 | A Tale of Eternity and Other Poems |  |
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HYMNS, AND OTHER LYRICS.
(SOME OF WHICH WERE WRITTEN TO BE SUNG BY CHILDREN.)
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AT EVENTIDE.
Thou infmitely merciful!
Thy garment's hem in prayer we pull;
Bringing our burdens on our knees,
We take the hand that lends release:
Turn on us one forgiving look,
Before this day shall close its book.
Thy garment's hem in prayer we pull;
Bringing our burdens on our knees,
We take the hand that lends release:
Turn on us one forgiving look,
Before this day shall close its book.
So yearningly we seek thy face
When darkness is our dwelling-place.
Our foolish hearts, that daily roam,
Would nightly nestle with Thee at Home.
Be with us Here, and grant that we
Hereafter, Lord, may be with Thee!
When darkness is our dwelling-place.
Our foolish hearts, that daily roam,
Would nightly nestle with Thee at Home.
Be with us Here, and grant that we
Hereafter, Lord, may be with Thee!
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Father! our inmost parts lie bare
To Thine own purifying air;
We spread our stains out in Thy sight;
O, Sun of Pureness, turn them white:
And make our spirits clear as dew
For thine own Self to lighten through.
To Thine own purifying air;
We spread our stains out in Thy sight;
O, Sun of Pureness, turn them white:
And make our spirits clear as dew
For thine own Self to lighten through.
Send down the Comforter, we plead,
For all who are in bitter need;
Let homeless Hagars find, we pray,
Some well of succour by the way:
With the Angel of Thy Presence bless
Poor wanderers in the wilderness.
For all who are in bitter need;
Let homeless Hagars find, we pray,
Some well of succour by the way:
With the Angel of Thy Presence bless
Poor wanderers in the wilderness.
God keep our darlings safe this night,
Tho' scattered, one still in Thy sight!
Lead on, by many ways, and past
All perils, till we join at last:
With us the broken links! with Thee
The circle perfect endlessly.
Tho' scattered, one still in Thy sight!
Lead on, by many ways, and past
All perils, till we join at last:
With us the broken links! with Thee
The circle perfect endlessly.
Now take us, Father, to Thy breast,
And still all troubled thoughts to rest;
Thy watch and ward about us keep,
That tired souls may smile asleep,
And, having been in heaven awhile,
May wake to-morrow with Thy smile!
And still all troubled thoughts to rest;
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That tired souls may smile asleep,
And, having been in heaven awhile,
May wake to-morrow with Thy smile!
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OUT OF THE DEPTHS.
So dark the way, I cannot see:
O, somewhere-smiling face Divine,
Look down and make my night to shine!
So dark the way, I cannot see.
Dear Jesus, let me lean on Thee!
O, somewhere-smiling face Divine,
Look down and make my night to shine!
So dark the way, I cannot see.
Dear Jesus, let me lean on Thee!
All night I stumble gropingly,
Seeking the door in some blank wall,
That shuts me from the light, and call
And listen, listen hopingly.
Dear Jesus, let me lean on Thee!
Seeking the door in some blank wall,
That shuts me from the light, and call
And listen, listen hopingly.
Dear Jesus, let me lean on Thee!
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My burden bows me to the knee;
O Lord, 'tis more than I can bear.
Didst Thou not come our load to share?
My burden bows me to the knee.
Dear Jesus, let me lean on Thee!
O Lord, 'tis more than I can bear.
Didst Thou not come our load to share?
My burden bows me to the knee.
Dear Jesus, let me lean on Thee!
The Deeps will surely swallow me;
I cry with fainting strength: the waves
Are gaping round in open graves:
The Deeps will surely swallow me.
Dear Jesus, let me lean on Thee!
I cry with fainting strength: the waves
Are gaping round in open graves:
The Deeps will surely swallow me.
Dear Jesus, let me lean on Thee!
Far off, so far, the Heavens be,
With their wide arms! and I would prove
The close warm-beating heart of Love.
But so far off the Heavens be:
Dear Jesus, let me lean on Thee!
With their wide arms! and I would prove
The close warm-beating heart of Love.
But so far off the Heavens be:
Dear Jesus, let me lean on Thee!
Father in Heaven, we cannot see
Thy face, nor grasp the spirit-hand
That leads us to the Unseen Land;
But trustingly, tho' tremblingly,
Dear Jesus, let me lean on Thee!
