Poetical Works
By
F. R. Havergal
PREFATORY NOTE
It is in answer to many
requests that the various poems, hymns, and songs of Frances Ridley Havergal are comprised in
this library edition. It will be obvious, there was
some difficulty in selecting the order of their sequence. We doubt not that the dear author’s own
arrangement in ‘Ministry of Song,’ ‘Under the Surface,’ and ‘Loyal Responses,’
will be generally preferred, and consequently they remain intact. To group
successfully poetic aspirations of such varied circumstances and ideas, ranging
from the sweet simplicities of her songs for the little ones, to those higher soarings which seem to culminate in ‘The Thoughts of God,’
was indeed a problem. And it is due to
my dear sister’s memory to state distinctly that she never contemplated the
publication of many impromptu verses, written to gratify young friends, or in
the utterance of rapid imaginings. When
F. R. H. was arranging a selection for the first illustrated volume, ‘Life
Mosaic,’ she submitted her poems to her poet friend, the Rev. R. Wilton,
earnestly soliciting him to prune away
with unsparing keenness ‘any of my weaker poems.’ And we are aware that other poet critics
would prefer only the finer chords to be lasting echoes of F. R. H.
But there are many, oh, so
many, who lovingly treasure even the spray of her pen, as well as the nobler
waves of thought, and so we open and unseal all the manuscripts in her study
drawers. For some of her simpler utterances
seem to go at once to the heart of those in humbler life, and their intellect
can better grasp such thoughts than the loftier flights of her
imagination. By them it is not as a
feast of intellect, but as heart cheer for home sorrows, that F. R. H.'s lowliest lays are prized.
The arrangement is
subjective, not chronological. But in the Index will be found the dates and
places of her poems; we are aware this is unusual, but it would seem as if her
sunny presence and springing footsteps may thus still linger in our midst. It
is with pleasure that I entrust to my dear niece, Frances Anna Shaw, the entire
arrangement and revision of this complete and final edition. It was no slight
labour to prepare the various dates and subdivide the numerous subjects into
their present order. In shattered health, I thankfully accept my niece’s
skilful labour. And we would bring these pages with loyal loving hand to the
very feet of F. R. H.'s Master and King, re‑echoing
words, which seem to float down from the golden heights where now my sister
stands amid the upper choir, joining the service of high praise in the ‘Eternal
Land:’
‘I have no words to bring
Worthy of Thee my King,
And yet one anthem in
Thy praise
I long; I long to raise.’
‘One anthem’? Have they not been countless? has not her
silver refrain echoed and re-echoed till many an isolated and trembling one has
taken up in a gathering and rejoicing chorus, ‘Unto Him
that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and hath made us
kings and priests unto God and His Father; to Him be glory and dominion for
ever and ever. Amen.’
And does not F. R. H.'s earliest prelude become a fitting closing chord to her
life and poems, -
‘Amid the broken waters
of our ever-restless thought,
To
that enkindling Light, for which all earthly shadows
yearn.
Oh be
my verse a hidden stream, which silently may flow
1
MISUNDERSTOOD
People do not understand
me,
Their ideas are
not like mine;
All advances seem
to land me
Still
outside their guarded shrine.
So you turn from simple joyance,
Loosing many a
mutual good,
Weary with
the chill annoyance
So
to be misunderstood.
Let me try to lift the curtain
Hiding other
hearts from view;
You complain, but are you certain
That the fault is not with you?
‘But my key-note,’ are
you thinking.
‘Will not
modulate to theirs?’
Seek! and subtle chords enlinking,
Soon shall blend
the differing airs.
Fairly sought, some
point of contact
There must be
with every mind;
And, perchance,
the closest compact
Where we least
expect to find.
Perhaps the heart you meet so coldly
Burns with deepest lava-glow;
Wisely pierce the
crust, and boldly,
And a fervid
stream shall flow.
Dialects of love are
many,
Though the
language be but one;
Study all you can, or any,
While life’s precious school-hours run.
Closed the heart-door of thy brother,
All its treasures
long concealed?
One key fails, then try another,
Soon the rusty lock shall yield.
Few have not some hidden
trail,
And could symphathize with thine;
Do not take it as
denial
That
you see no outward sign.
Silence is no certain
token
That no secret
grief is there;
Sorrow which is
never spoken
Is the heaviest
load to bear.
Seldom can the heart be
lonely,
If it seek a lonlier still,
Self-forgetting, seeking only
Emptier cups of love to fill.
‘T will not be fruitless
labour,
Overcome this ill
with good;
Try to
understand your neighbour,
And
you will be understood.
2
NOTHING TO PAY
Never a word of excuse to say!
Hear the voice of
Jesus say,
‘Verily thou hast
nothing to pay!
Ruined, lost art thou, and yet
I forgive thee all that debt.’
Nothing to pay! The debt is so great;
What will you do with the awful weight?
How shall the way of escape be made?
Nothing to pay! Yet it must be paid!
Hear the voice of
Jesus say,
‘Verily thou hast
nothing to pay!
All has been put to my account,
I have paid the full amount.’
Nothing to pay; yes,
nothing to pay!
Jesus has cleared all
the debt away;
Blotted it out with His
bleeding hand!
Free and forgiven and
loved you stand.
Hear the voice of Jesus say,
‘Verily thou hast nothing to pay!
Paid is the debt, and the
debtor free!
Now I ask thee, lovest thou Me?’
3
Valiant for the Truth
‘Ye should earnestly contend
for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.’ JUDE 3
UNFURL the Christian
Standard! Lift it manfully on high,
And rally where its shining folds wave out against the sky!
Away with weak
half-heartedness, with faithlessness and fear!
Unfurl the
Christian Standard, and follow with a cheer!
Uplifted for the
cause of Christ, the cause of Truth and
Right;
The cause that
none can overthrow, the cause that must prevail,
Because the Promise of the Lord can never,
never fail!
Be strong, and
show that ye are men! Come forth with
sword and shield!
What peace, while
traitorous Evil stalks in false array of light?
What peace, while
enemies of Christ are gathering for the fight?
For no pale flag of compromise with Error’s
legion bands,
And no
faint-hearted flag of truce with Mischief and with Wrong,
Should
lead the soldiers of the Cross, the faithful and the strong.
The noble army
who have won the martyr’s crown of life;
Our ancestors
could die for Truth, could brave the deadly glow,
And shall we let
the standard fall, and yield it to the foe?
For it shall be victorious, this
Standard of the Cross!
It shall not suffer, though ye rest beneath your
sheltering trees,
And cast away the victor’s crown for love of timid ease.
4
Thine Eyes Shall See
“Thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty: they shall behold a far
stretching land:” (Isaiah 33:
17).
Thine eyes shall see! Yes, thine,
who, blind erewhile,
Now
trembling towards the new-found light dost flee,
Thine
eyes
shall see! Not in some dream ELysian,
Not
in thy fancy, glowing though it be,
Not
e’en in faith, but in unveiled vision,
Thine
eyes
shall see!
Thine
eyes shall
see! Not on thyself depend
God’s
promises, the faithful, firm, and free;
Ere
they shall fail, earth, heaven itself, must end:
Thine
eyes shall
see!
Thine
eyes shall see! Not in a
swift glance cast,
Gleaning
one ray to brighten memory,
But
while a glad eternity shall last,
Thine
eyes shall see!
Thine
eyes shall see the King! The
very same
Whose
love shone forth upon the curseful tree,
Who
bore the guilt, who calleth thee by name;
Thine
eyes shall see!
Thine
eyes shall see the King! The mighty One,
The
many- crowned, the Light enrobed; and He
Shall
bid thee share the kingdom He hath won,
Thine
eyes shall see!
