46. ACTIVITY : resents delay. How slow the time To the warm soul, that, in the very instant It forms, would execute a great design! Thomson. 47. ACTIVITY. Thrift of GooD striving Brings thriving. Better a dog who works Than a lion who shirks.-Oriental. Make haste, O man, to do Whatever must be done; Thy day will soon be gone. Fling ease and self away; Up, watch, and work, and pray! The thing that never dies; The silent toil that is not lost, Set these before thine eyes. The seed, whose leaf and flower, Though poor in human sight, Brings forth at last the eternal fruit, Sow thou by day and night. Make haste, O man, to live, Thy time is almost o'er : O sleep not, dream not, but arise, The Judge is at the door. Make haste, O man, to live! Horatius Bonar. 48. ADAM AND EVE. Description of Two of far nobler shape, erect and tall, Milton. 43. ACTIVITY : its necessity. Take the instant way; For honour travels in a strait so narrow, Where one but goes abreast : keep then the path : For emulation hath a thousand sons, That one by one pursue : if you give way, Or edge aside from the direct forthright, Like to an enter'd tide, they all rush by, And leave you hindmost.--Shakespeare, 44. ACTIVITY. Mental THERE is a fire-fly in the southern clime Philip James Bailey. 49. ADAM AND EVE. Transgression of With fatal and disastrous ease Lifting her hand into the clustering boughs, She touch'd, she took, she tasted. One small taste Sufficed. Her eyes were open'd; and she seem'd, The moorings cut which bound her to the shore, Launch'd on an ocean of delights. Alas, Perfidious sea, on which the fairest bark E’er floated suffer'd foulest wrong and wreck ! Awhile as in a dream she stood, but soon Her scatter'd thoughts recall’d, and from the boughs Selecting one loaden with luscious fruit, She pluck'd it bower'd in leaves, and took her way To seek her absent lord. Him soon she met Returning with no laggard steps; for when The serpent slid with such strange haste away The loitering minutes hours appear'd, and then A strange solicitude unknown before Began to creep around his boding heart, And he retraced his path. But when he saw 45. ACTIVITY: must not be excessive. Rux if you like, but try to keep your breath ; Work like a man, but don't be work'd to death. 0, W. Holmes. Eve with flush'd cheek and agitated mien The cedar withereth on a wall, while the house-leek Advancing, in her hand that fatal branch, is fattening in a hotbed ; His heart sank, and his lip quiver'd. And when And the dock, with its rank leaves, hideth the sun She told her tale, the serpent's honey'd words, from violets. Her brief refusal, his repeated suit, To everything a fitting place, a proper, honourable Her answer, his reply, her touch, her taste, use; Then first upon the virgin soil of earth The humblest measure of mind is bright in its Fell human tears, presage of myriad showers. humbler sphere; But when again with pleading eye and hand, The blind at an easel, the palsied with a graver, the Silent but most persuasive eloquence, halt making for the goal, She pray'd him share with her the fruit she bore The deaf ear tuning psaltery, the stammerer discoursThen Adam wail'd aloud : ing eloquence,O Eve, my wife, What wonder if all fail ? the shaft flieth wide of its Heaven's last, Heaven's dearest gift, what hast thou mark done? Alike if itself be crooked, or the bow be strung awry. Me miserable! Thou hast undone thyself, Tupper. Thyself and me ; for if thou diest I die, Bone of my bone, flesh of my very flesh, 51. ADIEU. Import of Eve, in whose veins my heart's best juices flow. What can I do, what suffer for thee? Say ADIEU! adieu ! what means adieu ! I rigorously refuse this fatal fruit, My soul to God commending you. What, shall I see thy warm and gentle limbs Then 'tis the dearest, sweetest word Stiffen in death, and live myself? How live? Love ever spoke or ever heard ; Alone? Or peradventure God will take And though but used when meetings cease, Another rib, and form another Eve ? And friend from friend departs in peace; Nay, we are one. My heart, myself am thine. That sweetest, dearest word would tell Our Maker made us one. Shall