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 | At the beautiful gate and other songs of faith |  |
TO MY DEAREST SISTER EMELINE, WHO TAUGHT MY CHILDHOOD TO SEE THAT POETRY AND RELIGION ARE ONE, I DEDICATE THIS COLLECTION OF MY SONGS AND HYMNS, WHICH HAS JUST MISSED HER EARTHLY APPROVAL.
E. A. S.
Passed hence, Sunday, July 17, 1892.
My Sister-Spirit, given to me
To love me with an angel's love,
Whom I no more on earth shall see,
I claim thee, in thy house above!
To love me with an angel's love,
Whom I no more on earth shall see,
I claim thee, in thy house above!
Our love had roots beyond the earth,
Though planted by one roof-tree here;
Where now thou art it had its birth,—
Beside Life's River, cool and clear.
Though planted by one roof-tree here;
Where now thou art it had its birth,—
Beside Life's River, cool and clear.
And by its fragrance in my heart—
The breath of an immortal flower—
I know we are not far apart;
So life grows sweeter, hour by hour.
The breath of an immortal flower—
I know we are not far apart;
So life grows sweeter, hour by hour.
God gives to us the Love He is:
No spray of this true Vine can die:
Loving as He loves, we are His;
This is our immortality.—
No spray of this true Vine can die:
Loving as He loves, we are His;
This is our immortality.—
Dear Saviour-Friend, Immanuel,
In whom all other friends we find,
With us as with our angels dwell,
Nor let them leave us far behind!
In whom all other friends we find,
With us as with our angels dwell,
Nor let them leave us far behind!
So well she knew Thy Face Divine,
We felt her life Thy Presence prove:
O hide our lives with hers, in Thine!
For Thou art Heaven, since Thou art Love!
We felt her life Thy Presence prove:
O hide our lives with hers, in Thine!
For Thou art Heaven, since Thou art Love!
6
GOD IN CHRIST.
O thou far-off, eternal God,
Within all life, beyond all thought,
We seek Thee through Thy worlds abroad;
Thy footsteps trace, but find Thee not;
All forms of being Thou dost fill,
A strange, retreating Mystery still.
Within all life, beyond all thought,
We seek Thee through Thy worlds abroad;
Thy footsteps trace, but find Thee not;
All forms of being Thou dost fill,
A strange, retreating Mystery still.
Far-off Thou art, and yet most near!
Thou comest in Christ our souls to meet,
A Presence close and warm and dear;
A Sympathy, a Friendship sweet;
One with ourselves in Him Thou art;—
Our Father, with a Brother's heart.
Thou comest in Christ our souls to meet,
A Presence close and warm and dear;
A Sympathy, a Friendship sweet;
One with ourselves in Him Thou art;—
Our Father, with a Brother's heart.
The Source of all the tenderness
Whereof our lonely souls have dreamed,—
A boundless Power and Will to bless,—
Thy Life into our lives hath streamed.
We grope not through the void alone;
Thou callest us, claimest us for Thine own.
Whereof our lonely souls have dreamed,—
A boundless Power and Will to bless,—
Thy Life into our lives hath streamed.
We grope not through the void alone;
Thou callest us, claimest us for Thine own.
Into Thy hand Thou takest ours;
We lean our weary hearts on Thine;
Our inmost thoughts, our utmost powers
Unfold within Thy Light Divine:
And in the Spirit of Thy Son
Our little lives with Thine are one.
We lean our weary hearts on Thine;
Our inmost thoughts, our utmost powers
Unfold within Thy Light Divine:
And in the Spirit of Thy Son
Our little lives with Thine are one.
Thy mysteries deepen and increase;
Beyond our path we cannot see;
Christ is our Refuge and our Peace;
Through Him we are at home with Thee;
In Him we know Thee as Thou art:—
Thou lovest us with a human Heart!
Beyond our path we cannot see;
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Through Him we are at home with Thee;
In Him we know Thee as Thou art:—
Thou lovest us with a human Heart!
THE IMMORTAL NOW.
Sit not blindfold, Soul, and sigh
For the immortal By-and-by!
Dreamer, seek not heaven afar
On the shores of some strange star!
This a star is—this, thine Earth!
Here the germ awakes to birth
Of God's sacred life in thee—
Heir of immortality!
For the immortal By-and-by!
Dreamer, seek not heaven afar
On the shores of some strange star!
This a star is—this, thine Earth!
Here the germ awakes to birth
Of God's sacred life in thee—
Heir of immortality!
Inmost heaven its radiance pours
Round thy windows, at thy doors,
Asking but to be let in;
Waiting to flood out thy sin;
Offering thee unfailing health,
Love's refreshment, boundless wealth:
Voices at thy life's gate say,
“Be immortal, Soul, to-day!”
Round thy windows, at thy doors,
Asking but to be let in;
Waiting to flood out thy sin;
Offering thee unfailing health,
Love's refreshment, boundless wealth:
Voices at thy life's gate say,
“Be immortal, Soul, to-day!”
Thou canst shut the splendor out;
Darken every room with doubt;
From the entering angels hide
Under tinseled wefts of pride;
While the pure in heart behold
God in every flower unfold;
While the poor His kingdom share,
Reigning with Him everywhere.
Darken every room with doubt;
From the entering angels hide
Under tinseled wefts of pride;
While the pure in heart behold
God in every flower unfold;
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Reigning with Him everywhere.
Oh, let Christ and sunshine in!
Let His love its sweet way win!
Nothing human is too mean
To receive the King unseen:
Not a pleasure or a care
But celestial robes may wear;
Impulse, thought, and action may
Live immortally to-day.
Let His love its sweet way win!
Nothing human is too mean
To receive the King unseen:
Not a pleasure or a care
But celestial robes may wear;
Impulse, thought, and action may
Live immortally to-day.
Balance not in scales of time
Deathless destinies sublime!
What vague future can weigh down
This great Now that is thine own?
Love were miserly that gave
Only gifts beyond the grave.
Heaven makes every earth-plant thrive;
All things are in God alive.
Deathless destinies sublime!
What vague future can weigh down
This great Now that is thine own?
Love were miserly that gave
Only gifts beyond the grave.
Heaven makes every earth-plant thrive;
All things are in God alive.