And
in
His beauty! Stay thee,
mortal song,
The
‘altogether lovely’ One must be
Unspeakable
in glory, - yet ere long
Thine
eyes shall see!
Yes!
Though the land be ‘very far’ away,
A
step, a moment, ends the toil for thee;
Then,
changing grief for gladness, night for day,
Thine
eyes shall see!
5
BE
NOT WEARY
Yes!
He knows the way is dreary,
Knows
the weakness of our frame,
Knows
that hand and heart are weary;
He,
‘in all points,’ felt the same.
He
is near to help and bless;
Be
not weary, onward press. [Phil. 3: 14.]
Look
to Him who once was willing
All
His glory to resign,
That,
for thee the law fulfilling,
All
His merit might be thine.
Strive to follow day by day
Where His footsteps
mark the way.
Look
to Him, the Lord of glory,
Tasting
death to win thy life;
Gazing
on ‘that wonderous story,’
Canst
thou falter in the strife?
Is
it not new life to know
That
the Lord hath loved thee so?
Look
to Him who ever liveth,
Interceding
for His own:
Seek,
Yea, claim the grace He giveth
Freely from His priestly throne.
Will
He not thy strength renew
With His Spirit’s quickening dew?
Look
to Him, and faith shall brighten,
Hope
shall soar, and love shall burn;
Peace
once more thy heart shall lighten
Rise!
He calleth thee, return!
Be
not weary on the way,
Jesus
is thy strength and stay.
6
God
doth not bid thee wait
To
disappoint at last;
A
golden promise, fair and great,
In
precept-mould is cast.
Soon
shall the morning guild
The
dark horizon-rim,
Thy
heart’s desire shall be fulfilled,
‘Wait
patiently for Him.’
The
weary waiting times
Are
but the muffled pearls
Low
preluding celestial chimes,
That hail His chariot-wheels.
Trust
Him to tune thy voice
To
blend with seraphim;
His
‘wait’ shall issue in ‘rejoice!’
‘Wait
patiently
for Him.’
He doth
not bid thee wait,
Like
drift-wood on the wave,
For
fickle chance of fixed fate
To ruin or to save.
Thine
eyes shall surely see,
No
distant hope or dim,
The
Lord thy God arise for thee:
‘Wait
patiently for Him.’
7
THE
TURNED LESSON
‘I thought
I knew it!’ she said,
‘I
thought I had learnt it quite!’
But
the gentle Teacher shook her head,
With
a grave yet loving light
In
the eyes that fell on the upturned face,
As
she gave the book
With
the mark still set in the self-same place.
‘I thought
I knew it!’ she said;
And
a heavy tear fell down,
As
she turned away with bending head,
Yet
not for reproof or frown,
Not
for the lesson to learn again,
Or
the play-hour lost; -
It
was something else that gave the pain.
She
could not have put it in words,
But
the Teacher understood,
As
God understands the chirp of the birds
In the depth of an autumn wood.
And
a quiet touch on the reddening cheek
Was
quite enough;
No
need to question, no need to speak.
Then
the gentle voice was heard,
‘Now
I will try you again!’
And
the lesson was mastered, - every word!
Was it not worth the pain?
Was
it not kinder the task to turn,
Than
to let it pass,
As
a lost, lost leaf that she did not learn?
Is
it not often so,
That
we only learn in part,
And
the Master’s testing-time may show
That it was not quite ‘by
heart’?
Then
He gives, in His wise and patient grace,
That
lesson again
With
the mark still set in the self-same place.
Only,
stay by His side
Till the page is really known,
It may
be we failed because we tried,
To learn it all alone.
And
now that He would not let us lose
One
lesson of love
(For
He knows the loss) – can we refuse?
But
oh! How could we dream
That
we knew it all so well?
Reading
so fluently, as we deem,
What
we could not even spell!
And
Oh! How could we grieve once more
That
patient One
Who
has turned so many a task before?
That
waiting One, who now
Is letting us try again;
Watching
us with the patient brow
That
bore the wreath of pain;
Thoroughly
teaching what He would teach.
Line
upon line,
Thoroughly doing His work in each.
Then
let our hearts ‘be still,’
Though
our task is turned to-day
Oh
let Him teach us what He will,
In
His own gracious way,
Till,
sitting only at Jesu’s feet,
As
we learn each line,
The
hardest is found all clear and sweet
8
CLOUDS
IN PROSPECT
Oh
pleasant have the hours of my early childhood been,
When
all around me seemed enrobed in brightly glittering sheen;
When
a thousand rainbow tints were in every simple flower,
And
a thousand new delights came with every sunny hour;
When
I thought the merry birds trilled their carols all for me,
And
with heart and voice I joined in their joyous melody;
When
all heedless of the darkening storm, I loved the purple cloud,
And listened with delight to the thunder pealing loud.
In
those happy days of childhood, I did not think or see
That
many trials might be waiting even then for me;
But
now, though yet I meet them not, I know that they must stand
In many a varied shape or form, unseen on every hand.
As
yet from weary troubles, thank God, I have been free;
Oh,
surely there are few who have what is vouchsafed to me!
But
one eclipse hath shadowed o’er my childhood’s sunny hours,
And
now its sharpness seemeth past, that thorn ‘mid many flowers.
But
still the saddening feeling cometh oftener than before,
That
many a future sorrow e’en for me may be in store;
For
all around me seem to have some wearying care or grief,
From
which they scarcely dare to hope on earth to find relief.
And
my memory loves to dwell upon the merry careless hours,
When I thought the world a thornless
garden full of lovely flowers.
9
[From ‘unfinished fragments’. – Ed.
‘Arise,
depart! For this is not your rest!’ [Heb. 4: 1, 8, 9.]
The
Voice fell strangely on the sleeping fold,
As
fell the starlight’s quivering gold
Upon
the dusky lake’s untroubled breast,
And
yet the Shepherd’s hand had led them there,
And made them to lie down amid the pastures fair.
‘Arise
ye, and depart!’ The morning rays
Lift
up the emerald slope and crystal pool,
Sweet
sustenance for many days,
And
quiet resting places, calm and cool.
They
knew not why, nor whither, yet they went!
His
own hand put them forth, and so they were content.
2
The
Master will guide your weary feet,
Choosing
for each, and choosing aright
[A
rest remaining, from the summer heat;
For
some to
see glory on the Alpine height,]
And
to feel the breezes fresh and free
And
the changed charm of wave and sea.
And
so they followed Him, they could not stay
After
He had risen, they thought of another ‘Day,’
Of
harvest fields and woodland dells;
For
some
it may be the quiet gloom
Of the suffering couch in the shaded room.
Master,
our Master, oh let it be
That
our leisure and rest will then be with Thee,
10
SUNSET
How
pleasant is the eventide
To
walk with friends we love:
And
think and speak of Him who died,
And
who now reigns above.
Is
there a subject half so sweet,
On
which our thoughts could dwell?
No, ‘t is a theme for angels meet,
Though we of it may tell.
The
beauties that around we see,
On
this calm lovely eve,
Show
forth His love to you and me,
If
we this love believe.
The
sunset paints the western sky
With
colours fair and bright;
But
we will raise our wondering eye
To scenes of heavenly light.
The
clouds that round their Monarch stay
A
light and radiance gain;
While
those which tarry far away
Such
brightness ne’ er attain.
So
those who, in this wilderness
Still
near their Master stay,
The
beauty gain of holiness,
Of
heaven’s own light a ray.
