A FENCE OF TRUST . l,c, ::^i.=«^; ■S^ LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. Chap......':. Copyfiglit No.. Shelf. jLSJS" UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. A FENCE OF TRUST The Deeper Life Series* Handsomely printed and daintily bound. Illustrated. Price, 2S cents each, postpaid. WELL-BUILT. ANSWERED! Rev. Theodore L. Cuyler, D. D. Rev. J. Wilbur Chapman, D. D., Rev. R. A. Torrey, D. D., Rev. C. H. Yatman, Rev. Edgar E. David- son, and Thomas E. Murphy. THE INDWELLING GOD. Rev. Charles A. Dickinson, D. D. LITTLE SERMONS FOR ONE, Amos R. Wells. A FENCE OF TRUST. {Poems.) Mrs. Mary F. Butts. United Society of Christian Endeavor. Boston and Chicago. THE soul's awakening. FROM A PAINTING BY J. J. SAUT. A Fence of Trust Mary F. Butts United Society of Christian Endeavor Boston and Chicago 13582 Copyright, i8g8 By United Society of Christian Endeavor ^^ OF Cf S^^^ 1898 ^er of Covf Colonial Press : Electrotyped and C. H. Simofids &^ Co BostoJi, U.S.A. TWOCOPiEiiBLULiVtD. 2nci COPY, CONTENTS. PAGE Build a Little Fence of Trust .... 7 The Quiet Hour 7 "Inasmuch" 8 Stillness 9 Longing 9 What God Gives 10 A Plant of Healing Bloomed for Me . . .10 Much Thou Hast Given, Lord 11 A Song for Easter 11 "He Still Liveth" 12 Two Seeds 13 Wildwood Glimpses 13 Communion 14 Soft Unfolding 14 "Brudder, de Grass Grows on Your Path" . 15 Harvest 16 What Shall I Write ? 16 Tears 18 Safe in the Dark 18 God's Man 19 Pity 20 Mistakes 20 Holy Ground 21 Tides 22 In Galilee 22 V vi CONTEATS. PAGE Not Mine or Thine ..... o . 23 The Christmas Gift ....... 23 Going Home to Father's House . . . .24 The Pilgrim's Song 25 Two Prayers 26 For Patience, Not for Wings 27 How He Was Cured 28 Lilacs . 30 There Is an Inn 30 A Prayer 31 The Narrow Way 31 Why? 32 Onward 1^ Trailing Arbutus iZ My Joy Is Not in Me 34 A Song of Thanks 35 Think Not of the Past or Future . . -36 O, Let the Soul Be Lightly Poised . . -36 The Master's Voice 37 Confidence 38 Hope . . . * 38 The Last Day 39 Adaptation 39 Seeketh Not Her Own 40 The Kingdom of God 41 Comfort 42 The Seed 42 Saturday Night 43 Confession 44 As on Some Day that Seemeth Long ... 44 "Hush, My Dear" 45 At Evening 45 A FENCE OF TRUST. (guifb a feittfe Sence of txmt Build a little fence of trust Around to-day ; Fill the space with loving work, And therein stay. Look not through the sheltering bars Upon to-morrow. God will help thee bear what comes Of joy or sorrow. Sometime between the dawn and dark Go thou, O friend, apart, That a cool drop of heaven's dew May fall into thy heart. Thus with a spirit soothed and cured Of restlessness and pain Thou mayst, nerved with force divine, Take up thy work again. A FENCE OF TRUST. We cannot see thy face, Lord ; We cannot touch thy hand ; The mystery of thy being We do not understand ; Yet beside us daily Needy ones there be ; In succoring the helpless We are helping thee. Thou art Prince of princes ; Thou art Lord of all ; Angels haste through heaven Obedient to thy call. With thy sighing children Must our errands be ; In serving the neglected We are serving thee. Languishing in prison, Famishing for bread, Sicknesses enduring, Mourning for the dead. Of the world forsaken, Thy brethren we see ; In keeping watch with sorrow We minister to thee. A FENCE OF TRUST. Stiffness, Be still, my soul, And like an innocent child smile in God's face So shalt thou fully comprehend his grace In owning his control. 'Tis not his hand That hurts when thou art moved to cries and tears, — The agony is made from thine own fears, — Thou dost not understand. He leads thee where The danger cannot come. Lean on his arm ; There is no need of all this wild alarm, No need of pain or care. My soul, be still. And trust for once thy Father's tender breast ; See then how sweet will be thy perfect rest, How calm thy stormy will. feonging. More life, and more, and ever more Give thou, O Life, to me. As, emptied of my vain desire, I give myself to thee. A FENCE OF TRUST. I^^ai (Bob (BiDes. What God gives thou must accept, Parting or reunion ; Sorrow taken at his hand Is the true communion. Ah, how deadly is the sin, When we weakly doubt him ! Who will not grieve with Christ the Lord Perforce must grieve without him. When he sets a soul apart, I He gives it wondrous hearing ; I Open to him all thy heart ; ' Listen, never fearing. i Some sweet word will come to thee, ; Through the midnight winging ; ' ■ Turning tear-drops into smiles, | Turning grief to singing. ! (^ ^fant of Igeafing (J$foomeb for (gte. 1 A PLANT of healing bloomed for me, i Sprung sudden from a root divine ; \ My life was full of blessedness | While the sweet flower was mine. At last in an unguarded hour j To hate and envy I gave room ; \ Then from my heart a scorching breath J Destroyed the beauteous bloom. 