Oh, the stifled bliss and mirth
At the weary heart of Earth,
We, her children, might awake!
Songs would from her bosom break;
Toil, unfettered from its curse,
God's glad purpose would rehearse,
If with Him we understood
Of creation—“It is good.”
At the weary heart of Earth,
We, her children, might awake!
Songs would from her bosom break;
Toil, unfettered from its curse,
God's glad purpose would rehearse,
If with Him we understood
Of creation—“It is good.”
Soul, perceive thy perfect hour!
Let thy life burst into flower!
Heaven is opening to bestow
More than thou canst think or know.
Now to thy true height arise!
Enter now thy Paradise!
In to-day, to-morrow see,
Now is immortality!
Let thy life burst into flower!
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More than thou canst think or know.
Now to thy true height arise!
Enter now thy Paradise!
In to-day, to-morrow see,
Now is immortality!
19
GOD'S BEST GIFT.
What is the best a friend can be
To any soul, to you or me?
Not only shelter, comfort, rest,
Inmost refreshment unexpressed;
Not only a belovèd guide
To thread life's labyrinth at our side,
Or with love's torch lead on before;—
Though these be much, there yet is more.
To any soul, to you or me?
Not only shelter, comfort, rest,
Inmost refreshment unexpressed;
Not only a belovèd guide
To thread life's labyrinth at our side,
Or with love's torch lead on before;—
Though these be much, there yet is more.
The best friend is an atmosphere
Warm with all inspirations dear,
Wherein we breathe the large, free breath
Of life that has no taint of death.
Our friend is an unconscious part
Of every true beat of our heart;
A strength, a growth, whence we derive
God's health, that keeps the world alive.
Warm with all inspirations dear,
Wherein we breathe the large, free breath
Of life that has no taint of death.
Our friend is an unconscious part
Of every true beat of our heart;
A strength, a growth, whence we derive
God's health, that keeps the world alive.
The best friend is horizon, too,
Lifting unseen things into view,
And widening every petty claim
Till lost in some sublimer aim;
Blending all barriers in the great
Infinities that round us wait.
Friendship is an eternity
Where soul with soul walks, heavenly free.
Lifting unseen things into view,
And widening every petty claim
Till lost in some sublimer aim;
Blending all barriers in the great
Infinities that round us wait.
Friendship is an eternity
Where soul with soul walks, heavenly free.
Can friend lose friend? Believe it not!
The tissue whereof life is wrought,
Weaving the separate into one,
Nor end hath, nor beginning; spun
From subtle threads of destiny,
Finer than thought of man can see.
God takes not back his gifts divine;
While thy soul lives, thy friend is thine.
The tissue whereof life is wrought,
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Nor end hath, nor beginning; spun
From subtle threads of destiny,
Finer than thought of man can see.
God takes not back his gifts divine;
While thy soul lives, thy friend is thine.
If but one friend has crossed thy way,
Once only, in thy mortal day;
If only once life's best surprise
Has opened on thy human eyes,—
Ingrate thou wert, indeed, if thou
Didst not in that rare presence bow,
And on earth's holy ground, unshod,
Speak softlier the dear name of God.
Once only, in thy mortal day;
If only once life's best surprise
Has opened on thy human eyes,—
Ingrate thou wert, indeed, if thou
Didst not in that rare presence bow,
And on earth's holy ground, unshod,
Speak softlier the dear name of God.
27
SONG-WEFTS.
The grace of the bending grasses,
The flush of the dawn-lit sky,
The scent that lingers and passes
When the loitering wind goes by,
Are gushes and hints of sweetness,
From the unseen deeps afar,—
The foam-edge of heaven's completeness
Swept outward through flower and star.
The flush of the dawn-lit sky,
The scent that lingers and passes
When the loitering wind goes by,
Are gushes and hints of sweetness,
From the unseen deeps afar,—
The foam-edge of heaven's completeness
Swept outward through flower and star.
For the cloud, and the leaf, and the blossom,
The shadow, the flickering beam,
Are waifs on the sea-like bosom
Of beauty beyond our dream:
Its glow to our earth is given;
It freshens this lower air:
Oh, the fathomless wells of heaven,—
The springs of the earth rise there!
The shadow, the flickering beam,
Are waifs on the sea-like bosom
Of beauty beyond our dream:
Its glow to our earth is given;
It freshens this lower air:
Oh, the fathomless wells of heaven,—
The springs of the earth rise there!
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The curtain of the dark
Is pierced by many a rent:
Out of the star-wells, spark on spark
Trickles through night's torn tent.
Is pierced by many a rent:
Out of the star-wells, spark on spark
Trickles through night's torn tent.
Grief is a tattered tent
Wherethrough God's light doth shine:
Who glances up, at every rent
Shall catch a ray divine.
Wherethrough God's light doth shine:
Who glances up, at every rent
Shall catch a ray divine.
Despair not thou of any fallen soul's fate,
Till thou hast knelt beside it in the mire,
And mingled with its moanings desolate
The heavenward whisper of thy heart's desire;
Till thou hast felt it thrill with thine own faith
In Him who looks not on us as we are,
But wakes the immortal in us by His breath,
And puts remembrance of our sins afar.
Till thou hast knelt beside it in the mire,
And mingled with its moanings desolate
The heavenward whisper of thy heart's desire;
Till thou hast felt it thrill with thine own faith
In Him who looks not on us as we are,
But wakes the immortal in us by His breath,
And puts remembrance of our sins afar.
The noblest creature of a mortal birth
Rose to its beauteous dignity of place
Not without many a lingering stain of earth,
Wherein all souls are set, a little space;
And thou into the haunts of shame and crime
Like an awakening breeze of Heaven mayest go,
Knowing that out of blackest depths of slime
May spring up lilies whiter than the snow.
Rose to its beauteous dignity of place
Not without many a lingering stain of earth,
Wherein all souls are set, a little space;
And thou into the haunts of shame and crime
Like an awakening breeze of Heaven mayest go,
Knowing that out of blackest depths of slime
May spring up lilies whiter than the snow.
From the reek of the pond the lily
Has risen, in raiment white,
A spirit of air and water,
A form of incarnate light.
Has risen, in raiment white,
A spirit of air and water,
A form of incarnate light.
