IlllflWl ■ " ■>"■''■' ,/-v- ''"-" 7 XJ PPA/S£ ///Af ~ ■ r:'. J* THE BENSON LIBRARY OF HYMNOLOGY Endowed by the Reverend Louis Fitzgerald Benson, d.d. T LIBRARY OF THE THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY PRINCETON, NEW JERSEY LIFE CHORDS. Morrison &■ Gibb, Edinburgh, ■; Office Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2012 with funding from Princeton Theological Seminary Library http://archive.org/details/lifechordsOOhave • FRANCES RIDLEY HAVERGAL in hi OCT la 1953 LIFE CHORDS COMPRISING 'ZENITH, 1 'LOYAL RESPONSES; AND OTHER POEMS. BY FRANCES RIDLEY tiAVERGAL. • And Life becomes the prelude of the Everlasting Song.' OTttfj Owlbe Illustrations eg THE BARONESS HELGA VON CRAMM. LONDON JAMES NISBET & CO., 21 BERNERS STREET. 1880. 3n JouuigfllftnoFiL Born Decr 14. ir Died June 3.12 ^rehath notfailedone^ °^//£ is Good Prom'** I.Kings VIII 56. My Own Text. " If we walk in the lightasHe is in the lightwe have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cieanseth us from all Sin ! |3relutie. Take it, O Father ! This new book be Thine, Filled only with Thy teachings, only filled For Thee, and for the pilgrims to Thy home. I know not what bright impulses of song May come upon my waiting soul, nor when ; Or whether years of silence yet may fall In still parenthesis as once before ; Or whether tighter tension must be laid By Thy unerring Hand, that so the tone May be more true to that immortal key Which reaches loneliest depth of human heart With echoes from Thine own. I would not shrink From suffering, if I may but sing for Thee. Father, Thou knowest how this gift hath seemed Thine own direct sweet answer to the prayer For peace and patience in the silent grief Thy Hand, Thine own, has portioned out for me. And I have felt Thy call, not loud, but clear, To praise Thee with my song, as, it may be, I had not done had all my heart's desire Been granted me. ****** Thou knowest how (so often) I have laid An aching heart upon Thy heart of love, And wept out all my sorrow, till at last Thou gavest Thy beloved sleep. And then VI Prelude. Came singing in the morning some glad thought That wafted over land and sea, has put ISTew songs in silent mouths, and come again With harvest of rejoicing back to me. Let not Thy blessing fail ! I long for this, I ask it for the sake of Him whose Name Is my sure plea. send it, gracious Lord ! As Thou hast spared me to begin to-day The seventh small volume of these leaves of life, So let a sevenfold blessing rest upon All that shall fill these pages. Give me thoughts, But quicken them with power ; give me words, But wing them with Thy love ; give music too, But let it ring all beautiful and sweet With holiness ; yea, give to me, if such Thy holy will, far better and far more Than heretofore, but only add this gift, Without which all were worthless and in vain, Thy Blessing. So the glory and the praise Shall all be Thine for evermore. Amen. FRANCES RIDLEY HAVERGAL. Prelude to F. R. H.'s Seventh MS. Book, 1872. CONTENTS. "UNDER HIS SHADOW.' Zenith, The Thoughts of God The Ministry of Intercession, " Free to Serve,'' . Coming to the King, " The Splendour of God's Will," The Two Paths, Sunday Night, Memorial Names, Precious Things, " Afterwards," Reality, Seulement pour Toi, A Song in the Night, What will You do without Hiin ? "The Shining Light, that Shineth more and more unto th Perfect Day," The Voice of Many Waters The Key Found, . An Interlude, 23 36 42 44 47 51 53 55 55 60 67 69 72 73 79 82 Sunday Bells, Flowers, Evening Prayer, CHORDS FOR CHILDREN. 85 $6 87 viii Contents. PAGE Stars, ........ 88 My Little Tree, 89 Thy Kingdom Come, 90 The Moon, .... 91 Jessie's Friend, 92 The Bower, .... 93 Trust, .... 93 The Dying Sister, . 94 The Angels' Song, . 96 Who will take Care of Me ? 97 Love for Love, 98 Asking, .... • 98 Something to do, . 99 Loving Messages for the Little Ones, 105 Auntie's Lessons, . 107 The Happiest Christmas Day, 109 Coming into the Shade, 110 Home To-Night, . 112 New-Year Hymn, . 113 Begin at Once, 115 " That's not the Way at Sea, " 117 EAELY POEMS. "I leave it all with Thee," .... 121 On the Death of Captain Allan Gardiner, . 123 Matthew xiv. 23, . 126 Matthew xxvi. 30, . 127 ' ' Leaving us an Example that ye should follow His Steps 130 Our English Sabbaths, .... 131 Forest Voices, ..... 133 The Shower, ..... 131 M. L. C. 's Birthday Crown, 136 To John Henry C on his Third Birthday, 137 " Pray for Me," ..... 139 For E. C.'s Birthday, 141 "Coming of Age," . 142 Contents. ix PAGE Evelyn, ....... 143 Sunbeams in the "Wood, ..... 148 Constance de V , ..... 149 Travelling Thoughts, , 161 MISCELLANEOUS. To Helga, ...... 167 Tiny Tokens, 168 April, .... 169 The Song of a Summer Stream, - 172 An Autumn Holiday, 174 Golden Land, 175 The Song of Love, . 176 The Turned Lesson, 178 Leaning over the Waterfall, 180 The Awakening, 182 The Maidens of England to H.R.H. the Princess Royal, . 184 Scotland's "Welcome to H.R.H. the Princess Louise, 185 In Loyal and Loving Remembrance of H.R.H. the Princess Alice 187 National Hymn, ...... 188 Hymn for Ireland, . 190 Church Missionary Jubilee Hymn, 191 Our Red-Letter Days, 192 A Merrie Christmas, 193 A Happy New Year to You, 194 Another Year, 194 Faithful Promises, . 195 New Year's Wishes, 197 Thy Father Waits for Thee, 199 Will You not Come ? 200 LOYAL RESPONSES. Consecration Hymn, ..... 205 Set Apart, ....... 206 The Secret of a Happy Day, .... 208 Contents. The Unfailing One, On the Lord's Side, True-hearted, Whole-hearted, "By Thy Cross and Passion," The Opened Fountain, The Precious Blood of Jes I Remember Thee, Knowing, . Trusting Jesus, Looking unto Jesus, Shining, Growing, Resting, Filling, Increase our Faith, ' ' Nobody Knows but Jesus, He is thy Life, Enough, All, Only, My Master, Perfect Peace, "I am with thee ! " Trust and Distrust, Without Carefulness, Thy Reign, Tried, Precious, Sure, PAGE 211 213 215 217 219 221 223 225 227 228 229 233 235 236 237 239 241 243 244 245 247 249 250 252 253 258 260 CLOSING CHORDS. Twilight Voices, The' Seed of Song : What Thou wilt, Hope, He hath done it ! Christmas Gifts, Christmas Sunshine 263 264 265 266 267 269 270 Contents, XI Love and Light for the New Year, Birthday Mottoes, . "Forgiven — even until Now," Nothing to Pay ! An Easter Prayer, . The Scripture cannot be broken, Easter Dawn, Unfinished Fragments, Just when Thou wilt, Far more Exceeding, Behold your King, . " He Suffered," " Most Blessed for Ever," . PAGE 273 276 279 281 252 283 284 285 287 288 291 293 294 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS BY THE BARONESS HELGA VON CRAMM. 1. Frances Ridley Havergal, in her ninth year, from an Oil Painting by Solomon Cole in 1844, . . Frontispiece 2. Monte Rosa, ....... 6 3. The Matterhorn, ...... 26 4. View from Finshauts — It was here that " Seulement pour Toi " was composed and sung, ... 66 5. The Bruar Falls, Scotland, ..... 73 6. Astley Church and Malvern Hills, .... 85 7. Primroses, ....... 104 8. E. E. C, from a Photograph by Francis Earl, Worcester, 1867, 143 9. TheJungfrau, ....... 167 10. "Weishorn and Mischabel, from the Bettensee, . . 192 11. Twilight at Varese, ...... 263 12. Caswell Bay — F. R. H. 's favourite and last walk, . . 294 The musical notation and writing of "Evermore, Evermore, Amen," which appear on the outside cover, are copied in facsimile from the original MS. of F. R. H. M. V. G. H., Editor. xii Setutfr. >«- e ^S£ E watched the gradual rising of a star, Whose delicate, clear ray outshone the crowd Gleaming between the rifts of parting cloud, / |\a Brighter above each dusky-veiling bar. \L The fairy child, the glimpse of girlish face, Rising to woman's dower of fairest, fullest grace. And still she rose, and still she calmly shone, Walking in brightness ever-brightening still ; Gladdening, attracting at her queenly will, With starlike influence. The years wore on, And Isabel, the star, the pearl, the flower, Could not but know her gift, the secret of her power. " Never so lovely as to-night," they said, Again and yet again ! There came a night When many owned afresh the royal might Of beauty, as she came with snowfall tread, And summer smile, and simple maiden dress, Crowned only with the light and her own loveliness. t in Si Under His Shadow. And the next day she was a little tired ; And the next night the rose had somewhat paled. The fair pearl glistened, yet it somewhat failed Of the past gleam, the radiance all-admired. From the soft emerald of the wind-waved grass, How soon the diamond sparkle of the dew must pass ! And the next week the sunbeams vainly sought An entrance, where their meny rival lay Fevered and weary ; while, from day to day The quick pulse wasted what short slumber brought Of slow renewing. So the dark mist fell, And hid the starry fire that all had loved so well. Again she shone, when from that dark mist freed, But with that singular radiance never more ; The brightening upward path so quickly o'er, The solemn westward curve begun indeed ! 3£ The unconscious zenith of her lovely light r iJ For ever left behind on that gay triumph-night ! II. §0 ! for the Alps ! The weary plains of France, And the night-shadows, leaving far behind. For pearl horizons with pure summits lined.— On through the Jura-gorge, in swift advance Speeds Arthur, with keen hope and buoyant glee, On to the mountain land, home of the strong ant free ! 94^ Zenith. On ! to the morning flush of gold and rose ; On ! to the torrent and the hoary pine ; On ! to the stillness of life's utmost line ; On ! to the crimson fire of sunset snows. Short starlit rest, then with the dawn's first streak, On ! to the silent crown of some lone icy peak ! 'Twas no nerve-straining effort, then, for him To emulate the chamois-hunter's leap Across the wide rock-chasm, or the deep And darkly blue crevasse with treacherous rim, Or climb the sharp arete, or slope of snow. With Titan towers above, and cloud-filled gulfs below. It was no weariness or toil to count Hour after hour in that weird white realm, With guide of Alp-renown to touch the helm Of practised instinct, rocky spires to mount, Or track the steepest glacier's fissured length, In the abounding joy of his unconquered strength. But it was gladness none can realize Who have not felt the wild Excelsior thrill, The strange exhilarate energies, that fill The bounding pulses, as the intenser skies Embrace the infinite whiteness, clear and fair, Inhaling vigorous life with that quick crystal air. That Alpine witchery still onward lures, Upward, still upward, till the fatal list Grows longer of the early mourned and missed Leading where surest foot no more ensures The life that is not ours to throw away For the exciting joys of one brief summer day. Under His Shadou For there are sudden dangers none foreknow : The scarlet-threaded rope can never mock The sound-loosed avalanche, frost-cloven rock, Or whirling storm of paralyzing snow. But Arthur's foot was kept ; no death ward slips Darkened the zenith of his strength with dire eclipse. So year by year, as his rich manhood filled, He revelled in health-giving mountain feats : Spurning the trodden tracks and curious streets, As fit for old men, and for boys unskilled In Alpine arts, not strong nor bold enough To battle with the blast and scale the grani bluff. ? One glowing August sun went forth in might, And smote with rosy sword each snowy brow. [ Bright accolade of grandeur ! Now, oh now Amid that dazzling wealth of purest light, His long ambition should be crowned at last, And every former goal rejoicingly o'erpast. For ere the white fields softened ill the glow He stood upon a long-wooed virgin-peak, One of the few fair prizes left to seek ; Each rival pinnacle left far below ! He stood in triumph on the conquered height : And yet a shadow fell upon his first delight. JV&& For well he knew that he had surely done His utmost, and that never summer day Could bring a moment on its radiant way Like the first freshness of that conquest, won Where all had lost before. A sudden tear Veiled all the glorious view, so grand, so calm, so clear Zenith. ''V At*-' (Mi <* III. An hour of song ! of musical delight To those whose quick, instructed ear could trace, Through complex harmonies, the artistic grace, The finest shades of meaning, and the might Of order and of law. Nor less to those Who loved it as we love the fragrance of the rose. 3 ^ And Cecil stood, with all the added ease Of ripe experience and of sure success ; With all her glad instinctive consciousness Of natural gift that could not fail to please ; With all her rich maturity of tone, Like sun-glow of the South on purple clusters thrown. She sang rejoicing in her song, — each bar A separate pulse of pleasure. Were there none To listen and applaud, or only one, As freely she had poured it. For a star Shines, not because we watch it ! Only blaze ^ Of artificial light reserves its measured rays. Yet who^ that ever tasted, does not know The witchery of any phase of power, Ascendency unsought, magnetic dower Of influence 1 And Cecil found it so, And though but vaguely conscious of her might, Lived in her own strong spell, a glamour of delight. YM- Under His Shadow" Xor only joy of power and joy of song To fill the singer's chalice were combined ; But sympathetic influences of mind Acting, re-acting, as the charmed throng Followed the wave of her swift magic wand, Yet lured her ever on to fair heights still beyond. And so the song passed to its dying fall, As the electric interchanges crossed. What marvel that the closing chord was lost In rush of quick applause and fond recall ! And Cecil rose once more, and poured again, From fuller gushing fount, the doubly welcomed strain. Higher and higher rose the glorious song, Deeper and deeper grew the silence round : All unrestrained the free, full notes resound, In splendid carol-gladness, holding long Unwearied listeners in chains unseen, As willing captives led by their victorious queen. Tribute of wondering smile was freely paid, And then, as subtle modulation wrought Soft shadows in the sunny strain, some brought The deeper homage of a tear, and, swayed Beyond confession, strove in vain to hide The unconquerable rush of sweet emotion's tide. ZaiitJi. Then once again the clear tones rose and swelled, "While flashed the singer's eye with inward fire. And still the spirit of the song soared higher Until the closing cadence, as she held All hearts entranced, till like a sunset ray, The last, long, sweet note thrilled, and softly died away. And all was over ! Ah, she had not guessed That she had touched the zenith of her song, That gradual declining, slow and long Must mark the path now trending to the west ! No boundary line is seen, and yet we cross In one veiled hour, from gain, to sure though lingering loss. She often sang again. But oftener fell Apologies of unaffected truth. There was more effort, yet less power, in sooth ; The ringing tone less like a golden bell. "Not quite in voice of late. I'll do my best ! Do not expect too much; — I think my voice needs rest. * So one by one the songs no more were seen That called for grandest tone and clearest trill And when she sang, though old friends loved it still The stranger wondered what the spell had been. And then they spoke of how she used to sing ! Passing, or passed away is every earthly thing. 10 " Under His Shadow. 