1 A FENCE OF TRUST. Much thou hast given, Lord ; The circling seasons through, Each day brought from thy hand Some blessing new. But, looking back, 't is plain Thy richest gifts to me Were pain and loss that taught My need of thee. (^ ^ong for (Basitt. O SAD earth, break into bloom, For now the Lord hath arisen ; Love cannot be held by death, He hath broken asunder the prison. Wreathe lilies of stainless white In honor of his resurrection ; Now is the victory won, Now is the grave in subjection. Break into praise, my soul. And forget not the wonderful story ; Love hath power in heaven and earth ; To Christ be honor and glory. He reigneth, the innocent One, Who once was bruised and broken. O weary and desolate heart. Take courage, be glad by this token. A FENCE OF TRUST. Along a city street Walked two men side by side, Amid the shifting scenes At merry Christmas-tide. And one said, " Far away Is the Christ we celebrate ; An evil fate is ours That we were born so late." A little sweeper stood Upon the pavement cold ; Her eyes were red with tears, Her features wan and old. Then he that mourned for Christ To outstretched hands said nay ; The other gave her gold. And blessed her on the way. No age can claim the Lord, Neither can any race ; Let no one dare to say He is not in this place. Where men give love and help To sorrow at their side, In any clime or time, There doth the Christ abide. A FENCE OF TRUST. Two seeds — one, joy, one, sorrow, called Were sown the selfsame hour. From joy came up a thorny stalk That bore a poison flower. But the lone place where sorrow lay Grew sweet in every part ; Thence issued many a healing leaf To cure a broken heart. WiLDWOOD glimpses, O how sweet ! Where the woods and waters meet, Where shy blossoms in a dream Watch their image in a stream. And the breeze, a lover bold. Whispers secrets manifold. Wildwood glimpses, O how sweet, Where the woods and waters meet ! Wildwood glimpses, O how dear ! Little lovers hovering near, Chirping babies in a nest, Insects on a happy quest, Lovely mysteries of shade By the sun-kissed branches made, — Wildwood glimpses, O how sweet. Where the woods and waters meet ! A FENCE OF TRUST. Communion. A CHILD sat alone in a wood, And O, so still was he That a little bird came to his feet, And warbled a carol sweet, And stayed with him under the tree. A heart was alone in the world, And O, when the heart grew still. Forced all its longings to cease, Then the holy Dove of Peace Came and rested at will. ^oft gjnfof^ins. Soft unfolding in the sun, Tender petals one by one, — Lovely secrets slow unsealed Till the inmost heart 's revealed, — Soft unfolding in the sun, Tender petals one by one. Thus they fill the garden place. Full of fragrance, full of grace, — Roses white as thoughts of heaven, Roses red as summer even, — Soft unfolding in the sun. Tender petals one by one. 14 A FENCE OF TRUST. Dear love, let the Sun divine On thy folded selfhood shine ; In thy little garden room Open thus in fragrant bloom, Soft unfolding in the sun. Love's sweet graces one by one. "QStubber, ^e (Brass (Brozos on ^out The heart is weary, and cannot rest ; Work no longer has aim or zest ; Dim is the gold of the promised prize ; Hope is hidden from tearful eyes ; The joyous faith in things unseen Is clouded by doubts that intervene ; Fear over love the victory hath — " Brudder, de grass grows on your path." The faults of your neighbor you quickly see, Nor hide them with tender charity ; You are tossed like a dry leaf to and fro As the fitful winds of doctrine blow ; Bent with the burden of worldly care, Meshed in many a subtle snare. Slow to forgive, and prone to wrath — " Brudder, de grass grows on your path." ^ A little company of converted Africans had made paths by often seek- ing their rural prayer-trysts. Whenever a path began to be grass-grown the neglectful one was warned. A FENCE OF TRUST. Nature has ripened her fruit and grain ; But what, O soul, are the sheaves you bring ? While the rich earth offers her golden gifts, What is the gain of your harvesting ? Have you garnered patience from day to day ? Have you gathered