Hark! with what awful cry

His spirit takes its flight;
That cry,-it pierced His Mother's heart,

And whelm'd her soul in night.
Earth hears, and to its base

Rocks wildly to and fro;
Tombs burst ; seas, rivers, mountains quake :

The veil is rent in two.
The sun withdraws his light ;

The midday heavens grow pale ;
The moon, the stars, the universe,

Their Maker's death bewail.

From henceforth there is nought of mine
But I would seek to make it Thine,

Since all myself to Thee I owe.
Whate'er my utmost powers can do,
To Thee to render service true,
Here at Thy feet I lay it low.

Gerhardt, tr. by Miss Winkworth.

Shall man alone be mute ?

Come, youth and hoary hairs !
Come, rich and poor! come, all mankind !

And bathe those feet in tears.
Come ! fall before His Cross,

Who shed for us His blood;
Who died the victim of pure love,

To make us sons of God.

460. CHRIST : His faithfulness. Not seldom, clad in radiant vest,

Deceitfully goes forth the morn ;
Not seldom, evening in the west

Sinks smilingly forsworn.
The smoothest seas will sometimes prove,

To the confiding bark, untrue;
And, if she trust the stars above,

They can be treacherous too.
The umbrageous oak, in pomp outspread,

Full oft, when storms the welkin rend,
Draws lightnings down upon the head

It promised to defend.
But Thou art true, incarnate Lord,

Who didst vouchsafe for man to die : .
Thy smile is sure, Thy plighted word

No change can falsify.
I bent before Thy gracious throne,

And ask'd for peace with suppliant knee ;
And peace was given, nor peace alone,

But faith, and hope, and ecstasy !- IVords orth.

Jesu, all praise to Thee,
Our joy and endless rest !
Be Thou our guide while pilgrims here,
Our crown amid the blest.

Tr. from the Latin by E. Caswall.

459. CHRIST : His death.
O WORLD! behold upon the tree
Thy Life is hanging now for thee,

Thy Saviour yields His dying breath ;
The mighty Prince of glory now
For thee doth unresisting bow

To cruel stripes, to scorn and death.
Alas! my Saviour, who could dare
Bid Thee such bitter anguish bear,

What evil heart entreat Thee thus ?
For Thou art good, hast wronged none,
As we and ours too oft have done :

Thou hast not sinn'd, dear Lord, like us. I and my sins, that number more Than yonder sands upon the shore,

Have brought to pass this agony. 'Tis I have caused the floods of woe That now Thy dying soul o'erflow,

And those sad hearts that watch by Thee.

461. CHRIST : His incarnation.

All praise to Thee, eternal Lord !
Clothed in a garb of flesh and blood;
Choosing a manger for Thy throne,
While worlds on worlds are Thine alone.
Once did the skies before Thee bow :
A Virgin's arms contain Thee now ;
Angels, who did in Thee rejoice,
Now listen for Thine infant voice.
A little child, Thou art our guest,
That weary ones in Thee may rest;
Forlorn and lowly is Thy birth,
That we may rise to heaven from earth.
Thou comest in the darksome night
To make us children of the light,-.
To make us, in the realms divine,
Like Thine own angels round Thee shine.
All this for us Thy love hath done ;
By this to Thee our love is won :
For this we tune our cheerful lays,
And shout our thanks in ceaseless praise.

Schaff

Yet Thou dost even for my sake
On Thee, in love, the burdens take,

That weigh'd my spirit to the ground.
Yes : Thou art made a curse for me,
That I might yet be blest through Thee :
My healing in Thy wounds is found.

We love Him for the tender touch

That made the leper whole, And for the wondrous words that heal'd

The tired, sin-sick soul.

But closer to His loving self

Our human hearts are brought, When for the little children's sake

Love's sweetest spell is wrought.
For their young eyes His sorrowing face

A smile of gladness wore-
A smile that for His little ones

It weareth evermore.

