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Cornell University Library PR 4699.E832D5 Dies Dominica; being hymns and metrical m 3 1924 013 456 896 The original of tliis book is in tine Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924013456896 DIES DOMINICA: BBING Ibi^mns anb flDetrical flDebitatione FOR EA CH SUNDA Y IN THE NA TURAL YEAR. BY MARGARET EVANS and ISABEL SOUTHALL. The facts of Nature ought to be as sacred as the holiest realities of faith. Fairbaikn, LONDON : ELLIOT STOCK, 62, PATERNOSTER ROW. 1897. ^•^^^8■ ' LATE BUT REVERENT ' REMEMBRANCE OF HENRY VAUGHAN, Silarisi. ' The more we read the Scriptures, both of the Old Testament and the New, the more we must see that the animal world is bound up with mankind in the prospect of redemption. As we look for redemption for ourselves, so we ought to remember that a redemp- tion of the animal world is promised, and the practice of kindness to animals is a silent but constant re- minder of that promised redemption.' In the spirit of these words, lately spoken by a Bishop of the English Church, this little book has been written ; while the further truth, so dear to Henry Vaughan, has not been forgotten, that the whole of creation is a sharer in the redemption of Christ, and is indwelt by the Spirit of God. In the Christian worship of the present day little reference is made to the relation of Nature to God. Only in the Hebrew Psalms and in the glorious hymn called the Benedicite does man call upon the whole of creation to join him in offering up praise to God. Consequently, poor and illiterate people who spend vi PREFACE their whole lives among the operations of Nature, are in danger of concluding that Christianity is something entirely distinct from their daily life. These hymns and poems are published as a humble contribution to a Hymnody of the future which shall more fully represent the universal scope of the re- demption of Jesus Christ, and they are sent forth with the desire and prayer that His blessing may go with them. The respective authorship is indicated by the initials at the close of each poem. /. 5. 'NOTK.— Several of these poems have already appeared in print: 'A Workman's Song' inthe ^British Workman Magazine,' and three pieces in other periodicals. CurttiBnte. PAGE The Lord's Day I SPRING. The Awakening - 3 East Winds - S To the Crocus 6 The Heavenly Guest 8 The Thunderstorm - - to The Representatives of the Animal Creation 12 The Swallows - I4 The Dawn - - - 17 Words from the Cross 19 Death and Life 21 The Planet Mercury 23 Rhododendrons in Bloom 26 SUMMER. Confidence - 28 The Fruitless Tree 30 Disorder - 32 Creative Wisdom and Love - 34 The Dusk - 37 Evening 38 Self-Abasement 40 Evolution (first part) - 42 Evolution (second part) - - 45 The Ten Commandments • 47 Creation Renewed 48 The Resurrection Morning 51 The Giver of Life - 53 viii CONTENTS A UTUMN. PAGE The Woman of Samaria 55 Presentiment 57 September Days - 58 The Rest of Creation 59 Church Decorations 61 Christ the Lord of Angels - 62 The Carpenter and the Ladder 64 Joy in Service 67 Motherhood 69 Union with Christ - 71 Storm 73 Dew 75 The Searcher of Hearts 76 WINTER. The Will of God 78 Judgment to Come 80 Invitation 81 The Righteous Ruler 83 The Evolution of the Church 85 An Old Parable Re-apparelled 88 Advent Hymn 91 The Heavenly Priest 93 Christ in the Wilderness 94 The Good Samaritan 96 Sleep - 98 Christmas Day - 100 The Holy Spirit 103 OCCASIONAL SUBJECTS. Saturday Evening 104 Death Day of Great Men 106 A Workman's Song - 107 At the Funeral of an Agricultural Labourer io8 Hymn for the Evening of Good Friday no Recovery from Sickness in THIS IS THE DAY WHICH THE LORD HATH MADE ; WE WILL REJOICE AND BE GLAD IN IT. Dies Dominica ! thy title this : Day of the Lord ! and thus more surely curs. Creation and redemption seal thine hours With the King's signet-ring irrevocably His. What shall I call thee ? Refuge halcyon ? A chain which through the ages runs to bind Lost Eden with the land we hope to find? A jewel dropped to show which way the Lord has gone ? A pledge of love ? an ante-dated bliss ? A garden of delight ? All these thou art ; Dear for all joys thou bringest to our heart, Dear for thyself, and dearest for that thou art His. Benignant Day ! thou art a clasp of gold Wherewith the circle of the week is bound And fastened surely to a perfect round, A mystic emblem blest to uses manifold. L THE LORD'S DAY But if the clasp be gone, we run to waste, And, wanting that fair gem that should them bind, Our duties scatter, loose and unconfined, In futile industry and unprolific haste. Sweet Dawn, that risest on our six days' toil With healing, peace, and comfort in thy rays ! Restorer of lost paths, and Day of days ! The medicine of sick hearts, reprover of turmoil ! How shall I praise thee best, and Him who wrought A gift so perfect to our need so great ? Pleased of His plenteous grace to antedate The rest that doth remain for those His love has bought. /. S. SPRING. O ALL YE WORKS OF THE LORD, BLESS YE THE LORD ; PRAISE HIM AND MAGNIFY HIM FOR EVER. The mavis flings his song From the far top of that awakening tree. Hope drives the notes along ; Faith, with her slender treble, follows free ; And Love triumphant, greatest of the three. Beneath his bosom stirs Through every branch the music of the spring. As lutes of harbingers That do forerun the pageant of a king. He hears the music, and perforce must sing. In earth, the daffodil Knows in her heart of hearts her winter done. And drives a tender drill Through the hard sod, spring's warfare scarce begun Ere she the battle of her life hath won. THE AWAKENING Eternal Bringer-forth, Return unto our frozen hearts, return ! Lead back Thy sun to our forsaken North ! Give hght from darkness ! Let the blind discern The lore Thy little ones have no need to learn ! Read us Thy parable ! To our proud hearts a simpler faith restore ! In each, according to his measure, dwell ! Thy life on us and bird and bud outpour ; We ask no less, we cannot ask for more. M. E. €aat iDintia. ABIDE YE IN MY LOVE. Morn after morn arises chill and pale ; No rift from dawn to sunset ; winds are keen ; The opening flowers few and far between. If glimpse there be beyond the murky veil Of azure depths wherein bright cloudlets sail — Vision of light and purity serene — Too soon dark-rolling vapours intervene, Soon doth the gloomy east again prevail. When through the darkness of my soul there shine Bright gleams — too few — of heaven's eternal peace, How soon doth murk of care or earthliness Prevail to cloud that brightness all Divine ! Oh might I know their bliss, to none denied, Who in Thy changeless love, O Lord, abide ! /. S. THE EVIDENCE OF THINGS NOT SEEN. How welcome is the glad surprise That visits unexpectant eyes When, in the frozen garden ground, With yet unmelted snow around. Some sheltered spot the sun hath kissed Breaks into gold and amethyst ! Before the blustering winds of March Sway the green tassels of the larch. Before the celandine, before The first bud of the sycamore Hath burst its sheath, ye, one by one. Lift a bright chalice to the sun. Dear, cherished nurslings of the snow, Though warm and soft your sleep below. Bravely, ere Arctic winds are gone, Ye raise your shining gonfalon — Vanguard of summer's host of flowers, The earnest of her sunny hours. TO THE CROCUS Thus, witnessing to things unseen, Not all in vain your life has been — If, wise to learn your simple lore. Reaching to that which is before, We rise above our vain regret In hope of things not seen as yet. Praise to the Goodness which hath wrought Your loveliness beyond our thought ! Praise to the Wisdom which designed To teach us, in His flowers enshrined. Such lessons sweet of hope and faith. And life triumphant over death. I. S. BEHOLD I STAND AT THE DOOR AND KNOCK ; IF ANY MAN HEAR MY VOICE AND OPEN THE DOOR, I WILL COME IN UNTO HIM, AND WILL SUP WITH HIM ; AND HE SHALL SUP WITH ME. My house is mean and poor ; Briars and brambles grow Thick-set about the encumbered door — Wilt Thou come in or no ? I sweep my walls, and learn How wide the rifts therein ; Soon will Thy righteous eye discern The havoc made by sin. And I have cleansed my floor, Yet see its stains outspread ; Lord, let Thy holy feet restore The threshold where they tread. Spent — overspent my hoard ; The corn and wine have ceased ; Lo, I have set my empty board, But Thou must bring the feast. THE HEAVENLY GUEST And art Thou waiting yet ? The moon sinks pale and white ; I know Thy feet the dews have wet, Thy locks the drops of night. Though only rags have I Wherein my Lord to meet, Come in, O gracious Guest, I cry, That I may kiss Thy feet ! Thy robe