Now,
soon the darkening shades of night
Will
o’er these scenes be thrown,
The
sun’s last ray of golden light
Will far away be flown.
Then
hasten to our heavenly home,
Where
shades of darkness never come,
Where
there is no more night.
11
MATTHEW 14: 23
It
is the quiet evening time, the sun was 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 flowers close their eyelids on the
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 lowly 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 even 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? For Himself He needeth
nought;
Nor
strength, nor peace, nor pardon, where of sin there is no spot;
But ‘t is 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 of 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 mountain that Voice is pleading still;
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 loving prayer;
Yes!
Till each ransomed one hath gained His home of joy and peace,
That
Fount of blessings all untold shall never, never cease.
12
EASTER
DAWN
(Written in pencil the early dawn of her last Easter Day,
April 1879
It is
too calm to be a dream,
Too
gravely sweet, too full of power,
Prayer
changed to praise this very hour!
Yes,
heard and answered! Though it seem
Beyond
the hope of yesterday,
Beyond
the faith that dared to pray,
Yet
not beyond the love that heard,
And
not beyond the faithful word
On
which each trembling prayer may rest,
And
win the answer truly best.
Yes,
heard and answered! Sought I found!
I
breathe a golden atmosphere
Of
solemn joy, and seem to hear
Within,
above, and all around,
The
chime of deep cathedral bells,
An
early herald pearl that tells
A
glorious Easter tide begun;
While
yet are sparkling in the sun
Large
raindrops of the night storm past,
And
days of Lent are gone as last.
13
SHINING
Are
you shining
for Jesus, dear one?
You
have given your heart to Him;
But
is the light strong within it,
Or
is it but pale and dim?
Can
everybody
see it, -
That Jesus is all to you?
That
your love to Him is burning
With
radiance warm and true?
Is
the seal upon your forehead,
So
that it must be known
That
you are ‘all for Jesus,’ –
That your heart is all His own?
2
Are
you shining for Jesus, dear one?
You
remember the first sweet ray,
When
the sun arose upon you
And
brought the gladsome day;
When
you heard the gospel message,
And
Jesus Himself drew near,
And
helped you to trust Him simply,
And
took away your fear;
When
the darkness and the shadows
Fled
like a weary night,
And
you felt that you could praise Him,
And
everything seemed bright.
3
Are
you shining for Jesus, dear one,
So
that the holy light
May
enter the hearts of others,
And
make them glad and bright?
Have
you spoken a word for Jesus,
And
told to some around,
Who
do not care about Him,
What
a Saviour you have found?
Have
you lifted the lamp for others,
That
has guided your own glad feet?
Have
you echoed the loving message,
That
seemed to you so sweet?
4
Are
you shining for Jesus, dear one, -
Shining
for Him all day,
Letting
the light burn always
Along the varied way?
Always,
- when those beside you
Are
walking in the dark?
Always, - when no one is
helping,
Or heeding your tiny spark?
Not
idly letting it flicker
In
every passing breeze
Of
pleasure or temptation,
Of trouble or of ease?
5
Are
you shining for Jesus, dear one, -
Shining
just everywhere,
Not
only in easy places,
Not
only just here or there?
Shining
in happy gatherings,
Where
all are loved and known?
Shining
where all are strangers?
Shining
when quite alone?
Shining
at home, and making
True sunshine all around?
Shining
abroad, and faithful –
Perhaps among faithless - found?
6
Are
you shining for Jesus, dear one,
Not for yourself at all?
Not
because dear ones, watching,
Would
grieve if your lamp should fall?
Shining because you are
walking
In the Sun’s unclouded
rays,
And you cannot help reflecting
The light on which
you gaze?
Shineth becaust it shineth
So
warm and bright above,
That
you must
let out the gladness,
And
you
must show forth the love?
7
Are you shining for Jesus, dear one?
Or
is there a little sigh
That
the lamp His live had lighted
Does
not burn clear and high?
Is
the heavenly crown that waits you,
Still,
still without a star, [Rev.
3: 11, 12.]
Because
your light was hidden,
And
sent not rays afar?
Do
you feel you have not loved Him
With
a love right brave and loyal,
But
have faintly fought and followed
His banner bright and royal?
8
Oh,
come again to Jesus!
Come
as you came at first,
And
tell Him all that hinders,
And
tell him all the worst;
And
take His sweet forgiveness
As
you took it once before,
And
hear His kind voice saying,
‘Peace!
Go, and sin no more!’
Then
ask for grace and courage
His name to glorify,
That never more His
precious light
Your dimness may deny.
9
Then
rise, and, ‘watching daily,’
Ask Him your lamp to trim
With the fresh oil He
giveth, [Acts 5:32b]
That
it may not burn dim.
Yes,
rise and shine for Jesus! Be brave, and bright, and true
To
the true and loving Saviour,
Who
gave Himself for you.
Oh,
shine for Jesus, dear one,
And
henceforth be your way
Bright
with the light that shineth
Unto the perfect ‘day’
! [1Pet. 1: 5-7; 2 Pet. 3: 8.]
14
GROWING
Unto him that hath, Thou givest
Ever ‘more abundantly.’
Lord, I live because Thou livest,
Therefore give more life to me;
Therefore speed
me in the ‘race;’ [1 Cor. 9: 24.]
Therefore let me grow in grace.
2
Deepen all Thy work, O master,
Strengthen every downward root,
Only do thou ripen faster,
More and more, Thy plesant
fruit.
Purge me, prune me, self abase,
Only let me grow in grace.
3
Jesus, grace for grace outpouring,
Show me ever greater things;
Raise me higher, sunward soaring,
Mounting as on eagle’s wings.
By the brightness of Thy face,
Jesus, let me grow in grace.
4
Let me grow by sun and shower,
Every moment water me;
Make me really hour by hour
More and more conformed to Thee,
That Thy loving eye may trace,
Day be day, my growth in grace.
5
Let me then be always growing,
Never, never, standing still;
Listening, learning, better knowing
Thee and Thine most blessed will.
Till I reach Thy holy place,
Daily let me grow in grace.
15
RESTING
‘This is the rest, give ye rest to him that is weary; and this
is the refreshing: yet they would not hear’ – Isaiah
28: 12.
1
Resting
on the faithfulness of Christ our Lord;
Resting
on the faithfulness of His own sure word; *
Resting
on His power, on His love untold;
Resting
on His covenant secured of old.
2
Resting
‘neath His guiding hand for untracked days;
Resting
‘neath His shadow from the moontide
rays;
Resting
at the eventide beneath His wing,
In the fair pavilion of our Saviour King.
3
Resting
in the fortress while the foe is high;
Resting
in the lifeboat while the waves roll high;
Resting
in His chariot for the swift glad race;
Resting,
always resting in His boundless grace.
4
Resting
in the pastures, and beneath the Rock; **
Resting
by the waters where He leads His [little] flock;
Resting,
while we listen, at His glorious feet;
Resting
on His very arms! – O rest complete!
5
Resting
and believing, let us onward press,***
Resting
in Himself, the Lord our Righteousness;
Resting
and rejoicing, let His saved ones sing,
Glory, glory, glory **** be to Christ our King!
[* Heb. 4: 8, 9; ** Dan. 2: 35; Mark
12: 10; Luke 20: 17; *** Phil. 3: 14; **** Num. 14: 22, 23; John 17: 24; Heb. 2: 10]
16
I
REMEMBER THEE
1
My
Lord, dost Thou indeed remember me,
Just me, the least and last?
With
all the names of Thy redeemed,
And
all Thy angels, has it seemed
As
though my name might perhaps be overpassed;
Yet
here I find Thy word of tenderest grace,
True
for this moment, perfect for my case, -
‘Thus
saith Jehovah, I remember thee!’
