Qoflia! FROM THE LIBRARY OF REV. LOUIS FITZGERALD BENSON, D. D. BEQUEATHED BY HIM TO THE LIBRARY OF PRINCETON THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY Section c 'i- a Come 44 dome t* * A R 1 1933 <3ospel IbEmns BY // FRANCES BEVAN AUTHOR OF "THREE FRIENDS OF GOD," ETC. IFlew U>orft LOIZEAUX BROTHERS BIBLE TRUTH DEPOT 63 FOURTH AVENUE Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2012 with funding from Princeton Theological Seminary Library http://archive.org/details/hymnsOObeva CONTENTS THE CALL . COME . CONSIDER THE LILIES LIVING WATER RESURRECTION ETERNAL REDEMPTION THE SAMARITAN . A GOD AT HAND , REST . THE GOOD SHEPHERD "THAT IMPERIAL PALACE WHENCE COMING TO THE WATERS THE GATE OF THE LORD ONCE A LEPER THE GARDEN OF THE LORD . "WASH AND BE CLEAN" PEACE "JESUS ONLY" "THE BEST robe" BETHESDA . DESERT FOOD HEARKEN ! . HE CAME VI CONTENTS THE ANSWER THE SUPPER THE FRUIT OF TnE VINE ETERNAL LIFE BECOME A CHILD THE TRUE GOD . A WALL OF JASPER THE GIFT . THE QUIET LAND THE KNOWN GOD A CROWN OF THORNS . THE UNSLEEPING EYE . THE GOAL . PAGE 55 57 59 62 65 68 72 74 77 80 82 84 87 "Come" THE CALL u Unto you, men. I call." — Prov. viii. 4. Where is the Voice that calleth me to come ? Around me is the endless midnight sea — But through the wind that drives the restless foam It calls to me. It is a solemn and a tender Voice, As if it called me from some unknown home — As if there were some heart that would rejoice To see me come. It is as though some yearning arms stretched out Would meet me could I find from whence it came- For through chill mists of darkness and of doubt It calls my name. THE CALL I cannot go to Him — I know Him not — I know not where to find His dwelling-place, But sweeter than all happy dreams the thought To see His Face. Still near, and ever nearer doth it sound ; And nearer now than is myself to me ; Lord Jesus ! I was lost, and I am found, Sought, found by Thee. COME " Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." — Matt. xi. 28. To Him Who is rest to the weary, Who is to the hungry bread, Is cleansing and health to the leper, Eternal Life to the dead, Christ calleth, "Come." To Him Who has known thy transgressions, Has known the revolt of thy will, Has known thy disease, thy pollution, And knowing thee, loves thee still, Christ calleth, " Come." Behold Him Whose agony darkened The heavens when noon was high ; Dishonoured, accursed, and abandoned, Rejoicing for thee to die, For love of thee. I O COME Behold Him Whose crown thou hast woven Of thorns of the curse and the ban, Who now in the crown of His glory, The risen, ascended Man Yearns over thee. Behold ! He has paid all the ransom That sets thee eternally free, And drunk to the dregs all the judgment, The cup of the curse for thee. All, all is done. And now to the Home of thy Father, And now to the heart of thy God, To the joy that His agony measured, To the glory won by His Blood, Christ calleth, " Come." CONSIDER THE LILIES " He feedeth among the lilies." — Cant. ii. 16. " Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners? 1 Matt. ix. n. All around Him and beside Him, Sinners sat at meat — Sinful men and sinful women — Bread of Heaven they eat. There for him who hath no money Wine and milk He pours From the blessed fields of Heaven, God's exhaustless stores. So they drank, the weary, thirsty, That unfailing tide ; And for ever and for ever They are satisfied. He on heavenly food was feeding, Meat to them unknown, Blessed will of God Who sent Him Needing that alone ; 12 CONSIDER THE LILIES Sent to seek the lost and guilty, Outcasts and despised, Gems the hand of God would gather For the crown of Christ. So He fed amongst His lilies, Saw them fair and white, In the garden God had planted For His own delight. Only sinful men and women Men could see and scorn ; He beheld them crowned with glory Of the heavenly morn. Saw them with their palms of triumph, With their harps of gold ; Yet the same who sat around Him In the days of old. LIVING WATER 11 Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst ; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life." — John iv. 14. Weary on the well-side Jesus sat alone, The burning noon above — Guided by a Hand unimagined and unknown, And by an unknown love, Came another weary one, burdened with her shame, A quenchless thirst within ; Came she with the brand and the ban of evil fame, She came in all her sin. Face to face with Him before Whose throne fall down The hosts of Heaven she stood, Fallen and bemired, the outcast of the town, The sinner before God. Deep and sore her need, and yet more deep and dire Because to her unknown ; Yet He spake of sorer need, deeper yearning of desire, He told her of His own. 14 LIVING WATER He the God before Whom falls the heavenly host, Whose hands the worlds have made, Suppliant before the fallen and the lost The Lord of Glory prayed. Water He besought to quench a sorer thirst Than weariest hearts have known — Sinner ! that deep thirst of Jesus is the first, Long, long before thine own. First the love eternal, guiding weary feet, Through lonely pilgrim years, Long ere broken hearts shall come with ointment sweet And wash them with their tears. Still He waits beseeching, " Give thou Me to drink ; O soul, I thirst for thee ! Wine of joy surpassing all that heart can think, Art thou, Mine own, to Me." Jesus ! Lord, I give Thee all I have to give, Myself with all my guilt — Thou Thyself hast given, hast died that I might live, So be it as Thou wilt. LIVING WATER 15 Unto Him Who loved me, washed me in His Blood, Shall power and glory be, Praise for life that floweth as a mighty flood From Thee, my God, to me. There forgotten lies the water-pot that drew To drink and thirst again, Now to seek the lost, went forth the soul that knew The Saviour of men. RESURRECTION " Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God ? " — John xi. 40. Where should the weeping eyes behold His glory ? For Heaven was very far — There might be light, and music, and rejoicing Beyond some happy star. . . . They took the stone away from that dark chamber Wherein the dead was laid — The place of foul decay, and dread defacing Of that which God had made — Of gloom and silence, where the awful wages Of guilt are paid and stored ; Where hands that sinned, and feet that strayed and wandered Receive their due reward. . . . Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, rejoicing To praise the Father's Name, And straightway from that pit of drear pollution, Behold ! the living came. 16 RESUKRECTION 1 7 The glory of the Lord in fuller splendour Than on the throne above ; It is the triumph of the warfare ended — Of God's victorious love. Still glorious, still resplendent, where awakened, The sinner hears His voice, Comes forth from death and darkness of corruption With Jesus to rejoice. In dimness of man's miserable splendour, In dens of foulest night, The glory of the Lord as radiant morning With voices of delight, Ariseth day by day where Jesus standeth And calleth to the dead, For still His feet amidst the burial places In their compassion tread. The dead come forth, that voice unsilenced, sounding As many waters of a mighty sea, And passed from death to life they sit around Him. . . . That feast is spread, O ransomed soul, for thee. B ETERNAL REDEMPTION " In whom we have redemption through His Blood, the forgive- ness of sins, according to the riches of His grace." — Eph. i. 7. Forgiven, forgiven, forgiven, For all and for ever — Sins cast in the depths of the sea — In heaven or hell there is nought that can sever My soul from Thee. Thine own, Thine own, and Thy ransomed, Bought with the Blood of Thy Cross, I count for Thy love everlasting All things but loss. Dost Thou not fill all the heavens ? Only Thyself I see Where the myriad stars are burning, Thee, only Thee. Art Thou not here my Refuge, My Tower, my Citadel strong ? Art Thou not all the Sweetness Of my soul's eternal song ? THE SAMARITAN " A certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was." — Luke x. 33. Jesus the despised, the outcast and the stranger, Came where I lay — As the Shepherd sought His sheep on the wild and lonely mountains In the cloudy and dark day. Never had I called Him, never had I sought Him, Himself He came to me ; O helpless one and naked, He said when He beheld me, I have pity upon thee. Wine andoilHe pouredfrom stores of His compassion, Tenderly poured — Binding up my wounds with Hands that made the Heavens — Jesus, my Lord. Long He bare and carried me in strength wherewith He rideth On tempests and on calms — Gently did He bear me, beneath me was the refuge Of everlasting arms. 20 THE SAMARITAN Safe unto the shelter He brought me, and I rested In stillness of His love ; All night He sat beside me, the radiance of His presence Around me and above. Through lingering night-watches His eye was resting on me, For my need I could not tell ; He felt it in His love, as His, for so He loved me ; And thus He knew it well. Awhile fie has departed, He has left me healed and strengthened ; " Do likewise," did He say, " I have left thee in good keeping, till I come again in glory Of everlasting day." Not destitute and helpless He has left me to press onward In traces of His feet — Oh sweet will be the meeting, but His care whilst yet I journey How marvellously sweet. THE SAMARITAN 2 1 So likewise would I journey, where helpless and unpitied Lie those as I lay then ; His name as wine and oil He has left me for their healing, Until He comes again. A GOD AT HAND "Thou art near, Lord." — Ps. cxix. 151. Thou dreamest of a God Who dwells in some far distant sky, Thou knowest not the Heart of love that is for ever nigh. "I knew not" — said the wanderer who saw the ladder stand Between the throne of God, and his waste and lonely land. But Abraham could build beside his pilgrim tent An altar to God near him, wheresoever he went. G. T. S. REST " Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and J will give you rest." — Matt. xi. 28. As a Stranger unregarded God thy Saviour stands ; See His eyes of strange compassion, See His Feet and Hands. " It is I Myself— behold Me Walking on the sea Of thy turmoil and thy sorrow — Sinner, come to Me." Well He knows the starless midnight Of the lonely caves, Far below the sunny billows And the crested waves. He, amidst the songs and laughter, Hears the heart's despair, Told in idle words and mocking, Yet untold in prayer, 23 24 REST Stirring all His heart's compassion, Joyless soul, for thee — And in answer hear Him calling, " Come at last to Me." Which wilt thou, the fading tinsel And the withering rose, And the sparkling spring whence only Bitter water flows ; Or the gold once tried in fire When in darkness dread Jesus bare the curse, the judgment, Smitten in thy stead ; Crowned with thorns of thy deserving, Whilst upon thy brow He could set His crown of glory, With the oil of His anointing, Seal thee now. See beside the living waters God's unfading Tree, Fruit for meat, and leaves for healing, Banquet spread for thee ; REST 2 5 By the stream from deepest fountains Of the love divine Sweet and pure for ever flowing — Say — shall this be thine ? THE GOOD SHEPHERD "The Son of man is come to save that which was lost."