FROM THE LIBRARY OF REV. LOUIS FITZGERALD BENSON, D. D. BEQUEATHED BY HIM TO THE LIBRARY OF PRINCETON THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY Section /VQ6in : and BO death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.— Romans, v. 13. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. —I. Corinthians, xv. 21, 22. The first man A. And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that ye also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also I one another.— Romans, xv. 14. Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples : and they are written for our ci J monition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. — I. Corinthians, x. 11. Thou Power Supreme ! who aiming to rebuke Offenders, dost put off the gracious look, And clothe thyself in terrors, like the flood Of ocean roused into his fiercest mood, "Whatever discipline Thy will ordain For the brief course that must for me remain ; Teach me with quick-eared spirit to rejoice In admonitions of thy softest voice ! TVhate'er the path these mortal feet may trace, Breathe through my soul the blessing of Thy grace ; Glad, through a perfect love, a faith sincere, Drawn from the wisdom that begins with fear ; Glad to expand, and, for a season, free From finite cares, to rest absorbed in Thee. Wordsworth. In every copse and sheltered dell, Unveiled to the observant eye, Are faithful monitors, who tell How pass the hours and seasons b}~. The green-robed children of the spring, Will mark the periods as they pass ; Mingle with leaves time's feathered wing, And bind with flowers his silent glass. Thus in each flower and simple bell, That in our path betrodden lie ; Are sweet remembrancers, who tell How fast the winged moments fly. Charlotte Smith. 14 ADORATION, ADORATION. HOLY, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. — Revelations, iv. 8. Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. — Revelations, v. 13. In ardent adoration joined, Obedient to Thy holy will, Let all my faculties combined Thy just desires, O God, fulfil ! From thee derived, Eternal King, To thee our noblest powers we bring : O, may thy hand direct our wandering way ! O, bid thy light arise, and chase the clouds away ! Lorenzo de Medici. Ye who spurn His righteous sway, Yet, oh yet, He spares your breath ; Yet His hand, averse to slay, Balances the bolt of death. Ere that dreadful bolt descends, Haste before His feet to fall ; Xiss the sceptre He extends, And adore Him "Lord of all." Sir R. Grant. Eternal Power, whose high abode Becomes the grandeur of a God, Infinite lengths beyond the bounds Where stars revolve their little rounds. Thee, while the first archangel sings, He hides his face behind his wings, And ranks of shining thrones around, Eall worshipping and spread the ground. Lord, what shall earth and ashes do ? We would adore our Maker too ; From sin and dust to Thee we cry, The Great, the Holy, and the High. Wesley. ADVENT. 15 ADVENT. PRBPABB ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a high- way for o'n i Kyi ty valley 3] :.ll be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low : and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain. And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.— Isaiah, xl. 3, 4, 5. The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek ; He hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound ; to proclaim the accept- able year of the Lord. — Isaiah, lxi. 1, '-. Let the floods clap their hands, let the hills be joyful together before the Lord ; for He cometh to judge the earth : with righteousness shall He judge the world, and the people with equity.— Psalm xcviii. &, !». Well then, iny soul, joy in the midst of pain ; Thy Christ, that conquered hell, shall from above With greater triumph yet return again, And conquer His own justice with His love — Commanding earth and seas to render those Unto His bliss, for whom he paid His woes. Henry Wotton. When Thou, attended gloriously from Heaven, Shall in the sky appear, and from Thee send The summoning archangels to proclaim The dread tribunal, forthwith from all winds The living, and forthwith the cited dead Of all past ages, to the general doom Shall hasten. Milton. Come then, and added to thy many crowns, Receive yet one, the crown of all the Earth, Thou who alone art worthy ! It was thine By ancient covenant, ere Nature's birth ; And thou hast made it thine by purchase since, And overpaid its value with thy blood. Thy saints proclaim thee king ; and in their hearts Thy title is engraven with a pen Dipped in the fountain of eternal love. Thy saints proclaim thee king ; and thy delay Gives courage to their foes, who could they see The dawn of thy last advent long desired, Would creep into the bowels of the hills And flee for safety to the falling rocks. Cotoper. 16 THE ADVENT. Messiah comes! — Let furious discord cease; Be peace on earth before the Prince of Peace ! Disease and anguish feel His blest control, And howling fiends release the tortured soul ! The beams of gladness Hell's dark caves illume, And mercy broods above the distant gloom. Bishop Heber. The Lord shall come ! the earth shall quake ; The mountains to their centre shake ; And withering from the vault of night, The stars shall pale their feeble light. The Lord shall come ! but not the same As once in lowliness he came ; A silent Lamb before His foes, A weary man and full of woes. The Lord shall come ! a dreadful form, With rainbow wreath, and robes of storm ; On cherub wings and wings of wind, Appointed Judge of all mankind ! Bishop Heber. The chariot ! the chariot ! its wheels roll on fire, As the Lord cometh down in the pomp of his ire ; Self-moving it drives on its pathway of cloud, And the heavens with the burthen of Godhead are bowed ! The glory ! the glory ! by myriads are pour'd The host of the angels to wait on their Lord, And the glorified saints and the martyrs are there, And all who the palm- wreath of victory wear. H. R. Hitman. Messiah comes ! ye rugged paths be plain ! The Shiloh comes ! ye towering cedars bend ; Swell forth, ye valleys ; and, ye rocks, descend; The withered branch let balmy fruits adorn, And clustering roses twine the leafless thorn ; Burst forth, ye vocal groves, your joy to tell — The God of Peace redeems His Israel. C. H. Johnson. ADVEliSilV. 17 ADVEESITY. Ue hath said iii big heart, I shall not .. tor I shall be in ad ■ rsity. - ', In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day • the other, to the end that man should find nothing after him. . 