The voice that silenced priest and scribe,

For them grew low and sweet; And still for them His gentle lips

The loving words repeat :

462. CHRIST: His knowledge of our necessities. Thou knowest, Lord, the weariness and sorrow

Of the sad heart that comes to Thee for rest;
Cares of to-day, and burdens for to-morrow,

Blessings implored, and sins to be confess'd ;
I come before Thee at Thy gracious word,
And lay them at Thy feet ; Thou knowest, Lord.
Thou knowest all the past ; how long and blindly

On the dark mountains the lost sheep had stray'd ; How the Good Shepherd follow'd, and how kindly

He bore it home upon His shoulders laid, And heal'd the bleeding wounds, and soothed the

pain, And brought back life, and hope, and strength again. Thou knowest all the present; each temptation,

Each toilsome duty, each foreboding fear;
All to myself assign’d of tribulation,

Or to beloved ones, than self more dear;
All pensive memories, as I journey on,
Longings for vanish'd smiles and voices gone.
Thou knowest all the future gleams of gladness,

By stormy clouds too quickly overcast,
Hours of sweet fellowship and parting sadness,

And the dark river to be cross'd at last; Oh, what could hope and confidence afford To tread that path, but this-Thou knowest, Lord. Thou knowest, not alone as God, all knowing ;

As inan, our mortal weakness Thou hast proved; On earth with purest sympathies o'erflowing,

O Saviour, Thou hast wept, and Thou hast loved ! And love and sorrow still to Thee may come, And find a hiding-place, a rest, a home. Therefore I come, Thy gentle call obeying,

And lay my sins and sorrows at Thy feet,
On everlasting strength my weakness staying,

Clothed in Thy robe of righteousness complete ;
Then rising and refresh'd, I leave Thy throne,
And follow on to know as I am known.

*Forbid them not!' O blessed Christ!

We bring them unto Thee, And pray that on their heads may rest

Thy benedicite !-E. D.

465. CHRIST: His love for children.

• The Master has come over Jordan,'

Said Hannah, the mother, one day : He is healing the people who throng Him

With a touch of His finger, they say. And now I shall carry the children,

Little Rachel and Samuel and John ; I shall carry the baby, Esther,

For the Lord to look upon.' The father look'd at her kindly;

But he shook his head and smiled : Now, who but a doting mother

Would think of a thing so wild ? If the children were tortured by demons,

Or dying of fever, 'twere well ; Or had they the taint of the leper,

Like many in Israel'

463. CHRIST: His knowledge of the heart.

THERE is no need of words of mine to tell My heart to Thee ; Thou needest not to spell, As others must, my hidden thoughts and fears, From out my broken words, my sobs, or tears ; Thou knowest all, knowest far more than 1, The inner meaning of each tear or sigh.

Nay, do not hinder me, Nathan;

I feel such a burden of care : If I carry it to the Master,

Perhaps I shall leave it there. If He lay His hands on the children,

My heart will be lighter, I know; For a blessing for ever and ever

Will follow them as they go.'
So, over the hills of Judah,

Along the vine-rows green,
With Esther asleep on her bosom,

And Rachel her brothers between,

464. CHRIST : His love for children. THERE is no sweeter story told

In all the blessed Book,
Than how the Lord within His arms

The little children took.

The joys prepared for me to-day
Drive fear and mourning far away :

Hallelujah! Hallelujah!-Herman.

Thy blessed labours done,

Thy crown of victory won, Hast pass'd from earth, pass'd to Thy home on high ;

Our eyes behold Thee not,

Yet hast Thou not forgot Those who have placed their hope, their trust, in

472. CHRIST: His resurrection.

The morning purples all the sky,

The air with praises rings; Defeated hell stands sullen by,

The world exulting sings. Glory to God! our glad lips cry;

All praise and worship be On earth, in heaven, to God most High,

For Christ's great victory!
While He, the King, all strong to save,

Rends the dark doors away,
And through the breaches of the grave

Strides forth into the day;
Glory to God! our glad lips cry;

All praise and worship be
On earth, in heaven, to God most High,

For Christ's great victory!
Death's captive, in his gloomy prison,

Fast fetter'd He has lain;
But He has master's Death, is risen,

And Death wears now the chain.
Glory to God ! our glad lips cry;

All praise and worship be On earth, in heaven, to God most High,

For Christ's great victory!

O Thou, who art our life,

Be with us through the strife! Thy holy head by earth's fierce storms was bow'd ;

Raise Thou our eyes above,

To see a Father's love Beam, like the bow of promise, through the cloud.

E'en through the awful gloom

Which hovers o'er the tomb,
That light of love our guiding star shall be ;

Our spirits shall not dread

The shadowy way to tread, Friend, Guardian, Saviour, which doth lead to Thee !

Sarah A. Miles.