about me cast, Lest I asharafed be ; Sell me the treasure which Thou hast, And salve, that I may see. I hope, if Thou reprove. And grow by my decrease ; I know that Thy rebuke is love, Thy chastisements are peace. Amen ; so let it be. The grace, how marvellous ! Not only bid us sup with Thee, But do Thou sup with us. M. 1 ®IjB ®IiunirBr0f0rm. IN HIS TEMPLE EVERYTHING SAITH, GLORY ! THEY REST NOT DAY AND NIGHT, SAYING, HOLY, HOLY, HOLY ! Ye Godlike sons of might, Your voices raise ; To God, the Almighty King, Exalt your praise ! All glory, honour, strength to Him be given ; In holiness adore the Majesty of heaven. His Word goes forth, and lo, Aroused from sleep. Afar the tempest moves Upon the deep ! His arrows go abroad ; the thunder peals ; Earth trembles at the sound of His advancing wheels. Now nearer and more near. In gathering force The mighty tempest comes (He guides its course) ; THE THUNDERSTORM ii To its resistless power proud Sirion bends, And from the rivencloud the rushing rain descends. Cleft by that voice Divine, The lightnings leap ; The hills and vales resound With echoes deep. Loud peals the storm — Glory to God on high ! Glory to God ! the winds and swelling floods reply. All power and might are His. At His command, Behold, the storm is still ! Within His hand He holds the tempest, bids its murmurs cease ; Strength to His own He gives, and to His people peace. I. S. THE WHOLE CREATION GROANETH AND TRAVAILETH IN FAIN. Before the rainbow-circled throne, Where the Creator sits alone, Upon the floor of crystal prone, Four beings bow — a mystic band ; And round about, on either hand, The four-and-twenty elders stand. The lion and the ox are there ; The man, not first, albeit most fair. And the crowned monarch of the air. Bound each to each by living rings, These types of all created things Spread ever-simultaneous wings. Various in form, in spirit one, Motion and voice symphonious, none Move on, the others to outrun. THE ANIMAL CREATION 13 Diverse and multiform, yet kin By the soul animate within. The pang is there, but not the sin. And ' Holy, holy !' is the word. For ever speaking in accord, They hail the bleeding Lamb as Lord. ' Come !' is the burden of the sigh, ' Come, Master !' the alternate cry, And ' Come 1' the echo of reply. And we, upon heaven's lowest stair, In their long passion having share, Repeat the universal prayer. M, E. €l!B Shtalloitrs. THE TURTLE AND THE SWALLOW OBSERVE THE TIME OF THEIR COMING, BUT MY PEOPLE KNOW NOT THE ORDI- NANCE OF THE LORD. Not idly pathless skies they roam Or skim the trackless sea ; Rigid the line that makes for home, The Truth hath set them free. Before the hungry April bees About the lilacs hum. Fresh from the air of briny seas, They come, they come, they come ! Man dies upon the Alpine steep, His gallant ship goes down ; They who are lying fathoms deep Were captains of renown. He gropes his way across the wave. His eye upon the stars. To feed the vast and frozen grave That Earth's last secret bars. THE SWALLOWS 15 A pathway through a pathless land His faint explorers thrust, Whose bones are white as desert sand, Or small as desert dust. But you, blithe wanderers from afar, Come with the Lenten flower, Returning punctual as a star To its appointed hour. Was it the westering glow, or whence The light that guided thus ? Say, did the Northern cloud condense To lead your exodus ? Forth from a sultry land ye fare To breast the Polar wind ; Ye cleave the wilderness of air, Nor leave a plume behind. Come, bearer of the lustrous neck, And of the eager eye ! Thou sailing, darting, screaming speck, That haunt'st our upper sky ! Come, wheel and double, poise and dart, Upon the northern breeze ; Sure are we gay and glad thou art To see familiar trees. Come, mount in that enchanted hour Which weds the day and night. l6 THE SWALLOWS When our gray world receives her dower Of amethystine light. Mount, pass into such tender haze, Wrought to a marbled screen, As ne'er in arid tropic blaze Steals heaven and earth between. But when our clouds are all adrift, Before the western gale, Thou little airy sailor, shift Thy spars and shorten sail. The storm against the forest tree Its fiercest blow has hurled ; Safe sail thy craft within the lee Of that tempestuous world. We know a tiny cradle hangs Against a cottage wall ; We know to whom that cell belongs, That chamber round and small. It set the homeward course for you. The love of that small thing ; The little magnet pointed true, And urged the weary wing. Praisbd be God who led you thus. To lift our earth-born eyes ; Who gave the swallows back to us, And to our English skies ! M. E. 2i;{je i©aton. AWAKE THOU THAT SLEEPEST, AND RISE FROM THE DEAD, AND CHRIST SHALL GIVE THEE LIGHT. Awake, my soul, and sing — Not late, nor last ; The lark is on the wing, The night is past. He, from the upper air, Can see the sun ; Arise, and thou shalt share The day begun. O holy morning Light ! Revealing Word ! Through all the realms of night Thy voice be heard. Thy early work anew In us begin ; Strike, with Thy morning, through The sleep of sin. 2 j3 the dawn Let heaven and earth awake, Be mists withdrawn ! Break, on our darkness break, Eternal Dawn ! M. E. aDwrtra frunt iI|E QTrose. BEHOLD THE MAN ! Friends and kinsmen all are fled, None to stay the weary head : Is the Cross Thy dying bed, My Saviour ? Racked with pain in every Hmb, As those loving eyes grow dim, What the word that falls from Him ? Father, forgive. Gloom hath covered earth and sky — Who shall dare to see Him die ? Shuddering nature hears the cry, Eloi ! Eloi! Friend, Consoler, Healer Thou, Is there none to soothe Thy brow ? Heart and flesh are failing now — r thirst! WORDS FROM THE CROSS What is this Almighty word Earth hath shaken, hell hath stirred, While the heavens astonished heard ? li is finished. Death and anguish overpast, Hear that whisper — 'tis the last : In Thine arms Myself I cast, My Father. I. S. l^eaflj anir Uttfe. (after henry vaughan.) the earth mourneth, the land languisheth. Clouds gather, drooping Skies Distill a mournfull showre ; No leafe or flovvre Will ope to-day. Earth, fainting, sighs Nigh unto death because my Saviour dies. The Crocus now is dead, Closed the meek Violets eye ; The Hyacinthe her head Bows toward her grave, hastening with Him to lye In earthie bed. The birds that sang at will So late are still, And all the winds are dumb to-day That were so shrill. The breezes swoon that unto vale and hill Chanted their roundelay. : DEATH AND LIFE Wake, Winds/ Birds! sing your best. Shine, cloudlesse Skies I Ye Flowres / your radiant Eies Ope to the Sun of Life. Let East and West Make haste to meet And joyful! greet My Lord, when from the grave He shall arise : Awake, my heart ! And in their concert beare thy part. /. 5. (ascension day, 1896.) HE THAT DESCENDED, IS THE SAME ALSO THAT ASCENDED FAR ABOVE ALL HEAVENS, THAT HE MIGHT FILL ALL THINGS. This day the sky received its Lord and ours : He will return through that translucent air. Fresh-strewn His pathway is with fresh blown flowers ; His angel retinue are waiting there. Their feet of flame on that ethereal stair. Then say thou this to him who bids thee still Seek Him henceforward in the Church's will. The Church, whose music lulled the weary world, Who drugged the soul behind her prison bars ! Her seers, in vision, to damnation hurled ! Whose idols fell to Moslem scimitars ! She who defied the witness of the stars ! Nay, let us commune with the blameless sky, Until the Lord of cleansing passeth by. 21 THE PLANET MERCURY There is an orb beside the fount of day, ' Whose dwelling is the light of setting suns.' Seek thou that planet's far-sequestered ray. As he upon his perilous orbit runs. And in excess of light thy vision shuns. All scatheless he upon his pathway flies, Urging his fiery car through fiery skies. In outer frost and outer darkness whirled. Lit through the gloom by one enfeebled ray, A mighty mass through mighty spaces hurled, Neptune the Exile passes on his way ; And, though for lack of central force he stray, The Lord of Life is with him as he wends. And shapes that mighty bulk to mighty ends. I see His planet in the western sky, I hear His minstrel singing in the wood. His night-bird in ethereal silence fly. His nestlings stir, and know that He is good ; I know that He is in all motherhood. And, though He travelled on our common ways, His Law of Life the universe obeys. And let us know the Lord hath left the earth Because the earth and all things He must fill ; Reborn anew is Bethlehem's holy birth. The Cross of Sacrifice uplifted still. The blossoming heavens are fragrant with His will ; THE PLANET MERCURY 25 Behold His