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Yet, except for the rooted stem
That steadies her diadem,
Except for the earth she is nourished by,
Could the soul of the lily have climbed to the sky?
That steadies her diadem,
Except for the earth she is nourished by,
Could the soul of the lily have climbed to the sky?
Where does the snow go,
So white on the ground?
Under May's azure
No flake can be found.
Look into the lily
Some sweet summer hour;
There blooms the snow
In the heart of the flower.
So white on the ground?
Under May's azure
No flake can be found.
Look into the lily
Some sweet summer hour;
There blooms the snow
In the heart of the flower.
Where does the love go,
Frozen to grief?
Along the heart's fibres
Its cold thrill is brief.
The snow-fall of sorrow
Turns not to dry dust;
It lives in white blossoms
Of patience and trust.
Frozen to grief?
Along the heart's fibres
Its cold thrill is brief.
The snow-fall of sorrow
Turns not to dry dust;
It lives in white blossoms
Of patience and trust.
39
IN SORROW.
This my comfort is in sorrow:
Every grief I have is Thine:
Heaviest clouds around me borrow
Radiance from Thy smile divine.
Lamb of God, for us, the sinning,
From the world's foundation slain,
To Thy heart Thy wanderers winning,—
In Thy love I drown my pain.
Every grief I have is Thine:
Heaviest clouds around me borrow
Radiance from Thy smile divine.
40
From the world's foundation slain,
To Thy heart Thy wanderers winning,—
In Thy love I drown my pain.
This is my soul's consolation;
Grief hath made me all Thine own.
Nevermore shall separation
Of my will from Thine be known.
Thou, who readest my inmost story,
With Thy courage make me strong!
Thou, whose thorn-crown is Thy glory,
Let my sorrow be my song!
Grief hath made me all Thine own.
Nevermore shall separation
Of my will from Thine be known.
Thou, who readest my inmost story,
With Thy courage make me strong!
Thou, whose thorn-crown is Thy glory,
Let my sorrow be my song!
Thou, in mortal anguish lonely,
Gavest Thy life our hurts to heal:
Count not this my suffering only!
Woes of all who weep I feel.
Take our human consecration!
Help some sad soul through our pain!
Thou, whose wounds are our salvation,
Let no heart have bled in vain!
Gavest Thy life our hurts to heal:
Count not this my suffering only!
Woes of all who weep I feel.
Take our human consecration!
Help some sad soul through our pain!
Thou, whose wounds are our salvation,
Let no heart have bled in vain!
42
IN THE DARK
O thou who art my only Light,
Thee do I follow through the night;
Though home and hope are out of sight,
Firm trust in Thee my spirit hath;
Thou knowest my path!
Thee do I follow through the night;
Though home and hope are out of sight,
Firm trust in Thee my spirit hath;
Thou knowest my path!
Although I cannot see Thy face,
I feel the warmth of Thy embrace.
Enfold me in the dangerous place
Where sin lies waiting to betray;
Thou knowest my way.
I feel the warmth of Thy embrace.
Enfold me in the dangerous place
Where sin lies waiting to betray;
Thou knowest my way.
O Thou who seest me through and through,—
The thoughts I think, the deeds I do,—
Thou knowest I would to Thee be true!
O draw me closer to Thy side,
My Lord, my Guide!
The thoughts I think, the deeds I do,—
Thou knowest I would to Thee be true!
O draw me closer to Thy side,
My Lord, my Guide!
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Thou knewest me, lovedst me in the past,
Even when the tempter held me fast:
Thy wanderer has come home at last,
Never again from Thee to stray—
From Thee, my Way!
Even when the tempter held me fast:
Thy wanderer has come home at last,
Never again from Thee to stray—
From Thee, my Way!
I know not what may yet unfold
Beyond the morning's gates of gold.
This is my heaven, Thy hand to hold,
Thy steps to follow through the night,—
My Life, my Light!
Beyond the morning's gates of gold.
This is my heaven, Thy hand to hold,
Thy steps to follow through the night,—
My Life, my Light!
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AT THY FEET.
Lord, I would offer Thee
A heart's untarnished gold,
And yet how can it be
When all there is in me
Is touched with blight and mould?
A heart's untarnished gold,
And yet how can it be
When all there is in me
Is touched with blight and mould?
I find within no thought
So holy that it may
Unshamed to Thee be brought,
Except as it hath caught
From Thee a hallowing ray.
So holy that it may
Unshamed to Thee be brought,
Except as it hath caught
From Thee a hallowing ray.
Yet all I am is Thine.
Through sins and flaws and stains
I feel Thy Presence shine.
Take me, and make divine
All that uncleansed remains!
Through sins and flaws and stains
I feel Thy Presence shine.
Take me, and make divine
All that uncleansed remains!
Lord, of Thyself not much
In me canst Thou behold,
And yet Thou savest such;
The magic of Thy touch
Transmutes my dross to gold.
In me canst Thou behold,
And yet Thou savest such;
The magic of Thy touch
Transmutes my dross to gold.
Contrition Thou dost prize
All sacrifice above.
Dear Lord, I dare arise
And look into Thine eyes,
Because I know Thy love.
All sacrifice above.
Dear Lord, I dare arise
And look into Thine eyes,
Because I know Thy love.
45
SAVED.
What is the soul He would save?—
The being, with all its powers;
The root, with its leaves and flowers:
All possible good we can crave
In this God-given life of ours.
The being, with all its powers;
The root, with its leaves and flowers:
All possible good we can crave
In this God-given life of ours.
From what would He save the soul?—
From contented selfishness,
And from bleak unlovingness;
From the lower aim's control,
From the downward passion's stress.
From contented selfishness,
And from bleak unlovingness;
From the lower aim's control,
From the downward passion's stress.
From the hell of an evil choice,
When our eyes on His Presence close;
From an earth-clogged ear that knows
No tone of His tender voice;
From a void heart's waste of woes.
When our eyes on His Presence close;
From an earth-clogged ear that knows
No tone of His tender voice;
From a void heart's waste of woes.
He saveth thee, soul, for what?—
To be born anew, as a child,
In the clear and open thought;
In the love that envieth not;
The desires all undefiled.
To be born anew, as a child,
In the clear and open thought;
In the love that envieth not;
The desires all undefiled.
