At first I would not hearken,
And put off till the morrow;
But life began to darken,
And I was sick with sorrow;
And I thought I heard Him say,
As He came along His way,
'O silly souls!' &c.
At last I stopped to listen,
His voice could not deceive me ;
I saw his kind eyes glisten,
So anxious to relieve me;
And I thought I heard him say,
As He came along His way,
'O silly souls!' &c.
He took me on His shoulder,
And tenderly He kissed me;
He bade my love be bolder,
And said how He had missed me;
And I'm sure I heard him say,
As He went along His way,
'O silly souls!' &c.
Strange gladness seemed to move Him
Whenever I did better;
And He [drew] me so to love Him,
As if He was my debtor;
And I always heard Him say,
As He went along His way,
'O silly souls!' &c.
I thought His love would weaken,
As more and more He knew me;
But it burneth like a beacon,
And its light and heat go through me;
And I ever hear Him say,
As He goes along His way,
'O silly souls!' &c.
Let us do, then, dearest brothers,
What will best and longest please us,—
Follow not the ways of others,
But trust ourselves to JESUS;
We shall ever hear Him say,
As He goes along His way,
'O silly souls!' &c.
"What I shall choose I wot not."
I WISH to have no wishes left,
But to leave all to Thee;
And yet I wish that Thou shouldst will
Things that I wish should be.
And these two wills I feel within
When on my death I muse;
But, LORD, I have a death to die,
And not a death to choose.
Why should I choose?
Most surely I descry
A gentler death than I myself
Should dare to ask to die.
But Thou wilt not disdain to hear
What those few wishes are,
Which I abandon to Thy love,
And to Thy wiser care.
All graces I would crave to have
Calmly absorbed in one,-
A perfect sorrow for my sins,
And duties left undone.
I fain, for my long journey's need,
The blessed Feast would share ;
I would GOD's priest beside my bed
Might pray the parting prayer.
I would the light of reason, LORD,
Up to the last might shine,
That my own hands might hold my soul
Until it passed to Thine.
And I would pass in silence, LORD,
No brave words on my lips,
Lest pride should cloud my soul, and I
Should die in the eclipse.
But when, and where, and by what pain,
All this is one to me;
I only long for such a death
As most shall honour Thee. Amen.
Faber (verse 6 being altered).
"The New Jerusalem."
JERUSALEM the Golden !
With milk and honey blest!
Beneath thy contemplation
Sink heart and voice oppress'd.
I know not, oh, I know not,
What joys await us there,
What radiancy of glory,
What light beyond compare!
And when I fain would sing them,
My spirit fails and faints,
And vainly would it image
The mansions of the saints.
They stand-those halls of Zion---
All jubilant with song,
And bright with many an Angel,
And all the martyr throng.
The Prince is ever in them;
The daylight is serene;
The pastures of the blessed
Are decked in glorious sheen.
There is the Throne of David,
And there, from care released,
The song of them that triumph,
The shout of them that feast:
And they who, with their Leader, Have conquered in the fight, For ever and for ever
Are clad in robes of white!
Jerusalem the glorious!
The glory of the elect!
O dear and happy vision
That eager hearts expect;
E'en now by faith I see thee:
E'en here thy walls discern :
To thee my thoughts are kindled,
And strive, and pant, and yearn.
O fields that know no sorrow!
O state that fears no strife!
O princely bowers! O land of flowers!
O realm and home of life!
O sweet and blessed country!
Shall I ever see thy face?
O sweet and blessèd country!
Shall I ever win thy grace?
I have the hope within me
To comfort and to bless :
Shall I ever win the prize itself?
O tell me, tell me, 'Yes'!
Bernard of Cluny, tr. Neale.
"A man shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest."
JESUS, Lover of my soul,
Let me to Thy Bosom fly,
While the gathering waters roll,
While the tempest still is high:
Hide me, O my ŜAVIOUR, hide,
Till the storm of life is past,
Safe into the haven guide;
O receive my soul at last!
Other refuge have I none;
Hangs my helpless soul on Thee;
Leave, ah! leave me not alone,
Still support and comfort me.
All my trust on Thee is stayed,
All my help from Thee I bring;
Cover my defenceless head
With the shadow of Thy wing!
Plenteous grace with Thee is found,
Grace to cover all my sin;
Let the healing streams abound;
Make and keep me pure within!
Thou of Life the Fountain art,
Freely let me take of Thee;
Spring Thou up within my heart,
Rise to all eternity.
"Whom have I in heaven but Thee? And there is none upon earth that I desire in comparison of Thee."
JESU, my LORD, my GOD, my all;
Hear me, blest SAVIOUR, when I call;
Hear me, and from Thy dwelling-place
Pour down the riches of Thy grace.
JESU, my LORD, I Thee adore;
Oh make me love Thee more and more!
JESU, alas! too coldly sought,
How can I love Thee as I ought?
And how extol Thy matchless fame,
The glorious beauty of Thy Name?
JESU, my LORD, I Thee adore;
Oh make me love Thee more and more!
JESU, what didst Thou find in me,
That Thou hast dealt so lovingly?
How great the joy that Thou hast brought
Oh far exceeding hope or thought!
JESU, my LORD, I Thee adore;
Oh make me love Thee more and more!
JESU, of Thee shall be my song,
To Thee my heart and soul belong;
All that I am or have is Thine;
And Thou, my SAVIOUR, Thou art mine.
JESU, my LORD, I Thee adore ;
Oh make me love Thee more and more!
"He is altogether lovely."
JESUS, Thou Joy of loving hearts!
Thou Fount of life! Thou Light of men!
From the best bliss that earth imparts,
We turn unfilled to Thee again.
Thy truth unchanged hath ever stood;
Thou savest those that on Thee call;
To them that seek Thee, Thou art good,
To them that find Thee, All in all !
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