the precious fruit of love ? Has charity grown by the dew of tears And the sunshine streaming from above ? In the sheathing husk of the outward life Have you found the kernel God yearns to give ? Have you gained with the body's nourishment The " word " by which a man doth " live " ? " What shall I write ? " and the preacher Was dull and weary and sad. How could he make the people Eager and strong and glad ? How could life's sparkling water Flow when the stream was dry ? He had lost the way to the fountain That gushed from the mountain high. *' I will write no more," said the preacher. And forth he went to the street. " I am not fit for a teacher, For the hungry I have no meat. i6 A FENCE OF TRUST. God does not own my service, Men heed not what I say ; My words fall idle and powerless, The heavens are brass when I pray." He passed, in his trouble, a furnace, Where men toiled long in the heat. Naught could they know of the summer, Smiling and songful and sweet ; Naught of the forest's secrets, Or the ripple of running brooks. Of rest beneath shadowy branches. With poems and pictures and books. A pang, like a sharp blade, of pity Cut deep to the core of his heart. " O God, these are also thy children ; Of thy playtimes where is their part .'* " From a tired hand he wrested a hammer. "It is time, my brother, for rest. I will work in your stead at the furnace ; Go out in God's world, and be blest." And there with the grimy toilers He smote with an even pace ; And his heart was eased and rested As the sweat stood on his face. With the needy he met the Master ; By his touch was wakened, thrilled. Thence life flowed into his spirit ; Lo ! the empty was filled. 17 A FENCE OF TRUST. treats. Is it rainy, little flower? Be glad of rain. The sun that veils itself from thee Will shine again. The clouds are very black, 't is true ; But just behind them smiles the blue. Art thou weary, tender heart } Be glad of pain. In sorrow sweetest things will grow As flowers in rain. God watches, and thou wilt have sun When clouds their perfect work have done. ^afe in t^e ©atft. Life's daily work, its little cares, Its slow, monotonous hours, Are like the coarse, protecting sheath That hides the heart of flowers. Safe in the dark the soul unfolds Within its narrow room, While radiant spaces lit by love Await the perfect bloom. i8 A FENCE OF TRUST. (Bod's (gtan. All in the sunshine hammered he, all in the wind and ram. From breaking of the morning light till day had dawned again. The red blood flushed his swarthy cheek; his eye was bright and clear ; No coward look was on his face, and in his heart no fear. All in the sunshine hammered he, and knew himself God's man, Bid to the firm foundation work, the bottom of the plan. The lofty nave, the tower, the spire, can never stand alone ; "But for my work the world would stop," said the man who broke the stone. And God, he sends his workers forth with plainly spoken call, And some must clear away the clods, and some must build the wall. And some must carve the statue's lines high in the blazing light ; And each will get fair wages when his work is done at night. 19 A FENCE OF TRUST. " God pity us ! " in pleading tones we say, Remembering our sins day after day. " So easy 'tis to fall ! So rough the path ! At the great day of reckoning spare thy wrath ! " Life is our school. Dear Master, tenderly The imperfection of our lessons see ; " And, while our failures we with anguish rue, Set to our credit what we meant to do." Thus do we speak, then, rising from our knees, Some luckless debtor in sharp anger seize ; And, careless of the love to which we pray, Extort from poverty the utmost pay. Ah ! at compassion's fount he vainly sighs Who pity to his fellow man denies. QJti0ta8e0. A MISTAKE should not hold you in thrall. Waste your heart with grieving, regretting 'T is childish to fall, but heroic To rise and go on forgetting. 