A Dictionary of Poetical Illustrations

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Nay, do not wrong Him by thy heavy thoughts,

But love His love.
Do thou full justice to His tenderness,

His mercy prove;
Take Him for what He is; oh, take Him all,

And look above !
Then shall thy tossing soul find anchorage

And steadfast peace ;
Thy love shall rest on His, thy doubts

For ever cease.
Thy heart shall find in Him and in His grace

Its rest and bliss !
Christ and His love shall be thy blessed all

For evermore !
Christ and His light shall shine on all thy ways

For evermore ! Christ and His peace shall keep thy troubled soul

For evermore!

Whose song-bird seeks the wood for evermore,
Is sung to in its stead by mother's mouth;
Till, sinking on her breast, love-reconciled,
He sleeps the faster that he wept before.

E. B. Browning. 532. COMFORT. Source of is it not strange, the darkest hour

That ever dawn'd on sinful earth
Should touch the heart with softer power

For comfort, than an angel's mirth?
That to the Cross the mourner's eye should turn
Sooner than where the stars of Christmas burn?
Sooner than where the Easter sun

Shines glorious on yon open grave, And to and fro the tidings run,

Who died to heal, is risen to save?' Sooner than where upon the Saviour's friends The very Comforter in light and love descends? Yet so it is : for duly there

The bitter herbs of earth are set, Till temper'd by the Saviour's prayer

And with the Saviour's life-blood wet, They turn to sweetness, and drop holy balm, Soft as imprison'd martyr's death-bed calm.

Keble. 533. COMFORT. Vain So dying men receive vain comforts From those visitants they love, when they Persuade them to be patient at the loss of life, With saying they are mortal too, and mean Ti endure the like calamity; as if To die were from good fellowship, from free Intent t'accompany departing friends, When such last courtesy proceeds not from Their will, but nature's obstinate decree.

Davenant. 534. COMING TO CHRIST: what does it

secure for us? SOMETIMES I catch sweet glimpses of His face,

But that is all.
Sometimes He looks on me, and seems to smile,

But that is all.
Sometimes He speaks a parting word of peace,

But that is all.
Sometimes I think I hear His loving voice

Upon me call.
And is this all He meant, when thus He spoke,

'Come unto me'?
Is there no deeper, more enduring rest

In Him for thee?
Is there no steadier light for thee in Him?

O, come and see!

535. COMMENDATION. Praise a fool, and slay him ; for the canvas of his

vanity is spread ; His bark is shallow in the water, and a sudden gust

shall sink it : Praise a wise man and speed him on his way; for

he carrieth the ballast of humility, And is glad when his course is cheered by the

sympathy of brethren ashore. The praise of a good man is good, for he holdeth

up the mirror of Truth, That Virtue may see her own beauty, and delight

in her own fair face: The praise of a bad man is evil, for he hideth the

deformity of Vice, Casting the mantle of a queen around the limbs of

a leper. Praise is rebuke to the man whose conscience allow

eth it not: And where Conscience feeleth it her due, no praise

is better than a little. He that despiseth the outward appearance, de

spiseth the esteem of his fellows; And he that overmuch regardeth it, shall earn only

their contempt : The honest commendation of an equal no one can

scorn and be blameless, Yet even that fair fame no one can hunt for and be

honoured: If it come, accept it and be thankful, and be thou

humble in accepting ; If it tarry, be not thou cast down: the bee can

gather honey out of rue. With a friend, praise him when thou canst ; for

many a friendship hath decayed,

Like a plant in a crowded corner, for want of sun- Ere yet they brought their journey to an end, shine on its leaves :

A stranger join'd them, courteous as a friend, With another praise him not often,-otherwise he | And ask'd them with a kind, engaging air, shall despise thee;

| What their affliction was, and begg'd a share. But be thou frugal in commending ; so will he give Inform'd, He gather'd up the broken thread, honour to thy judgment.

And, truth and wisdom gracing all He said, Wilt thou that one remember a thing ?--praise him Explain'd, illustrated, and search'd so well in the midst of thy advice.

The tender theme on which they chose to dwell, Expect not praise from the mean, neither gratitude That reaching home, The night, they said, is near, from the selfish.— Tupper.

We must not now be parted, sojourn here. --

The new acquaintance soon became a guest, 536. COMMENTATORS.

And, made so welcome at their simple feast,
COMMENTATORS each dark passage shun,

He bless'd the bread, but vanish'd at the word,

And left them both exclaiming, ''Twas the Lord ! And hold their farthing candle to the sun.