14. Remember thorn that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as i>eing your.-^ ■: .e body. — II xiii. ;:. Stern teacher! sliould'st tliou come, and sit by me, And fix upon me thy dread, stony eyes, Calmly may I behold and welcome thee, As one that hath a message from the skies, Fraught with intelligence to make me wise: God grant me strength to view thee steadfastly, And listen to thy voice, though agonies Should rack my soul or frame. Adversity! Full oft hast thou a friend to mortals been, A blessing in disguise, though stern thy look ; Hard is thy hand, but still thy palms between Thou hold'st outspread the pages of God's Book ; "Wherein who reads with humble, prayerful mind. Will hope, and ease, and consolation find. When first thy sire to send on earth Virtue, his darling child, designed, To thee he gave the heavenly birth. And bade thee form her infant mind. Stern rugged nurse, thy rigid lore With patience many a year she bore ; What sorrow was thou bad'st her know, And, from her own, she learned to melt at other's woe. Gray. Adversity misunderstood, Becomes a double curse : Her chastening hand improves the iio^d, But makes the wicked worse. Thus clay more obdurate becomes, To the fierce flame consign'd ; While gold in the red ordeal melts, But melts to be refin'd. C. C. Cotton. 18 AFFECTION. AFFECTION. SET your affection upon my words ; desire them, and ye shall be instructed. — Wisdom, vi. 2. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. — Colossians, hi. 2. Be Mndly affect ioned one to another.— Romans, xii. 10. Heavenly Father! God of love, Look with, mercy from above ; Let thy streams of comfort roll, Let them fill and cheer my soul. Love celestial, ardent fire ; O extreme of sweet desire ! Spread thy bright, thy gentle flame, Swift o'er all my mental frame. Sweet affections flow from hence, Sweet above the joys of sense ; Let me thus for ever be, Full of gladness, full of thee. Parnel. Precious are the kind affections Which around this life entwine, Making earth, with all its troubles, Something more than half divine. But, alas ! they fade and perish, Like the bright and fragrant flowers, Sorrow blights, and death destroys them, And their beauty time devours. 'T is not so with those affections, That are set on heavenly things ; They will bloom and flourish ever, Watered by eternal springs ; Warmed by everlasting sunshine, Sheltered from the storms of earth, Ever growing and increasing, Knowing nought of drought or dearth. AFFLICTION. 19 AFFLICTION. Before I was afflicted I went astray ; but now have I kept thy word. —Psalm cxix. t;7. It [a good for me that I have been afflicted, that I might lean thy statutes.— Psalm cxix. 71. I know that the Lord will maintain the i tffflkUd, and the right of the poor. — Psalm cxl, 13. He was oppressed, and He was afflicted, yet lie opened not His mouth : He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and aa a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He openeth not His mouth. — Isaiah. liii. 7. In all their affliction He was afflicted, and the angel of Hi< presence saved them : in His love and in' His pity He redeemed them : and He bare them and carried them all the days of eld. —Isaiah, lxiii. 9. Come, and let as return unto the Lord : for He hath torn, and He will heal us; He hath smitten, and He will bind us up. — Hosea, vi. 1. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. — II. Corinthians, iv. 17. Affliction has a taste as sweet As any cordial comfort. Shakspere. Perfumes, the more they 're chafed, the more they render Their pleasant scents, and so affliction Expresseth virtue fully. John Webster. Afflictions clarify the soul, And, like hard masters, give more hard directions, Tutoring the non-age of uncurbed affections. Francis Quarles. To bear affliction with a bended brow, Or stubborn heart, is but to disallow The speedy means to health. Francis Quarles. A life all ease is all abused ; — O, precious grace that made the wise To know — affliction, rightly used, Is mercy in disguise. G. B. Cha ver. 20 AFFLICTION. Heaven but tries our virtues by affliction, And oft tlie cloud which wraps the present hour Serves but to brighten all our future days. Dr. Brown. I cannot call affliction sweet, And yet 't was good to bear ; Affliction brought me to Thy feet, And I found comfort there. My wearied soul was all resigned To Thy most gracious will ; Oh ! had I kept that better mind, Or been afflicted still ! Where are the vows which then I vowed, The joys which then I knew ? Those vanished like the morning cloud, These like the early dew. Lord, grant me grace for every day, Whate'er my state may be ; Through life, in death, with truth to say, "My God is all to me !" J. Montgomery. Come then, Affliction, if my Father bids, And be my frowning friend : a friend that frowns, Is better than a smiling enemy. We welcome clouds that bring the former rain, Though they the present prospect blacken round, And shade the beauties of the opening year, That, by their stores enriched, the earth may yield A fruitful summer and a plenteous crop. Swaine. Mid pleasure, plenty, and success, Freely we take from Him who lends ; We boast the blessings we possess, Yet scarcely thank the one who sends. But let affliction pour its smart, How soon we quail beneath the rod ! With shattered pride, and prostrate heart, We seek the long-forgotten God. Eliza Cook. AGE. 21 AGE. Grkat men arc not always wise, neither do the aged understand judgment. — Job, xxxii. 9. And even to your old age I am he ; and even to hoar hairs will I carry you.— Isaiah, xlvi. t. Cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength faileth.— Psalm bed. !». Now also, when I am old and grey-headed, O God. forsake me not : until I have showed thy strength unto tin- generation, and thy power to every one that is to come. — Psalm lx.\i. is. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and nourishing. — Psalm xcii. 11. That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience. The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness.— Titus, ii. 2, 3. Ye gods ! how easily the good man bears His cumbrous honours of increasing years. Age, oh my father, is not, as they say, A load of evils heaped on mortal clay, Unless impatient folly aids the curse, And weak lamenting makes our sorrows worse. He, whose soft soul, whose temper ever even, Whose habits placid as a cloudless heaven, Approve the partial blessings of the sky, Smooths the rough road, and walks untroubled by ; Untimely wrinkles furrow not his brow, And graceful wave his locks of reverend snow. 31. , from Anaxanclrides. And next in order sad, Old age we found, His beard all hoar, his eyes hollow and blind ; With drooping cheer still pouring on the ground, As on the place where nature him assign'd To rest, when that the sisters had untwined His vital thread, and ended with their knife The fleeting course of fast-declining life : There heard we him with broke and hollow plaint, Rue with himself his end approaching fast, And all for nought his wretched mind torment With sweet remembrance of his pleasures past, And fresh delights of lusty youth forewaste ; Recounting which, how would he sob and shriek, And to be young again of Jove beseek ! 22 AGE. Crook-backed lie was, tooth-shaken, and blear-eyed, Went on three feet and sometime crept on four, With old lame bones that rattled by his side ; His scalp all piled, and he with eld forelore, His wither'd fist still knocking at death's door ; Fumbling and drivelling as he draws his breath ; For brief, the shape and messenger of death. Sackville. So mayest thou live till, like ripe fruit, thou drop Into thy mother's lap, or be with ease Gathered, not harshly plucked, for death mature. This is old age, but then thou must outlive Thy youth, thy strength, thy beauty, which will change To withered, weak, and grey. Milton. O my coevals ! remnants of yourselves ! Poor human ruins, tottering o'er the grave ! Shall we, shall aged men, like aged trees, Strike deeper their vile root, and closer cling, Still more enamoured of this wretched soil? Shall our pale, withered hands be still stretched out, Trembling at once with eagerness and age? With avarice and convulsions griping hard ? Grasping at air! For what has earth beside? !Man wants but little, nor that little long : How soon must he resign his very dust, Which frugal nature lent him for an hour! Young. Age should fly concourse, cover in retreat Defects of judgment, and the will subdue; Walk thoughtful on the silent solemn shore Of that vast ocean it must sail so soon; And put good works on board ; and wait the wind That shortly blows us into worlds unknown. Young. But were death frightful, what has age to fear? If prudent, age should meet the friendly foe, And shelter in his hospitable gloom. Young. •2 I The seas are quiet when the winds are o'er, So calm are we, when passions are no more ! For then we know how vain it was to boast Of fleeting things, so certain to be lost. Clouds of affection from our youthful eyes Conceal the emptiness which age descries: The soul's dark cottage, battered and decayed, Lets in new lights through chinks that time has made. Stronger by weakness, wiser men become As they draw near to their eternal home; Leaving the old, both worlds at once they view, That stand upon the threshold of the new. Waller. The fruits of age, less fair, are yet more sound Than those a brighter season pours around; And, like the stores autumnal suns mature, Through wintry regions unimpaired endure. Cowper. Age, by long experience well informed, Well read, well tempered, with religion warmed, That fire abated which impels rash youth, Proud of his speed, to overshoot the truth, As time improves the grape's authentic juice, Mellows and makes the speech more fit for use, And claims a reverence, in his shortening day, That 't is an honour and a joy to pay. Cowper. How pure The grace, the gentleness of virtuous age ! Though solemn, not austere ; though wisely dead To passion, and the wildering dreams of hope, jS"ot unalire to tenderness and truth, — The good old man is honoured and revered, And breathes upon the young-limbed race around A grey and venerable charm of years. Robert Montgomery. Youth, with swift feet, walks onward in the way, The land of joy lies all before his eyes ; Age, stumbling, lingers slower day by day, Still looking back, for it behind him lies. Frances Ann Kemble. 24 AGE. Oh! Youth is firmly bound to earth, When hope beams on each comrade's glance : His bosom-chords are tuned to mirth, Like harp-strings in the cheerful dance ; But Age has felt those ties unbound, Which fixed him to that spot of ground Where all his household comforts lay; He feels his freezing heart grow cold, He thinks of kindred in the mould, And cries, amid his grief untold, "I would not live alway." William Knox. He passeth calmly from that sunny morn, Where all the buds of youth are newly born, Through varying internals of onward years, Until the eve of his decline appears ; And while the shadows round his path descend, And down the vale of age his footsteps tend, Peace o'er his bosom sheds her soft control, And throngs of gentlest memories charm the soul; Then, weaned from earth, he turns his steadfast eye Beyond the grave, whose verge he falters nigh, Surveys the brightening regions of the blest, And, like a wearied pilgrim, sinks to rest. Willis G. Clark. The aged christian stands upon the shore Of Time, a storehouse of experience, Filled with the treasures of rich heavenly lore ; I love to sit and hear him draw from thence Sweet recollections of his journey past, A journey crowned with blessings to the last. Mrs. St. Leon Loud. Why should old age escape unnoticed here, That sacred era to reflection dear; That peaceful shore where passion dies away, Like the last wave that ripples o'er the bay; O, if old age were cancelled from our lot, Full soon would man deplore the unhallowed blot; Life's busy day would want its tranquil even, And earth would lose her stepping-stone to Heaven. Caroline Gihnan. ALMIGHTY. 25 ALMIGHTY. 1 AM the Almighty God.— Genesis, xvii. 1. If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up, thou shalt put away iniquity far from thy taben . the Almighty shall be thy defence, and thou shalt have plenty of >ilver. For then shalt thou have thy delight in the Almighty, and shalt lift up thy face unto God.