Part Fifth--The Sacraments, the Faith, and the Spiritual Life
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90.
HOLY COMMUNION.
IMITATED FROM SAINT ALPHONSO.
1.
O happy Flowers! O happy Flowers!
How quietly for hours and hours,
In dead of night, in cheerful day,
Close to my own dear Lord you stay,
Until you gently fade away.
O happy Flowers! what would I give
In your sweet place all day to live,
And then to die, my service o'er,
Softly as you do, at His door.
2.
O happy Lights! O happy Lights!
Watching my Jesus livelong nights,
How close you cluster round His throne,
Dying so meekly one by one,
As each its faithful watch has done.
Could I with you but take my turn,
And burn with love of Him, and burn
Till love had wasted me, like you,
Sweet Lights! what better could I do?
307 3.
O happy Pyx! O happy Pyx!
Where Jesus doth His dwelling fix.
0 little palace! dear and bright,
Where He, who is the world's true light,
Spends all the day, and stays all night.
Ah! if my heart could only be
A little home for Him like thee,
Such fires my happy soul would move,
1 could not help but die of love!
4.
O Pyx, and Lights, and Flowers! but I
Through envy of you will not die;
Nay, happy things! what will you do,
Since I am better ofi° than you,
The whole day long, the whole night through?
For Jesus gives Himself to me,
So sweetly and so utterly,
By rights long since I should have died
For love of Jesus Crucified.
5.
My happy Soul! my happy Soul!
How shall I then my love control?
O sweet Communion! Feast of bliss!
When the dear Host my tongue doth kiss,
What happiness is like to this?
Oh heaven, I think, must be alway
Quite like a First Communion Day,
With love so sweet and joy so strange,—-
Only that heaven will never change!
THANKSGIVING AFTER COMMUNION. 309
01.
THANSGIVING AFTER COMMUNION.
1.
Jesus, gentlest Saviour!
God of might and power!
Thou Thyself art dwelling
In us at this hour.
2.
Nature cannot hold Thee.
Heaven is all too strait
For Thine endless glory,
And Thy royal state.
3.
Out beyond the shining
Of the furthest star,
Thou art ever stretching
Infinitely far.
4.
Yet hearts of children
Hold what worlds cannot,
And the God of wonders
Loves the lowly spot.
5.
As men to their gardens
Go to seek sweet flowers,
In our hearts dear Jesus
Seeks them at all hours.
6.
Jesus, gentlest Saviour I
Thou art in us now; Fill us full of goodness,
Till our hearts o'erflow.
7.
Pray the prayer within us
That to heaven shall rise;
Sing the song that angels
Sing above the skies.
8.
Multiply our graces,
Chiefly love and fear,
And, dear Lord! the chiefest—
Grace to persevere.
9.
Oh, how can we thank Thee
For a gift like this, Gift that truly maketh
Heaven's eternal bliss?
10.
Ah! when wilt Thou always
Make our hearts Thy home?
We must wait for heaven,—
Then the day will come.
11.
Now at least we'll keep Thee
All the time we may;
But Thy grace and blessing
We will keep alway.
12.
When our hearts Thou leavest,
Worthless though they be,
Give them to Thy Mother
To be kept for Thee.
92.
YiOWERS FOR THE ALTAR.
FOR THE SCHOOL CHILDREN.
1.
See! the sun beyond the hill
Is dipping, dipping down
Right above that old Scotch fir,.
Just like a golden crown.
2.
Children! quick, and come with me,
Handfuls of cowslips bring, Hawthorn bright with boughs of white,
And mayflowers from the spring.
3.
Lucy has fresh shoots of thyme
From her own garden plot: Jacob's lilac has been stripped—
A gay and goodly lot!
4.
To Saint Wilfrid's we will go,
And give them to the priest;
He must deck our Lady's shrine
To-morrow for the feast.
5.
Poor indeed the flowers we give,
But we ourselves are poor; Payment for each gift to her
Is plentiful and sure.
6.
By the picture Lucy loves
Hail-Maries will we say, And for him who's far at sea
Most fervently we'll pray.
7.
When I kneel in that sweet place
I cannot help but cry;
Then she seems to smile on me
Doubly through her bright eye.
.8.
Quick! the cock upon the spire
Shines with his gleamy tail;
He's the last who sees the sun
In all this happy vale.
9.
God be praised, who sent the faith
To these lone fields of ours.
And God's Mothei, too, who takes
Our little tithe of flowers.
93.
FAITH OF OUR FATHERS. 1.
Faith of our Fathers! living still
In spite of dungeon, fire and sword: O how our hearts beat high with joy
Whene'er we hear thai glorious word: Faith of our Fathers! Holy Faith!
We will be true to thee till death.
, 2.
Our Fathers, chained in prisons dark, Were still in heart and conscience free:
How sweet would be their children's fate, If they, like them, could die for thee!
Faith of our Fathers! Holy Faith!
We will be true to thee till death.
3.
Faith of our Fathers! Mary's prayers
Shall win our country back to thee;
And through the truth that comes from God
England shall then indeed be free.
Faith of our Fathers! Holy Faith!
We will be true to thee till death.
4.
Faith of our Fathers! we will love
Both friend and foe in all our strife:
And preach thee too, as love knows how
By kindly words and virtuous life:
Faith of our Fathers! Holy Faith!
We will be true to thee till death.
THE SAME HYMN FOR IRELAND. 1.
Faith of our Fathers! living still
In spite of dungeon, fire and sword:
Oh! Ireland's hearts beat high With joy
Whene'er they hear that glorious word.
Faith of our Fathers! Holy Faith!
We will be true to thee till death.
2.
Our Fathers, chained in prsons dark,
Were still in heart and conscience free:
How sweet would be their children's fate,
If they, like them, could die for thee.
Faith of our Fathers! Holy Faith I
We will be true to thee till death.
3.
Faith of our Fathers! Mary's prayers
Shall keep our country fast to thee;
And through the truth that comes from God
Oh we shall prosper and be free.
Faith of our Fathers! Holy Faith!
We will be true to thee till death.
4.
Faith of our Fathers! we must love
Both friend and foe in all our strife:
And preach thee too, as love knows how,
By kindly words and virtuous life.
Faith of our Fathers! Holy Faith!
We will be true to thee till death.
5.
Faith of our Fathers! guile and force
To do thee bitter wrong unite;
But Erin's saints shall fight for us,
And keep undimmed thy blessed light.
Faith of our Fathers! Holy Faith!
We will be true to thee till death.
6.
Faith of our Fathers! distant shores
Their happy faith to Ireland owe;
Then in our home Oh shall we not
Break the dark plots against thee now?
Faith of our Fathers! Holy Faith!
We will be true to thee till death.
7.
Faith of our Fathers! days of old
Within our hearts speak gallantly;
For ages thou hast stood by us,
Dear Faith! and we will stand by thee.
Faith of our Fathers! Holy Faith!
We will be true to thee till death.
94.
THE THOUGHT OF GOD.
1.
The thought of God, the thought of Thee,
Who liest in my heart,
And yet beyond imagined space
Outstretched and present art,—
The thought of Thee, above, below,
Around me and within,
Is more to me than health and wealth,
Or love of kith and kin.
3.
The thought of God is like the tree
Beneath whose shade I lie,
And watch the fleets of snowy clouds
Sail o'er the silent sky.
4.
'Tis like that soft invading light,
Which in all darkness shines,
The thread that through life's sombre web
In golden pattern twines.
5.
It is a thought which ever makes
Life's sweetest smiles from tears,
And is a daybreak to our hopes,
A sunset to our fears.
6.
One while it bids the tears to flow,
Then wipes them from the eyes,
Most often fills our souls with joy,
And always sanctifies.
7.
Within a thought so great, our souls
Little and modest grow, And, by its vastness awed, we learn
The art of walking slow.
8.
The wild flower on the mossy ground Scarce bends its pliant form,
When overhead the autumnal wood Is thundering like a storm.
9.
So is it with our humble souls
Down in the thought of God,
Scarce conscious in their sober peace
Of the wild storms abroad.
10.
To think of Thee is almost prayer,
And is outspoken praise;
And pain can even passive thoughts
To actual worship raise.
11.
O Lord! I live always in pain,
My life's sad undersong, Pain in itself not hard to bear,
But hard to bear so lona:.
12.
Little sometimes weighs more than much.
When it has no relief;
A joyless life is worse to bear
Than one of active grief.
13.
And yet, O Lord! a suffering life
Oiie grand ascent may dare; Penance, not self-imposed, can make
The whole of life a prayer.
14.
All murmurs lie inside Thy Will
Which are to Thee addressed;
To suffer for Thee is our work,
To think of Thee our rest.
95.
THE FEAR OF GOD.
1.