name and nature written there, Strong in eternal strength, and oh, how fair ! Take courage, soul ! His church may disobey, Yet is the Lord of order on His throne ; Whose works are near He is not far away, Who comes to these will come unto His own. Flesh of His flesh thou art, bone of His bone ; His Law upon the tablets of thy heart He writes ; then with His orbs take thou thy part. M. E. ilf|0ttoircniirBna tii Blcwm. AND THE ANGEL OF THE LORD APPEARED UNTO HIM IN A FLAME OF FIRE OUT OF THE MIDST OF A BUSH ; AND HE LOOKED, AND, BEHOLD, THE BUSH BURNED WITH FIRE, AND THE BUSH WAS NOT CONSUMED. AND MOSES SAID, I WILL NOW TURN ASIDE AND SEE THIS ORE \ I SIGHT. An altar-flame of rosy red Crowns every leafy pyramid, As once on each disciple's head The sacred fires of God were lit. A thousand blossoms shine as one, And like a thousand flames aspire ; Enkindled from the setting sun They burn with empyrean fire. As where, beneath the slopes of snow That clothe the Himalaya's breast, Broad miles on miles of crimson glow 'Neath the white peak of Everest. RHODODENDRONS IN BLOOM Once more a wonder I behold, The bush, on fire, is not consumed : And filled with awe, like him of old, I see the wilderness illumed With glory not of earth ; and lo! All unforbidden, drawing near, I see the heart of Love aglow. And feel in truth that God is here. /. S. SUMMER. Qtunp'bEnrE. (psalm XXIII.) The Lord Himself my Shepherd is, On Him my hope relies ; He guides me through the wilderness, His care my need supplies. He doth restore my soul, that I In paths of peace may go, And in the verdant pastures lie. Where streams of comfort flow. My fainting steps Thou raisest up And dost my strength renew ; Thou fillest my o'erflowing cup With pleasures pure and true. Though through the vale of death I fare, My heart shall dread no ill ; Thy rod and staff my comfort are, Thou art beside me still. CONFIDENCE 29 In presence of my foes, outspread, Behold ! a plenteous board Thy love supplies, while on my head Thy precious oil is poured. Thy mercy and Thy boundless love Through life shall guard me well ; And in my Father's house above I shall for ever dwell. /. S. ®I|e MxuiiitBst iEtEE. WOE IS ME ! THERE IS NO CLUSTER TO EAT, NOR FIRST- RIPE FIG WHICH MY SOUL DESIRETH. NOW IN THE MORNING AS HE RETURNED TO THE CITY Hi: HUNGERED, AND SEEING A FIG-TREE BY THE WAYSIIiK HE CAME TO IT, AND FOUND NOTHING THEREON BUT LEAVES ONLY ; AND HE SAITH UNTO IT, LET THERE BE NO FRUIT FROM THEE HENCEFORWARD FOR EVER. AND HE BEHELD THE CITY AND WEPT OVER IT. How hath my soul desired the first-ripe fig ! I came unto my house at early morn, O Israel best-beloved, Long sought, long proved ! I hungered for thy love — I met thy scorn. Yet did my dressers in my vineyard dig And prune and cleanse, through summer's scorch- ing heat ; Early I rose and went, My messengers I sent, I waited at thy gate with bleeding feet. I was anhungered and athirst for thee. No first-ripe fruit I found, no cluster fair, THE FRUITLESS TREE 31 No penitence, no faith, No love that suffereth ; Nothing but leaves my barren fig-tree bare. The Spirit that I gave to dwell in thee With jealous envy strove thy love to win : By chastisement, by pain. By joy, by bliss, in vain He sought thy heart to gain, And save thee from the withering blight of sin. Therefore no fruit, rejoicing God and man, No first-ripe fruit henceforth from thee be found : Thy branch shall fade and die, Thy sap be dry. Thy foes shall lay thee even with the ground. Fair upon yonder height her towers I scan, I mark her bulwarks, count her palaces ; Through tears I gaze on them. My lost Jerusalem ! How shall 1 leave thee to thine enemies ! O faithless one ! in anguish and in blood Must thou bewail thy deep ingratitude. No more before thy gate A suppliant I wait : Thy house is desolate ; Now to the Cross I go, thence home to God. /. S. ©iaorJrer. HE DROVE OUT THE MAN. When Eden knew her loveliness betrayed, And Adam shivered as the sun went down, He who is Light thrilled on the trembling shade Where the first sinner waited the first frown. Then slunk the beast to cover, and the bird Through the bewildered air in terror passed, As from the lips of Justice sped the word, And he who once was first became the last. Now, in the woodlands whosoe'er doth walk, The little birds retire the shade within ; Nor can he by sweet simulated talk One single note from those shy warblers win. Why do all Uving things our presence shun, And to the covert speed whene'er we pass ? Why doth the mother hide her little one, And lay her brood concealed within the grass? DISORDER 33 Ah ! did we in God's order know our place, Sure we should take the lowest room therein ; Not they it is, but we, should hide the face ; Theirs is the suffering, and ours the sin. M. E. CtreatibB Wxattoxn anJi JEiiire. (psalm civ.) Eternal Love ! to Thee we fly, And make in Thee our sure abode ; Refuge of all that live and die, Our Hope, our Father, and our God ! The changeless glory of Thy Name Shall be from age to age the same. Vv'ith intense light as with a robe Thou art encompassed, O my God ! Swiftly o'er all the spacious globe Thou send'st Thy messengers abroad : Lightnings to do Thy bidding fly. And winds wait on Thy royalty. The myriad tribes of earth and sky Thy ceaseless bounty nourisheth ; Thy face Thou hidest and they die, Yielding to Thee their vital breath : Again Thou sendest forth Thy word, Earth to new beauty is restored. CREATIVE WISDOM AND LOVE 35 The streamlet by Thy hand at first Was guided from its mountain spring ; There the wild asses quench their thirst, The birds among the branches sing ; Then in the valley, calm and slow. Its fertilizing waters flow. Here rears the oak his branching head, There the majestic cedar towers ; Yonder the golden corn is spread, The vales are rich with fruit and flowers ; The olive and the graceful vine Their treasures yield of oil and wine. The cattle on a thousand hills Are Thine, their need Thou dost provide ; Refreshing dew from heaven distils. Clothing the barren mountain side With grassy vesture. Earth is glad. Afresh with food and verdure clad. So the wide sea His goodness tells, Wherein the tribes of ocean play : Their myriad forms, their painted shells His wisdom and His love display. The ships upon the pathless deep By sun and stars their courses keep. 3—2 CREATIVE WISDOM AND LOVE The Lord shall in His works rejoice, Trembles the earth before His look ; The rocks are melted by His voice, And, touched by Him, the mountains smoke: Sinners shall die, but earth shall sing Eternal praises to her King. My song shall be of Thee, O Lord, Whose glorious works in earth and sea. Formed by Thy all-creating Word, Proclaim Thy wondrous majesty. Deign to accept the psalm I raise. And teach my lips a worthier praise. /. S. MANY MEET THE GODS, BUT FEW SALUTE THEM. When He who trod the paths of Paradise Walks through my garden in the cool of day, The flowers salute Him, and the sacrifice Of praise ascends around Him on His way : The violet and the primrose in the grass, The empurpled stem that makes the darkness sweet, Distil their choicest odours if He pass. And lay their balmy treasures at His feet. Him, as their Life and Light of Life, they greet ; Him, the Unchanging, through all change, obey. Yet of His kindred race how many meet The Lord, how few salute Him, as do they. Nor will I pluck and wear His flowers until I recognise His face, and love His will. ■M. E. ©irening. WILL BE AS THE DEW UNTO ISRAEL, HE SHALL GROW A'! THE LILY. Now is the time to pray, for day is done, The night wind wends its way to seek the sun ; Still is the summer cloud and still the air, Creation's head is bowed in act of prayer. No breath, no waft of wing, no foot astir. No voice avails to bring the Gardener ; But Nature's need will win Him on His way To bless His flowers in the cool of day. The spotless lilies lift white cups on high, The heartsease craves the gift with life and eye ; Petals on petals close the hidden heart Of that unsullied rose that dwells apart. No dreams her corol stir ; 'tis He by whom Is wrought the spell on her ethereal bloom. On the short meadow-grass and on the hills If but that Presence pass, the dew distils. Clover, two leaves beneath, and one above, A trinity, like Faith and Hope and Love, EVENING 39 Close wrapped together in a bond divine, In that still moment win the heavenly wine. Her crimson lids fast close the daisy's eye, Dreamless she sleeps, nor knows who passeth by. The blessing comes in this her slumber deep, For so He gives to His beloved, asleep. Go, in the evening hour and in the dew Kneel, with the kneeling flower thy strength renew, And He, who from the sod hath raised thee