— Job, xxii. 28, 26, 26. And when they went, I heard the noise of their wings, like the noise of great waters, as the voice of the Almighty. — Ezekiel, i. 24. These are thy glorious works, Parent of good ; Almighty ! this thy universal frame, Thus wondrous fair; thyself how wondrous then; Unspeakable! who sitt'st above the heavens, To us invisible, or dimly seen In these thy lowest works ; yet these declare Thy goodness beyond thought and power divine. Speak, ye who best can tell, ye sons of light, Angels! for ye behold him, and with songs And choral symphonies, day without night, Circle his throne rejoicing: ye in heaven, On earth join all ye creatures to extol Him first, him last, him midst, and without end. Milton. What though th' Almighty s regal throne High o'er you azure heaven's exalted dome, By mortal eye unkenned ; where east, nor west, Nor south, nor blustering north has breath to blow : Albeit he then with angels and with saints Holds conference, and to his radiant host E'en face to face, stands visibly confest ; Yet know that not in presence nor in power, Shines he less perfect here : 't is man's dim eye That makes the obscurity. Christopher Stuart. Tell me, hast ever thought upon the Being "Whom we Almighty call ? Hast ever sent Thy prayerful thoughts unto His holy throne? And felt His power, and trembled at the thought? If not, I cannot call thee man ! thou art A stone, a clod, a dull insensate thing. Old Play. 26 ALMIGHTY. Almighty Father, gracious Lord, Kind guardian of my days, Thy mercies let my heart record In songs of grateful praise. In life's first dawn, my tender frame, Was thy indulgent care, Long ere I could pronounce thy name, Or breathe the infant prayer. Each rolling year new favours brought From thy exhaustless store ; But ah ! in vain my lab'ring thought, Would count thy mercies o'er. While sweet reflection, through my days, Thy bounteous hand would trace ; Still dearer blessings claim my praise, The blessings of thy grace. Steele. Almighty Father of mankind, On thee my hopes remain ; And, when the day of trouble comes, I shall not trust in vain. Thou art our kind preserver, from The cradle to the tomb, And I was cast upon thy care, E'en from my mother's womb. Thou wilt not cast me off, when age And evil days descend ; Thou wilt not leave me in despair To mourn my latter end. Therefore in life I'll trust in thee, In death I will adore ; And after death will sing thy praise, When time shall be no more. Logan. AMBITIOX. '27 AMBITION. A IHGII look, and a proud heart, and the ploughing of the wicked is gin. — Pro verba, xxi. -l. Though thou exalt thyself a6 the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the Lord. — Obadiah. 4. unto you Flmrisees, for ye lore the upper in the in the market?.— Luke, xi. 4J. Twice told the period spent on stubborn Troy, Court favour, yet untaken, I besiege; Ambition s ill-judged efforts to be rich. Alas ! Ambition makes my little, less ; Embittering the possessed : why wish for morer Wishing, of all employments, is the worst. Young. Woe to thee, wild Ambition ! I employ Despair's low notes thy dread effects to tell ; Born in high heaven, her peace thou could'st destroy : And but for thee, there had not been a hell. Through the celestial domes thy clarion pealed; Angels, entranced, beneath thy banners ranged, And straight were fiends ; hurled from the shrinking field, They waked in agony to wail the change. Darting through all her veins the subtle fire, The world's fair mistress first inhaled thy breath ; To lot of higher beings learned to aspire ; Dared to attempt, and doomed the world to death. Maria A. Brooks. The sons of earth Who, vexed with vain disquietude, pursue Ambition's fatuous light through miry pools, That yawn for their destruction, stray, foredoomed, Amid delusive shadows to their end. William Herbert, Ambition, when the pinnacle is gained With many a toilsome step, the power it sought Wants to support itself, and sighs to find The envied height but aggravates the fall. George Bally. 28 ANGELS. ANGELS. And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to Heaven : and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. — Genesis, xxviii. 12. The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear Him. and delivereth them. — Psalm xxxiv. 7. For He shall give His angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. — Psalm xci. 11, 12. Then the devil leaveth Him, and behold, angels came and ministered unto Him. — Matthew, iv. 11. Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and He shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels. — Matthew, xxvi. 53. There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth. — Luke, xv. 10. Verily, verily, I say unto you, hereafter ye shall see Heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man. — John, i. 51. And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne, and the beasts and the elders : and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. — Revelations, v. 11, 12. And I saw another angel fly in the midst of Heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth. — Ptevelations, xiv. 6. And is there care in heaven ? and is there love In heavenly spirits to the creatures base, That may compassion of their evils move ? There is ; else much more wretched were the case Of men than beasts. But O ! th' exceeding grace Of highest God that loves his creatures so, And all his works with mercy doth embrace, That blessed angels he sends to and fro, To serve to wicked men, to serve his wicked foe. Spenser. The multitude of angels, with a shout Loud as from numbers without number, sweet As from blest voices uttering joy, Heaven rung With jubilee, and loud Hosanuas filled The eternal regions : lowly reverent Towards either throne they bow, and to the ground, With solemn adoration down they cast Their crowns inwove with amaraut and gold. Milton. 29 Angels are men of a superior kind ; Angels are men in lighter habit clad, High o'er celestial mountains winged in flight ; And men are angels loaded for an hour, Who wade the miry vale, and climb with pain, And slippery step, the bottom of the steep. Angels their failings, mortals have their praise ; While here, of corps ethereal, such enrolled, And summoned to the glorious standard soon, Which flames eternal crimson through the skies. Nor are our brothers thoughtless of their kin, Yet absent but not absent from their love. Michael has fought our battles ; Eaphael sung Our triumphs ; Gabriel on our errands flown, Sent by the Sovereign ; and are these, O man ! Thy friends and warm allies, and thou (shame burn Thy cheek to cinder!) rival to the brutes ! Young. These are the haunts of meditation, these The scenes where ancient bards the inspiring breath, Ecstatic felt : and, from this world retired, Conversed with angels, and immortal forms, On gracious errands bent : to save the fall Of virtue, struggling on the brink of vice ; In waking whispers, and repeated dreams ; To hint pure thought, and warn the favoured soul, For future trials fated, to