My fear of Thee, O Lord, exults
Like life within my veins,
A fear which rightly claims to be
One of love's sacred pains.
2.
Thy goodness to Thy saints of old
An awful thing appeared; For were Thy majesty less good
Much less would it be feared.
3.
There is no joy the soul can meet
Upon life's various road Like the sweet fear that sits and shrinks
Under the eye of God.
4.
A special joy is in all love
For objects we revere;
Thus joy in God will always be
Proportioned to our fear.
5.
Oh ITiou art greatly to be feared,
Thou art so prompt to bless!
The dread to miss such love as Thine
Makes fear but love's excess.
6.
The fulness of Thy mercy seems
To fill both land and sea; If we can break through bounds so vast,
How exiled shall we be!
7.
For grace is fearful, which each hour
Our path in life has crossed; If it were rarer, it might be
Less easy to be lost.
8.
But fear is love, and love is fear,
And in and out they move; But fear is an intenser joy
Than mere unfrightened love.
9.
When most I fear Thee, Lord! then most
Familiar I appear;
And I am in my soul most free,
When I am most in fear.
10.
I should not love Thee as I do,
If love might make more free;
Its very sweetness would be lost
In greater liberty.
11.
I feel Thee most a father, when
I fancy Thee most near: And Thou comest not so nigh in love
As Thou comest, Lord! in fear.
12.
They love Thee little, if at all,
Who do not fear Thee much;
If love is Thine attraction, Lord!
Fear is Thy very touch.
13.
Love could not love Thee half so much If it found Thee not so near;
It is Thy nearness, which makes love The perfectness of fear.
14.
We fear because Thou art so good,
And because we can sin; And when we make most show of love,
We are trembling mp,st within.
15.
And, Father! when to us in heaven
Thou shalt Thy Face unveil,
Then more than ever will our soula
Before Thy goodness quail.
16.
Our blessedness will be to bear
The sight of Thee so near,
And thus eternal love will be
But the ecstasy of fear.
96.
PEEVISHNESS.
1.
O God! that I could be with Thee,
Alone by some sea-shore, And hear Thy soundless voice within,
And the outward waters roar.
2.
The cold wet wind would seem to wash,
The world from off my brow:
And I should feel amidst the storm
That none were near but Thou.
3.
Each wave that broke upon the rocks Would seem to break on me:
And he who stands an outward shock Gains inward liberty.
4.
Upon the wings of wild sea-birds,
My dark thoughts would I lay,
And let them bear them out to sea,
In the tempest far away.
5.
For life has grown a simple weight;
Each effort seems a fall;
And all things weary me on earth,
But good things most of all.
6.
And I am deadly sick of men, From shame and not from pride;
My love of souls, my joy in saints, Are blossoms that have died.
7.
It seems as if I loathed the earth,
And yet craved not for heaven,
But for another nature longed,
Not that which Thou hast given.
8.
For goodness all ignoble seems,
Ungenerous and small,
And the holy are so wearisome,
Their very virtues pall.
9.
Alas! this peevishness with good
Is want of love of God; Unloving thoughts within distort
The look of things abroad.
10.
The discord is within, which jars
So sadly in life's song:
'Tis we, not they, who are in fault,
When others seem so wrong.
11.
'Tis we who weigh upon ourselves;
Self is the irksome weight: To those, who can see straight themselves,
All things look always straight.
12.
My God! with what surpassing love
Thou lovest all on earth,
How good the least good is to Thee,
How much each soul is worth!
13.
I seem to think if I could spend
One hour alone with Thee,
My human heart would come again
From Thy Divinity.
14.
And yet I cannot build a cell
For Thee within my heart,
And meet Thee, as Thy chosen do,
Where Thou most truly art.
15.
The bright examples round me seem
My dazzled eyes to hurt;
Thy beauty, which they should reflect,
They dwindle and invert.
16.
Therefore I crave for .scenes which might
My fettered thoughts unbind, And where the elements might be
Like scapegoats to my mind.
17.
Where all things round should loudly tell,
Storm, rocks, sea-birds, and sea,
Not of Thy worship, but much more,
And only, Lord! of Thee.
97.
PREDESTINATION.
1.
Father and God! my endless doom
Is hidden in Thy Hand,
And I shall know not what it is
Till at Thy bar I stand.
2.
Thou knowest what Thou hast decreed
For me in Thy dread Will;
I in my helpless ignorance
Must tremble and lie still.
3.
All light is darkness, when I think
Of what may be my fate; Yet hearts will trust, and hope can teach
Both faith and love to wait.
4.
A little strife of flesh and soul,
A single word from Thee, And in a moment I possess
A fixed eternity:—
5.
Fixed, fixed, irrevocably fixed!
Oh at this silent hour
The thought of what is possible
Comes with terrific power:
6.
As though into some awful depths
Rash hands had flung a stone,
And still the frightening echoes grow,
As it goes sounding on.
My fears adore Thee, O my God!
My heart is chilled with awe; Yet love from out that very chill
Fresh life and heat can draw.
8.
Thou owest me no duties, Lord!
Thy Being hath no ties;
The world lies open to Thy Will,
Its victim and its prize.
9.
Father! Thy power is merciful
To us poor worms below,
Not bound by justice, but because
Thyself hath willed it so.
10.
The fallen creature hath no rights,
No voice in Thy decrees;
Yet while Thy glory owns no claims,
Thy love makes promises.
11.
Thou mayst have willed that I should die
In friendship, Lord! with Thee,
Or I may in the act of sin
Touch on eternity.
12.
What can I do but trust Thee, Lord!
For thou art God alone?
My soul is safer in Thy hands,
Father! than in my own.
13.
I worship Thee with breathless fears .
Thou wilt do what Thou wilt;
The worst Thine anger hath in store
Is far below my guilt.
14.
O fearful thought! one act of sin
Within itself contains
The power of endless hate of God,
And everlasting pains. 15.
For me to do such act 1 know
How slight a change I need,
Yet know not if restraining grace
For me hath been decreed.
16.
What can I do but trust Thee, Lord?
That trust my heart will cheer; And love must learn to live abashed
Beneath continual fear.
17.
That Thou art God is my one joy;
Whate'er Thy Will may be, Thy glory will be magnified
In Thy last doom of me.
98.
THE EIGHT MUST WIN.
1.
Oh it is hard to work for God,
To rise and take His part
Upon this battlefield of earth,
And not sometimes lose heart!
2.
He hides Himself so wondrously,
As though there were no God;
He is least seen when all the powers
Of ill are most abroad.
3.
Or He deserts us at the hour
The fight is all but lost;
And seems to leave us to ourselves
Just when we need Him most.
4.
Yes, there is less to try our faith,
In our mysterious creed,
Than in the godless look of earth,
In these our hours of need.
5.
Ill masters good; good seems to change
To ill with greatest ease; And, worst of all, the good with good
Is at cross purposes.
6.
The Church, the Sacraments, the Faith,
Their uphill journey take, Lose here what there they gain, and, if
We lean upon them, break.
7.
It is not so, but so it looks;
And we lose courage then; And doubts will come if God hath kept
His promises to men.
8.
Ah! God is other than we think;
His ways are far above, Far beyond reason's height, and reached
Only by childlike love.
The look, the fashion of God's ways
Love's lifelong study are;
She can be bold, and guess, and act,
When reason would not dare.
10.
She has a prudence of her own;
Her step is firm and free; Yet there is cautious science too
In her simplicity.
11.
Workmen of God! Oh lose not heart,
But learn what God is like;
And in the darkest battlefield
Thou shalt know where to strike.
12.
Thrice blest is he to whom is given
The instinct that can tell
That God is on the field when he
Is most invisible.
13.
Blest too is he who can divine
Where real right doth lie,
And dares to take the side that seems
Wrong to man's blindfold eye.
14.
Then learn to scorn the praise of men,
And' learn to lose with God;
For Jesus won the world through shame,
And beckons thee His road.
15.
God's glory is a wondrous thing,
Most strange in all its ways,
And, of all things on earth, least like
What men agree to praise.
16.
As He can endless glory weave
From what men reckon shame,
In His own world He is content
To play a losing game.
iv.
Muse on His justice, downcast soul!
Muse and take better heart;
Back with thine angel to the field,
And bravely do thy part.
18.
God's justice is a bed, where we
Our anxious hearts may lay,
And, weary with ourselves, may sleep
Our discontent away.
19.
For right is right, since God is God;
And right the day must win;
To doubt would be disloyalty,
To falter would be sin.
99.
DESIRE OF GOD.
1.
Oh for freedom, for freedom in worshipping God,
For the mountain-top feeling of generous souls,
For the health, for the air, of the hearts deep and
broad,
Where grace not in rills but in cataracts rolls!
2.
