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606.

THE STRENGTH OF THE LONELY.

10s M.

THOUGH lonely be thy path, fear not, for He
Who marks the sparrow fall is guarding thee;
And not a star shines o'er thy head by night,
But He hath known that it will reach thy sight.

And not a grief can darken or surprise,
Swell in thy heart, or dim with tears thine eyes,
But it is sent in mercy and in love,

To bid thy helplessness seek strength above.

607.

6 LIKE AS A FATHER PITIETH HIS CHILDREN.'

L. M.

We have no tears Thou wilt not dry;
We have no wounds Thou wilt not heal;
No sorrows pierce our human hearts,
That Thou, dear Father, dost not feel.

Thy pity like the dew distils,
And Thy compassion, like the light,
Our every morning over-fills,

And crowns with stars our every night.

608.

THE MOURNER.

11 & 10s M.

WEEP thou, O mourner! but in lamentation Let thy Redeemer still remembered be; Strong is His arm, the God of thy salvation, Strong is His love to cheer and comfort thee.

18*

417

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Cold though the world be, in the way before thee, Wail not in sadness o'er the darkling tomb; God in His love still watcheth kindly o'er thee, Light shineth still above the clouds of gloom.

Dimmed though thine eyes be with the tears of sorrow,

Night only known beneath the sky of time, Faith can behold the dawning of a morrow Glowing in smiles of life and joy sublime.

Change, then, O mourner, grief to exultation; Firm and confiding should thy spirit be; Strong is His arm, the God of thy salvation, Strong is His love to cheer and comfort thee.

609.

THE ANGELS OF CONSOLATION.

11 & 4s M.

WITH silence only as their benediction,
God's angels come,

Where, in the shadow of a great affliction,
The soul sits dumb.

Yet would we say, what every heart approveth,-
Our Father's will,

Calling to Him the dear ones whom He loveth,
Is mercy still.

Not upon us, or ours, the solemn angel
Hath evil wrought;

The funeral anthem is a glad evangel;
The good die not!

God calls our loved ones, but we lose not wholly
What He has given;

They live on earth in thought and deed as truly As in his heaven.

610.

LIGHT IN DARKNESS.

L. M.

My Father, when around me spread
I see the shadows of the tomb,

When life's bright visions droop and fade,
And darkness veils the days to come,-

O, in that anguished hour I turn
With a still trusting heart to Thee,
And holy thoughts arise and burn
Amid that cold sad destiny!

They fill my soul with heavenly light,
While all around is pain and woe;
And strengthened by them, in Thy sight,
Father, to drink Thy cup I go.

CLOSE OF LIFE.

611.

" FROM MY YOUTH UP.'

C. M.

GOD of my life and all its powers,
The Everlasting Friend!
Shall life, so favored in its dawn,
Be fruitless in its end?

To Thee, O Lord! my tender years
A trembling duty paid,
With glimpses of the mighty God
Delighted and afraid."

From parent's eye, and paths of men,
Thy touch I ran to meet;

It swelled the hymn and sealed the prayer;
'T was calm, and strange, and sweet!

Oft when beneath the work of sin
Trembling and dark I stood,
And felt the edge of eager thought,
And felt the kindling blood;

Thy dew came down,-my heart was Thine,
It knew no doubt nor strife;
Cool, now, and peaceful as the grave,

And strong to second life.

God of my life and all its powers

My Everlasting Friend,

Thou who hast blest my earlier years,
Be with me to the end!

612.

THE NIGHT COMETH.'

10s M.

ABIDE with me! fast falls the even-tide,
The darkness deepens; Lord with me abide!
When other helpers fail and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless, O, abide with me!

Swift to its close ebbs out life's little day;
Earth's joys grow dim, its glories fade away:
Change and decay in all around I see ;
O Thou who changest not, abide with me!

I need Thy presence every passing hour ;
What but Thy grace can foil the tempter's power?
Who like Thyself my guide and stay can be?
On to the close, O Lord! abide with me!

613.

" YET A LITTLE WHILE.'

11 & 10s M.

O FOR the Peace which floweth like a river,
Making life's desert places bloom and smile!
O for the faith to grasp Heaven's bright forever
Amid the shadows of this 'little while.'

A little while for patient vigil keeping,
To face the storm, to wrestle with the strong,
A little while, to sow the seed with weeping,
Then bind the sheaves and sing the harvest song.

A little while, midst shadow and illusion,
To strive by faith, love's mysteries to spell,
Then read each dark enigma's bright solution,
And hail the assurance, 'He doth all things well.'
A little while, the earthen pitcher taking
To wayside brooks, by far-off fountains fed,
Then the cool lip its thirst forever slaking
Beside the fulness of the fountain-head.

Thus He who is Himself the gift and Giver,
The future glory, and the present smile,
With the bright promise of the glad forever
Can light the shadows of the little while.

614

'I WAIT TILL MY CHANGE COME.'

8 & 7s M.

ONLY waiting, till the shadows
Are a little longer grown;
Only waiting, till the glimmer
Of the day's last beam is flown;

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