up. The Husbandman of God, will fill Thy cup. And upon heavenly food thou there shalt sup. M. E. SElf-iHba0cmEnf. THE LOFTY LOOKS OF MAN SHALL BE BROUGHT LOW, AND THE HAUGHTINESS OF MEN SHALL BE BOWED DOWN, AND THE LORD ALONE SHALL BE EXALTED IN THAT DAY. THE VOICE OF THE LORD BREAKETH THE CEDARS. In Thine appointed hour, O Lord, Thy work make known ; Come in Thine own Almighty power, And melt the heart of stone. The rocks before Thy face In fiery torrents flow ; Thy march doth shake the wilderness, And lay the cedars low. So let our stubborn wills Thy Spirit's influence prove ; The vales exalt, abase the hills, March on, O King of Love ! To Thy benignant sway The willing heart constrain, And overthrow in that dread day The haughtiness of men. SELF-ABASEMENT 41 Thy Name exalted be — Thy Name, O Lord, alone ! All glory, honour, majesty. For ever be Thine own. 7. S. (B'aolntian. LOOK TO THE ROCK WHENCE THOU ART HEWN, AND TO THE PIT WHENCE THOU ART DIGGED. THY FATHER WAS AN AMORITE, AND THY MOTHER AN HITTITE. FIRST PART. I SAW thee, outcast and alone ; The beasts would not thee own — Theirs thou wert not. No mate for thee was found Of all that fly in air, or go on ground. For thee I waited long, While my creative song Was heard in forest depth and ocean floor ; And myriads came and went, and came no more. Through cycles manifold Life's long procession rolled : 'Mid creatures weak, and creatures fierce and wild, Did I await the coming of My child. I from my storehouse brought, I, the first Workman, wrought. The secret treasures which with Me abide — There sought I thee, nor ever turned aside. EVOLUTION 43 Know thou thy parentage ! No crowned and kingly mage Did thee forerun, nor did a princess bear, With godlike presence and divinely fair. Thy mother was a slave ! An Hittite of the cave ! A desert flower, reared on the edge of night ; The captive of the monstrous Amorite. Laid on the naked earth — Laid as thou lay'st at birth — I saw thee outcast by the desert stone, And when I saw I took thee for Mine own. Thee did I dress In early loveliness ; Array in jewel from mine, and pearl of sea. Yea, I my garment spread, and clothed thee. Thee for My kin I took; My Law, as in a book, I, in fair characters, upon thy heart Did write — -and set thee by thyself apart. By My eternal oath Did I betroth Thee to Myself; yea, by the pledge divine Of Righteousness, and thou becamest Mine. 44 EVOLUTION All in the earth and sea Did wait on thee ! High Heaven drew near thy pageantry to greet, And angels made obeisance at thy feet Fairer than morning star ! How art thou fallen far ! Low — lower than the angel-hosts who fell — Thou verily hast made thy bed in hell. Thy beauty and thy pride Have turned thy soul aside : Thou sayest — thou, compact of senseless clod — ' I set my throne above the stars of God.' Travailing for thy ascent, The patient ages went, Writing their records in My calendar ; But thou hast fallen, as falls the ruined star ! Hence to thine ancient kin — To slavery and sin ! I to the avenging Angel thee resign, In that thou crucifiedst My Son and thine — He who foreknew Creation, and foreran — Its Root and Crown — -the Flower of God and Man. M. E. €imIxtfion. NEVERTHELESS, I WILL REMEMBER MY COVENANT WITH THEE IN THE DAYS OF THY YOUTH, AND I WILL ESTABLISH UNTO THEE AN EVERLASTING COVENANT. SECOND PART. But wrath prevaileth not ! My pity faileth not ! It will revisit, to its orbit true. Fresher than morning light or evening dew. For My compassions move ; I, who am Love — The aflSuence of Forgiveness, full and free — Make, in My Son, a covenant with thee. And His Elect shall rise Through the regenerate skies ; The primal song of the First-fruits shall pass — A Joy in tears — upon the Sea of Glass. From hills of Galilee My sons shall turn to Me ; And, with his gifts of frankincense and myrrh, From torrid sands the tented wanderer. 46 EVOLUTION Bethsaida shall come, And thou, Capernaum ; Chorazin's daughters at My gate intreat, And dark Samaria bend to kiss My feet. Sodom shall yet arise, Purged by her fiery skies : I will command it, and the Asphalte Sea Shall yield the Rebel, salted with salt, to Me. I sit beside the furnace, and refine. Until Mine image in the silver shine. ***** Deep in the Ocean's dark and wildering whirl Arise, in silent growth, the gates of pearl. ***** Across the cloud the promised Bow appears — Pure Light, resolved in penitential tears. ***** In veins of fire I crystallize the gem : Let Us arise, and build Jerusalem. M E. ST^E StBtt €»mmanbntBnfe. THY RIGHTEOUSNESS IS LIKE THE GREAT MOUNTAINS. From the thick darkness and devouring flame, Bearing Jehovah's message to His flock — On tables hewn from out the living rock, Graven by God's own Finger — Moses came. Thus to Thy people, gone astray to shame. Wandering in paths of error, bleak and wild — Even as a father seeks his erring child — Thou didst reveal, O Lord, Thy changeless Name. What though the prophet cast them down and break ? What though the people worship in the plain Their golden calf, and when Thy trumpet thrills The desert air, in idle terror quake? — ■ Firm as the deep foundations of the hills The precepts of Thy righteousness remain. /. S. When through the door of Adam's sin Discord and bloodshed entered in To mar the work our great Creator planned, How changed the lot of those fair creatures, given To share Ais joys, the favourite of Heaven ! Playmates and friends, a beauteous band. With Eden's loss their untold woes begin, Comrades in misery, though guiltless of his sin. Yet not forsaken was our race. Through all the ages we may trace A golden thread of promise intertwined : By prophets and by bards alike foretold, A blest millennium, an age of gold. Shall be the portion of mankind ; Nor his alone — all living things shall share His wondrous bliss, and live in joy beneath his care. O glorious time, when man shall be Head of a beauteous family ! CREATION RENEWED 49 See how the tiger seeks to share his smile, The lion wooes his kind, caressing hand. Round him the deer and ibex stand, Upon his shoulder light the birds. Meanwhile The meek giraffe his lofty head declines. And seeks a friendly look by shy and tender signs. In harmony together dwell The wolf and lamb. In peaceful dell The leopard and the kid lie down to rest. Hard by, behold ! the ox and lion graze. While with the monarch's mane an infant plays. Yonder the graceful fawn ! caressed By happy children ; then across the mead Careering in its joy, and distancing their speed. How luscious then the banquet spread Of golden fruits beneath the shade ! How sweet a draught the crystal brook supplies ! Rich fragrant spoils are brought from every land, Piled is the board with bounteous hand ; No more the agonizing victim dies With fevered blood and mortal throes. And in the unconscious frame the seed of anguish sows. No sportsman then shall stain the mead. No more the wounded victim bleed. so CREATION RENEWED In deepest covert hid, its life away. With straining limbs and piteous tears the hare No more, with maddening outcry followed, tear Through field and thicket. All in vain her toil — The hounds with bloody fangs have seized their wretched spoil. No longer seeks the hunter to invade. With his death-dealing fire, the Afric glade, Of wild excitement and of fame in quest ; The tropic bird that glistens as it flies — A living gem — no more in torture dies To glut the mart, at Fashion's bad behest. Nor doth the vivisector bind His living victim — Augur-like — to find Within its quivering entrails blessings for mankind. Oh happy days ! they come apace. When Christ shall reign in righteousness ; The desert then shall blossom as the rose : All kindreds, tongues, and nations dwell in peace ; Oppression, strife and cruelty shall cease, And God's Creation, freed from all its woes, Renewed in perfect loveliness, shall stand Glorious as when it left the great Creator's hand. /. S. ®Iie Mrt&ttxxttiwn aTOurtttng. (psalm ex.) Fixed is the Word Divine, And changeless the decree : Si'f Thou at My right hand ; Before Thy face no enemy shall stand. The Lord hath sworn : Thou shalt a Priest for ever be. As dew on Zion's hill The white-robed warriors shine ; With morn's fresh beauty crowned, Their mighty Leader they surround, He the great Priest of great Melchizedeck's line. How willing every heart His mandate to fulfil ! Called, chosen, faithful, they, Who, drinking of the brook beside the way. Lift up the head, faint, yet pursuing still. 