Awd Isaac :: :: University of Virginia Library

A stone!—and what about a stone?
What sense is there in that?
I answer, in itself there's none:
But hold, I'll tell you what!
Oft while in craggy woods I've been,
All silent, and alone,
A thousand beauties I have seen,
Conceal'd within a stone!

While passing through life's troubled scenes,
O'erwhelm'd with care and grief,
A stranger in this wilderness,
And needful of relief:
Not wishful then to every one,
To make my troubles known,—
The thing most useful in this world,
I've gained it by a stone!

Some boast of riches, and estates,
Of chariots, and of steeds,
Of ships that sail by wind or steam,
And some of mighty deeds:
But all the treasure I desire,
In cities, or alone,
Is peace of conscience, health of mind,
And hewing at a stone!

Our kings, and nobles, dukes and lords,
Whose splendid castles rise,
Whose palaces, and lofty towers,
Reach almost to the skies;
Of Greece and Corinth make their boast,
Yet are oblig'd to own,
Some honour due, from first to last,
To those who hew the stone!

In every town, in modern days,
Some system new prevails,
Men deviate from former ways,
The mason's art now fails:
Yet masons will be masons still,
And will each other own,
And smile at all attempts of skill
To imitate a stone!

The work will stand, and not disgrace,
The master-builder's plan,
Defying rain, and tempests fierce,
For twice the age of man!
With all their compositions curl'd,
And round their columns thrown,
The grandest temple in the world,
We read was built of stone!

When this fair earth at first arose,
And man was made upright,
Him, the great God of Heaven chose,
And view'd him with delight.
Had he thus stood, ('tis thought by some,)
And in God's image shone,
It never would have been our doom,
To hew and polish stone.

But man soon fell, by mortal sin,
And since the deed is done,
And we its captives long have been,
Th' effect we cannot shun:
Yet though man from perfection fell,
And sin did make him groan,
The Lord in Zion laid for him,
“A sure foundation stone!”

When men began to multiply,
And sin defil'd the heart,
The Lord look'd down with pitying eye,
With man he could not part.
The sun by day, and moon by night,
And twinkling stars that shone,
He made them all rejoice, and sing.
Of “Christ, the corner stone!”

Whoe'er upon this stone shall fall,
Shall surely broken be,
Yet he may still be heal'd again,
And be from sin set free:
But he on whom this stone shall fall,
Shall see the Almighty's frown;
He shall be crush'd as powder small,
By this stupendous stone!

Moses, that mighty man of God,
Who Israel's flock did lead,
Whose feet the path of duty trod,
And oft for them did plead,
In conversation with the Lord,
His face with glory shone,
And from awful Sinai bore,
The “Tables made of stone!”

But lo, revolting Israel's seed,
In Horeb, as we're told,
Had during Moses' absence made,
A calf of molten gold;
Such folly made his griev'd heart ache,
With pangs till then unknown,
And down he threw at once, and brake
The “Tables made of stone!”

Though ours be not such flagrant sins,
But lie perhaps conceal'd,
The day is coming when all things,
Now hid shall be reveal'd:
And some we have great cause to fear,
If they the truth would own,
Have little gods which they revere
Of gold, or precious stone.

When once through Israel's armies brave,
The boasting challenge ran,
When great Goliath sent to Saul,
To find him out a man,
Who would in single combat fight,
Till one should be o'erthrown,
How little did he think that day
Of falling by a stone!

With steps that made the earth to bend,
And spirit swell'd with pride,
He boasting shook his greaves of brass,
And Israel's God defied.
From Jesse's loins a stripling sprung,
Who made the monster groan,
When from the whirling sling he threw,
The feeble,—fatal stone!

Proud armies have been overthrown,
And cities sack'd within,
And towers and temples broken down,
The sad effects of sin:—
And once an Angel did foreshow,
The fall of Babylon,
When in the heaving deep he threw,
A great and mighty stone!

When David's highly favour'd son,
His temple first began,
They from the mountains brought a stone,
Which seem'd a pest to man:
The masons view'd it o'er and o'er,
But oft with haughty scorn,
Rejected it, and roll'd aside
This strange, unshapely stone!

From first to last it tumbling lay,
An object of disdain,
Till time, upon a certain day,
The mystery did explain.
The last, and loftiest pinnacle,
To finish and adorn
They sought, but none would do so well
As this rejected stone!

A finer building ne'er was seen,
By any mortal eye,
The timbrels rung, and Israel sung,
And old men wept for joy.
And having thus their temple rear'd
Themselves are forc'd to own,
That which the builders once refus'd
Is now the Corner Stone!

'Tis thus Jehovah's favour'd sons,
With hearts by grace refined,
Are all compar'd to living stones,
For nobler ends design'd.
Thus he the mighty structure rears,
And perfects them in one,
A glorious Church,—and Jesus is
The chief, the corner stone!

A stone by Daniel was perceiv'd,
And still the record stands,
Which from the mountains should proceed,
Cut out as without hands;
Whose dignity should greater grow,
And mighty Kings dethrone,
Till all the earth be fill'd below,
With this amazing stone!

So “in due time God sent his Son,”
According to His word,
Whose sacred mission was begun,
And seal'd with precious blood;
Who, while He dwelt on earth below,
Did make salvation known,
And caus'd His heavenly love to flow
In hearts once hard as stone!

But Pharisees and cruel Jews,
Did seek from day to day,
This holy person to abuse,
To persecute and slay.
But God did give his Angels charge,
O'er his anointed one,
Lest he at any time should dash
His foot against a stone!

At length his faithfulness to prove,
He for the world must die,
And power was given to wicked men,
The Lord to crucify.
The sun was dark at that event,
And with His dying groan,
Earth trembled! and the rocks were rent,—
The rocks of solid stone!

His enemies still follow'd Him,
When He lay in the grave
Hewn in the rock, for Joseph's tomb,
Who did His body crave:
Lest He their projects should destroy,
And they be overthrown,
They shut him in, and set a guard,
And seal'd the mighty stone!

But Roman bands could not confine
The Saviour to His cell,
He manifests His power divine,
In spite of Earth and Hell:
The Father “owns His suffering Son,”
Nor leaves Him then alone,
For lo! “an Angel comes by night,
And rolls away the stone!”

He rises to men's wond'ring view,
And triumphs o'er His foes,
And proves the blessed record true,
Though sin and death oppose:
In glorious majesty He reigns,
On his exalted throne,
And still He power on earth retains,
To soften hearts of stone!

To those who overcome through Him,
A stone, and a new name
He gives, which none can read but they,
Nor understand the same.
And they shall share His joys divine,
Seated on glittering thrones,
And walk those streets whose pavements shine
Like gold, or precious stones!