Thy face, nor grasp the spirit-hand
That leads us to the Unseen Land;
But trustingly, tho' tremblingly,
Dear Jesus, let me lean on Thee!
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One smile, and all my fears would flee:
One whisper, and the storm would cease;
And I should know Thee in the peace;
The door would ope; no dark could be.
Dear Jesus, let me lean on Thee!
One whisper, and the storm would cease;
And I should know Thee in the peace;
The door would ope; no dark could be.
Dear Jesus, let me lean on Thee!
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JERUSALEM THE GOLDEN.
Jerusalem the Golden!
I weary for one Gleam
Of all thy glory folden
In distance and in dream!
My thoughts, like Palms in Exile,
Climb up to look and pray
For a glimpse of thy dear Country
That lies so far away!
I weary for one Gleam
Of all thy glory folden
In distance and in dream!
My thoughts, like Palms in Exile,
Climb up to look and pray
For a glimpse of thy dear Country
That lies so far away!
Jerusalem the Golden!
Methinks each flower that blows,
And every bird a-singing
Of thee some secret knows;
I know not what the Flowers
Can feel, or Singers see,
But all these summer raptures
Seem prophecies of thee.
Methinks each flower that blows,
And every bird a-singing
Of thee some secret knows;
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Can feel, or Singers see,
But all these summer raptures
Seem prophecies of thee.
Jerusalem the Golden!
When Sunset's in the West,
It seems thy gate of glory,
Thou City of the Blest!
And Midnight's starry torches
Thro' intermediate gloom,
Are waving with our welcome
To thy Eternal Home!
When Sunset's in the West,
It seems thy gate of glory,
Thou City of the Blest!
And Midnight's starry torches
Thro' intermediate gloom,
Are waving with our welcome
To thy Eternal Home!
Jerusalem the Golden!
Where loftily they sing,
O'er pain and sorrows olden
For ever triumphing;
Lowly may be the portal
And dark may be the door,
The Mansion is Immortal—
God's palace for His Poor!
Where loftily they sing,
O'er pain and sorrows olden
For ever triumphing;
Lowly may be the portal
And dark may be the door,
The Mansion is Immortal—
God's palace for His Poor!
Jerusalem the Golden!
There all our Birds that flew,—
Our Flowers but half unfolden,
Our Pearls that turned to dew,—
And all the glad life-music,
Now heard no longer here,
Shall come again to greet us
As we are drawing near.
There all our Birds that flew,—
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Our Pearls that turned to dew,—
And all the glad life-music,
Now heard no longer here,
Shall come again to greet us
As we are drawing near.
Jerusalem the Golden!
I toil on, day by day;
Heart-sore each night with longing,
I stretch my hands and pray,
That mid thy leaves of Healing,
My soul may find her nest;
Where the Wicked cease from troubling—
The Weary are at rest!
I toil on, day by day;
Heart-sore each night with longing,
I stretch my hands and pray,
That mid thy leaves of Healing,
My soul may find her nest;
Where the Wicked cease from troubling—
The Weary are at rest!
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POOR MAN'S SUNDAY.
The merry Birds are singing,
And from the fragrant sod
The Spirits of a thousand flowers
Go sweetly up to God:
While in His holy temple
We meet to praise and pray
With cheerful voice, and grateful heart,
This Summer Sabbath Day!
And from the fragrant sod
The Spirits of a thousand flowers
Go sweetly up to God:
While in His holy temple
We meet to praise and pray
With cheerful voice, and grateful heart,
This Summer Sabbath Day!
We thank thee, Lord, for one day
To look Heaven in the face!
The Poor have only Sunday;
The sweeter is the grace.
'Tis then they make the music
That sings their week away.
O, there's a sweetness infinite
In the Poor Man's Sabbath Day!
To look Heaven in the face!
The Poor have only Sunday;
The sweeter is the grace.
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That sings their week away.
O, there's a sweetness infinite
In the Poor Man's Sabbath Day!
'Tis as a burst of sunshine,
A tender fall of rain,
That set the barest life a-bloom;
Make old hearts young again.
The dry and dusty roadisde
With smiling flowers is gay;
'Tis open Heaven one day in seven,
The Poor Man's Sabbath Day!
A tender fall of rain,
That set the barest life a-bloom;
Make old hearts young again.