20 A FENCE OF TRUST. Do you love your darling the less For a hurt in learning to walk ? You hold him close to your breast, And soothe him with sweet baby-talk. Put out your hands towards God ; Believe him there, if unseen ; Press on, though uncertain, there 's less Than the breadth of the room between. A type is your fatherly heart, Forgiving, hoping, sustaining, Of the God-heart that throbs through the dark, Where you lie weeping, complaining. ©ofj? (Btounb. Surely this is holy ground, This a holy day, Set thick with troublous tasks that yet May not be put away. For, at call of the tired heart, A tender voice replied, " Lo ! alway I, the strengthening One, Am watching at thy side." O, blessed is the weariest lot That he doth help to bear. And blest the soul that learns his love Through longing and through prayer. A FENCE OF TRUST. Art thou at low tide, O soul ? Of life thy God hath control, Of the heart as well as the sea. When the tide is lowest, it turns j Remember he holdeth thee. Art thou at high tide, O soul ? Dost think thou art free from control ? In thy heart is haughtiness found? When the tide is highest, it turns ; Thou canst never exceed his bound. 3n (Bafifee. Roman and Jew upon one level lie ; Great Herod's palaces are ground to dust ; Upon the synagogues are mould and rust ; Night winds among the tottering columns sigh ; Yet sparrows through the massive ruins fly, And o'er the sacred earth's embroidered crust Still goes the sower forth to sow, still must The shepherd with his sheep sit listlessly. There towers the mountain where the Teacher spake In those old times the sweet Beatitudes, Surviving kings and codes, fair words and feuds. There creeps the Jordan to its destined lake, The fisher casts his net into the sea, And still the lilies bloom in Galilee. A FENCE OF TRUST. (not (gtine, or t^inc. Not mine, or thine, but His, To whom all things belong, — Kept for the outstretched hand That 's neediest in the throng. The gift held close corrupts ; But channels open, free. Are ever newly filled By Heaven's charity. $^e Christmas (Bift I HAVE no priceless jewels, I have no fertile fields, No year that passes o'er me A golden harvest yields. All in the wild December I sit me down and say, " What gift of my possessions Is meet for Christmas Day?" O, then my heart makes answer, — " Dost hear grief's pleading call ? The gift of gold and jewels Is poorest gift of all. The wounded and the weary Wait all along thy way ; To give himself to sorrow Christ came on Christmas Day." A FENCE OF TRUST. (Being gome to S^t^^t*B Spouse, Pack the little coats and gowns, And make the house-place neat ; Put some cakes for travelling Beneath the wagon-seat ; Give an extra mess of oats To good old Jim and Gray : We 're going home to father's house For Thanksgiving Day. So oft we 've lived the journey o'er, With the welcome at the end. Sweet mother's kisses on our cheek, And the hand-clasp of each friend. And many a time the little ones Have travelled in their play, All the way to grandpa's house For Thanksgiving Day. The dear home-fields have yielded up Their grasses and their grain ; The bins and barns are running o'er, From orchard and from plain ; And with the rich year's discipline, Its hours of work and play, Some fairer things are harvested For Thanksgiving Day. Our arms so full of blessedness The years have helped us win 24 A FENCE OF TRUST. Have opened wide enough to let A little stranger in. For the first time two little feet From angel-land astray Will toddle into grandpa's house For Thanksgiving Day. We know the place is all astir With plans for goodly fare, And mother's look and mother's voice Are present everywhere ; And to a neighbor dropping in, She pauses just to say, " The children are all coming home For Thanksgiving Day." It rang on the morning air. The pilgrim's song ; Straight was the way he went, Narrow and long. Many a path diverged ; Roads crossed his track. " Pilgrim, thou goest wrong ! Turn back, turn back ! " Ever that pilgrim's song Haunts me through night and day " Who doeth the will of God, Knoweth the way." 25 A FENCE OF TRUST. A SAINTLY lady knelt down to pray For herself and not for her brothers ; To thank her God she was just and true, And better than many others. " Father," she said, " look down on thy church, And help us to be winners ; Bless the righteous in basket and store. And give their due to the sinners. Over their heads who follow not us The gales of thy wrath are blowing; Down a steep grade to the bottomless pit We feel they are surely going." The saintly lady knelt down to pray, But her eyes were dim with weeping ; Over her features, once cold and bright, Sombre shadows were creeping. " Father," she said, " my son, my son ! " And her voice was low and broken ; Her bosom heaved like the tide in storms With its weight of woe unspoken. " Have mercy upon him ! He is so young ! He knows not in error's beginning The slippery paths his feet must tread. The terrible end of sinning ! " 26 A FENCE OF TRUST. Sot* ^atknu, not for ^in^B* O, WOULD that I had wings! Fair and serene Those far-away blue hills, And the soft vale between. Low branches trail the ground; Bright waters meet ; Wild rose and pink sweetbrier Make all the pastures sweet. Here every common day Hath common cares; Dull are the songs I sing, And broken are my prayers. Hadst thou the wished-for wings, That land to gain. Still wouldst thou find thy care, And many a grief and pain. The distance doth deceive; But cleave the-space. And the old common life Would meet thee face to face. For patience, not for wings, Should be thy prayer ; For life's cup holdeth drops Of bitter everywhere. 