To enrich thee with every gift
That His fatherly thought can plan:
From belittling sins to lift
Thee up to the angel swift,
And the stature of a man!
That His fatherly thought can plan:
From belittling sins to lift
Thee up to the angel swift,
And the stature of a man!
46
He saveth thee, soul, to be
As the cleansing salt and the leaven:
His mind and His will to see;
To be faithful and strong and free
In the truth, which alone is heaven.
As the cleansing salt and the leaven:
His mind and His will to see;
To be faithful and strong and free
In the truth, which alone is heaven.
Not to wait for the Far-away,
Wrapped in Eden-dreams,—but now
To become a warmth, a ray,
O Christ, of Thy deathless day!
For the Life of our life art Thou!
Wrapped in Eden-dreams,—but now
To become a warmth, a ray,
O Christ, of Thy deathless day!
For the Life of our life art Thou!
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“EVEN AS HE IS PURE.”
Thou who seest my soul within,
Thou who knowest my unknown sin,
Through Thy holy eyes let me
Learn what sin is unto Thee!
Thou who knowest my unknown sin,
Through Thy holy eyes let me
Learn what sin is unto Thee!
Oh, my Saviour undefiled,
Leave me not by self beguiled,
Blinded by my heart's deceit,
For Thy friendship all unmeet!
Leave me not by self beguiled,
Blinded by my heart's deceit,
For Thy friendship all unmeet!
If there be in me a thought
That Thy dear name honoreth not,
Pierce it with Thy pitying gaze
Till its silence turns to praise!
That Thy dear name honoreth not,
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Till its silence turns to praise!
Make me, Pure One, as Thou art,
Pure in soul and mind and heart;
Never satisfied with less
Than Thy perfect holiness!
Pure in soul and mind and heart;
Never satisfied with less
Than Thy perfect holiness!
Bathing in Thy love's clear stream,
Let my soul fulfill her dream,
Beautified with every grace
Shining on me from Thy face!
Let my soul fulfill her dream,
Beautified with every grace
Shining on me from Thy face!
None Thy holy heaven may win
Stained with earthliness and sin:
They must in white robes appear,
Who Thy whiteness venture near.
Stained with earthliness and sin:
They must in white robes appear,
Who Thy whiteness venture near.
Cleanse us, fill us, Soul Divine,
With a purity like Thine,
That within, without us, we
In clear vision, God may see!
With a purity like Thine,
That within, without us, we
In clear vision, God may see!
“BE YE THEREFORE PERFECT.”
Oh, the beauty and the joy of living
As the children of our Father, God!
All we have and hope for gladly giving
His abounding love to pour abroad,—
Healing waters of His pure salvation,
Through the world for which His Son has died:
Sharing in our Master's consecration;
Walking at our Elder Brother's side.
As the children of our Father, God!
All we have and hope for gladly giving
His abounding love to pour abroad,—
Healing waters of His pure salvation,
Through the world for which His Son has died:
49
Walking at our Elder Brother's side.
Wonderful the whiteness of Thy glory!
Can we truly that perfection share?
Yes; our lives are pages of Thy story;
We Thy shape and superscription bear:
Tarnished forms—torn leaves—but Thou canst mend them;
Thou Thine own completeness canst unfold
From our imperfections, and wilt end them;
Dross consuming, turning dust to gold.
Can we truly that perfection share?
Yes; our lives are pages of Thy story;
We Thy shape and superscription bear:
Tarnished forms—torn leaves—but Thou canst mend them;
Thou Thine own completeness canst unfold
From our imperfections, and wilt end them;
Dross consuming, turning dust to gold.
Like a snowy mountain-peak above us,
“Be ye perfect!” dazzles our dim eyes.
Canst Thou look from Thy pure height and love us?
May our earth-clogged feet to Thee arise?
We before the vision veil our faces,
Yet would have it not a ray less bright.
Shine into our sin's dark hiding-places!
Fill us, flood us with Thy cleansing light!
“Be ye perfect!” dazzles our dim eyes.
Canst Thou look from Thy pure height and love us?
May our earth-clogged feet to Thee arise?
We before the vision veil our faces,
Yet would have it not a ray less bright.
Shine into our sin's dark hiding-places!
Fill us, flood us with Thy cleansing light!
Perfect even as Thou art perfect, Father!
As the little hilltops catch the sun;
As the small shoots springing up together
Round the Tree of Life, with it are one.
In these earthen vessels heavenly treasure
For the enrichment of Thy poor may shine:
Thou canst fill us, in our human measure,
With Thy being's overflow divine.
As the little hilltops catch the sun;
As the small shoots springing up together
Round the Tree of Life, with it are one.
In these earthen vessels heavenly treasure
For the enrichment of Thy poor may shine:
Thou canst fill us, in our human measure,
With Thy being's overflow divine.
Perfect only with God's own perfection!
Drop the crumbling model shaped of clay!
Break the weak ideal of man's erection!
Let the Real burn the false away!
This is life—to pour out love unstinted!
Good and evil sunlike blesseth He:
Through your finite is His infinite hinted:—
Children of your Father must ye be.
Drop the crumbling model shaped of clay!
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Let the Real burn the false away!
This is life—to pour out love unstinted!
Good and evil sunlike blesseth He:
Through your finite is His infinite hinted:—
Children of your Father must ye be.
THE KING AT THE DOOR.
Lift up the everlasting gates!
The King before your threshold waits.
Shall He who life's great building planned
Unwelcomed at its portal stand?
The King before your threshold waits.
Shall He who life's great building planned
Unwelcomed at its portal stand?
Is there a corner of your heart
Where you retreat, alone, apart,
A sanctuary all your own?
Behold! He made it for His throne.
Where you retreat, alone, apart,
A sanctuary all your own?
Behold! He made it for His throne.
Is there a darkness, where, shut in,
You dare not face your secret sin?
Lo! there He built His mercy seat,
There He your humbled soul will meet.
You dare not face your secret sin?
Lo! there He built His mercy seat,
There He your humbled soul will meet.
Have you a stately banquet hall
Where guests from many a clime you call?
You see not any face aright
Until He enters with His light.
Where guests from many a clime you call?
You see not any face aright
Until He enters with His light.
Ye rich ones, why will ye abide
In poverty of lonely pride?
Your silver and your gold are dim,
Your house is empty, without Him.