The dry and dusty roadisde
With smiling flowers is gay;
'Tis open Heaven one day in seven,
The Poor Man's Sabbath Day!
'Tis here the weary Pilgrim
Doth reach his House of Ease!
That blessëd House, called “Beautiful,”
And that soft Chamber, “Peace.”
The River of Life runs through his dream
And the leaves of Heaven are at play;
He sees the Golden City gleam,
This shining Sabbath Day!
Doth reach his House of Ease!
That blessëd House, called “Beautiful,”
And that soft Chamber, “Peace.”
The River of Life runs through his dream
And the leaves of Heaven are at play;
He sees the Golden City gleam,
This shining Sabbath Day!
Take heart, ye faint and fearful,
Your cross with courage bear;
So many a face now tearful
Shall shine in glory there;
Where all the sorrow is banisht,
The tears are wiped away;
And all eternity shall be
An endless Sabbath Day!
Your cross with courage bear;
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Shall shine in glory there;
Where all the sorrow is banisht,
The tears are wiped away;
And all eternity shall be
An endless Sabbath Day!
Ah! there are empty places,
Since last we mingled here!
There will be missing faces
When we meet another year!
But, heart to heart, before we part,
Now altogether pray
That we may meet in Heaven, to spend
The Eternal Sabbath Day!
Since last we mingled here!
There will be missing faces
When we meet another year!
But, heart to heart, before we part,
Now altogether pray
That we may meet in Heaven, to spend
The Eternal Sabbath Day!
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THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD.
Behold me standing at the door,
And hear me asking o'er and o'er,
With pleading voice above the din,
“May I come in? May I come in?”
And hear me asking o'er and o'er,
With pleading voice above the din,
“May I come in? May I come in?”
Wearing the cruel thorns for thee,
I listen long and patiently,
To hear the footstep from within,
“May I come in? May I come in?”
I listen long and patiently,
To hear the footstep from within,
“May I come in? May I come in?”
I fought for thee with Death's grim wave;
I burst his dungeons of the grave;
I would my rightful guerdon win,
“May I come in? May I come in?”
I burst his dungeons of the grave;
I would my rightful guerdon win,
“May I come in? May I come in?”
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Ye dream dark dreams alone by night,
And lo, I am the Living Light,
That smiles away all mists of sin.
“May I come in? May I come in?”
And lo, I am the Living Light,
That smiles away all mists of sin.
“May I come in? May I come in?”
There's surely room upon thy breast
For one more loving head to rest:
One empty place for kith and kin.
“May I come in? May I come in?”
For one more loving head to rest:
One empty place for kith and kin.
“May I come in? May I come in?”
I would not have thee beat in vain
Our Father's door and plead in pain,
When Heaven and all its joys begin.
“May I come in? May I come in?”
Our Father's door and plead in pain,
When Heaven and all its joys begin.
“May I come in? May I come in?”
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GOING TO SCHOOL.
On Sunday morning early,
While yet the grass is pearly,
The air is bright and cool;
All clad in our best graces,
With rosy morning faces,
We go to the Sunday School!
While yet the grass is pearly,
The air is bright and cool;
All clad in our best graces,
With rosy morning faces,
We go to the Sunday School!
To-day is Life in blossom:
Heartsease in every bosom,
And all is beautiful.
A spirit within us springing
At Heaven's gate will be singing
Thanks for the Sunday School!
Heartsease in every bosom,
And all is beautiful.
A spirit within us springing
At Heaven's gate will be singing
Thanks for the Sunday School!
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We sun us in its brightness;
We clothe us in its whiteness,
As doth the wayside pool,
That holds from Morn till Even,
Its little bit of Heaven—
The gladsome Sunday School!
We clothe us in its whiteness,
As doth the wayside pool,
That holds from Morn till Even,
Its little bit of Heaven—
The gladsome Sunday School!
Here learn we how to lighten
The heaviest lot, and brighten
The day most dark with dool,
And lay up Childhood's treasure,
To reap immortal pleasure
Even in a Sunday School!
The heaviest lot, and brighten
The day most dark with dool,
And lay up Childhood's treasure,
To reap immortal pleasure
Even in a Sunday School!
The summer Earth rejoices,
With hers we lift our voices,
And Heaven blends the whole.
And when God's Angels cover us,
Drawing the darkness over us,
They bless the Sunday School!
