Poems: Pastoral and Psalm

CHRIST IN SONG. Sole Source of being, blessed God! Of love the Fountain and the Sea, Thy glorious name alone we laud,— Our springs, O Lord, are all in thee. In all our paths thy truth we trace,— Thy goodness, infinite, unknown; Our everlasting dwelling place, In thee we live, in thee alone. To children’s children still endure Thy ceaseless care, thy changeless love; Thy covenanted mercies, sure, Shall never, nevermore remove. O happiness without alloy! We soon with all thy saints shall come, With songs and everlasting joy, To Zion, our eternal home. O holy, holy, holy Lord! To thee be endless glory given; O be thy name by all adored, For evermore, in earth and heaven. CONFIDING IN GOD. From thy commandments, Lord, O let me never stray; According to thy word Do thou direct my way. Be every moment near,— Alone I dare not go,— And with thy presence cheer My pilgrimage below. Forever in thy sight, No harm can happen me; The darkness and the light Are both alike to thee. E’en death shall serve thy will,— Controlled by thy command; No change can work me ill,— “My times are in thy hand.” In this I sweetly rest,— Instructed from above,— Whatever is, is best ; For thou, O Lord, art love. PROVIDENCE. O God , our shield! our strong defense, Sure staff of souls distress’d, Beneath thy watchful providence, Thy saints securely rest. No want have they who seek thy face; No good wilt thou withhold From them that walk in righteousness, The flock of thine own fold. From strength to strength thy servants go, Delighting in thy will; Triumphant over every foe, They stand on Zion’s hill. Forever blessèd be thy name,— And let the whole earth be The temple of thy glorious fame, And thy salvation see. ANNIVERSARY PRAISE. O sovereign Love, eternal Power! Whose grace hath brought us to this hour, Thy covenanted mercies, sure, To children’s children still endure. Our fathers’ God! to thee we raise In cheerful song our grateful praise,— And laud and magnify and bless Thy everlasting faithfulness. For blessings on our infant days, For guidance through life’s later maze, For present good, for hope of heaven, To thee be endless glory given. Our children, Lord, with pious care, We consecrate to thee in prayer; O, be thou tender to our tears,— O, be thou better than our fears. In all our pilgrimage below, O, may thy presence with us go; And grant us grace henceforth to be In sweetest fellowship with thee. For service, or for suffering, Lord, In thee we seek our sole reward,— Content, in life and death, to prove The comforts of redeeming love. OUT OF THE DEPTHS. Almighty Sovereign of the sea, Make known thy matchless majesty; Rebuke the raging of the deep, And bid its surging billows sleep. Great God, regard thy servants’ prayer, And grant us, still, thy gracious care; Spare us, O Lord; our lives prolong, And turn our sorrow into song. Out of the depths we cry to thee; O, let us thy salvation see! Thy tender pity may we prove,— Thy changeless, everlasting love. Through gloom and tempest guide our way; The sea is thine—it owns thy sway; The winds and waves obey thy will, Hushed when they hear thy “ Peace, be still! ” On thee alone our hope is stayed; O, be thou our unfailing aid, Till, in the haven of thy breast, We share thy saints’ eternal rest. THE SANCTUARY. How amiable thy courts! Thy temple, Lord, how fair! How pleasant, still, to lowly hearts, Thy tabernacles are. Thither the tribes go up,— Thy chosen Israel,— With voice of saintly jubilee Thy faithfulness to tell. How excellent they stand, The gates of praise and prayer! Would God my weary, fainting soul Might dwell forever there. Before the mercy seat We find our faith’s reward: A heart made holy to behold The beauty of the Lord. Thy ceaseless love, O Christ, Our pilgrimage shall cheer, Till, crowned with everlasting joy, In glory we appear. “IN QUIET RESTING PLACES.” More rest we want, O God! More rest from self and sin, More silence for serener thought, The soul’s true goal to win. Without, the strife of tongues, Within, a wayward will;— O Jesus, Saviour! speak, and say, “Peace, troubled heart, be still.” In quiet confidence We then shall sweetly rest, And in thy gentleness, O Lord, For evermore be blest. THE SEASONS ARE THY SERVANTS. The seasons are thy servants, Lord! Obedient to thy will, Thy everlasting covenant They faithfully fulfill. The seasons are thy servants, Lord! Summer and winter bring Rich blessings from thy gracious hand,— The bounty of the King. The seasons are thy servants, Lord! Why should thy children fear? With loving-kindness manifold Thou crownest every year. The seasons are thy servants, Lord! The sunshine and the rain; The seedtime and the harvest blend