27 A FENCE OF TRUST. " That night I come home sober, — 't was a rare thing, you must know. As I stumbled through the kitchen, — 'twas about two years ago, — The bedroom door was open, an' I could n't help but see My little chap a-prayin' at his mother's knee. " I drew back in the shadder, — they both looked sorter beat, — I knew they did n't ever have more 'n half enough to eat. He clasped two little scrawny hands, desp'rit white and slim, As if to show 'em up in heaven how I treated him. " The purty yeller hair that I called his golden crown. Over an old, patched nightgown floated softly down. An' there, side of his ragged frock, lay a little shoe ; An', because / was his father, that was ragged, too. " As I stood there, a-listenin', this is what I heard him say: ' Bless dear papa, an' bring him home to us, I pray. Tell him how we want him, an' how we love him' ; then, ' Make poor mamma stop cryin', for Jesus' sake. Amen.' " ' Amen ! ' She said it, too ; how she could, I cannot tell. I promised square to cherish her, then made her home a hell ; 28 A FENCE OF TRUST. I had n't said a loving word to her for many a day ; I swore at her that mornin', before I went away. " ' Amen! ' She kissed the boy, an' tucked him into bed, Then laid her face on the piller, close to his cmly head ; I heard a sob, an' some stifled words — I tell you I got a scare ; I seemed to see the bottomless pit yawn for me right there ! " I slunk out o' the house, an' into the garden-patch. With God on their side, them helpless ones was a good deal more 'n my match ; An' there, under the watchin' stars, I dropped on my knee. An' begged the merciful Lord to have mercy on me. "There's somethin' up above us that pulls when we hitch on; It drawed me out o' the mud an' mire, when I was nigh clean gone ; An' I tell ye what 't is, fellers, if I've turned out middHn' fair, 'Tis all along o' that boy o' mine namin' me in his prayer." 29 A FENCE OF TRUST. £ifac0. Into my window the lilac boughs Peep again as of old. " We have borne the storms of winter," they say, " The cloud, the rain, and the cold. " Yet once again we are clothed in green. With purple clusters are set; Though long the night and bitter the day, The Maker did not forget." €^txc 30 an 3nn. There is an inn to which the Lord would come. The baby Christ, sweet, holy innocence, Would there a new and lovely life commence. From heavenly types would make an earthly home. Alas ! the inmates say, " There is no room. We cannot with our wonted guests dispense, — The weary company must journey hence." Ah, full and careless heart ! in days of gloom What wouldst thou not for the great glory pay. That now without a thought thou turnest away.? All purest joy, all blessedness long sought. All riches the young Child to thee had brought. With keenest vision watch ; thou still mayst win The heavenly guest, O keeper of the inn ! 30 A FENCE OF TRUST. Thou who seest the tender shoot From the plant that seemeth dead, Thou who nourishest the root Pining and uncomforted, Brightening every dreary place With the shining of thy face, — O, forbid that we should doubt Spirits that seem dead in sin, Shutting the sweet sunshine out From the hearts that love might win. False to love, we cannot be Followers, dear Lord, of thee. Just here where threads this narrow way Our feet must toil from morn till night ; Not yonder where a royal road Winds up along the sun-crowned height. Yet they who tread that dazzling path. Of its strange splendor half-afraid. Through wistful eyes may gaze at us With longing for the peaceful shade. A FENCE OF TRUST. " Tell me, O cruel Hand," Said a Grain of Corn one day, " Why from the golden Sunshine You bury me away? " The silence was relentless ; No helper came to save ; But full ears in the harvest A perfect answer gave. " Tell me, O cruel Knife," Said a Rose-tree overgrown, " Why all my wealth is stripped, And I am left alone ? " The question was unheeded — " In vain a Rose-tree grows." Ah, doubter, leaves are little worth, When you have seen a rose. " Tell me, O cruel Fate," Said a baffled, tempted soul, " What is the good of life ? Where is the promised goal ? " " The loving Force evolving Sweet roses and ripe corn, Goes surely to its purpose, O faithless and forlorn." 