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252

GOD'S PLEA FOR NINEVEH.

Gracious and merciful, “shall not I spare
Nineveh, that great city,” vast and grand,
Where “six score thousand” babes, a helpless band,
And multitudes of “cattle” claim my care;—
Dumb creatures, which their Maker's pity share
With infants, all too young to understand
Evil or good, or know one tiny hand
From its wee fellow—innocent as fair
God cares for every beast or bird that roams
The grassy mountains or the azure skies,
Where meadows smile, or where the wild wave foams:
God counts our babes, and He will “not despise
One of these little ones” that cheer our homes,
The light, desire, and comfort of our eyes!