Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

446.

What though thy flesh beneath the sod
Awhile shall moulder in the dust;
Yet, if thy heart be right with God,
Thou shalt not, Reader, lose thy trust.

Though clouds and darkness round thee lower,
The throne of glory thou shalt see;
And God, in wisdom, love, and power,
From sin and death shall rescue thee.

447.

In paths of usefulness he trod;
His life serenely ran

In humble reverence to his God,
In acts of love to man.

Wrapt loosely in his winding weeds
We leave him here alone,

Nor vainly grave a good man's deeds
On perishable stone.

448.

In early youth he turn'd his face
To seek the Lord of truth and grace:
No wonder then his lengthen'd days
Were pass'd in peace, in prayer, and praise.

We rais'd this stone to mark the spot
(A good man should not be forgot)
Where angels wait till he arise,
That they may bear him to the skies.

449.

If the past time has been given to thy pleasures, O let the future be devoted to thy God.

450.

Fellow-mortal, pilgrim, stranger,
While thy footsteps wander free
Through this world of sin and danger,
Judge not, lest thou judged be.

Art thou but a young beginner?
Wouldst thou far from evil flee?
Bear in mind thou art a sinner:
Judge not, lest thou judged be.

Art thou old? let no pretences
Steel thy bosom; bend thy knee ;
Think upon thine own offences:
Judge not, lest thou judged be.

Heaven and hell are wide asunder,
Joy or sorrow waits for thee;
O that I could speak in thunder-
Judge not, lest thou judged be!

Young in years, or old and hoary,

Still let mercy be thy plea;
Wouldst thou find the realms of glory,
Judge not, lest thou judged be.

451.

She was at all times resigned to the will of God, and with childlike simplicity acquiesced in His wise dispensations.

452.

When Spring was seen, my

life was green,

For I was blithe and young:

When Summer smil'd, my hopes beguil'd,

My heart was hale and strong:

When Autumn, crown'd with fruits, came round, I entertain'd no fear:

There rose, at last, the Wintry blast,

And then, they laid me here.

453.

I found it a solemn thing to die, even with a hope full of immortality; to die without that hope must be terrible.

454.

Though now unknown midst earthly strife,
Her heavenly record is on high:

Though she lie dead while death has life,

Yet will she live when death shall die.

455.

Mourn not the dead: he sleeps in Christ, to rise
When heaven's archangel calls him to the skies.
He knows no care; he hears no stormy blast;
His tears are shed, and all his pains are past.
The thorny path no more is trodden now,
A crown of glory glitters for his brow:
For every hour that here oppress'd his soul
Eternal ages of delight shall roll.

Mourn not the dead, for holy angels keep
Their hallow'd vigils o'er his couch of sleep;
Here, while their heavenly hallelujahs rise,
They wait the glance of his awakening eyes,
That they may raise him from this earthly.clod,
And spread their wings, and bear him to his God.

456.

With mercies crown'd, he pass'd through every stage,

From helpless infancy to hoary age.

God dwelt with him, while here on earth he trod, And now, in heaven above, he dwells with God.

457.

Is beauty on thy face impress'd?

With charms unrivall'd dost thou shine?

Thy slumbering sister once possess'd

As fair a form as thine.

Does genius sparkle in thine eyes,

And wit and wisdom from thee flow? Alas! as witty and as wise

Was she who lies below.

The treasures of the mind are fair;
And O, how sweet is beauty's bloom!
But yet they cannot chase despair,
Nor keep thee from the tomb.

Trust thou the Ruler of the skies,
Then, when thy tomb is riven,
Thy frail and mouldering dust shall rise
To light and love in heaven.

458.

How peaceful is the grave! They say
That angels guard the good man's clay,
And day and night their vigils keep
Where he reclines in slumber deep.
If this be true, with reverence tread
The turf that wraps his honour'd head,
For angels wave their wings around;
And, Reader, this is holy ground.

459.

Reader, without the constant aid of divine grace, we must fall; but, through that mighty assistance, we shall be more than conquerors.

« AnteriorContinuar »