- Matt. xviii. ii. For the lost on the lonely mountains In mist and snow, For the thirsty whose desert fountains Dried long ago — Jesus came. For the weary who followed a phantom Through waste and fen, And found when they called but an echo Answering again — Jesus came. For the tears in the silent chambers Which no man dries — For the blank and desolate-hearted With tearless eyes, Jesus came. For the lone and world-worn in splendour Of stately throngs, For the souls in laughter despairing Sad in their songs, Jesus came. 9.6 THE GOOD SHEPHERD 27 For the guilty, the base, the polluted Whom men disown — For those who despise the Saviour They have not known, Jesus came. For those who with tears and with kisses Would wash His feet, And low in the dust would anoint Him With ointment sweet, Jesus came. For those who in pride receive Him Without a kiss, Yet clad in their rags of pollution, Their righteousness, Jesus came. For thee He came and He suffered A doom unknown, And thee from His glory He calleth To sit on His throne — Come — Come — Come ! -THAT IMPERIAL PALACE WHENCE HE CAME" " When he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough, and to spare, and I perish with hunger." — Luke xv. 17. There rose a mighty famine in that land Where once was feast and mirth ; And bare and lonely lay on every hand The desolated earth. And he who wandered there lamented not The songs that were no more ; But ever haunted him a shapeless thought Of something long before. There came to him a yearning strange and deep For gladness past away, Before the dreamlight of his troubled sleep Some long-forgotten day. As if the longing passionate and wild, Desires that search and roam, Were but the memories of the long-lost child, The beckonings home. 28 "that imperial palace whence he came" 29 One last reminder of the soul that came From glory long ago — That need insatiate that hath no name Of him who hath a lost and vanished claim Which none besides may know. The swine can eat the husks and be content — He knew some garden fair, Ere into homeless banishment he went ; The Tree of Life was there. Last relic of his bliss to hunger still — God asks of him no more ; It is His blessed joy the soul to fill From His exhaustless store. For God hath yet a garden and a tree, A gate that open stands For those who hunger on the withered lea And in the barren lands. The Tree of Life grows green beside the flood Of living water still, For Jesus is the fountain and the food For all who will. 30 "THAT impeeial palace whence he came The Gift of God to His rebellious son, A glorious gift and free — Because thou art the lost, the hungry one, He gives His Bread to thee. He gives thee Christ to be thy food and drink, To be thy strength and stay ; He gives not as we ask or as we think, He waits not till we pray. Before, beyond, all longing and all prayer, That Gift of love was given — Before we knew the earthly fields were bare He sent the Bread from Heaven. He calleth, "Eat, O friends" — the feast is spread, He pours the heavenly wine — Himself the blessdd Cup, Himself the Bread ; Christ, Christ is thine. COMING TO THE WATERS " Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters. "- Isa. lv. I. I am come unto the waters, Thou didst call me by my name — Thou didst call unto the thirsty, I was thirsty and I came. Oh the draughts of life eternal ! There would I beside that river Lay me down the parched and weary, Drink for ever and for ever ! Drink from out the depths unfathomed Life eternal, life divine — Thou, O measureless, exhaustless, Thou for evermore art mine. Lo, I come to buy, rejoicing That with empty hands I come : Meted to me by the measure Of Thy love's exhaustless sum 32 COMING TO THE WATERS Are the riches of Thy treasure Fathomless and full and free, Christ Thy Gift, O God my Father, To the destitute, to me. Wine of Thine eternal gladness Hath Thine Hand in bounty poured, More than fills my cup of blessing, Love divine of Christ my Lord. Love the golden fruit has gathered, Love that mighty wine has spiced ; Mine is now the joy of Heaven, For that joy is Christ. THE GATE OF THE LORD " Enter into His gates with thanksgiving." — Ps. c. 4. Gate of the Lord ! I had dreamed of Thee, In nights when in darkness I slumbered, A Gate that was bolted and barred to me, Because of my sins unnumbered. 1 dreamt of a high and a dreadful Gate, Where I knocked in fear and weeping — Where God's white Angels in solemn state Their watch and their ward were keeping. . . . O Gate of my Father, revealed to me In glorious light of the morning, Gate which the lost and the weary see, But hid from the eyes of the scorning; 1 came to Thee — but I could not knock — Thou wert open, Gate, before me ; There w 7 as never a bar, and never a lock, And Welcome ! was written o'er Thee — 33 c 34 THE GATE OF THE LORD I could not ask, for the Lord stood there, And His was the sweet imploring ; I could but enter that Gate so fair In wonder and in adoring. Within — in the Home of ancient peace, In the House of the Father dwelling ; How should the song of my gladness cease, The joy of His welcome telling? At home with Him whilst the feet must tread Awhile the paths of the desert ; Here with His manna unfailing fed, And there with His love unmeasured. ONCE A LEPER " He is a leprous man, he is unclean : the priest shall pro- nounce him utterly unclean . . . his clothes shall be rent, and his head bare, and he shall put a covering on his upper lip, and shall crv, Unclean, unclean. — Lev. xiii. 44, 45. " It came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks." — Luke xvii. 14-16. Cleansed ! O my God, I adore Thee, The years of my exile past ! Lord Jesus, I fall before Thee, Eternally healed at last. In place of the rent attire, The righteousness that was mine, The rags unclean and polluted, My raiment as white as Thine. The head once bare and dishonoured Is crowned with Thy crown of gold ; By lips that had breathed pollution The tale of Thy love is told. 36 ONCE A LEPER Thine is the power and glory, Thy love as an endless sea — Low, low at thy feet I adore Thee, Thy banished brought home to Thee. Cleansed by the