I unmake Not less for welcome than farewell. His union ? and transfer from heart to heart James Montgomery. My very life? Far higher I deem of love, No transferable perishable thing, 52. ADMIRATION: and Esteem. But flowing from its secret fountain, God, Like God immortal and immutable. They say that esteem is a diamond so bright, But oh, what follows? Adam, be thou sure It enkindles the eye that by sorrow is shaded; Of thy inflexible resolve-death, death : But glory to me is the sun's dazzling light, Both cannot live, and therefore both must die.' That illumines a world which in darkness had So saying, from her hand he took and ate, faded. Not circumvented by the serpent's fraud, Esteem is the dew-drop that freshens the flower ; But blindly overcome by human love, Love's semblance, which belied its name, denying Admiration, the arch'd hues that splendidly shine. The one is a sprinkle, the other a showerThe Great Creator for the creature's sake. | Let mine be the rainbow, the dew may be thine. Edward Henry Bickersteth. James Gates Percival. 50. ADAPTATION. Utility of A SMITH at the loom and a weaver at the forge were 53. ADVENT. Christ's first but sorry craftsmen : AWAY with sorrow's sigh, And a ship that saileth on every wind never shall Our prayers are heard on high ; reach her port; And through heaven's crystal door, Yet there be thousands among men who heed not On this our earthly floor, the leaning of their talents, Comes meek-eyed Peace to walk with poor mortality. But, cutting against the grain, toil on to no good end; In dead of night profound, And the light of a thoughtful spirit is quenched There breaks a seraph sound beneath the bushel of commerce, Of never-ending morn; While meaner plodding minds are driven up the The Lord of glory born mountain of philosophy ; | Within a holy grot on this our sullen ground. O sight of strange surprise 55. ADVENT, THE SECOND: importance of That fills our gazing eyes ! preparation for it. BEHOLD, the Bridegroom cometh in the middle of A leaning mother poor, and child that helpless lies. the night, And blest is he whose loins are girt, whose lamp is Art Thou, O wondrous sight, burning bright; But woe to that dull servant whom the Master shall surprise Who than the glorious heavens art more exceeding With lamp untrimm'd, unburning, and with slumber bright? in his eyes! 'Tis so : Faith darts before, Do thou, my soul, beware, beware, lest thou in sleep And, through the cloud drawn o'er, sink down, She sees the God of all, Lest thou be given o'er to death, and lose the golden Where angels prostrate fall, crown; Adoring, tremble still, and trembling still adore. But see that thou be sober, with watchful eyes, and Within us, babe Divine, thus Be born, and make us Thine ; Cry 'Holy, holy, holy God, have mercy upon us !! Within our souls reveal That day, the day of fear, shall come: my soul, Thy love and power to heal ; slack not thy toil, Be born, and make our hearts Thy cradle and Thy But light thy lamp, and feed it well, and make it shrine. — Isaac Williams. bright with oil ; 54. ADVENT, THE SECOND : its approach. Who knowest not how soon may sound the cry at O'ER the distant mountains breaking eventide, Comes the redd’ning dawn of day, • Behold, the Bridegroom comes ! Arise ! Go forth Rise, my soul, from sleep awaking, to meet the Bride.' Rise and sing, and watch and pray: Beware, my soul ; beware, beware, lest thou in 'Tis thy Saviour · slumber lie, On His bright returning way. And, like the five, remain without, and knock and O Thou long-expected ! weary vainly cry ; Waits mine anxious soul for Thee, But watch, and bear thy lamp undimm'd, and Christ Life is dark and earth is dreary shall gird thee on Where Thy light I do not see; His own bright wedding-robe of light,—the glory of O my Saviour ! the Son.