prepare. Thomson. The}- are God's minist'ring spirits, and are sent, His messengers of mercy, to fulfil Good for salvation's heirs. For us they still Grieve when we sin, rejoice when we repent : And on the last dread day they shall present The severed righteous at His holy hill, With them God's face to see, to do His will, And bear with them His likeness. Was it meant, That we this knowledge should in secret seal, Unthought of, unimproving ? Rather say, God deigned to man His angel hosts reveal, That man might learn, like angels, to obey ; And those who long their bliss in Heaven to feel, "Might strive on earth to serve him ev'n as they. Bp. Mant. 30 ANGELS. When by a good man's grave I muse alone, Methinks an angel sits upon the stone ; Like those of old on that thrice-hallowed night, "Who sate and watched in heavenly raiment bright ; And with a voice inspiring joy, not fear, Said, pointing upward, that he is not here, That he is risen ! Samuel Rogers. Elysian race ! while o'er their slumbering flocks The Galilean shepherds watched, ye came To sing hosannas to the heaven-born Babe, And shed the brightness of your beauty round : Nor have ye left the world, but still, unseen, Surround the earth, as guardians of the good, Inspiring souls, and leading them to heaven ; And oh ! when shadows of the state unknown Advance, and life endures the grasp of death, 'T is yours to hallow and illume the mind, The starry wreath to bring, by angels worn, And crown the spirit for her native sphere. Robert Montgomery. Hark! what mean those holy voices, Sweetly sounding through the skies ? Lo ! the angelic host rejoices, Heavenly hallelujahs rise. Listen to the wondrous story, Which they chant in hymns of joy : "Glory in the highest, glory ! Glory be to God most high ! Peace on earth, good will from heaven, Reaching far as man is found ; Souls redeemed, and sins forgiven : — Loud our golden harps shall sound!" Cawood. "Many in this world of cares," Truly hath the poet said, " Sit with angels unawares ;" Round our path, and round our bed, Angels ever watch and wait, Striving still to turn our steps unto heaven's gate. Anon. ANGEB. 31 ANGER. o LORD, rebuke me not in thine d: God la not in all his thoughts. Psalm x. 1. The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.— Psalm xiv. 1. And they say, How doth God know; and is there knowledge in the Most High'?- Psalm lxxiii. 11. Is not God in the height i i Heaven? and behold the height of the stars, how high tlu-y are! And thou sayest, How 'loth God know? can he judge through the •lark cloud y-Jol). xxii. 12. 13. For this they willingly arc ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water, and in the water. -II. Peter, iii. ">. Having no hope, and without God in the world.— Ephesians, ii. 12. "There is no God," the fool in secret said : "There is no God that rules or earth or sky." Tear off the band that binds the wretch's head, That God ma}' burst upon his faithless eye ! Is there no God? — The stars in myriads spread, If he look up. the blasphemy deny ; While his own features, in the mirror read, Reflect the image of Divinity. Is there no God? — The stream that silver flows. The air he breathes, the ground he treads, the trees, The flowers, the grass, the sands, each wind that blows, All speak of God ; throughout, one voice agrees, And, eloquent, His dread existence shows : Blind to thyself, ah, see him, fool, in these ! Giovanni Cotta. Hardening by degrees, till double steel'd, Take leave of Nature's God, and God reveal'd — Then laugh at all you trembled at before ; And joining the freethinker's brutal war, Swallow the two grand nostrums they dispense — That Scripture lies, and blasphemy is sense ; If clemency, revolted by abuse Be damnable, then damn'd without excuse. Cowper. These are they That strove to pull Jehovah from Hi's throne, And in the place of Heaven's Eternal King, Set up the phantom Chance. Glynn. 40 ATHEISM. The owlet Atheism, Sailing on obscene wings across the noon, Drops his blue-fringed lids, and shuts them close, And, hooting at the glorious sun in Heaven, Cries out, "Where is it?" Coleridge. They eat Their daily bread, and draw the breath of Heaven Without or thought or thanks ; Heaven's roof, to them, Is but a painted ceiling hung wTith lamps, No more, that lights them to their purposes. They wander loose about ; they nothing see, Themselves except, and creatures like themselves, Short-lived, short-sighted, impotent to save. So on their dissolute spirits, soon or late, Destruction cometh, like an armed man, Or like a dream of murder in the night. Withering their mortal faculties, and breaking The bones of all their pride. Charles Lamb. No God ! Who warms the heart to heave With thousand feelings, soft and sweet, And prompts the aspiring soul to leave The earth we tread beneath our feet, And soar away on pinions fleet, Beyond the scene of mortal strife, With fair ethereal forms to meet, That tell us of an after life ? William Knox. "There is no God," the foolish saith — But none, " there is no sorrow :" And Nature oft the cry of Faith In bitter need will borrow. Eyes which the preacher could not school, By way-side graves are raised ; And lips say "God be pitiful," That ne'er said, "God be praised." Miss Barrett. An Atheist's laugh 's a poor exchange, For Deity offended. Burns. ATONEMENT. 41 ATONEMENT. As he hath done this day, so the Lord hath commanded to do, to make an atonement for you. —Leviticus, viii. 34. Wherewith shall I make the atonement, that ye may bless the inher- itance of the Lord?— II. Samuel, xxi. 3. We also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement — Romans, v. 11. Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past. — Romans, iii. 25. He is the propitiation for our sins ; and not for ours only, but for the sins of the whole world. — I. John. ii. '_'. Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that we being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness : by whose stripes ye were healed. — I. Peter, ii. 24. So Man, as is most just, Shall satisfy for man, be judged and die, And dying, rise, and rising, with Him raise His brethren, ransomed with His own dear life. Nor can this be, But by fulfilling that which Thou didst want, Obedience to the law of God. imposed On penalty of death, and suffering death, The penalty to Thy transgression due : So only can high justice rest appaid. Milton. 