubt. - _Caroline Fry._ - - - Lo, when dangers closer threaten, - And thy soul draws near to death; - When assaulted sore by Satan, - Then present the shield of _Faith_: - Fiery darts of fierce temptations, - Intercepted by thy God, - Then shall lose their force in patience, - Sheathed in love, and quenched in blood. - _Hart._ - - - Redeemed from fear, and washed from lustful blot, - By _Faith_ we then might rise above our lot; - And like Thy chosen few, restored within, - By hearts, as morning pure, might conquer sin. - - * * * * * - - _Faith_, Hope, and Love, together work in gloom; - What _Faith_ believes, Hope shapes in form and bloom, - And Love sends forth to daylight from the tomb. - _John Sterling._ - - - O thou of little _faith_, lift up thine eyes! - Are the ten thousand glorious stars of night - But a vain dream, because thy feeble sight - May not behold them in the noon-day skies? - _Mary Howitt._ - - - The steps of _Faith_ - Fall on the seeming void, and find - The Rock beneath. - _J. G. Whittier._ - - - Lady, there is one star, and one alone, - That tells the future. Its interpreter - Is in man’s heart, and is called Conscience: - The star, True _Faith_; the future that it shows - Is beyond human life. - _G. P. R. James._ - - - _Faith_ is the Spirit’s sweet control, - From which assurance springs, - _Faith_ is the pencil of the soul, - That pictures heavenly things. - - _Faith_ is the conq’ring host that storms - The battlements of sin, - _Faith_ is the quick’ning fire that warms - The trembling heart within. - - O Rock of Ages, Fount of Bliss, - Thy needful help afford, - And let our constant prayer be _this_-- - “Increase my _faith_, O Lord.” - _J. Burbidge._ - - - We walk by _faith_, and not by sight, - Along this vale of tears, - ’Till our wrapt souls shall wing their flight - To Heaven’s unclouded spheres. - - Triumphant then o’er sin and death, - We’ll praise our living head, - And, looking back, behold the path, - Through which we have been led. - _W. J. Brock._ - - - - - FALL. - - -The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in -his way. - -Though he _fall_, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord -upholdeth him with his hand.--Psalm xxxvii. 23, 24. - -And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, -shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the -sand: - -And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and -beat upon that house; and it _fell_: and great was the _fall_ of -it.--Matthew, vii. 26, 27. - -And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this -child is set for the _fall_ and rising again of many in Israel.--Luke, -ii. 34. - - - Poor race of men! said the pitying Spirit, - Dearly ye pay for your primal _Fall_-- - Some flowerets of Eden ye still inherit, - But the trail of the serpent is over them all! - _Thomas Moore._ - - - Alas--the evil that we fain would shun - We do, and leave the wished-for good undone; - Our strength to-day - Is but to-morrow’s weakness, prone to _fall_; - Poor, blind, unprofitable servants, all, - Are we alway. - _J. G. Whittier._ - - - Grim-hearted world, that look’st with Levite eyes - On those poor _fallen_ by too much faith in man, - She that upon thy freezing threshold lies, - Starved to more sinning by thy savage ban,-- - Seeking that refuge because foulest vice - More godlike than thy virtue is, whose span - Shuts out the wretched only,--is more free - From all her crimes than thou wilt ever be. - Thou wilt not let her wash thy dainty feet - With such salt things as tears, or with rude hair - Dry them, soft Pharisee, that sit’st at meat - With him who made her such, and speak’st him fair, - Leaving God’s wandering lamb the while to bleat - Unheeded, shivering in the pitiless air: - Thou hast made prisoned virtue shew more wan - And haggard, than a vice to look upon. - _James R. Lowell._ - - - - - FAME. - - -So the Lord was with Joshua; and his _fame_ was noised throughout all -the country.--Joshua, vi. 27. - -And the _fame_ of David went out into all lands; and the Lord brought -the fear of him upon all nations.--I. Chronicles, xiv. 17. - -And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and -preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness -and all manner of disease among the people. - -And his _fame_ went throughout all Syria.--Matthew, iv. 23, 24. - - - But _Fame_, alarmed, o’er Libya’s cities flies: - _Fame_, the most fleet of mischief’s progenies: - Who gathers speed from every passing hour; - Grows as she moves, and travels into power. - Timid and small at first, at length she shrouds, - While treading on the ground, her forehead in the clouds. - Offended at the gods, great parent Earth, - ’Tis said, in vengeance gave the monster birth, - Of all her giant family the last; - A swift-wing’d portent, foul, deform’d, and vast, - Beneath each numerous plume, that lifts her flight, - An active eye extends her scope of sight. - As many ears, and mouths, and tongues she moves, - To catch and spread the rumours as she roves. - Midway ’twixt heaven and earth, through night she flies - Clanging, nor bathes in dewy sleep her eyes. - By day she keeps on watch, and takes her stand - On some high roof or tower of wide command; - And thence, alike for truth or falsehood loud, - She shakes the city and distracts the crowd. - _Symmons, from Virgil._ - - - Let _fame_, that all hunt after in their lives, - Live register’d upon our brazen tombs, - And then grace us in the disgrace of death; - When, spite of cormorant-devouring time, - The endeavour of his present death may buy - That honour, which shall bate his scythe’s keen edge, - And makes us heirs of all eternity. - _Shakspere._ - - - Then straight thro’ all the world ’gan _fame_ to fly; - A monster swifter none is under sun; - Increasing, as in waters we discry - The circles small, of nothing that begun, - Till of the drops, which from the skies do fall, - The circles spread and hide the waters all. - _Sackville._ - - - _Fame_ is the spur that the clear spirit doth raise - (That last infirmity of noble minds) - To scorn delights, and live laborious days. - _Fame_ is no plant that grows on mortal soil, - Nor in the glittering foil, - Set off to the world, nor in broad rumour lies. - _Milton._ - - - For _fame_ the wretch beneath the gallows lies, - Disowning every crime for which he dies, - Of life profuse, tenacious of a name, - Fearless of death, and yet afraid of shame. - Nature has wove into the human mind - This anxious care of names we leave behind. - To extend our narrow views beyond the tomb, - And give an earnest of a life to come; - For, if when dead, we are but dust or clay, - Why think of what posterity shall say? - Her praise or censure cannot us concern, - Nor ever penetrate the silent urn. - _Soame Jennins._ - - - All _fame_ is foreign, but of true desert; - Plays round the head, but comes not near the heart; - One self-approving hour whole years outweighs - Of stupid starers, and of loud huzzas; - And more true joy Marcellus exil’d feels, - Than Cæsar with a senate at his heels. - - * * * * * - - And what is _fame_? the meanest have their day; - The greatest can but blaze, and pass away. - _Pope._ - - - I hate this _Fame_, false avarice of fancy, - The sickly shade of an unsolid greatness! - The lying lure of pride that Europe cheats by. - _Hill._ - - - Absurd! to think to overreach the grave, - And from the wreck of names to rescue ours: - The best concerted schemes men lay for _fame_, - Die fast away; only themselves die faster. - _Blair._ - - - Not inspiration can obtain - That _fame_, which poets languish for in vain. - How mad their aim, who thirst for glory, strive - To grasp, what no man can possess alive! - _Fame_’s a reversion in which men take place - (O late reversion!) at their own decease. - _Young._ - - - Of all the phantoms fleeting in the mist - Of Time, though meagre all, and ghostly thin, - Most unsubstantial, unessential shade, - Was earthly _Fame_. She was a voice alone, - And dwelt upon the noisy tongues of men. - She never thought, but gabbled ever on, - Applauding most what least deserved applause. - The motive, the result, was nought to her. - The deed alone, though dyed in human gore, - And steeped in widows’ tears, if it stood out - To prominent display, she talked of much, - And roared around it with a thousand tongues. - As changed the wind her organ, so she changed - Perpetually; and whom she praised to-day, - Vexing his ear with acclamations loud, - To-morrow blamed, and hissed him out of sight. - _Pollok._ - - - True _fame_’s a plant that seems to need - A body buried--for its seed; - And ere the churlish sucklings thrive, - The parent-stock must cease to live. - - The good, the great, the wise, the just, - Are little valued till they’re dust, - Nor till they mutter “Earth to earth,” - Can men perceive another’s worth. - _C. C. Colton._ - - - What though the mounds that mark’d each name, - Beneath the wings of Time, - Have worn away?--Theirs is the _fame_ - Immortal and sublime; - For who can tread on Freedom’s plain, - Nor wake her dead to life again. - _R. Montgomery._ - - - - - FAREWELL. - - -Another said, Lord, I will follow Thee; but let me first go bid them -_farewell_, which are at home at my house.--Luke, ix. 61. - -When they desired him to tarry longer time with them, he consented not; -but bade them _farewell_.--Acts, xviii. 20, 21. - -Finally, brethren, _farewell_.--II. Corinthians, xiii. 11. - - - _Farewell!_ There is a spell within the word: - Methinks I never heard it sound so mournful; - Oh, thou subdued, oft scarce articulate sound, - How powerful thou art! How strong to move - The hidden strings that guide us puppet mortals! - Pass-word of memory--of by-gone days-- - Thou everlasting epitaph--is there - A land in which thou hast no dwelling-place? - Wherein may be nor pageantry nor pride, - Nor altars, save the pure one of the heart, - Nor tombs, except for sorrow; and no tears; - There is a world, Oh God, where human lips - May say _Farewell!_ no more. - _Dilnot Sladden._ - - - When eyes are beaming - What never tongue might tell, - When tears are streaming - From their crystal cell: - When hands are link’d that dread to part, - And heart is met by throbbing heart. - Oh! bitter, bitter is the smart - Of them that bid _Farewell_! - - When hope is chidden, - That fain of bliss would tell, - And love forbidden - In the breast to dwell: - When fettered by a viewless chain, - We turn and gaze, and turn again; - Oh! death were mercy to the pain - Of them that bid _Farewell_. - _Bishop Heber._ - - - ’Tis well, if well thou farest - Upon thy heavenly way; - With joy the lips that love thee - Then _Fare-thee-well_ may say. - _Egone._ - - - - - FATHER. - - -The Mighty God, the everlasting _Father_.--Isaiah, ix. 6. - -O Lord, Thou art our _Father_; we are the clay, and Thou our potter; -and we all are the work of Thy hand.--Isaiah, lxiv. 8. - -Our _Father_ which art in Heaven, Hallowed be Thy name. - -Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in -Heaven.--Matthew, vi. 9, 10. - -We have one _Father_, even God.--John, viii. 41. - -Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down -from the _Father_ of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither -shadow of turning.--James, i. 17. - - - _Father_, King, whose heav’nly face - Shines serene upon our race; - Mindful of Thy guardian care, - Slow to punish, prone to spare; - We Thy majesty adore, - We Thy well-known aid implore; - Not in vain Thy aid we call, - Nothing want, for Thou art all! - - Source of being, source of light, - With unfading beauties bright; - Thee, when morning greets the skies, - Blushing sweet with humid eyes: - Thee, when soft declining day - Sinks in purple waves away; - Thee, O Parent, will I sing, - To Thy feet my tribute bring! - _Wesley._ - - - _Father_ and Friend! Thy light, Thy love, - Beaming through all Thy works we see; - Thy glory gilds the heavens above, - And all the earth is full of Thee. - - Thy voice we hear, Thy presence feel, - Whilst Thou, too pure for mortal sight, - Involved in clouds invisible, - Reignest the Lord of life and light. - - We know not in what hallowed part - Of the wide heavens Thy throne may be; - But this we know, that where Thou art, - Strength, wisdom, goodness dwell with Thee. - - And through the various maze of time, - And through the infinity of space, - We follow Thy career sublime, - And all Thy wondrous footsteps trace. - - Thy children shall not faint nor fear, - Sustained by this delightful thought, - Since Thou their God art everywhere, - They cannot be where Thou art not. - _Anon._ - - - The Sabbath sun was setting slow, - Amidst the clouds of even; - “Our _Father_,”--breathed a voice below-- - “_Father_, who art in Heaven!” - - Beyond the earth--beyond the cloud-- - Those infant words were given; - “Our _Father_,” angels sang aloud-- - “_Father_, who art in Heaven!” - - “Thy kingdom come”--still from the ground, - That childlike voice did pray; - “Thy kingdom come”--God’s hosts resound-- - Far up the starry way! - - “Thy will be done,”--with little tongue, - That lisping love implores; - “Thy will be done,”--the angelic throng-- - Sing from seraphic shores! - - “For ever,”--still those lips repeat, - Their closing evening prayer; - “For ever,”--floats in music sweet-- - High ’midst the angels there! - - Thine be the glory evermore, - From Thee may man ne’er sever; - But every Christian land adore - Jehovah!--God!--for ever! - _C. Swain._ - - - One _father_ have we here on earth, - Another up in heaven; - By Him to us the second birth, - And lasting life is given. - _Egone._ - - - - - FEAR. - - -The _fear_ of the wicked it shall come upon him: but the desire of the -righteous shall be granted.--Proverbs, x. 24. - -The _fear_ of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the -Lord shall be safe.--Proverbs, xxix. 25. - -Say to them that are of a _fearful_ heart, Be strong, _fear_ not; -behold your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompense; -He will come and save you.--Isaiah, xxxv. 4. - -_Fear_ not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: -but rather _fear_ Him which is able to destroy both soul and body in -hell.--Matthew, x. 28. - -For God hath not given us the spirit of _fear_; but of power, and of -love, and of a sound mind.--II. Timothy, i. 7. - -So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not _fear_ -what man shall do unto me.--Hebrews, xiii. 6. - - - Since nature’s work be good, and death doth come - As nature’s work, why should we _fear_ to die? - Since _fear_ is vain, but when it may presume, - Why should we _fear_ that which we cannot fly? - _Fear_ is more pain than is the pain it _fears_, - Disarming human minds of native might; - While each conceit an ugly figure bears, - Which were not ill well viewed in reason’s light. - _Sir P. Sidney._ - - - Persuade them then, - _Fearless_ to be resolved to die like men; - For want of such a resolution stings - At point of death, and dreadful horror brings - Ev’n to the soul; ’cause, wanting preparation, - She dies, despairing of her own salvation. - Yea, and moreover this full well know I, - He that’s at any time _afraid_ to die, - Is in weak case, and whatsoe’er he saith, - Hath but a wavering and a feeble faith. - _George Wither._ - - - _Fear_ on guilt attends, and deeds of darkness; - The virtuous breast ne’er knows it. - _Havard._ - - - Some, for _fear_ of want, - Want all their lives; and others ev’ry day, - For _fear_ of dying, suffer worse than death. - Ah! from your bosoms banish if you can - That fatal guest, I mean the demon _fear_, - That trembles at impossible events, - Lest aged Atlas should resign his load, - And Heaven’s eternal battlements rush down. - Is there an evil worse than _fear_ itself? - And what avails it, that indulgent Heav’n - From mortal eyes has wrapt the woes to come, - If we, ingenious to torment ourselves, - Grow pale at hideous fictions of our own? - Enjoy the present, nor with needless cares - Of what may spring from blind Misfortune’s womb - Appal the surest hour that life bestows; - Serene and master of yourself, prepare - For what may come, and leave the rest to heaven. - _Armstrong._ - - - God’s altar grasping with an eager hand, - _Fear_, the wild-visaged, pale, eye-starting wretch, - Sure-refuged, hears his hot-pursuing fiends - Yell at vain distance. Soon refreshed from Heaven, - He calms the throb and tempest of his heart, - His countenance settles; a soft solemn bliss - Swims in his eye--his swimming eye upraised: - And faith’s whole armour glitters on his limbs! - And thus transfigured with a dreadless awe, - A solemn hush of soul, meek he beholds - All things of terrible seeming. - _Coleridge._ - - - Happy beyond description he - Who _fears_ the Lord his God, - Who hears His threats with holy awe - And trembles at His rod. - - Let _fear_ and love, most holy God, - Possess this soul of mine. - Then shall I worship Thee aright, - And taste Thy joys divine. - _Needham._ - - - My son, be this thy simple plan: - _Fear_ God and love thy fellow-man; - Forget not in temptation’s hour - That sin lends sorrow double power: - With hand, and brow, and bosom clear, - _Fear_ God and know no other _fear_. - _Anon._ - - - - - FELLOWSHIP. - - -Shall the throne of iniquity have _fellowship_ with thee, which frameth -mischief by a law.--Psalm xciv. 20. - -Have no _fellowship_ with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather -reprove them.--Ephesians, v. 11. - -That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also -may have _fellowship_ with us; and truly our _fellowship_ is with the -Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.--I. John, i. 3. - - - We would not die in that man’s company, - That fears his _fellowship_ to die with us. - _Shakspere._ - - - From blissful bowers - Of amaranthine shade, fountain or spring, - By the waters of life where’er they sat. - In _fellowship_ of joy. - _Milton._ - - - The blessings which the poor and weak can scatter - Have their own season. ’Tis a little thing - To give a cup of water; yet its draught - Of cool refreshment, drained by fevered lips, - May give a shock of pleasure to the frame, - More exquisite than when nectarean juice - Renews the life of joy in happiest hours. - It is but a little thing to speak a phrase - Of common comfort, which by daily use - Has almost lost its sense; yet on the ear - Of him who thought to die unmourned, ’t will fall - Like choicest music; fill the glazing eye - With gentle tears; relax the knotted band - To know the bonds of _fellowship_ again. - _Talfourd._ - - - O, sweet it is, through life’s dark way - In Christian _fellowship_ to move, - Illumed by one unclouded ray, - And one in faith, in hope, in love. - _Charlotte Elizabeth._ - - - How sweet it is when friend with friend - In holy _fellowship_ can walk! - When thoughts and sympathies may blend, - And hearts be open as their talk! - Such will the preparation prove - For lasting _fellowship_ above. - _Egone._ - - - - - FINISHED. - - -Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me saying, The hands of -Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also -_finish_ it.--Zechariah, iv. 8, 9. - -When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is -_finished_; and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.--John, xix. -30. - -As he had begun, so he would also _finish_ in you the same grace -also.--II. Corinthians, viii. 6. - - - He that of greatest works is _finisher_, - Oft does them by the weakest minister. - _Shakspere._ - - - O prophet of glad tidings! _finisher_ - Of utmost hope. - _Milton._ - - - Though here you all perfection should not find, - Yet it is all the Eternal will designed; - It is a _finished_ work, and perfect in its kind. - _Blackmore._ - - - Hark! the voice of love and mercy - Sounds aloud from Calvary! - See! it rends the rocks asunder, - Shakes the earth and veils the sky! - “It is _finished_!” - Hear the dying Saviour cry! - - “It is _finished_!”--O what pleasure - Do those charming words afford! - Heavenly blessings without measure - Flow to us from Christ the Lord: - “It is _finished_!”-- - Saints the dying words record. - - _Finished_ all the types and shadows - Of the ceremonial law! - _Finished_ all that God had promised; - Death and hell no more shall awe: - “It is _finished_!”-- - Saints from hence their comfort draw. - - Happy souls, approach the table, - Taste the soul-reviving food; - Nothing’s half so sweet and pleasant - As the Saviour’s flesh and blood: - “It is _finished_!”-- - Christ has borne the heavy load. - _J. Evans._ - - - - - FLOOD. - - -And the _flood_ was forty days upon the earth.--Genesis, vii. 17. - -The Lord sitteth upon the _flood_: yea the Lord sitteth King for -ever.--Psalm xxix. 10. - -For as in the days that were before the _flood_ they were eating and -drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe -entered into the ark, - -And knew not until the _flood_ came, and took them all away; so shall -also the coming of the Son of Man be.--Matthew, xxiv. 38, 39. - -By faith _Noah_, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved -with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by which he -condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by -faith.--Hebrews, xi. 7. - -God spared not the old world, but saved _Noah_, the eighth person, a -preacher of righteousness, bringing in the _flood_ upon the world of -the ungodly.--II. Peter, ii. 5. - - - He preached - Conversion and repentance, as to souls - In prison under dangers imminent: - But all in vain, which, when he saw, he ceased - Contending, and removed his tents far off, - Then from the mountain hewing timbers tall, - Began to build a vessel of huge bulk. - _Milton._ - - - And now, the thickening sky - Like a dark ceiling stood; down rushed the rain - Impetuous, and continued till the earth - No more was seen. The floating vessel swam - Uplifted, and secure with beaked prow, - Rode tilting o’er the waves; all dwellings else - _Flood_ overwhelmed, and them, with all their pomp, - Deep under water rolled; sea covered sea, - Sea without shore; and in their palaces, - Where luxury late reigned, sea monsters whelped - And stabled. Of mankind, so numerous late, - All left in one small bottom swam imbarked. - _Milton._ - - - Methinks I see a distant vessel ride, - A lonely object on the shoreless tide, - Within whose ark the innocent have found - Safety, when stayed destruction ravens round; - Thus, in the hour of vengeance, God, who knows - His servants, spares them, while He smites His foes. - _James Montgomery._ - - - Sunk beneath the wave, - The guilty share an universal grave; - One wilderness of waters rolls in view, - And heaven and ocean wear one turbid hue; - Still stream unbroken torrents from the skies, - Higher, beneath, the inundations rise; - A lurid twilight glares athwart the scene, - Now thunders peal, faint lightnings flash between. - _James Montgomery._ - - - Down rush the torrents from above; the deep - Opens in all its fountains, ceaseless, still - Ceaseless: the muddy waters eddying fill - The valleys. High on every mound and steep, - In crowds, men, women, children, cattle, sheep, - Stand shivering with dismay, the horrible - Confusion eyeing; and, from hill to hill, - They shout in agony, or shriek, or weep, - In vain! the waters gain upon them. Lo! - The ark careering past, their hands they stretch - For help; and now you see some drowning wretch - Pursue the sacred vessel; but in woe - No pity must they have; so on they go.-- - Now all is one wide sea without a beach. - _Morehead._ - - - Behold the awful Deity enthroned - In darkness awful--inaccessible, - And order almost unto chaos changed; - Tremendous gloom! that blots the sun’s bright beams, - And more than midnight horrors shroud the skies, - The faint grey twilight gleaming thro’ the clouds, - Discover, floating on a shoreless sea, - The chosen eight embosom’d in the Ark, - One family preserved to renovate - The world, Jehovah’s judgments have destroyed. - - * * * * * - - But see the bow its new-created dyes - Begin to beam propitious from the cloud-- - “Destructive waters shall no more prevail, - No more become a _flood_ upon the earth.” - _S. Hughes._ - - - - - FLOWERS. - - -Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble. - -He cometh forth like a _flower_, and is cut down.--Job, xiv. 1, 2. - -As for man, his days are as grass: as a _flower_ of the field, so he -flourisheth.--Psalm ciii. 15. - -Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and -yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like -one of these. - -If then God so clothe the grass, which is to-day in the field, and -to-morrow is cast into the oven; how much more will He clothe you, O ye -of little faith.--Luke, xii. 27, 28. - -Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted: - -But the rich in that he is made low: because as the _flower_ of the -grass, he shall pass away.--James, i. 9, 10. - -For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the _flower_ of -grass. The grass withereth, and the _flower_ thereof falleth away: but -the word of the Lord endureth for ever.--I. Peter, i. 24, 25. - - - When with a serious musing I behold - The grateful and obsequious marigold; - How duly every morning she displays - Her open breast. When Titan spreads his rays, - How she observes him in his daily walk. - Still bending towards him her small slender stalk. - For when he down declines, she droops and mourns, - Bedew’d as ’twere, with tears till he returns; - And how she veils her _flowers_ when he is gone, - As if she scorned to be looked on - By an inferior eye, or did contemn - To wait upon a meaner light than him. - When thus I meditate, methinks the _flowers_ - Have spirits far more generous than ours; - And give us fair examples to despise - The servile fawning and idolatries - Wherewith we court these earthly things below, - Which merit not the service we bestow. - _George Wither._ - - - To me the meanest _flower_ that blows can give - Thoughts that do often lie too deep for tears. - _Wordsworth._ - - - Foster the good, and thou shalt tend the _flower_ - Already sown on earth;-- - Foster the beautiful, and every hour, - Thou call’st new _flowers_ to birth. - _Schiller._ - - - The enlivening sap, - Obedient to Thy laws, through fitted tubes - Ascends fermenting, and, at length, matured, - Breaks forth in gems, and germinates in leaves. - By Thee each family of _flowers_ is clothed - In one unvarying dress, and breathes the same - Transmitted essences; and though the loom - No virgin fingers ply to swell her pride, - The lily shines, more gorgeously arrayed - Than monarchs, where the East, with hand profuse, - Showers on their pomp barbaric, pearl and gold. - _Smart._ - - - There is a lesson in each _flower_, - A story in each stream and bower; - In every herb on which you tread - Are written words, which, rightly read, - Will lead you from earth’s fragrant sod, - To hope, and holiness, and God. - _Allan Cunningham._ - - - When spring returns, the little children play, - In the grave-yard of the cathedral grey, - Busy as morning bees, and gather _flowers_-- - Daisies and gold-cups--of the hurrying hours - Thoughtless as unsolicitous, though time - Speeds like a spectre, and their playful prime - Bears on to sorrow. Angel! cry aloud! - Speak of the knell, the grave-worm and the shroud! - No! let them play! for solitude and care - Too soon will teach them what poor mortals are. - Yes! let them play, but as their thoughts expand, - May smiling pity lead them by the hand, - When they look up, and in the clouds admire - The lessening shaft of that aërial spire, - So be their thoughts uplifted from the sod, - Where time’s brief _flowers_ they gather to their God. - _W. Lisle Bowles._ - - - This cottage door, this gentle gale, - Hay-scented, whispering round, - Yon path-side rose, that down the vale, - Breathes incense from the ground, - Methinks should from the dullest clod, - Invite the thankful heart to God. - - But, Lord, the violet bending low, - Seems better moved to praise; - From us what scanty blessings flow, - How voiceless close our days;-- - Father, forgive us, and the _flowers_ - Shall lead in prayer the vesper hours. - _James T. Fields._ - - - _Flowers!_ wherefore do ye bloom? - --We strew the pathway to the tomb! - _J. Montgomery._ - - - God might have made the earth bring forth - Enough for great and small-- - The oak tree and the cedar tree, - Without a _flower_ at all. - He might have made enough, enough, - For every want of ours, - For luxury, medicine, and toil, - And yet have made no _flowers_. - - Our outward life requires them not, - Then wherefore had they birth? - To minister delight to man-- - To beautify the earth; - To whisper hope, to comfort man, - Whene’er his faith is dim; - For whoso careth for the _flowers_, - Will care much more for him. - _Mary Howitt._ - - - “See,” said Marian unto me, - Standing by the cressy brook, - “How my wealth of _flowers_ increaseth; - Have they not a pleasant look?” - - “Deeper still,” I said unto her, - “There the ceaseless worm alway - Feeds upon the living _flower_, - Drooping, drooping to decay.” - - “Deeper yet,” said Marian, - “Love, and thank the love that giveth; - In the death of every one, - Future wealth uncounted liveth.” - _J. B. Kington._ - - - - - FOLLY. - - -The _fool_ hath said in his heart, There is no God.--Psalm xiv. 1. - -I will hear what God the Lord will speak: for he will speak peace -unto his people, and to his saints: but let them not turn again to -_folly_.--Psalm lxxxv. 8. - -The crown of the wise is their riches: but the _foolishness_ of _fools_ -is _folly_.--Proverbs, xiv. 24. - -Answer not a _fool_ according to his _folly_, lest thou also be like -unto him.--Proverbs, xxvi. 4. - -Whosoever shall say, Thou _fool_, shall be in danger of hell -fire.--Matthew, v. 22. - - - The rout is _folly’s_ circle which she draws - With magic wand. So potent is the spell, - That none decoy’d into that fatal ring, - Unless by Heaven’s peculiar grace, escape. - There we grow early grey, but never wise; - There form connections, but acquire no friend; - Solicit pleasure, hopeless of success; - Waste youth in occupations only fit - For second childhood; and devote old age - To sports, which only childhood could excuse. - _Cowper._ - - - Many there are who wear the cap and bells, - And tread the maze of _folly_; - And some who dwell apart in hermit cells - With moping melancholy. - Many there are who toil, and moil, and scrape, - For gold they cannot keep; - And many who from toil and care escape, - Wrapped in a drunken sleep. - Some of their brothers in their anger cry-- - Thou _fool_! nor heed the sin; - And some their God and Saviour would deny - Human applause to win. - All this is _foolishness_, but worst of all - The last mad _folly_, - Building betwixt the soul and heaven a wall, - Spreading o’er nature’s face a gloomy pall - Of hopeless melancholy. - _Egone._ - - - - - FORGETFULNESS. - - -How long wilt thou _forget_ me, O Lord? for ever? how long wilt thou -hide thy face from me?--Psalm xiii. 1. - -But Zion said, The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath _forgotten_ -me. - -Can a woman _forget_ her sucking child, that she should not have -compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may _forget_, yet will I -not _forget_ thee.--Isaiah, xlix. 14, 15. - - - Behold the inexorable hour at hand! - Behold the inexorable hour _forgot_! - And to _forget_ it, the chief aim of life; - Though well to ponder it is life’s chief end. - _Young._ - - - _Forget_ me not! _Forget_ me not! - Thou utterest, Lord, from earth or skies, - In glittering glory--rainbow dyes, - And every breeze that sheds a balm - On morning’s joy or evening’s calm, - In open glade or lonely spot, - Maintains a tongue to tell Thy power, - And whispers in Thy name and hour, - _Forget_ me not! _Forget_ me not! - - _Forget_ me not! _Forget_ me not! - The record of Thy will doth say, - Revealing Thee in glory’s ray, - On Sinai’s mount with justice crowned, - Throwing Thy awful thunders round, - But most, when pitying the hard lot - Of man, Thy Son rejoiced to die - Upon the mount of Calvary, - Thy voice was heard--_Forget_ me not! - - _Forget_ us not! _Forget_ us not! - In that dread hour when tyrant death - Shall gripe this form and stop its breath; - Oh! in each struggling throe, that clay - Feels when the soul is wrenched away, - And it is left for earth to rot, - Look down in mercy--Lord, be nigh, - To curb the dying agony; - We are but dust--_Forget_ us not! - _William Martin._ - - - - - FORGIVENESS. - - -To the Lord our God belong mercies and _forgivenesses_, though we have -rebelled against him.--Daniel, ix. 9. - -When ye stand praying, _forgive_, if ye have ought against any: that -your Father also which is in heaven may _forgive_ you your trespasses. - -But if ye do not _forgive_, neither will your Father which is in heaven -_forgive_ your trespasses.--Mark, xi. 25, 26. - -When they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they -crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the -other on the left. - -Then said Jesus, Father, _forgive_ them; for they know not what they -do.--Luke, xxiii. 33, 34. - -Be ye kind one to another, tender-hearted, _forgiving_ one another, -even as God for Christ’s sake hath _forgiven_ you.--Ephesians, iv. 32. - - - Though in the secret paths of sin I trod, - Yet do not quite forsake me, O my God! - ’Tis Thou alone canst ease me of my pain, - Thy healing hand can wash out every stain, - Can cleanse my soul, and make the leper clean. - Speak, love divine, and bid the suppliant live, - Oh, let mine ear but hail the word, “_Forgive!_” - _Daniel._ - - - _Forgive_ thy foe;--nor that alone, - His evil deed with good repay; - Fill those with joy who leave thee none - And kiss the hand upraised to slay. - _From the Persian._ - - - Good nature and good sense must ever join; - To err is human, to _forgive_ divine. - _Pope._ - - - Great souls _forgive_ not injuries till time - Has put their enemies into their power, - That they may show _forgiveness_ in their own. - _Dryden._ - - - My foemen, Lord, are fierce and fell, - They spurn me in their pride; - They render evil for my good, - My patience they deride. - - Arise, O King! and be the proud - To righteous ruin driven!-- - “_Forgive!_” an awful answer came, - “As thou would’st be _forgiven_.” - _Heber._ - - - O thou unknown, Almighty cause - Of all my hope and fear! - In whose dread presence, ere an hour, - Perhaps I must appear! - - If I have wandered in those paths - Of life I ought to shun, - As something, loudly, in my breast, - Remonstrates I have done; - - Thou know’st that Thou hast formed me - With passions wild and strong; - And list’ning to their witching voice - Has often led me wrong. - - Where human weakness has come short, - Or frailty stept aside, - Do Thou, All-Good! for such thou art, - In shades of darkness hide. - - Where with intention I have err’d, - No other plea I have, - But Thou art good; and Goodness still - Delighteth to _forgive_. - _Burns._ - - - _Forgiveness!_ ’tis a joyful sound, - To rebel sinners doomed to die: - Publish the bliss the world around; - Ye seraphs shout it from the sky! - - ’Tis the rich gift of love divine; - ’Tis full--outmeasuring every crime; - Unclouded shall its glories shine, - And feel no change by changing time. - - For this stupendous love of heaven, - What grateful honour shall we shew? - Where much transgression is _forgiven_, - Let love with equal ardour glow. - - Cheered by the hope of pardoning grace, - We come Thy mercy, Lord, to prove; - Like weeping Mary, let us taste - A pledge of Thy _forgiving_ love. - _Gibbons._ - - - She rose from her untroubled sleep, - And put aside her soft brown hair, - And in a tone as low and deep - As love’s first whisper, breath’d a prayer. - And there, from slumber soft and warm, - Like a young spirit fresh from heaven, - She bow’d her slight and graceful form, - And humbly pray’d to be _forgiven_. - - Oh, God! if souls unsoiled as these - Need daily mercy from Thy throne, - If she, upon her bended knees, - Our loveliest and purest one-- - She, with a face so clear and bright, - We deem her some stray child of light; - If she, with those soft eyes in tears, - Day after day, in her first years, - Must kneel and pray for grace from Thee, - What far, far deeper need have we? - How hardly if she win not heaven, - Will our wild errors be _forgiven_? - _N. P. Willis._ - - - When on the fragrant sandal tree - The woodman’s axe descends, - And she who bloomed so beauteously - Beneath the keen stroke bends-- - E’en on the edge that brought her death, - Dying, she breathes her sweetest breath, - As if to token in her fall - “Peace to her foes, and love to all.” - How hardly man this lesson learns, - To smile, and bless the hand that spurns; - To see the blow, and feel the pain, - But render only love again. - This spirit ne’er was given on earth; - One had it,--he of heavenly birth; - Reviled, rejected, and betrayed, - No curse He breathed, no plaint He made, - But when in death’s deep pang He sighed, - Prayed for his murderers--and died. - _Edmeston._ - - - - - FOUNDATION. - - -Of old hast thou laid the _foundation_ of the earth: and the heavens -are the work of thy hands.--Psalm cii. 25. - -Thus saith the Lord God, Behold I lay in Zion for a _foundation_ a -stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure _foundation_: he -that believeth shall not make haste.--Isaiah, xxviii. 16. - -According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise master -builder, I have laid the _foundation_, and another buildeth thereon. -But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. - -For other _foundation_ can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus -Christ.--I. Corinthians, iii. 10, 11. - - - Why build ye on the unsteady sand, - A worthless house that cannot stand? - Behold, in winter’s stormy day, - That frail support will glide away, - And rising billows lightly sweep - Your fortress to the yawning deep. - God hath a sure _foundation_ given, - Fix’d as the firm decrees of heaven: - The changeless, everlasting rock, - That braves the storm, and bides the shock; - There build: the gates of hell in vain - Against that rock their war maintain. - Christ is the rock, the corner stone, - Faith rears her beauteous house thereon; - Adorn’d with works of willing love, - And pointing to the scenes above; - Where faith and hope their sway resign, - Swallow’d in sight and joy divine. - _Charlotte Elizabeth._ - - - I built my house upon a rock, - (Faith’s strong _foundation_ firm and sure,) - Fixed my abode, the heaviest shock - Of time and tempest to endure. - - Nor small, nor large, nor low, nor high, - Midway it stands upon the steep, - Beneath the storm-mark of the sky, - Above the flood-mark of the deep. - - And here I humbly wait, while He - Who pluck’d me from the lowest hell, - Prepares a heavenly house for me, - And calls me hence with Him to dwell. - _J. Montgomery._ - - - - - FOUNTAIN. - - -How excellent is thy loving-kindness, O God! therefore the children of -men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings. - -For with thee is the _fountain_ of life: in thy light shall we see -light.--Psalm xxxvi. 7, 9. - -In that day there shall be a _fountain_ opened to the house -of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for -uncleanness.--Zechariah, xiii. 1. - -I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give -unto him that is athirst of the _fountain_ of the water of life -freely.--Revelation, xxi. 6. - - - He set before him spread - A table of celestial food divine, - Ambrosial fruits, fetched from the tree of life, - And from the _fount_ of life ambrosial drink. - _Milton._ - - - Abused mortals! did you know - Where joy, heart’s-ease, and comforts grow, - You’d scorn proud towers, - And seek them in these bowers, - Where winds sometimes our woods perhaps may shake, - But blustering care could never tempest make, - Nor murmurs e’er come nigh us, - Saving of _fountains_ that glide by us. - _Sir Walter Raleigh._ - - - How free the _fountain_ flows - Of endless life and joy! - The spring which no confinement knows, - Whose waters never cloy. - - How sweet the accents sound - From the Redeemer’s tongue! - Assemble all ye nations round - In one obedient throng. - - Ho, every thirsty soul - Approach the sacred spring, - Drink, and your fainting spirits cheer, - Renew the draught and sing. - _Doddridge._ - - - Why should the soul a drop bemoan, - Who has a _fountain_ near,-- - A _fountain_ which shall ever run - With waters sweet and clear? - _Ryland._ - - - - - FRAILTY. - - -Lord, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is; -that I may know how _frail_ I am.--Psalm xxxix. 4. - - - But man with _frailty_ is allied by birth. - _Bishop Lowth._ - - - By nature peccable and _frail_ are we, - Easily beguiled; to vice, to error prone; - But apt for virtue too. Humanity - Is not a field where tares and thorns alone - Are left to spring; good seed hath there been sown - With no unsparing hand. Sometimes the shoot - Is choked with weeds, or withers on a stone; - But in a kindly soil it strikes its root, - And flourisheth, and bringeth forth abundant fruit. - _Southey._ - - - “How meanly dwells th’ immortal mind! - How vile these bodies are! - Why was a clod of earth designed - T’ enclose a heavenly star? - - “Weak cottage where our souls reside, - This flesh a tott’ring wall; - With frightful breaches gaping wide, - The building bends to fall. - - “All round it storms of trouble blow, - And waves of sorrow roll; - Cold waves and winter storms beat through, - And pain the tenant soul. - - “Alas! how _frail_ our state!” said I; - And thus went mourning on, - Till sudden from the cleaving sky - A gleam of glory shone. - - My soul felt all the glory come, - And breathed her native air; - Then she remembered heaven, her home, - And she a prisoner here. - - Straight she begun to change her key, - And joyful in her pains, - She sang the _frailty_ of her clay - In pleasurable strains. - _Watts._ - - - - - FREEDOM. - - -He that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord’s -_freeman_: likewise also he that is called, being _free_, is Christ’s -servant.--I. Corinthians, vii. 22. - -And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you -_free_.--John, viii. 32. - -If the Son therefore shall make you _free_, ye shall be _free_ -indeed.--John, viii. 36. - -As _free_, and not using your liberty for a cloak of maliciousness, but -as the servants of God.--I. Peter, ii. 16. - - - _Freely_ we serve, - Because we _freely_ love, as in our will - To love or not; in this we stand or fall. - _Milton._ - - - Yet gave me in this dark estate - To see the good from ill, - And, binding Nature fast in fate, - Left _free_ the human will. - _Pope._ - - - Placed for his trial on this bustling stage, - From thoughtless youth to ruminating age, - _Free_ in his will to choose or to refuse, - Man may improve the crisis, or abuse; - Else, on the fatalist’s unrighteous plan, - Say to what bar amenable were man? - With nought in charge he could betray no trust; - And if he fell, would fall because he must; - If Love reward him, or if Vengeance strike, - His recompense in both unjust alike. - _Cowper._ - - - Grace leads the right way: if you choose the wrong, - Take it and perish, but restrain your tongue; - Charge not, with light sufficient, and left _free_, - Your wilful suicide on God’s decree. - _Cowper._ - - - True _freedom_ is where no restraint is known - That scripture, justice, and good sense disown, - Where only vice and injury are tied, - And all from shore to shore is _free_ beside. - _Cowper._ - - - Where had been - The test of faith if the expanded arm - Of Heaven, in glory and in power displayed, - Had curbed the _freedom_ of the human will, - Nor left the scope of choice! - _Samuel Hayes._ - - - If, with streamy radiance, God - Had dazzling beamed upon His creatures’ eyelids, - And shown Himself to their unbandaged view, - And with a voice divine to us had spoken, - Destroying in our hearts the wondrous balance, - (Man ceasing to be man had lost his _freedom_,) - Our soul would not have struggled with our senses, - And void of _freedom_ what would virtue be? - _Pulling, from Lamartine._ - - - For what is _freedom_, but the unfettered use - Of all the powers which God for use had given? - But chiefly this, Him first, Him last to view - Through meaner powers and secondary things - Effulgent, as through clouds that veil His blaze. - _Coleridge._ - - - Man (ingenious to contrive his woe, - And rob himself of all that makes this vale - Of tears bloom comfort) cries, If God foresees - Our future actings, then the objects known - Must be determined, or the knowledge fail: - Thus liberty’s destroyed, and all we do - Or suffer, by a fatal thread is spun. - Say, fool, with too much subtilty misled, - Who reasonest but to err, does Prescience change - The property of things? Is aught thou seest - Caused by thy vision, not thy vision caused - By forms that previously exist? To God - This mode of seeing future deeds extends, - And _freedom_ with foreknowledge may exist. - _George Bally._ - - - In a service which Thy will appoints - There are no bonds for me; - For my inmost heart is taught “the truth” - That makes thy children “_free_;” - And a life of self-renouncing love - Is a life of liberty. - _A. L. Waring._ - - - - - FRIENDSHIP. - - -A _friend_ loveth at all times.--Proverbs, xvii. 17. - -A man that hath _friends_ must shew himself _friendly_: and there is a -_friend_ that sticketh closer than a brother.--Proverbs, xviii. 24. - -The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man -gluttonous, and a winebibber, a _friend_ of publicans and sinners. But -wisdom is justified of her children.--Matthew, xi. 19. - -Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the _friendship_ of -the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a _friend_ of -the world is the enemy of God.--James, iv. 4. - - - O world, thy slippery turns! _Friends_ now fast sworn, - Whose double bosoms seem to wear one heart; - Whose hours, whose bed, whose meat, and exercise, - Are still together; who twin, as ’t were, in love, - Unseparable, shall within this hour, - On a dissension of a doit, break out - To bitterest enmity: so, fellest foes, - Whose passions and whose plots have broke their sleep, - To take the one the other, by some chance, - Some trick not worth an egg, shall grow dear _friends_, - And interjoin their issues. - _Shakspere._ - - - Each _friend_ by fate snatched from us, is a plume - Plucked from the wing of human vanity, - Which makes us stoop from our aerial heights, - And, damped with omen of our own decease, - On drooping pinions of ambition lowered, - Just skim earth’s surface, ere we break it up; - O’er putrid earth to scratch a little dust, - And save the world a nuisance. - _Young._ - - - Heaven gives us _friends_ to bless the present scene; - Resumes them to prepare us for the next. - _Young._ - - - Celestial happiness! Whene’er she stoops - To visit earth, one shrine the goddess finds, - And one alone, to make her sweet amends - For absent heaven,--the bosom of a _friend_, - Where heart meets heart, reciprocally soft, - Each other’s pillow to repose divine. - _Young._ - - - A _friend_ is worth all hazards we can run, - Poor is the _friendless_ master of a world; - A world in purchase of a _friend_ is gain. - _Dr. Young._ - - - _Friend_ of the _friendless_ and the faint! - Where should I lodge my deep complaint? - Where, but with Thee, whose open door - Invites the helpless and the poor? - Did ever mourner plead with Thee, - And Thou refuse that mourner’s plea? - Does not that word still fixed remain, - That “none shall seek thy face in vain?” - _Cowper._ - - - To bless mankind with tides of flowing wealth, - With power to grace them, or to crown with health, - Our little lot denies; but Heaven decrees - To all, the gift of minist’ring to ease: - The gentle offices of patient love, - Beyond all flattery, and all praise above; - The mild forbearance of another’s fault, - The taunting word suppress’d as soon as thought; - On these Heaven bade the sweets of life depend; - And crush’d ill fortune when she gave a _friend_. - A solitary blessing few can find; - Our joys with those we love are intertwined; - And he whose wakeful tenderness removes - Th’ obstructing thorn which wounds the breast he loves, - Smoothes not another’s rugged path alone, - But scatters roses to adorn his own. - _Hannah More._ - - - There is a _Friend_, more tender, true, - Than brother e’er can be, - Who, when all others bid adieu, - Remains--the last to flee; - Who, be their pathway bright or dim, - Deserts not those who turn to Him. - - The heart by Him sustained, though deep - Its anguish, still can bear! - The soul He condescends to keep, - Shall never know despair; - In nature’s weakness, sorrow’s night, - God is its strength, its joy, its light. - _Barton._ - - - _Friend_ after _friend_ departs; - Who hath not lost a _friend_? - There is no union here of hearts - That finds not here an end; - Were this frail world our final rest, - Living or dying none were blest. - _J. Montgomery._ - - - _Friendship_, thou charmer of the mind, - Thou sweet deluding ill, - The brightest minute mortals find, - And sharpest hour we feel. - - Fate has divided all our shares - Of pleasure and of pain; - In love the comforts and the cares - Are mixed and joined again. - - But whilst in floods our sorrow rolls, - And drops of joy are few, - This dear delight of mingling souls - Serves but to swell our woe. - - Oh! why should bliss depart in haste, - And _friendship_ stay to moan? - Why the fond passion cling so fast, - When every joy is gone? - - Yet never let our hearts divide, - Nor death dissolve the chain; - For love and joy were once allied, - And must be joined again. - _Watts._ - - - Christ had His _friends_--His eye could trace - In the long train of coming years, - The chosen children of His grace, - The full reward of all His tears. - These are _friends_, and these are thine, - If thou to Him hast bowed the knee; - And where these ransomed millions shine - Shall thy eternal mansion be. - _Anonymous._ - - - In yonder bright clime Christian _friendships_ of earth - Shall live through eternity’s day, - Shall blossom like plants in the land of their birth, - But never to suffer decay. - _W. J. Brock._ - - - - - GAIN. - - -What shall it profit a man, if he shall _gain_ the whole world, and -lose his own soul.--Mark, viii. 36. - -For me to live is Christ, and to die is _gain_.--Philippians, i. 21. - -But what things were _gain_ to me, those I counted loss for -Christ.--Philippians, iii. 7. - -Godliness with contentment is great _gain_.--I. Timothy, vi. 6. - -Go to now, ye that say, To-day or to-morrow we will go into such a -city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get _gain_. - -Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow.--James, iv. 13, 14. - - - I left the God of truth and light, - I left the God who gave me breath, - To wander in the wilds of night, - And perish in the snares of death. - - In riches when I sought for joy, - And placed in sordid _gain_ my trust, - I found that gold was all alloy, - And worldly pleasures fleeting dust. - _J. Montgomery._ - - - The Christian knows each cloud of grief - Bears impress of his God; - That love, he knows, will send relief - Which sends the chastening rod. - - He suffers still:--God doth not spare; - But, lo, He soothes his grief!-- - The Christian has a cross to bear,-- - But has a Christ’s relief! - - A crown was purchased by his cross, - A Paradise by pain; - And for His sake, each present loss - Shall yield eternal _gain_. - _Anon._ - - - No more, my God, I boast no more - Of all the duties I have done; - I quit the hopes I held before, - To trust the merits of Thy Son. - - Now for the love I bear His name, - What was my _gain_ I count my loss; - My former pride I call my shame, - And nail my glory to His cross. - _Watts._ - - - - - GARDEN--EDEN--GETHSEMANE. - - -And the Lord God planted a _garden_ eastward in _Eden_; and there he -put the man whom he had formed.--Genesis, ii. 8. - -Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called _Gethsemane_, and saith -unto his disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder.--Matthew, -xxvi. 36. - -Jesus went forth with his disciples over the brook Cedron, where was a -_garden_, into the which he entered, and his disciples.--John, xviii. 1. - -In the place where he was crucified there was a _garden_; and in the -_garden_ a new sepulchre, wherein was never man yet laid. - -There laid they Jesus.--John, xix. 41, 42. - - - The mighty Lord of heaven and earth, - By Gihon’s pure and placid stream, - That from the new-born hills came forth, - To sparkle in the sun’s young beam-- - Upraised, all lovely as a dream - To hearts of holy feeling given, - The _garden_-bowers with joy that teem - For the peculiar wards of heaven:-- - - For man and woman--blessed pair! - In innocence and beauty made: - With sinless lips to breathe the air, - Whose odorous gales around them played; - With hearts as pure as dew-drops laid - Within the rose’s virgin breast; - With souls that never felt a shade - Of gloom upon their prospects rest. - _Knox._ - - - Bring the thrilling scene - Home to thine inmost soul:--the sufferer’s cry, - “Father, if it be possible, this cup - Take thou away.--Yet not my will but thine:” - The sleeping friends who could not watch one hour, - The torch, the flashing sword, the traitor’s kiss, - The astonished angel, with the tear of Heaven - Upon his cheek, still striving to assuage - Those fearful pangs that bowed the Son of God, - Like a bruised reed. Thou who hast power to look - Thus at _Gethsemane_, be still! be still! - What are thine insect-woes, compared to His - Who agonizeth there? Count thy brief pains - As the dust atom on life’s chariot-wheels, - And in a Saviour’s grief forget them all. - _Mrs. Sigourney._ - - - The palm--the vine--the cedar--each hath power - To bid fair oriental shapes glance by, - And each quick glistening of the laurel bower - Waft Grecian images, o’er fancy’s eye: - But thou, pale olive! in thy branches lie - Far deeper spells than prophet grove of old - Might e’er enshrine:--I could not hear thee sigh - To the wind’s faintest whisper, nor behold - One shiver of thy leaves’ dim silvery green, - Without high thoughts and solemn of that scene - When in the _Garden_ the Redeemer prayed-- - When pale stars looked upon His fainting head, - And angels, ministering in silent dread, - Trembled, perchance, within thy trembling shade. - _Hemans._ - - - How vainly men themselves amaze - To win the palm, the oak, or bays; - And their incessant labours see - Crowned from some single herb or tree, - Whose short and narrow-verged shade - Does prudently their toils upbraid; - While all the flowers and trees do close - To weave the garlands of repose. - - Fair Quiet, have I found thee here, - And Innocence, thy sister dear? - Mistaken long, I sought you then - In busy companies of men. - Your sacred plants, if here below, - Only among the plants will grow. - Society is all but rude - In this delicious solitude. - - Here at the fountain’s sliding foot, - As at some fruit tree’s mossy root, - Casting the body’s vest aside, - My soul into the boughs does glide; - There, like a bird, it sits and sings, - Then whets, and claps its silver wings; - And, till prepared for longer flight, - Waves in its plumes the various light. - - How well the skilful _gard’ner_ drew - Of flow’rs and herbs the dial new, - Where from above the milder sun - Does through a fragrant zodiac run: - And, as it works, the industrious bee - Computes the time, as well as we. - How could such sweet and wholesome hours - Be reckoned, but with herbs and flowers. - _Andrew Marvell._ - - - In a _garden_--man was placed, - Meet abode for innocence, - With his Maker’s image graced: - --Sin crept in and drove him thence, - Through the world, a wretch undone, - Seeking rest and finding none. - - In a _garden_--on that night - When our Saviour was betrayed, - With what world-redeeming might, - In his agony he prayed! - Till he drank the vengeance up, - And with mercy filled the cup. - - In a _garden_--on the cross, - When the spear His heart had riven, - And for earth’s primeval loss - Heaven’s best ransom had been given, - Jesus rested from His woes, - Jesus from the dead arose. - - Emblem of the church above! - Where, as in their native clime, - ’Midst the _garden_ of His love, - Rescued from the rage of time, - Saints, as trees of life shall stand, - Planted by His own right hand. - _J. Montgomery._ - - - - - GENTLENESS. - - -Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy -_gentleness_ hath made me great.--II. Samuel, xxii. 36. - -Now I Paul myself beseech you by the meekness and _gentleness_ of -Christ.--II. Corinthians, x. 1. - -But we were _gentle_ among you, even as a nurse cherisheth her -children.--I. Thessalonians, ii. 7. - -The servant of the Lord must not strive; but be _gentle_ unto all men, -apt to teach, patient.--II. Timothy, ii. 24. - - - _Gently_ I took that which _ungently_ came, - And without scorn forgave:--Do thou the same. - A wrong done to thee think a cat’s eye spark, - Thou wouldest not see, were not thine own heart dark. - Thine own keen sense of wrong that thirsts for sin, - Fear that--the spark self-kindled from within, - Which blown upon will blind thee with its glare, - Or smother’d stifle thee with noisome air. - Clap on the extinguisher, pull up the blinds, - And soon the ventilated spirit finds - Its natural daylight. If a foe have kenn’d, - Or worse than foe, an alienated friend, - A rib of dry rot in thy ship’s stout side, - Think it God’s message, and in humble pride - With heart of oak replace it;--thine the gains-- - Give him the rotten timber for his pains! - _Coleridge._ - - - I’ve thought of all this pride, and all this pain, - And all the insolent plenitudes of power, - And I declare, by this most quiet hour, - Which holds in different tasks by the fire-light - She, and my friends here, this delightful night, - That power itself has not one half the might - Of _Gentleness_. ’Tis want to all true wealth; - The uneasy madman’s force, to the wise health; - Blind downward beating, to the eyes that see; - Noise to persuasion, doubt to certainty; - The consciousness of strength in enemies, - Who must be strain’d upon or else they rise; - The battle to the moon, who all the while, - High out of hearing, passes with her smile: - The tempest, trampled in his scanty run, - To the whole globe, that basks about the sun; - Or as all shrieks and clangs, with which a sphere, - Undone and fired, could rake the midnight ear, - Compared with that vast dumbness nature keeps - Throughout her starry deeps, - Most old, and mild, and awful, and unbroken, - Which tells a tale of peace beyond whate’er was spoken. - _Leigh Hunt._ - - - Speak _gently_!--It is better far - To rule by love than fear-- - Speak _gently_--let no harsh words mar - The good we might do here! - - Speak _gently_--love doth whisper low - The vows that true hearts bind; - And _gently_ Friendship’s accents flow,-- - Affection’s voice is kind. - - Speak _gently_ to the little child! - Its love be sure to gain; - Teach it in accents soft and mild, - It may not long remain. - - Speak _gently_ to the young, for they - Will have enough to bear; - Pass through this life as best they may, - ’Tis full of anxious care! - - Speak _gently_ to the aged one, - Grieve not the careworn heart; - The sands of life are nearly run, - Let such in peace depart. - - Speak _gently_, kindly, to the poor-- - Let no harsh word be heard; - They have enough they must endure, - Without an unkind word. - - Speak _gently_ to the erring--know - They may have toiled in vain; - Perchance unkindness made them so; - Oh! win them back again. - _Anonymous._ - - - - - GIVING. - - -Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast -received _gifts_ for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the Lord -God might dwell among them.--Psalm lxviii. 18. - -That every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his -labour, it is the _gift_ of God.--Ecclesiastes, iii. 13. - -The _gift_ of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our -Lord.--Romans, vi. 23. - -Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable _gift_.--II. Corinthians, ix. 15. - - - The King of light, Father of aged time, - Hath brought about that day, which is the prime - To the slow gliding months, when every eye - Wears symptoms of a sober jollity; - And every hand is ready to present - Some service in a real compliment. - While some in golden letters write their love, - Some speak affection by a ring or glove, - Or pins and points, (for e’en the peasant may, - After his ruder fashion, be as gay - As the brisk courtly Sir,) and thinks that he - Cannot, without a gross absurdity, - Be this day frugal, and not spare his friend - Some _gift_, to show his love finds not an end - With the deceased year. - _Joshua Poole._ - - - Who _gives_, constrained, but his own fear reviles; - Not thanked, but scorned; nor are they _gifts_, but spoils. - _Denham._ - - - Cheap _gifts_ best fit poor _givers_. We are told - Of the lone mite, and cup of water cold, - That, in their way, approved the offerer’s zeal. - True love shows costliest where the means are scant, - And, in her reckoning, they abound who want. - _Charles Lamb._ - - - Largely Thou _givest_, gracious Lord, - Largely Thy _gifts_ should be restored; - Freely Thou _givest_, and thy word - Is “Freely _give_.” - He only who forgets to hoard - Has learned to live. - _Keble._ - - - - - GLORY. - - -And she named the child Ichabod, saying, The _glory_ is departed from -Israel.--I. Samuel, iv. 21. - -Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to -_glory_.--Psalm lxxiii. 24. - -When the Lord shall build up Zion he shall appear in his -_glory_.--Psalm cii. 16. - -The wise shall inherit _glory_.--Proverbs, iii. 35. - -For men to search their own _glory_ is not _glory_.--Proverbs, xxv. 27. - -Enter into the rock, and hide thee in the dust, for fear of the Lord, -and for the _glory_ of his majesty.--Isaiah, ii. 10. - - - T’ raise desert and virtue by my fortune, - Though in a low estate, were greater _glory_, - Than to mix greatness with a prince that owns - No worth but that name only. - _Massinger._ - - - When our souls shall leave this dwelling, - The _glory_ of one fair and virtuous action - Is above all the scutcheons on our tomb, - Or silken banners over us. - _Shirley._ - - - This is true _glory_ and renown, when God, - Looking on the earth, with approbation marks - The just man, and divulges him through heaven - To all his angels, who with true applause - Recount his praises: thus He did to Job, - Who famous was in heaven, on earth less known; - Where _glory_ is false _glory_ attributed - To things not _glorious_, men not worthy of fame. - They err who count it _glorious_ to subdue - By conquest far and wide, to over-run - Large countries, and in field great battles win, - Great cities by assault; what do these worthies, - But rob and spoil, burn, slaughter, and enslave - Peaceable nations, neighbouring or remote, - Made captive, yet deserving freedom more - Than those their conquerors, who leave behind - Nothing but ruin wheresoe’er they rove, - And all the flourishing arts of peace destroy. - But if there be in _glory_ aught of good, - It may by means far different be attain’d, - Without ambition, war, or violence; - By deeds of peace, by wisdom eminent, - By patience, temperance. - _Milton._ - - - Much of the soul they talk, but all awry, - And in themselves seek virtue, and to themselves - All _glory_ arrogate, to God give none. - _Milton._ - - - Thus the fond moth around the taper plays, - And sports and flutters in the treacherous blaze; - Ravished with joy he wings his eager flight, - Nor deems of ruin in so clear a light: - He tempts his fate, and courts a _glorious_ doom, - A bright destruction, and a shining tomb. - _Tickell._ - - - The boast of heraldry, the pomp of power, - And all that beauty, all that wealth e’er gave, - Await alike the inevitable hour; - The path of _glory_ leads but to the grave. - _Gray._ - - - O, that mine eye might closed be, - To what concerns me not to see; - That deafness might possess mine ear, - To what concerns me not to hear; - That Truth my tongue might always tie - From ever speaking foolishly; - That no vain thought might ever rest, - Or be conceived, in my breast; - That by each word, and deed, and thought, - _Glory_ may to my God be brought! - _Thomas Ellwood._ - - - Lift up your heads, ye gates that long endure! - The King of _Glory_ comes victoriously! - Who is the King of _Glory_? He, be sure, - The Lord, renowned in battle! This is He! - Lift up your heads, ye gates! He stands before ye; - Oh ye æonian gates, uplifted be, - And make to Him wide entrance whom adore ye. - Who is the King ye herald? who but He, - The Lord of Hosts? Who else is King of _Glory_? - _J. A. Heraud._ - - - Wake, arm divine! awake - Eye of the only wise! - Now for Thy _glory’s_ sake, - Saviour and God arise! - _Keble._ - - - - - GOD. - - -Thou art a _God_ ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, -and of great kindness.--Nehemiah, ix. 17. - -The mighty _God_, even the Lord, hath spoken, and called the earth from -the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof. - -Our _God_ shall come, and shall not keep silence.--Psalm l. 1, 3. - -And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our _God_; we have waited -for him, and he will save us: this is the Lord; we have waited for him, -we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.--Isaiah, xxv. 9. - -To whom then will ye liken _God_? or what likeness will ye compare unto -him?--Isaiah, xl. 18. - -Prepare to meet thy _God_.--Amos, iv. 12. - -_God_ is a spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit -and in truth.--John, iv. 24. - -Without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: _God_ was -manifest in the flesh.--I. Timothy, iii. 16. - - - To _God_ more glory, more good-will to men - From _God_, and over wrath shall grace abound. - _Milton._ - - - The heavens are a point from the pen of His perfection; - The world is a rosebud from the bower of His beauty; - The sun is a spark from the light of His wisdom; - And the sky a bubble on the sea of His power. - His beauty is free from stain of sin, - Hidden in a veil of thick darkness. - He formed mirrors of the atoms of the world, - And he cast a reflection from His own face on every atom! - To thy clear-seeing eye whatsoever is fair, - When thou regardest it aright, is a reflection from His face. - _Jami, from the Persian._ - - - O Thou, whose power o’er moving worlds presides, - Whose voice created and whose wisdom guides, - On darkling man in pure effulgence shine, - And cheer the clouded mind with light divine! - - ’Tis Thine alone to calm the pious breast, - With silent confidence, and holy rest; - From Thee, great _God_! we spring--to Thee we tend, - Path, Motive, Guide, Original, and End. - _Dr. Johnson_. - - - Not _God_ alone in the still calm we find, - He mounts the storm, and walks upon the wind. - _Pope._ - - - The _God_ that rules on high, - That all the earth surveys, - That rides upon the stormy sky, - And calms the roaring seas-- - This awful _God_ is ours, - Our Father and our love; - He will send down His heavenly powers - To carry us above. - _Watts._ - - - Spirit whose life-sustaining presence fills - Air, ocean, central depths by man untried, - Thou for Thy worshippers hast sanctified - All place, all time! The silence of the hills - Breathes veneration: founts and choral rills - Of Thee are murmuring:--to its inmost glade - The living forest with Thy whisper thrills, - And there is holiness in every shade. - _Mrs. Hemans._ - - - On earth there’s not a creature - Too small, dear _God_, for Thee: - Thou gav’st them form and feature, - And Thine they aye must be. - For Thee the bird sings, - For Thee the fish springs, - For Thee the bee hums, - The gold-beetle drums, - The little mouse pipes clear and fine;-- - We all are Thine, dear Lord; but Thine! - _Clemens Brentano._ - - - There is no _God_,--the fool in secret said; - There is no _God_ that rules on earth or sky; - Tear off the band that folds the wretched head, - That _God_ may burst upon his faithless eye. - Is there no _God_?--the stars in myriads spread, - If he look up, the blasphemy deny, - Whilst his own features, in the mirror read, - Reflect the image of Divinity. - Is there no _God_?--the silver stream that flows, - The air he breathes, the ground he treads, the trees, - The flowers, the grass, the sands, each wind that blows, - All speak of _God_; throughout one voice agrees, - And eloquent His dread existence shows: - Blind to thyself, ah! see Him, fool, in these. - _Anon._ - - - My _God_, to Thee belong - Incense of praise and hallowed song; - To Thee be all the glory given - Of all my mercies under heaven; - From Thee my daily bread and health, - Each comfort, all my spirit’s wealth, - Have been derived;--my sins alone, - And errings, I can call mine own. - _Walker._ - - - What secret hand, at morning light, - By stealth unseals mine eye, - Draws back the curtain of the night, - And opens earth and sky? - - ’Tis Thine, my _God_--the same that kept - My resting hours from harm; - No ill came nigh me, for I slept - Beneath the Almighty’s arm. - - ’Tis Thine--my daily bread that brings, - Like manna scattered round, - And clothes me, as the lily springs - In beauty from the ground. - _J. Montgomery._ - - - With years oppress’d, with sorrows worn, - Dejected, harass’d, sick, forlorn, - To Thee, O _God_, I pray; - To Thee my withered hands arise; - To Thee I lift my failing eyes: - Oh! cast me not away! - _Sir R. Grant._ - - - Who spoke creation into birth, - Arch’d the broad heavens, and spread the rolling earth; - Who form’d a pathway for the obedient sun, - And bade the seasons in their circles run; - Who fill’d the air, the forest, and the flood, - And gave man all for comfort, or for good. - _Charles Sprague._ - - - - - GOLD. - - -But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come -forth as _gold_.--Job, xxiii. 10. - -The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the -Lord are true and righteous altogether. - -More to be desired are they than _gold_, yea, than much fine -_gold_.--Psalm xix. 9, 10. - -The trial of your faith, being much more precious that of _gold_ that -perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and -honour and glory, at the appearing of Jesus Christ.--I. Peter, i. 7. - -I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of -heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. - -And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure -_gold_, like unto clear glass.--Revelation, xxi. 2, 18. - - - Never exceed thy income. Youth may make - Even with the year; but age if it will hit, - Shoots a bow short, and lessens still its stake, - As the day lessens, and his life with it. - Thy children, kindred, friends, upon thee call; - Before thy journey fairly part with all. - - Yet in thy thriving still misdoubt some evil; - Lest gaining gain on thee, and make thee dim - To all things else. Wealth is the conjurer’s devil; - Whom when he thinks he hath, the devil hath him. - _Gold_ thou mayest safely touch; but if it stick - Unto thy hands, it woundeth to the quick. - _Herbert._ - - - To purchase heaven has _gold_ the power? - Can _gold_ remove the mortal hour? - In life can love be bought with _gold_? - Are friendship’s pleasures to be sold? - No--all that’s worth a wish--a thought-- - Fair virtue gives, unbrib’d, unbought. - Cease then on trash thy hopes to bind, - Let nobler views engage thy mind. - _Dr. Johnson._ - - - Oh, bane of man! seducing cheat! - Can man, weak man, thy power defeat? - _Gold_ banish’d honour from the mind, - And only left the name behind; - _Gold_ sow’d the world with ev’ry ill, - _Gold_ taught the murderer’s sword to kill; - ’Twas _gold_ instructed coward hearts - In treachery’s more pernicious arts. - _Gay._ - - - _Gold_, many hunted, sweat, and bled for _Gold_; - Waked all the night, and laboured all the day. - And what was this allurement dost thou ask? - A dust dug from the bowels of the earth, - Which, being cast into the fire, came out - A shining thing that fools admired, and called - A god; and in devout and humble plight - Before it kneeled, the greater to the less; - And on its altar sacrificed ease, peace, - Truth, faith, integrity, good conscience, friends, - Love, charity, benevolence, and all - The sweet and tender sympathies of life; - And to complete the horrid murderous rite, - And signalize their folly, offered up - Their souls and an eternity of bliss, - To gain them--what? an hour of dreaming joy, - A feverish hour that hasted to be done, - And ended in the bitterness of woe. - _Pollok._ - - - The deep damnation of the crowd, O _Gold_! - Heapeth reproach upon thy innocent dust! - “Evil’s prolific root,”--“Bribe of the just,”-- - “Strength of the false and cruel,”--“God, extoll’d - By priests, by whom heaven’s pardoning grace is sold,”-- - Such are thy titles! while, with covetous lust, - Men hoard the very ore they have befoul’d - With the tongue’s obloquy of wordy rust,-- - Yet thou art sinless, _Gold!_ and bright, and bland, - And fit for glorious offices; and blest, - When put to uses holy. Oh, be sure - The curse is not on thee; for ’tis the hand - That toucheth thee doth thee with stains invest, - Or maketh thee beneficent and pure! - _Calder Campbell._ - - - That universal idol, _Gold_, - In homage all unites; - Without a temple, ’tis adored, - And has no hypocrites. - - Nay, more, _Gold’s_ warmest devotees - Strive most to hide their zeal; - And he that loves this idol most, - Would most that love conceal. - _Colton._ - - - - - GOODNESS. - - -There be many that say, Who will shew us any _good_? Lord, lift Thou up -the light of Thy countenance upon us.--Psalm iv. 6. - -There is not a just man upon earth, that doeth _good_, and sinneth -not.--Ecclesiastes, vii. 20. - -He hath shewed thee, O man, what is _good_; and what doth the Lord -require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk -humbly with thy God.--Micah, vi. 8. - -Do _good_ to them that hate you.--Matthew, v. 44. - -As we have therefore opportunity, let us do _good_ unto all -men.--Galatians, vi. 10. - -Hold fast that which is _good_.--I. Thessalonians, v. 21. - -Therefore to him that knoweth to do _good_, and doeth it not, to him it -is sin.--James, iv. 17. - - - How far the little candle throws his beams! - So shines a _good_ deed in a naughty world. - _Shakspere._ - - - Great minds, like Heaven, are pleased in doing _good_, - Though the ungrateful subjects of their favours - Are barren in return. - _Rowe._ - - - Then to be _good_, is to be happy: angels - Are happier than mankind, because they’re better. - _Rowe._ - - - Take well whate’er shall chance, though bad it be, - Take it for _good_, and ’twill be _good_ to thee. - _Randolph._ - - - _Good_, the more - Communicated, more abundant grows; - The author not impaired, but honoured more. - _Milton._ - - - Look round the world, behold the chain of love - Combining all below, and all above; - See plastic nature working to this end, - The single atoms each to other tend, - Attract, attracted to the next in place, - Formed and impelled its neighbour to embrace; - See matter next, with various life endued, - Press to one centre, still the general _good_. - _Young._ - - - A _good_ man and an angel! These between - How thin the barrier? What divides their fate? - Perhaps a moment, or perhaps a year; - Or if an age, it is a moment still, - A moment, or eternity’s forgot. - _Young._ - - - Who never felt the impatient throb-- - The longing of a heart that pants - And reaches after distant _good_. - _Cowper._ - - - Sure the last end - Of the _good_ man is peace!--how calm his exit! - Night-dews fall not more gently to the ground, - Nor weary worn-out winds expire so soft! - _Blair._ - - - The _good_ are better made by ill, - As odours crushed, are better still. - _Rogers._ - - - As flowers which night, when day is o’er, perfume, - Breathes the sweet memory from a _good_ man’s tomb. - _Sir E. B. Lytton._ - - - When to the common rest that crowns our days, - Called in the noon of life, the _good_ man goes, - Or full of years, or ripe in wisdom, lays - His silver temples in their last repose; - When, o’er the buds of youth, the death-wind blows, - And blights the fairest; when our bitterest tears - Stream, as the eyes of those that love us close, - We think on what they were, with many fears - Lest _goodness_ die with them, and leave the coming years. - _W. C. Bryant._ - - - Give credit to thy mortal brother’s heart - For all the _good_ that in thine own hath part. - _Mrs. Norton._ - - - Never despair of _goodness_. Men are bad, - But have been worse. The badness shall die out, - The _goodness_, like the thistle-down, shall float, - Bearing a germ beneath its tiny car-- - A germ predestined to become a tree, - To fall on fruitful soil, and on its boughs - Bear seed enough to stock the universe. - _Charles Mackay._ - - - - - GOSPEL. - - -And He said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the -_gospel_ to every creature.--Mark, xvi. 15. - -To the poor the _gospel_ is preached.--Luke, vii. 22. - -For I am not ashamed of the _gospel_ of Christ; for it is the power of -God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and -also to the Greek.--Romans, i. 16. - -The word of truth, the _gospel_ of your salvation.--Ephesians, i. 13. - -If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved -away from the hope of the _gospel_, which ye have heard, and which was -preached to every creature which is under heaven.--Colossians, i. 23. - -And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the -everlasting _gospel_ to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and -to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people.--Revelation, xiv. -6. - - - O, I have seen, (nor hope perhaps in vain, - Ere life go down, to see such sights again,) - A veteran warrior in the Christian field, - Who never saw the sword he could not wield; - Grave without dulness, learned without pride, - Exact, yet not precise, though meek, keen-eyed; - A man that would have foiled, at their own play, - A dozen would-be’s of the modern day; - Who, when occasion justified its use, - Had wit as bright, as ready to produce; - Could fetch the records of an earlier age, - Or from philosophy’s enlightened page - His rich materials, and regale your ear - With strains it was a privilege to hear: - Yet, above all, his luxury supreme, - And his chief glory was the _gospel_ theme; - There he was copious as old Greece or Rome, - His happy eloquence seemed there at home,-- - Ambitious not to shine, or to excel, - But, to treat justly what he loved so well. - _Cowper._ - - - Behold His life, and learn from Him to live; - In death still greater view thy dying Lord, - And imitate that worth thou canst not reach. - Smooth are His paths, and to conduct thy feet, - The _Gospel’s_ holy light around thee sheds - Its mild effulgence. - _William Bolland._ - - - Gazing ever on the _Gospel_ light, - That endless source of evidence and truth, - Prove every doctrine by that golden rule, - And “try the spirits if they be of God.” - _Mrs. Sigourney._ - - - The _Gospel’s_ glorious hope, - Its rule of purity, its eye of prayer, - Its fort of firmness on temptation’s steep, - Its bark that fails not, ’mid the storm of death, - He spread before them, and with gentlest tone, - Such as a brother to his sister breathes, - His little sister, simple and untaught, - Did urge them to the shelter of that ark - Which rides the wrathful deluge. - _Mrs. Sigourney._ - - - The moon is up! How calm and slow - She wheels above the hill; - The weary winds forget to blow, - And all the world lies still. - - The way-worn travellers, with delight, - The rising brightness see, - Revealing all the paths and plains, - And gilding every tree. - - It glistens where the hurrying stream - Its little ripple leaves; - It falls upon the forest shade, - And sparkles on the leaves. - - So once, on Judah’s evening bills, - The heavenly lustre spread; - The _gospel_ sounded from the blaze, - And shepherds gazed with dread. - - And still that light upon the world - Its guiding splendour throws; - Bright in the opening hours of life, - But brighter at the close. - - The waning moon in time shall fail - To walk the midnight skies, - But God hath kindled _this_ bright light - With fire that never dies. - _W. B. O. Peabody._ - - - - - GRACE. - - -The Lord will give _grace_ and glory; no good thing will he withhold -from them that walk uprightly.--Psalm lxxxiv. 11. - -The law was given by Moses, but _grace_ and truth came by Jesus -Christ.--John, i. 17. - -We have access by faith into this _grace_ wherein we stand, and rejoice -in hope of the glory of God.--Romans, v. 2. - -My _grace_ is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in -weakness.--II. Corinthians, xii. 9. - -For the _grace_ of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all -men.--Titus, ii. 11. - -Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of _grace_, that we may -obtain mercy, and find _grace_ to help in time of need.--Hebrews, iv. -16. - - - Pray for the health of all that are diseased, - Confession unto all that are convicted, - And patience unto all that are displeased, - And comfort unto all that are afflicted, - And mercy unto all that have offended, - And _grace_ to all, that all may be amended. - _Nicholas Breton._ - - - The flesh being proud, Desire doth fight with _Grace_, - And there it revels, and when that decays, - The guilty rebel for remission prays. - _Shakspere._ - - - That word, _Grace_, - In an un_gracious_ mouth, is but profane. - _Shakspere._ - - Who God doth late and early pray, - More of His _grace_ than gifts to lend; - And entertains the harmless day - With a religious book or friend;-- - This man is freed from servile bands - Of hope to rise, or fear to fall; - Lord of himself, though not of lands, - And having nothing, yet hath all. - _Henry Wotton._ - - - Prevenient _grace_ descending had removed - The stony from their hearts. - _Milton._ - - - But _grace_, abused, brings forth the foulest deeds, - As richest soil, the most luxuriant weeds. - _Cowper._ - - - My stock lies dead, and no increase, - Doth my dull husbandry improve; - O let thy _grace_ still without cease, - Drop from above! - - The dew doth every morning fall, - And shall the dew outstrip thy dove, - The dew for which grass cannot call? - Drop from above! - - Death is still working like a mole, - And digs my grave at each remove; - Let _grace_ work too, and on my soul - Drop from above! - - Sin is still hammering my heart - Unto a hardness void of love; - Let suppling _grace_, to cross his art, - Drop from above! - - O come! for Thou dost know the way, - Or if to me thou wilt not move, - Remove me when I need, and say-- - Drop from above! - _George Herbert._ - - - I want that _grace_ which springs from Thee, - Which quickens all things where it flows, - And makes a wretched thorn like me - Bloom as the myrtle, or the rose. - _Cowper._ - - - All-powerful _Grace_, exert thy gentle sway, - And teach my rebel passions to obey; - Lest lurking folly, with insidious art, - Regain my volatile, inconstant heart! - _Mrs. Carter._ - - - O God! how beautiful the thought, - How merciful the bless’d decree, - That _Grace_ can e’er be found, when sought, - And nought shut out the soul from Thee. - The cell may cramp, the fetters gall, - The flame may scorch, the rack may tear; - But torture, stake, or prison-wall, - Can be endured with faith and prayer. - _Eliza Cook._ - - - This _grace_ is ours: who asks in Thy great name, - May ask for all; and with assurance claim - The purchased pardon to believers given, - The seal of mercy, and the hope of heaven. - _Perronet._ - - - Every act - Which shunned the trifling plaudit of mankind, - Shall here to wondering millions be displayed, - A monument of _grace_. - _C. P. Layard._ - - - _Faith!_ anchor of the soul amid the storms - Which vex and toss the ocean deep, which forms - The pathway to that land of light and love, - Which waits the ransom’d in the world above; - While this life lasts, I fain would stay on thee; - I shall not need thee in eternity. - _Hope!_ be thou mine, while here on earth I rove, - But only till I reach my home above: - But _Charity!_ of christian _graces_ best, - Ever increasing, blessing still and blest, - Thou shalt remain when Faith and Hope shall cease, - The source and fulness e’en of Heaven’s bliss! - No period circumscribes my prayer for thee; - Be mine on earth, and through eternity! - _Mary Milner._ - - - _Grace!_ ’tis a charming sound, - Harmonious to my ear; - Heaven with the echo shall resound, - And all the earth shall hear. - - _Grace_ first contrived a way - To save rebellious man; - And all the steps that _grace_ display - Which drew the wondrous plan. - - _Grace_ taught my wand’ring feet - To tread the heavenly road; - And new supplies each hour I meet, - While pressing on to God. - - _Grace_ all the work shall crown, - Through everlasting days; - It lays in heaven the topmost stone, - And well deserves the praise. - _Doddridge._ - - - - - GRAVE--TOMB. - - -The Lord killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth down to the _grave_, -and bringeth up.--I. Samuel, ii. 6. - -God will redeem my soul from the power of the _grave_: for he shall -receive me.--Psalm xlix. 15. - -Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is -no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the _grave_, whither -thou goest.--Ecclesiastes, ix. 10. - -I will ransom them from the power of the _grave_: I will redeem them -from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O _grave_, I will be thy -destruction.--Hosea, xiii. 14. - - - When self-esteem, or other’s adulation, - Would cunningly persuade us we are something - Above the common level of our kind; - The _grave_ gainsays the smooth-complexion’d flatt’ry, - And with blunt truth acquaints us what we are. - _Blair._ - - - Dull _grave_! thou spoil’st the dance of youthful blood, - Strik’st out the dimple from the cheek of mirth, - And every smirking feature from the face; - Branding out laughter with the name of madness. - _Blair._ - - - All at rest now--all dust!--wave flows on wave, - But the sea dries not! What to us the _grave_? - It brings no real homily; we sigh, - Pause for awhile, and murmur “all must die;” - Then rush to pleasure, action, sin, once more, - Swell the loud tide, and fret unto the shore. - _Sir E. B. Lytton._ - - - Oh! for a heart that seeks the sacred gloom - That hovers round the precincts of the _tomb_! - While fancy, musing there, sees visions bright,-- - In death discovering life, in darkness, light. - - What though the chilling blasts of winter’s day - Forbid the garden longer to be gay? - Of winter yet I’ll not refuse to sing, - Thus to be followed by eternal spring. - _Leigh Richmond._ - - - What is the _Grave_ of Pride? Is it to lie - ’Neath sculptured marble, where the night-winds sigh - Through solemn arches, and ’mid pillars tall, - The while the pallid moonbeams coldly fall - On shrine, and urn, and “animated bust,” - The vain memorials all of “dust to dust?” - Is it to lie with hands uprear’d in prayer, - As many a warrior rests in sculpture rare; - His banner floating o’er the chisell’d stone, - ’Neath which, long ages since, he laid him down, - To fear no battle-cry, nor trumpet call, - Till on his startled ear the peal shall fall, - That from the storied _tomb_, or daisied sod, - Death’s sleepers shall awake to meet their God? - Then will it seek not, if in minster-pile, - While music roll’d through each time-honour’d aisle, - And choral hymnings swell the flood of sound, - That rose and fell through all the vaults around; - Or if beneath some village yew-tree’s shade, - The child of earth to his long rest were laid. - The marble _tomb_ must yield its treasured trust, - The grass-grown _grave_ give up the sleeping dust. - _Mary Milner._ - - - I like that ancient Saxon phrase which calls - The burial-ground, God’s Acre! It is just; - It consecrates each _grave_ within its walls, - And breathes a benison o’er the sleeping dust. - - Into its furrows shall we all be cast, - In the sure faith that we shall rise again - At the great harvest, when the Archangel’s blast - Shall winnow, like a fan, the chaff and grain. - _Longfellow._ - - - ’Tis a blessing to live, but a greater to die, - And the best of the world, is its path to the sky,-- - Be it gloomy or bright, for the life that He gave - Let us thank Him--but blessed be God for the _grave_! - ’Tis the end of our toil, ’tis the crown of our bliss, - ’Tis the portal of happiness--aye, but for this, - How hopeless were sorrow, how narrow were love, - If they looked not from earth to the rapture above! - _J. K. Mitchell._ - - - Come unto the churchyard near: - Where the gentle, whispering breeze - Softly rustleth through the trees; - Where the moonbeam pure and white, - Falls in floods of cloudless light, - Bathing many a turfy heap - Where the lowlier slumberers sleep; - And the graceful willow waves, - Banner-like, o’er nameless _graves_: - Here hath prayer arisen like dew,-- - Here the earth is holy, too, - Lightly press each grassy mound: - Surely this is hallowed ground. - _M. A. Browne._ - - - Through these branched walks will contemplation wind, - And grave wise Nature’s teachings on his mind; - As the white _grave_-stones glimmer to his eye, - A solemn voice will thrill him, “_Thou_ must die!” - When autumn’s tints are glittering in the air, - That voice will whisper to his soul “Prepare!” - When winter’s snows are spread o’er hill and dell, - “Oh, this is death!” that solemn voice will swell; - But when with spring, streams leap, and blossoms wave, - “Hope, Christian, hope,” ’twill say, “there’s life beyond the - _grave_.” - _Alfred B. Street._ - - - The voice of prayer at the sable bier! - A voice to sustain, to soothe, and to cheer. - It commends the spirit to God who gave; - It lifts the thoughts from the cold, dark _grave_; - It points to the glory where He shall reign - Who whispered, “Thy brother shall rise again!” - _Henry Ware, Jun._ - - - Yes! it is a certain sleep, - Where dreams of woe can ne’er intrude; - Ah! if no earthly passion creep - Into its solemn solitude. - - If there at length we cease to feel - Each pang, which living rends the breast; - Who would not from this vain world steal - Into the silent _grave_ to rest? - _Arthur Brook._ - - - - - GREATNESS. - - -Ascribe ye _greatness_ unto our God.--Deuteronomy, xxxii. 3. - -_Great_ is the Lord, and _greatly_ to be praised; and His _greatness_ -is unsearchable.--Psalm cxlv. 3. - -Then there arose a reasoning among them, which of them should be -_greatest_. - -And Jesus perceiving the thought of their heart, took a child, and set -him by him, - -And said unto them, Whosoever shall receive this child in my name -receiveth me; and whosoever shall receive me receiveth him that -sent me: for he that is least among you all, the same shall be -_great_.--Luke, ix. 46, 47, 48. - - - O happy man, saith he, that lo I see - Grazing his cattle in those pleasant fields, - If he but knew his good. How blessed he - That feels not what affliction _greatness_ yields! - Other than what he is who would not be, - Nor change his state with him that sceptre wields. - Thine, thine is that true life; that is to live, - To rest secure, and not rise up to grieve. - _Samuel Daniel._ - - - The good alone are _great_! - When winds the mountain oak assail, - And lay its glories waste, - Content may slumber in the vale, - Unconscious of the blast. - Through scenes of tumult while we roam, - The heart, alas! is ne’er at home; - It hopes in time to roam no more. - The mariner, not vainly brave, - Combats the storm, and rides the wave, - To rest at last on shore. - - Ye proud, ye selfish, ye severe, - How vain your mask of state; - The good alone have joy sincere, - The good alone are _great_! - _Great_, when amid the vale of peace, - They bid the plaint of sorrow cease, - And hear the voice of artless praise; - As when along the trophied plain - Sublime they lead the victor train, - While shouting nations gaze. - _Beattie._ - - - The wretched tumults that confound - The soul, nor wealth can tell, nor kingly state; - And stubborn are the cares that hover round - The vaulted ceilings of the _great_. - _Horace._ - - - To meet life’s ills with soul serene, - Treading the path our Saviour trod: - To live as seeing things unseen, - To walk and commune with our God; - This is true _greatness_! worth divine! - Giv’n by the Spirit and the Word - To man! Thus grows that living shrine, - Formed, hallowed, dwelt in by the Lord! - _Rev. W. M. Hetherington._ - - - What though the _great_, - With costly pomp, and aromatic sweets, - Embalmed his poor remains; or through the dome - A thousand tapers shed their gloomy light, - While solemn organs to his parting soul - Chaunted slow orisons; say, by what mark - Dost thou discern him from the lowly swain, - Whose mouldering bones beneath the thorn-bound turf, - Long lay neglected. - _Glynn._ - - - The truly _great_ are those who make least noise, - And walk with humble looks upon the earth; - They nor affect a swelling part, nor speak - Big words, that make their hearers stand aside - In silent awe, and clear an ample space, - Like Liliputians for some Gulliver. - _Greatness_ consists not in such empty gauds - As dazzle and attract the public eye; - It rests not on the breath of multitudes, - For soothly hath the poet said--“The world - Knows nothing of its _greatest_ men.” There went - A _great_ man once about the daily paths - Of life, and few there were that recognised - The _greatness_ that in goodness dwelt; and still - Small is the number unto whom this truth - Is made apparent. - _Egone._ - - - - - GRIEF. - - -He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows and acquainted -with _grief_: and we hid as it were our faces from Him: He was -despised, and we esteemed Him not. - -Surely He hath borne our _griefs_, and carried our sorrows; yet we did -esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.--Isaiah, liii. 3, 4. - -For the Lord will not cast off for ever: - -For though He cause _grief_, yet will He have compassion according to -the multitude of His mercies. - -For He doth not afflict willingly, nor _grieve_ the children of -men.--Lamentations, iii. 31, 32, 33. - -For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure -_grief_, suffering wrongfully.--I. Peter, ii. 19. - - - When _grief_ that well might humble, swells our pride, - And pride increasing, aggravates our _grief_, - The tempest must prevail till we are lost. - _Lillo._ - - - Every _grief_ we feel - Shortens the destined number; every pulse - Beats a short moment of the pain away, - And the last stroke will come. By swift degrees - Time sweeps us off, and soon we shall arrive - At life’s sweet period. Celestial point - That ends this mortal story. - _Watts._ - - - We _grieve_ to think our eyes no more - That form, those features loved, shall trace. - But sweet it is from memory’s store - To call each fondly-cherished grace, - And fold them in the heart’s embrace. - No bliss ’mid worldly crowds is bred, - Like musing on the sainted dead. - - We _grieve_ to see expired the race - They ran, intent on works of love; - But sweet to think no mixture base, - With which their better nature strove, - Shall rear their virtuous deeds above. - Sin o’er their soul has lost its hold, - And left them with their earthly mould. - _Bishop Mant._ - - - This is the curse of time. Alas! - In _grief_ I am not all unlearned; - Once thro’ mine own doors death did pass-- - One went who never hath returned. - - * * * * * - - Let _grief_ be her own mistress still, - She loveth her own anguish deep, - More than much pleasure. Let her will - Be done--to weep or not to weep. - - Words weaker than your _grief_, would make - _Grief_ more. ’Twere better I should cease; - Altho’ myself could almost take - The place of him that sleeps in peace. - _Tennyson._ - - - We overstate the ills of life, and take - Imagination, given us to bring down - The choirs of singing angels, overshone - By God’s clear glory,--down our earth, to rake - The dismal snows instead; flake following flake, - To cover all the corn. We walk upon - The shadow of hills, across a level thrown, - And pant like climbers. Near the alder-brake - We sigh so loud, the Nightingale within - Refuses to sing loud, as else she would. - O, brothers! let us leave the shame and sin - Of taking vainly, in a plaintive mood, - The holy name of _Grief_!--holy herein, - That by the _grief_ of One, came all our good. - _Miss Barrett._ - - - Warm, soft, motionless, - As flowers in stillest noon before the sun, - They lie three paces from him: such they lie - As when he left them sleeping side by side, - A mother’s arm round each, a mother’s cheeks - Between them, flusht with happiness and love. - He was more changed than they were, doomed to show, - Thee and the stranger, how defaced and scarr’d - _Grief_ hunts us down the precipice of years, - And whom the faithless prey upon the last. - _W. S. Landor._ - - - - - GUIDANCE. - - -For this God is our God for ever and ever: he will be our _guide_ even -unto death.--Psalm xlviii. 14. - -The Lord shall _guide_ thee continually.--Isaiah, lviii. 11. - -Will thou not from this time cry unto me, My father, thou art the -_guide_ of my youth?--Jeremiah, iii. 4. - - - That man - May safely venture to go on his way, - That is so _guided_, that he cannot stray. - _Marmyon._ - - - Though in the paths of death I tread, - With gloomy horrors overspread, - My steadfast heart shall fear no ill, - For thou, O Lord, art with me still; - Thy friendly crook shall give me aid, - And _guide_ me through the dreadful shade. - _Addison._ - - - Difference of good and ill for men to know - Was needless sure, while, with the fearless eye - Of an obedient son, he might look up - To the Almighty Father of his race, - And claim his _guidance_. - _John Hey._ - - - Whither midst falling dew, - While glow the heavens with the last steps of day, - Far through their rosy depths dost thou pursue - Thy solitary way? - - Vainly the fowler’s eye - Might mark thy distant flight to do thee wrong, - As, darkly painted on the crimson sky, - Thy figure floats along. - - Thou’rt gone, th’ abyss of heaven - Hath swallowed up thy form; yet in my heart - Deeply hath sunk the lesson thou hast given, - And shall not soon depart. - - He who, from zone to zone - _Guides_ through the boundless sky thy certain flight, - In the long way that I must tread alone, - Will lead my steps aright. - _Bryant._ - - - I would not have the restless will - That hurries to and fro, - Seeking for some great thing to do, - Or secret thing to know, - I would be treated as a child, - And _guided_ where to go. - _L. A. Waring._ - - - Here, where all climes their offerings send, - Here, where all arts their tribute lay, - Before thy presence, Lord, we bend, - And for thy smile and blessing pray. - - For Thou dost sway the tides of thought, - And hold the issues in thy hand, - Of all that human toil has wrought, - And all that human skill has plann’d. - - Thou lead’st the restless Power of Mind - O’er destiny’s untrodden field, - And _guid’st_ him wandering bold but blind, - To mighty ends not yet revealed. - _Anon._ - - - _Guide_ me, O Thou great Jehovah, - Pilgrim through this barren land! - I am weak, but Thou art mighty, - Hold me with Thy powerful hand! - Bread of heaven, - Feed me till I want no more. - - Open Thou the crystal fountain, - Whence the healing waters flow! - Let the fiery cloudy pillar - Lead me all my journey through! - Strong Deliv’rer! - Be Thou still my strength and shield! - - When I tread the verge of Jordan, - Bid my anxious fears subside; - Death of death, and hell’s destruction, - Land me safe on Canaan’s side! - Songs of praises - I will ever give to Thee. - _Oliver._ - - - - - GUILT. - - -The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and -abundant in goodness and truth. - -Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and -sin, and that will by no means clear the _guilty_.--Exodus, xxxiv. 6, 7. - -The Lord will not hold him _guiltless_ that taketh His name in -vain.--Deuteronomy, v. 11. - -Deliver me from blood-_guiltiness_, O God, thou God of my salvation: -and my tongue shall sing aloud of Thy righteousness.--Psalm li. 14. - -For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he -is _guilty_ of all.--James, ii. 10. - - - Amidst the royal race, see Nathan stand: - Fervent he seems to speak, and lifts his hand; - His looks the emotion of his soul disclose, - And eloquence from every gesture flows. - Such, and so stern he came, ordained to bring - The ungrateful mandate to the _guilty_ king: - When, at his dreadful voice, a sudden smart - Shot through the trembling monarch’s conscious heart, - From his own lips condemned, severe decree, - Had his God proved as stern a Judge as he. - _Bishop Lowth._ - - - O, happy pair, - Lords of fair Eden’s blooming range, where earth, - Benignant parent, from her verdant lap - Spontaneous pour’d immortal sweets, and gave - Whate’er could minister delight! Too soon, - Alas, this scene was closed: behold them now, - So lately rich in happiness, and blessed - With converse of the Living God, o’erwhelmed - In misery, and tortured by the stings - Of conscious _guilt_. - _Samuel Hayes._ - - - _Guilt_ is a timorous thing, ere perpetration: - Despair alone makes _guilty_ men be bold. - _Coleridge._ - - - And oh, that pang, where more than madness lies! - The worm that will not sleep, and never dies; - Thought of the gloomy day, and ghastly night, - That dreads the darkness, and yet loathes the light: - That winds around, and tears the quivering heart, - Ah! wherefore not consume it and depart! - _Byron._ - - - Skeptic, whoe’er thou art, tell, if thou knowest, - Why every nation, every clime, though all - In laws, in rites, in manners disagree, - With one consent expect another world - Where wickedness shall weep? Why in each breast - Is placed a friendly monitor, that prompts, - Informs, directs, encourages, forbids? - Tell, why on unknown evil grief attends, - Or joy on secret good? Why Conscience acts - With tenfold force, when sickness, age, or pain - Stands tottering on the precipice of death? - Or why such horror gnaws the _guilty_ soul - Of dying sinners, while the good man sleeps - Peaceful and calm, and with a smile expires? - _Glynn._ - - - Come and see a sad example! - Look on my unquiet shade; - Start not, sure ’tis nought uncommon, - When the bones in dust are laid, - That the lonely restless spirit, - Whom a sense of _guilt_ doth fill, - Walks the earth with ceaseless labour, - Seeking to undo the ill. - - I was fond of place and power, - Grasped the wealth that was not mine, - Seized the friendless stranger’s dwelling, - Left him in despair to pine. - Now, O where are all my riches! - Come, the sad reverse behold, - For this gain my soul is bartered; - Can a spirit’s loss be told? - _Lopez de Mendoza_ (_Spanish_). - - - Oppress’d with _guilt_, a painful load, - O come, and spread your woes abroad! - Divine compassion, mighty love, - Will all the painful load remove. - - Here mercy’s boundless ocean flows - To cleanse your _guilt_, and heal your woes; - Pardon, and life, and endless peace; - How rich the gift! how free the grace! - _Steele._ - - - - - HAPPINESS. - - -As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. - -_Happy_ is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not -be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.--Psalm -cxxvii. 4, 5. - -Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord; that walketh in his ways. - -For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: _happy_ shalt thou be, -and it shall be well with thee.--Psalm cxxviii. 1, 2. - -Behold we count them _happy_ which endure.