"A BRUISED REED SHALL HE NOT BREAK."

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, Because thy will cleaves to the better part.Alas, I cannot will.

Dost not thou will, poor soul? Yet I receive
The inner unseen longings of the soul,
I guide them turning towards Me; I control
And charm hearts till they grieve:

If thou desire, it yet shall come to pass,

Though thou but wish indeed to choose My love; For I have power in earth and heaven above.I cannot wish, alas!

What, neither choose nor wish to choose? and yet I still must strive to win thee and constrain: For thee I hung upon the cross in pain,

How then can I forget?

If thou as yet dost neither love, nor hate,
Nor choose, nor wish,-resign thyself, be still
Till I infuse love, hatred, longing, will.—

I do not deprecate.

LONG BARREN.

THOU who didst hang upon a barren tree,
My God, for me;

Though I till now be barren, now at length,
Lord, give me strength

To bring forth fruit to Thee.

Thou who didst bear for me the crown of thorn, Spitting and scorn;

Though I till now have put forth thorns, yet now Strengthen me Thou

That better fruit be borne.

Thou Rose of Sharon, Cedar of broad roots,

Vine of sweet fruits,

Thou Lily of the vale with fadeless leaf,

Of thousands Chief,

Feed Thou my feeble shoots.

MY

DESPISED AND REJECTED.

sun has set, I dwell

In darkness as a dead man out of sight;

And none remains, not one, that I should tell

To him mine evil plight

This bitter night.

I will make fast my door

That hollow friends may trouble me no more.

"Friend, open to Me."-Who is this that calls?

Nay, I am deaf as are my walls:

Cease crying, for I will not hear

Thy cry of hope or fear.

Others were dear,

Open thy door to Me and comfort Me."

I will not open, trouble me no more.

Go on thy way footsore,

I will not rise and open unto thee.

Then is it nothing to thee? Open, see Who stands to plead with thee.

Open, lest I should pass thee by, and thou

One day entreat my Face

And howl for grace.

And I be deaf as thou art now.

Open to Me."

Then I cried out upon him: Cease,

Leave me in peace:

Fear not that I should crave

Aught thou mayst have.

Leave me in peace, yea trouble me no more,

Lest I arise and chase thee from my door.
What, shall I not be let

Alone, that thou dost vex me yet?

But all night long that voice spake urgently: "Open to Me."

Still harping in mine ears:

"Rise, let Me in.”

Pleading with tears:

"Open to Me, that I may come to thee."

While the dew dropped, while the dark hours were

cold:

"My Feet bleed, see My Face,

See My Hands bleed that bring thee grace,

My Heart doth bleed for thee,

Open to Me."

So till the break of day:

Then died away

That voice, in silence as of sorrow;

Then footsteps echoing like a sigh
Passed me by,

Lingering footsteps slow to pass.

On the morrow

I saw upon the grass

Each footprint marked in blood, and on my door The mark of blood for evermore.

I

A BETTER RESURRECTION. /

HAVE no wit, no words, no tears;

My heart within me like a stone
Is numbed too much for hopes or fears
Look right, look left, I dwell alone;
I lift mine eyes, but dimned with grief
No everlasting hills I see;
My life is in the falling leaf:
O Jesus, quicken me.

My life is like a faded leaf,

My harvest dwindled to a husk :
Truly my life is void and brief

And tedious in the barren dusk;

My life is like a frozen thing,
No bud nor greenness can I see :
Yet rise it shall-the sap of Spring;
O Jesus, rise in me.