4—2 52 THE RESURRECTION MORNING The sceptre of Thy strength From Thee shall ne'er depart, Till ail the nations own The Kingdom Thine, and Thine alone, Who the all-righteous Judge and Lord for ever art. 7. S. I BELIEVE IN THE HOI.Y GHOST, THE LORD, AND GIVER OF LIFE. O Holy Spirit, ever-living Lord ! Thou who art Servant both to God and man ; Who in the heaven of heavens art adored, Yet prayest with the praying pubhcan : Lord ! Thou art humbled with us when we fall, Thou speakest for us, speechless in the dust ; Thou leadest us to Christ's confessional — Leaving us there, the z^;^just with the Just. Thou sittest down within the sordid soul, And watchest them that buy and sell therein ; And in the depths, where storms of passion roll, Liftest Thy loyal standard against sin. Break not in fire upon us from the cloud, As once upon the priesthood of Thy choice ; Let not Thy thunders sound exceeding loud ; Speak to Thy people with a still small voice. 54 THE GIVER OF LIFE Eternal Meekness ! our vain pride restrain, And in Thy pity make us meek, like Thee ! In sin-stained souls Thou livest without stain. Give us Thyself, Eternal Purity ! M. E. A UTUMN. ®fjs ODontan of i©amana. WOMAN, BELIEVE ME, THE HOUR COMETH, AND NOW IS, WHEN YE SHALL NEITHER IN THIS MOUNTAIN, NOR YET AT JERUSALEM, WORSHIP THE FATHER. Lord, upon Jacob's well Thou thought' to rest ; I came to draw, my human thirst to quell — A daily quest. Out of the desert sand The waters leap, But thence the way is solitary, and The well is deep. My waterpot I drew To the cool brink ; Thou saidst to me the outcast, Thou the Jew, Give me to drink. A draught in niggard sips To Thee I gave ; But Thou didst offer to my fevered lips The living wave 50 THE WOMAN OF SAMARIA Against ivhose awful deep I saw my sin ; The Law, that in my soul had lain asleep. Awoke therein. Gerizim's sacred spot Is there on high ; But in that shrine is neither part nor lot For such as I. That is the holy place, Upon the hill ; Thither the priests in proud procession pace To worship still. But Thou from God most High Hast come to me : IVoiiian, believe, Messias said, that I That speak am He. Through Him my human love Can see and touch, Will I arise, and seek His face above — Who seeketh such. Since God a Spirit is. His worship free, I seek no hill of prayer, where all are His Who seeketh me. M. E. BEHOLD, I MAKE ALL THINGS NEW ! WE LOOK FOR NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH, The earth is burdened with her woe, And weary of her stains ; A blush is on her mountain snow, A blight is on her plains. And through the rushing autumn rains I hear a murmur low, A voice that evermore complains For joys of long ago. Yet sometimes, in the tender calm That broods o'er sunset skies, An air so soft, so full of balm Among the olives sighs ; — There seems within the heart to rise A prophecy, a psalm, The whisper of the immortal palm That grows in Paradise. I. s. THOU HAST MADE SUMMER AND WINTER. What means the wondrous calm That to these hours belong ? This pause that ends the summer's psalm, This silence after song ? Withdrawn, the embodied power Fails woodland, field, and sky ; The sap retreats from tree and flower, And leaves its channel dry. The oak, whose whispering leaves Sang to the wind, is dumb ; Meekly its summons each receives, And knows its hour is come. To Him who sends this calm, And bids us count our days. We hft in hope the evening psalm Of thankfulness and praise. M. E. GOD RESTED ON THE SEVENTH DAY. MOREOVER, ALSO, I GAVE THEM MY SABBATHS TO BE A SIGN BETWEEN ME AND THEM. The bird upon the topmost spray Of yonder crimson-studded thorn Trills forth his unaccustomed lay In conscious joy of this dear morn. The busy mill-wheel is at rest ; The farmstead in the hollow lies Among its fields and woods, a nest Of peace, beneath the autumn skies. The kine are couching on the lea That, sloping southward, meets the sun : Some inward, mute felicity Is theirs, the seventh day's rest begun. The horse is free to lie or graze, The patient oxen stand unyoked ; Enfranchised through this Day of days, Earth feels the primal curse revoked : 6o THE REST OF CREATION She feels with joy her Maker's smile, He sees His work that it is good : At rest with Him, a little while She tastes her lost beatitude. Man only, heedless of his bhss, Rejects the boon by Love decreed ; Seeks joy in ' strenuous idleness,' Or follows still the baits of greed. O busy brain, shake off thy coil ! Forego, O angry tongues, your strife ! Let toiling millions cease to toil ; Wide open stand the gates of life. His Sabbath, God ordained the crown And perfecting of all the seven. For Heaven this day to earth comes down That earth may rise once more to heaven. I. S. CONSIDER THE LILIES OF THE FIELD. These are the blossoms of the Lord ; They bloom to make His pathway fair, And after Hirn gaze heavenward ; Gather with reverence, or spare. He seeks no present at our hands, That we should tread His courts below j His is the wealth of tropic lands, His are the treasures of the snow. Both day and night He tends the seed, And with the needed grace supplies ; The glorious flower, the simple weed, Alike are lovely in His eyes. Not to the temple made with hands Doth He, the Lord of angels, come ; But at the heart He, pleading, stands, And asks to make that heart His home. M. E ALL POWER IS GIVEN UNTO ME IN HEAVEN AND IN EARTH. Captain of the angel hosts, At Thy Name we bow ; Chief of all the sons of God, Mightiest art Thou. Thee the hierarchies of heaven Ceaselessly adore. King of glory and of grace, Priest for evermore. Spirits pure and numberless As the stars of light Stay to hear Thy mandate given Ere they take their flight. Cherubin and seraphim Seeing Thee, rejoice ; Principalities and powers Wait to hear Thy voice. CHRIST THE LORD OF ANGELS 63 Gabriel before Thee stands, Mute, with folded wings ; Thousand thousand swell Thy praise On harmonious strings. Seated on Thy Father's throne, Fairer than the day, Thou art He whom earth and heaven Joyfully obey. Angel of the covenant ! Messenger of grace ! Dwelling in the light and love Of the Father's Face, — Many are the diadems On Thy sacred brow ; Chief of all the Sons of God Mightiest are Thou. /. S. FROM WHENCE HATH THIS MAN THESE THINGS, A.Ml WHAT WISDOM IS THIS WHICH IS GIVEN TO HIM? IS NOT THIS THE CARPENTER ? The wedge was sharpened, and the tree was riven : These twain, the Workman said, are Faith and Hope, And they to Me, the Son of Love, are given That I may travel on the upward slope- — ■ Yea, be Myself the road from earth to heaven. Once were there travellers from the heavenly seat, And air, made musical by angels' feet, Did in its lyric glow their strains repeat., And lay the saffron rifts and amber bars, Until our father, Israel, saw complete The ladder rise from Bethel to the stars. Unto My Father thus would I arise. And claim that pathway to My native skies ; But harder toil, diviner ministries, More royal heritage to Me are given. He first must serve in bonds who would baptize His freedmen with the liberty of heaven. THE CARPENTER AND THE LADDER 65 The lowest round — with that do I begin, And daily work this meagre shed within ; One with My toiling brotherhood and kin To the meek bearers of the uneasy yoke, Who love the hand that leads them, yet who win Sole recompense, the undeserved stroke. I shall depart ; yet, not like him who drave Midian, I conquer ; but in Jordan's wave Partake, with my forerunner, death and grave. Be strong. My soul ; ye trembling hands, be true ; 'Twas here the river to the prophets gave. As to My Church of old, a passage through. In the wide wilderness Mine ancient foe. Finding Me with the beasts, would lay me low Or lift Me up. Henceforward shall I know Thy comfortable staff. Thy chastening rod, These are the rounds by which My feet must go. And find their rest within Thy house, O God. Once on Mine eye prophetic glories shone : The mount was radiant, though the sun was gone ; And ere the flying cherub's antiphon And eye of fire awake my sleeping three. Do Moses and Elijah stand thereon, And, falling on their faces, speak with Me. 5 66 THE CARPENTER AND THE LADDER They bear to earth Creation's diadem ; A greater than Ehjah is with them, And He will not the sacrifice contemn, The anguish of My solitary cross. I cannot leave thee yet, Jerusalem, Since thou art self-elect to shame and loss. By tears and blood, by vigil and by groan, Thus will I make a pathway for Mine own ; By these pierced hands, by the sepulchral stone, Yea, by My soul in prison, will I entreat ; Until they know that the eternal Throne, Where I shall stand and plead, is Mercy's seat. M. E. J0U itt Serbice. TAKE MY YOKE UPON YOU, AND LEARN OF ME. I WILL WALK AT LIBERTY, FOR I SEEK THY PRECEPTS. WHOSE SERVICE IS PERFECT FREEDOM. O Jesu, blessed Jesu ! Thine is no stern behest ; To learn of Thee is gladness, To serve Thee perfect rest. The