Most good is the brisk wholesome service of fear, And the calm wise obedience of conscience is sweet;
And good are all worships, all loyalties dear,
All promptitudes fitting, all services meet.
3.
But none honors God like the thirst of desire,
Nor possesses the heart so completely with Him;
For it burns the world out with tSe swift ease of fire, And fills life with good works till it runs o'er the brim.
4.
Then pray for desire, for love's wistfullest yearning, For the beautiful pining of holy desire;
Yes, pray for a soul that is ceaselessly burning With the soft fragrant flames of this thrice happy fire.
5.
For the heart only dwells, truly dwells with ita treasure,
And the languor of love captive hearts can unfetter;
A.nd they who love God cannot love Him by measure,
For their love is but hunger to love Him still better.
'6.
Who can understand Jesus except by desire?
Who that pines not with love knows what Mary loves best?
Who can come near to God with a heart not on fire? Souls must tire upon earth who in heaven would rest.
7.
Is it hard to serve God, timid soul? Hast thou found
Gloomy forests, dark glens, mountain-tops on thy way?
All the hard would be easy, all the tangles unwound,
Wouldst thou only desire, as well as obey. 8.
For the lack of desire is the ill of all ills;
Many thousands through it the dark pathway have trod,
The balsam, the wine of predestinate wills
Is a jubilant pining and longing for God.
9.
'Tis a fire that will burn what thou canst not pass over;
'Tis a lightning that breaks away all bars to love; 'Tis a sunbeam the secrets of God to discover; 'Tis the wing David prayed for, the wing of the Dove.
10.
I have seen living men—and their good angels know
How they failed and fell short through the want of desire:
Souls once almost saints have descended so low, 'Twill be much if their wings bear them over the fire.
11.
I have seen dying men not so grand in their dying As our love would have wished,—and through
lack of desire: O that we may die languishing, burning, and
sighing:
For God's last grace and best is to die all on fire. 12.
'Tis a great gift of God to live after our Lord;
Yet the old Hebrew times they were ages of fire, When fainting souls fed on each dim figured word,
And God called men He loved most—the Men of Desire.
13.
O then wish more for God, burn more with desire, Covet more the dear sight of His marvellous Face;
Pray louder, pray longer, for the sweet gift of fire To come down on thy heart with its whirlwinds of grace.
14.
Yes, pine for thy God, fainting soul! ever pine;
Oh languish mid all that life brings thee of mirth; Famished, thirsty, and restless,—let such life b« thine,—
For what sight is to heaven, desire is to earth. 15.
God loves to he longed for, He longs to be sought, For He sought us Himself with such longing and love:
He died for desire of us, marvellous thought!
And He yearns for us now to be with Him above
100.
SCHOOL HYMN.
1.
O Jesus! God and Man!
For love of children once a child!
O Jesus! God and Man!
We hail Thee Saviour sweet and mild.
2.
O Jesus! God and Man!
Make us poor children dear to Thee,
And lead us to Thyself,
To love Thee for eternity.
3.
O Mary! Mother Maid!
God made thee Mother of the poor'. Mary! to thee we look
To make our souls' salvation sure.
O Mary! Mother dear!
Thank God, for us, for all His love; And pray that in our faith
We all may true and steadfast prove.
O Jesus! Mary's Son!
On Thee for grace we children call; Make us all men to love,
But to love Thee beyond them all.
6.
O Jesus! bless our work,
Our sorrows soothe, our sins forgive; O happy, happy they
Who in the Church of Jesus live I
7.
O God, most great and good,
At work or play, by night or day,
Make us remember Thee,
Wh o so rememberest us alway.
101.
THE TRUE SHEPHERD.
1.
I was wandering and weary,
When my Saviour came unto me; For the ways of sin grew dreary,
And the world had ceased to woo me:
And I thought I heard Him say,
As He came along HLs way,
O silly souls! come near Me;
My sheep slxnild never fear Mo;
I am the Shepherd true.
2.
At first I would not hearken,
And put off till the morrow; But life began to darken,
And I was sick with sorrow;
And I thought I heard Him say,
As He came along His way,
O silly souls! come near Me;
My sheep should never fear Me;
I am the Shepherd true.
3.
At last I stopped to listen,
His voice could not deceive me;
I saw His kind eyes glisten,
So anxious to relieve me:
And I thought I heard Him say,
As He came along His way,
0 silly souls! come near Me;
My sheep should never fear Me;
I am the Shepherd true.
4.
He took me on His shoulder,
And tenderly He kissed me;
He bade my love be bolder,
And said how He had missed me;
And I'm sure I heard Him say,
As He went along His way,
O silly souls! come near Me;
My sheep should never fear Me;
I am the Shepherd true.
5.
Strange gladness seemed to move Him,
Whenever I did better;
And He coaxed me so to love Him,
As if He was my debtor;
And I always heard Him say,
As He went along His way,
O silly souls! come near Me;
My sheep should never fear me;
I am the Shepherd true.
6.
I thought His love would weaken,
As more and more He knew me;
But it burnetii like a beacon,
And it? light and heat go through me
And I ever hear Him say,
As He goes along His way,
O silly souls! come near Me;
My sheep should never fear Me;
I am the Shepherd true.
7.
Let us do then, dearest brothers!
What will best and longest please us,
Follow not the ways of others,
But trust ourselves to Jesus;
We shall ever hear Him say,
As He goes along His Svay,
O silly souls! come near Me;
My sheep should never fear Me;
I am the Shepherd true.
102.
COME TO JESUS.
1.
Souls of, men! why will ye scatter
Like a crowd of frightened sheep?
Foolish hearts! why will ye wander
From a love so true and deep?
2.
Was there ever kindest shepherd
Half so gentle, half so sweet
As the Saviour who would have us
Come and gather round His Feet?
3.
It is God: His love looks mighty,
But is mightier than it seems:
'Tis our Father: and His fondness
Goes far out beyond our dreams.
4.
There's a wideness in God's mercy,
Like the wideness of the sea:
There's a kindness in His justice,
Which is more than liberty.
5.
There is no place where earth's sorrows Are more felt than up in heaven;
There is no place where earth's failings Have such kindly judgment given.
6.
There is welcome for the sinner,
And more graces for the good;
There is mercy with the Saviour;
There is healing in His Blood.
7.
There is grace enough for thousands
Of new worlds as great as this;
There is room for fresh creations
In that upper home of bliss.
8.
For the love of God is broader
Than the measures of man's mind,
And the Heart of the Eternal
Is most wonderfully kind.
9.
But we make His love too narrow
By the false limits of our own;
And we magnify His strictness
With a zeal He will not own.
10.
There is plentiful redemption
In the Blood that has been shed;
There is joy for all the members
In the sorrows of the Head.
11.
'Tis not all we owe to Jesus;
It is something more than all; Greater good because of evil,
Larger mercy through the fall.
12.
Pining Souls! come nearer Jesus,
And oh come not doubting thus,
But with faith that trusts more bravely
His huge tenderness for us.
13.
If our love were but more simple,
We should take Him at His word;
And our lives would be all sunshine
In the sweetness of our Lord.
103.
INVITATION TO THE MISSION.
1.
O come to the merciful Saviour who calls you,
Oh come to the Lord who forgives and forgets; Though dark be the fortune on earth that befals you,
There's a bright home above where the sun never sets.
2.
Oh come then to Jesus, whose arms are extended
To fold His dear children in closest embrace;
Oh come, for your exile will shortly be ended,
And Jesus will show you His beautiful Face.
3.
Ye sons of dear England, your Saviour is calling
You back to His Fold and your forefathers' faith; Ah love Him, then, love Him; for the dark night is falling,
And the light of His love shall be with you in death.
4.
Yes, come to the Saviour, whose mercy grow3 brighter
The longer you look at the depths of His love; And fear not! 'tis Jesus, and life's cares grow lighter,
As you think of the home and the glory above. 5.
Have you sinned as none else in the world have before you?
Are you blacker than all other creatures in guilt? Oh fear not, and doubt not! the mother who bore you
Loves you less than the Saviour whose Blood you have spilt.
6.
O come then to Jesus, and say how you love Him,
And vow at His feet you will keep in His grace;
For one tear that is shed by a sinner can mova Him,
And your sins will drop off in His tender embrace.
7.
Come, come to His feet and lay open your story
Of suffering and sorrow, of guilt and of shame;
For the pardon of sin is the crown of His glory,
And the joy of our Lord to be true to His Name.
8.
Come quickly to Jesus for graces and pardons,
Come now, for who needs not His mercy and love? Believe me, dear children, that England's fair gardens
Are dull to the bright land that waits you above.
THE SAME HYMN FOR IRELAND.