With hers we lift our voices,
And Heaven blends the whole.
And when God's Angels cover us,
Drawing the darkness over us,
They bless the Sunday School!
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PARENTS' PRAYER FOR THE CHILDREN.
Christ on Earth, in Heaven the King,
As we heard the Children sing,
How the thought within us smiled,
Thou wert once a little Child!
As we heard the Children sing,
How the thought within us smiled,
Thou wert once a little Child!
Hover near them, Heavenly Dove,
With thine overshadowing love;
Keep them pure and undefiled:
Thou wert once a little Child!
With thine overshadowing love;
Keep them pure and undefiled:
Thou wert once a little Child!
See them playing on the sands,
'Twixt two tides, with helpless hands;
Save them when the waves grow wild:
Thou wert once a little Child!
'Twixt two tides, with helpless hands;
Save them when the waves grow wild:
Thou wert once a little Child!
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Bless them in their joyousness;
Hear them, help them, in distress;
Be their Shepherd when beguiled;
Thou wert once a little Child!
Hear them, help them, in distress;
Be their Shepherd when beguiled;
Thou wert once a little Child!
Let their feet be firmly shod;
Let them not go back to God,
With immortal jewels soiled;
Thou wert once a little Child!
Let them not go back to God,
With immortal jewels soiled;
Thou wert once a little Child!
Take them, when the Peril's past,
To thy Father's Home at last;
He remembers, and is mild,
Thou wert once a little Child!
To thy Father's Home at last;
He remembers, and is mild,
Thou wert once a little Child!
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CHILDREN'S EVENING PRAYER.
Gracious Saviour! meekly crave your
Little Lambs their fold to-night;
Do Thou hear us, and be near us;
Thro' the darkness lead to light:
Fence our weakness with Thy might!
Little Lambs their fold to-night;
Do Thou hear us, and be near us;
Thro' the darkness lead to light:
Fence our weakness with Thy might!
Night is nearing! timid, fearing
Life is shrinking in its nest;
To Thy keeping take us sleeping,
Gentle Shepherd, in Thy breast,
Where we nestle and are blest!
Life is shrinking in its nest;
To Thy keeping take us sleeping,
Gentle Shepherd, in Thy breast,
Where we nestle and are blest!
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Thro' the nightfall may Thy Light fall
On us, safely hid apart,
When no change or passing danger
Clouds us, with Thy smile at heart.
Where the lambs are there Thou art!
On us, safely hid apart,
When no change or passing danger
Clouds us, with Thy smile at heart.
Where the lambs are there Thou art!
White mists wreathing their soft breathing,
Where the water-courses run,
From their hiding-place are gliding,
Hanging dew-drops one by one,
To be lighted by the sun!
Where the water-courses run,
From their hiding-place are gliding,
Hanging dew-drops one by one,
To be lighted by the sun!
We too kneeling for Thy healing,
Pray Thy dews may fall apace
In rich showers, that Thy Flowers
May uplift their morning face,
Glistening with Thy freshest grace.
Pray Thy dews may fall apace
In rich showers, that Thy Flowers
May uplift their morning face,
Glistening with Thy freshest grace.
May good Angels with evangels
Glad our slumbers by one gleam
Of their covering white wings, hovering
Down the ladder of our dream—
Soft the hardest pillow will seem!
Glad our slumbers by one gleam
Of their covering white wings, hovering
Down the ladder of our dream—
Soft the hardest pillow will seem!
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O Thou Solace of the weary;
O Thou Rest for all that roam;
Nightless Sunshine for the dreary;
For the Homeless endless home;
To Thy waiting arms we come!
O Thou Rest for all that roam;
Nightless Sunshine for the dreary;
For the Homeless endless home;
To Thy waiting arms we come!
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AND THEY SUNG A NEW SONG.
Hear what the Saint in solemn dream was shown
Thro' Heaven's own Gates of Gold;
He saw them standing by the great White Throne;
He heard their raptures roll'd!
Christ was the Sun of that new firmament,
And there was no more night,
While thro' the golden City harping went
The glorious all in white.
Thro' Heaven's own Gates of Gold;
He saw them standing by the great White Throne;
He heard their raptures roll'd!
Christ was the Sun of that new firmament,
And there was no more night,
While thro' the golden City harping went
The glorious all in white.