--James, v. 11. - - - How _happy_ is he born or taught, - That serveth not another’s will; - Whose armour is his honest thought, - And simple truth his highest skill; - - Whose passions not his masters are; - Whose soul is still prepared for death; - Not ty’d unto the world with care - Of princes’ ear, or vulgar breath; - - Who hath his life from rumours freed; - Whose conscience is his strong retreat; - Whose state can neither flatterers feed, - Nor ruin make oppressors great; - - Who envies none whom chance doth raise, - Or vice; who never understood - How deepest wounds are giv’n with praise, - Nor rules of state, but rules of good; - - Who God doth late and early pray - More of his grace than gifts to lend; - And entertains the harmless day - With a chosen book, or friend. - - This man is free from servile bands - Of hope to rise, or fear to fall; - Lord of himself, though not of lands, - And having nothing, yet hath all. - _Sir Henry Wotton._ - - - He is a _happy_ man whose life, e’en now, - Shows somewhat of that _happier_ life to come; - Who, doomed to an obscure, but tranquil state, - Is pleased with it, and, were he free to choose, - Would make his fate his choice; whom peace, the fruit - Of virtue, and whom virtue, fruit of faith, - Prepare for _happiness_; bespeak him one - Content indeed to sojourn while he must - Below the skies, but having there his home. - The world o’erlooks him in her busy search - Of objects more illustrious in her view; - And, occupied as earnestly as she, - Though more sublimely, he o’erlooks the world. - She scorns his pleasures, for she knows them not; - He seeks not hers, for he has proved them vain. - _Cowper._ - - - _Happiness_ depends, as Nature shows, - Less on exterior things than most suppose. - Vigilant over all that He has made, - Kind Providence attends with gracious aid; - Bids equity throughout His works prevail, - And weighs the nations in an even scale. - _Cowper._ - - - Pour forth thy fervours for a healthful mind, - Obedient passions, and a will resigned; - For love, which scarce collective man can fill; - For patience, sovereign o’er transmuted ill; - For faith, that, panting for a _happier_ seat, - Counts death kind nature’s signal of retreat; - These goods for man, the laws of Heaven ordain, - These goods He grants, who grants the power to gain; - With these, celestial wisdom calms the mind, - And makes the _happiness_ she does not find. - _Dr. Johnson._ - - - Ambition searches all its sphere - Of pomp and state, to meet me there. - Increasing avarice would find - Thy presence on its gold enshrined. - The bold adventurer ploughs his way - Through rocks, amidst the foaming sea, - To gain thy love; and then perceives, - Thou art not in the rocks and waves. - - * * * * * - - No real _happiness_ is found - In trailing purple o’er the ground. - _Parnell._ - - - How long, ye miserably blind, - Shall idle dreams engage your mind; - How long the passions make their flight - At empty shadows of delight? - No more in paths of error stray, - The Lord, thy Jesus, is the Way, - The Spring of _happiness_, and where - Should men seek _happiness_, but there? - _Parnell._ - - - Consider man in every sphere, - Then tell me is your lot severe? - ’Tis murmur, discontent, distrust, - That makes you wretched: God is just: - We’re born a restless, needy crew; - Show me a _happier_ man than you? - _Gay._ - - - When are we _happiest_ then? O, when resigned - To whatsoe’er our cup of life may brim; - When we can know ourselves but weak and blind - Creatures of earth; and trust alone in Him - Who giveth, in his mercy, joy or pain; - Oh! we are _happiest_ then. - _M. A. Brown._ - - - Object of my first desire, - Jesus, crucified for me! - All to _happiness_ aspire, - Only to be found in thee; - Thee to praise, and Thee to know, - Constitute our bliss below! - Thee to see, and Thee to love, - Constitute our bliss above. - _Toplady._ - - - True _happiness_ is not the growth of earth, - The toil is fruitless if you seek it here; - ’Tis an exotic of celestial birth, - And never blooms but in celestial air. - - Sweet plant of Paradise! thy seeds are sown - In here and there a mind of heavenly mould; - It rises slow and blooms, but ne’er was known - To ripen here--the climate it is too cold. - _Anon._ - - - One morning in the month of May, - I wandered o’er the hill; - Though nature all around was gay, - My heart was heavy still. - - Can God, I thought, the good, the great, - These meaner creatures bless; - And yet deny our human state - The boon of _happiness_? - - Tell me, ye woods, ye smiling plains, - Ye blessed birds around, - Where, in creation’s wide domains, - Can perfect bliss be found? - - The birds wild carolled overhead, - The breeze around me blew, - And nature’s awful chorus said, - No bliss for man she knew. - - I questioned Love, whose early day - So heavenly bright appears; - And Love in answer seemed to say - His light was dimmed by tears. - - I questioned Friendship;--Friendship moaned, - And thus her answer gave; - The friends whom fortune has not turned, - Were vanished in the grave. - - I asked if Vice could bliss bestow; - Vice boasted loud and well; - But fading from her pallid brow, - The venomed roses fell. - - I questioned Virtue;--Virtue sighed, - No boon could she dispense; - Nor Virtue was her name she cried, - But humble Penitence. - - I questioned Death; the grisly shade - Relaxed his brow severe; - And, “I am _Happiness_,” he said - “If Virtue guides thee here!” - _Bishop Heber._ - - - - - HARVEST. - - -The _harvest_ is past, the summer is ended, and we are not -saved.--Jeremiah, viii. 20. - -Then saith he unto his disciples, The _harvest_ truly is plenteous, but -the labourers are few; - -Pray ye therefore the Lord of the _harvest_, that he will send forth -labourers into his _harvest_.--Matthew, ix. 37, 38. - -The _harvest_ is the end of the world; and the reapers are the -angels.--Matthew, xiii. 39. - - - Life hath its seasons: - And time, on a chariot of hours, - Rolls to eternity’s gate - Adown a dim valley, where flowers, - Bereft of their beauty, - Lie, withered and scattered by fate. - - Hearts have their _harvests_: - And sorrow goes after the reapers - To mildew the yellowing grain; - While pity, in tears, - Stands watching the labouring weepers - Go reaping a _harvest_ of pain. - - Youth is the seed-time: - The season of sunshine and showers, - That nurtures the delicate germ - Which, in life’s autumn, - Will bring to our bosom sweet flowers, - Or thorns and a cankering worm. - - God is the _harvest_: - Whose sickle by mercy is wielded - Among the ripe grain and the tares: - Unto his garner - The sheaves of the gleaner are yielded - With _harvest_-home anthem and prayers. - _Anon._ - - - Then glory to the steel - That shines in the reaper’s hand; - And thanks to God, who has bless’d the sod, - And crowns the _harvest_ land! - _Eliza Cook._ - - - - - HATRED. - - -Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered: let them also that _hate_ -him flee before him.--Psalm lxviii. 1. - -_Hatred_ stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins.--Proverbs, x. -12. - -He that _hateth_ dissembleth with his lips, and layeth up deceit within -him.--Proverbs, xxvi. 24. - -_Hate_ the evil, and love the good, and establish judgment in the -gate.--Amos, v. 15. - -He that _hateth_ me _hateth_ my Father also.--John, xv. 23. - - - I tell thee not the burning thunderbolt, - When its fierce brow is lit in blasting flames, - Stooping from its red chariot to sweep - The earth, its angry voice is pealing o’er, - Is half so deadly, or so sure as _hate_. - Promethean _hate_! that can make cowards bold; - Where he pursues it is in vain to flee; - Where his form comes, a blight is on the earth; - Where his hand strikes, life passeth, or is cursed; - Where his eye glances, there despair comes down; - Where his breath falls, all mercy vanisheth. - _Constantia L. Reddell._ - - - Blunted unto goodness is the heart which anger never stirreth, - But that which _hatred_ swelleth, is keen to carve out evil. - Anger is a noble infirmity, the generous failing of the just, - The one degree that riseth above zeal, asserting the prerogatives - of virtue; - But _hatred_ is a slow continuing crime, a fire in the bad - man’s breast, - A dull and hungry flame, for ever craving insatiate. - _Hatred_ would harm another; anger would indulge itself; - _Hatred_ is a simmering poison; anger, the opening of the - valve; - _Hatred_ destroyeth as the upas-tree; anger smiteth as a staff; - _Hatred_ is the atmosphere of hell, but anger is known in - heaven. - _Martin F. Tupper._ - - - - - HEAD. - - -The hoary _head_ is a crown of glory, if it be found in the way of -righteousness.--Proverbs, xvi. 31. - -Even to your old age I am he; and even to hoar hairs will I carry you: -I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver -you.--Isaiah, xlvi. 4. - -The very hairs of your _head_ are all numbered.--Matthew, x. 30. - - - These hairs of age are messengers, - Which bid me fast, repent, and pray; - They be of death the harbingers, - That doth prepare and dress the way; - Wherefore, I joy that you may see - Upon my _head_ such hairs to be. - - They be the lines that lead the length - How far my race was for to run; - They say my youth is fled with strength, - And how old age is well begun; - The which I feel, and you may see - Such lines upon my _head_ to be. - - They be the strings of sober sound, - Whose music is harmonical; - Their tunes declare a time from ground - I came, and bow thereto I shall; - Wherefore I love, that you may see - Upon my _head_ such hairs to be. - - God grant to those that white hairs have, - No worse them take than I have meant; - That after they be laid in grave, - Their souls may joy, their lives well spent; - God grant, likewise, that you may see - Upon my _head_ such hairs to be. - _Lord Vaux._ - - - _Head_ of the church triumphant, - We joyfully adore thee! - Till thou appear, Thy members here, - Shall sing like those in glory. - We lift our hands and voices, - With blest anticipation, - And cry aloud, and give to God - The praise of our salvation. - _De Courcey._ - - - - - HEALING. - - -_Heal_ me, O Lord, and I shall be _healed_: save me, and I shall -be saved: for Thou art my praise.--Jeremiah, xvii. 14. - -But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise -with _healing_ in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as -calves of the stall.--Malachi, iv. 2. - -And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto Him a -centurian, beseeching Him, - -And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, -grievously tormented. - -And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and _heal_ him.--Matthew, viii. -5, 6, 7. - -Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep-market a pool, which is called -in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches. - -In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, -withered, waiting for the moving of the water. - -For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled -the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water -stepped in, was made whole of whatsoever disease he had.--John, v. 2, -3, 4. - - - Around Bethesda’s _healing_ wave, - Waiting to hear the rustling wing - Which spoke the angel nigh, who gave - Its virtues to the holy spring,-- - With earnest, fixed solicitude, - Were seen the afflicted multitude. - - Among them there was one whose eye - Had often seen the waters stirred; - Whose heart had often heaved the sigh-- - The bitter sigh of hope deferred; - Beholding, while he suffered on, - The _healing_ virtue giv’n and gone; - - No pow’r had he; no friendly aid - To him the timely succour brought; - But while his coming he delayed, - Another won the boon he sought; - Until the Saviour’s love was shown, - Which _healed_ him by a word alone. - - Bethesda’s pool has lost its power! - No angel, by his glad descent, - Dispenses that diviner dower - Which, with its _healing_ waters, went; - But He, whose word surpassed its wave, - Is still omnipotent to save. - _B. Barton._ - - - Oh! Thou who driest the mourner’s tear, - How dark this world would be, - If, when deceived, and wounded here, - We could not fly to Thee! - - The friends who in our sunshine live, - When winter comes are flown, - And he who has but tears to give, - May weep those tears alone. - - But Thou wilt _heal_ the broken heart, - Which like the plants that throw - Their fragrance from the wounded part, - Breathe sweetness out of woe. - _Moore._ - - - Dread Omnipotence alone, - Can _heal_ the wound He gave; - Can point the brim-full, grief-worn eyes, - To scenes beyond the grave. - _Burns._ - - - Thus ever in the steps of grief, - Are sown the precious seeds of joy; - Each fount of Marah hath a leaf, - Whose _healing_ balm we may employ. - Then, ’mid life’s fitful, fleeting day, - Look up! the sky is bright above! - Kind voices cheer thee on thy way! - Faint spirit! trust the God of Love! - _Miss A. D. Woodbridge._ - - - _Heal_ me, for my flesh is weak; - _Heal_ me, for thy grace I seek; - This my only plea I make, - _Heal_ me for thy mercy’s sake. - _Lyte._ - - - Thou cam’st with _healing_ on thy wings, - Oh, gentle gale of spring! - Like one that some sweet message brings - Of hope and comforting; - So with a power to _heal_ the smart - Of sin, comes grace unto the heart. - _Egone._ - - - - - HEALTH. - - -Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within -me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise Him, who is the _health_ -of my countenance, and my God.--Psalm xlii. 11. - -Pleasant words are as an honey-comb, sweet to the soul, and _health_ to -the bones.--Proverbs, xvi. 24. - -Is there no balm in Gilead? is there no physician there? why then is -not the _health_ of the daughter of my people recovered?--Jeremiah, -viii. 22. - -I will restore _health_ unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, -saith the Lord.--Jeremiah, xxx. 17. - - - _Health_, brightest visitant from heaven, - Grant me with thee to rest! - For the short term by nature given, - Be thou my constant guest! - For all the pride that wealth bestows, - The pleasure that from children flows, - Whate’er we court in regal state - That makes men covet to be great; - - Whatever sweets we hope to find - In Love’s delightful snare; - Whatever good by Heaven assigned, - Whatever pause from care: - All flourish at thy smile divine; - The spring of loveliness is thine, - And every joy that warms our hearts, - With thee approaches and departs. - _Bland, from Alciphron._ - - - Slow wand’ring on the margin of the deep, - I breathe the cheering gale of _health_ once more; - And see the billows gently dash the steep, - That rears its bold head on the sandy shore. - - Fresh looks the landscape with the dews of dawn; - A bluish mist swims o’er the softened grove; - The wanton deer bound lightly o’er the lawn, - And every copse resounds with notes of love. - - The village-clocks proclaim the passing hour; - The tall spires glitter to the early sun; - The ploughman, whistling, quits his low-roofed bow’r, - And now his peaceful labour is begun. - - Yet not this ocean, cheered with many a sail, - Nor all these rural sounds, and pastures fair, - To solace worn disease could aught avail, - Or from his bosom chase the clouds of care. - - The merry morn no rapture could impart, - Nor converse sweet of friends his hours beguile; - In vain could beauty warm his aching heart, - Or on his cold-wan cheek awake a smile. - - Yet oft we slight thy worth, O, blessed _Health_! - Poor mortals as we are, till thou art flown; - And thy sweet joys, more dear than fame or wealth, - Touch not our hearts, but pass unfelt, unknown. - - The joys, without whose aid whate’er of blest, - Or great, or fair, the heavens to man ordain, - Is dull and tasteless to the unthankful breast, - Love loveless, youth old age, and pleasure pain. - _Rev. E. Hamley._ - - - What is life?--like a flower, with the bane in its bosom, - To-day, full of promise, to-morrow it dies! - And _health_ like the dewdrop that hung on its blossom, - Survives but a night, and exhales to the skies: - How oft ’neath the bud that is brightest and fairest, - The seeds of the canker in embryo lurk! - How oft at the root of the flower that is rarest, - Secure in its ambush the worm is at work! - _Dr. W. Beattie._ - - - Green pastures and clear streams, - Freedom and quiet rest, - Christ’s flock enjoy beneath his beams, - Or in his shadow, blest. - - The mountain and the vale, - Forest and field they range; - The morning dew, the evening gale, - Bring _health_ ev’ry change. - - The wounded and the weak - He comforts, heals, and binds; - The lost he came from heaven to seek, - And saves them when he finds. - _J. Montgomery._ - - - - - HEARING. - - -_Hear_ thou in heaven thy dwelling-place; and when thou _hearest_, -forgive.--I. Kings, viii. 30. - -They are like the deaf adder that stoppeth her _ear_; which will not -hearken to the voice of charmers, charming never so wisely.--Psalm -lviii. 4, 5. - -He that planted the _ear_, shall he not _hear_?--Psalm xciv. 9. - -Incline thine _ear_ unto wisdom.--Proverbs, ii. 2. - -The _ear_ that _heareth_ the reproof of life abideth among the -wise.--Proverbs, xv. 31. - -The _hearing ear_, and the seeing eye, the Lord hath made even both of -them.--Proverbs, xx. 12. - -Take heed what ye _hear_.--Mark, iv. 24. - -Take heed therefore how ye _hear_.--Luke, viii. 18. - - - This is the slowest, yet the daintiest sense; - For even the _ears_ of such as have no skill, - Perceive a discord, and conceive offence; - And knowing not what’s good, yet find the ill. - And though this sense first gentle music sound, - Her proper object is the speech of men; - But that speech, chiefly, which God’s heralds sound, - When their tongues utter what His spirit did pen. - _Sir John Davies._ - - - As Thou hast touched our _ears_, and taught - Our tongues to speak Thy praises plain, - Quell Thou each thankless, godless thought - That would make fast our bonds again. - From worldly strife, from mirth unblest, - Drowning Thy music in the breast, - From foul reproach, from thrilling fears, - Preserve, good Lord, Thy servants’ _ears_. - - From idle words that restless throng, - And haunt our hearts when we would pray, - From pride’s false chime, and jarring wrong, - Seal Thou my lips, and guard the way: - For thou hast sworn that every _ear_ - Willing, or loath, Thy trump shall _hear_, - And every tongue unchained be, - To own no hope, O God, but Thee. - _Keble._ - - - - - HEART. - - -The hypocrites in _heart_ heap up wrath.--Job, xxxvi. 13. - -The _heart_ knoweth his own bitterness; and a stranger doth not -intermeddle with his joy.--Proverbs, xiv. 10. - -The _heart_ is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who -can know it?--Jeremiah, xvii. 9. - -A new _heart_ also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within -you: and I will take away the stony _heart_ out of your flesh, and I -will give you an _heart_ of flesh.--Ezekiel, xxxvi. 26. - -Blessed are the pure in _heart_: for they shall see God.--Matthew, v. 8. - -A good man, out of the good treasure of his _heart_, bringeth forth -that which is good; and an evil man, out of the evil treasure of his -_heart_, bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the -_heart_ his mouth speaketh.--Luke, vi. 45. - -Hope maketh not ashamed, because the love of God is shed abroad in our -_hearts_ by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.--Romans, v. 5. - -With the _heart_ man believeth unto righteousness.--Romans, x. 10. - -That Christ may dwell in your _hearts_ by faith.--Ephesians, iii. 17. - - - I care not, so my kernel relish well, - How slender be the substance of my shell; - My _heart_ being virtuous, let my face be wan, - I am to God, I only seem to man. - _Quarles._ - - - So now the soul’s sublimed, her sour desires - Are re-calcined in Heaven’s well-tempered fires; - The _heart_ restored, and purged from drossy nature, - Now finds the freedom of a new-born creature; - It lives another life, it breathes new breath, - It neither fears nor feels the sting of death. - _Quarles._ - - - Heaven’s Sovereign saves all beings but Himself - That hideous sight--a naked, human _heart_. - _Young._ - - - The Almighty, from His throne, on earth surveys - Naught greater than an honest, humble _heart_; - An humble _heart_, His residence! pronounced - His second seat, and rival to the skies. - _Young._ - - - Wash, Lord, and purify my _heart_, - And make it clean in every part, - And when ’tis clean, Lord, keep it too, - For that is more than I can do. - _Thomas Ellwood._ - - - A temple of the Holy Ghost, and yet - Oft lodging fiends; the dwelling-place of all - The heavenly virtues--charity and truth, - Humility, and holiness, and love-- - And yet the common haunt of anger, pride, - Hatred, revenge, and passions foul with lust; - Allied to heaven, yet parleying oft with hell. - _Pollok._ - - - Consider well. The _heart_ is a deceiver, - O, paltering with it, in some double sense, - Thou’st shunned, perhaps, the word that would condemn thee, - E’en while thy will was partner in the crime. - _Schiller._ - - - Thou too, my _heart_, whom He, and He alone, - Who all things knows, can know, with love replete, - Regenerate and pure, pour all thyself - A living sacrifice before His throne! - _Christopher Smart._ - - - Walk in the light! and sin, abhorred, - Shall ne’er defile again; - The blood of Jesus Christ, the Lord, - Shall cleanse from every stain. - Walk in the light! and thou shalt find - Thy _heart_ made truly His, - Who dwells in cloudless light enshrined, - In whom no darkness is. - _Bernard Barton._ - - - All our actions take - Their hues from the complexion of the _heart_, - As landscapes their variety from light. - _William Thompson Bacon._ - - - Would’st thou the life of souls discern? - Nor human wisdom nor divine - Helps thee by aught beside to learn; - Love is life’s only sign. - The spring of the regenerate _heart_, - The pulse, the glow of every part, - Is the true love of Christ our Lord, - As man embraced, as God adored. - _Keble._ - - - - - HEAVEN--HEAVENS. - - -The _heavens_ declare the glory of God.--Psalm xix. 1. - -All the host of _heaven_ shall be dissolved, and the _heavens_ shall -be rolled together as a scroll: and all their host shall fall down, as -the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as a falling fig from the fig -tree.--Isaiah, xxxiv. 4. - -Lay up for yourselves treasures in _heaven_, where neither moth nor -rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal; - -For where your treasure is there will your heart be also.--Matthew, vi. -20, 21. - -For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were -dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, -eternal in the _heavens_.--II. Corinthians, v. 1. - -An inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, -reserved in _heaven_.--I. Peter, i. 4. - -We, according to His promise, look for new _heavens_ and a new earth, -wherein dwelleth righteousness.--II. Peter, iii. 13. - - - In having all things, and not Thee, what have I? - Not having Thee, what have my labours got? - Let me enjoy but Thee, what further crave I? - And having Thee alone, what have I not? - I wish not sea nor land; nor would I be - Possessed of _Heaven_, _Heaven_ unpossessed of Thee. - _Quarles._ - - - Shall we serve _heaven_ - With less respect than we do minister - To our gross selves? - _Shakspere._ - - - Plenteous of grace, descend from high, - Rich in thy seven-fold energy! - Thou strength of his Almighty hand, - Whose power does _heaven_ and earth command. - _Dryden._ - - - Inquirer cease, petitions yet remain, - Which _heaven_ may hear, nor deem religion vain. - - * * * * * - - Still raise for good the supplicated voice, - But leave to _heaven_ the measure and the choice. - _Dr. Johnson._ - - - _Heaven_’s the perfection of all that can - Be said or thought, riches, delight, or harmony, - Health, beauty; and all these not subject to - The waste of time, but in their height eternal. - _Shirley._ - - - _Heav’n_ is a great way off, and I shall be - Ten thousand years in travel, yet ’twere happy - If I may find a lodging there at last, - Though my poor soul get thither upon crutches. - _Shirley._ - - - I sat, one day, upon a stone, - ’Rapt in a musing fit, alone, - And resting on my hand my head, - Thus to myself, in thought, I said-- - “How in these times of care and strife, - Shall I direct my fleeting life? - Three precious jewels I require - To satisfy my heart’s desire: - The first is honour, bright and clear; - The next is wealth; but (far more dear!) - The third is _Heaven’s_ approving smile.” - Then, after I had mused awhile, - I saw that it was vain to pine - For these three pearls in one small shrine; - To find within one heart a place - For honour, wealth, and _heavenly_ grace, - For how can one, in days like these, - _Heaven_ and the world together please? - _Gostick, from Walter Von Der Vogelweide._ - - - As through the artist’s intervening glass - Our eye observes the distant planets pass, - A little we discover, but allow - That more remains unseen than art can show: - So whilst our mind its knowledge would improve, - (Its feeble eye intent on things above,) - High as we may we lift our reason up, - By Faith directed, and confirmed by Hope: - Yet we are able only to survey - Dawnings of beams, and promises of day. - _Heaven’s_ fuller effluence mocks our dazzled sight; - Too great its swiftness, and too strong its light: - But soon the ’mediate clouds shall be dispelled; - The sun shall then be face to face beheld, - In all his robes, with all his glory on, - Seated sublime on his meridian throne. - _Prior._ - - - Friends, even in _Heaven_, one happiness would miss, - Should they not know each other when in bliss. - _Bishop Ken._ - - - All hail! all hail! resplendent vault, so wondrously display’d, - Abyss, where the Eternal’s hand the scattered scene array’d; - He gave them light; His mighty hand suspended them alone; - And ever from the chilling north, to India’s sultry zone, - In every region of the west, and isle of southern sea, - All raise, Oh! glorious firmament, their suppliant glance to thee! - - Vast sea of air, with countless gems, I love on thee to gaze! - Oh empyreal space! Oh stars! I love your softened rays; - Mysterious torches; ye have made the universe so bright! - Yet from this temple far above, ye bring your borrowed light! - What rapture fills thy spirit, borne on contemplation’s wing, - What charms, oh, beauteous canopy! thy varied aspects bring. - _From the French of Anna H. P. Le Chatelain._ - - - This world is all a fleeting show, - For man’s illusion given; - The smiles of joy, the tears of woe - Deceitful shine, deceitful flow, - There’s nothing true but _heaven_. - - And false the light on glory’s plume, - As fading hues of even, - And love, and hope, and beauty’s bloom, - Are blossoms gathered for the tomb: - There’s nothing bright but _heaven_. - _Moore._ - - - To live in darkness--in despair to die-- - Is this indeed the boon to mortals given? - Is there no port--no rock of refuge nigh? - There is--to those who fix their anchor-hope in _heaven_. - - Turn then, O man! and cast all else aside; - Direct thy wandering thoughts to things above-- - Low at the cross bow down--in that confide, - Till doubt be lost in faith, and bliss secured in love. - _C. C. Colton._ - - - The world, in all its boasted grandeur proud, - In all its stores of dazzling splendour bright, - Is but a transient, unsubstantial cloud, - Which the sun skirts with momentary light: - Anon, the assailing winds impetuous rise, - Black lowers the tempest in the sullen sky; - Before the driving blast the vision dies, - And all the vivid tints of splendour fly: - Pass but a moment, every ray is gone: - Nor e’en a vestige left where the bright glories shone. - - And shall we, for this visionary gleam, - Degenerate, swerve from _Heaven’s_ immortal plan? - Give up, for vanity’s light airy dream, - The nobler heritage reserved for man? - Though rocks their cragged heads in ambush hide, - Though storms and tempests sweep the angry main, - While Hope’s fair star shines forth, auspicious guide, - E’en tempests, storms, and rocks oppose in vain. - Safe, ’mid the ocean’s iterated force, - The sacred vessel shapes her _Heaven_-directed course. - _Samuel Hayes._ - - - There is an hour of peaceful rest, - To mourning wanderers given; - There is a tear for souls distrest, - A balm for every wounded breast, - ’Tis found above--in _heaven_! - - There is a soft, a downy bed, - ’Tis fair as breath of even; - A couch for weary mortals spread, - Where they may rest their aching head, - And find repose in _heaven_! - _Anon._ - - - - - HELL. - - -The wicked shall be turned into _hell_, and all the nations that forget -God.--Psalm ix. 17. - -I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath -killed hath power to cast into _hell_.--Luke, xii. 5. - -God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to _hell_, -and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto -judgment.--II. Peter, ii. 4. - - - Divines and dying men may talk of _hell_, - But in my heart her several torments dwell. - _Shakspere._ - - - _Hell_, their fit habitation, fraught with fire - Unquenchable, the house of woe and pain. - _Milton._ - - - Which way shall I fly, - Infinite wrath and infinite despair? - Which way I fly is _hell_; myself am _hell_; - And in the lowest deep, a lower deep - Still threatening to devour me opens wide, - To which the _hell_ I suffer seems a heaven. - _Milton._ - - - _Hell_ hath no limits, nor is circumscribed - In one self place; but where we are is _hell_; - And where _hell_ is, there must we ever be; - And, to be short, when all the world dissolves, - And every creature shall be purified, - All places shall be _hell_ that are not heaven. - _Marlowe._ - - - Will without power, the element of _hell_, - Abortive all its acts returning still - Upon itself; ... oh! anguish terrible! - Meet guerdon of self-love, its proper ill! - Malice would scowl upon the foe he fears; - And he with lip of scorn would seek to kill; - But neither sees the other, neither hears-- - For darkness each in his own dungeon bars, - Lust pines for dearth, and grief drinks its own tears-- - Each in its solitude apart. Hate wars - Against himself, and feeds upon his chain, - Whose iron penetrates the soul it scars, - A dreadful solitude each mind insane, - Each its own place, its prison all alone, - And finds no sympathy to soften pain. - _J. A. Heraud._ - - - I’ll tell thee what is _hell_--thy memory - Still mountained up with records of the past, - Heap over heap, all accents and all forms, - Telling the tale of joy and innocence, - And hope, and peace, and love; recording, too, - With stern fidelity, the thousand wrongs - Worked upon weakness and defencelessness; - The blest occasions trifled o’er or spurned; - All that hath been that ought not to have been, - That might have been so different, that now - Cannot but be irrevocably past! - Thy gangrened heart, - Stripped of its self-worn mask, and spread at last - Bare, in its horrible anatomy, - Before thine own excruciated gaze! - _D. P. Starkey._ - - - The day - Will come, when virtue from the cloud shall burst, - That long obscured her beams; when sin shall fly - Back to her native _hell_; there sink eclipsed - In penal darkness, where nor star shall rise, - Nor ever sunshine pierce the impervious gloom. - _Glynn._ - - - In the human breast there dwell - Warring passions fierce and dark, - Making of their home a _hell_, - Of the soul a driving bark - On a wild tempestuous sea, - Till too oft ’tis wrecked and driven - Far away, far away! - Hear the pitying angels say-- - Soul so lost, and tempest-tost, - Upon _hell_ and death’s bleak coast, - Far away from heaven! - _Egone._ - - - - - HELP. - - -And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone: I -will make him an _help_ meet for him.--Genesis, ii. 18. - -God is our refuge and strength, a very present _help_ in -trouble.--Psalm xlvi. 1. - -Give us _help_ from trouble: for vain is the _help_ of man.--Psalm lx. -11. - -Our _help_ is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and -earth.--Psalm cxxiv. 8. - - - Why am I loth to leave this earthly scene? - Have I so found it full of pleasing charms? - Some drops of joy with draughts of ill between: - Some gleams of sunshine ’mid renewing storms. - Is it departing pangs my soul alarms? - Or death’s unlovely, dreary, dark abode? - For guilt, for guilt, my terrors are in arms: - I tremble to approach an angry God, - And justly smart beneath His sin-avenging rod. - - Fain would I say, “Forgive my foul offence!” - Fain promise never more to disobey; - But should my Author health again dispense, - Again I might desert from virtue’s way: - Again in folly’s path might go astray; - Again exalt the brute and sink the man; - Then how should I for Heav’nly mercy pray, - Who act so counter Heav’nly mercy’s plan? - Who sin so oft have mourn’d: yet to temptation ran. - - O thou great governor of all below! - If I may dare a lifted eye to Thee, - Thy nod can make the tempest cease to blow, - Or still the tumult of the raging sea; - With that controlling power assist ev’n me, - Those headlong furious passions to confine, - For all unfit I feel my powers to be, - To rule their torrent in th’ allowed line; - O, aid me with Thy _help_, Omnipotence Divine! - _Burns._ - - - God, my supporter and my hope, - My _help_ for ever near, - Thine arm of mercy held me up, - When sinking in despair. - _Watts._ - - - - - HILLS. - - -The chief things of the ancient mountains, and for the precious things -of the lasting _hills_.--Deuteronomy, xxxiii. 15. - -The _hills_ melted like wax at the presence of the Lord, at the -presence of the Lord of the whole earth.--Psalm xcvii. 5. - -For the mountains shall depart, and the _hills_ be removed; but my -kindness shall not depart from thee, saith the Lord that hath mercy on -thee.--Isaiah, liv. 10. - -Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us; and to the -_hills_, cover us.--Luke, xxiii. 30. - - - Oh! my heart panteth to be far away, - Amid the _hills_--the everlasting _hills_; - For in my dreams last night a thousand rills - And mountain torrents held resistless sway - O’er my hush’d spirit; and the silent play - Of golden lights and gleamy shadowings - Chequer’d my veiled eyes, like seraphs’ wings, - That fan the crimson light of fading day. - I woke: the hum of traffic, and the din - Of mercenary crowds, fill’d the calm air: - I heard the voice of mendicant despair - Echo the hollow laugh of reckless sin; - And love was not, nor peace. Oh! let me win - The _hills_, the eternal _hills_--for peace dwells there! - _R. F. Housman._ - - - Oh! ye time-honoured _hills_, - The ancient, the immortal is it not - A high-born privilege ne’er to be forgot, - To feel none of earth’s ills? - - Sublime are ye as heaven! - Though bleak, not barren; silent, yet not dumb, - From outgone shadows health and music come, - And thronging thoughts are given! - - Not worthless is your aim, - To stand from age to age, from hour to hour, - The Almighty’s temple, token of his power, - And record of His name. - _W. Anderson._ - - - For the strength of the _hills_ we bless thee, - Our God, our fathers’ God! - Thou hast made the children mighty, - By the touch of the mountain sod. - Thou hast fix’d our arch of refuge - Where the spoilers foot ne’er trod; - For the strength of the _hills_ we bless thee, - Our God, our fathers’ God. - - We are watchers of a beacon - Whose lights must never die; - We are guardians of an altar - ’Midst the silence of the sky; - The rocks yield founts of courage, - Struck forth as by thy rod; - For the strength of the _hills_ we bless thee, - Our God, our fathers’ God. - - For the dark resounding heavens, - Where thy still small voice is heard, - For the strong pines of the forests, - That by thy breath are stirr’d; - For the storms on whose free pinions - Thy spirit walks abroad; - For the strength of the _hills_ we bless thee, - Our God, our fathers’ God. - - The royal eagle darteth - On his quarry from the heights, - And the stag that knows no master - Seeks there his wild delights; - But we for thy communion - Have sought the mountain sod; - For the strength of the _hills_ we bless thee, - Our God, our fathers’ God! - _Mrs. Hemans._ - - - Look up, my soul, toward the eternal _hills_; - Those heavens are fairer than they seem, - There pleasures all sincere glide in its crystal rills, - There not a dreg of guilt defiles, - Nor guilt disturbs the stream: - There is no cursed soil, no tainted spring, - No roses grow on thorns, nor honey wears a sting. - _Watts._ - - - - - HOLINESS. - - -Thou art _holy_, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.--Psalm -xxii. 3. - -_Holiness_ becometh thine house, O Lord, for ever.--Psalm xciii. 5. - -Follow peace with all men, and _holiness_, without which no man shall -see the Lord.--Hebrews, xii. 14. - -_Holy, holy, holy_, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to -come.--Revelations, iv. 8. - - - Thrice _holy_ fount, thrice holy fire, - Our hearts with heavenly love inspire. - _Dryden._ - - - Thus chastened, cleansed, entirely thine, - The sun of _Holiness_ shall shine. - _H. K. White._ - - - Lord, be it mine, like Thine elect, to choose - The better part; like them to use - The means Thy love hath given; - Be _holiness_ my aim on earth; - That death be welcom’d as a birth - To life and bliss in heaven. - _Bishop Mant._ - - - Not all the pomp and pageantry of worlds - Reflect such glory on the eye supreme, - As the meek virtues of one _holy_ man; - For ever doth his angel, from the face - Divine, beatitude and wisdom draw; - And in his prayer, what privilege adored! - Mounting the heavens, and claiming audience there; - Yes! there, amid a high, immortal host - Of seraphs, hymning in eternal choir, - A lip of clay its orisons can send, - In temple, or in solitude outbreathed. - _R. Montgomery._ - - - Ascribe ye _holiness_ unto the Lord; - Not unto man, for he is never _holy_: - The best of men, who walketh in the light - Of a clear conscience, may not claim that title-- - That high distinction, only fit for those - Who dwell with Him--the fount of _holiness_! - _Egone._ - - - - - HOME. - - -Man goeth to his long _home_, and the mourners go about the -streets.--Ecclesiastes, xii. 5. - -And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go -bid them farewell, which are at _home_ at my house.--Luke, ix. 61. - -Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at -_home_ in the body, we are absent from the Lord.--II. Corinthians, v. 6. - - - Death is, no doubt, in every place the same; - Yet nature casts a look towards _home_, and most, - Who have it in their power, choose to expire - Where first they drew their breath. - _Lillo._ - - - ’Twas early day, and sunlight streamed - Soft through a quiet room, - That hushed, but not forsaken seemed, - Still, but with nought of gloom. - - For there, secure in happy age, - Whose hope is from above, - A father communed with the page - Of heaven-recorded love. - - Pure fell the beam and meekly bright - On his gray holy hair, - And touched the book with tenderest light, - As if its shrine were there. - - But, oh, that patriarch’s aspect shone - With something lovelier far; - A radiance all the spirit’s own, - Caught not from sun or star. - - Some word of life e’en then had met - His calm benignant eye, - Some ancient promise breathing yet - Of immortality. - - Some heart’s deep language, where the glow - Of quenchless faith survives; - For every feature said, “I know - That my Redeemer lives.” - - And silent stood his children by, - Hushing their very breath, - Before the solemn sanctity - Of thoughts o’ersweeping death. - - Silent, yet did not each young heart - With love and reverence melt; - Oh blest be those fair girls, and blest - That _home_ where God is felt. - _Mrs. Hemans._ - - - Sweet is the smile of _home_; the mutual look - When hearts are of each other sure; - Sweet all the joys that crowd the household nook, - The haunt of all affections pure; - Yet in the world even these abide, and we - Above the world, our calling boast: - Once gain the mountain-top, and thou art free; - Till then, who rest, presume; who turn to look, are lost. - _Keble._ - - - Yes, let the future smile or mourn, - To us a glorious place is given, - With the great church of the first-born, - Whose names are registered in heaven. - - Beyond the bounds of time’s expansion, - Where change and sorrow cannot come, - We’re journeying to the promised mansion, - Made ready in our Father’s _home_. - - Friends, kindred, loving and beloved, - That wont on earth our lot to cheer, - Thither are, one by one removed, - And we shall find them settled there. - - Enough! though sin, and pain, and death, - This transitory world infest, - They who attain to Abraham’s faith, - Shall be with faithful Abraham blest. - _Hankinson._ - - - Our God, to call us _homeward_, - His only Son sent down; - And now, still more to tempt our hearts, - Has taken up our own. - _Thomas Ward._ - - - How sweetly flowed the gospel’s sound, - From lips of gentleness and grace, - When listening thousands gathered round, - And joy and reverence filled the place. - - From heaven He came--of heaven He spoke, - To heaven He led his followers’ way; - Dark clouds of gloomy night He broke, - Unveiling an immortal day. - - “Come wanderers to my Father’s _home_, - Come, all ye weary ones, and rest!” - Yes, sacred Teacher.--we will come-- - Obey thee, love thee, and be blest. - _Bowring._ - - - _Home_ of the Christian! when Messiah comes - A scene of Heaven in miniature art thou, - Where all is redolent of charms divine, - Temper renewed, and souls of grave becalmed. - Thy quiet precincts of a purer world - Breathe to the heart of faith, and, when compared - With what the worldling in his home enjoys.-- - E’en like the vexing hum of some large street, - Where all is haste and hurry, tramp and strife, - In contrast with the unpolluted calm - Of some cathedral, when a spirit’s hush - Hath brooded--seems that worldlings’ noisy hour. - _R. Montgomery._ - - - How sweet, bow consoling, when seasons of gloom - Roll over the soul like the billowy spray, - To view in the mansions of Heaven a _home_, - Where sorrow and sighing shall vanish away. - _W. J. Brock._ - - - And in our _home_ above there is a friend, - More tender, true, more loving and sincere, - Who knows each want, and every help will lend - Our souls, through this world’s misery to steer; - In danger’s path is present, ever near, - Allures to brighter worlds, hath cleared the way, - Will wipe from every cheek the sinner’s tear, - Deigns in our hearts to claim a peaceful sway, - And leads us to our _homes_ in realms of endless day. - _Stuart Farquharson._ - - - - - HONESTY. - - -Let us walk _honestly_, as in the day.--Romans, xiii. 13. - -Study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your -own hands, as we commanded you; - -That ye may walk _honestly_ toward them that are without, and that ye -may have lack of nothing.--I. Thessalonians, iv. 11, 12. - -Pray for us: for we trust we have a good conscience, in all things -willing to live _honestly_.--Hebrews, xiii. 18. - - - _Honesty!_ - A name scarce echo to a sound--_honesty_! - Attend the stately chambers of the great-- - It dwells not there, nor in the trading world; - Speaks it in councils? No, the sophist knows - To laugh it thence. - _Havard._ - - - I ask not for his lineage, - I ask not for his name-- - If manliness be in his heart, - He noble birth may claim. - I care not though of world’s wealth - But slender be his part; - If yes you answer, when I ask-- - Hath he a true man’s heart? - - I ask not from what land he came, - Nor where his youth was nursed-- - If pure the stream, it matters not - The spot from whence it burst: - The palace or the hovel, - Where first his life began, - I seek not of: but answer this-- - Is he an _honest_ man? - - Nay, blush not now--what matters it - Where first he drew his breath? - A manger was the cradle-bed - Of Him of Nazareth! - Be nought, be any, every thing-- - I care not what you be-- - If yes you answer, when I ask-- - Art thou pure, true, and free? - _R. Nicoll._ - - - - - HONOUR. - - -Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands: - -Sing forth the _honour_ of his name: make his praise glorious.--Psalm -lxvi. 1, 2. - -I receive not _honour_ from men.--John, v. 41. - -Jesus answered, If I _honour_ myself, my _honour_ is nothing; it is my -Father that _honoureth_ me; of whom ye say, that he is your God.--John, -viii. 54. - -Render therefore to all their dues; tribute to whom tribute is -due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; _honour_ to whom -_honour_.--Romans, xiii. 7. - - - The voice of nature, yea, the voice of God - Commands to _honour_ those that gave us birth,-- - Even her, from whose supporting bosom flowed - By far the sweetest stream that flows on earth; - Whose tongue of kindness never knew a dearth - Of soothing words that could our griefs allay-- - Even him who listened to our prattling mirth, - Who early taught our infant lips to pray, - And led our tottering steps to walk in wisdom’s way: - - A parent is indeed a tender friend, - And, if once lost, we never more shall find - A bosom that so tremblingly can blend - Its feelings with our own congenial mind; - Our lips may speak their anguish to the wind - That hurries heedlessly and wildly by-- - Our hearts, to lonely agony consigned, - May thirst without relief--for no reply - Comes from their mouldering breasts, that in their graves lie. - - And then we pause to think--alas! how late! - Of deeds that wrung a parent’s heart with pain; - And oh! could we but open death’s dark gate, - And lead them back into the world again-- - Oh! but once more to see their face!--’tis vain! - Once more to hear their voice!--’tis sweetly driven - Across our fancy, and expires,--and then - We wish ourselves away--away to heaven, - To weep upon their breast, and there to be forgiven. - _Knox._ - - - _Honour_’s a sacred tie--the law of kings, - The noble mind’s distinguishing perfection, - That aids and strengthens virtue when it meets her, - And imitates her actions where she is not. - _Addison._ - - - _Honour_ demands my song. Forget the ground - My generous muse, and sit among the stars! - There sing the soul that, conscious of her birth, - Lives like a native of the vital world - Amongst these dying clods, and bears her state - Just to herself: how nobly she maintains - Her character, superior to the flesh, - She wields her passions like her limbs, and knows - The brutal powers were born but to obey. - _Watts._ - - - This deity, whose altars reek with blood, - Though millions bend the prostituted knee - Before the radiant shrine, though millions own - His power vindictive just, and call him _Honour_, - All cannot sanctify what public good - What nature’s moral dictates disavow, - And Heaven’s almighty mandate impious deems. - _Samuel Hayes._ - - - _Honour_--in blood congealed to take a life, - Which had been murder in the heat of strife! - _Honour_--when its result we dare not tell! - _Honour_--to plunge a fellow’s soul to hell! - _Honour_--to stand to be a murderer’s mark, - And hurl defiance e’en with life’s last spark; - To dare that law which has for ages stood-- - “He dies by man who sheds a brother’s blood!” - Oh, in that moment when we all shall stand - Waiting the judgment of the Almighty hand, - Will then thy _honour_ palliate the crime, - And Heaven’s high monarch hear the plea of time? - Stript of those robes which make it _honour_ here, - Before that throne the murder will appear, - Disrobed of ornament the sin is there; - The crime is Cain’s; why not his judgment share-- - An outcast on the earth, and in the Heaven, - O God! can crimes like these be e’er forgiven? - _Anon._ - - - - - HOPE. - - -Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose _hope_ is in -the Lord his God.--Psalm cxlvi. 5. - -The Lord is my portion, saith my soul, therefore will I _hope_ in -Him.--Lamentations, iii. 24. - -It is good that a man should both _hope_ and quietly wait for the -salvation of the Lord.--Lamentations, iii. 26. - -If in this life only we have _hope_ in Christ, we are of all men the -most miserable.--I. Corinthians, xv. 19. - -Which _hope_ we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, -and which entereth into that within the veil.--Hebrews, vi. 19. - - - Upon her arm a silver anchor lay, - Whereon she leaned ever, as befel: - And ever up to Heaven as she did pray, - Her steadfast eyes were bent, not swerved otherway. - _Spenser._ - - - _Hope_, eager _hope_, the assassin of our joy, - All present blessings treading under foot, - Is scarce a milder tyrant than despair. - With no past toils content, still planning new, - _Hope_ turns us o’er to death alone for ease. - Possession why more tasteless than pursuit? - Why is a wish far dearer than a crown? - That wish accomplished, why the grave of bliss? - Because in the great future buried deep, - Beyond our plans of empire and renown, - Lies all that man with ardour should pursue; - And He who made him, bent him to the right. - _Young._ - - - Rich _Hope_ of boundless bliss! - Bliss, past man’s power to paint it; time’s to close! - This _Hope_ is earth’s most estimable prize: - This is man’s portion while no more than man: - _Hope_, of all passions, most befriends us here; - Passions of prouder name befriend us less. - Joy has her tears, and transport has her death; - _Hope_, like a cordial, innocent, though strong, - Man’s heart at once inspirits and serenes; - Nor makes him pay his wisdom for his joys; - ’Tis all our present state can safely bear, - Health to the frame, and vigour to the mind! - A joy attempered! A chastised delight! - Like the fair summer evening, mild and sweet, - ’Tis man’s full cup, his paradise below. - _Young._ - - - _Hope_, with uplifted foot, set free from earth, - Pants for the place of her ethereal birth; - On steady wings, sails through the immense abyss, - Plucks amaranthine joys from bowers of bliss, - And crowns the soul, while yet a mourner here, - With wreaths like those triumphant spirits wear. - _Hope_, as an anchor, firm and sure, holds fast - The Christian vessel, and defies the blast. - _Cowper._ - - - Reflected on the lake, I love - To see the stars of evening glow; - So tranquil in the heavens above, - So restless in the wave below. - - Thus heavenly _hope_ is all serene, - But earthly _hope_, how bright soe’er, - Still flutters o’er this changeful scene, - As false, as fleeting as ’tis fair. - _Bishop Heber._ - - - Whose was that voice, that whispering sweet, - Promised methought long days of bliss sincere; - Soothing it stole on my deluded ear, - Most like soft music that might sometimes cheat - Thoughts dark and drooping! ’twas the voice of _hope_. - Of love and social scenes it seem’d to speak: - Of truth, of friendship, of affection meek; - That hand in hand along life’s downward slope, - Might walk with peace and cheer the tranquil hours: - Ah me! the prospect sadden’d as she sung, - Loud on my startled ear the death-bell rung: - Chill darkness wrapt the pleasurable bowers - She built, while pointing to yon breathless clay, - She cried, “No peace be thine, away, away!” - _W. L. Bowles._ - - - Daughter of faith, awake, arise, illume - The dread unknown, the chaos of the tomb; - Melt and dispel, ye spectre-doubts, that roll - Cimmerian darkness on the parting soul! - Fly, like the moon-eyed herald of dismay, - Chased on his night-steed by the star of day! - The strife is o’er--the pangs of nature close, - And life’s last rapture triumph’s o’er her woes. - Hark! as the spirit eyes, with eagle gaze, - The noon of heaven undazzled by the blaze, - On heavenly winds, that waft her to the sky, - Float the sweet tones of star-born melody; - Wild as that hallow’d anthem sent to hail - Bethlehem’s shepherds in the lonely vale, - When Jordan hush’d his waves, and midnight still - Watched on the holy towers of Zion hill! - Soul of the just! companion of the dead! - Where is thy home, and whither art thou fled? - Back to its heavenly source thy being goes, - Swift as the comet wheels to whence he rose; - Doom’d on his airy path awhile to burn, - And doom’d, like thee, to travel and return. - _Campbell._ - - - A Heaven as bright, as blue, as mild, as calm, - As thine own eye; the sun hath passed away, - But left his mantle of transparent light - To deck the gorgeous west, amid whose bright - And purple depths I see a floating speck - Of purest white, and now ’tis fixed, and now - Swells into clearest beauty--’tis a star, - Whose trembling orb seems shrinking from the light, - Like a rebuked seraph’s eye, when drooped - ’Neath the chastising glance; a bright ray shoots - Up from its centre; gradual the star - Severs before that ray, it parts--it spreads-- - And from its heart comes forth a gliding form, - Surpassing all my mortal thought of beauty:-- - - * * * * * - - ’Tis _Hope_! the enduring angel he has deigned - To send upon the earth, that she may be - Your comforter, that when despair comes down - Upon your spirit, ye may flee to her, - And in her cradling arms of safest rest - Lay down your wearied heads upon her heart, - Till your own souls have caught the light of hers; - ’Tis she, whose fervent voice, and star-like eye, - Shall string you to your toil of wrestling with - The care of being; blessed be the name - Of Him, whose mercy hath thus given ye - A beacon to your path! - _Constantia Louisa Reddell._ - - - All _hope_ on earth for ever fled, - A higher _hope_ remaineth; - For while His wrath is o’er me shed, - I know my Saviour reigneth. - The worm may waste the withering clay, - When flesh and spirit sever; - My soul shall see eternal day, - And dwell with God for ever! - _T. Dale._ - - - She lights our gloom, she soothes our care, - She bids our fears depart, - Transmutes to gems each grief-fraught tear, - And binds the broken heart! - - She glances o’er us from above, - The brightest star that’s given, - And guides us still, through faith and love, - To endless peace, in Heaven. - _Anna Peyre Dinnies._ - - - The night is mother of the day, - The winter of the spring, - And ever, upon old decay, - The greenest mosses cling. - Behind the cloud the star-light lurks, - Through showers the sunbeams fall; - For God, who loveth all His works, - Hath left His _Hope_ with all. - _J. G. Whittier._ - - - The world may change from old to new, - From new to old again; - Yet _Hope_ and Heaven, for ever true, - Within man’s heart remain. - - The dreams that bless the weary soul, - The struggles of the strong, - Are steps towards some happy goal, - The story of _Hope’s_ song. - _Sarah Flowers Adams._ - - - - - HOUSE. - - -I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the _house_ of the -Lord.--Psalm cxxii. 1. - -Except the Lord build the _house_, they labour in vain that build -it.--Psalm cxxvii. 1. - -It is better to go to the _house_ of mourning, than to go to the -_house_ of feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living -will lay it to his heart.--Ecclesiastes, vii. 2. - -Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. - -In my Father’s _house_ are many mansions: if it were not so, I would -have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.--John, xiv. 1, 2. - - - It is the Sabbath bell, which calls to pray’r, - Ev’n to the _house_ of God, the hallow’d dome, - Where He who claims it bids His people come - To bow before His throne, and serve him there - With pray’rs, and thanks, and praises: some there are - Who bold it meet to linger now at home, - And some o’er fields and the wide hills to roam, - And worship in the temple of the air! - For me, not heedless of the lone address, - Nor slack to greet my maker on the height, - By wood, or living stream; yet not the less - Seek I His presence in each social rite - Of His own temple: that He deigns to bless, - There still He dwells, and there is His delight. - _Bishop Mant._ - - - If in the family thou art the best, - Pray oft, and be the mouth unto the rest; - Whom God hath made the heads of families, - He hath made priests to offer sacrifice. - Daily let part of Holy Writ be read, - Let as the body, so the soul have bread; - For look, how many souls in thy _house_ be, - With just as many souls God trusteth thee. - _Anonymous._ (1600.) - - - If to the _house_ of God below - Thou go’st with faith and holy love; - Thy soul, released, may hope to go - And dwell in God’s own _house_ above. - _Egone._ - - - - - HUMILITY. - - -The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom: and before honour is -_humility_.--Proverbs, xv. 33. - -Better is it to be of an _humble_ spirit with the lowly, than to divide -the spoil with the proud.--Proverbs, xvi. 19. - -By _humility_, and the fear of the Lord, are riches, and honour, and -life.--Proverbs, xxii. 4. - -A man’s pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the _humble_ -in spirit.--Proverbs, xxix. 23. - -Whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased: and he that shall -_humble_ himself shall be exalted.--Matthew, xxiii. 12. - -All of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with _humility_: -for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the _humble_.--I. -Peter, v. 5. - - - He that high growth on cedars did bestow, - Gave also lowly mushrooms leave to grow. - In Haman’s pomp poor Mardocheous wept, - Yet God did turn his fate upon his foe: - The Lazar pined while Dives’ feast was kept, - Yet he to Heaven, to hell did Dives go. - We trample grass, and prize the flowers of May, - Yet grass is green when flowers do fade away. - _Robert Southwell._ - - - _Humble_ we must be, if to Heaven we go; - High is the roof there, but the gate is low: - Whene’er thou speak’st look with a lowly eye-- - Grace is increased by _humility_. - _Robert Herrick._ - - - He that is down need fear no fall; - He that is low, no pride; - He that is _humble_ ever shall - Have God to be his guide. - _Bunyan._ - - - _Humility_ is the softening shadow before the statue of - excellence, - And lieth lowly on the ground beloved and lovely as the violet: - _Humility_ is the fair-haired maid that calleth worth her - brother, - The gentle, silent nurse, that fostereth infant virtues: - As when the blind man is nigh unto a rose its sweetness is herald - of its beauty, - So, when thou savourest _humility_, be sure thou art nigh unto - merit. - _Tupper._ - - - When Mary chose the “better part,” - She meekly sat at Jesus’ feet! - And Lydia’s gently-opened heart, - Was made for God’s own temple meet: - Fairest and best adorned is she, - Whose clothing is _humility_. - - The saint that wears heaven’s brightest crown, - In deepest adoration bends; - The weight of glory bows him down, - Then most, when most the soul ascends: - Nearest the throne itself must be - The footstool of _humility_. - _James Montgomery._ - - - Pride, with haughty port, defies in vain - The force of rough adversity, which rends - With double violence the stubborn heart. - But, like a tender plant, _Humility_ - Bends low before the threat’ning blast unhurt, - Eludes its rage, and lives through all the storm. - Pride is the livery of the prince of darkness, - Worn by his slaves, who glory in their shame; - A gaudy dress, but tarnish’d, rent and foul, - And loathsome to the holy eye of heaven. - But sweet _humility_, a shining robe, - Bestowed by heaven upon its favourite sons; - The robe which God approves and angels wear-- - Fair semblance of the glorious Prince of Light, - Who stoop’d to dwell (divine _humility_!) - With sinful worms, and poverty, and scorn. - Pride leads her wretched votaries to contempt, - To certain ruin, infamy, and death. - But sweet _humility_ points out the way - To happiness, and life, and lasting honours. - _Humility_ how glorious! how divine! - Thus clothed, and thus enrich’d, O may I shine; - Be mine this treasure, this celestial robe, - And let the sons of pride possess the globe. - _Mrs. Steele._ - - - - - HYMN. - - -And when they had sung an _hymn_, they went out into the Mount of -Olives.--Matthew, xxvi. 30. - - - Whose business was to serve their Lord, - High up in heav’n with songs to _hymn_ His throne. - - * * * * * - - They touched their golden harps, and _hymning_ praised - God and His works. - _Milton._ - - - Then, kneeling down, to Heaven’s Eternal King - The saint, the father, and the husband prays: - Hope “springs exulting on triumphant wing,” - That thus they all shall meet in future days: - There ever bask in uncreated rays, - No more to sigh, or shed the bitter tear; - Together _hymning_ their Creator’s praise, - In such society yet still more dear, - When circling time moves round, in an eternal sphere. - _Burns._ - - - They chant their artless notes in simple guise; - They tune their hearts, by far the noblest aim: - Perhaps “Dundee’s” wild warbling measures rise, - Or plaintive “Martyrs,” worthy of the name; - Or noble “Elgin” feeds the heav’n-ward flame, - The sweetest far of Scotia’s holy lays: - Compared with these, Italian trills are tame; - The tickl’d ear no heart-felt raptures raise; - Nae unison hae they with our Creator’s praise. - _Burns._ - - - There is no gloom on earth, for God above - Chastens in love; - Transmuting sorrow into golden joy, - Free from alloy. - His dearest attribute is still to bless, - And man’s most welcome _hymn_ is grateful cheerfulness. - _Horace Smith._ - - - Celestial voices - _Hymn_ it unto our souls. - _R. H. Dana._ - - - - - HYPOCRISY. - - -The _hypocrite’s_ hope shall perish.--Job, viii. 13. - -The triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the _hypocrite_ -but for a moment.--Job, xx. 5. - -For the vile person will speak villany, and his heart will work -iniquity, to practise _hypocrisy_, and to utter error against the -Lord.--Isaiah, xxxii. 6. - -When thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee as the -_hypocrites_ do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may -have glory of men. - -When thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the _hypocrites_ are; for they -love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the -streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have -their reward.--Matthew, vi. 2, 5. - - - So smooth he daubed his life with show of virtue, - He lived from all attainder of suspect. - _Shakspere._ - - - _Hypocrisy_, detest her as we may, - (And no man’s hatred ever wronged her yet) - May claim this merit still, that she admits - The worth of what she mimics with such care, - And thus gives virtue indirect applause. - _Cowper._ - - - Great day of revelation! in the grave - The _hypocrite_ had left his mask, and stood - In naked ugliness. He was a man - Who stole the livery of the court of heaven - To serve the devil in; in virtue’s guise, - Devoured the widow’s house and orphan’s bread; - In holy phrase, transacted villanies - That common sinners durst not meddle with; - At sacred feast, he sat among the saints, - And with his guilty hands touched holiest things; - And none of sin lamented more, or sighed - More deeply, or with graver countenance, - Or longer prayer, wept o’er the dying man - Whose infant children, at the moment, he - Planned how to rob. - Seest thou the man, - A serpent with an angel’s voice! a grave - With flowers bestrewed! - _Pollok._ - - - I do the wrong, and first begin to brawl, - The secret mischiefs that I set abroach, - I lay unto the grievous charge of others. - But then I sigh, and with a piece of scripture - Tell them--that God bids us do good for evil. - And thus I clothe my naked villany, - With old, odd ends, stol’n forth of Holy Writ. - _Shakspere._ - - - Wo to ye _Hypocrites_! ye insincere, - Who shut the gates of heaven against mankind, - And yet yourselves will never enter there-- - Wo to ye _Hypocrites_! your hearts are blind; - The houses of the widow ye devour, - And make long prayers, devotion ill-designed. - The matters of the Law of gravest power-- - Omit ye;--Judgment--Mercy--Faith! and dole - The petty tithe of your external dower: - Not those omit,--nor these; but pay the whole! - As righteous men ye do without appear, - Within iniquity usurps the soul: - Ye are e’en like a whited Sepulchre, - Beautiful outward, hiding dead men’s bones; - Uncleanness and corruption, everywhere. - _J. A. Heraud._ - - - Like the detested tribe - Of ancient Pharisees, beneath the mask - Of clamorous piety, what numbers veil - Contaminated, vicious hearts! How many - In the devoted temple of their God, - With _hypocritic_ eye, from which the tear - Of penitential anguish seems to flow, - Pour forth their vows, and by affected zeal - Pre-eminent devotion boast; while vice - Within the guilty breast, rankles unseen. - _Samuel Hayes._ - - - These are they - That prey upon the widow, and devour - The orphan’s portion, mocking Heaven with prayers - Ceaseless, and fasts, which will but more incense - His anger, and bring down worse chastisement. - _Charles Peers._ - - - - - IDOLATRY. - - -Rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity -and _idolatry_.--I. Samuel, xv. 23. - -What agreement hath the temple of God with _idols_?--II. Corinthians, -vi. 16. - -Covetousness, which is _idolatry_.--Colossians, iii. 5. - - - The sparkling flames, that burn in beaten gold, - And, like the stars of heav’n in midst of night, - Black Egypt, as her mirrors doth behold; - Are but the dens where _idol_ snakes delight - Again to cover Satan from their sight: - Yet these are all their gods; with whom they vie, - The crocodile, the cock, the rat, the fly: - Fit gods indeed, for such men to be served by. - _Giles Fletcher._ - - - Hear, Father! hear and aid! - If I have loved too well, if I have shed, - In my vain fondness, o’er a mortal head - Gifts, on Thy shrine, my God, more fitly laid; - If I have sought to live - But in one light, and made a mortal eye - The lonely star of my _idolatry_, - Thou that art Love, oh! pity and forgive! - _Mrs. Hemans._ - - - City of _idol_-temples, and of shrines - Where folly kneels to falsehood--how the pride - Of our humanity is here rebuked! - Man, that aspires to rule the very wind, - And make the sea confess his majesty; - Whose intellect can fill a little scroll - With words that are immortal: who can build - Cities, the mighty and the beautiful: - Yet man,--this glorious creature,--can debase - His spirit down, to worship wood and stone, - And hold the very beasts which bear his yoke, - And tremble at his eye, for sacred things. - With what unutterable humility - We should bow down, thou blessed Cross, to thee, - Seeing our vanity and foolishness, - When, to our own devices left, we frame - A shameful creed of craft and cruelty. - _L. E. L._ - - - If, when the Lord of Glory was in sight, - Thou turn thy back upon that fountain clear, - To bow before the “little drop of light” - Which dim-eyed men call praise and glory here: - What dost thou, but adore the sun, and scorn - Him at whose only word both sun and stars were born? - - If while around the gales from Eden breathe, - Thou hide thine eyes, to make thy peevish moan - Over some broken reed of earth beneath, - Some darling of blind fancy, dead and gone, - As wisely might’st thou in Jehovah’s fane - Offer thy love and tears to Thammuz slain. - - Turn thee from these, or dare not to inquire - Of Him whose name is Jealous, lest in wrath, - He hear and answer thine unblest desire: - Far better we should cross His lightning’s path, - Than be according to our _idols_ heard, - And God should take us at our vain word. - _Keble._ - - - Before the _idol_-monster was the blood - Of man poured out by man. No mother there - Blessed the fair skies which smiled upon her babe, - But hastened rather, with unnatural hand, - To crush the unfolding life, and turn aside - The dark inheritance of woe and pain, - Ere yet the unconscious victim owned its doom. - _A. Alexander._ - - - And still from Him we turn away, - And fill our hearts with worthless things; - The fires of avarice melt the clay, - And forth the _idol_ springs! - Ambition’s flame, and passion’s heat, - By wondrous alchemy transmute - Earth’s dross, to raise some gilded brute - To fill Jehovah’s seat. - _J. H. Clinch._ - - - _Idol_-worshippers are we, - Bowing evermore heart and knee - Unto stone and unto stock; - Thus the living God we mock. - Who shall say his heart is free - From this foul _idolatry_? - _Egone._ - - - - - IMAGE. - - -So God created man in his own _image_, in the _image_ of God created he -him; male and female created he them.--Genesis, i. 27. - -Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven _image_, or any likeness of -anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or -that is in the water under the earth: - -Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord -thy God am a jealous God.--Exodus, xx. 4, 5. - -As we have borne the _image_ of the earthy, we shall also bear the -_image_ of the heavenly.--I. Corinthians, xv. 49. - - - For what had all this all, which man in one, - Did not unite; the earth, air, water, fire, - Life, sense, and spirit; nay, the pow’rful throne - Of the Divinest Essence did retire; - And his own _Image_ into clay inspire; - So that this creature well might called be, - Of the great world the small epitome; - Of the dead world, the life, and small anatome. - _Giles Fletcher._ - - - Thou man Thy _image_ mad’st, in dignity, - In knowledge and in beauty like to Thee; - Placed in a heaven on earth; without his toil, - The ever flourishing and fruitful soil - Unpurchased food produced; all creatures were - His subjects, serving more for love than fear. - _Sandys._ - - - He made us to His _image_ all agree; - That _image_ is the soul, and that must be, - Or not the Maker’s _image_, or be free. - _Dryden._ - - - Outcasts of mortal race! can we conceive - _Image_ of aught delightful, soft, or great. - _Prior._ - - - Poor man! How happy once in thy first state! - When yet but warm from thy great Maker’s hand, - He stamped thee with His _image_, and well pleased, - Smiled on his last fair work! - _Blair._ - - - God spake: He look’d on earth and heaven - With mild and generous eye; - In his own _image_ man he made, - And gave him dignity. - _Krummacher._ - - - - - IMMORTALITY. - - -To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and -honour and _immortality_, eternal life.--Romans, ii. 7. - -This corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on -_immortality_.--I. Corinthians, xv. 53. - -Our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought -life and _immortality_ to light through the gospel.--II. Timothy, i. 10. - - - _Immortal_ honour, endless fame - Attend the Almighty Father’s name. - _Dryden._ - - - Thy nature, _immortality_! who knows? - And yet who knows it not? It is but life - In stronger thread of brighter colour spun, - And spun for ever, dipt by cruel fate - In Stygian die, how black, how brittle here! - How short our correspondence with the sun! - And while it lasts, Inglorious! Our best deeds, - How wanting in their weight! our highest joys, - Small cordials to support us in our pain, - And give us strength to suffer. But how great - To mingle interests, converse, amities, - With all the sons of reason, scatter’d wide - Through habitable space, wherever born, - Howe’er endowed! To live free citizens - Of universal nature! To lay hold - By more than feeble faith on the Supreme! - To call heaven’s rich unfathomable mines - (Mines, which support archangels in their state,) - Our own! To rise in science as in bliss, - Initiate in the secrets of the skies! - To read creation; read its mighty plan - In the bare bosom of the Deity! - The plan, and execution, to collate! - To see, before each glance of piercing thought, - All cloud, all shadow blown remote; and leave - No mystery--but that of love divine, - Which lifts us on the Seraph’s flaming wing, - From earth’s aceldama, this field of blood, - Of inward anguish, and of outward ill, - From darkness, and from dust, to such a scene! - Love’s element! True joy’s illustrious house! - From earth’s sad contrast (now deplor’d) more fair! - What exquisite vicissitude of fate! - Blest absolution of our blackest hour! - _Young._ - - - Man’s soul _immortal_ is; whilst here they live, - The purest minds for perfect knowledge strive; - Which is the knowledge of that glorious God, - From whom all life proceeds: in this abode - Of flesh, the soul can never reach so high, - So reason tells us. If the soul then die, - When from the body’s bonds she takes her flight, - Her unfulfilled desire is frustrate quite, - And so bestowed in vain! It follows then, - The best desires, unto the best of men, - The Great Creator did in vain dispense, - Or else the soul must live when gone from hence, - And if it live after the body fall, - What reason proves that it must die at all? - _Thomas May._ - - - Strong as the death it masters, is the hope - That onward looks to _immortality_: - Let the frame perish, so the soul survive, - Pure, spiritual, and loving. I believe - The grave exalts, not separates, the ties - That hold us in affection to our kind. - I will look down from yonder pitying sky, - Watching and waiting those I loved on earth; - Anxious in heaven, until they, too, are there. - I will attend your guardian angel’s side - And weep away your faults with holy tears: - Your midnight shall be filled with solemn thought; - And when, at length, death brings you to my love, - Mine the first welcome heard in Paradise. - _Anon._ - - - The sun is but a spark of fire,-- - A transient meteor in the sky: - The soul, _immortal_ as its Sire, - Shall never die! - _J. Montgomery._ - - - Prisoners of hope! heirs of eternity! - Waiting for the consummate day, when time - Shall be no more--Why on the past dwell ye? - Prisoners of hope! look to the goal sublime - Of the expanded future, and behold - The flesh redeemed to its _immortal_ prime. - _J. A. Heraud._ - - - Yet know, vain sceptics, know the Almighty mind, - Who breathed on man a portion of His fire, - Bade his free soul, by earth nor time confined, - To Heaven, to _immortality_ aspire. - - Nor shall the pile of hope His mercy reared, - By vain philosophy be e’er destroyed: - Eternity, by all or wished or feared, - Shall be, by all, or suffered, or enjoyed. - _William Mason._ - - - Whoe’er thou art, this truth take home,--and think - Two spirits only for thy soul contend,-- - The good and bad; but now alone is grace - Imparted; soon thy final sands will fall, - And thou in moral nakedness shalt be - To Devil or to Deity assign’d - Through endless ages!--Oh, that truth immense, - This mortal, _immortality_ shall wear! - The pulse of mind can never cease to play; - By God awaken’d, it for ever throbs, - Eternal as His own eternity! - Above the angels, or below the fiends: - To mount in glory, or in shame descend-- - Mankind are destined by resistless doom. - _R. Montgomery._ - - - Beyond the purple verge of infinite space, - The _immortal_ soul of man shall live again; - Live where its glories never more may wane, - And where its nobler memories will efface - All thoughts which rend the solemn’ pall away - That shrouds the meanness of its primal clay. - _H. B. Hirst._ - - - - - INSPIRATION. - - -There is a spirit in man: and the _inspiration_ of the Almighty giveth -them understanding.--Job, xxxii. 8. - -All scripture is given by _inspiration_ of God.--II. Timothy, iii. 16. - - - O Thou bless’d Spirit: whether the Supreme - Great ante-mundane Father; in whose breast - Embryo creation, unborn being, dwelt, - And all its various revolutions rolled, - Present though future; prior to themselves - Whose breath can blow it into naught again, - Or from His throne some delegated power, - Who studious of our peace, dost turn the thought - From vain and vile to solid and sublime! - Unseen Thou lead’st me to delicious draughts - Of _Inspiration_, from a purer stream, - And fuller of the God, than that which burst - From famed Castalia. - _Young._ - - - We to his high _inspiration_ owe - That what was done before the flood we know. - _Denham._ - - - How precious is the book divine - By _inspiration_ given! - Bright as a lamp its doctrines shine - To guide our souls to heaven. - - It sweetly cheers our drooping hearts - In this dark vale of tears; - Life, light, and joy it still imparts, - And quells our rising fears. - - This lamp through all the tedious night - Of life shall guide our way, - Till we behold the clearer light - Of an eternal day. - _Fawcett._ - - - On the page of _inspiration_ - Lo! the promise of salvation; - May I earnestly inquire, - May the Lord my soul _inspire_ - With the love of truth divine, - So to make that promise mine. - _Egone._ - - - - - INSTRUCTION. - - -The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise -wisdom and _instruction_. - -My son, hear the _instruction_ of thy father.--Proverbs, i. 7, 8. - -Hear _instruction_, and be wise, and refuse it not.--Proverbs, viii. 33. - -He that refuseth _instruction_ despiseth his own soul.--Proverbs, xv. -32. - - - And chiefly Thou, O Spirit that dost prefer - Before all temples, the upright heart and pure, - _Instruct_ me, for Thou knowest: Thou from the first - Wast present, and with mighty wings outspread - Dove-like sat’st brooding on the vast abyss, - And mad’st it pregnant. What in me is dark, - Illumine; what is low, raise and support; - That to the height of this great argument - I may assert eternal Providence, - And justify the ways of God to men. - _Milton._ - - - From heaven descend the drops of dew, - From heaven the gracious showers, - Earth’s winter aspect to renew, - And clothe the spring with flowers; - From heaven the beams of morning flow, - That melt the gloom of night, - From heaven the evening breezes blow - Health, fragrance, and delight. - - Like genial dew, like fertile showers, - The words of wisdom fall, - Awaken man’s unconscious powers, - Strength out of weakness call; - Like morning beams they strike the mind, - In loveliness reveal; - And softer than the evening wind, - The wounded spirit heal. - - As dew and rain, as light and air, - From heaven _Instruction_ came, - The waste of nature to repair, - And kindle sacred flame, - A flame to purify the earth, - Exalt her sons on high, - And train them for their second birth-- - Their birth beyond the sky. - _J. Montgomery._ - - - - - INTERCESSION. - - -He bare the sin of many, and made _intercession_ for the -transgressors.--Isaiah, liii. 12. - -It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at -the right hand of God, who also maketh _intercession_ for us.--Romans, -viii. 34. - -Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come -unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make _intercession_ for -them.--Hebrews, vii. 25. - - - Why gaze the clustered stars on Hermon’s height? - Immensity around--why gaze they there? - On its high top, as farthest up from earth, - Enshrined in darkness and alone, there kneels - The world’s great _Intercessor_. Evening came, - And found Him kneeling there: the rising morn - Lingered awhile upon His upturned brow; - And night passed over Him, and still he kneels; - Till all the air is incense and a prayer, - As He would save the world by prayer alone, - Close clasping the eternal throne,--His voice, - Unheard below, was heard in heaven intent. - _Anon._ - - - With blood--but not his own--the Jew drew near - The mercy-seat, and heaven received his prayer. - Yet still his hope was dimmed by doubt and fear: - “If Thou should’st mark transgression, who might dare - To stand before Thee?” Mercy loves to spare - And pardon, but stern Justice has a voice, - And cries--Our God is holy, nor can bear - Uncleanness in the people of His choice. - But now One Offering, ne’er to be renewed, - Hath made our peace for ever. This now gives - Free access to the Throne of Heavenly Grace, - No more base fear and dark disquietude, - He who was slain--the Accepted Victim!--lives, - And _intercedes_ before the Father’s face. - _Conder._ - - - Lord! there is a throne of grace; - There we now would seek Thy face; - Thou wilt bear the humblest prayer - Of the soul that seeks Thee there. - Saviour, for us _intercede_, - While the promises we plead! - _Cobbin._ - - - - - ISRAEL. - - -And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. - -And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but _Israel_: -for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast -prevailed.--Genesis, xxxii. 27, 28. - -Truly God is good to _Israel_.--Psalm lxxiii. 1. - -He that keepeth _Israel_ shall neither slumber nor sleep.--Psalm cxxi. -4. - -For the Lord will have mercy on Jacob, and will yet choose _Israel_, -and set them in their own land.--Isaiah, xiv. 1. - - - Whilst Pharoah’s pride withstood, - His pools turned poison, and his Nile ran blood, - From whose corrupting channel, moist and warm, - Leaped forth the frogs, a foul, offensive swarm; - No place was sheltered from their loathsome tread, - The festive banquet, nor the bridal bed. - Anon, destructive sweeps the burning hail, - His trees stand branchless, and his furrows fail; - Whilst from the East, devouring locusts rise, - To spoil the pittance spared him by the skies. - But why on each particular token dwell - Of God’s deep wrath, or all His judgments tell? - Enough to add, that _Israel’s_ thraldom ceased, - From Pharaoh’s stubborn hand, by him released. - _William Gibson._ - - - Backsliding _Israel_, hear the voice - Of thy forgiving God; - Nor force such goodness to exert - The terrors of the rod. - - Thus saith the Lord--“My mercy flows, - An unexhausted stream; - And after all its millions saved, - Its sway is still supreme.” - - Own but the follies thou hast done, - And mourn thy sins in dust, - And soon thy trembling heart shall learn - To hope, and love, and trust. - _Doddridge._ - - - The day of Freedom dawns; rise, _Israel_, from thy tomb. - _Croly._ - - - - - JEHOVAH. - - -And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am the Lord: - -And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of -God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I known to them.--Exodus, vi. -2, 3. - -That men may know that thou, whose name is JEHOVAH, art the -most high over all the earth.--Psalm lxxxiii. 18. - -Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the -Lord JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my -salvation.--Isaiah, xii. 2. - - - Tell mankind _Jehovah_ reigns; - He shall bind the world in chains, - So as it shall never slide, - And with sacred justice guide. - Let the smiling heavens rejoice, - Joyful earth exalt her voice: - Let the dancing billows roar, - Echoes answer from the shore, - Fields their flowery mantles shake, - All shall in their joy partake; - While the wood-musicians sing - To the ever-youthful spring, - Fill His courts with sacred mirth. - He, He comes to judge the earth. - Justly He the world shall sway, - And His truth to men display. - _Dr. Henry More._ - - - Before _Jehovah’s_ awful throne, - Ye nations bow with sacred joy; - Know that the Lord is God alone, - He can create, and He destroy. - - His sovereign power, without our aid, - Made us of clay, and formed us men; - And when like wand’ring sheep we stray’d, - He brought us to His fold again. - - We’ll crowd His gates with thankful songs, - High as the heavens our voices raise, - And earth, with her ten thousand tongues, - Shall find thy courts with sounding praise. - _Watts._ - - - Ascribe, ye mighty, to _Jehovah_ might - And glory, victor o’er his enemies-- - Give to _Jehovah_ glory in the height, - The glory due unto His name! Adore - Him in the beauty of Holiness aright! - - Thy voice, _Jehovah!_ on the waters hoar - Careers; the God of glory thundereth; - _Jehovah_ speaks where many waters roar-- - Thy voice, _Jehovah!_ is more strong than death-- - Thy powerful voice is full of majesty; - Thy voice o’erthrows the cedar with its breath. - And Lebanon and Sirion before Thee - Skip like a calf, and like a unicorn, - In youth transcilient, and by nature free,-- - Thy voice _Jehovah!_ shakes the desert lorn; - _Jehovah_ shakes the wilderness; His voice - Maketh the hinds to calve, the forest-born. - - Within His temple shall His sons rejoice, - And all declare His glory. On the sea - He sitteth--hushed is its tempestuous noise-- - Behold _Jehovah_ sitteth royally - Upon the calmed flood, eternal Lord: - And strength unto His people giveth He, - And them with peace and blessing hath restored. - _J. A. Heraud._ - - - The name of _Jehovah_ defend thee! - For He from His dwelling above, - Shall hear thee in trouble, and send thee - The might of His covenant love. - His rod of dread powers - Shall bind with sweet flowers, - In the ark of His covenant love. - - Then kneel; for the prayer of the lowly - As incense, all odour shall be, - In the cloud of the holocaust holy, - That pleads in His presence for thee. - His word, like strong mountains, - Still shed forth the fountains - Of strength from His presence for thee. - _Waring._ - - - - - JERUSALEM. - - -_Jerusalem_ is builded as a city that is compact together.--Psalm -cxxii. 3. - -O _Jerusalem, Jerusalem_, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest -them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy -children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her -wings, and ye would not! - -Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.--Matthew, xxiii. 37, 38. - -_Jerusalem_ shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the time of -the Gentiles be fulfilled.--Luke, xxi. 24. - -But ye are come unto Mount Sion, and unto the city of the living -God, the heavenly _Jerusalem_, and to an innumerable company of -angels.--Hebrews, xii. 22. - - - _Jerusalem_, that place divine, - The vision of sweet peace is named, - In heaven her glorious turrets shine, - Her walls of living stones are framed; - While angels guard her on each side, - Fit company for such a bride. - - She, decked in new attire, from heaven, - Her wedding-chamber, now descends, - Prepared in marriage to be given - To Christ, on whom her joy depends. - Her walls wherewith she is enclosed, - And streets are of pure gold composed. - - The gates adorn’d with pearls most bright, - The way to hidden glory show, - And thither by the blessed might - Of faith in Jesus’ merits go - All those who are on earth distress’d, - Because they have Christ’s name profess’d. - - These stones the workmen dress and beat, - Before they throughly polish’d are, - Then each in his own proper seat, - Established by the builder’s care, - In this fair frame to stand for ever, - So join’d, that them no power can sever. - _Drummond._ - - - The signs are full, and never shall the sun - Shine on the cedar roofs of Salem more: - Her tale of splendour now is done; - Her wine-cup of festivity is spilt, - And all is o’er--her grandeur and her guilt. - Oh, fair and favoured city, where of old, - The balmy airs were rich with melody, - That led her pomp beneath the cloudless sky - In vestments flaming with the orient gold; - Her gold is dim, and mute her music’s voice, - The heathen o’er her perish’d pomp rejoice! - How stately then was every palm-deck’d street - Down which the maidens danced with tinkling feet! - How proud the elders in the lofty gate! - How crowded all her nation’s solemn feasts - With white-robed Levites, and high-mitred priests; - How gorgeous her temple’s sacred state! - Her streets are razed, her maidens sold for slaves, - Her gates thrown down, her elders in their graves; - Her feasts are holden ’mid the Gentile’s scorn, - By stealth her priesthood’s holy garments worn. - _Milman._ - - - _Jerusalem!_ alas! alas! of old, - Deaf to whate’er prophetic seers foretold, - Assailing all, whom Heaven, in mercy sent - And murdering those that warned thee to repent! - Thou, the world’s Saviour who suspendedst high, - His works reviled, and mocked His agony, - How oft hath God, still gracious, striven to bring - Thy devious brood beneath His sheltering wing, - To save thee from the hovering eagle’s power, - And shield the unequalled misery of this hour! - But no! thou would’st not! thence this signal fate! - Thence art thou fallen! deserted! desolate! - _William Gibson._ - - - _Jerusalem!_ my happy home! - Name ever dear to me; - When shall my labours have an end - In joy, and peace, and thee? - - When shall these eyes thy heaven-built walls - And pearly gates behold? - Thy bulwarks with salvation strong, - And streets of shining gold? - _Dickson._ - - - - - JESUS. - - -And thou shalt call his name JESUS; for he shall save his -people from their sins.--Matthew, i. 21. - -But we see JESUS, who was made a little lower than the angels, -for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by -the grace of God should taste death for every man.--Hebrews, ii. 9. - -Whosoever shall confess that JESUS is the Son of God, God -dwelleth in him, and he in God.--I. John, iv. 15. - - - To Thee, O _Jesu_, I direct my eyes, - To Thee my hands, to Thee my humble knees; - To Thee my heart shall offer sacrifice, - To Thee my thoughts, who my thoughts only sees; - To Thee myself, myself and all I give, - To Thee I die, to Thee I only live. - _Sir Walter Raleigh._ - - - _Jesus_, I love Thy charming name, - ’Tis music in my ear; - Fain would I sound it out so loud - That earth and heaven should hear. - - Yes, thou art precious to my soul, - My transport and my trust; - Jewels to Thee are gaudy toys, - And gold is sordid dust. - - All my capacious powers can wish, - In Thee doth richly meet: - Nor to mine eyes is light so dear, - Nor friendship half so sweet, - - Thy grace still dwells upon my heart, - And sheds its fragrance there; - The noblest balm of all its wounds, - The cordial of its care. - - I’ll speak the honours of Thy name - With my last labouring breath; - Then, speechless, clasp Thee in my arms, - The antidote of death. - _Doddridge._ - - - O God, of good the unfathomed sea! - Who would not give his heart to Thee? - Who would not love Thee with his might? - O _Jesu_, Lover of mankind! - Who would not his whole soul and mind, - With all his strength, to Thee unite; - - Hell’s armies tremble at Thy nod, - And, trembling, own th’ Almighty God, - Sovereign of earth, hell, air, and sky: - But who is this that comes from far, - Whose garments roll’d in blood appear? - ’Tis God made man, for man to die. - _Wesley._ - - - Weary souls that wander wide, - From the central point of bliss, - Turn to _Jesus_ crucified, - Fly to those dear wounds of His, - Sink into the purple flood--rise into the life of God. - _Wesley._ - - - _Jesus_ shall reign where’er the sun - Does his successive journeys run; - His kingdom stretch from shore to shore, - ’Till moons shall wax and wane no more. - _Watts._ - - - _Jesus_, in Thy transporting name - What blissful glories rise! - _Jesus_ the angels’ sweetest theme! - The wonder of the skies! - - Well might the skies with wonder view - A love so strange as thine, - No thought of angels ever knew - Compassion so divine. - _Steele._ - - - We know that “He will save us” Lord, - If we on Him depend, - _Jesus_, the true and living word, - The sinner’s only friend. - May He be ours, in life and death, - _Jesus_ enthroned above, - And may we with our latest breath - Adore redeeming love! - _J. Burbidge._ - - - - - JEWS. - - -The Lord shall establish thee an holy people unto himself, as He hath -sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the Lord thy -God, and walk in His ways. - -And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name -of the Lord; and they shall be afraid of thee. - -But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice -of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and -his statutes, * * * thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb -and a bye-word, among all nations whither the Lord shall lead -thee.--Deuteronomy, xxviii. 9, 10, 15, 37. - -Salvation is of the _Jews_.--John, iv. 22. - -He is not a _Jew_, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision -which is outward in the flesh; - -But he is a _Jew_, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of -the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter, whose praise is not of -men but of God.--Romans, ii. 28, 29. - -What advantage then hath the _Jew_, or what profit is there in -circumcision? Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were -committed the oracles of God.--Romans, iii. 1, 2. - - - They, and they only, amongst all mankind, - Received the transcript of the Eternal Mind; - Were trusted with His own engraven laws, - And constituted guardians of His cause; - Theirs were the prophets, theirs the priestly call, - And theirs, by birth, the Saviour of us all. - _Cowper._ - - - Thrice happy nation! Favourite of Heaven! - Selected from the kingdoms of the earth - To be His chosen race, ordained to spread - His glory through remotest realms, and teach - The Gentile world Jehovah’s awful name. - _William Hodson._ - - - That people once - So famed, whom God Himself vouchsafed to call - His chosen race, and with a guardian hand - Deigned to protect, from Palestine exiled, - Are doomed to wander; although scattered thus - Through all the globe, there is no clime which they - Can call their own, no country where their laws - Hold sovereign rule. Irrefragable proof, - That every oracle of Holy Writ - Was given by Heaven itself! - _Samuel Hayes._ - - - - - JORDAN. - - -And Lot lifted up his eyes and beheld all the plain of _Jordan_, that -it was well watered every where.--Genesis, xiii. 10. - -If thou hast run with the footmen, and they have wearied thee, then how -canst thou contend with horses? and if in the land of peace wherein -thou trustedst, they wearied thee, then how wilt thou do in the -swelling of _Jordan_.--Jeremiah, xii. 5. - -Then went out to him Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region round -about _Jordan_. - -And were baptized of him in _Jordan_ confessing their sins.--Matthew, -iii. 5, 6. - - - The waters slept. Night’s silvery veil hung low - On _Jordan’s_ bosom, and the eddies curled - Their glassy rings beneath it, like the still, - Unbroken beatings of the sleeper’s pulse. - The reeds bent down the stream: the willow leaves, - With a soft cheek upon the lulling tide, - Forgot the lifting winds; and the long stems, - Whose flowers the water, like a gentle nurse, - Bears on its bosom, quietly gave way - And leaned in graceful attitudes, to rest. - How strikingly the course of nature tells - By its light heed of human suffering - That it was fashioned for a happier world. - _N. P. Willis._ - - - Christian, behold the typic shade - Of that dim path prepared for thee-- - Behold, in _Jordan’s_ tide displayed, - Death’s overflowing sea. - But if thou still hast kept the Ark - Of God before thee as a mark, - Fear not the troubled waters dark, - Howe’er they rage, and chafe, and roar; - On that mysterious voyage embark, - And God will guide thee o’er. - _J. H. Clinch._ - - - When I tread the banks of _Jordan_ - May my soul no tremblings know; - Be my Saviour near to guide me, - And uphold me as I go - Through the waters, - Fearing not their overflow. - _Egone._ - - - - - JOY. - - -Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of -_joy_; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.--Psalm xvi. -11. - -Weeping may endure for a night, but _joy_ cometh in the morning.--Psalm -xxx. 5. - -And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your -heart shall rejoice, and your _joy_ no man taketh from you.--John, xvi. -22. - - - What nothing earthly gives, or can destroy, - The soul’s calm sunshine, and the heartfelt _joy_. - _Pope._ - - - A Deity believed, is _joy_ begun; - A Deity adored, is _joy_ advanced; - A Deity beloved, is _joy_ matured. - Each branch of piety delight inspires. - _Young._ - - - Words of eternal truth proclaim - All mortal _joys_ are vain; - A diamond pen engraves the theme - Upon a mortal pane. - _Watts._ - - - When on some balmy-breathing night of spring - The happy child to whom the world is new, - Pursues the evening moth of mealy wing, - Or from the heath-bell shakes the sparkling dew, - He sees before his inexperienced eyes, - The brilliant glow-worm like a meteor shine - On the turf-bank, surprised, and pleased, he cries - “Star of the dewy grass! I make thee mine.” - Then, ere he sleeps, collects the moistened flower, - And bids soft leaves his glittering prize unfold, - And dreams that fairy lamps illume his bower; - But in the morning shudders to behold - His shining treasure viewless as the dust; - So fade the world’s bright _joys_ to cold and blank disgust. - _Charlotte Smith._ - - - I see a forest, dark, dim, deep, and dread, - Whose solemn shades no human foot or eye - Can penetrate; but now, oh see! a veil - Falls from my strengthened eyes; and now - Even in its deepest centre I behold - A spot more beautiful than human heart - Can comprehend; it is the home of _Joy_, - And there the blessed spirit broods for ever, - Making her dwelling-place a heaven: there - The skies are pure as crystal, and the eye - Looks through their clear expanse direct to God. - No sun is there; the air itself is light - And life; a rainbow spans it like a crown - Of tearless glory, and the forest trees - Sweep round it in a belt of living green. - Colour, that wayward sprite of changeful mien, - Is here subdued to an intensity - Of burning lustre. Sound has but one voice, - And that _joyous_ song; sight but one object, - And that is happiness; mine eyes are strained - To catch the lineaments of the bright queen, - Whose dwelling-place I see; but ’tis in vain; - Nowhere distinct, yet felt in all, she glides, - A shape of light and colour through the air, - Making its pure transparency to thrill - With the soft music of her viewless step. - _C. L. Reddel._ - - - Christ had His _joys_--but they were not - The _joys_ the son of pleasure boasts-- - O, no! ’twas when His Spirit sought - Thy will, Thy glory, God of hosts! - Christ had His _joys_--and so hath he, - Who feels His Spirit in his heart; - Who yields, O God, his all to Thee, - And loves Thy name, for what thou art! - _Anon._ - - - _Joy_ dwells not in external things, - It hath an inner birth; - The sweetest bird in darkness sings, - And fairest flowers oft nurture stings,-- - Such is our life on earth. - - Then measure not by outward show - The depth of real _joy_; - The heart can o’er the darkest woe - A stream of sunlight softly throw, - Or purest bliss destroy. - _W. J. Brock._ - - - - - JUDAH. - - -When Israel went out of Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of -strange language; - -_Judah_ was his sanctuary and Israel his dominion.--Psalm cxiv. 1, 2. - -_Judah_ shall dwell for ever, and Jerusalem from generation to -generation.--Joel, iii. 20. - -It is evident that our Lord sprang out of _Judah_.--Hebrews, vii. 14. - - - _Judah!_ thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise, - Thy hand shall be on the neck of thine enemies: - Thy father’s children shall bow down before thee. - _Judah_ is a lion’s whelp! - From the prey, my son, thou art gone up: - He stooped down, he crouched as a lion, - And as an old lion; who shall rouse him up? - The sceptre shall not depart from _Judah_, - Nor a lawgiver from between his feet, - Until Shiloh come, - And unto him shall the gathering of the people be. - _Jacob’s Benediction of Judah_, Genesis, xlix. 8, 9, 10. - _Dr. Caunter’s Metrical Arrangement._ - - - O, Thou, the Shepherd of Thy flock, - Who led’st Thy people through the wave, - And gav’st them water from the rock, - And bar’dst thine arm in might to save:-- - Hear Thou the strain our hearts prolong-- - List--list the suppliant captive’s cry-- - O, when shall cease the mournful song, - O, when shall _Judah’s_ tears be dry? - _C. W. Everest._ - - - For yet the tenfold film shall fall - O, _Judah_, from thy sight, - And every eye be purged to read - Thy testimonies right, - When thou, with all Messiah’s signs - In Christ distinctly seen, - Shall, by Jehovah’s nameless name, - Invoke the Nazarene. - _William Crosswell._ - - - - - JUDGE--JUDGMENT. - - -The Lord loveth _judgment_.--Psalm xxxvii. 28. - -Hear my prayer, O Lord, give ear to my supplications. - -And enter not into _judgment_ with thy servant: for in thy sight shall -no man living be justified.--Psalm cxliii. 1, 2. - -_Judge_ not, that ye be not _judged_.--Matthew, vii. 1. - -We shall all stand before the _judgment_-seat of Christ. - -Let us not therefore _judge_ one another any more, but _judge_ this -rather, that no man put a stumbling-block, or an occasion to fall, in -his brother’s way.--Romans, xiv. 10, 13. - - - He should be born grey-headed, that will bear - The sword of empire: _judgment_ of the life, - Free state, and reputation of a man, - If he be just and worthy, dwells so dark, - That it denies access to sun and moon; - The soul’s eye, sharpen’d with that sacred light - Of whom the sun itself is but a beam, - Must only give that _judgment_. O how much - Err those kings then that play with life and death, - And nothing put into their serious states - But humour and their lusts! For which alone - Men long for kingdoms, whose huge counterpoise - In cares and dangers, could a fool comprise, - He would not be a king, but would be wise. - _Chapman._ - - - The day of Christ; the last, the dreadful day; - When thou and I, and all the world, shall come - Before His _judgment_-seat, to bear their doom - For ever and for ever; and when they - Who loved not God, far, far from Him away - Shall go;--but whither banished? and with whom?-- - And they who loved Him shall be welcomed home - To God, and Christ, and Heaven, and Heaven’s array, - Angels and saints made perfect--may the scene - Of that dread day be always present here-- - Here in my heart! That every day between, - Which brings my passage to the goal more near, - May find me fitter, by His love made clean, - Before His throne of justice to appear. - _Bishop Mant._ - - - Then, all Thy saints assembled, Thou shalt _judge_ - Bad men and angels; they, arraigned, shall sink - Beneath Thy sentence: Hell, her numbers full, - Thenceforth shall be for ever shut. Meanwhile - The world shall burn, and from her ashes spring - New Heaven and Earth, wherein the just shall dwell, - And after all their tribulations long, - See golden days, fruitful of golden deeds, - With joy and love triumphing, and fair truth. - Then Thou Thy regal sceptre shalt lay by, - For regal sceptre thee no more shall need, - God shall be All in All. - _Milton._ - - - The world is grown old, and her pleasures are past; - The world is grown old, and her form may not last; - The world is grown old, and trembles for fear, - For sorrows abound, and _judgment_ is near! - - The sun in the heaven is languid and pale; - And feeble and few are the fruits of the vale; - And the hearts of the nations fail them for fear, - For the world is grown old, and _judgment_ is near! - - The king on his throne, the bride in her bower, - The children of pleasure all feel the sad hour; - The roses are faded, and tasteless the cheer; - For the world is grown old, and _judgment_ is near! - - The world is grown old, but should we complain - Who have tried her, and know that her promise is vain; - Our heart is in heaven, our home is not here, - And we look for our crown when _judgment_ is near. - _Bishop Heber._ - - - From Adam to his youngest heir, - Not one shall ’scape that muster-roll; - Each, as if he alone were there, - Shall stand, and win, or lose his soul: - These from the Judge’s presence, go - Down into everlasting woe; - Vengeance hath barred the gates of hell-- - The scenes within no tongue can tell. - - But lo! far off, the righteous pass - To glory; from the king’s right hand, - In silence, on the sea of glass, - Heaven’s numbers without number stand, - While He who bore the cross, lays down - His priestly robe and victor crown; - The mediatorial reign complete, - All things are put beneath His feet. - _James Montgomery._ - - - Time - Hath functions awful and sublime, - And on its viewless lapse are traced - Stern chronicles of all the past, - A writing every sunset laid, - While heaven is still within the shade - Of Christ’s high throne, one day to be - A part of the solemnity - And pomp of _judgment_, endless Woe, - Or endless Weal! to some a show - Of fiery ciphers, symbols dread, - Of unchaste things unpardoned. - - * * * * * - - And some there are to whom that scroll - Sad record still, may yet unroll - A fairer vision, dark and bright, - Like dawn o’er-mastering tardy night - In dubious streaks, with here and there - A firm and radiant character, - To angels’ eyes not new, but known - And recognised the _Judge’s_ own. - _Frederic W. Faber._ - - - The _judgment_! the _judgment_! the thrones are all set, - Where the Lamb and the white-vested Elders are met! - All flesh is at once in the sight of the Lord, - And the doom of eternity hangs on His word! - - O mercy! O mercy! look down from above, - Creator! on us thy sad children, with love! - When beneath, to their darkness, the wicked are driven, - May our sanctified souls find a mansion in Heaven! - _H. H. Milman._ - - - - - JUSTICE. - - -Shall mortal man be more _just_ than God? Shall a man be more pure than -his Maker.--Job, iv. 17. - -Touching the Almighty, we cannot find him out: he is excellent in -power, and in judgment and in plenty of _justice_.--Job, xxxvii. 23. - -_Justice_ and judgment are the habitation of Thy throne.--Psalm lxxxix. -14. - -To do _justice_ and judgment is more acceptable to the Lord than -sacrifice.