Blood of Thy Passion, That flowed for me long ago ; In that everlasting fountain Made purer than mountain snow. Sweet is the health and the cleansing, But mine is a joy more sweet, On the golden floor of Thy Heaven To kneel and to kiss Thy Feet. Cleansed — yet it was not pity That healed the sick and defiled, But the yearning of God the Father To fall on the neck of His child. THE GARDEN OF THE LORD " The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places ; yea, I have a goodly heritage." — Ps. xvi. 6. In a peaceful land and holy, Land unseen by mortal eyes, God hath still His blessed garden, Still His Paradise. That fair garden hath not vanished Save from eyes of blinded men — Hark ! God calleth to His banished, Come ! O come again ! See ! the flaming sword no longer Guardeth the eternal Tree — Open stands the Gate of morning, Wandering soul, for thee. Hark ! once spake His voice Who loved thee, Loved thee, sinner, in thy sin, Wake, O sword, against My Shepherd ! Let the flock pass in. 37 38 THE GARDEN OF THE LORD In His grave for ever buried Lies the guilt thy lips confess ; All thy sin, and all thy sorrow, All thy righteousness. Leave behind thy condemnation, Leave behind thy fear and doubt — Can it be that He Who calls thee Yet should cast thee out ? There the God of glory walketh, None to hide amidst His trees, But His own, ashamed no longer, Clad in Christ He sees. From thy land of exile turning, Welcome there, O soul, art thou — Welcomed with His song of gladness Now — even now. " WASH, AND BE CLEAN" 2 Kings v. 13. " Her sins, which are many, are forgiven." — Luke vii. 47. Because my transgressions are many, Are more than the hairs of my head — The sins that are black and secret, The sins that are crimson red — Because on Thy Cross I have seen them, Beholding how deep is their dye ; Because Thine own lips have absolved me, Here, here, O my God, am I. Here, here, in Thy holy Temple Brought near, in Thy Holiest place, To show to Thy wondering Angels The miracle of Thy grace — The more as a dark remembrance Those sins in their terror arise ; The more to my soul they are bitter ; The more they are black in mine eyes, 39 40 "wash, and be clean The more must I wonder and worship, Beholding how great was the debt By Thee, Lord, forgiven, forgotten, Though I must remember it yet. For Thou on the throne of Thy glory Hast shown me Thy Hands and Thy Feet ; Thou sayest, Behold the forgiveness Eternal, and sure, and complete ; Well known to Me measure and number Of sins that in part thou hast known, To Me in Mine agony measured — To Me in Mine anguish alone. Say, is it enough, O beloved ? O sinner, behold Me and see, Is there sorrow like unto My sorrow As that which was done unto Me ? . . . My God and my Saviour, as surely As Thou art in glory in Heaven, So surely I own it, rejoicing That I, even I, am forgiven. PEACE " Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee." — Isa. xxvi. 3. "He is our Peace." — Eph. ii. 14. There calm and still in fair celestial light Lies God's eternal sea, From thence amidst the tempest and the night He spake to me. He called me with a still and tender voice, Resistless and divine — His rest is there where His beloved rejoice, That rest is mine. An endless tide of deep untroubled peace Is Christ in Whom I dwell ; Far, far below there rave the tossing seas I knew so well. I hear the thunder of the distant waves, A murmur low and dim, Of restless waves amidst the hollow caves — I rest in Him. 41 42 PEACE Safe harboured in the everlasting Home Of everlasting love, With Him to yearn for wandering souls that roam As Noah's dove — Who find amidst the waste of waters wild For weary feet no rest, Whilst gladly God would fold His long-lost child Upon his breast. It is from out the sweetness and the calm To thee, O soul, He calls — So near to thee the song, the crown, the psalm, The palace halls. . . . There, entering from my drear and lonely lands, One moment hath sufficed To pass the mystic Door that open stands — That Door is Christ. "JESUS ONLY" Only Jesus ! Rock of Ages, safe and sure beneath my feet — Only Jesus is the Fountain whence there flow the waters sweet ; Only Jesus is the Image of the God my soul would see ; Only Jesus is the Shepherd ever feeding, leading me. Only Jesus is my power, glorious, victorious might, Only Jesus, pure and holy, is my Raiment clean and white. Only Jesus is my Treasure, inexhaustible, untold, Only Jesus, here and yonder, when I tread the streets of gold. G. T. S. 43 " THE BEST ROBE" Luke xv. 22. To the garden the Lord had planted In the cool of the day He came, And the sinner, his sad eyes opened, Made raiment to hide his shame. He feared to stand in Thy Presence, For holy, O God, art Thou— How may I come before Thee And stand in Thy Presence now ? Where is the robe to cover And hide my sin from Thine eyes ? They are keen as a flaming fire To pierce through the soul's disguise — How may I come ? . . . Then from the house of His treasures God brought a Robe most fair — Such raiment of glory and beauty No Angel in heaven might wear. 44 "the best robe 45 Was it to hide the dishonour Of the sinner stained and defiled ? Nay — but to witness to Heaven Of that which befits His child. No longer the sinner polluted Stood guilty before His Face, But alive with the life of Jesus Another stood in his place. Another, for whom the splendour Of the glorious Robe was meet, As the bride is adorned with jewels Because she is fair and sweet. The sin and the sinner for ever In the grave of the garden lay, And the stone on that sepulchre lying No angel should roll away. The child of the new creation, Born of the Spirit and Word, The living in Christ arisen, One with his living Lord — 46 "the best robe" Stainless and pure and fearless Stood in the Face of God ; The witness to all the heavens Of the worth of the precious Blood Now the transformed could worship Where the sinner wept before, Clad in the raiment of Heaven, And Christ was the Robe he wore. BETHESDA " Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk."- Johx v. 8. He found me alone and helpless — The healing waters were nigh, But I could not plunge beneath them — I must wait — wait and die. He spake, and the swift strong River, The River of life divine, Flowed from the depths unfathomed, From His heart into mine. Made whole for ever and ever, From death to life I had passed, A son of the Lord Almighty, Strong in His might at last. Then from His mouth the commission, The glorious mandate came — " As I have walked on the waters, Go thou and do the same. 47 48 BETHESDA " Go tread on the lion and adder, I, the Lord, am thy strength, And under thy feet the dragon Shall lie in the dust at length. " Go, walk where the dead are lying ; The life I have given to thee, From thee shall flow as a river, They shall rise and sing to Me. 11 Go, walk where the broken-hearted Weep in the lonely ways ; My wine and My oil I give thee, And garments of joy and praise. " Go, walk where I walked before thee, And heal the smitten and torn, And clothe in My glorious raiment The naked and forlorn." And therefore in fearless triumph Is the journey of the soul, For He Who said " Walk" is Jesus, The same Who hath made me whole. DESERT FOOD " He looked, and, behold, a cake baken on the coals, and a cruse of water at his head.' , — i Kings xix. 6. A long day's journey in the wilderness, To go I knew not where. Before me, far into the burning west, The desert of despair. Behind me shattered hopes, and fear, and hate : An empty past. God ! my soul is spent and desolate, 1 cast me down, and for Thy call I wait That I may die at last. It is enough, my God — at rest, unknown, My fathers sleep, And why should I live on ? for I have sown And may not reap. Beneath the shadow of the desert tree I lay and wept ; And from the Lord a blessed stillness came, And in His Arms I slept. SO DESERT FOOD A touch that reached the soul, and I awoke, A Voice most sweet ; In speech of the eternal home it spoke, " Arise and eat." Beside me was the Bread that came from Heaven, The water of God's River ; A gift mysterious His hand had given That I might live for ever. I asked for death — He gave me endless life ; I slept beneath His wings, At rest from fear, from hate, from fruitless strife, From bitter questionings. But that eternal life He granted not For such sweet rest alone ; Far higher than my thoughts His blessed thought, For He would bring me to a place unsought, That place His own. A place most still and glorious — very far From all the stir of men ; Anew He touched me, and the Morning Star Shone as I woke again. DESERT FOOD 5 I " Arise and eat, the journey is too great." And once again there stood Beside me in the waste most desolate The heavenly food. So ate I, and I drank eternal strength, And on my way I wend, For well I know that I shall reach at length The glorious end. Upon His holy mountain I shall stand And see His face, And I shall hear His voice in that fair land, That holy Place. HEARKEN I 11 He said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest ; and this is the ref eshing : yet they would not hear." — Isa. xxviii. 12. Hear ! hear the Voice that is calling — Is calling, O Soul, to thee— Midst the thousand Babel voices And the roar of the restless sea. A Voice that is deep and tender, Of mighty and solemn tone, Heard amidst thousand voices In its glory all alone. To thee none other has spoken, For the words of none may reach Thy lonely hidden chamber In faltering earthly speech ; Save the Voice that of old in Eden Spake in the evening breeze — Wilt thou answer, O soul, and worship, Or hide thee amidst the trees ? HEAKKEN ! 5 3 To thee and to-day it calleth ; To-morrow it may not call ; The day like a dream is passing, xlnd the silent night will fall. Hearken ! He speaks of a sorrow Unshared, unfathomed, unknown ; Of an hour of nameless anguish, Of the cup that He drank alone. He tells of the night in the garden, The agony deep and dread ; Of the sword that has smitten the Shepherd That smote Him, O soul, in thy stead ; When veiled in the horror of darkness, Forsaken, He bare thy sin ; Of the veil which His death has riven That thou mightest pass within. Within — where the Father greeteth The son from the far-off land ; Where His robe he wraps around him, And sets His seal on his hand. 54 hearken! He tells of the feast and the music Awaiting the son who was lost, Brought back by a love almighty, Brought back at a measureless cost. This is the Voice that speaketh, Calling, O soul, to thee ; For thee is the home and gladness To be, or never to be ? Shall the song to thy mouth be given, And the glorious crown to thy head ? Shall He say, I have found my lost one ; He liveth, who once was dead? Answer Him now. THE ANSWER "The blind and the lame came to Him . . . and He healed them." — Matt. xxi. 14. Lord Jesus, my God and my Saviour, Before Thy feet do I fall ; The blind who at last has seen Thee, The deaf who has heard Thy call. Because I am stained and polluted, Lost on a lonely sea, Because I am broken-hearted, Lord, do I come to Thee. I bring Thee my sin and my sorrow, 1 can bring Thee nought beside ; Yet I am the sinner Thou lovest, The guilty for whom Thou hast died. For me Thou wert cursed and forsaken, For me was Thy soul athirst ; And now, O my Lord, I love Thee, Because Thou hast loved me first. 