My times are in thy hand,”
My Father and my Friend,
Thou wert my help in trials past,
I'll trust Thee to the end.
'My times are in thy hand,"
My Saviour and my Lord;
Weary and worn I come to Thee,
And plead thy precious word.
"My times are in thy hand,"
Spirit of life and light;
Thou did'st from darkness call
"My times are in thy hand,"
Whate'er my future lot may be,
Thy gracious will be done."
HE weeps!-the falling drop puts out the sun;
He sighs! the sigh earth's deep foundation shakes.
If in his love so terrible, what then
His wrath inflamed! His tenderness on fire,
Like soft smooth oil, outblazing other fires!
Can prayer, can praise avert it ?—Thou my
My theme! My inspiration! and my crown!
My strength in age! My rise in low estate!
My soul's ambition, pleasure, wealth: My world!
My light in darkness! and my life in death!
My boast in time! bliss through eternity!
Eternity too short to speak thy praise,
Or fathom thy profound of love to man!
LORD! as the rain comes down from heaven-the rain
Which waters earth, nor thence returns again;
But makes the tree to bud, the grass to spring,
And feeds and gladdens every living thing;
So may thy Word upon a world destroyed,
Come down in blessing, and return not void;
So may it come in universal showers,
And fill the dreary wilderness with flowers!
Let Truth look down from heaven, Hope soar above,
Justice and Mercy meet, Faith work by love;
Nations new born their fathers' idols spurn,
The ransomed of the Lord with songs return;
Heralds the year of jubilee proclaim,
And every tongue praise the Redeemer's name
J. MONTGOMERY.
A CLOUD was passing near the setting sun,
A gleam of crimson tinged its braided snow,
Long had I watched the glory moving on,
O'er the still surface of the lake below:
Tranquil its spirit seemed, and floated slow,
Even in its very motion there was rest,
While every breath of eve that chanced to blow,
Wafted the traveller to the beauteous west.
Emblem, me-thought, of the departed soul,
To whose white robe the gleam of bliss is given,
And by the breath of mercy made to roll
Right onward to the golden gates of heaven;
Where, to the eye of faith, it peaceful lies,
And tells to man his glorious destinies.
DAY by day the manna fell,
Oh! to learn this lesson well!
Still by constant mercy fed,
Give me, Lord, my daily bread.
Day by day the promise reads,
Daily strength for daily needs;
Cast foreboding fears away,
Take the manna of to-day.
Lord! my times are in thy hand;
All my brightest hopes have planned, To thy wisdom I resign,
And would make thy purpose mine.
Thou my daily task shalt give,
Day by day to Thee I'll live;
So shall added years fulfil,
Not
my own, my Father's will.
Oh! to live exempt from care,
By the energy of prayer;
Strong in faith, with mind subdued,
And inflamed with gratitude.
THE WONDERS OF CREATION.
'Tis sweet to muse upon the skill displayed
(Infinite skill) in all that God has made;
To trace in Nature's most minute design
The signature and stamp of power divine-
Contrivance intricate, expressed with ease,
Where unassisted sight no beauty sees:
Then with a glance of fancy to survey,
Far as the faculty can stretch away,
Ten thousand rivers poured at his command
From urns that never fail, through every land;
These, like a deluge with impetuous force,
Those, winding modestly a silent course;
The cloud-surmounting Alps, the fruitful vales,
Seas on which every nation spreads her sails;
The sun, a world whence other worlds drink light,
The crescent Moon, the diadem of night;
Stars countless, each in its appointed place,
Fast anchored in the deep abyss of space;-
At such a sight to catch the Poet's flame,
And with a rapture, like his own, exclaim,
"These are Thy glorious works, Thou source of good,
How dimly seen, how faintly understood!
Thine, and upheld by thy paternal care,
This universal frame, thus wondrous fair;
Thy power divine, and bounty beyond thought,
Adored and praised in all that thou hast wrought;
Absorbed in that immensity I see,
I shrink abased, and yet aspire to Thee;
Instruct me, guide me to that heavenly day,
Thy words more clearly than thy works display;
That while thy truths my grosser thoughts refine,
I may resemble Thee, and call Thee mine."
NATURE'S VOICES.
THERE are deep voices all around,
In earth and heaven above;
Oh! listen to each gentle sound,
Of warning or of love.-
The Sun which rises earth to bless,
And light and comfort brings,
Speaks of the Sun of Righteousness,
With healing in His wings.
The stars proclaim with voice divine,
As through the heavens they move,
Like us the sons of God shall shine
In their bright home above.
The wind that in its viewless course,
Sweeps mightily along,
Tells of the Holy Spirit's force,
So secret, free, and strong.
The birds that on unwearied wing,
Warble their joyful lays,
Bid our dull hearts arise and spring
To heaven in prayer and praise.
Each tree that lifts its head on high,
Speaks of what God has given,
The tree whose leaves shall never die,
"The Tree of Life" in heaven.
The beauteous flowers, so fresh and fair
They have their voices too,-
God, who to us extends His care,
Will also succour you.
|