These, out of their great tribulation, came
To bow before the Throne!
These lifted up their foreheads from the flame
And by His name were known!
Some on the rack were living witnesses,
And many fell a-field;
But Christ did greet His Martyrs with a kiss,
And all their hurts were heal'd.
To bow before the Throne!
These lifted up their foreheads from the flame
And by His name were known!
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And many fell a-field;
But Christ did greet His Martyrs with a kiss,
And all their hurts were heal'd.
These had to wrestle with wild waves of strife,
Long ere they reach'd that shore
Where they at last have won the crowns of life
They wear for evermore.
There do they drink of Life's all-healing Stream,
And quench their thirst of years;
All star-like now the precious jewels gleam,
They sow'd on Earth as tears.
Long ere they reach'd that shore
Where they at last have won the crowns of life
They wear for evermore.
There do they drink of Life's all-healing Stream,
And quench their thirst of years;
All star-like now the precious jewels gleam,
They sow'd on Earth as tears.
Help us, O Lord, to reach that Better Land,
Afar from sorrow and sin,
And join that Blessed band all harp-in-hand,
All safe with Christ shut in.
Feeble and poor the songs we sing! at most,
Some selfish Prayer we raise;
While the white Harpers on that Heavenly coast,
Hymn everlasting Praise.
Afar from sorrow and sin,
And join that Blessed band all harp-in-hand,
All safe with Christ shut in.
Feeble and poor the songs we sing! at most,
Some selfish Prayer we raise;
While the white Harpers on that Heavenly coast,
Hymn everlasting Praise.
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THE ASPEN.
I went out into the wistful night,
Along with my little Daughter;
Down in the valley the weird Moonlight
With an Elfin shine lit the wan water.
Along with my little Daughter;
Down in the valley the weird Moonlight
With an Elfin shine lit the wan water.
The Trees stood dark in a flame of white;
A Nightingale sang in the stillness;
It seemed the husht heart of the sweet spring night
Brimmed over because of its fulness.
A Nightingale sang in the stillness;
It seemed the husht heart of the sweet spring night
Brimmed over because of its fulness.
Not a breath of air in the region wide;
Not a ripple upon the river;
Yet all of a sudden the Aspens sigh'd
And thro' all their leaves ran a shiver.
Not a ripple upon the river;
Yet all of a sudden the Aspens sigh'd
And thro' all their leaves ran a shiver.
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My darling she nestled quite close to me
For such shield as mine arms could give her;
“There went not the least waft of wind thro' the Tree;
Then why did the Aspens shiver?”
For such shield as mine arms could give her;
“There went not the least waft of wind thro' the Tree;
Then why did the Aspens shiver?”
I told her the tale, how, by Kedron's Brook
Our Saviour one evening wander'd;
A cloud came over His glorified look
As he paused by the way and ponder'd.
Our Saviour one evening wander'd;
A cloud came over His glorified look
As he paused by the way and ponder'd.
The trees felt his sighing; their heads all bow'd
Towards Him in solemn devotion,
Save the Aspen, that stood up so stately and proud;
It made neither murmur nor motion.
Towards Him in solemn devotion,
Save the Aspen, that stood up so stately and proud;
It made neither murmur nor motion.
Then the Holy One Lifted His face of pain:
“The Aspen shall quake and shiver,
From this time forth till I come again,
Whether growing by Brook or by River.”
“The Aspen shall quake and shiver,
From this time forth till I come again,
Whether growing by Brook or by River.”
And oft in the listening hush of night
The Aspen will secretly shiver;
With all its tremulous leaves turn white,
Like a guilty thing by the River.
The Aspen will secretly shiver;
With all its tremulous leaves turn white,
Like a guilty thing by the River.
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So the souls that look on His sorrow and pain
For their sake, and bow not, may quiver
Like Aspens, and quake when He comes again,
Thro' the night for ever, for ever!
For their sake, and bow not, may quiver
Like Aspens, and quake when He comes again,
Thro' the night for ever, for ever!
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POOR ELLEN.
This hard to die in Spring-time,
When, to mock our bitter need,
All life around runs over
In its fulness without heed:
New life for tiniest twig on tree,
New worlds of honey for the bee,
And not one drop of dew for me
Who perish as I plead.
When, to mock our bitter need,
All life around runs over
In its fulness without heed:
New life for tiniest twig on tree,
New worlds of honey for the bee,
And not one drop of dew for me
Who perish as I plead.