5 TV. A silent house beneath a dome of stars, A deeply-shaded lamp, a lonely room ; A fire whose fitful whispers through the gloom In rhythmic cadence leapt athwart the bars : A broad, worn desk ; a broad, worn, bending brow ; Yet a bright eye beneath, full of strange brightness now. A rapid hand, that wrote swift words of name, Far-glowing words to kindle other fires ; Words that might flash along Time's mystic wires, And thrill the ages with a deathless name ; Barbed words, that fasten where they fall, and stay Deep in the souls of men, and never pass away. Little recked Theodore of fame that night And less of gold. The current was too strong For such vain barques to launch. It swept along Whither he hardly knew ; the impulse bright Passing at every turn some opening view, Some echoing mountain height, some vista far and new. Lost memories trooped in amid the crowd Of happiest images j ethereal forms Of weirdly prescient fancy, spectral swarms, Before him in oppressive beauty bowed, And beckoned him, with gleaming hands, to grasp Their fleeting loveliness in firm and joyous clasp. Zenith. And inward music rose, and wreathed around Each thought that shaped itself to outline clear ; The royal chimes rang on, more sweet, more near, With every gust. He caught the silver sound, And cast its fairy mantle o'er the flow Of his melodious lines, in all their fiery glow. Such times are but the crystallizing hours That make the rainbow-bearing prism. They change Long-seething soul-solutions into strange And startling form ; — new properties and powers, And beauties hardly dreamt, yet latent there, The poet-touch evokes, strong, marvellous, and fair. For there are long, slow overtures before Such bursts of song ; — much tension unconfessed, Much training and much tuning, — years compressed, Concentrated in ever-filling store ; Till thoughts, that surged in secret deep below, Eise from volcanic fount in sudden overflow. Much living to short writing ! such the law Of living poems, that have force to reach Depths that are sounded by no surface-speech, And thence the sympathetic waters draw With golden chain of many a fire-forged link, f\0LA Gently, yet mightily, up to the pearly brink. >#% -, C^ some apparently quite simple course. Perhaps a " single heart" is never known (wf^fP Save in the yielded life that lives for God alone, — ,*j£^ And that is therefore doubted, as a dream, By those who know not the tremendous power Of all-constraining love ! So in that hour Of fierce excitement, 'mid the flashing gleam Of measured glaive, I will not dare to say That Eugene's purest zeal no party claim might sway. Still, all combined to bid the eagle soar Beyond the common clouds, the shifting mists Of every-day debate, the very lists Of strong opponents strengthening him the more. As the strong pinion finds the opposing breeze The very means of rising over land and seas. 1 So Eugene rose in his full manly strength, Reining at first the fiery courser in, That with calm concentration he might win The captious ear ; — reserve of power at length, At the right moment from the wise curb freed, Triumphantly burst forth with grand impetuous speed. 1 See Duke of Argyll's "Reign of Law." Zenith. And as the great speech mounted to a pause Some foes were silenced, some were wholly gained, And all were spellbound, stilled, and marvel-chained, And, more than all the clatter of applause, The cause was won ! " Eugene was at his best To-night ! " So much they knew ! They did not know the rest ! For they who watched with envy or delight The moment of his zenith little knew It was the moment of his setting too ; For fell paralysis drew near that night. Never again Eugene might proudly stand And sway the men who swayed the sceptre of his land. VI. A simple Christmas Day at home ! And yet It was the very zenith of two stars That rose together through the cloudy bars, In bright perpetual conjunction met. A day whose memory should never cease, — A Coronation Day of Love and Joy and Peace. The culmination of two lives that passed Through many a chance and change of chequered years, Each shining for the other, hopes and fears Centred within their home ! And now at last They gazed upon a clear, calm sky around And rested in their love, that day serenely crowned. i6 Under His Sfiadow." Bernard and Constance had no wish beyond Each other's gladness, and the fuller good Of those beloved ones who blithely stood Around the Christinas fire. — the fair and fond, The strong and merry ; sons and daughters grown In closest unity, — rich treasures all their own. Bright arrows of full quiver ! still unshot By ruthless bow of Time and scattered wide, Still in the sweet home-bundle tightly tied, Though feathered for the flight from that safe spot. Flight when ? and whither ? Ah me ! who might say What should befall before another Christmas Day ! Closer they clustered in the twilight fall, - * And talked of pleasant memories of the year, And then of pleasant prospects far and near ; . Each name responding at each gleeful call. The merry mention of a dear name there Had never yet been hushed by any empty chair. But, most of all, the gladness and the pride 0* Circled around the eldest brother's name ; His first success, his rising college fame, Made merriest music at that warm fireside ; And in the parent-hearts deep echoes thrilled, As the repeated chord proclaimed fond hopes ful- filled. Xo dim presentiment of sorrow fell Q' g Upon that zenith hour of happiness, Perhaps the brightest that could ever bless A merely earthly lot ; the purest well Of natural joy, unselfish, undefiled, Up-springing to the day. while heaven above it smiled Zenith. 1 7 And so the evening hours sped swiftly by. And Christmas carols closed the happy time, And Christmas bells, in sweet wind-wafted chime, Stole softly through the shutters. Not a sigh With music of the gay good-night was blent, Xo discord in that full, harmonious content. What then ? Bernard and Constance wakeful lay A long, long while, unwilling each to tell That, as the midnight tolled, it seemed the knell Of the great gladness of that Christmas Day. '• Oh. what if it should prove too bright to last, Clear shining that precedes the wild and rain}' blast ! D And they were right. It could not come again ! Sickness, and scattering, and varied woe, Yet nothing but the lot of most below, Soon marred the music of that perfect strain. And though the westering path had many a gleam, That zenith-joy was but an oft-remembered dream. VIL A soft spring twilight. Cherry blossoms white Whispered about the summer they were told Was coming, when the beech trees would unfold Their horny buds, and chestnuts would be dight In great green leaves. " What will become of us 1 " They wondered ! And they shivered as they questioned thus. 18 Under His Shadozv For the east wind came by, with curfew bell Upon his wings, and touched them stealthily, Shrivelling the tender leaves. And silently In their sweet white array the blossoms fell. Ah for the zenith of the cherry tree ! Yet is it past, although the snowy glories be ] ^ "Wait for the shining of the summer day ; "Wait for the crimson glow amid the green ; "Wait for the wealth of ruby ripeness, seen After the fitful spring has passed away. Wait till the Master comes, with His own hand To find His pleasant fruit in clusters rich and grand. Yes, soft spring twilight ! And a bowing head, A kneeling form amid the shadows grey ; A heart from which the hopes had passed away, That made life exquisite as the blossoms shed Around that open window ; — and a throb Of dull grey pain, that rose, and forced one low deep S £ sob. Only the zenith of his youth had passed, And scarcely that. Yet perhaps the saddest time Is while the echo of the matin chime Has hardly died away in silence vast ; Sadder to realize the noonday height, Than the slow-gathering shades of long impending night. \ It did not seem that there could ever be Another zenith, different, and bright With grander hopes, and far more glorious light Than all the spells of syren minstrelsy, And all the love and gladness that entwined The merry paths of youth, for ever left behind. Zenith. 19 For Godfrey had no special powers to spur To emulation in the great world-race, No special gifts or aims ; — the open space A possible joy had filled — the dream of her Who might have been and yet was not to be Queen of his life ! and now — the dark-draped throne was free ! Free ! Yet Another claimed that empty throne, And in the twilight He was drawing near, 'Mid all those shadows of dim grief, and fear, And sense of vanity. The King unknown, Unrecognised as yet, was come to reign, And yet to crown the life that owned its life was vain. And while the spring airs trembled through the trees, The gracious Wind that bloweth where it lists Dispersed the fallacies, the world-breathed mists That hid unseen realities. That Breeze Unveiled the mysteries of hidden sin, And let the all-searching Light flash startlingly within. Then the vague weariness was roused indeed, And passed away for ever, as he saw The nearer lightnings of the holy law Through suddenly deepening darkness ; then the need More of a Saviour than mere safety dawned In lurid daybreak, as he glimpsed the gulf that yawned Close at his feet — those careless feet that trod So merrily a harmless-seeming course Of merely useless pleasure, by the force Of custom, and yet never came to God, Never yet stepped upon the Living Way That only leads to life and everlasting day. 20 Under His Shadow, Again that holy Breeze swept by in might, And fanned each faint desire to stronger flame ; He said, " bid me come to Thee ! " He came, Just as he was, that memorable night. And lo ! the King, who waited at the door, Entered, to save, to reign, and to go out no more. And then he saw those awful lightnings fall <^ Through the cleft heavens upon a lonely Tree £$ That stood upon a mount called Calvary, And knew that stroke had spent the fiery ball : And then the earthquake closed the gulf below, While he stood all unscathed, safe from the overthrow, i The glorious One, whose royal grace had saved Jt - The aimless wanderer, " Stood," said I % Nay ! in wonder and in love As on that more than vision Godfrey gazed, He fell at his Deliverer's feet, and praised With a new sweetness, sweet as harps above, who never grace had craved. Far in the night this wondrous watch he kept Rfe, \ With the unslumbering Shepherd, while a joy, WMCr The first he ever knew without alloy, ^f^ Filled all his soul with light. At last he slept, j£$ Wrapped in this strange new peace, whose steady ^X^ beam Made all his past life seem a sinful, troubled dream. What then 1 It was no zenith, though the star Of life shone out at radiant height, that dimmed Each previous gleam to gloom that barely rimmed The shifting clouds, with something, that, from far Might have been fancied light, yet only made The darkness more discerned, the spirit more afraid. t Zenith. 2 1 Rather, it was the rising ! the first hour Of the true shining, that should rise and rise From glory unto. glory, through God's skies, In strengthening and increasing power. A rising with no setting, for its height Could only culminate in God's eternal light. The feeble glimmer of the former days, The hope, the love, the very glee, that paled Just at their seeming zenith, and then failed Of fuller sparkling, — all the scattered rays Were caught up and transfigured, in the blaze Of the new life of love, and energy, and praise. The joy of loyal service to the King Shone through them all, and lit up other lives With the new fire of faith, that ever strives, Like a swift-kindling beacon, far to fling The tidings of His victory, and claim New subjects for His realm, new honour for His Name. And so the years flowed on, and only cast Light, and more light, upon the shining way, That more and more shone to the perfect day ; Always intenser, clearer than the past ; Because they only bore him on glad wing Nearer the Light of Light, the Presence of the King. Who recks the short recession of a wave In the strong flowing of a tide % And so Without a pang could Godfrey leave below Successive earthly zeniths, while he gave A glad glance upward to the rainbow Throne, And joyously pressed on to nobler heights alone. 22 " Under His Shadow? Or if awhile a looming sorrow-cloud He entered, still he found the Glory there, Shechinah-brightness resting still and fair Within the holy curtains, as he bowed Before the Presence on the Mercy-seat ; Then forth he came with sound of golden bells most sweet. And then the music floated on the wind, A constant carol of glad tidings told, i Of how the lives the One Life doth enfold ' Are ever with that Life so closely twined, c.. m t That nought can separate, below, above, And life itself is one long miracle of love. At last the gentle tone was heard, that falls In all-mysterious sweetness on the ear That long has listened, longing, without fear, jfi Because so well it knows the Voice that calls ; ® Though only once that solemn call is heard, P While angel-songs take up the echoes of the word. J fen the truest ne Truth Absolute, And even the truest never reaching wholly Vs>\X^fJLm 28 " Under His Shadow? And vanishes in deeper depths when man intrudes Within her awful solitudes. Where many a string is mute And many awanting, all the rest Imperfectly attuned at best, — "We can but wait for truth of tone, For truth of modulation and expression, With lowliest confession Of utter powerlessness, content To trust His thoughts and not our own, — - Until the Maker of the instrument Shall tune it in another sphere, By His own perfect hand and ear. Now turn we from the darkness to the light, From dissonance to pure and full accord ! " My thoughts are not as your thoughts, saith the Lord, Xor are your ways as My ways. As the height Of heaven above the earth, so are My ways, M}' thoughts, to yours ; — out of your sight, Above your praise." oracle most grand ! Thus teaching by sublimest negative What by a positive we could not understand, Or, understanding, live ! And now, search fearlessly The imperfections and obscurity, The weakness and impurity, Of all our thoughts. On each discovery Write, "Xot as ours ! " Then, in every line, Behold God's glory shine In humbling yet sweet contrast, as we view His thoughts, Eternal, Strong, and Holy, Infinite. The Thoughts of God. 29 ND now, what have we of these thoughts of God, So high, so deep, so broad ? — What hath He given, and what are we receiving ? A revelation Dim, pale, and cold Beside their hidden fire, yet gorgeously enscrolled Upon His wide Creation. He would not all withhold, His children in the silent darkness leaving 3 Xor would He overwhelm our heart And strike it dumb ; And so He hath enfolded some In fair expressions for the eye and ear ; Though faint, yet clear ; Such as our 1 powers may apprehend in part. Thus hath He wrought The dazzling swiftness of the thought That veiled itself for mortal ken in light. And thus the myriad-handed might Of that from which the million-teeming ocean fell, No greater toil to Him, From silent depth to surfy rim, Than the small crystal drop which fills a rosy shell. And thus the Infinite Ideal Of perfect Beauty, (only real In Him and through Him, pure conception Too exquisite for our perception,) He hath translated, giving us such lines As we can trace, In mountain grandeur and in lily grace, In sunset, cloudland, or soul-moulded face, Such alphabets and signs 30 " Under His Shado\ As we, His little ones, may slowl} T , softly read, Supplying thus a deep, true spirit-need. What know we more? One thought He hath expressed In that great scheme Of which we, straining, catch a glimpse or gleam In light or shadow j — scheme embracing all, Star-system cycles and the sparrow's fall ; — Scheme all-combining, wisest, grandest, best, We call it Providence. And each may deem Himself a tiny centre of that thought ; For how mysteriously enwrought Are all our moments in its folds of might, Our own horizon ever bounding And yet not limiting, but still surrounding Our lives, while reaching far beyond our quickest sight. thought of consummated harmony ! Each life is one note in that symphony, "Without which were its cadence incomplete : Yet each note complex, formed of many a reed ; And each reed quivering with vibrations passing count, And each vibration blending In mystic trinities ascending Through weird harmonics that recede o Into the