--Proverbs, xxi. 3. - - - Whoso upon himself will take the skill - True _justice_ unto people to divide, - Has need have mighty hands for to fulfil - That which he doth with righteous doom decide, - And for to maister wrong and puissant pride; - For vain it is to deem of things aright, - And make wrong doers _justice_ to deride, - Unless it be performed with dreadless might; - For power is the right hand of _justice_ truly hight. - _Spenser._ - - - A _just_ man cannot fear, - Not, though the malice of traducing tongues, - The open vastness of a tyrant’s ear, - The senseless rigour of the wrested laws, - Or the red eyes of strain’d authority, - Should, in a point meet all to take his life, - His innocence is armour ’gainst all these. - _Ben Jonson._ - - - The words of Heaven, on whom it will, it will; - On whom it will not, so; yet still ’tis _just_. - _Shakspere._ - - - His life is parallel’d - Even with the stroke and line of his great _justice_; - He doth with holy abstinence subdue - That in himself, which he spurs on his power - To qualify in others; where he meal’d - With that which he corrects, than where he tyrannous; - But this being so, he’s _just_. - _Shakspere._ - - - Heaven’s king - Keeps register of every thing, - And nothing may we use in vain; - Ev’n beasts must be with _justice_ slain. - _Marvell._ - - - Well, then, my soul, joy in the midst of pain; - Thy Christ, that conquered hell, shall from above - With greater triumph yet return again - And conquer His own _justice_ with His love. - Commanding earth and seas to render those - Unto His bliss for whom he paid His woes. - _Wotton._ - - - So sure the fall of greatness raised on crimes! - So fixed the _justice_ of all-conscious Heaven! - When haughty guilt exalts with impious joy, - Mistake shall blast, or accident destroy; - Weak man, with erring rage, may throw the dart, - But Heaven shall guide it to the guilty heart. - _Dr. Johnson._ - - - Say, how can man be _justified_ by God? - Thy vaults eternity would echo. How? - But from the cross, responding grace replies - To this high question. Faith in Christ is life - And Love and Righteousness. Completely fit - To each vast claim of violated law. - _R. Montgomery._ - - - The Sun of _Justice_ may withdraw his beams - Awhile from earthly ken, and sit concealed - In dark recess pavilioned round with clouds: - Yet let not guilt presumptuous rear her crest, - Nor virtue droop despondent: soon these clouds, - Seeming eclipse, will brighten into day, - And in majestic splendour He will rise, - With healing and with terror on His wings. - _George Bally._ - - - Peace to the _just_ man’s memory,--let it grow - Greener with years, and blossom through the flight - Of ages; let the mimic canvas show - His calm benevolent features; let the light - Stream on his deeds of love, that shunned the sight - Of all but heaven, and, in the book of fame, - The glorious record of his virtues write, - And hold it up to men, and bid them claim - A palm like his, and catch from him the hallowed flame. - _W. C. Bryant._ - - - - - KINDNESS. - - -Blessed be the Lord: for he hath shewed me his marvellous -_kindness_.--Psalm xxxi. 21. - -Rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your -God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great -_kindness_.--Joel, ii. 13. - -Be _kindly_ affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour -preferring one another.--Romans, xii. 10. - -Be ye _kind_ one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, -even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.--Ephesians, iv. 32. - - - The poorest poor - Long for some moments in a weary life, - When they can know and feel that they have been - Themselves the fathers and the dealers out - Of some small blessings--have been _kind_ - To such as needed _kindness_; for this single cause, - That we have all of us a human heart. - _Wordsworth._ - - - Awake, my soul, in joyful lays, - And sing thy great Redemer’s praise; - He justly claims a song from me, - His loving-_kindness_ O how free! - - He saw me ruined in the fall, - Yet loved me notwithstanding all: - He saved me from my lost estate, - His loving-_kindness_ O how great! - - Often I feel my sinful heart - Prone from my Jesus to depart; - But, though I have Him oft forgot, - His loving-_kindness_ changes not. - - Soon shall I pass the gloomy vale; - Soon all my mortal powers shall fail: - O may my last expiring breath - His loving-_kindness_ sing in death! - - Then let me mount and soar away - To the bright world of endless day: - And sing with rapture and surprise, - His loving-_kindness_ in the skies. - _Medley._ - - - As from the bosom of her mystic fountains, - Nile’s sacred water windeth to the main, - Flooding each vale embosom’d ’mong the mountains, - From far Alata’s fields to Egypt’s plain: - So from the bosom of the Fount of Love, - A golden stream of sympathy is gushing; - And winding, first through intellect above, - Then through each vale of mortal mind is rushing; - Sweeping the heart of iceberg and of storm, - Purging humanity of every blindness, - Melting all spirits earthly into one, - And leaving holiness and joy--’tis _Kindness_. - _D. K. Lee._ - - - Meanwhile as we idly rave, - Thousands hasten to the grave; - No _kind_ voice their footsteps guides - To the home where truth abides; - Tones of truth within them stirred, - Meet with no _kind_ answering word. - _J. Gostick._ - - - Be _kind_ to each other! - The night’s coming on, - When friend and when brother - Perchance may be gone. - Then, ’midst our dejection, - How sweet to have earn’d - The blest recollection - Of _kindness_ return’d! - When day hath departed, - And Memory keeps - The watch, broken-hearted, - Where all the loved sleeps, - Let falsehood assail not, - Nor envy disprove; - Let trifles prevail not - Against those ye love. - Nor change with to-morrow - Should fortune take wing, - But the deeper the sorrow - The closer still cling. - Oh, be _kind_ to each other, - For night’s coming on, - When friend and when brother - Perchance may be gone. - _Anon._ - - - - - KING. - - -The Lord is _King_ for ever and ever.--Psalm x. 16. - -Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting -doors; and the _King_ of glory shall come in. - -Who is this _King_ of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the _King_ of -glory.--Psalm xxiv. 9, 10. - -The _King_ that faithfully judgeth the poor, his throne shall be -established for ever.--Proverbs, xxix. 14. - -Fear God. Honour the _King_.--I. Peter, ii. 17. - - - The _king_-becoming graces - Are justice, verity, temperance, stableness, - Bounty, perseverance, mercy, lowliness, - Devotion, patience, courage, fortitude. - _Shakspere._ - - - O take heed, sir, - Saints stand upon heaven’s silver battlements, - When _kings_ make vows, and lay their listening ears - To princes’ protestations. - _R. Davenport._ - - - The silver trumpet’s heavenly call - Sounds for the poor, but sounds alike for all; - _Kings_ are invited, and, would _kings_ obey, - No slaves on earth more welcome were than they; - But royalty, nobility, and state, - Are such a dead preponderating weight, - That endless bliss, how strange soe’er it seem, - In counterpoise flies up, and kicks the beam. - _Cowper._ - - - There’s not a leaf within the bower; - There’s not a bird upon the tree; - There’s not a dew-drop on the flower; - But leaves the impress Lord of Thee. - - Thy hand the varied leaf designed, - And gave the bird its thrilling tone; - Thy power the dew-drop’s tints combined, - Till like the diamond’s blaze they shone. - - Yes, dew-drops, leaves, and buds, and all, - The smallest, like the greatest things; - The sea’s vast space, the earth’s wide hall, - Alike proclaim Thee _King_ of _Kings_. - _Mrs. Opie._ - - - - - KINGDOM. - - -The Lord hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his _kingdom_ -ruleth over all.--Psalm ciii. 19. - -Thy _kingdom_ come.--Matthew, vi. 10. - -Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed -of my Father, inherit the _kingdom_ prepared for you from the -foundation of the world.--Matthew, xxv. 34. - -Jesus answered, My _kingdom_ is not of this world: if my _kingdom_ -were of this world, then would my servants fight; that I should not be -delivered to the Jews: but now is my _kingdom_ not from hence.--John, -xviii. 36. - -And there were great voices in heaven, saying, The _kingdoms_ of this -world are become the _kingdoms_ of our Lord, and of his Christ and he -shall reign for ever and ever.--Revelation, xi. 15. - - - “His _kingdom_ come!” For this we pray in vain, - Unless He does in our affections reign. - How fond it were to wish for such a King, - And no obedience to His sceptre bring, - Whose yoke is easy, and His burthen light; - His service freedom, and His judgments right. - _Waller._ - - - _Kingdoms_ and thrones to God belong; - Crown Him, ye nations, in your song; - His wondrous names and powers rehearse, - His honours shall enrich your verse. - - Proclaim Him King, pronounce Him blest; - He’s your defence, your joy, your rest: - When terrors rise, and nations faint, - God is the strength of every saint. - _Watts._ - - - Thy _kingdom_ come! and shall we dare - With lips unhallowed breathe that prayer? - With hearts unsanctified within, - How can we ever hope to win - A place or _kingdom_ such as Thine, - Where all is holy and benign? - Send down Thy spirit, Lord, and bless - The prayer we falteringly express: - Oh, give us grace, and give us power, - To wait with confidence the hour - When we shall in thy _kingdom_ be, - And dwell to all eternity. - _Egone._ - - - - - KNOWLEDGE. - - -Shall any teach God _knowledge_?--Job, xxi. 22. - -He that teacheth man _knowledge_, shall not he _know_? - -The Lord _knoweth_ the thoughts of man, that they are vanity.--Psalm -xciv. 10, 11. - -Wise men lay up _knowledge_.--Proverbs, x. 14. - -Many shall run to and fro, and _knowledge_ shall be increased.--Daniel, -xii. 4. - -According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that -pertain unto life and godliness, through the _knowledge_ of him that -hath called us to glory and virtue.--II. Peter, i. 3. - - - O Lord! in me there lieth nought, - But to Thy search revealed lies; - For when I sit - Thou markest it, - No less Thou notest when I rise; - Yea, closest closet of my thought - Hath open windows to Thine eyes. - - Thou walkest with me when I walk, - When to my bed for rest I go, - I find Thee there, - And every where; - Not youngest thought in me doth grow, - No, not one word I cast to talk, - But yet unuttered thou dost _know_. - - To shun Thy notice, leave Thine eye, - O whither might I take my way? - To starry sphere? - Thy throne is there. - To dead men’s undelightsome stay? - There is Thy walk, and there to lie - _Unknown_, in vain I should essay. - - O sun! whom light nor flight can match, - Suppose Thy lightful, flightful wings - Thou lend to me, - And I could flee, - As far as Thee the evening brings; - Ev’n led to west He would me catch, - Nor should I lurk with western things. - - Do thou thy best, O secret night - In sable vail to cover me; - The sable vail - Shall vainly fail: - With day unmask’d my night shall be: - For night is day, and darkness light, - O Father of all lights to Thee. - _Countess of Pembroke._ - - Almighty Being, - Cause and support of all things, can I view - These objects of my wonder: can I feel - These fine sensations, and not think of Thee? - Thou who dost through th’eternal round of time, - Dost through th’ immensity of space exist - Alone, shalt Thou excluded be - From this Thy universe? Shall feeble man - Think it beneath his proud philosophy - To call for Thy assistance, and pretend - To frame a world, who cannot frame a clod? - Not to _know_ Thee, is not to _know_ ourselves-- - Is to _know_ nothing--worth the care - Of man’s exalted spirit. - _Stillingfleet._ - - - O for the coming of that glorious time - When, prizing _knowledge_ as her noblest wealth - And best protection, this imperial realm, - While she exacts allegiance, shall admit - An obligation, on her part, to teach - Them who are born to serve her and obey; - Binding herself by statute to secure - For all the children whom her soil maintains, - The rudiments of letters, and inform - The mind with moral and religious truth, - Both understood and practised,--so that none, - However destitute, be left to droop - By culture unsustained; or run - Into a wild disorder: or be forced - To drudge through a weary life without the help - Of intellectual implements and tools; - A savage horde among the civilized, - A servile band among the lordly free. - _Wordsworth._ - - - What hast thou, Man, that thou dar’st call thine own? - What is there in thee, Man, that can be known?-- - Dark fluxion, all unfixable by thought, - Vain sister of the worm,--life, death, soul, clod-- - Ignore thyself, and strive to _know_ thy God! - _Coleridge._ - - - What is true _knowledge_? is it with keen eye - Of lucre’s sons to thread the mazy way? - Is it of civil rights, and royal sway, - And wealth political, the depth to try? - Is it to delve the earth, to soar the sky? - To marshal nations, tribes in just array; - To mix, and analyze, and mete, and weigh - Her elements, and all her powers descry? - These things, who will may _know_ them, if to _know_ - Breed not vain glory; but, o’er all, to scan - God in His works, and word shown forth below, - Creation’s wonders; and Redemption’s plan - Whence came we; what to do, and whither go; - This is true _knowledge_, and the whole of man. - _Bishop Mant._ - - - Let him stand who will on the giddy height - Of the palace-top in his pride of place! - In a humbler home may my heart delight, - Where my couch is low, and my pillow,--peace. - - Be it _known_ to few how my life flows on, - As I silent sail on its noiseless tide! - When its days and years are expired and gone, - Let my record be that,--I lived and died! - - For sadly he meets the stroke of death, - (At the ends of earth though his name be _known_,) - Who laments, when yielding his final breath, - That he’s _known_ to all but himself alone. - _Mordaunt Barnard._ - - - View all around the works of Power Divine, - Inquire, explore, admire, extol, resign; - This is the whole of human kind below; - ’Tis only given beyond the grave to _know_. - _W. Hamilton._ - - - Who loves not _knowledge_? who shall rail - Against her beauty? May she mix - With men and prosper! Who shall fix - Her pillars? Let her work prevail. - - But on her forehead sits a fire; - She sets her forward countenance, - And leaps into the future chance, - Submitting all things to desire. - - Half-grown as yet, a child, and vain, - She cannot fight the fear of death. - What is she, cut from love and faith, - But some wild Pallas from the brain - - Of Demons? fiery hot to burst - All barriers in her onward race - For power. Let her know her place, - She is the second, not the first. - - A higher hand must make her mild, - If all be not in vain; and guide - Her footsteps moving side by side - With wisdom, like the younger child. - - For she is earthly of the mind, - But wisdom heavenly of the soul. - O friend, who earnest to thy goal - So early, leaving me behind, - - I would the great world grew like thee, - Who grewest not alone in power - And _knowledge_, but from hour to hour - In reverence and in charity. - _Tennyson._ - - - _Knowledge_ holdeth by the hilt, and heweth out a road to - conquest; - Ignorance graspeth the blade, and is wounded by its own good sword. - _Knowledge_ distilleth health from the virulence of opposite - poisons; - Ignorance mixeth wholesomes unto the breeding of disease. - _Knowledge_ is leagued with the universe, and findeth a friend - in all things; - But ignorance is everywhere a stranger, unwelcome, ill at ease, and - out of place. - _M. F. Tupper._ - - - - - LABOUR. - - -Come unto me, all ye that _labour_ and are heavy laden, and I will give -you rest.--Matthew, xi. 28. - -The _labourer_ is worthy of his hire.--Luke, x. 7. - -Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him _labour_, working -with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him -that needeth.--Ephesians, iv. 28. - - - Inventive _Labour_! cunning to deceive - Thyself, and skilful to no end but this, - Still to be doing, never to achieve-- - What profitest?--though all, to such excess, - Man cannot utter it, be full of thee-- - The eye unsatisfied, the ear no less-- - Sore travail, and the vainest vanity - Ordained to exercise the sons of men-- - Who getteth wisdom, where thy trials be? - _J. A. Heraud._ - - - _Labour_, with envy and annoyance, where strangers will thee - wealth; - _Labour_, with indolence and gloom, where wealth falleth from - a father; - _Labour_ unto all, whether aching thews, or aching head, or - spirit; - The curse on the sons of men, in all their states, is _labour_. - Nevertheless, to the diligent, _labour_ bringeth blessing; - The thought of duty sweeteneth toil, and travail is a pleasure; - And time spent in doing, hath a comfort that is not for the idle, - The hardship is transmuted into joy by the dear alchemy of mercy. - _Labour_ is good for man, bracing up his energies to conquest, - And without it life is dull, the man perceiving himself useless. - For wearily the body groaneth, like a door on rusty hinges, - And the grasp of the mind is weakened, as the talons of a caged - vulture. - _M. F. Tupper._ - - - - - LAND. - - -And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which -are in Egypt. - -And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, -and to bring them up out of that _land_ unto a good _land_, and a -large, unto a _land_ flowing with milk and honey.--Exodus, iii. 7, 8. - -He that tilleth his _land_ shall be satisfied with bread.--Proverbs, -xii. 11. - -Thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty: they shall behold the -_land_ that is vary far off.--Isaiah, xxxiii. 17. - - - Beautiful _Landscape_! I could look on thee - For hours, unmindful of the storm and strife, - And mingled murmurs of tumultuous life. - Here, all is still as fair--the stream, the tree, - The wood, the sunshine on the bank; no tear-- - No thought of time’s swift wing, or closing night, - Which comes to steal away the long sweet light,-- - No sighs of sad humanity are here. - Here is no tint of mortal change--the day,-- - Beneath whose light the dog and peasant boy - Gambol, with look, and almost bark, of joy-- - Still seems, though centuries have passed, to stay; - Then gaze again, that shadow’d scenes may teach - Lessons of peace and love, beyond all speech. - _Bowles._ - - - There is a _land_ of pure delight, - Where saints immortal reign; - Infinite day excludes the night, - And pleasures banish pain. - - There everlasting spring abides, - And never withering flowers; - Death like a narrow sea divides - This heavenly _land_ from ours. - _Dr. Watts._ - - - Yes, far beyond the clouds outspread, - Where soaring fancy oft hath been, - There is a _land_ where Thou hast said - The pure in heart shall enter in; - They dream no more of grief and care, - For Thou, the God of Peace, art there. - _Mrs. Welby._ - - - - - LAW. - - -And the Lord said unto Moses, come up to me into the mount, and be -there: and I will give thee tables of stone, and a _law_.--Exodus, -xxiv. 12. - -Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor -standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. - -But his delight is in the _law_ of the Lord; and in his _law_ doth he -meditate day and night.--Psalm i. 1, 2. - -Think not that I am come to destroy the _law_, or the prophets; I am -not come to destroy, but to fulfil. - -For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot -or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the _law_, till all be -fulfilled.--Matthew, v. 17, 18. - - - The good need fear no _law_; - It is his safety, and the bad man’s awe. - _Massinger._ - - - _Law_ hath dominion over all things, over universal mind and - matter; - For there are reciprocities of right which no creature can gainsay. - Unto each was there added by its Maker, in the perfect chain of - being, - Dependencies and sustentations, accidents, and qualities, and - powers: - And each must fly forward in the curve, unto which it was forced - from the beginning; - Each must attract and repel, or the monarchy of order is no more. - _Laws_ are essential emanations from the self-poised character - of God, - And they radiate from that sun to the circling edges of creation. - Verily the mighty _Law_giver hath subjected himself unto - _laws_, - And God is the primal grand example of free unrestrained obedience; - _Martin F. Tupper._ - - - Adam’s foul revolt - From the primeval _law_, on all his sons, - Through every age, the sad inheritance - Of sin and death entailed. - _Samuel Hayes._ - - - - - LEAF. - - -We all do fade as a _leaf_.--Isaiah, lxiv. 6. - - - See the _leaves_ around us falling - Dry and withered to the ground; - Thus to thoughtless mortals calling, - In a sad and solemn sound: - - Sons of Adam, once in Eden, - Blighted when like us he fell, - Hear the lecture we are reading, - ’Tis, alas! the truth we tell. - - Virgins, much, too much presuming - On your boasted white and red, - View us, late in beauty blooming, - Number’d now among the dead. - - Sons of honour, fed on praises, - Fluttering high in fancied worth, - Lo! the fickle air, that raises, - Brings us down to parent earth. - - Learned sophs, in systems jaded, - Who for new ones daily call, - Cease, at length, by us persuaded, - Ev’ry _leaf_ must have its fall. - - Youths, though yet no losses grieve you, - Gay in health and manly grace, - Let not cloudless skies deceive you, - Summer gives to autumn place. - - Venerable sires, grown hoary, - Hither turn th’ unwilling eye, - Think, amidst your falling glory, - Autumn tells a winter nigh. - - Yearly in our course returning, - Messengers of shortest stay, - Thus we preach, this truth concerning, - “Heaven and Earth shall pass away.” - - On the Tree of Life eternal, - Man, let all thy hope be staid, - Which alone, for ever vernal, - Bears a _leaf_ that shall not fade. - _Bishop Horne._ - - - - - LEARNING. - - -A wise man will hear, and will increase _learning_; and a man of -understanding shall attain unto wise counsels.--Proverbs, i. 5. - -Cease to do evil; _Learn_ to do well.--Isaiah, i. 16, 17. - -For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our -_learning_.--Romans, xv. 4. - - - What is the pomp of _learning_? the parade - Of letters and of tongues? Even as the mists - Of the grey morn before the rising sun, - That pass away and perish. Earthly things - Are but the transient pageants of an hour; - And earthly pride is like the passing flower - That springs to fall, and blossoms but to die. - _H. K. White._ - - - Of the deep _learning_ of the schools of yore - The reverend pastor hath a golden stock; - Yet with a vain display of useless lore, - Or sapless doctrine never will he mock - The better cravings of his simple flock; - But faithfully their humble shepherd guides - Where streams eternal gush from Calvary’s rock; - For well he knows not _learning’s_ purest tides - Can quench the immortal thirst that in the soul abides. - _Mrs. Little._ - - - _Learning_ is good, but holiness is better: - _Learning_ with holiness combined--what then? - Aye, that is best of all; th’ instructed mind, - Which ignorance nor prejudice can fetter, - That looks through nature with a searching ken, - And knows the history of human kind, - And hath a store of treasures at command; - If such can meekly bend, and humbly wait - Beside the footstool of the Infinite, - Eager to bask in beams of saving grace, - _Learning_ and goodness then go hand in hand, - And happy is the people and the state, - That hath such _learned_ men to shed the light - Of their example round their early resting-place. - _Egone._ - - - - - LIBERTY. - - -Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of -corruption into the glorious _liberty_ of the children of God.--Romans, -viii. 21. - -Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is _liberty_.--II. Corinthians, -iii. 17. - -So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of -_liberty_.--James, ii. 12. - - - In vain from thee, O love, expecting ease, - Few hours of calm, but years of grief I passed, - And lived on joys and hopes that would not last-- - Food ill adapted to my heart’s disease. - But now that I desire a full release, - And heaven has granted me this sweet contrast - Of light, and life, and _liberty_ so vast, - Far as I can from thee I fly for peace; - Even as a bird, which, rescued from the snare, - Wings to the shady covert of the grove, - Still fluttering at the danger it has seen. - I hear thee call indeed, as I remove; - But He who sought me, and who hears my prayer, - Allows not earthly love to come between. - _Gabriel Fiamma._ - - - But there is yet a _liberty_, unsung - By poets, and by senators unpraised, - Which monarchs cannot grant, nor all the powers - Of earth and hell confederate, take away; - A _liberty_ which persecution, fraud, - Oppression, prisons, have no power to bind; - Which whoso tastes can be enslaved no more. - ’Tis _liberty_ of heart, derived from Heaven, - Bought with His blood, who gave it to mankind, - And sealed with the same token. - _Cowper._ - - - True _Liberty_ was Christian; sanctified, - Baptized and found in Christian hearts alone. - First-born of Virtue, daughter of the skies, - Nursling of truth divine; sister of all - The graces, meekness, holiness, and love. - Giving to God, and man, and all below - That symptom showed of sensible existence, - Their due, unasked. - _Pollok._ - - - - - LIFE. - - -A man’s _life_ consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he -possesseth.--Luke, xii. 15. - -This is _life_ eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, -and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.--John, xvii. 3. - -In hope of eternal _life_, which God, that cannot lie, promised before -the world began.--Titus, i. 2. - -For what is your _life_? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a -little time, and then vanisheth away.--James, iv. 14. - -Hereby perceive we the love of God; because he laid down his _life_ for -us: and we ought to lay down our _lives_ for the brethren.--I. John, -iii. 16. - - - So, in the passing of a day, doth pass - The bud and blossom of the _life_ of man, - Nor e’er doth flourish more, but like the grass - Cut down, becometh withered, pale, and wan. - _Tasso._ - - - I _live_ on earth upon a stage of sorrow; - Lord, if Thou pleasest, end the play to-morrow. - I _live_ on earth, as in a dream of pleasure; - Awake me when Thou wilt, I wait Thy leisure. - I _live_ on earth, but as of _life_ bereaven; - My _life_’s with Thee, for, Lord, Thou art in Heaven. - _Quarles._ - - - Thy _life_’s a warfare, thou a soldier art, - Satan’s thy foeman, and a faithful heart - Thy two-edged weapon, patience thy shield, - Heaven is thy chieftain, and the world thy field. - To be afraid to die, or wish for death, - Are words and passions of despairing breath: - Who doth the first, the day doth faintly yield; - And who the second, basely flies the field. - _Quarles._ - - - While man is growing, _life_ is in decrease; - And cradles rock us nearer to the tomb. - Our birth is nothing but our death begun; - As tapers waste that instant they take fire. - - * * * * * - - He sins against this _life_, who slights the next. - _Young._ - - - _Life_ is most enjoyed - When courted least; most worth when disesteemed; - Then ’tis the seat of comfort, rich in peace, - In prospect richer far; important, awful, - Not to be mentioned, but with shouts of praise! - Not to be thought on, but with tides of joy! - The mighty basis of eternal bliss! - - * * * * * - - In the same brook, none ever bathed him twice: - To the same _life_, none ever twice awoke. - We call the brook the same; the same we think - Our _life_, though still more rapid in its flow; - Nor mark the much irrevocably lapsed, - And mingled with the sea. - _Young._ - - - Opening the map of God’s expansive plan, - We find a little isle, this _life_ of man; - Eternity’s unknown expanse appears - Circling around, and limiting his years. - The busy race examine and explore - Each creek and cavern of the dangerous shore, - With care collect what in their eyes excels, - Some shining pebbles, and some weeds and shells, - Thus laden, dream that they are rich and great, - And happiest be that groans beneath his weight. - The waves o’ertake them in their serious play, - And every hour sweeps multitudes away; - They shriek and sink--survivors start and weep, - Pursue their sport, and follow to the deep. - _Cowper._ - - - This mortal _life_, - Seeming so fair, is like a feather tossed, - Borne on the wind, and in a moment lost. - Or if with sudden wheel it flies - Further sometimes, and upwards springs, - And then upon its wings - Sustained in air, as if self-balanced, lies, - The lightness of its nature is the cause-- - And swiftly, after little pause, - With thousand turns, and thousand idle stops, - Because it is of earth, to earth it drops. - _From the Italian of Sanazzaro._ - - - Transient, fickle, light, and gay, - Flattering only to betray; - What, alas! can _life_ contain! - _Life_ like all its circles,--vain. - _Moore._ - - - Man’s _life_’s a book of history; - The leaves thereof are days; - The letters, mercies closely joined; - The title is God’s praise. - _Mason._ - - - How short is human _life_! the very breath - Which frames my words, accelerates my death. - _Hannah More._ - - - Ah, what is _Life_! a dream within a dream; - A pilgrimage from peril rarely free; - A bark that sails upon a changing sea, - Now sunshine and now storm; a mountain stream - Heard, but scarce seen ere to the dark deep gone; - A wild star blazing with unsteady beam, - Yet for a season fair to look upon. - _Life_ is an infant on Affection’s knee, - A youth now full of hope and transient glee, - In manhood’s peerless noon, now bright, anon - A time-worn ruin silvered o’er with years. - _Life_ is a race where slippery steeps arise, - Where discontent and sorrow are the prize, - And where the goal appears the grave is won. - _E. Moxon._ - - - In deserts of the Holy Land I strayed, - Where Christ once _lived_, but seems to _live_ no more, - On Lebanon my lonely home I made, - I heard the wind among the cedars roar, - And saw, far off, the Great Sea’s solemn shore: - “But ’tis a dreary wilderness,” I said, - Now the prophetic spirit hence has fled: - Then, from a convent in the vale, I heard, - Slow-chanted forth, the everlasting Word, - Saying “I am he that _liveth_, and was dead, - And lo! I am _alive_ for evermore.” - Then forth upon my pilgrimage I fare, - Resolved to find and praise Him everywhere. - _J. Gostick._ - - - Tell me not, in mournful numbers, - “_Life_ is but an empty dream!” - For the soul is dead that slumbers, - And things are not what they seem. - - _Life_ is real! _Life_ is earnest! - And the grave is not its goal; - “Dust thou art, to dust returnest,” - Was not spoken of the soul. - - Not enjoyment, and not sorrow, - Is our destined end or way, - But to act, that each to-morrow - Find us farther than to-day. - - Art is long, and time is fleeting, - And our hearts, though stout and brave, - Still, like muffled drums, are beating - Funeral marches to the grave. - - In the world’s broad field of battle, - In the bivouac of _Life_, - Be not like dumb, driven cattle! - Be a hero in the strife! - - Trust no future, howe’er pleasant! - Let the dead Past bury its dead! - Act,--act in the _living_ Present! - Heart within, and God o’erhead! - - _Lives_ of great men all remind us - We can make our _lives_ sublime, - And, departing, leave behind us - Footprints on the sands of time; - - Footprints, that perhaps another, - Sailing o’er _life’s_ solemn main, - A forlorn and shipwrecked brother, - Seeing, shall take heart again. - - Let us, then, be up and doing, - With a heart for any fate, - Still achieving, still pursuing, - Learn to labour and to wait. - _Longfellow._ - - - - - LIGHT. - - -And God said. Let there be _light_: and there was _light_. - -And God saw the _light_ that it was good: and God divided the _light_ -from the darkness. - -And God called the _light_ Day.--Genesis, i. 3, 4, 5. - -Truly the _light_ is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to -behold the sun.--Ecclesiastes, xi. 7. - -Come ye, and let us walk in the _light_ of the Lord.--Isaiah, ii. 5. - -Let your _light_ so shine before men that they may see your good works, -and glorify your Father which is in heaven.--Matthew, v. 16. - -The dayspring from on high hath visited us, to give _light_ to them -that sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet -into the way of peace.--Luke, i. 78, 79. - -Every one that doeth evil, hateth the _light_; neither cometh to the -_light_, lest his deeds should be reproved.--John, iii. 20. - - - The day that only springeth from on high, - That high day-_light_ wherein the heavens do live: - The life that loves but to behold that eye - Which doth the glory of all brightness give, - And from the enlightened doth all darkness drive: - Where saints do see, and angels know to see - A brighter _light_ than saints or angels see. - - In this _light’s_ love, O, let me ever live! - And let my soul have never other love - But all the pleasures of this world to give, - The smallest spark of such a joy to prove, - And ever pray unto my God above, - To grant my humble soul good Simeon’s grace, - In love to see my Saviour in the face. - _Nicholas Breton._ - - - Hail, holy _Light_, offspring of heav’n first born, - Or of th’ Eternal coeternal beam, - May I express thee unblam’d? Since God is _Light_, - And never but in unapproached _light_ - Dwelt from eternity, dwelt then in thee, - Bright effluence of bright essence increate. - Or hear’st thou rather pure ethereal stream, - Whose fountain who shall tell? Before the sun, - Before the heav’ns thou wert, and at the voice - Of God, as with a mantle, did’st invest - The rising world of waters dark and deep, - Won from the void and formless infinite! - _Milton._ - - - He that hath _light_ within his own clear breast, - May sit in the centre, and enjoy bright day; - But he that hides a dark soul, and foul thoughts, - Benighted walks under the mid-day sun: - Himself is his own dungeon. - _Milton._ - - - Prime cheerer, _Light_! - Of all material beings, first and best! - Efflux divine! Nature’s resplendent robe! - Without whose vesting beauty, all were wrapt - In unessential gloom! and thou, O Sun! - Soul of surrounding worlds, in whom, best seen, - Shines out thy Maker! - _Thomson._ - - - See, the time for sleep has run, - Rise before, or with the sun: - Lift thy hands, and humbly pray - The fountain of eternal day. - That, as the _light_, serenely fair, - Illustrates all the tracts of air; - The Sacred Spirit so may rest, - With quickening beams, upon thy breast. - _Parnell._ - - - When Israel of the Lord beloved, - Out from the land of bondage came, - Her father’s God before her moved, - An awful guide in smoke and flame, - By day along the astonish’d lands - The cloudy pillar glided slow; - By night Arabia’s crimson’d sands - Return’d the fiery column’s glow. - - And present still, though now unseen! - When brightly shines the prosperous day. - Be thoughts of Thee a cloudy screen, - To temper the deceitful ray; - And oh, when stoops in Judah’s path, - In shade and storm, the frequent night, - Be Thou long-suffering, slow to wrath, - A burning and a shining _light_. - _Sir Walter Scott._ - - - O _light_, thy subtle essence who may know? - --Ask not, for all things but myself I show. - _J. Montgomery._ - - - Almighty Framer of the skies! - O let our pure devotion rise - Like incense in thy sight! - Wrapt in impenetrable shade, - The texture of our souls was made, - Till thy command gave _light_. - _Chatterton._ - - - Awake, arise, thy _light_ is come; - The nations that before outshone thee, - Now at thy feet lie dark and dumb, - The glory of the Lord is on thee! - - Arise--the Gentiles to thy ray, - From ev’ry nook of earth shall cluster; - And kings and princes haste to pay - Their homage to thy rising lustre. - _Moore._ - - - Walk in the _light_! so shalt thou know - That fellowship of love - His Spirit only can bestow, - Who reigns in _light_ above. - - Walk in the _light_! and sin, abhorred, - Shall ne’er defile again; - The blood of Jesus Christ the Lord - Shall cleanse from every stain. - - Walk in the _light_! and thou shalt find, - Thy heart made truly His, - Who dwells in cloudless _light_ enshrined, - In whom no darkness is. - - Walk in the _light_! and thou shalt own - Thy darkness passed away, - Because that _light_ hath on thee shone, - In which is perfect day. - - Walk in the _light_! and e’en the tomb - No fearful shade shall wear; - Glory shall chase away its gloom, - For Christ hath conquered there. - - Walk in the _light_! and thou shalt be - A path, though thorny, bright; - For God, by grace, shall dwell in thee, - And God Himself is _light_! - _Barton._ - - - “Let there be _light_!” The Eternal spoke, - And from the abyss where darkness rode - The earliest dawn of nature broke, - And _light_ around creation flowed: - The glad earth smiled to see the day, - The first-born day come blushing in; - The young day smiled to shed its ray - Upon a world untouched by sin. - - “Let there be _light_!” O’er heaven and earth, - The God who first the day-beam poured, - Uttered again His fiat forth, - And shed the gospel’s _light_ abroad; - And, like the dawn, its cheering rays - On rich and poor were meant to fall, - Inspiring their Redeemer’s praise, - In lowly cot, and lordly hall. - - Then come, when in the orient first - Flushes the signal-_light_ for prayer; - Come with the earliest beams that burst - From God’s bright throne of glory there; - Come, kneel to Him who through the night - Hath watched above thy sleeping soul; - To Him whose mercies, like His _light_, - Are shed abroad from pole to pole. - _Charles F. Hoffman._ - - - Then moved upon the waveless deep - The quickening Spirit of the Lord; - And broken was its pulseless sleep - Before the Everlasting Word! - “Let there be _Light_!” and listening earth, - With tree, and plant, and flowery sod, - “In the beginning” sprang to birth, - Obedient to the voice of God. - _W. H Burleigh._ - - - Heard as each morn relumes the eastern cloud, - Thy voice of holiest comfort cries aloud, - Bidding us rise, the night-like past above, - And soar on morning’s wing to thoughts of _light_ and love! - _Anon._ - - - - - LORD. - - -The _Lord_ shall reign for ever and ever.--Exodus, xv. 18. - -Hear, O _Lord_, and have mercy upon me: _Lord_, be thou my -helper.--Psalm xxx. 10. - -By the word of the _Lord_ were the heavens made; and all the host of -them by the breath of His mouth.--Psalm xxxiii. 6. - -Exalt the _Lord_ our God, and worship at his holy hill, for the _Lord_ -our God is holy.--Psalm xcix. 9. - -And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice -of many waters, and as the voice of many thunderings, saying. Alleluia: -for the _Lord_ God omnipotent reigneth.--Revelation, xix. 6. - - - Thou art of all created things - O _Lord_, the essence and the cause, - The source and centre of all bliss; - What are those veils of woven light, - Where sun and moon and stars unite, - The purple morn, the sprangled night, - But curtains which Thy mercy draws - Between the heavenly world and this? - The terrors of the sea and land, - When all the elements conspire, - The earth and water, storm and fire, - Are but the shadows of Thy hand; - The lightning’s flash, the howling storm, - The dread volcano’s awful blaze, - Proclaim Thy glory and Thy praise! - Beneath the sunny summer showers - Thy love assumes a milder form - And writes its angel name in flowers; - The wind that flies with winged feet - Around the grassy gladdened earth, - Seems but commissioned to repeat - In echo’s accents--silvery sweet-- - That Thou, O _Lord_, didst give it birth. - There is a tongue in every flame, - There is a tongue in every wave, - To these the bounteous Godhead gave - These organs but to praise His name! - O mighty _Lord_ of boundless space - Here canst Thou be both sought and found. - For here in everything around - Thy presence and Thy power I trace; - With faith my guide and my defence, - I burn to serve in love and fear; - If as a slave, oh! leave me here, - If not, O _Lord_, remove me hence! - _M’ Carthy, from the Spanish of Calderon._ - - - The _Lord_ of all, Himself through all diffused, - Sustains, and is the life of all that lives. - Nature is but a name for an effect, - Whose cause is God. He feeds the secret fire - By which the mighty process is maintained; - Who sleeps not, is not weary; in whose sight - Slow circling ages are as transient days; - Whose work is without labour; whose designs - No flaw deforms, no difficulty thwarts; - And whose beneficence no charge exhausts. - Him blind antiquity profaned, not served, - With self-taught rites, and under various names, - Female and Male Pomona, Pales, Pan, - And Flora, and Vertumnus; peopling earth - With tutelary goddesses and gods - That were not; and commending as they would - To each some province, garden, field, or grove. - But all are under one. One Spirit, His - Who wore the platted thorns with bleeding brows, - Rules universal nature. Not a flower - But shows some touch in freckle, streak, or stain, - Of His unrivalled pencil. He inspires - Their balmy odours, and imparts their hues, - And bathes their eyes with nectar, and includes, - In grains as countless as the sea-side sands, - The forms with which He sprinkles all the earth. - _Cowper._ - - - The _Lord_ will come! the earth shall quake, - The hills their fixed seat forsake; - And, with’ring, from the vault of night - The stars withdraw their feeble light. - - The _Lord_ will come! but not the same - As once in lowly form He came, - A silent Lamb to slaughter led, - The bruis’d, the suff’ring, and the dead. - - The _Lord_ will come! a dreadful form, - With wreath of flame, and robe of storm, - On cherub wings, and wings of wind, - Anointed Judge of human-kind! - - Go, tyrants! to the rocks complain! - Go, seek the mountain’s cleft in vain! - But faith, victorious o’er the tomb, - Shall sing for joy, the _Lord_ is come! - _Heber._ - - - Great Former of this various frame, - Our souls adore thine awful name; - And bow and tremble while they praise - The Ancient of eternal days. - - Thou _Lord_, with unsurprised survey, - Saw’st nature rising yesterday; - And, as to-morrow, shall thine eye, - See earth and stars in ruin lie. - _Doddridge._ - - - In the dark winter of affliction’s hour, - When summer friends and pleasures haste away, - And the wrecked heart perceives how frail each power - It made a refuge, and believed a stay; - When man, all wild and weak is seen to be-- - There’s none like Thee, O _Lord_! there’s none like Thee! - - Thou in adversity canst be a sun; - Thou hast a healing balm, a sheltering tower, - The peace, the truth, the life, the love of One, - Nor wound, nor grief, nor storm can overpower - Gifts of a King; gifts, frequent and yet free,-- - There’s none like Thee, O _Lord_! none, none like Thee! - _Miss Jewsbury._ - - - Attired with majesty, the _Lord_ doth reign, - And girt with strength. The world immovably - Is stablished, and His throne shall aye remain! - Thou art for ever! The floods have lifted high, - O _Lord_! the floods have lifted high their voice, - The floods lift up their billows mightily-- - The _Lord_ on high is mightier than the noise - Of many waters, stronger than the seas-- - Thy word is sure--Let all the earth rejoice! - _J. A. Heraud._ - - - - - LOVE. - - -The Lord preserveth all them that _love_ Him.--Psalm xciv. 20. - -_Love_ your enemies, bless them that curse you.--Matthew, v. 44. - -This is my commandment, that ye _love_ one another, as I have _loved_ -you. - -Greater _love_ hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for -his friends. - -Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.--John, xv. 12, 14. - -God commendeth his _love_ toward us, in that, while we were yet -sinners, Christ died for us.--Romans, v. 8. - -Behold, what manner of _love_ the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we -should be called the sons of God.--I. John, iii. 1. - -Beloved, let us _love_ one another: for _love_ is of God; and every one -that _loveth_ is born of God, and knoweth God.--I. John, iv. 7. - - - Weak though we are, to _love_ is no hard task, - And _love_ for _love_ is all that Heaven does ask. - - * * * * * - - ’Tis with our minds as with a fertile ground; - Wanting this _love_, they must with weeds abound; - Unruly passions, whose effects are worse - Than thorns and briars, springing from the curse. - _Waller._ - - - Legions of angels, which He might have used, - For us resolved to perish, He refused; - While they stood ready to prevent His loss, - _Love_ took Him up, and nailed Him to the cross. - Immortal _love_! which in His bowels reigned, - That we might be by such high _love_ constrained - To make return of _love_; upon this pole - Our duty does, and our religion roll. - To _love_ is to believe, to hope, to know; - ’Tis an essay, a taste of Heaven below. - He to proud potentates would not be known; - Of those who _loved_ Him, He was hid from none. - _Waller._ - - - Humble _love_, - And not proud science, keeps the door of Heaven; - _Love_ finds admission where proud science fails. - _Young._ - - - _Love_ celestial! wondrous heat! - O, beyond expression great! - What resistless charms were thine, - In thy good, thy best design! - When God was hated, sin obeyed, - And man undone, without thy aid, - From the seats of endless peace - They brought the Son, the Lord of Grace; - They taught Him to receive a birth, - To clothe in flesh, to live on earth, - And after, lifted Him on high, - And taught Him on the cross to die. - _Parnell._ - - - He prayeth best, who _loveth_ best - All things, both great and small; - For the dear God who _loveth_ us, - He made and _loveth_ all. - _Coleridge._ - - - They sin who tell us _love_ can die! - With life all other passions fly, - All others are but vanity; - In heaven ambition cannot dwell, - Nor avarice in the vaults of hell; - Earthly these passions of the earth, - They perish where they have their birth. - But _love_ is indestructible, - Its holy flame for ever burneth, - From heaven it came, to heaven returneth: - For oft on earth a troubled guest, - At times deceived, at times oppress’d; - It here is tried and purified, - Then hath in heaven its perfect rest: - It sowest here with toil and care, - But the harvest-time of _love_ is there. - _Southey._ - - - I must _love_ on, O God! - This bosom must _love_ on! but let thy breath - Touch and make pure the flame that knows not death - Bearing it up to Heaven, _Love’s_ own abode. - _Mrs. Hemans._ - - - No mortal object did these eyes behold - When first they met the placid light of thine, - And my soul felt her destiny divine; - And hope of endless peace in me grew bold: - Heaven-born, the soul a heavenward course must hold; - Beyond the visible world she soars to seek - (For what delights the sense is false and weak) - Ideal form, the universal mould. - The wise man, I affirm, can find no rest - In that which perishes: nor will he lend - His heart to ought which doth on time depend. - ’Tis sense, unbridled will, and not true _love_, - Which kills the soul: _love_ betters what is best - Even here below, but more in heaven above. - _Wordsworth, from Michael Angelo._ - - - O _Love_! thy essence is thy purity! - Breathe one unhallowed breath upon thy flame, - And it is gone for ever, and but leaves - A sullied vase--its pure light lost in shame. - _Miss Landon._ - - - _Love_ Thee! Oh, clad in human lowliness,-- - In whom each heart its mortal kindred knows,-- - Our flesh, our forms, our tears, our pains, our woes; - A fellow-wanderer o’er earth’s wilderness! - _Love_ Thee!--whose very word but breathes to bless! - Through Thee, from long-seal’d lips, glad language flows; - The blind their eyes, that laugh with light, unclose; - And babes, unchid, Thy garment’s hem caress. - I see thee--doomed by bitterest pangs to die, - Up the sad hill, with willing footsteps move, - With scorge, and taunt, and wanton agony; - While the cross nods, in hideous gloom, above, - Though all--even there--be radiant Deity! - Speechless I gaze, and my whole soul is _Love_. - _Milman._ - - - They err, who deem _love’s_ brightest hour in blooming youth - is flown: - Its purest, tenderest, holiest power in after life is known, - When passions chastened and subdued, to riper years are given, - And earth, and earthly things, are viewed in light that breaks from - Heaven. - _Bernard Barton._ - - - Music of the bough that waves, - As the wind plays lightly o’er; - Music of the stream that laves - Pebbly marge or rocky shore; - Sweet your melody to me, - Singing to the soul--the tone - Exceeds by far the minstrelsy - Of halls wherein bright harpers shone; - For ye attune His praise who made - The wondrous perfect frame we view, - Each hill, and plain, and leafy shade, - And yon fair canopy of blue: - Ye seem to sing,--“How great the arm - Of that high God who reigns above; - Him worship! but without alarm; - His dearest, best known name is _Love_.” - _James Edmeston._ - - - All things that are on earth shall wholly pass away, - Except the _Love_ of God, which shall live and last for aye. - - * * * * * - - Anon the great globe itself (so the holy writings tell,) - With the rolling firmament, where the starry armies dwell, - Shall melt with fervent heat--they all shall pass away, - Except the _Love_ of God, which shall live and last for aye. - _W. C. Bryant._ - - - God is _Love_, saith the Evangel; - And our world of woe and sin - Is made light and happy only, - When a _love_ is shining in. - _J. G. Whittier._ - - - Oh, _loving_ and forgiving-- - Ye angel words of earth - Years were not worth the living - If ye too had not birth! - Oh, _loving_ and forbearing-- - How sweet your mission here; - The grief that ye are sharing - Hath blessings in its tear. - - - Oh, stern and unforgiving-- - Ye evil words of life, - That mock the means of living - With never-ending strife. - Oh, harsh and unrepenting - How would ye meet the grave, - If Heaven, as unrelenting, - Forbore not, nor forgave? - - Oh, _loving_ and forgiving-- - Sweet sisters of the soul, - In whose celestial living - The passions find control! - Still breathe your influence o’er us - Whene’er by passion crost, - And, angel-like, restore us - The paradise we lost. - _Charles Swain._ - - - ’Tis the angel _Love_, - He, who for ever strives with Death, and yet - Doth live! I see a form erect and motionless, - Veiled with a cloud of darkness, that no eye - Can pierce; that spectre form is Death, and there - I see _Love_ crushed and bleeding ’neath his feet: - But still undying--still a conqueror--still - A thing that Death may wound but cannot quell. - In his warm blood a spirit still survives; - In his bright eye a soul is living yet; - In his undying heart, eternal life - Throbs fixedly. Oh strife most beautiful! - Thou crowned martyr! thou enduring _Love_! - How beautiful thou art! - _Constantia L. Riddell._ - - - Why should I a stranger be - In my Father’s dwelling, - While hill and river, rock and tree, - Of his _love_ are telling? - Always heard their simple voice, - Bidding child-like hearts rejoice, - Whispers us this _love_ is near; - What we seek in yonder sphere, - _Love_ can find it now--and here. - _Joseph Gostick._ - - - Hail, holy _love_! ethereal essence, hail! - Heaven’s earliest offspring, earliest visitant - From thence to earth, here latest found to soothe - Man’s burdened heart, with pains and griefs oppressed, - (Sad fruit of disobedience,) thou, ere time - His race had yet begun, the glorious plan - Of mercy didst devise, the day of grace, - That with mild lustre dawned in Eden’s shades, - What time primeval sinners strove to hide - (Vain subterfuge!) from God’s all-piercing eye - Their guilt and shame; and thousand promises - With kindling radiance on the raptured mind - Of patriarchs, and kings, and prophets rose, - And saints expectant. - _S. Stennet._ - - - _Love_ never fails: though knowledge cease, - Though Prophecies decay, - _Love_, Christian _love_, shall still increase, - Shall still extend her sway. - Here dimly, through life’s shadowy glass, - We strain our infant eyes; - Soon shall the earth-born vapours pass, - And light, unclouded, rise; - Then Hope shall sink in changeless doom, - Then Faith’s bright race be o’er, - But Thou, Eternal _Love_, shalt bloom - More glorious than before. - _W. Peter._ - - - Before the sparkling lamps on high - Were kindled up, and hung around the sky: - Before the sun led on the circling hours, - Or vital seeds produced their active powers; - Before the first intelligences strung - Their golden harps and soft preludiums sung - To _Love_, the mighty cause whence their existence sprung, - Th’ ineffable Divinity - His own resemblance meets in thee. - By this thy glorious lineage thou dost prove - Thy high descent--for God Himself is _Love_. - _Mrs. Rowe._ - - - - - LOWLINESS. - - -Though the Lord be high, yet hath He respect unto the _lowly_: but the -proud He knoweth afar off.--Psalm cxxxviii. 6. - -When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the _lowly_ is -wisdom.--Proverbs, xi. 2. - -Let nothing be done through strife or vain glory; but in _lowliness_ of -mind let each esteem other better than themselves.--Philippians, ii. 3. - - - The man whose eye - Is ever on himself, doth look on one - The least of nature’s works, one who might move - The wise man to that scorn which wisdom holds - Unlawful ever. O be wiser, Thou! - Instructed that true knowledge leads to love; - True dignity abides with him alone, - Who in the silent hour of inward thought, - Can still suspect, and still revere himself - In _lowliness_ of heart. - _Wordsworth._ - - - There are briars besetting every path, - That call for patient care; - There is a cross in every lot, - And an earnest need for prayer; - But a _lowly_ heart that leans on Thee - Is happy anywhere. - _Ann L. Waring._ - - - The blessing of a _lowly_ mind - Lord, unto me be given, - Joy in the meanest spot to find, - To see in all of human kind, - But fellow-travellers, designed - To rest at last in heaven. - - The pleasures of a _lowly_ state - Oh, let me ne’er despise; - And should I sit among the great, - Ne’er be my heart with pride elate, - But meekly let me watch and wait - In _lowliness_ of guise. - _Egone._ - - - - - MAN. - - -In the day that God created _man_, in the likeness of God made he him. - -Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their -name Adam, in the day when they were created.--Genesis, v. 1, 2. - -Behold, even to the moon, and it shineth not; yea, the stars are not -pure in his sight. - -How much less _man_, that is a worm? and the son of _man_, which is a -worm?--Job, xxv. 5, 6. - -When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the -stars, which thou hast ordained. - -What is _man_ that thou art mindful of him, and the son of _man_ that -thou visitest him. - -For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned -him with glory and honour.--Psalm viii. 3, 4, 5. - -_Man’s_ goings are of the Lord; how can a _man_, then, understand his -own way?--Proverbs, xx. 24. - -_Man_ shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth -out of the mouth of God.--Matthew, iv. 4. - - - O, what is _man_, great Maker of _mankind_! - That Thou to him so great respect dost bear; - That Thou adornest him with so bright a mind, - Mak’st him a king, and even an angel’s peer? - - O, what a lively life, what heavenly power, - What spreading virtue, what a sparkling fire, - How great, how plentiful, how rich a dower - Dost Thou within the dying flesh inspire! - - Thou leav’st Thy print in other works of Thine, - But Thy whole image Thou in _man_ hast writ; - There cannot be a creature more divine, - Except, like Thee, it should be infinite. - - But it exceeds _man’s_ thoughts, to think how high - God hath raised _man_, since God a _man_ became; - The angels do admire this mystery, - And are astonished when they view the same: - - Nor hath He given these blessings for a day, - Nor made them on the body’s life depend; - The soul, though made in time, survives for aye; - And though it hath beginning, sees no end. - _Sir John Davies._ - - - So fair is _man_, that death (a parting blast,) - Blasts his fair flower, and makes him earth at last; - So strong is _man_, that with a gasping breath - He totters, and bequeaths his strength to death; - So wise is _man_, that if with death he strive, - His wisdom cannot teach him how to live; - So rich is _man_, that (all his debts being paid,) - His wealth’s the winding-sheet wherein he’s laid; - So young is _man_, that (broke with care and sorrow,) - He’s old enough to-day to die to-morrow. - _Francis Quarles._ - - - _Man’s_ not a lawful steersman of his days, - His bootless wish nor hastens, nor delays; - We are God’s hired workmen, He discharges - Some late at night, and (when He list) enlarges - Others at noon, and in the morning some: - None may relieve himself, till He bid, Come. - _Francis Quarles._ - - - Let us make _man_ in our own image, _man_ - In our similitudes, and let them rule - Over the fish and fowl of both sea and air, - Beast of the field, and over all the earth, - And every creeping thing that creeps the ground. - This said, He formed thee Adam, thee, O _man_! - Dust of the ground; and in thy nostrils breathed - The breath of life: in His own image, He - Created thee--in the image of God - Express. - _Milton._ - - - When by His Word God had accomplished all, - _Man_ to create He did a council call: - Employed His hand to give the dust He took - A graceful figure and majestic look; - With His own breath conveyed into his breast - Life and a soul fit to command the rest. - _Waller._ - - - Alas! that _man_ - Must prove the direst enemy of _man_-- - His boasted reason wielded to contrive - Dark systems of despair--his vaunted skill, - To forge the fetters which enthral the soul. - _A. Alexander._ - - - A beam ethereal, sullied and absorpt! - Though sullied and dishonoured, still divine; - Dim miniature of greatness absolute! - An heir of glory! a frail child of dust! - Helpless immortal! insect infinite! - A worm! a god! I tremble at myself, - And in myself am lost. At home a stranger, - Thought wanders up and down, surprised, aghast, - And wondering at her own. How reason reels! - Oh! what miracle to _man_ to _man_! - _Young._ - - - Say, why was _man_ so eminently rais’d - Amid the vast creation; why ordain’d - Through life and death to dart his piercing eye, - With thoughts beyond the limits of his frame; - But that the Omnipotent might send him forth - In sight of mortal and immortal powers, - As on a boundless theatre, to run - The great career of justice; to exalt - His generous aim to all diviner deeds; - To chase each partial purpose from his breast; - And through the mists of passion and of sense, - And through the tossing tide of chance and pain, - To hold his course unfaltering; while the voice - Of truth and virtue, up the steep ascent - Of nature, calls him to his high reward-- - The applauding smile of Heaven? - _Akenside._ - - - Traveller, as roaming over vales and steeps, - Thou hast, perchance, beheld in foliage fair - A willow bending o’er a brook--it weeps, - Leaf after leaf, into the stream, till bare - Are the best boughs, the lovliest and the brightest, - Oh! sigh, for well thou may’st, yet as thou sighest, - Think not ’tis o’er imaginary woe; - I tell thee, traveller, such is mortal _man_, - And so he hangs o’er fancied bliss, and so, - While life is verging to its shortest span, - Drop one by one his dearest joys away, - Till hope is but the ghost of something fair, - Till joy is mockery, till life is care, - Till he himself is unreflecting clay. - _Henry Neele._ - - - Whate’er of earth is formed, to earth returns - Dissolved: the various objects we behold-- - Plants, animals, this whole material mass-- - Are ever changing, ever new. The soul - Of _man_ alone, that particle divine, - Escapes the wreck of worlds, when all things fail: - Hence the great distance ’twixt the beasts that perish, - And God’s bright image, _man’s_ immortal race. - _Somerville._ - - - Prostration vile, an alienate from God - _Man_ is, and shall his fallen nature rise, - Her height regain, and fill ethereal thrones? - Many a cloud of evil shall be burst, - Ere that day come, severe and dread the strife - Of sullied nature with the soul of _man_, - Whate’er his climate, character, or creed, - Temptation, like a spirit, tracks his path. - _R. Montgomery._ - - - And what is _man_? In outward guise - Let him be prince, or peer, or slave, - Or poor and weak, or great and wise-- - A mortal, tending to the grave: - Such are all _men_--from earth we came, - Earth doth her own poor dust reclaim. - _H. H. Weld._ - - - But, of Thy works, through sea and land, - Or the wide fields of ether wending, - In _man_ Thy noblest thoughts are blending; - _Man_ is the glory of thy hand;-- - _Man_ modelled in a form of grace, - Where every beauty has its place; - A gentleness and glory sharing - His spirit, where we may behold - A higher aim, a nobler daring: - ’Tis Thine immortal mould. - _Jacob Bellamy._ - - - When the Almighty Fiat, from the gloom - Of chaos drawn to light, had now arranged - The jarring seeds, the last, the most sublime - Of all His works, was _Man_ called forth; to him - The Sovereign Word gave empire o’er the whole. - _Samuel Hayes._ - - - - - MARRIAGE. - - -Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave -unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.--Genesis, ii. 24. - -And the third day there was a _marriage_ in Cana of Galilee; and the -mother of Jesus was there: - -And both Jesus was called, and his disciples to the _marriage_.--John, -ii. 1, 2. - -_Marriage_ is honourable in all.--Hebrews, xiii. 4. - -Blessed are they which are called unto the _marriage_ supper of the -Lamb.--Revelations, xix. 9. - - - Save the love we pay - To Heaven, none purer, holier than that - A virtuous woman feels, for him she’d cleave - Thro’ life to. Sisters part from sisters--brothers - From brothers--children from their parents--but - Such woman from the husband of her choice, - Never. - _Sheridan Knowles._ - - - Joy, serious and sublime, - Such as doth nerve the energies of prayer, - Should swell the bosom, when a maiden’s hand, - Filled with life’s dewy flowerets, girdeth on - That harness which the ministry of death - Alone unlooseth, but whose fearful power - May stamp the sentence of Eternity. - _Mrs. Sigourney._ - - - Look down, O Thou - Who wast at Cana! Bless the rite that’s past! - Help me to put a wedding-garment on - For the great _marriage_ supper; and to wear - Thy choice of ornaments, while I await - The coming of the Bridegroom. - _Hannah F. Gould._ - - - There are smiles and tears in that gathering band, - Where the heart is pledged with the trembling hand. - What trying thoughts in the bosom swell, - As the bride bids parents and home farewell! - Kneel down by the side of the tearful fair, - And strengthen the perilous hour with prayer. - _Henry Ware, Jun._ - - - - - MARTYRDOM. - - -And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of -bonds and imprisonment; - -They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with -the sword: they wandered about in sheep-skins and goat-skins; being -destitute, afflicted, tormented; - -(Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in -mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.--Hebrews, xi. 36, 37, 38. - -I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, -and for the Word of God.--Revelations, xx. 4. - - - The Sacred Book, its value understood, - Received the seal of _martyrdom_ in blood. - These holy men, so full of truth and grace, - Seem, to reflection, of a different race; - Meek, modest, venerable, wise, sincere, - In such a cause they could not dare to fear; - They could not purchase earth with such a price, - Or spare a life too short to reach the skies. - From them to thee conveyed along the tide, - Their streaming hearts poured freely when they died; - Those truths which neither use nor years impair, - Invite thee, woo thee, to the bliss they share. - _Cowper._ - - - In vain the Roman lord - Waved the relentless sword, - And spread the terrors of the circling flame; - In vain the heathen sought, - If chance some lurking spot, - Might mar the lustre of the Christian name: - The Eternal Spirit, by His fruits confessed, - In life secured from stains, and steel’d in death, the breast. - _Bishop Mant._ - - - The Son of God is gone to war, - A kingly crown to gain; - His blood-red banner streams afar; - Who follows in his train? - --Who best can drink his cup of woe, - Triumphant over pain; - Who boldest bears his cross below,-- - He follows in his train. - - The _martyr_ first, whose eagle-eye - Could pierce beyond the grave; - Who saw his Master in the sky, - And call’d on him to save: - Like him, with pardon on his tongue, - In midst of mortal pain, - He pray’d for them who did the wrong: - --Who follows in the train? - _Heber._ - - - When persecution’s torrent blaze - Wraps the unshrinking _martyr’s_ head, - When fade all earthly flowers and bays, - When summer friends are gone and fled, - Is he alone in that dark hour, - Who owns the Lord of love and power? - - Or waves there not around his brow, - A wand no human arm may wield, - Fraught with a spell no angels know, - His steps to guide, his soul to shield? - Thou, Saviour, art his Charmed Bower, - His Magic Ring, his Rock, his Tower. - _Keble._ - - - In rendering to the Lord what is the Lord’s, - Doth not the thought of violence bring shame? - Think ye, He gave the branching forest-tree - To furnish fagots for the funeral pyre, - Or bid His sunrise light the world, to see - Pale, tortured victims perish there by fire? - _Mrs. Norton._ - - - The blood of _martyrs_, living still, - Makes the ground pregnant where it flows, - And for their temporary ill - Thereon eternal triumph grows. - _J. A. Heraud._ - - - Thy children, even as _martyrs_ perished: - Those first-loved fruits that sprang from thee, - From which thy heart was doomed to sever, - In praise of God, shall bloom for ever, - Unhurt, untouched, by tyranny. - _Vondel._ - - - - - MEEKNESS. - - -The Lord lifteth up the _meek_.--Psalm cxlvii. 6. - -The Lord taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the _meek_ -with salvation.--Psalm cxlix. 4. - -Blessed are the _meek_: for they shall inherit the earth.--Matthew, v. -5. - -Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me: for I am _meek_ and lowly in -heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.--Matthew, xi. 29. - - - O, what a doctrine of almighty depth - Messiah founded, when His truth declar’d - In _meekness_ lies the majesty of man! - At once the wisdom of the world was dumb, - And fortune blasted on her throne of bliss. - The ways of pleasantness, the paths of peace, - Are dim and narrow, tracks of noiseless gloom - Which glory flies, and grandeur seldom walks: - The poor in spirit, and the _meek_ in heart, - Who thirst and hunger for Thy righteous word.-- - Oh! these are blest, for Thine unerring voice - Hath call’d them so. - _R. Montgomery._ - - - Behold! where, in the friend of man, - Appears each grace divine: - The virtues, all in Jesus met, - With mildest radiance shine. - - To spread the rays of heavenly light; - To give the mourner joy; - To preach glad tidings to the poor, - Was His divine employ. - - ’Midst keen reproach and cruel scorn, - Patient and _meek_ He stood; - His foes, ungrateful, sought His life;-- - He laboured for their good. - _Enfield._ - - - _Meek_ souls there are, who little dream - Their daily strife an angel’s theme; - And that the end they take so calm, - Shall prove in heaven a martyr’s palm. - _Anon._ - - - - - MEETING. - - -And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark -thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee. - -And there I will _meet_ with thee, and I will commune with thee from -above the mercy seat.--Exodus, xxv. 21, 22. - - - O, when a mother _meets_ on high - The babe she lost in infancy, - Hath she not then for pains and fears, - The day of woe, the watchful night, - For all her sorrows, all her tears, - An over-payment of delight? - _Southey._ - - - O, ’tis one scene of parting here, - Love’s watchword is farewell! - And almost starts the following tear, - Ere dried the last that fell! - ’Tis but to feel that one most dear - Is needful to the heart, - And straight a voice is muttering near, - Imperious, Ye must part! - - But happiest he, whose gifted eye - Above this world can see, - And those diviner realms descry, - Where partings cannot be; - Who, with One changeless Friend on high, - Life’s various path has trod, - And soars to _meet_, beyond the sky, - The ransomed and their God. - _Townshend._ - - - Oh, what an all-glorious _meeting_, - In yonder bright world we shall know; - When glorified spirits are greeting - The friends they left mourning below. - - Earth’s friendships renewed shall then heighten - The loud-rolling anthem of praise; - While each happy spirit shall brighten - At the feet of the ancient of days. - _W. J. Brock._ - - - - - MERCY. - - -All the paths of the Lord are _mercy_ and truth unto such as keep his -covenant and his testimonies.--Psalm xxv. 10. - -The Lord is good to all: and His tender _mercies_ are over all His -works.--Psalm cxlv. 9. - -He that hath _mercy_ on the poor, happy is he.--Proverbs, xiv. 21. - -Blessed are the _merciful_: for they shall obtain _mercy_.--Matthew, v. -7. - -Be ye therefore _merciful_, as your Father also is _merciful_.--Luke, -vi. 36. - - - Ye Sacred Writings! in whose antique leaves, - The wondrous deeds of heaven recorded lie, - Say what might be the cause, that _mercy_ heaves - The dust of sin above the starry sky, - And lets it not to dust and ashes fly? - Could Justice be of sin so over-woo’d, - Or so great ill be cause of so great good, - That, bloody man to save, man’s Saviour shed his blood. - - Here, when the ruin of that beauteous frame, - Whose golden building shin’d with every star - Of excellence, deform’d with sin became; - _Mercy_ rememb’ring peace in midst of war, - Lift up the music of her voice to bar - Eternal fate, lest it should quite erase - That from the world, which was the first world’s grace. - And all again into their nothing--chaos--chase. - _Giles Fletcher._ - - - Why, all the souls that were, were forfeit once; - And He that might the vantage best have took, - Found out the remedy. How would you be, - If He which is the top of judgment, should - But judge you, as you are? O, think on that! - And _mercy_ then will breathe within your lips, - Like men new made. - _Shakspere._ - - - It is an attribute of God himself, - And earthly power doth then show liker God’s, - When _mercy_ seasons justice. - _Shakspere._ - - - When winter fortunes cloud the brows - Of summer friends,--when eyes grow strange,-- - When plighted faith forgets its vows, - When earth and all things in it change,-- - O Lord, thy _mercies_ fail me never-- - Where once thou lovest, thou lovest for ever! - _John Quarles._ - - - _Mercy_ is the highest reach of wit, - A safety unto them that save with it: - Born out of God, and unto human eyes, - Like God, not seen, till fleshly passion dies. - _Lord Brooke._ - - - ’Tis He supports my mortal frame, - My tongue shall speak His praise, - My sins would rise His wrath to flame, - And yet His wrath delays. - - On a poor worm Thy power might tread, - And I could ne’er withstand, - Thy justice might have crushed me dead, - But _mercy_ held Thy hand. - _Watts._ - - - Hard is his fate who builds his peace of mind - On the precarious _mercy_ of mankind; - Who hopes for wild and visionary things, - And mounts o’er unknown seas with vent’rous wings. - _Crabbe._ - - - Though Nature her inverted course forego, - The day forget to rest, the time to flow, - Yet shall Jehovah’s servants stand secure, - His _Mercy_, fixed, eternal shall endure; - On them her everlasting rays shall shine, - More mild and bright, and sure, O sun! than thine. - _Bishop Lowth._ - - How are thy servants bless’d, O Lord! - How sure is their defence! - Eternal wisdom is their guide, - Their help, Omnipotence! - - In foreign realms, and lands remote, - Supported by thy care, - Through burning climes I pass’d unhurt, - And breathed in tainted air. - - In midst of dangers, fears, and death, - Thy goodness I’ll adore; - And praise thee for thy _mercies_ past, - And humbly hope for more. - _Addison._ - - - With grief opprest, and prostrate in the dust, - Shouldst Thou condemn, I own thy sentence just. - But oh! Thy softer titles let me claim, - And plead my cause by _Mercy’s_ gentle name. - _Mercy_, that wipes the penitential tear, - And dissipates the horrors of despair; - From righteous Justice steals the vengeful hour, - Softens the dreadful attributes of power, - Disarms the wrath of an offended God, - And seals my pardon in a Saviour’s blood. - _Mrs. Carter._ - - - O, Thou, whose piercing thought - Doth note each secret path, - For _mercy_ to Thy Throne we fly - From man’s condemning wrath. - - How fearless should our trust - In thy compassion be, - When from our brother of the dust - We dare appeal to Thee. - _Mrs. Sigourney._ - - - Believe, and fear not! in the blackest cloud - A sunbeam hides; and from the deepest pang, - Some hidden _mercy_ may a God declare! - _R. Montgomery._ - - - By all the tender _mercy_ - God hath shown to human grief, - When fate, or man’s perverseness, - Denied and barr’d relief,-- - By the helpless woe which taught me - To look to Him alone, - From the vain appeals for justice - And wild efforts of my own,-- - By thy light--thou unseen future, - And thy tears--thou bitter past, - I will hope--though all forsake me-- - In His _Mercy_ to the last! - _Mrs. Norton._ - - - If Heaven - Did in the balance of strict justice weigh - The iniquity of men, who could abide - Its judgment? Did not _mercy_ temper wrath, - Eternal ruin would o’erwhelm mankind. - _Samuel Hayes._ - - - _Mercy_ descends - From heaven, and o’er the penitential heart, - Rent by the agonizing pains of guilt, - Spreads the soft blessings of internal peace. - _Samuel Hayes._ - - - Mankind are all pilgrims on life’s weary road, - And many would wander astray - In seeking eternity’s silent abode, - Did _Mercy_ not point out the way. - _G. P. Morris._ - - - I hear a sound that comes from far; - It fills my soul with joy and love; - Not seraphs’ voices sweeter are, - That echo through the courts above. - - ’Tis _mercy’s_ voice that strikes my ear, - From Calvary it sounds abroad; - It soothes my soul and calms my fear; - It speaks of pardon bought with blood. - - And is it true that many fly - The sound that bids my soul rejoice, - And rather choose with fools to die, - Than turn an ear to _mercy’s_ voice. - - With such, I own, I once appeared, - But now I know how great their loss; - For sweeter sounds were never heard, - Than _mercy_ utters from the cross. - _Kelly._ - - - Lord have _mercy_ when we strive - To save, through Thee, our souls alive! - When the pampered flesh is strong, - When the strife is fierce and long; - When our wakening thoughts begin - First to loathe their cherished sin, - And our weary spirits fail, - And our aching brows are pale, - Oh, then have _mercy_, Lord! - _H. H. Milman._ - - - - - MESSAGE. - - -I have a _message_ from God unto thee.--Judges, iii. 20. - -The priest’s lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law -at his mouth: for he is the _messenger_ of the Lord of Hosts.--Malachi, -ii. 7. - -Behold I will send my _messenger_, and he shall prepare the way before -me.--Malachi, iii. 1. - -This is the _message_ that ye heard from the beginning, that we should -love one another.--I. John, iii. 11. - - - Gently hast thou told - Thy _message_, which might else in telling wound, - And in performing end us. - _Milton._ - - - O for a _message_ from above - To bear my spirit up! - Some pledge of my Creator’s love - To calm my terrors and support my hope! - Let waves and thunders mix and roar; - Be thou my God, and the whole world is mine: - While thou art Sovereign, I’m secure; - I shall be rich till Thou art poor; - For all I fear, and all I wish, Heaven, Earth, and Hell, are thine. - _Watts._ - - - Oh, there are _messengers_ of wrath, - And _messengers_ of love; - And each one goeth on his path, - Commissioned from above. - - Eternal justice sends the one, - Mercy the other guides; - Their ways at times so nearly run, - That scarce a line divides. - - Which, oh my soul! shall come to thee, - When my last hour is near? - What shall the awful _message_ be, - That thou shalt trembling hear? - - Momentous question! yet, alas! - But little heed I pay, - Although I see the _messengers_ - Speed by me every day. - _Egone._ - - - - - MESSIAH. - - -Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the -commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the _Messiah_ the -Prince, shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street -shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. - -And after threescore and two weeks shall _Messiah_ be cut off, but not -for himself.--Daniel, ix. 25, 26. - -We have found the _Messias_, which is, being interpreted, the -Christ.--John, i. 41. - - - The seas shall waste, the skies in smoke decay, - Rocks fall to dust, and mountains melt away; - But, fixed, His word, His saving power remains; - Thy realm for ever lasts, thy own _Messiah_ reigns. - _Pope._ - - - _Messiah_ comes!--Let furious discord cease; - Be peace on earth before the Prince of Peace! - Disease and anguish feel His blest control, - And howling fiends release the tortured soul! - The beams of gladness Hell’s dark caves illume, - And mercy broods above the distant gloom. - _Bishop Heber._ - - - _Messiah_ comes! ye rugged paths be plain; - The Shiloh comes, ye towering cedars bend; - Swell forth ye valleys; and, ye rocks descend; - The withered branch let balmy fruits adorn, - And clustering roses twine the leafless thorn; - Burst forth, ye vocal groves, your joy to tell-- - The God of Peace redeems His Israel. - _C. H. Johnson._ - - - Rising from His cross and passion, - Lo! the King _Messiah_ reigns; - Lord! the strength of Thy salvation - His triumphant joy sustains; - Crowned with conquest - Now th’ eternal throne He gains. - - Joy and triumph crown the Saviour, - Seated on the throne above; - There exalted in Thy favour, - Safely trusting in Thy love: - King of Sion! - Never shall Thy throne remove! - _Goode._ - - - - - MIND. - - -Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose _mind_ is stayed on thee; -because he trusteth in thee.--Isaiah, xxvi. 3. - -To be carnally _minded_ is death; but to be spiritually _minded_ is -life and peace. - -Because the carnal _mind_ is enmity against God.--Romans, viii. 6, 7. - -A double-_minded_ man is unstable in all his ways.--James, i. 8. - - - Mylo, forbear to call him blest, - That only boasts a large estate: - Should all the treasures of the west - Meet, and conspire to make him great,-- - Should a broad stream with golden sands - Through all his meadows roll,-- - He’s but a wretch, with all his lands, - That wears a narrow soul. - - Were I so tall as reach the pole, - Or grasp the ocean with my span, - I must be measured by my soul: - The _mind_’s the standard of the man. - _Watts._ - - - When coldness wraps this suffering clay, - Ah, whither strays the immortal _mind_? - It cannot die, it cannot stay, - But leaves its darken’d dust behind. - _Byron._ - - - The insate _mind_, but from without supplied, - Languishes on a weak imperfect food; - If sustenance more spiritual be denied, - With flame consuming on itself ’twill brood. - _Sir E. Brydges._ - - - My voice proclaims - How exquisitely the individual _Mind_ - (And the progressive powers perhaps no less - Of the whole species,) to the External world - Is fitted:--and how exquisitely too-- - Theme this but little heard of among men-- - The External world is fitted to the _Mind_; - And the Creation, (by no lower name - Can it be called,) which they with blended might - Accomplish--this is our high argument. - _Wordsworth._ - - - - - MINISTRY. - - -Ye shall be named the Priests of the Lord: men shall call you the -_ministers_ of our God.--Isaiah, lxi. 6. - -We will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the _ministry_ of -the word.--Acts, vi. 4. - -If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be -a good _minister_ of Jesus Christ.--I. Timothy, iv. 6. - - - Their _ministry_ performed, and race well run, - Their doctrine and their story written left, - They die. - _Milton._ - - - From essences unseen, celestial names, - Enlight’ning spirits and _ministerial_ flames, - Lift we our reason to that Sovereign Cause, - Who blessed the whole with life. - _Prior._ - - - God gives us _ministers_ of love, - Which we regard not, being near; - Death takes them from us, then we feel - That angels have been with us here! - - As mother, sister, friend, or wife, - They guide us, cheer us, soothe our pain; - And when the grave has closed between - Our heart and theirs, we love--in vain. - _Aldrich._ - - - Oh, thou who once on earth, beneath the weight - Of our mortality did’st live and move, - The incarnation of profoundest love; - Who, on the Cross, that love didst consumate,-- - Whose deep and ample fulness could embrace - The poorest, meanest of our fallen race! - How shall we e’er that boundless debt repay?-- - By long, loud prayers in gorgeous temples said? - By rich oblations on thine altars laid?-- - Ah no! not thus thou didst appoint the way. - When thou wast bowed our human woe beneath, - Then as a legacy thou didst bequeath - Earth’s sorrowing children to our _ministry_; - And as we do to them, we do to thee. - _Anne C. Lynch._ - - - - - MIRACLES. - - -After these things Jesus went over the sea of Galilee, which is the sea -of Tiberias. - -And a great multitude followed him, because they saw his _miracles_ -which he did on them that were diseased.--John, vi. 1, 2. - -Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you, by _miracles_, and -wonders, and signs.--Acts, ii. 22. - -And God wrought special _miracles_ by the hands of Paul. - -So that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or -aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went -out of them.--Acts, xix. 11, 12. - -God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with -divers _miracles_.--Hebrews, ii. 4. - - - O, what a scale of _miracles_ is here-- - Its lowest round high planted in the skies; - Its towering summit lost, beyond the thought - Of man or angel. - _Young._ - - - A _miracle_, with _miracles_ enclosed, - Is man; and starts his faith at what is strange? - What less than wonders from the Wonderful; - What less than _miracles_, from God can flow? - Admit a God--that mystery supreme, - That Cause uncaused, all other wonders cease. - _Young._ - - - Who! O, who shall tell - His acts _miraculous_? When His own decrees - Repeals He, or suspends; when by the hand - Of Moses or of Joshua, or the mouths - Of His prophetic seers, such deeds He wrought, - Before the astonished sun’s all-seeing eye, - That faith was scarce a virtue. Need I sing - The fate of Pharaoh, and his numerous band, - Lost in the reflux of the watery walls, - That melted to their fluid state again? - Need I recount bow Samson’s warlike arm - With more than mortal nerves was strung, to o’erthrow - Idolatrous Philistia? Shall I tell - How David triumphed, and what Job sustained? - --But, O supreme, unutterable mercy! - O love unequalled, mystery immense, - Which angels long to unfold! ’Tis man’s redemption - That crowns Thy glory, and Thy power confirms. - _Smart._ - - - When God came down from Heaven, the Living God, - What signs and wonders marked His stately way? - Brake out the winds in music where He trode? - Shone o’er the heavens a brighter, softer day? - - The dumb began to speak, the blind to see, - And the lame leaped, and pain and darkness fled; - The mourner’s sunken eye grew bright with glee, - And from the tomb awoke the wondering dead. - _H. H. Milman._ - - - “Come forth!” He cries, “thou dead!” - O God, what means that strange and sudden sound, - That murmurs from the tomb? That ghastly head, - With funeral fillets bound? - It is a living form-- - The loved, the lost, the won, - Won from the grave, corruption, and the worm-- - “And is not this the Son - Of God?” they whispered, while the sisters poured - Their gratitude in tears, for they had known the Lord. - _Dale._ - - - At His command fled fever, thirsty fiend, - Whose parching fire dries up the wholesome blood: - And madness wild, whose moon-struck eye-balls glare, - With steady gaze, on vacancy: His touch, - With healing virtue, from the withered limbs - Drove nerveless palsy, that with fatal stroke - ’Numbs every fibre, grafting death on life-- - Unnatural union! Scaly leprosy, - At His appearance, vanished: dropsy, swol’n, - Withdrew his bloated form, and each confessed - A present God. - _William Bolland._ - - - When raging winds - Rushed from their caverns, and resistless swept - The foaming waves, when hideous roared the storm, - As if the wild contending elements - Had strove for mastery, at His command - The tempest ceased, the towering billows sunk - In undulations calm, and zephyrs played - Upon the bosom of the peaceful deep. - _William Bolland._ - - - - - MISERY. - - -Thou shalt forget thy _misery_, and remember it as waters that pass -away.--Job, xi. 16. - -To every purpose there is time and judgment, therefore the _misery_ of -man is great upon him.--Ecclesiastes, viii. 6. - -Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your _miseries_ that shall -come upon you.--James, v. 1. - - - Till in our eyes another sight we met; - When fro my heart a sigh forthwith I fet, - Rueing, alas, upon the woeful plight - Of _Misery_, that next appear’d in sight. - - His face was lean, and some deal pined away, - And eke his hands consumed to the bone; - But, what his body was, I cannot say, - For, on his carcase raiment had he none, - Save clouts and patched pierced one by one, - With staff in hand, and scrip on shoulders cast, - His chief defence against the winter’s blast. - - His food, for most, was wild fruits of the tree, - Unless sometime some crumbs fell to his share, - Which in his wallet long, God wot, kept be, - As on the which full daint’ly would he fare; - His drink, the running stream! his cup, the bare - Of his palm closed; his bed, the hard cold ground, - To this poor life was _Misery_ ybound. - _Sackville._ - - - I do believe myself the creature, - Subject, and soldier, if I so may speak, - Of an Almighty Father, King and Lord; - Before whose presence, when my soul shall be - Of flesh and blood disrobed, I shall appear, - There to remain with all the great and good - That e’er have lived on earth; yea, and with spirits - Higher than earth e’er owned, in such pure bliss - As human hearts conceive not,--if my life, - With its imperfect virtue, find acceptance - From pard’ning love and mercy; but if otherwise,-- - That I shall pass into a state of _misery_, - With souls of wicked men and wrathful demons. - _Joanna Baillie._ - - - - - MISSIONARIES. - - -How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth -good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings -of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God -reigneth!--Isaiah, lii. 7. - -This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a -witness unto all nations: and then shall the end come.--Matthew, xxiv. -14. - -They are the messengers of the churches, and the glory of Christ.--II. -Corinthians, viii. 23. - - - By Heaven directed, by the world reviled, - Amidst the wilderness they sought a home, - Where beasts of prey and men of murder roam, - And untamed Nature holds her revels wild. - There on their pious toil their Master smiled, - And prospered them, unknown or scorned of men, - Till in the satyr’s haunt, and dragon’s den, - A garden bloomed, and savage hordes grew mild. - So, in the guilty heart, when heavenly grace - Enters, it ceaseth not till it uproot - All evil passions from each hidden cell; - Planting again an Eden in their place, - Which yields to men and angels pleasant fruit, - And God Himself delighteth there to dwell. - _Pringle._ - - - Strange scenes, strange men, untold, untried distress; - Pain, hardships, famine, cold, and nakedness, - Diseases; death, in every hideous form, - On shore, at sea, by fire, by flood, by storm; - Wild beasts, and wilder men:--unmoved with fear, - Health, comfort, safety, life they count not dear, - May they but hope a Saviour’s love to show, - And warn one spirit from eternal woe: - Nor will they faint, nor can they strive in vain, - Since thus--to live is Christ, to die is gain. - _James Montgomery._ - - - Thus saith the Lord,--My Church, to thee, - Peace, like a river, I will send; - The Gentiles in a stream shall see - My mercy, flowing without end. - - The isles that never heard my fame, - Nor knew the glory of my might, - They shall be taught to fear my name - Called out of darkness into light. - - And it shall come to pass, that vows - From Sabbath unto Sabbath day, - From moon to moon, in mine own house, - All nations, tribes, and tongues, shall pay. - _James Montgomery._ - - - Our prayers be with them--we who know - The value of a soul to save, - Must pray for those who seek to show - The heathen, hope beyond the grave. - _Miss Landon._ - - - Blessings be on their pathway, and increase! - These are the moral conquerors, and belong - To them the palm-branch and triumphal song-- - Conquerors,--and yet the harbingers of peace! - _Miss Landon._ - - - Great Britain has her sons, both frank and brave, - Who noble triumphs win, but wear no glave! - Sons who in heart are firm, in toil are free, - To spread her glorious name from sea to sea! - Men, who have pushed their conquests wide and far, - And changed to pruning-hooks the shafts of war; - Who bear no glittering arms, no banners wave-- - Who strike no blow--are stricken but to save! - Yet still they conquer! and where they appear, - The painted savage breaks his poisoned spear; - A bloodless triumph follows in their train-- - For those they vanquish feel no victor’s chain! - They conquer!--nor like other conquerors boast - A prostrate people and a plundered coast-- - Nor pant to hear a nation’s deafening peals, - With captive warriors at their chariot wheels-- - Nor hang, like relics, in our holiest fane, - The flags that blush with war’s unhallowed stains.-- - No, theirs are triumphs war can never bring! - Theirs are the pæans guardian seraphs sing! - Their noblest banner is the Book of Truth! - Their trophies--age, and infancy, and youth! - ’Tis theirs to free--exalt--and not debase-- - The painted brothers of our common race! - Nor stripe--nor tribute--nor oppressive sway - Degrade their labours, or obstruct their way! - Their watchword still--Let war and sorrow cease! - Their noblest epithet--The men of peace! - _Dr. W. Beattie._ - - - He goes to speak the words of life - To souls by error tossed: - And bear the gospel’s joyful sound - To lands in darkness lost-- - To speak his Master’s glorious works, - His grace and power proclaim, - And teach untutored savages - To breathe Messiah’s name. - - And O, the rich reward that waits - A work of grace like this! - A life of love, a death of peace, - A Heaven of endless bliss! - Earth’s proudest, noblest honours, fall - Far, far below the prize - He gains, who claims this work his own-- - His glory never dies! - _S. D. Patterson._ - - - O, bless the pious zeal - And crown with glad success the labouring sons - Of that best charity, whose annual mite - Sends forth Thy gospel to the distant isles! - So shall the nations, rescued myriads, hear, - And own Thy mercy over all Thy works! - So, from each corner of the enlightened earth, - Incessant peals of universal joy - Shall hail Thee, heavenly Father, God of all! - _Madan._ - - - Where is your heathen brother?--From his grave - Near thy own gates, or ’neath a foreign sky, - From the thronged depths of ocean’s mourning wave, - His answering blood reproachfully doth cry, - Blood of the soul!--Can all earth’s fountains make - Thy dark stain disappear?--Stewards of God, awake! - _Mrs. Sigourney._ - - - - - MOMENT--MINUTE. - - -In a _moment_ shall they die, and the people shall be troubled at -midnight, and pass away.--Job, xxxiv. 20. - -Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors -about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little _moment_, until the -indignation be overpast.--Isaiah, xxvi. 20. - - - _Minutes_ are number’d by the fall of sands, - As by an hour-glass; the span of time - Doth waste us to our graves and we look on it. - An age of pleasures, revell’d out, comes home - At last, and ends in sorrow; but the life, - Weary of riot, numbers every sand, - Waiting in sighs, until the last drop down; - So to conclude calamity in rest. - _Ford._ - - - Catch, then, O catch the transient hour, - Improve each _moment_ as it flies; - Life’s a short summer,--man a flower; - He dies--alas! how soon he dies! - _Dr. Johnson._ - - - Hark! What petty pulses, beating, - Spring new _moments_ into light; - Every pulse, its stroke repeating, - Sends its _moment_ back to night; - Yet not one of all the train - Comes uncall’d, or flits in vain. - - In the highest realms of glory - Spirits trace, before the throne, - On eternal scrolls, the story - Of each little _moment_ flown; - Every deed, and word, and thought, - Through the whole creation wrought. - - Were the volume of a _minute_ - Thus to mortal sight unroll’d, - More of sin and sorrow in it, - More of man, might we behold, - Than on history’s broadest page - In the reliques of an age. - _James Montgomery._ - - - - - MORNING. - - -My voice shalt Thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the _morning_ will -I direct my prayer unto Thee, and will look up.--Psalm v. 3. - -My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the -_morning_: I say, more than they that watch for the _morning_.--Psalm -cxxx. 6. - -Behold the day, behold it is come: the _morning_ is gone -forth.--Ezekial, vii. 10. - -Seek Him that maketh the seven stars and Orion, and turneth the shadow -of death into the _morning_, and maketh the day dark with night.--Amos, -v. 8. - - - When first thy eyes unveil, give thy soul leave - To do the like; our bodies but forerun - The spirit’s duty; true hearts spread and heave - Unto their God, as flowers do the sun: - Give Him thy first thoughts then, so shalt thou keep - Him company all day, and in Him sleep. - - Yet never sleep the sun up; prayer should - Dawn with the day, there are set awful hours - ’Twixt Heaven and us; the manna was not good - After sun-rising, for day sullies flowers. - Rise to prevent the sun; sleep doth sins glut, - And Heaven’s gate opens when the world’s is shut. - - Walk with thy fellow-creatures; note the hush - And whisperings amongst them. Not a spring - Or leaf but hath his _morning_ hymn; each bush - And oak doth know I AM--canst thou not sing? - O leave thy cares and follies! Go this way, - And thou art sure to prosper all the day. - - _Mornings_ are mysteries: the first world’s youth, - Man’s resurrection, and the future’s bud, - Shroud in their births; the crown of life, light, truth, - Is styled their star; the stone and hidden food: - Three blessings wait upon them, one of which - Should move--They make us holy, happy, rich. - _Henry Vaughan._ - - - Again the Lord of life and light - Awakes the kindling ray, - Unseals the eyelids of the _morn_, - And pours increasing day. - - O, what a night was that which wrapp’d - The heathen world in gloom! - O, what a sun which broke this day - Triumphant from the tomb! - - This day be grateful homage paid, - And loud Hosannah’s sung; - Let gladness dwell on every heart, - And praise on every tongue. - - Then thousand different lips shall join - To hail this happy _morn_; - Which scatters blessings from its wings - On nations yet unborn. - _Barbauld._ - - - Through the vales the breezes sigh; - Twilight opes her bashful eye, - Peeping from the east, she brings - Dew-drops on her dusky wings: - And the lark, with wak’ning lay, - Upsprings, the harbinger of day. - - Now behold! the blushing sky - Tells the bridegroom sun is nigh; - Nature tunes her joyful lyre, - And the trembling stars retire, - Him the east, in crimson drest, - Ushers, nature’s welcome guest, - And the mountains of the west - Seem to lift their azure heads, - Jealous of the smile he sheds. - - Glory, beaming from on high, - Charms devotion’s lifted eye; - Bliss, to which sluggards ne’er were born, - Waits the attendant of the _morn_. - _Maria Colling._ - - - The _morning_ breaks, - And earth in her Maker’s smile awakes; - His light is on all, below and above, - The light of gladness, and life, and love. - O, then, on the breath of this early air, - Send up the incense of grateful prayer! - _Henry Ware, Jun._ - - - The God of mercy walks His round - From day to day, from year to year, - And warns us each with awful sound, - “No longer stand ye idle here.” - - Ye, whose young cheeks are rosy bright, - Whose hands are strong, whose hearts are clear, - Waste not of youth the _morning_ light, - Oh fools, why stand ye idle here? - - And ye, whose scanty locks of grey - Foretel your latest travail near, - How fast declines your useless day, - And stand ye yet so idle here? - - One hour remains, there is but one, - But many a grief and many a tear, - Through endless ages, must atone - For moments lost and wasted here. - _Heber._ - - - Serve God at _morn_, that solemn hallowed hour, - When Nature wakes, as from the sleep of death, - When the glad song from mountain, grove, and bower, - Is heard through heaven and on the earth beneath. - Serve God! Let Him receive thy _morning’s_ early breath. - _Weir._ - - - _Morn_ is the time to think, - While thoughts are fresh and free, - Of life, just balanced on the brink - Of vast eternity! - To ask our souls if they are meet - To stand before the judgment seat. - _Miss Gray._ - - - New, every _morning_, is the love - Our wakening and uprising prove; - Through sleep and darkness safely brought, - Restored to life, and power, and thought. - - New mercies each returning day, - Hover around us while we pray; - New perils past, new sins forgiven, - New thoughts of God, new hopes of Heaven. - _Keble._ - - - - - MOSES. - - -So _Moses_ the servant of the Lord, died there in the land of Moab, -according to the word of the Lord. - -And He buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, over against -Beth-peor: but no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this -day.--Deuteronomy, xxxiv. 5, 6. - -By faith _Moses_, when he was come to years, refused to be called the -son of Pharaoh’s daughter; - -Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to -enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; - -Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in -Egypt; for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward.--Hebrews, -xi. 24, 25, 26. - - - Slow glides the Nile; amid the margin flags, - Closed in a bulrush ark, the babe is left; - Left by a mother’s hand. His sister waits - Far off; and pale, ’tween hope and fear, beholds - The royal maid, surrounded by her train, - Approach the river bank; approach the spot - Where sleeps the innocent: she sees them stoop - With meeting plumes; thy rushy lid is ope’d, - And wakes the infant smiling in his tears. - _Grahame._ - - - The son of Amram spurns the regal prize, - From the rich scene the zealous hero flies, - And dwells ’mongst Israel’s sons. Resigned he bears - The servile yoke, and every burden shares; - Rather than violate Jehovah’s trust, - And live the pampered slave of sordid lust, - He quits the Egyptian court, and, undismayed, - Seeks poverty’s inhospitable shade. - _Samuel Hayes._ - - - In his hand - The rod which blasted, with strange plagues, the realm - Of Mizraim, and from its time-worn channels - Upturned the Arabian Sea. Fair was his broad - High front, and forth from his soul-piercing eye, - Did legislation look. - _Hillhouse._ - - - On the Mount - Of Sinai, whose foundations shook, whose top - Was lost in smoke and fire, while seraphim - At distance gazed, full forty days and nights, - Guest of terrestrial mould, did he sojourn - Within the dread pavilion, and the veil - Of cloud and tempest; there as face to face, - In visions of beatitude rejoiced - Past utterance, till his countenance imbibed - Transcendent splendours. - _Charles Hoyle._ - - - _Moses_, the patriot fierce, became - The meekest man on earth, - To show us how love’s quickening flame - Can give our souls new birth. - - _Moses_, the man of meekest heart, - Lost Canaan by self-will, - To show, where Grace has done its part, - How sin defiles us still. - _Lyra Apostolica._ - - - Sweet was the journey to the sky - The holy prophet tried; - “Climb up the mount,” said God, “and die”-- - The prophet climbed, and died. - - Softly his fainting head he lay - Upon his Maker’s breast; - His Maker soothed his soul away, - And laid his flesh to rest. - - In God’s own arms he left the breath - That God’s own Spirit gave; - His was the noblest road to death, - And his the sweetest grave. - _Watts._ - - - God made his grave, to men unknown, - Where Moab’s rocks a vale infold; - And laid the aged seer alone, - To slumber while the world grows old. - Thus still, where’er the good and just - Close the dim eye on life and pain, - Heaven watches o’er their sleeping dust, - Till the pure spirit comes again. - _W. C. Bryant._ - - - - - MOTHER. - - -He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful _mother_ -of children. Praise ye the Lord.--Psalm cxiii. 9. - -Despise not thy _mother_ when she is old.--Proverbs, xxiii. 22. - -Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his _mother_, and his _mother’s_ -sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene. - -When Jesus therefore saw his _mother_, and the disciple standing by, -whom he loved, he saith unto his _mother_, Woman, behold thy son! - -Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy _mother_! And from that hour -that disciple took her into his own home.--John, xix. 25, 26, 27. - - - Her pious love excelled to all she bore; - New objects only multiplied it more; - And as the chosen found the pearly grain - As much as every vessel could contain: - As in the blissful vision, each shall share, - As much of glory as his soul can bear, - So did she love, and so dispense her care. - _Dryden._ - - - But when I go - To my lone bed, I find no _mother_ there; - And weeping kneel, to say the prayer she taught; - Or when I read the Bible that she loved, - Or to her vacant seat at church draw near, - And think of her, a voice is in my heart, - Bidding me early seek my God, and love - My Blessed Saviour; and that voice is her’s, - I know it is, because these were the words - She used to speak so tenderly, with tears, - At the still twilight hour,--or when we walked - Forth in the Spring, among rejoicing birds, - Or peaceful talked beside the Winter hearth. - _Mrs. Sigourney._ - - - But if in yon immortal clime, - Where flows no parting tear, - That root of earthly love may grow, - Which struck so deeply here; - With what a tide of boundless bliss, - A thrill of rapture wild, - An angel _mother_ in the skies, - Will greet her cherub child. - _Mrs. Sigourney._ - - - And say to _mothers_ what a holy charge - Is theirs--with what a kingly power their love - Might rule the fountains of the new-born mind. - Warn them to wake at early dawn, and sow - Good seed before the world has sown its tares. - _Mrs. Sigourney._ - - - Hast thou sounded the depths of yonder sea, - And counted the sands that under it be? - Hast thou measured the height of heaven above? - Then may’st thou mete out a _mother’s_ love. - - Hast thou talked with the blessed of leading on - To the throne of God some wandering son? - Hast thou witnessed the angel’s bright employ? - Then may’st thou speak of a _mother’s_ joy. - - Evening and morn hast thou watched the bee - Go forth on her errands of industry. - The bee for himself hath gathered and toiled, - But the _mother’s_ cares are all for her child. - - Hast thou gone with the traveller Thought afar-- - From pole to pole, and from star to star? - Thou hast--but on ocean, earth, and sea, - The heart of a _mother_ has gone with thee. - - There is not a grand, inspiring thought, - There is not a truth by wisdom taught, - There is not a feeling pure and high, - That may not be read in a _mother’s_ eye. - - And ever, since earth began, that look - Has been to the wise an open book, - To win them back from the lore they prize, - To the holier love that edifies. - - There are teachings in earth, and sky, and air, - The heavens the glory of God declare; - But louder than voice, beneath, above, - He is heard to speak through a _mother’s_ love. - _Emily Taylor._ - - - The _mother’s_ love--there’s none so pure, - So constant, and so kind, - No human passion doth endure - Like this within the mind. - _Mrs. Hale._ - - - Lo! where yon cottage whitens through the green, - The loveliest feature of a matchless scene; - Beneath its shading elm, with pious fear, - An aged _mother_ draws her children near; - While from the Holy Word, with earnest air, - She teaches them the privilege of prayer. - Look! How their infant eyes with rapture speak; - Mark the flushed lily on the dimpled cheek; - Their hearts are filled with gratitude and love, - Their hopes are centred in a world above, - Where, in a choir of angels, Faith portrays - The loved, departed, father of their days. - _Rufus Dawes._ - - - By thee, dear _Mother_, o’er whose darksome bed - Summer now pours his beams in vain--by thee - Gladly my infant love of flowers was fed; - By thee my steps through flow’ry tracts were led, - Where ne’er mine eye could aught but beauty see; - Throughout our borne exotics perfume shed, - In sooth, it was fair Flora’s treasury! - Thy love, and use of heaven’s blest means of grace, - Faith bids me trust, have placed thee with thy God, - Where flowers unfading deck the lovely place. - Oh, when I’ve closed my toilsome earthly race, - With thee may those bright scenes by me be trod, - With thee may I behold th’ eternal face. - _William Pulling._ - - - A _mother’s_ love - Is an undying feeling. Earth may chill - And sever other sympathies, and prove - How weak all human bonds are; it may kill - Friendships, and crush hearts with them--but the thrill - Of the maternal breast must ever move - In blest communion with her child, and fill - Even Heaven itself with prayers and hymns of love. - _S. D. Patterson._ - - - I see my _mother’s_ calm, sad face - Look through the mist of by-gone years; - And from yon high and holy place, - Her accents come unto mine ears, - To bid me hope amid my fears. - _Egone._ - - - - - MOUNTAIN. - - -As the _mountains_ are round about Jerusalem, so the Lord is round -about his people from henceforth even for ever.