Oh come to the merciful Saviour who calls you,
Oh come to the Lord who forgives and forgets; Though dark be the fortune on earth that befals you,
There's a bright home above where the sun never sets.
2.
Oh come then to Jesus, whose arms are extended
To fold His dear children in closest embrace;
Oh come, for your exile will shortly be ended,
And Jesus will show you His beautiful Face.
Ye sons of Saint Patrick! dear children of Erin!
'Tis God that hath kept you your wonderful faith! Ah love Him then, love Him; for the dark night is nearing,
And the light of His love shall be with you in death.
4.
Yes, come to the Saviour, whose mercy grows brighter
The longer you look at the depth of His love; And fear not I 'tis Jesus, and life's cares grow lighter,
As you think of the home and the glory above. 5.
Have you sinned as none else in the world have before you?
Are you blanker than all other creatures in guilt? Oh fear not, and doubt not I the mother who bore you
Loves you less than the Saviour wh ose Blood you have spilt.
6.
Oh come then to Jesus, and say how you love Him,
And vow at His feet you will keep in His grace; For one tear that is shed by a sinner can move Him,
And your sins will drop off in His tender embrace.
7.
Come, come to His feet, and lay open your story
Of suffering and sorrow, of guilt and of shame;
For the pardon of sin is the crown of His glory,
And the joy of our Lord to be true to His
Name.
8.
Come quickly to Jesus, and drink of His fountains, Come now, for who needs not His mercy and love?
Believe me, dear children, that Erin's green mountains
Are dull to the bright land that waits you above.
104.
THE WAGES OF SIN.
1.
O what are the wages of sin,
The end of the race we have run?
We have slaved for the master we chose,
And what is the prize w« have won?
2.
We gave away all things for him,
And in truth it was much that was given,— The love of the angels and saints,
And the chance of our getting to heaven.
3.
We gave away Jesus and God,
We gave away Mary and grace,
Prayer and Confession and Mass;
And now we have finished the race.
4
We are worn out and weary with sin;
Its pleasures are poor at the best; For what we remember, not worth
Halt an hour ot a conscience at rest.
5.
For sin in the hand is not like
The bright thing it looked to the eye;
Its taste is still worse than its touch;
Yet we swallow the poison and die.
6.
Oh fools that we were! can we now
Break off the bad bargain we made?
And is there a way to get back
The rash price we already have paid?
7.
Oh yes! we have got but to send
One word or one sigh up to heaven!
The mischief will all be undone,
And the past be completely forgiven.
8.
Jesus is just whai He was,
On the Cross, as we left Him before, All gentleness, mercy, and love,
Nay, His love and His mercy look more. 9.
We will back with our hearts in our hands,
For the heart is His one only fee:
Forgive Up, dear Jesus, forgive,
All we want is forgiveness from Thee.
105.
A GOOD CONFESSION.
1.
The chains that have bound me are flung to the wind,
By the mercy of God the poor slave is set free;
And the strojg grace of heaven breathes fresh o'er the mind,
Like the bright winds of summer that gladden the sea.
2.
There was nought in God's world half so dark or so vile
As the sin and the bondage that fettered my soul;
There was nought half so base as the malice and guile
Of my own sordid passions, or Satan's control.
3.
For years I have borne about hell in my breast; When I thought of my God it was nothing but gloom;
Day brought me no pleasure, night gave me no rest,
There was still the grim shadow of horrible doom.
4.
It seemed as if nothing less likely could be
Than that light should break in on a dungeon so deep;
To create a new world were less hard than to free The slave from his bondage, the soul from its sleep.
5.
But the word had gone forth, and said, Let there be light,
And it flashed through my soul like a sharp passing smart;
One look to my Saviour, and all the dark night, Like a dream scarce remembered, was gone from my heart.
I cried out for mercy, and fell on my knees,
And confessed, while my heart with keen sorrow was wrung;
'Twas the labor of minutes, and years of disease Fell as fast from my soul as the words from my tongue.
7.
And now, blest be God and the sweet Lord who died!
No deer on the mountain, no bird in the sky, No bright wave that leaps on the dark bounding tide,
Is a creature so free or so happy as I.
8.
All hail, then, all hail, to the dear Precious Blood, That hath worked these sweet wonders of mercy in me;
May each day countless numbers throng down to its flood,
And God have His glory, and sinners go free.
106.
THE ACT OF CONTRITION.
1.
My God! who art nothing but mercy and kindness,
Ah shut not Thine ear to the penitent's prayer; 'Tis Thy grace that hath cured me, dear Lord, of my blindness,
Thy love that hath lifted me up from despair. 2.
Oh cruel, most cruel! the bondage of evil
That hath kept me so fast, and hath held me so low;
And fearful the hold, the strong hold of the devil, And the keen bitter fires of the long hopeless woe. 3.
But, O God! by Thy mercy my mind is enlightened;
I feel a new purpose burn strong in my heart; I come to Thee now like a child scared and frightened,
And I cling to thy love, and will never depart. 4..
There is not one evil that sin hath not brought me, There is not one good that hath come in its train;
It hath cursed me through life, and its sorrows have sought me,
Each day that went by, in want, sickness, or pain.
And then, when this life of affliction is ended,
What a home for my weary heart did it prepare?
The anger of Him whom my sins had offended,
And the night, the sick night of eternal despair.
6.
Yes! death would have come, and its angel have torn me
By force to the judgm> nt where hope could not be;
A.nd th§ spirit of darkness from thence would have borne me
To unspeakable woes in his wide burning sea.
7.
Where the worms and the wails and the lashes cease never,
My poor ruined soul would have sickened of fire,
And I should be tortured for ever and ever,
But the pains of eternity never would tire.
8.
The corn-field all trampled to mud by the cattle, The house whose scorched walls have been blackened by fire,—
Ah! such was my soul when the desolate battle
Of sin raged within it, and sinful desire.
But away, mortal sin! by the help of my God, From thy false poisoned fruits I will firmly refrain;
I have vowed, mortal sin! I have manfully vowed, I will touch thee not, taste thee not ever again.
10.
I abjure the dark spirit who fondles yet hates me,
I abjure mortal sin, the black gift he hath given;
I hate it for fear of the fire that awaits me,
I hate it for hope of God's beautiful heaven.
11.
I hate it because the dear Lord that would ease us Sweated blood when He thought of the horror of sin;
I hate it because it hath crucified Jesus,
Who hath done all He can the worst sinners to win.
12.
And I swear to Thee—yes, dearest Jesus! Oh let me, In the strength of Thy grace, swear an oath unto Thee,
No sin! never more! if Thou wilt not forget me, But in Thy sweet mercy have mercy on me.
107.
CONVERSION.
1.
O Faith! thou workest miracles
Upon the hearts of men,
Choosing thy home in those same hearts
We know not how nor when.
2.
To one thy grave unearthly truths
A heavenly vision seem;
While to another's eye they are
A superstitious dream.
3.
To one the deepest doctiines look
So naturally true,
That when he learns the lesson first
He hardly thinks it new.
4.
To other hearts the selfsame truths
No light or heat can bring;
They are but puzzling phrases strung
Like beads upon a string.
5.
O gift of gifts! O grace of Faith!
My God! how can it be
That Thou, who hast discerning love,
Shouldst give that gift to me?
6.
There was a place, there was a time,
Whether by night or day,
Thy Spirit came and left that gift,
And went upon His way.
7.
How many hearts Thou mightst have had
More innocent than mine,
How many souls more worthy far
Of that sweet touch of Thine!
8.
Ah grace! into unlikeliest hearts
It is thy boast to come,
The glory of thy light to find
In darkest spots a home.
9.
How can they live, how will they die,
How bear the cross of grief,
Who have not got the light of faith,
The courage of belief?
10.
The crowd of cares, the weightiest cross,
Seem trifles less than light;
Earth looks so little and so low,
When faith shines full and bright.
11.
Oh happy, happy that I am!
If thou canst be, O Faith.
The treasure that thou art in life,
What wilt thou be in death?
12.
Thy choice, O God of goodness! then
I lovingly adore;
O give me grace to keep Thy grace,
And grace to merit more.
108.
THE WORK OF GEACE.
How the light of heaven is stealing,
Gently o'er the trembling soul;
And the shades of bitter feeling
From the lightened spirit roll.
Sweetly stealing, sweetly stealing,
See how grace its way is feeling I
Fairer than the pearly morning
Comes the softly struggling ray:
Ah, it is the very dawning
That precedes eternal day.
Sweetly stealing, sweetly stealing,
See how grace its way is feeling!
See the tears, the blessed trouble,
Doubts and fears, and hopes and smiles! How the guilt of sin seems double, And how plain are Satan's wiles! Sweetly stealing, sweetly stealing, See how grace its way is feeling!
4.