In our eternal gain. The seasons are thy servants, Lord! Thy changeless love we laud, And magnify, with grateful joy, The goodness of our God. ASPIRATION AND REST. O God , of love the Fountain and the Sea ! My fainting soul pants ceaselessly for thee; Earth’s bitter streams no comfort can supply,— For thee, for thee, the living God, I sigh. No more below my wayward wishes roam,— My heart, at last, is conscious of its home; My portion thou, my refuge and my rest;— O gracious Saviour, take me to thy breast. But O, my brothers! comfortless as I,— Alike we languish, and alike we die; Be merciful, O God, and hear the prayer Of every fainting spirit everywhere. In the dear shelter of thy tranquil breast, O Love divine, a weary world would rest; The whole creation travaileth for thee, O God, of love the Fountain and the Sea! THE LARGER LIFE. My years are very few, O God! More rapidly they pass Than clouds whose transient tale is told In shadows on the grass. My years are very few, O God! But they are full of thee,— A drop of being in thy life’s Unfathomable sea. My years are very few, O God! O, let me clearly see How they grow strong and beautiful In thy immensity. My years are very few, O God! The sum of them is small; But each may serve thy blessed will, And thou shalt have them all. My years are very few, O God! But, safe on sea or land, I confidently journey on,— My times are in thy hand. My years are very few, O God! On earth, but not in heaven;— To thee, eternal Life and Love, Be endless praises given. CHRIST IN SONG. CHRISTMAS. O holy , happy morning, That saw the Saviour’s birth! The star, thy brow adorning, Beams mercy on the earth. For shepherds, and for sages, Thy cheer, impartial, free,— The travail of the ages Finds recompense in thee. My soul, be thou believing,— No more thy past deplore; In Christ all loss retrieving, Rejoice for evermore. By love unknown attended, Thy weary watch and ward,— Behold! the vision splendid! The angel of the Lord! And hark! the herald angel! The radiant, rapturous throng! The ravishing evangel Floods all the hills with song: “To God in heaven, glory, Good will to men below;” Speed, speed the blessed story, That all the world may know. Repeat it softly, slowly, For still, in hut and hall, Are lonely hearts, and lowly, That hunger for it all. Again—again the story! Till sin and sorrow cease— “To God, the Father, glory, And to his children, peace.” GOLD, AND FRANKINCENSE, AND MYRRH. Faithful , followed they the star Faintly glimmering afar, Till it rested o’er the way, Where the Lord of glory lay. Gold, and frankincense, and myrrh, Gave each regal worshiper, Seeing, in the Babe divine, Answer of the heavenly sign. Lo! again the star appears, Shining through our griefs and fears,— Dayspring of the desolate— Heaven stoops down to our estate! By the path the wise men trod, Seek we, too, th’ incarnate God; Blessed goal, where ends all strife: Christ, the Way, the Truth, the Life. Kneeling where the Magi knelt, Feeling what the Magi felt,— Of all nations the Desire, Lord, to thee our souls aspire. Hasten, heart of mine, to bring From thy store fit offering; Be a royal worshiper: Gold, and frankincense, and myrrh ! GOOD FRIDAY. O outcast Christ, rejected King! O Man of sorrows, slain for me, Accept a sinner’s offering— A thankful heart that clings to thee. The purple robe, the taunt, the sneer, The crown of thorns, the scourge, the cross! Remembering these, O Saviour dear, I gladly reckon all things loss. Could grief of mine make meet redress For those dark hours of deepest woe, O Lamb of God! O Prince of Peace! My tears for evermore should flow. On thee, the sinless One, was laid The guilt of all mankind, and mine ; Thy grace the ransom doubly paid In human agony divine. O Son of Mary! Son of God! Thou King of saints, enthroned above, Thy glorious name the world shall laud, And crown thy cross with wreaths of love. THE RESURRECTION. Relentless as the council is the cross; The Nazarene is bruised and torn;— Mourn! ye despised disciples, mourn! Priest, scribe, and elder triumph in your loss. The watch is set,—the sepulcher is sure; Death and the grave and Rome unite— Triumvirate of matchless might— To make Sin’s vaunted victory secure. Secure? With sudden awe the aged earth Feels him alive within the tomb ; And lo! emerging from the gloom, The brightest morning since creation’s birth! The nations see the Dayspring from on high, And greet the mighty miracle With songs that shake the gates of hell, And animate the anthems of the sky. EASTER-TIDE. Easter bells are ringing, Easter anthems rise, Age and Childhood singing Strains that seek the skies: Seek their source, ascending Where, in rapture sweet, Song