unknown silences, or meet In clashing thrills unanalyzed, and mount In tangled music, yet all plain and clear Unto the Master's ear. thought of consummated melody And perfect rhythm ! though its mighty beat Transcend angelic faculty, And though its mighty bars May be the fall of worlds, the birth of stars, Its measure — all eternity — The Thoughts of God. 3 1 One echo, calm and sweet, Our clue to this great music of God's plan, Sounds on in ever-varying repeat — Glory to God on high, peace and goodwill to man ! What have we more 1 Scan we the blinding blaze Of the refulgent rays Outpoured from the Very Fount of Light 1 One thought of God in undiluted splendour Flashed on our feeble gaze, Were never borne by mortal sight. He knew it, and He gave, In mercy tender, All that the soul unwittingly doth crave, All that it can receive. He robed In finite words the sparkles of His thought, The starry fire englobed In tiny spheres of language, shielding, softening thus The living, burning glory. And He brought Even to us This strange celestial treasure that no prayer Had asked of Him, no ear had heard, Nor heart of man conceived. He laid it there, Even at our feet, and said it was His Word. mystery of tender grace ! We find God's thoughts in human words enshrined, God's very life and love with ours entwined. All wonderingly from page to page we pass, Owning the darkening yet revealing glass ; In every line we trace, In fair display, Prismatic atoms of the glorious bow Projected on the darkest cloud that e'er O'ergloomed the world that God had made so fair, 2,2 " Under His Shadow! The rainbow of His covenant ; each one Reflecting perfectly a sevenfold ray, Shot from the sun Of His exceeding love, Strong and serene above, Upon a tremulous drop of tearful life below. One thought, His thought of thoughts, awakes our song Of endless thanks and marvelling adoration More than aught else. For Providence, Creation, All He hath made and all He doth prepare, Thoughts grand and wise, and strong, Thoughts tender and most fair, Are pale beside the glory of Salvation, Redemption's gracious plan and glorious revelation : — The focus where all rays unite ; Each attribute arrayed in sevenfold light, Each adding splendour to the rest. The meeting blest Of His great love and foreseen human woe Struck forth a mighty fire, that sent a glow Throughout the universe ; — an overflow To the dim confines that none know Save He who traced them ; lit up gloriously The farthest vistas of Eternity ; And, flooding heaven itself with radiance new, Revealed the heart of God. all-merciful, all-true. The Thoughts of God. Thus are the thoughts of God made known to men. Yet is all revelation bounded First by its vehicle, and then By its reception. Unseen things Remain unfathomed and unsounded, And hidden as the springs Of an immeasurable sea, Because His thought, sublime and great, Xo language finds commensurate With its infinity ; And when compressed in any finite mould, 'Tis but a fraction that the mind of man / - Receiveth. For we hold But what we span, We only see What feeble lenses and weak sight may scan. And thus a double lessening, double veiling Of the unimagined glory of a thought of Him Who dwells between the cherubim ! First, suffering and paling By its necessitate transition From Infinite to Finite, for that all expression Is by its nature finite ; then the vision Which angels might receive straightway, Unshorn of any ray, And hold in full possession, Must enter by the portal Of faculties sin-paralyzed and mortal ; And in the human breast's low-vaulted gloom It find; *s>, no room For any high display. This is no guess-work. It is even so With our poor thoughts. For they are always mor< Than any form or language can convey. a 34 " Under His Shadozi. We know Things that we cannot sav ; We soar, Where we could never map oar flight. We see Flashes and colourings too quick and bright For any hand to paint. We meet Depths that no line can sound. We hear Strange far-off mental music, all too sweet, oo great for any earthly instrument ; r >>-^ Gone, if we strive to brine it near. For who that knows The sudden surging and the startling throes Of subterranean soul-fires with no vent, That seek an Etna all in vain ; — Or the slow forming of some grand, fair thought, With exquisite lingering outwrought, , Only to melt before the touch of effort or of pain : — (Like quivering rose-fire 'neath a filmy veil In mountain dawn, That grows all still and pale When the transparent silver is withdrawn.) Oh ! who that knows but owns the meagre dower Of poor weak language married to thought's royal power — Oh ! who that knows but needs must own, If it be thus Even with us, Groping and tottering alone Around the footstool of His throne, With limited ideas and babe-like powers, What must it be with Him, whose thoughts are not as ours ! The Thoughts of God. 35 And now We only bow, And gaze above In raptured awe and silent love ; For mortal speech Can never reach A word of meetly -moulded praise, For one glimpse of the blessed rays. Ineffable and purely bright, Outflowing ever from the Un approached Light. - -- ■ : V. 'V ■".- They say there is a hollow, safe and still. A point of coolness and repose Within the centre of a flame, where life might dwell Unharmed and unconsumed, as in a luminous shell. Which the bright walls of fire enclose In breachless splendour, barrier that no foes Could pass at will. ^nJS"^ c There is a point of rest At the great centre of the cyclone's force A silence at its secret source : — A little child might slumber undistressed Without the ruffle of one fairy curl, In that strange central calm amid the mighty whir So, in the centre of these thoughts of Goc Cyclones of power, consuming glory-fire, — As we fall o' era wed Upon our faces, and are lifted higher By His great gentleness, and carried nigher Than unredeemed angels, till we stand Even in the hollow of His hand, — 36 Under His SJiadozv. Nay, more ! we lean upon His breast — There, there we find a point of perfect rest And glorious safety. There we see His thoughts to usward, thoughts of peace That stoop in tenderest love ; that still increase With increase of our need ; that never change, That never fail, or falter, or forget. pity infinite ! royal mercy free ! gentle climax of the depth and height Of God's most precious thoughts, most wonderful, most strange ! "For I am poor and needy, yet The Lord Himself, Jehovah, thmketh upon me!" iltnistrg of intercession, HERE is no holy service But hath its secret bliss : Yet, of all blessed ministries, Is one so dear as this 1 The ministry that cannot be A wondering seraph's dower, Enduing mortal weakness With more than angel-power. The ministry of purest love Uncrossed by any fear, That bids us meet at the Master's feet, And keeps us very near. The Ministry of Int ercession. 0/ God's ministers are many. For this His gracious will, Remembrancers that day and night This holy office fill. While some are hushed in slumber, Some to fresh service wake, And thus the saintly number Xo change or chance can break. And thus the sacred courses Are evermore fulfilled, The tide of grace by time or place Is never staved or stilled. m r Oh. if our ears were opened To hear as angels do The Intercession-chorus - I Arising full and true, We should hear it soft up- welling In morning's pearly light, Through evenins's shadows swelling In grandly gathering might. The sultry silence filling Of noontide's thunderous glow, And the solemn starlight thrilling With ever-deepening flow. We should hear it through the rushing Of the city's restless roar, And trace its gentle gushing O'er ocean's crystal floor : We should hear it far up -floating Beneath the Orient moon. And catch the golden noting From the busy Western noon. 38 Under His Shadow" And pine-robed heights would echo As the mystic chant up-floats, And the sunny plain resound again With the myriad-mingling notes. Who are the blessed ministers Of this world-gathering band 1 All who have learnt One Language, Through each far-parted land ; All who have learnt the story Of Jesu's love and grace, And are longing for His glory To shine in every face. All who have known the Father In Jesus Christ our Lord, v And know the might and love the ight Of the Spirit in the "Word. Yet there are some who see not Their calling high and grand, Who seldom pass the portals, And never boldly stand Before the golden altar On the crimson-stained floor, Who wait afar and falter, And dare not hope for more. Will ye not join the blessed ranks In their beautiful array 1 Let intercession blend with thanks As ye minister to-day ! There are little ones among them, Child-ministers of prayer, White robes of intercession Those tiny servants wear. TJie Ministry of Intercession. 39 First for the near and dear ones Is that fair ministry, Then for the poor black children, So far beyond the sea. The busy hands are folded, As the little heart uplifts In simple love, to God above, Its prayer for all good gifts. There are hands too often weary With the business of the day, With God-entrusted duties, Who are toiling while they pray They bear the golden vials, And the golden harps of praise, Through all the daily trials, Through all the dusty ways. These hands, so tired, so faithful, With odours sweet are filled, And in the ministry of prayer Are wonderfully skilled. There are ministers unlettered, Not of Earth's great and wise, Yet mighty and unfettered Their eagle prayers arise. Free of the heavenly storehouse ! They hold the master-key That opens all the fulness Of God's great treasury. They bring the needs of others, And all things are their own, For their one grand claim is Jesu's name Before their Father's throne. 40 Under His Shadow T There are noble Christian workers, The men of faith and power, The overcoming wrestlers Of many a midnight hour ; Prevailing princes with their God, Who will not be denied, Who bring down showers of blessing To swell the rising tide. The Prince of Darkness quaileth At their triumphant way, |^ heir fervent prayer availeth To sap his subtle sway. But in this Temple-service Are sealed and set apart Arch-priests of intercession, Of undivided heart. The fulness of anointing On these is doubly shed, The consecration of their God Is on each low-bowed head. They bear the golden vials With white and trembling hand In quiet room or wakeful gloom These ministers must stand,— To the Intercession-Priesthood Mysteriously ordained, \hv> When the strange dark gift of suffering \T This added gift hath gained. 3^& gU, For the holy hands uplifted 7s®y**^ In suffering's longest hour J?(/J^£p. J Are truly Spirit-gifted ^Wf^fe^ With intercession-power. ^^H^tW^ .< The Ministry of Intercession. 4i The Lord of Blessing fills them With His uncounted gold, An unseen store, still more and more Those trembling hands shall hold. A m Not always with rejoicing This ministry is wrought, For many a sigh is mingled With the sweet odours brought. Yet every tear bedewing The faith-fed altar fire May be its bright renewing To purer flame, and higher. But when the oil of gladness God graciously outpours, The heavenward blaze with blended praise More mightily upsoars. a "M / m So the incense-cloud ascendeth As through calm crystal air, A pillar reaching unto heaven, Of wreathed faith and prayer. For evermore the Angel Of Intercession stands In His Divine Hiirh Priesthood, With fragrance-filled hands, To wave the golden censer Before His Father's throne, With Spirit-fire intenser, And incense all His own. And evermore the Father Sends radiantly down All-marvellous responses, His ministers to crown ; " Under- His S/iadow." The incense-cloud returning As golden blessing-showers, We in each drop discerning Some feeble prayer of ours, Transmuted into wealth unpriced, By Him who giveth thus The glory all to Jesus Christ, The gladness all to us ! ®<& tfrce to Serbe." service. For the Lord of Love Had chosen her, and paid the awful price For her redemption ; and had sought her out, And set her free, and clothed her gloriously, And put His royal ring upon her hand, And crowns of lovingkindness on her head. She chose it. Yet it seemed she could not yield The fuller measure other lives could bring ; For He had given her a precious gift, A treasure and a charge to prize and keep, A tiny hand, a darling hand, that traced On her heart's tablet words of golden love. And there was not much room for other lines, For time and thought were spent, (and rightly spent, For He had given the charge,) and hours and days Were concentrated on the one dear task. But He had need of her. Not one new gem, But many, for His crown ; — not one fair sheaf, But many, she should bring. And she should have A richer, happier harvest-home at last, " Free tc St 43 I inse more fruit, moi _ . and more praise, Her life should yield to Him. And - me. The Master came Himself, and gently took The little hand in His, and gave it room Among the angel-harpers. Jesus came An I laid His own hand on the quivering heart, made it very still, thai He might write Invisible words of | : — u Free to ser T Then through the darkness and the chdl He sent A hes His love, developing The mystic writing, till it glowed and shone An I lit up all her life with radiance new. — The happy service of a yielded fa With comfort that He never ceased to give. :=e her need could never cea^e, she filled The empty chalices of other lr And time and thought were thenceforth sj f-nt for Him Who loved her with H> ting love Let Him wril what He will upon our hem: With His unerring pen. They are His own. Hewn from the rock bv Hi- sel ::: as Brace, Prepared for His own glory. Let Him wril ire He will not cross out one sweet word But to inscribe a sweeter. — but to g: One that shall shine for ever to His praise, Anl thus fulfil our deepest hear: The tearful eye at first may read the line •* Bondage to grief .' n but He shall wipe away The tears, and clear the vision, till it read In ever-bnghtenii: g letters "Free to a si For whom the Son makes free is free indeed. Nor onl j by reclaiming Elisg I gifts, But by withholding, doth the M. 44 " Under His Shadow! These words upon the heart. 2s ot always needs Erasure of some blessed line of love For this more blest inscription. Where He finds A tablet empty for the " lines left out/' That "might have been" engraved with human love And sweetest human cares, yet never bore That poetry of life, His own dear hand Writes " Free to serve ! " And these clear characters Fill with fair colours all the unclaimed space, Else grey and colourless. Then let it be The motto of our lives until we stand In the great freedom of Eternity. Where we " shall serve Him" while we see His face, For ever and for ever "Free to serve." \ i > f) Coming to tljc Sing, :( ^-,, r "S~~~-.. — 2 Chronicle? ix. 1-12. i^ CAME from very far away to see S'Vt The King of Salem : for I had been told 5 Of glory and of wisdom manifold, ^vY" And condescension infinite and free. '£v^i*« How could I rest, when I had heard His fame, "^L In that dark lonelv land of death from whence I came \ c Xo stately train, no costly gifts to bring ; I came (but not like Sheba's Queen), alone Xo friend at court, save One, that One the Kin< I had requeets to spread before His throne, And I had questions none could solve for me. Of import deep, and full of awful mystery. Coming to the King. 45 I came and communed with that mighty King, And told Him all my heart ; I cannot say, In mortal ear, what communings were they. But wouldst thou know, go too, and meekly bring All that is in thy heart, and thou shalt hear His voice of love and power. His answers sweet and clear. happy end of every weary quest ! He told me all I needed, graciously ;— Enough for guidance, and for victory O'er doubts and fears, enough for quiet rest ; And when some veiled response I could not read, It was not hid from Him, — this was enough indeed. His wisdom and His glories passed before My wondering eyes in gradual revelation ; The house that He had built, its strong foundation, Its living stones ; and, brightening more and more, Fair glimpses of that palace far away, Where all His loyal ones shall dwell with Him for aye. True the report that reached my far-off land Of all His wisdom and transcendent fame ; Yet I believed not until I came, — Bowed to the dust till raised by royal hand. The half was never told by mortal word ; My King exceeded all the fame that I had heard ! Oh, happy are His servants ! happy they Who stand continually before His face, Beady to do His will of wisest grace ! My King ! is mine such blessedness to-day % For I too hear Thy wisdom, line by line, Thy ever brightening words in holy radiance shine. 