The royal eagle darteth
On his quarry from the heights, And the stag that knows no master, Seeks there his wild delights; But we for thy communion
Have sought the mountain sod,
For the strength of the hills, we bless thee,
Our God, our father's God.
THE DEPARTURE OF THE
CHRISTIAN.
DEAR as thou wert, and justly dear,
We will not weep for thee:
One thought shall check the starting tear,
It is that thou art free.
And thus shall faith's consoling power
The tears of love restrain;
Oh! who that saw thy parting hour,
Could wish thee here again?
Triumphant in thy closing eye,
The hope of glory shone;
Joy breathed in thy expiring sigh,
To think the fight was won.
Gently the passing spirit fled,
Sustained by grace divine;
Oh! may such grace on me be shed,
And make my end like thine.
THE USE OF FLOWERS.
GOD might have made the earth bring forth
Enough for great and small,
The oak-tree, and the cedar-tree,
Without a flower at all.
He might have made indeed enough,
For ev'ry want of ours;
For luxury, medicine, and toil,
And yet have made no flowers.
The ore within the mountain mine
Requireth none to grow,
Nor doth it need the lotus flower*
To make the river flow.
The clouds might give abundant rain,
The nightly dews might fall;
And the herb that keepeth life in man,
Might yet have drunk them all.
Then wherefore, wherefore were they made,
All dyed with rain-bow light:
All fashion'd with supremest grace,
Up springing day and night.
Springing in valleys green and low,
And on the mountains high, And in the silent wilderness, Where no man passes by ?
Our outward life requires them not-
Then wherefore had they birth?
To minister delight to man,
To beautify the earth;
To comfort man-to whisper life,
Whene'er his faith is dim;
For whoso careth for the flowers,
Will much more care for him!
GOD OUR HELPER.
THRICE happy man, whose soul is staid
On God's unseen but certain aid;
Beneath his shadow he'll retreat,
And never fear afflicting heat.
Hear what God utters from above-
"Since he has fixed on me his love,
Has known and has obeyed my will,
I'll place him out of reach of ill.
"Whene'er he prays, his prayer I'll hear,
I'll in his trouble still be near;
Not only him from guilt redeem,
But raise him in the world's esteem.
"He long shall happy live below,
My blessings him shall overflow;
When, languishing for heaven, he dies,
Eternal joys shall glad his eyes."
CONSIDER THE LILIES.
OBSERVE the rising lily's snowy grace;
Observe the various vegetable race;
They neither toil nor spin, but careless grow;
Yet see how warm they blush, how bright they
glow?
What royal vestments can with them compare ?
What King so shining, or what Queen so fair?
If, then, the fowls of heaven Jehovah feeds,
If o'er the fields such beauteous robes he spreads,
Will He not care for you, ye faithless say,
Is He unwise, or are ye less than they ?
NO INFLUENCE.
WHAT if the little rain should say,
"So small a drop as I,
Can ne'er refresh those thirsty fields,
I'll tarry in the sky ?"
What if a shining beam at noon,
Should in its fountain stay,
Because its feeble light alone
Cannot create a day?
Doth not each rain drop help to form
The cold refreshing shower;
And every ray of light to warm
And beautify the flower ?
AGAIN the week's dull labours close;
The sons of toil, from toil repose;
And fast the evening gloom descends,
While home the weary peasant wends.
This night his eyes, with slumber sweet,
Shall drop their lids; to-morrow greet
A day of calm content, and rest-
To labour's aching limbs how blest!
Now, ere I seek my peaceful bed,
And on the pillow rest my head,
Oh, come, my soul, and now survey
The mercies of the week and day!
From danger who my frame hath kept,
While waking, and what time I slept P-
Who hath my every want supplied,
And to my footsteps proved a guide ?
"Tis Thou, my God!—to Thee belong
Incense of praise, and hallowed song;
To Thee be all the glory given,
Of all my mercies under heaven.
From Thee my daily bread and health,
Each comfort-all my spirit's wealth
Have been derived; my sins alone,
And errings I can call my own.
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