2
My
Lord, dost Thou remember this
of me,
The kindness of my youth? –
The
tremulous gleams of early days,
The
first faint thrills of love and praise,
Vibrating
fitfully? Not much in truth,
Can
I bring back at memory’s wondering call;
Yet
Thou, my faithful Lord, rememberest all, -
‘Thus
saith Jehovah, I remember thee!’
3
My love, so poor, so cold?
Oh,
if I had but loved Thee more!
Yet
Thou hast pardoned. Let me pour
My life’s best wine for Thee, my heart’s best gold
(Worthless,
yet all I have), for very shame
That
Thou shouldst tell me, calling me by name, -
‘Thus
saith Jehovah, I remember thee!’
4
[In] The day of Thine own power?
The
love of mine espousals sweet,
The
lying wholly at Thy feet
Of heart and life, in that glad, willing hour?
That
love was Thine – I gave Thee but Thine own,
And
yet the voice falls from the emerald throne, -
‘Thus
saith Jehovah, I remember thee!’
Forgetting
every
fall,
Forgetting
all the tretcherous days,
Forgetting
all the wandering ways,
With
fullness of forgiveness covering all;
Casting
these memories, a hideous store,
Into
the crimson sea, for evermore,
And only saying, ‘I remember thee!’
Then
let
me not forget!
Oh,
be Thy kindness all the [remaining] way,
Thy
everlasting love to-day,
In
sweet perpetual rememberance set
Before
my view, to fill my marvelling gaze,
And
stir my love, and lift my life to praise,
Becaust Thou sayest, ‘I remember thee!’
17
TRUST
AND DISTRUST
Distrust thyself, but trust His grace;
It is enough for thee!
In every trial thou shalt trace
Its all-sufficiency.
Distrust thyself, but trust His strength;
In Him thou shalt be strong:
His weakest ones may learn at length
A daily triumph-song.
Distrust thyself, but trust his love;
Rest in His changeless glow:
And life or death shall only prove
It everlasting flow.
Distrust thyself, but trust alone
In Him, for all – for ever!
And joyously thy heart shall own
That Jesus faileth never.
18
WITHOUT
CAREFULNESS
‘I would have you to be free from cares,’ – 1 Cor. 7: 32, R.V.
Master!
How shall I bless Thy name
For
Thy tender love to me,
For
Thy sweet enablings of Thy grace,
So
sovereign, yet so free,
That have taught me to obey Thy word
And
cast my care on thee!
For
discipline of life,
Of
long anxieties and doubts,
Of
struggle and of strife,
Of
a path of dim perplexities
With fears and shadows rife.
Oh,
I have trod that weary path,
With
burdens not a few,
With
shadowy faith that Thou wouldst lead
And
help me safely through,
Trying
to follow and obey,
And
bear my burdens too.
Master!
Dear Master, Thou didst speak,
And
yet I did not hear,
Or
long ago I might have ceased
From
every care and fear,
And
gone rejoicing on my way
From brightening year to year.
Just
now and then some steeper slope
Would
seem so hard to climb,
That
I must cast my load
on Thee;
And
I left it for a time,
And
wondered at the joy of heart,
Like
sweetest Christmas chime.
A
step or two on weighted feet,
And
then I turned to share
The
burden Thou hast taken up
Of
ever-pressing care;
So
what I would not leave with Thee
Of
course I had to bear.
At
last Thy precious precepts fell
On
opened heart and ear,
A
varied and repeated strain
I
could not chose but hear,
Enlinking promise to command,
Like
harp and clarion clear:
‘No
anxious thought upon Thy brow
The
watching world should see;
No
carefulness! O child of God,
For
nothing
careful be!
But
cast thou all thy care on Him
Who
always cares for thee.’
Did
not Thy loving Spirit come
In
gentle, gracious shower,
To
work Thy pleasure in my soul
In
that bright, blessed hour,
And
to the word of strong command
Add faith and will and power?
It
was Thy word, it was Thy will –
That
was enough for me!
Henceforth
no care should dim my trust,
For
all is cast on Thee;
Henceforth
my inmost heart shall praise
The grace that set me free.
And
now I find the promise true,
Of
perfect peace and rest;
I
cannot sigh – I can but sing
While
leaning on Thy breast,
And
leaving everything to Thee,
Whose
ways are always best.
I
never thought it could be thus, -
Month
after month to know
The
river of Thy peace without
One
ripple in its flow;
Without
one quiver in the trust,
One flicker in its glow.
Oh,
Thou hast done far more for me
Than
I had asked or thought:
I
stand and marvel to behold
What
Thou, my Lord, hast wrought,
And
wonder what glad lessons yet
I
shall be daily taught.
How
shall I praise Thee, saviour dear,
For
this new life so sweet,
For
taking all the care I laid
At
thy beloved feet,
Keeping
Thy hand upon my heart
To
still each anxious beat!
I
want to praise, with life renewed,
As
I never praised before;
With
voice and pen, with song and speech,
To
praise Thee more and more,
And
the gladness of the gratitude
Rejoicingly outpour.
I
long to praise Thee more, and yet
This
is no care to me:
If
Thou shalt fill my mouth with songs,
Then
I will sing to Thee;
And
if my silence praise Thee best,
Then
silent I will be.
Yet
if it be thy will, dear Lord,
Oh,
send me forth, to be
Thy
messenger to careful hearts,
To
bid them taste and see
How
good Thou art to those who cast
19
COMPENSATION
O
the compensating springs! O the balance wheels of life,
Hidden
away in the workings under the seeming strife!
Slowing
the feet and the friction, weighing the whirl and the force,
Evolving the truest power from each unconscious source.
How
shall we gage the whole, who can only guess a part?
How
can we read the life, when we cannot spell the heart?
How
shall we measure another, we who can never know
From
the juttings above the surface the depth of the vein Below?
Even
our present way is known to ourselves alone,
Height
and abyss and torrent, flower and thorn and stone;
But
we gaze on another’s path as a far-off mountain scene,
Scanning the outlined hills, but never the vales between.
How
shall we judge their present, we who have never seen
That
which is past forever, and that which might have been?
Measuring
by ourselves, unwise indeed are we,
Measuring
what we know by what we can hardly see.
Ah!
If we knew it all, we should surely understand
That
the balance of sorrow and joy is held with an even hand,
That
the scale of success or loss shall never overflow,
And
that compensation is twined with the lot of high and low.
The
easy path in the lowland hath little of grand or new,
But
a toilsome ascent leads on to a wild and glorious view;
Peopled
and warm is the valley, lonely and chill the height,
But
the peak that is nearer the storm-cloud is nearer the stars of light.
Launch
on the foaming stream that bears you along like a dart, -
There
is danger of rapid and rock, there is tension of
muscle and heart;
Glide
on the easy current, monotonous, calm, and slow,
You
are spared the quiver and strain in the safe and quiet Flow.
O
the sweetness that dwells in a harp of many strings,
While
each, all vocal with love, in tuneful harmony rings!
But
O, the wail of the discord, when one and another is Rent
Tensionless, broken, or lost, from the cherished
instrument.
For
rapture of love is linked with the pain or fear of loss,
And
the hand that takes the crown must ache with many A
cross;
Yet
he who hath never a conflict hath never a victor’s palm,
And
only the toilers know the sweetness of rest and calm.
Only
between the storms can the Alpine traveller know
Transcendent
glory of clearness, marvels of gleam and glow;
Had
he the brightness unbroken of cloudless summer days,
This
had been dimmed by the dust and the veil of a brooding haze.