32 A FENCE OF TRUST. Forget them, the sorrows and wrongs of the past. Only the joy and the beauty should last, Only the blossoms wholesome and gay. Toss the sharp thistles out of the way. Onward, our orders ; and onward we go, O'erleaping all hmdrance of friend or of foe. Our life-work is waiting, no moment to spare ; No crowns for the cowards who doubt and despair. Onward, still onward ; hide the deep wound ; Courage ! in duty the cure will be found. Up hearts ! believing, as forward we fare. That fate will not offer what man cannot bear. ZtaitirxQ (^x^txim. See, who has come at beckoning of the sun To make a garland for our April meet. A dry leaf is her mask, for all too sweet The tender beauty of this little one For savage winds that through the forest run. Of her meek advent came no herald fleet The dreaming giants of the wood to greet. What business of the flowers was ever done Save in soft silence, their true natures bent To steadiest obedience ? And so Unto perfection all their graces grow. Thus with our darling Mayflower, quite content To smile upon the world a little space, And brighten with her bloom a shadowy place. 33 A FENCE OF TRUST. (&^t 301^ 3s not in Ote. An April violet Awoke in sweet surprise, Won into happy life By soft, dew-dropping skies. And, thrilled with love, it said, Lifting its gentle head, " My joy is not in me, It comes, O sun, from thee." A rosebud, in mid-June, Opened its fragrant heart, A-wondering at itself, As its pink leaves fell apart. Then, looking to the sun, It said, this lovely one, " My joy is not in me. It Cometh down from thee." Thus, like the violet, And like the rose, my heart; Beneath the Sun divine Its petals fall apart. Warmed by the streaming rays To life and love, it says, <' My joy is not in me. It comes, O God, from thee." 34 A FENCE OF TRUST. (^ ^ong of t^an^B. We thank thee for life's common things, The limpid, lovely water springs, The shining diamonds of dew. The firmament's transcendent blue ; For the wild rose whose fragile cup In field and hedge is lifted up ; For the shy tribes in glade and glen Whose sweet life is unseen of men ; For humble grasses making meet The rough earth for thy children's feet ; For lowly moss that creeps and clings, A drapery for unsightly things. For love's sweet looks upon us bent ; For baby faces innocent ; For helpless hands, that reach and sue, And make us patient, kind, and true ; For youthful hearts unworn and bold. That keep our own from growing old. We thank thee for life's homely ways, The discipline of working days; For hearts made tenderer by trial ; For the stern teaching of denial ; For pain that keys the quivering chord ; For joy and grief, we thank thee, Lord. 35 A FENCE OF TRUST. t^in^ not of t^e ^a^i or Suture. Think not of the past or future ; The present is all thou hast ; Future will soon be present ; Present will soon be past. Regret can never avail thee ; Longing will only waste ; Cheerful work in the present Will bring thy wishes with haste. This is life's only secret : Love and work and believe ; The worker soon ceases regretting ; The loving soon cease to grieve. d, £et m ^ouf (§t S^iQ^t (JJoiseb. O, LET the soul be lightly poised, That it may take swift flight When God's voice rouses it from rest, And bids it leave delight. And let not Sorrow spoil the heart ; She has no right to stay ; For, when she comes to sup with thee, Joy is not far away. 36 A FENCE OF TRUST. t^c (^taster's O)oice. One is your Master, even Christ, and all ye are brethren." Ah ! what says the Master, Watching at our side, Of the selfish servants. Careless in their pride. Each his own will seeking In the daily race, Treading down the weakest For a brother's place ? Hearest thou the Master, — O, so sad and sweet ! — When his striving servants Seek the highest seat ? In reproachful accents Uttering the behest, " He who would be greatest, Let him serve the rest." Seekest thou the Master? Know ye not he stands Where the weary captive Lifts his fettered hands, By the fainting toiler ? Thus he speaks to thee : " Who finds his needy brother Surely findeth me." 37 A FENCE OF TRUST. Confidence. We are not left of God While one fair flower blooms at our window-pane, While springing grass responds to April rain, And violet bands break through the sun-thrilled sod. If but a wild brier by our pathway nod, From seeming death, awake and glad again, In the sweet sight we may forget our pain Of unbelief, — who brings forth life but God ? He stains with tender tint the lily's lip ; Feeds with incessant care the insect crew ; Drops honey for the wandering bee to sip. In a white chalice set with pearls of dew ; The glow-worm hath his lamp ; the firefly's light Is but a pledge of love writ on the night. Dear little crocus, If you can bloom so Out of the darkness. Out of the snow, May we not hope. In the winter of pain, That all our dead loves Will blossom again ? 38 A FENCE OF TRUST. t^c feast ®ai?. Were this the last of earth,— This very day, — My life's work finished quite And put away ; And I from comrades dear About to part, How gentle were my thoughts ! How kind my heart ! And yet this fleeting life Is one last day ; How long soe'er its hours, They will not stay. O heart, be soft and true While thou dost beat ! O hands, be swift to do ; O lips, be sweet ! A SKY for wings, and wings for the sky, - Soaring songs in the summer morn. Homeward flights in the purple even, — And so I think, since souls were born, God must have made for souls a heaven. 39 A FENCE OF TRUST. ^eeSef^ not get di^n. How shall we test our love, — How shall the real be known F^rom its base counterpart? Love seeketh not her own. Tender and pure and sweet, The heart her only throne ; Content in silent ways, Love seeketh not her own. Hoping when others fear, Forgotten and alone, Enduring to the end, Love seeketh not her own. Thus shall we test our love. Thus shall the real be known ; For throughout heaven and earth Love seeketh not her own. 40 A FENCE OF TRUST. t^e OKinejbom of (Bob, A ROSE-TREE in a cellar prayed and prayed : " O, give me buds and bloom ! O, bring the beauteous summer of my dreams To this chill darkened room." " The garden thou must seek," a voice replied. " There brooding heats are thine, There dews soft-falling soothe thy thirst, and give To thee a joy divine. " While thou art far from thine appointed home Both leaf and flower will fail ; Thy law is light, — for roses in the dark No praying will avail. " Behold the gardener ! Give thyself to him. Thy trouble he doth see. Into the glory of thy growing place He longs to welcome thee. " God's loving forces work forevermore ; They are forever free. Seek life's sweet kingdom, then shall all the rest Be added unto thee." 41 A FENCE OF TRUST. Comforf. Is the space bleak about thee ? Friend and lover far ? Do clouds in misty foldings Hide the guiding star? Doubt not that love is near thee, Nor heed thy heart's alarms ; Thou hast for thy upholding The everlasting arms. The farmer planted a seed, A little, dry, black seed ; And off he went to other work ; For the farmer was never known to shirk. And cared for what had need. The night came, with its dew, The cool and silent dew ; The dawn came, and the day. And the farmer worked away At labors not a few. Home from his work one day. One glowing summer day. His children showed him a perfect flower; It had burst in bloom that very hour. How, I cannot say. 42 A FENCE OF TRUST. But I know if the smallest seed In the soil of love be cast, Both day and night will do their part ; And the sower who works with a trusting heart Will find the flower at last. Fold thy hands, tired world, the Sabbath comes Thy God remembers thee. Thy weariness, thy weakness, and thy woe ; For one day sets thee free. For one day breaks the bond by labor sealed ; Strikes off the chains of greed; Calls to his holy presence rich and poor, Equal in human need. Gives to the child its father; at the hearth Renews the arid soul With breaths of sweet affections ; wins the heart From the week's harsh control. As mists from mountain waters shower the plain Till blossoms star the sod. The Sabbath brings to thee, O panting world. Dew from the heights of God. 43 A FENCE OF TRUST. Confegsion. Not when I feel my neighbor's fault Does help come from above ; Not when I mourn his littleness, His lack of generous love ; But something great and sweet and kind Seems near to help and bless, When I confess with penitence My own unworthiness. (^g on ^ome ©ai^