--Psalm cxxv. 2. - -It shall come to pass in the last days, that the _mountain_ of the -Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the _mountains_, and -shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto -it.--Isaiah, ii. 2. - - - Once more, hoar _mount_! with thy sky-pointing peak, - Oft from whose feet the avalanche, unheard, - Shoots downward, glittering through the pine serene, - Into the depths of clouds that veil thy breast-- - Thou too again stupendous _mountain_! thou - That, as I raise my head, awhile bow’d low - In adoration, upward from thy base - Slow-travelling with dim eyes suffused with tears, - Solemnly seemest, like a vapoury cloud, - To rise before me--rise, O ever rise, - Rise like a cloud of incense from the earth! - Thou kingly spirit throned amongst the hills. - Thou dread ambassador from earth to heaven, - Great Hierarch! tell thou the silent sky, - And tell the stars, and tell yon rising sun, - Earth, with her thousand voices, praises God. - _Coleridge._ - - - Behold! the _mountain_ of the Lord - In later days shall rise - On _mountain_ tops above the hills, - And draw the wondering eyes: - - To this the joyful nations round, - All tribes and tongues shall flow; - “Up to the hill of God,” they’ll say, - And to his house we’ll go. - - The beam that shines from Zion’s hill, - Shall lighten every land; - The King who reigns in Salem’s towers, - Shall all the world command. - _Logan._ - - - Calvary’s mournful _mountain_ climb; - There, adoring at His feet, - Mark that miracle of time, - God’s own sacrifice complete. - _J. Montgomery._ - - - - - MOURNING. - - -I am troubled; I am bowed down greatly; I go _mourning_ all the day -long.--Psalm xxxviii. 6. - -Thy sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: -for the Lord shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy -_mourning_ shall be ended.--Isaiah, lx. 20. - -Blessed are they that _mourn_: for they shall be comforted.--Matthew, -v. 4. - - - O man! while in thy early years, - How prodigal of time! - Misspending all thy precious hours, - Thy glorious youthful prime! - Alternate follies take the sway; - Licentious passions burn; - Which tenfold force gives nature’s law, - That man was made to _mourn_. - - Many and sharp the num’rous ills - Inwoven with our fame! - More pointed still we make ourselves, - Regret, remorse, and shame! - And man, whose heaven-erected face - The smiles of love adorn, - Man’s inhumanity to man - Makes countless thousands _mourn_. - - See yonder poor, o’erlabour’d wight; - So abject, mean, and vile, - Who begs a brother of the earth - To give him leave to toil; - And see his lordly fellow-worm - The poor petition spurn, - Unmindful tho’ a weeping wife - And helpless offspring _mourn_. - - Yet let not this too much, my son, - Disturb thy youthful breast; - This partial view of human kind - Is surely not the best! - The poor, oppressed, honest man, - Had never, sure, been born, - Had there not been some recompense - To comfort those that _mourn_. - _Burns._ - - - God of my life, to thee I call, - Afflicted at Thy feet I fall; - When the great waterfloods prevail, - Leave not my trembling heart to fail! - - Did ever _mourner_ plead with Thee, - And Thou refuse that _mourner’s_ plea? - Does not Thy word still fix’d remain, - That none shall seek Thy face in vain? - _Cowper._ - - - We _mourn_ for those who toil, - The slave who ploughs the main, - Or him who hopeless tills the soil - Beneath the stripe and chain; - For those who in the world’s hard race, - O’erwearied and unblest, - A host of restless phantoms chase,-- - Why _mourn_ for those who rest? - - We _mourn_ for those who sin, - Bound in the tempter’s snare, - Whom syren pleasure beckons in - To prisons of despair, - Whose hearts, by whirlwind passions torn, - Are wrecked on folly’s shore,-- - But why in sorrow should we _mourn_ - For those who sin no more? - - We _mourn_ for those who weep, - Whom stern afflictions bend - With anguish o’er the lowly sleep - Of lover or of friend;-- - But they to whom the sway - Of pain and grief is o’er, - Whose tears our God hath wiped away - Oh! _mourn_ for them no more! - _Mrs. Sigourney._ - - - When _mourning_ o’er some stone I bend, - Which covers all that was a friend; - And from his voice, his hand, his smile, - Divides me for a little while; - Thou, Saviour, mark’st the tears I shed, - For Thou didst weep o’er Lazarus dead. - _R. Grant._ - - - - - MURDER. - - -Jesus said, Thou shalt do no _murder_.--Matthew, xix. 18. - -Whosoever hateth his brother, is a _murderer_; and ye know that no -_murderer_ hath eternal life abiding in him.--I. John, iii. 15. - - - The great King of kings - Hath in the table of His law commanded - That thou shalt do no _murder_; wilt thou then - Spurn at His edict, and fulfil a man’s? - _Shakspere._ - - - Other sins only speak; _murder_ shrieks out. - The element of water moistens the earth, - But blood mounts upwards. - _John Webster._ - - - Silently, swift as the lightning’s blast, - A hand of fire across his temples passed; - He ran, as in the terror of a dream, - To quench his burning anguish in the stream; - But, bending o’er the brink, the swelling wave - Back to his eye the branded visage gave; - As soon on _murdered_ Abel durst he look: - Yet power to fly his palsied limbs forsook; - There turned to stone, for his presumptuous crime, - A monument of wrath to latest time, - Might Cain have stood; but mercy raised his head - In prayer for help,--his strength returned, he fled. - _James Montgomery._ - - - The _murderer_ has no past - But one eternal present. - _T. N. Talfourd._ - - - He told how _murderers_ walked the earth - Beneath the curse of Cain; - With crimson clouds before their eyes, - And flames about their brain: - For blood has left upon their souls - Its everlasting stain! - _Thomas Hood._ - - - Lo, on the everlasting stone engraved, - “No _murder_ shalt thou do.” From God to man - The solemn law came down: by specious gloss - Of subtle learning, seek not to evade - The great command. - _Samuel Hayes._ - - - - - MUSIC. - - -Sing unto Him a new song; play skilfully with a loud noise.--Psalm -xxxiii. 3. - -Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet: praise Him with the psaltery -and harp.--Psalm cl. 3. - -Cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of -_music_.--Daniel, iii. 5. - -That chant to the sound of the viol, and invent to themselves -instruments of _music_ like David.--Amos, vi. 5. - - - How sour sweet _music_ is - When time is broke, and no proportion kept! - So is it in the _music_ of men’s lives. - _Shakspere._ - - - There let the pealing organ blow, - To the full-voiced choir below, - In service high, and anthems clear, - As may with sweetness through mine ear - Dissolve me into ecstacies, - And bring all Heaven before mine eyes. - _Milton._ - - - The church triumphant, and the church below, - In songs of praise their present union show; - Their joys are full; our expectation long, - In life we differ, but we join the song. - Angels and we, assisted by this art, - May sing together, though we dwell apart. - _Waller._ - - - Hark! the organs blow - Their swelling notes ’round the cathedral’s dome, - And grace the harmonious choir, celestial feast - To pious ears, and med’cine of the mind! - The thrilling trebles, and the manly base, - Join in accordance meet, and with one voice - All to the sacred subject suit their song; - While in each breast sweet melancholy reigns, - Angelically pensive, till the joy - Improves and purifies. - _Smart._ - - - Born on the swelling notes, our soul aspire, - While solemn airs improve the sacred fire, - And angels lean from Heaven to hear. - _Pope._ - - - Should the well-meant songs I leave behind, - With Jesus’ lovers an acceptance find, - ’Twill heighten even the joys of Heaven, to know - That in my verse the saints hymn God below. - _Bishop Ken._ - - - The song of Zion is a tasteless thing, - Unless when rising on a joyful wing, - The soul can mix with the celestial bands, - And give the strain the compass it demands. - _Cowper._ - - - How shall the harp of poesy regain - That old victorious tone of prophet-years-- - A spell divine o’er guilt’s perturbing fears, - And all the hovering shadows of the brain? - Dark, evil wings took flight before the strain, - And showers of holy quiet, with its fall, - Sank on the soul:--O, who may now recall - The mighty _music’s_ consecrated reign?-- - Spirit of God! whose glory once o’erhung - A throne, the Ark’s dread cherubim between, - So let Thy presence brood, though now unseen, - O’er those two powers by whom the harp is strung-- - Feeling and thought!--till the rekindled chords - Give the long-buried tone back to immortal words. - _Mrs. Hemans._ - - - O, surely melody from Heaven was sent - To cheer the soul, when tired with human strife, - To soothe the wayward heart by sorrow rent, - And soften down the rugged road of life. - _Kirke White._ - - - O, what a gentle ministrant is _music_ - To piety--to mild, to penitent piety! - O, it gives plumage to the tardy prayer - That lingers in our lazy, earthly air, - And melts with it to Heaven. - _H. H. Milman._ - - - _Music_, the tender child of rudest times, - The gentle native of all lands and climes; - Who hymns alike man’s cradle and his grave, - Lulls the low cot, or peals along the nave. - _Mrs. Norton._ - - - ’Tis He that taught the lark, from earth upspringing, - To warble forth his matin strain; - And the pure stream, in liquid gushes singing, - Gladly to bless the thirsty plain; - And from the laden bee, when homeward winging - Its tuneful flight doth not disdain, - To hear the song of praise. - There’s not a voice in Nature, but is telling - (If we will hear that voice aright,) - How much, when human hearts with love are swelling, - His blessed bosom hath delight - In our rejoicing lays. - His love, that never slumbers, - Taught thee those tuneful numbers. - _Bethune._ - - - But O, her richest, dearest notes to man, - In strains aerial over Bethlehem poured, - When He, whose brightness is the light of Heaven, - To earth descending, for a mortal’s form, - Laid by His glory, save one radiant mark, - That moved through space, and o’er the infant hung, - He summoned _Music_ to attend Him here, - Announcing peace below! - He called her, too, - To sweeten that sad Supper, and to twine - Her mantles round Him and His few grieved friends, - To join their mournful spirits with the hymn, - Ere to the Mount of Olives He went out - So sorrowful. - And now, His blessed word, - A sacred pledge, is left to dying man, - That at His second coming, in His power, - _Music_ shall still be with Him, and her voice - Sound through the tombs, and wake the dead to life. - _Hannah F. Gould._ - - - The solemn hymn to ancient _music_ set - In many a heart response of memory met. - To me, it seemed departed Sabbaths hung - Upon those notes, which gave the past a tongue - To speak again in voices from the dead, - And wake an echo from their silent bed. - _Elizabeth Bogart._ - - - - - MYSTERY. - - -Behold I shew you a _mystery_; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all -be changed. - -In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump.--I. -Corinthians, xv. 51, 52. - -The _mystery_ which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but -now is made manifest to his saints.--Colossians, i. 26. - -Praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, -to speak the _mystery_ of Christ.--Colossians, iv. 3. - - - With outstretched arms, - Stern justice and soft-smiling love embrace, - Supporting, in full majesty, thy throne, - When seemed its majesty to need support, - Or that, or man, inevitably lost: - What, but the fathomless of love divine - Could labour such expedient from despair, - And rescue both? Both rescue? Both exalt! - O, how are both exalted by the deed! - The wondrous deed! or shall I call it more? - A wonder in Omnipotence itself! - A _mystery_ no less to gods than men. - _Young._ - - - Hail, Sovereign Lord! by all Thy works confess’d! - By angels worship’d, and by saints address’d! - Hail, Sovereign Lord! _mysterious_ Wisdom! hail; - In whom the Father and His fulness dwell. - In whom the Godhead and the man unite, - Stamp of His form, and glory of His light! - In whom complete, in Thee completed shine, - The God incarnate, and the man divine. - _Mysterious_ truth! withheld from reason’s eye; - Outcast on earth! but loftiest on high! - Hail, wondrous cross!--yet how more wondrous He - That cross who bore!--Thyself its _mystery_!-- - And borne for man!--a greater _mystery_ still; - So great Thy love, and love’s _mysterious_ will! - _Peronnet._ - - - That things to mortals are _mysterious_, - Is not because the things themselves are dark, - But the perceptions through which they are viewed. - _David Bates._ - - - - - NAME. - - -Thou shalt not take the _name_ of the Lord thy God in vain.--Exodus, -xx. 7. - -Blessed be the _name_ of the Lord from this time forth and for -evermore.--Psalm cxiii. 2. - -A good _name_ is rather to be chosen than great riches.--Proverbs, -xxii. 1. - -God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above -every _name_. - -That at the _name_ of Jesus every knee should bow.--Philippians, ii. 9, -10. - - - We wish our _names_ eternally to live. - Wild dream! which ne’er had haunted human thought, - Had not our natures been eternal too. - Instinct points out an interest in hereafter, - But our blind reason sees not where it lies; - Or seeing, gives the substance for the shade. - _Young._ - - - In the fair book of life and grace, - O may I find my _name_ - Recorded in some humble place, - Beneath my Lord the Lamb. - _Watts._ - - - I read His awful _name_ emblazoned high, - With golden letters, on the illumined sky; - Nor less the mystic characters I see - Wrought in each flower, inscribed on every tree: - In every leaf that trembles to the breeze, - I hear the voice of God among the trees. - _Mrs. Barbauld._ - - - Wide he extends - His royalties, and still the throne adorns - With piety and mercy. Loved and feared. - Twice twenty years, with equitable hand, - He sways the sceptre; then in peace repose - His ashes, but his _name_ lives evermore. - _Charles Hoyle._ - - - O blessed Father, righteous Lord! - Within Thy book of life record - My undeserving _name_; - Teach me to know and do Thy will; - My heart with holy longings fill, - And heavenly love inflame. - _Bayly._ - - - Alone I walk’d the ocean strand, - A pearly shell was in my hand; - I stoop’d and wrote upon the sand - My _name_, the year, the day. - As onward from the spot I pass’d, - One lingering look I fondly cast; - A wave came rolling high and fast, - And wash’d my lines away. - - And so, methought, ’twill shortly be - With every mark on earth from me; - A wave of dark oblivion’s sea - Will sweep across the place - Where I have trod the sandy shore - Of time, and been to be no more; - Of me--my day--the _name_ I bore, - To leave no track nor trace. - - And yet with Him, who counts the sands, - And holds the waters in His hands, - I know a lasting record stands - Inscribed against my _name_, - Of all this mortal part has wrought-- - Of all this thinking soul has thought, - And from these fleeting moments caught - For glory or for shame. - _Miss Gould._ - - - The card-built house amused our infant age; - The child was pleased; but is the man more sage? - A breath could level childhood’s tottering toy: - See manhood--effort, art, and time employ, - To build that brittle _name_ a whisper can destroy! - - There is a Book where nought our _name_ can spot, - If we ourselves refuse to fix the blot; - ’Tis kept by One that sets alike at nought - The tale with malice or with flatt’ry fraught,-- - He reads the heart, and sees the whisper in the thought. - _C. C. Colton._ - - - Jesus, the spring of joys divine, - Whence all our hopes and comforts flow: - Jesus, no other _name_ but Thine - Can save us from eternal woe. - _Steele._ - - - - - NATURE. - - -O Lord God of hosts, who is a strong Lord like unto Thee? - -Thou rulest the raging of the sea: when the waves thereof arise, Thou -stillest them. - -The heavens are Thine, the earth also is Thine: as for the world and -the fulness thereof, Thou hast founded them.--Psalm lxxxix. 8, 9, 11. - -The Lord is a great God, and a Great King above all Gods. - -In His hand are the deep places of the earth; the strength of the hills -is His also. - -The sea is His, and he made it; and His hands formed the dry -land.--Psalm xcv. 3, 4, 5. - -Mine hand also hath laid the foundation of the earth, and my right -hand hath spanned the heavens; when I call unto them they stand up -together.--Isaiah, xlviii. 13. - - - From dearth to plenty, and from death to life, - Is _Nature’s_ progress, when she lectures man - In heavenly truth; evincing as she makes - The grand transition, that there lives and works - A soul in all things, and that soul is God. - _Cowper._ - - - _Nature_, employed in her allotted place, - Is hand-maid to the purposes of Grace; - By good vouchsafed, makes known superior good, - And bliss not seen, by blessings understood. - _Cowper._ - - - He looks abroad into the varied field - Of _Nature_; and though poor, perhaps, compared - With those whose mansions glitter in his sight, - Calls the delightful scenery all his own. - His are the mountains, and the valleys his, - And the resplendent rivers; his to enjoy - With a propriety that none can feel, - But who, with filial confidence inspired, - Can lift to Heaven an unpresumptuous eye, - And smiling say, “My Father made them all!” - _Cowper._ - - - By swift degrees the love of _Nature_ works, - And warms the bosom; till, at last sublimed - To rapture and enthusiastic heat, - We feel the present Deity, and taste - The joy of God to see a happy world. - _Thomson._ - - - From _Nature’s_ constant or eccentric laws, - The thoughtful soil this general inference draws-- - That an effect must pre-suppose a cause. - _Prior._ - - - All _Nature_ is but art, unknown to thee; - All chance, direction which thou canst not see; - All discord, harmony not understood; - All partial evil, universal good. - _Pope._ - - - Read _Nature_; _Nature_ is a friend to truth: - _Nature_ is Christian; preaches to mankind; - And bids dead matter aid us in our creed. - _Young._ - - - How faint is language when we strive to sing - The beauties of the Almighty hand! - Each year upon our outward sense they win, - With all increasing and still varying force; - The seasons, days, months, years, incessant bring - Contrasting changes! First seeds, leaves, expand - As the young years with tender warmth begin, - Then bloom and fruit, and life bursts from its source, - In animated _Nature_, then decays, - And with revolving time is still renew’d. - Thus hope’s bright beam the distant scene displays - Where no repelling shadow’s may intrude; - So life may joyous be, and genius dwells - In new awaked fires, and fresh enchantment spells. - _Sir E. Brydges._ - - - Almighty Father! such the lesson is - That in these cool and venerable woods, - I con to-day; and firmer in my breast, - By every syllable, these truths are fixed - That Thou art the Beginning and the End - Of all this glorious work, and that Thy love - Pervades the universe; and that Thy smile - Seeketh all hearts, to sun them; and that Thou, - In every glorious thing we here behold, - Declarest and reveal’st Thyself to be - The Majesty Supreme--Eternal God. - _W. D. Gallagher._ - - - _Nature’s_ self, which is the breath of God, - Or His pure Word by miracle revealed. - _Wordsworth._ - - - _Nature_, when sprung thy glorious frame? - --My Maker called me, and I came. - _J. Montgomery._ - - - Live thou with God in _Nature_: never falter - In thy communings with Him. Be - Like those blest birds we read of in the Psalter, - Who found a borne from peril free - In God’s own house, and nestled near His altar, - Making it ring with melody. - That temple stands no more, - But _Nature_ standeth still; God’s holy presence - Abideth with us, and the offering - Of thankful joy to Him whose perfect essence - Is perfect love, our glowing lips may bring, - Till this brief life is o’er; - And in a brighter, better, - Our spirits know no fetter. - _Bethune._ - - - Never have the works of _Nature_ - Yet to mortal man revealed, - How his much offended Maker - May to him be reconciled. - - Flower, nor tree, nor rock, nor mountain, - Ever yet have showed the way, - Ever told him of a Fountain - That could wash his guilt away. - - Man could never yet discover, - From the sky, the earth, the sea, - When his days on earth are over, - Where or what his state should be. - - But the page of inspiration - Casts a light upon the whole, - Bringing peace and consolation - To the never-dying soul. - _Alexander Letham._ - - - - - NIGHT. - - -Day unto day uttereth speech, and _night_ unto _night_ showeth -knowledge.--Psalm xix. 2. - -Thou makest darkness, and it is _night_.--Psalm civ. 20. - -If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the _night_ shall be -light about me. - -Yea, the darkness hideth not from Thee; but the _night_ shineth as the -day: the darkness and the light are both alike to Thee.--Psalm cxxxix. -11, 12. - - - One sun by day, by _night_ ten thousand shine, - And light us deep into the Deity; - How boundless in magnificence is _night_! - O what a confluence of ethereal fires, - From urns unnumber’d, down the steep of heaven, - Streams to a point, and centres in my sight! - Nor tarries there, I feel it at my heart. - My heart, at once, it humbles, and exalts; - Lays it in dust, and calls it to the skies. - Who sees it unexalted? or unaw’d? - Who sees it, and can stop at what is seen? - Material offspring of Omnipotence! - Inanimate, all animating birth! - Work worthy Him who made it! worthy praise! - All praise! praise more than human! nor denied - Thy praise divine!--But tho’ man, drown’d in sleep, - Withholds his homage, not alone I wake; - Bright legions swarm unseen, and sing, unheard - By mortal ear, the glorious Architect, - In this his universal temple hung - With lustres, with innumerable lights, - That shed religion on the soul; at once - The temple and the preacher! O how loved - It calls devotion! genuine growth of _night_! - _Young._ - - - The glorious sun is gone, - And the gathering darkness of _night_ comes on. - Like a curtain from God’s kind hand it flows, - To shade the couch where His children repose. - Then kneel, while the watching stars are bright, - And give your last thoughts to the Guardian of _night_. - _Henry Ware, Jun._ - - - And still as day concludes in _night_ - To break again with new-born light, - God’s wondrous bounty let me find, - With still a more enlightened mind; - When Grace and Love in one agree, - Grace from God and Love from me; - Grace that will from Heaven inspire, - Love that seals it in desire. - _Parnell._ - - - Now, with religious awe, the farewell light - Blends with the solemn colouring of the _night_. - _Wordsworth._ - - - Ye quenchless stars! so eloquently bright; - Untroubled sentries of the shadowy _night_, - While half the world is lapp’d in blissful dreams, - And round the lattice creep your fairy beams, - How sweet to gaze upon those placid eyes, - In lambent beauty looking from the skies! - And when, oblivious of the world, we stray - At dead of _night_ along some noiseless way, - How the heart mingles with a moon-lit hour, - And feels from heaven a sympathetic power! - See! not a cloud careers yon pathless deep - Of molten azure,--mute as lovely sleep; - Full in her pallid light the moon presides, - Shrined in a halo, mellowing as she rides; - And far around, the forest and the stream - Wear the rich garment of her woven beam. - The lull’d winds, too, are sleeping in her caves, - No stormy prelude rolls upon the waves; - Nature is hush’d, as if her works ador’d, - Still’d into homage of her living Lord! - _R. Montgomery._ - - - O, blessed _Night_! that comes to rich and poor - Alike; bringing us dreams that lure - Our hearts to One above! - _Henry B. Hirst._ - - - Clouds and thick darkness are thy throne, - Thy wonderful pavilion; - O, dart from thence a shining ray, - And then my _midnight_ shall be day! - _Thomas Flatman._ - - - - - OBEDIENCE--DISOBEDIENCE. - - -For as by one man’s _disobedience_ many were made sinners, so by the -_obedience_ of one shall many be made righteous.--Romans, v. 19. - -Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to _obey_, his -servants ye are to whom ye _obey_; whether of sin unto death, or of -_obedience_ unto righteousness?--Romans, vi. 16. - -Though He were a Son, yet learned He _obedience_ by the things which He -suffered.--Hebrews, v. 8. - - - The will of heav’n - Be done in this and all things! I _obey_. - _Shakspere._ - - - Of man’s first _disobedience_, and the fruit - Of that forbidden tree, whose mortal taste - Brought death into the world, and all our woe, - With loss of Eden, till one greater Man - Restore us, and regain the blissful seat, - Sing Heavenly Muse, that, on the secret top - Of Oreb or of Sinai, didst inspire - That Shepherd, who first taught the chosen seed - In the beginning, how the heavens and earth - Rose out of Chaos. Or if Sion hill - Delight thee more, and Siloa’s brook that flow’d - Fast by the oracle of God; I thence - Invoke thy aid to my adventurous song, - That with no middle flight intends to soar - Above th’ Aonian mount, while it pursues - Things unattempted yet, in prose or rhyme. - And chiefly Thou, O Spirit, that dost prefer - Before all temples, th’ upright heart and pure, - Instruct me, for Thou know’st: Thou, from the first - Wast present, and, with mighty wings outspread, - Dove-like sat’st brooding on the vast abyss, - And mad’st it pregnant. What in me is dark - Illumine; what is low raise and support; - That to the height of this great argument - I may assert eternal Providence, - And justify the ways of God to men. - Say first, for Heaven hides nothing from Thy view, - Nor the deep tract of hell; say first what cause - Moved our grand parents, in that happy state - Favoured of Heaven so highly, to fall off - From their Creator, and transgress His will. - For one restraint, lords of the world besides? - Who first seduced them to that foul revolt? - Th’ infernal serpent: he it was whose guile, - Stirred up with envy and revenge, deceived - The mother of mankind, what time his pride - Had cast him out from Heaven, with all his host - Of rebel angels; by whose aid, aspiring - To set himself in glory ’bove his peers, - He trusted to have equalled the Most High, - If He opposed; and, with ambition’s aim - Against the throne and monarchy of God, - Raised impious war in Heaven, and battle proud - With vain attempt. Him the Almighty Power - Hurled headlong flaming from th’ ethereal sky, - With hideous ruin and combustion, down - To bottomless perdition; there to dwell - In adamantine chains and penal fire, - Who durst defy th’ Omnipotent to arms. - _Milton._ - - - Nor can this be - But by fulfilling that which thou didst want-- - _Obedience_ to the law of God, imposed - On penalty of death. - _Milton._ - - - Flatter not folly with an idle faith, - Nor let earth stand upon her own desert; - But show what wisdom in the Scripture saith - The fruitful hand doth shew the fruitful heart; - Believe the word, and thereto bend thy will, - And teach _obedience_ for a blessed skill. - _Nicholas Breton._ - - - Other bond have I - None with the Father, but _obedience_ whole. - The Son returns through all eternity - Entire _obedience_ to the Father’s will - Inscrutable, devout and finally-- - Relying on his love, that shall fulfil - All gracious purposes--and so became - The Mediator to all creatures, till - God shall be all in all. - _J. A. Heraud._ - - - - - OFFERING. - - -And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit -of the ground an _offering_ unto the Lord. - -And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock, and of the -fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his _offering_. - -But unto Cain and to his _offering_ He had not respect.--Genesis, iv. -3, 4, 5. - -So Christ was once _offered_ to bear the sins of many; and unto them -that look for Him shall He appear the second time, without sin unto -salvation.--Hebrews, ix. 8. - -For by one _offering_ He hath perfected for ever them that are -sanctified.--Hebrews, x. 14. - - - Brightest and best of the sons of the morning, - Dawn on our darkness and lend us Thy aid! - Star of the east the horizon adorning, - Guide where our infant Redeemer is laid! - - Cold on His cradle the dew-drops are shining, - Low lies His bed with the beasts of the stall; - Angels adore Him in slumber reclining, - Maker, and Monarch, and Saviour of all! - - Say, shall we yield Him in costly devotion, - Odours of Edom, and _offerings_ divine; - Gems of the mountain, and pearls of the ocean, - Myrrh from the forest, and gold from the mine. - - Vainly we _offer_ each ample oblation, - Vainly with gold would His favour secure, - Richer by far is the heart’s adoration; - Dearer to God are the prayers of the poor. - _Bishop Heber._ - - - What _offering_ can I bring to Thee - Which may find favour in Thine eye? - Is it some work of charity? - Some form of prayer on bended knee, - Some spoil of earthly treasury, - That toil can win, or gold can buy? - Nay, all were worthless, all were vain - As that oblation made by Cain, - If a sad spirit, and a contrite heart, - Form of the sacrifice no part. - _Egone._ - - - - - ONE. - - -That they all may be _one_; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, -that they also may be _one_ in us: that the world may believe that thou -hast sent me.--John, xvii. 21. - -_One_ Lord, _one_ faith, _one_ baptism.--Ephesians, iv. 5. - - - _One_ baptism, and _one_ faith, - _One_ lord, below, above! - The fellowship of Zion hath - _One_ only watchword,--Love. - From different temples though it rise, - _One_ song ascendeth to the skies. - - Our Sacrifice is _one_; - _One_ priest before the throne,-- - The crucified, the risen Son, - Redeemer, Lord alone! - And sighs from contrite hearts that spring, - Our chief, our choicest offering. - - Oh, why should they who love - _One_ Gospel to unfold, - Who look for _one_ bright home above, - On earth, be strange and cold? - Why, subjects of the Prince of Peace. - In strife abide, and bitterness? - - Oh, may that holy prayer, - His tenderest and his last, - The utterance of his latest care, - Ere to his throne he pass’d,-- - No longer unfulfill’d remain - The world’s offence, the people’s stain! - - Head of thy church beneath, - The catholic,--the true,-- - On her disjointed members breathe, - Her broken frame renew! - Then shall thy perfect will be done - When Christians love and live as _one_. - _E. Robinson._ - - - O Thou Eternal _One_! whose presence bright - All space doth occupy, all motion guide, - Unchanged through time’s all-devastating flight, - Thou only God! - _From the Russian._ - - - - - PARADISE. - - -And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto Thee, To-day shalt thou be -with me in _Paradise_.--Luke, xxiii. 43. - -To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is -in the midst of the _Paradise_ of God.--Revelation, ii. 7. - - - So on he fares, and to the border comes - Of Eden, whose delicious _Paradise_ - Now nearer crowns with her enclosure green, - As with a rural mound, the champaign head - Of a steep wilderness, whose hoary sides, - With thicket overgrown, grotesque and wild, - Access denied: and overhead up-grew - Insuperable height of loftiest shade, - Cedar and pine, and fir, and branching palm; - A sylvan scene! And as the ranks ascend, - Shade above shade, a woody theatre - Of stateliest view. Yet higher than their tops - The verdurous wall of _Paradise_ up-sprung; - Which to our general sire gave prospect large - Into his nether empire neighb’ring round. - _Milton._ - - - Say’st thou there was no “_Paradise_ of God?” - No happy, sinless state of early man? - Ask all the ages past, each record scan, - And see if always cursed was this now barren sod. - Go ask the Greek--he tells of Golden age, - When the god-governed earth was heavenly pure; - When never death, nor woes men now endure - Had entered here, nor hate, nor guile, nor rage. - The eastern Magian speaks of earliest days, - When holy Oromasdes reign’d o’er man: - The far Egyptian tells Osiris’ praise, - Governing all in peace, ere rude revolt began. - And wilt thou God’s own _Paradise_ deny, - When e’en the heathen tales affirm it ceaselessly? - _Ann Flinders._ - - - Lord I will take no comfort but of Thee! - I had an earthly plant--a pleasant vine, - From whose dear grapes I pressed delightful wine, - Which made my heart as merry as could be. - Thine anger hath cut down that cheerful tree; - Or at the least, (for yet I but divine,) - Thou hast cut off its joyful fruit from me, - And made its precious shade no longer mine. - Shall I then murmur? If my road henceforth - Lies but before me wearisome and bare, - And no green garland twined amid my hair - Will guard, as it was wont, my tortured eyes, - What then? The sweeter after this stripped earth - Will be the shady rest of _Paradise_. - _Thomas Burbidge._ - - - The God of nature and of grace - In all His work appears; - His goodness through the earth we trace, - His grandeur in the spheres. - - Behold this fair and fertile globe, - By Him in wisdom planned; - ’Twas He who girded, like a robe, - The ocean round the land. - - Lift to the firmament your eye, - Thither His path pursue; - His glory boundless as the sky, - O’erwhelms the wandering view. - - The forests in His strength rejoice, - Hark! on the evening breeze, - As once of old, the Lord God’s voice - Is heard among the trees. - - His blessings fall in plenteous showers - Upon the lap of earth, - That teems with foliage, fruit, and flowers, - And rings with infant mirth. - - If God hath made the world so fair, - Where sin and death abound; - How beautiful, beyond compare, - Will _Paradise_ be found! - _James Montgomery._ - - - - - PARDON. - - -And Moses said unto the Lord, _Pardon_, I beseech Thee, the iniquity of -this people according unto the greatness of Thy mercy, and as Thou hast -forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now. - -And the Lord said, I have _pardoned_ according to thy word.--Numbers, -xiv. 13, 19, 20. - -Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; -and let him return unto the Lord, and He will have mercy upon him; and -to our God, for He will abundantly _pardon_.--Isaiah, lv. 7. - - - But infinite in _pardon_ is our judge. - _Milton._ - - - What can we better do than prostrate fall - Befort Him reverent, and there confess - Humbly our faults, and _pardon_ beg, with tears - Watering the ground? - _Milton._ - - - When with deep agony His heart was racked, - Not for Himself the tear-drop dewed His cheek, - For them He wept, for them to Heaven He prayed,-- - His persecutors--“Father _pardon_ them; - They know not what they do.” - _Charles Lamb._ - - - O Time! O Life! ye were not made - For languid dreaming in the shade, - Nor sinful hearts to moor all day - By lily-isle, or grassy bay, - Nor drink at noontide’s balmy hours - Sweet opiates from the meadow-flowers. - O give me grace, dear Lord! to win - Thy _pardon_ for my youthful sin, - For all the days, in woods embowered, - When currents of sweet thought o’erpowered - With pleasant force the sense of duty, - And gentle nature’s harmless beauty, - Too much adored, gave birth to throngs - Of joys effeminate, and songs - Which sprung from earth, and, like a breeze, - Died wantonly among the trees, - Without a moral or a mirth - Above the passing bliss of earth! - _Frederic W. Faber._ - - - - - PARENTS. - - -Children, obey your _parents_ in all things: for this is well pleasing -unto the Lord.--Colossians, iii. 20. - - - Honour thy _parents_ to prolong thine end; - With them, though for a truth, do not contend; - Whoever makes his father’s heart to bleed, - Shall have a son that will avenge the deed. - _Thomas Randolph._ - - - Not those alone are _parents_, to whose cares - The opening buds of human life are given; - Truth, Beauty, Love, have each unnumbered heirs, - And Earth itself is but the child of Heaven. - - Nature repeats herself; and human thought - Mirrored in deeds, becomes more truly real: - Thus only on the web of life are wrought - The glowing pictures of the world ideal. - - The labourer who embowers his cottage round - With tasteful gifts--his honest hand the donor, - Makes of that little spot of cultured ground, - A pleasing transcript of its joyful owner. - - The matron, toiling with unselfish aim - To bless her little band of cherished creatures, - But mounts the picture, from whose shining frame - For ever beam her dear, benignant features. - - Thought is the favoured child of thoughtful ones, - As heaven is mirrored in the quiet waters; - The statesman’s high achievements are his sons, - And the sweet poet’s lays his tuneful daughters. - - The sculptor, bending o’er his marble child, - Models himself in fixed, enduring beauty; - The painter’s soul hath from the canvass smiled, - Breathing deep tones of passion or of duty. - - None shall die childless; and the frailest one - Of all the living crowds around us pressing, - May, like the Eternal Father, give his son - To be humanity’s perpetual blessing. - _Mrs. F. H. Cooke._ - - - - - PASSIONS. - - -We also are men of like _passions_ with you, and preach unto you that -ye should turn from those vanities unto the living God.--Acts, xiv. 15. - - - What profits us, that we from heaven derive - A soul immortal, and with looks erect - Survey the stars, if, like the brutal kind - We follow where our _passions_ lead the way? - _Claudian._ - - - While _passions_ glow, the heart like heated steel - Takes each impression, and is worked at pleasure. - _Young._ - - - The gales - Of pleasure haply waft him, and he bounds - Exultingly upon the flattering main; - Nor heeds the inexperienced boy the hints - Of prudence, and the counsel of the wise; - He steers impetuously through dancing waves - And oceans of illusive bliss, till now, - Crashing upon the keel, his vessel lies - A total wreck upon th’ undreaded reef! - “Avoid the shoal!” the sacred preacher cries, - The volumes of the dead and living, ope - The monitory page, alas, in vain! - If _passion_ hold the helm, and pleasure fill - The swelling sail, though reason, conscience, say - “Avoid the shoal!” the voyager is lost. - _Carrington._ - - - Thou must chain thy _passions_ down; - Well to serve, but ill to sway, - Like the fire they must obey. - They are good, in subject state, - To strengthen, warm, and animate; - But if once we let them reign, - They sweep with desolating train, - ’Till they but leave a hated name, - A ruined soul, and blackened fame. - _Eliza Cook._ - - - _Passions_, indulged beyond a certain bound, - Lead to a precipice, and plunge in woe - The heedless agent. - _George Bally._ - - - - - PAST. - - -That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; -and God requireth that which is _past_.--Ecclesiastes, iii. 15. - - - The _past_ lives o’er again, - In its effects, and to the guilty spirit - The ever-frowning present is its image. - _Coleridge._ - - - Who bears no trace of passion’s evil force? - Who shuns thy sting, O, terrible Remorse?-- - Who does not cast - On the thronged pages of his memory’s book, - At times, a sad, and half-reluctant look, - Regretful of the _Past_? - _J. G. Whittier._ - - - Full many a mighty name - Lurks in thy depths, unuttered, unrevered; - With thee are silent fame, - Forgotten arts, and wisdom disappeared. - - Thine for a space are they-- - Yet shalt thou yield thy treasures up at last; - Thy gates shall yet give way, - Thy bolts shall fall, inexorable _Past_! - - All that of good and fair - Has gone into thy womb from earliest time, - Shall then come forth, to wear - The glory and the beauty of its prime. - _W. C. Bryant._ - - - Whene’er upon the _past_ I gaze, - Though thorns and clouds appear, - Rich gifts from Heaven demand my praise, - Gifts to the heart most dear, - The strong One’s arm, the friend above, - The fulness of Redeeming Love. - - Through childhood’s hours and youthful snares, - That Arm my footsteps led, - That friend amid the heart’s own cares, - The balm of pity shed, - And raised my drooping soul to feel - How deep the wound Love’s power can heal. - _W. J. Brock._ - - - - - PASTOR. - - -I will give you _pastors_ according to mine heart, which shall feed you -with knowledge and understanding.--Jeremiah, iii. 15. - -Woe be unto the _pastors_ that destroy and scatter the sheep of my -pasture! saith the Lord.--Jeremiah, xxiii. 1. - - - He was a shepherd, and no mercenary. - And though he holy was and virtuous, - He was to sinful men full piteous; - His words were strong, but not with anger fraught; - A love benignant he discreetly taught. - To draw mankind to Heaven by gentleness - And good example, was his business. - But if that any one were obstinate, - Whether he were of high or low estate, - Him would he sharply check with altered mien: - A better parson there was nowhere seen. - He paid no court to pomps and reverence, - Nor spiced his conscience at his soul’s expense; - But Jesus’ love, which owns no pride or pelf, - He taught--but first he followed it himself. - _Chaucer._ - - - Do not, as some ungracious _pastors_ do, - Show me the steep and thorny way to heaven, - Whilst, like a puff’d and reckless libertine, - Himself the primrose path of dalliance treads, - And recks not his own road. - _Shakspere._ - - - A genial hearth, a hospitable board, - And a refined rusticity, belong - To the neat mansion, where, his flock among, - The learned _pastor_ dwells, their watchful lord. - Though meek and patient as a sheathed sword, - Though pride’s least lurking thought appears a wrong - To human kind; though peace be on his tongue, - Gentleness in his heart; can earth afford - Such genuine state, pre-eminence so free, - As when, array’d in Christ’s authority, - He from the pulpit lifts his awful hand; - Conjures, implores, and labours all he can - For re-subjecting to divine command - The stubborn spirit of rebellious man? - _Wordsworth._ - - - He is a faithful _pastor_ of the poor;-- - He thinks not of himself; his Master’s words, - “Feed, feed my sheep,” are ever at his heart, - The Cross of Christ is aye before his eyes. - _Grahame._ - - - So glorious let Thy _pastors_ shine, - That, by their speaking lives, the world may learn - First, filial duty, then divine; - That sons to parents, all to Thee may turn. - _Keble._ - - - Of the deep learning in the schools of yore, - The reverend _pastor_ hath a golden stock; - Yet, with a vain display of useless lore, - Or sapless doctrine, never will he mock - The better cravings of his simple flock; - But faithfully their humble shepherd guides - Where streams eternal gush from Calvary’s rock; - For well he knows, not learning’s purest tides - Can quench the immortal thirst that in the soul abides. - _Mrs. Little._ - - - By weakest ministers, the Almighty thus - Makes known His sacred will, and shows His power; - By Him inspired, they speak with urgent tongue - Authoritative, while the illumined breast - Heaves with unwonted strength; high as their theme, - Their great conceptions rise in rapturous flow, - As quick the ready organs catch the thought, - And, in such strains as science could not teach, - Bear it, in all its radiance, to the heart; - The listening throng there feel its bless’d effect, - And deep conviction glows in every breast. - _Charles Jenner._ - - - Shepherd of Israel, Thou dost keep - With constant care, Thy humble sheep, - By Thee inferior _pastors_ rise - To feed our souls and bless our eyes. - - Fed by their active, tender care, - Healthful may all Thy sheep appear, - And by their fair example led, - The way to Zion’s pastures tread. - _Doddridge._ - - - - - PATIENCE. - - -In your _patience_ possess ye your souls.--Luke, xxi. 19. - -And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that -tribulation worketh _patience_; - -And _patience_, experience; and experience, hope.--Romans, v. 3, 4. - -Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the -Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of _patience_. - -Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the -_patience_ of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is -very pitiful, and of tender mercy.--James, v. 10, 11. - - - Many are the sayings of the wise, - In ancient and in modern books unroll’d, - Extolling _patience_ as the truest fortitude; - And to the bearing well of all calamities, - All chances incident to man’s frail life, - Consolitaries writ - With studied argument, and much persuasion sought, - Lenient of grief and anxious thought: - But with th’ afflicted in his pangs their sound - Little prevails, or rather seems a tune - Harsh, and of dissonant mood from his complaint, - Unless he feel within - Some source of consolation from above, - Secret refreshings, that repair his strength - And fainting spirits uphold. - _Milton._ - - - Give me care, - By thankful _patience_, to prevent despair: - Fit me to bear whate’er Thou shalt assign; - I kiss the rod, because the rod is Thine. - _Francis Quarles._ - - - _Patience_ and resignation are the pillars - Of human peace on earth. - _Young._ - - Like some well-fashioned arch thy _patience_ stood, - And purchased strength from each increasing load. - _Goldsmith._ - - - A dungeon, dark and drear - As death, but in its cold and gloomy depths - I see a form of beauty, round whose locks - A glory plays, that lights the dungeon with - A quivering lustre--she is stretched upon - The damp cold earth, her head is pillowed on - One arm, the while its fellow presses to - Her heart a holy volume. O’er her eyes - The dove of peace seems brooding, while deep sleep - Heaves the long ringlets of the golden hair - That cluster on her neck, and sweep the earth: - A smile is lingering on her placid lip, - As though she dreamt of heaven, the while her brow, - As that same heaven, arched and calm, shoots forth - A halo--in her breast a dove is nestling, - And angel wings are spread to guard her dreams - From evil--favoured one of God--who art thou? - - ’Tis _patience_, the beloved of Heaven! the meek, - The mild, the lowly, and the gentle _patience_, - Whose eye looks up to God; and ne’er unbends - Its fixed and placid gaze to look upon - The thorns that tear her bleeding breast; who stands - Pale, calm, unmoved amid the storms of life; - Whose soul weeps not for heart’s torture--_patience_, - The meek-eyed pilgrim of the earth, that child - Of heaven--perfection’s crown. - _C. L. Reddell._ - - - For God, who binds the broken heart, - And dries the mourner’s tear, - If faith and _patience_ be their part, - Will unto these be near. - - Let such but say “Thy will be done!” - And He who Jesus raised, - Will qualify them, through His Son, - To say “Thy name be praised!” - _Bernard Barton._ - - - When, in justice, he appals us - By the threat of endless pain, - Sink not--soon His mercy calls us - To His pardoning arms again. - Father! O, with _patience_ bless us, - Till each seeming ill be past: - Let whatever gloom oppress us, - All must end in light at last. - _Thomas Ward._ - - - - - PEACE. - - -Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man -is _peace_.--Psalm xxxvii. 37. - -Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth -understanding. - -Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are -_peace_.--Proverbs, iii. 13, 17. - -Lord, thou wilt ordain _peace_ for us.--Isaiah, xxvi. 12. - -Blessed are the _peacemakers_, for they shall be called the children of -God.--Matthew, v. 9. - -Glory to God in the highest, and on earth _peace_, good will toward -men.--Luke, ii. 14. - -_Peace_ I leave with you, my _peace_ I give unto you: not as the world -giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it -be afraid.--John, xiv. 27. - -The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, _peace_.--Galatians, v. 22. - -The _peace_ of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your -hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.--Philippians, iv. 7. - - - No war or battle’s sound - Was heard the world around: - The idle spear and shield were high up hung, - The hooked chariot stood - Unstained with hostile blood, - The trumpet spake not to the armed throng; - And kings sat still, with awe-full eye - As if they surely knew their sovereign Lord was by. - - But _peaceful_ was the night - Wherein the Prince of Light, - His reign of _peace_ upon the earth began: - The winds, with wonder whist, - Smoothly the waters kissed, - Whispering new joys to the mild ocean, - Who now hath quite forgot to rave, - While birds of calm sat brooding on the charmed wave. - _Milton._ - - - No more shall nation against nation rise, - Nor ardent warriors meet with hateful eyes, - Nor fields with gleaming steel be covered o’er, - The brazen trumpets kindle rage no more; - But useless lances into scythes shall bend, - And the broad falchion in a ploughshare end. - _Pope._ - - - My soul, there is a country - Far beyond the stars, - Where stands a winged sentry - All skilful in the wars; - There above noise and danger - Sweet _peace_ sits crown’d with smiles; - And One born in a manger - Commands the beauteous files. - He is thy gracious friend, - And oh! my soul, awake; - Did in pure love descend - To die here for my sake. - If thou canst get but thither, - There grows the flower of _peace_; - The rose that cannot wither, - Thy fortress and thy ease - Leave then thy foolish ranges; - For none can thee secure, - But one who never changes, - Thy God, thy life, thy cure. - _Henry Vaughan._ - - - Sure the last end - Of the good man is _peace_. How calm his exit! - Night dews fall not more calmly on the ground, - Nor weary worn-out winds expire so soft. - _Blair._ - - - Hear the last words the believer saith. - He has bidden adieu to his earthly friends; - There is _peace_ in his eye that upward bends; - There is _peace_ in his calm confiding air; - For his last thoughts are God’s, his last words, prayer. - _Henry Ware, Jun._ - - - “_Peace_” was the word our Saviour breathed, - When from our world His steps withdrew; - The gift He to His friends bequeathed, - With Calvary and the Cross in view:-- - Redeemer! With adoring love - Our spirits take Thy rich bequest, - The watchword of the host above, - The passport to their realm of rest. - _Mrs. Sigourney._ - - - Oh, _peace_; thou source and soul of social life, - Beneath whose calm inspiriting influence, - Science his views enlarges; art refines, - And swelling Commerce opens all her ports; - Blest be the man divine who gives us thee; - Who bids the trumpet hush its horrid clang, - Nor blow the giddy nations into rage. - Who sheathes the murderous blade, the deadly gun - Into the well-piled armoury returns; - And every vigour from the work of death - To grateful industry converting, makes - The country flourish and the city smile. - _Thomson._ - - - When groves by moonlight silence keep, - And winds the vexed waves release, - And fields are hushed, and cities sleep,-- - Lord! is not this the hour of _Peace_? - - When Infancy at Evening tries - By turns to climb each Parent’s knees, - And gazing meets their raptured eyes,-- - Lord! is not this the hour of _Peace_? - - In golden pomp when autumn smiles; - And every vale its rich increase - In man’s full barns exulting piles;-- - Lord! is not this the hour of _Peace_? - - When Mercy points where Jesus bleeds, - And Faith beholds thine anger cease; - And Hope to black despair succeeds;-- - This, Father! this alone is _Peace_! - _Gisborne._ - - - Wherefore from His throne exalted, - Came He on this earth to dwell; - All His pomp an humble manger-- - All His court a narrow cell? - “From that world to bring to this, - _Peace_, which of all earthly blisses - Is the brightest, purest bliss.” - _Violante Di Ceo._ - - - Down the dark future, through long generations, - The echoing sounds grow fainter, and then cease! - And like a bell with solemn sweet vibrations, - I hear once more the voice of Christ say “_Peace_!” - - _Peace_! and no longer from its brazen portals - The blast of war’s great organ shakes the skies; - But, beautiful as songs of the immortals, - The holiest melodies of love arise. - _Longfellow._ - - - “_Peace_,” shall the world outwearied ever see - Its universal reign? Will states, will kings, - Put down these murderous and unholy things, - Which fill the earth with blood and misery? - Will nations learn that love--not enmity-- - Is heaven’s first lesson--which beneath the wings - Of mercy, brooding over land and sea, - Fills earth with joy by its soft ministerings? - ’Twere a sad prospect--’twere a vista dark - As midnight--could this wearied mortal eye, - Through the dim mists that veil futurity, - Discern not that heaven-bright though distant spark, - Lighted by prophecy, whose ray sublime - Sheds a soft gleam of hope o’er the dull path of time. - - I hate that noisy drum, it is a sound - That tells of war, of bondage, and I blush - That liberty had ever cause to rush - Into a warrior’s arms; that right e’er found - Asylum in the furious field. Not so - The holy crowns of genuine glory grow; - Not there should they who bear the badge serene - Of Him who was the Prince of _Peace_, be seen; - Can such His faithful followers be?--Oh no! - His laurels are not drenched in blood,--but green - And beautiful as spring:--His arms are love - And mercy and forgiveness; and with them - He rules the nations’ mighty destinies - And gently leads us to our homes above. - _Dr. Bowring._ - - - If there be sore strife and care, - In the world below, - Restless spirits never there - Could chase away their woe, - Let the storm that raves about us, - By our faith be kept without us; - Let us from our troubles cease, - Power and conquest dwell in _peace_. - _J. Gostick._ - - - - - PERFECTION. - - -Out of Zion, the _perfection_ of beauty, God hath shined.--Psalm l. 2. - -O when wilt thou come unto me? I will walk within my house with a -_perfect_ heart.--Psalm ci. 2. - -I have seen an end of all _perfection_.--Psalm cxix. 96. - -Be ye therefore _perfect_, even as your Father which is in heaven is -_perfect_.--Matthew, v. 48. - - - Give glory to the Son, who came - Clothed in our fleshy, mortal frame; - Who bore our sins, vouchsafed to give - Himself to die, that we might live; - Who--holy, harmless, undefiled, - Was patient--spurned, was dumb--reviled; - Who, in the agonies of death, - Poured for His foes His parting breath; - Was _perfect_ God and man in one: - Give glory to the Incarnate Son! - _Barton._ - - - Behold the beauty of His matchless life - In deed and thought connecting earth and heaven:-- - Call every virtue which the mind conceives, - Or view _perfection_ in sublime excess - Of glory, such as dreams of God pourtray, - And what can emulate the Prince of Peace! - _R. Montgomery._ - - - Oh! who shall paint them--let the sweetest tone - That ever trembled on the harps of Heaven, - Be discord; let the chanting seraphim, - Whose anthem is eternity, be dumb; - For praise and wonder, adoration,--all - Melt into muteness, ere they soar to Thee, - Thou sole _Perfection_!--Theme of countless worlds! - _R. Montgomery._ - - - Oh, Thou, who all _perfection_ art! - How shall my soul approach to Thee? - How can my black, polluted heart - Endure Thy searching scrutiny? - Only through grace of Him by whom - The just avenging arm is stayed; - By whose descent into the tomb - Was im_perfection perfect_ made. - _Egone._ - - - - - PESTILENCE--PLAGUE. - - -And the Lord said unto Moses, Rise up early in the morning, and stand -before Pharoah, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord God of the -Hebrews, Let my people go, that they may serve me. - -For I will at this time send all my _plagues_ upon thine heart, and -upon thy servants, and upon thy people; that thou mayest know that -there is none like me in all the earth. - -For now I will stretch out my hand, that I may smite thee and -thy people with _pestilence_; and thou shalt be cut off from the -earth.--Exodus, ix. 13, 14, 15. - -He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most high shall abide under -the shadow of the Almighty. - -Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the -noisome _pestilence_. - -There shall no evil befal thee, neither shall any _plague_ come nigh -thy dwelling.--Psalm xci. 1, 3, 10. - - - A terrible change is come; I see a cloud - Brooding above the valley like the wing - Of a destroying angel dark and dread; - And in its awful depth I see a brow - On which is stamped in fiery characters - The one word--_Plague_. The beds of dewy flowers - Are pressed by loathsome forms of dark disease, - Putrid though living; some have dragged their weak - And fainting limbs to where the pure stream glides, - But sink ere they can quench their burning thirst - In its cool waters; some bow down their heads - In prayer, but the unfinished words are quelled - By groans of agony; some wait for death - With stubborn pride that scorns to murmur; some - Rave of cool forests and of shady rivers, - In their delirious pain; the dead and dying - Tenant that valley only. - _C. L. Reddell._ - - - From the sword at noonday wasting, - From the noisome _pestilence_, - In the depth of midnight blasting, - God shall be thy sure defence. - - Thee, though winds and waves be swelling, - God, thine hope, shall bear through all, - _Plague_ shall not come nigh thy dwelling, - Thee no evil shall befall. - _J. Montgomery._ - - - - - PHILOSOPHY. - - -Beware lest any man spoil you through _philosophy_ and vain deceit, -after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not -after Christ.--Colossians, ii. 8. - - - Philosophy consists not - In airy schemes, or idle speculation; - The rule and conduct of all social life - Is her great province. Not in lonely cells - Obscure she lurks; but holds her heavenly light - To senates and to kings, to guide their councils, - And teach them to reform and bless mankind. - All policy but her’s is false and rotten; - All valour not conducted by her precepts - Is a destroying fury sent from hell, - To plague unhappy man, and ruin nations. - _Thomson._ - - - What is an high-praised _philosophy_, - But books of poesy in prose compil’d, - Far more delightful than they fruitful be, - Witty appearance, guile that is beguil’d; - Corrupting minds much rather than directing, - Th’ alloy of duty, and our pride’s erecting. - - For, as among physicians, what they call - Word magic, never helpeth the disease, - Which drugs and diet ought to deal withal, - And by their real working give us ease; - So these word-sellers have no power to cure - The passions which corrupted lives endure. - _Sir Falke Greville._ - - - In its sublime research, _philosophy_ - May measure out the ocean deep--may count - The sands or the sun’s rays--but God! for Thee - There is no weight nor measure:--none can mount - Up to Thy mysteries: Reason’s brightest spark, - Though kindled at Thy light, in vain would try - To trace Thy counsels, infinite and dark - And thought is lost ere thought can soar so high, - Even like past moments in eternity. - _From the Russian._ - - - With thee, serene _Philosophy_, with thee - And thy bright garland, let me crown my song! - Effusive source of evidence and truth! - A lustre shedding o’er the ennobled mind - Stronger than summer noon; and pure as that - Whose mild vibrations soothe the parted soul, - New to the dawning of celestial day. - Hence through her nourished powers, enlarged by thee - She springs aloft, with elevated pride, - Above the tangling mass of low desires - That bind the fluttering crowd; and, angel-winged, - The heights of science and of virtue gains, - Where all is calm and clear; with nature round, - Or in the starry regions, or the abyss, - To reason and to fancy’s eye displayed: - The first up-tracing from the dreary void, - The chain of causes and effects to Him, - The world-producing Essence, who alone - Possesses being; while the last receives - The whole magnificence of Heaven and earth, - And every beauty, delicate or bold, - Obvious or more remote, with livelier sense, - Diffusive painted on the rapid mind. - _Thomson._ - - - Survey the magnet’s sympathetic love, - That woos the yielding needle; contemplate - Th’ attractive amber’s power, invisible - Ev’n to the mental eye; or when the blow - Sent from th’ electric sphere assaults thy frame, - Show me the hand that dealt it!--Baffled here - By His Omnipotence, _Philosophy_ - Slowly her thoughts inadequate revolves, - And stands with all His circling wonders round her, - Like heavy Saturn, in th’ ethereal space - Begirt with an inexplicable ring. - _Smart._ - - - Sublime _Philosophy_! - Thou are the patriarch’s ladder, reaching heaven, - And bright with beckoning angels; but, alas! - We see thee, like the patriarch, but in dreams, - By the first step, dull slumbering on the earth. - _Bulwer._ - - - - - PILGRIMAGE. - - -These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having -seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and -confessed that they were strangers and _pilgrims_ on the earth. - -For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a -country.--Hebrews, xi. 13, 14. - -Dearly beloved, I beseech you, as strangers and _pilgrims_, abstain -from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul.--I. Peter, ii. 11. - - - Give me my scallop-shell of quiet, - My staff of faith to walk upon; - My scrip of joy, immortal diet; - My bottle of salvation; - My gown of glory, (hope’s true gage,) - And thus I’ll take my _pilgrimage_. - Blood must be my body’s only balmer - Whilst my soul, like a quiet Palmer, - Travelleth towards the land of Heaven; - No other balm will there be given. - _Sir W. Raleigh._ - - - From darkness, here, and dreariness, - We ask not full repose; - Only be Thou at hand to bless - Our trial hour of woes. - Is not the _pilgrim’s_ toil o’erpaid - By the clear rill and palmy shade? - And see we not up earth’s dark glade, - The gate of Heaven unclose? - _Keble._ - - - While his staff the traveller handles - In his weary journeying, - Thorns may tear his dusty sandals, - Fangs his tender feet may sting; - But were life devoid of pain, - Bliss were proffered man in vain. - Look aloft, where light is breaking - Through this doubt-enveloped sky-- - Forward leap, the joy partaking, - Of a higher destiny. - Lift thy staff, and move apace - In the _pilgrim_-thronging race. - _T. G. Spear._ - - - There is a light on the hills, and the valley is past! - Ascend, happy _pilgrim_! thy labours are o’er! - The sunshine of Heaven around thee is cast, - And thy weak, doubting footsteps can falter no more. - On, _pilgrim_! that hill richly circled with rays - Is Zion! Lo, there is the “city of saints!” - And the beauties, the glories, that region displays, - Inspiration’s own language imperfectly paints. - _Mrs. Opie._ - - - _Pilgrim_, burden’d with thy sin, - Come the way to Zion’s gate, - There, till mercy speaks within, - Knock, and weep, and watch, and wait. - Knock--he knows the sinner’s cry; - Weep--he loves the mourner’s tears; - Watch--for saving grace is nigh; - Wait--till heavenly grace appears. - Hark, it is thy Saviour’s voice, - “Welcome _pilgrim_ to thy rest.” - Now within the gate rejoice, - Safe, and own’d, and bought, and blest. - Safe--from all the lures of vice; - Own’d--by joys the contrite know; - Bought--by love and life the price; - Blest--the mighty debt we owe. - Holy _pilgrim_ what for thee, - In a world like this remain? - From thy guarded breast shall flee - Fear, and shame, and doubt and pain. - Fear--the hope of heaven shall flee; - Shame--from glory’s view retire; - Doubt--in full belief shall die; - Pain--in endless joy expire. - _Crabbe._ - - - We journey through a vale of tears - By many a cloud o’ercast; - And worldly cares, and worldly fears, - Go with us to the last! - Not to the last--Thy word hath said, - Could we but read aright; - Poor _Pilgrim_! lift, in hope, thy head; - At eve there shall be light. - _Bernard Barton._ - - - - - PITY. - - -To him that is afflicted _pity_ should be shewed from his friend.--Job, -v. 14. - -Like as a father _pitieth_ his children, so the Lord _pitieth_ them -that fear him.--Psalm ciii. 13. - -He that hath _pity_ upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord.--Proverbs, -xix. 17. - - - Genius of _pity_! exercise thy sway, - And with thy soft emotions soothe each breast; - May every heart thy kind dictates obey, - And be thy humanizing pow’r confess’d! - - May sweet Benevolence, auspicious fair, - Vouchsafe thy cheering progress to attend, - And smiling Charity, with constant care, - Where’er distress appears, her succour lend. - - In the drear season of embitter’d woe, - Oh! may the sons of opulence and ease - Feel _pity’s_ genial animating glow, - Nor suffer avarice their soul to freeze! - - May they, whene’er the child of want is seen, - Dispense their warm benevolence around,-- - The hapless suff’rer from misfortune screen, - Nor to a narrow sphere their mercies bound! - - Not to the wanderer their gifts confine, - But the sad roofs of silent woe explore, - Where modest mourners secretly repine, - And, unsoliciting, their wants deplore. - - Then shall the orphan’s and the widow’s prayer, - To Heav’n, with thanks for such relief, be made; - The welcome boon with grateful hearts they share, - And bless the donor for his timely aid. - _Anon._ - - - Oh! do not seek the mirthful throng, - But find where friendship lingers, - And feel the strings, untouched so long, - Swept o’er by _Pity’s_ fingers. - Though not a star has lent its light, - Who knows what may be dawning? - The mists that robe the earth at night - Precede the brightest morning! - _J. Burbidge._ - - - - - PLEASING--PLEASURE. - - -The Lord taketh _pleasure_ in them that fear Him.--Psalm cxlvii. 11. - -He that loveth _pleasure_ shall be a poor man: he that loveth wine and -oil shall not be rich.--Proverbs, xxi. 17. - -Hear now this, thou that art given to _pleasures_, that dwellest -carelessly, evil shall come upon thee.--Isaiah, xlvii. 8, 11. - -Walk worthy of the Lord unto all _pleasing_, being fruitful in every -good work.--Colossians, i. 10. - -So we speak; not as _pleasing_ men, but God, which trieth our -hearts.--I. Thessalonians, ii. 4. - - - Admirers of false _pleasures_ must sustain - The weight and sharpness of ensuing pain. - _John Beaumont._ - - - Short is the course of every lawless _pleasure_-- - Grief, like a shade, on all its footsteps waits, - Scarce visible in joy’s meridian height; - But, downwards as its blaze declining speeds, - The dwarfish shadow to a giant spreads. - _Milton._ - - - _Pleasures_ are few, and fewer we enjoy; - _Pleasure_, like quicksilver, is bright and coy; - We strive to grasp it, with our utmost skill, - Still it eludes us, and it glitters still: - If seized at last, compute your mighty gains; - What is it but rank poison in your veins? - _Young._ - - - _Pleasure_ is good, and man for _pleasure_ made; - But _pleasure_ full of glory as of joy; - _Pleasure_ which neither blushes nor expires. - - * * * * * - - Death treads in _pleasure’s_ footsteps round the world, - When _pleasure_ treads the paths which reason shuns. - _Young._ - - - _Pleasure_, admitted in undue degree, - Enslaves the will, nor leaves the judgment free. - - * * * * * - - Peace follows virtue as its sure reward; - And _pleasure_ brings as surely in her train - Remorse, and sorrow, and vindictive pain. - _Cowper._ - - - _Pleasures_, like wonders, quickly lose their price, - When reason or experience makes us wise. - _Bishop King._ - - - If the soft hand of winning _pleasure_ leads - By living waters and through flowery meads, - Where all is smiling, tranquil, and serene; - And vernal beauty paints the flattering scene; - Oh! teach me to elude each latent snare, - And whisper to my sliding heart--Beware! - With caution let me hear the syren’s voice, - And doubtful with a trembling heart rejoice. - _Mrs. Barbauld._ - - - Graces withered by too warm a beam, - May spread and flourish in the dreary shade: - And _pleasure_, to voluptuous guilt denied, - May bloom ambrosial from affliction’s thorn. - _George Bally._ - - - All these fond _pleasures_, if fond things - Deserve so good a name, - Should not seduce a noble mind - To stain itself with shame. - The time shall come when all these same, - Which seem so rich with joy, - Like tyrants, shall torment thy mind, - And vex thee with annoy. - _Brandon._ - - - I ask Thee for the daily strength, - To none that ask denied, - And a mind to blend with outward life - While keeping at Thy side; - Content to fill a little space, - If Thou be glorified. - And if some things I do not ask, - In my cup of blessing be, - I would have my spirit fill’d the more - With grateful love to Thee-- - More careful--not to serve Thee much, - But to _please_ Thee perfectly. - _A. L. Waring._ - - - That _pleasure_ is of all - Most bountiful and kind, - That fades not straight, but leaves - A living joy behind. - _Campion._ - - - - - POVERTY. - - -The Lord maketh _poor_, and maketh rich: He bringeth low, and lifteth -up.--I. Samuel, ii. 7. - -Give me neither _poverty_ nor riches; feed me with food convenient for -me; - -Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the Lord? or lest I be -_poor_, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.--Proverbs, xxx. -8, 9. - -Blessed be ye _poor_: for yours is the kingdom of God.--Luke, vi. 20. - -In a great trial of affliction, the abundance of their joy, and their -deep _poverty_, abounded unto the riches of their liberality.--II. -Corinthians, viii. 2. - - - If well thou view’st us with no squinted eye, - No partial judgment, thou wilt quickly rate - Thy wealth no richer than my _poverty_; - My want no _poorer_ than thy rich estate. - Our ends and births alike, in this as I, - _Poor_ thou wert born, and _poor_ again shalt die. - - My little fills my little-wishing mind, - Thou having more than much, yet seekest more; - Who seeks, still wishes what he seeks to find; - Who wishes, wants; and whoso wants, is _poor_: - Then this must follow of necessity, - _Poor_ are thy riches, rich my _poverty_. - - Though still thou gett’st, yet is thy want not spent, - But as thy wealth, so great thy wealthy itch; - But with my little I have great content-- - Content hath all, and who hath all is rich; - Then this in reason thou must needs confess, - If I have little, yet that thou hast less. - - Whatever man possesses, God has lent, - And to his audit liable is ever, - To reckon how, and where, and when he spent. - Then thus thou bragg’st thou art a great receiver. - Little my debt, when little is my store, - The more thou hast, thy debt still grows the more. - - But seeing God himself descended down, - T’ enrich the _poor_ by His deep _poverty_, - His meat, his house, his grave were not his own, - Yet all is His from all eternity; - Let me be like my Head, whom I adore, - Be thou great, wealthy, I still base and _poor_. - _Phineas Fletcher._ - - - I would be great, but that the sun doth still - Level his rays against the rising hill; - I would be high, but see the proudest oak, - Most subject to the rending thunder-stroke; - I would be rich, but see men, too unkind, - Dig in the bowels of the richest mine: - I would be wise, but that I often see - The fox suspected, whilst the ass goes free: - I would be fair, but see the fair and proud, - Like the bright sun, oft setting in a cloud: - I would be _poor_, but know the humble grass - Still trampled on by each unworthy ass; - Rich hated: wise suspected: scorn’d if _poor_: - Great fear’d: fair tempted: high still envied more: - I have wish’d all; but now I wish for neither; - Great, high, rich, wise, nor fair; _poor_ I’ll be rather. - _Sir Henry Wotton._ - - - No soil like _poverty_ for growth divine, - As leanest land supplies the richest mine. - Earth gives too little, giving only bread, - To nourish pride, or turn the weakest head. - _Cowper._ - - - Around each pure, domestic shrine, - Bright flowers of Eden bloom and twine; - Our hearths are altars all: - The prayers of hungry souls and _poor_, - Like armed angels at the door, - Our unseen foes appal. - _Keble._ - - - And what is want? ’Tis virtue’s test: - What weakness? An escape from pride: - That life on earth may be the best - In which, by woe, the soul is tried: - For He whose word is ever sure, - Hath said that “Blessed are the _Poor_.” - _H. H. Weld._ - - - If _poverty_--a bitter medicine--cure - The soul’s distempers, blessed are the _poor_; - Yea, if ye be Christ’s _poor_, thrice blessed men are ye. - _Thomas McKellar._ - - - - - POWER. - - -_Power_ belongeth unto God.--Psalm lxii. 11. - -Let every soul be subject unto the higher _powers_. For there is no -_power_ but of God; the _powers_ that be are ordained of God. - -Whosoever therefore resisteth the _power_, resisteth the ordinance of -God.--Romans, xiii. 1, 2. - -Upholding all things by the word of His _power_.--Hebrews, i. 3. - - - O, all-preparing Providence divine! - In thy large book, what secrets are enrolled, - What sundry helps doth Thy great power assign, - To prop the course which Thou intend’st to hold! - What mortal sense is able to define - Thy mysteries, Thy councils manifold! - It is Thy wisdom strangely that extends - Obscure proceedings to apparent ends. - _Michael Drayton._ - - - There is a _power_ - Unseen, that rules the illimitable world, - That guides its motions from the brightest star - To the least dust of this sin-tainted mould. - While man, who madly deems himself the Lord - Of all, is nought but weakness and dependence. - This sacred truth, by sure experience taught, - They must have learn’d when wand’ring all alone, - Each bird, each insect, flitting through the sky, - Was more sufficient for itself than thou. - _Thomson._ - - - For the strong spirit will at times awake, - Piercing the mists that wrap her clay abode; - And, born of thee, she may not always take - Earth’s accents for the oracles of God; - And ev’n in this--O dust, whose mask is _power_! - Reed, that wouldst be a scourge thy little hour! - Spark, whereon yet the mighty hath not trod, - And therefore thou destroyest,--where were flown - Our hope, if man were left to man’s decrees alone. - _Mrs. Hemans._ - - - O put away thy pride, - Or be ashamed of _power_, - That cannot turn aside - The breeze that waves a flower. - _Clare._ - - - I’ve thought, at gentle and ungentle hour, - Of many an act and giant shape of _power_; - Of the old kings with high exacting looks - Sceptered and globed; of eagles on their rocks - With straining feet, and that fierce mouth and drear, - Answering the strain with downward drag austere; - Of the rich-headed lion, whose huge frown, - All his great nature, gathering, seems to crown; - Then of cathedral with its priestly height, - Seen from below at superstitions night; - Of ghastly castle, that eternally - Holds its blind visage out to the lone sea; - And of all sunless subterranean deeps - The creature makes, who listens while he sleeps; - Avarice; and then of those old earthly cones, - That stride, they say, over heroic bones; - And those stone heaps Egyptian, whose small doors - Look like low dens, under precipitous shores; - And him, great Memnon, that long sitting by, - In seeming idleness, with stony eye, - Sang at the morning’s touch, like poetry; - And then of all the fierce and bitter fruit - Of the proud planting of a tyrannous foot, - Of bruised right, and flourishing bad men, - And virtue wasting heavenwards from a den; - Brute force, and fury; and the devilish drouth - Of the fool cannon’s ever-gaping mouth; - And the bride-widowing sword; and the harsh bray - The sneering trumpet sends across the fray; - And all which lights the people-thinning star - That selfishness invokes--the horsed war, - Panting along with many a bloody mane. - _Leigh Hunt._ - - - All-knowing, all-directing God! - In whom we move and live, - Our thoughts, and works, and empty days, - And careless wrongs forgive; - But most in need the cruel heart - That breeds the conscious wrong, - And cares not for the consequence - To helpless old and young. - Some wilful deeds are perfect crimes, - And some less wicked are, - Because ’twas meant that good should spring - Beneath the baleful star. - Yet of all sinful beings most - In need of mercy those, - Who having _power_ much good to do, - All goodness would oppose, - And turn heaven’s bounteous gifts to gall, - And nature’s smiles to blows. - _Horne._ - - - ’Tis not in mockery of man that earth - Is strewed with splendid fragments, temple, tower; - That realms, where glory sprang full-arm’d to birth, - Are desolate, the snake and tiger’s bower: - They lie the monuments of misused _power_, - Not freaks of fate, but warnings against crime: - And ancient Babylon might, at this hour, - Had she been guiltless, stand as in her prime, - Nay, stand in growing pomp, till God had finished time. - _Croly._ - - - But, God be thanked! they are moments only when - Man, subdued by nature’s mightiest _power_, - Thinks even his purer self the sport of waves. - In such like moments ’tis the Godhead shows us - The distance ’twixt itself and us,--chastises - Man’s vain audacity to equal it, - And casts him back to nothingness and woe. - In such like moments, even the wisest sinks - Unto the dust: he, too, is formed of dust; - But soon again he rises purified - By Fate’s worst blast, and thus the Eternal’s will - Declares and proves its own omnipotence. - _From the German of Herder._ - - - With God a thousand years are as one day; - He in one day can sum a thousand years; - All acts with him are equal; for no more - It costs Omnipotence to build a world, - And set a sun amidst the firmament, - Than mould a dewdrop, and light up a gem. - _R. Montgomery._ - - - - - PRAISE. - - -_Praise_ ye the Lord. _Praise_ the Lord, O my soul. - -While I live will I _praise_ the Lord: I will sing _praises_ unto my -God while I have any being.--Psalm cxlvi. 1, 2. - -_Praise_ ye the Lord. _Praise_ God in his sanctuary: _praise_ him in -the firmament of his power. - -_Praise_ him for his mighty acts: _praise_ him according to his -excellent greatness. - -Let every thing that hath breath _praise_ the Lord.--Psalm cl. 1, 2, 6. - -For they loved the _praise_ of men more than the _praise_ of -God.--John, xii. 43. - - - My God! I will address Thee - In loudest hymns of _praise_; - Then, too, my soul shall bless Thee, - When mute in deep amaze; - For Thou, who kind receivest - Each word to be addressed, - The silent thought perceivest, - The feeling unexpressed. - And, while we ne’er can know - Thy deep and wondrous ways, - Words sink far, far below - Thy due reward of _praise_. - _From the Greek of Synesius._ - - - O! while thy sinful soul can cast - Sin’s robes away--redeem the past, - If not in deeds, in words to _praise_ thy Maker haste. - In sacred hymns employ the day, - In _praises_ pass the night away; - And let the martyrs’ _praise_ attune the willing lay. - O what a privilege, could I, - The prison of mortality - Thus burst, and breathing forth this language, die! - _From the Spanish of Prudentius._ - - - Not thankful when it pleaseth me; - As if Thy blessings had spare days: - But such a heart whose pulse may be - Thy _praise_. - _George Herbert._ - - - Fountains, and ye that warble as ye flow, - Melodious murmurs, warbling tune His _praise_. - Join voices all ye living souls: ye birds, - That singing up to heaven’s gate ascend, - Bear on your wings and in your notes His _praise_; - Ye that in waters glide, and ye that walk the earth, - And stately tread, or lowly creep; - Witness if I be silent morn or even, - To hill or valley, fountain, or fresh shade, - Made vocal by my song, and taught His _praise_. - _Milton._ - - - To God, who sits in highest seat, - Glory and power given be; - To father, Son, and Paraclete, - Who reign in equal dignity, - Whose boundless power we still adore, - And sing their _praise_ for evermore. - _Drummond._ - - - While this immortal spark of heavenly flame - Distends my breast, and animates my frame, - To thee my ardent _praises_ shall be borne - On the first breeze that wakes the blushing morn; - The latest star shall hear the pleasing sound, - And nature in full choir shall join around. - When full of Thee, my soul excursive flies - Through earth, air, ocean, or thy regal skies; - From world to world new wonders still I find, - And all the Godhead flashes on my mind, - When, winged with whirlwinds, vice shall take its flight - To the deep bosom of eternal night, - To Thee my soul shall endless _praises_ pay: - Join, men and angels! join the exalted lay. - _Blacklock._ - - - If no basis bear my rising name - But the fallen ruins of another’s fame; - Then teach me, Heaven! to scorn the guilty bays; - Drive from my breast that wretched lust of _praise_: - Unblemished let me live, or die unknown; - O, grant me honest fame, or grant me none. - _Pope._ - - - Nor absolutely vain is human _praise_, - Where human is supported by divine. - _Young._ - - - My fears of danger, while I breathe, - My dread of endless hell beneath, - My sense of sorrow for my sin, - To springing comfort change within; - Change all my sad complaints for ease, - To cheerful notes of endless _praise_. - _Parnell._ - - - The praise I make will then be sweet indeed, - If Thou the Spirit give by which I pray: - My unassisted heart is barren clay, - That of its native self can nothing feed; - Of good and pious works Thou art the seed - That quickens only where Thou sayest it may; - Unless Thou show to us Thy own true way, - No man can find it. Father! Thou must lead: - Do Thou then breathe these thoughts into my mind - By which such virtue may in me be bred, - That in Thy holy footsteps I may tread: - The fetters of my tongue do Thou unbind, - That I may have the power to sing to Thee; - And sound Thy _praises_ everlastingly. - _Wordsworth._ - - - Up to the throne of God is borne - The voice of _praise_ at early morn, - And He accepts the punctual hymn - Sung as the light of day grows dim. - - Nor will He turn His ear aside - From holy offerings at noontide; - Then here, reposing, let us raise - A song of gratitude and _praise_. - _Wordsworth._ - - - Oh, for the harp that David swept, - At whose divine entrancing sound, - The evil spirit distance kept, - While holier visions hover’d round: - Oh for such harp, in these our days, - To speak a God’s, a Saviour’s _praise_. - _Barton._ - - - From yon lowly roof, whose curling smoke - O’ermounts the mist, is heard at intervals - The voice of psalms--the simple song of _praise_. - _Graham._ - - - And now, with fixed intent and mind sincere, - Lift up your eyes from earth, to _praise_ with me - The Sovereign Lord, who reigns in heaven above, - And try to follow where I shew the way. - But be it yours, while joining in the prayer, - That not your tongue so much as heart may share. - O love supreme, full-orbed and glorious sun, - Compared with whom that other is but night, - The world’s true life alone, the world’s true light! - O Thou whose breath created it at first, - And still upholdest with a father’s care! - Whate’er Thou willest, who hast power to do! - O fountain without rise, whose boundless stream - Flows without ebb, and undiminished pours! - Who from Thyself derivest, underived! - And in Thyself hast ever lived! - Who, when revealed the most, then most art hid! - Thou, if the soul has breathed one true desire - To see Thy light, wilt give it wings for heaven. - To mount a phœnix at Thy beam revived! - Since nought there is beside Thee, in Thyself - And of Thyself sole blest! since only Thou - Conferrest good, and to receive must give. - Deign in my heart, to light the holy flame, - And by my lips give glory to Thy name. - _From the Italian of Celio Magno._ - - - God of the fair and open sky! - How gloriously above us springs - The tented dome of heavenly blue, - Suspended on the rainbow’s rings! - Each brilliant star that sparkles through, - Each gilded cloud that wanders free - In evening’s purple radiance, gives - The beauty of its _praise_ to Thee! - _W. B. O. Peabody._ - - - - - PRAYER. - - -O Lord God of hosts, hear my _prayer_: give ear, O God of Jacob.--Psalm -lxxxiv. 8. - -But thou, when thou _prayest_, enter into thy closet, and when thou -hast shut thy door, _pray_ to thy Father, which is in secret; and thy -Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.--Matthew, vi. -6. - -Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by _prayer_ and -supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto -God.--Philippians, iv. 6. - -Is any among you afflicted? let him _pray_.--James, v. 13. - -The effectual fervent _prayer_ of a righteous man availeth -much.--James, v. 16. - - - Even as Elias, mounting to the sky, - Did cast his mantle to the earth behind, - So, when the heart presents the _prayer_ on high, - Exclude the world from traffic with the mind: - Lips near to God, and ranging heart within, - Is but vain babbling, and converts to sin. - _Robert Southwell._ - - - Temporal blessings Heaven oft doth share - Unto the wicked, at the good man’s _prayer_. - _Quarles._ - - - When we of helps or hopes are quite bereaven, - Our humble _prayers_ have entrance into Heaven. - _Ford._ - - - Petitions yet remain - Which Heaven may hear, nor deem Religion vain. - Still raise for good the supplicating voice, - But leave to Heaven the measures and the choice. - Safe in His power whose eyes discern afar, - The secret ambush of a specious _prayer_; - Implore His aid, in His decisions rest, - Secure whate’er He gives, He gives the best. - _Dr. Johnson._ - - - O may my _prayers_ before Thy throne arise, - An humble but accepted sacrifice! - And when Thou shalt my weary eyelids close, - And to my body grant a sweet repose, - May my ethereal guardian kindly spread - His wings, and from the tempter shield my bead! - May of Thy heavenly light some piercing beams - Illume my sleep, and sanctify my dreams. - _Watts._ - - - What various hindrances we meet - In coming to a mercy-seat! - Yet who that knows the worth of _prayer_ - But wishes to be often there? - - _Prayer_ makes the darkened cloud withdraw, - _Prayer_ climbs the ladder Jacob saw, - Gives exercise to faith and love, - Brings every blessing from above. - - Restraining _prayer_, we cease to fight; - _Prayer_ makes the Christian’s armour bright; - And Satan trembles when he sees - The weakest saint upon his knees. - _Cowper._ - - - Enthroned amidst the worlds of light, - Jehovah rules the realms of bliss; - Yet bends to scenes of earthly night, - To such a house of pain as this! - The glories of the heavenly plains - Hide not one mourner from his eye, - Nor can the seraphs’ loudest strains - Drown, by their sound, the faintest sigh. - - Oh _Prayer_! thou mine of things unknown, - Who can be poor possessing thee? - Thou wert a fount of joy alone, - Better than worlds of gold could be. - Were I bereft of all beside, - That bears the form or name of bliss, - I yet were rich, what will betide, - If God, in mercy, leave me this. - _Edmeston._ - - - _Prayer_, surpassing human might; - _Prayer_, heaven’s holy portress; - _Prayer_, the saint’s supreme delight, - _Prayer_, the sinner’s fortress. - _Prayer_ and faith can joy impart, - Joy beyond expressing, - And call down upon the heart - Israel’s choicest blessing. - _Bernard Barton._ - - - _Prayer_ is the soul’s sincere desire, - Uttered or unexpressed; - The motion of a hidden fire - That trembles in the breast. - - _Prayer_ is the burden of a sigh, - The falling of a tear, - The upward glancing of an eye, - When none but God is near. - - _Prayer_ is the simplest form of speech - That infant lips can try; - _Prayer_ the sublimest strains that reach - The majesty on high. - - _Prayer_ is the Christian’s vital breath, - The Christian’s native air; - His watchword in the hour of death, - He enters Heaven with _prayer_. - - _Prayer_ is the contrite sinner’s voice, - Returning from his ways, - While angels in their hymns rejoice, - And cry, “Behold he _prays_!” - - O Thou by whom we come to God, - The life, the truth, the way, - The path of _prayer_ Thyself hath trod,-- - Lord, teach us how to _pray_. - _J. Montgomery._ - - - Arrested suns and tranquill’d seas declare - To heav’n and earth th’ omnipotence of _prayer_, - That gives the hopeless hope, the feeble might, - Outruns the swift, and puts the strong to flight, - The noontide arrow foils, and plague that stalks by night; - - Unmatch’d in power, unbounded in extent, - As omnipresent as omnipotent, - To no meridian nor clime confined, - Man with his fellow-man, and mind to mind, - ’Tis hers, in links of love and charity to bind. - - But farther still extends her awful reign: - To her indeed belongs that golden chain - From fabled God and their Olympus riven; - But, since to truth and her adorers given, - E’en with his Maker man to join, and earth with heaven. - - Then let those lips that never _pray’d_, begin: - We must or cease to _pray_, or cease to sin; - Each earth-born want and wish, a grov’ling brood, - Are oft mistaken, or misunderstood; - But who would dare to _pray_ for aught that is not good? - - Nor that our _prayers_ make Heav’n more prompt to give, - But they make us more worthy to receive: - There is in that celestial treasury - Wealth inexhaustible, admission free; - But he that never _prays_, rejects the golden key. - _Colton._ - - - _Prayer_ is a creature’s strength, his very breath and being; - _Prayer_ is the golden key that can open the wicket of mercy; - _Prayer_ is the magic sound that saith to fate, so be it; - _Prayer_ is the slender nerve that moveth the muscles of - Omnipotence. - Wherefore, _pray_, O creature, for many and great are thy - wants; - Thy mind, thy conscience, and thy being, thy rights commend thee - unto _prayer_, - The cure of all cares, the grand panacea for all pains, - Doubt’s destroyer, ruin’s remedy, the antidote to all anxieties. - _Martin F. Tupper._ - - - But holiest rite or longest _prayer_ - That soul can yield, or wisdom frame, - What better import can it bear - Than “Father, hallowed be Thy name!” - _Eliza Cook._ - - - Give me, O Lord, the spirit of _prayer_, - Thy grace, thy mercy to implore; - Let not my wilful spirit dare - To count secure her present store. - The richer falls Thy dew of grace, - The humbler let my head descend, - Till mercy’s sun in boundless space - Shall shed its bliss, time without end. - _John Jay Adams._ - - - - - PREACHING. - - -How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? and how -shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? and how shall -they hear without a _preacher_? - -And how shall they _preach_, except they be sent.--Romans, x. 14, 15. - -For, after that in the wisdom of God, the world by wisdom knew not God, -it pleased God by the foolishness of _preaching_ to save them that -believe.--I. Corinthians, i. 21. - -_Preach_ the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, -rebuke, exhort, with all long-suffering and doctrine.--II. Timothy, iv. -2. - - - He bore his great commission in his look, - But sweetly tempered awe, and softened all he spoke. - He _preached_ the joys of Heaven, and pains of hell, - And warned the sinner with becoming zeal, - But on eternal mercy loved to dwell. - _Dryden._ - - - But above all, in her own light array’d, - See mercy’s grand apocalypse display’d! - The sacred book no longer suffers wrong, - Bound in the fetters of an unknown tongue; - But speaks with plainness, art could never mend, - What simplest minds can soonest comprehend. - God gives the word, the _preachers_ throng around, - Live from his lips, and spread the glorious sound: - That sound bespeaks salvation on her way, - The trumpet of a life-restoring day; - ’Tis heard where England’s eastern glory shines, - And in the gulfs of her Cornubian mines. - And still it spreads. See Germany send forth - Her sons to pour it on the farthest north: - Fired with a zeal peculiar, they defy - The rage and rigour of a polar sky, - And plant successfully sweet Sharon’s rose - On icy plains, and in eternal snows. - _Cowper._ - - - No studied eloquence was there displayed, - Nor poetry of language lent its aid; - But plain the words that from the _preacher_ came; - A _preacher_ young, and all unknown to fame; - While youth and age a listening ear inclined, - To learn the way the pearl of price to find. - _Elizabeth Bogart._ - - - - - PREPARATION. - - -The _preparations_ of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, -is from the Lord.--Proverbs, xvi. 1. - -For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived -by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath -_prepared_ for him that waiteth for him.--Isaiah, lxiv. 4. - -_Prepare_ to meet thy God.--Amos, iv. 12. - - - Blaspheme not Heaven with rash, impatient speech, - Nor deem, at thine own hour, its rest to reach, - Unhappy child! The full-appointed time - Is His to choose; and when the sullen chime - And deep-toned striking of the funeral bell, - Thy fate to earthly ears shall sadly tell, - O! may the death thou talk’st of as a boon, - Find thee _prepared_, nor come, even then, too soon! - _Mrs. Norton._ - - - If no more - From its calmed deeps shall rise the fettered sea, - If Heaven’s fair bow proclaims the peril o’er; - A wreck more fearful yet remains for thee; - Time only bears thee to eternity. - Tread then the path thy bright Exemplar trod; - Think on the day when this vast earth shall be - In bursting flames dissolved--yon skies so broad - Shrink like a shrivelled scroll.--“_Prepare_ to meet thy God.” - _Dale._ - - - _Prepare_ me gracious God - To stand before thy face! - Thy spirit must the work perform - For it is all of grace. - - In Christ’s obedience clothe - And wash me in His blood! - So shall I lift my hand with joy - Among the sons of God. - - Do thou my sins subdue; - Thy sov’reign love make known; - The spirit of my mind renew, - And save me in thy Son. - _Anon._ - - - - - PRESENCE--OMNIPRESENCE. - - -O God, when Thou wentest forth before Thy people, when Thou didst march -through the wilderness; - -The earth shook, the heavens also dropped at the _presence_ of God: -even Sinai itself was moved at the _presence_ of God, the God of -Israel.--Psalm lxviii. 7, 8. - -Whither shall I go from Thy Spirit? or whither shall I flee from Thy -_presence_? - -If I ascend up into Heaven, Thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, -behold, Thou art there. - -If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of -the sea; - -Even there shall Thy hand lead me, and Thy right hand shall hold -me.--Psalm cxxxix. 7, 8, 9, 10. - - - What!--will a man play tricks, will he indulge - A silly fond conceit of his fair form, - And just proportion, fashionable mien, - A pretty face, in _presence_ of his God? - _Cowper._ - - - Come, holy, holy, holy Lord! - Thou Father, Son, and Spirit come! - I lean upon Thy changeless word; - Make the faithful soul Thy home! - Arm of the Lord, awake! awake! - In me Thy glorious self reveal: - Let me thy sevenfold gifts partake: - All, all Thy mighty _presence_ feel. - _C. Wesley._ - - - Yes!--what was earth to him, whose spirit passed - Time’s utmost bounds?--on whose unshrinking sight - Ten thousand shapes of burning glory cast - Their full resplendence?--Majesty and might - Were in his dreams;--for him the veil of light - Shrouding Heaven’s inmost sanctuary and throne, - The curtain of the unutterably bright, - Was raised!--to him, in fearful splendour shown, - Ancient of days! e’en Thou mad’st Thy dread _presence_ known. - _Mrs. Hemans._ - - - In all the immense, the strange, and old, - Thy _presence_ careless men behold; - In all the little, weak, and mean, - By Faith be thou as clearly seen. - - Thou teachest not a leaf can grow, - Till life from Thee within it flow; - That not a speck of dust can be, - O Fount of Being, save by Thee! - _John Sterling._ - - - What joy, while here I view the day, - That warns my thirsting soul away; - What transports fill my breast! - For lo! my great Redeemer’s power - Unfolds the everlasting door, - And leads me to His rest. - - The festal morn, my God, is come, - That calls me to the hallowed dome, - Thy _presence_ to adore; - My feet the summons shall attend, - With willing steps Thy courts ascend, - And tread th’ ethereal floor. - _Merrick._ - - - God hath a _presence_, and that ye may see - In the fold of the flower, the leaf of the tree, - In the sun of the noon-day, the star of the night, - In the storm-cloud of darkness, the rainbow of night, - In the waves of the ocean, the furrows of land, - In the mountain of granite, the atom of sand, - Turn where ye may, from the sky to the sod, - Where can ye gaze that ye see not God. - _Eliza Cook._ - - - Soul of the world, All-seeing Eye, - Where, where shall man Thy _presence_ fly? - Say, would he climb the starry height? - All Heaven is instinct with Thy Light:-- - Dwell in the darkness of the grave? - Yea, Thou art there to judge and save. - - In vain on wings of morn we soar, - In vain the realms of space explore, - In vain retreat to shades of night,-- - From what can veil us from Thy sight? - Distance dissolves before Thy ray, - And darkness kindles into day. - _William Peter._ - - - - - PRIDE. - - -Every one that is _proud_ in heart is an abomination to the -Lord.--Proverbs, xvi. 5. - -_Pride_ goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a -fall.--Proverbs, xvi. 18. - -Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof; and the -patient in spirit is better than the _proud_ in spirit.--Ecclesiastes, -vii. 8. - -The day of the Lord of Hosts shall be upon every one that is _proud_ -and lofty.--Isaiah, ii. 12. - - - Small things make base men _proud_. - _Shakspere._ - - - When grief, that well might humble, swells our _pride_, - And _pride_ increasing aggravates our grief, - The tempest must prevail till we are lost. - _Lillo._ - - - Though, various foes against the truth combine, - _Pride_, above all, opposes her design; - _Pride_, of a growth superior to the rest, - The subtlest serpent, with the loftiest crest, - Swells at the thought, and, kindling into rage, - Would hiss the cherub Mercy from the stage. - _Cowper._ - - - _Pride_, self-adoring _pride_, was primal cause - Of all sin past, all pain, all woe to come. - _Pollok._ - - - Hate, unbelief, and blasphemy of God, - Envy and slender, malice and revenge, - And murder and deceit, and every birth - Of damned sort, were progeny of _pride_. - _Pollok._ - - - What if his very virtues - Had pampered his swol’n heart, and made him _proud_? - And what if _pride_ had duped him into guilt? - _Coleridge._ - - - If thou be one whose heart the holy form - Of young imagination hath kept pure, - Stranger! henceforth be warn’d, and know that _pride_, - Howe’er disguised in its own majesty, - Is littleness; that he who feels contempt - For any living thing, hath faculties - Which he has never used, that thought with him - Is in its infancy. - _Wordsworth._ - - - - - PRIEST. - - -The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent, thou art a _priest_ for ever -after the order of Melchizedek.--Psalm cx. 4. - -Such an high _priest_ became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, -separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens. - -For the law maketh men high _priests_ which have infirmity; but the -word of the oath, which was since the law, maketh the Son, who is -consecrated for evermore.--Hebrews, vii. 26, 28. - - - Behold, Melchizedek! - And he who for himself and for his seed - Paid tithes to him, and he who thus bespake - His pious Father: “But where is the Lamb - For sacrifice?”--his dignity partake, - Humbly with Isaac and with Abraham, - The eternal _priest_ bowed down in silent prayer. - Messiah thus-- - - “Ere Abraham was, I am! - And thou, thou _priest_ of Salem, who while-ere - Greeted the faithful from his victory - With sacramental blessing;--thou wert him - Of th’ everlasting Order and Decree, - Whence bread from Heaven, angelic food for man, - And life divine outpoured in blood. With thee - That sacramental ordinance began, - Accomplished now. Be thou a _priest_ for ever: - I swear, nor shall repent. I will--I can-- - After thine Order rule, and it shall never - In righteousness and peace, surcease to hold - Sway and dominion when and wheresoever.” - _J. A. Heraud._ - - - The _priestly_ brotherhood, devout, sincere, - From mean self-interest and ambition clear, - Their hope in Heaven, servility their scorn, - Prompt to persuade, expostulate, and warn. - There wisdom pure, and given them from above, - Their usefulness ensured by zeal and love, - As meek as the man Moses, and withal - As bold as in Agrippa’s presence, Paul, - Should fly the world’s contaminating touch, - Holy and unpolluted. - _Cowper._ - - - - - PRISON. - - -Let the sighing of the _prisoner_ come before Thee; according to the -greatness of Thy power preserve Thou those that are appointed to -die.--Psalm lxxix. 11. - -The Lord looseth the _prisoners_.--Psalm cxlvi. 7. - -Turn you to the stronghold ye _prisoners_ of hope.--Zechariah, ix. 12. - - - Prisoners of hope, arise, - And see your Lord appear! - Lo! on the wings of love He flies, - And brings redemption near. - - Redemption in His blood - He calls you to receive: - “Look unto me, the pardoning God; - Believe,” He cries, “believe!” - _C. Wesley._ - - - Though not a human voice he hears, - And not a human form appears - His solitude to share, - He is not all alone--the eye - Of Him who hears the _prisoner’s_ sigh - Is even on him there. - _J. L. Chester._ - - - The captive welcomes even death’s relief: - What then, to him, the frowning _prison_-walls, - The clanking chain, the tyrant’s ’vengeful spite? - From the freed spirit every shackle falls,-- - Earth’s gloom is lost, in Heaven’s glorious light. - _H. H. Weld._ - - - Thy solemn vows are on me, Lord; - Thou shalt receive my praise; - I’ll sing “How faithful is Thy word! - How righteous all thy ways!” - - Thou hast secured my soul from death, - O set Thy _prisoner_ free! - That heart and hand, and life and breath, - May be employ’d for Thee. - - Then, like a bird that soars and sings, - Escaping from the cage, - My _prisoned_ soul shall stretch her wings, - And in Thy cause engage. - _Anon._ - - - - - PROMISE. - - -He remembered His holy _promise_, and Abraham His servant. - -And He brought forth His people with joy, and His chosen with -gladness.--Psalm cv. 42, 43. - -Behold I send the _promise_ of my Father upon you.--Luke, xxiv. 49. - -The Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you. - -All the _promises_ of God in Him are yea, and in Him Amen, unto the -glory of God by us.--II. Corinthians, i. 19, 20. - - - His very word of grace is strong - As that which built the skies; - The voice that rolls the stars along - Speaks all the _promises_. - He said, “Let the wide heaven be spread;” - And heaven was stretched abroad. - “Abra’m, I’ll be thy God,” He said; - And He was Abra’m’s God. - _Watts._ - - - Happy the man whose hopes rely - On Israel’s God: He built the sky, - And earth, and seas, with all their train; - His truth for ever stands secure, - He saves the oppress’d, He feeds the poor, - And none shall find His _promise_ vain. - _Watts._ - - - When the good man yields his breath, - (For the good man never dies,) - Bright, beyond the gulf of death, - To the land of _promise_ hies! - _James Montgomery._ - - - Still let me love the sacred page - Where truths from Heaven recorded lie; - And while I tread this mortal stage, - May I be taught to live and die. - - Still let me bind it to my heart, - The richest jewel I can wear; - That when all other charms depart, - Its lustre still may sparkle there. - - Father! Thy truth shall be my guide; - Thy _promises_ my soul shall cheer; - And when by sin or sorrow tried, - Oh! may Thy smile dispel my fear. - _Hutton._ - - - - - PROPHECY--PROPHETS. - - -He spake by the mouth of His holy _prophets_, which have been since the -world began.