In poverty of lonely pride?
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Your house is empty, without Him.
Ye lowly ones, if ye are His,
Ye have no need of palaces,
Since that rich soul can lack for naught
Who lets God in at every thought.
Ye have no need of palaces,
Since that rich soul can lack for naught
Who lets God in at every thought.
Lift up the everlasting gates!
The King at His own threshold waits.—
Enter, O Lord, and with Thy face
Make glorious this Thy dwelling place!
The King at His own threshold waits.—
Enter, O Lord, and with Thy face
Make glorious this Thy dwelling place!
THE SEEKER.
“If selfishly Thy heaven I seek,
I seek Thy heaven in vain,”—
I heard my heart within me speak:
I hear it yet again.
I seek Thy heaven in vain,”—
I heard my heart within me speak:
I hear it yet again.
For heaven is all unselfishness:
The souls whose home is there
Have never dreamed of happiness
They do not long to share.
The souls whose home is there
Have never dreamed of happiness
They do not long to share.
If selfishly Thy love I seek,
I seek Thy love in vain.
Place at Thy side need none bespeak
Who shrink back from Thy pain.
I seek Thy love in vain.
Place at Thy side need none bespeak
Who shrink back from Thy pain.
For love—Thy love—is sacrifice:
Who seeketh still his own,
Nor for his brethren lives and dies,
Thyself hath never known.
Who seeketh still his own,
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Thyself hath never known.
Dear Lord, each selfish thought we think
Puts us afar from Thee:
Into our own dark depths we sink,
Where heaven can never be.
Puts us afar from Thee:
Into our own dark depths we sink,
Where heaven can never be.
Teach us to know Thee as Thou art;—
To give as Thou hast given!
Oh, show us how the loving heart
May make this world a heaven!
To give as Thou hast given!
Oh, show us how the loving heart
May make this world a heaven!
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BESIDE THE CROSS.
Jesus, in Thy death I see
What Thy life is unto me!
Now no longer is the Cross
Sign to me of shame and loss:
Joy it is, to share Thy pain;
All I lose is glorious gain.
Lord, to me this blessing give—
In Thy death to die—and live!
What Thy life is unto me!
Now no longer is the Cross
Sign to me of shame and loss:
Joy it is, to share Thy pain;
All I lose is glorious gain.
Lord, to me this blessing give—
In Thy death to die—and live!
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Jesus, from Thy wounded side
Flows through me a living tide;
Health and hope and righteousness;
Power to do, and will to bless.
Now am I no more mine own:
Now I live Thy life alone.
Self is slain without a sigh:
Life it is, with Thee to die!
Flows through me a living tide;
Health and hope and righteousness;
Power to do, and will to bless.
Now am I no more mine own:
Now I live Thy life alone.
Self is slain without a sigh:
Life it is, with Thee to die!
Jesus, let Thy blood within
Cleanse my inmost thoughts from sin;
Purify my lingering stains;
Be the life-throb in my veins!
Be it mine Thy cross to bear,
And Thy sacrifice to share!
Be my food, my strength, my breath!
Be my Life, and conquer death!
Cleanse my inmost thoughts from sin;
Purify my lingering stains;
Be the life-throb in my veins!
Be it mine Thy cross to bear,
And Thy sacrifice to share!
Be my food, my strength, my breath!
Be my Life, and conquer death!
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EASTER.
(SUNSET AND SUNRISE.)
'T is Easter eve; the day is fading;
O Thou, with whom there is no death,
While twilight every path is shading,
Breathe through us thy sweet Spirit's breath!
And when our last night comes, may we
Fall peacefully asleep in Thee!
O Thou, with whom there is no death,
While twilight every path is shading,
Breathe through us thy sweet Spirit's breath!
And when our last night comes, may we
Fall peacefully asleep in Thee!
The sun sets not; it is earth going
Awhile to hide her from the sun,
Where gentler, cooler winds are blowing;
To feel the coming day begun
Beneath soft night's refreshing dews;—
To wait for light she cannot lose.
Awhile to hide her from the sun,
Where gentler, cooler winds are blowing;
To feel the coming day begun
Beneath soft night's refreshing dews;—
To wait for light she cannot lose.
To die with Christ—it is not dying;
It is but sinking deep with Him
Into the Father's bosom, lying
In that warm, sheltering silence dim,
Until the radiance of His eyes
Shines into ours, and slumber flies.
It is but sinking deep with Him
Into the Father's bosom, lying
In that warm, sheltering silence dim,
Until the radiance of His eyes
Shines into ours, and slumber flies.
Sunrise!—it is the world arising:—
Her Lord, the Sun, she turns to meet,
Strange beauty everywhere surprising
Her steps—glad births of light and heat;
It is earth's face with joy aglow
To see life round her bud and grow.
Her Lord, the Sun, she turns to meet,
Strange beauty everywhere surprising
Her steps—glad births of light and heat;
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To see life round her bud and grow.
To rise with Christ—it is awaking
Into the brightness of God's face;
It is to see His splendor breaking
Through every form, in every place,
As all along the heavenly way
Unfolds the dawn of His great day.
Into the brightness of God's face;
It is to see His splendor breaking
Through every form, in every place,
As all along the heavenly way
Unfolds the dawn of His great day.
O Christ! this holy Easter morning
Pierce every shadow of our sin
With love's dear beckoning, truth's forewarning!
Thy life anew in us begin!
Let us the Father's glory see,
And rise into His light with Thee!
Pierce every shadow of our sin
With love's dear beckoning, truth's forewarning!
Thy life anew in us begin!
Let us the Father's glory see,
And rise into His light with Thee!
CHRIST IS ARISEN.
Vainly we make for Thee a grave apart,
Each in the lonely garden of his heart:—
Thou, who the Life and Love Eternal art:—
Alleluia! Christ is arisen!
Each in the lonely garden of his heart:—
Thou, who the Life and Love Eternal art:—
Alleluia! Christ is arisen!
Where have they laid our Lord? we ask in fear;
Nor know the Voice that speaks in accents clear:
“Why weepest thou? Behold Me! I am here!”
Alleluia! Christ is arisen!
Nor know the Voice that speaks in accents clear:
“Why weepest thou? Behold Me! I am here!”
