The Christian Year Part 3

All through the wintry heaven and chill night air, In music and in light Thou dawnest on their prayer.

O faint not ye for fear- What though your wandering sheep, Reckless of what they see and hear, Lie lost in wilful sleep?

High Heaven in mercy to your sad annoy Still greets you with glad tidings of immortal joy.

Think on th' eternal home, The Saviour left for you; Think on the Lord most holy, come To dwell with hearts untrue: So shall ye tread untired His pastoral ways, And in the darkness sing your carol of high praise.

St. Stephen's Day.

He, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of G.o.d, and Jesus standing on the right hand of G.o.d. _Acts_ vii. 55

AS rays around the source of light Stream upward ere he glow in sight, And watching by his future flight Set the clear heavens on fire; So on the King of Martyrs wait Three chosen bands, in royal state, And all earth owns, of good and great, Is gather'd in that choir.

One presses on, and welcomes death: One calmly yields his willing breath, Nor slow, nor hurrying, but in faith Content to die or live: And some, the darlings of their Lord, Play smiling with the flame and sword, And, ere they speak, to His sure word Unconscious witness give.

Foremost and nearest to His throne, By perfect robes of triumph known, And likest Him in look and tone, The holy Stephen kneels, With stedfast gaze, as when the sky Flew open to his fainting eye, Which, like a fading lamp, flash'd high, Seeing what death conceals.

Well might you guess what vision bright Was present to his raptured sight, E'en as reflected streams of light Their solar source betray- The glory which our G.o.d surrounds, The Son of Man, the atoning wounds- He sees them all; and earth's dull bounds Are melting fast away.

He sees them all-no other view Could stamp the Saviour's likeness true, Or with His love so deep embrue Man's sullen heart and gross- "Jesus, do Thou my soul receive: Jesu, do Thou my foes forgive;"

He who would learn that prayer must live Under the holy Cross.

He, though he seem on earth to move, Must glide in air like gentle dove, From yon unclouded depths above Must draw his purer breath; Till men behold his angel face All radiant with celestial grace, Martyr all o'er, and meet to trace The lines of Jesus' death.

St. John's Day.

Peter seeing him, saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do?

Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou Me. _St. John_ xxi. 21, 22.

"LORD, and what shall this man do?"

Ask'st thou, Christian, for thy friend?

If his love for Christ be true, Christ hath told thee of his end: This is he whom G.o.d approves, This is he whom Jesus loves.

Ask not of him more than this, Leave it in his Saviour's breast, Whether, early called to bliss, He in youth shall find his rest, Or armed in his station wait Till his Lord be at the gate:

Whether in his lonely course (Lonely, not forlorn) he stay, Or with Love's supporting force Cheat the toil, and cheer the way: Leave it all in His high hand, Who doth hearts as streams command.

Gales from Heaven, if so He will, Sweeter melodies can wake On the lonely mountain rill Than the meeting waters make.

Who hath the Father and the Son, May be left, but not alone.

Sick or healthful, slave or free, Wealthy, or despised and poor- What is that to him or thee, So his love to Christ endure?

When the sh.o.r.e is won at last, Who will count the billows past?

Only, since our souls will shrink At the touch of natural grief, When our earthly loved ones sink, Lend us, Lord, Thy sure relief; Patient hearts, their pain to see, And Thy grace, to follow Thee.

The Holy Innocents.

These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto G.o.d and to the Lamb. _Rev._ xiv. 4.

SAY, ye celestial guards, who wait In Bethlehem, round the Saviour's palace gate, Say, who are these on golden wings, That hover o'er the new-born King of kings, Their palms and garlands telling plain That they are of the glorious martyr-train, Next to yourselves ordained to praise His Name, and brighten as on Him they gaze?

But where their spoils and trophies? where The glorious dint a martyr's s.h.i.+eld should bear?

How chance no cheek among them wears The deep-worn trace of penitential tears, But all is bright and smiling love, As if, fresh-borne from Eden's happy grove, They had flown here, their King to see, Nor ever had been heirs of dark mortality?

Ask, and some angel will reply, "These, like yourselves, were born to sin and die, But ere the poison root was grown, G.o.d set His seal, and marked them for His own.

Baptised its blood for Jesus' sake, Now underneath the Cross their bed they make, Not to be scared from that sure rest By frightened mother's shriek, or warrior's waving crest."

Mindful of these, the firstfruits sweet Borne by this suffering Church her Lord to greet; Blessed Jesus ever loved to trace The "innocent brightness" of an infant's face.

He raised them in His holy arms, He blessed them from the world and all its harms: Heirs though they were of sin and shame, He blessed them in his own and in his Father's Name.

Then, as each fond unconscious child On the everlasting Parent sweetly smiled (Like infants sporting on the sh.o.r.e, That tremble not at Ocean's boundless roar), Were they not present to Thy thought, All souls, that in their cradles Thou hast bought?

But chiefly these, who died for Thee, That Thou might'st live for them a sadder death to see.

And next to these, Thy gracious word Was as a pledge of benediction stored For Christian mothers, while they moan Their treasured hopes, just born, baptised, and gone.

Oh, joy for Rachel's broken heart!

She and her babes shall meet no more to part; So dear to Christ her pious haste To trust them in His arms for ever safe embraced.

She dares not grudge to leave them there, Where to behold them was her heart's first prayer; She dares not grieve-but she must weep, As her pale placid martyr sinks to sleep, Teaching so well and silently How at the shepherd's call the lamb should die: How happier far than life the end Of souls that infant-like beneath their burthen bend.

First Sunday after Christmas.

So the sun returned ten degrees, by which degrees it was gone down.

_Isaiah_ x.x.xviii. 8; compare _Josh._ x. 13.

'TIS true, of old the unchanging sun His daily course refused to run, The pale moon hurrying to the west Paused at a mortal's call, to aid The avenging storm of war, that laid Seven guilty realms at once on earth's defiled breast.

But can it be, one suppliant tear Should stay the ever-moving sphere?

A sick man's lowly-breathed sigh, When from the world he turns away, And hides his weary eyes to pray, Should change your mystic dance, ye wanderers of the sky?

We too, O Lord, would fain command, As then, Thy wonder-working hand, And backward force the waves of Time, That now so swift and silent bear Our restless bark from year to year; Help us to pause and mourn to Thee our tale of crime.

Bright hopes, that erst the bosom warmed, And vows, too pure to be performed, And prayers blown wide by gales of care;- These, and such faint half-waking dreams, Like stormy lights on mountain streams, Wavering and broken all, athwart the conscience glare.

How shall we 'scape the o'erwhelming Past?

Can spirits broken, joys o'ercast, And eyes that never more may smile:- Can these th' avenging bolt delay, Or win us back one little day The bitterness of death to soften and beguile?

Father and Lover of our souls!

Though darkly round Thine anger rolls, Thy suns.h.i.+ne smiles beneath the gloom, Thou seek'st to warn us, not confound, Thy showers would pierce the hardened ground And win it to give out its brightness and perfume.