Now the light is growing brighter,
Fear of hell, and hate of sin; Another flash! the heart is lighter; Love of God hath entered in. Sweetly stealing, sweetly stealing, See how grace its way is feeling!
5.
Now upon the favorite passion
Falls a steady ray of grace;
And the lights of world and fashion
In the new light fade apace.
Sweetly stealing, sweetly stealing,
See how grace its way is feeling!
6.
What was sweet hath now grown bitter,
What was bitter passing sweet; Even penance now seems fitter Than the poor world's idle treat. Sweetly stealing, sweetly stealing, See how grace its way is feeling!
7.
See! more light! the spirit tingles
With contrition's piercing dart;— More,—and love divinely mingles Ease and gladness with the smart. Sweetly stealing, sweetly stealing, See how grace its way is feeling! 8.
Free! free! the joyous light of heaven
Comes with full and fair release;—
O God, what light! all sin forgiven,
Jesus, Mary, love, and peace.
Sweetly stealing, sweetly stealing,
See how grace its way is feeling!
109.
FORGIVENESS OF INJURIES. 1.
Oh do you hear that voice from heaven,—
Forgive, and you shall be forgiven?
No angel hath a voice like this;
Not even Mary's song of bliss
From off her throne can waft to earth
A promise of such priceless worth.
2.
Again the music comes from heaven,—
Forgive, and you shall be forgiven.
Softly on every wind that blows
Through the wide earth the promise goes,
Absolving sin and opening heaven,
For we forgive and are forgiven.
3.
Yes, we, dear Lord! Thy voice can tell;
That gentle voice we know it well;
Yet never was it sweet and clear
As now when we this promise hear,—
Poor souls! who sadly doubt of heaven,
Forgive, and you shall be forgiven.
4.
Sweet Faith! and can this pledge be true?
And is the duty hard to do?
No one, dear Lord! hath done to me
Such wrong as I have done to Thee.
Why should not all men go to heaven?
They who forgive will be forgiven.
5.
Thine offers, earth! to this are dull,—
Full mercy to the merciful:—
O joy to every soul that lives!
Such beautiful bright words He gives,
Whose royal promise cheapens heaven,—
Forgive, and you shall be forgiven.
6.
Then listen to us, Jesus, Lord!
See how we take Thee at Thy word:
Oh as we hope with Thee to live,
So from our hearts do we forgive;
And from this hour we do not know
The thought, the thing men mean by foe. 7.
Yes! saved and saints we all will be;
All of us, Lord! will come to Thee;
Dear heaven! the work for thee is done,—
How easily, how sweetly won!
Yes! thou art ours, eternal heaven I
For we forgave, and are forgiven.
110.
THE WOELD.
1.
O Jesus! if in days gone by
My heart hath loved the world too well, It needs more love for love of Thee
To bid this cherished world farewell.
2,
And yet I can rejoice there are
So many things on earth to love,
So many idols for the fire,
My love and loyal change to prove.
3.
He that loves most Lath most to lose,
And willing loss is love's best prize;
The more that Yesterday hath loved
The more To-day can sacrifice.
O Earth! thou art too beautiful,
And thou, dear Home! thou art too sweet, The winning ways of flesh and blood
Too smooth for sinners' pilgrim feet.
5.
The woods and flowers, and running streams, The sunshine of the common skies,
The round of household peace—what heart But owns the might of these dear ties?
6.
The sweetness of known faces is
A couch where weary souls repose;
Known voices are as David's harp
Bewitching Saul's oppressive woes.
7.
And yet, bright World! thou art not wise;
Oh no! enchantress though thou art, Thou art not skilful in thy way
Of dealing with a wearied heart.
8.
If thou hadst kept thy faith with me,
I might have been thy servant still;
But slighted love and broken faith,
Poor world! these are beyond thy skill.
9.
Oh bless thee, bless thee, treacherous world!
That thou dost play so false a part, And drive, like sheep into the fold,
Our loves into our Saviour's Heart.
10.
This have I leaned upon, sweet Lord!
This world hath had Thy rightful place; But come, dear jealous King of love!
Come, and begin Thy reign of grace.
11.
Banish far from me all I love,
The smiles of friends, the old fireside,
And drive me to that home of homes,
The Heart of Jesus Crucified.
12.
Take all the light away from earth,
Take all that men can love from me;
Let all I lean upon give way,
That I may lean on nought but Thee.
111.
THE END OF MAN.
1.
I come to Thee, once more, my God!
No longer will I roam; For I have sought the wide world through,
And never found a home.
2.
Though bright and many are the spots
Where I have built a nest,
Yet in the brightest still I pined
For more abiding rest.
3.
Riches could bring me joy and power,
And they were fair to see; Yet gold was but a sorry god
To serve instead of Thee.
4.
Then honor and the world's good word
Appeared a nobler faith;
Yet could I rest on bliss that hung
And trembled on a breath?
5.
The pleasure of the passing hour
My spirit next could wile;
But soon, full soon my heart fell sick
Of pleasure's weary smile.
6.
More selfish grown, I worshipped health,
The flush of manhood's power;
But then it came and went so quick,
It was but for an hour.
And thus a not unkindly world
Hath done its best for me;
Yet I have found, O God! no rest,
No harbor short of Thee.
8.
For Thou hast made this wondrous soul
All for Thyself alone; Ah! send Thy sweet transforming grace
To make it more Thine own.
112.
THE REMEMBRANCE OF MERCY.
1.
Why art thou sorrowful, servant of God?
And what is this dulness that hangs o'er thee now?
Sing the praises of Jesus, and sing them aloud, And the song shall dispel the dark cloud from thy brow.
2.
For is there a thought in the wide world so sweet, As that God has so cared for us, bad as we are,
That he thinks of us, plans for us, stoops to entreat, And follows us, wander we ever so far?
3.
Then how can the heart e'er be drooping or sad, Which God hath once touched with the light of His grace?
Dan the child have a doubt who but lately hath laid Himself to repose in his father's embrace?
4.
And is it not wonderful, servant of God! That He should have honored us so with His love,
That the sorrows of life should but shorten the road Which leads to Himself and the mansion above? 5.
Oh then when the spirit of darkness comes down
With clouds and uncertainties into thy heart,
One look to thy Saviour, one thought of thy crown,
And the tempest is over, the shadows depart.
6.
That God hath once whispered a word in thine ear,
Or sent thee from heaven one sorrow for sin,
Is enough for a life both to banish all fear,
And to turn into peace all the troubles within.
7.
The schoolmen can teach thee far less about heaven, Of the height of God's power, or the depth of His love,
Than the fire in thy heart when thy sin was forgiven, Or the light that one mercy brings down from above.
8.
Then why dost thou weep so? For see how time flies,
The time that for loving and praising was given! Away with thee, child, then, and hide thy red eyes In the lap, the kind lap, of thy Father in heaven. 113.
THE CHRISTIAN'S SONG ON HIS MARCH TO HEAVEN.
1.
Blest is the Faith, divine and strong,
Of thanks and praise and endless fountain,
Whose life is one perpetual song,
High up the Saviour's holy mountain.
Oh Sion's songs are sweet to sing,
With melodies of gladness laden;
Hark! how the harps of angels ring,
Hail, Son of Man! Hail, Mother-Maiden!
2.
Blest is the Hope that holds to God
In doubt and darkness still unshaken,
And sings along the heavenly road,
Sweetest when most it seems forsaken.
Oh Sion's songs are sweet to sing,
With melodies of gladness laden;
Hark! how the harps of angels ring,
Hail, Son of Man! Hail, Mother-Maiden!
3.
Blest is the Love that cannot love
Aught that earth gives of best and brightest; Whose raptures thrill like saints' above.
Most when its earthly gifts are lightest.
Oh Sion's songs are sweet to sing,
With melodies of gladness laden;
Hark! how the harps of angels ring,
Hail, Son of Man! Hail, Mother-Maiden!
4.
Blest is the Penance that believes
That charity turns hell to heaven,
Counts its dark sins, and, while it grieves,
Hopes with meek hope to be forgiven.
Oh Sion's songs are sweet to sing,
With melodies of gladness laden;
Hark! how the harps of angels ring,
Hail, Son of Man! Hail, Mother-Maiden!
5.
Blest is the Time that in the eye
Of God its hopeful watch is keeping,
And grows into eternity,
Like noiseless trees, when men are sleeping.
Oh Sion's songs are sweet to sing,
With melodies of gladness laden;
Hark ! how the harps of angels ring,
Hail, Son of Man! Hail, Mother-Maiden I
6.
Blest is the Death that good men die,
Solemn, self-doubting, firm, and wary,
Trusting to God its destiny,
And leaning for its hour on Mary.
