109

my care,

1 Whether I die or live; To love and serve thee is my share,

And this thy grace must give.
If life be long, I will be glad
That I may long obey;

Ι
If short, yet why should I be sad

To soar to endless day?
Christ leads me through no darker rooms

Than he went through before;
He that unto God's kingdom comes,

Must enter by his door.
Come, Lord, when grace has made me meet

Thy blessed face to see ;
For if thy work on earth be sweet,

What will thy glory be?
Then shall I end my sad complaints,

And weary sinful days,
And join with the triumphant saints,

Who sing Jehovah's praise.
My knowledge of that life is small,

The eye of faith is dim;
But 'tis enough that Christ knows all,

And I shall be with him.

110

CORK, work to-day! the night comes fast,

Work, work to-day! for never more
Will time its precious gifts restore.

a

TI

Work, work! each moment as it flies
Holds out a glory for the skies;
Work, work! each moment slighted now

Plucks a rich jewel from thy brow. 111 THOUGH lowly here our lot may be,

High work have we to do,-
In faith and trust to follow Him

Whose lot was lowly too.
Our days of darkness we may bear,

Strong in a Father's love,
Leaning on his almighty arm,

And fix'd our hopes above.
Our lives, enrich'd with gentle thoughts

And loving deeds, may be
A stream that still the nobler grows

The nearer to the sea.
To Jesus true, to conscience true,

However tried and press’d,
In God's clear sight high work we do,

If we but do our best.
Thus may we make the lowliest lot

With rays of glory bright;
Thus may we turn a crown of thorns

Into a crown of light. 112

(CORN not the slightest word or deed,

Nor
There's fruit in each wind-wafted seed,

That waits its natal hour.

A whisper'd word may touch the heart,

And call it back to life;
A look of love bid sin depart,

And still unholy strife.
No act falls fruitless; none can tell

How vast its power may be,
Nor what results unfolded dwell

Within it silently.
Work on, despair not; bring thy mite,

Nor care how small it be;
God is with all that serve the Right,

The Holy, True, and Free.

113

O ,

To rise and take his part
Upon this battle-field of earth,

And not sometimes lose heart!
He hides himself so wondrously,

As though there were no God;
He is least seen when all the powers

Of ill are most abroad.
O blest is he to whom is given

The instinct that can tell
That God is on the field, when he

Is st invisible!
And blest is he who can divine

Where real right doth lie,
And dares to take the side that seems

Unsafe to human eye!

O learn to scorn the praise of men!

O learn to lose with God!
For Jesus won the world through shame,

And beckons thee his road.
For right is right, since God is God,

And right the day must win;
To doubt would be disloyalty,

To falter would be sin.

114

HEN we cannot see our way,

He who bids us forward go,
Cannot fail the way to shew.
Though the sea be deep and wide,
Though a passage seem denied ;
Fearless let us still proceed,
Since the Lord vouchsafes to lead.
Though it seems the gloom of night,
Though we see no ray of light;
Since the Lord himself is there,
'Tis not meet that we should fear.
Night with Him is never night,
Where He is, there all is light;
When he calls us, why delay ?
They are happy who obey.
Be it ours then, while we're here,
Him to follow without fear !
Where He calls us, there to go,
What He bids us, that to do.

115

Y will would like a life of ease,

, rest,

And health and strength my will would please,

But, Lord, I know thy will is best. If I have strength to do thy will,

That should be power enough for me: Whether to work or to sit still

The appointment of the day may be. And if by sickness I may grow

More patient, holy, and resign'd; Strong health I need not wish to know,

And greater ease I cannot find. And rest-I need not seek it here,

For perfect rest remaineth still: When in thy presence we appear,

Rest shall be given by thy will. Lord, I have given my life to thee,

And every day and hour is thine; What thou appointest let them be:

Thy will is better, Lord, than mine.

:

ONG

116

NWARD let my children go,

God the Lord commands us so; Though the path be through the sea,

Little flock, what's that to thee ? Only trust his love unbounded, Thou shalt never be confounded.