The Poetical Works of John Critchley Prince Edited by R. A. Douglas Lithgow |
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THE SPIRIT OF CHARITY.
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 | The Poetical Works of John Critchley Prince |  |
360
THE SPIRIT OF CHARITY.
(WRITTEN FOR A CHARITABLE PURPOSE.)
When Messiah was born, and the Bethlehem star
Led the wise of the East to their worship afar—
A spirit came down from the realm of its birth,
To rest and remain with the children of earth;
It awoke in the soul of that God-given child,
Illuming His lips as He talked or He smiled,
And when He went forth in His wisdom of youth,
To win by His gentleness, teach by His truth,
This spirit was heard in the words of His tongue,
As He raised his meek voice to the wondering throng.
It moved in His actions, it beamed in His eyes,
It burned in His tears, and it breathed in His sighs;
It oozed in His sweat-drops of passionate pain,
It gushed in His blood—but it gushed not in vain;
He had finished the task which His mercy designed,
But the Spirit of Charity lingered behind!
Led the wise of the East to their worship afar—
A spirit came down from the realm of its birth,
To rest and remain with the children of earth;
It awoke in the soul of that God-given child,
Illuming His lips as He talked or He smiled,
And when He went forth in His wisdom of youth,
To win by His gentleness, teach by His truth,
This spirit was heard in the words of His tongue,
As He raised his meek voice to the wondering throng.
It moved in His actions, it beamed in His eyes,
It burned in His tears, and it breathed in His sighs;
It oozed in His sweat-drops of passionate pain,
It gushed in His blood—but it gushed not in vain;
He had finished the task which His mercy designed,
But the Spirit of Charity lingered behind!
And then that pure being found welcome and rest
In some human hearts, which it softened and blest;
And they who could feel its warm pleadings within,
Sought out the lone haunts of affliction and sin;
On the hungry and sad they essayed to intrude,
And e'en the unworthy were favoured with food;
Rejoicing, they sheltered the fatherless child,
And the widow forgot her distraction, and smiled.
They entered the dungeon where, prostrate in gloom,
The frail son of error awaited his doom;
They appealed to his manhood, they soothed his despair,
Till his obdurate nature was melted in prayer.
They ventured where warfare and pestilence ran
On the message of death through the dwellings of man,
And often they stood by the dying and dead,
Alone by the side of some sufferer's bed;
Giving pity and aid through the terrible night,
Unscathed and undaunted as angels of light;
But if in such mission one chancèd to fall,
Like a martyr he died with the blessings of all!
Human hearts so devoted were rare, it is true,
But the Spirit of Charity strengthened and grew,
Waxed wider and brighter, like opening day,
Till millions, rejoicing, acknowledged its sway!
A small band of friends, with a noble desire,
Which the breath of the spirit had fanned into fire—
Met, talked, and determined, with laudable pride,
To scatter the seeds of benevolence wide;
To befriend the poor wayfarer far from his home,
When fortune compelled him neglected to roam,
To cheer him in sickness, in death to be kind
To those he might leave in deep sorrow behind;
To fly to the succour of fatherless grief,
To give to the desolate widow relief;
To strengthen the feeble, to soften the strong,
Till love should subdue all the errors of wrong;
To cling to their purpose with temperate zeal,
Till the world should be taught to respect them and feel;
These, these were their objects, how noble! how high!
How worthy of souls which are never to die!
And oh! how much nobler! how higher by far,
Than the deeds which are done by the minions of war!
In some human hearts, which it softened and blest;
And they who could feel its warm pleadings within,
Sought out the lone haunts of affliction and sin;
On the hungry and sad they essayed to intrude,
And e'en the unworthy were favoured with food;
Rejoicing, they sheltered the fatherless child,
And the widow forgot her distraction, and smiled.
361
The frail son of error awaited his doom;
They appealed to his manhood, they soothed his despair,
Till his obdurate nature was melted in prayer.
They ventured where warfare and pestilence ran
On the message of death through the dwellings of man,
And often they stood by the dying and dead,
Alone by the side of some sufferer's bed;
Giving pity and aid through the terrible night,
Unscathed and undaunted as angels of light;
But if in such mission one chancèd to fall,
Like a martyr he died with the blessings of all!
Human hearts so devoted were rare, it is true,
But the Spirit of Charity strengthened and grew,
Waxed wider and brighter, like opening day,
Till millions, rejoicing, acknowledged its sway!
A small band of friends, with a noble desire,
Which the breath of the spirit had fanned into fire—
Met, talked, and determined, with laudable pride,
To scatter the seeds of benevolence wide;
To befriend the poor wayfarer far from his home,
When fortune compelled him neglected to roam,
To cheer him in sickness, in death to be kind
To those he might leave in deep sorrow behind;
To fly to the succour of fatherless grief,
To give to the desolate widow relief;
To strengthen the feeble, to soften the strong,
Till love should subdue all the errors of wrong;
To cling to their purpose with temperate zeal,
Till the world should be taught to respect them and feel;
These, these were their objects, how noble! how high!
How worthy of souls which are never to die!
And oh! how much nobler! how higher by far,
Than the deeds which are done by the minions of war!
362
The result is a proud one. These friends of their race
Are gathering, and widening, and soaring apace,
And the loneliest hamlet on Britain's green isle,
Partakes of the light of their covenant-smile;
And the cities and towns of this beautiful land
Are thronged with the sons of this glorious band.
If you go to Columbia, the free and the fair,
This tree of benevolence flourisheth there!
In the wildest, the uttermost regions of earth,
This star of humanity bursts into birth;
And this wonderful brotherhood, strange though it be,
Embrace o'er the hills, and shake hands o'er the sea.
Are gathering, and widening, and soaring apace,
And the loneliest hamlet on Britain's green isle,
Partakes of the light of their covenant-smile;
And the cities and towns of this beautiful land
Are thronged with the sons of this glorious band.
If you go to Columbia, the free and the fair,
This tree of benevolence flourisheth there!
In the wildest, the uttermost regions of earth,
This star of humanity bursts into birth;
And this wonderful brotherhood, strange though it be,
Embrace o'er the hills, and shake hands o'er the sea.
But where doth this spirit of pity appear?
The peri is present—the angel is here,
In the hearts of the men who have toiled with success,
To solace affliction, and lighten distress:
'Tis here in fair woman's compassionate glance;
It breathes in the music, it moves in the dance;
It glows in the bosoms, unmixed with alloy,
Of all who are friends to this generous joy.
Before I return to the world and its care,
Be this my sincerest, my holiest prayer,—
May the Christian exhort, and the patriot appeal,
Till God shall awaken new hearts that can feel;
New hands that will open, obedient to Heaven,
And scatter what God hath abundantly given:
May the idols of self from their altars be hurled,
And the Spirit of Charity govern the world!
The peri is present—the angel is here,
In the hearts of the men who have toiled with success,
To solace affliction, and lighten distress:
'Tis here in fair woman's compassionate glance;
It breathes in the music, it moves in the dance;
It glows in the bosoms, unmixed with alloy,
Of all who are friends to this generous joy.
Before I return to the world and its care,
Be this my sincerest, my holiest prayer,—
May the Christian exhort, and the patriot appeal,
Till God shall awaken new hearts that can feel;
New hands that will open, obedient to Heaven,
And scatter what God hath abundantly given:
May the idols of self from their altars be hurled,
And the Spirit of Charity govern the world!
| The Poetical Works of John Critchley Prince | |