Young

Did not our hearts feel all He deign'd to say ! 537. COMMUNION, Divine

Did they not burn within us by the way?'

Now theirs was converse, such as it behoves They know, who thus oppress me,

Man to maintain, and such as God approves; 'Tis hard to be alone;

Their views, indeed, were indistinct and dim,
But know not One can bless me,

But yet successful, being aim'd at Him,
Who comes through bars and stone ;

Christ and His character their only scope,
He makes my dungeon's darkness bright,

Their object, and their subject, and their hope, And fills my bosom with delight.

They felt what it became them much to feel,
Thy love, O God ! restores me

And, wanting Him to loose the sacred seal,
From sighs and tears to praise ;

Found Him as prompt as their desire was true, And deep my soul adores Thee,

To spread the new-born glories in their view.
Nor thinks of time or place:

Cowper. I ask no more, in good or ill,

539. COMMUNION. Key to But union with Thy holy will.

He stands and knocks, and bids me ope the door, 'Tis that which makes my treasure,

Without He stands, and asks to enter in : 'Tis that which brings my gain ;

Why should He seek a shelter sad with sin? Converting woe to pleasure,

Will He but knock and ask, and nothing more? And reaping joy from pain.

He knows what ways I take to shut my heart, Oh, 'tis enough, whate'er befall,

And if He will He can Himself undo To know that God is All in all.

My foolish fastenings, or by force break through, Madame Guyon, tr. by T. C. Upham.

Nor wait till I fulfil my needless part. 538. COMMUNION. Example of

But nay, He will not choose to enter so,

He will not be my guest without consent, It happen'd on a solemn eventide,

Nor though I say 'Come in,' is He content; Soon after He that was our Surety died,

I must arise and ope, or He will go.
Two bosom friends, each pensively inclined,
The scene of all those sorrows left behind ;

He shall not go; I do arise and ope, -
Sought their own village, busied as they went

'Come in, dear Lord, come in and sup with me, In musings worthy of the great event;

Oh, blessed Guest, and let me sup with Thee,'They spake of Him they loved, of Him whose life, | Where is the door? for in this dark I grope, Though blameless, had incurr'd perpetual strife,

And cannot find it soon enough; my hand, Whose deeds had left, in spite of hostile arts,

Shut hard, holds fast the one sure key I need, A deep memorial graven on their hearts.

And trembles, shaken with its eager heed;
The recollection, like a vein of ore,

No other key will answer my demand.
The further traced, enrich'd them still the more ;
They thought Him, and they justly thought Him, One The door between is some command undone,
Sent to do more than He appear'd t' have done ; Obedience is the key that slides the bar,
To exalt a people, and to place them high

And lets Him in, who stands so near, so far; Above all else, and wonder'd He should die. | The doors are many, but the key is one. - Wilkinson.

540. COMPANIONS. Choice of NOT with the light and vain,

The man of idle feet and wanton eyes ;
Not with the world's gay, ever-smiling train ;

My lot be with the grave and wise.
Not with the trifler gay,

To whom life seems but sunshine on the wave ; Not with the empty idler of the day; My lot be with the wise and grave.

Wisdom, in an ailing body; or a common mind,

with health; Godliness, with man's scorn ; or the welcome of

the mighty, with guilt ; Beauty, with a fickle heart; or plainness of face,

with affection. For so hath Providence determined, that a man

shall not easily discover Unmingled good or evil, to quicken his envy or

abhorrence. A bold man or a fool must he be, who would change

his lot with another. It were a fearful bargain, and mercy hath lovingly

resused it.— Tupper.

Not with the jesting fool,

Who knows not what to sober truth is due, Whose words fly out without or aim or rule !

My lot be with the wise and true.

544. COMPENSATION. Moral

Not with the man of dreams,

In whose bright words no truth nor wisdom lies, Dazzling the fervent youth with mystic gleams;

My lot be with the simply wise. With them I'd walk each day,

From them time's solemn lessons would I learn, That false from true and true from false I may

Each hour more patiently discern. - Bonar.

541. COMPANY. Choice of
Some love the glow of outward show,

Some love mere wealth and try to win it; The house to me may lowly be,

If I but like the people in it.
What's all the gold that glitters cold,

When link'd to hard or haughty feeling ? Whate'er we're told, the nobler gold

Is truth of heart and manly dealing !