--Luke, i. 70. - -Knowing this first, that no _prophecy_ of the scripture is of any -private interpretation. - -For the _prophecy_ came not in old time by the will of man: but holy -men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.--II. Peter, i. -20, 21. - - - The world’s a _prophecy_ of worlds to come. - _Young._ - - - The words of _prophecy_, those truths divine, - Which make that Heaven, if thou desire it, thine-- - (Awful alternative! believed, beloved, - Thy glory--and thy shame if unimproved,) - Are never long vouchsafed, if pushed aside - With cold disgust, or philosophic pride. - _Cowper._ - - - But chief the _Prophets_ glowed with full delight, - Strong as a god, mature as soon as born - To scotch the serpent’s coil. Oh, happy lands, - Where hope ne’er hopes in vain, and love is ne’er lovelorn! - And lo, Isaiah now amidst them stands, - Majestically eminent o’er all, - And blesses them with his thanksgiving hands. - Though they so great, he towers heroical, - Though humblest of that holiest company, - Sweet as sublime. So once looked royal Saul; - So looked, but was not what he seemed to be, - Amidst the children of his father’s land, - The goodliest, loftier then the rest was he. - But fairer Jesse’s son whom Samuel’s hand - King ’midst his brethren hallowed and proclaimed. - So Samuel stood above the _prophet_ band, - When the insane tyrant at the youth’s life aimed, - But, smit at Naioth by the Spirit there, - Quelled at his feet lay naked and ashamed. - Now, as a pupil in his own school here, - Vaileth his reverential forehead low - Unto the _prophet_, the time-hallowed Seer-- - A larger college is endowed now; - A true _prophetic_ university; - The jewels are made up, or nearly so; - One only they await, to whose broad eye - Shall be disclosed the vision, that will fill - The casket up, and seal it sacredly. - - * * * * * - - So Jeremiah on a sea of grief - Floated his ark of pensive melody. - - With bolder mien, and shown in strong relief, - Ezekiel, with a brother’s strict embrace, - Greeted the grasp of that returned chief; - Yet sighed bitterly before his face, - Because the furbished sword contemned the rod, - And, for a trial, glowed with its disgrace, - Sanguine with slaughter. Let it rage! For God - Will smite his hands together, and refrain - From fury--but the vintage must be trod. - To men on earth his was a lovely strain, - Of one who sweetly sang, and deftly played, - But in a foreign land discoursed in vain. - - Oh, Daniel well beloved! who plainly said - In no strange tongue the things that were to be, - Simple of manners, and of mind unswayed. - Dear is the welcome of simplicity! - How dear is thine, to whom for this was given - The Hope of Nations over all to see! - - Come forth, ye sacred band, inspired of Heaven, - Surround the _Prophet_ silently controlled, - And hear how well his embassy has thriven-- - Hosea, the zealous; Amos, herdsman bold; - Jonas, type of our theme, and Obadiah, - And Nahum, who of Nineveh foretold-- - Micah and Habakkuk, and Zephaniah, - Joel, Haggai, and Malachi who saves - But with a curse, and lofty Zechariah-- - Noble your duty--noble he who braves - The stormy world, and guides the ark of God - In safety o’er the inimical waves! - _J. A. Heraud._ - - - - - PROSPERITY. - - -For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the _prosperity_ of the -wicked. - -Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end. - -Surely Thou didst set them in slippery places: Thou castedst them down -into destruction.--Psalm lxxiii. 3, 17, 18. - -O Lord, I beseech thee, send now _prosperity_.--Psalm cxviii. 25. - -Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall _prosper_ that love thee. - -Peace be within thy walls, and _prosperity_ within thy palaces.--Psalm -cxxii. 6, 7. - - - Daily and hourly proof - Tells us _prosperity_’s at the highest degree - The fount and handle of calamity. - _Chapman._ - - - O, how portentous is _prosperity_! - How, comet-like, it threatens while it shines! - Few years but yield us proof of Death’s ambition - To cull his victims from the fairest fold, - And sheathe his shafts in all the pride of life. - When flooded with abundance, purpled o’er - With recent honour, bloomed with every bliss, - Set up in ostentation, made the gaze, - The gaudy centre of the public eye; - When fortune thus has tossed her child in air, - Snatched from the covert of an humble state, - How often have I seen him dropt at once, - Our morning’s envy, and our evening’s sigh! - As if her bounties were the signal given, - The flowery wreath to mark the sacrifice, - And call Death’s arrows on the destined prey. - _Young._ - - - The man, perhaps, - Thou pitiest, draws his comfort from distress. - That mind so poised, and centred in the good - Supreme, so kindle with devotion’s flame, - Might, with _prosperity’s_ enchanting cup - Inebriate, have forgot the All-giving hand; - Might on earth’s vain and transitory joys - Have built its sole felicity, nor e’er - Winged a desire beyond. - _George Bally._ - - - - - PSALM. - - -Take a _psalm_, and bring hither the timbrel, the pleasant harp with -the psaltery.--Psalm lxxxi. 2. - -Speaking to yourselves in _psalms_ and hymns and spiritual songs, -singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.--Ephesians, v. 19. - -Is any merry? let him sing _psalms_.--James, v. 13. - - - When Israel’s king first woke his strains sublime, - And offered praises unto Thee, O Lord! - With heart contrite for expiated crime, - And soul that yearned Thy mercy-seat toward; - He knew Thy power, he felt Thy saving grace, - On earth with joy Thy wondrous works surveyed, - Then turned to Heaven, his final resting-place, - And thence drew inspiration as he prayed. - - With shawms and psalt’rys as in days of yore, - And dulcimers and harps we greet Thee not, - But richer, sweeter strains around us pour, - And fill with melody this sacred spot; - To Thee, to Thee, great God of Hosts! this day - An instrument of praise we consecrate: - May we, like David, own Thy sovereign sway, - And unto Thee our service dedicate. - - As through Thy temple now the deep strains peal - And choral minstrelsy is heard to swell, - Devotion wakes within us, and we feel - All that the _psalmist_ hath expressed so well; - Be it no transient feeling that within - The bosom stirs, and turns the soul to Thee; - Guard us, and save us from besetting sin; - Make us Thine own to all eternity! - _Egone._ - - - Nor think the muse, whose sober voice ye hear, - Contracts, with bigot frown, her sullen brow; - Casts round Religion’s orb the mists of fear, - Or shades with horrors what with smiles should glow. - - No; she would warm you with seraphic fire, - Heirs as ye are, of Heaven’s eternal day; - Would bid you boldly to that Heaven aspire, - Nor sink and slumber in your cells of clay. - _William Mason._ - - - - - PUNISHMENT. - - -Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the _punishment_ of his -sins? - -Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the -Lord.--Lamentations, iii. 39, 40. - -Then shall He say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye -cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. - -And these shall go away into everlasting _punishment_: but the -righteous into life eternal.--Matthew, xxv. 41, 46. - -Governors are sent by him for the _punishment_ of evil doers, and for -the praise of them that do well.--I. Peter, ii. 14. - - - The house of endless pain is built thereby, - In which ten thousand sorts of _punishment_ - The cursed creatures do eternally torment. - _Spenser._ - - - If you confess humanity, believe - There is a God, to _punish_ or reward - Our doings here. - _Thomas Southern._ - - - Ye princes all, and rulers every one, - In _punishment_ beware of hatred’s ire. - Before you scourge, take heed; look well thereon: - In wrath’s ill will, if malice kindle fire, - Your hearts will burn in such a hot desire, - That, in those flames, the smoke shall dim your sight, - Ye shall forget to join your justice right. - - You should not judge till things be well discerned; - Your charge is still to maintain upright laws: - In conscience’ rules ye should be thoroughly learned-- - Where clemency bids wrath and rashness pause; - And further saith, strike not without a cause: - And when ye smite, do it for justice’ sake; - Then in good part each man your scourge will take. - _Thomas Churchyard._ - - - Had I a hundred mouths, a hundred tongues, - I could not half those horrid crimes repeat, - Nor half the _punishment_ those crimes have met. - _Dryden._ - - A greater power - Now ruled him, _punished_ in the shape he sinned. - _Milton._ - - - - - PURITY. - - -Blessed are the _pure_ in heart; for they shall see God.--Matthew, v. 8. - -For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer -sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the _purifying_ of the flesh: - -How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit -offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead -works to serve the living God.--Hebrews, ix. 13, 14. - - - Henceforth in my name - Take courage, O thou woman,--man take hope, - Your graves shall be as smooth as Eden’s sward, - Beneath the steps of your prospective thoughts; - And, one step past them, a new Eden gate - Shall open on a hinge of harmony, - And let you through to mercy. Ye shall fall - No more within that Eden, nor pass out - Any more from it. In which hope, move on - First sinners and first mourners. Live and love, - Doing both nobly because lowlily, - Love and work strongly,--because patiently! - And for the deed of death, trust it to God, - That it be well done, unrepented of, - And not to loss. And thence with constant prayers - Fasten your souls on high, that constantly - The smile of your heroic cheer may float - Above all floods of earthly agonies, - _Purification_ being the joy of pain. - _E. B. Browning._ - - - Blest are the _pure_, whose hearts are clean - From the defiling power of sin, - With endless pleasure they shall see - A God of spotless _purity_. - _Watts._ - - - Me through the blood of sprinkling make - _Pure_ from defilement white as snow, - Heal me for my Redeemer’s sake, - Then joy and gladness I shall know. - _J. Montgomery._ - - - Thou holy God! preserve our souls - From all pollution free; - The _pure_ in heart are thy delight, - And they thy face shall see. - _Needham._ - - - - - QUIET. - - -When he giveth _quietness_, who can then make trouble?--Job, xxxiv. 29. - -But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be _quiet_ -from fear of evil.--Proverbs, i. 33. - -For thus saith the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and -rest shall ye be saved; in _quietness_ and in confidence shall be your -strength: and ye would not.--Isaiah, xxx. 15. - - - Quiet, Lord, my froward heart, - Make me teachable and mild, - Upright, simple, free from art, - Make me as a weaned child, - From distrust and envy free, - Pleased with all that pleases Thee. - _Newton._ - - - If there be a heaven so fair - O’er us ever shining, - We shall never enter there - By looking up and pining. - In one holy, _quiet_ thought, - Heaven to us is nearer brought, - Than in all the radiance bright, - Of a thousand worlds of light. - _J. Gostick._ - - - Come to thy lonely bower, thou who dost love - The hour of musing. Come, before the brow - Of twilight darkens, or the solemn stars - Look from their casement, ’mid that hush of soul, - Music from viewless harps shall visit thee, - Such as thou never heard’st amid the din - Of earth’s coarse enginery, by toil and care - Urged on without reprieve: Ah! kneel and catch - That tuneful cadence. - How closely wrapt - In _quiet_ slumber are all things around, - The vine-leaf and the willow-fringe stir not, - Nor doth the chirping of the feeblest bird, - Nor even the cold glance of the vestal moon, - Disturb thy reverie. - _Mrs. Sigourney._ - - - - - RANSOM. - - -They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude -of their riches; - -None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a -_ransom_ for him.--Psalm xlix. 6, 7. - -And the _ransomed_ of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with -songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and -gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.--Isaiah, xxxv. 10. - -For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man -Christ Jesus; - -Who gave himself a _ransom_ for all, to be testified in due time.--I. -Timothy, ii. 5, 6. - - - Ere the third dawning light - Return, the stars of morn shall see Him rise, - The _ransom_ paid which man from death redeems - His death for man. - _Milton._ - - - Lord of every land and nation, - Ancient of eternal days, - Sounded through the wide creation - Be Thy just and lawful praise. - - Brightness of Thy Father’s glory, - Shall Thy praise unuttered be? - Fly my tongue, such guilty silence, - Sing the Lord who came to die! - - From the highest throne of glory, - To the cross of deepest woe; - All to _ransom_ guilty sinners: - Flow, thy praise, for ever, flow! - _Robinson._ - - - The _ransomed_ shout to their glorious King, - Where no sorrow shades the soul as they sing; - But a sinless and joyless song they raise, - And their voice of prayer is eternal praise. - _Henry Ware, Jr._ - - - Blessed are the sons of God; - They are bought with Jesu’s blood, - They are _ransom’d_ from the grave, - Life eternal they shall have: - With them number’d may we be, - Now and through eternity! - _Humphreys._ - - - - - REASON--REASONS. - - -Come now, and let us _reason_ together, saith the Lord: though your -sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red -like crimson, they shall be as wool.--Isaiah, i. 18. - -Produce your cause, saith the Lord; bring forth your strong _reasons_ -saith the King of Jacob.--Isaiah, xli. 21. - -And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto -heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the Most -High; - -At the same time my _reason_ returned.--Daniel, iv. 34, 36. - - - Dim as the borrowed beams of moon and stars - To lonely, weary, wandering travellers, - Is _Reason_ to the soul; and as on high - Those rolling fires discover but the sky, - Not light us here; so _Reason’s_ glimmering ray - Was lent, not to assure our doubtful way, - But guide us upward to a better day. - And as those nightly tapers disappear, - When day’s bright lord ascends our hemisphere; - So pale grows _Reason_, at Religion’s sight; - So dies, and so dissolves, in supernatural light. - _Dryden._ - - - Yet, since the effects of Providence, we find, - Are variously dispensed to human kind; - That Vice triumphs and Virtue suffers here, - A brand that sovereign justice cannot bear; - Our _reason_ prompts us to a future state, - The last appeal from fortune and from fate: - Where God’s all-righteous ways will be declared; - The bad meet punishment, the good reward. - _Dryden._ - - - Though _Reason_ cannot through Faith’s mysteries see, - It sees that there, and such they be; - Though it, like Moses, by a sad command - Must not come into th’ Holy Land, - Yet thither it infallibly does guide, - And from afar ’tis all descried. - _Cowley._ - - - Through _Reason’s_ wounds alone, thy faith can die. - _Young._ - - - _Reason_ the root; fair faith is but the flower; - The fading flower shall die, but _reason_ lives - Immortal, as her Father in the skies. - _Young._ - - - ’Tis _Reason_ our great Master holds so dear; - ’Tis _Reason’s_ injured rights His wrath resents; - ’Tis _Reason’s_ voice obeyed, His glories crown; - To give lost _Reason_ life, He poured His own. - _Young._ - - - With scanty line shall _Reason_ dare to mete - Th’ immeasurable depths of Providence? - On the swol’n bladders of opinion borne, - She floats awhile, then, floundering, sinks absorbed - Within that boundless sea she strove to grasp. - Shall man, here stationed to revere that God - Who called him into being from the dust, - His moral scheme implead, and, impious, cite - Th’ Almighty Legislator to the bar - Of erring intellect? - _George Bally._ - - - Far other flame the vain enthusiast feels - When, _reason_ by delusive fancy led - In sad captivity, the thoughts confused - Rush on his mind in dark and doubtful sense, - His mind a chaos of blind zeal, that spurns - Th’ unerring clue which mild discretion lends. - Perchance the clashing images strike out - Some ray of casual light; how soon - The weak and momentary glance is lost - Beneath a load of wild obscurity! - Much does he labour with some weighty thought - Of faith, of grace, of Heaven, perchance of hell, - But all in vain be draws the thread confused - To tedious length; the end eludes his search, - And leaves him wrapt in wild perplexity, - Recoiling still on the same beaten track. - _Charles Jenner._ - - - The godhead which is ours - Can never utterly be charmed or stilled; - That nothing hath a natural right to last - But equity and _reason_. - _Wordsworth._ - - - - - REDEEMER. - - -I know that my _Redeemer_ liveth, and that He shall stand at the latter -day upon the earth.--Job, xix. 25. - -Thy _Redeemer_ the Holy One of Israel; the God of the whole earth shall -He be called.--Isaiah, liv. 5. - -The _Redeemer_ shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from -transgression in Jacob, saith the Lord.--Isaiah, lix. 20. - - - O, blest _Redeemer_, from Thy sacred throne, - Where saints and angels sing Thy triumphs won, - From that exalted height of bliss supreme - Look down on those who bear Thy Sacred Name; - Restore their ways, inspire them by Thy grace, - Thy laws to follow, and Thy steps to trace; - Thy bright example to Thy doctrine join, - And by their morals prove their faith divine! - _Boyse._ - - - Lift up your heads, ye everlasting gates, - The King of Glory comes! He comes to clothe - This mortal in the unperishable garb - Of immortality! Hear it, ye dead, - Hear the glad tidings! and with trembling hope - Expect that day, when at th’ Archangel’s trump, - From the long sleep of many thousand years - Ye shall awake--awake to sleep no more: - Hear it, O living man, ere greedy Death - Consigns thee to the prison of the tomb; - Hear and be wise, seek thy _Redeemer’s_ throne; - On bending knees implore His healing grace, - Chaunt forth His praise and venerate His name. - _William Bolland._ - - - Then shall the day-spring rise, before whose beams - The darkness of the world is past: for hark! - Seraphs and angel-choirs with symphonies - Acclaiming of ten thousand golden harps, - Amid the bursting clouds of heaven reveal’d. - At once in glory jubilant,--they sing: - “God the _Redeemer_ liveth! He who took - Man’s nature on Him, and in human shroud - Veil’d His immortal glory! He is risen-- - God the Redeemer liveth! and behold - The gates of life and immortality - Opened to all that breathe.” - _Bowles._ - - - Out of my penitence there has grown hope; - I trust and raise my suppliant eyes to Heaven, - And when my soul desponds, I meekly say, - “I know that my _Redeemer_ liveth.” - _Miss Landon._ - - - He dies; in whose high victory, - The slayer, death himself, shall die, - He dies; by whose all-conquering tread - Shall yet be crushed the serpent’s head; - From his proud throne to darkness hurled, - The god and tempter of this world. - He dies; creation’s awful Lord, - Jehovah, Christ, Eternal Word! - To come in thunder from the skies; - To bid the buried world arise; - The earth His footstool, heaven His throne;-- - _Redeemer!_ may Thy will be done! - _Croly._ - - - My blest _Redeemer_ lives.--In that last day - When, like the baseless fabric of a dream, - Earth’s unsubstantial glories pass away, - He then shall stand, acknowledged Lord supreme. - My blest _Redeemer_ lives.--Though death the head - Consign, a victim to the silent tomb; - Though worms around my lifeless body spread, - Though noisome worms these mouldering limbs consume, - Triumphant still o’er Satan’s power I rise, - My God, my God appears, and wakes these languid eyes. - _Samuel Hayes._ - - - Rejected, scorned, - Despised, a man of sorrow and distress, - To all the ills which poverty’s chill cold, - Or power of tyrant malice could inflict, - Exposed a victim, through life’s wretched vale - Our blest _Redeemer_ passed. - _Samuel Hayes._ - - - From all that dwell below the skies - Let the Creator’s praise arise; - Let the _Redeemer’s_ name be sung - Through every land by every tongue. - _Watts._ - - - - - REDEMPTION. - - -With the Lord there is mercy, and with Him is plenteous -_redemption_.--Psalm cxxx. 7. - -But of Him are ye in Christ Jesus, who, of God, is made unto us -wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and _redemption_.--I. -Corinthians, i. 30. - -Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood, -He entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal -_redemption_ for us.--Hebrews, ix. 12. - - - _Redemption!_ ’twas creation more sublime; - _Redemption!_ ’twas the labour of the skies; - Far more than labour, it was death in Heaven: - A truth so strange! ’twere bold to think it true, - If not far bolder still, to disbelieve. - _Young._ - - - Harp! lift thy voice on high! shout, angels, shout! - And loudest ye _redeemed_! Glory to God, - And to the Lamb, who bought us with His blood, - From every kindred, nation, people, tongue; - And washed, and sanctified, and saved our souls; - And gave us robes of linen pure, and crowns - Of life, and made us kings and priests to God! - Shout back to ancient time! sing loud, and wave - Your palms of triumph! sing, where is thy sting, - O death? where is thy victory, O grave? - Thanks be to God, eternal thanks, who gave - Us victory through Jesus Christ, our Lord! - Harp! lift thy voice on high! shout, angels, shout! - And loudest ye _redeemed_! Glory to God, - And to the Lamb, all glory and all praise! - All glory and all praise, at morn and even, - That come and go eternally, and find - Us happy still, and Thee for ever blest! - Glory to God and to the Lamb! Amen. - For ever and for evermore! Amen. - _Robert Pollok._ - - - _Redemption_ was no after-thought, by Sin - Awakened from thy depths, celestial Love! - When first Humanity the fiend obeyed, - For in the councils of Almighty Grace - Thy priesthood, Oh Incarnate! was designed - Before Creation out of nothing sprang. - But when at length the hour predestined came, - Eternity a form of Time assum’d; - Then from His throne of perfect glory stoop’d - The second in the Godhead, and Himself - In mortal limbs and lineaments array’d; - Then did Emmanuel on this blighted earth - Of sin and suffering, body forth such grace - As made our orb a miracle of worlds, - By there achieving what the God Triune - Determined when their master-work was plann’d, - The vast atonement blood divine unveils. - _R. Montgomery._ - - - Nor hymn, nor harp, nor song divine, - Nor myriad orbs created Thine, - Thy measureless display of love - To earth below, and heaven above, - By their unmingled power could tell,-- - That ends the curse, and conquers hell! - Lo! the manger where He lies, - A world-_redeeming_ sacrifice: - “Peace on earth! to man good-will!” - Let the skies our anthem fill! - _R. Montgomery._ - - - Hark! ’tis the prophet of the skies - Proclaims _redemption_ near; - The night of death and bondage flies, - The dawning tints appear. - - Zion, from deepest shades of gloom, - Awakes to glorious day; - Her desert wastes with verdure bloom, - Her shadows flee away. - - To heal her wounds, her night dispel, - The heralds cross the main; - On calvary’s awful brow they tell, - That Jesus lives again. - - From Salem’s towers, the Islam sign, - With holy zeal is hurled: - ’Tis there Immanuel’s symbols shine, - His banner is unfurled. - - The gladdening news, conveyed afar, - Remotest nations hear; - To welcome Judah’s rising star, - The ransomed tribes appear. - - Again in Bethlehem swells the song, - The choral breaks again; - While Jordan’s shores the strains prolong, - “Good-will and peace to men!” - _W. P. Tappan._ - - - _Redemption!_ O, thou beauteous mystic plan! - Thou salutary source of light to man! - What tongue can speak thy comprehensive grace? - What thought thy depths unfathomable trace? - When lost in sin our ruined nature lay, - When awful justice claimed her righteous pay, - See the mild Saviour bend His pitying eye, - And stop the lightning just prepared to fly! - _Boyse._ - - - Be every knee - To Christ in homage bent! Be every heart - In adoration, and in fervent prayer, - To Him poured forth! From His all-gracious birth, - The day-spring from on high descends: grim death, - Stripped of his boasted empire, prostrate falls: - The cerements of the dank, victorious grave - Are burst asunder: th’ adamantine gates - Of Paradise unbarred: man’s forfeit race - From the deep gulf of Erebus _redeemed_, - To life, to immortality arise. - _Samuel Hayes._ - - - The grand _Redemption_ of degenerate man - Is not a single, independent act, - But one great system; that, perchance, involved - In the one only greater, God’s high law - Pervading and supporting every part - Of the stupendous universe: to thee, - Dark are the system’s limits; nay, the whole - To thee unknown, save some minuter spots, - Displayed to show the parts thou hast to act - In the alarming scene. - _John Hey._ - - - - - REFUGE. - - -The eternal God is thy _refuge_.--Deuteronomy, xxxiii. 27. - -The Lord also will be a _refuge_ for the oppressed, a _refuge_ in times -of trouble.--Psalm ix. 9. - -I will say of the Lord, He is my _refuge_ and my fortress.--Psalm xci. -2. - - - At length life’s stormy voyage well nigh done, - These waves shall toss my fragile bark no more, - But ah! there waits the judge, the unerring one, - Who shall each word, and work, and thought explore. - And is it so? the fantasy is o’er - That made enshrined art my idol still; - And many a flying shade I chased before, - As my chief good was but a specious ill! - What, if when death has wrack’d his power to kill, - The living death beyond the grave be mine. - The pencil and the chisel have no skill - To chain such thoughts to rest. O Love Divine - Who didst spread wide thy arms on Calvary, - Be thou my _refuge_, Lord! for I have none save thine! - _Michael Angelo._ - - - When rising winds and rain descending, - A near approaching storm declare; - With trembling speed their wings extending, - The birds to sheltering trees repair. - - So I, by faith, with sin oppressed, - Would _refuge_ taste, O Christ, in thee; - Thou art my hiding-place and rest, - From every evil shelter me. - _From the German._ - - - Except the Lord the city keep - All vainly may the watchman wake, - The careless souls within who sleep - In fear and terror well may quake. - - Except the soul for safety flee - For _refuge_ to the city built - By God for trembling sinners, he - Will be o’ertaken in his guilt. - _Egone._ - - - - - RELIGION. - - -If any man among you seem to be _religious_, and bridleth not his -tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s _religion_ is vain. - -Pure _religion_ and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To -visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep -himself unspotted from the world.--James, i. 26, 27. - - - Seeming devotion doth but gild the knave, - That’s neither faithful, honest, just, nor brave; - But where _Religion_ doth with Virtue join, - It makes a hero like an angel shine. - _Waller._ - - - _Religion’s_ all. Descending from the skies - To wretched man, the goddess, in her left, - Holds out this world, and in her right, the next. - _Young._ - - - _Religion!_ Providence! an after state! - Here is firm footing; here is solid rock! - This can support us; all is sea besides; - Sinks under us, bestows, and then devours. - His band the good man fastens on the skies, - And bids earth roll, nor feels her idle whirl. - _Young._ - - - _Religion_ does not censure, or exclude - Unnumbered pleasures, harmlessly pursued. - _Cowper._ - - - Pity _Religion_ has so seldom found - A skilful guide into poetic ground! - The flowers would spring where’er she deigned to stray, - And every muse attend her in the way. - Virtue, indeed, meets many a rhyming friend, - And many a compliment politely penned; - But unattired in that becoming vest - _Religion_ weaves for her, and half undressed, - Stands in the desert, shivering and forlorn - A wintry figure, like a withered thorn. - The shelves are full, all other themes are sped; - Hackneyed and worn to the last flimsy thread, - Satire has long since done his best, and curs’d; - And loathsome ribaldry has done his worst; - Fancy has sported all her powers away - In tales and trifles, and in children’s play; - And ’tis the sad complaint, and almost true, - Whate’er we write, we bring forth nothing new. - ’Twere new, indeed, to see a bard all fire, - Touched with a coal from Heaven, assume the lyre - And tell the world, still kindling as he sung, - With more than mortal music on his tongue, - That he who died below, and reigns above, - Inspires the song, and that His name is Love. - _Cowper._ - - - _Religion!_ what treasures untold - Reside in that heavenly word, - More precious than silver and gold, - Or all that this earth can afford. - _Cowper._ - - - And when _religious_ sects ran mad, - He held, in spite of all his learning, - That if a man’s belief is bad, - It will not be improved by burning. - _Praed._ - - - This _Religion_, which dilates our thoughts - Of God Supreme to an infinity - Of awful greatness, yet connects us with Him - As children, loved and cherished;-- - Adoring awe with tenderness united. - _Joanna Baillie._ - - - _Religion_ pure, - Unchanged in spirit, though its forms and codes - Wear myriad modes, - Contains all creeds within its mighty span-- - The love of God, displayed in love of man. - _Horace Smith._ - - - And when _Religion_ moves upon the face - Of the remote and multitudinous seas, - Be hers again the peaceful mien that charmed - Judea’s midnight winds in secret prayer, - And walked, a spirit of prevailing love, - Upon the star-lit waves of Galilee. - _A. Alexander._ - - - That man alone is truly brave, whose soul - By virtue tutored, by _religion_ swayed, - At their tribunal every impulse scans. - _Samuel Hayes._ - - - _Religion_ is the chief concern - Of mortals here below; - May I its great importance learn, - Its sovereign virtue know! - - More needful this than glittering wealth, - Or aught the world bestows; - Not reputation, food, nor health, - Can give us such repose. - - _Religion_ should our thoughts engage - Amidst our youthful bloom; - ’Twill fit us for declining age, - And for the awful tomb. - _Fawcett._ - - - O deem not that _Religion’s_ hallowed name - Is justly given to deeds of guilt and shame. - Deem not she loves the faggot and the steel, - The blood-stained hand, the heart untaught to feel. - Trace not her footsteps in the princely hall, - Where Borgia’s father held high festival. - She flees from haunts of guilt, nor heeds her voice - To bid the unrepentant heart rejoice; - To the seared spirit opes no ready heaven; - Forgives not him whom God hath not forgiven; - Nor loves she pomp’s vain homage; not the tide - Of low oblations at the shrine of pride. - _Wm. Spicer Wood._ - - - I see the ocean tossing in its strength, - And with a moan that speaks of coming storms - Rousing the dark waves from their lair, to greet - The howling wind, that in its force comes down - As with a war-cry of defiance, to - The might of the proud waters; in the midst - A giant rock uprears its crest, upon - Whose summit stands a form, beneath whose crowned - And awful brow the tempest seems to quail: - The pale magnificent beauty of her face - Is shaded by dark raven locks, that seem - Like night descending on the setting sun-- - The calm rebuking chastity of eye - That lays the soul so bare before its glance - Is hers, and her august and stately form - Towers o’er the storm and tempest like a god - Serene in power. ’Tis _Religion_--yes, - Woman thy homage is well paid to her, - Who shall be as a mother to thy race; - When in his dungeon the lone prisoner weeps - Deserted by his kindred; hunted down - Like a wild beast of prey by man, and left - Year after year to count the lingering time - By the slow pulse of his own failing heart; - When in the bitterness of his despair - He weeps, and deems himself forsaken by - All living things; her soothing voice shall thrill - In comfort to his heart; her form shall bend - Like a pitying mother’s o’er him, and - Uphold his drooping head; her hallow’d brow - Shall shed its light upon his soul, and cast - Around him peace ineffable. - _L. C. Reddell._ - - - With ineffectual toil, the Pow’r Supreme - I sought along the mead which flow’rets bore; - Thro’ a dense woodland;--by a mazy stream;-- - On heights;--in valleys;--by the wavy shore; - Nor God I found within the solar beam; - Nor in night’s radiance. What I could explore, - I saw, with proofs of His existence teem; - His certain stamp it had, but nothing more! - But thou, _Religion!_ can’st unveil His face! - Shall, then, man’s bosom feel no love for thee, - And seek thee not within thy hallow’d place? - How clearly there the eye of Faith can see - The ever-living God of Truth--Love--Grace! - There man can learn to meet Eternity! - _Rev. W. Pulling._ - - - ’Tis _Religion_ that can give, - Sweetest pleasures while we live; - ’Tis _Religion_ must supply - Solid comfort when we die. - - After death its joys will be - Lasting as eternity! - Be the living God my friend, - Then my bliss shall never end. - _Master._ - - - - - REMEMBRANCE. - - -_Remember_, O Lord, thy tender mercies and thy loving-kindnesses; for -they have been ever of old. - -_Remember_ not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions; according -to thy mercy _remember_ thou me for thy goodness’ sake, O Lord.--Psalm -xxv. 6, 7. - -They that feared the Lord spake often one to another, and the Lord -hearkened, and heard it, and a book of _remembrance_ was written -before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his -name.--Malachi, iii. 16. - - - Gethsemane, can I forget? or there Thy conflict see, - Thine agony and bloody sweat, and not _remember_ Thee? - When to the cross I turn mine eyes, and rest on Calvary, - O Lamb of God, my sacrifice! I must _remember_ Thee! - _Remember_ Thee and all Thy pains, and all Thy love to me; - Yea, while a breath or pulse remains, I will _remember_ Thee! - And when these failing lips grow dumb, and mind and memory flee, - When Thou shalt in Thy kingdom come, Jesus _remember_ me. - _J. Montgomery._ - - - Say, who can mourn - Over the smitten idol, by long years - Cemented with his being, yet perceive - No dark _remembrance_ that he fain would blot, - Troubling the tear? If there were no kind deed - Omitted, no sweet, healing word of love - Expected, yet unspoken; no light tone - That struck discordant on the shivering nerve, - For which the weeper fain would rend the tomb - To cry, “Forgive.” O, let him kneel and praise - God amid all his grief. - _Mrs. Sigourney._ - - - _Remember_ me--not, I entreat, - In scenes of festal week-day joy; - For then it were not kind or meet - Thy thoughts thy pleasures should alloy; - But on the sacred Sabbath day, - And, dearest, on thy bended knee, - When thou for those thou lov’st dost pray, - Sweet sister, then _remember_ me. - _Edward Everett._ - - - _Remember_ thee! _remember_ Christ! - While mem’ry holds her place, - Can we forget the Lord of Life, - Who saves us by his grace? - - The Lord of Life, with glory crown’d, - On heaven’s exalted throne, - Forgets not those for whom on earth - He heav’d his dying groan. - - The promis’d joy he then obtain’d - When he ascended hence, - Up from the grave to God’s right hand - A Saviour and a prince! - - His glory now no tongue of man - Or seraph bright can tell: - Yet still the chief of all his joys, - That souls are saved from hell. - - For this he came and dwelt on earth; - For this his life was given; - For this he fought and vanquished death, - For this he pleads in heav’n! - - Join, all ye saints beneath the sky, - Your grateful praise to give: - Sing loud hosannas to the Lord, - Who died that you might live. - _Dr. Wardlaw._ - - - _Remember_ thy Creator, - Now in thy youthful days, - And let thy heart, an opening flower, - Breathe incense forth of praise. - - _Remember_ thy Creator; - O’er thee His love abides, - His wisdom plans, His power sustains, - His bounteous hand provides. - - _Remember_ thy Creator, - In all life’s mirth and glee, - And he shall in thy fading age - Still, still, _remember_ thee. - _W. Martin._ - - - - - REPENTANCE. - - -_Repent_ ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. - -Bring forth therefore fruits meet for _repentance_.--Matthew, iii. 2, 8. - -_Repent_ ye, and believe the gospel.--Mark, i. 15. - -_Repent_ ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted -out.--Acts, iii. 19. - -And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all -men everywhere to _repent_.--Acts, xvii. 30. - -For godly sorrow worketh _repentance_ to salvation not to be _repented_ -of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.--II. Corinthians, vii. -10. - - - Confess yourself to Heaven; - _Repent_ what’s past; avoid what is to come; - And do not spread the compost on the weeds - To make them ranker. - _Shakspere._ - - - Try what _repentance_ can: what can it not? - Yet what can it, when one cannot _repent_? - O, wretched state! O, bosom black as death! - O, limed soul, that struggling to be free, - Art more engaged! - _Shakspere._ - - - Chide sinners as the father doth his child, - And keep them in the awe of loving fear; - Make sin most hateful, but in words be mild, - That humble patience may the better hear; - And wounded conscience may receive relief, - When true _repentance_ pleads the sinner’s grief. - - Yet flatter not the foul delight of sin, - But make it loathsome in the eye of love, - And seek the heart with holy thoughts to win - Unto the best way to the soul’s behove: - So teach, so live, that both in word and deed - The world may joy thy heavenly rules to read. - - Heal the infect of sin with oil of grace, - And wash the soul with true contrition’s tears; - And when confession shows her heavy case, - Deliver faith from all infernal fears, - That when high justice threatens sin with death, - Mercy again may give _Repentance_ breath. - _Nicolas Breton._ - - - At the round world’s imagined corners blow - Your trumpets, angels; and arise, arise, - From death you numberless infinities - Of souls, and to your scattered bodies go, - All whom the flood did, and fire shall o’erthrow, - All whom war, death, age, agues, tyrannies, - Despair, law, chance hath slain; and you whose eyes - Shall behold God and never taste death’s woe. - But let them sleep, Lord, and men mourn a space; - For if above all these my sins abound, - ’Tis late to ask abundance of Thy grace, - When we are there; here, on this lowly ground - Teach me how to _repent_; for that’s as good - As if Thou hadst sealed my pardon with Thy blood. - _John Donne._ - - - Heaven may forgive a crime to penitence, - For Heaven can judge if penitence is true. - _Dryden._ - - - While music flows around, - Perfumes, and oils, and wine, and wanton hours; - Amid the roses, fierce _repentance_ rears - Her snaky crest: a quick returning pang - Shoots through the conscious heart. - _Thomson._ - - - I will to-morrow, that I will, - I will be sure to do it; - To-morrow comes, to-morrow goes, - And still thou art to do it. - Thus still _repentance_ is deferred, - From one day to another: - Until the day of death is come - And judgment is the other. - _Drexelius._ - - - Go, let me weep! there’s bliss in tears, - When he who sheds them inly feels - Some lingering strain of early years - Effaced by every drop that steals. - The fruitless showers of worldly woe - Fall dark to earth and never rise; - While tears that from _repentance_ flow, - In bright exhalement reach the skies. - - Leave me to sigh o’er hours that flew - More idly then the summer’s wind; - And while they pass’d a fragrance threw, - But left no trace of sweets behind. - The warmest sigh that pleasure heaves - Is faint, is cold to those that swell - The heart, where pure _repentance_ grieves - O’er hours of pleasure loved too well. - _Moore._ - - - He who seeks _Repentance_ for the past, - Should woo the angel virtue for the future. - _Sir E. B. Lytton._ - - - Divine _Repentance_, in thy sacred tear - Alone is wisdom for the erring heart, - That infancy of soul, that stainless hour - When all the chaos of our spirit sleeps - In passionless repose,--how oft it woos - Our feelings back to purity and Heaven! - Alas! that in our solitude we soar - To perfect goodness, but in life descend - To dust again!--our aspirations quenched; - And all that purer moments wisely taught, - Denied, degraded, or forgot!--Thus glide - Our years along, in melancholy dreams - Of what they dare, and what they cannot be! - _R. Montgomery._ - - - _Repentance_ clothes in grass and flowers - The grave in which the past is laid. - _John Sterling._ - - - O blest _Repentance_, in thy weeping eye - Swim the pure beams of embryo-ecstacy. - And Faith, and Hope, and Love, and Joy, prepare - To still thy heart, and wipe thy bitter tear! - To thee alone the privilege is given, - By earthly woe, to kindle joy in Heaven, - For God Himself descends to soothe the heart - That weeps o’er sin, and struggles to depart; - And deeper transport swells the bliss above, - As seraphs sing the triumphs of His love. - _J. K. Mitchell._ - - - - - RESIGNATION. - - -I would seek unto God, and unto God would I commit my cause: - -Which doeth great things and unsearchable; marvellous things without -number.--Job, v. 8, 9. - -I know, O Lord, that Thy judgments are right, and that thou in -faithfulness hast afflicted me.--Psalm cxix. 75. - - - If, friendless, in a vale of tears I stray, - Where briars wound, and thorns perplex my way-- - Still let my steady soul Thy goodness see, - And with strong confidence lay hold on Thee; - With equal eye my various lot receive, - _Resigned_ to die, or resolute to live; - Prepared to kiss the sceptre or the rod, - While God is seen in all, and all in God. - _Mrs. Barbauld._ - - - Thou Power supreme! whose mighty scheme, - These woes of mine fulfil, - Here firm I rest; they must be best, - Because they are Thy will! - Then all I want, (O do Thou grant - This one request of mine!) - Since to enjoy Thou didst deny, - Assist me to _resign_. - _Burns._ - - - Luxury and pomp - Are but the splendid cover of distress - Rankling within; while conscience, ever gay, - And placid _resignation_ to his lot, - Cheer the poor tattered pilgrim, and derive - A flavour to his casual homely meal, - The rich man’s laboured dainties cannot yield. - _George Bally._ - - - Yet is He there: beneath our eaves - Each sound His wakeful ear receives; - Hush idle words, and thoughts of ill, - Your Lord is listening; peace, be still. - Christ watches by a Christian’s hearth, - Be silent, vain, deluding mirth, - Till in thine altered voice be known, - Somewhat of _resignation’s_ tone. - _Keble._ - - - - - REST. - - -Return unto thy _rest_, O my soul; for the Lord hath dealt bountifully -with thee.--Psalm cxvi. 7. - -Arise ye, and depart; for this is not your _rest_: because it is -polluted.--Micah, ii. 10. - -Let us therefore fear, lest a promise being left us of entering into -His _rest_, any of you should seem to come short of it. - -There remaineth therefore a _rest_ to the people of God.--Hebrews, iv. -1, 9. - - - I pass, with melancholy state, - By all these solemn heaps of fate, - And think, as soft and sad I tread - Above the venerable dead, - “Time was, like me, they life possessed; - And time will be, when I shall _rest_.” - _Parnell._ - - - Think not of _rest_; though dreams be sweet, - Start up, and ply your heavenward feet. - Is not God’s oath upon your head, - Ne’er to sink back on slothful bed, - Never again your loins untie, - Nor let your torches waste and die, - Till, when the shadows thickest fall, - Ye hear your Master’s midnight call? - _Keble._ - - - Hail, heavenly voice, once heard in Patmos; “Write, - Henceforth the dead who die in Christ are blest: - Yea, saith the Spirit, for they now shall _rest_ - From all their labours!” But no dull, dark night - That _rest_ o’ershadows: ’tis the day-spring bright - Of bliss; the foretaste of a richer feast; - A sleep, if sleep it be, of lively zest, - Peopled with visions of intense delight. - And though the secrets of that _resting_-place - The soul embodied knows not; yet she knows - No sin is there God’s likeness to deface, - To stint His love, no purgatorial woes; - Her dross is left behind, nor mixture base - Mars the pure stream of her serene repose. - _Bishop Mant._ - - - Hail to the day, which He, who made the Heaven, - Earth, and their armies, sanctified and blest, - Perpetual memory of the Maker’s _rest_! - Hail to the day, when He, by whom was given - New life to man, the tomb asunder riven, - Arose! That day His church hath still confest, - At once creation’s and redemption’s feast, - Sign of a world call’d forth, a world forgiven. - Welcome that day, the day of holy peace, - The Lord’s own day! to man’s Creator owed, - And man’s Redeemer; for the soul’s increase - In sanctity, and sweet repose bestowed; - Type of the _rest_, when sin and care shall cease, - The _rest_ remaining for the lov’d of God. - _Bishop Mant._ - - - Lord of the Sabbath, hear our vows, - On this Thy day, in this Thy house, - And own, as grateful sacrifice, - The songs which from the desert rise. - - Thine earthly sabbaths, Lord, we love, - But there’s a nobler _rest_ above; - To that our labouring souls aspire, - With ardent pangs of strong desire. - - No more fatigue, no more distress, - Nor sin nor hell shall reach the place; - No groans to mingle with the songs - Which warble from immortal tongues. - - No rude alarms of raging foes; - No cares to break the long repose; - No midnight shade, no clouded sun, - But sacred, high, eternal noon. - - O long-expected day, begin, - Dawn on these realms of woe and sin! - Fain would we leave this weary road, - And sleep in death to _rest_ with God. - _Dr. Doddridge._ - - - O, _rest_ not now, but scatter wide the seeds - Of faithful words, and yet more faithful deeds; - So thou shalt _rest_ above eternally, - When God the harvest fruit shall give to thee. - _Bethune._ - - - Not in this weary world of ours - Can perfect _rest_ be found; - Thorns mingle with its fairest flowers, - Even on cultured ground; - Earth’s pilgrim still his loins must gird - To seek a lot more blest; - And this must be his onward word-- - “In Heaven alone is _rest_!” - _Bernard Barton._ - - - He passeth calmly from that sunny morn, - Where all the buds of youth are newly born, - Through varying intervals of onward years, - Until the eve of his decline appears; - And while the shadows round his path descend, - And down the vale of age his footsteps tend, - Peace o’er his bosom sheds her soft control, - And throngs of gentlest memories charm the soul; - Then, weaned from earth, he turns his steadfast eye - Beyond the grave, whose verge he falters nigh, - Surveys the brightening regions of the blest, - And, like a wearied pilgrim, sinks to _rest_. - _Willis G. Clark._ - - - Oh, when life’s sunset draws around me, - Closing my eventful day, - Let Thy love, O Christ, upon me - Shed its pure and spirit ray. - Up the starry steeps of even, - Let Thy spirit be my guide, - Till in the deathless light of heaven, - Lost to earth, my spirit glide. - - There, where daylight ever lingers, - O’er the vernal flower-clad plains,-- - There, where morning’s rosy fingers - Wreathe with light the azure main-- - There, where all we dream of brightness, - Joy or peace, to make us blest, - May the wrapt soul on wings of lightness - Find _rest_, ah, yes: eternal _rest_. - _Rev. E. Case._ - - - - - RESURRECTION--RISING. - - -Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is _risen_: he is not -here:--Mark, xvi. 6. - -The hour is coming, in the which all that are in the grave shall -hear His voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto -the _resurrection_ of life; and they that have done evil, unto the -_resurrection_ of damnation.--John, v. 28, 29. - -I am the _resurrection_ and the life: he that believeth in me, though -he were dead, yet shall he live; and whosoever liveth and believeth in -me shall never die.--John, xi. 25, 26. - -Now is Christ _risen_ from the dead, and become the first-fruits of -them that slept. - -For since by man came death, by man came also the _resurrection_ of the -dead. - -For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.--I. -Corinthians, xv. 20, 21, 22. - - - The waking cock, that early crows - To wear the night away, - Puts in my mind the trump that blows - Before the latter day; - And as I _rise_ up lustily, - When sluggish sleep is past, - So hope I to _rise_ joyfully - To judgment, at the last. - _George Gascoigne._ - - - Up, and away, - Thy Saviour’s gone before, - Why dost thou stay, - Dull soul? Behold the door - Is open, and His precepts bid thee _rise_, - Whose power hath vanquished all thine enemies. - - In vain thou say’st - Thou art buried with thy Saviour, - If thou delay’st - To show by thy behaviour, - That thou art _risen_ with Him. Till thou shine - Like Him, how canst thou say His light is thine. - - Open thine eyes - Sin-seized soul, and see - What cobweb ties - They are that trammel thee; - Not profit, pleasure, honours, as thou thinkest, - But loss, pain, shame, at which thou vainly winkest. - - All that is good - Thy Saviour dearly bought - With His heart’s blood, - And it must then be sought, - Where he keeps residence, who _rose_ this day; - Linger no longer then, up and away. - _George Herbert._ - - - What though my body run to dust? - Faith cleaves unto it, counting every grain, - With an exact and most particular trust, - Reserving all for flesh again. - _George Herbert._ - - - Man but dives in death; - Dives from the sun, in fairer day to _rise_; - The grave his subterranean road to bliss. - _Young._ - - - Angels of Heaven, - Ye who beheld Him fainting on the cross, - And did Him homage, say, may mortal join - The hallelujahs of the _risen_ God? - Will the faint voice and grovelling song be heard - Amid the seraphim in light divine? - Yes, He will deign, the Prince of Peace will deign - For mercy to accept the hymn of faith, - Low tho’ it be and humble. Lord of life, - The Christ, the Comforter! thine advent now - Fills my _uprising_ soul. I mount, I fly - Far o’er the skies, beyond the rolling orbs; - The bonds of flesh dissolve, and earth recedes, - And care, and pain, and sorrow, are no more. - _Henry Kirke White._ - - - These ashes too, the little dust - Our Father’s care shall keep, - Till the last angel _rise_ and break - The long and dreary sleep. - Then Love’s soft dew on every eye - Shall shed its mildest rays; - And the long-silent dust shall burst - With shouts of endless praise. - _Henry Kirke White._ - - - Majestical He _rose_: trembled the earth; - The ponderous gate of stone was rolled away; - The keepers fell, the angels, awe-struck, sunk - Into invisibility, while forth - The Saviour of the world walked, and stood - Before the sepulchre, and viewed the clouds - Empurpled glorious by the _rising_ sun. - _Graham._ - - - Jesus is _risen_! triumphal anthems sing; - Thus from dead winter mounts the sprightly spring; - Thus does the sun from night’s black shades return, - And thus the single bird wings from the Arabian urn. - Jesus is _risen_! He shall the world restore! - Awake, ye dead! dull sinners, sleep no more! - _Wesley._ - - - Christ hath _arisen_! Oh! not one cherished head - Hath ’midst the flowery sods been pillowed here - Without a hope, (howe’er the heart hath bled - In its vain yearnings o’er the unconscious bier,) - A hope upspringing clear - From those majestic tidings of the morn, - Which lit the living way to all of woman born. - _Mrs. Hemans._ - - - When by a good man’s grave I muse alone, - Methinks an angel sits upon the stone; - Like those of old, on that thrice-hallowed night, - Who sat and watched in raiment heavenly bright; - And with a voice inspiring joy, not fear, - Says, pointing upwards--that he is not here, - That he is _risen_. - _Samuel Rogers._ - - - Deign from Thy glory, Saviour, now to shed - On us Thy quickening Spirit’s influence, - That, _risen_ with Thee, our hearts with strong desire - May seek the things above, and join the strain - Of seraphs that surround Thy sapphire throne, - Mingle our songs with theirs, till, in one tide - Of harmony, the pealing anthem roll - O’er the eternal hills, and waft Thy deathless fame. - _S. Stennet._ - - - - - REVELATION. - - -The wrath of God is _revealed_ from heaven against all ungodliness and -unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; - -Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God -hath shewed it unto them.--Romans, i. 18, 19. - -Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and -the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the _revelation_ of the -mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, but now is made -manifest.--Romans, xvi. 25, 26. - -Gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the -grace that is to be brought unto you at the _revelation_ of Jesus -Christ.--I. Peter, i. 13. - - - _Revealed_ religion first informed thy sight, - And Reason saw not till Faith sprung to light. - Hence all thy natural worship takes the source: - ’Tis _Revelation_, what thou think’st discourse, - Else how com’st thou to see those truths so clear, - Which so obscure to heathens did appear. - _Dryden._ - - - Thy throne is darkness in the abyss of light, - A blaze of glory that forbids the sight; - O, teach me to believe Thee thus concealed, - And search no farther than Thyself _revealed_. - _Dryden._ - - - Bright as the morning of primeval day - Burst on the waters of chaotic gloom, - Came _Revelation_ on the darksome world!-- - Then error vanish’d in celestial truth, - Hush’d were the oracles, and quench’d the fires - That savage bigotry for ages fed: - New light, new order, new existence rose! - The pangs of woe, the wrongs of patient worth, - Were now no more, as once their truth had been: - Eternity would pay the debt of time, - The soul redeem, and justify her God. - _R. Montgomery._ - - - Sad error this, to take - The light of Nature, rather than the light - Of _Revelation_ for a guide. As well - Prefer the borrowed light of earth’s pale moon - To the effulgence of the noon-day sun. - _David Bates._ - - - - - REVENGE. - - -All my familiars watched for my halting, saying, Peradventure he will -be enticed, and we shall prevail against him, and we shall take our -_revenge_ on him.--Jeremiah, xx. 10. - -Dearly beloved, _avenge_ not yourselves, but rather give place unto -wrath.--Romans, xii. 19. - - - Talk not of fame! What fame enjoyed that wretch - That slew his brother? he who could not brook - Rejection from his God, with anger fired, - With envy stung, the ties of nature burst, - And sacrificed the guiltless to _revenge_. - _C. P. Layard._ - - - The fairest action of our human life - Is, scorning to _revenge_ an injury; - For who forgives without a further strife, - His adversary’s heart doth to him tie: - And ’tis a firmer conquest, truly said, - To win the heart, than overthrow the head. - _Lady Carew._ - - - How rash, how inconsiderate is rage! - How wretched, O, how fatal is our error, - When to _revenge_ precipitate we run! - _Revenge_, that still with double force recoils - Back on itself, and is its own _revenge_. - While to the short-lived, momentary joy, - Succeeds a train of woes--an age of torment. - _Frowde._ - - - A wrong _avenged_ is doubly perpetrated; - Two sinners stand, where lately stood but one. - _Thomas McKeller._ - - - Why should man - For a hasty syllable or two, - And vented only in forgetful fury, - Chain all the hopes and riches of his soul - To the _revenge_ of that? Die lost for ever! - For he that makes his last peace with his Maker - In anger, anger is his peace eternally: - He must expect the same return again - Whose venture is deceitful. - _Rowley._ - - - - - REVERENCE. - - -God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be -had in _reverence_ of all them that are about Him.--Psalm lxxxix. 7. - -He sent redemption unto His people: He hath commanded His covenant for -ever: holy and _reverend_ is His name.--Psalm cxi. 9. - -We have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them -_reverence_.--Hebrews, xii. 9. - - - While they pervert pure nature’s healthful rules - To loathsome sickness, worthily, since they - God’s image did not _reverence_ in themselves. - _Milton._ - - - Eternal Spirit! grant - The wisdom meek, that lives on truth divine - However veiled. A waiting mind impart, - And in our weakness show our strength to dwell, - Like as of old the pensive Mary sat - Low at His feet, and listened to her Lord; - Absorb’d and self-renouncing, be our soul - Before the cross in docile _reverence_ bent. - _R. Montgomery._ - - - Leaning on Him, make with _reverent_ meekness - His own, thy will; - And with strength from Him shall thy utter weakness - Life’s task fulfil; - And that cloud itself, which now before thee - Lies dark in view, - Shall with beams of light, from the inner glory, - Be stricken through. - _Whittier._ - - - He that to his earthly parent - Pays not _reverence_ due, - To His great Almighty Father - Will be careless too: - - He whose filial love is mingled - With no filial fear, - Scarcely will from sad reproaches - Keep his conscience clear. - - Grant me, Lord, to duly mingle - Love and fear, that so - I _revere_ my parents earthly, - And for Thee true _reverence_ know. - _Egone._ - - - - - REWARD. - - -Verily there is a _reward_ for the righteous.--Psalm lviii. 11. - -Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the _reward_ of the -wicked.--Psalm xci. 8. - -Behold the Lord God will come with strong hand, and his arm shall -rule for him; behold, his _reward_ is with him, and his work before -him.--Isaiah, xl. 10. - - - To judge the unfaithful dead, but to _reward_ - His faithful, and receive them into bliss. - _Milton._ - - - Blest are the humble souls that see - Their emptiness and poverty, - Treasures of grace to them are given, - And crowns of joy laid up in heaven. - - Blest are the men of broken heart, - Who mourn for sin with inward smart, - The blood of Christ divinely flows, - A healing balm for all their woes. - - Blest are the souls who thirst for grace, - Hunger and long for righteousness; - They shall be well supplied, and fed - With living streams and living bread. - - Blest are the sufferers, who partake - Of pain and shame for Jesus’ sake, - Their souls shall triumph in the Lord, - Glory and joy are their _reward_. - _Watts._ - - - And I am glad that he has lived thus long, - And glad that he has gone to his _reward_: - Nor deem that kindly Nature did him wrong, - Softly to disengage the vital cord. - When his weak hand grew palsied, with his eye - Dark with the mists of age, it was his time to die. - _Wm. C. Bryant._ - - - _Reward_ me not according to my deeds, - But give me grace to stand before Thy throne, - Clad in the robe of righteousness, which He, - The Saviour, graciously hath lent to hide - The foul and leprous taint of guilt. O grant - That His _reward_ may rescue me from death! - _Egone._ - - - - - RICHES. - - -Labour not to be _rich_: cease from thine own wisdom. - -Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for _riches_ -certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward -heaven.--Proverbs, xxiii. 4, 5. - -How hardly shall they that have _riches_ enter into the kingdom of -God.--Mark, x. 23. - -For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was -_rich_, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty -might be _rich_.--II. Corinthians, viii. 9. - - - High-built abundance, heap on heap! for what? - To breed new wants, and beggar us the more; - Then make a _richer_ scramble for the throng, - Soon as this feeble pulse, which leaps so long, - Almost by miracle, is tired of play. - _Young._ - - - All flesh is grass, and all its glory fades - Like the fair flower, dishevelled in the wind; - _Riches_ have wings, and grandeur is a dream. - _Cowper._ - - - Nor _riches_ boast intrinsic worth, - Their charms at best superior earth: - These oft the heaven-born mind enslave, - And make an honest man a knave. - “Wealth cures my wants,” the miser cries. - Be not deceived--the miser lies: - One want he has, with all his store, - That worst of wants--the want of more. - _Cotton._ - - - My soul, with all thy weakened powers - Survey the heavenly prize! - Nor let these glittering toys of earth - Allure thy wandering eyes. - - The joys and treasures of a day - I cheerfully resign; - _Rich_ in that large, immortal store, - Secured by grace divine. - _Doddridge._ - - - _Riches_ are akin - To fear, to change, to cowardice, and death. - _Wordsworth._ - - - - - RIGHTEOUSNESS. - - -But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our _righteousnesses_ are -as filthy rags.--Isaiah, lxiv. 6. - -We do not present our supplications before Thee for our -_righteousnesses_, but for thy great mercies.--Daniel, ix. 18. - -For they being ignorant of God’s _righteousness_, and going about to -establish their own _righteousness_, have not submitted themselves unto -the _righteousness_ of God.--Romans, x. 3. - - - Ay me! how many perils do enfold - The _righteous_ man, to make him daily fall! - Were not that heavenly grace doth him uphold, - And steadfast truth acquit him out of all. - _Spenser._ - - - Lord, grant my just request; O hear my cry, - And prayers that lips untouched by guile unfold, - My cause before Thy high tribunal try, - And let Thine eyes my _Righteousness_ behold. - - For impious men, and such as deadly hate - My guiltless soul, have compassed me about; - Who swell with pride, enclosed in their own fate, - And words of contumely thunder out. - - Filled with Thy secret treasure, to Thy race, - They their accumulated riches leave! - But I with _righteousness_ shall see Thy face; - And rising in Thy image, joy receive. - _Sandys._ - - - What is all _righteousness_ that men devise? - What, but a sordid bargain for the skies? - But Christ as soon would abdicate His own, - As stoop from Heaven to sell the proud a throne. - _Cowper._ - - - All hail!--the age of crime and suffering ends; - The reign of _righteousness_ from Heaven descends; - Vengeance for ever sheathes the afflicting sword! - Death is destroyed, and Paradise restored; - Man, rising from the ruins of his fall, - Is one with God, and God is All in all. - _James Montgomery._ - - - - - RIVERS. - - -There is a _river_, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of -God, the holy places of the tabernacles of the Most High.--Psalm xlvi. -4. - -All the _rivers_ run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto -the place from whence the _rivers_ come, thither they return -again.--Ecclesiastes, i. 7. - - - River! _river!_ headlong _river_! - Down you dash unto the sea; - Sea, that line hath never sounded, - Sea, that voyage hath never rounded, - Like unto Eternity! - _Mrs. Southey._ - - - I think of that great _River_ - That from the throne flows free; - Of weary pilgrims on its brink, - Who, thirsting, have come down to drink; - Of that unfailing Stream I think, - When earthly streams I see! - _Mary Howitt._ - - - _River_, beyond the rest - Thou wert supremely blest, - When Zion’s King stood in thy pearly bed; - There did the Saviour stand, - Pour by the prophet’s hand - Thy simple waves o’er His anointed head. - O Saviour! in that tide - Which from Thy pierced side - On Calvary’s mount was poured out like wine, - Cleanse my polluted soul, - The wounds of sin make whole, - And breathe Thy spirit o’er this heart of mine. - _W. H. Brownlee._ - - - Bountiful _rivers_! not upon the earth - Is record traced of God’s exuberant grace, - So deeply graven, as the channels worn - By ever-flowing streams. - _Thomas Ward._ - - - Oh, beautiful _river_, - Flowing so fresh and so free, - I thank the Great Giver - Of every good gift for thee. - _Egone._ - - - - - ROCK. - - -The Lord is my _rock_.--Psalm xviii. 2. - -He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; - -He shall dwell on high: his place of defence shall be the munitions of -_rocks_.--Isaiah, xxxiii. 15, 16. - -Behold, I lay in Sion a stumbling-stone and _rock_ of offence: and -whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.--Romans, ix. 33. - - - God, known in Hebron, and by Kedar’s hill, - His glory to those _rocks_ was once laid bare; - Upon the mountain top we seek Thee still, - Lord, tell us whether Thou art there? - - Ye peaceful dwellers in these blest retreats; - As at the foot of mountains Israel prayed, - For tranquil nights, and on your _rocky_ seats - Are sounds to you from heav’n conveyed? - - Never behold ye the celestial bands - Upon your sacred domes alight and bend? - Never the harpings hear of angel-hands, - Back from the _rocks_ their echoes send? - _Rev. W. Pulling, from Lamartine._ - - - _Rock_ of ages! cleft for me! - Let me hide myself in thee! - Let the water and the blood - From thy wounded side which flowed, - Be of sin the double cure; - Cleanse me from its guilt and power. - - While I draw this fleeting breath - When my eyelids close in death, - When I soar to worlds unknown, - See Thee on thy judgment throne, - _Rock_ of ages shelter me! - Let me bide myself in thee! - _Toplady._ - - - As the shade of a _rock_ in a weary land - Whence gush the fresh waters at thy command; - As a _rocky_ foundation whereon to build, - As a fortress of _rock_ when the foe is afield, - Such Maker and Saviour of man art thou, - Our fortress, our _rock_, and our shield below. - _Egone._ - - - - - ROD. - - -Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will -fear no evil: for Thou art with me; Thy _rod_ and Thy staff they -comfort me.--Psalm xxiii. 4. - -I will cause you to pass under the _rod_.--Ezekiel, xx. 37. - -The Lord’s voice crieth unto the city, and the man of wisdom shall see -thy name: hear ye the _rod_, and who hath appointed it.--Micah, vi. 9. - - - Give me the voice of mirth, the sound of laughter, - The sparkling glance of pleasure’s roving eye, - The past is past,--Avaunt thou dark hereafter! - “Come, eat and drink--to-morrow we must die!” - - So, in his desperate mood, the fool hath spoken-- - The fool whose heart hath said, “There is no God.” - But for the stricken heart, the spirit broken, - There’s balm in Gilead yet.--The very _rod_, - - If we but kiss it, as the stroke descendeth, - Distilleth balm to allay the inflicted smart, - And “Peace that passeth understanding,” blendeth - With the deep sighing of the contrite heart. - _Caroline Bowles._ - - - He who each bitter cup rejects, - No living spring shall quaff; - He whom Thy _rod_ in love corrects, - Shall lean upon Thy staff: - Happy, thrice happy, then, is he, - Who knows the chastening is from Thee! - _Bernard Barton._ - - - Faith and hope - Will teach me how to bear my lot; - To think Almighty Wisdom best, - To bow my head and murmur not. - The chastening hand of One above - Falls heavy, but I kiss the _rod_: - He gives the wound, and I must trust - Its healing to the self-same God. - _Eliza Cook._ - - - - - SABBATH. - - -Remember the _Sabbath_ day to keep it holy.--Exodus, xx. 8. - -Thus saith the Lord, Keep ye judgment, and do justice: for my salvation -is near to come, and my righteousness to be revealed. - -Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold -on it: that keepeth the _Sabbath_ from polluting it, and keepeth his -hand from doing any evil.--Isaiah, lvi. 1, 2. - -The _Sabbath_ was made for man, and not man for the _Sabbath_. - -Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the _Sabbath_.--Mark, ii. 27, -28. - - - Great Lord of time! Great King of Heav’n, - Since weekly Thou renew’st my days, - To Thee shall daily thanks be giv’n, - And weekly sacrifice of praise. - - This day the light, time’s eldest born, - Her glorious beams did first display, - And then the evening and the morn - Did first obtain the name of day. - - Discretion grant me so to know - What _Sabbath_-rites Thou dost require, - And grace my duty so to do, - That I may keep Thy law entire. - _George Wither._ - - - Bright shadows of true rest! some shoots of bliss; - Heaven once a week; - The next world’s gladness pre-possessed in this. - _Henry Vaughan._ - - - How many blessed groups this hour are bending - Through England’s primrose meadow paths, their way - Towards spire and tower, ’midst shadowy elms descending, - Whence the sweet chimes proclaim the hallowed day. - The halls from old heroic ages grey, - Pour their fair children forth; and hamlets low, - With whose thick orchard blooms the soft winds play, - Send out their inmates in a happy flow, - Like a freed vernal stream. I may not tread - With them those pathways--to the feverish bed - Of sickness bound--yet oh my God! I bless - Thy mercy, that with _Sabbath_ peace hath filled - My chastening heart, and all its throbbings stilled - To one deep calm of lowliest thankfulness. - _Mrs. Hemans._ - - - The cheerful _Sabbath_ bells, wherever heard, - Strike pleasant on the sense, most like the voice - Of one who from the far off hills proclaims - Tidings of good to Zion. - _Charles Lamb._ - - - The _Sabbath_ bell, - That over wood, and wild, and mountain-dell - Wanders so far, chasing all thoughts unholy - With sounds most musical, most melancholy. - _Samuel Rogers._ - - - Ah! why should a thought of a world that is flying, - Encumber the pleasure of seasons like these? - Or, why should the _Sabbath_ be sullied with sighing, - While Faith the bright side of eternity sees! - - Now let us repose from our care and our sorrow, - Let all that is anxious and sad pass away; - The rough cares of life lay aside till to-morrow, - But let us be tranquil and happy to-day. - - Let us say to the world, should it tempt us to wander, - As Abraham said to his men on the plain, - There’s the mountain of prayer, I am going up yonder, - And tarry you here till I seek you again. - - To-day on that mount we would seek for Thy blessing, - O Spirit of Holiness meet with us there! - Our hearts then will feel, Thine high influence possessing, - The sweetness of praise, and the favour of prayer. - _James Edmeston._ - - - ’Tis past! no more the Summer blooms! - Ascending in the rear, - Behold, congenial Autumn comes, - The _Sabbath_ of the year! - What time thy holy whispers breathe, - The pensive evening shade beneath, - And twilight consecrates the floods; - While nature strips her garment gay, - And wears the verdure of decay, - O, let me wander through the sounding woods! - _Logan._ - - - When through the peaceful parish swells - The music of the _Sabbath_ bells, - Duly tread the sacred road - Which leads you to the house of God; - The blessing of the Lamb is there, - For “God is in the midst of her.” - _Bishop Mant._ - - - Whether men sow or reap the fields, - Her admonitions nature yields; - That not by bread alone we live, - Or what a hand of flesh can give; - That every day should leave some part - Free for a _Sabbath_ of the heart; - So shall the seventh be truly blest, - From morn to eve with hallowed rest. - _Wordsworth._ - - - On the seventh day reposing, lo! the great Creator stood, - Saw the glorious work accomplished,--saw and felt that it was good; - Heaven, earth, man, and beast have being, day and night their - courses run,-- - First creation,--infant manhood,--earliest _Sabbath_,--it is done. - - On the seventh day reposing, Jesus filled His sainted tomb, - From His spirit’s toil retreating, while He broke man’s fatal doom; - ’Twas a new creation bursting, brighter than the primal one,-- - ’Tis fulfilment,--reconcilement; ’tis redemption,--it is done. - _Da Costa._ - - - The All-beneficent - Cares for man’s better nature, and has given - This _Sabbath_-rest to lead his thoughts to Heaven. - Myriads of thanks for this divinest gift, - For this perpetually recurring day-- - Wherein both rich and poor--bond--free--can lift - Their hopes above this fading world, and pray. - _E. J. Eames._ - - - The solemn tolling of the _Sabbath_ bell - Hath something in it holier than of earth; - And when loud anthems to Jehovah swell, - The spirit longeth for a heavenly birth; - And, catching impulse from the good man’s prayer, - The heart is softened to contrition there. - _Isaac F. Shepard._ - - - With silent awe I hail the sacred morn, - Which slowly wakes while all the fields are still; - A soothing calm on every breeze is borne, - A graver murmur gurgles from the rill, - An echo answers softer from the hill, - And softer sings the linnet from the thorn, - The skylark warbles in a tone less shrill: - Hail, light serene! Hail, sacred _Sabbath_ morn! - The rooks float by in silent, airy drove; - The sun a placid yellow lustre shows; - The gales that lately sighed along the grove, - Have hushed their downy wings in dead repose; - The hovering rack of clouds forgets to move: - So smiled the day, when the first morn arose! - _Dr. Leyden._ - - - Yes! blessed _Sabbath_ morn, thy light - Is affluent in pure delight - To those who love thy rest; - Beyond thy sun, a heavenly ray - Adds moral lustre to the day, - And shines into the breast. - _J. K. Mitchell._ - - - Too soon our earthly _Sabbaths_ end! - Cares of a work-day will return, - And faint our hearts, and fitful, burn: - O, think, my soul, beyond compare, - Think what a _Sabbath_ must be there; - Where all is holy bliss, that knows - Nor imperfection, nor a close. - _Thomas Grinfield._ - - - It is the _Sabbath_, O my soul - Own its divine and potent sway; - Let it each sinful thought control, - For thee, for that, was blest this day. - _Anon._ - - - - - SACRIFICE. - - -For thou desirest not _sacrifice_: else would I give it: thou -delightest not in burnt offering. - -The _sacrifices_ of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite -heart. O God, thou wilt not despise--Psalm li. 16, 17. - -I will offer to thee the _sacrifice_ of thanksgiving, and will call -upon the name of the Lord.--Psalm cxvi. 17. - -For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take -away sins. - -Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, _Sacrifice_, and -offering thou wouldst not, but a body hast thou prepared me.--Hebrews, -x. 4, 5. - - - See where man’s voluntary _sacrifice_ - Bows His meek head, the God eternal dies! - Fixed to the Cross His bleeding arms are bound, - While copious Mercy streams from every wound. - _Bishop Louth._ - - - Thou, Lord, hast said, “the blood of goats, - The flesh of rams I will not prize;-- - A contrite heart, a lowly thought, - Are mine accepted _sacrifice_.” - _Sir W. Scott._ - - - When all the breast is pure, each warm desire - Sublimed by holy Love’s ethereal fire, - On winged words our breathing thoughts may rise, - And soar to Heaven, a grateful _sacrifice_. - _James Scott._ - - - Well may the cavern depths of earth - Be shaken and her mountains nod; - Well may the sheeted dead come forth - To gaze upon a suffering God! - Well may the temple-shrine grow dim, - And shadows veil the Cherubim, - When He, the chosen One of Heaven, - A _sacrifice_ for guilt is given! - _J. G. Whittier._ - - - When bees sing chorus in the light, - Of infant day in joy begun, - And sparkling dewdrops clear and bright - Mirror the full uprising sun, - Then let us, Lord of light, arise, - To pay our early _sacrifice_. - _W. Martin._ - - - - - SAFETY--SAVING. - - -I am the Lord your God. - -Wherefore ye shall do my statutes, and keep my judgments, and do them; -and ye shall dwell in the land in _safety_.--Leviticus, xxv. 17, 18. - -The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but _safety_ is of the -Lord.--Proverbs, xxi. 31. - -Look unto me, and be ye _saved_, all the ends of the earth: for I am -God, and there is none else.--Isaiah, xiv. 22. - -The Son of man is come to _save_ that which was lost.--Matthew, xviii. -11. - -But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that -believe to the _saving_ of the soul.--Hebrews, x. 39. - - - Should any to himself for _safety_ fly? - The way to _save_ himself (if any were) - Is to fly from himself. Should he rely - Upon the promise of his wife? What there, - What can he see, but that he most may fear, - A syren sweet to death? Upon his friends? - Who what he needs, or what he hath not, lends? - Or wanting aid himself, and to another sends? - - His strength? ’Tis dust:--His pleasure? cause of pain: - His hope? False courtier:--Youth or beauty? Brittle: - Intreaty? Fond:--Repentance? Late and vain: - Just recompense? The world were all too little: - Thy love? He hath no title to a tittle: - Hell’s force? In vain her furies hell shall gather: - His servants, kinsmen, or his children rather? - His child (if good) shall judge; (if bad) shall curse his father. - - His life? That brings him to his end, and leaves him: - His end? That leaves him to begin his woe: - His goods? What good is this which so deceives him? - His gods of wood? Their feet, alas! are slow - To go to help, which must be helped to go: - Honours, great worth? Ah! little worth they be - Unto their owners:--Wit? That makes him see - He wanted wit, who thought he had it, wanting Thee. - _Giles Fletcher._ - - - O _save_ me, Power - Of powers supreme, in that tremendous hour! - Thou, who beneath the frowns of fate hath stood, - And in Thy dreadful agony sweat blood; - Thou who for me, through ev’ry throbbing vein, - Hast felt the keenest edge of mortal pain; - Whom death led captive through the realms below, - And taught those horrid mysteries of woe: - Defend me, O my God! O _save_ me, Power - Of powers supreme, in that tremendous hour! - _Young._ - - - Encompass’d with ten thousand ills, - Press’d by pursuing foes, - I lift mine eyes unto the hills, - From whence salvation flows. - - My help is from the Lord, who made - And governs earth and sky; - I look to his almighty aid, - And ever-watching eye. - - He who thy soul in _safety_ keeps, - Shall drive destruction hence; - The Lord thy keeper never sleeps; - The Lord is thy defence. - _J. Montgomery._ - - - Place me on some desert shore - Foot of man ne’er wandered o’er; - Lock me in a lonely cell - Beneath some prison citadel; - Still, here or there, within I find - My quiet kingdom of the mind; - Nay, ’mid the tempest fierce and dark, - Float me in peril’s frailest barque, - My quenchless soul could sit and think, - And smile at danger’s dizziest brink; - And wherefore? God, my God is still - King of kings in good and ill; - And where He dwelleth--every where-- - _Safety_ supreme and peace are there; - And where He reigneth--all around-- - Wisdom, and love, and power are found, - And, reconciled to Him and bliss, - “My mind to me a kingdom is.” - _Tupper._ - - - - - SAINT. - - -O love the Lord, all ye his _saints_: for the Lord preserveth the -faithful.--Psalm xxxi. 23. - -O fear the Lord, ye his _saints_; for there is no want to them that -fear him.--Psalm xxxiv. 9. - -Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers -of the inheritance of the _saints_ in light.--Colossians, i. 12. - - - If but one sun with his diffusive fires, - Can fill the stars and the whole world with light, - And joy and light into each heart inspires: - And every _saint_ shall shine in heaven as bright; - As doth the sun in his transcendant might; - (As faith may well believe what truth once says) - What shall so many sun’s united rays - But dazzle all the eyes that now in heaven we praise? - - Here let my Lord hang up his conquering lance, - And bloody armour with late slaughter warm; - And looking down on his weak militants, - Behold his _saints_ amidst their hot alarm, - Hang all their golden hopes upon his arm; - And on this lower field when straying wide - Through Satan’s wiles, who would their sails misguide, - Anchor their fleshly ships fast in his wounded side. - _Giles Fletcher._ - - - What are these arrayed in white, - Brighter than the noonday sun? - Foremost of the sons of light, - Nearest the eternal throne? - These are they that bore the cross, - Nobly for their master stood; - Sufferers in his righteous cause, - Followers of the dying God. - Out of great distress they came, - Wash’d their robes by faith below - In the blood of yonder Lamb, - Blood that washes white as snow, - Therefore are they next the throne, - Serve their Maker day and night: - God resides among his own, - God doth in his _saints_ delight. - _De Courcy._ - - - A _Saint_! Oh, would that I could claim - The privileged, the honour’d name, - And confidently take my stand, - Though lowest in the _saintly_ band. - - Would, though it were in scorn applied - That term the test of truth could bide! - Like kingly salutation given, - In mockery to the king of Heaven. - - A _saint_? and what imports the name - Thus banded in derision’s game? - “Holy and separate from sin; - To good, nay even to God akin.” - - How shall the name of _saint_ be prized, - Though now neglected and despised, - And sinners to their doom be hurled, - When scorned _saints_ shall “judge the world.” - _Marriot._ - - - From _saint_ to _saint_ the world around - Celestial odours are diffused; - Sweet thoughts are born on hallow’d ground, - Where holy men have mused. - - And none can tell how many springs - Flow to sustain one soul serene; - But every hour some tribute brings - From sources quiet and unseen. - - The loneliest pilgrim in the ways - Is never in his prayers alone; - But every one for thousands prays, - And thousands pray for every one. - - We dwell with shadows round us here, - And nought is bright but heaven above: - When all our secret friends appear, - How many shall we know and love! - - Yet, as we learn the mystery, - Around One holy fount we fall, - And, in the light eternal, see - That God is all in all. - _J. Gostick._ - - - - - SALVATION. - - -He that is our God, is the God of _salvation_.--Psalm lxviii. 20. - -And all the ends of the earth shall see the _salvation_ of our -God.--Isaiah, lii. 10. - -For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain _salvation_ by -our Lord Jesus Christ.--I. Thessalonians, v. 9. - - - A cheerful confidence I feel, - My well-placed hopes with joy I see; - My bosom glows with heavenly zeal - To worship Him who died for me. - As man He pities my complaint; - His power and truth are all divine; - He will not fail, He cannot faint, - _Salvation’s_ sure, and must be mine. - _Cowper._ - - - Almighty framer of the skies! - O let our pure devotion rise, - Like incense in thy sight! - Wrapt in impenetrable shade - The texture of our souls was made - Till Thy command gave light. - - The Son of Glory gleamed the ray, - Refined the darkness into day, - And bid the vapours fly: - Impelled by his eternal love, - He left his palaces above - To cheer our gloomy sky. - - How shall we celebrate the day, - When God appeared in mortal clay, - The mark of worldly scorn: - When the Archangel’s heavenly lays - Attempted the Redeemer’s praise, - And hail’d _salvation’s_ morn. - _Chatterton._ - - - “Thy Spirit knows I love Thee.” Worthless wretch, - To dare to love a God! But, grace requires-- - And grace accepts--Love divine - Constrains me; I am thine. Incarnate Love - Has seized and holds me in Almighty arms: - Here’s my _salvation_, my eternal hope, - Amidst the wreck of worlds and dying nature, - “I am the Lord’s; and He for ever mine.” - _Watts._ - - - _Salvation!_ O the joyful sound! - ’Tis pleasure to our ears; - A sov’reign balm for every wound, - A cordial for our fears. - - Buried in sorrow and in sin, - At hell’s dark door we lay; - But we arise by grace divine - To see a heavenly day. - - _Salvation!_ let the echo fly - The spacious earth around, - While all the armies of the sky - Conspire to raise the sound. - _Watts._ - - - Jesus, transporting sound! - The joy of earth and heaven; - No other help is found, - No other name is given, - By which we can _salvation_ have, - But Jesus came the world to save. - _Wesley._ - - - If the best Thy great _salvation_ - Must attain with trembling fear, - Lord and Judge of all creation, - Where should sinful man appear? - - God of love and mercies tender, - Stern to vice, to weakness mild, - Teacher, Saviour, Sire, Defender, - Save, O save Thy suppliant child! - - By the claims which saints inherit - From Thy blood for converts pour’d, - By thy all-prevailing Spirit,-- - By Thy covenanted Word,-- - - By Thy tears, in sorrow weeping, - Over harden’d sinners’ doom; - Take me to Thy gracious keeping, - Lead me to Thy glorious home! - _Bishop Spencer._ - - - - - SATAN. - - -Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, _Satan_: for it is -written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou -serve.--Matthew, iv. 10. - -And the God of peace shall bruise _Satan_ under your feet -shortly.--Romans, xvi. 20. - - - The other shape, - If shape it might be called that shape had none - Distinguishable in member, joint, or limb; - Or substance might be called that shadow seemed, - For each seemed either; black it stood as night, - Fierce as ten furies, terrible as hell, - And shook a dreadful dart; what seemed his head, - The likeness of a kingly crown had on. - _Satan_ was now at hand; and from his seat - The monster, moving onward, came as fast - With horrid strides, hell trembled as he strode. - _Milton._ - - - He trusted to have equalled the Most High, - If he opposed; and with ambitious aim - Against the throne and monarchy of God, - Raised impious war in Heav’n and battle proud - With vain attempt. Him the Almighty Power - Hurled headlong flaming from the ethereal sky, - With hideous ruin and combustion, down - To bottomless perdition; there to dwell - In adamantine chains and penal fire, - Who durst defy th’ Omnipotent to arms. - _Milton._ - - - _Satan_, thy power’s decline is nigh; - Like lightning flashing through the sky, - Thy demons hear the Heavenly Word, - And owning Him Creation’s Lord, - Confess, with fierce appalling yell-- - Emmanuel deigns on earth to dwell. - _Shepherd._ - - - How sad our state by nature is! - Our sin how deep it stains! - And _Satan_ binds our captive minds - Fast in his slavish chains. - _Watts._ - - - - - SAVIOUR. - - -I, even I, am the Lord; and beside me there is no _Saviour_.--Isaiah, -xliii. 11. - -Thou shalt know that I the Lord am thy _Saviour_ and thy Redeemer, the -mighty One of Jacob.--Isaiah, lx. 16. - -And the angel said unto them, fear not: for, behold, I bring you good -tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. - -For unto you is born this day in the city of David a _Saviour_, which -is Christ the Lord. - -And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in -swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.--Luke, ii. 10, 11, 12. - -For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the -_Saviour_, the Lord Jesus Christ.--Philippians, iii. 20. - -We trust in the living God, who is the _Saviour_ of all men, specially -of those that believe.--I. Timothy, iv. 10. - - - And thou, my soul, inspired with holy flame, - View and review with most regardful eye - That holy cross whence thy salvation came, - On which thy _Saviour_ and thy sin did die! - For in that sacred object is much pleasure, - And in that _Saviour_ is my life, my treasure. - _Sir Walter Raleigh._ - - - O unexampled Love! - Love nowhere to be found less than Divine! - Hail son of God, _Saviour_ of men, Thy name - Shall be the copious matter of my song - Henceforth, and never shall my harp Thy praise - Forget, nor from Thy Father’s praise disjoin. - _Milton._ - - - O may I pant for Thee in each desire! - And with strong Faith foment the holy fire! - Stretch out my soul in Hope, and grasp the prize, - Which in Eternity’s deep bosom lies! - At the great day of recompense behold, - Devoid of fear, the fatal book unfold! - Then wafted upward to the blissful seat, - From age to age my graceful song repeat; - My Light--my Life--my God--my _Saviour_,--see, - And rival angels in the praise of Thee. - _Young._ - - - O _Saviour_ God! O Lamb once slain! - At thought of Thee, Thy love, Thy flowing blood, - All thoughts decay; all things remembered fade; - All hopes return; all actions done by men - Or angels disappear, absorbed and lost. - _Pollok._ - - - Exalted high at God’s right hand - And Lord of all below, - Through Him is pardoning love dispensed, - And boundless blessings flow. - - And still for erring guilty man - A brother’s pity flows; - And still His bleeding heart is touched - With memory of our woes. - - So then, my _Saviour_, and my King, - Glad homage let me give; - And stand prepared like Thee to die, - With Thee that I may live. - _Mrs. Barbauld._ - - - My soul shall cry to Thee, O Lord! - To Thee supreme incarnate word! - My rock and fortress, shield and friend, - Creator, _Saviour_, source, and end! - Yea, Thou wilt hear Thy servant’s prayer, - Though death and darkness speak despair. - _Bowdler._ - - - Dear _Saviour_! draw reluctant hearts, - To Thee let sinners fly, - And take the bliss Thy love imparts, - And drink, and never die! - _Steele._ - - - _Saviour!_ and dost Thou speak - Such gracious words to me? - Dost Thou the wanderer seek - Who basely fled from Thee? - Wilt Thou my footsteps guide - To where Thy sheep beside - The living streams abide? - I come, I come, with shame and grief opprest, - Thy feet embrace, and shelter in thy breast. - _Pearson._ - - - A _Saviour’s_ light shall break, - A ray from Jacob’s star the darkness streak: - To Him the fairest scenes their lustre owe; - His covenant brightens the celestial bow; - His vast benevolence profusely spreads - The yellow harvests, and the verdant meads. - _John Duick._ - - - Great God, Thy judgments all are just and right; - Thou art all pity, and to anger slow; - But I have done such evil in Thy sight, - That mercy now with justice cannot flow. - - Yes, gracious God, my sins have reached such height, - As leaves no choice but how to deal the blow; - Such guilt to pardon would Thy honour blight, - And even Thy goodness seals my final woe. - - Consult Thy glory, then withhold no more, - Let fall Thy thunder, and my tears forget, - Wage war for war, pour Thy avenging flood; - The justice which consumes me I adore. - But where to strike, O Lord? where find even yet - A spot not covered by the _Saviour’s_ blood? - _James Glassford._ - - - ’Tis midnight; and on Olive’s brow - The star is dimmed that lately shone; - ’Tis midnight, in the garden, now, - The suffering _Saviour_ prays alone. - - ’Tis midnight; and from all removed, - The _Saviour_ wrestles lone, with fears; - E’en that disciple whom He loved - Heeds not his Master’s grief and tears. - - ’Tis midnight; and for others’ guilt - The Man of Sorrows weeps in blood; - Yet He that hath in anguish knelt, - Is not forsaken by His God. - - ’Tis midnight; and from ether plains - Is borne the song that angels know; - Unheard by mortals are the strains - That sweetly soothe the _Saviour’s_ woe. - _W. B. Tappan._ - - - - - SCORN. - - -Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, -nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the -_scornful_.--Psalm i. 1. - -The _scorner_ is an abomination to men.--Proverbs, xxiv. 9. - -The _scorner_ is consumed, and all that watch for iniquity are cut -off.--Isaiah, xxix. 20. - - - Blessed is the man who hath not walked astray - In counsel of the wicked; and i’ the way - Of sinners hath not stood, and in the seat - Of _scorners_ hath not sat. - _Milton._ - - - Thrice happy he, who shuns the way - That leads ungodly men astray; - Who fears to stand where sinners meet, - Nor with the _scorner_ takes his seat. - - The law of God is his delight; - That cloud by day, that fire by night, - Shall be his comfort in distress, - And guide him through the wilderness. - _J. Montgomery._ - - - I may not _scorn_ the meanest thing - That on the earth doth crawl; - The slave who dares not burst his chain, - The tyrant in his hall. - - The vile oppressor, who hath made - The widowed mother mourn, - Though worthless, he before me stand-- - I cannot, dare not _scorn_. - - The darkest night that shrouds the sky, - Of beauty hath a share; - The blackest heart hath signs to tell - That God still lingers there. - - I pity all that evil are-- - I pity, and I mourn; - But the Supreme hath fashioned all, - And, oh! I dare not _scorn_. - _Robert Nicol._ - - - - - SEA. - - -The Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. - -The _sea_ is His, and He made it: and His hands formed the dry -land.--Psalm xcv. 3, 5. - -They that go down to the _sea_ in ships, that do business in great -waters; - -These see the works of the Lord, and His wonders in the deep.--Psalm -cvii. 23, 24. - -And the _sea_ gave up the dead which were in it.--Revelation, xx. 13. - -And I saw a new heaven and new earth: for the first heaven and the -first earth were passed away; and there was no more _sea_.--Revelation, -xxi. 1. - - - _Sea!_--of Almightiness itself the immense - And glorious mirror!--how thy azure face - Renews the heavens in their magnificence! - What awful grandeur rounds thy heavy space: - Thy surge two worlds eternal-warring sweeps, - And God’s throne rests on thy majestic deeps. - _Chenedolle._ - - - Mysterious deep, farewell! - I turn from thy companionship, but lo, - Thy voice doth follow me. ’Mid lonely bower, - Or twilight dream, or wakeful couch, I hear - That solemn and reverberated hymn - From thy deep organ, which doth speak God’s praise - In thunder, night and day. Still by my side, - Even as a dim-seen spirit, deign to walk, - Prompter of holy thought, and type of Him, - Sleepless, immutable, omnipotent. - _Mrs. Sigourney._ - - - To thee the love of woman hath gone down; - Dark flow thy tides o’er manhood’s noble head, - O’er youth’s bright looks, and beauty’s flowery crown! - Yet must thou hear a voice--Restore the dead! - Earth shall reclaim her precious things from thee:-- - Restore the dead, thou _sea_! - _Mrs. Hemans._ - - - How humbling to one, with a heart and a soul, - To look on thy greatness, and list to its roll; - To think how that heart in cold ashes shall be, - While the voice of Eternity rises from thee! - - But when thy deep surges no longer shall roll, - And the firmament’s length is drawn back like a scroll, - Then--then shall the spirit that sighs by thee now, - Be more mighty, more lasting, more chainless than thou! - _John A. Shea._ - - - God of the dark and heavy deep! - The waves lie sleeping on the sands, - Till the fierce trumpet of the storm - Hath summoned up their slumbering bands; - Then the white sails are dashed like foam, - Or hurry, trembling, o’er the _seas_, - Till, calmed by Thee, the sinking gale - Serenely breathes,--Depart in peace. - _W. B. O. Peabody._ - - - In every object here I see - Something, O Lord, that leads to Thee; - Firm as the rock Thy promise stands, - Thy mercies countless as the sands, - Thy love a _sea_ immensely wide, - Thy grace an overflowing tide. - - In every object here I see - Something, my heart, that points to thee; - Hard as the rocks that bound the strand, - Unfruitful as the barren sand, - Deep and deceitful as the _Ocean_, - And like the tides in constant motion. - _B. Barton._ - - - The prayer is said, - And the last rite man pays to man is paid; - The plashing water marks his resting-place, - And folds him round, in one long, cold embrace; - Bright bubbles for a moment sparkle o’er, - Then break, to be, like him, beheld no more; - Down, countless fathoms down, he sinks to sleep, - With all the nameless shapes that haunt the deep. - _Charles Sprague._ - - - Thou paragon of elemental powers, - Mystery of waters--never slumbering _sea_! - Impassioned orator with lips sublime, - Whose waves are arguments which prove a God! - _R. Montgomery._ - - - - - SEASONS. - - -And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of heaven to divide -the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for _seasons_, -and for days, and years.--Genesis, i. 14. - -While the earth remaineth, seed-time and harvest, and cold and heat, -and summer and winter, and day and night, shall not cease.--Genesis, -viii. 22. - -He giveth snow like wool: He scattereth the hoar-frost like ashes. - -He casteth forth His ice like morsels: who can stand before His cold? - -He sendeth out His word, and melteth them: He causeth His wind to blow, -and the waters flow.--Psalm cxlvii. 16, 17, 18. - -He changeth the times and the _seasons_.--Daniel, ii. 21. - -The earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and -bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth -blessing from God.--Hebrews, vi. 7. - - - These, as they change, Almighty Father, these - Are but the varied God. The rolling year - Is full of Thee. Forth in the pleasing Spring - Thy beauty walks, Thy tenderness and love. - Wide flush the fields; the softening air is balm; - Echo the mountains round; the forest smiles; - And every sense, and every heart is joy. - Then comes Thy glory in the Summer months, - With light and heat refulgent. Then Thy sun - Shoots full perfection through the swelling year; - And oft Thy voice in dreadful thunder speaks; - And oft at dawn, deep noon, or falling eve, - By brooks and groves, in hollow whispering gales. - Thy bounty shines in Autumn unconfined, - And spreads a common feast for all that live. - In Winter awful Thou! with clouds and storms - Around Thee thrown, tempest o’er tempest rolled, - Majestic darkness! on the whirlwind’s wing, - Riding sublime, Thou bid’st the world adore, - And humblest nature with Thy northern blast. - _Thomson._ - - - Truth bids me look on men as Autumn leaves; - And all they bleed for, as the Summer’s dust, - Driven by the whirlwind. - _Young._ - - - What prodigies can power divine perform - More grand than it produces year by year, - And all in sight of inattentive man? - Familiar with the effect, we slight the cause, - And in the constancy of nature’s course, - The regular return of genial months, - See nought to wonder at. - _Cowper._ - - - When Spring unlocks the flowers, to paint the laughing soil; - When Summer’s balmy showers refresh the mower’s toil; - When Winter binds in frosty chains the fallow and the flood, - In God the earth rejoiceth still, and owns her Maker good. - - The birds that wake the morning, and those that love the shade; - The winds that sweep the mountain, or lull the drowsy glade; - The sun that from his amber bower rejoiceth on his way, - The moon and stars their Maker’s name in silent pomp display. - - Shall man, the lord of nature, expectant of the sky-- - Shall man, alone unthankful, his meed of praise deny? - No,--let the sun forsake its course, the _seasons_ cease to be, - Thee, Maker, must we still adore; and, Saviour, honour Thee. - - The flowers of spring may wither,--the hope of Summer fade,-- - The Autumn droop in Winter,--the birds forsake the shade,-- - The wind be lull’d,--the sun and moon forget their old decree,-- - But we in nature’s latest hour, O Lord! will cling to Thee. - _Bishop Heber._ - - - Is there a heart that beats and lives, - To which no joy the Spring-time gives? - Alas! in that unfeeling heart - Nor love nor kindliness has part; - Or chilling want, or pining care - Must brood, or comfortless despair. - Blest, who without profane alloy - Can revel in that blameless joy! - More blest, in every welcome hour, - If Spring-time smile, or winter lower, - Who round him scatter’d hears or sees - What still the excursive sense may please; - Who round him finds, perchance unsought, - Fresh matter for improving thought; - And more, the more he looks abroad, - Marks, owns, and loves the present God! - _Bishop Mant._ - - - When youthful Spring around us breathes, - Thy spirit warms her fragrant sigh; - And every flower that Summer wreathes, - Is born beneath thy kindling eye; - Where’er we turn Thy glories shine, - And all things bright and fair are Thine. - _Thomas Moore._ - - - Ah, how soon - The shades of twilight follow hazy noon, - Short’ning the busy day!--day that slides by - Amidst th’ unfinish’d toils of husbandry; - Toils still each morn resumed with double care, - To meet the icy terrors of the year; - To meet the threats of Boreas undismay’d, - And Winter’s gathering frowns and hoary head. - - Then welcome, cold; welcome, ye snowy nights! - Heaven ’midst your rage shall mingle pure delights, - And confidence of hope the soul sustain, - While devastation sweeps along the plain: - Nor shall the child of poverty despair, - But bless the Power that rules the changing year; - Assur’d--though horrors round his cottage reign-- - That Spring will come, and Nature smile again. - _Bloomfield._ - - - - - SEEING--SIGHT. - - -Thou God _seest_ me.--Genesis, xvi. 13. - -He that planted the ear, shall He not hear? He that formed the eye, -shall He not _see_.--Psalm xciv. 9. - -The light of the body is the eye: if, therefore, thine eye be single, -thy whole body shall be full of light. - -But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If -therefore, the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that -darkness!--Matthew, vi. 22, 23. - - - First the two eyes that have the _seeing_ power, - Stand as one watchman, spy, or sentinel, - Being placed aloft within the head’s high tower; - And though both _see_, yet both but one thing tell. - - These mirrors take into their little space - The forms of moon, and sun, and every star, - Of every body, and of every place, - Which with the wide world’s arms embraced are: - - Yet their best objects, and their noblest use, - Hereafter, in another world, will be; - When God in them shall heavenly light infuse, - That face to face they may their Maker _see_, - - Here are they guides, which do the body lead, - Which else would stumble in eternal night; - Here in this world they do most knowledge read, - And are the casements which admit most light. - _Sir John Davies._ - - - Though all the doors are sure, and all our servants - As sure bound with their sleeps; yet there is One - That wakes above, whose eye no sleep can bind; - He _sees_ through doors, and darkness, and our thoughts; - And, therefore, as we should avoid with fear, - To think ourselves amiss before His search; - So should we be as curious to shun - All cause that others think not ill of us. - _George Chapman._ - - - God nought _foresees_, but _sees_: for to His eyes - Nought is to come, or past: nor are you vile - Because that Heaven _foresees_, for God, not we, - _Sees_ as things are; things are not as we _see_. - _John Marston._ - - - - - SEEKING. - - -O God thou art my God; early will I _seek_ thee.--Psalm lxiii. 1. - -_Seek_ ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is -near.--Isaiah, lv. 6. - -It is time to _seek_ the Lord, till he come and rain righteousness upon -you.--Hosea, x. 12. - -_Seek_ and ye shall find.--Matthew, vii. 7. - - - We’ll _seek_ Thy face at early dawn - When clouds and darkness veil the sky, - Upon the rising mist of morn, - Confess our errors in a sigh, - And the first beam that shines above - Shall glow with Thy forgiving love. - - Then will the clouds that linger oft - About the region of the breast, - Like those that faint in light aloft, - Flee far away and give us rest; - While every darksome grief shall be - Dispelled by glory shed from Thee. - - Like happy bees, O! let us roam, - Extracting joy from all around, - And winging towards our heavenly home, - Rise up with pure devotion crowned; - And Thee, great King of Glory, meet, - As tuneful larks the sun would greet. - - Give us the faith to feel and know - That Thou art mirrored full and true - Within the breast, as Thou dost show - Thy sun amid a drop of dew. - And thus from sleep Thy saints upraise, - To _seek_ Thy face in prayer and praise. - _W. Martin._ - - - Lord, we come before Thee now, - At Thy feet we humbly bow; - O, do not our suit disdain: - Shall we _seek_ Thee Lord in vain? - - In Thy own appointed way, - Now we _seek_ Thee, here we stay; - Lord, from hence we would not go, - Till a blessing Thou bestow. - _Hammond._ - - - - - SEPULCHRE--TOMB. - - -And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean 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.--Matthew, xxvii. 59, 60. - -In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first -day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the -_sepulchre_.--Matthew, xxviii. 1. - -And entering into the _sepulchre_, they saw a young man sitting on the -right side. - -And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, -which was crucified: He is risen.