'Tis hard to die in Spring-time,
When it stirs the poorest clod;
The wee Wren lifts its little heart
In lusty songs to God;
And Summer comes with conquering march;
Her banners waving 'neath the arch
Of heaven, where I lie and parch—
Left dying by the road.
When it stirs the poorest clod;
The wee Wren lifts its little heart
In lusty songs to God;
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Her banners waving 'neath the arch
Of heaven, where I lie and parch—
Left dying by the road.
'Tis hard to die in Spring-time,
When the long blue days unfold,
And cowslip-coloured sunsets
Grow, like Heaven's own heart, pure gold!
Each breath of balm brings wave on wave
Of new life that would lift and lave
My Life, whose feel is of the grave,
And mingling with the mould.
When the long blue days unfold,
And cowslip-coloured sunsets
Grow, like Heaven's own heart, pure gold!
Each breath of balm brings wave on wave
Of new life that would lift and lave
My Life, whose feel is of the grave,
And mingling with the mould.
But sweet to die in Spring-time,
When these lustres of the sward,
And all the breaks of beauty
Wherewith Earth is daily starr'd,
For me are but the outside show,
All leading to the inner glow
Of that strange world to which I go—
For ever with the Lord.
When these lustres of the sward,
And all the breaks of beauty
Wherewith Earth is daily starr'd,
For me are but the outside show,
All leading to the inner glow
Of that strange world to which I go—
For ever with the Lord.
O sweet to die in Spring-time,
When I reach the promised Rest,
And feel His arm is round me—
Know I sink back on His breast:
His kisses close these poor dim eyes;
Soon I shall hear Him say “Arise,”
And, springing up with glad surprise,
Shall know Him and be blest.
When I reach the promised Rest,
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Know I sink back on His breast:
His kisses close these poor dim eyes;
Soon I shall hear Him say “Arise,”
And, springing up with glad surprise,
Shall know Him and be blest.
'Tis sweet to die in Spring-time,
For I feel my golden year
Of summer-time eternal
Is beginning even here!
“Poor Ellen!” now you say and sigh,
“Poor Ellen!” and to-morrow I
Shall say “Poor Mother!” and, from the sky,
Watch you, and wait you there.
For I feel my golden year
Of summer-time eternal
Is beginning even here!
“Poor Ellen!” now you say and sigh,
“Poor Ellen!” and to-morrow I
Shall say “Poor Mother!” and, from the sky,
Watch you, and wait you there.
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THE LIFE BEYOND.
Although its features fade in light of unimagined bliss,
We have shadowy revealings of the Better World in this.
We have shadowy revealings of the Better World in this.
A little glimpse, when Spring unveils her face and opes her eyes,
Of the Sleeping Beauty in the soul that wakes in Paradise.
Of the Sleeping Beauty in the soul that wakes in Paradise.
A little drop of Heaven in each diamond of the shower,
A breath of the Eternal in the fragrance of each flower!
A breath of the Eternal in the fragrance of each flower!
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A little low vibration in the warble of Night's bird,
Of the praises and the music that shall be hereafter heard!
Of the praises and the music that shall be hereafter heard!
A little whisper in the leaves that clap their hands and try
To glad the heart of man, and lift to Heaven his thankful eye!
To glad the heart of man, and lift to Heaven his thankful eye!
A little semblance mirror'd in old Ocean's smile or frown
Of His vast glory who doth bow the Heavens and come down!
Of His vast glory who doth bow the Heavens and come down!
A little symbol shining through the worlds that move at rest
On invisible foundations of the broad almighty breast!
On invisible foundations of the broad almighty breast!
A little hint that stirs and thrills the wings we fold within,
And tells of that full heaven yonder which must here begin!
And tells of that full heaven yonder which must here begin!
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A little springlet welling from the fountain-head above,
That takes its earthly way to find the ocean of all love!
That takes its earthly way to find the ocean of all love!
A little silver shiver in the ripple of the river
Caught from the light that knows no night for ever and for ever!
Caught from the light that knows no night for ever and for ever!
A little hidden likeness, often faded and defiled,
Of the great, the good All-father, in His poorest human child!
Of the great, the good All-father, in His poorest human child!
Although the best be lost in light of unimagined bliss,
We have shadowy revealings of the Better World in this.
