sembled: then shall the vile man and the noble stand together; : And all shall regard one the other for the secrets of all hearts shall be disclosed. Then shall be groaning in anguish and then shall be laughter of joy. : And the last salutation shall be given : "Come," and " Depart, ye," shall be the words. And the last procession shall go forth : and there shall be no contending for the way. For this shall ascend with song aloft into heaven and that shall descend with lamentation down into the pit. : O Lord, let me listen and hear thy voice: even now above the voice of men; : Lift up mine eye to thy throne and direct me amid this throng. Remove the tempter from my path: and the allurements of vanity from before my sight. Let me not be mingled in the sins of other men nor come into their judgments. But separate me unto thy company and receive me unto thy blessedness. VIII. THOUGHTS AMID CROWDS. REFLECTION ON THE CHRISTIAN'S CHURCH AND COUNTRY. O GOD! when I walk through the streets of the great city: even of the beauty and boast of the land of my fathers; When I look upon the countless host of her children and gaze upon the glory of her palaces; I am faint with sorrowfulness: my heart is smitten with fear. O keep from her the fearful day: forbid the night to let it ever go forth from her gates; The day which arose unto Tyre and which dawned unto Babylon; : When her enemies shall clap their hands: and shall mock at her calamity, and say; Come forth, come forth, O proud daughter of England arise from the slumber of thy couch of purple ; Quit the cedared chamber of thy delicacy: stand forth and see what is a doing in thy streets. For behold a holiday for thy children: Lo! a spectacle for thy crowds. Thy gates are wide open: they are the gates of thy church-yards. Thy bells are ringing: they are the passingbells of thy people. The sound goeth up of an innumerable mul titude it is the sound of lamentation, and mur : muring, and woe. Thy processions are all on the march : they are the funerals of thy children. Put down thy crown of jewels shave thine head. Strip off thy robe of soft linen: gird thee with sackcloth. : Sit down in the dust and hear what thine enemies say concerning Thee. The crash of thy fall hath shaken the earth : its sound hath astonished the nations. The Polander stoppeth his plough, and crieth "London is fallen." : The Indian pauseth at his loom, and crieth : "London is fallen." The merchant landeth in the distant West, and crieth: "London is fallen." "She hath drunk to the full, she hath staggered she is fallen, and lieth on the ground. "She hath discovered her shame : and there is none to raise her." O Lord! let not the lips be born which shall utter such words against her : let not the day come forth which shall witness such dealings with her. But bring her sons to repentance : and teach her children thy righteousness. And as for me, keep me from partaking in those sins which turn away thy face from her : and from joining in the company of such as provoke thy vengeance against her. O Lord God of hosts, look down : Thou Captain of salvation, have mercy upon her. IX. THE GOOD SHEPHERD'S VOICE. O LOOK upon me, and help me : deliver me, Thou good Shepherd. For many are the tongues which speak around me and many are the voices that try to persuade my heart. And among them I hear the voice of the stranger: stop my ears, that it enter not in. For he uttereth strange things: dark is the speech which he whispereth. : But he becometh plainer as I listen and bolder in his accusation of thy just providence. He complaineth of the strictness of thy law : he telleth of the difficulty of obtaining thy wages. He counteth up the pleasures of his service : he showeth the enjoyment of its reward. He blasphemeth with lies thy glory : he mocketh at the fear of thy judgments. Cast him down, O Lord : let not this bad shepherd lead me; For he will gather me into his herd of goats: which Thou shalt send into everlasting fire. But be Thou always nigh unto me and quicken my ears to thy voice. Make me to love its sound: that I may be watchful for all its occasions, And may ever single it out from all others: and listen to it only, In the meditations of my heart in, the counsel of thy servants. For what are all other words but lies : interpreters of vanity, Advocates of the world: counsellors of corruption; Defilers of the heart : corrupters of the imagination; Mockers of thy majesty defiers of thy law. Away with them, far away: even unto the pit whence they came. Thither let them return to be drowned in the sounds of thy vengeance; In the shrieks from thy whips: in the groans from thy chains. Let me hear Thee only and let me ever rejoice in thy truth. K |