Oh Sion's songs are sweet to sing,
With melodies of gladness laden;
Hark! how the harps of angels ring,
Hail, Son of Man! Hail, Mother-Maiden!
114.
FIGHT FOR SION.
Christians! to the war I
Gather from afar!
Hark! hark! the word is given;
Jesus bids us fight
"For God and the Right,
And for Mary, the Queen of Heaven!"
1.
Now first for thee, thou wicked world,
Puffed up with godless pomp and pageant;
Avenging grace to humble thee
Can make the weakest arm its agent.
Christians! to the war!
Gather from afar!
Hark! hark! the word is given;
Jesus bids us fight
"For God and the Right,
And for Mary, the Queen of Heaven!"
2.
And thou, dark fiend, six thousand years
The Bride of Christ in vain tormenting,
Shalt find our hate and scorn of thee
Deep as thine own, and unrelenting.
Christians! to the war!
Gather from afar!
Hark! hark! the word is given;
Jesus bids us fight
"For God and the Right,
And for Mary, the Queen of Heaven!"
3.'
Ah self! so oft forgiven, thou
Canst play no part but that of traitor;
We spare thy life; but thou must bear
The felon's brand, the captive's fetter.
Christians! to the war!
Gather from afar!
Hark! hark! the word is given;
Jesus bids us fight
"For God and the Eight,
And for Mary, the Queen of Heaven!"
4.
But worse than devil, flesh, or world,
Human respect, like poison creeping,
Chills and unnerves the hosts of Christ,
When weary war-worn hearts are sleeping.
Christians! to the war!
Gather from afar!
Hark! hark! the word is given;
Jesus bids us fight
"For God and the Right,
And for Mary, the Queen of Heaven!"
5.
Like lions roaring for their prey,
Armies of foes are round us trooping:
What then? see! countless angels come
To heal the hurt, to raise the drooping.
Christians! to the war!
Gather from afar!
Hark! hark! the word is given;
Jesus bids us fight
"For God and the Right,
And for Mary, the Queen of Heaven!"
6.
Tbep bravely, comrades, to the fight,
With shout and song each other cheering;
Strength not our own from heaven descends,
The sun breaks out, the clouds are clearing.
Christians! to the war I
Gather from afar!
Hark! hark! the word is given;
Jesus bids us fight
"For God and the Right,
And for Mary, the Queen of Heaven!"
7.
On to the gates of Sion, on!
Break through the foe with fresh endeavor; We'll hang our colors up in heaven,
When peace shall be proclaimed for ever.
Christians! to the war!
Gather from afar!
Hark! hark! the word is given;
Jesus bids us fight
"For God and the Eight,
And for Mary, the Queen of Heaven!"
115.
PERFECTION.
1.
Oh how the thought of God attracts
And draws the heart from earth,
And sickens it of passing shows
And dissipating mirth!
2.
'Tis not enough to save our souls,
To shun the eternal fires;
The thought of God will rouse the heart
To more sublime desires.
3.
God only is the creature's home,
Though rough and strait the road;
Yet nothing less can satisfy
The love that longs for God.
4.
Oh utter but the Name of God
Down in your heart of hearts,
And see how from the world at once
All tempting light departs.
5.
A trusting heart, a yearning eye,
Can win their way above;
If mountains can be moved by faith,
Is there less power in love?
6.
How little of that road, my soul!
How little hast thou gone! Take heart, and let the thought of God
Allure thee further on.
7.
The freedom from all wilful sin,
The Christian's daily task,—
Oh these are graces far below
What longing love would ask!
8.
Dole not thy duties out to God,
But let thy hand be free: Look long at Jesus; His sweet Blood,
How was it dealt to thee?
9.
The perfect way is hard to flesh;
It is not hard to love;
If thou wert sick for want of God,
How swiftly wouldst thou move!
10.
Good is the cloister's silent shade,
Cold watch and pining fast;
Better the mission's wearing strife,
If there thy lot be cast.
11.
Yet none of these perfection needs:— Keep thy heart calm all day,
And catch the words the Spirit there From hour to hour may say.
12.
Then keep thy conscience sensitive;
No inward token miss: And go where grace entices thee ;—
Perfection lies in this.
13.
Be docile to thine unseen Guide,
Love Him as He loves thee;
Time and obedience are enough,
And thou a saint shalt be.
116.
THE GIFTS OF GOD.
1.
My Soul! what hast thou done for God?
Look o'er thy misspent years and see; Sum up what thou hast done for God,
And then what God hath done for thee.
2.
He made thee when He might have made
A soul that would have loved Him more;
He rescued thee from nothingness,
And set thee on life's happy shore.
3.
He placed an angel at thy side,
And strewed joys round thee on thy way; He gave thee rights thou couldst not claim,
And life, free life, before thee lay.
4.
Had God in heaven no work to do
But miracles of love for thee?
No world to rule, no joy in Self,
And in His own infinity?
5.
So must it seem to our blind eyes:
He gave His love no sabbath rest,
Still plotting happiness for men,
And new designs to make them blest.
6.
From out His glorious Bosom came
His only, His eternal Son;
He freed the race of Satan's slaves,
And with His Blood sin's captives won.
7.
The world rose up against His love:
New love the vile rebellion met,
As though God only looked at sin
Its guilt to pardon and forget.
8.
For His Eternal Spirit came
To raise the thankless slaves to sons,
And with the sevenfold gifts of love
To crown His own elected ones.
9.
Men spurned His grace; their lips blasphemed
The Love who made Himself their slave;
They grieved that blessed Comforter
And turned against Him what He gave.
10.
Yet still the sun is fair by day,
The moon still beautiful by night;
The world goes round, and joy with it,
And life, free life, is men's delight,
11.
No voice God's wondrous silence breaks,
No hand put forth His anger tells;
But He, the Omnipotent and Dread,
On high in humblest patience dwells.
12.
The Son hath come; and maddened sin
The world's Creator crucified;
The Spirit comes, and stays, while men
His presence doubt, His gifts deride.
13.
And now the Father keeps Himself,
In patient and forbearing love, To be His creature's heritage
In that undying life above.
14.
Oh wonderful, oh passing thought,
The love that God hath had for thee,
Spending on thee no less a sum
Than the Undivided Trinity I
15.
Father, and Son, and Holy Ghost,
Exhausted for a thing like this,—
The world's whole government disposed
For one ungrateful creature's bliss!
16.
What hast thou done for God my soul?
Look o'er thy misspent years and see; Cry from thy worse than nothingness,
Cry for His mercy upon thee.
117.
TEUE LOVE.
1.
Think well how Jesus trusts Himself
Unto our childish love,
As though by His free ways with us
Our earnestness to prove.
2.
God gives Himself as Mary's Babe
To sinners' trembling arms,
And veils His everlasting light
In childhood's feeble charms.
His sacred Name a common word On earth He loves to hear;
There is no majesty in Him Which love may not come near.
His priests, they bear Him in their
Helpless as babe can be;
His love seems very foolishness
For its simplicity.
The light of love is round His feet, His paths are never dim;
And He comes nigh to us when we Dare not come nigh to Him.
6.
Let us be simple with Him then,
Not backward, stiff, or cold,
As though our Bethlehem could be
What Sina was of old.
7.
His love of us may teach us how
To love Him in return; Love cannot help but grow more free,
The more its transports burn.
8.
The solemn face, the downcast eye,
The words constrained and cold,—
These are the homage, poor at best,
Of those outside the fold.
9.
They knew not how our God can play The Babe's, the Brother's part;
They dream not of the ways He has Of getting at the heart.
10.
Most winningly He lowers Himself,
Yet they dare not come near;
They cannot know in their blind place
The love that casts out fear.
11.
In lowest depths of littleness
God sinks to gain our love;
They put away the sign in fear,
And our free ways reprove.
12
Would that they knew what Jesus was,
And what untold abyss
Lies in love's simple forwardness
Of more than earthly bliss!
13.
Would that they knew what faith can work,
What Sacraments can do, What simple love is like, on fire
In hearts absolved and true!
14.
They cannot tell how Jesus oft
His secret thirst will slake On those strange freedoms childlike hearts
Are taught by God to take.
15.
Poor souls! they knew not how to love;
They feel not Jesus near;
And they who know not how to love
Still less know how to fear.
16.
The humbling of the Incarnate Word
They have not faith to face;
And how shall they who have not faith
Attain love's better grace?
17.
The awe that lies too deep for words,
Too deep for solemn looks,— It finds no way into the face,
No written vent in books.
18.
They would not speak in measured tones,
If love had in them wrought Until their spirits had been hushed
In reverential thought.
19.
They would have smiled in harmless ways
To ease their fevered heart,
And learned with other simple souls
To play love's crafty part.
20.
They would have run away from God
For their own vileness' sake, And feared lest some interior light
From tell-tale eyes should break. |
21.