We have shadowy revealings of the Better World in this.
268
A CRY IN THE NIGHT.
Dark,dark the night, and tearfully I grope,
Lost in the Shadows, feeling for the way,
But cannot find it. Here's no help, no hope,
And God is very far off with His day.
Lost in the Shadows, feeling for the way,
But cannot find it. Here's no help, no hope,
And God is very far off with His day.
Hush, hush, faint heart! why this may be thy chance,
When all is at the worst, to prove thy faith;
Stand still, and see His great Deliverance,
And trust Him at the darkest unto death.
When all is at the worst, to prove thy faith;
Stand still, and see His great Deliverance,
And trust Him at the darkest unto death.
Often upon the last grim ridge of war
God takes His stand to aid us in the fight;
He watches while we roll the tide afar,
And, beaten back, is near us with His might.
God takes His stand to aid us in the fight;
He watches while we roll the tide afar,
And, beaten back, is near us with His might.
269
We hear the Arrows in the dark go by:
The cowering soul no longer soars or sings,
Or it might know His presence then most nigh,
Our darkness being the Shadow of His wings.
The cowering soul no longer soars or sings,
Or it might know His presence then most nigh,
Our darkness being the Shadow of His wings.
No need of faith if all were visibly clear!
'Tis for the trial-time its help was given;
Tho' clouds be thick, the Sun is just as near
That shines within and makes the heart its heaven.
'Tis for the trial-time its help was given;
Tho' clouds be thick, the Sun is just as near
That shines within and makes the heart its heaven.
Amidst our wildest night of saddest woes,
When Earth is desolate—Heaven dark with doom,
Faith has its fire-flash of the soul that shows
The face of the Eternal thro' the gloom.
When Earth is desolate—Heaven dark with doom,
Faith has its fire-flash of the soul that shows
The face of the Eternal thro' the gloom.
270
A SONG IN THE MORNING.
Awake, poor Soul, the Shadows flee,
Dawn kindles in the sky,
Lift up the drooping head, and see
Redemption draweth nigh!
Dawn kindles in the sky,
Lift up the drooping head, and see
Redemption draweth nigh!
A little further we must bear
The load, and do our best;
Then take immortal solace where
The Weary are at rest.
The load, and do our best;
Then take immortal solace where
The Weary are at rest.
A few more Meetings on the Deep,
And partings on the shore;
And then in Heaven at last we keep
Our tryst for evermore.
And partings on the shore;
And then in Heaven at last we keep
Our tryst for evermore.
271
And we shall see the lifted head
Once bowed to show His face;
And feel the arms in death He spread,
Close round us in embrace!
Once bowed to show His face;
And feel the arms in death He spread,
Close round us in embrace!
The Devil, standing in our light,
And darkening all our day,
Shall wave his wings for final flight;
His shadow pass away.
And darkening all our day,
Shall wave his wings for final flight;
His shadow pass away.
Our Pilgrimage will soon be past,
Our worst afflictions borne;
Some weary Night, 'twill be our last,
And then Eternal Morn.
Our worst afflictions borne;
Some weary Night, 'twill be our last,
And then Eternal Morn.
272
HIS BANNER OVER ME.
Surrounded by unnumber'd Foes,
Against my soul the battle goes!
Yet tho' I weary, sore distress'd,
I know that I shall reach my Rest:
I lift my tearful eyes above,—
His Banner over me is Love.
Against my soul the battle goes!
Yet tho' I weary, sore distress'd,
I know that I shall reach my Rest:
I lift my tearful eyes above,—
His Banner over me is Love.
Its Sword my spirit will not yield,
Tho' flesh may faint upon the field;
He waves before my fading sight
The branch of palm—the crown of light;
I lift my brightening eyes above,—
His Banner over me is Love.
Tho' flesh may faint upon the field;
He waves before my fading sight
The branch of palm—the crown of light;
I lift my brightening eyes above,—
His Banner over me is Love.
273
My cloud of battle-dust may dim;
His veil of splendour curtain Him!
And in the midnight of my fear
I may not feel Him standing near:
But, as I lift mine eyes above,
His Banner over me is Love.
His veil of splendour curtain Him!
And in the midnight of my fear
I may not feel Him standing near:
But, as I lift mine eyes above,
His Banner over me is Love.
| A Tale of Eternity and Other Poems | |