vineyard and to loiter among its pleasant places; When Thou commandest me to dig around the fig-trees which Thou hast planted and to lead water unto the vines of thy choice. But let me never cease to help thy little ones and to lead them in thy way; To set forth thy truth before my neighbours : both with lips and with life. : To labour for the glory of my Master and the fruitfulness of his Church. O let me not seek mine own : but thine only, O Christ; Lest I become one of those who would cast Thee out and seek to slay Thee afresh. : O how fearful will be the day of thy vengeance: O how terrible the hour of thy judgment; When Thou shalt come to deal with thine adversaries and to reckon with thy unprofitable servants. : But with wages of everlasting life : wilt Thou come to thy faithful servants. And Thou shalt bring with Thee an eternal sabbath and Thou and thy people shall rest from their labours. For their work of salvation shall be ended : thy work of redemption shall be finished. March 16th 1865 XVII. A PROSPECT OF THE LAST DAY. THE Lord prolongeth the life of his servant : He hath added unto him another day. For behold! the light of the stars is quenched: the glory of the sun hath swallowed it up. And all the living creatures of the earth arise from slumber : men and beast, and feathered fowl. Therefore, it is so much nearer : even the day, the notable day; When the light of the sun and moon shall be quenched : and all the host of heaven shall fall from the sky. And there shall be no light to shine save the light of thy glory. All the world shall be full of its brightness: unutterable, inextinguishable. Then thy voice shall open the graves: the dead shall come forth to their last work upon earth: To stand before thy judgment-seat: to depart unto their appointed place. And some shall go as high as the heavens : and some as low as the pit. Awake my heart, O Lord: make it watchful of thy signs; Lest that day come upon me unawares : and I be robbed of that which I cared not to guard. Of the life which I have mis-spent of the talents which I have not employed; Of the good things of which I have been a faithless steward: of the station in thy Church which I have not kept; Of the body which I have not held in sanctification of the soul which hath not lived in communion with Thee. Turn the heart of thy servant: and fix it on Thee this day, That my eye be ever set upon the stretching forth of thy hand and my ear be open to thy calling. Make me to consider the treasures which Thou committest to my stewardship : and the excellency of thy commandments. They are the earnest of the gift of riches unsearchable they are the prelude of charges of glory inestimable; When thy stewards, found faithful in this world: shall be made ministering spirits in the world to come. They shall be workmen of thy providence : and messengers of thy will. Their workmanship shall be perfect : their work shall endure for ever. No sentence of wrath shall condemn it: no day of judgment shall cut it short. How glorious is the post to which Thou hast called me enable me to fill it. : Sanctify all my doings of this day that they may be a portion of its appointed work. Let them be found in the book of life : let them be read thence on the last day. O Lord! Thou art my sanctifier: O Christ! Thou art my Redeemer. March 1725 7865 XVIII. THE CHRISTIAN REVIEWETH HIS MINISTRY. O LORD! thy light is come again : it shineth from the East unto the West. It revealeth thy glory and power it discovereth the might of thy hand. It openeth to mine eyes the wideness of thy dominions : it displayeth the heaven and earth which Thou hast made. Behold! the clouds are the veil of thy tabernacle and the dew mounteth up as incense before Thee. Thy ministers have entered thy courts: they stand before thy presence. They ask strength and grace from Thee : and thou givest unto them abundantly. How innumerable are their ranks : how glorious is their service. Give unto me this day, O Lord: that I may minister faithfully to thy service. Prepare my heart with willingness and my hands with skilfulness. Strengthen me to my work: and heal all my infirmities. Thou knowest them all : Thou canst be touched with the feeling of them. Thou didst humble thyself to the form of a servant : Thou didst gird thyself to serve thine own servants, And didst endure the suffering: and didst despise the shame. Thus Thou didst exalt thy servants unto heavenly service and make them the ministers of the Most High for evermore. : Fix my heart this day set its meditations on thy words, Which Thou shalt utter to thy faithful: when Thou comest in thy glory to take account of thy servants : Well done! Thou good and faithful servant : enter Thou into the joy of thy Lord. XIX. A PRAYER TO SANCTIFY THE DAY. Out of the depth of eternity: at the bidding of the Lord God Almighty; Another day hath come up to mine eyes : and declared his wondrous works. |