ANON. 45. Humanity Hopeful. With faltering steps to come to thee, And in each purpose high and strong The influence of thy grace could see. But never rose within his breast, A trust so calm and deep as now ; Shall not the weary find a rest? Father! Preserver! answer thou! 'Tis dark around, 'tis dark above, But thro' the shadow streams the sun; We cannot doubt thy certain love, And man's great aim shall yet be won! 46. God's Sustaining Presence. Bowring. FATHER and friend, thy light, thy love 48. Providence Mysterious. Beaming thro' all thy works we see ; Thy glory gilds the heavens above, And all the earth is full of thee. Thy voice we hear, thy presence feel, Whilst thou, too pure for mortal sight, Involved in clouds, invisible, Reignest the Lord of life and light. We know not in what hallowed part Of the wide heavens thy throne may be; But this we know, that where thou art, Strength, wisdom, goodness dwell with thee. Thy children shall not faint nor fear, Sustained by this delightful thought, Since thou, their God, art everywhere, They cannot be where thou art not. ANON. THY ways, O Lord, with wise design, Are framed upon thy throne above, And every dark or bending line Meets in the center of thy love. With feeble light, and half obscure, Poor mortals thine arrangements view, Not knowing that the least are sure, And the mysterious just and true. They neither know nor trace the way; But, trusting to thy piercing eye, None of their feet to ruin stray, Nor shall the weakest fail or die. My favored soul shall meekly learn To lay her reason at thy throne ; Too weak thy secrets to discern, I'll trust thee for my guide alone. 51. The Living not among the Dead. ERNAN. BURLEIGH. AH! why should bitter tears be shed In sorrow o'er the mounded sod, When verily there are no dead Of all the children of our God? They who are lost to outward sense Have but flung off their robes of clay, And, clothed in heavenly radiance, Attend us on our lowly way. While sorrow's tears our eyes have wet, Let living faith serenely pour Her sunlight on our pathway dim, And death can have no terrors more, But holy joy shall walk with him. 52. Good the Final Goal. TENNYSON. O YET We trust that somehow good Will be the final goal of ill, To pangs of nature, sins of will, Defects of doubt, and taints of blood; That nothing walks with aimless feet, That not one life shall be destroyed, Or cast as rubbish to the void, When God hath made the pile complete. That not a worm is cloven in vain ; Behold, we know not anything; I can but trust that good shall fall At last-far off-at last, to all, And every winter change to spring. 53. 23 The Future World. ANNE Steele. THERE is a glorious world on high, Resplendent with eternal day; Faith views the blissful prospect nigh, While God's own word reveals the way. There shall the servants of the Lord, With never-fading lustre shine; Surprising honor, vast reward, Conferred on man by love divine ! The shining firmament shall fade, And sparkling stars resign their light, But these shall know nor change nor shade, Forever fair, forever bright. On wings of faith and strong desire, CHAPIN. May mortal sense commune with thee, Nor lift the curtains of that place Where dwells thy secret majesty. Yet whereso'er our spirits bend In reverent faith and humble prayer, Thy promised blessing will descend, And we shall find thy spirit there. Lord, be the spot where now we meet, An open gateway into heaven; Here may we sit at Jesus' feet, And feel our deepest sins forgiven. Here may desponding care look up, And sorrow lay its burden down ; Or learn of him to drink the cup, To bear the cross, and win the crown. 56. Life an Ascent. LONGFELLOW. We have not wings, we cannot soar, But we have feet to scale and climb By slow degrees, by more and more, The cloudy summits of our time. The heights by great men reached and kept, Were not attained by sudden flight, But they, while their companions slept, Were toiling upward in the night. Standing on what too long we bore, With shoulders bent and downcast We may discern, unseen before, As wholly wasted, wholly vain, To something nobler we attain. Thy mercy bids all nature bloom; The sun shines bright and man is gay: Thine equal mercy spreads the gloom That darkens o'er his little day. Full many a throb of grief and pain Thy frail and erring child must know: But not one prayer is breathed in vain, Nor does one tear unheeded flow. Thy various messengers employ ; WATTS. 58. Ye heavy-laden sinner, come! And raise you to my heavenly home. "They shall find rest that learn of me ; I'm of a meek and lowly mind; But passion rages like the sea, And pride is restless as the wind. "Blest is the man whose shoulders take My yoke, and bear it with delight; My yoke is easy to his neck, My grace shall make the burden light." Jesus, we come at thy command; With faith, and hope, and humble zeal, Resign our spirits to thy hand To mould and guide us at thy will. 59. Faith in God's Love. O Father, humbly we repose 25 GASKELL. Our souls on thee,who dwell'st above, And bless thee for the peace which flows From faith in thine encircling love. Though every earthly trust may break, Infinite might belongs to thee; Though every earthly friend forsake, Unchangeable thou still wilt be. Tho' clouds may gather darkly round, They cannot veil us from thy sight; Though vain all human aid be found, Thou every grief canst turn to light. All things thy wise designs fulfill, In earth beneath and heaven above; And good breaks out from every ill, Thro' faith in thine encircling love. 60. Thy Will be Done. Doddridge. THY will be done! In devious way The hurrying stream of life may run, Yet still our grateful hearts shall say, "Our Father,may thy will be done." Thy will be done! If o'er us shine A glad’ning and a prosperous sun, This will make it more divine: prayer "Our Father,may thy will be done." Thy will be done! Tho' shrouded o'er Our path with gloom, all prayers in one Our souls before thy throne shall pour: "Our Father, let thy will be done." Thy will be done! The living way |