yoke we bear is easy ; It binds us, Lord, to Thee ; And walking in Thy precepts. We walk at liberty. O Jesu, blessed Jesu ! Our burden Thou hast borne. The load of sin and anguish, Of weariness and scorn. And now the cross we carry Is light if borne for Thee ; And looking unto Jesus, Vv''e gain the victory. S— 2 68 yOY IN SERVICE O Jesu, blessed Jesu ! The kingdom Thou hast won ; And we Thy steps will follow, Until we reach Thy throne. Then, every conflict over, At rest each weary heart, We shall behold Thy glory, And see Thee as Thou art. I. NOW THERE STOOD BY THE CROSS OF JESUS, HIS MOTHER, AND HIS mother's SISTER, MARY, THE WIFE OF CLEOPAS, AND MARY MAGDALENE. Saviour, mankind is gathering round Thy cross : These bring the nails and hammer, those the spear ; One plats the thorns, one loses in remorse The thirty pieces which have cost Thee dear. He from the country, coming to the feast, Finds Thy hard cross upon his shoulders laid ; Late is he to confess him to the priest — How is his garment soiled ! his vesture frayed ! The learned marvel at the sun's eclipse ; The simple wonder that the rocks are rent ; The noisy'cry, with ostentatious lips, ' This is Elias !' and are well content. Folk hurrying, late for market, pass the tree ; One pitying calls, ' Give Him the wine and myrrh ;' And craftsmen, keen and busy, turn to see Their comrade once, the dying Carpenter. 70 MOTHERHOOD With eye alert the Parthian runs to gaze, Arabian, Made, Cyrenian, Cretan, Jew ; But, 'mid the heart's affright, the soul's amaze, The Maries of our Motherhood are true. They mix the spice His body to embalm. Yet know that He who lives is He who died ; Nor need they see the Master's shattered palm. Or probe with ruthless hand His wounded side. By sacrifice, by fellowship of woe. By the sharp sword and the dividing spear, They who bear man, and know his measure, know That very God of very God is here. M. E WLnian iwtili Cljrisf. BURIED WITH HIM IN BAPTISM, WHEREIN YE WERE ALSO RAISED WITH HIM, THROUGH FAITH IN THE WORKING OF GOD, WHO RAISED HIM FROM THE DEAD. GOD RAISED US UP WITH HIM, AND MADE US TO SIT WITH Hl-il IN THE HEAVENLY PLACES. All I have and all I am Evermore I give to Thee ; Crucified and dying Lamb, Thine henceforward I will be. Now the blessed bond is sealed, Sealed and witnessed with Thy blood ; Every thought and wish repealed That withstands the will of God. High above all heavens Thy throne, High o'er sin and fear and care : Now Thou givest to Thine own That blest victory to share. For / wt'l/, that where I am There My serz'ants too shall be, And by faith in Thy dear name, They are now in heaven with Thee. 72 UNION WITH CHRIST With the Father and the Son Joined in fellowship Divine ; All Thy precious blood has won, All Thy fulness, Lord, is mine. /. S. Sfomt. THEY TOILED IN ROWING, FOR THE WIND WAS CONTRARY. Is Thine arm shortened that it cannot save ? Is Thine ear heavy that it cannot hear ? We toil all night upon an alien wave, Draw near, draw near. Dim forms of ghostly phantoms haunt the mist. Birds of ill omen o'er the tumult cry ; Come, as the king of terrors if Thou list, But say, "Tis I.' Through those dark hours far out at sea we stood, Now with the morning watch we make for shore ; But ours an adverse wind— an ebbing flood — A labouring oar. We do lament we fled. Thy cross to shun. And left Thee to Thy sacrifice of shame. That one of us betrayed Thee, Lord, and one Denied Thy name. 74 STORM Upon the Mount of Intercession stand, Lift Thy pierced palms above Hfe's troubled sea ; Bring us, O Master, bring us safe to land. To heaven and Thee. M. E. f>BhT. I WILL BE AS THE DEW UNTO ISRAEL. HIS FAVOUR IS AS DEW UPON THE GRASS. Dews that shine in many-tinted splendour, Sprinkled o'er the path of sunny morn ; Dews that in the evening, calm and tender. With the silence and the shade are born. Welcome is your gracious kind refreshing. While ye shed on drooping herb and flower Gentlest ministry of hope and blessing. In the twilight's consecrated hour. Gratefully we praise the Eternal Giver For His benediction sent by you ; His the Peace that floweth like a river. His the Peace that falleth as the dew. Gently o'er the troubled spirit stealing, Bringing comfort to each weary soul, Touching every wounded heart with healing — Come, O Peace of God, and make us whole ! /. S. A DISCERNER OF THE THOUGHTS AND INTENTS OF THE HEART. Within the secret chamber of my heart A Searcher hides ; He speaks ; I speak to Him, and say, ' Depart,' But He abides. Nearer than nearest friend, holier He is Than wife or child ; Sullied our lips with idle words, but His Are undefiled. When the sun shines I deem it holiday. And think to sin ; He waits for me and calls, ' This is the way. Walk thou therein.' Thereafter, when my sky is black with storm And wild with fears ; I think that I can almost see his form. And feel His tears. THE SEARCHER OF HEARTS 77 And when I question, weary unto death With the long strife, ' Who art Thou, Lord ?' Gently He answereth, ' I am thy life.' If, stubborn yet, I shun the narrow way, Nor heed Thy rod. To death and silence leave me not, I pray, Thou Word of God ! M. E. WINTER. mie Will tff ®fftr. BE YE TRANSFORMED BY THE REHEWINX. OF YOUR MIND, THAT YE MAY PROVE WHAT IS THE WILL OF GOD. Thy will, O Lord, be done, Thy perfect Will ! With Thy transforming grace Our nature fill. So let Thy power and love Constrain, that we may prove Thy perfect Will. Thy Will, O Lord, be done. Thy holy Will ! The work of faith with power Do Thou fulfil ; Till, every thought refined. We seek with heart and mind Thy holy Will. THE WILL OF GOD 79 Thy Will, O Lord, be done, Thy loving Will. To stormy seas of strife Say, Peace, be still. O let Thy Spirit move O'er all, till all shall love, Thy loving Will. /. S. FROM THENCE HE SHALL COME TO JUDGE THE QUICK AND THE DEAD. Behold, He cometh with the clouds ! Hast thou, O man, a place for Him Whom yet the central light enshrouds, And the wide wings of Cherubim. Above, where He from labour rests, There is a place prepared for thee, Hasten to gather with His guests. Furnished with these His house must be. For long ago the summons sped, From east and west the guests repair. The rooms are decked, the feast is spread. They sit not down till thou art there. Thy cup is filling to the brim, Thy day of visitation see, Lest, if thou rise not unto Him, In judgment Christ descend on thee. M. E. Jttirifafion. (iSAIAH LV. 1-3.) Ho ! every one that thirsteth, The living waters take ! Why roam ye in the desert, Where nought your thirst can slake ? Haste to the crystal River, Where they who drink shall live, And from the eternal Giver The eternal gift receive. Ho ! all that are anhungered, Behold ! the feast is spread, Where Jesus is the Bridegroom And Jesus is the Bread. No money bring, no payment, No costly present bring : Put on His festal raiment And banquet with the King. INVITATION No longer spend your labour For that which is not bread, Your strength in vain endeavour : Come hither and be fed. The Spirit, interceding. Renews His holy plea ; The Saviour's tender pleading Is calling, Come to Me. Incline your ear and hearken, His gift of love receive. Seek Him in true repentance, Hear, and your soul shall live. His promise faileth never, His Covenant is sure : For ever and for ever His mercy shall endure. 7. S. (ISAIAH XI.) Behoi-d, a branch shall grow from Jesse's root, From David's regal line spring forth a shoot, And fill the earth with blossom and with fruit. On Him the Spirit of the Lord shall rest ; The righteous Judge is He, at whose behest The poor are comforted, the meek are blest. Wisdom and counsel, understanding, might, Proclaim Him as the Son of God by right. Ordained the tyranny of sin to smite. He shall not judge by hearing of the ear. For His delight is in Jehovah's fear. And faithfulness the girdle He shall wear. Creation owns with joy His sway benign. Then shall the leopard with the kid recline In peace ; the bear shall pasture with the kine : 6—2 84 THE RIGHTEOUS RULER Their young shall sport together on the mead ; The lion's whelp a little child shall lead, And with the wolf the lamb shall rest and feed ; The lion with the ox his food shall share : No venom lurks within the serpent's lair ; Man's comrades and his friends all creatures are. None shall destroy or hurt for evermore : For, as the seas extend from shore to shore, And waters cover the wide ocean o'er, So shall my knowledge, saith the Lord, extend O'er sea and land to earth's remotest end. /. S. ON MY HANDMAIDENS WILL I POUR OUT OF MY SPIRIT, AND THEY SHALL PROPHECY. Ten days the Church had watched and prayed, The promised gift to win ; Out of the skies a mighty tempest