56 THE ANSWER I take at Thy hands the remission, Eternal, and perfect, and free, That Thou on the Cross of Thine anguish Hast won by Thy Blood for me. I drink of the fountain that floweth Fresh from the Rock that was riven ; Thy Life-Blood my life for ever, Thyself, my Home and my Heaven. THE SUPPER " He took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is My Body, which is given for you : this do in remembrance of Me." — Luke xxii. 19. He took the bread that should stand as a sign Through the ages far and dim, Of the mystery of the Love Divine Eevealed in Him. Then gave He thanks for the ransom paid, The Body that should be given For those whose names ere the worlds were made Were written by God in Heaven. He brake the bread — to the slaughter led Must the Lamb unblemished go, To bear the sin in the sinners stead — Lo ! garments dyed as crimson red Are whiter than the snow. 5 8 THE SUPPER He gave the bread — from the Hand divine Whose glorious gifts are free — He gave Himself, O soul, to be thine, In measureless love to thee. And still in the dawn of the heavenly day The manna to man unknown Lies white in the dew on the wilderness way, The gift of the Lord to His own. Still day by day with a lavish hand Are the weary and hungering fed — They heed not the drought of the barren land Who feed on the heavenly bread. And God rejoiceth in Him and in His With Christ in His glory one — Alive with the life of eternal bliss — The life that is in His Son. THE FRUIT OF THE VINE " He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it ; for this is My Blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father's kingdom." — Matt. xxvi. 27-29. So took He the cup of the red red wine, And thanks He gave to God, For the fruit of the Vine, the token and sign Of the precious atoning Blood. The Blood which the righteous God should see And pass by the sinners door — The Blood which his ransom and price should be, His shelter for evermore. The Blood which should wash from guilt's dark brand The vilest here below, That he in the light of God should stand, And whiter there than the snow. 59 6o THE FRUIT OF THE VINE The Blood which should flow as a living tide, As from the Rock the River, And the weary drink and are satisfied, And thirst no more for ever. The Blood that should be the Life indeed, Eternal and divine, Of him who in weakness and in need Shall drink the heavenly wine. The Blood, the* new and the living way Whereby we enter in The Holiest place to look on the Face That will never look on our sin. The Blood that made the eternal peace, The guilt and the judgment past, That the wanderings of the soul should cease In the Father s arms at last. He gave the cup, and said, Drink ye all, My Blood is freely given — Then sweet is the welcome, and wide is the call, And open the door of Heaven. . . . THE FRUIT OF THE VINE 6 1 And His soul beheld how the shadow dim Should fade before the True, And His belovdd should sit with Him At the feast where the wine is new. From the banquet hall of the distant years, From the glory around the throne The song and the music reached His ears. . . . And He sang a psalm with His own. ETERNAL LIFE " This is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son." — i John v. ii. Such gift is Thine, God, the Life eternal — To Thee the sinner fled, And stood transformed in life and light before Thee, Arisen from the dead. The tale of an existence never ending Was told him long ago — The murmur of a sad mysterious river That must for ever flow — On through the ages unexplored and endless To wander without rest — To reach no goal at last, to anchor never, No sunset in the west. . . . And now he sings, I thank Thee, God and Father, For that which Thou hast given, The living water pure and fresh for ever, From hidden depths of Heaven. 62 ETERXAL LIFE 63 Life, glorious life, the marvellous awakening In everlasting day To light and music of a strange rejoicing That shall not pass away. There is a river that makes glad the city The soul has reached at last : First breath of Heaven from lips of Christ arisen Has told that death is past. The life of Jesus henceforth and for ever A well of water springs Within the soul that dwells in Christ in glory Midst earthly wanderings — A blessed cup of God's divine refreshing Amidst mens toil and strife . . . Go, give to drink of Heaven's crystal river, For Jesus is the Life. This His commission to the soul that drinketh ; Himself the treasure stored In earthen vessels, bearing to the weary The gladness of the Lord. 64 ETERNAL LIFE The blessed music from the Father s palace, The joy that is His own, Borne far away along the stream that floweth From depths of love unknown — Far, far away, where lost ones stray and wander, And where the hopeless weep — The farther are the barren desert places, More full the stream and deep. As once the mothers weeping eyes were opened The living well to see, O soul, lost soul and hopeless, hear, He calleth To show that well to thee. BECOME A CHILD " He took a child, and set him in the midst of them : and when He had taken him in His arms, He said unto them, Whosoever shall receive one of such children in My name, receiveth Me." — Mark ix. 36. As a child within the arms of Jesus, So would I be — Hear him say, Whoso this child receiveth, He receiveth Me. Standing in the face of the disputer, Looking on the wise With the blessed gladness and assurance Of an infant's eyes. Hearing all the wisdom God makes foolish As an empty sound — Men may seek, and weary in their seeking, But the child has found — 65 E 66 BECOME A CHILD Found the wondrous secret of all being, Drawn unto the breast Where he has his shelter and his safety, His eternal rest. From the arms of Jesus he beholdeth All the pride of men ; He is small, despised, and unregarded, He is greatest then. Not by man's acclaim is he dishonoured, By his praise defiled — Jesus is the gladness and the glory Of His little child. Christ the Wisdom and the Power that speaketh By those lips untaught In the wisdom that is ever