Who
would dare the choice, neither or both to know,
The finest quiver of joy or the agony-thrill of woe?
Never
the exquisite pain, then never the exquisite bliss,
For
the heart that is dull to that can never be strong to this.
Great
is the peril or toil if the glory or gain be great;
Never
an earthly gift without responsible weight;
Never
a treasure without a following shade of care;
Never
a power without the lurk of a subtle snare.
For
the swift is not the safe, and the sweet is not the strong;
The
smooth is not the short, and the keen is not the long;
The
much is not the most, and the wide is not the deep;
And
the flow is never a spring, when the ebb is only neap.
Then
hush! Oh, hush! For the Father knows what thou knowest
not,
The
need and the thorn and the shadow linked with the fairest lot;
Knows
the wisest exemption from many an unseen snare,
Knows
what will keep thee nearest, knows what thou could’st
not bear.
Hush!
Oh, hush! For the Father portioneth as He will,
To
all His beloved children, and shall they not be still?
Is
not His will the wisest, is not His choice the best?
And
in perfect acquiescence is there not perfect rest?
Hush!
Oh, hush! For the Father whose ways are true and just,
Knoweth
and careth and loveth, and waits for thy perfect trust;
The
cup He is slowly filling shall soon be full to the brim,
And
infinite compensations for ever be found in Him.
Hush!
Oh, hush! For the Father hath fullness of joy in store,
Treasures
of power and wisdom, and pleasures for evermore;
Blessing
and honour and glory, endless, infinite bliss; -
Child
of His love and His choice, oh, canst thou not wait for this?
20
LIGHT
AND SHADE
Light!
Emblem of all good and joy!
Shade!
Emblem of all ill!
And
yet in this strange mingled life,
We
need the shadow still.
A
lamp with softly shaded light,
To
soothe and spare the tender sight,
Will
only throw
A
brighter glow
Upon our books and work below.
We
could not bear unchanging day,
However
fair its light;
Ere
long the wearied eye would hail,
As boon untold, the evening pale.
The solace of the night.
And
who would prize our summer glow
If
winter gloom we did not know?
Or
rightly praise
The
glad spring rays
Who
never saw our rainy days?
How
grateful in Arabian plain
Of
white and sparkling sand,
The
shadow of a mighty rock
Across
the weary land!
And
where the tropic glories rise,
Responsive
to the fiery skies,
We
could not dare
To
meet the glare,
Or
blindness were our bitter share.
Where
is the soul so meek and pure,
Who
through his earthly days
Life’s
fullest sunshine could endure,
In
clear and cloudless blaze!
The
sympathetic eye would dim,
And
others pine unmarked by him,
Where
no chill shade
Around
him laid,
And
light of joy could never fade.
He,
who the light-commanding word
Erst spake, and formed the eye,
Knows
what that wondeerous eye can bear,
And
tempers with providing care,
By
cloud and night, all hurtful glare,
By shadows ever nigh.
So
in all wise and loving ways
He
blends the shadows of our days,
To
win our sight
From
scenes of night,
To seek the ‘True and holy Light.’
We
need some shadow o’er our bliss,
Lest
we forget the Giver:
So,
often in our deepest joy
There
comes a solemn quiver;
We
could not tell from whence it came,
The
subtle cause we cannot name;
Its
twilight fall
May
well recall
Calm
thought of Him who gave us all.
There
are who all undazzled tread
Awhile
the sunshine plain;
But
they have sought the blessed shade
By
one great Rock of Ages made,
A sure, safe rest to gain.
Unshaded light of earth soon blinds
To
light of heaven sincerest minds:
O
envy not
A
cloudless lot!
We
ask indeed we know not what.
So
it is here, so is it now!
Not
always will it be!
There
is a land that needs no shade,
A
morn will rise which cannot fade,
And
we, like flame-robed angels made,
That
glory
soon may see.
No
cloud upon its radient joy,
No
shadow o’er its bright employ,
No
sleep, no night,
But
perfect sight,
The Lord our Everlasting Light.
21
ADVENT
THOUGHTS
‘Behold, the Bridegroom cometh!’ – Matt.
25:6.
1
O
HERALD whisper falling
Upon
the passing night,
Mysteriously
calling
The
children of the Light!
He cometh; Oh, He cometh!
Our
own beloved Lord!
This
blessed hope up-summeth
Our undeserved reward.
He cometh! Though the hour,
Nor
earth nor heaven may know,
Sure
is the word of power,
‘He cometh!’ Even so!
‘Look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth
nigh,’ – Luke 21: 28.
2
Advent
shadows gather deep,
Wars
of desolations,
Troubled
wakings, troubled sleep,
Rushing of the nations.
Advent
glory,
grand and clear,
Herald
flashes flingeth;
And
the Judge who draweth near,
Full
salvation bringeth.
22
RHYMED
MOTTOES for the
members of the Open-Air Mission.
1
‘Occupy till I come,’ – Luke
19: 13.
‘Occupy
till I return:’
Let
us, Lord, this lesson learn;
May
our every moment be
Faithfully filled up for Thee.
2
‘Be not far from me,’ – Psalm
21: 11.
Be
not far from me, we pray:
‘I
am with thee all the day;’
This my answer, strong and clear!
Master,
Thou art always near.
3
‘He is faithful that promised,’ – Hebrews 10: 23.
Thou
art faithful; praise Thy name,
Thou
art evermore the same;
Thou
hast promised; Oh, how blest
On
Thy royal word to rest!
4
‘He that winneth souls is wise,’
Proverbs 11: 30.
‘He
that winneth souls is wise’
In
the Master’s gracious eyes;
Well
may we contented be
To be contented fools for Thee.
5
‘Redeeming the time,’ – Colossians 4: 5.
So
may we redeem the time,
That with every evening chime
Our
rejoicing hearts may see
Blood-bought
souls brought back to Thee.
6
‘Lay up His words in thine heart,’-
Let
us, by Thy Spirit stirred,
In our hearts lay up Thy word.
Daily,
Lord, increase our store,
Fill
our treasures more and more.
23
VERSES
ON TEXTS
1
‘Be quiet; fear not.’ – Isaiah
7: 4.
Thou
layest Thy hand on the fluttering heart,
And
sayest, ‘Be still!’
The
silence and shadow are only a part
Of Thy sweet will.
Thy
Presence is with me, and where thou art
‘The Lord shall open unto thee His good treasure, the heaven
to give the rain unto land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine
hand,’ – Deuteronomy 28: 12.
His
love is the key and His glory the measure
Of
grace all-abounding and knowledge of light:
To
thee shall be opened this infinite treasure,
To thee, the unsearchable riches of Christ.
‘With Him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the Lord our God
to help us, and to fight our battles.
And the people rested themselves upon the words of Hezekiah of Judah,’
– 2 Chronicles 32: 8.
Upon
Thy word I rest,
So
strong, so sure;
So
full of comfort blest,
So sweet, so pure.
The
word that changesth not, that faileth never!
My
King! I rest upon Thy word for ever.
‘Rest in the Lord (“Be silent
to the Lord,” margin), and wait patiently for
Him,’ – Psalm 37: 7.
Rest,
and be silent! For, faithfully listening,
Patiently
waiting, thine eyes shall behold
Perils
in the waters of quietness glistening,
Treasures of promise that He shall unfold.
Rest,
and be silent! For Jesus is here,
Calming
and stilling each ripple of fear.
‘Write ye also for the Jews, as it liketh
you, in the king’s name, and seal it with the king’s ring: for the writing
which is written in the king’s name, and sealed with the king’s ring, may no
man reverse,’ – Esther 8: 8.