came, And from its heart there passed the living flame That upper room within. Baptismal fire on every head is laid — On holy mother and on lowly maid — And Church and world another life begin. The stars are scriptures she may read Who runs her race below. Pilgrims of night, by orbits yet untrod. Travel through time, these mighty sons of God, And by one force they grow To forms innumerable as flower and seed. Save where, undone and solitary, speed To the abyss the wandering stars of woe. 86 THE EVOLUTION OF THE CHURCH Behold that little Church above ! The Pleiads' life is one As of the selfless soul, the tranquil heart, And who shall say by what spiritual art That web of worlds is spun. In the cohesion of unfettered love, By the one law of liberty they move. And seek from age to age the central Sun. Behold those filmy vapours thread The passes of the sky ; Wait till there fall the darkest hour of eve. And watch the web ethereal fingers weave. The looms their fibres ply. The mazy feet to heavenly measures tread, And as Angelica on the sward are spread, In complex grace, the blossoms of the sky. God chose the weak and small, Things that are not He chose. That He may bring to nought the things that are. Even though it be Auriga's giant star. Or Sirius' flaming rose. Not the proud Church shall stand, nor even all The stars of God, but to the meek shall fall The inheritance of His divine repose. THE EVOLUTION OF THE CHURCH 87 Daughters of God, arise ! Your royal robes put on, The Church that knows it not hath need of you ; Ye have borne Christ, He must be born anew Into a weary world and woebegone. Be to that Church a dawn of glad surprise, A moon to waken unexpectant eyes. The burden, ye, of earth's long orison ! M. E. Mn i©nj f arable Eg-apparElIelr. \ND EVERY CREATED THING WHICH IS IN THE HEAVEN, AND ON THE EARTH, AND UNDER THE EARTH, AND ON THE SEA, AND ALL THINGS THAT ARE IN THEM, HEARD I SAYING, UNTO HIM THAT SITTETH ON THE THRONE, AND UNTO THE LAMB, BE THE BLESSING, AND THE HONOUR, AND THE GLORY, AND THE DOMINION UNTO THE AGES OF THE AGES. There was a certain man, in linen fine Clothed he was, and all in purple shod, Fed with the finest of the wheat and wine, And called in heaven and earth the son of God. For him the all-blessing heaven its azure spread, For him the all-blessed earth its pastures wide ; Of all creation the appointed head — For him the living lived, the dying died. And at this rich man's gate there had been laid A suppliant, poor and dumb, and full of sores, Whose anxious eye, with mute beseeching, prayed For crumbs that fell from out the rich man's stores. AN OLD PARABLE RE-APPARELLED 89 And when it came to pass the rich man died, For that from him earth's gifts were reft away ; The beggar, too, with angels for his guide, Trod, all secure, the undiscovered way. In the same place these fellow-beings meet — The place where Justice sits in judgment dread ; But Lazarus lies not under Dives' feet. Nor does he ask an alms among the dead. And know, O man ! the creatures that have spent Their lives for thee will also live again ; And thou wilt meet in dread astonishment All thou hast tortured, terrified, and slain. For thou wilt thirst, when they shall thirst no more, They will be strong, but thou undone and weak ; They will be healed, but thine shall be the sore ; The prophet shall be dumb— his ass will speak. Placed at thy gate to prove thy charity, The weight of pain laid heavily on them ; The fellow-heirs of this fair earth with thee Shall rise in judgment, also, and condemn. Beware, lest missing the redemptive grace. Both theirs and thine— when fiery tempests sweep The world to come — thou take the lower place. Thou, who wast ' so much better than a sheep.' 90 AN OLD PARABLE RE-APPARELLED But if their patience in tlie world to come, Their love and faithfulness perfl'cted be ; Though thou hadst never pleaded for the dumb, Perchance the dumb will open his mouth for thee. M. E. ALL THE FOUNDATIONS OF THE EARTH ARE OUT OF COURSE. Come, Thou Desire of all the nations, come ! Come, quickly come, O Guardian of mankind ! We long for Thee, though guilt has kept us dumb ; We search for Thee, though sin has left us blind. She, whom in righteousness Thou didst betroth Unto Thyself, Thy kindred race to win ; False to Thy covenant, and nothing loth, Even Thy Church hath made a league with sin. Come to our armed battalions. Prince of Peace ! Where brother waits his brother man to slay ; Let Thine eternal pity give release Through all the realms of bondage, Lord, we pray. In courses made for love a poison runs, The channels of Thy mercy are defiled ; The fathers in blind fury scourge the sons, The mother, lost to pity, slays her child. 93 ADVENT HYMN From sire to son descends the taint of sin ; We know Thy law is hoi)', good and just, But, Lord, anew Thy saving work begin ; Thou art our Life, remember we are dust. Again we plead with Thee ; incline Thine ear Where in long agony Thy creatures lie ; The Holy Spirit's intercession hear, And hear the Cherubin's unceasing cry- Come, Thou Desire of all creation, come, O great Redeemer ! set the captive free ; Then shall the maimed and blind, the lame and dumb, Praise Thee, O Lord, in earth and sky and sea. M. B. THE FOOD OF THY GOD (THE BOOK LEVITICUS). Thou art our only Priest, Let none come in between the soul and Thee ; And Thine, O risen Life, the only feast For such as we. Thine was the steadfast Will, let that suffice To set our captive wills erect and free ; Fulfil in us, O Lord, Thy sacrifice Upon the tree. Then, if in Thee, arising from the dead, Our chastened eyes Thy great salvation see ; Even at the last these wills of ours ' the bread Of God ' shall be. M. E. dLlivist in i^t WOiHitvntSB, HE WAS WITH THE WILD CREATURES, AND THE A^O:'.l.^ MINISTERED UNTO HIM. He trod the garden in the cool of day, Going His weary husbandman to greet ; His creatures gather round Him on His way, And gently move about His moving feet. But when He came again, a wanderer, The ancient wrong of Eden to redress ; Leaving Capernaum's noise and Nazareth's stir, The garden gone. He sought the wilderness : There, through the silent circle of the hours — There, in an awful solitude to dwell — Assailed by principalities and powers. Himself the battle-ground of heaven and hell. None shared the travail of that lonely Soul ; But round His haunt, each in its hour, there move Hither and thither on the rocky knoll The creatures of His providence and love. CHRIST IN THE WILDERNESS 95 He knows them each, interprets all their wiles, And even the playful game and timid art Engage His thought, their love His grief beguiles ; Himself the Lamb, it echoes in His heart. He knows them each and calls them all by name, The names He gave them as they left the dust ; They know Him, who He is, and whence He came, The Merciful, the Patient, and the Just. And gazing on Him with a wistful eye. In meditative mood His face they scan ; Wonder and trust, submission fond and shy. Speak, for them speechless, to the Son of man. Dumb witnesses of the eternal feud ! The burden of the ages ! By Him stay These mute companions of His solitude Until the angels come with break of day. M. E. (for children.) AND WHO IS MY NEIGHBOUR ? A CERTAIN man went down the road Where bands of robbers lie in wait ; Small was his strength and great his load, The night was dark, the hour was late. Out from among the tombs there sprang, And snatched the burden that he bore, A murderous crew, a robber gang. And left him wounded, bruised, and sore. In hope to reach a friendly inn, A little way he further sped ; Again the thieves their work begin. And leave him on the road for dead. And as the night wears fast away, And dawn begins to take the sky. There comes a wandering priest that way. Beholds his plight and passes by. THE GOOD SAMARITAN 97 The desert sand is gory red, The pathway with his life-blood dyed ; So the next traveller turns his head And crosses to the other side. ' And is there none to help ?' he cries, ' Is this the love of man to man ?' When, just as dying courage dies, There comes the good Samaritan. He binds the wounds and pours the oil Of love from God's own vintage pressed ; And soothes his spirit's blind turmoil, And brings him to a home of rest. Go, lift thy dying brother's head, Anoint the wound, bind up the limb ; For that thou doest, Christ has said, Done to His poor is done to Him. So shall thou be like Him who trod A desert way the lost to find ; Who brought us, wounded, home to God, And paid the debt of all mankind. M. E. HE GIVETH HIS BELOVED SLEEP. How good is sleep ! a gift of love From God on high, Who showers His blessings from above Abundantly. Our daily