and service blending, Saint and seraph meet. “Christ, the Lord, is risen!” Wondering angels cry; “Broken, Death’s dread prison!” Sons of men reply. Blessed song and story! Doubt and fear depart,— Resurrection glory Floods the faithful heart. Purest, purest pleasure In each bosom wells; Happy, happy measure— How the choral swells! By that song supplanted, Wrath and wrong shall cease; From this hour undaunted Reigns the Prince of Peace. Easter lilies, blowing, Breathe his praise abroad,— All their grace bestowing On the Son of God. Lo! his brow adorning, Kings their homage pay; Hark! the stars of morning Hail his boundless sway. THE SURE FOUNDATION. A strong and sure foundation Is Jesus Christ, the Lord,— Before the world’s creation The everlasting Word! His power, supreme, unbounded, He pledges to his own; On him their hope is grounded Securely as God’s throne. What though the tempest rages? No harm his cause sustains; Built on the Rock of Ages, Unmoved the Church remains. His word shall stand forever,— Nor shall one letter fail: “The gates of hell shall never Against my Church prevail.” From God all grace receiving, The saints, below, above, In Christ their King believing, Shall triumph through his love. O happy, happy Zion! The Lamb, for sinners slain, Is Judah’s mighty Lion, Who shall forever reign! The Rock of our salvation,— To thee, O Christ, we raise, In grateful adoration, The voice of prayer and praise; Our common faith confessing, Thy cross the world shall crown With glory, honor, blessing, And infinite renown. LIGHT OF LIGHT. Of transient symbol the eternal Truth, In thee, O Christ, the soul’s sure light we find; Vision and dream of Age and eager Youth, Thou pourest heaven on every humble mind. ALL IN ALL. O Lily , Rose, and Fountain! O Dayspring from above! O Sun, and Sea, and Mountain— Immeasurable Love! Sweet Jesus, Shepherd, Saviour, May we thy glory see, And share thy joy forever, Incarnate Deity! A MISSIONARY LYRIC. Lamb of the riven side,— Lord of lords glorified! Victim and Victor, thee we adore; Shepherd of Israel, Saviour from death and hell, Mighty Immanuel! reign evermore. Lion of Judah, From Brahm and from Buddha Seize for thy glory the sea and the land; Where age-long error thralls, Where blackest night appalls, There, with her radiant walls, let Zion stand. The gates of the morning, Thy temple adorning, Shall beacon the uttermost isles of the sea; And nations, now unknown, Shall bow before thy throne, And thee their Sovereign own, with saintly jubilee. Orient and Occident, Hail Him the Father sent! Greet him with shoutings and joyfully sing; On love’s blest mission bent, Through Death’s wide realm he went Conq’ror omnipotent; crown him your King! Martyr with gory brow, Monarch in glory, now, Victim and Victor, thee we adore; Shepherd of Israel, Saviour from death and hell, Mighty Immanuel! reign evermore. IN THE MORNING, JESUS. In the morning, Jesus, Let me see thy face, Altogether lovely, Full of truth and grace. In the morning, Jesus, Let me hear thy voice; Speak, and let thy servant All the day rejoice. In the morning, Jesus, Manifest thy love,— Peace, and power, and blessing, Bringing from above. In the morning, Jesus, Show thy cross to me; Then, dear Lord, I’ll suffer Cheerfully for thee. Every morning, Jesus, Every evening, bless; Shelter me forever With thy righteousness. . . . . . . . . . . In the morning, Jesus, When thy saints shall rise, Bring me, with the blessed, Into Paradise. PENITENTIAL. At thy cross; O Christ, to thee Low I bow the suppliant knee; Cast, O, cast me not away,— Help a fainting soul to pray. Sinful, sorrowful, I wait For a look compassionate; Surely thou wilt pity one So forsaken and undone. Tell me, Jesus, if it be That thy blood was shed for me; In thy wounds, O, let me see Pardon, peace, and purity! From the uttermost degree Of a sinner’s misery, Mighty Victor, rescue me; Set my captive spirit free. O that I might have a place In the kingdom of thy grace! There the penitent are blest,— There the weary are at rest. Saviour, may I call thee mine? Yes,—for thou dost own me thine; Lo, ’tis written in my heart— Mine, forever mine, thou art. Unto thee be glory given Evermore in earth and heaven; Be thy name by all adored, Holy, holy, holy Lord! “FAINT, YET PURSUING.” Breathe on us thy benediction, Lord of glory, Prince of Peace! Comfort us in our affliction, Bid our fears and doubtings cease. Shepherd of our souls and Saviour, Who, alone, the wine press trod, Well thou knowest the world’s behavior, Man of sorrows, Lamb of God! Therefore, in their tribulation, Turn thy weary saints to thee, Seeking, in thy sure salvation, Peace and power and victory. Strangers here, and pilgrims