For
He hath given us a changeless writing,
Royal
decrees that light and gladness bring;
Signed
with his name in glorious inditing,
Sealed
on our hearts with His own signet ring.
‘Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth
itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought
to the obedience of Christ,’ – 2 Corinthians 10: 5.
Let
every thought
Be
captive brought,
Lord
Jesus Christ, to Thine own sweet obedience!
That
I may know
In
ebbless flow,
The perfect peace of full and pure allegiance.
7
‘Moreover also I gave
them my Sabbaths, to be a sign between Me
and them, that they might know that I am the lord that sanctify them,’-
Ezekiel 20: 12.
The
token of His truth and care, the gift that He hath blessed,
The
pledge of our inheritance, the earnest of His rest;
The
diamond hours of holy light, the God-entrusted leisure:
Oh
for
a heart to prize aright this rich and heavenly treasure!
8
‘Even so, Father: for it seemed
good in Thy sight,’ – Matthew 11: 26.
And
if it seemed good to Thee, my Father’
Shall
it seem aught but good to me?
Thy
will be done! Thou knowest I would rather
Leave
all to Thee.
9
‘O send out Thy light and Thy truth: let them lead me; let
them bring me into Thy holy hill, and to Thy Tabernacles,’- Psalm
43: 3.
Thy
light and truth forth-sending
From
Thy own radiant side,
Be
Thou our Guard and Guide!
On
Thee alone depending,
No
darkness can affright;
Thy
shield of Truth and Light,
Is all-defending.
‘The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear Him, in those that hope
in His mercy,’ – Psalm 147: 11.
O
MYSTERY of grace,
That
chooseth us to stand before Thy face,
To
be Thy ‘special treasure,’
Thy
portion, Thy delight, Thine own;
That
taketh pleasure
In
them that fear Thy Name, that hope alone
In
Thy sweet mercy’s boundless measure!
‘And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless
thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing,’ – Genesis 12: 2.
Thy
Spirit’s fullness on him rest,
Thy
love his sunshine be,
And
may he still, while doubly blest
A
blessing be from Thee.
And
his the everlasting name
Inscribed
by Thy own hand,
That
he the
promised home may claim
In Thine own holy land. [Acts 7: 5.]
‘Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him,’
– Genesis 5: 24.
Oh
may’ s’t thou walk! From hour to hour
Of
every passing year,
Keeping
so very near
To
Him whose power is love, whose love is power.
So
may’st thou walk! In His clear light,
Leaning
on Him alone,
Thy
life His very own,
Until
He takes thee up to walk with Him in white.
24
FOR
NEW YEAR’S DAY, 1874
‘From glory to glory,’ – 2 Corinthians 3: 18.
‘From glory unto glory!’ Be this our joyous song,
As
on the King’s own highway we bravely march along!
‘From glory unto glory!’ O word of stirring cheer,
As
dawns the solemn brightness of another glad new year.
Our
own beloved Master ‘hath many things to say;’
Look
forward to His teaching, unfoulding day by day;
To
whispers of His Spirit, while resting at His feet,
To glowing revelation, to insight clear and sweet.
‘From glory unto glory!’ Our faith hath seen the King,
We
own His matchless beauty, as adoringly we sing:
But
He hath more to show us! O thought of untold bliss!
And
we press on exultingly in certain hope of this:-
To
marvellous outpourings of His ‘treasures new and old,’
To
largess of His bounty, paid in the King’s own gold,
To
glorious expansion of His mysteries of grace,
To radiant unveilings of the brightness of His face.
‘From glory to glory!’ What great things He hath done,
What
wonders He hath shown us, what triumphs He hath won!
We
marvel at the records of the blessings of the year!
But
sweeter than the Christmas bells rings out His promises clear –
That
‘greater things,’ far greater, our longing eyes shall see!
We
can but wait and wonder what ‘greater things’ shall be!
But
glorious fulfilments rejoicingly we claim,
While
pleading in the power of the All-prevailing Name.
‘From glory to glory!’ What mighty blessings crown
The
lives for which our Lord hath laid His own so freely down!
Omnipotence
to keep us, Omniscience to guide,
Jehovah’s
Triune promises within us to abide!
The
fullness of His blessing encompasseth our way;
The
fullness of His promises crowns every brightening day;
The
fullness of His glory is beaming from above,
While
more and more we realize the fullness of His love.
‘From glory to glory!’ Without a shade of care,
Because
the Lord who loves us will every burden bear;
Because
we trust Him fully, and know that He will guide,
And
know that He will keep us at His beloved side.
‘From glory to glory!’ Though tribulation fall,
It
cannot touch our treasure, when Christ is all in all!
Whatever
lies before us, there can be naught to fear,
For
what are pain and sorrow when Jesus Christ is near?
‘From glory to glory!’ O marvels of the word!
‘With
open face beholding the glory of the Lord,’
We, even we (O wonderous grace!) ‘are
changed into the same,’
The image of the Saviour, to glorify His name.
Abiding
in His presence, and walking in the light,
And
seeking to ‘do always what is pleasing in His sight,’
We
look to Him to keep us ‘all glorious within,’
Because
our Lord hath said it, that such shall be our way
(O
splendour of the promise!) ‘Unto the perfect day.’
‘From glory to glory!’ Our fellow-travellers still
Are
gathering on the journey! The bright electric thrill
Of
quick instinctive union, more frequent and more sweet,
Shall swiftly pass from heart to heart in true and tender
beat.
And
closer yet the golden bonds shall be,
Enlinking all who love our Lord in pure sincerity;
And
wider yet, and wider shall the circling glory glow,
As
more and more are taught of God that mighty love to know.
O ye who seek the Saviour, look up in faith and love,
Come
up into the sunshine, so bright and warm above!
No
longer tread the valley, but, clinging to His hand,
Ascend
the shining summits and view the glorious land.
Our
harp-notes should be sweeter, our trumpet-tones more clear,
Our
anthems ring so grandly, that all the world must hear!
Oh,
royal be our music, for who hath cause to sing
Like
the chorus of redeemed ones, the Children of the King!
Oh,
let our adoration for all that He hath done
Peal
out beyond the stars of God, while voice and life are one!
And
let our consecration be real, be deep, and true;
Oh,
even now our hearts shall bow, and joyful vows renew! –
‘In
full and glad surrender we give ourselves to Thee,
Thine
utterly, and only, and evermore to be!
O
Son of God, who lovest us, we will be Thine alone,
And
all we are, and all we have, shall henceforth be Thine own!’
Now,
onward, ever onward, from ‘strength to strength’ we go,
While
‘grace for grace’ abundantly shall from His fullness flow,
To
glory’s full fruition, from glory’s foretaste here,
Until
His
very Presence crown our happiest New Year!
25
HE
THAT OVERCOMETH
REVELATION 3: 5
‘He
that overcometh in the fight
Shall
be clothed in raiment white and pure;
In
the ever blessed book of life
Shall
his name eternally endure.’
‘When
the Father on His dazzling throne
Sits,
with myriad angels all around,
I’ll
confess his name, to men unknown;
Heaven
and earth shall listen to the sound.’
Who,
with such a glorious end in view,
Would
not in the heavenly conflict join?
Strange
that willing soldiers are so few
Strange
so many faint, who once were Thine.
Oh,
it is a service blessed indeed!
Though
the strife be long, the end is sure;
And
our Leader gives all who need
Grace
that they may to the end endure.
‘Neath Thy standard be my place, O
Lord:
Grant
me strength and grace, that I ere long
May
obtain that rich and fill reward.