They know not how the outward smile
The inward awe can prove;
They fathom not the creature's fear'
Of Uncreated Love.
22.
The majesty of God ne'er broke
On them like fire at night,
Flooding their stricken souls, while they
Lay trembling in the light.
23.
They love not; for they have not kissed
The Saviour's outer hem:
Thny fear not; for the Living God
Is yet unknown to them.
118.
SELF-LOVE.
"Christ did not please Himself."—Roman* xv, 3.
1.
Oh I could go through all life's troubles singing,
Turning earth's night to day,
If self were not so fast around me, clinging
To all I do or say.
2.
My very thoughts are selfish, always building
Mean castles in the air;
I use my love of others for a gilding
To make myself look fair.
3.
I fancy all the world engrossed with judging
My merit or my blame; Its warmest praise seems an ungracious grudging
Of praise which I might claim.
4.
In youth or age, by city, wood, or mountain,
Self is forgotten never;
Where'er we tread, it gushes like a fountain,
And its waters flow for ever.
5.
Alas! no speed in life can snatch us wholly
Out of selfs hateful sight;
And it keeps step, whene'er we travel slowly,
And sleeps with us at night.
6.
No griefs sharp knife, no pain's most cruel sawing
Self and the soul can sever: . The surface, that in joy sometimes seems thawing,
Soon freezes worse than ever.
7.
Thus we are never men, selfs wretched swathing
Not letting virtue swell; Thus is our whole life numbed, for ever bathing
Within this frozen well.
8.
O miserable omnipresence, stretching
Over all time and space, How have I run from thee, yet found thee reaching
The goal in every race.
9.
Inevitable self! vile imitation
Of universal light,—
Within our hearts a dreadful usurpation
Of God's exclusive right!
10.
The opiate balms of grace may haply still thee,
Deep in my nature lying;
For I may hardly hope, alas! to kill thee,
Save by the act of dying.
11.
O Lord! that I could waste my life for others,
With no ends of my own,
That I could pour myself into my brothers,
And live for them alone!
12.
Such was the life Thou livedst; self-abjuring,
Thine own pains never easing,
Our burdens bearing, our just doom enduring,
A life without self-pleasing!
119.
HARSH JUDGMENTS.
1,
O God! whose thoughts are brightest light,
Whose love always runs clear,
To whose kind wisdom sinning souls
Amidst their sins are dear!
2.
Sweeten my bitter-thoughted heart
With charity like Thine,
Till self shall be the only spot
On earth which does not shine.
3.
Hardheartedness dwells not with souls
Round whom Thine arms are drawn;
And dark thoughts fade away in grace,
Like cloud-spots in the dawn.
4.
I often see in my own thoughts,
When they lie nearest Thee,
That the worst men I ever knew
Were better men than me.
5.
And of all truths no other truth
So true as this one seems; While others' faults, that plainest were,
Grow indistinct as dreams.
6.
All men look good except ourselves,
All but ourselves are great:
The rays, that make our sins so clear,
Their faults obliterate.
7.
Things, that appear undoubted sins,
Wear little crowns of light;
Their dark, remaining darkness still,
Shames and outshines our bright.
8.
Time was, when I believed that wrong
In others to detect,
Was part of genius, and a gift
To cherish, not reject.
9.
Now better taught by Thee, O Lord!
This truth dawns on my mind,— The best effect of heavenly light
Is earth's false eyes to blind.
10.
Thou art the Unapproached, whose height
Enables Thee to stoop, Whose holiness bends undefiled
To handle hearts that droop.
11.
He, whom no praise can reach, is aye
Men's least attempts approving;
Whom justice makes all-merciful,
Omniscience makes all-loving.
12.
How Thou canst think so well of us,
Yet be the God Thou art, Is darkness to my intellect,
But sunshine to my heart.
13.
Yet habits linger in the soul;
More grace, O Lord! more grace! More sweetness from Thy loving Heart,
More sunshine from Thy Face!
14.
When we ourselves least kindly are,
We deem the world unkind; Dark hearts, in flowers where honey lies,
Only the poison find.
15.
We paint from self the evil things
We think that others are; While to the self-despising soul
All things but self are fair.
16.
Yes, they have caught the way of God,
To whom self lies displayed In such clear vision as to cast
O'er others' faults a shade.
17.
A bright horizon out at sea
Obscures the distant ships;
Rough hearts look smooth and beautiful
In charity's eclipse.
18.
Love's changeful mood our neighbor's faults
O'erwhelms with burning ray, And in excess of splendor hides
What is not burned away.
19.
Again, with truth like God's, it shades
Harsh things with untrue light,
Like moons that make a fairy land
Of fallow fields at night.
20.
Then mercy, Lord! more mercy still!
Make me all light within, Self-hating and compassionate,
And blind to others' sin.
21.
I need Thy mercy for my sin;
But more than this I need,— Thy mercy's likeness in my soul
For others' sin to bleed.
22.
'Tis not enough to weep my sins;
'Tis but one step to heaven: When I am kind to others, then
I know myself forgiven.
23.
Would that my soul might be a world
Of golden ether bright, A heaven where other souls might float,
Like all Thy worlds, in light.
24
All bitterness is from ourselves,
All sweetness is from Thee;
Sweet God! for evermore be Thou
Fountain and fire in me!
120.
DISTRACTIONS IN PRAYER.
1.
Ah dearest Lord! I cannot pray,
My fancy is not free; Unmannerly distractions come,
And force my thoughts from Thee.
2.
The world that looks so dull all day
Glows bright on me at prayer,
And plans that ask no thought but then
Wake up and meet me there.
3.
All nature one full fountain seems
Of dreamy sight and sound, Which, when I kneel, breaks up its deeps,
And makes a deluge round.
Old voices murmur in my ear,
New hopes start into life,
And past and future gaily blend
In one bewitching strife.
5.
My very flesh has restless fits;
My changeful limbs conspire
With all these phantoms of the mind
My inner self to tire.
6.
I cannot pray; yet, Lord! Thou knowst
The pain it is to me To have my vainly struggling thoughts
Thus torn away from Thee.
7.
Sweet Jesus! teach me how to prize
These tedious hours when I, Foolish and mute before Thy Face,
In helpless worship lie.
8.
Prayer was not meant for luxury,
Or selfish pastime sweet;
It is the prostrate creature's place
At his Creator's Feet.
9.
Had I kept stricter watch each hour
O'er tongue and eye and ear,
Had I but mortified all day
Each joy as it came near.
10.
Had I, dear Lord! no pleasure found
But in the thought of Thee, Prayer would have come unsought, and been
A truer liberty.
i
11.
Yet Thou art oft most present, Lord!
In weak distracted prayer:
A sinner out of heart with self
Most often finds Thee there.
12.
For prayer that humbles sets the soul
From all illusions free, And teaches it how utterly,
Dear Lord! it hangs on Thee.
13.
The heart, that on self-sacrifice
Is covetously bent, Will bless Thy chastening hand that makes
Its prayer its punishment.
14.
My Saviour! why should I complain,
And why fear aught but sin? Distractions are but outward things;
Thy peace dwells far within.
15.
These surface-troubles come and go,
Like rufflings of the sea;
The deeper depth is out of reach
To all, my God, but Thee.
121.
SWEETNESS IN PRAYER.
1.
Why dost thou beat so quick, my heart?
Why struggle in thy cage?
What shall I do for thee, poor heart I
Thy throbbing heat to swage?
2.
What spe". is this come over thee,
My soul! what sweet surprise?
And wherefore these unbidden tears
That start into mine eyes?
3.
How are my passions laid to sleep,
How easy penance seems, And how the bright world fades away—
Oh are they all but dreams?
How great, how good does God appear,
How dear our holy faith, How tasteless life's best joys have grown,
How I could welcome death!
Thy sweetness hath betrayed Thee, Lord!
Dear Spirit! it is Thou; Deeper and deeper in my heart
I feel Thee nestling now.
6.
Whence Thou hast come I need not ask;
But, dear and gentle Dove!
O wherefore hast Thou lit on me
That so repays Thy love?
Would that Thou mightest stay with me,
Or else that I might die
While heart and soul are still subdued
With Thy sweet mastery.
8.
Thy home is with the humble, Lord!
The simple are Thy rest;
Thy lodging is in childlike hearts;
Thou raakest there Thy nest.
9.
Dear Comforter! Eternal Love!
If Thou wilt stay with me,
Of lowly thoughts and simple ways
I'll build a nest for Thee.
10.
My heart, sweet Dove! I'll lend to Thee
To mourn with at Thy will;
My tongue shall be Thy lute to try
On sinners' souls Thy skill.
11.
How silver-like Thy plumage is,
Thy voice, how grave, how gay!