lowly, Eagerly we follow thee, Longing to be with the holy Who in heaven thy glory see. Often faint, yet still pursuing, All thy footsteps would we trace, Day by day our hope renewing, Till we see thee face to face. There, thy glorious throne surrounding,— Every pain and peril past,— We will sing thy grace abounding, More than conquerors at last . SALUS PER CHRISTUM. Come , thou Desire of nations, come, And make thy promised kingdom sure; Establish in our hearts the throne Which shall eternally endure. In poverty and pain we wait Thy glorious coming from above; Make haste, O Christ, compassionate, Make haste, make haste, Immortal Love! Come, in thy plenitude of grace, And satisfy thy people’s need; Come, in the greatness of thy strength, And make us, Jesus, free indeed. Grant us thy peace, dear Son of God;— To us the Holy Ghost be given; In thee the Father’s fullness dwells,— All, all is thine, in earth and heaven. Infinite power belongs to thee,— Thou hast the keys of death and hell; Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, Our Lord, our God,—Immanuel! SUPPLICATION. Jesus , King of kings, most holy, Pity us in station lowly,— Lonely pilgrims, wending slowly Toward the city where thou dwellest. Thou dost see us, weak and weary, In the wilderness so dreary, Mourning that we are not near thee, In thy home so fair and blissful. Yet thy promises do cheer us; And thy Spirit, ever near us, Bids us pray, for thou wilt, hear us, And afford us help and comfort. Hear thou, now, our supplication, And relieve our sore privation With the strength of thy salvation, King eternal and almighty! Mercifully guard and guide us, Lest the curse of sin betide us, And an entrance be denied us To thy glorious palace golden. Once for sinners bruised and wounded, Now by heavenly hosts surrounded— All thine enemies confounded— Be thou evermore our Saviour. IN THY LIKENESS. On my heart engrave thy cross, Blessed Saviour, Love divine! Evermore, in gain or loss, Let me bear that sacred sign. In my heart thy love enthrone; More and more thy rule increase; Thine the kingdom, thine alone, Lord of glory, Prince of Peace! To my heart—no longer mine— Grant the fullness of thy grace; Living, dying, own me thine, Till I see thee face to face. With thy likeness crowned at last, O, what rapture it will be, When the night of death is past, Evermore to dwell with thee. THE LIGHT OF LIFE. O Jesus , sole, sufficient source Of hope that heals the sad heart’s strife, Direct us on our darkened course, Thyself the Way, the Truth, the Life. Thou knowest the way we take, O Lord! Didst thou not prove its painful length? Help of the helpless, still afford Thy pitying love, thy tender strength. In every trial, every care, Thy patient footsteps may we see; The sorrows of thy cross to share Shall then our joy and glory be. Secure in thy unchanging love, No toil, no suffering will we flee, Assured that death itself shall prove The path that leads to heaven and thee. CHRISTUS CONSOLATOR. In the day of tribulation, In the hour of sore temptation, With the strength of thy salvation, Jesus, Saviour, comfort me. When no more the heart may borrow Hope and courage from the morrow,— In the darkest depths of sorrow, Jesus, Saviour, comfort me. When all aid is unavailing, Flesh and heart together failing, Sin and death the soul assailing,— Jesus, Saviour, comfort me. On thy word alone relying,— Never thy dear name denying,— O, forsake me not when dying! Jesus, Saviour, comfort me. Crowned, at last, in light supernal, Victor over foes infernal,— With thy love, supreme, eternal, Jesus, Saviour, comfort me. HOLY SPIRIT, HEAVENLY GUEST! Holy Spirit, heavenly Guest, Make thy home within my breast; Yearns for thee my weary heart,— Come, and nevermore depart. Where thou dwellest peace abides,— Grace surpassing all besides,— Priceless treasure, pure and blest, Earnest of eternal rest. God’s dear will be done in me Even as it pleaseth thee; Only let me fully prove The sweet comfort of thy love. Cheerfully, for Jesus’ sake, May I every burden take,— Glad to trace the pathway trod By the suffering Son of God. Blessed Comforter and Guide, Keep me near the Saviour’s side, Till I in his likeness rise, Crowned with bliss beyond the skies. HOLY SPIRIT, LIGHT DIVINE! Holy Spirit, Light divine! On our souls in mercy shine; Gates of heaven again unfold;— Haste, for Time is waxing old. On the Church of Jesus shower All thy plenitude of power; Heal earth’s bitterness and strife With the Saviour’s love and life. Over all created things Brooded, once, thy blessèd wings; Groans the world with grief and pain Dove divine! descend again. “THE DAY OF CHRIST.”

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