Alleluia! Christ is arisen!
While we with tears bedew thine empty tomb,
Thy Face is shining through the garden's gloom:—
Lo! the birds singing, and the flowers in bloom!
Alleluia! Christ is arisen!
Thy Face is shining through the garden's gloom:—
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Alleluia! Christ is arisen!
Is it our love that makes our hearts so blind?
With spice and balm thy form we may not bind;
Thou art alive for us and all mankind!
Alleluia! Christ is arisen!
With spice and balm thy form we may not bind;
Thou art alive for us and all mankind!
Alleluia! Christ is arisen!
And gently Thou reprovest—“Touch me not!
Nor hold the feet back with thy clinging thought,
That rest not till a heavenlier work be wrought!”
Alleluia! Christ is arisen!
Nor hold the feet back with thy clinging thought,
That rest not till a heavenlier work be wrought!”
Alleluia! Christ is arisen!
Dear Master, in Thy footsteps let us go,
Till with Thy Presence all our lives shall glow,
And souls through us Thy resurrection know!
Alleluia! Christ is arisen!
Till with Thy Presence all our lives shall glow,
And souls through us Thy resurrection know!
Alleluia! Christ is arisen!
Earth feels the dawn of Thy new day arrive:
The dead around us in their graves revive:
In Thee, O Christ! shall all be made alive!
Alleluia! Christ is arisen!
The dead around us in their graves revive:
In Thee, O Christ! shall all be made alive!
Alleluia! Christ is arisen!
AS A FLOWER.
Open your heart as a flower to the light!
Darkness is passing; the Sun is in sight;
Morning with splendor is piercing life through,
Arrows of radiance, and spear-tips of dew.
Darkness is passing; the Sun is in sight;
Morning with splendor is piercing life through,
Arrows of radiance, and spear-tips of dew.
Glad is the world in the Holy One's birth.
Lo, the new heavens! and lo, the new earth!
Scattered and fled are the phantoms of night:
Christ is the victor, and Christ is the Light!
Lo, the new heavens! and lo, the new earth!
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Christ is the victor, and Christ is the Light!
Open your heart, and His love will shine in,
Cleansing and healing the hurt of your sin.
Who can resist Him, the Saviour, the Son?
Hell flies before Him, and Heaven is won.
Cleansing and healing the hurt of your sin.
Who can resist Him, the Saviour, the Son?
Hell flies before Him, and Heaven is won.
Open your heart as a flower to the light!
Bloom and bear fruit in the glory of right!
Be of His Presence a perfume, a ray,
Child of the morning, and heir of the day!
Bloom and bear fruit in the glory of right!
Be of His Presence a perfume, a ray,
Child of the morning, and heir of the day!
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AT THE FEAST.
This is not only bread and wine—
Thy body and Thy blood—
It is Thyself, Thy Life Divine,
That is our spirit's food.
Thy body and Thy blood—
It is Thyself, Thy Life Divine,
That is our spirit's food.
It is the feast of Life, not death,
That now we celebrate;
Breathe into us Thy Spirit's breath,
As here for Thee we wait!
That now we celebrate;
Breathe into us Thy Spirit's breath,
As here for Thee we wait!
Thou art alive! O let us be
To life in Thee restored!
The new wine of Thy Kingdom we
Would drink with Thee, dear Lord!
To life in Thee restored!
The new wine of Thy Kingdom we
Would drink with Thee, dear Lord!
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CHILDREN'S JUNE SONG.
Little ones, let us be happy together
In this beautiful world of ours!
Let us be glad in this sweet June weather,
With the birds and the breezes and flowers,
With the grass and the earth, with the sky and the sun—
Let us be glad in the summer begun!
In this beautiful world of ours!
Let us be glad in this sweet June weather,
With the birds and the breezes and flowers,
With the grass and the earth, with the sky and the sun—
Let us be glad in the summer begun!
There are praises rising, and prayers are springing,
From the heart of creation to-day;
Hark! Faith with a chant and a carol is winging
Her flight up the heavenly way!
Let thought unto thought with the sweetness ring!
Little ones, open your hearts and sing!
From the heart of creation to-day;
Hark! Faith with a chant and a carol is winging
Her flight up the heavenly way!
Let thought unto thought with the sweetness ring!
Little ones, open your hearts and sing!
For a loving life breathes a fragrance dearer
To God than the breath of a rose,
And the song of the soul has a melody clearer
Than the lark or the linnet knows;
And ever He leans from the silence dim
And waits for the music you make to Him.
To God than the breath of a rose,
And the song of the soul has a melody clearer
Than the lark or the linnet knows;
And ever He leans from the silence dim
And waits for the music you make to Him.
Little ones, let us be part of the story
Of joy that the world has to tell!
Let us bloom in the beauty and sing of the glory
Of God, who has loved us so well!
Let us give Him ourselves, for to Him we belong—
Each life be His blossom, each soul be His song!
Of joy that the world has to tell!
Let us bloom in the beauty and sing of the glory
Of God, who has loved us so well!
Let us give Him ourselves, for to Him we belong—
Each life be His blossom, each soul be His song!
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WANDERERS' HYMN.
O God, from Thee we would not stray:
Reveal to us Thyself, the Way!
Recall us, claim us when we roam!
Thou art our country and our home.
Reveal to us Thyself, the Way!
Recall us, claim us when we roam!
Thou art our country and our home.
With Thee, in Thee alone is rest:
Thou art our East, and Thou our West.
Our little lives of Thine are part:
No boundaries bar us from Thy heart.
Thou art our East, and Thou our West.
Our little lives of Thine are part:
No boundaries bar us from Thy heart.
Through starless night, through mist and gale,
Thou art the shore toward which we sail;
We bid farewell to friends most kind,
But never leave Thy love behind.
Thou art the shore toward which we sail;
We bid farewell to friends most kind,
But never leave Thy love behind.
It perfumes every foreign flower;
It brightens every homesick hour;
It greets us in the stranger's eye,
With the heart's question and reply.
It brightens every homesick hour;
It greets us in the stranger's eye,
With the heart's question and reply.
For none are alien, none are strange,
Met in the Love that cannot change;
We all are brethren in Thy Son—
The Father and the children one.
Met in the Love that cannot change;
We all are brethren in Thy Son—
The Father and the children one.