seeking, And that findeth nought. Working mighty miracles and wonders Thus the child is set, By His hand to stand amongst apostles And to preach Him yet. BECOME A CHILD 67 Knowing Jesus : knowing nought beside Him ; Knowing truth the world has never known — Oh to be the child whom men behold not, Seeing Christ alone ! THE TRUE GOD " The God of patience and consolation." — Rom. xv. 5. A woeld without sin and sorrow, A world without death and pain ; And afar and afar, from star to star, No shadow, nor spot, nor stain — No sin to call for the judgment Of flood and fire and dearth, But peace in unsullied heavens, And peace on the blissful earth. As God is the God of the lily, The God of the angels white, So each and all at His feet would fall In the worship of delight. So known as the fountain eternal Of music and joy and song ; The beauty of things that are lovely, The glorious strength of the strong. THE TRUE GOD 69 And between Himself and His creatures Eternal love would be ; No blight in the harvest valleys, No tempests upon the sea. . . . But behold ! the vail of the Temple Was rent in a day that is passed, And the God through the ages hidden Was seen in His glory at last. The Father Who ran in His gladness To meet His rebellious child, Who fell on the neck of the sinner Yet in his rags defiled — The God Who made ready His supper, In hedges and highways sought The poor and the maimed and the wretched, The outcasts who knew Him not. Brought in to the feast and the singing, Unwilling, unworthy, to share His love for the Son of His bosom, Whose agony brought them there — 70 THE TRUE GOD Exchanging the throne of His glory For weariness, shame, and loss ; The Hands that fashioned the lilies Nailed to the felon's cross. Thus, O my God, do I know Thee ! The Man of sorrows and tears — The crown of Thy Godhead's glory Those three and thirty years. Thus to reveal the Father, The God of unchanging will, The Love that despite all evil Would be Love eternal still. Not by the garden He planted, By rivers with sands of gold, By an earth unblighted, unsullied, Can the love of His heart be told. O God, not the glades of Eden Speak to my soul of Thee, But the desolate starlit mountains, Gethsemane — Calvary. THE TRUE GOD 7 I The God of the stainless and sinless, So is not the God I know — But Jesus Who wept for the sinner, Who has borne the curse of His foe. A WALL OF JASPER "Thou shalt call thy walls Salvation." — Isa. lx. 18. A mighty wall, most great and high, A wall unseen ; Dark shadowy lands around it lie — It stands between The blessed garden of the Lord's delight, The deserts of the night. Within, the Lord doth walk at eventide Ere sets the day ; Around Him His beloved ones abide In white array. The lion entereth not, Nor ravening beast, That still and sacred spot Of song and feast. But wandering souls without that sheltering wall May enter in — A welcome waiteth at the gate for all. And there the Voice of tenderest mercy calls Across the wastes of sin — 72 A WALL OF JASPER 73 Come ! for the white array is freely given That maketh meet To walk with Christ amidst the songs of Heaven, To worship at His feet. Beneath the shadow of the sheltering wings O come and rest — Without, the weeping and the wanderings ; Within, the sweetness of the heavenly things, The Saviour's Breast. THE GIFT " As though God did beseech you." — 2 Cor. v. 20. He spake to me in stillness of the night — He said, " The Gift is given ; And thine is the unspeakable delight, The blessed joy of heaven. For thee the table is in fulness spread, Poured forth the heavenly wine ; For thee My flesh was given, My Blood was shed, For thee came down the rain of living Bread ; All — all is thine. " Thine all the riches of My glorious grace, Unmeasured and untold — The hidden treasures of My secret place, My spices and My gold. I gave thee all, for thee I poor became, That rich thy store might be ; And poor, with nought but hatred, scorn, and shame, I gave Myself to thee. 74 THE GIFT 7 5 "I gave Myself — what wouldst thou more than Christ, Through endless years ? I gave Myself— lo ! hath not this sufficed ? For thee the mighty wine of love is spiced ; Response to gall and vinegar of hate, Mixed for the anguish of the Desolate To plenteousness of tears. " Far more than fills the measure of thy cup My hand has poured — And lo ! I fain would enter in and sup, A suppliant at thy board ; For Mine is the unsatisfied desire, The hunger and the thirst — Thy need was desperate, O soul, and dire, My direr need was first. 11 1 loved thee, when to thee I was unknown, A name despised ; Thy door was locked and barred to One alone ; One only — Christ. Of that disdainful heart I died to win I claim the whole ; I knock and wait till I may enter in The palace of thy soul. 76 THE GIFT Lo ! more than thou couldst ask My love has given, Than thou couldst think — O soul, I come athirst from highest Heaven, Give Me to drink." THE QUIET LAND " We which have believed do enter into rest." — Heb. iv. 3. Brought from the clamour, from the murmuring voices, From restless winds and from the troubled sea, To that fair land where every breath rejoices — Brought home to Thee. The still infinitude of God surrounding, The mystery of love to man unknown, The silence that is music ever sounding ; With God alone. The silence that is speech and glorious singing, Both passing sweet ; There sits beside the fountain ever springing Another, yet myself, who hears ; Another — dweller not in days and years That change and fleet — But one to whom the troubled sea is still, A vanished sound, To whom the songs and holy psalteries fill The stillness all around ; 7§ THE QUIET LAND To whom the glory of a newborn day Is fresh and fair ; Not as the ancient sunrise passed away, But still unfolding there ; Uprising into everlasting noon Where smites no sun nor heat ; No night is there where rules the changeful moon To guide the wandering feet, But there the everlasting Light is God, And Sun and Shade is He ; In those still meadows green His staff and rod Shall comfort me — The sorrow and the gladness passed away — The midnight and the stars ; The soul goes forth to free and glorious day Beyond the prison bars. Through blessed valleys where my lot is cast He leads me on ; And there the winter is for ever past, The rain is past and gone. THE QUIET LAND 79 There bloom the flowers of His eternal spring, There rests His Dove ; It is the time when joyful voices sing, The time of love. Lord Jesus, Land of fountains and of deeps, My Home art Thou, Wherein high festival my spirit keeps, Now, even now. THE KNOWN GOD " From henceforth ye know Him, and have seen Him."