46 " Under His Shadoiv. Oh, blessed be the Lord thy God ! who set Our King upon His throne. Divine delight In the Beloved crowning Thee with might, Honour, and majesty supreme ; and yet The strange and Godlike secret opening thus, — The kingship of His Christ ordained through love to us ! What shall I render to my glorious King 1 I have but that which I receive from Thee ; And what I give, Thou givest back to me, Transmuted by Thy touch ; each worthless thing Changed to the preciousness of gem or gold, And by Thy blessing multiplied a thousand fold. All my desire Thou grantest, whatsoe'er I ask ! Was ever mythic tale or dream So bold as this reality, — this stream Of boundless blessings flowing full and free ? Yet more than I have thought or asked of Thee, Out of Thy royal bounty still Thou givest me. Now I will turn to my own land, and tell What I myself have seen and heard of Thee, And give Thine own sweet message, " Come and see ! " And yet in heart and mind for ever dwell With Thee, my King of Peace, in loyal rest, Within the fair pavilion of Thy presence blest. "Surely in what place my Lord the King shall be, whether in death or life, even there also will Thy servant be."— 2 Sam. xv. 21. " Where I am, there shall also My servant be "—John xii. 26. " The Splendour of God's Will. 47 r Splcntiour of &oV$ mill" hness of the springtime, beauty of the May. the swift-winged breezes carolled, the lambs were all at play, birds were blithe and busy, Upon her couch she lay. Like a lily bruised and drooping, Before its early flower Had fully opened to the sun, Or reached a noontide hour ; Broken and yet more fragrant For the heavy-beating shower. It was not the first springtime Passed without one glad sight Of a starry primrose growing, Or a brooklet swift and bright, And without one bounding footstep On a field with daisies white. It was not the first springtime — And it might not be the last In weariness and suffering Thus to be slowly passed ; For when the young feet cannot move Months do not travel fast. 4 S " Under His Shadow? And yet she saw what others Have never sought or seen, A splendour more than spring-light On fair trees waving green, And more than summer sunshine On Ocean's silver sheen. Her pencil, tracing feebly Words that shall echo still, Perchance some unknown mission May joyously fulfil : — ■ •• 11 1 think I just begin to see C '' i The splendour of God's will ! " ; ; words of golden music •..-:;•' Caught from the harps on high, -^l r - Which find a glorious anthem ^ Where we have found a sigh, FV And peal their grandest praises "^xAi'! v Just where ours faint and die ! L / / words of holy radiance /^7?1 \lps r "~ Shining on every tear, 1 / Till it becomes a rainbow, Reflecting, bright and clear, /^lJ Our Father's love and glory ^Wf f So wonderful, so dear I All i - \K^ words of sparkling power, Of insight full and deep ! Shall they not enter other hearts In a grand and gladsome sweep, r And lift the lives to songs of joy That only droop and weep ? The Splendour of God's Will? 49 M ft For her, God's will was suffering, Just waiting, lying still ! Days passing on in weariness, In shadows deep and chill ; And yet she had begun to see The Splendour of God's Will ! And oh, it is a splendour, A glow of majesty, A mystery of beauty, If we will only see ; A very cloud of glory Enfolding you and me. A splendour that is lighted At one transcendent flame, The wondrous Love, the perfect Love, Our Father's sweetest name ; For His very Xame, and Essence, And His Will are all the same ! A splendour that is shining Upon His children's way ; That guides the willing footsteps That do not want to stray, And that leads them ever onward Unto the perfect day. A splendour that illumines, Th' abysses of the Past And marvels of the Future, Sublime and bright and vast ; While o'er our tiny Present A flood of light is cast. Under His Shadow? Xo twilight falls upon it, Xo shadow dims its ray, Xo darkness overcomes it, Xo night can end its day ; It hath unending triumph And everlasting sway. Blest Will of God ! most glorious, The very fount of grace, Whence all the goodness floweth That heart can ever trace — / Temple whose pinnacles are love, * And faithfulness its base. >lest Will of God ! whose splendour Is dawning on the world, On hearts in which Christ's banner Is manfully unfurled, „ On hearts of childlike meekness, I With dew of youth impearled. O Spirit of Jehovah, Eeveal this glory still ! That many an empty chalice Sweet thanks and praise may fill, When, like this "little one," they see " The Splendour of God's Will : " That faith may win the vision That hers hath early won, And gaze upon the splendour, And own the cloudless sun, And join the seraph song of love, And sing — "Thy Will be done !"' The Two Paths. Via Dolorosa and Via Giojosa. [Suggested by a Picture.] My Master, they have wronged Thee and Thy love ! They only told me I should find the path A Via Dolorosa all the way ! Even Thy sweetest singers only sang Of pressing onward through the same sharp thorns, With bleeding footsteps, through the chill dark mist, Following and struggling till they reach the light, The rest, the sunshine of the far beyond. The anthems of the pilgrimage were set In most pathetic minors, exquisite, Yet breathing sadness more than any praise. Thy minstrels let the fitful breezes make ^Eolian moans on their entrusted harps, Until the listeners thought that this was all The music Thou hadst given. And so the step.s That halted where the two ways met and crossed, The broad and narrow, turned aside in fear, Thinking the radiance of their youth must pass In sombre shadows if they followed Thee ; Hearing afar such echoes of one strain, The cross, the tribulation, and the toil, The conflict, and the climnns; in the dark. What wonder that the dancing feet are stayed From entering the only path of peace ! Master, forgive them ! Tune their harps anew, And put a new song in their mouths for Thee, And make Thy chosen people joyful in Thy love. — *=>^mmm§^*~- 5 ^ " Under His Shadow? Lord Jesus, Thou hast trodden once for all The Via Dolorosa, — and for us ! Xo artist-power or minstrel-gift may tell The cost to Thee of each unfaltering step, Where love that passeth knowledge led Thee on, Faithful and true to God, and true to us. And now, beloved Lord, Thou callest us To follow Thee, and we will take Thy word About the path which Thou hast marked for us. Xarrow indeed it is ! Who does not choose The narrow track upon the mountain-side, With ever- widening view, and freshening air, And honeyed heather, rather than the road, With smoothest breadth of dust and loss of view, Soiled blossoms not worth gathering, and the noise Of wheels instead of silence of the hills, Or music of the waterfalls % Oh, why Should they misrepresent Thy words, and make " Narrow " synonymous with " very hard " % For Thou, Divinest Wisdom, Thou hast said Thy ways are ways of pleasantness, and all Thy paths are peace ; and that the path of him Who wears Thy perfect robe of righteousness, Is as the light that shineth more and more Unto the perfect day. And Thou hast given An olden promise, rarel} T quoted now, 1 Because it is too bright for our weak faith : " If they obey and serve Him, they shall spend Days in prosperity, and they shall spend Their years in pleasures." All because Tluj days Were full of sorrow, and Thy lonely years Were passed in griefs acquaintance — all for us ! Master, I set my seal that Thou art true ! Of Thy good promise not one thing hath failed, 1 Job xxvi. 11. Sunday Night. 53 And I would send a ringing challenge forth, To all who know Thy name, to tell it out, Thy faithfulness to every written word, Thy lovingkindness crowning all the days, — To say and sing with me : " The Lord is good, His mercy is for ever, and His truth Is written on each page of all my life ! ; ' Yes ! there is tribulation, but Thy power Can blend it with rejoicing. There are thorns, But they have kept us in the narrow way, The King's highway of holiness and peace. And there is chastening, but the Father's love Flows through it ; and would any trusting heart Forego the chastening and forego the love ? And every step leads on to " more and more," From strength to strength Thy pilgrims pass and sin< The praise of Him who leads them on and on, From glory unto glory, even here ! Suntiag $u$f)t. Rest him, Father ! Thou didst send him forth With great and gracious messages of love ; But Thy ambassador is weary now, Worn with the weight of his high embassy. Now care for him as Thou hast cared for us In sending him ; and cause him to lie down In Thy fresh pastures, by Thy streams of peace. Let Thy left hand be now beneath his head, And Thine upholding right encircle him, 54 " Under His SJiado w, And, underneath, the Everlasting arms Be felt in full support. So let him rest, Hushed like a little child, without one care, And so give Thy beloved sleep to-night. Rest him, dear Master ! He hath poured for us The wine of joy, and we have been refreshed. Now fill his chalice, give him sweet new draughts Of life and love, with Thine own hand ; be Thou His ministrant to-night ; draw very near In all Thy tenderness and all Thy power. speak to him ! Thou knowest how to speak A word in season to Thy weary ones, And he is weary now. Thou lovest him — Let Thy disciple lean upon Thy breast, And, leaning, gain new strength to "rise and shine." Rest him, loving Spirit ! Let Thy calm Fall on his soul to-night. holy Dove, Spread Thy bright wing above him, let him rest Beneath its shadow ; let him know afresh . The infinite truth and might of Thy dear name — " Our Comforter ! " As gentlest touch will stay The strong vibrations of a jarring chord, So lay Thy hand upon his heart, and still Each overstraining throb, each pulsing pain. Then, in the stillness, breathe upon the strings, And let Thy holy music overflow With soothing power his listening, resting soul. Memorial Names — Precious Tilings. 55 fHcmortal $ames. The High Priest stands before the Mercy Seat, And on his breast bright mingling jewel-flames Reflect Shechinah light ; twelve patriarch names Flash where the emerald and sapphire meet Sardius and diamond. With softer beam, From mystic onyx on his shoulders placed, Deep graven, never altered or erased, The same great names, in birthday order, gleam. May each name written here be thus engraved, Set in the place of power, the place of love, And borne in sweet memorial above, By Him who loved and chose, redeemed and saved. Be each dear name, the greatest and the least, Always upon the heart of our High Priest. precious Efjings* O what shining revelation of His treasures God hath given ! Precious things of grace and glory, precious things of earth and heaven. Holy Spirit, now unlock them with Thy mighty golden key, Royal jewels of the kingdom let us now adoring see ! 56 " Under His Shadow' 1 11. " Unto you therefore which believe, He is precious." — 1 PtT. ii. 7. Christ is precious, most precious, gift by God the Father sealed ; Pearl of greatest price and treasure, hidden, yet to us revealed ; His own people's crown of glory, and resplendent diadem ; More than thousand worlds, and dearer than all life and love to them. III. "Behold, I lay in Zion a chief corner stone, elect, precious." — 1 Pet. ii. 6. Marvellous and very precious is the Corner Stone Elect ; Though rejected by the builders, chosen by the Architect ; All-supporting, all-uniting, and all-crowning, tried and sure ; True Foundation, yet true Headstone of His temple bright and pure. IV. "Ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, . . , but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot."— 1 Pet. i. 18, 19. Now, in reverent love and wonder, touch the theme of deepest laud, Precious blood of Christ that bought us and hath made us nigh to God ! His own blood, love unfathomed ! shed for those who loved Him not ; Mighty fountain always open, cleansing us from every spot. v. "How precious also are Thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them ! " — Ps. exxxix. 17. how Avonderful and precious are Thy thoughts to us, God ! Outlined in Creation, blazoned on Eedemption's banner broad ; Precious Things. 57 Infinite and deep and dazzling as the noontide heavens above ; Yet more wonderful to usward are Thy thoughts of peace and love. VI. "Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious pro- mises, that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature."— 2 Pet. i. 4. Then, exceeding great and precious are Thy promises Divine ; Given by Christ, and by the Spirit sealed with sweetest " All are thine ! " Precious in their peace and power, in their sure and change- less might , Strengthening, comforting, transforming ; suns by day and stars by night. VII. "To them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God, and our Saviour Jesus Christ." — 2 Pet. i. 1. Precious faith our God hath given ; rich in faith is rich indeed ! Fire-tried gold from His own treasury, fully meeting every need : Channel of His grace abounding ; bringing peace and joy and light; Purifying, overcoming j linking weakness with His might. VIII. "The precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard ; that went down to the skirts of his gar- ments." — Ps cxxxiii. 2. Precious ointment, very costly, of chief odours pure and sweet, Holy gift for royal priesthood, thus for temple-service meet ; Such the Spirit's precious unction, oil of gladness freely shed, Sanctifying and abiding on the consecrated head. 58 " Under His Shadow IX. "How excellent (marg. precious) is Thy loving kindness, O God ! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Thy wings."— P.s. xxxvi. 7 ; Isa. liv. 8, 10. Who shall paint the flash of splendour from the opened casket bright, When His precious lovingkindness beams upon the quickened sight I Priceless jewel ever gleaming with imperishable ray, God will never take it from us, though the mountains pass away. x. " It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, with the precious onyx, or the sapphire. No mention shall he made of coral or of pearls : for the price of wisdom is above rubies."— Job xxviii. 16, 18. Far more precious than the ruby, or the crystal's rainbow light, Valued not with precious onyx or with pearl and sapphire bright, Freely given to all who ask it, is the wisdom from above, Pure and peaceable and gentle, full of fruits of life and love. IX. " Blessed of the Lord be his land for the precious things of heaven, for the dew, and for the deep that coucheth beneath, and for the precious fruits brought forth by the sun, and for the precious things put forth by the moon, and for the chief things of the ancient mountains, and for the precious things of the lasting hills, and for the precious things of the earth."— Deut. xxxiii. 13-16. Nor withhold we glad thanksgiving for His mercies ever new, Precious things of earth and heaven, sun and rain and quicken- ing dew ; Precious fruits and varied crowning of the year His goodness fills, Chief things of the ancient mountains, precious things of lasting hills. Precious Things. 