Just, and strong, and opportune, is the moral rule

of God; Ripe in its times, firm in its judgments, equal in

the measure of its gifts. Yetmen, scanning the surface, count the wicked

happy, Nor heed the compensating peace which gladdeneth

the good in his afflictions. They see not the frightful dreams that crowd a bad

man's pillow ; They know not the torturing suspicions that sting

his panting breast, When the clear eye of penetration quietly readeth

off the truth. Likewise of the good what know they? the memories

bringing pleasure, Shrined in the heart of the benevolent and glistening

from his eye. The calm, self-justifying reason that establisheth the

upright in his purpose ; The warm and gushing bliss that floodeth all the

thoughts of the religious. — Tupper.

Then let them seek, whose minds are weak,

Mere fashion's smile, and try to win it ; The house to me may lowly be,

If I but like the people in it !-Charles Swain.

542. COMPANY. Vicious

Avoid a villain as you would a brand,
Which, lighted, burns, extinguish'd, smuts the hand.

Oriental. 543. COMPENSATION. Law of The poor man counteth not the cost at which such

wealth hath been purchased ; He would be on the mountain's top without the toil

and travail of the climbing. He that would change with another, must take the

cup as it is mixed. Poverty, with largeness of heart; or a full purse,

with a sordid spirit :

545. COMPENSATION : required. NOTHING comes free-cost here. Jove will not let His gifts go from him, if not bought with sweat.

Robert Herrick. 546. COMPLAINT: a trial of the Divine

patience. I SOMETIMES think God's tender heart must ache, Listning to all the sad complaining cries, That from our weak, impatient souls arise-Because we do not see that for our sake, He answers not, or answers otherwise Than seems the best to our tear-blinded eyes. This is Love's hardest task, to do hard things For Love's own sake, then bear the murmurings

Of Ignorance, too dull to judge aright,
The love that rises to this wondrous height.
He knows we have not yet attain'd; and so
He wearies not, but bears complaint and moan,
And shields each willing heart against His own,
Knowing that some glad day we too shall know.

Carlotta Perry.

If thou couldst trust, poor soul,
In Him who rules the whole,

Thou wouldst find peace and rest;
Wisdom and right are well, but trust is best.

Adelaide Proctor.

550. COMPLIMENTS.

547. COMPLAINT: brings no relief.

To tell thy mis’ries will no comfort breed ;
Men help thee most that think thou hast no need;
But if the world once thy misfortunes know,
Thou soon shalt lose a friend and find a foe.

Randolph.
548. COMPLAINT : cowardly.
I THINK we are too ready with complaint
In this fair world of God's. Had we no hope
Indeed beyond the zenith and the slope
Of yon grey bank of sky, we might be faint
To muse upon eternity's constraint
Round our aspirant souls. But if the scope
Must widen early, is it well to droop
For a few days consumed in loss and taint ?
O pusillanimous Heart, be comforted,
And, like a cheerful traveller, take the road,
Singing beside the hedge. What if the bread
Be bitter in the inn, and thou unshod
To meet the flints ?-At least it may be said,
* Because the way is short, I thank Thee, God!

E. B. Browning.

THROUGHOUT the world if it were sought,

Fair words enough a man shall find;
They be good cheap, they cost right nought,
Their substance is but only wind;
But well to say and so to mean,
That sweet accord is seldom seen.

Wyatt.
Treachery oft lurks
In compliments. You have sent so many posts
Of undertakings, they outride performance;
And make me think your fair pretences aim
At some intended ill, which my prevention
Must strive to avert.-Nabb.

551. CONCEIT.

Concert in weakest bodies strongest works.

, Shakespeare.
Drawn by conceit from reason's plan,
How vain is that poor creature, man!
How pleased is ev'ry paltry elf
To prate about that thing, himself.

Churchill. This self-conceit is a most dangerous shell,

Where many have made shipwreck unawares; He who doth trust too much unto himself, Can never fail to fall in many snares.

Earl of Sterline.

549. COMPLAINT : unwise.

I THINK if thou couldst know,

O soul that will complain,
What lies conceal'd below

Our burden and our pain;
How just our anguish brings
Nearer those longed-for things

We seek for now in vain,-
I think thou wouldst rejoice, and not complain.

552. CONCEITED MEN.

I think if thou couldst see,

With thy dim mortal sight,
How meanings dark to thee

Are shadows hiding light;
Truth's efforts cross'd and vex'd,
Life-purpose all perplex'd, -

If thou couldst see them right,
I think that they would seem all clear and wise and

bright.