--Mark, xvi. 5, 6. - - - How sweet, in the musing of faith to repair - To the garden where Mary delighted to rove; - To sit by the _tomb_ where she breathed her fond prayer, - And paid her sad tribute of sorrow and love; - To see the bright beam which disperses her fear, - As the Lord of her soul breaks the bars of her prison, - And the voice of the angel salutes her glad ear,-- - The Lord is a captive no more--“He is risen.” - _Cunningham._ - - - I saw two women weeping by the _tomb_ - Of one new buried, in a fair green place, - Bower’d with shrubs; the eye retained no trace - Of aught that day performed; but the faint gloom - Of dying day was spread upon the sky. - The moon was broad and bright above the wood; - The distance sounded of a multitude, - Music, and shout, and mingled revelry. - At length came gleaming through the thicket-shade - Helmet and casque, and a steel-armed band - Watched round the _sepulchre_ in solemn stand. - The night-word passed, from man to man convey’d; - And I could see those women rise and go - Under the dark trees, moving sad and slow. - _Henry Alford._ - - - Hark from the _tomb_ a doleful sound, - My ears attend the cry; - Ye living men come view the ground, - Where you must shortly lie. - _Watts._ - - - - - SERVICE. - - -As for me and my house, we will _serve_ the Lord.--Joshua, xxiv. 15. - -I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye -present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, -which is your reasonable _service_.--Romans, xii. 1. - -_Servants_, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the -flesh, - -Not with eye-_service_ as men-pleasers; but as the _servants_ of -Christ, doing the will of God from the heart.--Ephesians, vi. 5, 6. - - - Had I but _served_ my God with half the zeal - I _served_ my king, He would not, in mine age, - Have left me naked to mine enemies. - _Shakspere._ - - - To tell you truly what I wish to be, - And never would be other, if I could, - But in the comfort of the heaven’s decree - In soul and body that I ever should-- - Though in the world, not to the world to live, - But to my God my _service_ wholly give. - - This would I be, and would none other be, - But a religious _servant_ of my God; - And know there is none other God but He, - And willingly to suffer mercy’s rod; - Joy in His grace, and live but in His love, - And seek my bliss but in the heaven above. - - Thus would I spend in _service_ of my God - The ling’ring hours of these few days of mine, - To show how sin and death are overtrod - But by the virtue of the power divine; - Our thoughts but vain, our substance slime and dust, - And only Christ for our eternal trust. - _Nicolas Breton._ - - - Expect not more from _servants_ than is just; - Reward them well, if they observe their trust, - Nor them with cruelty, or pride invade; - Since God and nature them our brothers made. - _Denham._ - - - A few forsake the throng; with lifted eyes, - Ask wealth of Heaven, and gain a real prize-- - Truth, wisdom, grace, and peace like that above, - Sealed with His signet whom they _serve_ and love. - _Cowper._ - - - - - SHADE--SHADOW. - - -We are but of yesterday, and know nothing, because our days upon earth -are a _shadow_.--Job, viii. 9. - -He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under -the _shadow_ of the Almighty.--Psalm xci. 1. - -I am gone like the _shadow_ when it declineth.--Psalm cix. 23. - -The Lord is thy _shade_ upon thy right hand.--Psalm cxxi. 5. - - - It is a dial--which points out - The sunset as it moves about, - And _shadows_ out in lines of night - The subtle stages of time’s flight, - Till all-obscuring earth hath laid - His body in perpetual _shade_. - _Dr. Henry King._ - - - Alas! the idle tale of man is found - Depicted in the dial’s moral round; - With Hope Reflection blinds his sacred rays - To gild the total tablet of his days; - Yet still the sport of some malignant Power, - He knows but from its _shade_ the present hour. - _Wordsworth._ - - - Between two breaths, what crowded mysteries lie,-- - The first short gasp, the last and long drawn sigh! - Like phantoms painted on the magic slide, - Forth from the darkness of the past we glide, - As living _shadows_ for a moment seen - In airy pageant on the eternal screen, - Traced by a ray from one unchanging flame, - Then seek the dust and stillness, whence we came. - _O. W. Holmes._ - - - This _shadow_ on the dial’s face, - That steals, from day to day, - With slow, unseen, unceasing pace, - Moments, and months, and years away; - This _shadow_, which in every clime, - Since light and motion first began, - Hath held its course sublime: - What is it?--Mortal man! - It is the scythe of Time. - A _shadow_ only to the eye, - It levels all beneath the sky. - _Anon._ - - - - - SHEEP--SHEPHERD. - - -The Lord is my _shepherd_; I shall not want. - -He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the -still waters.--Psalm xxiii. 1, 2. - -All we like _sheep_ have gone astray; we have turned every one to his -own way.--Isaiah, liii. 6. - -Then said Jesus, I am the good _shepherd_ and know my _sheep_, and am -known of mine. - -As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my -life for the _sheep_.--John, x. 7, 14, 15. - - - ’Tis said, that God is a consuming fire, - But oh! ’tis sure, He now lays by his ire: - He thunders out, - With trumpet’s shout, - No judgment from Mount Sinai; but a still - Soft voice of love and free good will: - He that appear’d then in a warlike dress, - Seeks now the stray _sheep_ in the wilderness. - _P. Fletcher._ - - - Lamb of Jesus’ blood-bought flock, - Brought again from sin and straying! - Hear the _Shepherd’s_ gentle voice, - ’Tis a true and faithful saying-- - “Greater love how can there be - Than to yield up life for thee! - Bought with pang, and tear, and sigh, - Turn and live! why will ye die?” - _Bishop Doane._ - - - And dost Thou, Holy _Shepherd_, leave - Thine unprotected flock alone, - Here in this darksome vale to grieve, - While Thou ascend’st Thy glorious throne? - - Oh, where can they their hopes now turn, - Who never lived but on Thy love? - Where rest the hearts for Thee that burn, - When Thou art lost in light above? - - How shall those eyes now find repose - That turn in vain Thy smile to see? - What can they hear save mortal woes, - Who lose Thy voice’s melody? - - And who shall lay his tranquil hand - Upon the troubled ocean’s might? - Who hush the winds by His command? - Who guide us through this starless night? - - For Thou art gone!--that cloud so bright, - That bears Thee from our love away, - Springs upwards through the dazzling light, - And leaves us here to weep and pray. - _From the Spanish of Luis Ponce de Leon._ - - - The Lord my pasture shall prepare, - And feed me with a _shepherd’s_ care; - His presence shall my wants supply, - And guard me with a watchful eye; - My noonday walks He shall attend, - And all my midnight hours defend. - - When in the sultry glebe I faint, - Or on the thirsty mountains pant; - To fertile vales and dewy meads - My weary wandering steps He leads; - Where peaceful rivers, soft and slow, - Amid the verdant landscape flow. - - Though in the paths of death I tread, - With gloomy horrors overspread, - My steadfast heart shall fear no ill, - For Thou, O Lord, art with me still; - Thy friendly crook shall give me aid, - And guide me through the dreadful shade. - - Though in a bare and rugged way, - Through devious lonely wilds I stray, - Thy bounty shall my wants beguile, - The barren wilderness shall smile, - With sudden greens and herbage crown’d, - And streams shall murmur all around. - _Addison._ - - - The Lord is my _shepherd_, no want shall I know, - I feed in green pastures, safe-folded I rest; - He leadeth my soul where the still waters flow, - Restores me when wandering, redeems when opprest. - _J. Montgomery._ - - - - - SHORTNESS. - - -How long, Lord? wilt Thou hide Thyself for ever? shall Thy wrath burn -like fire? - -Remember how _short_ my time is: wherefore hast Thou made all men in -vain.--Psalm lxxxix. 46, 47. - - - Man’s life, sir, being - So _short_, and then the way that leads unto - The knowledge of ourselves so long and tedious, - Each minute should be precious. - _Beaumont and Fletcher._ - - - Busy, curious, thirsty fly! - Drink with me, and drink as I! - Freely welcome to my cup, - Couldst thou sip and sip it up: - Make the most of life you may; - Life is _short_ and wears away. - - Both alike are mine and thine - Hastening quick to their decline! - Thine’s a summer, mine no more, - Though repeated to threescore! - Threescore summers, when they’re gone, - Will appear as _short_ as one! - _Oldys._ - - - How _short_, how narrow is the span, - How few the years allow’d to man; - And e’en in those few years he feels, - And groans, beneath a thousand ills. - - As springs the flower in some gay mead, - Then sudden hangs its drooping head, - So does our boasted strength decay, - And, like the shadow, flee away. - - For every moment that we breathe, - We’re hast’ning to the gates of Death! - And who can needful help afford, - In that sad hour, but Thou, O Lord? - - Conscious of guilt, to Thee we cry, - And raise the hand and lift the eye; - Yet sure our sins may justly move - Thine anger, rather than Thy love! - _R. Brown._ - - - - - SICKNESS. - - -And Jesus went about all Galilee, healing all manner of _sickness_, and -all manner of disease among the people.--Matthew, iv. 23. - -That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the -prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our -_sicknesses_.--Matthew, viii. 17. - - - But chiefly, Thou, - Whom soft-eyed pity once led down from Heaven - To bleed for man, to teach him how to live, - And O, still harder lesson, how to die; - Disdain not Thou to smooth the restless bed - Of _sickness_ and of pain. - _Bishop Porteus._ - - - When _sickness_ to my fainting soul - Her fearful form display’d, - I to my secret chamber stole, - And humbly thus I pray’d. - - If softened by the impending stroke, - My heart, O Lord, will yield, - In mercy Thy decree revoke, - And let my wound be heal’d. - - But if from memory’s tablet soon - Ingratitude would tear - The bounteous giver, and the boon, - Oh, hear not Thou my prayer. - - Rather than bear that blackest stain - Within my breast, I’d brave - The keenest throes of restless pain-- - The terrors of the grave. - - If health’s unmerited return - Should bless my future days, - Oh, may I from Thy Spirit learn - A daily song of praise. - - But should I shortly hence depart, - Or, lingering suffer still, - May that blest Spirit, Lord, impart - Submission to Thy will. - _Bishop Heber._ - - - - - SILENCE. - - -Unto Thee will I cry, O Lord, my rock; be not _silent_ to me: lest -if Thou be _silent_ to me, I become like them that go down to the -pit.--Psalm xxviii. 1. - -The Lord is in His holy temple; let all the earth keep _silence_ before -Him.--Habakkuk, ii. 20. - -Be _silent_, O all flesh, before the Lord.--Zechariah, ii. 13. - - - The _silence_, often, of pure innocence, - Persuades when speaking fails. - _Shakspere._ - - - Sacred _silence_! thou that art - Floodgate of the deeper heart, - Offspring of a heavenly kind; - Frost o’ the mouth, and thaw o’ the mind, - Admiration’s readiest tongue, - Leave the desert shades, among - Reverend hermits’ hallow’d cells, - Where retired devotion dwells. - _Flecknoe._ - - - In _silence_ mend what ills deform thy mind; - But all thy good impart to all thy kind. - _John Sterling._ - - - True prayer is not the noisy sound - That clamorous lips repeat, - But the deep _silence_ of a soul - That clasps Jehovah’s feet. - _Mrs. Sigourney._ - - - When some beloved voice, that was to you - Both sound and sweetness, failed suddenly, - And _silence_ against which you dare not cry, - Aches round you like a strong disease and new-- - What hope, what help, what music will undo - That _silence_ to your sense. - _Elizabeth Barrett Browning._ - - - Ours is a world of words; Quiet we call - “_Silence_,” which is the merest word of all. - All nature speaks, and ev’n ideal things - Flap shadowy sounds from visionary wings-- - But ah! not so when, thus in realms on high, - The eternal voice of God is passing by, - And the red winds are withering in the sky! - _E. A. Poe._ - - - - - SIN. - - -Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose _sin_ is -covered.--Psalm xxxii. 1. - -I will declare my iniquity; I will be sorry for my _sin_.--Psalm -xxxviii. 18. - -Hide Thy face from my _sins_, and blot out all my iniquities.--Psalm -li. 9. - -I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a -cloud, thy _sins_: return unto me; for I have redeemed thee.--Isaiah, -xliv. 22. - -By one man _sin_ entered into the world, and death by _sin_; and so -death passed upon all men, for that all have _sinned_.--Romans, v. 12. - -All things are of God, who hath reconciled us to Himself by Jesus -Christ. - -For He hath made Him to be _sin_ for us, who knew no _sin_; that we -might be made the righteousness of God in Him.--II. Corinthians, v. 18, -21. - - - _Sin_ ever must - Be tortured with the rack of his own frame; - For he that holds no faith, shall find no trust, - But sowing wrong, is sure to reap the same. - _Daniel._ - - - O, how unsufferable is the weight - Of _sin_! how miserable is their state, - The silence of whose secret _sin_ conceals - The smart, till justice to revenge appeals! - - * * * * * - - Who loves to _sin_, in hell his portion’s given; - Who dies to _sin_ shall, after, live in heaven. - _Quarles._ - - - ’Tis not to cry God mercy, or to sit - And droop, or to confess that thou hast failed: - ’Tis to bewail the _sins_ thou didst commit; - And not commit those _sins_ thou hast bewailed. - He that bewails, and not forsakes them too, - Confesses rather what he means to do. - _Quarles._ - - - That _sin_ does ten times aggravate itself, - That is committed in a holy place; - An evil deed done by authority, - Is _sin_ and subornation; deck an ape - In tissue, and the beauty of the robe - Adds but the greater scorn unto the beast; - The poison shows worst in a golden cup; - Dark night seems darker by the lightning’s flash; - Lilies that fester smell far worse then weeds; - And every glory that inclines to _sin_, - The same is treble by the opposite. - _Old Play._ (1597.) - - - Much have we _sinned_ to our shame, - But spare us who our _sins_ confess; - And for the glory of Thy name, - To our sick souls afford redress. - _Drummond._ - - - It is a shame, that man, that has the seeds - Of virtue in him springing unto glory, - Should make his soul degenerate with _sin_, - And slave to luxury; to drown his spirits - In lees of sloth; to yield up the weak day - To wine, to lust, and banquets. - _Shackerly._ - - - _Sin_, like a bee, unto thy hive may bring - A little honey, but expect the sting. - _Watkyns._ - - - Woe unto those who countenance a _sin_, - Siding with vice that it may credit win, - By their unhallowed vote; that do benight - The truth with error, putting dark for light, - And light for dark; that call an evil good, - And would by vice have virtue understood. - _Bishop King._ - - - O, the dangerous siege - _Sin_ lays about us! And the tyranny - He exercises, when he hath expunged: - Like to the horror of a winter’s thunder, - Mixed with a gushing storm, that suffers nothing - To stir abroad on earth but their own rages, - Is _sin_, when it hath gathered head above us: - No roof, no shelter will secure us so, - But he will drown our cheeks in fear or woe. - _Chapman._ - - - To threats the stubborn _sinner_ oft is hard, - Wrapped in his crimes, against the storm prepared; - But when the milder beams of mercy play, - He melts, and throws his cumbrous cloak away. - _Dryden._ - - - For he that but conceives a crime in thought, - Contracts the danger of an actual fault; - Then what must he expect, that still proceeds - To finish _sin_, and work up thoughts in deeds? - _Dryden._ - - - What if the _sinner’s_ magazines are stored - With the rich spoils that Ophir’s mines afford? - What if he spends his happy days and nights - In softest joys, and undisturbed delights? - Where is his hope at last, when God shall wrest - His trembling soul from his reluctant breast? - _Blackmore._ - - - What havoc hast thou made, foul monster, _Sin_! - Greatest and first of ills! The fruitful parent - Of woes of all dimensions! But for thee, - Sorrow had never been! - _Blair._ - - - Lord! with what care hast Thou begirt us round! - Parents first season us; the schoolmasters - Deliver us to laws; they send us bound - To rules of reason; holy messengers: - Pulpits and Sundays; sorrow, dogging _sin_; - Afflictions sorted; anguish of all sizes; - Fine nets and stratagems to catch us in; - Bibles laid open; millions of surprises; - Blessings beforehand; ties of gratefulness; - The sound of glory ringing in our ears; - Without, our shame; within, our consciences; - Angels and Grace; eternal hopes and fears! - Yet all these fences and their whole array, - One cunning bosom _sin_ blows quite away. - _George Herbert._ - - - As the fond sheep that idly strays, - With wanton play, through devious ways, - Which never hits the road of home, - O’er wilds of danger learns to roam, - Till, wearied out with idle fear, - And passing there, and turning here, - He will, for rest, to covert run, - And meet the wolf he strove to shun: - Thus wretched I, through wanton will, - Ran blind and headlong on in ill. - - ’Twas thus from _sin_ to _sin_ I flew, - And thus I might have perished too; - But mercy dropped the likeness here, - And showed and saved me from my fear, - While o’er the darkness of my mind - The sacred Spirit purely shined, - And marked and brightened all the way - Which leads to everlasting day; - And broke the thickening clouds of _sin_, - And fixed the light of love within. - _Parnell._ - - - On His pale brow the drops are large and red - As victim’s blood at votive altar shed-- - His hands are clasped, His eyes are raised in prayer-- - Alas, and is there strife He cannot bear, - Who calmed the tempest, and who raised the dead? - There is! there is! for now the powers of hell - Are struggling for the mastery--’tis the hour - When death exerts his last permitted power, - When the dead weight of _sin_, since Adam fell, - Is visited on Him who deigned to dwell-- - A man with men, that He might bear the stroke - Of wrath divine, and break the captive’s yoke-- - But O, of that dread strife, what words can tell? - Those, only those which broke, with many a groan, - From His full heart--“O, Father, take away - The cup of vengeance I must drink to-day-- - Yet, Father, not My will, but Thine, be done!” - It could not pass away, for He alone - Was mighty to endure and strong to save: - Nor would Jehovah leave Him in the grave, - Nor could corruption taint His Holy One. - _Dale._ - - - When at first from virtue’s path we stray, - How shrinks the feeble heart with sad dismay! - More bold at length, by powerful habit led, - Careless and sered, the dreary wilds we tread; - Behold the gaping gulf of _sin_ with scorn, - And plunging deep, to endless death are borne. - _James Scott._ - - - - - SINAI. - - -The Lord came from _Sinai_, and rose up from Seir unto them; He shined -forth from Mount Paran, and He came with ten thousands of saints: from -His right hand went a fiery law.--Deuteronomy, xxxiii. 2. - -The mountains melted from before the Lord, even that _Sinai_ from -before the Lord God of Israel.--Judges, v. 5. - - - God from the Mount of _Sinai_, whose grey top - Shall tremble, He descending, will himself, - In thunder, lightning, and loud tempest’s sound, - Ordain them laws; part such as appertain - To civil justice, part religious rites - Of sacrifice, informing them by types - And shadows, of that destined Seed to bruise - The serpent, by what means He shall achieve - Mankind’s deliverance. But the voice of God - To mortal ear is dreadful! They beseech - That Moses might repeat to them His will, - And terror cease. He grants what they besought, - Instructed that to God is no access - Without Mediator, whose high office now - Moses in figure bears, to introduce - One greater, of whose day he shall foretell. - _Milton._ - - - The mountain rocked round _Sinai’s_ trembling sides; - In gloomy spires the dreadful smoke arose; - Angelic trumpets pierced the ethereal vault; - Wide-echoing thunder rent the conscious air; - Fierce lightning shot its terrors through the sky; - All nature spake, and with convulsive shock - Gave awful proof of the descending God. - _Samuel Hayes._ - - - Those laws which from Mount _Sinai_ - Jehovah, clothed with terrors, while thick clouds - And darkness wrapt him round, pronounced, in sounds - Which chilled the hearts of those who heard, and froze - Their very blood. Beneath His awful feet - Earth trembled, and the lofty mountain shook; - Hoarse thunder growled, and livid lightnings flashed, - While sounds of horror and distress amid - The howling wilderness were heard. - _William Hodson._ - - - - - SINGING--SONG. - - -O sing unto the Lord a new _song_: _sing_ unto the Lord, all the earth. - -_Sing_ unto the Lord, bless his name; shew forth his salvation from day -to day.--Psalm xcvi. 1, 2. - -And they _sing_ the _song_ of Moses the servant of God, and the _song_ -of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God -Almighty.--Revelation, xv. 3. - - - Who is the Lord, then? Earth to me hath cried: - He, whose soul boundless everywhere is spread; - Who measures the Creation with a stride; - He, who with splendour e’er the sun hath fed. - - He, who from nothingness all matter drew; - He, who built up the universe on nought; - He, who round shoreless seas a girdle threw; - He, whose sole look forth light from darkness brought. - - He, who no heed to Time’s progression gives; - He, who draws being from his own command; - Who, in the future as the present lives; - And recalls years, departed from his hand. - - ’Tis He!--it is the Lord! Oh! may my tongue, - His countless glorious names to man repeat; - As the gold lamp before His altars hung; - I’ll _sing_ to Him, while holds my life her seat! - _Rev. W. Pulling, from Lamartine._ - - - Thanks be to God! His grace has shown - How sinful man on earth - May join the _songs_ which round his throne - Give endless praises birth: - He gave His Son for man to die! - He sent His Spirit from on high - To consummate the scheme: - O be that consummation blest! - And let Redemption be confest - A poet’s noblest theme. - _B. Barton._ - - - “Worthy the Lamb,” on earth we _sing_ - “Who died our souls to save.” - Henceforth, O Death where is thy sting? - Thy victory, O Grave? - _J. Montgomery._ - - - - - SKY. - - -Stand still, and consider the wondrous works of God. - -Hast thou with him spread out the _sky_, which is strong, and as a -molten looking-glass?--Job, xxxvii. 14, 18. - -Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the _skies_ pour down -righteousness.--Isaiah, xlv. 8. - - - When yonder glorious _sky_ - Lighted with million lamps, I contemplate; - And turn my dazzled eye - To this vain mortal state, - All dim and visionary, mean and desolate, - - A mingled joy and grief - Fills all my soul with dark solicitude; - I find a short relief - In tears, whose torrents rude - Roll down my cheeks, or thoughts which then intrude. - - Thou bright, sublime abode! - Temple of light, and beauty’s fairest shrine: - My soul! a spark of God, - Aspiring to thy seats divine, - Why, why is it condemned in this dull cell to pine? - - For there, and there alone, - Are peace, and joy, and never-dying love; - There, on a splendid throne, - ’Midst all those fires above, - In glories and delights which never wane nor move. - - Oh, wondrous blessedness! - Whose shadowy effluence hope o’er time can fling; - Day that shall never cease, - No night there threatening, - No winter there to chill joy’s ever-during spring. - - Ye fields of changeless green - Covered with living streams and fadeless flowers, - Thou Paradise serene, - Eternal, joyful hours - My disembodied soul shall welcome in thy bowers. - _Luis Ponce de Leon, Spanish._ - - - - - SLANDER. - - -For I have heard the _slander_ of many: fear was on every side: while -they took counsel together against me, they devised to take away my -life.--Psalm xxxi. 13. - -He that uttereth a _slander_, is a fool.--Proverbs, x. 18. - - - That thou art blamed shall not be thy defect; - For _slander’s_ mark was ever yet the fair; - So thou be good, _slander_ doth but approve - Thy worth the greater. - _Shakspere._ - - - ’Tis _slander_, - Whose edge is sharper than the sword; whose tongue - Out-venoms all the worms of Nile; whose breath - Rides on the posting wind, and doth belie - All corners of the world; kings, queens, and states, - Maids, matrons, nay, the secrets of the grave, - The viperous _slander_ enters. - _Shakspere._ - - - _Slander_ lives upon succession, - For ever housed when once it gets possession. - _Shakspere._ - - - Imperfect mischief! - Thou, like an adder, venomous and deaf, - Hast stung the traveller, yet hear’st - Not his pursuing voice. E’en when thou think’st - To hide, the rustling leaves and bended grass - Confess and point the path where thou hast crept. - _Congreve._ - - - Forgot by those who in the grave abide, - And as a broken vessel past repair, - _Slandered_ by many, fear on every side, - Who counsel take and would my life ensnare. - - But Lord, my hopes on Thee are fixed: I said - Thou art my God, my days are in Thy hand; - Against my furious foes oppose thy aid, - And those, who prosecute my soul, withstand. - _Sandys._ - - - One who molests a harmless neighbour’s peace, - Insults fall’n worth or beauty in distress; - Who loves a lie, lame _slander_ heaps about, - Who writes a libel, or who copies out. - _Pope._ - - - - - SLAVERY. - - -Is Israel a servant? is he a home-born _slave_? why is he -spoiled?--Jeremiah, ii. 14. - - - There is no flesh in man’s obdurate heart, - It does not feel for man; the natural bond - Of brotherhood is severed, as the flax - That falls asunder at the touch of fire. - He finds his fellow guilty of a skin - Not coloured like his own; and having power - T’ enforce the wrong, for such a worthy cause, - Dooms and devotes him as a lawful prey. - - * * * * * - - Thus man devotes his brother, and destroys; - And worse than all, and most to be deplored, - As human nature’s broadest, foulest blot, - Chains him, and tasks him, and exacts his sweat - With stripes, that mercy, with a bleeding heart, - Weeps, when she sees inflicted on a beast. - Then what is man? and what man seeing this, - And having human feelings, does not blush, - And hang his head, to think himself a man. - _Cowper._ - - - Though cold as winter, gloomy as the grave, - Stone walls a Prisoner make, but not a _Slave_. - Shall man assume a property in man? - Lay on the moral will a withering ban? - Shame that our laws at distance should protect - Enormities, which they at home reject! - “_Slaves_ cannot breathe in England”--a proud boast! - And yet a mockery! if from coast to coast, - Though fettered _slave_ be none, her floors and soil - Groan underneath a weight of _slavish_ toil, - For the poor many, measured out by rules - Fetched with cupidity from heartless schools, - That to an Idol, falsely called “the wealth - Of Nations,” sacrifice a People’s health, - Body, and mind, and soul, a thirst so keen - Is ever urging on the vast machine - Of sleepless Labour, ’mid whose dizzy wheels - The power least prized is that which thinks and feels. - _Wordsworth._ - - - Man seeks for gold in mines, that he may weave - A lasting chain for his own _slavery_; - In fear and restless care that he may live, - He toils for others, who must ever be - The joyless thralls of his captivity; - He murders, for his chief delight’s in ruin; - He builds the altar, that its idol’s fee - May be his very blood; he is pursuing, - O, blind and willing wretch! his own obscure undoing. - _Shelley._ - - - Lives there a savage ruder than the _slave_? - Cruel as death, insatiate as the grave, - False as the winds that round his vessel blow, - Remorseless as the gulf that yawns below, - Is he who toils upon the wafting flood - A Christian broker in the trade of blood; - Boist’rous in speech, in action prompt and bold, - He buys, he sells--he steals, he kills for gold. - _J. Montgomery._ - - - Hast thou ever asked thyself - What it is to be a _slave_? - Bought and sold for sordid pelf, - From the cradle to the grave. - - ’Tis to know thy transient powers - E’en of muscle, flesh, and bone, - Cannot, in thy happiest hours, - Be considered as thine own. - - But thy master’s goods and chattels, - Lent to thee for little more - Than to fight his selfish battles - For some bits of shining ore. - - ’Tis to learn thou hast a heart - Beating in that bartered frame - Of whose ownership--no part - Thou canst challenge but in name; - - For the curse of _slavery_ crushes - Out the life-blood from its core, - And expends its throbbing gushes - But to swell another’s store. - - God’s best gift from heaven above, - Meant to make a heaven on earth, - Hallowing, humanizing love! - With the ties which thence have birth, - - These can never be his lot, - Who, like brutes, is bought and sold, - Holding such--as having not - On his own the spider’s hold. - - ’Tis to feel e’en worse than this, - If aught worse than this can be, - Thou hast shrined, for bale or bliss, - An immortal soul in thee! - - But that this undying guest - Shares thy body’s degradation, - Until _slavery’s_ bonds unblest, - Check each kindling aspiration. - - And what should have been thy light, - Shining e’en beyond the grave, - Turns to darkness worse than night, - Leaving thee a hopeless _slave_! - - Such is _Slavery_! Couldst thou bear - Its vile bondage? Oh! my brother, - How, then, canst thou, wilt thou dare - To inflict it on another? - _Bernard Barton._ - - - _Slave_-mart!-- - Oh, mart of blood!--but God for vengeance cries, - And man shall shrink when _slaves_ in judgment rise; - The Power that moulds the lily’s snowy form, - Ordains the sunbeam, and propels the storm, - Whose boundless presence all creation fills, - Adorns the valleys, and surmounts the hills, - Designs for all, and yet creates alone, - Shall rise at last to vindicate His own! - _J. Burbidge._ - - - They are _slaves_ who will not choose - Hatred, scoffing, and abuse, - Rather than in silence shrink - From the truth they needs must think; - They are _slaves_ who dare not be - In the right with two or three. - _Anon._ - - - - - SLEEP. - - -I will both lay me down in peace, and _sleep_: for Thou, Lord, only -makest me dwell in safety.--Psalm iv. 8. - -He giveth His beloved _sleep_.--Psalm cxxvii. 2. - - - Come _sleep_, O _sleep_, the certain knot peace, - The baiting-place of wit, the balm of woe, - The poor man’s wealth, the prisoner’s release, - Th’ indifferent judge between the high and low. - _Sir Philip Sidney._ - - - _Sleep_ that knits up the revelled sleeve of care, - The death of each day’s life, sore labour’s bath, - Balm of hurt minds, great nature’s second course, - Chief nourisher in life’s feast. - _Shakspere._ - - - Why rather _sleep_ liest thou in smoky cribs - Upon uneasy pallets stretching thee, - And hushed with buzzing night-flies to thy slumber, - Than in the perfumed chambers of the great - Under the canopies of costly state, - And lulled with sounds of sweetest melody? - - * * * * * - - Canst thou, O partial _sleep_! give thy repose - To the wet seaboy in an hour so rude; - And in the calmest and most stillest night - With all appliances and means to boot - Deny it to a king? - _Shakspere._ - - - _Sleep_ on, my love! in thy cold bed - Never to be disquieted! - My last ‘Good night!’--thou wilt not wake - Till I thy fate shall overtake-- - Till age, or grief, or sickness, must - Marry my body to the dust - It so much loves--and fill the room - My heart keeps empty in thy tomb. - Stay for me there! I will not fail - To meet thee in that hollow vale: - And think not much of my delay, - I am already on the way, - And follow thee with all the speed - Desire can make, or sorrows breed. - Each minute is a short degree, - And every hour a step towards thee. - At night when I betake to rest, - Next morn I rise nearer my West - Of life, almost by eight hours’ sail, - Than when _sleep_ breath’d his drowsy gale. - _Bishop King._ - - - How blessed was that _sleep_ - The sinless Saviour knew! - In vain the storm-winds blew, - Till He awoke to others’ woes, - And hushed the billows to repose. - - How beautiful is _sleep_! - The _sleep_ that christians know: - Ye mourners! cease your woe. - While soft upon his Saviour’s breast, - The righteous sinks to endless rest. - _Mrs. M’Cartee._ - - - Good night! - Slumber till the morning light! - Slumber till the dawn of day - Brings its troubles with its ray! - _Sleep_ without or fear or fright! - Our Father wakes! Good night! - _Korner._ - - - _Sleep_ sweetly, tender heart, in peace! - _Sleep_, holy spirit, blessed soul, - While the stars burn, the moons increase, - And the great ages onward roll. - - _Sleep_ till the end, true soul and sweet, - Nothing comes to thee new or strange. - _Sleep_, full of rest from head to feet; - Lie still, dry dust, secure of change. - _Tennyson._ - - - O Thou, who in the garden’s shade - Didst wake Thy weary ones again, - Who slumbered at that fearful hour; - Forgetful of Thy pain; - - Bend o’er us now, as over them, - And set our _sleep_-bound spirits free; - Nor leave us slumbering in the watch - Our souls should keep with Thee! - _J. G. Whittier._ - - - - - SLOTH. - - -The hand of the diligent shall bear rule: but the _slothful_ shall be -under tribute.--Proverbs, xii. 24. - -_Slothfulness_ casteth into a deep sleep; and an idle soul shall suffer -hunger.--Proverbs, xix. 15. - -Be not _slothful_, but followers of them who through faith and patience -inherit the promises.--Hebrews, vi. 12. - - - He that outlives Nestor, and appears - To have passed the date of grey Methusalem’s years, - If he his life to _sloth_ and sin doth give, - I say he only was, he did not live. - _Thomas Randolph._ - - - Two principles from the beginning strove - In human nature, still dividing man,-- - _Sloth_ and activity; the lust of praise, - And indolence that rather wished to sleep. - - * * * * * - - _Sloth_ lay till mid-day, turning on his couch - Like ponderous door upon its weary hinge, - And having rolled him out with much ado, - And many a dismal sigh, and vain attempt, - He sauntered out, accoutred carelessly,-- - With half-oped, misty, unobservant eye, - Somniferous, that weighed the object down - On which its burden hung,--an hour or two, - Then with a groan retired to rest again. - The one, whatever deed had been achieved, - Thought it too little, and too small the praise: - The other tried to think, for thinking so - Answered his purpose best, that what of great - Mankind could do had been already done; - And therefore laid him calmly down to sleep. - _Pollok._ - - - Why in _sloth_ thy days consume? - Why anticipate the tomb? - Wasting thus thy youthful prime, - Slumbering before the time? - Sluggard up! there’s work to do, - Let not _sloth_ thy soul ensnare; - Only the reward is due - Unto those the toil who share. - _Egone._ - - - - - SNARE. - - -The proud have hid a _snare_ for me, and cords; they have spread a net -by the wayside; they have set gins for me.--Psalm cxl. 5. - -The law of the wise is a fountain of life, to depart from the _snares_ -of death.--Proverbs, xiii. 14. - -Make no friendship with an angry man; and with a furious man thou shalt -not go: - -Lest thou learn his ways, and get a _snare_ to thy soul.--Proverbs, -xxii. 24, 25. - - - Warn all creatures from thee - Henceforth, lest that too heavenly form pretended - To hellish falsehood _snare_ them. - _Milton._ - - - In the embattled plain - Though Death exults and claps his raven wings, - Yet reigns he not, even there, so absolute, - So merciless, as in yon frantic scenes - Of midnight revel and tumultuous mirth, - Where, in the intoxicating draught concealed, - Or couched beneath the glance of lawless love, - He _snares_ the simple youth, who, nought suspecting, - Meant to be blest--but finds himself undone. - _Bishop Porteus._ - - - Beset with _snares_ on every hand, - In life’s uncertain path I stand; - Saviour divine! diffuse Thy light - To guide my doubtful footsteps right. - _Doddridge._ - - - He that hath made his refuge God, - Shall find a most secure abode; - Shall walk all day beneath His shade, - And there at night shall rest his head. - - Then will I say, “My God, Thy pow’r - Shall be my fortress and my tow’r: - I, that am form’d of feeble dust, - Make Thine almighty arm my trust.” - - Thrice happy man! thy Maker’s care - Shall keep thee from the fowler’s _snare_; - Satan, the fowler, who betrays - Unguarded souls a thousand ways. - _Watts._ - - - - - SOLDIERS. - - -Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good _soldier_ of Jesus Christ. - -No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; -that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a _soldier_.--II. -Timothy, ii. 3, 4. - - - Thy life’s a warfare, thou a _soldier_ art, - Satan’s thy foeman, and a faithful heart - Thy two-edged weapon, patience is thy shield, - Heaven is thy chieftain, and the world thy field. - To be afraid to die, or wish for death, - Are words and passions of despairing breath: - Who doth the first, the day doth faintly yield; - And who the second, basely flies the field. - _Francis Quarles._ - - - _Soldiers_ of Christ, arise, - And put your armour on, - Strong in the strength which God supplies, - Through His eternal Son; - Strong in the Lord of Hosts, - And in His mighty power, - Who in the strength of Jesus trusts, - Is more than conqueror. - - Stand then in His great might, - With all His strength endued; - But take, to arm you for the fight, - The Panoply of God: - That having all things done, - And all your conflicts pass’d, - Ye may o’ercome though Christ alone, - And stand entire at last. - _Wesley._ - - - _Soldier_ rise! the war is done; - Lo! the hosts of hell are flying: - ’Twas the Lord thy battle won; - Jesus vanquished them by dying. - Pass the stream--before thee lies - All the conquered land of glory. - Hark!--what songs of rapture rise! - These proclaim the victor’s story. - _Soldier_, lay thy weapons down, - Quit the sword, and take the crown. - Triumph! all thy foes are banished, - Death is slain, and earth has vanished. - _Phelan._ - - - - - SOLOMON. - - -In Gibeon the Lord appeared to _Solomon_ in a dream by night: and God -said, Ask what I shall give thee. - -And _Solomon_ said, Give Thy servant an understanding heart to judge -Thy people, that I may discern between good and bad. - -And the speech pleased the Lord, that _Solomon_ had asked this -thing.--I. Kings, iii. 5, 6, 9, 10. - -And God said to _Solomon_, Because this was in thine heart, and thou -hast not asked riches, wealth, or honour, nor the life of thine -enemies, neither yet hast asked long life; but hast asked wisdom and -knowledge for thyself, that thou mayest judge my people, over whom I -have made thee king: - -Wisdom and knowledge is granted unto thee; and I will give thee riches -and wealth, and honour, such as none of the kings have had that -have been before thee, neither shall there any after thee have the -like.--II. Chronicles, i. 11, 12. - - - A righteous sceptre in Jerusalem - Reigned over Israel; and the arts of peace - In higher honour placed King David’s son, - Than all the father’s fierce and weary wars. - Plenty and comfort blessed the labouring poor, - And splendour graced the noble and the wise: - Silver was nothing counted; massive gold - Adorned the temple and the royal board, - And richly-laden ships, from distant shores, - Swelled the king’s tribute and the people’s wealth. - Worthier than gold, than jewels far more rare, - Was the king’s wisdom; all the people bowed - Before the mighty mind of _Solomon_, - For God was with him. - _H. H. Weld._ - - - In wealth, in power, tranquillity, and fame, - His mightier son, high-favoured _Solomon_, - Serene in strength, and dreadful without war, - Reigns jubilant: in knowledge peerless he, - With proverb, meditation, holy song, - Exalts the soul; while o’er his laws preside - Truth unncorrupt, integrity severe, - By keen discernment led. With lustrous train - See Sheba’s queen, to prove his wisdom come, - And kings from every realm, admiring, hear - His varied eloquence; admiring, view - Magnificence and regal state profuse - Beyond compare. - _Charles Hoyle._ - - - - - SON. - - -In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent -his only begotten _Son_ into the world, that we might live through him. - -Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent -his _Son_ to be the propitiation for our sins. - -And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the _Son_ to be -the Saviour of the world.--I. John, iv. 9, 10, 14. - - - Of all creation, first - Begotten _Son_, divine Similitude, - In whose conspicuous countenance, without cloud - Made visible, the Almighty Father shines, - Whom else no creature can behold: on Thee - Impressed, the effulgence of His glory bides; - Transfused in Thee His ample spirit rests. - The Heaven of heavens, and all the powers therein - By Thee created. - _Milton._ - - - The Lord of Hosts hath walked - This world of man; the one Almighty sent - His everlasting _Son_ to wear the flesh, - And glorify this mortal human shape; - And the blind eyes unclosed to see the Lord, - And the dumb tongues broke out in songs of praise, - And the grave cast forth its wondering dead, - And trembling devils murmured sullen homage. - _H. H. Milman._ - - - I am ere the beginning. Manifold - Creation of the Father’s will, by me - Expressed, in its begotten order rolled; - Image express of Him whom none may see, - My glory veils and shadows for behoof - Of all His creatures, His great Deity; - Whereof ye are partakers, though aloof - It dwells from you, ye in its light doth dwell, - Sun of the soul--a pattern and a proof. - The Father sitteth inaccessible - To eye or ear. In me His plenitude - Abides--His only _Son_ for whom ye will, - Rays of that Radiance wherein may be viewed - His glory only. I His brightness am, - His word in whom He sole is understood. - _J. A. Heraud._ - - - - - SORROW. - - -Many _sorrows_ shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the -Lord, mercy shall compass him about.--Psalm xxxii. 10. - -_Sorrow_ is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance -the heart is made better.--Ecclesiastes, vii. 3. - -For godly _sorrow_ worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented -of: but the _sorrow_ of the world worketh death.--II. Corinthians, vii. -10. - - - Oh, sacred _sorrow_, by whom hearts are tried - Sent not to punish mortals, but to guide, - If thou art mine (and who shall proudly dare - To tell his Maker he has had his share?) - Still let me feel for what Thy pangs are sent, - And be my guide, and not my punishment. - _From the Russian._ - - - I suffer now for what hath former been, - _Sorrow_ is held the eldest son of sin. - _John Webster._ - - - Peace was theirs, and harmony within, - They know no _sorrow_, for they know no sin. - _Whyte._ - - - Whate’er thy lot, whoe’er thou be, - Confess thy folly,--kiss the rod; - And in thy chastening _sorrow_, see - The hand of God. - - A bruised reed He will not break-- - Afflictions all His children feel: - He wounds them for His mercy’s sake-- - He wounds to heal. - _James Montgomery._ - - - With boldness, therefore, at the throne - Let us make all our _sorrows_ known; - And ask the aid of heavenly power - To help us in the evil hour. - _Logan._ - - - If affliction grasps thee rudely - And presents the rack and cup, - Drink the draught and brave the torture-- - Even in despair,--look up! - Still look up! For One there liveth - With the will and power to save-- - One who knows each human _sorrow_, - From the cradle to the grave. - _J. L. Chester._ - - - - - SOUL. - - -And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed -into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living -_soul_.--Genesis, ii. 7. - -Bless the Lord, O my _soul_: and all that is within me, bless his holy -name.--Psalm ciii. 1. - -I wait for the Lord, my _soul_ doth wait, and in his word do I hope. - -My _soul_ waiteth for the Lord more than they than watch for the -morning.--Psalm cxxx. 5, 6. - -For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and -lose his own _soul_? or what shall a man give in exchange for his -_soul_?--Matthew, xvi. 26. - - - Though life, since finite, has so ill excuse - For being but in finite objects learned, - Yet sure the _soul_ was made for little use, - Unless it be in infinites concerned. - _Sir William Davenant._ - - - But Thou which didst man’s _soul_ of nothing make, - And when to nothing it was fallen again, - To make it new, the form of man didst take, - And, God with God, becam’st a man with men: - - Thou that hast fashioned twice this _soul_ of ours, - So that she is by double title thine; - Thou only know’st her nature and her powers, - Her subtile form Thou only canst define. - - We that acquaint ourselves with every zone, - And pass the tropics and behold each pole; - When we come home are to ourselves unknown, - And unacquainted still with our own _soul_. - _Davies._ - - - Poor _soul_, the centre of my sinful earth, - Fooled by those rebel powers that thee array, - Why dost thou pine within, and suffer dearth, - Painting thy outward walls so costly gay? - Why so large cost, having so short a leese, - Dost thou upon thy fading mansion spend? - Shall worms, inheritors of this excess, - Eat up thy charge? Is this thy body’s end? - Then, _soul_, live thou upon thy servant’s loss, - And let that pine to aggravate thy store; - Buy terms divine in selling hours of dross; - Within be fed, without be rich no more; - So shalt thou feed on death, that feeds on men; - And, death once dead, there’s no more dying then. - _Shakspere._ - - - The _soul_ which doth with God unite, - Those gaieties how doth she slight, - Which o’er opinion sway! - Like sacred virgin wax, which shines - On altars or on Martyrs’ shrines, - How doth she burn away! - - How violent are her throes till she - From envious earth deliver’d be, - Which doth her flight restrain! - How doth she doat on whips and racks, - On fires, and the so dreaded axe, - And every murdering pain! - - How soon she leaves the pride of wealth, - The flatteries of youth and health, - And fame’s more precious breath; - And every gaudy circumstance - That doth the pomp of life advance - At the approach of death. - _W. Habington._ - - - Sweet day! so cool, so calm, so bright! - The bridal of the earth and sky: - The dew shall weep thy fall to-night, - For Thou must die. - - Sweet rose! whose hue, angry and brave, - Bids the rash gazer wipe his eye: - Thy root is ever in the grave, - And thou must die. - - Sweet spring! full of sweet days and roses, - A box where sweets compacted lie: - My music shows you have your closes, - And all must die. - - Only a sweet and virtuous _soul_, - Like season’d timber never gives, - But, though the whole world turns to coal, - Then chiefly lives. - _Herbert._ - - - The _soul_ of man (let man in homage bow - Who names his _soul_) a native of the skies! - High-born and free, her freedom should maintain, - Unsold, unmortgaged for earth’s little bribes. - _Young._ - - - Dearly pays the _soul_ - For lodging ill; too dearly rents her day. - _Young._ - - - The _soul_, secure in her existence, smiles - At the drawn dagger, and defies its point: - The stars shall fade away, the sun himself - Grow dim with age, and nature sink in years: - But thou shalt flourish in immortal youth, - Unhurt amidst the war of elements, - The wreck of matter, and the crash of worlds! - _Addison._ - - - For from the birth - Of mortal man, the sovereign Maker said, - That not in humble, nor in brief delight, - Not in the fading echoes of renown, - Power’s purple robe, nor pleasure’s flowery lap, - The _Soul_ should find enjoyment: but from these - Turning, disdainful, to an equal good, - Through all the ascent of things enlarge her view, - Till every bound at length should disappear, - And infinite perfection close the scene. - _Akenside._ - - - The _soul_ on earth is an immortal guest, - Condemned to starve at an unreal feast: - A spark, which upwards tends by nature’s force; - A stream, diverted from its parent source; - A drop dissevered from the boundless sea; - A moment, parted from eternity; - A pilgrim panting for the rest to come; - An exile, anxious for his native home. - _Hannah More._ - - - Since _soul_ decays not; freed from earth, - And earthly coils, it bursts away; - Receiving a celestial birth, - And spurning off its bonds of clay, - It soars and seeks another sphere, - And blooms through heaven’s eternal year. - _Moir._ - - - O Lady! we receive but what we give, - And in our life alone does nature live: - Ours is her wedding-garment, ours her shroud! - And would we aught behold, of higher worth - Than that inanimate cold world allowed - To the poor loveless ever-anxious crowd, - Ah! from the _soul_ itself must issue forth, - A light, a glory, a fair luminous cloud - Enveloping the earth, - And from the _soul_ itself must there be sent - A sweet and potent voice, of its own birth, - Of all sweet sounds the life and element. - _Coleridge._ - - - The spirit leaves the body’s wondrous frame, - That frame itself a world of strength and skill; - The nobler inmate new abodes will claim, - In every change to Thee aspiring still. - - Although from darkness born, to darkness fled, - We know that light beyond surrounds the whole; - The man survives, though the weird corpse be dead, - And He who dooms the flesh, redeems the _soul_. - _John Sterling._ - - - Lord! we sit and cry to Thee, - Like the blind beside the way: - Make our darkened _souls_ to see - The glory of Thy perfect day! - Lord! rebuke our sullen night, - And give Thyself unto our sight! - _H. H. Milman._ - - - The _Soul_!--the _Soul_!--with its eye of fire, - Thus, thus shall it soar when its foes expire; - It shall spread its wings o’er the ills that pained, - The evils that shadowed, the sins that stained; - It shall dwell where no rushing cloud hath sway, - And the pageants of earth shall have melted away. - _Mrs. Sigourney._ - - - That mysterious thing, - Which hath no limit from the walls of sense,-- - No chill from hoary time,--with pale decay - No fellowship,--but shall stand forth unchanged, - Unscorched amid the resurrection fires, - To bear its boundless lot of good or ill. - _Mrs. Sigourney._ - - - - - SOWING. - - -They that _sow_ in tears shall reap in joy.--Psalm cxxvi. 5. - -In the morning _sow_ thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine -hand: for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, -or whether both shall be alike good.--Ecclesiastes, xi. 6. - - - Sow in the morn thy seed, - At eve hold not thine hand; - To doubt and fear give thou no heed,-- - Broad-cast it o’er the land. - - Beside all waters _sow_, - The highway furrows stock; - Drop it where thorns and thistles grow, - Scatter it on the rock. - - The good, the fruitful ground, - Expect not here nor there; - O’er hill and dale, by plots ’tis found; - Go forth, then, everywhere. - - Thou know’st not which may thrive, - The late or early _sown_; - Grace keeps the precious germs alive, - When and wherever strown. - - And duly shall appear, - In verdure, beauty, strength, - The tender blade, the stalk, the ear, - And the full corn at length. - - Thou canst not toil in vain; - Cold, heat, and moist, and dry, - Shall foster and mature the grain, - For garners in the sky. - - Thence, when the glorious end, - The day of God is come, - The angel-reapers shall descend, - And heaven cry, “Harvest home!” - _James Montgomery._ - - - _Sow_ thy seed, and reap in gladness! - Man himself is all a seed; - Hope and hardship, joy and sadness, - Slow the plant to ripeness lead. - _John Sterling._ - - - - - SPEECH. - - -Day unto day uttereth _speech_, and night unto night sheweth -knowledge.--Psalm xix. 2. - -Let not an evil _speaker_ be established in the earth.--Psalm cxl. 11. - -Let your _speech_ be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may -know how ye ought to answer every man.--Colossians, iv. 6. - - - The glittering heaven’s refulgent glow, - And sparkling spheres of golden light, - Jehovah’s work and glory show, - By burning day or gentle night. - - In silence, through the vast profound, - They move their orbs of fire on high, - Nor _speech_, nor word, nor answering sound, - Is heard upon the tranquil sky; - - Yet to the earth’s remotest bar - Their burning glory all is known; - Their living light has sparkled far, - And on the attentive silence shone. - - God ’mid the shining legions, rears - A tent where burns the radiant sun; - As, like a bridegroom bright, appears - The monarch, on his course begun. - - From end to end of azure heaven - He holds his fiery path along; - To all, his circling heat is given, - His radiance flames the spheres among. - - By sunny ray, and starry throne, - The wonders of our mighty Lord - To man’s attentive heart are known, - Bright as the promise of His word. - _J. W. Eastbourne._ - - - First think; and if thy thoughts approve thy will, - Then _speak_; and, after, that thou _speak’st_, fulfil. - _Thomas Randolph._ - - - _Speak_ gently!--’tis a little thing - Dropped in the heart’s deep well; - The good, the joy that it may bring - Eternity shall tell. - _Daniel Bates._ - - - - - SPIRIT. - - -If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: -how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy _Spirit_ to them -that ask Him.--Luke, xi. 13. - -The Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my -name, he shall teach you all things.--John, xiv. 26. - -And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty -wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. - -And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat -upon each of them. - -And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with -other tongues, as the _Spirit_ gave them utterance.--Acts, ii. 2, 3, 4. - -Likewise the _Spirit_ also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not -what we should pray for as we ought: but the _Spirit_ itself maketh -intercession for us.--Romans, viii. 26. - -Your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost.--I. Corinthians, vi. 19. - - - Every _spirit_ as it is most pure, - And hath in it the more of heavenly light, - So it the fairer body doth procure - To habit in, and is more fairly dight - With cheerful grace, and amiable sight; - For of the soul the body form doth take, - For soul is form, and doth the body make. - _Spenser._ - - - Darkness profound - Covered the abyss; but on the watery calm - His brooding wings the _Spirit_ of God outspread, - And vital virtue infused, and vital warmth, - Throughout the fluid mass. - _Milton._ - - - Millions of _spiritual_ creatures walk the earth, - Unseen, both when we sleep and when we wake. - _Milton._ - - - Immortal honour, endless fame - Attend the Almighty Father’s name; - The Saviour Son be glorified, - Who for lost man’s redemption died; - And equal adoration be, - Eternal Paraclete! to Thee. - _Dryden._ - - - That He, The Third - In the Eternal Essence, to the prayer - Sincere should come, should come as soon as asked, - Proceeding from the Father and the Son, - To give Faith and Repentance, such as God - Accepts. - _Pollok._ - - - Our God is a _Spirit_, and they who, aright, - Would perform the pure worship He loveth, - In the heart’s holy temple will seek with delight, - That _spirit_ the Father approveth. - _Bernard Barton._ - - - Will He again in flames of glory - From His celestial hill unfold - His _Spirit_, to confirm the story - Of the inspired Twelve of old? - Else, when the light so brightly glowing, - Each dark cloud fringing with its flame, - Like snow-white mantle lightly flowing - Around the Ethiop’s sable frame? - - Forth from the open doors of Heaven, - The radiance over all is shed; - A splendour to the earth is given, - Like glory round a saintly head! - The valleys all, the mountain spires, - The world and all therein, to-night - Are bathed in the celestial fire, - As once the Twelve were crowned with light! - - To-morrow is the celebration - Of the out-flowing _Spirit’s_ might, - And all the earth, in preparation, - Is consecrated in this light! - And, like yon golden candles burning - Around the glorious evening skies, - The _Spirit’s_ holy fire returning, - From every Christian heart shall rise! - _Gostick, from the German of Freiligrath._ - - - ’Tis a solemn place: - For this dark purple loam, wherein I lie, - And this green mould, the mother of bright flowers, - Was bone and sinew once, now decomposed; - Perhaps has lived, breathed, walked, as proud as we, - And animate with all the faculties, - And finer senses of the human soul! - And now what are they? To their elements - Each has returned, dust crumbled back to dust, - The _spirit_ gone to God. - _William Thompson Bacon._ - - - When the _Spirit_ of our God - Came down, His flock to find, - A voice from Heaven was heard abroad-- - A rushing, mighty wind. - - Nor doth the outward ear alone - At that high warning start; - Conscience gives back th’ appalling tone; - ’Tis echoed in the heart. - _Keble._ - - - If yet the Holy _Spirit_ deigns to dwell - In earthly domes, ’tis not in those defiled - With pride, with fraud, with rapine, or with lust; - ’Midst the rough foliage of the thorny brake, - The clustering grape not blushes, and the fig - Decks not the prickly thistle’s barren stalk; - Even thus shall all be measured by their fruits. - _Charles Jenner._ - - - On your souls - The _Spirit_ of God shall dart with inward ray, - And heavenly light in fullest streams be poured. - Then shall ye to remotest peoples, Jew - Or Gentile, bear Christ’s name, and through the world - Proclaim forgiveness of repented sins. - _Thomas Hughes._ - - - The _Spirit_ of God - From Heaven descending, dwells in domes of clay; - In mode far passing human thought, He guides, - Impels, instructs: intense pursuit of good - And cautious flight of evil He suggests, - But in such gentle murmurs, that to know - His heavenly voice, we must have done His will. - _John Hay._ - - - - - STARS. - - -And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and -the lesser light to rule the night: he made the _stars_ also.--Genesis, -i. 16. - -Where wast thou when the morning _stars_ sang together?--Job, xxxviii. -4, 7. - -He telleth the number of the _stars_; he calleth them all by their -names.--Psalm cxlvii. 4. - -Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the -king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem. - -Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his -_star_ in the east, and are come to worship him.--Matthew, ii. 1, 2. - - - Confusion heard His voice, and wild uproar - Stood ruled, stood vast infinitude confined; - Till, at His second bidding, darkness fled, - Light shone, and order from disorder sprung: - Swift to their several quarters hasted then - The cumbrous elements, Earth, Flood, Air, Fire; - And this ethereal quintessence of Heaven - Flew upward, spirited with various forms, - That rolled orbicular, and turned to _stars_ - Numberless, as thou seest, and how they move: - Each had his place appointed, each his course. - _Milton._ - - - At His birth, a _star_ - Unseen before in Heaven, proclaims Him come, - And guides the eastern sages, who inquire - His place, to offer incense, myrrh, and gold, - His place of birth, a solemn angel tells - To simple shepherds, keeping watch by night: - They gladly thither haste, and by a choir - Of squadroned angels, hear His carol sung: - A Virgin is His Mother, but His Sire, - The Power of the Most High. - _Milton._ - - - Child of the earth! oh, lift thy glance - To yon bright firmament’s expanse; - The glories of its realm explore, - And gaze, and wonder, and adore! - - Doth it not speak to every sense, - The marvels of Omnipotence? - Seest thou not there the Almighty name - Inscribed in characters of flame? - - Count o’er those lamps of quenchless light, - That sparkle through the shades of night; - Behold them!--can a mortal boast - To number that celestial host? - - Mark well each little _star_, whose rays - In distant splendour meet thy gaze: - Each is a world by Him sustain’d - Who from eternity hath reign’d. - - Each, kindled not for earth alone, - Hath circling planets of its own, - And beings whose existence springs - From Him, the all-powerful King of Kings. - _Mrs. Hemans._ - - - Ye _stars_! bright legions that before all time, - Camped on yon plain of sapphire, what shall tell - Your burning myriads, but the eye of Him, - Who bade thro’ heaven your golden chariots wheel, - Yet who earth-born can see your hosts, nor feel - Immortal impulses--Eternity? - What wonder if the o’erwrought soul should reel - With its own weight of thought, and the wild eye - See fate within your tracks of sleepless glory lie? - - For ye behold the Mightiest. From that steep - What ages have ye worshipped round your King, - Ye heard his trumpet sounded o’er the deep - Of earth:--ye heard the morning angels sing. - Upon that orb now o’er me quivering, - The gaze of Adam fixed from Paradise? - The wanderers of the deluge saw it spring - Above the mountain’s surge, and hailed its rise, - Lighting their lonely track with hope’s celestial dyes. - - On Calvary shot down that purple eye, - When, but the soldier and the sacrifice, - All were departed.--Mount of Agony! - But Time’s broad pinion, ere the giant dies, - Shall cloud your clime.--Ye fruitage of the skies, - Your vineyard shall be shaken! From your urn, - Censers of heaven, no more shall glory rise - Your incense to the throne! The heavens shall burn! - For all your pomps are dust, and shall to dust return. - _Croly._ - - - And ye, bright sisters, _stars_ my dear companions, - Which with enamel deck Heaven’s azure field, - And to the heavenly lyre your steps adapting, - Knit and unknit your choruses harmonious, - Into your chain celestial introduced, - Ye shall direct mine eyes to that bright desert, - That view bewildering labyrinths of fire; - Your beams should teach me how to praise and show - Him whom ye seek, and whom, perhaps, ye see; - And merging in my breast his trembling brightness, - I should perceive in him all ye perceive. - _Rev. W. Pulling, from Lamartine._ - - - Ye quenchless _stars_! so eloquently bright, - Untroubled sentries of the shadowy night, - While half the world is lapp’d in downy dreams, - And round the lattice creep your midnight beams, - How sweet to gaze upon your placid eyes, - In lambent beauty looking from the skies. - _R. Montgomery._ - - - _Stars_, wherefore do ye rise? - To light thy spirit to the skies. - _J. Montgomery._ - - - When up to nightly skies we gaze, - Where _stars_ pursue their endless ways, - We think we see, from earth’s low clod, - The wide and shining home of God. - - ’Tis vain to dream those tracts of space, - With all their worlds, approach His face: - One glory fills each wheeling ball-- - One love has shaped and moved them all. - - This earth, with all its dust and tears, - Is no less His than yonder spheres; - And rain-drops weak, and grains of sand, - Are stamped by His immediate hand. - _John Sterling._ - - - Yet as the _stars_, the holy _stars_ of night, - Shine out when all is dark, - So would I, cheered by hopes more purely bright, - Tread still the thorny path, whose close is light; - If, but at last, the tossed and weary barque, - Gains the sure haven of her final rest. - _Lucy Hooper._ - - - - - STILLNESS. - - -And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the -mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord -was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was -not in the earthquake: - -And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire; and -after the fire a _still_ small voice.--I. Kings, xix. 11, 12. - -Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, -and be _still_.--Psalm iv. 4. - -Be _still_, and know that I am God.--Psalm xlvi. 10. - - - ’Tis _stillness_ now! A sudden stay - Has check’d the wild wind on its way, - As, screaming on its mother’s breast, - At once the infant sinks to rest. - And now, throughout the wood, that late - Wav’d bending to the tempest’s weight, - Nor could its depths an echo form, - Save to the wailing of the storm; - Nor bends a twig, nor breathes a breath: - ’Tis silence, like the calm of death. - ’Twould seem that winter had foregone, - By wrong unsurp’d, his stormy throne, - And giv’n the rightful sway again - To mild October’s placid reign. - Or rather He, whose boundless force - Directs each month’s, each season’s course, - Who formed creation’s works of old, - And, what He form’d, hath still controll’d, - Even He hath said, at whose high will - The wind or swells or falls, “Be _still_!” - _Mant._ - - - The Almighty King, - Not always in the splendid scene of pomp - Tremendous, on the sounding tempest rides, - Or sweeping whirlwind; nor in the awful peal - Of echoing thunder is He always heard, - Or seen in lightning’s livid flames; but oft, - When every turbid element is hushed, - In the _still_ voice of nature stands confest - The Lord Omnipotent. - _Samuel Hayes._ - - - - - STORM. - - -He commandeth, and raiseth the _stormy_ wind. - -He maketh the _storm_ a calm.--Psalm cvii. 25, 29. - -Thou shalt be visited of the Lord of Hosts with thunder, and with -earthquake, and great noise, with _storm_ and tempest.--Isaiah, xxix. 6. - - - The _storm_ was laid, the winds retired, - Obedient to Thy will; - The sea, that roared at Thy command, - At Thy command was still. - _Addison._ - - - O God! have mercy in this dreadful hour - On the poor mariner! in comfort here - Safe shelter’d as I am, I almost fear - The blast that rages with resistless power. - What were it now to toss upon the waves-- - The madden’d waves, and know no succour near; - The howling of the _storm_ alone to hear, - And the wild sea that to the tempest raves; - To gaze amid the horrors of the night, - And only see the billows’ gleaming light; - And in the dread of death to think of her - Who, as she listens sleepless to the gale, - Puts up a silent prayer and waxes pale? - O God! have mercy on the mariner! - _Southey._ - - - A thunder-_storm_!--the eloquence of heaven, - When every cloud is from its slumber riven, - Who hath not paused beneath its hollow groan, - And felt Omnipotence around him thrown? - With what a gloom the ush’ring scene appears! - The leaves all fluttering with instinctive fears, - The waters curling with a fellow dread, - A breezeless fervour round creation spread, - And, last, the heavy rain’s reluctant shower, - With big drops patt’ring on the tree and bower, - While wizard shapes the low’ring sky deform,-- - All mark the coming of a thunder-_storm_. - _R. Montgomery._ - - - - - STRANGER. - - -I am a _stranger_ and a sojourner with you.--Genesis, xxiii. 4. - -The Lord loveth the _stranger_, in giving him food and raiment. - -Love ye therefore the _stranger_: for ye were _strangers_ in the land -of Egypt.--Deuteronomy, x. 18, 19. - -Do no wrong, do no violence to the _stranger_.--Jeremiah, xxii. 3. - - - He will vouchsafe - This day to be your guest: bring forth, and pour - Abundance, fit to honour and receive - The heavenly _stranger_. - _Milton._ - - - The _stranger’s_ heart! Oh, wound it not! - A yearning anguish is its lot; - In the green shadow of thy tree, - The _stranger_ finds no rest with thee. - - Thou think’st the vine’s low rustling leaves - Are music round the household eaves; - To him that sound hath sorrow’s tone-- - The _stranger’s_ heart is with his own. - - Thou think’st the children’s laughing play - A lovely sight at fall of day; - Then are the _stranger’s_ thoughts opprest-- - A mother’s voice comes o’er his breast. - - Thou think’st it sweet when friend to friend - Beneath one roof in prayer may blend; - Then doth the _stranger’s_ eye grow dim-- - Far, far are those who’ve prayed with him. - - Thy hearth, thy home, thy vintage land-- - The voices of thy kindred band; - Oh! ’midst them all when blest thou art, - Deal gently with the _stranger’s_ heart. - _Mrs. Hemans._ - - - Why should I a _stranger_ be - In my Father’s dwelling, - While hill and river, rock and tree, - Of His love are telling? - Always heard, their simple voice, - Bidding child-like hearts rejoice, - Whispers us that love is near. - What we seek in yonder sphere, - Love can find it now, and here. - _J. Gostick._ - - - - - STREAM. - - -There is a river, the _streams_ whereof shall make glad the city of -God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the Most High.--Psalm xlvi. 4. - -He brought _streams_ also out of the rock, and caused waters to run -down like rivers.--Psalm lxxviii. 16. - -In the wilderness shall waters break out, and _streams_ in the -desert.--Isaiah, xxxv. 6. - - - Who see not that the valleys of the world - Might even right with the mountains: that they grow - Green and lie warmer; and ever peaceful are - When clouds spit fire at hills, and burn them bare. - Not valley’s part, but we should imitate _streams_ - That run below the valleys, and do yield - To every mole-hill; every bank embrace - That checks their currents; and when torrents come, - That swell and raise them past their natural height, - How mad they are and troubled; like low _streams_ - With torrents crown’d are men with diadems. - _Chapman._ - - - Around Thy throne, in peaceful _streams_, - O God! celestial pleasure glides; - The brightening wave Thine image beams, - Untinged by sorrow’s darkened tides. - - That _stream_ my fainting spirit cheers - When sultry suns pour down their heat; - And when I cross the vale of tears, - It makes the cup of sorrow sweet. - _J. Alexander._ - - - I know a _stream_, a gentle _stream_ - Which by a valley glides along, - That well might suit a Poet’s theme, - Or fit a raptured Minstrel’s song; - And often I have stood to look - On the calm beauty of that brook, - And thought the scene was such as might - Have shone upon Creation’s morn, - When all the morning stars of light, - Sang joyously that earth was born; - And angels as they paused to see, - Joined the triumphant Jubilee! - And God himself in glory stood, - And there pronounced it very good. - _Ann Pratt._ - - - - - STRENGTH. - - -As thy days, so shall thy _strength_ be.--Deuteronomy, xxxiii. 25. - -The Lord is my _strength_ and song, and is become my salvation.--Psalm -cxviii. 14. - -He that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is His name. - -He hath shewed _strength_ with his arm; He hath scattered the proud in -the imagination of their hearts.--Luke, i. 49, 51. - - - Vigour from toil, from trouble patience grows. - The weakly blossom, warm in summer bower, - Some tints of transient beauty may disclose; - But ah! it withers in the chilling hour. - Mark yonder oaks! Superior to the power - Of all the warring winds of heaven they rise, - And from the stormy promontory tower, - And toss their giant arms amid the skies, - While each assailing blast increase of _strength_ supplies. - _Beattie._ - - - The _strength_ of man sinks in the hour of trial; - But there doth live a power, that to the battle - Girdeth the weak. - _Joanna Baillie._ - - - When adverse winds and waves arise, - And in my heart despondence sighs,-- - While life her throng of care reveals, - And weakness o’er my spirit steals,-- - Grateful I hear the kind decree, - That “as my day, my _strength_ shall be.” - - When, with sad footstep, memory roves - ’Mid smitten joys, and buried loves,-- - When sleep my tearful pillow flies, - And dewy morning drinks my sighs,-- - Still to Thy promise, Lord, I flee, - That “as my day, my _strength_ shall be.” - - One trial more must yet be past, - One pang,--the keenest and the last; - And when, with brow convulsed and pale, - My feeble quivering heart-strings fail, - Redeemer, grant my soul to see - That “as her day, her _strength_ shall be.” - _Mrs. Sigourney._ - - - - - STRIFE. - - -Let there be no _strife_, I pray thee, between me and thee.--Genesis, -xiii. 8. - -Thou shalt hide them in the secret of Thy presence from the pride of -man; Thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the _strife_ of -tongues.--Psalm xxxi. 20. - -He that passeth by, and meddleth with _strife_ belonging not to him, is -like one that taketh a dog by the ears.--Proverbs, xxvi. 17. - -Foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender -_strifes_.--II. Timothy, ii. 22. - - - O shame to men! Devil with Devil damned - Firm concord holds, men only disagree - Of creatures rational, though under hope - Of heavenly grace; and God proclaiming peace, - Yet live in hatred, enmity, and _strife_ - Among themselves. - _Milton._ - - - O for thy children too confined! - Thy sons in peace thou canst not feed, - Doomed land! to strangers now resigned - Such judgment hath begun on thee. - A foe, by thee unharmed indeed, - Sits at thy board and mocks thy toils, - Divides thy frantic people’s spoils, - And holds thy sword of sovereignty. - - Frantic he too! O never! no, - Was nation blessed by blood and wrong; - The conquered feel not all the wo; - Still turns to tears the guilty’s joy: - Though not his haughty way along - Th’ eternal vengeance sweeps and breaks; - It follows, watches still, and wakes, - At his last moment to destroy. - - Stamped in one image at our birth, - Made in the likeness all of one; - Ever at every part of earth - Where breath of life we may inherit, - Be brethren all! Our unison - Accursed be he to _strife_ who turns, - Accursed who mocketh him that mourns, - Or saddeneth one immortal spirit! - _From the Italian of Manzoni._ - - - - - SUBMISSION. - - -_Submit_ yourselves therefore to God.--James, iv. 7. - -_Submit_ yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake.--I. -Peter, ii. 13. - - - Since ’tis Thy sentence I should part - With the most precious treasure of my heart, - I freely that and more resign, - My heart itself, as its delight is thine; - My little all I give to thee, - Thou gav’st a greater gift, Thy Son, to me. - - Take all, great God, I will not grieve, - But still will wish that I had still to give; - I hear thy voice, thou bid’st me quit - My paradise; I bless and do _submit_; - I will not murmur at thy word, - Nor beg thy angel to sheathe up his sword. - _Norris._ - - - Almighty power, I love Thee! blissful name, - My healer, God! and may my inmost soul - Love and adore for ever! Oh, ’tis good - To wait _submissive_ at Thy holy throne, - To leave petitions at Thy feet, and bear - Thy frowns and silence with a patient soul. - The hand of mercy is not short to save, - Nor is the ear of heavenly pity deaf - To mortal cries. - _Watts._ - - - Though round him numerous tribes, - Sworn foes to Heaven’s dread Ruler, pitch their tents, - No wayward doubts or coward fears appal - The patriarch’s soul. By the bright hope sustained - That in his seed all nations should be blessed, - Calm and unmoved the delegated seer - _Submissive_ bends to the Eternal Will. - _Samuel Hayes._ - - - Christ had his sorrows--so must thou, - If thou wilt tread the path He trod-- - O then, like Him, _submissive_ bow, - And own the sovereignty of God. - _Anon._ - - - - - SUFFERING. - - -For I reckon that the _sufferings_ of this present time are not worthy -to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.--Romans, -viii. 18. - -Christ hath _suffered_ for us in the flesh. - -If any man _suffer_ as a Christian let him not be ashamed.--I. Peter, -iv. 1, 16. - -But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by -Christ Jesus, after that ye have _suffered_ awhile, make you perfect, -stablish, strengthen, settle you.--I. Peter, v. 10. - - - Christ _suffers_, and in this his tears begin; - _Suffers_ for us, and joy on us bestows: - _Suffers_ to death,--here is his manhood seen; - _Suffers_ to rise,--and hence his Godhead shows; - For man that could not by himself have rose - Out of the grave doth by the Godhead rise; - And God that could not die, in manhood dies, - That we in both might live, by that sweet sacrifice. - _Giles Fletcher._ - - - They who have rarest joy, know joy’s true measure; - They who most _suffer_, value _suffering’s_ pause; - They who but seldom taste the simplest pleasure, - Kneel oftenest to the Giver and the Cause. - _Mrs. Norton._ - - - O ye, whose hearts in secret bleed - O’er transient hope, like morning dew, - O’er friendship faithless in your need, - Or love to all its vows untrue, - Who shrink from persecution’s rod, - Or slander’s fang, or treachery’s tone, - Look meekly to the Son of God, - And in His griefs forget your own. - - Forsaken are ye?--so was He; - Reviled?--yet check the ’vengeful word; - Rejected?--should the servant be - Exalted o’er his _suffering_ Lord? - Nor deem that Heaven’s omniscient eye - Is e’er regardless of your lot,-- - Deluded man from God may fly, - But when was man by God forgot? - _Mrs. Sigourney._ - - - - - SUN. - - -O give thanks unto the Lord; for He is good: - -To Him that made great lights; the _sun_ to rule by day: for His mercy -endureth for ever.--Psalm cxxxvi. 1, 7, 8. - -The Lord, which giveth the _sun_ for a light by day; the Lord of Hosts -is His name.--Jeremiah, xxxi. 35. - -He maketh His _sun_ to rise on the evil and on the good.--Matthew, v. -45. - - - When creatures had no real light - Inherent in them, Thou didst make the _sun_ - Impart a lustre, and allow them bright; - And in this, show what Christ hath done. - _George Herbert._ - - - Great source of day! best image here below - Of thy Creator, ever pouring wide - From world to world the vital ocean round. - On nature write with every beam his praise. - The thunder rolls: he hushed the prostrate world; - While cloud to cloud returns the solemn hymn. - Bleat out afresh ye hills, ye mossy rocks - Return the sound; the broad responsive low - Ye valleys raise, for the great shepherd reigns, - And His unsuffering kingdom yet will come. - _Thomson._ - - - Look up to Heaven! the industrious _sun_ - Already half his race hath run, - He cannot halt nor go astray, - But our immortal spirits may. - - Lord! since his rising in the east, - If we have faltered or transgressed, - Guide, from thy love’s abundant source, - What yet remains of this day’s course. - - Help with thy grace through life’s short day - Our upward and our downward way, - And glorify for us the west, - When we shall sink to final rest. - _Wordsworth._ - - - As some tall cliff, that lifts its awful form, - Swells from the vale, and midway leaves the storm; - Tho’ round its breast the rolling clouds are spread, - Eternal _sunshine_ settles on its head. - _Goldsmith._ - - - Doth thy great Maker, _Sun!_ forbid the thought, - That of his glory, thou one ray hast caught; - When thou go’st measuring the boundless skies, - Art thou not _Sun_! the brightness of his eyes? - Ah! if I’ve sometimes in misfortune’s days - Blasphem’d the _sun’s_ vexation-causing rays; - And if I’ve cursed the gifts, receiv’d from thee, - My God! who readest hearts--O pardon me! - _Pulling, from Lamartine._ - - - I marvel not, O _sun_, that unto thee - In adoration man should bow the knee, - And pour the prayer of mingled awe and love; - For like a God thou art, and on thy way - Of glory sheddest, with benignant ray, - Beauty and life and joyance from above. - _Southey._ - - - Source of light! thou mak’st the _sun_ - On his burning axles run: - The stars like dust around him fly, - And strew the area of the sky: - He drives so swift his race above, - Mortals can’t perceive him move; - To smooth his course oblique or straight, - Olympus shakes not with his weight. - As the queen of solemn night, - Fills at his vase her orb of light, - Imparted lustre, thus we see - The solar virtues shine by thee! - Phœbus borrows from thy beams - His radiant locks, and golden streams! - Whence thy warmth and light disperse, - To cheer the grateful universe. - _Samuel Wesley._ - - - Cold and obscure, in vain the king and sage - Gave law and learning to the darkened age. - There was no present faith, no future hope, - Earth bounded then the earth-drawn horoscope; - Till to the east there rose the promised star-- - Till rose the _Sun_ of Righteousness afar-- - Till on a world redeemed the Saviour shone, - Earth for His footstool,--Heaven for His throne. - _Miss Landon._ - - - _Sun_ of the firmament! planet of wonderment! - Now thy far journey of day it is done; - Still thou art parting bright, shedding immortal light - Down on the throne of night--hail! setting _sun_! - - Slow thou depart’st away, far from the realms of day, - Ling’ring in pity on summer’s loved bowers; - Thy last ray is streaming, thy farewell tint beaming, - Yet soon thou’lt return to refreshen the flowers. - - Thy parting brings sadness, yet nations in gladness - Are waiting to worship thee--fountain of light! - Where’er thy footsteps be, there do we beauty see, - Thou kindlest day in the dwellings of night. - - Where sleeps the thunder--there dost thou wander, - Down ’neath the ocean deep, there dost thou stray, - Kissing the stars at morn, high on the air upborne, - Skirting creation’s far verge on thy way. - - Grandeur and glory, they travel before thee, - Brightness and majesty walk in thy train! - Darkness it flies from thee, clouds may not rise to thee - When thou awak’st from the ocean again. - - All own thy influence, kindly thou dost dispense - Blessings o’er nature where’er its bounds be; - Afric’s lone desert, it blooms at thy presence; - And Lapland is turn’d into summer by thee. - - Time cannot conquer thee, age cannot alter thee, - Years have no power to limit thy sway; - Strength and sublimity, still they attend on thee, - Pilgrim of ages, but not of decay. - - _Sun_ of the firmament! planet of wonderment! - Now thy far journey of day it is done; - Still thou art parting bright, shedding immortal light - Down on the throne of night--hail! setting _sun_! - _Robert Gilfillan._ - - - O _Sun_! what makes thy beams so bright? - --The word that said “Let there be light!” - _J. Montgomery._ - - - - - SUPERSTITION. - - -Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars’ hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, -I perceive that in all things ye are too _superstitious_.--Acts, xvii. -22. - - - ’Tis _Superstition_! that - Dread bolt that seems to him and thee the home - Of torture, is the earth, the beauteous earth, - Created by thy God, a perfect thing, - All loveliness, and life, and light, to be - The dwelling-place of thee and thine--but this, - This ignorant, besotted fool, sees but - In that beneficent gift, where all is formed - For happiness, a scene of punishment - And death; turns every joy to bitterness, - Reproaches God with never-ending fears, - And, like a thankless wretch, dashes aside - The cup of happiness the Almighty hand - Gives to his lips, when he might know his praise, - And gratitude can but be shown by free - And innocent enjoyment; not content - That his own soul must suffer misery, - He would crush down his fellow-beings with - The weight of his own gloom. His voice shall fill - The earth with one loud cry; at his command, - The homes of thousands shall be desolate; - At his command, fathers shall give their sons - To be devoured by lingering fire, or stretched - Upon a wheel, whose racking torture tears - The victim limb-meal, and then lift their hands, - Their impious hands, to heaven, and call the deed - Of blasphemy a holy act. Weak fools! - To think it pleaseth Him who made them in - His image--that that image should be torn, - Defaced, and blotted. - _Constantia Louisa Riddell._ - - - But hence, far hence be ostentatious pomp, - And _superstition’s_ tinsel. - _Samuel Hayes._ - - - Fell _Superstition_ leads - Her horrid train, engendered in the womb - Of her own mad imaginings. - _A. Alexander._ - - - - - SUPPER, THE LORD’S. - - -Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I -will raise him up at the last day. - -For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.--John, vi. -54, 55. - -The Lord Jesus, the same night in which He was betrayed, took bread. - -And when He had given thanks, He brake it, and said, Take eat; this is -my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. - -After the same manner also He took the cup, when He had supped, saying, -This cup is the New Testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye -drink it, in remembrance of me. - -For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the -Lord’s death till He come.--I. Corinthians, xi. 23, 24, 25, 26. - - - Him first to love, great right and reason is, - Who first to us our life and being gave, - And after, when we fared had amiss, - Us wretches from the second death did save; - And last, the Food of Life, which now we have, - Even He Himself, in His dear Sacrament, - To feed our hungry souls, unto us lent. - Then next to love our brethren, that were made - Of that self-mould, and that self-Maker’s hand. - _Spenser._ - - - I love to mingle there - In sympathy of praise and prayer, - And listen to that Living Word, - Which breathes the Spirit of the Lord: - Or, at the mystic table placed, - Those eloquent mementoes taste - Of Thee, Thou suffering Lamb divine, - Thy soul-refreshing bread and wine; - Sweet viands, given us to assuage - The faintness of the pilgrimage. - _Thomas Grinfield._ - - - And oft your willing steps renew, around the sacred board, - And break the bread, and pour the wine, in memory of your Lord: - To drink with me the grape’s first juice, to you shall yet be - given, - Fresh from the deathless vine that blooms in blest abodes of - Heaven. - _Thomas Dale._ - - - Bread of Heaven, on Thee we feed, - For Thy flesh is meat indeed; - Ever let our souls be fed - With this true and Living Bread. - - Vine of Heaven, Thy blood supplies - This blest cup of sacrifice; - Lord, Thy wounds our healing give; - To Thy cross we look and live. - - Day by day, with strength supplied, - Through the life of Him who died, - Lord of life, O’ let us be - Rooted, grafted, built on Thee! - _Conder._ - - - Bow thee to earth, and from thee cast - All stubbornness of human will; - Then dare to drink the Sacred Cup - Thy God and Saviour died to fill. - - Come with thy guilt new-washed in tears, - Thy spirit raised in faith above; - Then drink, and so thy soul shall live, - Thy Saviour’s blood,--thy Saviour’s love. - _Miss Landon._ - - - Break to us each, this day, our daily bread, - Nor let earth’s fading food alone be given; - Feed us upon THY WORD,--in Christ our Head, - To find Thy Peace, the living Bread from Heaven. - _H. H. Weld._ - - - For say, can fancy, fond to weave the tale - Of bliss ideal, feign more genuine joy - Than thine, Believer, when the man of God - Gives to thy hand the consecrated cup, - Blessed memorial of a Saviour’s love! - Glowing with zeal, the humble penitent - Approacheth: Faith her fostering radiance points - Full on his contrite heart: Hope cheers his steps, - And Charity, the fairest in the train - Of Christian virtues, swells his heaving breast - With love unbounded. - _Thomas Zouch._ - - - So is it with true Christian hearts; - Their mutual share in Jesus’ blood - An everlasting bond imparts - Of holiest brotherhood: - Oh! might we all our lineage prove, - Give and forgive, do good and love, - By soft endearments in kind strife - Lightening the load of daily life! - _Keble._ - - - Thou who didst taste - Of man’s infirmities, yet bar his sins - From thine unspotted soul, forsake us not - In our temptations, but so guide our feet, - That our Last _Supper_ in this world may lead - To that immortal banquet by thy side, - Where there is no betrayer. - _Mrs. Sigourney._ - - - By chain yet stronger must the soul be tied: - One duty more, last stage of this ascent, - Brings to thy food, memorial Sacrament, - The offspring, haply at the parents’ side; - But not till they, with all that do abide - In Heaven, have lifted up their hearts to laud - And magnify the glorious name of God, - Fountain of Grace, whose Son for sinners died, - Here must my song in timid reverence pause; - But shrink not, ye, whom to the saving rite - The Altar calls; come early, under laws - That can secure for you a path of light - Through gloomiest shade; put on, nor dread its weight, - Armour divine, and conquer in your cause. - _Wordsworth._ - - - Here He led - From the Last _Supper_, when the hymn was sung, - His few grieved followers out, in that drear night, - When, in the garden, on the mountain’s slope, - His agony wrung forth the crimson drops! - While these sad pictures hang upon thy sides, - Thou consecrated height, dissolve the heart - In pious sorrow! - _Hannah F. Gould._ - - - - - SUPPLICATION. - - -I cried to Thee, O Lord; and unto the Lord I made -_supplication_.--Psalm xxx. 8. - -Let my _supplication_ come before Thee: deliver me according to Thy -word.--Psalm cxix. 170. - -O my God incline Thine ear, and hear: for we do not present our -_supplications_ before Thee for our righteousnesses, but for Thy great -mercies.--Daniel, ix. 18. - - - Oh, when Thy last frown shall proclaim - The flocks of goats to folds of flame; - And all Thy lost sheep found shall be, - Let “Come, ye blessed” then call me. - - Oh, hear a _suppliant_ heart all crush’d - And crumbled into contrite dust; - My Hope, my Fear, my Judge, my Friend, - Take charge of me, and of my end. - _Crashaw._ - - - Like the low murmur of the secret stream, - Which through dark alders winds its shaded way, - My _suppliant_ voice is heard. Ah, do not deem - That on vain toys I throw my hours away. - - In the recesses of the forest vale, - On the wild mountains, on the verdant sod, - When the fresh breezes of the morn prevail, - I wander lone, communing with my God. - _Beckford._ - - - From lowest depths of woe - To God I send my cry; - Lord bear my _supplicating_ voice, - And graciously reply! - - My soul with patience waits - For Thee, the living Lord; - My hopes are on Thy promise built, - Thy never-failing word! - - Let Israel trust in God; - No bounds His mercy knows; - The plenteous source and spring from whence - Eternal succour flows. - _Brady and Tate._ - - - - - TEACHING. - - -Blessed is the man whom Thou chastenest, O Lord, and _teachest_ him out -of Thy law.--Psalm xciv. 12. - -There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus: - -The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto Him, Rabbi, we know that -Thou art a _teacher_ come from God.--John, iii. 1, 2. - -Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; _teaching_ -and admonishing one another.--Colossians, iii. 16. - - - The azure vault, the crystal circles bright, - The gleaming, fiery torches powdered there, - The changing round, the shining, beamy light, - The sad and bearded fires, the monsters fair, - And prodigies appearing in the air; - The rending thunders, and the blust’ring winds, - The birds in hue, and shape, and nature rare; - The pretty notes of winged musicians fine; - Of earth the saucy flowers, the metalled mine, - The wholesome herbs, the healthful, pleasant trees, - The silver streams, the beasts of sundry kinds; - The bounding waves and fishes of the seas: - All these for _teaching_ man the Lord did frame, - To do His will whose glory shines in flame. - _King James I._ - - - If man sleeps on, _untaught_ by what he sees, - Can he prove infidel to what he feels? - _Young._ - - - Father of light and life! Thou good Supreme! - O _teach_ me what is good! _Teach_ me Thyself! - Save me from folly, vanity, and vice, - From every low pursuit. - _Thomson._ - - - Spirit of Light! do Thou impart - Majestic truths, and _teach_ my heart; - _Teach_ me to know how weak I am, - How vain my powers, how poor my frame; - _Teach_ me celestial paths untrod, - The ways of glory and of God. - _Crabbe._ - - - Lord, grant our hearts be so inclined, - Thy work to seek, Thy will to do; - And while we _teach_ the youthful mind, - Our own be _taught_ Thy lessons too. - _Miss Landon._ - - - Chief of the household Gods - Which hallow Scotland’s lowly Scottish homes! - While looking at thy signs - Which speak, though dumb, deep thought upon me comes-- - With sad yet solemn dreams my heart is stirred, - Like childhood when it hears the carol of a bird! - - The mountains old and hoar-- - The chainless winds--the streams so pure and free-- - The God-enamelled flowers-- - The waving forest--the eternal sea-- - The eagle floating o’er the mountain’s brow-- - Are _teachers_ all; but oh! they are not such as thou! - _Robert Nicoll._ - - - To conquer hate, - And in its place to cherish love unfeigned, - Forgiveness and forgetfulness of wrongs, - No precepts but the perfect law of Christ, - No _teacher_ but the blessed Son of God, - Could e’er instruct mankind. - _C. P. Layard._ - - - Here the lamented dead in dust shall lie, - Life’s lingering languors o’er, its labours done; - Where waving boughs, between the earth and sky, - Admit the farewell radiance of the sun. - - And here the impressive stone, engraved with words - Which grief sententious gives to marble pale, - Shall _teach_ the heart; while waters, leaves, and birds - Make cheerful music in the passing gale. - _Willis G. Clark._ - - - Your voiceless lips, O flowers, are living preachers, - Each cup a pulpit, every leaf a book, - Supplying to my fancy numerous _teachers_, - From loneliest nook. - - Were I, O God, in churchless lands remaining, - Far from the voice of _teachers_ and divines, - My soul would find in flowers of Thy ordaining, - Priests, sermons, shrines. - _Horace Smith._ - - - - - TEARS. - - -My _tears_ have been my meat day and night, while they continually say -unto me, Where is thy God?--Psalm xlii. 3. - -The Lord God will wipe away _tears_ from off all faces.--Isaiah, xxv. 8. - -They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the -sun light on them, nor any heat. - -For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and -shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe -away all _tears_ from their eyes.--Revelation, vii. 16, 17. - - - Not when the earth revives with genial heat, - To fresh and blooming flowers, the bee applies - With such delight, and bears on loaded thighs - The fragrant treasure to her loaded seat; - Not young and timorous hind with course so fleet, - Escaped to trackless forest from the cries - Of fell pursuit, now unsuspected flies, - Panting to reach the cooling waters sweet, - As I in those hot _tears_ exult, which shower - From my relenting eyes, when up to God, - With love or kindling zeal my heart ascends. - “How great,” in transport thus my soul I pour, - “Must be their glory in the blest abode, - Whose joy the pleasure of my grief transcends!” - _From the Italian of Gabriel Fiamma._ - - - No sigh, no murmur the wide world shall hear; - From every face He wipes off every _tear_. - _Pope._ - - - To hurry at thy mandate, matchless King! - The orbs of night have cars of sapphire dyes; - To reach Thee th’ eagle hath at least his wing, - And nought have we except our sighs! - - May thy saints’ voice ascend and calm thy wrath, - Terrestrial incense is the just man’s prayer; - But pass we sinners, nought the sinner hath, - Unto thy shrine, but _tears_ to bear. - _Lamartine._ - - - Raise it to Heaven when thine eye fills with _tears_, - For only in a watery sky appears - The bow of light; and from th’ invisible skies - Hope’s glory shines not, save through weeping eyes. - _Frances Ann Kemble._ - - - Thou hast wept mournfully, O, human love! - E’en on this greensward; night hath heard thy cry, - Heart-stricken one! thy precious dust above, - Night, and the hills, which sent forth no reply - Unto thine agony! - But he who wept like thee, thy Lord, thy guide, - Christ, hath arisen, O love! thy _tears_ shall all be dried. - _Mrs. Hemans._ - - - Thank God, bless God, all ye who suffer not - More grief than ye can weep for. That is well-- - That is light grieving! lighter none befel, - Since Adam forfeited the primal lot. - _Tears!_ what are _tears_? The babe weeps in its cot, - The mother singing: at her marriage bell - The bride weeps: and before the oracle - Of high-faned hills, the poet hath forgot - That moisture on his cheeks. Commend the grace, - Mourners who weep! Albeit, as some have done, - Ye grope, _tear_-blinded, in a desert place, - And touch but tombs,--look up! Those _tears_ will run, - Soon, in long rivers, down the lifted face, - And leave the vision clear, for stars and sun. - _Miss Barrett._ - - - O, turn, and be thou turned! The selfish _tear_, - In bitter thoughts of low-born care begun, - Let it flow on, but flow refined and clear, - The turbid waters brightening as they run. - - Let it flow on, till all thine earthly heart - In penitential drops have ebbed away; - Then fearless, turn where Heaven hath set thy part, - Nor shudder at the eye that saw thee stray. - - O, lost and found! All gentle souls below - Their dearest welcome shall prepare, and prove - Such joy o’er thee as raptured seraphs know, - Who learn their lesson at the Throne of Love. - _Keble._ - - - What sadder scene can angels view - Than self-deceiving _tears_, - Poured idly over some dark page - Of earlier life, though pride or rage - A record of to-day engage, - A woe for future years? - _Keble._ - - - For Spring, and flowers of Spring, - Blossoms and what they bring, - Be our thanks given; - Thanks for the maiden’s bloom, - For the sad prison’s gloom; - And for the sadder tomb, - E’en as for heaven! - - Great God thy will be done, - When the soul’s rivers run - Down the worn cheeks, - Done when the righteous bleed, - When the wrong’d vainly plead, - Done in the mended deed, - When the heart breaks. - - Lo! how the dutiful - Snows clothe in beautiful - Life, the dead earth! - Lo! bow the clouds distil - Riches o’er vale and hill, - While the storm’s evil will - Dies in its birth! - - Bless’d is the unpeopled down, - Bless’d is the crowded town, - Where the tir’d groan: - Pain but appears to be; - What are man’s fears to Thee, - God! if all _tears_ shall be - Gems on Thy throne. - _E. Elliot._ - - - And _tears_ once filled His eye - Beside a mortal’s grave, - Who left His throne on high - The lost to seek and save. - And fresh, from age to age, - Their memory shall be kept, - While man shall bless the page - Which tells that Jesus wept! - _Bernard Barton._ - - - Alas! who hath not _tears_ on earth, - Perchance though often wept unseen? - On every soil they have their birth, - In hearts where blithest smiles have been. - - _Tears_ are the blessings of the heart, - When nature oft would fain rebel, - Yet bends beneath the rending dart, - And _tears_ her deepest anguish tell. - - _Tears_ are the heir-loom of our race, - From sire to son profusely given; - Bright dew-drops on the mourner’s face,-- - Bright only in the light of Heaven. - - In that pure light the mother sees - Through her fast _tears_ the cloud grow bright; - Hope gilded with sweet promises, - Smiling upon the brow of night. - - Faith draws the distant vision nigh, - Where basks her child in thornless bowers; - While cherub hands suppress each sigh, - And wreath her heart with fadeless flowers. - - In that bright world no _tears_ are seen, - For God hath wiped all _tears_ away; - Earth’s last deep groan of anguish keen - Ne’er mingles with Redemption’s lay. - - Washed in the Saviour’s cleansing blood, - The white-robed saints in glory stand, - Hailing Earth’s lingerers o’er the flood - To the full bliss of Canaan’s land. - - Oh, blest re-union! No more _tears_ - Shall dim the sun-blaze of the soul, - But smiles shall be the chroniclers - Of joys that own not death’s control. - _W. J. Brock._ - - - The sage’s and the poet’s theme, - In every clime, in every age; - Thou charm’st in Fancy’s idle dream, - In Reason’s philosophic page. - - That very law which moulds a _tear_, - And bids it trickle from its source; - That law preserves the earth a sphere, - And guides the planets in their course. - _Rogers._ - - - - - TEMPERANCE. - - -Every man that striveth for the mastery is _temperate_ in all -things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown, but we an -incorruptible.--I. Corinthians, ix. 25. - - - If all the world - Should, in a pet of _Temperance_, feed on pulse, - Drink the clear stream, and nothing wear but frieze, - Th’ All-Giver would be unthank’d, would be unprais’d, - Not half His riches known, and yet despis’d; - And we should serve Him as a grudging master, - And a penurious niggard of His wealth. - _Milton._ - - - Nature, good cateress, - Means her provision only to the good, - That live according to her sober laws, - And holy dictates of spare _Temperance_. - _Milton._ - - - Rarely shall that path be trod, - Which without horror leads to death’s abode. - Some few, by _temperance_ taught, approaching slow, - To distant fate by easy journeys go; - Gently they lay them down, as evening sheep - On their own woolly fleeces softly sleep. - _Dryden._ - - - Grateful and salutary spring the plants - Which crown our numerous gardens, and - Invite to health and _temperance_, in the simple meal - Unpoisoned with rich sauces, to provoke - Th’ unwilling appetite to gluttony. - For this the bulbous esculents their roots - With sweetness fill; for this with cooling juice - The green herb spreads its leaves; and opening buds, - And flowers, and seeds, with various flavours. - _Dodsley._ - - - He who can guard ’gainst the low baits of sense, - Will find Temptation’s arrows hurtless strike - Against the brazen shield of _Temperance_. - For ’tis the inferior appetites enthral - The man, and quench the immortal light within him; - The senses take the soul an easy prey, - And sink the imprison’d spirit into brute. - _H. More._ - - - - - TEMPLE. - - -The Lord is in His holy _temple_, the Lord’s throne is in -heaven.--Psalm xi. 4. - -One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I -may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold -the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in His _temple_.--Psalm xxvii. 4. - -And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out -of heaven. - -And I saw no _temple_ therein; for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb -are the _temple_ of it.--Revelation, xxi. 2, 22. - - - Rise, crowned with light, imperial Salem, rise! - Exalt thy towering head, and lift thine eyes! - See a long race thy spacious courts adorn; - See future sons, and daughters yet unborn, - In crowding ranks, on every side arise, - Discarding life, impatient for the skies! - See barbarous nations at thy gates attend, - Walk in thy light, and in thy _temple_ bend. - _Pope._ - - - ’Twas thee - The almighty chose among the sons of men, - To dedicate a _temple_ to His name, - Where He whose awful presence fills the vast - Immensity of space, who makes the clouds - His chariot, rides sublime the whirlwind’s wing, - And guides the raging storm, would deign to dwell, - And make His presence known. The exalted task - Thy wisdom worthily performed. - _William Hodson._ - - - The groves were God’s first _temples_. Ere man learned - To hew the shaft, and lay the architrave, - And spread the root above them,--ere he framed - The lofty vault, to gather and roll back - The sound of anthems; in the darkling wood, - Amidst the cool and silence, he knelt down, - And offered to the Mightiest solemn thanks - And supplication. - _W. C. Bryant._ - - - O Thou, to whom, in ancient time, - The lyre of Hebrew bards was strung, - Whom kings adored in songs sublime, - And prophets praised with glowing tongue. - - Not now, on Zion’s height alone, - The favoured worshipper may dwell, - Nor where, at sultry noon, Thy Son - Sat, weary, by the Patriarch’s well. - - From every place below the skies, - The grateful song, the fervent prayer-- - The incense of the heart--may rise - To heaven, and find acceptance there. - - In this Thy house, whose doors we now - For social worship first unfold, - To Thee the suppliant throng shall bow, - While circling years on years are roll’d. - - To Thee shall age, with snowy hair, - And strength and beauty, bend the knee, - And childhood lisp, with reverend air, - Its praises and its prayers to Thee. - - O Thou, to whom in ancient time, - The lyre of prophet bards was strung, - To Thee, at last, in every clime, - Shall _temples_ rise, and praise be sung. - _Pierpont._ - - - And now the assembled Hosts advance, and glow - Into a hymn as they ascend the hill, - In numbers without number, singing so. - “Glad was I when they said to me, we will - Go up into the _Temple_ of the Lord; - Lo, we shall dwell in Salem.” - Thus, until - They reached the sacred gates, did they record - Their raptures in no mortal verse; their strain - Of higher mood they raised and bolder word. - _J. A. Heraud._ - - - In a _temple_ fair to see, - Gracious Lord, we worship Thee: - Meet it is that we should come - Duly to the hallowed dome; - Kneel, and pray, our sins confessing, - Asking--hoping for Thy blessing. - _Egone._ - - - - - TEMPTATION. - - -Then was Jesus led up of the spirit into the wilderness to be _tempted_ -of the devil.--Matthew, iv. 1. - -Lead us not into _temptation_.--Matthew, vi. 13. - -Watch and pray, that ye enter not into _temptation_.