59 XII. " If thou take forth the precious from the vile, thou shalt be as J\ly mouth." — Jer. xv. 19. Such His gifts ! but mark we duly our responsibility Unto Him whose name is Holy, infinite in purity ; Sin and self no longer serving, take the precious from the vile, So His power shall rest upon thee, thou shalt dwell beneath His smile. XIII. " The precious sons of Zion, comparable to fine gold."— Lam. iv. 2. Sons of Zion, ye are precious in your heavenly Father's sight, Ye are His peculiar treasure, ye His jewels of delight ; Sought and chosen, cleansed and polished, purchased with tran- scendent cost, Kept in His own royal casket, never, never to be lost. XIV. " That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ." — 1 Pet. i. 7. Precious, more than gold that wasteth, is the trial of your faith, Fires of anguish or temptation cannot dim it, cannot scathe ! Your Refiner sitteth watching till His image shineth clear, For His glory, praise, and honour, when the Saviour shall appear. xv. " Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints."— Ps. cxvi. 15. Precious, precious to Jehovah is His children's holy sleep ; He is with them in the passing through the waters cold and deep ; Everlasting love enfolds them softly, safely to His breast, Everlasting love receives them to His glory and His rest. Go Under His Shadow! XVI. ' ' He showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God : and her light was like unto a stone most precious ; even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal."— Rev. xxi. 10, 11. Pause not here, — the Holy City, glorious in God's light, behold ! Like unto a stone most precious, clear as crystal, pure as gold ; Strong foundations, fair with sapphires, sardius and chrysolite, Blent with amethyst and jacinth, emerald and topaz bright. XVII. " A city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God." — Heb. xi. 10. Glorious dwelling of the holy, where no grief or gloom of sin Through the pure and pearly portals evermore shall enter in : Christ its Light and God its Temple, Christ its song of endless laud ! what precious consummation of the precious things of God ! From F. R. H. to K. T. HEPiE is no ' afterward ' on earth for me ! " ^'W Beloved, 'tis not so ! That God's own " afterwards " are pledged to thee, ^5p* Thy life shall show. Xo " afterward " indeed of great things wrought, By willing hands and feet ; Xo sheaf is thine, from wider harvests brought, With singing sweet. " Afterwards r 61 Fair flowing years of ease and laughing strength, With cloudless morning skies, Sweet life renewed, and active work at length, His love denies. But living fruit of righteousness to Him His chastening shall yield, And constant " afterwards," no longer dim, Shall be revealed. Is it no "afterward" that in thy heart His love is shed abroad ? And that His Spirit breathes, while called apart, The "peace of God % That joy in tribulation shall spring forth To greet His visits blessed, Whose wisdom wakes the south wind or the north, As He sees best ! Shall not long suffering in thee be wrought, To mirror back His own 1 His gentleness shall mellow every thought, And look and tone. And goodness ! In thyself dwells no good thing. Yet from thy glorious Root An "afterward" of holiness shall spring — Most precious fruit ! The trial of thy faith from hour to hour Shall yield a grand increase ; He shall fulfil the work of faith with power That cannot cease. 62 " Under His Shad oil And all around shall praise Him as they see The meekness of thy Lord. Thus, even here and now, how blest shall be Thy sure reward ! This pleasant fruit it shall be thine to lay At thy Beloved's feet, The ripening clusters growing day by day More full and sweet. If at His gate He keeps thee waiting now Through many a suffering year, Watch for His daily '"afterwards," and thou Shalt find them here : y Till, as refined gold, in thee shall shine y His image, no more dim ; ~U 4s Then shall the endless u afterward " be thine Of rest with Him. Jfoalttg. " Father, we know the REALITY of Jesus Christ " — Words used by a work- man in prayer, October 14ft, 1S75. Reality, reality. Lord Jesus Christ, Thou art to me ! From the spectral mists and driving clouds, From the shifting shadows and phantom crowds, From unreal words and unreal lives, Where truth with falsehood feebly strives, Reality. 63 From the passings away, the chance and change, Flickerings, vanishings, swift and strange, I turn to my glorious rest on Thee, Who art the grand Reality. Reality in greatest need, Lord Jesus Christ, Thou art indeed ! Is the pilot real, who alone can guide The drifting ship through the midnight tide % Is the lifeboat real, as it nears the wreck, And the saved ones leap from the parting deck 1 Is the haven real, where the barque may flee From the autumn gales of the wild North Sea ? Reality indeed art Thou, My Pilot, Lifeboat, Haven now. Reality, reality, In brightest days art Thou to me ! Thou art the sunshine of my mirth, Thou art the heaven above my earth, The spring of the love of all my heart, And the Fountain of my song Thou art ; For dearer than the dearest now, And better than the best, art Thou, Beloved Lord, in whom I see Joy-giving, glad Reality. Reality, reality, Lord Jesus, Thou hast been to me. "When I thought the dream of life was past, And " the Master's home-call " come at last ; When I thought I only had to wait A little while at the Golden Gate, — 6 4 Under His Shadow. Only another day or two, Till Thou Thyself should'st bear me through, How real Thy presence was to me ! How precious Thy Reality ! Reality, reality, Lord Jesus Christ, Thou art to me ! Thy name is sweeter than songs of old, Thy words are better than " most fine gold," Thy deeds are greater than hero-glory, Thy life is grander than poet-story ; But Thou, Thyself, for aye the same, Art more than words and life and name ; Thyself Thou hast revealed to me, In glorious Reality. Reality, reality, Lord Jesus Christ, is crowned in Thee. In Thee is every type fulfilled, In Thee is every yearning stilled , For perfect beauty, truth, and love ; For Thou art always far above The grandest glimpse of our Ideal, Yet more and more we know Thee Real, And marvel more and more to see Thine infinite Reality. Reality, reality Of grace and glory dwells in Thee. How real Thy mercy and Thy might ! How real Thy love, how real Thy light ! How real Thy truth and faithfulness ! How real Thy blessing when Thou dost bless ! Reality. How real Thy coming to dwell within ! How real the triumphs Thou dost w T in ! Does not the loving and glowing heart Leap up to own how real Thou art 1 y V Reality, reality ! Such let our adoration be ! Father, we bless Thee with heart and voice, For the wondrous grace of Thy sovereign choice That patiently, gently, sought us out In the far-off land of death and doubt, That drew us to Christ by the Spirit's might, That opened our eyes to see the light That arose in strange reality, From the darkness falling on Calvary. Reality, reality, Lord Jesus Christ, Thou art to me ! My glorious King, my Lord, my God, Life is too short for half the laud, For half the debt of praise I owe For this blest knowledge, that " I know The reality of Jesus Christ ! " : — Unmeasured blessing, gift unpriced ! Will I not praise Thee when I see In the long noon of Eternity, Unveiled, Thy " bright Reality ! " "~ 66 Under His Shado\ ^A % f Seulement pour &$l [Written for and sung by some Swiss peasants at a Sunday afternoon Bible reading, July 23rd, 1876.] UE je sois, cher Sauveur, Seulement a Toi ! Soit l'amour de tout mon coaur Seulement pour Toi. Je reviens a mon Pere Seulement par Toi, Ma confiance entiere Sera en Toi, Seulement en Toi. Le peche Tu as porte Seul, seul pour moi ; Et Ton sang Tu as verse Seul, seul pour moi. Toute gloire, toute joie Sera pour Toi ; L'esperance et la foi Seront en Toi, Seulement en Toi. Aujourd'hui, cher Seigneur, Acceptes-moi ! Tu es seul mon grand Sauveur, Tu es mon Roi. Tous mes moments, tous mes jours Seront pour Toi ! Jesus, gardes-moi toujours Seulement pour Toi, Seulement pour Toi. TRIENT A Song in tJie Night. 6 7 Fin-Haut, 1376. Que je chante et que je pleure Seulement pour Toi ! Que je vive et que je meure Seulement pour Toi ! Jesus, qui m'as tant aime Mourant pour moi, Toute mon eternite" Sera pour Toi, Seulement pour Toi. a Song in tfje Ntgfjt , [Written in severe pain, Sunday afternoon, October 8th, 1876, at the Pension Wengen, Alps.] TAKE this pain, Lord Jesus, From Thine own hand, The strength to bear it bravely Thou wilt command. I am too weak for effort, So let me rest, In hush of sweet submission, On Thine own breast. I take this pain, Lord Jesus, As proof indeed That Thou art watching closely My truest need : That Thou, my Good Physician, Art watching still ; That all Thine own good pleasure Thou wilt fulfil. V *o> 6$ " Under His Shadow' ./%' n t I take this pain, Lord Jesus, What Thou dost choose The soul that really loves Thee Will not refuse. It is not for the first time I- trust to-day ; For Thee my heart has never A trustless "Nay!" I take this pain, Lord Jesus, But what beside 1 'Tis no unmingled portion Thou dost provide. In every hour of faintness, My cup runs o'er With faithfulness and mercy, And love's sweet store. I take this pain, Lord Jesus, As Thine own gift, And true though tremulous praises I now uplift. I am too weak to sing them, But Thou dost hear The whisper from the pillow, — Thou art so near ! i 'Tis Thy dear hand, Saviour, That presseth sore, f^ The hand that bears the nail-prints For evermore. What will You do without Him ? 6 9 And now beneath its shadow, Hidden by Thee, The pressure only tells me Thou lovest me ! amJjat toill gou tio foitfjout Sim? I could not do without Him ! Jesus is more to me Than all the richest, fairest gifts Of earth could ever be. But the more I find Him precious — And the more 1 find Him true — The more I long for you to find What He can be to you. You need not do without Him, For He is passing by, He is waiting to be gracious, Only waiting for your cry ; He is waiting to receive you — To make you all His own ! Why Avill you do without Him, And wander on alone 1 Why will you do without Him ? Is He not kind indeed 1 Did He not die to save you 1 Is He not all you need 1 Do you not want a Saviour 1 Do you not want a Friend 1 ""^^S^TU One who will love you faithfully, f%'p$i£ 4^W® And love you to the end 1 70 "Under His Shadow? Why will you do without Him ? The "Word of God is true, The world is passing to its doom — And you are passing too. It may be no to-morrow Shall dawn on you or me ; Why will you run the awful risk Of all eternity 1 What will you do without Him, In the long and dreary day Of trouble and perplexity, When you do not know the way, And no one else can help you, ^H And no one guides you right, pfe And hope comes not with morning, And rest comes not with night % fc You could not do without Him, C Q>^~. If once He made you see p*$Hj* The fetters that enchain you, ^p Till He hath set you free. ll If once you saw the fearful load Of sin upon your soul — ajg, The hidden plague that ends in death, ■ W" Unless He makes you whole. yj !( What will you do without Him When death is drawing near ? ^Vi? Without His love — the only love |i^v That casts out every fear ; | When the shadow-valley opens, I Unlighted and unknown, 1 And the terrors of its darkness t Must all be passed alone ! I VJiat will You do without Him ? 7i What will you do without Him, "When the great white throne is set, And the Judge who never can mistake, And never can forget, — The Judge whom you have never here As Friend and Saviour sought, Shall summon you to give account Of deed and word and thought % What will you do without Him, When He hath shut the door, And j r ou are left outside, because You would not come before ? When it is no use knocking, No use to stand and wait, For the word of doom tolls through your heart, That terrible " Too late!" You cannot do without Him ! There is no other Name By which you ever can be saved, No way, no hope, no claim ! Without Him — everlasting loss Of love, and life, and light ! Without Him — everlasting woe, And everlasting night. But with Him — oh ! with Jesus ! Are any words so blest 1 With Jesus, everlasting joy And everlasting rest ! With Jesus, — all the empty heart Filled with His perfect love ; With Jesus, — perfect peace below, And perfect bliss above. 72 Under His Shadow? Why should you do without Him 1 It is not yet too late ; He has not closed the day of grace, He has not shut the gate. He calls you ! — hush ! He calls you ! He would not have you go Another step without Him, Because He loves you so. Re would not do without you ! He calls and calls again — " Come unto Me ! Come unto Me 1" Oh, shall He call in vain 1 He wants to have you with Him ; Do you not want Him too 1 You cannot do without Him, And He wants — even you. The Leasowes, 1S76. E\}t Sljtntng ILtgljt, t|)at Spinet!} more } anti more unto tfje perfect Dap," (Prov. iv. 18.) YEAR ago the gold light Sweet morning made for me ; A tender and untold light, Like music on the sea. Light and music twining In melodious glory, A rare and radiant shining On my changing story. !.I I H. MANY WATERS. \N1>. The Voice of Many Waters. 73 To-day the golden sunlight Is full and broad and strong The glory of the One light Must overflow in song * Song that floweth ever, Sweeter every day, Song whose echoes never, Never die aw ay. How shall the light be clearer That is so bright to day ? How shall the hope be dearer That pours such joyous ray ? I am only waiting For the answer golden, What faith is antedating Shall not be withholden. Sp ftfje Fotce of fHang Maim, AR away I heard it, Stealing through the pines, Like a whisper saintly, Falling dimly, faintly, Through the terraced vines. Freshening breezes bore it Down the mountain slope ; So I turned and listened, While the sunlight glistened On the snowy cope. Under His Shadozu. Far away we hear it. Floating from the sky ; Mystic echo, falling Through the stars, and calling From the thrones on high. There are voices round us, Busy, quick, and loud ; All day long we hear them, We are still so near them, Still anions the crowd. Yet athwart the clamour Falls it, faint and sweet, Like the softest harp-tone, Passing every sharp tone Down the noisy street. To the soul-recesses Cleaving then its way. Waking hidden yearning, Unwilled impulse turning To the Far Away. Far away — and viewless. Yet not all unknown — In the murmur tracing Soft notes interlacing With familiar tone. ------ So we start and listen ! While the murmur low Falleth ever clearer, Swelleth fuller, nearer In melodious flow. The Voice of Many Water* 77 Voice of many waters From the height above Hushing, luring slowly With its influence holy, With its sons: of love ! — ^&&^&j t - J w Following where it leadeth, Pilgrim feet shall stand, Where the holy millions Throng the fair pavilions In the Glorious Land. Where the sevenfold £i Worthy ! Hails the King of kings, Blent with golden clashing Of the crowns, and flashin Of cherubic wings ; Rolls the Amen Chorus, Old, yet ever new ; Seal of blest allegiance, - Pled°T " 't~j Seal that God is true. Through the solemn glorj y Alleluias rise, Mightiest exultation Holiest adoration, Infinite surprise. Under His Shadow? There immortal powers Meet immortal song, .-nly image bearing, Angel-essence sharing, Excellent and strong. Sin ng to bear the glory And the veil-less sight, Sti rag to swell the thunders And to know the wonders Of the home of light. ten ! Everlasting laud ! Hark ! i: ru^he- nearer, Every moment clearer,. From the Throne of G 1 ! The Key Found. 