Then,
as conquering I sheath by sword,
Thou,
my Captain, shall be all my song.
26
THY
KINGDOM COME
God
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 angel’s song above.
Father,
send the glorious hour,
Every
heart be Thine alone!
For
the
kingdom, and the power,
And
the
glory are
Thine
own.
27
PEACEABLE
FRUIT
‘Nevertheless, afterward it yieldeth
the peaceable fruit of righteousness,’- HEBREWS
12: 11.
What
shall Thine ‘afterward’ be, O Lord,
For this dark and suffering night?
Father,
what shall Thine ‘afterward’ be?
Hast
Thou a morning of joy for me,
And a new and joyous light?
What
shall thine ‘afterward’ be, O Lord,
For the moan that I cannot stay?
Shall
it issue in some new song of praise,
Sweeter
than sorrowless heart could raise,
When
the night hath passed away?
What
shall Thine ‘afterward’ be, O Lord,
For the helplessness of pain?
A
clearer view of my home above,
Of my Father’s strength and my Father’s love?
Shall
this be my lasting gain?
What
shall Thine ‘afterward’ be, O Lord?
How
long must Thy child endure?
Thou
knowest! ‘T is well that I know it not!
Thine
‘afterward’ cometh, I cannot tell what,
But
I know that Thy word is sure.
What
shall Thine ‘afterward’ be, O Lord?
I
wonder and wait to see,
(While
to Thine chastening hand I bow,)
What
‘peaceable fruit’ may be ripening now,
Ripening
fast for me!
28
‘Lord, increase our faith,’ – Luke
17: 5
For
Thou alone canst give
The
faith that takes Thee at Thy word,
The faith by which we live.
That
we both may and must
Commit
our very faith to Thee,
Entrust
to Thee our trust.
And
by no other strength we get
Our heritage of rest.
‘All’
fiery darts be caught;
We must be victors in the field
Where Thou for us hast fought.
Each starry promise sure,
And
always triumph in Thy name,
And
to the end endure.
That
we may not depart
From
Thy commands, but all obey
With free and loyal heart.
From
heavenward hour to hour,
And
in us gloriously ‘fulfil
The work of faith with power.’
Or
trembling it may be,
Crowned with the ‘perfect peace’ of him
‘Whose
mind is stayed on Thee.’
That
it should never fail;
Our
steadfast anchorage is made
With Thee, within the veil.
More
fruit may still abound;
That
it may grow ‘exceedingly,’
And
to Thy praise be found.
By thy sweet sovereign grace,
Till, changing faith for vision clear,
We see Thee face to face!
29
A WORKER’S PRAYER
Lord, speak to me, that I may
speak
In living echoes of Thy tone;
As Thou hast sought, so let me seek
Thy erring children, lost and
lone.
O lead me, Lord, that I may lead
The wandering and the wavering feet;
O feed me Lord, that I
may feed
The hungering ones with manna
sweet.
O strengthen me, that while I stand
Firm on the Rock, and strong in Thee,
I may stretch out a loving hand
To wrestlers with the troubled
sea.
O teach me, Lord, that I may teach
The precious things Thou dost impart;
And wing my words, that
they may reach
The hidden depths of many a heart.
O give Thine own sweet rest to
me,
That I may speak with soothing power
A word in season, as from Thee,
To weary ones in needful hour.
O fill me with Thy fullness,
Lord,
Until my very heart o’erflow
In kindling thought and glowing word,
Thy love to tell, Thy praise to
show.
O use me Lord, use even me,
Just as Thou wilt, and when, and where;
Until Thy blessed face I see,
Thy rest, Thy joy, Thy glory
share.
30
THY WILL BE DONE
‘Understanding what the will of
the Lord is,’ – Ephesians 5: 17
With quivering heart and trembling will
The word hath passed thy lips,
Within the shadow, cold and still,
Of some fair joys eclipse.
‘Thy will be done!’ Thy God hath heard,
And He will crown that faith-framed word.
Thy prayer be fulfilled: but how?
His thoughts are not as thine;
While thou wouldst only weep and bow,
He saith, ‘Arise and shine!’
Thy thoughts were all of grief and night,
But His of boundless Joy and
light.
Thy Father reigns supreme above:
The glory of His name
Is Grace and Wisdom, Truth and Love,
His will must be the same.
And thou hast asked all joys in one,
In whispering forth, ‘Thy will be done.’
His will – each soul to sanctify
Redeeming might hath won;
Believing on His Son; [John
6: 40]
His will - that thou, through earthly strife,
Shouldst rise to
everlasting life.
[i.e., after enjoying age-lasting life - Phil. 3: 1o, 11; Rev. 2: 7; Rev. 3: 5.]
That
one unchanging song of praise
Should
from our hearts arise; [1 thess.
5: 18.]
That
we should know His wonderous ways,
Though
hidden from the wise; [Eph. 1: 18.]
That we, so sinful and so base,
Should know the glory of His grace.
His will – to grant the yearning prayer
For dear ones far away, [I John 5: 15, 16.]
That they His grace and love may share,
And tread the pleasant way;
That in the Father and the Son
All perfect we may be in one [John 17: 23, 24.]
His will – the
little flock to bring [Luke 12: 32.]
Into His royal fold,
To reign forever with their King,
His
beauty to behold. [Isa. 33: 17.]
Sin’s fell dominion crushed for aye,
Sorrow and sighing fled away.
This thou hast asked! And shall the prayer
Float upward on a sigh?
No song were sweet enough to bear
Such glad desires on high!
But God thy Father shall fulfil,
In thee and for thee, all His will.
31
THINE
IS THE POWER
Our
Father, our Father, who dwellest in light,
We
lean on Thy love, and we rest on Thy might;
In
weakness and weariness joy shall abound,
For
strength everlasting in Thee shall be found:
Our
Refuge, our Helper in conflict and woe,
Our
mighty Defender, how blessed to know
That
Thine is the Power!
Our
Father, Thy promise we earnestly claim,
The
sanctified heart that shall hallow Thy name,
In
ourselves, in our dear ones, throughout the wise world,
Be Thy Name as a banner of glory unfurled;
Let
it triumph o’er evil and darkness and guilt,
We
know Thou canst do it, we know that Thou wilt,
For
Thine is the Power!
Our
Father, we long for the glorious day
When
all shall adore Thee, and all shall obey.
Oh
hasten Thy kingdom, o show forth Thy might,
And
wave o’er the nations Thy sceptre of right.
Oh
make up Thy jewels, the crown of Thy love,
And
reign in our hearts as Thou reignest above,
For
Thine is the Power!
Our
Father, we pray that Thy will may be done,
For
full acquiescence is heaven begun; -
Both
in us and by us Thy promise be wrought,
In
word and in action, in spirit and thought;
And
Thou canst enable us thus to fulfil,
With
holy rejoicing, Thy glorious will,
For
Thine is the power!
Our
Father, Thou carest; Thou knowest
indeed
Our
inmost desires, our manifold need;
The
fount of Thy mercies shall never be dry,
For
Thy riches in glory shall meet the supply;
Our
bread shall be given, our water be sure,
And
nothing shall fail, for Thy word shall endure,
And
Thine is the power!
Our
Father, forgive us, for we have transgressed,
Have
wounded Thy love, and forsaken Thy breast;
In
the peace of Thy pardon henceforth let us live,
That
through Thy forgiveness we too may forgive;
The
Son of Thy love, who hath taught us to pray,
For
Thy treasures of mercy hath opened the way,
And
Thine is the Power!