--Matthew, xxvi. 41. - -There hath no _temptation_ taken you but such as is common to man: but -God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be _tempted_ above that ye -are able; but will with the _temptation_ also make a way to escape, -that ye may be able to bear it.--I. Corinthians, x. 13. - - - Not thou mistrust, but tender love enjoins, - That I should mind thee oft, and mind thou me - Firm we subsist yet possibly to swerve, - Since reason not impossibly may meet - Some specious object by the foe suborned, - And fall into deception unaware, - Not keeping strictest watch as she was warned. - Seek not _temptation_ then; which to avoid - Were better! * * * trial will come unsought. - Wouldst thou approve thy constancy, approve - First thy obedience: th’ other who can know, - Not seeing thee attempted, who attest? - But if thou think, trial unsought may find - Us both securer that thus warned thou seem’st, - Go, for thy stay not free absents thee more, - Go, in thy native innocence, rely - On what thou hast of virtue, summon all, - For God towards thee hath done his part; do thine. - _Milton._ - - - When gath’ring clouds around I view, - And days are dark, and friends are few, - On Him I lean, who not in vain, - Experienced every human pain; - He sees my wants, allays my fears, - And counts and treasures up my tears. - - If aught should _tempt_ my soul to stray - From heavenly wisdom’s narrow way, - To flee the good I would pursue, - Or do the sin I would not do, - Still He, who felt _temptation’s_ power - Shall guard me in that dangerous hour. - _Grant._ - - - And now came on _temptation’s_ demon hour - To crush the Saviour! By the Holy Ghost - Constrained, within a desert’s trackless wild - Alone He wandered, unperceived by eyes - Of mortal; there to fathom time and truth, - Redemption and the vast designs of Love. - - * * * * * - - Thus forty days of dire _temptation_ leagued - Their might hell-born, with hunger, thirst, and pain. - Meanwhile, in thankless calm the world reposed, - Life went her rounds, and busy hearts maintain’d - Their wonted purpose: still uprose the parent orb, - And all the dewy ravishment of flowers - Enkindled; day and ocean mingled smiles, - And then, meek night with starr’d enchantment rose, - While moonlight wander’d o’er the palmy hills - Of green-hair’d Palestine: and thus unmark’d - By aught portentous, save demonian wiles, - His fasting period in the desert gloom - Messiah braved. - _Robert Montgomery._ - - - The _Tempter_ to my soul hath said, - “There is no help in God for thee:” - Lord, lift thou up thy servant’s head, - My glory, shield, and solace be. - - Thus to the Lord I made my cry; - He heard me from his holy hill; - At his command the waves roll’d by; - He beckon’d and the winds were still. - _J. Montgomery._ - - - O trembling, learn - That Peter, too, was chosen by his Lord, - Admonished, and forewarned, and resolute, - And sworn to persevere in righteousness; - Yet in the hour of trial, Peter fell. - Into _temptation_ lead us not, O God! - But with Thy hand deliver us from ill! - _Cockburn._ - - - He who sends _temptation_, giveth - Strength to meet and overcome the foe, - If but to Him we pray, - And in Him put our trust. - _Egone._ - - - - - THANKFULNESS. - - -O Lord my God, I will give _thanks_ unto thee for ever.--Psalm xxx. 12. - -Enter into his gates with _thanksgiving_, and into his courts with -praise: be _thankful_ unto him, and bless his name.--Psalm c. 4. - -In every thing give _thanks_; for this is the will of God in Christ -Jesus concerning you.--I. Thessalonians, v. 18. - - - A thankful heart hath earned me favour twice, - But he that is ungrateful wants no vice. - _Quarles._ - - - God is much displeased - That you take with _unthankfulness_ His doing; - In common, worldly things, ’tis called ungrateful, - With dull unwillingness to repay a debt - Which with a bounteous hand was kindly lent; - Much more to be thus opposite with Heaven, - For it requires the debt it lent you. - _Shakspere._ - - - When all thy mercies, O my God, - My rising soul surveys, - Transported with the view, I’m lost - In wonder, love, and praise. - - Unnumber’d blessings on my head - Thy tender care bestow’d, - Before my infant heart conceived - From whom those blessings flow’d. - - Ten thousand thousand precious gifts - My daily _thanks_ employ; - Nor is the least a grateful heart, - To taste those gifts with joy. - - Through every period of my life - Thy goodness I’ll pursue; - And, after death, in distant worlds, - The glorious theme renew. - _Addison._ - - - Break forth into _thanksgiving_, - Ye banded instruments of wind and chords! - Unite, to praise the Ever-living, - Your inarticulate notes with the voice of words, - Nor hushed be service from the lowing mead, - Nor mute the forest hum of noon: - Thou too be heard lone eagle! freed - From snowy peak and cloud, attune - Thy hungry barkings to the hymn - Of joy, that from her utmost walls - The six days work, by flaming Seraphim - Transmits to Heaven! as deep to deep - Shouting through one valley rolls; - All worlds, all nature, mood and measure keep - For praise and ceaseless gratulation poured - Into the ear of God--their Lord. - _Wordsworth._ - - - Is there any smile of prophecy upon the world’s wide face? - Among the striving millions there, say who shall win the race? - ’Mid fallen towers, and falling thrones, and glories that decay, - Will any kingdom rise to shine in everlasting day? - - One spirit powers His riches o’er all the earth abroad, - And all these changing pictures shew the glory of our God. - But, would you know the meaning and the virtue of the whole, - Descend to yonder vale, where dwells one happy human soul. - - There sitting in the sunshine, the grey-haired labourer see, - He smiles upon his grandson there, who plays besides the tree; - Where, when a child, he played himself, and soon its bough shall - wave, - When he rests from all his labours, above his quiet grave! - - Oh yes; there is a meaning and a rest for every heart, - Not in gazing on the whole, but in doing well a part; - Where rests in peace and _thankfulness_, one reasonable soul,-- - There centres all the happiness, the wisdom of the whole! - _J. Gostick._ - - - - - THOUGHT. - - -O Lord, how great are thy works? and thy _thoughts_ are very -deep.--Psalm xcii. 5. - -I hate vain _thoughts_; but thy law do I love.--Psalm cxix. 113. - -The _thoughts_ of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord.--Proverbs, -xv. 26. - -Which of you by taking _thought_ can add one cubit unto his -stature.--Matthew, vi. 27. - - - My words fly up, my _thoughts_ remain below; - Words without _thoughts_ never to Heaven go. - _Shakspere._ - - - Rise, O my soul, with thy desires to heaven, - And with divinest contemplation use - Thy time, where time’s eternity is given, - And let vain _thoughts_ no more thy _thoughts_ abuse; - But sown in darkness let them lie; - So live the better, let the worst _thoughts_ die! - _Sir Walter Raleigh._ - - - _Think_ that is just; ’tis not enough to do, - Unless thy very _thoughts_ are upright too. - _Thomas Randolph._ - - - His pure _thoughts_ were borne - Like fumes of sacred incense o’er the clouds, - And wafted thence on angels’ wings, through ways - Of light to the bright Source of all. - _Congreve._ - - - Companion none is like - Unto the mind alone, - For many have been harmed by speech,-- - Through _thinking_, few, or none. - Fear oftentimes restraineth words, - But makes not _thoughts_ to cease; - And he speaks best, that hath the skill - When for to hold his peace. - - Our wealth leaves us at death, - Our kinsmen at the grave, - But virtues of the mind unto - The heavens with us we have; - Wherefore, for virtue’s sake, - I can be well content, - The sweetest time of all my life - To deem in _thinking_ spent. - _Lord Vaux._ - - - _Thoughts_ uncontrolled and unimpressed, the births - Of pure election, arbitrary range, - Not to the limits of one world confined. - _Young._ - - - O ye, whose hours in jocund train advance, - Whose spirits to the song of gladness dance, - Who flowery fields in endless view survey, - Glittering in beams of visionary day; - O yet while Fate delays th’ impending blow, - Be roused to _thought_, anticipate the woe; - Lest, like the lightning’s glance, the sudden ill - Flash to confound, and penetrate to kill. - _Beattie._ - - - O reader, had you in your mind, - Such stores as silent _thought_ can bring, - O gentle reader, you would find - A tale in everything. - _Wordsworth._ - - - Lulled in the countless chambers of the brain, - Our _thoughts_ are linked by many a hidden chain. - Awake but one, and lo! what myriads rise! - Each stamps its image as the other flies! - Each, as the various avenues of sense, - Delight or sorrow to the soul dispense, - Frightens or fades; yet all, with magic art, - Control the latent fibres of the heart. - _Rogers._ - - - God is great and right! - He crowned man’s brow with radiant orbs of light-- - Light which inspires all abstracts, and prints - On each twin lens all images and tints. - To contract, brings the world beyond our span, - And makes the farthest star converse with man; - To read His works, God thus illumed the head, - But made man’s breast no window to be read. - Glory to God; though given to King and Pope, - To seal our eyes, our bosoms none can ope; - There still shall freedom one asylum find: - Go to, make creeds and laws to scourge mankind; - Enthral them, hand and foot, and sight and speech, - _Thought_ only, _thought_ is barred beyond your reach; - What racks can bind? or what research unveil - The soul, with flesh encompassed as a mail - Of proof, impervious, save to God alone, - Defies her labours, and resumes her own. - Whether she break communion with the tongue - And bid it mock you with the lie you wrung, - Or scorning such degenerate use of breath, - Escape with truth, and leave you dust and death. - _Nicholas Thorning Moile._ - - - _Think’st_ thou to be concealed, thou little _thought_, - That in the curtained chamber of the soul - Dost wrap thyself so close, and dream to do - A secret work? Look to the hues that roll - O’er the changed brow--the moving lips behold-- - Linking thee unto speech--the feet that run - Upon thy errands, and the deeds that stamp - Thy lineage plain before the noon-day sun; - Look to the pen that writes thy history down - In those tremendous books that ne’er unclose - Until the day of doom, and blush to see - How vain thy trust in darkness to repose, - Where all things tend to judgment. So beware, - O, erring human heart! what _thought_ thou lodgest there. - _Mrs. Sigourney._ - - - _Methought_ I heard a reverend old man speak; - Grey were his locks, his eyes were calmly bright, - The rosiness of youth was on his cheek, - And, as he spoke, a heaven of truth and light - Open’d itself upon my inner sight; - While, banish’d by his accents soft and meek, - Dissolve itself in holy harmony. - Then to the old man, doubtfully, I said, - “Yet in the world these evils are not dead!” - But, confidently, thus he gave reply-- - “As in my _thoughts_, so in the world they lie.”-- - And with these words he rais’d his drooping head. - _J. Gostick._ - - - Free from guile, and free from sin, - May the _thoughts_ my breast within, - Gracious God, Thy favour win! - _Egone._ - - - - - TIDINGS. - - -Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord. - -He shall not be afraid of evil _tidings_: his heart is fixed, trusting -in the Lord.--Psalm cxii. 1, 7. - -And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, -keeping watch over their flock by night. - -And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for behold I bring you good -_tidings_ of great joy, which shall be to all people.--Luke, ii. 8, 10. - - - The _tidings_ which that infant brings, - Are not for conquerors, or for kings: - Not for the sceptre or the brand, - For crowned head, or red right hand. - But to the contrite and the meek, - The sinful, sorrowful, and weak: - Or those who, with a hope sublime, - Are waiting for the Lord’s good time. - Only for those the angels sing, - “All glory to our new-born King, - And peace and good-will unto men, - Hosanna to our God! Amen!” - _Miss Landon._ - - - Sent from the ark, the dove, with timid flight, - Strove through the storms, yet found not where to light; - Pursued by winds o’er restless ocean’s roar, - Back to the flood-tossed crew no leaf she bore: - So through the past man’s tempest-driven mind, - Sent fancy forth some resting-place to find; - O’er bush, tree, hill, she winged her trackless way, - Nor foothold found her weary flight to stay; - Back o’er the sea on terror-haunted air, - She flew, to tell the _tidings_ of despair; - Again she flies for fairer forms to seek, - And lo! the olive borne upon her beak! - Hear her glad news,--she rested on the tomb, - Saw the dawn break, and flit the ancient gloom! - Through night she swept, and heard the gentle fall - Of angel footsteps in its silent hall; - Upborne from earth, in strong and joyous flight, - Fearless she sought the empyrean height, - Gazed on the source whence pours the living ray, - On earth’s time-shadows, God’s eternal day. - _John Brooks Fellon._ - - - - - TIME. - - -O Lord, Thou art my God: my _times_ are in Thy hand.--Psalm xxxi. 14, -15. - -It is _time_ to seek the Lord.--Hosea, x. 12. - -It shall come to pass that at evening _time_ it shall be -light.--Zechariah, xiv. 7. - -But this I say, brethren, the _time_ is short.--I. Corinthians, vii. 29. - -Behold, now is the accepted _time_: behold, now is the day of -salvation.--II. Corinthians, vi. 2. - -And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth, lifted -up his hand to heaven, - -And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, that there should be -_time_ no longer.--Revelation, x. 5, 6. - - - Like as the waves make towards the pebbled shore, - So do our minutes hasten to their end; - Each changing place with that which goes before, - In sequent toil all forwards do contend. - Nativity once in the main of light, - Crawls to maturity, wherewith being crown’d, - Crooked eclipses ’gainst his glory fight, - And _time_ that gave, doth now his gift confound. - _Time_ doth transfix the flourish set on youth, - And delves the parallels in beauty’s brow; - Feeds on the rarities of nature’s truth, - And nothing stands but for his scythe to mow. - _Shakspere._ - - - Misshapen _time_, copesmate of ugly night; - Swift subtle post, carrier of grisly care; - Eater of youth, false slave to false delight, - Base watch of woes, sin’s pack-horse, virtue’s snare: - Thou nursest all, and murderest all that are. - _Shakspere._ - - - _Time’s_ glory is to calm contending kings, - To unmask falsehood, and bring truth to light; - To stamp the seal of _time_ on aged things, - To wake the morn, and sentinel the night, - To wrong the wronger, till he render right. - _Shakspere._ - - - _Time_ is so swift that none can match his course,-- - _Time_ is so strong that none can match his force: - Like to a thiefe _Time_ stealingly doth haste; - No man can call _Time_ backe when _Time_ is past. - - * * * * * - - _Time_ is as swift as thought--the swift’st-wing’d swallow - Cannot endure the flight of _Time_ to follow: - _Time_ is of the Ubiquitaries’ race,-- - _Time_’s here, _Time_’s there, _Time_ is in every place; - _Time_ is divided in a three-fold sum, - _Time_ past, _Time_ present, and the _Time_ to come. - A present _Time_ I presently intreat, - For therein lies the sum of my conceit, - For _Time_ (once past) can never be recall’d. - And therefore _Time_ is figured to be bald. - _Peter Small._ - - - Fly, envious _Time_, till thou run out thy race, - Call on the lazy leaden-stepping hours, - Whose speed is but the heavy plummet’s pace, - And glut thyself with what thy womb devours, - Which is no more than what is false and vain, - And merely mortal dross; - So little is our loss, - So little is our gain. - For when as each thing bad thou hast entomb’d, - And last of all thy greedy self consum’d, - Then long eternity shall greet our bliss - With an individual kiss; - And joy shall overtake us as a flood, - And perfectly divine, - With truth, and peace, and love, shall ever shine, - About the supreme throne - Of Him, to whose happy-making sight alone, - When once our heavenly-guided soul shall climb, - Then all this earthly grossness quit, - Attir’d with stars, we shall for ever sit - Triumphing over Death, and Chance, and thee, O _Time_! - _Milton._ - - - Throw years away! - Throw empires, and be blameless. Moments seize - Heavens on their wing: a moment we may wish, - When worlds want wealth to buy. - _Young._ - - - O _Time_! than gold more sacred; more a load - Than lead to fools, and fools reputed wise. - What moment granted man without account? - What years are squandered, wisdom’s debt unpaid! - Our wealth in days all due to that discharge. - _Young._ - - - _Time_ as he passes us, has a dove’s wing, - Unroil’d and swift, and of a silken sound; - But the World’s _Time_, is _Time_ in masquerade! - Theirs, should I paint him, has his pinions fledged, - With motley plumes; and where the peacock shews - His azure eyes, is tinctured black and red - With spots quadrangular of diamond form, - Ensanguined hearts, clubs typical of strife, - And spades, the emblems of untimely graves. - _Cowper._ - - - “Why sits thou by that ruin’d hall, - Thou aged carle so stern and grey? - Dost thou its former pride recall, - Or ponder how it pass’d away?” - - “Know’st thou not me?” the deep voice cried, - “So long enjoyed, so oft misused-- - Alternate, in thy fickle pride, - Desired, neglected, and accused? - - Before my breath, like smoking flax, - Man and his marvels pass away, - And changing empires wane and wax, - Are founded, flourish, and decay. - - Redeem mine hours--the space is brief - While in my glass the sand-grains shiver, - And measureless thy joy or grief, - When _time_ and thou shalt part for ever!” - _Sir Walter Scott._ - - - _Time_ speeds away--away--away: - Another hour--another day-- - Another month--another year-- - Drop from us like the leaflet sear; - Drop like the life-blood from our hearts; - The rose-bloom from the cheek departs, - The tresses from the temples fall, - The eye grows dim and strange to all. - - _Time_ speeds away--away--away, - Like torrent in a stormy day; - He undermines the stately tower, - Uproots the tree, and snaps the flower; - And sweeps from our distracted breast - The friends that loved--the friends that blest; - And leaves us weeping on the shore, - To which they can return no more. - - _Time_ speeds away--away--away: - No eagle through the skies of day, - No wind along the hills can flee - So swiftly or so smooth as he. - Like fiery steed--from stage to stage, - He bears us on from youth to age; - Then plunges in the fearful sea - Of fathomless eternity. - _Knox._ - - - _Time_, as he courses onwards, still unrolls - The volume of concealment. In the future, - As in the optician’s glassy cylinder, - The undistinguishable blots and colours - Of the dim past collect and shape themselves, - Upstarting in their own completed image - To scare, or to reward. - _Coleridge._ - - - And who is he, the vast, the awful form, - Girt with the whirlwind, sandalled with the storm? - A western cloud around his limbs is spread, - His crown a rainbow, and a sun his head, - To highest Heaven he lifts his kingly hand, - And treads at once the ocean and the land; - And hark! His voice amid the thunder’s roar, - His dreadful voice--that _time_ shall be no more! - _Bishop Heber._ - - - I ask’d an aged man, a man of cares, - Wrinkled, and curved, and white with hoary hairs; - “_Time_ is the warp of life,” he said, “Oh, tell - The young, the fair, the gay, to weave it well!” - I ask’d the ancient, venerable dead, - Sages who wrote, and warriors who bled; - From the cold grave a hollow murmur flow’d, - “_Time_ sow’d the seed we reap in this abode!” - I ask’d a dying sinner, ere the tide - Of life had left his veins.--“_Time!_” he replied; - “I’ve lost it! ah, the treasure!” and he died. - I ask’d the golden sun and silver spheres, - Those bright chronometers of days and years; - They answered, “_Time_ is but a meteor glare,” - And bade us for Eternity prepare. - I ask’d the Seasons, in their annual round, - Which beautify or desolate the ground; - And they replied, (no oracle more wise,) - “’Tis folly’s blank, and wisdom’s highest prize!” - I ask’d a spirit lost, but oh, the shriek - That pierc’d my soul! I shudder while I speak! - It cried, “a particle! a speck! a mite - Of endless years, duration infinite!” - Of things inanimate, my dial I - Consulted, and it made me this reply-- - “_Time_ is the season fair of living well, - The path of glory, or the path of hell!” - I ask’d my Bible, and methinks it said, - “_Time_ is the present hour, the past is fled; - Live! live to-day! to-morrow never yet - On any living being rose or set!” - I ask’d old Father _Time_ himself at last; - But in a moment he flew swiftly past:-- - His chariot was a cloud, the viewless wind - His noiseless steeds, which left no trace behind. - I ask’d a mighty angel, who shall stand - One foot on sea, and one on solid land: - “By Heaven,” he cried, “I swear the mystery’s o’er; - _Time_ was,” he cried, “but _Time_ shall be no more!” - _Joshua Marsden._ - - - O _Time_! the fatal wreck of mortal things, - That draws oblivion’s curtains over kings. - Their sumptuous monuments, men know them not, - Their names without a record, are forgot, - Their parts, their ports, their pomp’s all laid i’ the dust, - Nor wit, nor gold, nor buildings, ’scape _Time’s_ rust; - But he whose name is ’graved in the white stone, - Shall last and shine when all of these are gone. - _Mrs. Anne Bradstreet._ - - - Be silent and still, for his end draweth near, - And watch with a quivering breath; - No mortal eye beheld his birth, - But all shall behold his death, - For the nations from every land and clime - Shall gather to gaze on the close of _Time_. - - The Moon shall look down with a tearful eye, - And the Sun shall withhold his fire, - And the hoary Earth, all parched and dry, - Shall flame for his funeral pyre, - When the Angel, that standeth on earth and shore, - Proclaimeth that “_Time_ shall be no more!” - _Edward Pollok._ - - - O, God of _times_, and yet, in _time_ a man! - Before all _times_ thy _time_ of being was; - And yet in _time_ thy human birth began, - Lest we should fade, _untimely_, like the grass,-- - Thou that hast said thy word should never pass, - And thou that dost all _times_ begin and end,-- - Vouchsafe thy comfort to my sad soul send. - _G. Ellis._ - - - A moment is a mighty thing, - Beyond the soul’s imagining, - For in it, though we trace it not, - How much there crowds of varied lot! - How much of life, life cannot see, - Darts onward to eternity! - While vacant hours of beauty roll - Their magic o’er some yielded soul, - Ah! little do the happy guess - The sum of human wretchedness; - Or dream, amid the soft farewell - That _time_ of them is taking, - How frequent mourns the funeral knell, - What noble heart is breaking, - While myriads to their tombs descend - Without a mourner, creed, or friend! - _R. Montgomery._ - - - - - TO-DAY--TO-MORROW. - - -Boast not thyself of _to-morrow_, for thou knowest not what a day may -bring forth.--Proverbs, xxvii. 1. - -Ye know not what shall be on the _morrow_.--James, iv. 14. - - - To-day is yesterday returned; returned - Full-powered to cancel, expiate, raise, adorn, - And reinstate us on the rock of peace. - Let it not share its predecessors’ fate; - Nor, like its elder sisters, die a fool. - _Young._ - - - At thirty man suspects himself a fool, - Knows it at forty, and reforms his plan; - At fifty chides his infamous delay, - Pushes his prudent purpose to resolve. - In all the magnanimity of thought - Resolves and re-resolves, then dies the same. - In human hearts what bolder thought can rise - Than man’s presumption on _to-morrow’s_ dawn. - Where is _to-morrow_? in another world. - And yet on this perhaps, this peradventure, - (Infamous for lies) as on a rock of adamant - We build our mountain hopes, spin our eternal schemes, - And big with life’s futurities expire. - _Young._ - - - _To-morrow_ you will live, you always cry, - In what far country does this _morrow_ lie, - That ’tis so mighty long ere it arrive? - Beyond the Indies does this _morrow_ live? - ’Tis so far fetch’d this _morrow_, that I fear - ’Twill be both very old and very dear. - _To-morrow_ I will live, the fool does say; - _To-day_ itself’s too late, the wise lived yesterday. - _Cowley._ - - - _To-morrow!_ - That fatal mistress of the young, the lazy, - The coward and the fool, condemned to lose - An useless life in waiting for _to-morrow_, - Till interposing death destroys the prospect: - Strange! that this general fraud, from day to day, - Should fill the world with wretches undetected. - _Dr. Johnson._ - - - _To-morrow_ then begins the task, you say: - Alas! you’ll act _to-morrow_ as _to-day_: - What? is one day, (you cry,) too much to ask? - Trust me _to-morrow_ shall commence the task. - But think, ere yet _to-morrow’s_ dawn come on, - Our yesterday’s _to-morrow_ will be gone. - Thus, while the present from the future borrows, - _To-morrows_ slowly creep upon _to-morrows_, - Till months and years behold the task undone, - Which, still beginning, never is begun. - Just as the hinder of two chariot wheels - Still presses closely on its fellow’s heels; - So flies _to-morrow_, while you fly so fast, - For ever following, and for ever last. - _Howes, from Persius._ - - - _To-morrow_, didst thou say? - Methought I heard Horatio say, _To-morrow_. - Go to--I will not hear of it--_To-morrow_! - ’Tis a sharper, who stakes his penury - Against thy plenty--who takes thy ready cash, - And pays thee nought but wishes, hopes, and promises, - The currency of idiots--injurious bankrupt, - That gulls the easy creditor!--_To-morrow!_ - It is a period nowhere to be found - In all the hoary registers of Time, - Unless perchance in the fool’s calender. - Wisdom disclaims the word, nor holds society - With those who own it. No, my Horatio, - ’Tis Fancy’s child, and folly is its father; - Wrought of such stuff as dreams are, and as baseless - As the fantastic visions of the evening. - _Cotton._ - - - As Time glides on in silent flow, - _To-day_ yields to _to-morrow_; - _To-morrow’s_ expectations grow - _To-day’s_ own bliss or sorrow. - - Still, as _to-morrow’s_ sun appears, - It shines upon _to-day_; - So, realized, our hopes and fears - For ever melt away. - _Anon._ - - - - - TONGUE. - - -The _tongue_ of the wise useth knowledge aright: but the mouth of fools -poureth out foolishness. - -A wholesome _tongue_ is a tree of life: but perverseness therein is a -breach in the spirit.--Proverbs, xv. 2, 4. - -The _tongue_ is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how -great a matter a little fire kindleth! - -And the _tongue_ is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the _tongue_ -among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire -the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. - -The _tongue_ can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly -poison. - -Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, -which are made after the similitude of God. - -Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, -these things ought not so to be.--James, iii. 5, 6, 8, 9, 10. - - - The man - In whom this spirit entered, was undone. - His _tongue_ was set on fire of hell, his heart - Was black as death, his legs were faint with haste - To propagate the lie his soul had framed. - _Pollok._ - - - Sacred interpreter of human thought, - How few respect, or use thee as they ought! - But all shall give account of every wrong, - Who dare dishonour or defile the _tongue_; - Who prostitute it in the cause of vice, - Or sell their glory at the market price! - _Cowper._ - - - Nor did the pulpit’s oratory fail - To achieve its higher triumph.--Not unfelt - Were its admonishments, nor lightly heard - The awful truths, delivered thence by _tongues_ - Endowed with various power to search the soul. - _Wordsworth._ - - - From idle words that restless throng, - And haunt our hearts when we would pray, - From pride’s false chime, and jarring wrong, - Seal Thou my lips, and guard the way: - For Thou hast sworn that every ear, - Willing, or loth, Thy trump shall hear, - And every _tongue_ unchained be, - To own no hope, O God, but Thee. - _Keble._ - - - - - TREASURE. - - -_Treasures_ of wickedness profit nothing: but righteousness delivereth -from death.--Proverbs, x. 2. - -Lay not up for yourselves _treasures_ upon earth, where moth and rust -doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: - -But lay up for yourselves _treasures_ in heaven: - -For where your _treasure_ is, there will your heart be also.--Matthew, -vi. 19, 20, 21. - - - He is a path, if any be misled; - He is a robe, if any naked be; - If any chance to hunger, He is bread; - If any be a bondman, He is free; - If any be but weak, how strong is He! - To dead men life He is, to sick men health; - To blind men sight, and to the needy, wealth-- - A pleasure without loss, a _treasure_ without stealth. - _Giles Fletcher._ - - - Not to understand a _treasure’s_ worth - Till time has stolen away the slighted good, - Is cause of half the poverty we feel, - And makes the world the wilderness it is. - _Cowper._ - - - Engage this roving treacherous heart, - Great God! to choose the better part; - To scorn the trifles of a day, - For joys that none can take away. - - Then let the wildest storms arise, - Let tempests mingle earth and skies; - No fatal shipwreck shall I fear, - But all my _treasure_ with me bear. - - If Thou, my Jesus, still art nigh, - Cheerful I live, and cheerful die; - Secure, when mortal comforts flee, - To find ten thousand worlds in Thee. - _Doddridge._ - - - Think’st thou the man whose mansions hold - The worldling’s pomp, and miser’s gold, - Obtains a richer prize - Than he, who, in his cot at rest, - Finds heavenly peace a willing guest, - And bears the promise in his breast - Of _treasure_ in the skies. - _Mrs. Sigourney._ - - - What are they?--gold and silver, - Or what such ore can buy? - The price of silken luxury-- - Rich robes of Tyrian dye? - Guests that come thronging in - With lordly pomp and state? - Or thankless liveried serving men, - To stand about the gate? - - Or are they daintiest meats, - Sent up on silver fine? - Or golden cups o’er brimm’d - With rich Falernian wine? - Or parchments, setting forth - Broad lands our fathers held? - Parks for our deer, ponds for our fish, - And woods that may be fell’d? - - No, no! they are not these! or else - God help the poor man’s need! - Then, sitting ’mid his little ones, - He would be poor indeed! - They are not these--our household wealth - Belongs not to degree: - It is the love within our souls-- - The children at our knee! - - My heart o’erfloweth to mine eyes - When I see the poor man stand, - After his daily work is done, - With children by the hand:-- - And this he kisseth tenderly, - And that sweet names doth call; - For I know he has no _treasure_ - Like those dear children small! - - Oh, children young, I bless ye! - Ye keep such love alive! - And the home can ne’er be desolate - Where love has room to thrive! - Oh, precious household _treasures_, - Life’s sweetest, holiest claim-- - The Saviour bless’d ye while on earth-- - I bless ye in His name! - _Mary Howitt._ - - - - - TREE. - - -The _trees_ of the Lord are full of sap; the cedars of Lebanon which He -hath planted.--Psalm civ. 16. - -And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the _trees_: therefore -every _tree_ which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down and cast -into the fire.--Matthew, iii. 10. - -Every good _tree_ bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt _tree_ -bringeth forth evil fruit.--Matthew, xii. 17. - - - A tree was first the instrument of strife, - When Eve to sin her soul did prostitute; - A _tree_ is now the instrument of life, - Though ill that trunk, and Christ’s fair body suit; - Ah, cursed _tree_! and yet, oh, blessed fruit! - That death to Him, this life to us doth give: - Strange is the cure when things past cure revive, - And the physician dies to make his patient live. - _Giles Fletcher._ - - - Like crowded forest _trees_ we stand, - And some are marked to fall: - The axe shall smite, at God’s command, - And soon shall smite us all. - - Green as the bay _tree_, ever green, - With its new foliage on, - The gay, the thoughtless have I seen; - I passed, and they were gone. - _Cowper._ - - - Of all the _trees_ that in earth’s vineyard grow, - And with their clusters tempted man to pull - And eat, one _tree_ alone the true - Celestial manna bore, which filled the soul. - The _tree_ of holiness, of heavenly seed, - A native of the skies, though stunted made, - And dwarfed by time’s cold, damp, ungenial soil, - And chilling winds, yet yielding fruit so pure, - So nourishing and sweet, as on his way - Refreshed the pilgrim; and begot desire - Unquenchable, to climb the arduous path - To where her sister plants, in their own clime, - Around the fount and by the stream of life, - Blooming beneath the sun that never sets, - Bear fruit of perfect relish fully ripe. - _Pollok._ - - - God spake: the hills and plains put on - Their robe of freshest green; - Dark forest in the valleys wave, - And budding _trees_ are seen. - The word of His breath clothes the forest with leaves, - The high gift of beauty the spring-tide receives. - _Krummacher._ - - - I heard the language of the _trees_, - In the noons of the early summer; - As the leaves were moved like rippling seas - By the wind--a constant comer. - It came and it went at its wanton will; - And evermore loved to dally, - With branch and flower, from the cope of the hill - To the warm depths of the valley. - The sunlight glow’d; the water flow’d; - The birds their music chanted, - And the words of the _trees_ on my senses fell-- - By a spirit of Beauty haunted:-- - Said each to each, in mystic speech:-- - “The skies our branches nourish;-- - The world is good,--the world is fair,-- - Let us enjoy and flourish!” - - Again I heard the steadfast _trees_; - The wintry winds were blowing; - There seem’d a roar as of stormy seas, - And of ships to the depths down-going. - And ever a moan through the woods was blown, - As the branches snapp’d asunder, - And the long boughs swung like the frantic arms - Of a crowd in affright and wonder, - Heavily rattled the driving hail; - And storm and flood combining, - Laid bare the roots of mighty oaks - Under the shingle twining. - Said _tree_ to _tree_, “These tempests free - Our sap and strength shall nourish; - Though the world be hard--though the world be cold-- - We can endure and flourish.” - _Charles Mackay._ - - - - - TREMBLING. - - -Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with _trembling_.--Psalm ii. 11. - -Fear ye not me? saith the Lord: will ye not _tremble_ at my -presence?--Jeremiah, v. 22. - - - Eternal Lord of light and life; the soul - Of nature and the Deity of all, - Whose spirit bending o’er the wondrous whole, - Suffers unwill’d, no flower or bird to fall: - Can the proud eye look upwards to yon dome, - Or view the rich array spread forth below, - And not feel pledges of a dearer home, - That make the bosom leap, the spirit glow, - And stretch its hopes far into eternity, - Till, like the Patriarch’s dove, it rests, great Lord on Thee. - - On Thee, its ark of perfect holiness, - With tokens of its everlasting peace, - And certainty of fadeless joy to bless - It in a higher state when time shall cease, - The stars shall burn; those living orbs were fed - With pure effulgence from Thy vital ray, - To light us deep into Thy essence, shed - Abroad through earth and air by night and day: - Fill’d with that glory would my spirit soar, - And, although _trembling_, yet exultingly, adore. - _W. Martin._ - - - Ye _trembling_ souls dismiss your fears, - Be mercy all your theme; - Mercy, which like a river flows, - In one perpetual stream! - - Fear not the powers of earth and hell, - God will those powers restrain; - His arm shall all their rage repel - And make their efforts vain! - - Fear not that he will e’er forsake, - Or leave His work undone; - He’s faithful to his promises, - And faithful to His Son! - _Beddome._ - - - - - TRIAL. - - -Search me, O God, and know my heart: _try_ me, and know my -thoughts.--Psalm cxxxix. 23. - -The _trial_ of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that -perisheth, though it be _tried_ with fire, might be found unto praise -and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.--I. Peter, i. 7. - -Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery _trial_ which is to -_try_ you, as though some strange thing happened unto you.--I. Peter, -iv. 12. - - - Lest our _trial_, when least sought, - May find us both perhaps far less prepared. - _Milton._ - - - Within our life these sorrows we contain - Uncertain days, yet full of certain grief; - In number few, yet infinite in pain; - O’ercharged with wants, but naked of relief, - In ruling it our evil parts are chief; - And though our time be not cut short by death, - Old age will creep to stop uncertain breath. - - Yet to the much affliction of the mind, - This of the body is a scant compare, - Wherein so many and so much I find, - As would astone my spirits to declare-- - _Trial_ can only tell us what we are: - For we whom custom hath with grief acquainted, - By us her sad proportion best is painted. - _Christopher Lever_, 1607. - - - He bids him glow with unremitting love - To all on earth, and to Himself above - Condemns the injurious deed, the slanderous tongue, - The thought that meditates a brother’s wrong; - Brings not alone the more conspicuous part-- - His conduct--to the test, but _tries_ his heart. - _Cowper._ - - - Lord, search my soul, try ev’ry thought; - Though my own heart accuse me not - Of walking in a false disguise, - I beg a _trial_ of Thine eyes. - - Doth secret mischief lurk within? - Do I indulge some unknown sin? - O turn my feet whene’er I stray, - And lead me in Thy perfect way. - _Watts._ - - - - - TRIBULATION. - - -In the world ye shall have _tribulation_.--John, xvi. 33. - -We must through much _tribulation_ enter into the kingdom of -God.--Acts, xiv. 22. - -Patient in _tribulation_.--Romans, xii. 12. - - - The wisdom of this world is idiotism; - Strength, a weak reed; health, sickness’ enemy; - (And it at length will have the victory;) - Beauty is but a painting; and long life - Is a long journey in December gone: - Tedious and full of _tribulation_. - _Dekkar._ - - - Begone unbelief, my Saviour is near, - And for my relief will surely appear; - By prayer let me wrestle, and He will perform; - With Christ in the vessel, I smile at the storm. - - His love in time past forbids me to think - He’ll leave me at last in trouble to sink; - Each sweet Ebenezer I have in review, - Confirms His good pleasure to help me quite through. - - Why should I complain of want or distress, - Temptation or pain? he told me no less! - The heirs of salvation, I know from His word, - Through much _tribulation_ must follow their Lord. - _Newton._ - - - Lo! round the throne, a glorious band, - The saints, in countless myriads, stand; - Of ev’ry tongue, redeem’d to God, - Array’d in garments wash’d in blood! - - Through _tribulation_ great they came; - They bore the cross, despis’d the shame; - But now from all their labours rest, - In God’s eternal glory bless’d. - _Duncan._ - - - Thou dost conduct Thy people - Through torrents of temptation - Nor will we fear, while Thou art near, - The fire of _tribulation_. - _De Courcey._ - - - - - TRIUMPH. - - -Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the Lord, -and spake, saying, I will sing unto the Lord, for He hath _triumphed_ -gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the -sea.--Exodus, xv. 1. - -The _triumphing_ of the wicked is short.--Job, xx. 5. - -Thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to _triumph_ in -Christ.--II. Corinthians, ii. 14. - - - Hail, Thou! that on this glorious morn didst burst - The bands of death! all hail, incarnate Lord! - First-born of heaven, what time the barren grave - With wondrous throes gave forth Thy present flesh, - In all its incorruptible array - Of majesty and light. _Triumphant_ Lord, - Who, in Thy rising power, didst captive lead - Captivity, and at Thy chariot wheels - The vanquished hosts of hell didst with Thee bring! - Hail, conquering King! Almighty Prince of Life! - First-fruits of those that sleep, in hope assured - Of that bright morning, when the trumpet’s sound - Shall wake the slumbering dead, when from the tomb - Thy quickened saints shall spring to swell Thy strain, - Clad in immortal bloom. Thy angel bands - Attend Thee up the skies with cheerful notes; - We, too, responsive cry “Our God is gone, - Is upward gone.” - _S. Stennet._ - - - Rejoice, believer, in the Lord, - Who makes your cause His own; - The hope that’s built upon His word, - Can ne’er be overthrown! - - As surely as He overcame, - And _triumph’d_ once for you; - So surely you that love His name, - Shall _triumph_ in Him too! - _Newton._ - - - The Lord of Lords has _triumphed_ gloriously. - _H. H. Milman._ - - - Humility o’er self victorious, - Of earthly _triumphs_ the most glorious. - _William Peter._ - - - - - TROUBLE. - - -The Lord hear thee in the day of _trouble_.--Psalm xx. 1. - -In the day of my _trouble_ I will call upon thee: for thou wilt answer -me.--Psalm lxxxvi. 7. - -I cried unto the Lord with my voice; with my voice unto the Lord did I -make my supplication. - -I poured out my complaint before him; I shewed before him my -_trouble_.--Psalm cxlii. 1, 2. - - - From out of the depths of misery I cry - To Thee O Lord, and that most earnestly, - Prayers intermixed with sighs and tears - My soul sends up into Thine ears. - I pour out all my moan - Before Thee, Thee alone, - And for relief - Show Thee my grief. - - Lord, when my _troubled_ spirit could not rest - For anguish of my mind, Thou knowest best - What way to help me, and did see - A path through all to set me free. - Thy foes, and mine, do lay - Snares for me, in my way - One did privily - In ambush lie. - - I looked on every side, but I could see - None who would know, and much less succour me. - My friends revolted totally, - On whom I used to rely; - All ways to ’scape by flight - Were stopped, and shut up quite, - And none did care - My soul to spare. - - Thus _troubled_; laid on wait for; desolate; - Enclosed around; and thus disconsolate; - I cried to Thee, O Lord, and said, - Thou art my hope, my help, my aid, - The rock I build upon; - My lot, my portion, - For this life, and - A better land. - _Joseph Bunyan._ - - - When the heart is sore smitten by sorrow, - And the bosom is darksome and drear, - And when bright hope no longer may borrow - A smile from the future to cheer; - And the eye that would gaze on the morrow, - Is constrain’d to gaze on through a tear-- - Even then there’s a hope that can brighten - The soul in its darksome abode, - That can dry up its sorrow, and lighten, - The weight of its wearisome load: - ’Tis the hope which no joy can heighten, - That leads it to trust in its God. - - Though the world to our griefs may be ever - Disdainful, unkind, and unjust; - And mankind may be eager to sever - The links of our holier trust; - And the mighty may daily endeavour - To tread our torn hearts in the dust, - Still thy presence, Lord, cannot be taken - From those that all faithful will be: - Then why should our spirits be shaken? - And why should we languish to flee? - When we know we are never forsaken, - In the midst of our _troubles_, by Thee. - _W. Martin._ - - - If the nation-feeding corn - Thriveth under iced snow; - If the small bird on the thorn - Useth well its guarded sloe; - Bid thy cares thy comforts double, - Gather fruit from thorns of _trouble_. - _E. Elliot._ - - - In the time of Grief and _trouble_, - Then we call upon the Lord, - And he hears our supplication, - Ever faithful to his word; - But when o’er the _trouble_ passeth, - As a cloud that hid the sun, - We forget the hand that raised us, - Careless of the blessing won. - _Egone._ - - - - - TRUST. - - -Some _trust_ in chariots, and some in horses; but we will remember the -name of the Lord our God.--Psalm xx. 7. - -O my God, I _trust_ in Thee: let me not be ashamed.--Psalm xxv. 2. - -Commit thy way unto the Lord; _trust_ also in Him; and He shall bring -it to pass.--Psalm xxxvii. 5. - -_Trust_ in the Lord with all thine heart: and lean not unto thine own -understanding.--Proverbs, iii. 5. - - - But, O, the soul that never dies - At once it leaves the clay; - Ye thoughts pursue it where it flies, - And track its wondrous way. - - Up to the courts where angels dwell, - It mounts triumphant there; - Or devils plunge it down to hell, - In infinite despair. - - And must my body faint and die? - And must this soul remove? - O for some guardian angel high, - To bear it safe above! - - Jesus, to Thy dear faithful hand, - My naked soul I _trust_; - And my flesh waits for Thy command, - To drop into the dust. - _Watts._ - - - Backsliding Israel, bear the voice - Of thy forgiving God; - Nor force such goodness to exert - The terrors of the rod. - - Thus saith the Lord, “My mercy flows, - An unexhausted stream; - And after all its millions saved, - Its sway is still supreme.” - - Own but the follies thou hast done, - And mourn thy sins in dust, - And soon thy trembling heart shall learn - To hope, and love, and _trust_. - _Doddridge._ - - - Men safelier _trust_ to Heaven than to themselves - When least themselves, in the mad whirl of crowds, - Where folly is contagious, and, too oft, - Even wise men leave their better sense at home, - To chide and wonder at them when returned. - _Coleridge._ - - - Frail children of dust, - And feeble as frail, - In Thee do we _trust_, - Nor find Thee to fail; - Thy mercies how tender, - How firm to the end! - Our Maker--Defender, - Redeemer, and Friend. - - O measureless might! - Ineffable love! - While angels delight - To hymn Thee above, - The humbler creation, - Though feeble their lays, - With true adoration, - Shall lisp to Thy praise. - _Sir R. Grant._ - - - Do good, shun evil: live not thou - As if at death thy being died, - Nor error’s syren voice allow - To draw thy steps from truth aside; - Look to thy journey’s end--the grave! - And _trust_ in Him whose arm can save. - _Moir._ - - - Then shall, gorgeous as a gem, - Shine thy mount, Jerusalem; - Then shall in the desert rise - Fruits of more than Paradise; - Earth by angel feet be trod, - One great garden of her God; - Till are dried the martyr’s tears - Through a glorious thousand years. - Now, in hope of Him, we _trust_ - Earth to earth, and dust to dust. - _Croly._ - - - We see no more in Thy pure skies, - How soft, O God! the sunset dies: - How every coloured hill and wood - Seems melting in the golden flood: - Yet, by the precious memories won - From bright hours, now for ever gone, - Father, o’er all Thy works we know - Thou still art shedding beauty’s glow; - Still touching every cloud and tree - With glory, eloquent of Thee; - Still feeding all Thy flowers with light, - Though man hath barred it from our sight. - We know Thou reignest, the unchanging One, All-just! - And bless Thee still, with free and boundless _trust_. - _Mrs. Hemans._ - - - O let my trembling soul be still, - While darkness veils this mortal eye, - And wait Thy wise, Thy holy will: - Wrapp’d yet in fears and mystery, - I cannot, Lord! Thy purpose see! - Yet all is ruled--since ruled by Thee. - - When mounted on Thy clouded car, - Thou send’st Thy darker spirits down, - I can discern Thy light afar, - Thy light sweet beaming through Thy frown; - And should I faint a moment--then - I think of Thee--and smile again, - - So, _trusting_ in Thy love, I tread - The narrow path of duty on; - What though some cherished joys are fled! - What though some flattering dreams are gone; - Yet purer, brighter joys remain, - Why should my spirit then complain? - _Bowring._ - - - For now in truth I find - My Father all His promises hath kept; - He comforts those who here in sadness wept. - Eyes to the blind - Thou art, O God! Earth I no longer see, - Yet _trustfully_ my spirit looks to Thee. - _Mrs. Neal._ - - - Oh, yet we _trust_ that, somehow, good - Will be the final goal of all, - To pangs of nature, sins of will, - Defects of doubt and taints of blood; - - That nothing walks with aimless feet; - That not one life shall be destroy’d, - Or cast as rubbish to the void, - When God hath made the pile complete. - - That not a worm is cloven in vain; - That not a moth with vain desire - Is shrivell’d in a fruitless fire, - Or but subserves another’s gain. - - Behold! we know not anything; - I can but _trust_ that good shall fall - At last, far off, at last to all, - And every winter change to spring. - - So runs my dream:--but what am I? - An infant crying in the night; - An infant crying for the light; - And with no language but a cry. - _Tennyson._ - - - In patience, then, possess thy soul, - Stand still!--for while the thunders roll, - Thy Saviour sees thee through the gloom, - And will to thy assistance come; - His love and mercy will be shown - To those who _trust_ in Him alone. - _William Allen._ - - - Some in chariots, some in horses, - We in God Jehovah _trust_; - And, while He our sure resource is, - They are fallen in the dust: - Save Jehovah, save and hear us, - King of glory, King of might; - When we call, be ever near us,-- - Even for Thy servants fight. - _Tupper._ - - - Oft, alas! we make our boast - In the strength of armed host: - Creatures frail in whom we _trust_, - What are they but ashes--dust? - _Egone_. - - - - - TRUTH. - - -The _truth_ of the Lord endureth for ever.--Psalm cxvii. 2. - -Buy the _truth_, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and -understanding.--Proverbs, xxiii. 23. - -Speak ye every man the _truth_ to his neighbour.--Zechariah, viii. 16. - -Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the _truth_, and the life: no man -cometh unto the Father, but by me.--John, xiv. 6. - -When He, the Spirit of _truth_, is come, He will guide you into all -_truth_.--John, xvi. 13. - -It is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is -_truth_.--I. John, v. 6. - - - Dare to be _true_; nothing can need a lie, - A fault which needs it most, grows two thereby. - _Herbert._ - - - _Truth_, in her pure simplicity, wants art - To put a feigned blush on. - _John Ford._ - - - Defend the _truth_; for that who will not die, - A coward is, and gives himself the lie. - _Thomas Randolph._ - - - These furies fell, which turn the world to ruth, - Both Envy, Strife, and Slander, her appear, - In dungeon dark they long enclosed _Truth_, - But time at length did loose his daughter dear, - And sets aloft that sacred lady bright, - Who things long hid reveals and brings to light. - - Though Strife wake her, though Envy eat her heart, - The innocent though Slander rend and spoil: - Yet Time will come, and take this lady’s part, - And break her bands and bring her foes to foil. - Despair not then, though _Truth_ be hidden oft, - Because at length, she shall be set aloft. - _Whitney._ - - - God hath how sent His living oracle - Into the world to teach His final will, - And sends His Spirit of _truth_ henceforth to dwell - In pious hearts: and inward oracle - To all _truth_ requisite for men to know. - _Milton._ - - - For error and mistake are infinite, - But _truth_ has but one way to be i’ th’ right: - As numbers may t’ infinity be grown, - But never be reduc’d to less than one. - _Butler._ - - - Marble and recording brass decay, - And like the ’graver’s memory, pass away; - The works of man inherit, as is just, - Their author’s frailty, and return to dust; - But _truth_ divine for ever stands secure, - Its head is guarded, as its base is sure; - Fixed in the rolling flood of endless years, - The pillar of the eternal plan appears; - The raving storm and dashing wave defies, - Built by that Architect who built the skies. - _Cowper._ - - - But what is _Truth_? ’Twas Pilate’s question, put - To _Truth_ itself, that deigned him no reply. - And wherefore? Will not God impart His light - To them that ask it? Freely,--’tis His joy, - His glory, and His nature, to impart. - But to the proud, uncandid, insincere, - Our negligent enquirer, not a spark. - _Cowper._ - - - All _truth_ is precious, if not all divine, - And what dilates the powers must needs refine. - _Cowper._ - - - So many minds did gird their orbs with beams, - Though one did fling the fire, - Heaven flowed upon the soul in many dreams - Of high desire. - - Thus _truth_ was multiplied on _truth_, the world - Like one great garden show’d, - And thro’ the wreaths of floating dark upcurl’d - Rare sunrise flow’d. - _Tennyson._ - - - Dark, dark, yea, irrecoverably dark, - Is the soul’s eye; yet how it strives and battles - Through the impenetrable gloom to fix - That master light, the secret _truth_ of things, - Which is the body of the infinite God. - _Arthur H. Hallam._ - - - Searching the skiey depths all night in vain, - The starry seer hath known this mystery-- - That the sky orb, which over half the sky - Hath baulked his chase, and mocked his utmost pain - If (haply while the daylight poured amain - Into the empty concave of the night) - Hath stepped into his glass, as clear to sight - As the one tree that stars a glassy plain, - So is it known that some secretive _Truth_, - Which Thought and Patience strove in vain to find, - Just when Despair and Doubt were swallowing all, - Hath dropped into the heart without a call, - Conspicuous as a Fire, and sweet as Youth, - An everlasting stronghold to the mind. - _Thomas Burbidge._ - - - Not seldom, clad in radiant vest, - Deceitfully goes forth the morn; - Not seldom evening, in the west, - Sinks smilingly forsworn. - The smoothest seas will sometimes prove - To the confiding bark _untrue_; - And if she trust the stars above, - They can be treacherous too. - - The umbrageous oak, in pomp outspread, - Full oft, when storms the welkin rend, - Draws lightning down upon the head - It promised to defend. - But Thou art _true_, incarnate Lord! - Who didst vouchsafe for man to die, - Thy smile is sure, Thy plighted word - No change can falsify. - _Wordsworth._ - - - That one half creation is to know - Luxurious joy, and others only woe, - And so go down into the common tomb - With none to question their unequal doom? - Shall we give credit to a thought so fond? - Ah! no--the world beyond--the world beyond! - There shall the desolate heart regain its own! - There the oppressed shall stand before God’s throne! - There, when the tangled web is all explained, - Wrong suffered, pain inflicted, grief disdained, - Man’s proud, mistaken judgments and false scorn - Shall melt, like mists before the uprising morn, - And holy _truth_ stand forth, serenely bright, - In the rich flood of God’s eternal light! - _Mrs. Norton._ - - - It is not in the heart of thought - Nor in the breast of care, - That _truth_ its dwelling-place has sought, - For all is sterile there: - Nor is it in the mind where gay - Delusive visions throng, - That chastening _truth_ can find a way - Its glittering dreams among: - Yet as within the desert far, - There are reflections given - Of light, so in the heart there are - Remembrances of Heaven. - _W. Anderson._ - - - Oh! _truth_ abideth with Him everywhere; - And lovely is her brow, albeit too bright - For earthly eye, she veils her aspect fair, - Lest bold vain men be blasted with its light, - Beneath a diverse visage, now austere, - Now lovely, suited to the gazer’s sight. - He who upon her naked face might bear - To look, would know her heavenly and divine, - And Deity itself in her revere-- - Thy soul, oh Man! is her especial shrine; - There find her, thou unto thyself shalt wake, - And to thy God; for heaven is her’s and thine: - Seek her in youth, nor yet in age forsake. - _J. A. Heraud._ - - - Immortal _Truth_! by inspiration taught, - Thou spurn’st the servile chains of human art; - In native majesty arrayed, thou shed’st - Thy radiant beams through all this vale below; - Thy piercing voice resounds through distant climes, - By all distinguished, and by all adored. - _Charles Jenner._ - - - _Truth_ is in each flower - As well as in the solemnest things of God. - _Truth_ is the voice of Nature and of Time-- - _Truth_ is the startling monitor within us-- - Nought is without it, it comes from the stars, - The golden sun, and every breeze that blows-- - _Truth_, it is God! and God is everywhere! - _William Thomson Bacon._ - - - - - UNITY. - - -Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together -in _unity_! - -It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon -the beard, even Aaron’s beard: that went down to the skirts of his -garments.--Psalm cxxxiii. 1, 2. - -Endeavouring to keep the _unity_ of the Spirit in the bond of -peace.--Ephesians, iv. 3. - - - E’en as the ointment whose sweet odours blended, - From Aaron’s head upon his beard descended, - And, falling thence, with rich perfume ran o’er - The holy garb the prophet wore: - So doth the _unity_ that lives with brothers - Share its best blessings and its joy with others. - _Kamphuyzen._ - - - Behold how good it is that brethren dwell - In _unity_ together. Sweet it is, - As the rich unguent that o’er Aaron fell - From head to beard, and even deigned to kiss - His garment skirts. ’Tis precious as the dew - Distilled on Hermon in fine essences. - Yea, it refreshes Zion’s mountains too; - For there the blessing of eternal life, - The Lord our God shall evermore renew. - _J. A. Heraud._ - - - The glorious universe around, - The heavens with all their train, - Sun, moon, and stars are firmly bound - In one mysterious chain. - - In one fraternal bond of love, - One fellowship of mind, - The saints below, the saints above, - Their bliss and glory find. - - Here, in their house of pilgrimage, - Thy statutes are their song; - There, through one bright eternal age, - Thy praises they prolong! - - Lord, may our _union_ form a part - Of that thrice happy whole, - Derive its pulse from Thee, the heart, - Its life from Thee, the soul. - _J. Montgomery._ - - - - - VALOUR. - - -Through God we shall do _valiantly_: for He it is that shall tread down -our enemies.--Psalm cviii. 13. - - - I never saw an angry person _valiant_: - Virtue is never aided by a vice. - _Ben Jonson._ - - - In the good man’s breast, - Justice and piety, with _valour_ reign: - He, though the fabric of the shaken world - Should burst in thundering ruin o’er his head, - Calm and unawed would view the crushing wreck, - Nor shudder at destruction; but to brave - The wrath of Heaven, or rashly to intrude, - Spotted with guilt, into his Maker’s sight; - Or lift for mercy a rebellious hand - Dyed with a brother’s gore, he justly fears; - Yet, in Himself collected, will defy - The taunt of malice, or that groundless right - The weakest, lightest of mankind assume - To brand with infamy his injured name, - And scorn the coward, daring to forgive. - _C. P. Layard._ - - - Who is _valiant_, tell me who? - Is it he who braves all danger, - Foremost ever in the field, - ’Mid the clash of sword and shield, - Where there’s bloodiest work to do, - Unto fear a stranger? - - Who is _valiant_, tell me who? - He, who where the tempest rages, - ’Mid the elemental strife, - Boldly risking limb and life, - With a dauntless heart and true, - In the work engages? - - These are _valiant_, but methinks - ’Tis a higher, nobler _valour_, - In a cause that just and right, - Bearing scorn, neglect, and slight, - With a soul that never shrinks, - And a cheek that knows no pallor. - _Egone._ - - - - - VANITY. - - -Surely God will not hear _vanity_, neither will the Almighty regard -it.--Job, xxxv. 13. - -Behold, thou hast made my days as an handbreadth: and mine age is as -nothing before thee: verily every man at his best state is altogether -_vanity_.--Psalm xxxix. 5. - -Man is like to _vanity_: his days are as a shadow that passeth -away.--Psalm cxliv. 4. - -_Vanity_ of _vanities_, saith the Preacher, _vanity_ of _vanities_; all -is _vanity_.--Ecclesiastes, i. 2. - - - Cast not thy serious wit on idle things, - Make not thy free-will slave to _vanity_. - _Davies._ - - - What well-devised ear regards - What earth can say? - Thy words are gold, but thy regards - Are painted clay: - Thy cunning can but pack the cards, - Thou canst not play: - Thy game at weakest, still thou vy’st: - If seen and then revy’d, deny’st; - Thou art not what thou seem’st false world, thou ly’st. - - Thy tinsel bosom seems a mint - Of new coined treasure: - A paradise that hath no stint, - No change, no measure, - A painted cask, but nothing in it, - Nor wealth, nor pleasure, - _Vain_ earth! that falsely thus comply’st - With man; _vain_ man! that thou rely’st - On earth; _vain_ man, thou dot’st, _vain_ earth, thou ly’st. - - What mean dull souls, in this high measure - To haberdash - In earth’s bare wares, whose greatest treasure - Is drop and trash? - The height of whose enchanting pleasure - Is but a flash? - Are these the goods that thou supply’st - Us mortals with? Are these the highest? - Can these bring cordial peace! _vain_ world thou ly’st. - _Francis Quarles._ - - - The pride - And wand’ring _vanity_, when least was safe, - Rejected my forewarning. - _Milton._ - - - The man we celebrate must find a tomb, - And we that worship him, ignoble graves. - Nothing is proof against the general curse - Of _vanity_, that seizes all below. - _Cowper._ - - - How wise a short retreat to steal, - The _vanity_ of life to feel, - And from its cares to fly: - To act one calm, domestic scene, - Earth’s bustle and the grave between, - Retire, and learn to die! - _Hannah More._ - - - Lord, let me know mine end, - My days, how brief their date, - That I may timely comprehend - How frail my best estate. - - My life is but a span - Mine age is nought with Thee; - Man, in his highest honour, man - Is dust and _vanity_. - _James Montgomery._ - - - Art thou puffed with _vanity_? - Hear the preacher, what saith he? - Be thy state however great, - Lofty though thy station be, - Like a shadow, o’er a meadow - Swiftly that is seen to flee: - Like a morning flower that soon - Withers in the eye of noon; - Like a gleam, upon a stream, - That we but a moment see;-- - Such thou art, oh, haughty man, - And thy days are but a span; - And thy works, however strong, - May not have endurance long; - And thy thoughts, however high, - What are they but _vanity_? - _Egone._ - - - - - VAPOUR. - - -Whatsoever the Lord pleased, that did He in heaven, and in earth, in -the seas, and all deep places. - -He causeth the _vapours_ to ascend from the ends of the earth.--Psalm -cxxxv. 6, 7. - -What is your life? It is even a _vapour_, that appeareth for a little -time, and then vanisheth away.--James, iv. 14. - - - Great is the Lord, exalted high, - Above all pow’rs and ev’ry throne; - Whate’er He please in earth and sea, - Or heav’n, or hell, His hand hath done. - - At His command the _vapours_ rise, - The lightnings flash, the thunders roar; - He pours the rain, He brings the wind - And tempests from His airy store. - _Watts._ - - - Life is a span, a fleeting hour! - How soon the _vapour_ flies! - Man is a tender transient flower, - That e’en in blooming dies. - _Steele._ - - - How gloriously ’neath yon cerulean arch, - The _vapoury_ legions hold their stately march; - Onward they press, with banners all unroll’d, - Like gleaming cohorts, clad in steel and gold; - The space they cover is of vast extent, - And afar off rise tower and battlement, - As of some city bright, with jasper walls, - Enclosing, as we deem, wide stately halls, - And spacious streets, and temples all inlaid - With precious stones, and fit for worship made. - ’T is but a dream! behold, comes on the night; - The heavens grow black, and blotted from the sight - Are those fair shapes, and such the airy schemes - Of human pride, all unsubstantial dreams. - _Vapour_ and mist enwrap our senses here, - Only about God’s throne is all serene and clear. - _Egone._ - - - - - VENGEANCE. - - -O Lord God, to whom _vengeance_ belongeth; O God, to whom _vengeance_ -belongeth, shew Thyself.--Psalm xciv. 1. - -Say to them that are of a fearful heart, be strong; fear not: -behold, your God will come with _vengeance_, even God with a -recompense.--Isaiah, xxxv. 4. - -Dearly beloved, _avenge_ not yourselves, but rather give place unto -wrath: for it is written, _Vengeance_ is mine; I will repay, saith the -Lord.--Romans, xii. 19. - - - From Sinai’s top Jehovah gave the law, - Life for obedience, death for every flaw. - When the great Sovereign would His will express, - He gives a perfect rule, what can He less? - And guards it with a sanction as severe - As _vengeance_ can inflict, or sinners fear: - Else His own glorious rights He would disclaim, - And man might safely trifle with His name. - _Cowper._ - - - Speak not of _vengeance_! ’t is the right of God. - “_Vengeance_ is His.” Who shall usurp the bolt - And launch it for Omnipotence? shall man - Assume the right of judgment, or prescribe - How far the line of mercy shall extend, - Or punishment shall stretch its iron rod? - In thine own cause to judge, who gave thee right, - Presumptuous man! - _C. P. Layard._ - - - Some deluded minds, - Harrowed by penal terrors, in the gulf - Of black despair are whelmed. No ray of hope - Dispels the involving gloom; a Deity, - With all the thunder of dread _vengeance_ round Him, - Is ever present to their tortured thoughts. - _Samuel Hayes._ - - - To _vengeance_ horrible aroused, - And clad in tenfold fierceness, shalt thou stand - Beside the atheist’s bed; by his who oft, - With wit profane, and poignant blasphemy, - And specious show of argument, hath scoffed - Each awful truth, and ridiculed his God. - _William Gibson._ - - - - - VICTORY. - - -O sing unto the Lord a new song; for he hath done marvellous things: -his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the _victory_.--Psalm -xcviii. 1. - -O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy _victory_? - -Thanks be to God, which giveth us the _victory_, through our Lord Jesus -Christ.--I. Corinthians, xv. 55, 57. - -This is the _victory_ that overcometh the world, even our faith.--I. -John, v. 4. - - - Ye dead! where can your dwelling be? - --The house of all the living;--come and see. - O life! what is thy breath? - --A vapour lost in death. - O death! how ends thy strife? - --In everlasting life. - O grave! where is thy _victory_? - --Ask Him who rose again from me. - _J. Montgomery._ - - - Look, ye saints, the sight is glorious, - See the “Man of Sorrows” now; - From the fight returned _victorious_, - Every knee to Him shall bow! - Crown Him! crown Him! - Crowns become the _victor’s_ brow. - - Sinners in derision crown’d Him, - Mocking thus the Saviour’s claim; - Saints and angels crowd around Him, - Own His title, praise His name: - Crown Him! crown Him! - Spread abroad the _victor’s_ fame! - _Kelly._ - - - Millions now before the throne, - Lay their trophied offerings down; - Clad in robes of purity, - Now they sing of _victory_. - - Millions more still onward go, - Militant while here below; - Soon the shield and sword shall be - Laid aside for _victory_. - _W. J. Brock._ - - - Beauty;--may that of holiness be mine; - May power be given me to o’ercome the world; - For pleasure, may I have a hand to pour - The oil and wine upon another’s wound! - For honour, may I bear my Saviour’s cross; - For splendour, light that from His follower beams; - And be my glory His approving smile; - My fame, the world’s reproaches for His sake; - My wealth, a conscience where no rust corrodes-- - One that may look into a coming world, - As nature shall dissolve, and feel secure; - With these to aid me in the mortal strife, - May I, the palm of _victory_ o’er the grave, - Make my immortal prize! - _Hannah F. Gould._ - - - Waft not to me the blast of fame, - That swells the trump of _victory_; - For to my ear it gives the name - Of slaughter and of misery. - - Boast not so much of honour’s sword, - Wave not so high the _victor’s_ plume; - They point me to the bosom gor’d, - They point me to the blood-stained tomb. - - The boastful shout, the revel loud, - That strive to drown the voice of pain; - What are they but the fickle crowd, - Rejoicing o’er their brethren slain? - - And oh, through glory’s fading blaze, - I see the cottage taper, pale, - Which sheds its faint and feeble rays, - Where unprotected orphans wail. - - Where the sad widow weeping stands, - As if her day of hope was done; - Where the wild mother clasps her hands, - And asks the _victor_ for her son. - - Where, midst that desolated land, - The sire lamenting o’er his son, - Extends his pale and powerless hand, - And finds its only prop is gone. - - See, how the bands of war and woe - Have rifled sweet domestic bliss; - And tell me if your laurels grow, - And flourish in a soil like this. - _Sigourney._ - - - Up to the strife with care, - Be thine an oaken heart, - Life’s daily contest nobly share, - Nor act a craven part; - Give murmurs to the coward throng, - Be thine the joyous notes of song. - - If thrown upon the field, - Up to the task once more, - ’T is worse than infamy to yield, - ’T is childish to deplore; - Look stern misfortune in the eye, - And breast the billow manfully. - - Close in with every foe, - As thickly on they come, - They can but lay thy body low, - And send thy spirit home; - Yet may’st thou stand it out and view - What giant energy can do. - - Soon shall the combat cease, - The struggle fierce and long, - And thine be true, unbroken peace, - And thine the _victor’s_ song; - Beyond the clouds will wait for thee. - The wreath of immortality. - _(Rev.) E. C. Jones._ - - - Who shall wear the _victor’s_ wreath - In the realms of deathless glory? - Those who reaped the fields of death, - Heroes of an earthly story? - Nay not these, nor such as these, - They have won rewards and prizes, - Shadowy unrealities, - Which the humble saint despises. - He the _victor’s_ wreath shall wear, - Meekly who the cross could bear. - _Egone._ - - - - - VINE. - - -Return, we beseech thee, O God of hosts: look down from heaven, and -behold and visit this _vine_; - -And the _vineyard_ which thy right hand hath planted, and the branch -that thou madest so strong for thyself.--Psalm lxxx. 14, 15. - -I am the true _vine_, and my Father is the husbandman.--John, xv. 1. - - - Thanks to Thy sovereign grace, O God, if I - Am graffed in that true _vine_ a living shoot, - Whose arms embrace the world, and in whose root, - Planted by faith, our life must hidden lie. - But Thou beholdest how I fade and dry! - Choked with a waste of leaf, and void of fruit, - Unless Thy spring perennial shall recruit - My sapless branch, still wanting fresh supply. - - O cleanse me, then, and make me to abide - Wholly in Thee, to drink Thy heavenly dew, - And, watered daily with my tears to grow. - Thou art the truth, thy promise is my guide; - Prepare me when Thou comest, Lord, to show - Fruits answering to the stock on which I grow. - _From the Italian of Vittoria Colonna._ - - - Hast Thou not planted with Thy hands - A lovely _vine_ in heathen lands? - Did not Thy pow’r defend it round, - And heav’nly dews enrich the ground? - - How did the spreading branches shoot, - And bless the nations with the fruit! - But now, dear Lord, look down and see - Thy mourning _vine_, that lovely tree. - - Why is its beauty thus defac’d? - Why hast Thou laid her fences waste? - Strangers and foes against her join, - And ev’ry beast devours the _vine_. - - Return, Almighty God, return: - Nor let Thy bleeding _vineyard_ mourn; - Turn us to Thee, Thy love restore; - We shall be sav’d and sigh no more. - _Watts._ - - - - - VIOLENCE. - - -_Violence_ shall no more be heard in thy land, wasting nor destruction -within thy borders.--Isaiah, lx. 18. - -Thus saith the Lord, do no wrong, do no _violence_ to the stranger, the -fatherless, nor the widow.--Jeremiah, xxii. 3. - -And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, and what shall we -do? And he said unto them, Do _violence_ to no man.--Luke, iii. 14. - - - All the elements - At least had gone to wreck, disturbed and torn - With _violence_ of this conflict, had not soon - Th’ Eternal hung his golden scales. - _Milton._ - - - Grieved at heart, when looking down He saw - The whole earth filled with _violence_; and all flesh - Corrupting each their way. - _Milton._ - - - The grief of mind is that intestine war - That stirs sedition in the state of man; - Where, when our passions once commanding are, - Our peaceful days are desperate, for then - The stir’s more hot than when it first began; - For heady passion ’s like an untamed beast, - That riots most when we desire it least. - - This _violence_ exceeds his virtuous mien, - Like swelling tides that overcome their shore, - Leaving the awful current of their stream, - And break their banks that bounded them before; - Yet grief in his great _violence_ is more; - For if that reason bound not grief with laws, - In our destruction grief will be the cause. - _Christopher Lever._ - - - First Envy, eldest born of hell, imbrued - Her hands in blood, and taught the sons of men - To make a death which Nature never made, - And God abhorred; with _violence_ rude to break - The thread of life ere half its length was run, - And rob a wretched brother of his being. - _Bishop Porteus._ - - - - - VIRTUE. - - -Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever -things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are -lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any _virtue_, -and if there be any praise, think on these things.--Philippians, iv. 8. - -Giving all diligence add to your faith _virtue_; and to _virtue_ -knowledge.--II. Peter, i. 5. - - - Heaven doth with us as we with torches do; - Not light them for themselves: for if our _virtues_ - Did not go forth of us, ’t were all alike - As if we had them not. - _Shakspere._ - - - Tell faith it’s fled the city; - Tell how the country erreth; - Tell manhood, shakes of pity; - Tell _virtue_, least preferreth; - And if they do reply - Spare not to give the lie. - _Sir W. Raleigh._ - - - --Walls of brass resist not - A noble undertaking--nor can vice - Raise any bulwark to make good a place - Where _virtue_ seeks to enter. - _Fletcher._ - - - Eternal Spirit! Thou who think’st not scorn - To make thyself a lowly habitant - In the mean cottage of the human breast - When purity has been thy harbinger: - Come then, and lead the _virtues_ in Thy train; - Allot to each her office; ceaseless guard - Still let them bold around this earth-born heart, - And watch, with closest glance, its languid pulse. - _John Hey._ - - - _Virtue_’s no _virtue_ whiles it lives secure; - When difficulty waits on ’t, then ’t is pure. - _John Quarles._ - - - Yet sometimes nations will decline so low - From _virtue_, which is reason, that no wrong - But justice, and some fatal course annexed, - Deprives them of their outward liberty, - Their inward lost. - _Milton._ - - - Life swarms with ills; the boldest are afraid; - Where, then, is safety for a tender maid? - Unfit for conflict, round beset with woes, - And man, whom least she fears, her worst of foes; - When kind, most cruel; when oblig’d the most, - The least obliging; and by favours lost. - Cruel by nature, they for kindness hate, - And scorn you for those ills themselves create: - If on your frame our sex a blot has thrown, - ’Twill ever stick, through malice of your own. - Most hard! in pleasing your chief glory lies; - And yet from pleasing your chief dangers rise: - Then please the best; and know, for men of sense, - Your strongest charms are native innocence; - Arts on the mind, like paint upon the face, - Fright him that’s worth your love from your embrace, - In simple manners, all the secret lies; - Be kind and _virtuous_, you’ll be blest and wise. - _Young._ - - - Our hearts ne’er bow but to superior worth, - Nor ever fail of their allegiance there; - Fools, indeed, drop the man in their account, - And vote the mantle into majesty. - Shall man be proud to wear his livery, - And souls in ermine scorn a soul without? - Can place or lessen us, or aggrandise? - Pigmies are pigmies still, though perched on hills, - And pyramids are pyramids in vales; - Each man makes his own stature, builds himself: - _Virtue_ alone outlives the pyramids; - Her monuments shall last when Egypt’s fall. - _Young._ - - - I saw the _virtuous_ man contend - With life’s unnumbered woes; - And he was poor--without a friend, - Press’d by a thousand foes. - - I saw the passion’s pliant slave - In gallant trim, and gay; - His course was pleasure’s placid wave, - His life a summer’s day. - - And I was caught in folly’s snare, - And join’d her giddy train, - But found her soon the nurse of care - And punishment, and pain. - - There surely is some guiding pow’r - Which rightly suffers wrong, - Gives vice to bloom its little hour, - But _virtue_ late and long. - _Camoens._ - - - O Thou! by whose almighty nod the scale - Of empire rises, or alternate falls, - Send forth the saving _virtues_ round the land - In bright patrol: white peace and social love; - The tender-looking charity, intent - On gentle deeds, and shedding tears through smiles; - Undaunted truth, and dignity of mind: - Courage composed and keen; sound temperance, - Healthful in heart and look; clear chastity, - With blushes reddening as she moves along, - Disordered at the deep regard she draws; - Rough industry; activity untired, - With copious life informed, and all awake. - _Thomson._ - - - _Virtue_ with peculiar charms appears - Crowned with the garland of life’s blooming years. - _Cowper._ - - - While _virtue_ lends a zest to joy, - And bliss to rapture warms, - Our very tears she turns to smiles, - And every pang disarms. - - But vice her foul circean cup - May medicate in vain: - E’en in her mirth some sorrow lurks, - In all her pleasures, pain. - - Since this, with voice from heav’n, proclaims - That He that rules above, - Doth on the side of _virtue_ stand, - Let fear be lost in love. - _C. C. Colton._ - - - Know thou this truth, (enough for man to know,) - _Virtue_ alone is happiness below. - _Pope._ - - - _Virtue_, the strength and beauty of the soul, - Is the best gift of heaven: a happiness - That e’en above the smiles and frowns of fate - Exalts great nature’s favourites; a wealth - That ne’er encumbers, nor can be transferred. - Riches are oft by guilt and baseness earned, - Or dealt by chance to shield a lucky knave; - Or throw a cruel sunshine on a fool. - But for one end, one much neglected use, - Are riches worth your care: for nature’s wants - Are few, and without opulence supplied. - This noble end is to produce the soul; - To show the _virtues_ in their fairest light; - To make humanity the minister - Of bounteous Providence; and lend the breast - That generous luxury the Gods enjoy. - _Dr. Armstrong._ - - - _Virtue_ in itself commands its happiness, - Of every outward object independent. - _Francis._ - - - _Virtue_ - Stands like the sun, and all which rolls around - Drinks life, and light, and glory, from her aspect. - _Byron._ - - - The discipline of slavery is unknown - Among us,--hence the more do we require - The discipline of _virtue_; order else - Cannot subsist, nor confidence, nor peace-- - Thus duties rising out of good possest, - And prudent caution needful to avert - Impending evil, equally require, - That the whole people should be taught and trained. - So shall licentiousness and black resolve - Be rooted out, and _virtuous_ habits take - Their place; and genuine piety descend - Like an inheritance, from age to age. - _Wordsworth._ - - - - - VISIONS. - - -And God spake unto Israel in the _visions_ of the night.--Genesis, -xlvi. 2. - -Now a thing was secretly brought to me, and mine ear received a little -thereof. - -In thoughts from the _visions_ of the night, when deep sleep falleth on -men.--Job, iv. 12, 13. - - - Our revels now are ended: these our actors, - As I foretold you, were all spirits, and - Are melted into air, into thin air; - And, like the baseless fabric of this _vision_, - The cloud-capt towers, the gorgeous palaces, - The solemn temples, the great globe itself, - Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve; - And, like this insubstantial pageant faded - Leave not a rack behind! - _Shakspere._ - - - _Visions_ and inspirations some expect - Their course here to direct. - Like senseless chemists, their own wealth destroy, - Imaginary gold to enjoy. - So stars appear to drop to us from the sky, - And gild the passage as they fly; - But when they fall, and meet the opposing ground, - What but a sordid slime is found! - _Cowley._ - - - The days of old, in _vision_, - Bring vanish’d bliss to view, - The years of lost fruition - Their joys in pangs renew: - Remember’d songs of gladness, - Through night’s lone silence brought - Strike notes of deeper sadness - And stir desponding thought. - _J. Montgomery._ - - - Such castles we build too, on life’s ocean rising - Frail phantoms of wishes the future disguising-- - They meet us at eve when vague fancies are flowing, - But melt in thin air when the daylight is glowing, - Alas! could such _visions_ indeed be our own, - When approached and possessed, they would cease to delight-- - But so long as they skirt the horizon’s dim zone, - They e’er seem enticing, empurpled, and bright! - _W. H. Leatham._ - - - - - VOICE. - - -The _voice_ of the Lord is upon the waters, the God of glory thundereth. - -The _voice_ of the Lord is powerful: the _voice_ of the Lord is full of -majesty.--Psalm xxix. 3, 4. - -A fool’s _voice_ is known by multitude of words.--Ecclesiastes, v. 3. - -The Lord shall cause his glorious _voice_ to be heard.--Isaiah, xxx. 30. - - - Let me Thy _voice_ betimes i’ the morning hear! - Call, and I’ll come; say Thou the when and where: - Draw me but first, and after Thee I’ll run, - And halt not once until my race be done. - _Herrick._ - - - There seems a _voice_ in every gale, - A tongue in every opening flower, - Which tells, O God, the wondrous tale - Of Thy indulgence, love, and power: - The birds, that rise on quivering wing, - Appear to hymn their Maker’s praise, - And all the mingling sounds of Spring - To Thee a general anthem raise. - _Mrs. Opie._ - - - There is a tongue in every leaf,-- - A _voice_ in every rill;-- - A _voice_ that speaketh everywhere, - In flood and fire, through earth and air! - A tongue that’s never still! - - ’Tis the Great Spirit, wide diffused - Through every thing we see, - That with our spirits communeth, - Of things mysterious--life and death, - Time and eternity. - _Miss Bowles._ - - - The _voice_ of the Lord on the ocean is known, - The God of eternity thundereth abroad; - The _voice_ of the Lord from the depth of his throne - Is terror and power;--all nature is awed. - - The _voice_ of the Lord through the calm of the wood - Awakens its echoes, strikes light through its caves; - The Lord sitteth King on the turbulent flood, - The winds are his servants, his servants the waves. - _J. Montgomery._ - - - - - WAITING. - - -Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my -salvation; on thee do I _wait_ all the day.--Psalm xxv. 5. - -_Wait_ on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine -heart: _wait_, I say, on the Lord.--Psalm xxvii. 14. - -The Lord is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that _wait_ for -him.--Isaiah, xxx. 18. - -The Lord direct your heart into the love of God, and into the patient -_waiting_ for Christ.--II. Thessalonians, iii. 5. - - - They also serve who only stand and _wait_. - _Milton._ - - - How difficult the task to _wait_ - For promises to be fulfilled, - To stand, and watch, and hope, though late - The coming glory be revealed. - - To feel and know the sun will rise, - And patiently endure the night, - With eye of faith, through gloomy skies, - To see afar the dawning light. - - Full many a fiery soul would dare - The scorn of man, the martyr’s stake, - Whose eager spirit could not bear, - Humbly to _wait_ for Jesu’s sake. - - We ask for some great thing to do, - Some mighty, herculean task, - And always doubt that God is true, - Because he grants not what we ask. - - We sow, and look to see the grain - Bend with its weight the golden ears; - We pray, and deem our prayers are vain, - Because in heaven no sign appears. - - Oh, give to me the christian’s mind, - Neither depressed, nor yet elate, - If active service be assigned, - Or patiently to watch and _wait_, - And still a patient joy to find, - Whatever be my earthly state. - _Egone._ - - - - - WALKING. - - -Enoch _walked_ with God.--Genesis, v. 24. - -I will _walk_ before God in the land of the living.--Psalm cxvi. 9. - -He that _walketh_ uprightly _walketh_ surely: but he that perverteth -his ways shall be known.--Proverbs, x. 9. - -Can two _walk_ together, except they be agreed!--Amos, iii. 3. - - - O for a closer _walk_ with God, - A calm and heavenly frame, - A light to shine upon the road - That leads me to the Lamb. - - Where is the blessedness I knew - When first I saw the Lord? - Where is the soul-refreshing view - Of Jesus and his word? - - Return, O holy Dove! return, - Sweet messenger of rest! - I hate the sins that made thee mourn, - And drove thee from my breast. - - The dearest idol I have known, - Whate’er that idol be, - Help me to tear it from thy throne, - And worship only thee. - - So shall my _walk_ be close with God, - Calm and serene my frame; - So purer light shall mark the road - That leads me to the Lamb. - _Cowper._ - - - Delightful record! Enoch _walked_ with God: - How great his happiness sublime and pure! - Here all is excellence--all solid bliss, - And all of heaven that can be found below. - O, while I dwell a sojourner on earth, - With steadfast purpose may I _walk_ with God! - And though I cannot shun the gates of death, - I soon shall triumph in immortal peace. - _Joseph Jones._ - - - - - WANDER. - - -Thou tellest my _wanderings_: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are -they not in thy book?--Psalm lvi. 8. - -Thus saith the Lord unto this people, Thus have they loved to _wander_, -they have not refrained their feet, therefore the Lord doth not accept -them.--Jeremiah, xiv. 10. - - - The rolling planets, and the glorious sun, - Still keep that order which they first begun; - They their first lesson constantly repeat, - Which their Creator, as a law, did set, - Above, below, exactly all obey: - But wretched men have found another way. - Knowledge of good and evil as at first - (That vain persuasion) keeps them still accurst. - The sacred word refusing as a guide, - Slaves they become to luxury and pride, - As clocks remaining in the skilful hand - Of some great master, at the figure stand, - But, when abroad, neglected they do go, - At random strike, and the false hour do show; - So from our Maker _wandering_ we stray, - Like birds that know not to their nests the way. - In Him we dwelt before our exile here, - And may, returning, find contentment there, - True joy may find, perfection of delight, - Behold His face, and shun eternal night. - _Waller._ - - - O Lord, my God, I _wandered_ have - As one that runs astray, - And have in thought, and word, and deed, - In idleness and play, - Offended sore Thy Majesty - In heaping sin to sin, - And yet Thy mercy hath me spared, - So gracious hast Thou been! - O Lord, my faults I now confess, - And sorry am therefore; - But not so much as fain I would: - O Lord, what wilt Thou more? - _Wm. Hunnis._ - - - - - WANT. - - -For _want_ and famine they were solitary.--Job, xxx. 3. - -That which is _wanting_ cannot be numbered.--Ecclesiastes, i. 15. - -Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found _wanting_.--Daniel, v. -27. - - - _Want_ is a bitter and hateful good, - Because its virtues are not understood. - Yet many things, impossible to thought, - Have been, by need, to full perfection brought. - Sharpness of wit, and active diligence; - Prudence at once, and fortitude it gives, - And, if in patience taken, mends our lives; - For even that indigence that brings me low, - Makes me myself, and Him above, to know. - _Dryden._ - - - Lord, grant, oh grant me thy compassion, - For I in thee my trust have placed; - Display thy wings for my salvation, - Until my griefs are overpast. - To thee I sue, oh God most high, - To thee that canst all _want_ supply. - _George Wither._ - - - On God for all events depend; - You cannot _want_ when God’s your friend. - Weigh well your part, and do your best; - Leave to your Maker all the rest. - The hand which formed thee in the womb, - Guides from the cradle to the tomb. - _Cotton._ - - - Father, ’tis thine each day to yield - Thy children’s _wants_ a fresh supply; - Thou cloth’st the lilies of the field, - And hearest the young ravens cry; - On thee we cast our care, we live - Through thee, who know’st our every need, - O feed us with thy grace, and give - Our souls this day the living bread! - _J. Wesley._ - - - - - WAR. - - -Come behold the works of the Lord: - -He maketh _wars_ to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the -bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the -fire.--Psalm xlvi. 8, 9. - -They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into -pruning hooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither -shall they learn _war_ any more.--Isaiah, ii. 4. - -From whence come _wars_ and fightings among you? come they not hence, -even of your lusts that _war_ in your members?--James, iv. 1. - - - O _war_, thou son of hell, - Whom angry heavens do make their minister! - _Shakspere._ - - - O, shame to men, devil with devil damned - Firm concord holds, men only disagree - Of creatures rational, though under hope - Of heavenly grace, and God proclaiming peace, - Yet live in hatred, enmity, and strife - Among themselves, and levy cruel _wars_, - Wasting the earth, each other to destroy; - As if, (which might induce us to accord,) - Man had not hellish foes enough besides, - That day and night for his destruction wait. - _Milton._ - - - Rash, fruitless _war_, from wanton glory wag’d - Is only splendid murder. - _Thomson._ - - - O _war_!--what, what art thou? - At once the proof and scourge of man’s fall’n state? - After the brightest conquest, what appears - Of all thy glories? for the vanquish’d chains! - For the proud victors, what? alas! to reign - O’er desolated nations! - _Hannah More._ - - - _War_, horrid _war_! oh! would ye understand - That direful word--that scourge of every land, - Oh! then peruse the well-known leaves that time - Himself hath traced in characters sublime: - Consult the archives of many a vast domain - Where pomp, and power, and crime once held their reign, - And view with retrospective eye - Th’ Imperial States whose awful destiny - It was to fade, decay, and disappear, - With scarce a trace to say “We once were here!” - Yet _wars_ and battles mark’d their passing day - With strife tumultuous, and wild affray. - _Count Frederick Von Erlach._ - - - The Son of God goes forth to _war_, - A kingly crown to gain; - His blood red banner streams afar,-- - Who follows in his train? - - Who best can drink his cup of woe, - Triumphant over pain; - Who patient bears his cross below, - He follows in his train. - - The martyr first, whose eagle eye - Could pierce beyond the grave; - Who saw his Master in the sky, - And called on Him to save. - - Like him, with pardon on his tongue, - In midst of mortal pain, - He prayed for them who did the wrong,-- - Who follows in his train? - - A glorious band, the chosen few - On whom the Spirit came! - Twelve valiant saints, their hopes they knew, - And mocked the cross and flame. - - They met the tyrant’s brandished steel, - The lion’s gory mane; - They bow’d their necks the death to feel,-- - Who follows in their train? - - A noble army--men and boys, - The matron and the maid, - Around their Saviour’s throne rejoice, - In robes of light array’d, - - They climbed the steep ascent of Heaven, - Through peril, toil, and pain; - O God, to us may grace be given, - To follow in their train! - _Bishop Heber._ - - - Secure from actual _warfare_, we have loved - To swell the _war_-whoop, passionate for _war_! - Alas! for ages ignorant of all - Its ghastlier workings, famine, or blue plague, - Battle or siege, or flight through wintry snows! - We, this whole people, have been clamorous - For _war_ and bloodshed; animating sports, - The which we pay for as a thing to talk of; - Spectators and not combatants! No guess - Anticipative of a wrong unfelt, - No speculation or contingency, - However dim and vague, too vague and dim - To yield a justifying cause; and forth, - Stuffed out with big preamble, holy names - And adjurations of the God in heaven, - We send our mandates for the certain death - Of thousands and ten thousands! Boys and girls, - And women that would groan to see a child - Pull off an insect’s leg, all read of _war_, - The best amusement for our morning’s meal! - The poor wretch who has learnt his only prayer - From curses, who knows scarcely words enough - To ask a blessing from his heavenly Father, - Becomes a fluent phraseman, absolute - And technical in victories and defeats, - And all our dainty terms for fratricide; - Terms which we trundle smoothly o’er our tongues - Like mere abstractions, empty sounds, to which - We join no feeling, and attach no form! - As if the soldier died without a wound; - As if the fibres of this godlike frame - Were gored without a pang; as if the wretch - Who fell in battle, doing bloody deeds, - Passed off to heaven, translated, and not killed; - As though he had no wife to pine for him, - No God to judge him. - _Coleridge._ - - - Of all the murderous trades by mortals plied, - ’Tis _war_ alone that never violates - The hallowed day by simulate respect-- - By hypocritic rest; no, no, the work proceeds, - From sacred pinnacles are hung the flags - That give the sign to slip the leash for slaughter, - The bells whose knoll a holy calmness poured - Into the good man’s breast, whose sound consoled - The sick, the poor, the old--perversion dire! - Pealing with sulphurous tongue, speak death-fraught words. - From morn to eve destruction revels frenzied, - Till at the hour when peaceful vesper chimes - Were wont to sooth the ear, the trumpet sounds - Pursuit, and flight altern; and for the song - Of larks descending to their grass-bowered homes, - The croak of flesh-gorged ravens, as they slake - Their thirst in hoof-prints filled with gore, disturbs - The stupor of the dying man; while death - Triumphantly sails down the ensanguined stream, - On corses, throned and crowned with shivered boughs, - That erst hung imaged in the crystal tide. - _Grahame._ - - - When _war_ the demon lifts his banner high - And loud artillery rends the affrighted sky; - Swords clash with swords, on horses horses rush, - Man tramples man, and nations nations crush, - Death his vast scythe with sweep enormous wields; - And shuddering pity quits the ensanguined fields. - _Dr. Darwin._ - - - How like a fiend may man be made, - Plying the foul and monstrous trade - Whose harvest-field is human life, - Whose sickle is the reeking sword! - Quenching, with reckless hands in blood, - Sparks kindled by the breath of God. - _J. G. Whittier._ - - - Such is _war_! - O heavens! when will the spiritual Sun arise, - And with His beams effulgent, drive away - The mists of error that so long have hung - Their dark, unnatural drapery o’er the mind, - That broods o’er human carnage! when will man - Turn from the path of Cain, and learn to see - A brother without hating? - _Rufus Dawes._ - - - - - WATCHING. - - -_Watch_ and pray, that ye enter not into temptation.--Matthew, xxvi. 41. - -What I say unto you I say unto all, _Watch_.--Mark, xiii. 37. - -If therefore thou shalt not _watch_, I will come on thee as a thief, -and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.--Rev. iii. 3. - - - The towers of heaven are filled - With armed _watch_, that render all access - Impregnable. - _Milton._ - - - Faithful soul, pray always; pray, - And still in God confide; - He thy feeble step shall stay, - Nor suffer thee to slide; - Lean on thy Redeemer’s breast; - He thy quiet spirit keeps, - Rest in him, securely rest; - Thy _Watchman_ never sleeps. - - Neither sin, nor earth, nor hell, - Thy keeper can surprise; - Careless slumbers cannot steal - On his all-seeing eyes; - He is Israel’s sure defence; - Israel all his care shall prove, - Kept by _watchful_ providence, - And ever-wakeful love. - _C. Wesley._ - - - _Watch_ o’er my lips, and guard them, Lord, - From ev’ry rash and heedless word; - Nor let my feet incline to tread - The guilty path where sinners lead. - _Watts._ - - - In time of tribulation, - Hear, Lord, my feeble cries; - With humble supplication, - To thee my spirit flies; - My heart with grief is breaking, - Scarce can my voice complain: - Mine eyes, with tears kept waking, - Still _watch_ and weep in vain. - _J. Montgomery._ - - - - - WATER. - - -He hath compassed the _waters_ with bounds, until the day and night -come to an end.--Job, xxvi. 10. - -Thus saith the Lord, when thou passest through the _waters_, I -will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow -thee.--Isaiah, xliii. 1, 2. - -Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the _waters_.--Isaiah, lv. 1. - - - Ho! every one that thirsts, draw nigh, - (’Tis God invites a fallen race;) - Mercy and free salvation buy; - Buy wine, and milk, and gospel grace. - - Come to the living _waters_, come! - Sinners, obey your Maker’s call; - Return, ye weary wanderers home, - And find my grace is free for all. - - See from the Rock a fountain rise, - For you, in healing streams, it rolls; - Money ye need not bring, nor price, - Ye labouring, burden’d, sin-sick souls. - _C. Wesley._ - - - Come hither ye that thirst, - Come to the _waters_ free, - With a blithesome bound and a joyful burst, - Like a bird in its liberty. - - Drink at this holy spring, - That flows for ever bright, - Oh, hasten in faith! make wing, make wing, - ’Tis a well of sweet delight. - - This living _water_ flows - Not heedlessly, nor vain; - Drink, it a fountain of life bestows, - Ye never can thirst again. - - Man’s heart, that barren place, - Shall blossom like the rose, - Grow fertile in love, and abound in grace, - Wherever that _water_ flows. - - And every plant shall show - Clusters of goodly fruit, - While all who gaze, in delight may know, - That Christ is at its root. - - What fruit each plant may bring, - Is his, and only his; - For He the lovely and constant spring - Of living _water_ is. - _W. Martin._ - - - Come let me view the wonder! Let me look - On nature in her grandeur and her power; - Reading the fairer portions of her book, - I may have missed her in her solemn hour, - Searching fresh beauty in each wildling flower, - And melody in every woodland song; - I have not seen her when her features lower, - Or known the terrors that to God belong, - Not viewing, in his might, the terrible, the strong! - - Come, let me look into the vast abyss, - See the great rush, the whirlwind and the storms; - Hear the “vast hell” where oceans “howl” and “hiss,” - And fell destruction loveliness deforms. - Where is the horror which so much alarms, - At which alike timid and strong turn back? - I hear no howls. I see no horrid forms; - Nor dream of nations or of nature’s wrack, - I see a mighty, but a lovely cataract. - - No terrors sit upon its smiling brow, - There sunshine plays upon the _waters_ clear; - And as it pours its mighty flood below, - Sunshine and glory make their dwelling there: - I wonder and admire, but cannot fear, - All is so lovely and so beautiful. - See! the blessed bow of many tints is here, - A seven-fold bow of promised safety full, - Spanning the glorious whole, each rising fear to lull. - - Pour on for ever, thou mighty flood, - Thy stream of goodness thus. For ever flow, - Unchanging emblem of infinitude, - Nor deem thy bounty needs a course more slow, - Unmeasured fountains pour their wealth below, - Where diamond wells in deep concealment lie; - And constant streams that never ebb can know, - For ever flowing, bring their rich supply, - Fed by eternal streams--springs which can never dry. - _W. F. Rock._ - - - - - WAVES. - - -Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further: and here shall thy proud -_waves_ be stayed.--Job, xxxviii. 11. - -Fear ye not me? saith the Lord: will ye not tremble at my presence, -which have placed the sand for the bound of the sea by a perpetual -decree, that it cannot pass it: and though the _waves_ thereof toss -themselves, yet can they not prevail; though they roar, yet can they -not pass over it?--Jeremiah, v. 22. - - - Deep calleth unto deep. And what are we, - That hear the question of that voice sublime? - O, what are all the notes that ever rung - From war’s vain trumpet, by thy thundering side! - Yea, what is all the riot man can make - In his short life, to thy unceasing roar! - And yet, bold babbler, what art thou to Him - Who drowned a world, and heaped the waters far - Above its loftiest mountains?--a light _wave_, - That breaks, and whispers of its Maker’s might. - _J. G. C. Brainard._ - - - Thou, Thou alone, with whom, enthroned on high, - Sits co-essential wisdom, bad’st subside - The valleys, and the mountains, from amidst - Th’ o’erwhelming moisture, heave their brow sublime. - The liquid troops, obedient to Thy voice, - Fled to the appointed station. Thou a bound - Hast set, they cannot pass; nor ever spread - Their flowing mantle o’er th’ invested earth: - Thou to the sea sayest,--Hitherto advance, - And here thy proud licentious _waves_ be stayed. - _George Bally._ - - - How oft the ruddy cheek will pale - To leave the earth behind! - How oft the glowing heart will quail - Before the tempest wind! - We fear the billow’s dash, but why? - There’s One to guard and save; - There’s One whose wide and watchful eye - Sleeps not above the _wave_. - _Eliza Cook._ - - - - - WAY. - - -Show me thy _ways_, O Lord; teach me thy paths.--Psalm xxv. 4. - -Jesus saith I am the _way_, the truth, and the life.--John, xiv. 6. - -The _way_ of the wicked is an abomination unto the Lord.--Proverbs, xv. -9. - - - Thou canst accomplish all things, Lord of might! - And every thought is naked to Thy sight. - But O, Thy _ways_ are wonderful, and lie - Beyond the deepest reach of mortal eye. - _Young._ - - - To me, O Lord, be Thou “The _Way_,” - To me be Thou “The Truth;” - To me, my Saviour, be “The Life,” - Thou Guardian of my youth! - - So shall that _Way_ be my delight, - That Truth shall make me free; - That Life shall raise me from the dead, - And then I’ll live to thee. - _Leigh Richmond._ - - - Thou art the _Way_, the Truth, the Life-- - And hearts that, with presumption rife, - Would seek through other means to gain - Light, Truth, and Life, but toil in vain: - Thy hand alone controls our _way_, - Thy Truth bids darkness turn to day; - And they Eternal Life have gained - Whose names are written on Thy Hand. - _S. D. Patterson._ - - - Know well, my soul, God’s hand controls - Whate’er thou fearest; - Round Him, in calmest music, rolls - Whate’er thou hearest. - - What to thee is shadow, to Him is day, - And the end He knoweth; - And not on a blind and aimless _way_ - The Spirit goeth. - _J. G. Whittier._ - - - - - WEAKNESS. - - -It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor anything -whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made -_weak_.--Romans, xiv. 21. - -Comfort the feeble-minded, support the _weak_.--I. Thessalonians, v. 14. - - - What _weaker_ breast, - Since Adam’s armour failed, dares warrant his? - That, made by God of all his creatures best, - Straight made himself the worst of all the rest: - If any strength we have, it is to ill; - But all the good is God’s, both power and will; - The dead man cannot rise, though he himself may kill. - _Giles Fletcher._ - - - Ah! what are we, but lumps of walking clay? - Why should we swell? Whence should our spirits rise? - Are not the beasts as strong, and birds as gay, - Trees longer lived, and creeping things as wise? - Only our souls were left an inward light, - To feel our _weakness_, and confess Thy might. - _Sir H. Wotton._ - - - Still let us, Lord, with grace be blest, - Who in thy guardian mercy rest, - Extend thy mercy’s arms to me, - The _weakest_ soul that trusts in Thee; - And never let me lose thy love, - ’Till I, even I, am crowned above. - _Dryden._ - - - Oft have I heard of Thine Almighty power, - But never saw thee till this dreadful hour. - O’erwhelmed with shame, the Lord of life I see, - Abhor myself, and give my soul to Thee. - Nor shall my _weakness_ tempt Thine anger more: - Man was not made to question, but adore. - _Young._ - - - And though sometimes Thou seem’st Thy face to hide, - As one that had withdrawn his love from me, - ’Tis that my faith may to the full be tried, - And that I may thereby the better see - How _weak_ I am, when not upheld by Thee! - _Thomas Ellwood._ - - - - - WEALTH. - - -Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord, _Wealth_ and riches shall be -in his house.