 | Idle Moments : |  |
69
De Chana Cup.
Our church had a meeting, where the brethren gathered
To transact the business they had for the Lord,
To turn out the lambs who had strayed from the sheepfold,
And to take in repentants in accord with his word.
The ax had been falling with impartiality,
On drunkards and policy players of old,
On sisters who'd fallen from pathways of virtue,
And all who had wandered like sheep from the fold.
To transact the business they had for the Lord,
To turn out the lambs who had strayed from the sheepfold,
And to take in repentants in accord with his word.
The ax had been falling with impartiality,
On drunkards and policy players of old,
On sisters who'd fallen from pathways of virtue,
And all who had wandered like sheep from the fold.
At last came a sister whose skirts were all muddy,
With drabbling in sin all the days of her youth,
Had been caught and excluded amid tears of the brethren,
But now would return to the pathway of truth.
“I am truly repentant, the Lord has forgiven,
Since last month, when excluded, I've prayed night and day,
Will you brethren forgive and restore me to fellowship?
And with Jesus to guide I'll no more go astray.”
With drabbling in sin all the days of her youth,
Had been caught and excluded amid tears of the brethren,
But now would return to the pathway of truth.
“I am truly repentant, the Lord has forgiven,
Since last month, when excluded, I've prayed night and day,
Will you brethren forgive and restore me to fellowship?
And with Jesus to guide I'll no more go astray.”
“Bless the Lord!” said the brethren, “Amen!” said the sisters,
“Thank God, she's returning; I move take her in;”
The motion was carried with great hallelujahs
For the sister restored from the pathway of sin.
Brother Slaughter waxed warm and spoke of the prodigal,
And rejoicing in heaven o'er sinners returned,
“Ef you fall do not woller, you kin tell a true Christian.
Fur down in de hart sper'tial oil will burn,”
“Thank God, she's returning; I move take her in;”
The motion was carried with great hallelujahs
For the sister restored from the pathway of sin.
Brother Slaughter waxed warm and spoke of the prodigal,
And rejoicing in heaven o'er sinners returned,
“Ef you fall do not woller, you kin tell a true Christian.
Fur down in de hart sper'tial oil will burn,”
70
“De sister am good ez befo' if not better,
Fur dear is de lam's whin returned to de fol',
Ef you gwine to sin, jes be sho you don't woller,
An' youz sho ub de glory as de pigg in his hole.”
Up spoke Bro. Van, “My brudder hole on dar!
Youze ressin de scriphur an' teachin' us wrong.
'Tain't better to wander dan keep de straight pafway
An' de Lord lubs de young lam's dat keep right along.”
Fur dear is de lam's whin returned to de fol',
Ef you gwine to sin, jes be sho you don't woller,
An' youz sho ub de glory as de pigg in his hole.”
Up spoke Bro. Van, “My brudder hole on dar!
Youze ressin de scriphur an' teachin' us wrong.
'Tain't better to wander dan keep de straight pafway
An' de Lord lubs de young lam's dat keep right along.”
“I once had a chana cup I sot quite much sto' by,
One day bein' kerless I drapped on de flo',
I patched it wid glu' sah, and dough it hel' water,
It nebber did ring like it did befo';”
You may dribe in a nail right in dis here pos' here,
Den draw out de nail, but de hole is still dar.
You may bring your phar arm an' heal up de bu'n, sah,
But de schar will tell on you wharebber you are.
One day bein' kerless I drapped on de flo',
I patched it wid glu' sah, and dough it hel' water,
It nebber did ring like it did befo';”
You may dribe in a nail right in dis here pos' here,
Den draw out de nail, but de hole is still dar.
You may bring your phar arm an' heal up de bu'n, sah,
But de schar will tell on you wharebber you are.
True de prodigal Son can got some fine close an' some vittles,
But long he'd bin starbin wid nuttin to whar,
While de boy dat stayed home got de bes' ub de pickin's
Wid lots ub fine raiment an' plenty to sphar.
You wimmen who stray from de pafway ub virtue,
May be 'sto'ed to de chuch an' your sins plastered o'er,
But like a bell without clapper mus' always remain, sah!
An dey nebber kin ring like de did befo.
But long he'd bin starbin wid nuttin to whar,
While de boy dat stayed home got de bes' ub de pickin's
Wid lots ub fine raiment an' plenty to sphar.
You wimmen who stray from de pafway ub virtue,
May be 'sto'ed to de chuch an' your sins plastered o'er,
But like a bell without clapper mus' always remain, sah!
An dey nebber kin ring like de did befo.
Bro. Van told the truth: true we may be forgiven,
But the world looks askance and is hard and is cold,
To some sins, most especially departures from virtue,
So 'tis best not to fall to return to the fold;
But up in that land, where forgiving's forgetting,
In the beautiful light of eternity's shore,
The bells on earth broken: up there fully mended,
Again may ring out as they did before.
But the world looks askance and is hard and is cold,
To some sins, most especially departures from virtue,
So 'tis best not to fall to return to the fold;
But up in that land, where forgiving's forgetting,
In the beautiful light of eternity's shore,
The bells on earth broken: up there fully mended,
Again may ring out as they did before.
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