THERE are a sort of men, whose visages
Do cream and mantle like a standing pond;
And do a wilful stillness entertain,
With purpose to be dressid in an opinion
Of wisdom, gravity, profound conceit ;
As who should say, 'I am Sir Oracle,
And, when I ope my lips, let no dog bark !'

I do know of these,
That therefore only are reputed wise.
For saying nothing. --Shakespeare.

553. CONDEMNATION. Record of

And yet thou canst not know,

And yet thou canst not see; Wisdom and sight are slow

In poor humanity.

AND since in God's recording book

Our sins are written, every one,The crime, the wrath, the wandering look,

The good we knew and left undone,

Lord, ere the last dread trump be heard,

He holds me with the billow's might-
And ere before Thy face we stand,

I shall not fall;
Look Thou on each accusing word,

If sharp, 'tis short ; if long, 'tis light;
And blot it with Thy bleeding hand.

He tempers all.
C. F. Alexander.

Safe to the land-safe to the land, 554. CONFESSION : necessary.

The end is this :

And then with Him go hand in hand
COME, now again thy woes impart,

Far into bliss. — Alford.
Tell all thy sorrows, all thy sin ;
We cannot heal the throbbing heart,

557. CONFIDENCE: reposed in a man.
Till we discern the wounds within.

Crabbe.

I took him for the plainest harmless't creature,

That breathed upon the earth a Christian ; 555. CONFESSION. Romish

Made him my book, wherein my soul recorded A PARENT ask'd a Priest his boy to bless,

The history of all my secret thoughts. Who forth with charged him-he must first confess.

Shakespeare. Well,' said the boy, 'suppose, sir, I am willing, What is your charge?' 'To you 'tis but a shilling!

558. CONSCIENCE. Attempts to bribe Must all men pay, and all men make confession?' Some scruple rose, but thus he eased his thought : “Yes, every man of Catholic profession.'

I'll now give sixpence where I gave a groat; "And who do you confess to?' 'Why, the Dean.' Where once I went to church, I'll now go twice,

And do the Deans confess ?' Yes, boy, they do, And am so clear too of all other vice.--Pope. Confess to Bishops, and pay smartly too!' 'Do Bishops, sir, confess ? if so, to whom?' 559. CONSCIENCE. Diary of "Why, they do confess, and pay the Church of Rome.' TO TREACHEROUS conscience! while she seems to "Well,' quoth the boy, "all this is mighty odd:

sleep And does the Pope confess?' 'Oh yes, to God.'

On rose and myrtle, lull’d with syren song! * And does God charge the Pope?' 'No,' quoth

While she seems, nodding o'er her charge, to drop the Priest,

On headlong appetite the slacken'd rein, "God charges nothing.' Oh, then God is best ;'

And give us up to license, unrecallid, God is able to forgive, and always willing ;

Unmark'd ;-see, from behind her secret stand, To Him I shall confess, and save my shilling.'

The sly informer minutes every fault,

And her dread diary with horror fills. 556. CONFIDENCE. Christian

Not the gross act alone employs her pen ;
I KNOW not if the dark or bright

She reconnoitres fancy's airy band,
Shall be my lot ;

A watchful foe! The formidable spy,
If that wherein my soul delight

Listening, o'erhears the whispers of our camp,
Be best or not.

Our dawning purposes of heart explores,
It may be mine to drag for years

And steals our embryos of iniquity.

As all-rapacious usurers conceal
Toil's heavy chain ;

Their doomsday-book from all-consuming heirs ;
Or day and night my meat be tears

Thus, with indulgence most severe, she treats
On bed of pain.

Us spendthrifts of inestimable time;
Dear faces may surround my hearth

Unnoted, notes each moment misapplied ;
With smiles and glee;

In leaves more durable than leaves of brass
Or I may dwell alone, and mirth

Writes our whole history ; which death shall read
Be strange to me.

In every pale delinquent's private ear;
My bark is wafted to the strand

And judgment publish--publish to more worlds
By breath divine,

And this—and endless age in groans resound.
And on the helm there rests a hand

Young
Other than mine.

560. CONSCIENCE : and future judgment. One who has known in storms to sail

I sat alone with my conscience,
I have on board ;

In a place where time had ceased,
Above the raging of the gale

And we talk'd of my former living
I hear my Lord.

In the land where the years increased.

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A Dictionary of Poetical Illustrations: Specially Selected with View to the ...