This earth, the scene of all His woe, A homeless wild to thee, Full soon, upon His heavenly throne, Its rightful King shall see. Thou, too, shalt reign,-He will not wear And earth His royal bride shall see Then weep no more: 'tis all thine own, His crown, His joy divine; And, sweeter far than all beside, He, He Himself, is thine !-Denny. 57. ADVENT, THE SECOND. Prayer for 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 Hosanna! and Thy glorious footsteps greet. Jeremy Taylor. 58. ADVENT, THE SECOND. Prayer for COME, Lord, and tarry not: Bring the long-looked-for day, Oh why these years of waiting here, 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; Come, for the corn is ripe, Reap the great harvest of the earth- Come, and make all things new, Build up this ruin'd earth, Restore our faded Paradise, Creation's second birth. Come, and begin Thy reign Come, take the kingdom to Thyself, Horatius Bonar. 59. ADVENT, THE SECOND. Prayer for THE Church has waited long Her absent Lord to see; Sun after sun has set, And still in weeds of widowhood Saint after saint on earth Has lived, and loved, and died; We laid them side by side; The serpent's brood increase, Holy and true and good, Wilt Thou not judge Thy suffering church, Her sighs and tears and blood? We long to hear Thy voice, To see Thee face to face, To share Thy crown and glory then, Should not the loving Bride The absent Bridegroom mourn? Should she not wear the weeds of grief Until her Lord return? Come then, Lord Jesus, come! Watchman, what of the night? we cry, Heartsick with hope deferr'd: No speaking signs are in the sky, The porter watches at the gate, The servants watch within ; All night we watch and rise; The coming days are dim; One with another, soul with soul, 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 Christ,-they sweet, but He most sweet, There no more parting, no more pain; The distant ones brought near; The lost so long are found again,- Long lost, but longer dear : Eye hath not seen, ear hath not heard, We weep, because the night is long; For us; we hold Him fast, And will not let Him go except He bless us first or last. Weeping, we hold Him fast to-night; Till day-break smite our wearied sight, Then figs shall bud, and dove with dove My fair one, come away! Christina G. Rossetti. 62. ADVENT, THE SECOND. Waiting for WHAT of the night, watchman, what of the night? The wintry gale sweeps by, The thick shadows fall, and the night-bird's call The night is dark, it is long and drear, But who, while others sleep, Is that little band, who together stand, All awake is the strained eye, And awake the listening ear: For their Lord they wait, and watch at the gate Long have they waited—that little band, And ever and anon To fancy's eye the dawn seem'd nigh,— And often, through the midnight gale, They thought they heard at last The sound of His train, and they listen'd again,And the sound died away on the blast. Ages have roll'd, and one by one Those watchers have pass'd away; And in their place their children stand, They watch and pray for the dawn of day, For this is no time for sleep. What of the night, watchman, what of the night? We know that the dawn is nigh. Courage, ye servants of the Lord, The night is almost o'er; Your Master will come and call you home, To weep and to watch no more. 63. ADVENT, THE SECOND. Waiting for 'IT may be in the evening, When the work of the day is done, While the long, bright day dies slowly And the hour grows quiet and holy, Passing along the street, May come the sound of My feet. Therefore I tell you, watch By the light of the evening star, When the room is growing dusky As the clouds afar Let the door be on the latch For it may be through the gloaming 'It may be when the midnight Is heavy upon the land, And the black waves lying dumbly When the moonless night draws close, When the fires burn low and red, And the watch is ticking loudly Beside the bed : Though you sleep, tired out, on your couch, For it may be that at midnight 'It may be at the cock-crow, And the sea looks calm and holy,' Of the golden sun, Which draweth nigh; When the mists are on the valleys, shading The rivers chill, And my morning star is fading, fading Over the hill : Behold, I say unto you, watch! Let the door be on the latch In your home; In the chill before the dawning, 'It may be in the morning, When the sun is bright and strong, And the dew is glittering sharply Over the sweet, green lawn; When the waves are laughing loudly Along the shore, And gay birds are singing sweetly With the long day's work before you, You rise up with the sun, And your dear ones come to talk a little Of all that must be done, But remember, I may be the next To come in at the door, Doth bear him up against the shame of ruin, 67. ADVERSITY. Benefit of Yet scarcely thank the One who sends. How soon we quail beneath the rod ! With shatter'd pride, and prostrate heart, We seek the long-forgotten God. NOT one care-wanting hour my life had tasted; So do the billows of affliction beat me, My God once mix'd a harsh cup, for me to drink from it, And it was full of acrid bitterness intensest ; The black and nauseating draught did make me shrink from it, The gods in bounty work up storms about us, Their hidden strength, and throw out into practice In the smooth seasons and the calms of life. Mallett and Thomson. 74. ADVERSITY. Resignation in NAY then farewell! I have touch'd the highest point of all my greatness; And cry, 'O Thou who every draught alike dis- I haste now to my setting; I shall fall This cup of anguish sore, bid me not quaff of it, Like a bright exhalation in the evening, 75. ADVERSITY. Reviewing WHEN we are young, this year we call the worst The saw saith.-William Morris. 76. ADVERSITY: transient. AFTER the storm, a calm; After the bruise, a balm; For the ill brings good in the Lord's own time, After the drought, the dew; After the cloud, the blue; For the sky will smile in the sun's good time, Ye good distress'd! Ye noble few! who here unbending stand Thomson. 77. AFFECTATION. Ministerial |