"Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest."-Ps. xciv. 12.
O SAVIOUR, whose mercy, afflicting in kindness,
Hast chastened my wanderings, and guided my way,
Adored be the power which illumined my blindness,
And weaned me from phantoms that smiled to betray.
Enchanted with all that was dazzling and fair,
I followed the rainbow, I caught at the toy;
And still, in displeasure, thy goodness was there,
Disappointing the hope, and defeating the joy.
The blossom blushed bright, but a worm was below:
The moonlight shone fair, there was blight in the beam;
Sweet whispered the beam, but it whispered of woe,
And bitterness flowed in the soft-flowing stream.
So, cured of my folly, yet cured but in part,
I turned to the refuge thy pity displayed;
And still did this eager and credulous heart
Weave visions of promise, that bloomed but to fade.
I thought that the course of the pilgrim to heaven
Would be bright as the summer, and glad as the morn:
Thou showedst me the path—it was dark and uneven,
All rugged with rock, and all tangled with thorn.
I dreamed of celestial rewards and renown;
I grasped at the triumph which blesses the brave;
I asked for the palm-branch, the robe, and the crown;
I asked-and thou showedst me a cross and a grave.
Subdued and instructed, at length to thy will
My hopes and my longings I faín would resign;
Oh! give me the heart that can wait and be still,
Nor know of a wish or a pleasure but thine.
There are mansions exempted from sin and from woe,
But they stand in a region by mortals untrod;
There are rivers of joy, but they roll not below;
There is rest, but it dwells in the presence of God.
IN songs of sublime adoration and praise,
Ye pilgrims for Zion who press,
Break forth and extol the great "Ancient of Days," For His rich and distinguishing grace.
His love, from eternity, fixed upon you,
Broke forth and discovered its flame,
When each with the cords of His kindness He drew,
And thus brought you to love His great name.
Oh! had He not pitied the state you were in,
Your bosoms His love had ne'er felt;
You all would have lived, would have died, too, in sin,
And then sunk with the load of your guilt!
What was there in you that could merit esteem,
Or give the Creator delight?
“'Twas even so, Father," you ever must sing,
"Because it seemed good in thy sight!"
'Twas all of thy grace we were brought to obey, While others are suffered to go
The road which by nature we chose as our way,
Which leads down to the chambers of woe!
Then give all the glory to His holy name;
To Him all the glory belongs;
Be yours the high joy still to sound forth His fame,
And to crown Him in each of your songs.
IN Nature's all-instructive book,
Where canst thou, O believer, look,
And not some pleasing lesson find,
To guide and fortify the mind?
The simple shell on yonder rock
May seem, perchance, this book to mock;
Approach it then, and learn its ways,
And learn the lesson it conveys.
At distance viewed, it seems to lie
On its rough bed so carelessly,
That 'twould an infant's hand obey,
Stretched forth to seize it in its play;
But let that infant's hand draw near,
It shrinks with quick, instinctive fear,
And clings as close as though the stone
It rests upon, and it, were one.
And should the strongest arm endeavour
The limpet from its rock to sever,
"Tis seen its loved support to grasp
With such tenacity of clasp,
We wonder that such strength should dwell
In such a small and simple shell!
And is not this a lesson worth
The study of the sons of earth?
Who need a Rock so much as we?
Ah! who to such a Rock can flee?
A Rock to strengthen, comfort, aid,
To guard, to shelter, and to shade;
A Rock, whence fruits celestial grow,
And whence refreshing waters flow.
No rock is like this Rock of ours!
Oh, then, if you have learnt your powers
By a just rule to estimate,
If justly you can calculate,
How great your need, your strength how frail,
When timid caution bids you fear
A moment of temptation near,
Let wakeful memory recur
To this your simple monitor,
And wisely shun the trial's shock,
By clinging closely to your Rock!
A THANKSGIVING.
AWAKE, my joy! awake, my song!
My heart, rebound! and sing, my tongue!
Yea, all my life, my daily praise
Shall grateful chant His sovereign grace;
Prevent each morning's early dawn,
Ere shines its light to gild the lawn.
An humble sacrifice I'll bring,
Reserved alone for Him I sing,
Whom present in my griefs I find,
When weak in heart, or faint in mind,
In each temptation with me still,
Nor yet forsakes my soul, nor will,
When safe I stand on Zion's hill!
GIVE me, my God, thy grace to know,
And guard my soul from every foe:
Reveal in me thy Son, to see
He lived, died, rose, and pleads for me:
And may the Spirit, by the word,
Unite my heart to Christ the Lord,
That I to God my life may spend,
And share the joys that never end!
A SKETCH OF THE ALPS AT DAYBREAK.
THE sunbeams streak the azure skies,
And line with light the mountain's brow;
With hounds and horns the hunters rise,
And chase the roebuck through the snow.
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