— Tr. from the Greek by G. Moultrie. When wilt Thou return to me? Long, too long, in sin and sadness, 56. ADVENT, THE SECOND: its nearness. Far away from Thee I pine, Bride of the Lamb, awake! awake! Why sleep for sorrow now? The hope of glory, Christ, is thine, A child of glory thou. Thy spirit, through the lonely night, From earthly joy apart, Hath sigh'd for one that's far away, The Bridegroom of thy heart. But see! the night is waning fast, The breaking morn is near ; And Jesus comes, with voice of love, Thy drooping heart to cheer. He comes-for oh ! His yearning heart No more can bear delay- To scenes of full, unmingled joy, To call His bride away. The Church has waited long Her absent Lord to see; A friendless stranger she. Sun after sun has set, Come then, Lord Jesus, come! LORD, come away, Why dost Thou stay? Thy road is ready: and Thy paths, made straight, With longing expectation, wait The consecration of Thy beauteous feet. Ride on triumphantly ; behold we lay Our lusts and proud wills in the way. Hosanna! welcome to our hearts, Lord, here Thou hast a temple too, and full as dear As that of Zion; and as full of sin. Nothing but thieves and robbers dwell therein. Enter, and chase them forth, and cleanse the floor. Crucify them, that they may nevermore Profane that holy place, Where Thou hast chose to set Thy face The stones out of the temple wall Shall cry aloud, and call Jeremy Taylor. Saint after saint on earth Has lived, and loved, and died; And as they left us one by one, We laid them side by side; But not in hope forlorn ; Come then, Lord Jesus, come! :58. ADVENT, THE SECOND. Prayer for COME, Lord, and tarry not : Bring the long-looked-for day, These ages of delay? The serpent's brood increase, The powers of hell grow bold, The conflict thickens, faith is low, And love is waxing cold. How long, O Lord, our God, Holy and true and good, Wilt Thou not judge Thy suffering church, Her sighs and tears and blood ? Come then, Lord Jesus, come! To see Thee face to face, As now we share Thy grace. The absent Bridegroom mourn ? Should she not wear the weeds of grief Until her Lord return? Come then, Lord Jesus, come! Come, for creation groans, Impatient of Thy stay, Worn out with these long years of ill, These ages of delay. Come, for Thy foes are strong; With taunting lip they say, • Where is the promised Advent now, And where the dreaded day?' The whole creation groans, And waits to hear that voice That shall restore her comeliness, And make her wastes rejoice. The curse, the sin, the stain, H. Bonar. 60. ADVENT, THE SECOND. Prayer for How long, O Lord our Saviour, Wilt Thou remain away? Of Thy so long delay : When, brighter far than morn, Shall on Thy people dawn? How long, O gracious Master, Wilt Thou Thy household leave ? So long hast Thou now tarried, Few Thy return believe : Immersed in sloth and folly, Thy servants, Lord, we see; And few of them stand ready With joy to welcome Thee. Watchman, what of the night? we cry, Heartsick with hope deferr'd : Is still the watchman's word. The servants watch within ; The prize is slow to win : His answer sounds the same, – Nor pale our lamps of flame. One to another, hear them speak, The patient virgins wise, Surely He is not far to seek, All night we watch and rise ; The coming days are dim ; But watch and wait for Him. They kindle fire from fire; Friends watch us who have touch'd the goal ; They urge us, Come up higher ! With them shall rest our way-sore feet, With them is built our home, Sweeter than honeycomb. The distant ones brought near ; Long lost, but longer dear : Nor heart conceived, that rest ; With Jesus Christ, our best. We laugh, for day shall rise ; And knock at Paradise : For us ; we hold Him fast, He bless us first or last. We will not let Him go, And summer smite the snow. Shall coo the livelong day; Christina G. Rossetti. How long, O Heavenly Bridegroom, How long wilt Thou delay ? And yet how few are grieving That Thou dost absent stay; Thy very bride her portion And calling hath forgot, And seeks for ease and glory, Where Thou, her Lord, art not. Oh! wake Thy slumbering virgins ; Send forth the solemn cry, Let all Thy saints repeat it, · The Bridegroom draweth nigh!' May all our lamps be burning, Our loins all girded be, Each longing heart preparing With joy Thy face to see ! 61. ADVENT, THE SECOND. Waiting for The Advent morn shines cold and clear, These Advent nights are long; Our lamps have burn'd year after year, And still their flame is strong. |