'T is nothing thou hast given ; then add thy tears For a long race of unrepenting years ; 'T is nothing yet, yet all thou hast to give ; Then add those may-be years thou hast to live ; Yet nothing still ; then poor and naked come ; Thy Father will receive his unthrift home, And thy blest Saviour's blood discharge the mighty sum. Dry den. Look humbly upward, see His will disclose The forfeit first, and then the fine impose ; A mulct thy poverty could never pay, Had not eternal wisdom found the way, And with celestial wealth supplied thy store ; His justice makes the fine, His mercy quits the score. See God descending in the human frame ; The offended suffering in the offender's name : All thy misdeeds to Him imputed see, And all his righteousness devolved on thee. Dryden. 42 ATONEMENT. Thou, rather than thy justice should be stained, Did stain the cross. O, what a groan was there ! a groan not His. He seized our dreadful right ; the load sustained, And heaved the mountain from a guilty world. 3 What needs my blood, since thine will do, To pay the debt to justice due ? O, tender mercy's art divine ! Thy sorrow proves the cure of mine ! Thy dropping wounds, thy woeful smart, Allay the bleedings of my heart : Thy death, in death's extreme of pain, Restores my soul to life again ! Parnell. The Son of God Only begotten, and well-beloved, between Men and His Father's justice interposed ; Put human nature on, His wrath sustained, And in their name suffered, obeyed, and died ; Making His soul an offering for sin, Just for unjust, and innocence for guilt. Thus Truth with Mercy met, and Righteousness, Stooping from highest heaven, embraced fair Peace, That walked the earth in fellowship and love. Pollok. God's own son, unblemished victim, gave Himself a sacrifice, and by His blood, Upon the cross poured forth, washed out the stain Of primal sin. Samuel Hayes. And shall the sinful heart, alone, Behold, unmoved, the atoning hour, When Nature trembles on her throne, And death resigns his iron power ? O, shall the heart, — whose sinfulness Gave keenness to His sore distress, And added to His tears of blood — Refuse its trembling gratitude ? Whittier. ATONEMENT. 43 Jesus, thy name beyond all nature loud, Peals like the trumpet of eternity. Through all the chambers of responsive faith, Making them echo with the name of Christ! Nature was forfeit when the first man fell To sin, and whatsoe'er in nature lives, In reason, morals, or in mind enacts Dominion, from His vast atonement flows. R. Montgomery. Advance, O hopeless mortal, steeled in guilt, Behold, and if thou canst, forbear to melt! Shall Jesus die, thy freedom to regain, And wilt thou drag the voluntary chain? Wilt thou refuse thy kind assent to give, When, dying, He looks down to bid thee live? Perverse, wilt thou reject the proffered good, Bought with His life, and streaming in His blood ? Whose virtue can thy deepest crimes efface, Be-heal thy nature, and confirm thy peace ! Can all the errors of thy life atone, And raise thee from a rebel to a son. Boyse. Lamb of God ! Our Priest and Pastor, Who canst bid all evil cease, Ever dear and holy Master, Make our feeble love increase ! So that when we seek Thee, owning That Thy wrath is our deserts, Thou, blest Lord, at whose atonement All iniquity departs, Mayest speak forth from Thine enthronement, To our rent and wearied hearts, "Sinner, go in peace!" C. D. Mc Leod. Tune your harps anew, ye seraphs, Join to sing the pleasing theme ; All on earth and all in heaven Join to praise Immanuel's name ! Hallelujah! Glory to the bleeding Lamb ! J. Evans. u AVAEICE. SOME remove the landmarks ; they violently take away flocks, and feed thereof. They drive away the ass of the fatherless, they take the widow's ox for a pledge. They turn the needy out of the way ; the poor of the earth hide themselves together. — Job, xxiv. 2, 3, 4. Woe unto them that join house to house, that lay field to field, till there be no place, that they may be placed alone in the midst of the earth! — Isaiah, v. 8. Your gold and silver is cankered, and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days. Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth : and the cries of them which have reaped, are entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.— James, v. 3, 4. For of his wicked pelf his god he made, And unto hell himself for money sold : Accursed usury was all his trade, And right and wrong alike in equal balance weighed. Spenser. If thou art rich, thou art poor; For, like an ass, whose back with ingots bows, Thou bearest thy heavy riches but a journey, And death unloads thee. ShaJcspere. Woe to the worldly man, whose covetous Ambition labours to join house to house ; Lay field to field, till the enclosures edge The plain, girdling a country with one hedge : They leave no place unbought ; no piece of earth Which they will not engross ; making a dearth Of all inhabitants ; until they stand Unneighboured as unblest within the land. Bishop King. Gold glitters most where virtue shines no more, As stars from absent suns, have leave to shine. Young. O cursed lust of gold ! when for thy sake The fool throws up his interest in both worlds; First starved in this, then damned in that to come. Blair. AVARICE. 45 Starve beside the chests, whose every corn At the last day, shall in the court of Heaven Witness against thee. Sir E. B. Lytton. Avarice o'ershoots Its destined mark ; and with abundance cursed, In wealth, the ills of poverty endures. George Bally. The thirst for gold Hath made men demons, till the heart that feels The impulse of impartial love, nor kneels In worship foul to Mammon, is contemned. W. R. Burleigh. But should my destiny be quest of wealth, Kind Heaven, oh ! keep my tempted soul in health ! And should 'st thou bless my toil with ample store, Keep back the madness that would seek for more ! Thomas Ward. Oh ! life misspent — Oh ! foulest waste of time ! No time has he his grovelling mind to store With history's truths, or philosophic lore. No charms for him has God's all-blooming earth — His only question this — "What are they worth?" Art, nature, wisdom, are no match for gain ; And even religion bids him pause in vain. Thomas Ward. The miser comes, his heart to mammon sold — His life, his hope, his god, his all is gold. "To-morrow, and to-morrow," he will say, "Soul, take thine ease, for thou hast many a day Whose smiling dawns will make thee to rejoice." Hush ! Hark the echoes of that awful voice ! "Thou fool ! This night yield up thy earthly trust !" Gaze once again, his treasures are but dust. B. D. Winslow. Gold ! gold ! in all ages the curse of mankind, Thy fetters are forged for the soul and the mind : The limbs may be free as the wings of a bird, And the mind be the slave of a look or a word. To gain thee, men barter eternity's crown, Yield honour, affection, and lasting renown. Park Benjamin. 