O Christ, Thou art the atmosphere
Of heaven, breathed into mortals here!
Sharing Thy holy sacrifice
We live, and sin within us dies.
Of heaven, breathed into mortals here!
Sharing Thy holy sacrifice
We live, and sin within us dies.
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Be in us! Let Thy Spirit strong
Inspire towards good, and win from wrong;
Save us from base and sinful strife,
And draw us closer, life to life!
Inspire towards good, and win from wrong;
Save us from base and sinful strife,
And draw us closer, life to life!
We are but orphans, Lord, till we
Thine in each other's face can see;
O shelter us, below, above,
In Thy great heights and depths of Love!
Thine in each other's face can see;
O shelter us, below, above,
In Thy great heights and depths of Love!
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LIFE IS GROWTH.
(SUNG AT A REDEDICATION, WHEATON SEMINARY, MASSACHUSETTS.)
Life is growth, and growth is change:
Shall the new be counted strange,
While the rich Past lends perfume
To the Present in its bloom?
Shall the new be counted strange,
While the rich Past lends perfume
To the Present in its bloom?
Giving on—as they have given,
Passed beyond us into heaven—
Hearts in this Thy service, Lord,
Find their gift its own reward.
Passed beyond us into heaven—
Hearts in this Thy service, Lord,
Find their gift its own reward.
New things blossom out of old;
Fading lives with youth unfold,
Standing in Thy sunrise bright,
Bearing flower and fruit of light.
Fading lives with youth unfold,
Standing in Thy sunrise bright,
Bearing flower and fruit of light.
Looking up into Thy face,
Let us broaden, in our place;
Glad in opening wide our doors,—
Glad in pouring out our stores!
Let us broaden, in our place;
Glad in opening wide our doors,—
Glad in pouring out our stores!
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Let our wish, our plan, our end,
With Thy widening purpose blend!
Shape Thou what we will and do—
Thou, who makest all things new!
With Thy widening purpose blend!
Shape Thou what we will and do—
Thou, who makest all things new!
HIS STAR IN THE WEST.
(READ AT A REUNION, MONTICELLO SEMINARY, ILLINOIS.)
Our way still is onward; the world is yet young
With a beauty that never was dreamed of, or sung:
Her wonders for eyes that can see them unfold;
And the heart that looks forward will never grow old.
With a beauty that never was dreamed of, or sung:
Her wonders for eyes that can see them unfold;
And the heart that looks forward will never grow old.
For the splendor that beckons is life—it is youth;
The sweetness of hope, and the freshness of truth,
That make a perpetual morning, a spring
Where the flowers always blossom, the birds always sing.
The sweetness of hope, and the freshness of truth,
That make a perpetual morning, a spring
Where the flowers always blossom, the birds always sing.
Look forward! move onward! the new work to do,
Will strengthen our sinews, create earth anew!
There are suns beyond suns; there 's an East in the West;
In all unexplored seas there are Isles of the Blest.
Will strengthen our sinews, create earth anew!
There are suns beyond suns; there 's an East in the West;
In all unexplored seas there are Isles of the Blest.
The years gather over us—only a veil
For the things that are seen: earthly vision must fail,
That the heavenly may clear; the awakening soul
Looks up, drops the fragments, inherits the whole.
For the things that are seen: earthly vision must fail,
That the heavenly may clear; the awakening soul
Looks up, drops the fragments, inherits the whole.
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Lost empires in Orient oceans are drowned;
Not the Past, but the Future, comes up to be crowned.
Wise men in the East with a great light were blest;
It was Bethlehem's Star, and it led to the West.
Not the Past, but the Future, comes up to be crowned.
Wise men in the East with a great light were blest;
It was Bethlehem's Star, and it led to the West.
It led to the West, and it greatened and glowed
For apostles and martyrs, revealing the road—
Still westward—those pioneer-spirits must take,
Who would bear on Christ's gospel, and die for His sake.
For apostles and martyrs, revealing the road—
Still westward—those pioneer-spirits must take,
Who would bear on Christ's gospel, and die for His sake.
To His latter-day triumph the rich nations bring
Their glory and honor; the earth knows her King.
Our planet rolls into His light from afar;
The true star of empire is Bethlehem's Star.
Their glory and honor; the earth knows her King.
Our planet rolls into His light from afar;
The true star of empire is Bethlehem's Star.
The kingdom is His; bring Him beauty and youth!
The trophies of learning, the treasures of truth!
Never yet was a conquest of science complete
Until it was laid at the Holy Child's feet.
The trophies of learning, the treasures of truth!
Never yet was a conquest of science complete
Until it was laid at the Holy Child's feet.
His cradle is still in the West, as of old.
Through the sunset press on, until sunrise unfold
The light that was never on land or on sea—
The light of His coming, the Life that shall be!
Through the sunset press on, until sunrise unfold
The light that was never on land or on sea—
The light of His coming, the Life that shall be!
By the glow of that vision we read what we lack;
Inspired, not disheartened; the beautiful track
Entices the traveler forth, day by day,
Entranced with the infinite joy of the way.
Inspired, not disheartened; the beautiful track
Entices the traveler forth, day by day,
Entranced with the infinite joy of the way.
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We may mourn that the guerdon we seek is not gained;
That the heights we look up to, remain unattained;
But we lower no standard; the Best draws us on,
Though the perfect ideal eludes us, unwon.
That the heights we look up to, remain unattained;
But we lower no standard; the Best draws us on,
Though the perfect ideal eludes us, unwon.
We shall win it, O dear fellow-pilgrims! We know
The voices that call through the clear Western glow.
By the old saints forever a new song is sung:
Life beckons us on, and life always is young.
The voices that call through the clear Western glow.
By the old saints forever a new song is sung:
Life beckons us on, and life always is young.
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LOVE'S LATE REMORSE.
How will it be
When you at last in heaven we see,—
Dear souls, whose footsteps in lost days,
Made musical earth's toil-worn ways,
While we not half the loneliness
That bound you to our side could guess?
Where angels know your footfall, we
Are fain to be.
When you at last in heaven we see,—
Dear souls, whose footsteps in lost days,
Made musical earth's toil-worn ways,
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That bound you to our side could guess?
Where angels know your footfall, we
Are fain to be.
