Abbildungen der Seite
PDF
EPUB

N whatsoe'er my people sinned, I'll share

JN

Most willingly the burden that they bear And raise my arms in prayer to none but Thee

Who else would be so merciful to me?

XXX.

The Comforter.

Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the Lord's hand double for all her sins.-Isaiah xl. 1, 2.

THUS saith the Lord: In an acceptable time have I

heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee; I will preserve thee and give thee for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, and cause to inherit the desolate heritages. Sing, O heavens, and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the Lord hath comforted His people and will have mercy upon the afflicted. But Zion said: The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me. Can a woman forget her sucking child that she shall not have compassion on her son? Yea, even if she may forget, yet will I not forget thee.-Isaiah xlix. 8, 9, 13, 15.

When the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream. Then was our mouth

[ocr errors]

filled with laughter and our tongue with singing; then said they among the heathen: the Lord hath done great things for them. They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.-Psalm cxxvi.

'HILDREN of the martyr-race,

Whether free or fettered,

Wake the echoes of your songs,
Where ye may be scattered.

Yours the message cheering
That the time is nearing
Which shall see

All men free,

Tyrants disappearing.

Humanity.

O Thou, who heareth prayer, unto Thee shall all flesh come.-Psalm lxv. 2.

The righteous of all the nations of the earth shall share the bliss of the world to come.- The Pharisees.

On hearing men speak of the virtues of mankind, approve, follow and rejoice therein.-Chinese.

I.

The Kingdom of God.

All the ends of the world shall remember and turn to the Lord; and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship Thee.—Psalm xxii. 27.

HERE is a kingdom which denieth access to none who would enter it; no wanderer hath ever been turned away from its borders; all men are free to establish themselves within its limits and to appropriate of its land as much as they desire.

Know ye the kingdom? Never has it bowed to armed power; in it high and low are measured by standards different from those in all other countries. No traitors are found there, unless it be those who commit treachery against themselves.

Oh, say! know ye this kingdom? It is the kingdom of God. Whosoever sets out to find its borders loses not his way, and meets a loving welcome there. He may extend his possessions, and introduce friend or foe; and none shall hinder or disturb him. If, however, , we do not choose to become citizens of that kingdom, we shall in no wise be coerced to do so. If we do not seek its gates of our own accord, we shall not be carried thither; no messenger will come to rouse us, if we prefer to lie dreaming upon the ground, content to sleep away our span of life. If we are not willing to

« ZurückWeiter »