46 AWAKE. AWAKE— ARISE. Awake up, my glory ; awake psaltery and harp ; I myself will awake early. — Psalm lvii. 8. Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the bright- ness of thy rising. — Isaiah, lx. 1, 3. Arise ye, and depart, for this is not your rest ; because it is pol- luted.— Micah, ii. 10. Awake, my soul, and with the sun, Thy daily stage of duty run ; Shake off dull sloth, and early rise, To pay thy morning sacrifice. Wake, and lift up thyself, my heart, And with the angels bear a part, Who all night long unwearied sing High praises to the eternal King. Glory to God, who safe hath kept, And hath refreshed me while I slept, Grant Lord, when I from death shall wake, I may of endless life partake. Kenn. J.wake our souls, and bless his name, Whose mercies never fail ; Who opens wide a door of hope, In Achor's gloomy vale. Behold the portal wide displayed, The buildings strong and fair ; Within are pastures fresh and green, And living streams are there. Enter my soul with cheerful haste, For Jesus is the door ; Nor fear the serpent's wily arts, Nor fear the lion's roar. O may thy grace the nations lead, And Jews and Gentiles come, All travelling in one narrow path, To one eternal home. Doddridge. AWAKE. 47 Arise, thou bright and morning star, And send thy silvery beams afar ; Dispel the shades of dreary night, And let me hail the dawning light. Blinded by sin I went astray, And, wand'ring, left the heavenly way ; Dart forth thy soul-reviving rays, And guide me all my future days. "With growing strength may I pursue The course which heavenly wisdom drew, Till I shall reaeh the blissful shore, Where pilgrims rest, and stray no more. Beddome. Deathless principle arise! Soar thou native of the skies ! Pearl of price by Jesus bought, To his glorious likeness wrought ; Go, to shine before his throne, Deck his mediatorial crown, Go, his triumphs to adorn, Made for God, to God return. See the haven full in view, Love divine shall bear thee through ; Trust to that propitious gale, Weigh thy anchor, spread the sail, Saints in glory perfect made, Wait thy passage through the shade, Ardent for thy coming o'er, See they throng the distant shore ! Mount, their transports to improve, Join the longing choirs above, Swiftly to their wish be given, Kindle higher joys in heaven ! — Such the prospects that arise To the dying christian's eyes ! Such the glorious vista, faith Opens through the shades of death. Toplady. 48 AWE. AWE. STAND in awe and sin not ; commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. — Psalm iv. 4. Princes have persecuted me without a cause : but my heart standeth in awe of thy word. — Psalm cxix. 161. 'T is dreadful! How reverend is the place of this tall pile, Whose ancient pillars rear their marble heads, To bear aloft the arched and pond'rous roof, By its own weight made steadfast and immoveable ! Looking tranquillity ; it strikes an awe And terror to my aching sight. The tombs And monumental caves of death look cold, And shoot a dullness to my trembling heart. Congreve. So in the faces of all these there grew, As by one impulse, a dark, freezing awe, Which, with a fearful fascination, drew All eyes towards the altar ; damp and raw The air grew suddenly, and no man knew Whether perchance his silent neighbour saw The dreadful thing, which all were sure would rise To scare the strained lids wider from their eyes. The incense trembled as it upward sent Its slow, uncertain thread of wandering blue, As 't were the only living element In all the church, so deeply the stillness grew ; It seemed one might have heard it, as it went, Give out an audible rustle, curling through The midnight silence of the awe-struck air, More hushed than death, though no such life was there. Jas. It. Lowell. When on Sinai's top I see God descend in majesty, To proclaim His holy law, All my spirit sinks with awe. J. Montgomery. With sacred awe pronounce His name, Whom words nor thoughts can reach. Needham. 4<* BAPTISM. therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name <.f the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holj Ghost. Matthew. \wiii. 19. One Lord, one Faith, one Baptism. Bphesians, iv. 5. Buried with Him in Baptism, wherein also ye are risen with Him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised Him from the dead. Colossians, ii. 12. The like figure whereunto, even /lap/ism doth al~o now save n~. not the putting away the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God. -I. Peter, iii. 21. Then who shall behove Baptizing in the profluent stream, the sign Of washing them from guilt of sin, to life Pure, and in mind prepared, if so befal, For death like that which the Redeemer died. Hilton. Since Lord to Thee A narrow way and little gate Is all the passage ; on my infancy Thou didst lay hold, and antedate My faith in me. O let me still Write Thee, great God, and me, a child : Let me be soft and supple to Thy will, Small to myself, to others mild, Be-hither ill. George Herbert. Baptized as for the dead, He rose With prayer from Jordan's hallowed flood: Ere long by persecuting foes, To be baptized in His own blood : The Father's voice proclaimed the Son, The Spirit witnessed ; — these are one. James Montgomery. Thus, made partakers of Thy love, The Baptism of the Spirit ours, Our grateful hearts shall rise above. Renewed in purposes and powers ; And songs of joy again shall ring Triumphant through the arch of heaven ; — The glorious song which angels sing, Exulting over souls forgiven ! W. E. Burleigh. * E 50 BAPTISM. The heir of Heaven, henceforth I dread not Death! In Christ I live, in Christ I draw the breath Of the true life. Let Sea, and Earth, and Sky, Wage war against me: on my front I show The mighty Master's seal! In vain they try To end my life, who can but end its woe. Coleridge. Ere Christ ascended to his throne, He issued forth his great command — Go preach the gospel to the world, And spread my name to every land. To men declare their sinful state, The methods of my grace explain; He that believes, and is baptized, Shall everlasting life obtain. Dear Saviour, we thy will obey, Not of constraint, but with delight ; Hither thy servants come to-day, To honour thine