79 There is a strange wild wail around, a wail of wild unrest, A moaning in the music, with echoes unconfessed, And a mocking twitter here and there, with small notes shrill and thin, And deep, low, shuddering groans that rise from caves of gloom within. And still the weird wail crosses the harmonies of God, And still the wailers wander through His fair lands, rich and broad ; Grave thought-explorers swell the cry of doubt and nameless pain, And careless feet, among the flowers, trip to the dismal strain. They may wander as they will in the hopeless search for truth, They may squander in the quest all the freshness of their youth, They may wrestle with the nightmares of sin's unresting sleep, They may cast a futile plummet in the heart's unfathomed deep. But they wait and wail and wander in vain and still in vain, Though they glory in the dimness and are proud of very pain \ For a life of Titan struggle is but one sublime mistake, While the spell-dream is upon them, and they cannot, will not wake. Awake, thou that sleepest ! The Deliverer is near ! Arise, go forth to meet Him ! Bow down, for He is here ! Ye shall count your true existence from this first, blessed tryst, For He waiteth to reveal Himself, the Very God in Christ. So •' Under His Shad:: the soul is never satisfied, the life is incompk And the symphonies of sorrow find no cadence calm and sweet, And the earth-lights never lead us beyond the shadows grim, And the lone heart never resteth till it findeth rest in Him. Do ye doubt our feeble witness I Though ye scorn us. come and See 1 i and hear Him foi yourselves, and ye shall know:;. - it is He : Ye shall find in Him the Centre, the Very Truth and Life, Resplendent resolution of the endless doubt in I strife Yc shall find a perfect fitness with your highest, deepest thought, In Him, the fair Ideal, that so long ye vainly sought, In Him the grand Reality ye never found before, Ii: Him the Lord that ye must love, the God ye must adore. Ye shall find in Him the filling of the "aching void " within ; In Him the instant antidote for anguish and for sin; In Him the i ting of the soul's unuttered need ; In Him the All that ye have sought, the goal of life indeed As the light is to the eye, with its sensitive array Of delicate adjustments with their finely balanced play, With its instinct of perception, and its craving for the light. So is Jesus to the spirit, when He gives the inward sight. As the full and clear translation of some characters of : ylline enfoldings, of dim mysterious weight, And a haunting terror lest the real be darker than the goes - So is Jesus to the questions and enigmas of the b: As the key is to the lock, when it enters quick and true, Fitting all the complex wards that are hidden from the view, The Key Found. Moving all the secret springs that no other finds or moves, So is Jesus to the soul, when His saving power He proves. As the music to the ear, -when the mightiest anthems roll, With its corridors conveying every echo to the soul, With its exquisite discernment of vibration and of tone, — So is Jesus to the heart that is made for Him alone. No need to prove the sunshine when the eye receives the light ! When the cipher is deciphered, we know the clue is right ; The key is known by fitting the strange intricate wards ; And the ears must own the music when they recognise the chords. No need to prove a Saviour, when once the heart believes, And the light of God's own glory in Jesus Christ receives ! No need for weary puzzle, with heart-lore strange and dim, When we find our dark enigmas are simply solved in Him ! We cannot doubt our finding the very Key indeed, When Jesus fills up every void, responds to every need, When all the secrets of our hearts before Him are revealed, And all the mystery of life, alone with Him, unsealed. We cannot doubt, when once the ear of listening faith has heard, With all-responsive thrill of love, the music of His word ! He gives the witness that excels all argument or sign, — When we have heard it for ourselves we Tcnoto it is Divine ! And then, oh, then the wail is stilled, the wandering is o'er, The rest is gained, the certainty that never wavers more ; And then the full, unquivering praise arises glad and strong, And life becomes the prelude of the everlasting song ! December Uth, 1S78. {Her last birthday.) F S2 Under His Shadow." That part is finished ! I lay down my pen. And wonder if the thoughts will flow as fast Through the more difficult defile. For the last "Was easy, and the channel deeper then. My Master, I will trust Thee for the rest ; Give me just what Thou wilt, and that will be my best. How can I tell the varied, hidden need Of Thy dear children, all unknown to me, "Who at some future time may come and read What I have written I All are known to Thee. As Thou hast helped me, help me to the end ; Give me Thv own sweet messages of love to send. So now, I pray Thee, keep my hand in Thine, And guide it as Thou wilt. I do not ask To understand the wherefore of each line ; Mine is the sweeter, easier, happier task Just to look up to Thee for every word, Eest in Thy love, and trust, and know that I am heard. .« -'- ■ y r. fc SuntiaD Bciis. 1 O sweet Sabbath bells A message of musical chiming Ye bring us from God, and we know what you say Now rising, now falling, So tunefully calling His children to seek Him, and praise Him to day. The day we love best ! The brightest and best of the seven, The pearl of the week, and the light of our way We hold it a treasure, And count it a pleasure, To welcome its dawning and praise Him to-day. sweet Sabbath rest ! The gift of our Father in heaven ; A herald sent down from the home far away, With peace for the weary, And joy for the dreary ; Then, oh ! let us thank Him, and praise Him to-day. Eejoice and be glad ! 'Tis the day of our Saviour and Brother, The Life that is risen, the Truth and the Way ; Salvation He brought us, X^-, When wand'ring He sought us, ^ With blood He hath bought us ; then praise Him to-c i From " Sacred Songs for Little Singers," Novello & Co. S6 C J lords for Children. / dHofocrsL UDS and bells ! Sweet April pleasures, Springing all around, White and gold and crimson treasures, From the cold unlovely ground ! He who gave them grace and hue, Made the little children too ! When the weary little flowers Close their starry eyes, By the dark and dewy hours, Strength and freshness God supplies. He who sends the gentle dew, Cares for little children too. Then He gives the pleasant weather, Sunshine warm and free, Making all things glad together, Kind to them and kind to me. Lovely flowers ! He loveth you, And the little children too ! Though we cannot hear you singing Softly chiming lays, Surely God can see you bringing Silent songs of wordless praise ! Hears your anthem, sweet and true, Hears the little children too. Evening Prayer. 87 ^flto lite (Ebeniitfl ^rager* OW the light has gone away, Saviour, listen while I pray, Asking Thee to watch and keep, And to send me quiet sleep. Jesus, Saviour, wash away All that has been wrong to-day, Help me every day to be Good and gentle, more like Thee. Let my near and dear ones be Always near and dear to Thee ; Oh, bring me and all I love To Thy happy home above. Now my evening praise I give ; Thou didst die that I might live, All my blessings come from Thee ; Oh, how good Thou art to me ! Thou, my best and kindest Friend, Thou wilt love me to the end ! Let me love Thee more and more. Always better than before ! Chords f 07' Child ^rtars. The golden glow is paling Between the cloudy bars ; Pm watching in the twilight To - ttle stars. I wish that they would sing to-night Their song of long ago j l If we were only nearer them, "What might we hear and know ! Are they the eyes of Angels. That always wake to keep A loving watch above us, While we are fast asleep ? Or are they lamps that God has lit From His own glorious light, To guide the little children's souls "Whom He will call to-night ? We hardly see them twinkle In any summer night, But in the winter evenings They sparkle clear and bright. ^ - - getiier." — Joe xxxviii. 7. . ~~---, - My Little Tree. 8 9 Is this to tell the little ones, So hungry, cold, and sad, That there's a shining home for them, "Where all is warm and glad ? More beautiful and glorious, And never cold and far, Is He who always loves them, The Bright and Morning Star. I wish those little children knew That holy, happy light ! Lord Jesus, shine on them, I pray, And make them glad to-night. fltg little Em. HEY tell me that my little tree Is only just my age, but see, Already ripe and rosy fruit Is peeping under every shoot ! How little have I brought, But withered leaves of foolish thou- And angry words like thorn, How many have I borne ! No fruit my little tree can bring, Without the gentle rain of spring ; Nor could it ever ripen one, Without the glowing summer sun ; & ;ht; 90 Cliords for Children. O Father ! shed on me Thy Holy Spirit from above, That I may bring to Thee The golden fruit of love. Let sunshine of Thy grace increase The pleasant fruit of joy and peace, With purple bloom of gentleness, That most of all my home may bless ; While faith and goodness meet In ruby ripeness rich and sweet ; Let these in me be found, And evermore abound. «fe >fl 7F 2H)2 Itfatgpom Come. OD of heaven ! hear our singing ; Only little ones are we, Yet a great petition bringing, Father, now we come to Thee. Let Thy kingdom come, we pray Thee, Let the world in Thee find rest ; Let all know Thee, and obey Thee, Loving, praising, blessing, blessed ! Let the sweet and joyful story Of the Saviour's wondrous love, Wake on earth a song of glory, Like the angels' song above. The Moon. 91 Father, send the glorious hour, Every heart be Thine alone ! For the kingdom, and the power, And the glory are Thine own. ...St*. 9Efjc Jloon. " The moon walking in brightness." — Job xxxi. 23. OT long ago the moon was dark, No light she gave or gained ; She did not look upon the sun, So all her glory waned. Now through the sky so broad and high, In robe of shining whiteness, Among the solemn stars of God, She walks in brightness. Look up to Him who is the Sun, The True and Only Light, And seek the glory of His face, His smile so dear and bright. Then making gladness all around, By gentleness and Tightness, You, too, shall shine with light divine, And walk in brightness. CSL-^ Pv& 9 2 Chords for Children. : ■ ITTLE Jessie, darling pet, Do you want a Friend 1 One who never will forget, Loving to the end ; One whom you can tell when sad Everything that grieves ; One who loves to make you glad. One who never leaves. Such a loving Friend is ours, Near us all the day, Helping us in lesson hours, Smiling on our play ; Keeping us from doing wrong. Guarding everywhere, Listening to each happy song And each little prayer. Jessie, if you only knew What He is to me, Surely you would seek Him too. You would " come and see." Come, and you will find it true. Happy you will be ; Jesus says, and says to you, " Come, oh come to Me." The Bower — Trust. 93 E\)t Botorr. Will you come out and sea My pretty bower with me, My sweet little house that lilac boughs have made ; With windows up on high, Through which I see the sky, And look up to Him who made the pleasant shade 1 The sunbeams come and go So brightly to and fro, Like angels of light, too dazzling to be seen ! They weave a curtain fair About my doorway there, And paint all my walls with shining gold and green. I have sweet music too, And lovely songs for you, To hear in my house among the lilac leaves ; For breezes softly play, And robins sing all day ; I think this is praise that God on high receives. Exust. Sadly bend the flowers In the heavy rain ; After beating showers, Sunbeams come again. Little birds are silent All the dark night through 94 Chords f oi' Children. When the morning dawneth. Their sonirs are sweet and new. When a sudden sorrow Comes like cloud and night, Wait for God's to-morrow; All will then be bright. Only wait and trust Him Just a little while ; After evening tear-drops Shall come the morning smile. ff?i3 >~ £& «*x ^ CTijr Gmncf Sister. j AELIXG boy, Sister's joy, With your loving smile, Kiss me now, On my brow. Si j with me awhile ! He who has loved me, He whom I long to see, Calls me away ; I must not stay. He is near. True and dear. Darling, do not cry ! Jesus too Loveth you, Loves you more than I. -S#1 The Dying Sister. 95 Kneel by my pillow here, Tell Him the sorrow, dear ; He is so kind, This you will find. Angels bright, Robed in light, In that happy home, Singing wait At the gate, Till He bids me come. Soon, brother, I shall see Him who has died for me ; I am so glad, Yet you are sad. Hymn and j>rayer We did share, Many an ev'ning past ; Jesus heard Ev'ry word, This may be the last. Ere next the light grows dim, I may be there with Him. Praising Him too, Waiting for you ! 95 Chords for Children. 1/ Elft angels' Song. Now let us sins; the Angels' Son£, That rang so sweet and clear, When heavenly light and music fell On earthly eye and ear. To Him we sing, our Saviour King, Who always deigns to hear : 11 Glory to God ! and peace on earth. ' He came to tell the Father's love, His goodness, truth, and grace ; To show the brightness of His smile, The glory of His face ; With His own light, so full and bright, The shades of death to chase. " Glory to God ! and peace on earth." o He came to bring the weary ones True peace and perfect rest ; To take away the guilt and sin Which darkened and distressed ; That great and small might hear His call, And all in Him be blessed. " Glory to God ! and peace on earth. He came to bring a glorious gift, " Goodwill to men ; " — and why ] Because He loved us, Jesus came For us to live and die. Then, sweet and long, the Angels' Song Again we raise on high : " Glory to God ! and peace on earth." Who will take Care of Me 97 ^h TOjo Ml take Care of JHe ? HO will take care of me ? darling, you say Lovingly, tenderly watched as you are ! Listen ! I give you the answer to-day, ONE who is never forgetful or far ! He will take care of you ! all through the day, Jesus is near you to keep you from ill ; Walking or resting, at lessons or play, Jesus is with you and watching you still. He will take care of you ! all through the night, Jesus, the Shepherd, His little one keeps ; Darkness to Him is the same as the light ; He never slumbers and He never sleeps. He will take care of you ! all through the year, Crowning each day with His kindness and love, Sending you blessing and shielding from fear, Leading you on to the bright home above. He will take care of you ! yes, to the end ! Nothing can alter His love to His own. Darling, be glad that you have such a Friend, He will not leave you one moment alone ! p£ 93 Chords for Children, Hobe for ILofar. 