- JOHN xiv. 7. Once seen — seen once and for ever, O Face Divine ; The Face of my Father, Lord Jesus, Unveiled in Thine. One look, and the rebel is vanquished, The wandering heart is won ; I know that God is my Father, I am loved as He loves His Son. The light of that love eternal Has turned my night to day, And the former things with their glamour For ever are passed away. O world ! hast thou yet an enchantment For him who beholds that Face ? A storm for the ship that is anchored In the calm of His holy place ? THE KNOWN GOD A song for the ear that heareth The golden psalm that He sings, Because the soul that He ransomed Is safe beneath His wings ? The Face that was bowed in weeping When He walked by the mourner's side- That He hid not from shame and spitting, The Face of the Crucified. Amidst illusions and shadows The Changeless and the True ; In Thy glory my soul has seen Thee, And all things are made new. By the mighty strength of Thy yearning, By the spell of Thy love divine, By the precious Blood that has washed me, My Lord and my God, I am Thine. A CROWN OF THORNS " Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt." — Heb. xi. 26. All hail ! the reproach of Jesus, All hail ! the shame and the Cross — For Thee, the Despised, to reckon All things but loss. To wear as a diadem royal The crown of the world's disdain, Because Thy light, Lord Jesus, Shines in Thine own again. How fair are the pastures lying By the waters deep and still — How fair is the golden city On God's most holy hill ; But fairer across the desert The trace of His weary feet — Oh sweet are His resting-places, His pilgrim staff more sweet. 82 A CROWN OF THORNS 83 A Pilgrim athirst and aweary He trod the desert alone, His Face to the cross of His passion, To the heaven He won for His own. We tread in the path Thou hast trodden Across the desert and sea, With palms and with songs of rejoicing, Because we are following Thee — The face to the foe and to heaven Unknown, defamed and despised, Glad eyes on the goal resplendent — That goal is Christ. THE UNSLEEPING EYE " The Lord make His Face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee ; the Lord lift up His countenance upon thee, and give thee peace." — Num. vi. 25, 26. O Thou Love Divine, whose Face resplendent Shineth on my way, Sweet it is to be on Thee dependent Night and day. Thou my Guide along the lonely valleys On the stormy heights, Strength for days of burning desert journeys, Light for starless nights. Haven, sheltered by eternal mountains Safe from wind and tide, Sweetest music of the Bridegroom's gladness Welcoming the Bride — All in Thee ; responding not to cravings In this heart of mine, But to deeper needs, mysterious yearnings Of the Love Divine. THE UNSLEEriNG EYE 85 Thou didst need me when I had not known Thee Nor desired to know ; Thou didst thirst for me amidst Thine anguish Long ago — All my sitting down and mine uprising, Thoughts that stray and rove, Weary steps and welcome resting-places, Watched by Eyes of love. Every word a listening ear remembers, And behind, before, Lo ! a tender Hand is laid upon me, Guiding evermore. If through starry pathways of the heavens High in glory led, Or in gloom and silence where are sleeping All the ancient dead — Everywhere I follow on and find Thee Holding, leading me — Borne afar upon the wings of morning Past the utmost sea. 86 THE UNSLEEPING EYE Unto me, God, Thy thoughts are precious, Countless as the sand ; I shall wake with Thee from life's long slumber In the blessed land. THE GOAL " I will shew thee the Bride, the Lamb's Wife." — Rev. xxi. 9. The Lord in His patience is waiting For the joy before Him set — The Crown of all crowns of His glory He wears not yet. The sapphires lie yet in the mountains, The pearls lie yet in the sea, That amidst the rejoicing of Heaven His Crown shall be. He waits till in fairest adorning His sister, His spouse shall stand Beside Him in radiant morning At God's right hand. The songs and the psalteries sounding Shall tell of the Lamb Who died— How precious the Son to the Father, To Christ, His Bride. 87 THE GOAL The Crown of the gems He has gathered For ever in Heaven shall shine ; O sinner, for this has He called thee, His throne is thine. For not in His deep compassion, But in His eternal love, His pearls from the depths He beareth To heaven above. Awhile for thee the high honour To be for His Name despised ; To-morrow beside Him in Glory, The Bride of Christ. THE END Printed by Ballantyne, Hanson 6- Co. Edinburgh & London -^^^^^^^^^^^^#^^--- H fIDeeting anb parting. THIS world can give us a meeting, But always a parting again ; But God gives in mercy a meeting , Through Christ who is coming again. A meeting with never a parting — Oh blessed, oh glorious word ! When we shall meet the departed Who have slept with peace in the Lord. Where sorrows and trials are ended , And nothing but glory we see: No more a wilderness meeting But a meeting from sin ever free !