'THE LOVE OF CHRIST WHICH PASSETH KNOWLEDGE." I BORE with thee long weary days and nights, Through many pangs of heart, through many tears; I bore with thee, thy hardness, coldness, slights, For three and thirty years. Who else had dared for thee what I have dared? Give thou Me love for love. For thee I thirsted in the daily drouth, I bore thee on My shoulders and rejoiced : Thee did nails grave upon My hands, thy name Did thorns for frontlets stamp between Mine eyes: I, Holy One, put on thy guilt and shame; I, God, Priest, Sacrifice. A thief upon My right hand and My left; At length in death one smote My heart and cleft Nailed to the racking cross, than bed of down More dear, whereon to stretch Myself and sleep: So did I win a kingdom, — share My crown; A harvest, come and reap. "A BRUISED REED SHALL HE NOT BREAK." I WILL accept thy will to do and be, Thy hatred and intolerance of sin, Thy will at least to love, that burns within And thirsteth after Me: So will I render fruitful, blessing still The germs and small beginnings in thy heart, Dost not thou will, poor soul? Yet I receive I guide them turning towards Me; I control If thou desire, it yet shall come to pass, Though thou but wish indeed to choose My love, What, neither choose nor wish to choose? and yet How then can I forget? If thou as yet dost neither love, nor hate, Nor choose, nor wish, resign thyself, be still A BETTER RESURRECTION I HAVE no wit, no words, no tears; My heart within me like a stone Look right, look left, I dwell alone; My life is in the falling leaf: O Jesus, quicken me! My life is like a faded leaf, My harvest dwindled to a husk; And tedious in the barren dusk ; No bud nor greenness can I see: My life is like a broken bowl, TH ADVENT. HIS Advent moon shines cold and clear, Our lamps have burned year after year, And still their flame is strong. "Watchman, what of the night?" we cry, Heart-sick with hope deferred: "No speaking signs are in the sky," Is still the watchman's word. The Porter watches at the gate, The servants watch within; The watch is long betimes and late, "Watchman, what of the night?" but still His answer sounds the same: "No daybreak tops the utmost hill, Nor pale our lamps of flame." One to another hear them speak, "All night we watch and rise." "The days are evil looking back, The coming days are dim; Yet count we not His promise slack, One with another, soul with soul, "Friends watch us who have touched the goal.” "They urge us, come up higher." “With them shall rest our waysore feet, With them is built our home, With Christ." "They sweet, but He most sweet, Sweeter than honeycomb." There no more parting, no more pain, The distant ones brought near, The lost so long are found again, |