1 Johns' iv. 16. Knowing that the God on high, With a tender Father's grace, Waits to hear your faintest cry, "Waits to show a Father's face, — Stay and think ! — oh, should not you Love this gracious Father too ? Knowing Christ was crucified, Knowing that He loves you now Just as much as when He died With the thorns upon His brow, — Stay and think ! — oh, should not you Love this blessed Saviour too ? Knowing that a Spirit strives With your weary, wandering heart, Who can change the restless lives, Pure and perfect peace impart, — Stay and think ! — oh, should not you Love this loving Spirit too ? Luke si. 13. Heavenly Father, Thou hast told Of a Gift more precious than pearls and £old A Gift that is free to every one, Through Jesus Christ, Thy only Son : For His sake, give it to me. Something to do. 99 i Oh, give it to me ! for Jesus said, That a father giveth his children bread, And how much more Thou wilt surely give The Gift by which the dead shall live ! For Christ's sake, give it to me. If Thou hast said it, I must believe It is only " ask " and I shall receive ; If Thou hast said it, it must be true, And there's nothing else for me to do ! For Christ's sake, So I come and ask, because my need Is very great and real indeed. On the strength of Thy Word I come and say, Oh, let Thy Word come true to-day ! -. For Christ's sake, give it to me ! ®&B Something to So. ^ OMETHIXG to do, mamma, something to do !" V^Si^P Who has not heard the cry 1 SP^n^X Something: to nlan and somethi Something to plan and something to try 00 Chords for Children. Something to do when the sky is blue, And the sun is clear and high ; Something to do on a rainy day, Tired of lessons or tired of play ; Something to do in the morning walk, Better than merely to stroll and talk. For the fidgety feet, oh, something to do, For the mischievous fingers something too ; For the busy thought in the little brain, For the longing love of the little heart, Something easy, and nice, and plain ; Something in which they can all take part ; Something better than breakable toys, Something for girls and something for boys ! I know, I know, and I'll tell you too, Something for all of you now to do ! First, you must listen ! Do you know Where the poor sick children go % Think of hundreds all together In the pleasant summer weather, Lying sadly day by day, Having pain instead of play ; No dear mother sitting near, No papa to kiss good-night ; Brothers, sisters, playmates dear, All away and out of sight. Little feet that cannot go Where the pink-tipped daisies grow ; Little eyes that never see Bud or blossom, bird or tree j Little hands that folded lie As the weary weeks go by. Something to do. 101 What if you could send them flowers, Brightening up the dismal hours ? Then the hospitals for others, For the fathers and the mothers ; Where the weary sufferers lie, While the weeks go slowly past, Some with hope of cure at last, Some to suffer till they die. Now, while you are scampering free, In your happy springtide glee, They are lying sadly there, Weak and sick — oh, don't you care? Don't you want to cheer each one 1 ? Don't you wish it could be done 1 |gf$> Then the poor old people too, In the dreary workhouse-room, Nothing all day long to do, Nothing to light up the gloom ! Older, weaker, every day, All their children gone away ; Nothing pleasant, nothing bright, For the dimming, aching sight. Would it not be nice to send jgp Nosegays by some loving friend 1 Then if you could only see "Where so many thousands live, All in sin and misery, ^ Dirt and noise and poverty, What, oh, what would you not give, Just some little thing to do That might do a little good ! Don't you want to help them too 1 I will tell you how you could ! 102 Chords for Children. M Gather flowers for Jesus' sake, For a loving hand to take Into all those dreadful places, Bringing smiles to haggard faces, Bringing tears to hardened eyes ; Bringing back the memories Of the home so long ago Left for wickedness and woe, Of the time, so far away, "When they learned to sing and pray. Oh, you cannot guess the power Of a little simple flower ! And yet the message they should bear, Of God our Father's love and care, Is never really read aright Without the Holy Spirit's light ; — Without the voice of Jesus, heard In His own sweet and mighty word. And so we never send the flowers With only messages of ours ; But every group of buds and bells The story of salvation tells. Let every little nosegay bring Not only fragrance of the spring, But sweeter fragrance of His Name, Who saves and pardons, soothes and heals, The living Saviour, still the Same, Who every pain and sorrow feels. The little texts are sweeter far Than lily-bell or primrose star ; And He will help you just to choose The very words that He will use. Now will it not be real delight Something to do. 03 To find them out and make a list Of promise-words, so strong and bright, So full of comfort and of light, That all their meaning can't be missed 1 Think how every one may be God's own message from above To some little girl or boy, Changing sadness into joy, Soothing some one's dreadful pain, Making some one glad again, With His comfort and His love ! Calling them to Jesus' feet, Showing them what He has done ! Darlings, will it not be sweet If He blesses only one ! Only one ? Nay, ask Him still, Ask Him every one to bless ! He can do it, and He will ; Do not let us ask Him less ! Now then, set to work at once, If you're not a thorough dunce ! Cut the little holders squarely, Keep the edges smooth and straight Now the paint box : artists bold ! Paint the borders firm and fairly With your prettiest red or gold ! Easy this, at any rate. Now for writing — clearest, neatest, (Or it may be gently hinted, Better still if neatly printed.) Tracing words the strongest, sweetest, - Words that must and will avail, Though the loveliest blossoms fail. -> 104 Chords for Children. Then away, away, the first fine day ! Follow the breeze that is out at play, Follow the bird and follow the bee, Follow the butterfly flitting free, For I think they know Where the sweetest wildflowers grow ; Bluebells in the shady dingle, Where the violet-odours mingle ; Where the fairy primrose lamp Seems to light the hawthorn shade ; Orchis in the meadow damp, Cowslip in the sunny glade. (But not the pale anemone, For that will fade so speedily.) Hedge and coppice, lane and field, Gather all the store they yield ! Buttercups and daisies too, Though so little prized by you, Will be gold and silver treasure, In their power of giving pleasure, To the poor in city alleys, Far away from hills and valleys, Who have never seen them grow Since their childhood, long ago ; Or to children pale and small, Who never saw them grow at all ! And don't forget the fair green leaves That have their own sweet tales to tell And waving grass that humbly weaves The emerald robe of bank and dell. Is there some one at home who cannot go To gather the flowers as they grow 1 Then there is plenty for her to do In making the nosegays up for you ; Loving Messages for the Little Ones. TO: Getting them ready to travel away, In time for the work of the coming day. But oh, how busy you will be When the packing must be done ! Oh, the bustle and the glee, Will it not be famous fun 1 And when the box is gone away, The pleasure need not all be past ; I think it will not be the last ! Just set to work another day ! And send some more From the beautiful store Which God keeps sending you fresh and new, And thank Him too That He has given you " Something to do ! " fLobing iHcssagcs for tfjc little ©nrs. 1 "PVERY little flower that grows, Every little grassy blade, Every little dewdrop, shows Jesus cares for all He made j Jesus loves, and Jesus knows ! So you need not be afraid I 1 Six floral cards for Caswell. OO Chords for Children. t^air the blossoms opening early For the dew Fell upon them, cool and pearly, Brightening every hue. Like a little thirsty flower, Lift your face, Seek the gentle, holy shower Of the Spirit's grace. pRACE and glory ! They are yours Through the Saviour's dying love For His own sweet word endures Longer than the stars above. It shall never pass away, So trust His living love to-day. XT ave you not a song for Jesus ] All the little buds and flowers, All the merry birds and breezes, All the sunbeams and the showers, Praise Him in their own sweet way ! What have you to sing to-day \ Bring your happiest songs, and sing For your Saviour and your King. \ Aunties Lessons. 107 r^W *^ TT'NOWING Christ was crucified, Knowing that He loves you now Just as much as when He died With the thorns upon His brow, Stay and think ! oh, should not you, Love this blessed Saviour too ? ft Qpexixg flowers I send to you With a messagelsweet and true. They may fade, but Jesus lives, Peace and grace and joy He gives. Come to Him and you will know What He waiteth to bestow ! 1/ '/ Auntie's 3Lcsscms, They said their texts, and their hymns they sang, On that sunny Sabbath-day ; And yet there was time ere the church-bell rang, So I bid them trot away, And leave me to rest and read alone, Where the ash-tree's shade o'er the lawn was thrown, But oh ! 'twas a cry and a pleading sore, " Auntie ! we will not tease, But tell us one Sunday story more, ioS Chords for Children. We will sit so still on the grassy floor ; Tell us the one you told before Of little black Mumu, please, Whom deaf and dumb, and sick and lone, The good ship brought to Sierra Leone !" Willie begged loud, and Francie low, And Alice, who could resist her ? Certainly not myself, and so The story was just beginning, when lo ! To the rescue came my sister : " I will tell you a story to-day, Aunt Fanny has all her own lessons to say !" m% Wonderful notion, and not at all clear ! Alfred looked quite astounded. Who in the world my lessons could hear % They guessed at every one far and near ; Twas a mystery unbounded. They settled at last that it must be Grandpapa Havergal over the sea. Then merry eyes grew grave and wise, On tiptoe Alice trod ; She had a better thought than they, And whispered low, — " Does Auntie say Her lessons all to God 1 " How little the import deep she knew Of those baby-words, so sweet and true ! Little she knew what they enfold ! — A treasure of happy thought ; A tiny casket of virgin gold, With jewels of comfort fraught. — Great men's wisdom may pass away, Dear Alice's words in my heart will stay. The Happiest Christmas Day. 109 5Ti}c happiest Christmas Bag. Sybil, my little one, come away, 1 have a plan for Christmas Day : Put on your hat, and trot with me, A dear little suffering girl to see. Tis not very far, and there's plenty of time, For the bells have not begun to chime ; So, Sybil, over the sparkling snow, To dear little Lizzie let us go. Dear little Lizzie is ill and weak, Only just able to smile and speak. Yesterday morning I stood by her bed ; Now, shall I tell you what she said ? "Christmas is coming to-morrow," said I. " I shall be happy ! " was Lizzie's reply ; " Happy, so happy ! " I wish you had heard How sweetly and joyously rang that word. " Dear little Lizzie, lying in pain, With never a hope to be better again, Lying so lonely, what will you do 1 Why will the day be so happy to you 1 " Lizzie looked up with a smile as bright As if she were full of some new delight ; And the sweet little lips just parted to say, M I shall think of Jesus all Christmas Day ! " How would you like to take her the spray Of red-berried holly I gave you to-day ? 112 Chords for Children. $?ome STosNtfifjk 'HE lessons are done, and the prizes won, And the counted weeks are past. O the holiday joys of the girls and boys l^j^o Who are " home to-night " at last ! ^® the ringing beat of the springing feet As into the hall they rush ! the tender bliss of the first home kiss, With its moment of fervent hush ! So much to tell, and to hear as well, As they gather around the glow ! Who would not part, for the joy of heart That only the parted can know — At home to-night ! II. But all have not met — there are travellers yet Speeding along through the dark, By tunnel and bridge, past river and ridge, To the distant yet nearing mark. Yet hearts are warm, for the winter storm Has never a chill for love ; And faces are bright in the flickering light Of the pale dim lamp above. And voices of gladness rise over the madness Of the whirl and the rush and the roar ; For, rapid and strong, it bears them along To a home and an open door — Yes, home to-night. New- Year Hymn. 13 III. O home to-night, home to night ! Through the pearly gate and the open door, Some happy feet on the golden street Are entering now to go out no more. For the work is done, and the rest begun, And the training time is for ever past ; And the home of rest in the mansions blest Is safely and joyously reached at last. the love and light in that home to-night ! O the songs of bliss and the harps of gold ! the glory shed on the new-crowned head, the telling of love that can ne'er be told ! the welcome that waits at the shining gates For those who are following far, yet near, When all shall meet at His glorious feet, In the light and the love of that home so deaiy Yes, home to-night ! Jesus, blessed Saviour, Help us now to raise Songs of glad thanksgiving, Songs of holy praise. how kind and gracious Thou hast always been ! how many blessings Every day hast seen ! H H4 Chords for Children. Jesus, blessed Saviour, Now our praises hear, For Thy grace and favour Crowning all the year. ^Sj^k?,^ Jesus, holy Saviour, Only Thou canst tell How we often stumbled, How we often fell ! All our sins (so many !), Saviour, Thou dost know ; In Thy blood most precious, Wash us white as snow. Jesus, blessed Saviour, Keep us in Thy fear, Let Thy grace and favour Pardon all the year. Jesus, loving Saviour, Only Thou dost know All that may befall us As we onward go. So we humbly pray Thee, Take us by the hand, Lead us ever upward To the Better Land. Jesus, blessed Saviour, Keep us ever near, Let Thy grace and favour Shield us all the year. Begin at Once. 115 Jesus, precious Saviour, Make us all Thine own, Make us Thine for ever, Make us Thine alone. Let each day, each moment, Of this glad New-year, Be for Jesus only, Jesus, Saviour dear. Then, blessed Saviour, Never need we fear, For Thy grace and favour Crown our bright New-year ! USegtn at ©nee. BAND OF HOPE SONG. /C)£j)EGIN at once ! In the pleasant days, While we are all together, While we can join in prayer and praise, While we can meet for healthful plays, In the glow of summer weather. Begin at once, with heart and hand, And swell the ranks of our happy band. 9*. n6 Chords for Children. Begin at once ! For we do not know What may befall to-morrow ! Many a tempter, many a foe Lieth in wait where'er you go, With the snare that leads to sorrow Begin at once ! nor doubting stand, But swell the ranks of our happy band. Begin at once ! There is much to do ; Oh, do not wait for others ! Join us to-day ! — be brave and true ; Join us to-day ! — there's room for you, And a welcome from your brothers. Begin at once ! for the work is grand That God has given to our happy band. Begin at once ! In the strength of God, For that will never fail you ! Under His banner, bright and broad, You shall be safe from fear and fraud, And from all that can assail you. Besrin at once, — with resolute stand, And swell the ranks of our happy band. 3y %}A Thafs not the Way at Sea. 117 "Efcat's not t\}t 3Hag at £ea.' : Reply of Captain Bourchier of the training-ship Goliath, when his boys entreated him to save himself from the burning wreck. 1876. E stood upon the fiery deck, Our Captain kind and brave ! He would not leave the burning wreck. While there was one to save. We wanted him to go before, And we would follow fast ; We could not bear to leave him there, Beside the blazing mast. But his voice rang out in a cheery shout, And noble words spoke he, — ' That's not the way at sea, my boys, That's not the way at sea ! " So each one did as he was bid, And into the boats we passed, While closer came the scorching flame, And our Captain was the last. Yet once again he dared his life, One little lad to save ; Then we pulled to shore from the blaze and roar. With our Captain kind and brave. In the face of Death, with its fiery breath, He had stood, — and so would we ! For that's the way at sea, my boys, For that's the way at sea ! 