pathway, known to Him, His angels keep : To weary ones when light grows dim, He giveth sleep. He draws the curtains of the night, That we may rest ; He watches till the morning light. That naught molest. His power by day and night the same, Maintains our breath, And ever fans the vital flame — Or sleep were death. SLEEP 99 Now, from sleep's wondrous mystery Again restored, We lift our morning hymn to Thee, Eternal Lord ! From sleep and death of sin we pray, Our spirits raise, And teach our hearts and tongues this day Thy Name to praise. I. S. 7—2 (for children.) this day is born in the city of david a saviour. Last night the angels came, They came and sang ; And earth's green fields with heavenly music rang Come, children, wake from sleep ! Arise, arise ! Your new-born Brother in the manger lies ! He shares the oxen's crib. The camel's stall. Yet at His little feet the shepherds fall. Kings from Assyria bear Frankincense sweet. And myrrh, in golden censers, to His feet. But those small hands must work For daily bread ; Those little feet earth's stony paths must tread. CHRISTMAS DAY He, when His arm is strong, Will try to bring His mother's pitcher from the village spring. And He to her will be Both hands and feet, As they together climb the village street. Then, in St. Joseph's shed Will He remain. And learn to handle hammer, saw, and plane ; Amid the doctors wise Will take His stand. And beg them teach that He may understand. Whisper those reverend men : ' Whose is this youth. Only a child, yet full of grace and truth ?' But as His soul grows strong. Will he begin To feel the heavy burden of our sin ? First of the sons of men. His heart alone Will bear our griefs as if they were His own. For cruel men, too kind, For bad, too good ; They nail your Brother to a cross of wood. )2 CHRISTMAS DAY A murderer and a thief On either side Jesus the Carpenter is crucified. Thus, through His earthly course, Heaven's path He trod ; True Son of Mary, and true Son of God. M. E THEY VEXED HIS HOLY SPIRIT. O LABOURING heart ! that through creation beats, Who dost the while we sleep Thy toil pursue ; Life, that before the heartless eye retreats. Love, on the meek distilling as the dew. If shut to visitations of Thy dawn, The encumbered soul responds not to Thy love. Thou mourn'st, from thickets of the heart withdrawn, As on the tree-tops mourns the questioning dove. But Thou wilt send, if it shall yet aggrieve, Tears, hot with fire, upon the guilty brow ; The heavens have changed, and as the dreamy eve Turns to a night of thunder, so dost Thou. We are the branches. Thou alone art Life, The dresser Thou, and we the fruitless vine ; Put in, O Lord, the sacrificial knife. Bereave us, if Thou wilt, but leave us Thine. M. E. OCCASIONAL SUBJECTS. Safurtrajr ©feening. THAT DAY WAS THE PREPARATION, AND THE SABBATH DREW OX. Lord, who didst lay aside Thy plane and saw To worship as the sunset touched the west ; Thy handiwork complete — without a flaw ; Give grace for toil, give also grace for rest. Our six days' work is done, this evening hour We bring its failures, faults, and waste to Thee ; Maker, remake, by Thy creative power. Those who Thy fellow -workers fain would be. Restore Thy presence to the weary soul ; Open the door to them that knock and wait ; Pronounce the word and bid the sick be whole ; Uplift Thy hand and make the crooked straight ; So shall we find Thee risen, even as they, Who sought Thy sepulchre with one accord ; And if perchance we meet Thee by the way. Shall cry with Cleopas, ' It was the Lord !' SATURDAY EVENING lOS To take Thy gift, our toil is laid aside, Both theirs who rule, and theirs who stand and wait ; The weary oxen in the stall abide, The stranger labours not within our gate. If innocent life, which Thou dost love, has bled In misery sore to make our Sabbath feast. Lord, lest we sin by pain unmerited. Come to our board as Passover and Priest. Good is Thy liberty, good Thy control ; We lay our burdens down at Thy behest To greet Thy Day of days. Within the soul, O heavenly Workman, work, the while we rest. M. E. (APRIL 23.) KNOW YE NOT THAT THERE IS A PRINCE AND A GREAT MAN FALLEN THIS DAY IN ISRAEL? Day consecrate to reverential tears, Which bore our Shakespeare from the ignoble throng, And crowned him monarch of the changeful years. The mighty Master of the sons of song : — And him who, where his own beloved Usk Murmurs its message to the o'erhanging trees, Sang, like the wood-dove darkling, in the dusk Of his own thoughts his heaven-taught harmonies : — Then, latest, him, the poet, prophet, sage. Who bade us first Love's simple lesson learn ; Revealed the lore of Nature's mystic page. And made our sordid hearts within us burn : — In the soul's calendar, thy place how dear ! Thy hours, how full of mourning, yet of pride ! The darkest, brightest day of all the year, Day whereon Shakespeare, Vaughan, and Wordsworth died. /. S. SIX DAYS SHALT THOU LABOUR. Do the work that lies before you ; Honest labour Has a joy no tongue can tell. Friend, help friend, and neighbour, neighbour, onward striving For the good time surely coming — All is well ! Though you toil and weep and suffer. Make another's Joy and happiness your own. Work and live and die for others— all are brothers ; This the watchword : Love shall conquer — Love alone ! Do the work that lies before you ; Build and burrow. Plane and hammer, forge and fell ; Drive the engine, plough the furrow, store the garner ; God is watching — Christ is coming— All is well ! /. S. m tljB JTutiEral uf an BsricuHural inbauxet. THE TATIENT EXPECTATION OF THE POOK SHALL NOT PERISH FOR EVER. The labourer's work is done ! Bear him where neither rain nor storm nor sun Shall vex him more. He ploughed the stubborn soil, With heavy footfall and encumbering toil Trod back and fore. To sow the wayward seed, To stone the hungry clay, cast out the weed, His only lore. He brought the harvest home ; Where is Ms harvest now that winter's come? Where is /it's store ? His ruined roof and stair — His chamber small, no room for children there — The birds have more. FUNERAL OF AN AGRICULTURAL LABOURER 109 The refuse of a day ; Short time to rest, and shorter time to pray, Or heavenward soar. Though little that he hath. The covetous set snares about his path, Behind, before. For three-score years and ten, He, v^eariest of the weary sons of men. His burden bore. Labourer, there's rest for thee. In light, such as thou never dream'st to be On sea or shore. Thine unexpectant soul. Before it made the start has reached the goal, The race is o'er. M. E. (for the evening of good FRIDAY.) BECAUSE CHRIST ALSO SUFFERED FOR SINS ON'CE . . . BEING PUT TO DEATH IN THE FLESH, BUT QUICKENED IN THE SPIRIT, IN WHICH ALSO HE WENT, AND PREACHED UNTO THE SPIRITS IN PRISON, WHICH AFORETIME WERE DISOBEDIENT, WHEN THE LONGSUFFERING OF GOD WAITED IN THE DAYS OF NOAH, WHILE THE ARK WAS A PREPARING. Now, to the gate of Paradise He comes, The dews of death upon His pallid brow, As when, at eve, the wounded creature homes, So to that shade, O stricken Christ, didst Thou. Then, moving through the slumberous bowers of rest. And waiting not the awakened throng to greet. But speeding on, as by one thought possessed, Though Hades worships at Thy wounded feet. Thou passest through the yet unopened door. And art, of men and angels, lost to ken. Seeking the souls upon that ocean shore Whose waves repeat the wail of drowning men. Rise with Thy harvest from the fields beneath, Where new-born breezes round Thy Being stir ; Bring back Thy captives from the jaws of death, Come with Thy spoils, O more than Conqueror ! M. E. Kscoiwrjf front SicftitBss. (psalm XXX.) PRAISE the Lord ! Praise thou the Lord, my soul ! He woundeth sore : 'tis He who maketh whole. But for a moment doth His wrath endure, His truth is certain and His mercy sure. Though Weeping come to tarry for a night, It hath the face of Joy in morning light. To thee I cried, O Lord ; Thou heard'st my voice. And in Thy Holy Name will I rejoice. In weakness and in weariness on Thee 1 called, and Thou mad'st haste to succour me. Thou heardest when I cried in my distress, Therefore Thy Name for ever will I bless. Therefore, redeemed from darkness and the grave, I sing Thy mercy, who art strong to save. My sackcloth Thou hast changed for robes of song, So that my tongue Thy praises may prolong. 112 RECOVERY FROM SICKNESS Sing praises to the Lord, ye saints of His, For a memorial of His holiness. Give thanks to Him and praise His holy name, Whose mercy is from age to age the same. O praise the Lord ! Praise thou the Lord, my soul ! He woundeth and 'tis He who maketh whole. I. S. THE END. BUioi Stocky PaUrnoster Rcnu, London.