We never knew—
So heedlessly we walked with you—
The drops we jostled from your cup,
That, spilt, could not be gathered up:
We might have given you foam and glow
From our own beaker's overflow;—
Ah! what we might have been to you,
We never knew!
So heedlessly we walked with you—
The drops we jostled from your cup,
That, spilt, could not be gathered up:
We might have given you foam and glow
From our own beaker's overflow;—
Ah! what we might have been to you,
We never knew!
We might have lent
Such strength, such comfort and content
To you, out of our ample store:
We might have hastened on before
To lift the shadows from your way,
Darkened, ere noon, to twilight's gray;
With earth's cold air love's warm heart-scent
We might have blent.
Such strength, such comfort and content
To you, out of our ample store:
We might have hastened on before
To lift the shadows from your way,
Darkened, ere noon, to twilight's gray;
With earth's cold air love's warm heart-scent
We might have blent.
Dear, wistful eyes,
Ye haunt us with your kind surprise,
Your tender wonder that a heart
Should thus be left alone, apart,
So loving, so misunderstood
By us, in our self-centred mood:
Alas! in vain to you arise
Our longing cries!
Ye haunt us with your kind surprise,
Your tender wonder that a heart
Should thus be left alone, apart,
So loving, so misunderstood
By us, in our self-centred mood:
Alas! in vain to you arise
Our longing cries!
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Oh, will you wait
For us, beyond the shining gate?
Though lovely gifts behind you left,
We want yourselves: we are bereft.
From your new mansion glorious
Will you lean out to look for us?
Shut is the far-off, shining gate:—
Are we too late?
For us, beyond the shining gate?
Though lovely gifts behind you left,
We want yourselves: we are bereft.
From your new mansion glorious
Will you lean out to look for us?
Shut is the far-off, shining gate:—
Are we too late?
FOR LARGER LIVES.
In heaven, they say, is undisturbed and perfect peace; and yet
Along our heart-strings, even there, a tremor of regret
Must sometimes wander into pain, if memory survives,—
A grief, that in this good, great world we lived not larger lives.
Along our heart-strings, even there, a tremor of regret
Must sometimes wander into pain, if memory survives,—
A grief, that in this good, great world we lived not larger lives.
God moves our planet gloriously among His starry spheres;
And nobler movements for our souls through these our mortal years,
In widening orbits toward Himself eternally He planned:—
We creep and rust in treadmill grooves; we will not be made grand.
And nobler movements for our souls through these our mortal years,
In widening orbits toward Himself eternally He planned:—
We creep and rust in treadmill grooves; we will not be made grand.
He sent us forth, His children, of His inmost life a part;
His breath, His being; each a throb of His deep Father-heart;
He shaped us in His image, suns, to flood His worlds with day:—
Alas! we stifle down His light, and deaden into clay.
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He shaped us in His image, suns, to flood His worlds with day:—
Alas! we stifle down His light, and deaden into clay.
Meant to be living fountains,—not little stagnant pools,
Stirred aimlessly from shallow depths, walled round with petty rules,
Drying away to dust at last,—to Him we might ascend,
And with the River of His Life in crystal freshness blend.
Stirred aimlessly from shallow depths, walled round with petty rules,
Drying away to dust at last,—to Him we might ascend,
And with the River of His Life in crystal freshness blend.
To share His freedom—sons of God! There is no other aim
Can kindle any human hope to an immortal flame!
It is the keenest shame of these mean, fettered lives we lead,—
We choose the weights that drag us down, refusing to be freed.
Can kindle any human hope to an immortal flame!
It is the keenest shame of these mean, fettered lives we lead,—
We choose the weights that drag us down, refusing to be freed.
Yet souls that win immortal heights unclogged with self must move:
The only thing that we can take from earth to heaven is love.
To make us great like Thee, O God! Thy Spirit with us strives:—
Enlarge our hearts to take Thee in! O give us nobler lives!
The only thing that we can take from earth to heaven is love.
To make us great like Thee, O God! Thy Spirit with us strives:—
Enlarge our hearts to take Thee in! O give us nobler lives!
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A DOOR OPENED.
Might a door but be opened in heaven!
Might we look for a moment within!
Might only one comforting glimpse be given,
Of the life that we hope to win!
Might we look for a moment within!
Might only one comforting glimpse be given,
Of the life that we hope to win!
A door has been opened in heaven:—
Its glory shone full on the earth,
When the clouds of her midnight were smitten and riven
By the joy of the Christ-Child's birth.
Its glory shone full on the earth,
When the clouds of her midnight were smitten and riven
By the joy of the Christ-Child's birth.
And a door is yet opened in heaven;
Its light floods our world to its brim,
When a soul, for His truth having suffered and striven,
Ascends, a crowned conqueror, to Him.
Its light floods our world to its brim,
When a soul, for His truth having suffered and striven,
Ascends, a crowned conqueror, to Him.
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WITHDRAWAL.
J. G. W. September 7, 1892.
Was it thy step on the mountain-side?
Was it thy voice in the air?—
Strange beauty illumined the landscape wide;
The world lay in heaven-light there.
Was it thy voice in the air?—
Strange beauty illumined the landscape wide;
The world lay in heaven-light there.
And a whisper, a breath, through my trouble went;—
Did a soul speak, passing by?—
“Ah, see how the heights and the levels are blent,
How the peaks are dissolved in the sky!
Did a soul speak, passing by?—
“Ah, see how the heights and the levels are blent,
How the peaks are dissolved in the sky!
“One tender suffusion of splendor is this,—
Blue summits and meadows green!
So peaceful, so soft the withdrawal is
Of a life into Light unseen.”
Blue summits and meadows green!
So peaceful, so soft the withdrawal is
Of a life into Light unseen.”
—Thy spirit was passing—I knew it not—
Beyond the light of the sun!
And the world thou hast left has a radiance caught
From the glory that thou hast won.
Beyond the light of the sun!
And the world thou hast left has a radiance caught
From the glory that thou hast won.
And my soul arises and follows thine
Up the luminous heavenward slope;
For thy beautiful footprints make earth divine
With the glow of a deathless hope.
Up the luminous heavenward slope;
For thy beautiful footprints make earth divine
With the glow of a deathless hope.
On Moosilauke Mountain, N. H.
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