Thou
knowest our dangers, Thou knowest
our frame,
But
a tower of strength is Thy glorious name;
Oh,
lead us not into temptation, we pray,
But
keep us, and let us not stumble or stray;
Thy
children shall under Thy shadow abide;
In
Thee as our Guide and our Shield we confide,
For
Thine is the Power!
Our
Father, deliver Thy children from sin,
From
evil without and from evil within,
From
this world, with its manifold evil and wrong’
From
the wiles of the Evil One, subtle and strong;
Till,
as Christ overcame, we, too, conquer and sing,
For
Thine is the Power!
Our
Father, Thy children rejoice in Thy reign,
Rejoice
in Thy highness, and praise Thee again!
Yea,
Thine is the kingdom and Thine is the might,
And
Thine is the glory transcendently bright;
For
ever and ever that glory shall shine,
For
ever and ever that kingdom be Thine,
For
Thine is the power!
32
CHRIST’S
RECALL
RETURN!
O
wanderer from my side!
Soon
droops between the blossom of the darkening wild,
Soon
melts each meteor of thy steps beguiled,
Soon
is the cistern dry which thou hast hewn,
And
thou will weep in bitterness full soon.
Return!
Ere gathering night shroud the way
Thy
footsteps yet may tread, in this accepted day.
RETURN!
O
erring, yet beloved!
I
wait to bind thy bleeding feet, for keen
And
rankling are the thorns where thou hast been;
I
wait to give thee pardon, love, and rest;
Is
not my joy to see thee safe and blest?
Return!
I wait to hear once more thy voice,
To welcome thee anew, and bid thy heart rejoice.
RETURN!
O
fallen, yet not lost!
Canst
thou forget a life for thee laid down,
The taunts, the scourging, and the thorny crown?
When
o’er thee first My spotless robe I spread,
And
poured the oil of joy upon thy head,
How
did thy weakening heart within thee burn!
Canst
thou remember all, and wilt thou not return?
RETURN!
O
chosen of My love!
Fear
not to meet thy beckoning Saviour’s view;
Long
ere I called thee by name, I know
That
very treacherously thou wouldst deal;
Now
I have seen thy ways, yet I will heal.
Return!
Wilt thou yet linger far from Me?
My
wrath is turned away, I have redeemed thee.
33
‘THE THINGS WHICH ARE BEHIND.’
Leave
behind earth’s earthly pleasure,
Fleeting
hope and changeful love;
Leave
its soon-corroding treasure:
There
are better things above.
Leave,
oh, leave thy fond aspirings,
Bid
thy restless heart be still;
Cease,
oh, cease thy vain desirings,
Only
seek thy Father’s will.
Leave
behind thy faithless sorrow,
And
thine ever anxious care;
He
who only knows the morrow
Can
for thee its burden bear.
Leave
behind the doubting spirit
And
thy crushing load of sin;
By
the mighty Saviour’s merit,
Life eternal thou shaly wil.
Leave
the darkness gathering o’er thee
Leave
the shadow-land behind;
Realms
of glory lie before thee;
Enter
in, and welcome find.
34
MY NAME*
* [Suggested by the question, 'What
does the letter R in your initials (F.R.H.) represent?']
From childish days I
never heard
My
own baptismal name;
Too
small, too slight, to full of glee
Aught
else but 'Little Fan' to be,
The
stately 'Frances' not in me
Could
any fitness claim.
Now,
in the crouded halls of life,
May
it be to bring
Some
gentle stir of the heated air,
Some
coolness falling fresh and fair,
Like
a passing angel's wing.
My
father's name, - O how I live
Its else unwonted look!
For
his dear sake right dear I hold
Each
letter, changed, as he has told,
Long
since from early Saxon mould -
'The rising of the brook.' *
* ['Havergill' - the heaving or
rising of the brook or gill.]
Of
music, holiness, and love
That
name will always tell,
While
sacred chant and anthem rise,
Of
mourners live whose deepest sighs
To
echoes of a Father's will
He
tuned, or child, or grandchild still
On his mighty memory dwell.
But
'what the R doth represent,'
I
value and revere;
A diamond
clasp it seems to be
On
golden chains enlinking me
In
loyal love to England's hope,
Bulwark
'gainst infidel and Pope,
The
Church I hold so dear.
Three
hundred years ago was one
Who
held with steadfast hand
That
chalice of the truth of God,
And
poured its crystal stream abroad
Upon the thirsting land.
The
moderate, the wise, the calm,
The
learned, brave, and good, *
A
guardian of the sacred Ark,
A
burning light in places dark,
For
cruel, changeless Rome a mark,
Our
Bishop RIDLEY stood.
*[ 'A man beautiful
with such excellent qualities, so ghostly inspired and godly learned, and now
written doubtless in the book of life with the blessed saints of the Almighty,
crowned and throned amongst the glorious company of martyrs.' - Foxe's Acts and Monuments.]
The
vengeance of that foe nought else
But
fiery doom could still:
Too
surely fell the lightening stroke
Upon
the noble English oak,
Whose
acorn-memory survives
In
forest ranks of earnest lives,
And martyr-souls in will.
Rome
offered life for faith laid down:
Such
ransom paid not he!
'As
long as breath is in this frame,
My
Lord and Saviour Christ His name
And
His known truth I'll not deny:'
He
said (and raised his head on high),
'God's
will be done in me.' *
*[ See Works of Bishop Ridley, Parker Society, pp. 295 and 296'
ibid.]
He
knelt and prayed, and kissed the stake,
And
blessed his Master's name
That
he was called His cross to take,
And
counted worthy for His sake
To suffer death and shame. *[ibid.]
Though
fierce the fire and long the pain,
The
martyr's God was nigh;
Till
from that awful underglow
Of
torture terrible and slow,
Above
the weeping round about,
Once
more the powerful voice rang out
His
Saviour's own last cry.
Oh faithful
unto death! the crown
Was shining on the
brow, [Rev. 2: 10.]
Before
the ruddy embers paling,
And
sobbing after-gusts of wailing
Had
died away, and left in silence
That
truest shrine of British Islands,
The
spot so sacred now!
In
dear old England shineth yet
The
candle lit that day;
Right
clear and strong its flames arise,
Undimmed,
unchanged, toward the skies,
By
God's good grace it never dies,
A living torch for aye.
'T
is said that while he calmly stood
And
waited for the flame,
He
gave each trifle that he had,
True
relic-treasure, dear and sad,
To
each who cared to claim.
I
was not there to ask a share,
But
reverently for ever wear
That noble martyr's name.
35
FINIS*
[*Written
on the last leaf of a MS. volume]
Another
little volume filled with varied verse and song,
Should
wake another note of praise, unheard, but deep and strong;
For
He who knows my truest need, and leads me day by day,
Has given the music that hath been such solace on my way.
I
look up to my Father, and know that I am heard,
And
ask Him for the glowing thought, and for
the fitting word:
I
look up to my Father, for I cannot write
alone,
'T is sweeter far to seek His
strength than lean upon my own.
And
so the closing verses of my new-filled book shall be
A
note of praise, dear Father, sung only unto Thee, -
To Thee, who hast so helped me, to Thee who hast so blessed,
The only Friend who knows my heart, the nearest and the
best.
I
bless Thee, gracious Father, who hast
moulded praise from pain,
And
turned a wail of mourning to a trustful
calm refrain,
To many a sorrow giving me an
afterward of song,
And wafting it to other hearts in
comfort true and strong.
I
bless Thee, gracious Father, for Thy pleasant gift to me,
And
earnestly I ask Thee that it may always be
In
perfect consecration laid at Thy glorious feet,
Touched
with Thine altar-fire, and made an offering pure and sweet.
THE
END