Pluck, when the call thou hearest,

Ere it fades, the flower;

Do the thing thou fearest,

So the fear is o'er;

And thus a double bloom springs forth from pleasure's store,

Never joy or sorrow,

Which cometh for to-day,

Remove unto the morrow;

But rise to take straightway

That which the hand of God doth now before thee lay.

XCII. FOR A WAKEFUL NIGHT.

Now darkness over all is spread,
No sounds the stillness break,

Ah! when shall these sad hours be fled?
Am I alone awake?

Ah no, I do not wake alone,

Alone I do not sleep,

Around me ever watcheth One
Who wakes with those who weep.

On earth it is so dark and drear,
With Him so calm and bright,
The stars in solemn radiance clear
Shine there through all the night.

'Tis when the lights of earth are gone,
The heavenly glories shine;
When other comfort I have none,
Thy comfort, Lord, is mine,

Be still, my throbbing heart, be still,
Cast off thy weary load,

And make His holy will thy will,

And rest upon thy God.

How many a time the night hath come,

Yet still returned the day;

How many a time thy cross, thy gloom Ere now hath passed away.

And these dark hours of anxious pain,

Which now oppress thee sore,

I know will vanish soon again,
Then I shall fear no more.

For when the night hath lasted long,
We know the morn is near,

And when the trial's sharp and strong
Our help shall soon appear.

PASTOR JOSEPHSEN.-Lyra Germanica.

XCIII. ST. BERNARD

On the Death of his Brother.

HE is taken away, and with him all my joys have departed; new cares rush on, new troubles beat against me, and on all sides I am compassed by perplexities, and alone. These are all that remain to me now thou art absent, and alone I groan under the burden-nevertheless it is fit that I should live, though in sadness and bitterness.

Flow, then, my tears, since you would fain be shed; let the floodgates of my eyes be opened, and pour forth tears for the sins which have drawn down on me this chastisement. Yet though I be in heaviness, I repine not. The Lord hath shown Himself at once just and merciful; He hath given, He hath taken away-and, while we deplore the loss of our brother, let us not forget that he was given to us. Thou hast but called for Thine own; Thou hast taken that which belonged to Thee. And now my tears put an end to my words-I pray Thee teach me how to put an end to my tears.

Rays of Sunlight for Dark Days.

XCIV.-SURSAM CORDA.

Go up, go up, my heart!
Dwell with thy God above;
For here thou canst not rest,

Nor here give out thy love.

Go up, go up, my heart!
Be not a trifler here;
Ascend above these clouds,

Dwell in a higher sphere.

Let not thy love flow out
To things so soiled and dim,
Go up to heaven and God,
Take up thy love to Him.

Waste not thy precious store
On creature-love below,
To God that wealth belongs,
On Him that wealth bestow.

Go

up, reluctant heart!

Take up thy rest above;

Arise, earth-clinging thoughts!

Ascend, my lingering love.

BONAR.

XCV.

IT is a great truth, wonderful as it is undeniable, that all our happiness, temporal,