appointed rite. Descend again, celestial Dove, On these dear followers of the Lord ; Exalted head of all the Church, Thy promised aid to them afford. Let faith, assisted now by signs, The mysteries of thy love explore; And washed, in thy redeeming blood, Let them depart, and sin no more. Beddome. The cross of Christ! The cross of Christ! While yet my days were few, 'T was traced upon my infant brow, Fresh with life's morning dew; In token that in after years, Strong in its power and might, I should beside Christ's followers stand, Under His banners fight. Matilda F. Dana. BAPTIST, JOHN* THE. 51 BAPTIST, JOHN THE. In those flaya came John th r In the wilderness oi" Judea. • Matthew, iii. 1. And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in .Ionian. And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the Heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon Him: And there came a voice from II B Chou art My Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. — Mark, i. 9, 10, 11. I say unto you, among those thai are born of women, there is not a greater prophel than John the Baptist; but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he. Luke, vii. 2s. Now had the great Proclaimcr, with a voice More awful than the sound of trumpet, cried Repentance, and Heaven's kingdom nigh at hand To all baptized : to his great baptism nocked With awe, the regions round, and with them came From Nazareth, the Son of Joseph deemed, To the flood Jordan, came as then obscure, Unmarked, unknown : but him the Baptist soon Descried, divinely warned ; and witness bore As to his worthier, and would have resigned To Him this heavenly office, nor was long His witness unconfirmed ; on Him baptized Heaven opened, and in likeness of a dove The Spirit descended, while the Father's voice From heaven pronounced Him His Beloved Son. Milton. Well mayest thou tremble, Baptist ; well thy cheek, Now flushed, now pale, thy labouring soul bespeak ! 'T is He, the Christ, by every bard foretold ! Hear Him, ye nations, and ye Heavens behold ! The Virgin-born, to bruise the Serpent's head, The Paschal Lamb, to patient slaughter led, The King of kings, to crush the gates of Hell, Messiah, Shiloh, Jah, Emmanuel ! See, o'er His head, soft sinking from above, With hovering radiance hangs the mystic Dove : Dread from the cloud Jehovah's voice is known, "This is my Son, my own, my well-loved Son !" C. H. Johnson. 52 BAPTIST, JOHN THE. Why crowd ye cities forth ? some reed to find, Some vain reed trembling to the careless wind ? Or throng ye here to view with doting eye, Some chieftain stand in purple pageantry ? Some dwell in kingly domes — no silken form Woos the stern wind and braves the mountain storm. What rush ye there to seek ? some Prophet-seer ? One mightier than the Prophets find ye here — The loftiest bard that waked the sacred lyre. To him in rapture poured his lips of fire ; Attuned to him the voice of Sion fell — Thy name, Elias, closed the mystic shell. C. H. Johnson. In Judah's rugged wilderness, Where Jordan rolls his flood, In manners strict, and rude of dress, The holy Baptist stood. And while upon the river's side, The people thronged to hear, "Repent," the sacred preacher cried, "The heavenly kingdom's near." JSTow Jesus to the stream descends ; His feet the waters lave ; And o'er his head, that humbly bends, The Baptist pours the wave. When, lo ! a heavenly form appears, Descending as a dove ; And wondrous sounds the assembly hears, Proclaiming from above. — "This is my well-beloved Son, On him my spirit rests ; Now is his reign of grace begun, Attend his high behests." The sacred voice has reached our ear, And still through distant lands Shall sound, till all His name revere, And honour His commands. T. Fletcher BEAUTIFUL. 53 BEAUTIFUL. One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in tlie house of the Lord all the days of my life, to be- hold the beauty of the L- rd, and to inquire in his temple. — Psalm xxvii. 4. When thon with rebukes dost correct man for iniquity, thou makest his I', ,utt>i to consume away like a moth.— Psalm xxxix. 11. Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised. -Proverbs, xxxi. SO. I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it. He hath made everv thincr beautiful in his time.— Ecclesiastes, iii. 10, 11. Oh, what is Beauty s power? It flourishes and dies ; Will the cold earth its silence break. To tell how soft, how smooth a cheek Beneath its surface lies ? Mute, mute is all, O'er Beauty s fall ; Her praise resounds no more, when mantled in her pall. The most beloved on earth Not long survives to-day; So music past is obsolete, And yet 't was sweet, 't was passing sweet, But now 'tis gone away. Thus does the shade In evening fade, "When in forsaken tomb the form beloved is laid. H K. White. At Thy rebuke, the bloom Of man's vain beauty flies ; And grief shall, like a moth, consume All that delights our eyes. J. Montgomery. A sinful soul possessed of many gifts, A spacious garden full of flowering weeds, A glorious devil, large in heart and brain. That did love beauty only, (beauty seen In all varieties of mould and mind,) And knowledge for its beauty ; or if good, Good only for its beauty. Tennyson. 54 BEAUTIFUL. Tlie beautiful, the beautiful! Where do we find it not ? It is an all-pervading grace, And lighteth every spot. It sparkles on the ocean-wave — It glitters in the dew ; We see it in the glorions sky, And in the flow'refs hue. On mountain-top, in valley deep, We find its presence there ; The beautiful, the beautiful I It liveth every where. The glories of the noontide-day, The still and solemn night, The changing seasons, all can bring Their tribute of delight. There 's beauty in the dancing beam That brightens childhood's eye, And in the Christian's parting glance, Whose hope is fix'd on high. And in the being whom our love Hath chosen for its own, How beautiful I how beautiful ! Is every look and tone. 'T was in that glance that God threw o'er The young created earth, When he pronounced it "very good," The beautiful had birth. Then who shall say this world is dull, And all to sadness given, While yet there lives on every side The smile that came from heaven ? If so much loveliness is sent To grace our earthly home, How beautiful — how beautiful Will be the world to come ! Anon. BELIEF. 55 BELIEF-UNBELIEF. 1 1 \ e will not b> I 1-aiah, \ii. :». Lord, I believe; help thou min< Lot not your heart be troubl, . m also in me. John, xiv. 1. For what, if some