Ah me! how I shall miss Thee, Lord!
Then promise me to stay.
12.
Who made this beating heart of mine,
But Thou, my heavenly Guest?
Let no one have it then but Thee,
And let it be Thy nest.
122.
DRYNESS IN PRAYER.
1.
Oh for the happy days gone by,
When love ran smooth and free,
Days when my spirit so enjoyed
More than earth's liberty I
2.
Oh for the times when on my heart
Long prayer had never palled,
Times when the ready thought of God
Would come when it was called!
Then when I knelt to meditate,
Sweet thoughts came o'er my soul,
Countless and bright and beautiful,
Beyond my own control.
4.
What can have locked those fountains up?
Those visions what hath stayed? What sudden act hath thus transformed
My sunshine into shade?
5.
This freezing heart, O Lord! this will
Dry as the desert sand, Good thoughts that will not come, bad thoughts
That come without command,—
6.
A faith that seems not faith, a hope
That cares not for its aim,
A love that none the hotter grows
At Thy most blessed Name,—
7.
The weariness of prayer, the mist
O'er conscience overspread, The chill repugnance to frequent
The feast of angels' Bread,—
8.
The torment of unsettled thoughts
That cannot fix on Thee, And in the dread confessional
Hard, cold fidelity:—
9.
If this dear change be Thine, O Lord!
If it be Thy sweet will, Spare not, but to the very brim
The bitter chalice fill.
10.
But if it hath been sin of mine,
Then show that sin to me,
Not to get back the sweetness lost,
But to make peace with Thee.
11.
One thing alone, dear Lord! I dread ;—
To have a secret spot
That separates my soul from Thee,
And yet to know it not
12.
For when the tide of graces set
So full upon my heart,
I know, dear Lord! how faithlessly
I did my little part.
13.
I know how well my heart hath earned
A chastisement like this,
In trifling many a grace away
In self-complacent bliss.
14.
But if this weariness hath come
A present from on high,
Teach me to find the hidden wealth
That in its depths may lie.
15.
So in this darkness I may learn
To tremble and adore,
To sound my own vile nothingness,
And thus to love Thee more,—
16.
To love Thee, and yet not to think
That I can love so much,—
To have Thee with me, Lor \! all day,
Yet not to feel Thy touch.
17.
If I have served Thee, Lord! for hire, Hire which Thy beauty showed,
Can I not serve Thee now for nought, And only as my God?
18.
Thrice blessed be this darkness then,
This deep in which I lie,
And blessed be all things that teach
God's dear Supremacy I
123.
THE PAIN OF LOVE.
1.
Jesus! why dost Thou love me so?
What hast Thou seen in me
To make my happiness so great, .
So dear a joy to Thee?
2.
Wert Thou not God, I then might think
Thou hadst no eye to read
The badness of that selfish heart,
For which Thine own did bleed.
3.
But Thou art God, and knowest all;
Dear Lord! Thou knowest me; And yet Thy knowledge hinders not
Thy love's sweet liberty.
4.
Ah, how Thy grace hath wooed my soul
With persevering wiles!
Now give me tears to weep; for tears
Are deeper joy than smiles.
5.
Each proof renewed of Thy great love
Humbles me more and more,
And brings to light forgotten sins,
And lays them at my door.
The more I love Thee, Lord! the more
I hate my own cold heart; The more Thou woundest me with love,
The more I feel the smart.
What shall I do, then, dearest Lord!
Say, shall I fly from Thee, And hide my poor unloving self
Where Thou canst never see?
Or shall I pray that Thy dear love
To me might not be given?
Ah no! love must be pain on earth,
If it be bliss in heaven.
124.
LOW SPIKITS.
1.
Fever, and fret, and aimless stir,
And disappointed strife,
All chafing unsuccessful things,
Make up the sum of life.
2.
Love adds anxiety to toil,
And sameness doubles cares,
While one unbroken chain of work
The flagging temper wears.
3.
The light and air are dulled with smoke
The streets resound with noise;
And the soul sinks to see its peers
Chasing their joyless joys.
4.
Voices are round me; smiles are near;
Kind welcomes to be had; And yet my spirit is alone,
Fretful, outworn, and sad.
5.
A weaiy actor, I would fain
Be quit of my long part; The burden of unquiet life
Lies heavy on my heart.
6.
Sweet thought of God ! now do thy work,
As thou hast done before; Wake up, and tears will wake with thee,
And the dull mood be o'er.
7.
The very thinking of the thought,
Without or praise or prayer, Gives light to know, and life to do,
And marvellous strength to bear.
8.
Oh there is music in that thought
Unto a heart unstrung,
Like sweet bells at the evening-time
Most musically rung.
9.
'Tis not His justice or His power,
Beauty or blest abode,
But the mere unexpanded thought
Ot the Eternal God.
10.
It is not of His wondrous works,
Nor even that He is;
Words fail it, but it is a thought
Which by itself is bliss.
11.
Sweet thought! lie closer to my heart,
That I may feel thee near,
As one who for his weapon feels
In some nocturnal fear.
12.
Mostly in hours of gloom thou com'st,
When sadness makes us lowly,
As though thou wert the echo sweet
Of humble melancholy.
13.
I bless Thee, Lord! for this kind check
To spirits over free,
And for all things that make me feel
More helpless need of Thee.
125.
LIGHT IN DARKNESS.
1.
Once in the simple thought of God
My old repose I sought, But lo! the well-known peace was now
No longer in that thought.
My spirit fluttered here and there,
Beset with nameless fears;
My eyes with very dryness burned,
While my heart shed inward tears.
3.
I was as one who cannot sleep
Upon a bed of pain,
Too restless to be still and bear,
Too peevish to complain.
4.
Then suddenly a siient gloom
Like a web was round me spun,
As grateful as a sudden shade
After a scorching sun.
5.
The darkness grew, and, as it grew
More dark, it grew more still;
And something dawned, less in my mind
Than deep within my will.
6.
In that dark dawn, confused yet plain,
I thought that I could
In radiant indistinctness clad,
The Holy Trinity.
7.
My soul lay at the door of death,
Anguish and dread within; For all I had and all I was
Seemed nothing then but sin.
8.
How I could speak I cannot tell,
How I could dare to pray
Seemed wonderful; and yet my heart
To Jesus dared to say :—
9.
Shew me the Father's Face, O Lord,
This was my venturous cry, And close before me, as I prayed,
Methought Some One passed by.
10.
And yet He was not One but Three,
Oh how fatherly He seemed! A mercy half so merciful
I never could have dreamed.
11.
The space of one swift lightning's flash
Was the Majesty outspread;
Then the angel's songs the silence broke,
And the glorious darkness fled.
12.
Deep in Thine own immensity
Thyself Thou hidest, Lord! There always speaking to Thyself
Thine Uncreated Word.
13.
Thy Wisdom, like a sea on fire,
Is one with Thee in bliss; His unborn loveliness is Thine,
Thine unborn glory His.
14.
Thou and Thy Word perforce must breathe
One equal Breath of love,
A Breath that is being ever breathed,
One coeternal Dove.
15.
Yet Father, Son, and Holy Ghost
Into one Father run,
A Father in Their Unity,
A Trinity in One.
16.
Father! all we that toil on earth
One day at rest shall be;—
Thou art our haven and our home,
O dearest Trinity!
126.
DIVINE FAVORS.
Is this returning life that thrills
So sensibly in all my veins?
Can this be heavenly joy that fills
My soul with such mysterious pains?
I see but indistinctly yet
Forms growing like to what I knew; One sun is rising, one is set,
But which of those two suns is true? Within my soul there hath been strife;
I hear retreating voices rave; This stirring in me must be life,
But life on which side of the grave?
• 4.
Blue sky, green earth, my well-known room!
I waken up to all the past;
But what a look of cheerless gloom
That inward light o'er all hath cast!
5.
O Lord! what hast Thou done to me?
What marks are these my spirit bears? Why didst Thou come so frighteningly,
Why take me, Lord! so unawares?
I felt Thy touch; self died,—alas I
Only a momentary death;
Ah me! how quickly Thou didst
Within the breathing of a breath!
7.
No revelation did unfold
New secrets to my quickened eye; No vision on my sight enrolled
Its hieroglyphic pageantry.
8.
I feel no wish to do great things,
T$or is my weakness fortified;
Only, within are murmurings,
Beginning softly to subside.
9.
But in that momentary sleep
One work within me hath been done; For somehow I have sunk more deep,
Farther into my soul hath gone.
10.
Thy touch hath made me sensitive;
I long to burrow out of sight; My shame, selfseen, abhors to live,
Humbled by such excess of light.
11.
There have been times when sense of sin
Hath laid my spirits very low;
Yet this sharp light went deeper in;
I never yet was humbled so.