1 1;> Che l N ::oble words resound, And echo far and free, revet English he;.: und, On English shore or sea. iron nerve of duty, joined "With golden vein of 1 Can dare to do. and dare to wj With courage from a : Our Captain's shout among the flames A watchword long shall be. — •• That's no: the way at sea. my b. i That's n : :.. - way at sea ! " _ 1. H., published by Hatchings .. " £ leabe it all foitij Etyz." ES, I will leave it all with Thee, And only ask that I may be Submissive to Thy loving will, Confiding, waiting, trusting still. Thou every fond desire dost know Which in my inmost heart doth glow ; Thou hearest every secret sigh When silent sorrow's power is nigh. Omniscience alone may tell The thoughts which in my spirit dwell ; But 'tis a soothing word to me, "My Father every thought can see." He knows them all — the hopes — the fears Confided not to mortal ears. He knows the deep intensity Of feelings wakened now in me. And if He knows them, 'tis enough ! I need not fear a stern rebuff; There's sympathy within His breast, On which my weary heart can rest. ISTor is there sympathy alone, Almighty is my Father's throne, And He can grant me each desire ; His gracious hand may never tire. He can. But will He 1 Trust Him yet, My faithless soul ! Can I forget : 22 Early Poems. That He hath passed His word of old. — "Not one good thing will He withhold From them, the children of my I "Whose hearts are set on things above " ! Not one good thing ! But can I "What may be good, what ill for me \ Can I unbar the massy _ Which hides from me the way I take \ But His eye turneth night to day. E'en like the lightning's piercing ray : Then here is my security. That God my truest good doth b That joy which earnestly I crave, O'er which my fondest hopes now wave, Might prove to me the shade of death ! That healing breeze — the Simoom's breath. - — it never will be mine. At such a loss shall I repine ? No : let me rather praise the Hand Which looseneth the dangerous band. But if it be a heaven-born plant, For whose sweet flowers my soul doth pant, If heavenly gladness it shall bring, And raise my soul on angel wing, Till nearer Thee each day I live. — Oh, then that blessing Thou wilt give. The joy scarce hoped for shall be mine, A deeply grateful heart be Thi:. Then I will leave it all with Thi My Father, grant that I maj Submissive to Thine owl _ will, Confiding, waiting, loving still ! % On the Death of Captain Allan Gardiner. 123 ©n tfjc Scat!} of Captain ailan ©aflutter, THE FIRST MISSIONARY TO PATAGONIA. In desolate wild grandeur all around, Dark rocky spires are tow'ring to the sky, "While through the caverns echoes far the sound Of winds, which o'er Antarctic seas sweep fitfully. The ocean waves with deep and hollow tone Combat the haughty cliffs in fierce affray, Then back returning with a sullen moan, Sink, till again they dash, their warrior spray. Xo flowerets spring that barren land to cheer, Xo waving trees salute that stormy sky With graceful bend ; scarce grass and herbs appear Or aught of greenery to soothe the wearied eye. who in such a dreary clime could dwell % Who would abide on such a desert shore % Save the wild natives, who our sailors tell Xo Saviour know, no Deity supreme adore. But list awhile ! Who breathed that deep-drawn sigh ? Whence came it ] Hark again ! A voice of prayer, Mingled with heavenly praises, rose on high, As with sweet incense hallowing the chilly air. 1 24 Early Poems. Alone, no earthly friend or brother near, A human form lies on that bleak, bleak strand ; Sunken his eye, and wan his cheeks appear, For famine pale has laid on him her withering hand. Nor food nor water six long weary days Have passed those pallid lips, yet not a plaint From him may fall, but notes of joyful praise ; Sustained with bread of life his soul can never faint. For Jesus whispers comfort to his soul, And smooths his pillow, though so cold and hard ; He hears no wind, he sees no surges roll, He only hears his Master, sees his bright reward. Another sigh, his happy soul hath flown From its frail dwelling, where so long it lay Pinioned, his painful toils at length are done, And angels welcome him to dwell in endless day. Wherefore left he his lovely native isle 1 Wherefore his life, his all thus sacrifice 1 Did he for pleasure undertake such toil ? Was it for sordid gold, which men so highly prize ? No ! higher motives filled that noble breast ; He sacrificed his all from Christian love, He went to tell of peace and heavenly rest, To teach those heathen of a gracious God above. And shall we blame him, who devoted thus To his great Master's name his freshest days 1 Despise that bright example left to us, And on his memory strive to cast a gloomy haze ? On the Death of Captain A llan Gardiner. Shame, shame on those who dare aspersions fling On Gardiner's honoured name ! They know it's true, Right well he served his Saviour and his King ; And they who love the Master, love the servant too. But now he rests in peace, his labours past ; Nothing can vex that noble spirit more, For he hath gained his distant port at last, The waves have only carried him to that blest shore. No laurels bloomed on that pale dying brow, No earthly honours clustered round that bed ; But victor-wreaths of life encircle now, And a bright crown adorns, that mission martyr's head ! 1S52. 126 Early Poems. ■Vvv Jlattfjefo xib. 23. It is the quiet evening time, the sun is in the west, And earth enrobed in purple glow awaits her nightly rest ; The shadows of the mountain peaks are lengthening o'er the sea, And the flowerets close their eyelids on the shore of Galilee. The multitude are gone away, their restless hum doth cease, The birds have hushed their music, and all is calm and peace ; But on the lonely mountain side is One, whose beauteous brow The impress bears of sorrow and of weariness e'en now. The livelong day in deeds of love and power He hath spent, And with them words of grace and life hath ever sweetly blent. Now He hath gained the mountain top, He standeth all alone, No mortal may be near Him in that hour of prayer unknown. He prayeth. — But for whom 1 For Himself He needeth nought ; Nor strength, nor peace, nor pardon, where of sin there is no spot; But 'tis for us in powerful prayer He spendeth all the night, That His own loved ones may be kept and strengthened in the fight; That they may all be sanctified, and perfect made in one ; That they His glory may behold where they shall need no sun ; That in eternal gladness they may be His glorious bride : It is for this that He hath climbed the lonely mountain side. It is for this that He denies His weary head the rest Which e'en the foxes in their holes, and birds have in their nest. The echo of that prayer hath died upon the rocky hill, But on a higher, holier mount that Voice is pleading still ; Matthew xxvi. 30. 27 For while one weary child of His yet wanders here below, While yet one thirsting soul desires His peace and love to know, And while one fainting spirit seeks His holiness to share, The Saviour's loving heart shall pour a tide of mighty prayer ; Yes ! till each ransomed one hath gained His home of joy and peace, That fount of blessings all untold shall never, never cease. Jfiattfjefo xxbL 30. \nd when they had sung an hymn, they went out. sun hath gilded Judah's hills With his last gorgeous beam ; Ghost-like the still grey mists arise From Jordan's sacred stream. The stars, bright flowers of the sky. Unfold their beauties now, And gaze on Salem's marble fane, By Olivet's dark brow. In David's city sound is hushed And tread of busy feet, For solemnly his sons have met The paschal lamb to eat. But list ! the silence of the hour Is broken ; the still air A melody hath caught which far Its viewless pinions bear. Unwonted sweetness hath the strain, And as its numbers flow, 128 Early Poems. More tender and more touching yet Its harmony doth grow. Not royal David's tuneful harp Such thrilling power had known To wake deep echoes in the soul, As its scarce earthly tone. Within an " upper room " are met A small, yet faithful band, On whom a deep yet chastened grief Hath laid its softening hand Among them there is One who wears A more than mortal mien, Tis He on whom in all distress The weary one may lean. ) J Mysterious sadness, on that brow So pure and calm, doth lie ; And untold stores of deepest love > Are beaming from His eye. What wonder if the strain was sweet Above all other lays 1 Seraphic well might seem the hymn i Which Jesu's voice did raise. J - The angels hush their lyres, and bend #p To hear the thrilling tone, (T\ And heaven is silent, — with that song % They mingle not their own. The sorrowing ones around have heard Xew strains of glowing praise To Him who, on that fateful eve, "— , That last sweet hymn did raise. jffl February 27*ft, 1855. *vlU> MM r 3^73 130 Early Poems. "slratniuj us an damplc tljat ur sijoulu folloto £ts Steps." Jesu, Thou didst leave Thy glorious home, Of brightness more than mortal eve could bear, And joys ineffable, alone to roam Through earth's dark wilderness in grief and want and care. Thou didst exchange the praise of seraph voices For sin-made discords and the wail of pain. The anthems swelling high where each in Thee rejoices, For fierce revilings in the world where unbelief doth reign. Yes, Thou didst leave Thy bliss-encircled dwelling, Of joy and holiness and perfect love, And earnest to this world of sorrow, telling Each weary one the way to realms of rest above. Mark we Thy walk along the holy way, — Each step is graven, that all the path may trace Which leads where Thou art gone. — and never may The powers of darkness one bright step erase ! And Thou hast left a solemn word behind Thee, Solemn, yet fraught with blessing :— would we learn How we may gain Thy dwelling, and there find Thee ? Thou sayest. "'Follow Me." Be this our great concern. And oh how blessed thus to mark each hour The footsteps of our Saviour, and to know That in them we are treading, — then each flower Of hope seems faker, and each joy doth yet more brightly glow. Oh that I always followed Him alone ! I know that I am His, for I have bowed Our English Sabbat J is. 1 3 [ In peaceful faith before my Saviour's throne, And gladly there to Him my life, my all, have vowe And He hath pardoned me, and washed away Each stain of guilt, and bade me quickly 1: A:. I follow Him each moment of each d And He hath set a crown of life and joy before mine ei How can I turn aside and wound the love That gave Himself to bleed and die for me 1 How can I stray, and grieve the holv Dove Who lights my soul, opening mine eyes to - Saviour, fix my wayward, wandering heart Upon Thyself, that I may closely cling To Thy blest side, and never more depart From Thee, my loved Redeemer, Thee, my heart's own King. And grant me daily grace to follow Thee Through joy and pleasure, or through grief and sadn Until an entrance is vouchsafed to me In Thy bright home of holiness and gladness. Our ffngltei) Sabbarfjs. England, thou art beautiful, and very dear to me, And the spirit of thy noble sons is high and pure and free ; Full many a jewel sparkles clear in the crown upon thy brow. But one is gleaming fairest in that glorious garland now. It gleameth with a holy light, too pure for sinful earth. In the twilight of this shadow-land it hath not had its birth ; 132 Early Poems. 'Tis polished by no mortal hand, its radiance is its own, And it mingleth with the glory of the Father's dazzling throne. Oh, gaze upon its beauty, reflecting yet the light Of Eden's spotless, shadeless hours, in this our sin-made night ; Oh, gaze again, and thou shalt see, in that all-beauteous ray, A gleam of that celestial morn which ne'er may fade away ! It is a gem of untold worth, it is a golden mine, The pledge of an inheritance, — a gift of love Divine ; A monarch may not buy it, — oh, then let it not be sold ! Oh, England, dear old England, this, thy priceless treasure, hold ! Thy Sabbath is this treasure, a fount of ceaseless blessing, And thou art rich and powerful, this glorious gift possessing ; Oh, heed not those who craftily would bid thee cast away ! The diamond hours of Sabbath rest, no pleasure can repay. There is a cloud o'er other lands, though fair their mountains be. And beautiful their sunny plains, re-echoing with glee ; But on our Sabbath-loving heart it casts a saddening gloom, While the mirth of all their songs is as the music of the tomb. They know no holy Sabbath rest ; and yet, above, around, The trees are waving solemnly with a deep and holy sound ; And the flowers smile to greet His day, and the streams more softly roll, And all things speak of God to the silent listening soul. They heed it not ! with song and glee the hallowed hours are passed ; The blessings which the Sabbath brings, aside are lightly cast ; And 'neath the sparkling wavelets of unsanctified delight Is a dark, deep stream of weary toil from morn to welcome night. Forest Voices. 133 There are some who listen eagerly while told of Sabbath rest, As a thirsting desert pilgrim hears of Araby the blest ; 'Mid their changeless seven days' labour they drop a hopeless tear, "Oh, would to God that we might have an English Sabbath here ! " Sad is their lot ! but there are those within our own dear land Who would forge for us such fetters, and burst our golden band, Who sin in deeper bondage yet, while striving to be free, And know not that our Father's law is truest Liberty ! as forest Voices. HE forest hath its voices, Whose sweetness aye rejoices, Or soothes the spirit wondrously ; Borne on their leafy wings, They tell of quiet things And mingle in strange harmony. m 1 v There is a murmuring song, A cadence soft and long, Evoking dreams of still delight ; There is a clarion note, Whose blithesome echoes float, Chasing the darkling spells of grief and night. There is a whispering sound Within the forest-bound, Telling the heart of things unseen ; 131 Early Poems. That nameless holy thrill Passeth o'er vale and hill And through the dark and lone ravine. It is a harp sublime With ever-varying chime, Awakening feelings ever new ; For, tuned by Him who made The all-harmonious shade, Eacli forest-voice is sweet and true. 1855. E\}t Sfjofoer, ^"^/iPl -^ every budding leaf and flower, WlmP-' ^ ne sweet > s °ft ram °f s P rm g Comes down in a soft and gentle shower, *^&f &> ^^ e a whispering angel- wing. The shower hath bow'd the proud red rose With many a fragrant tear, It hath wakened the harebell's long repose, The wanderer now to cheer. It hath given the woodbine strength to cling To the strong elm's rugged bough ; And the wakeful pimpernel folds its wing, And quietly slumbers now. It hath watered the seeds in their cold dark bed, And they burst through the prisoning clay. To the lingering buds it hath gently said, " Unfold to the bright sun- ray." The Shower. 135 Among the leaves of the forest-tree Its gentle footsteps go, And they murmur thanks so pleasantly In an anthem soft and low. Showers there are for the thirsty soul, A sweet and refreshing dew, The Spirit who makes the wounded whole, And the evil heart makes new. He will teach the trembling one to cling- To an Arm of love and might ; And the earth-stained soul 'neath His holy wim Shall again be pure and white. The weary heart with its wild unrest He can hush to a trustful calm ; To the spirit crushed and sorely pressed He comes with His healing balm. He comes to the soul in its sin-wrought tomb, And rent are the chains of death, Then His own sweet graces awake and bloom Beneath His living breath. Yes ! the Spirit shall teach the heart to sing. And shall tune its long silent lyre, And He who shall meeten it praise to bring In the sinless, white-robed choir. Come then, Spirit, as once of yore, Come in Thy quickening might ! Come, on Thy waiting Church to pour Thy life, Thy grace, Thy light. 1857. 36 Early Poems. ^lA ifl. 1. ffi.'s 33irtl)t)ap Croton. Only just a line to say, Miriam, on this summer day, What my spirit's love would breathe, While thy birthday crown I wreathe. Crown ! How many a mingled thought By that little word is brought ! Yet may each enlinked be In a birthday wish for thee. A One who wears a crown should reign Sovereign, over some domain ; Held by thee, love's fairy sway Still may every heart obey. First we think of royal gems, Coronets and diadems ; 'Twere an idle wish, I ween, Be thou happy as a Queen ! To another crown we turn, While our loving hearts would burn, Worn by Him who on the tree, Miriam, hath died for thee. To John Henry C on his Third Birthday 37 By that thom-enwoven crown, By the life for thee laid down, Maj thy every fleeting year Bring thee to His love more near ! Then the crown of golden light. "Worn by those who walk in white, May that be thy blest reward In the presence of thy Lord ! July 11, 1S59. KSt