--Psalm cxii. 1, 3. - -_Wealth_ gotten by vanity shall be diminished: but he that gathereth by -labour shall increase.--Proverbs, xiii. 11. - -Let no man seek his own, but every man another’s _wealth_.--I. -Corinthians, x. 24. - - - I have no guide those honours to obtain, - Which men might heretofore by virtue gain; - Nor have I wit if _wealth_ were given me, - To think bought place or title honoured me; - I yet have no belief that they are wise, - Who for base ends can basely temporize; - Or that it will at length be all for me, - That I lived poor to keep my spirit free. - - * * * * * - - I should on God alone so much depend, - That I should need nor _wealth_ nor other friend. - _Wither._ - - - Wide-wasting pest! that rages unconfined, - And crowds with crimes the records of mankind; - For gold, his sword the hireling ruffian draws; - For gold, the hireling judge distorts the laws; - _Wealth_ heaped on _wealth_, nor truth nor safety buys, - The dangers gather as the treasures rise. - _Dr. Johnson._ - - - Glittering stones, and golden things, - _Wealth_ and honours that have wings, - Ever fluttering to be gone, - I could never call my own: - Riches that the world bestows, - She can take, and I can lose; - But the treasures that are mine - Lie afar beyond her line, - When I view my spacious soul, - And survey myself a whole, - And enjoy myself alone, - I’m a kingdom of my own. - _Watts._ - - - - - WEARINESS. - - -The people shall _weary_ themselves for very vanity.--Habakkuk, ii. 13. - -Consider him that endureth such contradiction of sinners against -himself, lest ye be _wearied_ and faint in your minds.--Hebrews, xii. 3. - -Let us not be _weary_ in well doing.--Galatians, vi. 9. - - - Poor worldling! stay thy vain pursuit of peace - In empty vanities: no good can live - In all the gilded charms that mock thee: cease - Thy hold on these; loose every cord, and hear - The word of God: “Come ye that _weary_ are! - Ye heavy-laden, come, and I will give - You rest.” O, heed that call! in holy fear, - In deep humility, bow down: the star - Of hope shall rise, and joy shall speak thy soul’s release. - _Isaac F. Shepard._ - - - O, I am _weary_ of this sinful life! - _Weary_ of error, and yet erring still, - Knowing, yet doing not Thy holy will, - O, I am _weary_ of this endless strife! - - I ask not that Thou take me from the earth, - But keep me from its evils--guide my feet, - And give me strength its many cares to meet-- - To act all worthy of my heavenly birth. - _Mary J. Reed._ - - - _Weariness_ will follow those - Who touch upon their journey’s close - But as the sun, though setting, burns - Still brightly, and to glory turns - The very clouds that round him roll; - So, even so, do thou my soul, - With in-born radiance, more and more, - Illume the shades of Sixty-four. - - Nay, let a yet diviner power - Glorify thy latter hour: - Too long faithless and forlorn - Earthly image thou hast borne; - Now that heavenly impress seek, - Which, when flesh is frail and weak, - Gives the soul new power to soar - Eagle-winged, at Sixty-four. - _Bernard Barton._ - - - - - WEEPING. - - -Thou shalt _weep_ no more.--Isaiah, xxx. 19. - -Blessed are ye that _weep_ now: for ye shall laugh.--Luke, vi. 21. - -Jesus _wept_.--John, xi. 35. - -Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and _weep_ with them that -_weep_.--Romans, xii. 15. - - - Though woe to joy! And though, at morn thou _weep_, - And though the midnight find thee _weeping_ still, - Good cheer! good cheer! The Shepherd loves his sheep-- - Resign thee to the watchful Father’s will. - _Rosegarten._ - - - Oh! glorious miracle of heavenly love! - Oh! wondrous spectacle of saving grace! - Oh! sympathy divine with human woe! - He who had conquered death did condescend - To _weep_ over a grave where others _wept_! - How deep the lesson--and how marvellous - The meaning of such sorrow! - - Said it not; - Thy grief offends me not, if it be meek, - Trustful, and humble. I forbid not tears, - When they flow patiently. I would not close - The springs of sympathy. I made ye thus - To cling one to the other, and to feel - Each for his neighbour, both in joy and woe; - Yet teach your sorrow reverence; and believe - That he who smites you is the Lord your God. - _Miss Pardoe._ - - - Thou who hearest plaintive music, - Or sweet songs of other days; - Heaven-revealing organs pealing, - Or clear voices hymning praise, - And would’st _weep_, thou know’st not wherefore, - Though thy soul is steeped in joy; - And the world looks kindly on thee; - And thy bliss hath no alloy-- - _Weep_, nor seek for consolation, - Let the heaven-sent droplets flow, - They are hints of mighty secrets; - We are wiser than we know. - _Charles Mackay._ - - - - - WELL. - - -Men will praise thee, when thou doest _well_ to thyself.--Psalm xlix. -18. - -Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be _well_ with him.--Isaiah, -iii. 10. - -If when ye do _well_, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is -acceptable with God.--I. Peter, ii. 20. - - - Such music! - Before was never made, - But when of old the sons of morning sung - Whilst the Creator great - His constellations set, - And the _well_-balanced world on hinges hung. - _Milton._ - - - To pray, without devotion, is to prate; - And hearing is but half our exercise: - We ought not, therefore, to regard alone - How often, but how _well_, the work be done. - _George Wither._ - - - Circles are prais’d, not that abound - In largeness, but th’ exalted round: - So life we praise that does excel - Not in much time, but acting _well_. - _Waller._ - - - Am I doing _well_ or ill? - Soul, a solemn question this! - Am I seeking to fulfil - God’s most high and holy will, - Bending all mine efforts still - To attain eternal bliss? - - Am I doing _well_ or ill? - Ask the world, and it will say-- - _Well_, for gold thy coffers fill; - Thou hast learning, thou hast skill, - Thou hast climbed up fortune’s hill, - And helped others on the way. - - Am I doing _well_ or ill? - Still recurs the solemn quest; - Worldly wealth, and men’s good will, - Cannot satisfy, nor still - Anxious doubts, and fears that fill - Thee with sadness and unrest. - _Egone._ - - - - - WIFE. - - -Whoso findeth a _wife_ findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of -the Lord.--Proverbs, xviii. 22. - -A prudent _wife_ is from the Lord.--Proverbs, xix. 14. - - - Seek a good _wife_ of thy God, for she is the best gift of His - Providence; - Yet ask not in bold confidence that which He hath not promised: - Thou knowest not His good will:--be thy prayer then submissive - thereunto. - And leave thy petition to His mercy, assured that He will deal - well with thee. - If thou art to have a _wife_ of thy youth, she is now living on - the earth, - Therefore think of her, and pray for her weal; yea, though thou - hast not seen her. - They that love early become like-minded, and the tempter toucheth - them not: - They grow up leaning on each other, as the olive and the vine. - _Martin F. Tupper._ - - - True _wife_! fond _wife_! let us together lean, - Like trees with intertwining boughs, that so - Brave angry skies, whatever winds may blow: - And, though there interpose a cloudy screen, - Lift up their heads towards the blue serene - From whence the sunbeams, and the rain-drops flow, - By which they gather strength, and taller grow, - And keep their shoots and saplings fresh and green. - True _wife_! fond _wife_! we have together stood, - Through years of trial, each supporting each, - Ever unto the infinite and good, - Thy thoughts than mine have higher, wider reached; - And I have felt how true the wise one’s word; - Thou art indeed a gift, a favour from the Lord! - _Egone._ - - - My _wife_! how fondly shall thy memory - Be shrined within the chamber of my heart! - Thy virtuous worth was only known to me, - And I can feel how hard it is to part. - _C. L. Chester._ - - - - - WILL--WILLING. - - -Teach me to do thy _will_; for thou art my God.--Psalm cxliii. 10. - -Thy _will_ be done in earth, as it is in heaven.--Matthew, vi. 10. - -The world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the -_will_ of God abideth for ever.--I. John, ii. 17. - - - “Thy _will_ be done.” And is’t not ever done? - But, as in heaven, it must be made our own. - His _will_ must all our inclinations sway, - Whom nature, and the universe obey. - Happy the man, whose longings are confined - To what has been eternally designed; - Referring all to His paternal care, - To whom more dear than to ourselves we are! - _Waller._ - - - Half mankind maintain a churlish strife - With Him, the Donor of eternal life, - Because the deed, by which His love confirms - The largess He bestows, prescribes the terms. - Compliance with His _will_ your lot ensures, - Accept it only, and the boon is yours. - And sure it is as kind to smile and give, - As with a frown to say, Do this and live. - _Cowper._ - - - Thou Power Supreme, whose mighty scheme - These woes of mine fulfil, - Here, firm, I rest, they must be best, - Because they are Thy _Will_! - Then all I want, (O, do Thou grant - This one request of mine,) - Since to enjoy Thou dost deny, - Assist me to resign. - _Burns._ - - - Lord, I submit. Complete Thy gracious _will_, - For, if Thou slay me, I will trust Thee still. - O, be my _will_ so swallowed up in Thine, - That I may do Thy _will_, in doing mine? - _Hannah More._ - - - Subdued and instructed, I bow to Thy _will_; - My hopes and my longings to Thee I resign; - O give me the heart that can wait and be still, - Nor know of a wish or a pleasure but thine! - _Sir R. Grant._ - - - My God and Father, while I stray - Far from my home, on life’s rough way, - O teach me from the heart to say, - “Thy _will_ be done!” - - If thou shouldst call me to resign - What most I prize, it ne’er was mine; - I only yield Thee what was Thine; - “Thy _will_ be done!” - - Renew my _will_ from day to day, - Blend it with thine, and take away - All that now makes it hard to say, - “Thy _will_ be done!” - - Then, when on earth, I breathe no more - The prayer, oft mix’d with tears before, - I’ll sing upon a happier shore, - “Thy _will_ be done!” - _Elliott._ - - - “O Father! not my _will_, but Thine be done!” - So spake the Son. - Be this our charm, mellowing earth’s ruder noise - Of griefs and joys-- - That we may cling for ever to Thy breast, - In perfect rest! - _Keble._ - - - But now, see where He lies - On the cold ground, exposed to thick, dank air, - And all the fury of the maddening skies! - See how each nerve and vein - Trembles and throbs with torture! how His eyes - Start from their seat with anguish and despair! - What drops of sanguine sweat roll down amain - From His fair limbs! “O Father, O remove, - If possible, this cup, yet not My _will_, - But Thine be done!” O agonizing love! - _James Scott._ - - - Perchance he gives his thousands to the poor-- - He well may give what he can use no more. - What _willing_ charity! gives, dares he say? - He gives, but not till Heaven has snatched away. - _Thomas Ward._ - - - He sendeth sun, He sendeth shower, - Alike they’re needful to the flower; - And joys and tears alike are sent - To give the soul fit nourishment. - As comes to me or cloud or sun, - Father! Thy _will_, not mine be done. - - Oh, ne’er _will_ I at life repine, - Enough that Thou hast made it mine. - Where falls the shadow cold of death, - I yet will sing with parting breath, - As comes to me or shade or sun, - Father! Thy _will_, not mine be done. - _Sarah Flower Adams._ - - - It is a short and simple prayer, - But ’tis the Christian’s stay - Through every varied scene of care, - Until his dying day. - As through the wilderness of life - Calmly he wanders on, - His prayer in every time of strife - Is still “Thy _will_ be done!” - _Mary Anne Brown._ - - - By scale and method works the _Will_ Supreme, - Nor clouds, nor waves, without a limit stream; - And all the floods that daylight never saw, - The rayless tide of ruin, owns a law. - - O’er all confusions marring earth and air, - O’er all the shuddering hours of man’s despair, - Still reigns one fixed decree of peace and love, - And still, though dim below, ’tis bright above. - _John Sterling._ - - - Leaning on Him, make with reverent meekness, - His own, thy _will_; - And with strength from Him shall thy utter weakness - Life’s task fulfil; - - And that cloud itself, which now before thee - Lies dark in view, - Shall, with beams of light, for the inner glory, - Be stricken through. - _J. G. Whittier._ - - - - - WIND. - - -Stormy _wind_ fulfilling His word.--Psalm cxlviii. 8. - -The _wind_ goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north, it -whirleth about continually, and the _wind_ returneth again according to -his circuits.--Ecclesiastes, i. 6. - -He that createth the _wind_, the Lord, the God of Hosts is His -name.--Amos, iv. 13. - -The _wind_ bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound -thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so -is every one that is born of the spirit.--John, iii. 8. - - - Winds, whence and whither do ye blow? - --Ye must be born again to know. - _J. Montgomery._ - - - God of the chainless _winds_ that wildly wreck, - The moaning forest, and the ancient oak - Rend like a sapling spray,--and sweep the sand - O’er the lost caravan,--that trod with pride - Of tinkling bells, and camel’s arching neck, - The burning desert,--a dense host at morn, - At eve, a bubble, on the trackless waste. - God of the _winds_!--canst Thou not rule the heart, - And gather back its passions, when Thou wilt, - Bidding them, “Peace--be still!” - _Mrs. Sigourney._ - - - We come! we come! and ye feel our might, - And we’re hastening on in our boundless flight, - And over the mountains, and over the deep - Our broad invisible pinions sweep, - Like the spirit of liberty, wild and free! - And ye look on our works, and own ’tis we, - Ye call us the _winds_; but can ye tell - Whither we go, or where we dwell? - - Ye mark, as we vary our forms of power, - And fell the forest, or fan the flower, - When the harebell moves, and the rush is bent, - When the tower’s o’erthrown, and the oak is rent, - As we waft the bark o’er the slumbering wave, - Or hurry its crew to a watery grave: - And ye say it is we! but can ye trace - The wandering _winds_ to their secret place? - - And whether our breath be loud and high, - Or come in a soft and balmy sigh, - Our threatenings fill the soul with fear, - Or our gentle whisperings woo the ear, - With music aerial, still ’tis we. - And ye list, and ye look; but what do ye see? - Can ye hush one sound of our voice to peace, - Or waken one note, when our numbers cease? - - Our dwelling is in the Almighty’s hand; - We come and we go at His command: - Though joy or sorrow may mark our track, - His will is our guide, and we look not back: - And if, in our wrath, ye would turn us away - Or win us in gentlest air to play, - Then lift up your hearts to Him who binds, - Or frees as he will, the obedient _winds_. - _Miss Gould._ - - - Ye viewless minstrels of the sky! - I marvel not on times gone by - That ye were deified: - For even on this later day, - To me oft has your power or play, - Unearthly thoughts supplied. - - Ye restless, homeless, shapeless things! - Who mock all our imaginings, - Like spirits in a dream; - What epithet can words supply, - Unto the bard, who takes so high - Unmanageable theme? - - But one:--to me, when fancy stirs - My thoughts, ye seem heaven’s messengers, - Who leave no path untrod; - And when, as now, at midnight hour, - I hear your voice in all its power, - It seems the voice of God. - _Bernard Barton._ - - - The _wind_ breathes low, the withering leaf - Scarce whispers from the tree; - So gently flows the parting breath - When good men cease to be. - _W. P. O. Peabody._ - - - - - WISDOM. - - -The fear of the Lord that is _wisdom_.--Job, xxviii. 28. - -So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto -_wisdom_.--Psalm xc. 12. - -_Wisdom_ is the principal thing; therefore get _wisdom_.--Proverbs, iv. -7. - -How much better is it to get _wisdom_ than gold.--Proverbs, xvi. 16. - -If any of you lack _wisdom_, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men -liberally, and upbraideth not: and it shall be given him.--James, i. 5. - - - The _wise_, I here observe, - Are _wise_ towards God, in whose great service still, - More than in that of kings, themselves they serve. - _Sir W. Davenant._ - - - He that is of reason’s skill bereft, - And wants the staff of _wisdom_ him to stay, - Is like a ship in midst of tempest left, - Withouten helm or pilot her to sway; - Full sad and dreadful is that ship’s event: - So is the man that wants intendiment. - _Spenser._ - - - _Wisdom_, the antidote of sad despair, - Makes sharp afflictions seem not as they are, - Through patient sufferance; and doth apprehend, - Not as they seeming are, but as they end. - _Francis Quarles._ - - - _Wisdom’s_ self - Oft seeks so sweet, retired solitude; - Where, with her best nurse--contemplation-- - She plumes her feathers, and lets go her wings, - That in the various bustle of resort - Were all too muffled, and sometimes impaired. - _Milton._ - - - All is best, though we oft doubt - What the unsearchable dispose - Of highest _wisdom_ brings about; - And ever best found in the close. - _Milton._ - - - So teach us, Lord, to count our days, - And eye their constant race, - To measure what we want in time, - By _wisdom_ and by grace. - _Christopher Pitt._ - - - _Wisdom_ smiles when humble mortals weep. - When sorrow wounds the breast, as ploughs the glebe, - And hearts obdurate feel the softening shower, - Her seeds celestial then glad _wisdom_ sows, - Her golden harvest triumphs in the soil. - _Young._ - - - The weak have remedies, the _wise_ have joys: - Superior _wisdom_ is superior bliss. - _Young._ - - - When knowledge, at her Father’s dread command, - Resigned to Israel’s king her golden key, - O, to have joined the frequent auditors - In wonder and delight, that whilom heard - Great Solomon descanting on the brutes; - O, how sublimely glorious to apply - To God’s own honour, and good-will to man, - That _wisdom_ he alone, of man, possessed - In plenitude so rich, and cope so rare. - _Smart._ - - - Knowledge and _wisdom_, far from being one, - Have oft-times no connexion, knowledge dwells - In heads replete with thoughts of other men; - _Wisdom_ in minds attentive to their own. - Knowledge, a rude unprofitable mass, - The mere materials with which _wisdom_ builds, - Till smooth’d and squared, and fitted to its place, - Does but encumber whom it seems t’ enrich. - Knowledge is proud that he has learn’d so much, - _Wisdom_ is humble that he knows no more. - _Cowper._ - - - Thus _wisdom’s_ words discover - Thy glory and Thy grace, - Thou everlasting Lover - Of our unworthy race! - Thy gracious eye surveyed us - Ere stars were seen above; - In _wisdom_ Thou hast made us, - And died for us in love. - _Cowper._ - - - When did _wisdom_ covet length of days? - Or seek its bliss in pleasure, wealth, or praise? - No:--_wisdom_ views with an indifferent eye - All finite things, as blessings born to die. - _Hannah More._ - - - _Wisdom_ is humble, said the voice of God, - ’Tis proud, the world replied. _Wisdom_, said God, - Forgives, forbears, and suffers, not for fear - Of man, but God. _Wisdom_ revenges, said - The world; is quick and deadly of resentment, - Thrusts at the very shadow of affront, - And hastes, by death, to wipe its honour clean. - _Wisdom_, said God, loves enemies, entreats, - Solicits, begs for peace. _Wisdom_, replied, - The world, hates enemies, will not ask peace, - Conditions spurns, and triumphs in their fall. - _Wisdom_ mistrusts itself, and leans on Heaven, - Said God. It trusts and leans upon itself, - The world replied. _Wisdom_ retires, said God, - And counts it bravery to bear reproach, - And shame, and lowly poverty, upright; - And weeps with all who have just cause to weep. - _Wisdom_, replied the world, struts forth to gaze, - Treads the broad stage with clamorous foot, - Attracts all praises, counts it bravery - Alone to wield the sword, and rush on death; - And never weeps, but for its own disgrace. - _Wisdom_, said God, is highest, when it stoops - Lowest before the Holy Throne; throws down - Its crown, abased; forgets itself, admires, - And breathes adoring praise. There _wisdom_ stoops - Indeed, the world replied; there stoops, because - It must, but stoops with dignity; and thinks - And meditates, the while, of inward worth. - _Pollok._ - - - Come to my aid, celestial _Wisdom_, come; - From my dark soul dispel the doubtful gloom; - My passions still, my purer breast inflame, - To sing that God from whom existence came. - _Boyse._ - - - See! full of hope, thou trustest to the earth - The golden seed, and waitest till the Spring - Summons the buried to a happier birth; - But, in Time’s furrow duly scattering, - Think’st thou how deeds, by _wisdom_ sown, may be - Silently ripen’d for eternity? - _Schiller._ - - - Up! ’tis no dreaming time! Awake! Awake! - For He who sits on the high Judge’s seat, - Doth in His record mark each wasted hour, - Each idle word. Take heed thy shrinking soul - Find not their weight too heavy, when it stands - At that dread bar from whence is no appeal. - Lo, while ye trifle, the light sand steals on, - Leaving the hour-glass empty, and thy life - Glideth away;--stamp _wisdom_ on its hours. - _Mrs. Sigourney._ - - - Few and precious are the words which the lips of _wisdom_ utter; - To what shall their rarity be likened? what price shall count - their worth? - Perfect and much to be desired, and giving joy with riches, - No lovely thing on earth can picture all their beauty. - They be chance pearls, flung among the rocks by the sullen waters - of oblivion, - Which diligence loveth to gather, and hang round the neck of - memory; - They be white-winged seeds of happiness, wafted from the islands of - the blessed, - Which thought carefully tendeth, in the kindly garden of the heart; - They be sproutings of an harvest for eternity, bursting through the - tilth of time, - Green promise of the golden wheat, that yieldeth angel’s food; - They be drops of the crystal dew, which the wings of seraphs - scatter, - When on some brighter sabbath, their plumes quiver most with - delight: - Such, and so precious, are the words which the lips of _wisdom_ - utter. - _Martin F. Tupper._ - - - Faith and hope - Will teach me how to bear my lot! - To think Almighty _Wisdom_ best, - To bow my head, and murmur not. - The chast’ning hand of One above - Falls heavy, but I kiss the rod, - He gives the wound, and I must trust - Its healing to the self-same God. - _Eliza Cook._ - - - - - WITNESS. - - -A faithful _witness_ will not lie: but a false _witness_ will utter -lies.--Proverbs, xiv. 5. - -If we receive the _witness_ of men, the _witness_ of God is greater: -for this is the _witness_ of God which he hath testified of his Son. - -He that believeth on the Son of God hath the _witness_ in himself.--I. -John, v. 9, 10. - - - In ocean’s wide domains, - Half buried in the sands, - Like skeletons in chains - With shackled feet and hands. - - Beyond the fall of dews, - Deeper than plummet lies, - Float ships, with all their crews, - No more to sink or rise. - - There the black slave-ship swims - Freighted with human forms, - Those fettered, fleshless limbs - Are not the sport of storms. - - These are the bones of slaves: - They gleam from the abyss; - They cry from yawning waves, - “We are the _Witnesses_!” - - Within earth’s wide domains - Are markets for men’s lives; - Their necks are galled with chains, - Their wrists are cramped with gyves. - - Dead bodies, that the kite - In deserts makes its prey; - Murders, that with affright - Scare school-boys from their play. - - All evil thoughts and deeds; - Anger, and lust, and pride; - The foulest, rankest weeds, - That choke life’s groaning tide! - - These are the woes of slaves; - They glare from the abyss; - They cry, from unknown graves-- - “We are the _Witnesses_!” - _Longfellow._ - - - - - WOE. - - -_Woe_ unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow -strong drink; that continue until night, till wine inflame them. ---Isaiah, v. 11. - -_Woe_ unto us, that we have sinned.--Lamentations, v. 16. - - - Venomous thornes that are so sharpe and kene, - Bear flowers we see full fresh and fayre of hue, - Poyson is also put in medicine, - And unto man his health doth oft renew. - The fire that all things eke consumeth clene - May hurt and heale; then if this be true, - I trust sometime my harm may be my healthe, - Since every _woe_ is joined with some wealth! - _Wyatt._ - - - Though life seem one uncomfortable void, - Guilt at thy heels, before thy face despair; - Yet, gay this scene, and light this load of _woe_, - Compared with thy hereafter. - _Bishop Porteus._ - - - But, God be thanked! there are moments, when - Man, subdued by nature’s mightiest powers, - Thinks even his purer self the sport of waves. - In such like moments ’tis the Godhead shows us - The distance ’twixt itself and us,--chastises - Man’s vain audacity to equal it, - And casts him back to nothingness and _woe_. - In such like moments, even the wisest sinks - Unto the dust: he, too, is formed of dust; - But soon again he rises purified - By Fate’s worst blast, and thus the Eternal’s will - Declares and proves its own omnipotence. - _Herder._ - - - But dreadful is their doom whom doubt has driven - To censure fate, and pious hope forego: - Like yonder blasted boughs, by lightning riven, - Perfection, beauty, life, they never know, - But frown on all that pass, a monument of _woe_. - _Beattie._ - - - _Woe_ unto those that with the morning sun - Rise to drink wine, and set till he have done - His weary course; not ceasing, until night - Have quenched their understanding with the light. - _Bishop King._ - - - The Son of God, in doing good, - Was fain to look to Heaven, and sigh; - And shall the heirs of sinful blood - Seek joy unmixed in charity? - God will not let love’s work impart - Full solace, lest it steal the heart; - Be thou content in tears to sow, - Blessing, like Jesus, in thy _woe_. - _Keble._ - - - _Væ vobis_, ye whose lip doth lave - So deeply in the sparkling wine, - Regardless though that passion wave - Shut from the soul heaven’s light divine; - _Væ vobis!_--heed the trumpet blast, - Fly ere the leprous taint is deep, - Fly!--ere the hour of hope be past, - And pitying angels cease to weep. - - _Væ vobis_, ye who fail to read, - That name which glows where’er ye tread, - The Alpha of an infant creed, - The Omega of the sainted dead; - ’Tis written where the pencill’d flowers - Their tablet to the desert show, - And where the mountain’s rocky towers - Frown darkly on the vale below; - - Where roll the wondrous orbs on high, - In glorious order strong and fair, - In every letter of the sky - That midnight graves--’tis there--’tis there! - It gleams on ocean’s wrinkled brow, - And in the shell that gems its shore, - And where the solemn forests bow - _Væ vobis_, ye, who scorn the lore. - _L. H. Sigourney._ - - - - - WOMAN. - - -Who can find a virtuous _woman_? for her price is far above rubies. - -A _woman_ that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised.--Proverbs, xxxi. -10, 30. - -Nevertheless, neither is the man without the _woman_, neither the -_woman_ without the man in the Lord.--I. Corinthians, xi. 11. - - - Well I understand, in the prime end - Of nature, her th’ inferior in the mind - And inward faculties, which most excel - In outward; also her resembling less - His image who made both, and less expressing - The character of that dominion given - O’er other creatures; yet, when I approach - Her loveliness, so absolute she seems, - And in herself complete; so well to know - Her own, that what she wills to do or say, - Seems wisest, virtuousest, discreetest, best; - All higher knowledge in her presence falls - Degraded! wisdom in discourse with her - Loses, discount’nanc’d, and like folly shows. - Authority and reason on her wait, - As one intended first, not after made - Occasionally; and to consummate all. - Greatness of mind and nobleness their seat - Build in her, loveliest, and create an awe - About her, as a guard angelic placed. - _Milton._ - - - So _woman_, born to dignify retreat - Unknown to flourish, and unseen be great, - To give domestic life its sweetest charm, - With softness polish, and with virtue warm: - Fearful of fame, unwilling to be known, - Should seek but Heaven’s applauses and her own; - Should dread no blame but that which crimes impart, - The censures of a self-condemning heart. - _Hannah More._ - - - For _woman_ is not undevelopt man, - But diverse: could we make her as the man, - Sweet love were slain, whose dearest bond is this - Not like to like, but like in difference: - Yet in the long years liker must they grow; - The man be more of _woman_, she of man; - He gain in sweetness and in moral height, - Nor lose the wrestling thews that throw the world; - She mental breadth, nor fail in childward care: - More as the double-natured Poet, each: - Till at the last she set herself to man, - Like perfect music unto noble words; - And so these twain upon the skirts of Time, - Sit side by side, full-summ’d in all their powers, - Dispensing harvest, sowing the To-be, - Self-reverent each, and reverencing each, - Distinct in individualities, - But like each other ev’n as those we love. - Then comes the statelier Eden back to men, - Then reign the world’s great bridals, chaste and calm; - Then springs the crowning race of humankind! - _Tennyson._ - - - What highest prize hath _woman_ won - In science or in art? - What mightiest work by _woman_ done, - Boasts city, field, or mart? - “She hath no Raphael,” Painting saith; - “No Newton,” Learning cries; - Show us her Steam-ship! her Macbeth, - Her thought-won victories! - - Hail boastful man! though worthy are - Thy deeds when thou art true, - Things worthier still and holier far, - Our sister yet will do; - For this the worth of _woman_ shows, - On every peopled shore, - That still as man in wisdom grows, - He honours her the more. - - Oh! not for wealth, or fame, or pow’r, - Hath man’s weak angel striven, - But silent as the growing flower, - To make of earth a heav’n! - And in her garden of the sun, - Heaven’s brightest rose shall bloom; - For _woman’s_ best is unbegun! - Her advent yet to come. - _Ebenezer Elliot._ - - - - - WORD. - - -Thy _word_ is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.--Psalm -cxix. 105. - -For there is not a _word_ in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, Thou knowest -it altogether.--Psalm cxxxix. 4. - -The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the _word_ of our God shall -stand for ever.--Isaiah, xl. 8. - -Every idle _word_ that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof -in the day of judgment.--Matthew, xii. 36. - - - Ill deeds are doubled with an evil _word_. - _Shakspere._ - - - Almighty Lord! the sun shall fail, - The moon forget her nightly tale, - And deepest silence bush on high - The radiant chorus of the sky; - But fixed for everlasting years, - Unmoved amid the wreck of spheres, - Thy _word_ shall shine in cloudless day, - When heaven and earth have passed away. - _Sir R. Grant._ - - - Not _words_ alone it cost the Lord, - To purchase pardon for His own; - Nor will a soul by grace restored, - Return the Saviour’s _words_ alone. - Easy indeed it were to reach - A mansion in the courts above, - If swelling _words_ and fluent speech, - Might serve instead of faith and love. - But none shall gain the blissful place, - Or God’s unclouded glory see, - Who talks of free and sovereign grace, - Unless that grace has made him free. - _Cowper._ - - - O happy they who know the Lord, - With whom be deigns to dwell, - He feeds and cheers them by His _word_, - His arm supports them well. - - He helped His saints in ancient days, - Who trusted in His name; - And we can witness to His praise, - His love is still the same. - - His presence sweetens all our cares, - And makes our burdens light; - A _word_ from Him dispels our fears, - And gilds the gloom of night. - _Newton._ - - - There is a stream whose gentle flow - Supplies the city of our God; - Life, love, and joy, still gliding thro’, - And wat’ring our divine abode. - - That sacred stream, Thy holy _word_, - That all our raging fear controls; - Sweet peace Thy promises afford, - And give new strength to fainting souls. - _Watts._ - - - When quiet in my house I sit, - Thy book be my companion still, - My joy Thy sayings to repeat, - Talk o’er the records of Thy will, - And search the oracles divine - Till every heart-felt _word_ be mine. - - O may the gracious _words_ divine - Subject of all my converse be; - So will the Lord His follower join, - And walk and talk himself with me; - So shall my heart His presence prove, - And burn with everlasting love. - - Oft as I lay me down to rest, - O may Thy reconciling _word_ - Sweetly compose my weary breast! - While, in the bosom of my Lord, - I sink in blissful dreams away, - And visions of eternal day. - - Rising to sing my Saviour’s praise, - Thee may I publish all day long; - And let Thy precious _word_ of grace - Flow from my heart, and fill my tongue, - Fill all my life with purest love, - And join me to the church above. - _C. Wesley._ - - - Where deeds pull down, _words_ can repair no faith. - _Chapman._ - - - A voice to light gave being: - To Time, and man his earth-born chronicler; - A voice shall finish doubt and dim foreseeing, - And sweep away life’s visionary stir; - The trumpet, (we intoxicate with pride, - Arm at its blast for deadly wars,) - To archangelic lips applied, - The grave shall open, quench the stars. - O silence! are men’s noisy years - No more than moments of thy life? - Is harmony, blest queen of smiles and tears, - With her smooth tones and discords just, - Tempered into rapturous strife, - Thy destined bond-slave? No! though earth be dust - And vanish, though the Heavens dissolve, her stay - Is in the _word_, that shall not pass away. - _Wordsworth._ - - - Why, thou never-setting light, - Is thy brightness veil’d from me? - Why does this unusual night - Cloud thy best benignity? - I am lost without thy ray, - Guide my wandering footsteps, Lord! - Light my dark and erring way - To the noontide of thy _word_. - _Bowring, from the Russian._ - - - I saw one man, armed simply with God’s _Word_, - Enter the souls of many fellow-men, - And pierce them sharply as a two-edged sword, - While conscience echoed back his words again; - Till, even as showers of fertilizing rain - Sink through the bosom of the valley clod, - So their hearts opened to the wholesome pain, - And hundreds knelt upon the flowery sod, - One good man’s earnest prayer, the link ’twixt them and God. - _Mrs. Norton._ - - - - - WORKS--WORK. - - -Unto thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy; for thou renderest to every man -according to his _work_.--Psalm lxii. 12. - -The _works_ of the Lord are great, sought out of all them that have -pleasure therein.--Psalm cxi. 2. - -Prepare thy _work_ without, and make it fit for thyself in the field: -and afterwards build thine house.--Proverbs, xxiv. 27. - - - These are Thy glorious _works_, Parent of Good, - Almighty, Thine this universal frame, - Thus wondrous fair; Thyself how wondrous then! - Unspeakable, who sitt’st above the Heavens - To us invisible, or dimly seen - In these thy lowest _works_; yet these declare - Thy goodness beyond thought and power divine. - Speak ye who best can tell, ye sons of light, - Angels; for ye behold Him, and with songs - And choral symphonies, day without night, - Circle his throne rejoicing! ye in Heaven, - On Earth, join all ye creatures to extol - Him first, him last, him midst, and without end. - _Milton._ - - - If faith produce no _works_; I see - That faith is not a living tree. - Thus faith and _works_ together grow, - No separate life they e’er can know: - They’re soul and body, hand and heart,-- - What God hath joined, let no man part. - _Hannah More._ - - - O, how unlike the complex _works_ of man, - Heaven’s easy, artless, unencumbered plan! - No meretricious graces to beguile, - No clustering ornaments to clog the pile; - From ostentation, as from weakness free, - It stands, like the cerulean arch we see, - Majestic in its own simplicity. - Inscribed above the portal, from afar - Conspicuous as the brightness of a star, - Legible only by the light they give, - Stand the soul-quickening words: Believe and live! - _Cowper._ - - - Oh how I love with melted soul to leave - The house of prayer, and wander in the fields - Alone! what though the opening air be chill! - Although the lark, checked in his airy path, - Eke out his song, perched on the fallow clod - That still o’ertops the blade; although no branch - Have spread its foliage, save the willow wand - That dips its pale leaves in the swollen stream. - What though the clouds oft lower; their threats but end - In summer showers, that scarcely fill the folds - Of moss-couched violets, or interrupt - The merle’s dulcet pipe--melodious bird! - He hid behind the milk-white sloe-thorn spray, - (Whose early flowers anticipate the leaf,) - Welcomes the time of buds, the infant year. - Sweet is the sunny nook to which my steps - Have brought me, hardly conscious where I roamed, - Unheeding where--so lovely all around, - The _works_ of God arrayed in vernal smile. - _Grahame._ - - - How manifold Thy _works_, O Lord, - In wisdom, power, and goodness wrought! - The earth is with Thy riches stored, - And ocean with Thy wonders fraught: - Unfathom’d caves beneath the deep - For Thee their hidden treasures keep. - _J. Montgomery._ - - - Wherever in the world I am, - In whatsoe’er estate, - I have a fellowship with hearts - To keep and cultivate; - And a _work_ of lowly love to do - For the Lord on whom I wait. - _A. L. Waring._ - - - Fellow-_workers_ are we; hour by hour, - Human tools are shaping Heaven’s great schemes, - Till we see no limit to man’s power, - And reality outstrips old dreams. - Toil and struggle, therefore, _work_ and weep, - In God’s care ye shall calmly sleep, - When the night cometh. - _Mrs. Embury._ - - - Lord of all Being! where can fancy fly, - To what far realms, unmeasured by thine eye? - Where can he hide beneath Thy blazing sun, - Where dwell’st Thou not, the boundless, viewless One? - Shall guilt couch down within the cavern’s gloom, - And quivering, groaning, meditate her doom? - Or scale the mountains, where the whirlwinds rest, - And in the night-blast cool her fiery breast? - Within the cavern-gloom Thine eye can see, - The sky-clad mountains lift their heads to Thee! - Thy spirit rides upon the thunder storms, - Darkening the sky with their terrific forms! - Beams in the lightning, rocks upon the seas, - Roars in the blast, and whispers in the breeze; - In calms, in storm, in Heaven, in earth, Thou art! - Trace but Thy _works_, they bring Thee to the heart. - _R. Montgomery._ - - - The blackbird early leaves its rest - To meet the smiling morn, - And gather fragments for its nest - From upland, wood, and lawn. - The busy bee that wings its way - ’Mid sweets of varied hue, - At every flower would seem to say-- - “There’s _work_ enough to do.” - - The cowslip and the spreading vine, - The daisy in the grass, - The snowdrop and the eglantine, - Preach sermons as we pass. - The ant within its cavern deep, - Would bid us labour too, - And writes upon its tiny heap, - “There’s _work_ enough to do.” - - The planets, at their Maker’s will, - Move onward in their cars, - For Nature’s wheel is never still-- - Progressive as the stars! - The leaves that flutter in the air, - And summer breezes woo, - One solemn truth to man declare-- - “There’s _work_ enough to do.” - _J. Burbidge._ - - - - - WORLD. - - -The Lord is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king: - -He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the _world_ by -his wisdom.--Jeremiah, x. 10, 12. - -What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole _world_, and -lose his own soul?--Mark, viii. 36. - -If the _world_ hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. - -If ye were of the _world_, the _world_ would love his own: but because -ye are not of the _world_, but I have chosen you out of the _world_, -therefore the _world_ hateth you.--John, xv. 18, 19. - -Be not conformed to this _world_, but be ye transformed by the renewing -of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and -perfect will of God.--Romans, xii. 2. - -The friendship of the _world_ is enmity with God: whosoever therefore -will be a friend of the _world_, is the enemy of God.--James, iv. 4. - -And the _world_ passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth -the will of God abideth for ever.--I. John, ii. 17. - - - The weary mariner so fast not flies - An howling tempest, harbour to attain; - Nor shepherd hastes, when frays of wolves arise, - So fast to fold, to save his bleating train! - As I, wing’d with contempt and just disdain, - Now fly the _world_ and what it most doth prize, - And sanctuary seek, free to remain - From wounds of abject times, and envy’s eyes: - To me this _world_ did once seem sweet and fair, - While sense’s light mind’s perspective kept blind; - Now like imagin’d landscapes in the air, - And weeping rainbows, her best joys I find; - Or if aught here is had that praise should have, - It is an obscure life and silent grave. - _William Drummond._ - - - Of this fair volume which we “_world_” do name, - If we the sheets and leaves could turn with care, - Of him who it corrects and did it frame, - We clear might read the art and wisdom rare, - Find out his power, which wildest powers doth tame, - His providence extending everywhere, - His justice, which proud rebels doth not spare, - In every page--no period of the same. - But silly we, like foolish children, rest - Well pleas’d with colour’d vellum, leaves of gold, - Fair dangling ribbands--leaving what is best; - On the great writer’s sense ne’er taking hold; - Or if by chance we stay our minds on aught, - It is some picture on the margin wrought. - _William Drummond._ - - - Seek well another _world_; who studies this, - Travels in clouds, seeks manna where none is. - _Henry Vaughan._ - - - Lord, mail my heart with faith, and be my shield, - And if a _world_ confront me, I’ll not yield. - _Francis Quarles._ - - - To tremble, (as the creatures of an hour - Ought,) at the view of an Almighty power - Before His presence, at whose awful throne - All tremble in all _worlds_ except our own; - To supplicate His mercy, love His ways, - And prize them above pleasure, wealth, or praise; - Though common sense, allowed a casting voice, - And free from bias, must approve the choice; - Convicts a man fanatic in the extreme, - And wild as madness in the _world’s_ esteem. - _Cowper._ - - - The joy that vain amusements give, - O, sad conclusion that it brings, - The honey of a crowded hive - Defended by a thousand stings. - ’Tis thus the _world_ rewards the fools - That live upon her treacherous smiles; - She leads them blindfold, by her rules, - And ruins all whom she beguiles. - _Cowper._ - - - What is this _world_? - What but a spacious burial-field unwalled, - Strewed with death’s spoils, the spoils of animals, - Savage and tame, and full of dead men’s bones? - The very turf on which we tread once lived, - And we that live must lend our carcases, - To cover our own offspring: in their turns, - They too must cover theirs. - _Blair._ - - - Unthinking, idle, wild, and young, - I laughed and danced, I talked and sung, - And proud of health, of freedom vain, - Dreamed not of sorrow, care, nor pain: - Oh! then in those light hours of glee, - I thought the _world_ was made for me. - - But when the hour of trial came, - And sickness shook my feeble frame, - And folly’s gay pursuits were o’er, - And I could sing and dance no more, - Oh! then I thought bow sad ’twould be - Were only this _world_ made for me. - _Princess Amelia._ - - - Virtue, for ever frail as fair below, - Her tender nature suffers in the crowd, - Nor touches on the _world_ without a stain; - The _world_’s infectious. - _Young._ - - - The _world_’s a school - Of wrong, and what proficients swarm around - We must or imitate or disapprove; - Must ’list as their accomplices or foes; - That stains our innocence, this wounds our peace. - _Young._ - - - Thrice happy _world_, where gilded toys - No more disturb our thoughts, no more pollute our joys! - There light or shade no more succeed by turns, - There reigns the eternal sun with an unclouded ray, - There all is calm as night, yet all immortal day, - And truth for ever shines, and love for ever burns. - _Isaac Watts._ - - - The flower that smiles to-day, - To-morrow dies; - All that we wish to stay, - Tempts, and then flies: - What is this _world_’s delight? - Lightning, that mocks the night, - Brief even as bright. - _Shelley._ - - - Dreams cannot picture a _world_ so fair-- - Sorrow and death may not enter there; - Time doth not breathe on its fadeless bloom, - For beyond the clouds, and beyond the tomb, - It is there, it is there, my child! - _Mrs. Hemans._ - - - Thou art, O God, the life and light - Of all this wondrous _world_ we see; - Its glow by day, its smile by night, - Are but reflections caught from Thee; - Where’er we turn, Thy glories shine, - And all things fair and bright are Thine. - _Thomas Moore._ - - - O _world_! how little do thy joys - Concern a soul that knows - Itself not made for such low toys - As thy poor hand bestows! - - Then take away thy tinsel wares, - That dazzle here our eyes; - Let us go up above the stars, - Where all our treasure lies. - - The way we know: our dearest Lord - Himself has gone before: - And has engaged His faithful word, - To open us the door. - _Hicks._ - - - The _world_ is too much with us; late and soon, - Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers. - _Wordsworth._ - - - Pass on, relentless _world_! I grieve - No more for all that thou hast riven; - Pass on, in God’s name, only leave - The things thou never yet hast given-- - A heart at ease, a mind at home, - Affections fixed above thy sway, - Faith set upon a _world_ to come, - And patience through life’s little day. - _George Lunt._ - - - - - WORSHIP. - - -O _worship_ the Lord in the beauty of holiness: fear before him, all -the earth.--Psalm xcvi. 9. - -In vain do they _worship_ me, teaching for doctrines the commandments -of men.--Mark, vii. 7. - -But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true _worshippers_ shall -_worship_ the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh -such to _worship_ him.--John, iv. 23. - - - First _worship_ God; he that forgets to pray - Bids not himself good-morrow nor good-day: - Let thy first labour be to purge thy sin, - And serve Him first, whence all things did begin. - _Thomas Randolph._ - - - There is a joy which angels well might prize: - To see, and hear, and aid God’s _worship_, when - Unnumbered tongues--a host of Christian men, - Youths, matrons, maidens, join. Their sounds arise - “Like many waters;” now glad symphonies - Of thanks and glory to our God, and then, - Seal of the social prayer, the loud Amen. - Faith’s common pledge, contrition’s mingled cries. - Thus when the church of Christ was hale and young, - She call’d on God, one spirit and one voice; - Thus from corruption cleansed, with health new strung, - Her son she nurtured. Oh! be theirs by choice, - What duty bids, to _worship_, heart and tongue, - At once to pray, at once in God rejoice! - _Bishop Mant._ - - - The cheerfu’ supper done, wi’ serious face, - They, round the ingle, form a circle wide; - The sire turns o’er, wi’ patriarchal grace, - The big ha’-bible, ance his father’s pride; - His bonnet rev’rently is laid aside, - His lyart haffets wearing thin and bare; - Those strains that ance did sweet in Zion glide, - He wales a portion with judicious care; - And “Let us _worship_ God!” he says, with solemn air. - _Burns._ - - - Not always he - Hath holiest heart, whose _worship_ is most loud, - And that is purest prayer, where one alone is bowed. - _G. H. Colton._ - - - Sweet is the solemn voice that calls - The christian to the house of prayer! - I love to stand within its walls, - For Thou, O Lord, art present there! - - I love to tread the hallowed courts, - Where two or three for _worship_ meet; - For thither Christ himself resorts, - And makes the little band complete. - _Lyte._ - - - The earth is one great temple, made - For _worship_ everywhere; - And its flowers are the bells, in glen and glade, - That ring the heart to prayer. - A solemn preacher is the breeze; - At noon or twilight dim, - The ancient trees give homilies-- - The river hath a hymn. - For the city bell takes seven days - To reach the townsman’s ear, - But he who kneels in nature’s ways, - Hath sabbath all the year. - _T. K. Hervey._ - - - Give to the sceptic gain and gaud; - The Christian envies not his lot, - Who, while his fellow-men applaud, - Is by his outraged God forgot. - More blest is he, who, ’mid the cares - Of this world’s loud and busy mart, - The melody of _worship_ bears - For ever, in his inmost heart. - _Miss Pardoe._ - - - The God who reigns on high - The great archangels sing; - And “Holy, holy, holy,” cry, - “Almighty King! - Who was and is the same, - And evermore shall be; - Jehovah, Father, Great I am, - We _worship_ Thee.” - _T. Olivers._ - - - - - WORTHY. - - -Thou art _worthy_, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for -Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were -created.--Revelation, iv. 11. - -_Worthy_ is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and -wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.--Revelation, -v. 12. - - - Come, let us join our cheerful songs, - With angels round the throne, - Ten thousand thousand are their tongues, - But all their joys are one. - - “_Worthy_ the Lamb that died,” they cry, - “To be exalted thus!” - “_Worthy_ the Lamb,” our lips reply, - “For He was slain for us.” - - Jesus is _worthy_ to receive - Honour and power divine, - And blessings more than we can give, - Be Lord for ever Thine! - _Watts._ - - - _Worthy_, O Lord, art Thou, - That every knee should bow, - Every tongue to Thee confess; - Universal nature join, - Strong and mighty, Thee to bless, - Gracious, merciful, benign. - - Wisdom is due to Thee, - And might and majesty; - Thee in mercy rich we prove, - Glory, honour, praise receive; - _Worthy_ thou of all our love, - More than all we pant to give. - _C. Wesley._ - - - Sing we the song of those who stand, - Around the eternal throne, - Of every kindred, clime, and land, - A multitude unknown. - - “_Worthy_ the Lamb for sinners slain,” - Cry the redeem’d above, - “Blessing and honour to obtain, - And everlasting love.” - _J. Montgomery._ - - - - - WOUND. - - -Praise ye the Lord: for it is good to sing praises unto our God. - -He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their _wounds_.--Psalm -cxlvii. 1, 3. - -The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity: but a _wounded_ spirit -who can bear?--Proverbs, xviii. 14. - -He was _wounded_ for our transgressions, he was bruised for our -iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his -stripes we are healed.--Isaiah, liii. 5. - - - No _wounds_ like those a _wounded_ spirit feels, - No cure for such, till God, who makes them, heals. - And thou, sad sufferer under nameless ill, - That yields not to the touch of human skill, - Improve the kind occasion, understand - A Father’s frown, and kiss His chastening hand. - _Cowper._ - - - Come! said Jesus’ sacred voice, - Come, and make my ways your choice: - I will guide you to your home; - Weary pilgrim, hither come. - - Ye, by fiercest anguish torn, - In strong remorse for guilt, who mourn; - Here repose your heavy care: - A _wounded_ spirit who can bear? - _Mrs. Barbauld._ - - - Saviour! all the stone remove - From my flinty, frozen heart; - Thaw it with the beams of love, - Pierce it with Thy mercy’s dart: - _Wound_ the heart that _wounded_ Thee; - Break it in Gethsemane! - _Hart._ - - - Angels rejoice in Jesu’s grace, - And vie with man’s more favoured race, - The blood that did for us atone, - Conferred on them some gift unknown; - Their joy through Jesu’s pains abounds, - They triumph by his glorious _wounds_. - _C. Wesley._ - - - - - WRATH. - - -O Lord rebuke me not in thy _wrath_: neither chasten me in Thy hot -displeasure.--Psalm xxxviii. 1. - -He that is slow to _wrath_ is of great understanding: but he that is -hasty of spirit exalteth folly.--Proverbs, xiv. 29. - -O Lord, in _wrath_ remember mercy.--Habakkuk, iii. 2. - -For the great day of his _wrath_ is come; and who shall be able to -stand.--Revelation, vi. 17. - - - O throw away Thy rod, - O throw away Thy _wrath_! - My gracious Saviour and my God, - O take the gentle path! - - Thou seest my heart’s desire - Still unto Thee is bent; - Still does my longing soul aspire - To an entire consent. - - Not even a word or look - Do I approve or own, - But by the model of Thy book, - Thy sacred book alone. - - Although I fail, I weep; - Although I halt in pace, - Yet still with trembling steps I creep - Unto the throne of grace. - - O then, let _wrath_ remove! - For love will do the deed: - Love will the conquest gain; with love - E’en stony hearts will bleed. - - O throw away Thy rod! - What though man frailties hath! - Thou my Saviour and my God, - O throw away Thy _wrath_! - _Herbert._ - - - Awake! - Thou who shalt wake when the creation sleeps; - When, like a taper, all these suns expire; - When Time, like him of Gaza in his _wrath_, - Plucking the pillars that support the world, - In Nature’s ample ruins lies intombed; - And midnight, universal midnight reigns! - _Young._ - - - Dreadful attempt! - Just reeking from self-slaughter, in a rage - To push into the presence of our Judge! - As if we challenged Him to do His worst, - And mattered not His _wrath_. - _Blair._ - - - O day of _wrath_! that dreadful day, - When earth in dust shall pass away! - What dread shall strike the sinner dumb, - When the Almighty Judge shall come, - Every bidden sin to sum! - When the wondrous trumpet’s tone, - Ringing through each cavern lone, - Calls the dead before the Throne-- - When cruel death himself shall die, - And, freed from dark mortality, - The creature to his Judge reply: - What shall then that creature say? - What power shall be the sinner’s stay, - When the just are in dismay? - Lord of all power and majesty, - Pure fountain of all piety, - Save us when we cry to Thee! - O thou whose vengeance waits on sin, - Cleanse our souls from guilt within, - Ere the day of _wrath_ begin! - With suppliant heart and bended knee, - Low stooping in the dust to Thee, - Lord! save us in extremity! - That day of _wrath_, that dreadful day, - When man to judgment wakes from clay-- - Be thou the trembling sinner’s stay, - When heaven and earth shall pass away. - _From the Latin, R. P._ - - - The day of _wrath_, that dreadful day, - Shall all the world in ashes lay, - The last loud trumpet’s mighty sound - Shall wake the nations under ground. - Thou Great Creator of mankind, - Let guilty souls now favour find; - My God, my Saviour, and my Friend, - Do not forsake me in the end. - _Roscommon._ - - - - - YEAR. - - -When a few _years_ are come, then I shall go the way whence I shall not -return.--Job, xvi. 22. - -Thou crownest the _year_ with thy goodness, thy paths drop -fatness.--Psalm lxv. 11. - -For a thousand _years_ in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is -past, and as a watch in the night. - -For all our days are passed away in thy wrath: we spend our _years_ as -a tale that is told. - -The days of our _years_ are threescore _years_ and ten; and if by -reason of strength they be fourscore _years_, yet is their strength -labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.--Psalm xc. -4, 9, 10. - -If a man live many _years_ and rejoice in them all; yet let him -remember the days of darkness for they shall be many.--Ecclesiastes, -xi. 8. - - - Another _year_ of time has passed away, - And long eternity is drawing near: - Another _year_--perhaps another day, - And man and all his works, may disappear, - Time’s but a courser, and his fleet career - May end before he reach another round; - Or, should he chance to run another _year_, - He lays a thousand dead at every bound! - Why longer trust to future _years_ in store? - Why hang our hopes upon a spider’s thread? - Begin the work of life, and, sleep no more, - A flower late planted ne’er may raise its head; - Or choked by weeds neglected in the soil, - May never, never bloom, nor shed a cheerful smile. - _Peter Still._ - - - Eternal source of every joy, - Well may Thy praise our lips employ, - While in Thy temple we appear - To hail Thee sovereign of the _year_. - - Wide as the wheels of nature roll - Thy hand supports and guides the whole! - The sun is taught by Thee to rise, - And darkness when to veil the skies. - - The flowery spring at Thy command, - Perfumes the air and paints the land; - The summer rays with vigour shine - To raise the corn and cheer the vine. - - Thy hand, in Autumn, richly pours - Through all our coasts redundant stores; - And winters softened by thy care, - No more the face of horror wear. - - Seasons, and months, and weeks, and days, - Demand successive songs of praise; - And be the grateful homage paid, - With morning light and evening shade. - - Here in thy house let incense rise, - And circling sabbaths bless our eyes, - Till to those lofty heights we soar, - Where days and _years_ revolve no more. - _Doddridge._ - - - The middle watch is past! Another _year_ - Dawns on the human race with hope and fear. - The last has gone, with mingl’d sigh and song, - To join for ever its ancestral throng; - And Time reveals, - As past it steals, - The potent hand of God, the Everlasting, - Guiding the Sun, with all his blazing peers, - And filling up the measure of our _years_, - Until Messiah, Prince, to judgment hasting, - Shall roll the darkness from this world of sin, - And bid a bright eternity begin. - - The _years_ fly faster than they did whilom-- - With greater speed they go, with greater come, - Has time renewed its youth? or fearing age, - Perspiring, pants it to fulfil its stage? - Perhaps men’s fears, - And falling tears, - Oiling its wheels has caused this rapid rolling; - Or, urged along by old Creation’s groans, - And sympathizing with its piteous moans, - It flies to set their massive death-bell tolling; - When blooming Paradise shall clothe the earth, - And angels shout to heaven its second birth. - - All _years_ are like, yet no one like another; - Sons of one sire, yet no one like his brother; - All use one language, yet the tales they tell - Speak now of earth, anon of heaven and hell. - They all are sent, - With kind intent, - The messengers of God, the loving Father, - To tell his weeping children, that his eye - Watches their sorrows from his world on high, - Where, near himself, he means them all to gather; - Yet when they reach this cloud-environ’d globe, - These messengers assume a sable robe. - - On then, ye _years_! accelerate your flight; - Ye’ll sooner cross the realm of murky night, - On, on, unresting! till your pinions, riven, - Drop down exhausted in the vault of heaven! - And thou, O Time, - The sage sublime, - Nobly obedient to the King Eternal, - Shalt lay thy silver’d head to peaceful rest, - Close by the mansions of the ransom’d blest, - Who on thy breast were borne to joys supernal. - Then shall the memory of thy faithful flight - Be set to music in the realms of light! - _W. Leask._ - - - Awake, ye saints, and raise your eyes, - And raise your voices high: - Awake, and praise that sov’reign love, - That shows salvation nigh! - - On all the wings of time it flies; - Each moment brings it near; - Then welcome each declining day! - Welcome each closing _year_. - _Doddridge._ - - - Old time has turn’d another page - Of eternity and truth; - He reads with a warning voice to age, - And whispers a lesson to youth. - A _year_ has fled o’er heart and head - Since last the yule-log burnt; - And we have a task to closely ask, - What the bosom and brain have learnt? - Oh! let us hope that our souls have run - With wisdom’s precious grains; - Oh! may we find that our hands have done - Some work of glorious pains. - Then a welcome and cheer to the merry new _year_, - While the holly gleams above us; - With a pardon for the foes who hate, - And a prayer for those who love us. - - We may have seen some loved ones pass - To the land of hallow’d rest; - We may miss the glow of an honest brow - And the warmth of a friendly breast: - But if we nursed them while on earth, - With hearts all true and kind, - Will their spirits blame the sinless mirth - Of those true hearts left behind? - No no! it were not well or wise - To mourn with endless pain; - There’s a better world beyond the skies, - Where the good shall meet again. - Then a welcome and cheer to the merry new _year_, - While the holly gleams above us; - With a pardon for the foes who hate, - And a prayer for those who love us. - - Have our days rolled on serenely free - From sorrow’s dim alloy? - Do we still possess the gifts that bless - And fill our souls with joy? - Are the creatures dear still clinging near? - Do we hear loved voices come? - Do we gaze on eyes whose glances shed - A halo round our home? - Oh, if we do, let thanks be pour’d - To Him who hath spared and given, - And forget not o’er the festive board - The mercies held from heaven. - Then a welcome and cheer to the merry new _year_, - While the holly gleams above us; - With a pardon for the foes who hate, - And a prayer for those who love us. - _Eliza Cook._ - - - - - YOUTH. - - -Wherewithal shall a _young_ man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto -according to Thy word.--Psalm cxix. 9. - -I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find -me.--Proverbs, viii. 17. - -Rejoice O _young_ man in thy _youth_; and let thy heart cheer thee in -the days of thy _youth_, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in -the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God -will bring thee into judgment.--Ecclesiastes, xi. 9. - - - Thrice happy he whose downy age had been - Reclaimed by scourges from the prime of sin; - And, early seasoned with the taste of truth, - Remembers his Creator in his _youth_. - _Francis Quarles._ - - - Something of _youth_ I in old age approve, - But more the marks of age in _youth_ I love. - Who this observes, may in his body find - Decrepit age, but never in his mind. - _Denham._ - - - _Youth_ lost in dissipation,--we deplore - Through life’s sad remnant, what no sighs restore; - Our years, a fruitless loss without a prize, - Too many--yet too few to make us wise. - _Cowper._ - - - Grace is a plant, where’er it grows, - Of pure and heavenly root; - But fairest in the _youngest_ shows, - And yields the sweetest fruit. - _Cowper._ - - - _Youth_’s a soft scene, but trust her not; - Her airy minutes swift as thought, - Slide off the slippery sphere; - Moons with their months make hasty rounds, - The sun has passed his vernal bounds, - And wheels about his year. - _Watts._ - - - For pleasures, vanities, and hates, - The compact we renew, - And Judas rises in our hearts-- - We sell our Saviour too. - How, for some moments’ vain delights, - We will embitter years, - And in our _youth_ lay up for age - Only remorse and tears. - _Miss Landon._ - - - Days of my _youth_! ye have glided away; - Hairs of my _youth_! ye are frosted and gray; - Eyes of my _youth_! your keen sight is no more; - Cheeks of my _youth_! ye are furrow’d all o’er; - Strength of my _youth_! all your vigour is gone; - Thoughts of my _youth_! your gay visions are flown. - - Days of my _youth_! I wish not your recall; - Hairs of my _youth_! I’m content you should fall; - Eyes of my _youth_! ye much evil have seen; - Cheeks of my _youth_! bathed in tears have you been; - Thoughts of my _youth_! ye have led me astray! - Strength of my _youth_! why lament your decay? - - Days of my age! ye will shortly be past; - Pains of my age! but awhile can ye last; - Joys of my age! in true wisdom delight; - Eyes of my age! be religion your light; - Thoughts of my age! dread not the cold sod; - Hopes of my age! be ye fixed on your God! - _C. Tucker._ - - - Come, while the blossoms of thy years are brightest, - Thou _youthful_ wanderer in a flowery maze; - Come, while the restless heart is bounding lightest, - And joy’s pure sunbeams tremble in thy ways; - Come while sweet buds, like summer flowers unfolding, - Waken rich feelings in the careless breast; - While yet thy hand the ephemeral wreath is holding, - Come--and secure interminable rest! - - Come, while the morning of thy life is glowing, - Ere the dim phantoms thou art chasing die; - Ere the gay spell which earth is round thee throwing, - Fades like the crimson from a sunset sky; - Life hath but shadows, save a promise given, - Which lights the future with a fadeless ray; - O, touch the sceptre, win a hope in Heaven; - Come, turn thy spirit from the world away! - _Willis G. Clark._ - - - Live that thy _young_ and glowing breast - Can think of death without a sigh, - And be assured that life is best - Which finds us least afraid to die. - _Eliza Cook._ - - - - - ZEAL. - - -For I bear them record that they have a _zeal_ of God, but not -according to knowledge.--Romans, x. 2. - -It is good to be _zealously_ affected always in a good -thing.--Galatians, iv. 18. - -As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be _zealous_, therefore, and -repent.--Revelation, iii. 19. - - - Farewell to earth; my life of sense is o’er; - My heart is changed, I feel my bonds untied; - And casting every thought impure aside, - My guilty course abandon and deplore. - Fallacious leaders I obey no more; - I follow thee, refuse all other guide; - And ne’er did shipwrecked bark with broken side - Loose from the shelves more anxious for a shore. - And since I spent with risk of mortal harm, - My life and dearest hours, nor gathered thence - Profit or fruit, I crowd my sail to thee. - Lord, I am turned! now let thy gracious arm - Sustain me: and my future service be - With _zeal_ proportioned to my past offence. - _From the Italian of Gabriel Fiamma._ - - - _Zeal_ is that pure and heavenly flame - The fire of love supplies; - While that which often bears the name, - Is self in a disguise. - - True _zeal_ is merciful and mild, - Can pity and forbear; - The false is headstrong, fierce, and wild; - And breathes revenge and war. - - While _zeal_ for truth the Christian warms, - He knows the worth of peace; - But self contends for names and forms, - Its party to increase. - - _Zeal_ has attained its highest aim, - Its end is satisfied, - If sinners love the Saviour’s name, - Nor seeks it ought beside. - _Newton._ - - - If, gracious God, in life’s green, ardent year, - A thousand times thy patient love I tried; - With reckless heart, with conscience hard and sere, - Thy gifts perverted, and thy power defied: - O grant me, now that wintry snows appear - Around my brow, and youth’s bright promise hide. - Grant me with reverential awe to hear - Thy holy voice, and in thy word confide! - Blot from my book of life its early stain! - Since days misspent will never more return, - My future path do thou in mercy trace; - So cause my soul with pious _zeal_ to burn, - That all the trust which in thy name I place, - Frail as I am, may not prove wholly vain. - _From the Italian of Pietro Bembo._ - - - With _zeal_ we watch, - And weigh the doctrine, while the spirit ’scapes; - And in the carving of our cummin-seeds, - Our metaphysical hair-splitting, fail - To note the orbit of that star of love - Which never sets. - _Mrs. Sigourney._ - - - It is well to be _zealous_ for the truth, - God loveth not those who are lukewarm; - Fear not the reproach of the world; - Hide not thy light under a bushel; - Tell thy neighbour, or those in high places, - Of the sin which thou see’st them committing, - Yet not roughly, nor rudely, though firmly, - But temper thy _zeal_ with discretion. - - It is well to be _zealous_, for so were - Of old those who bore God’s commission; - Their hearts burned like coals from the altar, - And they pressed towards the mark of their calling. - So do thou, in thy sphere and station, - Spread the truth as it dwelleth in Jesus; - In season and out be thou instant; - Let thy _zeal_ be according to knowledge. - _Egone._ - - - - - ZION. - - -Out of _Zion_, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined.--Psalm l. 2. - -For the Lord hath chosen _Zion_; He hath desired it for His -habitation.--Psalm cxxxii. 13. - -Behold I lay in _Zion_ a stumbling-stone and rock of offence; and -whosoever believeth on Him shall not be ashamed.--Romans, ix. 33. - - - Glorious things of thee are spoken, - _Zion_, city of our God! - He, whose word cannot be broken, - Formed thee for His own abode. - - On the rock of ages founded, - What can shake Thy sure repose? - With salvation’s walls surrounded, - Thou may’st smile at all Thy foes. - - Saviour, if of _Zion’s_ city - I through grace a member am, - Let the world deride or pity, - I will glory in the name. - - Fading is the worldling’s pleasure, - All his boasted pomp and show; - Solid joys, and lasting treasure, - None but _Zion’s_ children know. - _Newton._ - - - Keep thou _Zion_-ward thy face, - Ask in faith the aid of grace, - Use the strength which grace shall give, - Die to self, in Christ to live. - _Bernard Barton._ - - - Go, walk about _Zion_ and measure the length, - Her walls and her bulwarks mark well; - Contemplate her palaces, glorious in strength, - Her towers and their pinnacles tell. - - Then say to your children:--“Our stronghold is tried, - This God is our God to the end; - His people for ever his counsels shall guide, - His arm shall for ever defend.” - _James Montgomery._ - - - By Babylon’s proud stream we sate, - And tears gushed quick from every eye, - When our own _Zion’s_ fallen state - Came rushing to our memory; - And there, the willow-groves among, - Sorrowing, our silent harps we hung. - - For there our tyrants in their pride, - Bade Judah raise the exulting strain, - And our remorseless spoilers cried, - “Come breathe your native hymns again.” - Oh, how in stranger climes can we - Pour forth Jehovah’s melody? - - When thou, loved _Zion_, art forgot, - Let this unworthy hand decay; - When Salem is remembered not, - Mute be these guilty lips for aye! - Yea, if in transport’s livelier thrill, - Thou, _Zion_, art not dearer still! - _Thomas Dale._ - - - He who slumbereth not, nor sleepeth, - His ancient watch around us keepeth; - Still sent from His creating hand, - New witnesses for truth shall stand-- - New instruments to sound abroad - The Gospel of a risen Lord; - To gather to the fold once more - The desolate and gone astray, - The scattered of a cloudy day, - And _Zion’s_ broken walls restore. - _J. G. Whittier._ - - - The Lord shall comfort _Zion_, - Her places waste restore, - And, of her silent wilderness, - Make Eden bloom once more; - His garden she shall then become, - And worthy of His choice, - Gladness and thanks in all her smiles, - And music in her voice. - _W. G. Simms._ - - - - - INDEX OF AUTHORS’ NAMES. - - - ADAMS, JOHN JAY, (American.) Page 459. - - ADAMS, SARAH FLOWER, (American.) 308 669. - - ADDISON, JOSEPH. Born 1672, Died 1719. 90 175 204 271 304 536 561 - 572 598. - - AKENSIDE, MARK. Born 1721, Died 1770. 141 375 383 561. - - ALCIPHRON, (Greek.) 2nd. century A. C. 284. - - ALDRICH, REV. HENRY, D. D. Born 1647, Died 1710. 389. - - ALEXANDER, A. 316 374 485. - - ALEXANDER, J. 574. - - ALFORD, HENRY. 532. - - ALLEN, WILLIAM. 626. - - ALLMANN, GEORGE J. O. 186. - - AMELIA, PRINCESS. Born 1783, Died 1810. 689. - - ANAXANDRIDES, (Greek.) 4th. century, B. C. 21. - - ANDERSON, WILLIAM. 296 630. - - ANGELO, MICHAEL--Michael Angelo Buonarotti, (Italian.) Born 1474, - Died 1563. 157 368 483. - - ANONYMOUS. 9 17 18 30 31 54 60 119 130 135 138 141 143 146 153 164 - 219 222 242 243 248 253 272 277 279 292 304 309 319 323 334 342 - 362 380 444 461 466 512 534 559 577 611. - - ARBUTHNOT, DR. JOHN. Died 1735. 90. - - ARMSTRONG, DR. JOHN. Born 1709, Died 1779. 221 645. - - - BACON, WILLIAM THOMSON. 288 566 630. - - BAILLIE, JOANNA. Born 1762, Died 1851. 112 122 124 196 392 485 575. - - BALLY, GEORGE, (American.) 27 45 239 340 428 446 470 477 493 659. - - BARBAULD, ANN LETITIA. Born 1763, Died 1825. 38 136 165 397 413 446 - 493 522 694. - - BARNARD, MORDAUNT. 347. - - BARRETT, ELIZABETH, (Mrs. Browning.) 35 40 179 185 204 270 473 539 - 590. - - BARRINGTON. 89. - - BARTON, BERNARD. Born 1786, Died 1849. 211 241 282 288 361 368 433 - 438 443 454 457 496 508 526 545 549 566 591 663 671 705. - - BATES, DAVID. 412 500 564. - - BAXTER. 112. - - BAYLY. 413. - - BEATTIE, DR. JAMES. Born 1735, Died 1803. 106 188 267 575 601 677. - - BEATTIE, DR. W. 285 394. - - BEAUMONT, SIR JOHN. Born 1582, Died 1628. 181 445. - - BEAUMONT, FRANCIS, Born 1585, Died 1616, and FLETCHER, JOHN. Born - 1576, Died 1625. 161 182 537. - - BECKFORD, WILLIAM. Born about 1761, Died 1844. 586. - - BEDDOME. 47 50 617. - - BELLAMY, JACOB. 376. - - BEMBO, PIETRO, (Italian.) Born 1476, Died 1554. 704. - - BETHUNE, ALEXANDER. 106 411 417 495. - - BLACKLOCK, THOMAS. Born 1721, Died 1791. 453. - - BLACKMORE, SIR RICHARD. Born about 1650, Died 1729. 169 224 542. - - BLAIR, ROBERT. Born 1699, Died 1746. 44 171 216 258 264 317 435 - 542 688 696. - - BLAND. 284. - - BLOOMFIELD, ROBERT. Born 1776, Died 1823. 529. - - BOGART, ELIZABETH. 411 460. - - BOLLAND, WILLIAM, (American.) 34 36 250 391 478. - - BOWDLER. 522. - - BOWLES, CAROLINE, (Mrs. Southey.) 149 350 508 647. - - BOWLES, WILLIAM LISLE. Born 1762, Died 1850. 63 78 228 306 478. - - BOWRING, DR. JOHN. Born 1792. 58 94 129 301 437 625 683. - - BOYSE. 43 478 482 674. - - BRADSTREET, MRS. ANNE. 608. - - BRADY AND TATE. 175 187 586. - - BRAINARD, JOHN GARDNER CALKINS, (American.) Born 1796, Died 1828. - 659. - - BRANDON. 446. - - BRETANO CLEMENT, (Italian.) 253. - - BRETON, NICHOLAS. Born 1555, Died 1624. 261 359 421 490 533. - - BROCK, W. J. 77 82 93 213 242 301 334 381 429 591 637. - - BROOKE, ARTHUR, (John Chalk Claris.) 266. - - BROOKE, LORD, (Sir Falke Greville.) Born 1554, Died 1628. 383. - - BROOKS, MARIA A., (American.) 27. - - BROWN, DR. R. 20 537. - - BROWNE, MARY ANN. 131 266 277 669. - - BROWNLEE, W. H. 127 506. - - BRYANT, WILLIAM CULLEN, (American.) Born 1794. 104 154 174 201 258 - 271 340 369 401 429 503 594. - - BRYDGES, SIR EGERTON. 388 416. - - BUNYAN, JOHN. Born 1628, Died 1688. 114 310 621. - - BURBIDGE, JOHN. Born 1826. 32 63 83 213 330 444 559 686. - - BURBIDGE, THOMAS. 424 628. - - BURLEIGH, W. H. 45 49 362. - - BURNS, ROBERT. Born 1751, Died 1796. 40 62 146 233 283 295 312 406 - 493 667 691. - - BUTLER, SAMUEL. Born 1612, Died 1680. 627. - - BYRON, (Lord) GEORGE GORDON. Born 1788, Died 1824. 185 273 388 645. - - - CALDERON, PEDRO, DE LA BARCA, (Spanish.) Born 1600, Died 1687. 364. - - CAMOENS, LUIZ DE, (Portuguese.) Born 1524, Died 1579. 643. - - CAMPBELL, CALDER. 191 256. - - CAMPBELL, THOMAS. Born 1777, Died 1844. 153 306. - - CAMPION. 446. - - CAREW, LADY ELIZABETH. 17th. century. 501. - - CARRERA. 195. - - CARRINGTON, N. T. 428. - - CARRION, R. DE, (Spanish.) 169. - - CARTER, MRS. ELIZABETH. Born 1717, Died 1806. 262 384. - - CASE, REV. E. 131 496. - - CAUNTER, DR. JOHN HOBART. 335. - - CAWOOD. 30 73 120. - - CENNICK. 6. - - CHAPMAN, GEORGE. Born 1557, Died 1634. 336 470 530 541 574 683. - - CHARLOTTE ELIZABETH, (Mrs. Pelham, and Mrs. Tinna.) Born 1790. 223 - 235. - - CHATELAIN, ANNA, H. V. LE, (French.) 291. - - CHATTERTON, THOMAS. Born 1752, Died 1770. 361 518. - - CHAUCER, GEOFFRY. Born 1328, Died 1400. 430. - - CHEEVER, G. B., (America.) 19. - - CHENEDOLLE. 525. - - CHESTER, C. L., AND J. L., (American.) 122 466 558 666. - - CHURCHILLA, CHARLES. Born 1741, Died 1764. 145 156. - - CHURCHYARD, THOMAS. 272. - - CLARE, JOHN. Born 1793. 449. - - CLARK, WILLIS GAYFORD, (American.) Born 1810, Died 1841. 24 496 588 - 702. - - CLAUDIAN--CLAUDIANUS, (Latin.) About 390 B. C. 428. - - CLINCH, J. H. 316 332. - - COBBIN. 323. - - COCKBURN. 597. - - COLERIDGE, SAMUEL TAYLOR. Born 1772, Died 1834. 40 50 119 160 173 - 189 212 222 239 247 273 347 367 405 429 464 562 607 624 654. - - COLLING, MARY MARIA. Born 1805. 398. - - COLONNA, VITTORIA, (Italian.) Born about 1490, Died 1547. 69 640. - - COLTON, GEORGE H., (American.) 173 691. - - COLTON, C. C. 17 55 188 208 217 256 292 414 458 644 651. - - CONDER, JOSIAH. 59 88 323. - - CONGREVE, WILLIAM. Born 1672, Died 1729. 48 547 600. - - COOK, ELIZA. 20 126 262 279 428 459 463 508 659 675 699 702. - - COOKE, MRS. F. H. 427. - - COTTA, GIOVANNI, (Italian.) 39. - - COTTON, CHARLES. Born 1630, Died 1687. 504 611. - - COWLEY, ABRAHAM. Born 1618, Died 1667. 476 610 646. - - COWPER, WILLIAM. Born 1731, Died 1800. 8 10 15 23 35 39 61 81 108 - 113 119 140 159 161 163 230 238 241 258 259 261 262 275 276 306 - 313 331 343 354 356 364 378 407 410 415 445 448 457 460 462 464 - 465 468 484 485 504 505 518 528 533 548 606 612 613 615 618 628 - 634 636 644 649 667 673 681 684 688 694 701. - - COXE, ARTHUR C. 117. - - CRABBE, GEORGE. Born 1754, Died 1832. 85 171 383 443 587. - - CRAWSHAW, RICHARD. Died about 1650. 158 586. - - CROLY, GEORGE. 324 451 479 569 624. - - CROSSWELL, WILLIAM. 335. - - CUMBERLAND, RICHARD. Born 1732, Died 1811. 198. - - CUNNINGHAM, ALLAN. Born 1784, Died 1842. 100 103 228 532. - - CURRY, OTWAY M. 203. - - - DA COSTA. 511. - - DALE, THOMAS. 308 391 461 543 706. - - DANA, MATILDA F. (American.) 50. - - DANA, RICHARD HENRY, (American.) Born 1787. 312. - - DANIEL, SAMUEL. Born 1562, Died 1619. 232 267 540. - - DARWIN, DR. ERASMUS. Born 1721, Died 1802. 655. - - DAVENANT, SIR WILLIAM. Born 1605, Died 1668. 139 150 168 559 672. - - DAVENPORT, R. 342. - - DE COURCEY. 281 516 619. - - DEKKER, THOMAS. Died about 1638. 619. - - DAVIS, ELNATHAN. 95. - - DAVIES, SIR JOHN. Born 1570, Died 1626. 286 373 530 559 633. - - DAWES, RUFUS, (American.) Born 1803. 404 655. - - DENHAM, SIR JOHN. Born 1615, Died 1668. 183 249 321 533 701. - - DI CEO, VIOLANTE, (Italian.) 436. - - DENNIES, ANNA PEYRE, (American.) 308. - - DOANE, BISHOP, (George Washington, American.) Born 1799. 156 535. - - DODDRIDGE, DR. Born 1702, Died 1751. 46 84 134 236 263 324 329 365 - 431 495 504 554 613 623 697 699. - - DODSLEY, ROBERT. Born 1703, Died 1764. 593. - - DONNE, DR. JOHN. Born 1573, Died 1631. 33 119 491. - - DORSET, EARL OF, (Charles Sackville.) Born 1637, Died 1706. 140. - - DRAYTON, MICHAEL. Born 1563, Died 1631. 449. - - DREXELIUS. 491. - - DRUMMOND, WILLIAM. Born 1585, Died 1649. 68 200 327 453 541 687 - 688. - - DRYDEN JOHN. Born 1630, Died 1700. 41 61 72 87 90 114 121 180 202 - 232 289 298 317 318 402 460 472 476 491 500 541 542 565 593 651 - 661. - - DUICK, JOHN. 523. - - DUNCAN. 619. - - DYER, JOHN. Born 1700, Died 1758. 146. - - - EAMES, E. J. 511. - - EASTBURN, JAMES WALLIS, (American.) 564. - - EDMESTON, JAMES. 98 234 369 457 510. - - EGONE. 71 77 79 82 97 99 101 104 129 147 161 176 178 197 202 208 - 218 220 223 230 268 283 294 298 309 316 321 332 344 353 372 386 - 404 422 438 471 483 502 503 506 507 553 595 597 602 622 626 632 - 634 635 639 648 665 666 704. - - ELLIOTT, EBENEZER. Born 1781, Died 1849. 89 591 622 668 680. - - ELLIS, G. 609. - - ELIZABETH, QUEEN. Born 1533, Died 1602. 144. - - ELLWOOD, THOMAS. Born 1639, Died 1713. 251 287 661. - - EMBURY, MRS. EMMA C., (American.) Born about 1807. 685. - - ERLACH, COUNT FREDERICK VON, (German.) 652. - - EVANS, J. 43 224. - - EVEREST, CHARLES W. (American.) 335. - - EVERETT, EDWARD, (American.) Born 1794. 488. - - - FABER, FREDERICK WILLIAM. 116 338 426. - - FARQUHARSON, STUART. 120 301. - - FAWCETT. 8 321 486. - - FELTON, JOHN BROOKS. 603. - - FIAMMA, GABRIEL, (Italian.) Born 1533, Died 1585. 148 354 589 703. - - FIELDS, JAMES T., (American.) 228. - - FLATMAN, THOMAS. Born about 1635, Died about 1688. 419. - - FLECKNOE. 539. - - FLETCHER, GILES. 16th. century. 80 92 118 140 151 315 317 382 514 - 516 578 613 615 661. - - FLETCHER, PHINEAS. Born 1584, Died 1650. 144 447 535. - - FLETCHER, T. 52. - - FLINDERS, ANN. 424. - - FORD, JOHN. Born 1586, Died 1639. 396 456 627. - - FRANCIS. 645. - - FREILIGRATH, FERDINAND, (German.) Born 1810. 67 566. - - FRENCH, FROM THE. 70 239 291 507 545 570 580 589. - - FROWDE. 501. - - FRY, CAROLINE. 212. - - - GALLAGHER, W. D. 207 416. - - GARTH, SIR SAMUEL. Died 1718. 173. - - GASCOIGNE, GEORGE. Born about 1540, Died about 1578. 152 497. - - GAY, JOHN. Born 1688, Died 1732. 171 199 255 277. - - GERMAN, FROM THE. 56 67 118 227 288 290 317 451 483 566 616 652 - 674 677. - - GIBBONS. 233. - - GIBSON, WILLIAM. 142 324 636. - - GILMAN, CAROLINE. 24. - - GISBORNE. 210 436. - - GLASSFORD, JAMES. 523. - - GLYN. 39 110 268 274 294. - - GOETHE, JOHANN WOLFGANG, (German.) Born 1749, Died 1832. 56. - - GOLDSMITH, OLIVER. Born 1730, Died 1774. 133 432 579. - - GOMERSALL, ROBERT. Born 1600. 180. - - GOODE. 387. - - GOSTICK, JOSEPH. 31 290 342 357 370 437 474 517 566 573 599 602. - - GOULD, HANNAH F., (American.) Born about 1792. 38 377 411 414 585 - 638 679. - - GRAHAME, JAMES. Born 1765, Died 1811. 98 400 431 455 499 654 685. - - GRANT, SIR ROBERT. 14 131 254 407 596 624 667 681. - - GRAY, THOMAS. Born 1716, Died 1771. 17 251. - - GRAY, MISS. 399. - - GREEK, FROM THE. 21 208 284 452. - - GRENFIELD, THOMAS. 512. - - GREVILLE, SIR FALKE, (Lord Brooke.) Born 1554, Died 1628. 440. - - GURNEY, ARCHER. 57. - - - HABBINGTON, WILLIAM. Born 1605, Died 1654. 560. - - HALE, SARAH JOSEPHA, (American.) 191 403. - - HALLAM, ARTHUR HENRY. Born 1824, Died 1850. 628. - - HAMILTON, W. 347. - - HAMLEY, REV. E. 285. - - HAMMOND. 531. - - HANCOX. 89. - - HANKINSON. 300. - - HART. 212 694. - - HAVARD. 221 302. - - HAYES, SAMUEL, (American.) 7 42 60 64 149 239 273 292 304 314 331 - 351 376 385 400 408 479 482 485 544 571 577 582 636. - - HAYLEY, WILLIAM. Born 1745, Died 1820. 71. - - HEBER, BISHOP REGINALD. Born 1783, Died 1826. 16 88 160 172 192 218 - 232 278 306 337 364 378 387 399 422 528 538 607 653. - - HEMANS, FELICIA DOROTHEA. Born 1793, Died 1835. 66 70 172 245 253 - 297 299 315 367 410 449 462 499 509 525 568 573 590 625 690. - - HERAUD, JOHN A. 72 100 128 138 191 196 210 251 293 314 320 326 349 - 365 379 421 465 468 557 595 630 631. - - HERBERT, GEORGE. Born 1592, Died 1633. 49 65 98 123 209 255 262 452 - 497 498 542 560 579 627 695. - - HERBERT, HON. AND REV. WILLIAM. 27. - - HERDER, JOHANN GOTTFRIED, (German.) Born 1744, Died 1803. 451 677. - - HERRICK, ROBERT. Born 1591. 82 132 188 310 647. - - HERVEY, T. K. Born about 1804. 102 692. - - HEGINBOTHAM. 187. - - HETHERINGTON, REV. W. M. 268. - - HEY, JOHN. 271 482 567 642. - - HICKS. 690. - - HILL, AARON. 199 216. - - HILLHOUSE, JAMES A., (American.) Born 1789, Died 1841. 400. - - HIRST, H. B. 320 419. - - HOADLEY, BISHOP BENJAMIN. Born 1676. 109. - - HODSON, WILLIAM. Born 1745, Died 1851. 164 331 544 594. - - HOFFMAN, CHARLES FENNO, (American.) Born 1806. 362. - - HOGG, JAMES. Born 1772. Died 1835. 75. - - HOLMES, OLIVER WENDELL, (American.) Born 1809. 534. - - HOMER, (Greek.) About 500 B. C. 208. - - HOOD, THOMAS. Born 1789. Died 1845. 115 408. - - HOOPER, LUCY, (American.) 570. - - HORACE--QUINTUS HORATIUS FLACCUS. (Latin.) Born 65 B. C., Died - 2 A. D. 169 268. - - HORNE, BISHOP GEORGE. Born 1730, Died 1792. 171 352. - - HORNE, RICHARD H. 450. - - HOUSMAN, R. F. 296. - - HOWELL, JAMES. Born about 1596, Died 1666. 169. - - HOWES. 611. - - HOWITT, MARY. 76 117 213 229 506 614. - - HOWITT, RICHARD. 126. - - HOYLE, CHARLES. 400 413 556. - - HUGHES, THOMAS. 38 226 567. - - HUMPHREYS. 475. - - HUNNIS, WILLIAM. 650. - - HUNT, LEIGH. Born 1784. 110 247 450. - - HUNTINGDON, C. 115. - - HURD, BISHOP RICHARD. Born 1720, Died 1808. 147. - - HURDIS. 87. - - HUTTON. 467. - - - INGELGREN, (Swedish.) 206. - - ITALIAN, FROM THE. 14 39 157 188 200 354 355 356 368 436 455 483 - 576 589 640 703 704. - - - JAMES, I., KING. Born 1566. Died 1625. 587. - - JAMES, G. P. R. Born about 1800. 213. - - JAMI, ABD ALRHAMEN EBN ACHMED, (Persian.) Born 1414, Died 1494. - 252. - - JENNER, CHARLES, (American.) 33 34 431 477 567 630. - - JENYNS, SOAME. Born 1704, Died 1787. 216. - - JEWSBURY, MISS. 365. - - JOHNSON, C. H. 16 51 52 387. - - JOHNSON, DR. SAMUEL. Born 1709, Died 1784. 252 255 276 289 340 396 - 456 610 662. - - JONES, REV. E. C. AND JOSEPH. 639 649. - - JONSON, BEN. Born 1576, Died 1637. 121 139 168 339 632. - - JUVENAL, DECIMUS JUNIUS, (Latin.) Died 128. 139. - - - KAMPHUYZEN. 137 631. - - KEBLE. 4 33 34 76 86 116 162 166 192 249 251 286 288 300 316 379 - 399 401 431 442 448 493 494 567 585 590 612 668 678. - - KELLY. 4 86 385 637. - - KEMBLE, FRANCES ANN, (Mrs. Butler.) 23 589. - - KEN, BISHOP. 46 150 291 410. - - KING, BISHOP HENRY, (Reign of James I.) 44 446 534 541 551 678. - - KINGTON, J. B. 229. - - KNOWLES, JAMES SHERIDAN. Born 1784. 377. - - KNOX, WILLIAM, (American.) 10 24 40 155 244 303 606. - - KORNER, THEODORE, (German.) Born 1788, Died 1842. 552. - - KRUMMACHER, (German.) 317 616. - - - LAMB, CHARLES. Born about 1775, Died 1834. 40 249 426 510. - - LAMARTINE, ALPHONSE DE, (French.) Born 1790. 70 239 507 545 570 580 - 589. - - LANDON, LETITIA ELIZABETH. (Mrs. Mc Lean.) Born 1802, Died 1838. 59 - 134 181 204 315 368 394 479 580 584 587 603 701. - - LANDOR, WALTER SAVAGE. Born 1775. 270. - - LATIN, FROM THE. 169 215 268 428 452 611 696. - - LAYARD, C. P. 109 117 263 501 588 632 636. - - LEASK, WILLIAM. 698. - - LEATHAM, WILLIAM HENRY. Born 1815. 646. - - LEE, D. K. 342. - - LEON, LUIS PONCE DE, (Spanish.) Born 1528, Died 1591. 178 535 546. - - LETHAM, ALEXANDER. 417. - - LEVER, CHRISTOPHER. Born 1607. 618 641. - - LEYDEN, DR. JOHN. Born 1775, Died 1811. 512. - - LILLO, WILLIAM. Born 1693, Died 1739. 269 299 464. - - LINDEN, JOHN. 77. - - LITTLE, MRS. 353 431. - - LOGAN, JOHN. Born 1748, Died 1788. 26 83 405 510 558. - - LONGFELLOW, HENRY WADSWORTH, (American.) Born 1807. 3 204 265 358 - 436 676. - - LOUD, MRS. ST. LEON. 24. - - LOWELL, JAMES RUSSELL, (American.) Born 1819. 48 142 189 214. - - LOWTH, BISHOP ROBERT. Born 1710, Died 1787. 163 237 273 383 513. - - LUNT, GEORGE. 690. - - LUTHER, MARTIN, (German.) Born 1483, Died 1546. 118. - - LYNCH, ANN C. 389. - - LYTE. 283 692. - - LYTTON, SIR EDWARD BULWER. Born 1803. 45 109 125 166 174 211 212 - 258 264 441 491. - - - MACKAY, CHARLES, L. L. D. Born 1812. 60 96 258 616 664. - - MADAN. 36 395. - - MAGNO, CELIO, (Italian.) Born 1536. 455. - - MANT, BISHOP. 29 34 75 124 155 187 269 298 309 336 347 378 494 495 - 511 529 571 691. - - MANZONI, (Italian.) 576. - - MARLOWE, CHRISTOPHER. Born 1562, Died 1592. 293. - - MARMYON, SHAKERLEY. 271 541. - - MARRIOTT. 517. - - MARSDEN, JOSIAH. 607. - - MARSTON, JOHN. Died 1634. 530. - - MARTIN, WILLIAM. 115 231 489 513 531 617 622 657. - - MARVELL, ANDREW. Born 1620, Died 1678. 170 184 245 339. - - MASON, WILLIAM. Born 1725, Died 1797. 141 182 320 357 471. - - MASSINGER, PHILIP. Born about 1585, Died 1639. 183 250 351. - - MASTER. 487. - - MAY, THOMAS. Born 1595, Died 1650. 319. - - MAYNE, JOHN. Born 1761, Died 1836. 115. - - M’ CARTEE, MRS. 552. - - M’ CARTHY. 364. - - MC’ KELLAR, THOMAS. 448 501. - - MC’ LEOD, C. D. 43. - - MC’ NEILL, HECTOR. 142. - - MEDICI, LORENZO DE, (Italian.) Born 1448, Died 1492. 14. - - MEDLEY. 341. - - MENDOZA, LOPEZ DE, (Spanish.) 274. - - MERVICK, JAMES. Born 1720, Died 1767. 463. - - MERRITT, THOMAS LIGHT. Born 1794. 57 185. - - METASTASIO, PIETRO, (Italian.) Born 1698, Died 1782. 188. - - MICKLE, WILLIAM JULIUS. Born 1734, Died 1788. 102 141 159. - - MIDDLETON, THOMAS. Born 1570, Died 1627. 32. - - MILMAN, HENRY HART. Born 1791. 16 338 368 385 391 410 557 562 620. - - MILNER, MARY. Born 1796. 110 263 265. - - MILTON, JOHN. Born 1608, Died 1674. 5 7 9 11 15 22 25 28 41 49 51 - 59 60 72 78 92 97 107 113 121 129 135 137 138 143 148 154 162 - 165 169 176 178 182 183 189 205 208 216 223 224 225 236 238 250 - 251 252 257 261 293 312 322 337 359 360 374 386 389 409 420 421 - 424 426 432 434 445 453 472 475 502 503 520 521 524 544 554 557 - 565 568 573 576 593 596 605 618 627 634 641 642 648 652 656 665 - 672 679 684. - - MITCHELL, J. K. 265 492 512. - - MOILE, NICHOLAS THORNING. 601. - - MOIR, D. M., (Delta.) Died 1851. 561 624. - - MONTAGUE, E. L. 181. - - MONTGOMERY, JAMES. Born 1771, Died 1854. 2 5 12 20 43 49 53 64 74 - 76 87 90 92 96 100 111 125 128 135 142 153 177 180 185 187 204 - 225 226 229 235 242 243 246 254 285 311 319 322 337 360 393 396 - 405 408 417 425 439 458 467 473 488 505 515 524 536 545 549 558 - 563 570 597 631 634 637 646 647 656 670 685 686 693 705. - - MONTGOMERY, ROBERT. 23 30 43 55 116 126 217 298 301 320 340 376 380 - 384 419 438 451 481 492 500 502 526 570 572 597 609. - - MOORE, THOMAS. Born 1780, Died 1852. 71 162 204 214 283 291 357 361 - 491 529 690. - - MORE, HANNAH. Born 1745, Died 1833. 103 150 241 357 561 593 634 652 - 667 673 679 684. - - MORE, DR. HENRY. Born 1614, Died 1687. 325. - - MOREHEAD. 226. - - MORRIS, GEORGE P., (American.) Born 1800. 67 385. - - MOXON, EDWARD. 357. - - - NEAL, MRS. 125 625. - - NEEDHAM. 48 176 222 473. - - NEELE, HENRY. Born 1798, Died 1828. 375. - - NEWTON, JOHN. 3 179 186 474 619 620 681 703 705. - - NICHOLAS, ALEXANDER. 145. - - NICOL, ROBERT. Born 1814, Died 1837. 174 302 524 588. - - NORRIS. 577. - - NORTON, CAROLINE ELIZABETH SARAH. Born about 1806. 79 93 96 174 258 - 379 384 410 461 574 629 683. - - - OGILVIE. 197. - - OLDYS. 537. - - OLIVER. 177 272 692. - - OPIE, AMELIA. Born 1771. 343 443 647. - - - PARDOE, MISS. 664 692. - - PARK, BENJAMIN, (American.) Born 1809. 45 181. - - PARNELL, THOMAS. Born 1679, Died 1718. 18 42 125 160 172 203 276 - 277 360 367 419 454 494 542. - - PATTERSON, S. D. 112 395 404 660. - - PEABODY, WILLIAM B. O., (American.) Born 1799. 207 260 455 671. - - PEARSON. 522. - - PEELE, GEORGE. Died about 1598. 163. - - PEERS, CHARLES. 314. - - PEMBROKE, COUNTESS OF. 345. - - PERRONET. 263 412. - - PERSIAN, FROM THE. 232 252. - - PERSEUS--AULUS PERSIUS FLACCUS, (Latin.) Born 32, Died 62. 611. - - PETER, W. 371 463 620. - - PHELAN. 555. - - PIERPONT, JOHN, (American.) Born 1785. 594. - - PITT, CHRISTOPHER. 672. - - PLAY, OLD. 25 540. - - POE, EDGAR ALLAN, (American.) Born 1811, Died 1829. 539. - - POLLOK, ROBERT. Born 1799, Died 1827. 42 62 122 193 199 217 256 288 - 313 354 464 480 522 553 566 609 612 615 674. - - POOLE, JOSHUA. 249. - - POMFRET, JOHN. Born 1667, Died 1703. 77 172. - - POPE, ALEXANDER. Born 1688, Died 1744. 90 208 216 232 238 253 383 - 387 409 416 434 453 547 589 594 645. - - PORTEUS, BISHOP BEILBY. Born 1731, Died 1808. 533 554 641 677. - - PORTUGUESE, FROM THE. 643. - - PRAED, WENTHROP MACKWORTH. 485. - - PRATT, ANN. 574. - - PRINGLE, THOMAS. Born 1788, Died 1834. 393. - - PRIOR, MATTHEW. Born 1664, Died 1721. 97 107 165 172 290 317 389 - 416. - - PRUDENTIUS AURELIUS CLEMENS, (Latin.) 4th. century. 452. - - PULLING, WILLIAM. 239 404 487 507 545 570 580. - - - QUARLES, FRANCIS. Born 1592, Died 1642. 19 84 140 148 156 157 193 - 287 289 355 374 383 432 456 540 555 598 633 672 688 701. - - QUARLES, JOHN. 642. - - - RAFFLES. 92. - - RALEIGH, SIR WALTER. Born 1552, Died 1618. 151 198 236 442 521 600 - 642. - - RANDOLPH, THOMAS. Born 1605, Died 1634. 257 427 553 564 600 627 - 691. - - REDDELL, CONSTANTIA LOUISA. 280 307 333 370 433 439 486. - - REED, MARY J. 663. - - RICHMOND, LEIGH. 173 264 660. - - ROBINSON, E. 423 475. - - ROCK, WILLIAM F. 658. - - ROGERS, SAMUEL. Born 1762. 30 258 499 510 592 601. - - ROSCOE, WILLIAM. Born 1753, Died 1831. 35. - - ROSCOMMON, EARL OF. Born 1633, Died 1684. 160 696. - - ROSEGARTEN. 160 664. - - ROWE, NICHOLAS. Born 1673, Died 1718. 169 257 371. - - ROWLEY. 501. - - RUSSIAN, FROM THE. 423 440 558 683. - - RYLAND. 236. - - - SACKVILLE, CHARLES, (Earl of Dorset.) Born 1637, Died 1706. 21 189 - 215 392. - - SANAZZARO. 356. - - SANDYS, GEORGE. Born 1577, Died 1643. 11 175 317 505 547. - - SCHILLER, FRIEDRICK, (German.) Born 1759, Died 1800. 227 288 674. - - SCOTT, JAMES. 37 513 543 668. - - SCOTT, SIR WALTER. Born 1771, Died 1832. 61 166 172 360 513 606. - - SHAKSPERE, WILLIAM. Born 1564, Died 1616. 19 33 44 80 85 90 120 135 - 144 165 167 181 182 190 215 223 224 240 257 261 289 293 313 314 - 339 343 382 408 409 420 430 464 490 533 539 547 551 560 598 600 - 604 642 646 652 681. - - SAEA, JOHN A. 525. - - SHELLEY, PERCY BYSSHE. Born 1792, Died 1822. 180 549 689. - - SHEPARD, ISAAC F. 512 663. - - SHEPHERD. 520. - - SHERBURNE, SIR E. 140. - - SHIRLEY, GEORGE E. 73. - - SHIRLEY, JAMES. Born 1594, Died 1656. 132 168 250 289 290. - - SIDNEY, SIR PHILIP. Born 1554, Died 1586. 180 221 551. - - SIGOURNEY, LYDIA HUNTLEY, (American.) Born about 1797. 1 58 116 179 - 244 260 377 384 395 402 403 407 435 474 488 525 539 562 575 578 - 585 602 613 638 670 675 678 704. - - SIMMS, WILLIAM GILMORE, (American.) 706. - - SLADDEN, DILNOT. Born 1814, Died 1839. 218. - - SMALL, PETER. 17th. century. 605. - - SMART, CHRISTOPHER. Born 1722, Died 1770. 25 74 123 183 203 228 288 - 390 409 441 673. - - SMITH, CHARLOTTE. 13 333. - - SMITH, HORACE. Died 1849. 312 485 588. - - SOMERVILLE, WILLIAM. Born 1682, Died 1742. 376. - - SOUTHERN, THOMAS. Born 1659, Died 1746. 472. - - SOUTHEY, MRS., (Caroline Bowles.) 117 137 367 506. - - SOUTHEY, ROBERT. Born 1774, Died 1843. 149 237 381 572 580. - - SOUTHWELL, ROBERT. Born 1560, Died about 1596. 7 144 198 310 456. - - SPANISH, FROM THE. 169 178 204 274 364 452 535 546. - - SPEAR, T. G. 442. - - SPENSER, BISHOP. 519. - - SPENSER, EDMUND. Born 1553, Died 1599. 28 44 87 137 183 198 203 305 - 339 472 505 565 672. - - SPRAGUE, CHARLES, (American.) Born 1791. 254 526. - - STARKEY, D. P. 294. - - STEELE. 26 81 274 330 414 522 635. - - STEELE, MRS. 311. - - STENNETT. 101 371 599 620. - - STERLING, JOHN. 114 173 212 462 492 539 562 563 570 669. - - STERNHOLD. 16th. century. 113. - - STILLINGFLEET, BISHOP EDWARD. Born 1636, Died 1699. 346. - - STILL, PETER. 697. - - STORY, ROBERT. 57. - - STREET, ALFRED B., (American.) Born 1811. 266. - - SWAIN, CHARLES. 20 220 369. - - SYME, J. B. 94. - - SYMMONS. 215. - - SYNESIUS. 452. - - - TALFOURD, THOMAS NOON. Born 1795, Died 1854. 223 408. - - TAPPAN, W. B. 481 523. - - TARSIA, (Lord of Belmont--Italian.) 15th. century. 200. - - TASSO, TORQUATO, (Italian.) Born 1544, Died 1595. 355. - - TATHAM, EMMA. 94. - - TAYLOR, EMILY. 403. - - TAYLOR, GEORGE. 186. - - TAYLOR, HENRY. 197. - - TAYLOR, JANE. 211. - - TAYLOR, JOHN. 17th. century. 136. - - TENNYSON, ALFRED. Born about 1810. 53 176 206 273 348 552 626 628 - 679. - - THOMPSON, CHARLES WEST, (American.) 69. - - THOMSON, JAMES. Born 1700, Died 1748. 29 58 69 91 205 360 415 436 - 440 441 449 491 527 579 587 644 652. - - TICKELL, THOMAS. Born 1686, Died 1740. 168 251. - - TOPLADY. 47 277 507. - - TOWNSHEND. 381. - - TUCKER C. 702. - - TUPPER, MARTIN FARQUHAR. Born 1811. 201 280 310 348 349 351 459 515 - 626 666 675. - - - VAUGHAN, HENRY. Born 1614, Died 1695. 91 152 170 397 435 509 688. - - VAUX, LORD. Died 1560. 281 600. - - VIRGIL--PUBLIUS VIRGILIUS MARO, (Latin.) Born about 70, Died about - 19 B.C. 215. - - VOGELWEIDE, WALTER VON DER, (German.) Born 1170, Died 1227. 290. - - VONDEL. 379. - - - WALKER. 251. - - WALLER, EDMUND. Born 1605, Died 1687. 23 61 118 344 366 374 409 484 - 650 665 667. - - WARD, THOMAS. 45 196 300 433 506 668. - - WARDLAW, DR. 489. - - WARE, HENRY, (American.) Born 1794. 104 117 136 266 377 398 418 435 - 475. - - WARING, ANN L. 202 239 272 326 372 446 685. - - WATKYNS. 541. - - WATTS, DR. ISAAC. Born 1674, Died 1748. 2 4 6 8 9 14 77 81 101 161 - 165 177 182 194 237 242 243 253 269 295 297 304 325 330 333 334 - 350 383 386 388 401 413 456 467 473 479 503 518 519 520 532 554 - 577 618 623 635 640 656 662 682 689 693 701. - - WEBSTER, JOHN. Died about 1638. 19 408 428. - - WEIR. 399. - - WELBY, AMELIA, (American.) Born about 1821. 350. - - WELD, H. H. 117 155 376 448 466 556 584. - - WESLEY, CHARLES AND JOHN. Charles Born 1708, Died 1788. John Born - 1703, Died 1791. 3 6 36 83 84 111 133 192 219 330 462 466 499 - 519 555 580 651 656 657 682 693 694. - - WHITE, HENRY KIRKE. Born 1785, Died 1806. 53 93 105 146 190 210 298 - 353 410 498. - - WHITNEY. 627. - - WHITTIER, JOHN GREENLEAF, (American.) Born 1880. 42 125 213 214 308 - 369 429 502 513 552 655 660 669 706. - - WHYTE. 558. - - WILCOX, CHARLES, (American.) Born 1794, Died 1827. 58. - - WILLIS, NATHANIEL PARKER, (American.) Born 1807. 234 332. - - WILSON, PROFESSOR JOHN, (Christopher North.) Born 1788, Died 1854. - 64 130 174. - - WINSLOW, B. D. 45 160. - - WITHER, GEORGE. Born 1588, Died 1667. 133 221 227 509 651 662 665. - - WOOD, W. SPICER. 486. - - WOODBRIDGE, MISS A. D. 283. - - WORDSWORTH, WILLIAM. Born 1770, Died 1850. 13 65 75 99 105 108 147 - 191 200 227 341 346 368 372 388 417 419 430 454 464 477 504 511 - 534 548 579 585 598 601 612 629 645 683 690. - - WOTTON, SIR HENRY. Born 1568, Died 1639. 15 80 138 145 261 275 340 - 448 661. - - WYATT, SIR THOMAS. Born 1503, Died 1541. 677. - - WYTHES, JOSEPH H. 67. - - - YOUNG, EDWARD. Born 1681, Died 1765. 22 27 29 37 42 44 97 121 141 - 158 159 170 183 190 194 206 208 217 231 240 241 257 287 305 318 - 321 333 355 356 366 375 390 412 413 416 418 428 432 445 454 470 - 476 477 480 484 498 504 515 521 527 561 601 605 606 610 643 660 - 661 673 689 695. - - - ZOUCH. 17th. century. 584. - - - - - INDEX OF SUBJECTS. - - - Aaron, 1 - - Abel, 2 - - Abhorrence, 3 - - Abide--Abode, 4 - - Abound--Abundance, 5 - - Above, 6 - - Abraham, 7 - - Absence, 8 - - Acceptance, 9 - - Acquaintance, 10 - - Adam and Eve, 11 - - Admonition, 13 - - Adoration, 14 - - Advent, 15 - - Adversity, 17 - - Affection, 18 - - Affliction, 19 - - Age, 21 - - Almighty, 25 - - Ambition, 27 - - Angels, 28 - - Anger, 31 - - Apostles, 33 - - Ascension, 37 - - Atheism, 39 - - Atonement, 41 - - Avarice, 44 - - Awake--Arise, 46 - - Awe, 48 - - - Baptism, 49 - - Baptist, John the, 51 - - Beautiful, 53 - - Belief--Unbelief, 55 - - Bells, 56 - - Beneficence--Benevolence, 58 - - Benefit, 59 - - Benignity, 60 - - Bible, The, 61 - - Birds--Fowls, 68 - - Birth--Born, 72 - - Blessing--Blessedness--Bless, 74 - - Blindness, 78 - - Blood, 80 - - Blossom, 82 - - Boldness, 83 - - Bondage, 84 - - Book, 85 - - Bounty, 87 - - Bread, 88 - - Break--Breaking, 90 - - Breath--Breathing, 91 - - Brightness, 92 - - Brotherhood, 93 - - - Calamity, 97 - - Calmness, 98 - - Calvary, 100 - - Canaan, 101 - - Captivity, 102 - - Care--Careful, 103 - - Change, 105 - - Charity, 107 - - Charge, 111 - - Chastening, 112 - - Cherub--Seraph, 113 - - Childhood--Infancy, 114 - - Christ--Christmas, 118 - - Christianity, 121 - - Church, 123 - - City, 127 - - Clothes, 129 - - Clouds, 130 - - Comfort, 132 - - Command--Commandment, 135 - - Compassion, 136 - - Concord, 137 - - Conquest, 138 - - Conscience, 139 - - Consolation, 143 - - Content, 144 - - Contrition, 148 - - Courage, 150 - - Court, 151 - - Covenant--Rainbow, 152 - - Creation, 154 - - Crown, 156 - - Cross--Crucifixion, 157 - - - Danger, 161 - - Darkness, 162 - - David, 163 - - Day, 165 - - Death, 167 - - Defence, 175 - - Delight, 176 - - Deliverance, 177 - - Delusions, 178 - - Denial, 179 - - Desire--Desires, 180 - - Desolation, 181 - - Destruction, 182 - - Devotion--Devout, 183 - - Dew, 184 - - Distress, 187 - - Doubt, 188 - - Dread--Dreadful, 189 - - Dust, 190 - - Duty, 191 - - Dwell--Dwelling, 192 - - - Earth, 193 - - Elements, 197 - - Envy, 198 - - Error, 200 - - Estate, 202 - - Eternity, 203 - - Evening, 205 - - Example, 208 - - - Faith, 209 - - Fall, 214 - - Fame, 215 - - Farewell, 218 - - Father, 219 - - Fear, 221 - - Fellowship, 223 - - Finished, 224 - - Flood, 225 - - Flowers, 227 - - Folly, 230 - - Forgetfulness, 231 - - Forgiveness, 232 - - Foundation, 235 - - Fountain, 236 - - Frailty, 237 - - Freedom, 238 - - Friendship, 240 - - - Gain, 243 - - Garden--Eden--Gethsemane, 244 - - Gentleness, 247 - - Giving, 249 - - Glory, 250 - - God, 252 - - Gold, 255 - - Goodness, 257 - - Gospel, 259 - - Grace, 261 - - Grave--Tomb, 264 - - Greatness, 267 - - Grief, 269 - - Guidance, 271 - - Guilt, 273 - - - Happiness, 275 - - Harvest, 279 - - Hatred, 280 - - Head, 281 - - Healing, 282 - - Health, 284 - - Hearing, 286 - - Heart, 287 - - Heaven--Heavens, 289 - - Hell, 293 - - Help, 295 - - Hills, 296 - - Holiness, 298 - - Home, 299 - - Honesty, 302 - - Honour, 303 - - Hope, 305 - - House, 309 - - Humility, 310 - - Hymn, 312 - - Hypocrisy, 313 - - - Idolatry, 315 - - Image, 317 - - Immortality, 318 - - Inspiration, 321 - - Instruction, 322 - - Intercession, 323 - - Israel, 324 - - - Jehovah, 325 - - Jerusalem, 327 - - Jesus, 329 - - Jews, 331 - - Jordan, 332 - - Joy, 333 - - Judah, 335 - - Judge--Judgment, 336 - - Justice, 339 - - - Kindness, 341 - - King, 343 - - Kingdom, 344 - - Knowledge, 345 - - - Labour, 349 - - Land, 350 - - Law, 351 - - Leaf, 352 - - Learning, 353 - - Liberty, 354 - - Life, 355 - - Light, 359 - - Lord, 363 - - Love, 366 - - Lowliness, 372 - - - Man, 373 - - Marriage, 377 - - Martyrdom, 378 - - Meekness, 380 - - Meeting, 381 - - Mercy, 382 - - Message, 386 - - Messiah, 387 - - Mind, 388 - - Ministry, 389 - - Miracles, 390 - - Misery, 392 - - Missionaries, 393 - - Moment--Minute, 396 - - Morning, 397 - - Moses, 400 - - Mother, 402 - - Mountain, 405 - - Mourning, 406 - - Murder, 408 - - Music, 409 - - Mystery, 412 - - - Name, 413 - - Nature, 415 - - Night, 418 - - - Obedience--Disobedience, 420 - - Offering, 422 - - One, 423 - - - Paradise, 424 - - Pardon, 426 - - Parents, 427 - - Passions, 428 - - Past, 429 - - Pastor, 430 - - Patience, 432 - - Peace, 434 - - Perfection, 438 - - Pestilence--Plague, 439 - - Philosophy, 440 - - Pilgrimage, 442 - - Pity, 444 - - Pleasing--Pleasure, 445 - - Poverty, 447 - - Power, 449 - - Praise, 452 - - Prayer, 456 - - Preaching, 460 - - Preparation, 461 - - Presence--Omnipresence, 462 - - Pride, 464 - - Priest, 465 - - Prison, 466 - - Promise, 467 - - Prophecy--Prophets, 468 - - Prosperity, 470 - - Psalm, 471 - - Punishment, 472 - - Purity, 473 - - - Quiet, 474 - - - Ransom, 475 - - Reason--Reasons, 476 - - Redeemer, 478 - - Redemption, 480 - - Refuge, 483 - - Religion, 484 - - Remembrance, 488 - - Repentance, 490 - - Resignation, 493 - - Rest, 494 - - Resurrection--Rising, 497 - - Revelation, 500 - - Revenge, 501 - - Reverence, 502 - - Reward, 503 - - Riches, 504 - - Righteousness, 505 - - Rivers, 506 - - Rock, 507 - - Rod, 508 - - - Sabbath, 509 - - Sacrifice, 513 - - Safety--Saving, 514 - - Saint, 516 - - Salvation, 518 - - Satan, 520 - - Saviour, 521 - - Scorn, 524 - - Sea, 525 - - Seasons, 527 - - Seeing--Sight, 530 - - Seeking, 531 - - Sepulchre--Tomb, 532 - - Service, 533 - - Shade--Shadow, 534 - - Sheep--Shepherd, 535 - - Shortness, 537 - - Sickness, 538 - - Silence, 539 - - Sin, 540 - - Sinai, 544 - - Singing--Song, 545 - - Sky, 546 - - Slander, 547 - - Slavery, 548 - - Sleep, 551 - - Sloth, 553 - - Snare, 554 - - Soldiers, 555 - - Solomon, 556 - - Son, 557 - - Sorrow, 558 - - Soul, 559 - - Sowing, 563 - - Speech, 564 - - Spirit, 565 - - Stars, 568 - - Stillness, 571 - - Storm, 572 - - Stranger, 573 - - Stream, 574 - - Strength, 575 - - Strife, 576 - - Submission, 577 - - Suffering, 578 - - Sun, 579 - - Superstition, 582 - - Supper, The Lord’s, 583 - - Supplication, 586 - - - Teaching, 587 - - Tears, 589 - - Temperance, 593 - - Temple, 594 - - Temptation, 596 - - Thankfulness, 598 - - Thought, 600 - - Tidings, 603 - - Time, 604 - - To-day--To-morrow, 610 - - Tongue, 612 - - Treasure, 613 - - Tree, 615 - - Trembling, 617 - - Trial, 618 - - Tribulation, 619 - - Triumph, 620 - - Trouble, 621 - - Trust, 623 - - Truth, 627 - - - Unity, 631 - - - Valour, 632 - - Vanity, 633 - - Vapour, 635 - - Vengeance, 636 - - Victory, 637 - - Vine, 640 - - Violence, 641 - - Virtue, 642 - - Visions, 646 - - Voice, 647 - - - Waiting, 648 - - Walking, 649 - - Wander, 650 - - Want, 651 - - War, 652 - - Watching, 656 - - Water, 657 - - Waves, 659 - - Way, 660 - - Weakness, 661 - - Wealth, 662 - - Weariness, 663 - - Weeping, 664 - - Well, 665 - - Wife, 666 - - Will--Willing, 667 - - Wind, 670 - - Wisdom, 672 - - Witness, 676 - - Woe, 677 - - Woman, 679 - - Word, 681 - - Works--Work, 684 - - World, 687 - - Worship, 691 - - Worthy, 693 - - Wound, 694 - - Wrath, 695 - - - Year, 697 - - Youth, 701 - - - Zeal, 703 - - Zion, 704 - - -LONDON: GROOMBRIDGE AND SONS. - - - -Transcriber’s Note: - -1. Obvious spelling, printers’ and punctuation errors have been -silently corrected. - -2. Hyphenated and non-hyphenated versions of the same words have been -retained as in the original. - -3. Italics are shown as _xxx_. - -4. In the original, words in the quotations that relate to the topic -of the section are printed in italics, marked in this version with -underscores. However, the first words of quotations are printed in -small caps, which are not represented in this text version. Where the -first word should be both italic and small caps, the original only has -small caps, possibly because italic small caps were not available to -the printer. 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